Wednesday, January 12, 2011

Ask Mr. Music by Jerry Osborne

FOR THE WEEK OF JANUARY 10, 2011


DEAR JERRY: I am looking for an instrumental that came out around the same time as “Mission Impossible” ran on TV. I think the title is “Mission Accomplished.”

There are several other instrumentals using that same title, but they all seem to be from more recent years.

Then, just to complicate things, I found someone selling a CD of TV themes titled “Mission Accomplished.” I thought I'd found it, but when I called the guy he said it didn't include anything using that title. How weird is that?

Whether a sequel, an answer, or a parody I don't know. Nor do I recall the name of the band.
—June Swanson, York, Pa.


DEAR JUNE: This assignment is one where you get to choose from three different solutions, any of which will accomplish your mission.

First is the original 1967 TV soundtrack “Music from Mission: Impossible,” by Lalo Schifrin and His Orchestra (Dot 25831). This LP has 11 tunes from the series, the last of which is “Mission Accomplished.”

Nearly 30 years later (1996), when the “Mission: Impossible” motion picture came out, Hip-O Records jumped on the bandwagon and reissued the contents of the Dot LP on compact disc, as “Music from Mission: Impossible.” To the original 11, they added three bonus tunes: “Intrigue”; “Self-Destruct”; and “More Mission” (Hip-O 076744002129). Dot originally included these three on their 1968 “More Mission: Impossible” collection (DLP-25919).

Choice three is another Hip-O CD, “Mission Accomplished (Themes for Spies & Cops)” (Hip-O HIPD-40017), a 1996 assortment of movie and TV secret agent-type themes. Among its 14 offerings are Schifrin's original “Mission: Impossible” and “Mission Accomplished.”

The album you called about has a slightly misleading title, “Mission Accomplished Too (Themes for Spies & Cops)” because it is essentially volume two in the series. That's why it doesn't have “Mission Accomplished.”

Mission accomplished!


DEAR JERRY: We need you to settle a debate about one of our native Oklahomans, Patti Page.

A friend says when he was a child, his parents played a Patti Page 78 rpm that features her yodeling.

I think I know most of Patti's recordings, especially those that were popular, and I have never heard her even come close to yodeling.

Is there an oddball record by her, or is my pal confusing Patti Page with Patti Montana?
—Will Hassack, Tulsa, Okla.


DEAR WILL: He is not, yet there is a surprise connection between Patti Page and Patsy Montana.

Montana's signature song is the 1936 western classic, “I Wanna Be a Cowboy's Sweetheart,” and this is exactly the same song your buddy remembers.

With a title modified slightly for city folk, and a more metropolitan arrangement, Patti's “I Want to Be a Cowboy's Sweetheart,” backed with “Down in the Valley” (Mercury 5751), came out in December 1951.

On this track, Patti does a credible job of basic yodeling, sans any of the improvisational gimmicks used by top yodelers.

Overall, the talented and versatile “Singing Rage” seems out of her element as a cowgirl riding the plains.

Not surprisingly, this record flopped, even with Patti being the nation's top vocalist, male or female, at the time.

Let the record reflect that all good yodelers can sing, but not many great singers can truly yodel.


IZ ZAT SO? In the mid-'40s, KTUL, in Tulsa, ran a regularly scheduled 15-minute music program, sponsored by the Page Milk Company.

Instead of buying 30- and 60-second spot announcements, “block programming,” as it is known, provided their advertisers exclusive control for the number of minutes or hours they purchased.

The original star of the Page Milk time slot used the “house name” of Patti Page, meaning when she left the show, her replacement, Clara Ann Fowler, began performing as Miss Patti Page — and still does, after 63 years.


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  Visit his Web site: www.jerryosborne.com 

All values quoted in this column are for near-mint condition.

Copyright 2010 Osborne Enterprises- Reprinted By Permission




Amos Lee's Music & Sound Spreading Like Wildfire

For Immediate Release

AMOS LEE TO BE A GUEST ON NPR’S “ALL THINGS CONSIDERED” DURING WEEK HIS NEW ALBUM MISSION BELL WILL BE RELEASED

MISSION BELL WILL STREAM IN ITS ENTIRETY ON MSN MUSIC THE WEEK LEADING UP TO ITS JANUARY 25TH RELEASE ON BLUE NOTE RECORDS

LEE HITS THE ROAD FOR SPRING 2011 TOUR DATES ON JANUARY 20TH


January 11, 2011 — New York, NY — Critically acclaimed singer and songwriter Amos Lee will be a guest on NPR’s All Things Considered the week his new album, Mission Bell, is released by Blue Note Records. Mission Bell streets on January 25th. Lee will also appear on NBC’s The Tonight Show With Jay Leno on January 26th, CBS’s The Early Show on February 18th, and on PBS’s Tavis Smiley (airdate TBA).

Mission Bell, the highly anticipated new album from Philadelphia-based singer and songwriter, will premiere on MSN’s music site (www.music.msn.com) on January 18th. Visitors will be able to stream the album in its entirety for the week leading up to its January 25th release.

The first single from Mission Bell, Lee’s fourth album for EMI’s Blue Note Records, is “Windows Are Rolled Down,” which was released digitally in November. After just six weeks, "Windows Are Rolled Down" is already No. 14 on the AAA chart with airplay on over 60 stations.

The track will be available as a Starbucks Pick of the Week iTunes download beginning January 26th. Starbucks Pick of the Week cards are available free at more than 8,000 stores in the U.S.

Having already announced the winter and spring legs of his 2011 U.S. headlining tour in support of Mission Bell, Lee has just announced new shows for the month of April, including a performance for NPR’s Mountain Stage live music program, broadcast from Charleston, West Virginia, on April 24th. Please visit www.amoslee.com for more details.

Lee was recently featured on WXPN’s “Free At Noon” performance at World CafĂ© in Philadelphia, which was webcast live by NPR Music. He also headlined WFUV’s 6th Annual Holiday Cheer show and was a featured performer on Levon Helm’s intimate Midnight Ramble concert series in Woodstock, NY. In addition, Lee appeared on CMT’s Artists of the Year special, which honored a host of country music’s top artists, including the Zac Brown Band. Due to fan demand, CMT has put a clip of Lee’s performance of “Colder Weather” with the Zac Brown Band into heavy rotation on CMT as a music video, which is bubbling under on the CMT Top 20 Countdown.

Produced by Calexico’s Joey Burns, Mission Bell is Lee’s richest and most fully formed recording to date, displaying an array of emotions unified by his eclectic taste and distinctive vocals. With a remarkable set of guests — including Lucinda Williams, Willie Nelson, Iron & Wine’s Sam Beam, Priscilla Ahn, Pieta Brown, and James Gadson — and the musical backing of Calexico, the album marks the arrival of Lee as a mature artist who continues to explore his musical and thematic interests.

* * * *

CRITICAL PRAISE FOR AMOS LEE:

“Mission Bell reflects the themes of loss, redemption, and hope and Lee’s talents still ring true on the album: soulful vocals and vivid, narrative-driven lyrics mixing folk, pop, R&B, rock, gospel, blues and country influences. His skills fused with those of Joey Burns and Convertino, spark the perfect synergy on lead single, ‘Windows Are Rolled Down.’” — Billboard

“Burnt-sugar vocals catch your heart as much as your ears [on “Windows Rolled Down”]. Backed by open-road roots rock and a slide guitar that howls like a coyote, Lee’s heartbreak feels so big, it could fill the landscape outside your car.” — Marie Claire

“Joey Burns and his sun-dazed band Calexico have transported the soul-folk singer/songwriter to a more arid and country-tinged musical geography. Though he hails from Philadelphia, Lee is truly at home in the desert. Lee’s voice has always been his greatest asset and he sounds like a grounded Al Green against the elegant rumba of “Hello Again” and the Staples Singers-sounding “Jesus.”
— Relix

Lee and producer Joey Burns (Calexico) aren’t afraid to take chances and stretch the limits of Lee’s folky R&B sound…’Hello Again’ showcases his tremendous vocal range against booming trumpets that are reminiscent of the French Quarter.” — Filter

"I'm ready to convert to the church of Amos Lee." — Bust

“Guy can play a mean guitar, but man, that voice.” — Metroland


Amos Lee’s upcoming tour dates are as follows:

01/20 Moore Theater Seattle, WA
01/21 Crystal Ballroom Portland, OR
01/22 McDonald Theater Eugene, OR
01/24 El Rey Theater Chico, CA
01/25 The Fillmore San Francisco, CA
01/27 Music Box Los Angeles, CA
01/28 House of Blues Anaheim, CA
01/29 House of Blues San Diego, CA
01/30 Rialto Theater Tucson, AZ
02/01 The Depot Salt Lake City, UT
02/03 Vilar Center Beaver Creek, CO
02/04 Belly Up Aspen, CO
02/05 Boulder Theater Boulder, CO
02/07 Liberty Hall Lawrence, KS
02/09 Cain’s Ballroom Tulsa, OK
02/10 House of Blues Dallas, TX
02/11 Paramount Austin, TX
02/12 House of Blues Houston, TX
03/24 State Theatre Minneapolis, MN
03/25 Turner Hall Milwaukee, WI
03/26 The Vic Theater Chicago, IL
03/27 Egyptian Room Indianapolis, IN
03/29 The Ark Ann Arbor, MI
04/01 Irving Plaza New York, NY
04/02 Irving Plaza New York, NY
04/03 Wilbur Theater Boston, MA
04/05 Merriam Theatre Philadelphia, PA
04/06 9:30 Club Washington, DC
04/08 Ryman Auditorium Nashville, TN
04/09 Variety Theatre Atlanta, GA
04/22 Lincoln Theater Raleigh, NC
04/23 Knight Theater Charlotte, NC
04/24 Mountain Stage Charleston, WV
04/25 Tennessee Theater Knoxville, TN
04/28 NCPAC Charleston, SC
04/29 WorkPlay Theatre Birmingham, AL

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For me, I love this video, it's my favorite song:

Music News & Notes

Fela Kuti Vinyl Box Set

Knitting Factory Records is proud to release the first of the long-awaited vinyl reissues from the Fela Kuti catalog. This is the first in a series of curated vinyl box sets. The box includes six Fela Kuti albums that were handpicked by ?uestlove of The ROOTS. The artwork for each album is painstakingly recreated original album artwork along with vintage vinyl label artwork. What’s more is that this release marks the first time that some of these Fela Kuti albums have been released on vinyl domestically.

The box includes the albums:

Everything Scatter (1975)
Expensive Shit (1975)
Teacher Don’t Teach Me Nonsense (1986)
Beasts Of No Nation (1989)
Fear Not For Man (1977)
Sorrow Tears And Blood (1977)

“It’s the story of Hip Hop. It’s the story of taking nothing and turning it into something.” – ?uestlove

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Press Gatsbys American Dream on Vinyl

Project by Overdue Collection Agency

About this project:  Our goal is to Kickstart the inaugural releases of the Overdue Collection Agency, a non-profit record label. We will focus primarily on releasing special edition versions of albums: 180 gram vinyl, with gatefold covers and packed with as much bonus content we can collect. Interviews with the band, and bonus material (Possibly demos and b-sides. We're working on that prospect). In addition to that, all the profits will be donated to a charity of the band's choice. Our goal in doing this to maintain the integrity of the artist, the album and to help those in need

Read the rest HERE

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Stratovarius Release "Under Flaming Skies" From "Elysium"

Stratovarius have just released "Under Flaming Skies," another track from their forthcoming new album, 'Elysium.'  Produced by guitarist Matias Kupiainen, 'Elysium,' will be hitting stores on January 18th via Armoury Records. "Under Flaming Skies" finds the Finnish metal masters firing on all cylinders with a particularly impassioned performance from vocalist Timo Kotipelto, who wrote the track along with Kupiainen









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Debut LP from By Surprise

TOPSHELF RECORDS to Release Debut LP from BY SURPRISE

Topshelf Records (Grown Ups, My Heart To Joy, Pianos Become The Teeth) is proud to announce the addition of By Surprise (Haddon Heights, NJ ) to the label’s growing roster. Topshelf will be releasing the band’s debut full-length on vinyl. Entitled Mountain Smashers, the LP will see an official release in mid-March with pre-orders beginning in February. The first pressing will be limited to 500 copies.

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Great article about our beloved vinyl in Tennessee

A vinyl comeback

Read the article:  HERE

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SLASH Discusses JIMI HENDRIX's Enduring Influence In New Interview

Why Jimi Hendrix is his personal guitar hero

Read about Slash   HERE

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Student-run labels record professional musicians

Explore outside UNC’s music scene

By CARSON BLACKWELDER | The Daily Tar Heel

When two blues legends took the stage in Wilson Library last November, students Reed Turchi and Andrew Hamlet jumped at the chance to record them.

Turchi and Hamlet, both presidents of local student record companies, recorded Alfred “Uganda” Roberts and John “Jojo” Hermann when they performed at Wilson Library on Nov. 16.

“This is the first time (Vinyl Records has) gotten to record professional musicians in our studio,” said Hamlet, president of Vinyl Records.

Read the rest HERE

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KISS In Your Garden?

And finally, throughout their career, KISS has done just about everything with regards to marketing. Now, in the case of  'just when you thought you have seen everything,' comes the KISS garden gnomes of each of the four members of the group; which will soon be released by Grilla Covers.