I so need to get the re-issues.

The new DM cd is so tempting. But that whole copy-protect thing. I know it's easy to get around as to be practically not there at all...

but it is there, and I have this principle of not buying any cd that a band doesn't want me to have full use of. DM doesn't want me to copy it and use it for my own personal use, then I won't. :(

Dissapointing to say the least. :(

bong im glad to see two of my favorite bands on that list... coldplay is great and the gorillaz are one of my favorite (hip-hop-techno) bands...
ive been listening to The Bloodhound Gang lately ... hefty fine and hooray for boobies are great albums... id appreciate your input....

The last Amorphis CD had some new copyright protection on it, and it played fine in my computer and Car CD player. I also ran it through a CD ripper and the tracks copied fine. I'm not sure what the protection was designed for, except maybe on the fly CD copiers.

Kim, after the initial novelty of those Double Disc Cure Remaster Reissues wore off, i'm not sure if they were worth the asking price. mind... i got them at a sale price because, well... i'm a Cure freak and i bought each and every one on the day of release. but at the retail of $24.99, it's not worth it. the packaging is utterly beautiful, as well as the abundance of rare/never before seen photos, and the liner notes are interesting reads as well (except of the typical slagging off of Lol Tolhurst). what got me miffed was the poor selection of tracks on each of the bonus discs. i hoped for Peel Sessions instead of crappy home demos, and some really great quality soundboard live tracks instead of the stuff we've already heard on the Curiosity cassette. oh well...

Faith is great for finally having "Carnage Visors" on CD, and has the most listenable live tracks (most appeared on the Curiosity cassette of course) of the four albums reissued so far. also worth noting is the live version of "Faith" that previously appeared on the "Charlotte Sometimes" 12 inch single... also first time on CD. Pornography boasts the most listenable studio demos.

as for Depeche Mode's Playing the Angel, my copy didn't seem to be copy protected. i haven't ripped the CD yet but played it in the comp with no problems. oh... i did rip "Precious" as a WAV file for a mixed CD though.

Justin, Gorillaz are great fun, but to me they're still not a proper band, just a very successful collaboration lead by Damon Albarn, who is the songwriter/vocalist of Blur. which reminds me... Blur's due out for a new album in 2006... can't wait. former guitarist Graham Coxon was invited back, but he politely declined to focus on his solo career. Damon mentioned it's gonna be really sparse and mellow. Blur's been a great band to follow after the demise of Britpop, with the lo-fi self titled album, the dark electronica of 13, and the uncomfortably brilliant groove heavy Think Tank.. the new one ought to be interesting. as for Coldplay, i like them... i really do. i just thing they're too overrated for their own good though. and Bloodhound Gang, i've not heard anything from them since college... Horray for Boobies!

Talking of lo-fi,. just got Belle & sebastian "the life pursuit". Picks up (to a degree) where dear catastophe waitress left off, but where DCW never quite lived up to its promise of melody and tune IMO (trevor Horn at the helm). The life pursuit delivers by the bucket load.
For me their best work by along way

I completely sold out and got Playing the Angel anyway. Awesome awesome awesome cd, but I feel bad for selling out. The copy protection was there but didn't matter... didn't make me feel any better. :(

But still, at least it's an awesome cd.

So are the Cure re-issues remastered? Does it sound better?

I also ordered NIN - Broken. I've had this as crappy 128k mp3 forever, and I've always been meaning to pick it up...

And they sent me Hits for Kids 12 instead. WTF?? Not even close!

just got a spectacular song, Rockwell - somebodys watching me. it has MJ singing the chorus. I only heard this song recently.
does anyone know how old it is?

Lex. Rockwell somebody etc released jan / feb 1984 highest chart position 6 (in the UK) from the album of the same name on motown

Good call on Broken. That's an awesome disc. Well worth owning.

Lex I haven't nailed down your sense of humor yet but I'm guessing you're joking! I mean, Rockwell?!?! If MJ was'nt his cousin he never would have gotten a record deal. Here's some actual lyrics, enjoy;

Who's watching me
I don't know anymore!
Are the neighbours watching me?
Who's watching
Well is the mailman watching me?
Tell me who's watching
And I don't feel safe anymore, oh what a mess
I wonder who's watching me now
Who?
The IRS?!

Speaking of lyrics, here's a lyrical line from the Black Eyed Peas song "My Humps" that I thought was appropriate for us;
"You've got me spendin', "O" Spendin' all your money on me & lot's of time on me"

Rockwell, LOL! one hit wonder because of two main reasons, he's related to Motown's head honcho, Michael Jackson sang the chorus. "I'm just an average man, with an average life..." too right.

Kim, i think Playing The Angel is a very good DM album. perhaps still not their best (i reserve that to Black Celebration and Violator) but Playing The Angel has much more bite than Exciter. however, it doesn't have anything as good as "When the Body Speaks" though. i believe this is the first Depeche Mode album with writing credits from Dave Gahan.

it's strange because my copy was not copy protected. the only CDs i bought from 2005 that were copy protected were Kasabian's S/T debut and Black Rebel Motorcycle Club's Howl.

as for The Cure remasters, it's a typical remastering job (slight reduction in dynamic range) but Pornography seesm much improved. my old Elektra CD pressing was all midrange and no bass and treble extension, this Rhino re-release is much better. Seventeen Seconds sound good IMO from the get-go, i think the remaster has a bit better imaging and atmosphere. as for Faith, i think i prefer my original Elektra pressing, the remaster sounds a bit shill.

Odd, I got a copy of Playing the Angel this weekend as well. Haven't listened yet. I have been spinning Danger Doom: The Mouse and the Mask all week long though. It's really good, so I had a friend email me Madvillain.

Yeah I just got Mouse and the Mask and it's good. If you like it you probably will love Madvillainy.

I have Vaudevillain coming too.

holy crap feb 1984, i swear im not joking i only heard it a few days ago and then DL it and havent been able to stop listening to it, i love it.

wow Phil, you picked up DM's Playing the Angel? that's cool... i listened to the Crooked Fingers CD this past weekend, great stuff! "Doctors of Deliverance, "You Threw a Spark," and "Andalucia" were especially memorable.

my UK Indie music forum finished their annual member's poll, and Bloc Party came out to be the big winners, finishing best band and best album of 2005 on top. here's the full list:
http://www.excellentonline.com/article.php3?story_id=1397

I'm surprised the Decemberists didn't get higher on the list! Sure, Bloc Party's Slient Alarm was great, but top spot seems overboard IMO. Also, glad to see Antony & the Johnsons - I Am a Bird Now on the list. That is one fine album :)

some sad news, Grandaddy has split up:

http://www.nme.com/news/22068

gosh darnit, i still have not picked up a copy of The Sophtware Slump yet.

In the last year, I've been listening to Indie rock bands.

One of my favorite bands is Copeland. They're first CD "Beneath Medicine Tree" has got to be the best. I love every song on there, especially "Paula Sparks". Their second CD "In Motion" is also really good. They also have another album called "Know Nothing Stays the Same". It's pretty much a rendition of older tunes like "Take My Breath Away" and "Another Day In Paradise". Their renditions are really well done.

Another band "Umbrellas" is what I'm currently listening to. I would classify their music in the Emo genre. "City Lights", "Your Exit", "Emergency" and "Broken Ice" are some great tunes on their CD.

Another really good band is "Lovedrug". I'd say their an Emo band. Some good tunes on their album "Pretend You're Alive" are "Spiders", "RocknRoll", "Candy", "Pretend You're Alive", "Down Towards the Healing" and "Paper Scars" to name a few.

Another band I really like is Death Cab For Cutie, but I'm sure they've already been discussed on this thread. They're quite popular now.

I saw Death Cab open for Alkaline Trio near 3 years back now (Good Mourning) and then I had just heard of them and now they're everywhere.

went on a bit of a music spending spree at Virgin Records this evening:

The Tears - Refugees CD1 single
The Tears - The Lovers CD1 single
Starsailor - In The Crossfire CD single
Starsailor - This Time CD single
Crooked Fingers - Red Devil Dawn
Neutral Milk Hotel - In the Aeroplane Over the Sea
Grandaddy - The Sophtware Slump
Muse - Hullabaloo
David Bowie - Low
Ride - Nowhere (i needed another copy, my original is worn down beyond recognition)

still waiting for US releases of Meds by Placebo, and The Editors' debut album.

Kylie Minogue is on the telly right now, and i want to listen to Fever but i left that CD at work... grrr. do i lose my Indie cred for have a Kylie CD? LOL.

Picked up Placebo Meds, some good tracks. Not really had chance to give it a thorough listening to but pretty much true to form, I sometimes wish they would evolve a bit though.
Bong. Looking forward to getting editors too,
Ride dreams burn down is a great track, not listened to them for a while.
LOW for me is one of Bowies' best. must give that an airing too.

dammit, i want my Meds! LOL why is that UK bands always get delayed releases in the US? *sigh* how does Meds compare to the rest of the Placebo catalog? probably still not as good as Without You I'm Nothing. as much as i like Sleeping With Ghosts (second or third fave with s/t debut) i hope Meds does better.

and i've been listening to Bowie's Low non-stop. the second half is filled with some absolutely beautiful ambient soundscapes.

as for Ride, i wanted to get the remaster Nowhere but couldn't find it, so i settled for the regular version again. i have the Today Forever EP anyway.

Having given Meds a good listening to, it's rather good.
Doesn't have much depth for me like some of the others.
Lyrically not as strong (considering)
Not so sure about Editors maybe it's a grower.
Picked up Morrissey "ringleader of the tormentors"
Some good stuff. Same old Mozzer really.