Billboard Bits: Supersuckers, Paul Kelly, Ween

Seattle-based, Texas-raised country punks the Supersuckers will on March 12 release “Must’ve Been Live,” the first concert album of the group’s decade-plus career. The recording of the band’s infrequent country concert sets “is a ramblin’, gamblin’, good-time-drinkin’, roadhouse rumblin’, party-time country hoo-haw recorded in Dallas, Austin, and San Diego,” according to lead vocalist, Eddie Spaghetti. “‘Must’ve Been Live’ is 19 tracks and almost 70 minutes worth of pure bootleg dynamite.”

The set, to be released on the band’s own Mid-Fi Recordings, features guest vocals by Amy Nelson (daughter of country icon Willie Nelson) on the song “Hungover Together,” as well as an appearance by Black Crowes guitarist Audley Freed. The group plans to support the album, which can be pre-ordered on CD or double-LP vinyl through the band’s official Web site, with a spring U.S. tour.

— Barry A. Jeckell, N.Y.

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Veteran Australian singer/songwriter Paul Kelly will on Feb. 26 release “Nothing But a Dream” via Cooking Vinyl/spinART. Already a strong-selling album in his homeland, the album is his first U.S. studio release since the 1998 Vanguard set “Words & Music.”

Kelly — whose duet with Kasey Chambers, “I Still Pray” will appear on the country-leaning singer’s next album — recently finished a run of European dates supporting Ani DiFranco, and plans to promote “Nothing” with a March U.S. tour

— Barry A. Jeckell, N.Y.

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Since parting ways with Elektra earlier this year, Ween has showed no signs of slowing down. The cult-rock duo recently issued a live disc, “Live in Toronto Canada,” through its newly minted Chocodog Records on the group’s official Web site, and the initial pressing of 5,000 has already sold out, according to a post on the site by band member Mickey “Dean Ween” Melchiondo. He adds that the group is planning to build a series around the live release concept, aiming to put out two discs a year.

The group has also finished writing its eighth studio album, having worked at the New Jersey beach house where it wrote and recorded 1997’s “The Mollusk.” Melchiondo says the band plans to “weed out” songs and whittle down the album to a finished product in the early part of 2002 for eventual release on an as-yet-undetermined label.

And in other Ween news, the band’s 1994 album “Chocolate and Cheese” has been named one of the 20 sexiest album covers of all time by Playboy.com.

— Troy Carpenter, N.Y.