April 2012
Look for "Rick's Pick"

CLASSICAL
 
$19.99
 
Title:    Piano Duetts on Broadwood 1798
Label:    Quintone (dist. Naxos)
Composer:    Muzio Clementi
Performer:    Duo Hammerklavier
ISBN:    9786314417383
ISBN-10:   
UPC:    09789078740087
Prod.#:    BECDQNTO08005
Cat.#:    Q 08005
Period:    Romantic
Genre:    Classical
Release type:    New
Comments:    Every piano student knows Clementi's name: his etudes have made many of them miserable. What they may not know is that Clementi was also a piano builder, a pioneer of Romantic piano technique, and an early champion of the pianoforte, which came into vogue during his lifetime. He was also one of the first to write four-hand duets for the grand piano, seven of which are presented (using a restored 1798 five-octave Broadwood) on this delightful disc. The playing is excellent and the unique tonal quality of this early piano is fascinating. Highly recommended to all libraries supporting keyboard programs. (RA)
 
$11.98
 
Title:    Something Almost Being Said: Music Of Bach And Schubert
Label:    Sony Classical
Composer:    Johann Sebastian Bach; Franz Schubert
Performer:    Simone Dinnerstein
ISBN:    9786314588526
ISBN-10:   
UPC:    00886979894327
Prod.#:    BECDCOLM98943
Cat.#:    88697989432
Period:    Baroque/Romantic
Genre:    Classical
Release type:    New
Comments:    Simone Dinnerstein is a unique talent among the rising generation of piano prodigies. Not content simply to be a brilliant pianist, she is also a creative and insightful thinker about music, as she demonstrates here with a highly unusual program that pairs Bach's partitas nos. 1 and 2 with Schubert's Four Impromptus, op. 90. To Dinnerstein's ear, the two composers share "a distinctive quality. Their non-vocal music has a powerful narrative, a vocal element." She brings this element out in her playing style, which imports a certain amount of Romantic expressiveness into the Bach pieces while emphasizing the logical structure of the Schubert. The result is both intellectually interesting and deeply listenable, and sure to excite discussion among serious students of keyboard style and musicology. (RA)
 
$18.98
 
Title:    Sounds and Silence: Travels with Manfred Eicher
Label:    ECM
Composer:    Various Composers
Performer:    Various Artists
ISBN:    9786314406141
ISBN-10:   
UPC:    00602527700809
Prod.#:    BECDUMG B001593302
Cat.#:    2250
Period:    Contemporary
Genre:    Classical/Jazz/World
Release type:    New
Comments:    This disc is basically the soundtrack to a sort of documentary film of the same name. Manfred Eicher is the legendary founder of Munich's ECM label, one which has brought the world groundbreaking experiments in jazz by the likes of Keith Jarrett, Paul Motian, and many others, along with equally influential classical recordings by Arvo Part and others, and uncategorizable releases by such artists as Nik Bartsch's Ronin, percussionist Marilyn Mazur, violist Kim Kashkashian, and many others. All of these artists are featured here, performing pieces that are often hushed and meditative but sometimes raucous and funky. As a unified listening experience the album is somewhat patchy, but there are many wonderful moments -- and the film (available separately on DVD and Blu-Ray) is great. (RA)
 
$25.98
 
Title:    Chamber Music for Bassoon & Strings
Label:    Ars Produktion (dist. Qualiton)
Composer:    Anton Reicha
Performer:    Island
ISBN:    9786314337759
ISBN-10:   
UPC:    00675754033453
Prod.#:    BECDAPKN38091
Cat.#:    ARS 38 091
Period:    Romantic
Genre:    Classical
Release type:    New
Comments:    A friend of Beethoven and a towering figure in the history of wind music, Anton Reicha was almost forgotten after his death and has only come back to public notice relatively recently. This excellent disc features the Island chamber ensemble playing, on modern instruments, Reicha's Variations for Solo Bassoon, Accompanied by 2 Violins, Viola, and Cello and his wonderful Grand Quintet for the same instrumentation; the playing is wonderfully energetic and the music itself is a joy. Highly recommended to all classical collections. (RA)
 
$19.98
 
Title:    Seven Flute Sonatas
Label:    Hungaroton (dist. Qualiton)
Composer:    Frederick the Great
Performer:    Mary Oleskiewicz; Balazs Mate; David Schulenberg
ISBN:    9786314621100
ISBN-10:   
UPC:    00675754037376
Prod.#:    BECDHUGR32698
Cat.#:    HCD 32698
Period:    Classical
Genre:    Classical
Release type:    New
Comments:    Whether Frederick II of Prussia was a great king or not is open to discussion, and I don't think anyone would put him among the absolute first rank of composers of the classical era. But as kings go, he was quite an impressive composer (and flutist), and this delightful disc presents--in world-premier recordings--seven of his sonatas. Mary Oleskiewicz and her accompanists play on period instruments, and make a very strong musical argument for Frederick's qualities as a musician. Perhaps not essential for every library collection, this disc should nevertheless be snapped up by all early music collections and any library supporting a winds program. (RA)
 
$18.99
 
Title:    Vesperae Longiores ac Breviores
Label:    Carus (dist. Naxos)
Composer:    Heinrich Ignaz Franz Biber
Performer:    Yale Schola Cantorum; Yale Collegium Players / Simon Carrington
ISBN:    9786314289911
ISBN-10:   
UPC:    04009350833487
Prod.#:    BECDCARU348
Cat.#:    83.348
Period:    Baroque
Genre:    Classical
Release type:    New
Comments:    Biber is best known as a composer for the violin, but my personal preference is for his large-scale sacred works, which are among the most stirring of the baroque period. This recording documents the North American premiere performance of Biber's Vesperae Longiores ac Breviores, an incomplete setting of the vesper service; to fill in the blanks, Simon Carrington interpolated appropriate liturgical pieces by Rupert Ignaz Mayr, Leopold I, and Giovanni Legrenzi. The resulting program hangs together very nicely, and the performances are excellent. Very strongly recommended to all classical collections. (RA)
 
$24.99
 
Title:    Complete Chamber Music
Label:    Champs Hill (dist. Naxos)
Composer:    Francis Poulenc
Performer:    London Conchord Ensemble
ISBN:    9786314651725
ISBN-10:   
UPC:    05060212590299
Prod.#:    BECDCMPH028
Cat.#:    CHRCD028
Period:    Romantic/20th Century
Genre:    Classical
Release type:    New (2-discs)
Comments:    Of the members of the French composers' circle known as Les Six, Poulenc was the one whose music was most consistently accessible and attractive. Although he was a composer of the 20th century, his style is more backward-looking than those of most of his contemporaries, though never too sentimental -- instead, it was whimsical and at times even humorous. These tendencies are no more perfectly demonstrated than in his chamber music (especially the brilliant trio for piano, oboe and bassoon), all of which is conveniently included in excellent performances on this fine new two-disc set. A must for all serious classical collections. (RA)
 
$15.99
 
Title:    Trauer-Music: Music to Mourn Prince Leopold, BWV 244a
Label:    Avie (dist. Allegro)
Composer:    Johann Sebastian Bach
Performer:    Taverner Consort & Players / Andrew Parrott
ISBN:    9786314550769
ISBN-10:   
UPC:    00822252224122
Prod.#:    BECDAVER2241
Cat.#:    AV2241
Period:    Baroque
Genre:    Classical
Release type:    New
Comments:    This disc is a reconstruction, not entirely conjectural, of the funeral service for Bach's employer Prince Leopold, who died suddenly at age 34. The music had been long lost, but researchers with access to the libretto soon realized that its rhythms and structures matched those of arias and choruses from earlier works, including the St. Matthew Passion; Bach (following well-established practice) had apparently recycled some of his previous compositions and incorporated them into the Prince's funeral service. Here the excellent Taverner Consort & Players have assembled that service as it was likely to have been presented at the time, with separate sections for the burial and memorial services and a hauntingly beautiful selection of solemn vocal and instrumental sections. This is a quiet and somber but very powerful recording. (RA)
 
$18.98
 
Title:    Music for The Queen of Scots
Label:    Deux-Elles (dist. Albany)
Composer:    Various Composers
Performer:    The Flautadors
ISBN:    9786314496968
ISBN-10:   
UPC:    00666283114423
Prod.#:    BECDDXEL1144
Cat.#:    DXL 1144
Period:    Renaissance
Genre:    Classical
Release type:    New
Comments:    While we can't know for certain which tunes would have been played for what occasions, we do know that the recorder was a highly popular court instrument in 16th-century Scotland, and that the court of Mary, Queen of Scots was no exception to that rule. Some of the tunes presented here by the outstanding recorder consort The Flautadors are by anonymous composers, others by such well-known names as Tobias Hume and Claudin de Sermisy. And a few are traditional folk tunes such as "The Last Time I Came over the Mure" and the anachronistic but still appropriate "The Scotch Queen." The arrangements include the occasional drum or finger cymbal, and the playing is consistently excellent. Recommended to all early music collections. (RA)
 
$18.99
 
Title:    Works for Saxophone Quartet
Label:    Genuin Classics (dist. Naxos)
Composer:    Philip Glass; Michael Nyman
Performer:    sonic.art Saxophone Quartet
ISBN:    9786314584658
ISBN-10:   
UPC:    04260036252224
Prod.#:    BECDGENU11222
Cat.#:    GEN 11222
Period:    20th Century
Genre:    Classical
Release type:    New
Comments:    This is a very interesting recording, one that illustrates both a mature triumph of the minimalist school and two of many possible expansions of that school's foundational principles. Glass's third string quartet (1985) is played here by the very fine sonic.art ensemble and illustrates how far minimalist composition had come since the experimental pieces of the late 1960s. Nyman's Songs for Tony shows how by the 1990s, minimalist principles were beginning to inform a new and more expressionistic (but still, some would say, naively tonal) approach to classical composition. Glass's 1995 Saxophone Quartet (an arrangement of his Concerto for Four Saxophones and Orchestra) finds him expanding his own previously heavily-arpeggiated style into more romantic and expressive areas as well, with, frankly, somewhat mixed results. The playing is consistently both accomplished and carefully idiomatic. (RA)
COUNTRY/FOLK
 
$17.99
 
Title:    Winter Harvest
Label:    Compass (dist. Naxos)
Artist:    Matt Flinner Trio
ISBN:    9786314587116
ISBN-10:   
UPC:    00766397456928
Prod.#:    BECDCOMS4569
Cat.#:    7 4569 2
Genre:    Bluegrass/Jazz
Release type:    New
Comments:    Mandolinist Matt Flinner blurs the line separating bluegrass and jazz in a manner somewhat similar to the way that David Grisman did in the late 1970s, but with very different results. Whereas Grisman favored a driving sense of swing, Flinner's brand of jazzgrass is more impressionistic and discursive: disciplined, but expansive. His mandolin-guitar-bass trio produces an impressively big sound, and on more straight-ahead tracks like "Big Bug Bop" they really cook. (RA)
 
$18.98
 
Title:    A Closer Walk With Thee
Label:    Gourd Music (dist. Albany)
Artist:    Martin Simpson
ISBN:    9786305138044
ISBN-10:   
UPC:    00090167011728
Prod.#:    BECDGRMC117
Cat.#:    GM 117
Genre:    Folk
Release type:    Reissue
Comments:    Originally issued in 1994, this winning collection of folk hymn arrangements by the great British guitarist Martin Simpson is now brought back to market under the aegis of Albany Distribution. Familiar tunes like "Wondrous Love," "I'll Fly Away," and "What a Friend We Have in Jesus" are given varied settings here--most of them centered on fingerstyle guitar, but some featuring slide guitar, fiddle, banjo, and even trumpet. All are tasteful and lovely, and it's one aspect of Simpson's genius that he always puts the melody first and never indulges in egregious demonstrations of technical virtuosity. Recommended to all folk collections. (RA)
 
$0.00
 
Title:    Hickory
Label:    (self-released)
Artist:    Mariel Vandersteel
Cat.#:    n/a
Genre:    Folk
Release type:    New
Comments:    Good fiddlers aren't really that hard to find, but fiddlers who are equally comfortable playing old-timey, Irish, and Norwegian tunes are a bit harder to come by -- and fiddlers with that kind of stylistic range who also play with Mariel Vandersteel's level of skill and sensitivity are even rarer. On her self-released debut album, she offers a pleasingly broad variety of tunes from both home and abroad, along with some absolutely lovely original compositions. She's accompanied by an impressive roster of guest musicians, all of whom have the good sense to stay pretty much out of the way and keep her fiddle front and center in the mix. This is an exceptionally beautiful and impressive debut album from a major young talent. (RA)
 
$17.99
 
Title:    This Life
Label:    Compass (dist. Naxos)
Artist:    Susan Greenbaum
ISBN:    9786314587123
ISBN-10:   
UPC:    00766397456829
Prod.#:    BECDCOMS4568
Cat.#:    7 4568 2
Genre:    Folk
Release type:    New
Comments:    What will strike you first about this album is Greenbaum's voice: strong but crystalline, clean and pretty and completely free of pretense. What strikes you next is the crisp attractiveness of the folk-pop settings of her songs, the quality of which is the third thing that will catch your ear. By the time you stop marveling at all of these things, it's time to hit the button. Excellent. (RA)
 
$16.98
 
Title:    Stories from The Steeples
Label:    Blix Street/E1
Artist:    Mary Black
ISBN:    9786314610159
ISBN-10:   
UPC:    00739341010026
Prod.#:    BECDBLIX10100
Cat.#:    G2-10100
Genre:    Folk
Release type:    New
Comments:    Really, referring to Irish singer Mary Black as a "folk" artist stopped making sense way back in the late 1980s, shortly after she left De Danann. But it's in the Folk section that your patrons will go to look for her stuff, and despite her poppy tendencies and international stardom she never completely left the tradition behind. On her latest studio release you can hear the years beginning to catch up with her vocal cords, but that voice is still rich and colorful and she's still a master interpreter of the emotional ballad. If her earlier solo albums circulate regularly from your collection, then you should expect strong demand for this one, which marks her long-awaited return to the American Blix Street label. (RA)
JAZZ
 
$16.98
 
Title:    Soul
Label:    Highnote
Artist:    Jeremy Pelt
ISBN:    9786314603281
ISBN-10:   
UPC:    00632375723323
Prod.#:    BECDHNR 757233
Cat.#:    HCD 7233
Genre:    Jazz Music
Release type:    New
Comments:    It doesn’t seem as if this excellent trumpeter has been around for long, but this is his ninth album as leader. Soul switches the mood from his recent post-bop releases to a predominantly ballads-and-blues flavor, although he doesn’t leave the former far behind. He is joined by his usual crew of J.D. Allen (tenor sax), Danny Grissett (piano), Dwayne Burno (bass), and Gerald Cleaver (drums), and gets vocal help from Joanna Pascale on the standard “Moondrift.” All else is instrumental and an atmosphere of quiet sophistication pervades, but with power and drive behind the velvet. A couple of tracks feature his more contemporary style. (JW)
 
$16.98
 
Title:    Woody's Delight
Label:    Highnote
Artist:    Steve Turre
ISBN:    9786314603298
ISBN-10:   
UPC:    00632375722821
Prod.#:    BECDHNR 757228
Cat.#:    HCD 7228
Genre:    Jazz
Release type:    New
Comments:    Stylistically, this one is all over the map, from swing to modal jazz to Brazilian, but Turre provides continuity by keeping the instrumental elements constant. He pairs his trombone (or his conch shell) with trumpet, echoing his early work in Woody Shaw’s band. The five trumpeters are mostly veterans, Jon Faddis, Wallace Roney, Claudio Roditi, and Chocolate Armenteros, with a newby slot filled by Freddie Hendrix. To the mix Turre adds a blend of accompanying musicians, mixing up the personnel a bit for the Latin tracks. If you like diversity, this should delight you. (JW)
 
$14.99
 
Title:    No Time Like Now
Label:    Manor Sound
Artist:    Nick Moran Trio
UPC:    884501643597
Cat.#:    10661-1
Genre:    Jazz
Release type:    New
Comments:    Guitarist Nick Moran fronts a trio with organist Brad Whiteley and drummer Chris Benham on this enjoyable disc. There’s plenty of funky, toe-tapping work here that evokes the great organists Jimmy Smith and Dr. Lonnie Smith, but there’s more here than just soul-jazz. The band slows it down on several cuts, letting Moran’s fine guitar playing and Whiteley’s deft keyboard work expand on a few slower numbers. Very fine material. Recommended. (GH)
 
$55.99
 
Title:    The Complete 1970s Epic Albums Collection
Label:   
Artist:    Stanley Clarke
UPC:    886979312227
Cat.#:   
Genre:    Jazz, Jazz Fusion
Release type:    Boxed Set (7-discs)
Comments:    Stanley Clarke came to fame in the early 70’s with Chick Corea’s Return to Forever, where his dazzling work on both electric and acoustic basses made him a star and launched his solo career. This box contains the five solo albums Clarke released on the Epic label between 1974 and 1979, each of them breaking the Top 5 on the BIllboard Jazz charts. Taken as a whole, this set documents Clarke’s excellence not only as a bassist, but also as a composer and arranger. The electric material features his trademark fusion/funk style on songs like “School Days” and “Lopsy Lu,” while he shows his compositional skills on such works as “Concerto for Jazz/Rock Orchestra.” Plenty of guest musicians add memorable moments, including some sizzling electric guitar from Jeff Beck and a beautiful acoustic tune with guitarist John McLaughlin. Epic sweetens the deal by adding a live CD from this year that was originally released in 1991. Clarke is one of modern jazz’s great bassists, and this box captures him in his prime. Recommended. (GH)
ROCK/POP
 
$9.98
 
Title:    Blues from the Gutter
Label:    Atlantic Jazz/Q
Artist:    Champion Jack Dupree
ISBN:    9786302557275
ISBN-10:   
UPC:    00075678243424
Prod.#:    BECDATL 82434
Cat.#:    7 824342
Genre:    Blues
Release type:    Reissue
Comments:    This album was originally recorded in 1958, reissued on CD in 1992, and has now been reissued again. It was the pianist’s first, and possibly his best release. Gritty vocals, raw boogie piano (one track is called “Nasty Boogie”), and fine backup by Ennis Lowery on guitar, Wendell Marshall on bass, Willie Jones on drums, and occasional sax by Pete Brown. The songs are classics: “Frankie & Johnny,” “Stack-O-Lee,” and “T.B. Blues” have never been more strongly delivered. New Orleans meets Chicago and the result is a blues performance that has seldom been topped. (JW)
 
$14.98
 
Title:    Vision
Label:    4AD (dist. ADA)
Artist:    Grimes
ISBN:    9786314615956
ISBN-10:   
UPC:    00652637320824
Prod.#:    BECD4AD 73208
Cat.#:    73208
Genre:    Electronica
Release type:    New
Comments:    Some people will object that Claire Boucher's vocals are too chirpy, almost childish. Fair enough. Others will point out that the cover art is misleading -- it looks as if Gwar had recorded an album for Tzadik. Also true. But the hooks, people. The hooks. This is one of the most charmingly listenable albums I've heard so far this year. It's like Cocteau Twins crossed with Portishead, and yes, that's a compliment. A big one. (RA)
 
$24.98
 
Title:    Chimes Of Freedom: The Songs Of Bob Dylan
Label:    Amnesty International/Universal
Artist:    Various Artists
ISBN:    9786314588199
ISBN-10:   
UPC:    00817974010016
Prod.#:    BECDAINT002
Cat.#:    960137
Genre:    Pop/Rock Music
Release type:    New (4-discs)
Comments:    This four-disc compilation of various artists performing the songs of Bob Dylan will mostly please, but occasionally torment Bob Dylan fans. (Any small suffering, though, is mitigated by the fact that proceeds help alleviate true suffering by going to support Amnesty International.) Well-known (and sometimes quite unlikely) artists such as Adele, The Carolina Chocolate Drops, Kronos Quartet, Sting, Ziggy Marley, Diana Krall, K’Naan, Kesha, Sugarland, and Miley Cyrus all try their hand at songs from all eras of Bob Dylan’s catalog. Their efforts will be popular with Dylan fans and will undoubtedly inspire many conversations on which covers are hits and which misses. (CLHD)
 
$15.98
 
Title:    The Party Ain't Over
Label:    Nonesuch
Artist:    Wanda Jackson
ISBN:    9786314037475
ISBN-10:   
UPC:    00075597978452
Prod.#:    BECDNONE525263
Cat.#:    525263
Genre:    Rockabilly
Release type:    New
Comments:    Wanda Jackson, early female rockabilly star and 2009 Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductee, covers both familiar and new terrain on The Party Ain’t Over. The careful listener will hear the years in Wanda’s voice--it remains strong but her obvious maturity and professionalism occasionally stand in contrast to the unbridled rock-and-roll intensity of the band arrangements. That was probably part of producer and guitarist Jack White’s plan. The elder music statesman (or woman in this case) produced by a young upstart is a trope these days; in this case, the formula still rocks! (CLHD)
 
$12.98
 
Title:    Minimal Wave Tapes, Vol. 2
Label:    Stones Throw/EMI
Artist:    Various Artists
ISBN:    9786314629915
ISBN-10:   
UPC:    00659457228125
Prod.#:    BECDSTNT72281
Cat.#:    STH2281
Genre:    Pop/Rock Music
Release type:    Compilation
Comments:    Stones Throw Records have put together a second collection of what they’re calling ‘minimal wave’ – DIY releases mostly from the 80s that feature primitive synths and drum machines. This stuff was way underground, and the tracks come from all over the world, ranging from electro-pop to experimental to proto-techno. A lot of compilations shine a light on a particular scene, but this is a case where no one connected the dots until years after the fact. (SA)
 
$15.98
 
Title:    Ritual Union
Label:    Peacefrog/EMI
Artist:    Little Dragon
ISBN:    9786314374136
ISBN-10:   
UPC:    05060100743332
Prod.#:    BECDPCFG07433
Cat.#:    PFG150CD
Genre:    Dance, DJ
Release type:    New
Comments:    I’m not normally a fan of electro-pop, but this album has gotten stuck in my head. This Swedish-Japanese outfit combines synth-based dance music with minimalism and New Wave rock to create a mash-up sound that is at once sophisticated and infectious. The leader and lead vocalist, Yukimi Nagano, uses a voice that is innocent and worldly simultaneously, and surrounds herself with synth washes and odd bits of noise to fascinating effect. It’s all very danceable, and the result is like finding R&B on Mars. The only drawback is the lyric sheet, printed to resemble spaghetti. (JW)
 
$16.98
 
Title:    The Question Jar Show
Label:    Snackbar (dist. Red)
Artist:    Mike Doughty
ISBN:    9786314589714
ISBN-10:   
UPC:    00020286166832
Prod.#:    BECDSNAC03
Cat.#:    SNKB03CD
Genre:    Pop/Rock Music
Release type:    New (2-discs)
Comments:    If, like me, you desperately miss the ridiculous funky weirdness of Mike Doughty's work in the 1990s with Soul Coughing, then by all means don't say so to him -- his experience with that band was apparently so traumatizing that he refuses to play any of their songs anymore. But if, also like me, you were skeptical of whether Doughty would be as much fun or as interesting as a solo-with-guitar act, then think again. This two-disc live disc finds him at his best: his songs are hooky and sharp, and his between-song patter, based on questions submitted by members of the audience, is hilarious (though frequently NSFW). (RA)
 
$13.98
 
Title:    Cyrk
Label:    The Control Group (dist. ADA)
Artist:    Cate Le Bon
ISBN:    9786314592806
ISBN-10:   
UPC:    00650384027829
Prod.#:    BECDCGRP40278
Cat.#:    CGO084
Genre:    Pop/Rock Music
Release type:    New
Comments:    Le Bon a native of Wales and protégé of Super Furry Animal Gruff Rhys. The most distinctive feature of this album is her Nicoesque voice. Her experimental pop aesthetic employs deceptively simple vocal hooks and a band that sounds spontaneous and perfectly off-kilter. In 2009 she recorded a cover of Syd Barrett’s “Feed” for a Mojo sampler and his influence is apparent here, especially on tracks like “Julia.” Cyrk (Polish for “circus”) saves the best for last—the second half of the album is even better than the first. Its elements of folk rock, psychedelia, Krautrock, and avant garde combine to make this one mischievously charming and a keeper. (TWB)
 
$7.00
 
Title:    Horse Heaven
Label:    No Idea
Artist:    Creepoid
Cat.#:    316
Release type:    New
Comments:    Creepoid are a Philly four-piece specializing in slowcore laced with psychedelia (think Mazzy Star) with grunge and Britpop influences around the edges. The male-female vocals are really good. The soft-loud dynamics on tracks like “Grave Blanket” keep the listener guessing. The sounds here are most reminiscent of Galaxie 500 and Low, but also Bedhead in the more minimal moments of the record. A great-sounding, smoldering, atmospheric debut album that portends wild potential. Recommended. (TWB)
 
$12.98
 
Title:    Foolish
Label:    Merge (dist. ADA)
Artist:    Superchunk
ISBN:    9786314443269
ISBN-10:   
UPC:    00673855006024
Prod.#:    BECDMERG50060
Cat.#:    MRG060R
Genre:    Pop/Rock Music
Release type:    Reissue
Comments:    Superchunk, one of the best indie bands of the 90s, returned last year from an almost ten-year hiatus to release the excellent Majesty Shredding album. But they’ve been also quietly re-releasing their back catalog in remastered versions, four so far, a few at a time and not in chronological order. This, their fourth studio album, is the latest to appear – no bonus tracks, no frills, just the original album with beautiful upgraded sound. No Pocky For Kitty, On the Mouth, and Here’s Where the Strings Come In are already available, and let’s hope they continue with this reissue program. (SA)
 
$14.98
 
Title:    After Laughter Comes Tears: Complete Stax and Volt Singles and Rarities 1964-1965 [2/7]
Label:    Light In The Attic
Artist:    Wendy Rene
ISBN:    9786314592288
ISBN-10:   
UPC:    00826853008020
Prod.#:    BECDLITALITA080
Cat.#:    LITA 080
Genre:    Soul/R&B
Release type:    Compilation
Comments:    The Stax and Volt labels were second only to Motown as a fount of world-changing soul and R&B in the 1960s, and the folks at Light in the Attic are owed a debt for bringing these obscure Stax/Volt singles by Wendy Rene back to market. She had a great voice (though she sometimes sang a bit flat on her earliest recordings) and was accompanied by an all-star cast of session players that included Steve Cropper and Duck Dunn. Any library with an interest in the history of pop music should snap this compilation up immediately. (RA)
 
$9.98
 
Title:    Live At The Carousel Ballroom
Label:    Sony Legacy
Artist:    Big Brother & The Holding Company featuring Janis Joplin
ISBN:    9786314634674
ISBN-10:   
UPC:    00886979640924
Prod.#:    BECDLGAC96409
Cat.#:    796409
Genre:    Pop/Rock Music
Release type:    New
Comments:    Recorded in June 1968 by sound engineer guru Owsley “Bear” Stanley, just a few weeks after Big Brother’s legendary Cheap Thrills album, this long-awaited release captures Janis Joplin and Big Brother at their energetic best. Comparisons with Cheap Thrills are inevitable - after all, that was one of the great live albums of the 1960s, and it’s the album that made Janis Joplin a star. In its favor, the Carousel CD features a much longer set list, (including a scorching electric version of the traditional ballad “Coo Coo”), as well as several performances that stand with Big Brother’s Joplin’s best. Cheap Thrills offers a better sound mix and the great R. Crumb cartoon album cover, but any decent rock collection would be well served by owning both, thus providing a full picture of Big Brother with Janis Joplin at their collective best. (GH)
WORLD/ETHNIC
 
$19.98
 
Title:    Those Shocking Shaking Days: Indonesian Hard Psychedelic Progressive Rock & Funk 1970-78 [3/8]
Label:    Now-Again
Artist:    Various Artists
ISBN:    9786314121594
ISBN-10:   
UPC:    00659457506520
Prod.#:    BECDTRFCNA5065
Cat.#:    NA 5065
Genre:    Pop/Rock Music
Release type:    Compilation
Comments:    Every week it seems as if another compilation of psych/funk from a different corner of the world appears seemingly out of nowhere. Now-Again Records is now showing us that a vibrant scene existed in Indonesia during the 70s, and the culture and economy there came together in such a way that bands were recorded, and those recordings were preserved. These artists may have been trying to sound like the Doors or Led Zeppelin, but the sounds of indigenous music drift in and out of the grooves as well. Fascinating stuff. (SA)
 
$17.98
 
Title:    Komba
Label:    Enchufada Ada (dist. Forced Exposure)
Artist:    Buraka Som Sistema
ISBN:    9786314509392
ISBN-10:   
UPC:    00856968003009
Prod.#:    BECDEFDA015
Cat.#:    ENCD015
Genre:    Electronica
Release type:    New
Comments:    Buraka Som Sistema is a group from Portugal that mixes modern electronic music with a style called ‘kuduro,’ which originates in the former Portuguese colony of Angola. This is their third album, and it’s a good example of a common thread in contemporary world music – hip-hop and dancehall influences mixing with local musical cultures. (SA)
 
$17.98
 
Title:    Blackwood Dub
Label:    Groove Attack (dist. Forced Exposure)
Artist:    Sly & Robbie
ISBN:    9786314614201
ISBN-10:   
UPC:    00673791011328
Prod.#:    BECDGEAK113
Cat.#:    113
Genre:    Reggae
Release type:    New
Comments:    The bass-and-drums (and production) duo of Sly Dunbar and Robbie Shakespeare represents the closest thing to royalty in the world of reggae music. Known affectionately and reverently as the Riddim Twins, they have backed up virtually every significant artist in reggae history, and many in the worlds of rock and world music as well. This album is an old-fashioned excursion into instrumental dub, the subgenre of reggae music that involves drastic remixing with liberal use of echo, reverb, and drop-out. The list of session players reads like a who's-who of reggae music, and the grooves are elephantine. An essential purchase for all reggae collections. (RA)

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