Wednesday, September 30, 2009

Ask Mr. Music with Jerry Osborne


I am continuing our new feature: Ask "Mr. Music." Now in its 23rd year of syndication (1986-2008), Jerry Osborne's weekly Q&A feature will be a regular post every Wednesday from now on. Be sure to stop by Jerry's site (www.jerryosborne.com) for more Mr. Music archives, record price guides, anything Elvis, buy & sell collectibles, record appraisals and much more. I thank Jerry for allowing the reprints.


FOR THE WEEK OF SEPTEMBER 28, 2009


DEAR JERRY: I realize opinions differ on which early recordings are rock and roll, and which are pure pop music. Still, I do value your take on such matters.

What then is your pick as the last week the nation's entire Top 10 was all pop music, with nothing reasonably considered rock and roll?

Also, when did the Top 10 contain nothing but rock and roll hits, without any entry of the purely pop variety?

I find this topic not only interesting, but one I don't think you've ever addressed.
—Elroy Ridgway, Terre Haute, Ind.



DEAR ELROY: Definitely two previously unasked questions.

The last all-pop Top 10, with nary a title to be challenged, is exactly 55 years ago, the last week of September 1954.

Though the chart positions vary slightly, both Cash Box and Billboard were mostly in agreement on which were the Top 10 tunes that week. These 11 titles, pretty much in this order, accounted for each magazine's Top 10:

1. “Hey There” ([Rosemary Clooney]); 2. “Sh-Boom” ([Crew-Cuts]); 3. “Skokiaan” (Ralph Marterie and [Four Lads]); 4. “This Ole House” (Rosemary Clooney); 5. “The Little Shoemaker” ([Gaylords]); 6. “I Need You Now” ([Eddie Fisher]); 7. “The High and the Mighty” (Victor Young and His Orchestra); 8. “In the Chapel in the Moonlight” ([Kitty Kallen]); 9. “Little Things Mean a Lot” (Kitty Kallen); 10 (CB). “If I Give My Heart to You” ([Doris Day]); or 10 (BB). “Hold My Hand” (Don Cornell).

Lurking just outside and ready to jump into the Top 10 on both charts was Rock Era classic “Shake, Rattle and Roll,” by [Bill Haley] and His Comets.

Part two of the challenge is not nearly as cut and dry, simply because the line between pop and rock ballads became much less definable in the later years.

Since any answer will be subjective to a point, I will support my choice by adding this guideline: any song that made the Top Pop (a.k.a. Easy Listening or Middle-of-the-Road) charts is not eligible for the all-rock Top 10.

The week of this unusual gathering at the top came exactly 10 years after the all-pop Top 10, the last week of September 1964:

1. “Oh, Pretty Woman” ([Roy Orbison] and the Candy Men); 2. “Bread and Butter” ([Newbeats]); 3. “The House of the Rising Sun” ([Animals]); 4. “G.T.O.” ([Ronny and the Daytonas]); 5. “Remember (Walkin' in the Sand)” ([Shangri-Las]); 6. “Do Wah Diddy Diddy” ([Manfred Mann]); 7. “Where Did Our Love Go” ([Supremes]); 8. “Dancing in the Street” ([Martha and the Vandellas]); 9. “It Hurts to Be in Love” ([Gene Pitney]); 10. “Save It for Me” ([4 Seasons]).

Again, chart positions vary slightly, but Cash Box and Billboard agree completely on these being the Top 10 hits.

Your question asks only about the Top 10; however, the next three tunes also qualify:

11. “Haunted House” ([Jumpin' Gene Simmons]); 12. “Maybelline” ([Johnny Rivers]); 13. “Baby I Need Your Loving” ([Four Tops]).

The following two do put an end to the rock list: 14. “We'll Sing in the Sunshine” ([Gale Garnett]) and 15. “Everybody Loves Somebody” ([Dean Martin]).


DEAR JERRY: From your archives I discovered Dolores Erickson is the girl on the cover of [Herb Alpert]'s “Whipped Cream and Other Delights” album.

What I cannot find anywhere is the name of the leggy flight attendant serving Alpert a drink, while sitting on the wing of a biplane, on “Going Places.”

Who is this dish?
—Mary Sterling, Austin, Texas



DEAR MARY: This model never received the publicity Erickson, probably because “Going Places” came out right after “Whipped Cream,” a tough act for any model to follow.

Herb's label name, [l=A&M], stands for Alpert and (Jerry) Moss, and, according to Dolores Erickson, the eye-catching attendant serving Alpert is another Moss — Sandra, then the wife of Jerry.


IZ ZAT SO? In recent years, most of the best-selling hits are some form of modern rock or urban sounds. Still, something from another genre occasionally sneaks into the Top 10.

This week's stray in the Top 10 herd is country singer [Taylor Swift], with “You Belong with Me.”

It is also the only one of the bunch I could suffer through long enough to be categorized.

Copyright 2009 Osbourne Enterprises- Reprinted By Permission

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Toll-Free: (800) 246-3255

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Call today with the code "CVR" to receive your discount!

AC/DC: 'Backtracks' Ultimate Box-Set Details Revealed


Columbia Records and Albert Productions has announced the release of "Backtracks", the ultimate AC/DC collector's experience, available Tuesday, November 10.

Arriving in two distinctly different fan-friendly editions, "Backtracks" spans the length and breadth of AC/DC's career, bringing together rare songs, hard-to-find live performances and the long-awaited debut of "Family Jewels Disc 3", a DVD showcasing the group's music videos, live performances, and promotional clips from 1992-2009. (The original double-disc "Family Jewels" was named 2005's "DVD of the Year" by the U.K.'s Classic Rock magazine while the RIAA certified the collection 10x platinum for sales in excess of 1 million copies in the U.S. alone.)

Manufactured in an exclusive run limited to 50,000 pieces, the deluxe collector's edition of "Backtracks" includes a CD of studio rarities, two CDs of live rarities, the "Family Jewels Disc 3" DVD, the "Live at the Circus Krone" DVD, a front-row immersion in the band's scorching 2003 club show in Munich, Germany, and a 12" long-playing album, struck in 180 gram vinyl, of hard-to-find studio tracks. The limited-edition "Backtracks" includes a five-disc media carrier to house and transport the set's three CDs and two DVDs.

In addition the deluxe collector's edition comes with a 164-page coffee table book and an Original Memorabilia Reproductions Envelope containing an astounding array of facsimiles including the "I DO IT FOR AC/DC" button (the band's very first tour merch), the 1976 "Lock Up Your Daughters" tour flyer, the "Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap" recording track sheet, a 2' x 3' 1977 "Let There Be Rock" European tour poster, a Bon Scott parrot tattoo replica, an AC/DC logo guitar pick, an Australian "Money Talks" dollar, three black-and-white fine art lithographs of never-before-seen photos of the band in the Alberts Studio in 1977 and more.

The AC/DC deluxe collector's edition of "Backtracks" comes housed in a fully operational AC/DC guitar amplifier. The limited and numbered deluxe collector's edition of "Backtracks" will be available direct-to-consumers exclusively through the web site ACDCBacktracks.com with full details on pre-ordering going live on the site on Tuesday, September 29.

The three-disc standard version of "Backtracks" distills the electrifying essence of the deluxe set into one CD of studio rarities, one CD of hard-to-find live tracks, and the indispensable "Family Jewels Disc 3" DVD.

AC/DC Backtracks Sneak Peek Sept. 29



What you get with AC/DC "Backtracks" Deluxe Collector's Edition:

Collector's Edition Box-Set:

The 12"x12"x4" (30cm*30cm*10cm) exterior box is designed to resemble a vintage AC/DC guitar amp — complete with the original logo that was spray-painted onto the rear of Angus and Malcolm Young's speaker cabinets in 1975. The "head" of the amp has a handle that lifts the top off to reveal the contents housed within. Oh yeah, the head is also a WORKING GUITAR AMPLIFIER! That's right, one watt of pure AC/DC makes this box a truly unique collector's item. You can PLAY the box set while LISTENING TO the box set! Check out the videos of Angus using the amp.

3 CDs:

CD 1 – Studio Rarities

This CD, for the first time, collects AC/DC's studio rarities, many on CD for the first time. These are all of the songs that the band recorded throughout their career that appeared on Australian-only LP releases, movie soundtracks, 7" and 12" single releases, and CD "tour editions", etc. 12 of the 18 tracks are completely unique songs that have all been remastered to match the unparalleled sound quality of the rest of the Columbia AC/DC catalog reissues. The other 6 tracks are the original versions of classic AC/DC songs previously only available on the original Australian albums. Some restore seconds to the original fades, others restore guitar solos and choruses. All are highly sought-after collectibles and have never sounded this good!

CDs 2 & 3 – Live Rarities

Like CD 1, this is a collection of the band's live rarities from singles, CD pros, compilations and other oddities. All have been remastered from original sources for optimum sound quality.

2 DVDs:

"Family Jewels" Disc 3

Picking up where the original 2DVD "Family Jewels" set leaves off (1991), "Family Jewels" Disc Three begins with "Big Gun" the theme song to the motion picture "Last Action Hero" — itself a rarity on CD 1 – the first time on any AC/DC album! You also get all three music videos from the "Ballbreaker" album, three from "Stiff Upper Lip" and the most recent clips for "Rock N Roll Train" and "Anything Goes" from the #1 album "Black Ice". But there's more! Several clips from the original "Family Jewels" set actually had more than one promotional clip. Here are the alternate versions of those classic videos – all on DVD for the first time.

Live At The Circus Krone 2003:

2003 was a banner year for AC/DC. From their induction into the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame to massive European dates with THE ROLLING STONES, the band made several high-profile public appearances (including the SARS concert in Toronto for 200,000!). One run of shows found the band returning to their roots – playing clubs and theaters where they thrilled fans with sweaty, stripped-down shows and even throwing in some rarities they hadn't played in years. This show from Munich, Germany is the epitome of an "inside" look at how powerful the AC/DC show is — without all the bells and whistles of the big arena and stadium shows (well, they did bring the cannons…).

164-Page Coffee Table Book:

164 pages of rare and unseen photos spanning 1974-2009 plus full-size re-prints of original press releases, tour itineraries, tour books, test pressing labels, advertisements and much more. A real history of the band from the inside out. Rare photography includes never-before-seen shots of the band recording at the Albert Music studio on King Street in Sydney with legendary producers Harry Vanda and George Young in 1977. Also tons of unpublished live shots from all over the world.

LP:

The 12 unique studio rarities from CD 1 presented on 180-gram audiophile vinyl, mastered specifically for LP. A classic album in its own right!

For complete track listings, video clips, photos and extensive information, visit ACDCBacktracks.com.

Vinyl Collective News

Help Invest in Vinyl Collective/Suburban Home’s Future

from Virgil Dickerson

Truth be told, 2009 has been a tough year for our small, independent business. I guess every business in America can say the same thing. Instead of scaling things back and burying our heads in the dirt, we have figured out ways to take our business to the next level and make moves that will not only ensure we are around for another 14 years but position ourselves in a manner to help every small band and label help find their releases homes around the world.

This isn’t the first time we have found ourselves in a tough situation and as such, we have constantly evolved what we do at Suburban Home/Vinyl Collective to make things work. How else have we found a way to have been around for 14 years? We are developing a number of new projects that will ensure Vinyl Collective and Suburban Home a long future, but we could use your help in the short term. For a quick word on these projects, we are currently working on:

1. Our equivalent to CD Baby where we help every small band and label out with International distribution. We will soon be in a position to help artists who have a demand for their releases find distribution all over the world (U.S., Canada, Europe, Australia, and Japan). We are working out the kinks and getting all of our ducks in a row, but this could be one of the biggest deals in independent music (no exaggeration).

2. Digital Retail Store in the Vinyl Collective store. Our buddy Robb from Limbeck has developed tools that will allow us to sell digital albums in our online store. We plan to launch the store this week and will be offering Flac as well as MP3 Albums at a much lower price than Itunes/Amazon. Expect a huge announcement this week.

3. The Mary Kay / Pampered Chef Pyramid Scheme at Vinyl Collective – I jokingly call it a pyramid scheme as this idea was inspired by Mary Kay and Pampered Chef where people help sell Vinyl Collective/Suburban Home titles in their community to make extra money. It won’t be a scheme though. Do you remember when distros would set up at shows? We want to see this again and will soon be calling upon people all over the world to help us sell our records as well as non-exclusive releases. Can you imagine having 50 to 100 Vinyl Collective representatives selling our records and those of the small labels we buy from? It could revolutionize and uplift our small scene. Sam from Goodcore and I are bouncing ideas off each other to make this work.

4. Used Vinyl Sales in the VC store – this project was put on the back burner for a little while, but we will soon be launching this. The integration of Google Docs into the VC site will help make this run very smoothly.

We need your help. We have come up with a number of ways you can help. Understand that we would love to figure out an easy way to offer stock in Vinyl Collective/Suburban Home so that our friends through music could also be part owners in VC/SH making Vinyl Collective a true Collective. Because of all the red tape involved with the SEC, we are not ready to make that plunge just yet (but maybe sometime in the future). We did, however, come up with a bunch of ways to help us out while helping yourself out:

Vinyl Collective For Life - for $1,000, you will receive every piece of vinyl that we release for as long as we exist. The 10 people who take advantage of this will receive the rarest variant of every 7″, 10″, LP, double LP, and/or boxset we release from here on out. These 10 people will also automatically receive one year’s membership to the VCCC (more on this later) and be enrolled in Suburban Home for Life (more on this later).

Suburban Home For Life – for $100, you will receive every digital release we put out for as long as we are a record label. We tend to release 10 to 12 albums a year so if you think about it, this could pay for itself in one year considering albums cost $10 on Itunes.

Under the Influence subscriptions – I said in the past that I really didn’t want to offer subscriptions of the Under the Influence series as it is a pain in the ass to keep up with, but the more we thought about it, we figured out an organized way to implement this. We will offer 100 subscriptions of the rarest color of volumes 15 through 24 (picked these volumes since we sold subscriptions of 5 through 14 previously).

Vinyl Collective Club Card (the VCCC) – Kind of like how a Costco or Sam’s Club membership works, you become a member of the club which entitles you to special pricing and offers. For $75 per year, you will become a member which entitles you to a VCCC Card, a unique coupon code entitling you to 10 percent off of every order for one year, and special offers for only VCCC members. If you don’t spend over $750 in a calendar year (amount to make the $75 VCCC pay for itself), we will give you a gift certificate for the difference so this will pay for itself no matter what.

I Celebrate Their Entire Catalog Sale (CDs/T-shirt) – We have offered this deal for quite a while but for those of you who prefer their music on CD, you get every in stock CD that Suburban Home has released, an I Celebrate Their Entire Catalog T-shirt, and our next 10 CD releases mailed to you over the course of the next year.

1 of every record we currently carry (a Raffle) – Enter to win 1 copy of every single 7″, 10″, LP, and double LP we carry at Vinyl Collective. This is between 3,000 and 4,000 records valued at between $40,000 to $60,000 depending on the number of records we have in inventory at the time, we select a winner. Instantly have one of the biggest record collections around. We will set up a Kickstarter project as we will need to reach a certain threshold in order to make this work. $3 is the cost of a raffle ticket.

We are hoping to raise over $100,000 to cover some debt, to help us launch these new projects, and to hire a full time music buyer for Vinyl Collective. There comes a time when most small businesses need help to get to that next level. That is where we are right now, but I assure you that this will not only help us, but it will help everyone around us as it is our goal to help the independent music community any way we possibly can.

I feel as though I was put on this Earth as an Independent Music Evangelist. It is hard-wired into my DNA and I cannot imagine doing anything else. I would appreciate your support in helping our little company raise these funds. Please pass this onto others, please post this on your blog or on your Facebook/Myspace pages.

Thanks for your consideration and support of what we do. Your friend through music, Virgil Dickerson

VISIT www.vinylcollective.com AND SHOW YOUR SUPPORT!

Music News & Notes

McCartney CD/DVD Coming In November

Paul McCartney christened Citi Field, the new home of the New York Mets, with a sold-out three-night stand in Flushing, Queens. Those shows will be the focus of an upcoming 2CD/1DVD set titled "Good Evening New York City." Each night’s 33-song, two-hour-and-40-minute hits-filled set was filmed with 15 high-definition cameras, plus an additional 75 flipcams were distributed to the audience to capture all angles of McCartney’s performance. "Good Evening New York City" will be released on November 17th via Hear Music.

The deluxe edition of "Good Evening New York City" will feature both expanded packaging and a bonus DVD of McCartney performing atop the marquee of the Ed Sullivan Theatre in New York on July 15th. While the performance was filmed for Late Show With David Letterman, the DVD will include the performance of some songs that weren’t broadcast.

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Wolfgang's Vault to Make Over a Thousand Concerts Available For Purchase

Six years ago, a small website launched that streamed concerts from the archives of the late Bill Graham. Wolfgang's Vault came under attack from a number of major artists over the rights to make their performances available over the internet but, over time, the site was able to strike deals with companies and artists.

Since then, Wolfgang's Vault has added the libraries of the King Biscuit Flower Hour, the Silver Eagle Cross Country archive and catalogs from the Record Plant, Dawson Sound, Daytrotter and Noise Pop. Almost every major artist is represented in the archives and, on occasion, shows are made available for download at a reasonable price.

Bill Sagan, CEO and founder of the Vault has now told Billboard that, as of November 1, the concerts available for purchase will grow from the current 500 to over 1,500, including 160 shows by the Grateful Dead along with concerts from artists as diverse as Jimi Hendrix to Aretha Franklin to Dolly Parton.

Sagan told Billboard that the change is "the result of negotiating agreements with performers and record labels that not only acknowledge our ownership of this material but gives us rights to exploit it. The objective is that just about everything we stream we'll be able to download. When we hit November 3, more than half the concerts...will be available for download. By Christmas or slightly after Christmas we'll be closer to three-quarters."

Prices for MP3 files of the shows will be $7.98 and $8.98 while lossless Flac recordings are $11.98 and $12.98. The site will also offer a $48 a year membership that comes with a $50 gift certificates, other discounts and the ability to stream concerts at a higher quality bit rate.

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U2 Concerts Costly

U2 has sold $300 million in tickets on its current tour but is yet to generate a profit. That's what happens when you are dragging multiple giant claws around the world. According to Pollstar, the tour costs $750,000 a day to keep on the road, even on the days when the group is not performing. There are three complete claws and stages, with one being disassembled in the previous city, one ready for the current show and one being assembled at the next tour stop.

It is expected that the profit point will be reached sometime during the current sting in the U.S.

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IMMORTAL: 'All Shall Fall' Title Track Available For Streaming

Reunited Norwegian black metallers IMMORTAL have posted the title track of their new album, "All Shall Fall", on their MySpace page.

Pictured below is the limited-edition, box-set version of "All Shall Fall". This box set is only available through Nuclear Blast's mailorder. Here

The box is made of iron, and it's HEAVY! It is limited to 1,000 copies, and contains the digipack, four picture-disc 7" vinyls, a poster flag, a patch and a button.

"All Shall Fall" will be released in North America on October 6 via Nuclear Blast Records. The CD, which was issued in Europe on September 25, was recorded at Grieghallen and Abyss studios in Norway and Sweden, respectively.

"All Shall Fall" was made available in the following formats:

* Standard jewelcase CD
* Limited-edition digipack
* Limited-edition 180g vinyl
* Limited-edition picture disc
* Limited-edition box, only available through Nuclear Blast webshop.

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RJD2 Announces New Album Details

The hip-hop instrumentalist RJD2 hasn't released a solo album since 2007's ill-fated indie pop move The Third Hand, and lately he's mostly been entering our living rooms via his earwormy "Mad Men" theme. But that's about to change. Last month, we reported that RJ has started his own label, RJ's Electrical Connections, and he's in the process of reissuing his back catalog. And come January 19, he'll release his fourth official album, The Colossus, via RJ's Electrical Connections.

The Colossus will alternate between the sample-based approach of his classic debut Deadringer and the live instrumentation of his more recent stuff. And while some tracks are instrumental, he's also recruited a few guest vocalists, including Little Brother rapper Phonte Coleman and Kenna, Malcolm Gladwell's favorite would-be pop star.

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Cooper Halloween Single

Shock rock veteran Alice Cooper is going to treat us this year with a Halloween single. Keepin' Halloween Alive along with a Karaoke version (Cooperoke). It was scheduled to be made available through iTunes yesterday (Tuesday).

Tuesday, September 29, 2009

New Music Releases – September 29, 2009

Buy Vinyl Here

7 Worlds Collide - Sun Came Out
A Bad Think - Simple Rhymes
AFI - Crash Love
Alberta Cross - The Broken Side of Time (vinyl)
Alice In Chains - Black Gives Way To Blue (vinyl)
Anti-Pop Consortium - Fluorescent Black (vinyl)
Apples In Stereo - #1 Hits Explosion (vinyl)
Atlas Sound - Logos
Austrian Death Machine - Double Brutal
Avett Brothers - I and Love and You
Barbra Streisand - Love is the Answer
Bear in Heaven - Wholehearted Mess (vinyl)
Beat Circus - Boy From Black Mountain
Beaujolais - Admirations
Bebel Gilberto - All In One
Bob Dylan - The Collection : Bob Dylan (Another Side of Bob Dylan/Bringing It All Back Home/Highway 61 Revisited) (3-CD box set)
Bob Schneider - Lovely Creatures
Bonerama - Hard Times (EP)
Boredoms - Super Roots 10 (vinyl)
Brand New - Daisy (vinyl)
Brandi Carlile - Give Up the Ghost (vinyl)
Breakestra - Dusk Till Dawn (vinyl)
Breaking Benjamin - Dear Agony
Brian Jonestown Massacre - Love EP (vinyl reissue)
Brian Setzer Orchestra - Songs From Lonely Avenue
Brookville - Broken Lights
Cherry Poppin’ Daddies - Susquehanna
Chris Smither - Time Stands Still
Christmas Island - Blackout Summer
Chromeo - DJ-Kicks (vinyl)
C-Murder - Calliope Click: Volume 1
Colin MacIntyre - Island
Corb Lund - Losin' Lately Gambler
Cory Chisel & Wandering Sons - Death Won't Send A Letter
Crown City Rockers - The Day After Forever

Buy Vinyl Here

Curtis Stigers - Lost In Dreams
Cymbals Eat Guitars - Why There Are Mountains (vinyl)
D.Black - Ali'Yah
Damon & Naomi - 1001 Nights (vinyl & DVD)
David Gray - Draw the Line (vinyl)
Dawes - North Hills (vinyl)
Dead Can Dance - The Serpent's Egg (vinyl reissue)
Default - Comes And Goes
Dethklok - Dethalbum II (CD & DVD)
Digital Leather - Warm Brother (vinyl)
Dizzee Rascal - Tongue N' Cheek
Dominique Lone - Abstract Expression
Doomriders - Darkness Come Alive
Drivin N Cryin - Great American Bubble Factory (vinyl)
Drummer - Feel Good Together
Dynas - The Apartment
E.S.G. - Everyday Street Gangsta
Elvis Costello and the Attractions- Live at the El Mocambo
Emmitt-Nershi Band - New Country Blues
Fool's Gold - Fool's Gold (vinyl)
Foreigner - Can't Slow Down (Walmart exclusive)
Funeral For A Friend - Your History Is Mine: 2002 -2009
Gary Higgins - Seconds (vinyl)
Genesis - Genesis Live 1973-2007 (8-CD 3-DVD box set)
Ghostface Killah - Ghostdini the Wizard of Poetry
Girls - Album
Hatebreed - Hatebreed
Hockey - Mind Chaos
Hope Sandoval - Bavarian Fruit Bread (reissue)
Hope Sandoval - Through The Devil Softly
Hope Sandoval And The Warm Inventions – Through The Devil Softly
Ian Brown - My Way
James Otto - James Otto
Javelina - Beasts Amongst Sheep
Jenn Grant - Echoes
Jesse Cook - The Rumba Foundation
Johnny Cash - The Music of Johnny Cash (3-CD box set)
Jonas Sees In Color - Jonas Sees In Color
Joshua Bell - At Home With Friends
Karen O - Where The Wild Things Are Original Motion Picture Soundtrack (vinyl)
Kelly Blair Bauman - Gomorrah
Kid Harpoon - Once
Kris Kristofferson - Closer To The Bone
La Roux - I'm Not Your Toy
La Roux - La Roux
Label - E1

Buy Music Here

Label - Hoo Bangin'/Cash Money
Landon Pigg - The Boy Who Never
Langhorne Slim - Be Set Free
Liam Frost - We Ain't Got No Money Honey But We Got Rain
Lil Flip - Respect Me
Lords of Falconry - Lords of Falconry
LoveHateHero - American Underwater
Lowlights - Further/Free
Ludo - Broken Bride (re-release)
Ludo - Ludo (re-release)
Lynyrd Skynyrd - God + Guns
Mack 10 - Soft White
MadLove - White With Foam
Madness - The Liberty of Norton Folgate
Madonna - Celebration/Best
Magneta Lane - Gambling With God
Malcolm Holcombe - For The Mission Baby
Manhattan Transfer - The Chick Corea Songbook
Maps - Turning the Mind
Mariah Carey - Memoirs Of An Imperfect Angel
Mark Knopfler - Get Lucky (2-LP vinyl)
Marques Houston - Mr. Houston
Matthew Friedberger - Winter Women/ Holy Ghost Language School (reissue)
M-Eighty Presents - The Academy
Melvins - Chicken Switch (remix album)
Memory Tapes - Seek Magic
Michael McDonald - This Christmas
Miles Davis - The Music of Miles Davis (3-CD box set)
Miranda Lambert - Revolution
Newton Faulkner - Rebuilt By Humans
OM - God Is Good (vinyl)

Buy Music Here

Paloma Faith - Do You Want The Truth Or Something Beautiful
Panther - Entropy (vinyl)
Paramore - Brand New Eyes
Patty Loveless - Mountain Soul II
Phil Roy - In the Weird Small Hours
Phonograph - OKNO
Playaz Circle - Flight 360: The Takeoff
Port O'Brien - Threadbare
Princeton - Cocoon of Love (vinyl)
Pugwash - Giddy
Ramses III - I Could Not Love You More
Revocation - Exsistance Is Futile
Richmond Fontaine - We Used to Think the Freeway Sounded Like a River
Robert Earl Keen - The Rose Hotel (vinyl)
Rod Stewart - The Rod Stewart Sessions 1971-1998 (4-CD box set)
Saigon - Warning Shots 2
Selena Gomez and The Scene - Kiss and Tell
Skyzoo - The Salvation
State Radio - Let It Go
Stephen Bishop - Romance in Rio
Steve Vai - Where the Wild Things Are
Strung Out - Agents Of The Underground
Sweet Trip - You Will Never Know Why
Swell Season - Strict Joy
T.H. White - Company Book
The Ettes - Do You Want Power (vinyl)
The Shaky Hands - Let It Die (vinyl)
The Undergods (Canibus & Keith Murray) - The Undergods
Triple Play - The Second Inning EP
Turbo Fruits - Echo Kid
Twin Atlantic - Vivarium
Tyondai Braxton - Central Market (2-LP vinyl)
Various - Ciao My Shining Star: The Songs of Mark Mulcahy
Various - Silky Soul Music: All Star Tribute to Maze featuring Frankie Beverly
Various - Warp 20: Chosen; Recreated
Various Artists - Can You Dig It? Music & Politics of Black Action Films: 1968-1975 (soundtrack)
Various Artists - Ciao My Shining Star:The Songs of Mark Mulcahy
Various Artists - More Than A Game OST
Various Artists - Music Inspired By The Film More Than A Game
Various Artists - Putumayo Presents: Espana
Various Artists - Tarantino Experience: Take II
Various Artists - Warp 20: Chosen
Various Artists - Warp 20: Recreated
Various Artists - Whip It (soundtrack)
Vitamin String Quartet - The Vitamin String Quartet Tribute to Alice in Chains
Voyces - Let Me Die in Southern California
Warren G - The G Files
Waylon Jennings - The Music of Waylon Jennings (3-CD box set)
Wilco - A.M. (vinyl with CD)
Will Hoge - The Wreckage
Willie Nelson - The Music of Willie Nelson (3-CD box set)
Wu-Tang Clan - Chamber Music (vinyl)
Yonder Mountain String Band: The Show (vinyl)
Zero 7 - Yeah Ghost
Zevious - After the Air Raid
Zurich - Zurich

Buy Vinyl Here

Music News & Notes

Sam Cooke Biopic Being Developed By ABKCO

ABKCO Music and Records is said to be working on a biopic of the late singer Sam Cooke based on the Peter Guralnick biography Dream Boogie: The Triumph of Sam Cooke.

Jody Klein, president of ABKCO said:

"In the next couple of months, I should be able to make an announcement on the film."

The company owns the rights and master recordings to Cooke's music, something that has been a major obstacle in other company's attempts to bring musician's lives to the screen. Jody Klein is the son of Allen Klein who founded ABKCO and was able to amass a large catalog of music by artists like the Kinks, the Rolling Stones and the Who.

There have been no discussion on who would play Cooke, who was shot to death at the age of 33. A younger star without singing experience could be used for the role as the original recordings could be used on the soundtrack.

=====================

U2 Sets Record

U2 couldn't let Giants Stadium be demolished with out setting one more record. Their Thursday night show last week had 84,000 in attendance, breaking the record held since 1995 by Pope John Paul II. Bono even gave Bruce Springsteen a shout out, acknowledging the size of the crowd, saying "Sorry Bruce. We know it's your birthday and all."

=====================

Springsteen To Play Classic LPs In Concert

Bruce and the boys will perform one of their classic albums in full each night during the Rock Hall legend’s five-show stand at New Jersey’s Giants Stadium from September 30th to October 9th. The shows are also historic because they’ll mark the last-ever gigs at the stadium that has played host to so many great concerts; the venue will be demolished at the end of this football season.

Springsteen will open up his five-night stand with a full performance of Born to Run, which the band performed in its entirety on September 20th at Chicago’s United Center. “Chicago convinced us that this was really worth doing,” Springsteen’s manager Jon Landau said in a statement. “The audience was so supportive of the concept that it convinced us to go ahead with this at Giants Stadium.”

The October 2nd show will feature Darkness on the Edge of Town, with Born In the U.S.A. on the set list the following night. For their last two Giants Stadium shows, the E Street will once again perform Born to Run and Born in the U.S.A. on October 8th and October 9th, respectively. Last year, at a fundraiser at New Jersey’s Count Basie Theater, the E Street Band performed both Born to Run and Darkness in their entirety.

=====================

Lucy's In The Sky Now

Lucy Vooden, who will forever be known as the inspiration for the Beatles' "Lucy in the Sky With Diamonds," passed away last week from lupus. She was 46.

Per legend, John Lennon's son Julian brought home a drawing of Lucy, who was one of her classmates. The drawing inspired Lennon and Paul McCartney to write the song which would go on to be one of the group's most controversial. Some said the song was about LSD, but this story is what Lennon reported the song to be about, and I believe him, heck, he wrote the material, he should know what it was about.

=====================

Yorke Puts Together New Band

Thom Yorke has recruited Red Hot Chili Peppers bassist Flea, longtime Radiohead producer Nigel Godrich, Beck drummer Joey Waronker and percussionist Mauro Refosco for a new live outfit that will make its debut this Sunday and Monday, October 4th and 5th, at Los Angeles’ Orpheum Theatre, the singer announced on Radiohead’s Dead Air Space Website this morning. The news ends weeks of rumors surrounding the usually reticent Radiohead frontman, who has been seen out gallivanting in Los Angeles recently, DJing at the Roosevelt Hotel and being snapped by paparazzi outside Nobu.

“In the past couple of weeks I’ve been getting a band together for fun to play The Eraser stuff live and the new songs etc. to see if it could work,” Yorke writes. “We don’t really have a name and the set will not be very long cuz… well… we haven’t got that much material yet! But come and check it out if you are in the area.” We here at Rolling Stone love Radiohead bassist Colin Greenwood, but the prospect of Yorke collaborating with Flea, one of the best in the game, is exciting. Yorke also recently called his new song “The Hollow Earth” a “bass monster,” so Flea should help in bringing songs like that and Eraser’s “Harrowdown Hill” from the studio to the stage.

=====================

The Octopus Project Reissues First Two Albums On Vinyl

On the heels of a new EP and recent North American tour, Austin group The Octopus Project are returning to the studio to record their next full-length. To tide fans over in the meantime, the band's first two albums have been reissued on vinyl and are available in stores now. The band's haunting debut, "Identification Parade," was originally issued by Peek-A-Boo Records in 2002, and deftly combines the experimentation of progressive post-rock, the blips and bleeps of electronic music and the raw, human ROCK of rock. Recorded and assembled over several years while the band was still mostly a recording project, "Identification Parade" has been best described as "ambidextrous equipment failure junk-tronica."

Several years and many tours later, the 2005 sophomore album, "One Ten Hundred Thousand Million," captured the barely-controlled chaos of The Octopus Project's live performances in a rich, surround sound, 3-D, technicolor studio amalgamation injected with the wild energy they felt in noisy, tightly-packed clubs. It was this album that caught the attention of Rolling Stone Senior Editor David Fricke, who described the band's sound as "an outtake of the Beach Boys' 'Good Vibrations' with Mogwai as the studio band" and "tightly composed bundles of synthesized whoop and circus-calliope cheer... like Stereolab with happy feet."

"Identification Parade" has never appeared on vinyl until now. "One Ten Hundred Thousand Million" was originally released on vinyl in a very limited edition of 500 copies with alternate hand-screened cover artwork. Peek-A-Boo Records is very excited to finally make both of these stellar albums available for vinyl enthusiasts.

This Date In Music History-September 29

Birthdays:

Mike Post ("The Rockford Files") is 65
Jerry Lee Lewis (1935)
Jean-Luc Ponty (1942)
Manuel Fernandez - Los Bravos (1943)
Peter Hope-Evans - Medicine Head (1947)
Mark Farner - Grand Funk Railroad (1948)
Mike Pinera - Blues Image/Iron Butterfly (1948)
Suzzy Roche - The Roches (1956)
Mick Harvey - Nick Cave And The Bad Seeds (1958)
Les Claypool - Primus (1963)
Ian Baker - Jesus Jones (1965)
Brad Smith - Blind Melon (1968)
Donald DeGrate, (DeVante Swing) - Jodeci (1969)
Josh Farro - Paramore (1987)


They Are Missed:

Born today in 1907, Gene Autry, the singing cowboy. During his career Autry scored 25successive Top 10 Country hits. He died on October 2, 1998 (age 91).

Born on this day in 1937, Joe 'Guitar' Hughes, US blues guitarist, died May 20, 2003 (age 65). Worked with T-Bone Walker, BB King, Big Joe Turner.

Born today in 1939, Tommy Boyce, singer, songwriter. 1968 #8 single with Bobby Hart, "I Wonder What She's Doing Tonite." Wrote "Last Train To Clarksville," "I'm Not Your Stepping Stone" and "Scooby-Doo Where Are You." Sold over 40m records. Boyce committed suicide on November 23, 1994.

American singer, songwriter Paul Jabara died in 1992 from lymphoma related to AIDS at the age of 44. He wrote Donna Summer's Oscar and Grammy Award-winning hit "Last Dance" and Barbra Streisand's "The Main Event/Fight" and co-wrote the Weather Girls hit, "It's Raining Men" with Paul Shaffer.


History:

Dizzy Gillespie gave his first Carnegie Hall concert in 1947.

In 1956, RCA Victor had received 856,327 advance orders for "Love Me Tender" by Elvis Presley.

In 1956, "Dance to the Beat of Bostic," by alto sax player Earl Bostic, was the first 12" long-playing album released on King Records. Prior to this, the label had issued its albums in the 10" format.

Buddy Holly and the Crickets record "Maybe Baby" in 1957.

Little Anthony & the Imperials recorded "Shimmy Shimmy Koko Bop" in 1959 (Anthony is quoted as saying the song is "stupid").

New York Times music critic Robert Shelton saw Bob Dylan open at Gerde's Folk City in 1961. His review described Dylan as "a cross between a choir boy and a beatnik" and "bursting at the seams with talent." It's Dylans first press notice.

The Rolling Stones begin their first tour, supporting the Everly Brothers, Little Richard and Bo Diddley in England in 1963.

In 1964, the Beatles spent the day recording "Every Little Thing," "I Don't Want to Spoil the Party," and "What You're Doing" with George Martin, producer.

At London's Birdland club in 1966, Eric Burdon's New Animals are holding auditions for a new guitarist. The band members are unimpressed by Noel Redding's guitar skills, but invite him to play bass. He jams with Chas Chandler's new find Jimi Hendrix and the two head off to a pub. Redding would go on to play bass with the Jimi Hendrix Experience.

"I Heard it Through the Grapevine" was released by Gladys Knight & the Pips in 1967.

Mickey Hart joined the Grateful Dead in 1967.

Grand Funk Railroad went to #1 on the US singles chart in 1973 with "We're An American Band," the group's first of two US chart toppers.



In 1974, John Lennon appeared on WNEW-FM in New York as a guest DJ.

In 1976, enjoying his own birthday celebrations singer Jerry Lee Lewis accidentally shot his bass player Norman Owens in the chest. Lewis had been blasting holes in an office door. Owens survived but sued his boss.

In an interview with Newsweek magazine in 1980, John Lennon gives details about the soon-to-be released album he's making with Yoko Ono, Double Fantasy.

Prince's single "Let's Go Crazy" hit #1 in 1984. He then held the #1 single, album and film simultaneously. Only the Beatles had accomplished the feat previously.

Bruce Springsteen stopped in a small salon in Prescott, AZ in 1989 and played a few songs with the band. He overheard a woman talking about financial problems concerning her medical bills. A week later she received a check for $100,000 from Springsteen.

MTV premieres the video for Nirvana’s “Smells Like Teen Spirit” in 1991. The clip and song have an enormous impact defining the burgeoning Grunge movement.



New Edition were at #1 on the US album chart in 1996 with "Home Again" their only US #1 album.

TV Pop Idol winner Kelly Clarkson started a two-week run at #1 on the US singles chart in 2002 with "A Moment Like This."

Disturbed were at #1 on the US album chart in 2002 with "Believe."

In 2004, Keith Moon's five-piece drum kit, custom-made for The Who drummer in 1968, sold for $215,772 in London to an American collector, setting a world auction record for a set of drums.

In 2007, US rapper 50 Cent was beaten by rival rap star Kanye West in the stand-off to claim the best-selling album in the US. West's Graduation shifted 957,000 copies in its first week of sales while 50 Cent's album, Curtis, only sold 691,000. Before the albums went on sale 50 Cent vowed he would retire from making solo albums if he was outsold by West. 50 Cent axed his forthcoming European tour and a performance at London Mobo Awards the Vodafone Live Music Awards in London, as well as at an MTV show in Germany.

Monday, September 28, 2009

Top 5 eBay Vinyl Record Sales

Week Ending 09/26/2009


1. LP - The Beatles "Please Please Me" Stereo Parlophone Gold UK First Press - $8,689.75

2. 45 - Larry Clinton "She's Wanted" / "If I Knew" Dynamo - $3,188.88

3. 45 - Bob Dylan "Like A Rolling Stone" / "Gates Of Eden" CBS Mayalysia w/ Picture Sleeve - $3,063.00

4. 45 - Elvis Presley "That's All Right" / "Blue Moon Of Kentucky" Sun 209 - $2,999.99

5. 45 - Slayer "25 Years Of Showing No Mercy" Fan Club Issue - $2,700.00


As always, a special thank you to Norm at http://ccdiscoveries.blogspot.com for this great data. Stop in and listen to their unique radio show Accidental Nostalgia with Norm & Jane On Radio Dentata Thursdays 4PM PDT/7PM EDT

Bird and Animal Names In Rock and Roll History-part thirty

Let’s continue our ongoing article series about ‘bird’ and ‘animal’ group names in rock and roll history, again picking up where we left off, exploring indie bands with the word ‘wolf’ in the title.

Portland punk-pop quartet Wolf Colonel began on the campus of Lewis and Clark College in the fall of 1996 as the solo acoustic project of singer/guitarist Jason Anderson. It was at a gig at the college where Anderson met K Records rep Calvin Johnson and he began sending self-released cassettes like "Sex Riot" and "This Is Compton" after adding bass and drums to the recordings. Johnson finally agreed to record a session at his Dub Narcotic studio, resulting in the early 1999 release of Wolf Colonel's self-titled debut EP.

For a subsequent spring tour, Anderson recruited rhythm guitarist Jake Longstreth, bassist Ryan Wise and drummer Adam Forkner; the full length "Vikings of Mint" followed in early 2000 and "Castle" was issued later that fall.

The band specialized in absolutely spot on lo-fi nuggets of beautifully observed pop and while Anderson may have had a singer-songwriter label attached to his name, his songs have more in common with the muscular rock power of Thin Lizzy - all wrapped up into two and a half minutes of power pop bliss. They recorded three albums for K between 99-2002, before Jay dropped the wolf colonel moniker and has gone on to record some more tersely infectious melodies, woozy harmonies, and careening guitars- smashing stuff that’s slightly more polished.


The Aussie band Wolfmother hails from Erskineville, Sydney, Australia and has since grown exponentially in popularity since their formation in 2000, making their way into the public spotlight in 2004 after "years of jamming and anonymity." Wolfmother took the initiative of recording a four-track self-titled EP in 2004 for the purpose of getting booked for shows. But the results were so astonishing that the band re-recorded it for official release via local Modular Records. A second EP, “Dimensions,” appeared in 2006 and Wolfmother made the jump to the majors in early 2006 courtesy of an American distribution deal for Modular through Interscope. Their self-titled album debut appeared in May and reached the Top 40 and "Woman," a single from the album, won the band their first Grammy Award, for Best Hard Rock Performance, in 2007.

Originally comprising of vocalist and guitarist Andrew Stockdale, bassist and keyboardist Chris Ross and drummer Myles Heskett, the band has released one studio album, Wolfmother (2005), which reached number three on the Australian ARIA Albums Chart.

NME dubbed them the “Best New Australian Band” and the UK’s Radio 1 presenter Zane Lowe featuring their new album as the “Best in the world!” Soon, as the music world started to hear more of the band, more comments about the band followed, some good, some not and the inevitable comparisons to Led Zeppelin worked against them in some ways. In fact, a Stylus Magazine review stated "everything there is to say about them is best said by immediate reference to another band and Wolfmother always come up short in the comparison." An Allmusic review of the band is more critical, calling their music "precious, inarticulate, [and] confused" when compared to that of their musical influences, Led Zeppelin, Deep Purple, Cream and Black Sabbath. However, fellow musicians raved about the band's sound, Radiohead frontman Thom Yorke has stated that he is a fan of Wolfmother as is Lars Ulrich of Metallica. Alice Cooper has described Wolfmother's sound, stating they are "like a teenage Jimi Hendrix, Steppenwolf kind of band."



In August 2008, co-founding members Ross and Heskett left the band due to "irreconcilable personal and musical differences," though Stockdale has stated that he would continue using the Wolfmother moniker with new members in the future. After a brief hiatus, Stockdale returned with three new musicians in the fold, bassist and keyboardist Ian Peres, guitarist Aidan Nemeth and drummer Dave Atkins. The new lineup's first album, "Cosmic Egg" is scheduled for release on October 13, 2009 and promises to bring more comparisons and critical acclaim to the psychedelic- metal band.

In the late-'90s Chris Manak, aka Peanut Butter Wolf began DJing as a teenager and became quite the entrepreneur at his San Jose, CA, high school, selling mix tapes of his turntable work.

He made his debut in 1989 with "You Can't Swing This" which was recorded with a smooth MC named Lyrical Prophecy and by the end of the year; he began working with MC Charizma. The pair was very successful and perfected their skills at block parties and shows with the likes of the Pharcyde, House of Pain, and Nas. However, right after the duo secured a record deal with Hollywood Basic in 1992, Charizma was shot and killed.

Peanut Butter Wolf carried on without his collaborator and began issuing instrumental tracks, including his first release called "Peanut Butter Breaks" (Heyday Records). Other tracks followed, including "Return of the DJ" which is known as the first all-DJ album, helping to launch the careers of turntablists such as DJ Q-bert, Cut Chemist, DJ Z-Trip, and others.

In 1996, Peanut Butter Wolf formed Stones Throw Records and released its first single, Charizma & Peanut Butter Wolf's "My World Premiere." Peanut Butter Wolf then released his own solo album on Stones Throw, "My Vinyl Weighs a Ton" in 1999 and in 2002 two excellent compilations, "The Best of Peanut Butter Wolf" and the Stones Throw 7" collection Jukebox 45's only fueled the budding label. In 2003 he released “Badmeaninggood, Vol. 3” and the next year he produced a compilation CD/DVD of his label's artists, “Stones Throw 101.” He continues to pour his efforts into the record label and occasionally performs, doing DJ gigs in Europe, Australia, Canada, Japan, and the US. Stones Throw Records is a major player in the genre with noted hip hop releases by Madlib's Quasimoto, Yesterdays New Quintet, Jaylib (J Dilla and Madlib) and Madvillain (MF Doom and Madlib) and the label has expanded their repertoire to include funk and hip hop re-issues as well as experimental jazz and electronic music. Peanut Butter Wolf is also a member of the L.A. hip-hop orchestra Breakestra.

In part thirty-one of our ongoing series, we will switch gears and move away from the ‘wolf’ names and continue our look at other bird and animal group names and people in rock and roll history.

Buy Wolf Colonel Music

Wolfmother Tidbits:

Thanks to the success of their album and singles, Wolfmother's music has been featured in many video games, films and commercials. "Love Train" featured in an iPod commercial; "Woman" was included on such video games as Guitar Hero II, MotorStorm, Pure, Saints Row 2, Tony Hawk's Project 8 and NHL 07; "Dimension" featured in the film School for Scoundrels and in video games FlatOut 2, and Rugby 06.

"Joker & the Thief" appeared in films Jackass Number Two, Shoot 'Em Up, Shrek the Third and The Hangover (2009 film) and video games Need for Speed: Carbon, Rock Band, and MLB 07: The Show, as well as commercials for both Mitsubishi and Peugeot cars.

The band performed at big-name local and international festivals in 2006, including SXSW, Big Day Out, Sasquatch! Music Festival, Roskilde Festival, Lowlands, Splendour in the Grass, Fuji Rock Festival, Lollapalooza, Reading and Leeds Festivals, V Festival, Download Festival and the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival among many other tour stops.

Buy Wolfmother Music


Peanut Butter Wolf Tidbits:

In 2006, Peanut Butter Wolf served as presenter for Stones Throw & Adult Swim's “Chrome Children” CD/DVD.

Chris is married to clothing designer Violet Valen, owner of BUDDY by Violet Valen

Copyright 2009 Robert Benson www.collectingvinylrecords.com

Music News & Notes

Heart Children's Book

Heart's Ann and Nancy Wilson are inseperable, joined at the hip within their musical adventures. Rock and roll ballads come easy for the talented sisters and now the two have collaborated on a children's book. The book, Dog & Butterfly and Nancy's new lullabies album Baby Guitars are set to be released October 6 exclusively on Amazon.com. The release also coincides with the 30th anniversary of Heart's legendary album Dog & Butterfly and a new version of the title cut has been recorded by the Wilson sisters and will be available as a free download with the purchase of the children's book.

Baby Guitars, Nancy explains, has been well "road-tested" on children. She wrote and recorded the songs with Heart guitarist Craig Bartock five years ago as a gift for a pregnant friend. Up until now, the recordings have been heard only by family and friends. (When Tom Cruise and Katie Holmes became parents in 2006, Nancy passed along a home-burned copy to his team for daughter Suri.)

Baby Guitars features "pure, innocent" sounds like acoustic guitars, mandolin, harp and Japanese koto. The tracks are instrumentals, recalling Nancy's work scoring Jerry Maguire and Almost Famous, written and directed by husband Cameron Crowe. Her 10-year-old twin sons, Billy and Curtis, drew the cover art, and Billy's beloved blanket inspired Nancy's favorite song on the album, Silky.

The book's illustrations were drawn by Ann and painted by Nancy, just one more collaboration between the sisters. They're on tour with Heart through October and at work on their next album, out in 2010.

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YouTube & Warner Talking New Deal

Warner Music Group and YouTube have reportedly agreed on a new deal that will bring the major label’s videos — including work by artists like Madonna and Green Day — back to the video streaming Website. According to AdAge.com, while the two sides haven’t officially announced the new contract, WMG is also moving on to negotiations to possibly join Vevo, a video stream venture between YouTube, Sony and Universal.

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REO Holiday LP

REO Speedwagon is jumping on the holiday bandwagon and releasing a Christmas album. Not So Silent Night… Christmas With REO Speedwagon will be released October 27 on Sony Legacy and will include numerous classics like The First Noel, Winter Wonderland, Deck the Halls, Little Drummer Boy and Joy to the World.

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Vinyl Collective Top 10 Sales of the past week

Virgil has posted the top sellers for the week, stop by www.vinylcollective.com and pick up some great vinyl!

1 WHATEVER 64 copies
2 THE SWELLERS “Welcome Back Riders” 7″ black vinyl 49 copies
3 FRANK TURNER “The First Three Years” dbl LP red w/ white splatter vinyl 31 copies
4 MURDER BY DEATH “Finch: Instrumental Album” 10″green vinyl 25 copies
5 CHUCK RAGAN/ BRIAN FALLON “Gospel Songs” 7″ white vinyl 23 copies
6 CHUCK RAGAN/ BRIAN FALLON “Gospel Songs” 7″ brown vinyl VC exclusive color 14 copies
6 THE SWELLERS “Welcome Back Riders” 7″ pink w/ blue splatter vinyl 14 copies
6 HEAVY HEARTED “S/T” 7″ mixed color vinyl 14 copies
9 HEAVY HEAVY LOW LOW “Turtle Nipple…” LP brown/pink 13 copies
10 CHUCK RAGAN “Gold Country” LP black vinyl 11 copies
10 LIZZIE HUFFMAN AND HER BROTHER BAND “S/T” 10″ red/burgandy vinyl 11 copies

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New Morrissey B-Sides On The Way

2009 has been quite a year for Morrissey. He's toured relentlessly, performing to sold-out audiences around the world. His 9th studio album, "Years Of Refusal," saw Morrissey tie his highest US chart debut on the Billboard 200, and he's overseen upgraded and remastered versions of his ‘90s works Southpaw Grammar and Maladjusted. Crowning what is undoubtedly his most productive year since his solo career began in 1988, "Swords" compiles 18 select songs released as b-sides of his 13 hit singles from his last four albums.

As an artist who has always ensured his b-sides are of as outstanding quality as his singles and album tracks, "Swords" features some of Morrissey's finest material. 12 songs are collaborations with guitarist Alain Whyte, the rest co-written with guitarists Boz Boorer and Jesse Tobias, and former keyboardist Michael Farrell. In keeping with the three remarkable studio albums covered in his period - 2004's "You Are The Quarry," 2006's "Ringleader Of The Tormentors" and "Years Of Refusal" - the music is powerful and adventurous. The richness and expression of Morrissey's voice has never been greater. With unmatchable style, wit and insight, truths beneath the surface are laid bare. There are moments of personal reflection; "Munich Air Disaster 1958," for example, is a heartrending lament for the Manchester United players who died in the infamous plane crash, and for those who were left behind. The live cover version of David Bowie's 1973 song "Drive-In Saturday" reveals a little more of Morrissey's own teenage self, with its lyrics of amorous confusion modified to rhapsodize over The New York Dolls rather than the Rolling Stones. Chrissie Hynde makes a rare appearance, singing backing vocals on "Shame is the Name."

The album was compiled by Morrissey who is surely in the rudest of creative health. They're subtly assembled and sequenced -the feeling of approaching extinction in the beautiful "The Never-Played Symphonies" followed by a promise of a reunion in the afterlife on "Sweetie-Pie." As Morrissey said of the Tour Of Refusal in March, "all of our answers will be in our songs."

Initial quantities of "Swords" will come with a bonus disc featuring eight superb live performances recorded in Warsaw in July this year. This will include songs from Morrissey's last two albums and 1994's "Vauxhall And I," plus The Smiths' "You Just Haven't Earned It Yet, Baby," first heard on the group's 1986 b-side collection "The World Won't Listen." In October and November Morrissey and his band will also tour the UK and Europe, with new American dates scheduled for later in the year.

"Swords" will be released in the UK on October 26th and November 3rd in the US.

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The Prodigy Ready New Single

The Prodigy release the third single "Take Me To The Hospital" on October 20th. Still riding high in the UK charts, their album ‘Invaders Must Die' is among the top five selling albums of 2009 and has reaffirmed the band's status as true legends of both dance and rock.

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Rhino Suffering In The Digital Age

In the latest indication of the shrinking market for compact discs, Warner Music Group's catalog arm Rhino Records laid off between 30 and 40 staffers last week. Job losses came in all departments, including A&R, marketing, promotion and publicity.

A statement from Rhino cited a "fundamental transformation of the physical new release and catalog business" as a reason for the cuts.

Rhino founder Richard Foos, speaking in dejected tones, said that it "had become very apparent that it was too difficult to go on." The store's lease expired and Foos opted to lock the doors. The store plans a Jan. 21 parking-lot sale that will be part wake, part fire sale.

"But we are hoping now for a white knight to show up and buy the inventory and the name and hopefully carry on the tradition," he said. "It was a very emotional decision but this is where it's at. Now in Westwood you have no free-standing record stores. You have one of the largest colleges in the country and no independent record store. That says a lot."

Rhino will evolve into an entity that "handles WMG's global digital catalog initiatives, film, TV, vidgame and commercial licensing, and name and likeness representation for legendary artists." Rhino has long been considered the industry standard for boxed set retrospectives, but demand for such high-ticket items has been strangled by the music market slump and shift to digital sales.

Sunday, September 27, 2009

Top 5 eBay Vinyl Record Sales

Week Ending 09/19/2009


1. LP - Lee Morgan "City Lights" Blue Note BLP 1575 - $2,655.00

2. LP - Pink Floyd "More" Odeon Japan Red Wax - $2,500.00

3. World's Experience Orchestra - The Beginning Of A New Birth - $2,127.00

4. 45 - Necros "Sex Drive" w/ Inserts KBD - $1,975.00

5. LP - Sonny Clark "Sonny's Crib" Blue Note BLP 1576 - $1,691.00


As always, a special thank you to Norm at http://ccdiscoveries.blogspot.com for this great data. Stop in and listen to their unique radio show Accidental Nostalgia with Norm & Jane On Radio Dentata Thursdays 4PM PDT/7PM EDT

This Date In Music History-September 27

Birthdays:

Producer Don Nix (1941)

Randy Bachman - Guess Who/Bachman-Turner Overdrive (1943)

Singer Meatloaf (real name Marvin Lee Aday) (1947)

Greg Ham - Men at Work (1953)

Reggae bassist and producer Robbie Shakespeare (1953)

Johnette Napolitano - Concrete Blonde (1957)

Seventies vocalist/teen idol, Shaun Cassidy (1958)

Stephan Jenkins - Third Eye Blind (1966)

Mark Calderon - Color Me Bad (1970)

Bradley Kirk Arnold - 3 Doors Down (1978)

Lil Wayne (Dwayne Michael Carter, Jr.)(1982)

Avril Lavigne (1984)


They Are Missed:

One of the giants of the jazz piano, Bud Powell (real name Earl Powell) was born in New York, NY in 1924 (died July 31, 1966).

In 1972, Rory Storme, the leader of one of Liverpool's earlier beat groups, overdosed on sleeping pills in what is presumed to be a suicide pact with his mother. Rory Storme and the Hurricanes are best remembered as the group Ringo Starr departed in 1962 to play drums for the Beatles.

Scottish guitarist Jimmy McCullough was found dead in his apartment in 1979. McCullough was 26. Also a member of Stone The Crows, Thunderclap Newman and Wings (1974 to 1977).

Reggae artist Prince Far I was killed by gunmen at his home in St. Catherine's, Jamaica in 1983. The motive behind his murder is still unclear.

In 1986, Metallica bass player Cliff Burton was crushed to death after the bands tour bus crashed between Stockholm and Copenhagen. During a European tour members from the band drew cards for the most comfortable bunk on the tour bus, Burton had won the game with an Ace of Spades and was asleep when the tour bus ran over a patch of black ice and skidded off of the road. He was thrown through the window of the bus, which fell on top of him.

Bassist Louis Satterfield died in Chicago in 2004. He worked with Fontella Bass, Earth Wind and Fire and The Phenix Horns.

Dale Houston of Dale & Grace ("I'm Leavin' It Up To You") died from congestive heart failure in 2007.

George Jones, lead singer of the Edsels, died of cancer in 2008.

Pink Floyd’s manager Bryan Morrison died in 2008 after spending over two years in a coma. Morrison suffered severe brain injuries in a polo accident at the Royal Berkshire Polo Club, England in 2006, and never recovered. He also managed The Pretty Things and was a music publisher for Syd Barrett, The Bee Gees, Elton John, The Jam, T-Rex and Wham!


History:

In 1938, "Thanks for the Memory" was heard for the first time on the The Bob Hope Show.

Glenn Miller and his Orchestra performed together for the last time in 1942. Miller volunteered for the U.S. Army and disappeared December 15, 1944 over the English Channel.

Martha and the Vandellas' first single "I'll Have to Let Him Go" was released in 1962.

Singing her new single "Love of The Loved," which was written by Lennon and McCartney, Cilla Black made her debut on TV's' 'Ready Steady Go! in 1963.

The Beach Boys made their first appearance on the Ed Sullivan Show in 1964, singing "I Get Around."

Working on new songs in 1967, the Beatles recorded various parts for the new John Lennon song "I Am The Walrus" and the new Paul McCartney song "Fool On The Hill."

In 1968, the Jackson 5 opened a Gary, Indiana concert for Stevie Wonder and Gladys Knight (Gladys, not Diana Ross, tips off Motown Records to sign them).

Santana's self-titled debut album entered the LP charts in 1969. The double-platinum album contained the Top Ten hit, "Evil Ways."



Creedence Clearwater Revival's "Green River" peaked at #2 on the singles chart in 1969. CCR never had a #1 song in the US.

In 1979, moments after beginning the tune "Better Off Dead," Elton John collapsed onstage at the Universal Amphitheatre. He was suffering from exhaustion brought on by the flu. After a ten minute intermission, John returned to finish a concert lasting nearly three hours.

The Police released their second album, "Regatta de Blanc" in 1979.

The Beatles didn't need to make a comeback, but they did so anyway in 1986 thanks to "Twist and Shout" being featured on the soundtracks to Ferris Bueller's Day Off and the Rodney Dangerfield masterpiece Back to School. The single re-enters the chart today and gets to #23. It's the Fab Four's first charting single since 1982's "The Beatles' Movie Medley."

Lionel Richie started a two run at #1 on the US album chart in 1986 with "Dancing On The Ceiling."

"Walk This Way" by Run-DMC and Aerosmith peaked at #4 on the singles chart in 1986.

Dee Dee Ramone of the Ramones was arrested in 1990 for possessing marijuana during a drug bust in New York's Greenwich Village.

In 1992, shock-rockers Jane's Addiction played their last show at the Aloha Tower, Honolulu, during which frontman Perry Farrell appeared naked.

In 2003, "You're so Vain" singer Carly Simon sued New York's Dakota building, alleging they rejected her application to live there, but kept a $99,000 down payment.

"Wall of Sound" producer Phil Spector was indicted on charges of murder in 2004. He is alleged to have killed actress Lana Clarkson at his Los Angeles home in 2003.

John Mellencamp and his song "Our Country" are featured in an advertising campaign for Chevrolet's ‘07 Silverado pickup truck in 2006. Mellencamp says the partnership "makes perfect sense" because Chevy is an American company and his song "is all about standing up for the working people who are the backbone of our nation."

Saturday, September 26, 2009

Creedence Clearwater Revival Boxset

Creedence Clearwater Revival's golden era of hit singles (fall of 1968 through spring of 1972) rivals that of any band in rock 'n' roll history. The Southern-flavored quartet from El Cerrito, Calif., turned out 17 hits in a 44-month stretch, nine of them in the Top 10, five of them in the Top 5.

On November 3, Fantasy Records will release The Singles Collection, a two-CD, one-DVD box with a slip case, containing all of the band's U.S. singles -- 30 songs in all. Top 5 smashes like "Bad Moon Rising," "Green River," "Down on the Corner," "Travelin' Band," "Who'll Stop the Rain," "Run Through the Jungle," "Up Around the Bend," "Long As I Can See the Light" and "Lookin' Out My Back Door" are joined by seldom-heard singles that never charted ("Porterville" and "Call It Pretending" on Fantasy's Scorpio subsidiary, and later singles "Tearin' Up the Country" and "45 Revolutions Per Minute [Parts 1 & 2]").

The 30 songs, (which are presented in their original single mixes, many of them in mono --- are making their CD debut), housed on two CDs, will be joined by a DVD containing four never-before-available, long-pre-MTV music videos: "I Heard it Through the Grapevine," "Bootleg," "I Put a Spell on You" and "Lookin' Out My Back Door." Also included in the package are a poster featuring the dozens of international single sleeves, and a 16-page booklet with liner notes by former Rolling Stone editor Ben Fong-Torres, who lived and wrote in the Bay Area during CCR's golden half-decade.

Fantasy will also manufacture a limited edition collectors' version of The Singles Collection featuring actual vinyl 45 rpm singles with reproductions of the original Fantasy label design and housed in their rare picture sleeves-- the ultimate holiday gift for Creedence fans.

The members of Creedence Clearwater Revival, of course, hailed from the suburbs of Oakland the little town of El Cerrito, lappeding up music on the radio through the late ' '50s and ' '60s, and eventually signed to a small, open-minded jazz label in Berkeley called Fantasy Records. Originally known as the Tommy Fogerty & the Blue Velvets and then The Golliwogs, the band's break came with its swampy 1968 cover of Dale Hawkins' "Suzie Q," which notched #11 on Billboard's pop singles chart. Starting on San Francisco's free-form rock radio stations, the song crossed over top Top 40, putting Creedence on the map. As Fong-Torres notes, "radio needed acts like CCR -- reliable producers of solid tunes laden with hooks."

Even in the South, radio was taken with CCR. DJ Scott Shannon, then on Memphis' WMPS-AM, was a Dale Hawkins fan and thought Fogerty nailed it. "His voice and his mixes were perfect for Top 40," he said. "It just screamed out of the AM radios."

But it wasn't just the radio. CCR songs began popping up in movies and TV shows -- several dozens of them, in fact. "Bad Moon Rising" has shown up the most often (including in An American Werewolf in London), and "Fortunate Son" has been heard in films ranging from The Manchurian Candidate (2004) to Live Free or Die Hard (2007).

"I used to say in 1968 that I wanted to make records they would still play on the radio in ten years," John Fogerty said in early 1993, on the eve of Creedence Clearwater Revival's induction into the Rock 'n' Roll Hall of Fame.

Forty years later, the music sounds as fresh and vital as ever.


Music News & Notes


Pearl Jam Is Back!

It appears that Pearl Jam is on course to score a #1 album, their first in 13 years, according to Billboard magazine. Judging from current projections based on this week’s sales, the band’s new album Backspacer, released last Sunday, could conceivably sell anywhere between 175,000 to 200,000 bythe end of the week. If so, the album may very likely land ahead of its competition when the Billboard 200 chart for the period ending September 27th is published this coming Wednesday.

Signaling a new direction for the band, Backspacer will be the Pearl Jam’s first album not released via a major label. Instead, Eddie Vedder and company are releasing the album in the U.S. through iTunes, Target, the band’s own website, and via independent retailers.

Over the course of their nearly twenty-year career, Pearl Jam’s releases have consistently climbed to the top of the charts with Vs.and Vitology having landed back-to-back at the number one spot in 1993 and 94.

In addition to the deal for the release of the new album, the band has also scored a deal with Target for the limited edition release of a T-shirt that features Tom Tomorrow’s astronaut playing drums, as seen on the new album’s back cover art. The band announced that all proceeds from the sales of the shirts will go to Feeding America, a charity dedicated to ending hunger in the U.S. According to the Pearl Jam Website, the shirts are in short supply and interested buyers and collectors may want to make their purchases as they are not expected to stay in stock for long.

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Spandau Ballet Single

Spandau Ballet are to release their first new single since 1989's Crashed Into Love this November. The band, who announced that they were to reform in March, release 'Once More' on November 9.

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New Creed Music

Creed is back with their first album in 8 years, "Full Circle" (due October 27). If you head over to MSN you can hear the new single, "Rain," plus watch the video for the first single, "Overcome". Creed Single

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Faces Reforming To Play Royal Albert Hall (Less Rod Stewart)

Classic Rock Magazine is reporting that The Faces are reforming – for one night only. But it will be without Rod Stewart.

After 37 years guitarist Ronnie Wood, drummer Kenney Jones and keyboard player Ian McLagan are getting back together on October 25 at the Royal Albert Hall. This is for the charity event PRS For Music Members Benevolent Fund.

Former Rolling Stones bassist Bill Wyman will replace the late Ronnie Lane, while a host of special guests will help out on vocals.

Also on the bill include Albert Lee, Rick Wakeman, Jan Akkerman among many others.

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AC/DC Singer Needs Rest

Heavy-rockers AC/DC have been forced to postpone six tour dates because frontman Brian Johnson is recovering from a medical procedure and per his doctor's advice, he will take some time off to rest.

According to the band’s official Website, the group’s October 1st show in Phoenix will be postponed, along with concerts in Las Vegas, Louisville, Kansas City, Des Moines and Milwaukee. The Black Ice World Tour gets back on track October 16th in Washington, DC.

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Jackson tickets on sale Sunday

Tickets for the most highly anticipated film of the year go on sale to the general public throughout the UK this coming Sunday, September 27.

UK audiences will be able to book tickets from 12.01am on Sunday morning at http://www.thisisittickets.co.uk or via all the usual cinema websites and telephone booking lines. Tickets will also be available from local cinemas from Sunday, September 27 during the usual box office opening hours.

Tickets will be available for all showings of the movie, including the first screenings open to the general public in the UK from 4.00am on Wednesday October 28.

Michael Jackson’s THIS IS IT will be in cinemas worldwide for two weeks only beginning Wednesday October 28.

www.thisisit-movie.com.

Monty Python Boxset On Its Way

It has been forty years since Monty Python's "Flying Circus" aired its premiere episode on BBC TV, igniting a comedic revolution. Setting the bar for satire, slapstick, and outright silliness, the Pythons have elevated themselves to iconic status, from comedy troupe to cultural phenomenon. To commemorate the 40th Anniversary of this legendary ensemble, Eagle Rock Entertainment will release Monty Python: Almost The Truth (The Lawyer's Cut) on 3DVD and 2Blu-ray on October 27, just a week after its IFC airing on October 18. [Pre-book Order Date October 7, MSRP $29.99 for 3DVD, $34.99 for 2Blu-ray]

This six-part docu-series, with each episode clocking in at an hour, is the only official, authorized program to commemorate the 40th Anniversary of this series. These recent interviews from John Cleese, Eric Idle, Terry Gilliam, Terry Jones, and Michael Palin, along with archival interview footage from the late Graham Chapman, will unveil the deeper truths behind the expertly executed buffoonery. Commentary is also included from Dan Aykroyd, Tim Roth, Phill Jupitus, Bruce Dickinson, Nick Mason, Eddie Izzard, Seth Green, Steve Coogan, Stephen Merchant, Simon Pegg, and others.

In addition to the interviews, Monty Python: Almost The Truth also indulges in a generous helping of video clips. The series features a wealth of footage from pre-Python material, Monty Python's "Flying Circus" television series, their classic live performance from Hollywood Bowl, and the three Python films (Monty Python and the Holy Grail, Monty Python's Life Of Brian, and Monty Python's Meaning Of Life). There is also a plethora of bonus footage, including their classic sketches (such as "Spanish Inquisition," "Ministry Of Silly Walks," and "The Lumberjack Song"), extended interviews, and photo galleries.

From their fateful start in October of 1969, the Monty Python clan have influenced a generation of comedians and actors, and re-written the parameters of sketch comedy and film satires. After 40 years of inciting riots of belly laughs, the legacy of this dynamic comedic force will be celebrated with the release of Monty Python: Almost The Truth (The Lawyer's Cut).

Episode Listing:
1.) The Not-So-Interesting Beginnings
2.) The Much Funnier Second Episode
3.) And Now, The Sordid Personal Bits
4.) The Ultimate Holy Grail Episode
5.) Lust For Glory!
6.) Finally! The Last Episode (Ever) (For now…)

Bonus Material:
Classic Sketches:
1.) The Dead Parrot
2.) The Spanish Inquisition
3.) Fish Slapping Dance
4.) Ministry Of Silly Walks
5.) The Lumberjack Song
6.) The Cheese Shop
7.) SPAM

Extended Interviews – The Pythons on their early years

>From The Cutting Room Floor:
1.) The Seventh Python
2.) The Hendon Sketch
3.) Origins Of The Cheese Shop
4.) Steve Coogan Performs "The Undertaker"
5.) Pythons On Pythons
6.) The SPAM Museum
7.) Python In Texas
8.) Tomorrow's World "The Broken Bottle" (with Terry Jones and Michael Palin)
9.) Bruce Dickinson Registers A Complaint
10.) Elvis Was A Python Fan
11.) Origins Of Fawlty Towers

Terry Gilliam Picture Gallery

Friday, September 25, 2009

Rock/Pop Tidbits

Here is our last installment of this interesting feature, I hope that you have enjoyed the trivia and have learned something about our wonderful musicians and bands!


Ray Davies of the Kinks once tried to be like Keith Moon (the Who) and destroy his hotel room. “I threw a Guinness bottle against the wall,” he explained. “It bounced back and hit me in the head and knocked me out.” That plan failed.

At a Monkees’ concert in 1968, Keith Moon jumped up in the crowd just before the show started and started chanting “We Want the Who!”

Alice Cooper is famous for his stage antics. In 1988, while he was rehearsing for his onstage hanging routine, the safety rope broke and Cooper would have hung himself if not for the quick thinking of a roadie; who cut the dangling rock star down.

Nikki Sixx of Motley Crue fame once claimed he shot whiskey into his arm when he ran out of heroin.

In a related story, Sixx shot up too much heroin in 1987, in addition to consuming Valium, Cocaine, whiskey, and beer. Sixx stated, “I kinda remember waking up and a paramedic telling me that I had died, and had to be revived.” He got that part right, as paramedics did indeed have to administer two shots of adrenaline to restart his heart. Upon his release from the hospital, he hitchhiked back home, shot up more heroin, later writing the song, “Kickstart My Heart.” How appropriate.

In the early days of Queen, rocker Freddie Mercury would hit himself so hard with the tambourine that he suffered a severely bruised leg.

Frank Zappa booked the London Royal Philharmonic Orchestra to play a concert of his music at the Royal Albert hall. But the show was canceled due to “lyrical obscenity.” Zappa sued, but lost the case when he couldn’t convince the British judge that the song “Shove It Right In” was not obscene.

Brian Wilson of the Beach Boys spent 1971-1975 in bed.

Mamas and the Papas founder John Phillips was kind of careless with his drugs. His dog, Trelawny (a.k.a Mr. T) once gobbled up a whole bag of mescaline capsules. The poor pooch ran in circles for three days. Then he stared at himself in the mirror for over twelve hours. “He was more human than anything else after swallowing all that mescaline,” mused Phillips.

In the 60’s, the Who made instrument smashing a part of every show that they did. Trouble was, the band was destroying 700 pounds of equipment per night and only earning about 500 pounds per show. Bass player John Entwistle screamed: “We’d come out ahead just by not showing up!”

Ex-Boomtown Rats member Bob Geldof once lost his job at a photo-processing plant because he had smoked a few joints in the darkroom, ruining a batch of film.

Jim Morrison was a freak’s freak. In March of 1969, he was arrested for exposing himself during a Miami concert. The ‘flashing’ rocker eventually had to go to court with a long list of charges that included: profanity, indecent exposure, lewd behavior, and public drunkenness. While in court the prosecutor asked Morrison if he had exposed himself, to which Morrison replied: “I don’t remember. I was too drunk.” He was later found guilty of exposing himself but actually found not guilty of public drunkenness. Oh, our lovely legal system at work.

After the very public trail, a friend asked Morrison what compelled him to expose himself onstage. “I wanted to see what it looked like in the spotlight,” explained the Lizard King. I guess he remembered that part!

While out and about, Jim Morrison spotted one of his friend’s sister standing in a boutique. “Whooopppeee, look at those tits!” he hollered. An elderly lady thought that Morrison was yelling at her. The feisty senior proceeded to chase the stunned rocker around the store, hitting him with her purse.

For their tour to promote the “Rumours” album, Fleetwood Mac spent thousands of dollars on a giant inflatable penguin. They only used it once.

In 1997, Mick Fleetwood estimated that he had spent the staggering total of 8 million dollars on the drug of choice: Cocaine.

At an Alice Cooper concert, he was chopping and smashing a watermelon onstage and when someone handed him a crutch, he continued his onslaught. Then he threw the disgusting mess out into the audience, followed quickly by a mass of feathers. He thought ‘This group of dummies just sat there and took it.” It was later that the shock-rocker learned that the first five rows of the audience were filled with disabled fans, they couldn’t move.



Danny Bonaduce of Partridge Family fame was a hazard to his own health. While in Florida in 1990, he was arrested on a drug charge. In 1991, he was arrested for assaulting a transvestite prostitute in Phoenix, Arizona. Seems he had paid for his/her services and then tried to get a refund when he discovered the truth. He left the scene traveling over 125 miles per hour in a 25 miles per hour zone.

After Ringo Starr joined up with the Beatles, his band mates didn’t think too much of Starr’s mental abilities. “If anything goes wrong, we can all blame it on Ringo,” explained John Lennon. “That’s what he’s here for.”

While playing a gig in Buffalo, New York, the Allman Brothers Band showed up fifteen minutes late and the club owner refused to pay them. Roadie Twiggs Lyndon wasn’t amused so he stabbed the man three times with a fishing knife. The club owner died and Lyndon was arrested for first-degree murder. The band then continued their tour.

Music News & Notes

AC/DC To Make 'Exciting Announcement' Next Tuesday

Iconic Australian hard rockers AC/DC have launched a special web site, ACDCBacktracks.com, featuring a countdown to an "exciting announcement" that will be made on September 29.

A short video clip promoting the new web site can be viewed below.

AC/DC is rumored to be releasing a box set later this year that will come in a package that doubles as a working amplifier. The set will contain three CDs, two DVDs and a vinyl record. One CD will contain studio rarities and the other two will feature live cuts, while the DVDs will contain the third volume of the band's "Family Jewels" video collections. The vinyl disc will hold the studio rarities. The set will also come with a 164-page book, three black-and-white lithographs of unpublished band photos from 1977, a flyer for a 1976 British tour and a poster from a 1977 European trek. The complete package will be sold only through AC/DC's web site, while a CD/DVD-only version called "Best Of The Box Set" may also be made available.


AC/DC Backtracks Sneak Peek 9/24


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OK Go readies new album, sets club dates

OK Go has set a Jan. 12 release date for its new album, "Of the Blue Colour of the Sky," and will pave the way with a series of club dates.

The tour, which focuses on the Midwest and currently includes nine dates, gets underway Nov. 5 in Millvale, PA.

The upcoming 13-song album will be the OK Go's first full-length release since the Grammy Award-winning, treadmill-centric video "Here It Goes Again" launched the band into the mainstream consciousness.

In a statement, lead singer Damian Kulash said the new album springs from a different departure point than the band's previous releases. "It's not so much that we headed in a new direction," he said. "I think we've just expended the guitar-rock ideas from our teens and we're starting to get at more root-level influences." Kulash said the new songs were heavily influenced by Prince's "Purple Rain," an album he hasn't stopped listening to since he first got it at the age of 11.

In addition to being danceable, Kulash said "Of the Blue Colour of the Sky"--which was named after an 1876 book promoting the erroneous theory that blue light cures all ills--is contemplative and introspective with a vein of surrealism running through it. He said the album "embodies contradiction in a way I feel connected to. It's both the saddest and the most hopeful music we've made, and both the danciest and most thoughtful."

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PICTURE: New Album Details Revealed


30 years after the release of the group's debut LP, reunited '80s Dutch metal band PICTURE will release a new album, "Old Dogs New Tricks", on October 1. According to a press release, the new CD "contains a wide variety of hard rock and old-school metal songs, complete with a breath-taking ballad."

"Old Dogs New Tricks" was produced by Nico Verrips, who "kept the Eighties feeling, but gave the record a contemporary modern sound."

PICTURE was the first "real" Dutch heavy metal band. Formed in 1979, they were especially popular in the Netherlands, Germany and Italy for their live performances. They still supposedly have a huge fan base in South America, Mexico and Japan.

PICTURE supported AC/DC, TED NUGENT and SAXON in the Netherlands. With SAXON, they did a full European tour in 1981. Later on they toured with ROSE TATTOO in Germany and headlined tours in Italy and Israel.

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Tom Petty & Heartbreakers Announce Live Anthology Box Set Release

Tom Petty is releasing a multi-format live anthology that spans his entire career. The collection brings together material from 1978-2007, chosen by Tom Petty, Mike Campbell and Ryan Ulyate, from hundreds of hours of live recordings.

The most impressive package will only be available at Best Buy, and will feature:

A deluxe box set featuring 62 tracks on 5 CDs; two previously unreleased DVDs including the 1978 New Year's Eve concert from Santa Monica, CA, and the Martyn Atkins documentary 400 Days shot during the recording and tour for Wildflowers; a re-mastered vinyl of the 1976 Official Live 'Leg bootleg; and a Blu-ray audio disc featuring all 62 tracks in both stereo and 5.1 surround sound.

If you fancy the black discs (don't we all?) there is a seven LP vinyl box set of 51 tracks mastered directly from the uncompressed 24-bit 96K files and pressed on 180-gram audiophile quality high performance vinyl.

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Austin City Limits Announces It's 2009-10 Schedule

The producers of Austin City Limits have announced the schedule for their 35th season on PBS stations across the country. It's one of my favorite shows, where I found great bands like Death Cab for Cutie and Arcade Fire.

Included will be the return of Willie Nelson, who appeared on the very first ACL show back in 1975. This time around, he'll be with another Austin City Limits favorite, Asleep at the Wheel, performing Texas swing music from their Willie and the Wheel album.

As usual, the season will offer an eclectic mix of music from veteran and modern artists, ranging from country (Kenny Chesney, Kris Kristofferson) to rock (Dave Matthews, Pearl Jam) to its first foray into Rap (Mos Def, K'Naan).

The schedule (check your local listings for exact date and time):

•October 3, 2009 - Dave Matthews Band
•October 10, 2009 - Ben Harper and Relentless7
•October 17, 2009 - Kenny Chesney
•October 24, 2009 - Andrew Bird / St. Vincent
•October 31, 2009 - M. Ward / Okkervil River
•November 7, 2009 - Elvis Costello / Band of Heathens
•November 14, 2009 - Willie Nelson & Asleep at the Wheel
•November 21, 2009 - Pearl Jam
•November 28, 2009 – January 2, 2010 - Encore episodes
•January 9, 2010 - Allen Toussaint
•January 16, 2010 - Mos Def / K’Naan
•January 23, 2010 - TBD / Heartless Bastards
•January 30, 2010 - Steve Earle / Kris Kristofferson
•February 6, 2010 - Them Crooked Vultures (Josh Homme, Dave Grohl & John Paul Jones)
•February 13, 2010 - Madeleine Peyroux / Esperanza Spalding