Gordon Lightfoot Book, Music and More!

The Ramones were the Rodney Dangerfields of punk, misanthropes in leather who got no respect. This first-rate DVD documentary leaves no doubt that The Ramones deserve to be remembered as principled pioneers, with thrilling live footage and moving testimony from the likes of Clash frontman Joe Strummer. But the best tribute comes from ex-manager Danny Fields, who says the band and Joey, who died in 2001, “triumphed over geekiness and liberated millions of people from their sense of failure and unpopularity.”

An experimental classical group with a reverential following at Halifax’s St. Mary’s Basilica, where it performs, Sanctuary offers a mixed blessing on its major-label debut. At its best, the ensemble—organist Peter Togni, cellist Christoph Both and bass-clarinetist Jeff Reilly—delves into the world of Philip Glass, conjuring up exotic nature noises and stark, meditative interpretations of Gregorian chant. But too often, Sanctuary simply creates the predictably atmospheric sounds of so many movie soundtracks.

The legendary r&b preacher returns from his Grammy-winning comeback album, Don’t Give Up on Me, with another superb collection of soulful covers. Produced by Don Was, it features Burke’s signature voice on Hank Williams’ cautionary “Wealth Won’t Save Your Soul” and Coco Montoya’s “I Need Your Love in My Life.” Even better is the horn-filled version of Bob Dylan’s “What Good Am I?” And Burke captures the lonely ache of Robbie Robertson’s “It Makes No Difference” even better than The Band.