"Greatest Hits" albums are generally pretty easy to review because there are only two questions that count: "what's here" and "what's missing?" A greatest hits compilation succeeds or fails on that ratio alone. So, how does Absolute Garbage score?This is the band's first hits package, which is worth a couple points because there are some artists out there with more compilations than actual albums. It's (mostly) chronologically ordered, depending on how technical you want to get. The new song, "Tell Me Where it Hurts" is placed in the 17th slot while a remix of "It's All Over But The Crying" is placed 18th. "Crying" originally appeared on Bleed Like Me, which should put it in front of the new track. Because it is a remix, they can get away with the switcheroo.The set has most of their singles, both of their major soundtrack contributions, and that new song. Weighing in at 18 tracks, all digitally remastered, this is a bit too long. Garbage had hits, but not that many. The deluxe edition is reasonably priced and comes with a bonus disc of remixes. Some people will probably find those interesting, I didn't. All in all, it's a good value package.The chronological order works well and the album plays well, but Garbage is cursed by their early success. The bulk of their strongest material comes from their first two records. They recorded good songs later, but not all were chosen as singles. Absolute emphasizes the singles, meaning some of the songs representing Beautiful Garbage and Bleed Like Me weren't the best songs from either. AG paints a good, if incomplete, portrait of the band's career because nearly every song on the set is good and some of them are great. As is often the case with greatest hits packages, this is of limited interest to the band's most devoted fans. Most will have the band's four albums, many will have the Romeo + Juliet soundtrack with "#1 Crush." The two songs that might not be in every collection are the new song (obviously) and "The World is Not Enough," their James Bond soundtrack contribution. The remixes on the bonus disc were mostly all b-sides, so some diehards will already have these.A Garbage b-sides collection remains the Holy Grail for Garbage fans. Oasis is still the Gold Standard when it comes to b-sides, but Garbage released some interesting ones. I only have a handful of the band's early import singles and there were some great songs that never made it to record. Butch Vig has discussed releasing such a set on multiple occasions, so even the band realizes how much U.S. fans want one of these. Now, while the band is on hiatus, would seem a good time to release one. Record company B.S. is probably the reason we don't have one now and won't get one any time soon. Absolute Garbage Tracklisting (Items in Bold represent the 18-track hits disc) 1. Vow2. Queer3. Only Happy When It Rains4. Stupid Girl5. Milk6. #1 Crush7. Push It8. I Think I m Paranoid9. Special10. When I Grow Up11. You Look So Fine12. The World is Not Enough13. Cherry Lips14. Shut Your Mouth15. Why Do You Love Me16. Bleed Like Me17. Tell Me Where It Hurts ** (new song)18. It s All Over But The Crying (Remix)19. The World Is Not Enough (Unkle Remix)20. When I Grow Up (Kagz Kooner Remix)21. Special (Brothers In Rhythm Remix)22. Breaking Up The Girl (Timo Mass Remix)23. Milk (Massive Attack Remix)24. Cherry Lips (Roger Sanchez Remix)25. Androgyny (Felix Da Housecat Remix)26. Queer (Rabbit In The Moon Remix)27. Paranoid (Crystal Method Mix)28. Stupid Girl (Todd Terry Remix)29. You Look So Fine (Fun Lovin’ Criminals Remix)30. Push It (Boom Boom Satellites Remix)31. Bad Boyfriend (Garbage Remix)

Said to be called "Candy Shop," the song appeared on putfile.com, but was removed following copyright issues. The track is a mix of dance, pop, and hip-hop and will appear on Madonna's forthcoming album, scheduled to be released in November. "Candy Shop" is just one of several tracks she worked on with Timberlake and uber-producer Timbaland, both of whom have been writing and producing songs as well as adding vocals. Pharrell Williams and Mika have also been involved in the album.

By now you’ve probably seen the “alternate” video for Kanye West’s “Can’t Tell Me Nothing,” a “WTF?”-worthy clip that features a couple of bearded dudes, a whole lot of farm-related hijinks, gratuitous spitting and absolutely zero Kanye West. In case you have no idea what we’re talking about, you can check out the vid here, and then join the rest of us in wondering just what the heck is going on here. Well, it’s all the work of comedian Zach Galifianakis, the hefty and hirsute mastermind behind last year’s karaoke-riffic clip for Fiona Apple’s “Not About Love” (see “If You Think Fiona Grew A Beard, You’re Not Paying Attention”). And much like that video, his path toward working with West began with a rather chance — and decidedly “Hollywood” — connection. “Kanye’s trainer, Harley Pasternak, is a friend of mine, and he showed Kanye some of my videos. Then Kanye came to a stand-up show of mine and asked me afterwards if I would produce and perform a video for him,” Galifianakis told MTV News. “I was flying to my farm in North Carolina the next morning [and] I told him that if I could shoot it there, then I would do it. There was no audition. I did whatever I wanted. He told me to just do what I thought would work.” And apparently “what would work” includes an exploding tractor, some clog dancers and — rather inexplicably — indie folkster (and part-time actor) Will Oldham, who Galifianakis said was just visiting and decided to get in on the action. Basically, the two then took it upon themselves to run around Galifianakis’ farm, doing whatever sprang to mind (one scene, featuring the comedian sporting the words “I Love Turd” on his forehead and clutching a chainsaw, was conceived thusly: “Will and I were drunk in my basement and that is how that came about”). And though the whole thing was done off-the-cuff, Galifianakis said it was actually pretty difficult work. There was the whole issue of mastering Kanye’s lyrics, piloting a tractor and, well, getting some rather complex air-humping secrets down pat. “[The song has] lots of words that are quite fast. Plus, my horrible dancing throws off the rhythm inside my head,” he explained. “Also, I cannot give up my air-humping secrets for fear that the Goo Goo Dolls will steal them.” Though the “Can’t Tell Me Nothing” video has yet to make it further than West’s Web site (where sample comments range from “I can’t say for sure, but I think God produced this video” to “Is that dude Amish?”), Galifianakis has high hopes for the clip. And though he now has two lip-sync performances under his belt, he’s not worried about getting typecast anytime soon. “I think it will make it on TV. My dream has to be getting it on BET,” he said. “I don’t have a career. So I will make one up for myself.”

Led Zeppelin will release a В‘bestВ’ of this autumn, alongside an exclusive re-release of their В‘The Song Remains the SameВ’ soundtrack. The band will release the retrospective, В‘Mothership,В’ which features tracks chosen by the surviving members of the band - Robert Plant, Jimmy Page and John Paul Jones В– on November 12th. В‘MothershipВ’ will include hits from all eight of Led ZeppelinВ’s studio albums and will be available on “deluxe” and “collectors” editions featuring a bonus live DVD. There will also be a 4 LP edition, reports Billboard. Meanwhile, Led Zeppelin will also re-release the soundtrack to В‘The Song Remains the SameВ’ which will feature six songs that were not included on the original release. The album is taken from the bandВ’s 1973 residency at Madison Square Garden. The re-releases add to the heightening speculation that the band are planning to reform.

Timbaland's "The Way I Are" featuring Keri Hilson rose one to No. 4 on the Billboard Hot 100, trading places with Shop Boyz's "Party Like a Rockstar." At No. 6, the "High School Musical 2" onslaught began as the cast single "What Time Is It" entered the chart after selling 87,000 physical singles and 31,000 downloads. The physical tally is the most for that format since "American Idol" veteran Taylor Hicks moved 190,000 units of "Do I Make You Proud" in late June 2006. The "High School Musical 2" album hits stores August 14, and the movie premieres three days later on the Disney Channel. Akon's "Sorry, Blame It on Me" scored a major debut at No. 7, the highest of his career. The R&B singer now has eight top 10 appearances in 2007. Hurricane Chris' "A Bay Bay" slipped one to No. 8, while T-Pain's "Buy U a Drank (Shawty Snappin')" was down three spots to No. 9, and his "Bartender" featuring Akon dropped two to No. 10. Country singer Billy Ray Cyrus earned his first Hot 100 appearance since 2000 with "Ready, Set, Don't Go," which opened at No. 85. John Travolta and Queen Latifah also returned to the tally after long absences as part of the cast of "Hairspray," whose "You Can't Stop the Beat" was new at No. 88. Travolta had been missing from the Hot 100 since "Greased Lightnin"' in 1978, while Latifah's last appearance was in 1998 with "Paper."

The first impression of War Stories, the third release from UK outfit Unkle, is one of awesome power: a towering juggernaut of sonic beautastic-ness. Wily and hard-bitten in places, lush and orchestral in others, War Stories strains and snaps at its leash like a feral, wholly unpredictable beast. Repeated listens, however, begin to reveal a crack or two in the savagery. The album seems less bite, more whimper. Somehow, someway, the whole is not quite equal to its parts.But, oh, the parts.The first single, "Burn My Shadow," is like a warped, cracked-out version of Revolution, from the Cult’s Love LP, circa 1985. Ian Astbury is amazing here, managing to sound both menacing and plaintive at the same time. It’s a treat to hear Astbury in such fine form, and he shows up not once, but twice, gracing the albums’ final track as well. Unkle has had no shortage of big-name guest stars in the past: Thom Yorke and Ian Brown, to name but two. And their latest line-up is an intriguing mix of some of rock’s more interesting vocalists, including Gavin Clarke, Liela Moss from The Duke Spirit, Josh Homme and, of course, Astbury.Not all guest tracks work – Gavin Clarke’s "Keys To The Kingdom" is one of the weaker songs on the album. It’s Astbury who is the standout here, no question. His deep, mellifluous voice perfectly suits Unkle’s dark, volatile grooves. When it works, it works: War Stories' highs are spectacularly high. Certain parts verge on tired retreads of Unkle’s older work, however, and this is, ultimately, what makes the album a flawed one.

There are certain songs you hear as you go through life, and time simply stands still. For me, fortunate as I was to grow up in the musically rich, golden age of rock and roll in the sixties and seventies — there were more than a few such songs I heard during my adolescent years. "I Wanna Hold Your Hand," which signaled the arrival of The Beatles in 1964 was one of them. Dylan's "Like A Rolling Stone" was another, and Bruce Springsteen's "Born To Run" yet another one.The thing is, with the exception of "Born To Run," I was probably too young to fully understand any of these songs when they first came out. I was seven when I saw The Beatles perform "I Wanna Hold Your Hold" on The Ed Sullivan Show. I was only a few years older when I first heard "Like A Rolling Stone." And although both songs changed my life forever, it wouldn't be until years later that I fully understood in just how many ways that was true. Even "Born To Run," which I first heard just after high school, was a song placed just slightly out of time for me. If I'd heard it just one year earlier as a high school senior, I think the song would have resonated with me even more, than it did as such during my first year of so-called adulthood. Then there was "Go All The Way." I'm not sure exactly what year it was that I first heard the power pop classic by The Raspberries — I want to say it was the summer of '72. But I'm positive I was in high school. The Raspberries were only making records from 1972 to 1974, which happens to coincide exactly with my high school years. I'm equally sure the first place I heard "Go All The Way" was on an AM car radio, which is exactly the place where this song should've been first heard. Because, if ever a song was created that was meant to be heard on an AM car radio during your high school years, "Go All The Way" was, and is, that song. With a crashing guitar riff somewhere slightly north of The Who's "Can't Explain," combined with harmonies crossing The Beach Boys and early Beatles, "Go All The Way," was an invitation to ecstasy.You can view a video of the song played live on The Raspberries reunion tour (and a live performance of it from 1973 as well) by going here. But Bruce Springsteen (yes the Boss is a fan too) sums up the lyrics pretty well on the liner notes he wrote for their new Live On The Sunset Strip album, recorded at the House of Blues on October 21, 2005. Bruce describes this, and all of the Raspberries songs, as being "simultaneously innocent, lascivious, and all about sex, sex, sex." Not much I can add to that.But if "Go All The Way" is one of the greatest pure pop singles ever made — and it most surely is — its creators are equally one of the most misunderstood bands ever. With perfectly constructed three and four minute pop masterpieces that owed more to The Beatles and The Beach Boys than to the oh, so serious rock of the seventies, The Raspberries were like a band caught somewhere out of time. The songs didn't end with "Go All The Way" either. For those two years between '72 and '74, The Raspberries racked up an impressive string of pop-rock gems, mostly penned by lead singer/songwriter Eric Carmen, who revealed himself to be a master of his craft. "Tonight," "I Wanna Be With You," "Ecstasy," and the brilliant (and very Brian Wilson-like) "Overnight Sensation (Hit Record)" are only the tip of the iceberg with these guys.Carmen himself remains criminally under-appreciated as a great pop songwriter. He would later enjoy brief success when his record company briefly cast him as a Barry Manilow-styled pop songsmith for solo records like "All By Myself." Well, at least they got the pop part right.Still, with New Wave and Power Pop bands ranging from The Ramones to Cheap Trick still a few years away, it would still be some time before the rock world caught up to The Raspberries, and recognized them as the true pop/rock pioneers they were. All of the hits mentioned above and more are included on this album, which reunites Carmen with his original Raspberries bandmates Wally Bryson, Jim Bonfanti, and Dave Smalley for the first time in thirty years onstage. There are also some well-chosen covers here. What Raspberries gig would be complete without a raucous version of "Can't Explain" for example?As the bonus DVD opens with the words "They said it couldn't be done. They were wrong,'' time seems to stand still as the band launches into "I Wanna Be With You." Well okay, time doesn't quite stop. The Raspberries are after all some thirty years older and at least one of them looks more like Sam Kinison here, than the foppishly dressed and stylishly coiffed lads we remember from the seventies.But they still sound pretty damned good. On the hits like "Tonight" and "Ecstasy," they also rock quite convincingly. Most impressive are the way the intricate harmonies of "Go All The Way" and especially the more complex "Overnight Sensation" are recreated onstage (albeit with help from backing vocalists Jennifer Lee, Billy Sullivan, and Paul Sidoli). The harmonies on "Overnight Sensation" are instantly reminiscent of several Beach Boys classics, and of "Good Vibrations" in particular. There is even a part where the harmonies come through an AM transistor radio placed onstage (you can see this on the bonus DVD), which is a clever touch. When Carmen intros the song, he makes direct reference to that transistor radio, tying it to the songs lyrics about "wanting a hit record, wanna hear it on the radio."Carmen himself sounds great here, and still hits the notes the way he used to (well, most of the time anyway). Wally Bryson is as sharp as ever on guitar, and Smalley and Bonfanti anchor it all down on bass and drums respectively.In its deluxe edition, Live On Sunset Strip includes the full concert on two CDs, with five songs ("I Wanna Be With You," "Tonight," "Overnight Sensation," "Ecstasy," and of course "Go All The Way"), showing up on the bonus DVD. There's also a booklet that contains Springsteen's liner notes (as well as additional notes by John Lennon's one-time girlfriend May Pang talking about Lennon's love of the band). Most noteworthily, this set gathers the lyrics to some of The Raspberries best songs — since they are all performed here — together in the booklet.There's nothing terribly deep about most of these lyrics. Still, what spells "ecstasy" better than a line like this one:"I never knew how complete love could be, Till she kissed me and said Baby, Please Go All The Way Feels So Right, Being with you here tonight."The Raspberries Live On Sunset Strip will be released next Tuesday, July 31.

The one thing we should all expect from Unkle by now is that each album is going to be dramatically different from what came before. There was a faction of fans who grew disinterested after the follow-up to the DJ Shadow-influenced Psyence Fiction, as if he were the cruxpin of Unkle in their eyes. Similarly, there will be those who find they may no longer be along for the ride if they grew too comfortable during Never, Never, Land. In fact, lack of comfort is the one thing Unkle fans should hold on to as a constant. Because now we have War Stories.The fact that James Lavalle is a DJ should tip people off to the Unkle ethos. Each album has been one massive distillation of sounds, styles and guests. It's made to flow. It's made from parts. And they are small journeys unto themselves. But quite unlike a DJ, the canvas has been changing each time. For their first record, the emphasis was more an experimentation with breakbeat and hip-hop influences. The second time around, that changed to a much more cinematic and spacey soundscape. With War Stories, we catch a glimpse of what happens when Lavalle starts his own… well, rock band.For a hint into the directional style of the record, look no further than some of the guest contributors this time around: Josh Homme of Queens of the Stone Age, Ian Astbury of The Cult, Autolux, 3D of Massive Attack, Gavin Clark of Clayhill, and The Duke Spirit. Add to that vocals by James Lavalle himself, and fellow Unkle-ite Richard File… and you start to understand the scope of the record they're going for.After the instrumental punch of "Chemistry", Lavalle opens things up with "Hold My Hand," which is as dark and brooding as anything they've done. The groove rock and buzzing bass of "Restless" follows, and with it a foundation for the rest of the album. It twists and turns and thumps and glitches into a groove-tastic rock opus. "Burn My Shadow", featuring Ian Astbury, is the lead-off single for the album and follows suit admirably. In general, there are a lot of loose, jangly, or fuzzy guitars augmented by razor-sharp drum fills, and forever thick and muscular bass licks. This is a rock record with both teeth and brains. It's loose enough to be authentic, yet typically spacious and grand enough to be Unkle.For those looking for something slower, and perhaps a little more familiar, the collaboration on "Twilight" with 3D from Massive Attack is one of the most natural either has done. Their styles are wholly complementary of each other. The final act of the album also slows the pace, with "When Things Explode" (another contribution from Astbury), as well as an instrumental hidden track that is quite nice, in a 'lost in the desert at night' sort of way.The only misstep is with "Mayday" featuring The Duke Spirit, which is a slightly odd mix of early-80s girl punk thrown in the mix. It's not bad, just sticks out like a bandaged rocker thumb.Overall, War Stories is an extremely solid record. Unkle don't make junk. For those open-minded enough to have been Unkle fans throughout their stylistic changes, this will be a welcome and exciting journey. Those looking for either Psyence Fiction 2 or Never, Never, Land 2 will be disappointed, and rightly so. For others, this could very well be the most mainstream and accessible record they've put out, if for no other reason than indie rock hits more commercial buttons than the styles they've hit up before.Change is good. "Burn My Shadow," indeed.

We showed you puffy hair, then a leather glove and tight black jeans. Congratulations to those of you who said it’s so easy and recognized them as pieces of a classic Guns n’ Roses photo. In honor of the twentieth anniversary of Appetite for Destruction, Rolling Stone looks back at the sex, drugs and Aqua Net that went into the making of G n’ R’s legendary debut.

It's a very rock 'n roll week folks. Though not listed here, there's a big Slayer reissue thing going on. Metalheads will want to kill me for saying that I don't own a copy of Reign In Blood (I have a bunch of others but somehow, not that one). Anyhow, I'll probably fix that.As for the rest, we have a short but still eclectic mix from the soul of Peter Criss to the roots rock of Setzer to Trey Anastasio's instrumentals to the return of The Purple One's guitar. On top of all of this is a reissue from two guitar greats: Les Paul and Chet Atkins. Peter Criss - One for All (Megaforce)/RockOK, I'll admit right here that I was a Kiss fan from back in the day. Yes, I was a member of the Kiss Army. Yes, I own a copy of the comic book. Yes, I've got the first three albums. Yes, I saw Kiss Meets the Phantom of the Park. I had the posters, the t-shirts, and even a belt buckle.Strangely enough, my friends will still associate with me. (Mostly because we're all older and they've forgotten the 70's.)From what I've heard of this record, it's a real tribute to Peter Criss' influences. It reminds me of the do-wop strains that can be heard on most Ramones tunes.Prince - Planet Earth (Sony)/RockRumor has it that Prince is back to wielding that guitar again. It's about freaking time!Brian Setzer - Red Hot & Live! (Ada/Surfdog)/RockI saw Setzer and his trio a few years ago and he just killed.Trey Anastasio - The Horseshoe Curve (Red Ink)/RockSay what you will about Phish, there's no doubting that the man has big ears. This one is all instrumental and I am buying the hell out of it.Mountain - Masters Of War - (Megaforce)/RockYou did read that right: Mountain. Leslie West, Corky Lang and a few guests (including Ozzy) take on a bunch of Dylan classics. It's a weird concept but I've heard "Masters Of War" and liked it.The Doors - Live in Boston - (Rhino)/RockThree discs of live material. Morrison was notoriously spotty on stage, but I'll take my chances.Chet Atkins & Les Paul - Chester & Lester (Legacy)/CountryThis is for me the most interesting release of the week. I caught about 30 minutes of a Les Paul special a week or so ago and the footage of Les and Chet recording this record was very inspiring. Two absolute masters of the guitar. They were scary good back then.