Jethro Tull - Thick As A Brick

I will state right up front that this album is pretentious, overwrought, and completely ridiculous. Of course, that's exactly what the band wanted it to be. As a result, it is also more fun, start to finish, than any other pretentious, overwrought and ridiculous seventies concept album. Let me explain. Upon the release of the Aqualung album in 1971, Jethro Tull was labeled a "progressive" rock band, and the album was derided by critics as a "concept album," something which Ian Anderson, the lead singer/songwriter/instrumentalist of Jethro Tull, never meant it to be. As he claims in interviews, his natural reaction was, "If they think that was a concept album, I'll show them what a real concept album is like." So, developed as a response to critics who were calling his band pretentious and, more specifically, as a response to critics who continually referred to Aqualung as a 'concept album,' this album is completely over the top.

How Many Songs?

The entire album is just one song. The lyrics are meandering, confusing, overwrought and ridiculous, and were meant to be. The record came packaged in a full newspaper, as if it were an insert in a weekly paper. The story, as told by the paper is that the band recorded an epic poem, written by a 12-year-old boy, Gerald Bostock, which won a local poem writing competition. And that it was indeed an insert in that edition of the newspaper. In the first line Ian Anderson admits the entire thing is all a joke, "I really don't mind if you sit this one out / My words but a whisper / your deafness a shout / I may make you feel / but I can't make you think."

Ian Anderson describes the album as being the equivalent to concept albums what Airplane was to disaster movies.

Every Part is Pretentious

Even the album's title is in on the joke, Thick as a Brick being a derogatory term thrown at anybody who takes this at all seriously. It is just music. As for the music, this is some of the best this band has ever created. As if it were a serious classical piece, themes are introduced in the opening 'overture' and later re-appear and are evolved. As musicians, few have ever faulted the members of Jethro Tull, they are all excellent instrumentalists, and it's this facet that is pushed to the forefront on this album. Organs, guitars, and flute weave in and out of each other, picking up melodies started by one of the others and continuing it while the original instrument weaves off on another direction. Themes pop up, expand and disappear into a new theme, only to fight back up through the mix later in the song.

And just to make sure the overwrought pretensions of it all is extremely clear to the listener... There is even a drum solo in the later half of the song.

The Concept: The Final Analysis

Overall, this is one of the better albums in the entire Jethro Tull catalog. Mainly, this is because the thematic joke of the album parodies the pretensions of other progressive rock music so deftly. It does this so well, in fact, that the joke is lost on most listeners, who instantly lump this album in with other seventies excesses like those of Yes and Emerson, Lake and Palmer. Of course, those are the same listeners who believe Spinal Tap is a real band.

But What About The Packaging?

Sound quality on the remaster is excellent, better than any other CD release of the same material. All instruments are precise and easy to pinpoint in the mix. The stereo separation is wonderful, instruments sliding all over the soundscape, or appearing in one place for one note, and somewhere else for the next. This new CD release is a definite 'headphone album'. In addition, the new release comes complete with copy of the entire newspaper as well as the CD, all packaged together in a cardboard sleeve. The CD also comes complete with bonus tracks, the first being a 12-minute live performance of the piece from Madison Square Garden in 1977. The album closes with an interview with Ian Anderson, Martin Barre (guitar), and Jeffrey Hammond (bass) in which it is explained, among other things, that it took longer to put together the album packaging than to write and record the material.

Cheap Trick - Cheap Trick (1977)

The year is 1977. The most popular thing going, musically, is disco; the punk 'revolution' has already started to crumble under it's own weight, and rock 'n' roll has sold its soul to the corporations. Then, thrown into the middle of all this is the first album from one of the most interesting American bands ever formed. Founded in Rockford, Illinois in the early seventies, Cheap Trick is a strange beast. Drawing on his past experience in other bands, Rick Nielsen finally decided to form his own group. His band, he decided, would be made up of the absolute best instrumentalists he could find. Enter Bun E Carlos (drums), Tom Petersson (bass) and Xeno Hogan (vocals). Xeno? Well, it turns out that Xeno was a mistake, his heart was not in playing rock 'n' roll, he just wanted to meet chicks. Exit Xeno, enter Robin Zander (vocals). Now, this was a band to be proud of. After playing whenever and wherever they could for a few years (one of my best friends has a picture of them playing at his high school prom), they were finally asked to step into a studio and make an album. That album was Cheap Trick.

Everything about this band was different. Where punk was going so far out of its way to be the antithesis of radio-rock, and was becoming a self-parody as a result, and 'regular' rock was becoming ever more bombastic and boring, Cheap Trick took elements of both and became neither. They took the over the top showmanship of "stadium rock" (these guys looked like living cartoon characters), the instrumental prowess of "progressive rock" and the power and attitude of "punk rock." Their songs are pure fun, and in these early days sometimes even contained powerful messages. Their style was pure adrenelin fueled rock 'n' roll. As an introduction to the band, their first album was perfect.

Opening with ELO Kiddies the album roars into life with a lopsided drum part that trots along a few bars before being joined by a guitar and a... phone... ? The guitar merrily trails along with the drums for a few bars while the phone rings, and rings, and rings in the background. Soon, the bass joins in on the merry trip. This is music to skip to, which is exactly what Nielsen does when playing this song on stage. Finally, the vocalist jumps into the fray, "'ello kiddies, 'ello kiddies what you gonna do when the lights start shining? / ello kiddies, 'ello kiddies what you gonna do when your head's exploding?" This is a song about growing up. As he sings, Zander's tone is mocking, containing the line "You know school's for fools" sung with such bitterness that you know Zander is zeroing in on the kids that would rather party than learn. Immediately, you know this band is not your typical band. As the song progresses, the momentum builds, sound effects whip in and out, the drums become more furious, less about keeping the beat and more about accenting the attitude. And then, with a final scream from Zander, it's all over. There is only a few seconds respite though, because the next song Daddy Should Have Stayed In High School, pick up right where the previous song ends. Opening with a brief bass guitar flourish, the lead guitar soon joins in. In the background, children can be heard playing on a playground. This song rolls along, quoting Chuck Berry's Reelin' and Rockin' as it goes. Special effects are all over this number, as voices are phase-shifted, drums are distorted and odd sounding guitar flourishes zoom from speaker to speaker. I think there's even a kazoo in there somewhere. It's hard to tell with all the noises laid on top of this track. This is definitely a headphone song.

Taxman will seem familiar to any Beatle fan that hears it. no, it is not the song written by George Harrison and released on their Revolver album, although it quotes it several times, both musically and lyrically. Rick Nielsen penned this track, like most of the band's material. By the time it wound up on this album, this song had been a Cheap Trick staple for years, but not in this arrangement. According to Nielsen, the band was constantly being compared to the Beatles, so this song was rearranged to play up the resemblance. The result is the most overtly Beatles-sounding track Cheap Trick ever recorded. But, this is the Beatles with their amps turned up to eleven! The next track Cry, Cry is the closest Cheap Trick ever came to playing pure blues. Much like the previous track, though, this is blues with the amps turned up to eleven. Nielsen plays blues licks during the song, but he also mixes in his typical Pete Townshend style power chording, jerking the song back and forth between pure blues styling and the band's typical hook-laden power pop.

Oh Candy is a powerful anti-drug song written for one of the band's roadies who had recently died of a heroin overdose. Over a driving guitar/bass bed the singer simply asks why the victim never tried to get help until it was too late. Hot Love returns the band to more familiar ground. A full-out, high-speed rocker whose topic is exactly what the title implies it will be about. Great music, trite lyrics is a description that pretty much sums up this track.

The band follows up this mis-step with one of the most powerful numbers on the album. Speak Now Or Forever Hold Your Peace is a long, instrumental showcase. Opening with Tom Petersson's thundering bass, the other instruments join one at a time, until the entire band thunders through five minutes of almost simultaneous soloing. The title is clichéd, but it is also a joke. The lyrics are inconsequential, more an excuse for Zander to show why he's known as "the man of 1,000 voices" than to actually have any meaning. During concerts, the band has been known to stretch this song out to fifteen minutes. That kind of treatment suits this song. Even at five minutes it seems like it's just getting started as it crashes to a halt.

He's a Whore is about selling out. The singer goes through all the things he can do with the money he would do with the money he could make by selling out. Revealing the entire scenario is just a daydream, several times the singer moves from chorus to verse with the tag "And so the story goes..." The music is driving and heavy, pushing Zander to sing the lyrics so fast they sometimes stumble over themselves coming out of his mouth, as if he's so excited by his dream that he can barely contain it. This is a very effective song, and quite a contrast to the one following. Mandocello is named after an instrument Rick Nielsen found in his father's music shop. It is a combination of Mandolin, Cello, and piano, and according to Nielsen there are only half a dozen left in existence. Using that instrument as a backdrop, the song is a mid-tempo love song in which the singer tells his lover, "Look at me, like I look at you / think of me, like I think of you / speak to me, like I spoke to you / dream of me, how I dream of you." This song deftly shows another side of Zander's vocal ability, that of pop crooner, as he deftly flies above the instrumentation, reining the song in whenever it threatens to become too thunder out of control.

The Ballad of TV Violence is a scary song. It's the type of song that will give you nightmares. Originally entitled The Ballad of Richard Speck the band decided to change the name at the last minute because they did not want to look to be celebrating a man who did not deserve celebrating. Containing such frightening lyrics as "I need a knife to get me a wife," the song definitely sows seeds of being an uncomfortable listening experience. As the song crashes to and end, though, with Zander screaming his lungs out over a thunderous guitar/bass crescendo, the truth wins out. The song, like the man it was originally named after, is a monster, and it is put out of its misery with a single gunshot.

The original album ended here, the remastered version has several bonus tracks, including a version of I Want You To Want Me recorded during the sessions for this album. As with all the other studio versions of this song, this one is weak. The muscle and power of the live reading is completely missing. While it is an interesting curiosity, it is clear why the band saved it for a later album. There is also an early version of You're All Talk that is much more powerful than the later recorded, and released, version. This recording is faster than the later recording, and is pushed along by a booming, extremely loud, bass drum, which keeps a steady 4/4 beat. Lovin' Money is another bonus track. This one finds the singer wondering why everybody else seems to have a better life than he does. I Dig Go-Go Girls closes the remastered version of this album on a comedic note. It is an inconsequential, albeit hilarious, tune about, well, about exactly what the title implies.

Taken as a whole, this album is a lot of fun, and a perfect introduction to Cheap Trick. It contains examples of their instrumental prowess, their comedic value, their ability to rock the house while still teaching important lessons (sadly, a style they would turn their back on in later years, when in search of that ever elusive "hit".) This album is loud, bombastic, obnoxious, scary, and very, very funny. It is a great introduction to a great band.


Song List
1. ELO Kiddies
2. Daddy Should Have Stayed In High School
3. Taxman, Mr. Thief
4. Cry, Cry
5. Oh, Candy
6. Hot Love
7. Speak Now Or Forever Hold Your Peace
8. He's A Wh*re
9. Mandocello
10. Ballad Of TV Violence (I'm Not The Only Boy), The
11. Lovin' Money - (outtake)
12. I Want You To Want Me - (outtake)
13. Lookout - (previously unreleased, outtake)
14. You're All Talk - (previously unreleased, outtake)
15. I Dig Go-Go Girls - (previously unreleased, outtake)

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Johnny Cash - American V: A Hundred Highways

Yes, I am one of the multitude that pushed this CD to the top of the Billboard charts on the week it was released. Since then I've listened to it over and over again. It has rarely left my CD player. This is an amazing album. Sure, Cash's voice is a little ragged and some of the songs sound unfinished, but that's all part of its charm. The main reason this album is so good, though, is the raw, unfiltered emotion that Cash pours into every syllable that comes out of his mouth. This is a career-defining performance from a man who's best years were long passed.

Just how powerful is this album? Well, one morning, last week, at work, I let a friend borrow the CD to give it a listen. That very same day, over lunch, that guy travelled to Best Buy and bought ALL the Cash American Recordings CDs, including the Unearthed boxset, and the Legend boxset.

Johnny Cash was a wonderful man and an incredible artist. There is a catalog of work stretching back 50 years that proves that time after time. American V easily stands shoulder to shoulder with the very best of the past work.

Top Ten Catalog Reissue Campaigns

10. Paul McCartney (Polydor) (England and Europe only)

For whatever insane reason, this reissue campaign never made it to America. Through good fortune and long tireless hunting, I've managed to collect the entire series. The albums reissued start with his first post-Beatles album McCartney and run through his most recent at the time, Flowers In The Dirt. All are superbly remastered and contain bonus tracks. However, none have historical essays. These are better than the standard American pressings, and well worth hunting down. Although his best years were definitely behind him, McCartney still did some wonderful work in the seventies and eighties. And while every album in his Wings and solo years is a must have, the ones that are should be had in this form.

9. Creedence Clearwater Revival (Fantasy)

These reissues boast incredibly improved 20-bit remastered sound, and long, detailed, insightful historical essays. They come packaged in standard jewel cases inside cardboard sleeves. None of them have bonus tracks or song lyrics, which is a shame because that is the only thing keeping these from being the perfect reissues. These CDs are hard to find at the moment, since rather than recalling the old CDs and replacing them with the newer copies, the record label is just sending the new remastered copies to stores when they reorder the titles. If your local store does not have copies of these, ask them to order copies for you. Creedence Clearwater Revival was not a typical late-sixties band. While other acts were jamming endlessly or freaking out, they played solid, steady, blues based rock 'n' roll. Probably because of this, their albums stand the test of time better than most other sixties artists. Their music would not be so out of place on current rock-oriented radio station play lists.

8. The Beach Boys (Capitol)

With this entry, I specifically mean the two-fers of the early years of the Beach Boy's career. While they produced some great music during the "Brother Records" years, it's hard to find it amongst the other junk they recorded. During their early years, however, it's hard to find the junk amongst the great music. These reissues are wonderful, featuring two full albums AND bonus tracks on one CD, as well as detailed historical essays, track notes, and greatly improved 20-bit remastered sound.

7. The Kinks (Castle & Velvel)

I'm slightly breaking the rules I set for myself on this one, as this is actually two reissue campaigns by two different record labels. Castle reissued the band's sixties albums concurrently with Velvel reissuing the seventies and eighties albums. While a case can be made that only the sixties Kinks material is essential, all their albums have something to recommend them to rock 'n' roll fans. As for the reissues themselves, the Velvel series is superior, boasting vastly improved 20-bit remastered sound, extensive historical essays and bonus tracks. The Castle series, on the other hand, while also featuring improved sound, bonus tracks and historical essays, suffer from "convention." Let me explain, the Castle reissues were readied in England, by an English audio engineer. In England convention is to use the No-Noise system, which eliminates tape hiss. However, this system is also known to cause other audio problems, most notably a 'watery' effect in the high end of the audio spectrum. It can also cause other distortions, when used incorrectly. These audio problems are abundant in the Castle Kinks reissues. In America, where the Velvel series was readied, it is convention for No-Noise not to be used. So, while there is more tape hiss on the Velvel releases, there are none of the other sonic artifacts that plague the Castle releases, resulting in better overall sound quality. Another problem with the Castle series is that some of the early Kinks album's master tapes are in very poor quality. Because they can only work with what they have available, this also limited the final sonic quality of those releases. All this is very sad, because the Kinks deserve better than they got. But, not much could have been done to improve matters.

6. The Band (Capitol)

The Band started out in the early sixties as the backing band for Screaming Jay Hawkins. Later they were the backing band of choice for Bob Dylan, most notoriously on his first "electric" tour. In the late sixties, they started recording their own albums as a fully contained group. Made up of four Canadians, and one American, they strangely became the most notable "American roots rock" group ever. The reissues of their material are probably the absolute best-sounding remastered material so far. The sound quality of their original recordings have been so vastly improved that they sound like they were recorded on modern digital equipment. There are nuances and instrumentations in the music now that have been impossible to hear in any previous release. Each CD also boasts very long and very detailed (sometimes even TOO detailed) historical essays. Each CD also boasts ample bonus material. These discs set a new benchmark for judging all remastered reissues. The sole reason they are not higher on this list is that the group's material suffered a serious drop in quality after their fourth album, and soon they were just going through the motions.

5. Elvis Costello (Rhino)

This is the second time Elvis Costello's catalog has been remastered and reissued. The first time was by Rykodisc, and their reissue campaign was perfect, with each release having upgraded sound, lavish new packaging and extensive liner notes penned by Elvis Costello himself. To be honest Rhino in no way improved the sound quality of Costello's work any more than Rykodisc. However, Rhino did manage to improve on the Rykodisc reissues significantly. The Rhino releases contain even longer, more detailed liner notes, again written by Elvis Costello himself, plus they've all been expanded to TWO discs! In fact, since most early Costello albums were close to thirty minutes long, most of the Rhino reissues contain more new, bonus material than original. In addition, while the Rykodisc reissues ended with the last Attractions album Blood & Chocolate, the Rhino releases continue through All This Useless Beauty. And, lastly, the Rhino reissues managed to do something I've long thought impossible... They made Kojak Variety listenable, even enjoyable (just ignore the album itself and listen to only the bonus tracks).

4. The Byrds (Columbia)

This is the full catalog of the seminal folk-rock band. Although they were plagued by an ever-rotating line-up, they still managed to record some of the most notable music of the late sixties. They deserve a first-rate reissue campaign, and that's exactly what they get. The albums have all been 20-bit remastered and sound perfect. Each CD features historic essays and many bonus tracks. In addition, as a bonus for dedicated fans, their rarities collection Untitled has been expanded to two discs and a previously unreleased live album has been added to their catalog. Wonderful stuff indeed!

3. Talking Heads (Rhino)

Boasting the most significantly improved sound quality of any reissue campaign anywhere, ever, earns this set the number 3 spot on my list. Not only has the sound been upgraded, but each album now includes DVD-Audio 5.1 mixes too! In addition, each release features bonus songs, and videos. In fact, to me, the only drawback is the crappy cardboard sleeves in which the sets are packaged.

2. The Who (MCA)

Finally, one of the "big three" British-invasion bands (along with The Beatles and The Rolling Stones) becomes the subject of a major catalog reissue. For fans, the Who catalog has long been in disarray, with various countries getting various vastly different versions of each album with various levels of audio quality. For example, while Germany released the true stereo version of A Quick One, America released only the mono version with two tracks replaced with recent single b-sides. With this reissue series that changed. All countries would now receive the same albums with the same sonic qualities. In some cases, this was good, in others, not. While, in most cases, this was a good thing, now the entire world must suffer through the inferior American version of A Quick One. Also, all the various best-of and greatest-hits collections the band released through the years were consolidated into just two packages, a box set for die-hard fans, and a 2-disc greatest hits collection for the casual fans. The last problem with the reissues is that the later in the band's career the albums were released, the less care was taken to insure the reissue was of top quality. While the early albums featured many, many bonus cuts, the last album featured just three, and they were nothing new or special, just a few tracks from the last show of the band's 1982 tour… which was broadcast on radio as part of the King Biscuit series all the time anyway. It may seem that I placed this reissue series too high on this list after reading about all the complaints, but here's what the releases have to recommend them… As stated earlier, the early albums have many, many truly rare and surprising bonus tracks. All the releases, except the last album, It's Hard, have extensive and informative historical notes. And, lastly, the majority of the releases have such vastly improved sound quality that they sound almost like different albums, except for Odds & Sods, but this is due to MCA having to hire a different engineer to redo this album because it was originally not due to be reissued. This is mainly because most of the releases have not only been remastered, but also remixed, most notably Tommy, to great effect. So, even though there are flaws, this is quite nearly the best reissue campaign so far… Except for…

1. The Monkees (Rhino)

How did these guys' reissues rate inclusion in the number one spot? Well, let's go over the releases and see. Every reissue has greatly improved remastered sound. They all have very extensive historical essays and very detailed track-by-track breakdowns. They each feature a great many bonus tracks that are interesting, new and fit the time period of the album's recording. In addition to the band's entire original catalog, Rhino has also released three full CDs of other unreleased material, none of which is repeated on the reissues. Also, the label has consolidated all the band's various greatest hits collections into two new collections, a single disc for casual fans and a two-disc set for die-hard fans. Even more, they have released a box set, and even two MORE sets (one three-disc and one four-disc) of previously unreleased material as limited edition collections for very serious die-hard Monkee fans. Whew! This band got the royal treatment, and from the revelations about them that this campaign has brought forth, they deserve it.

Summary

There you have it, my list for the top ten catalog reissues in rock 'n' roll. It's quite a varied list overall. There are several artist's catalogs that could have made the list but for various reasons:

Cheap Trick

The label has done an excellent job on the titles released so far, but that has only been the first six albums. The first 4 in 1999, and the last two just a few months ago. Come on guys, sometime this century, please.

David Bowie

Sound could be MUCH better.

Rolling Stones

No bonus material, no liner notes.

Jethro Tull

Great, but slow release schedule. I debated putting them in the top 10, but the fact that the campaign started in 2000 and is still not completed in 2006 lost them the ranking.

As time goes on, more and more bands will be receiving this special treatment. As time goes by, the level of quality expected by fans rises as each newer reissue campaign is a little more fancy than those before. As customers, we should be grateful. As fans, we should be ecstatic!

The Perfect Summation of a Perfect Band

Tracing the career of a band as eclectic as Los Lobos is no easy task. Every few years they manage to reinvent themselves, while at the same time, maintaining a solid foundation in the roots rock that they admittedly love so much. In addition, while they began their career in East Los Angeles as a traditional mariachi band, there are still many remnants of that humble beginning in their most recent works. Amazingly, El Cancionero: Mas y Mas touches on every period in the band's career and, because of this, is a perfect summation of what has been called "the best band in America".

The collection is spread across 4 discs, arranged chronologically, from their first, extremely rare, album through their latest release, "This Time". It includes many previously unreleased tracks, most notably the bands live version of the Beatles' "Tomorrow Never Knows," recorded for a PBS Beatles "tribute" concert. The discs are housed in a book-like box with a cover that emulates a Spanish b-movie poster. The booklet contains a long and in-depth history of the band, along with notes on every track included in the set. Overall, the packaging is wonderful, among the best of any box set released so far.

And the song selection is worthy of such lavish packaging. Opening with what has to be the definitive recording of the seminal mariachi song, "Guantanamera" (known to jokesters as "One Ton Tomato"), the set weaves through their early years, through the "hit" period of Will The Wolf Survive and La Bamba and the "critically acclaimed" period of Kiko and Papa's Dream, and ends with an amazing live version of the Marvin Gaye's classic "What's Going On" which includes Sheryl Crow on guest vocals. Along the way, side trips are taken to include all the tracks the band has supplied to movie soundtracks, tribute albums (including a killer version of the Disney classic "I Wanna Be Like You (The Monkey Song)" from The Jungle Book) and solo and side bands such as The Latin Playboys and Los Super Seven.

All that being said, I still have one minor complaint with this collection. A few years ago the band released a 2-disc collection titled Just Another Band From East L.A. which acted as a mini-box set, containing all the hits, important songs and quite a few unreleased, rare and live songs. This collection contains all the same hits, all the same important songs, but few of the unreleased and rare songs from the 2-disc set, thus making it necessary to have both albums to have a complete Los Lobos collection.

Other than the above complaint, this is as close to a perfect summation of a band's career as has ever been assembled for any band. After listening to this collection, anybody would agree that this band deserves nothing less.



Song List

DISC 1
1. Guantanamera
2. Sabor A Mi
3. We're Gonna Rock
4. Let's Say Goodnight
5. Anselma
6. Why Do You Do
7. How Much Can I Do?
8. I'm Sorry (live 1984)
9. Los Ojos De Pancha (live 1984)
10. Don't Worry Baby
11. I Got Loaded
12. Matter Of Time, A
13. Corrido #1
14. Evangeline
15. Lil' King Of Everything
16. Will The Wolf Survive?
17. Quatro Vicios - (featuring Ry Cooder)
18. I'm Gonna Be A Wheel Someday
19. One Time One Night
20. Shakin' Shakin' Shakes
21. Is This All There Is?
22. My Baby's Gone
23. River Of Fools
24. Set Me Free (Rosa Lee)
25. Tears of God

DISC 2
1. La Bamba
2. Come On, Let's Go
3. Goodnight My Love
4. Rip It Up
5. Volver, Volver (live 1987)
6. I Wan'na Be Like You (The Monkey Song)
7. Estoy Sentado Aqui
8. La Pistola Y El Corazon
9. I Can't Understand
10. Someday
11. I Walk Alone
12. Angel Dance
13. Little John Of God
14. Down On The Riverbed
15. Till The Hands Fall Off The Clock
16. Be Still
17. Neighborhood, The
18. Bertha
19. Beautiful Maria Of My Soul
20. Christmas Song, The - (live)

DISC 3
1. Dream In Blue
2. Wicked Rain
3. Angels With Dirty Faces
4. That Train Don't Stop Here
5. Kiko And The Lavender Moon
6. Saint Behind The Glass
7. When The Circus Comes
8. Peace - (previously unreleased, demo)
9. Rio De Tenampa - (previously unreleased, demo)
10. Try Me - (previously unreleased)
11. Alone In A Crowd
12. Tomorrow Never Knows (live 1993) - (previously unreleased)
13. Forever Night Shade Mary - Latin Playboys
14. Same Brown Earth - Latin Playboys
15. Down Where The Drunkards Roll
16. Route 90
17. Lonely Avenue
18. Midnight Shift
19. Mariachi Suite
20. She's About A Mover (live 1996)

DISC 4
1. Revolution
2. Mas Y Mas
3. Maricela
4. Can't Stop The Rain
5. This Bird's Gonna Fly
6. Pepe & Irene - (with Money Mark)
7. Lonesome Tears In My Eyes - (with Paul Burlison)
8. Me Estas Matando
9. El Canoero - Los Super Seven
10. La Sirena - Los Super Seven
11. El Pescador - Los Super Seven
12. Little Heaven - Cesar Rosas
13. Soul Disguise - Cesar Rosas
14. Angelito - Cesar Rosas
15. Lemon 'N Ice - Latin Playboys
16. I'll Change My Style - Houndog
17. Cumbia Raza - (English version)
18. Oh Yeah
19. Viking
20. This Time
21. What's Going On? - (with Sheryl Crow)