Rare CD: Commodores "Caught in the Act"

This Commodores album, "Caught In The Act" was originally released on Motown in 1975. The CD reissue is out of print and very rare (MOTD-5240).

12-5-07: Sells on ebay for $113.49 (2 bids).

Rare CD: Counting Crows "By the Time We Got to Woodstock"

"This album was independently released by PotatoDog records in 1999, and features live performances of their songs on tour stops in July 1999 leading up to their performance at Woodstock '99. This CD was available only via an online sale, and sold out quickly. I believe only 1000 copies were manufactured, making this one of the rarest Counting Crows CDs out there."

12-3-07: One of these CDs sold for $178.49 on ebay (23 bids)

Rare CD: The Family "The Family"

This group called "The Family" from the 80s were the original to record the Prince song "Nothing Compares 2 U" before Sinead O'Connor hit it out the park.

"Catalogue number: WPCP-3646
Tracks: 1 High Fashion 2 Mutiny 3 Screams of Passion 4 Yes 5 River Run Dry 6 Nothing Compares 2 U 7 Susannah's Pajamas 8 Desire"

It is very rare, in fact this one that sold on ebay for $152.00 is a Japanese import.

Rare CD: "Predator" Soundtrack

Surprisingly, there a many soundtracks on CD that people will pay an arm and leg for...no pun intended for the one above. "It's not a tumor!"

Listed as: "ALAN SILVESTRI - VARESE CLUB CD - RARE SCORE"
Sold for $177 on ebay (21 bids). If I paid that much for a single CD, I'd probably be terminated.

UPDATE (1-31-08): One sells for $187.50 on ebay (38 bids)

4-21-08: One sells for $255.00 on ebay (12 bids)

Rare CD: Eddie Money "Where's the Party" and "Playing For Keeps"

There are two Eddie Money CDs that have been long out of print and fetch a decent price on ebay. "Playing For Keeps" can get you $30 if you're lucky, and "Where's the Party" can usually get you even more.

A copy of this one recently sold for $46.00 on ebay (13 bids).

2-18-08: One sells for $79.45 on ebay (27 bids).

3-3-08: One sells for $50.99 on ebay (15 bids).

Used on Amazon.com now for $59. Check now.

12-20-07: "Playing for Keeps" sells for $29.66 on ebay (23 bids).

1-27-08: "Playing for Keeps" sells for $29.00 on ebay (9bids).

Used on Amazon.com now for $44.96. Check now.

UPDATE: 4-13-08
"Playing for Keeps" sells for $51.89 on ebay (15 bids)

"Eddie Money CD "Playing for Keeps" Bryan Adams, Journey
FOR AUCTION IS USED CD IN GOOD CONDITION EDDIE MONEY "PLAYING FOR KEEPS" RECORD LABEL COLUMBIA RECORDS CATALOG NUMBER CK 36514 YEAR OF RELEASE 1980/1988 UPC BARCODE NUMBER 7464-36514-2 MADE IN USA DISTRIBUTED BY CBS PRODUCED BY RON NEVISON CD IS FROM EARLY ORIGINAL U.S.PRESSING ON COLUMBIA NINE SONGS AND 36 MINUTES OF AMERICAN POP/ROCK FROM BROOKLYN NEW YORK"

Rare CD: VALENTINE "Valentine"

9 24404-2 Giant/Reprise Records USA, 1990
"An essential masterpiece of AOR from legendary singer Hugo's first major band! Keys all over the place, excellent song writing and guitars, sing-along choruses and of course Hugo's amazing vocals! He's well known for sounding exactly like Steve Perry of Journey to many! Out of print for years now and harder to find every day!"

12-01-07: This one sold for $60.00 on ebay (16 bids)

Free mp3: Dave Stephens

"In an effort to spread the word about his music, Dave is offering these free downloads of his two albums. After downloading, please tell a friend and direct them to this page so that they too can enjoy these albums. Physical copies of these albums can be purchased from The Dave Stephens Online Store at: www.davestephens.ca/store.html
For more information about Dave, please visit his official website at
www.davestephens.ca.
Link: click here.

Rare CD: Tongue Lash "Tongue Lash"

"This Mega-rarity was released in 1995 on Thunderpeel Records. This Boston-based band's CD was put out in very limited quantities. Excellent AOR/Melodic Hard Rock that should be in every elite collector's hands."

Sold on ebay for $511.01 (12 bids).

UPDATE (12-10-07): something fishy here...another one sells for only $36.77 on ebay (3 bids). What's up with that?
UPDATE (12-14-07): One sells for $42.99 on ebay (1 bid).
Note both of the above are from the same seller.
UPDATE (2-1-08): One sells for $153.00 on ebay (12 bids).

Rare CD: Brandi Carlile Band "We're Growing Up"

This is quite possibly one of the the most insane rare CD purchases I've seen in my history of following this stuff. "This CD was released locally (2003) in the Seattle area only, about a year before her major label debut was released." [Columbia Records signed Carlile in late 2004].

For those who don't know, ask a girl about Brandi...her songs have been frequently played on Grey's Anatomy.

Brandi Carlile Band CD goes for $710 on ebay (49 bids).

UPDATE: (1-3-08) One sells for $365.90 on ebay (32 bids).

The same CD also is available with an alternative cover:

The alternate cover version recently sold for $51.05 on ebay (15 bids) (12-21-07)

Rare CD: Neil Young "Chrome Dreams"

I am not sure what the deal is on this one. Evidently an unreleased CD that is released!

According to the ebay listing: "Super rare unreleased album from 1977. Released in the 90's on the Remasters label" OK.

Whatever the story behind this is, it had 16 bids and went for $137.50 on ebay.

Rare CD: Tori Amos "Past the Mission"

There are evidently a lot of Tori Amos fans out there ready to shell out big bucks for some of her rare promo material. This CD is one of them. "Past the Mission" features the title track and several live tracks:

1 - Past The Mission
2 - Winter [Live at Manchester Free Trade Hall 3.1.94]
3 - The Waitress [Live in Boston, The Sanders Theatre 3.31.94]
4 - Icicle [Live in LA, Wadsworth Theatre 3.22.94]
5 - Past The Mission [Live in Chicago, Vic Theatre 3.24.94]
6 - PSA
7 - PSA

One of these recently went for $122.50 on ebay. That comes to about $17 a track.

Rare CD: Sadistic Intent "Resurrection"

This EP CD released in 1994 (Dark Realm Records) will fetch a healthy price on ebay. A recent auction sold this Sadistic Intent CD for $102.50. According to one Amazon.com review, the release is one of the "darkest releases in death metal."

UPDATE (12/16/07): Another sells for only $22.59 on ebay (8 bids) by the same seller.
UPDATE (1/20/08): Another sells for $81.00 on ebay (15 bids).
UPDATE (1/28/08): Another sells for $61.00 on ebay (12 bids).

Review: Tyketto "The Last Sunset: Farewell 2007"

With exception of the die-hard fans, most of us will probably admit to being a little skeptical when a band announces the sudden "discovery" of lost or forgotten early or live recordings. So here we have the hard rock AOR masters, Tyketto, pulling this one out of their hat. "The Last Sunset: Farewell 2007" is marketed as "a collection of unreleased tracks, album demos, and live recordings." Sounds bottom of the barrel scary.

But the stereotype does not apply with this release...the Tyketto boys have delivered yet again and put out a "lost" recordings compilation that truly feels like a time capsule (circa 1988-1992). Having these tunes cranking out of your speakers just makes you want to grow the mullet back out and hit ebay for some spandex. Wow! Tracks like "Big Wheels" and "Till the Summer Comes" sound like they could have been on their AOR masterpiece "Don't Come Easy." Another standout is "Is Anybody Watching Me," which sounds like a follow-up to their classic acoustic-driven ballad "Standing Alone."

Even in the linear notes (also nicely done), vocalist Danny Vaughn writes, "Let's be honest, the reason these songs never got heard is because we never felt they were quite good enough." Their classification of these tracks as their sub par crap is testament to how awesome their "A-list" stuff was. But I thoroughly enjoyed most of their D-list throwaways.

As one might expect for such a record, some tracks are better produced and in more of a final form than others. But Danny never disappoints on vocals, and the trademark big chorus hooks are still present in these unheard tracks. I enjoy the "new" stuff better than the demos. The demos are interesting to hear, providing insight as to how certain beloved songs evolve, but it is hard to appreciate them more than once when biased by the well known version.

Fans of Tyketto rejoice...this is a "leftovers" CD worth picking up.

iPOD-worthy: 1-6, 9

Tyketto site.

Rare CD: Dave Clark Five "History of..."

This 2CD collection of Dave Clark Five tracks is a really nice find (Hollywood Records, 1993). You'll be surprised just how great many of their non-radio hits are as well. Why the Dave Clark Five has not been inducted into the Hall of Fame is beyond me. This set almost always goes for $50-100 on ebay. One recently sold for $71.00 used.

Prices for used copies on Amazon.com are all the place, averaging from $49 to $150.

Review: Hurt "Vol. I"

Hurt stormed onto the hard rock scene in 2006 with this debut, which they were quick to follow up on in 2007 (guess the title). They are difficult to describe, and that can be a good thing. It is near impossible to find a unique sounding band these days. They struck me, at least on this record, as a hodgepodge of post-grunge and alternative rock. I can hear some Nine Inch Nails, Tool, and Cold. Dense, thick guitars and equally thick vocals constitute most of the darkened atmosphere that permeates every track, but I give them props for incorporating some remarkably good orchestration in many places. The singer is clearly talented, but when he slips up to the excessive growling, it just ruins it for me. Doom and gloom, slow and plodding. It gets old fast.

"Rapture" and "Falls Apart" were released as singles, and were decent choices. I prefer "Unkind" - a nice heavy riff mixed with a likable chorus with harmonies to boot. Another cool track is the acoustic-driven change of pace, "Danse Russe". Other than that, there is not much here for fans of AOR and melodic rock. Hurt is interesting to listen to, but not a band that will probably see repeated spins in my player.

Hurt on MySpace. Official site.

iPOD-worthy: 7, 8

Check out the video for "Rapture":

Review: Cold "A Different Kind of Pain"

Cold is a heavy guitar-driven rock band that had a respectable hit with 2003's "Stupid Girl" from the album, "Year of the Spider." The band was then strangely ignored by its label and suffered a sudden lack of promotion just as things were -ahem- warming up for them. After some personnel changes, Cold got back into the studio to cut this record, "A Different Kind of Pain." (Lava Records (Atlantic)).

The lyrical content is presumed to center around Scooter Ward's (vocals) sister, who was fighting cancer at the time. Songs like the title track, "When Angels Fly Away" and "God's Song" would seem to be consistent with this rumor. It is a sad and moving record when listened to with this perspective in mind. The first single, "Happens All the Time" is one of the more melodic tracks despite its heavy themes and should have been much bigger at radio.

Cold seems to be surrounded by bad breaks. It is a shame, as this record showed a lot of promise for the developing band. But this one appears to be their last record, as they announced one year ago that they had disbanded. You can track what Scooter is up to these days at the MySpace link...watch for his new project, "When November Falls." I wonder if this speaks to the fact that Cold disbanded in November?

Cold at MySpace. Official site.

iPOD-worthy: 2, 5, 6, 7, 9, 10, 11

Check out the video for "Happens All the Time":

Hot tip: Trim your mp3s

mp3DirectCut is freeware that you can download and use to crop your mp3 files:

"mp3DirectCut is a fast and extensive audio editor and recorder for compressed mp3. You can directly cut, copy, paste or change the volume with no need to decompress your files for audio editing. This saves encoding time and preserves the original quality, because nothing will be re-encoded. The built in recorder creates mp3 on the fly from your audio input. Using Cue sheets, pause detection or Auto cue you can easily divide long files."

This one is worth check out, folks. I've used it many times to get rid of pointless intros or outros on otherwise iPOD-worthy tracks. Also an excellent tool to separate that "bonus" track from the last official track listed on the CD.

Get it here.

Review: Foreigner "Mr. Moonlight"

Foreigner is legendary...few bands have released more consistently good AOR singles over the course of two decades. But, all too common with highly successful bands, individual egos start to swell and there is no longer enough room in the studio for so many big heads. The feuds between lead singer Lou Gramm and guitarist Mick Jones are equally legendary, and we fans were deprived of a third decade of Foreigner's brand of rockin' AOR. By 1988, the band was dissolved and Gramm and Jones did their own thing. Jones flopped with a new incarnation of Foreigner using Johnny Edwards (releasing "Unusual Heat" in 1991). Gramm flopped with his new band, Shadow King (1991). By 1992, perhaps with egos now back in check and wallets in need of a refill, Gramm and Jones put their differences aside to reform Foreigner and record a comeback/reunion album.

But the 90s in general were not kind to AOR bands, and "Mr. Moonlight" suffered for it. But the record is just a victim of circumstance...on its own, "Mr. Moonlight" is a solid Foreigner record. The production is great and Gramm's chops were, as always, fantastic. The songwriting is not as strong as the biggest Foreigner records, but tracks like "Rain," "White Lie," and "All I Need To Know" are slices of AOR heaven. The beautiful, moody ballad "I Keep Hoping" should have been a hit. It is a crime the band had to go out on a whimper.

iPOD-worthy: 2, 4, 7, 9

Foreigner on MySpace. Official site.

Link to the music video for the single, "Until the End of Time"

Review: P.O.D. "Testify"

As a fan of MELODIC rock, it should be obvious that bands infusing rap with rock (rapcore, as the kids call it now) just don't do it for me. However, there are some I not only tolerate, but enjoy very much, such as Saliva and Chronic Future. I enjoyed P.O.D.'s single "Alive" when it was popular a few years ago, so thought I'd check out their 2006 effort, "Testify."

By and large, the CD is uneven, with genres from rap, rock, and even reggae clashing. However, there are a couple of stand out tracks that appeal to those of us who champion something called melody. "If You Could See Me Now" and "This Time" are highlights. I also enjoyed "Let You Down," which sounds like something Tears for Fears would do if they grew testicles.

Incidentally, "Testify" is the last record the band made for Atlantic. They put out a Greatest Hits record with Rhino and now have signed to Columbia. It will be interesting to see how the changes in labels shapes the band in the upcoming year.

P.O.D. on MySpace. Official site.

iPOD-worthy: 3, 4, 7, 9

Check out the single from this CD, "Goodbye for Now", which almost cracked the Billboard Top 40 (stalled at #47):

Review: Scorpions "Unbreakable"

I was pleasantly surprised with the latest Scorpions release earlier this year, "Humanity Hour 1" (read why). Steve (from Heavy Metal Addiction) told me that I would also like "Unbreakable" (2004, Sanctuary Records). I finally found a used copy for cheap and got to check it out this week. Steve's recommendation was right on and while I still prefer "Humanity Hour 1", "Unbreakable" is a terrific record.

As on this year's release, the Scorpions sound older and wiser (I mean that in a good way!). The production on "Humanity" is superior to what I hear on "Unbreakable," but the Scorps sound strong and not dated. The record just got better and better as it progressed, and I found myself enjoying the latter half more than the beginning...the record is consistent and flows effortlessly. Ballads are scarce, and the rockers are anthems. The talents of these rock veterans are really shining in this new millennium, and I truly hope they are not finished making music yet. To me, they sound better than ever. For the fans of catchy melodies, just out the instantly likable tracks "Someday is Now" (7) and "My City, My Town" (8), "Can You Feel It" (10)

iPOD-worthy: 2, 3, 7, 8, 10-13

Check out "Deep and Dark":