Monday, September 13, 2010

Music News & Notes

Rare Arthur Russell/Allen Ginsberg Collaboration Gets Limited Vinyl Release

Avant-garde pop icon Arthur Russell passed away over 18 years ago, yet his rich output continues to give us interesting and vital new releases in 2010. With a hand in disco, rock, modern classical and early dance music, Russell left behind a wealth of material. The latest discovery is a collaboration between Russell and famed American poet Allen Ginsberg.

The pair made the track “Ballad of the Lights” in 1977. The track was recently unearthed from Russell's archive, and will be released on a limited ten-inch record. It will include Ginsberg's 1971 performance of “Pacific High Studio Mantras” with accompanying cello from Russell on the B-side. The record will be available on October 19 through Press Pop and Audika and will be limited to 1,000 copies.

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New Release: Various Artists: Jon Savage Presents Black Hole Californian Punk 1977-1980

Artists: Various Artists
Release: Jon Savage Presents Black Hole Californian Punk 1977-1980
Release Date: November 15
Label: Domino

01 The Germs: Forming
02 The Dils: I Hate the Rich
03 The Screamers: Peer Pressure
04 Crime: Murder by Guitar
05 The Zeros: WIMP
06 The Avengers: We Are the One
07 The Consumers: Anti Anti Anti
08 The Randoms: A-B-C-D
09 Black Randy and the Metro Squad: Trouble at the Cup
10 The Alleycats: Nothing Means Nothing Anymore
11 The Weirdos: Solitary Confinement
12 The Zeros: Beat Your Heart Out
13 X: We're Desperate
14 The Offs: 624803
15 The Sleepers: Seventh World
16 The Middle Class: Situations
17 The Bags: Survive
18 The Germs: Media Blitz
19 The Middle Class: Love Is Just a Tool
20 The Flesheaters: Pony Dress
21 Urinals: Black Hole
22 The Aurora Pushups: Victims of Terrorism
23 The Avengers: The American in Me
24 The Dead Kennedys: California Uber Alles
25 The Dils: The Sound of the Rain
26 The Sleepers: Los Gatos

Notes: Compilation of California-based first wave punk from the late '70s, compiled by writer Jon Savage (England's Dreaming.)

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The Soft Boys Reissues

After a long hiatus from print and 30 years after its initial appearance on Armageddon Records, The Soft Boys' Underwater Moonlight is being released in its 10-song original form by Yep Roc, on CD and 180 gram vinyl. This will be the first reissue of the album to feature all the bonus tracks (last time taking up 2/3rds of the package) as digital downloads free with purchase. The vinyl release is the first ever reissue of the LP in its original form.

'Underwater Moonlight' has long been considered a classic record, "Big Star and us were the rickety bridge between the Byrds and REM", says former Soft Boys’ main man Robyn Hitchcock.

Additionally, the first, and rarely reissued Soft Boy’s album, 'A Can of Bees' is also being released with similar bonus downloads. "A red-hot poker up the arse of rock music" was how Julian Cope once described this album. The vinyl version of Bees is the first ever reissue of the LP in any form.

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AC/DC and Other Rock Classics Banned At Funerals

If you wanted to be sent off into the great beyond with AC/DC's classic cut "Highway to Hell" or Queen's immortal "Another One Bites The Dust," you may be out of luck if you are going six feet under Down Under.

Gibson reports that The Roman Catholic Archbishop of Melbourne has banned the use of pop music at funerals, according to The New York Times. Archbishop Denis Hart has said the act of playing pop songs is not considered "a celebration of the life" of the deceased. The new guidelines state: "Secular items are never to be sung or played at a Catholic funeral, such as romantic ballads, pop or rock music, political songs, football club songs."

The Melbourne Hearld Sun reported that football songs are popular at many funerals, in addition to pop hits. Although Frank Sinatra's "My Way" and Bette Midler's "The Wind Beneath My Wings" are often requested, the newspaper reported that quirkier choices like AC/DC's "Highway to Hell," Queen's "Another One Bites the Dust" and Monty Python's "Always Look on the Bright Side of Life" also had been popular before the ban. I say let 'em play what they want!

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Iggy Pop And James Williamson To Reissue 'Kill City' Album

Iggy Pop and James Williamson are set to reissue their classic album, ‘Kill City’.  The 11-track record, originally released in 1977, is due out on December 6 on CD and Vinyl.

The album, which helped bridge Pop’s career between The Stooges and his solo albums, has been remastered by the pair.  The singer said: "A lot of people have borrowed its ideas; it's one of the very first independent LP's I know of."

Williamson added: "With this re-release we are not only re-united in our musical endeavors but in our appreciation of this album, its re-mix and its importance to us as artists."

The CD reissue of ‘Kill City’ will be accompanied by a 24-page booklet, while the LP is on clear green vinyl.

The tracklisting is:

‘Kill City’
‘Sell Your Love’
‘Beyond the Law’
‘I Got Nothin'’
‘Johanna’
‘Night Theme’
‘Night Theme (Reprise)’
‘Consolation Prizes’
‘No Sense of Crime’
‘Lucky Monkeys’
‘Master Charge’

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QUEEN: 'Singles Collection 4' Detailed

The final volume in the impressive retrospective four box set, "Queen: The Singles Collection 4", is set to be released October 18.  The closing chapter to the entire history of QUEEN's worldwide singles releases, Volume 4 tracks the band's output through the latter years of 1989 to 1999.

The 13 CD singles housed in this set complete the project to rediscover every one of QUEEN's singles to have made the top 40 anywhere in the world, all replicated in faithful detail to their original form.

Together, the four volume set offers over 100 tracks chronicling QUEEN's extraordinary journey through the world-wide singles charts: from the very first single, "Keep Yourself Alive", in 1973, to the very last single in 1999.  And what a spectacular journey queen made: no less than 14 out of the 16 A-sides in this set achieved top 10 chart positions worldwide.

QUEEN "Singles Collection 4":

CD Single 1

01. The Miracle
02. Stone Cold Crazy (Live)

CD Single 2

01. Innuendo
02. Bijou

CD Single 3

01. I'm Going Slightly Mad
02. The Hitman

CD Single 4

01. Headlong
02. All God's People

CD Single 5

01. The Show Must Go On
02. Queen Talks

CD Single 6

01. Bohemian Rhapsody
02. These Are The Days Of Our Lives

CD Single 7

01. Heaven For Everyone (Single Version)
02. It's A Beautiful Day

CD Single 8

01. A Winter's Tale
02. Rock In Rio Blues

CD Single 9

01. Too Much Love Will Kill You
02. I Was Born To Love You

CD Single 10

01. Let Me Live
02. We Will Rock You (Live)
03. We Are The Champions (Live)

CD Single 11

01. You Don't Fool Me (Edit)
02. You Don't Fool Me (Album Version)

CD Single 12

01. No-One But You (Only The Good Die Young)
02. We Will Rock You (The Rick Rubin "Ruined" Remix)
03. The Prize (Instrumental Remix for "The Eye")

CD Single 13

01. Under Pressure Rah Mix (Radio Edit)
02. Under Pressure (Mike Spencer Remix)
03. Under Pressure (Live At Knebworth)

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