Shelf Life: September 2018
ALBUMS
THEN
Hootenanny—The Replacements
The second album in The Replacements catalog, where The Mats start branching out beyond frenetic chaos into genres like blues and country, this album is where we get great Stinson riffs, classic Westerberg songwriting, and tons of fun. It’s The Replacements on the rise, in a good mood, moments before they hit full boil.
NOW
Shooter—Shooter Jennings
Jennings is a journeyman who returned from his voyage into Giorgio Moroder-inspired electronica on 2016’s Countach (For Giorgio) with his new album filled with honky-tonk country. I, for one, am glad. He’s doing what he’s always done best: putting old-school, good-time, toe-tappin’, hard-livin’ music back onto the airwaves.
BOOKS
THEN
Me, The Mob and the Music by Tommy James
Tommy James was ’60s hitmaker extraordinaire (“I Think We’re Alone Now,” “Crimson & Clover,” “Hanky Panky,” “Mony Mony”) and he’s a storyteller like no other. Described as the Goodfellas of music biographies, this is the eyebrow-raising story of how James’ mob connections got him on the radio.
NOW
Ninety-Nine Glimpses of Princess Margaret by Craig Brown
What happens when you combine a satirist and a royal princess who was observed more closely than a jungle cat in an Attenborough nature documentary? You get this hilariously snarky, unflinching, and wholly unconventional biography of Princess Margaret. If you binged The Crown on Netflix and demanded MORE MARGARET, this is the book for you.
DVDs
THEN
Mamma Mia!
It sounded like a weird, maybe bad idea on paper and turned into a worldwide smash hit that just keeps on giving. An ABBA musical turned into a movie featuring ABBA songs sung by Meryl Streep, Amanda Seyfried, Colin Firth, and even Pierce Brosnan. Mothers, grab your daughters, and sing your hearts out to a modern, feel-good favorite.
NOW
Book Club
Diane Keaton, Jane Fonda, Candice Bergen, and Mary Steenburgen star in this hilarious comedy about a later-in-life book club turned upside down (and on) when they decide to delve into Fifty Shades of Grey. Grab a bottle or two of rosé and your best girlfriends and giggle your way through your next movie night.
By Sharon Penny