Athens, Georgia and Chapel Hill, NC, Flat Duo Jets became a major influence on many bands of the ‘90’s and the 2000’s, including the White Stripes. (Jack White has mentioned in multiple interviews the influence of Romweber.) The package includes their first EP, In Stereo (1985) and the first full length album, Flat Duo Jets (1990), along with a full bonus CD of outtakes. The band would go on the record several more albums before their breakup in 1998. Dig it. Psychobilly rules again. . . Roy’s Boys (the record company owned by the sons of Roy Orbison) in con- junction with Sony Legacy have released A Love So Beautiful: Roy Orbison with the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, an album that can only be described as “beautiful.” The pairing of the world class orchestra with one of the most pure and beautiful voices in rock and roll history created a magic seldom seen in this age of hip-hop beats, sampling, studio vocal pitch correctors and often monotonous bass and drum lines. Outstanding renditions of “Crying,” “In Dreams,” “It’s Over,” “Only the Lonely,” and “A Love So Beautiful” take on a new level of beauty when blended with the orchestral arrangements. The rock and roll songs are also painted in different bright colors by the string section, the woodwinds and brass. “Oh, Pretty Woman” takes on a new feel, as does “Drove All Night,” “Running Scared,” and “You Got it.” A last-minute addi- tion to the album, Willie Nelson’s “Pretty Paper,” utilized Orbison’s original 1963 vocal track, and the Philharmonic recorded an all new musical accompaniment, adding a nice Christmas touch to the release. Highly recom- mended. . .Mystery Road, the third release from Drivin’ N’ Cryin’ from 1989 has been remastered and reissued as an expanded edi- tion (Island/Ume) that now includes previ- ously unreleased demos produced by Peter Buck of R.E.M. Mystery Road includes two of the Atlanta based band’s best loved songs, “Honeysuckle Blues” and “Straight to Hell.”
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Listening to Mystery Road quickly reminds one of just how versatile Drivin’ N’ Cryin’ were, and are, as a band who can have a Southern rock or country sound one minute, an ‘80’s stadium rock feel the next, and a punk rock vibe the next. Singer and guitarist Kevn Kinney has expounded many times on the fact that their band has always fought against the “branding” of a band or performer as one singular style. As a writer and musi- cian myself, I fully concur. Like most of their music, Mystery Road is a fine example of a band full of true artists. My kind of music. . .
Say you like the blues, kids? How about the great Luther Allison? Well sir, Ruf records has just what you’ve been looking for, Luther Allison: A Legend Never Dies, the ultimate boxed set, strictly limited to 1,500 sets, cele- brating the 20th anniversary of the passing of Alison, a true blues legend. The box includes 7 CD’s, all re-mastered; 4 DVD’s; and a huge coffee table book. The CD’s feature the best of Alison’s post-Motown work, including the 1976 Montreux release, Let’s Try Again-Live ’89, and Blue Streak (1995). Seven albums in all. The four DVD’s include 1997 perform- ances at the Zoo Bar in Lincoln, Nebraska;
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