The vinyl record collecting blog - with news about new vinyl record releases, vinyl record sales, new music releases, album cover art and weekly features
The turntable started out as a device used to play music by rotating a phonograph record on a a circular horizontal platform, but it has evolved into a music instrument itself and some models now are just as much as the costliest instrument. The record player was the most popular device for playing sound from the 1870s through the 1980s, but in the modern work-a-day world of iTunes and Sattelite radio, the record player is often overlooked. DJs and Turntablism brought new life and new expensive turntables to the consumer and keeps the record player adapting.
Vinyl is alive and kicking because the most passionate and wealthy audiophiles know that CD’s or mp3’s sound can‘t touch anything on these—the most expensive turntables.
Continuum Caliburn – up to $112,000
Vinyl isn’t dead, and The Continuum Caliburn turntable proves this by aiming for audio perfection. The price for this expensive turntable starts at $90,000 and goes up to $112,000, depending on finishes and includes some amazing technology. The tonearm alone sells for $12,000. The turntable uses a magnetically levitated magnesium platter suspended in a vacuum to assure there are no vibrations.
Clearaudio Statement - $125,000
This 770-pound hunk of wood and aluminum features a magnetically-driven sub-platter that completely eliminates contact with the main platter and real time speed control. A 176 lb pendulum ensures that the platters are always level and a high speed microprocessor-controlled motor drive unit, similar to that used in the Mars rover, keeps the records turning.
Basis Work of Art - $150,000
This Work of Art uses a “mass-spring-dampener” suspension system to completely isolate the turntable from the listening environment while an AC synchronous instrument motor provides the speed-stability necessary to put the most ardent audiophiles at ease. The Work of Art’s support structure is so rigid that audible resonance is eliminated.
Goldmund Reference II - $300,000
The successor to the 25-year-old Goldmund Reference is a high-precision turntable with level calibration to less than 1/100th of a millimeter and its stylus, pivot and counterweight “perfectly aligned for optimal dynamic balance.” Three Teflon tubes prevent vibration of the wires as they carry signal from the turntable. The turntable also features a digital processor that provides RIAA correction which, I’m guessing, has nothing to do with those people who sue people for downloading MP3 files.
The world’s most expensive turntable is limited to a mere twenty-five units with only five being made per year.
U2 accused of copying American artist's album cover
U2's No Line On The Horizon and Taylor Dupree's Specification Fifteen
The Irish rock band have chosen a design by acclaimed Japanese photographer Hiroshi Sugimoto for the sleeve of their fortcoming album No Line On The Horizon.
But Taylor Deupree, a musician from New York, used the same image for his 2006 CD Specification Fifteen, a collaboration with fellow electronic artist Richard Chartier.
Mr Deupree said: "OK, come on people, do some research before you release an album cover. U2's forthcoming album, No Line On The Horizon, is nearly an exact rip-off of mine and Richard Chartier's Specification Fifteen, which came out a couple of years ago.
"Both covers feature a photograph by Hiroshi Sugimoto. Specification Fifteen was created directly in conjunction with Sugimoto and his retrospective at the Hirshhorn Museum in Washington, so before people run off about how cool the new U2 cover is, show them ours first.
"Naturally, when something we have slaved over, fought for recognition over, is so easily undone by pop culture, it feels a bit cheap. What for us is one of the greatest achievements in a career thus far is simply a phonecall for U2."
His claim comes just months after Coldplay were accused of plagiarising the music of guitar legend Joe Satriani for their hit Viva La Vida.
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The Decemberists Release Cover Art For New Album
This is the new cover art for the new Decemberists record Hazards of Love, due on March 24th.
ISIS, the innovative Los Angeles-by-way-of-Boston-based band, has set a May 5 release date for its much-anticipated new album, "Wavering Radiant" (Ipecac Recordings). The CD, produced by Joe Baressi (TOOL, QUEENS OF THE STONE AGE), will receive a limited-edition vinyl release on April 21. TOOL's Adam Jones contributed guitar to two songs from the LP.
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Amoeba-Hosted McCartney Performances Earn Grammy Nods - CD To Be Released On January 27, 2009
On June 27, 2007 Amoeba Music - the legendary Los Angeles music store - hosted an intimate performance with Sir Paul McCartney which Variety called 'a once-in-a-lifetime performance: a relaxed and gregarious McCartney in a setting intimate enough for him to interact with fans.' Four of the songs from the performance were released on the 12' vinyl 'Amoeba's Secret' (Hear Music/MPL Communications Ltd.) and now two of those tracks have garnered McCartney Grammy nominations.
'That Was Me' is up for Best Male Pop Vocal Performance, while 'I Saw Her Standing There' is nominated for Best Solo Rock Vocal Performance.
What began as an extraordinary night with McCartney has blossomed from a limited run vinyl release to Grammy nominations and a January 27th CD release of the 4-song 'Amoeba's Secret' album on Universal.
The LA Times said of Amoeba hosting the event '[McCartney's] delight proved that Amoeba was the right spot for this event. A club or theater might have made for better sightlines and more predictable sound (actually, the sound was fine), but it wouldn't have had the communal aura of this fan fair.
Here, the 800 or so folks in their Wings T-shirts and Sgt. Pepper jackets - plus a few hard-to-spot celebs, most notably Ringo Starr, who got a shout-out from his old pal at show's end - could bask directly in each other's joy. And with no fourth wall to protect him, McCartney could let that mood get under his skin.'
'Watchmen' Original Score and Soundtrack Details Released
By Michael Doran
March 3rd is the street date set for the release of the both the Original Score and Soundtrack for Warner Bros. highly-anticipated big-screen adaptation of Watchmen, Warner Sunset/Reprise Records announced Thursday. The film is due to open nationwide March 6th.
Music From The Motion Picture Watchmen, the film's official soundtrack, includes My Chemical Romance's reinterpretation of Bob Dylan's "Desolation Row," recorded exclusively for the film. The band's frontman Gerard Way is well-known to comic book readers as the creator of the popular Dark Horse Comics title Umbrella Academy. The soundtrack also features a collection of classic songs by such artists as Nat King Cole, Simon & Garfunkel, and Janis Joplin, which according to the announcement, "once heard in the context of the film, will never be thought of the same way again."
Watchmen Original Motion Picture Score features music by recording artist, composer, and music producer Tyler Bates, who was asked to score the film by Watchmen director Zack Snyder. Tyler, who also scored the Snyder-directed films 300 and Dawn of the Dead, has also scored the soundtracks to The Day the Earth Stood Still, Showtime's Californication, Slither, Rob Zombie's Halloween, and The Devil's Rejects. According to the announcement, he is known for his "surprising juxtapositions of music styles and flair for delicate, atmospheric touches, as well as stressing emotional vibrancy over traditional formulas of music compositions."
Bates has also been chosen to score the Watchmen's DVD added story, "Tales From The Black Freighter."
Both collections will be released in multiple formats – the physical CD and a digital album will be available on March 3rd, and a vinyl edition of the soundtrack will be released on March 17th.
Mick Harvey is leaving Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds after playing with the group for the last 25 years. The pair formed the band in 1983 after collaborating on the post-punk group the Birthday Party.
In a statement, Harvey said "After 25 years I feel I am leaving the band as it experiences one of its many peaks; in very healthy condition, and with fantastic prospects for the future. I'm confident Nick will continue to be a creative force and that this is the right time to pass on my artistic and managerial role to what has become a tremendous group of people who can support him in his endeavors both musically and organizationally."
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Springsteen Snubbed
In a big surprise, Bruce Springsteen's theme from The Wrestler was not nominated for an Academy Award today. The song had already won a Golden Globe and a Critic's Choice Award for best song from a motion picture.
Peter Gabriel did receive a nomination for Down to Earth from the movie Wall-E.
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Faithfull Surrounded By Stars On New Album
Veteran 60's singer Marianne Faithfull will be surrounded by top-shelf collaborators on her new album "Easy Come, Easy Go," which is due March 17 from Decca Records.
The Hal Willner-produced project, his first full album with Faithfull since 1987, features covers of Morrissey's "Dear God Please Help Me," Neko Case's "Hold On, Hold On" and the Decemberists' "The Crane Wife 3."
Cat Power and Sean Lennon will guest on the Case cover, while Nick Cave joins in on the Decemberists song. "Easy Come, Easy Go" also includes takes on Merle Haggard's "Sing Me Back Home" featuring Keith Richards, Espers' "Children of Stone" featuring Rufus Wainwright and Briano Eno's "How Many Worlds" featuring Teddy Thompson.
"The fact we were all in the room together, the musicians and myself," says Faithfull. "That's what gives this recording its urgency,"
Here is the track list for "Easy Come, Easy Go":
"Down From Dover" (written by Dolly Parton) "Hold On, Hold On" (written by Neko Case, ft. Chan Marshall and Sean Lennon) "Solitude" (written by Billie Holiday) "The Crane Wife 3" (written by The Decemberists, ft. Nick Cave) "Easy Come, Easy Go" (written by Bessie Smith) "Children of Stone" (written by Espers, ft. Rufus Wainwright) "How Many Worlds" (written by Brian Eno, ft. Teddy Thompson) "In Germany Before the War" (written by Randy Newman) "Ooh Baby Baby" (written by Smokey Robinson and the Miracles, ft. Antony Hegarty) "The Phoenix" (written by Judee Sill, ft. Sean Lennon) "Dear God Please Help Me" (written by Morrissey) "Sing Me Back Home" (written by Merle Haggard, ft. Keith Richards)
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No Stewart, Faces Reunion
Despite reports that the Faces are reuniting for an album as well as a tour with Flea on bass, Rod Stewart's spokesperson told Billboard "there are no plans for a Faces reunion tour this year." Additionally, a spokesperson for Flea tells Billboard the artist "knows nothing" of a Faces tour.
Guitarist Ron Wood reportedly told the U.K.'s Daily Mirror that he and Rod Stewart wrote an album's worth of new material during a Christmas vacation, and that Flea would be participating in an upcoming tour. However, the online version of the piece has since disappeared from the Daily Mirror Web site.
Rumors have swirled since last fall that Stewart, Wood, Ian McLagan and Kenney Jones were planning to tour for the first time since splitting in 1975. The musicians reportedly rehearsed last year with Stewart touring bassist Conrad Korsch filling the role of the late Ronnie Laine. But a recent report in the New York Post suggested the members didn't get along during the process and that a tour seemed unlikely.
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Keith Urban Names New Album
Keith Urban has christened his new album "Defying Gravity" and, as previously reported, will release it March 31 on Capitol Nashville.
First single "Sweet Thing" rises 12-8 this week on Billboard's Hot Country Songs chart, Urban's 18th top 10 hit there.
Urban says the title phrase "comes from the lyrics of a song on the album and it just struck me at the time as a phrase that really defined the joyous, optimistic and uplifting spirit that seemed to show itself while making the album."
The artist will begin an extensive North American tour in May, with a rotating crew of support acts that will include Sugarland, Taylor Swift, Jason Aldean, Lady Antebellum, the Zac Brown Band and Dierks Bentley.
Long time readers of the blog know how much I love the independent record store. That said, I try to feature as many stories as I can about these wonderful retail outlets, it is the home of vinyl and where memories and friendship merge. This story is about a record store in the Baltimore, Maryland area and the other about a record store in Florida. If you are in the area, please purchase your vinyl records at these outlets.
Never-ending summer
Back-room record store proves vinyl is alive and well
Written by Carrie Wood
If anyone ever wants proof that vinyl isn't dead, they need not look any further than Celebrated Summer Records.
Located inside of Legends Comics on York Road near the traffic circle, Celebrated Summer is a back-room record store that doesn't try to be "everything for everybody," according to owner Tony Pence.
While other, larger record stores have felt the crippling effects of the economic recession and the transition to digital music, Celebrated Summer has survived because of its niche market.
"It seems that those are the types of stores that are hit hardest by downloading and things like that, whereas a store like mine which is much smaller and specific… I can keep going like this," Pence said.
Pence opened his store in August 2006 after splitting off from his original employment at Baltimore-based Reptilian Records. He was also inspired after visiting Japan and seeing how similar stores are laid out there - in the back of other stores.
"Those things kind of coalesced and I just decided I would do my own thing in the county and I would base it off of smaller Japanese stores," he said.
After spending about six months looking for a place to establish his business, Pence presented the owner of Legends Comics with an offer.
"He had a back room that was basically filled with trash. I told him that I would rent that room from him, clean it and paint it, and turn it into a record store," Pence said. "He agreed, and that's really how it all started."
But after starting Celebrated Summer, it took Pence another several weeks to actually establish it.
"It probably took me a good two and a half months to make that room even look like the beginnings of a store, considering how it looked before," he said.
After opening, Celebrated Summer has had a steady flow of business and has remained relatively unaffected by the waning popularity of vinyl records. Pence said that the recent boom in vinyl sales, with stores such as Barnes & Noble carrying records and major labels reprinting albums in vinyl, hasn't had much of an impact on his business.
"There's always people there to support it, whether it's an artificial boom [or not]. There's always a solid base of people that seem to be collecting vinyl," he said.
Pence said he acquires what he sells both by ordering new material and buying other people's collections.
He said he sorts through the used records so that his customers don't have to sort through "crates of scratched-up garbage."
"I don't have room to have crates of flea market, crappy records," Pence said. "My soul section is the best of 60s and 70s soul. The rock section is the records you would want to have - The Who, Led Zeppelin, The Rolling Stones, et cetera. I prefer to have small, concise sections."
The store carries mainly punk rock, hardcore and indie rock records and CD's - Pence said the store is "about 60 percent vinyl, 40 percent everything else." Although those genres may sound narrow to some, Pence said that there's more of a variety than a lot of people think.
"Because I'm the only employee, the store kind of directly reflects my tastes as well. I like Belle & Sebastian and I like black metal as well as a lot of stuff in between. I'll always order things for people, too," he said.
Celebrated Summer also carries international punk rock and has had several in-store shows with more to come.
Two of the bands that have played there have been from Japan and one of the upcoming bands is from Sweden.
"There's so much there, even though the store is so small," Pence said. "I try to have a good variety of forgotten and ignored music in one place."
Rock 'n' Roll Heaven music store (a retail outlet in central Florida) is a monument to some of the greatest music ever recorded over the last century.
With vinyl records from artists such as Led Zeppelin, Jimi Hendrix and the Beatles, the store is heaven for music lovers young and old.
"People are attracted to this store because of the nostalgia it brings," said Jeff Nowlin, an employee at Rock 'n' Roll Heaven.
Rock 'n' Roll Heaven is home to many different genres of music, from a rap section with vinyls from Jay-Z to Tupac to a disco and soul section to a Top 40 section with names such as Pink and Madonna.
"Mom and dad's record collection and more," Nowlin said about the collection of music. "We offer something for everyone."
Rock 'n' Roll Heaven sells vinyls anywhere from $4 to $100. Jimi Hendrix vinyls go from $20 to $40, and Elton John vinyls sell anywhere from $4 to $40.
The store is also home to CDs, VCR tapes and cassette tapes.
"Things on vinyl sound a lot better," customer Ron Smith said. "Even with the advancement of technology and CDs, the sound is unbeatable."
The store has been around almost as long as the music it sells.
Operating since 1975, Rock 'n' Roll Heaven gets most of the items it sells from trades. The store also gets merchandise from people looking to sell, large auctions and state sales.
"The coolest thing I have seen in the store was a Velvet Underground vinyl with a cover done by Andy Warhol," Nowlin said.
Nowlin finds that a lot of young people frequent the store despite the age of technology.
"I think the younger crowd is burned out on the new stuff," he said. "In the '80s, it was quite an investment and time-consuming to get a variety of music. Now with technology, people can research all different types of music and find sounds and bands that interest them."
Nowlin also thinks that the younger generation is attracted to things that are blatant, which is why he thinks music is no different.
"There is nothing like holding a 12-inch record; nothing is comparable to that," Nowlin said. "The sound is clearer, and you can connect with the music a whole lot better."
The Barry Manilow hit "I Write The Songs", written by The Beach Boys' Bruce Johnson, has been recorded by over two hundred artists and has a cumulative, worldwide sales figure of twenty-five million copies.
Seven-foot drag queen RuPaul appeared with comedy legend Milton Berle at the MTV awards. Uncle Milte said, “You know RuPaul, thirty years ago when I was on television, I used to wear dresses too.” “That’s interesting,” the giant cross-dresser snapped. “You used to wear dresses, now you wear diapers.”
During the last years that Elvis Presley performed live, he opened his shows with "The Theme From 2001". When asked about it, Presley said that he felt the number 2001 had a special significance in his life that he couldn't explain. Elvis died August, 16, 1977, which numerically is 8-16-1977. When these numbers are added up, they equal 2001.
The day after Elvis died, Florists Transworld Delivery (FTD) reported that in one day, the number of orders for flowers to be delivered to Graceland had surpassed the number for any other event in the company's history.
Paul McCartney wrote "Hey Jude" for Julian Lennon after John's divorce from his first wife, Cynthia. The song's original name was "Hey Julian", then changed to "Hey Jules" before settling on the final title.
The members of Exile, who scored a US number one hit in 1978 with "Kiss You All Over", toured with the Dick Clark Caravan of Stars in 1965 as back-up band for artists including Brian Hyland and Tommy Roe.
Billboard Magazine printed the first Hot 100 singles chart in August, 1958. Their first number 1 hit was "Poor Little Fool" by Ricky Nelson.
When he was a boy, David Bowie took art lessons from Peter Frampton's father, Owen.
In 1963, artists managed by Brian Epstein placed 85 songs in the Top Ten of the British record charts.
In 1966, songwriter Tommy Boyce asked Del Shannon to record the theme for Dick Clark's upcoming TV show Where The Action Is. Shannon didn't like the song and turned it down. It was then offered to Freddy Cannon, who had a #3 US hit with it.
Mary McGregor recorded her 1977, number one hit, "Torn Between Two Lovers" while standing in a bathroom, to take advantage of the room's natural echo.
The Notorious B.I.G. married his flame, Faith Evans, only eight days after he met her. Responding to a reporter’s question on how it was working out, Biggie replied, “She ain’t speaking to me right now.”
Marilyn Manson has always denied rumors that he was a child actor who had appeared on the popular television show “Mr. Belvedere.” “I’ve masturbated during the show when it was on TV,” he explained. “But, I have never been on it.”
At the same time as "Love Will Keep Us Together" was starting to fade from the Billboard Hot 100, The Captain and Tennille had a Spanish version of the same song ("Por Amor Viviremos") enter the chart. It was the only time in Rock history that an act had two versions of the same song in different languages and on different singles, appear simultaneously on the Hot 100.
While Ernie K-Doe's hit "Mother-In-Law" was at the top of the US charts in 1961, Dick Clark decided he would not have K-Doe on American Bandstand because he felt the song was disrespectful towards his Mother-in-Law.
The line from Chuck Berry's Johnny B. Goode, "That little country boy could play" was originally written as, "That little colored boy can play." Berry knew that in order to get the song played on the radio, he would have to change that lyric.
The world's most expensive record has an estimated value of $180,000 and is in the possession of Paul McCartney. The disc is the first pressing of "That'll Be The Day", recorded in 1958 by the Quarry Men, made up of Paul McCartney, John Lennon, George Harrison, Colin Hanton and John Duff Lowe.
It was Paul Simon who actually wrote The Cyrkle's 1966 hit "Red Rubber Ball" under the assumed name of Jerry Landis.
The studio group who helped Boz Scaggs record the bulk of his hits in the 1970s, including "Lido Shuffle" and "Lowdown" would go on to form the nucleus of the band Toto. Jeff Porcaro, David Hungate and David Paich scored four Top Ten hits of their own with "I Won't Hold Back" (#10), "Hold The Line" (#5), "Rosanna" (#2) and "Africa" (#1).
In 1984, former Led Zeppelin guitarist Jimmy Page founded a new band called The Firm with ex Bad Company and Free vocalist Paul Rodgers. Page said the group was to be a vehicle to show people that he was not a washed up drug user. In the fall of the same year, he was arrested for possession of cocaine.
Janis Ian got the inspiration for her hit "At Seventeen" while sitting at the kitchen table reading a New York Times article about a debutante. The opening line of the story was "I learned the truth at 18." Janis wrote the lyrics as "at seventeen" because it flowed better.
Last week we looked at Gigwise.com's list of best & worst album covers for 2008. Switching gears a bit, let's look at www.spike.com's look at The Top 20 Most Outrageous Heavy Metal Album Covers. Actually, I think some of these are classic album covers, I love heavy metal covers! We will look at five a day, sometimes that's all a person can handle. Longtime readers of the blog will certainly recognize some of these classic album covers.
Heavy metal bands have always relied on their album covers. Most metal bands wouldn’t have been half as popular if it wasn’t for their ridiculously awesome album art. But how did it go so wrong? When did bands start thinking it was okay to take their shirts off and pose as medieval warriors? Let's explore #5-#1 on the list:
5. Twisted Sister: Stay Hungry
4. Poison: Look What the Cat Dragged In
3. Manowar: Anthology
2. W.A.S.P: Animal (F*ck Like a Beast)
1. Cannibal Corpse: Wretched Spawn
Now, I have a some of my own, these are classic heavy metal covers: Anybody care to add to the list?
Reba McEntire has returned to the studio to record her first solo album in over five years.
McEntire explained, "It’s not like I ever consciously decided to wait so long between studio albums. We just had these great opportunities along the way-to put out another Greatest Hits, plus the TV show was going on and then we did the Duets project. Before I knew it, six years had gone by."
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Saxophonist Newman Dies
Saxophonist David "Fathead" Newman passed away Tuesday from pancreatic cancer at the age of 75.
Newman not only recorded his own albums and played with a number of jazz greats, but also worked with Dr. John, Aretha Franklin, Aaron Neville and the Ray Charles Band among others.
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Neil Young News
Neil Young's The Archives Volume 1, 1963-1972 has been postponed once again until later in the year. He will be releasing the album Fork in the Road on March 31, but early reactions to the new songs have not been positive.
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Haggard Feeling Better
Merle Haggard has told People magazine that he's feeling better everyday and wants to get back to the studio and on the road. "I'm doing real well, a little better every day.....I'm going into the studio to see how my voice sounds.
"Most of the reports were like, 'He's got six months to live!' There was never any indication of that. I lost the upper lobe of my right lung where there was a tumor suspended like a fruit on a tree. But there was no chemo. I feel like I've extended my life. I'm in better shape than when I went in."
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Faces Reunion News
The U.K. paper The Sun reports that the reformed Faces have already recorded their first album in over thirty years. Rod Stewart, Ronnie Wood, Kenney Jones, Ian McLagan and an unnamed bass player supposedly were inspired after a trip together to Costa Rica, Bermuda and Miami.
Meanwhile, the Daily Mirror tempers that a bit by saying that Stewart and Wood are done writing the songs for the album, which they completed in three days on that vacation. The Mirror also "confirms" that Flea of the Red Hot Chili Peppers will be the bass player.
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Falling For Obama
It's been reported that James Taylor was taken to the hospital and received fifty stitches after falling at a rehearsal for the Barack Obama concert last Sunday. A spokesperson for the singer said that he fell, cutting his forehead on a guitar, which would explain why he wore the hat and sunglasses when he performed.
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New Bowie Music
David Bowie announced that he was working on new music via a Twitter message. "Cheers from a snowy Berlin! Working on some new material!" Bowie has made three other albums in the German city (Low, Heroes, Lodger).
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Springsteen says music can influence society
Bruce Springsteen would like to think that music played a small part in helping Barack Obama become president.
Springsteen performed during the weekend inaugural festivities, and was a big Obama booster during the campaign.
He tells Rolling Stone magazine he doesn't think rockers have a whole lot of influence, but can create a vision of the world as it should be.
Bob Dylan's classic album "Highway 61 Revisited" did it for him, and Springsteen says he hopes that in some way, his music may have had the same effect.
Springsteen says the world he envisioned for years in his songs was realized when Obama was elected. Says the 59-year-old singer: "It's not just something I dreamed up. It can exist."
Before Glen Campbell had a successful solo career, he was a studio musician who played lead guitar on The Beach Boys' "Dance, Dance, Dance" and Frank Sinatra's "Strangers In The Night".
David Rose, who led his orchestra to Billboard's number one position with "The Stripper" in July, 1962, was a prolific composer of television theme songs in the 1950s. At one point, there were 22 TV shows on the air using his music. He later went on to win Emmy Awards for the theme for "Bonanza", and "An Evening With Fred Astaire", as well as writing music for "Little House On The Prarie" and "Highway To Heaven".
Mr. Aker Bilk, who took "Stranger On The Shore" to Billboard's number one spot in May, 1962, learned to play the clarinet while he was in prison. He had been sentenced to three months in jail after falling asleep while on guard duty for the British Army in Egypt.
Elvis Presley was number 1 in record sales in the US in the 1950s. In the 1960s he was number 2 and in the 70s he was number 13.
John Lennon and Paul McCartney were always on the look-out for interesting titles to write a song around. They did just that when a tired Ringo uttered "God, it's been a hard days night" and again when a chauffer told Paul, "I'm very busy at the moment. I've been working eight days a week."
Ellas Bates was still in grammar school when classmates started calling him "Bo Diddley". He says he doesn't know why. A bo diddley is actually a one-string, African guitar.
Songwriters Felice and Boudleaux Bryant wrote "All I Have To Do Is Dream" in 15 minutes, but the tune would reach the US charts in four straight decades. The Everly Brothers took it to number one in 1958, Richard Chamberlain's version went to number 14 in 1963, Glen Campbell and Bobby Gentry reached number 27 with it in 1970, and Andy Gibb and Victoria Principal peaked at number 51 in 1981.
Dan Whitney, the comedian known as "Larry The Cable Guy" has been influenced by show business all his life. His father used to played guitar with the Everly Brothers.
Herman's Hermits recorded "Mrs. Brown, You've Got A Lovely Daughter" as an album filler, never intending it for release as a single. After an American DJ started giving it airplay, MGM issued it as a 45 and it became the group's third Billboard number one hit in a row.
The first time that Del Shannon and his keyboard player, Max Crook, ever played "Runaway" on stage, Crook improvised the organ solo as he went along. When it came time to record the song and in all future performances, he never changed a single note.
John Fred and his Playboy Band hit the top of the Billboard Hot 100 in January, 1968 with "Judy In Disguise". At one time, John's father, Fred Gourrier was a professional baseball player.
Before Pete Townshend of the Who began working on the rock opera “Tommy,” he had planned to write an opera about a big white rabbit that ruled the world.
After The Tokens achieved a number one record with "The Lion Sleeps Tonight" in 1961, follow up recordings failed to sell. The group however continued to perform and sang back up vocals for Connie Francis, Del Shannon and Bob Dylan, as well as recording commercials for Pan Am, Ban Deodorant, Wendys and Sunkist.
In the 1960s, during the height of Beatlemania, there were about 90 records released every week in the UK. Only 2 or 3 ever made the charts.
The Shirelles 1962, US Top 10 hit, "Baby, It's You" was actually recorded with only Shirley Alston Reeves' voice over the instrumental demo. The other members of the group don't appear on the record at all, as the original backup vocals, provided by male singers, were left in place.
It took Elvis Presley 31 takes of "Hound Dog" to get the final version that we hear today. In 1988, the song was named the most played record of all time on American juke boxes.
'Wake Me Up Before You Go Go' by Wham! was inspired by a note that group member Andrew Ridgeley left lying in his bedroom.
Paul Evans, who sang the US Top Ten hits "Seven Little Girls" and "Happy-Go-Lucky Me", wrote the music for Bobby Vinton's hit, "Roses Are Red" in 3 minutes, just after seeing Al Byron's lyrics for the first time. After Vinton recorded it, the song went to #1 in the US and sold over 4 million copies.
Poor Ringo. In 1989, after becoming clean and sober, Starr sued to stop the release of an album that he had recorded during his drinking days, claiming he sounded too drunk. The court agreed and the album was never released.
Tommy James and the Shondells' "It's Only Love" album cover was the first professional photo shoot by Paul McCartney's wife, Linda Eastman.
Robert Todd Storz is credited with being the father of the Top 40 radio format. In the early 1950s, he noticed that people would play the same juke box selections over and over, and gradually converted his stable of radio stations from playing dramas and variety shows to an all-hits format. He dubbed the result "Top 40". Storz also pioneered the practice of surveying record stores to determine which singles were the most popular each week. Ironically, he died of a stroke in 1964, in his 40th year.
John Hall, co-founder of the Rock band Orleans, was elected to US Congress in November, 2006, representing New York's 19th congressional district. That's him you hear doing the slick guitar work on "Still The One" and "Dance With Me".
Before they formed The Lovin' Spoonful, John Sebastian and Zal Yanovsky were in a group called The Mugwumps, whose other members included Cass Elliot and Denny Doherty, who would rise to fame in The Mamas and The Papas.
Got in some great records including one that most of you should pick up, the Frank Turner/Jonah Matranga split 12?. We had a bunch of these ages ago and lost touch with the label that put it out. The 2 songs from Frank are great (1 is a cover) and I know some of you are into collecting his records. We got in 30, but those should move fast. We also got in some Loved Ones, Common Rider, Bouncing Souls, Dwarves, Mr T Experience, and more.
A WILHELM SCREAM “Career Suicide” LP blue vinyl AS FRIENDS RUST “S/T” 8? AUGUST BURNS RED “Messengers” LP white vinyl BIG D AND THE KIDS TABLE “Strictly Mixed And Mashed” dbl LP orange/yellow vinyl BOUNCING SOULS “Maniacal Laughter” LP BOUNCING SOULS/ ZERO ZERO “Tales of Doomed Romance” 7? BRAID “Lucky To Be Alive” dbl LP grey vinyl CHAMBERLAIN/ OLD PIKE split dbl 7? COMMON RIDER “Last Wave Rocker” LP DWARVES “Salt Lake City Go! /Kaotica 7? DWARVES “That’s Rock n Roll” 7? HEWHOCORRUPTS “Microeconomics” 7? yellow vinyl w/ pie chart IN PIECES “Learning To Accept Silence” LP picture disc J CHURCH/ THE PLUNGERS split 7? JENA BERLIN “This Is Yours as Much as It Is Mine” 7? red vinyl JONAH MATRANGA/ FRANK TURNER split LP gold vinyl KEELHAUL “Subject To Change” LP yellow marble vinyl LIMBECK “Hi, Everything’s Great” LP white vinyl LOVED ONES “S/T” 10? clear w/ black and red splatter vinyl MR. T EXPERIENCE “Love Is Dead” LP blue marble vinyl MR. T EXPERIENCE “Making Things with Light” LP SAMIAM “Don’t Break Me” LP 10? white vinyl THE BRONX “Bats” LP THE MIDDLE CLASS “Out of Vogue” 7? THIS WILL DESTROY YOU “S/T” dbl LP 1 green 1 black vinyl VIOLATION “Devoured” LP white vinyl ANTI FLAG “A New Kind of Army” LP ANTI FLAG “For Blood and Empire” picture disc LP ANTI FLAG “Mobilize” LP DEATH CAB FOR CUTIE “Narrow Stairs” 180 gram LP MAE SHI “Terrorbird” LP MATES OF STATE “Re-arrange Us” LP MEWITHOUTYOU “Brother, Sister” LP white vinyl PINBACK “Blue Screen Life” dbl LP black vinyl RA RA RIOT “The Rhumb Line” LP orange vinyl
Malcolm Mclaren, manager of the Sex Pistols and solo artist (1947)
Steve Perry- Journey (1953)
DJ Jazzy Jeff (1965)
Steven Adler- Guns N' Roses (1965)
Teddy Gentry- Alabama (1952)
Meat Loaf (1946)
They Are Missed:
Born in 1931, Sam Cooke, US soul singer (died December 11, 1964).
Addie Harris, vocals, The Shirelles was born in 1940 (died June 10, 1982).
Steel guitarist Jimmy Day, who was in such demand in Nashville that he became known as "Mr. Country Soul," died in 1999 (age 65).
Born on this day in 1962 the late, Michael Hutchence of INXS.
History:
In 1968, the Beatles' business venture Apple Corps. opened its first London headquarters.
In 1991, twenty-three years after it was released in America, the LP "Elvis' Gold Records" was made available in China on cassette only.
In 1966, the Beach Boys went into the studio to record 'Wouldn't It Be Nice', which would be the opening track on their forthcoming album 'Pet Sounds.'
In 1967, the Monkees performed live for the very first time at The Cow Palace, San Francisco to a sell-out crowd.
In 2001, Santana started a three-week run at #1 on the Billboard Hot 200 chart with "Supernatural.” The album spent a total of nine weeks at the top during this year.
Don McLean's album 'American Pie' started a seven-week run at #1 in the US album chart in 1972.
Wings went to #1 on the US album chart in 1977 with 'Wings Over America', Paul McCartney's sixth US #1 after The Beatles.
Frank Sinatra's daughter Nancy entered the Hot 100 in 1966 for the second time with what will be her biggest hit, "These Boots Are Made for Walkin'". The song would later go to #1 for one week and spend three and a half months on the chart.
In 1973, a band called Climax had the #3 song in the US with "Precious And Few.” The group's lead singer, Sonny Geraci, was the former vocalist of The Outsiders, who scored a US chart topper in January, 1966 with "Time Won't Let Me".
Peter Green, who had earlier left Fleetwood Mac, was institutionalized in 1977 after firing a pistol in the general direction of a delivery boy who was attempting to deliver a $30,000 royalty check. Green had renounced Rock and Roll in 1970 and didn't want the money. He later worked as a hospital porter and a gravedigger, but came back in 1979 to record "In the Skies,” which did manage some moderate success.
Gene Chandler made his TV debut on "American Bandstand" in 1962.
The Drifters recorded "On Broadway" in 1963.
Elvis Presley recorded "Bossa Nova Baby" in 1963.
L.L. Cool J's album "Mama Said Knock You Out" was certified platinum by the RIAA in 1991.
In 1980, this week's US Top 5 singles: #5, Rupert Holmes, 'Escape, (The Pina Colada Song)', #4, Smokey Robinson, 'Crusin', #3, Kenny Rogers, 'Coward Of The County', #2, Captain and Tennille, 'Do That To Me One More Time', and #1, Michael Jackson, 'Rock With You.'
The Beatles appeared on three UK radio programs in 1963. First The Beatles recorded a session for the show Pop Inn at the BBC Paris studio, they then went to the Playhouse Theatre also in London, to tape a radio appearance on Saturday Club, recording five songs. Then the Beatles went back to the BBC Paris studio to record an appearance on The Talent Spot recording ‘Please Please Me’, ‘Ask Me Why’ and ‘Some Other Guy’ before a live audience.
AUDIOPHILE AUDITION focuses on recordings of interest to audiophiles and collectors, with an accent on surround sound for music, and on all hi-res disc formats. Over 100SACD, DVD Video/Audio and standard CD reviews are published during each month, and our archives go back to January 2001.
It’s a Vinyl World, After All (2009)
Any audiophile into vinyl should have this DVD.
Published on January 20, 2009
It’s a Vinyl World, After All (2009) Michael Fremer’s Guide to Record Manufacturing, Cleaning, Storage, Handling, & Collecting in the 21st Century Studio: Music Angle Video: 16:9 color Audio: English DD 2.0 Extras: Interviews with two pressing plant managers - Pallas & RTI, More on two other record cleaning machines, Vintage turntables at a hi-fi show, Stills of Pallas plant tour, pdf information files, 2 AES white papers on analog playback Length: 179:45 incl. extras Rating: ****(*)
Michael Fremer is a contributing editor to Stereophile magazine and editor of his own web magazine, www.musicangle.com, the only publication dedicated solely to the vinyl format. He previously published a DVD which was a guide to the complexities of turntable setup to properly play back vinyl. Fremer’s stimulus for the production of this DVD was the explosion of re-interest in the hoary long-play record, shown by major sales increases as more and more young people come to appreciate the better sound of vinyl vs. both MP3 downloads and standard compact discs. He has been a longtime proponent of the advantages of the vinyl format in spite of the ascendancy of the digital CD, but all the major labels ceased issuing LPs, and it looked for many years like the format was becoming as obsolete as 8-track or cassettes. In the last couple years that has all changed, with major labels returning to LP releases, reissues of some of the best rock, jazz and classical albums, and specialist audiophile reissue labels expanding their catalogs to include premium 180 and 200-gram pressings, 45 rpm pressings, and even pressing on only one side (to avoid problems caused by grooves on the reverse side). The majority of sales are in reissues of classic albums in the rock and blues genres.
Most audiophiles have read about the record pressing procedure or seen still photos of it, but Michael’s visits to the two pressing plants will be a treat since it shows exactly the many detailed steps involved in the process. The vinyl audiophile will be more understanding of the pricing of $30 to $50 for many of these discs when he sees what is involved and how many discs are immediately trashed because they have various flaws. It is of concern to hear that no new pressing equipment for LPs has been made for 20 years! He also looks in on a lacquer mastering session at AcousTech with Steve Hoffman, Joe Harley and others making aural decisions on how best to remaster a classic Van Gelder Blue Note 15 ips master tape for a 45 rpm vinyl reissue.
The demonstration portions of the lengthy DVD have Michael explaining how to properly store, handle and clean your records. He demonstrates the whole cleaning process using the two most popular record cleaning machines, with many different cleaning and preservation fluids and brushes, and stresses that even brand new LPs should be cleaned to remove artifacts from the pressing process. I’ve had just as lengthy an experience with vinyl as Michael, yet I picked up a couple pointers from the DVD - such as the importance of having a clean plastic or paper cover on the record cleaning machine platter so that you are not putting the LP surface you just cleaned down against a dirty platter. And also to frequently vacuum the platter (as well as your turntable platter).
Michael also demonstrates some of his other vinyl gadgets, including a horrendously expensive demagnetizer which works due to the subtle iron content in the lampblack used to color the clear vinyl. However, he doesn’t mention the effort to press premium audiophile LPs out of clear vinyl without the addition of the lampblack, which is said to result in the same enhancement of the sonics. He tends to ad lib his spiels, and I get a kick out of the occasional text corrections with illustrations that are superimposed on the screen to correct errors he made. The sampling of his LP collection and the stories associated with each album were fun viewing. There were also a few navigational errors on this initial DVD pressings - such as the soundtrack being muted for several seconds as each chapter begins - but Michael tells me that will be corrected on the following release. Any audiophile into vinyl should have this DVD.
- John Sunier
On a side note, included in the DVD package is my own ebook PDF file, "The Fascinating Hobby of Vinyl Record Collecting." Michael contacted me and we both agreed it would make a great addition to his already fantastic DVD. I am honored to be part of his project and thank Michael for the inclusion of the my ebook.
Canada's Ian Tyson is working on a new album, his 14th for Stony Plains records, titled "Yellowhead to Yellowstone." The singer/songwriter (Four Strong Winds, Someday Soon) wrote eight of the albums ten cuts, reflecting his life as an Alberta rancher and on growing older (he is now 75). It also shows off a distinct change to his voice.
“A couple of years ago,” says Tyson, “I played a big outdoor show in Ontario. I fought the sound system — and I lost. I knew I’d hurt my voice, and it was recovering slowly when I was hit with a bad virus, which seemed to last forever. My old voice isn’t coming back, the doctors told me, so I’ve had to get used to this new one. Audiences seem to pay more attention, now, to the lyrics and the stories in the songs. And while I’ve lost some of the bottom end of my voice, the top range, oddly enough, is still there.”
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Swinging Hips for Lofgren
Nils Lofgren is celebrating more than a half-time performance with the E-Street Band at the Super Bowl. He's also performing for the first time with his new hips which he received back in October.
"I'm coming along. I've lost the cane. I've lost the limp. I'm doing rehab. I'm just trying to be a good rehab patient. I've never had to be this cautious, 24-7 with my body, so it's a new adventure for me, But I've been assured that if I do the rehab right, in 10 to 12 months my body'll grow in, around and through these (hips) like roots and vines and lock 'em in as good as they're gonna get."
He's also assembling the new album Tough Stuff: The Best of the All-Madden Team Band which will be comprised of music he composed over the last ten years for the All-Madden Team announcement broadcasts.
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Taj Mahal, Healey Win Awards
Taj Mahal was named International Artist of the Year at Canada's Maple Music awards while guitarist Amos Garrett received the lifetime Blues with a Feeling Award. The big winner of the night, though, was the late Jeff Healey who received seven awards.
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Donovan's Dream Come True
Donovan spoke to reporters at the MIDEM International Music Conference in Cannes, France on Monday, telling them that the Internet is what he and his contemporaries dreamed about in the 60's.
"The dream of the '60s, of me and John Lennon and the others, was how do we speak to everybody on the planet at the same time? The first answer was via satellite, but that didn't connect to everyone. Then John would say, 'How about telepathy?'
"Then we forgot about it until now we realize that the Internet fulfills that dream of communicating with everyone. I'm not afraid of the Internet because it's that the dream we had. The Internet is the new '60s as far as I'm concerned."
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Paul McCartney and Dolly Parton Guest On New Yusef LP
Yusuf, formerly known as Cat Stevens, will follow up 2006's "An Other Cup," his first secular album in 28 years, with a set that recalls his straightforward troubadour days.
The as-yet-untitled set is due in late spring from Universal.
"This one was really a result of me writing a lot of songs and being kind of inspired again," Yusuf -- who adopted the Muslim name Yusuf Islam in 1978 and now prefers the shorter version -- told Billboard. "After I recorded ('Cup') people just wanted to hear me do a lot of simple stuff, just with the guitar."
The single "Boots & Sand" features Paul McCartney and Dolly Parton -- with a video shot by Jesse Dylan, son of Bob -- while Michelle Branch and Gunnar Nelson assist on the track "To Be What You Must."
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All Aboard- Flight 666
The first full-length documentary on Iron Maiden will debut in theaters throughout the world on April 21. Iron Maiden: Flight 666 documents the group's Somewhere Back in Time tour through Asia, Australia and the Americas.
The film is being made by the Canadian firm Banger Productions, who also made the film Metal, A Headbangers Journey. The crew was given full access to the band throughout the February and March 2008 leg of the tour which saw Maiden play 23 shows in 45 days. Footage not only includes live performances but also behind the scene stories, including the groups custom Boeing 757 which was piloted by lead singer Bruce Dickinson.
