Woodstock 40 Years Later

Woodstock Music & Art Fair
When: August 15 to August 18, 1969
Where: Bethel, New York (Max Yasgur's 600 acre farm)
Who: Thirty-two Rock, Folk, Blues Artists.
Founded by: Michael Lang, John P. Roberts, Joel Rosenman, Artie Kornfeld
Ticket Price: $18 in advance / $24 at the gate (for all 3 days)

This is a repost, help celebrate the 40th anniversary of this human event, buy some music from the past!

On Friday, August 15, 1969, the historical concert event that was billed as “An Aquarian Exposition” quickly became one of the greatest moments is music history. The organizers thought they could attract between 50,000 and 100,000 people, which was an ambitious and optimistic estimate at the time. No one knew that more than 500,000 music lovers would turn Woodstock into a fairyland of sound, peace, love, drugs and human conformity.

However, there were a multitude of problems, which one could understand given the magnitude of the event. Hunger, bad sanitation, water shortages, inclement weather, traffic jams, first aid issues, bad drugs, why the list seems endless. However, even with these issues, it was a victory for the youth of America and the music world as well. There was no racial tension at a time when racial tension was at its peak. There was little resentment toward your fellow man; it was a place of social harmony and free love. It was a major coup for the counterculture, despite the obvious problems.

Countless books, documentaries, interviews, news articles have captured all the specifics that occurred on Max Yasgur’s farm. But more than the aforementioned qualities, errors in judgement and logistical nightmares, it was after all, one of the most successful events in music history. Let’s explore the time line and some of the little known facts behind this massive musical experience.







The Players:

DAY ONE - August 15, 1969
1. Richie Havens
2. Swami Satchidananda
3. Country Joe McDonald
4. John B. Sebastian
5. Sweetwater
6. Incredible String Band
7. Bert Sommer
8. Tim Hardin
9. Ravi Shankar
10. Melanie
11. Arlo Guthrie
12. Joan Baez





DAY TWO - August 16, 1969
1. Quill
2. Keef Hartley Band
3. Santana
4. Canned Heat
5. Grateful Dead
6. Mountain
7. Creedence Clearwater Revival
8. Sly & The Family Stone
9. Janis Joplin
10. The Who




DAY THREE - August 17, 1969
1. Jefferson Airplane
2. Joe Cocker
3. Country Joe & The Fish
4. Ten Years After
5. The Band



After midnight - Monday Morning) - August 18, 1969
6. Blood Sweat And Tears
7. Johnny Winter
8. Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young
9. Paul Butterfield Blues Band
10. Sha-Na-Na
11. Jimi Hendrix (Hendrix insisted on being the final performer and was scheduled to perform Sunday at midnight. He didn't take the stage until 9 A.M. on Monday morning and played for 2 hours to a dwindling audience)





Musical Acts That Declined Invitations:

The Beatles declined because John Lennon said he couldn't get them all together at the time.

Led Zeppelin was asked to perform, their manager Peter Grant stating: "We were asked to do Woodstock and Atlantic were very keen, and so was our US promoter, Frank Barsalona. I said no because at Woodstock we'd have just been another band on the bill." Instead the group went on with their hugely successful summer tour, playing that weekend south of the festival at the Asbury Park Convention Hall in New Jersey.

Jethro Tull declined to perform. Ian Anderson is reported to have later said he "didn't want to spend [his] weekend in a field of unwashed hippies." Another theory proposed that the band felt the event would be "too big a deal" and might kill their career before it started. Little did they know just how important this could have been for the band. Ironically, in the film Jethro Tull songs can be heard playing in the background between acts.

Bob Dylan was close, but pulled out when his son became ill. He also was very turned off by the number of hippies hanging around his house, which was near the originally planned site.

The Byrds were invited, but chose to defer, figuring that the event would not be any different from all the other music festivals that summer. Additionally, there were monetary concerns and they had trouble earlier that year at a performance at the first Atlanta International Pop Festival, held at the Atlanta International Raceway on July 4 and July 5, 1969, where a melee had broken out.

"We were flying to a gig and Roger [McGuinn] came up to us and said that a guy was putting on a festival in upstate New York,” recalled bassist John York. “But at that point they weren't paying all of the bands. He asked us if we wanted to do it and we said, 'No'. We had no idea what it was going to be. We were burned out and tired of the festival scene. [...] So all of us said, 'No, we want a rest' and missed the best festival of all.”

Tommy James & the Shondells declined the invitation because of being misinformed about the size and scope of the event.

Lead singer Tommy James stated later: "We could have just kicked ourselves. We were in Hawaii, and my secretary called and said, 'Yeah, listen, there's this pig farmer in upstate New York that wants you to play in his field.' That's how it was put to me. So we passed, and we realized what we'd missed a couple of days later."

The Moody Blues were included in the original posters as performers, but backed out after taking a gig in Paris on the same weekend.

The band Mind Garage declined because they thought it wouldn't be a big deal and had a higher paying gig elsewhere. Oops.

The Randy California-led band Spirit also declined, they had other shows planned and did not want to back out of their commitments; not knowing how big that Woodstock would ultimately become.


Cancelled appearances:

The Doors were considered, but they canceled at the last minute, most likely due to frontman Jim Morrison's distaste for performing in large outdoor venues. However, band member John Densmore did attend.

The Jeff Beck Group was an England rock band formed in London in January 1966 by ex-Yardbiirds guitarist Jeff Beck. Their innovative approach to heavy-sounding blues was a major influence on popular music during the late 1960s and early 1970s....They were scheduled to perform at Woodstock, but failed to make an appearance because the band broke up the week before.

Iron Butterfly was a psychedelic rock and early heavy metal music band, well known for their 1968 hit "In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida.” They were enroute, however were stuck at an airport, and their manager demanded helicopters and special arrangements just for them. At one point, helicopters were the only means of transportation that could get to the location. They were wired back and told, as impolitely as Western Union would allow, "to get lost," and they left without playing.

Singer/songwriter Joni Mitchell was scheduled to perform, but her agent recommended that she appear on The Dick Cavett Show. However, she wrote a song from what she had heard from then-boyfriend, Graham Nash, about the festival appropriately called “Woodstock,” that became a major hit for Matthews Southern Comfort and Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young. She was also discouraged by the audience response to her performance at the Atlantic City Pop Festival that was held earlier in August prior to Woodstock. The audience was so rude that she was not able to complete her set and she walked off the stage, sobbing.

Canadian band Lighthouse were originally was scheduled to play at Woodstock, but in the end they decided not to, fearing that it would be a bad scene. Later, several members of the group would say that they regretted the decision.

Musician Ethan Brown was scheduled, but was arrested for LSD possession just three days before the event.

More About Woodstock:

In 2009, complete performances from Woodstock by Santana, Janis Joplin, Sly & the Family Stone, Jefferson Airplane, and Johnny Winter were released separately and were also collected in a box-set entitled “The Woodstock Experience.”

It's also being reported that Woodstock promoter Michael Lang has had to drop plans for a 40th anniversary concert. When asked why he abandoned the pursuit for a third anniversary concert celebrating the Woodstock Music and Art Fair, Lang simply lamented: “Money. No sponsors.”

However, Lang remains busy with Woodstock-related projects. On August 8th, he will join Academy Award-winning director Ang Lee and screenwriter/producer James Schamus in Woodstock, New York, for an advance screening of the comedy “Taking Woodstock,” which hits theaters Aug. 28. The film, directed by Lee, with screenplay by Schamus, is based on a book written by Elliot Tiber, who along with his parents ran a motel in Bethel during the Woodstock festival. Should be interesting…..

In 1997, the site of the concert and 1,400 acres surrounding it was purchased by Alan Gerry for the purpose of creating the Bethel Woods Center for the Arts. The Center opened on July 1, 2006 with a performance of the New York Philharmonic. On August 13, 2006, Crosby Stills Nash & Young performed to 16,000 fans at the new Center — 37 years after their historic performance at Woodstock.

The Museum at Bethel Woods opened in June 2008. The Museum contains film and interactive displays, text panels, and artifacts which explore the unique experience of the Woodstock festival, its significance as the culminating event of a decade of radical cultural transformation, and the legacy of the Sixties and Woodstock today.

VH1 on Friday, Aug. 14, will air, “Woodstock: Now & Then,” a documentary directed by Academy Award winner Barbara Kopple. Original Woodstock promoter Michael Lang is executive producer of the film. The History Channel will show “Woodstock: Now & Then” on Aug. 17.

On August 23, 2009 at Belleayre Mountain, which is just west of Woodstock, Lang will co-present Kidstock, with a “Tribute to Woodstock” by young musicians from Paul Green’s School of Rock, the inspiration for the Jack Black movie.


Author Robert Benson writes about rock/pop music, vinyl record collecting and operates collectingvinylrecords.com

Woodstock cover couple still together

‘We just had to go,’ remembers woman in iconic 1969 photograph

By TOM KEYSER
ALBANY TIMES UNION


Bobbi Kelly and Nick Ercoline were girlfriend and boyfriend, 20 years old. Bobbi lived in Pine Bush, N.Y., and worked at a bank. Nick lived in Middletown, N.Y., and worked two jobs while going to college.

They had heard so much on the radio about an approaching festival called Woodstock that “we just had to go,” Bobbi says. They took back roads to Bethel, N.Y., parked their car when they couldn't drive farther and walked the final two miles.

They stayed only one night. They never saw the stage because they were so far away. But at some point, and they have no idea when, a photographer took their picture hugging, draped in a quilt, on a muddy hillside.

The photo appeared on the cover of the Woodstock soundtrack. And Bobbi and Nick became part of the legend.

“Woodstock was a sign of the times,” says Bobbi, now Bobbi Ercoline. “So many things were churning around in our world at that time: civil rights, the Vietnam War, women's rights. It was our generation.

“I know some people say Woodstock changed their life. But I don't think it contributed to who I am or who Nick is. I think we became the people we would have become anyway.”

Read The Rest Here:

www.chron.com

EMI Music Remembers the Life and Legacy of Music Legend Les Paul

HOLLYWOOD (RPRN) 8/14/2009–EMI Music joins the rest of the world in mourning the legendary musician, inventor and innovator, Les Paul, who passed away this morning at the age of 94. Today, the flag atop the Capitol Records tower in Hollywood has been lowered to half-staff in remembrance of Paul, one of EMI Music’s most legendary and innovative recording artists, who first signed with Capitol Records in 1948 and was instrumental in the development of both the Capitol label and Capitol Studios.

Born Lester William Polsfuss in Waukesha, Wisconsin on June 9, 1915, Les Paul was one of the foremost influences on 20th Century sound as one of America’s most popular, influential, and accomplished electric guitarists, as well as an early innovator in the development of the solid body guitar. His groundbreaking design would become the template for Gibson’s best-selling electric, the Les Paul model, introduced in 1952. Today, countless musical legends still consider Paul’s iconic guitar unmatched in sound and prowess. Among Paul’s most enduring contributions are those in the technological realm, including ingenious developments in multi-track recording, guitar effects, and the mechanics of sound in general.

Les Paul signed with Capitol Records in 1948. His Capitol recordings garnered him a string of hits, notably 1948’s “Brazil,” with its six multi-tracked guitar parts, “Vaya Con Dios,” and 1951’s million-sellers “Mockin’ Bird Hill” and “How High the Moon.”

1949 saw the birth of “The Les Paul Show” on radio, and by year’s end Paul and his frequent musical collaborator, Mary Ford, had married. Between recordings and broadcasts, Paul found time to invent a synthesizer and an effects-generating machine he dubbed the “Les Paulverizer,” a wacky contraption that is wittily depicted in Paul and Ford’s classic CBS Radio-hosted banter as a beast-like appendage, heavily strapped to the back of its user. Since then, the technology of the “Les Paulverizer” has been put to use every day by producers and musicians from every genre, from classical to punk rock.

When Capitol Records’ famous Vine Street building was being built in Hollywood, with its unique “stacked records” design, Paul joked that the idea of a round building was wholly impractical, because it lacked a corner in which to prop a broom. As the final touches were being put on Capitol’s new studios, Paul visited and consulted on the design of the studios’ now-legendary subterranean echo chambers.

Paul retreated from recording in the late 1970s, turning his focus to live performance, a weekly ritual he enjoyed at New York City’s Iridium Jazz Club until his recent hospitalization. Over the years, other world-famous musicians often sat in for a song or two during Paul’s two Monday night sets, including Paul McCartney, Tony Bennett and Keith Richards, and Paul also encouraged aspiring players who toted their guitars to his shows, selecting them from the audience to join him onstage for a song.

In 2005, celebrating his 90th birthday, Paul released Les Paul & Friends: American Made World Played with Capitol/EMI, featuring collaborations with a veritable who’s who of the electric guitar, including dozens of illustrious fans like Keith Richards, Buddy Guy, Billy Gibbons, Jeff Beck, Eric Clapton, and Joe Perry. Les Paul won two Grammy Awards for tracks on the album, for Best Pop Instrumental Performance and Best Rock Instrumental Performance.

Les Paul and Mary Ford were inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame in 1977, and Paul was honored with The Recording Academy’s Trustees Award in 1983. In 2001, when he earned his fifth Grammy award for his technical achievements, Hillel Resner of Mix Online wrote, “If the music industry has a Ben Franklin, surely that man is Les Paul.” In 1988, Paul was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. The Smithsonian Institution has honored Paul with the John Smithson Bicentennial Medal, and in 2008, the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame paid tribute to Paul with a week-long celebration of his life.

Les Paul is survived by his three sons Lester (Rus) G. Paul, Gene W. Paul and Robert (Bobby) R. Paul, his daughter Colleen Wess, son-in-law Gary Wess, long time friend Arlene Palmer, five grandchildren and five great grandchildren.

A private funeral service will be held in New York. A service in Waukesha, WI will be announced at a later date. Details will follow and will be announced for all services. Memorial tributes for the public will be announced at a future date.

The family asks that in lieu of flowers, donations be made to the Les Paul Foundation, 236 West 30th Street, 7th Floor, New York, New York 10001.

Source: EMI Music

Classic Rock Videos

Rolling Stones Gimme Shelter

Capitol/EMI's vinyl campaign continues

CAPITOL/EMI’S “FROM THE CAPITOL VAULTS” VINYL CAMPAIGN CONTINUES NOVEMBER 3 WITH 11 CLASSIC ALBUMS

Remastered Titles Presented on Limited Edition, 180-Gram Audiophile Quality Vinyl with Replicated Original Artwork and Packaging

Put the needle in the groove! Capitol/EMI’s high quality “From The Capitol Vaults” U.S. vinyl campaign continues November 3 with the limited edition, 180-gram vinyl release of 11 classic, standout albums from EMI Music’s celebrated catalog.

Capitol/EMI’s November 3 “From The Capitol Vaults” releases, all previously out of print on vinyl, include The Band’s Cahoots and Stage Fright, The Beach Boys’ Summer Days (And Summer Nights!!) and Today!, David Bowie’s Aladdin Sane, Diamond Dogs, and Young Americans, Faust’s Faust IV, and Frank Sinatra’s Come Dance With Me!, Come Fly With Me, and In The Wee Small Hours.

Capitol/EMI launched its “From The Capitol Vaults” campaign on September 2, 2008 with 13 classic titles, all previously out-of-print on vinyl. Included in the series’ debut were A Perfect Circle’s Mer de Noms, The Beach Boys’ Pet Sounds, Coldplay’s Parachutes, A Rush Of Blood To The Head, and X&Y, Radiohead’s Pablo Honey, The Bends, OK Computer, Kid A (two 10” 140-gram LPs), Amnesiac (two 10” 140-gram LPs), and Hail To The Thief, R.E.M.’s Document, and Steve Miller Band’s Greatest Hits 1974-78.

On September 30, the campaign continued with the release of Jimi Hendrix’s incendiary 1970 concert album, Band Of Gypsys, on fiery red 180-gram vinyl, and John Lennon’s chart-topping 1971 studio album, Imagine, on 180-gram vinyl.

An additional 13 titles were released on October 28, including The Band’s Music From Big Pink and The Band, The Beach Boys’ Endless Summer, John Lennon’s Rock ‘N’ Roll, Paul McCartney & Wings’ Band On The Run, Megadeth’s Peace Sells and Rust In Peace, Queensryche’s Operation: Mindcrime, Roxy Music’s For Your Pleasure and Roxy Music, Stray Cats’ Built For Speed, and The Verve’s Urban Hymns.

On February 24, Ben Harper’s entire Virgin Records catalog was released by EMI Music in limited edition, 180-gram vinyl packaging. Nine Ben Harper albums, all previously out-of-print on vinyl, have been restored to the format with Harper’s supervision. The LPs were released in deluxe packaging with carefully replicated artwork and two live EPs also made their vinyl release debuts.

On April 21, 12 Radiohead EPs were released on 180-gram vinyl for the first time, including “2 + 2 = 5,” “Creep,” “Fake Plastic Trees,” “High & Dry,” “Just,” “Karma Police,” “My Iron Lung,” “No Surprises,” “Paranoid Android,“ “Pyramid Song,” “Street Spirit (Fade Out),” and “Drill.”

On June 16, the series continued with The Beach Boys’ Sunflower and Surf’s Up, Merle Haggard’s Mama Tried, Megadeth’s So Far, So Good... So What!, Plastic Ono Band’s Live Peace In Toronto 1969, Red Hot Chili Peppers’ Freaky Styley, Mother's Milk, and The Uplift Mofo Party Plan, Roxy Music’s Country Life and Stranded, and The Specials’ self-titled album.

All “From The Capitol Vaults” titles feature carefully replicated artwork and packaging true to their original single or gatefold jacket LP releases. More “From The Capitol Vaults” titles will soon be announced.

For more information, visit http://fromthecapitolvaults.com.


November 3, 2009: “FROM THE CAPITOL VAULTS” [artist / title (configuration)]

The Band / Cahoots (1 LP, gatefold jacket, printed sleeve)

The Band / Stage Fright (1 LP, single jacket, printed sleeve, band photo)

The Beach Boys / Summer Days (And Summer Nights!!) (1 LP, single jacket, printed sleeve)

The Beach Boys / Today! (1 LP, single jacket)

David Bowie / Aladdin Sane (1 LP, gatefold jacket, printed sleeve)

David Bowie / Diamond Dogs (1 LP, gatefold jacket, printed sleeve)

David Bowie / Young Americans (1 LP, single jacket, printed sleeve)

Faust / Faust IV (1 LP, gatefold jacket, printed sleeve)

Frank Sinatra / Come Dance With Me! (1 LP, single jacket, printed sleeve)

Frank Sinatra / Come Fly With Me (1 LP, single jacket, printed sleeve)

Frank Sinatra / In The Wee Small Hours (1 LP, single jacket, printed sleeve)

Record stores say discovery of rare 45-rpm hard to duplicate

By Joe Kimball

Last week's news about the St. Paul record collector who scored big on eBay with an old, scratched 45-rpm record -- $10,323 worth of big -- might have sent many scurrying to the attic to search for similar gems.

But apparently not many were found. At least folks aren't showing up in droves at local record stores trying to sell their old 45s.

The story involved St. Paul music collector Tim Schloe, who found a rare, Sun Records single in a large collection he bought from the brother of a deceased Texas collector. So, he paid about quarter for the 45 and ended up raking in $10,323 for it through an eBay auction.

The 1953 record was bluesman D.A. Hunt's rendition of "Greyhound Blues" — with "Lonesome Old Jail" on the flip side.

Read the rest here:
www.minnpost.com

Two New Dead-Related Archive Releases

Over the past twenty years the Grateful Dead have put out nearly one hundred archival releases but outside of a few random releases - and most of the View From The Vault series - they’ve stayed away from putting out shows from the end of their touring days…until now. The band recently announced the next installments in the Road Trips - featuring music from 1993 - and the Pure Jerry series.



Road Trips Volume 2 No. 4 contains highlights from The Dead’s two-night stand at Cal Expo on May 26 and 27, 1993. Of particular note is the 19-minute Playin’ from 5/26 that’s on the second CD of the two CD release. Yet, you’ll have to get past Corrina first. Those who preorder Road Trips Volume 2 No. 4 will get a bonus disc with more from the shows including a unique Cassidy > Uncle John’s Band > Cassidy sandwich.

Jerry Garcia Band: Bay Area ‘78 features songs from the listenable/usable/releasable material recorded on February 18 and 19, 1978 as well as four tunes from June of the same year. For those shows Jerry was joined by a fantastic backing band that included Maria Muldaur, Keith & Donna Godchaux, Buzz Buchanan and John Kahn. Of particular note on this release is a 30-minute Don’t Let Go and a rare cover of Paul McCartney’s Let Me Roll It.

Both releases are priced at $19.98 each and if you preorder both of ‘em you’ll get free shipping.

Music News & Notes

Bouncing Souls announce third 20th Anniversary 7 inch

The Bouncing Souls have detailed the third 7" collecting their ongoing 20th Anniversary Series singles. The new 7" was produced by Ted Hutt (Gaslight Anthem, Flogging Molly) with cover art by Souls bassist Bryan Kienlen and Ramones artistsic director Arturo Vega. It will feature the songs "Ghosts on the Boardwalk," "Boogie Woogie Dowtown," "Badass" and "Uke Chek Girl" with a "locked groove" between the third and fourth track. The record is set to ship on September 15th with 800 on green and black vinyl for mailorder, 1000 on green vinyl with black and red splatter for tour, and 1000 on green vinyl for retail.

The band has been releaseing a new 7" every three months on their Chunksaah label, compiling the tracks they've been releasing digitally on the first of every month. The band is remarkably busy these days, with upcoming anniversary shows and a TV special along with extensive touring and video releases.

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

New Weezer Album Gets Release Date

According to a post on Weezer's MySpace, the band's much-rumored seventh album is now due October 27. We can only hope recently debuted teen-pop tributes "I'm Your Daddy" (er) and "The Girl Got Hot" (um) are included.

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

Dr. Dre 's Next Mission: Upgrading the Sound Quality of Digital Music

Dr. Dre is going to save digital music. Or at least he's going to save your ears from shitty-sounding mp3 fatigue. That's the idea, anyway.

CNET reports that Dre and Interscope chairman Jimmy Iovine are teaming up with Hewlett-Packard to improve the sound quality of digital music. The particulars of their plan seem pretty vague at the moment, but CNET says that HP will release laptops, headsets, and software featuring the Beats by Dr. Dre "brand". Beats by Dr. Dre is Dre's supposedly very good (but also incredibly expensive) line of top-shelf headphones. You go Dr, make it so....

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

AGNOSTIC FRONT's Classic Early Records To Be Reissued


One of the greatest genre-defining hardcore bands of all time, AGNOSTIC FRONT has changed the face of music throughout their 25 year long career. The two records that started it all, "United Blood" and "Victim in Pain", are legendary New York hardcore releases and some of the most sought-after pieces of vinyl for record collectors. Finally, these two releases are coming back to life via Bridge Nine Records.

On November 17, 2009, Bridge Nine will release a CD version with both albums combined, and additionally will re-release "United Blood" on 7" and "Victim in Pain" on 12" LP.

Commented Bridge Nine owner Chris Wrenn, "AGNOSTIC FRONT's debut EP and LP are seminal New York hardcore recordings. To have the opportunity to bring them back to life and make them available again to a new generation of hardcore fans is an incredible honor for Bridge Nine Records. We're excited to do these reissues justice and look forward to helping AGNOSTIC FRONT celebrate the 25 years since the original release of 'Victim In Pain'."

Originally released in 1983, "United Blood" was AGNOSTIC FRONT's first release and was followed shortly thereafter by "Victim In Pain" in 1984. These albums were a blast of pure New York hardcore that confirmed AF's status as leaders of the New York hardcore movement alongside precursors the CRO-MAGS and MURPHY'S LAW. 25 years later, both releases will be made available once again on all formats. Special packaging, vinyl pressings, and more information to come soon.

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

SKELETONWITCH launches “CRUSHED BEYOND DUST,”, Pre-order Available

“CRUSHED BEYOND DUST,” the lead track from SKELETONWITCH’s highly anticipated new album, “BREATHING THE FIRE,” due out October 13, will be available for streaming via the band’s Myspace at 9AM PST, Monday… . And LIVE on Sirius XM Liquid Metal August 14th 8:00 PM EST

Vocalist, Chance Garnette, commented about the track: “This song is simply about killing someone with nothing but your bare hands! Plus I was stoked I could find a home for the word “quashed.”

Preorder packages for “BREATHING THE FIRE,” are now available on Prosthetic Records’ webstore. There are four different package options for both the vinyl and CD version of the album. The LP will be on 180 gram vinyl and is in a gatefold jacket and the CD version comes in a digipack. There’s a limited amount of red vinyl, available on a first come, first served basis. There are also three different T shirts available in the bundles.

“BREATHING THE FIRE,” is the follow up to the band’s critically acclaimed album, “BEYOND THE PERMAFROST.” (Prosthetic Records, 2007) The Athens OH based band traveled to Seattle, WA to record with producer Jack Endino (Nirvana, Soundgarden, High On Fire).

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

Nirvana’s “Bleach” Returns as 20th Anniversary Deluxe Reissue


To celebrate the 20th anniversary of Nirvana’s Bleach, Sub Pop Records will reissue the band’s 1989 debut album with as an expanded CD/double vinyl collection on November 3rd. Additionally, the reissued Bleach will feature an unreleased bonus live album called Live at Pine Street Theatre, recorded at the Portland, Oregon venue on February 9th, 1990. Both Bleach and the Pine Street show have been digitally remastered from the original tapes by Jack Endino, who produced Nirvana’s debut LP.

Pre-orders will soon be available at the Sub Pop, the home of Nirvana before the band made the major label jump to DGC for the legendary Nevermind. Bleach remains one of Sub Pop’s few platinum albums. Like the original run of Bleach on vinyl, the first-run of the reissued double-LPs will be printed on white vinyl. Also, the songs “Big Cheese” and “Downer” will feature on vinyl for the first time after being excised from the original LP release. Both the CD and the LP will be accompanied with a booklet looking back at the classic debut along with never-before-seen photographs of Kurdt Kobain and Chris Novoselic, as they called themselves in the album’s liner notes, along with pre-Grohl drummer Chad Channing.

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

Blame It On Yoko

Britain's NME reports that Yoko Ono had the developers at Harmonix on the ropes over the release version of The Beatles: Rock Band. Instead of giving input during the early development process, she waited until three months before the debut of the game at E3.

Alex Rigopulos, CEO of the company, said "We were like, 'Oh, gee. Thanks.' It would have been nice to know that six months ago, but yes, 'Thank you very much'."

Ono was concerned with the game's look, including wanting the Let It Be rooftop concert to look "windier."

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

Withers Writes Song For Benson

Bill Withers has come out of retirement to write the song A Telephone Call Away for George Benson's new album Songs and Stories, due August 25th from Concord. The album also includes new songs from Rod Temperton and Lamont Dozier along with covers of such tunes as Don't Let Me Be Lonely Tonight, Rainy Night in Georgia and Donny Hathaway's Someday We'll All Be Free.

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

Ray Charles' Reissue

Ray Charles' first album for ABC-Paramount after leaving Atlantic, The Genius Hits the Road, will be getting a deluxe reissue on September 22 via Concord.

The original 12-track album included his first number one record, Georgia On My Mind. For the deluxe edition, Concord is adding seven more road songs from other parts of Charles' career, Hit the Road Jack, Sentimental Journey, Blue Moon of Kentucky, Rainy Night in Georgia, The Long and Winding Road, Take Me Home Country Roads and I Was On Georgia Time.

Guitar Legend Les Pau Dead At 94

Written by Robert Benson

Les Paul, who invented the solid-body electric guitar and whose studio technology and recording innovations made him one of the most important figures in modern recorded music, passed away on August 13, 2009, from complications from pneumonia. Paul was 94.

From his humble beginnings in Waukesha, Wisconsin (born in 1915), Paul helped to reinvent recorded sound with innovations like multitrack recording techniques which allowed musicians to record different instruments at different times and to sing harmony with themselves and of course the solid-body guitar that bears his name, the Gibson Les Paul. His many recording innovations include effects such as "sound on sound" (or overdubbing) tape delay and phasing effects.

He began his music career at an early age, playing the harmonica and banjo before moving on to the guitar. By age 13 he was performing semi-professionally as a country music artist. By the mid-1930s he joined on with Fred Waring's Pennsylvanians and moved to New York to form the Les Paul Trio. He worked alongside several big band singers, including Bing Crosby, Frank Sinatra and the Andrews Sisters and in the early 1950s, he and his wife Mary Ford earned 36 gold records for hits including "Vaya Con Dios" and "How High the Moon," which both hit number one. Many of their songs used overdubbing techniques that Paul had helped develop.

Paul's methods of multitrack recording were unique, at the time most recordings were made on a single tape. However, by recording each element separately, from the vocals to instrumentation on different tracks, they could be mixed and layered, adding to the richness in sound.

"I could take my Mary and make her three, six, nine, 12, as many voices as I wished," he recalled. "This is quite an asset."

But it was the Les Paul electric guitar that helped the music industry gain popularity in the mid-to-late 1940s, and then exploded with the advent of rock in the mid-'50s. Some say that Paul’s guitar and studio techniques have as much to do with the birth of rock and roll than some of the most famous singers who are credited early in the genre’s existence.

Paul's innovative guitar, "The Log,” built in 1939, was one of the first solid-body electric guitars and with careful work and planning evolved into the creation of the first solid-body electric guitar, a departure from the hollow-body guitars of the time. Leo Fender's Broadcaster was the first mass-produced solid body electric on the market in the late 1940s and Gibson solicited Paul to create a prototype for a guitar, now known as the The Les Paul series.

"I had to build it, make it and perfect it," Paul said in 2002.

"For 10 years, I was a laugh," he told CNN in an interview. "[But I] kept pounding at them and pounding at them saying hey, here's where it's at. Here's where tomorrow, this is it. You can drown out anybody with it. And you can make all these different sounds that you can't do with a regular guitar."

"Suddenly, it was recognized that power was a very important part of music," Paul once said. "To have the dynamics, to have the way of expressing yourself beyond the normal limits of an unamplified instrument, was incredible. Today a guy wouldn't think of singing a song on a stage without a microphone and a sound system."

Gibson introduced his model in 1952 and the rest, as they say, is history. The Les Paul series has become one of the most widely used guitars in the music industry and became the standard instrument for legends like Pete Townshend (Who) Jimmy Page (Led Zeppelin), Eric Clapton and many other guitar gods.

In the late 1960s, Paul retired from music to concentrate on his inventions. His interest in country music was rekindled in the mid-'70s and he teamed up with Chet Atkins for two albums. By the late 1980s, Paul had returned to active live performance. In 2006, at the age of 90, he won two Grammys for his first official rock album “Les Paul & Friends: American Made World Played.” Among those playing with him were Peter Frampton, Jeff Beck, Eric Clapton and Richie Sambora.

"They're not only my friends, but they're great players," Paul told The Associated Press. "I never stop being amazed by all the different ways of playing the guitar and making it deliver a message."

Accolades and respect from all over the music industry are pouring in, remembering this gentle inventor with the magic fingers and sound.

"He was truly the cornerstone of popular music," said Henry Juskiewicz, chairman and CEO of Gibson Guitar, which mass produced Paul's original invention. "He was a futurist, and unlike some futurists who write about it and predict things, he was a guy who actually did things."

“Les lived a very long life and he got to a lot of his goals, so I'm happy for him in that respect. ... At least he realized that he was a legend in his own time while he was alive," said Richie Sambora, Bon Jovi's guitarist and a friend of Paul's, on Thursday. "He was revolutionary in the music business."

“Les Paul was truly a 'one of a kind.' We owe many of his inventions that made the rock 'n roll sound of today to him, and he was the founding father of modern music," B.B. King said in a statement. "This is a huge loss to the music community and the world. I am honored to have known him."

Joe Satriani said in a statement: "Les Paul set a standard for musicianship and innovation that remains unsurpassed. He was the original guitar hero and the kindest of souls. Last October I joined him onstage at the Iridium club in [New York], and he was still shredding. He was and still is an inspiration to us all."

Said Kiss' Paul Stanley: "The name Les Paul is iconic and is known by aspiring and virtuoso guitar players worldwide. That guitar is the cornerstone of a lot of great music that has been made in the last 50 years."

Paul is enshrined in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, the Grammy Hall of Fame, the Inventors Hall of Fame and the Songwriters Hall of Fame. Les Paul now moves on to another place, where he can dazzle them with his guitar skills and prowess. He will be remembered as one of the greatest assets that the music industry ever had the pleasure to work with.

Classic Rock Videos

Brown Sugar-Rolling Stones

Bird And Animal Names In Rock And Roll History- part twenty-five

Let's continue with our series about 'bird' and 'animal names in rock and roll history:

In 1991, Swedish pop singer Meja was visiting a school as part of a music workshop when she was overwhelmed by a young singer named Robin Miriam Carlsson. Meja contacted the young singer’s management and then met with them and Carlsson’s parents to discuss the young singer’s future. Right after she finished her middle school education, Robyn (which was now her “stage” name) signed on with Ricochet Records Sweden (a subsidiary of BMG Music) and collaborated with producers Max Martin and Denniz Pop; who provided the young songstress music in which Robyn would help formulate her gritty, yet popular voice and style.

Already a hit in her native land, Robyn hit the worldwide stage with her dance-pop singles “Show Me Love” (#7 in May of 1997) and “Do You Know (What It Takes),” which also hit number seven ( in November) on the Billboard Top 40 charts.

As the young singer’s popularity grew, especially in the US, she was hired to be the supporting act for the 1997 Backstreet Boys tour. But the singer was diagnosed with exhaustion and had to return to Sweden to recover and rest.

Robyn’s recording career rebounded with her 1999 album “My Truth.” With her single called “Electric,” she peaked at the number two position in Sweden and the song received heavy air play all across Europe. But there were internal management problems (the record company RCA, wanted to re-record parts of the release so it would be more US-radio friendly) and Robyn did not want to at change her sound, therefore the album was not released in the states.

After Robyn’s song “Say You’ll Walk The Distance” was included in the soundtrack for the film On The Line, Robyn switched record labels (from RCA to Jive Records) and released the album “Don’t Stop The Music” in Sweden in 2002. Popular singles from the album included the title track and “Keep This Fire Burning.”

Tired of the restraints that her labels put upon her musical aspirations and sound, Robyn left Jive Records in 2005 to start her own record label called Konichiwa Records. She released her new single called “Be Mine!” in March of 2005, and followed that with a new studio album, which garnered rave reviews for the Swedish soulstress. She also earned three Swedish Grammy Awards in 2006, for Best Album, Best Writer as well as Best Pop Female. Three more critically acclaimed singles were released including “Who’s That Girl,”“Handle Me” and “Crash and Burn Girl.”

In March of 2007, her new album “Konichiwa Bitches” hit the charts. New songs such as “With Every Heartbeat” and “Cobra Style,” were released digitally with the cut “With Every Heartbeat” peaking at number one on the UK singles charts in August of 2007.

Konichiwa Records signed an international licensing agreement with Universal Music Group and helped launch and distribute Robyn's music globally (releases in the UK are issued under the Island Records label). An EP, "The Rakamonie" was released in January 2008 under Cherrytree Records, a subsidiary of Interscope, and the US edition of Robyn was released in April 2008. "With Every Heartbeat," "Handle Me" and "Cobrastyle" were top ten club hits, and the former received airplay at US pop and dance radio stations. Robyn was also visible in the US in 2007 when Britney Spears released the single "Piece of Me," which contains Robyn's backing vocals. She was also featured on the Fyre Department remix of "Sexual Eruption" by rapper Snoop Dogg.

Robyn stated to Aftonbladet, a Swedish newspaper site that she wants to start recording a new album in the beginning of 2009. Her global popularity continues to grow and we will be hearing more from this talented songstress for years to come.

The revolving door project of famed drummer, programmer, band leader and Cleveland native, Anton Fier, is a band called the Golden Palominos. After playing with the group The Feelies and later the punk-jazz outfit called the Lounge Lizards (we will cover them in an upcoming article) as well as the legendary new wave band Pere Ubu,” Fier relocated to New York City and founded the first Golden Palominos line up in 1981.

Their self-titled debut album is a record that exemplifies the group’s downtown New York origins and spotlights the avant-funk sounds of the cut “Material.” The music is eclectic, experimental (including hip-hop turntables, which was a new sound, especially in 1983) and even included clarinets that were played underwater and was augmented by multi-instrumentalist John Zorn. The sound is definitely an acquired taste and certainly can be considered underground music.

After abandoning the experimental sounds of the first album and most of its players, the group did a left turn, so to speak, and released the folk-pop oriented album called “Visions Of Excess” in 1985. The group’s nucleus of Fier (drums), Bill Laswell (bass), Jody Harris (guitar) and Bernie Worrell (keyboards), played superbly among a stable of guest vocalists including Jack Bruce, and newcomers Syd Straw and Michael Stipe. One song, "The Animal Speaks", featured a pronounced, punk-like electric guitar part and vocals by The Sex Pistols' John Lydon. Adding guest musicians such as Richard Thompson, Henry Kaiser and Mike Hampton, it is an irresistible and extraordinary release of pop melodies and rock.

Another all-star line up was formed for the group’s next release in 1986’s“Blast Of Silence.” The band brings in more guest musicians including T-Bone Burnett, Matthew Sweet, Nicky Skopelitis and Peter Bleguad (among others), and adeptly blends country, folk and blues, all the while maintaining a tight cohesiveness.

The moody 1989 album called “A Dead Horse” lacks the energy of previous releases and did not fair as well as other albums. But the Palomino’s score again with another all-star line up (including an appearance by Rolling Stones member Mick Taylor, Stipe, Thompson and Sugar/Husker Du guitarist Bob Mould) with the 1991 album entitled “Drunk With Passion.” The album “This Is How It Feels” was released in 1993 and the group adds vocalists Lori Carlson and three songs sung by Lydia Kavanaugh. A concept album, inspired by the Graham Greene novel “The End of The Road,” the record spotlighted the talents of Carson (who co-wrote all the songs on which she sings) and guest musicians Bootsy Collins, Nicky Skopelitis and Bernie Worrell.

In 1994, using much of the same aforementioned players, the Golden Palominos released the shimmering, experimental pop sounds of the album “Pure.” For the1996 album entitled “Dead Inside” (which would prove to be the group’s last album), the band was ‘stripped down’ to essentially a trio of Fier, ex-Psychedelic Furs guitarist Knox Chandler and poet/vocalist Nicole Blackman and focused on Blackman’s dark, death obsessed lyrics.

In the late 90's, other members of the band formed a new band called Lapdog and released a studio album entitled “Near Tonight” in 2001. Lapdog released another album in 2002 called “Mayfly,” but since then have kept a fairly low profile, occasionally getting together to play.


Singer/songwriter Seal released a critically acclaimed self-titled debut in 1991 and mixing elements of soul, folk, pop and rock, charted with the song “Crazy,” which peaked at number seven on the Billboard Top 40 charts. (The video for the song showed off Seal’s distinctive facial scars which are the result of a skin ailment) But, it was his next release, again a self-titled album (1994) where Seal really came into his own with a Top 40 hit called “Prayer For The Dying.” The release got a second chance when a song from the LP, “Kiss From A Rose” (1995) was included on the Batman Forever soundtrack. The song propelled Seal to superstardom as the song became the number one pop single in America, spending a total of twelve weeks at the top of the adult contemporary charts and an amazing forty-five week run. Additionally, Seal was awarded a Grammy award for Best Song, Best Record and Male Pop Vocal of the Year.

In 1996, Seal contributed a cover of Steve Miller’s 1977 top ten hit “Fly Like An Eagle” for the movie soundtrack Space Jam. Seals’ third LP (1998) contained the singles “Human Beings,” “Latest Craze” and the song “Lost My Faith.” But the next album called “Togetherland” failed, either because Seal cancelled the project or the record was turned down by his recording company (Warner Brothers). Even so, one single was released from the album. "This Could Be Heaven" was released in the US and featured on The Family Man soundtrack.

Seal then released another self-titled LP in 2003 which provided the hit singles “Waiting For You,” “Get It Together” and “Love’s Divine.” He added a greatest hits album in 2004, "Seal: Best 1991-2004," which included a cover of Echo & the Bunnymen's song "Lips Like Sugar" and a cover of the Burt Bacharach/ Hal David classic "Walk On By." In June of 2005, Seal recorded a special concert, "One Night to Remember" which was released in 2006 as a CD/DVD combo. The DVD included the live performances and backstage footage. It was recorded in a historic steel mill, the Altes Kesselhaus (‘old boiler house’), in Düsseldorf, Germany and includes his version of Brahms' Lullaby, which Seal sang in German and then English. Seal was also accompanied by his band, a full orchestra and choir of 52 musicians.

His next release, "System," was in November 2007 and Seal described the album as a return to his dance roots and his best album since his debut. However, it is his lowest selling LP to date in the US, but was mildly successful in Europe.

Seal released an album of covers of eleven soul classics in the 2008 LP, appropriately called "Soul." The album was produced by David Foster, and co-produced, engineered and mixed by Jochem van der Saag. The album peaked at #1 on French Album Charts for 13 consecutive weeks and included covers of such classic as "Stand By Me," "If You Don't Know Me By Now" and "A Change Is Gonna Come;" which was the lead single. Seal continues to tour and delight audiences with his vocal talent and love for his music.


Robyn Tidbits:

Robyn's parents are actors, and she herself was involved in acting at the age of 9, having an extra role in Kronbruden at the Swedish theatre Dramaten. She was discovered by the Swedish pop singer Meja while singing about her parents' divorce.

After the release of her second album in 1999, My Truth, Robyn became a UNICEF ambassador and visited, among other countries, Kenya and Tanzania. During her two years of dedicating herself to this work, she intended to draw attention to UNICEF and their worldwide work for children in need of aid.

Robyn completed a short U.S. tour to promote Robyn, and was the supporting act for Madonna's Sticky & Sweet Tour at select European dates in 2008. In January 2009, Robyn won a Swedish Grammis Award for Best Live Act 2008; in her acceptance speech, she said that Madonna was to thank for the prize.


Golden Palominos Tidbits:

In 1997, The Palominos released another EP, named “Dead Outside,” composed of five remixes of tracks from “Dead Inside.” However, this EP was released as free MP3s on the Internet and also through a fan-created band website (since decommissioned).

"Dead Outside" consisted of these five remixes, which were available for download for one month only, as per Fier's instructions: 'Victim: The Last Thing' by Sean Beavan (whose credits include 8MM/Nine Inch Nails/Marilyn Manson) with John Van Eaton (a frequent Blackman collaborator who has worked with NIN for 10 years) 'Ride: Pragmatic Spasmatic' by Raymond Watts (of KMFDM/Pig) "Belfast: Empty As Wire" by Scanner (another Blackman collaborator) "Ride" by Mark Walk (of Ruby) "Victim: Interference" by John Van Eaton.

Both Syd Straw and Lori Carson have gone on to moderately successful and critically acclaimed solo careers, with Carson a frequent contributor to television shows and movies.

Much of the Golden Palominos' work has become increasingly hard to find, just a few best-of compilations are available: two A History collections on Celluloid both released in 1992; a German collection released in 1997; and 2002's collection “Run Pony Run.” However, none include any material from “Drunk With Passion” onward.


Seal Tidbits:

Seal proposed to German supermodel Heidi Klum on December 24, 2004 at 7,000 ft, in an igloo on a glacier in Whistler, British Columbia.

On Thursday April 16, 2009, Seal confirmed to the press and his audience at Radio City Music Hall that Klum was pregnant with their fourth child, a girl.

On June 11, 2009, Seal, on tour with his new album “Soul,” revealed, "It is nice to be in newspapers and magazines for something other than my marriage." He said his marriage may take away the attention, but doesn't detract from what he loves doing: making music.

Written by Robert Benson

Copyright 2009 collectingvinylrecords.com

Music News & Notes

Kid Cudi Artwork

The official artwork for Kid Cudi’s upcoming album “Man on the Moon: The End of Day” has been officially unveiled. Originally pushed back because the artwork was not yet completed, a release date of September 15th has been announced, with these images serving as the regular and deluxe edition cover art.












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

Michael Jackson's 1983 Motown Moonwalk Glove Set For Auction

The glove, worn during Jackson's performance of 'Billie Jean' at Motown's 25th-anniversary TV special in 1983 (during his first televised moonwalk) is expected to fetch between $40,000 and $60,000.

Unlike the late singer's later custom-made crystal gloves, this one was store-bought and customised with rhinestones. It is also left-handed, where as Jackson's others were made for his right hand.



The glove has been in the care of founding Commodores member Walter 'Clyde' Orange since Jackson gave it him as a gift in 1983.

Proceeds from the sale will benefit MusiCares, which helps musicians struggling with substance abuse.

Other items at the Music Icons auction, which will take place at The Hard Rock Cafe in New York this November, include Jimi Hendrix lyrics and a Madonna demo tape.

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

ALICE IN CHAINS: 'Black Gives Way To Blue' Artwork Unveiled


The cover artwork for "Black Gives Way To Blue", the highly anticipated new album from ALICE IN CHAINS.

"Black Gives Way To Blue" is ALICE IN CHAINS' first new studio release in more than 10 years. The quartet (guitarist/vocalist Jerry Cantrell, drummer Sean Kinney, bassist Mike Inez and guitarist/vocalist William DuVall) recorded the album with producer Nick Raskulinecz (RUSH, FOO FIGHTERS) at Studio 606 in Northridge, CA and Henson Studios in Hollywood.

The track listing for the CD is as follows:

01. All Secrets Known
02. Check My Brain
03. Last Of My Kind
04. Your Decision
05. A Looking In View
06. When The Sun Rose Again
07. Acid Bubble
08. Lessons Learned
09. Take Her Out
10. Private Hell
11. Black Gives Way To Blue

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

Lennon Lyrics

Song lyrics John Lennon scrawled on a postcard approximately 40 years ago are going on display in an English exhibit assembled by his first wife Cynthia and son Julian for the first time ever, the BBC reports.

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

'The Beatles: Rock Band' Track-Listing Unveiled

The tracks unveiled range from 'I Saw Her Standing There' and 'Twist and Shout' from the 1963 album Please Please Me to the reworked 'Within You Without You/ Tomorrow Never Knows' from 2006's Love.

The identity of the 45th track is for some reason a closely guarded secret, although 'Hey Jude' seems an all too glaring omission.

The track-listing is as follows:

Singles:
I Want To Hold Your Hand
I Feel Fine
Day Tripper
Paperback Writer
Revolution
Don't Let Me Down

Please Please Me (1963)
I Saw Her Standing There
Boys
Do You Want To Know A Secret
Twist and Shout

With the Beatles (1963)
I Wanna Be Your Man

A Hard Day's Night (1964)
A Hard Day's Night
Can't Buy Me Love

Beatles For Sale (1964)
Eight Days a Week

Help! (1965)
Ticket To Ride

Rubber Soul (1965)
Drive My Car
I'm Looking Through You
If I Needed Someone

Revolver (1966)
Taxman
Yellow Submarine
And Your Bird Can Sing

Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band (1967)
Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band/With a Little Help From My Friends
Lucy In The Sky With Diamonds
Getting Better
Good Morning Good Morning

Magical Mystery Tour (1967)
I Am The Walrus
Hello Goodbye

The White Album (1968)
Dear Prudence
Back In the U.S.S.R.
While My Guitar Gently Weeps
Birthday
Helter Skelter

Yellow Submarine (1969)
Hey Bulldog

Abbey Road (1969)
Come Together
Something
Octopus's Garden
I Want You (She's So Heavy)
Here Comes the Sun

Let It Be (1970)
Dig a Pony
I Me Mine
I Got a Feeling
Get Back

Love (2006)
Within You Without You/ Tomorrow Never Knows


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

LITA FORD: 'Wicked Wonderland' Vinyl To Feature Different Artwork

'80s hard rock queen Lita Ford will release her first new studio album in 14 years, "Wicked Wonderland", in Europe on October 2 via earMUSIC/Edel. The set will be issued in the U.S. on October 6 through Lita's own JLRG Entertainment label as a regular CD and limited-edition vinyl with different artwork (see below).

"It's harder and sexier than anything I've ever done," says Lita of the record, which was co-produced by Ford, her husband and former NITRO singer Jim Gillette, and Greg Hampton, the songwriter, multi-instrumentalist and producer known for his work with ALICE COOPER, his band SCIENCE FAXTION (with Bootsy Collins and Buckethead and Brain from GUNS N' ROSES) and other rock notables. Lita is backed on the record by drummer Stet Howland, formerly of W.A.S.P., Hampton on bass, rhythm guitar and keyboards, Gillette on background vocals, and its vivid cover art is by ROB ZOMBIE bassist and solo artist Piggy D.

LP Cover

This Date In Music History-August 14

Birthdays:

Dash Crofts - Seals and Crofts (1940)

David Crosby – Byrds/CSN&Y (1941)

Gil Bridges - Rare Earth (1942)

Larry Graham - Sly and The Family Stone/Graham Central Station (1946)

George Newsome - Climax Blues Band (1947)

Terry Adams – NRBQ (1950)

Slim Dunlap – Replacements (1951)

Sharon Bryant - Atlantic Starr (1956)

Mark Collins – Charlatans (1965)

Tanya Donelly - Throwing Muses/Breeders (1966)

Kevin Cadogan - Third Eye Blind (1970)

Ana Matronic, (Ana Lynch) - Scissor Sisters (1974)


They Are Missed:

Johnny Burnette died in a boating accident on Clear Lake in California in 1964.

In 1965, Carl Fizer of the Olympics ("Western Movies") was shot and killed during rioting in the Watts section of Los Angeles.

In 1971, the great King Curtis ("Soul Twist") was stabbed to death in New York. As well as playing for the Coasters and blowing on his own hits, Curtis led Aretha Franklin's band the Kingpins.

Lead singer, poet and frontman of Hawkwind Robert Calvert died of a heart attack in 1988. He was a member of Hawkwind from 1972-1979.

In 1988, guitarist Roy Buchanan died after hanging himself by his own shirt in Fairfax County Jail, Virginia after being arrested for drunkenness. Buchanan released over 15 solo albums; Jeff Beck dedicated the song “Cause We've Ended As Lovers” to Buchanan in 1975 on his Blow by Blow album.

Tony Williams lead singer with The Platters died in his sleep of emphysema in 1992 (age 64). He sang most of the group’s hits up until 1961 when he was replaced by Sonny Turner

In 2002, Dave Williams lead singer of US heavy rock band Drowning Pool was found dead on the band’s tour bus during Ozzy Osbournes Ozzfest tour in Manassas, Virginia. The autopsy concluded that he suffered from a form of heart disease.

Edith Wong, a promoter who booked bands like the Police, X, the Go-Gos, Oingo Boingo, the Motels, the Knack, the Textones and Plane English at her string of Madame Wong's clubs in Los Angeles, died in 2005 (age 88).


History:

Etta James hits #1 on the R&B chart in 1955 with "The Wallflower" and #6 on the R&B chart with "Good Rockin Daddy".



NBC pulled the plug on the popular Nat King Cole Show in 1957 after a yearlong search for a sponsor. Cole said, "The advertising agencies are afraid of the dark. They don't take any chances. I think the show can be sold if the agency men look at it from a money point of view rather than from that of a race issue. The network likes me and so do the TV viewers." Nat's show had attracted quality guests like Peggy Lee, Ella Fitzgerald, and Harry Belafonte.

Unhappy with drummer Pete Best's role in The Beatles Brian Epstein and the other three members decide to fire him in 1962. Best played his last gig the following night at The Cavern, Liverpool. Ringo Starr who was nearing the end of a three-month engagement with Rory Storm & the Hurricanes at a Butlin's holiday camp received a telephone call from John Lennon, asking him to join The Beatles. Ringo gave Rory Storm three days notice and on August 18, appeared as a member of The Beatles for the first time.

In 1964, the Beatles cut Little Willie John's "Leave My Kitten Alone" at EMI Studios in London. Intended for album 'Beatles For Sale' ('Beatles '65' in the US), it was left off and remained unreleased until 'Anthology 1' in 1995.

Sonny & Cher started a three week run at #1 on the US singles chart in 1965 with “I Got You Babe.”

The McCoys' "Hang On Sloopy" was released in 1965.



Little Anthony & The Imperials, (Steve Van Zandt’s band), The Shadows and The Castiles (with Bruce Springsteen on vocals) all appeared at the Surf ‘n See Club in Seabright New Jersey in 1966.

In 1966, London's Catholic Herald calls John Lennon's apology for his remark about the Beatles being more popular than Jesus Christ, "arrogant." However the publication admits, as Lennon asserted, it's probably true. Amen.

Rod Stewart released "Maggie May" in 1971. It became his breakthrough single in the U.S., going to #1.

In 1989, after decades of mass bootlegging by Soviet Rock fans, Bon Jovi’s “New Jersey” LP becomes the first U.S. album legally released in the Soviet Union. The group’s first royalty payment is a truckload of firewood. No joke! It’s because rubles, the Soviet currency, can’t leave the country.

In 1999, 765,000 tickets to a Backstreet Boys North American tour were sold in one day.

Sun Records became a National Historic Landmark in 2003. Jerry Lee Lewis, B.B. King, Johnny Cash and, of course, Elvis Presley started their careers there. Countless others recorded there before and after. It’s the first recording studio to be named a Historic Landmark.

Faith Hill was at #1 on the US chart in 2005 with “Fireflies,” Hill's third consecutive album to debut at #1 on both the country and Billboard album charts.

John Lennon's solo catalog was available for purchase on iTunes in 2007. "John would have loved the fact that his music will now be available in a format suited to a new generation of listeners," says Lennon's widow, Yoko Ono.

Classic Rock Videos

The Rolling Stones - Under My Thumb

Top Selling Albums From 1991-2008

1. Come on Over / Shania Twain ~ 15,473,000

Come on Over is the third studio album recorded by country singer Shania Twain. It was released on November 4, 1997. The best-selling country music album of all time, it is certified 20× Platinum in the US (2x Diamond under new RIAA), 2× Diamond in Canada, 15× Platinum in Australia, and 10× Platinum in Great Britain. Twelve singles were released from the album, of which eleven were top five country hits in Canada.


2. Metallica / Metallica ~ 15,319,000

Metallica (also referred to as The Black Album) is the fifth album by the American heavy metal band Metallica, released August 12, 1991 through Elektra Records. The album features songs that are considered today as Metallica's most known tracks, with songs such as "Enter Sandman", "The Unforgiven", "Nothing Else Matters" , "Wherever I May Roam" and "Sad but True". It spent four consecutive weeks at number one on Billboard 200. Metallica is the band's best-selling album to date, with over 15 million copies sold in the United States and over 22 million copies worldwide.


3. Jagged Little Pill / Alanis Morissette ~ 14,607,000

Jagged Little Pill is the third studio album (and the first to be released internationally) by Canadian singer Alanis Morissette. The album made a sharp turn in genre and style for Morissette from her previous dance pop sound. As detailed in the article about the seventh track, "You Learn", the title is a metaphor for lessons of life that are hard to accept. The album was Morrisette's breakthrough album, and had five hits, "You Oughta Know", "Ironic", "You Learn", "Hand in My Pocket", and "Head over Feet".

The album garnered great success, spending twelve non-consecutive weeks at number one on the U.S. Billboard 200 albums chart, and became one of three albums – along with Thriller by Michael Jackson and Falling into You by Céline Dion – to remain in the Top Ten for over a year.

The album had a slow rise up the charts, but four million copies were shipped in the U.S. during 1995, and in 1996 it became the best-selling album of the year, with ten million shipments. On July 29, 1998, the RIAA certified it 16× platinum.

It was the second-best-selling album of the 1990s, behind Shania Twain's Come on Over, with twenty-eight million copies sold by 2000. By January 2005, the album had sold 33 million units worldwide.

In October 2002, Rolling Stone ranked it number 31 on its Women In Rock - The 50 Essential Albums list, and in 2003 the magazine ranked it number 327 on its list of The 500 Greatest Albums of All Time.


4. Millennium / Backstreet Boys ~ 12,104,000

Millennium is an album by American pop music group Backstreet Boys. It broke numerous records, and is their biggest success to date. It was a highly anticipated follow-up to both their United States debut album, and their second internationally released CD. It was their first record to be released in both the U.S. and internationally in the same form, at the same time. In the United States, it holds the record for most shipments in one year, with 11 million in 1999. It was nominated for five Grammy Awards and spawned four Top 40 singles, including worldwide smash hit single "I Want It That Way." Millennium set a record for most albums sold in its debut week. It also set the record for most albums sold internationally in one week with 2.2 million, and was certified at least platinum in 45 countries, and has sold 40 million copies worldwide.

Millennium entered the Billboard 200 at number one, where it remained for 10 non-consecutive weeks. It sold 1,134,000 copies in its first week of release, shattering the previous Nielsen SoundScan record held by Garth Brooks for single-week record sales. Millennium sold nearly 500,000 copies in the U.S. on its first day alone, setting a record for first-day sales. This record was subsequently overtaken in 2000 by Britney Spears with Oops!... I Did It Again, and then again by 'N Sync with No Strings Attached.

Millennium became the best-selling album of 1999, selling 9,445,732 albums. Millennium remained on the Billboard chart for 93 weeks, eventually selling over 12 million copies in the United States and being certified 13 times platinum


5. The Bodyguard / Soundtrack ~ 11,805,000

The Bodyguard is the soundtrack from the movie of the same name, released on November 17, 1992, on Arista Records and features six songs by Whitney Houston, as well as songs from various other noted artists of the time. The album was co-executive produced by Whitney Houston and Clive Davis. Upon the sixth week after its release, the soundtrack became the first album to sell more than a million copies in a single week. The soundtrack later went on to win a Grammy Award for Album of the Year, and the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) certified it 17x Platinum on November 1, 1999, denoting shipments of 17 million copies in the United States - which officially made it the best-selling soundtrack album of all-time in the U.S. It has sold over 42 million copies, and is the best-selling soundtrack of all time worldwide.

The album is most notable for Whitney Houston's cover of "I Will Always Love You", originally written and recorded by Dolly Parton. The song received wide airplay, appealing to the R&B, Adult Contemporary and Soul radio markets, and is also considered Houston's signature song. The single spent 14 weeks at number one on the Billboard Hot 100. The strength of the single helped the soundtrack album sustain the number-one spot on the Billboard 200 for 20 weeks.


6. Supernatural / Santana ~ 11,673,000


Supernatural is a 1999 concept album by Santana. It went 15 times platinum in the US and won eight Grammy Awards, including Album of the Year.

The album, conceived by Clive Davis and A&R'd by Pete Ganbarg, was phenomenally successful, eventually selling over 25 million copies worldwide; it is generally seen to have revived Santana's dormant career.

"Supernatural" debuted at #19 on the Billboard Hot 200 on July 3, 1999 but topped (after 18 weeks) the chart on October 30, 1999 and stayed there for 12 non-consecutive weeks. It included the hit single "Smooth", which featured Matchbox Twenty singer Rob Thomas on vocals, and was #1 on the Billboard Hot 100 for 12 weeks. The follow-up single, "Maria Maria" (which featured The Product G&B), was #1 on the same chart for 10 weeks. Santana and Rob Thomas won 2 Grammys for their collaboration on the song "Smooth" while Santana and Everlast won another for the song "Put Your Lights On".

Among the other guest artists: Eric Clapton, Eagle-Eye Cherry, Lauryn Hill, Dave Matthews, and Cee-Lo


7. Human Clay / Creed ~ 11,525,000

Human Clay is the second album by Creed released on September 28, 1999. It was certified 11x platinum and 1x(+) diamond by the RIAA, and is 54th on the top 100 selling albums of all time in the United States (as of February 2007). The album has sold 11,504,000 copies in the USA alone according to Soundscan numbers as of January 2008. It has also been certified 6 times platinum in Canada, 5 times in Australia and 7 times in New Zealand, among others. The fourth single "With Arms Wide Open" has won a Grammy Award for Best Rock Song. The album had three videos released from it: "Higher", "What If," and "With Arms Wide Open," the last of which was voted the 92nd best music video of all-time by VH1, who also listed "Higher" one of the greatest hard rock songs of all time in 2009.


8. Beatles 1 / The Beatles ~ 11,345,000


1 is a compilation album by The Beatles, released on 13 November 2000. The album features virtually every #1 British and American hit single by the band released from 1962 to 1970. Despite being released on the 30th anniversary of the band's breakup, it was their first compilation available on one Compact Disc. 1, as a project, was a critical success, and became a blockbuster phenomenon, becoming the biggest selling album of 2000 worldwide.

The reception of 1 surpassed all critical and commercial expectations. It broke a considerable number of sales and chart records. It sold 3.6 million units in its first week and more than 12 million in three weeks worldwide, reaching #1 in over 35 countries, including the United States and the United Kingdom. It became the fastest-selling album of all time and the highest-selling of 2000 and of the decade so far. This achievement made The Beatles the first and only artist to have the best-selling albums of two different decades (they had also the best-selling album of the 1960s, Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band). It also became the second biggest selling compilation in history, after The Eagles's Their Greatest Hits 1971-1975.

Vinyl
Each of the four sides of the vinyl represented appropriately different styles and phases of the Beatles' career: in order, Beatlemania's Mersey Beat, folk-rock/pre-psychedelic style, purely experimental/psychedelic style, back-to-basics/rock style. This was apparently a coincidence, considering that the songs are distributed on the sides following a balance-time rule. (The cassette edition comprises the first two vinyl sides on its side A and the last two vinyl sides on its side B, with a length of 38:32 and 40:35 respectively.)

Side one (1962–64)
1."Love Me Do"
2."From Me to You"
3."She Loves You"
4."I Want to Hold Your Hand"
5."Can't Buy Me Love"
6."A Hard Day's Night"
7."I Feel Fine"
8."Eight Days a Week"

Side two (1965–66)
9."Ticket to Ride"
10."Help!"
11."Yesterday"
12."Day Tripper"
13."We Can Work It Out"
14."Paperback Writer"
15."Yellow Submarine"
16."Eleanor Rigby"

Side three (1967–68)
17."Penny Lane"
18."All You Need Is Love"
19."Hello, Goodbye"
20."Lady Madonna"
21."Hey Jude"

Side four (1969–70)
22."Get Back"
23."The Ballad of John and Yoko"
24."Something"
25."Come Together"
26."Let It Be"
27."The Long and Winding Road"


9. No Strings Attached / 'N Sync ~ 11,109,000

No Strings Attached is the fourth album by American boy band 'N Sync, released on March 21, 2000. By selling more than 2.4 million copies in its debut week, the album set a U.S. one-week sales record.

No Strings Attached sold over 2.4 million units in its first week, debuting on the Billboard 200 at number one. It set the record for the first album to have sold more than two million copies in a single week, since the chart adopted Nielsen SoundScan data in May 1991. The figures also surpassed Celebrity's, the album's successor, debut sales of over 1.88 million units, becoming the band's highest-debut in their career. The album topped the chart for eight straight weeks, becoming one of the longest-running albums of 2000.

The Recording Industry Association of America certified No Strings Attached seven-times platinum on April 19, 2000, becoming the highest-certified single disc album in the initial RIAA audit in this year. It broke the record previously set in 1993 by the soundtrack to the 1992 film The Bodyguard, which was certified six-times platinum in the RIAA's first audit. The album was re-certified eleven-times platinum on May 10, 2001, denoting shipments of 11 million in the United States alone—making it their best-selling album. The album shipped 10 million copies domestically in 2000 alone, of which 9,936,104 were sold, according to Nielsen Soundscan, which is the most albums sold in a single year. Worldwide, No Strings Attached is the best selling 'N Sync album, garnering 15 million copies sold.


10. Falling into You / Celine Dion ~ 10,768,000

Falling into You is Céline Dion's fourth English album and twenty-first in total, released on March 11, 1996. The album was well received by critics and fans, winning two Grammy Awards for Best Pop Vocal Album and Album of the Year in 1997, and becoming one of only three albums to remain in the top 10 of the Billboard 200 for one full year, spending 59 consecutive weeks in the top 10. It remains one of the best-selling albums in history with over 32 million copies sold worldwide, including over 11 million in the U.S. alone.

In the U.S. it debuted at number 2 with 192,000 copies sold in its first week, and then remained at the top spot after reaching the number 1 position in its 31st week. The album's achievements are notable as it is one of only three albums to remain in the top 10 of the Billboard 200 for one full year (along with Michael Jackson's Thriller and Jagged Little Pill by Alanis Morissette), spending 59 consecutive weeks in the top 10. Due to its incredible staying power in the album charts, it was the third best-selling album of 1996 and of 1997 in the U.S.. In the UK the album spent a total of 43 weeks in the top 10, selling more than 2.1 million copies, and has received a 7x platinum certification.