Happy Birthday and welcome back to an old friend, the 45 rpm record officially turned 60 years old on March 31. British trade journals are reporting that single song 45rpm records are now outselling their CD counterparts and many American bands are now releasing music via this historic audio medium.
The 45rpm record was initially introduced in 1949 by RCA Records as a smaller, more durable replacement for the heavy 78 shellac-based records of the time. The 45 was created by RCA as a competitive move against one their rival record companies, Columbia, which had just introduced the new microgroove 33 1/3 rpm LP. The number 45came from taking 78 and subtracting Columbia's new 33 to equal the 45. Record companies and consumers alike faced an uncertain future as to which format would survive the 78rpm or the 45rpm; in what was known as the “War of the Speeds.” In 1949 Capitol and Decca started issuing the new LP format and RCA relented and issued its first LP in January 1950. But the 45 rpm was gaining in popularity and Columbia issued its first 45s in February 1951. Soon other record companies saw the mass consumer appeal the new format allowed and by 1954 more than 200 million 45s had been sold.
So On March 31, 1949, RCA Victor released "Texarkana Baby" b/w "Bouquet of Roses" by Eddy Arnold. The first 45rpm record to hit the Billboard charts was "A -- You're Adorable" by Perry Como, listed on the charts on May 7, 1949. The next week, the year's biggest hit appeared on the Billboard charts -- "Riders In The Sky (A Cowboy Legend)” by Vaughn Monroe. The first 45rpm records were monaural and as stereo sound became more prevalent and popular in the 1960s, almost all 45rpm records were manufactured in stereo.
The historical and commercial significance of the 45rpm record has varied over time, the technological developments in recorded music and according to the audience of the particular artists and musical genres. In general, 45 records were more important to the music acts who sold music to the younger audiences (mostly teenagers) who tend to have limited financial resources and shorter attention spans. That said, the golden age for the 45rpm record was in the 1950s and 1960s in early development of rock music. They were affordable and allowed artists the freedom of releasing a single song as opposed to a whole LP. Conversely, some singles helped to launch the sales of the albums that the musicians were promoting.
The length of the songs also evolved. In the 1950s, it was common for songs to be anywhere from two to two and a half minutes long and in the 1960s; the three minute single became the norm. This length was very convenient and fit the AM radio format very well. Millions of demo records were sent out to radio stations with specific instructions as to which song was supposed to be the ‘hit single,’ although there were some DJs that played the ‘B’ sides and those songs became hits. Elvis Presley was one of the first artists to release the ‘double-sided single’, meaning that both songs would ultimately end up on the charts. The Beatles followed suit and were also one of the first recording artists to push the envelope, so to speak and commonly had songs over the three-minute norm. In fact, there are some singles that had to be edited by radio stations and shortened to fit their particular formats. Don McLean’s 1972 hit “American Pie” is an example, the single was split up into two parts on the 45. The Beatles broke new ground in 1968 with their over seven minute epic “Hey Jude.”
The sales of the 45s were recorded on the record charts in most countries in a Top 40 format and these charts were often published in magazines (Billboard), television shows (American Bandstand) and radio programs often had the Top 40 countdown shows (Casey Kasem).
Nowadays, they still manufacture 45 rpm records, but on a much smaller scale than decades ago. Indie bands, r&b artists and punk bands love the format; it makes the music affordable for their target audience and, after all these years, are still highly sought after by collectors. Happy Birthday to an old friend, here’s for many more!
Sales of 45rpm Records:
Over 11 million copies
“Candle in the Wind 1997/Something About the Way You Look Tonight” - Elton John
Over 8 million copies
“We Are the World” - USA for Africa
Over 4 million copies
“Hey Jude” - The Beatles
“Hound Dog"/"Don't Be Cruel" - Elvis Presley
"I Will Always Love You" - Whitney Houston
"Low" - Flo Rida featuring T-Pain
"Macarena (Bayside Boys Mix)" - Los Del Rio
"Whoomp! (There It Is)" - Tag Team
Over 3 million copies
"Apologize" - Timbaland presents OneRepublic
"Disturbia" - Rihanna
"(Everything I Do) I Do It for You" - Bryan Adams
"Eye of the Tiger" - Survivor
"Gangsta's Paradise" - Coolio featuring L.V.
"Hot N Cold" - Katy Perry
"How Do I Live" - LeAnn Rimes
"I Kissed a Girl" - Katy Perry
"I'll Be Missing You" - Puff Daddy & Faith Evans featuring 112
"I'm Yours" - Jason Mraz
"Just Dance" - Lady Gaga featuring Colby O'Donis
"Live Your Life" - T.I. featuring Rihanna
"Love Me Tender/Any Way You Want Me" - Elvis Presley
"Stronger" - Kanye West
"Viva la Vida" - Coldplay
Tuesday, March 31, 2009
Bird & Animal Names In Rock & Roll History- part five
As we continue our series of “bird” and “animal” names in rock & roll history, let’s explore some more famous groups and names that contain “birds.”
In the early 1960's, Missouri native Billy Swan wrote a hit single for Clyde McPhatter called “Lover Please” and spent the rest of the decade working as a roadie, engineer’s assistant and songwriter, writing material for Conway Twitty, Waylon Jennings and Mel Tillis.
After moving to Memphis to continue writing songs and later relocating to Nashville, Swan supported himself as a recording assistant, but quit the job during the recording of Bob Dylan’s album “Blonde On Blonde” and gave his job to Kris Kristofferson. Swan went on to produce Tony Joe White’s hit single “Polk Salad Annie.” He also toured and played with Kris Kristofferson.
But Swan’s main claim to fame is his number one hit in 1974 called “I Can Help,” a song he wrote after receiving a little RMI organ as a wedding present from Kristofferson and then wife, Rita Coolidge. It went to number one on both the pop and country charts in 1974, and the accompanying album of the same name also topped the country list. After a few years, Swan returned to Kristofferson’s band and played with them until 1992.
However, taking time out from his still-active career as a session and backup musician, Swan recorded a new album at the original Sun studios, “Like Elvis Used to Do,” in 2000. In 2002, he teamed up with the Eagles’ Randy Meisner and Alan Rich, on a self-titled album from the aptly named Meisner, Swan & Rich.
One of the most successful rock groups of the 70's, the Eagles blended country, folk and rock into a stellar career that produced five number one Billboard hits. The group’s original members, Glenn Frey, Bernie Leadon, Randy Meisner and Don Henley were all session players and group veterans (Leadon had been with the Flying Burrito Brothers and Meisner founded the band Poco) and were assembled as back up musicians for Linda Ronstadt’s album “Silk Purse.”
Signed by Asylum Records, the Eagles released a self-titled album in 1972 which included the hit singles “Take It Easy” (written by Jackson Browne and Glenn Frey), “Witchy Woman” and “Peaceful Easy Feeling” and brought the “California sound” to the world. With their passionate, articulate harmonies, superstardom awaited, as fans clamored for more.
The second Eagles album, “Desperado” (1973) emphasized an “outlaw” image, but was not as successful as the first release. They added guitarist Don Felder on the third album, “On The Border” which went gold in three months and produced the number one Billboard hit “Best Of My Love.”
In 1975, the Eagles released “One Of These Nights,” a breakthrough album that mixed sappy, yet fulfilling ballads with pure rock and pop. The public loved the music, evidenced by the hit singles “Lyin’ Eyes,” “Take It To the Limit” and of course the title track, which peaked at number one on the Billboard charts.
In 1976, the Eagles released a “Greatest Hits” album that has sold well over fifteen million copies, but suffered the loss of guitarist Leadon, who was replaced by former James Gang leader, Joe Walsh. In 1977, the Eagles released the powerful and expressive LP, “Hotel California,” which added the title song as a number one hit to their already impressive resume. In 1977, Meisner left the group and was replaced by Timothy B. Schmit, but it took the group almost two years to complete their next album, “The Long Run.” The wait paid off, as the Eagles scored another number one hit, “Heartache Tonight” and top ten hits, the ballad “I Can’t Tell You Why” as well as the title track. They followed this with a live tour and release, but the group disbanded in 1981 and swore they would get back together “when hell freezes over”.
But that is not the end of the story, because hell must have frozen over and the group reformed and released the aptly named LP “Hell Freezes Over” in 1994. The album rehashed all their earlier hits and also included a new song called “Get Over It,” which reached the Billboard Top 40 and was well received by adoring Eagles fans.
In the next article, we will again explore “bird” names, but this time we will focus on the “Crows” of the rock and roll era.
In the early 1960's, Missouri native Billy Swan wrote a hit single for Clyde McPhatter called “Lover Please” and spent the rest of the decade working as a roadie, engineer’s assistant and songwriter, writing material for Conway Twitty, Waylon Jennings and Mel Tillis.
After moving to Memphis to continue writing songs and later relocating to Nashville, Swan supported himself as a recording assistant, but quit the job during the recording of Bob Dylan’s album “Blonde On Blonde” and gave his job to Kris Kristofferson. Swan went on to produce Tony Joe White’s hit single “Polk Salad Annie.” He also toured and played with Kris Kristofferson.
But Swan’s main claim to fame is his number one hit in 1974 called “I Can Help,” a song he wrote after receiving a little RMI organ as a wedding present from Kristofferson and then wife, Rita Coolidge. It went to number one on both the pop and country charts in 1974, and the accompanying album of the same name also topped the country list. After a few years, Swan returned to Kristofferson’s band and played with them until 1992.
However, taking time out from his still-active career as a session and backup musician, Swan recorded a new album at the original Sun studios, “Like Elvis Used to Do,” in 2000. In 2002, he teamed up with the Eagles’ Randy Meisner and Alan Rich, on a self-titled album from the aptly named Meisner, Swan & Rich.
One of the most successful rock groups of the 70's, the Eagles blended country, folk and rock into a stellar career that produced five number one Billboard hits. The group’s original members, Glenn Frey, Bernie Leadon, Randy Meisner and Don Henley were all session players and group veterans (Leadon had been with the Flying Burrito Brothers and Meisner founded the band Poco) and were assembled as back up musicians for Linda Ronstadt’s album “Silk Purse.”
Signed by Asylum Records, the Eagles released a self-titled album in 1972 which included the hit singles “Take It Easy” (written by Jackson Browne and Glenn Frey), “Witchy Woman” and “Peaceful Easy Feeling” and brought the “California sound” to the world. With their passionate, articulate harmonies, superstardom awaited, as fans clamored for more.
The second Eagles album, “Desperado” (1973) emphasized an “outlaw” image, but was not as successful as the first release. They added guitarist Don Felder on the third album, “On The Border” which went gold in three months and produced the number one Billboard hit “Best Of My Love.”
In 1975, the Eagles released “One Of These Nights,” a breakthrough album that mixed sappy, yet fulfilling ballads with pure rock and pop. The public loved the music, evidenced by the hit singles “Lyin’ Eyes,” “Take It To the Limit” and of course the title track, which peaked at number one on the Billboard charts.
In 1976, the Eagles released a “Greatest Hits” album that has sold well over fifteen million copies, but suffered the loss of guitarist Leadon, who was replaced by former James Gang leader, Joe Walsh. In 1977, the Eagles released the powerful and expressive LP, “Hotel California,” which added the title song as a number one hit to their already impressive resume. In 1977, Meisner left the group and was replaced by Timothy B. Schmit, but it took the group almost two years to complete their next album, “The Long Run.” The wait paid off, as the Eagles scored another number one hit, “Heartache Tonight” and top ten hits, the ballad “I Can’t Tell You Why” as well as the title track. They followed this with a live tour and release, but the group disbanded in 1981 and swore they would get back together “when hell freezes over”.
But that is not the end of the story, because hell must have frozen over and the group reformed and released the aptly named LP “Hell Freezes Over” in 1994. The album rehashed all their earlier hits and also included a new song called “Get Over It,” which reached the Billboard Top 40 and was well received by adoring Eagles fans.
In the next article, we will again explore “bird” names, but this time we will focus on the “Crows” of the rock and roll era.
This Date In Music History- March 31
Birthdays:
Pat McGlynn- Bay City Rollers (1958)
Paul Ferguson- Killing Joke (1958)
Mick Ralphs- Bad Company (1948)
Sean Hooper- Huey Lewis and the News (1953)
Thiis Van Leer- organ, flute- Focus (1948)
Al Goodman- The Moments (1947)
Tony Brock- Tubes (1954)
Al Nichol- Turtles ("Happy Together") (1946)
Partridge Family cast member and stepmother of David Cassidy, Shirley Jones was born in Smithton, Pa in 1934. She's named after Shirley Temple, you know.
John D. Loudermilk ("Tobacco Road)("Indian Reservation") (1934)
Herb Alpert, best known for blowing his trumpet and having a woman dressed only in whipped cream on one of his album covers, was born today in Los Angeles in 1935.
AC/DC's Angus Young was born in 1959.
They Are Missed:
The late Jon Jon Poulos of the Buckinghams ("Don't You Care") was born in 1948.
The late, late, late composer Franz Joseph Haydn was born in 1732. He is known for helping to develop the Classical style.
O'Kelly Isley of The Isley Brothers died of a heart attack in 1986 (age 48).
Mexican American singer Selena was murdered in 1995 (age 23) by the president of her fan club Yolanda SaldÃvar. Warner Brothers made a film based on her life starring Jennifer Lopez in 1997.
Country musician 'Lefty' Frizzell was born in 1928 (died July 19, 1975)
History:
In 2004, Usher's Confessions album went straight into the charts at #1, selling a whopping 1.1 million copies in its first week of release.
Chuck Berry released the seminal single "Johnny B. Goode" in 1958. It became his fifth top 10 single, peaking at #8.
Jimmy Page escaped being knifed when a fan rushed the stage at a Page and Plant gig at Auburn Hills, Michigan in 1995. The fan was stopped by two security guards, who he knifes instead. After his arrest, he told police that he wanted to kill Jimmy Page because of the Satanic music he was playing.
Cher kicked off her Heart of Stone world tour at the Starplex Amphitheater in Dallas, Texas in 1990. The 55-date tour grossed over $70 million.
The Official Beatles Fan Club closed in 1972.
In 1973, Pink Floyd's Dark Side of the Moon entered the Billboard albums chart for the very first time. Has it left yet?
Jimi Hendrix set fire to his guitar live on stage for the first time when he was appearing at The Astoria London in 1967. It was the first night of a 24-date tour with The Walker Brothers, Cat Stevens and Engelbert Humperdink.
Kenny Loggins started a three week run at #1 on the US singles chart with “Footloose,” the theme from the film with the same name.
Prince's "Sign O' The Times" LP was released in the U.S. in 1987.
Guns N' Roses released their single "Patience" in 1989.
“Human Touch” and “Lucky Day,” both by Bruce Springsteen were released in 1992.
In 2001, Whitney Houston and husband Bobby Brown were banned for life from Hollywood's Bel Air hotel after wrecking their room. Hotel workers said a TV was smashed, two doors were ripped of their hinges and the walls and carpets were stained by alcohol. It was reported that Whitney called in her lawyers to plead with the hotel management not to call the police. The suite was so badly damaged it had to be shut for five days for repairs. Remember, just say no to drugs….
Pat McGlynn- Bay City Rollers (1958)
Paul Ferguson- Killing Joke (1958)
Mick Ralphs- Bad Company (1948)
Sean Hooper- Huey Lewis and the News (1953)
Thiis Van Leer- organ, flute- Focus (1948)
Al Goodman- The Moments (1947)
Tony Brock- Tubes (1954)
Al Nichol- Turtles ("Happy Together") (1946)
Partridge Family cast member and stepmother of David Cassidy, Shirley Jones was born in Smithton, Pa in 1934. She's named after Shirley Temple, you know.
John D. Loudermilk ("Tobacco Road)("Indian Reservation") (1934)
Herb Alpert, best known for blowing his trumpet and having a woman dressed only in whipped cream on one of his album covers, was born today in Los Angeles in 1935.
AC/DC's Angus Young was born in 1959.
They Are Missed:
The late Jon Jon Poulos of the Buckinghams ("Don't You Care") was born in 1948.
The late, late, late composer Franz Joseph Haydn was born in 1732. He is known for helping to develop the Classical style.
O'Kelly Isley of The Isley Brothers died of a heart attack in 1986 (age 48).
Mexican American singer Selena was murdered in 1995 (age 23) by the president of her fan club Yolanda SaldÃvar. Warner Brothers made a film based on her life starring Jennifer Lopez in 1997.
Country musician 'Lefty' Frizzell was born in 1928 (died July 19, 1975)
History:
In 2004, Usher's Confessions album went straight into the charts at #1, selling a whopping 1.1 million copies in its first week of release.
Chuck Berry released the seminal single "Johnny B. Goode" in 1958. It became his fifth top 10 single, peaking at #8.
Jimmy Page escaped being knifed when a fan rushed the stage at a Page and Plant gig at Auburn Hills, Michigan in 1995. The fan was stopped by two security guards, who he knifes instead. After his arrest, he told police that he wanted to kill Jimmy Page because of the Satanic music he was playing.
Cher kicked off her Heart of Stone world tour at the Starplex Amphitheater in Dallas, Texas in 1990. The 55-date tour grossed over $70 million.
The Official Beatles Fan Club closed in 1972.
In 1973, Pink Floyd's Dark Side of the Moon entered the Billboard albums chart for the very first time. Has it left yet?
Jimi Hendrix set fire to his guitar live on stage for the first time when he was appearing at The Astoria London in 1967. It was the first night of a 24-date tour with The Walker Brothers, Cat Stevens and Engelbert Humperdink.
Kenny Loggins started a three week run at #1 on the US singles chart with “Footloose,” the theme from the film with the same name.
Prince's "Sign O' The Times" LP was released in the U.S. in 1987.
Guns N' Roses released their single "Patience" in 1989.
“Human Touch” and “Lucky Day,” both by Bruce Springsteen were released in 1992.
In 2001, Whitney Houston and husband Bobby Brown were banned for life from Hollywood's Bel Air hotel after wrecking their room. Hotel workers said a TV was smashed, two doors were ripped of their hinges and the walls and carpets were stained by alcohol. It was reported that Whitney called in her lawyers to plead with the hotel management not to call the police. The suite was so badly damaged it had to be shut for five days for repairs. Remember, just say no to drugs….
Music News & Notes
Join A Rock Band
Want to be in Smashing Pumpkins? The band will be holding an open call for drummers on April 10th in Los Angeles. Interested parties should send background info (presumably a brief bio), photographs (presumably of themselves) and performance links via e-mail to pumpkinsdrummer@gmail.com.
The Pumpkins announced the departure of longtime drummer Jimmy Chamberlin in a late-afternoon press release on Friday, March 20. On the 24th, Chamberlin blogged about the split saying:
“I can no longer commit all of my energy into something that I don’t fully possess. I won’t pretend I’m into something I’m not. I won’t do it to myself, you the fan, or my former partner. I can’t just, ‘Cash the check’ so to speak.’ ”
==================================
Metric Announce US Tour Dates
Metric have announced the first tour dates behind the release of their fourth full-length studio album Fantasies starting with June 4 in Seattle at Showbox. Additionally, the band announces that starting tomorrow, March 31, fans can buy the album via iTunes ahead of the April 14 street date. A full album preview is also available at the band's website.
FantasiesCoverFantasies is already attracting a lot of attention with the first single, "Help I'm Alive," debuting at #1 on the FMQB Top 25 Singles Chart for US Specialty beating out the Yeah Yeah Yeahs and the Decemberists which also impacted the same week. The track, which was a #1 single in Canada, has been receiving accolades from the press world- wide with NME saying it's "A beautifully constructed, shiny, shimmying pop belter - one butterfly that's bound to cause a hurricane", and the Washington Post writing it "is an impossibly infectious exercise in '90's pop nostalgia. Springy, clattery, improbably happy, it's like the best Veruca Salt/Breeders collaboration that never actually happened."
Beyond "Help I'm Alive" Fantasies is loaded with compelling pop songs, with Metric's unique skew and many are finding fans all over a wide array of media. Grey's Anatomy featured the song "Front Row" on an episode earlier this month, and the song "Sick Muse" was heard on KCRW's highly influential "Morning Becomes Eclectic."
==================================
In 2008, Los Angeles based composer and producer Joerg Huettner, who has worked on the soundtracks of such films as "The Ring II" or "Batman Begins" for Hollywood star-composer Hans Zimmer, created exclusive music for the art exhibition “Labyrinth” at Strychnin Gallery Berlin, presenting Canadian artist Richard A. Kirk.
The entrancing ambient-electronica instrumental album that is the soundtrack to the "Labyrinth" exhibition has now been released as a 45 minute-long gapless album that is available as a 6-panel Digipack CD with a 12-page poster-fold booklet through Strychnin Gallery or the usual online download centers (iTunes, Amazon, Magnatune.com).
Besides intruiging down-tempo instrumental music, the digipack is a work of art in and of itself: its cover features Richard A. Kirk's work “The Riddle” and the beautifully designed album also contains additional art work by Kirk, as well as an excerpt from a novel by writer Tim Mizelle, which is based on and inspired by Kirk's art.
==================================
Lucinda's Econ Stimulus Package For Her Fans
Lucinda Williams is giving back to her fans. While she doesn't control the ticket prices for her shows, she is giving everyone who attends a discount at the merchandise table of $7 on clothing and $5 on CDs.
"I understand that this may only be a small gesture and in no way solves the problem long term, but I feel that it is important to try and do something to make it a little easier during this time."
Want to be in Smashing Pumpkins? The band will be holding an open call for drummers on April 10th in Los Angeles. Interested parties should send background info (presumably a brief bio), photographs (presumably of themselves) and performance links via e-mail to pumpkinsdrummer@gmail.com.
The Pumpkins announced the departure of longtime drummer Jimmy Chamberlin in a late-afternoon press release on Friday, March 20. On the 24th, Chamberlin blogged about the split saying:
“I can no longer commit all of my energy into something that I don’t fully possess. I won’t pretend I’m into something I’m not. I won’t do it to myself, you the fan, or my former partner. I can’t just, ‘Cash the check’ so to speak.’ ”
==================================
Metric Announce US Tour Dates
Metric have announced the first tour dates behind the release of their fourth full-length studio album Fantasies starting with June 4 in Seattle at Showbox. Additionally, the band announces that starting tomorrow, March 31, fans can buy the album via iTunes ahead of the April 14 street date. A full album preview is also available at the band's website.
FantasiesCoverFantasies is already attracting a lot of attention with the first single, "Help I'm Alive," debuting at #1 on the FMQB Top 25 Singles Chart for US Specialty beating out the Yeah Yeah Yeahs and the Decemberists which also impacted the same week. The track, which was a #1 single in Canada, has been receiving accolades from the press world- wide with NME saying it's "A beautifully constructed, shiny, shimmying pop belter - one butterfly that's bound to cause a hurricane", and the Washington Post writing it "is an impossibly infectious exercise in '90's pop nostalgia. Springy, clattery, improbably happy, it's like the best Veruca Salt/Breeders collaboration that never actually happened."
Beyond "Help I'm Alive" Fantasies is loaded with compelling pop songs, with Metric's unique skew and many are finding fans all over a wide array of media. Grey's Anatomy featured the song "Front Row" on an episode earlier this month, and the song "Sick Muse" was heard on KCRW's highly influential "Morning Becomes Eclectic."
==================================
In 2008, Los Angeles based composer and producer Joerg Huettner, who has worked on the soundtracks of such films as "The Ring II" or "Batman Begins" for Hollywood star-composer Hans Zimmer, created exclusive music for the art exhibition “Labyrinth” at Strychnin Gallery Berlin, presenting Canadian artist Richard A. Kirk.
The entrancing ambient-electronica instrumental album that is the soundtrack to the "Labyrinth" exhibition has now been released as a 45 minute-long gapless album that is available as a 6-panel Digipack CD with a 12-page poster-fold booklet through Strychnin Gallery or the usual online download centers (iTunes, Amazon, Magnatune.com).
Besides intruiging down-tempo instrumental music, the digipack is a work of art in and of itself: its cover features Richard A. Kirk's work “The Riddle” and the beautifully designed album also contains additional art work by Kirk, as well as an excerpt from a novel by writer Tim Mizelle, which is based on and inspired by Kirk's art.
==================================
Lucinda's Econ Stimulus Package For Her Fans
Lucinda Williams is giving back to her fans. While she doesn't control the ticket prices for her shows, she is giving everyone who attends a discount at the merchandise table of $7 on clothing and $5 on CDs.
"I understand that this may only be a small gesture and in no way solves the problem long term, but I feel that it is important to try and do something to make it a little easier during this time."
Monday, March 30, 2009
Top 5 eBay Vinyl Record Sales
Week Ending 03/28/2009
1. 45 - The Beatles "Love Me Do" / "P.S. I Love You" Parlophone UK Demonstration w/ Top Pop! sleeve - $6,667.59 - Start: $7.00 - Bids: 39
2. 45 - The Mark IV "Take This Love / "If You Can't Tell Me Something Good" Brite Lite - $4,150.00 - Start: $6.00 - Bids: 18
3. LP - Beatles "Yesterday And Today" 1st State Butcher Cover - $4,100.00 - Start: $4,100.00 - Bids: BIN
4. 45 - Sandi & Matues "The World, Part 1" / "The World, Part 2" Matues - $3,383.00 - Start: $19.99 - Bids: 30
5. LP - The Beatles "Abbey Road" Parlophone UK Export Press - $2,506.61 - Start: $7.00 - Bids: 44
The Beatles make the list three times this week, including getting the #1 spot with the radio station promo of "Love Me Do" breaking the $5k mark at over $6.6k. Next, a Northern Soul 45 from The Mark IV sells for halfway over $4.1k.
In the #3 spot, the last Butcher cover from a collector who has been unloading several of them the past couple weeks sells on a Buy-It-Now for exactly $4.1k.
The #4 spot goes to a rare Funk 45 from Sandi & Matues. This records bids well over $3.3k. And the Beatles also get the #5 spot, with a Parlophone export copy of "Abbey Road" selling for a little over $2.5k.
I want to thank Norm at http://ccdiscoveries.blogspot.com for this great data!
1. 45 - The Beatles "Love Me Do" / "P.S. I Love You" Parlophone UK Demonstration w/ Top Pop! sleeve - $6,667.59 - Start: $7.00 - Bids: 39
2. 45 - The Mark IV "Take This Love / "If You Can't Tell Me Something Good" Brite Lite - $4,150.00 - Start: $6.00 - Bids: 18
3. LP - Beatles "Yesterday And Today" 1st State Butcher Cover - $4,100.00 - Start: $4,100.00 - Bids: BIN
4. 45 - Sandi & Matues "The World, Part 1" / "The World, Part 2" Matues - $3,383.00 - Start: $19.99 - Bids: 30
5. LP - The Beatles "Abbey Road" Parlophone UK Export Press - $2,506.61 - Start: $7.00 - Bids: 44
The Beatles make the list three times this week, including getting the #1 spot with the radio station promo of "Love Me Do" breaking the $5k mark at over $6.6k. Next, a Northern Soul 45 from The Mark IV sells for halfway over $4.1k.
In the #3 spot, the last Butcher cover from a collector who has been unloading several of them the past couple weeks sells on a Buy-It-Now for exactly $4.1k.
The #4 spot goes to a rare Funk 45 from Sandi & Matues. This records bids well over $3.3k. And the Beatles also get the #5 spot, with a Parlophone export copy of "Abbey Road" selling for a little over $2.5k.
I want to thank Norm at http://ccdiscoveries.blogspot.com for this great data!
Music News & Notes
Nickelback were the big winners at Canada’s Juno Awards, taking home three trophies including "Group of the Year" and "Album of the Year" for Dark Horse. Toronto’s Kardinal Offishall won the ceremony’s two rap awards and the Stills — who already have three albums under their belt — won the confusing New Group of the Year award. Coldplay’s Viva La Vida was awarded International Album of the Year.
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The Arctic Monkeys have been recruited to headline the U.K.’s Reading and Leeds Festival, the NME reports. The fest will take place August 28th-30th. The remainder of the lineup will be announced tonight.
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Rock and Roll Hall of Fame week kicked off Saturday night in Cleveland with the Moondog Coronation Ball. The name refers back to the March 21, 1952 show put on by Allen Freed that ended up in a riot.
Appearing were Jerry Butler, Little Richard, Three Dog Night, Herman's Hermits Featuring Peter Noone and Tommy James and the Shondells. Reports say that Little Richard was brought on stage in a wheelchair but that his playing and singing were still spot on.
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For the next 24 hours, you can get the track Beyond Here Lies Nothin' from Bob Dylan's new album at www.bobdylan.com.
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Green Day's "American Idiot" is headed from disc to stage.
Michael Mayer, the Tony Award-winning director of "Spring Awakening," is adapting the trio's 2004 concept album -- which sold 12 million copies worldwide and won Grammy Awards for Best Rock Album and Record of the Year -- for the Berkeley Repertory Theatre on Green Day's home turf in California. The production will run Sept. 4-Oct. 11 to open the company's 2009-10 season, with tickets now on sale for early performances at www.berkeleyrep.org.
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Sony Legacy is predicting solid first-week numbers for its reissue of Pearl Jam's 1992 album "Ten"—55,000 total copies sold and, remarkably, 10,000 copies of the collector's edition, which is selling for $140 on the band's Web site and for $124.99at Best Buy.
The sales of the collector's edition comes thanks to worldwide fan club pre-orders; Legacy Recordings/Sony Music VP of sales Scott Van Horn says the label predicts that during the first week of release it will sell 55,000 copies overall of the four versions of the reissue.
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The Arctic Monkeys have been recruited to headline the U.K.’s Reading and Leeds Festival, the NME reports. The fest will take place August 28th-30th. The remainder of the lineup will be announced tonight.
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Rock and Roll Hall of Fame week kicked off Saturday night in Cleveland with the Moondog Coronation Ball. The name refers back to the March 21, 1952 show put on by Allen Freed that ended up in a riot.
Appearing were Jerry Butler, Little Richard, Three Dog Night, Herman's Hermits Featuring Peter Noone and Tommy James and the Shondells. Reports say that Little Richard was brought on stage in a wheelchair but that his playing and singing were still spot on.
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For the next 24 hours, you can get the track Beyond Here Lies Nothin' from Bob Dylan's new album at www.bobdylan.com.
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Green Day's "American Idiot" is headed from disc to stage.
Michael Mayer, the Tony Award-winning director of "Spring Awakening," is adapting the trio's 2004 concept album -- which sold 12 million copies worldwide and won Grammy Awards for Best Rock Album and Record of the Year -- for the Berkeley Repertory Theatre on Green Day's home turf in California. The production will run Sept. 4-Oct. 11 to open the company's 2009-10 season, with tickets now on sale for early performances at www.berkeleyrep.org.
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Sony Legacy is predicting solid first-week numbers for its reissue of Pearl Jam's 1992 album "Ten"—55,000 total copies sold and, remarkably, 10,000 copies of the collector's edition, which is selling for $140 on the band's Web site and for $124.99at Best Buy.
The sales of the collector's edition comes thanks to worldwide fan club pre-orders; Legacy Recordings/Sony Music VP of sales Scott Van Horn says the label predicts that during the first week of release it will sell 55,000 copies overall of the four versions of the reissue.
Sunday, March 29, 2009
Wow! The Record Store Day Releases keep coming...
This is from the official Record Store Day site (http://www.recordstoreday.com) Everyone help support the artists who release their music via this historical music medium!
Here is a complete list of all of the amazing music that some of your favorite artists have created specifically to celebrate Record Store Day! Like all great art, the quantity and availability of these pieces are very limited so please reach out to your local record store to check on what they will have. Thanks for celebrating Record Store Day with us and check back for more exciting news in the coming weeks.
LIST OF EXCLUSIVE RELEASES MADE ESPECIALY FOR RECORD STORE DAY!
**EACH STORE ON THIS SITE STOCKS THEIR OWN RACKS. WE ARE NOT GUARANTEEING THAT EACH STORE WILL HAVE EACH PIECE. CHECK WITH YOUR LOCAL STORE FOR AVAILABILITY.
**THE MAJORITY OF THESE PIECES ARE US-ONLY. INTERNATIONAL STORES—CHECK WITH YOUR DISTRIBUTORS FOR PIECES AVAILABLE TO YOU. INTERNATIONAL FANS AND SHOPPERS—CHECK WITH YOUR LOCAL STORES.
Akron/Family "Everyone is Guilty" 7" first single from new album; unreleased b-side
Arthur Russell "Love Is Taking Me" 2LP 2LP (RSD exclusive)
Bad Religion Original EP 7" reissue colored vinyl; 6 tracks from 1981
Ben Harper 10" "Shimmer and Shine"/"Spanish Red Wine" B-side, "Spanish Red Wine" is unreleased
Blitzen Trapper "War is Placebo/Booksmart" 7" - two exclusive tracks w/die cut sleeve
Bob Dylan 7"--"Dreaming of You"/"Down Along the Cove" tracks recorded live at Bonnaroo; packaged in clear sleeve with 3x5 photo
Booker T "Warped Sister/Reunion Time" 7" 7"
Brandi Carlile 7" single "Downpour"/"A Promise To Keep" “Downpour” is the live track recorded in Boston
Bruce Springsteen 7" "What Love Can Do"/"A Night With The Jersey Devil" packaged in clear sleeve with 3x5 photo
Camera Obscura "French Navy" 7" 7" (RSD exclusive)
Cold War Kids Live at Fingerprints Live at Fingerprints 5 song EP
Cursive/Ladyfinger Split 10" picture disc four songs, two unreleased and two new
Dandy Warhols Remix CD #2
Death Cab For Cutie T-Shirt exclusive design for Record Store Day
Def Jam 25: Volume 1 and 2 4 LP gatefold history of Def Jam, only physical version of this piece is for indies 4 LP gatefold history of Def Jam, only physical version of this piece is for indies
Depeche Mode 7" "Wrong"/"Oh Well" 7"
Derek Trucks Already Live EP five previously unreleased live tracks from the 2008 tour
Dr. Dog/Floating Action Split 7" 7" - exclusive
Elvis Costello "Complicated Shadows"/"Dirty Rotten Shame" picture disc "Dirty Rotten Shame" is exclusive track--previously unreleased
Elvis Perkins "Lorraine Lookout" 7" two tracks, one unreleased
Flaming Lips/Black Keys split 7" "Borderline"/"Her Eyes Are A Blue Million Miles" 7" Borderline/Her Eyes Are A Blue Million Miles
Flight of the Conchords "Pencils In The Wind"/"Albi The" 7" - two exclusive tracks w/die cut sleeve
Gaslight Anthem Live from Park Ave 10" Live from Park Ave 10" - 6 tracks
Grateful Dead T-Shirt exclusive design for Record Store Day
Grizzly Bears Live on KCRW 7" two tracks, "While You Wait For The Others"/"He Hit Me"
Guided By Voices Hold On Hope LP Three bonus tracks
Heaven & Hell 7" "Bible Black" / Neon Knights (Live) Created exclusively for Record Store Day
Iron and Wine Norfolk 6-20-05 Live 18 track CD recorded on the Woman King tour
Jane's Addiction 7" "Mountain Song" / "Standing in the Shower…Thinking" 7" Mtn. Song/Standing In The Shower- Packaged in original replica picture sleeve
Jason Mraz T-Shirt exclusive design for Record Store Day
Jenny Lewis/Elvis Costello 7" --"Carpet Baggers"/"Go Away" Never before available in the US
Jesus Lizard 9 x 7" pack A pack of nine 7"s
Leonard Cohen 7" "The Future/"Suzanne" tracks recorded live in London, packaged in clear sleeve with 3x5 photo
Loney Dear/Andrew Bird 7" split 7" 7" - hand-silk screened covers; tour & mail order item
Lykkie Li/El Perro Del Mar 7" "After Laughter (Comes Tears)" / "At Your Best (You are Love)" Made exclusively for Record Store Day featuring two unreleased cover songs.
Magnolia Electric Co, "It's Made Me Cry" 7" Jason Molina's first 7" in years
Mastodon T-Shirt exclusive design for Record Store Day
MC 5 7" "Kick Out The Jams"/"Motor City Is Burning" Packaged in the original rare picture sleeve, first time available since 1969
Metric "Help I'm Alive" 7" Picture disc "Help I'm Alive"/"Help I'm A B-Side"
Modest Mouse 7" --"Satelite Skin"/"Guilty Cocker Spaniels" both tracks are brand new
My Morning Jacket - Celebración De La Ciudad Natal Celebracion De La Ciudad Natal CD & 2 x 10" Vinyl - 4-14 Street, Vinyl one time shot. Recorded LIVE in LOUISVILLE (at Ear X-tacy, and Waterfront Park), includes classic tracks and selections from the band's most recent GRAMMY nominated album EVIL URGES. PLEASE NOTE: double 10 inch will be a limited edition, ONE TIME pressing - We shall manufacture only what is ordered. Once it’s gone, it’s gone folks.
New Order 7" (live) "Temptation" / "Hurt" - as and A&B side.
Oasis Falling Down Remix LP Falling Down Remix LP
Obits "I Can't Lose/Military Madness" 7" 7" - two exclusive tracks w/die cut sleeve
Paramore T-Shirt exclusive design for Record Store Day
Pavement "Live in Germany 1988" LP unreleased show from 1988
Poison The Well Six track CD 6 track CD, taken from 2 7" singles that the band sells on the road, and an upcoming 7" single that will be out later this spring
Pretenders "Break Up The Pavement"/Love's…" 7" 7" - one unrelased track, and track from new album on red vinyl
Queen EP Queen's First EP Limited Edition, Numbered CD for the first time in the US
Radiohead 10" vinyl series (see list of titles in NOTES) THESE ARE BEING RELEASED EARLY FOR RSD: Drill, Creep, My Iron Lung, High & Dry, Fake Plastic Trees, Just, Street Spirit, Paranoid Android, Karma Police, No Surprises, Pyramid Song, 2+2=5
Rivers Cuomo Live @ Fingerprints CD and CD/DVD Combo Live @ Fingerprints CD and CD/DVD Combo
Silversun Pickups Pikul 12" exclusive release ahead of their new album
Slayer 7" single "Psychopathy Red" packaged in special X-Files-style, "confidential" packaging
Sonic Youth/Beck split 7" split 7" (RSD exclusive)
Sonic Youth/Jay Reatard split 7" split 7" (RSD exclusive)
Sublime "Superstar Punani"/April 29, 1992" 7" 7" single with 2 live tracks, first time on vinyl
Taking Back Sunday 7" "Carpathia/Catholic" (live) 7" Carpathia/Catholic (live)
The Black Kids Wizard of Ahhhs 10" first time on physical format
The Color Fred The Intervention CD EP six acoustic tracks--four new
The Decemberists 7" "The Rake's Song"/"East India Lanes" B-side, "East India Lanes" is unreleased
The Smiths 7" "The Headmaster Ritual" /"Oscillate Widly" Never before available in the US as a 7" single.
The Stooges 7" "1969"/"Real Cool Time" Packaged in the original rare picture sleeve
Thermals/Thao Get Down Stay Down split 7" split 7" Get Down Stay Down (4 tracks unreleased)
Tift Merritt Buckingham Solo CD recorded live at a church; Tift solo with piano and guitar
Tom Waits "Live from the Glitterdome" 7" 7" - live tracks from Atlanta & Edinburgh
Underoath T-Shirt exclusive design for Record Store Day
Various Artists--THIS LP CRASHES HARD DRIVES Super deluxe gatefold LP (Limited to only 1,500 copies) with exclusive tracks from 10 of the finest crate digging labels out there! Includes a mix of sampler cd's, zines, catalogs, stickers, and posters, from all of these fine labels.
1) Los Destellos - “Guajira Sicodelica” (Vampi Soul)
2) P.E. Hewitt Jazz Ensemble - “Bada Que Bash” (Now Again)
3) Group Doueh - “Waya Waya” (Sublime Frequencies)
4) Noor Jehan - “I Am Very Sorry” (Finders Keepers)
5) Hypnotic Brass Ensemble - “Marcus Garvey” (Honest Jon’s)
6) Pisces feat. Linda Bruner - “Sam” (Numero Group)
7) The Monks - “Pretty Suzanne” (Light In The Attic)
8) Myron & E with The Soul Investigators - “Cold Game” (Timmion)
9) John Heartsman & Circles - “Talking About My Baby” (Jazzman)
10) Naomi Shelton & The Gospel Queens - “What Is This” (Daptone)
Various artists Records Toreism LP tracks from Mountain Tortoise, Trans Am, White Hills, Double Dagger
Vetiver "Wishing Well"/"Pay No Mind" 7" 7" - two semi-exclusive non-album tracks w/diecut sleeve
Whiskeytown 7" single - San Atone b/w Great Divide (unreleased tracks) 7" single - San Atone b/w Great Divide (unreleased tracks)
Wilco Ashes of American Flags DVD DVD is released with an exclusive window of two weeks for indie stores and mail order
Yeah, Yeah, Yeahs It’s Blitz LP vinyl version of forthcoming Yeah Yeah Yeahs CD
This Date In Music History- March 29
Birthdays:
Chad Allan, Guess Who (1943)
Evangelos Papathanassiou- Vangelis (Chariots of Fire 1943)
Terry Jacks- singer, songwriter, (1974 UK & US #1 single “Seasons In The Sun”) (1946)
Bobby Kimball- vocals, Toto (1947)
Patty Donahue- Waitresses (1956)
Perry Farrell- Jane's Addiction (1959)
M.C. Hammer (1963)
John Popper - Blues Traveler (1967)
They Are Missed:
Pearl Bailey was born 1918.
Mantovani (orchestra leader) died in 1980 (age 74).
History:
In 1964, the Beatles held down the top five positions on Billboard's Hot 100 chart (with seven more records in the bottom 70).
"The King and I" opened on Broadway in 1951.
In 1976 Bruce Springsteen jumped a fence at Graceland in an attempt to see his idol, Elvis Presley.
Dr. Hook appeared on Rolling Stone's cover in 1973 shortly after making a splash with their hit "The Cover of Rolling Stone." Just like the lyrics in the song, the band members buy five copies of the magazine to give to their mothers.
In 2004, Janet Jackson told TV talk show host David Letterman that her breast-baring Super Bowl stunt was "an accident." "It was supposed to kind of happen like that, but I wasn't supposed to come out of it the way I did," she says, confusingly. Uh, OK, an accident…
Blood Sweat & Tears went to #1 on the US album chart in 1969 with their self-titled album.
Working at Abbey Road studios in 1967, the Beatles finished recording “Good Morning Good Morning.” They then started work on a new song “With a Little Help From My Friends,” (originally titled “Bad Finger Boogie”), recording 10 takes of the rhythm track, then had Ringo overdub a double-tracked lead vocal.
Pink Floyd's “Dark Side Of The Moon,” spent it's 303rd week on the US album chart in 1980, beating the record set by Carole King's album “Tapestry.”
Rolling Stone Mick Jagger was injured during a gig in Marseilles in 1966 after a fan threw a chair at the stage, Jagger required eight stitches in the cut.
Neil Young was treated for a brain aneurysm at a hospital in New York in 2005. Doctors expected the 59 year-old to make a full recovery. The aneurysm was discovered when Young's vision became blurred after the induction ceremony for the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame last month.
“Umbrella,” by Rihanna featuring Jay-Z was released in the US in 2007. The track went on to reach #1 in various countries, including the US. A #1 in the UK for 10 consecutive weeks making it the longest running #1 single since Wet Wet Wet's “Love Is All Around” in 1994, and the longest running #1 by a female artist since Whitney Houston's “I Will Always Love You.”
In 2004, French rock star Bertrand Cantat, lead singer with Noir Desir, was found guilty of killing his girlfriend, the actress Marie Trintigant, and sentenced to eight years in prison.
Led Zeppelin had all their six albums in the US Top 100 chart in the same week in 1975 with their latest album “Physical Graffiti” at #1.
Austrian singer Falco started a three-week run at #1 on the US singles chart in 1986 with “Rock Me Amadeus,” also a #1 in the UK.
Chad Allan, Guess Who (1943)
Evangelos Papathanassiou- Vangelis (Chariots of Fire 1943)
Terry Jacks- singer, songwriter, (1974 UK & US #1 single “Seasons In The Sun”) (1946)
Bobby Kimball- vocals, Toto (1947)
Patty Donahue- Waitresses (1956)
Perry Farrell- Jane's Addiction (1959)
M.C. Hammer (1963)
John Popper - Blues Traveler (1967)
They Are Missed:
Pearl Bailey was born 1918.
Mantovani (orchestra leader) died in 1980 (age 74).
History:
In 1964, the Beatles held down the top five positions on Billboard's Hot 100 chart (with seven more records in the bottom 70).
"The King and I" opened on Broadway in 1951.
In 1976 Bruce Springsteen jumped a fence at Graceland in an attempt to see his idol, Elvis Presley.
Dr. Hook appeared on Rolling Stone's cover in 1973 shortly after making a splash with their hit "The Cover of Rolling Stone." Just like the lyrics in the song, the band members buy five copies of the magazine to give to their mothers.
In 2004, Janet Jackson told TV talk show host David Letterman that her breast-baring Super Bowl stunt was "an accident." "It was supposed to kind of happen like that, but I wasn't supposed to come out of it the way I did," she says, confusingly. Uh, OK, an accident…
Blood Sweat & Tears went to #1 on the US album chart in 1969 with their self-titled album.
Working at Abbey Road studios in 1967, the Beatles finished recording “Good Morning Good Morning.” They then started work on a new song “With a Little Help From My Friends,” (originally titled “Bad Finger Boogie”), recording 10 takes of the rhythm track, then had Ringo overdub a double-tracked lead vocal.
Pink Floyd's “Dark Side Of The Moon,” spent it's 303rd week on the US album chart in 1980, beating the record set by Carole King's album “Tapestry.”
Rolling Stone Mick Jagger was injured during a gig in Marseilles in 1966 after a fan threw a chair at the stage, Jagger required eight stitches in the cut.
Neil Young was treated for a brain aneurysm at a hospital in New York in 2005. Doctors expected the 59 year-old to make a full recovery. The aneurysm was discovered when Young's vision became blurred after the induction ceremony for the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame last month.
“Umbrella,” by Rihanna featuring Jay-Z was released in the US in 2007. The track went on to reach #1 in various countries, including the US. A #1 in the UK for 10 consecutive weeks making it the longest running #1 single since Wet Wet Wet's “Love Is All Around” in 1994, and the longest running #1 by a female artist since Whitney Houston's “I Will Always Love You.”
In 2004, French rock star Bertrand Cantat, lead singer with Noir Desir, was found guilty of killing his girlfriend, the actress Marie Trintigant, and sentenced to eight years in prison.
Led Zeppelin had all their six albums in the US Top 100 chart in the same week in 1975 with their latest album “Physical Graffiti” at #1.
Austrian singer Falco started a three-week run at #1 on the US singles chart in 1986 with “Rock Me Amadeus,” also a #1 in the UK.
Rarities now common target at vinyl show
As vinyl records resurge, rarities become focus of today's show in Toronto
GREG QUILL
ENTERTAINMENT COLUMNIST
Record shows used to be gathering places for boomers buying back their past and geeky collectors looking for a priceless score.
But these days, says Akim Boldireff, co-promoter of the Toronto Downtown Record Show, one of Ontario's biggest bi-annual vinyl-heavy record markets – it's taking place today at the Estonian House Banquet Hall, 958 Broadview Ave. – they're attracting a new generation of vinyl virgins who are discovering the hi-fi delights of analogue recordings, vintage and new, and rare music that never made it to digital formats.
"Sales of vinyl recordings last year were 85 per cent higher than in 2007, and this year we'll see a 150 per cent increase over last year's sales," says Boldireff, a rare records and music paraphernalia dealer/collector since 1992. He puts together the Toronto Downtown Record Show – staged in March and November – with fellow dealer Aaron Keele.
British music trade journals reported recently that single-song 45-RPM discs – the mainstay of the industry half a century ago – are now outselling CD singles there. And with high-end turntable sales hitting pre-CD levels (attributable to a small degree to their use by DJs), vinyl pressing plants in Quebec unused for nearly two decades now run 24 hours a day to meet the demand in North America. Contemporary artists are shunning the CD format or augmenting their merchandise with value-added, premium-priced 12-inch discs, so it's not surprising that Boldireff and Keele are seeing more dealers, and customers of varied ages, at their shows.
Today's show, a themed celebration of the 40th anniversary of Led Zeppelin's first appearances in Toronto – twice at the Rock Pile at Yonge St. and Davenport, and once at Massey Hall, all in 1969 – will showcase the collections of more than 100 selected, high-quality dealers from across the country, and some from overseas. As many as 100,000 items, including ephemera, memorabilia merchandise, vintage photographs, posters, CDs, DVDs and, of course, LPs and 45s, will be on display and up for grabs.
"I suspect the increase in demand for vinyl started when young music fans, raised on CDs and MP3s, started plundering their parents' old record collections," Boldireff says. "With a half-decent turntable, vinyl recordings offer an entirely different listening experience."
Younger buyers are also finding something more intrinsically valuable in a vinyl recording with aesthetically pleasing, full-sized covers, Boldireff says. CDs, he says, "seem disposable by comparison" and he points to the increasing amounts of vinyl in the city's few remaining independent music stores – Rotate This and Play De Record, in particular – as evidence of the vinyl craze.
That's good for his business, but the new appetite for vintage vinyl (served very effectively by Internet markets such as eBay and Gemm, where rare records fetch the highest prices) mean Boldireff, Keele and their colleagues have to travel father afield to get the goodies they used to find in abundance in neighbourhood basements and attics when music fans were ditching their old vinyl for CDs.
"There are more collectors and more buyers now, and they're sucking up the vintage market or hanging onto their old records," Boldireff says. "We spend more time in the U.S. because there's a greater volume of material, and with the recession hitting so hard there, more people willing to sell."
Apart from Beatles, Rolling Stones and Elvis originals, and almost any 1970s indie punk recording, the most collectible vinyl these days, he says, is jazz and blues from the 1950s and '60s – "it holds its value" – and progressive, psychedelic and European rock from the 1960s and '70s.
"Reggae, particularly poor quality Jamaican pressings, and British folk from the 1960s, are also very valuable – almost anything from that period is worth buying," says Boldireff, who counts among the most valuable recordings in his collection Rush's first, privately released, self-titled album on the defunct label Moon Records – worth $1,000 or more.
Lately he and Keele have been scouring the northern U.S. for Northern Soul, a sub-genre comprising small independent labels established in the 1960s and 70s in African-American urban centres outside Detroit.
"They were pressed in small batched and sold as less expensive alternatives to major label product," Boldireff says. "Now they're extremely rare and very valuable."
There's much novice vinyl collectors can look forward to as well, says Keele, who once owned a test pressing of the first Who album (value: $2,000).
"All new-release vinyl on limited edition pressings by popular bands stands a good chance of being collectable," Keele says. "If the band itself stays popular, the LP itself should hold a strong value."
SOURCE: http://www.thestar.com
GREG QUILL
ENTERTAINMENT COLUMNIST
Record shows used to be gathering places for boomers buying back their past and geeky collectors looking for a priceless score.
But these days, says Akim Boldireff, co-promoter of the Toronto Downtown Record Show, one of Ontario's biggest bi-annual vinyl-heavy record markets – it's taking place today at the Estonian House Banquet Hall, 958 Broadview Ave. – they're attracting a new generation of vinyl virgins who are discovering the hi-fi delights of analogue recordings, vintage and new, and rare music that never made it to digital formats.
"Sales of vinyl recordings last year were 85 per cent higher than in 2007, and this year we'll see a 150 per cent increase over last year's sales," says Boldireff, a rare records and music paraphernalia dealer/collector since 1992. He puts together the Toronto Downtown Record Show – staged in March and November – with fellow dealer Aaron Keele.
British music trade journals reported recently that single-song 45-RPM discs – the mainstay of the industry half a century ago – are now outselling CD singles there. And with high-end turntable sales hitting pre-CD levels (attributable to a small degree to their use by DJs), vinyl pressing plants in Quebec unused for nearly two decades now run 24 hours a day to meet the demand in North America. Contemporary artists are shunning the CD format or augmenting their merchandise with value-added, premium-priced 12-inch discs, so it's not surprising that Boldireff and Keele are seeing more dealers, and customers of varied ages, at their shows.
Today's show, a themed celebration of the 40th anniversary of Led Zeppelin's first appearances in Toronto – twice at the Rock Pile at Yonge St. and Davenport, and once at Massey Hall, all in 1969 – will showcase the collections of more than 100 selected, high-quality dealers from across the country, and some from overseas. As many as 100,000 items, including ephemera, memorabilia merchandise, vintage photographs, posters, CDs, DVDs and, of course, LPs and 45s, will be on display and up for grabs.
"I suspect the increase in demand for vinyl started when young music fans, raised on CDs and MP3s, started plundering their parents' old record collections," Boldireff says. "With a half-decent turntable, vinyl recordings offer an entirely different listening experience."
Younger buyers are also finding something more intrinsically valuable in a vinyl recording with aesthetically pleasing, full-sized covers, Boldireff says. CDs, he says, "seem disposable by comparison" and he points to the increasing amounts of vinyl in the city's few remaining independent music stores – Rotate This and Play De Record, in particular – as evidence of the vinyl craze.
That's good for his business, but the new appetite for vintage vinyl (served very effectively by Internet markets such as eBay and Gemm, where rare records fetch the highest prices) mean Boldireff, Keele and their colleagues have to travel father afield to get the goodies they used to find in abundance in neighbourhood basements and attics when music fans were ditching their old vinyl for CDs.
"There are more collectors and more buyers now, and they're sucking up the vintage market or hanging onto their old records," Boldireff says. "We spend more time in the U.S. because there's a greater volume of material, and with the recession hitting so hard there, more people willing to sell."
Apart from Beatles, Rolling Stones and Elvis originals, and almost any 1970s indie punk recording, the most collectible vinyl these days, he says, is jazz and blues from the 1950s and '60s – "it holds its value" – and progressive, psychedelic and European rock from the 1960s and '70s.
"Reggae, particularly poor quality Jamaican pressings, and British folk from the 1960s, are also very valuable – almost anything from that period is worth buying," says Boldireff, who counts among the most valuable recordings in his collection Rush's first, privately released, self-titled album on the defunct label Moon Records – worth $1,000 or more.
Lately he and Keele have been scouring the northern U.S. for Northern Soul, a sub-genre comprising small independent labels established in the 1960s and 70s in African-American urban centres outside Detroit.
"They were pressed in small batched and sold as less expensive alternatives to major label product," Boldireff says. "Now they're extremely rare and very valuable."
There's much novice vinyl collectors can look forward to as well, says Keele, who once owned a test pressing of the first Who album (value: $2,000).
"All new-release vinyl on limited edition pressings by popular bands stands a good chance of being collectable," Keele says. "If the band itself stays popular, the LP itself should hold a strong value."
SOURCE: http://www.thestar.com
Vinyl In The UK
Found a couple of great articles about the 45 rpm record and record collecting from the UK and thought I would share them.
Seven inch single’s struggle to stay alive as it celebrates its 60th anniversary
Mar 29 2009 by Tim Lewis, Wales On Sunday
As the seven inch single celebrates its 60th anniversary this week, Tim Lewis looks at how it changed the music industry and its continuing struggle to stay alive.
Texarkana Baby by Eddy Arnold may not be a song many people remember or have ever heard of, but to a loyal band of followers, it is very special.
On March 31, 1948, it was the first commercial seven-inch single to be released, on bright green vinyl and also featuring a track called Bouquet of Roses.
In those days, all vinyl was colour coded, red for classical, yellow for children’s, cerise for rhythm ‘n’ blues and green for country.
As demand increased and vinyl singles began to take off, the colour coding scheme was scrapped in favour of a uniform black, which had previously been used only for pop singles.
The 45rpm disks caught the public’s imagination and at their peak in 1979, more than 89m were sold in the UK.
For years they were the number one choice for the music industry and fans, but their dominance was soon tested.
When compact discs (CDs) were introduced in the 1980s, it represented the start of a decline in the seven inch.
By the turn of the millennium, sales figures for the seven inch were only a fraction of the staggering numbers of the previous two decades.
Large record labels such as EMI got out of the vinyl game altogether in 2000, and some felt that was a signal of its days being numbered.
In 2001, sales had dropped below 180,000 and many people prophesied the death of the “45” within a couple of years.
But seven inch as a format has been as tough as the vinyl it’s made from and latest figures show a rise in its popularity once more.
Last year, more than one million seven-inch disks were sold and bands such as the Arctic Monkeys, Franz Ferdinand and the White Stripes have helped to make them popular again.
Bands continue to produce limited collector’s editions of their new albums costing anything up to £20, and they have proved to be extremely popular.
“Your first seven-inch single is one that you will always remember"
Allan Parkings, 59, owner of Kelly’s Records in Cardiff, which is celebrating its 40th anniversary this year, said: “Vinyl will never die. There are plenty of vinyl junkies out there who live and breathe the whole scene.
“They enjoy the whole experience of buying the disks, the sleeve design, the feel of the disks, the inserts and putting it on a record player.
“Your first seven-inch single is one that you will always remember. Mine was a song called the Poetry in Motion by Johnny Tillotson in the early 1960s.
“To some people, they are like antiques. I have a friend who would buy a single, take it home and play it once before sealing it and putting it into storage.”
Over the years vinyl has faced competition from a number of different formats such as cassette tapes and later CDs but they are now also facing extinction thanks to digital downloads.
“Tapes came and went and now CDs look as if they could go the same way,” added Allan Parkings.
“Youngsters now think vinyl is cool again and there’s something trendy about having the latest band’s music on a seven-inch disk.
“I honestly believe vinyl will still be around in another 60 years.”
Legal, and illegal, downloads have become the option of choice for many younger listeners over the last decade.
Apple’s iTunes music store has been a huge success since its launch and reached the one billion download mark 114 weeks after it started.
Sites such as www.isohunt.com and www.thepiratebay.com have turned into the Mecca for illegal music sharers, although The Pirate Bay’s recent high-profile court case against the music and entertainment industry could soon spell the end for such portals.
Websites such as www.pandora.com and www.spotify.com also allow music lovers to listen to the artists and bands of their choice free of charge.
Pandora gives users the chance to create their own radio station based on their old and current favourite artists.
With Spotify – which has the backing of four major music labels – fans can listen to music for free as long as they don’t mind putting up with the occasional advert.
To remove all adverts from the stream costs 99p a day or £9.99p a month. It has more than 10,000 new songs added every day and now boasts a database of more than eight million songs.
It is difficult to tell whether there is enough room for all of the different formats of music for them all to survive, but after seeing off a number of rivals in its 60-year history, you wouldn’t bet against vinyl being around in another 60 years.
---------------------------------
I’ll never sell my vinyl records, says John Mccarthy
Mar 29 2009 by James McCarthy, Wales On Sunday
I LOVE vinyl. I’ve a whole roomfull of the stuff.
A small room, but a room nonetheless.
“When are you going to stick that on eBay?” my old man says every time he visits. I don’t think that’s often, but it might just be I can’t hear the doorbell, what with the stereo being turned up to 11.
Well, dad, I’m not. Ever. No way. Not even if they stop making turntables.
I can’t get my head around the idea other formats are better. They’re clearly a music industry con designed to bleed cash from punters.
No-one needs to replace their record collection every few years.
Take CDs. “They can’t be scratched,” they said. Yes they can. I tried. I caused irreparable damage to Genesis’ The Lamb Lies Down on Broadway with a screwdriver.
I would have done that whatever the format, but the point still stands.
And where is the romance in an MP3? Sifting through webpage after webpage can’t compare to laughing at other people’s taste in some trendy record shop.
Will people really be recalling misty-eyed what their first download was?
Of course they won’t.
Their computers will all be broken for starters.
But I’ll still have my record collection.
If it hasn’t fallen through the floor and killed the people downstairs.
SOURCE: http://www.walesonline.co.uk
Seven inch single’s struggle to stay alive as it celebrates its 60th anniversary
Mar 29 2009 by Tim Lewis, Wales On Sunday
As the seven inch single celebrates its 60th anniversary this week, Tim Lewis looks at how it changed the music industry and its continuing struggle to stay alive.
Texarkana Baby by Eddy Arnold may not be a song many people remember or have ever heard of, but to a loyal band of followers, it is very special.
On March 31, 1948, it was the first commercial seven-inch single to be released, on bright green vinyl and also featuring a track called Bouquet of Roses.
In those days, all vinyl was colour coded, red for classical, yellow for children’s, cerise for rhythm ‘n’ blues and green for country.
As demand increased and vinyl singles began to take off, the colour coding scheme was scrapped in favour of a uniform black, which had previously been used only for pop singles.
The 45rpm disks caught the public’s imagination and at their peak in 1979, more than 89m were sold in the UK.
For years they were the number one choice for the music industry and fans, but their dominance was soon tested.
When compact discs (CDs) were introduced in the 1980s, it represented the start of a decline in the seven inch.
By the turn of the millennium, sales figures for the seven inch were only a fraction of the staggering numbers of the previous two decades.
Large record labels such as EMI got out of the vinyl game altogether in 2000, and some felt that was a signal of its days being numbered.
In 2001, sales had dropped below 180,000 and many people prophesied the death of the “45” within a couple of years.
But seven inch as a format has been as tough as the vinyl it’s made from and latest figures show a rise in its popularity once more.
Last year, more than one million seven-inch disks were sold and bands such as the Arctic Monkeys, Franz Ferdinand and the White Stripes have helped to make them popular again.
Bands continue to produce limited collector’s editions of their new albums costing anything up to £20, and they have proved to be extremely popular.
“Your first seven-inch single is one that you will always remember"
Allan Parkings, 59, owner of Kelly’s Records in Cardiff, which is celebrating its 40th anniversary this year, said: “Vinyl will never die. There are plenty of vinyl junkies out there who live and breathe the whole scene.
“They enjoy the whole experience of buying the disks, the sleeve design, the feel of the disks, the inserts and putting it on a record player.
“Your first seven-inch single is one that you will always remember. Mine was a song called the Poetry in Motion by Johnny Tillotson in the early 1960s.
“To some people, they are like antiques. I have a friend who would buy a single, take it home and play it once before sealing it and putting it into storage.”
Over the years vinyl has faced competition from a number of different formats such as cassette tapes and later CDs but they are now also facing extinction thanks to digital downloads.
“Tapes came and went and now CDs look as if they could go the same way,” added Allan Parkings.
“Youngsters now think vinyl is cool again and there’s something trendy about having the latest band’s music on a seven-inch disk.
“I honestly believe vinyl will still be around in another 60 years.”
Legal, and illegal, downloads have become the option of choice for many younger listeners over the last decade.
Apple’s iTunes music store has been a huge success since its launch and reached the one billion download mark 114 weeks after it started.
Sites such as www.isohunt.com and www.thepiratebay.com have turned into the Mecca for illegal music sharers, although The Pirate Bay’s recent high-profile court case against the music and entertainment industry could soon spell the end for such portals.
Websites such as www.pandora.com and www.spotify.com also allow music lovers to listen to the artists and bands of their choice free of charge.
Pandora gives users the chance to create their own radio station based on their old and current favourite artists.
With Spotify – which has the backing of four major music labels – fans can listen to music for free as long as they don’t mind putting up with the occasional advert.
To remove all adverts from the stream costs 99p a day or £9.99p a month. It has more than 10,000 new songs added every day and now boasts a database of more than eight million songs.
It is difficult to tell whether there is enough room for all of the different formats of music for them all to survive, but after seeing off a number of rivals in its 60-year history, you wouldn’t bet against vinyl being around in another 60 years.
---------------------------------
I’ll never sell my vinyl records, says John Mccarthy
Mar 29 2009 by James McCarthy, Wales On Sunday
I LOVE vinyl. I’ve a whole roomfull of the stuff.
A small room, but a room nonetheless.
“When are you going to stick that on eBay?” my old man says every time he visits. I don’t think that’s often, but it might just be I can’t hear the doorbell, what with the stereo being turned up to 11.
Well, dad, I’m not. Ever. No way. Not even if they stop making turntables.
I can’t get my head around the idea other formats are better. They’re clearly a music industry con designed to bleed cash from punters.
No-one needs to replace their record collection every few years.
Take CDs. “They can’t be scratched,” they said. Yes they can. I tried. I caused irreparable damage to Genesis’ The Lamb Lies Down on Broadway with a screwdriver.
I would have done that whatever the format, but the point still stands.
And where is the romance in an MP3? Sifting through webpage after webpage can’t compare to laughing at other people’s taste in some trendy record shop.
Will people really be recalling misty-eyed what their first download was?
Of course they won’t.
Their computers will all be broken for starters.
But I’ll still have my record collection.
If it hasn’t fallen through the floor and killed the people downstairs.
SOURCE: http://www.walesonline.co.uk
Saturday, March 28, 2009
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