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