Oldies But Goodies 50's & early 60's Rock & Roll
Sunday, November 2, 2008
Blue Note Records to Celebrate 70th With Releases, Concerts & Tributes
Written By: Jeff Tamarkin
In 2009, Blue Note Records will celebrate two milestones when it commemorates both the 70th anniversary of the label’s founding by Alfred Lion, as well as the 25th anniversary of the its re-launch in 1984 under current president Bruce Lundvall. Blue Note plans a range multi-media offerings, including live concerts, special digital and physical reissues and new releases, the Blue Note 7; an all-star tribute band of current jazz luminaries, book releases, festival honors, merchandise and more.
The label’s plans includes:
The Blue Note 7 All-Star Tribute Band Worldwide Tour & Album Release
Events will kick off January 7 with the start of a worldwide tour by the Blue Note 7; an all-star tribute band comprising pianist and musical director Bill Charlap with trumpeter Nicholas Payton, alto saxophonist Steve Wilson, tenor saxophonist Ravi Coltrane, guitarist Peter Bernstein, bassist Peter Washington and drummer Lewis Nash. The tour will hit 50 U.S. cities capped off with a week-long run at Birdland in New York April 14-19. A European tour is planned for October-November. On January 13, the septet will be releasing Mosaic: A Celebration of Blue Note Records, an eight-song collection of re-envisioned Blue Note classics.
Blue Note Takes New York
On January 27, Blue Note will kick off a month-long invasion of New York City’s clubs and music halls with two Blue Note legends—Lou Donaldson and Dr. Lonnie Smith—at Dizzy’s Club Coca-Cola at Jazz at Lincoln Center. Other artists already confirmed throughout the month of February include Anita Baker, Terence Blanchard, Bill Charlap, Robert Glasper, Norah Jones, Joe Lovano, Lionel Loueke, Wynton Marsalis, Jason Moran, Willie Nelson, Aaron Parks, Dianne Reeves and Cassandra Wilson. Venues will include the Blue Note Jazz Club, Jazz at Lincoln Center, Jazz Standard, Town Hall, and the Village Vanguard.
Blue Note Reissues/Merchandise
In addition to the continuation of Blue Note’s long-running RVG Series (for which the legendary recording engineer Rudy Van Gelder remasters his classic sessions) and Connoisseur Series (featuring lesser-known gems from the catalog), the label will also begin reissuing its core RVG Series titles as vinyl/CD combos. The label will also be making special digital initiatives available on BlueNote.com and via digital retail partners around the world. In addition, during the spring-summer 2009 clothing company Friend or Foe will also present a line of their vintage-look, luxurious-feel t-shirts featuring classic Blue Note cover artwork and many other brand licensing efforts in multiple categories are in the works as Blue Note furthers its efforts of developing Blue Note as a premium lifestyle brand with licensing agent Fusion.
Blue Note Tributes At Festivals Around The World
Throughout 2009 several major jazz festivals will be paying tribute to Blue Note Records. The 6th Annual Portland Jazz Festival in Oregon (February 13-22) will dedicate itself to a 360° celebration of the label—Somethin’ Else: Blue Note Records at 70—featuring performances from Blue Note’s past and present roster, as well as panel discussions about the label’s legacy with Bruce Lundvall, Michael Cuscuna and various jazz artists, writers and historians. In addition, the Blue Note Records Festival in France (March 30-April 11) will be showcasing talent from around the world. Other festivals paying tribute to Blue Note will include the JVC Jazz Festival in New York, Festival International de Jazz de Montreal, Newport Jazz Festival in Rhode Island, and multiple festivals in Europe to be confirmed.
SOURCE: http://jazztimes.com/
In 2009, Blue Note Records will celebrate two milestones when it commemorates both the 70th anniversary of the label’s founding by Alfred Lion, as well as the 25th anniversary of the its re-launch in 1984 under current president Bruce Lundvall. Blue Note plans a range multi-media offerings, including live concerts, special digital and physical reissues and new releases, the Blue Note 7; an all-star tribute band of current jazz luminaries, book releases, festival honors, merchandise and more.
The label’s plans includes:
The Blue Note 7 All-Star Tribute Band Worldwide Tour & Album Release
Events will kick off January 7 with the start of a worldwide tour by the Blue Note 7; an all-star tribute band comprising pianist and musical director Bill Charlap with trumpeter Nicholas Payton, alto saxophonist Steve Wilson, tenor saxophonist Ravi Coltrane, guitarist Peter Bernstein, bassist Peter Washington and drummer Lewis Nash. The tour will hit 50 U.S. cities capped off with a week-long run at Birdland in New York April 14-19. A European tour is planned for October-November. On January 13, the septet will be releasing Mosaic: A Celebration of Blue Note Records, an eight-song collection of re-envisioned Blue Note classics.
Blue Note Takes New York
On January 27, Blue Note will kick off a month-long invasion of New York City’s clubs and music halls with two Blue Note legends—Lou Donaldson and Dr. Lonnie Smith—at Dizzy’s Club Coca-Cola at Jazz at Lincoln Center. Other artists already confirmed throughout the month of February include Anita Baker, Terence Blanchard, Bill Charlap, Robert Glasper, Norah Jones, Joe Lovano, Lionel Loueke, Wynton Marsalis, Jason Moran, Willie Nelson, Aaron Parks, Dianne Reeves and Cassandra Wilson. Venues will include the Blue Note Jazz Club, Jazz at Lincoln Center, Jazz Standard, Town Hall, and the Village Vanguard.
Blue Note Reissues/Merchandise
In addition to the continuation of Blue Note’s long-running RVG Series (for which the legendary recording engineer Rudy Van Gelder remasters his classic sessions) and Connoisseur Series (featuring lesser-known gems from the catalog), the label will also begin reissuing its core RVG Series titles as vinyl/CD combos. The label will also be making special digital initiatives available on BlueNote.com and via digital retail partners around the world. In addition, during the spring-summer 2009 clothing company Friend or Foe will also present a line of their vintage-look, luxurious-feel t-shirts featuring classic Blue Note cover artwork and many other brand licensing efforts in multiple categories are in the works as Blue Note furthers its efforts of developing Blue Note as a premium lifestyle brand with licensing agent Fusion.
Blue Note Tributes At Festivals Around The World
Throughout 2009 several major jazz festivals will be paying tribute to Blue Note Records. The 6th Annual Portland Jazz Festival in Oregon (February 13-22) will dedicate itself to a 360° celebration of the label—Somethin’ Else: Blue Note Records at 70—featuring performances from Blue Note’s past and present roster, as well as panel discussions about the label’s legacy with Bruce Lundvall, Michael Cuscuna and various jazz artists, writers and historians. In addition, the Blue Note Records Festival in France (March 30-April 11) will be showcasing talent from around the world. Other festivals paying tribute to Blue Note will include the JVC Jazz Festival in New York, Festival International de Jazz de Montreal, Newport Jazz Festival in Rhode Island, and multiple festivals in Europe to be confirmed.
SOURCE: http://jazztimes.com/
Saturday, November 1, 2008
Indie record store thrives
I want to thank the author, Liz Wahlman and the publication http://media.www.dailycollegian.com for allowing me to reprint this wonderful story about an independent record store located in Northampton, Mass.
Indie record store thrives
Dynamite Records in NoHo moves to new location with continued success
Written By Liz Wahlman, Collegian Correspondent
(Media Credit: Oliver Scott Snure, Collegian)
The indie record store is a piece of Americana that has influenced the lives of adolescents throughout the latter part of the 20th century. It's a home where the smell of vinyl is the only air freshener, and friendships form out of a love for Glenn Danzig. It's a place where local, music-obsessed individuals can interact with others like themselves while surrounded by the thriving force of good music. However, in the age of iPods, MP3s and music piracy, this important piece of American culture is becoming as outdated as hair metal.
One independent record store in Northampton, Mass., won't let the age of iTunes bring them down. Dynamite Records opened in 1982, and is the longest running independent record store in western Massachusetts. Dynamite started in the back of a station wagon in front of the Amherst Post Office, then moved on to spend 20 years in Thornes Marketplace. Recently, it moved to 33 Main Street in Northampton, between Lucky's Tattoo and Piercing and La Veracruzana. When Dynamite was invited to use the store front on Main Street, owner Ronnie Kwon jumped at the opportunity.
"We spent 20 years in Thornes, and we had really outgrown it," said Kwon. "We wanted a more visible location, since Dynamite had become a local secret that was difficult to find."
The store is as cozy as any home, with hardwood floors and an actual living room display in the front window, and an array of artists swarming the shelves. Dynamite Records specializes in new and used vinyl records, but also carries a wide variety of new and used CDs, pins, patches and posters.
"There's a lot of love in Dynamite Records, and that's why I love it," said Kwon. "I love records; I love the way they look, the way they sound, the way they feel, just everything about them."
The music industry is at a noteworthy place at this point in time. With the emergence of MP3s and digital file sharing, shelves containing a music library have been reduced to a hard drive that can crash at any time. The current echo boomer generation has taken creativity and good music for granted. Many people have substituted quality for convenience, and face-to-face communication for computers. Buying music online is nothing like going into a store and having the power to listen to everything happening around you.
"Independent record stores allow us to bypass what's playing on the top 40 and fill our ears with something real, something with heart," said UMass senior and psychology major, Rachel Schein. "It'll change your perspective on what music's all about."
However, it seems as if more and more people are trading the experience of a record store for the cheap thrill of a download timer. It has been proven however, that MP3s have a far worse sound quality than CDs or even records. In order to fit an MP3 onto an MP3 player, the file from a CD has to be compressed to an extremely small size. As a result, the song may sound much different, and small subtleties, like key changes, can't be detected by the listener. Yet many people, both young and old, are standing by their vinyl. Kwon has faith in his store and doesn't believe he'll lose many customers as a result of this new technology.
"There's always going to be change," said Kwon. "I think you have to learn to adapt and evolve and know that people still value music. We choose our standards and we have a lot of loyal customers."
One can truly feel at ease and at home inside Dynamite. There's always good music playing as the gazes of Siouxsie Sioux and Robert Smith look down from displayed posters. The store has a very relaxed atmosphere, where no one peers over your shoulder and you're allowed to be with the music in your own way.
"I think independent record stores are a good idea; keeps the small businesses up and running, and the awareness that records are still being produced and used," said Hampshire College student Taylor "Matchstick" McNeilly. "[Records have] a very different quality of sound, and are definitely enjoyable. I'm glad such places as Dynamite Records are still around, because it really lends something to the culture."
Dynamite Records also tries to help local artists obtain success by offering them a place to perform. The shop often has artists perform in the store itself or in the display windows. This gesture is how Mr. Kwon and his employees give back to the community.
"I feel like there are fewer opportunities than before for local artists to get out there," said Kwon. "Even in New York, there aren't a lot of places where local artists can perform. Music is such an important part of people's lives and of important value in communities. Dynamite Records has always been a community store and will always be a community store."
While Kwon is giving back to the artists, the artists are giving back to the record stores. Record Store Day, which will be celebrated on April 18, 2009, aims to make people more aware of the culture and history that record stores have.
On their Web site, Recordstoreday.com, Boston native Amanda Palmer of The Dresden Dolls said, "My early record shopping experiences were my musical backdrop… it's not just the ability to touch, see and smell an album and the artwork ... it's the fact that you're in a real place with real people ... you can't get that feeling sitting behind your computer, ever."
Kwon doesn't wait for April to celebrate his love of music. To him, every day is Record Store Day.
"I just hope people still enjoy the experience of buying music," he said. "If you don't know what that is, come on in and we'll show you."
Independent record stores, their employees and their loyal customers are filled with a passion for music. They do more than just hear music; they can see it and feel it. It's a part of them. To them, shopping for music is more than just retail therapy, it's a ritual. It's not something they do, but something they experience. Independent record stores are alive today because of the people who want to have that experience.
Dynamite Records is located at 33 Main Street in Northampton.
Indie record store thrives
Dynamite Records in NoHo moves to new location with continued success
Written By Liz Wahlman, Collegian Correspondent
(Media Credit: Oliver Scott Snure, Collegian)The indie record store is a piece of Americana that has influenced the lives of adolescents throughout the latter part of the 20th century. It's a home where the smell of vinyl is the only air freshener, and friendships form out of a love for Glenn Danzig. It's a place where local, music-obsessed individuals can interact with others like themselves while surrounded by the thriving force of good music. However, in the age of iPods, MP3s and music piracy, this important piece of American culture is becoming as outdated as hair metal.
One independent record store in Northampton, Mass., won't let the age of iTunes bring them down. Dynamite Records opened in 1982, and is the longest running independent record store in western Massachusetts. Dynamite started in the back of a station wagon in front of the Amherst Post Office, then moved on to spend 20 years in Thornes Marketplace. Recently, it moved to 33 Main Street in Northampton, between Lucky's Tattoo and Piercing and La Veracruzana. When Dynamite was invited to use the store front on Main Street, owner Ronnie Kwon jumped at the opportunity.
"We spent 20 years in Thornes, and we had really outgrown it," said Kwon. "We wanted a more visible location, since Dynamite had become a local secret that was difficult to find."
The store is as cozy as any home, with hardwood floors and an actual living room display in the front window, and an array of artists swarming the shelves. Dynamite Records specializes in new and used vinyl records, but also carries a wide variety of new and used CDs, pins, patches and posters.
"There's a lot of love in Dynamite Records, and that's why I love it," said Kwon. "I love records; I love the way they look, the way they sound, the way they feel, just everything about them."
The music industry is at a noteworthy place at this point in time. With the emergence of MP3s and digital file sharing, shelves containing a music library have been reduced to a hard drive that can crash at any time. The current echo boomer generation has taken creativity and good music for granted. Many people have substituted quality for convenience, and face-to-face communication for computers. Buying music online is nothing like going into a store and having the power to listen to everything happening around you.
"Independent record stores allow us to bypass what's playing on the top 40 and fill our ears with something real, something with heart," said UMass senior and psychology major, Rachel Schein. "It'll change your perspective on what music's all about."
However, it seems as if more and more people are trading the experience of a record store for the cheap thrill of a download timer. It has been proven however, that MP3s have a far worse sound quality than CDs or even records. In order to fit an MP3 onto an MP3 player, the file from a CD has to be compressed to an extremely small size. As a result, the song may sound much different, and small subtleties, like key changes, can't be detected by the listener. Yet many people, both young and old, are standing by their vinyl. Kwon has faith in his store and doesn't believe he'll lose many customers as a result of this new technology.
"There's always going to be change," said Kwon. "I think you have to learn to adapt and evolve and know that people still value music. We choose our standards and we have a lot of loyal customers."
One can truly feel at ease and at home inside Dynamite. There's always good music playing as the gazes of Siouxsie Sioux and Robert Smith look down from displayed posters. The store has a very relaxed atmosphere, where no one peers over your shoulder and you're allowed to be with the music in your own way.
"I think independent record stores are a good idea; keeps the small businesses up and running, and the awareness that records are still being produced and used," said Hampshire College student Taylor "Matchstick" McNeilly. "[Records have] a very different quality of sound, and are definitely enjoyable. I'm glad such places as Dynamite Records are still around, because it really lends something to the culture."
Dynamite Records also tries to help local artists obtain success by offering them a place to perform. The shop often has artists perform in the store itself or in the display windows. This gesture is how Mr. Kwon and his employees give back to the community.
"I feel like there are fewer opportunities than before for local artists to get out there," said Kwon. "Even in New York, there aren't a lot of places where local artists can perform. Music is such an important part of people's lives and of important value in communities. Dynamite Records has always been a community store and will always be a community store."
While Kwon is giving back to the artists, the artists are giving back to the record stores. Record Store Day, which will be celebrated on April 18, 2009, aims to make people more aware of the culture and history that record stores have.
On their Web site, Recordstoreday.com, Boston native Amanda Palmer of The Dresden Dolls said, "My early record shopping experiences were my musical backdrop… it's not just the ability to touch, see and smell an album and the artwork ... it's the fact that you're in a real place with real people ... you can't get that feeling sitting behind your computer, ever."
Kwon doesn't wait for April to celebrate his love of music. To him, every day is Record Store Day.
"I just hope people still enjoy the experience of buying music," he said. "If you don't know what that is, come on in and we'll show you."
Independent record stores, their employees and their loyal customers are filled with a passion for music. They do more than just hear music; they can see it and feel it. It's a part of them. To them, shopping for music is more than just retail therapy, it's a ritual. It's not something they do, but something they experience. Independent record stores are alive today because of the people who want to have that experience.
Dynamite Records is located at 33 Main Street in Northampton.
For the Love of Vinyl: The Album Art of Hipgnosis
A great new book about the fabulous album cover art from the folks at Hipgnosis is now available. I have my copy on order and can tell you it is a fantastic look at the amazing covers of this legendary album cover art design group:
For the Love of Vinyl: The Album Art of Hipgnosis
(Hardcover)
by Nick Mason (Author), Peter Blake (Author), Paula Scher (Author), Aubrey Powell (Author), Storm Thorgerson (Author)
Hardcover: 224 pages
Publisher: PictureBox
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0981562213
ISBN-13: 978-0981562216
This title will be released on December 1, 2008.
(10 CC)Hipgnosis was the biggest and best graphic design firm for the biggest and best bands of the 60s and 70s. Formed by Storm Thorgerson and Aubrey Powell in London in 1968 (with the addition of Throbbing Gristle's Peter Christopherson in 1974), Hipgnosis specialized in creative photography for the music business, making classic album covers for bands and musicians like Pink Floyd, Led Zeppelin, Electric Light Orchestra, Genesis, 10cc, Yes, Peter Gabriel, The Gods, Black Sabbath, Rainbow, Paul McCartney, Syd Barrett, Scorpions and Styx, among others.
Over the course of its 15 year existence, Hipgnosis produced timeless rock iconography--everybody knows at least one Hipgnosis cover, thanks to Pink Floyd's Dark Side of the Moon. The firm's inventive takes on the themes or titles of any given album opened up a new visual language in album cover art, one in which theatrical tableaux, trick photography and logo design played notable roles. For the Love of Vinyl is the first book to survey Storm and Powell's output in detail, focusing on more than 60 package designs--from cover to label--described with entertaining detail by the team who created them. Also included are short essays by musicians (such as Pink Floyd's Nick Mason and artists (British Pop artist Peter Blake) and fellow designers (Paula Scher) on their favorite Hipgnosis covers, as well as previously unseen photographs and ephemera. Complementing all this material is a lengthy critical-historical text examining Hipgnosis and its legacy. For the Love of Vinyl is the rock book of 2008.
Storm Thorgerson and Aubrey Powell are award-winning graphic designers and the founders of Hipgnosis.
Order Your Copy in time for Christmas!
40 Years of Hits From Tommy James & the Shondells
Collector's Choice Music has scored an exclusive with the first comprehensive hits package to include all of Tommy James' singles with the Shondells and as a solo artist. The 40th Anniversary Singles Collection was approved by James and carefully assembled to include every one of his A-Sides from his work on six different labels. Release is set for November 25.
The company has also kept collectors in mind by assembling some rarities on the album. The very first track is the original, slower version of "Hanky Panky" as released on the Snap label and is followed by 14 more original singles, all in glorious mono. Some songs like "I Think We're Alone Now" and "Somebody Cares" include extra vocal overdubs not heard on the more standard stereo versions.
In fact, many of these versions have never been released before on CD. I Love Christmas includes the original arrangement with an a capella choir. "Draggin' the Line" is the single mix that you probably heard on the radio during its original run which contains extra horns not heard on most album versions. "Calico" is the pop radio version, not the jazz version heard on other anthologies. Overall, these are the singles as they were originally released and, in a special treat, the album ends with "Long Pony Tail," a song cut by Tom & the Tornadoes in 1962.
The 2-CD set also includes liner notes by Ed Osborne and photo's from James' personal archive.
SOURCE: http://winkscollectibles.blogspot.com
The company has also kept collectors in mind by assembling some rarities on the album. The very first track is the original, slower version of "Hanky Panky" as released on the Snap label and is followed by 14 more original singles, all in glorious mono. Some songs like "I Think We're Alone Now" and "Somebody Cares" include extra vocal overdubs not heard on the more standard stereo versions.
In fact, many of these versions have never been released before on CD. I Love Christmas includes the original arrangement with an a capella choir. "Draggin' the Line" is the single mix that you probably heard on the radio during its original run which contains extra horns not heard on most album versions. "Calico" is the pop radio version, not the jazz version heard on other anthologies. Overall, these are the singles as they were originally released and, in a special treat, the album ends with "Long Pony Tail," a song cut by Tom & the Tornadoes in 1962.
The 2-CD set also includes liner notes by Ed Osborne and photo's from James' personal archive.
SOURCE: http://winkscollectibles.blogspot.com
This Date In Music History-November 1
Birthdays:
Dan Peek of America ("Ventura Highway") turns 58.
Keith Emerson of Emerson, Lake and Palmer is 64.
Country oddball Lyle Lovett was born in Klein, Texas in 1957.
Birthday wishes to Anthony Keidis of the Red Hot Chili Peppers.
History:
The first Beatles solo album (George Harrison's "Wonderwall Music") was released in 1968. The songs are mostly Harrison instrumentals, aided by Eric Clapton, Ringo Starr and an uncredited banjo contribution by Peter Tork of The Monkees. The LP would reach #49 in the US but did not chart at all in the UK and would become the first album to be deleted from the Apple Records catalog.
While The Beatles were appearing at the Star Club in Hamburg, Germany in 1962, a recording was made on a small, portable tape recorder which would be pressed and issued by Singasong Records in 1977 as "Live! At the Star Club in Hamburg, Germany, 1962.”
On The Ed Sullivan Show tonight in 1964, you could have watched the Dave Clark Five perform "Glad All Over." Comparing them to the Rolling Stones, Sullivan declared the Five "nice, neat boys." They would perform more times on his show than any other rock act.
The Festfolk Quartet, which would later become Abba, performed their first concert at a restaurant in Gothenburg, Sweden in 1970.
In 1955, an R&B group called The Famous Flames, led by singer James Brown, cut their first demo of "Please, Please, Please" at a radio station in Macon Georgia.
In 1966, three Elvis Presley albums were certified gold: his 1956 debut album, "Elvis Presley", "Elvis' Golden Records, Vol. 2" and "Elvis' Golden Records, Vol. 3".
In 1969, "Suspicious Minds" reached the top of the Billboard chart, becoming Elvis Presley's 17th and final number one hit. It reached #2 in the UK.
In 1972, the 33rd and final film of Elvis' career, "Elvis On Tour" opens in the US. It would be awarded the 1972 Golden Globe Award for Best Documentary, making it the only Elvis film to win an award of any kind.
In 2000, the Recording Industry Association Of America introduces guidelines for Parental Advisory labeling on recordings.
In 2004, 61 year old Terry Knight, the former manager of Grand Funk Railroad, was murdered at his home in Killeen, Texas (Knight was defending his daughter during a domestic disturbance). Knight began his music career by leading a Michigan band called Terry Knight and the Pack, who scored a Billboard top 50 hit with "I, Who Have Nothing.”
In 1969, the Beatles scored their 13th US No.1 album with 'Abbey Road.’ The cover supposedly contained clues adding to the ‘Paul Is Dead’ phenomenon: Paul is barefoot and the car number plate ‘LMW 281F’ supposedly referred to the fact that McCartney would be 28 years old if he was still alive. ‘LMW’ was said to stand for ‘Linda McCartney Weeps.’ And the four Beatles, represent; the priest (John, dressed in white), the Undertaker (Ringo in a black suit), the Corpse (Paul, in a suit but barefoot), and the Gravedigger (George, in jeans and a denim work shirt).
Dan Peek of America ("Ventura Highway") turns 58.
Keith Emerson of Emerson, Lake and Palmer is 64.
Country oddball Lyle Lovett was born in Klein, Texas in 1957.
Birthday wishes to Anthony Keidis of the Red Hot Chili Peppers.
History:
The first Beatles solo album (George Harrison's "Wonderwall Music") was released in 1968. The songs are mostly Harrison instrumentals, aided by Eric Clapton, Ringo Starr and an uncredited banjo contribution by Peter Tork of The Monkees. The LP would reach #49 in the US but did not chart at all in the UK and would become the first album to be deleted from the Apple Records catalog.
While The Beatles were appearing at the Star Club in Hamburg, Germany in 1962, a recording was made on a small, portable tape recorder which would be pressed and issued by Singasong Records in 1977 as "Live! At the Star Club in Hamburg, Germany, 1962.”
On The Ed Sullivan Show tonight in 1964, you could have watched the Dave Clark Five perform "Glad All Over." Comparing them to the Rolling Stones, Sullivan declared the Five "nice, neat boys." They would perform more times on his show than any other rock act.
The Festfolk Quartet, which would later become Abba, performed their first concert at a restaurant in Gothenburg, Sweden in 1970.
In 1955, an R&B group called The Famous Flames, led by singer James Brown, cut their first demo of "Please, Please, Please" at a radio station in Macon Georgia.
In 1966, three Elvis Presley albums were certified gold: his 1956 debut album, "Elvis Presley", "Elvis' Golden Records, Vol. 2" and "Elvis' Golden Records, Vol. 3".
In 1969, "Suspicious Minds" reached the top of the Billboard chart, becoming Elvis Presley's 17th and final number one hit. It reached #2 in the UK.
In 1972, the 33rd and final film of Elvis' career, "Elvis On Tour" opens in the US. It would be awarded the 1972 Golden Globe Award for Best Documentary, making it the only Elvis film to win an award of any kind.
In 2000, the Recording Industry Association Of America introduces guidelines for Parental Advisory labeling on recordings.
In 2004, 61 year old Terry Knight, the former manager of Grand Funk Railroad, was murdered at his home in Killeen, Texas (Knight was defending his daughter during a domestic disturbance). Knight began his music career by leading a Michigan band called Terry Knight and the Pack, who scored a Billboard top 50 hit with "I, Who Have Nothing.”
In 1969, the Beatles scored their 13th US No.1 album with 'Abbey Road.’ The cover supposedly contained clues adding to the ‘Paul Is Dead’ phenomenon: Paul is barefoot and the car number plate ‘LMW 281F’ supposedly referred to the fact that McCartney would be 28 years old if he was still alive. ‘LMW’ was said to stand for ‘Linda McCartney Weeps.’ And the four Beatles, represent; the priest (John, dressed in white), the Undertaker (Ringo in a black suit), the Corpse (Paul, in a suit but barefoot), and the Gravedigger (George, in jeans and a denim work shirt).
Friday, October 31, 2008
Vinyl Record News
Vinyl 180 launches vinyl productline for Dead Can Dance, Bauhaus and the Cocteau Twins
4AD is collaborating with Vinyl 180, a relatively new company dedicated to reissuing classic records (remastered from their original analogue tapes) pressing them up on 180g audiophile quality vinyl with high quality artwork. Among other 4AD reissues they're planning, the company so far released the self titled debut album from Dead Can Dance (released as a single album or as a limited edition double vinyl package which features the " Garden of the Arcane Delights" EP pressed on clear vinyl), Cocteau Twins' classic second album "Head Over Heels" (as a single album and as a limited double vinyl edition including the "Sunburst and Snowblind" EP pressed on dark violet vinyl) and Bauhaus' 1980 debut album "In The Flat Field" on both a single disc and a two disc version (which also includes the 4AD EP from 1983 pressed on white vinyl).
The Dead Can Dance re-issues will continue with "Spleen and Ideal" early in 2009. Future releases include more from the Cocteau Twins and Dead Can Dance, plus albums by The Cult and The Fall since Vinyl 180 is also working with the Beggars Banquet label. Out already are Tubeway Army's "Replicas" and Gary Numan's "The pleasure principle". More info at www.vinyl180.com .
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The Drones Tour with Band of Horses, Release Vinyl
Australian band The Drones have been bringing their brand of multi-faceted blues-based psych-rock to us for years with acclaimed albums like "Here Come the Lies," "Wait Long by the River" and their 2006 release "Gala Mill."
In celebration of their upcoming US tour with Band of Horses, The Drones will be the first band to kick off ATP Recordings' new series of double 7" vinyl called Custom Made. Custom Made invites artists to submit 4 songs which will be released on limited edition 7" and also made available as a digital download.
Photo Credit: Daniel Campbell
For each Custom Made 7" the bands choose: something old (an old song), something new (a song from their latest album), something borrowed (a cover) and something blue (a blues song, the word blue in the title, anything...)
The vinyl is limited to just 1,000 pieces, and 100 of them will be special edition silk screened printed covers, numbered and signed by the sleeve designer.
The Drones: Custom Made will be out on November 5th and will include the following tracks:
Side A. Something Old - "Cockeyed Lowlife of the Highlands" (New recording of this old song)
Side B. Something New - "I Don't Ever Want to Change" (taken from the album Gala Mill)
Side C. Something Borrowed - "I Drink" (originally by Charles Aznavour)
Side D. Something Blue - "Shark Fin Blues" (taken from the album Wait Long By the River.)
4AD is collaborating with Vinyl 180, a relatively new company dedicated to reissuing classic records (remastered from their original analogue tapes) pressing them up on 180g audiophile quality vinyl with high quality artwork. Among other 4AD reissues they're planning, the company so far released the self titled debut album from Dead Can Dance (released as a single album or as a limited edition double vinyl package which features the " Garden of the Arcane Delights" EP pressed on clear vinyl), Cocteau Twins' classic second album "Head Over Heels" (as a single album and as a limited double vinyl edition including the "Sunburst and Snowblind" EP pressed on dark violet vinyl) and Bauhaus' 1980 debut album "In The Flat Field" on both a single disc and a two disc version (which also includes the 4AD EP from 1983 pressed on white vinyl).
The Dead Can Dance re-issues will continue with "Spleen and Ideal" early in 2009. Future releases include more from the Cocteau Twins and Dead Can Dance, plus albums by The Cult and The Fall since Vinyl 180 is also working with the Beggars Banquet label. Out already are Tubeway Army's "Replicas" and Gary Numan's "The pleasure principle". More info at www.vinyl180.com .
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The Drones Tour with Band of Horses, Release Vinyl
Australian band The Drones have been bringing their brand of multi-faceted blues-based psych-rock to us for years with acclaimed albums like "Here Come the Lies," "Wait Long by the River" and their 2006 release "Gala Mill."
In celebration of their upcoming US tour with Band of Horses, The Drones will be the first band to kick off ATP Recordings' new series of double 7" vinyl called Custom Made. Custom Made invites artists to submit 4 songs which will be released on limited edition 7" and also made available as a digital download.
Photo Credit: Daniel Campbell
For each Custom Made 7" the bands choose: something old (an old song), something new (a song from their latest album), something borrowed (a cover) and something blue (a blues song, the word blue in the title, anything...)
The vinyl is limited to just 1,000 pieces, and 100 of them will be special edition silk screened printed covers, numbered and signed by the sleeve designer.
The Drones: Custom Made will be out on November 5th and will include the following tracks:
Side A. Something Old - "Cockeyed Lowlife of the Highlands" (New recording of this old song)
Side B. Something New - "I Don't Ever Want to Change" (taken from the album Gala Mill)
Side C. Something Borrowed - "I Drink" (originally by Charles Aznavour)
Side D. Something Blue - "Shark Fin Blues" (taken from the album Wait Long By the River.)
Musicians Against Air Travel: Randy Rhoads
So the other day I was listening to a classic: Blizzard of Ozz by Ozzy Osbourne, and I was reminded that the virtuoso guitar player Randy Rhoads died tragically in a plane crash back in 1982.
Now, I know Randy Rhoads has fallen into obscurity by 2008, but this young musician was truly poised to make a huge impact on 1980's heavy metal...if he hadn't died in a totally stupid plane crash.
Apparently scared of flying, Randy Rhoads somehow ended up on a small plane with a few other people, and a pilot who was either high on cocaine or had used it in the recent past. The pilot apparently flew the plane close to a tour bus where the rest of Ozzy's band were sleeping. After doing this a few times, and going back for another run, the plane hit the bus causing it to crash, killing everyone on board.
Randy Rhoads was only 25 when he died, and yet in his short life, he was able to secure his place in rock history. Born in 1956, Randy started playing guitar at age 7. He learned guitar by playing folk music, but his style of lead guitar playing also shows a heavy influence of classical guitar. Most notable is the song "Dee" (Also on Blizzard of Ozz), which Randy named after his mother. At age 14, Randy Rhoads formed the band that would eventually become Quiet Riot. Playing around the LA area, Quiet Riot never achieved much success, and was never signed to a record label in the US. However, CBS/Sony did sign them, and released two albums in Japan in the late 1970's.
In 1979, Randy Rhoads' name was passed on to Ozzy Osbourne who was putting together a new band after being fired from Black Sabbath. Ozzy reportedly hired Randy Rhoads while he was still warming up for his audition with Ozzy. What followed were two of the greatest heavy metal albums ever recorded: Blizzard of Ozz and Diary of a Madman. Shortly before his death, Randy Rhoads had expressed interest in retiring from rock music temporarily to pursue a degree in classical guitar. Sadly, he never was able to pursue that musical path.
Randy Rhoads' legacy lives on, especially amongst heavy metal guitarists. Randy's guitar playing is shreddy, skilled, and technical. The Crazy Train riff is classic. He is #4 on Guitar World's list of greatest heavy metal guitarists. It is so sad that a musician with such talent and technique had such a short life. If he had lived, it is no doubt that Randy Rhoads could have influenced so many more people on a much deeper level. However, what Randy Rhoads left behind is something to celebrate. Pick up a copy of Ozzy's Blizzard of Ozz or Diary of a Madman to hear the amazing musical talent of this amazing guitar player. Ozzy's album "Tribute" also features several live performances, and is essential listening for any lover of great guitar playing.
Randy Rhoads: 1956-1982. RIP. We miss you.
I want to thank my vinyl friend Alan Bayer for this great material!
Author Alan E Bayer is a jazz lover and vinyl record enthusiast who operates www.vinylrevinyl.com, a site where one can find collectible vinyl records, turntables and vinyl accessories. Enjoy the site, and enjoy the sound of music on vinyl.
Now, I know Randy Rhoads has fallen into obscurity by 2008, but this young musician was truly poised to make a huge impact on 1980's heavy metal...if he hadn't died in a totally stupid plane crash.
Apparently scared of flying, Randy Rhoads somehow ended up on a small plane with a few other people, and a pilot who was either high on cocaine or had used it in the recent past. The pilot apparently flew the plane close to a tour bus where the rest of Ozzy's band were sleeping. After doing this a few times, and going back for another run, the plane hit the bus causing it to crash, killing everyone on board.
Randy Rhoads was only 25 when he died, and yet in his short life, he was able to secure his place in rock history. Born in 1956, Randy started playing guitar at age 7. He learned guitar by playing folk music, but his style of lead guitar playing also shows a heavy influence of classical guitar. Most notable is the song "Dee" (Also on Blizzard of Ozz), which Randy named after his mother. At age 14, Randy Rhoads formed the band that would eventually become Quiet Riot. Playing around the LA area, Quiet Riot never achieved much success, and was never signed to a record label in the US. However, CBS/Sony did sign them, and released two albums in Japan in the late 1970's.
In 1979, Randy Rhoads' name was passed on to Ozzy Osbourne who was putting together a new band after being fired from Black Sabbath. Ozzy reportedly hired Randy Rhoads while he was still warming up for his audition with Ozzy. What followed were two of the greatest heavy metal albums ever recorded: Blizzard of Ozz and Diary of a Madman. Shortly before his death, Randy Rhoads had expressed interest in retiring from rock music temporarily to pursue a degree in classical guitar. Sadly, he never was able to pursue that musical path.
Randy Rhoads' legacy lives on, especially amongst heavy metal guitarists. Randy's guitar playing is shreddy, skilled, and technical. The Crazy Train riff is classic. He is #4 on Guitar World's list of greatest heavy metal guitarists. It is so sad that a musician with such talent and technique had such a short life. If he had lived, it is no doubt that Randy Rhoads could have influenced so many more people on a much deeper level. However, what Randy Rhoads left behind is something to celebrate. Pick up a copy of Ozzy's Blizzard of Ozz or Diary of a Madman to hear the amazing musical talent of this amazing guitar player. Ozzy's album "Tribute" also features several live performances, and is essential listening for any lover of great guitar playing.
Randy Rhoads: 1956-1982. RIP. We miss you.
I want to thank my vinyl friend Alan Bayer for this great material!
Author Alan E Bayer is a jazz lover and vinyl record enthusiast who operates www.vinylrevinyl.com, a site where one can find collectible vinyl records, turntables and vinyl accessories. Enjoy the site, and enjoy the sound of music on vinyl.
Eagle Valley Music celebrates 25 years
I love stories about independent record stores and here is another great look into this aspect of the wonderful world of music. Record stores are a social phenomenon and it is up to us (as consumers) to keep shopping there and help these retailers stay open
Vail store working hard to change with the times
Written by Scott N. Miller
Vail, CO, Colorado
VAIL — Vinyl was king when Tom Robbins took over Eagle Valley Music in 1983. Michael Jackson’s “Thriller” was at the top of the charts.
A quarter-century later, in the post-CD era, vinyl is making a comeback, at least for some audio purists.
“We’ll get 10 or 15 copies (in vinyl) with just about every new release,” Robbins said. “But it’s not like it was.”
Robbins, a 1982 graduate of Battle Mountain High School, had already worked at Eagle Valley Music for a few years when his family bought the store, then located in the old Crossroads shopping center on Meadow Drive.
The family, but mostly Robbins and his mom, Jeannie, have seen the music business evolve dramatically from what may have been the industry’s high-water mark in the 1980s and ‘90s. Then, cassette, CD and vinyl record sales dominated. Numerous bands could sell out halls the size of the current Pepsi Center in Denver, and several could pack a joint the size of Mile High Stadium.
Then the bottom fell out.
Robbins believes the decline started about the time of the Sept. 11, 2001 terror attacks on New York City and Washington D.C. About that time began the rise of digital music. Between the iPod and music-sharing services like the first generation of Napster — which was free — CD sales plummeted.
So Robbins adapted to the times. Selling fewer CDs, he added items including T-shirts, DVDs and novelties.
Still, Eagle Valley Music is packed with CDs both popular and offbeat. And Robbins is fighting the good fight in the face of iTunes and Amazon.
Robbins claims he’s cheaper than Amazon much of the time, especially for customers who have to pay the Internet retailer for shipping. And, of course, a customer can walk out of the store with a CD or comic and take it home right away.
“Amazon isn’t very quick sometimes.”
It’s about impossible to compete with the immediacy of iTunes. But, Robbins said, iTunes shoppers don’t get everything artists put into their songs.
“The thing about music downloads is a lot of people don’t like the decrease in sound quality,” Robbins said. “It sounds really clipped.”
When Eagle Valley Music moved out of Crossroads and into a storefront next to the Sandbar in West Vail a couple of summers ago, the hours changed. These days, Robbins will be in the store until midnight most nights. He does it for reasons other than catching the bar crowd, although that’s certainly a big part of the idea.
“People like to come in and hang out,” Robbins said. “They enjoy coming in to talk about music or comics.”
And, Robbins said, he’s got a core of loyal customers. Some are in once a week, or more.
Tom Mumpower is one of those regulars. With a kid of his own at home, Mumpower’s buying habits have shifted away from music he enjoys to buying “High School Musical” and other tweener hits.
“I’ve been coming for the last 20 years,” Mumpower said. “I’ve got to support Tom and his mom.”
And Robbins plans to soldier on in his West Vail store.
“We’ll continue to find other products,” he said. “And we’ll make up ground with our hours and customer service.”
Source: http://www.vaildaily.com
I want to thank the publication for allowing me to post this- Reprinted By Permission
Vail store working hard to change with the times
Written by Scott N. Miller
Vail, CO, Colorado
VAIL — Vinyl was king when Tom Robbins took over Eagle Valley Music in 1983. Michael Jackson’s “Thriller” was at the top of the charts.
A quarter-century later, in the post-CD era, vinyl is making a comeback, at least for some audio purists.
“We’ll get 10 or 15 copies (in vinyl) with just about every new release,” Robbins said. “But it’s not like it was.”
Robbins, a 1982 graduate of Battle Mountain High School, had already worked at Eagle Valley Music for a few years when his family bought the store, then located in the old Crossroads shopping center on Meadow Drive.
The family, but mostly Robbins and his mom, Jeannie, have seen the music business evolve dramatically from what may have been the industry’s high-water mark in the 1980s and ‘90s. Then, cassette, CD and vinyl record sales dominated. Numerous bands could sell out halls the size of the current Pepsi Center in Denver, and several could pack a joint the size of Mile High Stadium.
Then the bottom fell out.
Robbins believes the decline started about the time of the Sept. 11, 2001 terror attacks on New York City and Washington D.C. About that time began the rise of digital music. Between the iPod and music-sharing services like the first generation of Napster — which was free — CD sales plummeted.
So Robbins adapted to the times. Selling fewer CDs, he added items including T-shirts, DVDs and novelties.
Still, Eagle Valley Music is packed with CDs both popular and offbeat. And Robbins is fighting the good fight in the face of iTunes and Amazon.
Robbins claims he’s cheaper than Amazon much of the time, especially for customers who have to pay the Internet retailer for shipping. And, of course, a customer can walk out of the store with a CD or comic and take it home right away.
“Amazon isn’t very quick sometimes.”
It’s about impossible to compete with the immediacy of iTunes. But, Robbins said, iTunes shoppers don’t get everything artists put into their songs.
“The thing about music downloads is a lot of people don’t like the decrease in sound quality,” Robbins said. “It sounds really clipped.”
When Eagle Valley Music moved out of Crossroads and into a storefront next to the Sandbar in West Vail a couple of summers ago, the hours changed. These days, Robbins will be in the store until midnight most nights. He does it for reasons other than catching the bar crowd, although that’s certainly a big part of the idea.
“People like to come in and hang out,” Robbins said. “They enjoy coming in to talk about music or comics.”
And, Robbins said, he’s got a core of loyal customers. Some are in once a week, or more.
Tom Mumpower is one of those regulars. With a kid of his own at home, Mumpower’s buying habits have shifted away from music he enjoys to buying “High School Musical” and other tweener hits.
“I’ve been coming for the last 20 years,” Mumpower said. “I’ve got to support Tom and his mom.”
And Robbins plans to soldier on in his West Vail store.
“We’ll continue to find other products,” he said. “And we’ll make up ground with our hours and customer service.”
Source: http://www.vaildaily.com
I want to thank the publication for allowing me to post this- Reprinted By Permission
Thursday, October 30, 2008
AC/DC 'Overwhelmed' By Huge Worldwide Album Sales
That have seen band storm charts...
by Jason Gregory
AC/DC frontman Brian Johnson has said the band is “overwhelmed” by the success of their new album 'Black Ice'.
The record, which was released last week, is already number one in 29 countries, including the UK, US and Canada.
It is the second fastest selling album of the year in America, shifting 780,000 copies in just six days.
Johnson told the BBC: "It's overwhelming, and quite hard to take in. Even an old dog like me has a few more surprises in life, I guess."
All the more remarkable about the band's latest chart success is that 'Black Ice' is only available on CD and vinyl.
AC/DC have refrained from allowing fans to download their music in a bid to ensure their albums are purchased as a complete package.
SOURCE: http://www.gigwise.com/news
by Jason Gregory
AC/DC frontman Brian Johnson has said the band is “overwhelmed” by the success of their new album 'Black Ice'.
The record, which was released last week, is already number one in 29 countries, including the UK, US and Canada.
It is the second fastest selling album of the year in America, shifting 780,000 copies in just six days.
Johnson told the BBC: "It's overwhelming, and quite hard to take in. Even an old dog like me has a few more surprises in life, I guess."
All the more remarkable about the band's latest chart success is that 'Black Ice' is only available on CD and vinyl.
AC/DC have refrained from allowing fans to download their music in a bid to ensure their albums are purchased as a complete package.
SOURCE: http://www.gigwise.com/news
Album Cover Art Stories
I again would like to thank Michael Goldstein over at www.RockPopGallery.com for his wonderful insights and this behind the scenes look at a classic album cover:
Cover Story - The Rolling Stones' "Exile on Main Street", with artwork by John Van Hamersveld
Cover Story for April 25, 2008
Subject: Exile on Main Street, a 1972 release (on Atlantic Records) by The Rolling Stones, with cover artwork & design by John Van Hamersveld
When the Rolling Stones released Exile on Main Street in 1972 - a double album of songs representing the many different genres of music that shaped Stones music at the time - fans and critics found themselves having to spend a lot of time trying to “get it”. It required a number of listens to gain an appreciation of what, on the surface, often seemed to be a collection of studio out-takes and Richards/Taylor/Watts jams than a freshly-recorded musical offering.
Many critics of the era failed to appreciate the Stones’ explorations of R&B, Soul, Country and roots Rock that were spread over the 4 album sides. In fact, the record was comprised of a series of recordings done during the previous four years and, as such, they featured a variety of mixes (some better than others) and showed the band building on top of these influences in their own inimitable style to the point that, now over 35 years later, the package is considered by many to be the band’s most-authentic offering. It is always listed near the top of most of the “Best Of” and “Greatest” lists (#7 on the Rolling Stone Magazine 2003 list of the “500 Greatest Albums of All Time”, #22 on VH-1’s survey, and even impressed the younger generation enough to be ranked #11 on Pitchfork’s 2003 list of Best Albums of the 1970s).
In a similar fashion, when the buying public took their first look at the design and imagery of the sprawling record cover, most people admitted that they didn’t “get it”. Having just soaked in Warhol’s ultimately-iconic "cover with a zipper" for Sticky Fingers, fans should have been ready for anything, but John Van Hamersveld’s designs seemed to confound them, asking them to digest a rough, anti-establishment, punk-before-there-was-punk collage of images that may have, initially, combined with the unfamiliar musical stylings to impact sales (don’t worry, as the record was supported by the now-famous 1972 American concert tour and songs such as “Happy” and “Tumbling Dice” got some significant radio play, the record went on to top the charts in the U.S. and the U.K.).
And so when Van Hamersveld, who’d established his industry cred via his poster and package designs for Hendrix, The Beatles (Magical Mystery Tour), Jefferson Airplane (Crown of Creation) and others, was approached by the Rolling Stones (who were in a studio in LA putting the finishing touches on this new album) to work on the graphics and packaging for a songbook project the band wanted to release, he joined in on an interesting series of events on the day of their initial meeting had a profound impact on the course of album art history. And so, Ladies and Gentlemen, on center stage, here’s today’s Cover Story…
In the words of the artist, John Van Hamersveld (interviewed in March 2008, with additional text provided* and used with his permission) -
I had been a multimedia artist and rock promoter during my Pinnacle Rock Concerts in the 60's and I was returning from the Kings Road Scene in London to LAX in 1971 in an effort to use my music business promotions experience to connect with Hollywood again. One day, from the new Chapman Park Studio Building on 6th Street in Los Angeles, I left to meet with a friend who would introduce me to Norman Seeff, the art director and photographer for United Artists and Blue Note Records.
Norman was an art director and photographer of personalities and had worked as the photographer for Bob Dylan's The Band package with Bob Cato, the famous art director for Columbia Records. I had skills that I had developed in art school and I could apply them to this medium. I could draw, do typography, illustrations and could combine design with photography. I also had printing and publishing experience from my famous rock posters of the 60's. After the meeting, Norman and I started a creative relationship built around packaging albums.
Norman had 65 projects to package over the first year, so he and I created an artistic design process for the packaging of music and band identities. We became a design team that worked hard to lead the industry by creating a professional style that was envied by all the major labels. After each release of record packages to retail, other companies began to follow our UA style.
One day Norman and I met the Rolling Stones here in Hollywood. A beautiful girlfriend I had met earlier on “the scene” in London – Chris Odell - was now Mick Jagger's personal assistant, and so in early 1972, The Rolling Stones approached Norman and I to work on the design of a songbook with photographs for Warner Brothers. At this stage, I don’t know that I will be packaging Exile On Main Street. The Stones are in Los Angeles at Sunset Sound studios, finishing the record. Our first meeting was set to be in Bel Air, where they were staying.
As I drive to the meeting, I think about the times I am a captive to Jagger's enigmatic voice on the car radio, clarifying themes of the day with his lyrics, as if they were an advertising slogan for today's lifestyle. His words strike like an axe to my forehead. The Bel Air mansion where the Stones are living is a sumptuous Mediterranean-style villa, surrounded by lush foliage, and soon I am standing on a Persian rug, looking into the eyes of Jagger. He extends his pale, soft hand – limp from a life of wealth, decadence, and privilege.
The rest are talking at the large dining table. We greet each other and sit down in a seating plan orchestrated by Jagger. I am directed to sit next to Mick, and Marshall Chess (son of Leonard Chess of Chess Records and President of Rolling Stones Records) stands on the left. Norman is taking pictures of the band, and Keith is sitting on the couch across from me. He is looking at me in his mirrored sunglasses while smoking a joint. He looks so healthy, handsome and rested.
Then, to my surprise, Robert Frank (the photographer and film-maker well known for his late 1950's book The Americans, with a foreword by Jack Kerouac) walks into the room with a small Super 8mm Canon camera. Jagger and I smile. "This is a very hip day," I say to myself. I knew Robert from a meeting in New York in 1968. He takes Jagger to downtown Los Angeles to film him on the seedy parts of Main Street later in the day. Norman and I leave after the shooting to edit his photographs.
At the request of Marshall Chess, Norman and I arrive for a second day of meetings. We walk through the living room of the villa down to the far wall into the dining room where Mick and Keith are waiting with Marshall. As Marshall starts the meeting, Norman hands another album cover by another designer to him. The cover is passed to Jagger for approval. He rejects it. Marshall then hands me a Robert Frank front photo collage across to me. The tattoo-parlor-wall cover image is from Robert's photo documentary “The Americans”. Mick, on my right, looks on for both of us to agree, so I nod. This then becomes the famous photo-composition for the Exile On Main St. album cover. As the meeting progresses, the other pieces of the package are handed to me.
During the meeting, Marshall asks me what we will do with Norman's photos, given that Frank's are the agreed ones for the cover. Marshall has Norman's images from the late night photo shoot. They are the sequences where Keith arrives at the very last minute for the shoot. Everyone had been waiting for him to show, and then he arrives with his pants hanging off his butt. With Keith's arrival, the group is now ready to go on with Norman's session ("This is a one-time shot!" someone says). Lights, smoke, and confetti is readied, it all begins and a sequence is attempted but then, by accident, Keith began to fall all over the set, creating a disaster. All else fails and our budget has now been used up.
Suddenly Keith says from across the edge of the table, "Make some postcards," showing us with his hands an accordion-folded-style collection of postcards. He then proceeds to almost lose his balance and fall over onto the rug. I say to Mick, "Let's take that as an idea and do it." He agrees and Marshall says, "Done". Marshall and Jagger hand me a stack of photos made by Frank over the weekend. I leave with the visual “ingredients” and arrive back my place at the Chapman Park Studio Building.
In my studio, I play the song 'Sympathy For The Devil' and I think about how to design, in a "Beat style", the concept of a “pop art” package. I have to make it so it will work as an image in a competitive market place. I envisage the package as a painter's fine art print. I had been using various kinds of mediums like brushed inks, crayons, markers, paint and airbrush tools with complicated layered stripping and printing tricks to gain the effects I needed, but in this case I need just the basics - drafting tape and ripped paper.
I select the pictures from the ones Frank took. After our meeting, I organize the images as per Jagger's instructions while Marshall looks on. I am able to step back as an artist and see the opportunity in front of me. Jagger is really a pop artist, too. With all the images in place, I'm satisfied with my work. Upon the label’s approval, Exile will soon hit the streets.
The last step of the approval process stopped at Ahmet Ertegun’s office at Atlantic Records. He was the label’s ultimate authority and so when this kind of art and esthetic made it past his eyes, I knew that all would be okay. In the eyes of the many in the industry, they were all shocked by the ugly, rough, tuff, beat look of the package and that it was not funny or real humorous (to anyone but a Johnny Rotten).
So, as the result of Jagger and I sitting side by side in 1972 at our meeting, my arrangement of materials that would go beyond Frank’s photo style, creating an identity that would becomes the basis of the PUNK FASHION MOVEMENT. To the spectators, critics, and others in the Establishment, I had made a package that was not glamorous. It was not a friendly image to put on display in the record stores, but it was THAT image that established the anti-establishment look of PUNK. It took years to recover from the cover’s graphic statement, with new generations of punks exploiting the graphic concept to this day - still ripping and tearing and drawing all over things with their own graffiti.
The album cover art images from the past, as part of our culture, were styled for fashion and archetype. In 1984, my friend John Lydon said to me "The Stones’ Exile package set the image of punk in 1975 - we used that graphic feel to communicate our message graphically".
In the 70's, I do feel that 12x12 album covers were an all-inclusive image of cultural style in the visual fashion of the sixties and the seventies. I was, therefore, a well-known designer of cultural images which were created as reflections of that culture. These were then watched closely by other design teams and designers who copied me their pursuit to find new images. Today more than 100,000 artists are using a "Ripping and Tearing" style and graffiti in their work.
At least Johnny was nice enough to explain what his intention was then…JVH
About the artist - John Van Hamersveld -
John (b. 1941, Baltimore, MD) is an artist and designer who’s responsible for an enormous catalog of well-known music industry and pop culture-related images. From his early works on the promo poster for the soundtrack for 1966’s ground-breaking surf-culture movie The Endless Summer and his cover work for The Beatles (Magical Mystery Tour) and Jefferson Airplane (Crown of Creation), to his iconic 70’s covers for the Rolling Stones (Exile on Main Street), The Grateful Dead (Skeletons from the Closet), KISS (Hotter than Hell), and Steve Miller (The Joker and Fly Like an Eagle), and then on to his imagery that helped introduce the world to Punk Fashion, such as the cover for Blondie’s Eat to the Beat and Autoamerica and John Lydon’s post-Pistols solo efforts (This Is What You Want, This is What You Get), Van Hamersveld’s images set the path that the rest of the industry followed for style and substance.
His recent posters and graphics for the Cream Reunions in New York and London have been fan and collector favorites, and who but JVH could have so appropriately designed Led Zeppelin’s recent Mothership package?
Van Hamersveld also created the famous "grinning Johnny" image in 1969, a version of which is said to have been the inspiration for John Pasche’s designs for the Rolling Stones' “Lips & Tongue” logo.
To learn more about John and visit his site, please follow this link –
http://www.johnvanhamersveld.com/vhmoa/museum/index.html
To see more of John’s works in the RockPoP Gallery collection, please follow this link –
http://rockpopgallery.com/items/john-van-hamersveld/list.htm?1=1
To see all of the Rolling Stones-related items in the RockPoP Gallery collection please click on this link –
http://rockpopgallery.com/items/rolling-stones/list.htm?1=1
*Adapted from the JVH interview found in book by Genesis Publications, titled EXILE: The making of EXILE ON MAIN ST. by Robert Greenfield. Copies of this book are available from the publisher on their web site at
http://www.genesis-publications.com/books/exile/green.html
All images featured in this Cover Story are Copyright 1972 and 2008, John Van Hamersveld - All rights reserved. Except as noted, all other text Copyright 2008 - Mike Goldstein & RockPoP Gallery (www.rockpopgallery.com) - All rights reserved.
Cover Story - The Rolling Stones' "Exile on Main Street", with artwork by John Van Hamersveld
Cover Story for April 25, 2008
Subject: Exile on Main Street, a 1972 release (on Atlantic Records) by The Rolling Stones, with cover artwork & design by John Van Hamersveld
When the Rolling Stones released Exile on Main Street in 1972 - a double album of songs representing the many different genres of music that shaped Stones music at the time - fans and critics found themselves having to spend a lot of time trying to “get it”. It required a number of listens to gain an appreciation of what, on the surface, often seemed to be a collection of studio out-takes and Richards/Taylor/Watts jams than a freshly-recorded musical offering.
Many critics of the era failed to appreciate the Stones’ explorations of R&B, Soul, Country and roots Rock that were spread over the 4 album sides. In fact, the record was comprised of a series of recordings done during the previous four years and, as such, they featured a variety of mixes (some better than others) and showed the band building on top of these influences in their own inimitable style to the point that, now over 35 years later, the package is considered by many to be the band’s most-authentic offering. It is always listed near the top of most of the “Best Of” and “Greatest” lists (#7 on the Rolling Stone Magazine 2003 list of the “500 Greatest Albums of All Time”, #22 on VH-1’s survey, and even impressed the younger generation enough to be ranked #11 on Pitchfork’s 2003 list of Best Albums of the 1970s).
In a similar fashion, when the buying public took their first look at the design and imagery of the sprawling record cover, most people admitted that they didn’t “get it”. Having just soaked in Warhol’s ultimately-iconic "cover with a zipper" for Sticky Fingers, fans should have been ready for anything, but John Van Hamersveld’s designs seemed to confound them, asking them to digest a rough, anti-establishment, punk-before-there-was-punk collage of images that may have, initially, combined with the unfamiliar musical stylings to impact sales (don’t worry, as the record was supported by the now-famous 1972 American concert tour and songs such as “Happy” and “Tumbling Dice” got some significant radio play, the record went on to top the charts in the U.S. and the U.K.).
And so when Van Hamersveld, who’d established his industry cred via his poster and package designs for Hendrix, The Beatles (Magical Mystery Tour), Jefferson Airplane (Crown of Creation) and others, was approached by the Rolling Stones (who were in a studio in LA putting the finishing touches on this new album) to work on the graphics and packaging for a songbook project the band wanted to release, he joined in on an interesting series of events on the day of their initial meeting had a profound impact on the course of album art history. And so, Ladies and Gentlemen, on center stage, here’s today’s Cover Story…
In the words of the artist, John Van Hamersveld (interviewed in March 2008, with additional text provided* and used with his permission) -
I had been a multimedia artist and rock promoter during my Pinnacle Rock Concerts in the 60's and I was returning from the Kings Road Scene in London to LAX in 1971 in an effort to use my music business promotions experience to connect with Hollywood again. One day, from the new Chapman Park Studio Building on 6th Street in Los Angeles, I left to meet with a friend who would introduce me to Norman Seeff, the art director and photographer for United Artists and Blue Note Records.
Norman was an art director and photographer of personalities and had worked as the photographer for Bob Dylan's The Band package with Bob Cato, the famous art director for Columbia Records. I had skills that I had developed in art school and I could apply them to this medium. I could draw, do typography, illustrations and could combine design with photography. I also had printing and publishing experience from my famous rock posters of the 60's. After the meeting, Norman and I started a creative relationship built around packaging albums.
Norman had 65 projects to package over the first year, so he and I created an artistic design process for the packaging of music and band identities. We became a design team that worked hard to lead the industry by creating a professional style that was envied by all the major labels. After each release of record packages to retail, other companies began to follow our UA style.
One day Norman and I met the Rolling Stones here in Hollywood. A beautiful girlfriend I had met earlier on “the scene” in London – Chris Odell - was now Mick Jagger's personal assistant, and so in early 1972, The Rolling Stones approached Norman and I to work on the design of a songbook with photographs for Warner Brothers. At this stage, I don’t know that I will be packaging Exile On Main Street. The Stones are in Los Angeles at Sunset Sound studios, finishing the record. Our first meeting was set to be in Bel Air, where they were staying.
As I drive to the meeting, I think about the times I am a captive to Jagger's enigmatic voice on the car radio, clarifying themes of the day with his lyrics, as if they were an advertising slogan for today's lifestyle. His words strike like an axe to my forehead. The Bel Air mansion where the Stones are living is a sumptuous Mediterranean-style villa, surrounded by lush foliage, and soon I am standing on a Persian rug, looking into the eyes of Jagger. He extends his pale, soft hand – limp from a life of wealth, decadence, and privilege.
The rest are talking at the large dining table. We greet each other and sit down in a seating plan orchestrated by Jagger. I am directed to sit next to Mick, and Marshall Chess (son of Leonard Chess of Chess Records and President of Rolling Stones Records) stands on the left. Norman is taking pictures of the band, and Keith is sitting on the couch across from me. He is looking at me in his mirrored sunglasses while smoking a joint. He looks so healthy, handsome and rested.
Then, to my surprise, Robert Frank (the photographer and film-maker well known for his late 1950's book The Americans, with a foreword by Jack Kerouac) walks into the room with a small Super 8mm Canon camera. Jagger and I smile. "This is a very hip day," I say to myself. I knew Robert from a meeting in New York in 1968. He takes Jagger to downtown Los Angeles to film him on the seedy parts of Main Street later in the day. Norman and I leave after the shooting to edit his photographs.
At the request of Marshall Chess, Norman and I arrive for a second day of meetings. We walk through the living room of the villa down to the far wall into the dining room where Mick and Keith are waiting with Marshall. As Marshall starts the meeting, Norman hands another album cover by another designer to him. The cover is passed to Jagger for approval. He rejects it. Marshall then hands me a Robert Frank front photo collage across to me. The tattoo-parlor-wall cover image is from Robert's photo documentary “The Americans”. Mick, on my right, looks on for both of us to agree, so I nod. This then becomes the famous photo-composition for the Exile On Main St. album cover. As the meeting progresses, the other pieces of the package are handed to me.
During the meeting, Marshall asks me what we will do with Norman's photos, given that Frank's are the agreed ones for the cover. Marshall has Norman's images from the late night photo shoot. They are the sequences where Keith arrives at the very last minute for the shoot. Everyone had been waiting for him to show, and then he arrives with his pants hanging off his butt. With Keith's arrival, the group is now ready to go on with Norman's session ("This is a one-time shot!" someone says). Lights, smoke, and confetti is readied, it all begins and a sequence is attempted but then, by accident, Keith began to fall all over the set, creating a disaster. All else fails and our budget has now been used up.
Suddenly Keith says from across the edge of the table, "Make some postcards," showing us with his hands an accordion-folded-style collection of postcards. He then proceeds to almost lose his balance and fall over onto the rug. I say to Mick, "Let's take that as an idea and do it." He agrees and Marshall says, "Done". Marshall and Jagger hand me a stack of photos made by Frank over the weekend. I leave with the visual “ingredients” and arrive back my place at the Chapman Park Studio Building.
In my studio, I play the song 'Sympathy For The Devil' and I think about how to design, in a "Beat style", the concept of a “pop art” package. I have to make it so it will work as an image in a competitive market place. I envisage the package as a painter's fine art print. I had been using various kinds of mediums like brushed inks, crayons, markers, paint and airbrush tools with complicated layered stripping and printing tricks to gain the effects I needed, but in this case I need just the basics - drafting tape and ripped paper.
I select the pictures from the ones Frank took. After our meeting, I organize the images as per Jagger's instructions while Marshall looks on. I am able to step back as an artist and see the opportunity in front of me. Jagger is really a pop artist, too. With all the images in place, I'm satisfied with my work. Upon the label’s approval, Exile will soon hit the streets.
The last step of the approval process stopped at Ahmet Ertegun’s office at Atlantic Records. He was the label’s ultimate authority and so when this kind of art and esthetic made it past his eyes, I knew that all would be okay. In the eyes of the many in the industry, they were all shocked by the ugly, rough, tuff, beat look of the package and that it was not funny or real humorous (to anyone but a Johnny Rotten).
So, as the result of Jagger and I sitting side by side in 1972 at our meeting, my arrangement of materials that would go beyond Frank’s photo style, creating an identity that would becomes the basis of the PUNK FASHION MOVEMENT. To the spectators, critics, and others in the Establishment, I had made a package that was not glamorous. It was not a friendly image to put on display in the record stores, but it was THAT image that established the anti-establishment look of PUNK. It took years to recover from the cover’s graphic statement, with new generations of punks exploiting the graphic concept to this day - still ripping and tearing and drawing all over things with their own graffiti.
The album cover art images from the past, as part of our culture, were styled for fashion and archetype. In 1984, my friend John Lydon said to me "The Stones’ Exile package set the image of punk in 1975 - we used that graphic feel to communicate our message graphically".
In the 70's, I do feel that 12x12 album covers were an all-inclusive image of cultural style in the visual fashion of the sixties and the seventies. I was, therefore, a well-known designer of cultural images which were created as reflections of that culture. These were then watched closely by other design teams and designers who copied me their pursuit to find new images. Today more than 100,000 artists are using a "Ripping and Tearing" style and graffiti in their work.
At least Johnny was nice enough to explain what his intention was then…JVH
About the artist - John Van Hamersveld -
John (b. 1941, Baltimore, MD) is an artist and designer who’s responsible for an enormous catalog of well-known music industry and pop culture-related images. From his early works on the promo poster for the soundtrack for 1966’s ground-breaking surf-culture movie The Endless Summer and his cover work for The Beatles (Magical Mystery Tour) and Jefferson Airplane (Crown of Creation), to his iconic 70’s covers for the Rolling Stones (Exile on Main Street), The Grateful Dead (Skeletons from the Closet), KISS (Hotter than Hell), and Steve Miller (The Joker and Fly Like an Eagle), and then on to his imagery that helped introduce the world to Punk Fashion, such as the cover for Blondie’s Eat to the Beat and Autoamerica and John Lydon’s post-Pistols solo efforts (This Is What You Want, This is What You Get), Van Hamersveld’s images set the path that the rest of the industry followed for style and substance.
His recent posters and graphics for the Cream Reunions in New York and London have been fan and collector favorites, and who but JVH could have so appropriately designed Led Zeppelin’s recent Mothership package?
Van Hamersveld also created the famous "grinning Johnny" image in 1969, a version of which is said to have been the inspiration for John Pasche’s designs for the Rolling Stones' “Lips & Tongue” logo.
To learn more about John and visit his site, please follow this link –
http://www.johnvanhamersveld.com/vhmoa/museum/index.html
To see more of John’s works in the RockPoP Gallery collection, please follow this link –
http://rockpopgallery.com/items/john-van-hamersveld/list.htm?1=1
To see all of the Rolling Stones-related items in the RockPoP Gallery collection please click on this link –
http://rockpopgallery.com/items/rolling-stones/list.htm?1=1
*Adapted from the JVH interview found in book by Genesis Publications, titled EXILE: The making of EXILE ON MAIN ST. by Robert Greenfield. Copies of this book are available from the publisher on their web site at
http://www.genesis-publications.com/books/exile/green.html
All images featured in this Cover Story are Copyright 1972 and 2008, John Van Hamersveld - All rights reserved. Except as noted, all other text Copyright 2008 - Mike Goldstein & RockPoP Gallery (www.rockpopgallery.com) - All rights reserved.
New Vinyl Stamp Under Consideration
As many of you know, Gary Freiberg, founder of Vinyl Record Day (www.VinylRecordDay.org) has asked the US Postal Service to consider using classic album cover art and vinyl records for consideration for a stamp series. I spoke with Gary today and the news is encouraging; although many more details have yet to be ironed out. Here is the reply from the Committee:
Hi Gary,
Actually, the Citizens' Stamp Advisory Committee had their meeting last week.
I am pleased to inform you that "Vinyl Record" has been placed under consideration by the Committee for possible future stamp issuance. This is very notable, considering we receive approximately 50,000 letters for stamp subjects each year. Also, a limited number of these stamp subjects (generally 25-30) are chosen for each yearly stamp program.
Sincerely,
Stamp Development Specialist
Hi Gary,
Actually, the Citizens' Stamp Advisory Committee had their meeting last week.
I am pleased to inform you that "Vinyl Record" has been placed under consideration by the Committee for possible future stamp issuance. This is very notable, considering we receive approximately 50,000 letters for stamp subjects each year. Also, a limited number of these stamp subjects (generally 25-30) are chosen for each yearly stamp program.
Sincerely,
Stamp Development Specialist
Queen to Reissue Classic Lps
Queen have announced that they will re-release all of their studio albums on vinyl over the next two years.
The album packaging will feature original album details as well as bonus posters and pictures. This will be the first time all of Queen's albums will be available on vinyl.
The Hollywood Records re-releases will span the band's career, from their 1973 debut self-titled album with singer Freddie Mercury to 2008's 'Cosmos Rocks', featuring Paul Rodgers on vocals.
Hollywood Records will release a new "wave" of records every six months. “The First Wave” consists of 'A Night At The Opera', 'A Day At the Races', 'Sheer Heart Attack', 'Queen' and 'The Cosmos Rocks'.
“The Second Wave” will be available in spring 2009 and includes an edition of the rare gold-foil stamped 'Queen' album, 'Flash Gordon', 'News Of The World', 'A Kind of Magic' and 'Innuendo'.
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Circle Jerks Vinyl and Digital
(PR) The Circle Jerks have just released two special vinyl products that will interest both fans and collectors. itunes has also just posted a ton of the Circle Jerks back catalog so you can finally complete your collection and fill your ipod up, check the itunes store today and avail yourself to the bands recorded history in the worlds most popular format.
In a first for the band, a 12" vinyl picture disc has been released on Porterhouse Records of the bands debut album "Group Sex". This will be a collectors item to be sure. In fact an extremely limited group of the initial pressing have been autographed by the surviving original band members Keith Morris, Greg Hetson and Lucky Lehrer. The signed copies are available exclusively through Aural Exploits so check their online store at www.auralexploits.com
The band has also releasing limited edition colored vinyl of the "Group Sex" L.P. The run included various colors including pink, clear and clear blue. The skinny on the blue vinyl is that it will be exclusively available through retailer Hot Topic while pink and clear will be in mom and pop stores. Red and yellow clear vinyl will be available in the new year, so check www.porterhouserecords.com for availability or to order online.
The album packaging will feature original album details as well as bonus posters and pictures. This will be the first time all of Queen's albums will be available on vinyl.
The Hollywood Records re-releases will span the band's career, from their 1973 debut self-titled album with singer Freddie Mercury to 2008's 'Cosmos Rocks', featuring Paul Rodgers on vocals.
Hollywood Records will release a new "wave" of records every six months. “The First Wave” consists of 'A Night At The Opera', 'A Day At the Races', 'Sheer Heart Attack', 'Queen' and 'The Cosmos Rocks'.
“The Second Wave” will be available in spring 2009 and includes an edition of the rare gold-foil stamped 'Queen' album, 'Flash Gordon', 'News Of The World', 'A Kind of Magic' and 'Innuendo'.
------------------------------------------------------------------
Circle Jerks Vinyl and Digital
(PR) The Circle Jerks have just released two special vinyl products that will interest both fans and collectors. itunes has also just posted a ton of the Circle Jerks back catalog so you can finally complete your collection and fill your ipod up, check the itunes store today and avail yourself to the bands recorded history in the worlds most popular format.
In a first for the band, a 12" vinyl picture disc has been released on Porterhouse Records of the bands debut album "Group Sex". This will be a collectors item to be sure. In fact an extremely limited group of the initial pressing have been autographed by the surviving original band members Keith Morris, Greg Hetson and Lucky Lehrer. The signed copies are available exclusively through Aural Exploits so check their online store at www.auralexploits.com
The band has also releasing limited edition colored vinyl of the "Group Sex" L.P. The run included various colors including pink, clear and clear blue. The skinny on the blue vinyl is that it will be exclusively available through retailer Hot Topic while pink and clear will be in mom and pop stores. Red and yellow clear vinyl will be available in the new year, so check www.porterhouserecords.com for availability or to order online.
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