Thursday, February 10, 2011

Vinyl Record News & Notes, Did You Know?

Primus Primed to Release First Album in 12 Years

Bryan Wawzenek

Primus have been hard at work on their first studio album in more than a decade. In a post on the band’s website, Les Claypool and pals has said the record is nearly complete.

“For those of you that enjoyed the new song, ‘Last Salmon Man,’ that we played New Year’s, you’ll love the record because every song basically sounds exactly the same as that one,” Claypool joked in the post. “In fact, we just kept recording the same song over and over and I would just change a few of the lyrics around.”

Read more at Gibson.com





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I'll let the explanation at the ThirdManRecords  site do the talking. However, I marvel at what Jack White is doing, and also wonder if people buy into what he does. Making collectibles is a tricky market, he is over stepping on this? Any comments?

NEW GREEN SERIES RECORDS


Third Man Records is ecstatic to announce its latest additions to its spoken word/instructional Green Series.

From the depths of Fletcher, North Carolina are the exciting auctioneering sounds of Jerry King. Whether it’s farm equipment, real estate, vintage autos or homemade baked goods, Jerry has skills it takes not only to sell these disparate items, but does so with such a smooth delivery that his voice truly does resonate. Jerry truly is one of the world’s greatest auctioneers.

Read what else is said at ThirdManRecords  

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some of the best cover art of the year

 Ponytail Announe New LP


Ponytail’s third full-length album, 'Do Whatever You Want All The Time,' is set for April 12th of this year via We Are Free.

The seven-track album was produced by J. Robbins. The cover art was designed by Boredoms’ EYE. The track listing is below.

Do Whatever You Want All the Time:
01 Easy Peasy
02 Flabbermouse
03 Honey Touches
04 Beyondersville//Flight of Fancy
05 AwayWay
06 Tush
07 Music Tunes









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SLIPKNOT Percussionist's THE BLACK DOTS OF DEATH: Debut Album Gets New Release Date


M. Shawn "Clown" Crahan, best known as one of the founding members of SLIPKNOT, has just unveiled ApocalypticNightmare.com, his new home on the web. The site will be the new one-stop shop to see everything going on in Clown's world, from art to music. The features on the site will include an online gallery of Clown's photographs and paintings, as well as an extensive music section. The music section will include streaming tracks of bands Clown has produced, remixed, and played drums on, as well as his solo project BRAIN WASH LOVE, TO MY SURPRISE, DIRTY LITTLE RABBITS and his latest venture, THE BLACK DOTS OF DEATH.


Read the rest at Blabbermouth




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Warner Music Group Loses $18 Million

Despite new releases From Kid Rock and Michael Bublé, label's stock price decreases significantly

Read the rest at RollingStone.com

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vinyl in the Detroit area:


Record Collector Goes on the Record: Keeps Operation Spinning Along

Diving the "'buck bin" proves one of the best music education programs available

By Jeff Milo
Among the dusty aesthetics of the Record Collector, with towers of CDs, records and tapes wobbling on the counter, General Manager Mike Ross, 36, weighs in on the shop.

“I think we’re your stereotypical crusty, dusty, ol’ record store," he said with an air of romance.

The music store, just east of Planavon on Nine Mile, is one of the surviving record stores in Metro Detroit.

Read the rest   HERE

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The STEVE MILLER BAND announces LET YOUR HAIR DOWN for April 19, Spring Tour

Written by James Zahn

The STEVE MILLER BAND is already back with a brand-new album. LET YOUR HAIR DOWN will be released on April 19th the Miller's Space Cowboy Records in partnership with Roadrunner's Loud & Proud imprint. Check out all the details on the new release below!

The band will kick off the album release with a Spring tour beginning April 19 featuring special guest Gregg Allman. Prior to the album release and tour, The Steve Miller Band will celebrate the opening of the new Austin City Limits venue at The Moody Theater with a sold out gala concert event to benefit KRLU-TV, Austin PBS, on February 24, followed by the inaugural live taping on February 26.

Let Your Hair Down features the last recordings by harmonica virtuoso Norton Buffalo, Miller's "partner in harmony" for thirty-three years. Noted Pink Floyd album cover artist Storm Thorgerson, who also did the wonderfully whimsical cover to BINGO! returns to Let Your Hair Down with one of the great album covers of his career.

Get the rest of the story and the tour dates at KikAxeMusic.com

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Pulled Apart By Horses Re-Release ‘I Punched A Lion In The Throat’

Pulled Apart By Horses are re-releasing their 2009 single 'I Punched A Lion In The Throat'.

It will be available through Transgressive Records on extremely limited seven-inch vinyl and download, from 7th March.

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R.E.M. Say New Album is Their Best in 20 Years

Bryan Wawzenek

R.E.M.’s Michael Stipe, Mike Mills and Peter Buck are pretty excited about their new record, Collapse Into Now. The guys think highly of their band’s 15th studio album, which will be released on March 7.

“This is, song for song, the best thing we’ve ever done,” guitarist Buck told Rolling Stone. “A lot of people say we did our best work in the early ’90s. But 15 years later, here we are again.”

Read the rest at Gibson.com

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Stevie Nicks to Release New Album

Fleetwood Mac’s Stevie Nicks is set to release her first solo album in 10 years. According to Undercover.fm, the new record is called 'In Your Dreams' and was co-produced by Dave Stewart and Glen Ballard.

More info to follow....

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Stryper Releasing Covers Album


Stryper are offering fans a headbanging view of who their influences were early on, with the arrival of an almost entire album's worth of covers, 'The Covering.' Set for release on February 15th via Big3 Records, the album includes twelve rocking covers, as well as an all-new original tune, "God." And most significantly, the album marks the return of original bassist Tim Gaines back into the Stryper fold, setting up the first Stryper release in years to feature the definitive line-up of Michael Sweet (vocals/guitar), Oz Fox (guitar), Tim Gaines (bass), and Robert Sweet (drums).

According to Michael Sweet, the impetus for putting out a mostly covers set was a simple one. "Every Stryper album is pretty serious and pretty bold in the lyrical faith sense of the word. We just wanted to roll our sleeves up, cut loose, and have some fun......

Read more at AntiMusic.com

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Cover version

Although many consumers download music, Grammy-nominated designer Xiao Qing-yang believes that the album cover continues to be an important form of art

By Catherine Shu / Staff reporter


 

If you follow Taiwan’s indie music scene, you’re probably familiar with Xiao Qing-yang’s (蕭青陽) work, even if you don’t recognize his name. Over the past 26 years, the prolific designer has created nearly 1,000 album covers. On Sunday Xiao will find out if he wins a Grammy Award for the packaging of Story Island (故事島), an instrumental album by composer Lee Cin-cin (李欣芸).

This is the fourth time Xiao has been nominated for the Best Recording Package award. But Xiao was still effusive during an interview at his New Taipei City studio last month as he talked about his upcoming trip to the US, the continuing relevance of CD packaging in an era of music downloads, and the concept behind Story Island.

Read the rest of this compelling glimpse of album cover art by one of the masters at taipeitimes.com

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Did You Know?

more stuff everybody should know...


There are more beetles than any other kind of creature in the world.

Pearls melt in vinegar.

Soda water does not contain soda.

The childrens' nursery rhyme 'Ring-a-Round-The-Rosies' actually refers to the Black Death which killed about 30 million people in the fourteenth-century.

Termites eat wood twice as fast when listening to heavy metal music.

The Andy Griffth Show was the first spin-off in TV history. It was spun-off from the Danny Thomas Show.

St. Bernards, famous for their role as alpine rescue dogs, do NOT wear casks of brandy around their necks.

Video Killed the Radio Star was the very first video ever played on MTV.

and in music today:

In 1956, Little Richard records "Long Tall Sally", which will go on be his highest charting record in the US, climbing to number 6 on Billboard's Pop chart and number 1 on the R&B chart by next April. Rolling Stone magazine has listed the tune as #56 on its list of The 500 Greatest Songs Of All Time.

In 1959, Link Wray performs his controversial instrumental hit "Rumble" on American Bandstand. Because of its title, many radio stations refused to play the record, but it still managed to sell over a million copies and reach #16 on the Billboard Pop chart.

In 1967, The Beatles recorded the orchestral build-up for the middle and end of “A Day in the Life.” At The Beatles' request, the orchestra members arrived in full evening dress, along with novelty items. One violinist wore a red clown's nose, while another wore a fake gorilla's paw on his bow hand. Others wore funny hats and other assorted novelties. The recording was filmed for a possible Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band television special, which was ultimately abandoned. Mick Jagger, Keith Richards, Mike Nesmith from The Monkees and Donovan also attended the session.

In 1968, the Bubble Gum music craze got its start when "Simon Says" by The 1910 Fruitgum Company entered the US record charts, where it would peak at number 4. Over the next year and a half, the group will have four more US Top 40 hits.


The Clash started recording their debut album at CBS studios in London, England in 1977.

Van Halen's debut album was released in 1978. In 1979, Rod Stewart started a four-week run at #1 on the U.S. singles chart with “Da Ya Think I'm Sexy,” his third U.S. #1 (and a #1 hit in the U.K.). The record also went to the top in ten other countries.  Happens to be one of the worst songs ever recorded in my book and if I never hear it again in my lifetime, I won't miss it!

In 1997, Brian Connolly, singer with the 1970s glam rock group Sweet, died of kidney and liver failure, aged 51. Connolly replaced Ian Gillan (later of Deep Purple and Black Sabbath) in Wainwright's Gentlemen, and later joined Sweetshop, who became Sweet.



In 1998, Carl Wilson, lead guitarist and vocalist for The Beach Boys, died of cancer at the age of 51. Although Brian Wilson and Mike Love were featured on many of the band's biggest hits, it was Carl's voice that took the lead on "God Only Knows", "I Can Hear Music" and ""Good Vibrations".