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CD Reviews

The Stone Roses

The Stone Roses: 20th anniversary Special Edition

(Silvertone/Legacy)

With the Beatles recently making another huge splash recently, more than 40 years after their heyday, it may just be coincidence that another anniversary release hit store shelves this week.

When the eponymous album by The Stone Roses hit the streets in May 1989, the hype was very similar to what had gone down with the Fab Four a quarter-century earlier.

Like the Beatles, The Stone Roses were hailed as the rock 'n' roll equivalent of perfection in the U.K. While the band never caught on here in the U.S. quite as much as in their native England, it was nonetheless a perfect storm of a talented band releasing just the right music at just the right time.

The Stone Roses' mix of melodic pop with a punk edge was just what rock fans in the U.K. needed at the end of the '80's. Listening to songs such as "Waterfall," "I Wanna Be Adored" and "She Bangs the Drums" on the new 20th anniversary edition of The Stone Roses' debut, it's amazing how well the music holds up.

The set includes the original album, another CD of lost demos and an unreleased track, and a DVD that features a legendary live concert filmed at the Blackpool Empress Ballroom in 1989, as well as six music videos.

Download These: "Waterfall," "Fools Gold," "She Bangs the Drums."

Yim Yames

Tribute To

(ATO)

Everyone has his or her favorite Beatle. Some prefer Paul McCartney's pop sensibility, while others are drawn to John Lennon's genius. There are even legions of Ringo disciples.

Jim James of My Morning Jacket was always a fan of the Fab Four, but it wasn't until a friend turned him on to George Harrison's solo CD "All Things Must Pass" that James zeroed in on "The Quiet Beatle" as his favorite.

Just days after Harrison's death in 2001, James used an 8-track reel-to-reel recorder to capture himself singing a handful of Harrison's songs. With a deep echo effect added in, these tracks are starkly beautiful.

James, who goes by "Yim Yames" here, covers six Harrison tunes, including "All Things Must Pass," "My Sweet Lord" and "Long, Long, Long," and definitely does the material justice. Whether you're a fan of My Morning Jacket, Harrison or both, this one is definitely worth a listen.

Download These: "My Sweet Lord," "Love You To," "Ballad of Sir Frankie Crisp (Let It Roll)."

Christopher Guest, Michael McKean & Harry Shearer

Unwigged & Unplugged

(Courgette)

When Christopher Guest, Michael McKean, and Harry Shearer announced earlier this year that they would be touring as a band, most fans understandably figured that the trio would appear in costume as their greatest collective creation; the fictional metal band Spinal Tap. In typical fashion for these three comedians though, that wasn't to be the case. Guest, McKean and Shearer played the shows as themselves, and the music offered up to the audience was not just from the hilarious 1984 mockumentary "This is Spinal Tap."

"Unwigged & Unplugged" captures the trio's performance in Milwaukee, Wisc. In addition to Tap tunes such as "Hell Hole" and "Heavy Duty," the guys play songs from earlier in their "career," such as "All the Way Home" and "(Listen to the) Flower People," as well as songs from other projects such as the films "Waiting For Guffman" and "A Mighty Wind."

There is a funny Q&A session with the audience and a hilarious reading of the NBC censor's notes on editing "This Is Spinal Tap" for network television.