Pick Of The Issue...

WARREN ZEVON
Inside Out [Artemis DVD]
This is as personal and as powerful as it gets: a video diary of the recording of the late Warren Zevon’s last album, The Wind, made in the full knowledge that the brilliant US singer-songwriter had only months to live. Studio guests of the stature of Bruce Springsteen, Billy Bob Thornton, Ry Cooder and Tom Petty may lend proceedings a certain surface glamour, but first and foremost they’re here as old friends and admirers, determined to help Zevon make the best music in what ought to have been the worst possible circumstances. Call it Life Aid, if you will, but the remarkable fact is that nothing and no one in this unflinching and unforgettable documentary is more life-affirming than Zevon himself, whether giving the songs virtually his last breath, reflecting on his life and times in an extended interview, at home looking forward to the birth of his grandchildren or, on his last major public appearance, sharing a simple yet profound piece of wisdom with David Letterman: “Enjoy every sandwich.”

VARIOUS ARTISTS
Essential Brazilian Flavas [Stimulus CD]
Never mind the bossa novas, Essential Brazilian Flavas is an all killer, no thriller 14-track introduction to the burgeoning Barrio beats scene. Standouts include DJ Marky and XRS’ Rio hip hop makeover of Everything But The Girls’ ‘Corcovado’, Fernanda Porto’s carnival celebrating ‘Sambassim’ and The Bees’ ‘A Minha Menina’ which has been seconded on to the new Citroen TV ad. There’s no skimping on the sleeve-notes either with profiles of all the acts and details of other records you should check out, pronto!

MARTIN SCORCESE PRESENTS…
The Blues: A Musical Journey [Snappermusic DVD]
A “series of seven uplifting films by world famous directors who share a passion for the music”, The Blues: A Musical Journey received rave reviews when it aired Stateside last year on PBS. While Mike Figgis, Wim Wenders, Richard Pearce, Charles Burnett, Marc Levin and Clint Eastwood all comprehensively deliver the goods, it’s Scorsese who steals the show with his celebration of such greats as Robert Johnson, Leadbelly and John Lee Hooker.
“You’re moved, your heart is shaken, you’re carried and inspired by its visceral energy and it’s rock solid emotional truth. You go right to the heart of what it is to be human…that’s the blues,” the Italian-American directorial god gushes and who are we to argue?

VARIOUS ARTISTS
Decade: Ten years of Fierce Panda [Fierce Panda CD]
The musical equivalent of baby pictures, Decade rounds up 20 barely out of the womb tunes from the likes of Supergrass, Placebo, Idlewild, Coldplay, The Music and Ash whose ‘Punkboy’ was previously only available on a 1994 double-vinyl compilation. Also on the highly collectible list is ‘This Is The Last Time’, the debut offering from new Sunday supplement darlings Keane (no relation). The only thing that rankles is why, given their genius for spotting new talent, will the Fierce Panda crew be swilling Special Brew at their 10th Birthday party rather than Bolly?

OUTKAST
The Videos [Arista DVD]
Aural thrills, visceral pleasures…there’s absolutely no stopping Andre 3000 and Big Boi as they push back the frontiers of funk and grab a mantelpiece-full of Grammys into the bargain. The good news for people who’ve only just discovered them through ‘Hey Ya!’ is that Outkast have been making great records and even better videos since 1993. Catching up has never been quite so glorious.