Pink Floyd

SHINE ONPink Floyd (Columbia 53180)By their nature, boxed sets promise impressive packaging, but few have ever matched the extravagance of Pink Floyd's "Shine On." As if assembling eight of the Floyd's best-known albums in a single box weren't enough, the group rounds out the set with a disc of early singles (including the Syd Barrett classics "Arnold Layne" and "See Emily Play"), a set of album-art postcards, and a cloth-bound, 112-page book. But as nice as those bonuses are, the real reason to own this set is the sound, which delivers the band's spectacular soundscapes in exquisite detail, from the psychedelic splatter of "Meddle" to the headphone head-trips of "Dark Side of the Moon," to the high-concept dramatics of "The Wall."

In the past two years, Mac Miller, a 20-year-old rapper from Pittsburgh, could have signed a number of deals from major labels. Instead, Miller stayed loyal to his hometown independent label, Rostrum Records. The payoff came in November, when Miller's first album, "Blue Slide Park," debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard 200, the first independent album to do so in more than 15 years. In Miller's world, a major label simply isn't necessary, not when he can continue to release free mixtapes (such as last month's "Macadelic")

Legendary rock band Pink Floyd will embark on its first North American concert tour in nearly five years on March 30 at Joe Robbie Stadium in Miami.Pink Floyd now consists of original members David Gilmour on guitar and vocals, Nick Mason on drums and Rick Wright on keyboards and vocals. The band has added John Carin on keyboards, Tim Renwick on guitars and vocals, Guy Pratt on bass and vocals, Gary Wallis on percussion, Dick Parry on saxophone and Durga McBroom, Sam Browne and Claudia Fontaine on backing vocals.

Roger Waters will keep touring with "The Wall" this year, it was announced today. The new phase of the tour kicks off in May and will travel to 36 cities, including the Verizon Center in Washington on July 12. Waters, co-founder of Pink Floyd, also stopped at the Verizon Center on his tour last year. Tickets go on sale November 14. Price was not included in the announcement; tickets for a Waters' show in Orlando start at $46.75. Also staying on the road is Peter Frampton, who is promoting the 35th anniversary of his "Frampton Comes Alive!"

Usually, when people talk about "going to see a concert," what they mean is "watch the band play." Unless, of course, the band in question is Pink Floyd -- in which case, they probably are going to see the concert.It isn't just that the Floyd has a reputation for elaborate props and visual presentation well beyond the usual array of flashpots and varilights; truth be told, such special effects constitute a large part of the band's concert reputation. So it probably shouldn't have come as any surprise that the first burst of lasers at the band's RFK Stadium show Saturday earned almost as much applause as the song it accompanied ("Learning to Fly")

PULSEPink Floyd (Columbia 67065)Although it's billed as a live album, it would probably be more accurate to describe Pink Floyd's "Pulse" simply as a concert recording. "Live," after all, suggests a certain amount of chance-taking and vivacity, and neither of those qualities are much in evidence in this double-CD set. Recorded in Europe during the group's last tour, "Pulse" is as stately and well-recorded as the group's last concert album, "The Delicate Sound of Thunder," and just about as boring.

Ever wonder what Pink Floyd's "Dark Side of the Moon" would have looked like as a music video?If you're a dedicated Pink Floyd fan, you already know -- it looks like "The Wizard of Oz." Exactly like "Oz," in fact. According to the cognoscenti, if you cue up both the album and the film, "Dark Side of the Moon" turns out to be the perfect soundtrack for "The Wizard of Oz."In fact, so many things sync up that it's hard to believe it's a coincidence.For instance, in the song "Breathe," the lyric "balanced on the biggest wave" is heard just as Dorothy balances atop the fence to the hog pens.

In the past two years, Mac Miller, a 20-year-old rapper from Pittsburgh, could have signed a number of deals from major labels. Instead, Miller stayed loyal to his hometown independent label, Rostrum Records. The payoff came in November, when Miller's first album, "Blue Slide Park," debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard 200, the first independent album to do so in more than 15 years. In Miller's world, a major label simply isn't necessary, not when he can continue to release free mixtapes (such as last month's "Macadelic")

Los Angeles -- Carole King is the latest artist to join the exclusive 10 million club, though it took her "Tapestry" album 24 years to get her there.Ms. King was certified last week by the Recording Industry Association of America for domestic sales of 10 million copies of the seminal 1970s album, which spent 302 weeks on Billboard's pop chart, compared with record-holder Pink Floyd's "Dark Side of the Moon" with 741 weeks and third-place "Led Zeppelin IV" with 259 weeks.Ms. King joins only 21 other artists and 26 albums that have hit the stratosphere of the 10 million club.

Tonight's the night: David Caruso exits from "NYPD Blue," taking the character of John Kelly with him. As TV "buzz" goes, it's the loudest buzz of the season to date: Be there, or be unaware.* "Full House" (8-8:30 p.m., Channel 13) -- Spending her profits from lemonade sales, Michelle (Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen) purchases and brings home a miniature donkey. Dad (Bob Saget) is upset. ABC.* "Avalanche" (8-10 p.m., Channel 45) -- As narrator William Conrad intoned on one of my favorite episodes of "The Bullwinkle Show," "Avalanche is better than none."

Pink Floyd tribute show The lowdown -- Several Species, a Baltimore-based Pink Floyd tribute band, will perform a night of Floyd music complete with a laser light show Saturday at Pier Six. The band's repertoire includes more than 50 Floyd classics. If you go -- Cavalier Telephone Pavilion at Pier Six is at 731 Eastern Ave. Tickets are $20-$37.50 plus a $3 facility charge per ticket. Gates open at 6 p.m., and the show starts at 8 p.m. Call 410-547-7328 or visit ticketmaster.com. The Bra Ball The lowdown -- The American Visionary Art Museum will be hosting its first Bra Ball on Saturday.

The picture is enigmatic, strikingly so. The background is black, which makes the alabaster skin of the woman's bony shoulders seem even starker. Her wine-red lips are parted, but that's all you can see of her face. A floating white veil obscures the rest. The shot appears on the cover of Harmonies For the Haunted, the latest album from the New Wave-influenced New York band stellastarr*. "We came up with the idea of having her be a face you can barely see," says lead singer-guitarist Shawn Christensen, who's calling from a tour stop in Vermont.

In the end credits of Wes Anderson's The Life Aquatic With Steve Zissou, there's an acknowledgement that Steve Zissou (played by Bill Murray) is a real person. No, it's not a joke. Though writer/director Anderson (The Royal Tenenbaums, Rushmore) made the name up, the script clearance department at Buena Vista Pictures found a real Steve Zissou. This Zissou is a federal criminal trial lawyer based in Bayside, N.Y., not a burned-out underwater explorer. "When I found out it was part of the title, I was a little annoyed.

TAMPA, Fla. - The first clue comes at the hotel entrance, where guests pull on gold, guitar-shaped door handles to get in. Inside, high above the check-in desk, there's a provocative message from the rock group the Doors: "Hello, I love you, Won't you tell me your name?" It's a short walk to the casino, where music pulsates as images dance across video screens and the walls are adorned with rock memorabilia. By now it's clear: the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino is nothing like the dingy, smoky gambling emporium the tribe formerly operated here.

Like any list-driven series, VH1's five-part "100 Greatest Artists of Hard Rock" is a mixture of the obvious and the appalling. With Led Zeppelin and Black Sabbath in the two top spots, most of the list will likely leave fans pumping their fists in the classic heavy metal salute (with index and little fingers extended to make tiny horns). Among the list's big winners are AC / DC (No. 4), Metallica (No. 5), Van Halen (No. 7), KISS (No. 10) and Ozzy Osbourne (No. 18). Even influential but uncommercial acts are acknowledged, with Motorhead (No. 26)

Pink Floyd The Wall Live: 1980-1981 (Columbia 62055) It was, perhaps, the hottest ticket of the '80s -- and what's even more amazing, the tour in question took place at the very beginning of the decade. Even so, it's difficult to think of a more appropriate candidate for the honor. After all, how many people do you know who saw Pink Floyd perform "The Wall"? Even though "The Wall" was an enormous pop success for the group, the live version of the album saw only 29 performances, and then only in London, New York and Los Angeles.

After years of economic doldrums, the concert business appears to be heading for its biggest season in history. Grosses on just the top 10 tours are up 145 percent this year to $378 million, and promoters of all sizes are reporting revenue hikes of up to 50 percent.Higher ticket prices on shows like Barbra Streisand and the Eagles only partly explain the news. Overall attendance is up 68 percent compared with 1993 on the top 10 tours from Jan. 1 to Aug. 26, according to figures from the industry trade weekly Amusement Business.

Pink Floyd tribute show The lowdown -- Several Species, a Baltimore-based Pink Floyd tribute band, will perform a night of Floyd music complete with a laser light show Saturday at Pier Six. The band's repertoire includes more than 50 Floyd classics. If you go -- Cavalier Telephone Pavilion at Pier Six is at 731 Eastern Ave. Tickets are $20-$37.50 plus a $3 facility charge per ticket. Gates open at 6 p.m., and the show starts at 8 p.m. Call 410-547-7328 or visit ticketmaster.com. The Bra Ball The lowdown -- The American Visionary Art Museum will be hosting its first Bra Ball on Saturday.

Ever wonder what Pink Floyd's "Dark Side of the Moon" would have looked like as a music video?If you're a dedicated Pink Floyd fan, you already know -- it looks like "The Wizard of Oz." Exactly like "Oz," in fact. According to the cognoscenti, if you cue up both the album and the film, "Dark Side of the Moon" turns out to be the perfect soundtrack for "The Wizard of Oz."In fact, so many things sync up that it's hard to believe it's a coincidence.For instance, in the song "Breathe," the lyric "balanced on the biggest wave" is heard just as Dorothy balances atop the fence to the hog pens.

Probably the smartest thing the Sex Pistols ever did was break up.It happened on Jan. 14, 1978, immediately after a fractious, chaotic performance at Winterland in San Francisco. Johnny Rotten, fed up with the media circus that had trailed the band through its seven-city American tour, decided he'd had enough and announced that he was leaving and that the band was, for all intents and purposes, over.Or so we thought. But early last year, Rotten appeared at a press conference with his old band mates -- guitarist Steve Jones, drummer Paul Cook and original bassist Glen Matlock -- to announce that the Sex Pistols were planning a summer-long reunion tour.