New Music!

[Tinka Cat]

E STREET BAND'S GREATEST HITS IN WAL-MART JAN. 13
Bruce kicks off the new year not with the new Working on a Dream album (in stores Jan 27), but first follows in AC/DC's footsteps with a Wal-Mart exclusive, low-priced Greatest Hits album.

Wal-mart only? Bruce should be ashamed. As should AC/DC. And the Eagles. And whoever else has gotten in bed with those predatory SOBs.

I'm with you on this - exclusives are harmful to consumers, I think; especially those of us who boycott Wal-Mart for whatever reasons.  Wal-Mart is bad for America; and while I don't necessarily expect AC/DC to understand that, I should have thought that Bruce would.  (The Eagles were always out for themselves anyway, so no surprise there.)

Dittoes -- Bruce, of all people!  Bet he won't get a Christmas card from Dave Marsh this year.

and indeed the blogosphere is responding:

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/lisa-derrick/springsteen-sells-out--to_b_153441.html

Well, as far as this goes:

union supporting guy? Then why will The Boss' Greatest Hits be released exclusively by Wal-Mart? Okay, its only his greatest hits, which you can download anyway song by song if you have the patience. But still, wtf?

I agree it looks bad symbolically, but it's obviously pretty unimportant, if these tracks are indeed not exclusive (i. e. downloadable) in a world where sales of plastic discs bearing digital info is declining.  But yeah, it looks bad.

It looks bad symbolically *because* it's Springsteen and he's been a beacon of "I will not sell out" integrity for 36 years. He certainly doesn't need the money from this repackaging; there are plenty of other ways he could've done a tie-in to the Super Bowl appearance. Wal-Mart benefits far more than he does. (It's analogous to Obama/Warren, actually, in that yes, technically, you may be reaching another audience, but there are less offensive ways of doing it.) So unless we suddenly are told that all the proceeds are going to a food bank (watch for something like that to happen as a form of spin control), it's really disappointing.

Actually, I'm more disappointed he's playing in the Super Bowl than selling discs in Wal-Mart!   

I'm sure Bruce doesn't need the money, but maybe some folks in the E Street Band do need it...  Since the album credit is not just Bruce himself but rather BS & TESB, those guys will get some proceeds. 

[urth]

E STREET BAND'S GREATEST HITS IN WAL-MART JAN. 13
Bruce kicks off the new year not with the new Working on a Dream album (in stores Jan 27), but first follows in AC/DC's footsteps with a Wal-Mart exclusive, low-priced Greatest Hits album.

Wal-mart only? Bruce should be ashamed. As should AC/DC. And the Eagles. And whoever else has gotten in bed with those predatory SOBs.

I'm with you on this - exclusives are harmful to consumers, I think; especially those of us who boycott Wal-Mart for whatever reasons.  Wal-Mart is bad for America; and while I don't necessarily expect AC/DC to understand that, I should have thought that Bruce would.  (The Eagles were always out for themselves anyway, so no surprise there.)

Dittoes -- Bruce, of all people!  Bet he won't get a Christmas card from Dave Marsh this year.

and indeed the blogosphere is responding:

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/lisa-derrick/springsteen-sells-out--to_b_153441.html

Well, as far as this goes:

union supporting guy? Then why will The Boss' Greatest Hits be released exclusively by Wal-Mart? Okay, its only his greatest hits, which you can download anyway song by song if you have the patience. But still, wtf?

I agree it looks bad symbolically, but it's obviously pretty unimportant, if these tracks are indeed not exclusive (i. e. downloadable) in a world where sales of plastic discs bearing digital info is declining.  But yeah, it looks bad.

It looks bad symbolically *because* it's Springsteen and he's been a beacon of "I will not sell out" integrity for 36 years. He certainly doesn't need the money from this repackaging; there are plenty of other ways he could've done a tie-in to the Super Bowl appearance. Wal-Mart benefits far more than he does. (It's analogous to Obama/Warren, actually, in that yes, technically, you may be reaching another audience, but there are less offensive ways of doing it.) So unless we suddenly are told that all the proceeds are going to a food bank (watch for something like that to happen as a form of spin control), it's really disappointing.

Actually, I'm more disappointed he's playing in the Super Bowl than selling discs in Wal-Mart!   

I'm sure Bruce doesn't need the money, but maybe some folks in the E Street Band do need it...  Since the album credit is not just Bruce himself but rather BS & TESB, those guys will get some proceeds. 

There's a good point. A few of the E Street guys have other gigs that should be paying them well (Max Weinberg, Little Steven, maybe Roy Bittan--he used to do a fair amount of session work) but who knows what Garry Tallent or Clarence Clemons are up to when Bruce is off the road. And the late Danny Federici's heirs would profit from this as well. Still, there must be other ways to market this to the masses than via Wal-mart. Late night TV ads perhaps? ("Hi, I'm Billy Mays and Bruce Springsteen and the E-Street Band's Greatest Hits is their BEST ALBUM EVER!")

[Gazoo]

Quite liking the new David Byrne, though I missed the title.  He's a much better fit for Eno's production approach than Paul Simon was 3 years ago (has it been that long?).

[RGMike]

Quite liking the new David Byrne, though I missed the title.  He's a much better fit for Eno's production approach than Paul Simon was 3 years ago (has it been that long?).

"Strange Overtones"? Yeah, I really like that one, esp that bit about the snowball in the kitchen.

[mshray]

Quite liking the new David Byrne, though I missed the title.  He's a much better fit for Eno's production approach than Paul Simon was 3 years ago (has it been that long?).

What was your take on Coldplay + Eno?  I rather liked it (despite it literaly being a page lifted from the How To Be The Next U2 playbook).

[Gazoo]

Quite liking the new David Byrne, though I missed the title.  He's a much better fit for Eno's production approach than Paul Simon was 3 years ago (has it been that long?).

What was your take on Coldplay + Eno?  I rather liked it (despite it literaly being a page lifted from the How To Be The Next U2 playbook).

A natural fit, and an excellent sound.  And one that I wouldn't have guessed for them upon their first album - "Yellow" left me indifferent, and its gorgeous follow-up "Trouble" led me to think they were more fey than arena.

[Gazoo]

This shit is BANANAS: Paul Young (!), apparently taking a cue from Paul Anka, has covered a slate of rock tunes with swing arrangements (!!).  First among them: "Enter Sandman" (!!!).

[mshray]

This shit is BANANAS: Paul Young (!), apparently taking a cue from Paul Anka, has covered a slate of rock tunes with swing arrangements (!!).  First among them: "Enter Sandman" (!!!).

If he covers "Enter Sandman" then by defiinition he is taking a cue from Pat Boone. 

[RGMike]

This shit is BANANAS: Paul Young (!), apparently taking a cue from Paul Anka, has covered a slate of rock tunes with swing arrangements (!!).  First among them: "Enter Sandman" (!!!).

Jeezus, is he serious? It's one thing to do it first, but to copy Anka (or Pat Boone or whoever it was) seems really ridiculous.  Nelson Riddle is rolling in his grave.  But I must admit it tickles me to hear them play "Enter Sandman" on the hockey-rink organ at Sharks games.

[Gazoo]

This shit is BANANAS: Paul Young (!), apparently taking a cue from Paul Anka, has covered a slate of rock tunes with swing arrangements (!!).  First among them: "Enter Sandman" (!!!).

If he covers "Enter Sandman" then by defiinition he is taking a cue from Pat Boone. 

Haha, somehow I forgot about No More Mr. Nice Guy!

[RGMike]

It's been out for months, but KFOG is just now getting around to playing Seal's covers album -- this morning I heard his take on "Knock on Wood".  Rather rote and pedestrian, IMHO. Whatever it takes to get airplay, I guess.

[RGMike]

I haven't heard it but the new Britney Spears single has raised the hackles of the moral watchdogs: it's called "If You Seek Amy" and if you say the title quckly, it sounds like "eff-you-see-kay". Tee Hee.

[mshray]

I haven't heard it but the new Britney Spears single has raised the hackles of the moral watchdogs: it's called "If You Seek Amy" and if you say the title quckly, it sounds like "eff-you-see-kay". Tee Hee.

in fact doesn't it sound like f-u-c-k me?

[RGMike]

I haven't heard it but the new Britney Spears single has raised the hackles of the moral watchdogs: it's called "If You Seek Amy" and if you say the title quckly, it sounds like "eff-you-see-kay". Tee Hee.

in fact doesn't it sound like f-u-c-k me?

yes, I didn't pick up on the "me" part until later.

I'm sure you remember "If You See Kay" by April Wine...

[RGMike]

Bruce, of all people!  Bet he won't get a Christmas card from Dave Marsh this year.

and indeed the blogosphere is responding:

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/lisa-derrick/springsteen-sells-out--to_b_153441.html

BTW, I've begun monitoring Mr Marsh's website for comment -- so far nothing. But the current lead story on the homepage has Marsh hanging out backstage with the E-Streeters, so I'm guessing he'll have a positive spin to put on it.

More on the Broooce/Walmart thing: still no comment from Marsh et al but this is an interesting piece from the WSJ; apparently the WalMart GH package is a "limited edition", per Columbia Records, and not a permanent addition to his Columbia catalog.  It's also suggested that it will help defray the hefty cost of recording the actual "new" CD, Working on a Dream, FWIW.

I love the bit at the end about one of the songs on the new album being ripped off from KISS's "I Was made For Lovin' You" (!)

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB123204420598786423.html