Details on Spectacular Spinning Box Set

Back in September, I mentioned an impending live album from Elvis Costello but, at the time, there weren't too many specifics available. We know everything now, including how much you'll need to borrow from your local loan officer. I'm only half joking. The super-deluxe edition of 'The Return Of The Spectacular Spinning Songbook!!!' will set you back a cool $268.22, if you get it via Amazon, and, although it is a sharp box set, I think I'll wait for the single- or double-disc (CD/DVD) releases of the May 11 and May 12, 2011 shows from the Wiltern in Los Angeles that are promised in 2012. Still, I know there are a few die-hards out there willing to go bankrupt for this rare release. So, here's the specifics.

Nov. 21 Update: Even Costello himself finds the price ridiclous!

First, the music: There is a CD, DVD and a cool piece of 10" vinyl. The vinyl has four songs on it that won't be found on future releases of this live show. There are only going to be 1,500 copies of this autographed set available, and each box will be individually numbered. Inside, you'll find a 40-page hardcover book, a 20" x 30" poster and limited-edition postcard. The box itself has a smaller version of the spinning wheel used on tour to pick that night's setlist. Speaking of lists, here is the track-by-track breakdown. 'The Return Of The Spectacular Spinning Songbook!!!' will be out Dec. 6 (not Nov. 21, as previously published).

Elvis Costelloand the Imposters
'The Return of the Spectacular Spinning Songbook!!!'
CD
1. I Hope You're Happy Now
2. Heart of the City (Nick Lowe)
3. Mystery Dance
4. Radio Radio
5. Everyday I Write The Book
6. God Give Me Strength
7. Watching The Detectives
8. Tear Off Your Own Head (It's A Doll Revolution) (featuring Susanna Hoffs of the Bangles)
9. Out Of Time (The Rolling Stones)
10. I Want You
11. Stella Hurt
12. All Grown Up
13. Lipstick Vogue
14. “Man Out of Time
15. National Ransom
16. (What's So Funny 'bout) Peace, Love and Understanding

DVD
1. I Hope You're Happy Now
2. Heart Of The City (Nick Lowe)
3. Mystery Dance
4. Radio Radio
5. Clubland
6. God Give Me Strength
7. Tear Off Your Own Head (It's A Doll Revolution) (featuring Susanna Hoffs of the Bangles)
8. Out Of Time (The Rolling Stones)
9. I Want You
10. Everyday I Write The Book
11. Stella Hurt
12. A Slow Drag With Josephine
13. Jimmie Standing In The Rain
14. Alison
15. Earthbound
16. (Whats So Funny 'bout) Peace, Love And Understanding
Bonus Tracks
17. Uncomplicated
18. Watching The Detectives
19. Monkey To Man

10-INCH VINYL
Side A:
1. Pump it Up (6/8)
2. Busted (Harlan Howard)
Side B:
1. Brilliant Mistake
2. Strict Time

Big Country: New DVD, Deluxe Edition Update

Well, now we know if there will be any previously unreleased material on the deluxe edition of Big Country's 'The Crossing,' out Jan. 30, and the news is good. There are 10 songs on the second disc that most of us die-hard fans don't own. You can already preorder it on the UK version of Amazon.

Disc 1: The Original Album
1. In A Big Country (Original Album - Universal Master)
2. Inwards
3. Chance
4. 1000 Stars
5. The Storm
6. Harvest Home
7. Lost Patrol
8. Close Action
9. Fields Of Fire
10. Porrohman
B-Sides
11. Balcony (B-side to Harvest Home)
12. Flag Of Nation(Swimming) (B-side to Harvest Home)
13. Angle Park (B-side to Fields Of Fire)
14. All Of Us (B-side to In A Big Country)
15. Heart And Soul (B-side to In A Big Country)
16. The Crossing (B-side to Chance)
17. Tracks of My Tears (Live) (B-side to Chance)

Disc 2: Demos
1. Angle Park (Stuart/Bruce 4 Track Demos 1981*)
2. Harvest Home (Stuart/Bruce 4 Track Demos 1981*)
3. We Could Laugh (Stuart/Bruce 4 Track Demos 1981*)
4. In A Big Country (Demo) (Rarities IV)
5. The Storm (Demo) (Rarities IV)
6. Big City (Demo) (Rarities IV)
7. Fields of Fire (Riverside BBC TV*)
8. Lost Patrol (Demo) (Phonogram Studios*)
9. Inwards (Demo) (Phonogram Studios*)
10. Thousand Stars (Chris Thomas*)
11. Close Action (Chris Thomas*)
12. Lost Patrol (Chris Thomas*)
13. Inwards (Chris Thomas*)
14. Fields of Fire (Demo) (Rarities IV)
15. Ring Out (Demo) (Rarities IV)
16. Thousand Stars (Demo) (Rarities IV)
17. Chance (Demo) (Rarities IV)

* previously unreleased

I'm not going to write about the awesome tour the band is doing to support this reissue. I have already done that. You should know, however, if you aren't one of the lucky ones to have seen Big Country since Mike Peters took over for the deceased Stuart Adamson, you can now buy a DVD/CD box set of the band's April 21, 2011 show in Edinburgh called 'Dreams Stay With You.' Here's "In a Big Country" from that concert. Did I mention I'm loving all of this Big Country news?

Macca Teams Up With MacManus: Part II

I posted most of the best stuff from 'The McCartney/MacManus Collaboration' yesterday, but there are a couple of other songs on the bootleg that may interest you. On March 23, 1995, Paul McCartney hosted a benefit at the Royal College of Music. This show would mark the first time McCartney would perform live with Elvis Costello. They performed "Mistress and Maid," one of the demos they worked on together several years earlier, as well as "One After 909," a song you may know from some other band McCartney was in back in the '60s. You can find this rare performance below.

I'm also including another demo of the Costello/McCartney-penned tune "Veronica." This version sounds a little more finished than the one I posted yesterday. Through the years, Costello has performed many of the McCartney/MacManus songs live, but one that I have not heard him do much is "You Want Her Too." If you enjoyed the demo of this song yesterday, I think you'll like this rare solo take from the stage.

Finally, here is about a minute of Costello cracking up during a rehearsal of "My Brave Face." I wish he could have held it together, as I love the speed and tightness he had going on this one. I seem to recall seeing this footage on a making of 'Flowers in the Dirt" video. On the tape, McCartney was talking about what a great team these two were... one that reminded him of another musician he used to work with back in the day. With this boot, the evidence is clear. McCartney and MacManus made a dynamic duo. I hope they work together again.

Paul McCartney and Elvis Costello
'The McCartney/MacManus Collaboration'
9. Veronica (mp3)
10. One After 909 (live) (mp3)
11. Mistress and Maid (live) (mp3)
13. You Want Her Too (live) (mp3)
15. My Brave Face (mp3)

500th Post: Macca Teams Up With MacManus

I know. I know. Five hundred blog posts. Big deal. Well, it is to me. Maybe it will be to you when you see what I'm posting to celebrate this small achievement. Back in the day, my favorite record store was this little hole in the wall in New York called Midnight Records. When I lived in Washington, D.C., in the '90s, I used to make trips up there for hard-to-find Brian Wilson bootlegs, and this store always had them. The brick-and-mortar version of this place has long since closed, but they still have a thriving online business. I digress. Today and tomorrow I'm sharing my favorite bootleg I ever found there.

In the fall of 1987, Paul McCartney and Elvis Costello were meeting at McCartney's office in Soho to write and record demos together. The goal was to assemble songs for McCartney's upcoming album, 'Flowers in the Dirt.' By most accounts, they recorded nine or 10 songs there, as well as writing or finishing (at least on paper) several more. During the next nine years, the results of this collaboration (and others) would show up on their records, including McCartney's 'Flowers in the Dirt' and 'Off the Ground,' as well as Costello's 'Spike,' 'Mighty Like a Rose' and 'All This Useless Beauty.' Some of these songs, such as "My Brave Face," "Veronica," "So Like Candy" and "Shallow Grave" were, in my opinion, huge successes. Other songs weren't as likable when transitioned from demo to finished product. Usually, this was because of slick overproduction, particularly the ones that appeared on McCartney's albums.

Truth be told, I'll take these demos over the official studio versions any day. I love the intimacy and simplicity of it all. It's like having the Everly Brothers in your living room. I hope you enjoy them, too. I'll have a few more nuggets from this one tomorrow. Like the 500 home-run mark in baseball, 500 blog posts doesn't mean as much as it used to, but I'm still proud, and I promise you I never took the juice.

Paul McCartney and Elvis Costello
'The McCartney/MacManus Collaboration'
1. The Lovers That Never Were (mp3)
2. Twenty-Five Fingers (mp3)
3. Tommy's Coming Home (mp3)
4. So Like Candy (mp3)
5. You Want Her Too (mp3)
6. Playboy to a Man (mp3)
7. Don't Be Careless Love (mp3)
8. My Brave Face (mp3)

Cover Me Impressed: 'Money Changes Everything'/'The Right Stuff'

Here's another cover that, in some camps, doesn't really qualify. "Money Changes Everything" began as a Johnny Marr-penned instrumental that appeared as a B-side on the Smiths' 1986 single "Bigmouth Strikes Again." A year later, Marr and Bryan Ferry "finished" the song for Ferry's album, 'Bête Noire.' That included lyrics, a new name ("The Right Stuff") and enough production touches to make Jeff Lynne blush. Perhaps the Smiths should have kept this one for themselves. The Ferry version managed to crack the UK's Top 40 and, in my opinion, is among his best post-Roxy Music singles. Enjoy the pops and cracks of these two songs straight from their vinyl rips.

The Smiths - Money Changes Everything (mp3)
Bryan Ferry - The Right Stuff (mp3)

More Cover Me Impressed:
"I Put a Spell on You"
"Johnny, Are You Queer?"
"Superman"
"Voices"
"Almost Saturday Night"
"Too Many Teardrops"
"Last Night I Dreamt That Somebody Loved Me"
"They Don't Know"
"Everybody's Talkin'"
"What Goes On"
"There Is A Light That Never Goes Out"
Halloween Edition
"Porpoise Song"
"Prairie Rose"
"Come On Eileen"
"Walking On Thin Ice"
Jason Falkner Edition
"True Love Will Find You In The End"
"This Will Be Our Year"
"You're My Favorite Waste of Time"
"Nightime/Thirteen"
"The End Of The World"
"(Don't Go Back To)Rockville"
"God Only Knows"
"And Your Bird Can Sing"
"So Sad About Us"
"Everywhere"
"Walking The Cow"

Reissue Is Real: Classic From Louvin Brothers

If you're a fan of the country harmonies of Charlie and Ira, Tuesday is a big day. Their iconic 1959 album 'Satan Is Real' receives the remaster treatment, along with an unusual second disc called 'Handpicked Songs 1955-62.' Artists and fans of the Louvins, such as Beck, Emmylou Harris, Zooey Deschanel and M. Ward, each picked a favorite song that comprises the 14-track bonus compilation. Also included on this set is an interview with Charlie. In case you didn't hear, he died in January, outliving Ira by 46 years. Now, obviously, I think the music is great, but, as you can see, this might be the greatest cover ever. The duo designed this themselves, building the 16-foot Satan from plywood. The location was an old rock quarry, and the fires were burning tires. Preorder now. Here's a Carter Family-penned tune that can be found on 'Satan Is Real.'

The Louvin Brothers - The Kneeling Drunkard's Plea (mp3)

Zooey's Changing Relationship Status

Every male indie hipster on the planet just gasped. Zooey Deschanel is back on the market. Another rock-and-roll marriage appears to be, well, on the rocks. Now that I think about it, perhaps not every indie hipster cares. I have been noticing a little Zooey backlash lately.

I don't know if this is because of the not-so-indie move of starring on broadcast television or Pitchfork's pan of the new She & Him Christmas album or what, but the recent criticism I least understand is that she sucked as the singer of the "National Anthem" at Game 4 of the World Series. A quick search commonly finds words like "dreadful" and "boring" to describe Deschanel's rendition. What? She sounded great and sang it with the correct delivery. If you watch a lot of sports, you know this song gets butchered all of the time. She didn't try to turn it into an R&B hit, and Deschanel actually got the lyrics correct. Amazing. Criticize if you must, but don't start here. Now, how about laying off the newest and most eligible bachelorette? OK, fellas, better go straighten those skinny ties and work on your witty banter.

Cover Me Impressed: 'I Put a Spell on You'

I'm always amazed the late Screamin' Jay Hawkins' biggest moment on wax, 'I Put a Spell on You,' dates all the way back to 1956. If, by chance, a white-bread kid with a crewcut got a hold of this one when it came out, he must have been shakin' in his penny loafers. The cover from She & Him I'm including here can be found on a hard-to-find 2009 compilation Starbucks put out for Valentine's Day called 'Sweetheart: Our Favorite Artists Sing Their Favorite Love Songs.' You can also get it from Merge as a digital download b/w a radio-session version of the duo's song 'Lingering Still.' M. Ward and Zooey Deschanel have a much jazzier take than Hawkins' wild original, but I think you will enjoy both. Happy Halloween! Stay safe!

Screamin' Jay Hawkins - I Put a Spell on You (mp3)
She & Him - I Put a Spell on You (mp3)

More Cover Me Impressed:
"Johnny, Are You Queer?"
"Superman"
"Voices"
"Almost Saturday Night"
"Too Many Teardrops"
"Last Night I Dreamt That Somebody Loved Me"
"They Don't Know"
"Everybody's Talkin'"
"What Goes On"
"There Is A Light That Never Goes Out"
Halloween Edition
"Porpoise Song"
"Prairie Rose"
"Come On Eileen"
"Walking On Thin Ice"
Jason Falkner Edition
"True Love Will Find You In The End"
"This Will Be Our Year"
"You're My Favorite Waste of Time"
"Nightime/Thirteen"
"The End Of The World"
"(Don't Go Back To)Rockville"
"God Only Knows"
"And Your Bird Can Sing"
"So Sad About Us"
"Everywhere"
"Walking The Cow"

Will U2 Really Walk Away, Walk Away?

I haven't listened to much Bono has had to say for more than two decades, but he seems to have something important to say now. When referring to their future, the U2 frontman told Rolling Stone, "we'd be very pleased to end on 'No Line on the Horizon.'" Really? Is Team U2, the marketing machine masquerading as a band, ready to pull an R.E.M.? I could almost... almost see them staying out of the studio. Hey, if it's good enough for the Stones. Then again, without a pipeline of new tunes, there will be no U2 iPods or other tie-ins. Let's be honest. Could Bono & Co. ever give up the bloated, soulless arena-rock shows that bring in hundreds of dollars a ticket? No, I'm thinking we're stuck with these blokes. This mini "are we still relevant?" rampage of Bono's has to be part of some sinister plan to separate the lemmings from their wallets.

Still don't believe me? Then forget all of that and simply ask yourself, could Bono actually be "very pleased" to end his career with an album like 'No Line on the Horizon?' U2 fans, you have nothing to worry about. Here's one to remind you of better days.



Oct. 28 Update: Now Bono says the only way U2 survives and stays relevant is with a string of hit singles. What is this, 1986? Bono, in case you haven't noticed, the pop charts are about as relevant as the Grammys. Just make a good record like you and the fellas did in days of yore.

Keeping It Peel

As the boards of London's Evening Standard read seven years ago, today was "the day the music died." On Oct. 25, 2004, we lost legendary BBC Radio 1 DJ John Peel at the less-than-ripe age of 65. Since then, many in and out of the music world have chosen to mark this day with a celebration of his life and work. Many on this side of the pond know him only from our favorite "Peel Sessions." During his 37 years at the station, more than 2,000 artists participated in 4,000-plus Peel recordings. Peel would (usually) record four tracks from the band and mix it the same day. Most of the bands I liked would sound louder, rougher and faster than they did on my albums, and I always imagined everyone in the room, including Peel, with big smiles on their faces.

I'm an American that lived abroad for a couple of years nearly two decades ago. In an age before the popularity of the Internet and in a place with very little Western influence, my only English-language connection was the BBC World Service on my tiny shortwave radio. Needless to say, I was pleasantly surprised when I stumbled upon Peel's show one day. I knew all about him, but I don't think I had ever actually heard him before. He not only introduced me to a bevy of new bands but, more importantly, his warm delivery made me feel like I had a friend during a period when I felt pretty isolated from the rest of the world.

Webbie over at Football and Music has organized Keeping It Peel, a chance for bloggers and social media users to remember the late great Peel, and I'm proud to be a part of it. For my "Peel Sessions" selections, I'm going with an old favorite and my latest acquisition.

For at least the second time (the first being in 1977), XTC had an appearance on Peel's show. It was broadcast on Oct. 15, 1979. It can be found on the out-of-print 'Drums and Wireless'. Incidentally, I bought this one in 1994 at Import Yamachiku in Kanazawa, Japan, during the very same spell I was a regular listener of Peel's show. Yes, when it comes to record purchases, I'm a savant. As for my second selection, a couple of weeks ago I finally picked up the deluxe edition of one of my all-time favorite albums. The 22-track bonus disc of The Housemartins' 'London 0 Hull 4' was completely worth the $30 I shelled out for it. Enjoy two songs from John Peel's program, circa June 4, 1986.

XTC - Opening Speech (mp3) (Impersonation by Andy Partridge)
XTC - Real by Reel (mp3)
XTC - Ten Feet Tall (mp3)
XTC - Roads Girdle the Globe (mp3)

The Housemartins - Happy Hour (mp3)
The Housemartins - Get Up Off Our Knees (mp3)

As the Tape Turns

When it comes to format, obviously, I live and die by the vinyl album, but I do have a soft spot for the cassette, too. I estimate about half of my music purchases from 1982 until I started buying CDs in 1988 were tapes, and there weren't many days during my teen years that I wasn't hard at work on the next ultimate mix tape. I have a Volkswagen Jetta Wagon with a CD player and tape deck, and the tape deck still gets quite a bit of use. In fact, I just listened to fIREHOSE's 'fROM OHIO' on cassette during a trip to the grocery store this week.

I have noticed a growing interest in the format. From Rob Sheffield's lovely book 'Love Is a Mix Tape' to Joyful Noise reissuing Dinosaur Jr.'s 'Bug' on tape, the cassette is making a mini comeback. You can even get a box set of 10 of Montreal records on tape. Since the records included in the box are from the years 1997 to 2010, I can't help but wonder if any these titles were ever released this way, but I digress.

All of this tape talk is the long way to me recommending a "reel" fun article I read today in the Wall Street Journal on the mini cassette revolution. I found it particularly interesting that there is an Oakland-based label called Sanity Muffin that only distributes cassettes. Feeling nostalgic?

Download New Song From the dB's

The dB's continue to take their sweet time with a comeback album, their first since 1987, but at least a few songs have trickled out in 2011. As you may recall, they released a 7" in conjunction with Record Store Day, and the A-side, "Picture Sleeve," was No. 2 on my list of the best songs released during the first half of the year. All we knew at that point was that the band planned to release a new album sometime in 2012. Now we know it will have 12 tracks and be called 'Falling Off the Sky.' There is still no release date, cover art or tracklist, but now we know it's being produced by the band with help from Scott Litt and jangle-pop god Mitch Easter. We also know there will be a tour. The band released another song this week, a free one for download to boot, and you can get it below. Enjoy "Revolution of the Mind." Yesterday I wrote about my apathy with the reunion of the Stone Roses. Hearing Chris Stamey and Peter Holsapple together again takes me to the other end of the spectrum.