VIA PRESS RELEASE | Elvis Costello’s King Of America & Other Realms celebrates and explores the songwriter’s lifelong love, fascination, and influence of American music, spanning his many albums and inspired collaborations with some of the most celebrated musicians, songwriters and producers in this music, including his longtime creative partnership with T Bone Burnett.

Compiled by Elvis Costello, the six-disc Super Deluxe Edition box set, King Of America & Other Realms, releasing November 1 via UMe, traces Costello’s musical travels from Hollywood, Calif.—where the King Of America album was recorded—to a brand-new take on that album’s opener, “Brilliant Mistake,” recorded in Cape Fear, N.C. in early 2024, via Costello’s recording adventures in New Orleans, Oxford and Clarksdale, Miss., Nashville and Memphis, Tenn.

This one-of-a-kind 97-track musical journey is guided by Costello in a newly self-penned 35-page essay beautifully illustrated with numerous rare and never-before-seen photos in a 57-page booklet. The discs are housed in a handsome 12” x 11.5” package. A startlingly beautiful cover shot by Terence Donovan reveals the majesty and absurdity of a king in his velvet and bejeweled crown and embroidered denim jacket.

King Of America & Other Realms is anchored by a new 2024 remaster from the original master tapes of Costello’s 1986 career-defining, T Bone Burnett-produced album, King Of America, and features solo demos from 1985, including never previously released demos cut at Red Bus Recording Studios in London in the months prior to the King Of America sessions in Hollywood and mixed from newly discovered multitrack tapes; a 17-song Royal Albert Hall concert from 1987 in London, mixed from multitrack tapes; and a three-disc compendium of recordings and collaborations from across the last four decades, including previously unreleased demos, outtakes and live recordings. The collection was produced by Elvis Costello and Steve Berkowitz.

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Celebrating Kenney Jones on his 77th birthday. —Ed.

Faces were The Replacements of their time. Their live shows were raucous, good-natured, often sloppy affairs, fueled by hard liquor, Ronnie Wood’s roar of a guitar, and the sandpaper vocals of Rod “The Mod” Stewart and sad croon of the late, great Ronnie Lane. They were the best party band of their era, or perhaps any era, despite critic Robert Christgau’s equivocal verdict of their legacy: “Their music was so loose and that was such an up; their music was so loose and their songs fell so apart. Come to think of it, bar bands are generally tighter.” Tighter maybe, but not 1/100th as fun, rowdy, or brilliant; show me a bar band that can write a song as great as plaintive as “Ooh La La” or as hard-edged and funny as “Too Bad.” Besides, if it’s tight you’re looking for, go listen to Emerson Lake & Palmer. Just don’t blame me for the brain hemorrhage.

And while the Faces’ LPs may have been uneven, their irresistible mix of hard rock, boogie, and doleful, lovely ballads (most of them sung by Lane, the band’s bassist) still sounds as fresh today as it did before Faces came to their ignominious end, with Wood defecting to The Rolling Stones and Stewart, who owned the best cackle in rock history, commencing his sad slide from one of rock’s great vocalists and songsmiths (“Every Picture Tells a Story” and “Maggie May” are stone brilliant, two of the best coming-of-age songs ever) to the pathetic Top 40 panderer and low-brow prat of a balladeer he is today.

Briefly, Faces evolved from The Small Faces, the mod group that gave us “Itchycoo Park” and the great Ogden’s Nut Gone Flake. Faces = The Small Faces minus guitar hero/vocalist Steve Marriott (who went on to form Humble Pie) plus the rooster-coifed Stewart and Wood, and the ace new line-up lost no time in establishing a reputation as loveable rogues: happy-go-lucky, down-to-earth punters always ready for a drink, a hasty knee-trembler, or a bit of innocent off-hours mischief–they were every bit as adept at getting banned from hotel chains as Keith Moon–an image best expressed in the tune “We All Had a Real Good Time” or the title of their 2005 greatest hits collection The Best of Faces: Good Lads When They’re Asleep.

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You know who Southern man don’t need around, anyhow? If you guessed Neil Young, you’re wrong. The correct answer is Dixie Dregs, who thought it would be a swell idea to take Southern rock as the starting point for their fearless (and fear-inducing) forays into jazz fusion and progressive rock. I solely attribute their “contributions to music” as the reason the Confederate States of America lost the Civil War. Which I guess makes them heroes of a sort.

I’m no Southern man but I’m a Southern rock fan, and I’m here to tell you there are things that should not be. And Southern rock jazz fusion/progressive rock is one of them. Dixie Dregs—they came up with the name themselves, taking it right out of my mouth—were (ahem are, they’re still out there somewhere) like a deranged bartender. They threw Southern rock and jazz fusion and progressive rock in a shaker and the resulting drink would have made Ronnie Van Zant see red.

1979’s Night of the Living Dregs (the band’s third LP) is a hybrid too—the first side was recorded in the studio, the second at the Montreux Jazz Festival. Evidently the Swiss will listen to anybody and anything. And if the album’s any indication, they will like and applaud it. Not fighting a military battle in 500 years has obviously turned them into total degenerates.

Interesting line-up, though. Guitarist/songwriter Steve Morse would go on to do a brief stint in a past-their-prime Kansas before going on to do a very, very long stint with a post-Richie Blackmore, past-their prime Deep Purple. Bassist Andy West went on to play with the likes of Henry Kaiser and Little Feat’s Paul Barrere. He must be good, right? I’m not so sure. Mark Parrish, who plays keyboards, is not as ostentatious as their original keyboardist Stephen Davidowski, which is a relief.

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VIA PRESS RELEASE | Trafalgar Releasing and the Tom Petty Estate are thrilled to announce the highly anticipated big screen debut of Tom Petty: Heartbreakers Beach Party. The lost 1983 cult classic documentary, directed by legendary Rolling Stone journalist and Academy Award-winning director Cameron Crowe (Almost Famous, Jerry Maguire), will screen in cinemas worldwide for two special nights only on October 17 and October 20 (on what would have been Tom Petty’s 74th birthday). Fans will experience Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers like never before with a new introduction from Crowe himself and an all-new 20-minute cut of unreleased outtakes from the acclaimed director.

“Heartbreakers Beach Party occupies a special place in my heart,” says Crowe. “Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers leaned into the making of the film with a kind of hilarious music-filled honesty that still feels fresh forty years later. It was also my first experience as a director. Thanks to Adria Petty and the Petty Estate, along with our co-filmmakers Danny Bramson, Phil Savenick, Doug Dowdle and Greg Mariotti, I’m so happy we’re bringing it back in all its reckless glory. The fact that it was yanked from MTV after only one airing at 2:00 a.m. just shows that it was indeed an outlandish feast for fans in all the best ways. Let that sucker blast!”

This cinematic event marks the first time Tom Petty: Heartbreakers Beach Party has been seen on the big screen, fully remastered in 4K. Originally airing only once on MTV in February 1983, it was Crowe’s directorial debut and pirated versions have been coveted by fans ever since. Featuring a mix of in-depth interviews, electrifying live performances and unprecedented intimate access to Petty and the band—including Mike Campbell, Benmont Tench, Stan Lynch, and new addition Howie Epstein—the film’s influence can even be seen in Rob Reiner’s This Is Spinal Tap.

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VIA PRESS RELEASE | Wendy James, who releases her new album The Shape Of History on 25th October, has today confirmed a two-week long instore tour, taking in appearances at London’s Rough Trade East and Assai Records in Edinburgh and Glasgow. Written, produced and mixed by James and recorded in West London and New York City, The Shape Of History is her tenth album and will be available digitally, on deluxe vinyl and via deluxe CD.

“I am so excited to be out on the road again! This time to introduce everyone to the songs on my 10th Album The Shape Of History fittingly as an in-store tour of the UK. Venues which are near and dear to my heart! Record Shops!! Every one of these venues takes pride in delivering music to their customers, introducing new music, re-issuing music gone by and in my case… the culmination of a 10-album odyssey which began in 1986 when I co-formed Transvision Vamp!”

“It’s been a helluva journey, I have consistently delivered music without compromise, music I am so proud of and that I cherish, and of course, it’s the fans who’ve sustained me, built me up, been loyal to me and come on the journey with me. It means so much to me! It’s going to be a brilliant evening! I’ll play some new tunes from The Shape Of History and I’ll also play a selection from each of my albums! I’ll intersperse the music with conversation and questions from the audience, all unprompted!! So it should be a fun and lively night, rounding up at the merch desk where I will sign and personalise for everyone who’s bought something of mine, and take photos too! I cannot wait to see you all!!”

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Remembering Craig MacGregor, born on this day in 1949. —Ed.

In Yo La Tengo’s absolutely hilarious 1997 video for “Sugarcube,” a disgusted studio exec interested only in the bottom line (“Do you want my wife and kids to go hungry?”) sends the cowed trio to “Rock School,” where they’re taught the basics by a pipe-smoking, Kiss lookalike in a fright wig and leather shoulder wings. Amongst other necessary requirements for success (“If you want to write rock lyrics, you must learn about where the hobbits dwell”) their instructor writes the words “Foghat Principle” on the chalkboard and asks, “Does everyone remember the Foghat rule? Your fourth album should be double live.”

Not to be a nitpicker, but there’s a problem with this scenario. 1977’s Foghat Live was the English hard rock band’s seventh–not fourth–release, and it wasn’t a double album at all. A version of Foghat did get around to releasing a double live sequel in the form of 2007’s Foghat Live II, but they were pretenders to a man so it doesn’t count.

Foghat Mach I–whose members included the late great “Lonesome Dave” Peverett on lead vocals and rhythm guitar, the late Rod Price on lead/slide guitar, the late Nick Jameson on bass, and the very much alive and kick drumming Roger Earl on skins–served up blues based, arena-sized meat and potatoes hard rock for teen stoners whose idea of haute cuisine ran to Big Macs. The Foghat of Foghat Live is a blunt instrument–Grand Funk’s an art rock band in comparison. Troggs school primitives they weren’t, and they didn’t rely on sheer volume like Blue Cheer, but their thorazine blooz were a sign of things to come – “Slow Ride” could well be the world’s first grindcore song.

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It’s not exactly a comeback. Instead, the dB’s are reconnecting with their loyal audience, who have always valued their brief but impactful body of work. The New York City band (by way of North Carolina), crafted a distinctive sound by blending edgy late-’70s NYC new wave and punk with the Southern indie-rock essence of Big Star. This fusion produced a unique mix of jagged rock and roll, complemented by thoughtful lyrics and intricate songcraft.

During their peak, the dB’s released just two albums with their original lineup—Chris Stamey, Peter Holsapple, Will Rigby, and Gene Holder. Both Stands for deciBels and its quick successor Repercussion came out in 1981. Although the band’s original run was brief, they released a well-received reunion album in 2012. Meanwhile, each member has continued to pursue music outside of the dB’s. This year, the dB’s have partnered with Propeller Sound Recordings to reconnect with long-time fans and attract new ones.

Notably, their first two albums were initially available in the US only as imports. While the albums have been reissued in various formats over the years, this is the first time they will be released on vinyl in America. Both records have been remastered and are available in different color variants.

In this episode, band members Peter Holsapple and Will Rigby join me to discuss their upcoming live performances with the original lineup and their excitement about introducing and reintroducing their music to fans who cherish the sound they created that has captivated so many “in the know” music lovers over the years and how these fresh releases might find new ears, too.

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Not so long ago I wrote that it was a positive disgrace and blot on the historical record that the only live album by the Faces—one of the most exciting live bands of their time—was 1974’s thoroughly lackluster Coast to Coast: Overture and Beginners, which was released only to fulfill a contractual obligation and didn’t even feature big-hearted bassist/vocalist Ronnie Lane, who’d split the group in a pique over the fact that the Faces had become little more than burgeoning solo star Rod Stewart’s backing band. It’s a terrible album, long out of print, but it has a fine cover. If you buy albums for their covers, I heartily recommend you find yourself a copy.

Well the historical record has been corrected, and then some. On September 6, 2024 Rhino Records, obvious subscribers to the belief that half measures avail us nothing, released Faces at the BBC: Complete BBC Concert and Session Recordings, an eight-CD/Blu-ray box set that weighs 84 pounds and comes complete with a “lavish” 48-page booklet and for all I know (I don’t own an actual copy) an authentic Rod the Mod urine sample (clearly inebriated!) and a novelty fish wall plaque that turns its head, opens its mouth and sings the chorus to “Stay with Me.” Evidently it took time and effort to track down these recordings, some of which had been thought lost. When I lose something it stays lost. Just ask my David Bowie Aladdin Sane t-shirt. I bet the sleuths at Rhino Records could find it in a heartbeat.

Thanks largely to famed DJ John Peel, the Faces recorded extensively for the BBC—evidently the “Beeb” felt the band was too frivolous and alcohol-friendly for airplay. The complete BBC sessions features eighty-five songs, which is far more songs than the band ever recorded during their short (1970–73) tenure on this planet. True, many of the songs were from Stewart’s solo albums, on which most of the other members of the Faces played. And some don’t appear on any of the albums recorded during the period in question.

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VIA PRESS RELEASE | Can Live in Keele 1977 is the newest release in a series of live albums that have been unearthed from the Spoon Records vaults and from fan recordings, then painstakingly assembled by founding member Irmin Schmidt and producer/engineer René Tinner. The long-awaited recording of Can Live in Keele 1977—a performance that has been requested the most since the series began—is set for release on vinyl, CD, and digitally on November 22, 2024 via Mute and Future Days.

Live in Keele 1977 is a dynamic document of late-period Can. Recorded in March 1977, the core line up of Irmin Schmidt, Jaki Liebezeit, Michael Karoli, and Holger Czukay are augmented by the addition of Rosko Gee (Traffic) on bass. Gee’s recent addition to the line-up meant that Holger Czukay was freed up from bass duties to perform “waveform radio and spec. sounds,” manifesting here as otherworldly sounds, samples, and what one reviewer of a later show described as “moontalk to a white continental telephone.”

1977 was a difficult period for Can. Their recently released eighth studio album, Saw Delight, had been badly-received and although posterity has been kinder to the album, the reviews on release were savage. Journalist, broadcaster and author Jennifer Lucy Allan’s meticulous research of the time, place, and context of the performance on the accompanying sleeve notes led her to declare of the album “On paper, unremarkable. In practice, a precious hunk of sonic material.” She then goes on to remind us that “The heads know—forums and published books alike agree—that ’76–’77 is the best of the Can live years (Keele included). A couple of the tracks from this show have been included on fan-made “best of” live bootlegs over the years. And wow, are they right.”

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