Do you ever have one of those moments where you're driving, the sun is either just coming up, (or going down, or at high noon, for that matter), and a certain song begins to play on the radio.  That certain song becomes like an opiate and all of a sudden, a soundtrack is playing.  You drift just a little, and all of a sudden, the way you see and experience your surroundings changes.  You're just not driving on a road in the country or a downtown street, or even a highway or interstate; you're experiencing a part of your life in a unique way. 

It might be nothing important – no first kiss, no involving incidents.  It is just the song of the moment that captures the essence of the sunrise, or the solitude of the place, or even the bustle of normality only more focused; redefined; an illuminating essence of the moment that you have just entered.

And you have bookmarked the time with a song.  It may be that the soundtrack moment exists for just the time you entered in.  It purifies the place, it clarifies the point of time.  And then like the decaying moments of a buzz or natural high, it is gone.  Or, it is so beautiful that you'll always mark that moment and place with the song that provided the entry point into that “other dimension,” that very private but very beautiful moment that belongs to you only.  No one else will understand it nor even care.  But to you...to you it was an epiphany that made everything right, even if for just the moment.

Everytime you hear the song, your brain transports you back to the moment in which it gained an infinite and priceless value.  The song, which used to be good, or even loved, just entered into immortality.

I enjoy such moments now and again.  Songs that I have heard a thousand times.  But at a place and time, a visual thing that is enhanced by the song, the music becomes more than it has ever been.

I had such a moment this morning.  My wife has a Bread 'best of' in her car's CD player that she has popped in when Larry Knechtel died.  I happened to drive the car to work this morning and “If” played as the dawn skies were beginning to brighten.  I'm driving on 55N heading toward the 405S around 6a and what I saw before me as I drove – the beauty of dawn, a few passing cars – became enhanced by the song.  And the duration of the song became a soundtrack to that place and time.  I may not remember everything about it but the next time that I hear “If,” I know that it will sound different.

Ever have one of those moments?  I'm betting you have.  If not, you need to listen to more music.

If you are into music, in college, and seek a career in online marketing, then Nettwerk Records has an intern position available for you. Here's a link to the the announcement that I sincerely hope someone can take advantage of.

No reviews for today (we have them, and they're cool) as we work ourselves into a small Labor Day weekend frenzy. But we do have Round 26 of our long-running Great Album covers.

Please note that this is a holiday weekend here in the US. As a result, our next post will be on Wednesday, September 9. We'll have your cool stuff then. Promise!

And so, on we go...

Round 26 of Great Album Covers:

James K.:

We have very, very little to report but no matter. We have this nice bit of release news that should be more than sufficient. Retrieved from the Tom Petty site, here it is in its fullness, They say it so much better than I would have (with thanks to David C., who alerted us):

We are very excited to announce the upcoming release of  Tom Petty and The Heartbreakers' The Live Anthology, a multiple disc set of recordings drawn from  thirty yearsof  live performances. The collection brings together material from 1978-2007 culled from hundreds of hours of  live concert recordingscovering every era of  Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers’ tours and represents the best tracks as chosen by producers  Tom Petty, Mike Campbell and Ryan
Ulyate. 

Along with powerful interpretations of their own  classic hits and originals, The Live Anthology features the band tackling some of their best-loved cover material, from classics to obscure beauties to unexpected adaptations. The theme from TomPetty.com Announcing 'The Live Anthology'Goldfinger, the Zombies’ “ I Want You Back Again,” the Grateful Dead’s “ Friend of the Devil,” early Fleetwood Mac’s “Oh Well,” Booker T. and the MGs “ Green Onions”,  James Brown’s “Good,  Good Lovin’” and many more. The Live Anthology is the band’s story told through the music alone; the producers made no fixes or overdubs. 

In addition to offering The Live Anthology via digital outlets including  iTunes, The Live Anthology will be available in the following four configurations, each with artwork and packaging by renowned  contemporary artist  Shepard Fairey (Studio Number One, Obey Giant). 

1. A four CD set of 48 tracks. 

2. A deluxe box set featuring 62 tracks on five CDs PLUS
- Two previously unreleased DVDs including the 1978 New Year’s Eve concert from Santa Monica , CA and the Martyn Atkins documentary 400 Days shot during the recording and tour forWildflowers. 

- A re-mastered vinyl of the 1976 Official Live 'Leg bootleg. 

- A High Resolution Blu-ray Audio Disc featuring all 62 tracks in both stereo and 5.1 surround sound. This disc has 256 times more audio resolution than a CD.

- AND MUCH MORE (see details below). 

3. A seven LP vinyl box set mastered directly from the uncompressed 24-bit 96K files and pressed on audiophile quality high performance vinyl. 

4. The entirely unique Tom Petty and The Heartbreakers Superhighway Tour 

The Tom Petty and The Heartbreakers Superhighway Tour is a first of its kind digital tour experience that delivers to ticketholders 24 of the 48 Live Anthology tracks over an 8 week advance period. During this period ticketholders will receive an insider’s view of those 24 tracks, whether through archived memorabilia, new band commentary, classic reviews from the vaults, and more amassed rare vintage Tom Petty and The Heartbreakers content. 

Upon the official street date of the album ticket holders will digitally receive the remaining 24 tracks on The Live Anthology, thereby completing the entire album. 

Tickets for the entire 8 week SuperHighway Tour will go onsale soon and the Tour will start with a FREE PREVIEW including a FREE DOWNLOAD from The Live Anthology. 

More information including The Live Anthology release date will also follow soon from TomPetty.com. 

In the meantime, we hope you enjoy our new website. Many more features will be added in the coming weeks! 

Rhino Handmade will reissue I Am The Cosmos by Chris Bell. It will be issued, with new notes, as a 2CD, 6-panel digipak album on September 28. SO nice to see Rhino Handmade back...

Universal Republic will release new Lucero (their 6th) called 1372 Overton Park, planning for October 6.

The band is fronted by brothers Sonny and Michael Kilfoyle who are self-described “New Yorkers/Brooklynites by way of  Boston.”  Their intentions are pure, and their music is loud. They’ve got a 4-song EP, Teen Age, out now, digitally.

There is a downloadable free MP3, "Casually Sad Mercedes" that you can have.

They can be sampled further at their MySpace,and Facebook pages.

If you ever liked Echo and the Bunnymen, Siouxie and the Banshees, and/or killing Joke, then we have a new discovery for you. The Opposite Sex from DC has returned with an EP that juice those of you who appreciate good talent and that draws influence from the music that you loved in the past.

Their new (09/01) EP, Live + Burn follows their Violent Heartstrings from 2007 with more great music. I'll be surprised if you DON'T like 'em. To get you started, they are gifitng you with a free downloadable MP3 from the EP, "Frozen Heart, Frozen Mind."

They can be sampled further at their MySpace, Facebook, and LastFM. You can even follow 'em on Twitter.