Thousands of MP3 Albums for $5 (or Less) at Amazon.com

The latest Dum Dum Girls album is one of thousands now on sale for $5 or less at Amazon.com

If you're looking for last-minute holiday gifts for folks on your shopping list (or don't think you'll get the music you want), head over to Amazon.com's music store. It's now having several sales running that together mean thousands of MP3 albums for $5 or less. First off, you can check the more than 1,000 albums for $5 each (this deal is good through the end of January).

If you include the many EPs they're offering at that price, it means there are more than 23,000 MP3 albums for less than five bucks,Amazon says.

Among the 1,000 MP3 albums for five dollars in the alternative and indie rock category (228 albums in all):

• "The Head and the Heart" self-titled
• "Helplessness Blues" by Fleet Foxes
• "Cults" self-titled
• "Civilian" by Wye Oak
• "Smoke Ring for My Halo" by Kurt Vile
• "Wild Flag" self-titled
• "Slave Ambient" by The War on Drugs
• "Only in Dreams" by Dum Dum Girls
• "Let England Shake" by PJ Harvey
• "Divine Providence" by Deer Tick
• "Last Summer" by Eleanor Friedberger

… as well as the deluxe version of Arcade Fire's "The Suburbs" and albums by the Avett Brothers, Blitzen Trapper, Arctic Monkeys, Tokyo Police Club, Superchunk, Girl in a Coma, and Yuck.

In the just-plain-ol'-rock category, some of the choices include:

• "New Blood" by Peter Gabriel (his reinterpretation of his own songs, with orchestra)
• "Endgame" by Rise Against
• "Duluth" by Trampled by Turtles
• "Disintegration (Remastered)" by The Cure
• "Is This It" by The Strokes

… and albums by the Black Crowes, Green Day, Cowboy Junkies, Drive-By Truckers, Lindsey Buckingham, and many more.

There are also classic rock, pop, R&B, and other genres.

Odd name, odd album cover, good music: Yuck's self-titled album is one of the $5 editors' choices.

If you're not inclined to go searching through the thousands of albums, you can check out Amazon.com's editors' picks of $5 MP3 albums, which winnows down the list of 1,000. It's a diverse bunch, from Phoexix and Wye Oak to Leonard Cohen, Eminem, The Who, and the soundtrack to "The Sound of Music."

Also, for Dec. 24th only, Amazon.com is offering 10 of the year's most popular albums for only $3.99 each. The albums include "Lioness: Hidden Treasures,"the posthumous Amy Winehouse album; the She & Him Christmas album;"Ceremonials" by Florence and he Machine;and "The King is Dead" by The Decemberists.

I hope you get (or got) what you wanted for the holidays, musically speaking. If not, check out the thousands of sale albums above. There are at least five or six I'm definitely buying...

Music Notes: Fugazi Releasing Live Archive, Last Call for Amazon's Nov. $5 MP3 Albums, & More

* Fugazi live archive set to launch: Fugazi fans, your wait is almost over. the Washington, D.C. band that has been on hiatus for eight years has been working on making its archive of 800 live shows available for sale, and the recordings are set to start being released on Dec. 1st.
According to the Fugazi website, "Over time each of these recordings will be made available to download for a small fee and will be presented beside available photos, flyers and general show info."

If you already have a Dischord account, you may be able to access the Fugazi Live Series in beta before Dec. 1st.

Fugazi's last album, "The Argument,"was released in 2001.



Fugazi performing "Turnover" live in 1991.

* Amazon.com's $5 MP3 album sale: Amazon.com's $5 MP3 albums for Novemberexpires in a few days; here are some of the titles you can find on sale for the rest of the month:

"A Very She & Him Christmas" by She & Him
"Fallen" by Evanescence
"Thickfreakness" by The Black Keys
"The Best Of Joss Stone 2003 - 2009" by Joss Stone
"Lights" (Amazon MP3 Exclusive Version) [+Digital Booklet] by Ellie Goulding
"Wild Flag" by Wild Flag
"The Bends" by Radiohead
"Ten Years Gone The Best Of Everclear 1994-2004" by Everclear
"Seeds We Sow (Amazon MP3 Exclusive Version)" by Lindsey Buckingham
"Skying" by The Horrors
"Jeff Bridges" (Amazon Exclusive Version) by Jeff Bridges
"Panic of Girls" by Blondie
"The Knot" by Wye Oak

* Music industry heading for positive year?: The music industry could have its first rise in sales since 2004 if holiday sales are strong, says Billboard. The publication says that heading into Black Friday "year-to-date U.S. album sales were up 3.2%," and it's hoped that the trend will continue with strong late-year releases including "Take Care" by Drake, "Under the Mistletoe" by Justin Bieber, and new albums by Coldplay, Florence and the Machine, Tony Bennett, Jay-Z and Kanye West, and Taylor Swift.

Music Notes: Radiohead Plays Roseland, Arcade Fire Wins Polaris, $5 MP3 Albums

Radiohead video for "Lotus Flower" from their most recent album, "The King of Limbs."

Radiohead playing two shows at Roseland next week and Arcade Fire taking home the Polaris Prize headline this latest edition of Music Notes. Also in this edition: last call for Amazon.com's $5 MP3 album salefor September.  

* Radiohead is returning to New York for two shows at Roseland Ballroom on Sept. 28th and 29th. Roseland isn't exactly an intimate setting, but it's much smaller than the arenas the band is capable of selling out. There have been a couple of presales for the shows, but if you misssed out on those you can get Radiohead at Roseland tickets here at 10 a.m. on Monday, Sept. 26th.

All tickets are priced at $79.75 ($65 base price plus $14.75 in fees).

Note: an announcement on Radiohead's website says: "There is a 2 ticket limit per household. All tickets will be available for pick up at will call the evening of the event beginning at 6:30 PM and entry into the venue is required immediately upon receipt. No tickets shall be distributed prior to the event."

You can also get a shot at winning tickets to the concerts by contributing to L.A. radio station KCRW (a very worthy cause). Enter for a chance to win Radiohead at Roseland tickets here (enter by 3 p.m. Eastern time on Monday).

Also on the bill with Radiohead are Four Tet and rocketnumbernine.

* Arcade Fire took home the 2011 Polaris Music Prize for best Canadian album, which could be considered something of an upset since the award prides itself on going to the most deserving candidate based only on artistic merit, regardless of commercial success. (In the past more well-known acts have lost out to relatively obscure artists; last year's winner, the francophone group Karkwa, beat out albums by Broken Social Scene, Tegan and Sara, and The Sadies.)

Big congrats to Arcade Fire on taking home the Polaris (and the $30,000 prize).

* Amazon.com's $5 MP3 album salefor September is in its final week. If you're looking to expand your music collection on the cheap, you'll find albums there by artists including Mumford & Sons, The Decemberists, Feist, Fitz & the Tantrums, Regina Spektor, the Yeah Yeah Yeahs, Blind Pilot, Surfer Blood, Richard Buckner, and TV on the Radio.

Are you going to try to get tickets to see Radiohead at Roseland next week? What shows are folks exciting to see this weekend?

Cheap Music Bonanza: Amazon.com has 1,500 $5 MP3 Albums for May

The acclaimed album by Mumford & Sons is one of Amazon's 1,500 $5 MP3 albums for May.

This may be a serious strain on my music budget: Amazon.com is offering 1,500 MP3 albums for $5 for the month of May, way up from its usual selection of 100 titles. As usual, most titles are in the rock or pop genres, but the expanded number of number of titles means there's a much larger choice in genres like jazz (which has 500, Amazon says).

Here's just a hint of some of the titles available in May's 1,500 MP3 albums for $5 (some titles appear in multiple categories):

Indie & Alternative Rock:  
Sigh No More by Mumford & Sons * Civilian and If Children by Wye Oak * The Suburbs, Neon Bible, and Funeral by Arcade Fire * The King of Limbs by Radiohead * Fleet Foxes by Fleet Foxes * Dye It Blonde by Smith Westerns * Swoon and Pikul by Silversun Pickups * North Hills by Dawes * Sound Of Silver by LCD Soundsystem * Monster by R.E.M. * Transference, Ga Ga Ga Ga Ga, and Gimme Fiction by Spoon * Majesty Shredding by Superchunk * The Stage Names by Okkervil River * You're Living All Over Me by Dinosaur Jr. * Eureka by Mother Mother * Love Notes/Letter Bombs by The Submarines

Classic Rock:  
Music from Big Pink by The Band * Shape Of Things - The Very Best Of by The Yardbirds * Zuma by Neil Young and Crazy Horse * Band Of Gypsys (Live) by Jimi Hendrix * Hunky Dory by David Bowie * News Of The World by Queen * Buffalo Springfield by Buffalo Springfield * Black and Blue by The Rolling Stones * Fool For The City by Foghat * Live at Leeds (25th Anniversary Edition) by The Who * Nobody Can Dance by Big Star

Some other titles you might be interested in: Fight For Your Mind by Ben Harper * Magnolia Soundtrack by various artists * Old World Underground, Where Are You Now? by Metric * Ellipse by Imogen Heap * Innervisions (Reissue) by Stevie Wonder * Insomniac by Green Day * It's Blitz! by Yeah Yeah Yeahs * Behind The Sun by Eric Clapton * Pieces Of The Sky (Remastered) by Emmylou Harris

Last Call for Amazon.com $5 MP3 Albums for Feb.: Arcade Fire's "The Suburbs," The Black Keys, The Smiths, Sara Bareilles, & Much More

Arcade Fire's Grammy-winning "The Suburbs" is on sale for  $5 on MP3 download for the rest of February.

It's coming down to the final days of Amazon.com's $5 MP3 albums for February, so I thought I'd post a reminder of some of the notable releases on the list. One is a new, and newly honored, album: Arcade Fire's Grammy-winning "The Suburbs."

Also on the list of Amazon.com $5 MP3 albums for the rest of February:

* Alt-rock, indie-rock, and Americana albums including the Avett Brothers live, "Thickfreakness" by The Black Keys, "Little Voice" by Sara Bareilles, "Once" movie soundtrack, "Begin To Hope" by Regina Spektor, "Revival" by Gillian Welch, "Fumbling Towards Ecstasy" by Sarah McLachlan,

* "The Queen is Dead" by The Smiths, "13 Songs" by Fugazi, Buffalo Springfield's self-titled album, "69 Love Songs Volume 2" by The Magnetic Fields, Erasure's self-titled album, "Crimes Of Passion" by Pat Benatar, and "Shake It Up" by The Cars

MP3 Specials Today Only: $1.99 for New Albums by Gorillaz, John Legend, KT Tunstall, More

The new album by John Legend & The Roots is one of the MP3 albums you can get for $1.99 on Tuesday, Nov. 23rd only.

I know it seems like I'm writing about Amazon.com's MP3 albums every week, but they are having some great Black Friday deals this week. Here's the story: every day this week they're offering five different MP3 albums for $3.99 each. And most of these are new albums.

For Tuesday, however, the five albums are only $1.99 each. Four are new albums (the latest from John Legend & the Roots, KT Tunstall, Gorillaz, and Belle & Sebastian) and one classic album, "Chronicle: 20 Greatest Hits" by Creedence Clearwater Revival.

Check the Amazon Black Friday MP3 albums sale page each day this week for the latest deals.

Great Music Cheap: MP3 Albums for $5 (and Less) from Amazon.com

Radiohead's "The Bends" is one of Amazon.com's $5 MP3 albums for November.

Amazon.com is offering its usual slate of 100 or so $5 MP3 albums this month, but I noticed that they also have a big selection of MP3 albums for prices ranging from $3.99 to 4.99.

Like the $5 album selection, this lower-price collection spans all genres and includes new releases as well as older albums. Unlike the $5 MP3 albums, there isn't any apparent period of time that the prices are good for, so you might want to snap these up in case they're only available for a short time.

Amazon.com $5 MP3 albumsfor November:

• Funeral by Arcade Fire
• Fantasies by Metric
• Closer: The Best of Sarah McLachlan by Sarah McLachlan
• Be My Thrill by The Weepies
• The Bends by Radiohead
• The Story by Brandi Carlile
• Dark Night of the Soul by Danger Mouse and Sparklehorse
• The Best of Warren Zevon by Warren Zevon
• Eye to the Telescope by KT Tunstall
• On the Beach by Neil Young
• The Other Side Of Zero by Elizabeth & the Catapult
• Suzanne Vega Close-Up, Vol 1, Love Songs by Suzanne Vega
• Swim by Caribou
• Genius of Live by Tom Tom Club (featuring more than 10 remixes of "Genius of Love")
• and, as you'd expect for this time of year, a number of pop Christmas albums, including ones from Bob Dylan and Bette Midler

Amazon.com $3.99 to $4.99 MP3 albums:

• Lungs by Florence + the Machine
• Holy Roller Novocaine by Kings of Leon
• Acoustic by Lights
• Pete Yorn by Pete Yorn
• Strobe by Deadmau5
• Happy Sad by Tim Buckley
• The Velvet Underground & Nico by The Velvet Underground
• Damn the Torpedoes by Tom Petty
• Rainwater Cassette Exchange by Deerhunter
• It's Blitz and Yeah Yeah Yeahs by the Yeah Yeah Yeahs
• Maya by MI.A.
• The Union by Elton John & Leon Russell
• Recovery by Eminem
• The Place We Ran From by Tired Pony

Great Music Cheap: Last Call for Amazon's $5 MP3 Albums for Oct. (Plus a FREE Halloween Music Mix)

Today is the last day to scarf up $5 MP3 albumsfrom Amazon.com for October. Since I bought a number of CDs this month, I'm going to have to restrain myself in getting some of these Amazon $5 specials. Too bad, since there are some classic titles and some new favorites.

(One album that I will be buying: through the end of today, Amazon is offering one of my favorite albums of 2010,"The Five Ghosts" by Canadian band Stars, for only $3.99.)

Among the $5 MP3 albums from Amazonfor October:

"The Five Ghosts" by Stars
"Myth Takes" by !!! (Chk Chik Chick)
"Thief" by Destroyer (Dan Behar from The New Pornographers)
"Momento" by Bebel Gilberto
"Isolation Drills" by Guided By Voices
"Tossing Seeds (Singles 89-91)" by Superchunk
"Who Is This America?" by Antibalas
"Fidelity!" by Chrissie & The Fairground Boys JP (Chrissie Hynde's latest project)
"Passing Strange" - Original Cast Recording
"Rio" by Aterciopelados
"The Suburbs" by Arcade Fire
"Dookie" by Green Day
"The Black Parade" by My Chemical Romance
"Transference" by Spoon
"Under The Blacklight" by Rilo Kiley
"See You On The Moon" by Tift Merritt
"Exile In Guyville" by Liz Phair
"Dig, Lazarus, Dig!!!" by Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds
"Shaking The Tree - 16 Golden Greats (Remastered)" by Peter Gabriel

On a totally different subject, today is Halloween and if you're looking for some free music to stream for a party, or to get yourself in a spooky mood, check out the 2009 Creative Commons Halloween Mix from the Free Music Archive. It has a selection of interesting folk, industrial, and rock music; it's not your typical "Monster Mash" selection of familiar Halloween cliches.

There's a 2010 mix too, but it seems to have less music and more noise, sound effects, etc.

Great Albums Cheap: $5 MP3 Downloads from Amazon; $7.99 CDs from J&R

Left: The National's "The Boxer" is one of J&R's $7.99 CDs.

Getting great music at a good price is welcome anytime, but even moreseo at the end of the month when money is tight. Here's a last-call on the Amazon.com $5 MP3 album salefor September (which you could have bought anytime during the month, of course) as well as a new $7.99 CD sale that J&R is offering on hundreds of indie titles from the Warner Music Group labels.

The Amazon.com $5 MP3 album sale, as always, includes mostly rock and pop but also other genres, and includes new, recent, older, and ancient titles. Some popular titles: "Battle Studies" by John Mayer, "Little Voice" by Sara Bareilles, "I and Love and You" by the Avett Brothers, "In the Wee Small Hours" by Frank Sinatra, the self-titled album by the Court Yard Hounds, The Garden State movie soundtrack, and "Parachutes" by Coldplay.

The J&R $7.99 indie CD sale features albums old and new by groups like the New Pornographers, Mudhoney, Guided by Voices, Neko Case, The Shins, The National, Pretty Girls Make Graves, Yo La Tengo, Fleet Foxes, Arcade Fire, Pixies, Constantines, Vampire Weekend, and many more.

In many cases J&R has several albums available from these artists, so if you still buy CDs this can be a good chance to build up your library.

Cheap Albums: Over 1,000 Amazon.com $5 Albums; Polyvinyl Records Garage Sale

If you love music, and love saving money buying it just as much, here are a couple of sales you'll like.

* Polyvinyl Record Co. is having its annual music garage sale, during which you can pick up some great deals on CDs, vinyl, etc. In case you're not familiar with them, Polyvinyl is home to artists including Japandroids, Architecture in Helsinki, Mates of State, Asobi Seksu, Loney Dear, Of Montreal, Rainer Maria, and Joan of Arc.

* Amazon.com usually has 100 $5 MP3 albums each month, but in August it has been offering more than 1,000 $5 albums, in all genres. A sampling:

• More Miles Than Money by Alejandro Escovedo
  
• The Fame Monster by Lady Gaga
  
• Quiet Storm by Peabo Bryson
  
• Homosapien by Pete Shelley
  
• Live at the House Of Blues [Explicit] by Tupac Shakur
  
• 11:11 eleven eleven by Regina Spektor
  
• This Is Our Music by Ornette Coleman
  
• If I Had a Hammer by The Blind Boys Of Alabama
  
• The Rough Guide to Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan by Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan
  
• Masters Of The Burial by Amy Millan
  
• Reverse Migration by Au Revoir Simone
  
• I Dreamed A Dream by Susan Boyle
  
• OK Computer by Radiohead
  
• Dizzy Up The Girl by Goo Goo Dolls
  
• The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill by Lauryn Hill
  
• Stankonia [Explicit] by Outkast
  
• Eye To The Telescope by KT Tunstall
  
• Trouble by Ray Lamontagne
  
• If You're Feeling Sinister by Belle & Sebastian
  
• One Cell In The Sea by A Fine Frenzy
  
• Sparkle And Fade by Everclear
  
• The List by Rosanne Cash
  
• Black Cadillac by Rosanne Cash
  
• Alright, Still [Explicit] by Lily Allen
  
• Under A Blood Red Sky by U2
  
• Rubber Factory by The Black Keys
  
• Life'll Kill Ya by Warren Zevon
  
• Singles Going Steady by The Buzzcocks
  
• Sigh No More by Mumford & Sons
  
• Greatest Hits 1985-1995 by Heart
  
• Feats Don't Fail Me Now by Little Feat
  
• Another Country by Tift Merritt
  
• Conditions by The Temper Trap
  
• Dinosaur by Dinosaur Jr.
  
• Talking To You, Talking To Me (Amazon Exclusive Version) by The Watson Twins
  
• I Will Be by Dum Dum Girls
  
• Burning Spear Live by Burning Spear
  
• X & Y by Coldplay
  
• Indestructible by Disturbed
  
• Janis Joplin's Greatest Hits by Janis Joplin
  
• Fool For The City by Foghat
  
• Here's to Shutting Up by Superchunk
  
• Hyacinths and Thistles by The 6THS
  
• From a Compound Eye by Robert Pollard
  
• King Me by Visqueen
  
• Nolita by Keren Ann
  
• Get The Knack by The Knack
  
• With Blasphemy So Heartfelt by Jessica Lea Mayfield
  
• The Five Ghosts by Stars
  
• Kensington Heights by The Constantines
  
• Beat The Devil's Tattoo by Black Rebel Motorcycle Club
  
• Hunting My Dress [+Digital Booklet] by Jesca Hoop
  

Get Arcade Fire's New "The Suburbs" MP3 Download for Just $3.99 - Tuesday Only!

I'd planned on buying "The Suburbs" on CD so I could check out the artwork, credits, etc., but I may reconsider that since finding out that Amazon. com has made the new Arcade Fire album its "deal of the day" for Tuesday, August 3rd (the album's release date). For this day only, you can get the album for just $3.99 (U.S. customers only, I'm pretty sure).

Amazon.com has featured Arcade Fire's first two albums in the last couple of months as part of its regular "100 MP3 albums for $5" deal, so I took advantage of those deals. If I buy "The Suburbs" today, I will have gotten all three Arcade Fire albums for $14.00. No album artwork, credits, band photos, etc., but you can't beat the price.

Amazon.com $5 MP3 Albums - New Lady Gaga, Yeah Yeah Yeahs, Rihanna, and More

I usually point out (um, rather late) Amazon.com's selection of $5 MP3 albums for each month, but right now they're offering more than 800 albums for that price. I'm not sure how many of these deals expire at the the end of the month (that's today), and how many will continue beyond that date. (UPDATE, 1/4/10: Amazon's site still says that "over 800" MP3 albums are available for $5 each, so you can probably assume that all the ones mentioned in the paragraphs below are still at that price.)

One Web page lists 100 $5 MP3 album downloadsfeatures selections including Lady Gaga's The Fame Monster, It's Blitz by the Yeah Yeah Yeahs, the self-titled album by Chickenfoot, and more, with genres such as rock, blues, R&B, country, etc. all grouped together. (This may be the December selection.)

Another list of more than 800 $5 MP3 albumsis broken down by genre so you can view, say, all pop or country albums. The 50 $5 pop albums include Lady Gaga's The Fame (not to be confused with The Fame Monster), Rihanna's Rated R, Classic Sinatra: His Greatest Hits, Mandy Moore's Amanda Leigh, Fergie's The Dutchess, and Australian guitarist Orianthi's Believe. Younger listeners may squeal with delight at the chance to get teen heartthrob Justin Beiber's My World for $5.

Among the classic rock titles are some real classics, including Pink Floyd's Dark Side of the Moon.

With more than 800 MP3 albums on sale for $5, I'll be buying more than a couple (am especially interested in that Orianthi album).

2009 Amazon.com Black Friday & Cyber Monday Sales: Music, Movies, and More

For those of you recovering from eating massive amounts of turkey and other foods, the Amazon.com Black Friday sales offer you the chance to shop for your friends and relatives (or yourself) and get some great deals. (What's more, many of the specials will continue through Cyber Monday).

The Amazon.com Black Fridays main pagelists deals available in a number of popular categories: music, movies and TV, electronics, video games, etc. At the top of the page is a "Lightning Deals" offer. These are items available only for a limited time and in limited quantity, and below the item is a countdown timer and a progress bar showing you what percentage of the item has been claimed. If you like the pulse-pounding thrill of chasing down a hot deal and buying it at the last minute, this option is for you.

Check out the Black Friday music salefor information on sale prices running through Monday, Nov. 30 on new releases and bestsellers, boxed sets, and $5 lightning deals on CDs. You'll also see the list of timed specials available.

Amazon always offers a selection of 50 MP3 albums for $5 each month, but for Black Friday they claim to be offering 600 MP3 albums for $5 each. I didn't take the time to count them all, but go to their page to check it out. There are lists of 50 $5 albums in pop, rock, indie and alternative rock, jazz, Christian and gospel, R&B, singer-songwriters, Amazon editors' picks, and more.

Many of these albums seem to have been offered in the monthly $5 sale, but there are also some titles I haven't seen there. These specials, like many other deals, may continue through Cyber Monday.

The Amazon.com Black Friday movies & TV dealshas a bunch of timed specials available through Friday night, Nov. 27. Only a few titles are on sale in any particular time window, but if there's something you want there, you'll want to pounce.

If this all sounds like a bewildering array of products and deals, well, it is. I can only peruse the Black Friday pages at Amazon.com for a few minutes at a time without feeling bogged down with all the choices. But, an overselection of discounted music, movies, and the like to choose from is a good problem. Amazon will likely hold sales after Cyber Monday as well. Happy shopping!

Cheap Music: Discount MP3 Albums at Amazon.com - Limited Time

Amazon.com has special deals every day offering discounts on MP3 albums (as low as $1.99), and while these usually only last one day, here are a few good deals that are still valid a few days later. (Note: prices are still effective as of 1 a.m. Eastern time, Monday, Nov. 16th.)

* Document (R.E.M. No. 5), R.E.M. - Although this album doesn't get the attention of some of the band's better-known sets, it contains some classic R.E.M. tunes you'd recognize, most notably "It's the End of the World As We Know It," "The One I Love," and "Finest Worksong."

* Candy-O, The Cars, $2.99 - Ah, the second album by The Cars... I listened to this LP (yes, LP) many, many times when it came out. Includes "Let's Go," "Dangerous Type," and the title track.

And don't forget Amazon's usual 50 MP3 Albums for $5,a monthly feature on the site. The November offerings include new-music favorites from Heartless Bastards, The Gaslight Anthem, Yo Gabba Gabba, The Decemberists, The Antlers, Edward Sharpe & The Magnetic Zeros, and Blitzen Trapper. For hip hop fans, Jay-Z's latest, The Blueprint 3, is also available for five bucks.

There are classic rock/pop albums from Johnny Cash, Heart, The Beach Boys, The Clash, The Band, The Steve Miller Band, and and Minutemen. For jazz and blues fans, there's Nat King Cole, Art Blakey, and John Coltrane.

Last Call for Amazon.com's 50 $5 MP3 Album Downloads for September

(Meant to post this much earlier, but forgot. But if you're on the U.S. West Coast [or an earlier time zone], you can still get in on these deals.)
- - - - -
The end of the month means that time is running out for the September edition of Amazon.com's 50 MP3 albums for $5 each.

New-ish releases include Bible Belt,the acclaimed album by pop-folk singer Diane Birch, the self-titled debut by country-rock band Gloriana,and the album by rockers Billy Boy on Poison.

As usual, there are classics by bands such as the Rolling Stones (Black and Blue), Soul Asylum (Grave Dancers Union), Shawn Colvin (Steady On), the Cowboy Junkies (The Caution Horses), The Frames (The Cost),Lou Reed's self-titled album, Steely Dan (Gaucho), and Beatles covers on the "I Am Sam" soundtrack.

Last Days for July's Amazon.com 50 MP3 Albums for $5 Each

Each month Amazon.com offers a selection of 50 MP3 albums for $5 each, and as you've probably noticed from the calendar, July is almost over.

As usual, the 50 span a range of musical genres and time periods. I picked up Bob Mould's new Life And Times album. Among the other titles you can find for five bucks for the next few days:

• alt and indie rock including Grand Duchy (with Frank Black), Interpol, Matt & Kim, Meat Pupets, Coldplay, and Gomez;
  
• classic rock such as Billy Joel, Aerosmith, the Beach Boys, Heart, and David Bowie;
  
• soul and R&B including Marvin Gaye, Ray Charles, Louis Armstrong, and L.T.D.

I miss not having the liner notes with info on who's playing what instruments, who sang on which tracks, lyrics, etc., but you can't beat the price. And if this Apple/record label project to offer digital albums with liner notes and other features pans out, as I mentioned yesterday, that may no longer be a problem.