Sights and Sounds: The Grateful Dead, Color Theory, James McCartney

In today's post, I did a bit deeper to uncover some hidden gems spanning several genres that shouldn't get by unnoticed.


"The Grateful Dead Movie" Arrives On Blu-Ray on Nov. 1, 2011


Long out of print, but now restored to its splendid glory – The Grateful Dead Movie arrives in stores nationwide November 1 (Shout! Factory) on Blu-ray, much to the delight of fans worldwide.

Co-directed by Jerry Garcia, The Grateful Dead Movie was originally released in 1977 and captures performances from five October 1974 shows at San Francisco ’s Winterland Ballroom. The deluxe 2-disc set contains the feature film on Blu-ray and a DVD loaded with an extensive slate of bonus features.

Disc 1 features the film in its entirety transferred from the original 35mm film negative in High Definition and presented in 1.78:1 widescreen aspect ratio. The performances include Dead classics such as “Truckin’,” “Sugar Magnolia,” and “Casey Jones.”

Disc 2 is a DVD containing more than 95 minutes of bonus concert footage, including “Uncle John’s Band,” “Sugaree,” “The Other One‚” and more as well as extensive bonus features. Additionally, viewers can choose which sound mix they want, including a 5.1 DTS HD Master Audio presentation of the original theatrical audio mix, a DTS 5.1 audio mix, mixed from the master multitrack tapes, or the PCM 2.0 audio mix, all from the master multitrack tapes.

Click here to get more information on this forthcoming release.


'The Complete Color Theory' available for pre-order


The Complete Color Theory features 217 tracks on 15 albums (3 are double albums), completely remastered from the original source materials in both mp3 and lossless FLAC formats, on a custom laser-engraved 8 GB USB key. Expect a few surprises as well, like photos, rough manuscripts and lyric sketches.

Brian Hazard, whose Color Theory moniker is well known among fans around the globe, asked "how much I should sell them for, and $99 was the clear consensus (I’ll cover the shipping). That seems reasonable to me, but I don’t think it’s fair that someone who already bought most of the albums has to pay the same as someone who hasn’t bought any. So…

"During the pre-order period, you’ll receive a $5 credit off the $99 price for each of the 10 official Color Theory releases you’ve already paid at least $5 for. That means many of you will get it for half off: $49.

On November 1, 2011, it will be set in stone at $99, regardless of your purchase history.

Pre-order now to receive one of the first 50, which will ship on November 1. The rest should ship around the middle of the month."

Get your copy of The Complete Color Theory here.


JAMES MCCARTNEY'S THE COMPLETE EP COLLECTION SET FOR NOV 22 RELEASE ON ENGINE COMPANY RECORDS

PRODUCED BY DAVID KAHNE AND PAUL MCCARTNEY, SET INCLUDES TWO CRITICALLY ACCLAIMED, DIGITAL-ONLY EPS AND FIVE NEVER-BEFORE-HEARD TRACKS

LISTEN TO ALBUM OPENER "ANGEL" VIA ROLLINGSTONE.COM: http://bit.ly/oLXaQA



James McCartney's The Complete EP Collection will be released on November 22 exclusively as a two-cd set via Engine Company Records. The CDs gather McCartney's two recent, critically acclaimed digital EPs 'Available Light' and 'Close at Hand,' with five previously unreleased bonus tracks. All told, the set features 14 McCartney (seen on the right in a photo taken by Mary McCartney) originals, plus a deeply felt cover of Neil Young's "Old Man," and a rousing version of Carl Perkins' "Your True Love."

Rollingstone.com premiered the CD's opening track "Angel" earlier this week, hailing McCartney’s "strong pop hooks." Listen to the excellent power pop-styled track here: http://bit.ly/oLXaQA

The Complete EP Collection is, by turns, whimsical and reflective, sharp-witted and affectionate. Full of smart, engaging pop songwriting—including the intimate "Wings of a Lightest Weight," an expression of a son's feelings of love for his mother—the collection was produced by David Kahne (The Strokes, Regina Spektor) and James' father Paul McCartney. The set was recorded at Abbey Road and Hog Hill Mill Studios in England, as well as SeeSquared and Avatar Studios in New York. James plays many of the instruments himself, including guitar, bass, piano and mandolin.

Track Listing for The Complete EP Collection:

Disc 1
Angel
Glisten
My Friend
Denial
Old Man
New York Times (Bonus)
I Love You Dad (Bonus)
Moonstar (Bonus)

Disc 2
I Only Want To Be Alone
Wings of a Lightest Weight
The Sound of My Voice
Else and Else But Dead
Jesus Be My Friend
Fallen Angel
Spirit Guides (Bonus)
Your True Love (Bonus)

Information: http://www.jamesmccartney.com/