Week In Review

Here's my take on what's been happening this week.

White Stripes Break Up

The White Stripes made it official this week. The breakup is not too surprising, really. Jack White has had multiple side projects, and is busy making records with legendary female artists so something had to give. It seems to me that The White Stripes had gone about as far as they could. I freely admit that I'm not much of a White Stripes fan. A few songs here and there but overall I was never particularly impressed. I always liked what I thought they were trying to do more than what was actually accomplished (though I enjoy Jack's side projects much more). So no big eulogy here but still worth noting and giving a tip of the hat to the band.

Rolling Stones Tour? Probably.

The rumours have been flying about a possible 5oth anniversary tour by The Rolling Stones. Band members have both confirmed and denied a tour in separate interviews. The most recent development being a mention of said tour in the lawsuit involving Live Nation and an ousted executive. The current statement from The Stones is that there are no "firm plans" to tour. Which says to me that plans are still up in the air, or being finalized as we speak. Their iconic logo has already appeared on the website for the Glastonbury Festival so it's almost a given they will be playing. It's just that contracts and the suits won't let any details out until the ink is all dry. It is my prediction, therefore, that we'll see a tour this year. My advice would be to go if you get the chance. The band still puts on a good show, and even they can't do it forever.

Rush To Revisit "Vapor Trails"

Legendary progressive rock trio (and one of my all time favorite bands) Rush are about to do something interesting for their fans. Their "Vapor Trails" album has been seen as a mixed bag since its release in 2002. It is a dark record, both musically and lyrically. Not surprising since it came on the heels of drummer/lyricist Neil Peart losing his wife and daughter and the understandable downtime involved. The material is not quite up to par in my opinion, but it is not without its high points. Part of the reason for my, and many other Rush fans' disappointment with the record was with the sound. Most Rush albums invite repeated listening, but this was actually difficult to listen to. Muddy, flat, and overly abrasive are all appropriate. Well, the boys are about to make amends. They are completely remixing the CD. No rewrites or re-recording to be done, which is as it should be. The record is a document of the band at that time and should remain so. However, brightening the songs up and letting the writing shine through may just be what's needed to give this disc a more prominent place in the Rush catalog. Even if it doesn't, kudos to the band for trying to right a wrong, noticing a mistake and doing their best to make things right with the fan base.

Happy Birthday to Alice Cooper. The originator of theatrical rock, and still the best.

Coming Up: New releases by Motorhead, Drive-By Truckers and more.