Laura Roppe- Country Music Star Is Unleashed!

I was priviledged to hear this release before anyone else and I certainly feel that Laura, not only has the talent to be Country Music's next sensation, but is already there. This is a great CD, I urge you to pick up a copy ASAP before they are all gone!!

Apparently being the runner up in Kenny Chesney’s “Next Big Star Competition” in May of 2008 is just the springboard that Country Music’s next star needed, as Laura Roppe’s debut CD can attest to. The CD “Girl Like This” will soon take the country music scene by storm, as this engaging singer/songwriter is more than just country music ear candy.

For many years, her career in music had taken a back seat to a legal career, marriage and being a mother, but when the ‘music itch’ became too strong, she resumed her career in music. In 2006, Laura was the lead singer of the popular Southern California cover band CoolBandLuke, belting out cover tunes from artists such as Led Zeppelin, Janis Joplin, Blondie, Lucinda Williams, and Kelly Clarkson. Combining an eclectic mix of influences (such as the Indigo Girls, Carly Simon, Shania Twain among many others) and Laura’s unique voice and fresh style, the debut CD is a compelling array of edgy country girl sounds and rare, intoxicating country flavors. Let’s explore the music:

The single, “Mama Needs A Girls Night Out,” is certain to top mainstream Country Radio and is full of fun country music, memorable lyrics (“babies on the brain” and “put your skinny jeans on”) and a “Mom’s Gone Wild” chorus that every mother who hears the cut can identify with. And when you add inventive guitar work, titillating fiddle work and stellar musicianship-you have a recipe for success. The title cut, “Girl Like This,” combines a Shania Twain-like sassiness with an infectious melody and will be right at home on the Country Music Charts.

“Fly Fly Fly,” with Edie Brickel-like vocals, is a fun, country ditty and just makes you tap your foot with anticipation and sing along. “Float Away” may remind some of Jodie Messina, but others may hear vintage Carly Simon and the song is sung with angelic precision and passion. The cut “Little Daughter” may be her signature ballad, with poignant, emotional lyrics that is sung and played with tenderness and warmth that shows you that it is sincere.

Other songs include the sashaying cut “Ooh La La,” with great guitar licks adeptly mixed with her unique country growl and spicy solos. “Come To Me” is another fantastic country number, with dreamy lyrics and achingly tender acoustics. “Sing A Love Song” is full of inventive harmonies and an irresistible chorus. And the cut, “Crazy About You And Me,” just may be a new look at love gone wrong and has a delicious catchiness to it.

All in all, there is not a weak cut on Laura Roppe’s debut CD, “Girl Like This.” The music transcends typical country music boundaries and is full of expressive vocals, polished country pop and well-crafted instrumental sections and will certainly take the country music scene by storm. This stunning debut is just what country music has been looking for and I, for one, can’t wait to hear more!




Laura Roppé Band:

Laura Roppé- vocals
Albert Margolis- hammond organ
Jann Hoff- bass
Jennifer Argenti- violin/fiddle
Crystal Keith- vocalist
Ricky Lewis- lead guitar
Alex Fuller- drums
Brian Rogers- lap steel guitar


Visit Laura and hear the music:

http://www.ilike2rock.net/members/193/

www.lauraroppe.com

http://www.myspace.com/lauraroppe





Written by Robert Benson for www.ilike2rock.net Internet Radio

Will oil prices sink the vinyl record boom?

With the vinyl record sales continuing their upward trend, is there a potential problem looming? Material and production costs are going up as well and will be passed along to the consumer. Read about this interesting dilema in a recent article here:

http://www.oregonlive.com/news/oregonian/index.ssf?/base/news/1216943721248130.xml&coll=7

Album Cover Art Stories-Santana

This is the second article in a series of Album Cover Art Stories, a behind the scenes look at the art and the artist. I want to thank Michael Goldstein of RockPopGallery.com for allowing the reprints of this fascinating material. There are many others to come and if you want to read more, please feel free to stop by Michael's site (www.rockpopgallery.com)to see more!



Cover Story - Santana's "Santana", with illustration by Lee Conklin

Cover Story for March 14, 2008


Subject: Santana, a 1969 release (on Columbia Records) by Santana, with cover art & design by Lee Conklin



The cover of Santana’s debut record was adapted (at Santana’s request) from a poster design originally done for a concert performance at Bill Graham’s legendary San Francisco venue, the Fillmore West. This iconic image done in pen and ink was certainly one of the best examples of early psychedelic art.

Both guitarist Carlos Santana and artist/illustrator Lee Conklin hit their stride in San Francisco’s mid-60’s cultural scene, with Santana finding a wide variety of music being played in the clubs (Tito Puente’s salsa, folk, Gabor Szabo’s jazz and in 1966, a concert by the great blues guitarist B.B. King at the Fillmore West that would greatly influence the development of his own personal style) and Lee Conklin meeting a number of aspiring artists – Victor Moscoso, Alton Kelley, Stanley Mouse, and many others – who were producing the promotional posters and related graphics for events at the Fillmore and at Family Dog’s Avalon Ballroom and other venues.

Soon after his B.B. King-inspired epiphany, Santana formed The Santana Blues Band (later shortening it to simply “Santana”) and the band made its debut at the Fillmore in June, 1968 (playing a 4-nite stand that was released in 1997 by Columbia/Legacy in a set titled Live at the Fillmore 1968). Santana impressed Bill Graham so much that the band became a regular act at the Fillmore, packing the auditorium regularly.

And then came the Summer of Love, Woodstock, and the band’s legendary performance there on 8/15/69...

Santana’s debut album was released the same month and featured great examples of what would be both “the hits” (“Evil Ways” and “Jingo”) and well-known examples of the band’s musicianship – particularly after their performance at Woodstock – such as the powerful “Soul Sacrifice” (written to be premiered at Woodstock and a particularly impressive showcase for drummer Michael Shieve, I must say). The record peaked in the Top 5, going on to remain on the charts for over two years and ultimately selling over four million copies. Rolling Stone Magazine ranked the album #150 in their 2003 list of the “Greatest Albums of All Time”.

This album featured a classic line-up including Carlos Santana on guitar/vocals, Gregg Rolie on keyboards and vocals, and the awesome rhythm section consisting of David Brown on bass, Michael Shrieve on drums, and Michael Carabello and Jose “Chepito” Areas on percussion.

Lee Conklin also became a favorite of Mr. Graham and produced a particularly trippy poster (aka "BG-134" to collectors) promoting two multi-day shows at the Fillmore (8/27-29/68 featuring Steppenwolf, the Staple Singers and Santana; 8/30-9/1/68 featuring The Grateful Dead, Sons of Champlain and the Preservation Hall Jazz Band – amazing!), with the resulting pen and ink image so impressing Santana that Lee was asked to create the cover for Santana’s debut, the details of which are presented here in today’s Cover Story. So grab a pick, practice your Sustain, and read on…

In the words of the artist, Lee Conklin – (interviewed February, 2008) –

I didn’t start out initially to be an artist, but while I was studying History and Philosophy at Calvin College in Grand Rapids, Michigan, I took on the role of cartoonist for the college paper called the “Calvin College Chimes”. I met my wife Joy there, left school, got married and moved to Florida. The Army grabbed me and I cooked for a year in Korea. They let me out in 1967 and we moved to Los Angeles.

In L.A., I did some pen and ink work and some of it was published by the Los Angeles Free Press (remember “Don’t be a creep, buy a Freep”?), which was cool, and I read an article in Time about the “Summer of Love” and that San Francisco was becoming the center of the Universe for music and art and since I wanted to be a cartoonist, my wife and I decided to move up there to see what we could find.

I heard about the Fillmore and that Bill Graham was hiring artists from the area to make posters for his upcoming shows, and so one Friday night I went there with some drawings and showed them to him. He must have liked what he saw because he asked me if I could do a poster over the weekend for the following week’s show! He chose one of the drawings I had already done and I spent the weekend doing all of the lettering.

From then on for the next two years, I had a pretty steady gig doing posters for Bill and the Fillmore West (Ed. note – he did over 30 posters in 1968-69). At the same time, the Santana band was playing there pretty frequently and I was well aware of their music, both from performances and their demos, which received extensive airplay on FM radio in San Francisco. One day, Bill asked me to do a poster for a show that Santana was headlining and so, with a little inspiration from a Muse named MaryJane, I remembered seeing a picture of a lion in a book of animal picture I had and used that image as the basis of my drawing. Even then, I knew that I was making art for future generations and so even though Bill usually liked posters in color, I detailed this one in pen-and-ink. I only made one image, and the next morning he told me that he was going to print is as it was, so he must have been happy with the results.


Santana also thought that the image was really great, so afterwards he contacted me and asked me to redraw the image for the cover of his debut record. Although the drawing I created really was not inspired by Santana, I guess that the details and the nature of the images impressed him and the people at the record label. My challenge has always been to subvert the poster form to whatever my muse insists on and then to convert my psychedelic experiences to any medium I’m working in. I made it my mission to translate my psychedelic experience into paper. Later on, in the early 70’s, I took acid and when I went to art class, all I could do was sit and stare at the teacher…LSD had little to do with my most-creative efforts (as a druggy, I am over-rated)!

About the artist, Lee Conklin –

Lee Conklin was born July 24, 1941 in Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey, and grew up mostly in Monsey, New York. Lee's dad was a house builder, his mom was a nurse and he was the youngest child in a family of three brothers and three sisters. Lee graduated from Spring Valley High School in 1959 and attended Calvin College in Grand Rapids Michigan for several years, where he studied philosophy and history and met his wife Joy. In 1972, Lee and Joy had a son, Quinn, and in 1979 a daughter, Caitlin. They have lived in various parts of Northern California over the years.

Lee is now a fulltime artist working out of his home studio in Columbia, California where he continues to create his incredibly-detailed works of poster art (which, according to Lee, he calls “New Age cheesecake”!).

Conklin’s Fillmore posters remain amongst the most-popular and highly-prized with today’s poster collectors - a true testament to his prodigious talents.

To see more of Lee Conklin’s current work, please visit his website at www.leeconklin.com

To see Lee’s “Lion” print in the RockPoP Gallery collection, please click on this link -http://rockpopgallery.com/items/lee-conklin/list.htm?1=1

To see all of the Santana-related items in the RockPoP Gallery collection please click on this link - http://rockpopgallery.com/items/santana/list.htm?1=1

Santana philanthropy update – Santana and his ex-wife Deborah founded their Milagro Foundation in 1998, which has distributed nearly $2 million to date to organizations that “promote the welfare of underserved children in the areas of health, education, and the arts.”

To learn more, please visit the Milago Foundation’s website at –
http://www.milagrofoundation.org/

In addition, Santana has joined the fight against AIDS in Africa through a partnership with ANSA – Artists for New South Africa (in 2003, all of the proceeds from Santana’s U.S. tour were donated to this cause). To learn more about ANSA, please visit their web site at http://www.ansafrica.org/ .

Other organizations he has championed include Hispanic Education and Media Group, Doctors Without Borders, Save the Children, Childreach, Rainforest Action Network, Greenpeace, American Indian College Fund, Amnesty International, and the LA-based Museum of Tolerance.

All images featured in this Cover Story are Copyright 1968 and 2008, Lee Conklin - All rights reserved. Except as noted, all other text Copyright 2008 - Mike Goldstein & RockPoP Gallery (www.rockpopgallery.com) - All rights reserved.

Billy Bob goes Mod

Source: http://www.bhamweekly.com


Billy Bob Thornton forms retro trio The Boxmasters


By: Brent Thompson


There is no shortage of actors that have attempted side careers as musicians – Keanu Reeves (Dogstar), Russell Crowe (30 Odd Foot of Grunts) and Kevin Bacon (Bacon Brothers) to name only a few – but few people realize the role that music has played throughout Billy Bob Thornton’s life. In addition, Thornton’s musical career has ties to Alabama that some may find surprising.

“I made my first recording in 1974 in Muscle Shoals,” Thornton recalls, speaking by phone from Santa Fe, New Mex. “I was just a kid and I couldn’t believe that we were really in Muscle Shoals. That whole group of guys – Dan Penn, Spooner Oldham, David Hood, Roger Hawkins and Jimmy Johnson – is just incredible.”

On Tuesday, July 29, Billy Bob Thornton & The Boxmasters will perform at Zydeco. The 18-and-over show begins at 9 p.m. Thornton and bandmates Mike Butler and J.D. Andrew are touring in support of the trio’s self-titled album, released earlier this year on Vanguard Records. The Boxmasters musical vision combines a hillbilly-influenced sound alongside the British Invasion “Mod” sound of the 1960s, a mix Thornton describes as “Mod-Billy.” The trio’s latest release features an original CD and a disc of cover songs.

“We’re very proud of this record. Two of the songs on the original side are older songs – I wrote one called ‘That Mountain’ with Marty Stuart about nine years ago and it was on my first solo record. We just Boxmaster-ized it and put it on this record – it just belonged on here. The song ‘Build Your Own Prison’ I actually wrote with one of your countrymen down there, Donnie Fritts. All the rest of the songs were written in the studio specifically for the album. The idea was to write songs about the lower-middle class lifestyle that we all know so well and the problems we all go through. The covers side was really just a tribute to all the people that have inspired us to even create The Boxmasters,” Thornton says.

An Academy Award-winning actor and screenwriter known for his roles in Sling Blade, Primary Colors and Monster’s Ball among others, Thornton received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 2004. Off screen, his private life has been a recurring topic of discussion, most notably during his marriage to actress Angelina Jolie. As a musician, Thornton enjoys the live interaction that film acting does not provide.

“Music’s more immediate – you make a record and it comes out fairly soon and then you go out and play for the fans. In a movie, there’s a certain distance between the actor and the audience because you’re never there when they’re seeing the movie. There’s not a real sense of completion when you’re making a movie because you’re doing bits at a time every day, whereas you do a concert and it’s a full thing in one night. But they both have their ups and downs. I find the movie business to be a little more accommodating sometimes,” he says.

Anyone that speaks with Thornton quickly learns that he is a musical historian with a tremendous depth of knowledge and passion on the subject. An admittedly old soul when it comes to music and movies, Thornton finds that technology and the modern media have taken the mystique out of the two art forms.

“I grew up around music as a musician and a roadie and there’s no mystery anymore. If you see HBO’s ‘Behind The Scenes’ and you see an actor sitting there in his costume talking about his role, then it kind of destroys the magic of it. When we were growing up, the only time you saw Jimmy Stewart or Robert Mitchum was in the movie and musicians weren’t all over the Internet and you didn’t know everything about somebody. When you went to a concert, you couldn’t believe that John Fogerty was standing right in front of you. The Boxmasters’ record is out on limited-edition vinyl as well. Just to look at that artwork and to be able to read the lyrics without a magnifying glass is pretty incredible. Vanguard’s a classy old label - it’s a label that I wanted to be on since I was a kid,” he says.

Later this year, The Boxmasters will release a Christmas album that includes original material and Christmas classics recorded in Boxmasters’ fashion. Fans attending shows on the current tour will get a double-dose as Thornton and his band perform two shows nightly.

“One thing that’s important to mention is that we are the opening act - The Boxmasters open the show. We open as The Boxmasters with the whole ‘Mod’ look because that was the idea behind The Boxmasters. So we look like The Kinks or The Beatles and yet we play hillbilly music - the stage set is very Hullabaloo looking. The second show is my solo show and it’s a big rock show. We come out and it’s a little heavier and louder and the songs go on longer. A lot of people ask, ‘How can you do two shows a night for the whole tour as two different bands?’ But when you go out for the second show, it actually feels like another night.”

This Date In Music History- July 24

Birthdays:

Barbara Jean Love (Friends of Distinction) 1941.

Heinze Burt (The Tornadoes) 1942.

Born on this day in 1970, Jennifer Lopez, singer, actress.

Born on this day in 1961, Gary Cherone, vocals, Extreme.

History:

Nervous Norvus ("Transfusion"-- his real name was Jimmy Drake) died of liver failure in 1968.

The film version of "Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band" (starring Peter Frampton and the Bee Gees) debuts in New York in 1978. It bombed at the box-office and the critics hated it.

Today in 1971, the song "Indian Reservation" by the Raiders topped the charts and stayed there for a week. The song was actually recorded by Mark Lindsay alone, but he chose to put the group's name on the label as a sign of friendship for his old buddy Paul Revere.

In 1982, "Eye of the Tiger" by Survivor topped the charts and stayed there for 6 weeks. Over the next four years, the band would place six more songs on the Billboard Top 40.

A riot broke out in 1964, when the Rolling Stones play the English city of Blackpool, contributing to their bad-boys-of-rock image.

At the Newport Folk Festival today in 1965, Bob Dylan performed"All I Really Wanna Do" at an afternoon workshop. The following day he scandalizes the festival when he makes his electric debut.

La Bamba, the Ritchie Valens biopic, opened in theaters in 1987. The film stars Lou Diamond Phillips and has appearances by Brian Setzer and Marshall Crenshaw. The production had the full support of the Valenzuela family and Bob and Connie Valenzuela even came to the set to help the actors portray their characters correctly. The music was performed by Los Lobos.

The case against Judas Priest opened in Reno, Nevada in 1995. The band members are accused of planting subliminal messages in their album Stained Class that led two young fans to attempt suicide. The group was later cleared of wrongdoing.

Jefferson Airplane’s second album, the classic “Surrealistic Pillow” went gold in 1967. The record contains two Airplane classics “White Rabbit” and “Somebody To Love.” Both songs were originally recorded by singer Grace Slick’s previous band, The Great Society. Good idea to bring her on board.

The Beach Boys' "California Girls" was released in the US in 1965, where it will reach #3 in September.

The trio of Dino, Desi and Billy achieved their first US chart entry in 1965 with "I'm A Fool", which will rise to #17. Dino, the son of Dean Martin, Desi, the son of Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz, along with Billy Hinsche would also crack the Top 40 with "Not The Lovin' Kind" later in the year.

Paul McCartney recorded a demo of his new song ‘Come and Get It’ at Abbey Road studios in London in 1969. McCartney gave the song to The Iveys, (soon to become known as Badfinger). The song was later used as the theme for the movie The Magic Christian. The Beatles also recorded ‘Sun King/Mean Mr. Mustard’ for their forthcoming Abbey Road album.

This Date In Music History- July 22

Birthdays:

Bobby Sherman ("Julie Do Ya Love Me") is 65.

Don Henley of the Eagles ("Hotel California") turns 61.

Estelle Bennett of the Ronettes ("Be My Baby") turns 64.

George Clinton, the visionary leader of the Parliament-Funkadelic empire, was born in Kannapolis, North Carolina in 1940.

Soul superstar Keith Sweat ("I Want Her") was born in Harlem, N.Y. in 1965.

Emily Saliers (Indigo Girls) was born in 1963.

Born on this day in 1944, Ric Davis, vocalist and keyboardist with Supertramp.

History:

Eugene Record of the Chi-Lites succumbed to cancer in 2005. The singer and author of soul classics like "Have You Seen Her?" and "Oh Girl" was 64.

In 2005, Doors’ drummer John Densmore won a ruling that kept the other two surviving members - Ray Manzarek and Robby Krieger - from using the band's name as part of their oldies act, The Doors of the 21st Century.

The Byrds' "Sweetheart of the Rodeo" album was released in 1968.

Elvis Costello's first album, "My Aim Is True," was released in Britain in 1977. It was later released in the U.S.

In 1967, Vanilla Fudge made their live debut at New York's Village Theatre with the Byrds and the Seeds.

Also in 1967, The Doors made their debut on American Bandstand performing "Light My Fire."

In 1979, Little Richard, now known as the Reverend Richard Pennman told his congregation about the evils of rock & roll music, declaring 'If God can save an old homosexual like me, he can save anybody.'

The Grateful Dead’s first single, “Stealin’” b/w “Don’t Ease Me In,” was released on the Scorpio label in 1966.

The Beatles' first US album, "Introducing The Beatles" was pressed by Vee-Jay Records in 1963. When it was finally released in January, 1964, Capitol Records hit Vee Jay with an injunction against manufacturing, distributing, advertising, or otherwise disposing of records by the Beatles.

Oh, those naughty Stones! Rolling Stones' Mick Jagger, Keith Richards and Bill Wyman appeared in a London courtroom in 1965 and were found guilty of "insulting behavior" for urinating against a London gas station wall. They argued that the owner had refused to give them the key to the men's room, but they were fined five pounds each.

In 1971, thirteen days after lead singer Jim Morrison passed away, the Doors were awarded a gold album for "L.A. Woman". The L.P. included "Love Her Madly" and "Riders on the Storm.”

OOPS! In 1995, Canadian singer David Clayton-Thomas angered patrons at a Blood, Sweat and Tears concert in the heavily Jewish Detroit suburb of West Bloomfield. Halfway through the show, he remarked that the weather was "as hot as the last train car going to Auschwitz." Clayton-Thomas later apologized, saying he spoke "in the heat of the moment."

Paul and Linda McCartney were arrested in Sweden in 1972 for possession of drugs.

Johnny Cash was at No.1 on the US album chart in 2006 with ‘American V: A Hundred Highways.’ Released posthumously on July 4, the vocal parts were recorded before Cash's death, but the instruments were not recorded until 2005.

Vinyl Record Appraisals

Meet Record Appraiser and Historian Scott Neuman

By Robert Benson

Everyday it seems that we read about the resurgence in the sales of vinyl records. In fact, in a recently-released 2007 RIAA sales report, the American music industry sold 36.6 percent more Extended Play (EP) and Long Play (LP) records than it had in the previous year; increasing vinyl sales revenue by 46.2 percent.

And the world of collecting vinyl records is also reaping the benefits from this renewed interest in vinyl. But how does one place a value on these classic recordings, what is a rare record worth and what is the process for acquiring such information?

I spoke with vinyl record historian and record appraiser Scott Neuman, owner of www.forevervinyl.com about this dilemma and some of the obstacles one may encounter. But, first, let’s meet Scott and review his background.

Scott Neuman is a vinyl record veteran who started working in the music industry at an early age and has been a record collector/dealer/appraiser since 1975. He has been an on air disc jockey for several radio stations, worked in television as an announcer and cameraman and has also owned and operated a record store. And keeping up with the times, Scott was one of the first “online” record shops, operating www.forevervinyl.com; which boasts an inventory of well over 2 million records.

I asked Neuman about the renewed interest in vinyl records and the allure of vinyl.

“Listening to records used to be a time to be enjoy with a few friends, hang out, listen to the music and read the liner notes on the back,” explained Neuman. “Maybe you enjoyed the gatefold sleeves in a personal way, maybe you just enjoyed slipping the sealing material off the cover on your pants by rubbing the corner of the record on your knee, taking the record out, getting that little “pop” of static electricity and taking a slight sniff of the vinyl. Then lining up the needle on the record after cleaning it and sitting down to enjoy the fruits of your work. All of that is very hard to do with a CD or MP3. Records are personal, something to share with friends. Sure, CD’s are nice and so are MP3’s. But records force you to listen to them.”

And, what is the allure, and can you tell me about your record collection.

“The allure? For all the reasons above,” said Neuman. “All formats have their points. I just like handling vinyl. I was a DJ for years and used to use records to entertain in the Philadelphia and New York area. I didn’t just play records. We made a night of entertainment. As for the digital sound, I prefer the warmer sounds I get from vinyl.”

“I do have a music collection and my favorite items are not necessarily rare. I do have a large jazz collection from the 50’s in mint condition that I’m not ready to sell yet. These would be first pressings by John Coltrane, Miles Davis, Monk, and a few others. I also have some rare Beatle items that I enjoy looking at including a first state ‘butcher’ cover and an “Introducing the Beatles” in excellent condition that isn’t counterfeit. I also appreciate Gold and Platinum RIAA award albums given to various artists, autographs by various artists and also Vogue picture discs which were picture discs pressed on 78 records. One more thing I enjoy owning are various acetates. These were one off pressings by artists used just for test and listening purposes and were normally destroyed after a final production of a product. You can sometimes hear alternate versions of your favorite songs. These items self destruct the more you play them so it’s wise to record them and put them away for safe keeping.

Neuman is also one of the world’s most renowned vinyl record appraisers and offers this service on www.forevervinyl.com. There are many variables that go into what a particular record may be worth and I asked Neuman about the demand for this service and what makes a record valuable.

“Forever Vinyl gets more than twenty calls a day for customers looking for appraisals for estates and charity donations,” detailed Neuman. “As far as the elements of an appraisal, it depends on the needs of the customer. For donations, we draw a number of different elements to get the correct market value for your collection. We neither under nor over appraise your collection.
What makes a record valuable?

“What makes a house value? Location, location, location. When it comes to records, demand, demand, demand. Age is not a determining factor in record collection, demand is,” stated Neuman.

What donating records to a charity, what are the main obstacles a person might encounter?

“There really aren’t any obstacles per say other then finding a non-profit entity to accept them. The IRS is very picky about fair retail market value as they should be. We should all pay our fair share of the tax burden. It’s important to understand that the IRS considers the value of a collection to be based on the value and use of the entity you are donating the collection to. If you donate the collection to a university, and they hold on to it for three years, possibly put it in their library and make the collection available to the students to learn from, the appraisal will normally stand. If you donate the collection to a thrift shop, the IRS will normally look at what the thrift shop sold the collection for and adjust any appraisal value over that amount. Needless to say, we highly recommend finding a charity that would value and use the collection rather then just dump the collection for pennies on the dollar.”

Tell me about your appraisal services that are offered at Forever Vinyl.

“As you know, many records are now valued in the hundreds and thousands of dollars. Because of the amount of appraisals that are requested per day, we've instituted a reasonable fee to cover our cost, time and expertise for these appraisals. Our current fee is $20.00 for the first item of the appraisal and $5.00 for each additional item. For collections with over 200 pieces, please call us 732-505-5337 for adjusted rates,” explained Neuman.

“All information must contain the following information- Artist, Title, Type of item, Condition (1 - 10 is fine with 10 looking like its brand new), Label and Label Number. If the item is a 45 single, does it have a picture sleeve? Also any other comments you'd like to make about the item. Examples could be if it's a promotional or "Not for Sale" copy, if it's a test pressing or acetate, if it's autographed and so forth. If necessary, we can and will travel to your location. For those of you with larger collections, we do work on a rate of $200.00 an hour plus travel, food and lodging expenses, if you need us to come to you. This is only by appointment. Many of our customers have used this service. We also can accept items shipped to us for appraisal. Feel free to contact us for more information; we’d loved to help your put a value on your collection.”

So as the sales of vinyl records and the interest in this historic audio medium continue its upward trend, so too, will the need for vinyl record appraisals. Thankfully, we have vinyl record experts like Scott Neuman to help us put a value on our collections.

Going for a spin

By Steve Clark

Source: http://www.businessreport.com


The truth is, vinyl never completely went away.

Underground punk music and various obscure independent releases have continued to be pressed into vinyl records ever since the supposed death of the medium as the mainstream commercial standard for music delivery in the late 1980s.

Nevertheless, vinyl is enjoying a mainstream comeback—not that music lovers are tossing their CD collections and iPods into dumpsters across America and scooping up turntables to spin the venerable 33 1/3. Still, it appears to be more than a passing fad, says Taylor Sullivan, music buyer for the Compact Disc Store, which has several boxes of newly released vinyl LPs in addition to its stock-in-trade CDs.

“I don’t think it’s going away,” he says. “I don’t think it’s just a fluke.”

Sullivan, 32, spun records as a kid and never stopped collecting the obscure underground stuff. A few years ago he tried ordering a few for the store to see if they would sell. They did. Like crazy. Eventually, less esoteric offerings began to be issued again on LP, and the Compact Disc Store, despite its name, is carrying it.

REM’s newest album, Accelerator, is available in LP format, for instance, as is the new one from Coldplay, Viva la Vida. Even Best Buy has jumped on the vinyl wagon—gingerly: An employee at a Baton Rouge Best Buy reported all five copies—yes, five—of the Coldplay album had sold out.

Also, more and more old music is being reissued on vinyl—the Beatles and Pink Floyd, for instance, though for now it’s just a trickle. Sullivan says look out for a wave of new old releases on LP in the next few months as the trend gains steam. Sullivan says the people buying his LPs are a mix of young and old.

“I would say that just in the last six or nine months it’s doubled, but then again so has the availability of stock,” he says. “I’ve noticed a lot recently. Right now the demand is outrunning the supply. There’s a lot of big indie records that are coming out on LP. The pressing plants are backed up where things are not getting out on time.”

Sullivan, who guesses he’s “killed four turntables” during his record-listening career, says the renewed interest in vinyl could be in part because of a backlash against the relatively low sound quality of downloadable MP3s compared to other formats.

Brad Pope, owner of the Compact Disc Store, acknowledges the irony of selling LPs at a store founded on the notion that LPs were history.

“I had doubters at the time,” he says. “They were wrong for about 20 years.”

Pope says today’s vinyl is heavier and higher quality—at least for the time being—than records used to be. The prices aren’t terrible. Flipping through the stacks, he finds a John Coltrane LP re-issue for $12.99, John Prine’s Fair & Square at $15.99 and a limited edition of Viva la Vida for $28.99.

“Lately sometimes our days are made by our LP sales—where it’s made the difference between a so-so day and a good day,” Pope says. “It’s a for-real phenomenon. Whether it’s just a flash in the pan remains to be seen.”

The Recording Industry Association of America reports that manufacturers’ shipments of LPs rose 1.3 million between 2006 and 2007—a 36% jump—while CD shipments dropped 17% during the same period, largely because of downloading.

None of this means Pope is ready to change his mind in the debate over LPs versus CDs. The LP school maintains that vinyl, recorded using analog technology, has a warmer sound than CDs, which are recorded digitally. He doesn’t buy it. Pope, a classical music aficionado, says CDs are superior in sound quality and a lot more convenient. He has no plans to get caught up in the vinyl frenzy.

“It really doesn’t have any fascination for me, but I’m a million years old,” he says.

Records do have a fascination for Clarke Gernon Jr., a local architect. While he’s mostly into collecting out-of-print blues and country LPs, he did recently splurge on a new vinyl release of bluesman R.L. Burnside’s music from the late 1960s. Gernon, who isn’t averse to downloading music onto his iPod, says records seem somehow more alive than CDs or digital formats.

He guesses the resurgence of vinyl is partly from young people in the age of iTunes and MP3s yearning to “actually have something to hold in your hands.”

“While it’s pretty easy to get the songs, the thing that you miss is the opportunity to shop for it, or at the end of it all to have a thing: something you can put on the wall and display,” Gernon says. “It actually is like a piece of art. I do try and sort of display my top four or five [LP covers] at any given moment.”

If you’re going to play a record, you need something to play it on. Believe it not, turntables are still around, and not just the equipment used by hip-hop DJs. Guitar Center and Amazon.com sell low- to mid-range turntables. Or you can spend thousands of dollars on a designer turntable available—though not necessarily in stock—from Valentino Home Entertainment in Perkins Rowe.

Troy Semons, the store’s installation manager, says the turntable market isn’t what it used to be. With major audio equipment makers having long since ditched the market, the high-end stuff now comes small, esoteric designer-builders. The Reference Super Scoutmaster Signature, for instance, winner of the 2008 Absolute Sound Golden Ear Award, retails for $7,400 on MusicDirect.com.

Semons says the few customers who buy turntables tend to be older people replacing their worn-out equipment. Why? Because LPs—on a high-end turntable—sound better than CDs. While he may not have a turntable himself, he does have an opinion: As long as the master recording is high-caliber, vinyl sounds better—noticeably better—on a high-end record player.

“What you’ll have is frequency extension above a certain point,” Semons says. “Supposedly we’re not capable of hearing it, but it is there and you notice when you listen.”

This Date In Music History- July 20

Birthdays:

Carlos Santana ("Evil Ways") is 61.

John Lodge of the Moody Blues ("Nights In White Satin") is 63.

Kim Carnes, of "Bette Davis Eyes" fame, was born in Los Angeles in 1946.

Sex Pistols drummer and later Bananarama producer Paul Cook was born in London in 1956.

Chris Cornell, frontman for megagroups Soundgarden and Audioslave was born in Seattle, WA in 1964.

History:

Today in 1963, the song "Surf City" by Jan & Dean topped the charts and stayed there for 2 weeks. The pair had recorded the song in a converted garage underneath their apartment in Bel Air, California. The single reached #26 in the UK.

In 1954, Elvis Presley performed on one what was probably the smallest stage of his career when he appeared on the back of a flatbed truck outside a Memphis drugstore for its grand opening. Elvis was then a member of The Blue Moon Boys trio with Bill Black and Scotty Moore, who took their name from a song they had recorded just 2 weeks previously, "Blue Moon of Kentucky".

The late Buddy Knox ("Hula Love") was born in 1933.

The Beatles signed a German recording contract with producer Bert Kaempfert in 1961, as the Beat Brothers.

Bob Dylan releases "Like a Rolling Stone" in 1965. The single becomes his first major hit, reaching No. 2.

Pop vocalist Roy Hamilton, the former boxer who first had a hit with "Unchained Melody," dies in New Rochelle, N.Y. in 1969, after suffering a stroke.

Engineer Gary Kellgren drowned in a Hollywood swimming pool in 1977. As well as making classic albums like Jimi Hendrix's "Electric Ladyland" and Frank Zappa's "We're Only in It for the Money" sound the way they do, he was the operator of the Los Angeles Record Plant studio.

The Iron Butterfly’s epic “In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida” featuring the 17:05 title track, complete with drum solo, entered the album chart in 1968 for a two-and-a-half year stay. Also in 1968, Cream`s “Wheels Of Fire,” a double album with both live and studio material, enters the LP chart. The set contains “White Room” and Eric Clapton’s signature song “Crossroads.”

Billboard's first comprehensive record chart is published in 1940. The magazine had previously published best-seller lists submitted by the individual record companies, but the new chart combined the top sellers from all major labels. Their first number one song was "I'll Never Smile Again" by Frank Sinatra and the Tommy Dorsey Orchestra.

Lesley Gore released "Judy's Turn To Cry" in 1963, the follow up to her number one hit, "It's My Party". The record was a continuation of the original story and it too became a Top 5 hit in the US.

The Lovin' Spoonful released their first record, "Do You Believe in Magic" in 1965. It will reach #9 on the US pop chart.

In 1968, Jane Asher announced on a national British TV show, Dee Time, that her engagement to Paul McCartney was off. McCartney reportedly was watching at a friend's home and was surprised by the news. Jane went on to have a successful career in films and on television

Album Cover Art Series

This is the first in a series of Album Cover Art stories, a behind the scenes look at the art and the artist. I want to thank Michael Goldstein of RockPopGallery.com for allowing the reprints of this fascinating material. There are many others to come and if you want to read more, please feel free to stop by Michael's site (www.rockpopgallery.com)to see more!



Cover Story - The Moody Blues' "In Search of the Lost Chord", with artwork by Philip Travers

Cover Story for March 28, 2008


Subject: In Search of the Lost Chord, a 1968 release (on Deram Records) by The Moody Blues, with cover artwork & design by Philip Travers


After the success of their Days of Future Passed record (featuring the memorable cover artwork by artist David Anstey) in which the band began the transformation from its original, Denny Laine-led pop songcrafting (“Go Now”) to writers of early symphonic rock masterworks such as “Forever (Tuesday) Afternoon” and “Nights in White Satin” – delivered in Decca/Deram Records’ new “Deramic Stereo Sound” – the release of 1968’s In Search of the Lost Chord delivered to fans of the band a record showcasing their new, more experimental and psychedelic leanings.

Mike Pinder’s Mellotron replaced much of the full orchestra from the previous record, and the rest of the band added the popular “psychedelic” instrumentation of the day – sitar and other stringed instruments, flutes, harpsichord, etc. – to fill out the sound and make it more possible to recreate the music in live performances. Pinder also continued introducing listeners to Graeme Edge’s wonderful poems, his readings of which set the mood for the complex and beautiful music and lyrics that would follow (although we do get to hear Edge’s own voice and maniacal laughter during his recitation of the album opener “Departure”).

Songs on this record included fan favorites such as the rocking “Ride My See Saw”, “Legend of a Mind” (a Ray Thomas trippy tribute to Timothy Leary), “Voices in the Sky”, “The Actor” and ending with “the lost chord” itself - “Om” (which went along with the tantric graphics found inside the record’s gatefold cover).

A late 60’s psychedelic record from a band like the Moodies – one that truly exemplified the notion of a long-playing sonic experience - could only be packaged in an album sleeve with a truly fantastic cover image that would only add to the overall experience. This notion required a visual artist of exceptional talents, which prompted the band to turn to artist and illustrator Phil Travers, who’d impressed them with his previous work for the label. I think that we’ll all agree that the result of Phil’s commission was an image that would send the record owner immediately on his own search for the answer to life’s existential questions (“how can I be on the outside, looking in, if I’m dead”?, for example). To find Phil Travers, all I had to do was search on Google, after which he provided me with the recollections of his efforts on this project that are outlined in today’s Cover Story…

In the words of the artist – Phil Travers (interviewed in late February, 2008)

After five years at Art College in London, I got a job in the art department at Decca Records. I spent my time there designing record sleeves, and after about two years, I left Decca to take a job as a designer/illustrator in a design office in Wimbledon. While there, I was contacted by someone I knew at Decca because, apparently, the then-manager of the Moody Blues had been at Decca to look through their catalogue of sleeve designs and he’d really liked an illustration of mine which I had done shortly before I left. Shortly thereafter, I was invited to an introductory meeting with the Moodies at a pub in London - I forget which one – and after we’d worked out the details of the commission, I was invited to listen to the soundtrack of In Search of the Lost Chord at their recording studio.

While I was listening to the music, the concept for the cover was actually given to me in some sort of subliminal way. The recording and mixing area of the studio where I was sitting was separated from the area where the band would play by a large glass window and in this glass I could see several images of myself - one above the other - almost as if I was ascending up into space.

The band wanted me primarily to illustrate the concept of meditation. This was not something that I had much personal experience of and so my initial thoughts about such an ethereal subject were, unfortunately, insubstantial, and so I wasn`t producing any cohesive visual ideas, with this lack of ideas evident in my first rough designs. In fact, as time was getting short (by the way everything was always wanted in a hurry) I was starting to panic. It was then that the image in the glass window of a figure ascending came back to me and, after that, everything just fell into place. Its impossible for me to tell you now how long it took me to produce the illustration, other than to say that, in most cases, I had days rather than weeks to complete them and submit them for approval. As for the way I painted, I used Gouache and some watercolour, and very often I employed an airbrush.

The band was a good bunch of guys and generally I got on pretty well with them. They were always fully involved in the project (this, and the next 5 records I did for them) from start to finish. Apart from the album Every Good Boy Deserves Favor - where they had come to me with their own idea on how the cover should look - there was a similar working pattern for all of the other sleeves. At the first meeting we would listen to the soundtrack together and discuss the themes and ideas behind the album. It was then left to me to produce a pencil rough which was then discussed further. Eventually a consensus would be reached and the painting would begin in earnest. Time always was of the essence, and many times I was working all day and all night to meet the printer’s deadline. But I have to say it was greatly fulfilling and I thoroughly enjoyed it.

About the artist, Philip Travers –

Born in 1945, Philip studied art and design at the Sutton School of Art and the London School of Printing. After college, he spent several years working as a designer and illustrator in studios in the London area. It was at this time that he became associated with the internationally-renowned rock group - The Moody Blues - for whom he produced record sleeves in the late 1960s and early `70s, including:

- In Search of the Lost Chord (1968)
- On The Threshold of a Dream (1969)
- To Our Children’s Children’s Children (1969)
- Question of Balance (1970)
- Every Good Boy Deserves Favour (1971)
- Seventh Sojourn (1972)

In addition to the images for The Moody Blues, Philip created a couple of sleeves for the band `Trapeze` (the seminal hard rock band produced by John Lodge and featuring Glenn Hughes and Dave Holland) on the Threshold label and, according to Phil, “I did do a sleeve for The Four Tops single `A Simple Game`. This was produced by Tony Clarke. However, it was never used, which is a pity because I think it was really good!”

Coming initially from London, he grew up enjoying the landscape of Surrey and the surrounding counties, and his paintings at this time were exhibited at galleries in Wimbledon, Thames Ditton, Windsor and Petersfield.

Philip moved to Cornwall in 1976 after spending several holidays in the area and then deciding that he should live there. He felt that the close proximity of the sea, and the diverse and exciting landscape that it engendered created a stimulating environment in which to work. Phil is mainly concerned to convey the mood and atmosphere of the subjects he is painting, and with his bold use of light and shade, he continues to produce highly-dramatic images. He often likes to include animals and sometimes figures in his work, as they provide not only life and a focus but also a narrative element.

To see more of Phil Travers’ current work, please visit his website at www.philiptravers.co.uk

To see all of the Moody Blues-related items in the RockPoP Gallery collection please click on this link - http://rockpopgallery.com/items/moody-blues/list.htm?1=1

Moody Blues update – The Moody Blues continue to tour the world today (you’ll find their schedule on their web site – www.moodyblues.co.uk ). The soon-to-open Hard Rock Park in Myrtle Beach, SC, will feature a ride named "Nights in White Satin - The Trip", which will include a version of the title song newly re-orchestrated by Justin Hayward. And even after the release of 25 Top 100 charting singles, the sales of countless millions of records, and sell-out tours world-wide (including a multi-night stand at London’s Royal Albert Hall, later this year), they have STILL not been inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame. Very sad.

All images featured in this Cover Story are Copyright 1968, 1972 and 2008, Philip Travers - All rights reserved. Except as noted, all other text Copyright 2008 - Mike Goldstein & RockPoP Gallery (www.rockpopgallery.com) - All rights reserved.

Labels Up Volume On Vinyl Releases To Meet Demand

NEW YORK (Billboard) - It may have seemed like a fad at first, but the resurgence of vinyl is now turning into a nice niche business for the major labels. With EMI's announcement that it would reissue eight classic albums in the format, all four majors are now onboard the vinyl bandwagon.

EMI will release two Coldplay albums, four Radiohead titles and Steve Miller's "Greatest Hits" on August 19. Universal Music Enterprises will release 20 albums on vinyl this month and an additional 20 at the end of August, while Warner Music Group will issue 24 to 30 albums from its catalog and 10 to 12 new releases from September through the end of the year, according to executives at those companies.

In the independent camp, RED labels will have several hundred vinyl titles by the end of the year, half of which are new releases, RED vice president of indie sales/marketing Doug Wiley said. One of RED's labels, Metal Blade, is reissuing its classic Slayer catalog in deluxe versions, all on colored vinyl with hand-designed blood splatterings on it, Wiley said.

Indie retail started the party, but now some of the chains are carrying vinyl too. In addition to Fred Meyer and Borders, Best Buy has said publicly that it will experiment with carrying LPs.

EMI Music Catalog vice president of A&R and creative Jane Ventom said that the company has always been into vinyl, "but we are getting more into it." She said the move is in response to consumer demand from the iPod generation, baby boomers and audiophiles.

"Music is becoming a social action again," Ventom said. "The kids are now listening to music with their mates instead of on headphones." She added that vinyl allows them to "hear music in its true form."

"People are going back to reliving the way they used to listen to music and they realize that they missed the (album cover) artwork and what a pleasurable listening experience it is," Ventom said.

One of the most important elements to issuing vinyl is sound quality, especially in the MP3 age. That's why Warner Bros. will relaunch its becausesoundmatters.com Web site, which touts and sells vinyl and may start offering high-resolution MP3s, according to Warner Bros./Reprise Records executive VP Tom Biery, who heads the label's radio promotion team and oversees its vinyl initiative.

Warner Bros. reissued the first two Metallica albums -- "Kill 'Em All" and "Ride the Lighting" -- on vinyl, and both have passed the 4,000-unit sales mark, according to Nielsen SoundScan. On July 15, the company released "Master of Puppets" on vinyl in two versions.

In September, the label plans to issue a 50th anniversary archive series of vinyl releases, including James Taylor's "Mud Slide Slim," a Rickie Lee Jones album, a Marty Paich album and the Red Hot Chili Peppers' "Blood Sugar Sex Magik." Most of the albums that are issued on vinyl also come with an enclosed CD, Biery said.

The increased interest in vinyl is putting a strain on the handful of pressing plants still left from the format's heyday. "Our vinyl is always late because it gets bumped," Redeye co-owner Tor Hansen said.

"I still have eight machines, and I am currently running at about 75 percent capacity," said plant manager Dave Jump of Nashville's United Records.

The limited pressing network often makes it hard to get vinyl out on the same release date as the CD, but when the stars align, sales can be significant. Warner Bros. offered vinyl and CD on the same day when issuing the Raconteurs' "Consolers of the Lonely" in March; the album sold 42,000 units in its first week, and 3 percent of sales came from the vinyl version.

Looking forward, executives said they want to be aggressive and practical with their vinyl campaigns.

"Everything shouldn't be released on vinyl," WEA (Warner-Elektra-Atlantic) vice president of catalog sales Steve Corbin said. "We want to be selective and smart about what we put out. (But) it's interesting that the consumer sees the value and is willing to pay for vinyl."

SOURCE: Reuters/Billboard

This Date In Music History- July 18

Birthdays:

Dion DiMucci, who created a streetwise doo-wop persona on hits like "The Wanderer,” turns 69.

Martha Reeves "Dancing in the Street," is 67.

Lonnie Mack ("Memphis") is also 67.

Danny McCullock - guitarist for The Animals ("House Of The Rising Sun") was born in 1945.

History:

Screamin' Jay Hawkins ("I Put A Spell On You"), one of rock's original showmen - was allegedly born on this date in Cleveland in 1929.

In 1966, Bobby Fuller ("I Fought The Law") was found dead in his car in Hollywood (the death is ruled a suicide but the evidence points to foul play).

In 1953, Elvis Presley recorded a song ("My Happiness") supposedly for his mother's birthday (which actually was in April) at Sun Records in Memphis. The so-called vanity disc, which cost Presley $3.98, was his first recording. It would surface 37 years later as part of an RCA compilation called "Elvis - the Great Performances".

In 1960, Roy Orbison saw his first record, "Only The Lonely" climb into the Top 5 in the United States after The Everly Brothers and Elvis both turned the song down. Over the next six years, he would have 22 Top 40 hits.

Also in 1960, 15 year old Brenda Lee had the number one song in the US with "I'm Sorry", a tune that was recorded in the last ten minutes of a session and originally meant to be the "B" side of "That's All You Gotta Do". The record reached #12 in the UK.

The US Justice Department ordered John Lennon out of the country by September 10, 1974. The Immigration and Naturalization Service denied him an extension of his non-immigrant visa because of his guilty plea in England to a 1968 marijuana possession charge. The US Court of Appeal would overturn the deportation order in 1975 and Lennon was granted permanent resident status the following year.

The oldest known musical instrument in the world was found in the Indrijca River Valley in Slovenia in 1995. The 45,000 year-old relic was a bear bone with four artificial holes along its length. Or maybe it was just a bone with holes in it?

The Four Seasons scored their fourth US #1 hit in 1964 with "Rag Doll". Co-writer Bob Gaudio said that he got the inspiration for the song from a young girl in tattered clothes that cleaned his car windows at a stop light. The song reached #2 in the UK.

The Rolling Stones charted in the US for the first time in 1964 when a cover of Buddy Holly's "Not Fade Away" peaked at #48.

Hank Ballard & the Midnighters released "The Twist" in 1960, the original version of the song Chubby Checker later built a career on.

At London's Lyceum Theater in 1975, Bob Marley & the Wailers recorded the concert that is featured on their album Live!

The Beatles album "A Hard Days Night" was released in 1964.

2002 The Rolling Stones crew chief, 54 year old Royden Magee, who had worked with the band for 30 years, died on July 18, 2002, during a rehearsal in Toronto. The Stones had just finished dinner and resumed rehearsing when they got word that Magee had collapsed and stopped breathing. He was taken by ambulance to nearby Sunnybrook Hospital with no vital signs after suffering an apparent heart attack. He was pronounced dead on arrival. The members of the band said they were devastated by his death.

The James Brown Collection

Christie’s auction house will be offering the James Brown Collection on July 17th, which includes items from the Godfather of Soul’s legendary life and career. We’re mostly interested in the musical instruments and record collections and awards, but this sale also features personal and stage clothing, jewelery, furniture and home decor.

Some of the more interesting pieces are the guitars. There’s several electric bass guitars and a beautiful Epiphone acoustic autographed for Brown’s birthday, with signatures from Casey Kasem and Ozzy Osbourne. There’s also an acoustic Vox guitar with case, a Yamaha baby grand piano, and a Hammond organ with Leslie speaker.

Estimated selling prices for the instruments range from $300 up to $30,000 as follows:

Casiotone Miniature Keyboard $300-$500

Hammond B-3 Organ & Leslie Speaker Cabinet $10,000 - $15,000

Hammond Harmonica in the key of E $200-$300

Harmonics Trek II Electric Organ & speaker cabinet (personalized in black vinyl) $20,000 - $30,000

Casiotone 403 Keyboard $300-$500

Gibson Casino Miniature Wooden Guitar (numbered, in case, from Rock & Roll Hall of Fame) $100 - $200

Epiphone Bass Guitar & Case $2000 - $3000

Fresher wood-grain Bass Guitar & Case (looks very much like a Fender Jazz Bass) $2000 - $3000

A hand tambourine with leather handle $300 - $500

Moog Electric Keyboard with amp & case $2,000 - $3,000

Yamaha Baby Grand Piano $15,000 - $20,000

Vox acoustic guitar $3000 - $4000

Record and music awards are numerous, with the grand prize being a Grammy Award going for $15,000 to $20,000. Brown’s stereo and record collection are also up for grabs, an interesting mix of LP’s and singles. There is ALOT of clothing, especially his famous suits and capes, including the well known GFOS, Godfather Of Soul, and Sex Machine brands.

Source: http://www.musicramble.com/

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/