Album Releases This Week (column)

'Everything' here

Barenaked Ladies' drummer Tyler Stewart jokes that heads better roll at their label Reprise, which mistakenly printed early versions of the band's new disc, "Everything to Everyone," as "Everything for Everyone." "Either they laid off the spell-check person or they are just so frickin' negligent, that they deserve to go out of business anyway," Stewart says with a laugh.

The 14-track disc finds the band changing paces a bit and approaching songwriting from a totally different direction. "I think this album marks a new beginning because there are several things that are kind of unique about this record," reveals Stewart. "Firstly, we wrote it as a group and secondly, we took the most time we have ever taken to actually write and record those songs _ essentially a year from this past September."

"Everything to Everyone" is being released in a deluxe CD/DVD edition that includes behind-the-scenes footage, studio clips and, most appealing, an 11-track acoustic video/audio performance that speaks to the musical heart and improvisational soul of BNL.

"We did a session towards the end of the album, while we were mixing, where we set up acoustically and just played these songs and recorded them without any overdubs or anything," says Tyler. "And it was kind of fun because I played a thrown-together kit of like a drum case, tambourine and some bongos, which is great _ kind of back to our acoustic roots. It was really fun playing these new songs kind of on the fly."

"Everything to Everyone" is being supported by the aptly named outing Peep Show, which Tyler calls a "combination promo tour/concert tour." BNL will be taking questions from the audience, showcasing the majority of the new release and playing a short selection from its back catalog at the end.


One last `Street'

Almost a year after the death of Joe Strummer comes "Streetcore," the final release from the former Clash frontman with his band the Mescaleros. Due this week on Hellcat/Epitaph, the posthumous album features eight originals and two covers, including a moving version of Bob Marley's "Redemption Song" produced by Rick Rubin.

"The record was made in several bursts, beginning in February 2002," explains Mescaleros keyboardist Martin Slattery, who finished the album with the band's guitarist, Scott Shields. "The final recordings took place in early December last year. But Joe left elaborately detailed notes about how he saw the album. We put the record and the sleeve together from that."

Other tracks include the single "Coma Girl" and the instrumental "Midnight Jam," of which the Mescaleros report, "the four of us just got in there, jammed, slowed the bass down and just dubbed around it, without changing anything."

Strummer died Dec. 22, 2002, from a heart attack at the age of 50.


Fly like an `Eagle'

Legendary California rock act the Eagles will be celebrated with a two-disc retrospective, "Eagles _ The Very Best Of," due this week from Warner Strategic Marketing. The 33-track set will include a newly recorded single, "Hole in the World."

The collection will draw songs from the group's three-decade career, with well-known cuts such as "Hotel California," "The Best of My Love," "Lyin' Eyes" and "Heartache Tonight" as well as a live version of "Seven Bridges Road."

Also included is "Please Come Home for Christmas," which was previously only available as a commercial single. Limited editions of "The Very Best Of" will also include a bonus DVD with a video clip for "Hole in the World" and behind-the-scenes footage of the group's latest tour.

The set will be the first two-disc collection of the band's work, complementing such releases as "Their Greatest Hits (1971-1975)" (Asylum), which, having been certified by the Recording Industry Association of America for U.S. shipments of 28 million copies, is one of the biggest-selling albums of all time.


Blame it on `Rio'

The Rush live CD/DVD "Rush in Rio" chronicles a Nov. 23, 2002, show at Rio's Maracana Stadium on the final night of the veteran Canadian rock trio's Vapor Trails tour. The CD will be released by Anthem/Atlantic, while the DVD will be issued through Anthem/Coming Home/Zoe.

The audio discs features 28 songs, ranging from staples such as "Tom Sawyer," "Limelight," "The Spirit of Radio" and "YYZ" to newer album cuts like "One Little Victory," "Earthshine" and "Secret Touch." Says bassist Geddy Lee, "It was quite an evening with another incredible crowd and we managed pull off a pretty darn good performance to boot."

The "Rush in Rio" CD sports two bonus tracks recorded earlier in the tour: "Vital Signs," from 1981's "Moving Pictures," which has never appeared on a prior Rush live album; and "Between Sun & Moon," from 1993's "Counterparts," which made its concert debut on the trek.

DVD bonus features include a documentary by Rush photographer Andrew MacNaughtan, an animated clip for "By Tor & the Snow Dog," a recently discovered 1975 performance clip of "Anthem," two alternate angle clips of drummer Neil Peart's "O Baterista" solo number and multi-angle viewing options for "YYZ" and "La Villa Strangiato."


`Song' sung blue

A total of 14 songs have made the cut for "The Great American Songbook: Volume II," Rod Stewart's second J Records collection of standards. The follow-up to 2002's successful "It Had To Be You... The Great American Songbook" was produced by Richard Perry, Phil Ramone and Clive Davis.

Among the highlights of the new album is "Bewitched, Bothered and Bewildered," a duet by Stewart with Cher. The pair recorded the Richard Rodgers/Lorenz Hart song with the original, somewhat more sordid lyrics, which are loaded with double-entendres.

Other songs Stewart tackles are Jimmy McHugh and Dorothy Fields' "I'm in the Mood for Love," John Turner, Geoffrey Parsons and Charles Chaplin's "Smile," the Herman Hupfield-penned "As Time Goes By" and a song popularized by the Flamingos', Al Dubin and Harry Warren's "I Only Have Eyes for You." Also covered is the George & Ira Gershwin favorite "Someone To Watch Over Me" and Meredith Wilson's "Til' There Was You."

Although he has thoroughly enjoyed working on these classics, Stewart told Billboard in March that "Volume II" would be his last "American Songbook" album. "Just two will be enough," he said. "Then I'm going to go write some songs. I've got to pay a lot of bills."


Additional titles hitting stores this week include:


* Pop singer Mandy Moore's "Coverage" (Epic), featuring her renditions of songs popularized by XTC, Joe Jackson, Joni Mitchell and Carly Simon.

* The sophomore album from indie rock act the Shins, "Chutes Too Narrow" (Sub Pop).

* A new album from U.K. electronica duo Basement Jaxx, "Kish Kash" (Astralwerks), featuring guest appearances by Siouxsie Sioux and 'N Sync's JC Chasez.

* Two new albums from former Replacements frontman Paul Westerberg: "Come Feel Me Tremble" (Vagrant) and "Dead Man Shake," recorded under the pseudonym Grandpaboy (Fat Possum).

* A self-titled album from R&B artist Loon (Bad Boy).

* Legendary artist Van Morrison's debut for Blue Note, "What's Wrong With This Picture?"

* Disney's soundtrack to the film "Brother Bear," featuring music by Phil Collins.

* Veteran R&B artist Montell Jordan's "Life After Def" (Kela/Koch).

* Singer/songwriter Beth Hart's "Leave the Lights On" (Koch).

* A new album from techno pioneer Richie Hawtin's Plastikman moniker, "Closer" (novaMute).

* An EP from veteran indie rock act Yo La Tengo, "Today Is the Day" (Matador).

* Roots rocker Delbert McClinton's "Live" (New West).

* A compilation assembled by the music site Buddyhead, "Gimme Skelter" (Nettwerk), featuring tracks by the Yeah Yeah Yeahs, Mudhoney, Wire and more.

* The Steve Earle documentary "Just an American Boy" (Artemis).

* Rock act the Stills' "Logic Will Break Your Heart" (Vice/Atlantic).

* A compilation of tracks inspired by the film "Hedwig and the Angry Inch," dubbed "Wig in a Box" and featuring Frank Black, Rufus Wainwright, Jonathan Richman and Bob Mould (Off).

* An album chronicling the Allman Brothers Band's 1970 concerts at the "Atlanta International Pop Festival" (Epic/Legacy).