Wednesday, October 28, 2009

ONE-OF-A-KIND BEATLES LPS DISCOVERED


ONE-OF-A-KIND BEATLES LPS DISCOVERED

What’s inside that storage carton in the back corner of your crawl space? Imagine if it was a one-of-a-kind original pressing of a Beatles record. NOW imagine if there were four of them. You don’t have to be a music expert to know that this is a momentous discovery. But Akim Boldireff and Aaron Keele ARE music experts – known as The Record Guys www.therecordguys.com across the world – and they uncovered this singular stash earlier this year. “I knew right away when I saw these that they were special,” says Boldireff.

These items were obtained from a former Capitol Records record-pressing plant employee, who worked for the company from the late 1970s until the mid 1980s. He had access to the music, the machines and the brilliantly coloured vinyl discs. When his shift was over, he’d sometimes experiment, testing techniques of mixing colour and creating patterns. Thankfully, his favourite band was The Beatles, and he took the opportunity to create what are now totally unique in the world of Beatles collectibles.

Among the items is a breathtaking electric-blue vinyl disc with The Beatles “Revolver” side A pressed on one side and John Lennon’s solo debut album “Plastic Ono Band” side B on the flipside. Another gem is a pressing of the seminal “Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band” album done on a stunning blue marble vinyl.

“And,” he adds, “there are no other copies anywhere in the world. These are the only known copies.”

This remarkable collection isn’t just rare – it's so exceptional the experts hesitate to even place a monetary value on it. You can also view the collection and read about it on Boldireff and Keele’s website, http://www.therecordguys.com. The top items in the one-of-a-kind Beatles rarities collection discovered by The Record Guys:

1 Side 1 - Beatles Revolver Side A (ST-2576)

Side 2 - Plastic Ono Band Side B (SW-3372)

Blue vinyl

Both sides have ’67-’70 labels


2 Beatles Sgt. Pepper's (SEAV 11840) on blue swirl vinyl


3 Beatles Love Songs (SEBX 11844) on gold splatter/splash vinyl (2nd LP black)


4 Beatles ’67-’70 (SEBX 3-11343) on blue swirl vinyl (2nd LP black)


5 Beatles Rubber Soul (ST 2442) - one-sided mother record


About Akim Boldireff and Aaron Keele

Akim Boldireff and Aaron Keele are internationally respected music specialists. Between them, they’ve examined, analyzed and assessed millions of records, applying their knowledge and assiduous research to determine the provenance and value of music and music-related items. They travel the world to buy and sell all forms of collectible music – no collection is too big or too small. The Record Guys are well-known to Canadian audiences from their appearances on television, radio and print, and their bi-annual record shows. Visit their website at http://www.therecordguys.com.

Ask Mr. Music by Jerry Osborne

Let's continue our 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 OCTOBER 26, 2009


DEAR JERRY: Some of the biggest hits over the years have been, quite frankly, silly songs. Regardless, tunes such as “Teen Angel”; “Tell Laura I Love Her”; and “My Boyfriend's Back” sold millions — mostly to teenagers just like me.

I confess. I bought all of those records, one of which now has me confused.

When I hear “My Boyfriend's Back” on the radio, I hear words and music not on my original 45.

Are there two different versions, perhaps one shorter than the other? Or is the one now played stretched to make it longer, a common gimmick in the disco '70s?

Whatever, I just never hear the actual hit single played. What gives?
—Clara Hadley, Evansville, Ind.



DEAR CLARA: There is only one recording issued, which runs approximately 2:35. What is uncertain is whether the producers didn't care for a 27-second segment, or simply wanted a shorter song for single release.

Either way, 27 seconds of the song ended up on the cutting room floor.

Remember, many Top 40 dee jays in those days preferred two-minute songs, and my software clocks the 1963 single at 2:06. The time shown on the label (Smash 1834) is 2:11.

In the 1980s, when “My Boyfriend's Back” appeared on compact discs, they reverted to the original unedited master. Now, your old 45 is probably the best source for the edited version.

As for the editing, the :27 clip begins at about 1:51 with “Yeah I can see him comin' … now you better start a-runnin'.”

At that point the single release jumps ahead :27 to “Yes my boyfriend's back, well look out now,” followed by about :17, including the fade-out.


DEAR JERRY: I recall many versions of the instrumental “Johnny Guitar,” but one that particularly stands out in my memory features a lead guitar, vocal group backing, and a horse's hooves-type percussion. It came out in 1959 or '60. Can you identify it?
—Bruce Callaghan, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia



DEAR BRUCE: Easily, thanks to your onomatopoeic reference to the clip-clop accompaniment. (When's the last time someone said those words to you?)

“Johnny Guitar,” backed with “Hucklebuck” (ABC-Paramount 10210), is from a combo put together by Vinny Lee — appropriately named the Leemen.

Lee recorded as a solo act, as well as with other groups, for three years before gathering the horses for “Johnny Guitar.” This single trotted out in the summer of 1961, just a wee bit later than you thought.


DEAR JERRY: I bought Andy Williams' “I Like Your Kind of Love” (Cadence 1323), and the label identifies the female singing with him as “Andy's Girlfriend Played By Peggy Powers.”

Yet “The Hawaiian Wedding Song (Ke Kali Nei Au)” (Cadence 1358), has no credit given the girl with the beautiful voice who duets with him at the end.

Is this also Peggy Powers?
—Mel Collingswood, Albuquerque



DEAR MEL: Shame on them, especially since that lady is long-time acquaintance of mine.

The songbird exchanging vows with Andy at the end of “The Hawaiian Wedding Song” is Anita Wood.

A native Memphian, Wood commuted to New York to work on the Andy Williams Television show. She and Andy recorded this there during the summer of 1958.

This is the same Anita Wood who was Elvis Presley's steady girlfriend for over a year before the army shipped him off to Germany (September 22, 1958).

Being separated for 19 months took its toll on the relationship, and by the time of his discharge Priscilla was in the picture. With the pre-army bliss waning, Anita walked away from the relationship in 1962.

Just one year earlier, Anita recorded the beautiful ballad “I'll Wait Forever” (Sun 361), an obvious message song to Elvis.

Turns out she couldn't wait quite that long.


IZ ZAT SO? Discussing “My Boyfriend's Back” raises the question of how many Rock Era No. 1 hits are by white, all-girl groups (three or more members).

The answer is astonishing.

In the 30” years from 1955 through mid-'85, there are only five: “Hearts of Stone” (Fontane Sisters, 1955); “Sincerely” (McGuire Sisters, 1955); “Sugartime” (McGuire Sisters, 1958); “My Boyfriend's Back” (Angels, 1963); and “Leader of the Pack” (Shangri-Las, 1964).

The McGuire Sisters are the only ones on the list twice, both with nine-letter, single-word “S” titles.

The 22-year drought ended in September 1986, with “Venus,” by Bananarama. Then three months later came the Bangles' “Walk Like an Egyptian.”

When “Sincerely” replaced “Hearts of Stone” at No. 1, we had back-to-back entries by two trios of sisters.

That is a sequence we may never see that again.

Jerry Osborne answers as many questions as possible through this column. Write Jerry at Box 255, Port Townsend, WA 98368, e-mail: jpo@olympus.net, or visit his Web site: www.jerryosborne.com. All values quoted in this column are for near-mint condition.

Copyright 2009 Osbourne Enterprises- Reprinted By Permission

Music News & Notes

Person L Announce Dates and Preorders

(PR) Pre-order has begun for Person L's upcoming record, The Positives. The record is set for release on November 17th [CD/digital] and Person L preorder December 7th [2x10" LP] via Academy Fight Song and Human Interest Records. The CD packaging includes a full color digipak with flood color printing and a six panel insert fold out. The vinyl release includes double 10" LPs housed in a full color matte-finished gatefold jacket.

Academy Fight Song is offering an exclusive 180 gram black version of the LP, and Person L is offering an exclusive blue/purple swirl vinyl along with an exclusive t-shit bundle. US tour kicks off November 9th with a hometown show, dates and the preorder link are below:

Person L Tour Dates w/ John Nolan, & Brian Bonz:
11.09.09 - Philadelphia, PA -- World Cafe Live **
11.10.09 - Cleveland Heights, OH -- Grog Shop
11.11.09 - Lansing, MI -- Mac's Bar
11.12.09 - Bloomington, IN -- The Bishop Bar
11.13.09 - St. Louis, MI --The Firebird
11.14.09 - Kansas City, MO --The Record Bar
11.15.09 - Des Moines, IA -- Vaudeville Mews
11.17.09 - Minneapolis, MN -- First Avenue- 7th Street Entry
11.18.09 - Iowa City, IA -- The Picador
11.19.09 - Chicago, IL -- Schuba's Tavern
11.20.09 - Columbus, OH --The Basement
11.21.09 - Jermyn, PA -- Eleanor Rigby's
11.22.09 - Hoboken, NJ -- Maxwell's
12.03.09 - Durham, NH -- University of New Hampshire- MUB Strafford Room
12.04.09 - Brooklyn, NY -- South Paw
12.08.09 - Atlanta, GA -- The Drunken Unicorn
12.09.09 - Nashville, TN -- Rocketown
12.11.09 - Pittsburg, PA -- Diesel
12.12.09 - Philadelphia, PA -- The Khyber

**John Nolan and Brian Bonz will not be playing this date

============================

U2 Announce 2010 Tours

U2 360° is coming back to North America in 2010, the band said on their website Sunday. Here is the rest of the announcement:

The tour will touch down next summer in Anaheim; Denver; Oakland; Seattle; Edmonton; East Lansing; Miami; Philadelphia and Montreal. U2 360° will also return for one night only in Toronto and Chicago before finishing the North American leg in New York at the New Meadowlands Stadium. On U2 360° the band currently play 22 live tracks, the first time fans have heard tracks from No Line On the Horizon, one of the best selling albums globally this year..

Tickets for the performances in Oakland, Edmonton, and Toronto will go on sale Monday November 2 with additional North American on sales taking place over the following few weeks in November. (Tickets are also about to go on sale for 2010 European dates in Athens, Greece and Istanbul, Turkey.

6 June, 2010 Anaheim CA US Angel Stadium
12 June, 2010 Denver CO US Invesco Field
16 June, 2010 Oakland CA US Oakland Coliseum
20 June, 2010 Seattle WA US Qwest Field
23 June, 2010 Edmonton CA Commonwealth Stadium
30 June, 2010 East Lansing MI US Spartan Stadium
3 July, 2010 Toronto ON CA Rogers Centre
6 July, 2010 Chicago IL US Soldier Field
9 July, 2010 Miami FL US Land Shark Stadium
12 July, 2010 Philadelphia PA US Lincoln Financial Field
16 July, 2010 Montreal QC CA Venue TBA
19 July, 2010 New York NY US New Meadowlands Stadium
10 August, 2010 Frankfurt DE Commerzbank Arena
12 August, 2010 Hannover DE AWD Stadium
15 August, 2010 Horsens DK Casa Arena
16 August, 2010 Horsens DK Casa Arena
20 August, 2010 Helsinki FI Olympic Stadium
21 August, 2010 Helsinki FI Olympia Stadium
25 August, 2010 Moscow RU Luzhniki
30 August, 2010 Vienna AT Ernst Happel Stadium
3 September, 2010 Athens GR Olympic Stadium
6 September, 2010 Istanbul TR Ataturk Olympic Stadium
15 September, 2010 Munich DE Olympic Stadium
18 September, 2010 Paris FR Stade De France
22 September, 2010 Brussels BE Stade Roi Boudoin
23 September, 2010 Brussels BE Stade Roi Boudoin
29 September, 2010 Seville ES Olympic Stadium
2 October, 2010 Coimbra PT Estadio Cidade Coimbra
3 October, 2010 Coimbra PT Estadio Cidade Coimbra

============================

Metallica Offering 50K Reward For Missing Fan

Metallica have stepped to the plate to help find a missing fan. Fox News reported on air Saturday that the Metallica's James Hetfield spoke with the father of Morgan Harrington, the 20-year-old Virginia Tech student who went missing outside of a Metallica concert on October 17th.

A website findmorgan.com was established to aim in the search effort. According to that site, "The Harrington family is offering a $100,000 reward for the safe return of their daughter, Morgan Harrington, or information leading to the arrest and conviction of the person or persons responsible for Morgan Harrington's disappearance. The Band Metallica is also adding an additional $50,000 to the reward bringing it to $150,000 for Morgan's safe return or information leading to the arrest and conviction of the person or persons responsible for Morgan's disappearance."

The story has received national attention and now the FBI has joined the search. Virginia State Police spokeswoman Corinne Geller said Friday the FBI will be able to investigate tips from around the country. - More information at FindMorgan.com

============================

Family of Sublime's Late Singer Object To New Sublime

The Estate of Bradley Nowell, Sublime's late singer, guitarist and primary songwriter, issued a statement regarding the use of the band's name by Sublime bassist Eric Wilson and Sublime drummer Floyd "Bud" Gaugh.

Sublime members Floyd "Bud" Gaugh and Eric Wilson, along with new vocalist Rome Ramirez, who performed with Gaugh and Wilson earlier this year, are scheduled to perform under the name "Sublime" on Saturday, October 24th at Cypress Hill's 2009 Smokeout Festival. Sublime, with its original members, has not played together since their final performance with Nowell on May 24, 1996. The advertising and promotion of the new group as "Sublime" has been done without the consent of the Estate of the late Bradley Nowell (consisting of widow Troy Nowell, father Jim "Papa" Nowell, and son Jakob Nowell). The Estate intends to take appropriate legal action to protect Brad's intentions, as well as the legacy and integrity of his body of work.

Nowell's family released the following statement on the band's official Web site today: "It was recently announced that Sublime bassist Eric Wilson and Sublime drummer Floyd 'Bud' Gaugh are 'reuniting' and teaming with singer and guitarist Rome Ramirez in a band they intend to call 'Sublime.' Prior to his untimely passing, both Bud and Eric acknowledged that Brad Nowell was the sole owner of the name Sublime. It was Brad's expressed intention that no one use the name Sublime in any group that did not include him, and Brad even registered the trademark 'Sublime' under his own name.

============================

Eric Clapton Cancels Rock Hall Show For Medical Reasons

The Rock Hall's big bash has hit a snag (maybe two). Eric Clapton definitely won't be playing and Bruce Springsteen may not perform at the event at Madison Square Garden.

The event is to celebrate the 25th anniversary of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Clapton pulled out the event because the removal of gallstones. Clapton "will spend time recuperating at home in the UK and is very sorry to disappoint the fans and the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame," a statement said.

Meanwhile, Bruce Springsteen's status on the bill is not known. He canceled a concert in Kansas City at the last moment on Monday due to what Reuters is calling a "bereavement". Kansas City broadcaster KMBC-TV quoted police officials as saying that a 34-year-old member of Springsteen's road crew died at his hotel, but that the death was not suspicious

============================

Dead Weather Release

The Dead Weather have been so kind as to release a new, live five-song EP, titled Live From Third Man West.

Released via iTunes, the live EP is named after Jack White’s recording studio in L.A. where the music was recorded; the EP features tracks from the group’s debut, Horehound. All told, the album includes four live videos and five songs, including a cover of the heavy metal band Pentagram’s “Forever My Queen.”

Right now Jack White and his Dead Weather cohorts are working on album #2, so the live EP is a nice treat for fans. It is also further proof that Jack White cannot be stopped. He is going to release new music whenever and wherever he wants.

============================

AC/DC Italy Concerts?

AC/DC have told their fans in Italy to not buy tickets for shows in that country because, well, they aren't scheduled to play there. An Italian newspaper recently claimed that they were set to play Olympia Stadium in Turin next June 8 and 9 and the news spread across the web. The band's Italian promoter, Barley Arts, quickly issued a statement before the underside of the ticket scalping industry could get into high gear.

============================

McCartney Plays Loesser

Paul McCartney played Broadway Monday night as part of a salute to the late composer Frank Loesser. McCartney has owned Loesser's catalog for some time and put on the show with Jo Sullivan, the late composer's widow.

A long list of Broadway stars sang songs from Loesser's shows, including How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying, Guys & Dolls and The Most Happy Fella. Also taking the stage was Art Garfunkel, performing Two Sleepy People, and McCartney himself singing On a Slow Boat to China.


============================

Ex-Oasis frontman Liam Gallagher to start a new band

Singer reveals that 'I don't want to do anything solo

The singer, whose brother Noel has already confirmed plans to go solo, is planning to start a new outfit in the New Year.

"Getting away from the whole Oasis thing is going to be a good thing I suppose," Liam told The Scotsman. "I don't want to do anything solo. I want to be in a band. But we can do things a lot differently these days. It'll definitely be rock 'n' roll."

Despite planning to take a break from music, the singer said he could launch a new band as early as January.

"For now, I'll be relaxing at home, just getting out of music for a bit and then I'm going to start up something maybe after January, do something different, see where it goes," he explained. "But I'll be having a breather from the music for a bit without a doubt."

============================

Michael Jackson's 'This Is It' film premieres globally

Jackson brothers plus Will Smith and Katy Perry attend Los Angeles screening

Michael Jackson's 'This Is It' documentary premiered globally last night (October 27).

The film was pieced together from footage of the late singer's rehearsal sessions for his London O2 Arena residency, which took place at the Los Angeles Staples Centre.

Jermaine, Marlon, Tito and Randy Jackson, the singer's brothers, attended the premiere that took place at a cinema opposite the Staples Centre, with the likes of Will Smith, Katy Perry, Jennifer Lopez and Berry Gordy Jr, founder of Motown Records, also attending, reports BBC News.