TOP PICK — Lynyrd Skynyrd: Street Survivors — Deluxe Edition — 30th Anniversary (Geffen/UME)
Three days after Street Survivors was released in October 1977 (yeah, this 30th-anniversary reissue is off by a few months), a plane crash ended the original lineup of these legendary southern rockers. It remains a fitting finale. This two-CD set includes a previously unreleased version of the album that the band recorded in Miami before getting it right in Atlanta a few months later.
DVD — Atonement (Universal)
This deep, dark Oscar-nominated film plays like one of those old-fashioned period pieces that hogged awards back in the early '90s. But it's way better than that. The lives of three people intertwine over a good chunk of the twentieth century after one accuses another of a crime he didn't commit. For the next two hours, the beauty and horror of love and war collide.
CD — Nick Lowe: Jesus of Cool (Yep Roc)
Lowe's 1978 debut went through a transformation by the time it landed in U.S. record shops. The track list was shuffled, the cover art was altered, and the title was changed (to the kinda-cool Pure Pop for Now People, but still . . .). This terrific 30th-anniversary reissue sets things straight. Anglophobes take note: The original U.S. artwork is included, as are a bunch of bonus songs, so — with a little programming — you can listen to either version.
DVD — South Park: Imaginationland (Paramount)
Last year's three-episode story about terrorists and one little boy's wild imagination gets the uncensored Director's Cut treatment here. Luke Skywalker, Jesus, and Popeye all make cameos in the apocalypse-minded tale, which includes the return of the not-so-cuddly demonic woodland critters. Best of all, there's a subplot involving the Supreme Court, a lost bet, and Cartman's balls.
VIDEO GAME — Wipeout Pulse (Sony)
The popular Wipeout series' latest outing (for the PSP) is more of the same: Gamers customize their futuristic space-racers, pick up some cool power-ups, and then speed through various courses while blasting opponents clear off the map. New online features — including downloadable tracks and challenges involving up to eight players — make it a keeper.
