Tuesday, January 13, 2009

Classic Rock Videos

Simon & Garfunkel-Kathy's Song

Rock & Roll Tidbits

The Sir Douglas Quintet were playing in a club one night and noticed a couple dancing. Lead singer Doug Sahm said "She's a body mover!", which gave him an idea for a song. Back in those days you couldn't say "body mover" on a record, so he changed the lyrics to "She's About A Mover" and achieved a US Top 20 hit.

The blistering guitar lead in George Harrison's song, "Taxman" is the exact same guitar part heard at the ending fade of the song. It was copied and re-recorded onto the end.

The song "Summertime Blues" was a US Top 40 hit in three different decades - in the fifties by Eddie Cochran (#8), the sixties by Blue Cheer (#14) and the seventies by The Who (#27).

The Mothers Of Invention are believed to have released the first double album with "Freak Out!" in early 1967.

In 1962, Gene Pitney recorded "The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance" for the movie of the same name, starring John Wayne and Jimmy Stewart. Although the song reached #4 on the Billboard singles chart, it was never included in the film.

When the Beatles made their first appearance on the Ed Sullivan Show on February 9th, 1964, producers received over 50,000 applications for the 728 seats in the TV studio.

Alan Gordon, the co-writer of The Turtles' hit "Happy Together" said that he wrote the melody to the song based on an open string pattern used by a bandmate to tune his guitar.

Jerry Lee Lewis' parents mortgaged their house in order to buy him a piano.

Johnny Preston's 1960 number one hit, "Running Bear" was written by J.P. Richardson, The Big Bopper.

The double entendre title of the Bellamy Brother's hit "If I Said You Had a Beautiful Body Would You Hold It Against Me" was derived from a quote by Groucho Marx.

With some left over studio time on their hands, a group of musicians recorded an instrumental intended to be a throw-a-way album track. The song ended up on the flip side of a single release called "Train To Nowhere", which was virtually ignored by US radio stations. Finally, someone flipped the disc over and discovered "Tequila", which went to number one on both the Pop and R&B charts for The Champs.

Kenny Loggins joined The Electric Prunes during their final tour in 1969, two years after the band had scored a hit with "I Had Too Much Too Dream". When the tour was over, the band split up for good and Loggins went on to team up with Jim Messina in 1971 and later had several solo hits.

The distinct horse logo that appeared on most of Poco's albums was designed by Saturday Night Live star, Phil Hartman.

John Lennon and Paul McCartney wrote "I Want To Hold Your Hand" in the basement of Jane Asher's house. She was Paul's girlfriend, to whom he would later become engaged to, but never married.

One day while out riding with her dad, Stella McCartney stopped to stare at him. It had just come to her at that moment. She said, "You're Paul McCartney."

While the title of the song is often shown with a comma ("Louie, Louie"), writer Richard Berry told Esquire magazine in 1988 that the correct title of the song was "Louie Louie", with no comma.

The Biggest Rock Albums Coming Your Way In 2009

Green Day and U2 drop new LPs this year, along with promising young guns like Paramore, Tokio Hotel and more.

By Gil Kaufman, with additional reporting by James Montgomery


2008 was a huge year for rock ... and 2009 looks like it could be even bigger. So all this week, we're taking stock of the things guaranteed to rock this year. From the triumphant returns of some of the biggest bands on the planet to a handful of up-and-coming acts that we're expecting big things from in '09, we've got it all covered. This is Rock Week, on MTVNews.com

It will be pretty difficult to top a year that saw new albums from both Metallica and Guns N' Roses, but 2009's roster of rock includes just as much firepower — including LPs from colossal acts like Green Day, U2 and the Boss, not to mention potential new sounds from young guns like Paramore, My Chemical Romance and Tokio Hotel.

And that's just the headliners. On the undercard, we've got the triumphant return of British songstress Lily Allen, radio-ready rock from the Fray and bludgeoning prog-metal from Mastodon. Plus, there are new albums from critical faves like the Yeah Yeah Yeahs, The Decemberists and Black Lips. And let's not forget sonically adventurous indie hipsters like Animal Collective (who, depending on what you read, may have already released the best rock album of the year), or the gloriously maudlin new album from Antony and the Johnsons. Oh, and Prince is releasing three records this year.

All in all, 2009 looks like it's gonna be a doozy — so to prime your pump, here's our roundup of expected album releases:

January

» Animal Collective, Merriweather Post Pavilion: The blogosphere's favorite sonic experimentalists, who've already notched "album of the year" pronouncements from the Chicago Tribune and Stereogum.com, among others, go "pop" on their upcoming ninth full-length effort — for them, anyway. Expect some hippie-friendly rave-ups; fat, speaker-blowing bass lines; and trippy lyrics about leaving your body for just one night.

» Antony and the Johnsons, The Crying Light: Speaking of blogs, eccentric falsetto crooner Antony Hegarty is promising a gospel/ art-rock meditation on nature ... with some guitars! The twee, gender-bending, Mercury Prize-winning singer seems poised to confound and entertain again with songs that include "Her Eyes Are Underneath the Ground," "Epilepsy Is Dancing" and "Kiss My Name."

» Bruce Springsteen & the E Street Band, Working on a Dream: The Boss' 16th studio album was recorded during breaks on the E Street Band's 2007-08 Magic tour and reportedly inspired by the energy generated by the band during that outing. A recent Rolling Stone article described it as largely off-the-cuff, but also intricately arranged, with a combination of the band's dense, swirling live sound and the "orchestral and vocal flourishes that recall classic recordings by Roy Orbison and the Byrds."

» Franz Ferdinand, Tonight: Franz Ferdinand: The Scottish band's third album reportedly has some African influences. Singer Alex Kapranos has described it as "music of the night to fling yourself around your room to as you psych yourself for a night of hedonism, for the dance floor." Be prepared.

» Leathermouth, XO: The debut from My Chemical Romance guitarist Frank Iero's 1990s hardcore-inspired band punches up some raw, in-your-face punk rock with 10 tracks blitzing by in just 23 minutes. Think distorted, chaotic guitars and spazzy vocals from Iero on songs like "5th Period Massacre," "This Song Is About Being Attacked by Monsters" and "I Am Going to Kill the President of the United States of America."

February

To read the rest of this great music preview, visit the MTV site at http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1602440/20090109/green_day.jhtml

Music News & Notes

General Surgery Releases Split With Butcher ABC

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

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

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

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Riverdales announce title, release date, reissues

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

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

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

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Earache Records Announces New "Heavy Metal Killers" Compilation Album

Earache Records has issued the following statement:

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

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

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

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

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

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Twelve Radiohead Singles Set For Special Vinyl Re-Release

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

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

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

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

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

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

The full 12 singles are:

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

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

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

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

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Stones Readers Pick Their Favorite Jam Bands

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

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


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

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In Other News:

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

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

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

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