Music Blog : upcoming releases

Beatles fans & plastic rockers: mark 9/9/09 on your calendar!

professor.knowsitall@evpl — Thu, 16 Apr 2009 19:58:00 GMT

September 9, 2009, will be a huge day for Beatles fans and plastic-instrument musicians around the globe!

On that day, The Beatles' entire catalog will be re-released on CD, digitally re-mastered for the first time. As taken from The Beatles' official website:

"Each of the CDs is packaged with replicated original UK album art, including expanded booklets containing original and newly written liner notes and rare photos. For a limited period, each CD will also be embedded with a brief documentary film about the album. On the same date, two new Beatles boxed CD collections will also be released.

The albums have been re-mastered by a dedicated team of engineers at EMI's Abbey Road Studios in London over a four year period utilising state of the art recording technology alongside vintage studio equipment, carefully maintaining the authenticity and integrity of the original analogue recordings. The result of this painstaking process is the highest fidelity the catalogue has seen since its original release."

The date also marks the release of The Beatles: Rock Band on Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, & Wii. While similar to previous Rock Band games, allowing wanna-be rockers to sing & play guitar/bass/drums, it will feature music by The Beatles (including several unreleased tracks) and a story mode. In this mode, up to 4 players play as the band, playing from their early years through their rise to fame.

The "Limited Edition Premium Bundle" (aka: EXPENSIVE) version will include the game, a bass guitar controller (a replica of McCartney's iconic Höfner bass), a Ludwig-branded drum set, and a mic with stand. Rumors suggest that multiple mics will be supported, to allow harmonizing on the vocal tracks.

While waiting for Beatlemania to arrive this September, check out our catalog to get your fix. Anyone else going to have a lighter wallet on 9/9?

More Information

EVPL Catalog: Find CDs, DVDs, & books by/about the Fab Four.
The Beatles' Official Website: Find out more about the digitally-remastered CD re-releases. Scroll down to the 4/7 post.
Joystiq.com: View all posts about The Beatles: Rock Band on Joystiq, a gaming blog.

Proof that new GnR album will be released this decade?

professor.knowsitall@evpl — Thu, 25 Sep 2008 21:58:00 GMT

Guns N' Roses' sixth studio album, Chinese Democracy, has become a joke of the music industry. Having been in production for the past 15 years (at an estimated cost of more than $13 million), and with many members of the band leaving (including iconic guitarist Slash), some think the album will never see the light of day. This past March, Dr. Pepper bet against it by announcing that they'll give a free can of Dr. Pepper to everyone in the US if the album is released this year!

Up until about a week and a half ago, I honestly couldn't have cared less. Don't get me wrong, I loved GnR back in the day! But as most modern-day takes on the classics go (Indy 4, anyone?), I figured Chinese Democracy would be nothing more than an unremarkable cash-grab.

Rock Band 2, a 4-player Guitar Hero-esque videogame, released on September 14. Being a fan of these kinds of games, I had it that day and invited my bandmates over for some rocking. It just so happens that "Shackler's Revenge", the first official release from Chinese Democracy, is in the game. As the song loaded, we weren't expecting much...

But the song is awesome, with a much different sound than the GnR of old! Definitely has piqued my interest in Chinese Democracy. Check out the video below of the song being played in Rock Band 2. What do you think of it???

(Please visit the site to view this media)

So we know one song has actually been fully recorded and mixed down! That means the album will be released...my guess is not anytime soon. For Dr. Pepper-loving Americans everywhere, hopefully this guess proves to be incorrect.

In the meantime, check out all the classic Guns N' Roses albums available at EVPL libraries.

More Information

EVPL Catalog: Check out the classic Guns N' Roses albums available at EVPL libraries.
Billboard.com: Nine purportedly "finished" tracks leaked last June, prompting legal action against the poster.
Spin.com: They somehow got a copy of the finished album over two years ago, posting this review on April 1, 2006.

New Metallica album, "Death Magnetic", releases Friday

professor.knowsitall@evpl — Wed, 10 Sep 2008 14:00:00 GMT

For Metallica fans, a new studio album is a big deal.

Their last album, 2003's St. Anger, drew less-than-stellar reviews from critics & fans alike. While I enjoyed a few tracks (namely the title track, Frantic, and Some Kind of Monster), the lack of guitar solos and the most-annoying-sounding snare drum ever (the term "st. anger" has become internet lingo synonymous for a "snare drum that sounds like a pile of trash cans") really hurt the album.

With Death Magnetic, Metallica promises a return to their roots. According to those able to "procure" leaked copies, as well as critics' reviews, they've succeeded.

Death Magnetic releases worldwide this Friday, September 12. Anyone else looking forward to this release? Still upset about the whole Napster fiasco???

More Information

Death Magnetic Catalog Link: Once the album is added to our catalog (should be soon!), use this catalog link to place a hold on it.
Buy Death Magnetic at Amazon: Use this special referral link to purchase the album at Amazon; the Public Library Friends will get a cut of your purchase.
Metallica CDs at EVPL: All albums by and featuring Metallica, available for checkout. Be sure to check out Fade to Bluegrass: The Bluegrass Tribute to Metallica!
Metallica DVDs at EVPL: I recommend The Videos, 1989-2004 and the 2005 documentary Some Kind of Monster.
Metallica Books at EVPL: Biographies & album transcriptions with guitar tabs!