Memories of Michael

No, not Jackson. On this day in 1997, Michael Hutchence, the charismatic singer of Australian rock band INXS, was found dead in a hotel room in Sydney. He was 37.

Tomorrow, The Second Disc will present a special installment of Back Tracks honoring his work with INXS and elsewhere, but as a temporary memorial we wanted to point out two INXS-oriented articles for your reading pleasure. The first is one of our first Reissue Theory posts from back in February, where we covered the band’s breakthrough LP Kick (1987). We also gave the Reissue Theory treatment to Hutchence’s one-off Max Q project from 1989. Enjoy reading these as we remember a great musician who left us far too soon.

Reissue Theory – INXS, Kick
Reissue Theory – Max Q

Review: The Stooges, “Have Some Fun: Live at Ungano’s”

Perhaps more than any other band, you can learn a great deal about The Stooges without ever taking a really close listen to their music.

For instance, when Raw Power, the band’s final album before a lengthy split, was remastered and reissued in 1997, chaotic lead singer Iggy Pop personally remastered the album to be as unlistenable as possible. Volume levels were at a violent, threatening level – a potent reminder of the band’s sonic death wish and Pop’s iconic, self-destructive attitude. The album was restored to its original, David Bowie-created mix in a deluxe Legacy Edition earlier this year – but the simplest explanation of the essence of the group came in one quick moment on the bonus live set in Georgia, where an audience member can clearly be heard saying of the snarling, uncontrollable singer, “I don’t think he likes us.”

If you needed more proof that The Stooges can only be truly understood when the music takes a back seat, look no further than Rhino Handmade’s new Have Some Fun: Live at Ungano’s. It’s the latest in a flurry of catalogue activity for the band (named to The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame this year); all three of the band’s original albums were reissued in some way to commemorate the occasion (the Elektra-owned The Stooges was given its second expanded reissue through Rhino Handmade, its successor Fun House had the classic Handmade seven-disc sessions box put back into print and Raw Power – the group’s only release on Columbia – was given the Legacy and deluxe box set treatment). Again, all of those sets were fleetingly about the essence of the music itself – 197o: The Complete Fun House Sessions is a monolithic tribute to how improbable it was to capture the unfettered energy of The Stooges by audio alone – and Live at Ungano’s is no exception.

Release Round-Up: Week of November 23

With most retailers putting out their new releases today to get a jump on the inevitable holiday weekend blitz, here’s the big catalogue releases for the week a day early!

Michael Jackson, Michael Jackson’s Vision (Epic/Legacy)

A three-DVD set that includes just about any MJ video you could be searching for. Of course, the one unreleased clip just officially hit the Internet, making you wonder what the fuss is all about. Oh wait, it’s Michael Jackson. (Official site)

Jay-Z, The Hits Collection Vol. 1 (Def Jam)

The first domestic compilation by one of the most respected MCs in the game. A deluxe version features five unreleased tracks. The perfect soundtrack to reading his new memoir. (Official site)

The Who, Live at Leeds: 40th Anniversary Edition (Geffen/UMe)

If you haven’t bought Live at Leeds in any of its three previous incarnations, this set adds the complete Hull show in addition to the complete Leeds show and throws in some vinyl and book bonuses. (Amazon)

 

The Rolling Stones, The Rolling Stones Vinyl Box Set 1964-1969 (ABKCO/UMe) / The Rolling Stones Vinyl Box Set 1971-2005 (Rolling Stones/UMe)

Two hefty boxes of wax collecting all the albums, EPs and compilations The Stones ever committed to tape. (Amazon – 1964-1969)

Pet Shop Boys, Ultimate Pet Shop Boys (EMI)

A thin hits compilation made slightly more worthwhile by the presence of a deluxe edition with a well-stocked DVD of Top of the Pops performances and other live treats. (Official site)

Nine Inch Nails, Pretty Hate Machine (Null Corporation/Bicycle Music Company/UMe)

Trent Reznor remasters and reissues NIN’s debut album with one bonus track. (Amazon)

Mr. Mister, Pull (RCA/Legacy)

Released from the vault after 20 years, Legacy issues a digital (and limited physical) release of the fourth Mr. Mister LP, alongside digital releases of two other Mr. Mister albums (I Wear the Face (1984) and Go On… (1987)) and two LPs by the pre-Mister group Pages. (Official site)

Varese’s Vault Yields Several Treasures

A heads-up to soundtrack enthusiasts who read The Second Disc: this week is your week. No less than three of the major indie labels will be releasing product this week; tonight we will see two new titles from Intrada (one of which is more or less confirmed to be an unlimited deluxe edition of Jerry Goldsmith’s score to First Blood), and La La Land will announce four titles on Black Friday.

This morning, though, Varese Sarabande released their final batch of CD Club titles for the year. And they’re stunning. Come on in after the jump to take a look.