TOP TEN ALBUMS OF 2013 (GUARANTEED VAMPIRE WEEKEND-FREE!)

Yes, it's been a really long time since I've been here, updating No Expiration. I'm going to try to return more often in 2014.  You can read a lot of my stuff here at Radio.com, the site I work for (along with a number of websites for CBS owned classic rock, classic hits and Jack stations, along with Chicago's WXRT).

I'm planning on sharing my take on upcoming music events including the GRAMMYs and the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, as well as links to some of my interviews, videos and features.  But for now, I'm  returning with my take on the best albums of the year. 

Regarding the headline, I don't really have anything against Vampire Weekend, I am not that familiar with their music (although the few times I've heard their music, it hasn't really kept my attention). I think that they are a "zeitgeist" band - a band who, through a confluence of fans, critical acclaim and an intangible "x factor," are a band who everyone who works in music is expected to pay attention to, and expected to like. That's fine. I definitely like some artists who fall into that category. 

Anyway, I've been having a hard time coming up with an actual order for my favorite albums of the year. In recent years, I've had a handful of albums that rose to the top. In 2007, it was Ben Harper, Bruce Springsteen, Steve Earle, Mavis Staples and Robert Plant/Alison Krauss. In 2008, the Foxboro Hot Tubs. In 2009, Bob Dylan, the Cocktail Slippers, Rancid and Levon Helm. 2010, it was the Drive-By Truckers and Mavis Staples. 2011: Social Distortion and Foo Fighters. And last year, Bruce Springsteen's Wrecking Ball. 

This year, I have a number of albums that I've enjoyed, but no clear favorites. But I'll try to put them in some sort of order here. So, let's start already!

1. Ben Harper with Charlie Musselwhite - Get Up! Two generations of blues artists come together. The easiest thing in the world would have been to make this a covers album. Instead, Ben (and the guys from his current band) wrote a bunch of songs that should be blues standards in the years to come. I had the pleasure and honor of interviewing them when their album came out, and that was a huge thrill. Shortly after that, I saw them playing a show at Irving Plaza (way too small of a venue for them) and it was mind-blowingly great. Check out my review, with my wife's amazing photos, here. Anyway, I'm curious to see what Ben does next: I'd love to see him reunite with his old band, the Innocent Criminals, in 2014.

2. Nine Inch Nails - Hesitation Marks This was one that I thought was really overlooked by music critics. But I realize that a white, angry guy forever connected to the '90s who looks like he could totally kick your ass isn't who critics get behind these days.  But whatever. This album was really innovative. Of course, Trent has to compete with his past, which definitely looms large. Pretty Hate Machine, Broken and The Downward Spiral were all game changers. I don't know that he has another earth shaking record in him like that again. And he isn't that guy anymore: he's married, he has kids, has greyhounds. And yet, I think he's still haunted by every artist who ever disappointed him: he doesn't want to get soft, get boring or sell out. And he doesn't. Not only was this a great album, but he supported it with a great tour: first he did the festival circuit (they pretty much blew everyone away, including Mrs. Carter, at Made In America) and then revamped the band, put together a new stage show and raised the game once again on his headlining tour. Check out my review of that, and (again) my wife's amazing photos, here. I should also mention that his album with How To Destroy Angels was great, and their concerts were amazing too. I can't wait to see what Trent does next.

3. Kanye West - Yeezus Ok, I'm with the critics on this one. And yes, I know he's a douche. I've already written about my first (and only) encounter with him, you can read about it here. Do I buy into any of his hype? No. The Wall Street Journal wrote a scathing retort to his complaints that the fashion world is preventing him from entering their world. I wouldn't look to him as a fashion icon anyway. But what he is great at is making records. Of course, sometimes he needs some help and that was the case here: Rick Rubin exec-produced this album, and I'm sure that was a big factor. But Kanye knows a great track when he produces it, and he knows who to collaborate with (he worked with Daft Punk on "Black Skinhead," a highlight of the album). And he's still a compelling MC. I even like "Bound 2" but let's not talk about the video.

4. Mavis Staples - One True Vine Mavis's second collaboration in a row with Wilco's Jeff Tweedy. I don't like this one as much as their last record, You Are Not Alone, but this is still pretty great. Once again, Tweedy wrote the best song on the album. Last time, it was the title track, this time it's "Every Step." As great as the songs that Tweedy writes for Wilco are, I think he saves his best songs for Mavis. Another highlight is the cover of Funkadelic's "Can You Get To That." Mavis is the rare artist who improves with age. I went to see her in concert at New York's City Winery, and it was one of the best shows I saw all year. It made you feel good to be alive.  Thank you Mavis.

5. Queens Of The Stone Age - Like Clockwork On one hand, I really like Josh Homme and all of his projects. On the other, I don't always go completely gaga for them as some others do. I really liked the Queens circa Songs For The Deaf, when they had three vocalists: Josh, bassist Nick Oliveri and Mark Lanegan. I thought that they sounded too "samey" once it was just Josh. And then I saw them at the Made In America festival. I thought they were great, and that the new songs were amazing, so I checked out the album, and really loved it. "I Sat By The Ocean" is one of my favorites. Josh got bonus points for calling Jay Z out after playing Made In America. I like some of Jay's stuff, but everyone else falls all over themselves trying to be his pal. Josh comes from a different era and a different school.

6. Arctic Monkeys - AM I really thought all the critics would go crazy over this album. They've been hyping the Arctic Monkeys forever. In my mind, they're one of the few bands that the media go crazy over who actually deserve the hype.  I loved their debut album, 2006's Whatever People Say I Am, That's What I'm Not, and everything since. But I think this might be their best album. It combines their tight songwriting, which has always been a hallmark of the group, but also adds a lot of the "weirdness" that Josh Homme brought to the group when he produced their 2009 album Humbug. Josh actually sings backing vocals on a couple of songs here, giving him presence on two of my top ten albums of the year. Way to go, Josh!

7. Elvis Costello and the Roots - Wise Up Ghost More proof that both Elvis and the Roots can tackle any kind of music. A lot of this album reminds me of the Specials.  Sometimes these kinds of combinations can come off a bit contrived, but you know that with this one, it was all about mutual admiration and respect. I would love to see them tour together: imagine what Elvis songs they would revisit if they had time to rework some of his classics.  (In my world, Black Thought would be part of the tour and they'd do a bunch of Roots classics as well, Elvis could play along on guitar). Anyway, I'd file this with Elvis's great collab with Allen Toussaint, and the Roots' album with John Legend.

8. Black Sabbath - 13 Like everyone else, I approached this with managed expectations. I mean, could they still make a classic? Well, time will tell, but this album seriously kicked ass. And, OK, it doesn't  quite live up to the first six Sabbath albums, but it's at least as good as Never Say Die! and is better than Technical Ecstasy.  I obviously have a lot of feelings about the band: as I tell everyone I've ever met, I wrote the liner notes to the Black Box, and a while back was interviewed by A&E for a Sabbath doc. I was not disappointed by this album (other than the fact that they couldn't get it together with Bill Ward to have a full reunion; that said, Brad Wilk did a great job on the album, and Tommy Clufetos was great live). A lot of credit is due to producer Rick Rubin (him again!) but also to Ozzy, Tony and Geezer for bringing their A+ game. Especially Tony, who was going through chemo at the time.

9. Walking Papers - Walking Papers A new band featuring Duff McKagan on Guns N Roses and Barrett Martin of Screaming Trees and Mad Season. It sounds like nothing Duff has done, it's really more like Barrett's bands. In fact, singer Jeff Angell sounds a bit like Mark Lanegan. It's definitely a hard rock album, but more of a dusty Tom Waits type blues vibe (not a Clapton blues vibe). I was fortunate enough to interview Duff and Jeff for a Radio.com New Music To Know (read it here) and they were super cool. But what really turned me on to them was seeing them live on the second stage at the Rockstar Energy Drink Uproar Festival (see my review and my wife's photos here). They were really great, and I bought their album right there, and then reached out to get an interview. This isn't a "side project," it's a great band, please be clear. I hope they tour in 2014, I want to see them again!

10. Valerie June - Pushin' Against A Stone I also interviewed her for Radio.com's New Music To Know (read it here). I heard about her because some of the songs were produced by Dan Auerbach of the Black Keys (one of my favorite producers) and I think I'd read about her somewhere. I checked out her album and was blown away.  It would be great if she was a "zeitgeist" artist, but she's not going out of her way to enter the conversation for anything other than her amazing singing voice and her great songs. I think music lovers will be following her career for years to come.



So, there you have it. But ten isn't enough, here's a few other albums that I feel I have to add:

• Daft Punk Random Access Memories It has my favorite song of the year (yes, "Get Lucky") and it sees them turning their backs on the EDM scene they may or may not have created, eschewing samples and using all live musicians, including Nile Rodgers. 
• M.I.A. Matangi It has another of my favorite songs of the year ("Bring The Noize"). She's one of the most interesting artists today, consistently. 
• Alice In Chains The Devil Put Dinosaurs Here In which they prove that the "new" lineup, with singer/guitarist William DuVall is for real. One of the most underrated albums of the year. 
• Haim Days Are Gone Yeah, I'm with the critics on this one, too. I don't know how it's "indie" though, it sounds like '80s era Fleetwood Mac and Genesis, and I mean that as a compliment. Especially relative to what most indie rock sounds like these days. I saw them at Made In America and they were incredible. 
• Aaron Neville My True Story In which he revisits his doo-wop past, on a stripped down record produced by Don Was and Keith Richards. 
• Holly Williams The Highway The granddaughter of Hank, her artistry stands on its own. She's great. "Drinkin'" is devastating. 
• Lindi Ortega Tin Star I discovered her opening for Social Distortion, she was great. I wish the press would pay attention to her, she surely deserves it. Another artist who I covered for Radio.com's New Music To Know. A super cool chick as well. 
• Jason Isbell Southeastern The former Drive-By Trucker (who wrote my favorite DBT song, "Never Gonna Change") announced this album by saying it was the best thing he's ever done. Well, it is pretty freaking great. Check it out. 
• Lone Bellow Lone Bellow A great new band, when they sing together it's magic. Do yourself a favor and check them out. 
• Kacey Musgraves Same Trailer Different Park  Another time the critics are right. Her debut is excellent, she will get my vote for Best New Artist at the GRAMMYs. 
• Hanni El-Khatib Head In The Dirt Another Dan Auerbach production, it's great garage rock from L.A. 
• Sara Bareilles The Blessed Unrest I'm sorry to say that I only listened to this after it got a GRAMMY nomination, and well deserved. I interviewed a lot of music writers about her, all of whom were surprised, because she's not part of the zeitgeist, or the conversation. Which is all hte more reason to check this album out. 

Well, that's pretty much it. Bring it, 2014!

THE BIG LEBOWSKI SOUNDTRACK

The other night I watched The Big Lebowski for maybe the 50th time.  I lent out my DVD, so I bought it on iTunes so I always have it on my computer. It's a perfect film on every level: it's fun, funny, holds up to repeated viewings, has a great story, it's quotable, the acting is great. Even Tara Reid shines.

But it struck me how great the music is. The Coen Brothers definitely know their music (further proof of that is O Brother Where Art Thou). The often use T-Bone Burnett to be music supervisor, and he did an incredible job here.

Bob Dylan's "The Man In Me" which opens the film sets the tone perfectly.  Kenny Rogers & The First Edition "Just Dropped In" during the freakout sequence: genius. The Gipsy Kings cover of "Hotel California" during Jesus' bowling scene: awesome. Especially given that The Dude hates The (fuckin') Eagles. Also the choice of fairly obscure artists: Captain Beefheart, Moondog and Meredith Monk is cool.

The Dude's music choices make sense: he loves Creedence Clearwater Revival. He's listening to Elvis Costello at the doctor.  But sometimes he just listens to tapes of bowling.

The movie rocks even more with its choice of cameo actors. Aimee Mann as the nihilist who cuts off her toe. Flea, another nihilist with a ridiculous accent.  Jimmie Dale Gilmore as Smokey, did he really step over the line? Jeff Bridges as The Dude is just perfect, and he's a rocker in his own right (he actually releases his second album tomorrow. It's produced by... wait for it... T-Bone Burnett).

I've often talked of my respect for music supervisors who do their job really well.  So, I have to tip my hat to the Coens and T-Bone for this one.

LUCINDA WILLIAMS - "BLESSED"

A good friend of mine, who is a big Lucinda Williams fan, was worried about her new album, Blessed. "She writes so well about broken relationships," my friend said.  Now that's she's (hopefully) happily married, will she be as good as she was?

I pointed out that "Passionate Kisses" is one of her classic songs, and it seems to deal with being in a relationship that has lasted a while.  Car Wheels On A Gravel Road, her greatest album (and the one against all of her others will always be measured, at least in my mind) has a lot more than just breakup/heartbreak songs. I'm always optimistic anyway.

But it was like Lucinda heard my friend, because the opening track/first single, "Buttercup," is a kiss off to an ex-. But Lu is in a different place right now, and it takes courage to try and write about being happy. I think that's where she got the album title, Blessed. I love the artwork int he album - there's a series of people, who look like they are of varying economic circumstances, holding a sign that says "blessed." (You can see video testimonials by regular people who talk about what it means to be "blessed" at Lucinda's YouTube page.)

Like most of Lucinda's recent albums, there's definitely some weepers, but also some flat out rockers.  I totally dig "Seeing Black" (fair enough, another breakup song... by the way, both this song and "Buttercup" feature Elvis Costello on electric guitar). The soul of the album lies with the title track, where Lucinda sees the beauty in everyday life. I don't think she could have written this one 15 years ago. It comes right after "Soldier's Song," which compares a soldier's day with that of his wife and child back home.

Another great song is "Kiss Like Your Kiss," which Lu originally recorded with Elvis Costello for True Blood. Here, it is a solo version.

Don Was produced this album, and I think he did a great job. He's done some cool Outlaw Country type albums over the years, working with Willie Nelson and Elizabeth Cook, and he really stays out of the way here and lets Lu make another really solid album. Well done!

Interesting to see that for the second album in a row, Matthew Sweet sings backing vocals.  Lu, bring him out on the road!

As I mentioned, all of Lucinda's albums (at least to me) will be compared to Car Wheels. I don't think that Blessed is as good as that album, but it is really good and I'd be psyched to hear most of these songs in concert.

P.S. I'll also mention that the "deluxe" version of this album is worth getting: it features a second disc with Lucinda doing solo acoustic versions of all the songs, recorded live at her kitchen table!

TOMORROW ON OUTQ: LEGENDS!

For those of you who are new to No Expiration, every Wedneday morning at about 9 am ET-ish, I go on the SIRIUS XM channel OutQ where I am a contributor to The Morning Jolt with Larry Flick. (The show is co-hosted by comedian Keith Price). Tomorrow I'll be talking about new music from some real legends.

First off is Elvis Costello's new album, National Ransom, which I just wrote a post about. The album sort of combines what he did on his last album, the very rootsy Secret, Profane and Sugarcane, and the prior album, the more garage rocking Momofuku. It actually combines musicians from both albums. I really respect the way Elvis is always pushing himself. With all of his success, he still seems to really try hard.

You can't really say the same for Rod Stewart, who has just released the fifth volume of his American Songbook series. I guess you can't blame the guy for going back to that: his album of soft rock covers (Still The Same) and his R&B covers album (Soulbook) didn't really do well, but the Songbook series sold millions. And he's pretty good at doing it. I have heard a few songs from the new album - same deal as all the prior installments of the series - they're fine.  But you don't get the impression that he's even sweating.  And Rod's best music (his early solo stuff, The Jeff Beck Group, The Faces) has lots of sweat. I've heard Rod say that he wants to do something with The Black Keys.  Hell yeah!  Oh, by the way, The Faces are touring with dude from Simply Red singing.  Just sayin'.


Roxy Music singer Bryan Ferry has a new album, Olympia. I have to admit, I never really "got" Roxy or Ferry, but I don't have a problem with them. There's a new song on his album, "Heartache By Numbers," that I was hoping I'd like - it is a collaboration with Scissor Sisters, but I didn't really like it. I do like the song "Me Oh My," which I think features David Gilmour.

Speaking of Gilmour, he has a new collaborative album with trace music group The Orb. People may think that that is an odd combination, but I don't.  Plenty of Floyd's music sounds like a precursor to trance. Listen to the beginning of  "Shine On You Crazy Diamond." That said, I don't really "get" it, but I thought it would be interesting to talk about, especially if Larry or some of the listeners can explain it to me.

Here's a real legend: Loretta Lynn. She should be in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, no question. Yes, she's obviously country, but listen to "Rated X," "Don't Come Home From Drinkin' With Lovin' On Your Mind" and "Fist City." The woman is badass. There's a new tribute album to her, Coal Miner's Daughter. It's OK: like lots of tribute albums, it's about the list of artists, it demonstrates how influencial she is.  Loretta does a new version of "Coal Miner's Daughter" with Miranda Lambert and Sheryl Crow. It shows that she appeals to both sides of the aisle, as it were. The White Stripes are on the album, as is Steve Earle and Allison Moorer, Alan Jackson, Carrie Underwood, Lucinda Williams and Kid Rock. My opinion: they should have gotten Elizbeth Cook, who reminds me more of Loretta than anyone else I've ever heard.

Quincy Jones has a new album, Soul Bossa Nostra. I guess the deal with his albums is, he produces everything. Dude has experience producing great music, he's worked with Ray Charles, Miles Davis and Michael Jackson. Some of the stuff I have heard on this album is awful.  He works with Amy Winehouse and Mark Ronson on a cover of "It's My Party." I wish I liked that, but I don't.  There's an "update" of the Sanford & Son theme, featuring T.I. and B.o.B. and some other people, but it's just a generic sounding hip-hop track that samples that classic theme. One song I do like is "Betcha Wouldn't Hurt Me" which features Mary J. Blige and Q-Tip (although Tip is hardly even on it!).

I wrote about Tom Jones a while back. On his last album, he did a really great cover of Bruce Springsteen's "The Hitter." It wasn't Vegasy or over the top.  He takes that a bit further on his new album , Praise and Blame, produced by Ethan Johns for Lost Highway Records. It reminds me of what Rick Rubin has done with Neil Diamond... it makes you look at him a bit differently.  Tom does a good cover of the Dylan classic "What Good Am I?" and a pretty rocking take on John Lee Hooker's "Burning Hell."

Speaking of the blues, Buddy Guy has a new album, Living Proof, and we'll talk about that too.

ELVIS COSTELLO STILL DELIVERS!

I've got a lot of respect for Elvis Costello. I'm not the hugest fan, but I have to admire that he follows his muse, and never takes the easy path. He still has the fire. I have said this before, but I think I can be a bit more objective about his newer material because his '70s and '80s stuff wasn't the soundtrack to my life.

I definitely dig his new album, National Ransom.   I've read that some people are calling this a "bluegrass" album.  I think that might be a fitting way to describe his last one (last year's Secret, Profane and Sugarcane), although both albums were produced by T-Bone Burnett. but this one sort of splits the difference between that album and the previous one, 2008's Momofuku. It has elements of garage rock and but a rootsier more country or rustic feel. The musicians on the album are the guys from The Sugarcanes (from his last album) and The Imposters (his go-to rock band these days, 2/3 are former Attractions). He still rocks: the title track is as good as "American Gangster Time" which I rate as one of his finest moments.  But on other songs, it feels like he is still discovering new things to try, and three decades into his career, that's pretty cool. 

I had the opportunity to watch him do a solo acoustic performance at my place of work, which was really cool. I don't think he does that too often. Anyway, here's his solo acoustic - but rocking - version of the very timely "National Ransom."

TOMORROW ON OUTQ: ELVIS COSTELLO AND ROD STEWART

For those of you who are new to No Expiration, every Wednesday morning at 9 am ET I go on the SIRIUS XM channel OutQ. I am a weekly contributor to The Morning Jolt with Larry Flick. We talk about - surprise! - music.

It's a tale of two artists, two friends of Elton. Elvis Costello and Rod Stewart. Mainly because they both have recent releases worth talking about. They both have incredible legacys to live up to, and each does it in a different way. Elvis seems unintimidated by his: he may address his older songs when he performs, but he certainly isn't confined by them, nor does he seem worried about replicating their success.  As a result, he has had a really interesting career. His last two albums, 2008's garage rock album Momofuku and 2009's bluegrass album Secret,
Profane and Sugarcane both show that he has many tricks up his sleeve, and
that he is still an incredibly intense artist, three decades in. And his passion for music is now on display more than ever thanks to his TV show Spectacle: Elvis Costello With... But he is fine with addressing his legacy via his "Costello Show" series of live recordings.

Rod Stewart meanwhile, seems content to kind of do whatever keeps him in the mainstream and on the charts, as long as it isn't too much work. Just my opinion, and I admit that it's a bit churlish to complain about a guy who has been the singer on some truly great rock and roll records: his own, The Faces and The Jeff Beck Group. But hey, it's my blog and my opinion.

Feel free to agree or disagree: call in during the show (1-866-305-6887), or tweet at Larry.

THE ELVIS COSTELLO SHOW(S)

Elvis Costello has just started releasing albums in a series called "The Costello Show." They are different concerts from different periods in his career. Last year, he put out Live At The El Mocambo,  recorded in Toronto on March 6, 1978, supporting his debut album My Aim Is True.

Now, he has released Live At Hollywood High, recorded just a few months later on June 4, 1978 on the same tour.  Like El Mocambo, it is a really intense, rocking album.  As I've often said, I don't like the kind of ageism that people use when they write off older artists simply because they are old. Especially in the case of someone like Elvis, who has made some great music in the past decade. But there is something to be said for listening to recordings of a band when they are young and hungry, and in 1978, Elvis and The Attractions were young and hungry. I'm not the hugest Elvis fanatic, but I highly recomend both of these recordings.

Of course, the other Elvis Costello show is Spectacle, which I just wrote about.  I don't get Sundance (the channel which airs it), but you can get Season 1 on a DVD box set, and it is a really great show if you are a true music fan.

RADIO ON THE TV: SPECTACLE WITH ELVIS COSTELLO

I've been wanting to check out Elvis Costello's interview show on Sundance, Spectacle: Elvis Costello With... I finally picked up the DVD box set of season 1, it's really great. In the first episode he interviews, and performs with, the show's executive producer, Elton John. The show features lengthy interview segments, more like conversations, and unique performances. In the Elton episode, Elvis and his band, (The Imposters, also featuring former Elvis Presley guitarist James Burton and New Orleans legend Allen Toussaint) opened with Elton's "Border Song." Stunning. I'm midway through the second episode, where Elvis interviews President Bill Clinton. Anyway, if you're a big music fan, this is highly recommended.  The first season also features Lou Reed, James Taylor, The Police, Smokey Robinson, one episode with Kris Kristofferson, Rosanne Cash, Norah Jones and John Mellencamp, and another with Jakob Dylan, She & Him and Jenny Lewis. The current season has featured Bono and The Edge, Levon Helm, Sheryl Crow and a two part Bruce Springsteen episode.

TOMORROW ON OUTQ PART 1: LAST MINUTE GIFTS!

For those of you who are new to No Expiration, every Wednesday morning at 9 am ET I go on the SIRIUS XM channel OutQ on the show The Morning Jolt with Larry Flick to talk about music. It is usually a half hour deal, but tomorrow I will be there for an hour. The original plan was to talk about last minute gifts for Hanukkah and Christmas. But since the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame announced their induction class for 2010 this morning, I'm going to be talking about that tomorrow as well. But first, on to the last minute gift ideas. One box set and a bunch of live albums - I find this kind of thing to be a great gift. Of course, I would think that!

A few weeks ago when I talked about box sets, I hadn't yet gotten a copy of Elvis Presley's Elvis 75 - Good Rockin' Tonight. I am not a huge Elvis fan actually (my first impression of him was during his "fat" era I think, and later on by Public Enemy's lyric "Elvis was a hero to most, he never meant shit to me"). But you simply cannot deny his influence on modern music and aside from that, he has some great songs. I would argue that most of his recorded output wasn't really that great, but the stuff that is great (mainly what he recorded for Sun Records) is earth-shattering. Again, I'm not a huge fan, but you really can't deny it. This 4 CD box set covers his entire career. If you are getting a gift for an Elvis beginner and want to spend a little bit, this is a great gift. A cheaper alternative is the single CD Elv1s 30 #1 Hits. I have that - I even thought that was a bit long for me. I would actually prefer Elvis At Sun. One gem I do love on this box set, though, is his cover of Bob Dylan's "Tomorrow Is A Long Time," recorded in 1966.

Moving from one Elvis to another: Elvis Costello's Live At The El Mocambo is a pretty great live album. Recorded in 1978 between his first two albums, My Aim Is True and This Year's Model, it shows Elvis and The Attractions as a hungry, up-and-coming band with something to prove (by the way, this isn't the same set as the one that is included in the Deluxe Edition of My Aim Is True). No Expiration readers know how much I love to see great artists - like Elvis Costello - make amazing art decades into thier careers. That said, there's nothing like hearing an artist when they are the hot new thing. That's what you get here. The sound quality is a bit bootleggy - lots of loud audience sounds, but it almost feels like you are there. Kind of for hardcore fans, but it is really great stuff.

Next is Neil Young's Dreamin' Man, which I've been looking forward to. Recorded in 1992 on a solo acoustic tour, he was playing the songs for Harvest Moon (released later that year) for the first time. I went to one of the NY shows, and was blown away. This is kind of more for hard-core Neil fans, but it really is a lovely album.

Tom Waits' Glitter and Doom is a live album also, documenting his latest tour. It mainly features stuff from the past decade, with some dives into past decades as well. It's two discs: one is songs, the other is stories that he tells between songs. I don't know if that would work for anyone but Tom Waits! Kind of only for hardcore fans.

Paul McCartney's Good Evening New York City documents his concerts this summer at CitiField, which replace Shea Stadium. Paul has released a ton of live albums over the past twenty years, but they are all fun. This one spans his career, from The Beatles to his latest project as The Fireman. The coolest part of the album is probably his live version of The Beatles' "A Day In The Life," which he'd never performed before (as it was mainly a John Lennon composition). This is not just for hard core fans, but if you have a limited budget, I'd say any of The Beatles remasters is probably a better gift.

Finally, The Rolling Stones' Get Yer Ya-Ya's Out deluxe edition, a re-release of the 1969 live album, which comes with a DVD, bonus tracks not on the original album, and the opening sets from Ike & Tina Turner and B.B. King. I've written about this one before.

Also, Beyonce and Kylie Minogue have new live albums, I don't have them, but Larry may bring them in.

BRUCE SPRINGSTEEN PERFORMS THE WILD, THE INNOCENT & THE E STREET SHUFFLE IN NYC

It was great news when it was announced that Bruce Springsteen & The E Street Band would be playing their 1973 classic, The Wild, The Innocent & The E Street Shuffle in full at their 11/7 show at Madison Square Garden. On paper, it sounded like a great idea. And in reality, it was even better.

You've got to give the guy credit, too. To be cyincal, the idea of the "full album performance" that he's been doing on this tour (usually Born To Run or Born In The U.S.A.) was to improve sales in places where sales may not have been great. Bruce Springsteen & The E Street Band have toured so much in the past decade (and Bruce has also toured quite a bit without The E Street Band, both solo acoustic and with The Sessions Band). Unlike many other artists, Bruce Springsteen & The E Street Band do not put tickets on "sale" if sales are soft at a venue (many artists have been doing ticket markdowns, 2-for-1 deals and stuff like that). Playing one of the Born albums start to finish is a great way to stimulate sales. But this week's two Madison Square Garden shows have been sold out for months, and he didn't have to get the band rehearsing all of these songs that they haven't been playing. Plus, the tour is going to be over in two weeks! But that's how Bruce is.

The performance of The Wild, The Innocent & The E Street Shuffle was amazing. He had a full horn section on some of the songs, a string section led by Sam Barfield of The (Seeger) Sessions Band, and percussionist Richard Blackwell, a session guy who played on the original album. It was amazing. Other than "Rosalita," most of these songs don't get too much play (although when I saw them in May, they did "Kitty's Back," "Incident On 57th Street" and "The E Street Shuffle"). Those songs were all great, and "The E Street Shuffle" benefited from having a full horn section. "Wild Billy's Circus Story," with Gary Tallent on tuba, was lovely, and "NYC Serenade" took the cake.

But the show came off like one long highlight, really. They opened with "Thundercrack," an outtake from The Wild, The Innocent & The E Street Shuffle, then played another of my favorite non-album tracks, "Seeds" (from the Born In The U.S.A. sessions) and the classic "Prove It All Night." Other highlights included "Does This Bus Stop At 82nd Street?," the best version of "Human Touch" I'd ever heard (the first time I'd heard The E Street Band do it), "Lonesome Day," "The Rising," "Born To Run" (sorry, I don't get tired of it), "Bobby Jean," "American Land" and the last encore, "Higher & Higher" with Elvis Costello. I wish I was there tonight - they played The River. But man, what a show. I don't think that The E Street Band has any more huge tours in them - but here's hoping that they still do shows in New York and New Jersey!

ELVIS COSTELLO TO RELEASE LIVE AT THE EL MOCAMBO

Later this month, Elvis Costello will release Live At The El Mocambo, which was recorded in 1978. Apparently this is the first in a series of concert recordings that he'll be releasing in the coming months. I think this is a cool thing for artists - but it will only work with those artists whose tours are notably different from each other. I can see this working well for Bruce Springsteen, Neil Young and David Bowie.

THE GRAMMY'S "AMERICANA" CATEGORY

The Grammys have added an Americana category this year. Which is
cool: most of my favorite records this year fall into that category: Bob Dylan's Together Through Life (my favorite album of the year), Levon Helm's Electric Dirt, Buddy & Julie Miller's Written In Chalk (which could have been called "Together Through Life" if Bob hadn't taken the title), Willie Nelson & Asleep At The Wheel's Willie & The Wheel and Elvis Costello's Sacred, Profane and Sugarcane. I might throw in Drive-By Truckers frontman Patterson Hood's solo album, Murdering Oscar. All of which you can hear on SIRIUS XM's excellent Outlaw Country channel!

TOMORROW ON OUTQ: THE COCKTAIL SLIPPERS, IGGY, ELVIS AND CORNELL

Tomorrow on OutQ, I'll

be talking about the new album from a great Nordic band, The Cocktail Slippers - Saint Valentine's Day Massacre (on Little Steven's Wicked Cool Records; Steven produced the album). Listening to the new one, which is a lot of fun, prompted me to go back another album that I have by them, 2004's Mastermind. I really dig this band, more people should know about them, so it is actually a pleasure to be able to talk about them on the radio.

I'll also be playing Iggy Pop's "King Of The Dogs" from his upcoming New Orleans jazz album Preliminaires. And Elvis Costello's "Complicated Shadows" from his upcoming bluegrass album, Secret, Profane & Sugarcane. And a new rock "remix" of Chris Cornell's "Long Gone," from his Timbaland-produced album Scream. I have to say I like Timbaland's version better: this is rock in the sense of Maroon5, very clean and shiny rock. I'm not hating on M5, I'm just saying. I guess this show is The Cocktail Slippers + "we hope you like our new direction." But I'll refrain from Lil Wayne's rock album.

ELVIS COSTELLO'S SECRET, PROFANE & SUGARCANE

Not even a year after putting out Momofuku, Elvis Costello is releasing his next album, Secret, Profane & Sugarcane, produced by T-Bone Burnett. It's a mostly acoustic album (T-Bone plays some electric guitar, the rest of the instruments are "unamplified").  

As I've mentioned before, I'm not an Elvis die-hard, and I think that makes me more receptive to his music. Of course he made some awesome music in the '70s and '80s, but for my money, he's done some of his best stuff in the '90s and '00s. For instance, I love "13 Steps Lead Down" and especially "Sulky Girl" from 1994's Brutal Youth; I like a lot of 2002's When I Was Cruel, especially "45," a lot of 2004's The Delivery Man, especially "Monkey To Man" and I love his collaborative album with Allen Toussaint, 2006's The River In Reverse. And I've already mentioned Momofuku.  So I'll definitely be picking this album up - it comes out on Hear Music, which used to be affiliated with Starbucks, I don't know what their deal is now. 

RECORD STORE DAY '09

Record Store Day is coming again! It's a cool day to celebrate record stores -- so many of us have gotten so much enjoyment from hanging out in record stores (particularly indie ones) and it's good to support them. This site has a list of artists who are doing indie store exclusive releases in honor of the holiday. It doesn't say what the releases will have, only what artists are doing exclusives. Bruce Springsteen is doing a 7" single (nice touch after the Walmart best-of debacle), Bob Dylan is doing a 7", Tom Waits and Lucinda Williams are doing a split 7" and Elvis Costello and Jenny Lewis are also doing a split 7".

TOMORROW ON OUTQ

I'll be talking about The Fireman.  Who?  It's sort of like Paul McCartney's Traveling Wilburys. Not really: it's Paul with Youth, the bassist from Killing Joke who has produced and remixed tons of bands, including Depeche Mode and The Verve. Anyway, The Fireman's latest album, Electric Arguments (their first with vocals, the others were instrumental and more ambient) has gotten great reviews, which Paul's albums don't always get. 

Also, Willie Nelson's new album with Asleep At The Wheel, Willie & The Wheel. And Lily Allen's new album, It's Not Me, It's You. Larry Flick likes the album a lot, he made a copy for me, and I'm enjoying it too.  She's Joe Strummer's goddaughter, so she deserves a listen. 

Also the latest stuff from (RED)wire: This week I got Jakob Dylan and Elvis Costello covering The Clash's "Straight To Hell." I was also going to talk about The Beastie Boys' 20th anniversary reissue of Paul's Boutique. You can get a free download of a "director's commentary" track.  But don't bother, it's pretty boring. Instead, you should check out the 33 1/3 Paul's Boutique book, which is the whole story behind the classic album. I'll also be talking about the 33 1/3 series, and I have a few editions to bring in and discuss if time permits. 

BONNAROO: SPRINGSTEEN, PHISH, BEASTIES AND NINE INCH NAILS

I did a search for "Bruce Springsteen" on a well known mainstream web site and the latest headline I found was "Springsteen, Phish, Beasties, NIN Set For Bonnaroo" and the first few lines included mentinons of Wilco, Al Green, Snoop Dogg and Elvis Costello. But when I clicked to see the story, it was "no article found." But the Bonnaroo site says the announcement will be tomorrow. Seeing how Bruce and Phish have been heavily rumored to be playing the festival, and it definitely fits into Bruce's tour schedule, this makes sense.

BEST OF '08: ELVIS COSTELLO & THE IMPOSTERS' MOMOFUKU

I know there are a lot of totally die-hard Elvis Costello fans out there: I'm not one of them, I'm more of a casual fan. So, I feel like I'm at an advantage when a new album comes out: I'm not like, "Well, it's no Armed Forces" or whatever. 

So, I'll say that I love Elvis' latest album with The Imposters, Momofuku. I don't tend to love Elvis' non-rock stuff, like his collaborations with Burt Bacharach or opera singer Anne Sophie von Otter, but I do think that they benefit his rock albums. Anyway, I have most of Elvis' records (I got them when Rhino reissued them), and I enjoy many of them, but some of the new songs - like "No Hiding Place," "Go Away" and especially "American Gangster Time" are among my favorite songs he's ever done. 

Elvis also gets an honorable mention for some cool collaborations this year: Jenny Lewis' "Carpetbaggers" (returning the favor to Jenny, who is all over Momofuku), Lucinda Williams' "Jailhouse Tears" and Charlie Haden's cover of Hank Williams' "You Win Again." 

Elvis is also headlining the Telluride Bluegrass Festival this year.  You've got admire someone who is credible in so many different music genres. 

TOMORROW ON OUTQ

I'm glad to be returning to the OutQ airwaves tomorrow. Since I usually go on the air on Thursdays, and the last two Thursdays were New Year's Day and Christmas Day, it's been three weeks.

I don't have a theme, per se, but here's what I will be talking about:

• The late great Ron Asheton of The Stooges who died earlier this week.
• How cool a subscription to (RED)wire is. I just got my third issue, which inlcuded a new Joseph Arthur song, and a live mashup between Elvis Costello & The Imposters and The Police of "Watching The Detectives" and "Walking On The Moon," which was recorded for Elvis' new TV show.
• Some great releases that I didn't get to talk about on the air last year (and some I still need to write about): The Drive-By Truckers' Brighter Than Creation's Dark, Bob Dylan's The Bootleg Series Vol. 8: Tell Tale Signs, Lucinda Williams' Little Honey and the Lu In '08 EP, Mavis Staples' Live: Hope At The Hideout, the deluxe reissue of Steve Earle's classic Copperhead Road and Neil Young's Sugar Mountain: Live At Canterbury House 1968.
• And stuff to look forward to in 2009: new albums by U2 and Bruce Springsteen, and possible reunions by The Kinks, The Faces, blur (who I don't care about but I'm sure a lot of people do) and one of my favorite bands ever, Faith No More (more on that as I find out about it).

(RED) WIRE ABOUT TO LAUNCH

Over the summer, I wrote about (RED) WIRE, the online music magazine that is part of the Product (RED) project. Basically it features big name artists contributing exclusive songs - they hope that you subscribe to dig the tunes, and the money will go towards fighting hunger and disease in Africa. Learn more about it here. I just watched U2's cover of Greg Lake's (!) "I Believe In Father Christmas," John Legend's cover of Bob Marley's "Redemption Song" and The Police with Elvis Costello & The Imposters' mash-up of "Watching The Detectives" and "Walking On The Moon." Pretty cool stuff. I'm happy to pay for this stuff.