Tuesday, June 2, 2009

Music News & Notes

Arctic Monkeys’ New Album Gets Release Date

The Arctic Monkeys have announced the official release date for their as-yet-untitled new album.

The band are set to release the follow-up to 2007’s ‘Favourite Worst Nightmare‘ on August 25 in the U.S. and the previous day in the UK.

The forthcoming album was produced by both James Ford and Queens Of The Stone Age man Josh Homme.

Homme’s produced about half the tracks on the album while Ford produced the other half.

The Arctic Monkeys previously revealed that the new album was heavily inspired by Black Sabbath.

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Little Anthony and the Imperials Opting Out Of Oldies Circuit

Little Anthony and the Imperials have just announced they are bowing out of the Doo Wop reunion circuit. Their aim is to get away from the half hour shows in the middle of a whole bunch of different groups and get back to headlining.

According to Anthony Gourdine:

“We headlined those dates for years and it was all about making a living, really. We re-grouped at one of those ‘Doo Wop shows’ and it seemed like a natural progression. For a time, they were OK to do but since our performance on David Letterman last year, the release of our CD You’ll Never Know and our induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame on April 4th, our audiences have re-discovered us. It was obvious to me that it was time to move on and get back to our R&B roots.”

Yesterday we looked at the top sellers so far this decade, it amazes me that these shows still have an audience. But, after watching one of the shows on PBS, I can see why. The music and singing is timeless and can still be appreciated by millions.

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Bo Diddley Release

Hip-O Select Records continues with their fantastic Bo Diddley reissue series on this Friday with "Ride On: The Chess Masters, Volume 3, 1960 - 1961." The two-disc set is being pressed as a limited edition of 5,000 and, at this point, is only available through the Hip-O Select website.

All 54 tracks on the set were recorded in Diddley's Washington, DC studio which was in the basement of his Rhode Island Avenue home. Home recording was virtually unheard of at this date, but that didn't stop Bo as he put down demos, brought in people for the backing tracks and fully produced the tracks before sending them off to Chess in Chicago.

The set includes 17 unreleased tracks or takes of existing tracks, with those previously released having ended up on the albums In The Spotlight, Bo Diddley Is A Gunslinger, and Bo Diddley Is A Lover. The included booklet contains rare photos, liner notes and track-by-track commentary by George R. White.

Again, timeless music....

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Sonic Youth World Premiere New Album On ILike

Beginning today (June 2, 2009), alt-indie rock pioneers Sonic Youth will world premiere their not-yet-released album, “The Eternal,” exclusively on iLike, the leading social music discovery service. The exclusive, one-week iLike listening event will culminate with the June 9th retail release of The Eternal on Matador Records.

“This album is a celebration of newfound freedom,” said Sonic Youth’s Thurston Moore. “Releasing this album with our friends at Matador feels like liberation which inspired us during the recording process. Debuting it on iLike, free from industry constraints, also fit this theme.”

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