Bob Dylan
Tell Tale Signs: The Bootleg Series Vol. 8
Columbia Records

The Dylan Bootleg Series has given us great, even legendary live performances from various eras of his vast career, along with unreleased material and alternate takes of songs too.  This volume is a little of everthing, drawn from his “later years” — from 1989’s Oh Mercy up to 2006’s Modern Times. The two-disc set includes an acoustic version of “Mississippi” from Love and Theft, and the ever-stunning “Most of the Time,” also quite stripped-down. There are two drastically different versions of  ”Dignity,” the pulsing outtake “Dreamin’ of You,” and bluesier “Mississippi.” The scattering of live tracks are almost a tease from live shows of the ’90s and this current decade, including a rocking “High Water” and powerful “Ring Them Bells.” One of the best tracks is “‘Cross the Green Mountain,” which ranks alongside other latter-day Dylan.  Not an essential collection, but nonetheless vital for any true Dylanologist.

The Clash
Live at Shea Stadium (Deluxe) [LIMITED EDITION]
Sony/Legacy

The “only band that matters” is captured at the height of its live prowess while touring with The Who back in 1982.  This killer set opens with the stomp and battle cry of “London Calling,” then shifts into the gallop of “Police on My Back.”  There’s the guitar-on-the-beat attack of “Tommy Gun,” the “big hits” “Rock the Casbah” and “Train in Vain” back-to-back, then the blister-punk of “Career Opportunities,” the bittersweet and literate “Spanish Bombs,” a savaging “Clampdown,” the band’s “Louie-Louie,” “Should I Stay or Should I Go?”, and its blazing cover of “I Fought the Law” — all a reminder of the power and passion that Joe Strummer, Mick Jones, Paul Simonon, and Topper Headson created as a fierce foursome. The deluxe edition comes in a book-like digipak that includes a stunning 32-page booklet of backstage and onstage photos shot by Bob Gruen and Joe Stevens. Put this one down on the holiday gift list for punks, old and young.

Jolie Holland
Living & Dead
Anti

The coo-and-ache of Jolie Holland shifts from her blues-jazz center to country rock on this new album. Working with M. War and Marc Ribot, she brings up the beat all over and glides along on “Mexico City” and “Palmyra,” recalling Lucinda Williams a touch and also taps into her rocking side a bit on songs such as “Your Big Hands.” She still has those bittersweet moments, as on “Corrido Por Buddy,” although is optimistic for the mid-tempo ballad “The Future,” along with sound advice found on the closing, loose, acoustic, giggly ”Enjoy Yourself,” joined by one-time Be Good Tanyas bandmate Samantha Parton.

Bar Band Americanus: The Best of Charlie Pickett And…
Bloodshot

It’s roots rock from the garage with Charlie Pickett, an ’80s lost legend of sorts out of Florida and a reminder why this kind of stuff just trashes the most cloying corporate, over-produced rock of any era. Warning for the sensitive ears types: this is explicit all over the place, but in a real — not a pandering — way. Collected tracks recorded by Pickett with his wild and wooly bands The Eggs and MC2, it’s swirl-o-rama twang-clang for “All Love All Gone” and rough-and-tumble for “Get Off Your Porch” and the “Cowboy No. 77.”  The band swaggers through “Marlboro Country” and the Stonsey “Heads Up - Heels Down,” while things go hi-octane Neil Young and Crazy Horse for “On the River in ‘59.” Today, Pickett’s a lawyer in the Gator State and still plays when able.  This set is a tribute to his musical glory days which may have passed by now but shouldn’t be forgotten.

Megadeth
Anthology: Set the World AFire
Capitol

Megadeth was never mainstream in the least, unlike the band Dave Mustaine was booted from, Metallica. But Mustaine has always played his variation of speed metal and sonic fury, with intellect at work too. This compilation covers 1985-2000, a two-disc best-of “hits” set (not in the traditional radio sense, but as fan faves). From Killing is My Business… And Business is Good! there’s ”Rattlehead” and “Mechanix,” tracks from Peace Sells… But Who’s Buying? include the title song and “Wake Up Dead.” The numbers drawn from So Far, So Good… So What! include the band’s cover of The Sex Pistols’ “Anarchy in the U.K.,” the probing “In My Darkest Hour,” and this collection’s title song.  Also represented are selections from the albums Rust in Peace, Countdown to Extinction, Youthanasia, Cryptic Writings, and Risk.  We’ll leave it to the hardcore throng as to whether the best tracks were chosen from each release, but it seems that way. There are also demos and live tracks as special “extras.”  This is the antithesis of stuff that goes down easy, but it certainly challenges, both musically and lyrically. An acquired taste indeed.

Nightmare Revisited
Disney

With the DVD re-release of Tim Burton’s Nightmare Before Christmas comes — just in time for Halloween or Christmas — a new take on Danny Elfman’s brilliant soundtrack, with the songs recorded as covers by a wide array of undergroundish and somewhat mainstream-on-the-rock-side artists.  The “Overture” is perfect for Devotchka, as is Marilyn Manson on “This is Halloween” (who else — Rob Zombie, maybe?).  All-American Rejects bring their pop-punk touch to “Jack’s Lament” and The Polyphonic Spree is just right for the community spirit of “Town Meeting Song.” Other highlights include Sparklehorse’s rendition of “Jack’s Obsession,” Rise Against on “Making Christmas,” and flamenco duo Rodrigo y Gabriela on “Oogie Boogie’s Song.” Elfman himself handles the opening and closing — a terrific project that shows how much this “musical” works in different contexts from various artists.

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