Owls Head — Placebo: We Come in Pieces (Eagle Vision Blu-ray DVD, 179 min.). First off, I had lost track of Placebo, but this thrilling live concert reminded of why I liked the band so much. Filmed Sept. 28, 2010 at Brixton Academy in London, the show was the last of the band’s eighth tour in 15 years, one that started Dec. 7, 2008 in Angkar Wat, Cambodia. It also was the first tour with Californian drummer Steven Forrest, who joined the band in 2008.

The band was formed in London in 1994 by singer-guitarist Brian Molko and bassist Stefan Olsdal, whose first musical venture together was a lo-fi duo called Ashtray Heart. A song of that name remains a staple of their show and one of my favorites (Molko sings of “a leap of faith/I could not take”). Early on they adopted an androgynous look that they since have subdued. The music is heavy pop-rock -- much like Nirvana, whose “All Apologies” they cover here, and they have covered The Cure and Depeche Mode in the past -- with hard-to-ignore grooves. The 84:17 concert begins with the catchy rockers “Nancy Boy” and “Ashtray Heart.” In concert, the band is augmented by bassist/keyboardist Bill Lloyd, guitarist/percussionist/theremin player Nick Gavrilovic and violinist/keyboardist Fiona Brice, whose violin is heard to good effect on “Battle For the Sun” (the title track of the album they were promoting on this tour). Brice’s keyboards delight on “Soul mates (Never Die).” The sparkling performances continue with the thrumming “Every You Every Me,” the loud “Breathe Underwater,” the soft-loud dynamics of “The Never-Ending Way” (it also has horns), “Bright Lights” and the encore of “Trigger Happy Hands.”

While the music is excellent, unfortunately, the director is one of those who opts for quick cuts and constantly changing the film stock. Extras include a very good, 61:17 documentary on the world tour in which the viewer really gets to know the band (Forrest even talks about the depression he fell into); a 10:31film for “Trigger Happy Hands” that is filled with evil clowns; and six alternate song performances (26:48) from other shows during the tour. This Brixton concert is also available on standard DVD and as a deluxe version with a second DVD containing the documentary. Grade: music A; video B-

Peter Gabriel: New Blood Live in London (Eagle Vision Blu-ray DVD, 162 min.). Here, Gabriel performs new arrangements of his songs, plus a few covers, with the 46-member New Blood Orchestra during two nights last March. The arrangements are for orchestra, without guitar, bass or drum kit. One obvious result is more attention is paid to the lyrics, which often seem much more dramatic. Take, for example, his cover of Paul Simon’s “The Boy in the Bubble.” Other covers, all successful, are of Regina’s Spektor’s “Apres Moi” (one of several instances with beautiful backing vocals by Melanie Gabriel and Ane Brun), Stephen Merritt of Magnet Fields’ “The Book of Love” and Lou Reed’s “The Power of the Heart,” with nice strings (Gabriel tells the audience that Reed used the song to propose to fellow musician Laurie Anderson.

Of his own material, this 141-minute concert also debuts the orchestral version of “Biko,” while “San Jacinto” is a bit magical. Thins turn to a bit more of a rock feel with “Digging in the Dirt,” featuring staccato strings, and there is simple, but effective percussion on “Signal To Noise.” “Mercy Street” and “The Rhythm of the Heart” are highlights, before old favorites “Red Rain” and “Solsbury Hill.” The encore features vocalizing by Sevara Nazarkhan on “In Your Eyes” and Brun featured on a wonderful “Don’t Give Up.”

The bonus feature, “Blood Donors” (18:26), discusses the cameras used to film the concert in 3D (this is not a 3D disc; however, a 3D Blu-ray is available, as wee as a standard DVD version) and an interview with Gabriel, who says at this stage of his career he wants to be midway between a heritage act, performing old hits, and constantly following his muse into new songs. Grade: concert A-

Deep Purple with Orchestra: Live at Montreux 2011 (Eagle Vision Blu-ray DVD, 166 min.). Also going the orchestral route is veteran rockers Deep Purple in this 125-minute concert that closed the 2011 Montreux Jazz Festival. However, here the 38-piece orchestra from Frankfurt, Germany is used more as a swing orchestra, adding vivid tonal color to the songs. You know you are in for a treat when the opening “Highway Star” proves the orchestra is an excellent fit with the band. There also is some stellar soling by Steve Morse. I can’t believe he was been with Deep Purple for 18 years now.

The 18-song set continues forcefully with “Hard Lovin’ Man” and “Maybe I’m a Leo,” before  slowing down a bit for “Strange Kind of Woman.” There is some new material here, such as “Rapture of the Deep,” which has a synthesizer start and a Turkish melody. Morse solos extensively on “Contact Lost,” which leads into the slow and bluesy “When a Blind Man Cries.” Keyboardist Don Airey has a solo that references several classical works. Throughout, we get the Deep Purple songs we want and expect, including “Woman from Tokyo,” “Space Truckin’,” “Smoke on the Water” and, their first hit, “Hush.” The bonus feature is 54:37 total of individual interviews with the band members, including the longtime core of vocalist Ian Gillan (still impressive), drummer Ian Paice and bassist Roger Glover. The concert is also available on standard DVD and a double CD set. Grade: concert A-

Lindsey Buckingham: Songs from the Small Machine, Live in L.A. (Eagle Vision Blu-ray DVD, 142 min.). Continuing a string of excellent live shows that would make good stocking stuffers this Christmas is this 108-minute Buckingham concert, recorded at the Saban Theatre in Beverly Hills. During the show, and in the 31:20 bonus interview, Buckingham explains the “big machine” is his work as a member of Fleetwood Mac, which gave him the means to also have his solo career or “little machine.” However, this concert actually spans all aspects of his career, including five songs from “Seeds We Sow,” his recently released, and highly recommended, sixth solo album.

Buckingham starts off the show with a solo acoustic set of five songs; the last two, being familiar from Fleetwood Mac, are “Never Going Back Again” and “Big Love. They prove an excellent lead-in to the band portion of the show, which includes the smooth “All My Sorrows,” “Second Hand News” and a fun approach to “Tusk.” The show, which actually was recorded prior to the new album’s release, puts together two of its best songs: “In Our Own Time,” which has some rock kick in the middle, and “Illumination.” Later comes the harder rock verses on “That’s the Way That Love Goes.” The rocking instrumental “I’m So Afraid” leads into the all-out rock of “Go Your Own Way.” After Buckingham asks the crowd if it wants one more song, he concludes with an acoustic solo version of “Seeds We Sow.” The aforementioned interview has Buckingham summarizing his career and then commenting on several of his new songs. The concert is also available as a standard DVD. Grade: concert A-

Cream: Royal Albert Hall, London May 2005 (Eagle Vision Blu-ray DVD, 167 min.). Thirty-seven years on, the greatest blues-rock trio reunited for a series of shows, first these in England and later in New York City. Back in the day when the group was a shooting star on the rock firmament, there never was much good video footage of them. Well, guitarist Eric Clapton, main vocalist/bassist Jack Bruce and drummer Ginger Baker may have gotten on in years (Bruce occasionally sat down while playing), but there playing is every bit as good -- if not better. At one point, Clapton says they are going to play everything they know. That’s not exactly true, as there are only 19 selections and Baker says in the interview material that he counted and the original version did 35 or 36 songs. I miss “Anyone For Tennis,” but certainly what is here is a lot of correct choices.

The show opens with two of Cream’s best: “I’m So Glad,” with its nice vocal ending,” and “Spoonful,” which opens with its immediately identifiable guitar riff. “Outside Woman Blues” is pure blues and Baker sings lead for the only time on “Pressed Rat and Warthog,” which is performed live for the first time. Also making its live debut, as it was from the “Farewell” album, is a terrific version of “Badge,” with Clapton on vocal. Bruce brings out his harmonica for “Rollin’ and Tumblin’.” Clapton’s guitar illuminates “Born Under a Bad Sign” and “We’re Going Wrong” has a majestic sound and Bruce’s vocal. Baker has a lengthy drum solo on “Toad.” And what would a Cream show be without “Crossroads,” “White Room” and “Sunshine of Your Love” (the latter being one of THE songs of my college experience). The concert is 125:42 long and there is some 41 minutes of interviews. Grade: concert A

Grace Jones: Hurricane (Pias America, 2 CDs, 99 min.). The main album has been out in Europe for some time, but finally gets its Stateside release along with a second disc of dub versions. I love dub albums, so it is a terrific addition. Jones opens with one of the better tracks, “This Is,” which she opens with: “This is my voice/This is my weapon of choice.” The band includes reggae master musicians/producers Sly Dunbar (drum kit) and Robbie Shakespeare (bass). Jones and Ivor Guest produced the album.

“Williams Blood” is the story of a woman marrying and settling down. It has a big backing chorus and is a bit autobiographical with mention of her father. Jones ends the song with a bit of “Amazing Grace” and strings. “Corporate Cannibal” is more of a horror story, as she talks through the opening. There is some dissonance on the mid-break. More familiar musically is the highlight “Well Well Well” and the reggae pop of “Sunset Sunrise. The title track, with its elaborate backing, is another highlight. Finally comes a gentle “Sunset Sunrise.” Grade: B+

Pink Floyd catalog remastered (EMI, 14 albums plus a Best of). All 14 Pink Floyd albums now have a home together at EMI Records (apparently the Columbia deal expired) and each one has been remastered by James Guthrie and Joel Plante. You can buy each album individually or all 14 as a box set. There also are some special editions that I’ll get to in a moment. If one were to make a list of the best, most iconic and most influential bands of all-time, Pink Floyd would definitely be among the top five. More than a year’s work has gone into preparing these releases, which come in dig packs with the original album artwork. In fact, Storm Thorgerson, the band’s longtime art director, oversaw the visual design, including new booklets for all the CDs. Lyrics are included.

In the beginning, there were guitarist/vocalist Syd Barrett (he also wrote a lot of the lyrics), bassist/vocalist Roger Waters, organist/pianist/vocalist Richard Wright and drummer Nick Mason. However, Barrett would go literally insane. He worked on the early single and the first two albums, 1967’s “The Piper at the Gates of Dawn,” which included “Astronomy Domine”; and 1968’s “A Saucerful of Secrets,” with the title track and “Set the Controls for the Heart of the Sun.” By then, though, guitarist David Gilmour had joined the band. For 1969’s “More” soundtrack from the film of the same name, Waters was writing all the lyrics, but Gilmour contributed a song to the studio half of 1969’s “Ummagumma,” the other disc being a live recording. An early indication of the concept albums to come was 1970’s “Atom Heart Mother,” with one whole side of the vinyl recording given to the six-part title track. “Meddle” followed in 1971 and “Obscured By Clouds” in 1972. The latter featured music from the film “La Vallee.”

Then everything changed in a big way. The year 1973 brought “The Dark Side of the Moon,” a suite developed during live performances, and suddenly the band topped the charts. In fact, the album stayed on the Billboard top-selling album chart for a staggering 741 weeks through 1988. The follow-up was the concept album “Wish You Were Here” in 1975, with the wonderful five-part “Shine on You Crazy Diamond,” the title track and “Welcome To the Machine.” “Animals” (full of pigs, dogs and sheep) followed in 1977, and then came the next masterpiece, the two-disc “The Wall,” a total concept album that has been presented on stage, film and recorded live at the late Berlin Wall. It contains “Anther Brick in the Wall,” “Hey You,” “Is There Anybody Out There” and “Comfortably Numb.” Waters’ reflection on war followed in 1983’s “The Final Cut.” Four years later came another fine album, “A Momentary Lapse of Reason,” but now the band was a trio, Waters having left for a solo career. Then came an even longer break of seven years before the 1994 release of “The Division Bell.”

Also released is the 16-disc best of collection, “A Foot in the Door.” If one has the funds, “The Dark Side of the Moon” has been released in a six-disc Immersion box set, which includes a 1974 live concert version, an alternate studio mix, outtakes and demos, as well as a two-disc Experience edition. Similar special editions were released of “Wish You Were Here.” On Feb. 27, “The Wall” will be released in a seven-disc Immersion set and a three-disc Experience edition.

Soundtrack wrap-up:

Dirty Girl (Lakeshore CD). Written and directed by Abe Sylvia, this is a coming-of-age film about a troubled Oklahoma high school student Danielle (Juno Temple) in the 1980s. Her mother (Milla Jovovich) is about to marry a Mormon and Danielle befriends a gay student (Jeremy Dozier). The soundtrack is a collection of 1980s songs by Pat Benatar, Melissa Manchester (four), Sheena Easton, Teena Marie, Wendy and Lisa, Rita Coolidge and even Bow Wow Wow.

Puss in Boots (Sony Masterworks CD). The DreamWorks animated spin-off with the beloved “Shrek” character comes with a score by Henry Jackman, using the folk instruments of traditional Latin music. The score also pays homage to Spanish composer Manuel de Falla, who is best known for his nocturne for piano and orchestra, “Nights in the Gardens of Spain, and the ballet music for The Three Cornered Hat. Jackman blended guitars and Latin percussion with an orchestral sound that shows the Impressionist influences of Claude Debussy and Maurice Ravel. There also are two tracks by the Mexican guitar duo Rodrigo y Gabriela. Other recent films scored by Jackman include “X-Men: First Class” and “Kick-Ass.”

The Descendents (Sony Masterworks CD). The film from Alexander Payne (“Sideways”) is set in Hawaii and stars George Clooney. The soundtrack contains only Hawaiian music, from masters both modern and classical. They include Gabby Pahinui, Ray Kane, Keola Beamer, Lena Machado, Sonny Chillingworth, Jeff Peterson and the Rev. Dennis Kamakahi.

The Artist (Sony Masterworks CD). There is a huge Oscar buzz about this film, which is, most unusual, a silent film homage to a bygone Hollywood era. Each of Michel Hazanavicius’ films have been scored by Ludovic Bourse. The music he has created this time recalls the spirit of Charlie Chaplin, Max Steiner, Franz Waxman and Bernard Herrmann, as well as the big romantic symphonic repertoire of the 19th century. The music was performed by the Flanders Philharmonic Orchestra in Brussels, with 80 musicians, including 50 string players and four French horns.

A Dangerous Method (Sony Masterworks CD). Veteran film composer Howard Shore scored the music for this historical film, an unusual choice of subject for director David Cronenberg. It also is the third consecutive film collaboration between Cronenberg and actor Viggo Mortensen, after “A History of Violence” and “Eastern Promises.” Set on the eve of World War I, the film is about the turbulent relationships between young psychologist Carl Yung (Michael Fassbender), his mentor Sigmund Freud (Mortensen) and Sabina Spiel rein (Keira Knightley), the woman who comes between them. Much of Shore’s piano music is very Richard Wagner-esque, and the soundtrack ends with a 32-minute piano transcription of Wagner’s “Siegfried Idyll,” performed by Lang Lang.