Rock

Greetings from Amazon.com Delivers Rock

Editor, Steven Stolder

FEATURED IN THIS E-MAIL:
* Word for Word: Richard Thompson
* New and Notable: "More Oar" tribute to Skip Spence, Guided
by Voices, Eric Clapton, Captain Beefheart, and the Beach
Boys
* The Children of "Pet Sounds"
* Digital Download: "Return of the Grievous Angel"
* Essentials by Artist: Uncle Tupelo
* Rockslide Ahead: Upcoming releases from Meredith Brooks,
Joe Cocker, Queensryche, and the Doobie Brothers
* Book Notes: Rock on the Rise

WORD FOR WORD: RICHARD THOMPSON
*******************************
"There was a certain evangelical feel to what we were
doing. One had to make it contemporary, in the way that folk
in America became electric. It became a kind of pop music,
which is what it should be. It gave pop music credibility
and an intellectual dimension." --Richard Thompson on
Fairport Convention and the British folk-rock movement

Read more of Amazon.com's interview with Thompson and
download two free Thompson songs at
Rock

NEW AND NOTABLE
***************
"More Oar: A Tribute to Alexander 'Skip' Spence"
Various artists
<http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/B00000JCBU/entertainmentsit>
When the late Skip Spence released his odd little record
"Oar" in 1969, it seemed likely to disappear with nary a
trace. But 30 years later, it's been re-released in expanded
form, with a crew of "Oar" aficionados (including Tom
Waits, Robert Plant, and Beck). They have re-recorded the songs
for a lovingly assembled new collection, "More Oar," that
captures the shaky essence of the original.

Check out Skip Spence's "Oar" in expanded form at
<http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/B00000JJ2R/entertainmentsit>

"Do the Collapse"
Guided by Voices
<http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/B00000JLI5/entertainmentsit>
With the Cars' Ric Ocasek guiding Guided by Voices through
the making of this album, the lo-fi practitioners digest
just enough new elements to keep growing without becoming
too big for their indie-rock britches. Never short of hooks,
Robert Pollard and his cohorts have made an album that will
please longtime backers and win over skeptical converts.

"Blues"
Eric Clapton
<http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/B00000JNMN/entertainmentsit>
The new two-disc retrospective "Blues" bundles 25 familiar
and previously unreleased tracks the great guitarist cut
over a 10-year period beginning with his classic 1970
"Layla" sessions. Here's Clapton drawing on heroes such as
Muddy Waters, Elmore James, and Robert Johnson for
inspiration.

"The Dust Blows Forward"
Captain Beefheart
<http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/B00000JNIS/entertainmentsit>
One of rock's beloved free spirits is saluted in this
double-CD career overview, the latest in a line of CDs
restoring his celebrated avant blues sides. Out-of-
this-world oddball or immense, obstinate talent? This
excellently annotated and illustrated box set offers the
definitive answer: both!

"Pet Sounds"
Beach Boys
<http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/B00000JJQK/entertainmentsit>
The new edition of "Pet Sounds" presents the original and
the first true stereo mixes of the Beach Boys' towering
masterpiece back to back. If ever there was a collection to
be given such scrupulous treatment, this "greatest album of
all time" (so says the Brit music mag Mojo) is it.

THE CHILDREN OF "PET SOUNDS"
****************************
The sonically stunning remaster of "Pet Sounds," the Beach
Boys' masterwork, reignites the passion and glory of that
landmark album. It is no wonder that even now, decades after
its original release, its rich musical legacy lives on in
the albums and songs of a host of innovative bands, from the
quirky wanderings of Olivia Tremor Control's "Black Foliage"
to the symphonic grandeur of XTC's "Apple Venus Volume One."
Check out Amazon.com's list of the children of "Pet Sounds."
Rock

DIGITAL DOWNLOAD: "RETURN OF THE GRIEVOUS ANGEL"
************************************************
Gram Parsons's protege Emmylou Harris joins forces with pop
diva Sheryl Crow for a duet on Parsons's poignant "Juanita."
The cut is taken from the excellent new record, "Return of
the Grievous Angel: A Tribute to Gram Parsons," and is
available to download for free right now from Amazon.com.
Rock

ESSENTIALS BY ARTIST: UNCLE TUPELO
**********************************
The wellspring that spawned two of the '90s superior rock
bands (Wilco and Son Volt) and, arguably, the whole alt-
country movement, Uncle Tupelo's oeuvre is abbreviated but
crucial. Check out Uncle Tupelo's essential recordings at:
Rock

ROCKSLIDE AHEAD: UPCOMING RELEASES
**********************************
"Avenue B"
Iggy Pop
<http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/B00000K4FD/entertainmentsit>
Still untamed three decades after he took rock & roll
naughtiness to a new level as the frontman of the Stooges.

"Deconstruction"
Meredith Brooks
<http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/B00000JFE4/entertainmentsit>
The swaggering singer's first outing since her '97 smash
debut, "Blurring the Edges."

"The Anthology"
Joe Cocker
<http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/B00000JT6H/entertainmentsit>
A two-disc retrospective spanning Cocker's pre-Woodstock
emergence into his middle-of-the-road maturity.

"Q2K"
Queensryche
<http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/B00000K3GX/entertainmentsit>
Prog-metal mavens return with their eighth new collection in
the group's 15-year recording career.

"Long Train Runnin'"
Doobie Brothers
<http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/B00000JZAY/entertainmentsit>
Four discs of Doobies dating back to "Rockin' Down the
Highway," "Listen to the Music," and a bunch more '70s radio
staples.

BOOK NOTES: ROCK ON THE RISE
****************************
"Flowers in the Dustbin: The Rise of Rock and Roll 1947-1977"
by James Miller
<http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0684808730/entertainmentsit>
Former Newsweek rock critic James Miller weighs in with this
examination of the music and the social changes it moved
(and vice versa). Those looking for a cogent, amusing,
opinionated overview of rock history up to the punk era
could hardly do better.

******

You'll find more great music, articles, and interviews in
Amazon.com's Rock Music section at
Rock

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