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June 29th:Beverley Knight comes back with some Music City Soul on CD…
Beverley Knight seems to be a singer on the permanent comeback trail, neverquite hitting the heights of her contemporaries, butDVDfever.co.uk reviewer Elly Robertsbelieves this is an album that must be heard and is “quite breathtaking”.
Beverley Knight: Music City Soulis online and out now on CD.
COMPETITION: New June Xbox 360 comp…
The new competitions online are as follows:
- Hour of Victory (Xbox 360)
Updated cinema listings…
Stuck for something to do this weekend? The list of the films showing at Manchester Showcase Cinemacan be found on this page, and won’t differ much from what’s on in the restof the country.
The new films out include: Shrek The Third andHostel II.
June 28th:39 tracks of genius from Bobbie Gentry on CD…
Bobbie Gentry was an icon of the ’60s era and, asDVDfever.co.uk reviewer Elly Robertsconfirms, she had a great talent in her field with classic tracks such asRaindrops Keep Falling on my Head, Ode to Billie Joe and I’ll NeverFall In Love Again.
Bobbie Gentry: The Best of the Capitol Yearsis online and out now on CD.
June 27th:Tom Cruise needs a little Collateral on DVD…
Although this DVD has been out a while, and even been shown on Film4 in itsoriginal 2.35:1 widescreen ratio, it’s well worth a look if you haven’t seenit as Max (Jamie Foxx) is a cab driver just trying to make a living,while Vincent (Tom Cruise in another excellent turn) is a businessmanwho has five stops to make in one night and will pay handsomely for Max’stime, even though he’s not meant to be tied to one customer of an evening.
However, Vincent’s business activities are something that Max couldn’t haveimagined in a million years and when he gets wind of exactly what’s goingon, it’s already too late to back out…
Collateralis online and out on DVD now in a 2-disc Special Edition.
Elliott Smith’s new CD is New Moon…
Elliott Smith became a cult artist in the USA and had songs featured on suchfilm soundtracks as Good Will Hunting and American Beauty, but,tragically, he committed suicide in October 2003 at the age of just 34.
One of my favourite tracks of his was Son of Sam, which made just No.55back in July 2000, and which was also used in a trailer for the first seriesof The Office on BBC2 before that became a success, but this 2-CD setcontains 24 tracks from a man who, according toDVDfever.co.uk reviewer Elly Roberts,is an acquired taste, but his music will grow on you.
Elliott Smith: New Moonis online and out now on CD.
CHARTS: Catch-up to date with the best and worst singles of the past few weeks…
Not a full chart run-down yet – that will return next week, but a catch-upon what we’ve missed from the past few weeks as to what was worth a listenand what was a complete waste of plastic (or a download if that’s your musicmethod of choice).
Check out themusic chart analysis pagewhich is online now and, to bring things up to date, Rihanna (right)has just retained her No.1 position for the 6th week with Umbrella.
The release dates for singles and albums will continue when normal serviceresumes in due course.
New DVDs out this week…
This week’s new releases are as follows:
- After The Wedding (19.99, Columbia)
- Are You Being Served? Series 7 (15.99, VCI)
- Arthur and the Invisibles (19.99, Momentum)
- Blood and Chocolate (19.99, EIV)
- Bogie and Bacall Signature Box Set (30.99, Warner)
- Brass: The Complete Series (39.99, Fremantle)
- Cagney and Lacey: The True Beginning (29.99, Fox)
- Crown Court Vol.1 (29.99, Fremantle)
- The Darwin Awards (19.99, Warner)
- Doctor Who 2007: Series 3 Vol.2 (17.99, BBC)
- The Fall Guy Season 1 (29.99, Fox)
- Fat Freddy’s Drop: Fantastic Voyages Vol.1 (9.99, Vital)
- Hannibal Rising (17.99, Momentum)
- Heaven’s Soldiers (15.99, Fremantle)
- Human Resources (19.99, Columbia)
- Iggy Pop and the Stooges: Live in Detroit (15.99, Wienerworld)
- It Ain’t Half Hot Mum Series 6 (15.99, VCI)
- Joan Crawford Signature Box Set (30.99, Warner)
- John Wayne Signature Box Set (45.99, Warner)
- Laurence Olivier Shakespeare Collection (79.99, Granada)
- Most Haunted: Live 5 (29.99, Contender)
- My Family Series 6 (19.99, 2 Entertain)
- Northern Exposure Season 6 (25.99, Universal)
- Off The Black (19.99, Axiom)
- Paul Merton In Galton and Simpson’s… Complete Series (14.99, Fremantle)
- The Red Shoes (2005) (19.99, Tartan)
- The Reef (16.99, Warner)
- The Rise and Rise of Michael Rimmer (14.99, Digital Classics)
- School for Scoundrels (15.99, Paramount)
- The Science of Sleep (20.99, Warner)
- She’s On Duty (15.99, Fremantle)
- The Wind in the Willows Series 2 (19.99, Fremantle)
June 3rdPaul McCartney releases a new album tomorrow…
Thanks to DVDfever.co.uk reviewer Elly Robertsfor the following piece about Macca’s new album, Memory Almost Full, which is released tomorrow:
Paul McCartney:
- “I actually started this album, Memory Almost Full, before my last albumChaos And Creation In The Backyard (released September 2005). The firstrecording session was back in the autumn of 2003 at Abbey Road with mytouring band and producer David Kahne. I was right in the middle of it whenI began talking with Nigel Godrich about a brand new project (which becameChaos And Creation In The Backyard).
When I was just finishing up everything concerned with Chaos and had justgot the Grammy nominations (2006) I realised I had this album to go back toand finish off. So I got it out to listen to it again, wondering if I wouldenjoy it, but actually I really loved it. All I did at first was just listento a couple of things and then I began to think, ‘OK, I like that track -now, what is wrong with it?’ And it might be something like a drum sound, sothen I would re-drum and see where we would get to.
I took it from there and built it up. I went through, track by track, makingchanges as I went along. I fixed things I wasn’t too keen on and it justevolved from there. Without me knowing, or really trying, it started to getits own theme, a sort of thread that holds it all together. So I supposeit’s about half new stuff and half old stuff from 2003.
In places it’s a very personal record and a lot of it is retrospective,drawing from memory, like memories from being a kid, from Liverpool and fromsummers gone. The album is evocative, emotional, rocking, but I can’t reallysum it up in one sentence.
There is a medley of 5 songs towards the end and that was purposefullyretrospective. I thought this might be because I’m at this point in my life,but then I think about the times I was writing with John and a lot of thatwas also looking back. It’s like me with ‘Penny Lane’ and ‘Eleanor Rigby’ -I’m still up to the same tricks!I know people are going to look at some of the songs and interpret them indifferent ways but this has always been the case. The thing is that I lovewriting songs, so I just write and write. I never really get to a pointwhere I start thinking I’m going to write about specific subjects.Inevitably though, what I am thinking is going to find its way into what I’mdoing.
The opening track of the album is ‘Dance Tonight’. I recently got myself amandolin and I was just playing about with it and came up with the basis ofthis track. A couple of weeks ago we made the video, which was great fun.It’s directed by Michel Gondry (Eternal Sunshine Of The Spotless Mind) andstars Natalie Portman and Mackenzie Crook. I’m not going to give the plotaway. You’ll have to go and watch it for yourself, but we had a good timedoing it.
The album title came after I had finished everything. For me, that’s whenthey normally come, with the exception of maybe Sgt. Peppers, otherwise Idon’t think I have ever made an album with The Beatles, Wings or solo whereI have thought of a title and a concept. I was thinking about what would sumthe whole thing up and ‘Memory Almost Full’ sprung to mind. It’s a phrasethat seemed to embrace modern life; in modern life our brains can get a bitoverloaded. I realised I had also seen it come up on my phone a few times.When I started bouncing the idea round with some friends they nearly all gotdifferent meanings out of it, but they all said they loved it. So thefeedback helped solidify the title.
After completing the album I then started thinking about the album artworkand how I’d want it to look. I really wanted to make the CD a desirableobject. Something that I know I’d want to pick up from the shelf, somethingthat would make people curious. I hope our final concept has done that. Thealbum sleeve itself includes an etching by a friend of mine, Humphrey Ocean.As with the album lyrics, I’m looking forward to seeing how people mightinterpret the artwork.
Currently I’m just starting out on the promo trail and beginning to get thefirst bits of feedback about the album and so far so good! It’s interestingnow as I’m getting to hear what other people are making of the songs andwhat their feelings are. I’m also talking about the album myself and I’mreally enjoying the discovery process.
I really enjoyed making this album with David Kahne and I’m proud of all thesongs. We had a great time. I hope that the fun we had will communicateitself to the people who are going to listen to it.”
All the best,
Paul McCartney, April 2007
Full Track Listing
1. Dance Tonight
2. Ever Present Past
3. See Your Sunshine
4. Only Mama Knows
5. You Tell Me
6. Mister Bellamy
7. Gratitude
8. Vintage Clothes
9. That Was Me
10. Feet In The Clouds
11. House Of Wax
12. End of the End
13. Nod Your Head
Weblinks: paulmccartney.com /meyesight.com
Click on the packshot for further info.
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Reviewer of movies, videogames and music since 1994. Aortic valve operation survivor from the same year. Running DVDfever.co.uk since 2000. Nobel Peace Prize winner 2021.