Heralded as 'the last remaining true New York hardcore outfit' by Spin, New York's proudest sons Sick of It All always have and always will be the real deal. After releasing a string of important hardcore records including 1989's Blood, Sweat, No Tears as well as 1992's classic Just Look Around, SOIA decided to take the major-label plunge by signing with EastWest Records. Leaving the act to its own devices, the label wisely chose to let the band self-produce Scratch the Surface (its fourth effort). Unleashed at the height of Green Day/Offspring mania, the album was destined for major attention, but, alas, it never came. Featuring a classic New York hardcore sound (and one that is admittedly not for the masses), the album features 14 tracks including the hyper-speedy 'Insurrection,' live favorite 'No Cure,' and 'Desperate Fool.' The real surprise, however, comes in the shape of two incredible band anthems. For one, there's the transcendent 'Scratch the Surface' (which featured a great, live-action video later carbon copied by Papa Roach on 'Last Resort'). Secondly, there's the monstrous singalong (not mention big Beavis and Butthead re-current) 'Step Down.' With 'Step Down,' the label tried to position SOIA as its 'next big punk band.' Unfortunately, EastWest met with resistance from radio programmers who were all too busy looking for the next Green Day. When all was said and done, as was the case with the Melvins, Scratch the Surface sold about as well the band's other independent efforts (even though it benefited from two videos and some decent label commitment). ~ John Franck

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Heralded as 'the last remaining true New York hardcore outfit' by Spin, New York's proudest sons Sick of It All always have and always will be the real deal. After releasing a string of important hardcore records including 1989's Blood, Sweat, No Tears as well as 1992's classic Just Look Around, SOIA decided to take the major-label plunge by signing with EastWest Records. Leaving the act to its own devices, the label wisely chose to let the band self-produce Scratch the Surface (its fourth effort). Unleashed at the height of Green Day/Offspring mania, the album was destined for major attention, but, alas, it never came. Featuring a classic New York hardcore sound (and one that is admittedly not for the masses), the album features 14 tracks including the hyper-speedy 'Insurrection,' live favorite 'No Cure,' and 'Desperate Fool.' The real surprise, however, comes in the shape of two incredible band anthems. For one, there's the transcendent 'Scratch the Surface' (which featured a great, live-action video later carbon copied by Papa Roach on 'Last Resort'). Secondly, there's the monstrous singalong (not mention big Beavis and Butthead re-current) 'Step Down.' With 'Step Down,' the label tried to position SOIA as its 'next big punk band.' Unfortunately, EastWest met with resistance from radio programmers who were all too busy looking for the next Green Day. When all was said and done, as was the case with the Melvins, Scratch the Surface sold about as well the band's other independent efforts (even though it benefited from two videos and some decent label commitment). ~ John Franck

Used in homes and classrooms around the world. Each program includes 35 minutes of live-action music video with bilingual lyrics subtitled on the screen. Bil Keane's famous Family Circus characters introduce each song. Features 10 songs. 5 languages available in video format, 5 languages in cassette, 4 languages in CD-ROM, and 6 languages in the joint cassette/book package.

Breaking down the elements of structural human anatomy into four sections, this title encourages students to learn anatomy through several experiments. It is useful for undergraduate courses in sport science and physical education, and also includes a CD-ROM containing 32 muscle animations of joint motions, quizzes and a live-action video option.

This book describes the steps for creating an on-demand and live streaming video in an all-in-one refernce guide for new users and companies that need introduced to the technology.After reading this book, you will understand:- How the Internet works in relation to streaming media- Client/server technology, specifically related to streaming media- Strengths and limits of streaming media, including best uses for the technology- Choices of streaming media content creation tools*New updates include: webcasting and mobile application basics*Covers RealVideo, Windows Media, QuickTime, Flash MX and MPEG-4*Now in the "e;Hands-On Guide"e; series for Streaming and Digital Media Professionals

CD: Video Games Live. Op dit album zijn de volgende nummers te beluisteren: 1 - Kingdom Hearts - Hikaru, Utada 2 - Warcraft Suite - Hayes, Jason 3 - Myst Medley - Zuckerman, Steve 4 - Medal of Honor - Giacchino, Michael 5 - Civilization IV Medley - Tin, Christopher 6 - Tetris Piano Op. 1 - Leung, Martin 7 - God of War Montage - Marino, Gerard 8 - Advent Rising Suite - Various Composers 9 - Tron Montage - Carlos, Wendy 10 - Halo Suite - ODonnell, Martin 11 - Castlevania Rock - Tallarico, Tommy Taal: EN Dit product word niet naar Belgie verzonden Verzend Methode: Brievenbus post

Canon's VK-16 version 2.0 network video recording software is fully compatible with all of Canon's network video cameras, creating opportunities for both new and established security applications. The software is comprised of two different applications- the VK Viewer and the VK Recorder.

Customizable Viewing Area
A customizable Viewing Area allows the user flexibilty to display everything that needs to be seen. View video from any of the cameras on the network. All registered cameras on your network are grouped into location and zone. Thumbnails of the video stream are displayed at the top of the screen, based on the location and zone selected. These images can be drag-and droped onto the viewing area, and changed to any size.

Variable Display Size
When using the SXGA monitor, a maximum of 35 screens of live and recorded images can be displayed or played back simultaneously (up to 24 screens for the XGA). The VK-16 v2.0 software does only support 16 different live cameras.

Full Screen Function
The Full Screen Function allows the user to enlarge the viewer layout to full screen. In addition, the timeline and camera selector areas can be hidden when maximum viewing area is necessary.

View Live and Recorded Video
Review pre-recorded video while simultaneously maintaining surveillance of live cameras. Video can be seen from a single location at different times, or playback can be synchronized with other cameras.

Pop Up Function
Automatically displays video on the camera when motion detection or a sensory event occurs. This prevents important scenes from being overlooked.

Status Bar
A status bar at the bottom of the screen displays total frame rate, CPU, the number of video windows in the layout, and the current display event.

Capture spectacular images, even video, with your D90Your Nikon D90 is simply revolutionary — the first dSLR that also lets you shoot live HD video straight from the image sensor by using Live View. With so much to know about this remarkable camera, you'll want to take this book along on every shoot. It covers all the settings, modes, and menus; explores the applications for every available lens; guides you through lighting essentials; and provides advice for capturing great still and video images in a dozen situations. Learn to compose your photos with the LCD monitor for clear, vibrant shots Shoot high-quality video, even in low light, with excellent sound quality Make the most of the versatile AF-S Nikkor 18-105mm VR lens Use Nikon's Creative Lighting System Explore professional secrets for getting great shots of people, landscapes, products, wildlife, and pets

Met de Xbox Live Vision kun je online via het Xbox Live netwerk video chatten met je vrienden en familie! De 1.3 megapixel camera heeft een 640x480 resolutie en kan tevens persoonlijke gamer pictures produceren. Verder zijn er in-game mogelijkheden in combinatie met compatible software, zo kun je bijvoorbeeld je gezicht scannen om te gebruiken voor een persoonlijk game personage!

Ultra-High Performance and Data Availability
With Link Aggregation, Synology RS3411xs/RS3411RPxs delivers the high performance of over 1000 MB/sec throughput and 100,000 IOPS under RAID 5 configuration1. In addition to the default 4 Gigabit ports, dual 10GbE are supported with the add-on PCI Express x8 Gen2 Network Interface Card to maximize the system bandwidth. The network ports with failover support combining with hot-swappable drives will ensure continual service uptime during drives replacement or unexpected LAN failure.

The ECC RAM module on RS3411xs/RS3411RPxs will detect and correct errors that occur during data transmission. RS3411xs/RS3411RPxs supports up to 8GB RAM, providing ultra-high performance.

Businesses need a strong foundation to face mission-critical tasks. With high-performance, secure data protection, and high data availability, Synology RS3411xs/RS3411RPxs meets exactly what businesses need.

Robust & Affordable Scalability Up to 100 TB
Synology RS3411xs/RS3411RPxs is also designed to grow with your business and provides the ability to seamlessly expand a single volume up to 100TB on the fly. When the storage capacity of the Synology RS3411xs/RS3411RPxs is nearing its limits, it can easily be expanded by the Synology RX1211 or RX1211RP3. The Synology RX1211 or RX1211RP connects to the Synology RS3411xs/RS3411RPxs via an Infiniband cable that carries 12 Gb/s SATA signal to ensure maximum throughput.

Flexible Storage Management
Multiple Volumes on RAID allows users to create more than one volume on a RAID structure, providing a flexible and efficient way to manage the storage across all hard drives. When the need arises to expand the volumes, simply allocate more storage space on the UI and DSM does the rest for you without any service disruption.

iSCSI and Virtualization Ready
With the iSCSI support in DSM, the Synology RS3411xs/RS3411RPxs provides a seamless storage solution for virtualization servers, such as VMware, Citrix and Hyper-V. It is the ideal alternative to SAN solution for businesses. Affordable and cost-effective iSCSI allows large scale business to consolidate storage into data center storage arrays while providing hosts with the illusion of locally-attached disks.

Thin Provisioning is available for file-level iSCSI, enabling administrators to oversubscribe provision and then grow storage space as needed in safety. With Thin Provisioning users are able to maximize the storage utilization to reduce the total cost of ownership for the storage system.

Complete Backup Solutions
The Synology RS3411xs/RS3411RPxs offers a centralized backup target to consolidate fragmented and unstructured data across the network. Integrating easily into a current network structure and compatible with Windows
, Mac
, and Linux systems, the RS3411xs/RS3411RPxs provides the entire office data redundancy and protection. PC Users can back up their data to the Synology RS3411xs/RS3411RPxs using the free Synology Data Replicator software, while Mac OS X users enjoy native Apple
Time Machine
integration. A backup wizard is also provided for backing up data in the RS3411xs/RS3411RPxs to another Synology DiskStation, expansion unit, any rsync server via an encrypted transmission, or to an external hard drive via USB connection. Furthering options, the wizard also makes it easy to backup to the cloud via Amazon
S3.

Fit to Business Environment
Windows ADS integration allows the Synology RS3411xs/RS3411RPxs to quickly and easily fit in an existing Windows ADS environment.

Moreover, Windows ACL support on RS3411xs/RS3411RPxs provides much finer-grained access control and efficient privilege settings, allowing IT staffs to set up privileges to files and folders on RS3411xs/RS3411RPxs through their familiar Windows user interface.

Full-featured Business Applications
The Synology RS3411xs/RS3411RPxs runs on the renowned operating system, Synology DSM, offering comprehensive applications and features designed specifically for large scale business. Comprehensive network protocol support assures seamless file sharing across Windows, Mac, and Linux platforms.

Internet file access is simplified by the encrypted FTP server and the web-based file explorer, Synology File Station. HTTPS, firewall, and IP auto-block support ensure file sharing over the Internet is protected at a high security level.

Synology Surveillance Station offers a centralized interface to safeguard the office environments by deploying up to 50 IP cameras throughout the network. There are several features to customize your surveillance solution including video live-view, video recording, event playback, intelligent event search, and PTZ. The AJAX-based web interface provides the ability to observe your environment anytime and anywhere.

USB-Live2: a USB based video capture device for your Windows PC
Watch live video, grab images and movies plus videoconference on your PC or Laptop
- Bring live video into your PC from camcorder, VCR or video camera. Maximum video format size: 720x480 (NTSC video).
- Save still and motion video images to your hard disk.
- Videoconference* over the Internet.
- For Windows 7, Windows Vista and Windows XP.

USB-Live2 has lots of great features
USB-Live2 has some new features compared with the USB-Live:
- A removable A/V cable set, so you can leave the cables connected to your A/V source while moving the USB-Live2 to a different computer. The A/V cable set attaches to USB-Live2 with a secure latching connector.
- Indicator LEDs showing that USB-Live2 is powered on and a video signal is present
- Full 720x480 video mode (NTSC)

And some of the same great features:
Snap and print stills from whatever you're watching. Or record video clips from your camcorder or VCR to create your own high-impact presentations. With Hauppauge's SnapShot application, you can capture still video images in adjustable high-resolution modes.
The easiest way to bring video into your PC or laptop!

Don't open your PC! USB-Live2 is an external device which connects your VCR, camcorder or video camera to your PC or laptop. Plug the USB-Live into the USB port and you're ready to watch video in a resizable window, right on your PC screen!

USB-Live2 digitizes video using high quality 4:2:2 video sampling. And you can work on applications while simultaneously watching video in a resizable window.

Watch, capture or record live video from your VCR, camcorder or video camera!
USB-Live connects to any S-Video or composite video source and plugs into your PC or laptop's USB port. USB-Live
s video digitizer turns your analog video into digital video, and then sends 30 digital images per second over the USB (1.1 or 2.0) bus.

Spice up your multimedia presentations!
Create digital movies in the Microsoft AVI file format with Hauppauge's WinTV Capture application. The included Ulead DVD MovieFactory allows you to edit and author DVD
s, VideoCD
s and S-VCD
s.

Add video clips to your Web Page:
Creative Webmasters can incorporate still frame video highlights or motion video clips on their web sites!

Desktop Publishing:
With our exclusive WinTV SnapShot application, you can quickly save video images! Capture 24-bit still video still images in TIFF, JPEG, BMP in color or black/white. Also great for web design.

- Triple Streaming for MPEG4, Motion-JPEG and Mobile device simultaneously;
- Day/Night viewing with automatic IR filter switching;
- Remote viewing over the Internet or via 3G Mobile phone;
- Features Motion Detection and Eventnotification via E-mail;
- Supports UPnP for easy set-up and installation and DDNS for dynamic IP;
- Free software included (Industry-leading 64-channel IP CamSecure software).

Product Overview
The LevelOne FCS-1091 PoE IP Network Camera features a high definition Sony Progressive CCD image sensor capturing high quality live streaming video. The PoE IP Camera features MPEG-4/MJPEG video compression, dual stream capability to multiple users, day/night switching, audio and PoE capability for flexible deployment.

Power over Ethernet (PoE) and Day/Night Support
The FCS-1091 Network Camera features both PoE and Day/Night support. PoE functionality allows for flexible deployment while the auto day/night switching allows for automatic camera adjustment to capture color images under normal light and black and white images under low light conditions. The high quality CCD sensor enables users to enjoy high definition picture quality at full VGA quality at 30 frames per second under most light conditions.

Multiple Video and Bi-directional Audio Compression
With enhanced MPEG-4 and Motion-JPEG Video compression, users can enjoy highquality images with minimum bandwidth. The FCS-1091 includes G.726 audio compression for easy synchronizing with live video streams.

Motion Detection & E-mail Alerts
Users can setup 4 motion-detection regions with the FCS-1091, each with adjustable size and sensitivity. When motion is detected at the specified regions, the system can send an E-mail alert or send captured images via FTP upload to a designated storage server.

Advanced Features for Professional Use
The LevelOne FCS-1091 includes a range of advance features for professional surveillance users. These include a SYSLOG server for remote log server to log messages as well as NTP (Network-Time-Protocol) Support for synchronizing the camera
s internal clock to an Internet Time-Server for a legitimate time-stamp on recorded video and pictures.

Bundled LevelOne IP CamSecure
The FCS-1091 Day/Night PoE Network Camera comes bundled with the LevelOne IP CamSecure Surveillance Management Software package. It is an easy to use Web-based surveillance management tool that allows users to monitor the camera locally over the LAN or remotely over the Internet.

- Triple Streaming for MPEG4, Motion-JPEG and Mobile device simultaneously
- Day/Night viewing with automatic IR filter switching
- Features a built-in microphone and external audio in/out jacks
- Supports up to 30 frames per second in full VGA resolution
- Remote viewing over the Internet or via 3G Mobile phone
- Features Motion Detection and Eventnotification via E-mail
- Free software included (Industry-leading 32-channel IP CamSecure Lite software)

The LevelOne WCS-1090 Day/Night Network Camera features a high definition Sony Progressive CCD image sensor capturing high quality live streaming video. The IP Camera features MPEG-4/MJPEG video compression, dual stream capability to multiple users, day/night switching, audio capability for flexible deployment.

Wireless Camera with Day/Night Support
The WCS-1090 Day/Night Network Camera features both Wireless and Day/Night support. The camera supports 11b/g wireless connectivity with standard WEP, WPA/WPA2 encryption for secured wireless connections. The auto day/night switching allows for automatic camera adjustment to capture color images under normal light and black and white images under low light conditions. The high quality CCD sensor enables users to enjoy high definition picture quality at full VGA quality at 30 frames per second under most light conditions.

Multiple Video and Bi-directional Audio Compression
With enhanced MPEG-4 and Motion-JPEG Video compression, users can enjoy high quality images with minimum bandwidth. The WCS-1090 includes G.726 audio compression for easy synchronizing with live video streams.

Motion Detection & E-mail Alerts
Users can setup 4 motion-detection regions with the WCS-1090, each with adjustable size and sensitivity. When motion is detected at the specified regions, the system can send an E-mail alert or send captured images via FTP upload to a designated storage server. Advanced Features for Professional Use The LevelOne WCS-1090 includes a range of advance features for professional surveillance users. These include a SYSLOG server for remote log server to log messages as well as NTP (Network-Time-Protocol) Support for synchronizing the camera
s internal clock to an Internet Time-Server for a legitimate time-stamp on recorded video and pictures.

Bundled LevelOne IP CamSecure Lite
The WCS-1090 Wireless Day/Night Network Camera is bundled with the LevelOne IP CamSecure Lite Surveillance Management Software package. It is an easy to use Web-based surveillance management tool that allows users to monitor the camera locally over the LAN or remotely over the Internet.

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Met name voor mobiele DJ's en clubinstallaties biedt het Numark AVM02 audio-/video-mengpaneel uitstekende mogelijkheden voor audiovisuele live-optredens. Het paneel beschikt... Klik verder voor meer info.

DVD 1: The Videos: A Kind Of Magic - I Want It All - Radio Ga Ga - I Want To Break Free - Breakthru - Under Pressure - Scandal - Who Want To Live Forever - The Miracle - It's A ...

The Collection bevat 26 klassieke video's van UB40's succesvolle carriére., TRACKLIST:, ORCHESTRAL DUB (LIVE IN RUSS1A), FOOD FOR THOUGHT, IF IT HAPPENS AGAIN, KINGSTON TOWN, HI...

With the Phono PreAmp iVinyl: LPs, Tapes and other analog audio sources
No matter if an old favourite song on LP or a tape, the PhonoPreAmp iVinyl can eternalize all
your LP, single or cassette recordings with ease and speed via the USB interface. All with no
sound card!
High-quality PhonoPreAmp for perfect recordings
Record your old audio recordings to your PC without quality loss. The PhonoPreAmp is
equipped with an input for your turntable (with moving magnet cartridge) and with a port for
tape decks or other audio sources. Adjustable levels, shielded housing, not to mention carefully
selected components and a first-class signal-to-noise ratio together guarantee the perfect
recording. The PhonoPreAmp requires no drivers, no sound card and no power supply.
Connect it to your computer
s USB port and start recording.
With the Grabby: Videotapes and other analog video sources
No matter what device or medium you want to import data from
from video recorders to
satellite receivers, camcorders, and even DVD players
all devices with analog video outputs
can be connected with a composite or S-video cable. With One-Click Disc Copies, you can even
burn your movies to DVD directly while transferring
without having to store them on your hard
drive first!
Edit
Edit out the commercials or other unwanted parts from your recordings. Add slide shows and
videos. Pep up your creation with a wide range of transition effects and set the right mood by
adding music and live commentary. Finally, select a menu template or create an individualized
animated menu. Now Grabby will burn your CD or DVD.

Met name voor mobiele DJ's en clubinstallaties biedt het Numark AVM02 audio-/video-mengpaneel uitstekende mogelijkheden voor audiovisuele live-optredens. Het paneel beschikt... Klik verder voor meer info.

Tracy + the Plastics' Culture for Pigeon is both more and less than Muscler's Guide to Videonics, the debut of Wynne Greenwood's self-reflexive synth-punk/performance art project. At just under 26 minutes, Greenwood's second album might have less actual music on it than her first, but Culture for Pigeon covers more sonic territory despite its relatively short running time. From the opening track, the slow-building, yearning 'Big Stereo,' to the joyous, anthemic 'What You Still Want,' the album marks a departure from the nonstop intensity of Muscler's Guide to Home Video. Even the more fiery songs, such as 'Knit a Claw' and 'This Is Dog-City,' are more restrained and inviting-sounding, on first listen anyway, than most of Tracy + the Plastics' debut. That doesn't mean that Greenwood has lost her edge, though: 'Quaasars' is nearly as noisy as her earlier work, 'Henrietta' has keening vocals aplenty, and 'Save Me Claude' boasts such sharply drawn lyrics as 'Women of Los Angeles/You can't clean it up until you make a mess.' But the quieter moments on Culture for Pigeon often end up being the most arresting: the brief but lovely 'Cut Glass See Thru' has more in common with Mirah's music than the work of Le Tigre or Erase Errata, and 'Happens' is an odd but successful cross-pollination of singer/songwriter confessions and electronic atmospheres. The quieter approach of this track and 'Oh Birds' gives Culture for Pigeon a more thoughtful cast that acknowledges Tracy + the Plastics' conceptual nature (in concert, Greenwood performs live as singer Tracy, in front of videotaped versions of herself playing the Plastics: keyboardist Nikki and drummer Cola). The album also attempts to address the fact that listening to a Tracy + the Plastics album isn't as rich an experience as attending one of Greenwood's multimedia-driven concerts by including a DVD with two of her video pieces. Indeed, given the project's high-concept origins, in some ways the DVD is the main attraction of the set. In Culture for Pigeon's semiotics-heavy liner notes, Greenwood describes the videos as 'some spaces for you to imagine in,' and while they don't quite replace a Tracy + the Plastics concert, they do provide some brain-tickling amusement. The first piece, 'We Hear Swooping Guitars,' joins Tracy, Nikki, and Cola during one of their practices. Tracy tries to cooperate and mediate with Cola, who looks completely bored as she mimes drumbeats with her mouth and hands, and with Nikki, who complains about how the name Tracy + the Plastics maintains the 'historical hierarchy of a rock band' and contemplates 'the lesbian creature as constantly disappearing and/or always being something as a remembered past.' A fly squished against the wall morphs into an elephant and quickly turns into the elephant in the room that nobody wants to talk about, while snippets of 'This Is Dog-City' and 'Knit a Claw' are woven into the film with more abstract imagery. The second piece, 'Just the Beginning of Something,' is even more impressionistic, mixing footage of digging for and painting with mushrooms, beer bottles used as metronomes, hair that becomes fields of wheat, and swimming in a living room that becomes a pool. The sidelong storytelling in Greenwood's videos definitely heighten the impact of her music, but fortunately, it isn't necessary to see the films to appreciate Tracy + the Plastics' music on its own terms. Culture for Pigeon offers the most complete, and complex, version of Green...

The Bongos were one of the most distinctive bands to come out of the briefly bustling Hoboken pop scene in the early '80s -- Richard Barone's songs were gloriously hooky, but also forcefully propulsive enough to live up to the group's name (aided immeasurably by Rob Norris' agile bass and Frank Giannini's precise drumming), and Barone's guitar work managed to be melodic and oblique at the same time, carrying the tune while allowing room for his own sonic interjections, which could be noisy or richly smooth at will. The Bongos were different enough from their contemporaries that Drums Along the Hudson has dated remarkable little since it was released in 1982, sounding less like 'new wave' than a simply timeless example of smart, edgy pop. The joyous charge of the opening cut, 'In the Congo,' is pure glorious sugar rush, 'The Bulrushes' is fraught with seductive mystery, 'Three Wise Men' very nearly beats the Feelies at their own high-tension game, and 'Glow in the Dark' is one of the most charmingly off-kilter love songs ever. (Norris' anti-television diatribe 'Video Eyes' fares somewhat less well than the other tunes, but there's no arguing it's still timely.) Add in a T. Rex cover that's sensuous and almost funky and you get a minor masterpiece from the era of the skinny tie that's still bracing stuff today. ~ Mark Deming

Het nieuwe album van Guus Meeuwis heet: NW8. De titel verwijst naar de postcode van het district St John's Wood in Londen, waar de Abbey Road Studio's zijn gevestigd. Voor het eerst in zijn bijna 15-jarige carrière week de zanger uit naar het buitenland om een nieuwe plaat op te nemen. Hij ging niet alleen, want NW 8 is live recorded en ingespeeld door zijn eigen band. Daarnaast legde een cameraploeg het complete opname proces vast om daar een documentaire van te maken. Een bijzondere ervaring.

Meeuwis: 'Ik wilde mijn nieuwe plaat live opnemen omdat de liedjes dan veel meer impact hebben. Het klinkt echter. Ik speel nu al zo lang samen met deze band dat we er ook klaar voor waren. Dat wil trouwens niet zeggen dat we het even uit de mouw hebben geschud: het was wel een hele uitdaging. We hebben eerst 4 weken in Nederland met het nieuwe materiaal gerepeteerd, toen een soort proef recording gedaan in een Nederlandse studio en vervolgens zijn we naar Abbey Road afgereisd. Met 11 man band live nieuw materiaal opnemen vergt heel veel concentratie, geduld en inzet. Maar die oude Beatles studio geeft zo veel inspiratie en energie. Ik zong bijvoorbeeld door een microfoon uit 1953 waarvan de technicus zei: 'you can smell the spit of John Lennon'. Daarnaast is het ook gewoon een geweldige studio met een ontzettend goed geluid.'

De liedjes op NW8 schreef Meeuwis voor het grootste deel samen met Jan Willem Rozenboom en JW Roy. 'Het ging allemaal zo snel, in twee sessies hadden we al drie kwart van de liedjes. Dat is een fijn gevoel en het gaf ons ook de rust en de tijd om verder te gaan met materiaal waar we al heel lang iets mee wilden doen, maar waar we nooit eerder aan toe kwamen', aldus Guus.

Laat Mij In Die Waan, met een voor Guus' doen maatschappelijk bewuste tekst, is een van die nummers. 'We hadden die al verzonnen tijdens het schrijven voor Hemel Nr 7. De melodie bleef liggen en dit keer hebben we er een nieuwe tekst op gemaakt. Met een inhoud die wij ook nooit eerder aangeraakt hebben. Het gaat in mijn liedjes meestal over het kleine en persoonlijke en dat blijft ook het belangrijkst, maar dat wil niet zeggen dat ik nooit om me heen kijk'.

Over de 1e single: dat Komt door Jou:

'Dat Komt Door Jou en is van oorsprong Italiaans wat duidelijk terug te horen is in het snelle tekstritme van de coupletten. 'Ik was afgelopen zomer op vakantie in Italië en hoorde daar constant een nummer van Jovanotti op de radio. Ook toen ik weer thuis was, bleef het in mijn hoofd rondzingen. Leo Driessen is toen met de tekst aan de slag gegaan en het resultaat is 'Dat Komt Door Jou'. Omdat je de melodie ergens anders vandaan haalt, klinkt het net iets anders, maar door de tekst is het toch heel erg Guus.'

De video is samengesteld uit opnames die zijn gemaakt bij de opname van het album. Je ziet als het ware hoe het nummer tot stand komt.

This is singer/songwriter Nanci Griffith's first live album, and it captures the essence of what has endeared Griffith to fans of both folk and cosmopolitan country. Although One Fair Summer Evening was not an immediate phenomenon at the cash registers, the revealing nature of the performance has secured it a place in the hearts of enthusiasts since its release in 1988. In addition to highlights from her six previous long-players, she also adds a few new tracks -- including her own composition 'I Would Bring You Ireland' as well as 'Deadwood, South Dakota' by her ex-husband, Eric Taylor -- both of which became standards in her live performance canon. Her backing band, the Blue Moon Orchestra, is known for both its instrumental prowess and its keen knack for subtlety. Examples of this delicate balance range from the intimacy of 'More Than a Whisper' and 'Love at the Five and Dime' to the boot-scootin' fury of 'Spin on a Red Brick Floor' and 'Looking for the Time (Workin' Girl).' In between is a sampling of Griffith's organic folky roots ('Trouble in the Fields') as well as her pensive ballads ('Once in a Blue Moon'), which have become standards for the legions of would-be singer/songwriters who followed. Also included are stunning readings of Julie Gold's 'From a Distance' and Bill Staines' (whom Griffith rightfully compares to a neo-Woody Guthrie) 'Roseville Fair.' There is also a 45-minute home video companion to One Fair Summer Evening that includes most of the music from this CD: missing are 'The Wing and the Wheel,' 'Trouble in the Fields,' and 'Roseville Fair,' while a whimsical version of 'There's a Light Beyond the Woods (Mary Margaret)' has been added. ~ Lindsay Planer

Joni Mitchell's influence on other female singer/songwriters of the late 1960s and early '70s was so pervasive that one almost dreads bringing up comparisons to her in yet another review of an obscure record of the period for fear of falling into cliché. The fact remains, however, that it's unavoidable when describing Caroline Peyton's 1971 debut LP. Some of the traits of Mitchell's early work are also found here: the winding, swooping vocals that sometimes build up to a trill, the jazzy phrasing, and the rather solemn tone of many of the lyrics. There are differences, too, though not ones that will excite many listeners into replacing Mitchell with Peyton in their home rotation. The plainness of the production and basic arrangements are threadbare when stacked up against even Mitchell's earliest albums, though they likewise emphasize vocals, acoustic guitar, and piano. The material -- mostly by producer Mark Bingham -- lacks the depth and distinction of Mitchell or the better singer/songwriters. In addition, several tracks unpredictably leap into avant-garde territory, with most un-Mitchell-like operatic screeching and free-form structures incorporating jazz and art song. (Even the liner notes to the CD reissue describe her vocals on 'Bill Monroe' as 'Peyton's best impression of a donkey in ill health.') The presence of a male vocalist singing along with Peyton on a couple of slightly bluesy pieces also makes this stand out -- Mitchell, after all, never sang with a guy on her early records -- as does, on 'Gone for a Day,' the lyric 'creamed in my jeans,' which no one sang in the early '70s if they hoped for radio play. Though the odder tracks are more original, they're also less pleasing to ear than the more conventional and derivative ones. That puts Mock Up in the odd position of a record that might be both too strange and too imitative for fans of singer/songwriters like Mitchell, and not unusual enough overall to gain a strong cult following. [The 2008 CD reissue added extensive historical lines: omitted a track, 'Lor el iii,' on which the vocal was taken by Mark Bingham (who wrote most of the songs): added a 1972 live recording, 'Breathe,' which strikes a reasonably accessible midpoint between folk and avant-jazz: and adds three songs from her 1973 album In the Eye that, while similar to her debut, are somewhat less Mitchell-indebted and jazzier, the highlight 'White Teeth' adding some Indian flavor. It also has a color video, in reasonable though slightly lo-fi, of Peyton performing two songs not on the CD live on acoustic guitar in 1972 at the Hummingbird Cafe in Bloomington, Indiana. ~ Richie Unterberger

There are few rock artists of any genuine significance whose catalogs are more of a mess than Johnny Thunders, and we pretty much have the artist himself to blame for that. While Thunders helped create two stone classic albums with the New York Dolls, once he struck out on his own, his seemed more interested in going for the fast buck than building a career (doubtless a product of his decades-long junk habit), and when you get past the Heartbreakers' L.A.M.F. and Thunders' So Alone, most of the recordings with his name attached to them are ragged throwaways or semi-bootleg live discs without much to recommend them. While Down to Kill is hardly the great missing testament to Thunders' gifts, at least it collects some worthwhile material with a genuine degree of care, and that makes it worthy of attention. Disc one pulls together some rare demo material, starting out with eight cuts recorded in 1976 that would later make up the bulk of L.A.M.F. (and the bulk of the Heartbreakers' standard repertoire), and if these aren't the definitive versions of 'Born to Lose,' 'Can't Keep My Eyes on You,' or 'I Wanna Be Loved' (the latter without vocals), these rough but efficient recordings get to the heart of these songs better than the sloppily produced takes on L.A.M.F., and without the affected slop marring most of the many substandard live takes that circulate of this material. The rest of the studio stuff (including three Walter Lure-fronted numbers that don't feature Thunders at all) is OK but not great, though it's worth noting that 'Too Much Junkie Business' fares better without lead addict Thunders than with his contribution. Disc two features 15 songs from the two sets the Heartbreakers recorded in London on March 1977 for the album D.T.K. Live at the Speakeasy, newly remixed for this release and sounding cleaner and more detailed than before. The band is fine when it settles into a good and dirty groove, but while Thunders frequently berates the audience for not being enthusiastic enough in the first set, given how sloppy the band sounds much of the time, it's hard to blame the kids for not being knocked out. Still, this is one of the best sounding Heartbreakers live recordings extant, and by the standards of this band, they're documented in tough, rough 'n' ready form. The set also includes a bonus DVD including video footage from two 1984 London gigs, four studio-shot solo acoustic performances, a clip of Thunders cursing his audience on Swedish television, and excerpts from Johnny's performance in the French film Mona et Moi. If you're not already a Johnny Thunders fan, this set isn't likely to convert you, but considering how many shoddy and depressing Thunders packages there are on the market, it's high praise to say that this is not one of them. ~ Mark Deming

'Live At The Budokan' was recorded during Ozzy Osbourne's tour of the Far East in February 2002. Features live tracks from his solo albums, as well as three previously unreleased studio tracks, including 'Black Skies' from Ozzy's own video game. This CD coincides with the DVD release of the same concert.

This CD, which appears to have been derived from the same source as a notoriously bad concert video, represents the last performance on the final tour ever done by Rod Stewart and the Faces. In that regard, the focus is far more on Stewart than the band, certainly in terms of repertory -- they could all obviously see the handwriting on the wall, and hear the roaring of the crowds for the singer -- and the sound is not much better than fair to good. (It appears that recording the Faces in concert was a challenge that the industry and the technology were not quite up to -- no high quality documents of the group's sound have surfaced to date). The bass, and even more so the keyboards are buried fairly deeply in the mix, whereas the guitars -- which include a contribution from guest artist Keith Richards -- are way forward, and give Stewart his only real competition in center stage. That said, and aside from the shortcomings (which include a momentary jump or skip in the audio on 'It's All Over Now'), the excitement of this band does come through: and Stewart does regale us with his best soul stylings of the period, if not his best work in that vein. The last night of a tour was not the point at which to capture him doing Sam Cooke's material, and the singalong on 'You Send Me' may have worked better visually, or as a live moment, than as an event on a live album. Much more successful because it required little finesse is the version of 'Sweet Little Rock 'n' Roller' that comes in already in progress, showing off what this band could do even in its declining moments. Perhaps someday a better overall quality concert will be released -- and there have been worse live recordings of the Faces issued by their actual contracted label -- but this CD provides at least a glimpse of what some of the excitement in this band, and its lingering reputation across nearly 40 years, is about. Just don't expect any revelations. ~ Bruce Eder

While the music industry struggled throughout 2007 and 2008, Paramore bucked expectations by sending four singles to the Hot Modern Rock charts and shipping over one million copies of Riot!. Newcomers like Katy Perry also dominated the radio, but Paramore was one of the only rock bands to emerge from the woodwork, going platinum during a time in which most artists were happy to go gold. The band also toured extensively, and The Final Riot! -- a slick, attractive live album that features video and audio footage -- captures one of Paramore's final performances in support of that album. Given Hayley Williams' voice and Zac Farro's powerful, muscled percussion, Paramore has always been a better live band than the bulk of its competitors, and The Final Riot! is stronger than similar releases by Fall Out Boy (Live in Phoenix) and Taking Back Sunday (Louder Now: Part Two). That's not to say it's a perfect recording: the crowd noise is mixed much too low, which is problematic whenever Williams thrusts the microphone at the audience and invites them to sing along, and her occasional flat notes point to a lack of overdubs. That only serves to make The Final Riot! more genuine and Williams more human, though, and the tight set list (featuring the bulk of Paramore's catalog, as well as a snippet of Leonard Cohen's 'Hallelujah') showcases both the band's prowess and the singer's road-seasoned voice. She's fantastic throughout, from her candid comments in the enclosed tour documentary (30 minutes long and well worth the view) to her performance on-stage, where she howls with finesse and pint-sized power. Few vocalists can rival that talent, and watching Williams lay waste to the crowd is one of The Final Riot!'s many highlights. ~ Andrew Leahey

Signals, Calls and Marches and Vs. proved that Mission of Burma were one of the best American bands to emerge in the wake of punk's first wave (and before the rise of indie rock), and no one who saw them live seems willing to dispute that they were a powerhouse on-stage. So no one could fault Mission of Burma for commemorating their final tour in 1983 with a live album, but the truth about The Horrible Truth About Burma is it simply isn't as strong as the studio recordings that preceded it: the performances are often superb, but the material on their final gesture lets them down. Mission of Burma chose to fill The Horrible Truth with songs that hadn't previously appeared on an album, which was a fine idea on paper, since the band wanted to preserve tunes that might otherwise be lost to the ages. But while there's isn't a bad song to be found, the best original tunes are the ones that had already earned radio exposure in Boston as demos (in particular 'Peking Spring' and 'Dirt'), and while 'Tremelo' and 'Blackboard' were doubtless compelling performance pieces, as songs they don't scale the same heights as 'That's When I Reach for My Revolver,' 'Einstein's Day' or 'Fun World.' (However, one wonders if Steve Albini was in attendance at the Chicago show where 'Dumbells' was recorded, given its resemblance to his signature guitar style.) It seems significant that two of the strongest cuts are covers: a ferocious run-through of the Stooges' '1970,' and a nearly nine-minute journey through 'Heart of Darkness' by Pere Ubu. And while Mission of Burma are in strong, hard-hitting form throughout, they lack a bit of the fierce precision that made Vs. so memorable. The Horrible Truth About Burma is a fine souvenir for fans but not much of an intro for beginners: the home video release Live at the Bradford, shot at the band's final concert, does a superior job of capturing what made this group so compelling. ~ Mark Deming

On their tour promoting Daylight Again, Crosby, Stills & Nash played three nights at the Universal Amphitheater in Los Angeles over the Thanksgiving Day weekend in 1982, and they taped and filmed the shows for a TV special. The Dutch Immortal label has licensed the audio tracks for this 21-song, 105-minute, two-CD set, and it chronicles a high point in the band's career. (Immortal also has a DVD version of Live in L.A., which is essentially a reissue of the 1983 MCA home video called Daylight Again.) At the outset, a professional-sounding announcer talks over the instrumental opening of 'Turn Your Back on Love,' stopping the split second the vocal begins, just like a disc jockey. But that is the only incursion into the show, which otherwise draws from CSN's back catalog of hits and favorites in a familiar format, starting with an electric set that gives way to an extended acoustic segment that further breaks down into solo spots, and then revving back up for an electric finish before sending the crowd out with a singalong of 'Teach Your Children' and the folk blues 'Daylight Again' as a coda. After months on tour, the singers' voices are a bit the worse for wear, or maybe it's just that one is accustomed to the polish of the studio recordings. It doesn't hurt the performances, which actually sound all the more fervent for the occasional vocal grit. Along with the CSN hits, there are occasional borrowings from the individuals' repertoire (Crosby & Nash's 'Wind on the Water' suite, Stills' 'For What It's Worth' from his Buffalo Springfield days, a CSN arrangement of the Beatles' 'Blackbird'), but most of the show is given over to evergreens and then recent radio hits from Daylight Again, notably 'Southern Cross,' which was peaking in the Top 20 at the time of the concert. Live in L.A. captures a resurgent Crosby, Stills & Nash before their hometown crowd. Clouds may have been gathering on the horizon, with Crosby's substance abuse problems threatening the band's future, but at these shows all seemed well. ~ William Ruhlmann

Sons Find Devils is the soundtrack to the video of the same name that captured the Virgin Prunes live in 1986 -- at their popular and creative peak. They'd already issued the entire New Form of Beauty catalog of releases -- which included a single, a 10', a 12', and a cassette tape among them. The band had just released The Moon Looked Down and Laughed, their most controversial album among fans -- many felt it was far too tame and sophisticated. And it was, as Gavin Friday was already contemplating his career as a solo performer. Along with tracks promoting the new album were 'classics' such as 'Pagan Love Song,' 'Ulakanakulot,' the infamous 'Come to Daddy,' 'Down the Memory Lane,' 'Decline and Fall,' and 'Walls of Jericho.' In listening to this music in the 21st century, one can see where the entire Sex Gang Children/Cult brand of tribal post-punk came from, and in some songs, such as 'Come to Daddy,' the sound of U2 as well. (Although trademarked, that sound wasn't exactly original: U2 and the Prunes were mates and hung out in the same Lypton Village collective, and Dik Evans is the Edge's brother.) The sound here is spotty, but the energy isn't. It's primal, freaky, and wonderful. The CD comes enhanced with the live 'Pagan Love Song' video included as a bonus. ~ Thom Jurek

It would be nice to have some more documentation attached to this compilation. But it can be ascertained that at the very least, most of the cuts are from 1983-1985, that four of the 13 songs are taken from 7' releases, and that two of them were recorded live in 1983. Specimen have been lumped in with the 1980s goth rock movement, which the packaging of this anthology does nothing to dispel, since it's part of Anagram's goth collectors' series, and since the band could hardly look more the part on the sleeve photos. Actually, though, they were more upbeat and tuneful than most of the so-called goth bands, if not exactly upbeat and tuneful per se. It's middle-of-the-pack early post-punk, with lumpy beats, hovering synthesizers, grandson-of-Bowie doom-anticipatory vocals, and more sense of sonic dynamics than most goth acts. On 'Syria,' there are actually riffs and singable vocal lines that might have given it a chance on pop radio. The fidelity on the two live cuts isn't that good. Incidentally, this release is an enhanced CD with a video of the group doing 'Kiss Kiss Bang Bang.' ~ Richie Unterberger

Having acknowledged a certain creative desperation on The Pretender, Jackson Browne lowered his sights (and raised his commercial appeal) considerably with Running on Empty, which was more a concept album about the road than an actual live album, even though its songs were sometimes recorded on-stage (and sometimes on the bus or in the hotel). Unlike most live albums, though, it consisted of previously unrecorded songs. Browne had less creative participation on this album than on any he ever made, solely composing only two songs, co-writing four others, and covering another four. And he had less to say -- the title song and leadoff track neatly conjoined his artistic and escapist themes. Figuratively and creatively, he was out of gas, but like 'the pretender,' he still had to make a living. The songs covered all aspects of touring, from Danny O'Keefe's 'The Road,' which detailed romantic encounters, and 'Rosie' (co-written by Browne and his manager Donald Miller), in which a soundman pays tribute to auto-eroticism, to, well, 'Cocaine,' to the travails of being a roadie ('The Load-Out'). Audience noises, humorous asides, loose playing -- they were all part of a rough-around-the-edges musical evocation of the rock & roll touring life. It was not what fans had come to expect from Browne, of course, but the disaffected were more than outnumbered by the newly converted. (It didn't hurt that 'Running on Empty' and 'The Load-Out'/'Stay' both became Top 40 hits.) As a result, Browne's least ambitious, but perhaps most accessible, album ironically became his biggest seller. But it is not characteristic of his other work: for many, it will be the only Browne album they will want to own, just as others always will regard it disdainfully as 'Jackson Browne lite.' [The 2005 expanded reissue of Running on Empty is a double-disc set, containing a remastered CD of the album on the first disc and a DVD of the album on the second. The DVD contains a 5.1 mix of the album plus two bonus tracks that only appear on the DVD -- a second take on 'Cocaine' called 'Cocaine Again' and an instrumental, 'Edwardsville Room 124.' There are also two video montages and an extensive photo gallery, along with lyrics.] ~ William Ruhlmann

Re-released to coincide with the re-release of re-mastered versions of their first three studio albums, 'Under A Blood Red Sky' is the most successful live album in UK chart history. This glimpse into the early stages of U2's career reveals a band on the brink of international superstardom, with tracks taken from several shows throughout their 1983 'War' tour. The highlight of the album is a powerful performance of 'Sunday Bloody Sunday', the live video of which was effectively responsible for breaking the band in the US.

As a band Asia were able to do what few from the prog rock era were able to do: combine streamlined pop hooks into very sophisticated songs that included varying instrumental passages where individual members could stretch a bit. Their chart success -- especially early on -- was formidable. Fantasia: Live in Tokyo is an anniversary concert performed with all the original members: Geoff Downes, Carl Palmer, Steve Howe and John Wetton. Eagle Rock has issued the entire concert, on both on a double-CD as well as DVD. There are 18 cuts here, including the hits as well as tracks by the members' other bands such as 'Roundabout' by Yes (that contains guitarist Howe) Downes' 'Video Killed the Radio Star' from his stint with the Buggles, and Aaron Copland's 'Fanfare for the Common Man,' (which was recorded by Emerson, Lake & Palmer). The bookends for this rather indulgent but exciting live show are 'Time Again,' and, of course, 'Heat of the Moment,' a live version that 25 years later seems to top the original! For Asia fans, this is a rather indispensable document. ~ Thom Jurek

The culmination of a project eight years in the making, Les Savy Fav's Inches gathers nine singles -- 18 tracks in all -- that the band began recording in 1996 and then released through nine different labels (including Sub Pop, Monitor, and Suicide Squeeze). Inches presents these singles in reverse chronological order, a clever and somewhat daring move: as the album plays, the band's sound unravels from the sleek, danceable art-punk of songs like 'Meet Me in the Dollar Bin' to the rougher sounds of 'Bringing Us Down' and 'Reprobates Resume.' But while 'Hold Onto Your Genre' and 'Hello Halo, Goodbye Glands' are more refined than what follows them on Inches, that doesn't mean that the earliest songs on the collection are rudimentary. 'Rodeo' and the epic 'Our Coastal Hymn' display the taut rhythms, sharp guitars, and equally sharp lyrics that are the foundation of Les Savy Fav's sound: in fact, the band has been riffing on this angular, danceable, post-punk-influenced sound for so long that it's a wonder it's taken so long for so many other bands to catch up with them. Meanwhile, 'Reformat [Dramatic Reading],' a short play about a doomed submarine and the men on board, and the subsequent live performance of 'Reformat' exemplify the artiness that is reflected in every aspect of the band. Interestingly, more than half of Inches was recorded in 2003 and 2002, making the first half of the album more of a piece than its second half. Indeed, songs like 'We'll Make a Lover Out of You,' 'Knowing How the World Works,' and 'The Sweat Descends' have a nearly perfect blend of angularity and accessibility, and help make Inches just as consistent, if not more so, than the band's proper releases. Inches is an ambitious concept, but the band's success with it is another example of Les Savy Fav's mix of intellect and volatility. The first pressing of Inches also comes with a DVD that includes features that range from nice but not essential (30 photos of the band, a DVD audio version of the album) to more interesting bonuses like track-by-track commentary by the band and their friends and accomplices (including producer Chris Zane and Chunklet magazine publisher Henry H. Owings as well as multi-talented performers David Cross and Fred Armisen), videos, and live performances. The commentaries alternate between informative, silly, and downright strange, but they do make the case for more bands giving their music a similar treatment. Likewise, the videos run the gamut from silly (the dancing cowboy in 'Rodeo,' the amorous sock puppets in 'We'll Make a Lover of You') to elevated (the stark animated/photo-collage video for 'Reformat [Dramatic Reading],' the scientific/sociological imagery in 'Hello Halo, Goodbye Glands'). And the live performances of 'Disco Drive,' 'Knowing How the World Works,' and 'Who Rocks the Party?' follow a similar devolution to Inches itself, with singer Tim Harrington getting covered with paint, removing half his clothes, diving into the audience, and, finally, serenading a bunny. With or without the bonus DVD, Inches is a comprehensive look at Les Savy Fav. [Mallory Towers issued a CD/DVD edition in 2008.] ~ Heather Phares

Pete Townshend and the Deep End Band played live for two benefit outings -- November 1 and 2, 1985 at the Brixton Academy -- to help support Townshend's own 'Double O' Charities. The performances are excerpted here and were used in a made-for-home-video, also called Pete Townshend's Deep End Live!. Initially, a promotional 12' EP of the show was released to AOR radio stations in August of 1986. However, significant interest in the project would ultimately yield a 10-song LP which was issued to retail a few months later. Townshend (guitar and vocals) is backed by an ensemble that includes a core band of John 'Rabbit' Bundrick (keyboards), Chucho Merchán (bass), and Simon Philips (drums) with Peter Hope-Evans (harmonica), Gina Foster (backing vocals), Billy Nicholls (backing vocals), and Jody Linscott (percussion) as well as an eight-piece brass section. When compared to the Who, the extended instrumentation provides Townshend with a larger sonic pallet to work from. The artist takes full advantage on the stylish update of the R&B classic 'Barefootin',' and a suitably dramatic overhaul of 'I Put a Spell on You.' Plus, perhaps just to demonstrate his top-shelf taste in modern music, the English Beat's 'Save It for Later' is a stone gem with the intimacy of an 'unplugged' type of backing complete with sax -- by either Tim Saunders or former Stiff Little Fingers member Simon Clarke. Even though it could be considered a Who tune, Sonny Boy Williamson's 'Eyesight to the Blind' is given a big city swing that presented the familiar melody in a fresh context. The Townshend originals serve up one offering from the '80s solo albums Empty Glass (1980) ('A Little Is Enough'), All the Best Cowboys Have Chinese Eyes (1982) ('Stop Hurting People') and the Who-related tunes 'Behind Blue Eyes,' 'I'm One,' and 'Pinball Wizard.' ~ Lindsay Planer

Cut from the same rootsy R&B cloth as Erykah Badhu, Atlanta-born India Arie's full-length debut after her first public emergence on Spike Lee's BAMBOOZLED soundtrack is a down-home affair, where acoustic guitars, live drums, and stand-up bass share space with more contemporary production devices. Arie's voice has an insinuating, seductive undertone that works its way into the listener's subconscious.Songs such as 'Video' are both catchy and centred on a subtly feminist theme, proving that Arie is up to having her cake and eating it, too, while the unimpeachably sexy 'Brown Skin' is quintessential bedroom mood music. Arie's debut promises much, and delivers even more.

The musical transition that seemed to have just begun with Fear of Music came to fruition on Talking Heads' fourth album, Remain in Light. 'I Zimbra' and 'Life During Wartime' from the earlier album served as the blueprints for a disc on which the group explored African polyrhythms on a series of driving groove tracks, over which David Byrne chanted and sang his typically disconnected lyrics. Remain in Light had more words than any previous Heads record, but they counted for less than ever in the sweep of the music. The album's single, 'Once in a Lifetime,' flopped upon release, but over the years it became an audience favorite due to a striking video, its inclusion in the band's 1984 concert film Stop Making Sense, and its second single release (in the live version) because of its use in the 1986 movie Down and Out in Beverly Hills, when it became a minor chart entry. Byrne sounded typically uncomfortable in the verses ('And you may find yourself in a beautiful house, with a beautiful wife/And you may ask yourself, well, how did I get here?'), which were undercut by the reassuring chorus ('Letting the days go by'). Even without a single, Remain in Light was a hit, indicating that Talking Heads were connecting with an audience ready to follow their musical evolution, and the album was so inventive and influential, it was no wonder. As it turned out, however, it marked the end of one aspect of the group's development and was their last new music for three years. ~ William Ruhlmann

For Eels fans, and especially those obsessed with Mark Oliver Everett, the man who created and fronts the ever-changing lineup as well as writing its songs, 2008 kicked off anything but quietly. Despite a mere six studio and one live record in the band's catalog, E and Universal/Geffen have issued what amounts to a truckload of backlog material on two separate -- some would say excessive -- releases: Meet the Eels: Essential Eels 1996-2006, Vol. 1, a CD/DVD package, and Useless Trinkets: B-Sides, Soundtracks, Rarities, and Unreleased 1996-2006. The latter includes two discs of music and a live DVD documenting the band's 2006 Lollapalooza performance.Meet the Eels is, arguably, the way a 'hits' compilation should be presented, to fans as well as the merely curious. It's loaded to the gills with 24 cuts that include the unreleased 'Get Ur Freak On.' The rest of this monster is culled with cuts from Beautiful Freak (four) Electro-Shock Blues (two), plus an unissued remix of 'Climbing to the Moon,' by Jon Brion.This decade gets the lion's share of the material naturally, with four tunes from 2000s Daisies of the Galaxy, and a trio off 2001's Souljacker: a pair of tunes were tacked on from Shootenanny! (still the most confounding toss of the band's history), and a whopping five from Blinking Lights and Other Revelations. The latter was the band's best-selling record and yet it's still debated hotly among fans. One thing is for sure: for the first time since Beautiful Freak it drew new listeners in droves. Also included here for some unfathomable reason is 'Dirty Girl,' from the Live at Town Hall offering, and luckily, 'I Need Some Sleep,' from the soundtrack album for Shrek 2. Right, you guessed it, nothing here comes from A Man Called E, making it an incomplete Everett document, but it's close enough. Simply put, there is no reason to go into the track choices, they are listed below and can be debated endlessly anyway. This tri-fold digipack is loaded with photos, E's own elliptical annotations for the tracks, and a wonderfully long and now legendary piece by Mark Edwards from the Sunday Times in London. Some of E's notes are clever, and some seem just plain tossed off, as if they are memories he really doesn't have any longer but needed to get down on paper for this. That's OK -- his very natural ambivalence is part of the appeal in his idiosyncratic, adventurous, and original songs. The DVD contains virtually every video the band shot and released for commercial play: they are compiled and available as a retail item for the first time. As great an introduction or mix the CD makes, it's the video collection that makes it all worth the cash. Given the kitchen sink approach of it, it offers an even more diverse and undebatable document: showcasing everything from original conceptions by directors to the escalator to the oblivion lineup changes. There is simply no better way to get acquainted with an enigma. ~ Thom Jurek

As a film, The Last Waltz was a triumph -- one of the first (and still one of the few) rock concert documentaries that was directed by a filmmaker who understood both the look and the sound of rock & roll, and executed with enough technical craft to capture all the nooks and crannies of a great live show. But as an album, The Last Waltz soundtrack had to compete with the Band's earlier live album, Rock of Ages, with which it bears a certain superficial resemblance -- both found the group trying to create something grander than the standard-issue live double, and both featured the group beefed up by additional musicians. While Rock of Ages found the Band swinging along with the help of a horn section arranged by Allen Toussaint, The Last Waltz boasts a horn section (using Toussaint's earlier arrangements on a few cuts) and more than a baker's dozen guest stars, ranging from old cohorts Ronnie Hawkins and Bob Dylan to contemporaries Joni Mitchell, Neil Young, and Van Morrison. The Band are in fine if not exceptional form here: on most cuts, they don't sound quite as fiery as they did on Rock of Ages, though their performances are never less than expert, and the high points are dazzling, especially an impassioned version of 'It Makes No Difference' and blazing readings of 'Up on Cripple Creek' and 'The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down' (Levon Helm has made no secret that he felt breaking up the Band was a bad idea, and here it sounds if he was determined to prove how much they still had to offer). Ultimately, it's the Band's 'special guests' who really make this set stand out -- Muddy Waters' ferocious version of 'Mannish Boy' would have been a wonder from a man half his age, Van Morrison sounds positively joyous on 'Caravan,' Neil Young and Joni Mitchell do well for their Canadian brethren, and Bob Dylan's closing set finds him in admirably loose and rollicking form. (One question remains -- what exactly is Neil Diamond doing here?) And while the closing studio-recorded 'Last Waltz Suite' sounds like padding, the contributions from Emmylou Harris and the Staple Singers are beautiful indeed. It could be argued that you're better off watching The Last Waltz on video than listening to it on CD, but either way it's a show well worth checking out. ~ Mark Deming

'Live Scenes From New York' highlights Dream Theater's legendary live performances. The set comprises of a complete live version of the album, 'Scenes From A Memory' and a selection of tracks from Dream Theater's various studio recordings. Also included is unreleased video footage of the song Another Day.

Besides arguing over which B+ or A- tracks are missing ('Why did they include ''Talk to Me'' instead of ''Charisma''?') the only thing bad you can say about the two-disc Gold is that its cover art is too much in the style of Universal's Millennium Collection series. The near-perfect track listing deserves a better face than this generic, part-of-a-series artwork, but chuck that and the short, hyperbole-filled essay and you're left with make-up era as good as it gets. Think of a big hit and it's here -- in its live version if that's what's called for -- while the filler is so well chosen you just know the compilers have a Kiss Army membership patch somewhere in their dresser drawers. Laid out chronologically, Gold snaps up three or four key tracks from each golden-age album, gives the mighty Destroyer a little extra attention, gets more picky from Dynasty on, and breezes through the solo albums with only one song each from the four of them (which is being really kind to Peter Criss). You get to follow the band from their gutsy beginnings to their bombastic, arena rock-middle while getting a taste of the later iffy years and stopping short of when they became just another band. There are too many highlights too mention and the track listing and credits give all the necessary information (including proper Ace and Peter-less group membership for Unmasked's and the Elder's tracks -- a first!). They've even gone as far as to grab the two good tracks off the totally jive Killers compilation and include a picture from the final make-up photo shoot with a weary looking Ace. After so much mishandling since the millennium turned, Kiss is finally done right by Gold. What Double Platinum was to time of LPs, Gold is to the age of CDs. [Buyers who really want to get their Kiss on should consider this release's multimedia brother, Gold: 1974-1982 - Sound+Vision, which adds a DVD including the original Exposed full-length video and some live footage.] ~ David Jeffries

One of the downsides of the new romantic movement is that its groups tended to be more exciting in a video or in the studio than they were in the live arena. One of the rare exceptions to this rule was Gary Numan, a performer whose canny blend of synthesizer textures and conventional rock band instrumentation allowed his music to translate itself to a live format with ease. As a result, he was a popular concert attraction in his native England and listeners can get a good idea of his live skills with Living Ornaments '79. This album, the full set from a September 1979 performance at the Hammersmith Odeon, finds Numan taking a generous selection of tunes from all his albums up to that point and delivering them with a carefully controlled mixture of style and power. Many of the songs are much more energetic than their studio counterparts: the muscular rhythm guitar riffs that propel 'Something's in the House' take on a new power in the live arena, and 'Me I Disconnect From You' runs twice as fast as its studio incarnation. Other songs on Living Ornaments '79 benefit from new arrangements: the most notable transformation in this area is 'Bombers,' which is transformed from the fast, guitar-based punk-pop of its studio version into an atmospheric, ballad-paced track where spacy synthesizers replace the guitar riffs. Numan also turns in a surprisingly effective cover of 'On Broadway' that culminates in an unexpected, electic violin solo. The remainder of the tracks continue in the same vein as these highlights, effectively mixing live energy with the icy electronic affectations that make Numan's studio classics so interesting. In short, Living Ornaments '79 is a solid live document of Gary Numan in his hitmaking prime and a worthwhile supplement to his studio work for fans. ~ Donald A. Guarisco

Recorded during Faith No More's 1990 tour of England in support of their breakthrough album The Real Thing, this live release is an obvious cash in, basically replicating the recordings used for the band's first video release, You Fat Bastards. There's nothing necessarily wrong with it, mind you, but strange song sequencing and it's over-dependence on songs from the aforementioned record render it pointless except for fanatics interested in the two studio tracks, 'The Grade' and 'The Cowboy Song.' As for the live material, the band shines on Black Sabbath's 'War Pigs' and their own 'The Real Thing.' It is also amusing to hear singer Mike Patton ad lib lines from Technotronic's 'Pump Up the Jam' at the end of their hit 'Epic.' ~ Eduardo Rivadavia

The concept behind Blues at Sunrise is a good one: collect ten of SRV's best slow blues numbers, primarily from the official studio albums but also a couple of unreleased cuts and rarities, and sequence them as if they were a lost studio album. It's a neat idea, especially when it's packaged in artwork that deliberately evokes memories of classic blues albums from the '60s (there's even a fake, faded record ring on the front and back covers), and it's hard to fault the music here. All the obvious selections are here -- 'Ain't Gone 'N' Give Up on Love,' 'The Things (That) I Used to Do,' 'Leave My Girl Alone.' And the rarities are all worthwhile, including a live 'Texas Flood' from the Live at the El Macambo video, a live duet with Johnny Copeland on 'Tin Pan Alley' from 1985, an unreleased take of 'The Sky Is Crying' from Couldn't Stand the Weather, and a duet with Albert King on 'Blues at Sunrise' (also available on the Fantasy disc In Session). Still, some fans may complain, since this is the first posthumous release that feels as if it's trying to trick the hardcore into purchasing music they already have. That's a legitimate complaint, because there are only two songs that the hardcore won't have, and they very well may not want to sink down dollars for something that's just a reconfiguration of familiar tunes. But, as reconfigurations and repackagings go, Blues at Sunrise is strong and entertaining, working quite well as a mood piece. It may not be revelatory, but if you strip away your qualms and quibbles, it's enjoyable. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine

Released hot on the heels of their strong major-label debut, No Rest for the Wicked, 1984's Walkin' the Razor's Edge was Helix's fourth album and brought the hard-working Canadian quintet -- at the time already celebrating almost a decade of activity, amazingly enough -- to the very cusp of mainstream recognition. Unfortunately, it couldn't quite push them over the edge, though (peaking at number 69 on the Billboard charts), despite boasting a balanced set of muscular, self-penned heavy rockers and anthemic singles culled from outside songwriters that were seemingly tailor-made for American radio. Among the former were riff-powered vehicles like 'Young and Wreckless' [sic], 'When the Hammer Falls,' and 'My Kind of Rock' recalling early-?80s Judas Priest at their commercial best (think simplistic but infectious numbers like 'Heading Out to the Highway,' 'You've got Another Thing Comin',' etc.), and these became fast favorites among the group's heavy rock-loving supporters. Among the latter were the album's opening cheerleader chant of 'Rock You' (a number by Priest collaborator Bob Halligan, Jr. that was virtually all chorus, no set-up), a reworked 1969 hit for obscure Canadian bubblegum outfit Crazy Elephant named 'Gimme Gimme Good Lovin'' (for which a racy video featuring a topless, then 16-year-old Traci Lords, was shot for airing on the Playboy Channel), and a sleepy ballad named '(Make Me do) Anything You Want' (another Canadian rock relic originally released by A Foot in Cold Water) -- all of which ultimately performed short of label expectations. These also revealed Helix's Achilles' heel: their songwriting limitations, something that no amount of drive or live experience on the band's résumé could overcome. And still, Walkin' the Razor's Edge was quickly certified platinum in Canada with sales exceeding 100,000 copies, and moved another 400,000 units in the U.S.: had it not suffered from internal restructuring and inconsistent support from Helix's then record label, Capitol, there's no telling how far Helix could have gone in their career. [Reissued in 2009 by Rock Candy Records, Walkin' the Razor's Edge was augmented with three live recordings captured at the band's January 1985 performance at London's legendary Marquee Club.] ~ Eduardo Rivadavia

Although Ozzy Osbourne received enormous commercial success with 1986's THE ULTIMATE SIN, his detour into glam metal proved unsatisfying for both Osbourne and his fans. Osbourne spent most of 1987 readying his postponed live album with Randy Rhoads for release, TRIBUTE, and pondering his future musical direction. He elected to return to the kind of music that got him where he was in the first place--loud, unapologetic heavy metal. He also decided to replace guitarist Jake E. Lee with a young newcomer from New Jersey, Zakk Wylde, for 1989's NO REST FOR THE WICKED. Wylde had been a lifelong Ozzy/Sabbath fan, and resembled Randy Rhoads both in appearance and in playing style.While the album is not on par with such past classics as BLIZZARD OF OZ and DIARY OF A MADMAN, NO REST FOR THE WICKED did represent a return to Osbourne's roots (thanks in part to longtime Queen producer Roy Thomas Baker). Osbourne tackles a range of subjects throughout, such as crooked televangelists ('Miracle Man'), serial killer Charles Manson ('Bloodbath in Paradise'), and even his own struggle with alcoholism ('Demon Alcohol'). Also included is the concert favourite and popular video, 'Crazy Babies'.

It is one of the beautiful ironies of MTV's UNPLUGGED series that the artists who perform on the program often sound fuller, clearer, and more distinctive in an acoustic context than they do 'plugged in'. This is certainly the case for Argentinean superstar Diego Torres, whose live set for the video network was released in 2004 on an album titled, simply, MTV UNPLUGGED. While Torres's studio albums are slick affairs that highlight his Latin-based world fusion with production flourishes, UNPLUGGED showcases his songcraft, sultry singing, and performing flair with clarity and precision.The success of the UNPLUGGED series is often the result of stripped-down instrumentation. This is not the case with Torres, however--he is backed by keyboards, guitars, background singers, an accordion, a bandoneon, horns, and a full string section. The band teases out hints of rhumba, flamenco, and contemporary pop throughout, but wraps the whole in a cohesive sophistication perfectly suited to Torres's seductive voice. The result is a fully fleshed-out studio sound without any processed sheen, so that the romantic, lilting feel of Torres's music can shine through unhindered.