Aural Fixations

ROSANNE CASH
Seven Year Ache (Expanded)
King's Record Shop (Expanded)
Interiors (Expanded)
(Columbia/Legacy)
Listening to these Rosanne Cash reissues is like a Cliff's Notes version of country music radio in the 1980's. This period in Nashville pulled female vocalists front and center and Cash shone as bright as anyone. And despite her efforts to distance herself from the genre, Cash was largely responsible for the bleeding of country into pop. (more)

THE 101ERS
Elgin Avenue Breakdown Revisited
(Astralwerks)
The 101ers were the legendary mid-70s London band led by singer/guitarist Joe Strummer prior to the formation of his more famous outfit the Clash. Elgin Avenue Breakdown was originally put together out of demos and live cuts and issued in 1981, as the popularity of the Clash skyrocketed. The Revisited version leaves some of the original live tracks off and adds some different concert and studio cuts. That's a moot point for a lot of folks, especially Americans, who've probably never heard this music at all. Well, thank the rock & roll gods we've finally got the chance, because the 101ers are brilliant. (more)

JEFF WAYNE
Jeff Wayne's Musical Version of The War of the Worlds
(Columbia/Legacy)
Far too many years ago, when I was in junior high, my best friend Willie wanted me to hear a song. Enthusing about how great it was (something that was usually my job, though I wasn't nearly as obsessed with music as I am now), he put one disk of a double album on the turntable, side two, I think, and cued up the tune about which he was so excited. The string-laden pop song soared out of the speakers, on the wings of a by-then familiar voice. The song was called "Forever Autumn," sung by Justin Hayward, lead singer of the Moody Blues, who were riding a hit that year with Hayward's "The Voice." I dug it, being at just the right age to accept the hyper-romantic lyrics without irony. "What album is this from?" I asked. (more)