Out of focus

Leaving aside for a moment the issue of whether an unshown TV special from '68 could capture, as the opening credits suggest, "the spontaneity, aspirations and communal spirit of an entire era" any more accurately than, say, Catweazle or Do Not Adjust Your Set, and regardless of whether you think Beggars Banquet and Let It Bleed are the fulcrum points of a generation or just something that music critics of a certain age should learn to get over, the portents of this cryogenically preserved moment in rock time are undeniable. Look!

Teen flick takes shy potshots at religion

Clumsily named San Franciscans' beautifully arranged second album

Young Sussex-born singer-songwriter steps up to the next level with best live show to date

Mighty compilation of LA country-punk pioneers

Hong Kong cops'n' triads action prequel makes the grade

It's an odd time to evaluate Paul Simon's solo career in light of his successful 2004 reunion tour with Art Garfunkel. But maybe all that boomer nostalgia needs a little levity, and the sweep of his solo work proves Simon has never dwelled on the past. The Studio Recordings 1972-2000 is that rare bird—an attempt to collect an artist's entire oeuvre.

Swan song from prolific Dayton, Ohio combo, while frontman flies solo

Compelling true-crime thriller

Stiller/Black pairing fails to rescue lacklustre yarn