Patti Smith and Lou Reed -- two of Rock's most raw, bristling icons and royal grandparents of Punk -- have seriously mellowed out. That mellowing manifests itself on two surprising new works due Tuesday. Recently inducted in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, Smith lays new hands on a dozen classics, keeping the simmer under a bubble and basking in the warmth of a great tune. The Columbia Records CD Twelve is Smith's first all-covers affair, sort of an anti-American Idol collection of personal selections. Opening with a back-porch, acoustic chugga-chugga incantation of Jimi Hendrix's "Are You Experienced?" that churns into a tsunami, a tender pluck through Neil Young's "Helpless" and the cough-syrup banjo stroll of Nirvana's "Smells Like Teen Spirit," these personal selections whisper a come-hither sweetness but with a real danger lurking underneath. Other artists under the knife include the Allman Brothers, Paul Simon, Bob Dylan and the Jefferson Airplane, with special guests Tom Verlaine of Television, Flea of the Red Hot Chili Peppers and Rich Robinson of The Black Crowes. ... Want to really get mellow? Whatever you do, don't reach for Lou Reed's Metal Machine Music from 1975 -- that one's best for clearing out droopy party guests. Whodathunk that meditation would someday become Lou's medicine of choice? It's true, as Tuesday the Gemini Sun Records label releases Hudson River Wind Meditations, Reed's new album of mind-washing, minimal Electronica, produced by ace knob-twidler Hal Willner. Reed says he's out "to replace the everyday cacophony with new and ordered sounds of an unpredictable nature," so break out the Tibetan singing bowls and order up a healthy portion of Om.

Television Alert
The Tonight Show with Jay Leno hosts OK Go Thursday and Friday and Amy Winehouse Tuesday. The Late Show with David Letterman welcomes Son Volt Wednesday, Regina Spektor Friday and Corinne Bailey Rae Tuesday. Late Night with Conan O'Brien boasts Paul Weller Monday. Last Call with Carson Daly presents G. Love Wednesday and The Mims Thursday. Jimmy Kimmel Live flips the switch for Killswitch Engage Wednesday, Morrissey Friday and The Stooges Tuesday overnight. The Henry Rollins Show's musical guest on IFC this weekend is Ryan Adams. And Saturday Night Live's musical guest this weekend is Björk.

New Releases Coming Tuesday
Arctic Monkeys - Favorite Worst Nightmare (Domino); Chuck Brown - We're About the Business (Raw Venture) all new from the Go-Go godfather; Bill Callahan - Woke On a Whaleheart (Drag City) new from the man behind the curtain of Smog, with guitarist Pete Denton and Neil Michael Hagerty of Royal Trux; Detroit Cobras - Tied and True (Bloodshot) with Greg Cartwright of The Oblivians and Reigning Sound; Dntel - Dumb Luck (Sub Pop) fractured Electronica with guest vocalists Jenny Lewis, Conor Oberst and Grizzly Bear's Edward Droste; Eccodek - Voices Have Eyes (White Swan) globe-spinning Afro-Dub basking in sexy, grinding beats; Evil Dead: The Musical - original off-Broadway cast recording (Time Life) yup! A new musical based on the horror cult classic!; Luke Fair - Balance 011 (EQ) House happy two-CD set with Voom Voom, Francois K and Tiger Stripes; Fishbone - Still Stuck in Your Throat (Sound In Color) all new featuring "Party With Saddam" and a cover of Sublime's "Date Rape"; Charlotte Gainsbourg - 5:55 (Vice/Atlantic) domestic issue with guests Neil Hannon of Divine Comedy, Jarvis Cocker and Air; Layfayette Gilchrist ­ Three (Hyena) storm-chasing Jazz piano from this young Baltimore native and boxer, who traded in his gloves for 88 keys when he was 17; The Go Find - Stars on the Wall (Morr Music) playful synthesizer-driven Pop from Dieter Sermeus; Colin Hay - Are You Lookin' At Me? (Compass) new solo album from the Men At Work frontman; Rick Holmstrom - Late In the Night (M.C. Records) featuring a wild, bleating Blues cover of Bob Dylan's "Rainy Day Woman #12 & 35"; Calvin Johnson and the Sons of the Soil - Calvin Johnson and the Sons of the Soil (K Records); Kingspade - P.T.B. (Suburban Noize) duo of D-Loc and Johnny Richter of the Kottonmouth Kings; Lucky You - original motion picture soundtrack (Columbia) featuring a new Bob Dylan song, "Huck's Theme"; Maria McKee - Late December (Cooking Vinyl) knockout sixth solo album from the former Lone Justice vocalist; Alan Morse - Four O'Clock and Hysteria (Inside Out) new instrumental album from the Spock's Beard guitarist; The Nightwatchman - One Man Revolution (Epic) Tom Morello of Rage Against the Machine and Audioslave goes acoustic; Porcupine Tree - Fear of a Blank Planet (Atlantic) with guests Robert Fripp of King Crimson and Alex Lifeson of Rush; PowerSolo - It's Raceday! ... and Your Pussy Is Gut!!! (Crunchy Frog) reissue of sludgy, swampy, backwoods hunchin' soul from Danish guitarist Kim Kix, with guest Andre Williams on "Hillbilly Child"; Simply Red ­ Stay (simplyred.com) all new and super smooth, featuring a gorgeous cover of Ronnie Lane's "Debris" and the romantic new single "So Not Over You"; Daryl Stuermer ­ Go (Inside Out) cosmic shredding from the guitarist whose résumé lists Jean-Luc Ponty, Genesis and Phil Collins; Avey Tare & Kria Brekkan - Pullhair Rubeye (Paw Tracks) brown-acid, looped and shuttered experimental recordings from this alter-ego collaborative duo featuring members of Animal Collective and Mum; The Toasters ­ One More Bullet (Stomp) with guests Bufford O'Sullivan of the Easy Star Allstars and Greg Robinson of Mephiskapheles; The Veils ­ Nux Vomica (Rough Trade) my pick of the week is this return to the contorted angst and the dangerous, glorious days of British Pop, with nods to The Auteurs, Blur, Nick Cave and Screaming Jay Hawkins; featuring hypnotic vocalist Finn Andrews, raised in a nifty musical Petri dish as the son of Barry Andrews of XTC and Shriekback; Dale Watson - From the Cradle To the Grave (Hyena) terrific old-school Country packed with parables and pain, channeling the spirit of Johnny Cash in "From the Cradle To the Grave"; Various Artists - Our Impact Will Be Felt: A Tribute to Sick of It All (Abacus) with cover contributions from Hatebreed, Madball, Napalm Death, Bleeding Through, Rise Against, Bouncing Souls and Ignite; Various Artists - A Tribute To Joni Mitchell (Nonesuch) with cover contributions from Elvis Costello, Prince, Bjork, James Taylor and Sarah McLachlan.