Jeffrey Morgan’s Media Blackout

This week the Mercury Theatre presents a dramatization of The War of the Worlds by MB26! • Jim Morrison — The Complete Birthday Poetry Sessions (Elektra) :: On his last two birthdays, Morrison grabbed a six-pack and went into the studio to record some of his poetry. The Doors overdubbed some of these tapes on An American Prayer, but this box set contains all the original readings. • Miles Davis & Prince – Apogee (NPG) :: The title notwithstanding, these eight mellow instrumentals aren’t quite the fusion summit that legend would have you believe. • Iggy & The Stooges — The Complete Raw Power Sessions (Rhino Handmade) :: Twelve discs, 26 songs, 173 tracks. ’Nuff said. • Jimmy Page — Lucifer Rising (Atlantic) :: If you thought Anger’s film was silly before, just wait until you hear this theremin threnody without the visuals. • Nirvana — Second Opinion (Sub Pop) :: Thanks to some intense behind-the-scenes legal wrangling, Kurt Cobain’s suppressed last album for Sub Pop has finally been released. One song you’ll be hearing for decades is the epochal grunge manifesto “Lullaby Of Boredway,” which clocks in at eight minutes plus. • The Beatles — Hot As Sun (Apple) :: And speaking of litigation, this revelatory release contains such long-rumored numbers as the Beach Boys tribute “Smiles (They Make Everything Worthwhile)” and the much-sought-after 21:43 version of “Helter Skelter” from 1968. • SIZZLING PLATTER OF THE WEEK: Robert Frank – Cocksucker Blues (The Criterion Collection) :: Allan Klein’s legal threats have finally forced the Rolling Stones to allow filmmaker Frank to issue this authorized deluxe expanded edition of his notorious documentary of the Stones’ 1972 tour. If you’ve only seen it as a 10th-generation VHS bootleg, then this archival two-disc set is a must. • Be April fooling you!

Jeffrey Morgan is a freelance writer. Send comments to [email protected]