Tuesday, May 21, 2013

Beware of Mr. Baker DVD Contest



A couple of months ago ,the CVR blog, working with SnagFilms, a New York-based film distributor; gave away a free download to watch the film 'Beware Of Mr. Baker.' 

Well, luckily they are back again and this time we have a DVD to give away.  You can enter by emailing the CVR blog with the words "Beware of Mr. Baker DVD Contest" in the subject line to this email address rbenson30@wi.rr.com.  Winner will be chosen in a random drawing held on Friday May 24, 2013. Limit one entry per person, winner will be announced as soon as possible.

'Beware of Mr. Baker' is a vivid portrait of a rock icon, including the good, the bad and the over the top lifestyle of one of rock’s legendary wild men.

At home with rock ‘n’ roll monster Ginger Baker, Cream’s legendary scarlet-maned, hell-raising drummer. This no-holds-barred, sad, and hilarious portrait of the man referred to as rock’s first great drummer (and perhaps still its best) lets him tell his own story, intercut with footage of his continent-hopping life, from London to L.A., Nigeria, Italy, South Africa, and (way) beyond. Baker may have broken the mold musically, but his violent, dyspeptic mood swings, fueled by a multi-decade heroin addiction, went a long way to making him persona non grata even among the music greats who still revere his work. Eric Clapton, Johnny Rotten, Charlie Watts, and Lars Ulrich, Baker’s 4 wives, and 3 grown children all have something to say about him: “He’s a force of nature,” “he’s the greatest drummer any of us had ever heard,” “he’s mad,” and “he’s fairly consistently horrible” are just a few of them.

[5 stars]

“RUDELY FUNNY! The old stories and misadventures… out they come, reshaped by Bulger  via archival footage and sly animation into a testament to Baker’s musicianship… The guy basically invented the modern drum solo.” – Joshua Rothkopf, Time Out New York

“Makes a persuasive argument that Mr. Baker was the greatest of all rock drummers.”  – A.O. Scott, New York Times

“Captivating! A must-see film.” – Margaret Barton-Fumo, Filmcomment.com

“Baker comes across as a living embodiment of his music. Baker remains a fierce creature of music.”
– Eric Kohn, Indiewire.com

“A hell of a musician and a real son of a bitch.”  – Henry Stewart, L Magazine


 

Vinyl Record News & Music Notes



Ray Manzarek, Keyboardist for The Doors, Dead at 74

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Otis Rush – Right Place, Wrong Time – Bullfrog Records / Pure Pleasure Records (vinyl)

Pure Pleasure Records has re-mastered Right Time, Wrong Place to 180-gram vinyl with sterling results.

Published on May 14, 2013

Otis Rush – Right Place, Wrong Time – Bullfrog Records (1976) BF 301/ Pure Pleasure Records (2012) 180-gram stereo audiophile vinyl, 40:44 ****:

(Otis Rush – guitar, vocals; Doug Kilmer – bass; John Kahn – bass; Bob Jones – drums; Fred Burton – guitar; Mark Naftalin – piano; Ira Kamin – organ; John Wilmeth – trumpet; Ron Stallings – tenor saxophone; Hart McNee – alto saxophone)

Otis Rush was born in Mississippi and eventually moved to Chicago to become a blues legend. That narrative may not differentiate him from a lot of blues pickers. However, Rush was a rare left-handed player. In an unusual twist, he played a left-handed guitar, strung upside down with the low E string on the bottom. There is no mistaking his sound. He earned his pedigree in Westside Chicago blues clubs and recorded for several labels, including Chess.

In the sixties he was produced by rock stars Michael Bloomfield and Nick Gravenites. Adding rock and soul to the blues repertoire introduced Rush to a new generation of fans. At Capitol Records (the same label that turned down The Doors) he laid down tracks for an album titled Right Place, Wrong Time.. The project was scrapped, but Rush eventually bought the master tapes. Five years later, in 1976, it was released on Bullfrog Records.

Pure Pleasure Records has re-mastered Right Time, Wrong Place to audiophile vinyl. Listening to this musical giant, it appears that Capitol did not have a sense of the power of a true blues musician. The album gets off to a rousing start on Ike Turner’s “Tore Up”. All of the classic blues chops are represented in this brisk, up tempo romp. Rush’s guitar leads are precise and crisp. He is as good a vocalist as any of the older blues giants. Different from the template, he adds a short key shift on the bridge. As he transitions to late night vibe (title cut), the arrangements which showcase his guitar and vocals remain constant. On the first instrumental “Easy Go”, the soulful punctuation (especially by the horn section), amps up this muscular jam. His rhythm section (John Kahn/bass; Bob Jones/drums and Fred Burton/rhythm guitar) is complementary and cohesive.

Most of the songs percolate, and Rush’s tasteful concise guitar riffs and vocal phrasing are fluid. Albert King’s “Natural Ball” is dynamic. The music has a lot of soul. This resonates on the second instrumental, “I Wonder Why”. This is Chicago blues at its finest. In a more conventional translation, “Your Turn To Cry” is inimitable with the subtle key-shifting introduction Mark Naftalin spices things up with his percussive licks on piano. Rush explodes with intensity on “Lonely Man”. His coarser urgent vocals match the group’s intensity, and the energy never abates. A slight departure is Rush’s agile cover of “Rainy Night In Georgia”. It is much different from Brooke Benton’s meditative r & b…a blues opus! There is ample originality to separate this recording from typical genre offerings.

Pure Pleasure Records has re-mastered Right Time, Wrong Place to 180-gram vinyl with sterling results. The stereo mix is very-balanced, with Rush’s vocals and guitar always centered. You will need to turn the volume up to appreciate the full effect of the horns, piano and organ. For blues enthusiasts, the liner notes by Dick Shurman provide assorted details about the obstacles in Rush’s career and the release of this album.

TrackList:
 Side One: Tore Up; Right Place, Wrong Time; Easy Go; Three Times A Fool; Rainy Night In Georgia
 Side Two: Natural Ball; I Wonder Why; Your Turn To Cry; Lonely Man; Take A Look Behind

–Robbie Gerson


I want to thank John over at www.audaud.com for the exclusive rights to reprint this great review!

AUDIOPHILE AUDITION focuses on recordings of interest to audiophiles and collectors, with an accent on surround sound for music, and on all hi-res disc formats. Over 100SACD, DVD Video/Audio and standard CD reviews are published during each month, and our archives go back to January 2001.

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the author shows his age, some classics not listed, but these lists are always so subjective...


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Behind-the-Scenes Video: Creating the Cover Art for Black Sabbath's New Album, '13'

New Music Releases June 2013


June 4

Aborym - Dirty
Amazing Rhythm Aces - Stacked Deck / Too Stuffed to Jump
Ashanti - Braveheart
Avidya and the Kleshas - Tree of Series 
Ben Folds Five - Ben Folds Five Live
Boysetsfire - While A Nation Sleeps
Brent Amaker and The Rodeo - Year of The Dragon
Camera Obscura - Desire Lines
Candlelight Red - Reclamation
Cat Mother and the All-Night Newsboys - Albion Doo-Wah
Children of Bodom - Halo of Blood
City and Colour - The Hurry and The Harm 
Colossus - Time & Eternal
Cory Williams - The Outcome
Creations - Unworthy/Humility
Dave Davies - I Will Be Me
Dead Stars - High Gain
Deafheaven - Sunbather
Death Valley - Positive Euth
Deep Purple - Live In Copenhagen 1972
Demon Lung - The Hundredth Name
Dickey Lee - Original Greatest Hits
Disclosure - Settle
Doobie Brothers - Live at Wolf Trap (2004 concert film)
Eleanor Friedberger - Personal Record 
Emotions - Best of the Emotions
Evile - Skull
Filter - The Sun Comes Out Tonight
Frank Zappa - A Token of His Extreme
Future Bible Heroes - Memories of Love, Eternal Youth, and Partygoing 
Future Bible Heroes - Partygoing 
GRMLN - Empire 
George Benson - My Inspiration a Tribute to Nat King Cole
Glen Medeiros - Glenn Medeiros
Goat - Dreambuilding (7")
Grateful Dead - Dick's Picks 23: Baltimore Civic Center Baltimore
Hawkwind - Warrior on the Edge of Time
High Wolf - Kairos: Chronos 
Houndmouth - From the Hills Below the City
iamamiwhoami - bounty
Iggy and the Stooges - Tribute to Ron Asheton (live DVD)
Integrity - Suicide Black Snake
Jon Hopkins - Immunity
Joy Kills Sorrow - Wide Awake (EP)
Kay Starr -The Kay Starr Collection 1939-62
Kelly Rowland - Talk A Good Game
Lenka - Shadows
Liferuiner - Future Revisionists
Mason Williams - The Mason Williams Ear Show
Mason Williams - The Mason Williams Phonograph Record
Matthew Morrison - Where It All Began
Megadeth - Super Collider
Oblivians - Desperation 
Phonat - Identity Theft (EP)
Polly Scattergood - Arrows
Portugal. the Man - Evil Friends
Power Trip - Manifest Decimation
Quadron - Avalanche
Queens Of The Stone Age - ...Like Clockwork 
Rogue Wave - Nightingale Floors
Seth - Scars Born From Bleeding Stars
Splashh - Comfort
Surf Punks - Locals Only
Svartsyn - Black Testament
The Absence - Oceans
The Black Dahlia Murder - Everblack
The Devil's Blood - III: Tabula Rasa or Death and the Seven Pillars
The Dig - Tired Hearts (EP) 
The Saddest Landscape - Exit Wounded
The Young Things - Hello Love/Goodbye Sexual
Traffic - Shootout at the Fantasy Factory (vinyl)
Various Artists - In The Mood: Instrumental Gems From The Embassy Label
We Are The City - Violent
Western Lows - Glacial
White Wizzard - The Devil’s Cut


June 11

Airhead - For Years
Alex Burkat - Tarot (12")
Alison Moyet - the minutes
Andrew Stockdale - Keep Moving
Avenues - Post Cards From Ann Arbor
Big Time Rush - 24/Seven
Black Sabbath - 13
Boards Of Canada - Tomorrow’s Harvest
Booker T - Sound The Alarm (vinyl)
Braids - In Kind // Amends (12")  
CSS - Planta
Capital Cities - A Tidal Wave of Mystery
Case Studies - This Is Another Life
Children of Bodom - Halo of Blood
Church Of Misery - Thy Kingdom Scum
Close - Getting Gloser 
Colossus - Time & Eternal 
Coma Cinema - Posthumous Release
Creations - Unworthy/Humility 
Davell Crawford - My Gift To You
Deafheaven - Sunbather
Dennis Callaci & Simon Joyner - New Secrets
Emika - DVA
Emily Wells - Mama Acoustic Recordings
Evile - Skull 
Fat Tony - Smart Ass Black Boy
Gold Panda - Half Of Where You Live
Grateful Dead - May 1977 (box set) 
Harry Connick Jr.-  Every Man Should Know
I The Mighty - Satori
Integrity - Suicide Black Snake 
Into The Flood - Vices 
Jan St. Werner - Blaze Colour Burn 
Jason Isbell - Southeastern 
Jerry Garcia - Garcialive 2: August 5th 1990 Greek Theater
Jimmy Eat World - Damage 
Jon Huertas - Grown & Sexy Music
Joseph Arthur - The Ballad of Boogie Christ
King Conquer - 1776
Koko Blue - Crosses And Planks
Lust For Youth - Perfect View
Martin Ware - Dark
Mick Harvey - FOUR
Mixhell - Spaces
Modern Day Escape - New Life
Moody Blues - Timeless Flight (box set)
Motionless In White - Infamous 
Mount Eerie - Live in Bloomington…
Overseas - Overseas 
Paul McCartney - Rockshow (concert film)
Queen - Icon
Scale The Summit - The Migration
Smith Westerns - Soft Will
Sonny & the Sunsets - Antenna to the Afterworld
Spinal Tap - This is Spinal Tap (vinyl)
Surfer Blood - Pythons
The Black Dahlia Murder - Everblack
The Lonely Island - The Wack Album
The Orb & Lee - More Tales From The Orbservatory
These New Puritans - Field of Reeds
Various Artists - Vol. 12: Motown Singles
Various Artists - The Bling Ring
Walter Trout - Luther's Blues
White Mandingos - The Ghetto Is Tryna Kill Me 
Young Hunting - Hazel
ZZ Top - The Complete Studio Albums (box set)


June 18

3OH!3 - Omens
Adventures - Clear My Head With You (EP)
Anton Zap - Water
Austra - Olympia
Autopsy - The Headless Ritual
Beach Boys - Good Vibrations Tour (concert film)
Beach Day - Trip Trap Attack 
Blue Oyster Cult - Agents of Fortune (reissue)
Blue Oyster Cult - Blue Oyster Cult (reissue)
Blue Oyster Cult - Cultosaurus Erectus (reissue)
Blue Oyster Cult - Fire of Unknown Origin (reissue)
Blue Oyster Cult - Mirrors (reissue)
Blue Oyster Cult - On Your Feet Or On Your Knees (reissue)
Blue Oyster Cult - Secret Treaties (reissue)
Blue Oyster Cult - Some Enchanted Evening (reissue)
Blue Oyster Cult - Tyranny and Mutation (reissue)
ChthoniC - Bú-Tik 
Delbert McClinton & Glen Clark - Blind Crippled & Crazy (reissue)
Eddie Spaghetti - The Value of Nothing
Empire Of The Sun - Ice On The Dune
Falling in Reverse - Fashionably Late
Fuck The Facts - Amer
Gold Panda - Half of Where You Live
Goodie Mobb - Age Against The Machine
Hanson - ANTHEM
Heliotropes - A Constant Sea
Holy Folk - Motioning 
Hospital Ships - Destruction in Yr Soul
I Is Another - I Is Another
Jackson Browne - I’ll Do Anything: Live in Concert (concert film)
James Holden - The Inheritors 
Kelly Rowland - Talk a Good Game
Lemuria - The Distance Is So Big
Light Years - I Won’t Hold This Against You 
Mac Miller - Watching Movies With The Sound Off
Make Do And Mend / The Flatliners - split (7")
Midnight Faces - Fornication
Natasha Kmeto - Crisis 
OBNOX - Corrupt Free Enterprise
Primal Scream - More Light
Public Image LTD - First Issue (reissue)  
Royal Trux - 3-Song EP (reissue) (EP) 
Rusty Truck - Kicker Town
Said the Whale - I Love You (EP)
Savoir Adore - Our Nature
Sigur Rós-  Kveikur
Spectrals - Sob Story
Stephen Kellogg - Blunderstone Rookery
Steve Gunn - Time Off
Stick To Your Guns / The Story So Far - split (7")
The City and Horses - Strange Range 
The Gaslight Anthem - Singles Collection 2008-2011
The Mantles - Long Enough to Leave
The World Is A Beautiful Place and I am No Longer Afraid To Die - Whenever, If Ever
Tripwires - Spacehopper
Tunng - Turbines
Vacation - Candy Waves
Valient Thorr - Our Own Masters
Xerxes - Would you understand?


June 25

Abnormal Thought Patterns - Manipulation Under Anesthesia
Aerosmith - Rock for the Rising Sun (concert Blu-ray)
Allman Brothers - Brothers & Sisters (vinyl)
Amon Amarth - Deceiver of the Gods
Attila - About That Life
August Burns Red - Rescue & Restore
Ballyhoo! - Pineapple Grenade
Bass Drum Of Death - Bass Drum Of Death
Bird Nest Roys - Me Want Me Get Me Need Me Have Me Love
Bobby Whitlock - Where There's a Will There's a Way: ABC-Dunhill
Bosnian Rainbows - Bosnian Rainbows
David Kilgour and the Heavy Eights - Christopher Columbus (7") 
David Yow - Tonight You Look Like a Spider
Deeds Of Flesh - Portals To Canaan
Extol - Extol
Frank Lenz - Water Tiger
Hausu - Total 
Havok - Unnatural Selection
J. Cole - Born Sinner
James Brown - Best of Live at the Apollo: 50th Anniversary
Jimmy Cliff - The KCRW Sessions
John Legend - Love In The Future
Larry And His Flask - By The Lamplight
Lesbian - Forestelevisonis
Light Heat - Light Heat
Lightning Dust - Fantasy
Little Lonely - Little Lonely
Locrian - Return To Annihilation
Mandolyn Mae - Once
Mavis Staples - One True Vine
Mood Rings - VPI Harmony
Mouth of the Architect - Dawning
Mumakil - Flies Will Starve 
Mylets - Retcon
Nate Young - Blinding Confusion
oOoOO - Without Your Love
Orphaned Land - All Is One
Palms - Palms
Queensryche w/ Todd La Torre - Queensryche
Ramming Speed - Doomed to Destroy, Destined To Die
Rose Windows - The Sun Dogs
Royal Canoe - Today We’re Believers
Ryan Power - Identity Picks
Selebrities - Lovely Things
Serengeti - Kenny Dennis 
Serj Tankian - Orca
Sister Sin - Dance Of The Wicked (reissue)
Skillet - Rise
Stephen Kellogg - Blunderstone Rockery
Steve Earle - The Warner Bros. Years ( 4-CDs/1-DVD)
Stone Gossard - Moonlander
Sylvester Mighty Real - Greatest Dance Hits
Tech N9ne - Something Else
The Clean - Vehicle (reissue)
The Transplants - In a Warzone
Treetop Flyers - The Mountain Moves
Wale - The Gifted
Watain - All That May Bleed
Weekend - Jinx
While She Sleeps - This Is The Six
White Wizzard - The Devils Cut
Wise Blood - id