Here is fascinating set "issued by Radio Nederland and realized with the generous cooperation of the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra, the AVRO broadcasting corporation house and the publishing house of Cultuur en Media Hilversum ….released to commemorate the fiftieth anniversary, March 22, 2001 of Willem Mengelberg's death." Many of these performances were issued previously on CD, particularly in the Archive Documents "Mengelberg Edition," the Japanese King Record "Mengelberg Legacy" series or on Music & Arts, mostly premium-priced CDs. Now right from the source we have many of these in the best possible sound, and it is a collection to treasure, especially for the invaluable DVD of Mengelberg conducting the Concertgebouw.
After five years away from the recording studio, the Legendary Shack Shakers don't sound as frantic as they did back in the days of Cockadoodledon't, but their commitment to bad craziness below the Mason-Dixon line is as strong as ever, so the title The Southern Surreal is more than fitting. Instead of going for the breakneck psychobilly of their formative days, in 2015 the Shack Shakers continue to explore the swampy sound that dominated 2007's Swampblood as they ponder the more forbidding side of life in the deep South. Bassist Mark Robertson and drummer Brett Whitacre lay out a deep, implacable rhythm as guitarist Rod Hamdallah spreads echo-drenched guitar figures over it all and Col. J.D. Wilkes howls and moans his tales of booze, bad living, the walking dead, and other unhealthy phenomena of life along the riverbank (and occasionally tosses in some high-powered harmonica work). The band also brings along a few high-powered guests (including former Jesus Lizard guitarist Duane Denison and sax player Ralph Carney, best known for his work with Tom Waits), and Billy Bob Thornton steps up to the vocal mike for a brilliantly creepy spoken word piece.