Tidenes Raga-hyllest på vei

Christer Falck er dagens mann, ferdig med den saken! Lystløgner og Robinson-programleder på den ene siden, verdens hyggeligste mann og rock'n'roll-filantrop på den andre. Jeg fikk en melding i innboksen min hvor han forteller at han er i gang med "det mest ambisiøse og enorme prosjektet jeg noen gang har gjort", og det er definitivt ingen overdrivelse. Christer er i gang med tidenes norske hyllestprosjekt, der 100 (!) norske artister/band skal gjøre versjoner av forskjellige Raga Rockers-låter. Christer er dog ikke helt alene, men samarbeider om dette med Raga-manager Mads Martinsen og filmprodusent og musiker Thomas Robsahm. I tillegg jobber de med en konserthyllest på Rockefeller 18. november, samme dag som både CD- og vinylboks er i salg. Det er med andre ord et skikkelig brekke ryggen-stunt som får Shockadelica-boksen med Prince-covere til å blekne. Og det var ambisiøst nok, for å si det sånn. Dette er et crowdfundingprosjekt, og vil du være med på moroa klikker du deg inn her. Her kan du lese hele pressemeldingen.

Christer vil bli som Jesus (Foto: Henning Jensen)

«SANNHET PÅ BOKS» - EN HYLLEST TIL RAGA ROCKERS CD- OG VINYLBOKS Onsdag den 18/11 slipper vi cd- og vinylboksen «Sannhet på boks», hvor mer eller mindre hele musikk-Norge skal være med å hylle Raga Rockers. Hele overskuddet går til bandet. Raga Rockers er et av de store arbeidsjernene i norsk rock. Hele 17 album, hvorav 12 studioalbum, har blitt sluppet siden starten i 1983. I tillegg har Michael Krohn gitt ut 10 album under forskjellige navn og gjestet på over 50 forskjellige innspillinger. «De fire store» i norsk rock står like støtt som i litteraturen. I 2013 hadde de 30-årsjubileum, og siden bandet selv ikke er så ivrige på festivitas, så får heller andre stå for hyllingen. «Sannhet på boks» skal ut på cd (500 nummererte eksemplarer) og vinyl (1500 nummererte eksemplarer). Selveste Pushwagner lager coveret. Bookleten vil også inneholde spesialskrevne striper fra kjente tegneserieskapere og kloke ord fra fine folk. I tillegg vil boksen inneholde noen godsaker som vi vil gå ut med etter hvert, bl.a. et spesiallaget Michael-frimerke fra Posten i et svært begrenset opplag. Gled dere! Onsdag den 18. november arrangerer vi slippfest på Rockefeller hvor flere profilerte band skal hylle Raga Rockers fra scenen. Billetter kan også kjøpes her, til redusert pris, i kombinasjon med en av boksene,eller i et begrenset antall uten boks. 100 artister har sagt ja til å stille med hver sin låt og her er de første 50. 1. Hold hodet høyt deLillos 2. Ekspander eller dø Racer (Dumdum Boys) 3. Rock'n roll Valentourettes 4. Slakt Jo Nesbø 5. Litt av en gjeng Lemen (feat. Annlaug Børsheim) 6. Taxisangen Jan Eggum 7. Løp Smoke Mohawk 8. Forbudte følelser Oslo Ess 9. Maskiner i Nirvana The Dogs 10. Invitasjon Marie Munroe (Hilde Marie Kjersem) 11. Hun er fri Tommy Tee All-Stars 12. Sangen om meg Møster 13. Å Jesus White Lord Jesus feat. Einmal Kommt Die Liebe 14. Pilgrim Erlend Ropstad 15. Borte nå Haddy N'Jie 16. Lørdag Backstreet Girls 17. Rocker Phone Joan 18. Schwong Alex Rosén 19. Ro Biosphere 20. Kanskje på tid Frank Znort Quartet 21. Trygge her Bøyen Beng 22. Desperado Fjorden Baby! 23. Positiv Elvira Nicolaisen 24. Rundt og rundt Mercury Motors 25. Stille høyde Origami Olympika 26. Det skal bli natt Kampfar 27. Jeg tror jeg er noe Norsk Råkk 28. Full tank Cocktail Slippers 29. Varme dager Mormones 30. Viking Vampire State Building 31. Gatelangs Astroburger 32. Drept kjendis Audrey Horne 33. Skjønnhet Johndoe 34. Idiot rock The Stookers 35. Rogn Team Me 36. Morgenraga Bloodlights 37. Teppe Blakk 38. Vrengt Lasse Marhaug 39. Paradox Ivar Eidem 40. Øde øy Hopalong Knut 41. Ditt sanne jeg Asbjørn Ribe 42. Nerd Ut Bakdøra 43. Tid Skambankt 44. Ting Castro 45. Dårlig karma Viktoria Winge 46. Ny dag André Holstad 47. Fred på jorden Annette Gil 48. Lysere tider Prins Thomas 49. Radiator Salmon Smokers 50. Noen å hate Vinneren av Urørts Raga-coverkonkurranse INFO: Vi er litt usikre på hvor mange album og cd-er boksen vil inneholde, siden vi ikke vet lengden på låtene ennå, men rundt 4-5 cd-er og 8-10 LP-er er mest sannsynlig. Og det er ikke usannsynlig at prisen vil gå opp når/om den kommer for salg i butikkene. LP-boksen vil inneholde x antall LP-er, en tjukk og god booklet, et spesiallaget Raga/Michael-frimerke fra Posten + eventuelle overraskelser. Alle albumene vil komme i 180 grams vinyl. CD-boksen vil inneholde x antall cd-er, booklet og Raga/Michael-frimerke. Releasekonserten jobbes det for tiden med. Vi har leid Rockefeller, og flere store band har blitt kontaktet. Målet er at ett eller flere hovedband skal utgjøre en grunnstamme, og spille seg gjennom Raga Rockers-katalogen med en gjeng kompetente vokalister. Det vil også selges LP-er og CD-er på konserten.

Tom Russell strikes again with The Rose Of Roscrae

The forthcoming double CD The Rose Of Roscrae is singer/songwriter Tom Russell's third installment in the trilogy that started with The Man From God Knows Where in 1999 and continued with the mysterious Hotwalker in 2005. In theory at least, The Rose Of Roscrae seems like the most ambitious of all his albums, in what is soon to become a 40 year long recording career. On two discs there are a total of 52 tracks that are linked together, telling a story of Irish immigrants to the American West. There are several guest artists here, such as Gretchen Peters, Augie Meyers, Jimmie Dale Gilmore and David Olney, and Russell have also incorporated the voices of American icons such as Johnny Cash, Lead Belly and the poet Walt Whitman. The Rose Of Roscrae will be released on April 13, but you can see a promo reel for the album below to get an idea of what to expect. Me? I'm ecstatic! Can't wait!

Watch and listen

Lloyd Cole & The Commotions box set coming up - here's "Lost Weekend"

Great news for all Lloyd Cole fans, as he's currently compiling a large box set collecting all three of Lloyd Cole & The Commotions' albums in remastered form, as well as a disc of B-sides, one of rarities, and a DVD featuring TV footage and promo videos. Debut album Rattlesnakes (1984) is the established classic of the band's three albums whereas the follow-up, 1985's Clive Langer and Alan Winstanley-produced Easy Pieces has got a more dubious reputation for reasons beyond me. It has only briefly been available on CD so I really welcome the upcoming box set. The final Commotions album is 1987's Mainstream. There is no release date yet, but as far as I can tell the box set will be released through Universal in the course of 2015. While we wait, here's the exemplary pop song "Lost Weekend" off Easy Pieces.

Watch and listen

Bruce Springsteen remasters finally due - as box set

After oh so many years, Bruce Springsteen's first seven records are finally remastered and on November 17 released as vinyl and CD box sets. Born To Run and Darkness On The Edge Of Town have been remastered and released on CD earlier, but now his early output will be available with the best possible sound on both formats. The box set is called The Album Collection Vol. 1, 1973-1984, so I assume there will be an additional two similar sets eventually. For now though, we are talking about his most important - and best - period, so hooray! Also, I do hope the records will be released individually as well. Below you'll find a trailer for the upcoming box set.

Watch and listen

 

The Rolling Stones with new live album series - see one full 1981 show here

Exciting news for Rolling Stones fans today as a new live album series, From The Vault, was announced with details on the first two releases. The series will include concerts from the Stones' large archive, and the releases will be out in several different formats, including DVD, Bluray, LP and CD. The first two shows are due before Christmas. Hampton Coliseum - Live In 1981 is released on November 3, and LA Forum - Live In 1975, two weeks later, on November 17. The music from both shows have previously been available digitally from the band's website, but now get their "proper" releases. Below you can watch the entire Hampton show that was put up on the band's official YouTube channel a month ago.

Watch the Hampton Coliseum show in full

The tracklisting for Hampton Coliseum – Live In 1981 is:

Under My Thumb
When The Whip Comes Down
Let’s Spend The Night Together
Shattered
Neighbours
Black Limousine
Just My Imagination
Twenty Flight Rock
Going To A Go Go
Let Me Go
Time Is On My Side
Beast Of Burden
Waiting On A Friend
Let It Bleed
You Can’t Always Get What You Want
Band Introductions
Happy Birthday Keith
Little T & A
Tumbling Dice
She’s So Cold
Hang Fire
Miss You
Honky Tonk Women
Brown Sugar
Start Me Up
Jumping Jack Flash
(I Can’t Get No) Satisfaction

The tracklisting for L.A. Forum – Live In 1975 is:
Introduction*
Honky Tonk Women
All Down The Line
If You Can’t Rock Me / Get Off Of My Cloud
Star Star
Gimme Shelter
Ain’t Too Proud To Beg
You Gotta Move
You Can’t Always Get What You Want
Happy
Tumbling Dice
It’s Only Rock ‘n’ Roll
Band Intros*
Doo Doo Doo Doo Doo (Heartbreaker)*
Fingerprint File
Angie
Wild Horses*
That’s Life*
Outta Space*
Brown Sugar
Midnight Rambler
Rip This Joint
Street Fighting Man
Jumpin’ Jack Flash
Sympathy For The Devil
(*Not available on LP)

The Cure - Hello, Goodbye (plus full info on upcoming The Art Of McCartney tribute album)

It's a lot closer to a re-recording than a re-imagining, but The Cure's dutiful version of The Beatles' 1967 single "Hello, Goodbye" nevertheless spearheads the massive tribute album The Art Of McCartney, slated for a November 19 release. And although it adds nothing to the lightness and brilliance of the original, The Cure has enlisted Paul McCartney's son James on keyboards for the recording, thus securing a bond that somehow justifies the seemingly unimaginative version. Also, I should add that I do enjoy Robert Smith's trademark wails and howls, subtle as they still are on this one as opposed to what he often comes up with. Other artists on the 34 track album are Bob Dylan, Brian Wilson, Willie Nelson, Billy Joel, Kiss, Alice Cooper, Roger Daltrey, Allen Toussaint, Dr. John, Smokey Robinson, Jeff Lynne and many more. There are also a limited edition release in colored vinyl, adding eight bonus tracks.

This is the full track list, link to The Cure's version on the bottom of the page.
1. Maybe I’m Amazed - Billy Joel
2. Things We Said Today - Bob Dylan
3. Band On The Run - Heart
4. Junior’s Farm - Steve Miller
5. The Long and Winding Road - Yusuf / Cat Stevens
6. My Love - Harry Connick, Jr.
7. Wanderlust - Brian Wilson
8. Bluebird - Corinne Bailey Rae
9. Yesterday – Willie Nelson
10. Junk – Jeff Lynne
11. When I’m 64 – Barry Gibb
12. Every Night – Jamie Cullum
13. Venus and Mars/ Rock Show – KISS
14. Let Me Roll It – Paul Rodgers
15. Helter Skelter – Roger Daltrey
16. Helen Wheels – Def Leppard
17. Hello Goodbye – The Cure ft James McCartney
18. Live And Let Die – Billy Joel
19. Let It Be – Chrissie Hynde
20. Jet - Robin Zander & Rick Nielsen of Cheap Trick
21. Hi Hi Hi - Joe Elliott
22. Letting Go - Heart
23. Hey Jude - Steve Miller
24. Listen To What The Man Said - Owl City
25. Got To Get You Into My Life - Perry Farrell
26. Drive My Car - Dion
27. Lady Madonna - Allen Toussaint
28. Let ‘Em In - Dr. John
29. So Bad - Smokey Robinson
30. No More Lonely Nights - The Airborne Toxic Event
31. Eleanor Rigby - Alice Cooper
32. Come And Get It - Toots Hibbert with Sly & Robbie
33. On The Way - B. B. King
34. Birthday - Sammy Hagar
 
The eight additional songs:
1. C Moon - Robert Smith
2. Can’t Buy Me Love - Booker T. Jones
3. P.S. I Love You - Ronnie Spector
4. All My Loving - Darlene Love
5. For No One - Ian McCulloch
6. Put It There - Peter, Bjorn & John
7. Run Devil Run - Wanda Jackson
8. Smile Away - Alice Cooper

Watch and listen

Leonard Cohen to release new album

As legendary singer/songwriter and esteemed poet and gentleman Leonard Cohen turns 80 next month, he'll also release a brand new album entitled Popular Problems, according to Rolling Stone. I got a hint myself the other day, when I met a friend who works for Cohen's record company who had "just received new music from a big artist that they (him and his colleagues) had no idea was forthcoming", but he could not say who the artist was. As I gathered a new Dylan record has been hinted at in May so it could not be him, a new Springsteen record wouldn't be that much of a surprise, and that basically left good old Cohen - and maybe David Bowie. As of right now there has been no official confirmation of the album but it could come at any minute, as the cat seems indeed to be out of the bag. The release date is September 22, the day following Cohen's 80th birthday, and the album consists entirely of new songs.

2014 preview

2014 is gearing up to be an amazing year for good music. Already we've gotten great records from established artists like Rosanne Cash and Bruce Springsteen, and there is so much talent lurking that it's ridiculous. Already I've fallen head over heels in love with loads of new tracks, and although I have written about them already I thought I'd collect the earlier pieces here so it's easy to get a quick idea of what will be going on for the first few months - and beyond - of 2014.

Katy B - "Crying For No Reason"

Sasha Keable - "Careless Over You"

I Break Horses - "Faith"

Chlöe Howl - "No Strings" and more

Neonato - "Clouds Seen From Above"

Indiana - "Touch Me"

Ella Eyre - "Deeper"

James Vincent McMorrow - "Cavalier"

Snowbird - "Porcelain"

Shy For Shore - "Then The Heartbreak" and more

Lily Allen - "Air Balloon"

Sam Smith - "Money On My Mind"

Kråkesølv - "Ikke rart vi bli sprø"

Paloma Faith - "Can't Rely On You"

Wild Beasts - "Wanderlust"

Warpaint - "Love Is To Die"

Metronomy - "I'm Aquarius"

Vance Joy - "Riptide"

Banks - "Waiting Game"

Sivu - "Better Man Than He" (Thom Alt J Remix)

Sisyphus - "Calm It Down"

 

Revealing new Bruce Springsteen interview

Rolling Stone got an exclusive interview with Bruce Springsteen recently, and today posted the entire transcript from the 54 minute session online. Here he talks in length about the new album High Hopes, how it came to, his working methods, collaborators, and also the upcoming The River box set and how he regards a possible future Bootleg Series.

Listen to High Hopes here, then read the Rolling Stone interview here.

 

Bruce Springsteen - High Hopes

Bruce Springsteen's new single, his re-recorded version of the Tim Scott McConnell song "High Hopes", was released today, and as was predicted, news of a brand new album has also emerged. The album will also be titled High Hopes and is set for a January 14 release. It's a mixture of re-recorded songs, covers and new songs, including new versions of "The Ghost Of Tom Joad", and "American Skin (41 Shots)" that has previously only been available in a live version, and his takes on Suicide's "Dream Baby Dream" and The Saints' "Just Like Fire Would". Here is the full track list:

1. High Hopes
2. Harry's Place
3. American Skin (41 Shots)
4. Just Like Fire Would
5. Down In The Hole
6. Heaven's Wall
7. Frankie Fell In Love
8. This Is Your Sword
9. Hunter Of Invisible Game
10. The Ghost of Tom Joad
11.The Wall
12. Dream Baby Dream

Watch and listen

Here's a press release from Springsteen himself about the new record:

'I was working on a record of some of our best unreleased material from the past decade when Tom Morello (sitting in for Steve during the Australian leg of our tour) suggested we ought to add "High Hopes" to our live set. I had cut "High Hopes," a song by Tim Scott McConnell of the LA based Havalinas, in the 90's. We worked it up in our Aussie rehearsals and Tom then proceeded to burn the house down with it. We re-cut it mid tour at Studios 301 in Sydney along with "Just Like Fire Would," a song from one of my favorite early Australian punk bands, The Saints (check out "I'm Stranded"). Tom and his guitar became my muse, pushing the rest of this project to another level. Thanks for the inspiration Tom.

Some of these songs, "American Skin" and "Ghost of Tom Joad," you'll be familiar with from our live versions. I felt they were among the best of my writing and deserved a proper studio recording. "The Wall" is something I'd played on stage a few times and remains very close to my heart. The title and idea were Joe Grushecky's, then the song appeared after Patti and I made a visit to the Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Washington. It was inspired by my memories of Walter Cichon. Walter was one of the great early Jersey Shore rockers, who along with his brother Ray (one of my early guitar mentors) led the "Motifs". The Motifs were a local rock band who were always a head above everybody else. Raw, sexy and rebellious, they were the heroes you aspired to be. But these were heroes you could touch, speak to, and go to with your musical inquiries. Cool, but always accessible, they were an inspiration to me, and many young working musicians in 1960's central New Jersey. Though my character in "The Wall" is a Marine, Walter was actually in the Army, A Company, 3rd Battalion, 8th Infantry. He was the first person I ever stood in the presence of who was filled with the mystique of the true rock star. Walter went missing in action in Vietnam in March 1968. He still performs somewhat regularly in my mind, the way he stood, dressed, held the tambourine, the casual cool, the freeness. The man who by his attitude, his walk said "you can defy all this, all of what's here, all of what you've been taught, taught to fear, to love and you'll still be alright." His was a terrible loss to us, his loved ones and the local music scene. I still miss him.

This is music I always felt needed to be released. From the gangsters of "Harry's Place," the ill-prepared roomies on "Frankie Fell In Love" (shades of Steve and I bumming together in our Asbury Park apartment) the travelers in the wasteland of "Hunter Of Invisible Game," to the soldier and his visiting friend in "The Wall", I felt they all deserved a home and a hearing. Hope you enjoy it'

Bruce Springsteen

Brand new Paddy McAloon radio interview

This blog may appear to be a vehicle for promoting all things Prefab Sprout these days, and it pretty much is. When Paddy McAloon has finally resurfaced after years of silence, it's a huge thing to me, one of the best songwriters ever to walk this earth being back with us. Crimson/Red, the album he released earlier this week, is a masterpiece, featuring ten (not so) new songs that are all (!) future Prefab Sprout classics, and, lo and behold, Paddy is actually promoting the album. Below you can hear a radio interview done with Mark Radcliffe and Stuart Maconie on BBC Radio 6 Music yesterday. It's an entertaining 18 minutes where Radcliffe & Stuart get to ask Paddy about his many works in progress, getting anecdotes about Stevie Wonder, Muff Winwood and Billy Mackenzie, and really showing him as a pretty regular and ordinary man, no matter how reclusive and remote he supposedly has become. I'm not so sure about that. Enjoy the interview and have a laugh or two as I had.

Listen

 

Read a brand new Paddy McAloon interview

Finally, four years after the last Prefab Sprout album (comprising of songs from 1992) and 12 years after the last "properly new" Prefab album, master of ceremonies Paddy McAloon is back with a brand new album. OK, take that with a pinch of salt as the songs were written between 1997 and 2012, but the recordings are actually recent and Paddy is apparently really happy with the album. In an interview with British newspaper The Guardian published two days ago, he talks about the new album Crimson/Red, his illnesses, muses about the times when he was on the brink of becoming a pop star and more. Fascinating reading, interspersed with links to some great songs, including the new "The Best Jewel Thief In The World", if you follow the link below. Also, here you can listen to "The Songs Of Danny Galway", "Billy" and "Mysterious" from the new album. Future classics, all of them, believe me.

Read and listen

 

Matthew Sweet & Susanna Hoffs - Our Lips Are Sealed

After covering songs from the 60's and 70's on the albums Under The Covers Vol. 1 and 2, Matthew Sweet and sometime Bangle Susanna Hoffs are ready with Under The Covers Vol. 3 for a November release, covering the 80's. As was the case with the previous two collections the songs are well-chosen. This time around there are songs by The Smiths, R.E.M., Echo & The Bunnymen, Kirsty MacColl, Pretenders, Tom Petty and more, as well as the version you'll find below of "Our Lips Are Sealed", the song that was co-written by Jane Wiedlin of The Go-Go's and Terry Hall of The Specials. The Go-Go's were first to record it in 1981, then Hall recorded a version with his new outfit Fun Boy Three the following year. A great pop song, and Sweet and Hoffs do it justice with a fine version.

Follow the link below for their take on "Our Lips Are Sealed", and an interview, as well as the full track list.

Listen and read more

 

Prefab Sprout returns with new album Crimson/Red

Prefab Sprout, one of my all-time favourite bands, finally returns with new music on October 7th. The 10 track album is called Crimson/Red and was posted on the band's Soundcloud page, then removed when it was discovered by fans. Some people did however download the album that was supposedly called The Devil Came A-Calling after one of its songs. Now all speculation may cease as it's officially declared that the album is being released as Crimson/Red. The songs are the same, but the running order is different:

The Uncut website posted this news item today: Read

The album is indeed great and worth looking forward to. Meanwhile, here is the excellent song called "Billy":

Listen
 

The Waterboys reveals track list for Fisherman's Blues box set

On October 14th The Waterboys release the 6CD Fisherman's Blues box set, featuring a total of 121 songs from the legendary sessions that resulted in their most famous album, originally released in 1988. I. Am. Looking. Forward. To. This. I mean, REALLY!

Full track list

 

More details on the Dylan album - the Sony Music press release

This just appeared in my inbox. Here are the full details with complete track listing on Bob Dylan's Another Self Portrait:

 

"WHAT IS THIS SHIT?"

BOB DYLAN'S THE BOOTLEG SERIES, VOL. 10
ANOTHER SELF PORTRAIT (1969 – 1971) SET FOR AUGUST 26 RELEASE

35 Rarities And Previously Unreleased Recordings Highlight Latest Volume Of Artist's Acclaimed Bootleg Series Available in Two-Disc Standard and Four-Disc Deluxe Editions

Deluxe Edition Includes First Complete Release Of Historic August 1969 Isle of Wight Festival Performance Newly Re-Mixed From The Original Source

 

 

* * * * *

Columbia Records will release Bob Dylan's The Bootleg Series, Vol. 10 - Another Self Portrait (1969-1971) on August 26, bringing fresh perspective to one of the artist's most controversial periods and revealing it to be one of his most wonderfully creative and prolific. Containing 35 rarities and previously unreleased recordings, Another Self Portrait (1969-1971) is the latest edition of Dylan's acclaimed Bootleg Series and is available in both a standard two-disc set and in a four-disc deluxe box set.

The unreleased recordings, demos and alternate takes on Another Self Portrait -- drawn mainly from the 1970 studio recording sessions that resulted in the official 1970 albums Self Portrait and New Morning albums -- shed new light on an essential and pivotal period in the artist's ongoing musical evolution.

A trailer previewing Bob Dylan's Another Self Portrait may be viewed on YouTube (http://youtu.be/GFdgwMhWcV4).

The original Self Portrait, released in June 1970, was Dylan's tenth studio album and his first to receive real pans from the music press ("What is this shit?" was literally the opening sentence of Greil Marcus's review in Rolling Stone while Robert Christgau gave the album a "C PLUS" rating in the Village Voice). Nevertheless, Self Portrait hit Number 4 on the US Billboard 200 and Number 1 on the UK album charts.

In the Self Portrait sessions, Dylan played a selection of songs accompanied by a small ensemble of musicians, primarily David Bromberg (guitar) and Al Kooper (keyboards, guitar), with producer Bob Johnston later adding overdubs to the basic tracks in Nashville. Another Self Portrait presents these original session masters for the first time without overdubs.

Another Self Portrait reveals fresh aspects of Dylan's vocal genius as he reimagines traditional and contemporary folk music as well as songs of his own. Across these unvarnished performances, Dylan is the country singer from Nashville Skyline ("Country Pie" and "I Threw It All Away"), an interpreter of traditional folk ("Little Sadie," "Pretty Saro") who's right at home singing the songs of his contemporaries (Tom Paxton's "Annie's Gonna Sing Her Song" and Eric Andersen's "Thirsty Boots") before returning to writing and singing his own new music ("Went To See The Gypsy," "Sign On The Window").

While the original Self Portrait was a deliberate act of iconoclasm that shattered Dylan's image as "generational spokesperson" while stretching the boundaries of pop music and his own, the album's successor, New Morning, marked Dylan's return to songwriting. Another Self Portrait gives fans a chance to reappraise the pivotal recordings that marked Dylan's artistic transformation as the 1960s ended and the 1970s began.

Featured on Another Self Portrait are a previously unavailable version of "Only A Hobo" and the demo version of "When I Paint My Masterpiece," a track that finds Dylan, who'd been signed as a recording artist not quite a decade earlier, looking to the future, promising that "Someday, everything's gonna be smooth like a rhapsody, when I paint my masterpiece."

Bob Dylan has created a new painting as the cover art for The Bootleg Series, Vol. 10 - Another Self Portrait (1969-1971).

The Bootleg Series, Vol. 10 - Another Self Portrait (1969-1971) will be available in a standard two-disc configuration as well as in a four-disc deluxe boxed set which will include, for the first time ever, the complete historic performance by Bob Dylan and The Band from the Isle of Wight Festival on August 31, 1969. Housed in a slipcase, the deluxe edition will include the newly remastered version of the 1970 Self Portrait album, in its entirety with original sequencing, in addition to two hardcover books featuring revisionist liner notes penned by Greil Marcus (author of the notorious "What is this shit?" 1970 Self Portrait review in Rolling Stone).

A vinyl version of The Bootleg Series, Vol. 10 - Another Self Portrait (1969-1971) will include the album's 35 tracks on three LPs plus a 12" x 12" booklet.

Hardcore fans got an early taste of The Bootleg Series, Vol. 10 - Another Self Portrait (1969-1971) when a limited edition 7" single of "Wigwam" (demo) c/w "Thirsty Boots" (a previously unreleased recording) was released for Record Store Day, Saturday, April 20, 2013.

* * * * *

The Bootleg Series, Vol. 10 - Another Self Portrait (1969-1971) CD 1

1 Went To See The Gypsy (demo) 2 In Search Of Little Sadie (without overdubs, Self Portrait) 3 Pretty Saro (unreleased, Self Portrait) 4 Alberta #3 (alternate version, Self Portrait) 5 Spanish Is The Loving Tongue (unreleased, Self Portrait) 6 Annie's Going To Sing Her Song (unreleased, Self Portrait) 7 Time Passes Slowly #1 (alternate version, New Morning) 8 Only A Hobo (unreleased, Greatest Hits II) 9 Minstrel Boy (unreleased, The Basement Tapes) 10 I Threw It All Away (alternate version, Nashville Skyline) 11 Railroad Bill (unreleased, Self Portrait) 12 Thirsty Boots (unreleased, Self Portrait) 13 This Evening So Soon (unreleased, Self Portrait) 14 These Hands (unreleased, Self Portrait) 15 Little Sadie (without overdubs, Self Portrait) 16 House Carpenter (unreleased, Self Portrait) 17 All The Tired Horses (without overdubs, Self Portrait)

The Bootleg Series, Vol. 10 - Another Self Portrait (1969-1971) CD 2

1 If Not For You (alternate version, New Morning) 2 Wallflower (alternate version, 1971) 3 Wigwam (original version without overdubs, Self Portrait) 4 Days Of '49 (original version without overdubs, Self Portrait) 5 Working On A Guru (unreleased, New Morning) 6 Country Pie (alternate version, Nashville Skyline) 7 I'll Be Your Baby Tonight (Live With The Band, Isle Of Wight 1969) 8 Highway 61 Revisited (Live With The Band, Isle Of Wight 1969) 9 Copper Kettle (without overdubs, Self Portrait) 10 Bring Me A Little Water (unreleased, New Morning) 11 Sign On The Window (with orchestral overdubs, New Morning) 12 Tattle O'Day (unreleased, Self Portrait) 13 If Dogs Run Free (alternate version, New Morning) 14 New Morning (with horn section overdubs, New Morning) 15 Went To See The Gypsy (alternate version, New Morning) 16 Belle Isle (without overdubs, Self Portrait) 17 Time Passes Slowly #2 (alternate version, New Morning) 18 When I Paint My Masterpiece (demo)

Bob Dylan & The Band Isle of Wight - August 31, 1969

1 She Belongs To Me 2 I Threw It All Away 3 Maggie's Farm 4 Wild Mountain Thyme 5 It Ain't Me, Babe 6 To Ramona/ Mr. Tambourine Man 7 I Dreamed I Saw St. Augustine 8 Lay Lady Lay 9 Highway 61 Revisited 10 One Too Many Mornings 11 I Pity The Poor Immigrant 12 Like A Rolling Stone 13 I'll Be Your Baby Tonight 14 Quinn The Eskimo (The Mighty Quinn) 15 Minstrel Boy 16 Rainy Day Women #12 & 35

Bob Dylan's Another Self Portrait to be released

August 26th will see the release of Another Self Portrait (1969-1971): The Bootleg Series Vol. 10, a 2CD or 3LP set featuring 35 previously unreleased recordings from the sessions that produced Bob Dylan's two albums Self Portrait and New Morning. Even better, there will be a 4CD deluxe edition, that also features the remastered Self Portrait album as well as the complete 1969 Isle Of Wight show that Dylan performed with The Band. More details and a teaser video for the project below.

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Elvis Costello and The Roots collaboration gets release date in September

Finally some news about the Elvis Costello and The Roots project that the former's ?uestlove announced in January. The album will be released on September 17th and answers to the title Wake Up Ghost. The legendary jazz label Blue Note is the record company, and if you follow the link below you can read more about the album. Something to look forward to, I say.

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New digital Fleetwood Mac EP out now

A few weeks ago Fleetwood Mac guitarist Lindsey Buckingham announced the upcoming release of a new, digital EP. This week it finally arrived, exclusively on iTunes, under the unattractive title Extended Play. It contains four songs, fronted by "Sad Angel". The other three are called "Without You" (which must not be confused with the old Fleetwood Mac song of the same name, but is in fact a song that harks back to the old Buckingham Nicks days before the two joined the band), "It Takes Time" and "Miss Fantasy". It has to be said that none of these songs are very exciting, although they're clearly not bad. But if this is the best they could come up with after waiting ten years from their latest album, Say You Will (2003), maybe they shouldn't bother with an entire new album. I'm of course hoping they have some better stuff up their sleeves, but I'll try not to expect too much. Anyway, if you are a fan, you should of course buy the EP. It's not exactly expensive.

Read a Mick Fleetwood interview and stream the EP here on NPR.

Fleetwood Mac in 2013: John McVie, Mick Fleetwood, Lindsey Buckingham and Stevie Nicks.

R.I.P. George Jones

George Jones died today, 81 years old, after being hospitalized eight days ago. What a legacy he leaves behind though. Jones was one of THE country greats, with a voice you almost wouldn't believe. Read a short obituary here and listen to a few songs below. R.I.P.

"White Lightning"

"Good Year For The Roses"

"He Stopped Loving Her Today"