By DOLPH CHANEY
Writer, SNSPost
In this series, I look at the slate of new releases for the week and point out some of the highlights. Then, I take a look back at music released on this date in past years, to see what commonalities might be found from music old and new.
Highlight — Kate Bush, 50 Words for Snow (Fish People / ANTI-)
The first voice you hear on Kate Bush’s new album is not hers. It belongs to her son Albert (“Bertie” as immortalized on 2005′s Aerial, Kate’s previous album), for whom the opener “Snowflakes” was written in order to capture his pure choirboy soprano before puberty takes it away. Here and throughout, her main musical collaborators are veteran session men, upright-bassist Danny Thompson and jazz drummer Steve Gadd, who each bring impeccable shadings to the record. Three minutes pass before Kate’s voice joins Bertie’s, upon a bed of piano and percolating drums, and their interplay is mesmerizing, sustaining interest through what might’ve been a patience-trying nine minutes. The lengths of the pieces are a rare source of complaint elsewhere as well, but one gets the sense that it simply takes this long to say what Bush wants to say musically, and most of the time it more than pays off. “Misty,” which provides the story behind the cover image, is stupefying, taking a plot line which seems straight out of a bad Michael Keaton movie and rendering it surprisingly erotic and mythical all at once. Perhaps the greatest surprise of all is the duet with Elton John, “Snowed In At Wheeler Street,” in which Elton loses himself, does not indulge the tricks that made him famous, and simply adds the strong color of his voice to an already gripping song. This is unfortunately followed by the title track, a recitation by Stephen Fry of 50 different terms (some made up anew in the song) for snow, cheer-led awkwardly by Bush. But all is redeemed by “Among Angels,” which closes the album breathtakingly. Flawed as it may be, this is the kind of album only Kate Bush can make, and she has once again earned the right to be indulged by her muse.
Now & Just A Little Bit Ago — Chris Cornell, Songbook (Hip-O); Junius/Rosetta, Split 12″ (The Mylene Sheath)
Two new ways to appreciate the contribution of Chris Cornell to Soundgarden and vice versa. The split 4-song single shared by Junius and Rosetta, originally released September 27th, leads off with Rosetta’s convincingly creepy version of Soundgarden’s “4th of July”, and their choice of arrangement — heavy on bass and drums, with doubled voices whispering and shrieking, rather than making much attempt at the melody — leaves a Cornell-shaped hole in the song, and the effect is intriguing. Meanwhile, the man himself releases a live solo album, covering Soundgarden, Audioslave, Temple Of The Dog and his 3 solo albums (which only get one song each out of the 16 total). There are also a couple of classic rock covers and a sprinkling of new songs, including the lead-off “As Hope And Promise Fade” and closer “The Keeper”. Cornell’s pipes are pleasingly rough and hearty, and several songs are arranged in surprising ways. This more than whets the appetite for the 2012 Soundgarden reunion.
Chris Cornell – As Hope And Promise Fade – ‘Songbook’ by chriscornell
Recommended New Releases for November 22, 2011:
- Calexico, Road Atlas 1998-2011 and Selections From Road Atlas 1998-2011 (Quarterstick)
- Road Atlas is a 12-LP vinyl box (limited edition of 1,100 copies) of live recordings, previously only available at Calexico shows. If you love them this much, you pre-ordered it — and the pre-order price of $130 + shipping was a comparative bargain for such items. Highly recommended for the curious is Selections, a 16-track distillation that shows the variety and live power of Convertino, Burns, and co. This, plus Garden Ruin, are the two ideal introductions to this uniquely atmospheric group. - Dead Skeletons, Dead Magick (CD / 2xLP) (A Records)
- For having such a spooooooooky aesthetic, there is a refreshing swing and buoyancy to “Dead Mantra,” the opening track of Dead Magick Iby Dead Skeletons (are you noticing a theme?). Released digitally in May, this double from the Icelandic goth-trippers gets its physical release today. The name might raise suspicion of Bauhaus copyism, but healthy doses of mid-period Wire and 70s German drone are also in the mix of influences. - Death Cab for Cutie, Keys And Codes Remix EP (Atlantic)
KEYS and CODES Remix EP by Death Cab for Cutie - The Fall, Ersatz GB (Cherry Red UK)
- Mark E. Smith and co. have done it again, miraculously stubborn as ever in its relentless agitating post-punk. (album stream at incubate.org) - FaltyDL, Atlantis EP (Ninja Tune)
- (“Atlantis” – stream at Juno Plus) - Fonda, Better Days (Minty Fresh)
Better Days – EP by fondaband - Preston Lovinggood, “Duncan” / “No Baby” (7″ vinyl) (Communicating Vessels)
- Rhett Miller, The Interpreter: Live At Largo (Sunshine)
- (album stream at Rolling Stone) - Willie Nelson, Remember Me, Vol. 1 (R&J Records)
- Willie does classics by Ernest Tubb, Tennessee Ernie Ford, Johnny Cash, George Jones, Hank Snow, Merle Haggard, Kris Kristofferson, Webb Pierce, Bob Wills, Rosemary Clooney, Porter Wagoner and Ray Price. Vol. 2 comes next year. - Today the Moon, Tomorrow the Sun, Wildfire (Greyday Records/Latest Flame Records)
- (album stream at AOL) - Seapony, “Sailing” / “I Saw You” (Hardly Art)
- Wooden Wand, Briarwood (Fire Records)
- (album stream at AOL) - Yelawolf, Radioactive (Shady)
Other Notable New Releases for November 22, 2011:
- The Allman Brothers Band, Hittin’ The Note / One Way Out / SUNY at Stonybrook 9/19/71 (Live) (The Allman Brothers Band Recording Company / eOne)
- Asking Alexandria, Stepped Up And Scratched (Sumerian)
- The Ataris, Blue Skies Broken Hearts Next 12 Exits (Mightier Than Sword Records)
- Mary J. Blige, My Life II…The Journey Continues (Act 1) [Standard or Deluxe Edition] (Geffen)
- Wild Billy Childish & The Spartan Dreggs, Forensic R ‘n’ B (Damaged Goods)
- Javier Colon, Come Through For You (Universal Republic)
- Daughtry, Break The Spell (Standard and Deluxe Versions) (RCA Records)
- (album stream at SoundCloud) - Desertshore, Drawing of Threes (Caldo Verde)
- Michael Jackson, Immortal (Epic)
- The soundtrack to the new Cirque du Soleil tribute show, featuring unique remixes and medleys similar in approach to the Cirque’s reworking of the Beatles catalogue for LOVE. (album stream at NPR) - Kidz In The Hall, Occasion (Duck Down Music)
- Matisyahu, Miracle (Thirty Tigers)
- James McCartney, The Complete EP Collection (Engine Company Records)
- Brett Netson, Simple Work For The Dead (LP) (The New Black Records)
- Leader of Caustic Resin and sometime guitarist in Built To Spill. - Nickelback, Here And Now (Roadrunner)
- Rihanna, Talk That Talk [Deluxe] (Def Jam)
- Starkey, Open The Pod Bay Doors – 12 in (Ninja Tune)
- Statik Selektah & Action Bronson, Well Done (Switchblade)
- The Green Seed, “Crack Kills” / “Preservation” (7″ vinyl) (Communicating Vessels)
- The Grenadines, “Shake” / “Colorblind” (7″ vinyl) (Communicating Vessels)
- Wye Oak, “Strangers” / “Mother” (7″ vinyl) (Merge)
Recommended Reissues for November 22, 2011:
Classic jazz on vinyl from Fantasy, psychedelic (mostly) from Sundazed and Floating World, metal of various stripes from Rock Candy and Peaceville, country & early rock from Real Gone, Bear Family, and the variety of releases from Snapper and Beat Goes On are the major reissue campaigns this week.
- The Adverts, Crossing The Red Sea With The Adverts (Fire Records)
- Not among the best-known of the first wave of UK punk, the Adverts delivered a classic on their debut. - Daevid Allen, Stroking The Tail Of The Bird (Floating World)
- Ed Ames, Christmas With Ed Ames/Christmas Is The Warmest Time Of The Year (Real Gone)
- Gene Ammons, Blue Gene [LP] (Fantasy)
- Bill Anderson, The First 10 Years, 1956 – 1966 (Bear Family)
- Terry Anderson & The Olympic Ass-Kickin Team, More Smooth Jazz and Sweet Sweet Jams (Doublenaught Records)
- Apples in stereo, The, Funtrick Noisemaker (Yep Roc Records)
- Armored Saint, Delirious Nomad (Rock Candy)
- David Bedford, Great Equatorial / Song Of The White Horse (Floating World)
- Chuck Berry, Rocks (Bear Family)
- Justin Bieber, Under The Mistletoe / [CD/DVD Gift Box] (Island)
- The Byrds, Eight Miles High/Why (Sundazed)
- The Byrds, Times They Are Changin/She Don’t Care About Time (Sundazed)
- Eric Clapton, Blues (5LP 180 Gram Vinyl)(w/Litho) (Reprise)
- Contains From The Cradle, Riding With The King, and Me and Mr. Johnson on vinyl, along with an exclusive lithograph of the cover. For $125. What recession? - Stanley Clarke, Time Exposure/Find Out!/Hideaway (Beat Goes On)
- Cloud Control, Bliss Release (TNO)
- Rodney Crowell, But What Will the Neighbors Think? (Rockbeat)
- Kimya Dawson, Thunder Thighs (2LP) (Great Crap Factory)
- Deftones, White Pony (2LP) (Maverick)
- Kevin Devine, Make The Clocks Move (LP) (Mightier Than Sword Records)
- Al DiMeola, Tour De Force “Live” / Scenario (Beat Goes On)
- Doobie Brothers, Cycles/Brotherhood (Beat Goes On)
- Drake, Take Care [LP] (Universal Republic)
- Dan Fogelberg, Twin Sons Of Different Mothers/Phoenix (Beat Goes On)
- Foo Fighters, Foo Fighters / In Your Honor / One By One / Skin And Bones / The Colour And The Shape There Is Nothing Left To Lose (vinyl) (RCA/Legacy)
- Connie Francis, Lipstick On Your Collar (Snapper)
- Giant Sand, Chore Of Enchantment (25th Anniversary Edition) (Fire Records)
- The Head Cat, Fool’s Paradise (Cleopatra)
- Lemmy (Motörhead) + Slim Jim Phantom (Stray Cats) make up 2/3 of this rockabilly cover band. Fool’s Paradise from 2006 focuses on Buddy Holly & the Crickets. Super fun. - Hollywood Undead, American Tragedy – Redux (A&M/Octone)
- Milt Jackson & Wes Montgomery, Bags Meets Wes! [LP] (Fantasy)
- Jefferson Airplane, Jefferson Airplane (Floating World)
- This is the re-release of the 1989 reunion album, with the classic lineup minus drummer Spencer Dryden, backed by Toto. Notably unpsychedelic, it still beat Starship with a wet noodle. - George Jones, Heartbreak Hotel (Bear Family)
- B.B. King, Best of RPM & KENT Recordings (Rockbeat Records)
- Lone Star, Lone Star / Firing On All Six (Rock Candy)
- Lovin’ Spoonful, Alley Oop/Night Owl Blues (Sundazed)
- David Lynch, Crazy Clown Time [2 LP] (PIAS America)
- Magazine, No Thyself (CD / LP) (Wire-Sound)
- Man, Live Adventures Of (Floating World)
- Ziggy Marley, Wild and Free (LP Vinyl) (Tuff Gong)
- Thelonious Monk, The Unique Thelonious Monk [LP] (Fantasy)
- Michael Martin Murphey, America’s Horses (Rockbeat Records)
- Rick Nelson, Stay Young (Floating World)
- Nirvana, Bleach (Sub Pop Records)
- New Riders Of The Purple Sage, Best Of 1971-1975: Instant Armadillo Blues (Raven)
- Gary Numan, 1980-81 (180g Remastered 5LP Box Set) / Telekon (180g Remastered 2LP) (eOne)
- Pearls Before Swine, The Use Of Ashes C/W These Things Too (Floating World)
- Brendan Perry, Ark (Vinyl 180) (eOne)
- LP reissue of Dead Can Dance co-founder’s 2010 album. - The Pretty Things, The Pretty Things / Get The Picture (Snapper)
- The Rolling Stones, Some Girls [2 CD Deluxe Edition] / [2 CD/DVD/7" Super Deluxe Edition] / [LP] (Universal Republic)
- The last Stones studio album of the 70s gets a well-deserved spa treatment, with a well-balanced but cleaner and punchier sound and augmented by a 2nd disc of outtakes and single B-sides. This was a fertile and (relatively) focused session for the band, so the leftovers are more fun than usual.
- Rush, Sector 1 [5 CD/DVD Combo] / Sector 2 [5 CD/DVD Combo] / Sector 3 [5 CD/DVD Combo] (Mercury)
- Three box sets, together covering all albums from Rush’s stint on Mercury Records, from 1974-1988. This segment of their career ran as a cycle of 4 studio albums followed by a live double album, and those groupings form each “Sector” here. All the albums have been remastered in 24-bit/96kHz hi-resolution stereo. In addition, one album in each Sector has been highlighted by being included as a DVD-Audio in 5.1 surround. Standard wisdom would’ve been to select 2112 and Moving Pictures as the 5.1 spotlight in the first two boxes, but having already released Moving Pictures in a deluxe 5.1 edition, Rush shows their sense of catering to the dedicated by instead choosing fan favorites Fly By Night and A Farewell To Kings. Sector 3‘s 5.1 choice is Signals, unquestionably the strongest album in that group. Some fans are quibbling that they would have preferred different 5.1 choices (maybe Hemispheres) or that they’ll wait for all the albums to come out in 5.1 before putting their money down. If that’s not you, then this is a sleek way to nab their classic catalogue. preview video at rush.com - Arthur Russell, 24-> 24 Music (Traffic)
- Bob Seger & The Silver Bullet Band, Ultimate Hits: Rock And Roll Never Forgets (Capitol)
- Wynn Stewart, Come On (Bear Family)
- Styx, Pieces Of Eight (180g vinyl) (Friday Music)
- Super Heroines, L.A. Riot Grrrls – The Best Of 1982-1985 (Cleopatra)
- Tangent, Beyond A Shadow Of A Doubt/Chasing Shadows Live + Bonus Tracks / The Studio Sessions/Shadow Magic + Bonus Tracks / Tributes & Rarities/Live Over England + Bonus Tracks (Beat Goes On)
- Irma Thomas, Soul Queen of New Orleans (Snapper)
- Mel Tillis, Sawmill / Stomp Them Grapes… Plus (2-for-1) (Raven)
- Trombone Shorty, For True [LP] (Verve Forecast)
- The Trophy Fire, Modern Hearts (LP) (Greyday)
- Ike & Tina Turner, Delilah’s Power/Airwaves (Beat Goes On)
- McCoy Tyner, Sahara [LP] (Fantasy)
- Vandenberg, Vandenberg (Rock Candy)
- John Waite, Rover’s Return (Beat Goes On)
- The Weakerthans, Fallow / Left And Leaving (Epitaph)
- Yardbirds, Ha Ha Said The Clown/Tinker Tailor Soldier Sailor (Sundazed)
- Yardbirds, Ten Little Indians/Drinking Muddy Water (Sundazed)
- Yes, Yesshows (Expanded) (Friday Music)
- Warren Zevon, Bad Luck Streak In Dancing School (Friday Music)
- Zevon’s followup to Excitable Boy lacked the immediacy of its predecessor and any showstopper to rival “Werewolves Of London” or “Roland The Headless Thompson Gunner,” but the venom of “Play It All Night Long” provides one of several highlights.
Notable November 22 Releases from Past Years:
- The Beatles, With The Beatles (Parlophone) (1963)
- Released the day that JFK was shot, hence the Dream Academy lyric in “Life In A Northern Town”: “in winter 1963, it felt like the world would freeze, with John F. Kennedy and the Beatles…”. - Phil Spector, A Christmas Gift for You from Philles Records (Philles) (1963)
- Stevie Wonder, “Uptight (Everything’s Alright)” (single) (Motown) (1965)
- Bob Dylan, “All Along The Watchtower” / “I’ll Be Your Baby Tonight” (single) (Columbia) (1967)
- The Beatles, The Beatles (Apple) (1968)
- The Kinks, The Kinks Are the Village Green Preservation Society (original mono album) (Pye) (1968)
- Dusty Springfield, Dusty… Definitely (Philips) (1968)
- Containing classic takes on “Take Another Little Piece Of My Heart,” “This Girl’s In Love With You,” and Randy Newman’s “I Think It’s Gonna Rain Today,” this remained unreleased in the US until the Dusty In London compilation (1999). - Miles Davis, Get Up With It (Columbia) (1974)
- The final album before a 6-year hiatus, this double collects studio sessions from the preceding 4 years, featuring his wicked funk bands of that time led by Davis’s trumpet played through a wah-wah pedal. Like so many of his innovations, Get Up With It met with disapproval at the time but became hugely influential to a later generation of musicians. - Chic, Chic (Atlantic) (1977)
- Split Enz, See Ya ‘Round (Mushroom) (1984)
- This was the last Split Enz album, never released in the US. Neil Finn contributes half the songs, including the gorgeous “Voices” and “I Walk Away” (which he later reworked for the first Crowded House album). The other band members, not heretofore major songwriting contributors, reveal why on the remaining tracks — but in many ways the quirkier non-Finn tracks liven up the proceedings. Had they not all been put on one side of the record but rather spread throughout, it might’ve been a more successful record. But then, at least outside Australia, Split Enz’s fortunes were always full of too many might’ve-beens. See Ya ‘Round deserves a wider hearing. - Gipsy Kings, Gipsy Kings (Elektra) (1988)
- Pink Floyd, The Delicate Sound Of Thunder (live) (Columbia) (1988)
- Björk, “Big Time Sensuality” (12″ single) (One Little Indian) (1993)
- Kenny G, Miracles: The Holiday Album (Arista) (1994)
- Pearl Jam, Vitalogy (Epic) (1994)
- Redman, Dare Iz a Darkside (Def Jam) (1994)
- Slick Rick, Behind Bars (Def Jam) (1994)
- Sixpence None The Richer, Sixpence None The Richer (Squint / Elektra) (1997)
- The Lightning Seeds, Tilt (Epic) (1999)
- Emilíana Torrini, Love In The Time Of Science (One Little Indian UK) (1999)
- Delerium, Poem (Nettwerk) (2000)
- UB40, Cover Up (EMI International) (2001)
- U2, How To Dismantle An Atomic Bomb (Interscope / Island) (2004)
- Black Lips, Let It Bloom (In The Red) (2005)
- Seu Jorge, The Life Aquatic Studio Sessions () (2005)
- Charming acoustic covers of Bowie classics in Portuguese (with lyrics occasionally altered to fit the Wes Anderson movie in which they appeared). This also helped Seu Jorge raise the profile of his exceptional album CRU from earlier in the year. - System Of A Down, Hypnotize (American) (2005)
- Tenacious D, The Pick Of Destiny (Epic) (2006)
- Thom Yorke, Spitting Feathers (XL / WEA Japan) (2006)
- Regina Spektor, Live In London (Sire) (2010)
- Kanye West, My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy (Roc-A-Fella / Def Jam) (2010)
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