New Music Releases - October 20, 2009

Lots of new music this week including Michael Jackson’s This Is It, Jay-Z - The Blueprint 3 is out on vinyl, some new Wolfmother, a 4-CD box set form Dolly Parton, two remastered Get Up Kids and Lou Reed releases, new music from Sufjan Stevens, Lyle Lovett, Kris Kristofferson, Gov't Mule and an interesting band I saw on Jooles Holland called Cage the Elephant, kind of the Hold Steady meet the Clash, I like the band for some reason. Also, everything you ever wanted to hear from Yo-Yo Ma: 30 Years Outside the Box (90-CD box set), and yes, I checked that, 90 CD's and many other great music releases.

Buy New Music Here!


1990s - Cookies (reissue)
60 Watt Kid - We Come From the Bright Side
7 Worlds Collide - The Sun Came Out (vinyl)
Akron/Family - River (vinyl)
Alasdair Roberts - The Wyrd Meme EP (vinyl)
Alec Ounsworth - Mo Beauty
Andrew Bird - The Swimming Hour (2-LP vinyl reissue)
Atlas Sound - Logos (vinyl)
Audra Mae - Haunt
Bats - Don’t You Rise
Bauhaus - In the Flat Field (remastered with bonus CD)
Bauhaus - Mask (remastered with bonus CD)
Beak> - Beak>
Bear in Heaven - Beast Rest Forth Mouth
Black Heart Procession - Six (vinyl)
Bloody Beetroots - “Awesome [ft. Cool Kids]” 12?
Bomshel - Fight Like a Girl
Cage the Elephant - Cage the Elephant
Cartel - Cycles
Chad Price - Smile Sweet Face
Chll Pll - Aggressively Humble (vinyl)
Clare & the Reasons - Arrow
Cococoma - Things Are Not All Right
Converge - Axe to Fall
Dark Meat - Truce Opium (vinyl)
Dead Man's Bones - Dead Man's Bones (vinyl)
Del Lords - Lovers Who Wander (remastered with bonus tracks)
DJ Tiësto - Kaleidoscope
Do Make Say Think - Other Truths (vinyl)
Dolly Parton - Dolly (4-CD box set)
Doveman - The Conformist
Editors - In This Light & On This Evening
Efterklang - Performing Parades CD/DVD
El Perro Del Mar - Love Is Not Pop (vinyl)
Electric Six - Kill
Elvis Perkins in Dearland - The Doomsday EP (vinyl)
Espers - III
Excepter - Black Beach (vinyl)
Failures' Union - In What Way
Fall - Vol. 2 - Rebellious Jukebox
Falty DL - Bravery EP
Fela Kuti - The Best of the Black President (2-CDs & DVD)
Finn Riggins - Vs. Wilderness
Flight of the Conchords - I Told You I Was Freaky (vinyl)
Florence and the Machine - Lungs
Former Ghosts - Fleurs
Fuck Buttons - Tarot Sport
Garage A Trois - Power Patriot
Get Back Guinozzi! - Carpet Madness
Get Up Kids - Four Minute Mile (remastered)
Get Up Kids - Red Letter Day/Woodson (remastered)
Glass Ghost - Idol Omen
Gov't Mule - By A Thread
Heavy Trash - Midnight Soul Serenade (vinyl)
Hem - Twelfth Night (soundtrack)
Irmin Schmidt - Filmmusik Anthology
Islands - Vapours (vinyl)
Jane Wiedlin - Jane Wiedlin (reissue)
Jay Farrar and Benjamin Gibbard - One Fast Move or I’m Gone: Music from Kerouac’s Big Sur
Jay-Z - The Blueprint 3 (vinyl)
Jello Biafra - The Audacity of Hype
Jesu - Opiate Sun (vinyl)
Jon & Roy - Another Noon
Jonsi & Alex - Riceboy Sleeps (2-LP vinyl)
Julian Casablancas - Phrazes for the Young
Kate Baldwin - Let's See What Happens
King Crimson - Red (remastered with bonus DVD)
Kings of Convenience - Declaration of Dependance (vinyl)
Kris Kristofferson - Closer To The Bone (vinyl)
Kutless - It Is Well
Leonard Cohen - Live At The Isle of Wight (CD & DVD) (Blu-ray DVD) (2-LP vinyl)
Lissy Trullie - Self-Taught Learner (vinyl)
Little Dragon - Machine Dreams (vinyl)
Loreena McKennitt - A Mediterranean Odyssey
Lou Reed - Legendary Hearts (remastered)
Lou Reed - New Sensations (remastered)
Lyle Lovett - Natural Forces
Madonna - Celebration (remixes) (vinyl)
Majeure - Timespan 2xLP
Maps - Turning the Mind
Michael Jackson - Michael Jackson: The Remix Suite (vinyl)
Michael Jackson - This Is It
Miles Benjamin Anthony Robinson - Summer of Fear
Mother Hips - Pacific Dust (vinyl)
Mountains - Etching
Naam - Naam
Nancy Elizabeth - Wrought Iron
Nouvelle Vague - 3 (vinyl)
Old Canes - Feral Harmonic (vinyl)
Old Lights - Every Night Begins the Same
OOIOO - Armonico Hewa (vinyl)
Parenthetical Girls - The Scottish Play
Parlour Steps - The Hidden Names
Paul Bowles - Baptism Of Solitude (reissue)
Pelican - What We All Come to Need
Peter Bradley Adams - Traces
Pixies - Minotaur (Limited Edition) (5xCD/5xLP/6xDVD/6xBlu-ray/2xBK box set)
Placebo - Ashtray Heart
Pontiak - Sea Voids EP
Pylon - Chomp (remastered with bonus tracks)
Radio Slave - Fabric 48
Rain Machine - Rain Machine (vinyl)
Rammstein - Liebe Ist Fur Alle Da
Reaganomics - Get Lost, Stay Lost
Richard Youngs - Under Stellar Stream
Richmond Fontaine - Winnemucca
RJD2 - 2002-2010 (4-LP vinyl box set)
Robert Francis - Before Nightfall
Roots - How I Got Over
Rosanne Cash - The List (vinyl)
Russian Circles - Geneva
Sam Bush - Circles Around Me
Shackleton - Three EPs
Shrinebuilder - Shrinebuilder (vinyl)
Silver Starling - Silver Starling
Slits - Trapped Animal
Snow Patrol - Late Night Tales
Soil - Picture Perfect
Spiral Stairs - The Real Free
Star F**king Hipsters - Never Rest in Peace (vinyl)
String Cheese Incident - Trick or Treat: Best of the String Cheese Incident
Sufjan Stevens - The BQE (vinyl)
System And Station - I'm Here To Kill [EP]
Terri Clark - The Long Way Home
The Asteroids Galaxy Tour - Fruit
Themselves - CrownsDown
This Time Next Year - Road Maps & Heart Attacks
Tickley Feather - Hors d'Oeuvres (vinyl)
Tim McGraw - Southern Voice
Train - Save Me San Francisco
Tropa Macaca - Sensação do Princípio
U.S.E - Loveworld
Various Artists - 5 - 5 Years of Hyperdub
Various Artists - A Christmas Gift for You from Phil Spector (reissue)
Various Artists - A Tribute to The Mississippi Sheiks - Things About Comin' My Way
Various Artists - Black Dynamite OST
Various Artists - Dillanthology, Vol. 3
Various Artists - Gastonia Gallop: Cotton Mill Songs & Hillbilly Blues - Piedmont Textile Workers On Record: Gaston County, North Carolina, 1927-1931
Various Artists - Saw 6 (soundtrack)
Various Artists - Three Score & Ten - A Voice To The People (7-CD box set)
Various Artists - Twilight - New Moon Soundtrack
Various Artists - Yo Gabba Gabba: Music Is Awesome
Veils - Nux Vomica (reissue)
Via Tania - Moon Sweet Moon
Weird Al Yankovic - The Essential Weird Al Yankovic
White Denim - Fits (vinyl)
White Mice - Ganjahovahdose
White Rainbow - New Clouds
Wolfmother - New Moon Rising: The Remixes
Young Marble Giants - Live At The Hurrah (vinyl)
Yo-Yo Ma - Yo-Yo Ma: 30 Years Outside the Box (90-CD box set)

Top 5 eBay Vinyl Record Sales-Week Ending 10/17/2009

1. LP - Minor Threat "Out Of Step" test pressing silkscreened - $5,899.99

2. LP - Leonid Kogan "Beethoven Violin Concerto" Columbia SAX 2386 UK Pressing - $4,610.00

3. LP - David Bowie "Ziggy Stardust" Acetate - $4,001.00

4. LP - Georges Enesco Bach Sonatas Continental - $3,300.00

5. LP - Devy Erlih "Bach Sonatas and Partitas for solo Violin" ADES France - $3,281.56

As always, a special thank you to Norm at http://ccdiscoveries.blogspot.com for this great data. Stop in and listen to their unique radio show Accidental Nostalgia with Norm & Jane On Radio Dentata - 60 minutes of rare records and nugatory narration. Every Tuesday 4PM PT/7PM ET, Sunday 9AM PT/12PM ET & Monday 12AM PT/3AM ET

Music News & Notes

Abigail Williams deluxe reissue set for release

Candlelight Records today confirms two limited edition versions of Abigail Williams' popular debut album, "In the Shadow of a Thousand Suns." Set for release January 12, the special formats will kick off the band's first tour of 2010, their fifth in support of the album. The deluxe edition will feature a bonus disc containing five previously unavailable tracks plus the band's video for the song "Into the Ashes." Limited to 1000 copies, the vinyl pressing has been a request of fans since the album's late-2008 release.

Discussing the deluxe edition, vocalist/guitarist Sorceron reveals, "the first song, 'I Am (God)' is a new song that signifies the first collaboration between new keyboard player Alana and myself. 'In Death Comes the Great Silence' reveals a new direction that the band has been working towards over the last year while 'Infernal Divide' is another new song that once again redefines that Abigail Williams sound. This track was recorded quite raw and has a strong black metal influence. 'Waiting for the Rain' is a somber interlude we have been using a bit during live shows and the last track is the demo version of 'Floods.' I felt it was important to include this track because it captures the vibe of the song better than the album track; perhaps due to the work of original drummer Zack Gibson."

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Official Cover Art for John Mayer's 'Battle Studies'


John Mayer posts the cover art of his November 17 release 'Battle Studies' on Twitter.

An artwork which is set to be featured on the front cover of John Mayer's upcoming fourth studio album "Battle Studies" has been put forward on the singer's Twitter account. The picture shows a close-up look at him wearing dark-colored coat.

Previously, John stated about his interest to shoot the cover art while the album is still on the recording process. "I'd even like to have album artwork concepts while we're still recording. Why wait? Why not blow the album cover up to 8'x8' and record with it hung up on the wall?," he said.

"Battle Studies" is slated to come out across United States on November 17. Led by single "Who Says", the effort is described as "observations and a little bit of advice on relationships ... kind of like a heartbreak handbook". The album's release day will be marked by John's performance at Beacon Theatre in New York City.

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a-ha Call It Quits, Announcing Final World Tour

Reuniting in 1998 after 4 years in hiatus, a-ha confirm that they will split after finishing one last world tour in 2010. "As a consequence, a-ha will not be releasing any further albums in the future," it was announced on the band's official website.

"We've literally lived the ultimate boy's adventure tale, through a longer, more rewarding career than anyone could hope for," they said in a statement. "Doing this now will give us a chance to get more involved in other meaningful aspects of life, be it humanitarian work, politics, or whatever else - and of course through new constellations in the field of art and music."

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CAKE Goes Solar for New Album

CAKE, already regarded as one of the most principled, enduring, self-reliant and best-selling artists in post-alternative rock, are currently working on recording their sixth studio album, with an eco-twist: the new project is being written, rehearsed and recorded entirely with solar power. During the recording process, CAKE is sharing the results with their fans via a set of free ring tones--each based on a song from the upcoming album--released via the band’s mailing list.

CAKE teamed with Borrego Solar to convert their entire Sacramento recording studio into solar power. Their decision to record the new album entirely with solar power was made for both artistic and environmental reasons:

“It just seemed like the right thing to do,” says McCREA. “I believe in science, and science is telling us that we need to make adjustments. Living in California, it seemed like a waste not to take advantage of all the free electricity.” DIFIORE added; “We work in the spirit of cooperation, and when there is something like solar energy above your head, there is a little bit more levity added.”

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NEW YORK DOLLS' Steve Conte Releases New Solo Effort

New York Dolls' guitarist, Steve Conte, will be releasing a solo album timed with the New York Dolls' upcoming UK tour, which kicks off on December 2nd at the Cambridge Junction. The new album's "Steve Conte and the Crazy Truth" will be out on the Varese Sarabande label October 20 (November 30th in the UK) and features a guest appearance from Dolls' vocalist David Johansen on harmonica. Also on board, Catherine Russell (David Bowie), Nicki Richards (Madonna) on backing vocals, plus Danny Ray (Sylvain Sylvain, Johnny Thunder), Kiku Collins (Beyonce), Tom Timko (Stevie Wonder) on horns.

Says producer Steve Lillywhite (U2, Rolling Stones), "There is very little genuine rock and roll out there at the moment, but Steve Conte has hit the nail on the head with this one."

Steve Conte joined the New York Dolls when Morrissey reunited the band at Meltdown Festival back in 2004 and Steve's continued play guitar on the New York Dolls' studio albums, "One Day It Will Please Us To Remember Even This (2006) and the Todd Rundgren recently produced "'Cause I Sez So" (2009).

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Elvis Presley's hair sells for $15,000

Elvis Presley's trimmed hair has sold for $15,000 at an auction of items related to the star.

The clump of hair, believed to have been shorn when the singer entered the US army in 1958, went under the hammer in Chicago.

Other items sold included a set of handkerchiefs used in live shows by Presley, which sold for $732 and one of his shirts, which went for $52,000, according to BBC News.

Also among the 200 lots, all of which were originally collected by late fan Gary Pepper, were wedding photos of Presley's marriage – these were auctioned for $6,000.

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Billy Corgan to give away new Smashing Pumpkings songs for free

The 44 tracks which make up 'Teargarden By Kaleidyscope' will released one by one

Billy Corgan has announced that he will be releasing the next Smashing Pumpkins LP, 'Teargarden by Kaleidyscope', a track at a time.

The collection of 44 songs will be given away for free, with the first song being made available around the end of October.

The songs will eventually be physically released but this will not be in album form, but in the shape of 11 EPs of four songs each.

"I want no limitations on what I can, and will do," said Corgan by way of explanation. "I think the size and shape of the traditional album is just morphing into something much more in the moment. Four songs at a time will mean I can give my heart over to the music fully without giving away my now happy life."

Corgan has not revealed the titles of any of the tracks on the album, but has revealed that "the first four songs are speaking a new language to me, rooted in the psychedelic music I love but still sounding quite modern and like the Pumpkins I long to hear".

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Buddy Holly - Not Fade Away: The Complete Studio Recordings And More

Release Date: October 30, 2009 (Through Hip-O site only)

Hip-O Select has done it again. They have assembled 203 tracks from the career of Buddy Holly into their new 6-CD set, providing every one of the tracks he recorded in the studio and a few extras. The music ranges from the earliest tracks he recorded between the ages of 12 and 15 through his work on Decca, Coral and Brunswick and his apartment tapes. Six of the tracks are from an August 1955 session and have never been released. An additional eleven have never been on any album in the U.S.

Also in the package is a yearbook size 80-page book with rare recording, session-by-session recording information and liner notes by Billy Altman and Bill Dahl.

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The Prodigy To Release Three-Disc Version Of 'Invaders Must Die'

The Prodigy have announced full details of a three-disc special-edition version of their latest album 'Invaders Must Die'.

Released on November 9th, the two CDs feature the original album plus live tracks, rarities and a plethora of remixes from the likes of Josh Homme, Benga, Chase & Status, Herve and Bang Gang.

The accompanying DVD is a mix of official promo videos and live footage from the Braintree outfit's sprawling world tour. As well as all this you get a 48-page booklet.

This Date In Music History-October 19

Birthdays:

George McCrae (1944)
Jeannie C Riley (1945)
Patrick Simmons - Doobie Brothers (1945)
Keith Reid - Procol Harum (1946)
Wilbert Hart - Delfonics (1947)
Nino DeFranco - DeFranco Family (1956)
Karl Wallinger - Waterboys (1957)
Dan Woodgate - Madness (1960)
Texan soul singer Jennifer Holliday (1960)
Todd Park Mohr - Big Head Todd and the Monsters (1965)
Michel, Pras - The Fugees (1972)
Pete Loeffler - Chevelle (1976)


They Are Missed:

Moses Asch, founder of the Folkways record label, died in 1986 (age 80). The legendary label released records by Woody Guthrie, John Cage, and even the Fugs.

Blues great Son House (real name Eddie James House, Jr.) died in Detroit, MI in 1988.

Born today in 1944, Peter Tosh, guitar, vocals, The Wailers. Tosh was murdered by burglars at his home on September 11, 1987.

Alan Murphy, guitarist with Level 42, died of pneumonia related to aids in 1989. Murphy also worked with Kate Bush, Go West and Mike & the Mechanics.

African-American jazz trumpeter Don Cherry died of liver failure in 1995 (age 58). Developed the genre of world fusion music, incorporating influences of Middle Eastern, traditional African, and Indian music into his playing. Is the stepfather to singer’s musicians Neneh Cherry and Eagle-Eye Cherry.

Guitarist Glen Buxton died from pneumonia in 1997 (age 49). Member of the Alice Cooper Band, he co-wrote their hits "School's Out" and "Elected."


History:

A sixteen-year-old Ritchie Valens made his performing debut in 1957 with a nine-piece group called the Silhouettes.

Brenda Lee cuts the seasonal standard “Rockin’ Around the Christmas Tree” in 1958. It failed to chart upon its initial release but does make the charts as a re-release in three subsequent Decembers: 1960 (#14), 1961 (#50) and 1962 (#59).

The Beatles recorded "I Wanna Hold Your Hand" in 1963.

The Yardbirds arrived in New York for their first US tour in 1966, with Jeff Beck and Jimmy Page on lead guitars. Two days later, Beck left the tour and the band, and went on to form a new group with Rod Stewart and Ron Wood.

Tamla-Motown released Smokey Robinson & the Miracles "I Second That Emotion" in 1967. The record climbs to #4 on the pop chart and #1 on the R&B, making it their biggest hit since "Shop Around" in 1960.

In 1967, the Beatles finished guitar and vocal parts for their next single "Hello Goodbye" at Abbey Road studio’s London.

In 1968, at the invitation of Small Faces singer/guitarist Steve Marriott, singer/guitarist Peter Frampton of the Herd joins the Small Faces during a performance in London. This sets the stage for Humble Pie, the group Marriott and Frampton leave their respective groups to form.

Led Zeppelin II was released in 1969.

David Bowie released "Pin Ups" in 1973, a collection of mid-Sixties song covers. Posing next to Bowie on the cover is model Twiggy.

Bachman Turner Overdrive went to #1 on the US album chart in 1974 with "Not Fragile."

Billy Preston went to #1 in 1974 with "Nothing From Nothing," the singers second and last #1.



Damn the Torpedoes, the long-awaited third album by Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers, was released in 1979. A rock and roll milestone, it yields two hit singles – “Don’t Do Me Like That” (#10) and “Refugee” (#15) – and the classic-rock tracks “Here Comes My Girl” and “Even the Losers.”

Prince's second album "Prince" was released in 1979.

A-Ha went to #1 on the US singles chart in 1985 with "Take On Me," making them the first Norwegian group to score a US #1.

Pearl Jam released their second album Vs. in 1993, it topped the chart the following week.

Nirvana were at #1 on the US album chart in 1995 with "The Muddy Banks Of The Wishkah."

Ludacris was at #1 on the US album chart in 2003 with "Chicken and Beer’ the rappers first US #1.

“Words & Music: John Mellenccamp’s Greatest Hits” was released in 2004. The set covers Mellencamp’s career from 1979 - 2004, with two new songs, "Walk Tall" and "Thank You" (both produced by Mellencamp and Kenneth “Babyface” Edmonds).

In 2004, Artemis Records issued a tribute to the late Warren Zevon, "Enjoy Every Sandwich: The Songs of Warren Zevon." The album features Bruce Springsteen, Bob Dylan, Jackson Browne, Don Henley and The Pixies. "Studebaker" is performed by Zevon`s son, Jordan and Jakob Dylan.

Music News & Notes

Pavement Announce More Shows

The band heads to New Zealand and Australia in March.

As of right now, Auckland, New Zealand will be the first city to host the reunited Pavement when the indie gods tour the world next year. The band touches down in Auckland on March 1 before embarking on a six-date trek through Australia that includes a headlining slot at the Golden Plains Festival.

Pavement are also set to play next year's All Tomorrow's Parties festival in May along with a four-night NYC stint in September.

Dates below:

03-01 Auckland, New Zealand - Town Hall
03-04 Sydney, Australia - Enmore Theatre
03-06 Meredith, Australia - Supernatural Amphitheatre (Golden Plains Festival)
03-07 Adelaide, Australia - Thebarton Theatre
03-08 Perth, Australia - Metro City
03-10 Brisbane, Australia - Tivoli
03-12 Melbourne, Australia - Palace Theatre
05-16 Minehead, England - All Tomorrow's Parties
09-21 New York, NY - Central Park Summerstage
09-22 New York, NY - Central Park Summerstage
09-23 New York, NY - Central Park Summerstage
09-24 New York, NY - Central Park Summerstage

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Andrew Bird Deluxe Vinyl Reissue

Originally released in 2001, the third and final album from Andrew Bird's Bowl of Fire, The Swimming Hour, will be available October 20th on vinyl for the first time as a Deluxe 2x Vinyl LP set (Gatefold Jacket / 45rpm / 140 Gram vinyl).

Newly remastered under the watchful eyes of Bird himself, this significant album was produced by Mike Napolitano (Blind Melon, the Neville Brothers, and the Squirrel Nut Zippers) and is the last recording to feature Bird's backing band, Bowl of Fire, consisting of Kevin O'Donnell (drums and percussion), Nora O'Connor (backing vocals), Colin Bunn (guitar), and Josh Hirsh (bass). The Swimming Hour is considered a precursor to Bird's subsequent solo records.

As a special addition to this vinyl package, the original CD album art has been reinterpreted by artist Jay Ryan, turning the photograph on the original cover into a pop art illustration. Ryan is the founder of the Skokie-based screenprint poster workshop, The Bird Machine, Inc.

Bird describes the album as, "when the everyday becomes incredulous to you". He relates this as a feeling he experienced in 2000 when walking through a roughed-up neighborhood in his hometown of Chicago. Bird was thinking of the direction of his next album when "everything got really strange-feeling …everything became really slow". Andrew Bird had entered a state of mind he refers to as the "swimming hour".

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Garth Brooks Coming Out of Retirement

Garth Brooks is coming out of retirement and he announced a deal with Wynn at The Encore Theater in Las Vegas that will find the chart topping star performing concerts at the venue beginning on December 11, 2009.

Here is the official announcement: The Chairman of the Board and CEO of Wynn Resorts describes the first time he saw Brooks perform for friends: "Everything about Garth's performances--his artistry, the range of his voice and connection with his audience--is something that I haven't seen since the Rat Pack. In show business, for a single performer to lift an entire audience emotionally to the point where they pray it doesn't end, is an extraordinary and unique thing that only a few gifted people can do. But that is what I experienced when I saw Garth on stage, alone with his guitar, doing a history of his personal journey in music. I watched a man create instant love in real time, right before my eyes. Now we have the privilege at Wynn and Encore in Las Vegas to share this extraordinary, intimate experience with everyone," says Wynn.

"Steve Wynn has done what I thought was impossible. He has given me a chance to sing again for the people, while at the same time never missing a day with my children," says Brooks. "I am naturally nervous, but it feels good to be out from under the low ceiling of 'retirement' I put on myself."

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Flaming Lips to Cover Pink Floyd's Dark Side of the Moon

Track-by-track reinterpretation features Henry Rollins and Peaches.

According to an L.A. Times report, the Flaming Lips are set to follow-up their life- (and death)-affirming LP Embryonic with a full-album redo of Pink Floyd's gazillion-selling 1973 psych-rock classic Dark Side of the Moon.

The Lips version of Dark Side is a collaboration with the band Stardeath and White Dwarfs (which includes Wayne Coyne's nephew Dennis Coyne as a member), and features guest spots from Henry Rollins and Peaches. It will most probably be an iTunes-only release.

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ROB ZOMBIE: New Album Pushed Back To 2010

Rob Zombie's fourth solo studio album, "Hellbilly Deluxe 2: Noble Jackals, Penny Dreadfuls and the Systematic Dehumanization of Cool", has been pushed back to " an undetermined 2010 date" from the previously announced November 17 (via Geffen Records). No reason was given for the delay.

"Hellbilly Deluxe" was the name of Zombie's first and most successful solo outing, issued back in 1998.

"The plan was always to make this kind of like the sequel to 'Hellbilly Deluxe', but I didn't want to force it," Zombie recently told AOL's Noisecreep. "I always figure records dictate their own journey. You might say, 'Oh, we're going to write the heaviest thing ever.' But you get in there and, you know, you might write things that aren't heavy that are great, so you kind of go with it. But this one seems like a great follow-up to that record."

"The record's really varied, just like the first one," Zombie says of the new CD. "There are huge, epic songs with 100-piece orchestras. And then there's something like 'What,' which is just the four of us in a garage literally playing live together and making a big noise."

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SCORPIONS Working On 12 New Songs

Veteran German hard rockers SCORPIONS recently spent time in the studio with Swedish producers Mikael "Nord" Andersson and Martin Hansen (the team behind THE RASMUS' "Dead Letters" CD) recording their new album for an early 2010 release.

"We are working on 12 songs at the moment," guitarist Mathias Jabs tells Scorps News. "Great stuff. Definitely 'Scorpionized' in sound and attitude. More towards the early Eighties."

Although SCORPIONS' new CD is tentatively due in Europe in March, a U.S. release date has yet to be pinned down. "Azoff Management [which represents SCORPIONS] is currently working on the [record] deal," Jabs says. "Simultaneous release is up to the record companies."

He adds, "The weak dollar has been a reason to delay the U.S. release in order to avoid bad imports in the 'rest' of the world, for all non-American bands in recent years."

Vinyl Collective Restocks

BON IVER “Blood Bank” LP
BON IVER “For Emma, Forever Ago” LP
BY THE END OF TONIGHT “A Tribute to Tigers” LP
BY THE END OF TONIGHT/ TERA MELOS “Complex Full of Phantoms” LP
DAMIEN JURADO “Caught In The Trees” LP
ENVY “Abyssal” LP
ENVY “All The Footprints You’ve Ever Left” LP
ENVY “Compiled Fragments 1997-2003? LP
EXPLOSIONS IN THE SKY ìAll Of A Suddenî dbl LP
EXPLOSIONS IN THE SKY ìThe Earthî dbl LP
EXPLOSIONS IN THE SKY ìThose Who Tell Us The Truthî LP
GRAILS “Burning Off Impurities” LP
I LOVE YOU BUT I’VE CHOSEN DARKNESS “Fear Is On Our Side” LP
LIGHTNING DUST “Infinite Light” LP
MAGNOLIA ELECTRIC CO. “Josephine” LP
MAGNOLIA ELECTRIC CO. ìFading Trailsî LP
MONO “One Step More And You Die / New York Soundtracks” dbl LP
MONO “Walking Cloud and Deep Red Sky” LP
MONO & WORLDíS END GIRLFRIEND ìPalmless Prayer/Mass Murder Refrain” dbl LP
OKKERVIL RIVER “Don’t Fall In Love With Everyone” LP
OKKERVIL RIVER “Down the River of Golden Dreams” LP
OKKERVIL RIVER “The Stage Names” LP
OKKERVIL RIVER “The Stand Ins” LP
ONEIDA “Rated O” triple LP
STEPHEN O’MALLEY “Keep an Eye Out!” LP orange vinyl
SUFJAN STEVENS “Greetings From Michigan” dbl LP
SUFJAN STEVENS “Illinois” dbl LP
SUFJAN STEVENS “Seven Swans” LP
SUNSET RUBDOWN “Random Spirit Lover” LP
WE WERE PROMISED JETPACKS “These Four Walls” LP
YOUNG WIDOWS “Old Wounds” LP
ZERO BOYS “Vicious Circle” LP

Stop by www.vinylcollective.com for some great collectible vinyl records!

This Date In Music History-October 17

This Date In Music History-October 17

Birthdays:

Rico Rodrigues - The Specials (1934)
Alan Howard - Tremeloes (1941)
Jim Seals - Seals & Croft (1941)
Gary Puckett - Gary Puckett & The Union Gap (1942)
Jim Tucker - Turtles (1946)
David St Hubbins - Spinal Tap (1947)
Alan Jackson (1958)
Ziggy Marley - Ziggy Marley & The Melody Makers (1968)
Eminem (1972)
Wyclef Jean - The Fugees (1972)
Chris Kirkpatrick - *NSYNC (1977)


They Are Missed:

The late Cozy Cole ("Topsy II") was born in 1909 (died January 31, 1981).

In 1972, Billy Williams, lead singer of the Charioteers, died in Chicago (age 61).

Singer and television presenter Tennessee Ernie Ford ("Sixteen Tons") died of liver failure in 1991. In the 60’s hosted a daytime talk show, The Tennessee Ernie Ford Show on the ABC television network.

Born today in 1933, Floyd Cramer, country piano player. Worked with Elvis Presley on "Heartbreak Hotel" and other hits. Cramer died on December 31, 1997.

Chris Acland drummer with UK indie band Lush committed suicide in 1996 (age 30)

Thomas Durden, who wrote the lyrics to "Heartbreak Hotel" died in 1999 (age 79). Durden had read a newspaper account of a man who had committed suicide, the man had left a note saying, ''I walk a lonely street,'' and Durden used the phrase as the basis for the Elvis hit "Heartbreak Hotel."

Songwriter and composer Jay Livingston died of pneumonia in 2001. Best known for writing hits with Ray Evans for Doris Day, ("Whatever Will Be, Will Be (Que Sera, Sera)" and Nat King Cole, ("Mona Lisa").

Derek Bell, instrumentalist in the Irish folk group The Chieftains, died of cardiac arrest in Phoenix, Arizona in 2002.

Singer Teresa Brewer died in 2007 (age 76). She was one of the most popular US pop singers of the 1950s scoring hits such as "Gonna Get Along Without Ya Now" and "Into Each Life Some Rain Must Fall." She also sang with Tony Bennett, Duke Ellington, Dizzy Gillespie and Wynton Marsalis.

Four Tops singer Levi Stubbs died at his Detroit home in 2008 (age 72). The group signed with Motown Records in 1963 and produced 20 Top 40 hits over the following 10 years, making music history with other acts in Berry Gordy's Motown stable.


History:

The Drifters started a three week run at #1 in 1960 with "Save The Last Dance For Me."

Dion and the Belmonts split up in 1960.

The Beatles performed on TV for the first time in 1962, on the British program People and Places.

The Zombies' "She's Not There" was released in 1964.

Manfred Mann started a two week run at #1 in 1964 with "Do Wah Diddy Diddy."



The musical "Hair" made its premiere off-Broadway at New York's Public Theatre in 1967.

In 1968, Jose Feliciano, the blind Latino singer-guitarist, issues his controversial, bluesy rendition of "The Star Spangled Banner" on RCA Records. He first performed it at a 1968 World Series game between the Tigers and Cardinals. The fans booed Feliciano's rendition.

In 1969, Led Zeppelin began its third US tour at New York's Carnegie Hall. It also released "Led Zeppelin II" which many feel is destined to become the heavy-metal Bible.

Eric Clapton's "After Midnight" was released in 1970.

The Jackson Five started a five-week run at #1 in 1970 with "I'll Be There," the group's fourth #1 of 1970. Motown records claimed the group had sold over 10 million records during the year.

In 1977, "Street Survivors" was released by Lynyrd Skynyrd. Three days later vocalist Ronnie Van Zant, guitarist Steve Gaines, Cassie Gaines (Steve's sister) and road manager Dean Kilpatrick were killed when their plane crashed in Gillsburg, MS. The other four members of the band were seriously injured but survived the crash.

Neil Diamond and Barbra Streisand record "You Don't Bring Me Flowers" in 1978.

Frankie Valli hits #1 in 1978 with the title track from "Grease." It's the biggest hit of his solo career and will go on to sell over seven million copies.

Fleetwood Mac's two record set Tusk, an experimental set of songs that cost the band $1 million to record, was released on Warner Brothers Records in 1979.

"Sid And Nancy," the film biography of Sex Pistols bassist Sid Vicious and girlfriend Nancy Spungen, opened nationally in 1986.

Lisa Lisa and Cold Cut went to #1 in 1987 with "Lost In Emotion."

The Barenaked Ladies went to #1 in 1998 with "One Week."

In 1999, Bruce Springsteen and the reunited E Street Band play the first of four nights at the Staples Center in Los Angeles. The concert was the first event in the building.

Usher and Alicia Keys were at #1 in 2004 with "My Boo." The hit gave Usher his fourth #1 of 2004.

Music News & Notes

Susan Boyle Cover Art for I Dreamed a Dream Released

Susan Boyle's cover art for her debut album I Dreamed a Dream has been released. It is taken from a photo shoot Susan Boyle did recently for Harper's Bazaar magazine. It is a very simple but effective photo framing her face with her wearing what appears to be a classic sequined dress. The recent release of the album's track list indicates she will be performing an eclectic collection of songs from Madonna to "Amazing Grace." The album will be released November 24, 2009.

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Creedence Clearwater Revival: The Singles Collection

Creedence Clearwater Revival's golden era of hit singles (fall of 1968 through spring of 1972) rivals that of any band in rock 'n' roll history. The Southern-flavored quartet from El Cerrito, Calif., turned out 17 hits in a 44-month stretch, nine of them in the Top 10, five of them in the Top 5.

On November 3, Fantasy Records will release The Singles Collection, a two-CD, one-DVD box with a slip case, containing all of the band's U.S. singles - 30 songs in all. Top 5 smashes like "Bad Moon Rising," "Green River," "Down On The Corner," "Travelin' Band," "Who'll Stop The Rain," "Run Through The Jungle," "Up Around The Bend," "Long As I Can See The Light" and "Lookin' Out My Back Door" are joined by seldom-heard singles that never charted ("Porterville" and "Call It Pretending" on Fantasy's Scorpio subsidiary, and later singles "Tearin' Up the Country" and "45 Revolutions Per Minute [Parts 1 & 2]").

The 30 songs, (which are presented in their original single mixes, many of them in mono - are making their CD debut), housed on two CDs, will be joined by a DVD containing four never-before-available, long-pre-MTV music videos: "I Heard It Through The Grapevine," "Bootleg," "I Put A Spell On You" and "Lookin' Out My Back Door." Also included in the package are a poster featuring the dozens of international single sleeves, and a 16-page booklet with liner notes by former Rolling Stone editor Ben Fong-Torres, who lived and wrote in the Bay Area during CCR's golden half-decade.

Fantasy will also manufacture a limited edition collectors' version of The Singles Collection featuring actual vinyl 45 rpm singles with reproductions of the original Fantasy label design and housed in their rare picture sleeves - the ultimate holiday gift for Creedence fans.

The members of Creedence Clearwater Revival, of course, hailed from the suburbs of Oakland the little town of El Cerrito, lappeding up music on the radio through the late '50s and '60s, and eventually signeding to a small, open-minded jazz label in Berkeley called Fantasy Records. Originally known as the Tommy Fogerty & the Blue Velvets and then The Golliwogs, the band's break came with its swampy 1968 cover of Dale Hawkins' "Suzie Q," which notched #11 on Billboard's pop singles chart. Starting on San Francisco's free-form rock radio stations, the song crossed over top Top 40, putting Creedence on the map. As Fong-Torres notes, "radio needed acts like CCR - reliable producers of solid tunes laden with hooks."

Even in the South, radio was taken with CCR. DJ Scott Shannon, then on Memphis' WMPS-AM, was a Dale Hawkins fan and thought Fogerty nailed it. "His voice and his mixes were perfect for Top 40," he said. "It just screamed out of the AM radios."

But it wasn't just the radio. CCR songs began popping up in movies and TV shows - several dozens of them, in fact. "Bad Moon Rising" has shown up the most often (including in An American Werewolf in London), and "Fortunate Son" has been heard in films ranging from The Manchurian Candidate (2004) to Live Free Or Die Hard (2007).

"I used to say in 1968 that I wanted to make records they would still play on the radio in ten years," John Fogerty said in early 1993, on the eve of Creedence Clearwater Revival's induction into the Rock 'n' Roll Hall of Fame.

Forty years later, the music sounds as fresh and vital as ever.



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Alice In Chains Announce Next Single

To coincide with the band's European tour, Alice In Chains will release a new single, "Your Decision", on November 16 in the U.K.

"Your Decision" is the second single to be lifted from band's first all-new album in 14 years, titled "Black Gives Way To Blue", which sold 126,000 copies in the United States in its first week of release to land at position No. 5 on The Billboard 200 chart (behind latest albums from Paramore, Mariah Carey, Barbra Streisand and Breaking Benjamin).

Alice In Chains took part in "Stripped", Clear Channel Music Group's exclusive in-studio performance series created for artists who thrive on performing without the typical studio and video embellishments. The three-song performance, which was taped on September 9 at the PC Richard & Son Theater in New York City, can be viewed here.



Acoustic versions of the following songs are available:

Check My Brain
Your Decision
No Excuses

Alice In Chains will perform on the October 30 edition of NBC's "The Tonight Show with Conan O'Brien".

Alice In Chains recruited pop legend Elton John to contribute piano to the CD's title track, which is written in tribute to Staley.

"Black Gives Way To Blue" was recorded with producer Nick Raskulinecz (Foo Fighters, Rush) at the Northridge, California studio of Foo Fighters frontman Dave Grohl.

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Blink-182's 'Enema of the State' to receive vinyl release


Blink-182's wildly popular 1999 full-length, Enema of the State, will be released on vinyl for the first time by independent punk/hardcore label Mightier Than Sword Records (O Pioneers!!!, Ris Paul Ric, Smartbomb). The news was initially mentioned late last night on Generic Insight Radio, but Punknews.org is ecstatic to now bring you exclusive details on the release.

The album will be the first in a 10 Year Anniversary series by the label, with each release involving a limited pressing of 500 on 180-gram vinyl. They will also feature a gold seal to commemorate the release. In addition to the 500 180-gram copies, Mightier Than Sword will also press 500 each on clear red, clear blue and clear colors.

The official release date is set for December 1, but the label will begin taking pre-orders this coming Monday, October 19th.

You can click Read More for some mock-up previews of the various colors.

Enema of the State was originally released in 1999 on MCA and featured some of Blink-182's biggest hits to date, including "All the Small Things," "What's My Age Again?" and "Adam's Song." It went on to sell 15 million copies worldwide.

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Zeppelin, Floyd Get UK Stamp Of Approval

Led Zeppelin, Pink Floyd and Mike Oldfield are among 10 artists whose classic albums will be celebrated by the Royal Mail next year.

On January 7 a new set of stamps will go into circulation, each with the image of a classic album. Among the collection are:

Led Zeppelin – IV

Pink Floyd – The Division Bell

Mike Oldfield – Tubular Bells

Rolling Stones – Let It Bleed

David Bowie – The Rise And Fall Of Ziggy Stardust And The Spiders From Mars

The Clash – London Calling

Unfortunately the Royal Mail have blotted their copybook by also including Coldplay’s A Rush Of Blood To The Head in their list. Write and complain now! (Not that your letter will ever reach its destination…)

For further info, go to www.royalmail.com/portal/stamps

A side note, an organization called Vinyl Record Day (www.VinylRecordDay.org) is trying to do the same thing here in the states. Stop by the site and learn how you can support this project.

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

Tubular Bells Producer Puts Out Album Of Unreleased Songs


Tom Newman (producer of Tubular Bells) and Peter Gibson (frontman of Brett Marvin And The Thunderbolts) have a new double album CD available, called Join Together. This features unreleased songs produced by Newman, at his Argonaut Studios in London, between 1977-1982.

Artists featured on these recordings include Mike Oldfield, David Gilmour, Snowy White and Jade Warrior.

For further info, go to: www.wellalright.co.uk

Turning directions: Many listeners find digital recordings too harsh, sterile

I would like to thank the people at Terra Haute Tribune Star for allowing me to reprint this interesting material.


By Reggie McConnell

Special to the Tribune-Star




TERRE HAUTE — In 1983, when Sony introduced the compact disc, it boasted that it was giving the public “prefect sound forever.” A quarter of a century later, audiophiles are still waiting for Sony to make good on its boast. Many listeners find digital recordings too harsh and sterile sounding. They complain that CDs and MP3s prevent them from becoming immersed in the “musical experience.” Whereas analog recordings allow them to connect with the music on an “emotional” level. “Listening fatigue” is a common complaint of critical listeners attempting to cope with today’s digital formats.

Michael Fremer, senior contributing editor to Stereophile, is certainly a critical listener. His turntable costs $150,000. (That’s not a typo.) A stereo system like Fremer’s will set you back $340,000. Though he’s quick to stress that one can assemble a “musically satisfying system” for $3,000. Fremer has devoted a large portion of his adult life to evaluating the sonic differences between analog and digital recordings. And he’s pretty dogmatic on the subject of analog’s sonic superiority.

Fremer: “A $400 turntable will sound more ‘musical’ and enjoyable than a $5,000 CD player. The problem is the lack of resolution. Sixteen bits [digital’s ceiling] is barely sufficient. All you have to do is hear a higher resolution version of the same recording to know that.”

Perhaps that’s one reason for vinyl’s resurgence. Last year, nearly 2 million vinyl albums were purchased, according to Nielson Soundscan, which began tracking LP sales in 1991. Actually, that number is conservative since Nielson fails to track sales at small indie shops where vinyl thrives. Moreover, early indications point to robust sales for 2009, despite the year-long recession.

These numbers aren’t surprising to those in the record business. Chad Kassem, owner of Acoustic Sounds, has been selling vinyl records for 25 years. His business is based in Salina, Kan., and has become a Mecca for vinyl lovers. International sales account for a third of his business. Kassem began his career by selling LPs out of his two-bedroom apartment. These days he needs a 50,000 square-foot warehouse to hold his burgeoning inventory. Though Kassem sells CDs as well, vinyl accounts for 80 percent of sales.

Kassem, Fremer and Michael Hobson are responsible for saving vinyl. Hobson founded Classic Records in 1992 and began reissuing vintage recordings (both classical and jazz) from the 1950s and early ’60s. Fremer says of Hobson, “In the darkest days he put his money where his mouth was and began licensing titles for vinyl reissue.”

The dark days were the early 1990s, when it appeared vinyl was going the way of the dinosaur. Thanks to Hobson’s efforts, new vinyl reissues from vintage labels such as Mercury Living Presence, RCA, Decca and Blue Note are available today.

The fact that people are spending serious money on vinyl was made manifest to me earlier this year, when my friend, Brian Reece, showed me his latest vinyl acquisition. Reece is a dedicated Pearl Jam fan. Recently, the band reissued its classic 1992 album “Ten.” Like many bands, they chose to release it on both CD and vinyl. The week it was released over 10,000 copies of the deluxe vinyl version were sold for $140 per pop. The standard version sells for $19.

Examining the album, I was struck by the quality of the pressings. Thick, flawless 180 gram vinyl; nothing like the thin, warped crap that Columbia Records used to foist upon the public.

The Pearl Jam record is also available at Best Buy. That’s right, a big-box chain is selling vinyl. The consumer-electronics giant picked up on the trend last year and has devoted merchandising space for vinyl in all its stores. And while vinyl represents less than 5 percent of Best Buy’s music business, the key point is that vinyl sales are growing while CD sales continue to shrink.

It’s instructive to note that there are more turntable manufacturers today than existed in 1983. Moreover, they are doing a brisk business with people under the age of 30. Young people have played a major role in vinyl’s resurgence. Perhaps it’s because they have grown up listening to low resolution audio formats and when they hear what they’ve been missing they are eager to upgrade.

Fremer: “When kids brought up on MP3 files, who’ve only heard MP3 files, hear vinyl they flip out! I’ve seen it myself … I had a young friend (25) bring over one of his friends who is a big Dylan fan. He’d only heard Dylan on MP3s! I played him an original pressing of “Tangled Up In Blue” and the kid started crying … he said he’d never really heard the song before and had never really ‘felt’ it.”

So much for the notion that MP3s constitute progress. I, too, prefer the warmer sound of vinyl. Vinyl manifests a euphonic sweetness, if you will, that can’t be duplicated via CD. I own several recordings on both formats. The biggest difference I notice (besides vinyl’s sweeter sonic signature) is that it throws a wider, deeper soundstage. This serves to create a holographic effect. Images seem to float in mid-air, directly in front of my listening chair. You can easily place the location of the performers on stage. Good luck trying to duplicate that 3-D imagery with CDs.

(I should put my remarks in context by noting that I listen in two-channel stereo and do not utilize any surround sound or ambience restoration devices.)

With analog recordings, the sound is picked up via a microphone and fed to tape. The magnetic particles on the tape are configured in patterns analogous to the audio wave-form. Whereas digital recorders convert the audio signal to a binary code of ones and zeroes. Each one and zero is called a “bit.” Space does not permit further explanation, but it’s the processing of this binary information (or lack thereof) that accounts for digital’s disappointing sound.

Perhaps the most frustrating thing for music critics and sound engineers is having an inferior format hailed as “a quantum leap forward” by industry types who have a vested interest in digital’s commercial success.

Those wishing to take the Pepsi Challenge might begin with Dylan’s “Blood on the Tracks.” Compare a CD (even a CD is superior to MP3s) to the record. If you prefer classical, then I suggest RCA’s “Saint-Saëns Symphony No. 3,” Charles Munch conducting. Headbangers should A/B the Red Hot Chili Peppers’ “Stadium Arcadium.”

A cautionary note: Many of today’s vinyl releases are sourced from digital. Eschew! When purchasing vinyl make sure your selections are pure analog.

“Sweet” “euphonic” “warm”: but these are merely descriptive terms and tell us nothing insofar as the technical reasons for vinyl’s sonic superiority. Enter Doug Sax. Sax is the most accomplished mastering engineer of my generation. He notes that “Analog tape is high resolution, which means two things. One, the extended bandwidth over a conventional CD, and, two, more low-level performance than a CD … Analog tape has a full octave above a CD, with ease. And you can hear detail way into the noise floor. We’re [analog enthusiasts] used to that resolution.

“One of the great lies of digital is that digital copies sound like the original. They do not. Analog playback is not like the original, either — believe me … but it changes it often in a very musical way. When digital changes, it’s always unmusical. It never sounds better.”

Will vinyl ever replace CD as the preferred listening format? Of course not. The compact disc player is perfect for today’s instant-gratification-culture. Just push a button and the room is bathed in “music.” And let’s face it, there’s nothing sexy about cleaning a record every time you play it. But if you value great sound over convenience, then chances are you will find yourself shopping for a turntable sometime soon.

SOURCE: http://www.tribstar.com

Music News & Notes

Sony: Michael Jackson Album Will Be Sold on iTunes, Contrary to Report

Michael Jackson’s posthumous album This Is It will be sold through iTunes, Sony told Wired.com, contradicting a Digital Music News report that Apple’s policy of insisting that songs be sold individually had cost it the chance to sell the album.

“I’m happy to report that [that] story is incorrect,” said Epic Records (Sony) senior vice president of publicity Lois Najarian. “Michael Jackson’s This It It album will indeed be for sale on iTunes Oct. 27. I don’t have much more information to impart other than that right now, but suffice [it] to say fans will be able to purchase it there.”

If Sony is right, either Michael Jackson’s people have agreed to let iTunes sell songs from the album individually, or Apple has reversed its longstanding policy of insisting that songs on albums also be sold individually in iTunes. We’ve asked Sony and Apple about this and hope to have an answer shortly.

“I know that’s the question of the day and they are working on that now,” said Najarian, when asked about the bundling issue.

This widely anticipated album includes only one new track, also called “This Is It” (listen), which was co-written by Michael Jackson and Paul Anka in 1983, although four demos and a poem are also included. By making this only available as a complete album, Sony and Jackson’s estate would be able to force fans who want to buy the new track and the four demos to purchase 14 tracks they probably already own.

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Rare outtakes from The White Stripes' first ever record to be released

Jack White's label Third Man to release rare tracks via online service The Vault

Outtakes from The White Stripes' first ever recording session are set to be released from the first time.

Alternative takes from the duo's 1998 seven-inch single 'Let's Shake Hands' – and its B-side 'Look Me Over Closely' – will be available via The Vault, the online service of Jack White's label Third Man.

The rarities will be available to The Vault's platinum subscribers, who will also receive an exclusive vinyl album 'The Raconteurs, Live In London' and a screen print poster for The Dead Weather.

The latest release is part of a regular giveaway organised by Third Man for Vault subscribers. Registration for the service is available until October 22, and also includes audio and video previews, pre-sales and more.

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Elvis to release '100-song box set' to celebrate his 75th birthdayCollection to be released on December 8.


A "career spanning" Elvis Presley collection is being released to mark what would have been his 75th birthday.

A 100-song box set called 'Elvis 75: Good Rockin' Tonight' will be released on December 8.

The collection will include many fan favourites but also lesser know tracks like 'My Happiness' the song Presley paid four dollars to record at the Memphis Recording Service in July 1953, a year before signing with Sun Records.

The collection will also feature an 80-page booklet featuring rare photos and a new essay by journalist Billy Altman.

A single-disc edition of 'Elvis 75: Good Rockin' Tonight.' will be released January 5, three days before what would have been Presley's 75th birthday.

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The Tragically Hip announce UK tour and album details

Canadian band head to the UK this autumn

Tragically Hip have announced details of a UK tour to support their forthcoming new album.

The album, called 'We Are The Same', is due out on November 17, and the band will call at four venues in the UK and Ireland this November and December.

The band have posted a new video featuring material from the album on their YouTube page.

This Date In Music History-October 15

Birthdays:

Mickey Baker of Mickey & Sylvia ("Love Is Strange") turns 84.
Barry McGuire - "Eve Of Destruction" (1935)
Don Stevenson - Moby Grape (1942)
Richard Carpenter - The Carpenters (1946)
English balladeer Chris DeBurgh (1948)
Tito Jackson - Jackson Five (1953)
Dave Stead - Beautiful South (1966)
Ginuwine (1970)


They Are Missed:

Born on this day in 1938, Marv Johnson, who's recording of Berry Gordy's song "Come To Me" became Motown Records first ever-single release in May 1959. Johnson died on May 16, 1993.

The late Barry Sadler ("Ballad Of The Green Berets") was born in 1943.

Freddy Fender ("Before The Next Teardrop Falls") died of lung cancer in 2006.

Terry Gilkyson ("Marianne") died from complications of an aneurism in 1999.

The great songwriter Cole Porter died in 1964.

Founding member of the Moonglows vocalist Bobby Lester died in 1980 (age 50).


History:

In 1955, Buddy & Bob (Buddy Holly) opened for Elvis Presley at the “Big D Jamboree”, held at Lubbock’s Cotton Club, Texas. Nashville talent scout Eddie Crandall was in audience and arranged for Holly to audition and record demos for the Decca US label.

Little Richard recorded "Good Golly Miss Molly" in 1956.

Jackie Wilson recorded "Lonely Teardrops" in 1958.

In 1960, the Beatles (minus Pete Best) and two members of Rory Storm's Hurricanes (Ringo Starr and Lou Walters) recorded a version of George Gershwin's ‘Summertime’ in a Hamburg recording studio. The track which was cut onto a 78-rpm disc marked the first session that included John, Paul, George, and Ringo together.

Elvis Presley recorded "Good Luck Charm" in 1961.

Jimi Hendrix signed his first recording contract in 1965, he received $1 and a 1% Royalty on all of his recordings.

The Four Tops started a two week run at #1 in 1966 with "Reach Out And I'll Be There."

The Monkees cut "I'm A Believer" in 1966.

Led Zeppelin played their first gig under that name at Surrey University in England in 1968. The band was formerly known as the New Yardbirds before the Who's Keith Moon suggested the band would "go down like a lead zeppelin."

'Hot Rats,' a largely instrumental solo album by Frank Zappa, was released in 1969. It contains one of his signature compositions, "Peaches En Regalia."

In 1971, fifties teen idol Rick Nelson was booed when he performed new material at an oldies show at Madison Square Garden. As a result of the experience, he wrote "Garden Party" which makes it to #6 in October 1972.



In 1973, the Supreme Court decides by a 7-2 vote to refuse to review a 1971 Federal Communications directive that broadcasters, in effect, censor from the airwaves songs with drug-oriented lyrics. The two dissenting votes are cast by Justices William J. Brennan and William O. Douglas, who say, "The government cannot, consistant with the First Admendment, require a broadcaster to censor its music."

Ike & Tina Turner dissolved their 19 year-old business partnership in 1976. Their divorce was finalized several months later. Ike’s drug problems eventually landed him in prison. Tina has a successful solo career.

Paul Simon's "Slip Slidin' Away" was released in 1977.

Fleetwood Mac released their album, "Rumours" in 1977.

Today in 1977, the song "You Light Up My Life" by Debbie Boone topped the charts and stayed there for an amazing 10 weeks.

In 1988, Bon Jovi started a four-week run at #1 on the album chart with "New Jersey."

Also in 1988, UB40 went to #1 on the US singles chart with their version of the Neil Diamond song "Red Red Wine," also a #1 hit in the UK.

In 1994, R.E.M. entered the US album chart at #1 with "Monster," the bands 11th #1.

Mariah Carey started a four week run at #1 on the US album chart in 1995 with "Daydream," the singers sixth album release.

Radiohead went to #1 on the US album chart in 2000 with "Kid A," the group's fourth album which was also a UK #1.

In 2006, the legendary New York Punk Rock club CBGB (Ramones, etc.) has its final show after an incredible 33 year run. Patti Smith, who played her first show at CBGB in February ‘75, performs. The Red Hot Chili Peppers, bassist, Flea, and Television guitarist Richard Lloyd also appear. CBGB closes some 14 months after a dispute with its landlord, the Bowery Residents' Committee, left the club without a new lease.

The Beatles To Bowie: The '60s Exposed, an exhibition of never-before-seen images of The Beatles, David Bowie, the Rolling Stones, Jimi Hendrix and the Kinks, opened at the National Portrait Gallery in London in 2009. The collection has150 photographs and runs for three months. The opening also commemorated the 40th anniversary of David Bowie's "Space Oddity."

Ask Mr. Music with Jerry Osborne

I am continuing our 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 OCTOBER 12, 2009


DEAR JERRY: I recently picked up a box of 78s at an estate sale, most of which appear to be old-time blues.

Even though I recognize very few of the recording artists and do not own a 78 rpm player, I say this because so many have titles ending in the word “blues.”

One of these is “Muskadine Blues” (Regal 3296), by Little Walter Trio, which I'm hoping you can tell me a bit about.

For starters, what or where is Muskadine? I've not heard this word before. Even my huge dictionary jumps from musk to muskeg. No entry begins with m-u-s-k-a.

It would also be nice to know when this record came out, and a value estimate.
—Mel Otis, Port Washington, Wisc.


DEAR MEL: Record labels are a legendary source of spelling and grammatical errors, and your Regal disc is an example.

The title should be “Muscadine Blues,” just as nearly all other recordings of muscadine-related songs.

Your dictionary should include muscadine, and define it as a grape or berry, native to a climate found mostly in the southeastern states.

Recorded in 1950, Little Walter's tune is about drinking wine made from muscadine grapes.

Besides harmonica wizard Little Walter, his Chicago-based trio includes Muddy Waters and Leroy Foster, both of whom are very well known.

In early 1953, when Little Walter's records became regulars in the Top 10, Herald reissued “Muskadine Blues,” hoping to jump on the bandwagon. As such, their single came out credited only to him (no “Trio”), and with a very different title: “Take a Walk with Me” (Herald 403). As a result, recent albums on compact disc combine both titles into one: “Take a Walk with Me (Muskadine Blues).”

Either the Regal or the Herald 78 can now sell in the $750 to $1,000 range.

Inspired by Little Walter's Regal original, and its unusual spelling, a record label named Muskadine came along in 1971 and began a fine series of various artists compilations honoring Chicago blues history. Their first LP, “On the Road Again (Anthology of Chicago Blues 1947-1954),” includes their namesake Little Walter Trio track, along with cuts by these other windy city blues legends: Baby Face Leroy (Foster); John Brim Trio; Othum Brown; Delta Joe; J.B. (Hutto) and His Hawks; Floyd Jones and His Trio; Johnny Shines; and Snooky & Moody (Muskadine LP-100).

As for other recordings with this tasty theme, here are some interesting variations: “Muscadine Wine” (Ken Will Morton and the Wholly Ghosts); “Muscadine Wine” (Keith Sewell); “Muscadine Wine” (Sam Hunt); “Muscadine Wine” (James Day and Fish Fry); “My Muscadine Wine” (Little Jimmy King and the Memphis Soul Survivors); “Yesterday's Muscadine Wine” (Syrup); “Muscadine” (John Balch & Jack Pearson); “Muscadine” (Langer & Raabenstein); and my personal favorite, a solid blues instrumental titled “Muscadine Blues,” by Skeebo Knight.

For the perfect companion piece to today's Chicago-blues-harmonica theme, read on:


DEAR JERRY: During the last week of September, one of the celebrity guests on the Bonnie Hunt Show was Elisabeth Moss, a star in the award-winning Mad Men TV series.

Of course they talked about Mad Men, as well as Moss' first Emmy nomination for her portrayal of Peggy Olson.

Then, almost as an aside, Elisabeth commented about growing up in Chicago (as did Bonnie Hunt) with both parents being musicians. Without mentioning their names, she stated her mother was one of the world's most famous female blues harmonica players. Then they went on to another topic.

Who is this famous harmonica player whose identity remains a mystery?
—Sheri Nordland, St. Louis.


DEAR SHERI: It does seem odd to have such a renown blues legend for a mother, yet keep her name a secret.

With apologies to Elisabeth, her folks are now officially outed. Her parents are Ron and Linda Moss.

And to say mom is “one of” the world's most famous female blues harmonica players is an understatement. She is the most famous!

Linda has been playing harmonica professionally since age 15, backing many big name blues bands and singers from the Chicago area and beyond.

Just a few of those whose recordings include Linda are: Muddy Waters; Junior Wells; Son Seals; James Cotton; John Lee Hooker, Chick Corea, Isaac Hayes, Melissa Ethridge, Phil Upchurch, and the Edgar Winter Group.

More recently, Linda's harmonica artistry is featured with Kelly's Lot, a California-based blues-rock band.


IZ ZAT SO? The name Kelly's Lot comes from Kelly's Lot, a used car business (motto: "If you want a good deal, go to Kelly's Lot"), operated by Kelly Zirbes in Marina Del Rey, California.

Kelly's passion for singing and entertaining, coupled with a struggling market for car sales, motivated her to drive Kelly's Lot in an entirely different direction.

Five successful albums later, and a few years, have proven Kelly's decision to be exactly the right one. On any given night, Kelly and Perry Robertson, with their band, are likely performing somewhere in California, though this month (October) they are on their second European tour.


Copyright 2009 Osbourne Enterprises- Reprinted By Permission

Grammy-Award Winning Wyclef Jean To Release Explosive New 13 Song EP

DJ Drama Presents Wyclef Jean AKA Toussaint St Jean 'From The Hut To The Projects To The Mansion' on November 10th

FEATURING DJ DRAMA, EVE, CYNDI LAUPER, TIMBALAND, LIL KIM, AND OTHERS

NEW YORK, Oct. 13 /PRNewswire/ -- Wyclef Jean returns to his hip-hop roots with the gritty release of "DJ Drama Presents Wyclef Jean AKA Toussaint St Jean From The Hut To The Projects To The Mansion," a collaboration with DJ Drama to be released November 10, 2009 on Carnival House via Megaforce/RED. The EP also features Eve, Timbaland, Maino, Cyndi Lauper, Lil Kim, among others.

Toussaint St. Jean, the title character of Wyclef's new EP, is a persona suggested to Wyclef by his friend and collaborator T.I. The character Toussaint is loosely based on the 18th-century Haitian revolutionary hero, Toussaint L'Ouverture, a figure who brought Haiti to significance on the international stage. Wyclef, who is originally from Haiti, inhabits the role of Toussaint and recreates himself in the spirit of a noble fighter, a man who says exactly what is on his mind. Toussaint's rhymes hit hard, in a "militant style," and make his words felt -- and remembered.

And so what's the difference between Wyclef and Toussaint? "Toussaint is more direct," Wyclef says. "He ain't going to sugarcoat nothing. Whatever he's thinking, he's going to tell you. It's like, I've still got this machete -- my tongue is sharper than it's ever been." To help create suitable musical settings for the grisly tales Toussaint has to tell, Wyclef turned to DJ Drama, who has worked extensively with T.I. "I asked myself, 'Who's the toughest guy out there?'" Wyclef says. "Then I said, well, DJ Drama is pretty badass. So I called him and asked if he'd be interested in doing a mixtape. He heard what I was up to and he said, 'We gotta do a book -- this is a novel!'" He got excited, and it became more like an EP than a mixtape.

The track that best captures the feelings that motivate "Toussaint St. Jean" is the intensely dramatic "The Streets Pronounce Me Dead," a chronicle of Wyclef witnessing his own metaphoric funeral. It's a commentary on Wyclef's sense of himself as a forgotten man on the hip-hop scene, despite the groundbreaking impact of his former group, the Fugees, whose 1996 album "The Score" is the best-selling hip-hop album of all time, with sales of nearly twenty million copies worldwide. The song cites the flood of younger rappers -- Akon, Lil Jon, Kanye West, among them -- who have risen up as Wyclef has gone onto prominence as a solo artist and producer for the likes of Shakira, Mick Jagger, Bono and John Legend.

Tracks like "Warriorz," "Letter From the Penn" and "Toussaint vs. Bishop" paint riveting pictures, "hood stories," as Wyclef describes them, of street life and its consequences. The gripping storytelling in those songs recalls the raw environments in Haiti and Brooklyn from which Wyclef emerged -- "from the hut to the projects to the mansion," as he memorably puts it in "Slumdog Millionaire." It's a story arc that these songs make compelling.

Wyclef views the message of "Toussaint St. Jean" as "not everything that appears bad is really bad, because the real bad men move in silence. So be careful what you emulate, because it's could get you six feet deep. If you don't see me with a gun, it doesn't mean that the guy with the gun is badder than me. I've been in those communities, but you've got to rise past that world." And, as always with Wyclef, there's more to the story than meets the eye. "Toussaint St. Jean" represents just the first step on the road to another album he intends to release in 2010 titled simply "wyclefjean." The album will reflect a three-dimensional portrait of an artist for whom the gritty sagas of Toussaint St. Jean are just one part.

Wyclef, who is also known as one of the hottest music producers today has worked with every major artist from Bono to Shakira to Santana. His 2007 written and produced "Hips Don't Lie" featuring Shakira was a #1 hit around the world, further expanding his utopian multi-cultural appeal. His extensive humanitarian work with his Yele Haiti organization which he founded in 2005 has brought much needed worldwide attention to his native Haiti. His inextricable relationship with fans is unprecedented. In a matter of a few months, Wyclef's Twitter following was over 1 million -- in a sense, his fans are considered an extension of him.

Wyclef Jean is set to release his self titled LP "Wyclef Jean" in March 2010 through Columbia Records.

DJ Drama Presents WYCLEF JEAN AKA Toussaint St Jean "FROM THE HUT TO THE PROJECTS TO THE MANSION" Track Listing:

1.Interlude - From The Hut, To The Projects, To The Mansion
2.Warrior's Anthem
3.The Streets Pronounce Me Dead
4.Slumdog Millionaire feat. Cyndi Lauper aka Luscious Loo
5.Interlude - Every Now & Then
6.Walk Away
7.More Bottles feat. Timbaland
8.You Don't Wanna Go Outside
9.Toussaint vs. Bishop
10.Interlude - The Struggle
11.We Made It
12.Suicide Love feat. Eve
13.Letter From The Penn
14.Robotic Love
15.Gangsta Girl feat. Lil Kim
16.Interlude - Tell The Kids The Truth
17.The Shottas


SOURCE Megaforce/RED

Music News & Notes

The Faces Reunion: More Than A One-Off

The Faces reunion in London on October 25 might not be just one show, as the band explains below:

The band are playing a charity event at the Royal Albert Hall, in aid of the PRS For Music Members Benevolent Fund and, says drummer Kenney Jones, more shows might happen.

“Don’t rule that out. We got together before Christmas last year to have a laugh and rehearse. And the intention then was do some special shows in 2009. But then our schedules got in the way. However, when the PRS [Performing Rights Society] asked if we’d pay at their 75th anniversary gig, we jumped at the chance, Especially, because the charity attached to this has done so much to help Ronnie’s family [this being late bassist Ronnie Lane, who died in 1997].”

Jones says he is proud of the way that The Faces have become such an enduring influence.

“It’s down to the great songs, I think. That’s what survived. And we always knew how to have fun as well. We enjoyed rock’n'roll!”

Apart form Lane, also missing at the Royal Albert Hall is frontman Rod Stewart. But he simply cannot get over to London.

“Rod was desperate to do it, but he’s got a lot of promotion for his new album in America, and has had to pass. But this is being done with his blessing.”

Joining Jones, guitarist Ronnie Wood and keyboard player Ian McLagan is former Rolling Stones bassist Bill Wyman, who’s played with the band before ["He's virtually become a regular member now"]. But who’ll be on vocals?

“That would be telling! We’ll have a few different ones. A mixture of our contemporaries and younger vocalists.”

Also billed to appear at the Royal Albert Hall gig are Simply Red’s Mick Hucknall, Spice Girl Mel C and Kiki Dee. Does this mean one or more of them will also step up to sing with The Faces? Who knows?

For further info, go to www.the-faces.com

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Tom Waits New Music

This 2-CD set chronicles Waits' Glitter and Doom tour of the U.S. and Europe, drawing performances from the 17 tracks from ten different cities. The first CD carries the music tracks while the second CD is Tom's Tales, a 35-minute compilation of Waits' between song banter on a variety of subjects from the ritual of insects to the last dying breath of Henry Ford.

The music covers all eras of Waits' career and reinvents many of the songs with new rhythms and arrangements.

Record Collecting - North of the Border

Exhibitors say today's young music fans are rediscovering the sounds of the '60s and '70s on vinyl

BY ALAN COCHRANE


In the late 1980s, the big record companies declared that vinyl was a dead format and compact discs were the way of the future.

Collectors, however, continue to buck the trend and prefer to listen and seek out their favourite music on the big 12-inch discs.

"A lot of people still prefer the sound and the large format artwork," says David Eisener, who runs Select Sounds, a record emporium in Bedford, N.S. "They like the format and want it on vinyl, especially the classic rock albums, because that's the way it was intended to be listened to."

Eisener is one of many exhibitors bringing loads of vinyl records to Moncton for this Saturday's Fall Record Expo. The expo, now in its seventh year, will bring together dozens of exhibitors from all over Atlantic Canada with thousands of albums and 45-rpm singles for collectors to pore over.

There will also be lots of audio gear and music-related collectibles.

The expo will run from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Saturday at the Crowne Plaza Hotel on Main Street in Moncton. Admission is $32, or free for children under 12.

For many music collectors, the 12-inch vinyl album represents the golden age of music production when bands and record companies released elaborate fold-out covers complete with photo booklets, lyric sheets and artwork.

When record players were replaced by compact disc players, many collectors replaced their albums with CDs and their collections were scattered to the winds. The prized albums usually ended up in cardboard boxes at flea markets and yard sales for 50 cents or $1 each.

Eisener started his store in 1994, a time he says was the low end of interest in buying vinyl. But he saw business pick up after four or five years and, today, collectors of all ages are still seeking out prized copies of classic albums by such timeless performers as The Beatles, Elvis Presley, Fleetwood Mac, Pink Floyd, The Eagles and U2.

The collectors are also looking for more recent vinyl copies of newer albums by bands like the Rolling Stones and Bob Dylan, along with the collectible rarities, limited editions and bootlegs that put vinyl into the realm of obsessive hobbies like hockey cards and comic books.

Eisener says collectors come from all ages and demographics. Surprisingly, many of the collectors are in the 15-25 age group, people who are seeking out albums that are older than they are. One of the reasons for this is that album collecting can help music lovers trace and understand the history and evolution of pop and rock music.

For example, many of today's bands say they were influenced by such '70s supergroups as Led Zeppelin. But when you dig back a bit deeper, you will find that the Zeppelin musicians drew their inspiration from many sources of blues, reggae, folk and rockabilly. Indeed, the story of rock music's evolution shifts like the tide from one side of the Atlantic to the other over time with each generation adding its own ingredients to the recipe.

Many of the collectors are people who grew up with vinyl and got rid of most of their collections years ago, but recently decided to dust off their turntable and get started again.

Eisener says collecting vinyl is reasonably cheap with most records selling in the $5 to $20 range, allowing collectors to gather together a portfolio without spending too much money. And while there are some big-money collectibles floating around, they rarely land on the counters at record stores in Atlantic Canada.

Marty LeBlanc, who runs the Live Wire record shop on Mountain Road and has been organizing the Record Expo for seven years, says some exhibitors travel to Japan and bring back imports and collectibles from around the world.

LeBlanc says record shop owners and appraisers rely on several "bibles" to determine a fair price for a true rarity or collectible.

Collectors have quite a few resources and numbers to check, to find out whether an album is actually worth a lot of money or simply a counterfeit or reissue of something more famous.

One of the most sought-after collectibles is the infamous "butcher cover" of The Beatles' Yesterday and Today album. Released in June of 1966, the album included such big hits as Yesterday, Drive My Car and Day Tripper. The cover photograph showed The Beatles dressed in white butcher smocks covered in fresh-cut meat and cradling decapitated dolls. The photo was so shocking to the industry that all copies of the album were recalled after the first day of release. The record company made up stickers with a much tamer photo of The Beatles posing in a travel trunk, and had them pasted over the offensive cover. A few of the original "butcher cover" albums survived and have been appraised at over $10,000.

LeBlanc says old Beatles, Elvis Presley and other classic rock bands are among the most popular, and people also love to collect the lunch boxes, jigsaw puzzles, toys and other marketing memorabilia that go along with the hobby.

People can also find turntables, speakers, amplifiers and needles to keep their stereo sets humming so they can enjoy their collectible albums.

"The real collectibles are like a fine wine. You have to crack it open once in a while and enjoy it," he says.

LeBlanc says all tables for the expo are sold out but people can bring parts of their own collection to sell to the exhibitors.

"Sometimes you have a gem and sometimes you don't."

SOURCE: http://timestranscript.canadaeast.com