For many the highlight of 2008 happened on June 8, when, during R.E.M.'s set at the Molson Amphitheatre, Johnny Marr joined Pete Buck and the boys on stage for "Fall on Me." The sight of the two men — whose guitar sounds
defined the '80s as the "welcome to the jangle" decade — was a testament to both their talent and life-long passion to
create music. Marr, who was completing his stint with Modest Mouse, has
now joined forces with the brothers Jarman, better known as The Cribs.
Of course, Marr will be forever attached at the quip with Morrissey for
their short but sensational run in The Smiths. While only releasing
four albums proper from 1983 to 87 they supplemented the releases with a bevy
of singles, all with picture sleeves that became a key part of the
band's aesthetic, along with A-list B-sides that justified having to grab
both the seven- and 12-inch versions. With so much speculation swirling
around a reunion, it's no surprise that we have the latest in a long
line of Smiths reissues now in stores. The Sounds of The Smiths (Rhino)
features a nice mix of hits, rarities and live cuts over, all wrapped up in a package that captures the band's look as
well as sound.
YAUCH TALK
With the Beastie Boys having just concluded a pre-election swing-state
tour, Adam Yauch will now return to promoting the DVD release of
Gunnin' For That # 1 Spot. The film — which Yauch produced, directed and
released through his Oscilloscope Laboratories film company — follows eight elite US high-school
basketball players as they travel to New York to participate in an all-star basketball game at Rucker Park, the famed Harlem playground that is
the shrine of street hoops. The film shows these potential future NBA
multi-millionaire's interacting and adjusting to each other while
dealing with the immense pressures they face back home, in locales ranging from Compton to rural Oregon. Included in the group is Kevin
Love, whose father Stan was a NBA player in the '70s and whose
uncle Mike Love is the legendary frontman of the Beach Boys.
NEWS YOU CAN USE
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Go see No Age at Lee's on Friday just to hear them play "Teen Creeps."
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The best Strokes solo LP (so far) is by Fab's Little Joy.
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Go early to the Neil Young/Wilco ACC shows to see Everest.
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If you missed The Stills last week, they return Feb. 7, 2009 at Nathan Phillips Square
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Art Garfunkel plays Massey Hall March 14.
Listen to Dave Bookman Monday to Friday, 2pm-7pm, on 102.1 The Edge.