Gonna be the cure for the grief in your life what ails ya...

By Fred Mills

According to a posting this morning at the official Gnarls Barkley website, everyone's favorite odd couple is set to deliver a six-song EP on Nov. 11. The Who's Gonna Save My Soul EP (Downtown) will feature the album version of "Who's Gonna Save My Soul," the original demo, the instrumental and the "stripped-down live version from the band's MTV 52 Bands appearance. Making its debut on the EP will be a new composition, "Mystery Man"; a live version of "Neighbors" recorded at the 40 Watt Club in Athens rounds out the record.

Tomorrow, Oct. 24, the official "Who's Gonna Save My Soul" page will be added to the official website - and it will be removed on Nov.11.

According to Gnarls, "The first time you hear ‘Who's Gonna Save My Soul' it alters your chemistry. It's a vulnerable song for tough times. So far it's been a cult hit. When people hear it, and they've got some grief in their lives, they adore it."

The Wembley Stadium show is set for release Nov. 18

By Mandy Rodgers

After six studio albums and 165,000 tickets, American alternative Foo Fighters is releasing a DVD and Blu-Ray disc with all the group's career highlights. Earlier this year, the band performed two sold-out concerts at Wembley Stadium that featured songs from every album, including "Everlong," "Monkey Wrench," "All My Life" and "Learn to Fly." Eighteen songs were chosen from four hours of footage: opening with "The Pretender" and ending with an emotional performance of "Best of You."

Grammy-winning Foo Fighters are currently:  Dave Grohl (vocals/guitar), Taylor Hawkins (drums/vocals), Nate Mendel (bass) and Chris Shiflett (guitar) are all featured on Foo Fighters: Live at Wembley Stadium. Grohl, incidentally, recently enjoyed a stint as a presidential candidate, running on the Harp Magazine Party ticket....

For one week four songs available online as free downloads.

By Mandy Rodgers

After working with alternative and experimental rock music since 1995, the Eels decided to promote the release of their upcoming deluxe vinyl release by giving away a free four-song EP for a week, Oct. 21-Oct. 28. The songs can be downloaded at the band's Web site, www.eelstheband.com. A valid e-mail address is the only thing needed to get the MP3.

Blinking Lights and Other Revelations 4 LP gives the Eels a chance to release the acclaimed album on vinyl for the first time, this time with a fourth live disc, Manchester 2005. The free group of songs comes from this live album only available in these two formats: Blinking Lights package and Eels Manchester 2005 EP. The vinyl package is sold in a crafted box with hardback book of photos and lyrics, all signed by founder, Mark Oliver Everett. Only 2,500 packages will be available for fans to buy.

In other Eels news, Everett's book, Things the Grandchildren Should Know was just published and is in bookstores now. For more information on the band and releases, visit the Web site.

The Texas singer continues to tour through November.

By Mandy Rodgers

On Nov. 11, Alejandro Escovedo's new live release drops featuring songs from his critically acclaimed Real Animal. In a play on that same title, Live Animal gives his fans the emotionally charged performances and introspective tunes in an irreplaceable live format people have witnessed over his 30-year career. Escovedo's ninth album was well-received by critics and fans as it told true stories from his troubled and dramatic past, and here, the same songs are presented in the same way his many concert-goers experience on the tour.

Some of the tracks have been heard places other than just the arenas or clubs across the country. For instance, Escovedo performed "People (We're Only Gonna Live So Long)" at the Democratic National Convention and "Sister Soul" on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno. Bruce Springsteen has joined him in the past on "Always a Friend" and "Real as an Animal" pays tribute to Iggy Pop.

***

Escovedo has tour stops left including Athens, Nashville and New York. For a full schedule, visit his Web site at www.alejandroescovedo.com.

Blurt-Online's Feature on Escovedo:

http://www.blurt-online.com/features/view/105/

Blurt-Online's Album Review for Real Animal

http://www.blurt-online.com/reviews/view/98/

Blurt-Online Concert Review w/exclusive photos of Escovedo:

http://blurt-online.com/concert_reviews/view/39/

Sir Paul just can't get no respect...

By Fred Mills

No, that's not a forensic artist's rendering of Paul McCartney above; as far as we know he's still very much among the living and his partial remains have not been found in the forest. And no,we're not talking figuratively with that headline - as in, "the ex-Beatle decided to do another duet with Michael Jackson" or "decided to remarry Heather Mills" - but literally: the wax head of Macca, originally displayed back in the sixties at the Louis Tussaud museum in London, has disappeared.

According to a report filed by the BBC the head was left in a bag stashed under a seat on a train en route from London to Reading today. The head had been previously acquired by a businessman, Joby Carter, who intended to auction it this coming Sunday. Carter was stated as saying," It was just a silly thing to do, if it wasn't so critical to get it back for the auction it would probably be quite funny. So far, we've had a lot of hoax calls from people claiming to have seen the head but nothing concrete.

"Someone may have just picked it up and thrown it away without realising what it was or someone might be trying to sell it. I've put up the reward and am desperate to get it back."

Carter's reward offer for the return of the head is £2,000; it's expected to take between £5,000 and £10,000 at the auction.

Added Carter, "The silly thing is since the appeal to find the head we've had more bids come in and the sell price is guaranteed to have gone up. But until it is found it is worthless."

Er, that last bit probably wasn't the wisest thing to say to reporters, Mr. Carter, esp. if you want to keep your reward figure low. Call the BBC and see if you can retract it. Meanwhile, we'll keep our eyes peeled for any new Macca listings at eBay!

Compiled by Blurt Staff

206 digital, satellite and hi-def channels and nothin' on? Not likely. Here are BLURT's top music television picks of the day. The time is followed by the network/cable/satellite channel, then the name of the program and/or featured artist(s). All times are EST. For a comprehensive hour-by-hour listing, go to the VH1 Rock On TV site. Note that for certain channels, shows frequently repeat during the day on or subsequent days.

TIME (EST) / CHANNEL / PROGRAM / ARTIST(S)

7:00 AM CBS: The Early Show: Lee Ann Womack

9:00 AM SYN: The Ellen DeGeneres Show: Jason Mraz

11:30 AM NICK: Yo Gabba Gabba!: Money Mark , Mark Mothersbaugh

1:00 PM RAVE HD: Ray Charles: Live at Montreux 1997

1:30 PM MTV2: Celebrity Deathmatch: Rev Run , Russell Simmons , Johnny Depp

2:30 PM FUEL:  Daily Habit:  A Place to Bury Strangers

3:00 PM RAVE HD: Other Voices: Daniel Lanois , Kate Walsh , Super Furry Animals , Sons & Daughters

5:00 PM VH1C: FM (1978)

8:00 PM Biography: Jon Bon Jovi

8:00 PM RAVE HD: Later With Jools Holland: John Legend , Muse , Raconteurs , Amy Winehouse , Duke Special , Gipsy Kings

8:00 PM VH1C: Say It Loud: Black Music In America:

11:00 PM MTV2: Avenged Sevenfold: Live in the LBC

11:00 PM PBS: Charlie Rose: James Taylor

11:35 PM CBS: The Late Show With David Letterman: The Pretenders

12:00 AM VH1C: The Night James Brown Saved Boston

1:35 AM NBC: Last Call with Carson Daly: Young Jeezy , Nas

First authorized released from the album following a year of leak-related mirth ‘n' mayhem.

By Fred Mills

Guns N' Roses will premiere the title track to the long-awaited/oft-delayed/rightfully-mocked Chinese Democracy today. It's being released to radio stations worldwide; here in America the track was reportedly arriving at 5 a.m. with the expectation that it would automatically go into heavy rotation nationwide.

That is, of course, without station programmers actually getting to preview the track first!

The album is due in stores Nov. 23 - at Best Buy stores, that is.

Elsewhere in Gunners-land, Kevin Cogill - the guy who leaked Chinese Democracy album tracks earlier this year and received a visit from the FBI, followed by a federal bust for copyright infringement - has pleaded not guilty in federal court. (He has admitted to streaming the tracks online but did not distribute them as downloads.)

Go HERE to read our mega-review of the proposed Guns N' Roses album.

Bob Dylan compatriot's album sees vinyl  light of day again.

By Brian Creech

The late Karen Dalton is perhaps one of the most well-loved and obscure names from the early 1970's.  Situated deep within the Greenwich Village scene of the late 1960's, she drew many comparisons to Billy Holiday after falling in with the likes of renegade songsters Bob Dylan and Fred Neil.  Lucinda Williams, Devendra Banhart, and Joanna Newsome have cited her as a muse at one time or another, so Light in the the Attic will rerelease Dalton's 1971 LP "In My Own Time" exclusively on vinyl. 

Recorded over a six month period in 1970/71 at Bearsville, 'In My Own Time' was Dalton's only fully planned and realized studio album. The material was carefully selected and crafted for her by producer/musician Harvey Brooks, who played bass on Bob Dylan's "Highway 61 Revisited" and Miles Davis' "Bitches Brew."  Light in the Attic also released a CD version of the album for the first time in November 2006. 

This reissue of the album will only be available on 180 gram vinyl in limited hand-number quantities.  This release includes a four-song bonus 7" single featuring "Something On Your Mind" as well as an unreleased alternate mix of "Katie Cruel."

All of the audio has been remastered from the original tapes, and the exclusive liner notes feature the musings of Nick Cave, Lenny Kaye, and Devendra Banhart.

Track List:

   1. "Something on Your Mind" - 3:23

   2. "When a Man Loves a Woman" - 2:59

   3. "In My Own Dream" - 4:18

   4. "Katie Cruel" - 2:22

   5. "How Sweet It Is" - 3:43

   6. "In a Station" - 3:52

   7. "Take Me" - 4:40

   8. "Same Old Man" - 2:45

   9. "One Night of Love" - 3:19

  10. "Are You Leaving for the Country" - 3:14

Who's-who of Triangle acts perform to encourage early voting.

By Fred Mills

MacMcCaughan of Superchunk, Portastatic and Merge Records fame has assembled an all-star cast of Triangle (Chapel Hill-Durham-Raleigh) artists to perform a free concert on Sat. Nov. 1 in Chapel Hill. Appearing from 9 am to 1 pm at Graham Terrace on the UNC-Chapel Hill campus will be the dB's (whose Will Rigby, Peter Holsapple and Chris Stamey all live in the Triangle; bassist Gene Holder lives in NJ and won't be present), Megafaun, Bowerbirds, I was Totally Destroyed, Regina Hexaphone, Hobex frontman Greg Humphreys, Ivan Howard of the Rosebuds and - doing double duty - McCaughan, with sets from Portastatic and an acoustic Superchunk.

Both the dB's and Superchunk sets, though reportedly planned as brief ones, make this a particularly special gathering of the tribes. The dB's reunited a few years ago but have only played a handful of gigs, while Superchunk has apparently been on hiatus during the recent past.

In N.C., November 1 marks the final day of early voting (which began last week - yes, BLURT's southern office already sent its staff to the polls) so the concert's intended to remind slackers they have this one last chance to get off their duff and take care of some very important business prior to Election Day.

Also on the bill: Portastatic, Chris Stamey, Greg Humphreys and Electric Owls.

By Fred Mills

Yet more indie rockers are stepping up to make a case for early voting in this year's Presidential Election. On Oct. 28 (that's next Tuesday) in Asheville, NC, a stellar cast of artists will be performing at a get-out-and-vote free concert.

Asheville's own Reigning Sound, along with Tift Merritt, the Electric Owls (featuring the Comas' Andy Herod and Jason Caperton, Archers Of Loaf's Matt Gentling and the Gutter Twins' Cully Symington), Portastatic, Hobex frontman Greg Humphreys and Chris Stamey. (The latter three also perform a few days later at a similar event in Chapel Hill.) The show takes place at 8 pm that night at local venue the Grey Eagle - one of BLURTs' favorite watering holes, incidentally.

According to a report filed by The Independent, tickets will be given away starting Oct. 23, thru Oct. 25 and also on Oct. 27 until they are gone. The location for tickets will be Zeis Hall on the campus of UNC-Asheville.