ALBUMS

THEN:

Live Bullet – Bob Seger

Before Bob Seger was the rock star he became, he was Detroit’s own rock ‘n’ roll workhorse, touring relentlessly and languishing in near obscurity anywhere outside of Michigan. With the release of Live Bullet, the rest of the country soon discovered what Detroit already knew: Seger was a head-to-toe rock ‘n’ roll original. If you only know Seger’s later, more crowd-pleasing efforts, dig back for this one. It’ll surprise you.

NOW:

The Promise: The Lost Sessions: Darkness on the Edge of Town – Bruce Springsteen

Bruce Springsteen’s 1978 sophomore album Darkness on the Edge of Town was a stark, stripped-back contrast to his debut Born to Run. Springsteen diehards have long known about the unreleased gems from this album session; now released for the first time in its fully-realized state. With 21 songs in all, from a full-rock version of “Racing In The Streets” to the mythological title track “The Promise,” this is a gift for diehards, a must for “sometime” fans and a surprise for newbies.

—Sharon Penny

BOOKS

THEN:

Motley Crue: The Dirt - Confessions of the World’s Most Notorious Rock Band by Motley Crew with Neil Strauss

When it comes to rock ‘n’ roll excess, you think there isn’t a thing that could raise your eyebrows anymore. Until you read about Motley Crue, Ozzy Osbourne and a line of ants at a hotel. Excess is well documented...but the stories behind each band member are revealing; Mick Mars, the “quiet one” has a disfiguring bone disorder, leaving him high on painkillers or frozen in a rictus of pain…or both, watching Vince as a cool frontman. That’s why bands tell their story.

NOW:

Life by Keith Richards

It might surprise you to know that Keith Richards was a Scout leader; his recipe for bangers and mash is surprisingly good; and the “Jumping Jack Flash” riff is actually a distorted acoustic guitar recorded through a portable cassette player. This isn’t just a book for Stones fans. Whether you like Keef (Richards’ nickname)or not is almost beside the point. It’s just a bloomin’ good story.

—Sharon Penny

FILMS

THEN:

True Grit

Iconic film legend, John Wayne, nabbed his only Oscar for portraying cantankerous U.S. Marshall Rooster Cogburn in True Grit, which uses one of the most popular themes of Western cinema – revenge – to tell the compelling story of a plucky tomboy’s search for the man who murdered her father. Strong performances elevate True Grit from mere Western to the annals of classic film.

NOW:

True Grit

The success of True Grit 2010, written and directed by the Coen Brothers, rests on the broad, capable shoulders of Jeff Bridges, who, fresh off winning last year’s Oscar for “Best Actor” (finally!), takes a celebrated character – Rooster Cogburn – and makes it his own. This is a tight, entertaining retelling from a deft filmmaking duo.

—Jenn Thornton