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Hot on the heels of Rush‘s 2010 Time Machine Tour, Eagle Rock Entertainment is releasing the latest installment of their Classic Albums series featuring 2112 and Moving Pictures. The brand new documentary is coming out at the perfect time since the band performed the entire Moving Pictures album during the Time Machine Tour. Both 2112 and Moving Pictures are among the most significant albums in Rush’s long career.

Personally, “2112: Overture/The Temples of Syrinx” holds a special place in my heart since I had to memorize this amazingly complex piece for a cover band way back in my younger days. It was an absolute thrill to play once we figured out how to get through the whole thing without sounding like a trainwreck. As for Moving Pictures, it’s the best selling Rush album of all time. You simply can’t argue with classics like “Tom Sawyer”, “Red Barchetta” and “Limelight”.

Rush: 2112 & Moving Pictures – Classic Albums is out in stores NOW, available both on DVD AND Blu-Ray. This edition of the “Classic Albums” series is 112 minutes long with an additional 50 minutes of bonus footage that wasn’t shown in the broadcast version. Besides brand new interviews with Neil Peart, Alex Lifeson and Geddy Lee, we get interesting commentary of the multi-track tapes with original producer Terry Brown. Also making an appearance in the doc is Foo Fighters drummer Taylor Hawkins.

Check out this clip from the DVD:

Rush – "YYZ" from '2112 & Moving Pictures Classic Albums'

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Well, it’s official. Virgin Mobile will have their very own Android smartphone by the first week of October. The new phone is the Samsung Intercept which is already available on the Sprint Network. It’s not a groundbreaking phone by any means but to have an android phone on a no-contract/prepaid plan is a pretty big deal. It still remains to be seen if the phone will be “crippled” or locked down in any way or if VM will be charging an extra monthly fee for this phone as they do for the Blackberry. But still, if you can get this on the $25 a month beyond talk plan (which included unlimited text and web), it’s definitely worth considering. Look for it at your local Target stores beginning October 3rd for $230.

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I recently learned that Danny Wilde of the Rembrandts collaborated with the Gin Blossoms on the band’s new album, No Chocolate Cake. I think it’s a pretty good fit especially when you compare the melodic pop of the Gin Blossoms’ hits “Til I Hear it From You” and “Found Out About You” with Rembrandts songs like “Just the Way It Is, Baby” and “Johnny Have You Seen Her”. I’m sure that the resulting songs will be pure melodic bliss. Wilde co-wrote five songs on the new album as well as played keyboards on most of the tracks.

No Chocolate Cake will be out in stores September 28th through 429 Records. In the meantime, you can listen to the new single “Miss Disarray” by clicking on this link here (streaming link). And for a limited time, 429 Records is offering a free download of another album track, “Somewhere Tonight”, on their website.
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Man, this has been a banner year for Rolling Stones fans. Not only did we get a newly remastered Exile On Main Street reissue and the critically acclaimed documentary Stones in Exile on DVD but now the classic concert film from the Exile On Main Street tour is scheduled for release next month! It has been a long time coming but I, for one, am glad to see these things get officially released.

Kudos to Eagle Rock for getting these long lost gems out for the fans.

Here’s the official Press Release from Eagle Rock:

On October 12, Eagle Rock Entertainment will simultaneously release the DVD and Blu-ray editions of the long-awaited Ladies & Gentlemen…The Rolling Stones. This is probably the most sought after Rolling Stones concert performance and it has been fully restored and remastered from the original film print and multitrack audio masters. Ladies & Gentlemen follows the highly successful CD reissue of Exile On Main Street (Universal Music Group) in May of this year and the Stones In Exile DVD (Eagle Rock Entertainment) on June 22, 2010. The October 12 releases will be followed shortly after by a deluxe edition box set with additional bonus material and memorabilia.

Filmed in Texas in 1972 over four nights of the “Exile On Main Street” US tour, Ladies & Gentlemen was premiered at the Ziegfield Theatre in New York on April 15, 1974 and released into selected cinemas across the USA shortly afterwards. Bonus features on this release include tour rehearsal footage from Montreux, plus two interviews with Mick Jagger; one from a 1972 Old Grey Whistle Test show, and one filmed in 2010.

The line-up for this show comprised Mick Jagger (vocals), Keith Richards (guitars), Charlie Watts (drums), Bill Wyman (bass), Mick Taylor (guitars) with Bobby Keys (saxophones), Jim Price (horns) and Nicky Hopkins (piano). Ladies & Gentlemen was billed at the time as “the most powerful rock film ever made” and is considered by many fans to be the finest Rolling Stones performance ever captured on film. This is simply unmissable!
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Deb Talan and Steve Tannen make writing catchy melodies seem so easy. Obviously it’s not but these ear candy-like pop songs on Be My Thrill just seem so effortless and natural. These sunny, sing-a-long tunes are ready-made for minivans and coffeeshops all across the nation. The simple arrangements and none too deep lyrics allow for easy consumption and doesn’t require your full attention. At times, I found myself wanting to hear a longer instrumental passage or a stinging guitar solo but alas, that’s not what the Weepies are about and I’m fine with that.

Talan and Tannen have found joy in parenthood and they sum it up nicely in the last verse of “Empty Your Hands”:
Our baby learned to run today in circles on the grass
His joyful face it radiates
These moments go so fast, let them go…

And I’m totally glad that they’re enjoying life with a toddler but I’m still taking points off for the overly sweet lyrical content here. Personally I prefer a bit more balance of the “sweet” with some “dark” so I find the new album a bit too saccharine for me. I actually prefer their previous album, Hideaway, which features some darker material. ..Well, “darker” for this duo anyway.

favorites off the new album include: “When You Go Away”, “Red Red Rose”, “Be My HoneyPie” and “How Do You Get High?”

retroGrade: B

Be My Thrill by The Weepies
released: August 2010
label: Nettwerk

TrackList:
1 Please Speak Well of Me 2:34
2 When You Go Away 2:19
3 Red Red Rose 2:50
4 I Was Made for Sunny Days 3:13
5 They’re in Love, Where Am I? 2:23
6 Add My Effort 3:12
7 Be My Thrill 2:29
8 Be My Honeypie 2:10
9 Hummingbird 2:45
10 Hard to Please 4:12
11 Not a Lullaby 2:37
12 How Do You Get High? 2:36
13 Hope Tomorrow 1:59
14 Empty Your Hands 3:09
all songs written by Talan/Tannen

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Legendary 80′s rockers Big Country are all set to return to the stage and have announced 4 UK shows to take place in January 2011. More may be added.
The band exploded onto the scene in 1983 with anthemic songs such as “Fields Of Fire” and “In A Big Country” which were culled from their classic debut album The Crossing which sold several million worldwide. They followed up with a number one album Steeltown and released 8 studio albums all of which entered the Top Ten. Big Country released 28 singles 5 of which were also Top Ten.

Approaching their 30th anniversary, the band are lining up concerts for a period of celebration that will not only embrace their illustrious past but also honour the life and times of original lead singer, guitarist and co-founder Stuart Adamson, who passed away so tragically in 2001. Taking on the mantle of lead singer and joining the band for these dates and more will be Mike Peters of fellow celtic rockers The Alarm.

“I first met Stuart on stage at a U2 concert in Hammersmith Palais back in 1983″ says Mike Peters. “Bono introduced us to his audience as being “part of the the new breed” and Stuart was literally passed up onto the stage by the fans and I shook his hand as I handed him a guitar – an unforgettable entrance. The last time I saw him was also on stage with Big Country at Glasgow Barrowlands for the last night of the Final Fling tour in 2000, when we sang Neil Young’s ‘Rockin’ In The Freeworld’ together. When Bruce Watson called and asked me to sing for Big Country, it was something I didn’t need to think twice about. I’m looking forward to meeting all the fans again and playing a part in keeping the spirit of Stuart Adamson alive and celebrating the music of a band I have loved from near and afar for the whole of my adult life”.

Bass guitarist Tony Butler says “To play again as Big Country was something that was only going to happen if we could find someone who could compliment the band and sing the songs in the way they need to be sung – with heart and soul. Mike Peters from The Alarm has stepped in to fill the premise. It’s about time the songs got another airing, and we think Stuart would be pleased too”.

The new line up consists of:
Tony Butler – Bass Guitar and Vocals
Mark Brzezicki – Drums and Vocals
Mike Peters – Vocals and Guitar
Bruce Watson – Guitar and Vocals
Jamie Watson – Guitar

Live dates scheduled so far:

Wednesday 05 January 2011 – Newcastle O2 Academy
Thursday 06 January 2011 – London Islington O2 Academy
Friday 07 January 2011 – Birmingham O2 Academy
Saturday 08 January 2011 – Liverpool O2 Academy

All shows are on sale via gigsandtours.com

Check the official Big Country website for the latest news.
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whew. I finally had the chance to transfer all of my music files from the ol’ HP hard drive to my new laptop. huzzah. I’m so relieved that the cheapo $14 SATA/USB hard drive enclosure worked with no fuss.

To celebrate, I thought I’d open up the RetroBlog Music Vault and share some music today.

Four Seasons in One Day (Hard Rock Cafe Live 1998) by Shawn Colvin and Mary Chapin Carpenter
Sleeping on an unmade bed
Finding out wherever there is comfort, there is pain
Only one step away like four seasons in one day

Have a Little Faith in Me (acoustic version) by John Hiatt
I will hold you up, I will hold you up
Your love will give me strength enough
So have a little faith in me

I Saw the Light/Kiss on My List (live, Aug 2005, Boston) by Hall and Oates with special guest Todd Rundgren
I go crazy wondering what there is to really see
Did the night just take up your time, ’cause it means more to me

I’m All Shook Up (live at the Cavern) by Paul McCartney
When she touched my hand what a chill I got
Her lips are like a volcano when it’s hot

You Do or You Don’t (live 1992) by Lindsey Buckingham
Living in exile ain’t the way to go
It’s just another way of dying
A whole lot of faces that you call your own
All those faces are crying

Hold Me Now (live 1994) by John Wetton
My shattered heart, in pieces now
And I’m gazing at the fragments of my life

This is Where You Ain’t (acoustic) by Glenn Tilbrook
This is where we had some fun and this is where we played
And now the fact I have to face is that this is where you ain’t

enjoy!!

Billboard announced this week that Katy Perry‘s latest album, Teenage Dream is debuting at the top of the album charts with sales of 192,000 in its first week of release. who are all these tone-deaf people buying up this crap??? 192,000 copies??? There are tons of talented singer/songwriters that would kill to sell even a quarter of that.

Well, congrats, Katy for duping the mainstream record-buying public into buying your album!

OK, OK, Katy’s not really the one to blame. She just simply wants to be this generation’s Madonna. The problem stems from the whole pop-industry machine that cranks out mind-numbing ear-candy that can easily be marketed to young, impressionable kids. Yeah, I know, it’s been the same ol’ story for decades. But come on, now that the industry has the convenience of Pro-Tools and Auto-Tune, they can basically take any pretty face and mold them into the next pop sensation.

Just look at the assembly line production team that’s behind Perry’s Teenage Dream. The long list includes Max Martin, Dr. Luke, Stargate and Tricky Stewart. And all the uninspired songwriting was done by committee. There’s nothing unique or original about these songs at all. The tunes were all prefabricated, interchangeable and all modeled after proven formulas. The songs seem sterile and feel like they were concocted in a lab – carefully extracting bits from Ke$ha, Rihanna, Lady Gaga, Black Eye Peas, Pink and even good ol’ Evanescence.

and don’t get me started on “Peacock”. I’m no prude but still, I wouldn’t want my kids listening/singing-along to that filth. geez. doesn’t she know that a good portion of her audience are 13 and 14 year old girls?

and who came up with the sequencing of the tracks? I think the producers simply relied on their iPod to shuffle the tracks randomly with no thought put into it because the flip-flopping between light/humorous tracks with the more sincere/serious material is just plain awkward and distracting.

retroGrade: D

meh. I’d rather look at her photos and watch her videos than listen to the album.

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After spending this past summer touring all across the U.S., Jack Hues and Nick Feldman of Wang Chung will be back for a couple of more dates. To mark the release of their next downloadable EP package, Rent Free (available September 20th), the band will be playing five shows in September. The new single, Rent Free, stands up nicely alongside their classic hits and features the memorable line “You’ve been living rent free in my head for far too long”.

here are the September dates and locations:

02-Sep-10 Key Club, West Hollywood, CA
04-Sep-10 the Monte Carlo Hotel, Las Vegas, NV
09-Sep-10 Infinity Husic Hall, Norfolk, CT
10-Sep-10 The Vibe Lounge, Rockville Centre, NY
11-Sep-10 Oyster Fest, Veterans Park, Norwalk, CT

head over to the official website to get the latest on Wang Chung as well as download their new releases.