Over the years, certain record labels have captured an iconic image, often unknowingly preserving transcendental moments in time as they document cultural movements on their shiny black albums and CDs. Imprints like The Beatles' boutique Apple label, Greg Ginn's proto-Punk SST in its glory years, Bethlehem and Blue Note's aural and graphic explorations in jazz, Def Jam's beatbox hip-hop gentry, SubPop's grunge chronicles, and Ralph Records' bizarre run of performance art Nu-Wave have all left their impression in modern pop-rock history - rare instances of commerce germinating new sounds and directions in thought, speeding wildly through those hip enough to be there when serendipity strikes the bell.

This Tuesday brings the new live-album experience from Oasis entitled Familiar To Millions. The Epic Records release will be available in two-CD, VHS video, or DVD format and was recorded at Wembley Stadium over two days this past July.
It's a cover-ful world this month! This Tuesday brings the long awaited Bruce Springsteen tribute album from the SubPop label. But the 13-track set doesn't pull from SubPop's stable of post-grunge elite, instead collecting an interesting mix of rock, folk, and alternative-country giants taking their spins on selections from Springsteen's Nebraska album.
These ones are really doing it for the kids! The new just released Gizmodgery CD from Self takes kids' play up a notch as the entire disc uses everyday toy instruments - and nothing else - whipping it all up into a clanking, churning delight with Beck-esque playfulness and Prince-esque funk.
The new Limp Bizkit album, Chocolate Starfish and the Hot Dog Flavored Water, is due this coming Tuesday on the Flip/Interscope label and features a funky Willie Wonka & the Chocolate Factory-esque twist. Purchasers might be lucky enough to find a randomly inserted "golden ticket" and autographed gold CD inside a handful of the first pressing of discs.
Film director Baz Luhmann has consistently turned heads and ears with his visually stunning work like his William Shakespeare's Romeo + Juliet, Strictly Ballroom, and monster hit "Everybody's Free (To Wear Sunscreen).
Rage Against the Machine is currently putting the final touches on a new live album, recorded recently at Los Angeles' Grand Olympic Auditorium and dominated by an unusual selection of cover tracks like Devo's " Beautiful World" and MC5's "Kick Out the Jams.
Look for the upcoming Fatboy Slim album, Halfway Between the Gutter and the Stars, to include the track - and first single - "Sunset (Bird of Prey)," which is built upon a vocal sample of the Doors' Jim Morrison reading some of his poetry.
Rhino Records' Handmade imprint has announced that on September 25 it will start distributing the first in a series of CDs of rare and previously unreleased music from The Doors. The recordings will mark the debut of the Bright Midnight label, owned and operated by the surviving members of the band.
This Tuesday brings the new album, Hyacinths and Thistles, from The 6ths - the new project of Stephen Merritt of The Magnetic Fields. The Merge Records release is an unusual collaborative effort with different guest vocalists on each track performing in the European "chanson" cabaret style.

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