Thursday, December 10, 2009

Music News & Notes

VF Manufacturing





In the short time since its inception in 2001, Vinyl Factory Manufacturing (Ex Portal Space Records) has established itself as a leading manufacturer of quality record pressings. Everything and everyone in the plant is dedicated to the provision of a fast, consistent and reliable supply to meet the needs of the customer.

As the inheritors of EMI’s equipment, knowledge and experience our roots go back to the very origins of record discs as a carrier of sound.
This heritage includes EMI’s Type 1400 press. All our records are made on these machines which are the result of many years of design and development and are widely recognised as the best in the world.

The Vinyl Factory’s manufacturing philosophy recognises the vital role of people and to this end it has retained key staff from the former EMI Records plant to form the basis of a team who are proud to carry on the historic traditions associated with the best in the music industry.

Located in Hayes, Middlesex, The Vinyl Factory Manufacturing has excellent transport links. Heathrow Airport is on its doorstep and there is easy access to the motorway network via the M4, M25 and M40. Within the M25 The Vinyl Factory Manufacturing is able to offer a twice-daily service at reasonable cost.




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Susan Boyle At #1 On Billboard For Second Straight Week

Susan Boyle couldn't have dreamed up selling over a million copies in just two weeks in stores. Her "I Dreamed A Dream" sells 527,000 copies in its second week, bringing her total to 1.23 million copies and earning her the #1 spot for a second week on the Billboard Albums chart. The album, which features covers of "Wild Horses" and "Silent Night," is already the #10 best-selling album of 2009.

Joining her near the top (and what a duet that would be) is Andrea Bocelli, who spends a fourth week at #2 with "My Christmas." The holiday album, which continues to increase in sales each week, sells 428,000 copies, bringing his total to 1.12 million copies.

At #3 this week is Taylor Swift, who rises all the way to #3 from #8 last week, selling another 127,000 copies of her album "Fearless," and inching that much closer to selling 5 million copies in the U.S.

R. Kelly debuts at #4 with "Untitled," his latest studio album selling 114,000 in its first week. This is R. Kelly's ninth album to reach the top 4 on Billboard. Lady Gaga follows at #5 with "The Fame," which moves up one spot selling 84,000 copies. "The Fame" now includes "The Fame Monster" EP, which features "Bad Romance" and her Beyonce duet "Telephone."

Carrie Underwood moves up to #6 with "Play On," selling 81,000 copies this week. Norah Jones follows at #7 with "The Fall" selling 80,000 copies. Michael Jackson's "This Is It" compilation moves up to #8 this week with 75,000 copies.

The "New Moon" soundtrack is #9 this week, moving 72,000 copies and climbing up three spots. Up from #18 last week and at #10 this week is Michael Buble. His "Crazy Love" album sells 72,000 this week.

Billboard Top 200 Albums Week Ending December 19th, 2009

1. I Dreamed a Dream, Susan Boyle

2. My Christmas, Andrea Bocelli

3. Fearless, Taylor Swift

4. Untitled, R. Kelly

5. The Fame, Lady Gaga

6. Play On, Carrie Underwood

7. The Fall, Norah Jones

8. This Is It, Michael Jackson

9. The Twilight Saga: New Moon, Soundtrack

10. Crazy Love, Michael Buble

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Flaming Lips hail resurgence of vinyl

Guitar player Wayne Coyne has welcomed the surge of interest in vinyl records among music fans. The emergence of CDs and internet downloads had led to traditional 33s and 45s falling by the wayside, but they seem to be coming back into favour.

Coyne, who fronts US-based rock group The Flaming Lips, has hailed this as a positive development.

Speaking to Reuters, he said vinyl records offer music lovers things that digital downloads can not, such as posters and colourful packaging.

"Even if you're 16 years old, your parents probably have vinyl somewhere," Coyle commented.

"There's probably some trigger of another time, an exotic world where this was the way you bought music."

However, Coyle admitted that it is hard to predict how long the renewed interest in vinyl will last.

Jim Penistan, owner of a record shop in Lincoln, has credited artists such as The White Stripes for driving demand for vinyl records and turntables.

He told the Lincolnshire Echo that the band have been among those to put out their new releases in this format, along with The Strokes.

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Sonic Youth Going Back To Studio

Guitarist Lee Ranaldo of Sonic Youth has told the BBC6 that the group will be going in the studio next year to record their 17th album and the followup to this year's The Eternal. Also on tap is a DVD of their 2007/08 Daydream Nations tour and the digitizing of 30 years worth of the group's music.

"We're doing a big archival house clean right now. We've got a massive archive of audio and video that's sitting in our studio in Hoboken. We've got somebody in there who's noting every single thing down and making a massive database, and then we're going to start digitizing it because some of the tapes are 30 years old now."

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Nickelback Single Tops Decade

Nickelback's first single, 2001's "How You Remind Me," ranks #1 in USA Today's list of the most popular radio songs of the '00s.

According to Nielsen, the hit single racked up 1.2 million spins since 2000. Also exceeding 1 million spins are these popular radio songs listed in descending order:


1. Nickelback, How You Remind Me

2. Train, Drops of Jupiter

3. Lifehouse, Hanging By a Moment

4. Faith Hill, Breathe

5. 3 Doors Down, Kryptonite


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Blues Nominees

The Blues Foundation has announced their nominees for the 2010 Blues Music Awards, to be held on May 6 at the Cook Convention Center in Memphis, Tennessee. Leading the nominees is Joe Lewis Walker with five followed by Tommy Castro, Rick Estrin, Super Chikan, Louisiana Red and Duke Robillard (right) who each have four.

B.B. King Entertainer of the Year
•Candye Kane
•Magic Slim
•Rick Estrin
•Super Chikan
•Taj Mahal
•Tommy Castro

Album
•Stomp! the Blues Tonight - Duke Robillard's Jumpin’ Blues Revue
•Tear This World Up - Eddie C. Campbell
•Between a Rock and the Blues - Joe Louis Walker
•Juke Joint Back to the Black Bayou - Louisiana Red & Little Victor
•Chicago Blues A Living History - Various Artists

Band
•Duke Robillard's Jumpin' Blues Revue
•Nick Moss & the Flip Tops
•Rick Estrin and the Nightcats
•The Mannish Boys
•Tommy Castro Band

New Artist Debut
•Walk That Fine Thin Line - Greg Nagy
•White Sugar - Joanne Shaw Taylor
•Man Child - Marquise Knox
•Tiger in your Tank - Monkey Junk
•Soul Tub! - The California Honeydrops

Song
•Pearl River - Cyril Neville & Mike Zito
•Fred's Dollar Store - James “Super Chikan” Johnson
•I'm Tide - Joe Louis Walker
•Never Going Back to Memphis - John Hahn & Oliver Wood
•At Least I'm Not With You - Vyasa Dodson

Acoustic Album
•You Got to Move - David Maxwell & Louisiana Red
•Good Time Music for Hard Times - Maria Muldaur & her Garden of Joy
•Havin' The Last Word - Saffire-the Uppity Blues Women
•For Rosa, Maeve and Noreen - Samuel James
•Things About Comin' My Way - A Tribute to the music of the Mississippi Sheiks - Various Artists

Acoustic Artist
•Annie Raines & Paul Rishell
•Doug MacLeod
•Guy Davis
•Louisiana Red
•Samuel James

Contemporary Blues Album
•Superhero - Candye Kane
•Between a Rock and the Blues - Joe Louis Walker
•Twisted - Rick Estrin and the Nightcats
•Living in the Light - Ronnie Earl and the Broadcasters
•Hard Believer - Tommy Castro

Contemporary Blues Female Artist
•Bettye LaVette
•Candye Kane
•Janiva Magness
•Ruthie Foster
•Shemekia Copeland

Contemporary Blues Male Artist
•Derek Trucks
•Joe Louis Walker
•John Nemeth
•Michael Burks
•Tommy Castro

Rock Blues Album
•Already Free - Derek Trucks Band
•Done with the Devil - Jason Ricci & New Blood
•Tijuana Bible - Jim Suhler & Monkey Beat
•Pearl River - Mike Zito
•Speak No Evil - Tinsley Ellis

Soul Blues Album
•Troubled Child - Charles Wilson
•Just for You - Darrell Nulisch
•Ace of Spades - Johnny Rawls
•All About the Rhythm and the Blues - Latimore
•Betcha Didn't Know - Mighty Sam McClain

Soul Blues Female Artist

•Barbara Carr
•Denise LaSalle
•Irma Thomas
•Shirley Brown
•Sista Monica Parker

Soul Blues Male Artist
•Curtis Salgado
•Darrell Nulisch
•Jackie Payne
•Johnny Rawls
•Latimore

Traditional Blues Album
•All Original - John Primer
•The Gentleman is Back - Johnnie Bassett
•Back to the Black Bayou - Louisiana Red & Little Victor's Juke Joint
•Chikadelic - Super Chikan
•Chicago Blues A Living History - Various Artists

Traditional Blues Female Artist
•Ann Rabson
•Debbie Davies
•Fiona Boyes
•Shirley Johnson
•Zora Young

Traditional Blues Male Artist
•Duke Robillard
•John Primer
•Johnnie Bassett
•Louisiana Red
•Super Chikan

Historical Album
•Taking Care of Business (1956-1973) - Freddie King
•Authorized Bootleg - Muddy Waters
•Essential Montreux - Gary Moore
•The Complete Chess Masters (1950-1967) - Little Walter
•Sean's Blues - Sean Costello

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