Wednesday, June 24, 2009

Music News & Notes

Beatles, Nirvana Memorabilia Raises Thousands At Auction

An auction of memorabilia belonging to the likes of The Beatles and Nirvana has raised thousands of dollars in New York.

A souvenir poster of The Beatles 'Sgt Pepper...' album was the most popular item, raising $52,500.

One of the late Kurt Cobain's bass guitars raised $43,750, while handwritten lyrics by Bob Dylan fetched $25,000.

More than 300 pieces of music memorabilia went under the hammer at Christie's, raising a total of $650,000.

But only around 70% of all items sold, as the auction industry continues to feel the effects of the tough economic climate.

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Sunny Day Real Estate Reunion Tour, Reissues Scheduled

Following a more than 10 year hiatus, all four original members of pioneering Seattle rock band Sunny Day Real Estate will regroup for a 20-date US tour starting September 17th, 2009. In addition, Sub Pop Records will re-issue both "Diary" and the band's second full-length album, commonly known as "LP2" (or "The Pink Album" for its entirely pink cover). Both re-mastered albums will include rare bonus tracks as well as newly written liner notes and will be released on both CD and LP September 15, 2009, just prior to the start of the tour.

Originally formed in Seattle in 1992, Sunny Day Real Estate featured Nate Mendel (bass), William Goldsmith (drums), Dan Hoerner (guitar,vocals) and Jeremy Enigk (vocals, guitar). "Diary," the band's first full-length album, was released in 1994 on Sub Pop, going on to become the seventh-best selling record in the label's history with more than 231,000 copies scanned in the US alone. "Diary" was recorded at Chicago's Idful Studios with producer Brad Wood and released to critical acclaim. Following the completion of a US Tour to support the debut release, the group headed back into the studio with Wood to record the follow-up.

But during the recording sessions, internal tensions splintered Sunny Day Real Estate, resulting in a sudden break-up and the finished album being turned in to Sub Pop without a title or artwork. LP2 was released in November 1995, by which time both Goldsmith and Mendel had joined Foo Fighters and Enigk had begun a solo career. Without Mendel, Sunny Day Real Estate reunited in 1997 and released two more studio albums (the 1998 Sub Pop release "How It Feels to Be Something On" and in 2000 "The Rising Tide on Time Bomb") before disbanding again in 2001. Sunny Day Real Estate's influence has grown exponentially since the band's initial split.

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Heart Recording New Album

Ann and Nancy Wilson of Heart have said that they have been in and out of the studio for the last few months recording their follow-up to 2004's Jupiter's Darling. Nancy told Billboard magazine "We've got about eight songs that we really like, and we've recorded three basic (tracks) that work so far. I know it will be out this coming year, but I can't give you any more specific time frame than that.

"We're recording with just a real woodshed, small acoustic element, people playing together at the same time and (in) the same room -- like what they used to call a hootenanny."

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Rolling Stone Readers Pick Hey Jude as McCartney's Greatest Song

To celebrate Paul McCartney's 67th birthday, Rolling Stone asked its readers to pick their favorite song written by the former Beatle.

A number of interesting things came out of the list, even though the list was meant to celebrate the anniversary of his birth, the song "Birthday" didn't make the top 15. "Yesterday," which is the most recorded song in music history, came in only tenth. The breakdown on the tracks was nine from the Beatles and six from McCartney's solo career.

The Rolling Stone reader's picks:

•Hey Jude
•Penny Lane
•Maybe I’m Amazed
•Helter Skelter
•Oh! Darling
•Live and Let Die
•Eleanor Rigby
•I Will
•Jet
•Yesterday
•Let It Be
•Let Me Roll It
•Band on the Run
•Too Many People
•For No One

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Arctic Monkeys - new album & 2009 tour dates


Arctic Monkeys are poised to release their third album "Humbug" on Tuesday, August 25th, 2009.

Produced by Josh Homme in the Mojave Desert and Los Angeles and James Ford in Brooklyn, Humbug features 10 brand new Arctic Monkeys' songs. Fans can now pre-order the album in bundle form, with a collectible, limited edition poster, from the band's website.

The band, who will be headlining the Reading and Leeds Festivals in the UK in August and playing the following shows over the summer, have announced 4 new shows in the US in August."

Arctic Monkeys - 2009 Tour Dates

Saturday, August 1st All Points West, Liberty State Park, New Jersey
Sunday, August 2nd Osheaga Festival, Montreal, Canada
Monday, August 3rd Highline, New York, NY*
Wednesday, August 5th Paradise, Boston, MA*
Friday, August 7th Metro, Chicago, IL*
Saturday, August 8th Lollapalooza, Chicago, IL*
Friday, August 28th Leeds Festival, England
Saturday, August 29th Reading Festival, England
October 2-4 Austin City Limits, Austin, TX

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