"...there's a fever in the funk house now..."

Back in the glory days of the early '70s, that line from that song sent me to Art's Record Shop, where the unmatched proprietor of the shop (Jean, she's gone now but she'll always live on in my heart) sold me (always at the 'friend' discount) my first of many copies of Exile on Main Street. And while I absolutely love most Stones albums, there is a special spot for Exile on Main Street that just can't be inhabited by any other album by them. Maybe it was the timeframe, a point where I immersed deeply into music, exploring its many directions. Maybe it was the collection of captivating songs on the album, songs like "Tumbling Dice," "Happy," "Rip This Joint," "Sweet Virginia," and "Ventilator Blues," to just name a few of the eighteen incredible tracks that made up this double LP. Or maybe because it IS one of the great albums in Rock history. The point is, Exile On Main Street has a street cred that is rock solid.

When I caught The Rolling Stones in concert for the last time on their Some Girls tour stop in Chicago at Soldier Field, it was "Tumbling Dice" that I waited for. It came on an encore. Few bands can hold me breathless like that. And fewer still possess in their catalogue, an album that still makes my heart quicken its pace. I'm not alone in that adoration.

On May 18, Hip-O Records will reissue Exile On Main Street with new remastering, and 10 songs from the sessions that have not seen the light of day. This has many a Stones fan, particularly those that revere the album as much as I do, in an anxious state. Greatness is coming yet again. And we'll all be here for its arrival. You may wonder what the big deal is about Exile On Main Street. But I'm sure you have an album or two, maybe three that makes you forget all else. Maybe it's just a song. Regardless, that greatness for me is coming in what might just be the most anticipated album release of 2010.

Exile On Main Street.

It will be presented in three exciting forms - the standard 18-track reissue, a Deluxe 2CD version with the bonus tracks, and a pricey but essential Super Deluxe Edition with CDs, vinyl LPs, and a DVD that features a documentary surrounding the album, footage from rare films, and a 50-page booklet. Guess which I'm buying?

Yep, "...there's a fever in the funk house now..."

When I was a kid, I enjoyed not only the psychedelic Buddah label, I often enjoyed every bit of music I found on them. Brooklyn Bridge was one of those bands. I enjoyed their songs and that powerful voice. Johnny Maestro was that voice. Later, I found out that he was in The Crests and that same voice powered "Sixteen Candles" and other Crests classics. On Wednesday, March 24, Johnny Maestro succumbed to cancer at the age of 70. He is another loss in a year that has inundated us with such losses. Maestro will provide a fantastic voice to The Great Band!

I want to alert TAP readers to the fact that I have finally put together a FaceBook fan page that you can access and join by clicking on the badge below.? What this offers is the exact same thing as my Twitter feeds provide and that is first buzz on upcoming releases and free offered downloads, many announcements? that beat our main post, sometimes by days.? We also provide a Google BUZZ page that expands on most of the Twitter/FB feeds. On Buzz, you can even hear the music stream if a stream is offered.? There are still things that I'm working on in the FB page, like calender notes as well as links to great sites like The Second Disc.? I invite you to join us at our FB page and bookmark it.? Visit it daily and you'll be rewarded with much news and info.? Of course, you'll still want to come to the main MusicTAP page for our noisy commentaries.? Remember, with our Twitter feeds, you can elect to receive the news bursts as text on your mobile phone keeping you effortlessly up to date with stuff.? Lots of choices.? Find one, or two, that fits.

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Time/Life Records will release Greatest Hits for Tanya Tucker on May 25.

Housecore Records has announced a new album from Warbeast called Krush The Enemy, which is planned for release on April 27.

The Tallest Man on Earth will release their new album on April 13 called The Wild Hunt. You can get "Burden of Tomorrow" for free as a download or stream.

The BIG news is the release of a 2-disc Greatest Hits for Triumph called Greatest Hits: Remixed. Here is the press release, which can give you much more than I:

TRIUMPH?S MAJESTIC ARENA ANTHEMS CELEBRATED ON NEW CD/DVD SET, ?GREATEST HITS: REMIXED?

Few acts could whip an arena full of rockers into a frenzy as Triumph did throughout the late ?70s and ?80s, when the group?s best known line-up ? guitarist/vocalist  Rik Emmett, bassist/keyboardist Mike Levine, and drummer/vocalist Gil Moore - were at the peak of their powers. And it?s this exact time period that is focused on throughout Triumph?s new ?best of? set - ?Greatest Hits: Remixed? - which will be released on May 18, 2010.

All of the classic tunes that were - and continue to be - in heavy rotation on rock radio (and the early days of MTV) are included here, namely, ?Lay it on the Line,? ?Hold On,? ?Fight the Good Fight,? ?Magic Power,? etc.  

These fourteen tracks of anthemic metal have never sounded so good, as they were all recently remixed by Rich Chycki (who has previously worked with Aerosmith and Rush). The set also includes a previously unreleased recording - ?Love Hurts? - which will be the lead-off single from Triumph?s ?Greatest Hits: Remixed.?

"We have been planning this release forever," says Levine. "For years, Triumph fans have been demanding that we give them a fresh greatest hits package and they are going to love this one."

Also included in the set is a DVD mixed in 5.1 audio, that features eleven promo and live videos in widescreen (plus additional unreleased videos for ?Child of the City,? ?Blinding Light Show,? and ?Love Hurts,? and footage of the group?s 2008 induction into the Canadian Music Hall of Fame). 

The deluxe two-disc package will be housed in a six-panel digipak ? including a 20-page color booklet, complete with liner notes, lyrics, and chockfull of vintage photos.

Whether you?re a long-time Triumph fanatic or a new convert, you have never heard the group as crystal clear and loud n? proud as you will throughout ?Greatest Hits: Remixed.? "?Greatest Hits: Remixed? rocks like no other Triumph set,? declares Moore. ?This is the definitive Triumph collector?s edition."

Track listing for ?Greatest Hits: Remixed? CD:

1. Allied Forces
2. Lay it on the Line
3. Follow Your Heart
4. Magic Power
5. I Live For the Weekend
6. Hold On
7. Just One Night
8. Fight the Good Fight
9. Spellbound
10. Never Surrender
11. When the Lights Go Down
12. Somebody?s Out There
13. Rock and Roll Machine
14. Love Hurts

Track listing for ?Greatest Hits: Remixed? DVD:

  1. Follow Your Heart
  2. Lay it on the line
  3. Spellbound
  4. Magic Power
  5. When the Lights Go Down
  6. Hold On
  7. Just One Night
  8. Somebody?s Out There
  9. Allied Forces
 10. Never Surrender
 11. Never Say Never

 Bonus Videos 
 1. Child of the City 
 2. Blinding Light Show ( Bootleg: Filmed on Fan Cam )
 3. Love Hurts      

For more information, visit:
www.triumphmusic.com

Virgin Records will release the next Saving Abel album. Miss America releases on June 8.