"Halo 3"
Photo: Microsoft/Bungie

What makes "Halo 3" special? Is it the multimillion-dollar ad campaign Microsoft is using to push the game? Is it the gameplay, graphics and musical score that combine to earn "Halo 3" high review scores? Is it the game's easily accessible fun that has helped turn it into a global pastime?

Maybe. Maybe not. All that could be said about "Halo: Combat Evolved" and "Halo 2," which boasted the same attributes. There is something new in "Halo 3," though, which may earn the game comparisons to the likes of MySpace, Facebook and YouTube, instead of just to "Doom," "GoldenEye" and "Quake." The big new thing is a cluster of franchise-first features called Saved Films, File Share and Screenshots, a cluster for which the game's developer actually doesn't have a catchy name. Why not? The combo seems like a big deal and will certainly be the talk of many "Halo 3" gamers. GameFile suggests: "HaloTube." Too clunky? How about "Chief-Cast"?

So what is it? How do the three parts work? To convey how important it may be is to explain how it's already transformed the way "Halo 3" is played at MTV News. The tale of how the image that accompanies this article was taken will explain all. It opens doors few gamers have ever walked through before.

The above screenshot was taken in-game from a single-player GameFile session of "Halo 3." But no one affiliated with GameFile or MTV News took the shot. Nor did anyone at Microsoft or Bungie. So how did it come to be?

The GameFile "Halo 3" session related to that shot occurred Saturday morning during a play-through of the game's first level, Sierra 117. The session lasted 65 minutes, according to stats logged on the "Halo 3" Web site, Bungie.net. "Halo 3" automatically recorded that session to the hard drive of the Xbox 360 on which it was played. The game does this every time it's played, automatically saving a film of any experience in the game's solo or multiplayer modes, logging it into a part of the game's menu called Theater. The film isn't saved like a QuickTime movie or a YouTube clip, which can only be viewed from the angle they were shot. Instead, it's saved as a file full of gameplay data, the series of instructions and decisions made by the player of that session and all the computer-controlled enemies. When a Saved Film is loaded up from the "Halo 3" Theater, the Xbox 360 uses the data to re-create the recorded session, move by move, jump by jump, kill by kill.

Better still, when the Saved Film is played back, it can be viewed from any imaginable camera angle within the game. The "camera" is controlled by the player and can be flown around the level as the recorded action unfolds. Picture being able to play back a recorded episode of "American Idol," "TRL" or "24," with the ability to "fly" the TV camera through the set, even as the action unfolds, slow the playback down or even pause it while smoothly gliding from a bird's-eye view to one inside a Jack Bauer-triggered explosion to a shot right up a favorite TV personality's nose.

The YouTube resemblance comes in because the movies can be shared. That Sierra 117 session was uploaded to Bungie.net with a few button presses of the Xbox 360 controller. Saved in a section called "File Share," it was immediately made accessible to anyone who knows the Gamertag of the person who played that session (try looking up the Gamertag "StephenMTV"). Any "Halo 3" owner can download that file, and up to four Xbox Live-connected "Halo 3" owners can play back a Saved Film together. One player controls the speed of playback, but all four connected users control their own cameras and chat with each other over their headsets.

None of this yet explains how the above image was made and who made it. The "who" is Newsweek reporter N'Gai Croal. On Saturday he got a tip about the film mailed to his 360. He opened the message and downloaded the GameFile Sierra 117 film to his console. He then played back the mission, flying his game camera away from the game's main character, Master Chief. Croal wanted to know what some of the computer-controlled allies of the Chief were up to on the periphery of the main battles. He tracked down the computer-controlled human character Sergeant Major Avery Johnson. Croal found Johnson manning a machine gun, trying to take out bad guys. Eventually Johnson was captured, but not before Croal found a striking camera angle and paused the action. A violent flash had briefly turned the world orange. Croal took the screenshot. It was automatically uploaded to his own Bungie.net File Share, which he called "johnson@work 4." What he had just snapped was a scene even the player of the Sierra 117 level hadn't seen.

Unlike "Halo 3" Saved Films, the screenshot Croal took — and the other shots any other "Halo 3" players take — can be viewed without a copy of Bungie's game. They are accessible on Bungie.net, linked to Croal's personal page and those of anyone else who has downloaded the image. They can be downloaded to computers and programmed into articles like this one.

This entire unnamed cocktail of features — the saved films, the screenshots, the file Share — isn't a new invention. A similar set of options was included in the 2000 PC game "Battlefield 2," which allowed sessions of that game to be seen by players who owned that title. The "Battlefield" game allowed users to export their movies into AVI files so that anyone with a computer could view them, though with a fixed camera angle. Both major skateboarding games released this fall, "Tony Hawk's Proving Ground" and "Skate," offer console gamers a version of the Saved Films technique. Still, as popular as these other games are, the console-bound "Halo" series, phenomenon that it is, stands a great chance of making this feature standard in future games.

How does the experience of playing a game change when every moment is recorded? When friends can fly through other friends' adventures and snap photos of highlights and lowlights? When it becomes fun not just to do something in a game but to show it to other people, or to watch recorded exploits with them? Did the developers of "Halo 3" just re-create an interesting novelty? Or did they finally push gaming to a place where YouTube and MySpace have nudged the Web?

More from the world of video games

The annual announcement of "Madden" soundtracks is always major game-music news. In recent years some other musical traditions have emerged, including the gradual unveiling of the next "Guitar Hero" soundtrack and, in late summer, the revelation of the songs for the next basketball game from 2K Sports. The 2K announcement tends to involve hip-hop from the old-school and underground side of things. This year's recently announced "NBA 2K8" soundtrack will include three exclusive tracks that merge the beats of the late producer J Dilla with new rhymes from Common, Q-Tip, Madlib and Talib Kweli. More information about the soundtrack can be found at the game's site. ...

Last week's Tokyo Game Show did not feature a blockbuster revelation similar to two years ago, when Nintendo President Satoru Iwata unveiled the Wii controller. Instead it was host to smaller announcements, including this revelation from Sony: The company's new PS3 controllers that rumble (as the PS2 controllers did) will be released in the U.S. in the spring and called the "Dual Shock 3." Sony also announced that the ambitious PS3 virtual-world-service Home will be delayed until the spring. Few major new games were announced as the show centered on major titles such as "Metal Gear Solid 4." Among the few high-profile new games revealed were a trio of curiously named spinoffs of the "Final Fantasy"/ Disney mash-up series "Kingdom Hearts." The games are "Kingdom Hearts: Birth by Sleep" for the PSP, "Kingdom Hearts: Coded" for cell phones and "Kingdom Hearts: 358/2 Days" for the Nintendo DS. All games are confirmed for release in Japan, though the fact that the game's backers sent a press release about them to American reporters would seem to suggest at least some will come to the U.S. ...

The gaming industry has horror titles and science-fiction games, but those two categories seldom merge. On Monday, however, Electronic Arts announced "Dead Space," a game pegged for PS3 and Xbox 360 for late 2008. According to the press release, the game puts players in "the role of engineer Isaac Clarke — an ordinary man on a seemingly routine mission to fix the communications systems aboard a deep space mining ship. It is not long before Isaac awakes to a living nightmare when he learns that the ship's crew has been ravaged by a vicious alien infestation. He must fight through the dead silence and darkness of deep space to stay alive."

Recent gaming stories from MTV News:

· " 'Metroid Prime' Developers Reveal How They Pushed Wii Graphics And That Famous Controller"

For much more on "Halo 3" — including the developers' review of our time with the game as well as video of a Master Chief Lego sculpture — check out our gaming blog at Multiplayer.MTV.com.

• Common
• J Dilla

Jay-Z
Photo: Peter Kramer/Getty Images

In honor of Black History Month, Jay-Z has partnered with thinkMTV to present a two-minute video clip for "Minority Report," the rapper's somber response to the Hurricane Katrina aftermath. Visit "Minority Report: New Orleans Today" to see the clip, read Jay's lyrics and find out how you can help the recovery efforts. ...

According to a post on Metallica's Web site, the band is wrapping up preproduction on its forthcoming album and will begin recording the effort March 12. "We're pretty f---in' psyched about it and pretty f---in' psyched to be sharing this experience with [producer Rick Rubin]," the post reads. Metallica plan to take a break from the studio with a European tour this summer. ...

Like a young LL Cool J, Bow Wow is in need of love. So to help the teen rapper promote his new single, "Outta My System," he's looking for a virtual Valentine via his MySpace page, through which he's asking fans to send him video V-Day messages. The winning entries will be broadcast on his site at a later date. ...

The Grammy Awards received an 18 percent ratings boost Sunday night — and they might have Simon, Randy and Paula to thank, according to The Associated Press. After getting trounced by "American Idol" upon going head-to-head with the reality show last year, the Grammys attracted an estimated 20.1 million viewers this time around. The show also outdid its ratings from 2005, when 18.8 million people tuned in. ... John Legend and Corinne Bailey Rae teamed up for a Sunday night Grammy performance, but that won't be the last time the two join forces. Legend will kick off his North American spring tour — featuring Bailey Rae as the opener — on April 3 in Irvine, California. The tour will make stops in cities including Los Angeles; Denver; Minneapolis; Boston; New York; and Orlando, Florida, before wrapping up May 4 in Atlanta. Legend will perform the following day at the New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival. ...

Unsung hip-hop hero J Dilla continues to get accolades after his passing last year. The producer won two posthumous awards — for Artist of the Year and Record Producer of the Year — at the Plug Awards, held Saturday night in New York. Other winners included Sufjan Stevens (Male Artist of the Year), Arctic Monkeys (New Artist of the Year), Broken Social Scene (Live Act of the Year), Band of Horses (Album of the Year, Song of the Year), Yo La Tengo (Indie Rock Album of the Year), Wolf Parade (Music Video of the Year) and Thom Yorke (Electronic/Dance Album of the Year). ... A coroner has determined that Gerald Levert's November death was due to a fatal combination of prescription narcotics and over-the-counter drugs, AP reports. The R&B singer had three prescription painkillers, an anti-anxiety drug and two over-the-counter antihistamines in his system. The death was ruled accidental. ...

Modest Mouse are preparing to hit the road this spring in support of their next album, We Were Dead Before the Ship Even Sank, which is slated for a March 20 release. So far, the band has booked gigs in Mexico City, Mexico (March 10); Portland, Oregon (March 14-15); Missoula, Montana (March 16); Sioux Falls, South Dakota (March 18); and Fargo, North Dakota (March 19). ... None More Black have called it quits. "We did all we could with this band," the group said in a post on its MySpace page, "and you know what, we had a blast. We ended it on the highest note possible, like every band should." The band's final effort was the 2006 album This Is Satire. ...

"TRL" faves the Jonas Brothers have signed on with Hollywood Records and will drop a new, eponymous album in August. The pop group is also collaborating with Topps Confections for the company's Baby Bottle Pop candy line, and the Brothers' new single — "Kids of the Future" — will accompany the upcoming animated flick "Meet the Robinsons." ... Pop-punks MxPx have also signed a new deal — they've rejoined with former label Tooth & Nail. The band is working in Seattle with producer Aaron Sprinkle (Pedro the Lion, Eisley) on its first effort for the label in 10 years. Expect the LP this summer. ...

MySpace is making it harder for users to post videos containing unauthorized copyrighted content on their profiles. The site recently announced that it will start using an Audible Magic digital-fingerprinting tool to filter video uploaded by users and block any video that shows a fingerprint in MySpace's database. "MySpace is dedicated to ensuring that content owners, whether large or small, can both promote and protect their content in our community," MySpace CEO and co-founder Chris DeWolfe said in a statement. "For MySpace, video filtering is about protecting artists and the work they create." ...

YouTube has reached an agreement with Digital Music Group Inc. — an online distributor of independent music, TV shows and film — that will allow the video-sharing host to post upward of 4,000 hours of content on its Web site, according to The Wall Street Journal. In exchange for the rights to air television shows such as the Bill Cosby 1960s comedy/adventure series "I Spy," YouTube will pay Digital Music an undisclosed portion of advertisement revenue and use filtering technology to alert the company of content being used on the site without authorization. ...

Former Murder Inc. associate Kenneth "Supreme" McGriff, 46, was sentenced to life in prison on Friday, one week after jurors found the convicted drug kingpin guilty of ordering a retaliatory hit on two men. Prosecutors pursued death by lethal injection for McGriff, who was originally arrested in 2003 on money-laundering charges as a part of the Murder Inc. federal raid, but jurors failed to reach a consensus. The Inc. CEO Irv Gotti and his brother Chris were previously acquitted of all charges in a separate trial. ... Nidge Miller, founding guitarist of British punk band Blitz, has died, according to a note SOS Records posted on its MySpace page. Miller was struck by a car and killed following the band's show in Austin, Texas, Friday night.

02.09.2007

50 Cent is at it again. After a heated exchange with Cam'ron last week on New York radio station Hot 97, the G-Unit general took aim at the Diplomats top dog on the track "Funeral Music," which made its debut on DJ Kay Slay's MySpace page Thursday night. In the YouTube video clip, 50 poked fun at Cam being shot last year and mocked the Harlem, New York, rapper's rhyme style before adding, "I'm not gonna destroy Dipset, just gotta make some changes." He then proceeded to rearrange the Dipset ranking order to put Jim Jones and Juelz Santana over Cam in the hierarchy. "From now on, Jimmy's the boss of Dipset and Juelz is the capo," 50 says in the clip. "Cam's demoted to soldier!" ...

We've learned that Ozzfest will be free this summer — but how will one gain admission to the traveling metal monstrosity? Well, tickets will be paid for and distributed by the festival's sponsors, including Jägermeister and Monster Energy Drink. Those signed up at Ozzfest.com will get info on how to score their free tickets first. Once you've landed one, you'll need to print it out and bring it to Ozzfest the day of the show. The shows will be general admission and seats will be divvied out on a first-come, first-to-claim-a-seat-and-watch-the-show-from-there basis. The prices of merchandise, beer, soda, water and food will not be raised at all, according to organizers. A limit on tickets has yet to be determined, and more information on the free fest will be revealed in the coming weeks. ...

Bloc Party are in need of a fill-in for drummer Matt Tong, who has a serious respiratory condition that caused his lung to collapse during the band's last U.S. tour. Tong is likely to suffer complications from his condition during the band's upcoming U.K. tour, and the temporary replacement should help Bloc Party avoid cancelling any gigs. ... Tha Dogg Pound aren't ready to be muzzled just yet. After reconciling in spring 2005, Snoop Dogg, Daz Dillinger and Kurupt dished up a reunion LP, Cali Iz Active, in June. Now they're ready to issue that LP's successor less than a year later: Dogg Ch--, due March 27. The album was completely produced by the group, but it features a veritable guest list to boot, including the Game, Jayo Felony and Too Short. ...

Cartoon Network General Manager and Executive Vice President Jim Samples resigned Friday (February 9) in the wake of the network's botched "Aqua Teen Hunger Force" publicity campaign, CNN reports. "I deeply regret the negative publicity and expense caused to our company as a result of this campaign," Samples wrote in a letter to employees, referring to the stunt that led to a terrorism scare in Boston last week. "As general manager of Cartoon Network, I feel compelled to step down, effective immediately, in recognition of the gravity of the situation that occurred under my watch." The Cartoon Network's parent company, Turner Broadcasting System — along with marketing company Interference Inc. — agreed earlier this week to pay $2 million to reimburse local agencies and fund homeland-security programs. ...

Weeks after bloggers began posting unofficial lists of artists they claimed would play this year's South by Southwest music conference, organizers have confirmed an initial lineup for the annual fest, which will hit Austin, Texas, on March 14-18. The Stooges, Bloc Party, Mastodon, the Strokes' Albert Hammond Jr., Kings of Leon, Jack's Mannequin, Chingo Bling, Dirty on Purpose, the Horrors, Spoon, Apples in Stereo, the Bravery and Amy Winehouse are among the acts on the fest's current list of performers. For more information on the conference, visit SXSW.com ...

The reunited Stooges — who will release The Weirdness, their first album in more than 30 years, March 20 — have announced several shows planned for the spring. The band will play its SXSW gig March 17, followed by concerts in Boston (April 7), New York (April 9), Detroit (April 13), Denver (April 17), San Francisco (April 19) and Seattle (April 27). ... Gus Van Sant has agreed to an alcohol-diversion program after being arrested on drunken-driving charges in December, The Associated Press reports. The director appeared briefly in a Portland, Oregon, court Friday morning. Those who enter the program have to plead guilty or no contest, but a DUI conviction can be avoided if the participant successfully completes the program. ...

Saves the Day's next album has a title, even though the band hasn't started working on the LP just yet. Frontman Chris Conley revealed that the group's next record will be called Under the Boards, in a statement posted on the band's MySpace page. Saves the Day have demoed 13 tracks for the effort but have no plans to enter the studio anytime soon. Conley said he hopes the album will be in stores before the end of the year. ... Gomez are chasing their recently released Five Men in a Hut (A's, B's & Rarities: 1998-2004) CD anthology with a similarly titled DVD: "Five Men in a Hut: Singles 1998-2004." The career-spanning collection, due February 20, compiles 12 music videos along with six unreleased performance clips, two interviews and more. ...

Maybe Steve Jobs is on to something. Just days after the Apple Inc. boss wrote an open letter saying he'd support removing copy protection from the iTunes store, one of the major labels, EMI Group PLC — home of the Rolling Stones, Beastie Boys, Beatles and Coldplay — has revealed that it is talking to online retailers about possibly selling its digital catalog without copy protection, according to The Wall Street Journal. Citing people familiar with the talks, the Journal reported that EMI asked retailers to submit proposals telling the company what size advance payments it would offer in exchange for the right to sell EMI's music as unprotected MP3s. A decision on whether to go ahead with the plan could come soon. Over the past few months EMI has experimented with copy protection-free MP3 by Norah Jones, Lily Allen and Relient K, getting positive results from fans.

• You Hear It First: Sufjan Stevens

• Jay-Z
• Metallica
• Bow Wow
• John Legend
• Gerald LeVert

Paris Hilton's <I>Paris</I>
Photo: Warner Bros.

With more than 100 new CDs dropping this week — but surprisingly few reissues, oddly enough — this could shape up to be one of the hottest summer Tuesdays for new releases. But sifting through the stores, you're bound to see a few standouts hogging most of the attention. That being said, there's a colony of underdogs who deserve some playing time too. So here's this week's onslaught in easy-to-digest capsule form: the Big Guns and Small Shooters who are ready to unload.

Big Guns:

• Paris Hilton: Those who don't guiltily grab the heiress' debut for the sexy artwork alone will probably do so because they're still bopping along to her unexpected club smash, "Stars Are Blind." But there's more to Paris than meets the eye — no, really — including a limited-edition version that's waxed up with a 30-minute bonus DVD of in-the-studio and interview gems. Priceless indeed.

• Outkast: Will 'Kast's "Idlewild" soundtrack fare better than the film itself? Place yer bets. The musical accompaniment doesn't have any video bonuses — you'll probably have to wait until the DVD for that — but it does feature spots by ubiquitous Outkast guests Sleepy Brown and Killer Mike, as well as film co-star Macy Gray. There's also a song called "Chronomentrophobia" — how can you go wrong with that?

• Kelis: After droves slurped up her Tasty "Milkshake" back in 2003, it's about time Harlem, New York's R&B maiden quenched people's thirst. Her fourth effort features Too Short on the lead single ("Bossy"), while Nas, Will.I.Am and Cee-Lo crop up elsewhere. With her "Step Up" soundtrack contribution giving her an extra boost, she could be leaving quite the mark with Kelis Was Here.

• J Dilla: His death may not have had the same impact as Hendrix's, but the recently deceased Jay Dee drew an outpouring of grief from big-name rappers who considered him the genre's unsung production hero. His debut, The Shining, reflects that support, featuring Busta Rhymes, Common, D'Angelo and Pharoahe Monch, among others.

• Luther Vandross: Another recently fallen beloved artist, the R&B singer makes his way back into the record racks, posthumously, with The Ultimate Luther Vandross. The collector's edition has a bonus DVD bristling with seven remixes, but two unreleased tunes he recorded before his death in July 2005 appear on both versions: "Got You Home" and the Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis-produced "Shine."

• Prince: Also getting the Ultimate treatment is another veteran who's still very much going strong. The two-CD tip o' the cap has the hits plus obscure remixes of "Raspberry Beret" and "Hot Thing." While you've got that in your hand, head over to the DVD section of your store of choice for "Diamonds and Pearls." The 12-clip collection also chalks up concert highlights, interviews and Prince and his band running through Aretha Franklin's "Dr. Feelgood."

• DJ Kay Slay: With this week's hip-hop competition as hot as it's been all year, Kay and Greg Street might have a hard time living up to the title of their collaborative The Champions: The North Meets the South. Then again, with guest spots by more names than you can shake a stick at, the duo might get all the boost they need. On their red carpet are Busta Rhymes, Chamillionaire, Lil Wayne, Shaq Diesel, Cassidy, Paul Wall, Jim Jones, Juelz Santana, Remy Ma, Ghostface, Lil Jon and another pal or five you may have heard of.

• Danity Kane: Will the latest "Making the Band" act make bank with its debut? The self-titled affair isn't just backed by executive producer Diddy, though: Also sharing their wisdom with the newcomers are Timbaland, Rodney Jerkins, Mario Winans and Bryan-Michael Cox, all of whom spend some time behind the boards.

• Lamb of God: Switching gears just a wee bit, the death-metal deacons are dishing up "Foot to the Throat," "More Time to Kill" and "Walk With Me in Hell" as part of their very unholy Sacrament. The deluxe edition lives up to its name with 90 minutes' worth of content, including up-close-and-personal segments, the director's-cut versions of two videos and more. Roar.

• Casualties: With an ever-growing fanbase, lotsa lovin' from Los Angeles' Indie 103.1 FM and some raucous gigs on this year's Warped Tour, could the NYC throwback punks be this year's Billboard albums chart surprise? Produced by ex-Black Flag and Descendents member Bill Stevenson, Under Attack rips into the government's botched Katrina effort ("System Failed Us ... Again"), the music business at large ("Fallen Heroes") and, without a doubt, your eardrums.

Small Shooters:

• Cursive: They're best buds with Bright Eyes and landed on the cover of the New York Times Sunday arts section the last time they put out a studio LP. With Happy Hollow — featuring "So-So Gigolo," "Dorothy Dreams of Tornadoes" and "The Sunks" — could even bigger and better things be in store for Tim Kasher and company?

• Tortoise: There's too much to name going into the Chicago band's four-disc A Lazarus Taxon — out-of-print material, compilation contributions, every video the collective has made — but with a second shipment of the box set already being ordered, more than a few fans are shelling out for this one.

• Radio Birdman: Twenty-five years after the Radio short-circuited, the Australians are back with a new album, giving them something to shout about when they kick off their first U.S. tour ever on August 30. A lucky 13 tracks populate Zeno Beach, including the exceedingly appropriate "We've Come So Far (To Be Here Today)."

• Headlights: Just over three years ago, indie rockers the Jealous Sound put out a record called Kill Them With Kindness. Now they'll be facing a new Google-search challenger in the Headlights, whose debut of the same name features the playfully titled "The Midwest Is the Best," "Pity City" and "Hi-Ya!"

• Pajo: You might know him from Billy Corgan's short-lived Zwan, and probably don't know him from indier-than-thou projects like Papa M and Ariel M, but David Pajo's giving you another chance to meet him, this time as simply Pajo. What happens in 1968? Give it a spin and find out.

• Early Day Miners: Producer Daniel Lanois (U2, Bob Dylan) has a protégé in Daniel Burton, and Burton has a few friends in Black Mountain's Amber Webber, Windsor for the Derby's Johnathon Ford and Tortoise's John McEntire. They all chime in on EDM's six-song, 37-minute Offshore.

• F--- the Facts: Who knew Ottawa was such a brutal place? The Relapse grind band does seem to have a sense of humor, though, piling tracks like "The Sound of Your Smashed Head" onto its equally sardonically titled Stigmata High-Five.

• Wooden Wand and the Sky High Band: And speaking of the facts, let's get these ones straight: New York psych-folkie Wooden Wand is prolific. His solo LP Harem of the Sundrum and the Witness Figg was reissued in May. Four records he's made with the Vanishing Voice have dropped since June 2005. And now he's got Second Attention with the Sky High Band — which features Vanishing members — added onto his résumé. Got it? Good.

• Spencer Dickinson: Here's another one that needs some clarification. Jon Spencer has made a name for himself with his Blues Explosion, Pu--- Galore and more projects. Jim Dickenson is an iconic producer who's worked with the Replacements, Big Star and many others. His sons Luther and Cody Dickenson make up the North Mississippi Allstars. Spencer Dickinson is none of, but rather all of, these guys. Got it? Good.

• Lambchop: And what's a new-releases day like without some stuff by Nashville's favorite chamber-country-crazies? Damaged is the band's 10th studio LP and is the collaborative result of 17 folks. Make some room in your cart for Kurt Wagner's squad — if you still have any room left, that is.

Song Title of the Week:

"The 23 Things That Rhyme With Darby Crash" from Guttermouth's Shave the Planet

New Releases:

• ActionReaction - 3 Is the Magic Number (Equal Vision)
  
• Against Me - Americans Abroad!!! Against Me!!! Live in London!!! (enhanced; Fat Wreck Chords)
  Buy Now: Americans Abroad!!! Against Me!!! Live in London!!! (Fat Wreck Chords)
  
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  Buy Now: Crisis (Vagrant)
  
• Geri Allen - Timeless Portraits and Dreams (two CDs; Telarc)
  
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• Lullaby Baxter - Garden Cities of To-morrow (Boompa)
  
• Boys Like Girls - Boys Like Girls (Red Ink)
  
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  Buy Now: Future Crayon (Warp)
  
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  Buy Now: Under Attack (Side One Dummy)
  
• Crazy Frog - Crazy Frog Presents More Crazy Hits (enhanced; Universal)
  
• Cursive - Happy Hollow (Saddle Creek)
  Buy Now: Happy Hollow (Saddle Creek)
  
• Danity Kane - Danity Kane (Bad Boy)
  Read: "Can Diddy's Band Make It? Danity Kane Hope They've Got A 'Show Stopper' "
  Buy Now: Danity Kane (Bad Boy)
  
• Darker My Love - Darker My Love (Dangerbird)
  
• Deadsy - Phantasmagore (Immortal)
  Buy Now: Phantasmagore (Immortal)
  
• Deicide - The Stench of Redemption (Earache)
  Buy Now: The Stench of Redemption (Earache)
  
• Spencer Dickinson - The Man Who Lives for Love (Yep Roc)
  
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• Edgewater - We're Not Robots (Rock Ridge)
  
• Eliane Elias - Around the City (RCA)
  
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• Tommy Emmanuel - The Mystery (Favored Nations)
  
• Tobias Fröberg - Somewhere in the City (Cheap Lullaby)
  
• F--- the Facts - Stigmata High-Five (Relapse)
  
• Goat - Twisted Heart (Engine Room)
  
• Gojira - From Mars to Sirius (Prosthetic)
  
• Golem - Fresh Off Boat (JDub)
  
• Gosling - Here Is ... (V2)
  
• Gov't Mule - High & Mighty (Red Ink)
  Buy Now: High & Mighty (Red Ink)
  
• Pat Green - Cannonball (BNA)
  
• Guttermouth - Shave the Planet (Volcom)
  Buy Now: Shave the Planet (Volcom)
  
• Sophie B. Hawkins - Bad Kitty Board Mix (live; two CDs; Trumpet Swan)
  Buy Now: Bat Kitty Board Mix (Trumpet Swan)
  
• Headlights - Kill Them With Kindness (Polyvinyl)
  Buy Now: Kill Them With Kindness (Polyvinyl)
  
• Paris Hilton - Paris (limited edition with DVD due same day; Warner Bros.)
  Read: "Paris Hilton's Debut Merges Hip-Hop, Reggae, Rod Stewart"
  Buy Now: Paris (Warner Bros.)
  
• Gary Hoey - American Made (Surfdog)
  
• Intronaut - Void (Goodfellow)
  
• J Dilla - The Shining (BBE)
  
• Judah Johnson - Be Where I Be (Flameshovel)
  
• Jonny Lives! - Get Steady (Eleven Seven Music)
  
• DJ Kay Slay & Greg Street - The Champions: The North Meets the South (Koch)
  
• Kelis - Kelis Was Here (Jive)
  Read: "Kelis Preparing To Get 'Bossy' With Her Next 'Strong Kind Of Girl Record' "
  Buy now: Kelis Was Here (Jive)
  
• Lake featuring Cormega - My Brother's Keeper (Fastlife)
  
• Lamb of God - Sacrament (deluxe edition with DVD due same day; Epic)
  Read: "Lamb Of God Ease Up On Bush But Get Deep Musically On Sacrament"
  
• Lambchop - Damaged (Merge)
  Buy Now: Damaged (Merge)
  
• Last Ditch Remedy - The Following (Cake)
  
• Layzie Bone - The New Revolution (enhanced; Thump)
  
• Luca - Sick of Love (Funzalo)
  
• Maná - Amar Es Combatir (WEA Latina)
  
• Mercenary - The Hours That Remain (Century Media)
  
• Mercy Killers - Bloodlove (Hellcat)
  
• Amy Millian - Honey From the Tombs (Arts & Crafts)
  
• The Minders - Bright Guilty World (Future Farmer)
  
• Roger Miret & the Disasters - My Riot (Sailor's Grave)
  
• Misery Signals - Mirrors (Ferret)
  
• Monsieur Leroc - I'm Not Young, but I Need the Money (Cornerstone RAS)
  
• Mountain Goats - Get Lonely (4AD)
  Buy Now: Get Lonely (4AD)
  
• Mouth of the Architect - The Ties That Blind (Translation Lost)
  
• My Brightest Diamond - Bring Me the Workhorse (Asthmatic Kitty)
  
• Necrophobic - Hrimthursum (Candlelight)
  
• NoMeansNo - All Roads Lead to Ausfahrt (Ant Acid Audio)
  
• Nouvelle Vague - Bande A'Part (limited-edition version with three bonus tracks; Luaka Bop)
  
• Jennifer O'Connor - Over the Mountain, Across the Valley and Back to the Stars (Matador)
  
• Inca Ore with Lemon Bear's Orchestra - The Birds in the Bushes (5 Rue Christine)
  
• Outkast - Idlewild (La Face)
  Read: "Missing Outkast? They've Already Lined Up Three 'Idlewild' Singles"
  Buy Now: Idlewild (La Face)
  
• Pajo - 1968 (Drag City)
  
• Lee Scratch Perry - Panic in Brooklyn (with bonus CD; Narnack)
  
• Poisonblack - Lust Stained Despair (Century Media)
  
• Doc Powell - Doc Powell (Heads Up)
  
• Primal Scream - Riot City Blues (enhanced; Columbia)
  Buy Now: Riot City Blues (Columbia)
  
• Radio Birdman - Zeno Beach (Yep Roc)
  Buy Now: Zeno Beach (Yep Roc)
  
• Ratatat - Classics (XL/ Beggars Banquet)
  
• Razorlight - Razorlight (enhanced; Universal)
  Buy Now: Razorlight (Universal)
  
• Geoff Reacher - Avec Reacher C'est Plus Sûr (Orange Twin)
  
• Lee Ritenour - Smoke 'N' Mirrors (Peak)
  
• Carina Round - Slow Motion Addict (WoME/ Interscope)
  
• Second Story Man - Red Glows Brighter (Mile 11)
  
• Skye - Mind How You Go (Cordless)
  
• PF Sloan - Sailover (Hightone)
  
• Snowden - Anti-Anti (Jade Tree)
  
• Starsailor - On the Outside (Adrenaline Music)
  Buy Now: On the Outside (Adrenaline Music)
  
• Susanna and the Magical Orchestra - Melody Mountain (Rune Grammafon)
  
• Terrorfakt - Teethgrinder (Metropolis)
  
• Terrorizer - Darker Days Ahead (Century Media)
  
  
• Thermals - The Body, the Blood, the Machine (Sub Pop)
  Buy Now: The Body, the Blood, the Machine (Sub Pop)
  
• Threat Signals - Under Reprisal (enhanced; Nuclear Blast)
  
• Traindodge - Wolves (Ascetic)
  
• Triffids - Born Sandy Devotional (enhanced; Domino)
  
• Turn Me on Dead Man - Technicolour Mother (Alternative Tentacles)
  
• Vaeda - State of Nature (Playtime)
  
• Chad VanGaalen - Skelliconnection (Sub Pop)
  Buy Now: Skelliconnection (Sub Pop)
  
• Verona Downs - The Light Reaction (EP; Empyrean)
  
• Walls of Jericho - With Devils Amongst Us All (Trustkill)
  Buy Now: With Devils Amongst Us All (Trustkill)
  
• Natalie Walker - Urban Angel (Dorado)
  
• What Made Milwaukee Famous - Trying to Never Catch Up (Barsuk)
  
• Nancy Wilson - Turned to Blue (MCG Jazz)
  
• With Blood Comes Cleansing - Golgotha (Blood & Ink)
  
• Wooden Wand and the Sky High Band - Second Attention (Kill Rock Stars)
  
• Various artists - One Meatball: The Album - The Cookbooklet (Appleseed)
  
• Various artists - Gigantour (two CDs; Image Entertainment)
  
• Various artists - Girls Got Rhythm (Liquor & Poker)
  
• Various artists - Rogue's Gallery: Pirate Ballads, Sea Songs, & Chanteys (two CDs; Anti)
  
• Various artists - "Clerks II" soundtrack (Bulletproof)
  
• Various artists - "Invincible" soundtrack (Hollywood)

Notable Reissues and Archival Material:

• Aldo Nova - The Best of Aldo Nova (Portrait/ Legacy)
  
• Vaughn DeLeath - Ukulele Lady (ASV Living Era)
  
• Merle Haggard - Back to the Barrooms (MCA Special Products)
  
• Wilbert Harrison - An Introduction to Wilbert Harrison (Fuel)
  
• Dave Hollister - The Definitive Collection (Hip-O)
  
• Patti LaBelle - The Definitive Collection (Geffen)
  
• The Marshall Tucker Band - Live on Long Island 04-18-80 (Shout! Factory)
  
• Jelly Roll Morton - The Complete Library of Congress Recordings (eight-CD box set; Rounder)
  
• New Riders of the Purple Sage - The Best of New Riders of the Purple Sage (Columbia/ Legacy)
  
• Prince - Ultimate Prince (two CDs; Rhino)
  Buy Now: Ultimate Prince (Rhino)
  
• Boz Scaggs - Hits! (Columbia/ Legacy)
  
• Stark Naked - Stark Naked (Fallout)
  
• Candy Staton - The Ultimate Gospel Collection (two CDs; Shanachie)
  
• Tortoise - A Lazarus Taxon (box set with three CDs and one DVD; Thrill Jockey)
  
• Luther Vandross - The Ultimate Luther Vandross (collector's edition due same day with bonus CD of remixes due same day; J/ Epic/ Legacy)
  
• Mae West - Come Up and See Me Sometime (ASV Living Era)
  
• Windsor for the Derby - Calm Hades Float and Minnie Greunzfeldt (Secretly Canadian)
  
• Various artists - Crunk Hits Vol. 2 (TVT)

Music DVDs:

• Black Label Society - "The European Invasion: Doom Troopin' - Live" (Eagle Vision)
  
• Chris Botti - "Live With Orchestra & Special Guests" (with CD; Columbia)
  
• Jimmy Cliff - "The Harder They Come - Film & Soundtrack Special Edition" (Xenon)
  
• James Brown - "Live at Montreux 1981" (Eagle Vision)
  
• Steve Earle - "Live at Montreux 2005" (Eagle Vision)
  
• John Entwistle - "An Ox's Tale" (Image Entertainment)
  
• Pixies - "Acoustic: Live in Newport" (Eagle Vision)
  
• Prince - "Diamonds and Pearls" (Rhino)
  
• Rainbow - "Live in Munich 1977" (Eagle Vision)
  
• Lou Rawls - "The Lou Rawls Show: With Duke Ellington; Hal Leonard)
  
• U.S. Bombs - "Explosion" (2B1)
  
• Suzanne Vega - "Live at Montreux 2004" (with CD; Eagle Vision)
  
• Various artists - "Afro-Punk: The Movie That Sparked the Movement" (Image Entertainment)
  
• Various artists - "Burn to Shine 3: Portland, OR, 06.15.05" (Trixie)
  
• Various artists - "From the Big Apple to the Big Easy: The Concert for New Orleans" (two DVDs; Rhino)
  
• Various artists - "MusicCares Presents a Tribute To Brian Wilson" (Eagle Vision)

Coming Attractions:

August 29:

• Tego Calderón - The Underdog/ El Subestimado (Atlantic)
  Preorder: The Underdog/ El Subestimado (Atlantic)
  
• Method Man - 4:21 ... The Day After (Def Jam)
  Read: "Method Man Drops Diddy, Seeks Clarity On New LP, 4:21 ... The Day After"
  Preorder: 4:21 ... The Day After (Def Jam)
  
• Roots - Game Theory (Def Jam)
  Preorder: Game Theory (Def Jam)
  
• Jessica Simpson - A Public Affair (Epic)
  Read: "Jessica Simpson Album Shifts Gears Along With Personal Life"
  Preorder: A Public Affair (Epic)
  
• Too Short - Blow the Whistle (Jive)
  Preorder: Blow the Whistle (Jive)
  
• Pete Yorn - Nightcrawler (Red Ink)
  Read: "Dave Grohl Helps Pete Yorn Rock, Tupac Inspires Him To Be Prolific"
  
• Young Dro - Best Thang Smokin' (Atlantic)
  Preorder: Best Thang Smokin' (Atlantic)

September 5:

• Audioslave - Revelations (Epic)
  Read: "New Audioslave LP: 'Led Zeppelin Meets Earth, Wind & Fire' "
  Preorder: Revelations (Epic)
  
• Beyoncé - B'Day (Columbia)
  Read: "Beyonce's Triple Threat: New Album, Film, Fashion Line Before Year's End"
  Preorder: B'Day (Columbia)
  
• Iron Maiden - A Matter of Life and Death (limited edition with bonus DVD due same day; Sanctuary)
  Preorder: A Matter of Life and Death (Sanctuary)

September 12:

• John Mayer - Continuum (Columbia)
  Preorder: Continuum (Columbia)
  
• N.O.R.E. y la Familia - Ya Tú Sabe (Roc-A-Fella)
  
• Justin Timberlake - FutureSex/LoveSounds (Jive)
  Read: "Justin Previews New Tracks At Hollywood Show With Help From Will.I.Am, Timbaland"
  Preorder: FutureSex/LoveSounds (Jive)

• Paris Hilton
• OutKast
• Danity Kane
• The Casualties
• J Dilla

Jay Dee
Photo: Stones Throw Records

Jay Dee only released two solo albums before his death February 10 — and the second, Donuts, just hit stores February 7. Nevertheless plenty more is expected from the unsung hip-hop producer and rapper, including at least two more albums this year.

The first posthumous release from Jay (a.k.a. J Dilla) is due July 11 and will feature a mix of big names (Busta Rhymes and Common) and underground legends (Madlib and Pharoahe Monch).

Jay originally titled the album The Shining to coincide with its creepy original release date June 6 (6/6/06), but his family and friends felt it was still fitting even after the disc was pushed back.

"It's his legacy shining through," explained Eddie Bezalel, who is overseeing the release for British label BBE Records.

Jay was recording The Shining while hospitalized and was 85 percent done when he died (see "Jay Dee — Producer For Common, Busta And Tribe — Dies"). Jay's mother immediately insisted Bezalel see it through, and he's since hired Dilla's friend and fellow Detroit producer Karriem Riggins (Common, Slum Village) to executive produce.

"I asked her if Karriem would make sense and she said yeah," Bezalel said. "So he's just mixing a couple of songs and they have to cut vocals on a couple, just basic things that need to get done."

Despite the surroundings in which it was recorded, Bezalel said the theme of The Shining is love.

"It's not him asking for pity, which some people would do," Bezalel said. "Jay chose to focus on the positive. He chose a theme that was inspirational and it just blows my mind because most people aren't like that."

Musically the album will showcase Jay's unique style, which merged a variety of genres using both instruments and unrecognizable samples of known tunes.

"When people hear this, people are going to say, 'Jay was on some sh--,' and I'm not saying this to hype it," Bezalel said. "When I heard this one joint, I was like, 'Oh my God.' It's not like it was overproduced — I mean you knew Jay's style, it was really about the details and how those details came into play."

BBE could have stuck with the June 6 release date, but Bezalel wanted an extra month to work on a companion DVD that will chronicle Jay's life. The team behind the online community Okayplayer — which includes Common, Dilated Peoples and the Roots — are producing the documentary.

"[Okayplayer is] basically all the people in the industry who all love Dilla," Bezalel said. "The most important thing is to take him out of the esoteric realm and bring him to the mainstream."

The album could be tied in with a tribute concert that is in the works, although details are still pending.

"There are people working [on a concert] on the East and West Coast," Jay's mother, Maureen Yancey, said. "I don't know if they're going to be doing it together but everybody has some irons in their fire."

Yancey is also working on opening Jay's studio up as a public workshop and plans to mine his vaults for further releases. In the meantime, another album, Jay Love Japan, is already done for Operation Unknown Records. Truth Hurts is among the guests.

The Shining, though, will be the closest thing to Jay's landmark 2001 debut, Welcome 2 Detroit, also released on BBE. (Donuts was a collection of instrumentals.)

"About a year and a half ago, Jay reached out and said he wanted to do another album with us," Bezalel said. "He was a really humble guy for his accomplishments. When you meet hip-hop guys, there's a lot of ego and a lot of self-promotion, whereas Jay was like, 'Let's talk obscure Nigerian jazz records.' We sat in the hotel room when I first met him and I was like, 'Check this out,' and we were all on our laptops and burning CDs for Jay and he was flipping out. He was about the music, not all the extra sh--."

For more on Jay Dee and his unique persona, check out the feature "Jay Dee: Hip-Hop's Shy Giant."

• Jay Dee Photos, Fan Art And More

• J Dilla
• Busta Rhymes
• Common

Photo: Stones Throw Records

• J Dilla

Jay Dee
Photo: Stones Throw Records

Jay Dee, a.k.a. J Dilla, the Detroit producer and rapper revered by his peers for his work with A Tribe Called Quest, Slum Village and Common, died Friday (February 10). He was 32.

Tim Maynor, Jay's manager since 1999, said he died Friday morning in Los Angeles. According to The Associated Press, Dee, born James Yancey, died of complications from lupus. He was diagnosed with the autoimmune disease about three years ago. Dee had been battling kidney problems in recent years, but Maynor believed he had recovered.

"He was the best ever, and very underappreciated," Maynor said. "Dilla was very reserved, quiet, all he wanted to do was make beats, make music. It wasn't about the glitz and glory. He wasn't doing it for the spotlight at all. He's a dinosaur who will be missed."

"I am devastated at the world's loss of a musical genius of Charlie Parker proportions," Ahmir "?uestlove" Thompson of the Roots said. "Too often we bestow the 'greatest' title upon those who have the attention of the press and the charts and radio. But if you were to secretly ask the most praised hip-hop producers, if given a top three, who they fear the most, Dilla's name would chart on everyone's list, hands down. I am fortunate to have known this man. He inspires me to perfect my craft in every way. Dilla was and will always be my hero."

"Me and Jay Dee were very, very, very, very good friends," said D12's Proof, who got his first tattoo with Jay Dee, an "FC" for Funky Cowboy, their pre-Slum Village/ D12 group. "He produced my first demo. As a producer, he is one of the most influential producers ever, even up to Kanye West or Just Blaze. Jay Dee had a signature sound that a lot of people were influenced by. People will never understand his genius. It's a shame that he didn't get the light of a Dr. Dre or Timbaland or Neptunes, but he took more of a jazz-musician approach to the whole game. He was truly a mastermind."

As J Dilla, the rapper released an album titled Donuts just Tuesday and was scheduled to release another one, The Shining, in April. Maynor said he was also two tracks away from finishing a third release for 2006. "He never stopped working," he said.

In December, Jay toured Europe performing in a wheelchair, due to problems with his knees, Maynor said. When his manager suggested he postpone the trek, the producer said it was something he had to do. "Maybe he knew something we didn't," Maynor said.

Jay came to prominence in the mid-'90s producing tracks for the likes of Common, D'Angelo, De La Soul, Pharcyde and Busta Rhymes, as well as working as part of Tribe's production team, the Ummah, and in his own group, Slum Village.

"He was a trendsetter, the soul sound [in hip-hop] is really Jay Dee," RJ Rice, founder of Slum's label, Barak Records, said. "I don't know if he'll ever get credit for it or not, most people just copied him."

Jay was born and raised in the Conant Gardens neighborhood of Detroit, attending Pershing High School with his eventual Slum Village mates Baatin and T3.

"I'm f---ed up, my n---a just passed away," T3 wrote on his MySpace page Friday.

After recording 1996's underground Fantastic, Vol. 1, Slum Village signed to GoodVibe Recordings and released 2000's Fantastic, Vol. 2. After releasing Best Kept Secret under the alias J-88 the following year, the group returned in 2002 with Trinity (Past, Present and Future) featuring Jay in a limited role.

Dee left the group that year and released Welcome 2 Detroit, kicking off U.K. indie label BBE Music's "Beat Generation" series. He also formed a group with Madlib called Jaylib and released Champion Sound in 2003.

He spent 2004 working on a variety of albums, including Common's Be, as well as his underground instrumental "beat tapes," but also spent some of the year hospitalized.

"What happened was that the doctor told me that I'd ruptured my kidney from being too busy and being stressed out and not eating right," Dee told Urb magazine in 2004. "He told me that if I'd waited another day, I might not have made it."

"Sometimes that fixation can be a good thing and sometimes it can be bad. There'd be days when I wouldn't eat at all because I'd be in the basement working all day," he said in the interview. "This is definitely my second chance, my wakeup call. I still love the music, but I wouldn't put it first in my life. It's family first, and then everything else."

Proof said Jay always told him he was feeling fine, but the close friends seemed to only talk on the phone in recent years. "It didn't hit me until today, but I think he just didn't want his friends to see him in that light," Proof said. "He wanted us to remember him how it was."

[This story was originally published on 02.10.06 at 7:04 PM ET]

• J Dilla