Led Zeppelin - Mothership (Compilation)
Swan Song/Atlantic/RhinoThis 24-song chronologically-sequenced collection of Zeppelin favorites was released more than a year ago on CD and now the set is available on audiophile quality vinyl for the first time in this plush 4-disc box set. No outtakes or rarities are dug up for the compilation; this is the mighty Zep exactly as you know them and love them, except even better since the original tapes have been remastered. Each disc is housed in a sturdy slipcover that features a headshot of one of the four band members; the enclosed booklet has more photos, extensive liner notes penned by David Fricke and a brief synopsis of each song's release date and studio credits.
Lou Reed - Berlin (Reissue)
RCA/Legacy
After the single "Walk on the Wild Side" made his Transformer album a smash hit the year before, Reed unleashed this set of songs (in 1973) that displayed a depravity only hinted at in the seediness of "Wild Side." The songs are intensely personal vignettes detailing the effects of drug use on a relationship; violence, infidelity and hopelessness variously permeate almost every note. Berlin flopped commercially back in the day but it has always had status as a critic's favorite; all these years later it's considered to be essential Reed if not his finest work ever. Guest players include Steve Winwood, Jack Bruce, Michael and Randy Brecker, Dick Wagner and Tony Levin.
Polysics - We Ate the Machine/Karate House
MySpace
They're not exactly Japan's answer to Devo (the band that inspired their formation) but the music of Polysics embodies the same kind of quirky, often wacko fun. The overall feel is definitely New Wave but the band is ingenious in their melding of genres; "Moog is Love" adds Scorpions-style arena rock and even a Jimi Hendrix riff to the mix. Most of the songs are sung in English but "Rocket" takes off in Japanese to a gurgle of Casio-sounding chimes. No matter the language though; there's no message to be found among lyrics like "Pony and lion/Their teeth are different/Pony and lion/They're not especially greedy" from "Pony and Lion." No, this is music played with wild abandon meant to encourage similarly mindless dancing or listening. We Ate the Machine has also been released as a CD but the older Karate House is only available domestically as part of this 2-LP package.
