Harry Heaven
Perhaps most notable for Harry is his still stunning vocal on Badfinger's "Without You" (yes, Harry had the hit before Mariah Carey, kids). But all of his albums, even the later ones after he blew out his voice, have riches to explore and enjoy. And there will soon be a lot more to explore and enjoy, in the form of a new CD boxed set of his work coming in July.
Amazon.com's pre-order page reveals:
THE RCA ALBUMS COLLECTION presents the definitive 14 albums in Nilsson's RCA Records U.S. discography, from his 1967 debut Pandemonium Shadow Show (among whose high points are his takes on the Beatles' "You Can't Do That" and "She's Leaving Home") to his final album for the label in 1977, Knnillssonn. Bonus material on those albums add up to 65 tracks, of which 26 are previously unreleased. Adding to the box set's historical provenance are three newly-compiled CDs, Nilsson Sessions 1967-1968, Nilsson Sessions 1968-1971, and Nilsson Sessions 1971-1974, containing a total of 58 tracks, exactly half of which (29 tracks) are previously unreleased
O.M.G. This is going to be tasty!
Grateful May '77 Tour Pre-Order
Rhino Records is planning a new box set to celebrate the joys of May 1977, a month when many stars aligned for The Grateful Dead who were performing at what many feel is arguably a peak of their jazz-infused jamming prowess. Supporting then-newer recordings like Blues For Allah and Terrapin Station, the music is often dense and complex, and the band was playing like a roaring locomotive bound for the heavens. If any of you have listened to the widely-circulated-but-still-not-officially-released Cornell show from 5/8/77, you know what we're talking about.
According to Rhino: "Each of these shows finds the Dead delivering punchier, more focused sets, tightening up the framework; each night turning out first-ever renditions ("Passenger,""Iko Iko,""Jack-A-Roe"), unloading potent new pairings ("Scarlet Begonias">"Fire On The Mountain", "Estimated Prophet">"Eyes Of The World"), classic covers ("Dancing In The Street") and soon-to-be staples ("Estimated Prophet," "Samson and Delilah"), and ultimately rising up to paradise.
Due June 11, May 1977 is limited to 15,000 individually numbered copies. Presented in a psychedelic box that boasts an intricate die-cut design created by Grammy®-winning graphic artist Masaki Koike, the set also includes a book filled with stories about each show, as well as an in-depth essay by Dead historian Steve Silberman, who delves deep into the history behind the tour and the band’s return from its extended hiatus."
If you don't make the pre-order (click here for it), worry not. The tracks will be available for download afterwards in FLAC and MP3 format if you don't want all the fancy physical box set accoutrement.
But don't take it just from me. Listen to what Grateful Dead archivist David Lemieux has to say:
Soleil Summer Fun Bargains
Particularly, you can get cheap tickets to see the amazing Beatles' Love show created by -- and with -- Cirque Du Soleil! Your beloved scribe -- an admitted Beatle fanatic -- has seen this show three (count 'em 3!) times and every show was an incredible experience. For $55, which is about 50-percent off the normal price, it might be well worth your while to travel to sizzling Las Vegas. Most of the time you'd be indoors anyhow, so it may not be that terrible after all when you stop to think about it.
While you are there also get tickets for the equally amazing -- perhaps more amazing technically, truth be told -- Cirque show called Ka, which I have seen twice as well. There are also many good restaurants in Las Vegas these days and you can spend some time at The Pinball Hall Of Fame while you are there. And then in the evening go shopping for music bargains at Zia Records. What else could you want? Ok, you can go hang out downtown and see where The Flaming Lips shot their brilliant video for Do You Realize? (from their landmark Yoshimi Battles The Pink Robots album) or you can go visit the Pawn Stars dudes. Joy! For more info on the shows, click here.
HD Rush
Flamin' Heroes
Did you catch The Flaming Lips on Jimmy Fallon the other night? O.M.G. Wayne and the guys have been getting pretty trippy of late (in a mostly good way) and are definitely challenging their listeners (new album The Terror is a fascinating if difficult listen for those expecting pop confections ala Yoshimi). But they keep giving us nuggets of wonderment to hang on to, such as this performance of David Bowie's "Heroes" with lead singer Wayne Coyne performing as naked as he can legally be on national television wrapped in a scary cool web of wires and lights. Check it out here:
Hey May Tonight!
Fans of roots rocker John Fogarty get set to program your DVRs! Don't miss the abundance of TV appearances by the legendary Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductee in the weeks ahead, in support of his new album Wrote A Song For Everyone:
Until next time…. remember, Music Matters!
