Screeching guitars over a rapid backbeat pierce 50 ears trying to hear 25 stilted conversations. A foot-long needle shoots directly through the beckoning orifices, winds around the ear canals and connects directly with the center of each half of the brain. A throbbing begins at the base of the skull as imaginary brain fluid leaks out of each ear. Each face contorts into wrinkled disgust and the faces move closer together.

“Music is my life!” screams one bearded-with-glasses 20-something into the ear of a young girl with hair framing her face, brown tank top, cut-off jean shorts and several colored tattoos spattered across each arm. Clouds of cigarette smoke linger between them and slowly rise to the tar-stained ceiling. From the other end of the bar, the shapes and cartoons on her arms aren’t distinguishable, but I’m convinced they’re more than just blobs of ink. ”Have you ever heard the first Bad Brains album?” he continues to yell, ”It’s so raw, I can’t get enough of it!”

The band falls into a repetitive pattern of chunky chords, fast, pounding, tribal drums and hollering vocals. A few words sneak out of the mix, “MAKE…APPOINTMENT…TIME…MIND…EXCUSE!” Fuzzed mumbling fills the spaces between the recognizable words.

“I’m so glad you like them, too! Did you go see them at State a few months ago? They were great. I was there for Propaghandi, though!” the girl hollers back.

“What!? I can’t hear a fucking thing with this shit music!”

“Ha! I know! I wish they’d turn it down or something!” she yells in the middle of a song ending. Well, not exactly ending. The thumping tune had devolved into squelching feedback and noise crying memories of ghosts too fresh to even know they were dead.

The bar continues to fill with people lining up for beer and liquor memory tonic promising foggy notions for hours to come. Bodies pressing up against each other and conversations continue. A buffer borders the band a good five to 10 feet in every direction. In the middle of the vacuum, the group bounces off each other, climbs amps, jumps off, falls on the ground in a general hootenany and self-inflicted chaos.

On the other side of town, Johnny Winter fills a medium-sized open-aired venue and plays hits from the ’60s or ’70s or whenever he’s from. A 45-year-old man with greying hair, pony tail and beard turns to his 18-year-old son (in baggy jeans and with flowing long blond hair) to remark, “It’s so important to support local arts, son. If we don’t come out to these local shows, what kind of local scene will we have? Local music is so important.”

Clouds rumble overhead as Johnny looks skyward and pauses thoughtfully following a 12-minute blues jam. “Don’t forget Woodstock, boys and girls. I was there. Chant off the rain, just chant it off. There’s no mud here and you girls aren’t as young as you were back then,” he sputters into the microphone with a big inside joke grin. Cheers erupt as he leads a chant, “NO RAIN, NO RAIN, NO RAIN!” the crowd follows and stomps their feet.

All at once, the sky cracks open and pours dangerous amounts of rain onto the unsuspecting crowd. A few well-prepared concert goers still in their business leisure suits from the Friday 9-to-5 pull out their umbrellas and the rest run forward toward the stage.

In front of the crowd at the bar, I see and hear all these things at once. My wandering brain picks up random transmissions from across town and throughout the room. When I play music I black out in catatonic stupor for better or worse. I can’t control my thoughts as I rip my hand to shreds strumming my guitar and hollering my lungs out absentmindedly. Or completely focused and precise. I can never tell which one for sure.

Vinyl:

Fugazi – 3 Songs (7″)
Originally recorded in 1989.

Levon Helm – Electric Dirt
Electric Dirt again finds Levon steeped in tradition in his connection to the land and those who live by it, but this record goes deeper and wider, incorporating gospel, blues and soul elements in a bracing collection of originals and carefully chosen outside songs.

Wilco – Wilco (The Album) LP+CD
Wilco’s seventh combines the intimacy of its previous studio disc, Sky Blue Sky, with the experimentation of A Ghost Is Born in a set that boasts strong melodies and often unabashedly pop arrangements. LP includes the album on a CD.

Pete Yorn – Back & Fourth

CDs:

Ace Hood – Ruthless
New release from the Florida rapper features guest appearances from Jasmine Sullivan, The Dream, Ludacris, Rick Ross, Birdman and more.

AZ – I Am Legend

Bjork – Voltaic CD; CD+DVD; 2xCD+2xDVD
Voltaic is a multi-media document of what happened after Volta was completed — a journey of a different sort as the ever-evolving singer assembled her live band, made a collection of typically amazing videos and one-step-ahead remixes, and toured the world. She recorded the Voltaic live CD in one take at Olympic Studio in London. It’s a stunning performance, featuring cutting-edge computer technology, an old-school horn section and a female, flag-toting Icelandic choir. Deluxe version includes the Voltaic live CD plus a DVD featuring 21 songs performed on the Volta tour. Super deluxe 2xCD+2xDVD version features live recordings, remixes, videos and more.

Carcass – Wake Up And Smell The Carcass CD+DVD
17 rarities from different eras of the band’s career, including five extras from the Swansong period, Radio One Session tracks and rare EP cuts. The accompanying DVD contains two complete live sets taking in 17 classics from the period 1989-1992. The DVD also comes with the band’s five promo videos.

Matt Duke – Acoustic Kingdom Underground EP
Acoustic Kingdom Underground is the companion piece to Kingdom Underground, and showcases intimate performances of the album’s standout tracks.

Fabolous – Loso’s Way

Levon Helm – Electric Dirt

Jefferson Airplane – Jefferson Airplane: The Woodstock Experience
Lavishly packaged double disc set combines Jefferson Airplane’s 1969 album Volunteers with their entire Woodstock performance.

Janis Joplin - Janis Joplin: The Woodstock Experience
Lavishly packaged double disc set combines Joplin’s 1969 album I Got Dem Ol’ Kozmic Blues Again Mama with her complete Woodstock performance.

Killing Joke – Gathering 2008 Part 1 2xCD
Killing Joke – Gathering 2008 Part 2 2xCD
Killing Joke – Gathering 2008 4xCD
The Gathering 2008 saw the original Killing Joke line up play live in London at two sold out concerts for the first time since 1982. Available as two separate double disc volumes, or as a limited edition collector’s box set.

Cledus T. Judd – Polyrically Uncorrect
The country funnyman is back with his first new project in four years.

Killswitch Engage – Killswitch Engage

David Lynch – David Lynch Presents Fox Bat Strategy: A Tribute to Dave Jaurequi EP
A long-time pet project of film director David Lynch. Fox Bat Strategy features a cast of musicians who began collaborating with Lynch surrounding the filming of Twin Peaks: Fire Walk With Me. The same line-up of players appeared on Fire Walk With Me’s two roadhouse cuts: “The Pink Room” and “Blue Frank” (as well as made cameos in the film itself). In 1994, these same musicians, with an invitation from Lynch, re-entered the studio for experimental collaboration. What emerged were these six tracks. For nearly fifteen years these songs have remained unreleased and unheard.

Albert King with Stevie Ray Vaughan – In Session
Deluxe reissue of the famed in-concert 1983 jam session – the only known recording of Albert King and Stevie Ray Vaughan performing together.

Moby – Wait For Me
Wait For Me is a radical departure from Moby’s recent albums. Liberated from the pressures of trying to please himself at the same time as the industry, Moby decided to forego the expensive studios, state-of-the-art equipment, big name guest artists, and phalanxes of graphic designers and image consultants that have characterized some of his previous albums. “There’s something so relaxing about doing everything yourself, and not trying to second-guess the market,” Moby says. “It’s
nice to try to do things for the right reasons — just make a record because you want to make a record.”

Obituary – Darkest Day
New album from the veteran death metal band from Tampa.

Brad Paisley – American Saturday Night

Santana – Santana: The Woodstock Experience
Lavishly packaged double disc set combines Santana’s self-titled 1969 album with his complete Woodstock performance.

Sly & The Family Stone – Stand!
Lavishly packaged double disc set combines Sly & The Family Stone’s 1969 album Stand! with their complete Woodstock performance.

Rod Stewart – A Night on the Town
Rod Stewart – Atlantic Crossing
Deluxe, 2-CD editions with previously unissued bonus material.

Rob Thomas – Cradlesong
Highly anticipated second solo album

Tanya Tucker – My Turn
On her new album, Tanya Tucker takes classic country songs originally recorded by male country
legends and turns the tables, giving classics by George Jones, Buck Owens, Merle Haggard, Conway Twitty and Eddy Arnold a powerful spin from a woman’s point of view. Guest artists include The Grascals, Jim Lauderdale and bluegrass stars Rhonda and Darrin Vincent.

Twisted Sister – Stay Hungry
Rhino’s 25th Anniversary Edition combines the newly remastered nine-track album with an additional disc featuring 15 previously unreleased outtakes and demos from the original sessions plus a new track.

Various Artists – Reggae Gold 2009

Whitesnake – Slide It In (25th Anniversary edition)
Whitesnake – Slip of the Tongue (20th Anniversary edition)
Includes DVD, 24-page booklets, bonus tracks, rarities.

Wilco – Wilco (The Album)
Wilco’s seventh album combines the intimacy of its previous studio disc, Sky Blue Sky, with the experimentation of A Ghost Is Born in a set that boasts strong melodies and often unabashedly pop arrangements.

Willie Isz – Georgiavania
Acclaimed producer, lyricist and singer Jneiro Jarel teams up with Goodie Mob’s Khujo Goodie.

Wu-Tang – Chamber Music
Chamber Music’s throwback sound features a combination of live instrumentation and new RZA beats shaped in a classic old-school soul type of vibe, reminiscent of the group’s classic 36 Chambers sound but with a completely updated, modern twist. Includes newly recorded verses from every key member of the group, plus affiliates Cappadonna, Killah Priest, Street Life and more.

DVDs:

Rob Thomas – Something To Be Tour: Live At Red Rocks
Featuring 18 hits from his solo career and Matchbox Twenty, this set also includes a special acoustic arrangement of “Smooth” and a cover of the David Bowie classic “Let’s Dance.”

Misc:

GG Allin “Throbblehead”
This ghoulish effigy is a striking representation of GG Allin, circa 1991. The figure, limited to 2000 numbered units, stands at 7 inches tall and is made of a lightweight polyresin. Displayed in a tri-windowed box, this bobblehead GG is accurately sculpted right down to the tattoos, blood, and filth. GG Allin Throbblehead (Bobble head).

Uh oh, the 40th anniversary of Woodstock is about a month and a half away. Did you remember? If not, it’s probably due to the distinct lack of buzz, seeing as there is no official concert scheduled, although boosters keep adding “as yet” in hopes that original co-producer Michael Lang will manage to put together a show in New York’s Prospect Park.

A handful of mostly lame events are planned for different parts of the country, and a tour called Heroes of Woodstock — featuring Mountain, Jefferson Starship, Tom Constanten (repping Grateful Dead) and others — has 16 dates on the books (none in the Southeast). In all, though, it would seem as if folks have other things on their mind than memorializing the watershed cultural event.

That doesn’t mean it’s a complete wasteland. Sony Music has released a well-thought-out group of reissues called The Woodstock Experience, five two-CD packages pairing a classic 1969 album and a complete Woodstock performance. Sony catalog artists Santana, Janis Joplin, Johnny Winter, Jefferson Airplane and Sly and the Family Stone got the treatment.

Thirty-three acts performed at the Woodstock Music & Art Fair from Aug. 15-18, 1969, including such long-forgotten names as Quill, Sweetwater, Keef Hartley Band and Bert Sommer. (The Beatles, Led Zeppelin, Bob Dylan, The Byrds and a handful of lesser-knowns declined invitations. Jeff Beck, Iron Butterfly and Joni Mitchell canceled.)

Only a handful of the performances have been immortalized, mostly via the 1970 film Woodstock and its soundtrack. And Sony can legitimately boast three of them in this collection: Sly, Santana and Joplin. Winter did not make it into the movie and while Jefferson Airplane were represented with two songs in celluloid, their set has not earned the same historical cachet as the top three.

Let’s have us a closer look at these twofers. I’ve ranked them on their merit as live performances.

Sly and the Family Stone. The runaway winner. Sly’s 50-minute, nine-song show is a balls-out party from the opening “M’Lady” to the closer “Stand!” The group’s rhythm tracks have a collective propulsion that has as much to do with Larry Graham’s rumbling bass and the interlocking guitars as it does with drums. Deep, deep funk — with rock crunch. Sly and company find just the right blend of scripted performance and in-the-moment spontaneity.

A band has to be really tight to play this loose. They accelerate the pace of “Everyday People,” giving it a gospel-tent fervor. The sing-along during “I Want to Take You Higher,” one of Woodstock the film’s crescendos, benefits from the leadup tune “Music Lover” and Sly’s spoken set-up. Even the song “Love City,” in my view a second-tier Sly tune, has an uncommon crackle. The set’s companion CD, Stand!, is a terrific bonus, the best Sly album this side of Greatest Hits.

Santana. The band’s self-titled debut, which is the companion CD in this twofer, was released in May ’69 and reached No. 4 on the charts in late September, so it’s safe to say that a scintillating performance at Woodstock played a big part in putting Santana on the map.

The group’s use of Latin rhythms must have been an exotic treat for the hippie hordes in upstate New York. Santana plays a fairly rote version of the hit-to-be “Evil Ways,” but excels in the dynamic Latin jams, especially “Soul Sacrifice,” with its relentless groove, roil of hand percussion, monster riff and hair-raising guitar solo.


Janis Joplin. The damaged blues-rock songstress had made her bones two years earlier at the Monterey Pop festival. A few months before Woodstock she left the sub-par Big Brother and the Holding Company, went solo and transformed her show into kaleidoscopic R&B revue, heavy on the horns. I generally find Joplin’s vocals akin to a razor blade scraped against a rock, but I’ll give her credit for the unhinged energy and commitment she puts into her ragged performance.

Of all the live CDs in this series Joplin’s most effectively captures the flavor of Woodstock. Before closing with “Ball and Chain,” she launches into a spacey speech, in which she says, “Music’s for grooving, man, and music’s not puttin’ yourself through bad changes. You don’t have to take anybody’s shit, man, just to like music. So if you’re getting more shit than you deserve, you know what to do about it.” Uh, OK. If Joplin’s caterwauling in her Woodstock set wears you out, load up the companion CD, I Got Dem Ol’ Kozmic Blues Again Mama!, where she tones it down considerably.

Johnny Winter. Very few people knew of the reed-thin albino when he took the stage and pumped out an hour of raucous Texas blues, boogie and early rock ’n’ roll. Winter’s set thrust him into pantheon of late ’60s guitar heroes. He played fast, and fast was much revered in that era. As his career has worn on, Winter has spewed so many notes that it’s devolved into chattering, but at Woodstock he brought a lot of slides, slurs and bends into play. His bottleneck work on “Mean Town Blues” still raises goosebumps.

Winter, joined mid-set by his brother Edgar on sax and keyboards, played a show in front of a few hundred thousand people in much the same way he would’ve performed at a roadhouse outside Fort Worth. The second album in the package is Winter’s self-titled debut.

Jefferson Airplane. The San Francisco band’s ensemble vocals always sounded precariously held together, even on this set’s companion CD, the stridently anti-war Volunteers. At Woodstock, the singing came unglued. Grace Slick’s pitch wavered and her already shrill voice turned into a yelp.

The blend of instruments is mushy — and not just because of the recording quality — and the guitars consistently slide out of tune. The rhythms wander, and the extended jams — especially on “Wooden Ships” — come off as rudderless noodling. The band gets a foothold near the end of the set with a sharp “White Rabbit,” but by then it’s too late.

VINYL:

Anti-Flag – People Or The Gun LP+MP3
Their seventh full-length takes aim at those who use the bible to control the masses.

Avenged Sevenfold

• Sounding The Seventh Trumpet
• Waking The Fallen

Limited edition (1000) specially-colored vinyl versions of these classic two albums.

Coalesce – Ox LP+MP3
Coalesce encapsulates over a decade of forward-thinking hardcore that typifies the trend-eschewing band and proves they still have much to say. Just the right touch of bombast and contrast to make the seething aggression all the more engaging.

Dredg – The Pariah, The Parrot, The Delusion
“Veering between ominous dirges and wide-eyed big sky anthems, they play massive art metal that’s been treated to multi-layered, intricate production in the vein of Radiohead and Pink Floyd; and for a band that can smash and roil like waves against Pacific beaches, they frequently take the subtler road, softening themselves with atmosphere and world music flourishes.” – Pitchfork

Holly Golightly

• Down Gina’s At 3
• Painted On
• Up The Empire

Her Sympathy label back-catalog — re-issued via Damaged Goods.

Guided By Voices – Alien Lanes LP+MP3
Their critically-acclaimed Matador debut and best-selling album is back in print on vinyl for the first time since 1999. HQ-180 virgin vinyl with gatefold sleeve.

The Kills – Keep On Your Mean Side
Vinyl re-issue of The Kills’ 2003 debut.

Pelican – Ephemeral 12”
Over three songs and 20 minutes, the vinyl-only Ephemeral introduces a heavier, darker, more riff-based Pelican for 2009. Includes a cover of Earth’s “Geometry Of Murder” with Dylan Carlson on guitar.

Cake – Motorcade Of Gernerosity LP+MP3

Jarvis Cocker – Further Complication

The Horrors – Primary Colours

Iggy Pop – Kill City (reissue)
Released on Bomp in 1977, Kill City captures Iggy Pop in a rare moment of vulnerability and few can argue that in terms of the quality of material and the strength of Iggy’s voice, this is an overlooked achievement. The vinyl has been out of print for a few years and this new pressing is on limited edition pink wax.

Sonic Youth – The Eternal CD/2xLP+MP3
The Eternal is a supercharged rocker, recalling aspects of the Evol-Sister-Daydream Nation holy trinity, but with cleaner, louder production and more straightforward momentum; with Pavement’s Mark Ibold joining on bass, and producer John Agnello back at the controls. Initial pressing in a four-panel wallet with two printed inner sleeves; one containing disc, the other a sticker and card with credits. Subsequent pressings are jewel case. Double-LP pressed on hyper-deluxe HQ-180 RTI vinyl and packaged in a heavy duty Stoughton gatefold jacket with printed inner sleeves.

Zeros – Don’t Push Me Around
Formed in 1976, the Zeros (aka The Mexican Ramones), were one of the pioneers of the L.A.’s late ’70s punk scene. This is a re-pressing of their 1980 album, which includes studio recordings and demos. A classic punk release, limited edition on pink vinyl.

CDs:

The Aggrolites – IV
The Aggrolites offer their brand of funky ska and reggae, lovingly representing the classic sounds of ‘70s Jamaica to a generation that has never heard of Studio One. This is their most accomplished set yet, with more soulful settings to feature singer Jesse Wagner’s Motown-inflected voice.

Trey Anastasio / Don Hart – Time Turns Elastic
Collaborative recording blends the intrinsic elegance of classical music with searing blues-rock guitar.

John Anderson – Bigger Hands
No matter the genre, few vocalists are as instantly recognizable as Apopka’s own John Anderson. A mainstay in the country music scene since the late 1970s, John Anderson continues to write and perform fresh and relevant music that keeps us “Swingin’”!

Anti-Flag – People Or The Gun

Black Eyed Peas – The E.N.D. (Energy Never Dies)

Black Landlord – Addicted To Distraction
Rolling Stone describes this nine-piece musical machine as “what would happen if KRS-One and James Brown showed up at your house and then wouldn’t leave.” This is pure big band hip-hop soul music from Philadelphia.

British Sea Power - Man Of Aran CD+DVD
Man Of Aran is a provocative dramatized documentary from the late American filmmaker Robert J. Flaherty.  In a series of startling black and white sequences, the film presents daily life on the inhospitable Aran Islands on the west coast of Ireland. Includes the accompanying soundtrack.

Busdriver – Jhelli Beam
Both smart and smartass, theatrical without being pompous, and, as always, funny. BD teeters precariously on top of samples of classical music, jazz drumming, and proggy guitar parts, without ever losing sight of the electronic music that helped define his sound.

Chickenfoot – Chickenfoot
New supergroup (?) featuring Joe Satriani, Chad Smith, Michael Anthony and Sammy Hagar.

Chicks On Speed – Cutting The Edge

Coalesce – Ox

Deerhunter – Rainwater Cassette Exchange
Certainly not a group to rest on their laurels (especially difficult when they have new songs burning a hole in their collective back pockets), Deerhunter delivers five new tracks on this extended play. This is not some stopgap release between albums, or mere leftovers from Microcastle, but an all-new session.

Dirty Projectors – Bitte Orca
Their fifth release is a big rock album by design. Its idiosyncratic and sincere take on popular music is reminiscent of David Byrne with whom Dirty Projectors collaborated on “Knotty Pine” for the 2009 compilation Dark Was The Night. In certain ways, group leader David Longstreth could be seen as this generation’s answer to Byrne, a distinctive torchbearer of labyrinthine song arrangements that go down easily.

Dredg – The Pariah, The Parrot, The Delusion

The Features – Some Kind Of Salvation
It’s been four years since Nashville, TN’s best-kept secret snuck onto our speakers with their critically-lauded debut, Exhibit A. They return with the self-produced Some Kind Of Salvation, which boasts a hodgepodge of songs with inventive lyrics and infectious melodies.

Global Underground – GU Mixed
Three-CD set.

Holly Golightly re-issues

• Down Gina’s At 3
• Painted On
• Up The Empire

Nanci Griffith – The Loving Kind
Features nine new songs and four well-chosen covers.

Peter Holsapple & Chris Stamey – Here And Now
Brand new! The first collaboration in almost two decades by the acclaimed songwriters of The dB’s. “With pop this piercingly pure, and Everly’s-worthy harmonies to boot, The dB’s songwriting team has put together another instant classic.” — Blurt

Iron Maiden – Flight 666: The Original Soundtrack
Includes 17 tracks as they appear in the film Flight 666. Follows the band on the first leg of their “Somewhere Back In Time” world tour in 2008. Also offered as limited edition double-picture disc vinyl.

George Jones – Blue & Lonesome
The classic 1963 George Jones album that took Jones from uptempo country star to the netherworld of aching melancholy. Twelve sparkling diamonds from his brief spell at Mercury Records. The title alone sums up this great man, and his interpretations of Don Williams’ “Oh Lonesome Me” and a couple of Hank Williams’ broodier ballads make this an absolute must for yearning lovelorn music fans anywhere. Enhanced with half a dozen cuts from his earliest ‘50s 78 recordings, the mood is supremely downbeat, even when the tempo lifts. George Jones became widely acclaimed as the king of heartbreak country and ‘Blue And Lonesome’ positively ladles on the angst. Remastered with sleevenotes by Dave Henderson of MOJO magazine.

Kasabian – West Ryder Paurer Lunatic Asylum
A 52-minute mash up of sky scraping melodies, electro-punk riffs, Morricone-esque symphonics, Mariachi stomps, and psych-pop lullabies.

Lady Gaga - Lovegame: The Remixes
Five remixes of “Lovegame.”

Tracy Lawrence – The Rock

Rhett Miller – Rhett Miller
Sophomore solo album by singer/songwriter of Old 97’s .

Morrissey – Maladjusted (Expanded Edition)
Originally released in 1997, this expanded re-issue features upgraded packaging, album B-sides, a 12-page booklet and more.

Mos Def – The Ecstatic

Pastor Troy – Ready For War

Pigface – 6
Combining all the alumni (Connelly, Levi, Esch, and the usual suspects) with new blood (Hanin Elais, Noko, Alex Moklebust, Chant and more).

Placebo – Battle For The Sun

Procol Harum – Home
Remastered with two bonus tracks and new packaging overseen by Gary Brooker and Keith Reid.

Procol Harum – Procol Harum
Remastered with 11 bonus tracks and new packaging overseen by Gary Brooker and Keith Reid. Includes unseen photos and new sleeve notes.

Procol Harum – Salty Dog
Remastered with six bonus tracks and new packaging overseen by Gary Brooker and Keith Reid.

Procol Harum – Shine On Brightly
Remastered with 11 bonus tracks including the rare “Robe of Silk”, and new packaging overseen by guess who.  Includes unseen photos and new sleeve notes.

Rolling Stones

• Emotional Rescue
• Some Girls
• Tattoo You
• Undercover

Phase two of the remastered re-issues.

Todd Snider – The Excitement Plan
Combines social commentary, gypsy recession recovery plan and soul-folk in to one unified masterpiece. Snider teams with crack sidemen Jim Keltner and Greg Liesz and producer Don Was (Bob Dylan, Rolling Stones) for an album that exemplifies his by-your-wits lifestyle lyricism. Free autographed cover art (only at Vinyl Fever) while supplies last!

Sonic Youth - The Eternal

Stardeath And White Dwarfs – The Birth
One-half stoners with nothing to do but roll joints on their King Crimson record sleeves and one-half confetti launchers/space bubble technicians for the Flaming Lips, Stardeath And White Dwarfs debut their own free-floating circus. A mind-trip of emotion and mood, recalling everything from “upper” dance freak-outs to “downer” Floyd-esque anthems, The Birth celebrates a love of all things psychedelic.

U2 – Magnificent
Five remixes of “Magnificent”

Paul Van Dyk – Volume
Volume includes selections from his massive 15-year catalog. Also includes the remastered and remixed “2009 For An Angel”.

Various Artists – Blasting Concept
Features Ingebrigt Håker Flaten, Ken Vandermark, Lasse Marhaug, Thurston Moore, Mats Gustafsson, Paal Nilssen-Love, Joe McPhee, John Hegre, Håvard Wiik, Jim O`Rourke, Peter Brtzmann, Massimo Pupillo, Cato Salsa Experience, Terrie Ex and Yoshimi. The album title is borrowed from SSTs groundbreaking compilation with the same name. They wanted to have a label with its roots in the 60’s free jazz, but with the DIY attitude of the 80s punk/hardcore. Like a meeting between Black Flag & Albert Ayler.   Maybe.  Anyway.   Decide for yourself, here is the (new) Blasting Concept.

Various Artists - Memphis 60: Soul, R&B And Proto Funk From Soul City USA
A look at the soul, R&B and proto funk that the real music city was releasing in the 1960s. These feature some classic artists, but also many who were never known outside the myriad small clubs that filled Memphis.  Some of these records are sought after collectors items, others are newly discovered gems.

Various Artists - Ultra Dance Anthems

More classic VERVE label jazz reissues
Featuring classic albums by Roy Ayers, Gato Barbieri, Basie, Quincy Jones, Wes Montgomery, Oscar Peterson, Max Roach and others.

Wumpscut – Bunkertor 7 (Re-Sample Edition)
Featuring 11 of the original tracks completely redone by Wumpscut.

Yung L.A. - Futuristic Leland
He’s from Atlanta and has had 3 million youtube hits (is that the new “triple platnum”? – VF); guests include T.I. And Young Dro

DVDs:

Iron Maiden – Flight 666: The Film 2xDVD

Woodstock: 3 Days Of Peace And Music – The Director’s Cut 2xDVD; 4xDVD
Newly remastered. Bonus content includes new retrospective ‘The Museum At Bethel Woods: The Story Of The Sixties & Woodstock’.  The four-disc edition features more than three hours of extras (!) – including two hours of rare performance footage and three featurettes.

VINYL:

311 – Uplifter
Free 7″ w/ purchase at Vinyl Fever (while supplies last)!

Amadou & Mariam – Welcome To Mali (2LP w/bonus CD)
Pressed on 140-gram vinyl.

Beck – One Foot in the Grave 2xLP
Expanded 15th anniversary edition of the 1994 album includes 16 bonus tracks (13 of them previously unreleased).

Ryan Bingham – Roadhouse Sun
Produced by Marc Ford, formerly of The Black Crowes.

Delaney & Bonnie & Friends – On Tour with Eric Clapton

J Dilla - J Stay Paid

Faces - A Nod Is as Good As A Wink… To a Blind Horse

Lee Fields and the Expressions – My World
Lee Fields is a bona-fide, 100%, unadulterated, pure, gut-bucket soul singer. Click for more.

Franz Ferdinand – Blood
Upon completion of Tonight: Franz Ferdinand, the album’s co-producer, Dan Carey, began to conduct a dub experiment with the tracks. Carey’s own experience included an apprenticeship of sorts with legendary South London dub specialist The Mad Professor. And thusly, Blood was born. Comprised of eight radical revisions from Franz Ferdinand’s third album, and a bonus ninth track, “Be Afraid.”

Girl in a Coma – Trio B.C.
A unique amalgamation of eclectic influences: oldies, rockabilly, ‘90s alternative, and contemporary bands both indie and mainstream. Features Joan Jett on guest vocals.

Dave Matthews Band – Big Whiskey and the GrooGrux King
Dave Matthews’ highly anticipated first studio album in four years. Produced by Rob Cavallo (Green Day, My Chemical Romance), Big Whiskey has been hailed by Rolling Stone as the group’s “heaviest album yet, both musically and emotionally.” The deluxe version adds a DVD documenting the making of the new album. (Free pic sleeve 7″ with purchase at Vinyl Fever while supplies last!)

New York Dolls – ‘Cause I Sez So

Rancid - Let the Dominos Fall

Various Artists – Smart’s Palace
Between 1963 and 1975, Smart’s Palace held court for the entire Wichita, Kansas soul scene. At its heart was Dick Smart, bassist, club owner, DJ, record store owner, promoter and sole proprietor of the Solo label. Collected here for the first time is the story and songs that came out of this thriving, if not totally unknown scene.  Another fine Numero comp.

CDs and SUCH:

311 – Uplifter
Limited deluxe CD/DVD edition includes two bonus audio tracks plus a bonus 70-minute DVD.

Acid Mother’s Temple – Are We Experimental
The world’s premier psychedelic warriors have blasted out yet another album that distills their weird world into 11 tracks of sonic mayhem. Hawkwind-style guitar overload meets ethnic folk music from around the globe as a UFO crashes in the midst of it all.

Laurel Aitken

• Says Fire
• Ska With Laurel

It is not without reason that during his lifetime, Laurel Aitken acquired the mantles of ‘The Godfather of Ska’ and ‘The High Priest of Reggae,’ for he was a true pioneer of the modern Jamaican music industry whose works helped shape the sound of Reggae, up until his death in 2005.

AZ – Legendary

The Band – Music From Big Pink
MFSL Master Recording/Hybrid SACD

Ryan Bingham – Roadhouse Sun
Produced by Marc Ford, formerly of The Black Crowes.

Boy Least Likely To – Best B-Sides Ever
Limited edition seven track disc of B-sides and rarities.

Jeff Buckley – Grace Around the World CD+DVD/CD+2DVD
CD+DVD set marks the 15th anniversary of Buckley’s masterpiece. Grace Around The World includes footage from TV appearances that Buckley taped in America, Germany, England, Japan and France. The DVD also includes several bonus songs and interviews. The CD contains audio of all 10 live performances from the DVD, as well as additional versions of “Grace” and “So Real” recorded in 1995 on MTV’s 120 Minutes. The deluxe version includes the regular CD+DVD set along with a bonus DVD, Amazing Grace — an hour-long documentary directed by Buckley fans Laurie Trombley and Nyla Bialek Adams. The film features archival footage of Buckley as well as interviews with fans and people close to him.

Ray Charles – Modern Sounds in Country and Western Music, Volumes 1 & 2
Expanded and remastered re-issue of the 1962 classic album and its successful follow-up. Packaged together for the very first time, Volume 2 has never-before been available on CD.

John Coltrane – Coltrane
The Rudy Van Gelder Remasters Series. 24- bit remastering.

Elvis Costello – Secret, Profane and Sugarcane
Produced by T-Bone Burnett and recorded by Mike Piersante during a three-day session at Nashville’s Sound Emporium Studio. Joining Costello were some of the most highly regarded recording artists and musicians in traditional American country music, bluegrass and beyond, including Jerry Douglas (dobro), Stuart Duncan (fiddle), Mike Compton (mandolin), Jeff Taylor (accordion) and Dennis Crouch (double bass). Also features a duet with Emmylou Harris.

Marshall Crenshaw – Jaggedland

Crosby, Stills & Nash - Demos
Twelve-song collection of previously unreleased demos from 1968-1971. Features Neil Young on “Music Is Love”.

Miles Davis – The New Miles Davis Quintet
The Rudy Van Gelder Remasters Series. 24-bit remastering.

J Dilla – Jay Stay Paid
25-track collection of unreleased Dilla beats mixed and arranged by Pete Rock. While mostly instrumental, J$P also offers a few guest vocals from artists that Dilla worked with or admired including Black Thought (The Roots), Doom, M.O.P., Blu and more.

Eels – Hombre Lobo: Twelve Songs of Desire
The seventh studio album from the ever-changing project led by singer/songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Mark Oliver Everett (aka E). Hombre Lobo was recorded entirely at E’s studio in Los Angeles with Kool G Murder (bass, keyboards and guitar) and Knuckles (drums and percussion).

Lee Fields and the Expressions – My World
Lee Fields is a bona-fide, 100%, unadulterated, pure, gut-bucket soul singer. While the crate-digging funk and soul community bestowed “legendary” status upon him due to his undeniably solid series of rare 7″ singles (and one LP) recorded and released on his own independent labels in the ‘70s, he’s never been one to sit in a dusty corner.

Franz Ferdinand – Blood

Girl in a Coma – Trio B.C.

Dave Matthews Band - Big Whiskey and the GrooGrux King CD/CD+DVD
Dave Matthews’ highly anticipated first studio album in four years. Produced by Rob Cavallo (Green Day, My Chemical Romance), Big Whiskey has been hailed by Rolling Stone as the group’s “heaviest album yet, both musically and emotionally.” The deluxe version adds a DVD documenting the making of the new album. (Free 7″ vinyl with purchase at Vinyl Fever, while supplies last!)

The Meatmen – Cover the Earth
After a 12-year lapse, The Meatmen bounce back big with a 24-track ode to the tuneage of yore. Cover the Earth features all of Tesco’s favorite musical blasts of the last 40 years, which include Fear, GG Allin, Johnny ThundersJimmy Dean, 10CC and The Temptations. All delivered in reverential but irreverent form.

Paolo Nutini – Sunny Side Up

Iggy Pop – Préliminaires
Iggy puts a French twist on his new album. Préliminaires (which translates to “foreplay”) highlights another facet of the Iggy Pop persona, focusing more on jazz arrangements and the distinctive, rich baritone heard on classics like “Nightclubbing” and his duet with French legend Françoise Hardy on the song “I’ll Be Seeing You.”

Rancid – Let the Dominos Fall CD/2xCD+DVD
Deluxe three-disc (double CD+DVD) edition includes the regular CD, an additional acoustic disc, a bonus DVD, three foldout posters and four guitar picks.

The Sounds – Crossing the Rubicon

Taking Back Sunday – New Again CD/CD+DVD
The deluxe edition includes a bonus DVD and special packaging.

Woodstock: Music From The Original Soundtrack and More
Deluxe 40th anniversary double-CD re-issue of the sprawling and era-defining sonic document featuring CSNY, The Who, Santana, Jimi Hendrix, and much more. Remastered from the original analog soundboard tapes.

Woodstock Two
Originally released as a double-LP, Woodstock Two expands the listening experience with 16 additional performances from the historic 1969 concert. Two’s highlights include extra tracks from legendary sets by Hendrix and CSNY, with additional tracks by two performers not featured on the original soundtrack — Mountain and Melanie. Remastered from the original analog soundboard tapes, including a deluxe booklet with new liner notes and rare photos.

Ween – All Request Live
All Request Live was recorded in 2003 (originally available in a painfully limited edition) and features tracks that were recorded especially for the CD. The highlight for most Weenheads is the six minutes of “Where’d The Cheese Go,” the band’s now-legendary rejected Pizza Hut jingle.

The Who - Sell Out: Deluxe Edition
Digitally remastered and expanded deluxe double-disc edition of The Who’s 1967 classic. Contains previously unreleased songs and mixes, and a 28-page booklet featuring unseen photos, ephemera and more.

Vanessa Williams – The Real Thing
Her first album in four years, The Real Thing serves up a mix of sultry jazz standards and pop sketches. Features two new songs written by Babyface.

Neil Young – Neil Young Archives, Vol. 1: 1963-1972 8xCD

This is the first volume of the Neil Young Archives series of box sets, produced by Young himself. This series is the definitive, comprehensive, chronological survey of his entire body of work. Volume I covers the period from his earliest recordings with the Squires in Winnipeg, 1963, through to his classic 1972 album, Harvest and beyond, including studio and live tracks with the legendary Buffalo Springfield, CSNY, and Neil Young with Crazy Horse. A total of 116 tracks, all presented in HDCD quality sound, and featuring over 40 previously unreleased songs, versions, mixes, and rare tracks. Vinyl Fever has a limited few copies of a FREE, NINTH DISC to give to the first several folks who buy Neil Young’s Archives!

John Zorn – Music For Children
10th Anniversary reissue.

DVDs:

Neil Young – Neil Young Archives Volume 1 (1963 – 1972) 10xDVD
Neil Young produced this comprehensive survey of his career that’s unlike any other music retrospective. This ten-DVD set focuses on his early days in Winnipeg with The Squires through the recording of Harvest and features live performances, videos, interviews, studio footage and more. Also included, in addition to the 128 recordings, is Young’s first film *Journey through the Past* (1973).