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The Day The Music Died

2012-02-03T13:50:00.000-06:00

written by Robert Benson

The day is immortalized in the legendary Don McLean song “American Pie.” It was a day that saddened music lovers all over the world and shocked the music industry. It was the day the music died.

We are of course referring to the plane crash in Clear Lake, Iowa, that claimed the lives of rock and roll musicians Buddy Holly, Ritchie Valens, and J.P. “The Big Bopper” Richardson. The crash, which occurred on February 3, 1959, is now over fifty years old. Let’s explore some of the details of “the day the music died.”

The Winter Dance Party began at the Eagles Club in Milwaukee, Wisconsin on January 23, 1959. It featured the aforementioned stars, Dion Deuce as well as an aspiring teen idol named Frankie Sardou. The tour was set to cover twenty-four Midwestern cities in a span of three weeks. The tour was a logistical nightmare with the amount of travel that was required. Adding to this problem was a tour bus that was ill-equipped to deal with the weather conditions in that part of the country; its heating system broke down shortly after the tour began. In fact, one musician, drummer Carl Bunch, developed a severe case of frostbite to his feet that required hospitalization (Holly and Valens took turns on the drums). It got so cold on the bus that the musicians started burning newspapers in the aisle in a desperate attempt to keep warm.

What’s interesting is that the Surf Ballroom in Clear Lake was not intended to be a stop on the tour, but the promoters, hoping to fill an open date, contacted the manager of the establishment and offered him the show. He accepted and the date was set for February 2nd.

However, Holly was so frustrated and tired of the malfunctioning tour bus that he told his fellow musicians that, once the show was over, they should attempt to charter a plane to get to the next stop on the tour; which was Moorhead, Minnesota. So flight arrangements were made with Roger Peterson, who was a local pilot employed at Dwyer Flying Service, based in Mason City, Iowa. The fee was $36 per passenger and the single-engine plane could seat three musicians in addition to the pilot.

But there was a dilemma, who would fly and who would get to the next destination via the tour bus? Obviously, Holly and the pilot were aboard which left two seats open. Dion was approached to buy a seat, but he thought that the price of $36 was way too much. He recalled his parents arguing about the rent, which coincidently was $36 per month and he could not bring himself to pay an entire month’s rent for a short plane ride.

J.P. Richardson had come down with a bout of the flu and asked one of Holly’s band mates, Waylon Jennings, for his seat on the plane and Jennings gave up his seat. Ritchie Valens, who was also feeling the effects of the freezing tour bus, asked Holly’s other band mate Tommy All sup for his seat. Allsup replied that he would flip a coin, with the winner getting the last seat on the plane. Now, contrary to what has been depicted in the biographical movies, the coin toss was not done by Holly; nor did it occur at the airport. The coin toss occurred at the Ballroom shortly before they departed for the airport and was actually done by a DJ who was working the concert that night.

The plane took off at 1 a.m. on February 3, 1959 from Mason City Municipal Airport. Approximately 1:05 a.m., Jerry Dwyer, owner of Dwyer Flying Service could see the lights of the plane start to descend from the sky to the ground. The pilot was supposed to file his flight plan once airborne, but he never contacted the tower. By 3:30 a.m., after multiple attempts to contact his pilot and the fact that the airport in Fargo, Minnesota had not heard from Peterson, Dwyer contacted the authorities to report the plane missing.

The doomed aircraft had just made it a few miles from the airport. The pilot (who was not certified to fly at night) may have been confused by the darkness and the light snow that was falling. The plane hit the ground nose first at an estimated 150mph killing all four men instantly.

crash site

Interesting Facts:

In 1976, when the first Buddy Holly Week was held, Paul McCartney was presented with the cuff links Buddy Holly wore the night of the crash. McCartney purchased the rights to Holly’s song publishing and began organizing the annual celebration five years later.

On February 29, 1980, an old police file containing Buddy Holly’s horn rimmed glasses and a watch owned by J. P. Richardson were located by the Mason City Sheriff. The items were recovered at the crash site.

In the 2000 film Almost Famous, the band's plane is caught in bad weather, at which point one of the band members begins to sing the Buddy Holly song "Peggy Sue.”

Deciding that the show must go on at the next stop, Moorhead, MN, they looked for local talent to fill in. Just across the state line from Moorhead, in Fargo ND, they found a 15 year old talent named Bobby Vee.

The crash that ended the lives of Holly, Valens, and Richardson was the break that began the career of Vee.

Tommy Allsup would one day open a club named "The Head's Up Saloon," a tribute to the coin toss that saved his life.

Waylon Jennings would become a hugely popular Country singer.

Dion DiMucci would enjoy a long lived solo career.

Ritchie Valens:

Inscribed on Ritchie Valens' grave are the words, "Come On, Let's Go."

Valens was a pioneer of Chicano rock, Latin rock and was an inspiration to many musicians of Latino heritage. He influenced the likes of Los Lobos, Los Lonely Boys, and Carlos Santana among countless others at a time when there were very few Latinos in American rock and pop music. He is considered the first Latino to ever successfully cross over into Rock mainstream.

"La Bamba" would prove to be his most influential recording; not only by becoming a pop chart hit sung entirely in Spanish but also because of its successful blending of traditional Latin American music with rock. He was a pioneer and was an inspiration for many after his tragic death. Valens was the first to capitalize on this formula which would later be adopted by such varied artists as Selena, Caifanes, Cafe Tacuba, Circo, El Gran Silencio, Aterciopelados, Gustavo Santaolalla, and many others in the Latin Alternative scene. Ironically, the Valenzuela family spoke only English at home, and Ritchie knew very little Spanish. Ritchie learned the lyrics of "La Bamba" phonetically in order to record the song in Spanish.

"Come on Let's Go" has been covered by Los Lobos, The Ramones and "The Paley Brothers”; (jointly, The Ramones on guitar, bass, and drums and The Paley Brothers on vocals), Tommy Steele, The Huntingtons and The McCoys.

"Donna" has been covered by artists as diverse as MxPx, Cliff Richard, The Youngbloods, Clem Snide, Cappadonna, and The Misfits among many others.

Robert Quine has cited Valens' guitar playing as an early influence on his style.

Donna Ludwig, Ritchie's girlfriend, is today still recognized as "Ritchie's Donna.” Her personalized license plate reads "ODONNA.”

Ritchie's nephew, Ernie Valens, has toured worldwide playing his uncle's songs, including a new version of the "Winter Dance Party" tour with Buddy Holly impersonator John Mueller. This tour has taken place at many of the original 1959 venues in the Midwest.

Valens also appeared in biopic films. Valens was depicted in the 1987 biopic film La Bamba, which was about his life. The film's time period was from 1957 to 1959, in which his age was 16 to 17. It introduced Lou Diamond Phillips as Valens and co-starred Esai Morales as his older half-brother, Bob Morales. Los Lobos performed most of the music in the film.

Valens was portrayed by Gilbert Melgar in the final scene of The Buddy Holly Story and Valens will also be depicted in the upcoming 2009 film The Day the Music Died. Valens will be portrayed by Joseph Thornhillas in the 2009 film Lives and Deaths of the Poet.

Big Bopper:

Richardson's son, Jay Richardson, took up a musical career and is known professionally as "The Big Bopper, Jr." He has performed all around the world.

Notably, he has toured on the "Winter Dance Party" tour with Buddy Holly impersonator John Mueller on some of the same stages as his father performed.

In January 2007, Richardson's son Jay requested that his father's body be exhumed and an autopsy be performed to settle the rumors that a gun was fired or that Richardson initially survived the crash. The autopsy was performed by Dr. Bill Bass, a forensic anthropologist at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville. Jay was present with Dr. Bass throughout the entire autopsy and observed as the casket was opened; both men were surprised to find the remains well enough preserved to be recognizable as those of the late rock star. "Dad still amazes me 48 years after his death, that he was in remarkable shape," Richardson told the Associated Press. "I surprised myself. I handled it better than I thought I would."

Dr. Bass' findings indicated there were no signs of foul play. He was quoted as saying "There are fractures from head to toe. Massive fractures. ... (Richardson) died immediately. He didn't crawl away. He didn't walk away from the plane."

After the autopsy, Richardson's body was placed in a new casket made by the same company as the original, then was reburied next to his wife in Beaumont's Forest Lawn Cemetery. Jay then allowed the old casket to be put on display at the Texas Musician's Museum.

Buddy Holly:

Contrary to popular belief, teenagers John Lennon and Paul McCartney did not attend a Holly concert, although they watched his TV appearance on "Sunday Night at the London Palladium"; Tony Bramwell, a school friend of McCartney and George Harrison, did. Keith Richards attended one of the gigs, where he heard "Not Fade Away" for the first time. Bramwell met Holly, and freely shared his records with all three. Lennon and McCartney later cited Holly as a primary influence. (Their band's name, The Beatles, was chosen partly in homage to Holly's Crickets.) The Beatles did a cover version of "Words of Love" that was a close reproduction of Holly's version.

McCartney owns the publishing rights to Holly's song catalogue.

A young Bob Dylan attended the January 31, 1959 show, two nights before Holly's death. Dylan referred to this in his 1998 Grammy acceptance speech for his 1997 Time out of Mind winning Album of the Year.

Various rock and roll histories have asserted that the singing group The Hollies were named in homage to Buddy Holly. According to the band's website, although the group admired Holly (and years later produced an album covering some of his songs), their name was inspired primarily by the sprigs of holly in evidence around Christmas of 1962.

After the death of Buddy he would leave a trail of followers from Bob Dylan, to Elvis Costello, Paul Simon, and The Beatles. Also, one of The Rolling Stones early hits was a cover of "Not Fade Away.”

Eddie Cochran, good friend and fellow rock 'n' roll pioneer was so distraught by the deaths of Holly, Valens, and The Big Bopper that he recorded the song "Three Stars" as a tribute. The song was not released until after Cochran's own premature death, because he was too upset to allow it to be issued in his lifetime.

The Smithereens' song "Maria Elena" is a Buddy Holly tribute as sung to his widow.

Blink-182 has a song named "Peggy Sue" which is a tribute to Holly.

Buddy Holly on the Arthur Murray Dance Party 12/29/57

Phil Ochs famously sang a long tribute to Buddy Holly on the infamous Gunfight at Carnegie Hall album.

Mike Berry released a 1961 single called "Tribute to Buddy Holly.” It was written by Geoff Goddard and produced by Joe Meek, who was a great Buddy Holly fan. In the USA, it was released on Coral, Buddy Holly's label.

Weezer's self-titled debut album features the band's popular single "Buddy Holly.”

Musician Albert Hammond, Jr. has a cover of "Well... Alright" on his 2007 album Yours To Keep.

Don McLean's popular 1971 ballad "American Pie" is inspired by the day of the plane crash.

THE ANNOTATED AMERICAN PIE
(What the song is talkin' about!)

By Rich Kulawiec

The entire song is a tribute to Buddy Holly and a commentary on how rock and roll changed in the years since his death. McLean seems to be lamenting the lack of "danceable" music in rock and roll and (in part) attributing that lack to the absence of Buddy Holly et. al. (Verse 1)

A long, long time ago...

"American Pie" reached #1 in the US in 1972, but the album containing it was released in 1971. Buddy Holly died in 1959.

I can still remember how
That music used to make me smile.
And I knew if I had my chance,
That I could make those people dance,
And maybe they'd be happy for a while

One of early rock and roll's functions was to provide dance music for various social events. McLean recalls his desire to become a musician playing that sort of music.

But February made me shiver,

Buddy Holly died on February 3, 1959 in a plane crash in Iowa during a snowstorm. The news came to most of the world on the morning of February 3, which is why it's known as The Day The Music Died.

With every paper I'd deliver,

Don McLean's only job besides being a full-time singer-songwriter was being a paperboy.

Bad news on the doorstep...
I couldn't take one more step.
I can't remember if I cried
When I read about his widowed bride

Holly's recent bride, Maria Elena, was pregnant when the crash took place; she had a miscarriage shortly afterward.

But something touched me deep inside,
The day the music died.

The same plane crash that killed Buddy Holly also took the lives of Richie Valens ("La Bamba") and The Big Bopper ("Chantilly Lace"). Since all three were so prominent at the time, February 3, 1959 became known as "The Day The Music dies”.

So... (Refrain)
Bye bye Miss American Pie,

Miss American Pie *is* rock and roll music. Don McLean dated a Miss America candidate during the pageant. (unconfirmed)

Drove my Chevy to the levee but the levee was dry
Them good ole boys were drinkin' whiskey and rye
Singing "This'll be the day that I die,
This'll be the day that I die."

One of Holly's hits was "That'll be the Day"; the chorus contains the line "That'll be the day that I die"

Vinyl Record News & Music Notes

2012-02-03T13:36:00.000-06:00

great article from the student newspaper at Marquette University in my neck of the woods, well worth the read....

Vinyl record sales settle into good groove

By Heather Ronaldson

When statistics showed that vinyl record sales reached a new high since 1991, the music business began to buzz. According to Nielsen SoundScan, an information and sales tracking system, 3.9 million units were sold in 2011, a 36.3 percent change since 2010.

Media outlets like Rolling Stone, The New York Times and USA Today swarmed over the report. Some, like the Chicago Tribune and the Shepherd Express, started taking it to the streets, asking independent record stores how vinyl sales have impacted their business.

The Shepherd Express said store owners started noticing the trend in 2004 and saw an increase in vinyl sales in 2009.

“I thought (vinyl sales) would peak out, but they haven’t,” said Terry Hackbarth, store manager at The Exclusive Company, an independent record store with locations throughout Wisconsin. The Exclusive Company in Milwaukee, located at 1669 N. Farwell Ave., has “made the switch,” Hackbarth said, meaning less CDs for sale and more vinyl records.

So what accounts for the switch to vinyl records?

Read the rest at marquettetribune.org

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interesting perspective from the UK print industry:

For the record: printing your art on your sleeve

By Jenny Roper

Florence & the Machine

A few years back, notions like RPM, the B-side and the 12-inch would have got a blank response, at best a snigger, from anyone below the age of 25. In 2012, though, to the astonishment of many in the 'older generation', the youth have become rather fluent in the lexicon of vinyl.

And it has seemingly come from nowhere. Vinyl sales were dying off with the people that used them first time around and a revival seemed about as likely as the original line up of The Beatles reuniting. Yet in 2011, sales of vinyl jumped up 40% compared with 2010 against a backdrop of a massive reduction in the overall market for music sales. Reasons for the leap are as diverse as a reaction against the disposability of modern culture, the retro fads of the latest youth generation and the hunt for profits by the record companies. Whatever the reason, you’d think it would be good news for UK print, but unfortunately that’s not necessarily the case.

Of course, vinyl never disappeared completely – much like many of the artists that first found fame on the medium, it has diligently plugged away out of the glare of the public attention and without the large sales numbers it once commanded. The release of tape, CD and then digital music tore chunks from its share of the sector, but as Gennaro Castaldo, head of press at music retailer HMV, explains, the new media could not kill it off completely.

"Vinyl has never entirely gone away," he explains. "It has long been part of the culture of rock and roll, so for guitar bands in particular it was cool to bring a single or album out on vinyl along with the CD and more recently digital formats. This was replicated among fans – students and ‘bedroom DJs’ like buying and collecting vinyl almost as a badge of honour, they are true music fans."

What changed last year was that interest in the medium exploded beyond the collectors and the few DJs still opting for vinyl and moved into the mainstream.

Read the rest at printweek.com

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JOHN 5's New Solo Album To Feature Cover Art By ROB ZOMBIE

ROB ZOMBIE/ex-MARILYN MANSON guitarist John 5's sixth solo studio instrumental album, "God Told Me To", will be released on April 10. The cover art, which features a painting of John 5 by Rob Zombie, can be seen below.

According to John 5, "God Told Me To"will be "half acoustic and half metal and feature music that will blow you away." He has already whetted the fans' appetite by releasing four digital singles from the album: "Beat It" (MICHAEL JACKSON cover), "Welcome To Violence", "Noche Acosador" and "The Castle".

Read more at Blabbermouth

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NAGLFAR: 'Téras' Cover Artwork, Track Listing Revealed

The cover artwork for "Téras", the sixth album from Swedish black metallers NAGLFAR, can be seen below. Responsible for the artwork is Niklas Sundin of DARK TRANQUILLITY, who has previously worked with such bands as IN FLAMES, ARCH ENEMY and AT THE GATES. The album cover only shows a part of the overall motif, which is going to be shown in its entirety with the release of the new CD.

Read the rest at Blabbermouth

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Jealous Sound Limited Edition Vinyl Release:

The Jealous Sound have a new record out called "A Gentle Reminder" on the Music Is Subjective record label.

A Gentle Reminder LP

Pre-Order Now, will be shipped on or Before March 31st.

Pick from Baby Blue or Pink Vinyl!

Limited Editions.
$15.00

Pre-order

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Bruce Springsteen and The E Street Band Set to Perform on the 54th Annual GRAMMY Awards®

Jack Black, Fergie, ?uestlove, and Ringo Starr To Present at the Music Industry's Premier Event

Music's Biggest Night® — Hosted by Rapper/Actor LL COOL J — Airs Live on CBS Sunday, Feb. 12, 8 ET/PT

SANTA MONICA, Calif., Feb. 2, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- Twenty-time GRAMMY® winner Bruce Springsteen and The E Street Band have been added to the stellar lineup for the 54th Annual GRAMMY Awards® (www.grammy.com). Actor/recording artist Jack Black, six-time GRAMMY winner and current three-time nominee Fergie, three-time GRAMMY winner and current nominee Amir "?uestlove" Thompson (The Roots), and nine-time GRAMMY winner Ringo Starr will appear as presenters. Music's Biggest Night® — hosted by two-time GRAMMY winner LL COOL J — takes place live on Sunday, Feb. 12 at STAPLES Center in Los Angeles and will be broadcast in high definition and 5.1 surround sound on the CBS Television Network from 8 – 11:30 p.m. (ET/PT). The show also will be supported on radio worldwide via Dial Global, and covered online at GRAMMY.com and CBS.com, and on YouTube at www.youtube.com/thegrammys. Additional performers, presenters and special segments will be announced soon. For GRAMMY coverage, updates and breaking news, please visit The Recording Academy®'s social networks on Twitter and Facebook: www.twitter.com/thegrammys, www.facebook.com/thegrammys.

Previously announced performers for the 54th Annual GRAMMY Awards include Adele (in her first live performance since undergoing vocal cord surgery last fall); Jason Aldean and Kelly Clarkson; Glen Campbell with The Band Perry and Blake Shelton; Coldplay and Rihanna; Foo Fighters; Bruno Mars; Paul McCartney; Nicki Minaj; Katy Perry; and Taylor Swift. Aldean, The Band Perry, Minaj, and Shelton will perform on the GRAMMY telecast for the first time. Previously announced presenters are Dierks Bentley, Drake, Miranda Lambert, and Gwyneth Paltrow. LL COOL J has hosted "The GRAMMY Nominations Concert Live!! — Countdown To Music's Biggest Night" since its inception in December 2008, and this is his first time hosting the annual GRAMMY Awards telecast.

SOURCE The Recording Academy

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and in music history for today, february 3rd:

In 1956, Elvis Presley, Jerry Lee Lewis, Carl Perkins and Johnny Cash record together at Memphis' Sun Studios in what would become known as the Million Dollar Quartet sessions.

In 1958, the Royal Teens' biggest hit, "Short Shorts" enters the US record charts on its way to number 3. The song was originally an instrumental warm up number that the group added silly lyrics to. The tune was recorded in about twenty minutes of left over studio time and released after a record label executive took a liking to it.

In 1960, Frank Sinatra formed Reprise Records.

In 1961, at the East Orange, New Jersey home of friends Sid and Bob Gleason, Bob Dylan made his first recordings, "San Francisco Bay Blues" and "Jesus Met The Woman At The Well."

In 1962, Gene Chandler's "The Duke Of Earl" tops the Cashbox Best Sellers chart for the first of a five week stay.

On this day in 1963, "Hey Paula" by Paul & Paula was the #1 song.

CVR Blog 45rpm Singles Spotlight:

In 1964, the Beach Boys released "Fun, Fun, Fun." The single was released on the band's album 'Shut Down Volume 2.' The single peaked at the number 5 spot on the Billboard chart.

The song was written by Brian Wilson and Mike Love about Shirley England, the daughter of the owner of radio station KNAK in Salt Lake City, Utah where she worked as a teenager. She borrowed her father's Ford Thunderbird to study at the library. Instead of driving to the library, she ended up at a hamburger stand. When her father found out, he took the car away. The next day she was at the radio station complaining about it to the staff while the Beach Boys were visiting and they were inspired to write this song.

The song, backed by a single-only mix of a cover version of Frankie Lymon and The Teenagers' "Why Do Fools Fall In Love", became a top-five hit.

The opening electric guitar introduction of the original version of the song was based on Chuck Berry's Johnny B. Goode

The stereo and mono mixes stem from the same recording but have a significant difference: the fadeout on the stereo mix fades out early into the song's outro, with the instruments fading away before the vocals (and an overdubbed drum part). The mono mix, as heard on the 45 as well as mono copies of Shut Down Volume 2 has an extended outro.

In 1967, Joe Meek, a British Pop and Rock producer, kills his landlady before shooting himself in the head. He is best remembered for the instrumental hit, "Telstar", which he wrote for the Tornadoes.

In 1968, the Beatles began recording "Lady Madonna." They finished the track on February 6. This single was the last release by the band on Parlophone in the UK and Capitol Records in the US. All subsequent releases, starting with "Hey Jude" in August 1968, were released on their own Apple Records label.

Also in 1968, an Oxford, Ohio group called the Lemon Pipers saw their only Billboard chart-maker, "Green Tambourine", reach #1 in the US. It made #7 in the UK.

In 1969, against the wishes of Paul McCartney, John Lennon, George Harrison, and Ringo Starr hired Allen Klein to be the Beatles' new manager. McCartney wanted his father-in-law, Lee Eastman, for the role.

In 1978, Gerry Rafferty released the single "Baker Street."

In 1979, a sold-out concert at the Surf Ballroom in Clear Lake, Iowa, is held commemorating the 20th anniversary of the crash that killed Buddy Holly, Ritchie Valens and The Big Bopper. Wolfman Jack hosted the show which featured performances by Del Shannon, Jimmy Clanton and The Drifters.

In 2003, legendary music producer Phil Spector was arrested for investigation of murder after police found a woman shot to death at his Los Angeles mansion. The 62 year old Spector, whose Wall Of Sound technique transformed 1960s Pop music, was freed after posting $1 million bond. The body of 40-year-old Lana Clarkson, a TV and film actress, was found in a pool of blood with a gunshot to the face at the marble entrance to Spector's home.

In 2004, Gene Hughes, who sang lead vocal on The Casinos' "Then You Can Tell Me Goodbye" in 1967, died in Nashville at the age of 67. He had been injured in an car crash and suffered several setbacks during his recovery.

Also in 2004, 58 year old saxophonist, Cornelius Bumpus, formerly of the Doobie Brothers and Steely Dan, suffered a fatal heart attack while on a commercial flight from New York.

In 2007, Wayne Fontana, of "Game Of Love" fame, was arrested at his home in Glossop, Derbyshire, England and charged with arson with intent to endanger life. The 61 year-old, who was already set to appear in court in March on traffic offenses, was accused of pouring gasoline over a bailiff's car and setting it on fire. The following November, he would be sentenced to 11 months in jail, but was allowed to walk free from court immediately after already serving the equivalent of his term while held under the Mental Heath Act.

birthdays today include (among others): Angelo D'Aleo (Belmonts) (72), Chuck Tharp (Fireballs) (71), Eric Haydock (Hollies) (70), Dennis Edwards (Temptations) (69), Melanie (65), Dave Davies (Kinks) (65), Lee Ranaldo (Sonic Youth) (56), Lee Crystal (Joan Jett & the Blackhearts) (54) and Lol Tolhurst (Cure) (53)

Vinyl Record News & Music Notes

2012-02-02T14:08:00.000-06:00

for those who carry ipads, ipods, iphones, cell phones, blueberries and blackberries, this would be a very handy tool!

Vinyl Wolf - The New Record Collectors App for iPhone

Cirencester, United Kingdom - Tessera Designs announces Vinyl Wolf 1.0, a brand new app for iPhone has been released allowing users to harness the power of crowd sourcing to locate rare and out of print vinyl.

The app allows sellers to instantly connect with buyers whilst out and about - at car boot sales, record fairs, charity shops etc. - if a record is found anywhere in the world, Vinyl Wolf can be checked to see if people are actively looking for it.

"This has huge benefits for the seller" Says Jonathan Ellis of Revival Records, "Normally you speculatively buy a record from these places, hoping it's worth something, hoping there are people who want it, and you list it on ebay or other auction sites. Only when you get home do you find out. With Vinyl Wolf you not only see if anybody is actively looking for the record, you see how much they are willing to pay and you can match it up straight away."

For the 'wanter' or buyer, the benefits are also obvious. You can add a want in just a minute or so, complete with image, and just sit back and wait for it to be found. "It's like being in every car boot sale in the country, in the world even!"

With record collecting ever popular, and vinyl sales increasing, this app offers a unique and fun way to source the rare or hard to find items you need to complete your collection. As Ellis says, "It's like having your own pack of wolves, hunting down your vinyl!"

Device Requirements:
* iOS 3.0 or later
* iPhone, iPod Touch and iPad
* 3.8 MB

Pricing and Availability:
Vinyl Wolf 1.0 is only $0.99 USD (or equivalent amount in other currencies) and available worldwide exclusively through the App Store in the Music category.

For more information go HERE

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fantastic music article out of missouri:

They're playing my song

Richard Irby

I have been a news reporter for 40 years, but am a lifelong music fan.

My first memory of music was as a tiny kid, as I recognized something strange in my house. A weird, uneasy feeling that I came to realize was this black round thing that my mother kept picking up and turning over (a vinyl record for those born in the CD and MP3 ages).

It turned out to be the mournful wail of Luke the Drifter, Hank William's alter-ego, singing and talking his way through a record of sad songs and warnings to stay on the right path. An admonition Hank, himself, had trouble following.

The first artist I remember hearing also taught me at an early age that musicians, who can bring so much happiness, are often the saddest, most self-abusive people there are.

As I got older, and continued to grow up with Hank, I found he had plenty of uplifting songs like "Hey, Good Lookin'," "Jambalaya," and "I Saw the Light." I was shocked to discover he had died at age 27. A heart attack victim in the back of a car, my mother explained, leaving out Hank's history of back pain, a broken heart and rivers of alcohol and mountains of drugs.

I tell you all that to finally get to the point: the past month or so has been tough for me, as some more of my music heroes have passed on.

Please read the rest at areawidenews.com

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long, but impressive list of artists to perform:

More Stars To Come Together For Paul McCartney

An impressive star-studded cast will come together to honor 2012 MusiCares Person of the Year honoree Paul McCartney during a sold-out gala on Feb. 10 in Los Angeles, two days prior to the 54th Annual GRAMMY Awards.

Hosted by actor/comedian Eddie Izzard, artists set to perform are current GRAMMY nominees Tony Bennett, Coldplay, Foo Fighters, Alison Krauss & Union Station featuring Jerry Douglas, and Katy Perry; GRAMMY-winning artists Duane Eddy, Norah Jones, Alicia Keys, Diana Krall, James Taylor, and Neil Young with Crazy Horse; two-time Latin GRAMMY-winning artist Sergio Mendes; and the cast of Cirque du Soleil's "Love" Beatles tribute show. The evening will also feature a special performance by McCartney.

The 2012 MusiCares Person of the Year gala, which will celebrate McCartney's exceptional artistic achievements and philanthropic work, will begin with a cocktail reception and silent auction sponsored by the Starkey Hearing Foundation that will offer an exclusive selection of luxury items, VIP experiences and celebrity memorabilia for bidding guests. The auction will be followed by a gala dinner sponsored by AEG Live, and a star-studded tribute concert sponsored by Acura/ELS. This year's red-carpet press arrivals will be sponsored by Kinect for Xbox 360 and Dance Central 2. Other event supporters include CenterStaging — A SoundCheck LA Company, Classic Wines of California, Delta Airlines, Double Platinum, Gibson, Global Art, Heineken, Hilton Hotels & Resorts, Jackson Limo, Korbel, Patron Spirits Company, Pepsi, and Sweetwater.

The MusiCares Person of the Year tribute is one of the most prestigious events held during GRAMMY Week. Proceeds from the dinner and concert will provide essential support for MusiCares, which ensures that music people have a place to turn in times of financial, medical and personal need.

Past MusiCares Person of the Year honorees include: Bennett, Bono, Natalie Cole, Phil Collins, David Crosby, Neil Diamond, Gloria Estefan, Aretha Franklin, Don Henley, Billy Joel, Elton John, Quincy Jones, Luciano Pavarotti, Bonnie Raitt, Paul Simon, Sting, Barbra Streisand, Taylor, Brian Wilson, Stevie Wonder, and Young.

The 54th Annual GRAMMY Awards will take place live on Sunday, Feb. 12 at Staples Center in Los Angeles and will be broadcast live on the CBS Television Network from 8–11:30 p.m. ET/PT.

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this from our friends at vinylcollective.com

Top 10 Albums – January 31, 2012

Here are the Top 10 Albums at Shop Radio Cast for the week of January 24 – January 31, 2012:

1. Say Anything – Anarchy, My Dear LP
2. Blink 182 – They Came To Conquer Uranus 7″
3. Lucero – Women & Work LP
4. The Menzingers – A Lesson In The Abuse Of Information Technology LP
5. Brand New – Your Favorite Weapon LP
6. Sharks – No Gods LP
7. Mock Orange – Nines & Sixes LP
8. Hit The Lights – Invicta LP
9. The Methadones – Not Economically Viable LP
10. La Dispute – Somewhere At The Bottom Of The River Between Vega And Altair 2XLP

Buy these releases at shopradiocast.com

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album cover art for the day:

ANATHEMA: New Album Details Revealed

U.K. atmospheric rock band ANATHEMA will release its new album, "Weather Systems", on April 24 via The End Records. The follow-up to 2010's "We're Here Because We're Here" was recorded in Liverpool, North Wales and Oslo, each place significant to ANATHEMA past, present and future. The record was produced and mastered by Christer-André Cederberg (ANIMAL ALPHA, IN THE WOODS..., DRAWN), whom ANATHEMA's Daniel Cavanagh has described as "a revelation. His calmness and brilliance has helped to bring about the greatest inter-band chemistry that ANATHEMA have experienced together in their career."

Read the rest at Blabbermouth

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the anti album cover art of the day:

Kreator Reveal New Album Title, 7" Collector's Single

German thrash vets Kreator have announced that the band's new LP will be called 'Phantom Antichrist." The album will be released on June 1, 2012 (EU) and June 5, 2012 (North America) via Nuclear Blast Records. The band will also release an exclusive 7“ single of the title track on April 20, 2012. The collector's item will be available in coloured red vinyl (limited to 250 pieces) as well as in clear vinyl (limited to 250 pieces, exclusively available at the Nuclear Blast Mailorder

Here is the cover artwork for the 7“ single.

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Bryan Adams Announces First Canadian Tour in 20 Years

It's hard to believe, but Bryan Adams has not toured his native Canada in twenty years; however, that run will come to an end this summer when he hits 20 cities for 20 shows. His last Canadian trek was the Straight From the Heart tour of 1992.

The tour begins on April 11 in St. John's, Newfoundland and moves across the country to a closer on June 22 in Winnipeg, Manitoba.

Read more at our friends at vintagevinylnews.com

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Lee Perry and the Upsetters Double Vinyl LP

Reggae and Dub Specialists Pressure Sounds have announced that they are releasing a new CD and Double Vinyl LP from Lee Perry and the Upsetters showcasing previously undocumented singles and a dub plate. These musical gems come from some the Upsetter's most creative years.

The album is called "High Plains Drifter - Lee Perry and the Upsetters: Jamaican 45s 1968-73" and is released by Pressure Sounds (PSCD73 - 2012)

All the tunes are from Jamaican releases and most tracks were never released in the UK.

Special Limited SILKSCREEN PRINTED Edition (only 150 - all numbered) of the Double Vinyl album!

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and in music history for february 2nd:

In 1932, Duke Ellington & His Famous Orchestra, featuring vocalist Ivie Anderson and solos by Johnny Hodges and Joe Nanton, recorded "It Don't Mean A Thing (If It Ain't Got That Swing)."

In 1956, the Coasters sign with Atlantic Records, where they will record ten US Top 40 hits.

In 1957, Fats Domino sang "Blueberry Hill" and "Blue Monday" on the "Perry Como Show" on television.

Also in 1957, Tab Hunter topped the Cashbox Best Sellers chart with "Young Love."

In 1957, Dale Hawkins recorded "Susie-Q." Hawkins cut "Susie Q" at the KWKH Radio station in Shreveport, Louisiana. "Susie Q" was a late rockabilly song which captured the spirit of Louisiana and featured guitar work by James Burton, who also worked with Ricky Nelson, among others. Sometime after the recording, the master tape of "Susie Q" was sold to Checker Records in Chicago, which released it as a 45 RPM single in May 1957. The single peaked at numbers 7 and 27 on Billboard magazine's Hot R&B Sides and Hot 100 charts, respectively. Hawkins' original version is also included in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame's "500 Songs that Shaped Rock and Roll

In 1959, at the Surf Ballroom in Clear Lake, Iowa, Buddy Holly, Ritchie Valens, and the Big Bopper played their final show. Admission was $1.25. The last song of the night was the Big Bopper's "Chantilly Lace."

In 1959, Frankie Avalon released his biggest hit, "Venus", which will reach number one in the US and number sixteen in the UK.

Also in 1959, former Mouseketeer Annette Funicello sees her first hit, "Tall Paul" enter the Billboard Pop chart, where it will reach #7.

In 1963, the Beatles began their first British tour at the Gaumont Cinema in Bradford, England, opening for Helen Shapiro. The Fab Four were at the bottom of the six-act bill and split wages of £80 (about $225 US) a week.

In 1964, Billy J. Kramer With The Dakotas recorded "Little Children," produced by George Martin.

In 1964, in response to a storm of controversy, Max Firetag, the publisher of The Kingsmen's hit, "Louie Louie", offers $1,000 to anyone who can find suggestive lyrics in the song. The reward is small change considering that the disc cost less than $50 to record and has sold millions of copies.

In 1968, Simon and Garfunkel record "Mrs. Robinson", which will become their second US number one and win a Grammy Award for Record Of The Year. The song earned the duo a Grammy Award for Record of the Year in 1969. Top session drummer Hal Blaine played on the record, and considers it one of his favorites.

In 1973, "The Midnight Special" premieres on NBC-TV with Helen Reddy as host. Wolfman Jack would later take over for an eight-and-a-half-year run.

In 1973, Keith Emerson injures his hands when a rigged piano prematurely explodes during a concert in San Francisco.

Also in 1973, boxer Muhammed Ali met Elvis Presley in Las Vegas and presented him with boxing gloves inscribed "You're the greatest" (on the left glove) and "To Elvis, my main man, from Muhammad Ali" (on the right). Ali later recalled: "I felt sorry for him because he didn't enjoy life the way he should. He stayed indoors all the time. I told him he should go out and see people."

In 1974, Barbra Streisand's "The Way We Were" topped the Billboard hit parade, becoming her first number one.

On this day in 1976, "50 Ways To Leave Your Lover" by Paul Simon was the #1 song.

Also in 1976, 'A Trick of the Tail', the seventh studio album by Genesis and the first to feature drummer Phil Collins as full-time lead vocalist following the departure of original vocalist Peter Gabriel, was released on this date in the UK (Feb 20th in the US).

In 1978, Van Halen signed with Warner Brothers Records.

In 1979, while celebrating his freedom after serving seven weeks in jail for assault, Sid Vicious (born Simon Ritchie) died of a drug overdose after injecting heroin that his mother had bought for him. The 21 year old had been the bass player for one of Britain's most influential Punk-Rock bands, The Sex Pistols, which had broken up a year earlier.

In 1993, Willie Nelson and the IRS settle their longstanding tax feud. The U.S. government kept $3.6 million in assets it had already seized and Nelson would have to pay $5.4 million of the $13.1 million balance.

In 1995, Celine Dion's album "The Color Of My Love" was certified Triple Platinum.

In 2004, CBS apologized for the previous night's Super Bowl broadcast and the infamous Janet Jackson “wardrobe malfunction.”

In 2007, 67 year old Billy Henderson of The Spinners passed away from complications of diabetes. The group placed 18 songs on Billboard's Top 40, including 7 Top 10 hits.

Also in 2007, Joe Hunter of the Funk Brothers was found dead in his Detroit apartment. The 79 year old pianist had just returned five days earlier from a European tour with fellow band member Jack Ashford.

In 2009, fifty years after Buddy Holly, Ritchie Valens and The Big Bopper played their final gig at the Surf Ballroom in Clear Lake, Iowa, the Day the Music Died became the Day the Music Went On and On. A tribute concert at the original Surf raved on for six hours with a line-up of Rock acts that included Graham Nash, Los Lobos, Los Lonely Boys, Wanda Jackson, Delbert McClinton, Joe Ely, Peter And Gordon, Dave Mason, Bobby Vee and Holly's original band mates, The Crickets.

birthdays today include (among others): Robert Deleo (Stone Temple Pilots) (46), Ben Mize (Counting Crows) (41), Peter Macbeth (Foundations) (69), Peter Lucia (Tommy James & the Shondells) (65), Alan McKay (Earth, Wind & Fire) (64), Tony DeMeur (Fabulous Poodles) (64), Ross Valory (Steve Miller Band, Journey) (63) and the peerless Graham Nash (Hollies, Crosby Stills & Nash (& Young)) (70)

Ask Mr. Music by Jerry Osborne

2012-02-01T13:18:00.000-06:00

FOR THE WEEK OF JANUARY 30, 2012

DEAR JERRY: When you identified Ray Charles' “Just for a Thrill” for someone who heard it on “Damages,” I knew you would be the one to ask about a song played on “Mad Men.”

At the end of one of last season's episodes, a girl sings about her guy climbing the corporate ladder to success. I don't know the singer, but she admits to “having to let him go.”

Since it fits the mid-'60s period and storyline so well, it may have been written especially for the show. Or maybe it's an oldie that I don't remember.
—Karen Fields, Evansville, Ind.

DEAR KAREN: Neither is the case.

By Skeeter Davis, “Ladder of Success” is an LP cut only. By not being issued as a single it is extremely unlikely you would have heard it in the '60s.

How the “Mad Men” producers ever discovered it is absolutely mind-boggling. Regardless, they did and then found the perfect spot for it in the Season 4 episode, “Waldorf Stories.”

“Ladder of Success” is on Skeeter's “Let Me Get Close to You” (RCA Victor 2980) album, released in October 1964.

Another tune with a similar message is Elvis' “Love Coming Down,” a Jerry Chestnut composition found on the 1976 LP, “From Elvis Presley Boulevard, Memphis, Tennessee” (about “a man so busy going up in the world that he couldn't see love coming down”). It too is a perfect fit for “Mad Men.”

DEAR JERRY: I have two very different copies of “Matchbox,” both backed with “Slow Down,” by the Beatles. One of them seems to be the result of either printing or production errors.

Both are definitely first pressings from the summer of 1964, but here are the differences:

On the right side of the “Matchbox” label, normal copies show the song's publishing company (Knox Music, Inc.) and collection affiliate (BMI); the running time (1:37); Capitol's selection and identification numbers (5255, 45-X45052); and that the music was “Recorded in England.”

On the oddball copy, none of that information appears anywhere. They failed to print all of the text on the right side.

They also made another omission. It involves only one letter, but the result is hilarious.

Instead of crediting “The Beatles,” the variant label shows the artist as THE BEATLE, as if it were just one of the four.

There are no mistakes or differences on the “Slow Down” side.

How do such discrepancies affect value?
—Archie Wilcox, Louisville, Ky.

DEAR ARCHIE: In this case, less is more.

The rare copy with all the “Matchbox” text on the right side missing, and the laughable “Beatle” credit line, is valued at $400 to $500, more than double the standard, error-free issue.

Worth noting is that “Matchbox,” a Carl Perkins original, is pretty much a solo vocal by Ringo Starr. Thus the singular “Beatle” credit is more appropriate here than for most of their other recordings.

IZ ZAT SO? Though it can't top the screwy “Beatle” acknowledgment on “Matchbox,” there is another recently discovered Beatles-related misprint.

At least one copy exists of “Helen Wheels,” by Paul McCartney & Wings (Apple 1869), where the A-side (exterior of the apple) is missing nearly all of the intended text.

Except for "Mfd. by Apple Records, Inc." in tiny print at the very bottom, there is no text whatsoever on this 1973 original.

As with “Slow Down,” the flip side of “Matchbox,” this B-side, “Country Dreamer” (sliced apple), is also a properly printed label.

The current value of the funky, unprinted version of “Helen Wheels” is $350, about 35 times as much as ones without Helen's missing text.

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.

Vinyl Record News & Music Notes

2012-02-01T12:56:00.000-06:00

always loved Neil Young's music, he knows great sound when he hears it!

Vinyl is still best! Even Steve Jobs preferred it, says rocker Neil Young

by Noel Young

Legendary rocker Neil Young hit out yesterday at the poor quality of music audio. You got better listening in 1978 than you do today, he said.

The sound quality of today’s digital music files was so low that it undermined the artistic intent of musicians like himself, he declared.

Young was giving an onstage interview at The Wall Street Journal’s D: Dive Into Media conference in California. And he said even Apple's Steve Jobs was on his side.

Jobs was such a music fan that he didn't use his iPod and its digitally compressed files at home, said Young. Instead he listened to vinyl albums.

Read what else Young says at thedrum.co.uk

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Soul Train Host Don Cornelius Dead

Don Cornelius, creator of the TV dance show "Soul Train," is dead at 75 of a self-inflicted gunshot wound, according to the Los Angeles police department. Cornelius' death was discovered early Wednesday morning at his Sherman Oaks, Calif. home.

"Soul Train" began in 1970 in Chicago and aired in syndication from 1971 to March 2006. It was one of the first shows to show case African-Americans prominently, although the dance group was racially mixed. Cornelius was the first host and executive producer. The show began each episode by welcoming viewers to "the hippest trip in America" and closed by wishing them "love, peace and soul."

"I am shocked and deeply saddened at the sudden passing of my friend, colleague, and business partner Don Cornelius," said Quincy Jones. "Don was a visionary pioneer and a giant in our business. Before MTV there was 'Soul Train,' that will be the great legacy of Don Cornelius. His contributions to television, music and our culture as a whole will never be matched. My heart goes out to Don's family and loved ones."

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this in my email box....

Five Three Dial Tone Limted Vinyl Release

Minuscule Detroit based record label Five Three Dial Tone is set to kick off a short run vinyl series of split 7" records featuring covers of some of their most favoritest bands entitled 'Disarm The Settlers.' The inaugural release will pay tribute to Dayton Ohio's Guided By Voices, pressed onto the finest green wax that money will buy, and featuring two fantastic Detroit bands who we are ecstatic to have agreed to such a silly project.

1. Ryan Allen & His Extra Arms tackle "I Am A Scientist" and "Motor Away." Led by Mr. Ryan Allen himself, formerly of Thunderbirds Are Now!, Friendly Foes, & Red Shirt Brigade, these versions of the classics still get a throwback nod. Joined on Motor Away by Arun Bali (guitarist of Saves The Day), Ryan breaks out the synth and goes a little more '97 than '95.

2. The Kickstand Band are adorable. They take "Non-Absorbing" and "Game Of Pricks" and ratchet up the cuteness. Boy/Girl vocals, young innocence, the whole nine-yards really. Allison (bass/vocals) of The Kickstand Band toured with The Von Bondies for a minute, while Gordon (guitar/vocals) was also a member of The Sights who were signed to James Iha's Scratchie imprint. None of that really applies to anything here but it gives me a lot of stuff to put into bold.

The 7" was released with 50 special editions featuring hand collaged center labels and alternate artwork. 25 were available in Dayton Ohio, and the other 25 were available at a Detroit area release party. All of the special editions sold out and everyone lived happily ever after. The remaining vinyl is available for purchase.

For more info visit
fivethreedialtone.com

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Toro Y Moi To Release Early Recordings On Vinyl

The five platter vinyl set is called 'June 2009' and will feature early Toro Y Moi recordings. The vinyl release is scheduled for April 23rd via Carpark Records.

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i love this cover and respect her career

Madonna’s New Album Art Revealed

The great one has just released the cover art for her upcoming album 'MDNA,' which is set for release on March 26th.

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UNISONIC Featuring MICHAEL KISKE, KAI HANSEN: Debut Album Artwork, Release Date Revealed

The self-titled debut album from UNISONIC — the band featuring former HELLOWEEN vocalist Michael Kiske and Kai Hansen (GAMMA RAY, ex-HELLOWEEN) alongside Dennis Ward (bass) and Kosta Zafiriou (drums) of Germany's PINK CREAM 69 and Swiss guitarist Mandy Meyer (who has previously played with ASIA, GOTTHARD and KROKUS) — will be released on March 30 (nine days earlier in Japan) via earMUSIC/Edel. The effort will be made available in the following configurations:

Europe & rest of the world:
* CD jewel case
* CD limited edition Mediabook format with and extended booklet plus bonus track
* Vinyl and CD package limited edition

Japan:
* CD jewel case
* CD limited-edition digipack plus bonus track (exclusive for Japan)

The cover artwork was created by graphic artist Martin Häusler.

Get all the information at our friends at Blabbermouth

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Jethro Tull's Ian Anderson to Release 'Thick As A Brick 2'

Anderson Announces 40th Anniversary Sequel to the Hugely Successful, Groundbreaking 1972 Album

LONDON, Feb. 1, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- Following the recent announcement of a 19-date tour to commemorate the 40th anniversary of 'Thick As A Brick,' on April 2nd (April 3rd in North America) Ian Anderson will release a sequel to the original album.

In 1972, Ian Anderson wrote and recorded the Jethro Tull Progressive Rock classic album 'Thick As A Brick.' The lyrics were credited at the time to the fictitious child character, Gerald Bostock, whose parents supposedly lied about his age. The record instantly became a number one Billboard Chart album and enjoyed considerable success in many countries of the world.

So, forty years on, what would Gerald Bostock – aged fifty in 2012 – be doing today? What might have befallen him? The anniversary "part two" album will examine the possible different paths that the precocious young schoolboy, Gerald Bostock, might have taken later in life through alter-ego characters with song-section identities illustrating the hugely varied potential twists and turns of fate and opportunity. Not just for Gerald but to echo how our own lives develop, change direction and ultimately conclude through chance encounters and interventions, however tiny and insignificant they might seem at the time.

Ian Anderson says of the album, "As we baby-boomers look back on our own lives, we must often feel an occasional 'what-if' moment. Might we, like Gerald, have become instead preacher, soldier, down-and-out, shopkeeper or finance tycoon?" Adding, "And those of more tender years - the social media and internet generation - may choose to ponder well the myriad of chance possibilities ahead of them at every turn ....."

To coincide with this groundbreaking release, for the first time since 1972, Anderson and fellow musicians John O'Hara (keyboards), David Goodier (bass), Florian Opahle (guitar) and Scott Hammond (drums) - as well as some guest performers - will take to the road to perform the album in its entirety and, it can now exclusively be revealed that, in addition, there will be a second part to the show where Anderson and the band will also perform the sequel.

Thick As A Brick 2 ('TAAB2') tracklist [CD, digital]
1. From A Pebble Thrown
2. Pebbles Instrumental
3. Might-have-beens
4. Upper Sixth Loan Shark
5. Banker Bets, Banker Wins
6. Swing It Far
7. Adrift And Dumfounded
8.Old School Song
9. Wootton Bassett Town
10. Power And Spirit
11. Give Till It Hurts
12. Cosy Corner
13. Shunt And Shuffle
14. A Change Of Horses
15. Confessional
16. Kismet In Suburbia
17. What-ifs, Maybes And Might-have-beens

'Thick As A Brick 2' will be released as a standard jewel case CD and digital download, and in a Special Edition 2-disc package with DVD featuring 5.1 stereo mixes, 24-bit stereo mix, video of the making of the album, interviews with the musicians and Ian Anderson reading the lyrics in various locations.

The official Jethro Tull website: www.jethrotull.com

SOURCE EMI Music

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always liked willie....

Willie Nelson Signs Historic New Deal With Legacy Recordings

Artist Comes Home To Sony Music Entertainment With Upcoming Releases to Include New Recorded Material & New Archival Titles Personally Curated By Willie Nelson

NEW YORK, Feb. 1, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- Legacy Recordings, the catalog division of Sony Music Entertainment, has entered into a historic new record deal with American legend and innovator Willie Nelson. The deal marks a label homecoming for Nelson, who, from 1975-1993, cut a phenomenal string of top-selling singles and albums for Columbia Records, beginning with 1975's seminal smash Red Headed Stranger.

Forthcoming Willie Nelson titles under the Legacy imprint will include newly recorded songs and performances as well as archival releases, personally curated by the artist, drawn from all phases of his career including his recordings for RCA Records and others.

As curator of his catalog, Willie will work with label archivists to select recordings, including previously released and previously unreleased tracks, for release in newly compiled collections and as bonus material on new editions of existing titles. The newly curated Willie Nelson titles will provide fresh perspective and context to the artist's profoundly influential and successful career.

Under the new agreement, fans can look forward to five brand-new Willie Nelson albums, with the first slated for release in spring 2012.

"I'm really happy to be back home with Sony Music. We have been partners for many years; all the way back to Pamper Music and Tree Music. We share a great history, and I'm looking forward to many more years together," said Willie Nelson.

"We couldn't be more excited to have the opportunity to work with Willie on this landmark partnership," said Adam Block, Executive Vice President and General Manager, Legacy Recordings. "There's a natural and organic relationship between new recording projects and catalog activity that promises to ensure the lasting importance of Willie and his music."

With a six-decade career and a catalog of more than 200 albums to his credit, the iconic Texas singer-songwriter Willie Nelson has earned a permanent position in pop music's pantheon with songs that combine the sophistication of Tin Pan Alley with the rough-and-tumble grit and emotional honesty of country music. He brought pop and country together on the radio in the early 1960s with unforgettable songs like "Crazy" (Patsy Cline), "Hello Walls" (Faron Young), "Funny How Time Slips Away" (Billy Walker), "Night Life" (Ray Price) and others and, by the mid-1970s, had become a superstar in his own right as a prime mover of a revolutionary and thriving outlaw country music scene. The Red Headed Stranger, Willie's first album for Columbia Records in 1975, catapulted the artist to the front ranks of popularity, making his a familiar name in country and city households across America and around-the-world.

A seven-time Grammy Award winner, Willie Nelson has received numerous accolades including American Music Awards, Academy of Country Music Awards, Country Music Association Awards and others. He is a co-founder of Farm Aid, an annual series of fundraising events which began as an all-star benefit concert in 1985 to raise money for American family farmers. He continues to lobby against horse slaughter and produces his own blend of biodiesel fuel. An old-school road-dog troubadour with new school wheels, Willie plays concerts year-round, tirelessly touring on Honeysuckle Rose III (he rode his first two buses into the ground), taking his music and fans to places that are always worth the ride.

SOURCE Legacy Recordings

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GRIMEY'S BEST SELLERS 1/23 - 1/29, 2012

Vinyl Top 25:

1. The Black Keys - El Camino
2. Bon Iver - Bon Iver
3. The Civil Wars - Barton Hollow
4. JEFF The Brotherhood - Brotherhood Of Light
5. Mazzy Star - Common Burn 7"
6. First Aid Kit - The Lion's Roar
7. Bon Iver - For Emma, Forever Ago
8. Craig Finn - Clear Heart Full Eyes
9. Jessie Baylin - Little Spark
10. Guided By Voices - Chocolate Boy 7"
11. Nada Surf - The Stars Are Indifferent To Astrology
12. The Big Pink - Future This
13. M83 - Hurry Up We're Dreaming
14. Ray Lamontagne - Trouble
15. Kathleen Edwards - Voyageur
16. Cloud Nothings - Attack On Memory
17. The Louvin Brothers - Satan Is Real
18. Coldplay - Mylo Xyloto
19. Antlers - Hospice
20. Atomic Forest - Obession
21. My Morning Jacket - Circuital
22. Yuck - Yuck
23. Townes Van Zandt - Delta Momma Blues
24. Radiohead - Kid A
25. Natural Child - 1971

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and in music history for february 1st:

In 1954, backed by his Jazz ensemble, Big Joe Turner records the original version of "Shake, Rattle and Roll". The tune will top the Billboard R&B chart next June, but did not cross over to the Pop chart. Some of the original lyrics, that would have been considered highly sexual at the time, were changed when Bill Haley recorded the song five months later.

In 1957, 20-year-old Don Everly and his 2-year-younger brother Phil sign a recording contract with Cadence Records. During their career, The Everly Brothers will have 35 Billboard Hot 100 singles.

In 1958, in West Hollywood, Elvis Presley recorded "Doncha' Think It's Time" and "Wear My Ring Around Your Neck."

In 1963, 17-year-old Neil Young performed his first professional date at a country club in Winnipeg.

In 1964, Beatlemania comes to America when "I Want To Hold Your Hand" becomes the first of twenty Billboard number one hits for Fab Four. It would stay on top for seven weeks, with world wide sales of fifteen million copies.

Also in 1964, Matthew Walsh, the Governor of Indiana declares the song "Louie Louie" by the Kingsmen ( which was currently #6 on the Hot 100) to be pornographic. He asks the Indiana Broadcasters Association to ban the record, although stations claim it's impossible to accurately figure out the lyrics from "the unintelligible rendition as performed by the Kingsmen." Although much has been written about the controversy, Indiana was the only state to actually ban the record from radio play.

In 1965, at the Arthur Smith Studios in Charlotte, North Carolina, James Brown records "Papa's Got A Brand New Bag", which will reach #8 on the Billboard Pop chart and #1 on the R&B chart the following August and later win a Grammy Award for Best Rhythm and Blues Recording.

In 1966, in New York, the Young Rascals recorded "Good Lovin.'"

In 1967, at EMI's Abbey Road Studios in London, the Beatles began recording the title song for their album, "Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band." After three more sessions, the track was completed on March 6. The reprise of the song that appears near the end of the album was recorded on April 1, 1967.

In 1968, the Who started their third U.S. tour in San Jose, CA.

In 1968, the Doors announced that Universal International had offered the group $500,000 to star in a feature film. An ABC-TV special, a group "humor book," and a book of poetry by Jim Morrison were also announced as being in the planning stages. Only the poetry book became reality.

In 1972, Chuck Berry had his first UK #1 single with a live recording of a song he’d been playing live for more than 20 years: “My Ding-a-Ling.” U.K. public morality campaigner Mary Whitehouse attempted to have the song banned due to its innuendo-laden lyrics.

In 1975, Elvis Presley arranges for daughter Lisa Marie to meet her favorite singer, Elton John, for her seventh birthday.

In 1979, Blondie's "Heart Of Glass" is certified Platinum in the UK, where it tops the Pop chart. The song will also rise to number one in the US the following April.

In 1985, the Eagles' Glenn Frey makes his acting debut on an episode of US TV's Miami Vice that was based on his song, "Smuggler's Blues."

In 1987, after the United Nations and the African National Congress removed him from their blacklist, Paul Simon kicks off his "Graceland" tour in Rotterdam. He had been banned after he broke the cultural boycott on recording in South Africa.

In 1988, the Cars, who had placed 15 songs on the Hot 100 between 1978 and 1987, announce their break up.

In 1989, singer Paul Robi, a member of the Platters (1954-1965), died of cancer at the age of 57.

In 1992, Elton John and George Michael teamed up to score a US number one with a song recorded live at Wembley Stadium the previous March, "Don't Let The Sun Go Down On Me". Elton had originally released the song on his "Caribou" album in 1974.

In 2004, Justin Timberlake caused a huge uproar when he tugged at Janet Jackson's outfit and revealed her left breast live on US TV during the half-time show of Superbowl XXXVIII (38). Four days later, that scene would become the most searched for image in the history of the internet.

In 2007, Mike Clark, owner / manager of Atlanta's Southern Tracks Recording Studio, died after an 8 month illness. He was 63. For many years he played drums with such popular 1960's artists as Tommy Roe, Billy Joe Royal, Joe South, Ray Stevens and Roy Orbison and was inducted into the Georgia Music Hall of Fame in 1999.

In 2008, Paul McCartney said recent media reports that he had heart surgery last year are "entirely untrue". The 65-year-old former Beatle says that during a routine medical examination over a year ago, "there was a minor irregularity which I needed to have tests for and which I have now been assured is completely fine."

In 2010, more than 80 artists gathered to record a remake of "We Are The World." The next day Janet Jackson laid down her version of Michael Jackson's part. The song was premiered at the opening of the Winter Olympics on February 12.

celebrating birthdays today (among others) are: Lisa Marie Presley (44), Patrick Wilson (Weezer) (43), Ron Welty (Offspring) (41), Bob Shane (Kingston Trio) (78), Don Everly (Everly Brothers) (75), Ray Sawyer (Dr. Hook & the Medicine Show) (75) and Mike Campbell (Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers) (58)

Vinyl Record News & Music Notes

2012-01-31T16:10:00.000-06:00

this from the atlantic city area, vinyl lives!

Vinyl holds nostalgic value for area audiophiles

By ROB SPAHR Staff Writer

NORTHFIELD — Anthony Tedeschi used to be able to rattle off the competitors of the five Tunes music stores he owns with high school friend, Chip Heuisler.

But now the 43-year-old Marlton resident — who opened his first record store, Tunes on the Dunes in Ocean City in 1989 — has to think hard to name a competitor that can match his inventory.

“It’s tough,” said Tedeschi, while trying to think of the nearest competitor to his Route 9 location, besides the four other stores he owns in Marlton, Hoboken, Turnersville and Vorhees. “Princeton maybe?”

What used to be a rite of passage for youngsters — going to a record store for the latest release or exploring stacks of compact discs has been lost to the instant gratification of a few mouse clicks and express shipping.

Read the rest of the article at pressofatlanticcity.com

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Jack White To Release Solo LP

Jack White has just released the details of his debut solo album. Despite recording with the White Stripes, the Raconteurs and Dead Weather and many other musicians, White has never released a solo record under his own name. The album, called 'Blunderbuss,' is set for release will on April 24th via White's own Third Man Records.

"Love Interruption" is the first taste of Jack White's debut album. You can pre-order your copy of the 7" single that also features the B-side "Machine Gun Silhouette" HERE

White says via a press release: "[Blunderbuss is] an album I couldn't have released until now. I've put off making records under my own name for a long time but these songs feel like they could only be presented under my name. These songs were written from scratch, had nothing to do with anyone or anything else but my own expression, my own colors on my own canvas."

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Cult Releasing New LP

The Cult has wrapped up recording the group’s first studio album in five years. It's called ‘Choice of Weapon’ and will be released on May 21st on their new UK label Cooking Vinyl. The 10 tracks reveal the band at its rawest and most visceral, encapsulating cinematic visions and themes of love, revolt, and redemption.

The record was written by Ian Astbury and Billy Duffy, recorded in New York City, Los Angeles, the California high desert, and the band’s Witch Mountain studios in the Hollywood Hills between July and December 2011. The new release features founding members Astbury on vocals and Duffy on guitars, with drummer John Tempesta and bassist Chris Wyse. “We have had the opportunity to work with two of the most influential and talented producers in the world today,” said Astbury. “They pushed us beyond our comfort zone, and helped us craft ‘Choice of Weapon.’”

The album is set to be released as a special edition fan pack on May 14th, followed by digital and double vinyl on May 21st and the CD and deluxe CD’s on June 4th.

Tracklist:
1. Honey from a Knife
2. Elemental Light
3. The Wolf
4. Life > Death
5. For The Animals
6. Amnesia
7. Wilderness Now
8. Lucifer
9. A Pale Horse
10. This Night In The City Forever

Bonus CD tracks:
1. Every Man And Woman Is A Star
2. Embers
3. Until The Light Takes Us
4. Siberia

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the folks at Vinyl Record Talk bring us this info:

Top 5 eBay Vinyl Records Sales - Week Ending 01/28/2012

The record that launched a million bands tops the list this week. It's said of the 1000 or so people who bought the first Velvet Underground record when it came out that every one of them went out and started a band. Well that is certainly true even up to today of just about everyone who bought a reissue. The copy that sold this week and topped the list actually came in a very low price, considering the seller described it as flawless. A near mint copy has sold for twice the price in better times. The vinyl market doesn't seem depressed as just all over the place. Some weeks prices break records, others, like this one, disappoint. The Combinations 45 is a killer Northern that has gone for $6k in the past.

The next three spots (including a tie for #3) are taken by German violin 78s, and a 60s private Psych LP out of Duluth MN finds it way onto the list.

1. LP - The Velvet Underground "The Velvet Underground And Nico" Verve Mono Banana Peel Cover - $3,144.37

2. 45 - The Combinations "I'm Gonna Make You Love Me" / "The Goddess Of Love" Kimtone 1001 - $2,646.00

3. 78 - Professor Adolf Busch "Gavotte" / "Schero" Berlin DG 62470 - $2,500.00

3. 78 - Professor Adolf Busch "Dvorak: Slavonic Dance No.7" / "Tartini: Vartationen Uber Ein Thema Von Corelli" Berlin DG 65980

4. 78 - Freddie Keppard's Jazz Cardinals "Strut 1" / "Salty Dog" Paramount 12399 - $2,225.00

5. LP - The Sound Of The Reign "Reigned Out" Private Press - $2,000.00

Top 5 eBay Vinyl Records Sales - Week Ending 01/21/2012

Probably the second most sought after Stones vinyl collectible (after the pulled "Street Fighting Man" 45 pic sleeve) this UK promotional record that made the #1 spot was sent by Decca to the music press and other VIPs in the UK in 1969. In hindsight its hard to imagine, but after the death of Brian Jones, the future of the Rolling Stones was uncertain in terms of continued popularity, and up until "Exile On Main Street" the financial viability of the band was in question. Decca obviously thought they needed a boost.

Several original Blue Note LPs show up this week, and the return of Northern Soul continues.

1. LP - The Rolling Stones "promotional album" Decca UK Promo 1969 - $5,640.12

2. 45 - Nabay "Believe It Or Not" / "Believe It Or Not instr" Impact 1032 - $3,005.00

3. LP - Lee Morgan "Candy" Blue Note 1590 - $2,111.00

4. LP - Kenny Burrell "self-titled" Blue Note 1543 (Warhol Cover) - $2,025.00

5. 10" - Rose Batiste & San Remo Strings "Hit & Run" / "They're For You?" Acetate - $2,024.00

Vinyl Record Talk is Live Today at 8pm ET / 5pm PT at Radio Dentata

We'll be back live on Radio Dentata this Tuesday, and we're also going to have video on BlogTV. So join us for an experimental broadcast as a couple of old farts try and grasp a new and strange world.

But we'll be bringing along the comfort of warm vinyl, with some private press Prog from the bowels of the 1970s, and some sweet soul 45s.

We'll have the Top 5 for the past few weeks, plus Rolling Stones urinals in the news.

=============

these types of collaborations sell by the millions....

'NOW That's What I Call Music! Vol. 41' to be Released February 7

HOLLYWOOD, Calif., Jan. 30, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- The world's best-selling, multi-artist album series, NOW That's What I Call Music!, will release NOW That's What I Call Music! Vol. 41 on February 7.

NOW 41 will be available on CD and for download purchase from all major digital service providers.

NOW That's What I Call Music! Vol. 41 features 16 current major chart hits from today's hottest artists, including LMFAO, Katy Perry, Lady Gaga, Adele, Gym Class Heroes feat. Adam Levine, Coldplay, Toby Keith, and more, plus four free up-and-coming "NOW What's Next" New Music Preview tracks.

The "NOW What's Next" bonus track program featured on each numeric NOW release continues to preview hot new artists with tomorrow's biggest hits. NOW 41 showcases up and coming tracks from Sammy Adams, Hunter Hayes, Susan Justice, and The Wanted.

The NOW That's What I Call Music! series is a joint venture from EMI Music North America, Sony Music Entertainment, and Universal Music Group. NOW That's What I Call Music! Vol. 41 will be distributed by EMI Music North America. NOW and NOW That's What I Call Music! are registered trademarks of EMI (IP) Limited.

The NOW That's What I Call Music! series debuted in the U.S. in 1998, after the brand had been a multi-platinum international success for 15 years. The series has generated sales exceeding 200 million albums worldwide, including more than 83 million copies in the U.S. Every album in the numeric U.S. series has reached Billboard's Top 10, and 15 NOW releases have reached #1, second only to The Beatles in chart history.

www.nowthatsmusic.com

NOW That's What I Call Music! Vol. 41 [CD; digital]

1. LMFAO - Sexy And I Know It
2. Katy Perry - The One That Got Away
3. Lady Gaga - Marry The Night
4. Jessie J - Domino
5. Gym Class Heroes featuring Adam Levine - Stereo Hearts
6. T-Pain featuring Lily Allen - 5 O'Clock
7. J. Cole - Work Out
8. Pitbull featuring Chris Brown - International Love
9. Breathe Carolina - Blackout
10. Selena Gomez and the Scene - Love You Like A Love Song
11. Gavin DeGraw - Not Over You
12. Coldplay - Paradise
13. Adele - Someone Like You
14. Nickelback - Lullaby
15. Luke Bryan - I Don't Want This Night To End
16. Toby Keith - Red Solo Cup

BONUS TRACKS: "NOW What's Next" New Music Preview

17. Sammy Adams - Blow Up
18. Hunter Hayes - Somebody's Heartbreak
19. Susan Justice - Eat Dirt
20. The Wanted - Glad You Came

SOURCE EMI Music / Sony Music Entertainment / Universal Music Group

=============

i like the band, but this is a pretty bold leading line.....certainly could be debated...

"Best New Band in the Last Decade" to Release Live Double CD

Black Country Communion to Release Rip-Roaring Double Concert CD "Live Over Europe" on February 28, 2012

BCC to go back into the studio for third record this Summer

LOS ANGELES, Jan. 31, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- Black Country Communion, the English-American rock band featuring the talents of bassist/vocalist Glenn Hughes (Deep Purple, Trapeze, Black Sabbath), blues rock guitarist/vocalist Joe Bonamassa, drummer Jason Bonham (Led Zeppelin), and keyboardist Derek Sherinian (Dream Theater), will release their first concert CD Live Over Europe on February 28, 2012 on the J&R Adventures imprint. This 2-disc CD follows up the October 2011 release of the 2-disc DVD by the same name. The album is available for pre-order at: www.bccommunion.com. Get your free download of the single "Cold" from the live album at: http://bitly.com/BCCPRERORDER.

Recently named by Eddie Trunk and co-hosts as "Best New Band of the Last 10 Years" on VH1 Classic's That Metal Show, BCC taped Live Over Europe during its debut tour in the summer of 2011. On the album, the band blazes through 17 tracks, recorded in surround over three nights, playing to packed venues in Hamburg, Munich and Berlin. The set list includes songs from both of BCC's albums – 2010's self-titled debut and 2011's sophomore release 2 - including "Black Country," "One Last Soul," "Save Me," "Man In The Middle," "Cold," and "Song of Yesterday." Also included in the mix is "The Ballad Of John Henry," from Bonamassa's 2009 solo album and the Deep Purple classic "Burn."

Producer Kevin Shirley explains, "We saw that this live act could be an awesome force of nature to behold; one that promised legendary performances like those of our heroes of Classic Rock. The plan was to get them out there for the entire world to hear. Records allow a certain musical finesse, but live performance promises so much in the very transient nature of a gig; chances are taken, boundaries are crossed and the most exciting performances explode. Two studio albums built a repertoire big enough for a full concert which allowed us to unleash the monster for all the world to see and feel."

Guitar World named BCC's 2 as #12 in their Top 50 Albums of 2011. In November, BCC scooped up the Breakthrough Award at the Classic Rock Roll of Honour Awards. ClassicRockRevisited.com called BCC the "Great Last Hope for Classic Hard Rock."

BCC debut tour took the band around the world, playing to cities in North America and Europe. On June 10, at Anaheim, CA's Grove of Anaheim, The Orange County Register exclaimed, "The four members of BCC truly recast the heavy rock of the '60s and '70s and yank it into the 21st century as well as anyone in recent memory."

Tracklist:
Disc 1
1. Revolution of the Machine
2. Black Country
3. One Last Soul
4. Crossfire
5. Save Me
6. The Battle For Hadrian's Wall
7. Beggarman
8. Faithless
9. Song of Yesterday
10. I Can See Your Spirit

Disc 2
11. Cold
12. The Ballad of John Henry
13. The Outsider
14. The Great Divide
15. Sista Jane
16. Man In The Middle
17. Burn

=============

All Four Small Faces Albums Getting Multi-Disk Reissues

They are about to go into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and, on May 7, Universal Music will release deluxe edition of all four albums released by the Small Faces.

The albums in question: Small Faces (April 1966) From the Beginning (June 1967); Small Faces (June 1967) and Ogden's Nut Gone Flake (June 1968) will each be released as deluxe two-disc editions with the notable exception of Ogden's which has now been expanded to three discs.

All newly re-mastered, these definitive editions carry both the mono and stereo versions of the albums, plus related non-album singles and alternate versions many of which are previously unreleased or released for the first time on CD.

Read more at our friends at vintagevinylnews

=============

in music history for january 31st:

In 1957, Decca Records announced that Bill Haley And His Comets' "Rock Around The Clock" had sold over a million copies in the UK, mostly on 10 inch 78's.

In 1959, Bob Dylan is said to have been in the audience as Buddy Holly, Ritchie Valens and the Big Bopper played Duluth, Minnesota less than three days before their fatal plane crash.

In 1961, at 24 years old, Bobby Darin becomes the youngest performer at that time to headline a TV special as Bobby Darin & Friends airs on NBC.

In 1963, the Beach Boys record "Surfin' USA", which will climb to number three in the US by mid-April. Although it was credited as being composed by Brian Wilson, the tune was a note-for-note cover of Chuck Berry's "Sweet Little Sixteen". Following a lawsuit, Berry was granted writing credit and royalties from the record.

In 1967, the Beatles spent a second day at Knole Park, Sevenoaks, Kent, England to complete filming for the “Strawberry Fields Forever” promotional video. The film was shot in color for the benefit of the US market since UK television was still broadcasting only in black and white. Taking time out from filming, John Lennon bought an 1843 poster from an antiques shop in Surrey, which provided him with most of the lyrics for the song “Being for the Benefit of Mr. Kite.”

In 1969, singer/songwriter/keyboardist Billy Preston signed with Apple Records.

Also in 1969, the Beatles recorded the master take of the song "Let It Be." Paul McCartney played piano, John Lennon played bass, newly signed Billy Preston played organ, with George Harrison on guitar and Ringo Starr on drums. Harrison overdubbed new guitar solos, one in late April 1969, another in early January 1970. The first overdub solo was used for the original single release, produced and mixed by George Martin, and the "more stinging" second overdub solo was used for the Phil Spector-mixed original album release.

Also in 1969, Crow recorded "Evil Woman Don't Play Your Games With Me."

In 1970, the Jackson 5 score the first of four straight Billboard number one hits with "I Want You Back". The song reached #2 in the UK.

In 1970, in New Orleans, members of the Grateful Dead were arrested for possession of LSD and barbiturates. Reportedly the band had clashed with mob interests in Texas who alerted the New Orleans Police Department. The incident is alleged to be the inspiration for their song "Truckin,'" with lines in the song such as "Houston, too close to New Orleans" and "set up like a bowling pin."

Creedence Clearwater Revial (CCR) filmed a television special in 1970.

In 1970, Slim Harpo, who had a US Top 40 hit with "Baby Scratch My Back", died of a heart attack while recording in London. He was 46.

In 1972, less than a day after an incident now known as "Bloody Sunday" in which British soldiers killed twelve Irish civil rights demonstrators, Paul McCartney writes and records "Give Ireland Back To The Irish". After some resistance from EMI, the song will finally be released on February 25th, but was immediately banned by the BBC, Radio Luxembourg and the Independent Television Authority. Despite the lack of air-play, the song would reach #1 on the singles charts in the Republic of Ireland and Spain, also climbing to #16 on the UK singles chart and #21 in the US.

In 1978, Blood Sweat & Tears saxophone player Greg Herbert died of an accidental drug overdose in Amsterdam during the band's European tour. He was just 30 years old.

In 1979, the Clash began their first US tour with Bo Diddley as their opening act.

In 1981, Jazz drummer Cozy Cole, who had a US #3 hit with "Topsy, Part II" in 1958, died of cancer at age 73.

Also in 1981, Blondie tops the Cashbox Best Sellers list and The Billboard Hot 100 with "The Tide Is High", a song written and recorded in 1967 by John Holt and his Kingston, Jamaica band, The Paragons.

In 1985, the mother of the group The Cowsills, Barbara Cowsill, passes away at the age of 56. She and her family were the real life inspiration for The Partridge Family TV show.

Also in 1985, at the Chaplin Stage in Hollywood, California, former Creedence Clearwater Revival leader John Fogerty gave his first live performance in 14 years.

On this day in 1985, "I Want to Know What Love Is" by Foreigner was the #1 song.

In 1987, Paul Simon's "Graceland" went to number 1 on the UK album chart. The LP would stay on the list for 101 weeks.

In 1997, David Bowie released part of his holdings in intellectual property for sale on the stock market, becoming the first Rock star to offer Wall Street stock options on his career.

In 1998, at the Count Basie Theatre in Red Bank, New Jersey, Bruce Springsteen, members of the E Street Band, Jon Bon Jovi, and Southside Johnny performed at the "Come Together" benefit concert for the family of Sgt. Patrick King, a New Jersey police officer who had been killed in the line of duty.

In 2001, it was announced that Peter Criss was leaving KISS and that he would be replaced by Eric Singer for the remainder of dates of the farewell tour. Criss' last show was on October 7, 2000.

In 2008, Natasha Bedingfield entered the U.S. charts at #3 for her album Pocketful of Sunshine, equaling the record set by soul singer Sade with the highest-ever U.S. chart debut for a U.K.-signed female. Bedingfield sold 50,000 copies of the record in its first week of release.

In 2009, Dewy Martin, drummer and backing vocalist for Buffalo Springfield on their 1967 hit "For What It's Worth", died from hardening of the arteries at the age of 68.

In 2010, Beyoncé set a Grammy record for females when she won six. The six awards were Song Of The Year, Best Female Pop Vocal Performance, Best Female R&B Vocal Performance, Best Traditional R&B Vocal Performance, Best R&B Song, and Best Contemporary R&B Album.

birthdays today include (among others): Marcus Mumford (Muford & Sons) (25), Phil Manzanera (Roxy Music) (61), Henry Wayne Casey (K.C. & the Sunshine Band) (61), Curly Smith (Jo Jo Gunne) (60), Adrian Vandenberg (Whitesnake) (58), John Lydon (aka Johnny Rotten) (Sex Pistols, Public Image Ltd.) (56), Scott Ian (born Scott Rosenfeld) (Anthrax) (49), Jeff Hanneman (Slayer) (48), Chad Channing (Nirvana) (45) and Jason Cooper (Cure) (45)

New Vinyl Record and Music Releases ~ January 31, 2012

2012-01-30T13:56:00.002-06:00

Adam Arcuragi - Like a fire that consumes all before it...
All the Saints - Intro To Fractions
Aretha Franklin - Knew You Were Waiting: The Best of Aretha Franklin 1980-1998
Arrival - Complete Collection (2 CDs)
Aufgehoben - Fragments of The Marble Plan
BT - Laptop Symphony
Beryl Marsden - Changes: The Story of Beryl Marsden
Black Bananas - Rad Times Xpress IV (vinyl)
Black Pyramid - Black Pyramid II
Bleeding Through - The Great Fire
Blue Cheer - Outsideinside (reissue)
Blue Cheer - Vincebus Eruptum (reissue)
Bo Carter & the Mississippi Sheiks - Bo Carter & the Mississippi Sheiks (4 CDs)
Bonnie Pointer - Bonnie Pointer
Buxton - Nothing Here Seems Strange
Carsie Blanton - Idiot Heart
Cirith Ungol - Servants of Chaos
Darrell Scott - Long Ride Home
David Bowie - Hours (remastered)
Diana Ross - Diana Ross 1976: Special Edition (2 CDs)
Doug Jerebine - Is Jesse Harper (vinyl)
El Caco - Hatred, Love and Diagrams
Elephant Micah - Louder Than Thou
Ella Fitzgerald - Songbooks: The Absolutely Essential (3 CDs)
Errors - Have Some Faith In Magic
FM Einheit, Irmler, Paul, Young - Spielwiese 3 (vinyl)
Fionn Regan - 100 Acres of Sycamore
Fred Hammond - God, Love & Romance
Fresh Beat Band - Music From the Hit TV Show
Glen Campbell - It's Just a Matter of Time
Golden Calves - Collection: Money Band + Century
Gotye - Making Mirrors
Gretchen Peters - Hello Cruel World
Grimes - Visions
Hospitality - Hospitality
Hugh Masakela - Jabulani
I Exist - II - The Broken Passage
Imperial Teen - Feel the Sound
Integrity - Kingdom Of Heaven
Isaac Hayes - Don't Let Go
Jason Isbell - Sirens of the Ditch (vinyl)
John Cage - Number Pieces 6: Five / Seven / Thirteen
John Hiatt - Open Road (vinyl)
John Zorn - Mount Analogue
Jono El Grande - The Choko King (vinyl)
Junior Bruce - The Headless King
King Giant - Dismal Hollow
Lacuna Coil - Dark Adrenaline: Limited Boxset
Ladytron - Witching Hour (vinyl)
Lana Del Rey - Born to Die
Leonard Cohen - Old Ideas (vinyl)
Liberteer - Better To Die on Your Feet Than Live On Your Knees
Loops of Your Heart - And Never Ending Nights (vinyl)
Louis Armstrong - Satchmo: The Louis Armstrong Collection (2 CDs)
Lymbyc Systym - Shutter Release (reissue)
Metallica - Beyond Magnetic EP
Mike Doughty - The Question Jar Show
Mirrorwriting - Jamie Woon
Mr. Gnome - Madness in Miniature
My Ticket Home - To Create A Cure
Night Genes - Like the Blood
Nurse With Wound/Graham Bowers - Rupture
One Model Nation - Total Werks Vol. 1 (1969-1977)
PacificUV - Weekends
Pepe Deluxe - Queen of the Wave
Pet Shop Boys - Before (remixes EP)
Phish - Live At Madison Square Garden New Year's Eve 1995
Prinzhorn Dance School - Clay Class
Ringo Starr - Ringo 2012 (vinyl)
Ruthie Foster - Let It Burn
Scream Out Loud - Live It Up
Shonen Knife - Osaka Ramones: Tribute To The Ramone
Staple Singers - Turning Point
Sunn O))) - ØØ Void
Susumu Yokota - Dreamer
Terry Riley - Aleph
The Asteroids Galaxy Tour - Out of Frequency
The Big Sleep - Nature Experiments
The Bloody Beetroots - Church of Noise (vinyl)
The Doozer - Keep It Together
The Ex-Girlfriends Club - Boo Hoo Hoo
The Jealous Sound - A Gentle Reminder
The Magnetic Fields - Andrew in Drag / When Next I Fall in Love (vinyl)
The Micronaut - Friedfisch
The Phenomenal Handclap Band - Following
The Pines - Dark So Gold
Thrice - At: Guitar Center (7")
Tom Morello - One Man Revolution: The Nightwatchman
Tomb - Uag
Tony Rice - The Bill Monroe Collection
Tymes - So Much in Love
Underworld - Anthology 1992 – 2012
Underworld - Collection
Various Artists - Golden Gate Groove: The Sound Of Philadelphia in San Francisco 1973
Various Artists - Tally Ho! Flying Nun's Greatest Bits
Various Artists - The Alan Lomax Collection from the American Folklife Center
Various Artists - Matador: Intended Play 2012 (vinyl)
Various Artists - Putumayo Presents Brazilian Beat
Various Artists - Tucson Songs: Exciting New Sounds from Southern Arizona (vinyl)
Various Artists - Underworld Awakening (soundtrack)
Vendetta - Feed The Extermination
Words Like Daggers - Literature
Zomes - Improvisations

Vinyl Record News & Music Notes

2012-01-30T12:20:00.000-06:00

vinyl doing well in new zealand!

Vinyl renaissance supports store

MATT STEWART

Vinyl Heaven owner Adrian Roberts says being an "analogue guy in a digital world" works for his music retail business, in spite of, not because of the ubiquity of the world wide web.

Roberts set up his music emporium in low overhead premises on Masterton's Jackson St in late 2009, and over two full financial years has watched business expand to an annual turnover of $150,000 - an upswing he is working to continue.

"We've found our niche in the market and we're securing it. We're trying to grow the business every year."

The initial fiscal spurt is down to a "vinyl renaissance" that has sparked renewed interest in the revolving platters, inspiring teenagers to dust off their parents' record collections, veteran music fans to replace worn out tapes and records with CDs.

"What I'm seeing is teenagers finding Dad's old record player and then coming into the shop and buying vinyl."

Read the rest at stuff.co.nz

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Happy Mondays Confirm Reunion Tour

British band Happy Mondays have recently confirmed the original line-up will be reforming for a reunion tour this year. The group disbanded 19 years ago as frontman Shaun Ryder's drug addiction spiralled out of control, and when they reunited in 1999, original guitarist Mark Day and keyboardist Paul Davis refused to join the comeback. Recent rumours suggested the musicians have put their differences aside for a set of reunion gigs and now singer Rowetta has confirmed they will be undertaking a month-long tour in May with the full original line-up.

She tells BBC News, "We want to put on a really good show. We decided it would only be special and work if it was the total, original line-up. We're all really excited. They are my family these boys, I've really missed them and I'm sure they've missed each other."

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Modern Day Escape Reveal New Album's Cover Art

California hard rockers Modern Day Escape have revealed the cover art for the band's sophomore effort called 'Under The Gun,' which is scheduled for release on March 27th via Standby Records.

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Chambers Brothers to Reunite

The Chambers Brothers, who scored a major hit in 1968 with Time Has Come Today, are reuniting for a new album and summer tour.

Being voted as one of Los Angeles' top 50 bands was such an honor for them that they made the decision to bring the band back together.

Read more at our friends at vintagevinylnews.com

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Ringo 2012 Out Tommorrow

"This is an anthem of peace and love," Ringo Starr sings with irony on the opening track of his 17th solo album.

Ringo talks to USA Today

=============

and in music history for january 30th:

not really music trivia, but interesting none the less: In 1933, "The Lone Ranger" debuted on WXYZ Radio in Detroit. Next it was heard on the Mutual Broadcasting System radio network; and finally on NBC's Blue Network, which became ABC. The last of its 2,956 original episodes was broadcast September 3, 1954. Transcribed repeats of the 1952–53 episodes continued on ABC until June 24, 1955, and then selected repeats appeared on NBC from September 1955 until May 25, 1956, giving the radio series a total run of more than 23 years.

In 1955, although more than half a million jukeboxes were scattered around North America, US manufacturer AMI finally introduces the pay-for-play devices in the UK. Company president John Haddock says he intended to target the ever growing coffee house market first.

In 1956, Elvis Presley recorded a cover version of Carl Perkins "Blue Suede Shoes," which will reach number 20 on the US Pop chart in April.

Recording cover versions of songs was standard practice during the 1940s and 1950s, and "Blue Suede Shoes" was one of the first tunes RCA wanted their new performer, Elvis Presley, to record. "Heartbreak Hotel" and "Shoes" rose on the charts at roughly the same time. RCA, with its superior distribution and radio contacts, knew it could probably steal a hit record from Phillips and Perkins. For his part, when Presley, who knew both Perkins and Phillips from his days at Sun Records, gave in to pressure from RCA, he requested that they hold back his version from release as a single. The Elvis version features two guitar solos by Scotty Moore, along with Bill Black on bass, and D.J. Fontana on drums.

According to Scotty Moore, when the song was recorded, "We just went in there and started playing, just winged it. Just followed however Elvis felt." According to reports confirmed by Sam Phillips, RCA producer Steve Sholes agreed not to release Presley's version of the song as a single while Carl's release was hot.

Moore has said that Presley recorded the song to help out Perkins after his accident. "Elvis wasn't really thinking at that time that it was going to make money for Carl; he was doing it as more of a tribute type thing. Of course Carl was glad he did. It really helped as his record started going down."

"Blue Suede Shoes" was the first song on the groundbreaking album Elvis Presley, which was released in March. RCA released two other records with "Blue Suede Shoes" the same month: one an Extended Play with four songs, RCA EPA 747, and a 2x extended play version with eight songs, RCA EPB 1254.

In 1961, Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller announce they are forming an independent production company.

In 1961, the Shirelles became the first girl group to have the number one song on the Billboard Hot 100 when "Will You Love Me Tomorrow" reached the top. They would go on to place ten more hits in the Top 40. The song reached #4 in the UK.

In 1965, following her 1963 #8 hit "The Nitty Gritty", Shirley Ellis reaches #3 on the Billboard Pop chart and #4 on the R&B chart with a novelty tune called "The Name Game".

In 1967, the Beatles had their first day of shooting on the promo video for Strawberry Fields Forever.

In 1969, with Billy Preston sitting in on keyboards, The Beatles performed in public for the last time when they played a 42 minute rooftop concert above Apple Corps headquarters. The show was stopped by the police after neighbors complained about the noise. It had been 2½ years since the Beatles had played Candlestick Park, San Francisco, on August 29th, 1966.

They performed "Get Back" (take 1), "Get Back" (take 2), "Don't Let Me Down" (take 1), "I've Got A Feeling" (take 1), "One After 909," "Dig A Pony," "I've Got A Feeling" (take 2), "Don't Let Me Down" (take 2), "Get Back" (take 3).

In 1973, After recently changing their name from Wicked Lester, Gene Simmons, Paul Stanley, Ace Frehley and Peter Criss make their first appearance as KISS at the Popcorn Club in Queens, New York.

The band formed in 1970, under its original name Rainbow. Notable original members were bassist Gene Klein and rhythm guitarist Stanley Eisen, later to be known as Gene Simmons and Paul Stanley. In 1971 the band changed their name to Wicked Lester, and recorded an album for Epic Records, which was never officially released. The sessions have been released in bootleg form as The Original Wicked Lester Sessions.

Kiss eventually released three tracks from these sessions on their 2001 Box Set release. Wicked Lester's music featured elements of rock and roll, folk rock and pop. Simmons and Stanley, feeling that the group lacked a unifying musical vision, began forming a new band in late 1972. With an emphasis on straight-forward rock and roll plus theatrics, they became the hard rock band Kiss in early 1973

Paul Stanley placed an ad in The Village Voice stating, "LEAD GUITARIST WANTED with Flash and Ability. Album Out Shortly. No time wasters please." The ad ran for two issues, December 7 and December 14, 1972, leading to several audition sessions. One audition was by Paul "Ace" Frehley who showed up wearing different colored shoes, walked into the room without saying a word, hooked up his guitar and started playing. Frehley was asked back for a second audition and was a member of the band by Christmas 1972. Within a few weeks, the group had changed its name to Kiss and played their first concert on January 30, 1973.

In 1970, Edison Lighthouse were at #1 on the U.K. singles chart with “Love Grows (Where My Rosemary Goes).” The group's only Top 40 hit spent five weeks at the top of the charts. In February 1970, Tony Burrows became the first (and still the only) person to appear on BBC Television's Top of the Pops fronting three different acts in one show: Edison Lighthouse (who were #1 that week), White Plains and Brotherhood of Man.

In 1974, Bob Dylan gave his first New York concert in eight years at Madison Square Garden.

In 1975, The Bee Gees begin recording "Jive Talkin", which will become their second US chart topper and their fourteenth Billboard Top 20 hit. Barry Gibb's inspiration for the song came when his wife commented on the sound their car made while crossing a bridge over Biscayne Bay into Miami. She noted, "It's our drive talkin'." music would never be the same.....

In 1980, blues singer/pianist (Mardi Gras In New Orleans, Big Chief) Henry Byrd, who performed as "Professor Longhair," died after a heart attack at age 61.

In 1982, country blues singer/songwriter/guitarist Sam John "Lightnin'" Hopkins died of esophageal cancer at age 69.

In 1982, Hall And Oates' "I Can't Go for That" hit number one on the Billboard Pop chart and the R&B chart simultaneously, one week after reaching number one on the Disco chart. It becomes only the fourth single by a white act to reach the top of the R&B chart since 1965. The record was also a #8 hit in the UK

In 1989, George Michael has a big night at the 16th American Music Awards, winning Favorite Album for "Faith" and Favorite Male Artist in both the Pop / Rock and Soul / R&B categories.

In 1999, after spending 11 weeks on the chart, Britney Spears started a two-week run at #1 on the US singles chart with “...Baby One More Time.” Britney's debut album also went to #1 on the U.S. chart on the same day.

In 2008, Madonna topped Forbes magazine's list of the 20 top grossing females. The 49 year old material girl banked $72 million between June 2006 and June 2007, while Barbra Streisand and Celine Dion followed, taking home $60m and $45m respectively.

In 2009, after a two year battle, James Brown's family reached a settlement over the late Soul singer's estate that would divide Brown's remaining assets and give his beneficiaries the ability to make money by using his music and likeness. Half of Brown's assets were to go to his charitable trust to educate his grandchildren and needy students in Georgia and South Carolina. The rest would be split between his surviving spouse, Tomi Rae Hynie and some of Brown's adult children.

In 2011, film score composer (Born Free, The Lion In Winter, Out Of Africa, Dances With Wolves, eleven James Bond films) John Barry died after a heart attack at age 77.

birthdays today include (among others): Joe Terranova (Danny & the Juniors) (71), Marty Balin (Jefferson Airplane) (70), William King (Commodores) (63), Phil Collins (61), Andy Anderson (Cure) (61), Marv Ross (Quarterflash) (61) and Steve Bartek (Strawberry Alarm Clock, Oingo Boingo) (60)

Vinyl Record News & Music Notes

2012-01-28T19:21:00.000-06:00

this from a University of Dayton writer, sounds like a great idea, would love to hear how it goes.....

Vinyl party kicks it 'old school'

Nathan Vicar, Staff Writer

Prior to iTunes and MP3s, vinyl records were the only way to listen to music. A piece of plastic was placed on a player, and with a needle set into the grooves, music played through speakers.

Music fans will have the opportunity to pay homage to this "old school" style of listening to music at a party from 8-10 p.m. Saturday, Jan. 28, in ArtStreet Studio D.

Attendees of "For the Record ... This is a Vinyl Party" can bring their own records or make requests from the selection of host Sean Kaschak, a second-year graduate student in teacher education.

Kaschak is known on campus as the lead guitarist and songwriter for a rock group composed of several University of Dayton graduates, The Jaywalkers. The Jaywalkers opened for Guster in 2009 at the first-ever Charity Concert Committee event at UD Arena.

Kaschak said he discussed with friends last semester the idea of having a low-key vinyl party at UD. He worked on the idea with friends, Bobby Trick, a sixth-year senior general studies major, and Ronnie Pinnell, a senior electronic media major, the co-presidents of Street Sounds Recording Studio on campus.

Kaschak said he will bring his personal collection of vinyl records to the event. During the party, attendees will be able to access his collection of approximately 150 records through a website. This will allow students or other guests to see a wide variety of records and make requests.

Kaschak said he believes songs are put in a specific order on an album in order to tell a story or have a general flow for the album.

Read the rest at flyernews.com

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Joe Walsh Finishes New Album, Still Hates Government and Computers

Michael Leonard

Joe Walsh is done with his new solo album, Analog Man. It is set for a release in May or June and will be his first solo set since 1992’s Songs for a Dying Planet.

In a new interview with the San Diego Reader about the upcoming album, Walsh seems more concerned with technophobia and the state of the union. Of the album title, he says: “I just decided I better get with it. After all, it is the digital age. Back when it was all analog, we used to go in the studio, and studios had knobs. We used to turn knobs and say, let’s see what this does. Now, we have a mouse. We [the members of the Eagles] spend hours yelling at our computers. My son comes in and he says: Dad, you’re really stupid.

Read the rest at gibson.com

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Dick Kniss, Bassist for Peter Paul & Mary and John Denver, Passes Away at 74

Dick Kniss, the bassist for two of the biggest folk artists in history, has passed away at the age of 74. Kniss died of chronic pulmonary disease in Kingston, NY near his home in Saugerties.

Kniss began his career playing in jazz bands but, in 1964, was hired by Peter, Paul and Mary to play on their albums and tours.

Read more at our friends at vintagevinylnews.com

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Ben Folds Five Reunite For New Album

North Carolina trio Ben Folds Five hit the studio after more than a decade off. Reunion rumors came to fruititon in 2008, when they reunited onstage in their native Chapel Hill, performing their final album 1999's 'The Unauthorized Biography of Reinhold Messner,' in its entirety. Spin is reporting that the trio are heading back to the studio for the first Ben Folds Five record in over a decade.

Best known for their 1997 album "Whatever and Ever Amen," which featured the minor hit "Brick," the band released three albums in the '90s before breaking up amicably in 2000.

Fans can't wait for the new music with chat rooms abuzz about the new recordings.

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Evans Blue Frontman Dan Chandler Dishes on Album Artwork

Evans Blue recently debuted the artwork for their new albumcalled ‘Graveyard of Empires,’ which is scheduled for release on April 17.

Evans Blue frontman Dan Chandler talked about the artwork and the symbolism behind the album title.

“It has a lot to do with the music business, it has to do with the whole Wall Street thing,” Chandler told Loudwire.“To me it was more like being independent or just being an individual and being able to overcome a lot of these things.”

“When I see these companies collapsing, it kind of makes me feel like you can do this on your own. People are going to fall so you can fall on your own or you can fall with a bunch of people, it’s just one of those things.”

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lovely.....

AUTOPSY Reveals Album Cover Art

Death metal vets Autopsy have recently revealed the album cover art and track list for their upcoming 22-track collection, 'All Tomorrow’s Funerals.' The effort is slated for a February 28th release via Peaceville Records and will contain remastered versions of all of Autopsy’s past EP’s plus four brand new tracks. Renowned artist Matt Cavotta supplied the cover art.

Tracklist:
1. All Tomorrow’s Funerals (NEW track)
2. Broken People (NEW track)
3. Mauled To Death (NEW track)
4. Maggot Holes (NEW track)
5. The Tomb Within
6. My Corpse Shall Rise
7. Seven Skulls
8. Human Genocide
9. Mutant Village
10. Horrific Obsession
11. Feast of the Graveworm
12. Funereality
13. Fiend For Blood
14. Keeper Of Decay
15. Squeal Like A Pig
16. Ravenous Freaks
17. A Different Kind of Mindfuck
18. Dead Hole
19. Retribution For The Dead
20. Destined To Fester
21. In The Grip of Winter
22. Sign of the Corpse

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album cover art of the day:

IMPENDING DOOM: New Album Cover Artwork Revealed

Riverside, California-based Christian death metallers IMPENDING DOOM will release their fourth full-length album, "Baptized In Filth", on March 13. The CD was produced by Andreas Magnusson (THE BLACK DAHLIA MURDER, THE FAMINE) and was mixed by Machine, who has previously worked with LAMB OF GOD, SUICIDE SILENCE and DEMON HUNTER, among others.

The cover artwork for "Baptized in Flith" can be seen below. Bassist David Sittig states, "'Baptized In Filth' represents the mindless indulgance and self-worship in the vile world we live in. This album is meant to scare the hell out of you!"

Read more at our friends at Blabbermouth

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and in music history for january 28th:

In 1940, the musical quiz show "Beat the Band" began a 4½-year run on NBC Radio in two distinctly different series. The first, which aired until 1941, was hosted by Garry Moore and featured the Ted Weems Orchestra with vocalist Perry Como. The second version was hosted by Hildegarde, then Eddie Mayehoff, and the Harry Sosnik band supplied the music.

In 1956, Elvis Presley made his network TV debut with the first of six appearances on CBS' "Dorsey Brothers Stage Show," a variety program hosted by big band legends Tommy and Jimmy Dorsey. Backed by Scotty Moore, Bill Black and the Dorseys' band, Elvis sang "Blue Suede Shoes" and "Heartbreak Hotel."

In 1965, the Who made their first appearance on U.K. TV show Ready Steady Go! To project the desired image, the hand-picked audience consisted only of teens dressed in the current mod fashion.

In 1968, Jim Morrison of The Doors was arrested and charged with public drunkenness after harassing a security guard at a Las Vegas adult movie theater.

Also in 1968, during their tour in Australia, members of the Who and the Small Faces were escorted off their flight from Adelaide to Essendon for drinking beer on the plane, being rowdy, and using "very bad language." Two of the plane's four flight attendants were reportedly in tears.

In 1969, Stevie Wonder released the single "My Cherie Amour."

In 1976, Chris Kenner, who reached number two in the US in 1961 with "I Like It Like That," suffered a fatal heart attack at the age of 57.

In 1978, rocker Ted Nugent autographs a man's arm with a bowie knife after the fan had requested it.

In 1983, British rock and roll singer Billy Fury died of heart failure. He was known for the 1961 U.K. #3 single “Halfway to Paradise,” plus 25 other Top 40 U.K. singles. His We Want Billy (released 1963, with The Tornados) was one of the first live albums in British rock history. Played rock ’n’ roller Stormy Tempest in the film That’ll Be the Day alongside David Essex and Ringo Starr.

Also in 1983, Radio station WDHA, 105.5 in New Jersey claims to be the first US station to play music from a compact disc.

In 1984, Frankie Goes to Hollywood started a five-week run at #1 on the UK singles chart with “Relax.” BBC Radio 1 DJ Mike Read expressed, on air, his distaste for both the record’s suggestive sleeve and its lyrics. He announced his refusal to play the record, not knowing that the BBC had decided that the song was not to be played on the BBC anyway. Produced by Trevor Horn, the song remained on the chart for 48 weeks. Later in the year, the ban would be lifted.

In 1985, forty-six major American recording artists came together at A&M Studios in Hollywood, to record "We Are The World", a song written by Michael Jackson and Lionel Ritchie. The effort was part of an album called "USA for Africa" and featured an all-star cast that included Bob Dylan, Kenny Rogers, Stevie Wonder, Tina Turner, Billy Joel, Diana Ross, Dionne Warwick, Daryl Hall, Huey Lewis, Cyndi Lauper, Kim Carnes, Willie Nelson, Steve Perry, Ray Charles and others. Those attending the session were asked to "leave your egos at the door." The proceeds went first to starving residents of Ethiopia and eventually toward hunger prevention worldwide.

In 1990, Paula Abdul started a 10-week run at #1 on the US album chart with 'Forever Your Girl.' Abdul spent 64 consecutive weeks on the Billboard 200 before hitting #1, making it the longest time for an album to reach the #1 spot.

In 1997, Pat Boone released an album of Heavy Metal tunes called "In A Metal Mood: No More Mr. Nice Guy", a tongue-in-cheek collection of tunes like "Smoke on the Water" and "Stairway to Heaven". When the religious community failed to get the joke, he was dismissed from his Trinity Broadcasting Network program, Gospel America. He would later make an appearance on TBN with the president of the network, Paul Crouch, and his pastor, Jack Hayford, where he explained that the album was a "parody of himself." Trinity Broadcasting then reinstated him and Gospel America was brought back.

In 1999, Pat Boone formed the Gold Records label, which will only sign artists 45 years old and up. The first perfomer signed was Jack Jones.

In 2000, saxophonist/bandleader Thomas “Beans” Bowles died of prostate cancer at age 73. He played on many Motown sessions including Marvin Gaye’s, “What’s Going On,” Martha and the Vandellas’ “Heat Wave” and The Supremes’ “Baby Love” and wrote the melody for Stevie Wonder’s “Fingertips Pt. 2.”

In 2005, English drummer and singer-songwriter Jim Capaldi died of stomach cancer at age 60. A member of Traffic and a solo star, he also worked with Jimi Hendrix, Eric Clapton and George Harrison.

In 2007, 'Dreamgirls: Music from the Motion Picture' was at #1 on the US album chart. The movie musical, based on the history of Diana Ross and the Supremes, featured Jamie Foxx, Beyoncé Knowles, Eddie Murphy, Jennifer Hudson, Anika Noni Rose and Keith Robinson.

In 2009, Lynyrd Skynyrd keyboard player Billy Powell died at the age of 56 of a heart attack in Florida. Powell called police saying he was having trouble breathing and emergency services tried to resuscitate him, but he was pronounced dead an hour later. Powell had missed a doctor’s appointment on the day before his death; the appointment was for a checkup on his heart.

birthdays today include (among others): Sarah McLachlan (44), Dan Spitz (Anthrax) (49), Marty Fried (Cyrkle) (68), Robert Wyatt (Soft Machine) (67) and Rick Allen (Box Tops) (66)

Vinyl Record News & Music Notes

2012-01-27T12:27:00.000-06:00

well, the vinyl revival is official, it made the New York Times!!!!

It's Alive! Vinyl Makes a Comeback

By ERIC FELTEN

The digital revolution was supposed to do away with a lot of fusty old relics. First compact discs took their toll on the long-playing (and long-played) vinyl record; then iPods and digital downloads began doing the same to CDs. But long after the eulogies had been delivered, the vinyl LP has been revived.

The LP still represents just a sliver of music sales. But last year, according to Nielsen SoundScan data, while CD sales fell by more than 5%, vinyl record sales grew more than 36%.

Read the rest at online.wsj.com

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very well written article from my neck of the woods, and the way to make a vinyl destination fun!

Rock n Roll Land aims to be more than a record store

Written by Kendra Meinert / Green Bay Press-Gazette

You know that vintage KISS ashtray you were dying to get your hands on?

Already gone.

The autographed 45’s from The Stray Cats went quick, too.

But if you’re in the market for an Iron Maiden skateboard, a Social Distortion bowling ball or a signed copy of April Wine’s 1981 “The Nature of the Beast’’ album, you’re still in luck. And there’s no telling what you might come across when you start rummaging through the 15-albums-for-$4.99 bargain vinyl bins – Supertramp, Eric Carmen, Lionel Richie …

Never mind that you could download an entire CD on iTunes in less time than it takes you to browse the glass case of hair pomades and rack of 1985 Circus magazines at the entrance of Rock n Roll Land, the whole idea of the Green Bay record shop is to stay a while. Owners Phil Doran and Todd Magnuson, who opened last fall in a portion of the former Henri’s Music at 504 S. Military Ave., wanted to create a space that’s more than just a retail destination.

Read the rest at greenbaypressgazette.com

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wow, vinyl from another perspective, suggested reading!!

These Apps Are Helping a New Generation of Audiophiles Discover Vinyl

By Andy Cush - Evolver.fm

As someone who spends lots of time thinking about the future of music as an app phenomenon, it might surprise you that I do a lot of my listening on vinyl records.

I'm not alone – reports abound of vinyl's surging sales numbers over the past five or so years. Though they make up a tiny percentage of overall music sales, vinyl record sales have grown at a time when other physical formats are skidding. It might have something to do with my age and the people I hang out with, many of whom are music nerds of the highest order, but I don't know a single person who buys CDs. Everyone I know who is interested in having physical copies of their music buys it on wax.

I should mention that I'm in my early twenties. I had cassettes as a kid, but CDs have been the dominant physical format of my lifetime. Napster came out when I was in elementary school. IPods arrived at the beginning of seventh grade. Digital music has been a part of my musical life since nearly the beginning.

I can't find numbers to support this claim, but I'd bet that many of the so-called "digital natives" buying all of this vinyl are like me: serious young music fans who are well aware of the respective advantages and disadvantages of both formats.

Read the rest at gizmodo.com

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fantastic for the underground music scene, should be some great SF sounds crackling on vinyl!

Superior Viaduct Records: Reissuing Forgotten Gems of San Francisco's Past

By Sam LefebvreFri

Many local labels are offering obscure reissues and innovative new releases on all conceivable formats. Label Sampler is a new column that will profile a different Bay Area imprint each week.

Name: Superior Viaduct

Headquarters: North Beach, San Francisco

Owner: Steve Viaduct

Founded: 2011

Musical Focus: Superior Viaduct specializes in archival releases and reissues of Bay Area bands from the 1970s and 1980s. During our interview, Steve was reluctant to pigeonhole the genre focus of his label, but reluctantly characterized his releases as punk and new wave, although he plans to venture into avant-garde, free jazz and piano music in the future.

Creation story: "I've been researching S.F. music for a long time," says Steve, who requested that his last name be omitted. "At one point, a museum that was doing an exhibit on California art contacted me because someone had told them that I was an expert on San Francisco punk, which I thought was hilarious. I wrote back and said it was funny to be called an expert on punk because there are no experts. By definition, punk is DIY and independent, not professional. It's not legitimized by any institution, so to be tagged as an expert seemed ridiculous. But the one question I was repeatedly asked was, 'Where can I find this music?' At that point I would have to say that unless you know it already or you're willing to spend a lot of money on Ebay, you can't get a hold of the music. Especially with bands like Noh Mercy, whose recordings have never been officially released."

Read the rest of the story at blogs.sfweekly.com

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this out of the uk, the ultimate pack rat !

The vinyl countdown: Music fan searches for new home for record collection of 1m items

Amy Glendinning

After a lifetime collecting records, music fan George Davenport is facing a vinyl countdown.

The 74-year-old has just weeks to find a new home for his thousands of records, CDs and tapes.

The collection, thought to number more than a million items spanning all genres of music, is currently housed in a basement in Newton Heath, Manchester.

But George is facing eviction and has yet to find new premises. George, who lives nearby, said: "I’ve been collecting records all my life.

"Over the years I’ve just bought anything and everything that people have wanted to get rid off.

"I’ve no idea how much there is now but people have said around a million."

Read the rest at menmedia.co.uk

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interesting album cover....

Imminent Sonic Destruction Reveals Album Details

Detroit's Imminent Sonic Destruction has recently released the artwork and track list for theie debut album, 'Recurring Themes.' The album, which will be released on February 24th 2012, was produced by Roy Z (Halford, Bruce Dickinson), and features nine original tracks that showcase the band's vocal harmonies soaring over original progressive-metal riffing, melodic compositions and the rhythms of ex-Tiles drummer, Pat DeLeon.

The cover art for 'Recurring Themes' was created by Man In The Mountain. The band stated: "The imagery of the artwork matches the music completely."

Tracklist
1. Driving Home
2. Monster
3. With Death, This Story Ends
4. Breaking Through
5. Temple
6. Here, It's Over
7. Sick
8. The Remembering
9. Raven

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Scale The Summit To Release Vinyl Version Of 'The Collective'

Prosthetic Records is scheduled to release 'The Collective,' the 2011 album by Scale the Summit on vinyl. The LP is limited to 500 copies on high-quality 180-gram vinyl and available now for pre-order at the Prosthetic Store. Additionally, it will contain the bonus track "Redwoods," a song recorded during "The Collective" sessions that to date has only been available on the Japanese version of the album.

Pre-order It Here

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Rory Gallagher Albums To Be Re-Issued

Rory Gallagher's first six albums are being reissued, to commemorate the 40th anniversary of the start of his solo career.

These milestone albums were released during Gallagher's most prolific years, 1971 through 1974, when he recorded and produced six albums in a three year period. Each of the albums is now rereleased in digipack form with artwork restored from the original first release cover art. The audio has been re-mastered from the original quarter inch tapes. Each album includes exclusive sleeve notes written by Donal Gallagher, Rory’s brother and former tour manager, legendary photographer Mick Rock, and British journalist Roy Hollingworth.

Daniel Gallagher, Rory's nephew and producer of the re-issues, said: “It's fantastic that 40 years since the original release of these albums the interest in Rory's music is still so strong and vibrant that we can celebrate the man's music by re-issuing his first six classic solo albums. We've aimed to release them in the spirit of the original release by going back to the vinyl artwork and original 1/4" tapes so that they look and sound exactly as Rory intended. It's also great to see in a digital world that the demand for a physical copy of Rory's music means we can release these albums on vinyl for the first time in over 30 years.”

The albums are:
•Rory Gallagher (1971)
•Deuce (1971)
•Live! in Europe (1972)
•Blueprint (1973)
•Tattoo (1973)
•Irish Tour '74 (1974)

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MOTÖRHEAD: More 'The Motör-Bag' Details Revealed

It's universally agreed amongst headbangers that MOTÖRHEAD is responsible for some of the greatest all-time hard rock/heavy metal songs ("Ace of Spades", "Overkill", etc.) and albums ("Ace of Spades", "No Sleep 'til Hammersmith", etc.) — not to mention featuring one of rock's all-time great characters in their ranks, Lemmy Kilmister. As a result, MOTÖRHEAD fans are always on the hunt for uncommon and rare items to complete their collection. And now, the group is offering a true treat for their fans, known as "The Motör-Bag".

Available online via www.merchdirect.com/Motorhead, "The Motör-Bag" is limited to 4,000 copies worldwide, and is packed with exclusive items that you will not find anywhere else. Housed in a MOTÖRHEAD messenger bag, inside you will find two double vinyl LPs of stunning MOTÖRHEAD performances (in their entirety), recorded in New York and Manchester — that can only be found in "The Motör-Bag" package.

Read the rest at our friends at Blabbermouth

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album cover art of the day:

The Obscene Reveals Album Cover Artwork For Debut Release

UK death metal newcomers The Obscene have recently posted the artwork for the band's upcoming debut called 'Architects of Deliverance.' The album should be completed in June 2012 with a release date later in the year. In 2011, the band issued an EP entitled "The Torment Of Sinners" through Pest Records.

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Etta James Album Sales Leap 378% Following Death

Anne Erickson

Sometimes you don’t know what you have until it slips away. That seems to be the case with the late Etta James’ soulful songs. As reported by Billboard, James scored her highest-charting album ever on the Billboard 200 chart this past week with The Best of Etta James – 20th Century Masters: The Millennium Collection, which rose from #162 to #46 with 8,000 copies sold, as reported by Nielsen SoundScan. That’s up 149% over the preceding week.

Read the rest at Gibson

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Blues Traveler Celebrates 25-Year Milestone With a 2-CD Retrospective Featuring All Their Hits Plus New Recording and Unreleased Rarities

LOS ANGELES, Jan. 26, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- Over the course of their illustrious 25-year career, Blues Traveler have sold more than 10 million combined units worldwide, played over 2,000 live shows in front of more than 30 million people, and, in "Run-Around," had the longest-charting radio single in Billboard history, which earned them a Grammy® for Best Rock Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocals. A television favorite, they have been featured on Saturday Night Live, Austin City Limits, VH1's Behind the Music and they hold the record for the most appearances of any artist on The Late Show with David Letterman.

On March 6, 2012, Hip-O Select/Universal Music Enterprises (UMe) releases Blues Traveler: 25, a 2-CD retrospective that spans the first 25 years of the band's incredible recording career. 25 features a total of 29 tracks including a newly recorded cover version of Sublime's "What I Got," their greatest hits, B-sides, unreleased demos and rarities— among them a remix of "Run-Around" by acclaimed electronic producers Gunslinger, and excerpts from the band's online concept album Decision of the Skies: A Traveler Tale of Sun and Storm.

Remarks vocalist John Popper, "In a quarter century, through every possible kind of high and low, through every dream realized, through every hope dashed, always there was a return to that dedication and belief in the music and in each other. On behalf of all of Blues Traveler, I am privileged to express how honored we are, how deeply proud we are to share with you the first of our quarter-century celebration and appropriate look back at some favorites you may find familiar as well as rarities that for some reason or another have yet to see the light of day. In our hearts we view this as a time to step back to look at what we've done. We hope you will share that experience with us with as much satisfaction as we have had in bringing it to you."

Originally from the suburbs of New Jersey, Blues Traveler moved to New York in the late '80s where they became an integral part of a new wave of artists coming up in the jam-band scene, packing clubs like Nightingale's, Wetlands and Mondo Cane. The band's live reputation landed them a deal with A&M Records and over the years they released a string hit albums including their 1990 self-titled debut; 1991's Travelers & Thieves; 1993's Save His Soul; the platinum selling Straight on till The Morning; and their massive, 1994 multi-platinum breakthrough release Four.

Disc one of Blues Traveler: 25 features the band's biggest hits and staple tracks representing all nine of their studio albums. Included are their No. 1 hit single "Run-Around," and their top 20 hit "Hook." Both songs were taken from 1994's Four which climbed to No. 8 on the Billboard 200 and has now sold over six times platinum. Other tracks featured are the No. 4 hit single "Carolina Blues" from 1997's Straight on till Morning, which reached No. 11 on the Billboard 200; the band's first top 20 hit "But Anyway" plus "Gina" and "100 Years" taken from their 1990 self-titled debut; "Amber Awaits" and "After What" from their top 50 album Bastardos!, an album produced by former Wilco member Jay Bennett; the hard-rocking, Led Zeppelin-esque track "How You Remember It" and "You, Me And Everything" from their most recent 2008 release, North Hollywood Shootout; plus a new 2011 recording of Sublime's "What I Got" which is only available on this two-CD set.

Disc Two of 25 is a collection of rarities including B-sides, unreleased demos and studio tracks. Featured are early demo versions of "But Anyway" and "Trust In Trust" recorded in 1988; the quirky "The Poignant and Epic Saga of Featherhead and Lucky Lack" which was recorded in 1993 but never made it to an album; the unreleased studio track "Demon" which was written in 2000 during a songwriting session in Austin; plus the tracks "12 Swords," "The Sun and the Storm" and the 20-minute odyssey "Traveler Suite," all taken from their 2000 concept album Decision of the Skies: A Traveler Tale of Sun and Storm, which was originally only made available as a download through the band's website.

As Blues Traveler prepares for the next 25 years, they are currently in the studio putting the finishing touches on their tenth studio album. They are about to embark on a nationwide tour celebrating 25 years of making music, and Blues Traveler: 25 offers a glimpse into the evolution of one of the most beloved artists to come out of the jam-band scene.

Disc 1-Greatest Hits
1. Run-Around
2. Hook
3. The Mountains Win Again
4. But Anyway
5. You, Me and Everything
6. Amber Awaits
7. After What
8. Back In The Day
9. Girl Inside My Head
10. Carolina Blues
11. Let Her and Let Go
12. Gina
13. 100 Years
14. What's For Breakfast
15. NY Prophesie
16. Unable To Get Free
17. How You Remember It
18. What I Got (bonus track)

Disc 2-B-sides/Unreleased
1. The Demon
2. The Poignant and Epic Saga of Featherhead and Lucky Lack
3. Blue Hour
4.Trust In Trust
5. Didn't Mean To Wake Up
6. But Anyway'88
7. Random Amounts
8. Twelve Swords
9. The Sun and The Storm
10.Traveler's Suite
11. Run Around (Gunslinger Remix) (bonus track)

SOURCE Universal Music Enterprises

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Slaughterhouse to Release New Album, welcome to: OUR HOUSE, May 15 and Announces North American Tour

Group to Hold Live Chat January 26 on Slaughterhouseweb.com

SANTA MONICA, Calif., Jan. 26, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- Slaughterhouse announced today the details of the group's new tour as well as confirmed that the title of their forthcoming Shady Records/Interscope album debut will be welcome to: OUR HOUSE. Executive produced by Eminem, welcome to: OUR HOUSE, to be released May 15, 2012, will be the second album from the creative collaboration of Crooked I, Joe Budden, Joell Ortiz and Royce da 5'9". New music will be made available next week for fans to get their first taste of what promises to be one of the most anticipated and explosive albums of the year.

The group will also conduct a live video chat, moderated by Elliot Wilson from Rap Radar (http://www.rapradar.com), on Thursday, January 26th at 6:00pm PST (9:00pm EST) on www.slaughterhouseweb.com where fans will be able to submit questions in real time.

Brash and outspoken, bringing together the East Coast, West Coast and Detroit in the middle, Slaughterhouse issued a self-titled EP last year and was featured on "Loud Noises" on the gold-certified, #1-charting Billboard album Hell: The Sequel from Bad Meets Evil, the collaboration between Royce and Eminem. During the past year, the quartet has also been featured with Ludacris, Yelawolf, Travis Barker and T.I., among others.

Slaughterhouse was previously heard on "Session One," a bonus track on Eminem's 2010 blockbuster Recovery album, following their debut, indie-issued album in 2009. Widely acclaimed as individual artists, the group formed in late 2008 after Crooked I from Long Beach, CA, Joell Ortiz from Brooklyn, NY and Royce da 5'9" from Detroit appeared on "Slaughterhouse" on the Halfway House album from Harlem-born, New Jersey-raised Joe Budden. They then named the collective after the song.

Tour Dates:
March 8, 2012—Trees/Southside Dallas, TX
March 9, 2012—Warehouse/House of Blues Houston, TX
March 10, 2012—Beauty Ballroom Austin, TX
March 11, 2012 - White Rabbit San Antonio, TX
March 16, 2012—House of Blues Myrtle Beach, SC
March 17, 2012—Beachem Theater Orlando, FL
March 18, 2012—Revolution Miami, FL
March 22, 2012—Masquerade Atlanta, GA
March 23, 2012—The Cannery Nashville, TN
March 24, 2012—The Fillmore Charlotte, NC
March 25, 2012—SoundStage Baltimore, MD
March 26, 2012—Wilbur Theatre Boston, MA
March 27, 2012—Trocadero Theatre Philadelphia, PA
March 28, 2012—9:30 Club Washington D.C.
March 29, 2012—Best Buy Theater New York, NY
March 31, 2012—Lava Lounge (West KY Univ) Bowling Green, KY

Get more tour dates at HERE

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this from our friends at becausesoundmatters.com

Artist: Eric Clapton

Album Label: REP/Reprise

Vinyl Release Date: Nov 21 2011

5-LP 180 gram black vinyl

This three album five disc box set has been carefully recut for vinyl at Bernie Grundman Mastering by Chris Bellman and pressed on the finest grade European vinyl for the highest quality analogue sound imaginable.

Box Set Includes:

-From The Cradle, Riding With The King and Me and Mr. Johnson pressed on 180 gram vinyl
-A unique 12"x12" lithographed tucked inside box
-Each box is beautifully packaged in a high quality paper wrapped design

Order HERE

Artist: Nirvana

Album Label: Original Recordings Group

Vinyl Release Date: Feb 22 2011

1- Clear Limited Edition LP

Re-issued on vinyl for the first time in over a decade

Recompiled and remastered from the original analog master tape and recording sources- by Bernie Grundmand at Bernie Grundman Mastering Studios, Hollywood. Pressed on 180 gram vinyl at Pallas in Germany and faithful recreation of jacket and lyric sheet

Track Listing:
Side A
1 Dive
2 Sliver (Single Version)
3 Stain
4 Been A Son (BBC Mark Goodier Session)
5 Turnaround (BBC John Peel Session 1990)
6 Molly's Lips (BBC John Peel Session 1990)
7 Son Of A Gun (BBC John Peel Session 1990)
8 (New Wave) Polly (BBC Mark Goodier Session)

Side B
1 Beeswax
2 Downer
3 Mexican Seafood
4 Hairspray Queen
5 Aero Zeppelin
6 Big Long Now
7 Aneurysm

Order HERE

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Sundazed February 2012 New Releases

The Ventures on Sundazed: Limited Edition 180 Gram Colored Vinyl and Compact Disc!!

Pre-Order Them Now Here

If ever there was a "band that launched a thousand bands," it would be the Ventures. Founded in Tacoma, Washington in 1958, their guitar-based instrumental sound would prove hugely influential, inspiring countless followers to pick up a guitar, bass or set of drumsticks and try to emulate their heroes. As these musical neophytes would soon learn, it wasn't as easy as it initially appeared. The Ventures were masters of tone and technique, deftly arranging their instruments in a seamless approach that was instantly recognizable. Because they were an instrumental group, their songs needed no translation, which resulted in a huge worldwide following. While many rock bands have claimed to be "big in Japan" over the years, the Ventures were the country's first rock superstars and they maintain a devoted worldwide following to this day. With over 100 million records sold, they are the best selling instrumental group of all time.

Sundazed is proud to rightfully address the magnificent Ventures’ catalog—each title has been sourced from the original Dolton and Liberty Records’ reels and painstakingly mastered to sound and feel like they were originally intended. Along with precise artwork restoration on each title, these new Sundazed editions stand as the definitive re-releases of these monumentally important albums. Long may they rock!

Artist: The Ventures

Title: Telstar • The Lonely Bull

LP 5386 - LIMITED EDITION Colored Vinyl LP - 1000 COPIES ONLY!

TRACK LIST:
1. Telstar
2. The Lonely Bull
3. Mexico
4. Calcutta
5. Apache
6. Never On Sunday
7. Tequila
8. Green Onions
9. Percolator
10. Red River Rock
11. Let There Be Drums
12. Last Night

Artist: The Ventures
Title: Surfing

LP 5387 - LIMITED EDITION Colored Vinyl LP - 1000 COPIES ONLY!

TRACK LIST:
1. Pipeline
2. Diamonds
3. Windy And Warm
4. Ten Over
5. Surf Rider
6. Changing Tide
7. The Ninth Wave
8. Party In Laguna
9. Barefoot Venture
10. The Heavies
11. Cruncher
12. The Lonely Sea

Artist: The Ventures

Title: Ventures in Space

LP 5388 LIMITED EDITION Colored Vinyl LP - 1000 COPIES ONLY!

TRACK LIST:
1. Out Of Limits
2. He Never Came Back
3. Moon Child
4. Fear (Main Title From "One Step Beyond")
5. Exploration In Terror
6. War of the Satellites
7. The Bat
8. Penetration
9. Love Goddess of Venus
10. Solar Race
11. The Fourth Dimension
12. The Twilight Zone

Artist: The Ventures

Title: The Fabulous Ventures

LP 5389 - LIMITED EDITION Colored Vinyl LP - 1000 COPIES ONLY!

TRACK LIST:
1. Needles And Pins
2. Runnin' Wild
3. Eleventh Hour
4. The Cruel Sea
5. Scratchin'
6. Tall Cool One
7. Only The Young
8. Journey To The Stars
9. Fugitive
10. Ravin' Blue
11. Walkin' With Pluto
12. The Pink Panther Theme

Artist: The Ventures

Title: Walk, Don't Run Vol. 2

LP 5390 - LIMITED EDITION Colored Vinyl LP - 1000 COPIES ONLY!

TRACK LIST:
1. The House Of The Rising Sun
2. Diamond Head
3. Night Train '64
4. Peach Fuzz
5. Rap City
6. Blue Star (The Medic Theme)
7. Walk, Don’t Run '64
8. Night Walk
9. One Mint Julep
10. Pedal Pusher
11. The Creeper
12. Stranger On The Shore

Pre-Order Them Now Here

=============

and in music history for january 27th:

Born on this day in 1918, Elmore James, US blues guitarist, singer, known as the King of the Slide Guitar. James wrote 'Shake Your Money Maker', which was covered by Fleetwood Mac in 1968. Influenced Jimi Hendrix, B.B. King and Keith Richards. James died 24th May 1963.

In 1927, having secured contracts with 16 radio stations, United Independent Broadcasters Inc. started a radio network. The company later became the Columbia Broadcasting System, or CBS.

In 1948, Wire Recording Corporation of America announced its development of the first magnetic tape recorder. Called the Wireway machine, it came with a built-in oscillator and a price tag of $149.50.

CVR Blog 45rpm Singles Spotlight:

In 1956, Elvis Presley's single, "Heartbreak Hotel" was released by RCA Records. They had just purchased Presley's contract from Sun Records for $35,000. The song sold 300,000 copies in its first week and would eventually sell over a million, becoming Elvis' first Gold record. It was written by Tommy Durden and Mae Boren Axton.

The lyrics were based on a newspaper article about the suicide of a lonely man who jumped from a hotel window. Axton subsequently presented the song to Presley in November 1955 at a country music convention in Nashville. Presley agreed to record it, and did so on January 10, 1956 in a session that featured his band, The Blue Moon Boys, as well as guitarist Chet Atkins and pianist Floyd Cramer. "Heartbreak Hotel" is composed of an eight-bar blues progression, and features major echo during the entire track, in an attempt to follow the characteristic of Presley's Sun recordings.

The single topped Billboard's Top 100 chart for seven weeks, was number one on the Country and Western chart and reached number five on the R&B chart, becoming Presley's first million-seller, and the best-selling single of 1956. It would eventually be certified double platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America. Presley had first performed "Heartbreak Hotel" during a live show in December 1955 during a tour of the Louisiana Hayride, but the song gained strong popularity after his appearance on Stage Show in March 1956. It became a staple of Presley's repertoire in live appearances, last performed by him on May 29, 1977 at the Civic Center in Baltimore, Maryland.

In 1995 "Heartbreak Hotel" was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame, and in 2004 Rolling Stone magazine named it one of the "500 Greatest Songs of All Time". That year it was also included in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame's "500 Songs that Shaped Rock and Roll". A rock and roll standard, since its original release "Heartbreak Hotel" has been covered by several rock and pop acts, including Willie Nelson and Leon Russell, who recorded a duet version that topped the Country charts in 1979.

Presley would perform the song during most of his live shows between 1956 and 1977, performing it for the last time on May 29, 1977 at the Civic Center in Baltimore, Maryland. The song has been released on almost every Presley compilation album since 1956, and alternative takes have also surfaced on several compilation albums. "Heartbreak Hotel" was awarded by the Broadcast Music Incorporated in its Country music Awards. It was re-released in 1971 for the UK market where it charted at number ten. In 1979, following Presley's death, author Robert Matthew-Walker wrote "...Heartbreak Hotel became one of the legendary rock performances. For many people it is Elvis Presley, and it continues to excite and fascinate listeners. Heartbreak Hotel is a classic performance, yet when it is analyzed it appears so simple that one cannot recall a time when one did not know it." In 1995, the song was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame,and was re-released in 1996 to coincide with the fortieth anniversary of its recording.

In a 1975 interview, John Lennon recalled his friend Don Beatty introducing him to Presley's music. Lennon said that his family rarely had the radio on, unlike other members of The Beatles who grew up under its influence. Beatty showed Lennon a picture of Presley that appeared along with the charts on the New Musical Express, and Lennon later heard "Heartbreak Hotel" on Radio Luxembourg. Lennon has said:

"When I first heard "Heartbreak Hotel", I could hardly make out what was being said. It was just the experience of hearing it and having my hair stand on end. We'd never heard American voices singing like that. They always sung like Sinatra or enunciate very well. Suddenly, there's this hillbilly hiccuping on tape echo and all this bluesy stuff going on. And we didn't know what Elvis was singing about... It took us a long time to work what was going on. To us, it just sounded as a noise that was great."

George Harrison credits Heartbreak Hotel with handing him a "rock n roll epiphany" when in 1956, at age 13, he overheard it being played at a neighbor's house while riding his bike. Thus, it was Heartbreak Hotel that turned Harrison from a relatively well-mannered schoolboy into a guitar-crazed truant who would audition for John Lennon's Quarrymen the following year.

The Rolling Stones' guitarist Keith Richards stated in his 2010 autobiography, Life, that Heartbreak Hotel was one of the first rock and roll influences he had. Apart from Presley's impact on him, Richards was even more impressed by Scotty Moore's guitar playing, as well as the rest of the band:

"Good records just get better with age. But the one that really turned me on, like an explosion one night, listening to Radio Luxembourg on my little radio when I was supposed to be in bed and asleep, was "Heartbreak Hotel." That was the stunner. I’d never heard it before, or anything like it. I’d never heard of Elvis before. It was almost as if I’d been waiting for it to happen. When I woke up the next day I was a different guy."

In 1958, Little Richard left Rock and Roll and enrolled in bible school at Oakwood College in Huntsville, Alabama. Richard explained that while flying over the Philippines on tour, the wing of his plane caught fire and his prayers that the flames go out were answered, so he decided to dedicate the rest of his life to God. Some of the members of his touring band found work with James Brown's Famous Flames. During his four years in school, Richard still had hit records with previously recorded material like "Good Golly Miss Molly". By the time he returned to music in 1962, the British Invasion had started and the best Richard could do was a minor UK hit, "He Got What He Wanted". In 1965, Jimi Hendrix backed him on "I Don't Know What You've Got, But It's Got Me", but the song barely cracked the US Hot 100, topping out at number 92.

In 1961, "Sing Along with Mitch," hosted by Mitch Miller, began a three-year stay on NBC-TV.

In 1961, Frank Sinatra played a benefit show at Carnegie Hall in New York City for Martin Luther King.

In 1962, Joey and the Starlighters started a three week run at #1 on the US singles chart with "Peppermint Twist, part 1." The single reached #33 on the UK chart.

In 1962, the Beatles appeared at Aintree Institute in Aintree, Liverpool. The group had played here many times before but this was their last performance at the venue. Brian Epstein became infuriated when the promoter paid the Beatles' fee (£15 pounds) with handfuls of loose change. Epstein took this as an insult to the group, and made sure that the Beatles never played for that promoter (Brian Kelly) again.

In 1962, Elvis Presley received his 29th Gold record for "Can't Help falling in Love," just weeks after getting one for the soundtrack to his seventh movie, Blue Hawaii.

In 1964, the Rolling Stones appeared as judges on the British TV show "Juke Box Jury." Their rude behavior on the set causes a furor in the British press.

In 1967, General Motors begins offering an eight-track tape player as an option in their Buick line. They had been available from Ford since September, 1965. Although they were very popular for awhile, the tapes would be phased out of US retail stores by late 1982.

In 1968, the Bee Gees played their first American concert at the Anaheim Convention Center in California. After collecting their $50,000 fee, they headed immediately back to England. Vanilla Fudge and Spanky And Our Gang were also on the bill.

In 1969, four days after doing ten takes of "Get Back" at Apple Studios in London, the Beatles were back there to record it 14 more times. Take 11 from this day's work was spliced together with the best coda ending recorded the following day to become the version that was released.

In 1971, David Bowie arrived for his first visit to the U.S. He did not perform, but received a lot of publicity for wearing dresses in Texas and Louisiana.

In 1972, American gospel singer Mahalia Jackson died in Chicago of heart failure and diabetes complications aged 60. Known as the "Queen of Gospel Music" she recorded over 30 albums

In 1973, Stevie Wonder scored his second US number one with his twenty-third Top 40 hit, "Superstition."

In 1977, the Clash signed with CBS Records in Britain.

In 1984, Madonna made her first appearance in the U.K. when she appeared on C4 TV music program The Tube, performing “Holiday.” The show was broadcast live from the Hacienda Club in Manchester.

In 1993, Warner Brothers Records announces that it is releasing rapper Ice-T (real name Tracy Marrow) from his contract due to "creative differences." The previous summer the record company found itself in the middle of controversy over Ice-T's song, "Cop Killer". Marrow would go on to co-star in the police drama, Law and Order in 1999.

In 1998, James Brown was charged with possession of marijuana and unlawful use of a firearm after police were called to his South Carolina home. Brown later claimed that the drugs were used to help his eyesight.

In 2002, Brian Wilson played the first of four sold-out nights at The Royal Festival Hall, London.

In 2005, R.E.M. cancel their first show in ten years when their equipment was held at the Estonia/Russia border.

In 2006, Gene McFadden, R&B vocalist and songwriter, best known as half of the Philly soul team McFadden & Whitehead, died of cancer at the age of 56. The duo reached number 13 on the Billboard chart in 1979 with "Ain't No Stoppin' Us Now."

birthdays today include (among others): Bobby “Blue” Bland (82), Nick Mason (Pink Floyd) (68), Nedra Talley (Ronettes) (66), Seth Justman (J. Geils Band) (61), Richard Young (Kentucky Headhunters) (57), Margo Timmins (Cowboy Junkies) (51) and Brian Downey (Thin Lizzy) (61)

Vinyl Record News & Music Notes

2012-01-26T09:40:00.001-06:00

Iggy Pop 2012 Record Store Day Ambassador

Record Store Day is proud to announce the appointment of IGGY POP to the post of Record Store Day 2012 Ambassador.

A person should have a personality. You won't get one dicking around on a computer. It helps to go somewhere where there are other persons. Persons who are interested in something you are. That's how a record store or any shop that's got some life to it should work. It's not about selling shit. I got my name, my musical education and my personality all from working at a record store during my tender years. Small indie shops have always been a mix of theater and laboratory. In the 50's and 60's the teen kids used to gather after school at these places to listen free to the latest singles and see if they liked the beat. You could buy the disc you liked for 79 cents and if you were lucky meet a chick. Clerks in these places became managers, (like Brian Epstein), label heads, (Jack Holzman) and Faces on album covers (like me). Personally I feel best in a store that, while staying small and socially relaxed, still keeps a complete variety of music types and non musical recordings on offer. I'm aware though that a lot of great places are genre-specific, like dance hall shops in Jamaica or Compas here in Little Haiti. In Europe and on the West coast the same goes on for Punk and Goth. All of this is cool and has a much bigger future than most people realize today. When the record and record store businesses began to die at the turn of the new century, they deserved it because they got too big too boring and too plastic.

As Record Store Day Ambassador for 2012 I feel like a representative from some exotic jungle full of life and death and sex and anger, called upon to wear a leopard skin and translate joy to the world of the dead. --IGGY POP

For more information visit Record Store Day

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Metallica 'Beyond Magnetic' Ep Out January 30th

Metallica are set to release their Beyond Magnetic EP on CD on January 30th 2012. Previously available only on iTunes, it features four previously unreleased songs, which were originally a gift to Metallica's Metallica Club members to enjoy immediately after the band played them at their fan club shows in December 2011. The band said "We've been feeling all the love and positive vibes beyond our wildest expectations on the mp3 side, so we decided to go "old school" (!!) and also release those four songs on a CD"

They continued, "During the Death Magnetic album sessions in 2007 and 2008, we originally recorded 14 songs. When it came time to pick the songs for the final album, we decided on 10 songs that you've all come to know over the last three years," said the members of Metallica. "Some of you may have heard bits and pieces of those other songs on 'Mission Metallica' (remember 'Mission Metallica'?!) or heard rumors about them during the recording process, and wondered, 'What ever happened to those other four songs???.' We kept them in the vault and decided to pull them just for this special celebration, so here are the four leftover tracks from the Death Magnetic sessions. They are ROUGH mixes, unfinished to their original degree of mixing from March '08. These four songs were released as gift to our closest fans, the members of our Fan Club, to enjoy. Now they're being made available to you."

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Neil Young Reuniting With Crazy Horse For Two New Albums

Neil Young has recently confirmed that he has already completed a new album with Crazy Horse and that a second album with the band is “in progress.” The veteran rocker said he hopes to release both discs this year. Young made the revelation at the Slamdance Film Festival in Park City, Utah, were he and director Jonathan Demme are presenting Journeys, their latest concert documentary, which was filmed in Toronto in May 2011.

Members of Crazy Horse last recorded with Young on his 2003 album, Greendale.

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this from our friends at vinylcollective.com

Bright Eyes To Press 6 Albums on Vinyl

Six classic Bright Eyes releases will be pressed on vinyl for the first time in years, available two per month in March, April, and May. You can now pre order the two releases set for a March 6th release date; “A Collection Of Songs Written 1995-1997 2XLP” and Other Bright Eyes vinyl titles currently available include: “Oh Holy Fools – The Music of Son, Ambulance and Bright Eyes LP“.

Bright Eyes – I’m Wide Awake, It’s Morning LP

Bright Eyes / Neva Dinova – One Jug Of Wine, Two Vessels LP

Bright Eyes – Digital Ash In A Digital Urn LP

Bright Eyes – Lifted Or The Story Is In The Soil, Keep Your Ear To The Ground 2XLP

Bright Eyes – Noise Floor: Rarities (1998-2005) 2XLP

Bright Eyes – Four Winds LP

Bright Eyes – Cassadaga LP

Bright Eyes – The People’s Key

Also you can pre-order Bruce Springsteen “Wrecking Ball” on Double LP!

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Riot Guitarist Mark Reale Dead At 57

Founding Riot member Mark Reale passed away Wednesday morning (Jan. 25) at age 57, two weeks after being admitted to a San Antonio hospital for complications relating to his long-term struggle with Crohn’s disease. The guitarist suffered a subarachnoid hemorrhage on Jan. 11 and had been in a coma since then, although a recent update on his official site maintained a positive outlook on his progress.

“Our brother Mark Reale went home to be with our Lord this day January 25th 2012 after a long battle and complications from Crohns disease,” reads a statement posted on MarkReale.com. ”With heart felt thanks to the fans around the world … the RIOT army meant everything in the world to Mark, it’s what kept him going. The loyalty and love of the band’s fans fueled his passion and desire to continue making music for as long as possible. Please keep the mighty tor in your hearts and the memory of Mark alive within you. Shine on, Mark shine on!”

Read more at ultimateclassicrock.com

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Nominations Announced for the 47th Annual Academy of Country Music® Awards

COUNTRY MUSIC'S PARTY OF THE YEAR®

FANS WILL ONCE AGAIN VOTE FOR ENTERTAINER OF THE YEAR & NEW ARTIST OF THE YEAR

TELECAST TO AIR LIVE FROM MGM GRAND IN LAS VEGAS Sunday, April 1, 2012 at 8:00 PM live ET/delayed PT on the CBS Television Network

Kenny Chesney leads male nominees with 9 nominations; Jason Aldean earns 6 nominations, Brad Paisley earns 4 nominations, Toby Keith earns 3 nominations; Taylor Swift leads solo female nominations with 3, Grace Potter receives 3 noms for projects with Kenny Chesney; Lady Antebellum leads group nominations with 5, Eli Young Band earns 3

ENCINO, Calif., Jan. 26, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- Nominations were announced today for the 47th ANNUAL ACADEMY OF COUNTRY MUSIC AWARDS, a star-studded event produced for television by dick clark productions broadcast LIVE from the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas on Sunday, April 1, 2012 at 8:00 PM live ET/delayed PT on the CBS Television Network.

Nominees were announced online via the first-ever ACM digital press conference this morning on the Academy's Facebook and Twitter pages. Awards co-host Reba participated with a video message to kick things off and entertainment superstars Lionel Richie, who will be honored during a special taping of ACM Presents: Lionel Richie and Friends In Concert in April (to air at a later date on CBS), Beth Behrs (2 Broke Girls), Nancy O'Dell (Entertainment Tonight), Michael Ausiello (TVLine.com) announced batches of nominations in video postings during the approximately 20 minute online event which culminated in music fans announcing the nominees for the Academy's biggest prize, Entertainer of the Year, a privilege fans embraced for the first time ever by submitting videos naming their favorite artist. Fans from around the country announced Entertainer of the Year nominees Jason Aldean, Kenny Chesney, Brad Paisley, Blake Shelton and Taylor Swift.

As previously announced, Blake Shelton will join forces with country music star Reba to host the 47th Annual Academy of Country Music Awards for the second consecutive year.

For the fifth year, fans will select the winner of the Academy's most prestigious honor, Entertainer of the Year, and for the fourth year, the New Artist of the Year category will also be opened up to fan voting. Nominees for New Artist of the Year were not announced in the press conference today because fan voting for those semi-finalists will close on January 30 (see page 2 below). The winners of Entertainer of the Year and New Artist of the Year will be announced live during the 47th Annual Academy of Country Music Awards.

Kenny Chesney leads with nine nominations, including Entertainer of the Year, a category he has won four times since 2004. He is nominated for Male Vocalist of the Year, a category he has been nominated in nine times previously. He is twice nominated for Album of the Year for Hemingway's Whiskey, as both artist and producer, and also earned double nominations for Single Record of the Year and Vocal Event of the Year as both artist and producer for "You And Tequila" with Grace Potter. Chesney is also nominated for Song of the Year for "You And Tequila" with Grace Potter.

Jason Aldean is nominated for six awards, including his second consecutive nods for Entertainer of the Year and Male Vocalist of the Year. He is nominated for Album of the Year for My Kinda Party, and has nominations for Single Record of the Year and Vocal Event of the Year for "Don't You Wanna Stay," featuring Kelly Clarkson. He is nominated for Video of the Year for "Tattoos On This Town."

Lady Antebellum leads group nominations with five nods, including Vocal Group of the Year, which they have won for two consecutive years. They are also nominated for Album of the Year as artists and producers for Own The Night, and for Song of the Year and Video of the Year for "Just A Kiss."

Reigning Male Vocalist of the Year, Brad Paisley, is nominated for four awards, including his fifth consecutive nomination for Entertainer of the Year and eighth nomination for Male Vocalist of the Year, which he has won five times consecutively between 2006-2010. He received two nominations in the Vocal Event of the Year category for "Old Alabama" with Alabama and "Remind Me" with Carrie Underwood.

Toby Keith received three nominations for "Red Solo Cup," including Video of the Year, which he last won in 2003 for "Beer For My Horses." He also received a double nomination as artist and producer for Single Record of the Year for "Red Solo Cup." Toby Keith's I Love This Bar & Grill is also nominated for Nightclub of the Year in Minneapolis, MN (a nod that is not among Keith's total nominations count, because it is awarded to the venue itself not its owners).

Reigning Entertainer of the Year, Taylor Swift, leads solo female nominees with three nominations, including her third consecutive nod for Entertainer of the Year. If Swift wins Entertainer of the Year, this will be her second consecutive win in that category. Swift is nominated for the fifth time for Female Vocalist of the Year, and for the third time for Video of the Year for "Mean."

First-time ACM nominee, Grace Potter, received three nominations for "You And Tequila" with Kenny Chesney, in the Single Record of the Year, Song of the Year and Vocal Event of the Year categories.

Eli Young Band has three nominations including Vocal Group of the Year, as well as Single Record of the Year and Song of the Year for "Crazy Girl."

Dierks Bentley, Kelly Clarkson, Vince Gill, Miranda Lambert, Aaron Lewis, Blake Shelton, Carrie Underwood and Chris Young all received two nominations each.

The Academy of Country Music's professional membership select the nominees and winners of the ACADEMY OF COUNTRY MUSIC AWARDS, and select the final top five nominees of the Entertainer of the Year category and the eight semi-finalists in the New Artist of the Year category. Presenters and performers who will appear at the ceremony will be announced at a later date.

Fan voting for New Artist of the Year began at VoteACM.com and GACtv.com/ACM on January 16, 2012 and will close on Monday, January 30, 2012 at 12noon ET/9:00AM PT, after which nominees in that category will be announced separately. Fan voting for New Artist of the Year and Entertainer of the Year begins on March 19, 2012 at 12noon ET/9:00AM PT at VoteACM.com. Fan voting for New Artist of the Year will close at 5 p.m. PT on April 1, 2012 (before the LIVE show starts) and fan voting for Entertainer of the Year will close during the third hour of the LIVE broadcast.

Following is the list of final nominees. Winners in each of the following categories, except where noted, will be presented with an ACADEMY OF COUNTRY MUSIC AWARD during the live television broadcast:

ENTERTAINER OF THE YEAR
•Jason Aldean
•Kenny Chesney
•Brad Paisley
•Blake Shelton
•Taylor Swift

MALE VOCALIST OF THE YEAR
•Jason Aldean
•Kenny Chesney
•Brad Paisley
•Blake Shelton
•Chris Young

FEMALE VOCALIST OF THE YEAR
•Sara Evans
•Miranda Lambert
•Martina McBride
•Taylor Swift
•Carrie Underwood

VOCAL DUO OF THE YEAR
•Love and Theft
•Montgomery Gentry
•Steel Magnolia
•Sugarland
•Thompson Square

VOCAL GROUP OF THE YEAR
•The Band Perry
•Eli Young Band
•Lady Antebellum
•Rascal Flatts
•Zac Brown Band

Read more at prnewswire.com

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and in music history for january 26th:

In 1956, in Nashville with famed producer Owen Bradley, Buddy Holly – still a year-and-a-half away from his first major success – recorded "Blue Days-Black Night," his initial release on the Decca label. His backup musicians were Sonny Curtis, Grady Martin, Don Guess, and Doug Kirkham. At this first of three Decca sessions at Bradley's Quonset Hut studio (the other two were in July and November 1956), Holly also recorded "Love Me," "Don't Come Back Knockin'" and "Midnight Shift."

In 1958, in New York, Buddy Holly and the Crickets recorded "Rave On." Norman Petty produced and played piano on the session. The song as sung by Holly is ranked #155 on Rolling Stone magazine's 2004 list of the "500 Greatest Songs of All Time

Also in 1958, Buddy Holly and the Crickets made their second appearance on CBS-TV's "The Ed Sullivan Show." Sullivan considered Holly's hit "Oh, Boy!" too raucous for the show and ordered him to substitute another song. Holly refused, causing Sullivan to limit Buddy to one song instead of two, then sabotaged the performance with bad lighting and sound, and mispronounced his and the band's name when introducing them.

In 1962, Bishop Burke of the Buffalo, New York Catholic Diocese bans the Twist, in any form, from all of his school's functions.

In 1963, the Four Seasons' "Walk Like A Man" was released. Five weeks later, it will become their third Billboard number one single.

Also in 1963, a trio called the Rooftop Singers took "Walk Right In" to the top of the Billboard chart. The song had been written in 1930 by Gus Cannon, who had been living in poverty until he started earning royalties from the hit record.

In 1965, during a Rolling Stones tour of Australia and New Zealand, guitarist Keith Richards had his shirt torn off after 50 fans invaded the stage during the gig at The Town Hall in Brisbane.

In 1967, the American Breed was signed by ACTA Records after the label president saw them perform while he was stuck in Chicago during a blizzard.

In 1968, Pink Floyd played their first gig without Syd Barrett at Southampton University. They were supported by Tyrannosaurus Rex, (later to be renamed T Rex) featuring Marc Bolan and percussionist Steve Peregrine Took.

In 1969, Ringo Starr wrote "Octopus's Garden."

CVR Blog 45rpm Singles Spotlight:

On January 26, 1969, the Beatles and Billy Preston recorded "The Long And Winding Road," a song Paul McCartney had written at his farm in Scotland the previous year, inspired by the growing tension within the group. The Beatles re-recorded the song with different lyrics and structure on January 31 but that version was never issued. On April 1, 1970 at Abbey Road Studios in London, producer Phil Spector embellished the January 26 track using 18 violins, four violas, four cellos, three trumpets, three trombones, two guitars, and a choir of 14 women, completely contrary to the Beatles' stated intentions for a "real" recording when they began work on the "Get Back" project. While the released version of the song was successful, the post-production modifications by Spector angered McCartney to the point that when he made his case in court for breaking up the Beatles as a legal entity, he cited the treatment of "The Long and Winding Road" as one of six reasons for doing so.

When McCartney first heard the Spector version of the song, he was outraged. Nine days after Spector overdubbed "The Long and Winding Road", McCartney announced the Beatles' break-up. On 14 April, he sent a sharply worded letter to Apple Records business manager Allen Klein, demanding that the added instrumentation be reduced, the harp part eliminated, and "Don't ever do it again." These requests went unheeded, and the Spector version was included on the album.

In an interview published by the Evening Standard in two parts on 22 April and 23 April 1970, McCartney said: "The album was finished a year ago, but a few months ago American record producer Phil Spector was called in by Lennon to tidy up some of the tracks. But a few weeks ago, I was sent a re-mixed version of my song 'The Long and Winding Road' with harps, horns, an orchestra, and a women's choir added. No one had asked me what I thought. I couldn't believe it." The Beatles' usual producer, George Martin, agreed, calling the remixes "so uncharacteristic" of the Beatles. McCartney asked Klein to dissolve The Beatles' partnership, but was refused. Exasperated, he took the case to court, naming Klein and the other Beatles as defendants. Among the six reasons McCartney gave for dissolving The Beatles was that Klein's company, ABKCO, had caused "intolerable interference" by overdubbing "The Long and Winding Road" without consulting McCartney

It became the Beatles' 20th and last number-one song in the United States on 23 May 1970, and was the last single released by the quartet. "The Long and Winding Road" was listed with "For You Blue" as a double-sided hit when the single hit number one on the US Billboard Hot 100 in 1970.

In 1970, Elvis Presley opened at the International Hotel in Las Vegas and, for the first time, wears his one-piece jumpsuit.

In 1970, John Lennon wrote and recorded "Instant Karma." It ranks as one of the fastest-released songs in pop music history, recorded at London's Abbey Road Studios and arriving in stores only ten days later. Lennon remarked to the press, he "wrote it for breakfast, recorded it for lunch, and we're putting it out for dinner." The record was produced by Phil Spector, the first of many recordings by the Beatles that Spector worked on that year.

George Harrison would later remark that he was enticed and interested by Lennon's idea of an instant single release, and this partially contributed to Harrison's willingness to participate. Harrison felt that it related in some way to his devotion to the Hindu religion (karma) and he therefore felt Lennon could use the single to promote it.

It is the third solo single issued by Lennon, and it peaked at #3 on both the Billboard Hot 100 and Cash Box Top 100 singles charts in the US, #2 on Canada's Singles Chart and #5 on the UK Singles Chart. The song is one of three Lennon solo songs, along with "Imagine" and "Give Peace a Chance", in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

In 1974, Ringo Starr went to #1 on the Billboard singles chart with his version of Johnny Burnette's 1960 #8 hit "Your Sixteen". The track featured Paul McCartney on kazoo and Harry Nilsson on background vocals. It reached #3 in the UK.

In 1977, as the Punk music movement continued to grow, The Clash sign a £100,000 contract with CBS Records, a remarkable amount for a band that had played a total of about thirty gigs and very few as a headliner.

In 1977, Peter Green, Fleetwood Mac's first lead guitar player, was committed to a mental hospital in England. He had fired a pistol in the general direction of a delivery boy. Green left the band in May of 1970.

In 1980, three years after signing with Warner Brothers Records, 21 year old Prince makes his US television debut on American Bandstand where he performs his R&B chart topping hit, "I Wanna Be Your Lover".

In 1984, Michael Jackson is hospitalized with burns to his scalp after his hair catches fire while shooting a Pepsi commercial.

In 1986, Lynyrd Skynyrd guitarist Allen Collins crashed his car, killing his girlfriend and paralyzing him from the waist down.

In 1989, singer Donnie Elbert died of a stroke aged 52. He had the 1972 US No. 22 & UK No.11 single 'I Can't Help Myself', Sugar Pie Honey Bunch', 'Where Did Our Love Go?' and 'A Little Piece of Leather'.

In 1997, in New Orleans, ZZ Top, James Brown and the Blues Brothers performed at the Super Bowl XXXI halftime show. The Green Bay Packers defeated the New England Patriots, 35-21.

In 1999, the National Transportation Safety Board concluded that John Denver died in a 1997 airplane crash because he took off with too little fuel in one tank, had trouble switching to his backup tank and inadvertently put his plane into a roll while his attention was diverted.

In 2007, Tommy Dee, who reached #11 on the Billboard chart in 1959 with "Three Stars", a song dedicated to Richie Valens, Buddy Holly and The Big Bopper, died at the age of 70 after a long illness.

In 2007, Michael Jackson returned to the United States after living in Bahrain, France and Ireland for more than a year in self-imposed exile following his acquittal in a high-profile child molestation trial that ended in June 2005.

In 2007, former 1950s disc jockey (KFXM-San Bernardino, California)/recording artist/songwriter (The Three Stars)/record producer/promoter Tommy Donaldson, who recorded his Buddy Holly-Ritchie Valens-Big Bopper tribute as Tommy Dee, died at age 73

In 2007, the Rolling Stones topped the US music rich list for the second year running after making $150.6m in 2006. Tim McGraw and Faith Hill were second in the poll with a combined fortune of $132m and country band Rascal Flatts appeared third, having earnt $110.5m in the past year.

In 2008, Alicia Keys was at #1 on the US album chart with her third album 'As I Am'. The album sold over 742,000 copies in its first week the largest ever first week sales for any female R&B artist.

In 2011, Gladys Horton, whose lead vocals helped The Marvelettes establish their career with such hits as "Mr. Postman", "Playboy" and "Beechwood 4-5789", died following a stroke at the age of 66.

In 2011, singer /Country Music Hall of Famer Charlie Elzer Loudermilk, known professionally as Charlie Louvin, the surviving half of the singing Louvin Brothers duo, died of pancreatic cancer at 83. His brother Ira died in 1965.

birthdays today include (among others) Huey "Piano" Smith (78), Derek Holt (Climax Blues Band) (63), Lucinda Williams (59), Anita Baker (54), Tom Keifer (Cinderella) (51), Andrew Ridgeley (Wham!) (49) and Eddie Van Halen (55)

Ask Mr. Music by Jerry Osborne

2012-01-25T14:36:00.000-06:00

FOR THE WEEK OF JANUARY 23, 2012

DEAR JERRY: According to one music website, Pavlov's Dog's “Pampered Menial” LP charted on two labels [ABC and Columbia] simultaneously on the charts, “a first and last for the music industry.”

Another site reports the same about Pavlov's Dog's single, “Julia.”

Yet another makes all the same claims regarding “Wild Thing,” by the Troggs.

They cannot all be right. Please separate the facts from fiction?
—George Parsons, Madison, Wisc.

DEAR GEORGE: The Troggs story is factual and fascinating. The Dog sites are probably well-intentioned, but much in need of an overhaul.

Yes, both ABC and Columbia charted with individual versions of “Pampered Menial,” but not simultaneously.

In February 1975, ABC released “Pampered Menial,” Pavlov Dog's first album (ABCD-866). In March, they lifted two one-word tracks, “Julia” and “Episode,” from the LP for a single (ABC-12086).

On April 5th, “Pampered Menial” began six weeks of hovering in the lower 10% of the Top 200 LPs. “Julia,” their only single, did not chart at all.

Surprisingly, ABC dropped Pavlov's Dog, leaving them to be picked up by Columbia, who quickly repackaged “Pampered Menial” (PC-33552).

Five weeks after ABC's original dropped off the charts (June 14), Columbia's entry debuted.

Like the ABC entry, this version also remained near the bottom of the charts.

This means the first two sites you reference are wrong.

The third is right about “Wild Thing,” but they could have expanded their Troggs coverage to include six months of events that really are, to use the line you quote, “a first and last for the music industry.”

Here is the complex chronology of the key happenings, all in 1966:

Issued in the UK in April, “Wild Thing” debuted May 7th at No. 27 on Britain's New Musical Express (Fontana TF-689). New York's Atlantic obtained what they thought was the exclusive right to release Troggs recordings in the U.S. and Canada, on their Atco label.

To their surprise, “Wild Thing” 45s were also being distributed here by Fontana (1548) as well as Atco (6415).

The first week of June, furious over Fontana's release, Atlantic et al brought suit against Mercury et al (Fontana) in N.Y. Supreme Court, seeking an injunction against their North American's issue of “Wild Thing,” and any future Troggs music.

“Wild Thing” made its U.S. chart debut on Cash Box (No. 82), on June 18th, with both Atco and Fontana given equal credit as the label.

But the records were not identical.

Atco put “With a Girl Like You” on the B-side, and two months later, it made the Top 30 by itself. Fontana's B-side, “From Home,” never charted.

One week later “Wild Thing” entered Billboard's Hot 100 (No. 75), also crediting both Atco and Fontana.

For the remainder of 1966, every Troggs record, regardless of format, was promoted, distributed, sold, and charted simultaneously on two labels.

August 6, 1966: Unconcerned that “With a Girl Like You” was the B-side of the No. 1 hit, “Wild Thing” (Atco 6415), on sale for two months and already owned by hundreds of thousands, Fontana still issued it. Their 45 is backed with the non-charting “I Want You” (Fontana 1552).

Also in August, both labels rush-released a “Wild Thing” LP, with identical tracks but very different packaging and graphics (Atco 193 and Fontana 67556). Siamesed again, the twin releases shared a chart position each week for four months.

Each step seemed to perpetuate an already nutty situation, particularly evident come September.

The month began with “Wild Thing” (Atco flip side being “With a Girl Like You”) at No. 31 and falling, and “With a Girl Like You” as No. 32 and rising. Of course Atco and Fontana were cojoined on both.

Now that's something you don't see every day. It gave the Troggs two separate records containing “With a Girl Like You,” at consecutive chart positions, moving in opposite directions.

On October 15th, the two highest debuting singles were both “I Can't Control Myself.” Same Troggs song, but on Atco (6444) and Fontana (1557). Both have “Gonna Make You” on the B-side.

Following six months of legal wrangling, Atlantic and Mercury finally agreed to settle the pending litigation. As of early December, Fontana received exclusive rights to all new Troggs material. For an unspecified period, Atlantic would receive royalties on Troggs records made by Fontana. Atlantic would immediately cease manufacturing Troggs records, but their distributors could continue selling existing inventories until gone.

That put an end to one of the recording industry's more bizarre events: Trogglomania.

IZ ZAT SO? With Atco out of the picture, none of the four Troggs singles charted in 1967, though they did score a Top 10 hit in early '68 with “Love Is All Around” (Fontana 1607).

Also in 1968, the Troggs made their first visit to the U.S.

It appears that Atlantic gave up very little in the settlement, and came away pretty much unscathed.

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

Vinyl Record News & Music Notes

2012-01-25T14:32:00.000-06:00

The Apples In Stereo's Debut Album Being Reissued

Yep Roc Records are reissuing The Apples in Stereo's debut album, 'Fun Trick Noisemaker,' on vinyl this week. Originally released in 1995, the album has not been available on vinyl in more than 15 years. The reissue includes all of the original artwork, liner notes, rephotographed paintings by Steve Keene, and a four-color poster insert.

All Music Guide called The Apples in Stereo's debut "one of those records that marks a sea change in musical attitudes."

"It was a concept album about growing up, about summertime and the end of summer vacation, sunny but bittersweet," says Robert Schneider. "We spent our entire recording budget on microphones, compressors and an eight-track tape machine, with almost no idea how they worked, then we set out to create a perfect hybrid of Sixties psych-pop and the lo-fi scene we identified with, a fusion of Pet Sounds, Piper at the Gates of Dawn and Crooked Rain, Crooked Rain."

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Bright Eyes Albums Scheduled For Vinyl Reissues

With Conor Oberst returning to Bright Eyes, the band's early catalogue will be re-released on vinyl. There will be six reissues of these long out of press records, starting on March 6 with 'A Collection of Songs Written and Recorded 1995-1997' and 'Oh Holy Fools: The Music of Son, Ambulance & Bright Eyes'.

On April 3, 'Letting Off the Happiness' and 1999's 'Every Day and Every Night EP' will be released. May 1 will see the reissue of 'Fevers and Mirrors' and 'There Is No Beginning to the Story.'

Look for more on this in upcoming posts!

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interesting views on vinyl and the music industry:

Extended Play: Could Vinyl Save Music Retailers?

By Bob Hopkinson

The past fifteen years has seen a flood of stories predicting the demise of the music industry. To listen to "the Big Three" (formerly five) major labels tell it, MP3s and piracy are killing music. Musicians are going broke, record stores are closing, and the music we listen to has no value. Can the "value of music" really be measured in dollar signs? Strawberry Jam may cost $9.99 on iTunes, yet there are legions of Animal Collective fans to whom that record means much more than ten dollars.

And musicians have always been broke -- arguably creating some of their best work as a direct result of it. MP3s and piracy aren't stealing from musicians; they're taking revenue from major labels unwilling to modify an old business strategy. Historically, musicians actually generate most of their income from performing. There are obvious exceptions to this rule (the Beatles come to mind), but by and large, artists make a living from concert ticket sales. Albums are marketing conduits to drive fans to the shows. If musicians were making sustainable amounts of cash from record sales, groups like NOFX wouldn't tour incessantly.

Read the rest at epitonic.com

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Svartsyn's Debut Album To Be Reissued On Vinyl

The re-release of Svartsyn's debut album 'The True Legend' is scheduled for March 20th in Europe and April 10th in North America on Agonia Records. The label commented on the re-release:

"The True Legend album, the one from Svartsyn's discography that can boast with being sold out and not available for a dog's age, has been remastered in full at Clintworks Studio - a studio opened in Hamburg by Dennis Israel; an assistant engineer who previously worked with Jens Bogren at Fascination Street Studio (Amon Amarth, Opeth, Paradise Lost, Katatonia). The rerelease has been partly rerecorded and equipped with a new layout and cover drawn by US artist Chadwick St John.

"The album will be available as a CD and - for the first time – on vinyl. There will be a standard 12-inch black vinyl edition and limited to 100 copies colored vinyl edition (the second one available via Agonia Records Webshop exclusively).

"Svartsyn is a black metal band that originates from Sweden. They have earned a cult status in the metal underground, releasing six albums to date. Their last full-length, Wrath upon the Earth, was out in 2011. The True Legend was originally out in December 1996 by German label Folter Records."

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NAPALM DEATH: New Album Track Listing Revealed

British/American grindcore pioneers NAPALM DEATH will release their 14th studio album (excluding the cover album "Leaders Not Followers"), "Utilitarian", on February 27 in Europe and February 28 in North America via the band's longtime partner, Century Media Records. The cover artwork (see below) perfectly fits the album's theme and was created by the Danish artist Frode Sylthe, who is also responsible for THE HAUNTED's "rEVOLVEr" artwork.

Read more and get the tracklist at Blabbermouth

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BEFORE THE DAWN To Release 'Rise Of The Phoenix' In April

Finnish melancholic melodic death metal outfit BEFORE THE DAWN returns after living through a phase of changes and uncertainty — cleansed, renewed and stronger than ever! Leaving pieces of both the musical and personal past behind, mastermind Tuomas Saukkonen, lead guitarist Juho Räihä and their new companions get ready for conquering your ears with the finest blend of northern gloom and harsh melodic death metal. Their seventh studio album and at the same time second release via Nuclear Blast Records is entitled "Rise Of The Phoenix" and will arise from the ashes on April 27.

Read more and get the tracklist at Blabbermouth

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Enthrallment Reveals Tracklist And Cover Art Of Upcoming Album

Bulgarian death metallers Enthrallment have unveiled the cover and track listing for their forthcoming album "People From the Lands of Vit." The album will be released soon by the American label United Guttural. The cover art of the album, entitled "Hell," is a creation by the Bulgarian artist Stefan Stefanov. While waiting for the new album, check out Enthrallment's material from "Immerse Into Bloody Bliss" over on MySpace or the band's last official video for "Cane the Messiah with the Crook" after the tracklisting and cover art.

Tracklist
Chronicle of Sorrow
Devoted to Delusion
Psychological Storm
A Full Land of Worms... From the River to the Void
Chemical Romance
Obsessed by Just Anger
Walking Through the Thorns
Fruits of Pain and Blue Sky
Punishment for Baneful
Unholy Diviners

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Beyond Conception Releases New Indie Rock Album, Flow

Indie rock band Beyond Conception released their fourth studio album, FLOW, with Grammy Award winning Producer Jack Douglas, who’s work includes the late John Lennon, The Who, and Aerosmith, to name a few. Producer Jim Wirt, whose credits include Incubus, Fiona Apple, and Jacks Mannequin, along with up-and-coming Producer/engineer Marlon Luna, have worked with front man Justin Abrams and musician Matt Abrams to release this international ground-breaking album.

Los Angeles, CA (PRWEB) January 25, 2012 - Indie rock band Beyond Conception released their fourth studio album, Flow, with Grammy Award winning Producer Jack Douglas, who’s work includes the late John Lennon, The Who, and Aerosmith, to name a few. Producer Jim Wirt, whose credits include Incubus, Fiona Apple, and Jacks Mannequin, along with up-and-coming Producer/engineer Marlon Luna, have worked with front man Justin Abrams and musician Matt Abrams to release this international ground-breaking album.

“These songs are really great, the melodies draw you in and keep you listening” says Stone Temple Pilots guitarist Dean Deleo. The album has already been well-received by its fans through social media and has begun to draw a large following from Indie rock listeners worldwide. A soon-to-be-released music video for the album hit song “Flow” has been produced and is expected to draw enthusiastic worldwide attention. The band has also been nominated for “Best Indie Rock Artist” by The 2012 Artists in Music Awards.

“Beyond Conception is ready for the big time!” Orange County Register

"The band has good energy and good sound on this album. It seems that the do-it-yourself approach is working pretty well. If you want to support local music, and you like bands like The Fray, then Beyond Conception is a band you should get to know!" Examiner.com

“The new album is beautiful, raw, and elegant at the same time.” Jim Wirt

About Beyond Conception

Beyond Conception was born to assure simplification in the music process with a laid back flow. This feel-good thriving band roots itself from two brothers; Front man Justin Abrams and Musician Matt Abrams. Both share the ambition to inspire artistic visions across the world. Along with their recent Album release, over a dozen Film/TV placements in International TV Shows, Feature Films, and Commercials, the band recently wrote a stadium anthem song, “Let’s Go San Diego” for the NFL Football team San Diego Chargers which is now played at all their home games.

The highly anticipated album Flow has been made immediately available on iTunes for download, Visit: itunes.com

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this news out of the UK:

The Top 10 selling vinyl singles of 2011:

1. Beady Eye - 'The Roller'
2. Beady Eye - 'Millionaire'
3. Morrissey - 'Glamorous Glue'
4. Beady Eye - 'The Beat Goes On'
5. Noel Gallagher's High Flying Birds - 'The Death Of You And Me'
6. Arctic Monkeys - 'Don't Sit Down 'Cause I've Moved Your Chair'
7. Noel Gallagher's High Flying Birds - '...A.K.A What A Life'
8. Beady Eye - 'Four Letter Word'
9. Miles Kane - 'Come Closer'
10. Manic Street Preachers - 'Postcards From A Young Man'

The Top 10 selling 12 inch vinyl singles of 2011:

1. Radiohead - 'The Butcher/Supercollider'
2. Paul Weller - 'Starlite'
3. Tuff Productions - 'Always Searching'
4. Radiohead - 'Morning Mr Magpie'
5. Kasabian - 'Days Are Forgotten'
6. Radiohead - 'Little By Little'
7. Arctic Monkeys - 'Don't Sit Down 'Cause I've Moved Your Chair'
8. Kasabian - 'Re-Wired'
9. Rhythm Robbers - 'Plastic Dreams'
10. Burial - ' Street Halo'

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GRIMEY'S BEST SELLERS 1/16 - 1/22, 2012

Vinyl Top 25:

1. Jessie Baylin - Little Spark
2. The Black Keys - El Camino
3. Various - Matador: Intended Play
4. Mazzy Star - Common Burn 7"
5. Guided By Voices - Chocolate Boy 7"
6. Deerhoof / David Bazan - Deerbazan 7"
7. PUJOL - Nasty Brutish & Short 10"
8. Fleet Foxes - Fleet Foxes
9. Junior Kimbrough - You Better Run: The Best of Junior Kimbrough
10. Pink Floyd - Dark Side Of The Moon
11. The Head & The Heart - The Head & The Heart
12. M83 - Hurry Up We're Dreaming
13. Bon Iver - Bon Iver
14. Brand New - Your Favorite Weapon
15. Beach House - Teen Dream
16. Mumford & Sons - Sigh No More
17. The Big Pink - Future This
18. Guided By Voices - Let's Go Eat The Factory
19. Alex Chilton - Free Again: The 1970 Sessions
20. Jellyfish - Bellybutton
21. Jellyfish - Spilt Milk
22. Fred McDowell - Alan Lomax Recordings
23. Talk Talk - Spirit Of Eden
24. Dan Auerbach - Keep It Hid
25. LCD Soundsystem - London Sessions

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Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band Announce Tour

Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band tour dates:

March 18 – Atlanta, GA – Philips Arena
March 19 – Greensboro, NC – Greensboro Coliseum
March 23 – Tampa, FL – Tampa Bay Times Forum
March 26 – Boston, MA – TD Garden
March 28 – Philadelphia, PA – Wells Fargo Center
March 29 – Philadelphia, PA – Wells Fargo Center
April 1 – Washington, DC – Verizon Center
April 3 – East Rutherford, NJ – Izod Center
April 4 – East Rutherford, NJ – Izod Center
April 6 – New York, NY – Madison Square Garden
April 9 – New York, NY – Madison Square Garden
April 12 – Detroit, MI – The Palace of Auburn Hills
April 13 – Buffalo, NY – First Niagara Center
April 16 – Albany, NY – Times Union Center
April 17 – Cleveland, OH – Quicken Loans Arena
April 24 – San Jose, CA – HP Pavilion
April 26 – Los Angeles, CA – Los Angeles Memorial Sports Arena
April 29 – New Orleans, LA – New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival
May 2 – Newark, NJ – Prudential Center

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Record Show News

We're Celebrating 4 Years Strong! Sunday March 11th, 2012

Literally Tons of Records for Buy & Trade, Outdoor Vendor Village with Dozens of Artists & Designers + the brands they've created, B-boy Competition, Live Performances by Free Moral Agents and many others, Open Cut Session, Producer Invite Upstairs, Kids Arts & Crafts outside, Bar Available for the 21+ and sooo much more.

RECORDS | AND EVERYTHING INSPIRED FROM IT

Over 45 Invited Collectors & Dealers, Selling Records from all over the world.

Blues, Funk, Hip Hop, Jazz, Metal, Psych, Punk, Rap, Reggae, Rock, Soul, & World - 12" & 45 Records.

Resident DJ's share rare selections from they're record collections..

ABEL | AC THE PD | ANALOG | CHARLIE ROCK | CHIKARAMANGA
CLENZ ROC | CURSE | DANNY HOLLOWAY | DWENZ | EARLY WORM
FLOW | GABE REAL | GAZOO | JAWA | KIDRAGON | KID RIZ | KIWAMU OMAE
LISTEN RECOVERY CREW | LORD RON | LU-MAN | RAICHOUS | VAL
and 671

Special Guest DJ & 1st-time Record Vendor:
DJ REVOLUTION (World Famous Wake Up Show)

Beat Swap Meet is a gathering of the minds:
http://vimeo.com/23575735

FOR THE TRUE RECORD COLLECTORS:
Vendors arrive as early as 9am for setup, we have Breakfast available & Coffee too, courtesy of Corazon de Jah, and local Chinatown cafes. Spend your Sunday under the California Sun.

Outdoor Vendor Village featuring Dozens of Artists & Designers + the Brands They've Created..

Live Performances by,

- LA's very own, 2MEX
- Live Band, BUYEPONGO

Live Screen Printing by:
HIT + RUN
www.thehitandrun.com

BEAT CLUB CO-OP - EL MERKADO NEGRO - THE DEUCE
FIRE FOXINESS - GOOD LIFE ROOTS - HIP HOP PHILOSOPHY
HIT+RUN - ILL STREET BLUES - LISTEN - LIVING DEVINE VINTAGE
MIND FUNK - NATIVE SOL - PEACE IMAGES - RAW KULTURE
RED HAUTE BOX - STICKY RICKS - THE X LABEL
TWO TREE DESIGNS - WOVEN CULTURE - X IS THE WEAPON
(and many more TBA)

Artists paint live.. Spontaneous drum circles.. Children ciphering.. !?!?

Resident Chef (&DJ), MIGHTY JUNEBUGG, & her Rapper's Delight catering crew will be on hand with your favorite foods you can only find at Beat Swap Meet:

Resident Barber (&MC/DJ/Producer), SNAGNETO, fixing wigs all day, go home looking fly.

Get your broken Turntable or MPC fixed! That's right, we have onsite music-mechanics that will send your equipment home repaired.

Open Cut Session, Hosted by DJ Jawa & friends.

B-boys & Girls get down to there favorite grooves. It's one thing to collect records, but can you dance to'em?:

Beat Swap Meet's Official
PRODUCER INVITE - Sponsored by Monster Energy

All Hardware, No Laptop's, No CD's.

Hosted by
L.SCATTER (Zulu Nation / Foundation / Project Blowed)

Live Performance by FREE MORAL AGENTS

Also Featuring,

- Q&A with IKEY OWENS (The Mars Volta, Free Moral Agents, Look Daggers)
- RALPH M (Funkdoobiest)
- RUFIO (Live At The Dojo, Sacramento)
- STUCKINTHETREES (Rebels To The Grain)
- and others TBA

Sponsors:
www.MonsterEnergy.com

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and in music history for january 25th:

In 1958, Elvis Presley's "Jailhouse Rock" became the first single to ever enter the UK pop chart at Number One.

In 1960, the original cast recording of The Sound of Music started a 16-week run at #1 on the U.S. album chart.

In 1960, the National Association of Broadcasters threatened disc jockeys over the Payola scandal, saying they would fine anyone who accepted money for playing records.

In 1961, Bob Dylan finds the family of Woody Guthrie in New York and teaches son Arlo Guthrie how to play harmonica.

In 1962, Sam Cooke released "Twistin' the Night Away."

In 1963, Janis Joplin performed in San Francisco for the first time.

In 1963, Vee Jay records signed a contract to distribute the Beatles records in the US.

In 1964, the Beatles scored their first number one best seller in the US when "I Want To Hold Your Hand" reached the top of the Cash Box Magazine music chart. The Fab Four would eventually rack up 25 number ones in America.

In 1967, the Beatles made a last-minute remix of “Penny Lane” before the pressing of their next double-A-sided single “Strawberry Fields Forever”/“Penny Lane.” Both songs were originally intended for forthcoming album 'Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band.'

In 1969, at Apple Studios in London, the Beatles recorded "For You Blue," which at the time had the working title of "George's Blues (Because You're Sweet and Lovely)." Producer Phil Spector completed the track in January 1970 at Olympic Studios.

In 1975, the Carpenters went to #1 on the US singles chart with their version of The Marvelettes’ 1961 hit “Please Mr. Postman.” The Marvelettes version led the hit parade in January, 1961. Although the Beatles also recorded a popular version of the song, it didn't make the American Top 40.

In 1976, R&B singer/songwriter Chris Kenner died after a heart attack at the age of 46.

In 1978, Joy Division made their live debut when they played Pips in Manchester, England.

In 1980, Paul McCartney is released from a Tokyo prison after being arrested with a half-pound of marijuana.

In 1983, the Allman Brothers Band’s bassist Lamar Williams died of lung cancer at age 34. He joined the band in 1972 after the death of original bassist Berry Oakley.

In 1986, manager Albert Grossman died of a heart attack while flying on Concorde from New York to London. He managed Bob Dylan (between 1962 and 1970), Peter, Paul and Mary, The Band, Janis Joplin and Todd Rundgren. Grossman built the Bearsville Recording Studio near Woodstock in 1969, and in 1970 he founded Bearsville Records.

In 1988, George Harrison released the second single from his "Cloud Nine" album, "When We Was Fab," written by Harrison and Jeff Lynne about the days of Beatlemania.

In 1991, Paul McCartney recorded MTV Unplugged. One of the show's many memorable moments was his singing of "And I Love Her," which marked the first time he had performed the song anywhere outside of the Beatles.

In 2000, a 1930 aluminum record is found with Frank Sinatra singing Roses of Picardy. It's believed to be his earliest recording.

In 2005, Ray Peterson, the voice behind the June 1960, US number 7 hit, "Tell Laura I Love Her" passed away at the age of 65. After the hit records stopped coming in the early '70s, Peterson became a Baptist Church minister and occasionally played the oldies music circuit.

In 2011, Mary-Lu Zahalan-Kennedy became the first person in the world to graduate with a Masters degree in the Beatles. The 53-year-old former Miss Canada finalist signed up for the course on the Beatles when it began at Liverpool Hope University in March 2009. The ground-breaking study program looked at the studio sound and composition of the Fab Four and examined the significance and impact of their music on Western culture.

birthdays today include (among others): Ronnie Brandon (McCoys) (66), Michael Cotten (Tubes) (62), Andy Cox (Beat, Fine Young Cannibals) (56) and Alicia Keys (31)

New Vinyl Record and Music Releases ~ January 24, 2012

2012-01-23T13:43:00.000-06:00

††† – (EP)
Abigail Williams - Becoming
Aborted - Global Flatline
Apples in Stereo - Funtrick Noisemaker (reissue) (vinyl)
Arctic Monkeys - Black Treacle
Bardo Pond and Tom Carter - 4/23/03
Beyond The Bridge - The Old Man & The Spirit
Big Deal - Lights Out
Bill Medley -100% Soft and Soulful
Biohazard - Reborn In Defiance
Blessed By A Broken Heart - Feel the Power
Boy & Bear - Moonfire
Brainiac - Smart Bunny Baby (reissue)
Can - Live 1971-1977 (reissue)
Cardinal - Hymns
Celtic Woman - Believe
Chairlift - Something
Charlie Wilson - Playlist: the Very Best of Charlie Wilson
Charlift - Something
Cheyenne Marie Mize - We Don't Need (vinyl)
Cloud Nothings - Attack On Memory
Craig Finn - Clear Heart, Full Eyes
Dana Falconberry - Though I Didn't Call It Came
Dead Icons - Condemned
Dion - Tank Full Of Blues
Dodecahedron - s/t
Doors - L.A. Woman: 40th Anniversary Edition (vinyl)
Elizaveta - Beatrix Runs
Evan Voytas - Feel Me (EP)
Evelyn Champagne King - Face to Face
First Aid Kit - The Lion's Roar
Foxy Shazam - The Church of Rock and Roll
Gangrene - Vodka & Ayahuasca
Gauntlet Hair - My Christ (7") (vinyl)
Girlschool - Hit & Run Revisited
Glen Campbell - Live In Japan
Gonjasufi - MU.ZZ.LE
Grace Woodroofe - Always Want
Graffiti6 - Colours
Grateful Dead - Dick's Picks Vol.32: Alpine Valley Music Theatre, East Troy, WI 8/7/82 (2 CDs)
Grateful Dead - Dick's Picks Vol.33: Oakland Coliseum Stadium 10/9 & 10/10/76 (4 CDs)
Holiday Crowd - Over the Bluffs (EP)
Imaginary Cities - Imaginary Cities (EP)
Imbogodom: And They Turned Not When They Went (vinyl)
Ingrid Michaelson - Human Again
Jad Fair - Bird House
Jason Urick - I Love You
Jody Miller - Complete Epic Hits
Joe Cocker - Hard Knocks
John K. Samson - Provincial
John Lydon - Psycho's Path
Karen Dalton - 1966 Delmore Recordings
Kathleen Edwards - Voyageur (vinyl)
Kellie Pickler - 100 Proof
Koffin Kats - On Way and the Highway
Lacuna Coil - Dark Adrenaline
Lamb of God - Resolution
Laura Gibson - La Grande
Laura J Martin - The Hangman Tree
Lazerbreak - Lava Bangers
Leila - U&I (2 LPs) (vinyl)
Leonard Cohen - I'm Your Man (reissue) (vinyl)
MF Doom - Dime Box (vinyl)
Maccabees - Given to the Wild
Madi Diaz - Plastic Moon
Maggie & Terry Roche - Seductive Reasoning
Mantronix - King Of The Beats (Anthology 1985-1988) (2 CDs)
Mario Diaz de Leon - Hypnos
Matt Pryor - May Day
Meat Puppets - Up on the Sun (reissue with bonus tracks)
moe. - What Happened to the La Las
Mull Historical Society - City Awakenings
Mummified in Circuitry - Echoes of Morality
Nada Surf - The Stars are Indifferent to Astronomy
Neal Morgan - In the Yard
Nekromantheon - Rise, Vulcan Spectre
Nothnegal - Decadence
Palisades - I'm Not Dying Today
Pop.1280 - The Horror
Porcelain Raft - Strang Weekend
Primal Fear - Unbreakable
Priscilla Ahn - A Good Day (reissue) (vinyl)
Public Image Ltd. - 9
Public Image Ltd. - Compact Disc
Public Image Ltd. - Flowers of Romance
Public Image Ltd. - Greatest Hits So Far
Public Image Ltd. - Happy
Public Image Ltd. - Live in Tokyo
Public Image Ltd. - Paris in the Spring: Live
Public Image Ltd. - Public Image
Public Image Ltd. - That What is Not
Public Image Ltd. - This Is What You Want This Is What You Get
Pulled Apart By Horses - Tough Love (vinyl)
Rhyton - Rhyton
Rodrigo y Gabriela - Area 52
Rumer - Seasons of My Soul
Scorpions - Comeblack
Shalamar - I Can Make You Feel Good: The Best of
Sham 69 - Hurry Up Harry: the Collection
Skrillex - Bangarang (EP)
Smokey Robinson & the Miracles - Tears of a Clown: The Collection
Standard Fare - Out of Sight, Out of Town
Starving Weirdos - Land Lines
Teenager - Frights
The Darcys - AJA
The Jerry Garcia Band - Keystone Berkeley: September 1, 1974
The Jerry Garcia Band - Warner Theatre, March 18, 1978
The War on Drugs - Come to the City (7") (vinyl)
Tim McGraw - Emotional Traffic
Underworld - 1992 – 2012 Anthology
Various Artists - 2012 Grammy Nominees
Various Artists - Chimes of Freedom: The Songs of Bob Dylan
Various Artists - Re-Edits & Remixes (2 CDs)
Wilco - iTunes Session
Wolf People - Tidings (reissue)
Woodpigeon - For Paolo (EP)
Xray Eyeballs - Splendor Squalor
Yuksek - Living on the Edge of Time
Zomes - Improvisations (vinyl)

Amazon.com Widgets

Vinyl Record News & Music Notes

2012-01-23T13:15:00.000-06:00

Vinyl records make the world go around again

AFP - In the brave new world of MP3 players, compact discs are dying, cassettes are Stone Age, and old-fashioned vinyl records... they're back!

It might seem that nothing short of a wind-up gramophone could be more out of place today than the nostalgia-laden, crackly-sounding 33 and 45 RPM disc.

Yet in his Brooklyn, New York, factory, 40-year-old Thomas Bernich churns them out by the tens of thousands, feeding a vinyl revival that has record decks -- and cash tills -- spinning.

"It's my baby," Bernich said in his spartan office at Brooklynphono. "It's growing."

The small plant in a blue collar neighborhood hums with the sound of machines and spaghetti-like rows of pipes delivering ground-up vinyl to presses where the material reemerges as shiny albums etched with near-invisible, music-filled spirals.

Bernich started on a shoestring 10 years ago. Now he has four full-time employees and two part-time, manufacturing a quarter of a million discs a year, with plans to double capacity.

Read the rest at france24.com

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this from our friends at sundazed.com

SUNDAZED AND EXPERIENCE HENDRIX RECAPTURE THE JIMI HENDRIX VINYL EXPERIENCE!

ROCK’S GREATEST GUITAR LEGEND’S VINTAGE RECORDINGS RETURN TO THEIR VINYL ROOTS WITH HISTORIC 7” SINGLE SERIES

In an historic alliance, the renowned reissue label Sundazed Music has partnered with Experience Hendrix, L.L.C. to release a series of new 7" picture-sleeve vinyl singles featuring unique and hard-to-find vintage performances by Jimi Hendrix.

The ongoing series launches in April with an initial release that combines a pair of historically significant recordings from two different Hendrix 1967 BBC sessions. One is a raucous reading of Bob Dylan's "Can You Please Crawl Out Your Window?”. Hendrix recorded his version on October 17 for BBC Radio's Rhythm and Blues show. Dylan’s original version, one of history’s most notable and enduring musical enigmas, wasn’t released on a legitimate album for more than 10 years after its first issue. This Jimi Hendrix Experience version was a highlight of the BBC Sessions double album issued by Experience Hendrix/Sony Legacy in October 2010.

“Can You Please Crawl Out Your Window?” is paired with a fascinating, newly discovered take of the Hendrix original "Burning Of The Midnight Lamp," as performed on August 24,1967 on BBC Television's Top of the Pops, just a week after the song's original studio version had been released as a single in Britain on Track Records. In keeping with strict Musician Union regulations, Jimi was to sing live atop the song's instrumental backing track. The Top Of The Pops presenter announced the Experience, but then ‘The House That Jack Built’ by the Alan Price Set began to play. A few seconds in, Jimi, ever polite, offered an apology, “I'm sorry man but I don't know the words...” As panic no doubt ensued within the studio's control room, the program's flustered presenter apologized and implored Jimi to try it once again.

Both sides feature the classic original Jimi Hendrix Experience lineup of Hendrix on guitar and vocals, Noel Redding on bass and Mitch Mitchell on drums, and capture the band just as it was beginning to emerge as a major force on both sides of the Atlantic.

As with every release in the series, it will feature a color picture sleeve incorporating rare vintage Hendrix photos that capture the legendary artist's distinctive persona and pioneering spirit.

Janie Hendrix, President and CEO of Experience Hendrix L.L.C. commented: "When the Jimi Hendrix Experience first burst into the world’s collective consciousness, it was through vinyl 45 rpm singles. Our vinyl single release program with Sundazed honors that brilliant history and, even expands on it in a very real way. It is traditional yet innovative, as Jimi certainly was."

Bob Irwin, President and CEO of Sundazed Music, Inc. commented: "We are thrilled and highly honored to be partnering with Experience Hendrix on this wonderful series. I’m positively elated that my most favorite musician of all time will now be a part of Sundazed."

In a recording career that spanned only three and a half years prior to his tragic death in 1970 at the age of 27, Jimi Hendrix revolutionized the role of the electric guitar, and radically altered the face of contemporary music. He became rock's first guitar superstar, with an effortless charisma that matched his visionary talent and intense performing style. His overwhelming influence continues to live on in virtually every electric guitarist who has followed him, yet none have ever equaled Hendrix's talent and imagination.

Chocolate Watch Band Vinyl Release

No Way Out LP

LP | $18.98
LP 5306

No Way Out, the thrilling debut album by the Chocolate Watch Band, immediately finds that cosmic sweet-spot of perfect garage-rock traction: where the rubber meets the road and the train keeps a-rollin.'

Nobody ever did Mick Jagger any better (even Mick, himself) than the Watch Band's frighteningly superb frontman Dave Aguilar. "Are You Gonna Be There (At The Love-In)" and "Let's Talk About Girls" are on everyone's list of Top 20 garage rock anthems of all time. And that's just the tip of the vermillion iceberg for this essential longplayer. "Come On," an early Stones single, gets the perfect Watch Band overhaul, "Hot Dusty Roads" ventures down back alleys that Buffalo Springfield never dreamed about and "No Way Out" dances rings around the outskirts of your nearest Human Be-In.

A San Jose, Calif. band whose reputation has grown exponentially over the decades, the Chocolate Watch Band are now revered as one of the Seven Wonders of the World of garage rock. Spotlighting the classic lineup—the inflammatory vocals of Dave Aguilar and the roof-rattling guitars of Mark Loomis and Sean Tolby, fronting the rock-solid bass of Bill Flores and the letter-perfect drums of Gary Andrijasevich—the Watch Band's first two albums have it all. Stones swagger snake-hips its way through cosmic significance with just a dusting of eye-opening psychedelic legerdemain to make your neck snap backwards in pure joy.

Also available on CD

TRACK LIST:
1. Let’s Talk About Girls
2. Midnight Hour
3. Come On
4. Dark Side of the Mushroom
5. Hot Dusty Road
6. Are You Gonna Be There (At the Love-In)
7. Gone and Passes By
8. No Way Out
9. Expo 2000
10. Gossamer Wings

Buy It HERE

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EXUMER: 'Fire & Damnation' Cover Artwork Unveiled; Trailer Available

A trailer for "Fire & Damnation", the first album in 24 years from German thrash metal veterans EXUMER, can be seen below. Due in April via Metal Blade Records, the 10-track CD, which was recorded with renowned producer Waldemar Sorychta (GRIP INC., THERION, SODOM, MOONSPELL), "combines a punishing production with aggressive songwriting," according to a press release. "EXUMER manages to capture the intensity and feel of the 1980s thrash metal gems and yet sound up to date on their latest output."

Read more at our friends at Blabbermouth

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David Lynch Releases Collectors Edition of 'Crazy Clown Time'

Lynch has teamed up with the legendary Vaughan Oliver to release a Super Deluxe Collectors Edition of “Crazy Clown Time”, which is limited to 1000 copies worldwide and released today. Housed in a red “leatherette” book with silver spine, this lavish package includes the album on CD, two heavyweight vinyl LP’s and a 24 page art and lyrics book, cased in a rigid black Suedelle slipcase. In Oliver’s own words:

“The design of the Super Deluxe was inspired by the original photograph of the hand with red die that David sent for use on the front cover. Red, black and silvery grey in colour it also has a low culture feel about it which I developed in a tactile way with special materials. I was aiming for a sexy, kitsch quality with the black suede slipcase and red foil-blocked type. The book that slides out enhances this concept with a red leatherette finish and silver clothed spine whilst adding an “art book” touch with the “tipped in” image of the red die set into a debossed square centred on the book cover. The overall effect exhudes, sex, sleaze and “roulette wheel” ambience. Central to the content is a lavish 12”x12” booklet which allows David’s “forensic” photographs to dominate over a very simple, reserved approach to the lyrics layout”.

TRACKLIST:
1. Pinky’s Dream
2. Good Day Today
3. So Glad
4. Noah’s Ark
5. Football Game
6. I Know
7. Strange and Unproductive Thinking
8. The Night Bell With Lightning
9. Stone’s Gone Up
10. These Are My Friends
11. Speed Roadster
12. Movin’ On
13. She Rise Up

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OVERKILL: New Album Title, Cover Artwork Unveiled

New Jersey thrash metal veterans OVERKILL will release their new album, "The Electric Age", in North America on March 27 via eOne Music. The CD will be made available in Europe on March 30 through Nuclear Blast Records.

"The Electric Age" was recorded and mixed at Gain Studios in New Jersey, owned and operated by OVERKILL bassist D.D. Verni.

Read more at Blabbermouth

=============

this from our friends at vinylcollective.com

Top 10 Albums – January 23, 2012

Here are the Top 10 Albums sold at Shop Radio Cast for the week of January 17 – January 23, 2012:

1. V/A – Fat Music For Fat People LP
2. Blink 182 – Neighborhoods LP (Blue/White)
3. The Black Keys – The Moan / Have Love Will Travel 7″
4. The Horrible Crowes – Elsie LP
5. The Methadones – Not Economically Viable LP
6. Fun. – Aim and Ignite 2XLP
7. Fun. – Some Nights LP
8. Brand New – Your Favorite Weapon LP
9. Silverstein – Short Songs For Short People 10″
10. Hit The Lights – Invicta LP

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Neil Young Bashes Music Quality

Neil Young has lashed out at the sound quality of 21st century recorded music, recently revealing that listening to it makes him "angry."

He told MTV News: "I'm finding that I have a little bit of trouble with the quality of the sound of music today. I don't like it. It just makes me angry. Not the quality of the music, but we're in the 21st century and we have the worst sound that we've ever had. It's worse than a 78 [rpm record]. Where are our geniuses? What happened?"

Young went on to say that he believed people had changed their listening habits to cope with the worsening quality of recorded music, adding: "I like to point that out to artists. That's why people listen to music differently today. It's all about the bottom and the beat driving everything, and that's because in the resolution of the music, there's nothing else you can really hear. The warmth and the depth at the high end is gone."

Young made sure to say that though he hated the way modern music was recorded, he did not hate the new bands who made it, and talked up Mumford and Sons and My Morning Jacket as two of his favorite new bands. He said: "Mumford and Sons and My Morning Jacket are great bands. I love them both and I know them well. I feel good about saying that."

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and in music history for today janaury 23rd:

In 1943, Duke Ellington & His Orchestra played for a black-tie audience at New York City's Carnegie Hall for the first time. A recording of the concert was released on CD in 1977 as "The Carnegie Hall Concerts: January 1943," highlighted by Ellington's monumental suite "Black, Brown and Beige," in the only full-length version ever recorded by his orchestra.

Born on this day in 1950, Danny Federici, organ and keyboard player for Bruce Springsteen's E Street Band. Died of cancer on April 17th 2008 at the age of 58. Federici had worked with Springsteen for over 40 years, including early bands Steel Mill and Child.

In 1956, rock 'n' roll fans in Cleveland, Ohio who were under 18 were banned from dancing in public unless accompanied by an adult after Ohio Police started enforcing a law dating back to 1931.

Also in 1956, James Brown and the Famous Flames sign a recording contract with King Records. As a signing bonus, they receive $200. Their first effort, "Please, Please, Please", would become a million
seller later in the year, but their next nine releases failed to live up to the success of their debut.

In 1957, the movie 'Don't Knock the Rock' premiers.

In 1959, Buddy Holly kicked off the twenty-four date Winter Dance Party at the Million Dollar Ballroom in Milwaukee, backed by Tommy Allsup on guitar, Waylon Jennings on bass and Carl Bunch on drums.

In 1962, at Columbia Records' East 30th Street studios in New York City, Tony Bennett recorded his signature song, "I Left My Heart In San Francisco." CBS released it as the b-side of "Once Upon A Time." The A-side received no attention, and DJs began flipping the record over and playing "San Francisco." It became a hit on the pop singles chart in 1962 and spent close to a year on various other charts, achieving gold record status. It then won the top prize of Grammy Award for Record of the Year, as well as for Best Male Solo Vocal Performance. In 2001 it was ranked 23rd on an RIAA/NEA list of the most historically significant Songs of the 20th Century.

CVR Blog 45rpm Singles Spotlight:

In 1964, the Temptations released "The Way You Do the Things You Do." Falsetto Eddie Kendricks sings lead on the record, composed by Robinson and Rogers while on the road with The Miracles as part of the Motortown Revue tour. Its plethora of pick-up lines ("You got a smile so bright/you know you coulda been a candle/I'm holding you so tight/You know you coulda been a handle") began as a light-hearted joke between Robinson and Rogers to pass time on the long bus rides. Realizing they had something they could work with, the Miracles kept the lyrics in mind and prepared the song for the Temptations, who by this time had only one single that had ever made it onto a Billboard chart (1962's "Dream Come True" made it to #22 on the R&B singles chart) and six flopped singles. This version of the song actually appears on two of their early 60's albums; 1964's Meet The Temptations, and 1965's The Temptations Sing Smokey.

The recording was done on January 8, 1964, a mere two weeks after founding Temptation Elbridge Bryant had been fired, and Jimmy Ruffin's younger brother David Ruffin had taken Bryant's place. While Ruffin would sing lead on stage he would remain a background singer on the singles for most of 1964, but after Smokey Robinson heard him sing lead during the Temptations' Motortown Revue performance, Ruffin was assigned to sing lead on what would become the Temptations' first number-one hit, "My Girl".

The Temptations learned about the success of "The Way You Do the Things You Do" after returning home to Detroit, Michigan and hearing nonchalantly from a Motown executive that "oh, you guys got a hit."

After reading the number 76 ("with a bullet") listing in Billboard magazine, Temptations members Otis Williams and David Ruffin immediately began crying with joy. During this period the group's baritone Paul Williams was still considered the main lead singer; but due to the success of this single, Kendricks would be given the lead on the next two following singles.

In 1965, North America finally caught on to Petula Clark when her hit "Downtown" made her the first British female to have a number one hit on this side of the Atlantic in the Rock era. She would go on to rack up many more smashes, including "I Know a Place", "My Love", "I Couldn't Live Without Your Love", "This is My Song" and "Don't Sleep in the Subway". Clark had already been very successful in the UK, chalking up hits since 1954.

In 1969, in Memphis, between 4:00 and 7:00 a.m., Elvis Presley recorded eight takes of "Suspicious Minds," with future Grateful Dead vocalist Donna Jean Godchaux singing backup. Producer Felton Jarvis decided on a premature fade-out and fade back in near the end of the track to reflect the way Elvis performed the song in his live Las Vegas stage act. It became Presley's 17th and last #1 single in the US. Rolling Stone later ranked it #91 on their list of the 500 Greatest Songs of All Time

In 1969, at the Apple Studios in London, the Beatles, with Billy Preston playing a Fender Rhodes electric piano, recorded ten takes of "Get Back." None were used for the released single. On January 27 they recorded 14 more takes of the song, eventually selecting Take 11 which was then spliced together with the best take of the coda ending recorded on January 28. A footnote: The stereo single version of "Get Back" was the first Beatles recording to feature Ringo Starr's drum kit in true stereo.

In 1971, Steel Mill played their final show when they appeared at the Upstage Club, Asbury Park, New Jersey. Singer Bruce Springsteen formed new bands during the rest of the year known under such names as the Bruce Springsteen Jam, Dr. Zoom and the Sonic Boom, and finally the Bruce Springsteen Band.

In 1971, George Harrison became the first solo Beatle to have a #1 when "My Sweet Lord" went to the top of the UK single charts. The song from his 'All Things Must Pass' album stayed at #1 for five weeks. The track returned to the top of the UK charts in 2002, following his death.

In 1971, as a follow-up to their US number 3 hit "Candida", Tony Orlando and Dawn topped the charts with "Knock Three Times". It was the trio's second straight million seller, but it would take two more years and a series of minor chart makers before they would return to the top with "Tie A Yellow Ribbon Round The Ole Oak Tree".

In 1973, after reading a note that says 'an accord has been reached for peace in Vietnam', Neil Young announces to a Madison Square Garden crowd, "Peace has come."

In 1975, Supertramp kick off a 13 date British tour to promote their third album "Crime Of The Century". The LP will spawn the single "Dreamer", which will reach #13 in the UK and #15 in the US.

In 1977, during her concert in Tampa, singer Patti Smith danced off the stage and fell 15 feet into a concrete orchestra pit, breaking several neck vertebrae.

In 1977, Carole King's landmark LP, 'Tapestry' became the longest-running album of all time on the Billboard chart, as it reached its 302nd week on the list.

In 1978, Chicago's guitarist, 32 year old Terry Kath, accidentally shot and killed himself while playing with a gun at a party, telling others around him that the gun was unloaded. His spot in the band would be filled by Donny Dacus, who previously played guitar with Stephen Stills.

Also in 1978, singer Vic Ames of the Ames Brothers vocal group died in an auto accident at the age of 51.

In 1986, Buddy Holly was posthumously inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame at it's inaugural ceremony. Other first inductees included Elvis Presley, Chuck Berry, James Brown, Sam Cooke, Jerry Lee Lewis, The Everly Brothers, Little Richard and Fats Domino.

In 1988, Michael Jackson went to #1 on the US singles chart with "The Way You Make Me Feel."

In 1988, Tiffany started a two-week run at #1 on the US album chart with 'Tiffany.'

Also in 1988, Nirvana recorded a 10-song demo with Seattle producer Jack Endino. Sub Pop records boss Jonathan Poneman hears the tape and offers to put out a Nirvana single.

In 1989, James Brown was sentenced in Georgia to six years in jail in connection with a police chase through two states last September 24th. He would be granted parole three years later.

In 1990, Allen Collins guitarist from Lynyrd Skynyrd died of pneumonia after being ill for several months. Collins who was one of the founding members also co-wrote most of the band's songs (including Free Bird), with late front man Ronnie Van Zant. He survived a plane crash in 1977 that killed two other band members. Collins was behind the wheel in a car accident in 1986 that killed his girlfriend and left him paralyzed from the waist down. He later pleaded no contest to vehicular manslaughter as well as driving under the influence of alcohol.

In 1991, John Sebastian, owner and general manager of KLSK FM in Albuquerque, New Mexico, played Led Zeppelins 'Stairway To Heaven' for twenty-four solid hours to inaugurate a format change to Classic Rock. Police showed up with guns drawn: once after a listener reported that the DJ had apparently suffered a heart attack, and later because of suspicion that, this being eight days into the Gulf War, the radio station had been taken hostage by terrorists dispatched by Zeppelin freak Saddam Hussein.

In 1995, William Horton of the Philadelphia vocal group, The Silhouettes, died at the age of 65. The group topped the Billboard chart in 1958 with "Get A Job".

In 1996, White Zombie was not allowed to play a Johnson City, TN show after the city council rejected the show saying they were devil worshipers.

In 1997, 63 year old Richard Berry, who wrote The Kingsmen's "Louie Louie", died from an aneurysm while sleeping at his home in South Central Los Angeles.

In 1998, Johnny Funches, who wrote and sang lead on The Dells' 1956 million seller, "Oh What A Night", passed away at the age of 62.

In 2000, Santana started a three week run at #1 on the US album chart with 'Supernatural', the album spent a total of nine weeks at #1 during this year.

In 2001, an English coroner criticised the rap singer Eminem's lyrics as depressing during an inquest into the death of a schoolboy who threw himself in front of a train. The 17-year old boy had printed out the lyrics to Eminem's track 'Rock Bottom' before his death.

In 2005, one of the biggest charity concerts since Live Aid raised $2 million for victims of the tsunami disaster in Asia. The concert held at The Millennium Stadium, Cardiff featured Eric Clapton, Manic Street Preachers, Keane, Charlotte Church, Snow Patrol, Embrace, Feeder, Craig David and Liberty X, who appeared before 60,000 fans at the sold-out concert.

In 2002, EMI announced that it would pay Mariah Carey $28 million to end their association which was planned to last for several albums estimated at $100 million.

In 2011, former Beatles drummer Richard Starkey filed an application with the United States Patent and Trademark Office to register the name "Ringo".

birthdays today include (among others): Nick Harmer (Death Cab for Cutie) (37), Anita Pointer (Pointer Sisters) (64), Bill Cunningham (Box Tops) (62) and Robin Zander (Cheap Trick) (60)

Michael Fremer Album Review

2012-01-21T11:06:00.000-06:00

Sky Full of Holes
(new release)

Fountains of Wayne

Yep roc Yep 2247 180g LP

Produced by: Chris Collingwood and Adam Schlesinger

Engineered by: Geoff Sanoff

Mixed by: John Holbrook

Mastered by: George Marino at Sterling Sound

Vinyl Cut by: A. Nonymous

MUSIC

SOUND

Store Gone, Fountains Still Spew
by Michael Fremer
December 01, 2011

Named for a now defunct Northern New Jersey, Route 23 lawn furniture emporium (bought my chaise lounges there!), Fountains of Wayne has been making consistently tuneful and erudite observations about just plain folks since 1996 when they released their eponymous first album on Atlantic Records. The core was then and is now, the delightfully bratty-voiced Chris Collingwood and his multi-instrumental partner Adam Schlesinger.

But you probably already know that, having consumed with great pleasure the rest of the group's witty, melodic, easily digestible musical output. And if not, why not?

Having grown up a short Q44 bus ride away from Utopia Parkway, the group's second album and also having lived in "Hackensack," a song from the group's third album Welcome Interstate Managers I feel somehow oddly connected to these guys. I certainly share their sense of humor. But enough about me.

1999's Utopia Parkway concerned itself generally with teenaged angst, but more specifically, the awkward period of time between physically and mentally moving out of one's childhood home and establishing one's adulthood. Catchy couplets, hummable melodies and enthusiastic reviews didn't translate into huge sales and Atlantic dropped them.

They carried on with 2003's Welcome Interstate Managers containing another collection of irresistiblly tuneful tales mining with even greater precision the same subject matter, including the MILF anthem "Stacey's Mom," the inside the quarterback's head "All Kinds of Time" and the played against type sincerity of the Paul Simon-ish "Valley Winter Song." Another great album with zero filler.

It takes these guys a college education's worth of time to produce a new album, which brought about 2007's very fine but somewhat less memorable Traffic and Weather and now 2011's Sky Full of Holes.

This one finds the duo diving, not just dipping into the Difford/Tilbrook playbook, with a more acoustic flavor than usual, backed by guitarist Jody Porter and drummer Brian Young. The connection between Fountains and Squeeze's mid-tempo tunefulness has always been there, just more understated than here. Here it's upfront on the opening hilarity and chaos of "The Summer Place," a song about the comings and goings on an island vacation home and a women who "ran away (from home) back in '78," meaning the songwriting duo has trained its eyes on a forty-something instead of a twenty-something.

"Richie and Ruben" (rhymes with a partnership that don't know what its doin') concerns a duo, friends since the seventh grade, that doesn't do well in business, first with a restaurant and then a boutique. "Acela" breezily observes people on the Amtrak to Boston, while "Someone's Gonna Break Your Heart" is in the wistful, end of summer melodic mode Fountains does so well.

"Action Hero" looks at a middle-aged guy living a banal but stressed-out suburban family life who gets by imagining himself a leaper of tall buildings. In other words, the subjects have now made the jump from in-between adolescent time to full fledged adulthood. The side ends with a nostalgic look back at a couple's 1998 Caribbean vacation. No country mentioned, but sounds like Jamaica.

There's a wonderfully resigned "road song" that dips into "Valley Winter Song" territory written to the one who stayed home in which Collingwood self-deprecatingly sings "And I know that I'm no Steve Perry." As side two rolls along, the brattiness gives way to the sincerity of "Workingman's Hands" that could end up in a Home Depot commercial, followed by the equally sincere, Springsteen-ish "pick yourself up" song "Hate to See You LIke This." "Radio Bar" picks up the pace but the lyrical and musical mood is '70s nostalgic.

The "Firefight Waltz" gets downright soft and cuddly, while the album's closer, "Cemetery Guns," which contains the album title within its lyrics, indicates a profound seriousness signaling either the end of the road or a turn onto a new one for Fountains of Wayne. Either way, the album ends with a weighty sputter not a frothy flash. Fans won't want to miss this latest tuneful installment whatever it signals for the future.

The recording and mix are serviceable and well organized digital, probably Pro-Tools. Its quite listenable by today's standards but that's about it. While George Marino mastered the files, the label wouldn't pay Sterling's lacquer cutting rate and I have no idea who did the honors. The 180g pressing was excellent and the record was in a nice paper and rice paper sleeve within a well-presented jacket. A glossy one sheet presents the lyrics. The free MP3 download includes bonus material not on the album as well as a free Yep Roc musical sampler.

Thanks to Michael over at www.musicangle.com for the exclusive rights to reprint this material. Stop by MusicAngle.com for more reviews and features.

Reprinted by Permission

Vinyl Record News & Music Notes

2012-01-21T11:00:00.000-06:00

great article about some lost treasures being reissued!

Homespun vinyl

by CHRIS RIEMENSCHNEIDER , Star Tribune

Bringing rare albums to collectors worldwide, Secret Stash Records truly is a secret in its hometown - except to its faithful volunteers

On a recent Monday night, when most men were at home watching football, a dozen male music geeks crowded into an Uptown Minneapolis office for a three-hour volunteer work shift. Their mission: Hand-package 1,000 vinyl copies of a record that came out 41 years ago and was largely forgotten.

Welcome to the cult of Secret Stash Records.

A two-year-old Minneapolis label with an especially strong following in Europe, Secret Stash finds old, long-out-of-print albums that it reissues to rare-vinyl-seeking record nerds around the globe. Its releases have ranged from Peruvian funk to Ghanaian R&B to '70s porn-movie soundtracks.

Read the rest at startribune.com

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For the Record

Dust off your turntable. Vinyl is back.

by Jennie Wood

The Nielsen Company and Billboard released their 2011 Music Industry Report in January 2012. The report included some positive news: total album sales were up for the first time since 2004. One obvious reason was the still-rising popularity of digital music. Digital album sales broke the 100 million mark for the first time, up nearly 20% from 2010. Three genres, Jazz, New Age, and Electronic, doubled their digital album sales. A second, indisputable reason for the increase in sales was Adele's blockbuster album, 21, which became the first record since Usher's Confessions in 2004 to sell more than 5 million copies in one year. A third and less obvious reason was, for the fourth consecutive year, vinyl album sales increased. In fact, more vinyl albums were purchased in 2011 than any other year since Nielsen SoundScan started keeping score.

Vinyl in a Digital Age

In 2011, vinyl album sales reached 3.9 million, up 36% from 2010. Of all those vinyl records sold, 67% were purchased at independent music stores like Chicago's Reckless Records. Having worked at Reckless since 2008, Rebecca Crawford has seen a rise in vinyl sales. When asked why she thinks vinyl sales have increased, she said, "It is primarily due to the 'digital age' of downloading music causing CDs to dramatically decrease in value. Many people will buy CDs, burn it, and then sell them back."

Crawford also said the renewed interest in vinyl was due to a younger generation discovering it for the first time.

Read more at Infoplease.com

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this from our friends at polyvinylrecords.com

Deerhoof/David Bazan Split 7"+Instant MP3 Out Now!

DeerBazan is the latest in a series of collaborative 7"s featuring guest vocalists singing self composed lyrics and vocal melodies over a Deerhoof instrumental.

Side A features David Bazan (Pedro the Lion, Headphones) on Deerhoof's "No One Asked to Dance" (from Deerhoof vs. Evil).

Side B features Bazan's re-working of the Headphones classic "Gas and Matches."

Limited edition of 2000 on clear blue vinyl.

All orders receive an INSTANT MP3 download at checkout.

Deerhoof/David Bazan DeerBazan Clear Blue 7" + Instant MP3 -- $5

Deerhoof Reveille LP+Instant MP3 Out Now!

Reveille, Deerhoof's fourth full-length, is the first to feature guitarist John Dieterich (Gorge Trio, SWAPS) -- joining Satomi Matsuzaki and Greg Saunier.

Now available for the first time on 180-gram light blue vinyl.

All orders receive an INSTANT full-album MP3 download at checkout.

Deerhoof Reveille Light Blue LP + Instant MP3 -- $14

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in an expanded music history for january 21st:

Born on this day in 1939, DJ Wolfman Jack. Master of ceremonies for the rock 'n' roll generation of the '60s on radio, and later on television during the '70s. Died of a heart attack 1/7/95.

In 1957, at Universal Recording Studios in Chicago, Chuck Berry recorded "School Day," backed by guitarist Hubert Sumlin, bassist Willie Dixon, and drummer Fred Below. The session(s) were produced by the Chess brothers – Leonard and Phil. It is one of his best known songs and is often considered a rock and roll anthem. It was first released as a single and later appeared as the lead track on Berry's first album, After School Session.

In 1957, Elvis Presley began filming his second movie, his first in color, "Loving You," co-starring Lizabeth Scott, Wendell Corey, Dolores Hart, and James Gleason.

Also in 1957, country music singer Patsy Cline was the winning contestant on "Arthur Godfrey's Talent Scouts" program on CBS-TV with her performance of "Walkin' After Midnight."

In 1959, the Kingston Trio, one of the foremost groups behind the folk music craze, receive their first Gold record for "Tom Dooley", a folk song based on the 1866 murder of a woman named Laura Foster in Wilkes County, North Carolina.

In 1964, Peter and Gordon record the Lennon / McCartney tune "A World Without Love."

It was released as their first single in February 1964, reaching number one in the UK Singles Chart in April. The song was written by Paul McCartney and attributed to Lennon–McCartney. The B-side was "If I Were You" written by Peter and Gordon. In June 1964, "A World Without Love" topped the Billboard Hot 100 in the US. It was included on the duo's debut album in the UK, and in the US on an album of the same name. It is one of two songs written by Lennon–McCartney to reach number one in the US by an artist other than the Beatles. The other is "Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds" by Elton John.

"A World Without Love" is one of The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame's 500 Songs that Shaped Rock and Roll.

McCartney did not think the song was good enough for The Beatles. Prior to giving the song to Peter and Gordon, he offered it to Billy J. Kramer, who rejected it.

McCartney described John Lennon's reaction to the song: "The funny first line always used to please John. 'Please lock me away –' 'Yes, okay.' End of song." Lennon said of the song that "I think that was resurrected from the past....I think he had that whole song before the Beatles....That has the line 'Please lock me away' that we always used to crack up at."

This song was never released by the Beatles and the only known recording of the song by any member of the Beatles is the original demo of the song performed by McCartney which is now in the possession of Peter Asher.

In 1965, over 3,000 screaming fans met the Rolling Stones and Roy Orbison at Sydney Airport when they arrived for a 16 date of tour in Australia and New Zealand.

In 1966, Beatle George Harrison married his long-time girlfriend, fashion model Patti Boyd, whom he met on the set of the Beatles' first movie, A Hard Day's Night. She would leave an unfaithful Harrison in the mid-'70s and hooked up with Eric Clapton, who would write the song "Layla" about her. Those two would marry in May 1979, but split in 1988.

In 1967, Davy Jones began recording Neil Diamond's "A Little Bit Me, A Little Bit You" with studio musicians and Diamond's producer Jeff Barry. Although Jones was the only Monkee involved in the recording, it was released six weeks later as the next Monkees single and earned them their third Gold Record.

European single cover

In 1968, Jimi Hendrix recorded his version of the Bob Dylan song "All Along the Watchtower" at Olympic Studios in London. Rolling Stone Brian Jones and Dave Mason from Traffic both played on the session. The Hendrix version, released six months after Dylan's original recording, became a Top 20 single in 1968.

The Jimi Hendrix Experience began to record their cover version of Dylan's "All Along the Watchtower" on January 21, 1968, at Olympic Studios in London. According to engineer Andy Johns, Jimi Hendrix had been given a tape of Dylan’s recording by publicist Michael Goldstein, who worked for Dylan’s manager Albert Grossman. "(Hendrix) came in with these Dylan tapes and we all heard them for the first time in the studio”, recalled Johns. According to Hendrix’s regular engineer Eddie Kramer, the guitarist cut a large number of takes on the first day, shouting chord changes at Dave Mason who had appeared at the session and played guitar. Halfway through the session, bass player Noel Redding became dissatisfied with the proceedings and left. Mason then took over on bass. According to Kramer, the final bass part was played by Hendrix himself. Kramer and Chas Chandler mixed the first version of "All Along The Watchtower" on January 26, but Hendrix was quickly dissatisfied with the result and went on re-recording and overdubbing guitar parts during June, July, and August at the Record Plant studio in New York. Engineer Tony Bongiovi has described Hendrix becoming increasingly dissatisfied as the song progressed, overdubbing more and more guitar parts, moving the master tape from a four-track to a twelve-track to a sixteen-track machine. Bongiovi recalled, "Recording these new ideas meant he would have to erase something. In the weeks prior to the mixing, we had already recorded a number of overdubs, wiping track after track. [Hendrix] kept saying, ‘I think I hear it a little bit differently.’” The finished version was released on the album Electric Ladyland in September 1968. The single reached number five in the British charts, and number 20 on the Billboard chart, Hendrix's only top 20 / top 40 entry there.

Dylan has described his reaction to hearing Hendrix's version: "It overwhelmed me, really. He had such talent, he could find things inside a song and vigorously develop them. He found things that other people wouldn't think of finding in there. He probably improved upon it by the spaces he was using. I took license with the song from his version, actually, and continue to do it to this day." In the booklet accompanying his Biograph album, Dylan said: "I liked Jimi Hendrix's record of this and ever since he died I've been doing it that way... Strange how when I sing it, I always feel it's a tribute to him in some kind of way."

This version of the song appears at number 48 on Rolling Stone's 500 Greatest Songs of All Time and in 2000, British magazine Total Guitar named it top of the list of the greatest cover versions of all time. The song also had the #5 spot on Guitar World's 100 Greatest Guitar Solos.

In 1970, the Elvis Presley film 'Change of Habit' was released. It would be his last movie except for documentaries and concert films.

In 1978, the soundtrack album 'Saturday Night Fever' started a 24 week run at No.1 on the US album charts, it went on to sell over 30 million copies world wide, making it the best selling soundtrack album of all time.

In 1982, B.B. King donated his entire record collection of over 20,000 discs to Mississippi University's centre for the Study of Southern Culture.

In 1983, bassist (Ramblin' Man) Lamar Williams, of the Allman Brothers Band and Sea Level, died of lung cancer at 34.

In 1984, soul singer Jackie Wilson died aged 49. Wilson suffered a massive heart attack while playing a Dick Clark show at the Latin Casino in New Jersey on September 29, 1975, falling head-first to the stage while singing "Lonely Teardrops," and had remained in a coma until his death 8 years later.

In 1984, Yes hits number one on the Billboard Hot 100 with their only Top Ten hit, "Owner Of A Lonely Heart". It reached #28 hit in the UK.

In 1987, the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inducts the Coasters, Eddie Cochran, Bo Diddley, Aretha Franklin, Marvin Gaye, Bill Haley, B.B. King, Clyde McPhatter, Ricky Nelson, Roy Orbison, Carl Perkins, Smokey Robinson, Muddy Waters, Hank Williams and Jackie Wilson. Bruce Springsteen inducted Roy Orbison into the Rock'n'Roll Hall of Fame.

In 1989, Bobby Brown went to #1 on the US album chart with 'Don't Be Cruel.'

In 1989, Phil Collins scored his seventh US #1 single with "Two Hearts."

In 1989, six weeks after his death Roy Orbison started a three-week run at No.1 on the UK album chart with 'The Legendary Roy Orbison' collection.

In 1989, Steve Wahrer, drummer and vocalist for the Trashmen on their 1964 hit "Surfin' Bird," died of throat cancer at the age of 47.

In 1996, Cannibal and the Headhunters lead singer Francisco Garcia died at the age of 49. The group's biggest hit was "Land Of A Thousand Dances", which reached number 30 in 1965.

In 1997, 'Colonel' Tom Parker, Elvis Presley's manager and agent died of a stroke in Las Vegas, Nevada, at the age of 87. Born Andreas van Kuijk, a Dutch immigrant who changed his name as soon as he arrived in the US, Parker never applied for a green card and feared deportation his entire life. He briefly managed country singers Eddy Arnold and Hank Snow.

Also in 1997, songwriter Jesse Levine died of kidney failure aged 58. Co-wrote, "Knock Three Times" and "Tie A Yellow Ribbon" both US & UK #1's for Dawn in the early 70's.

In 1999, blues singer/songwriter/Rock and Roll Hall of Famer Charles Brown died of congestive heart failure at age 76.

In 2002, 81 year old Peggy Lee, best known in the Rock era for her 1958 version of "Fever", passed away after suffering a heart attack at her Bel Air, California home. Lee worked with Benny Goodman, Randy Newman, Quincy Jones and was nominated for 12 Grammy Awards, winning Best Contemporary Vocal Performance for her 1969 hit "Is That All There Is?" and had charted 46 times from 1945 to 1969, ten times in the Top Ten. She had suffered a stroke in 1998 and had been battling heart disease and diabetes.

In 2010, the International Federation of the Phonographic Industry issued a statement that said global government legislation is essential to the survival of recorded music. The IFPI said that "Copyright holders cannot hope to micro-manage the behavior of every consumer" and "there is a growing threat to local artists posed by piracy."

Some of the musicians celebrating birthdays today include: Richie Havens (1941), Mac Davis (1942), Billy Ocean (1950), Chris Kilmore (Incubus) (1973) and Benjamin Moody (Evanescence) (1980)

Vinyl Record News & Music Notes

2012-01-20T12:50:00.000-06:00

Bruce Springsteen releases new song

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looks like february is a killer month for new music releases! here a select few...

New Music Releases – February 2012

February 7

Lindsey Buckingham with Special Guest Stevie Nicks, ‘Live’ (2005) DVD
Paul McCartney, ‘Kisses on the Bottom’ (pop standards album)
Queen, ‘The Works’ (Deluxe edition)
Queen, ‘A Kind of Magic’ (Deluxe edition)
Queen, ‘The Miracle’ (Deluxe edition)
Queen, ‘Innuendo’ (Deluxe edition)
Queen, ‘Made in Heaven’ (Deluxe edition)
Van Halen, ‘A Different Kind of Truth’ (regular and deluxe editions)
Psycroptic, ‘The Inherited Repression’
Silverstein, ‘Short Songs’

February 14

Alice Cooper, ‘No More Mr. Nice Guy Live’ (2011 live album)
Todd Rundgren, ‘Todd’ (2010 live DVD)
Beneath the Massacre, ‘Incongruous’
Earth, ‘Angels of Darkness, Demons of Light II’
Goatwhore, ‘Blood for the Master’
Orange Goblin, ‘A Eulogy for the Damned’

February 21

Scorpions, ‘Get Your Sting and Blackout Live in 3D‘ (DVD)
Ten Years After, ‘Live Performance 1975′ (DVD)

February 28

Alfie Boe, ‘Alfie’ (featuring Robert Plant on ‘Song to the Siren’)
Kiss, ‘Destroyer‘ (Deluxe Edition)
Pink Floyd, ‘The Wall‘ (Experience and Immersion Editions)
UFO, ‘Seven Deadly’
Autopsy, ‘All Tomorrow’s Funerals’
Caliban, ‘I Am Nemesis’
Coldworker, ‘Doomsdayer’s Call’
Corrosion of Conformity, ‘Corrosion of Conformity’
Death, ‘Vivus!’ (Two-Disc Live Album)
Morbid Angel, ‘Illud Divinum Insanus: The Remixes’
Napalm Death, ‘Utilitarian’
Terrorizer, ‘Hordes of Zombies’

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fantastic article from down under, find the time to enjoy the records!

Records a labour of love in modern world

by: Iain Shedden

TWO weeks ago I was walking into a supermarket wearing a t-shirt with a picture of a 45rpm Motown single on the front when a lady, mid-20s approximately, came up to me and said: "Like your shirt. Is that one of those record things?"

I thought she was joking at first, but she wasn't.

It was an alarming illustration of how far we have come since the days when vinyl was an integral part of just about everyone's life.

Read the rest of this interesting article at theaustralian.com.au

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in illinois, a music store much more than the bricks and mortar....

Geneva’s Kiss the Sky serves as epicenter for local music culture

Independent shop’s future is uncertain

Geneva, IL — CDs and vinyl records lined the aisles as customers in their teens through their 60s scoured through them on a recent Wednesday at Kiss the Sky independent music store in downtown Geneva.

“I’ve been looking for this record for a long time,” said customer Erik Pertl, of Elgin, pulling out an album by rock guitarist Neal Schon.

Meanwhile, 17-year-old Kellen Maher purchased a vinyl record by the B-52s. He thinks his love of vinyl sets him apart from other teens, and he said he’s collected records long before a renewed interest began few years ago because of the indie music scene.

“I’ve had a record player my whole life,” Maher said.

This vinyl resurgence has helped keep the store in business.

The store’s owner, Steve Warrenfeltz, 59, said vinyl record sales now account for about 30 percent of his business. And that’s good for him because he said he’ll never conform to modern music media.

Customers won’t find an iPod charging station or digital downloads in his store.

Just then, three executives from the Aurora radio station The River walked in to discuss advertising with Warrenfeltz. Their suits contrasted the street clothes and rocker attire worn by many of the customers.

Something says this place is more than just a music store. This place is special. It’s a place for music lovers. It’s like a scene from the 1995 film “Empire Records.”

Read the rest at mysuburbanlife.com

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Singing legend Etta James dies at 73

By Todd Leopold, CNN

(CNN) -- Etta James, whose assertive, earthy voice lit up such hits as "The Wallflower," "Something's Got a Hold on Me" and the wedding favorite "At Last," has died, according to her longtime friend and manager, Lupe De Leon. She was 73.

She died from complications from leukemia with her husband, Artis Mills, and her sons by her side, De Leon said. She was diagnosed with leukemia in 2010, and also suffered from dementia and hepatitis C. James died at a hospital in Riverside, California. She would have turned 74 Wednesday.

Read the rest at cnn.com

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Johnny Otis, the Godfather of Rhythm & Blues, Passes Away at 90

Johnny Otis, the man known as the Godfather of Rhythm and Blues, passed away at his home in Altadena, CA on Tuesday at the age of 90. Otis had been in poor health for some time.

Otis was born John Veliotes and grew up in a predominantly African-American neighborhood in Berkeley, CA. At the age of 18, he started playing with Count Otis Matthew's West Oakland House Rockers and, four years later, was advised to move to Los Angeles by Nat King Cole and Jimmy Witherspoon.

Read more at our friends at vintagevinylnews.com

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and in music history for january 20th:

Leadbelly (Huddie Ledbetter) was born in 1888 (died 1949)

In 1958, the management of St. Louis radio station KWK had all Rock 'n' Roll music removed from its play list. The disc jockeys gave every Rock 'n' Roll record in the station library a "farewell spin" before smashing it to pieces. The station manager, Robert T. Convey felt that Rock 'n' Roll had dominated the airwaves long enough and called the action "a simple weeding out of undesirable music."

In 1958, Rick Nelson started a two-week run at #1 on the Billboard album chart with "Ricky", which featured his hit single "Be-Bop Baby".

Also in 1958, Capitol Records releases the original cast recording of "The Music Man", which will occupy the #1 spot on the Billboard album chart for twelve weeks and remain in the Top 200 for a total of 245 weeks.

In 1964, Capitol Records released the album 'Meet the Beatles.'

Meet The Beatles! is the second Beatles' album released in the United States, despite the "first album" claim on its cover. It was the first Capitol Records Beatles album, issued in both mono and stereo. Capitol is a sister company to Parlophone, the Beatles' British label, and both are subsidiaries of EMI.

Meet The Beatles! opens with the December 1963 Capitol single "I Want to Hold Your Hand"/"I Saw Her Standing There", and the B-side "This Boy" from the original November 1963 Parlophone single of "I Want to Hold Your Hand". It contains many of the tracks from the earlier British album With The Beatles and shares the same cover photograph. However, "You Really Got a Hold On Me", "Devil in Her Heart", "Money (That's What I Want)", "Please Mister Postman" and "Roll Over Beethoven" were omitted from Meet The Beatles! and released on the next Capitol album, The Beatles' Second Album.

The cover featured Robert Freeman's portrait that was used for the U.K. With The Beatles release with a tinted blue hue added to the original, stark black-and-white photograph.

"Meet The Beatles!" reached the number one spot on Billboard album charts starting on February 15th, 1964. It remained at number one for an impressive 11 weeks before being replaced by "The Beatles' Second Album"; the first time that an artist replaced itself at the number one album position.

In 2003, Meet The Beatles! was ranked number 59 on Rolling Stone magazine's list of the 500 greatest albums of all time.

Side One
1. "I Want To Hold Your Hand" (Lennon-McCartney)
2. "I Saw Her Standing There" (Lennon-McCartney)
3. "This Boy" (Lennon-McCartney)
4. "It Won't Be Long" (Lennon-McCartney)
5. "All I've Got to Do" (Lennon-McCartney)
6. "All My Loving" (Lennon-McCartney)

Side Two
1. "Don't Bother Me" (George Harrison)
2. "Little Child" (Lennon-McCartney)
3. "Till There Was You" (Meredith Willson)
4. "Hold Me Tight" (Lennon-McCartney)
5. "I Wanna Be Your Man" (Lennon-McCartney)
6. "Not a Second Time" (Lennon-McCartney)

1965 Dutch picture sleeve

In 1965, the Byrds recorded "Mr. Tambourine Man."

The master take of "Mr. Tambourine Man" was recorded on January 20, 1965, at Columbia Studios in Hollywood, prior to the release of Dylan's own version. The song's jangling, melodic guitar playing (performed by McGuinn on a 12-string Rickenbacker guitar) was immediately influential and has remained so to the present day. The group's complex harmony work, as featured on "Mr. Tambourine Man", became another major characteristic of their sound. Due to producer Terry Melcher's initial lack of confidence in The Byrds' musicianship, McGuinn was the only Byrd to play on "Mr. Tambourine Man" and its B-side, "I Knew I'd Want You". Rather than using band members, Melcher hired The Wrecking Crew, a collection of top L.A. session musicians, who (with McGuinn on guitar) provided the backing track over which McGuinn, Crosby, and Clark sang. By the time the sessions for their debut album began in March 1965, however, Melcher was satisfied that the band was competent enough to record its own musical backing.

The Byrds' recording of the song opens with a distinctive, Bach-inspired guitar introduction played by McGuinn and then, like Dylan's version, goes into the song's chorus. Although Dylan's version contains four verses, The Byrds only perform the song's second verse and two repeats of the chorus, followed by a variation on the song's introduction, which then fades out. The Byrds' arrangement of the song had been shortened during the band's rehearsals at World Pacific Studios in 1964, at the suggestion of Jim Dickson, in order to accommodate commercial radio stations, which were reluctant to play songs that were over two-and-a-half minutes long. Thus, while Dylan's version is five-and-a-half minutes long, The Byrds' runs just short of two-and-a-half minutes. The lead vocal on The Byrds' version of "Mr. Tambourine Man" was sung by McGuinn, who attempted to modify his singing style to fill what he perceived as a gap in the popular music scene of the day, somewhere between the vocal sound of John Lennon and Bob Dylan. The song also took on a spiritual aspect for McGuinn during the recording sessions, as he told The Byrds' biographer Johnny Rogan in 1997: "I was singing to God and I was saying that God was the Tambourine Man and I was saying to him, 'Hey, God, take me for a trip and I'll follow you.' It was a prayer of submission."

In 1965, Alan Freed, who many credit with coining the term "Rock and Roll", died at the age of 43. Freed was a Cleveland disc jockey who started promoting dances that featured the top artists of the day, including, Chuck Berry, Fats Domino and Jerry Lee Lewis. After moving to New York and appearing in some teen movies, he was caught up in the payola scandal of 1959 for accepting money for playing certain records on his radio show. Before his death, he was virtually broke and fighting charges of tax evasion. It was a sad end for one of Rock and Roll's most important pioneers.

Also in 1965, the Rolling Stones and the Kinks make their first appearance on ABC-TV's Shindig! Also appearing were the Dave Clark Five, Petula Clark, Bobby Vee, Bobby Sherman and Gerry And The Pacemakers.

In 1966, in San Francisco, promoter Bill Graham held a three-day "Trips Festival" at Longshoremen's Hall, featuring the Grateful Dead, Big Brother and the Holding Company, and Ken Kesey and the Merry Pranksters.

In 1968, John Fred's "Judy In Disguise (With Glasses"), a song title inspired by the Beatles "Lucy In The Sky With Diamonds", knocked the Fab Four's "Hello Goodbye" out of Billboard's top spot. It reached #3 in the UK.

In 1972, Pink Floyd premiered Dark Side of the Moon during a concert in Brighton, England.

In 1973, Jerry Lee Lewis was booked to play the Grand Ole Opry on the condition that he would stick to Country and Western tunes only. Jerry did just that for a while, but eventually broke into his old Rock hits from the 50's, while swearing up a storm. He proclaimed, "I am the rock and rollin', country and western, rhythm and blues singin' motherf***er."

In 1982, Ozzy Osbourne bit the head off of what he thought was a plastic bat thrown at him during a concert in Des Moines. The bat turned out to be real and Ozzy later went through a series of injections against rabies.

In 1988, the Beach Boys, the Beatles, the Drifters, Bob Dylan, Berry Gordy, Jr., Woody Guthrie, Leadbelly, Les Paul and the Supremes are inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame during ceremonies at New York's Waldorf Astoria. During the Beach Boys acceptance speech, vocalist Mike Love insulted just about everybody in the music business, including Paul McCartney, Diana Ross, Bruce Springsteen and Mick Jagger.

In 1999, Bill Albaugh, drummer for The Lemon Pipers on their 1967 US #1 single "Green Tambourine", died at the age of 53.

In 2000, bassist Ray Jones of Billy J. Kramer With The Dakotas died at the age of 60.

birthdays today include (among others): Rob Bourdon (Linkin Park) (33), Greg Kriesel (Offspring) (47), Rick Evans (Zager & Evans) (69), Slim Whitman (88), Ian Hill (Judas Priest) (61) and Paul Stanley (Kiss) (60)

Vinyl Record News & Music Notes

2012-01-19T13:50:00.001-06:00

in yesterday's post I made a mistake with a link, here is the correct link to see the story A Dead Format? written by Sammi Chichester from mindequalsblown.net sorry about that folks........

very impressive article, well worth the read. not sure if everyone who buys vinyl is an audiophile, i don't consider myself one. hey, if you play your 45s on your grandmother's old suitcase-style turntable and you enjoy your music, that is what it is all about......

A Dead Format?

by Sammi Chichester

For what many may think is a dead format, the fact is that sales of vinyl records are increasing year after year. Nielsen SoundScan projects vinyl in 2011 to have a 25 percent increase in sales from the

previous year. But how much is really sold, who buys it, and why?

For perspective, Nielsen has reported about 1 million vinyl sales every year in the past decade stating in 1995. Then in 2008, sales jumped to 2 million and then another half million the following two years.

The projections show this year to have a total finishing sale of 3.6 million, including many from top-selling artists such as Radiohead, Foo Fighters and Mumford & Sons. While it is true that digital downloads account for more than half of all music sales, the June mid-year report by Nielsen showed 155 million records were sold in all formats. Rock is the most popular genre with 52 million sales and rock’s close partner genre, alternative, makes up another 27 million in sales. “About 93 of the 100 best selling vinyl albums in 2011 fall within the rock or alternative genres,” the report states.

Even if vinyl records only account for about 2 percent of the music industry’s sales, the trend cannot be ignored because of one of the final statements worth noting – “Two out of every three vinyl albums are purchased at an independent music store.”

Please read the rest at mindequalsblown.net

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BRUCE SPRINGSTEEN TO RELEASE NEW STUDIO ALBUM 'WRECKING BALL' ON MARCH 6

Bruce Springsteen's new album 'Wrecking Ball' has been set for March 6 release on Columbia Records. Marking his 17th studio album, 'Wrecking Ball' features 11 new Springsteen songs and was produced by Ron Aniello with Bruce Springsteen and executive producer Jon Landau. A special edition of 'Wrecking Ball' will also be available and include two bonus tracks and exclusive artwork and photography.

'Wrecking Ball' Song Titles:
1.We Take Care of Our Own
2.Easy Money
3.Shackled and Drawn
4.Jack of All Trades
5.Death to My Hometown
6.This Depression
7.Wrecking Ball
8.You've Got It
9.Rocky Ground
10.Land of Hope and Dreams
11.We Are Alive

Said long-time manager Jon Landau, "Bruce has dug down as deep as he can to come up with this vision of modern life. The lyrics tell a story you can't hear anywhere else and the music is his most innovative in recent years. The writing is some of the best of his career and both veteran fans and those who are new to Bruce will find much to love on 'Wrecking Ball.'"

Bruce Springsteen will make an appearance as the keynote speaker at SXSW 2012. Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band will be touring extensively in the US and Europe in 2012.

'Wrecking Ball' is available for pre-order now Wrecking Ball (Vinyl LP)

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something we all know, glad it is being recognized!!

Two-Thirds of All Vinyl Records Are Sold at Indie Record Stores

According to stats recently shared with Digital Music News by Nielsen Soundscan, more than two-thirds (or 67 percent) of all vinyl albums in the US were sold by indie record stores last year. And this is a booming niche: last year, vinyl sales reached 3.9 million units, the biggest mark in two decades and a 39 percent gain over 2010. That's still about one-percent of broader album sales, but a rare example of growth in the physical category.

All of which raises a major problem: vinyl is on a serious comeback, but the main driver of those sales is drying up. Last year, neighborhood fixtures like Atlanta-based Criminal Records were threatened with shutdown, and even bigger outlets like Amoeba Records are struggling to find their footing.

In 2010, indie retailers accounted for an even more impressive 71 percent of all vinyl sales in the

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Legacy Recordings Commemorates Janis Joplin's Birthday With Announcement of The Pearl Sessions

Definitive Two-Disc Edition of Janis Joplin's Farewell Album Masterpiece Debuts Newly Discovered Studio Outtakes, Banter & Rarities Including Nine Previously Unavailable Tracks

Janis Joplin - The Pearl Sessions Available Everywhere Tuesday, April 17, 2012

NEW YORK, Jan. 19, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- On the occasion of Janis Joplin's birthday (January 19), Legacy Recordings is proud to announce the upcoming release of The Pearl Sessions, a newly-curated definitive two-disc edition of Joplin's final studio album premiering, for the first time, newly discovered studio outtakes, live performances and other sonic rarities recorded during her dynamic last chapter of accelerated tumult and creativity.

Originally released on January 11, 1971 (three months after her passing on October 4, 1970), Pearl debuted Joplin's final finished studio recordings as well as intimations of what the influential American country-soul-blues-rock singer was capable of delivering.

The only album Joplin ever recorded with the Full Tilt Boogie Band, the touring ensemble that had backed her on the Festival Express (a mythic 1970 concert tour by railroad across Canada with the Grateful Dead, the Band and others), Pearl included canonical studio recordings of songs that had been introduced to audiences on tour.

Peaking at #1 on the Billboard 200, a position it held for nine weeks, Pearl included some of Janis's most familiar and best-loved performances including her cover of Kris Kristofferson's "Me and Bobby McGee" and her off-the-cuff a cappella "Mercedes Benz."

When putting together material for a 40th anniversary edition of Pearl, researchers discovered a treasure-trove of previously uncatalogued audio tapes from the album's sessions, produced by Paul Rothschild. An industry legend, perhaps best-known for producing the first five Doors albums, Rothchild further solidified his position in music history with his work on Pearl.

The Pearl Sessions brings together, for the first time in one package, the original mono versions of the album's 45s alongside the original LP tracks as well as the revelatory newly-discovered alternate versions, outtakes and vocal takes of Pearl's classic tracks.

The Pearl Sessions includes newly discovered recordings of Janis in the studio, joking with producer Paul Rothchild and her Full Tilt Boogie bandmates as they work through what would become an essential part of Janis Joplin's core catalog.

Disc One of The Pearl Sessions includes the original album as well as the original mono singles from the album ("Cry Baby," "Get It While You Can," "Me and Bobby McGee").

Disc Two is a collection of behind-the-scenes recordings illuminating the Pearl sessions with highlights and insights revealed in candid studio dialogue, song demos and alternate takes including nine previously unissued tracks.

Janis Joplin - The Pearl Sessions

DISC ONE:
The Pearl Album - produced by Paul Rothchild
Move Over
Cry Baby
A Woman Left Lonely
Half Moon
Buried Alive In The Blues
My Baby
Me and Bobby McGee
Mercedes Benz
Trust Me
Get It While You Can

Bonus Tracks - the Mono Single Masters - produced by Paul Rothchild
Me and Bobby McGee
Half Moon
Cry Baby
Get It While You Can
Move Over
A Woman Left Lonely

DISC TWO:
The Pearl Sessions & more...
Overheard in the Studio...
Get It While You Can (take 3) - previously unissued
Overheard in the Studio...
Get It While You Can (take 5) - previously unissued
Overheard in the Studio...
Move Over (take 6) - previously unissued
Move Over (take 13) - previously unissued
Move Over (take 17) - previously unissued
Me and Bobby McGee (demo version)
Me and Bobby McGee (take 5 - alternate) - previously unissued
Cry Baby (alternate version)
A Woman Left Lonely (alternate vocal)
Overheard in the Studio...
My Baby (alternate take) - previously unissued
Overheard in the Studio...
Get It While You Can (take 3) - previously unissued
My Baby (alternate take)
Pearl (instrumental) - Full Tilt Boogie Band

Bonus Track
Tell Mama (Live) - June 28, 1970 - Toronto

The release of The Pearl Sessions marks a renewed focus on Janis Joplin and the continuing influence of her music. Columbia/Legacy Recordings recently announced the release of Live at the Carousel Ballroom 1968, a previously unavailable live concert recording of Big Brother and the Holding Company featuring Janis Joplin, recorded June 23, 1968 by legendary soundman Owsley Stanley, a/k/a "Bear," who supervised the mastering of this release before his fatal car accident on March 12, 2011, in his adopted homeland of Australia. Dedicated to Bear, the album will be released on March 13, 2012, marking the one-year anniversary of his passing.

Pre-Order Your Copy Today!

SOURCE Legacy Recordings

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this from our friends at vinylcollective.com

Two Fun. Albums on Vinyl Feb 21

Fueled by Ramen and Nettwerk Records will be issuing their Fun. releases on vinyl February 21. The Nettwerk release, “Aim and Ignite” will be pressed on a deluxe double lp, embossed metallic gatefold with an etched picture disc. Fueled by Ramen will release “Some Nights” on a 180 gram vinyl which includes the CD. Pre order is up now!

Fun. – Some Nights LP

Fun. – Aim and Ignite 2XLP

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love this cover.....

LECHEROUS NOCTURNE: 'Behold Almighty Doctrine' Artwork Unveiled

South Carolina-based extreme metal band LECHEROUS NOCTURNE has set "Behold Almighty Doctrine" as the title of its third album, due later in the year via Unique Leader Records. The CD was recorded at SoundLab Studio in Lexington, South Carolina with longtime engineer Bob Moore.

Read more at Blabbermouth

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oh, this cover art won't turn some heads....

Soulfly Reveal Artwork for New Album

Soulfly have just unveiled the album art for their new full-length album called 'Enslaved.' It is the band's eight studio effort and is scheduled for release on March 13 on Roadrunner Records. The album was recorded at Tallcat Studios in Phoenix, Arizona and was produced by Zeuss (Shadows Fall, Hatebreed.)

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STRAPPING YOUNG LAD Vinyl Box Set On The Way

Finnish extreme metal non-profit Blood Music has announced an incredibly long-overdue vinyl worship session of every last bit of STRAPPING YOUNG LAD's music one could ever ask for.

The monstrous limited edition 7xLP box set discography will contain all five STRAPPING YOUNG LAD full-lengths, as well as extra vinyl dedicated to the band's non-album material, plus other special gifts yet to be announced.

The genre-busting Canadian industrial/death band has never seen their seminal albums "Heavy as a Really Heavy Thing", "SYL" nor "The New Black" touch wax before. Their other two records — "City" and "Alien" — were pressed in ultra-limited numbers of 500 copies only and sold out within months of their release.

Get more information at our friends at Blabbermouth

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what a trip, love to visit.......

The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum Announces Its Newest Featured Exhibit: Grateful Dead: The Long, Strange Trip

CLEVELAND, Jan. 19, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum is proud to present a major exhibition devoted to a truly unique American rock and roll band, Grateful Dead: The Long, Strange Trip. The exhibit will open to the public on Thursday, April 12, as a part of the 2012 Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Induction Week events. The Mickey Hart Band, featuring the Grateful Dead drummer, will perform on the Rock Hall's Main Stage for an exhibit opening event on Wednesday, April 11.

"The Grateful Dead is a band that is identified with a remarkable era in American history, and, inasmuch as they embody that era, their work is timeless," says Jim Henke, vice president of Exhibits and Curatorial Affairs. "They've inspired many performers and bands, but none has exhibited their musical depth and cultural resonance. In a 30-year career, this group wrote their own rules and created a community unlike any band before or since."

Grateful Dead: The Long, Strange Trip explores the band from a non-linear point of view. Individual sections within the exhibit will be devoted to Grateful Dead as a recording group and a touring band, the fans who devotedly followed them, tapers and fellow travelers (people who were important to the band). It will include finished and working manuscripts for classic songs, handwritten notes from legendary taper Dick Latvala, artifacts from original sound designer Owsley "Bear" Stanley, and promoter Bill Graham's Father Time robe and Grateful Dead Hotline answering machine.

Art and design have always been closely associated with Grateful Dead, and this exhibit will include an unprecedented collection of original artwork that is immediately recognizable from the band's album covers and posters. It will feature numerous instruments used by the Grateful Dead over the years, including keyboards, drums, percussion, guitars and elements from the legendary Wall of Sound PA system. The Grateful Dead Archive at the University of California-Santa Cruz has loaned a significant number of items from their extraordinary collection, which will open to the public in spring 2012.

Additional highlights include:
•Five Jerry Garcia guitars, including his Travis Bean TB5
•Mickey Hart's custom-painted drum kit
•Two Bob Weir guitars, including his first Ibanez "cowboy" custom guitar
•Several original lyric manuscripts, including "Truckin'," "Box of Rain" and "Sugaree"
•Several original Grateful Dead-related artworks, including images from Workingman's Dead, Without a Net and Fillmore Auditorium poster art
•Bill Graham's "Father Time" robe

Formed in Palo Alto, California, in 1965 from a previous incarnation as a bar band called the Warlocks, the Grateful Dead were at the epicenter of the sweeping cultural event that was San Francisco in the Sixties. Their music was informed by a diverse set of influences – contemporary classical composition, bluegrass, rhythm & blues, free jazz, rock and roll and the blues. Fueled by a cultural underground of writers, poets and bohemians that stretched from Oakland and Berkeley in the East Bay to Palo Alto on the peninsula, the Grateful Dead developed an ethos that embraced true artistic pursuits over commercial concerns, improvisation over rote arrangements and mind expansion through the use of psychedelic drugs.

At the exhibit opening event on the 11th, Mickey Hart Band will perform new songs from his forthcoming album to be released this spring as well as Grateful Dead classics. Hart will be touring this spring in support of his new album which he told Rolling Stone features samples of "light waves from the cosmos, starting 13.7 billion years ago with the Big Bang."

This exhibit will be open through December 2012.

SOURCE The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum

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and in music history for today, january 19th:

The legendary Janis Joplin was born today in 1943 (died in 1970).

In 1959, the Platters reach the number one spot on the US Pop chart for the fourth time with "Smoke Gets In Your Eyes," a ballad that was written by Otto Harbach and Jerome Kern in 1933. The record will top the UK chart next month.

In 1963, the Beatles make their first ever TV appearance on the UK TV show Thank Your Lucky Stars, where they perform their current #45 hit, "Please Please Me."

In 1967, the Monkees were at #1 on the U.K. singles chart with “I’m a Believer,” the group’s only UK #1.

In 1967, at EMI's Abbey Road Studios in London, the Beatles began recording "A Day In The Life," which had the working title "In the Life of..." The basic track was refined with remixing and additional parts added at recording sessions the next day and on February 3. The track was completed with the recording of the orchestral part on February 20. The total length of time spent recording "A Day in the Life" was 34 hours. By comparison, their first album, "Please Please Me," was recorded in its entirety in just 10 hours.

The song is the final track on the group's 1967 album 'Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band.' Credited to Lennon–McCartney, the song comprises distinct segments written independently by John Lennon and Paul McCartney, with orchestral additions. While Lennon’s lyrics were inspired by contemporary newspaper articles, McCartney’s were reminiscent of his youth. The decisions to link sections of the song with orchestral glissandos and to end the song with a sustained piano chord were made only after the rest of the song had been recorded.

The supposed drug reference in the line "I’d love to turn you on" resulted in the song initially being banned from broadcast by the BBC. Since its original album release, "A Day in the Life" has been released as a B-side, and also on various compilation albums. It has been covered by other artists including Sting, Bobby Darin, The Fall, Neil Young, Jeff Beck, The Bee Gees, Robyn Hitchcock, Phish and since 2008, by McCartney in his live performances. The song is frequently listed among the greatest songs ever written.

In 1971, at the Charles Manson murder trial for the murder of actress Sharon Tate and four others, several tracks from the Beatles' "White Album," including "Helter Skelter," were played as prosecutors attempted to find out if any of the songs could have influenced Manson and his followers to commit murder. At the scene of one of the gruesome murders, the words "helter skelter" were written on a mirror.

Also in 1971, during court proceedings held to dissolve The Beatles' partnership, Ringo testifies under oath that "Paul behaved like a spoiled child."

In 1974, a song called "Show and Tell" by Al Wilson overcame all odds and rose to the top spot on the Billboard Hot 100. The tune had failed to become a hit for Johnny Mathis and was relegated to the "B" side of Wilson's single, but still ended up selling over three million copies and had a chart run of sixteen weeks.

In 1974, Black Oak Arkansas appeared at Kent State University, Kent, Ohio. Support act was Bruce Springsteen. Tickets cost $4.

In 1976, American promoter Bill Sargent issues a $30 million offer to The Beatles to re-unite for one show. He proposes that the band play together for at least twenty minutes at any venue they choose on July 5th. The former members of the group wasted no time in turning him down, but Sargent would later say that he was shocked by the refusal.

In 1978, Johnny Rotten was fired from the Sex Pistols for “not being weird enough anymore.”

In 1980, Pink Floyd’s The Wall started a 15-week run at #1 on the US album chart. The group’s third US #1, it went on to sell more than 8 million copies.

In 1993, an inaugural concert was held in Landover, Maryland to honor President-elect Bill Clinton. Aretha Franklin sings "I Have A Dream" and Fleetwood Mac perform "Don't Stop", a tune that the Clinton campaign used as their theme song. Others appearing were Michael Jackson, Judy Collins, Chuck Berry, Michael Bolton and Little Richard.

In 1994, Paul McCartney inducts John Lennon into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, saying "The thing you must remember is, that I'm the number one John Lennon fan. I love him to this day and I always did love him."

In 1998, rock 'n' roll pioneer Carl Perkins died of stroke related causes at the age of 65. Carl wrote and recorded "Blue Suede Shoes" which went to number 2 for him in 1956, selling 2 million copies. The Elvis Presley version topped out at number 20 the same year. Alcoholism and a car accident kept Perkins from fulfilling his full potential, as he never reached the US Top 40 again.

In 2006, soul singer Wilson Pickett died in hospital near his Ashburn, Virginia, home of a heart attack at age 64. Pickett recorded the soul classics “Mustang Sally,” “Everybody Needs Somebody to Love” and “In the Midnight Hour” plus he scored 15 other US Top 40 singles.

In 2007, Canadian singer songwriter and former Mamas and the Papas singer Denny Doherty died at the age of 66. He died at his home near Toronto, Canada, after a short illness.

In 2008, singer-songwriter John Stewart, who wrote the Monkees hit “Daydream Believer,” died at age 68 after he suffered a massive stroke or brain aneurysm in San Diego. Stewart was a member of folk group The Kingston Trio and went on to record more than 45 solo albums with his biggest solo success being a U.S. top five single, “Gold,” in 1979.

birthdays today include (among others): Phil Everly (Everly Brothers) (73), Joe Butler (Lovin' Spoonful) (71), Martha Davis (Motels) (61), Dolly Parton (66), Dewey Bunell (America) (60), Ricky Wilson (Kaiser Chiefs) (34)

Ask Mr. Music by Jerry Osborne

2012-01-18T14:00:00.000-06:00

FOR THE WEEK OF JANUARY 16, 2012

DEAR JERRY: I have the original 1959 Crystalette single (724-X) of “Pink Shoe Laces,” by Dodie Stevens, but it doesn't answer the question I've had for over 50 years. In fact, there doesn't seem to be any book, blog, or forum anywhere that identifies the man providing the voice of Dooley.

He has only this one line: “Just before the angels come to carry me, I want it down in writin' how to bury me.”

Often, guest voices are credited on the labels, but the only names Crystalette mentions here, besides Dodie Stevens, are Bobby Hammack and Mickie Grant. Might Dooley's line be by one of those two?
—Dean McKeag, San Leandro, Calif.

DEAR DEAN: Bobby Hammack and His Orchestra just provide the music, and Mickie Grant is the writer of “Pink Shoe Laces,” so it's neither of those.

Also on the session, but not credited, are the Jack Halloran Singers. More about that in a moment.

Even with my endless reference sources, I too find no mention of who sings the part of Dooley, which makes me even more curious.

But sometimes it's not what you know, but who you know. And I know someone who was in the studio when “Pink Shoe Laces” was recorded: Miss Dodie Stevens.

I figured if anyone would know Dooley, it would be the one who introduces his line in the song, and probably stood next to him as he spoke.

So I sent your question on to Dodie, and here is her prompt reply:

Hi Jerry! I hope you had a Merry Christmas, and I wish you a very Happy New Year.

As for Mr. McKeag's question: It was neither Bobby Hammack nor Mickie Grant (Mickie is a female). Dooley's voice in the song was provided by one of the Jack Halloran Singers. They sang background on the session.

I don't recall the name of exactly who did it, but I would assume it was the bass singer in the group.

I don't even know who's idea it was to add Dooley's part, though I do know it was not mine.

Since I was only 12-years-old when I recorded “Pink Shoe Laces,” I didn't have a lot of session input. I just did what everyone told me to do.

I do remember that the “woo hoo, ooo ooo ooo” I sang at the end of every chorus was the idea of my vocal coach, who also attended the session. That part became the hook of the song.

Have a wonderful day!
—Dodie Stevens, San Diego

Thank you so much, Dodie. Unless he, or someone else from that session, sees this and comes forward, we may never know who verbalized Dooley's dying wish.

Come to think about it, I can't recall a solo artist who received a Gold Record Award for a million-selling single for a song they recorded at a younger age than you (12), for “Pink Shoe Laces.”

DEAR JERRY: One of my faves from the 1960s psychedelic era is “Naturally Stoned,” by the Avant-Garde. I notice Chuck Woolery is credited as the writer. Is this the “Wheel of Fortune” game show host? Did he also sing with the group, or just write the song?
—Merilee Norgran, Portland, Maine

DEAR MERILEE: Chuck accounts for one-half of the Avant-Garde, his partner being Elkin “Bubba” Fowler.

Woolery wrote “Naturally Stoned” (the song, not his condition while writing), and sings the lead.

Yes, this same Chuck Woolery hosted numerous game shows. Some of the more memorable ones are: “Wheel of Fortune”; “Love Connection”; “Scrabble”; “The Dating Game”; “Greed”; and currently on the Game Show Network, “Lingo.”

IZ ZAT SO? If asked to name the female singer with the biggest hit single of 1959, one's first pick would likely be Connie Francis.

Makes sense. Connie had eight hit songs that year, four of which were Top 10. Definitely the overall No. 1 female star of 1959.

However, the No. 1 single for a girl in '59 is “Pink Shoe Laces,” by Dodie Stevens, which ranked ever so slightly ahead of Connie's (2) “My Happiness” and (3) “Lipstick on Your Collar.”

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