In celebration of her 50th year in show business is Bettye LaVette's 2012 studio album timed with Penguin Books' release of her autobiography. LaVette's story has always been intertwined with her music she is known for her deeply personal interpretations of songs, even changing lyrics to personalize the songs to her life and world. The new album features Bettye's take on the classic folk tune "Dirty Old Town," made famous by the Pogues plus songs by the Black Keys, Sly Stone, Tom Waits, Neil Young, and Bob Dylan, and you have Bettye's grittiest, funkiest album to date.

Frank Zappa - Road Tapes, Venue #1 (2012) [2CD] {Vaulternative}
EAC Rip | FLAC (tracks+.cue+log) - 300 MB | Scans | MP3 CBR 320 kbps (LAME 3.98) - 194 MB
Genre: rock | RAR 5% Rec. | Label: Vaulternative Records | CAT # VR20122-1/2 | 2012

In September we told you about a new series of live archival releases from the Zappa Family Trust called Road Tapes. Today, we’ve found out about the first installment of what looks to be an exciting series. It appears instead of labeling Road Tapes as volumes, the installments will be labeled as “venues.” Road Tapes Venue #1 features a Frank Zappa and the Mothers of Invention performance recorded at Kerrisdale Arena in Vancouver on August 25, 1968 and is expected to ship this week.

Athlantis is the band/project of bass and keyboard player Steve Vawamas, also known for his work with Mastercastle, The Dogma, Shadows of Steel, and others. M.W.N.D. is their second album, the first in nine years. It also features, once more, excellent neo-classical guitar player Pier Gonella.

"Spiritual Genocide", the 30th-anniversary album from German thrash metal veterans DESTRUCTION, is scheduled for release on November 23 via Nuclear Blast Records. The CD was recorded at Gernhart Studios in Troisdorf, Germany with engineer Martin Buchwalter and was mixed by Andy Classen. The album features guest appearances by Thomas "Angelripper" Such (SODOM), Andreas "Gerre" Geremia (TANKARD) and Ol Drake (EVILE). In addition, the "Mad Butcher"/"Release From Agony" lineup of DESTRUCTION — featuring guitarist Harry Wilkens and drummer Oliver Kaiser — reunited for one song.

After a phenomenal demo tape, SKELETAL REMAINS from California (USA) release their first full length album. "BEYOND THE FLESH" is classic Death Metal from the rotten crypt and awakes the spirit of late 80s/ early 90s Morrisound stuff. If you like the early hymns of Gorguts, Pestilence, Death or Morgoth surely you'll freak out with Skeletal Remains !

The music of Mieczyslaw Weinberg, who fled the Nazis and endured persecution from Stalin (although, as annotator David Fanning points out here, he regarded the Red Army as his savior), has increased sharply in popularity. Weinberg is part of Shostakovich's stylistic universe and, although the relationship was never a formal one, said that he regarded himself as Shostakovich's pupil. Yet he was no clone. Jewish motifs play a role in some of his music, and in the string quartets here, especially the String Quartet No. 12, Op. 103, Bartók is as important a model as Shostakovich. An excellent conclusion to the Quatuor Danel's Weinberg cycle.

James Manheim @ AllMusic

I had to sit down and write a quick review for this gem. I have yet to grow tired of this disc as much as I play it. There are so many rare moments that I treasure and most were filmed not long after release. The audio quality is very good from these German TV shows and even the B&W tracks are clear. The video quality seems to get better with each one but all are exceptable.

This CD captures the Reverend in the relaxed atmosphere of an afternoon workshop at Allegheney University, Pennsalvania, playing his guitar, harmonica and banjo to an enthralled audience. Within days of this concert the Reverend announced to an audience at the University of Indiana.

For many of them, such as Charley Jackson from New Orleans, Arvella Gray from Texas, Maxwell Street was a landing place for the many musicians who migrated from the South to Chicago, bringing with them their music and songs and making them part of the Chicago blues landscape……..