Record Rack: A round-up of the week’s new albums, expanded reissues and/or box sets, appearing each Monday on Slicing Up Eyeballs.
ARTIST: Paul Weller
RELEASE: Find the Torch, Burn the Plans
BACKSTORY: The former Jam leader this week releases, in the U.K, a live CD/DVD package that features a new Julien Temple documentary and a live concert recorded at London’s Royal Albert Hall last May — although not, apparently, the night ex-Jam bandmate Bruce Foxton showed up. The package also comes with a CD featuring 12 songs from the Royal Albert Hall show (which includes Stereophonics’ Kelly Jones sitting in for “The Eton Rifles” and “That’s Entertainment”), plus six more tracks from a Weller performance recorded for the BBC. (See tracklist here.)
BUY IT: Find the Torch, Burn the Plans via Amazon.co.uk
ARTIST: Pet Shop Boys
RELEASES: “Together,” “Together: Remixes”
BACKSTORY: The synthpop duo this week releases, in the U.K., two different CD singles for the new track on its recently released Ultimate best-of. The regular edition features PSB covers of Dave Clark’s Five’s “Glad All Over” and Kate McGarrigle’s “I Cried For Us” as B-sides; the other version has remixes of “Together” and “West End Girls.”
BUY IT: “Together,” “Together: Remixes” via Amazon.co.uk
ARTIST: Steve Wynn & The Miracle 3
RELEASE: Northern Aggression
BACKSTORY: The former Dream Syndicate leader this week releases his third studio album with The Miracle 3 in the U.S. (it came out already in the U.K. a couple weeks back). The 11-track record is Wynn’s first with his Miracle 3 bandmates Jason Victor, Linda Pitmon and Dave Decastro since 2005’s …tick…tick…tick (See tracklist here.)
BUY IT: Northern Aggression via Amazon.com
ARTIST: Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark
RELEASE: “Sister Marie Says”
BACKSTORY: The reunited synthpop group this week releases, in the U.K., the second single off History of Modern, the band’s first new album in 14 years. The single — backed by the non-album B-side “The Grand Deception” — dates back to 1981, supposedly having been shelved at the time for sounding too similar to OMD’s hit “Enola Gay.”
BUY IT: “Sister Marie Says” via Amazon.co.uk
