TOP PICK
Radiohead reissues
(Capitol/EMI)
Radiohead’s first three CDs were reissued earlier this year. Here
are the next three — all pimped out with an extra disc of live
cuts, B-sides and remixes. (The limited-edition sets even tag on a DVD
of videos.) Kid A and Amnesiac remain the band’s most
challenging and complex work; Hail to the Thief is a knotty
exercise in guitar-electro solidarity.
CD
Richard Thompson:
Walking on a Wire: 1968-2009
(Shout! Factory)
Thompson has spent the past 40 years as one of the world’s best
guitarists and popular-music historians. He started out as a member of
British folkies Fairport Convention, hitting his peak with a series of
records he made with ex-wife Linda. This four-disc retrospective
includes more than 70 songs from his entire career, including some
great recent live ones.
DVD
Total Drama Island
(Cartoon Network)
All 27 episodes of the first season of this odd but intriguing
series — an animated reality show — get boxed on this
four-disc set. It’s pretty much a cartoon version of Survivor, as 22 teens (a jock, a geek, a stoner, etc.) tough it out at a secluded
camp. There are plenty of nods to The Real World, Fear Factor and even Iron Chef thrown in for grown-ups.
BOOK
The Original Frankenstein
(Vintage)
We love all the movies, from Karloff on, but nothing beats Mary
Shelley’s 1818 novel for sheer chills. This new edition includes the
original book plus an 1831 version that features more than 5,000 words
added by husband Percy. The story remains one of the all-time greats
— a cautionary tale about a man who wants to be a god. Still
scary after all these years.
VIDEOGAME
Madden NFL 10
(EA Sports)
Just in time for football season, the perennial favorite returns
with its most realistic outing yet. But our favorite version is the
least complicated one. Play this game on the Wii, and you’ll
point-and-click for passes, move your defensive line with a swish of
the remote and make an interception with a shake. You’ll feel just like
cover stars Larry Fitzgerald and Troy Polamalu.
This article appears in Aug 26 – Sep 1, 2009.