Tuesday, September 8, 2009

The Beatles: Remastered

I would like to thank Bryan over at Delusions of Adequacy (http://www.adequacy.net) for the fine material and the exclusive rights to reprint it.


Imaginative, experimental, gifted, trendsetters, remarkable and simply special are all words that can be used to describe John, Paul, George and Ringo: The Beatles. They were all about making albums to thrill and love and terrific as they were, they knew how to make everything come off like it was the easiest music in the world to make. Beginning with albums that amassed as many top pop hits as possible — combining R&B with Doo Wop with Rock — it wasn’t long before they were blurring the lines of genres with their creative methods. And before you knew it, everything under the bright yellow sun had been covered by these four gentlemen from Liverpool.

This was always a band that knew how to make dizzyingly amazing music. And without repeating too many of the clichés that have been already stated, they are the most important band of all time, period. The Beatles were able to release thirteen of the greatest albums we will ever have the pleasure of listening to. And it goes without saying that their presence — both as musicians and human beings — has towered over humanity for the entire forty years since they broke up.

Equally visceral and eclectic, melodic as much as harmonious and honestly playful, the music The Beatles have given us will always be dearly thought of. Their vocal harmonies are unmatched, their capacity to treat the studio as another instrument has been copied by everyone from The Beach Boys to The Rolling Stones, their ear for all the good things in music was downright spectacular and their ability to combine each member’s talents and desires into these amazing bodies of work is utterly staggering. So this one’s for you guys, an expository look into the catalog of music you’ve blessed us with and before we forget, thanks for everything.
– Bryan Sanchez



March 22, 1963: The Beatles – Please Please Me by Bryan Sanchez
Rushed to the studio, the entire album was started and finished in one day; along with a relentless touring schedule that spanned three years, it’s no surprise that The Beatles delivered an album that still sounds fresh to anyone’s ear. Producer George Martin hinted at recording the album live before booking time at EMI Studios (now Abbey Road Studios) where the band was recorded in an effort to re-create their excellent live sound. This created an air of significance in realizing that every take counted but it also established their imposing proficiency as musicians.

Courageously bold and fashionably energetic, the tightness of the band is on full display throughout these eight originals and six covers. Tender love songs like “P.S. I Love You” are equipped with countermelodies, clever vocal interplays and crisply stunning musicianship. And the boisterous fun of “Boys” and “Do You Want to Know a Secret” showcase Ringo and George, respectively, as equal counterparts. They left “Twist and Shout” for the end, to save John’s voice as he battled a cold, right? Or maybe it was to allow everyone in the band to let loose and shout for joy as they delivered one of the finest first-takes of all time. Who knows for sure but what we do know is that everyone else hasn’t stopped shouting for joy since.




November 22, 1963: The Beatles – With the Beatles by Bryan Sanchez
Wasting no time to place all of their limitless talents onto another LP, The Beatles returned with fourteen more songs of wondrous music. Following the same formula as their inauguration—employing eight originals and six covers—With the Beatles demonstrated a band that was growing by leaps and bounds. Beginning with some of the best songs to ever start an album, it also includes George Harrison’s first composition: the sultry and slicing, “Don’t Bother Me.”

It was at this point that people began to realize that this was a band to reckon with and for countless reasons: their impeccable taste of R&B and Motown placed the best possible covers on the album, their chemistry as a band was at the point where they could release multiple albums per year and each still be astoundingly fantastic but furthermore, those aforementioned covers now paled in comparison to the exceptional originals that they were crafting. For every gifted take on samba (“Till There Was You,”) there was also a gorgeous rendition of a cover (“You’ve Really Got a Hold on Me”) but most of all, John and Paul really took to rivaling each other in terms of songwriting and melodies. It’s a flawless album in every sense of the word; just four months after their debut and they were already cutting albums that illustrated maturity, dexterity and above all, incomparable skill.




July 10, 1964: The Beatles – A Hard Day’s Night by Jon Gordon
The Beatles third album shows them at the top of their early period game. The thrill of Beatlemania carries its own enthusiasms into the music and while songs like “Can’t Buy Me Love” remain familiar to just about everyone even today, the rest of the album contains some real moments of near or actual genius.

Clocking in at a little over thirty minutes, these are still the Hamburg Beatles, and the energy of the title track is sustained throughout the album with a relentlessness that gives even the slower tracks the air of Reeperbahn crowd pleasers. Containing some of Lennon’s best early work, “Tell Me Why” might have been a serious contender for the follow-up to “She Loves You” and “I Should Have Known Better” is a sneering stomp, replete with the entire band’s new-found confidence as the biggest, and already most revered act of 1963. Songs of the quality of “Any Time At All” (another powerful Lennon performance,) the bluesy shakedown of “You Can’t Do That” and the moody folk-based sturm und drang of “Things We Said Today” remain as listenable today as they were 45 years ago. Meanwhile, “Can’t Buy Me Love” must’ve sounded a bit funky back in the day — it’s certainly more than several steps removed from the standard 12-bar rhythms that practically every other beat combo were dishing out at the time. What A Hard Day’s Night might’ve lacked in quantity it more than made up for in terms of quality.



December 4, 1964: The Beatles – Beatles for Sale by Bryan Sanchez
Once again, hurried back into the studio after their third consecutive masterpiece, The Beatles were truly running on empty by the time Beatles for Sale hit the scene — “Eight Days a Week” was equally insightful and invigorating. Noticeable in everything from the cover, with their drained expressions, to the use of their old standby: the eight original and six cover formula; at the height of Beatlemania, you’d think they were finished. No, instead you have Lennon’s oft-described ‘trilogy’ as the gloomy, depressing beginning of the album. And this trio of songs is highlighted by “I’m A Loser,” which happens to signal the band’s first notice into the presence Bob Dylan’s music was starting to possess.

The covers took a dip only because they lacked that fire and flavor the previous albums were richly enriched in. However, the prolific Lennon/McCartney duo was writing music at a relentless pace. It’s still obvious to many what songs were John’s (“I Don’t Want to Spoil the Party”) and which were Paul’s (“I’ll Follow the Sun”) but from the careful attention of timbre and tone, to the substantial growth in wordplay, it’s evident that they were profoundly influenced by each other. It’s unquestionably carried by the soaring highs; their sheer talent and quality-infused ability would never lead you think these were four tired men




August 6, 1965: The Beatles – Help! by Mike Sanders
They still hadn’t gotten the formula quite right, maybe, but Help! should share the same “The Record That Shows The Beatles’ Burgeoning Maturity” status that Rubber Soul basks in — the songs are wonderful. “Help!” is quintessential John Lennon: a woe-is-me anthem buried under layers of melody and George Martin shine and “I’ve Just Seen A Face” is The Beatles at their most rollicking and fun.

But every song must take a backseat to the two masterpieces adorning this album: “Yesterday” and “You’ve Got To Hide Your Love Away.” There’s been so much written about “Yesterday” that I wouldn’t be able to add anything meaningful in that department, suffice it to say that it very nearly outshines a majority of The Beatles’ later work. “You’ve Got To Hide Your Love Away,” however, often gets overlooked. Featuring a melody and lyrics that represent John Lennon at his most Dylan-esque, the song is a nice indicator of the newer direction The Beatles were going to go in; it’s the aural opposite of early hits like “I Want To Hold Your Hand” and “She Loves You,” but you’d never notice it upon first listen. And that friends, is a little something called progress.




December 3, 1965: The Beatles – Rubber Soul by Bryan Sanchez
Some of the band’s earnest chemistry was on Rubber Soul, an album that presented a band further progressing into the destined prominence that followed. Lyrically, they were moving towards the mature direction where relationships could be expressed through metaphors and introspective imagery. Musically, the shift towards the psychedelic and peace and love fusion was just starting to flow through them — their influences had taken a hold of them and would never let go from here on out. Harrison, enthralled by world instruments and befriending David Crosby, persuaded for the use of the sitar on “Norwegian Wood (This Bird Has Flown),” where it would become the first pop recording to use an actual sitar. Besides the French licks on the delectably delicious “Michelle” and the piano disguised as a harpsichord on Lennon’s infamous, “In My Life,” The Beatles shaped these innovations into their own, distinctive yet brilliant creations.

Closely examined, the thoughtfulness of every little detail: that deep sighing in “Girl,” their “ooh…la la la” chants, in a nod to the R&B that sustained them on erstwhile records, Ringo’s matches tapping in the background of “I’m Looking Through You,” was all irrefutably masterful. It captures The Beatles during a time when they were gelling as a band, each one growing within each other and within the band. Its magnitude was immeasurable for sure, but in many regards, even if they stopped right here, everything was already gold.




August 5, 1966: The Beatles – Revolver by Matt Cohen
At its heart, Revolver is an album about expansion; expanding your mind, expanding instrumentation and recording techniques, expanding influences. It’s a revolution of sound, where rock and roll not only gets trippy and acid-washed, but thoughtful and introspective, becoming more than just a pleasant diversion in the grand field of music history. Rock and roll as a performance-driven art? The Beatles stopped touring. Rock and roll bands dressed uniformly? The Beatles cut their hair, grew facial hair, and wore the trendy clothes they, not former manager Brian Epstein, wanted them to wear. Rock and roll bands kept a clean cut image and hid the seedy underbelly of the lifestyle from the public eye? The Beatles sang about doing drugs and the positive effects drugs have on the human consciousness. For the first time, they questioned who they were and who they wanted to be.

To understand the truth, significance and legend behind The Beatles is to understand the two entirely different bands that comprise The Beatles. There’s the Fab Four, mop top teen sensation with undeniable charm. And there’s the revolutionary psychedelic experience, the four mad scientist musicians (and producer George Martin) huddled up in Abbey Road studios, unleashing their brilliant creations upon the world. Revolver is the genesis of the second form of the Beatles. They de-constructed the idea of a rock band, then rebuilt it the way they wanted it to be, in such a fashion that still stands today.




June 1, 1967: The Beatles – Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band by Jordan Blum
They were tired of the expectations, the pressure, and most of all, the unprecedented fandom. To escape, they stopped touring, Lennon delved further into his obsession with LSD, and Harrison retreated to India to be ensconced in the culture and learn the sitar from legendary musician Ravi Shankar. The concept album had rarely, if ever, been explored but The Beatles certainly took the idea to new ground with this musical preface. It continued where Revolver left off, tracks like “Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds,” “Being for the Benefit of Mr. Kite!,” and “Within You Without You” (Harrison’s only cut, which he had to fight for) progress the colorful, drug induced psychedelic production further than it had ever been.

From the artwork, to the music, to the lyrics and to its legend, it still amazes us visually and sonically. Pieces like “She’s Leaving Home,” “When I’m Sixty-Four” and “Good Morning Good Morning” implement classical instruments (courtesy of producer George Martin) that broke barriers for what a “pop” song could do. On top of all of this, it includes the song often viewed as the greatest collaboration between Lennon and McCartney, “A Day in the Life.” It’s amazing that an album released forty years ago and with a running time of less than forty minutes can still bring us so much joy, inspiration and intrigue, but then again they were The Beatles, and this is Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band.




November 27, 1967: The Beatles – Magical Mystery Tour by Greg Argo
As a cobbled together album, Magical Mystery Tour holds together as well as or better than their proper full-lengths thanks to an across-the-board commitment to sensuously enveloping sound worlds and a second side consisting of top-of-the-line A-sides of singles from ’67. The songwriting is top-notch, with Lennon continuing on his hippy-dippy way (co-opted 20 years later by an aging, peace sign flashing, head-wagging McCartney) with kaleidoscopic mindfucks like “I Am the Walrus” and “Strawberry Fields Forever,” and McCartney offering more saccharine-sweet pop, chronicling a dreamy domesticity in songs like “The Fool on the Hill,” “Your Mother Should Know,” “Penny Lane,” and “Hello Goodbye.”

Still, it’s the everything-to-the-front, Technicolor production aesthetic, continued and expanded from Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band, that is the most influential aspect of this release. Miraculously, it sounds like all the individual parts are mixed both as loud as possible and at exact equal levels, creating an environment both immersive and transporting. It feels as if you are actually strolling along Penny Lane or tripping in fields of strawberries. With The White Album right around the corner, this marks the end of The Beatles’ carefree and childlike period, and their heads were never again so gloriously in the clouds.



November 22, 1968: The Beatles – The Beatles (White Album) by Bryan Sanchez
Inventive, imaginative, innovative; The Beatles were everything and then some on their prolific self-titled album, affectionately known as The White Album. They could be wildly passionate and still boyishly in love (“Sexy Sadie”), they were experimental in the method that they could advance the real and unreal (“Revolution 9”), they could rock out and put their impeccable talent on display (“Everybody’s Got Something to Hide Except Me and My Monkey”) and they could display gorgeous, symphonic music (“Good Night.”) And that was just on the second record!

The superlatives don’t do it justice, they don’t even come close. So I thought I’d share some personal back-story to my personal love for this album. About ten years ago, I really started to crave and seek music. I was only fourteen then but I would beg my father to take me and buy me music. At first, clueless and somewhat curious, I found this album and had remembered the praise shouted from the rooftops for it. I’d often get two albums every so often and this time I grabbed that one and walked to the cashier with it. My dad, wondering what I had, just shrugged at the album and was more bothered by the price tag; nonetheless it was mine. The following two weeks were thrilling: hearing the ‘shot’ on “Rocky Raccoon,” the vibrant energy on “Ob-La-Di, Ob-La-Da,” or the perfect love song that is “I Will,” it was magical — and that’s just the first record!

The Beatles (White Album) is a landmark album for many reasons and each is an importantly distinguished one. It’s well-known that a lot of it was recorded individually with each member often sitting in a studio room by himself while the other three worked in their own individual rooms. After making neat, tidy albums that spanned fourteen songs, they imploded: not only did they cram it with song after song of tremendous and sprawling music but they did so in a manner that revealed their collective imaginations. And with every proceeding listen, it continues to astonish and amaze through every single note




January 13, 1969: The Beatles – Yellow Submarine by Jon Gordon
Listening again, it’s apparent that “Only a Northern Song” and “It’s All Too Much” were both too strong Harrison performances to sit comfortably alongside McCartney’s developing music hall sentiments and Lennon’s increasingly erratic experiments. Although in different ways, both songs are at odds with the wild humor and the chintzy surrealism that characterized much of The Beatles later output. “Only A Northern Song” is probably the greatest song Lennon never wrote, its sonorous keyboard overriding the seemingly obligatory Pepperesque sound collage of brass and choir that it ends on, while “It’s All Too Much” is a feedback drenched guitar raga that seriously prefigures the work of many 70s groups. Neither track really belongs on any other Beatles release, somehow.

For the rest, “Hey Bulldog” is a properly focused Lennon jibe at whomever his target was that week, while both “All You Need Is Love” and the title track were already familiar to Beatles fans. The George Martin tracks sound very much like what they are, which is orchestral film soundtracking containing only a very brief musical reference to the “Yellow Submarine” tune, although “Sea Of Holes” has a darkly gleeful touch to it. “All Together Now” really does sound like whistling in the dark from the rapidly disintegrating band themselves. So, does Yellow Submarine constitute as a proper Beatles release? That’s up for debate but it does provide a curious glimpse of how a less experimental version of The White Album might’ve sounded.





September 29, 1969: The Beatles – Abbey Road by Adam Costa
I’m not sure what the Fab Four would have to say about it if a 40th anniversary summit were possible today, but few music aficionados will refute that The Beatles’ Abbey Road is one of the finest — not to mention most iconic — swan songs ever committed to tape. With relationships turning to shambles after that spring’s disastrous Let It Be sessions, the boys from Liverpool made a conscientious decision to put their personal gripes on hiatus in order to enter the studio one final time. Making the most of the new technology afforded by the era, it was the only Beatles album in which a majority of its tracks were laid down on an 8-track tape machine. Additionally, Abbey Road’s meticulous production values set a precedent for future artists who would openly acknowledge that the studio was as much an instrument as any guitar or drum.

The album is chock full of examples of The Beatles’ sturdiest musicianship, ranging from the inane lyrics and slick bass of “Come Together” to the song suite that encompasses the only drum solo Ringo ever recorded with the group, “The End.” With estimable songwriting contributions from all four Beatles, it’s in cuts like George’s “Something” and the Lennon/McCartney epic “I Want You (She’s So Heavy)” that we hear a band that still had one hell of a sparkle left, even as it was burning out.




May 8, 1970: The Beatles – Let It Be by Damon
You might say Let It Be shows that the road to hell is paved with good intentions. The band’s final release was, for McCartney, a doomed final effort to reconnect. The album denied fans the closure they sought, and its confused temporal relationship with Abbey Road didn’t help. To recapture the band’s spirit, the boys tried recording as a blues-based rock ensemble like the early days. But after production controversy, bejeweled arrangements crept in anyway. While the production on “Across the Universe” and “Long and Winding Road” may be a bit overdone, the two burgeoning but abandoned songs, “Dig It” and “Maggie Mae” are outstanding. Lennon delivers his best vocals on “Dig a Pony” and McCartney gives his on “I’ve Got a Feeling.” Harrison’s remorseful rocker “I Me Mine” and the undeniably apt “Let It Be” have their definite strengths.

The mythology around the album — the film, the in-fighting and walkouts, the rooftop concert, Yoko — often eclipses the music. The remarkably easy feeling of “Two of Us” is a funny way for a bunch of guys who can’t stand each other to start an album but at least album closer “Get Back” gives fans one last catchy, accessible song to go. Maybe there was no other suitable goodbye.



Realizing that their original catalog was finally going to be remastered and reissued was surreal but that day has finally come. They had their share of influences, sure, but it goes without saying that The Beatles influenced everyone that heard their music. After Brian Wilson matched them with his perfect Pet Sounds, once he heard “Strawberry Fields Forever,” he had fully resigned in competing with them. And even John Lennon would go on to joke that they were more popular than Jesus but when you put everything into context, he knew what he was talking about.

Their story is rich with imagery, their arch is absorbing and their allure is immense — the pure mystique of their history as a band is overwhelmingly crucial. And if you sit back and reflect, they made some of the best music of all time during the narrow span of seven years. It’s unheard of and seldom seen when a musical artist makes more than one album a year, let alone one album every two years. Just imagine bands making albums once a year and each one being revolutionary, inescapable, flawless and utterly transfixing. It’s one thing when you can be good at what you do but to be the best at what you do and still, insanely popular, is entirely exceptional. This was The Beatles, unlike anything we’ll ever witness.
– Bryan Sanchez


SOURCE: http://www.adequacy.net

Reprinted By Permission

Classic Album Cover Art


The Beatles: Yesterday and Today

This original cover -- showing the band surrounded by decapitated, dismembered baby dolls -- created so much controversy that it was quickly replaced a studio photo of the band posed around a foot locker. Maybe the most overvalued copy of any Beatles cover, it is a collector's dream to have one, hence the value for cover usually brings a hefty price.

Released in June 1966, this album's controversial cover marked the first time that the Beatles' judgment was severely criticized by the media and the public. Nevertheless, the album reached #1 on the U.S. Billboard charts by July 30, 1966 and was certified gold soon after. Apart from the butcher cover, this album is of interest to collectors for the appearance of unique mixes of Revolver-era tracks unavailable elsewhere.

The record was released just after John's infamous interview in which he stated that the Beatles were "bigger than Jesus", which angered Americans and provoked many bans on their music and public incinerations of memorabilia. In early 1966, photographer Robert Whitaker had The Beatles in the studio for a conceptual art piece entitled "A Somnambulant Adventure." For the shoot, Whitaker took a series of pictures of the group dressed in butcher smocks and draped with pieces of meat and body parts from plastic baby dolls. The group played along as they were tired of the usual photo shoots and the concept was compatible with their own "black humor." Although not originally intended as an album cover, The Beatles submitted photographs from the session for their promotional materials. In particular, John Lennon pushed to use it as an album cover. A photograph of the band smiling amid the mock carnage was used as promotional advertisements for the British release of the "Paperback Writer" single.

In the United States, Capitol Records printed approximately 750,000 copies of Yesterday and Today with the same photograph as "Paperback Writer". They were assembled in Capitol's four U.S. plants situated in different cities: Los Angeles; Scranton, Pennsylvania; and Jacksonville, Illinois. Copies from the various plants may be easily differentiated by examining the number printed near the RIAA symbol on the back; for example, stereo copies from the Los Angeles plant are designated "5" and mono Los Angeles copies are marked "6". Mono copies outnumbered stereo copies by about 10 to 1, making the stereo copies far more valuable today. A small fraction of the original covers were shipped to disc jockeys and store managers as advance copies. Reaction was immediate. The record was immediately recalled. All copies were ordered shipped back to the record label, leading to its collectability. It has been substantiated that the record was indeed for sale in some stores in limited areas, probably for only one day.

Capitol initially ordered plant managers to destroy the covers, and the Jacksonville plant delivered most of its copies to an area landfill. However, faced with so many jackets already printed, Capitol quickly changed course and decided instead to paste a new cover over the old one, cropping the open end of the album jacket by about 1/8 inch to address problems where the new sheet was not placed exactly "square" on top of the original cover. Tens of thousands of these were sent out. As word of this manouvre made the rounds, people attempted, sometimes successfully, to peel off the pasted-over cover of their copy of the album, hoping to reveal the original image hidden below.

A new cover was pasted over the original after the "butcher" cover resulted in controversy.


Copies that have never had the white cover pasted onto them, known as "first state" covers, are very rare and command the highest prices. Copies with the pasted-on cover intact above the butcher image are known as "second state" or "pasteovers"; today, pasteover covers that have not been altered in an attempt to remove the white cover are also becoming increasingly rare and valuable. Covers that have had the white cover steamed or peeled off to reveal the underlying butcher image are known as "third state" covers; these are now the most common (and least valuable, although their value varies depending on how well the cover is removed) as people continue to peel second state covers to reveal the butcher image underneath. In December 2005 a "first state" copy of the album was sold for $10,500.

Then-president of Capitol Records, Alan Livingston, has in recent years confirmed the existence and private sale of twenty "first state" butcher covers, salvaged from his personal collection. These still-sealed pristine items with the controversial cover are the very rarest specimens. The so-called "Livingston Butchers" today command prices of $40,000 and up among collectors.

At the time, some of the Beatles defended the use of the photograph. Lennon said that it was "as relevant as Vietnam" and Paul McCartney said that their critics were "soft". However, not all of them were as comfortable with it. George Harrison commented, "I thought it was gross, and I also thought it was stupid. Sometimes we all did stupid things thinking it was cool and hip when it was naïve and dumb; and that was one of them." Capitol Records apologized for the offense. Yesterday and Today was the only Beatles record to lose money for Capitol.


Side one
1."Drive My Car" – 2:30
2."I'm Only Sleeping" – 3:01
3."Nowhere Man" – 2:45
4."Doctor Robert" – 2:15
5."Yesterday" – 2:08
6."Act Naturally" (Morrison-Russell) – 2:33

Side two
7."And Your Bird Can Sing" – 2:01
8."If I Needed Someone" (George Harrison) – 2:24
9."We Can Work It Out" – 2:15
10."What Goes On" (Lennon-McCartney-Richard Starkey) – 2:51
11."Day Tripper" – 2:50

New British Beatles exhibit features highest priced piece of memorabilia ever on sale


A new exhibit at the Saint Giles Street Gallery in Norwich in the UK with rare printed items and photography of the Beatles features what is labeled as the most expensive piece of Beatles memorabilia ever put up for sale.

The highlight of "The $11 Million Dollar Picutre Show," on exhibit from Sept. 10 through Oct. 24, is a printer's proof of the Beatles famous "butcher cover" out of John Lennon's personal collection with a note handwritten by the late Beatle.

The note reads, "Here’s the famous banned butcher cover. You can sell it for $11 million dollars." Coincidentally, tha'ts the price gallery owners are asking for the picture, which they say makes it the most costly piece of Beatles memorabilia ever.







The original album cover was shot by legendary Beatles photographer Robert Whitaker, who will also be showing some of his rarer images along with a unique set of limited edition silkscreen prints of each Beatle that have been psychedelized, and have never been shown in public before. At the exhibit, Whitaker is also selling the original printer’s proof for the U.S. "Beatles ‘65" album, which he also photographed.

Additional highlights include rare photos by a number of '60s photographers inciuding Norman Parkinson, Terry O'Neill, Frank Hermmann, Michael Ward and Harry Benson. Tom Murray's famous "Mad Day Out" pictures, taken during a special photo shoot in central London in 1968, will also be exhibited.

Also on sale will be rare film posters, original cartoon cells from "Yellow Submarine" and the official exhibition poster, which has been designed as a limited edition collector’s item.


SOURCE: http://community.livejournal.com

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Digital technology: The Beatles done better?

By Ben Fulton The Salt Lake Tribune


Digitally remastered recordings of pop- and rock-music staples enter the market so often and in so many different guises they've become grist for jokes.

In his renowned comic strip "Life in Hell," cartoonist and "The Simpsons" creator Matt Groening once quipped that they're called CDs because record companies have a "Compact with the Devil" to sell the same music in a different format again and again.

Capitol/EMI has boasted that its scheduled Sept. 9 re-release this year of The Beatles' digitally remastered catalog will be "the highest fidelity the catalog has seen since its original release."

This being The Beatles, the marketing department at Capitol/EMI will make money regardless of how good the re-issues sound.

John Tueller, manager of the Graywhale CD chain along the Wasatch Front, is one of the lucky few who heard three select tracks of the new remastered versions at a music retailers' convention this April in San Diego.

"I heard all of 'Tomorrow Never Knows' just wash over me," he said. "The difference is night and day. Most of the time a remaster of old music doesn't mean a lot. With these, there's a huge difference. We're getting a lot of people asking about them in advance."

The last time Capitol/EMI unleashed a digital version of The Beatles' music was in 1987 on compact disc, but many fans complained it was a rush job. Technology back then was good, but nothing compared with today.

More crucially, the preservation of the original master tapes' vintage analog sound onto the latest digital format is vital. Sooner or later, said Dave Evanoff, owner and operator of Sound Design Studios in Salt Lake City, the magnetic coding will fall right off the original tapes, and with it the first generation sound of The Beatles' music.

"We've grown in 20-plus years to a place where those true analog sounds can be captured in more true sound," Evanoff said. "With these reissues they can sound more like the original tapes, as if you're sitting right inside Abbey Road studios."

Unlike other bands of the era, The Beatles' recordings went from original tape to a mixed master to acetate on vinyl, giving their recorded legacy the best preservation possible at the time. Still, nothing compares with the sound of a digital remaster from the original tape.

"It's very important to get these digital recordings as the technology improves," Evanoff said.

A massive fan of the Fab Four, Evanoff said that along with The Beach Boys, The Beatles pioneered the use of studio technology as an instrument in itself. Key among their contributions was "automatic double-tracking," or re-recording sounds to give them a thicker texture. Along with producer George Martin, often called "the fifth Beatle," and studio engineer Geoff Emerick, the band also invented the warping of sounds. This involved recording an instrumental or vocal line, playing it backwards to notate it on sheet music, recording it once more and then playing it in reverse. This gave the impression of sounds flowing forward, but with a strange backward quality, as if "evolved out of air," Evanoff said.

"Even if it was just a sound one of them [The Beatles] described from their dreams, George and Geoff were bold enough to say, 'Let's do it. Let's find that sound,'" he said.

His own favorite Beatles album or song changes depending on his mood, Evanoff said. "A Day in the Life," however, never fails to impress.

"We're not hearing anything too amazing in terms of effects, but the sound is just so pristine," he said. "Every microphone was placed just right, from the way the crescendo mounts to that final chord and the alarm clock. Nobody's done it better since. I love it every time I listen to it."

SOURCE: http://www.sltrib.com

New Music Releases - September 8, 2009

Buy New Music Here

A Fine Frenzy - Bomb in a Birdcage
AIDS Wolf - Dustin' off the Sphynx
Amerie - In Love & War
Anders Parker - Skyscraper Crow
April Wine - Live in London
Bananarama - Love Comes (Single)
Bat for Lashes - Two Suns (2-CD 1-DVD deluxe edition)
Ben Neill - Night Science
Big Bad Voodoo Daddy - How Big Can You Get?: The Music of Cab Calloway (vinyl)
Bitfrost Arts - Come O Spirit!
Blk Jks -After Robots (vinyl)
Bobby Conn - Bobby Conn (reissue)
Boys Like Girls - Love Drunk
Brandon Swift - Brandon Swift
Breeders - Pod (vinyl reissue)
Brian Auger's Oblivion Express - Live Oblivion
Brooks & Dunn - #1's...And Then Some
Brown Recluse Sings - Soft Skin (vinyl)
Bruce Springsteen - The Interview Sessions
Buddy Guy, Otis Rush, Ike Turner - Cobra
Circulatory System - Signal Morning
Clean - Mister Pop
Commodores - Definitive Collection
Connie Francis - Fallin' - The Early Years
Cotton Jones -The Rio Ranger [EP]
Cribs - Ignore the Ignorant
Damon & Naomi - The Sub Pop Years
Danko Jones - Never Too Loud
Dot Allison - Room 7 1/2
Eddy Current Suppression Ring - Eddy Current Supression Ring (reissue)
Elvis Presley - Elvis at the Movies
Erasure - Erasure Club EP
Ernie Halter - Ernie Halter: Live
Feelies - Crazy Rhythms
Feelies - The Good Earth
Frank Marino & Mahogany Rush - Live / Tales of the Unexpected / What's Next
Frank Turner - Poetry Of The Deed
Fray - Never Say Never
Friendly Fires - Friendly Fires (2-CD edition)
Future of Forestry - Travel II
Gears - Rockin' at Ground Zero
Get Up Kid s- Something to Write Home About (reissue with bonus DVD)
Girlyman - Everything's Easy
Glenn Jones - Barbecue Bob In Fishtown
Gossip - Heavy Cross
Hatcham Social - You Dig the Tunnel, I'll Hide the Soil (vinyl)
HEALTH - Get Color (vinyl)
Howie Day - Sound the Alarm
Insomnium -- 'Across the Dark' -- Candlelight
LoveHateHero -- 'Fight Or Flight' – Ferret
J. Tillman - Year in the Kingdom
Jack Bruce & Robin Trower - Seven Moons Live
Jane Wiedlin - Jane Wiedlin
Janis Ian - Essential
Jay-Z - The Blueprint 3 (3-CD collector's edition)
Jeb Loy Nichols - Strange Faith and Practice
Jeremy Jay - Breaking The Ice (vinyl)
Jim O'Rourke - The Visitor
Jimmy Clanton - The Best of Jimmy Clanton: Venus in Blue Jeans
Joey Casio - Debtor's Prism b/w Artists in Time (vinyl)
John Abercrombie - Wait Til You See Her
John Forte - StyleFREE [EP]
John Mayall and Sonny Boy Williamson - Transatlantic Blues
Johnny Paycheck - Nowhere To Run: The Little Darlin' Years 1966-1970
Juan McLean - Happy House (Lazaro Casanova Remix) (vinyl)
Juan McLean - Happy House (VHS Or Beta Remix) (vinyl)
Julian Lennon - Help Yourself
Julian Lennon - Mr. Jordan
Julian Lennon - The Secret Value of Daydreaming
Juliette Lewis - Terra Incognita (vinyl)
Lavay Smith & Her Red Hot Skillet Lickers - Miss Smith To You!
Lofty Pillars - When We Were Lost
Lusine - A Certain Distance
Magic Kids - Hey Boy
Marc Almond & Alexei Fedorov - Orpheus in Exile Songs of Vadim Kozin
Marie Digby - Breathing Underwater
Maserati - Passages
Matt Marque - Nothing Personal
Mayer Hawthorne - A Strange Arrangement (CD & vinyl single)
MC5 - Thunder Express (vinyl reissue)
Mika - We Are Golden
Mike Clarke - West Coast Connection / Steel & Fire
Mindy Smith - Stupid Love (vinyl)
Monotonix - Where Were You When It Happened? (vinyl)
Mumlers - Don't Throw Me Away
My Milky - Way Arms Lightsaber Circuit Breaker
Nadja & Black Boned Angel - Nadja & Black Boned Angel (vinyl)
Noah and the Whale - The First Days of Spring (CD & DVD)
Nudge - As Good As Gone
Octopus Project - One Ten Hundred Thousand Million (vinyl reissue)
Old Wives' Tales - Younger Limbs
Os Mutantes - Haih Or Barauna
Pete Yorn & Scarlett Johansson - Break Up
Peter White - Good Day
Phish - Joy
Polar Bear Club - Chasing Hamburg (vinyl)
Polvo - In Prism (vinyl)
Prefab Sprout - Let's Change the World With Music
Proclaimers - Notes and Rhymes
Raekwon - Only Built 4 Cuban Linx
Ray Stevens - One For the Road
Remi Nicole - Cupid Shoot Me
Rick Danko - Live at Dylan's Cafe, Washington D.C., December 1987
Rick Danko & Richard Manuel - Live at O'Toole's Tavern, Scranton, PA, December 1985
Ricky Nelson - Rockin' & Boppin' - The Early Years
Robert Cray - This Time
Rodrigo Y Gabriela - 11:11
Roots - How I Got Over (vinyl)
Ryan Blotnick - Everything Forgets
Saosin - In Search of Solid Ground
Shannon Stephens - The Breadwinner
Shirley Bassey - As I Love You 1956-1958
Simon Joyner - Hotel Lives
Sondre Lerche - Heartbeat Radio
Spencer Day - Vagabond
Stephen Kellogg & the Sixers - The Bear (vinyl)
Stone Roses - The Stone Roses (remastered with bonus tracks) (2-CD 1-DVD deluxe edition) (3-CD 3-LP 1-DVD limited collector's edition) (2-LP vinyl edition)
Sweetwater - sweetwater
Taken By Trees - East of Eden (vinyl)
T-Bone Walker - Essence of (2-CDs)
Thea Gilmore - Recorded Delivery (Live)
Thee Midniters - Songs of Love, Rhythm and Psychedilia (4 CDs)
Thelonious Monk - Monk (reissue)
They Might Be Giants - Here Comes Science (CD & DVD)
U2 - I'll Go Crazy If I Don't Go Crazy Tonight (2 Track Single)
Valleys - Sometimes Water Kills People
Various Artists - A Solitary Man: The Early Songs Of Neil Diamond
Various Artists - Mercury Prize 2009
Various Artists - Mr. Mark Twain: The Musical
Various Artists - The Laurie Records Story, Volume 3: Girls & Girl Groups
Various Artists - The London American Label: Year By Year - 1960
Various Artists - Theme Time Radio Hour: Season 2 - With Your Host Bob Dylan
Visqueen - Message To Garcia
Vivian Girls - Everything Goes Wrong (vinyl)
Vladislav Delay: Tummaa (vinyl)
Wallis Bird - New Boots
Wild Beasts - Two Dancers
Yaron Herman Trio - Muse
Yo La Tengo - Popular Songs (vinyl)

Buy New Music Here

09/09/09

Buy Beatles Box Set Here

Beatles: A Hard Day's Night (remastered)
Beatles: Abbey Road (remastered)
Beatles: Beatles For Sale (remastered)
Beatles: Help! (remastered)
Beatles: Let It Be (remastered)
Beatles: Magical Mystery Tour (remastered)
Beatles: Past Masters (remastered)
Beatles: Please Please Me (remastered)
Beatles: Revolver (remastered)
Beatles: Rubber Soul (remastered)
Beatles: Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band (remastered)
Beatles: The Beatles Stereo Box Set (17-CD box set of remastered albums)
Beatles: The White Album (remastered)
Beatles: With The Beatles (remastered)
Beatles: Yellow Submarine (remastered)

Buy Beatles Box Set Here

Rock/Pop Tidbits

I guess he didn't write this song - The Barry Manilow hit "I Write The Songs", written by The Beach Boys' Bruce Johnson, has been recorded by over two hundred artists and has a cumulative, worldwide sales figure of twenty-five million copies.

Seven-foot drag queen RuPaul appeared with comedy legend Milton Berle at the MTV awards. Uncle Milte said, “You know RuPaul, thirty years ago when I was on television, I used to wear dresses too.” “That’s interesting,” the giant cross-dresser snapped. “You used to wear dresses, now you wear diapers.”

During the last years that Elvis Presley performed live, he opened his shows with "The Theme From 2001". When asked about it, Presley said that he felt the number 2001 had a special significance in his life that he couldn't explain. Elvis died August, 16, 1977, which numerically is 8-16-1977. When these numbers are added up, they equal 2001.

The day after Elvis died, Florists Transworld Delivery (FTD) reported that in one day, the number of orders for flowers to be delivered to Graceland had surpassed the number for any other event in the company's history.

Paul McCartney wrote "Hey Jude" for Julian Lennon after John's divorce from his first wife, Cynthia. The song's original name was "Hey Julian", then changed to "Hey Jules" before settling on the final title.



The members of Exile, who scored a US number one hit in 1978 with "Kiss You All Over", toured with the Dick Clark Caravan of Stars in 1965 as back-up band for artists including Brian Hyland and Tommy Roe.

Billboard Magazine printed the first Hot 100 singles chart in August, 1958. Their first #1 hit was "Poor Little Fool" by Ricky Nelson.

When he was a boy, David Bowie took art lessons from Peter Frampton's father, Owen.

In 1963, artists managed by Brian Epstein placed 85 songs in the Top Ten of the British record charts.

In 1966, songwriter Tommy Boyce asked Del Shannon to record the theme for Dick Clark's upcoming TV show Where The Action Is. Shannon didn't like the song and turned it down. It was then offered to Freddy Cannon, who had a #3 US hit with it.

Mary McGregor recorded her 1977, number one hit, "Torn Between Two Lovers" while standing in a bathroom, to take advantage of the room's natural echo.

The Notorious B.I.G. married his flame, Faith Evans, only eight days after he met her. Responding to a reporter’s question on how it was working out, Biggie replied, “She ain’t speaking to me right now.”

Marilyn Manson has always denied rumors that he was a child actor who had appeared on the popular television show “Mr. Belvedere.” “I’ve masturbated during the show when it was on TV,” he explained. “But, I have never been on it.”

At the same time as "Love Will Keep Us Together" was starting to fade from the Billboard Hot 100, The Captain and Tennille had a Spanish version of the same song ("Por Amor Viviremos") enter the chart. It was the only time in Rock history that an act had two versions of the same song in different languages and on different singles, appear simultaneously on the Hot 100.

While Ernie K-Doe's hit "Mother-In-Law" was at the top of the US charts in 1961, Dick Clark decided he would not have K-Doe on American Bandstand because he felt the song was disrespectful towards his Mother-in-Law.

The line from Chuck Berry's Johnny B. Goode, "That little country boy could play" was originally written as, "That little colored boy can play." Berry knew that in order to get the song played on the radio, he would have to change that lyric.

The world's most expensive record has an estimated value of $180,000 and is in the possession of Paul McCartney. The disc is the first pressing of "That'll Be The Day", recorded in 1958 by the Quarry Men, made up of Paul McCartney, John Lennon, George Harrison, Colin Hanton and John Duff Lowe.

It was Paul Simon who actually wrote The Cyrkle's 1966 hit "Red Rubber Ball" under the assumed name of Jerry Landis.

Top 5 eBay Vinyl Record Sales

Week Ending 09/05/2009


1. 45 - The Crystals "The Screw Pt 1" / "The Screw Pt 2" Philles - $3,499.99

2. LP - The Beatles "Yesterday and Today" First State Butcher Mono - $2,600.00

3. 45 - Nirvana "Love Buzz" 243/1000 Sub Pop - $2,499.00

4. 45 - David Bowie "Space Oddity" / "Starman" RCA Mexico Picture Sleeve - $2,333.00

5. LP - Led Zeppelin "I" Atlantic UK Turquoise 1st Press - $2,244.31


Note: Last Week's gitantic bid For The Beatles "Please Please Me" Stereo Parlophone Gold UK First Press - $36,409.41 turned out to be a fake and the record is still for sale



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

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 7, 2009


DEAR JERRY: While visiting relatives in Yakima, Washington last month, I read an obituary in their paper about a local musician named Larry Knechtel. Rural Yakima is somewhat isolated and not exactly the entertainment capital of the world, so I'm not sure Larry's passing made the news outside south-central Washington.

I bring this up because the obit made reference to Larry being a Grammy-winning artist, with hundreds of recordings to his credit, and his being associated with many big-name acts.

I don't have a computer but I have since asked dee jays and record collectors, and not a one knows this man.

Can you tell me more about Mr. Knechtel, and the singers he's worked with?
—John Russell, Racine, Wisc.



DEAR JOHN: You are right about the limited coverage of Larry Knechtel's death. I find no mention of Larry at all in CNN's archives, and only brief Associated Press notes on other leading news sites. There is so much more to be known about Knechtel.

Primarily a keyboardist and electric bass player, Larry could play many instruments and any style of music, from classical to country and jazz to rock. It also didn't hurt that he was gifted with perfect pitch.

Larry's big break came in 1959 when Duane Eddy, the nation's top instrumentalist, asked Knechtel to join his band, the Rebels. There he became friends with Steve Douglas, Duane Eddy's saxophonist.

Douglas then took a job in Los Angeles with Phil Spector and a flock of musicians who would later be known as the Wrecking Crew. In 1963, Larry Knechtel joined the Crew.

Not until about 20 years after their glory days did anyone even refer to them as the Wrecking Crew, but it was Hal Blaine's 2003 book, “Hal Blaine and the Wrecking Crew: The Story of the World's Most Recorded Musician” is that cemented the name in musical history. Best known for their sessions at Gold Star Studios, and in particular Phil Spector's Wall of Sound, Larry and other Wrecking Crewmen can be heard on, as the Yakima obituary stated, “hundreds of recordings.”

In 1971, Knechtel joined the group Bread, founded by David Gates. Larry's guitar artistry is featured on their hit albums “Baby I'm-a Want You” and “Guitar Man,” both issued in 1972.

Fittingly, the guitar man playing those distinctively hot licks on the Top 10 hit, “The Guitar Man” (Elektra 45803), is Larry Knechtel.

Besides his work on tracks by Duane Eddy, Bread, and numerous Phil Spector hits, here are just A FEW more whose recordings feature or include Larry Knechtel: Association; Chet Atkins; Hoyt Axton; Joan Baez; Beach Boys; Byrds; Ray Charles; Elvis Costello; Spencer Davis Group; John Denver; Jackie DeShannon; Neil Diamond; Dixie Chicks; Fats Domino; Doors; Everly Brothers; 5th Dimension; England Dan & John Ford Coley; Connie Francis; Jerry Garcia; Art Garfunkel; David Gates; Dale Hawkins; Jan & Dean; Billy Joel; Phil Keaggy; Al Kooper; Mamas and the Papas; Henry Mancini; Dave Mason; Monkees; Randy Newman; Harry Nilsson; Roy Orbison; Dolly Parton; Partridge Family; Poco; Mike Post; Perez Prado; Elvis Presley; Righteous Brothers; Johnny Rivers; Tommy Roe; Diana Ross; Seals & Crofts; Paul Simon; Simon & Garfunkel; Nancy Sinatra; Steppenwolf; John Stewart; Barbra Streisand; Tina Turner; Turtles; Conway Twitty; Tim Weisberg; Hank Williams Jr.; and Mason Williams. Knechtel's lone Grammy Award is for Best Arrangement, rewarding his work on what turned out to be the 1970 Record of the Year: Simon and Garfunkel's “Bridge Over Troubled Water.”

In a surprising development, MCA-Universal in Nashville signed Larry as a solo artist in 1989. His debut album, “Mountain Moods” (MCA 6279), includes 11 of his jazz-based originals.

The following year, Larry's second and last solo album, “Urban Gypsy” (Capitol CDP 7 94382 2) came out.

The Musician's Hall of Fame inducted Larry, and other Wrecking Crewmen, in November 2007.

Knechtel, 69, died August 20th at Yakima Valley Memorial Hospital. The cause of death is given as “an apparent undetermined illness.”


IZ ZAT SO? How many players did Phil Spector use to create all those Wall of Sound hits?

In his book “Phil Spector - Back to Mono (1958-1969),” included with the boxed set of the same name, Phil credits 182 musicians, some of whom are household names in the music world: Herb Alpert; King Curtis; Plas Johnson; Sandy Nelson; Billy Preston; Ike Turner; and Brian Wilson.

Credited separately in the book are “Phil's Regulars” — the nucleus of the Wrecking Crew. Among those are: Hal Blaine (drums); Sonny Bono (percussion); Red Callendar (bass); Glen Campbell (guitar); Al Casey (guitar); Steve Douglas (sax); Jim Horn (sax); Carol Kaye (Fender bass); Barney Kessel (guitar); Larry Knechtel (keyboard); Jack Nitzsche (arranger, percussion); Leon Russell (keyboard); Billy Strange (guitar); Tommy Tedesco (guitar); and Nino Tempo (sax, keyboard).

Copyright 2009 Osbourne Enterprises- Reprinted By Permission


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Music News & Notes

KISS: First Look At New Stage Outfits

The first photos of the brand new KISS outfits, taken on the set of last week's photo shoot for the new KISS Alive 35 tour book, can be viewed below (all pictures were taken by Dean Snowden for KissOnline.com).

KISS' new album, "Sonic Boom", will be released in Europe on October 5 via Loud & Proud/Roadrunner Records. The CD will be made available on October 6 in the U.S. and Canada exclusively via Wal-Mart, Walmart.com and Sam's Club retail locations.

"Sonic Boom", produced by guitarist/vocalist Paul Stanley in Los Angeles, is the centerpiece of a three-disc set that also features a completely re-recorded greatest hits CD (previously available in Japan) as well as a live DVD shot in Argentina during the band's recent, record-breaking KISS Alive 35 South American tour. The CD set will retail for $12, with pre-orders starting in September on Walmart.com.

Wal-Mart, one of America's largest music retailers, is finalizing its exciting plans now for its in-store and online destinations for KISS fans surrounding the launch of the new album and tour, and will host various KISS products in addition to their music in its stores this fall. More details on Wal-Mart KISS activity, announcements regarding album pre-sales, sweepstakes and KISS appearances will be shared shortly.




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Original ANGEL Bassist MICKIE JONES Loses Battle With Cancer

Mickie Jones, original bassist and founding member of the '70s rock band ANGEL, passed away Saturday, September 5 in San Dimas, California after a long battle with liver cancer. His family said he died "peacefully and beautifully."

Mickie performed on four ANGEL albums — "Angel" (1975), "Helluva Band" (1976), "On Earth As It Is In Heaven" (1977) and "An Anthology" (1992; compilation). He toured extensively with ANGEL in the United States for several years and took part in the band's infamous Japanese tour. Before ANGEL, he played in the rock group BUX, which included guitarist Punky Meadows (ANGEL) and singer Ralph Morman (JOE PERRY PROJECT, SAVOY BROWN). BUX released one album on Capitol Records, "We Come To Play", in 1976. Both Jones and Meadows were asked to join the NEW YORK DOLLS but declined. After leaving ANGEL, Jones formed the L.A. band EMPIRE (which also included L.A. GUNS drummer Steve Riley), in which he handled lead vocals. Over the years, Mickie became interested in film production and later worked in the film industry.

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Reggae Star Dies

Jamaican reggae producer and recording artist Wycliffe "Steely" Johnson passed away on last Tuesday in New York at the age of 47. His producing partner, Cleveland "Clevie" Browne said that Johnson had a heart attack. He was also being treated for kidney failure since December. Johnson had worked with Bob Marley, Sean Paul and No Doubt among others.

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INXS Recording With Guest Vocalists

Last year, INXS unceremoniously (at least by some reports) rid themselves of Canadian singer J.D. Fortune who had joined the band after winning a reality show. At this point, there is no new lead singer but that hasn't stopped the group from entering the studio. They are rerecording many of their best songs with the help of a variety of lead vocalists, including Rob Thomas, Brandon Flowers of the Killers, Gabriella Cilmi, Kav Temperley of Eskimo Joe and others.

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Public Image Ltd Reforming

John Lydon (the former Johnny Rotten) is reforming the band Public Image Ltd. for a run of dates in the U.K. There have been no performances under that name for 17 years.

Lydon will be the one returning member from their original lineup, instead bringing in two members from the late 80's, guitarist Lu Edmonds (the Damned, the Mekons, Billy Bragg) and drummer Bruce Smith (the Slits, Guided by Voices), along with Scott Firth who plays multiple instruments.

the tour will mark the 30th anniversary of Metal Box but the band will cover music from their entire catalog. In talking with England's Guardian newspaper, Lydon spoke of the new lineup and their sound. "We'll see where we can go. Some things may be quite similar. Some may not."

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Bee Gees Reunite

Robin Gibb tells the BBC the Bee Gees will reunite for live shows in the near future. Gibb says he and Barry have “got through the breakwater of emotions” after the 2003 death of their bandmate and brother Maurice.

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Top Ten Sales last week at Vinyl Collective.com

1 WHATEVER 292 copies
2 AUSTIN LUCAS “Somebody Loves You” LP silkscreened tour-edition black vinyl 32 copies
3 THE METHADONES “Exit 17″ 7″ green vinyl 16 copies
4 CHUCK RAGAN “Break Our Bread” 7 14 copies
4 CHUCK RAGAN “Gold Country” LP black vinyl 14 copies
4 GREGORY ALAN ISAKOV “This Empty Northern Hemisphere” LP brown vinyl 14 copies
7 Suburban Home Pick 5 for $25 Sale + 5 FREE CDs (CDs, Vinyl, Pint Glasses) 13 copies
7 THE METHADONES/ THE COPYRIGHTS split LP pink vinyl 13 copies
9 7” Record Jacket Sleeves (20) 7-1/4″ x 7-1/4 12 copies
9 THE GASLIGHT ANTHEM “The 59 Sound” 7″ (RE-RELEASE) 12 copies
11 DRAG THE RIVER “Get Drunk” Pint Glass 11 copies
11 THE GASLIGHT ANTHEM “The 59 Sound” LP black vinyl 11 copies
11 HEAVY HEAVY LOW LOW “Turtle Nipple…” LP brown/pink 11 copies
11 TEENAGE BOTTLEROCKET “They Came From The Shadows” LP 11 copies
11 TIM BARRY/ FRANK TURNER split 7″ black vinyl 11 copies
11 CHAD PRICE “Smile Sweet Face? LP Transparent Brown vinyl 11 copies
11 EVERY TIME I DIE “Hot Damn” LP silver/black 11 copies

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Rolling Stones and Pink Floyd Legends Slam Rock Band, Guitar Hero

Ex-Rolling Stones guitarist Bill Wyman and Pink Floyd star Nick Mason have attacked computer games like Rock Band for deterring youngsters from picking up real instruments.

Speaking on the eve of the release of 'The Beatles: Rock Band', both the music icons believe such music games have a negative effect on children.

72-year-old Wyman, The Rolling Stones' guitarist from 1962 to 1992, said of the games to the BBC: "It encourages kids not to learn, that's the trouble.

"It makes less and less people dedicated to really get down and learn an instrument. I think is a pity so I'm not really keen on that kind of stuff."

Pink Floyd drummer Nick Mason echoed the sentiment saying of Guitar Hero and Rock Band: "It irritates me having watched my kids do it - if they spent as much time practising the guitar as learning how to press the buttons they'd be damn good by now."