"Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock" Embeddable Widget

"Tired of being tied to your Xbox, just to play Guitar Hero? Activision is unveiling today -- exclusively through Game|Life -- a Guitar Hero mini-game widget that you can embed in your own blog or web page.
The widget, played with the keyboard, contains three different songs: "Cult of Personality" by Living Colour, "School's Out" by Alice Cooper, and "Metal Heavy Lady" by Lions. Each is set at only one difficulty level: Easy, Medium, and Hard, respectively.
With Guitar Hero and Rock Band locked in a battle over the music game market, anything either can do to raise their brand identity is paramount. Letting people play a mini-version of the game with their keyboards is certainly a clever marketing idea.
And it could pay off for persistent gamers: Get high scores and stay on the Top Ten leaderboard, and you could be eligible to win prizes from developer Rocket XL and Activision".
Source: Wired

Jimi Hendrix - Box of Gypsys (2008)

This is the complete live recordings by Jimi Hendrix and his Band of Gypsys - Jimi, Billy Cox & Buddy Miles - compiled from the best available soundboard and audience sources. Recorded December 31st 1969 and January 1st 1970 at the Fillmore East in New York City, and three tracks (two songs) from Madison Square Garden January 28th 1970.
"After attending to the successful defense of his drug possession charges in Toronto, Hendrix, in order to free his USA royalties that had been suspended by the USA courts, addressed his obligation to provide Ed Chalpin with an LP "of original material". Along with Billy Cox he hired another of his friends, drummer Buddy Miles (formerly with Wilson Pickett and The Electric Flag) for his Band of Gypsys project, they rehearsed for ten days at "Baggies" studio. They then performed a series of four concerts over the two nights of New Year and New Years day, which created the Band Of Gypsys LP, produced by Hendrix (under the name "Heaven Research"). This is the only official complete live LP released in his lifetime. This group also released a single Stepping Stone which was quickly withdrawn, and recorded several studio songs slated for Hendrix' future LP. Litigation involving Ed Chalpin continues until this day.
The second and final Band of Gypsys appearance occurred one month later (January 28, 1970) at a twelve-act show in Madison Square Garden a benefit for the massively popular anti Vietnam war Moratorium Committee, titled the "Winter Festival for Peace". Similar to Woodstock, set delays forced Hendrix to take the stage at an inopportune 3am, only this time he was obviously in no shape to play. He played a dismal rendition of "Who Knows" before snapping a vulgar response at a woman who shouted a request for "Foxy Lady". He lasted halfway through a second song, then simply stopped playing, telling the audience: "That's what happens when earth fucks with space—never forget that". He then sat down on the drum riser for a minute and then walked off stage. Various unverifiable assertions have been proffered to explain this bizarre scene. Buddy Miles claimed that manager Michael Jeffery dosed Hendrix with LSD in an effort to sabotage the current band and bring about the return of the Experience lineup, and guitarist Johnny Winter said it was Hendrix's girlfriend Devon Wilson who spiked his drink with drugs for unknown reasons".
Source: Wikipedia

Disc 1 (Incl. artwork): 1. Intro, 2. Power of Soul, 3. Lover Man, 4. Hear My Train a Comin', 5. Them Changes, 6. Izabella, 7. Machine Gun, 8. Stop, 9. Ezy Rider, 10. Bleeding Heart, 11. Earth Blues, 12. Burning Desire.
Download (136 Mb): Megaupload

Disc 2: 1. Also Sparch Zarathustra/Countdown/Happy New Year, 2. Aud Lang Syne, 3. Who Knows, 4. Stepping Stone, 5. Burning Desire, 6. Fire, 7. Ezy Rider, 8. Machine Gun, 9. Power of Soul, 10. Stone Free.
Download (115 Mb): Megaupload

Disc 3: 1. Them Changes, 2. Message to Love, 3. Stop, 4. Foxy Lady, 5. Voodoo Chile (Slight Return), 6. Purple Haze.
Download (72 Mb): Megaupload

Disc 4: 1. Intro/Who Knows, 2. Machine Gun, 3. Them Changes, 4. Power of Soul, 5. Stepping Stone, 6. Foxy Lady, 7. Stop, 8. Earth Blues, 9. Burning Desire.
Download (116 Mb): Megaupload

Disc 5: 1. Stone Free, 2. Them Changes, 3. Power of Soul, 4. Message to Love, 5. Earth Blues, 6. Machine Gun.
Download (91 Mb): Megaupload

Disc 6: 1. Voodoo Chile (Slight Return), 2. We Gotta Live Together, 3. Wild Thing, 4. Hey Joe, 5. Purple Haze, 6. Intro, 7. Who Knows, 8. Earth Blues
Download (110 Mb): Megaupload

Official Jimi Hendrix Website / Jimi Hendrix @ Wikipedia

Foxboro Hot Tubs - Stop Drop and Roll!!! (2008)

Not going for the WOW! factor here, but this side project from the guys in Green Day really got my attention after I downloaded it today. It has a clean 60s style vibe complete with the organ and a swinging beat.
"The Foxboro Hot Tubs is an American garage rock band. The group made its first appearance on the music scene in December 2007, debuting three songs on its website, foxborohottubs.com. Soon after, Foxboro Hot Tubs were discovered and subsequently made headlines, being heralded as the next secret side project of Green Day.
Foxboro Hot Tubs has been confirmed as Green Day. While the band's history is, as yet, unknown, they are comprised of the members of Green Day, who are performing "garage" music under a nom de plume. Fans of Foxboro Hot Tubs have noted, on the group's MySpace site, many musical similarities between the band and Green Day. Among the common traits listed are Billie Joe Armstrong's "unmistakable" vocals and guitar playing, and a rhythm section which recalls the sound of Green Day's own Mike Dirnt and Tre Cool.
Stop Drop and Roll is the first record from the band. The first six tracks of the album were made freely available on foxborohottubs.com, beginning on December 8, 2007. They have since been removed and replaced with a web site advertising the album. It is speculated that Stop Drop and Roll will be released on CD and vinyl.
Musically, the songs exhibit influences as diverse as The Stooges, Iggy Pop, The Smiths, The Hi-Fives, and Tommy James and the Shondells. Some have compared the band's sound to more modern acts, such as The Strokes, The Hives, Arctic Monkeys, Wir sind Helden and The Fratellis - all of whom share common influences with Foxboro Hot Tubs. Initial reports described the record as having a "'60s style" sound.
One thing about the album which is markedly different from most acknowledged Green Day releases is its use of samples. On the initial release of the first six songs, audio clips from various classic films are inserted at the beginning of each track. For example, "Stop Drop and Roll" and "She's a Saint, Not a Celebrity" are preceded by samples from the 1966 film Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?, while "Ruby Room" contains a clip from the 1970 cult classic Beyond the Valley of the Dolls".
Source: Wikipedia

Tracklist: 1. Stop Drop and Roll, 2. Mother Mary, 3. Ruby Room, 4. Red Tide, 5. Highway 1, 6. She's a Saint Not a Celebrity, 7. Sally, 8. Aligator, 9. The Pedestrian, 10. 27th Ave Shuffle, 11. Dark Side of Night, 12. Pieces of Truth.
Download (35 Mb): Megaupload / Rapidshare

Foxboro Hot Tubs Official Site / Foxboro Hot Tubs @ MySpace / Foxboro Hot Tubs @ Wikipedia

The Dictators - Irving Plaza 07.02.1981

THE WEEKEND! Here's some more of the fabulous Dictators. This time it's a show from the Irving Plaza in New York, back in February of 1981 - recorded just four days before the legendary live cassette "Fuck 'Em If they Can't Take a Joke", later re-released on LP & CD as "New York New York", both on Roir.
"The Dictators are one of the monster bands of all time. Long before the Beastie Boys, they were there posin' at the White Castle as a heavy metal joke, a bunch of punks before there was punk with all the subtlety of a body slam - loud, obnoxious and fun".
Maximum Rock N' Roll

Traclist: 1. The Next Big Thing, 2. Science Gone Too Far, 3. Weekend, 4. New York, New York, 5. Minnesota Strip, 6. No Tomorrow, 7. Loyola, 8. Talahassee Lassie, 9. What Goes On, 10. Faster and Louder, 11. Moon Upstairs, 12. Young, Fast and Scientific, 13. Search and Destroy, 14. Slow Death.
Download (117 Mb): Megaupload

The Official Dictators Website / The Dictators @ Wikipedia

VA - Michigan Nuggets (2000)

Todays treat is this excellent compilation of rarities and long lost hits from the Detroit era. I've noticed that this album is available on some other blogs, but some of them seem to be missing track 7 - so here it is in its full 31 track glory!
"A limited edition (1000 copies), unauthorized double album of Michigan rock from the '60s. It's real difficult to find these days, but it's one of the very best garage-oriented compilations of the era, and a pretty diverse one. There's hot White soul from the Rationals, a rare single by the Amboy Dukes, fetchingly raw folk-rock from the Human Beinzs and the Underdogs, burning garage punk from the Unrelated Segments, and even a castrato Four Seasons imitation by Tim Tam & the Turn-Ons. The heart of the collection, however, are the five early, pre-Elektra sides by the MC5, which are garage rock at its most metallic and furious, and the Dylanesque mid-'60s hard rock sides by Bob Seger, a good decade before he broke nationally. The sound is excellent, as are the liner notes; it's worth paying collector prices for".
Source: All Music Guide

Tracklist: 1. The Woolies - Who Do You Love, 2. Bob Seger & The Last Heard - East Side Story, 3. The Rationals - Respect, 4. MC5 - Looking At You, 5. The Unrelated Segments - Where You Gonna Go?, 6. The Shy Guys - We Gotta Go, 7. Underdogs - Love's Gone Bad, 8. Terry Knight & The Pack - What's On Your Mind?, 9. The Human Beings - Because I Love Her, 10. MC5 - Borderline, 11. The Tidal Waves - Farmer John, 12. Bob Seger & The Last Heard - Persecution Smith, 13. ? & The Mysterians - Can't Get Enough of You Baby, 14. Southbound Freeway - Psychedelic Used Car Lot Blues, 15. The Rationals - Sing, 16. The Wanted - In the Midnight Hour, 17. The Rationals - Leavin' Here, 18. The Bob Seger System - Lookin' Back, 19. MC5 - I Can Only Give You Everything, 20. The Amboy Dukes - You Talk Sunshine, I Breathe Fire, 21. Underdogs - The Man In the Glass, 22. MC5 - One of the Guys, 23. Bob Seger & The Last Heard - Chain Smokin', 24. Dr. Jack Van Impe - An Important Message, 25. Bob Seger & The Last Heard - Heavy Music, Pt. 2, 26. The Rationals - I Need You, 27. MC5 - I Just Don't Know, 28. Tim Tam & The Turn-Ons - Wait a Minute, 29. Ormandy - Good Day, 30. The Beach Bums - Ballad of the Yellow Beret, 31. Bob Seger & The Last Heard - Sock It to Me, Santa.
Download (120 Mb): Megaupload

New spoken word CD & DVD from Henry Rollins

Henry Rollins has just released a new spoken word CD/DVD pack named "Provoked: Quintessentially American Editorializing and Storytelling". This double feature is available for only $10 from his store 21361.com.
"Recorded live on 11/6/07 at San Francisco’s Herbst Theatre and 1/23/08 at Amsterdam’s Paradiso during Rollins’ 2007/2008 “Provoked” spoken word tour. The CD contains over an hour of hilarious and insightful commentary on topics ranging from Larry Craig to the recent Van Halen reunion with pit stops along the way to discuss kids these days, gay marriage, and the current president’s creative use of the English language. Includes a bonus DVD: "Live and Ripped from London" originally aired as a well-received television special on Comedy Central and not previously released on DVD".

Order it HERE!

Burt Bacharach - Butch Cassidy and The Sundance Kid (1969)

Not really a rarity or an album that's difficult to get, but it's the soundtrack to my all time favorite movie - Butch Cassidy and The Sundance Kid.
"Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid is a 1969 Western film that tells the story of bank robber Butch Cassidy (Paul Newman) and his partner The Sundance Kid (Robert Redford). The film is only loosely based on historical fact, but it popularized the legends of these Western icons.
The film was directed by George Roy Hill and produced at 20th Century Fox by John Foreman from a screenplay by William Goldman. The music score was by Burt Bacharach and the cinematography by Conrad L. Hall. Along with Newman and Redford, the film stars Katharine Ross, Strother Martin, Henry Jones, Jeff Corey, Sam Elliott, Cloris Leachman, Ted Cassidy, Kenneth Mars and Donnelly Rhodes.
The film won Academy Awards for Best Cinematography, Best Music, Original Score for a Motion Picture (not a Musical), Best Music, Song (Burt Bacharach and Hal David for "Raindrops Keep Fallin' on My Head") and Best Writing, Story and Screenplay Based on Material Not Previously Published or Produced. It was nominated for Best Director, Best Picture and Best Sound".
Source: Wikipedia

Tracklist: 1. The Sundance Kid, 2. Raindrops Keep Fallin' On My Head (B.J. Thomas Vocal), 3. Not Goin' Home Anymore, 4. South American Getaway, 5. Raindrops Keep Fallin' On My Head (Instrumental), 6. On a Bicycle Built For Joy (B.J. Thomas Vocal), 7. Come Touch the Sun, 8. The Old Fun City (N.Y. Sequence), 9. Not Goin' Home Anymore (Reprise).
Download (62 Mb): Megaupload / Rapidshare

The Dictators - Demos & Rare Tracks '73-'76 (1977)

Here's a classic Dictators bootleg to get you through the day! Don't forget to pick up the rarities compilation "Every Day Is Saturday" - came out on Norton Records in January this year, quite possibly one of the finest collections of rarities ever released!
"The Dictators are a rock and roll band formed in New York City in 1973. Critic John Dougan said that they were "one of the finest and most influential proto-punk bands to walk the earth." The Dictators' debut album, The Dictators Go Girl Crazy! (1975) was perhaps the first album released by a New York punk group. The Dictators are represented in the "Punk Wing" of the Rock and Roll Hall Of Fame, in Cleveland, Ohio. Steven Van Zandt called them "The connective tissue between the eras of The MC5, Stooges, NY Dolls, and the punk explosion of the mid to late 1970's".
Source: Wikipedia

Tracklist: 1. Weekend, 2. Backseat Boogie, 3. Master Race Rock, 4. California Sun, 5. Fireman's Friend, 6. Interstellar Overdrive, 7. Tits to You, 8. Too Much Fun, 9. Dogs, 10. America the Beautiful, 11. Sleepin' With the TV On I, 12. Heartache, 13. Search & Destroy, 14. Disease, 15. Sleepin' With the TV On II, 16. Exposed, 17. Smash That Faggot's Head, 18. Radio Ad.
Download (184 Mb): Megaupload

The Official Dictators Website / The Dictators @ Wikipedia