From the new Jimmy Cliff EP, Sacred Fire:

Nice article here from Blurt with lots of reminiscences from R.E.M.'s friends, fans, etc., including a very humorous anecdote from Jason Isbell: Talk About Their Passion: R.E.M.

Glad I finally got around to seeing this after all of these years, it's a very intense and emotionally moving film. Reading up on it, I had no idea just how controversial it was for it's time.

The Alabama Shakes (formerly known as The Shakes) from Athens, Alabama. If you like what you hear below you can check out their entire debut EP here. They have a full length record in the works that should be ready for release sometime in 2012.

From the new Black Keys album El Camino which is due December 6th:

This wasn't nearly as bad as I expected, it was much, much worse.

Heard a great interview with some of these guys earlier today on XM's Lithium channel about the recording of this record. Pretty remarkable stuff. Today's Record Store Day haul:

This epic tale of the last days of Jesse James isn't your typical shoot 'em up Western so anyone going into it expecting that type of movie should be forewarned. Instead, it's a detailed character study of the notorious outlaw and, as the title implies, it tells the story of how he meets his demise at the hands of Robert Ford. I didn't really know what to expect of the movie but at the same time I wasn't put off by the fact that it isn't a typical Western. It's full of beautiful cinematography and some outstanding acting from all parties involved. And yes, at over two hours long it can be a bit slow moving but I was never tempted to nod off. It told the largely untold story of Jesse James' last days very well.

Funny, that with a back catalog as extensive as the Stones' that this is the only box set they've ever released (at least that I'm aware of). I know they've released a box of some of their SACD reissues but what I'm referring here to an actual compilation such as The London Years.

Not sure if this has been mentioned here but this box set from Bill Wyman's Rhythm King's was released this past Tuesday.

That I still need to buy this someday. There's always some used copies that are pretty inexpensive available through Amazon.

http://youtu.be/F3Y6eU9pCHU

Please direct me to the post where I demanded an explanation. If someone likes Lady Gaga more than Mozart their opinion is just as valid as someone who feels the opposite way about their music. When expressing an opinion there is no right or wrong.

You've gotten a whole lot of nonsense out of things I never said. All I did was state my own opinion about how I feel about ranking music. For example, I never said I didn't respect the opinions of others. I'm motivated to listen to music dictated by what mood I'm in at the time. It's not driven by who I think is "better". In other words, I find the whole "X is better than Y" approach to be futile. That's not a knock against you or anyone else that feels the need to rank music, it's simply my own opinion on the matter. I fail to see what's so difficult to comprehend about that.

"Isn't not valid"? All I'm doing is expressing an opinion about how I feel about the ranking of art, in this case, music. I feel it's futile to do so. I'm not espousing a "theory", just an opinion.

http://youtu.be/yyunEf5ICBI

Those are your words, not mine. I just don't see the point in assigning a meaningless number to something that is art.

Stones Near Decision on 50th Anniversary Shows

This movie requires a major suspension of disbelief. If you're able to do that, it's actually quite enjoyable.

World Cafe: Mick Jagger And Keith Richards On 'Some Girls'

How about an explanation of how saying an artist is "overrated" isn't rating them?

You said the Beatles, the Who and the Stones were "overrated". Your words: