Nirvana Live And Loud

Seventy-one minutes of live Pearl Jam plus an unreleased song? It's aural nirvana for fans of the reclusive, integrity-driven Seattle quintet. Pearl Jam are nothing if not passionate and unabashedly rocking, and this 16-track offering, recorded during their Yield tour, illustrates why the mumbly voiced rock deity and his band of merry men inspire such ardor in their followers. Eddie Vedder's emotive vocals, Mike McCready and Stone Gossard's raw and raging fretwork and edgy, catchy, whisper-to-a-scream dynamics are deftly and inspiringly captured. Though a few staples (including "Jeremy") are missing, songs running the gamut of the band's seven-year career–from "Corduroy" to "Nothingman" to the Neil Young-penned "F*ckin' Up"–more than make up for any exclusions. The breadth and scope found on Live on Two Legs (a take on the Queen song, "Death on Two Legs"?) proves the once über-"alternative" Pearl Jam have struck a loud chord in the mainstream…and that's not a bad thing.

The Pixies are associated with the 1990s alternative rock boom, and draw on elements including punk rock and surf rock. Their music is known for its dynamic "loud-quiet" shifts and song structures. Francis is the Pixies' primary songwriter; his often surreal lyrics cover offbeat subjects such as extraterrestrials, incest, and biblical violence. They achieved modest popularity in the US, but were more successful in Europe. Their jarring pop sound influenced acts such as Nirvana, Radiohead, the Smashing Pumpkins and Weezer. Their popularity grew in the years after their break-up, leading to sold-out world tours following their reunion in 2004.

When Led Zeppelin hung it up in 1980, Robert Plant wasted no time in mounting a solo career that would exceed all expectations. The singer went beyond the blue-rock format he was famous for, exploring variances of Celtic and English folk, American blues, early rock 'n' roll, psychedelic rock and jazz as well as Arabic, Moroccan, West African, Indian — you name it. To commemorate Plant’s illustrious run, Rhino has reissued all nine of his solo albums with bonus tracks and expanded packaging. Yeah, that’s right, we’re talking Pictures At Eleven, The Principle Of Moments, Shaken 'N' Stirred, The Honeydrippers Volume 1, Now & Zen, Manic Nirvana, Fate Of Nations, Dreamland, and even his most recent disc from 2005, Mighty Rearranger.

Enjoy the best box release ever: The Cult Love (Omnibus Edition) 4xCD Boxset!
Some albums deserve an expanded reissue. Some don’t. The Cult’s second album, 1985’s Love, is largely a work of genius. Despite the heady heights of success scaled by The Cult during the arena rock years, their second album Love is by far their best. Originally released in 1985, there simply isn’t a bad song on here, and evergreen rock anthems such as Rain and the iconic, She Sells Sanctuary are probably their best known and best loved tracks. Re-mastered from the original studio analogue tapes, this four-disc box set is a feast for fans. Aside from the original album, there’s a disc of remixes and non-album B sides, a disc of previously unreleased early demos and a disc recorded live in 1985 on the Love tour. Add a 48-page book with unseen contact sheets from the album photo session and a mass of other material assembled by Astbury and Duffy and you have the ultimate version of one of the greatest British rock records of the 80s.