Music

Rock critic Ken Tucker reviews the new solo album by Graham Parker, Your Country.

He calls his latest project a "musical novel." It's a new CD, Greendale, a 10-song cycle with his band Crazy Horse, set in a fictional California seaside town. He also shot a feature film version on Super8, which made the film festival circuit and will be in wider distribution in April.

She is the principal conductor of the Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra in Britain. She was the first woman ever to be named principal conductor of a major British orchestra. Since 1993, Alsop has also been music director of the Colorado Symphony, where her programming won several national awards. She has had guest appearances with many orchestras including the Los Angeles Philharmonic, Philadelphia Orchestra, San Francisco Symphony and the symphony orchestras of Toronto, Atlanta, Houston, Cincinnati and Indianapolis. She was a protigi of Leonard Bernstein.

Harrison is the widow of George Harrison, the former Beatle. The two were married for 24 years. Harrison died in December 2001. Before his death, he began working on his Dark Horse catalogue (1976-1992), his entire body of work, plus unreleased demos. The box set (on Capitol Records) includes six albums as well as a DVD of seven restored music videos. Just this week Harrison was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Note: Audio for this feature is not available due to Internet rights issues.

Rock historian Ed Ward remembers Dimension Records, which showcased the demos of such songwriters as Gerry Goffin and Carole King.

Classical music critic Lloyd Schwartz reviews some silent musical scores by the Alloy Orchestra. They write and perform new music for silent films. Schwartz looks at their scores for the Buster Keaton films, The General and Steamboat Bill, Jr. (on DVD, Image Entertainment).

Critic Milo Miles reviews Punk Rock (Quarterstick label) the new record by the Mekons, recorded during their 2002 tour.

Jazz critic Kevin Whitehead reviews The Complete Verve Roy Eldridge Sessions on the mail-order Mosaic label. The box set includes seven CDs.

Jazz critic Kevin Whitehead reviews Jones' second album, Feels Like Home, on the jazz label Blue Note.

Rock critic Ken Tucker reviews the new CD by newcomer Dan Reeder.

Rubin worked with Johnny Cash for the last 10 years of Cash's life, collaborating on four critically acclaimed and Grammy award-winning albums (American Recordings, Unchained, American III: Solitary Man and American IV: The Man Comes Around.) At the time of Cash's death, they were collaborating on a box set that collects many unreleased tracks from those previous sessions, as well as a best-of CD. The five-CD collection is called Unearthed.

Sheffer is the founder, conductor and artistic director of the New-York based orchestra. The group is known for the diversity of its musical program and rediscovering neglected works. They've performed works by Wagner, George Gershwin, Franz Schubert, Philip Glass and Paul Bowles. In March, the orchestra will perform the U.S. premiere of the Jonathan Dove adaptation of Wagner's The Valkyrie.

His songs include "By The Time I Get to Phoenix," "Up Up and Away," "Wichita Lineman," "Macarthur Park," "Galveston," "Didn't We," "The Moon is a Harsh Mistress" and "All I Know." His songs have been recorded by Glenn Campbell, Johnny Cash, Joe Cocker, Linda Ronstadt, Art Garfunkle and the Fifth Dimension. At one point in the 1960s, he had five Top 10 hits within a 20-month period.

Music critic Milo Miles reviews the collection The Rough Guide to the Music of Morocco.

Rock critic Ken Tucker reviews the reissue of the 1971 album Nilsson Schmilsson by Harry Nilsson.

Saturday, Feb. 7 marks the 40th anniversary of the Beatles arrival in the United States. We celebrate on the show: TV critic David Bianculli remembers their first appearance on the Ed Sullivan show, 40 years ago.

Rock historian Ed Ward looks at the early days of the Neon Boys who became the band Television. The "lost" third album by Television has just come out on CD — a 25-year old live broadcast, and their first two albums have just been remastered.

Ed Ward reviews the career of almost unknown soul singer Bobby Paterson.

Plant formally fronted the band Led Zeppelin. His new solo CD includes tracks he recorded before Zeppelin and after. It's called Sixty Six to Timbuktu. (The interview continues through the end of the show.)

Jazz critic Kevin Whitehead reviews the new reissue Black Christ of the Andes (Smithsonian label) by pianist Mary Lou Williams.