Ladies and Gentlemen...

...We Are (Once Again) Floating In SpaceNews has been floating around for months about the multi-disc reissue of one of my all-time favorite LPs, Spiritualized 1997 epic Ladies and Gentlemen We Are Floating In Space. The set includes two extra discs full of demos, a cappella and alternate versions -- including a version of Cop Shoot Cop with the subtitle of "Dr. John's National Anthem", which I imagine will be worth the cost of admission alone. Re-mixed artwork (above) as well as a recreation of the album's original blister-pack design that features each track in easily digestible 3" compact discs almost has my interest piqued enough to re-purchase an album in an antiquated format. Here's hoping it eventually makes its way to vinyl.

Talking Heads

The Name of This Band is Talking Heads - 1982

Often overlooked in favor of the live concert film soundtrack Stop Making Sense, The Name of This Band is Talking Heads is a tremendous document that captures the band throughout the most interesting stages of an extremely varied career. Titled in response to the constant incorrect reference to the band as "The" Talking Heads, as well as a play on the way in which David Byrne would introduce the songs in the band's set "The name of this song is 'New Feeling'..." The Name of this Band... was released in 1982 as a stopgap leading up to 1983's Speaking in Tongues. The first disc features the familiar lineup of Byrne, Harrison, Weymouth and Frantz as it winds through the terrain of its first three albums. From wiry proto new wave to eerie skeletal psychedelics, the band's evolution, both sonically and structurally, is absolutely incredible. The second disc, culled from tapes of its 1980-81 tour, includes Adrian Belew and an expanded version of Talking Heads not unlike that featured on Stop Making Sense, albeit the one here leans much more towards the heady polyrhythmic excursions of Remain in Light. The sound is simply otherworldly. Unrestrained yet solidly structured. Originally released as a double LP set in 1982, The Name of This Band... didn’t see a CD release until 2004. That version (featured here) was brilliantly remastered and heavily expanded to include a hard to find live promo LP filling out the first disc, while a bevy of tracks were added to the second disc to replicate the band's full set on its 1980-81 tour. A tremendous collection and an all-time personal favorite.