- If you were looking for a bit of a change, musically, today might be the day to check out yesterday's digital release from Motown, Smokey Robinson's The Stripped Mixes. Not unlike a Michael Jackson set that was rush-released after his death last summer, Stripped puts an emphasis on The King of Motown's inimitable voice through ten acoustically-minded remixes. Call it a cash-in if you want, but the MJ set revealed some buried treasure in those new mixes. Plus, come on, it's Smokey Robinson. He sounds like an angel.
- Queens of the Stone Age, having recently done a 10th anniversary reissue of major-label breakthrough Rated R, are going even further back this holiday season. QotSA frontman Josh Homme's own label, Rekords Rekords, is going to reissue the band's self-titled 1998 debut LP on November 26 as a vinyl and CD set (followed by a CD-only release December 7). This version features three tracks cut from the original version of the album.
- EMI has rescheduled the upcoming deluxe reissues of Duran Duran's Notorious and Big Thing yet again to October 12. This is the third time these titles have changed release dates, which must mean they're going as smoothly as the other sets.
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I really like the new Stripped Smokey album...much better than the Jackson one. Smokey's voice, Fender Rhodes and bass...that's all I need.
I wish that the Smokey Stripped album could be released on CD. I'd buy it in a heartbeat.