August 13, 2008

DON’T STOP THIS NOISE

Seems the QUEEN + Paul Rodgers ride the mischievous horse. Earlier on, it was reported here – judging on the three’s interview – that the secret cover song on the forthcoming “The Cosmos Rocks” album, out in a month, will be Del Shannon’s “Runaway”. But, as the tracklist reveals, the song is in fact a mash-up of two songs: “Surf’s Up” by THE BEACH BOYS and Alice Cooper’s “School’s Out!”. More so, there’s a studio version of “Warboys” that Rodgers debuted on his last year’s “Live In Glasgow” CD and DVD. And is “Still Burnin'” an update of BAD COMPANY’s “Burning Sky”?

Anyway, the special edition of “The Cosmos Rocks” will include a DVD from their 2005 show in Japan, although the bonus is rather slim if compared with the Japanese double DVD.

EVIL MINDS THAT PLOT

In an earlier post on the September 29th re-release of BLACK SABBATH’s “Paranoid” was suggested it would be “War Pigs” with an alternative set of lyrics. But the confirmed tracklisting shows it’s the title song and “Planet Caravan”, while “War Pigs” as well as the rest of the cuts are early instrumental versions. Of course, it’s going to be deluxe digipak packaging with comprehensive liner notes and photos in the booklet. What’s more important, though, that this release signals the start of a new SABBATH re-issue programme, which means there’ll finally be previously unheard material attached to the next albums.

PICTURES IN YER BRAIN

September 29th will also see the premiere of the deluxe editions of two classic ELP albums, “Pictures At An Exhibition” and “Brain Salad Surgery”. Both are out as 2CD sets, the first featuring both original version – in remastered form, of course – of the album laid down live in Newcastle in March 1971, and the programme earlier run, recorded in London’s Lyceum in December 1970. This show was filmed, and the first DVD release of the footage had the audio version of the other side of the first ever, not-so-practical, CD/DVD hybrid. Now, though, the quality’s much better and there are some bonuses.

As for “Brain Salad Surgery”, the second disc is all bonus material, from the previousy unissued cuts to the “New Musical Express” 1973’s flexi with the album extracts and the record’s title track that didn’t fit unto the finished record – plus the 5.1 mix of the album.

August 13, 2008