Greetings from Amazon.com Delivers Rock Editor, Steven Stolder FEATURED IN THIS E-MAIL: * Word for Word: Iggy Pop * New and Notable: New titles from Tori Amos, Ben Harper, Pete Townshend, Chris Cornell, and the reissue of the Talking Heads' "Stop Making Sense" * Abba Zabba Zoom--A Captain Beefheart Primer * Digital Download: Joe Henry * Essentials by Artist: Nine Inch Nails * Rockslide Ahead: Upcoming releases from Melissa Etheridge, Paul McCartney, David Bowie, Bryan Ferry & Roxy Music, and the Clash * Book Notes: Meat Loaf's "To Hell and Back" WORD FOR WORD: IGGY POP *********************** "The Stooges was conceived in the University of Michigan undergraduate library. I got the idea to sing 'Shirtless' because I had a book open on Egyptology. I kept looking at the pharaohs, and I thought: 'These guys look bitchin'; they never wear shirts.'" --Iggy Pop on self-edification Rock NEW AND NOTABLE *************** "To Venus and Back" Tori Amos http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/B00001IVJS/entertainmentsit Conceived as a stopgap B-sides and oddities release, Tori Amos's new collection quickly took on a life of its own. Indeed, the ambitious, outrageous songsmith followed her muse and ended up with a dozen self-produced and self-penned numbers, plus a second full CD of live recordings. Amos advocates will be in ecstasy. "Burn to Shine" Ben Harper http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/B00001IVI6/entertainmentsit Angry rants, bruising rockers, Caribbean grooves, Southern boogie, country soul, delicate folk play.... Ben Harper's wildly eclectic and creative fourth release finds the genre- bending Californian turning inward. In the process, he makes his most universally appealing statement yet. "Live" Pete Townshend http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/B00000JJOZ/entertainmentsit This isn't just another quick-buck flogging of history for Who fanatics. Thoughtful, daring, and full of energy, Townshend burns his way through a varied set before stretching out with Eddie Vedder on "Magic Bus" and "Heart to Hang Onto." This is one rocker who's aging gracefully--and with verve. "Euphoria Morning" Chris Cornell http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/B00001QGL2/entertainmentsit Chris Cornell fronted Soundgarden, that most sonically ambitious of grunge bands, for more than a decade. So it's no surprise that his debut solo disc takes many of its cues from late-period Beatles sounds. Cornell's vocals and lyrics are every bit as moody and powerful as on his best work with his former group. "Stop Making Sense" Talking Heads http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/B00000K3G8/entertainmentsit With Jonathan Demme's acclaimed documentary of peak-period Talking Heads again making the rounds in theaters, the soundtrack to "Stop Making Sense" has returned in expanded form. This time out, seven songs left out of the original score surface along with sizzling concert recordings of the likes of "Take Me to the River" and "Burning Down the House." ABBA ZABBA ZOOM: A BEEFHEART PRIMER *********************************** As vividly demonstrated on the career-spanning two-disc set "The Dust Blows Forward," the music of Captain Beefheart & the Magic Band is strikingly original. From 1965 to 1982, Beefheart fashioned an eccentric hybrid of avant-rock, blues, and jazz. As his work may seem daunting to a newcomer, Amazon.com editor Mike McGonigal has written a start-to-finish guide to his major works. Rock You can find "The Dust Blows Forward" at http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/B00000JNIS/entertainmentsit DIGITAL DOWNLOAD: JOE HENRY *************************** Joe Henry is but one of 17 left-of-center artists who grace "Morning Becomes Eclectic," a collection of live on-air performances from the adventurous radio show of the same name on California's legendary KCRW in Santa Monica. You can download "Great Lake," a previously unavailable selection from Henry's KCRW performance, free of charge at Amazon.com Rock Joe Henry, Sarah McLachlan, Creed, Stereolab, and the Old 97's are just a few of the artists whose songs are now available for your listening pleasure in our Free Download section at Rock ESSENTIALS BY ARTIST: NINE INCH NAILS ************************************* Before Trent Reznor harnessed the abrasive power of industrial rock and took it to the masses, the subgenre either languished or flourished (depending upon whether you were an outsider or an insider... or an insiderish outsider) in the deep underground. Check out Nine Inch Nails' essential recordings. Emerging Artists ROCKSLIDE AHEAD: UPCOMING RELEASES ********************************** "Breakdown" Melissa Etheridge http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/B00001WRO7/entertainmentsit The Kansas belter's first outing since 1995's "Your Little Secret" promises to be one of the fall's blockbusters. "Run Devil Run" Paul McCartney http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/B00001QGPH/entertainmentsit McCartney returns to his '50s roots, providing a reminder that Little Richard taught him how to scream. "Hours..." David Bowie http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/B00001QGPR/entertainmentsit Answering the always pertinent question: What's he up to now? "Live From Here to Eternity" The Clash http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/B00001X593/entertainmentsit Finally, a live document of the great first-generation punk quartet... a decade and a half after their untidy demise. "More Than This: The Best of Bryan Ferry and Roxy Music" Bryan Ferry & Roxy Music http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/B00001QGQA/entertainmentsit A retrospective of the great British art-rock outfit and their ultrasuave singer, both solo and fronting the group. BOOK NOTES: MEAT LOAF'S "TO HELL AND BACK" ****************************************** "To Hell and Back" by Meat Loaf and David Dalton http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0060392932/entertainmentsit Say what you will about that old bat-out-of-hell Meat Loaf, but the man (with obvious assistance from collaborator David Dalton) pens a mean autobiography. The basic story may seem cliched (Meat meets Fame, Meat marries Fame, Fame abandons Meat, Meat entices fickle Fame back), but the subject's very likable voice comes through on every page of this engrossing account. ****** You'll find more great music, articles, and interviews in Amazon.com's Rock Music section at Rock
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