Rarebird's Rock and Roll Nest

Here's the AP story: http://www.newsday.com/entertainment/news/wire/sns-ap-dylan-radio,0,3703865.story?coll=sns-ap-entertainment-headlines NEW YORK -- Bob Dylan will host a weekly music show on XM Satellite Radio, the first time the rock star has had his own radio show. Dylan will select music for the hour-long show, which will debut in March on XM's deep album rock channel, the station announced Tuesday. He'll also offer comments on music and other subjects, interview guests and answer e-mail from XM subscribers. "Songs and music have always inspired me," the 64-year-old Dylan said in a statement. "A lot of my own songs have been played on the radio, but this is the first time I've ever been on the other side of the mic."

First off, let me apologize for reporting some time ago that the Rock Star: INXS DVD was going to be released on December 6th. I was going by Amazon.com's release date (again). It actually was released a week earlier, on November 29th. Maybe they moved the date up at the last minute, but in any case, the DVD was released two weeks ago. How is the DVD? It could have been much better, but for $10 (that's what I paid), it's a good-enough-for-now souvenir to remember the show by. If you expect to see performances by the show's early eliminatees, you'll be disappointed. Only the last six finalists (J.D., Marty, Mig, Suzie, Jordis, and Ty) are showcased here. But good performances were selected to represent them. Among the 17 clips are: Jordis' stunning performance of "The Man Who Sold The World", Marty's bold acoustic rendition of "Mr. Brightside", Ty's flawless "No Woman No Cry", and Suzie's sensational "Bohemian Rhapso...

The much-heralded INXS CD Switch, the first to feature new lead singer J.D. Fortune, was released last Tuesday. I've listened to it a number of times since, and I have to conclude that it's a decent effort with mixed results. Some of the time, the band seems to be sticking to its '80's dance-rock formula, sometimes too much so. For example, the opening track "Devil's Party" sounds very much like "Original Sin", and Fortune's vocal sounds slavishly like Michael Hutchence, the band's late original frontman. Fortune still sounds Hutchence-like on the single "Pretty Vegas", the song he co-wrote with Andrew Farriss. (Songwriting credit is also given to Marty Casey and Jordis Unga for that song; am I remembering that Rock Star: INXS episode wrong?). But it's a solid song -- after all, it helped J.D. get the job. "Hot Girls" duplicates Hutchence's brand of sexual panting. "Hungry" and "Perfect Strangers...

It's actually happening this time. After 24 years of marriage (and on/off divorce rumors), actress Valerie Bertinelli has filed for divorce from Eddie Van Halen. How do we know it's true this time? Bertinelli's publicist confirmed it yesterday. The AP story is here: http://www.newsday.com/entertainment/news/wire/sns-ap-people-bertinelli,0,1697589.story?coll=sns-ap-entertainment-headlines It's a shame it has to happen. Still, it's (sadly) surprising when a celebrity marriage lasts nearly a quarter-century, especially after the divorce rumor was rampant so many times in the past.

Velvet Redux - Live MCMXCIII is a currently out-of-print VHS title containing live footage of the Velvet Underground from three Paris shows performed during their 1993 reunion tour of Europe. I have always avoided buying the tape, until about six months ago. The reason was because I have never been an admirer of the 2-CD set Live MCMXCIII, the live album that resulted from that 1993 tour. I've always felt that three-fourths of the reunited VU (John Cale, Sterling Morrison, and Maureen Tucker) were in fine form on this album. But Lou Reed's vocals on the album are irritating. It sounded as though Reed was determined to destroy the great songs that he had created with his influential '60's band. (During one cut titled "Velvet Nursery Rhyme", Reed tells the audience that he thinks the songs are "pretentious s--t"). I felt that the album marred the Velvet Underground legend, and I didn't want to bother viewing the videotape that resulted from the sam...

About the aforementioned rumors of a five-man Genesis reunion which would feature Peter Gabriel, Phil Collins, Steve Hackett, Tony Banks, and Mike Rutherford...I've been informed that Peter Gabriel recently appeared on the TV show Extra to promote his upcoming DVD Still Growing Up: Live and Unwrapped , and he confirmed that there was a planned meeting to discuss a possible reunion, though he mentioned no date. Interesting news, but I think it's still too soon for anyone to get excited. It's my understanding that at least four of the five men are currently involved in their own activities, so it may take time for something, if anything, to come of this. I've finished listening to the recently released 3-CD set The Platinum Collection , the first Genesis compilation to feature songs from both the Phil Collins and Peter Gabriel eras. (It only contains one song from the short-lived Ray Wilson era, which is all anyone needs. For what it's worth, a better song than "...

Rhino Records is releasing four T. Rex reissues on November 8th: The Slider (1972), Zinc Alloy And The Hidden Riders Of Tomorrow (1974), Dandy In The Underworld (1977), and the collection The T. Rex Wax Co. Singles A's and B's 1972-77 , which was originally released as two separate discs but will now be available as a 2-disc set. Each of the three proper album reissues will be 2-disc expanded editions, containing the complete album, bonus tracks, and a second disc containing a "work-in-progress" version of the album. The singles collection combines two compilations originally released separately; the first disc contains all 19 A-sides issued on Bolan's own T. Rex Wax Co. label, while the second disc includes all 25 B-sides in chronological order (several singles featured two B-side tracks). The Slider is a great, bombastic classic of the glam-rock genre that definitely deserves its U.S. re-release. Zinc Alloy is a less thrilling album that catches Bolan at the...

Speaking of Genesis...Last month, Rhino Records released a 3-CD set called The Platinum Collection , the first compilation to cover the band's entire history, containing songs from both the Peter Gabriel and Phil Collins eras. (And one song from the short-lived Ray Wilson era, as well). Also, Rhino has released a DVD called The Video Show , which contains all of the band's promo videos. These videos cover the entire post-Gabriel Genesis era, from the 1976 album Trick Of The Tail (with Steve Hackett) to the 1997 album Calling All Stations (with Ray Wilson). It even contains a 1999 remake of their 1974 song "Carpet Crawlers" featuring Gabriel. Here is the official press release, provided by M80 Services: PRESS RELEASE GENESIS HISTORY OF PLATINUM SELLING BAND CAPTURED ON • ‘GENESIS PLATINUM COLLECTION’: First hits collection spotlighting both the Peter Gabriel and Phil Collins Years • ’GENESIS VIDEO SHOW’: Complete video collection on DVD for the first time Plus, Mike ...