ZZ Top - Sharp Dressed Man
Friday, June 19, 2009
Bird & Animal Names In Rock & Roll History-part eighteen
Written by Robert Benson
Let’s continue our ongoing article series about “bird” and “animal” groups and artists in rock and roll, this time exploring some ‘dog’ names.
The group Three Dog Night was a band that was formed in 1968 and included members Danny Hutton, Chuck Negron and Cory Wells. They provided AM and FM radio with an eclectic series of singles oriented pop rock songs from 1969 through 1974. The band took their name from Danny Hutton’s ex-girlfriend, who thought of the name when she read a magazine article about indigenous Australians, in which was explaining that on cold nights they would customarily sleep in a hole in the ground while embracing a dingo, a native species of wild dog. On some of the colder nights they would sleep with two dogs, and if a night was especially cold, it was a "Three Dog Night."
Danny Hutton worked for Walt Disney Studios where he recorded voices for animated programs, while Cory Wells was the lead vocalist for the house band at the famous Whiskey-A-Go-Go called the Enemies. Wells asked Hutton to team up and record, but Hutton wanted to focus on his solo career (he had minor success with a song called “Bright Eyes”). Hutton came up with the idea of a singing trio (secretly auditioning their friend Chuck Negron for the role) after noticing a display of classic cars while driving past the Ambassador Hotel in Los Angles. He marveled at the fact that each individual classic auto being an integral part of the overall display. He surmised it would be interesting to apply this technique with a group of talented singers, where each member would be a lead singer at one time or another. Interestingly among others that were considered to team up with Hutton and Wells were Billy Joe Royal (of “Down In The Boondocks” fame) and Crazy Horse founder Danny Whiten. They went with Negron and expanded the group to include several talented backing musicians and Three Dog Night was born.
Besides scoring an impressive string of eighteen consecutive Top 20 Billboard hits (eleven of which were in the Top Ten, including three number one hits), the group also showcased some of music’s dynamic song writers including Randy Newman (who wrote the 1970 number one hit “Mama Told Me (Not To Come),” Harry Nilsson (for the Top Ten hit song “One” in 1969), Laura Nyro (who penned the Top Ten hit “Eli’s Coming” in 1969), two Hoyt Axton written songs, “Joy To The World” which he originally wrote for a children’s animated television special (a song that spent six weeks at the top position on the Billboard Top 40 in 1971) and “Never Been To Spain” in 1972. Russ Ballard wrote the group’s 1971 Top Ten hit “Liar” and Three Dog Night also took Leo Sayer’s song “The Show Must Go On” to number four in 1974. The band also hit number one with a David Arkin (father of actor Alan Arkin) and Earl Robinson penned tune called “Black and White,” a song that was written in 1955 and also recorded by Sammy Davis Jr.
Other Top 40 Billboard hits by Three Dog Night included “Easy To Be Hard” (number four in 1969), the happy anthem “Celebrate” in 1970 (number fifteen), the sappy hit “An Old Fashioned Love Song” (number four in 1971) and the B. W. Stevenson penned “Shambala” (number three in 1973) among others. Their last charted single “Til The World Ends” was released in the summer of 1975.
In the late 1970's Hutton was managing punk bands including L.A.’s Fear and also formed a band called Danny Hutton’s Hitter’s who appeared on the “Pretty In Pink” soundtrack. The group reunited in 1981 and released their final record; an EP entitled “It’s A Jungle.” Hutton and Wells have continued to tour with other musicians as Three Dog Night and the group’s music has appeared in numerous movies and television ads.
Friends since high school, Anna Waronker (guitar and vocals and the daughter of record industry mogul Lenny Waronker), Rachel (bass) and Petra (violin) Haden (two of the triplet daughters of famed jazz titan Charlie Haden), and drummer Tony Maxwell formed the alternative power-pop group called that dog. The quartet’s debut, self-titled release in 1994 is an exciting blend of sweet melodies, crunchy guitars and inventive violin work. The record was a college radio staple and the lighthearted video for the single “Old Timer” was popular on MTV.
During this time that dog members became friendly with Beck and often performed on his albums, contributing to his release “Totally Confused.” The band also toured with Beck, Weezer and The Rentals and band members played on the Weezer release “I Just Threw Out The Love Of My Dreams.”
In 1995, that dog released their follow-up album, an appealing concept album that explored the emotion of love and personal crushes, the aptly named LP “Totally Crushed Out!” The clever album, filled with tight punk-pop, splendid ballads and three-part harmonies exemplified Waronker’s continuing maturation as a songstress and included cuts like “Ms. Wrong” and “He’s Kissing Christian.”
A planned Waronker solo effort was planned, but instead her collection of emotionally depth filled melodic pop music was used for that dog’s final album together, called “Retreat From The Sun” (1997). The group would also go on tour with various acts including Blur, The Wallflowers and The Counting Crows. But, in September of 1997, the band issued a formal statement announcing their break up.
However, all the members of that dog have remained active in the music business. Anna Waronker has released her solo effort, “Anna” in 2002 and has contributed music to soundtracks. Petra Haden has released two solo albums, in 1999 she released “Imaginaryland” and in 2005 she released a critically acclaimed re invention of the Who’s classic album called “Petra Haden Sings The Who Sell Out,” in which she recreated each song a capella on a cassette eight-track using only her voice. She has also contributed vocals and violin work to many bands including Green Day and The Rentals (among others) and in 2005 she joined the Decemberists as a full-time member. Rachel has kept busy as well, contributing vocals on albums by Jimmy Eat world, Ozma and Nada Surf and is a member of the reformed band The Rentals.
Taking their name from the British euphemism for imminent doom, the group the Black Dog carved a small niche in the early 90's mixing techno dance beats with ambient electronica. In 1992 this British trio of Ken Downie, Ed Handley and Andy Turner released a full-length debut called “Bytes,” an airy mix of complex rhythmic patterns and diverse ambient European “intelligent techo” that was well received in Europe. A few albums later, the release “Music For Adverts (and Short Films)” saw this engaging trio reduced to just Downie as the lone “Dog.” The album included a wistful collection of post-rave electronica and an adept mix of elements of techo rock, hip-hop and jazz. (Black Dog is also the name of the definitive Led Zeppelin tribute band, the closest thing to the live sound of the legendary group)
Three Dog Night Tidbits:
Members (as of 2009) - Danny Hutton, Cory Wells, Jimmy Greenspoon, Michael Allsup, Paul Kingery, Pat Bautz
Three Dog Night earned 13 gold albums and recorded 21 Billboard Top 40 hits, 7 of which went gold.
Danny Hutton unsuccessfully auditioned to become a band member for the Monkees in 1965.
On a number of early recordings one of their in-studio background singers was Donna Gaines, who would later find stardom on her own as Donna Summer.
In 2009, Three Dog Night are still touring, performing 85 concerts a year, with the lineup feature founding members Wells and Hutton, Greenspoon, Allsup, Paul Kingery and drummer Pat Bautz.
that dog Tidbits:
Tony Maxwell has worked as a composer, most notably on the films Chuck & Buck and The Good Girl (both written by Mike White).
Anna Waronker and her band frequently play clubs in the Los Angeles area.
Petra and Rachel have sporadically gigged with third sister Tanya (the three are triplets) as the Haden Sisters.
Copyright 2009 Robert Benson & collectingvinylrecords.com
Let’s continue our ongoing article series about “bird” and “animal” groups and artists in rock and roll, this time exploring some ‘dog’ names.
The group Three Dog Night was a band that was formed in 1968 and included members Danny Hutton, Chuck Negron and Cory Wells. They provided AM and FM radio with an eclectic series of singles oriented pop rock songs from 1969 through 1974. The band took their name from Danny Hutton’s ex-girlfriend, who thought of the name when she read a magazine article about indigenous Australians, in which was explaining that on cold nights they would customarily sleep in a hole in the ground while embracing a dingo, a native species of wild dog. On some of the colder nights they would sleep with two dogs, and if a night was especially cold, it was a "Three Dog Night."
Danny Hutton worked for Walt Disney Studios where he recorded voices for animated programs, while Cory Wells was the lead vocalist for the house band at the famous Whiskey-A-Go-Go called the Enemies. Wells asked Hutton to team up and record, but Hutton wanted to focus on his solo career (he had minor success with a song called “Bright Eyes”). Hutton came up with the idea of a singing trio (secretly auditioning their friend Chuck Negron for the role) after noticing a display of classic cars while driving past the Ambassador Hotel in Los Angles. He marveled at the fact that each individual classic auto being an integral part of the overall display. He surmised it would be interesting to apply this technique with a group of talented singers, where each member would be a lead singer at one time or another. Interestingly among others that were considered to team up with Hutton and Wells were Billy Joe Royal (of “Down In The Boondocks” fame) and Crazy Horse founder Danny Whiten. They went with Negron and expanded the group to include several talented backing musicians and Three Dog Night was born.
Besides scoring an impressive string of eighteen consecutive Top 20 Billboard hits (eleven of which were in the Top Ten, including three number one hits), the group also showcased some of music’s dynamic song writers including Randy Newman (who wrote the 1970 number one hit “Mama Told Me (Not To Come),” Harry Nilsson (for the Top Ten hit song “One” in 1969), Laura Nyro (who penned the Top Ten hit “Eli’s Coming” in 1969), two Hoyt Axton written songs, “Joy To The World” which he originally wrote for a children’s animated television special (a song that spent six weeks at the top position on the Billboard Top 40 in 1971) and “Never Been To Spain” in 1972. Russ Ballard wrote the group’s 1971 Top Ten hit “Liar” and Three Dog Night also took Leo Sayer’s song “The Show Must Go On” to number four in 1974. The band also hit number one with a David Arkin (father of actor Alan Arkin) and Earl Robinson penned tune called “Black and White,” a song that was written in 1955 and also recorded by Sammy Davis Jr.
Other Top 40 Billboard hits by Three Dog Night included “Easy To Be Hard” (number four in 1969), the happy anthem “Celebrate” in 1970 (number fifteen), the sappy hit “An Old Fashioned Love Song” (number four in 1971) and the B. W. Stevenson penned “Shambala” (number three in 1973) among others. Their last charted single “Til The World Ends” was released in the summer of 1975.
In the late 1970's Hutton was managing punk bands including L.A.’s Fear and also formed a band called Danny Hutton’s Hitter’s who appeared on the “Pretty In Pink” soundtrack. The group reunited in 1981 and released their final record; an EP entitled “It’s A Jungle.” Hutton and Wells have continued to tour with other musicians as Three Dog Night and the group’s music has appeared in numerous movies and television ads.
Friends since high school, Anna Waronker (guitar and vocals and the daughter of record industry mogul Lenny Waronker), Rachel (bass) and Petra (violin) Haden (two of the triplet daughters of famed jazz titan Charlie Haden), and drummer Tony Maxwell formed the alternative power-pop group called that dog. The quartet’s debut, self-titled release in 1994 is an exciting blend of sweet melodies, crunchy guitars and inventive violin work. The record was a college radio staple and the lighthearted video for the single “Old Timer” was popular on MTV.
During this time that dog members became friendly with Beck and often performed on his albums, contributing to his release “Totally Confused.” The band also toured with Beck, Weezer and The Rentals and band members played on the Weezer release “I Just Threw Out The Love Of My Dreams.”
In 1995, that dog released their follow-up album, an appealing concept album that explored the emotion of love and personal crushes, the aptly named LP “Totally Crushed Out!” The clever album, filled with tight punk-pop, splendid ballads and three-part harmonies exemplified Waronker’s continuing maturation as a songstress and included cuts like “Ms. Wrong” and “He’s Kissing Christian.”
A planned Waronker solo effort was planned, but instead her collection of emotionally depth filled melodic pop music was used for that dog’s final album together, called “Retreat From The Sun” (1997). The group would also go on tour with various acts including Blur, The Wallflowers and The Counting Crows. But, in September of 1997, the band issued a formal statement announcing their break up.
However, all the members of that dog have remained active in the music business. Anna Waronker has released her solo effort, “Anna” in 2002 and has contributed music to soundtracks. Petra Haden has released two solo albums, in 1999 she released “Imaginaryland” and in 2005 she released a critically acclaimed re invention of the Who’s classic album called “Petra Haden Sings The Who Sell Out,” in which she recreated each song a capella on a cassette eight-track using only her voice. She has also contributed vocals and violin work to many bands including Green Day and The Rentals (among others) and in 2005 she joined the Decemberists as a full-time member. Rachel has kept busy as well, contributing vocals on albums by Jimmy Eat world, Ozma and Nada Surf and is a member of the reformed band The Rentals.
Taking their name from the British euphemism for imminent doom, the group the Black Dog carved a small niche in the early 90's mixing techno dance beats with ambient electronica. In 1992 this British trio of Ken Downie, Ed Handley and Andy Turner released a full-length debut called “Bytes,” an airy mix of complex rhythmic patterns and diverse ambient European “intelligent techo” that was well received in Europe. A few albums later, the release “Music For Adverts (and Short Films)” saw this engaging trio reduced to just Downie as the lone “Dog.” The album included a wistful collection of post-rave electronica and an adept mix of elements of techo rock, hip-hop and jazz. (Black Dog is also the name of the definitive Led Zeppelin tribute band, the closest thing to the live sound of the legendary group)
Three Dog Night Tidbits:
Members (as of 2009) - Danny Hutton, Cory Wells, Jimmy Greenspoon, Michael Allsup, Paul Kingery, Pat Bautz
Three Dog Night earned 13 gold albums and recorded 21 Billboard Top 40 hits, 7 of which went gold.
Danny Hutton unsuccessfully auditioned to become a band member for the Monkees in 1965.
On a number of early recordings one of their in-studio background singers was Donna Gaines, who would later find stardom on her own as Donna Summer.
In 2009, Three Dog Night are still touring, performing 85 concerts a year, with the lineup feature founding members Wells and Hutton, Greenspoon, Allsup, Paul Kingery and drummer Pat Bautz.
that dog Tidbits:
Tony Maxwell has worked as a composer, most notably on the films Chuck & Buck and The Good Girl (both written by Mike White).
Anna Waronker and her band frequently play clubs in the Los Angeles area.
Petra and Rachel have sporadically gigged with third sister Tanya (the three are triplets) as the Haden Sisters.
Copyright 2009 Robert Benson & collectingvinylrecords.com
Music News & Notes
Prosthetic Records to re-issue Light This City debut
The meteoric six-year career arc of Northern California's LIGHT THIS CITY saw the group issue four acclaimed releases and develop a dedicated fan base through extensive touring with the likes of All That Remains, Death Angel, Darkest Hour, The Faceless and Vader, among others. Although the band disbanded in 2008 shortly before the release of what would ultimately serve as their swansong, Stormchaser, their timeless sound – a fusion of Swedish melodic death and Bay Area thrash – continues to inspire.
For that reason, Prosthetic is proud to announce the August 18 reissue of the group's first album, The Hero Cycle. Recorded in 2003 while the band's members were still in high school, the album aptly foreshadows the developments of qualities that would soon make the group a major player in modern metal: riffs that deftly mixed aggression and melody, the fiery vocals of spitfire front woman Laura Nichol, and a wholly energetic approach that attempted to forge new ground for the genre while still demonstrating reverence for its classics. Pre-orders are now available at store.prostheticrecords.com.
Produced by Zack Ohren (All Shall Perish, Decrepit Birth, Endwell), The Hero Cycle, according to liner notes written by the band that accompany the reissue, “reveals the innocence of a young band trying to grow and mature at a rapid pace. Many afternoons after class throughout high school and weekends in between were spent in a basement hammering out what would become this album, and those remain some of the most fun and memorable days LIGHT THIS CITY has ever seen.”
==============================
Mos Def Releasing Album On T-Shirt
For lovers of album cover art, let's hope that this isn't a trend. Rap star Mos Def is packaging his new album in the form of an item of clothing.
Showing Radiohead how digital revolution is really done, the New York based rapper and actor will give fans the opportunity to wear his LP The Ecstatic by releasing it as a T-shirt.
Sadly, the clothing itself won't play any music. Instead, the cover art will be on the front of the shirt, the tracklisting will be on the back, and the hang tag will contain a download code for the music itself.
There's a price to pay for such fashion innovation, however: the shirt will cost roughly twice as much as the CD, vinyl or digital formats.
I wonder what is on the physical copy of the releases....see T-shirt for album cover art?
==============================
SAVIOURS Begins Recording New Album
Rampaging Oakland, California metal quartet SAVIOURS has entered San Francisco's Lucky Cat Recording Studios with producer Phil Manley (of TRANS AM/THE FUCKING CHAMPS) to begin work on the follow-up to its critically acclaimed sophomore LP, "Into Abaddon".
Set for an October 13, 2009 release, the as-yet-untitled SAVIOURS album is said to feature "insanely dynamic" songs boasting passages containing "three-part guitar harmonies." The record will feature the lineup of guitarist/vocalist Austin Barber, bassist Cyrus Comiskey drummer Scott Batiste and guitarist Sonny Reinhardt (ex-WATCH THEM DIE), who joined the band in 2008. Fresh off a blistering performance at the 2009 Roadburn festival in Tilburg, Holland — where the band shared the stage with such like-minded acts as NEUROSIS, OM and SAINT VITUS — SAVIOURS now hit the studio to capture what will undoubtedly be its most venomous recording to date.
Commented Batiste: "We just got back from ravaging Europe, playing the whole new album every night. With Sonny joining us, the tempos and guitar work have definitely been cranked up a few notches, though the heaviness is still intact. The new jams are road toughened and more killer than we could have imagined."
Prior to the album's release, SAVIOURS will issue three new 7" records, all of which will drop on June 23. The vinyl-only EPs will be strictly limited to 500 copies each with artwork branded by Tim Lehi of San Francisco's BlackHeart Tattoo. Details on the three EPs are as follows:
* "Acid Hand" 7" EP (features the new tracks "Acid Hand" b/w "Slave to the Hex").
* "Burnin' Cross" 7" EP (features the new track "Burnin' Cross" b/w "Fire in the Sky" [SAXON cover]).
* "F.G.T." 7" EP (features the new track "F.G.T." b/w "Running Wild" [JUDAS PRIEST cover]).
"The demos we did with Scott Ecklein in Oakland this April came out so good that we thought should do something with them," Batiste explained. "So we tracked a few covers for b-sides and decided to do a limited vinyl 7" thing so people can check out some of the new songs before fall."
==============================
Antony and the Johnsons Prep Beyonce Cover for Release
You would think jet-setting around Europe would keep Antony and the Johnsons sufficiently busy. But apparently teaming up with some of the most well-respected orchestras around the world on a multi-country tour promoting their latest album, The Crying Light, wasn't quite enough for the group. Later this summer, they will release the double A-side single "Aeon"/"Crazy in Love."
Yes, the same group who sings "Epilepsy in Dancing" has brought its ethereal breathlessness to Beyonce's "your-love's-got-me-lookin'-so-crazy-right-now" Top-40 hit. The cover has been a crowd favorite during live shows, and soon, it will be available on CD and 7" for the first time. Although the release won't hit the U.S. until Aug. 4, anyone who pre-orders the 7" will be treated to the latest copy of Zoetrope, Francis Ford Coppola's quarterly art-fiction-film magazine, which features Antony's artwork.
==============================
Alice In Chains signs to EMI; release new album!
Legendary rock band ALICE IN CHAINS has signed an exclusive worldwide deal with EMI’s Virgin Records and are gearing up for the release of their first new studio album in more than 10 years. The band and producer Nick Raskulinecz (Rush, Foo Fighters) began recording last October at Studio 606 in Northridge, CA and recently finished mixing at Henson Studios in Hollywood. The highly anticipated album is scheduled for release this September.
Guitarist/vocalist Jerry Cantrell, drummer Sean Kinney and bassist Mike Inez reunited in 2005 at a benefit for victims of the tsunami in Indonesia. They began touring with new guitarist/vocalist William DuVall the following year.
Over the course of their remarkable career, Alice In Chains has garnered multiple Grammy nominations, sold more than 17 million albums worldwide and achieved 11 top 10 hit singles.
==============================
Experience Hendrix Releasing Four Live Concerts
Experience Hendrix's Dagger Records is slated to release four different Jimi Hendrix concerts over the summer chronicling shows from 1967, 1968 and 1969.
•The Jimi Hendrix Experience Live 1968 Paris/Ottawa contains two shows, the January 29, 1968 performance at the L. Olympia Theatre in Paris, France and the March 19, 1968 performance at the Capitol Theatre in Ottawa, Canada. The first show was recorded by RTE, the French broadcasting company and includes performances of Purple Haze, The Wind Cries Mary and Little Wing, among others. The second show was recorded by Hendrix himself and includes a version of Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band.
•Jimi Hendrix Experience Paris 1967 is a recording of a radio broadcast from L'Olympia on October 9, 1967. The album features performances of Stone Free, Hey Joe, and Wild Thing as well as other notable Hendrix hits.
Both of these sets are being released exclusively through Amazon as "fan packs." Materials specifically created for and exclusively included in both versions include a 'Jimi' poster, a postcard set replicating classic Hendrix concert posters, a set of badges reminiscent of the sixties era, a Hendrix iPod Skin and a "PikCARD" loaded with four guitar picks adorned with Hendrix artwork from the concert posters. The array of goodies is topped off with an "all access" laminated pass with an exclusive, secret code designed to unlock special Hendrix content online.
The August 11 release can be preordered with either a CD or a CD/Vinyl combo pack.
Janie Hendrix, President and CEO of Experience Hendrix LLC, the family owned company entrusted with preserving and protecting the legacy of Jimi Hendrix, commented, "The concept behind this 'Fan Pack' is to throw a spotlight on Jimi as a live performer and give a glimmer of what it might have been like to encounter 'The Experience' when Jimi had the band at its peak. Jimi never failed to stun and leave audiences breathless with his performance and guitar virtuosity and we think fans today will be no less moved by the offerings included in these packs. This release highlights Dagger's role in serving fans who want all Jimi had to offer and can't get enough of his legacy and genius."
Finally, Experience Hendrix and UME are set to rerelease Jimi Hendrxix Live at Woodstock on 180-gram audiophile grade vinyl as a 3-LP set on July 14th.
==============================
Living Colour Return With First New Album in Five Years
Living Colour’s original lineup — Vernon Reid, Corey Glover, Will Calhoun and Doug Wimbish, who joined the band in 1993 — will release their first new studio album in five years on September 15th on Megaforce Records. The band, who broke big in 1988 with “Cult of Personality,” recorded The Chair In The Doorway, their fifth LP, in the Czech Republic. The album features hard rock, soul and politically charged tracks, and Reid describes it as “the best record we’ve made yet.”
The meteoric six-year career arc of Northern California's LIGHT THIS CITY saw the group issue four acclaimed releases and develop a dedicated fan base through extensive touring with the likes of All That Remains, Death Angel, Darkest Hour, The Faceless and Vader, among others. Although the band disbanded in 2008 shortly before the release of what would ultimately serve as their swansong, Stormchaser, their timeless sound – a fusion of Swedish melodic death and Bay Area thrash – continues to inspire.For that reason, Prosthetic is proud to announce the August 18 reissue of the group's first album, The Hero Cycle. Recorded in 2003 while the band's members were still in high school, the album aptly foreshadows the developments of qualities that would soon make the group a major player in modern metal: riffs that deftly mixed aggression and melody, the fiery vocals of spitfire front woman Laura Nichol, and a wholly energetic approach that attempted to forge new ground for the genre while still demonstrating reverence for its classics. Pre-orders are now available at store.prostheticrecords.com.
Produced by Zack Ohren (All Shall Perish, Decrepit Birth, Endwell), The Hero Cycle, according to liner notes written by the band that accompany the reissue, “reveals the innocence of a young band trying to grow and mature at a rapid pace. Many afternoons after class throughout high school and weekends in between were spent in a basement hammering out what would become this album, and those remain some of the most fun and memorable days LIGHT THIS CITY has ever seen.”
==============================
Mos Def Releasing Album On T-Shirt
For lovers of album cover art, let's hope that this isn't a trend. Rap star Mos Def is packaging his new album in the form of an item of clothing.
Showing Radiohead how digital revolution is really done, the New York based rapper and actor will give fans the opportunity to wear his LP The Ecstatic by releasing it as a T-shirt.
Sadly, the clothing itself won't play any music. Instead, the cover art will be on the front of the shirt, the tracklisting will be on the back, and the hang tag will contain a download code for the music itself.
There's a price to pay for such fashion innovation, however: the shirt will cost roughly twice as much as the CD, vinyl or digital formats.
I wonder what is on the physical copy of the releases....see T-shirt for album cover art?
==============================
SAVIOURS Begins Recording New Album
Rampaging Oakland, California metal quartet SAVIOURS has entered San Francisco's Lucky Cat Recording Studios with producer Phil Manley (of TRANS AM/THE FUCKING CHAMPS) to begin work on the follow-up to its critically acclaimed sophomore LP, "Into Abaddon".
Set for an October 13, 2009 release, the as-yet-untitled SAVIOURS album is said to feature "insanely dynamic" songs boasting passages containing "three-part guitar harmonies." The record will feature the lineup of guitarist/vocalist Austin Barber, bassist Cyrus Comiskey drummer Scott Batiste and guitarist Sonny Reinhardt (ex-WATCH THEM DIE), who joined the band in 2008. Fresh off a blistering performance at the 2009 Roadburn festival in Tilburg, Holland — where the band shared the stage with such like-minded acts as NEUROSIS, OM and SAINT VITUS — SAVIOURS now hit the studio to capture what will undoubtedly be its most venomous recording to date.
Commented Batiste: "We just got back from ravaging Europe, playing the whole new album every night. With Sonny joining us, the tempos and guitar work have definitely been cranked up a few notches, though the heaviness is still intact. The new jams are road toughened and more killer than we could have imagined."
Prior to the album's release, SAVIOURS will issue three new 7" records, all of which will drop on June 23. The vinyl-only EPs will be strictly limited to 500 copies each with artwork branded by Tim Lehi of San Francisco's BlackHeart Tattoo. Details on the three EPs are as follows:
* "Acid Hand" 7" EP (features the new tracks "Acid Hand" b/w "Slave to the Hex").
* "Burnin' Cross" 7" EP (features the new track "Burnin' Cross" b/w "Fire in the Sky" [SAXON cover]).
* "F.G.T." 7" EP (features the new track "F.G.T." b/w "Running Wild" [JUDAS PRIEST cover]).
"The demos we did with Scott Ecklein in Oakland this April came out so good that we thought should do something with them," Batiste explained. "So we tracked a few covers for b-sides and decided to do a limited vinyl 7" thing so people can check out some of the new songs before fall."
==============================
Antony and the Johnsons Prep Beyonce Cover for Release
You would think jet-setting around Europe would keep Antony and the Johnsons sufficiently busy. But apparently teaming up with some of the most well-respected orchestras around the world on a multi-country tour promoting their latest album, The Crying Light, wasn't quite enough for the group. Later this summer, they will release the double A-side single "Aeon"/"Crazy in Love."
Yes, the same group who sings "Epilepsy in Dancing" has brought its ethereal breathlessness to Beyonce's "your-love's-got-me-lookin'-so-crazy-right-now" Top-40 hit. The cover has been a crowd favorite during live shows, and soon, it will be available on CD and 7" for the first time. Although the release won't hit the U.S. until Aug. 4, anyone who pre-orders the 7" will be treated to the latest copy of Zoetrope, Francis Ford Coppola's quarterly art-fiction-film magazine, which features Antony's artwork.
==============================
Alice In Chains signs to EMI; release new album!
Legendary rock band ALICE IN CHAINS has signed an exclusive worldwide deal with EMI’s Virgin Records and are gearing up for the release of their first new studio album in more than 10 years. The band and producer Nick Raskulinecz (Rush, Foo Fighters) began recording last October at Studio 606 in Northridge, CA and recently finished mixing at Henson Studios in Hollywood. The highly anticipated album is scheduled for release this September.
Guitarist/vocalist Jerry Cantrell, drummer Sean Kinney and bassist Mike Inez reunited in 2005 at a benefit for victims of the tsunami in Indonesia. They began touring with new guitarist/vocalist William DuVall the following year.
Over the course of their remarkable career, Alice In Chains has garnered multiple Grammy nominations, sold more than 17 million albums worldwide and achieved 11 top 10 hit singles.
==============================
Experience Hendrix Releasing Four Live Concerts
Experience Hendrix's Dagger Records is slated to release four different Jimi Hendrix concerts over the summer chronicling shows from 1967, 1968 and 1969.•The Jimi Hendrix Experience Live 1968 Paris/Ottawa contains two shows, the January 29, 1968 performance at the L. Olympia Theatre in Paris, France and the March 19, 1968 performance at the Capitol Theatre in Ottawa, Canada. The first show was recorded by RTE, the French broadcasting company and includes performances of Purple Haze, The Wind Cries Mary and Little Wing, among others. The second show was recorded by Hendrix himself and includes a version of Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band.
•Jimi Hendrix Experience Paris 1967 is a recording of a radio broadcast from L'Olympia on October 9, 1967. The album features performances of Stone Free, Hey Joe, and Wild Thing as well as other notable Hendrix hits.
Both of these sets are being released exclusively through Amazon as "fan packs." Materials specifically created for and exclusively included in both versions include a 'Jimi' poster, a postcard set replicating classic Hendrix concert posters, a set of badges reminiscent of the sixties era, a Hendrix iPod Skin and a "PikCARD" loaded with four guitar picks adorned with Hendrix artwork from the concert posters. The array of goodies is topped off with an "all access" laminated pass with an exclusive, secret code designed to unlock special Hendrix content online.
The August 11 release can be preordered with either a CD or a CD/Vinyl combo pack.
Janie Hendrix, President and CEO of Experience Hendrix LLC, the family owned company entrusted with preserving and protecting the legacy of Jimi Hendrix, commented, "The concept behind this 'Fan Pack' is to throw a spotlight on Jimi as a live performer and give a glimmer of what it might have been like to encounter 'The Experience' when Jimi had the band at its peak. Jimi never failed to stun and leave audiences breathless with his performance and guitar virtuosity and we think fans today will be no less moved by the offerings included in these packs. This release highlights Dagger's role in serving fans who want all Jimi had to offer and can't get enough of his legacy and genius."
Finally, Experience Hendrix and UME are set to rerelease Jimi Hendrxix Live at Woodstock on 180-gram audiophile grade vinyl as a 3-LP set on July 14th.
==============================
Living Colour Return With First New Album in Five Years
Living Colour’s original lineup — Vernon Reid, Corey Glover, Will Calhoun and Doug Wimbish, who joined the band in 1993 — will release their first new studio album in five years on September 15th on Megaforce Records. The band, who broke big in 1988 with “Cult of Personality,” recorded The Chair In The Doorway, their fifth LP, in the Czech Republic. The album features hard rock, soul and politically charged tracks, and Reid describes it as “the best record we’ve made yet.”
This Date In Music History-June 19
Birthdays:
Brian Welch - Korn (1970)
Mark Debarge – Debarge (1959)
Elaine McFarlane - Spanky And Our Gang (1942)
Tommy Devito - Four Seasons (1936)
Nick Drake (1948)
Paula Abdul (1963)
Ann Wilson – Heart (1950)
Larry Dunn - Earth, Wind & Fire (1953)
Simon Wright - AC/DC, Dio (1963)
They Are Missed:
Bobby Helms, who recorded "Jingle Bell Rock," died in 1997 at age 63.
Bandleader of the Royal Canadians, the legendary Guy Lombardo, was born in London, Ontario in 1902. His band was known for its live New Year's Eve broadcasts of the theme, "Auld Lang Syne" and for being the only dance band to sell more than 100 million records.
Original Molly Hatchet guitarist Duane Roland died in 2006 (age 53) of natural causes at his residence in St. Augustine, FL. Roland was part of the Southern-rock group's three-guitar attack from ‘76 until ‘90. "We are terribly shocked and saddened by the loss of Duane,” read the band’s online post. "He was and always will be part of the Molly Hatchet family."
The late Shirley Goodman of Shirley & Lee ("Let The Good Times Roll") and Shirley & Company ("Shame, Shame, Shame") was born in 1936.
The late Al Wilson ("Show & Tell") was born in 1939.
History:
The Harmonicats go to #1 in 1947 with "Peggy O' My Heart."
In 1958, Buddy Holly recorded his first tracks without the Crickets.
In 1976, Eddy Arnold entered the country chart with his single "Cowboy." It was his 100th hit.
Pat Boone went to #1 on the US singles chart in 1961 with “Moody River.”
Nat "King" Cole recorded his future #2 hit "Ramblin' Rose” in 1962.
The Rolling Stones scored their first #1 on the American charts in 1965 with "Satisfaction.”
In 1971, almost exactly a year to the day after the appearance of “Gasoline Alley,” Rod Stewart released his self-produced masterpiece, “Every Picture Tells a Story.” It topped the Billboard album chart for four weeks.
David Geffen made his first signing to Geffen Records in 1980 and it was disco queen Donna Summer.
During an interview with Life Magazine in 1967, Paul McCartney admitted that he had taken the drug LSD. Groovey, man, groovey...
Asia’s self-titled debut album topped the LP charts in 1982.
Today in 1965 the song "I Can't Help Myself (Sugar Pie Honey Bunch)" by the Four Tops topped the charts and stayed there for 2 weeks.
Carole King started a five week run at #1 on the US singles chart in 1971 with “It's Too Late,” from her “Tapestry” album.
In 1977, six men wielding knives and iron bars outside Shepherd's Bush underground station beat up Paul Cook from The Sex Pistols. Cook required 15 stitches to a head wound.
In 1991, the Allman Brothers Band released “Shades of Two Worlds,” one of the strongest albums of their career.
In 2003, the opening date of the Lollapalooza tour - featuring Audioslave and Queens of the Stone Age - was cancelled because organizers say Jane's Addiction's stage wouldn’t fit the Ionia County Fairgrounds venue in Michigan.
The White Stripes released their sixth album, "Icky Thump" in 2007. Frontman Jack White says his decision to record the album on vintage reel-to-reel equipment was a stylistic choice. "In the technological age, everyone wants to find out what the newest toy is," says White. "That attitude doesn’t really coincide with what sounds the best."
“Agents of Fortune,” one of Blue Oyster Cult’s best albums, was released in 1976. The LP contains the darkly majestic “Don’t Fear The Reaper.”
Brian Welch - Korn (1970)
Mark Debarge – Debarge (1959)
Elaine McFarlane - Spanky And Our Gang (1942)
Tommy Devito - Four Seasons (1936)
Nick Drake (1948)
Paula Abdul (1963)
Ann Wilson – Heart (1950)
Larry Dunn - Earth, Wind & Fire (1953)
Simon Wright - AC/DC, Dio (1963)
They Are Missed:
Bobby Helms, who recorded "Jingle Bell Rock," died in 1997 at age 63.
Bandleader of the Royal Canadians, the legendary Guy Lombardo, was born in London, Ontario in 1902. His band was known for its live New Year's Eve broadcasts of the theme, "Auld Lang Syne" and for being the only dance band to sell more than 100 million records.
Original Molly Hatchet guitarist Duane Roland died in 2006 (age 53) of natural causes at his residence in St. Augustine, FL. Roland was part of the Southern-rock group's three-guitar attack from ‘76 until ‘90. "We are terribly shocked and saddened by the loss of Duane,” read the band’s online post. "He was and always will be part of the Molly Hatchet family."
The late Shirley Goodman of Shirley & Lee ("Let The Good Times Roll") and Shirley & Company ("Shame, Shame, Shame") was born in 1936.
The late Al Wilson ("Show & Tell") was born in 1939.
History:
The Harmonicats go to #1 in 1947 with "Peggy O' My Heart."
In 1958, Buddy Holly recorded his first tracks without the Crickets.
In 1976, Eddy Arnold entered the country chart with his single "Cowboy." It was his 100th hit.
Pat Boone went to #1 on the US singles chart in 1961 with “Moody River.”
Nat "King" Cole recorded his future #2 hit "Ramblin' Rose” in 1962.
The Rolling Stones scored their first #1 on the American charts in 1965 with "Satisfaction.”
In 1971, almost exactly a year to the day after the appearance of “Gasoline Alley,” Rod Stewart released his self-produced masterpiece, “Every Picture Tells a Story.” It topped the Billboard album chart for four weeks.
David Geffen made his first signing to Geffen Records in 1980 and it was disco queen Donna Summer.
During an interview with Life Magazine in 1967, Paul McCartney admitted that he had taken the drug LSD. Groovey, man, groovey...
Asia’s self-titled debut album topped the LP charts in 1982.
Today in 1965 the song "I Can't Help Myself (Sugar Pie Honey Bunch)" by the Four Tops topped the charts and stayed there for 2 weeks.
Carole King started a five week run at #1 on the US singles chart in 1971 with “It's Too Late,” from her “Tapestry” album.
In 1977, six men wielding knives and iron bars outside Shepherd's Bush underground station beat up Paul Cook from The Sex Pistols. Cook required 15 stitches to a head wound.
In 1991, the Allman Brothers Band released “Shades of Two Worlds,” one of the strongest albums of their career.
In 2003, the opening date of the Lollapalooza tour - featuring Audioslave and Queens of the Stone Age - was cancelled because organizers say Jane's Addiction's stage wouldn’t fit the Ionia County Fairgrounds venue in Michigan.
The White Stripes released their sixth album, "Icky Thump" in 2007. Frontman Jack White says his decision to record the album on vintage reel-to-reel equipment was a stylistic choice. "In the technological age, everyone wants to find out what the newest toy is," says White. "That attitude doesn’t really coincide with what sounds the best."
“Agents of Fortune,” one of Blue Oyster Cult’s best albums, was released in 1976. The LP contains the darkly majestic “Don’t Fear The Reaper.”
Thursday, June 18, 2009
Online Vinyl Record Sales - A New Business Model
Written By Robert Benson
The music industry is an ever changing business entity. Slowly, CDs are disappearing as the format of choice and the sales leader of retail music. However, there is an old and friendly favorite emerging for millions of music lovers and competing for that almighty music dollar. Vinyl records are back, as the youth of today are finding the listening experience is greatly enriched when utilizing this historic music medium.
In fact, the resurgent vinyl record market shows no signs of a slowdown. Nielsen SoundScan has released estimated figures that indicate that sales of vinyl in the US are up 50% through the first five months of 2009. The counting giant also predicts that vinyl record sales will reach over 2.7 million units sold in 2009; up from 1.9 million units in 2008.
To be fair, these numbers are somewhat underestimated because of the sale of used vinyl in our ever shrinking record stores. Additionally, they don’t count some of the independent record stores where vinyl sells the best. However, there is a new vinyl model emerging, places where millions do their ‘vinyl shopping,’ the online record store. Although shopping online can never replace the experience of visiting your local record store, vinyl consumers can visit hundreds of online record sellers and find records that may not be offered at their local store, such as rare imports, picture discs, boxed sets or obscure releases from other countries. There are websites that cater to strictly jazz, some that offer classic rock or psychedelic music, rap or R&B, and some that deal with 45rpm records; why they still sell 78 rpm records for those who are in need of this rustic medium. There are some that specialize in audiophile vinyl, rare and out-of-print records as well. But most online vinyl retailers offer an eclectic array of music to choose from and millions of music lovers are now satisfying their musical palette and finding the online record website to suit their needs.
Let’s explore this phenomenon in greater detail with the owner of www.recordsontheweb.com, Laura Miller, who started in the music business as a DJ at KVMR, a community radio station in Nevada City, California; so she has a keen understanding and love for the format.
“I felt compelled to open a record store and as a vinyl enthusiast wanted to help people find reasonable vinyl records at a reasonable price,” explained Laura.
She started in the business of selling vinyl records in 1988 near Sacramento, California, running a retail store named “In The Groove Records.” After operating the ‘brick and mortar’ store for more than nine years, she sold her business and has been supplying fine vinyl records online with her web site and as an ebay ‘Power Seller.’
However one of the obstacles of the business is actually finding records to sell, Laura is always looking for collections.
“I buy collections from individuals and estates,” explains Laura. “Three years ago I bought an incredible large collection (6,000 records) from a music critic. Finding collections is the most challenging part of my business. I am always looking for large collections of vinyl records (LPs and 45s) and music memorabilia, especially from people who have been in the music business; music critics, former record company folks or broadcasters. I am mainly interested in 1950’s & 1960’s jazz, blues, rock, soul and country and will travel for large collections. I also offer finder’s fees for tips that lead to the purchase of large collections.”
Laura also explained some of the advantages & disadvantages of selling online.
“The advantage of selling on line is that I can receive orders 24 hours a day and I have an international clientele. A record store has limited hours, it has to be staffed and it has a limited geographical reach. One of the disadvantages of selling online is shipping records by media mail within the United States. The post office claims that it takes 4-14 days to ship by media mail, but it can take up to three weeks or longer. Most people don’t realize how long it takes, and we do get occasional e-mails from angry customers asking where is my order?”
Tell us more about your online business.
“We carry multiple genres of music including jazz, rock, blues, country, and soul and have over 10,000 records in stock. I would say that the jazz and rock LPs are our bestsellers. We grade conservatively according to the Goldmine Magazine Standards and the highest grade we give a record would be near mint (NM),” explained Laura. “As an ebay power seller (seller name is littlelam), I am very careful about grading records.”
There are literally hundreds of vinyl retailers online who carry on this tradition of offering quality used vinyl at reasonable prices. Record buyers must weed out the best and worst and the great aspect of this retailing method is that it is quite easy to find an online vendor that suits your needs. Now, if they can only be counted….
Copyright 2009 ~ Robert Benson
For the record: Can vinyl make a comeback
written by Diane Turbyfill
Music swims through the airwaves and zips into computers and compact disc, but some people just can't stop loving vinyl.
"It will still have a small audience who thinks that vinyl sounds better. It's nostalgia," said Anthony Michaels.
A Dallas resident, Michaels is assistant program director at WLNK 107.9 and a former record representative for Atlantic Records.
Many vinyl lovers say you can't beat the sound emitted when the needle glides over a record. Michaels begs to differ.
"It's always depended on the system that you have," said Michaels. "People love the warm sound of vinyl, which I've never understood."
All the rage for decades, vinyl records were replaced by cassette tapes, followed by CDs, then by digital downloads. But don't count out the big black LPs yet. More people purchased vinyl records in 2008 than they have in almost 20 years, according to the Recording Industry Association of America.
The number of record sales doesn't compete with digital downloads but it is on the rise.
"Vinyl continued to stage a comeback as the format more than doubled year-over-year to $57 million, the highest level since 1990," Joshua Friedlander wrote in a release about 2008 shipment statistics.
Vice president of the recording association, Friedlander credits devout fans, new releases and catalogue material with the resurgence.
A sparse selection of new releases and compellations are sold at Best Buy on Franklin Boulevard. The latest Ben Folds and Coldplay records sit on shelves above CDs next to collections from Queen, Elton John and Bruce Springsteen. Prices range from $29.99 to $129.99.
Pearl Jam also still puts out music on vinyl, according to Michaels.
"It's all up to the bands if they want to release it," said Michaels. "Record companies aren't pushing them to put it on vinyl. They just want to get it digital and put it online."
Some artists include vouchers for free digital downloads inside new vinyl records.
Vinyl at Eddie's Place on Garrison Boulevard has a more eclectic flavor. Open for more than a month, the store buys and sells albums.
"I was wondering how vinyl would do, and it's doing quite well," said store owner Eddie Patterson.
Patterson's selection includes Neil Diamond, the Monkees, the Beatles and Elvis. Prices range from $1.99 to $150.
Most large retail stores are not devoting too much space to the resurrected vinyl records, Michaels said.
"They're giving like 10 square feet to vinyl now," he said.
But even vinyl-lovers can click their way to getting their fix.
Amazon.com offers a special vinyl-only section with hundreds of items on sale and a list of those on the horizon.
Michaels doesn't aim to be a naysayer but believes vinyl isn't strong enough to stage a full comeback.
"There will still be people that buy vinyl, but it'll never be as big as it was," he said.
You can reach Diane Turbyfill at 704-869-1817.
More people purchased vinyl records in 2008 than they have in almost 20 years, according to the Recording Industry Association of America.
Progression of LP/EP sales in millions
•1998 $34
•1999 $31.8
•2000 $27.7
•2001 $27.4
•2002 $20.5
•2003 $21.7
•2004 $19.3
•2005 $14.2
•2006 $15.7
•2007 $22.9
•2008 $46.2
•2009 $56.7
Numbers indicate dollar values using shipment statistics from the Recording Industry Association of America.
More people purchased vinyl records in 2008 than they have in almost 20 years, according to the Recording Industry Association of America.
SOURCE: http://www.gastongazette.com
Reprinted By Permission
Those Oldies But Goodies...
by Steve Propes | Hometown Music
While in college, Long Beach State to be specific, I continued to collect 45rpm rock and roll records unabated. Every Independence and New Year’s Day, local Thrifty Drugstores would set up racks full of out-of-print 45s… ten for a dollar. I’d get the address of every store in Long Beach and visit each one, buy what looked interesting and wait for the next sale.
What I didn’t know was while I was blanketing the Long Beach Thrifty Drugstores, a Torrance record store clerk named Bob Hite and his buddy Claude McKee were doing the same thing in their town. But they went one further. They located the distributor’s name on the record rack and contacted the source, getting in the warehouse and buying the records before they were shipped.
I later learned this when I met Hite – better known as leader of the blues-rock band Canned Heat, which got a giant kick-start at Woodstock – and McKee at the record swap in West L.A., the predecessor to the famed Capitol Tower record meet in Hollywood.
Hite had a major collection of pre-war blues 78s and McKee also acquired these super-rarities. But Hite liked 45s too. When his label, Liberty, picked up the historic Imperial and Aladdin labels, he went through the vaults and carted off everything he could, creating the Legendary Masters reissue series in the process. Another man with major collector chops, Barry Hansen, later known as Dr. Demento, also showed up at these record shows every month.
While Canned Heat toured, members Hite and guitar player Henry Vestine would aggressively seek out rare blues and country 78s at out of the way locales. Sadly, several members of the band got heavily into drugs. Lead singer Al Wilson died early of an overdose and Hite’s collection went to the winds – or equally aggressive record collectors (same thing) – in his search for the next high. It wasn’t unusual to get midnight phone calls – “Meet me at the alley behind Hamburger Henry’s, I’ve got records, I need cash.” Tempting, but I never went. Others did.
And other collectors were heavily into drugs, but maybe in the 70s and 80s, that was the way to be. Most are dead now.
I had a job, which required me to be in the field where, during dull moments, I could constantly scour thrift and used shops from Compton to Lynwood, from Carson to Orange County to grab all the vinyl I could find.
In Compton, I met Gary Peterson, a friend to this day. He was standing in the back room of the St. Vincent de Paul Thrift Shop sifting through used 45s. His secret was the product he sold on his route: Bowie Pies. What thrift store clerk is going to refuse delicious pies – his only request, let me be the first to see the 45s. I only had my winning personality, but in both cases, we each had our ins.
In the very early 1970s, I’d visit the library to find books on phonograph records from which I could glean information about the records I loved so much. Should I have been surprised to learn most of the books on records were about classical, opera and if I was lucky, jazz? Nothing serious had been published on the field of rock & roll – rhythm & blues record collecting. My fruitless search for collecting literature provided me a simple idea. If there’s no book out there on the subject, why not write it? Stupid idea; so I plowed ahead.
After submitting a manuscript to the L.A. Times magazine called "New West" – they almost bought it, but they went under before they could – I sold the manuscript to Macmillan. It was titled “Those Oldies But Goodies” and got a good review in Rolling Stone. The timing was impeccable. Old rock and roll was experiencing a big rebound in 1972, the year KRTH-FM debuted and Dr. Demento was more popular than ever. The release of “American Graffiti” in 1973 just amped up the scene.
The good news was “Those Oldies But Goodies” sold about 20,000 copies…the bad news was the low, low cover price… low price, low royalties. My editor left Macmillan and I wound up where he wound up, at Chilton, which was the perfect publisher for car repair manuals, not so great for books on record collecting, so my two follow-up works didn’t sell nearly as well as the first.
“Those Oldies But Goodies” revealed that old 45s could be worth a lot, but very compared to today’s prices. $100 was a lot. Some collectors didn’t like me publishing their secret information. Once, a dealer who sold out of a house built on the back of a pick-up truck was in the same line I was at a record show and pointed to me – “There’s the guy who wrote the book!” he exploded. “Get him!” Well, maybe it was a little less harsh, but it seemed doom-provoking to me. He’s now in Austin, Texas, and I’m still here.
In 1973, a Press-Telegram reporter named Denise Kusel heard about my activities from the first book I had published, so she contacted me about doing an article on record collecting. It appeared in papers all over America and I got many calls about collections for sale, many of which I bought. Which is all prelude to me contacting the new management at KLON and changing my life forever.
About Hometown Music
A graduate of Wilson High (1960) and CSULB (1965), Steve Propes has been collecting records for many decades; was the KLON R&B DJ from 1981 to 1990 (with a short return in '93); has interviewed hundreds of singers, players, DJs and label owners; hosted Steve Propes Rock & Roll House Party on Charter Cable; founding member of the So. Cal Doo Wop Society; author of seven published books on R&R history and hosts the Steve Propes 45s Show is heard live on www.wpmd.org on Saturdays from 9 to 11 a.m. and on www.rockitradio.net, playing from his collection of over 35,000 45s, about 1,000 CDs and hours on interviews on tape.
Since 2000, Steve has reported for and written a police column for the Beachcomber and contributed to various music publications like Record Collector News, which can be found at record stores and record meets.
SOURCE: http://www.lbpost.com/steve/5805
While in college, Long Beach State to be specific, I continued to collect 45rpm rock and roll records unabated. Every Independence and New Year’s Day, local Thrifty Drugstores would set up racks full of out-of-print 45s… ten for a dollar. I’d get the address of every store in Long Beach and visit each one, buy what looked interesting and wait for the next sale.
What I didn’t know was while I was blanketing the Long Beach Thrifty Drugstores, a Torrance record store clerk named Bob Hite and his buddy Claude McKee were doing the same thing in their town. But they went one further. They located the distributor’s name on the record rack and contacted the source, getting in the warehouse and buying the records before they were shipped.
I later learned this when I met Hite – better known as leader of the blues-rock band Canned Heat, which got a giant kick-start at Woodstock – and McKee at the record swap in West L.A., the predecessor to the famed Capitol Tower record meet in Hollywood.
Hite had a major collection of pre-war blues 78s and McKee also acquired these super-rarities. But Hite liked 45s too. When his label, Liberty, picked up the historic Imperial and Aladdin labels, he went through the vaults and carted off everything he could, creating the Legendary Masters reissue series in the process. Another man with major collector chops, Barry Hansen, later known as Dr. Demento, also showed up at these record shows every month.
While Canned Heat toured, members Hite and guitar player Henry Vestine would aggressively seek out rare blues and country 78s at out of the way locales. Sadly, several members of the band got heavily into drugs. Lead singer Al Wilson died early of an overdose and Hite’s collection went to the winds – or equally aggressive record collectors (same thing) – in his search for the next high. It wasn’t unusual to get midnight phone calls – “Meet me at the alley behind Hamburger Henry’s, I’ve got records, I need cash.” Tempting, but I never went. Others did.
And other collectors were heavily into drugs, but maybe in the 70s and 80s, that was the way to be. Most are dead now.
I had a job, which required me to be in the field where, during dull moments, I could constantly scour thrift and used shops from Compton to Lynwood, from Carson to Orange County to grab all the vinyl I could find.
In Compton, I met Gary Peterson, a friend to this day. He was standing in the back room of the St. Vincent de Paul Thrift Shop sifting through used 45s. His secret was the product he sold on his route: Bowie Pies. What thrift store clerk is going to refuse delicious pies – his only request, let me be the first to see the 45s. I only had my winning personality, but in both cases, we each had our ins.
In the very early 1970s, I’d visit the library to find books on phonograph records from which I could glean information about the records I loved so much. Should I have been surprised to learn most of the books on records were about classical, opera and if I was lucky, jazz? Nothing serious had been published on the field of rock & roll – rhythm & blues record collecting. My fruitless search for collecting literature provided me a simple idea. If there’s no book out there on the subject, why not write it? Stupid idea; so I plowed ahead.
After submitting a manuscript to the L.A. Times magazine called "New West" – they almost bought it, but they went under before they could – I sold the manuscript to Macmillan. It was titled “Those Oldies But Goodies” and got a good review in Rolling Stone. The timing was impeccable. Old rock and roll was experiencing a big rebound in 1972, the year KRTH-FM debuted and Dr. Demento was more popular than ever. The release of “American Graffiti” in 1973 just amped up the scene.
The good news was “Those Oldies But Goodies” sold about 20,000 copies…the bad news was the low, low cover price… low price, low royalties. My editor left Macmillan and I wound up where he wound up, at Chilton, which was the perfect publisher for car repair manuals, not so great for books on record collecting, so my two follow-up works didn’t sell nearly as well as the first.
“Those Oldies But Goodies” revealed that old 45s could be worth a lot, but very compared to today’s prices. $100 was a lot. Some collectors didn’t like me publishing their secret information. Once, a dealer who sold out of a house built on the back of a pick-up truck was in the same line I was at a record show and pointed to me – “There’s the guy who wrote the book!” he exploded. “Get him!” Well, maybe it was a little less harsh, but it seemed doom-provoking to me. He’s now in Austin, Texas, and I’m still here.
In 1973, a Press-Telegram reporter named Denise Kusel heard about my activities from the first book I had published, so she contacted me about doing an article on record collecting. It appeared in papers all over America and I got many calls about collections for sale, many of which I bought. Which is all prelude to me contacting the new management at KLON and changing my life forever.
About Hometown Music
A graduate of Wilson High (1960) and CSULB (1965), Steve Propes has been collecting records for many decades; was the KLON R&B DJ from 1981 to 1990 (with a short return in '93); has interviewed hundreds of singers, players, DJs and label owners; hosted Steve Propes Rock & Roll House Party on Charter Cable; founding member of the So. Cal Doo Wop Society; author of seven published books on R&R history and hosts the Steve Propes 45s Show is heard live on www.wpmd.org on Saturdays from 9 to 11 a.m. and on www.rockitradio.net, playing from his collection of over 35,000 45s, about 1,000 CDs and hours on interviews on tape.
Since 2000, Steve has reported for and written a police column for the Beachcomber and contributed to various music publications like Record Collector News, which can be found at record stores and record meets.
SOURCE: http://www.lbpost.com/steve/5805
Vinyl Art Auction For Charity
Received this from my vinyl friend, artist Daniel Edlen, whose one-of-a-kind vinyl paintings are the buzz of the art and vinyl worlds. Stop by and bid this up and get a fantastic piece of art as well!
To Those Like-minded,
A brief note about a piece I donated to charity.
I gave a Johnny Cash to Musicians On Call, a group that provides live and recorded music to people who can't go see music themselves, but need it. Hospital patients, homebound individuals...
The auction is being run by Country Music Television (CMT), a subsidiary of MTV, in connection with the Country Music Awards that happened a couple days ago. Here is the link to the auction page:
http://tinyurl.com/lqmjvj
There are less than 4 days remaining for the auction. Two bids have been placed and it stands at $55 (plus around $30 for shipping/handling on their end). All proceeds will go to the charity. They do add on 10% to go to the auction partner, but your final bid amount goes to Musician On Call.
Here's my original post about the piece, with a better photo:
http://tinyurl.com/qxs9e3
Please take a look and if you're at all interested in owning a special piece of Vinyl Art that'll bring a smile to your face when you look at it and tell friends how you got it, BID!!
Peace,
Daniel Edlen
Music News & Notes
Eddie Van Halen Sues Nike
Eddie Van Halen is suing Nike over the color design on their "Dunk Low" sneakers. The new design is black with a red bottom side trim and black and white crisscrosses that Van Halen says is way to close to his signature Frankenstrat guitar. As a matter of fact, Eddie was so invested in that color scheme that he had it copyrighted back in 2001.
The suit is looking for money along with the "impoundment and destruction of all footwear.” It might also have something to do with the fact that Van Halen released his own sneakers with the Frankenstrat color scheme just last month through his EVH Shoes.
Good luck, Eddie, hope you make 'em pay!
=========================
Uncle Kraker releases new album
Closing a 5 year gap between albums, Uncle Kracker will be releasing his latest album called "Happy Hour" on 15 September 2009.
Uncle Kraker who's real name is Matt Shafer told Billboard.com, "It's a pop-rocked record, still with a little country (and) soul fused through it. There's more uptempo than there is on my last three records. I'm pretty stoked about it."
The first single from the album is called "Smile" and is streaming on Kraker's website at http//:www.unclekracker.com
=========================
Jay & the Americans Tribute
Collector's Choice Music is assembling a complete catalog of singles from a veteran 60's artist with their new Jay & the Americans: The Complete United Artist Singles. Release is scheduled for July 21.
Jay & the Americans first formed when Jay Traynor left the Mystics (Hushabye) and joined up with Kenny Rosenberg (later known Kenny Vance), Howie Kerschenbaum (Howie Kane) and Sandy Deane. A demo caught the ear of Jerry Leiber & Mike Stoller who took them to United Artists where they would stay all the way into the mid-70's.
Their first single, a cover of Tonight from West Side Story, was only a New York City area hit. Their second release, Dawning, was also a national flop until it was turned over and the B-Side, She Cried, started to pickup airplay, eventually making it to number five.
The next few releases did not do well and Traynor left the group over creative differences. His replacement, David Blatt (who changed his name to Jay Black) and Marty Kuppersmith (Marty Sanders) were brought on board in early 1963 and, after a couple more flops, the group released Only in America, a moderate hit that reached number 25 and started the new group on a run that included eight more top 40 hits before the end of the decade.
The new album includes a whopping 68 tracks, both A and B sides, with all the hits and a number of obscurities. They are all in their original mono mixes and were all remastered from the original single master tapes. Ed Osborne produced and annotated the set, and got quotes from Americans Sandy Deanne, Marty Sanders and Kenny Vance. Single sleeves and photos round out the booklet.
=========================
New George Harrison Tracks
On the heels of the new George Harrison LP, Olivia Harrison said that she would like to do something with a number of unfinished tracks left behind by her husband George when he passed away in 2001. She even went as far as to say "There are lots of tracks. Some are closer to completion than others and with those I'd ask for help."
Jeff Lynne may be coming to the rescue. A source says that Harrison's Traveling Wilburys partner will review the tracks and produce at least an album's worth. "George half-finished loads of songs and often just forgot about them. There is probably an album's worth of material.
"Jeff and George were very close and worked together a lot in the later period of George's life. He's the right man to work on the material."
Harrison's son Dhani will also be involved with the album. Lynne previously produced the Beatles "Free As A Bird" from their 1995 Anthology album.
=========================
Julian Lennon Launches Tribute To His Dad
Julian Lennon - son of Beatle John Lennon - has launched a new exhibition in Liverpool that explores in tangible form for the first time the story of their lives together.
As he performed the official opening with his mother Cynthia, Julian revealed that touring the display galleries had unlocked lost memories and saw family photos he had never before encountered.
And Julian - immortalised in the song "Hey Jude" spoke about his gratitude to its author Paul McCartney for the love he had shown to him in his childhood.
Julian, 46, told how his mother reminded him that the Hey Jude lyrics were written for him.
Julian said: "I had been told when I was a kid but I'd forgotten.
"It was not until my early teens that I was reminded 'Hey Jude' was about me.
"I can't say it directly helped with any reconciliation but what it did mean to me was that there were other people on the fringe of our life that had a great deal of love, not only for myself but for mum too.
"To this I still have to appreciate and thank Paul for his love and care. It was a very, very kind gesture and one it seems that will never be forgotten."
Cynthia Lennon, 69, added: "We experienced what we experienced and we were in the public eye all the time. But Julian and I have always had these feeling of brotherhood - strange though that seem for mother and son."
Asked whether he had completely left behind feelings of rage against being deserted by his father Julian said:"It has definitely changed without a doubt.
"I realise myself that hate wastes a lot of time and energy and I would rather re-direct any energy that I have to good and positive use.
"It's a connection. It's a blood line. It's a love line - you can't just ignore that.
"The idea is to work through all those issues and problems. I feel that we have reached that level at this point. It is part and parcel of what we are trying to do with White Feather.
"It's to show that we still love the man - and the Beatles - and what we have all been through has been a tough few decades but we have come out the other side feeling strong.
"Hopefully we are educating and giving fans a slightly different aspect on how dad's life was with us in his earlier years, on his way to fame and obviously becoming famous."
Centerpiece of the exhibition are the pencil-scribbled original notes for the lyrics of "Hey Jude".
The 1968 Beatles chart-topper was composed by McCartney in a car as he headed to a meeting with Cynthia and Julian at their home. Originally titled ‘Hey Jules’ McCartney later changed the words to ‘Hey Jude’.
Julian bought the notes for £25,000 at auction in 1996 and has purchased many of the other items in the exhibition.
Other possessions on display include Julian’s Honda mini ‘monkey bike’ given to him by his father, and an electric guitar inscribed with the message “To Julian from Daddy, Christmas 1973’.
White Feather: The Spirit of Lennon runs from 17th June - 31st December at the new Mersey Ferries Terminal building at the Pier Head, Liverpool.
The title "White Feather" is a reference to a memorable conversation between father and son in which John told Julian that if he died and passed into an after-life he would send him a white feather signal.
Julian explains: ''One of the things my father said to me was that should he pass away, if there was some way of letting me know he was going to be ok, or that we were all going to be ok, it was by in some way, shape or form presenting me with a white feather.'
"About eleven years ago I was on tour in Australia and I was approached by an aboriginal tribe who gave me a white feather and asked me to help them - which I was taken aback by."
He told how he went on to make a TV documentary about the tribe and in the process decided to set-up the White Feather Foundation which had aided aboriginals and other struggling people directly and by supporting other charities.
Asked whether the white feather was a message he said: "That's difficult to say - but what it did do for me was to motivate me to do something positive and for me that is the most important thing."
Eddie Van Halen is suing Nike over the color design on their "Dunk Low" sneakers. The new design is black with a red bottom side trim and black and white crisscrosses that Van Halen says is way to close to his signature Frankenstrat guitar. As a matter of fact, Eddie was so invested in that color scheme that he had it copyrighted back in 2001.
The suit is looking for money along with the "impoundment and destruction of all footwear.” It might also have something to do with the fact that Van Halen released his own sneakers with the Frankenstrat color scheme just last month through his EVH Shoes.
Good luck, Eddie, hope you make 'em pay!
=========================
Uncle Kraker releases new album
Closing a 5 year gap between albums, Uncle Kracker will be releasing his latest album called "Happy Hour" on 15 September 2009.
Uncle Kraker who's real name is Matt Shafer told Billboard.com, "It's a pop-rocked record, still with a little country (and) soul fused through it. There's more uptempo than there is on my last three records. I'm pretty stoked about it."
The first single from the album is called "Smile" and is streaming on Kraker's website at http//:www.unclekracker.com
=========================
Jay & the Americans Tribute
Collector's Choice Music is assembling a complete catalog of singles from a veteran 60's artist with their new Jay & the Americans: The Complete United Artist Singles. Release is scheduled for July 21.
Jay & the Americans first formed when Jay Traynor left the Mystics (Hushabye) and joined up with Kenny Rosenberg (later known Kenny Vance), Howie Kerschenbaum (Howie Kane) and Sandy Deane. A demo caught the ear of Jerry Leiber & Mike Stoller who took them to United Artists where they would stay all the way into the mid-70's.
Their first single, a cover of Tonight from West Side Story, was only a New York City area hit. Their second release, Dawning, was also a national flop until it was turned over and the B-Side, She Cried, started to pickup airplay, eventually making it to number five.
The next few releases did not do well and Traynor left the group over creative differences. His replacement, David Blatt (who changed his name to Jay Black) and Marty Kuppersmith (Marty Sanders) were brought on board in early 1963 and, after a couple more flops, the group released Only in America, a moderate hit that reached number 25 and started the new group on a run that included eight more top 40 hits before the end of the decade.
The new album includes a whopping 68 tracks, both A and B sides, with all the hits and a number of obscurities. They are all in their original mono mixes and were all remastered from the original single master tapes. Ed Osborne produced and annotated the set, and got quotes from Americans Sandy Deanne, Marty Sanders and Kenny Vance. Single sleeves and photos round out the booklet.
=========================
New George Harrison Tracks
On the heels of the new George Harrison LP, Olivia Harrison said that she would like to do something with a number of unfinished tracks left behind by her husband George when he passed away in 2001. She even went as far as to say "There are lots of tracks. Some are closer to completion than others and with those I'd ask for help."
Jeff Lynne may be coming to the rescue. A source says that Harrison's Traveling Wilburys partner will review the tracks and produce at least an album's worth. "George half-finished loads of songs and often just forgot about them. There is probably an album's worth of material.
"Jeff and George were very close and worked together a lot in the later period of George's life. He's the right man to work on the material."
Harrison's son Dhani will also be involved with the album. Lynne previously produced the Beatles "Free As A Bird" from their 1995 Anthology album.
=========================
Julian Lennon Launches Tribute To His Dad
Julian Lennon - son of Beatle John Lennon - has launched a new exhibition in Liverpool that explores in tangible form for the first time the story of their lives together.
As he performed the official opening with his mother Cynthia, Julian revealed that touring the display galleries had unlocked lost memories and saw family photos he had never before encountered.
And Julian - immortalised in the song "Hey Jude" spoke about his gratitude to its author Paul McCartney for the love he had shown to him in his childhood.
Julian, 46, told how his mother reminded him that the Hey Jude lyrics were written for him.
Julian said: "I had been told when I was a kid but I'd forgotten.
"It was not until my early teens that I was reminded 'Hey Jude' was about me.
"I can't say it directly helped with any reconciliation but what it did mean to me was that there were other people on the fringe of our life that had a great deal of love, not only for myself but for mum too.
"To this I still have to appreciate and thank Paul for his love and care. It was a very, very kind gesture and one it seems that will never be forgotten."
Cynthia Lennon, 69, added: "We experienced what we experienced and we were in the public eye all the time. But Julian and I have always had these feeling of brotherhood - strange though that seem for mother and son."
Asked whether he had completely left behind feelings of rage against being deserted by his father Julian said:"It has definitely changed without a doubt.
"I realise myself that hate wastes a lot of time and energy and I would rather re-direct any energy that I have to good and positive use.
"It's a connection. It's a blood line. It's a love line - you can't just ignore that.
"The idea is to work through all those issues and problems. I feel that we have reached that level at this point. It is part and parcel of what we are trying to do with White Feather.
"It's to show that we still love the man - and the Beatles - and what we have all been through has been a tough few decades but we have come out the other side feeling strong.
"Hopefully we are educating and giving fans a slightly different aspect on how dad's life was with us in his earlier years, on his way to fame and obviously becoming famous."
Centerpiece of the exhibition are the pencil-scribbled original notes for the lyrics of "Hey Jude".
The 1968 Beatles chart-topper was composed by McCartney in a car as he headed to a meeting with Cynthia and Julian at their home. Originally titled ‘Hey Jules’ McCartney later changed the words to ‘Hey Jude’.
Julian bought the notes for £25,000 at auction in 1996 and has purchased many of the other items in the exhibition.
Other possessions on display include Julian’s Honda mini ‘monkey bike’ given to him by his father, and an electric guitar inscribed with the message “To Julian from Daddy, Christmas 1973’.
White Feather: The Spirit of Lennon runs from 17th June - 31st December at the new Mersey Ferries Terminal building at the Pier Head, Liverpool.
The title "White Feather" is a reference to a memorable conversation between father and son in which John told Julian that if he died and passed into an after-life he would send him a white feather signal.
Julian explains: ''One of the things my father said to me was that should he pass away, if there was some way of letting me know he was going to be ok, or that we were all going to be ok, it was by in some way, shape or form presenting me with a white feather.'
"About eleven years ago I was on tour in Australia and I was approached by an aboriginal tribe who gave me a white feather and asked me to help them - which I was taken aback by."
He told how he went on to make a TV documentary about the tribe and in the process decided to set-up the White Feather Foundation which had aided aboriginals and other struggling people directly and by supporting other charities.
Asked whether the white feather was a message he said: "That's difficult to say - but what it did do for me was to motivate me to do something positive and for me that is the most important thing."
Wednesday, June 17, 2009
Ventures’ Bob Bogle Passes Away
written by Robert Benson
The Ventures' lead guitarist, the innovative and influential Bob Bogle, passed away on June 14, 2009 in Vancouver, Washington at the age of 75. He had suffered from non-Hodgkin lymphoma for a number of years which made him too ill to perform with the band, but he fought off the illness long enough to see the band be inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 2008.
A statement on the group’s website read:
“It is with profound sadness and grief that we must inform Ventures' fans all over the world that Bob Bogle passed away on Sunday, June 14. Our thoughts and prayers are with Bob's family at this terrible time, especially his beloved wife, Yumi, who has been the light of his life for so many years. The Ventures' members are completely devastated, and share the pain of this loss with all our friends and fans. As more information becomes available, it will be posted here, and we hope to set up a section on this site for messages from those who wish to post them.”
“The music world has lost a true original and an innovator - may all our wonderful memories console us.”
The Ventures were formed in 1958 in Tacoma, Washington by Don Wilson and Bob Bogle and their instrumental guitar work has had a profound effect on the development of rock and roll music. Their unique and distinctive sound helped popularize instrumental rock on Top-40 radio in the early sixties and were often referred to as “the band that launched a thousand bands.”
Over thirty major artists have identified The Ventures as an influence, including George Harrison who stated in a Guitar Player interview that The Beatles preferred the American guitar sound of The Ventures to British contemporaries. When asked to name the most influential rock guitar solos, Joe Walsh (James Gang and the Eagles) stated that he would have to include the entire song "Walk Don't Run" because it changed so many guitar players' lives. Stephen Stills once told Ventures guitarist Don Wilson that he learned to play guitar by listening to Ventures’ records. Eddie Van Halen told Rolling Stone that the Ventures’ “Pipeline” was among the first songs he learned how to play on the guitar. Jeff Baxter (Steely Dan and the Doobie Brothers) and Gene Simmons (Kiss) were early members of the Ventures Fan Club. Others identifying the Ventures as an influence include Terry Kath (Chicago), Carl Wilson (The Beach Boys), Jeff Cook (Alabama), Ricky Wilson (The B-52's), Roger Fisher (Heart), Keith Moon (The Who), Alan White (Yes), and Roger Glover of Deep Purple fame.
The Ventures secured their first hit record in 1962 with a remake of a song written by Chet Atkins, a powerful instrumental cut called “Walk, Don’t Run,” which peaked at #2 in the US. This song had become one of the most influential songs in rock and roll history.
"That song started a whole new movement in Rock 'n' Roll. The sound of it became 'surf music' and the audacity of it empowered guitarists everywhere," said Creedence Clearwater Revival's John Fogerty, as he inducted the Ventures into the rock hall of fame last year. "Every guitar player on this planet knows what I'm talking about. It's enough to say, the Ventures are the most popular instrumental band of all time."
The Ventures released a number of instructional LPs called "Play Guitar with The Ventures" and "Play Electric Bass with The Ventures." A total of four albums were released in this series, the first of which reached the Billboard Top 100 Album Chart—an achievement previously unheard of for an instructional album. The Ventures were also the first act to place two different versions of the same song in the Top 10, those being "Walk Don't Run" (#2) and "Walk Don't Run '64" (#8).
The band pioneered the use of special effects on such songs as "2000 Pound Bee,” which was recorded in late 1962. Lead guitarist Nokie Edwards employed a fuzz distortion pedal and this unique effect predated the 1963 hit "Zipadee-Do-Dah" by Bob B. Soxx, which featured a 'fuzz' guitar instrumental break. Edwards was also among the first to use the twelve string guitar in rock. The Ventures’ ”In Space” album (1964) was a primer in the use of special guitar effects and made pioneering use of 'reverse-tracking,’ a technique that was utilized by The Beatles in the later 1960s. The Ventures were among the first rock acts able to sell albums based on a specific style and sound without the need of any hit singles from their albums. They are also credited by The All Music Guide To Rock with the early formulation of the concept album. Additionally, the Encyclopedia Britannica states that The Ventures "served as a prototype for guitar-based rock groups.” The group charted 38 albums between 1960 and 1972 en route to more than 110 million records sold worldwide.
“Boy, I tell you, he’s the brother I never had,” said Don Wilson. “And he is much more than any brother could be. He and I were partners for, like, 52 years. And to tell you the honest truth, we had never, ever had an argument in all that time — never.”
Even though Bogle eventually moved to the bass for the Ventures, it was his classic work as the band’s lead guitarist for which he is most remembered.
“If you listen to “Walk, Don’t Run” and “Perfidia,” the lead guitar is just totally unique,” Wilson said. “He used that vibrato bar — they call it a whammy bar — and he used it like nobody else. I can't think of a better contribution for instrumental music on his style than “Walk, Don't Run.” A lot of good would-be guitar players and garage bands would go out and buy guitars just to learn that song."
"He had a special sound that nobody could ever re-create. He was totally unique as a guitar player," Wilson told CNN Radio.
To really appreciate what Bob Bogle did for music history, all one has to do is listen to his innovative instrumental guitar mastery, his music were his words. It is truly a sad day in rock history and Bogle will be missed by millions.
Major hits by the Ventures:
•Walk Don't Run (1960/#2 Pop/#13 R&B)
•Perfidia (1960/#15 Pop)
•Walk Don't Run '64 (1964/#8 Pop)
•Hawaii Five-O (1969/#4 Pop)
•Superstar Revue (1975/#3 Disco/#12 Club Play)
•Temptation, Temptation/Sunrise Serenade (1976/#9 Club Play)
Major Albums by the Ventures (all chart positions are on the Pop chart):
•Walk Don't Run (1961/#11)
•Twist With the Ventures (1962/#24)
•The Ventures Play Telstar, The Lonely Bull (1963/#8)
•Walk Don't Run Volume 2 (1964/#17)
•The Ventures a Go-Go (1965/#16)
•The Ventures Christmas Album (1965/#9)
•Hawaii Five-O (1969/#11)
The Ventures' lead guitarist, the innovative and influential Bob Bogle, passed away on June 14, 2009 in Vancouver, Washington at the age of 75. He had suffered from non-Hodgkin lymphoma for a number of years which made him too ill to perform with the band, but he fought off the illness long enough to see the band be inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 2008.
A statement on the group’s website read:
“It is with profound sadness and grief that we must inform Ventures' fans all over the world that Bob Bogle passed away on Sunday, June 14. Our thoughts and prayers are with Bob's family at this terrible time, especially his beloved wife, Yumi, who has been the light of his life for so many years. The Ventures' members are completely devastated, and share the pain of this loss with all our friends and fans. As more information becomes available, it will be posted here, and we hope to set up a section on this site for messages from those who wish to post them.”
“The music world has lost a true original and an innovator - may all our wonderful memories console us.”
The Ventures were formed in 1958 in Tacoma, Washington by Don Wilson and Bob Bogle and their instrumental guitar work has had a profound effect on the development of rock and roll music. Their unique and distinctive sound helped popularize instrumental rock on Top-40 radio in the early sixties and were often referred to as “the band that launched a thousand bands.”
Over thirty major artists have identified The Ventures as an influence, including George Harrison who stated in a Guitar Player interview that The Beatles preferred the American guitar sound of The Ventures to British contemporaries. When asked to name the most influential rock guitar solos, Joe Walsh (James Gang and the Eagles) stated that he would have to include the entire song "Walk Don't Run" because it changed so many guitar players' lives. Stephen Stills once told Ventures guitarist Don Wilson that he learned to play guitar by listening to Ventures’ records. Eddie Van Halen told Rolling Stone that the Ventures’ “Pipeline” was among the first songs he learned how to play on the guitar. Jeff Baxter (Steely Dan and the Doobie Brothers) and Gene Simmons (Kiss) were early members of the Ventures Fan Club. Others identifying the Ventures as an influence include Terry Kath (Chicago), Carl Wilson (The Beach Boys), Jeff Cook (Alabama), Ricky Wilson (The B-52's), Roger Fisher (Heart), Keith Moon (The Who), Alan White (Yes), and Roger Glover of Deep Purple fame.
The Ventures secured their first hit record in 1962 with a remake of a song written by Chet Atkins, a powerful instrumental cut called “Walk, Don’t Run,” which peaked at #2 in the US. This song had become one of the most influential songs in rock and roll history.
"That song started a whole new movement in Rock 'n' Roll. The sound of it became 'surf music' and the audacity of it empowered guitarists everywhere," said Creedence Clearwater Revival's John Fogerty, as he inducted the Ventures into the rock hall of fame last year. "Every guitar player on this planet knows what I'm talking about. It's enough to say, the Ventures are the most popular instrumental band of all time."
The Ventures released a number of instructional LPs called "Play Guitar with The Ventures" and "Play Electric Bass with The Ventures." A total of four albums were released in this series, the first of which reached the Billboard Top 100 Album Chart—an achievement previously unheard of for an instructional album. The Ventures were also the first act to place two different versions of the same song in the Top 10, those being "Walk Don't Run" (#2) and "Walk Don't Run '64" (#8).
The band pioneered the use of special effects on such songs as "2000 Pound Bee,” which was recorded in late 1962. Lead guitarist Nokie Edwards employed a fuzz distortion pedal and this unique effect predated the 1963 hit "Zipadee-Do-Dah" by Bob B. Soxx, which featured a 'fuzz' guitar instrumental break. Edwards was also among the first to use the twelve string guitar in rock. The Ventures’ ”In Space” album (1964) was a primer in the use of special guitar effects and made pioneering use of 'reverse-tracking,’ a technique that was utilized by The Beatles in the later 1960s. The Ventures were among the first rock acts able to sell albums based on a specific style and sound without the need of any hit singles from their albums. They are also credited by The All Music Guide To Rock with the early formulation of the concept album. Additionally, the Encyclopedia Britannica states that The Ventures "served as a prototype for guitar-based rock groups.” The group charted 38 albums between 1960 and 1972 en route to more than 110 million records sold worldwide.
“Boy, I tell you, he’s the brother I never had,” said Don Wilson. “And he is much more than any brother could be. He and I were partners for, like, 52 years. And to tell you the honest truth, we had never, ever had an argument in all that time — never.”
Even though Bogle eventually moved to the bass for the Ventures, it was his classic work as the band’s lead guitarist for which he is most remembered.
“If you listen to “Walk, Don’t Run” and “Perfidia,” the lead guitar is just totally unique,” Wilson said. “He used that vibrato bar — they call it a whammy bar — and he used it like nobody else. I can't think of a better contribution for instrumental music on his style than “Walk, Don't Run.” A lot of good would-be guitar players and garage bands would go out and buy guitars just to learn that song."
"He had a special sound that nobody could ever re-create. He was totally unique as a guitar player," Wilson told CNN Radio.
To really appreciate what Bob Bogle did for music history, all one has to do is listen to his innovative instrumental guitar mastery, his music were his words. It is truly a sad day in rock history and Bogle will be missed by millions.
Major hits by the Ventures:
•Walk Don't Run (1960/#2 Pop/#13 R&B)
•Perfidia (1960/#15 Pop)
•Walk Don't Run '64 (1964/#8 Pop)
•Hawaii Five-O (1969/#4 Pop)
•Superstar Revue (1975/#3 Disco/#12 Club Play)
•Temptation, Temptation/Sunrise Serenade (1976/#9 Club Play)
Major Albums by the Ventures (all chart positions are on the Pop chart):
•Walk Don't Run (1961/#11)
•Twist With the Ventures (1962/#24)
•The Ventures Play Telstar, The Lonely Bull (1963/#8)
•Walk Don't Run Volume 2 (1964/#17)
•The Ventures a Go-Go (1965/#16)
•The Ventures Christmas Album (1965/#9)
•Hawaii Five-O (1969/#11)
Music News & Notes
King & Vaughan
The 1983 album Session by Albert King and Stevie Ray Vaughan is scheduled to be reissued by Stax on June 30. Added to the remastered set are liner notes by Bill Belmont, Lee Hildebrand and Dan Forte.
========================
Swift Dominates Awards
It turned out to be Taylor Swift's night at the CMT awards honoring the best country music videos, and rightly so. The only veteran artist to take a prize was legend George Strait who won CMT Performance of the Year for Country Boy with Alan Jackson, Dierks Bentley and Brad Paisley from the Giants: Alan Jackson special.
Veterans did participate, though, in the night's performances. One of the surprises was the B-52's coming out to join Sugarland on Love Shack. The show also closed with Taylor Swift and Def Leppard (who went 0-for-3 on awards) doing Pour Some Sugar on Me.
========================
Cat Forgives
Yusuf Islam (Cat Stevens) has finally forgiven Coldplay over the alleged plagiarizing of part of his Foreigner Suite for the song Viva La Vida. He explained to the Daily Express:
"I stand by what I said. They did copy my song but I don't think they did it on purpose. I have even copied myself without even knowing I have done it. I'll write down what I think is a good melody and realise it's the same as something I have already done.
"I don't want them to think I am angry with them. I'd love to sit down and have a cup of tea with them and let them know it's okay."
Ohmmmmm.
========================
Jimmy, the Edge & Jack White Jam
An exciting documentary has sufaced on YouTube - Here is the trailer for "It Might Get Loud" which is schedule for release by Sony Pictures Classics on August 14. I hope this isn't the finished project....
========================
Vinyl Collective Restocks
ANDREW DOST “Colombus” LP purple vinyl
ANDREW JACKSON JIHAD /APOCALYPSE MEOW “Pug Life” 7″ black vinyl
AUSTIN LUCAS “Common Cold” CD
FOUNDATION “Chimborazo” LP black vinyl
FOUNDATION “Chimborazo” LP blue w/ grey & olive splatter
GATORFACE “Sick And Stupid” 10″ purple vinyl
THE SAINTE CATHERINES/ US AGAINST THE WORLD split 7″
YESTERDAY’S RING ”Back from El Rancho” LP
========================
Bob Mould Announces October Tour
Bob Mould has announced his October plans but if you blink, you might just miss his shows.
The tour is comprised of ten (count em') dates in cool U.S. cities like New York, Chicago, Seattle, and Minneapolis. He'll be touring in support of his latest release Life and Times, out now on Anti- Records.
The album is a nod to his landmark album Workbook, a definitive release, and Life and Times marks the 20th anniversary of its release.
"I remember the DC show in May 1989 promoting Workbook. Twenty years later it will be great fun to return to the DC area with those songs in hand and a new interpretation in mind. Many of the songs on Life And Times are a nod to that era," said Mould when speaking about the new album.
Bob Mould Tour Dates
10/5 Toronto, ONT @ Mod Club
10/7 Boston, MA @ Paradise
10/8 New York, NY @ Irving Plaza
10/10 Washington, DC @ 9:30 Club
10/12 Chicago, IL @ Metro
10/13 Minneapolis, MN @ First Ave.
10/15 Seattle, WA @ Neumos
10/16 Portland, OR @ Doug Fir
10/19 Los Angeles, CA @ Troubadour
10/20 San Diego, CA @ Belly Up
The 1983 album Session by Albert King and Stevie Ray Vaughan is scheduled to be reissued by Stax on June 30. Added to the remastered set are liner notes by Bill Belmont, Lee Hildebrand and Dan Forte.
========================
Swift Dominates Awards
It turned out to be Taylor Swift's night at the CMT awards honoring the best country music videos, and rightly so. The only veteran artist to take a prize was legend George Strait who won CMT Performance of the Year for Country Boy with Alan Jackson, Dierks Bentley and Brad Paisley from the Giants: Alan Jackson special.
Veterans did participate, though, in the night's performances. One of the surprises was the B-52's coming out to join Sugarland on Love Shack. The show also closed with Taylor Swift and Def Leppard (who went 0-for-3 on awards) doing Pour Some Sugar on Me.
========================
Cat Forgives
Yusuf Islam (Cat Stevens) has finally forgiven Coldplay over the alleged plagiarizing of part of his Foreigner Suite for the song Viva La Vida. He explained to the Daily Express:
"I stand by what I said. They did copy my song but I don't think they did it on purpose. I have even copied myself without even knowing I have done it. I'll write down what I think is a good melody and realise it's the same as something I have already done.
"I don't want them to think I am angry with them. I'd love to sit down and have a cup of tea with them and let them know it's okay."
Ohmmmmm.
========================
Jimmy, the Edge & Jack White Jam
An exciting documentary has sufaced on YouTube - Here is the trailer for "It Might Get Loud" which is schedule for release by Sony Pictures Classics on August 14. I hope this isn't the finished project....
========================
Vinyl Collective Restocks
ANDREW DOST “Colombus” LP purple vinyl
ANDREW JACKSON JIHAD /APOCALYPSE MEOW “Pug Life” 7″ black vinyl
AUSTIN LUCAS “Common Cold” CD
FOUNDATION “Chimborazo” LP black vinyl
FOUNDATION “Chimborazo” LP blue w/ grey & olive splatter
GATORFACE “Sick And Stupid” 10″ purple vinyl
THE SAINTE CATHERINES/ US AGAINST THE WORLD split 7″
YESTERDAY’S RING ”Back from El Rancho” LP
========================
Bob Mould Announces October Tour
Bob Mould has announced his October plans but if you blink, you might just miss his shows.
The tour is comprised of ten (count em') dates in cool U.S. cities like New York, Chicago, Seattle, and Minneapolis. He'll be touring in support of his latest release Life and Times, out now on Anti- Records.
The album is a nod to his landmark album Workbook, a definitive release, and Life and Times marks the 20th anniversary of its release.
"I remember the DC show in May 1989 promoting Workbook. Twenty years later it will be great fun to return to the DC area with those songs in hand and a new interpretation in mind. Many of the songs on Life And Times are a nod to that era," said Mould when speaking about the new album.
Bob Mould Tour Dates
10/5 Toronto, ONT @ Mod Club
10/7 Boston, MA @ Paradise
10/8 New York, NY @ Irving Plaza
10/10 Washington, DC @ 9:30 Club
10/12 Chicago, IL @ Metro
10/13 Minneapolis, MN @ First Ave.
10/15 Seattle, WA @ Neumos
10/16 Portland, OR @ Doug Fir
10/19 Los Angeles, CA @ Troubadour
10/20 San Diego, CA @ Belly Up
Mr. Music- with Jerry Osborne
I am continuing our new feature: Ask "Mr. Music." Now in its 23rd year of syndication (1986-2008), Jerry Osborne's weekly Q&A feature will be a regular post every Wednesday from now on. Be sure to stop by Jerry's site (www.jerryosborne.com) for more Mr. Music archives, record price guides, anything Elvis, buy & sell collectibles, record appraisals and much more. I thank Jerry for allowing the reprints.
FOR THE WEEK OF JUNE 8, 2009
DEAR JERRY: A friend, also a Classic Rock music fan, recently told me the Beatles toured the U.S. three times in the '60s, but never performed in Canada.
Why? Perhaps some problem with their visas?
Exactly how many nations did the Beatles tour?
Also, in which states did they perform?
—George Palmer,
DEAR GEORGE: As you'll see from the list below, your pal is mistaken about the Beatles not appearing in Canada.
With valid visas no doubt, they visited Canada four times, playing to sell-out crowds once in Vancouver, once in Montreal, and three times in Toronto.
In just under four years, fans in 16 nations witnessed Beatlemania first hand: Australia; Canada; Denmark; England; France; Germany; Hong Kong; Italy; Japan; Netherlands; New Zealand; Philippines; Scotland; Spain; Sweden; and the United States.
Their U.S. tours took them to: California; Colorado; District of Columbia; Florida; Georgia; Illinois; Indiana; Louisiana; Maryland; Massachusetts; Michigan; Minnesota; Missouri; Nevada; New Jersey; New York; Ohio; Oregon: Pennsylvania; Tennessee; Texas; Washington; and Wisconsin.
Our concert location review begins in November 1962, the first tour with John, Paul, George and Ringo (who replaced Pete Best in August). Not listed are their many shows in England. Likewise with appearances on radio, TV and elsewhere which simply do not qualify. The order is chronological by year then month:
1962:
November: Germany (Hamburg)
December: Germany (Hamburg)
1963:
January: Scotland (Elgin; Ross and Cromarty; Bridge of Allan; Aberdeen)
October: Scotland (Glasgow; Kirkcaldy; Dundee); Sweden (Karlstad; Stockholm; Goteborg; Boras; Eskilstuna)
1964:
January: France (Versailles; Paris)
February: USA (Washington; New York; Miami)
June: Denmark (Copenhagen); Netherlands (Blokker); Hong Kong; Australia (Adelaide; Melbourne; Sydney; Brisbane); New Zealand (Wellington; Auckland; Dunedin; Christchurch)
July: Sweden (Stockholm)
August: USA (San Francisco; Las Vegas; Seattle; Los Angeles; Denver; Cincinnati; New York; Atlantic City)
August: Canada (Vancouver)
September: USA: (Philadelphia; Indianapolis; Milwaukee; Chicago; Detroit; Jacksonville; Boston; Baltimore; Pittsburgh; Cleveland; New Orleans; Kansas City, Mo.; Dallas; New York)
September: Canada (Toronto; Montreal)
1965:
June: France (Paris; Lyon; Nice)
June: Italy (Milan; Genoa; Rome)
July: Spain (Madrid; Barcelona)
August: USA (New York; Atlanta; Houston; Chicago; Minneapolis; Portland, Ore.; San Diego; Los Angeles; San Francisco)
August: Canada (Toronto)
1966:
June: Germany (Munich; Essen; Hamburg)
June: Japan (Tokyo)
July: Japan (Tokyo)
July: Philippines (Manila)
August: Canada (Toronto)
August: USA (Chicago; Detroit; Cleveland; Washington DC; Philadelphia; Boston; Memphis; Cincinnati; St. Louis; New York; Seattle; Los Angeles; San Francisco)
IZ ZAT SO? In August 1960, the Beatles performed outside the UK for the first time, in Hamburg, Germany.
They only worked there a couple of months, but returned in the spring of 1961 for a longer and more fortuitous stay.
Besides their own gig, the boys occasionally backed local favorite Tony Sheridan during his show at another club. Tony grew quite fond of the Beatles and asked them to back him on a May 1961 recording session, one arranged in May by Bert Kaempfert at the Polydor studio.
Of course they agreed and the event marked the first professional recording session ever for the Beatles.
Three years later, during 1964 Beatlemania, three Tony Sheridan-Beatles tracks from Hamburg became hit singles in the U.S.: “My Bonnie (Lies Over the Ocean)”; “Why”; and “Ain't She Sweet.”
The German release (July 1961) of “My Bonnie (Lies Over the Ocean),” backed with “The Saints,” thus became the first appearance on record of the Beatles — John, Paul, George, and Pete Best on drums. Both sides are credited to Tony Sheridan and the Beat Brothers.
Despite the similarity between the Beat Brothers and the Beatles, Kaempfert and Polydor intended to credit Sheridan's band as the Beat Brothers no matter who he chose, and whether real brothers or not. That it ended up being the Beatles is pure happenstance. Note, however, the artist billing in what is their first mention in any U.S. publication:
“A new rock 'n roll team, Tony Sheridan and The Beatles, make their debut on the Polydor label with “My Bonnie." Sheridan was discovered by Polydor producer Bert Kaempfert while playing night spots in Hamburg's famous Reeperbahn” (Cash Box International News, January 13, 1962).
Reeperbahn, a street in Hamburg's St. Pauli district, is known for its wild night life and easily available prostitutes.
About his Reeperbahn days, John Lennon once said “I was born in Liverpool but I grew up in Hamburg.”
In April 1962, “My Bonnie”/“The Saints” came out in the U.S. (Decca 31382) with what is an unusual notation for that time: “Recorded in Europe by Deutsche Grammophon/Polydor.”
Two years later, references such as “Recorded in England,” etc., appeared frequently on U.S. recordings.
Even though the singer is Tony Sheridan, Beatles collectors usually pay in the $10,000 range for a copy of the U.S. Decca single — about three times as much as for the Polydor original.
Copyright 2009 Osbourne Enterprises- Reprinted By Permission
============================================
Toll-Free: (800) 246-3255
"Rockin Records" is now on sale- call with the code "CVR" and receive $6 off your purchase
http://www.jerryosborne.com/
Jerry Osborne's "Rockin' Records" has long been the most popular record guide. Now with 1,104 pages, it is by far the biggest record guide we've ever made. It is regarded throughout the industry as the best available guide, and it is the one accepted by all the major insurance companies.
Call today with the code "CVR" to receive your discount!
FOR THE WEEK OF JUNE 8, 2009
DEAR JERRY: A friend, also a Classic Rock music fan, recently told me the Beatles toured the U.S. three times in the '60s, but never performed in Canada.
Why? Perhaps some problem with their visas?
Exactly how many nations did the Beatles tour?
Also, in which states did they perform?
—George Palmer,
DEAR GEORGE: As you'll see from the list below, your pal is mistaken about the Beatles not appearing in Canada.
With valid visas no doubt, they visited Canada four times, playing to sell-out crowds once in Vancouver, once in Montreal, and three times in Toronto.
In just under four years, fans in 16 nations witnessed Beatlemania first hand: Australia; Canada; Denmark; England; France; Germany; Hong Kong; Italy; Japan; Netherlands; New Zealand; Philippines; Scotland; Spain; Sweden; and the United States.
Their U.S. tours took them to: California; Colorado; District of Columbia; Florida; Georgia; Illinois; Indiana; Louisiana; Maryland; Massachusetts; Michigan; Minnesota; Missouri; Nevada; New Jersey; New York; Ohio; Oregon: Pennsylvania; Tennessee; Texas; Washington; and Wisconsin.
Our concert location review begins in November 1962, the first tour with John, Paul, George and Ringo (who replaced Pete Best in August). Not listed are their many shows in England. Likewise with appearances on radio, TV and elsewhere which simply do not qualify. The order is chronological by year then month:
1962:November: Germany (Hamburg)
December: Germany (Hamburg)
1963:
January: Scotland (Elgin; Ross and Cromarty; Bridge of Allan; Aberdeen)
October: Scotland (Glasgow; Kirkcaldy; Dundee); Sweden (Karlstad; Stockholm; Goteborg; Boras; Eskilstuna)
1964:
January: France (Versailles; Paris)
February: USA (Washington; New York; Miami)
June: Denmark (Copenhagen); Netherlands (Blokker); Hong Kong; Australia (Adelaide; Melbourne; Sydney; Brisbane); New Zealand (Wellington; Auckland; Dunedin; Christchurch)
July: Sweden (Stockholm)
August: USA (San Francisco; Las Vegas; Seattle; Los Angeles; Denver; Cincinnati; New York; Atlantic City)
August: Canada (Vancouver)
September: USA: (Philadelphia; Indianapolis; Milwaukee; Chicago; Detroit; Jacksonville; Boston; Baltimore; Pittsburgh; Cleveland; New Orleans; Kansas City, Mo.; Dallas; New York)
September: Canada (Toronto; Montreal)
1965:
June: France (Paris; Lyon; Nice)
June: Italy (Milan; Genoa; Rome)
July: Spain (Madrid; Barcelona)
August: USA (New York; Atlanta; Houston; Chicago; Minneapolis; Portland, Ore.; San Diego; Los Angeles; San Francisco)
August: Canada (Toronto)
1966:
June: Germany (Munich; Essen; Hamburg)
June: Japan (Tokyo)
July: Japan (Tokyo)
July: Philippines (Manila)
August: Canada (Toronto)
August: USA (Chicago; Detroit; Cleveland; Washington DC; Philadelphia; Boston; Memphis; Cincinnati; St. Louis; New York; Seattle; Los Angeles; San Francisco)
IZ ZAT SO? In August 1960, the Beatles performed outside the UK for the first time, in Hamburg, Germany.
They only worked there a couple of months, but returned in the spring of 1961 for a longer and more fortuitous stay.
Besides their own gig, the boys occasionally backed local favorite Tony Sheridan during his show at another club. Tony grew quite fond of the Beatles and asked them to back him on a May 1961 recording session, one arranged in May by Bert Kaempfert at the Polydor studio.
Of course they agreed and the event marked the first professional recording session ever for the Beatles.
Three years later, during 1964 Beatlemania, three Tony Sheridan-Beatles tracks from Hamburg became hit singles in the U.S.: “My Bonnie (Lies Over the Ocean)”; “Why”; and “Ain't She Sweet.”
The German release (July 1961) of “My Bonnie (Lies Over the Ocean),” backed with “The Saints,” thus became the first appearance on record of the Beatles — John, Paul, George, and Pete Best on drums. Both sides are credited to Tony Sheridan and the Beat Brothers.
Despite the similarity between the Beat Brothers and the Beatles, Kaempfert and Polydor intended to credit Sheridan's band as the Beat Brothers no matter who he chose, and whether real brothers or not. That it ended up being the Beatles is pure happenstance. Note, however, the artist billing in what is their first mention in any U.S. publication:
“A new rock 'n roll team, Tony Sheridan and The Beatles, make their debut on the Polydor label with “My Bonnie." Sheridan was discovered by Polydor producer Bert Kaempfert while playing night spots in Hamburg's famous Reeperbahn” (Cash Box International News, January 13, 1962).
Reeperbahn, a street in Hamburg's St. Pauli district, is known for its wild night life and easily available prostitutes.
About his Reeperbahn days, John Lennon once said “I was born in Liverpool but I grew up in Hamburg.”
In April 1962, “My Bonnie”/“The Saints” came out in the U.S. (Decca 31382) with what is an unusual notation for that time: “Recorded in Europe by Deutsche Grammophon/Polydor.”
Two years later, references such as “Recorded in England,” etc., appeared frequently on U.S. recordings.
Even though the singer is Tony Sheridan, Beatles collectors usually pay in the $10,000 range for a copy of the U.S. Decca single — about three times as much as for the Polydor original.
Copyright 2009 Osbourne Enterprises- Reprinted By Permission
============================================
Toll-Free: (800) 246-3255
"Rockin Records" is now on sale- call with the code "CVR" and receive $6 off your purchase
http://www.jerryosborne.com/
Jerry Osborne's "Rockin' Records" has long been the most popular record guide. Now with 1,104 pages, it is by far the biggest record guide we've ever made. It is regarded throughout the industry as the best available guide, and it is the one accepted by all the major insurance companies.
Call today with the code "CVR" to receive your discount!
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