Sony is once again kicking the wheels on a new bid for Hi-Rez music by beginning a new venture.  This one will take advantage of the technologies that powers the Blu-ray machinery by offering CDs that utilize the smaller wavelength of the blue laser.  This can effectively cram more info on a standard CD but…guess what?!  You’re going to need a specialized player much like you did with the SACD format.  And at the moment, those aren’t cheap.  They’ll obviously be playable on any Blu-ray DVD player, but, if you’re like me, I don’t have one where I would get the most use out of it.  Playing it from my present location just doesn’t do it for me.  I need the comfort of my “room” for that flow of music.

Now, don’t get me wrong.  I champion the effort.  I WANT hi-rez music.  If SACDs aren’t going to resurrect, then let it be Blu-ray CD.  Sony is now starting to make available many classic titles like Rocks (Aerosmith), Kind of Blue (Miles Davis); 52nd Street (Billy Joel), an assortment of classical titles, and many others.  (I knew they had that Rocks hi-rez mix complete and now we’re going to get it…just not on SACD).  In looking for stand-alone CD hardware, I was stunned to find them selling around 600-700 USD.  Wow!  And we don’t even know what the Blu-Ray CDs are going to sell for yet.

My fear is that while more Blu-ray players are in homes than SACD players ever were, we’ll still be met with the same roadblocks that prevented SACD and DVD-Audio discs from strongly developing into a nice solid industry.  At this moment, it is a baby waiting to grow but definitely depending on the nurture of adopters and the CD-buying public.  But with downloading and the digital markets having such a strong foothold, I’m doubting the potentials of success and am fearful of being stuck with just a handful of Blu-ray music CDs, and Sony deciding to bail out of the market because it wasn’t strong enough.

Sony should approach this on the plane that this will not be anything other than a niche market, appealing only to a small market of hi-rez fans.  Otherwise, I’m not even sure I want to invest too much into this at this point.  I’ll wait until the hardware drops in price (when?), pick one up, and then go from there.  Until I pick up the stand-alone player, I’ll unhappily play these on my Blu-ray player where I’ll enjoy them less.  Us music fans are SO finicky, we’d make Morris the Cat proud.

We’ll keep an eye on this developing market and report back to you as it begins to grow legs.

I want to make mentions of several deaths that have occurred that were noticeable in the world. The first is for Johnny "Red" Kerr, a non-music related death, I know, but nevertheless unsettling to me (and others) as he represented The Chicago Bulls as not only their first coach (1966) but also as the announcer/recipient of the cloud of resin smacked into the air directly in front of Kerr's location by the legendary Michael Jordan. If you remember Jordan performing this ritual, then you'll likely remember seeing Johnny Kerr doing his best to avoid the particle-filled air. We'll seriously miss him in every way!

On February 19, Kelly Groucutt, who played bass for the immensely successful period of Electric Light Orchestra (ELO), died after having suffered a heart attack the previous day. He is as viable a part of the sound of ELO as any other musician. His contributions are immortalized on ELO's best works. Groucutt performed on subsequent formations of ELO in various incarnations as well as having maintained a solo career. He joins the seemingly faster growing band of 2009 but like all that preceded him, he adds his own special brand of play that enhances.

Please 2009... slow down.

We will have three reviews (I hope) up for you on next post but none today. MusicTAP is beginning a new Best of Band Poll today with Jethro Tull being the center of attention. All you have to do is to email me at this link and tell me what Jethro Tull album is the band's best ever. When I come back, I'll round up the answers and post the results like we always do. Have fun with this one.

We’ll see you on Wednesday for the final post for a few weeks.  We’ll be back on Monday, March 16.  We will be providing plenty of information from the road on our Twitter feeds so if you haven’t signed up for those, please do so at the widget found below.  If you need to begin a Twitter account, you can do so at the widget as well.  Once signed, there is an option to turn on Text feeds to your cell phones, which is a cool feature.  But if you shun Twitter all together, you can come back here and just read the updates on the widget.  See, there are plenty of ways to get updates even though the MusicTAP site itself will not be updated for a while.

Please bear in mind that the music industry slows way down during the SXSW shows in Austin.  Many industry folks are there scouting new talent and such, and, as a result, updates get pushed to the side.  But we’ll post what we get so keep checking.  Thanks to those who have signed on as Twitter friends.  In addition, The Digital Bits has also joined the Twitter revolution where they’ll be offering pre-post info and alerts.  Keep them in mind as well if you decide to get caught up in the Twitter frenzy.  And it’s not just us.  News and congressman feeds are rampant.  It’s awesome to be a part of.

One more thing. I had a TAP reader resend me a list for Albums That You MUST Hear Before You Die! (I lost 2, his being one of them). Yes, I lost it again. Please resend...again. and I apologize.

I'm a fan of all kinds of music and this next offering shows it. But it was just too fantastic for me to not post a link to the video. What the heck, I'll display the video because it's so much fun. It is Skafish, a late '70s/early '80s IRS Records recording artist that was based in Chicago, but in his current stage. The music is straight from the illegal records' single of "Disgracing the Family Name." I enjoyed the hell out of it; I hope you do too. Good 'ol Chicago Punk!

We have three winners of The Pains of Being Pure at Heart CDs. The following TAP readers can soon expect the debut S/T within their mailboxes. The winners are:

• Tony Bonagura
• Kevin Byrnes
• Rodney Sheaffer

Enjoy the music and thanks for all those that tried to win a copy. Believe me, if I could, I'd send you ALL one. Our next contest is coming up next post and is a copy of the 1975 Dreamweaver album by Gary Wright. The BIG difference is that this one will be an autographed copy. Nice. But I only have one.

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.

Lost Highway Records will release the album by Ryan Bingham called Roadhouse Sun, planning the release for May 5.

UMe Imports will release a CD for Nick Drake called Family Tree.  It is currently on the slate for a release date of April 14.

A Woman, A Man Walked By from PJ Harvey and John Parish is expected by Island Records on March 31.

James Taylor will come back with a new album of covers called simply, Other Covers.  It will be released by Hear Music and is currently slated for April 7.

Interscope Records will release the next album by Yeah, Yeah, Yeahs on April 14.  The new album is called It’s Blitz.

Universal/Motown will reissue a string of Motown classic albums in LP form on April 14.  These will include desirable titles like Reach Out (Four Tops); ABC (Jackson Five); United (Marvin Gaye/Tammi Terrell); Street Songs (Rick James); A Quiet Storm (Smokey Robinson); Diana Ross (Diana Ross); I Hear a Symphony (The Supremes); Cloud Nine (The Temptations); and Songs in the Key of Life (Stevie Wonder).  Awesome!!

The missing album in the completion of the Alan Parsons Project restoration series, Vulture Culture, is coming.  Legacy and RCA will release the album on March 3.  Keep an eye out for it.

Shout! Factory will release The Definitive Buddy Guy for the great Buddy Guy on April 14.  We’ll let you know more as we get it.

Last year, Legacy released the Live Simon & Garfunkel album, Live 1969, via the Starbucks path.  Now that that has played out, the masses who chose not to go the Starbucks route can now pick up a copy of the album in stores beginning on April 14.  Good news.

Roadrunner Records will release a 2LP version of All Hope is Gone by Slipknot on April 18.  They will also release And You Were a Crow by The Parlor Mob on 2LPs, same date.

Nonesuch Records will reissue several Wilco titles on 180g LP.  On April 18, Nonesuch will re-release Summerteeth on 2LPs as well as Being There on 2LPs.  Both 2LP titles will also come with a bonus CD.  They will also release AM on a single LP (also comes with the same bonus CD).

Atlantic Records will re-release 1970-1975, the Genesis Box on 180g vinyl LP.  This Box set is planned for April 14.

Sire Records will release Common Struggles by Single File on LP planning the release for April 7.

Reprise Records will release Fork in the Road by Neil Young on March 31.  There will also be a CD/DVD Deluxe Edition of this title released on the same date.

Sony Classical presents the Various Artists 2CD collection of African-American artists, celebrated for their contributions to music on the Carnegie Hall event. While this collection does very little justice to the overall impact (you'd need an expansive Box for that), it does provide a nice sampling of what we have come to know as essentials. Lift Every Voice does a nice job in providing a peak into the music of African Americans.

The new album by one pf the world's largest band, U2, is being physically released on March 3 in various forms including a magazine. While the incarnations of the album's release might be a bit of overkill, especially when you consider the extraordinary costs of a few of those issues, they do represent a bit of a collectible side for those that are collectors. No Line on the Horizon is a 'shaken' album of of historical U2 and new U2. To be sure, you'll get what you want from this one.