The point of this thread is to point out collectible and/or rare releases that might be out there, kind of like the "Digital Dish" in ICE magazine. Many of us who lurk around this part of the Forum are collectors and music geeks, so this is for those who care. Feel free to recommend anything, but try to point out things that might be rare, limited, or "value-added."

On that note, I should point out that the new album by Butch Walker (ex-Marvelous 3 and hot producer du jour) is available with a bonus 10 track acoustic disc from the online Sony Music Store. I'm told it's a top-notch power pop record and that the bonus disc has been fetching upwards of $30 on Ebay, but you can get the album and the bonus disc for $9.98 on the Sony site.

Also, as I mentioned on another thread, the American Music Club website (www.americanmusicclub.net) has available a limited edition, pressed disc collection of hits and rarities which is an odd, but cool, little curio.

And Jesse Malin is selling, through One Little Indian in the UK, a live album.

All are worth having, if you like the artists in question.

Another heads-up: some retailers (but not all) are giving away a free 6-song bonus ep with the new Paul Weller covers record "Studio 150." The ep has 6 MORE covers not included on the full-length. My assumption is that the giveaways are for indie stores in the Coalition, but I'm not certain on that front.

pE, I don't have anything to add for the moment except for my thanks. This is a really splendid idea for a topic.

Now Playing: "Warm Night" The Concretes The Concretes streaming on Seattle's KEXP

Another one which just occurred to me, although I think I mentioned it elsewhere...

There's a live Thrills ep called "Live at South by Southwest" that you can get at Tower Records and from Tower Records online. It's 6 songs from the debut Thrills record recorded live at a Tower instore during SXSW and it's pretty good.


Also, I just got a soliticitation from Yep Roc records for the new Robyn Hitchcock record, "Spooked." If you preorder from Yep Roc before the Oct 5 release date (at the relatively high price of $15.99!), you get a bonus CD-R which has 2 unreleased tracks on it.

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The US release of the new Supergrass best-of "Supergrass is 10" comes with a 12-song live bonus disc. Pity those (like me) who bought the reasonably priced UK import without the bonus disc...

The latest Josh Rouse release, the DVD "Smooth Sounds of", is a pretty cool live show and it comes with a bonus music disc of 10 rare Rouse tracks.

BUT...if you don't care about music DVDs, there is also a Ryko promo version of the set out there with TWO audio discs...one is the audio of the DVD and the other is the bonus disc. If you're a Rouse fan, but you don't watch music on DVD, track down the two-CD version. I got one pretty cheap from Amazon's used section...

Totally unrelated...
If you are a fan (as I am) of 80's British/Aussie twee pop, you should be aware of two different reissues:

The Go-Betweens have reissued Tallulah, Liberty Belle, and their original swan song 16 Lover's Lane, all with bonus discs as they did with the first three records. According to Robert Vickers (ex-Go Between's bassist), there will be a US release of these discs (by Jetset, as last time) in November, but they are out now in the UK and all are essential.

Also, a double disc Deluxe Edition (a la the recent London Calling reissue) of Lloyd Cole and the Commotions' 1984 classic Rattlesnakes is due out October 5th. It features a bonus disc of 18 live cuts, demos, BBC tracks, and live tracks from the era of this excellent record. Given that nobody in the US cares about Lloyd, I doubt this one will ever get a stateside release.

And, unrelated to THAT, the new one by long-lost Britpoppers The Wonder Stuff Escape from Rubbish Island comes with a 7 track bonus disc of solo covers by singer Miles Hunt...

This message has been edited. Last edited by: philosopherEric,

Another Sony website special offer...

If you preorder the new one by Cake, Pressure Chief you get a free three song ep with purchase.

ADDENDUM...according to a friend who tried to order one, the Cake ep is now sold out...

This message has been edited. Last edited by: philosopherEric,

Unfortunately the Lloyd Cole is a pricey import (amazon.co.uk has the most reasonable price I've seen), but for some it's worth it for all the bonus goodies, including their long-lost cover of Television's "Glory." Coincidentally, Cole popped up twice in the current issue of Spin as one of the Scottish forbears, along with Orange Juice, Josef K, The Bluebells and Aztec Camera, to Franz Ferdinand – "Upped the ante for droll, erudite songwriters wearing stylish shirts. Once dissed a dreary hipster kid by singing: `Read Norman Mailer / Or get a new tailor.'"

David Eggers wrote in his column:

quote: When I was 14, listening primarily to music made by not-tough U.K. songwriters—Aztec Camera, Prefab Sprout, the Smiths—my favorite artist was a man named Lloyd Cole. His music was (and is) melancholy, crinkly-voiced, understated, and very smart. He had a Dylan-esque way with words, and had clearly read widely. I trusted him implicitly, wanted more time in his brain, and was ready to do his bidding, whatever he deemed necessary. It was while studying his first album, 1984's Rattlesnakes, that I found Joan Didion. In an interview, Cole said the song "Speedboat" was based on Run River, her first novel. Feeling as if I'd been given a divine directive, I rode my Huffy down to the library and read the entire book, there in the back, by the bathrooms, where the fast kids went to give each other hand jobs. Didion became a major influence on my young mind—I plowed through everything she'd written—and I still wonder if I would have discovered her without Lloyd Cole.

I wasn't resourceful enough to track down that music when I was 14, as a lot of it was import only. I started seeking it out near the end of high school, because they seemed to offer more substantial (or pretentious) lyrics to chew on. In college I discovered a dorm mate with a gorgeous stereo system, real furniture, an expresso machine and the most oddly focused record collection I'd ever seen. During study breaks I'd stop by and listen to or tape selections from The Go-Betweens, Jazz Butcher, Felt, Lloyd Cole, Aztec Camera, Chameleons, The Sound, Bluebells, Blue Aeroplanes, James, and the entire Factory catalog, while he sat in his easy chair, dressed in Italian designer clothes, smoking cloves and making goo-goo talk on the phone with his girlfriend (I felt bad for her, he was SO gay—I reckon she liked him for his style more than his record collection).

Here are ten other albums from 1984 alone that deserve a deluxe 20th Anniversary treatment (preferably at domestic prices).

Aztec Camera * Knife (Sire) With its brittle, dated production, Knife doesn't quite measure up to the lovely jangle pop of High Land, Hard Rain (1983) or the legendary (now impossible to find) singles on Postcard and Les Disques du Crepuscule. However, the songs are as literate and captivating as ever. The CD includes their EP that features the charming cover of Van Halen's "Jump."

The Blue Aeroplanes * Bop Art (Abstract UK) An art rock pop band from Bristol, initially influenced by the Velvet Underground, would go on to make several more enigmatic albums, none of which would be noticed in the U.S.

The Bluebells * Sisters (London/Polygram UK) Like Aztec Camera, the Bluebells created jangly guitar pop, but with catchier hooks and melodies, at least on their singles (see The Singles Collection). Sisters is a darker, more brooding affair. They broke up after their only album, which includes a production credit by Elvis Costello on "Will She Always Be Waiting." Craig Gannon briefly filled in for The Smiths' Andy Rourke on tour.

The Blue Nile * A Walk On The Rooftops (Virgin)
Originally commissioned by Scotland’s Linn Electronics to demonstrate their recording equipment, the Blue Nile also ended up with a lush symphonic classic.

Felt * The Strange Idols Pattern and Other Short Stories (Cherry Red) This was reissued in 2003. Originally hugely influenced by Bob Dylan, Television and Lou Reed, Lawrence Hayward developed a unique, enigmatic sound by his second full-length. He was rewarded with a cult following that could fit inside a small yacht.

The Go-Betweens * Spring Hill Fair (Beggars Banquet) Reissued in 2002 as a double CD. Aussies relocated to London, Robert Forster and Grant McLennan would form one of the underrated songwriting partnerships until their recent renaissance/rediscovery. The third of The Go-Betweens' many jangle pop classics, featured the witty kiss-off "Draining The Pool For You."

The Jazz Butcher * A Scandal In Bohemia (Glass UK) British eccentric with a rapier wit Pat Fish recorded his first album, A Bath In Bacon (1983) by himself. His second album helped him reach an early peak with a sharply tuned band that included David J. from Bauhaus/Love & Rockets. In David Eggers' column, he wrote, "She was also a fan of the nont-well-known Jazz Butcher, who wrote very literate and very funny music in the `80s and `90s. Through him she was introduced to a creepy `40s actor ("Peter Lorre"), discovered an assassinated Swedish prime minister ("Olof Palme"), and thanks to one catchy number ("South America"), memorized the names of most of the nations below Mexico."

Prefab Sprout * Swoon (Epic) While songwriter Paddy McAloon would later be hailed as one of the era's greatest songwriters alongside the likes of Elvis Costello, on their first album they hadn't quite nailed their elegant, sophisticated pop. That would come with 1985's Steve McQueen (Two Wheels Good in the U.S.).

Julian Cope * World Shut Your Mouth (Mercury/Fontana Jpn) Julian Cope * Fried (Mercury/Fontana Jpn) Julian Cope doesn't quite fit in with the above artists as he's more of a lysergic-crazed madman than fey popster. Originally part of the nearly mythical Crucial Three with members of Echo & the Bunnymen and Wah!, Cope formed The Teardrop Explodes, supposedly to merge his two biggest influences, Syd Barrett and Iggy Pop. To be honest he sounds at time more like Jim Morrison. However his solo albums do offer thoughtful, sophisticated lyrics amongst the toned down post- psychedelic lunacy. His second album in 1984, Fried, features Cope on the cover, naked, crawling underneath a tortoise shell. While it may seen he's going through a drug-induced breakdown, the music is more straightforward, with the exception of the delightfully whacky "Mic Mak Mok."

I'm not sure if any of this has anything to do with "Heads Up", but in response to f'nb's post, I've got (all on vinyl) two German imports of the Sound, three imports of Felt(I bought them during my Smiths heydey--I have every Smiths single on vinyl, including "How Soon is Now?" as a b-side and later as an a-side), three Aztec Cameras ( I took my mom to see them open for Elvis Costello after Camera's first album--we're talkin' very close to that Stop Making Sense tour concert I took her to), three Lloyd Coles, two Orange Juice imports (I love the cover with the Dolphins), the first Prefab Sprout (I thought that was enough), a couple of Chameleons(UK) and James' first. [Something I'll add, if you like the Smiths, check out the Woodentops--all their singles are excellent.] Like I said, nothing TOO interesting, but if anybody wants to talk to me about these, you can always private message me.

Also, Lloyd Cole may have been a "Scot" but he was born in England; I consider Big Country to be an authentic Scottish band whom I saw at the Warfield Theatre in San Fran twenty years ago ( a few months before I saw R.E.M. there when Stipe had a broken leg and had to sit on a stool), and anyone who cares about "The Factory" needs to watch "24 Hour Party People."

Sorry for the intrusion, gators.

quote:

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David Eggers wrote in his column:

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Sorry to seem clueless . . . is this the same David Eggers who wrote A Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius?

Can you give me the "heads up" on where I can find his columns? Thanks.

quote:

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Originally posted by Fastnbulbous:
Unfortunately the Lloyd Cole is a pricey import (amazon.co.uk has the most reasonable price I've seen), but for some it's worth it for all the bonus goodies, including their long-lost cover of Television's "Glory." Coincidentally, Cole popped up twice in the current issue of Spin as one of the Scottish forbears, along with Orange Juice, Josef K, The Bluebells and Aztec Camera, to Franz Ferdinand – "Upped the ante for droll, erudite songwriters wearing stylish shirts. Once dissed a dreary hipster kid by singing: `Read Norman Mailer / Or get a new tailor.'"

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Yeah, the Amazon price is the lowest, but you can get it (with cheaper US shipping) from The Ideal Copy for a few bucks more. As a die hard Lloyd fan, I fall into the "it was worth it" category. And, to be honest, the list on any of the US releases in the same series (the Clash, Sweetheart of the Rodeo) runs close to $30, so I don't feel too cheated. I paid close to $25 ON SALE for London Calling...

It is funny...you can see the influence on Franz Ferdinand, stylistically, but not so much in the sound. Kinda cool that Lloyd gets a double namecheck in SPIN.

His last two records were excellent...The Negatives was one of my favorites of that year.

That list of ten records was really pretty good...was that your list, fnb, or was that from Eggers?

quote:

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Originally posted by mark f:
the first Prefab Sprout (I thought that was enough

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Aw, don't be too hard on Paddy! They've got some great songs on all of their records, but they do have some spotty ones, too. There's a nice double best-of out there that has a good mix of the early and later Prefab...

Since mark's in love with the new Camper Van Beethoven, here's a tip:

Go to http:www.pitch-a-tent.com and scroll down a little bit to find a link to a live Camper Van Beethoven (In The Mouth of the Crocodile) show recorded in Feb, 2004 at the Crocodile Club in Seattle. I haven't heard it yet...I just ordered it, but the prior limited edition disc that they sold for Cracker (The Apothecary Show) was great sounding and had great songs.

They're also selling it on tour, it says, so if you're getting a show (as I am, at the end of the month!) you can try to get it there. I usually take the sure bet, and preorder it, because I've missed limited edition tour discs before...

Thanks for the tip, pE. I'm considering getting it even though it goes against my basic grain. I mean, I saw these guys almost 20 years ago, and I'd love to see them now, but listening to a live show I wasn't at, that isn't the most aesthetic thing I can think of. However, I realize this is a pretty-unique set of circumstances.


P.S. The new album is probably better than you or I could ever imagine, and as Han Solo says in "Star Wars", I can imagine A LOT!

I'll update you when I get the live Camper disc.


Well, here's my update:

The set list is "greatest-hits" quality, including "Eye of Fatima," "Sweethearts,
"Good Guys and Bad Guys," and "Take the Skinheads Bowling." The sound quality is pretty good, although the vocals are buried at points. The Camper-fied cover of the Clash's "White Riot" is a hoot, and the on-stage banter is funny.

All in all, a nice little record of a band playing music together because it's fun, but certainly not essential. Camper fans will love it...Cracker fans might love it. Disinterested passers-by will be puzzled by it. Your dog will be indifferent to it. Your cat will lick himself to it.

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Since these are available from the Sony website, I assume these are "legit" bootlegs, but there is a site

http://www.shopbootlegs.com/store/btq/cstm/bootleg/content.jsp?site=bootleg

where you can get "bootlegs" from The Ataris, Modest Mouse, Phantom Planet, Pete Yorn, Steve Vai, Good Charlotte, and more.

The site claims to sell artist authorized live shows, and the prices are good ($9.98 for a double Pete Yorn!)

Also, the same site offers links to new (from the vault) live records by Soul Asylum, Toad the Wet Sprocket, and Living Color which all sound cool.

Available now (as a UK import) is Faded Glamour, the new best-of for Animals That Swim, "the great lost band of their age" according to the NME.

I bring this up because there's a limited edition double-disc version with 14 rare and unreleased tracks to augment the best-of disc.

Good stuff, even if you have all three ATS discs.

There's a live American Music Club disc available through their website (american-music-club.com) that documents one of the shows from the reunion tour. Good stuff!

A few iTunes exclusives worth mentioning:

Ben Folds has a cover of Dr. Dre's "B*tches" available exclusively from iTunes.

Rogue Wave has a 6 song ep available.

And Clem Snide has a 4 song live acoustic set there as well.

This was posted on the Audities mail list...

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quote:

Weedmusic has released the wma's for Roger Mannings solo album today. The files are available here:

http://www.allweedfiles.com/?C=M;O=D

You'll be able to play the files three times without paying for them.

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Wow....It's the great lost Jellyfish album!

(Andy who?)

Not sure if this is going to get a packaged CD release.

Couldn't find anything about it using Google.

I'll probably end up purchasing these tracks.

.