TOP PICK — Otis Blue: Otis Redding Sings Soul (Collector's Edition) (Rhino)
One of the greatest R&B records ever made gets the deluxe treatment on this two-CD set, which includes the original 1965 album (in both stereo and mono versions), live songs, B-sides, and alternate mixes. Redding — who died in a plane crash a couple of years later — tears through the Rolling Stones' "Satisfaction," the Temptations' "My Girl," and his own "Respect," which Aretha Franklin later claimed for herself.
DVD — Cloverfield (Paramount)
One of the best monster movies of the decade was kinda crushed beneath the weight of all its prerelease hype. Here's your chance to revisit it. Sure, it's little more than a Godzilla-sized Blair Witch Project, but once the movie gets rolling, it doesn't stop. Extras include a making-of doc, deleted scenes, and two alternate endings — neither of which is happy.
CD — Carole King: Tapestry: Legacy Edition (Epic/Ode/Legacy)
Back in the '70s, Tapestry was the preeminent singer-songwriter album. Not so surprising, considering it was written and performed by a woman who'd been penning hits for other artists for a decade. Some of King's best-ever songs are here: "So Far Away," "It's Too Late," "Will You Love Me Tomorrow?" This two-disc collection tacks on a bunch of live tracks.
DVD — Lost Highway (Universal)
Director David Lynch has made some brain-aching movies. This one's near the top of the WTF list. The 1997 film (making its DVD debut) is about a jailed musician who turns into a different guy and starts a new life . . . or something like that. Actually, we're not really sure what's going on. But like most of Lynch's movies — this was his first big-screen work since creating TV's Twin Peaks — it's provocative, confusing, and totally absorbing.
BOOK — Rollin' With Dre: The Unauthorized Account (Ballantine)
The subtitle of Dre confidant Bruce Williams' book is "An Insider's Tale of the Rise, Fall, and Rebirth of West Coast Hip Hop." It's not that intriguing. But given rap's often insular nature and no-snitch policy, Rollin' does shed some light on N.W.A's breakup, Dre's mentoring of Eminem, and the Death Row skirmish that eventually claimed Tupac Shakur's life.
