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RHINO
TEN TENORS/Here’s to the Heroes: Here’s an interesting concept, John Barry produces a tribute to himself. The opera crew from Oz that likes to present opera without the boring parts harmonizes to beat the band on a handpicked program of Barry material that includes never before recorded material along side the biggies. A nice midbrow/hightone project, this is the kind of thing that falls between the cracks and needs that NPR kind of bounce to get over. Well produced and well performed, this is the kind of thing film music fans might miss and classical fans might gloss over, much to the loss of both camps. A great set to slip on when you want to fool your date into thinking you have more class than you do.
63674
DUNCAN SHEIK/Anthology-Brighter Later: Atlantic’s late 90’s dude answer to Jewel made 4 albums and gets a double disc retrospective that gives yo the meat with no potatoes. Giving each disc a theme for continuity, here’s your dose of singer/songwriter circa late 90’s that knew how to hit his mark. He knew how to use his icons wisely and that’s what gave him his fuel.
74134
SAM MOORE/Overnight Sensational: Since Ray Charles wasn’t courteous enough to die again, the Sam of Sam & Dave braved the curse to step into the booth with Springsteen, Winwood, Sting, Wynonna, Sting and others for a bunch of iconic duets covering ground from Memphis soul to Garth Brooks. Overall, if you’ve got a taste for some classic Stax/Memphis soul, you might as well go back to ground zero to get a heaping, greasy helping and salve that jones. One of those records that is not essential and easy to dis, but it sure is fun to play and hear, particularly if you might be predisposed to buying it at Starbucks.
77618
ELECTRONIC/Get the Message (Best of): The intersection of New Order and Smiths made three splinter albums over 10 years and you get the best of the bunch here. Going for special mixes and edits where possible to make this more than a general rehash, this is a nice slice of 90’s nostalgia for the malcontented and disaffected that somehow made it thought their Gen Y years anyway. It was an unlikely match that worked out well.
77621
MONKEES deluxe edition (77678): More of the Monkees deluxe edition (77744): Hard to believe that 40 years later there’s still unreleased material on The Monkees, but here’s the proof. It’s not quite essential, but it’s amazing it exists nonetheless. Since Monkeemania refuses to die, it’s only right their first two #1 albums get the double disc deluxe edition treatment. If you don’t have these by now, these are the uber geek editions, featuring both the stereo and mono mixes of the albums along with assorted stuff buried deep in the vaults. Is it a good idea to really pull back the curtain on Monkeemania? Ah, what can it hurt at this stage of the game. The fact The Monkees continue to sell and continue to generate interest show that this country once knew how to manufacture things that lasted.
STEREOLAB/Serene Velocity: Nobody really knew what to do with this Gen Y take on space age lounge pop, but those in the know enjoyed their 7 albums. This collection distills the quirkiest of it all down to the essence and recalls how much fun they were. This was a band that begged you not to take them seriously as you used them as the soundtrack to the jet set vibe that was really a figment of your imagination. Fun stuff they made look a lot easier than it really was.
79533
Volume 30/Number 22
December 5, 2006
MIDWEST RECORD RECAP
830 W. Route 22 #144
Lake Zurich, IL., 60047
CHRIS SPECTOR, Editor and Publisher
(c)2006 Midwest Record
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