I'm feeling a bit uninspired today. With all that has kept me up for the last few weeks, it doesn't surprise me to have a lack of thought going on. Regardless, news is not too bad...for now. Austin's music showcase, SXSW (South by SouthWest) has captured the attentions of many a music label and so our announcements for next week will likely be somewhat piddly. it has certainly impacted our Twitter output.

Apologies all around for this terrible lack of discussion material. Lord knows that there is plenty around to springboard off of. I'll be back for sure on Monday with a ton of reviews, a final "lost" email (#41), and what you might call an April 21 well. I'll leave that for you to muse over until them.

Monday, we'll have three really cool reviews coming at you. We have an America review, a Pete Doherty review, and one for the upcoming reissue of Ten by Pearl Jam. Soon, we'll also have one of the recently released batch of Alan Parsons Project reissues as well as the upcoming Steve Forbert release. We'll see you then. Enjoy these few days off.

Last month, we retired our Albums You MUST Hear Before You Die! I had lost two emails and could not locate them for the life of me. Last week, one several of our lost emails came back to us via the authors and so we're posting his their selections now. Enjoy #40! It comes from Troy, who comments his selections of 10 'MUST hear' album classics:

1. The Beatles - Abbey Road . The last album the Beatles recorded. This is the first of their albums I experienced (I was born in 1970). I still have the originally my folks bought way back when. The energy and emotion in every track is like they were throwing one big party to send their selves on different paths. You can feel the joy, the excitement, and sometimes the sorrow during a listen to this masterpiece. 

2. Jimmy Buffett - You Had To Be There. Awesome live double album. The sound is incredible and the adlibs are great, this is buffett during his wilder days and he keeps the energy up throughout. This is what a live show should be. A few of the songs never made it to other Buffett albums but are excellent just the same. 

3. Cheap Trick – Cheap Trick (1977). The first and probably the hardest the guys will rock till they got out of the 80’s. The musicianship on these tracks are fantastic. Cheap Trick are one of the most underrated bands ever. 

4. Def Leppard – Hysteria. The first made for CD album created. They put the max limit on the amount of time you could fit on a CD and every second of it is pure listening joy. The sounds, the effects, the music…. A explosion of joy for you ears. Just put on the headphones, close your eyes, and enjoy over an hour of the best pop metal ever created. 

5. Great White – Once Bitten. A hidden treasure of metal/blues. The songs “Rock Me” and “Save Your Love” are reasons enough to get this one. Overall it is listenable from start to finish. This has always been one of my favorite bands and this is by far one of their best. 

6. Sammy Hagar - Sammy Hagar (Later renamed “I Never Said Goodbye”. This is the one that he was still under contract with Geffen to put out after he joined Van Halen. You can feel that he really let loose on this one and did everything he wanted to. The songs “Give To Live” and “Eagles Fly” are the hits off of this one but there is so much more. “Boys Night Out”, “Back Into You”, “Hands And Knees”, “Returning Home”, “Privacy”…. Every song on here rocks out. This is probably my # 2 pick for Albums you must hear before you die. 

7. Huey Lewis And The News – Sports. Rock N Roll at its finest. “Heart Of Rock N Roll”, “If This Is It”, “I Want A New Drug”, and “Heart And Soul”…. If you listened to the radio in 1983 – 1984 you are bound to know these songs. From start to finish this is the Best album they ever did. 

8. Motley Crue – Dr. Feelgood. This is the one that put them over…. The edge. From beginning to end a scorcher of what all the other metal bands wanted to be. The production is top notch and the sound is incredible. This is one of the finest metal cds ever created. “Dr. Feelgood”, “Don’t Go Away Mad”, “Without You”, and “Kickstart My Heart” are still staples for any Motley Crue fan. 

9. Elvis Presley – Heart and Soul. Yes a compilation cd. If ever there was an artist that could make you feel the emotion from his voice it is Elvis Presley. “Are You Lonesome Tonight?”, “Anything That’s Part Of You”, “Always On My Mind”, “Love Letters”, and “Suspicious Minds” each one of these are driven by the power of Elvis’ voice. Elvis is forever and always the King and for a good reason. 

10. Van Halen – 5150. This is the #1 for me. It is all here. The band just gained the best singer alive in Sammy Hagar and you can feel the joy and excitement in the music. “Love Walks In”, “5150”, “Dreams”, “Summer Nights”, “Best Of Both Worlds”, and “Good Enough”… all classics and the album went straight to number 1. In an age where video was how you sold music the band instead refused to make any videos for this album and let the music do the talking. If I had to have just one cd in my collection this would be the 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.

Koch Lorber Films will be releasing a Philip Glass documentary DVD called Glass: A Portrait of Philip in Twelve Parts.  It is scheduled to be televised on the PBS series, American Masters, on April 8, and will follow in DVD form on April 21.  The CD soundtrack is scheduled for April 7 by Orange Mountain Music.  The 2DVD set will feature the 119-minute film and over 3 hours of bonus features.  Essential!

Columbia/Legacy is preparing three Legacy Editions for classic titles from classic stars.  These include Time Out ( 1959) by The Dave Brubeck Quartet, which will contain 2CD/1DVD containing a CD of previously unreleased live recordings from the Newport Jazz Festival (1961-64); Sketches of Spain (1959) by Miles Davis, a 2CD set with rehearsal and alternate takes, and a Live Carnegie Hall performance with Gil Evans from 1961; and Mingus Ah Um (1959) by Charles Mingus, a 2CD set that includes the album’s sequel recording, Mingus Dynasty as well as four bonus sessions tracks and three alternate takes.  These classics are scheduled for May 26 to celebrate the 50th Anniversaries of these albums.

Legacy will also release a 2CD Legacy Edition of Drums of Passion (1959) by Olatunji.  This 50th Anniversary Edition will include the original album and the followup, More Drums of Passion (1966).  Drums of Passion is believed to have greatly influenced many artists.  It is also scheduled for May 26.

A week ago, we Twittered two Fantasy Records titles from Creedence Clearwater Revival.  The titles are Creedence Covers the Classics, and The Concert (40th Anniversary Edition.  Both of these CDs are slated for May 26.

Aftermath Records will release Aftermath by Eminem in both Edited and PA versions on May 19.

Domo Records plan to release a Kitaro title called Impressions of the West Lake on April 28.

My Chemical Romance will be releasing a Limited Edition of ¡Venganza!, an extended edition with more stuff, on March 31.

Shadows Fall will form their own boutique label (with WEA), and has announced that they will be releasing a new album in the Fall of ’09.

Columbia via Legacy will release Grace Around the World, a multi-disc tribute to Jeff Buckley that is a DVD planned for June 2.  The 118-minute DVD will be contained with a 12-track CD, while a separate Limited Edition Deluxe package will also contain the documentary DVD, Amazing Grace: Jeff Buckley.

On May 26, Columbia and Legacy will release a DVD called Celebrating a Masterpiece: Kind of Blue.  This is a breakout DVD from the Deluxe Box set of the legendary Miles Davis title.  The DVD contains interviews, performances, and a CBS TV special broadcast in 1960.

The upcoming April 14 reissue of Maximum R&B Live DVD by The Who will be a Deluxe Limited Edition featuring bonus videos (“I Can’t Explain” – 1969; “Baba O’Riley” – 1977; “Won’t Get Fooled Again” – 1982) and some new interview footage.  The second DVD will include the previously unreleased RockPalast (Germany – March 28, 1981) Concert.  Re-released by Geffen Records.

Fantasy Records will release a 2CD remixed and remastered album called The Complete Tony Bennett/Bill Evans Recordings.  The first CD will house two their two collaborative albums (The Tony Bennett/Bill Evans Album, originally released in 1975, and Together Again (1976)), along with two unreleased tracks from those sessions.  The second disc will supply alternate takes from the sessions of those two albums, five from the first and 16 from the second.  This set is planned for April 14.

Rick Barry is a singer/songwriter from New Jersey who has created a grand album of insights. This album is actually an EP with 6 tracks. But the tracks are excellent making This Antediluvian World an acquisition of interest. Investigate!

The Library is making some very exciting music, showcased on their preceding 4-track EP whilst they cook up the real deal full length. But from what we've heard, we're gonna like the upcoming album quite a bit, maybe even more than that. Check out their music on MySpace (link in the review).