The vinyl record collecting blog - with news about new vinyl record releases, vinyl record sales, new music releases, album cover art and weekly features
METALLICA: 'Load' Vinyl Release Pushed Back To June
The release date of the vinyl version of METALLICA's 1996 album "Load" has been postponed until June 15 from the previously announced May 18. The LP will be made available outside North America on July 5.
Commented the band: "If you've been following along, you know the drill — there will be two packages, a two-disc gatefold package for the 33.3 version, and a box for the four-disc, 180-gram, 45-rpm deluxe edition.
"All the music was half-speed-mastered from the original analog tapes at Bernie Grundman Mastering in Hollywood, California to bring you audiophile quality.
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REM to reissue 'Fables Of The Reconstruction' with bonus rarities disc
REM have announced details of the reissue of their third studio album 'Fables Of The Reconstruction'.
Due out on July 13, the '25th Anniversary Edition' of the group's LP will include a remastered version of the original album, plus a 14-track disc called 'The Athens Demos', which features early recordings of songs like 'Driver 8', 'Can't Get There From Here' and the unreleased track 'Throw Those Trolls Away'.
The album will be issued on double CD, 180-gram vinyl LP and as a digital download.
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Ronnie James Dio Public Memorial Set For May 30
Ronnie James Dio’s life is to be celebrated at a public memorial service in Los Angeles later this month, it’s been announced. The former Black Sabbath vocalist passed away on Sunday following a battle from cancer. He was 67.
Fans have been asked to gather at The Hall of Liberty in Hollywood from 2pm (local time) on May 30.
A statement on Dio's official Facebook page said: “This will be a celebration of the life and music of Ronnie James Dio and is open to all of his friends and fans from around the world.”
Attention vinyl devotees and converts: There's a new place in town to get your 180 grams and 45s. Phono-Mode opened on Cherokee Street in April, and it's the only all-vinyl store in St. Louis.
Phono-Mode is located in the historic antique district, and it's owner Jason Lammert's first business venture. The place is small but stocked with everything from classic '60s rock and garage to newer indie artists; the store sold out of the new Broken Social Scene album in a few days. Lammert said he's primarily interested in '60's and early '70s. The prices range from 25 cents for 45s to $55 for a two-album Bauhaus reissue, but most of the records are in the $15 dollar range.
Lammert admits opening an all-vinyl record store in a down economy is a bit of a gamble, but he thinks the resurgence in vinyl collecting over the past few years has created a ready market. According to a Reuters article, Nielsen SoundScan reported 2.8 million vinyl units sold in 2009, up from 1.8 million in 2008. Lammert believes that CDs will become obsolete before vinyl does: "MP3s are the same quality as CDs, there's no reason to hang onto them when you have that digital format. A record is more nostalgic and collectable."
He said most of his customers have surprisingly been "people of our generation" and not people who lived through the heyday of vinyl. Phono-Mode's sole employee besides Lammert is local zinester Ben Stegmann, who added that Phono-Mode's clientele is niche-oriented in its tastes. "Beatles fans buy nothing but the Beatles, some people will only buy jazz and nothing more."
What Phono-Mode will carry depends on the limitations of the modest space, but Lammert is unpretentious and aims to appeal to a wide variety of tastes, from electronic to reggae, two genres that he thinks are lacking in the stock of other stores. Lammert said he shies away from the super mainstream stuff, most country and classical, but if, say, Justin Bieber were to come out with an LP, and someone really, really wanted it, he would be willing to order it.
There's been a lot of support from the neighborhood; when I arrived, Lammert was chatting with other shop owners on the street. The only complaints so far have been about their music being too loud. Lammert said they're going to put in a small listening station in the front of the store where people can hang out and listen before they buy.
Lammert doesn't think Phono-Mode will take business away from Apop Records -- which is located on Cherokee as well, west of Jefferson Avenue -- and said the proximity of the two stores may actually help his business. In fact, he thinks that Phono-Mode's size is an advantage, not a weakness: You can get through the stacks in an hour or so, which is an impossibility at more established stores such as Euclid Records or Vintage Vinyl.
And while Lammert of course wants people to come in to Phono-Mode, he says that people should frequent all the record stores in the city.
"People should go everywhere," Lammert says. "Check out as many places as you can."
Phono-Mode
2308 Cherokee Street
314-489-4567
Hours:
Monday and Tuesday: noon to 6 p.m.
Wednesday through Saturday: 11 a.m. to 7 p.m.
Sunday: 11 a.m. to 6 p.m.
Cherilyn Sarkasian (Cher) - Sonny & Cher, Solo (1946)
Warren Cann - Ultravox (1952)
Jimmy Henderson - Black Oak Arkansas (1954)
Steve George - Mr Mister (1955)
Jane Wieldin - Go-Go's and solo (1958)
Sue Cowsill - Cowsills (1960)
Nick Heyward - Haircut 100 (1961)
Dan Wilson - Semisonic (1961)
Brian Nash - Frankie Goes To Hollywood (1963)
Patti Russo - best known as the female lead vocalist with Meat Loaf (1964)
Thomas Gorman - Belly (1966)
Busta Rhymes (1972)
They Are Missed:
In 1964, Rudy Lewis of The Drifters died (age 28) under mysterious circumstances the night before the group was set to record "Under the Boardwalk." Former Drifters backup singer Johnny Moore was brought back to perform lead vocals for the recording session.
Born on this day in 1947 - Steve Currie, T Rex. Currie died on April 28, 1981.
History:
Bill Haley and the Comets' "Rock Around the Clock" was released in 1954. Interestingly it was not successful until it was released in 1955 on the soundtrack to 'Blackboard Jungle.'
In 1960, the Silver Beetles (John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison, Stu Sutcliffe, and Tommy Moore) played the first night of a short tour of Scotland backing singer Johnny Gentle, at Alloa Town Hall in Clackmannanshire. Three of the Silver Beetles adopted stage names: Paul McCartney became Paul Ramon, George Harrison was Carl Harrison, and Stuart Sutcliffe became Stuart de Stael.
Also in 1960 - Disc jockey Alan Freed was indicted for income tax evasion stemming from payola.
Here's a great story: In 1966, Pete Townshend and Roger Daltrey of the Who grew tired of waiting for John Entwistle and Keith Moon to arrive for their gig at the Ricky Tick Club in Windsor, England so they took to the stage with the bass player and drummer of the local band that opened the show. When Moon and Entwistle finally arrived in the middle of the set, a fight broke out, with Townshend hitting Moon on the head with his guitar. Moon and Entwistle quit the band, (and rejoined a week later).
In 1967, the Beatles new album 'Sgt Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band' had a special preview on the Kenny Everett BBC Light program, 'Where It's At,' playing every track from the album, (except "A Day In The Life," which the BBC had banned saying it could promote drug taking).
George Harrison visited the Maharishi Mahesh Yogi for the first time in 1967.
Jimi Hendrix signed his first American record contract with Reprise Records in 1967.
The Young Rascals started a two week run at #1 on the US singles chart in 1967 with "Groovin."
In 1968, the Beatles, armed with a bunch of new songs after their visit to India, met at George Harrison's home in Esher, Surrey. They taped 23 new songs on George's 4-track recorder, many of which would end up on The Beatles' next two albums, (the White Album) and Abbey Road. The demos include: "Cry Baby Cry," "Revolution," "While My Guitar Gently Weeps," "Blackbird" and "Child of Nature" (a Lennon song that became "Jealous Guy").
In 1969, while watching a baseball game in Dodger Stadium, Los Angeles, Peter Cetera of Chicago was set upon by four Marines (because they didn't like the length of his hair). They broke his jaw, resulting in the singer spending two days in intensive care.
The final feature film involving The Beatles 'Let It Be' was premiered in 1970, simultaneously in London and in Liverpool, a week after the film's US release.
Paul McCartney went to #1 on the US singles chart in 1978 with "With A Little Luck," his sixth solo US #1.
Elton John performed in Leningrad, Soviet Union in 1979.
Priscilla Presley held a press conference in 1988 to deny that Elvis was still alive. Umm, we all knew that.....
Paula Abdul started a two week run at #1 on the US singles chart in 1989 with "Forever Your Girl," her second US #1 hit.
The Metallica single "Until It Sleeps" was released world-wide in 1996, excluding North America, where it was released the next day.
U2 caused traffic chaos in Kansas City, Missouri in 1997, after they paid for traffic control to close down five lanes so they could shoot the video for "Last Night On Earth," Apart form major traffic jams a passing Cadillac crashed into a plate glass window trying to avoid a cameraman.
The funeral of Frank Sinatra was held at the Church of the Good Shepherd in Beverly Hills in 1998. Mourners in attendance included, Tony Bennett, Faye Dunaway, Tony Curtis, Liza Minnelli, Kirk Douglas, Angie Dickinson, Sophia Loren, Bob Newhart, Mia Farrow and Jack Nicholson.
In 1998, Black Sabbath drummer Bill Ward was taken to hospital in London after suffering a heart attack during a band rehearsal.
The Beach Boys got a monument in their home town of Hawthorne, CA in 2005. It’s California Historical Landmark No. 1041 in case you are interested.
Ozzy Osbourne appeared at the Prince’s Trust 30th Birthday concert at the Tower of London in 2006. Prince Charles and other members of the British royal family attended the benefit event. "I have met lots of young people helped by the Prince's Trust and been inspired by all of them," Osbourne says of the charity, which provides financial aid and mentor programs for young people.
It’s Levon Helm Day in Woodstock, NY in 2006. Helm, best known as the drummer/singer for The Band, is a long time Woodstock resident.
The Steve Miller Band's first-ever DVD package, Live From Chicago, hit the stores in 2008. The three-disc set includes footage from two ‘07 concerts, a behind-the-scenes documentary and live renditions of 12 of the group's hits. 2008
Green Day's '21st Century Breakdown' makes its debut at #1 on the Billboard 200 album chart in 2009. The disc claims the top spot after moving 215,000 copies in only three days. It’s the group's second chart topper, 'American Idiot' was the first.
KISS, Carlos Santana and Queen’s Brian May were guest performers on the season finale of FOX's American Idol in 2009. Kris Allen gets the nod in a surprising victory over the heavily favored Adam Lambert.
