Sunday, October 25, 2009

Music News & Notes

Julian Casablancas Releasing Box Set For Solo Album, Talks New Strokes Record

Strokes frontman Julian Casablancas' solo debut, Phrazes For The Young, is out Nov. 3 on RCA, but if you wait a few more weeks and shell out around $90, you can get yourself the album plus a nice, shiny box set on Dec. 18.

The set comes in a special antique-ish box with the album on CD and 180-gram vinyl, a 48-page autographed book, a DVD that includes solo acoustic performances, another CD that's got demos and B-sides on it, a poster and a Cult Records pin.

The eight-track album was produced by Jason Lader (Maroon 5) and Mike Mogis (Bright Eyes, Lightspeed Champion) and was recorded in New York City, Los Angeles and Nebraska. You can hear first single "11th Dimension" and "River Of Brakelights" on Casablancas' MySpace page. http://www.myspace.com/juliancasablancas

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Rare Beatles Record Found

Record dealer John Tefteller may have stumbled across one of the rarest Beatles albums in existence. He was contacted by the widow of a Capitol Records executive about taking a look at the man's record collection. Amongst a lot of easy listening and jazz was a copy of Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band but there were none of the Beatles' faces on the cover. They had been replaced with pictures of the record company's executives and given out to people at the label. To make it even better, the album was still sealed.

It is estimated that only about one hundred of the albums were made and, according to Beatles expert Stan Panenka, only three or four are actually known to exist with the last turning up about ten years ago. The rarity makes it next to impossible to establish a value for the album.

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Strokes Album Update

The Strokes are writing and rehearsing material for their fourth album at their New York City rehearsal space.

According to an email update from the band, singer Julian Casablancas, guitarists Albert Hammond, Jr. and Nick Valensi, bassist Nikolai Fraiture and drummer Fabrizio Moretti haven't booked any studio time, but will figure that out sometime "in the not-too-distant future." The band have been working on songs for the album since February.

"i wish i could tell you that this DEFINITELY meant we can expect an album release date before the end of 2009, but it's just too soon to speculate on that for sure yet," said the email message. "one way or another.... suffice to say, the work has begun!"

Casablancas recently told Rolling Stone's Smoking Section blog that The Strokes are hard at work and have penned three songs so far.

"I would say it's going great. We have a lot of work to do, though. Some of the new stuff has a '70s vibe, like Thin Lizzy or Elvis Costello. But then some of it is bizarrre music from the future that we're trying to tone down to sound catchy. So we're trapped between the future and the '70s."

The Strokes haven't released an album since 2006's First Impressions Of Earth. They've been busy with various other projects since.

Fraiture released a solo album as Nickel Eye in January. Little Joy, Moretti's side project, put out a self-titled album last year. Hammond released his Yours To Keep solo debut in 2007 and its Como Te Llama? follow-up last year.

Casablancas recently contributed vocals to "Boombox," a track on The Lonely Island's Incredibad debut.

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The Rakes Announce News Of Break Up, Cancel Tour

The Rakes have announced they are to split with immediate effect. The band who formed in 2002, came together as a foursome of childhood friends and kindred sprits and went on to release three critically acclaimed albums; the first "Capture/Release" in 2005, followed by "Ten New Messages" in 2007 and "Klang" (2009). Both the October UK tour and American dates are cancelled and full refunds will be given to ticket holders.

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Morrissey Collapses On Stage In Swindon - Singer was rushed to hospital...

Morrissey has been taken to hospital after collapsing on stage during a gig in Swindon last night. The singer had just finished his opening song, a rendition of former band The Smiths’ ‘This Charming Man’, when he was taken ill.

The 50-year-old singer was carried from the stage by two of his bandmates, according to the Daily Telegraph. Morrissey was taken to Swindon's Great Western Hospital, where his condition was described as “stable”.

This Date In Music History-October 25

Birthdays:

Helen Reddy (1942)
Dick Dodd - Standells (1943)
Taffy Danoff - Starland Vocal Band (1944)
Jon Anderson - Yes (1944)
Phil "Fang" Volk - Paul Revere & the Raiders (1945)
John Hall - The Equals (1947)
Glenn Tipton - Judas Priest (1948)
Richard Lloyd - Television (1951)
Matthias Jabs - Scorpions (1955)
Mark Miller - Sawyer Brown (1958)
Nick Thorp - Curiosity Killed the Cat (1958)
Christina Amphlett - Divinyls (1960)
Chad Smith - Red Hot Chili Peppers (1962)
John Leven - Europe (1963)
Todd Thomas - Arrested Development (1968)
Ed Robertson - Barenaked Ladies (1970)
Katy Perry (1984)


They Are Missed:

Ronnie Smith (brought in to replace Buddy Holly as lead singer of the "Crickets" for the remainder of the Winter Dance Party) hanged himself in a Texas state hospital in 1962, where he had been committed for drug abuse.

Margo Sylvia of the Tuneweavers ("Happy, Happy Birthday Baby") died of a heart attack in 1991.

Legendary rock promoter Bill Graham was killed in 1991 when the helicopter in which he is riding crashes into a utility pole during a rainstorm near San Francisco.

Roger 'King Of The Road’ Miller died of died of lung and throat cancer in hospital in Los Angeles in 1992. Miller won eleven Grammy Awards as a songwriter and seven Tony awards for writing the music and lyrics for Big River.

American bassist Howie Blauvelt died of a heart attack in 1993. Had been a member of The Ram Jam Band and worked with Billy Joel in The Hassles and El Primo.

William Martin, drummer with Sam The Sham & the Pharaohs, died of a heart attack in 2000. The quintessential Tex-Mex band of the 1960s, had the 1965 #2 "Wooly Bully."

Richard Harris ("MacArthur Park") died of cancer in 2002.

In 2003, Johnny Cash's step-daughter, Rosey Nix Adams and her fiddle player Jimmy Campbell were found dead on their tour bus in Clarksville, Tennessee from carbon monoxide poisoning. Heaters that had been left on were blamed for the accident.

John Peel died in Cuzco, Peru of a heart attack in 2004 (age 65). He was BBC’s longest-serving radio DJ and the first DJ to introduce The Ramones, Roxy Music, The Smiths, The Fall, Rod Stewart, Blur, the Sex Pistols, T. Rex and others to the masses. He was also known for his "Peel Sessions," releases of live radio sessions. Peel was appointed an OBE in 1998.


History:

In 1960, a 17-year-old Mick Jagger accidentally meets his old school chum Keith Richards on a train. The two bond together again over a mutual love of R&B records and later join Little Boy Blue & the Blue Boys

In 1964, the British music industry awarded the Beatles five Ivor Novello Awards for 1963. They were: most outstanding contribution to music; "She Loves You," most broadcast song and best-selling record; "I Want to Hold Your Hand," second best-selling record; and "All My Loving" second most outstanding song.

The Rolling Stones appeared on The Ed Sullivan Show in 1964. A riot broke out in the studio and Sullivan was quoted as saying, “I promise you they’ll never be back on our show again."

The double album "Electric Ladyland," by the Jimi Hendrix Experience was released in 1968. It was also made available as two albums with changed artwork after complaints about the naked women who were pictured on the sleeve.

Pink Floyd's "Ummagumma" LP was released in 1969.

Pink Floyd's "Atom Heart Mother" became the group's first #1 album in Britain in 1970.

Speaking at a US radio conference in 1970, President Nixon asked programmers to ban all songs containing drug references.

"The Allman Brothers Band Live at the Fillmore East" went gold in 1971, just four days before leader Duane Allman loses his life in a motorcycle accident.

John Lennon sued the U.S. government in 1973, maintaining that wiretaps and surveillance were employed against him and his lawyer, Leon Wildes. He claimed that, as a result, his appeal applications in his fight against deportation were prejudiced by U.S. officials.

In 1974, Al Green was taking a shower at his Memphis home when his ex-girlfriend Mary Woodson burst in and poured boiling hot grit over him. She then shot herself dead. Green suffered second degree burns. A woman scorned?

In 1979, Bob Marley and The Wailers played the first of four sold out nights at the Apollo Theater in Harlem, New York City, NY.

Barbra Streisand scored her fourth US #1 album in 1980 with "Guilty."

Bon Jovi went to #1 in 1986 with the LP "Slippery When Wet." It featured two US #1 singles, "You Give Love A Bad Name" and "Livin' On A Prayer." The album went on to sell over 8 million copies world wide.



Cyndi Lauper started a two week run at #1 in 1986 with the single "True Colours."

“Nothing’s Shocking” from Jane’s Addiction was released in 1988. The album’s cover features two topless women with their hair on fire.

1996 - Nirvana was recognized by the record industry for selling nine million copies of “Nevermind” and five million copies of “In Utero.” 1996

In 2006, Kurt Cobain topped Forbes' list of the top-earning dead rock stars. At #2 was read "Elvis Presley." The Nirvana singer's estate earned $50 million over the past year.