Boxed Set of the Month: Pearl Jam's "Ten"

Let's see now . . . two CDs, one DVD, four LPs, a buncha other stuff, and a cassette! What, no 8-track? Despite that, the Collector's Edition of Pearl Jam's 1991 debut, Ten (Epic/Legacy), truly goes to Eleven — and as such, it's without question our Boxed Set of the Month for March.

In an increasingly non-physical-product Entertainment Age, this box, subtitled Pearl Jam 1990-1992, is the epitome of how record companies — when they do get physical — are pulling out all the stops for certain projects. I mean, just look at that thing above.

List price for the Collector's Edition: $199.98. Amazon.com is selling it here at $134.99.

Another thing that the box doesn't have, however, is — hello? HELLO?! — a surround mix of the album itself. Sigh.

Some details:

Help Wanted: Smashing Pumpkins drummer

Can you take random abuse from Billy Corgan? Can you explode on cue? If so, the Smashing Pumpkins have a job for you: drummer!

This is not a joke.

Late yesterday, I received the following e-mail from the band's publicist:

"Auditions will be held Friday, April 10, in Los Angeles for drummers who are looking to play with THE SMASHING PUMPKINS. They should send their background info, photos, and performance Web links via e-mail only to: pumpkinsdrummer@gmail.com"

More info can be found here on the band's Web site.

So, all of you aspiring Animals out there — get on the (drum)stick!

— Ken Richardson

McIntosh offers 60th-anniversary tube amps

High-end audio manufacturer McIntosh is celebrating six decades in the business a system that hails back to the company's early days.

The Limited Edition 60th Anniversary Classic System features McIntosh's MC75 monoblock amplifier and C22 preamp. The 75-watt MC75 was first sold in 1961, and the C22 hit the audiophile world just a year later. While the components are based on 60-year-old designs, the system itself has been tweaked and polished to fit in with a modern sound system. Both the MC75 and C22 use refined and updated circuitry, and the C22 features Dolby Logic-driven electromagnetic switches and an IR remote control.

The Classic System is limited to only 120 united in North America, and each one includes a copy of the coffee-table book For the Love of Music signed by author and sound engineer Ken Kessler, McIntosh co-founder Sidney Cordermann, and McIntosh president Charlie Randall.

These re-issued pieces of history come with a pretty hefty price tag; the Classic System sells for $15,000. It comes with a nice book, though.

— Will Greenwald

Blu-ray users to pay more for Netflix

I love Netflix. I have been a subscriber forever, so I'm a little sad to hear that the price for Blu-ray subscribers is going up again on April 27th. They announced the price increases this morning through their arsenal of social media outlets (Facebook via Twitter). I was actually a little surprised by how substantial the increase actually is. The full breakdown is copied after the jump, but those of you with the standard 3 at-a-time plans can plan on shelling out an extra $4 a month for your high def fix. They justify the increase by reminding us that they stock over 1,300 titles and that their selection has grown 60% in just half a year. Those actually seem like legitimate reasons, but I'm still a little bummed. It's not so much about the extra $4 a month, but rather that this will act as another reminder to the general public that Blu-ray is still pretty expensive compared to DVDs and other media. That's not good for business when everyone is going broke.

$1.29 is too much for a song from iTunes

When iTunes introduced their one-price-fits-all model for selling music, many record labels were unhappy with the situation. The ability to buy a single song for a dollar made full records a hard sell for some artists. But it was a hit with consumers. The simplicity perfectly fit with Apple's, "This is the way we do it and, if you're cool, you'll like it," attitude. On April 7th, you'll see the price of many popular tracks jump all the way up to $1.29. Of course, some songs will drop in price as well, but it's going to be back catalog stuff that isn't really selling in the first place.

The hunt for "Plasma Pat" is on

It's fine to look for deals. If you've fully researched (that is, read Sound & Vision regularly and enjoy our thorough test reports) the home theater equipment you're looking to buy, there are few reasons not to shop around for the best price. Custom installers and high-end retailers generally offer far superior customer service, but if you can find that 65-inch plasma you've been looking for at Wal-Mart for a few hundred dollars less, then more power to you.

If you're looking for that plasma at a Wal-Mart in Florida and a man named Pat tells you he can get it to you for a few hundred dollars less, however, look elsewhere.

Police in Largo, Florida are looking for "Plasma Pat, the discount TV guy," a man who claims he swindled up to 30,000 people out of their cash with promises of a better price on a TV. According to the police, "Pat" meets people outside of Wal-Mart, tells them that he can get them an employee discount, then takes their money and leaves.

Blockbuster, TiVo join forces, put VOD on DVR

TiVo has just announced a partnership with Blockbuster to expand the availability of both TiVo DVRs and Blockbuster's on-demand video service. By the second half of 2009, TiVo will have integrated Blockbuster OnDemand content into its Series2, Series3, HD, and HD XL DVR units. Users will be able to rent and buy movies from Blockbuster directly through their TiVos.

In addition to getting Blockbuster videos while watching their TiVos, customers will also be able to get TiVos while browsing at Blockbuster. The company's brick-and-mortar stores will begin carrying TiVos, and blockbuster.com will directly sell the units.

To promote the partnership, both TiVo and Blockbuster plan to begin marketing campaigns that highlight the crossover services and products. Blockbuster already offers a set-top box for its VOD content, the 2Wire MediaPoint Media Player. Keep an eye on Bitstream as we determine whether Blockbuster's little brother to the TiVo will end up a Jan Brady or a Chuck Cunningham.

(UPDATE: I spoke with a Blockbuster representative, who said that the company will still sell the 2Wire MediaPoint box, and that it doesn't plan to drop the system any time soon. It will be sold alongside TiVo products at Blockbuster stores and on blockbuster.com. Jan Brady it is!)

— Will Greenwald

SXSW 2009, Day 4: plum panels, Perfect Pants

It's Saturday, the last day of SXSW. And for me, it begins with three tech-oriented panels and ends with one more musical blast. (Shown above: Perfect Pants.)

Panel No. 1: "The Archival Restoration Preservation Society." From that title, I'm thinking that the Society actually exists — especially since two of the panelists are producers George Massenburg and Sandy Pearlman, longtime champions of good sound. But no, there's no such formal organization; the guys are just having fun with a certain Kinks album title. That said, they're dead serious about archival preservation, particularly for original analog recordings — which will require new forms of analog storage. As for sound quality itself? Says Massenburg: "No resolution is high enough." Which brings us to . . .

Panel No. 2: "Neil Young Archives." Volume 1 is finally coming, on June 2. (For details, see my previous Bitstream post.) "It's not a boxed set," says manager Elliot Roberts. "It's a biography. It's actually a life." Roberts is so enthusiastic about sharing a preview with the audience that when his cellphone rings — and it's Neil himself — he doesn't take the call! But, referencing the project's incarnation on Blu-ray Disc, Roberts does share with us Neil's motto: "Quality, whether you want it or not."

Panel No. 3: "Wax Attacks!" Vinyl resurgence? Only 15 people (including yours truly, Ken Richardson) attend this panel, which is moderated by John Kunz, owner and operator of Austin's landmark shop Waterloo Records. There's lots of talk about value-added bonuses (artwork, liner notes, posters), the social element of playing LPs, and even their "sex appeal." But the "superior sound quality of vinyl," as one panelist put it, is mentioned only once. I hope to post a rebuttal to that supposed superiority at some point soon.

And I also hope to give you more details on all of those panels in a future issue of the print magazine. In the meantime, however, there's one more night of SXSW music to be heard . . .

Neil Young Archives on Blu-ray: June 2

BREAKING NEWS: At a SXSW panel on the Neil Young Archives, manager Elliot Roberts announced that the first volume of the long, long-awaited project will indeed appear on June 2. Of course, previously announced release dates have come and gone — but this time, as they say, it's for real. In fact, actual packages (not mockups) were shown at the panel.

Roberts was joined by Larry Johnson, director of Neil's Shakey Films, and Ola Lutjens, creative director of MX Production, the San Francisco company that devised the Blu-ray platform for the Archives.

Yes, Vol. 1 — covering the years 1963 to 1972 — will be released on 10 Blu-ray Discs. It will also be available on 10 DVDs or as a set of 8 CDs.

But Blu-ray's the thing here, and at their SXSW panel, the trio of Roberts, Johnson, and Lutjens dazzled the audience with a preview of the set, playing discs on a PS3. The wealth of material is even more than we could have imagined. Trust me.

As of now, you can preorder Vol. 1 from neilyoung.com, where you'll also find a personal message from Neil on why you should buy the Blu-ray version.

S&V will have in-depth coverage of this important project in print and online, so stay tuned.

— Ken Richardson

SXSW 2009, Day 3: Disaster, but Zimbabwe rules!

Say what? Well, here's what I'm saying: My third night of music at SXSW was a reminder that, when things go wrong, they can go really wrong. Until they're saved by — but I'm getting ahead of myself. (Shown above: Chiwoniso.)

Ken Richardson here, and I can also tell you that the actual day of Friday started out fine. Smashing, in fact. In my continuing quest to follow the exploits of one singled-out band at SXSW, I had made a date with the Grates (see my posts for Day 1 and Day 2). First, we did a photo shoot, courtesy of our famous rock & roll photographer, Ebet Roberts.

(That word "famous" was applied to her yesterday by none other than Devo, who are speaking and playing at SXSW this year. At the beginning of her photography career, Ebet shot the likes of the Ramones, Talking Heads, and yes, Devo. And when she saw the band yesterday at their press conference, they recognized her and said: "Look at you now. You're famous." Ebet demurred, but they insisted. "No, really, you're famous!" And so she is. But I digress . . .)

After shooting the Grates both inside the Convention Center (where we covered them with Legos!) and outside, we all strolled to Brush Square Park for the band's gig at the day party known as the Aussie BBQ. Once again, it didn't take long before they had the audience in their hands, despite the warm day under a hot tent.

We then returned to the Convention Center for a sit-down interview in the Artists' Lounge. You'll be able to read that interview soon in the print mag. For now, suffice it to say that Patience, John, and Alana are as charming offstage as they are giddy onstage.

But then, the night fell. And it fell hard.

Come with me now, if you dare . . .