Music News & Notes

General Surgery Releases Split With Butcher ABC

Swedish metal band General Surgery has issued the following statement about a split album with the Japanese band Butcher ABC:

"General Surgery/Butcher ABC split is finally released. The story goes back all the way to 2003 (!) when we got asked by then Escorbuto Recordings president Johan Wallin if we would be interested in doing a split with Japanese gore maniacs Butcher ABC.. Naturally we were, and we planned to do it pretty much right after the split 7"s we did with Machetazo and Filth. After that, things got changed up and we found ourselves working on our first album instead, and it wasn't until May 2007 we got around to finally record the songs for this split. By this time it was decided that the release would be handled by Obliteration Records and Living Dead Society/Coperaction Records. Butcher ABC followed suit and recorded their material later in 2007, and finally here's the result, the most anticipated split release ever. Feast your ears on this putrid mess.

The CD will be out on Obliteration on Jan 11th 2009. The LP will be out on Living Dead Society/Coperaction Records, February 2009. Vinyl 12" LP version is a limited edition to 1000 copies in splatter vinyl, with different cover/artwork from the CD version."

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Riverdales announce title, release date, reissues

Ben Weasel has announced a full slate of releases under various names this year. Most notable among them is the long-awaited album from Riverdales. According to the Weasel release schedule, the record is titled Invasion U.S.A and is due out July 14, 2009. The album will feature fourteen new songs.

Before that, Ben has announced that his 2007 LP, These Ones Are Bitter, will receive a proper CD/LP release on April 7, 2009. The album was previously available digitally and on vinyl through Ben's own Mendota label. The same day, a reissue of the Riverdales' Phase 3 is expected.

Finally, Ben's solo live album, The Brain That Wouldn't Die [Live], is set for May 5, 2009.

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Earache Records Announces New "Heavy Metal Killers" Compilation Album

Earache Records has issued the following statement:

"Earache Records is proud to announce the forthcoming release of Heavy Metal Killers - a compilation featuring the very best bands from the emerging "New Wave of Traditional Heavy Metal" scene.

Heavy Metal Killers features 13 new tracks from the best fresh, young bands who share one common goal - to bring back the glory days of heavy metal and with it, good old-fashioned headbanging riffs and that rarest of talents in this age of growlers - powerful, true heavy metal vocals. Released on the 30th anniversary of the original NWOBHM explosion, this compilation shows that traditional heavy metal is alive and well in the hands of a new breed of bands.

The full track listing for Heavy Metal Killers is as follows:

01. Powervice - "Behold The Hand Of Glory"
02. White Wizzard - "High Speed GTO"
03. Cauldron - "Chained Up In Chains"
04. RAM - "Suddent Impact"
05. Enforcer - "Mistress Of Hell"
06. H.O.D. - "Kicked To The Kerb"
07. Crowning Glory - " Sea Of Dead Dreams"
08. Portrait - "A Thousand Nightmares"
09. Celtic Legacy - "Live By The Sword"
10. ALLTHENIKO - "Feel The Power"
11. Voltax - "Steel Maker"
12. In Solitude - "Witches Sabbath"
13. Cast Iron - "Running From The Law"

Heavy Metal Killers is due to be released on February 16th, 2009 and will be available as CD as well as limited edition vinyl LP in black, red, blue and white."

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Twelve Radiohead Singles Set For Special Vinyl Re-Release

Twelve Radiohead singles are to be re-released by the band's former record label, EMI, on 12” vinyl this April.

The re-releases include the band's rare Drill EP, as well as the hits singles 'Creep', 'High and Dry' and 'Pyramid Song'.

Each special vinyl sleeve will feature a sticker of the original 5” CD single artwork.

Radiohead left EMI shortly before the release of their 2007 album 'In Rainbows'

Following their departure, EMI controversially reissued Radiohead's albums – excluding 'In Rainbows' - and released a 'Best Of'.

The singles re-releases will be available from April 21st.

The full 12 singles are:

'Drill'
'Creep'
'My Iron Lung'
'Just'
'Fake Plastic Trees'
'High and Dry'
'Street Spirit (Fade Out)'
'Paranoid Android'
'Karma Police'
'No Surprises'
'Pyramid Song'
'There There'
'2+2=5'

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(This from http://www.largeheartedboy.com blog);

This Week's Interesting Music Releases (January 13th, 2009)

Adam & The Ants: Friend or Foe (reissue)
Cream: Wheels of Fire (vinyl reissue)
Dead Can Dance: Spleen and Ideal (vinyl reissue)
Derek Trucks Band: Already Free (vinyl)
The Jam: All Mod Cons (vinyl reissue)
Jimmy Cliff: The Harder They Come (vinyl reissue)
Late of the Pier: Fantasy Black Channel (vinyl)
Lemonheads: It's a Shame About Ray (vinyl reissue)
Los Campesinos!: We Are Beautiful, We Are Doomed (vinyl)
M83: Before the Dawn Heals Us (2-LP and CD reissue)
M83: Digital Shades, Vol. 1 (2-LP and CD reissue)
M83: Saturdays=Youth (vinyl)
Various Artists: Notorious Soundtrack (vinyl)
White Lies: To Lose My Life (import single)
Winterpills: Central Chambers (vinyl)

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Stones Readers Pick Their Favorite Jam Bands

The jam band that started it all, the Grateful Dead, could only muster a second place finish in this week's Rolling Stone reader's poll naming their favorites. It was the Allman Brothers that took the top spot in what was said to be a very tight finish.

Veteran artists are spread throughout the list, including Led Zeppelin, Jimi Hendrix and Santana. Surprisingly, one of the most popular touring jam bands, the Dave Matthews Band, only managed number nine on the list. Maybe I am showing my age, but there are a few bands here that made the list that I have never heard of (moe, Umphrey's McGee??)


1-Allman Brothers Band
2-Grateful Dead
3-Phish
4-Umphrey’s McGee
5-moe.
6-Widespread Panic
7-Led Zeppelin
8-My Morning Jacket
9-Dave Matthews Band
10-Gov’t Mule
11-Jimi Hendrix
12-String Cheese Incident
13-Santana
14-Disco Biscuits
15-STS9

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In Other News:

It was a good week for Bruce Springsteen as he took him the Best Song from a Motion Picture award for The Wrestler. He had one in the same category at the Critic's Choice Awards earlier in the week. It is his second Golden Globe, winning previously for the song Streets of Philadelphia.

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A rarely seen photograph of the three remaining Beatles shortly after the death of John Lennon is part of National Portrait Gallery's touring exhibition of the changing idea of family. The photo, taken at Ringo Starr's 1981 wedding to Catharine Bach, shows the happy couple with Paul and Linda McCartney and George Harrison and Olivia Trinidad Arias.

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Dan Randall, the marketing man who gave the Fender Stratocaster its name, passed away back on December 23 at the age of 91.

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Keith Richards and Nick Cave will appear on the upcoming Marianne Faithfull album, tentatively called Easy Come Easy Go.