Wednesday, July 16, 2008

Top 5 Vinyl Records eBay Sales

Week Ending 06/28/2008

1) LP - Enesco Plays Bach Sonatas Continental - $2,458.00

2) LP - Dave Bixby "Ode to Quetzalcoatl" Private Press - $2,247.00

3) 12" - Keepy Keef "Cause I'm" / "Three's Company" GMV = $1,924.00

4) LP - Dick Morrissey Quartet "Here And Now And Sounding Good" Mercury - $1,424.00

5) LP - Gatesmouth Moore "Sings The Blues" King - $1,225.00

Dark Knight Original Motion Picture Soundtrack

Burbank, CA. (Top40 Charts/ CineMedia Promotions) - The Dark Knight Original Motion Picture Soundtrack - the haunting score to the hotly anticipated feature film The Dark Knight - will be released by Warner Bros. Records on July 15, 2008, three days before the movie opens nationwide on July 18th.

Warner Bros. Records will release four different configurations of The Dark Knight soundtrack: a standard jewel case CD, a 2 LP set of heavy-weight 180 gram vinyl version, a special edition digipack, and a collector's edition with special artwork to come after release.

Source: http://top40-charts.com/

This Date In Music History- July 16

Birthdays:

Searchers’ lead singer Tony Jackson was born in Dingle, England in 1940.

Drummer Stewart Copeland of the Police was born in Alexandria, Egypt in 1952.

Ed Kowalczyk, lead singer for Live, was born in York, PA in 1971.

Sollie McElroy of the Flamingos was born 1933.

History:

His Master's Voice, the logo of the Victor Recording Company and later RCA Victor, was registered with the US Patent Office in 1900. The logo shows the dog, Nipper, looking into the horn of a gramophone.

Neil Young's Tonight's the Night,” inspired by and dedicated to a pair of musical acquaintances who died of drug overdoses, was released 1975.

The last of 105 singles by Elvis Presley to reach the Top Forty in his lifetime, "Way Down," entered Billboard's Top Pop Singles chart in 1977, peaking at #18.

Harry Chapin was killed in an auto accident on New York's Long Island Expressway in 1981. Chapin's blue 1975 VW Rabbit burst into flames when it was hit from behind by a tractor-trailer truck. The 38 year old Chapin is best remembered for his top 20 hit "Taxi" in 1972 and "Cat's in the Cradle", a number-one in 1974.

In 1996, Michael Jackson performed at a birthday party for the Sultan of Brunei and gets an estimated 15-20 million dollars.

The Beach Boys recorded "In My Room" in 1963.

Today in 1966, the song "Hanky Panky" by Tommy James & the Shondells topped the charts and stayed there for 2 weeks. A Pittsburgh DJ had begun playing the two year old recording and regional record sales had reached over 80,000. James called the members of his now defunct band, but they were no longer interested. He recruited a group called The Raconteurs to be the new Shondells and took the master tape of Hanky Panky to Roulette Records, who released it. Despite being a huge hit in the US, it could only reach #38 in the UK.

Also in 1966, the Lovin' Spoonful released their No. 1 single, "Summer in the City." It is, appropriately, summer.

In 1969, the Beatles worked on two new George Harrison songs, "Here Comes The Sun" and "Something" during recording sessions at Abbey Road studios in London.

In 1960, Hank Ballard and the Midnighters became the first group to place three records on The Billboard Hot 100 at the same time - "Finger Poppin' Time", "Let's Go, Let's Go, Let's Go" and "The Twist".

Eric Clapton formed Cream with bassist Jack Bruce and drummer Ginger Baker in 1966. The trio lasted just 2 years, but left us with some classic Rock tunes like "Sunshine of Your Love" and "White Room".

In 1968, Big Brother & the Holding Company and Sly & the Family Stone opened the Fillmore West, the new name given to San Francisco's Carousel Ballroom since Bill Graham took over.

Celia Cruz, the inimitable Queen of Salsa, died at her home in Fort Lee, N.J. in 2003. She was 77.

The "Pat Garrett & Billy The Kid” soundtrack was released in 1973. It contains Bob Dylan’s mournful “Knocking On Heaven’s Door.” The film stars Dylan and Kris Kristofferson.

In 1994, the three tenors - Carreras, Domingo, Pavarotti - performed at Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles to an audience who pay $1,000 a seat.

Drummer Joe Panozzo of Styx died of a gastrointestinal hemorrhage in 1996.

The Who's "I'm Free" was released in 1969.

Monday, July 14, 2008

This Date In Music History- July 14

Birthdays:

Born on this day in 1912, Woody Guthrie, US folk singer. Major influence on Bob Dylan and American folk music. 70's film 'Bound For Glory' based on his life. Guthrie died on 3rd October 1967.

Born on this day in 1978, Ruben Studdard, singer, winner of the second series of American Idol.

History:

'Janis Joplin's Greatest Hits' entered the album charts in 1973. It peaked at #22 and sell more than 2 million copies.

Today in 1979, the song "Bad Girls" by Donna Summer topped the charts and stayed there for 5 weeks.

The "Is Elvis Alive?" frenzy reaches a high point in 1988, as Nashville radio station WYHY offers $1 million to anyone who can produce the King alive. Despite our best efforts, Elvis still refuses to emerge from his quarters at the 23rd Street YMCA in New York. So the reward is unclaimed.

In 1993, the U.S. Postal Service released 29-cent stamps that honored four Broadway musicals. The featured scenes were from "My Fair Lady," "Porgy and Bess," "Show Boat" and "Oklahoma!"

During a concert at Knott's Berry Farm in Buena Park, CA in 1973, Phil Everly smashed his guitar and stormed off stage, Don finished the set by himself and announced that The Everly Brothers had split.

Bob Dylan made a surprise appearance with The Band at the Mississippi River Rock Festival in 1969. He performed three songs and was introduced as "Elmer Johnson."

The Who began their first full North American tour in 1967 appearing as support band to Herman's Hermits on 55 dates.

In 1961, Billboard Magazine reported that the teenage dance craze, "The Twist", was being picked up by the adult crowd in Philadelphia.

Bobby Vinton started a four week run at No.1 on the US singles chart in 1962 with 'Roses Are Red, My Love', a No.15 hit in the UK. It was a song that Bobby found in a pile of demo discs that were marked "reject" at Epic Records. The label was about to drop Vinton's band, but he talked them into recording him as a solo artist. The record became a million seller and was both Bobby's and Epic's first gold record.

In 1962, the Beatles played their first ever gig in Wales when they appeared at The Regent Dansette in Rhyl. Tickets cost five shillings, ($0.70).

In 1973, a drunk driver killed former Byrds guitarist Clarence White. The 29 year-old was loading equipment following a show in Palmdale, CA when he was killed.

Elvis Costello & The Attractions, who have already recorded “My Aim Is True,” played their first gig in 1977.

Planet Waves wine was introduced in 2004. The name comes from the 1974 Bob Dylan album. An Italian winery, Fattoria La Terrazze, produces 415 cases with only 125 of them available in the US. The wine sells for $65 a bottle.

Philippe Wynne, lead singer of the Spinners from 1972 to '77, died of a heart attack he suffered while on stage in Oakland on July 14, 1984.

Sunday, July 13, 2008

Cash Tribute Album

Anchorless Records has announced the final details on their forthcoming compilation All Aboard: A Tribute To Johnny Cash. The updated track listing features artists like the Bouncing Souls, Chuck Ragan, the Gaslight Anthem, Russ Rankin of Good Riddance, and Ben Nichols of Lucero. Click below for the full track listing.

The record is set for release on CD and four colours of vinyl (100 black, 100 pink, 300 half pink/black for Vinyl Collective, 500 pink/black spatter), each to include access to digital versions of the songs. The release date is September 9th and all proceeds will go to benefit the Syrentha Savio Endowment, a non-profit organization which provides financial assistance to underprivileged women who cannot afford the expense of fighting breast cancer.


The lineup:

"Man in Black" - The Bouncing Souls
"Country Boy" - Fallen From the Sky
"Wreck of the Old 97" - Chuck Ragan (Hot Water Music) feat Jon Gaunt
"Let The Train Whistle Blow" - Joe McMahon (Smoke or Fire)
"Delia's Gone" - Ben Nichols (Lucero)
"Gods Gonna Cut You Down" - The Gaslight Anthem
"Cocaine Blues" - The Loved Ones
"Give My Love to Rose" - On Guard (Feat. Jason Shevchuk of Lagrecia, None More Black, Kid Dynamite)
"I Still Miss Someone" - Casey James Prestwood (Hot Rod Circuit)
"Hey Porter" - MxPx
"Cry Cry Cry" - The Flatliners
"Ballad of a Teenage Queen" - The Dresden Dolls feat. Franz Nicolay(The Hold Steady)
"Folsom Prison Blues" - Chon Travis(Love Equals Death)
"There You Go" - The Sainte Catherines
"Walk The Line" - Russ Rankin (Good Riddance, Only Crime)
(VINYL ONLY) "Delia's Gone" (alternate version) - Ben Nichols (Lucero)

Saturday, July 12, 2008

Best Buy Vinyl Experiment

In an effort to keep up with those hip, vinyl-loving kids today, gigantic entertainment retailer Best Buy has announced plans to start carrying vinyl records amongst their stacks of seven-dollar romantic comedies, 20th Century Masters Millennium Collection CDs and electronics. To test out the product, they will be releasing vinyl copies of new albums at various undisclosed locations.

"We've got an executive here who's basically responding to his own children and is sponsoring a test to see if there's a market," Best Buy CEO Brad told the Star Tribune. "As an old vinyl collector, this is close to my heart."

I like to see 'big box' retailer giving vinyl a spin, but hopefully it will not be at the expense of the independent music retailer. So, support them both and we can keep the vinyl record sales shooting skyward!


Here are some new releases:

More Indie Releases (available from Virgil @ www.vinylcollective.com)

ARCADE FIRE ìNEON BIBLE 2xLP
BAND OF HORSES “Everything All The Time” LP
BAND OF HORSES “No One’s Gonna Love You” UK single 7?
BIKINI KILL “Reject All-American” LP
BOYS NIGHT OUT “Broken Bones” LP grey vinyl
THE CIRCLE JERKS “Wonderful” LP
ELLIOTT SMITH “S/T” LP
IRON AND WINE “The shepherd’s dog” LP
IRON AND WINE "THE SEA & THE RHYTHM" LP
MAGNETIC FIELDS “Charm Of The Highway Strip” LP
MURDER CITY DEVILS “RIP Live” LP
NEUTRAL MILK HOTEL “IN THE AEROPLANE” LP
Pedro The Lion Winners Never Quit LP
Pinback- Summer In Abaddon LP
POLVO “Exploded Drawing” dbl LP
Sleater Kinney Dig Me Out LP
SLEATER KINNEY the hot rock LP
SLEATER-KINNEY “Jumpers” 7? green vinhyl
SPOON - GA GA GA GA GA (180 GR) LP
TED LEO & THE PHARMACISTS ìLiving With The Livingî 2XLP
Tenderloin/ Supersuckers Split 7?
THE HELIO SEQUENCE “Keep Your Eyes Ahead ” LP
The Shins "Wincing The Night Away" LP

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Capitol Records will rerelease eight classic titles, all of which were previously out of print on vinyl — and six of which will be newly remastered on limited-edition 180 gram LPs — on August 19. The albums include Coldplay’s Parachutes and A Rush of Blood to the Head; A Perfect Circle’s Mer de Noms; Radiohead’s OK Computer, Kid A, Amnesiac and Hail to the Thief; and the Steve Miller Band’s Greatest Hits.

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Revelation Records will be reissuing Rage Against the Machine's "People of the Sun" ten-inch vinyl EP on August 19.

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More Indie Releases:

BUFFALO KILLERS/BUFFALO KILLERS@180GM VINYL/YELLOW VINYL@LMTD ED.

CENTRO-MATIC/SOUTH SAN GABRIEL/DUAL HAWKS@2 LP SET

CIRCLE JERKS/GROUP SEX@COLORED VINYL

FANATIX/THIS THING OF OURS@3 LP SET

KEEP OF KALESSIN/ARMADA@LMTD ED.@2 LP SET

KILLING JOKE/DEMOCRACY@2 LP SET

KILLING JOKE/PANDEMONIUM@2 LP SET

KON & AMIR/VOL. 2-OFF TRACK: QUEENS@3 LP SET

LIMBONIC ART/LEGACY OF EVIL@LMTD ED.@2 LP SET

SAXON/SAXON@LMTD ED.@PICTURE LP

SAXON/STRONG ARM OF THE LAW@LMTD ED.@PICTURE LP

SAXON/WHEELS OF STEEL@LMTD ED.@PICTURE LP

STRANGLERS/RAVEN@LMTD ED.@PICTURE LP

ARCHITECTURE IN HELSINKI/LIKE IT OR NOT EP

CHROMEO/FANCY FOOTWORK@DELUXE ED.@2 LP SET

NELSON/MARSALIS/TWO MEN WITH THE BLUES@2 LP SET

WHITECHAPEL/THIS IS EXILE@PICTURE DISC LP

FIERY FURNACES/EP

HAMMOND,ALBERT JR./COMO TE LLAMA?@2 LP SET

WILLIAMS,SAUL/INEVITABLE RISE & LIBERATION O@2 LP SET

Support Independent Music Stores!

This Date In Music History- July 12

Birthdays:

Christine McVie (born Christine Anne Perfect) was born in 1943.

John Wetton, bassist for Uriah Heep and Asia, was born in 1949.

Bill Cosby ("Little Ole Man") is 71.

Walter Egan ("Magnet & Steel") turns 60.

Barbara (Mama) Cowsill of the Cowsills ("Hair") was born in 1928.

Bassist Phil Kramer of Iron Butterfly ("In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida") was born in Youngstown, Ohio in 1952.

History:

In 1954, Scotty Moore became Elvis Presley's first manager with the signing of a contract (Sun Records) that also bore the signatures of Elvis's parents. Elvis quit his job as a truck driver.

In 2004, nearly four decades after their major hit "I Had Too Much To Dream Last Night," two former members of the Electric Prunes, vocalist James Lowe and bassist Mark Tulin, filed separate suites against their record label and music publisher claiming $1 million in owed royalties.

In 1965, the Velvet Underground recorded a demo tape at viola player John Cale's Manhattan apartment. It represents their first recordings and was later released, in 1995 as Disc 1 of their self-titled five-CD box set.

The first Rollin' Stones concert (they would later add the g) was held at the Marquee Club in London in 1962. Their line-up consisted of lead vocalist Mick Jagger, guitarists Keith Richards and Brian Jones, Dick Taylor on bass, pianist Ian Stewart and Mick Avory, later of the Kinks, on drums. Avory and Taylor were later replaced by Tony Chapman on drums and Bill Wyman on bass. Chapman didn't work out and drummer Charlie Watts completed the Stones' line-up in January 1963.

What hard work does for a band: In 2007, the Rolling Stones were paid $5.5 million (or $67,500 per minute) to perform a 14 song set at a private Deutsche Bank party for top-level employees held at the National Art Museum of Catalonia in Barcelona, Spain.

DJ Steve Dahl tries to kill off disco with a Disco Demolition Night at Chicago's Comiskey Park in 1979. A bonfire was started into which disco records were pitched, while the crowd chanted "Disco sucks." The ensuing riot causes the White Sox to forfeit a baseball game when the field becomes unplayable.

Today in 1969, the song "In the Year 2525 (Exordium and Terminus)" by Zager & Evans topped the charts and stayed there for 6 weeks. After getting a lot of requests to sing the song that they included in their live act, Denny Zager and Rick Evans had invested just $500 to press 1000 copies of the tune. After a Texas radio station added it their play list, RCA signed the duo, but the record would prove to be their only US chart entry.

Blind Faith began their one and only tour with a sold-out show at New York's Madison Square Garden in 1969.

The Monroe Brothers make their first recordings for the Bluebird label, an RCA subsidiary in 1936.

In 1970, Janis Joplin debuted with her new group, the Full Tilt Boogie Band, before 4,000 people in Louisville, Kentucky. Less than three months later, she would be dead from a heroin overdose.

K.C. & the Sunshine Band make their US Pop chart debut in 1975 with "Get Down Tonight". It's the first of four singles by the band to make it to Billboard's number one spot.

The Beach Boys recorded "Sloop John B" in 1965, a 1927 Folk song that featured Al Jardine on lead vocal. The record would climb to number three in May, 1966.

The O'Jays ("Love Train," "Back Stabbers") formed in Canton, Ohio in 1958. They were originally known as the Triumphs.

Minnie Riperton ("Lovin' You"), certainly a unique voice in pop music, died of breast cancer in 1979.

Thursday, July 10, 2008

This Date In Music History- July 10

Birthdays:

Jackie Leung, one of Hong Kong's biggest rock stars and a Barry Manilow fan to boot, was born today in 1961.

Born on this day in 1943, Jerry Miller, guitar, Moby Grape.

Rock author and singer Ian Whitcomb ("You Turn Me On [Turn On Song]") was born in England in 1941.

Arlo Guthrie ("Alice's Restaurant") turns 61.

Ronnie James Dio was born in Portsmouth, N.H. in 1949.

Greg Kihn was born on this day in 1950.

Born on this day in 1980, Jessica Simpson, US singer and current Tony Romo flame.

History:

A 16 year-old girl was stabbed to death at a Yes concert in Jersey City, New Jersey in 1976.

In 1967, Kenny Rogers and several other members of the New Christy Minstrels quit to form the First Edition. The new group received their first national exposure on the Smothers Brothers TV show and went on to have such hits as "Just Dropped In (To See What Condition My Condition Was In)" in 1968, "Ruby, Don't Take Your Love to Town" in 1969 and 1971's "Something's Burning."

The movie "Go, Johnny, Go", with Jimmy Clanton and Chuck Berry (with performances by Ritchie Valens, Eddie Cochran and Jackie Wilson) opened in 1959.

In 1952, Memphis producer and Sun Studios owner Sam Phillips recorded the last of five sessions with bluesman Howlin' Wolf.

In 1967, Bobbie Gentry recorded her No. 1 hit "Ode to Billie Joe."

After they burned an American flag onstage in 1968, the Nice were banned from London's Royal Albert Hall. Two years later, Keith Emerson, leader of the Nice, joined Greg Lake and Carl Palmer in Emerson, Lake and Palmer.

Harry Nilsson's album, "Son of Schmilsson" was released in 1972. It featured George Harrison under the name George Harrysong and Ringo Starr, listed as Richie Snare, on some of the tracks.

His Master’s Voice” was registered with the U.S. Patent Office in 1900. The logo of the Victor Recording Company, and later, RCA Victor, shows the dog, Nipper, looking into the horn of a gramophone machine.

1954 Producer Sam Phillips took an acetate of Elvis Presley singing "That's All Right" to DJ Dewey Phillips at Memphis radio station WHBQ. After Dewey played the song on the air around 9:30 that evening, listeners flooded the phone lines, requesting to hear the song again.

In 1954, New York radio station WINS announced the hiring of pioneer Rock disc jockey Alan Freed to be the host of their Rock 'n' Roll Party. As he did on his earlier Moondog's Rock 'n Roll Party Show on WJW in Cleveland, Freed programmed records by black R&B artists that many white teenagers had never heard before. Freed is often credited with popularizing the term Rock and Roll.
The Starland Vocal Band, the first act to be signed to John Denver's new Windsong label, had the top tune on the Billboard chart in 1976 with "Afternoon Delight.”

Wilson Pickett's "In The Midnight Hour" was released in 1965.

On today's American Bandstand in 1971, Smokey Robinson & the Miracles performed their smash hit "Tears of a Clown."

The Beatles started a six week run at No.1 on the US album charts in 1965 with 'Beatles VI', the groups fifth No.1.

George Strait was at No.1 on the US album chart in 2005 with 'Somewhere Down In Texas', the US country singers third No.1 album.

Billie Holiday recorded "Billie’s Blues" in 1936.

Tuesday, July 8, 2008

Top 5 Vinyl Record eBay Sales

Week Ending 06/21/2008

1) 45 rpm - Frankie Beverly and The Butlers "Because Of My Heart" / "I Want To Feel I'm Wanted" Fairmount - $3,200.00

2) LP - The Velvet Underground and Nico (Unpeeled) Mono V-5008 - $3,176.97

3) LP - Roy Brooks "Ethnic Expressions" IM-HOTEP - $2,650.00

4) 45 rpm - Nirvana "Love Buzz" 7" Single #366/1000 - $2,327.00

SOURCE: http://ccdiscoveries.blogspot.com/
5) 45 rpm - The Honeys "Shoot The Curl" / "Surfin' Down The Swanee River" Capitol w/ sleeve - $2,025.00

This Date In Music History- July 8

Birthdays:

Jai Johanny "Jaimoe" Johanson, of the Allman Brothers Band, was born in Ocean Springs, Mississippi in 1944.

Steve Lawrence ("Pretty Blue Eyes") turns 73.

Jerry Vale ("You Don't Know Me") is 77.

Louis Jordan, whose humorous brand of jump jive inspired rock 'n' roll, was born in Brinkley, Arizona in 1908.

Inventive musician Beck entered the world in 1970.

Arctic Monkeys’ co founder (with Alex Turner), guitarist Jamie Cook was born in 1985.

Born on this day in 1961, Toby Keith, US country singer.

History:

In 1972, Bill Withers hit #1 with the classic song "Lean On Me.”

Today in 1957, the song "(Let Me Be Your) Teddy Bear" by Elvis Presley topped the charts and stayed there for 7 weeks.

Freddie & the Dreamers recorded their future No. 1 "I'm Telling You Now" in 1963. It didn't top the chart until 1965.

In 1958, the first gold record album was presented by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA). The award went to the soundtrack "Oklahoma!" The honor signified that the album had reached one million dollars in sales. The first gold single issued by the RIAA was "Catch a Falling Star" by Perry Como in March of 1958. A gold single represented sales of one million records.

In one of the stranger double bills. The Jimi Hendrix Experience opened for the Monkees in 1967. The Experience played only eight shows before being dropped. They’re a little too "out there" for the Monkees’ audience. Nobody was too upset and the incident garnered the Experience a whole lot of notoriety.

In what was ruled an attempted suicide, singer Marianne Faithful took an overdose of barbiturates in 1969 on the set of the Australian movie, Ned Kelly. She was dropped from the cast and entered hospital for treatment of heroin addiction.

One of Elvis Presley's teeth went up for auction on eBay in 2003. The tooth was owned by the King's former fiancée, Linda Thompson, until it went to the Elvis Presley Museum which later sold the tooth. The current owner said he'd been contacted by a European company that wanted to extract DNA from the tooth, but he refused. The opening bid on the tooth, a lock of hair from his Army induction haircut and a gold record for "Love Me Tender" was $100,000.

In 2004, Mark Purseglove, known as the world’s ‘biggest bootlegger’ was sentenced to 3 years 6 months jail by Blackfriars Crown Court. Purseglove had built up a £15 million pirate CD empire by bootlegging live concerts of some of the world's biggest stars including The Beatles, David Bowie and Pink Floyd.

The B-52's made their UK live debut at London's Lyceum Ballroom in 1979.

Gerry Rafferty's album 'City To City' went to No.1 on the US chart in 1978, knocking off 'Saturday Night Fever', which had been at the top of the charts for almost six months.

Monday, July 7, 2008

We Still Remember You Mr. Lennon

For those of you who are regular readers of my blog, you know that I am a huge fan of John Lennon. I had the opportunity today to listen to some Beatles music and also a couple of Lennon LP's. Let's not just think of Mr. Lennon on the anniversary of his death, but continue to celebrate his life all the time.

To that end, I have posted some relevant material, an article I wrote several years ago, the Imagine video and some products. Enjoy the listening experience:


Imagine



John Lennon: He Asked To Give Peace A Chance


He dreamed of world peace. He was an artist, poet and an outspoken voice of the hippie generation. He was an influential musician, a peace activist, an absent father and a devoted lover and husband. He abused alcohol and drugs, sneered at normality, yet took time off from his rock and roll career to raise his son. But most of all, he was a Beatle. He was and still is, John Winston Lennon.

Born in Liverpool on October 9, 1940, John Lennon was shot to death on December 8, 1980 by a fanatical fan. The world mourned his death as millions grieved for the man who was the heart and soul of the world's best rock and roll band, the Beatles.

He had an unusual childhood, shuttled back and forth between his mother Julia and her sister Mimi. John eventually spent his formative years with his aunt Mimi and Uncle George and as Mimi recalls, “His mind was going the whole time, and it was either drawing, or writing poetry, or reading.”

Yet, he was an unruly, stubborn and a disobedient, troubled youth. He failed at art school, yet swore to his aunt that "one of these days I'm going to be famous and you'll be sorry.”

John had a premonition of things to come, as he knew he was a bit different than most people. As he looked back, he explained: “I always knew I was going to make it, but I wasn’t sure in what manifestation. I knew it was just a matter of time.”

There are many words to describe John Lennon. He called himself a leader, yet did some of his best work alone. He was an alleged wife beater, very outspoken, often putting out controversial quotes to the media; either to make a point or just to be outlandish. But when he spoke, people listened.

He was a partner with his boyhood friend, Paul McCartney and together they left a musical writing partnership and a legacy that are unequaled to this day and may never be. The Beatles, with their producer George Martin, changed music in dramatic fashion, with studio techniques that had never been attempted.

They pioneered the concept album with "Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band,” which the editors of Rolling Stone magazine list as the greatest rock album of the rock era.

He had the attention of our government with his antiwar protests and at one point was under FBI investigation. He sang of love and peace and living in harmony, with all people coming together as one. There are some who called him a genius. He could be nasty, resentful and meanspirited. He fought his demons and it seems he was winning, until December 8, 1980.

We can only recall his career, from the beginning, until the end and who doesn't know the story about the four lads from Liverpool. He was part of the group that changed rock and roll music history.

We can only wonder what John Lennon would be doing if he were alive today. How active would he be in promoting world peace? Would he still be creating wonderfully crafted rock and roll songs? All we can do is Imagine, and that is the shame of it all.





Visit the John Lennon Store: http://astore.amazon.com/johnlennon0f-20

Sunday, July 6, 2008

New Vinyl Releases

Soul Control have revealed plans to release four different one-sided 7"s via four different record labels. Each 7" will contain one new song; the covers of all four records will come together to form one larger image. The labels handling the releases are Hex Records, Teenage Disco Bloodbath Records, Triple B Records, and Dead But Dreaming Records. The band will enter the studio in two weeks with Jay Maas to record for the effort, their follow-up to their most recent offering, Involution. The band plans to head out on tour in support of the release later this Summer/early Fall.

Sub Pop Records has announced the return of its Singles Club in celebration of its twenty years as a label. This run of The Sub Pop Singles Club will run for one year only and be limited to 1,500 copies of each single. Included are 7"s from such artists as Om, Unnatural Helpers, Tyvek, Black Mountain, Black Lips, Arthur & Yu, Mika Miko, Blues Control, Notwist, and others to be revealed. The first record will feature two songs from Om and ships on August 15th.

Source: http://www.scenepointblank.com/home/

Collectible Christian Records

Paul Loader recounts the late '70s, early '80s history of Bristol metal band AMAZIAH

Source: http://www.crossrhythms.co.uk/

One of the strangest subsections of the Christian music industry is the niche market for rare Christian vinyl which exists among American record collectors. Just why oldies enthusiasts are prepared to pay huge amounts for copies of Agape's 'Gospel Hard Rock' (1971) or The Crusaders' 'Make A Joyful Noise With Drums And Guitars' (1966) is to most British minds a complete mystery. It just seems that of the tens of thousands of releases which sell in small quantities, a few are designated "collectable" and fuelled by their rare appearances in album auctions their "value" shoots ever upwards. Mark Allan Powell's book Encyclopedia Of Contemporary Christian Music features an entry for a late '70s hard rock band called Amaziah and concludes with the amazing revelation that "a copy of Amaziah's album with its original cover can sell for up to $1,500." What is intriguing about Amaziah's brief history was that they were British.

This Date In Music History- July 6

Birthdays:

Soul singer Jan Bradley ("Mama Didn't Lie") was born in Byhalia, Miss in 1943.

Della Reese ("And That Reminds Me") turns 77.

Folk singer Nanci Griffith was born in Austin TX in 1953.

"Duke of Earl" singer Gene Chandler was born in Chicago in 1937.

History:

Van McCoy, who scored a number one disco hit called "Do The Hustle", died of a heart attack at the age of 39 on July 6th 1979. He had worked for several record labels throughout the 1960s and produced The Shirelles, Gladys Knight and The Pips and The Stylistics.

In 1954, WHBQ in Memphis became the first radio station to play an Elvis Presley record ("That's Alright Mama").

Still on Sun Records, Elvis Presley’s Baby, Let’s Play House” appeared on the national pop charts in 1955. It peaked at #10 on Country & Western.

In 1957, Paul McCartney met John Lennon at a Liverpool church festival concert by John's group, the Quarrymen. In the church basement between sets, 15 year old McCartney teaches a 16 year old Lennon to play and sing Eddie Cochran's, "Twenty Flight Rock" and Gene Vincent's "Be-Bop-A-Lula". Lennon would later say that he was impressed with McCartney's ability to tune a guitar.

Louis Armstrong ("Hello Dolly") died of a heart attack in 1971.

Jefferson Airplane was formed in 1965.

The Beatles' movie, "A Hard Day's Night" opened in London in 1964. The Beatles themselves didn’t get a chance to see the finished film until July 10. Andrew Sarris describes the film as "The Citizen Kane of jukebox movies."

Elvis Presley's "Paradise Hawaiian Style" movie opened nationwide in 1966.

The No. 1 single in 1965 was the Rolling Stones' "(I Can't Get No) Satisfaction," the band's first American chart-topper.

1968- The No. 1 single in the U.S. today was the Rolling Stones with "Jumping Jack Flash."

In Hollywood, Florida in 1980, 36 Ted Nugent fans were arrested for allegedly throwing bottles and smoking pot at the gonzo rocker's concert. Smoking pot at a rock concert- unheard of!

In 1998, singing cowboy and TV actor Roy Rogers died at age 86.

In 2005, Live 8 organizer Bob Geldof became the first member of the Boomtown Rats to ever be nominated for a Nobel Peace Prize.

Queen released their first single, "Keep Yourself Alive" in 1973.

In 2005, the Vocal Group Hall of Fame in Wildwood, N.J. inducted The Jordanaires, The Ronettes, The O'Jays, The Dells and the Tokens.

The late Bill Haley ("See You Later Alligator") was born in 1925.

'Countdown to Ecstasy,' Steely Dan's second album, is released in 1973. It contains several of their most popular songs, including "Bodhisattva" and "My Old School."

Today in 1974, the song "Rock the Boat" by the Hues Corporation topped the charts and stayed there for a week.

Also in 1963, The Surfaris released their classic surf tune, "Wipe Out", a song that was recorded in just two takes, but would rise to number two in the US and would stay in the Top 40 for ten weeks.

In 1987, Kris Kristofferson made a public apology after a plaque that was given to him by a Vietnam veteran's group is found in a trash can. Kristofferson was given the plaque for playing at a welcome home benefit concert for veterans two days earlier, along with John Fogerty, Neil Diamond and Stevie Wonder. Kristofferson would later donate $1,000 to the Vietnamese Veterans Association.

Nearly a quarter-century after its release, AC/DC`s classic “Back in Black” album was certified double diamond in 2004 by the music industry for shipment of 20 million units. The disc moved its first 10 million copies by 1990. The album was the group`s first with Brian Johnson, who replaced original singer Bon Scott - after his alcohol-related death in 1979.

Pink Floyd performed for the third time on the BBC's Top of the Pops in 1967, promoting their successful "See Emily Play" single. Singer Syd Barrett showed up in a psychedelic outfit, but for the actual televised performance, he changed into a costume of rags.

Three members of The United States Marine Corps at Camp LeJeune, North Carolina who called themselves The Essex, had the number one song on Billboard's chart in 1963 with "Easier Said Than Done". It was a tune that the group would later confess none of them really liked. In the studio, they rushed through the recording, intending the track to be the "B" side of their first single.

Saturday, July 5, 2008

25 Most Valuable Records

I found this interesting- source: http://www.thecollectorslot.com/

25 Most Valuable Records

The following list is an attempt to list the 25 most valuable recordings. Data is sourced from Record Collector magazine, Ebay, Popsike, Good Rockin' Tonight and other sources.

John Lennon & Yoko Ono – Double Fantasy (Geffen US Album, 1980) Autographed by Lennon 5 hours before Mark David Chapman assassinated him. $525,000.

The Quarrymen – That'll Be the Day/In Spite Of All The danger (UK 78 RPM, Acetate in plain sleeve, 1958) Only one copy made. $180,000

The Beatles – Yesterday and Today (Capitol, US Album in ‘butcher’ sleeve, 1966) $38,500 current prices range from $150 - $1500

Bob Dylan – The Freewheelin' Bob Dylan (CBS, US album, stereo 1963 featuring 4 tracks deleted from subsequent releases) $350,000 (I would bet that this is a typo, and it should read $35,000)

Long Cleve Reed & Little Harvey Hull – Original Stack O’Lee Blues (Black Patti, US 78 RPM in plain sleeve, 1927) $30,000 offered to Joe Bussard.

Frank Wilson – Do I Love you? (Tamla Motown, US 7” 45 RPM in plain sleeve, 1965) $28,000

Velvet Underground & Nico – (US Album Acetate, in plain sleeve, 1966 with alternate versions of tracks from official release) Estimate $40,000+ Sold on eBay, December 9, 2006 for $155,401. However bids were fake and record was relisted. Final selling price was $25,200

Billy Ward & His Dominoes (Federal, US 10” album, 195?) $24,000

Sex Pistols – God Save The Queen (UK A&M 7” 45 RPM with mailer, 1977) $22,000

Blind Joe Reynolds – 99 Blues (Paramount, 78 RPM 192?) $20,000

The Quarrymen – That’ll Be The Day/In Spite Of All The Danger (UK 10” 78 RPM and 7” 45 RPM, in reproduction Parlophone sleeve, 1981 reissue, 25 copies of each) $18,000

The Beatles – The Beatles (Parlophone UK album, 1968, numbered below 000010, black inner with poster and four colour prints) $18,000

Bob Dylan – The Freewheelin’ Bob Dylan (As #5 but mono version) $16,500

Charlie Patton – Screamin’ and Hollerin’ (US 78 RPM) $11,550
John’s Children – Midsummer Night Scene (Track, UK 7” 45RPM, 1967) $11,000

Basco Vs The Electroliners – The Beat is over (Sm:)e US 10” red vinyl 45RPM, 1996) $9,400

The Beatles – Please Please Me (Parlophone, UK 7” 45 RPM, 1963 signed by all four members of the band) $9,000

The Beatles – Sgt. Peppers Lonely Hearts Club Band (Parlophone, UK EMIDISC Acetate, 1967) $9,000

Queen – Bohemian Rhapsody (EMI, UK 7” 45RPM in blue vinyl) $9,000

Joe Hill Louis – Gotta Let You Go (US 78 RPM, 192?) $8,300
Mozart á Paris (Conducted Fernand Oudabrous) – (Pathe France, 7 Album box set, 1956) $8,300

The Misfits – Horror Business (Plan 9, US 7” 45 RPM, 197?) Less than 25 copies. $8,239

Jackson 5 featuring Michael Jackson – Take my Heart (US 6.5” Metal Acetate 45RPM, 196?) $7,900

The Prophets – Huh Baby (Shrine, US 7", 45 RPM 196?) $7,600
John English III – I need you near (Sabra, US 7”, 45 RPM, 196?) $7,600