TUESDAY NEW RELEASES: The Rolling Stones’ Grrr vs. Every Beatles Album Ever Made
PJ Lifestyle: Ultimate Holiday Gifts
- – - – -
Another year, another Kindle update. But wait! This one brings a real hook to the table – for the first time, Amazon’s flagship product delivers higher contrast, with crisp text against a bright white backdrop, finally echoing the experience of reading text on a page. The Guardian calls the Paperwhite the best e-reader on the market: “If you still prefer real books to electronic gizmos, the Kindle Paperwhite is a good reason to think again.” Though the two Kindle limit still remains in effect, Amazon has waived shipping costs on two-day shipping, so your gift should arrive in time for Christmas even with the product not shipping before December 21.
Celestron NexStar 6 SE Telescope
This portable, high-performance telescope brings advanced computerized stargazing to a level even novice astronomers can support. NightSkies.net gives this scope high marks: “The optical quality of the Chinese-made C6 Schmidt-Cassegrain tube assembly is very good for the price and delivers all one expects of a compact, obstructed optical system. The mount is solidly engineered, eminently portable, and reliably finds objects. The NexStar 6 SE gets a well-deserved thumbs up.” As a bonus, Amazon has this telescope discounted nearly 50 percent in advance of Black Friday.
Boss 612UA MP3-Compatable Digital Media AM/FM Receiver
This is the product for everyone who ever wanted to access a digital music collection while driving, without having to rely on a complicated new car stereo system. The 612UA contains all the essentials for enjoying digital media without the hassle of mechanical parts – no CDs or cassettes, just the simplicity of digital music wherever you go. Connect any mp3 player to the system via the 3.5 mm headphone jack, or simply load your music onto a USB drive you can plug directly into the front of the system. The Boss 612UA is even compatible with SD cards. You won’t find a less complicated system in this price range, making the Boss 612UA perfect for anyone on your list.
While you’re updating the car stereo, however, don’t forget the most important item every driver should have in the trunk, especially with winter hazard driving straight ahead:
Clore Automotive JNC660 Jump-N-Carry 1,700 Peak Amp 12-Volt Jump Starter
For every driver who ever had a battery die in an inconvenient situation, this self-jumper allows you to jump-start your car with ease, no second vehicle required. The JNC660 delivers all the power you’ll need, and, weighing only 18 pounds, this product fits perfectly in your trunk along with those handy jumper cables. Normally the JNC660 will set you back at least $300, but in advance of Black Friday, Amazon has it priced under $130, making this a no-brainer purchase for any self-sufficient driver with an eye on safety and prudence.
- – - – -
That’s all for this week’s edition of Tuesday New Releases! We’re open to your suggestions as we develop this column to best serve you. If you have suggestions for future coverage, or if you have a product you’d like featured or reviewed here, simply email Jonathan Sanders at kroessman@gmail.com.
To me this article appears written in code…like, who cares? Who listens to that stuff? Teenagers, maybe. All I can say is that video clip is awful.
Pretty much my thoughts as well.
The Stones have a new album out? Really? Oh wait, it’s just a very expensive compilation of stuff that real fans have had for years with two new tracks to sucker them in. Yawn.
I was referring to the Soundgarden video. I liked the patriotic song, but not very interesting musically.
This generation seems to be having trouble finding a unique voice. Listened to the clips, have Lana’s new album. There’s nothing there.
That will happen when the drummer, guitarist and bass player are treated like a GarageBand program. What I’m hearing aside from that, are tired arrangements I’ve heard a zillion times, like this Soundgarden clip. Listen to Jeff Beck, Tal Wilkenfeld and Vinnie Colaiuta at Ronnie Scott’s Jazz Club. That’s music. Whatever you think of it, it’s a happening with the entire band fully engaged and they don’t care if you like it or not – there is no pandering.
Again, whether you like them or not, when you listen to Ram by Paul McCartney or the Layla album or The Who, among many, many others, you hear unique expressions whose artistic energy, integrity and enthusiasm is simply hard to match for the current generation.
You can screw up your faces and sweat all you want, when it’s not real it’s not real.
The gamechanger of course is that young people prefer music aimed at their generation, no matter how bad it is compared to what came before. I cannot make that leap. You see the same thing in film and literature today. We need new things – that’s the nature of pop art. It’s consumed and we move on to the next, no matter what it is, choosing the best, even when it’s the worst relative to what came before.
In truth, we’ve gone back to the 3 min. hit record like in the early ’60s, but without the songwriting, producing and arranging talent. The new, current and hep generation are bigger rednecks than the mythical conformist rednecks were.
Wasn’t it “Derek & The Dominoes” (Eric Clapton, Duane Allman, and some studio hands) who released “Layla?” Good album, but give the proper credit.
I’ve heard that new song by the Strolling Bones. It’s not bad.
Soundgarden is probably the only band listed that I’d spend a little money on. Other than that, the rest of the list rates a “meh” at best.