NEWSLETTER #27!

NEW DYLAN ALBUM (ALMOST) HERE!

MP3 SAMPLES (ALMOST) ON OUR BLOG FOR YOUR LISTENING PLEASURE!

SUMMER IS (ALMOST) OVER!

THESE HEADLINES ARE (ALMOST) FUNNY!

and now... NEXT WEEK'S NEW RELEASES!

So what do you get when the greatest singer-songwriter of all time releases a new record? A big ol' musical chubby, that's what. After over 20 years of releasing mostly fair-to-middling records, BOB DYLAN somehow turned into a genius again with the release of TIME OUT OF MIND in 1997 and LOVE AND THEFT in 2001. And now he's back with what could easily be called the completion of the trilogy, MODERN TIMES. Recorded with his current touring band, MODERN TIMES is as strong as his previous two records. Dylan sounds inspired, the band is cooking, and he even manages to take two blues classics that have been beaten into the ground by countless cover versions, "Rollin' And Tumblin'" and "The Levee's Gonna Break," and reinvent and reignite them. Not to mention two of the best Dylan originals in recent memory, "Workingman's Blues #2" and "Ain't Talkin'," which are both monumentally moving. If you like Dylan at all, you shouldn't even be thinking about whether to get this record.

BEACH BOYS - PET SOUNDS (40TH ANNIVERSARY LIMITED EDITION). We won't argue that this is one of the greatest records of all time and a huge influence on everyone from Paul McCartney to Frank Black. But to celebrate its 40th anniversary by releasing an almost identical package to the last two reissues seems unnecessary. True, this does come with a DVD that features a "Making Of" promotional film, a bunch of still photos, and deluxe fuzzy packaging... OK, fine, maybe it is worthwhile. We like fuzzy.

DREAM THEATER - SCORE: 20TH ANNIVERSARY WORLD TOUR LIVE. All new 3 disc set with over 3 hours of live music, 90 minutes of it performed with a full orchestra, recorded at New York's own Radio City Music Hall. Air guitarists rejoice!

RAY LAMONTAGNE - TILL SUN TURNS BLACK. His debut release was a critical success and caused a minor stir amongst fans who think that Van Morrison doesn't put out enough records every year, and this new record is sure to cause an even more minor stir.

SAM MOORE - OVERNIGHT SENSATIONAL. The legendary Soul Man, and one half of Sonny & Cher, releases his star-studded new studio record. Some of the stars studding this release include Sting, Jon Bon Jovi, Van Hunt, and Bruce Springsteen. Also features the last recorded music from the late great Billy Preston.

JESSICA SIMPSON - A PUBLIC AFFAIR. When not splitting the atom and reading Susan Sontag, Simpson spends a lot of time eating paste and adjusting her bosoms. OK, we admit it, the first single is kind of a catchy little ditty. But so is pink-eye.

PETE TOWNSHEND - REISSUES. Promised years ago and finally hitting the streets, one of the four pedophiles in the Rock & Roll Hall Of Fame sees his solo catalog remastered with a plethora of bonus tracks and new liner notes added. Titles include WHO CAME FIRST, ALL THE BEST COWBOYS HAVE CHINESE EYES, EMPTY GLASS, the masterpiece ROUGH MIX, recorded with Ronnie Lane, all three SCOOP compilations, and the four terrible ones he put out starting in the late '80s.

WATERBOYS - FISHERMAN'S BLUES (COLLECTORS EDITION). Out for the first time in the States, this cult classic now includes a bonus disc of previously unreleased tracks.

PETE YAWN -- er, YORN - NIGHTCRAWLER. Nightcrawler is that perfect mix of pop craftsmanship with singer-songwriter sensibilities, it says here in our new release booklet. We know he has fans. And we're happy for him.

REISSUE OF THE WEEK!

One of our favorite records of the year is by a not-so-new-but-new-to-us artist, JAMES HUNTER, titled PEOPLE GONNA TALK. After listening to that one 79 times in a row, we found out that he has two previous records, both out of print. Until now, that is! BELIEVE WHAT I SAY, Hunter's second album, originally released in 1996, sees its US debut this Tuesday. With guest duets from Doris Troy and Van Morrison, this record is the prequel to the the soul shakin' classic R & B of People Gonna Talk. Great singer (think Sam Cooke meets Georgie Fame), great guitarist, and a great songwriter, too.

#7 on Sal's Top Ten list of the year so far is THE DIRTY DOZEN BRASS BAND's WHAT'S GOING ON. In the wake of Katrina, Marvin Gaye's political masterpiece takes on new meaning and gets completely reinvented by these New Orleans legends, with guest spots by Bettye Lavette, Ivan Neville, G. Love and Chuck D. This is not just a walk through tribute album land. This is a real winner.

Also out this week are NEW JAZZ RELEASES by:

DAVE HOLLAND QUINTET - CRITICAL MASS.
LOUIS HAYES & THE CANNONBALL ADDERLEY TRIBUTE BAND - MAXIMUM FIREPOWER.
KENNY GARRETT - BEYOND WALL.
JACQUI NAYLOR - COLOR FIVE.
TOMASZ STANKO - LONTANO.

YOU CAN GET ANY OR ALL OF THESE RELEASES, OR ANY OTHER CDs AND DVDs YOU MAY BE LOOKING FOR, BY CALLING US AT (212) 244-3460 OR EMAILING US AT HEYNYCD@aol.com!

SELL US YOUR USED CDs AND DVDs! Call or email!

UNTIL NEXT WEEK, WE LEAVE YOU WITH THIS:

GEORGE BUSH's APPROVAL RATING: 36%
NYCD's AMAZON APPROVAL RATING: 98%

And NYCD doesn't illegally listen to anyone's phone calls.

Your friends,
Phil and Bjork Gudmundsdottir