Massive Pink Floyd Box Due In December
Pink Floyd's entire studio discography will be bundled for the 16-disc boxed set "Oh By the Way," due Dec. 4 internationally. For the time being, the limited pressing of 10,000 will only be available as an import in the United States.
The box spans Pink Floyd's 1967 debut, "The Piper at the Gates of Dawn," to its 1994 swan song, "The Division Bell," with a new portrait collage from longtime visual collaborator Storm Thorgerson. Also included is a 20" by 30" poster.
Each album is a reproduction of the original vinyl release, with the "Dark Side of the Moon" cover appearing on CD for the first time since the early 1990s.
Missing from "Oh By the Way" is the rarities album "Relics," live albums "Delicate Sound of Thunder" and "Pulse" and compilations such as "A Collection of Great Dance Songs."
"Oh By the Way" includes:
"The Piper at the Gates of Dawn"
"A Saucer Full of Secrets"
"More"
"Ummagumma"
"Atom Heart Mother"
"Meddle"
"Obscured by Clouds"
"Dark Side of the Moon"
"Wish You Were Here"
"Animals"
"The Wall"
"The Final Cut"
"A Momentary Lapse of Reason"
"The Division Bell"
At 60, Hagar Still Ready To Rock
Although he was laid up recovering on the day after his 60th anniversary bash on Oct. 13 at his Cabo Wabo Cantina in Mexico, Sammy Hagar's advanced age has not slowed the Red Rocker in the slightest. In fact, he says, it's making him work that much harder.
"There's so much I want to do," Hagar tells Billboard.com, "and there's nothing I feel holding me back -- nothing with my age or my physical health or my strength or my enthusiasm, my talent. I'm having more fun that I've ever had, I gotta tell ya."
Hagar, who's currently on the road with former Van Halen bandmate Michael Anthony as his special guest, has a number of projects in the works. First among them is a new album, the follow-up to last year's "Livin' It Up." Hagar says he's about "halfway through" with it and plans to finish recording in December and January for an expected second quarter of 2008 release.
"It's quirky music," Hagar says. "It's a little bit more worldbeat and kinda harder rock, more like going back to (1981's) 'Standing Hampton' or (1984's) 'VOA' or something. Those records were very '80s, with a little bit of influence of Peter Gabriel and people like that. Now I think it's more Peter Gabriel-influenced with a hard rock edge on it."
Hagar will support the album with a summer festival tour, for which he plans an "anthology" tour that will feature the original Montrose lineup, his original Sammy Hagar Band, his current group, the Wabos, and a "superstar guitarist" that will join him and Anthony to play Van Halen material.
"I have some people in mind," Hagar reports, "but I haven't made the call yet." Hagar adds there will also be "a big, all-star jam at the end" of the show.
Hagar, who still retains a 20 percent ownership in his Cabo Wabo tequila brand, has also launched Cabo Wabo Radio, an Internet station that will offer varying levels of free and subscription services -- with an evening program broadcast live from Cabo Wabo.
One thing Hagar won't be doing, however, is Chickenfoot, the "supergroup" he talked about forming with Anthony and Red Hot Chili Peppers drummer Chad Smith. The trio has jammed before, including at Hagar's birthday bashes, but for now, he says, the project isn't practical.
"I just can't do it," Hagar says. "There's no room in my life for another band, so that's not gonna happen."
'Scrubs' tidies up messy plot details in final season
Don't expect the Ross-and-Rachel routine during the final season of Scrubs.
Creator Bill Lawrence will resolve the will-they-or-won't-they of docs J.D. (Zach Braff) and Elliot (Sarah Chalke). But that's only one of many relationships that will get substantial attention in the hospital comedy's seventh and final season, which premiered on Thursday night.
"We're going to resolve those things during the year rather than build up to some overwrought, emotional finale. This is a comedy. All people want is a chance to say goodbye and that we tie up loose ends," Lawrence says, then jokes: "Then we're going to cut to black really quick and play a Journey song."
Lawrence says the main goal is to satisfy "the loyal cult audience," one that has helped the Emmy-nominated series score a long run, despite so-so ratings.
"This fan base has kept the show alive single-handedly by consuming the DVDs and websites and following us from time slot to time slot," he says. "If you try to satisfy them, they feel very proprietary about the show. If you're not a big juggernaut hit, it's the way to stay alive."
Knowing this is the final season, Lawrence and his writers get to plan the show's conclusion, a luxury that wasn't available last season because it wasn't clear when the show would end. That's one reason last season ended with cliffhanging stories, such as J.D.'s impending fatherhood and Elliot's upcoming wedding, both of which will be addressed this season.
Questions surrounding many other relationships will be answered as well, such as: Will physician buddies J.D. and Turk (Donald Faison), who is married to nurse Carla (Judy Reyes), remain as close as they have been in the face of adulthood? Will J.D. finally get validation from the sharp-tongued Dr. Cox (John C. McGinley)?
Braff, whose perpetual man-child character will do some growing up this season, especially enjoys the intimacy of the J.D.-Turk friendship. "It's funny and original. I think Bill has pushed the envelope in how gay two characters can be without actually being gay," he says of a duo that sang Guy Love in last season's musical episode.
In addition, the janitor (Neil Flynn) will finally get a name and a girlfriend, because that's what Flynn asked for if the show returned for a seventh season. Secondary characters will get attention, including jittery lawyer Ted (Sam Lloyd), self-loving surgeon Todd (Robert Maschio) and Dr. Cox's wife, Jordan (Christa Miller, who is married to Lawrence).
Some guest stars will return, including Tom Cavanagh and Elizabeth Banks. Lawrence and Braff wish they could bring back others, such as Brendan Fraser, but the writers killed off some characters.
In place of a musical, this season's extravaganza, directed by Braff, will pay homage to The Princess Bride, centering on a bedtime story Dr. Cox tells his daughter. That means wild costumes for cast members who will play such characters as the village idiot (Braff), a giant (Flynn), a princess (Chalke) and a knight (McGinley).
Such signature fantasy scenes have been part of Scrubs' odd balancing act, a comedy that can be extremely broad while also touching on serious emotional elements. When the show has gotten too goofy, that connection has broken, Lawrence says.
Braff, who likes the broad comedy, says Scrubs will tone it down this year, reflecting its early days. "I think it's smart to end where it began, which was a smidgen less broad than at times we have been."