Tom Rush Releasing First Studio Album in 35 Years

Folk singer Tom Rush will release his first full length studio album in 35 years on February 24 with What I Know. The album will be released via Appleseed Records.

Rush talked about the album on his website:

"Well, I’ve gone and done it – finished up a new album. I’m hoping to have copies for you in time for Christmas, though the official release on Appleseed won’t happen until early next year. I've put a streaming version of “What I Know,” slated to be the title track, at the top of this page, just to whet your appetite. You can view some preliminary artwork for the CD here.

I recorded it in Nashville, with my old buddy Jim Rooney producing (co-author of Baby Let Me Follow You Down), and I must say that, as hard to please as I am, I really do like the results. It’s my first studio project in a long time (when I told Emmylou [Harris]how long it had been, her retort was, “You should be ashamed of yourself!”), and it was a lot of fun to get back into that arena.

The Nashville players are a hardworking bunch. They show up at 10AM, work until 1, break for lunch, work 2 ‘til 5 and go home. It’s a lot like having a job (I would imagine). But … the way they play is truly joyful, and joy to hear.

Emmylou, Nanci Griffith, Bonnie Bramlett all came by and did some harmonies, and it was great to see them all again. (I hadn’t seen Bonnie since we were on the Festival Express train in ’70!)

Again, I’m not sure when the artwork will be done, or the sequence of songs – though that last may be a bit irrelevant in this day of iPods and downloads. But, if you sign up for the mailing list, you’ll be the first to know. I think you’ll like this one!"

Rush's last full studio album was 1974's Ladies Love Outlaws, although there have been many compilations, re-releases and live albums in the intervening years.



SOURCE: http://winkscollectibles.blogspot.com

Classic Rock Videos

The Animals - Dont Let Me Be Misunderstood

Album Cover Art

Let's look at what made #9 on Gigwise.com's list of the sexiest and dirtiest album covers (Gigwise comments in quotes):

9. Sugar Ray: ‘Lemonade and Brownies’ – "Kind of a sexier, less seedy version of Pulp’s ‘This Is Hardcore’ released some three years later, Sugar Ray’s 1995 effort features actress Nicole Eggert (of Baywatch fame) on the cover. Despite the attention-grabbing cover, the album was ultimately a critical and commercial flop. Perhaps, in this instance, sex doesn’t sell."

Lemonade and Brownies is the name of Sugar Ray's debut album, released in 1995. DJ Lethal (House of Pain, Limp Bizkit) produced for the album, providing all of the DJing. Actress Nicole Eggert is featured on the cover. Even though the album did not chart and was a commercial and critical failure for Atlantic, the band stayed on the label, going on to huge success. Who says hard work doesn't pay off?

Your Vinyl Destination

By Robert Benson

I am now writing for www.rockitradio.net and thought that you might enjoy an article I wrote for the station about the great Roy Orbison:


Roy Orbison

To many, Roy Orbison is best known for his highly successful single “Oh, Pretty Woman.” But Orbison’s career spanned many decades and he was an accomplished songwriter and legendary performer. Let’s explore the life of this music legend:


Roy Orbison was born in Vernon, Texas in 1936 and music quickly became an important element in his life. His father gave him a guitar when he was six years old and by the age of thirteen he organized his first band called “The Wink Westerners,” which was named after the town that his family had relocated to. The band had some success on local television and was allotted 30 minute weekly shows.

It was at one of these shows where Orbison met one of his guests, a man named Johnny Cash. Cash advised him to try and get a contract with record producer Sam Phillips of Sun Records. Phillips would turn them down at first, but relented and added the band to the Sun roster after hearing a recording that was created at Norman Petty’s studio in Clovis, N.M. The band was renamed “The Teen Kings.” Orbison left for college in March of 1956 and ultimately headed for Sun Records in Memphis to pursue a career in music.

His first commercially successful song came in June of 1956 with the Rockabilly single called “Ooby Dooby” (which was written by friends of Orbison). His song “Claudette” (named after his first wife) was recorded by the Everly Brothers in 1958 and was included as the B-side to their smash hit, “All I Have To Do Is Dream” (Claudette peaked at #30 in May of 1958).

However, Orbison’s breakthrough hit was “Only The Lonely,” which was a 1960 #2 hit in the US as well as #1 hit in the UK. Orbison had met songwriter Joe Melson and liking the way that Melson incorporated melodic twists and lyrical styling into his songs, asked him to write with him. Together, they created the unique sound that Orbison would soon be famous for; the dramatic rock ballad.

Orbison also scored a #1 US hit in 1961 with the song “Running Scared,’ as well as scoring another #1 hit in the US with the cut “Crying,” an almost over-the-top ballad that featured his brilliant and now internationally famous warble.

In 1963, he headlined a tour with the Beatles, but was soon demoted to the opening act. Nonetheless, he developed lifelong friendships with the band, especially George Harrison and John Lennon. In fact, Orbison encouraged the Fab Four to come to the United States and try and sell their sound.

When the British Invasion broke out in 1964, Orbison was one of the few who survived. His single, “Oh, Pretty Woman,” actually broke the Beatles stranglehold on the Top Ten, catapulting to the #1 position in August of 1964 (where it would remain for three weeks). In fact, the record sold more copies in the first ten days than any other single up to that time and would go on to sell more than 7 millions copies.

The song was written in one afternoon while Orbison and his songwriting friend Bill Dees were working. Orbison’s wife at the time, Claudette, was leaving to do some shopping when Orbison asked her if she needed any money; to which Bill Dees interjected, “A pretty woman never needs any money.” They both thought that it would make a great song title and by the time that Claudette returned home from her shopping trip, the duo had written the now legendary song.


Many people often wonder if Orbison had eye problems which forced him to wear sunglasses, even at night. He did not have a specific eye ailment; the sunglasses actually became part of his persona by pure accident. You see, after flying in to Alabama for a performance, Orbison accidently left his regular glasses on the plane and didn’t realize he had his sunglasses on until the evening; but by then he had no choice, he had to wear the sunglasses or no glasses at all and not be able to see. So he went onstage wearing the dark glasses and the next day he flew to England to tour with the Beatles. Again, he was forced to wear the sunglasses and photographs of him and the Beatles circulated worldwide, and, although it was all unplanned, he was stuck with the new image and kept it throughout his amazing career.

In 1965, Orbison left Monument Records opting to move over to MGM, a label that promised him more money. Unfortunately, he would not make the Top Ten in the US again until 1989 when his collaboration with the Traveling Wilburys (Jeff Lynne, Tom Petty, Bob Dylan and George Harrison) netted him a #9 hit with the cut “You Got It.”

But Orbison was a world-wide music sensation and he remained very popular in Europe and Australia. In fact, his cut “Working For The Man” topped the Australian charts and the song “Too Soon To Know” peaked at #3 in England. He was also very popular in Germany, actually recording his hit song “Mama” in the native tongue. In France, he was viewed as the master of lost love ballads and a cover version of his 1963 hit, “Blue Bayou” (#29 on the Billboard Top 40 chart and a #3 hit for Linda Ronstadt in 1977), that was performed in French by Mireille Mathieu topped the French charts. Additionally, fans in the Netherlands formed his largest worldwide fan club.

Personal tragedy, sadly, was also a part of Orbison’s life. In 1966, he lost his wife Claudette to a motorcycle accident and a couple of years later, while he was away on a tour of England, he lost two of his sons to a terrible house fire that destroyed his home in Tennessee. His third son was miraculously saved by his parents.

Orbison was obviously devastated and to try and block out all his pain by touring constantly. In 1969, he remarried and started a new family, but he did not perform in the United States again until 1977.

The 1970’s were a down time for Orbison, although he continued to tour and release music, the albums did not fare as well as his previously released material. He tried his hand at country music with the LP “I’m Still In Love With You,” and also released the album “Regeneration” in 1976. Things got so bad that in 1979, Orbison even attempted releasing a disco music album called “Laminar Flow.”

In the 1980’s, Orbison’s career enjoyed a rebirth of sorts. He collaborated with Emmylou Harris on the song, “That Lovin’ You Feeling Again,” which would go on to win the 1981 Grammy Award for Best Country Performance by a Duo or Group. He also recorded the song “Wild Hearts” for inclusion in the film “Insignificance” and the song “In Dreams” was included in the David Lynch movie “Blue Velvet.” He also re-recorded his 1961 hit “Crying” as a duet with k. d. lang for the movie “Hiding Out” (which would earn him another Grammy Award). All these things helped Orbison regain his popularity.

His 1987 HBO Special, “Roy Orbison and Friends” was accompanied by a who’s-who supporting cast including musical director T-Bone Burnett, pianist Glen Hardin (who had played with Buddy Holly and Elvis), guitarist James Burton (also played with Elvis), background singers Bruce Springsteen, Tom Waits, Elvis Costello, Jackson Browne, k.d. lang, Bonnie Raitt and Jennifer Warnes. All loved Orbison and lobbied to participate and the special helped Orbison gain the attention of a younger generation.

Shortly after the performance, he teamed up with the previously mentioned rock stars (Lynne, Harrison, Dylan and Petty) to form the Traveling Wilburys, who achieved mass commercial appeal and success. He also recorded a new solo LP, “Mystery Girl,” which yielded his last hit “You Got It.”

Sadly, during the afternoon of December 6, 1988, after spending time shopping for model airplanes (a hobby throughout his career and one he thoroughly enjoyed), he complained of chest pains and was rushed to a hospital in Hendersonville, Tennessee. Roy Orbison died shortly thereafter.

Roy Orbison is fondly remembered by millions of fans for is ballads of lost love and his creative songwriting abilities. His voice was also unique, an instrument of melodic invention. Let’s explore some this legendary rock and roll artist’s achievements:

Awards/Honors:

Rock and Roll Hall of Fame (1987)
Songwriter's Hall of Fame (1989)
Grammy Awards (1980, 1988, 1989, 1990)

#1 hits:

"Running Scared" (1961)
"Oh, Pretty Woman" (1964)

Top 10 hits:

"Only The Lonely (Know How I Feel)" (1960)
"Crying" (1961)
"Dream Baby (How Long Must I Dream)" (1962)
"In Dreams" (1963)
"Mean Woman Blues"(1963)
"It's Over" (1964)
"You Got It"(1989)

R&B:
"Mean Woman Blues"(1963)

Country:
"That Lovin' You Feelin' Again"(1980)
"You Got It"(1989)

Other important recordings: "Ooby Dooby," "Leah," "Blue Angel," "Candy Man," "I'm Hurtin'," "Workin' For The Man," "Blue Bayou," "Falling," "Pretty Paper," "She's A Mystery To Me," "I Drove All Night," "Not Alone Any More" (Traveling Wilburys)

Wrote or co-wrote: "Claudette," The Everly Brothers; "Bad Boy," Sue Thompson; "Down The Line," Jerry Lee Lewis; "I'm In A Blue, Blue Mood," Conway Twitty; "See Ruby Fall," Johnny Cash

Covered by: Linda Ronstadt, Don McLean, Van Halen, Del Shannon, Chris Isaak, k.d. lang, The Hollies, Waylon Jennings, Glen Campbell, Expose, Buddy Holly, Slim Whitman

Appeared in the movies: "The Fastest Guitar Alive" (1967), "Roadie" (1980), "Roy Orbison and Friends: Black & White Night" (1988), "She's Having a Baby" (1988), "Chuck Berry Hail! Hail! Rock 'n' Roll" (1987)



Selected vinyl record values

78 rpm

SUN (242 "Ooby Dooby") 250-350 1956
SUN (251 "Rockhouse") 200-300 1956
SUN (265 "Sweet & Easy toLove") 200-300 1956
SUN (284 "I Like Love") 300-400 1958


45 rpm

SUN (242 "Ooby Dooby") 40-60 1956
SUN (251 "Rockhouse") 40-60 1956
SUN (265 "Sweet and Easy to Love") 100-200 1956
SUN (284 "I Like Love") 125-150 1958
SUN (353 "Sweet and Easy to Love") 30-50 1961
(Yellow label.)
SUN (353 "Sweet and Easy to Love") 50-75 1961
(White label. Promotional issue only.)

LP's

MONUMENT (14002 "Lonely and Blue") 400-600 1961
(Stereo.)
MONUMENT (14007 "Crying") 400-600 1962
(Stereo.)
MONUMENT (4002 "Lonely and Blue") 100-200 1961
(Monaural.)
MONUMENT (4007 "Crying") 50-100 1962
(Monaural.)
SUN (1260 "At the Rock House") 500-700 1962

DVD's

Classic Rock Videos

The Animals - Don't Bring Me Down

Album Cover Art

We made it- we are now into the Top Ten list of the dirtiest and sexiest album cover art as complied by the crack staff at Gigwise.com. Let's look at what made number ten on their list (Gigwise comments in quotes):



10. Pulp: ‘This Is Hardcore’ – "Accompanying an album that, at times, dissected the seedy, grimy side of the sex business, Jarvis Cocker and co. opted for a sleeve of a porn star in mid-act. At first, it looks like a highly erotic cover, but when you couple it with the album title track’s lyrics and the vacant expression on the said woman’s face, it takes the sting out of it."

Pulp's "This Is Hardcore" is arguably the first pop album devoted entirely to the subject of the long, slow fade. This is a bold move because it breaks one of rock's oldest songwriting taboos. Rockers have always fled from the prospect of aging and ignored the mundane details of survival. Even when the Beatles took on the subject, they did it as a lark: "Will you still feed me when I'm sixty-four?" Pulp, on the other hand, dive right in. "Help the aged," Jarvis Cocker sings on the album's first single, "one time they were just like you."

So far, Pulp's chief impact in the United States has been as the band whose leader (Cocker) disrupted a Michael Jackson performance at a British awards ceremony. But Pulp have been at it since 1983, when they were mere teens out of working-class Sheffield, England. It took them a decade to make much of a splash, but their 1995 breakthrough, Different Class, sounded like nothing else on the Brit-pop landscape. With flamboyantly catchy tunes and wry lyrics that commented on everything from rave culture to social snobbery, the album was a defining moment in U.K. pop.

On This Is Hardcore, the band expands on that promise with an album that is less bright and bouncy but that is even more daring and fully realized. From the doorstep of middle age, midthirtyish singer and lyricist Cocker looks to his future with a mild case of nausea, even as drummer Nick Banks, keyboardist Candida Doyle, bassist Steve Mackey and guitarist Mark Webber keep the pop champagne fizzing. Cocker writes songs about aging nightclubbers driving themselves to the brink of exhaustion to feel more "alive" ("Party Hard"), a father shamed by the example he has set for his son ("A Little Soul") and the recognition that the singer has become "the man who stays home and does the dishes" ("Dishes"). GREG KOT~Rolling Stone

This Date In Music History-December 13

Birthdays:

Ted Nugent is 60.

Lou Adler (who produced the Mamas & the Papas) turns 75.

Guitarist Jeff "Skunk" Baxter of the Doobie Brothers (1948)

Randy Owen, Alabama (1949)

Berton Averre, The Knack (1952)

Tom Hamilton, bass, Aerosmith (1951)

Amy Lynn Lee, vocals, Evanescence (1981)

Tom Delonge, Blink 182 (1975)

Robert Martinez, ? & The Mysterians (1945)

Jamie Foxx R&B singer and pianist (1967) Academy Award winner in 2005 for his performance of musician Ray Charles in Ray.


They Are Missed:

The Guess Who's guitarist Kurt Winter died in 1997.

Zal Yanovsky of The Lovin Spoonful died of a heart attack in 2002.

Pigmeat Markham ("Here Comes The Judge") died in 1981.


History:

Elvis Presley's "It's Now Or Never" set a new record in the UK in 1960 for achieving one million sales just six weeks after its release.

The Beatles signed with manager Brian Epstein in 1961 (though Brian never signs the contract).

The Rolling Stones' request to put on a three day show for 100,000 fans on Easter Island was denied by the government of Chile in 1975, who said "the whole future of the island" would have been damaged.


In 1969, John Lennon and Yoko Ono's Wedding Album crashed on to the Billboard album chart at #182.

In 1999, the performing rights group BMI proclaimed that the most-performed song of the century was the Righteous Brothers' 1965 #1 hit "You've Lost That Loving Feeling."

Foghat's "Slow Ride" was released in 1975.

The two surviving members of Nirvana, Krist Novoselic and David Grohl, filed a countersuit against Courtney Love in 2001. The charge was that she had manipulated the memory and work of her dead husband, Kirk Cobain, for the benefit of her own career.

The Beatles performed at the Cavern Club, Liverpool in 1961, playing two shows at lunchtime and then again at night. Decca Records' Mike Smith attended the night performance with the intent of offering The Beatles a recording contract.

Kenny Roger's Greatest Hits started a two-week run at #1 on the US album chart in 1980.

Jimi Hendrix made his TV debut on ITV's 'Ready Steady Go!' in 1966 (Marc Bolan was also on the show). The Jimi Hendrix Experience also recorded 'Foxy Lady' on this day.

After scoring a US Top 20 hit in 1962 with "She Can't Find Her Keys" earlier in the year, 17 year old Paul Peterson re-entered the charts with "My Dad", which would reach #6. The former Disney Mouseketeer and cast member of the TV's Donna Reed Show would go on to found A Minor Consideration, an organization committed to changing the working conditions for child performers.

Bruce Hornsby and The Range topped the Billboard chart in 1986 with "The Way It Is", a song that refers to the Civil Rights Movement in the United States.

In 2006, New York police arrested Koral Karsan and charged him with first-degree attempted grand larceny for allegedly trying to extort $2 million from John Lennon's widow, Yoko Ono. The 50 year old Karsan had worked for Ono as a chauffeur for over six years.

Music News & Notes

Kiss Decides to Cut First LP Since 1998

It has been announced that, beginning next year, the iconic rock and roll band KISS will hit the studio to record their first new album of material since 1998’s release “Psycho Circus.”

Even the reluctant bassist, Gene Simmons is on board although his opinions about the music industry are well documented.

“The record industry is in such a mess,” he told Billboard in November of 2007. “There is nothing in me that wants to go in there and do new music. How are you going to deliver it? How are you going to get paid for it if people can just get it for free?”

But with Paul Stanley producing and in complete control of the project, it will be an exciting new avenue for the rockers to explore.

“I would consider doing it if I could do it the way I wanted to do it,” he explained, adding that his 2006 solo album “Live To Win” confirmed how he’d “like music to sound that I’m a part of. To do another KISS album, I would not e willing to compromise my point of view perhaps as much as I have in recent years.”

Still unresolved is just how the band will distribute the new album which will feature longtime members Paul Stanley and Gene Simmons alongside guitarist Tommy Thayer and Eric Singer on the drums.

KISS is also expected to embark on a North American tour at some point in the New Year, but no dates have been announced at this time.



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

John Fogerty Returns with “Blue Ridge Rangers” Project

Seminal ‘swamp’ rocker and former Creedence Clearwater Revival front man John Fogerty is putting the finishing touches on a new project appropriately called: “John Fogerty: The Return Of The Blue Ridge Rangers.”

The Blue Ridge Rangers were originally a one-man band in which Fogerty released a set of country and roots cover songs. Although the Blue Ridge Rangers concept allowed Fogerty complete artistic control (he played all the instruments), this project will be different, as he explained to Billboard.

“I’ve known for years that if I ever did a Blue Rangers album again I sure didn’t want to play all the instruments. I had long felt that was probably something that was wrong with the first album.”

The project was recorded during a 10-day session at Village Recorders in Santa Monica, California, with T-Bone Burnett and Lenny Waronker as co-producers. Among the musicians contributing to “The Return Of The Blue Ridge Rangers” were Greg Leisz, Dennis Crouch, Buddy Miller, Kenny Aronoff and Jay Bellerose. The set includes fifteen songs that were recorded from a list of about forty titles that Fogerty, Burnett and Waronker had assembled.

“My pre-requisite was that I didn’t want to get into the realm of trying to be really hip and obscure,” explained Fogerty. “I’ve seen people get really out there, and it’s stuff nobody’s heard of or maybe it’s stuff nobody wants to hear of. For me it just had to be a good song, a great song, ‘cause great songs will carry you a long way.”

Fans of Fogerty and of the classic rock band Creedence Clearwater Revival can expect a quality release, although there has been no definitive release date.



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

Decemberists’ New LP Is Concept Oriented

Indie-Pop rockers the Decemberists new album from Capitol Records should arrive in stores near the end of March 2009. The 17-track effort will chronicle a twisted love triangle, mixed with fantasy, with a woodland queen playing very heavily into the storyline.

However, this is not the first time the Portland, Oregon Indie-Pop crew has waded into the concept album territory. Its predecessor, “The Crane Wife” (2006) included a retooled Japanese fairy tale as its central theme.



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

Indigo Girls Team With Vanguard For New Album

The Indigo Girls have started their own label to release their next album. "Poseidon and the Bitter Bug" is due March 24 from IG Recordings, with distribution through Vanguard.

The double-disc set includes the album as well as a second all-acoustic version, the latter featuring the bonus track "Salty South."

"It's basically like two perspectives of the same song," group member Amy Ray told Billboard of the Mitchell Froom-produced project. "It gives everybody both sides of the equation."

The Indigo Girls spent most their career on Epic before shifting to Hollywood for 2006's "Despite Our Differences."

Grunge Rockers Pearl Jam to Reissue Their LP “Ten”

Pre-orders for the reissue of Pearl Jam’s 1991 debut album will be available March 24from their former Epic Records label (also pre-orders have already begun on the band’s website www.PearlJam.com).

In fact, four different editions of the legendary debut include a host on previously unreleased tracks and special surprises from the vaults. Each version will include a digitally remastered version of the original as well as new remixes and was done by longtime producer Brendan O’Brien (who did not work on “Ten,” but produced the band’s next four LPs). Additionally, bassist Jeff Ament and designer Andy Fischer have teamed up to revamp the artwork.

The music produced by O’Brien for the project includes six previously unreleased cuts including early versions of “Breath,” “State of Love and Trust,” “Brother” (with vocals- not the instrumental version from the 2003 rarities release “Lost Dogs”), “Just a Girl,” “Evil Little Goat” as well as a Stevie Ray Vaughan-inspired jam session with improvised vocals from Eddie Vedder.

Band members have been coaxing O’Brien to take on the remixing project for years and he relented after he had remixed the “Ten” cuts, “Once,” “Black” and “Alive” for the band’s greatest hits release in 2004 called “Rearviewmirror.”

“The original ‘Ten’ sound is what millions of people bought, dug and loved, so I was initially hesitant to mess around with that,” explained O’Brien. “After years of persistent nudging from the band, I was able to wrap my head around the idea of offering it as a companion piece to the original-giving a fresh take on it, a more direct sound.”

The seminal and groundbreaking album has sold more than 9.6 million copies in the US and certainly vaulted Pearl Jam to mainstream superstardom worldwide.

The ‘Legacy’ edition of the reissue includes a DVD of the band’s previously unreleased “MTV Unplugged” performance in 1992. Fans could also choose a double-vinyl version that features the original “Ten” on one LP and O’Brien’s remix on the other.

However, the package that is sure to appease even the most die-hard fans of the group will include two CDs, a DVD and four vinyl records. It will all be housed in a linen-covered, slip cased clamshell box as well as a replica of an item that is second to none in Pearl Jam Lore.

Pearl Jam bassist Jeff Ament, who served as the art director for the original Ten packaging, reprised his role for the reissues collaborating with designer, Andy Fischer, of Cameron Crowe’s Vinyl Films (Into the Wild soundtrack LP, Vanilla Sky soundtrack LP, Harold and Maude anniversary edition soundtrack LP).

"The goal was to assemble the ultimate fan-piece,” explains Fischer. “Something Pearl Jam lovers could pore over as they experience an indelible record all over again, in an entirely new way."

“The original concept was about really being together as a group and entering into the world of music as a true band...a sort of all-for-one deal,” says Jeff Ament. “There were some elements of the original Ten artwork that didn't turn out the way we had hoped, due to time constraints. With this reissue, we’ve been able to take our time and invest resources into making the design the way we had originally intended.”


Pick up a copy of “Ten” here: http://tinyurl.com/5bdqj5




THE FOUR EDITIONS OF TEN: ALBUM EXTRAS PER PACKAGE

1. Legacy Edition (2-disc set in mini-LP style slipcase):
• Disc 1: original Ten tracklisting digitally remastered (original mix)
• Disc 2: original Ten tracklisting digitally remastered and remixed by Brendan O’Brien, plus six bonus tracks: “Brother,” “Just a Girl,” “State of Love and Trust,” “Breath and a Scream,” “2,000 Mile Blues” and “Evil Little Goat”
• Re-designed packaging

2. Deluxe Edition (2-disc set plus DVD specially designed hardbound package):
• Disc 1: original Ten tracklisting digitally remastered (original mix)
• Disc 2: original Ten tracklisting digitally remastered and remixed by Brendan O’Brien, plus six bonus tracks: “Brother,” “Just a Girl,” “State of Love and Trust,” “Breath and a Scream,” “2,000 Mile Blues” and “Evil Little Goat”
• DVD of Pearl Jam’s previously unreleased 1992 MTV Unplugged performance including never before seen bonus performance of “Oceans” with 5.1 surround sound audio remix

3. Vinyl Collection (2-LP set)

• LP 1: original Ten tracklisting remastered for vinyl
• LP 2: original Ten tracklisting remastered for vinyl and remixed by Brendan O’Brien

4. Super Deluxe Edition (2-disc set plus DVD, 4 LPs and replica cassette in linen-covered, slip-cased clamshell box):

• Disc 1: original Ten tracklisting digitally remastered (original mix)
• Disc 2: original Ten tracklisting digitally remastered and remixed by Brendan O’Brien, plus six bonus tracks: “Brother,” “Just a Girl,” “State of Love and Trust,” “Breath and a Scream,” “2,000 Mile Blues” and “Evil Little Goat”
• DVD of Pearl Jam’s previously unreleased 1992 MTV Unplugged performance including never before seen bonus performance of “Oceans” with 5.1 surround sound audio remix
• LP 1: original Ten tracklisting remastered for vinyl
• LP 2: original Ten tracklisting remastered for vinyl and remixed by Brendan O’Brien
• LP 3 & 4: Drop in the Park – Live at Magnuson Park in Seattle on September 20, 1992 (audio mixed by Brendan O’Brien)
• Cassette: replica of original “Momma-Son” Pearl Jam demo cassette featuring “Alive,” “Once” and “Footsteps”
• Package also includes an Eddie Vedder-style composition notebook filled with replica personal notes, images and mementos from the collections of Eddie Vedder and Jeff Ament, a vellum envelope with replicated era-specific ephemera from Pearl Jam’s early work and a two-sided print commemorating the Drop in the Park concert

Deep Purple Issuing Deluxe Edition of Stormbringer

Legendary rockers Deep Purple and EMI have announced that they will release a special edition of the album "Stormbringer" on February 23.


http://tinyurl.com/57x8fc

The album, first released in November 1974, peaked at #20 on the US album chart and was considered a bit uneven after "Machine Head" and "Who Do You Think We Are." At the time, the band was made up of Ritchie Blackmore (his last album with the group), David Coverdale, Glen Hughes, Jon Lord and Ian Paice.

The album will be issued in a CD/DVD combo with the CD having the original album plus five bonus tracks and the DVD containing an original Quadraphonic mix album as 5.1 DTS 96/24 and the original album Quadrophonic mix stereo 48/24 with on screen images. A 2-LP vinyl set will also be issued with an additional three bonus tracks.

The track listing for the CD/DVD set:

Stormbringer
Love Don’t Mean a Thing
Holy Man
Hold On
Lady Double Dealer
You Can’t Do It Right
High Ball Shooter
The Gypsy
Soldier of Fortune
Holy Man (Glenn Hughes remix)
You Can’t Do It Right (Glenn Hughes remix)
Love Don’t Mean a Thing (Glenn Hughes remix)
Hold On (Glenn Hughes remix)
High Ball Shooter (instrumental, from Listen Learn Read On Box Set)

The track list for the 2-LP set:

Stormbringer
Love Don’t Mean A Thing
Holy Man
Hold On
Lady Double Dealer
You Can’t Do It Right
High Ball Shooter
The Gypsy
Soldier Of Fortune
Holy Man (remix)
You Can’t Do It Right (remix)
Love Don’t Mean A Thing (remix)
Hold On (remix)
High Ball Shooter (instrumental)
High Ball Shooter (quad)
You Can’t Do It Right (quad)
Soldier Of Fortune (quad)

Deep Purple has always been near the top of my list of favorite rock and roll bands and I am excited about this release!

What to do with those old records?

Those of us of a certain age will no doubt remember playing music on vinyl. I remember getting my first "hand-me-down" record player, spending my pocket money on 7" singles, later on hunting down picture discs and other limited edition records, and generally having fun with my music.

Time passes however, and the scratchy old black discs have been replaced by shiny silver coasters. I've not been able to face the thought of ditching my old records and so they've been languishing in storage for the past decade. At least they were until I got the bright idea of trying to transfer them onto my computer.

Now a lot of it I've already re-bought on CD (or in some cases bought MP3s online), but some of it just isn't available in any format other than vinyl. It would be nice to get these lost classics (or old crap as my wife puts it) in an easy to use format. Of course, I've still got a stereo stacker system (remember those?) which I've hooked up to my PC and recorded off an album or two.

There are some disadvantages to this.

One is that the stereo is large, heavy, bulky and pulling it over to where the PC is also means that I'm tripping over the damn thing whenever I'm trying to record from it.

OK, so thats more of an inconvenience than a real problem. So do things get easier once you've plugged the earphone socket of the stereo into the soundcards line-in?

Nope.

The sound levels can be a bit tricky to set up correctly. Once you've set up the graphic equalisers on the front of the stereo to a nice level, found the right volume to avoid clipping when you're recording it back and finally managed to record the album you STILL find an annoying hum (from the stereo's built in amplifier).

Now you can remove the worst of the hum, hiss and crackle from the records using Audacity (or whatever other audio software you use) but sadly the more you need to clean up, the more the sound quality of the final track suffers. (Before any audiophiles get in and start telling me about resisters that need to go between this, that and the other, forget it. I'm trying to record some music, not take lessons in soldering.)

The final results were passable, but still contained a bit of hum, which was certainly noticable when playing them alongside regular MP3s.

So what are the alternatives? Well, these days you can get hold of USB Turntables reasonably cheaply. These plug directly into your computers USB port and allow you to record directly from there. If you shop around you can normally pick up a cheap one from just over £20 (or less if you can get something in the sales). I picked mine up for just over £11 which was a bit of a bargain. They're also small enough to fit on my desk next to my PC when I'm in the mood to transfer some of my music.

If you are using Windows then you can just plug in and go (* see the notes at the end). There is a "drivers" disk supplied with the turntable, which doesn't actually contain any drivers. Instead it installs a copy of Audacity for you. The accompanying instructions take you through recording, cleaning up and exporting your tracks using Audacity.

Using it with Linux was just as easy. I plugged it in, installed Audacity using the package manager and from there on in the provided instructions were fine.

Recording using the turntable is much more straight forward than using the stereo. Firstly there are no levels or volume to adjust, you just plug in, select the USB device to record from and that's about it.

The instructions probably won't be needed for most of us, but it's always nice to see how other people do things. Personally after recording the track I normalise it, use a low level noise reduction to remove the worst of the hiss and clicks, manually split it into separate tracks and then save it to MP3. You can, of course, save to WAV, FLAC, OGG or whatever else floats your musical boat.

For those of you who may be interested, I tested this out with what is probably the oldest album that I've got - Baby Grand's self-titled first album from 1977, which was the first album I owned (I'd won it at a fairground).

The annoying hum from the stereo was totally absent when recording via USB and the overall sound quality on the final tracks was surprisingly good. All in all a good solution to the problem of transferring my old music.

SOURCE: posted by Dano at http://half-a-page.blogspot.com



Sony PS-LX300USB USB Stereo Turntable System - Black

Classic Rock Videos

Eric Burdon & The Animals - When I Was Young

Album Cover Art

We're almost to the top ten of Gigwise.com's list of the sexiest and dirtiest album covers, here is #11 (Gigwise comments in quotes):


11. Jimi Hendrix Experience: ‘Electric Ladyland’ –" Unhappy with his record label’s adamant snubbing of his proposal for the 968 album to picture band member Linda Eastman posing with children at the foot of a statue of Alice In Wonderland in favour of a blurred image of his head, Hendrix took drastic action. Instead, the original UK pressings featured a gaggle of naked women – a decision that was steeped in controversy."

Electric Ladyland is the third and final album by The Jimi Hendrix Experience, released on October 16, 1968 on Reprise Records. Written and produced by Jimi Hendrix, the album is seen as the peak of Hendrix's mastery of the electric guitar, and is frequently cited as one of the greatest rock albums of all time. It is not only the last of his albums released as the Jimi Hendrix Experience, but also the last of Hendrix's studio albums to be professionally produced under his own supervision. After Electric Ladyland, Hendrix spent the remaining two years of his life attempting to organize a new band and recording a breadth of new songs.

Alternate Cover

Released as a double album, Electric Ladyland is a cross-section of Hendrix's wide range of musical talent. It includes samples of several genres and styles of music, including the psychedelia of "Burning of the Midnight Lamp" (previously a UK single in the summer of 1967), the bluesy guitar jam "Voodoo Chile", the New Orleans-style rock and roll of "Come On", the epic studio production of "1983... (A Merman I Should Turn to Be)", and the social commentary of "House Burning Down". The album also features a cover version of Bob Dylan's "All Along the Watchtower" that was widely praised by many, including Dylan himself, as well as "Voodoo Child (Slight Return)", a staple of both radio and guitar repertoire.

Electric Ladyland was first released in the U.S. in October 1968 and became a massive hit; it was Hendrix's only #1 album. The UK edition reached #5 upon its release amid considerable controversy. A letter Hendrix wrote to Reprise described exactly what he wanted for the cover, but it was mostly ignored. He expressly asked for a colour photo by Linda Eastman of the group sitting with children on a sculpture from Alice in Wonderland in Central Park, NY, even drawing a picture of it for reference. The company instead used a blurred red & yellow photo of his head, taken by Karl Ferris. Track Records had its own art department, which produced a cover depicting of several nude women lounging in front of a black background. The original UK & German CD release from the 1980s features the UK artwork cover, while the Allan Douglas' re-master CD issue features the U.S. version by Ferris, which has since become the official worldwide cover of Electric Ladyland. The company Experience Hendrix, which owns the rights to the album and most of Hendrix's catalogue, has stated that the original UK nudes cover will not be used any longer, since Hendrix himself did not like it; nonetheless Hendrix's own choice, the Eastman photo, is still ignored. A dispute nearly happened with the album's title. In the final stages of production, a studio technician renamed the album "Electric Landlady." The album was almost released under this official title until Hendrix noticed the error, which upset him considerably. Kirsty MacColl later used this alternate title for an album of her own.

In 2005 Q magazine readers voted Electric Ladyland the 38th greatest album of all time; in 2003 the TV network VH1 placed it at number 72. In 2003, Rolling Stone declared it the 54th greatest album of all time. The album is included in the book 1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die.

Vinyl Records – 60 Years Strong and Still in the Groove

I want to thank Jeffrey B. Palmer, Director of Marketing & Communications at the The Vinyl Institute for allowing me the exclusive right to reprint his wonderful article about the love for vinyl records.


ARLINGTON, Va., Sept. 23, 2008 – In 1948, Dr. Peter Goldmark developed the first long-playing record made of PVC. Vinyl records were quieter than the earlier shellac disks, could play at 33 1/3 rotations per minute which allowed up to 30 minutes per side of playing time, and were more affordable and less sensitive than shellac.

Today, to paraphrase Mark Twain, rumors of the death of vinyl records have been greatly exaggerated. In fact, their popularity has received a louder buzz throughout the country in just the past couple of months.

The Aug. 5 "Columbus (Ga.) Ledger-Enquirer" noted The Flip Side music store was saved from extinction by adding used and new vinyl records and refurbished turntables to its inventory.

The Aug. 6 "Charlotte (N.C.) Observer" reported vinyl LP's at Lunchbox Records accounts for 45 percent of its sales.

In the Aug. 17 "Buffalo (N.Y.) News" Kelly Mordaunt, Record Theatre's University Plaza manager and buyer, claimed much of his vinyl-buying customers are "college age and under."

The Aug. 20 "Boston (Mass.) Herald" reported a Newbury Comics music superstore opening in Norwood will carry an extensive inventory of new vinyl records.

In just the last four weeks, independent news features on the growing demand for vinyl records have run in newspapers in Pueblo, Colo.; Chattanooga, Tenn.; Bellingham, Wash.; Myrtle Beach, S.C.; Spokane, Wash.: Superior, Wis., and "The New York Times."

And the Sept. 23 "Fort Worth Star-Telegram" reported A + R Record & Tape Manufacturing in Dallas has seen a 25 percent upturn in vinyl record production in the last three years, prompted by interest in hip hop, dance, and punk rock records.

To meet the widespread demand, more musicians are releasing their latest recordings on both vinyl and CD - Madonna, U2, Buddy Guy, R.E.M., the Drive By Truckers, Elvis Costello, and Wilco among them. Neil Young typically releases both LP's and CD's of his music.

Sundazed Records has developed a large catalog of "high definition" vinyl reissues of 1960's rock mainstays like The Byrds, Love, Spirit, The Remains, Jefferson Airplane, The Stooges, Aretha Franklin, and Bob Dylan.

Also answering the demand for new/old vinyl recordings, Capitol/EMI Records launched its Capitol Vaults reissues Sept. 2, including classic rock chestnuts like Steve Miller Band's Greatest Hits 1974-1978 and the Beach Boys' 1966 Pet Sounds, as well as the music catalogs of newer rock bands like Radiohead and Coldplay. Capitol Records' Jane Ventom indicated the releases are aimed at "audiophiles who continued to collect vinyl through its leanest years, baby boomers who are dusting off turntables, and the iPod generation that's discovering classics on vinyl." Some record companies are offering digital downloads or CD versions of albums with the purchase of a vinyl copy.

However, many simply prefer the sound of an analog recording on vinyl instead of its digital alternative. Words they use to describe their vinyl treasures are "richer," "warmer," "more natural," "more durable," "better bass," and simply "cooler."

Vinyl-philes also revel in the indescribable joy of taking a vinyl record out of its sleeve, gazing at the album cover art, reading liner notes without the aid of a microscope, playing the record through one side and flipping it over, and even the occasional pop and skip of a scratched record. One long-time vinyl enthusiast remarked, "With vinyl, music listening is an experience, not just knocking off a couple of songs on your iPod while commuting to work."

Other vinyl releases recent and planned include re-issues of Paul McCartney & Wings' Band on the Run, John Lennon's Imagine, Jimi Hendrix' Band of Gypsys, The Eagles' Hotel California, The Allman Brothers' Live at Fillmore East, Def Leppard's Pyromania, The Who's Who's Next, and a deluxe box set of the late jazz trumpeter Miles Davis' legendary Kind of Blue sessions.

While sales of CD's have continued to drop over the last few years, 17 percent in 2007 from the previous year, sales of new vinyl LP's continue to surge, a 37 percent increase from 2006 to 2007. The Recording Industry Association of America states 1.3 million new vinyl recordings were sold in the United States in 2007, and analysts project annual sales to range from 1.6 million to 2 million by the end of 2008. Also, sales of new turntables nearly doubled in a year, from 275,000 in 2006 almost half a million in 2007.

Another plus for vinyl recordings -- no "laser rot." An article in the Aug 22 "Detroit (Mich.) News," stated laser rot is when the aluminum coating on the surface of old CD's and DVD's oxidizes and degrades, becoming irretrievably corroded. Old school vinyl recordings are immune to such digital deterioration.

The imminent demise for CD's may also be exaggerated. But while they have been around for only 27 years, vinyl LP's are 60 years old, and still spinning.

The Vinyl Institute represents the leading manufacturers involved in the production of PVC vinyl in the United States, and promotes the value of PVC and vinyl products to society.

For more information, contact:
Jeffrey B. Palmer
Director of Marketing & Communications
The Vinyl Institute
(703) 741-5669
jeff_palmer@plastics.org

Also go to: www.vinylindesign.com and www.vinylinfo.org.

Collecting Vinyl Records

Unless you were born with no historical sense of music's roots, then you are familiar with vinyl records. If unfamiliar, vinyl records are an analog sound storage medium that in essence forms its effects from a flat disc with inscribed modulated spiral grooves. So what is the big deal? Surely that is what you are asking in the digital age of I-pods, Cds, MP3s and phone audio tools. Truth be told vinyl records were revolutionary for their time, and even to this very minute, monumental in shaping the future of digital music and sound. Vinyl records are obviously much more difficult to find these days due to massive advances in audio, however just like seeking a black and white TV, they still exist and are very real.

When young individuals hear about vinyl records they immediately assume they are obsolete and thus not worth their time. The irony is these records are part of the mainstream youth movement behind Hip Hop and Techno, and that's just to name a few. When you go to the club and hear the DJ, chances are he is using vinyl, and some of the most recognizable beats are due to spinning the modulated grooves on these discs. That is not to say that vinyl is all of a sudden mainstream again, but its effects are monumental and heard every single day spanning the 7 continents.

True albums on vinyl, to the biggest music enthusiasts, are like gold in record form. One of the biggest reasons vinyl records are still actively discussed today is for its nostalgic persona. But it goes beyond just remembering buying your favorite Beatles or Rolling Stones album in the 1960's. Vinyl records have had a rap for as long as they have been around about their ability to create a more authentic, real sound unmatched by digital reproductions of the same songs. Because of vinyl's linking to the positive influences of gramophone records, listeners are left with a more visceral experience.

Vinyl records are also a benchmark in the evolution of music, and serve as a bookmarked chapter in the bridge to the digital age. Collectors all over the world constantly discuss, trade and still seek out their favorite albums, almost a reminder to how much audio has changed for the better. Besides just being a warm blanket that covers music's die hard fans, vinyl records serve as an important lesson to the compression and presentation of audio beats for amazing audio output.


Mike Campbell has been a vinyl record enthusiast for 35 plus years. For more information on collecting vinyl records, and also to pick up on a few rare finds visit us at http://www.vinylrecordbin.com