NEWSLETTER #11!

R.I.P. CINDY WALKER, LYN NOFZIGER & CASPAR WEINBERGER - Stay tuned for Willie Nelson's new releases, "The Songs Of Lyn Nofziger" and "The Songs Of Caspar Weinberger," out Thursday!

URGENT! NYCD-online.com cannot exist without stuff to sell! WE NEED YOUR CDs AND DVDs! We buy all kinds of music and movies, so email us (HEYNYCD@aol.com) or call us (212-244-3460) to let us know what you have. We even make housecalls, providing you live a reasonable cab fare away from West 38 St.

NEXT WEEK'S NEW RELEASES! (IN ALPHABETICAL ORDER, UNLESS WE MISS ONE AND GO BACK)

THE ALARM - "BEST OF." We were just saying how much we loved these guys back in the '80s, and lo and behold, a new remastered collection featuring their top hits, rare live versions, and a new song appears. Sure, Mike Peters will never win a Nobel Peace Prize, but he would never be caught having lunch with George Bush, either.

BABYSHAMBLES - "DOWN IN ALBION." Rough Trade keeps threatening to put it out, and maybe next week we'll really see the U.S. release of the not-long-awaited debut album from the drug-addled mind of ex-Libertine Pete Doherty.

PAT BENATAR - REMASTERS. The first three releases from the pint-sized dynamo ("IN THE HEAT OF THE NIGHT," "CRIMES OF PASSION" and "PRECIOUS TIME") newly remastered. No bonus tracks, but we believe the remastering has been Myron Grombacher approved.

BLIND MELON - "LIVE AT THE PALACE." ? Who... I mean who really ca... I mean...???

ANI DIFRANCO - "CARNEGIE HALL." Ani's solo performance, recorded live on April 6, 2002. We've never seen the appeal of Ani, but we do like Carnegie Hall.

FLAMING LIPS - "AT WAR WITH THE MYSTICS." One of us here at NYCD has been impressed with the Lips' studio wizardry over the last four or five records. The rest of us feel like they're full of ideas, but without any real songs. This new record is highly anticipated, so pick it up and decide for yourself.

J. GEILS BAND - "BEST OF." A new 18 track remastered compilation from their Capitol Records/MTV years. No "Give It To Me," no "Looking For A Love," no "First I Look At The Purse," but still, some very catchy numbers.

GRAND FUNK RAILROAD - "GREATEST HITS." Yet another single disc definitive compilation from the Motor City kings of the single disc compilation. "Are you feelin' the Funk?"

HALL & OATES - "PLATINUM COLLECTION." The 2006 digitally remastered anthology, featuring the best of their Atlantic Records years, which includes the criminally underrated "War Babies" material, produced by Todd Rundgren.

JEREMIAH LOCKWOOD - "AMERICAN PRIMITIVE." We've raved about here on the blog, and his solo debut CD is pretty damn amazing. Think the raw blues of the Fat Possum label with many world music influences. This is a winner.

MASSIVE ATTACK - "COLLECTED." Remastered best-of featuring the trip-hoppers' most famous tracks, which also comes as a special edition DualDisc with bonus audio material and all their videos on the DVD side.

MOODY BLUES - UK REMASTERS. Digitally remastered from the original master tapes by Justin Hayward, three titles ("DAYS OF FUTURE PASSED," "IN SEARCH OF THE LOST CHORD" and "TO OUR CHILDREN'S CHILDREN'S CHILDREN") feature a bonus CD with rare tracks and BBC sessions, while two other titles ("ON THE THRESHOLD OF A DREAM" and "A QUESTION OF BALANCE") are single SACDs with bonus tracks.

MORRISSEY - "RINGLEADER OF THE TORMENTORS." Mozzer went away long enough for people to start missing him, and his last album (2004's "You Are The Quarry") became his most successful release in many a year. The followup is highly anticipated as well. Mopers of the world unite.

NEW ORLEANS SOCIAL CLUB - "SING ME BACK HOME." Produced by Leo Sacks, who narrowly lost out to Sal Nunziato in the "Guy Who Loves New Orleans The Mostest" competition, this collective was assembled in the same fashion as the Buena Vista Social Club, in which an all-star band backs up a revolving cast of luminaries, featuring such legends as Leo Nocentelli, George Porter Jr., Ivan, Cyril and Charles Neville, Dr. John, and Irma Thomas, to name but a few. Along with "Our New Orleans," this is one of the best and most musically solid of the recent batch of New Orleans tribute discs.

NINE INCH NAILS - "EVERY DAY IS EXACTLY THE SAME." Not that many people cared, but Trent Reznor's last album, "With Teeth," was maybe the best thing he'd done since "Pretty Hate Machine." This is a six track disc of remixes from that album. FACT: Trent Reznor spent a lot of time in New Orleans, but has never said "Fee-na-nay" on any of his records.

PINK - "I'M NOT DEAD." Good thing she let us know, because after the poor sales of her last album, "Try This," she might as well have been. The first single, "Stupid Girl," is getting a lot of hype thanks to the kind of amusing video. Let's see where the album goes. Hey, we liked "Missundaztood."

PLACEBO - "MEDS." "The triumphant return of one of the UK's most enduring and engaging bands," it says here. Of course, they said the same thing about the last Menswear album, too.

THE VINES - "VISION VALLEY." After a promising debut, the Vines disappeared off the radar thanks to their disappointing followup. Maybe this record will get them back into the public eye. Or maybe not.

WORLD PARTY - REISSUES. This is the enigma that is Karl Wallinger. He releases a new record to critical acclaim, plays three gigs, cancels his tour, disappears for three years, and then resurfaces. To make things more complicated, his first two long out-of-print records, "PRIVATE REVOLUTION" and "GOODBYE JUMBO" are getting their first remastering in the US as a prequel to the reissue of his brand new record, "DUMBING UP," which is almost four years old. Doesn't matter if you're not following this -- all these records are amazing, and you should get them all when they're re-released.

PICK OF THE WEEK!

CASSANDRA WILSON - "THUNDERBIRD." We've always loved Cassandra, even though most of her records have been somewhat uneven. Until now. The T-Bone Burnett-produced "Thunderbird" takes the sultry, don't-just-call-her-jazz diva into more engaging territories. There's a little more instrumentation, the songs are just a bit more upbeat, and the album as a whole sounds fresher than anything she's done before. Includes a chilling cover of the country standard "Red River Valley." BUY THIS!

CANDI STATON - "HIS HANDS." Much like the makeovers given to Bettye Lavette, Solomon Burke and Lanie Kazan, Candi Staton's new release is a return to her Southern soul roots... we hope.

To order any of these titles, or if there's anything else, new or old, that you want, let us know and we will get it for you! EMAIL US at HEYNYCD@aol.com or call (212) 244-3460 and ask for "Mr. Diddly."

UNTIL NEXT WEEK, WE LEAVE YOU WITH THIS:

Not enough time in the world to watch your favorite TV shows, see your favorite movies, listen to your favorite CDs, and read your favorite books? That's why you've got NYCD's blog to help you along with the music, and Popsurfing with everything else. Insightful writing that's informative and entertaining. And, apparently, they never sleep.

Your friends,
Tony and Sal, "The Potato Peelin' Lumberjacks"