New Fall Music Releases - 2011

Like it or not, autumn has arrived. And while the weather may not be warm and enjoyable, and the cold grip of winter may be closer than we would like, autumn does bring some enjoyable moments. There’s the changing color of the leaves, football, and of course, new music releases. Listed below are some of this autumn’s upcoming albums that I am most excited about.

September

Pearl Jam – 20 Soundtrack – September 20th
While not really a new release, Pearl Jam is going to put out an album in September that coincides with the Cameron Crowe documentary being released in theaters that same month. The album contains notable live tracks recorded during Pearl Jam’s twenty year history. Rare tracks and B-sides are also included. This two disc set will be available on September 20th and is highly recommended for die-hard fans and newcomers alike.

Superheavy – Superheavy – September 20th
Mick Jagger. Dave Stewart. Joss Stone. One great super group. Their debut album drops on September 20th and fans can expect an incredible collection of beautiful sound. What started in 2009 as a bunch of friends jamming in the studio, eventually led to this debut release. Dave Stewart and Mick Jagger have worked together before and have great chemistry. With the addition of other famous band members, expectations are high. The world will know in September if Superheavy can live up to the hype. My money says that they can.

Blink 182 – Neighborhoods – September 27th
With their first release of new music in over eight years, Blink 182 is marking their triumphant comeback. After a long reunion tour last year, the band got together and went into the studio to record Neighborhoods. First single, “Up All Night,” has been gotten a lot of airplay in anticipation of the disc. The song is all right, but I am hopeful that the rest of the record will have more of that classic Blink 182 sound that made me fall in love with the band.

Nirvana – Nevermind 20th Anniversary Edition – September 27th
Getting the much deserved anniversary treatment is Nirvana’s smash success, Nevermind. With unreleased tracks and a boatload of extras, the Anniversary Edition of Nevermind promises to be a real treat for Nirvana fans. I was surprised to hear about the inclusion of unreleased tracks. I thought they had all been picked clean and added to the box set With The Light’s Out. Apparently there were still a few more treats in the Nirvana vault.

Wilco – The Whole Love – September 27th
As the follow up to one of Wilco’s strongest releases (Wilco (the album)), Wilco will be releasing The Whole Love on September 27th. Anytime a new Wilco album is released, it’s an exciting time for music. Wilco is one of those prolific bands that never quite pushed into the upper stratosphere of fame, yet continually release exceptional albums that music fans will love. If The Whole Love is even half as good as Wilco (The Album) was, then the music world will have a real treat on their hands.

ChickenFoot – ChickenFoot III – September 27th
Another super group has a major release in September. However, this one is the band’s second release. Chickenfoot (consisting of members Sammy Hagar, Michael Anthony, Joe Satriani, and Chad Smith) will be releasing their sophomore effort and the rock world is excited to hear what this excellent band has come up with. Their debut album went Gold, and if they continue to build off the success of their debut, Chickenfoot III has a great chance to go platinum. I personally cannot wait to hear this record. I am sure that it will be amazing.

October

Feist – Metals – October 4th
Feist is a band (singer) that I don’t pay enough attention to. It’s not because they aren’t good, it’s just that some bands slip through the cracks, and Feist is one of them. Their new disc, Metals, will be available on October 4th and I hope to be able to spend some time with it and post a review. Metals will be Feist’s first release since 2007’s The Reminder, which contained the huge hit “1,2,3,4.” Hopefully the new disc will continue in that superb trend and have some exceptional music for all of us to enjoy.

Jane’s Addiction – The Great Escape Artist – October 4th
For their first album in eight years, Jane’s Addiction went through several bass players before finally meshing with Dave Stiek. The Great Escape Artist is an album that fans have waited a while to hear. After the tour behind 2003’s Strays, Jane’s Addiction broke up again and reunited in 2008 with no new record to support. Instead, they went on tour with Nine Inch Nails, to the delight of fans. At the end of that tour, original bassist, Eric Avery, decided that the reunion was enough for him and it was time to move on. Jane’s subsequently drafted Duff McKagan to join the band, but after a few recording sessions, there was a mutual breakup. It will be interesting to hear what this new music from Jane’s Addiction is all about. With Perry Farrell at the helm, you know it’s going to be good.

Ryan Adams – Ashes & Fire – October 11th
After announcing his retirement from music, Ryan Adams took some time off and everyone thought that it may be the last he was ever heard from. Fortunately, music lovers everywhere can rejoice, because Ryan Adams ventured into the studio and will be releasing his first solo album in years, Ashes & Fire. While it’s only been four years since the release of his last Cardinals record (Cardinology), it has been quite a long time since the last solo Adams record was released. It will be interesting to learn what direction his music has moved toward.

Evanescence - Evanescence – October 11th
Evanescence is another band that I enjoy but do not pay nearly enough attention to. Their self titled latest release hits stores on October 11th and if it’s anywhere near as good as their last album (2006’s The Open Door) then fans can rejoice. Evanescence has been silent for a while and I’m curious to know if that time off has helped or hurt the band. Five years is a long time between releases, but sometimes that helps a band come back stronger than ever.

November

The Beach Boys – The SMILE Sessions – November 1st
Still around after many years of making music, The Beach Boys are releasing a highly anticipated box set of unreleased material, The Smile Sessions. This set includes tracks that were recorded between 1966 and 1967, when the band was at their peak. This set contains the songs that were meant to be the original Smile album as well as unreleased demos, mixes, and more. This is an album that fans have been eager to hear for more than 40 years, and on November 1st, their patience will finally be rewarded. The only question that remains is whether a 50 year anniversary reunion tour will happen.

Lou Reed and Metallica – LuLu – November 1st
Lou Reed. Metallica. Together they recorded an album. It will be released on November 1st. Do I really need to say anymore? I am extremely curious to see what fruit this collaboration will bear. Metallica has done some ground breaking and risky things during their career, but this latest move is the strangest, yet most alluring, of them all. This could be the most anticipated and interesting record of all the fall releases.

New autumn releases…You rock!

Some Notable 20th Anniversaries Are Coming Up

1991 was a good year for music. A lot of great albums from some amazing bands were released. A few incredible debuts were also released during. Some of those albums are receiving the 20th anniversary deluxe edition treatment. Some of them have already received it (notably, Pearl Jam’s Ten). And then there are some albums that deserve the extended treatment, but probably will not see any anniversary edition released (Red Hot Chili Peppers anyone?).

1991 also brought with it some sad moments in rock and roll history. Both Eric Carr and Freddie Mercury passed away that year. I remember hearing the news for each of their deaths and being devastated. They passed away on the same day, and seeing how they were both members of my favorite bands at the time, it was a horrendous week for me as a fan. To lose the drummer of Kiss was hard enough, but then to find out that Freddie Mercury passed away, well, it was almost more than I could bear. I actually walked around in a depressive state for a while.

1991 was also the year that one of my favorite bands, The Dave Matthews Band, formed and embarked on their first tour. This would become a tradition that lasted until just this year, when the band decided they needed a break from touring and instead headlined a series of festivals (dubbed the DMB Caravan) across the USA.

1991 brought with it a lot of albums that would be added to my seriously growing record collection. By that year, my collection was well in the hundreds, and I couldn’t stop adding to it. Some of the notable records that I bought that year are listed below. All of these albums are celebrating their 20th anniversary this year.

N.W.A. – Niggaz4Life
I bought N.W.A.’s Niggaz4Life shortly after its release and promptly played the hell out of it for the rest of the year. As a senior in high school, I was just starting to really appreciate rap music, hip-hop, and other types of music outside of the hard rock/heavy metal mainstream. Although I was a fan of Public Enemy (and still am), it was N.W.A. that really spoke to me and showed me what hip-hop could be when taken to the level of gangsta rap. I loved Niggaz4Life in a way that I had not loved many albums in a long time. Even to this day, I can remember almost all of the lyrics on the record. And while I don’t necessarily agree with or praise the misogyny and violence that it contained, back when I was 18, it was a pure love affair.

U2 – Achtung Baby
With the release of Achtung Baby, U2 not only provided us with one of their greatest albums ever, they also provided us with one of their greatest songs ever---“One.” This song was a ballad to end all ballads, and to this day, it can still be played numerous times in a row without getting old. However, that wasn’t the only gem on U2’s magnificent Acthung Baby. “The Fly,” “Mysterious Ways,” and the rarely praised (but equally fantastic) “So Cruel” all were included on Achtung Baby. Other than The Joshua Tree, this may have been the band’s greatest release to that point.

Guns N Roses – Use Your Illusion I & II
The epitome of rock and roll was released in 1991 when Guns N Roses gave the world two massive albums --- Use Your Illusion I and Use Your Illusion II. These records were nothing short of perfection, and rivaled albums that even the late greats (like Led Zeppelin) had ever released in their career. If Appetite For Destruction put Guns N Roses on the map, it was Use Your Illusion I & II that launched the band into the untouchable superstardom ionosphere. Never had a band’s album release been so highly anticipated. And when the records came out, they did not disappoint. Each album is a specially crafted work of art and a brilliant beauty. If Guns N Roses hadn’t imploded shortly after the Use Your Illusion Tour, there’s no telling what additional magic they could have made. Thankfully, they left us with two of the greatest rock records to ever be recorded.

Nirvana – Nevermind
Often referred to as the band that marched in the grunge explosion (and executed the death of hair metal at the same time) Nirvana released their major label debut, Nevermind in 1991. Nevermind was an album unlike any other. Never before had we heard such magnificent noise emulating from a rock band. From "Smells Like Teen Spirit" to "In Bloom," Nirvana changed the entire culture of music with one small record. The world of rock and roll would never be the same.

Pearl Jam – Ten
One of my favorite bands unleashed their debut album on the world, and ironically enough, I wasn’t even sure I was going to buy it. I felt that Pearl Jam was an overhyped band trying to cash in on the success of Nirvana. Back in 1991 I was more of a Nirvana fan than a Pearl Jam fan, which seems rather comical to me now. When I finally did purchase a copy of Ten, I wasn’t all that impressed. Sure, “Alive” was a great song, and “Black” was a ballad to be remembered forever, but overall, I wasn’t certain about the disc. Thankfully I gave it a chance, and over time it became one of my favorite albums as Pearl Jam became one of my favorite bands.

Red Hot Chili Peppers – Blood, Sugar, Sex, Magik
Sell outs. That’s how many of their fans labeled the Red Hot Chili Peppers when they released one of their best albums ever (and their greatest album up until that point in their career), Blood, Sugar, Sex, Magik. It wasn’t necessarily the band’s fault that their new sound caught on with such a vengeance. The Red Hot Chili Peppers were searching for a new vibe to take their music to the next level. With producer Rick Rubin, they found that sound and shortly after the record’s release, scores of new fans found the band. With stellar tracks like “Under The Bridge,” “Suck My Kiss” and the title track, The Red Hot Chili Peppers showed the world that they were poised to be the next great thing in rock music.

R.E.M. – Out Of Time
When R.E.M. released their massive single, “Losing My Religion,” it was obvious that this album had to be part of my collection. Here was a song that you couldn’t get away from in 1991. If the radio was turned on, “Losing My Religion” was heard. If MTV was tuned in, “Losing My Religion” was heard. It was a monster hit for a magnificent band and it was the heart to one of their greatest albums. While Document may have brought the band a lot of new fans, and Crush led them into the pop revolution, it was Out Of Time that showed the depth of the band. R.E.M. was more than just a pop hit producing group--- they were a band with soul. That message was delivered on Out Of Time.

Metallica – Metallica (The Black Album)
“Enter Sandman.” “Sad But True.” “Unforgiven.” The list of great songs goes on and on. In 1991, Metallica released an album that went on to become one of the greatest selling records of all time. While the hardcore Metallica fans were somewhat disappointed by the commercialism of the album, there can be no denying how sensational the black album is. Even after all these years, the album holds up and could conquer most records that are being released today. If there is any album that deserves a 20th anniversary edition, it is Metallica’s self-titled disc.

20 years later, the memories of the music are still going strong. There haven’t been many years like 1991 in regards to so much elite music being released. What was your favorite album of 1991? What albums do you think need the 20th anniversary treatment?

Comments are open. Feel free to post some.

The Big Four Are Coming To Yankee Stadium

On September 14th, The Big Four (Anthrax, Megadeth, Metallica, and Slayer) are going to perform at Yankee Stadium. Tickets range from $95 - $229 and are on sale now. The concert starts at 4:00 PM, which means all four bands will most likely be giving complete performances. For $100, that is actually worth the money.

A trailer for the Big Four at Yankee Stadium can be seen below. Get your tickets now, because I have a feeling they are going to sell out.




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Metallica's Opening Night Setlist

Metallica launched their “World Magnetic” Tour on Monday night in Nashville, Tennessee.

It sure would be nice to see Fade To Black or Last Caress/Green Hell dusted off for this tour. With that being said, however, the opening night setlist looked pretty solid. Tickets to the two upcoming shows at Madison Square Garden are sold out, so if cousin Ryo wants to go, he’s got to pay a scalper. Guess that means I’ll be missing them this time around.

Here’s the setlist from Monday:

That Was Just Your Life
The End Of The Line
Creeping Death
Holier Than Thou
One
Broken, Beat & Scarred
Cyanide
Sad But True
Turn the Page
All Nightmare Long
The Day That Never Comes
Master of Puppets
Battery
Nothing Else Matters
Enter Sandman
Damage Case
Too Late Too Late
Seek and Destroy

Interested in catching Metallica this fall? Here’s the remaining tour dates:

09/19/2009 Montreal, QC
09/20/2009 Montreal, QC
09/28/2009 San Antonio, TX
09/29/2009 Dallas, TX
10/01/2009 Ft. Lauderdale, FL
10/03/2009 Tampa, FL
10/04/2009 Atlanta, GA
10/12/2009 Winnipeg, MB
10/13/2009 Minneapolis, MN
10/15/2009 Cleveland, OH
10/17/2009 Charlottesville, VA
10/18/2009 Charlotte, NC
10/26/2009 Toronto, ON
10/27/2009 Toronto, ON
10/31/2009 Quebec City, QC
11/01/2009 Quebec City, QC
11/03/2009 Ottawa, ON
11/09/2009 Grand Rapids, MI
11/10/2009 Buffalo, NY
11/12/2009 Albany, NY
11/14/2009 New York, NY
11/15/2009 New York, NY
12/05/2009 Las Vegas , NV
12/07/2009 Boise, ID
12/08/2009 Sacramento, CA
12/10/2009 Anaheim, CA
12/12/2009 San Jose, CA

Comments are open. Feel free to post some.