Great news for Disney animation fans who missed the 2011 Blu-ray release of The Lion King, which has been long out of print. The Oscar-winning classic has emerged from the Disney vault and is currently available as part of the Signature Collection. The film is one of the studios final traditional, hand-drawn animation masterpieces and was in fact selected for...
Album Review: Jan & Dean – Filet of Soul Redux
Though never on a par with the Beach Boys, Jan & Dean had their moments. This wasn’t one of them. In fact, my first reaction when I heard Filet of Soul Redux echoed the famous opening line of Greil Marcus’s review of Bob Dylan’s Self-Portrait: “What is this shit?” Then I noticed that the CD label itself says, “Filet of...
The Who to Release Tommy: Live at the Royal Albert Hall – October 13, 2017
Eagle Rock Entertainment has a treat in store for fans of The Who with Tommy – Live At The Royal Albert Hall, arriving on multiple formats October 13, 2017. The concert, recorded in April 2017, will be available on Blu-ray, DVD, double-CD, and triple-LP. The concert is centered on a performance of their classic album Tommy in its entirety—a first...
Music DVD Review: Change Begins Within: A Benefit Concert for the David Lynch Foundation
Yes! Finally, the 2009 Change Begins Within: A Benefit Concert for the David Lynch Foundation arrives on DVD via Eagle Rock Entertainment on September 1, 2017. It’s not the complete show, which was a fundraiser intended to benefit (as the DVD’s title makes plain) the David Lynch Foundation. This 86-minute programs omits some key moments (you didn’t think Sheryl Crow...
Bentley’s Bandstand: August 2017
Lynn Castle, Rose Colored Corner. Talk about a marvel of modern determination: singer-songwriter Lynn Castle walked right up to the precipice of stardom in the ’60s and had to watch it remain just out of her reach. Still, the young Los Angeles lady never blinked. She continued to wish upon a star, talk to the cosmos and believe that life...
Album Reviews: Ringo Starr – Give More Love, and More New Releases
In an interview cited in my book Lennon on Lennon: Conversations with John Lennon, he comments that Ringo “wasn’t known for writing his own material, and there was a bit of a worry [among the other Beatles when the group broke up]…how is his recording career gonna be? And in general, it’s probably better than mine, actually. So he’s doing...
Album Reviews: The Beach Boys – 1967: Sunshine Tomorrow, and More New Releases
The Grateful Dead or perhaps Bob Dylan may hold the record for most releases from the vaults, but the Beach Boys aren’t far behind. Over the years, we’ve seen the group’s studio albums reissued as twofers, with a wealth of bonus tracks. Greatly expanded versions of Beach Boys Party and the Beach Boys’ Christmas Album have also appeared, as have...
Bentley’s Bandstand: May 2017
Amy Black, Memphis. The sign on the front door of the African-American motorcycle club in Memphis said “Rattlesnakes do not commit suicide.” Makes sense. Bluff City can be a tough road, but once the deep soul of the place reveals itself to visitors, there is no turning back. Singer Amy Black’s last album was made in Muscle Shoals, Alabama so...
Album Reviews: Bob Dylan – Triplicate, and More
Triplicate—a three-CD, 30-song set—represents Bob Dylan’s third exploration of the Great American Songbook, following 2014’s Shadows in the Night and 2016’s Fallen Angels. Like those albums, it was produced by Jack Frost (aka Robert Zimmerman, Blind Boy Grunt, and you know who). Like its predecessors, also, it focuses on songs that have been recorded by Frank Sinatra. These, in other...
DVD Review: Star Trek: Deep Space Nine – The Complete Series
Deep Space Nine, the first Star Trek spin-off series to emerge in the post-Gene Roddenberry era, originally arrived on DVD back in 2003. Star Trek: The Next Generation had rolled out on the then-cutting edge format the year before. In the years since, TNG has been beautifully restored from the original 35mm negatives (and in the case of the previously...