I received a few emails – not a lot, but a few – on the post subject of July 30 (BTW, Happy August to all of you, only 146 shopping days ‘til Christmas).  I had commented on the Stones signing with Universal and that aspect got the most attention.  However, some of you commented on the remarks that I made concerning lackluster later titles.  Of the five, one email even went so far as to provide a well thought-out discussion of why such a comment would be incorrect.  And I was corrected.  Music is what it is to various generations listening to it.  And I have a great example to back this up.  Some of us say that U2 gave us their best in their first 5 albums and “disappeared for the rest.”  Some even go so far as to say that the first three were the last three.  But in reality, U2 never went away, providing a lot of best-selling albums after the first three classics.  That indicates that there are fans of those other albums and lots of them.  In short, this backs up the emails that enjoyed the last three albums by The Stones.

I stand corrected.  Thanks for those emails, folks.  I’ll try not make such a statement again.

The other emails commented on what Universal would stand to gain and, again, you guys think this stuff through better than I.  Access to back catalogue with an uptick in demand for ringtones, song downloads, and perhaps a willingness to do 2CD Deluxe Editions packages is the likely impetus for such a deal.  As one email author stated, “…can you imagine audio-updated Special Editions of Exile on Main Street and xxxxxx…?”   Chills…  

Has anybody pre-ordered the Dead Can Dance SACDs?  I pre-ordered the first batch and was turned away due to sell-outs before they got to me.  The same thing has just occurred with the US SACD reissues of those catalogue re-masters.  I received my email notice from Amazon that these titles will be now be back-ordered to late August.  That is what happened on the last set and those NEVER materialized.  I wonder how many were made and if they anticipated the demand that they received?  I sincerely hope that these shortfalls are remedied as I REALLY want those SACDs.

Today, we have two reviews for you that include The Enemy UK and their US release of We’ll Live and Die in These Towns along with the lovely Jazz vocal disc called Every Time We Say Goodbye by Marilyn Scott.

We'll continue again again on Monday where we'll announce our next Best of Band poll.

If you have missed the last As The Disc Spins (updated), check it out here.

To access the previous site and catch up, click here.

Velour Records will release This Storm by Sonya Kitchell, who has been compared ro Norah Jones and Sarah McLachlan in singing style.  Her 12-track album is scheduled for September 2

Atlantic has snagged one of the cooler retro-styled R&B voices recording today in Marc Broussard.  His latest album, Keep Coming Back, will be released on September 16.

When we last left off with Lindsay Buckingham, he had released his Under the Skin solo album with excellent results.  On September 16, he returns with a new album named Gift of Screws.  Gift of Screws was recorded with John McVie and Mick Fleetwood, his old pals from the band that made Lindsay Buckingham a recognizable name.  Gift of Screws will be released as a standard issue CD in digipak, and a 180g LP, amazingly retail-priced at $19.98 (I say amazing as most labels are charging $24.98 for an 180g LP).  The LP will come with a bonus CD insert in a paper sleeve.  Reprise Records will also release this as a DD, same date.

Ex-Windham Hill Records instrumentalist, Alex DeGrassi, will release his next album on Music for Little People.  The new album is called As You Drift Away (Lullabies on  Guitar), and is a set of lullabies designed for children.  As You Drift Away is planned for September 16.

Nonesuch Records will release a self-titled duet with Edgar Meyer and Chris Thile.  Thile has gained his fame as a vocalist and mandolin player for Nickel Creek.  Edgar Meyer is a noted double bassist, who has recorded with some of the world’s great classical names.  This collaborative classical release will be issued on September 16.  An expected  Deluxe Edition of this album will contain an hour-long film (Duo) that features live performances, rehearsal footage, and discussion.

Word Entertainment will release Ordinary Dreamers to the CMG markets by Hip Hop band, Group 1 Crew.  This is expected on September 16.

Well…Christmas IS only LESS than five months away.  On September 16, Faith Hill will release a holiday collection called Joy to the World, which will feature 10 classic Christmas tunes with one new one, “A Baby Changes Everything.”  Warner Brothers will release this as a standard CD and DD.

Amanda Palmer from the duo, The Dresden Dolls, will release a solo effort called Who Killed Amanda Palmer.  The album is, in part, based on a concept by Palmer, who has published photos of herself that hint that she may be dead.  In addition to the album, there will be an interactive online game, which is a scavenger hunt for clues, and a collaborative effort with Neil Gaiman, who is writing a book based on those concepts.  Road Runner Records will release the album on September 16.  Amanda Palmer will tour to support the album through January of 2009.  Watch for six videos to be posted on YouTube every two weeks leading up to the release of this album.

Sire Records will release Hook Me Up by The Veronicas on September 16.  The Veronicas are two twin-sisters, who sing a brand of Top40 Punk-Pop.  Hook Me Up has already been released in their native Australia, entering the charts at #2 and selling 2,000,000 units.  The album has already yielded up a #1 single (“Hook Me Up”), a #2 single (“Untouched”), and a #10 single (“This Love”) in Australia.  Hook Me Up will be released on CD and become available as a DD.

Technically, this does not count as a music DVD release although one of my warmest memories of a variety show band inclusion comes from a David Frost-stage, rebroadcast in the US on The Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour.  That was The Beatles singing “Hey Jude” on a crowded stage.  It was so personable that I’ve yet to forget it.  In any case, The Smothers Brothers always seemed to add a great band in their shows.  Season Three of their show will be made available by Time/Life and will feature the period between 1968-1969 with 11 episodes and bonus features.  Some of the performances on this, their last season, are by The Doors, Ike & Tina, Donovan, Harry Belafonte, Ray Charles, Judy Collins, Joan Baez, and others.  This 4DVD set is planned for September 16.

As a side-note, Reprise Records will release a 12” vinyl Maxi-Single coming up from Neil Young that will contain “Ordinary People” as an A-side along with 3 B-sides.  Release date is as-yet-undetermined.  We’ll keep you informed on this.

Warner Brothers will be releasing the upcoming Metallica album, Death Magnetic, in several forms.  Thus far, a standard CD is planned as well as a standard LP issue and a 5LP Deluxe Edition.  Death Magnetic will be released in September.

Word Entertainment will release a holiday set by Barlowgirl called Home for Christmas.  This CMG title is expected on September 23 with 11 holiday classics. 

Centricity Records will release a CMG title from Downhere called Ending is Beginning.  The album is planned for September 23.  You can catch some songs on their MySpace page.

Jenny Lewis (Rilo Kiley) will release a solo album on September 23 called Acid Tongue.  This album will feature work by guest artists that include Elvis Costello (returning the favour as she contributed to his Momofuku), Chris Robinson (Black Crowes), and others.  The album will be released as a standard CD, and DD.  It will also be released at a later date as a 2LP set (standard weight) in a gatefold jacket and a bonus CD in a paper sleeve.  Three sides of the LP set will feature music while the fourth side will contain a special etching.

Finally, the Rhino/Atlantic collection for Bette Midler announced many months ago will be released.  It is called Jackpot – The Best Bette and will contain all of her classics including a previously unreleased track, “Something Your Heart has Been Telling Me.”  Jackpot is currently releasing on September 23.

The Enemy UK is a band that embraces music like we heard from The Jam and other classics back in those long ago years. I really like the band and am already anxiously awaiting their next album. However, We'll Live and Die in These Towns have a lot of releases in various locations and sport a lot of extra bonus tracks that you might want to track down and collect if you happen to become a fan. I love 'em!!

There's a lot of good music coming out of the UK. One of those gems is the Paul Weller approved The Rifles. We stumbled across them in our investigations and are now very happy to introduce you to them. Enjoy them.