New CD Reveals the Beauty of ... German Ads?

In the "For Those About to Kraut-Rock" department: The Crippled Dick Hot Wax Records label has just released Popshopping, an intriguing compilation of original German advertising jingles from the 1960s and 1970s. Available as a single CD or double-LP vinyl set, the record includes a 16-page booklet that tells you all about the studio composers and products involved - toothpaste, chocolate, soap, beer, and cars. Capitalism Über Alles! ... Another tasty new holiday CD that I can't get enough of is Hip-O's Yule B' Swingin' Too! - a grand 14-track collection of big-band jazz from Billie Holiday, Louis Prima, Lionel Hampton, Benny Goodman, and Duke Ellington. The standout must-have is the extra sexy, awfully seductive little candlelight cat-and-mouse duet of "Baby, It's Cold Outside" by Ann-Margret and Al Hirt. Hearing Hirt's fox-like croon of "put some records on while I pour" against Ann-Margret's coy, breathy innocence is a real fireplace delight. ... This Tuesday brings the Miss Congeniality original motion picture soundtrack on the TVT label. The pageant-themed Sandra Bullock film features music by Bosson, Tom Jones remixed by BT, Los Lobos, Baha Men, and William Shatner and the Burman Brothers' "Miss United States" - an over-the-top electronic track ready for the drag-queen circuit. ... I'm buggin' to hear Traffic, another TVT soundtrack due early next month that includes a highly anticipated score by Herbie Hancock, founding Red Hot Chili Pepper bassist Flea, and former Red Hot Chili Pepper, former Weirdos and former Teenage Jesus & the Jerks guitarist Cliff Martinez. Other music from the Steven Sonderbergh film comes from Morcheeba, Fatboy Slim, and Kruder & Dorfmeister. ... Pearl Jam has announced the release of 47 more volumes of band-approved live recordings from its recent North American tour. The first 23 shows will be available January 30 on the band's Web site, and in retail record stores February 27. Another 24 shows will follow in early March. ... Keep a bloodshot eye peeled for the early February release of Electroretard by the Melvins. This extra-gooey collection of rarities on the Man's Ruin imprint features covers of material by Pink Floyd, The Cows, and the Wipers. ... A new supergroup of hesitant rock stars has formed in Nashville, with a Yep Roc Records CD debut in March. Ladies and gentlemen: Swag. Formed from the alliance of Ken Coomer of Wilco, Jerry Dale McFadden of Sixpence None the Richer, Robert Reynolds of the Mavericks, Tom Petersson of Cheap Trick, and Not Lame recording artist Doug Powell, Swag will spread its pop gospel at the SXSW conference this coming March. ... Also set to appear at this spring's SXSW music showcase will be the 20-year-missing-in-action original-member reunion of the Soft Boys, with Robyn Hitchcock, Kimberley Rew, Morris Windsor, and Matthew Seligman. A three-week North American tour will follow. Matador Records will be re-issuing the band's classic Underwater Moonlight as a rarity-filled two-CD set in March with studio rehearsals and the single "He's a Reptile." ... Fret-board fornicators have long heard the name of Uli John Roth, the former guitar virtuoso behind early Scorpions and his own Electric Sun, as a key inspiration to Eddie Van Halen, Yngwie Malmsteen, Joe Satriani, and Steve Vai. Roth is alive and well after a 15-year absence and has just released the new album Transcendental Sky Guitar. The two-CD set contains blistering originals and his interpretation of classical compositions by Mozart, Vivaldi, Chopin, and Bach. ... My pick of the week is Rude Angel by Lorette Velvette, an amazing, eclectic set of swampy-country-soul-drenched rockabilly-glam-twang. The release is the latest from Velvette, the alter ego of Lori Godwin, a Savannah, Tennessee, bound-for-Memphis singer/songwriter/fragile-country riot girl whose résumé is padded with music gentry like Alex Chilton, Mo Tucker, and Robert Gordon. This modern-day deep-blues woman slinks a fine dark-pop swagger, playing formidable slide guitar with a taste for interesting covers, like David Bowie's "Boys Keep Swinging" and T-Rex's "20th Century Boy." Best described as Mazzy Star meets the Carter Family, or Muddy Waters à la Velvet Underground, this highly recommended album can be found on the delightfully quirky Okra-Tone/Bottled Majic Music label. One particular holiday-season gem can be found within - a spacey, fuzzed-out cover of John Lennon's "War Is Over/Happy Xmas" with a cascading Booker T & the MG's vibe.

Television Alert:
The Tonight Show with Jay Leno welcomes Moby on Friday and Bon Jovi on Monday; The Late Show with David Letterman hosts At The Drive-In on Friday and Barenaked Ladies on Monday; Politically Incorrect with Bill Maher sits down with Shaggy on Tuesday overnight; The Late Late Show With Craig Kilborn features Aimee Mann on Friday overnight; and Saturday Night Live's musical guest this weekend is Jay-Z.

New Releases Coming Tuesday, December 19:
and like the winds, young grasshopper, are subject to change. ...

Bon Jovi - The Crush Tour (Island) DVD or VHS recorded live in Zurich, Switzerland, in August

DJ Clue - The Professional 2 (Rock-a-Fella/Def Jam) with guests Mary J. Blige

The Doors - LA Woman (Elektra) DVD Audio CD release

Peter Frampton - Peter Frampton (Sony Legacy) reissue of this 1994 solo album with four previously unreleased live acoustic tracks including "Baby I Love Your Way"

Kool Keith - "I Don't Believe You" (Funky Ass) 12-inch single remixed by Kut Masta Kurt Mystikal, Memphis Bleek, Nas, and Busta Rhymes

Remover - Breakdown Barrier (Blue Worm)

Snoop Dogg -The Last Meal (No Limit/Priority)

Twiztid - Born Twiztid: The Movie (Island) this mock-umentary contains footage from this past summer's First Annual Jugalo Convention in Detroit

various artists - Guitarra Mia: A Tribute To Jose Feliciano (Banco) with Marc Anthony, Los Hispanos, Nydia Caro, and more