Cold War Kids mark 20th anniversary of 'Robbers & Cowards' with deluxe edition

Cold War Kids' debut album Robbers & Cowards featured the singles “Hang Me Up to Dry,” “We Used to Vacation” and “Hospital Beds,” and landed on the Billboard 200. On October 30, the OC-reared band will unveil 'Robbers & Cowards/Complete Cowards (20th Anniversary Edition)' via UMe.

The expanded edition sees the band digging into their vault to complete four songs left unfinished at the time, along with six live recordings—five previously unreleased—captured across the U.S. and Europe in 2007. Complete Cowards will be available as a 2LP on black vinyl or limited-edition Brick Red vinyl, both with alternate and new artwork, and 2CD. All physical configurations are available for pre-order now: https://coldwarkids.lnk.to/CompleteCowardsPR

Robber & Cowards / Complete Cowards (Trailer)

A special Digital Deluxe Edition will also feature a newly reimagined version of “Hang Me Up to Dry” by Phantogram, available to stream. The collaboration offers a first glimpse at another chapter of the 20th anniversary celebration, with more artist reinterpretations of songs from Robbers & Cowards coming in 2027.

“Phantogram made ‘Hang Me Up To Dry’ introspective, emotional, dark and beautiful,” says Cold War Kids frontman and primary songwriter Nathan Willett. “When we had the idea to cover some songs they were the first band we thought to ask and they made it completely their own.”

Hang Me Up To Try (Phantogram Version)

The four newly completed songs—“Loyalty,” “There Goes The Night,” “Jesse Latour” and “She Can Do No Wrong”—all date back to the Robbers & Cowards era but never made the original album. Cold War Kids returned to the material two decades later to finish and record the songs for the anniversary collection. “Loyalty” and “There Goes The Night” were released earlier this year, offering the first previews of Complete Cowards – stream both songs now: https://coldwarkids.lnk.to/CompleteCowardsPR

The collection's six live recordings capture Cold War Kids onstage in 2007 during the whirlwind period following the release of Robbers & Cowards. Recorded in Amsterdam, Atlanta, Paris and Philadelphia, five of the performances are previously unreleased and include “Saint John,” “Hair Down,” “God, Make Up Your Mind,” “Passing The Hat,” “Dirt In The Ground” and “Hospital Beds.” The performance of “Saint John” recorded at the Paradiso in Amsterdam was previously released on 2008’s The Paradiso Sessions while the others are being released for the first time. 

Nathan Willett says: “Robbers & Cowards is our first album. I don’t think I could ever feel as warm and nostalgic towards any music as I do towards this album. Revisiting the music, lyrics, and visuals of R&C is entering a portal back to our early days of 2004 to 2006. Before the whirlwind of tour, before this band would become our future - We came together as friends who shared inspiration and influences. We made a Bluesy punky primitive soaring soulful tender and earnest kind of sound. It was a blissfully naive time. We worked extremely hard with no ambitions, no industry connections, no clue.

What we did have was a tight knit group of friends that would hang out all hours of the night talking about music and art and life. Those friends are in the artwork and the lyrics. Our band became the center of our little scene. We were scrappy and found ways to write record and release our own music, book shows, and make new friends who shared the same language. It was a beautiful and creative period and we would never be the same again.

To be immersed in this world 20 years later and add to the story of R&C by digging through live performances, visual art, and making new recordings of unfinished songs, has been a full circle experience. We can’t wait to share it again with you all.”

ROBBERS & COWARDS / COMPLETE COWARDS (20TH ANNIVERSARY EDITION)

2LP
SIDE A

1. We Used To Vacation
2. Hang Me Up To Dry
3. Tell Me In The Morning
4. Hair Down
5. Passing The Hat
6. Saint John

SIDE B
1. Robbers
2. Hospital Beds
3. Pregnant
4. Red Wine, Success!
5. God, Make Up Your Mind
6. Rubidoux
7. Sermons vs. the Gospel

SIDE C
1. Loyalty
2. There Goes The Night
3. Jesse Latour
4. She Can Do No Wrong

SIDE D
1. Saint John (Live in Amsterdam, NL - The Paradiso - 2/8/07)
2. Hair Down (Live in Atlanta, GA - Vinyl - 3/23/07)
3. God, Make Up Your Mind (Live in Paris, FR - La Cigale - 2/12/07)
4. Passing The Hat (Live in Paris, FR - La Cigale - 2/12/07)
5. Dirt In The Ground (Live in Philadelphia, PA - First Unitarian Church - 3/29/07)
6. Hospital Beds (Live in Philadelphia, PA - First Unitarian Church - 3/29/07)

2CD
CD 1

1. We Used To Vacation
2. Hang Me Up To Dry
3. Tell Me In The Morning
4. Hair Down
5. Passing The Hat
6. Saint John
7. Robbers
8. Hospital Beds
9. Pregnant
10. Red Wine, Success!
11. God, Make Up Your Mind

CD 2
12. Rubidoux
13. Sermons vs. the Gospel
14. Loyalty
15. There Goes The Night
16. Jesse Latour
17. She Can Do No Wrong
18. Saint John (Live in Amsterdam, NL - The Paradiso - 2/8/07)
19. Hair Down (Live in Atlanta, GA - Vinyl - 3/23/07)
20. God, Make Up Your Mind (Live in Paris, FR - La Cigale - 2/12/07)
21. Passing The Hat (Live in Paris, FR - La Cigale - 2/12/07)
22. Dirt In The Ground (Live in Philadelphia, PA - First Unitarian Church - 3/29/07)
23. Hospital Beds (Live in Philadelphia, PA - First Unitarian Church - 3/29/07)

DIGITAL DELUXE EDITION

1. We Used To Vacation
2. Hang Me Up To Dry
3. Tell Me In The Morning
4. Hair Down
5. Passing The Hat
6. Saint John
7. Robbers
8. Hospital Beds
9. Pregnant
10. Red Wine, Success!
11. God, Make Up Your Mind
12. Rubidoux
13. Sermons vs. the Gospel
14. Loyalty
15. There Goes The Night
16. Jesse Latour
17. She Can Do No Wrong
18. Saint John (Live in Amsterdam, NL - The Paradiso - 2/8/07)
19. Hair Down (Live in Atlanta, GA - Vinyl - 3/23/07)
20. God, Make Up Your Mind (Live in Paris, FR - La Cigale - 2/12/07)
21. Passing The Hat (Live in Paris, FR - La Cigale - 2/12/07)
22. Dirt In The Ground (Live in Philadelphia, PA - First Unitarian Church - 3/29/07)

A trio of Eighties reissues by Billy Bragg due in November

I first became aware of these albums when I did research for my interview with Bragg for his album 'Don't Try This at Home.' I look forward to experiencing these fresh re-releases.... 

English folk/rock singer/songwriter Billy Bragg - best known in America for the late '80s/early '90s alt-rock radio hits "Sexuality," "You Woke Up My Neighbourhood," "She's Got a New Spell" and "Waiting for the Great Leap Forwards" - will reissue three of his classic albums – ‘Brewing Up With Billy Bragg’ (1984), ‘Talking With The Taxman About Poetry’ (1986) and ‘Workers Playtime’ (1988) – on Nov. 6 via Cooking Vinyl. 

The remastered vinyl was handled by John Webber at Air Studios from high-resolution transfers taken from master tapes in Billy Bragg's archives. Each album will be in a gatefold sleeve. The titles will also be available on CD and a limited edition run of colored LPs.

PRE-ORDER NOW

Track listings:

Brewing Up With Billy Bragg

1. It Says Here
2. Love Gets Dangerous
3. The Myth Of Trust
4. From A Vauxhall Velox
5. The Saturday Boy
6. Island Of No Return
7. St Swithins Day
8. Like Soldiers Do
9. This Guitar Says Sorry
10. Strange Things Happen
11. A Lover Sings

Talking With The Taxman About Poetry

1. Greetings To The New Brunette

2. Train Train
3. The Marriage
4. Ideology
5. Levi Stubbs’ Tears
6. Honey I’m A Big Boy Now
7. There Is Power In A Union
8. Help Save The Youth Of America
9. Wishing The Days Away
10. The Passion
11. The Warmest Room
12. The Home Front

Workers Playtime

1. She’s Got A New Spell

2. Must I Paint You A Picture
3. Tender Comrade
4. The Price I Pay
5. Little Time Bomb
6. Rotting On Remand
7. Valentines Day Is Over
8. Life With The Lions
9. The Only One
10. The Short Answer
11. Waiting For The Great Leap Forwards

Paul Simon news

The live album “Paul Simon: The Quiet Celebration Concert,” is coming out Oct. 9 on 3LP, 2CD, digital music platforms and online streaming. “Under African Skies,” featuring a duet with wife Edie Brickell is streaming now; listen HERE.

This recording was seen and heard in the Quiet Celebration concert film that debuted on Disney+ and Hulu. The album opens with 'Seven Psalms,' a 33-minute piece, arranged and composed especially to be heard and seen live. 

In the film, Paul reflects on his return to playing live. “It’s enabled me to play with musicians again. I really missed it. Everybody has enjoyed the experience so much, there’s been a feeling of camaraderie and elation that we were playing this piece of music that we were really interested in, and that had a significant effect on me. It made for one of the most extraordinary tours I’ve done - maybe the most joyous.”

These performances concluded the first leg of Paul’s Quiet Celebration US Tour. The band included Mark Stewart, Steve Gadd, Bakithi Kumalo, Andy Snitzer, Mick Rossi, Jamey Haddad, Gyan Riley, Nancy Stagnitta, Caleb Burhans and Eugene Friesen. 

Set/track list:

Seven Psalms
Graceland
Slip Slidin’ Away
Homeward Bound
The Late Great Johnny Ace
St. Judy’s Comet
Under African Skies
Rene & Georgette Magritte With Their Dog After the War
Rewrite
Spirit Voices
The Cool, Cool River
Me & Julio Down by the Schoolyard
Father & Daughter
50 Ways to Leave Your Lover
The Boxer
The Sound of Silence

Photo credit: Jake Edwards

Jesse Malin tribute album out Friday

'Friends Of Jesse Malin – I Would Do It For You, Vol. 1' is a 26-song celebration of the music of Jesse Malin. It arrives September 11 through Wicked Cool Records and 

includes contributions from Gogol Bordello, the Dead Milkmen, Prima Donna and others. 

One of the album’s focus tracks is Prima Donna’s “Everybody Wants To Rock And Roll.” For the band's frontman Kevin Preston, the connection to Malin goes back years. Preston has cited seeing Green Day with Malin’s D Generation opening as a formative rock show, and the relationship eventually came full circle: Preston, who has toured as a guitarist with Green Day, recently joined Malin onstage in Los Angeles to perform “Everybody Wants To Rock And Roll.”

'Friends Of Jesse Malin – I Would Do It For You, Vol. 1' began as a tribute to Malin but quickly grew well beyond the scope of a single album. Nearly 80 songs have now been recorded by artists from throughout Jesse's musical life, resulting in a planned two-volume series.

Malin continues his recovery from the spinal stroke he suffered in 2023, which left him paralyzed from the waist down. Since then, he has returned to public life and the stage, including two sold-out shows at New York City’s Beacon Theatre and his Off-Broadway show Silver Manhattan.

The tribute album is available digitally, on vinyl and as a deluxe double-CD edition. The vinyl features 12 tracks and includes a download code for the complete 26-song digital collection, while the CD edition includes all 26 songs across two discs.

A second volume is also planned, with Thurston Moore, Willie Nile and many more among the artists set to appear.

Digital/Deluxe 2CD Track Listing:

Amanda Cross – “Shining Down”
Bebe Buell – “Dance With The System”
Trapper Schoepp – “Almost Grown”
Valley Lodge – “Too Loose”
Danny Sage – “I Would Do It For You”
James Maddock – “Bar Life”
Gogol Bordello – “Here's The Situation”
Ursa Minor – “Keep On Burning”
Sami Yaffa – “Black Haired Girl”
Prima Donna – “Everybody Wants To Rock And Roll”
Das Damen – “Don't Let Them Take You Down (Beautiful Day!)”
Rene & Grace Mata – “Broken Radio”
Dead Milkmen – “She Don't Love Me Now”
Cat Popper & Sasha Dobson – “Brooklyn”
Robinlee Garber – “Cigarettes and Violets”
The Seashore Sharks featuring Jesse and Alexei Sanoff – “In The Summer”
Derek Cruz – “Silver Manhattan”
Jill Fiore – “Since You're In Love”
Matt Madly & Co. – “NY Nights”
Davey La – “Ameri'ka”
American Dream – “Xmas”
Joe McGinty – “Wendy”
Randy Schrager – “Burning The Bowery”
Stephen Chopek – “High Lonesome”
Ben Foley – “She's So Dangerous”
Kelley Swindall – “You Know It's Dark When Atheists Start To Pray”

VINYL EDITION
Side A

Amanda Cross – “Shining Down”
Bebe Buell – “Dance With The System”
Trapper Schoepp – “Almost Grown”
Valley Lodge – “Too Loose”
Danny Sage – “I Would Do It For You”
James Maddock – “Bar Life”

Side B

Gogol Bordello – “Here's The Situation”
Ursa Minor – “Keep On Burning”
Sami Yaffa – “Black Haired Girl”
Prima Donna – “Everybody Wants To Rock And Roll”
Das Damen – “Don't Let Them Take You Down (Beautiful Day!)”
Rene & Grace Mata – “Broken Radio”

Save/Order:
https://orcd.co/friendsofjesseiwoulddoitvol1

Bruce Springsteen and The E Street Band Releases Live Footage from Philadelphia Concert Last Spring

An official video in sequence from the first seven songs of Bruce Springsteen and The E Street Band’s Land of Hope and Dreams American Tour finale in Philadelphia on May 30 is streaming free on YouTube, Vevo, Spotify, iTunes, Tidal and more. 

View it here:

 https://brucespringsteen.lnk.to/LOHADPhillyP1

The show was filmed in its entirety and is planned for release in three additional, in-sequence segments through the end of the year. 

"I’m thrilled to be releasing our final show from the Land of Hope and Dreams American Tour — recorded in the birthplace of American freedom, Philadelphia, USA,” said Springsteen. "On the tour, we rocked the house from one end of the country to the other and, while we were at it, we spoke up everywhere in defense of our Constitution, our Bill of Rights, and our sacred democracy — which are under attack by a lawless President and his regime. It's all captured on our Philadelphia Freedom Cut — hope you enjoy it."

Watch the trailer here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c6TDxxojTqw

Musicians on stage for the Land of Hope and Dreams American Tour included the E Street Band’s Roy Bittan (piano, synthesizer), Nils Lofgren (guitar, vocals), Garry Tallent (bass guitar), Stevie Van Zandt (guitar, vocals) and Max Weinberg (drums) with Soozie Tyrell (violin, guitar, vocals), Jake Clemons (saxophone) and Charlie Giordano (organ, keyboards, accordion). They were joined by The E Street Horns and Percussion (Anthony Almonte, Barry Danielian, Eddie Manion, Ozzie Melendez, Curt Ramm) and The E Street Choir (Ada Dyer, Curtis King, Lisa Lowell, Michelle Moore). Tom Morello performed with Springsteen and the E Street Band for each of the tour’s 20 shows as a special guest.

Songs included:

1. War
2. Born in the U.S.A.
3. Death to My Hometown
4. Clampdown
5. No Surrender
6. Darkness on the Edge of Town
7. Streets of Minneapolis

Photo by Rob DeMartin, courtesy Shore Fire Media

David Archuleta readies Christmas album 'Warm Me Up' for October

David Archuleta mixes Christmas classics and new holiday songs on his album, Warm Me Up, due out October 30. Pre-order is live HERE. It features remastered versions of "Christmas Every Day" and "Winter in the Air" from the singer's 2018 holiday release.

All the new original tracks were co-written with Annelisa Franklin, Savannah Sgro, and Dave Villa, with Aben Eubanks on "Santa’s On His Way Tonight." Warm Me Up was produced by Villa and Michael Blum. The album will be available for download, on LP (snowy white variant), cassette and CD. 

Says Archuleta: “'Warm Me Up' was a project that I wanted to have fun with. I wrote it with talented writers I had first become friends with. We had history in Nashville. I met Dave Villa over 10 years ago working on my album Postcards in the Sky. I reconnected with him at our friend Savannah Sgro's Friendsgiving. Savannah was friends with his wife Annelisa Franklin (they all met as writers in Tennessee) I suggested we should all write sometime and decided to do Christmas music as I wanted to find my own way of connecting to the holiday in this new chapter of life.

We wrote side B last year, but it was a bit sudden of a decision with just a few songs and I didn't promote it how I'd like to. I wanted to complete a full album and made it a goal this year to do so. We wrote side B in LA and side A in Nashville for the most part. I wanted to try different genres, and we had so much fun hanging out while creating. I found out Annelisa's mom is Mexican and she spoke Spanish, so I jumped at the opportunity to write a Spanglish Christmas song, 'Nochebuena.'

"I had been listening to New Edition and the Gap Band at the time, and thought it'd be fun to write a song influenced by their classic sound," Archuleta continues. "I wanted something we could groove and bounce to. Thus, “Warm Me Up” came to be. “Happy Christmas” was a classic fun light hearted song. There was one exception to the Savannah, Dave and Annelisa team for original Christmas songs. My publicist knew a musician/writer, Aben Eubanks, who had worked on Kelly Clarkson's Christmas record. I wasn't sure what would come of it as I had written everything I wanted to, but as we got together we decided to experiment some. I was feeling a bit of Freddie Mercury inspiration, and wanted to start a song how he may have in Don't Stop Me Now or Bohemian Rhapsody and we wrote “Santa's on His Way Tonight.” I had my friend Michael Blum produce it who produced my song “Crème Brulee” as well as a song we did together for Only Murders in the Building, “Wish That You Were Me.”

In the end it all seemed to come together with a couple of Christmas classics, “Let it Snow” and “Grown-Up Christmas List” that I felt was a bridge from my previous two Christmas albums to Warm Me Up. It’s a nod to the ballads I feel I have become known for in my career. I wanted to make people feel but also move, dance and celebrate in a way I grew up doing and still have a love for today.”

The artist's holiday show heads across North America in November and December. 

Track Listing:

1. Warm Me Up
2. Let It Snow
3. Merry Christmas, Baby
4. Santa’s On His Way Tonight
5. Nochebuena
6. Grown-Up Christmas List
7. Happy Christmas
8. Wish at the Top of My List (feat. Jordin Sparks)
9. Sleigh Ride
10. Christmas in California
11. Winter in the Air (Remastered)
12. Christmas Every Day (Remastered)

Holiday Tour Dates:

Nov 28 - Capitol Theatre | Salt Lake City, UT

Nov 30 - City Winery | Atlanta, GA
Dec 1 - Arlington Music Hall | Arlington, TX
Dec 2 - City Winery | Philadelphia, PA
Dec 4 - Toad's Place | New Haven, CT
Dec 5 - Sony Hall | New York, NY
Dec 8 - Mary D'Angelo Performing Arts Center | Erie, PA
Dec 9 - Danforth Music Hall | Toronto, ON
Dec 10 - Des Plaines Theatre | Des Plaines, IL
Dec 12 – Anaina Hou Community Park | Kauai, HI
Dec 16 - El Rey Theatre | Los Angeles, CA
Dec 18 – Chandler Center for the Arts | Chandler, AZ
Dec 19 - Castro Theatre | San Francisco, CA
Dec 20 - Gallo Center for the Arts | Modesto, CA

www.davidarchuleta.com

Donna Summer's Casablanca label years to be spotlighted in new box set next month

On Oct. 2, Crimson Productions will release "Donna Summer: The Casablanca Albums Collector's Edition," which includes albums released on the label from 1975-79. 

In addition to Love to Love You Baby, A Love Trilogy, Four Seasons of Love, I Remember Yesterday and Once Upon a Time, the box set also has the Live And More double album, recorded at Los Angeles’ Universal Amphitheatre in 1978, and Bad Girls.

All of the albums were produced by Giorgio Moroder and Pete Bellotte with the exception of Love To Love You Baby, which was produced by Pete Bellotte.

Summer notched many of her biggest pop/dance/soul chart hit singles during this period, notably “Love To Love You Baby,” “Last Dance,” “MacArthur Park,” “Bad Girls,” “Hot Stuff,” “Dim All the Lights,” All the albums were produced by Giorgio Moroder and Pete Bellotte with the exception of Love To Love You Baby, which was produced by Pete Bellotte.

Both the 7CD box set and the multi-colored - light blue, hot pink, green, yellow, orange, indigo and violet - 10LP vinyl set is accompanied by a new essay penned by Christian John Wikane (“A Night at the Disco”) culled from interviews with family, associates and contemporaries. The limited-edition vinyl set also includes a reproduction of the 1977 “Four Seasons Of Love” calendar poster.

Find the full track listings and pre-order HERE