Several interesting releases that appear to be exclusives for indie record stores will be available on Friday. I have no idea if this happened last year or not, but this is something I’m looking forward to. The entire list is available on the Record Store Day site, but here’s a few that I’m interested in.
Metallica, Live at Grimey’s
A live album (obviously) of the set they played for 150 people prior to Bonaroo. I’ve already got a bunch of live Metallica stuff but it still sounds interesting.
Anthrax, Live at the Sonisphere
This one I have to think about. I’m a big Anthrax fan but I wasn’t impressed with their set on The Big Four and I’m concerned that this might be more of the same.
Frank Sinatra, Jolly Christmas (vinyl reissue)
Jimi Hendrix, “Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year” single
Crap. If I buy these two that will make three Christmas albums I bought this year when I vowed that I wouldn’t buy any.
The Black Keys, Brothers Double
A 12 inch of the album and a 10 inch of live tracks. This may be too good to resist.
I’ll be going to the fabulous Love Garden Sounds here in Lawrence to see what they have. It’s going to be tough making it between Half Price Books’ usual sale and a possible used CD sale as Hastings.
Why new releases on a Monday this week? Does the holiday really impact sales?
My Chemical Romance, Danger Days: The True Lives of the Fabulous Killjoys
i’ve got high hopes for this one since I loved The Black Parade. I haven’t heard anything off it yet and I’m a little concerned that this will pale in comparison to its predecessor. Regardless, I’m picking it up.
Jay-Z, The Hits Collection Volume 1
I may wait a little bit on this one since I’m getting a lot of other stuff this week. The track listing looks solid, although five unreleased songs really isn’t enough to get me excited about the deluxe edition.
Nine Inch Nails, Pretty Hate Machine: 2010 Remaster
This is a tough one. I already own this but I would love to hear it remastered, plus I can pick it up for eight bucks so this one is probably a go.
Kanye West, My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy
I liked 808s and Heartbreak and this one is getting great reviews from all the usual suspects so I may end up picking this up instead of waiting until I see it used.
Nicki Minaj, Pink Friday
I could be wrong but this reeks of someone the publicity machine is trying to cram down the throats of The Kids.
I love this picture. It’s from the album Frances Albert Sinatra & Antonio Carlos Jobim and shows (from the left) arranger Claus Ogerman, Sinatra, and Jobim during the recording of the album. The first thing I noticed was that everyone is wearing a tie. I can count on my hand the number of times each year I wear a tie, but there’s something great about the past when men would wear ties whenever they went out. To me everyone looks like they’re exhausted but even then the ties stay on and give an air of professionalism to the whole thing.
The other thing is Sinatra’s expression along with his body language. I’ve read several accounts about how seriously he took the creation of the music on his albums and this picture sums it up perfectly. I get the vibe that he knows what he is aiming for and is struggling to express it to Jobim and Ogerman. The album itself is my favorite of Sinatra’s and seeing a picture like this makes me appreciate it all the more.
Years before Tommy Lee’s spinning drum kit, Keith Emerson did the same thing with his piano. As goofy as it sounds on paper, it is pretty impressive that he was able to keep playing as the thing spun around.
One other thing - is all the crap on his keyboard at the end of the clip just for show or does it actually have a purpose?
First thing’s first here: this cover sucks. I seriously think it might be one of the worst album covers ever made, mainly because it makes Dean Martin look like a douche, and in real life he never looked that goofy. They’ve got him dressed up in some lame outfit and on top of it whoever created this is making look like he’s dancing a jig. It’s just horrible. I keep wondering if Dean had to sign off on this cover or if it was just something the record company pushed through. The thing is I’m convinced that if they had used a photograph instead of a drawing he could have pulled it off. Don’t believe me? Check out how cool the guy looks for his country album:
Okay so enough about the cover. The concept of Swingin’ Down Yonder is that Dean is doing songs associated with the American south. It’s such a bizarre release from someone associated with Italian love songs, but the guy absolutely nails it. The songs are lighthearted without being silly and it doesn’t contain a single moment where you roll your eyes in embarassment. The music is created by traditional instruments instead of Dino’s usual orchestral music and his voice blends with it perfectly. The only complaint I have is with the bonus tracks included on the re-release that I have; they don’t fit in with the concept and it’s a little jarring when they start, but really that’s a small quibble.
There are a lot of good Dean Martin albums but I would rank this among my top two or three studio albums. Despite the terrible cover and the odd concept this is a great display of his talent.
