Sound Off

Carl Reiner & Mel Brooks

The 2000 Year Old Man: The Complete History

(Shout!Factory)

There are plenty of folks today who know Mel Brooks, thanks to comedy classics such as "The Producers," "Young Frankenstein," and "Blazing Saddles."

An equal number of comedy aficionados know the work of Carl Reiner, thanks to his roles in films such as "Oceans 11" and screenwriting credits on films such as Steve Martin's "The Man With Two Brains."

Long before those successes though, Brooks and Reiner co-wrote for early TV programs such as "Your Show of Shows" and "The Dick Van Dyke Show," which allowed the comedy duo to make a name for itself.

One of Reiner and Brooks' most popular and enduring gags has been "The 2000-Year-Old Man," which simply consists of Reiner interviewing Brooks, who claims to be 2,000 years old. The deceptively simple idea led to television appearances in the '60's, an animated TV special in the '70's, and several comedy albums.

"The 2000-Year-Old Man: The Complete History" gathers the five albums on three CDs, and also includes a DVD that features early appearances on "The Ed Sullivan Show" and "The New Steve Allen Show," as well as the '70's animated special.

Download These: Pick an album, because it's all good.

AC/DC

Backtracks

(Columbia/Albert)

Say what you want about the rock band AC/DC, but you cannot deny that it has kept its sound relatively consistent, even with more than 35 years and three lead singers so far.

Wisely, the band has never released a true greatest hits album, meaning that fans are forced to purchase the entire albums for their favorite songs. The band has relented a bit in recent years, releasing "Bonfire," a box set focusing on the Bon Scott years, as well as a compilation of videos, "Family Jewels."

But there is still no official AC/DC greatest hits album. While fans wait for that best of package to materialize, AC/DC has released another generous collection of rare recordings and videos.

"Backtracks" features two CDs and a DVD, as well as a 35-page booklet of photos and liner notes. CD 1 features rare studio recordings such as "Fling Thing," "Carry Me Home" and "Crabsody in Blue," which were originally B-sides for singles of on import-only recordings.

The DVD serves as an additional disc for the previously released "Family Jewels" compilation, with videos from 1976 to last year's "Black Ice" album.

There's even a deluxe edition that packs even more material inside a box that features an actual working guitar amp.

Download These: "Stick Around," "Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap (Live)," "Highway to Hell (Live)."

Tom Waits

Glitter & Doom Live

(Anti)

When Tom Waits announced last year that he would be doing a brief tour of the U.S. and Europe, fans scrambled for tickets. Being that the shows were often in smaller theaters, a lot of those who scrambled came up empty-handed.

If you were one of the unfortunate souls who didn't get to see Waits' "Glitter & Doom Tour," then you get what amounts to a second chance as Waits releases "Glitter & Doom Live."

The 2-CD set not only provides a musical souvenir of last year's tour, but also shines the spotlight on Waits' lesser-known talents as a comic mind.

The first CD features live versions of Waits classics, including "Lucinda," "Singapore," "Dirt in the Ground," "I'll Shoot the Moon" and "The Part You Throw Away."

Two of the CD's 17 tracks, "Make It Rain" and "Lucky Day," were recorded at the Fox Theatre in Atlanta, the closest the tour came to Charleston.

The second CD, simply titled "Tom Tales," features more than a half-hour of between-song banter from Waits during the tour where the artist throws out interesting, if not necessarily accurate, information on subjects including vultures, the SPAM museum and the origin of the term "dead ringer."

Download These: "Singapore," "Make It Rain."

Sol Driven Train

Live at the Windjammer

Sol Driven Train knows that to consistently draw a crowd to your live show, you've got to be fun. On "Live at the Windjammer -- April 11, 2009," the band's new DVD, they're clearly having a blast.

The two-hour film's peak moments come at the start of the second set, when the band emerges down a stairwell dressed in kaleidoscopic Mardi Gras masks to launch a drum circle within the audience. Segueing onto the stage, the group launches into their multi-part original, "Jellyfish," an ambience-turns-rock tune that shows off the vast capabilities of the five-man outfit.

"Live at the Windjammer" succeeds in capturing one of the region's best bands in their pure form. Multiple camera angles catch subtleties like guitarist/singer Joel Timmon's eyes shifting with the beat and bassist Rusty Cole's fully-committed expressions as he finds and holds the pocket.

Beyond getting a closer-up-look at the band's intricacies than even a front row spot would afford, "Live at the Windjammer" provides a perspective and reminder on the state of the "Charleston sound." There are hints of the Uncle Mingo/Blue Dogs/1990s vibe remnant in Sol Driven Train, but they've evolved well beyond that cliche. This is still music you can lightheartedly enjoy with the ocean breeze in your hair and a drink in your hand, but there's far more to digest. In songs like "Friend of Mercy" and "Intravenous Peace," the band peels off the bandages, revealing the pain they've all suffered behind the good-time faèade. They're wise not to ignore the hurt, instead soothing it for all of us with sweet saxophone and smooth guitar.

With "Live at the Windjammer," Sol Driven Train succeeds at capturing their personality and projecting it onto a screen. It's an intimate look at what it's like to see them live. But, like a good concert film should, it also leaves the viewer anxious to check their tour dates and see them immediately.

Sol Driven Train celebrates the release of Live at the Windjammer with their annual Free Fan and Art's Appreciation Night at Art's Bar and Grill in Mt. Pleasant at 10 p.m. on Saturday, Nov. 21.