Pop Culture Safari!

CD new releases March 17, 2009: Nick Lowe! Bonnie Prince Billie! Marianne Faithfull! Little Walter! More!

Here are releases of possible interest this week. Click the title links to order CDs from Amazon.

Quiet Please: The New Best of Nick Lowe (Limited Edition, Deluxe CD+DVD) by Nick Lowe

Beware by Bonnie Prince Billy

The Complete Chess Masters (1950-1967) by Little Walter

Easy Come, Easy Go by Marianne Faithfull

Coolest Songs in the World, Vol. 8 by Various Artists

DVD new releases March 17, 2009: Twilight! Spider-Man! Punisher!

Click the title links to order DVDs from Amazon.

Twilight (Two-Disc Special Edition)

Punisher: War Zone

The Spectacular Spider-Man, Vol. 2

The Spectacular Spider-Man, Vol. 3

Zombies "Odessey and Oracle" concert coming to DVD

From the press release:

The Zombies have confirmed the April 20th UK and European DVD release of “Odessey and Oracle Revisited: The 40TH Anniversary Concert”. Mixed in 5.1 Surround Sound, and boasting an exclusive 2008 filmed interview, the DVD was originally filmed during March 2008 when the band performed three sold out nights at the London Shepherd’s Bush Empire. The gigs were attended by Paul Weller, Robert Plant, Robyn Hitchcock, Snow Patrol and Garbage.

The release of the live DVD coincides with The Zombies’ last-ever UK concert performances of the “Odessey and Oracle” album. The band will perform the milestone 1968 album at the Glasgow ABC (April 21), Bristol Colston Hall (April 23), Manchester Bridgewater Hall (April 24) and London Hammersmith Apollo (April 25).

Pop links: Evil dolls! Stupid Syfy! Super Sell-Out! Sinatra and Farrow! Free Super Strips!

What's creepier than evil dolls and killer puppets? Not much! The Horrors of it All will be spooking you with comic book stories about such things all week long.

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Today in dumb: The Sci-Fi Channel is changing it's name to "Syfy." Sounds like a prescription drug for depression or incontinence or erectile dysfunction or something. Wonder how much the marketing guys made on this deal?

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A copy of Action Comics #1--y'know, the one featuring the first appearance of Superman, has sold for $317,200.

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From Classic TV Showbiz: Frank Sinatra and Mia Farrow on "What's My Line," 1966.

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DC Comics has evidently put the complete run of the 1940s Superman comic strip online.

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Vintage comic book house ad

Tropicalia Week: Documentary! Os Mutantes!

Tropicalia, or Tropicalismo, was a late 1960s cultural movement in Brazil, when a talented group of musicians and songwriters, led by the likes of Gilberto Gil and Caetano Veloso, rebelled against the country's conservative military leadership, joining traditional samba and bossa nova sound with the Beatles, psychedelia and social consciousness.

This week, we'll spotlight some of the era's top artists via video.

Here's a three-part documentary on the music, followed by a performance by the "Brazilian Beatles," Os Mutantes!