Saturday, November 19, 2011

Ask Mr. Music by Jerry Osborne

FOR THE WEEK OF NOVEMBER 14, 2011

DEAR JERRY: Why would any recording artist put out a record without their name anywhere on it?

We know some made records for a company other than the one they were under contract with, and used phony names. At least those credit someone, but what chance is there to get played or be a success when no name at all is used?

In my modest collection I have two such singles:

One is “Cupids' Corner” (Crookshank CR-9100), a very sweet soul ballad.

The other has only “Blue My Mind” and “2001: A Space Odyssey” on the label. No artist or label name is shown.

What do you know about these?
—Earl Liston, Milwaukee


DEAR EARL: Even though an uncredited record has virtually no chance of being played on the radio, some have found an audience on juke boxes, where an unidentified performer can be less important than the music itself. When patrons dropped their coins to hear a tune, the juke operators paid no mind to who is or isn't credited.

One explanation for an uncredited recording is if a song contains lyrics that could be offensive or unacceptable to a wide audience (such as the many "coon" tunes of the early 1900s). This of course does not apply to post-1970s releases, especially the last 20 years, where seemingly anything goes.

Another reason for missing artist credits is that the label production department simply flubbed, and forgot to add it.

“Cupids' Corner” (sic) is probably by Michael Washington (a.k.a., “The Young Root”), who is also the writer of this strangely punctuated tune. (Does the corner belong to more than one cupid?)

Washington, is a high-voice singer in the Eddie Holman (“Hey There Lonely Girl”) and Donnie Elbert (“What Can I Do”) mold.

This record is a coveted soul rarity, and usually sells in the $150 range.

That “Blue My Mind” credits no one is anything but a mistake. They wanted to arouse curiosity.

Produced by Campus Media and MGM for dee jays at college radio stations, everything they wanted to reveal about this release is stated in this three-paragraph cover letter, shipped with the disc:

“Enclosed you will find “Blue My Mind,” the first 45 rpm record ever released exclusively to campus radio stations.

“The record is based on the music from Stanley Kubrick's extraordinary movie '2001: A Space Odyssey' and was produced by Campus Media in cooperation with Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer.

“We encourage you to include this collector's item (only 100 copies have been cut and none are for sale) in your programming, and we would be interested in your reactions.
—Campus Media Inc., Thomas H. Pierce, Advertising and Marketing Consultant.”

Being a groundbreaker of sorts, along with a short print run, makes this about a $25 item.

Hoping to learn more about this interesting record, I called the New York number on Campus Media's letterhead. Much to my surprise, what was once their number is now answered by Carnegie Hall, and they know nothing about Campus Media.


DEAR JERRY: As innovative as they were in some ways (inventing the LP), Columbia Records seemed, for many years, blind to the success of rock and roll.

How long was it before they had their first Top 10 rock hit?
—Nancy Bell, Pasadena, Calif.


DEAR NANCY: Columbia did not reach the Top 10 with a rock release until March 1961, thanks to the teen-oriented “Baby Sittin' Boogie,” by Buzz Clifford.

Their first No. 1 rock hit, “Mr. Tambourine Man,” by the Byrds, came in June 1965, over 10 years after other labels started flooding the charts with rock hits.


IZ ZAT SO? There are a couple of signings in the 1950s that fly in the face of Columbia's — specifically A&R chief Mitch Miller's — preference for non-rock artists.

In a nod to the sweeping new trend, they signed Sid King and the Five Strings in 1955. Between then and 1957, Columbia released nine singles by King and his band, but did nothing to promote them. Ironically, 30 years later their anthology, “Gonna Shake This Shack Tonight” (Bear Family), became one of the best selling albums of all time by an uncharted rock artist.

Just before Columbia parted ways with Sid King, they signed 19-year-old Ronnie Self.

Five Self singles were issued, only one of which, “Bop-A-Lena” (Columbia 41101), made the pop charts. It did give Columbia their first hit of the R&R variety.

As a singer, Ronnie never again charted. He did, however, write several memorable hits for Brenda Lee: “Sweet Nothin's”; “I'm Sorry”; “Everybody Loves Me But You”; “Anybody But Me”; “Eventually”; and “Sweet Impossible You.”

Ronnie Self also had one four-track EP, “Ain't I'm a Dog” (Columbia B-2149), a 1957 release that can now sell for $600 to $800.


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 2011 Osborne Enterprises- Reprinted By Exclusive Permission





Vinyl Record News & Music Notes

very well written and researched article, well worth the read!

An Unlikely Savior

Can vinyl records save the music industry? A report from the front lines.

By Ben Porten

There’s a new epidemic that’s been creeping up the last couple years: black crack. You’ll want about 180 grams for a good rush and it will cost anywhere from a quarter to thousands of dollars. By the way, you don’t smoke, snort, shoot or eat it — you put it on your turntable.

Black crack is the affectionate nickname collectors have for vinyl records In spite of an entertainment industry-wide slump, vinyl sales have been steadily growing for the last couple years, with the rate of growth getting bigger each year.

Why is vinyl making a comeback? It’s bulky, more expensive than CDs or mp3s, and you can lose and break them, unlike mp3s. Common sense suggests that vinyl should have become less popular with the growth of alternatives and killed outright by digital music, but recent data shows that this is not be the case.

Please read the rest at ehgazette.blogs.brynmawr.edu

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vinyl doing very well in the UK (why they even have a great video!):

Vinyl's back in the groove

Record stores are taking after art galleries to give vinyl albums a new lease of life

By Mike Pattenden

Next week sees the launch of Black Friday. A nationwide celebration of vinyl records, it comes at a time when music’s most cherished format is seeking out innovative ways to survive.

Masterminded by the organisers of Record Store Day – the well-established annual event designed to encourage people to support independent music shops – Black Friday is aimed at promoting highly collectable vinyl records in the run up to Christmas.

“The whole point of being a record collector is you can’t have everything,” says Spencer Hickman, manager of the Rough Trade record shop in East London, and one of the founders of Black Friday. “You’re always looking for that special something.”

Read the rest at telegraph.co.uk


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Third Man Records Celebrates The End Of The Year

Jack White and his 'baby' Third Man Records are coming to the rescue for the holiday season, they have everything a vinyl junkie could want!

Here is what they are offering:

*New Singles from Edgar Oliver and John C. Reilly & Friends Reissues from The White Stripes

*Third Man Records REVOLUTION Turntable, 45 box, and custom vinyl cleaning kit by Crosley

*Third Man Records iPhone Case and Flat Auxiliary Audio Cable by Griffin

On November 29th the label will release two singles from actor John C. Reilly (Step Brothers, Talladega Nights, Boogie Nights). Jack White, Reilly's co-star in Walk Hard, plays on both. The first single features Reilly duetting with Tom Brosseau on two Delmore Brothers tracks. The second features Reilly covering Ray Price and Dolly Parton/Porter Wagoner tracks with Lavender Diamond's Becky Stark. On November 22, they'll put out a new spoken word single from Edgar Oliver, the actor, playwright, and poet from the Discovery Channel program "Oddities."

Third Man is also reissuing four White Stripes singles: "The Big Three Killed My Baby" b/w "Red Bowling Ball Ruth" 7" single, the "Lord, Send Me an Angel" b/w "You're Pretty Good Looking (Trendy American Remix)" 7" single, the Christmas single "Candy Cane Children" b/w "Reading of the Story of the Magi" and "Silent Night", and the "Hello Operator" b/w "Jolene" single.

The label is also putting out a bunch of miscellaneous audio equipment, starting December 1. They've partnered with Crosley to design a portable turntable that allows you to rip mp3s from vinyl, listen to the radio, and more. Third Man has also made a custom vinyl cleaning kit. You can also purchase a TMR iPhone case (made from vinyl records!), or a TMR 6' auxiliary audio cable, both by Griffin Technology. Or how about a 45 box designed for carrying up to 30 7" singles?

Why I bet they even have a kitchen sink, if you need one.....

Visit Third Man Records HERE

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New Doors Song To Be Included For 40th Anniversary L.A. Woman Reissue

Alternate Versions Also Available

A newly discovered Doors song will be included on their upcoming expanded edition of the classic 1971 album, 'L.A. Woman.' Accoridng to Rolling Stone Magazine, Doors producer and engineer Bruce Botnick recently uncovered the track, “She Smells So Nice,” while sorting through session tapes for the reissue.

Rhino Records is commemorating the 40th anniversary of L.A. Woman with a deluxe 2-CD set and a companion DVD documentary about the making of the album. The remastered set includes a bonus disc featuring covers of Willie Dixon’s “(You Need Meat) Don’t Go No Further” and Barrett Strong’s “Money (That’s What I Want).” The set also includes alternate versions of seven tracks, including the hits “Love Her Madly,” “Riders on the Storm, as well as the the title track.

cool.....

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The Rolling Stones Launch The Rolling Stones Archive - www.stonesarchive.com

'THE BRUSSELS AFFAIR' LIVE BOOTLEG RELEASED AS A DIGITAL DOWNLOAD FOR FIRST TIME EVER

LONDON, Nov. 18, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- The world's greatest rock 'n' roll band, The Rolling Stones and Bravado, the world's leading merchandising company, have today launched the band's first ever digital archive - The Rolling Stones Archive - and have marked the occasion with a digital release of 'The Brussels Affair'. After years in circulation as a bootleg, this spectacular live show from the European leg of the 1973 Goat's Head Soup tour is now available to music fans all over the world (excluding the U.S.) as an official download from www.stonesarchive.com.

The website will give fans access to special videos and liner notes, including copies of the original Brussels set lists, as well as rare photographs and a sound player that allows listeners to sample audio clips from every song in the set.

Exclusive daily deals will give Stones fans the inside track on exclusive merchandise as well as rare access to memorabilia, limited photos and lithographs and deluxe box sets. Each item included in The Rolling Stones Archive will be unique and highly limited, making this an incredible opportunity to own a part of The Rolling Stones' history.

Long hailed by die hard Rolling Stones fans as one of the band's greatest live performances, the Brussels 1973 show has been a mainstay in the underground music world for years.

Brussels was the penultimate stop on a European tour that the Rolling Stones embarked on in the fall of 1973 to promote their No. 1 album Goats Head Soup. The 21-city tour was met by ecstatic crowds, causing the band to frequently perform two shows a day, as they did at the Forest National arena in Brussels. Despite the frenetic pace, the road trip yielded some of the band's greatest music on stage.

The Brussels gigs capture that greatness. From the opening chords of 'Brown Sugar' to the closing crescendo of 'Street Fighting Man', the Rolling Stones were firing on all cylinders: Keith Richards and Charlie Watts churning out a locomotive-like rhythm section, Bill Wyman on fine form with his trademark solid basslines, guitarist Mick Taylor delivering a barrage of blistering leads, with Mick Jagger growling and grinding in his blue-sequined best.

This new digital release, pulled exclusively from the two Brussels gigs, was taken from the original multi-track masters recorded by Andy Johns on the Rolling Stones Mobile unit. Longtime Stones collaborator Bob Clearmountain applied the final mix.

SOURCE Universal Music Group

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album cover art of the day from one of my favorite album cover art sites (ReignInArt.com )

Wrath of Typhon – Speak From the Fire




See more eye-catching album cover art at our friends at ReignInArt.com
















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for shits and giggles on a saturday afternoon......

Brian Eno, Michael Stipe & Stephen Colbert - "Lean on Me"


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and in music history for the day:

In 1954, Sammy Davis Jr. was involved in a car accident in which he lost his left eye. Sammy had released a number of singles which were mostly ignored until he signed with Decca Records in 1955, where he scored hits with "Something's Gotta Give", "Love Me or Leave Me" and "That Old Black Magic".

In 1955, Carl Perkins recorded "Blue Suede Shoes" at Sun Studios in Memphis. It became his biggest Pop hit, reaching #2 on the Billboard chart. Elvis Presley's version, which gets more air-play these days, only managed to get to #20.

In 1957, Chicago radio station WCFL is picketed by the local chapter of the Elvis Presley fan club when it refuses to play Presley's records. Despite the protest, the station did not change its policy.

In 1964, Gary Lewis and the Playboys are said to have recorded "This Diamond Ring," a song co-written by Al Kooper, who meant for it to be recorded by the Drifters (but they turned it down). Actually none of the Playboys played their instruments on the recording. The session drummer was Hal Blaine, Tommy Alsup played guitar, Carol Kaye was the bassist and Leon Russell played keyboards. Lewis' lead vocal was "helped" by producer Snuff Garrett who overdubbed the voice of session singer Ron Hicklin.

In 1966, the Supremes enjoy their eighth US number one hit with "You Keep Me Hangin' On." It made #8 in the UK.

In 1968, at the Royal Command Variety Performance in London, Diana Ross, interrupted the Supremes show with a plea for greater interracial understanding, after which she received a two-minute ovation from the audience which included members of the royal family. Queen Elizabeth II herself stood up after Ross' moving performance of "Somewhere" from "West Side Story."

In 1971, B.B. King marked his 25th anniversary in music by opening a European tour in London.

In 1973, Led Zeppelin began recording demos, including a new song called "Driving To Kashmir," for their new album "Physical Graffiti."

In 1974, Linda Ronstadt released "You're No Good." Andrew Gold, by overdubbing, provided most of the instrumentation on the track.

In 1976, Van Morrison's 1970 album, 'Moondance' was awarded a Gold record. The LP, which made it to #29 on the Hot 200, contained two hits: the title track and "Into the Mystic" and would be inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame in 1999.

In 1977, the Ramones' lead singer, Joey Ramone (real name: Jeffrey Hyman) suffered second degree burns when a faulty humidifier exploded before a show in Passaic, New Jersey. After emergency treatment, he finished the concert, but would spend the following week at the New York Hospital Burn Center.

In 1979, after serving a four-month sentence for tax evasion, Chuck Berry was released from Lompoc Prison farm in California.

In 1982, Led Zeppelin released the album 'Coda.'

In 1983, Tom Evans from Badfinger committed suicide by hanging himself in his back garden from a willow tree. Family members said the singer, songwriter was never able to get over his former bandmate's Pete Ham's suicide. Evans co-wrote “Without You” a hit for Harry Nilsson and Mariah Carey. Paul McCartney had chosen Evens to sing lead on the band's 1970, #7 hit, "Come And Get It."

In 1990, Milli Vanilli frontmen Fab Morvan and Rob Pilatus were stripped of their Grammy Award because other singers had lent their voices to the "Girl You Know It's True" album.

In 1991, "Liverpool Oratorio," Paul McCartney's first classical work, was performed in the US for the first time at Carnegie Hall in New York City.

In 1991, the U2 album "Achtung Baby" was released.

Achtung Baby is one of U2's most successful records. It received favorable reviews and debuted at #1 on the US Billboard 200 Top Albums, while topping the charts in many other countries. Five songs were released as commercial singles, all of which were chart successes, including "One," "Mysterious Ways" and "The Fly." The album won a Grammy Award in 1993 for Best Rock Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal. One of the most acclaimed records of the 1990s, Achtung Baby has regularly been featured on critics' lists of the greatest albums of all time.

Achtung Baby is certified 8× platinum in the US by the RIAA, and according to Nielsen Soundscan, the album has sold 5.5 million copies in the country, as of March 2009. The record has been certified 5× platinum in Australia, 4× platinum in the UK, and diamond in Canada, the highest certification award. Overall, 18 million copies have been sold worldwide

On 31 October 2011, Achtung Baby was reissued in five formats. In addition to a single-disc release of the album, a deluxe edition includes a bonus disc of remixes and B-sides from the album's five singles, and a vinyl edition includes the album on two LPs with two additional LPs of remixes. The 10-disc "Super Deluxe" and "Über Deluxe" editions include: the Zooropa album; three additional CDs with remixes, B-sides, and outtakes from Achtung Baby and Zooropa; a "kindergarten" disc with nascent versions of the album's 12 songs; and four DVDs containing From the Sky Down, Zoo TV: Live from Sydney, music videos, and documentaries. The "Über Deluxe" edition also contains the album on double vinyl, five 7-inch vinyl singles, and additional memorabilia, including a replica of Bono's "Fly" sunglasses.



In 1992, songwriter Bobby Russell, who wrote many US Top 40 hits including "Honey" and "Little Green Apples," died of heart disease at the age of 51. Russell scored a hit of his own in 1971 with "Saturday Morning Confusion" which reached the Top 25 on the Country charts and the Top 30 on the Pop charts. In 1973 he composed "The Night the Lights Went Out in Georgia," which became a number one hit for his wife, Vicki Lawrence.

In 1995, a 60 track album called 'Beatles Anthology I' was released in the US and sets a first-day sales record of 450,000 units.

In 1995, in Los Angeles, Frank Sinatra's all-star 80th birthday tribute was held at the Shrine Auditorium. Bob Dylan sang "Restless Farewell" at Sinatra's request, although Dylan had wanted to perform "That's Life," and Paula Abdul sang "Luck Be A Lady." After the show, Dylan, Bruce Springsteen, Steve Lawrence and Eydie Gorme were invited back to Sinatra's home.

Bruce Springsteen's released his 13th album, The Ghost of Tom Joad' in 1995

In 1995, English singer-songwriter and founding member of folk rock band, Lindisfarne Alan Hull died of a heart attack aged 50. Scored the 1972 U.K. #3 single “Lady Eleanor” and “Fog on the Tyne” and “Run for Home.”

In 2003, bassist (Hot 'N' Nasty, Fool For A Pretty Face) Greg Ridley, a founding member of Humble Pie and Spooky Tooth, died of complications from pneumonia at 61.

In 2004, singer (Hey Little Cobra)/songwriter (Kokomo)/producer (all the early hits of Paul Revere And The Raiders, plus the Byrds' Mr. Tambourine Man and Turn! Turn! Turn!) Terry Melcher, Doris Day's son, died of melanoma at age 62.

In 2007, Kevin DuBrow, the charismatic lead singer for Quiet Riot, died at his home in Las Vegas at the age of 52.

birthdays today include (among others): Tom Scheckel (Buckinghams) (57), Joe Correro (Paul Revere & the Raiders) (65), Matt Sorum (Guns N' Roses, Velvet Revolver) (51), Travis McNabb (Better Than Ezra) (42) and Fred Lipsius (Blood, Sweat & Tears) (68)