The vinyl record collecting blog - with news about new vinyl record releases, vinyl record sales, new music releases, album cover art and weekly features
Lots of great music to choose from this week including vinyl reissues from Foo Fighters (six albums worth!), Styx with 'Pieces of Eight,' 311's 'Grassroots,' Black Keys with 'Chulahome,' two from Chrome ('3rd From The Sun' and 'Half Machine Lip Moves'), R.E.M.'s 'Life's Rich Pageant' Nirvana's 'Bleach' (remastered).
CVR Blog vinyl record recommendations include: America with 'History/America's Greatest Hits,' Ben Folds' 'The Best Imitation of Myself: A Retrospective,' the remastered 'Quadrophenia' LP from the Who, Sea Lions' 'Everything You Wanted to Know About The Sea Lions But Were Afraid to Ask,' David Lynch with 'Crazy Clown Time' and Old Crow Medicine Show with 'Wagon Wheel.'
New music to hit the stores this week also includes three box sets from Rush span the band's studio recording history. Sector 1, Sector 2, and Sector 3 each contain remastered albums on five CDs each along with a DVD of bonus material. Additionally, the Rolling Stones' 'Some Girls' has been remastered and includes a CD of bonus tracks as well as Gary Numan's 'Telekon,' which has been remastered and out on vinyl.
Other CVR Blog picks: Death Cab for Cutie's 'Keys and Codes' Remix EP, J Mascis with 'Circle', Neutral Milk Hotel's Discography (box set), Yes with 'Yesshows' (remastered and expanded), Kate Bush's '50 Words For Snow' and Snow Patrol with 'Fallen Empires;' just to name a few.
3Ds - Hellzapoppin
311 - Grassroots (reissue) (vinyl)
Adam Lambert - Beg For Mercy
Adanowsky - Amador (vinyl)
America - History/America's Greatest Hits (vinyl)
Anal Cunt - The Old Testament
Animals As Leaders - Weightlessness
Antlers - (together) [EP]
Arthur Russell - 24-> 24 Music
Asking Alexandria - Stepped Up and Scratched
Atlas Sound - Parallax/Oh Ricky (vinyl)
Aun - Phantom Ghost (vinyl)
B.B. King - Best of B.B. King Rpm & Kent Recordings (2 CDs)
Ben Folds - The Best Imitation of Myself: A Retrospective (vinyl)
Bill Anderson - The First 10 Years: 1956-1966 (4 CDs)
Bill Wyman - Collectors Edition
Black Keys - Chulahome (reissue) (vinyl)
Bob Seger - Ultimate Hits: Rock And Roll Never Forgets (2 CDs)
Brand New - Your Favorite Weapon
Brendan Perry - Ark
Calexico - Road Atlas 1998 - 2011 (12 LP)(vinyl)
Cathedral - Anniversary
Cerrone - Cerrone 3: Supernature
Charlene Soraia - Moonchild
Charles Caldwell - Remember Me (reissue) (vinyl)
Chris Cornell - Songbook
Chrome - 3rd From The Sun (reissue) (vinyl)
Chrome - Half Machine Lip Moves (reissue) (vinyl)
Coalesce - Give Them Rope
Common - The Dream, The Believer
Dakota Suite / Quentin Sirjacq - The Side of Her Inexhaustible Heart
Dave Monolith - Welcome
David Lynch - Crazy Clown Time (vinyl)
Death Cab for Cutie - Keys and Codes Remix EP
Doobie Brothers - Cycles / Brotherhood
Doomtree - No Kings
Ducktails - Landscapes
Ed Ames - Christmas With Ed Ames / Christmas Is the Warmest Time
Ed Hale - All Your Heroes Become Villains
Eddy Current Surpression Ring - So Many Things (2xLP)(vinyl)
Elijah + Skilliam - Rinse: 17
Emmy The Great & Tim Wheeler - This Is Christmas
Enrique Iglesias - Euphoria Reloaded
Erasure - Be With You
FM3 - HeXieFu
Fallujah - The Harvest Wombs
Feersum Ennjin - Feersum Ennjin (reissue)
Fonda - Better Days
Foo Fighters - Colour & The Shape (reissue) (vinyl)
Foo Fighters - Foo Fighters (reissue) (vinyl)
Foo Fighters - In Your Honor (reissue) (vinyl)
Foo Fighters - One By One (reissue) (vinyl)
Foo Fighters - Skin & Bones (reissue) (vinyl)
Foo Fighters - There Is Nothing Left to Lose (reissue) (vinyl)
Fulgeance - For All of You (vinyl)
Gary Numan - 1980-81 Box Set
Gary Numan - Telekon (remastered) (vinyl)
Giant Sand - Chore of Enchantment (remastered)
Grateful Dead - Dick's Picks Vol. 34 Rochester, NY 11/5/77 (3-CD Set)
Grateful Dead - Dick's Picks Vol. 35 San Diego, CA 8/7/71, Chicago, IL 8/24/71 (4 CDs)
Grateful Dead - Dick's Picks Vol. 36 The Spectrum, Philadelphia, PA 9/21/72 (4-CD Set)
Guided By Voices - “The Unsinkable Fats Domino” (7")
Halford - Live at Saitama Super Arena
High Highs - High Highs
Hildur Gudnadottir - Without Sinking (reissue) (vinyl)
In the Midst of Lions - Shadows
J Mascis - Circle (vinyl)
Jackie Evancho - Heavenly Christmas
James Durbin - Memories Of A Beautiful Disaster
Jay Sean - Freeze Time
Joe Cocker - Hard Knocks
Kaleidoscope - Faintly Blowing (vinyl)
Kaleidoscope - Tangerine Dream (vinyl)
Karlheinz Stockhausen - Old School
Kate Bush - 50 Words For Snow
Kevin Devine - Make the Clocks Move (reissue) (vinyl)
Kidz In The Hall - Occasion
Kimya Dawson - Thunder Thighs (vinyl)
Lady Gaga - Born This Way, The Collection
Lady Gaga - Born This Way, The Remix
Leonard Cohen - Back in the Motherland: 1988 Toronto Broadcast
Lianne La Havas - Lost and Found (EP)
Magazine - No Thyself
Mary J. Blige - My Life II… The Journey Continues (Act I)
Matisyahu - Miracle
Mayer Hawthorne - The Walk (12")
Michael Jackson - Immortal
Michael W. Smith - Glory
Milt Jackson and Wes Montgomery - Bags Meets Wes! (reissue) (vinyl)
Mint Julep - Save Your Season
Mortal Sin - Psychology Of Death
Mr Oizo - Stade 2 (vinyl)
Nemesea - The Quiet Resistance
Neutral Milk Hotel - Discography (box set)
Neverever - Shake-A-Baby (12")
Nickelback - Here and Now
Nikki Lane - Walk of Shame (vinyl)
Nils Frahm - Felt
Nina Simone - Complete Album Collection (9-CD box set)
Nirvana - Bleach (remastered) (vinyl)
Office of City Slang - Harden Your Heart
Oh Land - Oh Land
Ol' Dirty Bastard - Return To The 36 Chambers: The Dirty Version (box set)
Old Crow Medicine Show - Wagon Wheel (vinyl)
Omar Souleyman - Leh Jani (vinyl)
One Direction - Up All Night
Peaking Lights - 936
Pitbull - Original Hits
Pyramid Vritra - The Story of Marsha Lotus
R.E.M. - Life's Rich Pageant (reissue) (vinyl)
R.L. Burnside - Burnside on Burnside (reissue) (vinyl)
Rhett Miller - The Interpreter, Live at Largo
Rihanna - Talk That Talk
Robert Lippok - Redsuperstructure
Rolling Stones - Some Girls (2 CDs, DVD, 7" Vinyl)
Rotifer - The Hosting Couple (vinyl)
Rush - Sector 1 (5 CDs)
Rush - Sector 2 (5 CDs)
Rush - Sector 3 (5 CDs)
Saving Grace - The King is Coming
Sea Lions - Everything You Wanted to Know About The Sea Lions But Were Afraid to Ask (vinyl)
Seal - Soul 2
Seapony - Sailing (7")
Senking - Tweek (vinyl)
Sepalcure - Sepalcure
Simon Fisher Turner & Espen J. Jorgensen - Soundescapes
Snow Patrol - Fallen Empires
Styx - Pieces of Eight (reissue) (vinyl)
Such Gold/A Loss For Words - Split 7"
Sunbears - You Will Live Forever
Sunn O))) - 00 Void
Susanna Wallumrød - Jeg Vil Hjem Til Menneskene
The Antlers - (Together) EP
The Fall - Ersatz GB
The Saturdays - On Your Radar
The Skull Defekts - 2013-3012 (12")
The Swellers - Good For Me
Thee Gravemen - Thee Gravemen (vinyl)
Thisquietarmy - Resurgence (2xLP)(vinyl)
Throbbing Gristle - Heathen Earth: The Live Sound of Throbbing Gristle (vinyl)
Throbbing Gristle - Throbbing Gristle Bring You 20 Jazz Funk Greats
Title Fight - Missed (7")
Today the Moon Tomorrow the Sun - Wildfire
Tommy Collins - Black Cat: Gonna Shake This Shack Tonight
Trailer Trash Tracys - You Wish you Were Red/Engelhardt's Arizona (7" Single)
Travis Tritt - Ten Feet Tall & Bulletproof
Trentemoller - Reworked/Remixed
Ty Segall - Singles 2007-2010
Various Artists - Dim Lights, Thick Smoke & Hillbilly Music: Country & Western Hit Parade 1961
Various Artists - Dim Lights, Thick Smoke & Hillbilly Music: Country & Western Hit Parade 1962
Various Artists - Dim Lights, Thick Smoke & Hillbilly Music: Country & Western Hit Parade 1963
Various Artists - Dim Lights, Thick Smoke & Hillbilly Music: Country & Western Hit Parade 1964
Various Artists - Dim Lights, Thick Smoke & Hillbilly Music: Country & Western Hit Parade 1965
Various Artists - Teenagers & Youth in Music 1951-1960: Compiled by Jon Savage
Various Artists - The Muppets (Soundtrack)
Various Artists - Vee-Jay: Celebrating 40 Years of Classic (3 CDs)
Various Artists - Kitsune Maison 12: Good Fun Issue
Various Artists - Lost Highway 10th Anniversary Box Set (20-LP box set) (vinyl)
Various Artists - The Decca Sound (9-LP box set) (vinyl)
Vince Guaraldi - The Charlie Brown Collection (4 CDs)
Warren Zevon - Bad Luck Streak in Dancing School (remastered)
Wayman Tisdale - The Wayman Tisdale Story
Weakerthans - Left & Leaving (reissue)
Westlife - Greatest Hits
Who - Quadrophenia (remastered) (vinyl)
Willie Nelson - Remember Me 1
Wooden Wand and the Briarwood Virgins - Briarwood
Wovenhand - Black of Ink
Writer’s Strike - Stay Down (EP)
Yelawolf - Radioactive
Yes - Yesshows (remastered and expanded)
If you are a record collector, this article from paste magazine is a must read. very intriguing remarks from some of the vets in the industry, including record stores like Grimey’s New & Preloved Music, Origami Vinyl, Wazoo Records, Dusty Groove America, Rockaway Records.
20 Record Stores Weigh In on Vinyl's Return
By Tyler Kane
The emergence of vinyl fans among a generation that didn’t necessarily grow up with it left some scratching their heads, but its success is undeniable. Vinyl records, which some thought had taken the same forgotten route of 8-tracks and laser discs, are the one format that’s seen an increase during a notable slump in record sales. With artists like Arcade Fire, the Black Keys and the Beatles leading the vinyl march, the format is here to stay, at least for a while.
In celebration of Black Friday’s Record Store Day event, we asked record stores across the United States what they thought about the return of the waxy, black format. Here’s what they had to say:
Top 5 eBay Vinyl Record Sales - Week Ending 11/19/2011
The #1 record this week is a known entity that first sold at Christie's in London in 2002. It was signed at Brian Epstein's NEMS record store in 1963, at one of only three Beatles record store signings, and included an original bag from NEMS. The Beatles also take the next two spots, before an African pressing of the Sex Pistols most famous single and 78 from Robert Johnson finish out the list.
1. 45 - The Beatles "Please Please Me" / "Ask Me Why" Parlophone UK Signed Authenticated - $12,631.20
2. LP - The Beatles "Please Please Me" Parlophone UK Stereo Pressing - $5,183.53
3. LP - The Beatles MFSL Box Set - $4,149.99
4. 45 - The Sex Pistols "God Save The Queen" / "Did You No Wrong" Gallo Zimbabwe - $3,947.25
5. 78 - Robert Johnson "Walking Blues" / "Sweet Home Chicago" Vocalion - $3,550.00
Top 5 eBay Vinyl Record Sales - Week Ending 11/12/2011
All 45s this week and the top three are soul or funk 45s, and the bottom two are KBD punk records. Seems the Chicago discovery from the previous week has woken up bidders.
1. 45 - Two Plus Two "I'm Sure" / "Look Around" Velgo - $4,550.00
2. 45 - Sandi & Matues "The World, Part 1" / "The World, Part 2" Matues - $3,383.00
4. EP - The Necros "Sex Drive" Touch and Go - $3,650.00
5. 45 - The Fix "Vengence" / "In This Town" Touch and Go - $3,516.00
More on this week's top 5 on Vinyl Record Talk, Tuesday 8:00PM Eastern / 5:00PM Pacific on Radio Dentata.
Looking for that elusive 45 rpm record or rare psych LP that you just have to have? Check outVinyl Record Talk Store for a fantatsic selection of gently used vinyl!! (and now they ship about anywhere in the world FOR FREE!!)
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Bruce Springsteen & the E-Street Band Return With Album, Tour in 2012
The boss and crew have been hard at work and have recently opened up to fans via their website. The following statement was made on Springsteen's official website:
Well, things are starting to heat up down on E Street.
A lot of you have been hearing that Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band will be on tour in 2012. That is absolutely correct. The European dates run from the middle of May until end of July and are being announced this week. Info on the US dates and the World tour dates will coming up shortly.
In addition, we want you to know that the music is almost done (but still untitled), we have almost settled on the release date (but not quite yet), and that we are all incredibly excited about everything that we're planning for 2012. That's all the info we have for right now, but we'll get back to you--real soon.
The first dates to be announced are:
21 June Sunderland, England Stadium of Light
22 June Manchester, England Etihad Stadium
24 June Isle of Wight, England Isle of Wight Festival
14 July London, England Hard Rock Calling
great to see him back at it!
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IMMORTAL, the New Album From Michael Jackson Out Today
"IMMORTAL Suits Michael Jackson's Spirit" - USA Today
Album Premiere on NPR Garners Raves From Fans and Critics Alike
NEW YORK, Nov. 21, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- Epic Records in conjunction with the Estate of Michael Jackson are pleased to unveil IMMORTAL – the new album from Michael Jackson and soundtrack for Michael Jackson THE IMMORTAL World Tour by Cirque du Soleil currently traveling though North America – in stores today Monday, November 21st.
Esteemed musical designer Kevin Antunes worked with Jamie King, the writer/director of Michael Jackson THE IMMORTAL World Tour, in redesigning and reimagining more than 40 of Michael Jackson's greatest original recordings, creating a fully immersive experience into Michael's world by synching this re-envisioned music with the visuals on screen and the live action unfolding before audiences on stage. After spending a year in the studio working with Michael's original multi-track master recordings, Kevin created this new soundscape to Michael's artistry while preserving the power and familiarity of his unparalleled voice and his legendary tracks. The result was not just a unique musical journey through Michael's world but also an album that offers a fresh listening experience. Even those who are still waiting to see the traveling arena show will appreciate the depth and richness of Michael's music in an entirely new way.
"Immortal Megamix," the debut track off IMMORTAL was unveiled to the world online on October 31st. Included in the unique mix are "Can You Feel It," "Don't Stop 'Til You Get Enough," "Billie Jean," and "Black Or White." Upon release, critics began showering praise for the track including Entertainment Weekly who had this to say, ""Immortal Megamix" kind of rules: a perfect pop primer in a nine-minute package."
Getting a jump start on release week, Epic launched a successful online track premiere campaign. Four additional highlighted tracks off the album were premiered with different online partners including, "Wanna Be Starting Something" on Perezhilton.com, "Dancing Machine/Blame It On The Boogie" with Billboard.com, "This Place Hotel/Smooth Criminal/Dangerous" on USATODAY.com, followed by "Is It Scary/Threatened/Thriller" premiering on sites such as GIANTLife.com and TheUrbanDaily.com. The campaign then culminated with an impressive album premiere on NPR where Ann Powers critically praised IMMORTAL saying, "It's a fun new way to take on Jackson's music - it gives your ears a slap and reminds you how fresh these great songs sounded when you first discovered them," "the effect is startling - instead of absorbing the music in the habitual way, you're forced to pay attention, as if you've just walked in on somebody else's listening experience" and finally "for a moment, Jackson seems to be right here with us. It's a trick, of course. Michael Jackson, that illusionist, would have loved it."
Michael Jackson THE IMMORTAL World Tour by Cirque du Soleil includes over 100 minutes of Michael's original recordings reimagined for the show. Placing all of this incredible music onto a single disc proved impossible hence the single disc edition which is jam-packed with nearly 78 minutes of highlights and the double disc edition which offers listeners the opportunity to enjoy the soundtrack for Michael Jackson THE IMMORTAL World Tour from start to finish as it is experienced during the performance of the show. The tour's next stop is December 3rd in Las Vegas.
To view footage from Michael Jackson THE IMMORTAL World Tour please visit www.michaeljackson.com.
From a group of 20 street performers at its beginnings in 1984, Cirque du Soleil is a major Quebec-based organization providing high-quality artistic entertainment. The company has 5,000 employees, including more than 1,400 artists from more than 50 different countries. Cirque du Soleil has brought wonder and delight to more than 100 million spectators in more than 300 cities on six continents. In 2011, Cirque du Soleil will present simultaneously 22 different shows around the world. For more information about Cirque du Soleil, visit www.cirquedusoleil.com.
SOURCE Epic Records
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Wishbone Ash Release New Album
After more than four decades together, one of the most influential British groups of the rock era, Wishbone Ash are still making kick ass music and they have a collection of new tracks to prove it. The band’s latest album, ‘Elegant Stealth,’ is set for a November 25th release, which breaks the four-year drought between studio recordings.
The band was formed in 1969 and they have helped pioneer the twin-guitar sound later popularized by countless rock acts, from the Allman Brothers Band and Lynyrd Skynyrd to Thin Lizzy and Iron Maiden. Though they reached their commercial peak relatively early in their career, with 1972′s ‘Argus,’ Wishbone Ash have stayed together more or less constantly over the decades, with guitarist-vocalist Andy Powell anchoring the many incarnations of the band.
‘Elegant Stealth’ follows a flurry of live activity for the current Wishbone Ash lineup, which features Powell, guitarist Muddy Manninen, bassist Bob Skeat, and drummer Joseph Crabtree. The band will tour behind the album for six weeks starting January, followed by a planned series of American dates in April.
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Allman Brothers Band Music Archives Opened
The Allman Brothers Band are releasing decades old music from their archives. This December 6th the band will release three CDs and one DVD.
The releases are part of a new distribution agreement with Entertainment One Music to market two signature band-owned labels: Peach Records for the sales of its previous Sanctuary label releases and new live recordings of the current band as well as the Allman Brothers Band Recording Company for the release of archival recordings featuring the late Duane Allman and Berry Oakley.
First up in the new deal: the live S.U.N.Y. At Stonybrook, NY 9/19/1971 album. The acclaimed Stonybrook show--the only soundboard recording of "Blue Sky" to feature the late founding members Duane Allman and Berry Oakley--had only previously been available through mail order and at Allman Brothers Band shows.
Peach Records will re-release the ABB's out-of-print studio album 'Hittin' The Note' and re-issue the gold-certified 'Live At The BEACON THEATRE DVD,' both of which were originally released in 2003 and feature the band's current line-up. It will also re-issue the live album 'One Way Out,' which features ABB classics as well as newer material including the Grammy-nominated "Instrumental Illness." 'One Way Out' and 'Live At The Beacon Theatre' were recorded in 2003 at the group's legendary annual March shows at New York City's Beacon Theatre. '
The group is also planning the 2012 release of their 40th anniversary show held in 2009 at the Beacon Theatre. It was dedicated to the memory of Duane Allman, seminal guitarist and founder of the band, and to help celebrate Duane's legacy. On March 26, 2009 the group performed each of their first two albums in their entirety: the self-titled 1969 debut (including iconic live staples "Dreams" and "Whipping Post") and their 1970 album Idlewild South (which features "Revival," "Midnight Rider" and "In Memory of Elizabeth Reed").
"Finally, after 40 years, the Allman Brothers Band are making records for their own label, without any interference from non-musicians," says Gregg Allman. "The band has always maintained a close watch over all of its music," says longtime manager Bert Holman. "This new relationship will allow us to get music into fans' hands quicker and more readily than ever and will give us the added marketing support that these projects deserve."
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lovely cover....
BIOHAZARD: Final 'Reborn In Defiance' Cover Artwork Unveiled
The final cover artwork for "Reborn In Defiance", the much-anticipated new album from New York hardcore metal legends BIOHAZARD, can be seen below. Due on January 20, 2012, the CD will be made available via Nuclear Blast outside of North America, with a U.S. label partner soon to be announced. The band will celebrate the launch with a record-release party on January 17 at the Gramercy Theater in New York City before setting off on an extensive international tour.
On November 29, Rock and Roll Hall of Famer Jimmy Cliff is set to release his first studio effort in more than seven years via Collective Sounds. The EP 'Sacred Fire' was produced by Tim Armstrong (Operation Ivy, Rancid, The Transplants) and featuring a combination of originals and covers as well as serve as a pre-cursor to a new full-length album in early 2012.
In a career that spans nearly fifty years, he has sold more than twenty million albums, with over twenty-five releases to his credit. He has appeared in several films, including, most notably, The Harder They Come, whose impact on reggae and pop music in general can scarcely be overstated. He has collaborated with countless other legends including The Rolling Stones, Elvis Costello, Joe Strummer and Annie Lennox. Bob Dylan has called Cliff's Vietnam the best protest song he ever heard, and a short list of artists who have covered Cliff's compositions ranges from Willie Nelson and Cher, to New Order and Fiona Apple.
In conjunction with Record Store Day this friday, fans can purchase a limited edition colored 12-inch vinyl of the EP, which will features an exclusive track "World Upside Down."
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album cover art of the day:
Blackthorn Reveals New Album Details
Russian all-female metal act Blackthorn have recently issued the following announcement about the band's upcoming album:
"We proudly announce that our second album entitled 'CODEX ARCHAOS' is ready! Mixing and mastering for the album were done again by Igor Korolyov at KIV Records. Bloody conceptual artwork by W.Smerdulak. Visit our Myspace http://www.myspace.com/blackthornian page to check out 'Vehemence Came As Anodyne'; the newest track from the album! The album will be released in Russia this winter via MSR Productions."
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in the words of one of the best, we get to read his thoughts on some classic rock!
John Fogerty Twitters A History of the Green River Album While Playing It in New York
John Fogerty has been a very active user of Twitter over the years and, Friday night, he used the social network to fill in his audience at the Beacon Theater, and the rest of the world, on a history of the album Green River.
The concert is the second of two nights at the Beacon where he played Cosmos Factory in its entirety on Thursday and Green River on Friday. The following are his tweets with his thoughts on each of the cuts.
Elvis Presley Returns to Nashville, 1970-71, on ELVIS COUNTRY: LEGACY EDITION
Deluxe 2-CD Package Pairs Two 1971 Albums: Elvis Country (Plus Three Bonus Tracks), Love Letters From Elvis (Plus Three Bonus Tracks)
NEW YORK, Nov. 21, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- The Elvis Presley series of Legacy Edition multi-disc packages continues its focus on important phases of the king's recording career at RCA Records. Forty years after its release in 1971, Elvis Country, an LP that found him getting back in touch with the Nashville country music mainstream, is the lynchpin for ELVIS COUNTRY: LEGACY EDITION, the newest entry in the series. The deluxe two-CD package will be available at all physical and digital retail outlets starting January 3rd through RCA/Legacy, a division of SONY MUSIC ENTERTAINMENT.
ELVIS COUNTRY: LEGACY EDITION is the first Elvis release of 2012, a year which marks the 35th anniversary of the artist's passing and a year-long celebration of his life and legacy. A full schedule of catalog reissues and compilations are planned by longtime Elvis archivists/co-producers Ernst Mikael Jorgensen and Roger Semon.
Included in the new package on CD one is the original 12-song Elvis Country (subtitled "I'm 10,000 Years Old"), which debuted January 23, 1971, on the Billboard 200 album chart. The album peaked at #12, spent 21 weeks on the chart, and was certified RIAA Gold. Three bonus tracks are drawn from the original recording sessions of June and September 1970 (more info below). On CD two, from the June sessions, comes the original 11-song Love Letters From Elvis (chart debut June 26, 1971, peak position # 33, 15 weeks on the chart), also with three bonus tracks from the original sessions.
In his liner notes to ELVIS COUNTRY: LEGACY EDITION, writer Stuart Colman calls the original Elvis Country "a pivotal release, in that it served to maintain the momentum generated by the ''68 Comeback Special,' the breakthrough in Las Vegas and Elvis Presley's long overdue return to touring." Colman, a veteran British rock musician since the '60s, is also a prolific album notes writer and compilation producer, with a special interest in roots rock, rockabilly, and early R&B.
Upon Elvis Country's original release, future Presley historian and biographer Peter Guralnick wrote in Rolling Stone, "[he] has come out with a record which gives us some of the very finest and most affecting music since he first recorded for Sun almost 17 years ago." The idea of inserting excerpts of "I Was Born About Ten Thousand Years Ago" (a track that did not appear on the original album but does appear on this Legacy Edition as a bonus track) in between the album tracks gave the LP a conceptual feel that had never been encountered before. And the songs, from the high-energy rock of "I Washed My Hands In Muddy Water" and "Whole Lotta Shakin' Goin' On" (which gives Jerry Lee Lewis a run for the money), to the big ballads that were becoming an Elvis trademark (Eddy Arnold's "I Really Don't Want To Know" and Willie Nelson's "Funny How Time Slips Away" among them) were some of Elvis' greatest performances ever.
The songs chosen for Love Letters From Elvis from the June 1970 sessions included an inspired coupling of Muddy Waters' rollicking "Got My Mojo Working" with "Keep Your Hands Off Of It" ("a peculiar combination of hypertension and soul," as popularly characterized by Guralnick). It was offset by the ballads that were chosen as singles, "Rags To Riches" (the Tony Bennett hit of 1953), the inspirational "Only Believe," and "Life." The latter was one of three cuts from up-and-coming songwriter Shirl Milete covered at the June sessions, along with "When I'm Over You" and "It's Your Baby, You Rock It."
Elvis Country was a breath of fresh air for most of his millions of fans, and signaled a renaissance of his creative energies. Prior to Elvis Country, his last album of original studio material (non-movie soundtrack material) was in 1969, when he recorded in Memphis at American Studios with producer Chips Moman. The result of those January and February hometown sessions was the landmark LP From Elvis In Memphis, and a year-long string of 'comeback' hit singles that reestablished Elvis: "In the Ghetto," "Suspicious Minds," "Don't Cry Daddy" and "Kentucky Rain."
Three factors contributed to the totally reinvigorated image of Elvis Presley in the new decade of the 1970s: 1) the impact of the "'68 Comeback Special" (i.e. the NBC broadcast of December 1968 that featured Elvis dressed in black leather); 2) the string of Memphis-recorded hits that began in the spring of 1969 (chronicled on From Elvis In Memphis: Legacy Edition, issued in 2009); and 3) Elvis' return to public performing which began in Las Vegas that summer and continued into January-February 1970 (as chronicled on On Stage: Legacy Edition, issued in 2010).
Those three factors overlapped the release of Change Of Habit in November 1969, the final (31st) Hollywood movie in Elvis' lifetime. In fact, prior to the Elvis Country studio sessions of June and September 1970, and the International Hotel recordings in Las Vegas before that, the last time Elvis had set foot in any recording studio was in March 1969 to cut a handful of tracks at Decca Universal for Change Of Habit. After 1969, Elvis would no longer be saddled with movies he did not believe in, and movie soundtrack songs he believed in even less.
Into 1970, Elvis was performing two shows a night at the International Hotel during January-February, and then checked into the Houston Astrodome for a weekend (six shows) that netted a record-breaking gross with over 250,000 people in attendance. After a well-deserved break, he finally arrived in RCA's Studio B in Nashville the first week of June 1970.
The last time he had recorded there was in January 1968 when he cut some tracks for that year's movie, Stay Away, Joe. It marked his final studio sessions with his own long-time bandmates (guitarist Scotty Moore and drummer D.J. Fontana) and the original Nashville 'A-team' that had served him so well: guitarists Chip Young and Jerry Reed, pianist Floyd Cramer, bassist Bob Moore, drummer Buddy Harman, Pete Drake on steel guitar, Charlie McCoy on harmonica, and of course the Jordanaires.
By the time he returned two and a half years later, for the five nights of sessions (Thursday, June 4th through Monday, June 8th) that are discussed here, producer Felton Jarvis had assembled a whole new 'A-team' (with Young and McCoy the only hold-overs). The new band had the feel of the Memphis hitmakers of 1969, mainly because their core members were part of the original Muscle Shoals sound which put that town on the map: bassist Norbert Putnam, pianist David Briggs, and drummer Jerry Carrigan. Add in masterful guitarist James Burton – who had become indispensable to Elvis after the two recent Las Vegas residencies – and the scene was set.
There were inevitable contrasts to the tightly structured Memphis sessions, but it ended there. In Nashville, once the song-pluggers put in their suggestions, the rest was up to Elvis, who never ceased to surprise all who were present He laid down first and second takes with ease, and then turned around and initiated impromptu studio jams that kept the musicians firing on all cylinders.
It all came to a head on the fourth night. After a couple of warm-ups (including Eddy Arnold's "I Really Don't Want To Know"), they thought back to the country tunes they'd already recorded, and the idea of a country album began to take shape. In short order, Elvis laid down Bob Wills' western-swing standard "Faded Love" and Ernest Tubb's "Tomorrow Never Comes." After cutting Hank Cochran's barroom weeper "Make The World Go Away" (via Eddy Arnold), Elvis and crew moved on to Willie's "Funny How Time Slips Away" and then "I Washed My Hands In Muddy Water," familiar to rock and roll fans of Johnny Rivers, but originally a big country hit for Stonewall Jackson.
The whole crew reconvened for one night in September, a productive session that yielded "Whole Lotta Shakin' Goin' On" and ultimately the opening track on the Elvis Country LP, a cover of "Snowbird." Anne Murray's debut hit from that summer '70 was written by Gene MacLellan, composer of "Put Your Hand In the Hand," another Canadian hit that Elvis covered. (The other two tracks from the session showed up later in '71 as the single, "Where Did They Go, Lord" b/w "Rags To Riches.")
Barely five months separated the releases of Elvis Country and Love Letters From Elvis in 1970, and the two albums have always been regarded together in the Elvis canon. In mid-1971, Elvis returned to Studio B for a solid week of recording in May, and three follow-up nights in June, resulting in some 40-plus masters. Much of them were heard later that year on Elvis Sings the Wonderful World Of Christmas, and the following year on his gospel LP, He Touched Me. Ironically, Elvis never recorded again in Nashville's RCA Studio B.
In every way, ELVIS COUNTRY: LEGACY EDITION tracks a seismic change in his recording career. It came at a moment which turned out to be a true turning point for him. "Elvis seemed inspired, singing with a passion and soulfulness that recalled Memphis," wrote Jorgensen in his essential research guide, Elvis Presley: A Life In Music (St. Martin's Press, 1998). "The band fell in with equal feeling, their confidence and expressiveness growing along with his. Both singer and band were performing out of genre, improvising their own rhythms and phrasing on the spot, challenging each other." To paraphrase Jorgensen, "they had something to be proud of."
CD One: ELVIS COUNTRY – ORIGINAL ALBUM (originally issued January 1971, as RCA 4460) Selections: 1. Snowbird 2. Tomorrow Never Comes 3. Little Cabin On The Hill 4. Whole Lotta Shakin' Goin' On 5. Funny How Time Slips Away 6. I Really Don't Want To Know 7. There Goes My Everything 8. It's Your Baby, You Rock It 9. The Fool 10. Faded Love 11. I Washed My Hands In Muddy Water 12. Make The World Go Away Bonus tracks: 13. I Was Born About Ten Thousand Years Ago 14. A Hundred Years From Now (studio jam) 15. Where Did They Go, Lord (single, Hot 100 #33).
CD Two: LOVE LETTERS FROM ELVIS – ORIGINAL ALBUM (originally issued June 1971, as RCA 4530) Selections: 1. Love Letters 2. When I'm Over You 3. If I Were You 4. Got My Mojo Working/Keep Your Hands Off Of It 5. Heart Of Rome 6. Only Believe 7. This Is Our Dance 8. Cindy, Cindy 9. I'll Never Know 10. It Ain't No Big Thing (But It's Growing) 11. Life Bonus tracks: 12. The Sound Of Your Cry 13. Sylvia 14. Rags To Riches (single, Hot 100 #33)
SOURCE Legacy Recordings
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and in music history for the day:
In 1955, in Memphis, Sun Records owner and producer Sam Phillips sold Elvis Presley's contract to RCA for an unheard-of $35,000, at that time the largest amount ever paid to sign a recording artist and topping the offer of $25,000 for Presley's contract made by Atlantic Records. Elvis received $13,500 of the total. Phillips invested his proceeds from the deal in a two-year-old Memphis-based hotel chain called Holiday Inn.
In 1960, "Stay" by Maurice Williams and the Zodiacs topped the Billboard chart. At just one minute, 37 seconds long, it is the shortest number one record in Rock and Roll history. The song would reach #14 in the UK in 1961.
In 1960, George Harrison, then 17, was deported from Hamburg, Germany – where the Beatles had been playing at the Kaiserkeller club – and sent back to England because he was performing under the age of 18, in violation of German law. Some music historians blame the club owner, Bruno Koschmider, who may have told authorities about George's age as an act of retaliation. The Beatles had broken his exclusive contract by playing in other clubs, then returned to their rooms in one of his other venues and set it on fire to protest being canned.
In 1963, the Elvis Presley film "Fun in Acapulco" premiered. By the end of the year it will gross $4.7 million, finishing as the #8 top-grossing movie of the year.
In 1964, Marvin Gaye's "How Sweet It Is" entered the Hot 100, where it will peak at #6 during a 14 week stay. The song would become a hit all over again when James Taylor took it to #5 in 1975.
In 1965, Bill Black, who backed Elvis Presley on his early hits, died of a brain tumor at the age of 39. After leaving Elvis, he formed Bill Black's Combo and placed 8 hits in the US Top 40, including "White Silver Sands" in 1960.
In 1970, two months after launching their TV series, the Partridge Family reached the top spot on the Billboard Hot 100 with "I Think I Love You." The only members of the cast who actually sang on the record were David Cassidy and his real-life step-mother, Shirley Jones.
In 1973, comedian / songwriter, Allan Sherman, who is best remembered for 1963's "Hello Mudduh, Hello Fadduh" died of respiratory ailments, a few days shy of his 49th birthday.
In 1974, Marty Balin was persuaded to reunite with Jefferson Airplane, now called Jefferson Starship, onstage at the Winterland ballroom in San Francisco, leading to his official re-involvement with the band on the album "Red Octopus."
In 1975, David Bowie released the single "Golden Years."
In 1980, Don Henley of the Eagles was arrested after paramedics treated a nude sixteen year-old girl suffering from drug intoxication at his home in Los Angeles. Henley was charged with unlawful possession of marijuana, cocaine and Quaaludes and contributing to the delinquency of a minor. He was fined $2,000 and given two years probation. pig....
In 1981, Olivia Newton-John started the first of 10 weeks at the top of the US singles chart with "Physical." It was her fourth US #1 and went on to sell over 2 million copies. In the UK, the song reached #7.
Also in 1981, Foreigner's, "Waiting for a Girl Like You" entered the top 5 on the US singles chart, where it would sit for the next 10 weeks, unable to unseat "Physical" by Olivia Newton John and "I Can't Go For That" by Hall and Oates. The band would eventually score a number one hit with "I Want to Know What Love Is" in 1985.
In 1983, Michael Jackson's 14 minute video, Thriller premiers in L.A. movie theatres. Guinness World Records later named it as the "most successful music video", selling over 9 million units.
In 1987, Billy Idol had Billboard's top tune with a live version of Tommy James and The Shondells', "Mony Mony." Idol pushed another Tommy James' re-make, Tiffany's version of "I Think We're Alone Now", down to number four.
'The Delicate Sound Of Thunder' by Pink Floyd was released in 1988.
In 1991, Aerosmith guest-starred on Fox-TV's "The Simpsons."
In 1995, Billie Joe Armstrong of Green Day was arrested in Milwaukee, WI for dropping his pants during the group's show.
In 1995, legendary manager of Led Zeppelin Peter Grant died from a heart attack aged 60. Known as being one of the shrewdest and most ruthless managers in rock history, Grant secured 90% of concert gate money and intimidated record storeowners who dealt in bootlegs. The former wrestler also worked as a film extra and bodyguard. During the early ‘60 Grant worked as a tour manager for Bo Diddley, The Everly Brothers, Little Richard, Chuck Berry, Eddie Cochran, Gene Vincent and The Animals.
In 2002, songwriter Buddy Kaye passed away at the age of 84. His 57 year songwriting career produced Barry Manilow's "The Old Songs", Pat Boone's "Speedy Gonzales", Perry Como's "You're Adorable" and the theme for the TV show I Dream of Jeannie.
In 2003, Phil Spector was charged with the murder of Lana Clarkson at his home the previos February. Spector pled innocent.
Also in 2003, the newest members of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame were announced. Those who will join the distinguished list of previous inductees are George Harrison, Prince, ZZ Top, Jackson Browne, The Dells, Bob Seger and Traffic. George Harrison will become the third Beatle to enter the Rock Hall as a solo performer; John Lennon was inducted in 1992 and Paul McCartney in 1999. The group was inducted in 1988.
In 2003, Teddy Randazzo, a Rock icon from the 1950s who composed classic hit songs such as "Goin' Out of My Head" and "Hurt So Bad", passed away at the age of 68.
In 2003, an acoustic guitar on which the late Beatle George Harrison learned to play, fetched $431,812 at a London auction. His father had purchased the Egmond guitar for Harrison for less than $6.
In 2006, the Beatles' 'Love' album was released, featuring re-mixes and medleys of Beatles material "re-imagined" and produced by George Martin for use in the Cirque Du Soleil stage show of the same title.
In 2008, more than 40 years after Christians around the world were infuriated by John Lennon's saying that The Beatles were "more popular than Jesus", the Vatican's official newspaper absolved John of his notorious remark, saying that "after so many years it sounds merely like the boasting of an English, working-class lad struggling to cope with unexpected success."
In 2010, ratings for ABC's telecast of The American Music Awards dropped 22% from the previous year, making it one of the lowest rated shows in the history of the program.
birthdays today include (among others): Björk (born Björk Guðmundsdóttir) (46), Randy Zehringer (McCoys) (62), Dr. John (born Mac Rebennack, Jr.) (71), Alex James (Blur) (43), Kelsi Osborn (SHeDAISY) (37) and Brian Ritchie (Violent Femmes) (51)
Lots of great music to choose from this week including vinyl reissues from Foo Fighters (six albums worth!), Styx with 'Pieces of Eight,' 311's 'Grassroots,' Black Keys with 'Chulahome,' two from Chrome ('3rd From The Sun' and 'Half Machine Lip Moves'), R.E.M.'s 'Life's Rich Pageant' Nirvana's 'Bleach' (remastered).
