USA TODAY's music staff offers a weekend tip sheet of sound recommendations spanning the media landscape.
REISSUE
Paul and Linda McCartney's 'Ram' returns with deluxe extras
Paul McCartney's second post-Beatles album, 1971's Ram, is back in a variety of forms and formats, from the 12-track standard edition to a $160 deluxe box set that includes four CDs, a DVD of music videos and new documentary Ramming, and a 112-page book with facsimiles of handwritten lyrics and outtakes from the album cover photo shoot. Among the sonic bonuses are the earliest mix of Sunshine Sometime, Dixon Van Winkle mixes of Hey Diddle and Great Cock and Seagull Race, the mono album of alternate mixes initially available only to radio stations and the Thrillington collection of instrumental interpretations (issued in 1977 under the pseudonym Percy "Thrills" Thrillington). Earlier this year, McCartney said of this latest reissue in his Archive Collection series, "This is an album that … goes back to the wee hills of Scotland where it was formed. It reminds me of my hippie days and the free attitude with which was created." — Gundersen
DVD
'The Strange Case of Alice Cooper' exhumed from 1979
Alice Cooper's ghoulish masterwork, unavailable for more than 30 years, is back from the undead on DVD (Shout! Factory, $17) with all its twisted charms intact. Shot during a stop on the shock rocker's 1979 Madhouse Rock tour and inspired by Cooper's stay in a New York sanitarium, The Strange Case of Alice Cooper concert documentary plays out like a Marilyn Manson nightmare. Vincent Price emcees as Cooper performs on a stage with dancing liquor bottles and transvestite nurses. A sampling of tunes: No More Mr. Nice Guy, Billion Dollar Babies, School's Out, From the Inside, I'm Eighteen, Devil's Food and, of course, Welcome to My Nightmare. — Gundersen
DVD/CD
Sade's 2011 tour comes to home video
In 2011, Sade returned to the USA for the first time in 10 years, supporting her platinum-selling Soldier of Love album with a 54-date tour. Sade:Bring Me Home — Live 2011 (Epic, not rated; DVD/CD, $20; Blu-ray, $25) delivers a 22-song video performance and 13 selections on CD. The tour, directed by Sophie Muller, was acclaimed for its intimate vibe and visually stunning stage. Also included is a 20-minute behind-the-scenes documentary by Muller and a technical documentary by the band's guitarist/saxophonist, Stuart Matthewman. The track list includes Soldier of Love, Your Love Is King, Smooth Operator, Love Is Stronger Than Pride, The Sweetest Taboo and No Ordinary Love.— Jones
TELEVISED CONCERT
Daughtry, Trace Adkins honor the military in pre-Memorial Day concert
Sure, the public pools open and neighbors fire up the grill. But Memorial Day is a day to reflect and honor our military. As is tradition, PBS will air the pre-Memorial Day concert from the West Lawn of the U.S. Capitol (Sunday, 8 p.m. ET). Joe Mantegna and Gary Sinise return as hosts for the seventh year in a row. They'll welcome a pretty eclectic mix: Daughtry, Natalie Cole, Trace Adkins, Idol runner-up Jessica Sanchez, Ellen Burstyn and Selma Blair, for starters. Listeners will also get to hear tenor Russell Watson perform with the National Symphony Orchestra. — Lopez
ALBUM
Valerie Simpson is 'Coming Back Again'
Nine months ago, legendary singer/songwriter Valerie Simpson lost her husband and longtime creative partner, Nick Ashford, who had battled throat cancer. But Ashford's spirit is very much present on her first solo album in four decades, Dinosaurs Are Coming Back Again, new this week. "My honey put his heart and soul and some powerful lyrics into this album for me," Simpson said in a statement. "I think Nick would be very pleased and proud of how it came out." Ashford is credited as his wife's co-producer on Dinosaurs, which includes an instrumental version of one of the duo's many R&B classics, Ain't No Mountain High Enough. — Gardner
