For The Buzzcocks Fan Who Has Everything… Well, Now You Don’t; Fancy Reissues and Entire Album Performances on the Way!
By Liz Louche on Oct 27 2008
Are you one of those people who gives a resounding "Yes!" to the question "Do you want fries with that?" When you notice the 30-cent difference between the large size soda and the Big Gulp size soda at the gas station, do you put down the large and grab the Big Gulp? Do you ever look at your carefully cultivated collection of albums and think, "Gee, I wish someone would reissue this with tons of bonus features and previously unreleased tracks so that I almost regret buying it all those years ago when it didn't come with several alternate takes of the same song!"? If so, then this is the story for you!
Maybe they can't bring you 32 fluid ounces of Mountain Dew, but the new Buzzcocks reissues from EMI can certainly help with your obsessively completist album collection. The seminal Manchester punk group's first three albums, 1978's Another Music in a Different Kitchen, 1978's Love Bites, and 1979's A Different Kind of Tension, will all be subject to a very special UK re-release set for release today, October 27. That means more demos, more live versions, and more discs! That's right -- these are two-disc reissues, chock-a-block with backing tracks, single versions, and Peel Sessions.
But the good news doesn't end there! Not only can you relive the late 1970s via stereo (if only someone would reissue Quaaludes, am I right??), but you can also hear those first two albums performed live and in their entirety during the January "Another Bites Tour" in the UK. Hell, even guitarist/vocalist Steve Diggle is doing one -- yes, ONE -- show this coming November.
Steve Diggle:
11.28.08 - Harlow, England - The Square
Buzzcocks:
Prescription Refill: Ted Leo Tours with and without His Pharmacists
By ryryjensen on Oct 27 2008
As previously reported (TMT News), the indie rock madman that is Ted Leo has been on the road with his Pharmacists and fellow tourmates Against Me! and Titus Andronicus for the past month or so, and it'll continue until next week. What we didn't tell you (because it's new news) is that Ted Leo, former Chisel (if you haven't heard them, check out Set You Free) singer, has just scheduled a short stint of solo performances in late November and December along the Midwest and East Coast.
If you can't make any dates on the tour (or even if you can) take a listen to the Rapid Response EP released last month by Touch and Go. The album is four songs for $4, and proceeds benefit the Democracy Now organization. But if you can make it to any of these shows... well, you know what to do.
Ted Leo Tour:
Method Man and Redman Head Out on Tour, Plan New Album, Frolic in Field While Holding Hands and Smoking Blunts
By Mike McHugh on Oct 24 2008
If last year’s Kanye vs. 50 Cent media slapfight taught us anything, it’s the good ol’ fashioned hip hop feud is dead. Rather than fire rhymes and dope beats, the bullets in this weak-as-an-anesthetized-box-turtle battle were catty remarks about record sales that Rolling Stone perplexingly saw fit to grace with a cover. Did LL Cool J vs. Kool Moe Dee ever make the cover of Rolling Stone? Fuck no! And that shit spawned “Mama Said Knock You Out”!
Well if hip-hop feuds are dead, thank the gods for Method Man and Redman, the pioneers of what should be rap’s latest trend: hip-hop friendship. Method and Red have been straight up pals for years, documenting their antics on wax with 1999’s Blackout!, on the big screen with the American classic How High, and on the small screen with their unfortunately short-lived sitcom Method and Red and even shorter-lived prank show Stung. But through all their many projects both together and solo, the two have stayed true to two unshakeable principles: to get high as hell every day and stay great motherfucking friends. Maybe the rest of the hip-hop community could learn a lesson from these two good buds who enjoy good bud, always together, always friends.
So get out of the house immediately, America, and catch Method and Red on their Still High tour. If you can’t make it to one of the shows, the dudes understand, but they’d appreciate it if you could pick up their latest record, Blackout 2, when it drops in December. Do it for yourself, but mostly, do it for your old friends, Method and Red. They both love you very much.
Vampire Weekend Piss Off Smaller Cities By Only Playing Major Cities On Upcoming Tour
By Annapocalypse on Oct 24 2008
Cincinnati, Sacramento, and Milwaukee are pissed, and they’re not going to stand for it much longer! It seems that the internet’s favorite band, Vampire Weekend, has gone and scheduled a tour for December that only includes major cities like Washington, D.C., New York City, Boston, New York City, Portland, and, uh, New York City. Not cool, dudes; what about that 15-year-old girl in Des Moines who has the lyrics to “Oxford Comma” written all over her algebra notebook? Or those college freshmen from Florida State University that still think it’s cool to throw dance parties to “A-Punk”?
Next time you’re planning a tour, Vampire Weekend, even a short one, think about all those smaller cities that are missing out.
Vampire’s December Weekend:
