Neil Young Reissues Are Available For Pre-Order Now!

Breaking news just in from Warner Bros Records to my email box. I am excited to post this, Neil Young has always been a favorite, heck, I own everything he's ever released. This is a true master pleasing his fans with this special boxed set, grab your today!

DATELINE — Burbank, CA — As part of its ongoing Archives reissue campaign with legendary singer-songwriter Neil Young, Reprise Records will release re-mastered versions of the first four of Young’s classic solo albums, 1969’s Neil Young and Everybody Knows This is Nowhere, 1970’s After the Gold Rush, and 1972’s Harvest.

These very special reissues, which will be available on November 24th, have each been re-mastered from the original analog master tapes by Chris Bellman at Bernie Grundman Mastering Studios in Hollywood, CA.

The albums are being reissued on both vinyl and compact disc.

The individual albums are being issued on 140 gram vinyl to retail.

There is also a box set of the four albums pressed on audiophile 180 gram vinyl.
Vinyl will be pressed at Pallas MFG/Germany—the world’s premiere record-pressing plant.

The box sets will be individually numbered in gold foil stamp and strictly limited to 3,000 units worldwide. They will only be available through www.becausesoundmatters.com and www.neilyoung.com.

Tom Biery, General Manager of Warner Bros. Records and vinyl enthusiast commented:

”In all my years of working vinyl releases, I was shocked at just how incredible these Neil Young re-masters sound. There is no doubt in my mind that when listening to these recordings on the new, upgraded vinyl format, it will be as close as anyone will audibly come to actually being in the studio listening to the original master tapes. It now sounds as if you are in the room with Neil during the session."

The four albums will also be released on 24 karat gold CDs, packaged in Gary Burden designed cardboard wallet packs. The four gold CD albums are housed in a numbered slip case, limited to 2,500 worldwide, and available only through www.becausesoundmatters.com and www.neilyoung.com.

All four titles have already been released to retail on standard CDs, housed in jewel boxes.

On June 2nd, Reprise Records released Young’s highly anticipated collection Archives Volume 1 1963-1972—the first of several in the Archives series of CD box sets that focus on the life of one of the most original artists of the rock era. This collection, which is also available on Blu-Ray and DVD, is currently in stores. Of Young’s Archives series, the Chicago Sun-Times has written: “Not only is it absolutely amazing, it quite possibly is a model for the only kind of recorded product that independent and chain stores alike will still be selling in the post-CD future.” Raved the Chicago Tribune: “The Archives appears to be nothing less than revolutionary in how it will present an artist's back catalog.”

The Archives Volume 1 1963-1972 covered Neil Young’s recorded career up to and including his first four album releases.

For more on Neil Young and the ongoing Archives series, please visit www.neilyoung.com.

Thrill of the hunt: Vinyl predators can nab precious finds

JOHN KEILLOR - FOR METRO CANADA

Serious record collectors are hunters, often seen rummaging through thrift shop bins and garage sales, searching for the rarest game possible.

Toronto’s Akim Boldireff and Aaron Keele (The Record Guys) have found some super rare recordings over their careers, often being sold by folks with no idea of the record’s worth. You, the reader may have a small fortune in old records.

Boldireff and Keele want to appraise your collection at The Toronto Downtown Record Show this Sunday. They will be among 60 different vendors, staffed with experts. Getting several quotes on your collection has never been easier.

“People sell rarities because they don’t know what they’re worth,” explains Boldireff by phone. “In North York I found a $700 copy of the first Rush recording, the one on the old Moon Label, before the band had a record deal, with different cover art and mixing.

“It cost me a dollar,” he says happily.

That sounds like a once-in-a-lifetime find, but Boldireff assures me it’s not. “That far from my biggest discovery,” he says. “Part of the challenge for a collector is knowing what’s worth what. For example, many people don’t know Plastic Cloud, but this Canadian ’60s psychedelic group’s only record is worth a solid grand. I found it in Toronto, also for a buck.”

A rarity’s value depends on what a collector is willing to pay, which is partly to do with being a fan of a band as well as loving rare records. That’s why record shows like this one are so helpful: Different collectors offer different prices. Also, the needs of individual collectors change regularly over time.

“I just have about 10,000 records at home,” he says, “but I’ve been collecting for decades now, and so that’s just a fraction of what I’ve bought over the years. Collectors know their purchases are investments and can become cash quick if bills have to be paid.”

Obviously a collector can’t keep a copy of every record, which is why shows like these will always be a great opportunity for vinyl fiends. This is also where you can discover if you’re a real record hunter; capital C Collectors like the stalking part most of all.

“The chase is in often better than the catch,” says Boldireff, paraphrasing Mötorhead. The Toronto Downtown Record Show isn’t just a place for sweet deals; it’s a way to learn about the worth of your collection, or of that collection someone left in your basement.

The Toronto Downtown Record Show takes place @ The Estonian Banquet Hall, 958 Broadview Ave. on Sunday from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. www.therecordguys.com

SOURCE: http://www.metronews.ca

Michael Fremer Review

I am very proud to continue our feature (look for this every Friday), music reviews that are written by the senior contributing editor of Stereophile magazine- Michael Fremer. It has been a pleasure to speak with Michael and learn more about audio sound and equipment. In fact, his new DVD, "It's A Vinyl World, After All" has hit the shelves and is selling out very quickly. This is a must have for anybody who loves vinyl, it is a true masterpiece.


ALBUM REVIEW:
Neil Young (new reissue)
Neil Young Official Release Series Discs 1-4 Box Set

Warner Brothers/Reprise 4 180g LP, numbered Box Set
Produced by: Neil Young, Jack Nitzsche, David Briggs, Elliot Mazer, others
Engineered by: various engineers
Mixed by: various mixers
Mastered by: Chris Bellman at Bernie Grundman Mastering















Review by: Michael Fremer
2009-11-01


When Buffalo Springfield broke up, Neil Young set about building his solo career. The high-production work with Jack Nitzsche that had created classics like “Expecting to Fly” and “Broken Arrow” brought Neil back to the producer/keyboardist/orchestrator, who gained fame working with Phil Spector but the results on Young’s eponymous debut album were not as memorable. In fact, many critics and fans alike back in 1969 considered the album a disappointment and a misstep.

The “overproduction” charge was compounded by two issues: first was the original mix that buried Young’s voice, second was the label’s disastrous choice to master using the Haeco-CSG system. Invented by Howard Holzer, A&M’s chief engineer, Haeco-CSG was about cost cutting not sonic improvement.

By the late ‘60s, stereo had taken hold among album buying youngsters but most rock was still heard on AM radio or FM in the car, which was mostly monophonic. Stereo records played back monophonically usually produced terrible results: folding stereo down to mono upped common L/R information by 3 dB, which is major. That means vocals placed in both channels so they’d appear in the phantom center channel would be way too loud in mono. Not many rock singers of the era needed that kind of exposure, so Holzer invented a system to deal with the problem.

Unfortunately, his solution was to phase-shift common L/R right information so that it didn’t get the 3dB boost. Imagine, though, what happened to image focus and soundstage clarity! It produced a sonic mess that ruined many releases of the era, including Neil’s debut and Roots The Everly Brothers’ superb “comeback” album that inexplicably hasn’t been reissued yet on vinyl.

Neil remixed the first album, made sure it was mastered without Haeco-CSG and put a wide banner with his name on it at the top of the front cover in an effort to save the debut but it was too late. The album never recovered. Relatively rare original pressings with the first cover, mix and Haeco-CSG processing were quite collectible for a time, going for hundreds of dollars. I’m not sure what the going rate is today.

Time has actually been kind to Young’s debut. “The Loner” and “I’ve Been Waiting For You” are fuzz-tone laden standouts. “I’ve Loved Her Too Long” maintains its warm grip and even the surreal, Dylanesque overreach of “The Last Trip to Tulsa,” with Young’s acoustic guitar center stage and his voice off on the right channel, arrives nicely burnished through the time tunnel.

One could argue that the first album isn’t a high priority but no one would say that of the next three in this four, 180g LP box set: Everybody Knows This is Nowhere, After the Goldrush and Harvest.

With a set list that includes “Cinnamon Girl,” the title tune, “Round and Round,” “Down By The River,” and “Cowgirl In The Sand,” the second album with Crazy Horse is a hard-rocking, no-nonsense follow-up to the tentative debut and contains no filler. But surely you didn’t need to be told that.

Nor do you need to be told about the enduring folk/rock brilliance of After the Goldrush or Young’s greatest album chart success Harvest. If you do, you’re not forking over the big bucks for this 180g box set anyway. You’re more likely to opt for a 140g individual album or two.

What you’re really interested in hearing about is the sound quality of these reissues. But first a word about the packaging: Warner Brothers has gone to the trouble and expense of using deluxe paper over cardboard jackets that are authentic to the originals, though there are barcodes, new catalog numbers and updated mastering credits— all tastefully and respectfully done. All original posters and inserts are included. Pick up the new Harvest and you’ll be hard-pressed to tell it from the original, so perfectly does the new, thick outer paper stock match the original.

What’s very different about these reissues though, is the sound: I have multiple originals of all of them, including both the original Haeco-CSG version of the debut album and the re-do (obviously, though Warner Brothers and Young went with the original cover, the second mix was used) and I have to tell you, these reissues, mastered by Chris Bellman at Bernie Grundman and pressed at Pallas in Germany (buy a copy of my second DVD It’s a Vinyl World, After All and you can take a guided tour of Pallas, shot in high definition), sound far superior to the originals.

Look, I’ve been listening to these four albums for up to forty years now and I was not prepared for what I heard on all four of these albums. Grundman’s chain is sounding better than ever after what I hear are a series of upgrades.

Starting with the second album, Young arranged for multiple voices, often his own multi-tracked, but never before have the individual voices been so clearly locked in three dimensional space and timbrally distinct. The way the voices project into 3D space (including Young’s main centered one) is positively eerie (assuming your system can reproduced this, because trust me, it’s in the grooves in a way it’s not on the originals). Instrumental textures are far richer, fuller and better defined. Harmonics are fully fleshed out. Reverb trails extend to infinity before disappearing into background pitch blackness. There is so much more there there in every respect, it’s almost stupefying.

You can see Young before the microphone and experience every little vocal tick and breath pressurization. It’s not important because you can hear these details. It’s important because hearing them imparts greater meaning to the proceeding and certainly a greater appreciation of his singing and the deliberateness of his communications skills.

I wish I could tell you that the 140g versions, pressed, I assume, from the same stampers, sounded as good, but even correcting for the VTA/SRA differences, they don’t. They do sound plenty good, mind you, and better than the originals, but not quite as good as the 180g versions contained in the box set. And good as the Blu-ray versions are at 192k/24 bit, they don’t touch the vinyl.

So, my advice is: when the numbered, limited edition box is finally introduced shortly, if you’re as big a Neil fan as I am, don’t hesitate until it’s too late. Buy and enjoy this box set.

Warner Brothers, thanks to the tireless and meticulous efforts of Warner Brothers Senior Vice President and vinyl fanatic Tom Biery, demonstrates yet again, that it is possible for a major label to do vinyl correctly: cutting from analog masters, pressing at the best plants and packaging to provide fans with the genuine experience. It’s sad that the others don’t have the will to properly manage the task.

Copyright © 2009 MusicAngle.com & Michael Fremer All Rights Reserved/ Reprinted by Permission


Pick up Michael's DVD's Here:



Pick up a copy of this legendary release here, just add the code CVR and receive a 5% discount on your order! NEIL YOUNG

Special Edition 'Abbey Road' To Hit Stores

Shops to sell 5,000 copies of Beatles album

U.S. independent record stores will sell a unique LP boxed-set edition, limited to 5,000 copies, of the Beatles’ “Abbey Road” on Saturday as part of a series of promotions designed to drive foot traffic into stores hard-hit by the boom in digital music sales.

Exclusive 40th-anniversary vinyl edition of the album, licensed and produced by EMI, includes a T-shirt and poster featuring artwork from the collection’s two-sided hit single, “Come Together”/”Something.”



The “Vinyl Saturday” promotion is the latest stunt in the campaign dubbed “Record Store Day” involving 200 indie music retailers across the country.

Former Beatle Paul McCartney said he was happy to support the cause with what is sure to be a collector-coveted edition of “Abbey Road.”

“When I recently played Amoeba (musicstore) in L.A., I realized what fantastic memories such a collection of music bring back when you see it all in one place,” McCartney said in a statement.

In other Beatles' news:

EMI has won a temporary injunction against BlueBeat, the digital-music vendor selling Beatles tracks without permission. According to Billboard, a temporary restraining order demands the company cease selling all EMI tracks, including Beatles songs.

US District Court Judge John Walter has ordered the internet site Bluebeat.com to remove the Beatles songs that they were selling for 25 cents on their site. Bluebeat had argued that they owned the copyrights to what they were selling as they had re-recorded them as "audio visual performances with related sounds."

The judge issued a restraining order barring the site from any further streaming or selling of the songs and stated that he believed EMI would most likely win in a lawsuit against Bluebeat.

Hang Up Your Old Vinyl Records!

Hang Up Your Old Vinyl Records! - More DIY How To Projects

This Date In Music History-November 6

Birthdays:

P.J. Proby - sang on many of Elvis Presley's demos also singer, songwriter, and actor who has portrayed Elvis Presley and Roy Orbison in musical theater productions (1938)

Guy Clark - singer, songwriter, wrote songs for Johnny Cash, Ricky Skaggs (1941)

George Young - Easybeats (1947)

John Wilson - Them (1947)

Rushton Moreve (born John Russell Morgan) - Steppenwolf (1948)

Glenn Frey - Eagles (1948)

Chris Glen - Sensational Alex Harvey Band (1950)

Paul Brindley - Sundays (1963)

Corey Glover - Living Colour (1964)

Paul Gilbert - Mr. Big (1966)

R&B singer Pebbles (1966)

Trevor Penick - O-Town (1979)


They Are Missed:

Born on this day in 1814, Adolph Sax, inventor of the saxophone (died February 4, 1894).

The late Ray Conniff was born in 1916 (died October 12, 2002).

During a UK tour in 1972, Billy Murcia of The New York Dolls died after choking on his coffee after an overdose of Mandrax. The influential band formed in 1972 and made just two albums, the 1973 "New York Dolls" and 1974 "Too Much Too Soon."

Dickie Goodman died of a self-inflicted gunshot in 1989. He created a genre of novelty records in which a narrative was illustrated with snatches from top 40 songs. With Bill Buchanan, he had a string of hits in the '50s, including the #3 "The Flying Saucer (Parts 1 & 2)." He later became the head of music for 20th Century Fox.

Born today in 1942, Doug Sahm, Tex Mex Singer, songwriter, guitarist, Sir Douglas Quintet (died November 18, 1999).


History:

In 1954 Elvis Presley did his only commercial, for Southern-Made Doughnuts, on the "Louisiana Hayride" radio program (he also signs a year-long contract with the "Hayride").

Jimmy Dean started a five week run at #1 in 1961 with "Big Bad John."

Bill Graham, who will become one of rock's most powerful entrepreneurs, produced his first rock concert at the Fillmore Auditorium in San Francisco in 1965. The show featured the Grateful Dead, Jefferson Airplane and the Charlatans.

On the night of New York City's famous blackout in 1965, Bob Dylan, the Band's Robbie Robertson and Dylan friend Bob Neuwirth jammed with Brian Jones of the Rolling Stones in his suite at the New York Hiton.

The Animals' "It's My Life" was released in 1965.



The Rolling Stones, Strangeloves and Fontella Bass appeared on "Shindig!" in 1965.

In 1967, working at Abbey Road studio in London, the Beatles mixed four songs, "Hello Goodbye," "Your Mother Should Know," "Magical Mystery Tour" and "I Am the Walrus." Due to the radio feed used in "I Am the Walrus" being recorded in mono, the song changes from stereo to mono at the line "Sitting in an English garden".



Also in 1967, during a three hour session Bob Dylan recorded "All Along The Watchtower" and "John Wesley Harding" at Columbia Recording Studios in Nashville, Tennessee.

The Monkees' three quarter of a million dollar feature film, Head opened in New York City in 1968. Instead of being aimed at their target audience of teeny boppers, the film contained a dark theme about the manipulation of the group with walk-on appearances by inappropriate guests and scenes of Vietnam War atrocities. Reviews were harsh and the picture was a box office disaster.

Aerosmith performed their first ever gig when they played at Nipmuc Regional High School in Mendon, Massachusetts in 1970.

Cher started a two week run at #1 in 1971 with "Gypsys, Tramps and Thieves," the singers first US solo #1.

The soundtrack to 'Shaft' by Isaac Hayes went to #1 on the US album chart in 1971.

Michael Jackson's first solo single, "Got to Be There" (#4 pop, #4 R&B), was released in 1971. Already he's had eight Top Forty hits with the Jackson 5, including four consecutive chart-toppers.

Also in 1971, Donald Fagen and Walter Becker were hired as staff songwriters at ABC-Dunhill Records in Los Angeles.

Deep Purple's "Machine Head" LP went gold in 1972.

In 1973, singer Gram Parsons' manager Phil Kaufman was fined $300 for stealing Parsons' body from the Los Angeles International Airport. After he took the body, Kaufman had the corpse cremated and left the ashes at the Joshua Tree monument, according, he said, to his friend's wishes.

The Sex Pistols played their first show at St. Martin's School of Art in London in 1975.

The Steve Miller Band went to #1 in 1976 with "Rock 'n' Me," the group's second #1 hit (The Joker #1 1973).

Iggy Pop releases 'Lust for Life" in 1977. The album was produced by David Bowie.

In 1980, Led Zeppelin met on the island of Jersey to discuss their future following John Bonham's death. Peter Grant remembers, "What happened was the three of them - Jimmy, Robert, and Jonesy - went over to Jersey in the Channel Islands to have a discussion of what they were going to do in the future. I had never raised the subject with them. When they came back, we arranged to rent a suite at the Savoy in London and we had afternoon tea, just the four of us. They looked at me and said, 'What do you think, Gee?' And I said I couldn't see them carrying on as it was, because it couldn't be the same. It was a very emotional moment. They all said, 'Thank God you've said that, because that's what we thought while we were away.'"

In 1982, Jennifer Warnes and Joe Cocker started a three week run at #1 with a song taken from the film An Officer And A Gentleman, "Up Where We Belong."

Meat Loaf started a five week run at #1 in 1993 with "I'd' Do Anything For Love (But I Won't Do That)."

Pearl Jam went to #1 on the US album chart in 1993 with "Vs," selling 950,378 copies making it the highest sales in US album history in one week.

Britney Spears' album "Britney" was released in 2001.

Winners at the 2003 MTV awards included Christina Aguilera for Best female, Coldplay won Best group, Justin Timberlake won Best album for ‘Justified’, The Panjabi MC won best dance act. Best R&B act went to Beyonce. Eminem won the best hip-hop act award for the fifth year running. Reggae artist Sean Paul took the best new act award and best video was won by Sigur Ros. An estimated one billion people in 28 countries watched the show, which was held in Edinburgh, Scotland for the first time.

In 2005, Clear Channel agreed to remove posters with 50 Cent holding a gun in one hand and a microphone in the other in the Los Angeles area after a rally was held in protest, the company also agreed to remove 21 posters in Philadelphia. The posters were plugging the rapper’s forthcoming film 'Get Rich or Die Tryin.' "The message could be 'rob to get rich' said Bilal Qayyum, a leader of the anti violence group Men United for a Better Philadelphia.

In 2005, Madonna scored her 36th Top Ten single with "Hung Up," equaling the record with Elvis Presley for the most Top Ten singles. "Hung Up" was also Madonna's 47th Top Forty single, the most for any female artist.

Brooks & Dunn and Kenny Chesney were the big winners at the annual CMA Awards in 2006, but the ceremony is most memorable for Faith Hill's outraged reaction when she loses best female vocalist to American Idol's Carrie Underwood.

In 2007, previously unreleased live tracks from Bruce Springsteen, Bob Dylan and Jackson Browne were featured on the "Serve2" compilation. Proceeds from the album benefit the World Hunger Year charity's Artists Against Hunger & Poverty initiative.

Queen + Paul Rodgers Live From the Ukraine was shown in high-definition and surround-sound audio in more than 300 U.S. theaters in 2008. The footage was from a concert just two months earlier in Kharkov.

Michael Gammon of Transcriptors

I would like to thank Matt Trush over at http://analogapartment.com/ for the exclusive rights to reprint this interesting material.



Michael Gammon of Transcriptors

written by Matt Trush

If you have ever seen Stanely Kubrick's 1971 film 'A Clockwork Orange', you might recall an amazing turntable in Alex's bedroom. It is called the Hydraulic Reference and was made by a company called Transcriptors.

From 1963 to 1979, Transcriptors produced some truly unique turntables. David Gammon, the founder, won several awards for his iconic designs and today, you can find his work in places like the Museum of Modern Art here in NYC.

We had a chance to hear from Michael Gammon, the eldest son of founder David Gammon, to get an inside look at what it was like to grow up with Transcriptors.

First, a bit of history from the Transcriptors site. 

David Gammon

Founded in 1960 by the late David Gammon, Transcriptors was one of the World’s leading manufacturer of manual turntables, tone arms and accessories, and one of the most modern Hi Fi manufacturing plants in Europe during the 60’s, 70’s and the early 80’s.

Many readers will be familiar with our turntables, which have been widely used in numerous television commercials, and in many films, including the classic 1971 film ‘A Clockwork Orange’ which used our 1964 Hydraulic Reference turntable in various scenes throughout the film.

Our products have been copied and reproduced all over the world, from the ‘Concept 2000’ and the ‘Audio Linear’. Even today’s modern turntable design’s bear there origins to the striking designs that were designed by David Gammon, perhaps no better compliment could be paid to his famous turntables.

Sadly David passed away in December 2005 after a long illness. He leaves five children Michael, David, Natasha, Ben and Olga, and four grandchildren.

Michael Gammon was born in Colchester, England in 1971 and moved to Clacton-on-Sea and then to Borehamwood. He was kind enough to share some great stories from his childhood and offer us a unique perspective his father's work, the vinyl format, and turntables.

Tell us about how you came to love music, audio, and vinyl records.

I have been interested in records and audio since I was five years old. Dad used to take us to the factory on Saturday mornings and we used to sit at one of the work benches whilst he made us a cup of tea. It was one of these Saturday mornings that he said to me "have a listen to this" and what he played introduced me to the wonderful world of audio.

The record he played was Jean Michel Jarre's Oxygene and to this day I still use it as one of my main records when we do the hi-fi shows. As a young boy I could not get it into my head how you produced music from electronic components. This also lead me to play drums for twenty years and also piano, both self taught.

I love records, the way the outer sleeve is designed, removing the record and placing it on the turntable then sitting back in a chair and closing your eyes and being immersed into the sound.

Dad always said "you listen to music, you don't watch it!"

What was your earliest memory of your father's work with Transcriptors?

The earliest memory I have is when I used to come home from school and there would be a different turntable on the shelf, the first one i can remember is the Round Table. I later found out that Dad did this with all new models and would have my Mum testing each new model.

1975 Round Table

What is you're favorite story from that time period?

My favorite story is when Dad bought my Mum a new Mini car. He had just picked it up from the dealership and was smoking a cigarette when he could smell the fumes of petrol. He looked down at his feet and saw that a massive amount of petrol had leaked into the footwell of the car. So he carefully stopped the car, carefully open the door and ran!

The Hydraulic Reference is a design icon. Is this your favorite model or do you have another that you love?

The Hydraulic is one of my all time favorite turntables as this is the one that can tell you what it is without ever looking at the badge. It is a design classic and when you look in the old hi-fi year books and one page you have a standard turntable in a wooden box then you turn the page and you have a Hydraulic there is no comparison. That's probably why the late Stanley Kubrick came to see my father and borrow one for his film 'A Clockwork Orange', dad never saw it again!

Hydraulic Reference


However I love all the other models he did, because as an engineer you are always out to improve on an existing idea so hence the design timeline from the 1963 Reference to his last turntable the Transcriber in 1979.

Transcriber


It says on the history page that the family moved to New York in 1974 to serve the US market with the Skeleton and the Round Table. What was that like?

It was an eye opener that was for sure. Moving from the south of Ireland to the big apple was a big step. The hi-fi industry in Europe was starting to decline so Dad found a new exciting market in the US. We moved in to a penthouse overlooking Central Park and Dad used to take us there every day. On the same floor in our apartment block we had the 1970's group The Platters who always use to make fun of our english accents.

Dad had a house in Long Island lined up but then decided at the last moment that he could not stand the heat so we came back to Ireland. Also he had been to the World Trade Center to rent an office there but was cautious about safety. He was also afraid of heights and also could not foresee what would happen on that tragic day (god bless them all).

You re-launched Transcriptors in 2000. Tell us a bit about why you decided to do that and what Transcriptors does today.

I was trawling the internet and came across a post about somebody looking for David Gammon of Transcriptors. I replied and within two days I was having an eight hour conversation with a collector from Florida. He had all of Dads turntables and suggested I do a web site.

I originally posted a short one page of information but then started to get enquiries for spares etc. So after spending ten years in injection moulding as a cnc toolsetter I restarted the company. In late 2002, I was asked when the new turntable was coming out, I just told them there had not been one made since 1979.

I taught myself autocad over a weekend and then came up with the T6 turntable which we still make today. We also service and repair and also offer a full spares service for all the models my late father produced.

Tell us a bit about the future of Transcriptors. Any plans for new models / expansion?

We will still be producing turntables as long as there is a hunger for the format. The current line up of turntables in the T6, Reference Series II (based on dads hydraulic reference) and the Spyder. We move in to a factory in 2010 as at the moment 75% of our components is produce by sub-contractors so we are aiming to bring it all in house.

Today, more and more people are discovering / rediscovering vinyl records. Do you have any words of advice to someone just getting started with vinyl?

Go in with an open mind. Salesmen will do anything to get a sale so visit many hi-fi shops and listen to the setup that they have running. Also remember that what you are hear in a demo room might not sound exactly the same in your own room at home.

Also you will get a lot of info regarding specification, remember specification is nothing, performance is everything. Just sit down and listen as you are equipped with the very best test equipment that money cannot buy and is supplied as standard to every human being and that is your EARS!

Any words of wisdom for someone that has never been exposed to vinyl records and turntables?]

Buy yourself a mid price turntable, amplifier and speakers, ditch your compressed music iPod and listen to how music was meant to be listened.

###

Thanks again to Michael for taking time to share his stories and insights with us. We're a huge fan of Transcriptors and we are looking forward to the next chapter in this great story.

Copyright 2009 Matt Trush Reprinted By Permission

Vinyl Collective News

This from Virgil over at www.vinylcollective.com - stop by and check it out and pcik up some great vinyl!


Vinyl Collective Used Vinyl Sales Launches


After a handful of brave souls gave selling their records through Vinyl Collective a shot, we are ready to open up our doors and allow you to sell your records through our store. I have put together a Frequently Asked Questions that will hopefully answer all of your questions. Read further, set up an account, and start getting us your listings. If you have further questions, please just post a comment on the site or message board. Thanks, I am so excited to see what records get listed:

How does selling my records through Vinyl Collective work?

Set up an account, start listing your records, and when they sell, we will email you the order. You ship the order, email us and the buyer the tracking info (if there is tracking info available), and depending on how you select receiving payment, you will see a statement for sales each week. The following week, you will receive a payment or store credit depending on what you select.

How do I set up a new user account?

Here’s the form to become a new user.
http://www.vinylcollective.com/iwanttosell/

How do I submit my listings?

Here’s the form for submitting the releases:
http://www.vinylcollective.com/submitusedvinyl/

Are the Used Records in a special section of the store?

The Used Vinyl will have the word Used at the beginning of the title and we have a special section in the store called Used Vinyl Sales. You can find those records here.

Can we list items other than vinyl like CDs, Books, and/or Cassettes?

Right now, we are only accepting listings of vinyl, but we may allow other items to be posted in the near future.

How do I know when someone has purchased one of my records?

We will email you when the order is placed, we ask that you please ship the order within 2 days. Please email us and the buyer the tracking info (we ask that you use delivery confirmation). Please package the record carefully.

What percentage does Vinyl Collective take?

We will take a 15 percent cut if you select payment by Paypal or by Check. We take 0 percent if you are using it for store credit. We will reimburse you for your shipping costs.

Shipping Costs will be charged in the following manner for Used Vinyl Sales (we take 15 percent if you select payment by Paypal or by Check, we take 0 percent if you select store credit):

UNITED STATES
$3.99 for media mail for all you can buy shipping

LPs in the U.S. – Priority $5.99 for one, $2 for each additional; Media Mail $3.99 all you can buy shipping
7″s in the U.S. – Priority $5.99 for one, $1 for each additional; First Class $2.99 for one, $0.99 for each additional

CANADA
LPs in Canada – First Class International – $6.99 for one, $3.50 for each additional
7″s in Canada – First Class International – $3.99 for one, $2.00 for each additional

OVERSEAS/WORLDWIDE
LPs in Europe,UK,Japan,Australia – First Class International – $13.99 for one, $7.00 for each additional
7″s in Europe,UK,Japan,Australia – First Class International – $6.99 for one, $3.50 for each additional

If my records don’t sell after a certain period of time, can I lower the selling price or remove the item?

You are welcome to lower prices at any time. Just email us the new prices and we can adjust the listings. We do suggest that you wait at least a week, maybe two. Also, if you ever need to remove an item from our Used Vinyl Sales, just email us and we can take it down.

What happens if the order sent is never received?

This is why delivery confirmation is so important. If the tracking says that the package has been delivered, the buyer must take up the lost parcel with their post office or postal carrier. If the package hasn’t been delivered after 30 days in the United States or 45 days overseas, we will be forced to refund the buyer full amount of the record and shipping and debit your account that amount. Since delivery confirmation isn’t available overseas, if you would rather not offer your records to buyers overseas, let us know.

What happens if the record arrives damaged or not as described?

We ask that you please carefully package the order preventing damage and to correctly describe the item’s condition. If the item arrives damaged or not as described, the buyer and seller must negotiate possible credit or refund.

How is shipping prices calculated for Used Vinyl?

Each seller is set up as their own distribution center and therefor has their own shipping prices. If you buy something from a Used Seller and from the normal part of the Vinyl Collective store, you will be charged 2 distinct set of shipping prices. If you buy more than one record from a particular used seller, you will benefit in shipping discounts. Buy from multiple used sellers and you will again have to pay multiple shipping fees. Even though you are able to put all of these items in one cart and experience one checkout, it is like purchasing from multiple sellers and since each seller is in different parts of the United States, each seller incurs a shipping charge.

If I live outside of the United States, can I sell records through Vinyl Collective’s used vinyl sales?

Currently, No. We would prefer to get all of our kinks worked out with sellers in the United States first before we consider offering sellers in other countries the opportunity to sell records.


In other news:

Vinyl Collective Top 40 Sales for October 2009

1 Vinyl Collective Raffle Ticket 377 copies
2 Suburban Home Chad Price Fall,Winter Sampler DIGITAL ALBUM (mp3) 326 copies
3 LAWRENCE ARMS “Buttsweat And Tears” 7? 156 copies
4 MICAH SCHNABEL (of Two Cow Garage) “When the Stage Light Goes Dim” CD 150 copies
5 WHATEVER 137 copies
6 CHUCK RAGAN “The Daytrotter Sessions” 10? white vinyl VC exclusive color 103 copies
7 SH/VC WAREHOUSE CLEARANCE SALE (5 Points,10 Free CDs) 80 copies
8 KUDROW “Lando” 7? mixed color vinyl 62 copies
9 COBRA SKULLS “American Rubicon” LP red w/ white marble vinyl 57 copies
10 “Under the Influence” Volumes 15-24 Subscription A (/500) 56 copies
11 NOFX “Cokie The Clown” 7? 43 copies
11 NOFX “My Orphan Year” 7? 43 copies
13 Suburban Home SHOTGUNATOR black 42 copies
14 CHUCK RAGAN/ BRIAN FALLON “Gospel Songs” 7? brown vinyl VC exclusive color 37 copies
15 SH/VC WAREHOUSE CLEARANCE SALE (20 Points,50 Free CDs,Free T-shirt) 35 copies
16 GOOD OLD WAR “Only Way To Be Alone” LP brown/gold swirl vinyl 30 copies
17 CONVERGE “Axe To Fall” LP colored vinyl 26 copies
18 12” Record Jacket Sleeve. Fits over album jacket. 24 copies
19 RUSSIAN CIRCLES “Geneva” dbl LP clear vinyl 22 copies
19 CHAD PRICE “Smile Sweet Face” DIGITAL ALBUM (mp3) 22 copies
19 THE SWELLERS “Welcome Back Riders” 7? pink w/ blue haze vinyl 22 copies
22 LUCERO “1372 Overton Park” LP 21 copies
22 CHAD PRICE “Smile Sweet Face” CD 21 copies
22 THE SWELLERS “Welcome Back Riders” 7? pink/blue half and half vinyl 21 copies
22 CHUCK RAGAN/ BRIAN FALLON “Gospel Songs” 7? white vinyl 21 copies
26 V/A “Delicious Vinyl: Fest 08? DIGITAL ALBUM (mp3) 21 copies
27 HEAVY HEAVY LOW LOW “Turtle Nipple…” LP brown/pink 19 copies
28 Suburban Home Pick 5 for $25 Sale + 5 FREE CDs (CDs, Vinyl, Pint Glasses) 18 copies
28 CHUCK RAGAN “Gold Country” LP gold vinyl 18 copies
30 SH/VC WAREHOUSE CLEARANCE SALE (10 Points,25 Free CDs) 17 copies
30 A WILHELM SCREAM “Mute Print” LP mustard yellow vinyl 17 copies
32 VINYL COLLECTIVE/SUBURBAN HOME CLUB CARD 16 copies
32 V/A “Wrecktrospective” 3xCD 16 copies
32 GREGORY ALAN ISAKOV “This Empty Northern Hemisphere” LP 16 copies
32 CHAD PRICE “Smile Sweet Face” LP Transp. Brown vinyl 16 copies
32 BROADWAY CALLS “Good Views, Bad News” LP green vinyl 16 copies
32 DEAD TO ME “African Elephants” LP 16 copies
32 JOEY CAPE / MIKE HALE “Under the Influence 11? 7? brown 16 copies
39 Vinyl Collective Custom Vinyl Art LP 15 copies
39 TIM BARRY/ FRANK TURNER split 7? blue vinyl 15 copies
39 APPLESEED CAST “Two Conversations” LP monster electric green vinyl 15 copies
39 DRAG THE RIVER “Primer” Collection CD 15 copies
43 LEMURIA “Ozzy” 7? black vinyl 12 copies
43 SUBURBAN HOME FOR LIFE (EVERY DIGITAL ALBUM FOREVER) 12 copies
43 “Under the Influence” Volumes 15-24 Subscription B (/1000) 12 copies
43 PORTUGAL THE MAN “It’s Complicated Being a Wizard” LP 12 copies
43 CHUCK RAGAN “Live From Rock Island: The Daytrotter Sessions” 10? black vinyl 12 copies
43 CITY AND COLOUR “Sleeping Sickness” 7? 12 copies
43 THE MENZINGERS “Hold On, Dodge” 7? brown vinyl 12 copies
43 PORTUGAL THE MAN “The Satanic Satanist” LP german import white/blue marble vinyl 12 copies

Music News & Notes

We Love Our Vinyl!

The resurgent vinyl market isn’t showing any signs of slowing down. In fact, recent figures released by Nielsen SoundScan indicate that overall U.S. vinyl sales will once again set a benchmark in 2009, with sales up 50% through the first five months of the year. SoundScan predicts vinyl sales will reach 2.8 million units in 2009, up from 1.9 million in 2008, a record since SoundScan began tracking sales data in 1991. Already in 2009, vinyl sales have topped 1 million. Rock albums account for 70% of all vinyl sold, but country vinyl is enjoying a growth spurt. Year-to-date country vinyl sales are already at 15,000 copies, compared with 5,000 for the comparable period in 2008.

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Rage Against The Machine Debut To Be Released on Vinyl

Music on Vinyl Records will be releasing Rage Against The Machine's self-titled 1992 debut on 180g vinyl on November 20th

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'This Is It': Michael Jackson soundtrack tops the albums chart in a busy week

Michael Jackson’s This Is It won the box office easily last weekend, so it should come as little surprise to find the concert film’s soundtrack topping the Billboard 200, too. The King of Pop’s latest posthumous release sold a strong 373,000 copies in its first week on shelves, according to Nielsen SoundScan. That’s comparable to the big sales his greatest-hits set Number Ones was putting up in the weeks immediately following his untimely death — and since This Is It is categorized as a new release, Jackson finally gets to take the No. 1 Billboard 200 spot that a technicality robbed him of for much of this past summer.

A busy pack of other new releases crowded into the shadow of This Is It. Creed came Full Circle to No. 2 with a respectable 110,000 copies sold, answering the question of how many people still consider themselves Creed fans in 2009. The public’s appetite for Rod Stewart covers albums remained unwhetted as his latest such set, Soulbook, bowed at No. 4 with 84,000. Trans-Siberian Orchestra’s Night Castle checked in at No. 5 with 83,000. Sting’s If on a Winter’s Night… traveled to No. 6 with 80,000.

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Motown's 50th Anniversary

On November 21, Detroit will see the annual Motown Historical Museum gala turn into a huge celebration for the labels 50th anniversary. The black-tie affair will include performances by Otis Williams and the Temptations, comedian Sinbad and Stevie Wonder. Rumors also say that Jermaine Jackson will attend for a tribute to Michael Jackson.

There will also be honors for the labels first five employees, writer/producer Robert Bateman, secretary Janie Bradford (who also wrote Money), songwriter/producer Brian Holland, singer/VP Smokey Robinson and backup singer Raynoma Singleton.

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New Stereophile-Sponsored Audio Show Coming

The Audio Expo North American (AXPONA for short), launched under the auspices of Stereophile magazine and taking place in March of 2010, is being billed as the audio show of the future. The venue is the Wyndham Riverwalk Hotel in Jacksonville, FL and the dates are March 5 thru 7. A variety of AV dealers, manufacturers and distributors will exhibit their newest audio products and technologies, equipment and supporting media. Three floors of the hotel will be used, with 18 large exhibit rooms on the main convention level. The show is expected to draw many exhibitors due to its cost to exhibitors being up to 25% less than other AV shows, and there being no charges for drayage or removing furniture from the rooms - two sources of savings to those participating. There will be a focus on hi-end playback equipment, and audio recording demonstrations, plus live musical performances and seminars with top industry names. A new web site has been designed for the show: www.AXPONA.com

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Motion City Soundtrack Release More New Album Details

(PR) Motion City Soundtrack have revealed the details of their major label debut – My Dinosaur Life today. It's official, the album – produced by Blink-182's Mark Hoppus and mixed by the legendary Andy Wallace (Nirvana, Sonic Youth, Kaiser Chiefs) – will be released on January 19th, 2010 on Columbia Records. In addition, they have released the final track listing for the new album (see below) and revealed the incredible cover art by renowned collectible toy artist Joe Ledbetter (www.joeledbetter.com) – also responsible for the entire album art.

My Dinosaur Life is the exciting next chapter for Motion City Soundtrack. The band – Justin Pierre, Joshua Cain, Matt Taylor, Tony Thaxton, and Jesse Johnson – first jumped onto the scene with their 2002 debut I Am the Movie (Epitaph). They followed this up with 2005's Commit This to Memory (Epitaph). Also produced by Mark Hoppus, Commit This to Memory debuted at #72 on the Billboard 200 and has gone on to sell more than 300,000 copies. It garnered raves from Spin, Rolling Stone, Entertainment Weekly, and Blender among others and found Motion City Soundtrack making their late night TV debut on Late Night with Conan O'Brien. In 2007, MCS released Even If It Kills Me (Epitaph), a markedly poppier endeavor that found them working with producers Adam Schlesinger, Eli Janney and Ric Ocasek. This third release debuted at #16 on the Billboard 200 and once again, the critics weighed in favorably – Alternative Press featured them on the cover of their "Most Anticipated" issue, the New York Times claimed "they made an album that sounds like one long sugar rush, and so long as the rush lasts, it sounds pretty great" and SPIN proclaimed the album as "near perfect pop." In the Fall of 2008 Motion City Soundtrack further showcased their talents when they released alternative versions of five songs off Even If It Kills Me as an iTunes exclusive. The culturally acclaimed hit TV series Gossip Girl featured the alternative version of "Fell In Love Without You'" in their season premiere that fall.

Enter 2010 and Motion City Soundtrack are poised to take another giant step forward with the imminent release of My Dinosaur Life – 12 new songs that are lyrically contemplative, poignantly honest, and cleverly and culturally astute. The music harkens back to early Motion City Soundtrack with is grit and hooks while employing the musicianship and maturity the band has gained over the past seven years. During these years they've accomplished quite a bit – including headlining Warped tour, Bamboozle and the mvtU Campus Invasion Tour to playing Lollapalooza, Fuji Rock Festival and Honda Civic Tour. They've won two mtvU Woodie Awards – in 2005 the Breaking Woodie for Best Emerging Artist and in 2008 the Best Video Woodie for "It Had to Be You." Motion City Soundtrack has worked incredibly hard over the past seven years for everything they've achieved and they're excited about the next chapter.

My Dinosaur Life Track Listing:
1. Worker Bee
2. A Lifeless Ordinary (Need A Little Help)
3. Her Words Destroyed My Planet
4. Disappear
5. Delirium
6. History Lesson
7. Stand Too Close
8. Pulp Fiction
9. @!#?@!
10. Hysteria
11. Skin And Bones

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Aerosmith, Tyler Parting Ways?

antiMusic reports: Classic Rock posted a bombshell report on Wednesday about the future of Aerosmith. Could the band be parting ways with frontman Steven Tyler? Going by what members of the band, including Tyler himself, told Classic Rock it is looking more and more likely that it may happen.

Steven Tyler told Classic Rock, "I don't know what I'm doing yet, but it's definitely going to be something Steven Tyler: working on the brand of myself – Brand Tyler."

The magazine goes on to report that the members of the band "will reconvene (probably sans Tyler) to discuss future plans, which could be either the announcement of a long hiatus or even possibly include carrying on with a new lead vocalist."

While you may see that as reading too much into things, guitarist Brad Whitford discussed the possibility of bringing in a new singer with the magazine and he seems open to the idea, "if somebody was willing to do it and the chemistry was right, why not?". On the other hand, the magazine promised that "February's issue of Classic Rock will have a full story and a very, very special surprise for Aerosmith fans."

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Cloud Cult Reissues

PR reports: On December 8th, 2009 Cloud Cult will release a double-disc reissue of They Live on the Sun (2003) and Aurora Borealis (2004) – two of their earliest albums. These two home recorded releases have been re-envisioned, remixed and remastered for the first time by Cloud Cult's Craig Minowa and this special double-disc release will contain previously unreleased bonus tracks.

The albums, which are now out of print and could only be purchased at live gigs and select Independent record stores, will be available for the first time nationwide and fans can take advantage of a presale on the band's web site in late November – www.cloudcult.com.

Cloud Cult's lead singer/songwriter Craig Minowa created these albums during 18 months of seclusion at his Northern Minnesota organic farm after his two-year-old son passed away unexpectedly in 2002. Originally released on the band's own Earthology Records, they were mainly available on a local level due to a shoe-string credit card budget.

Not All Record Stores Closing

We always seem to read about record shops going under, here's an uplifting story that shows us that there are still wonderful record stores staying open and thriving with the new found love of vinyl:

After 30 years, Luke's Record Exchange sees another resurgence


Luke Renchan holds a framed 'Butcher Cover' from 'The Beatles Yesterday and Today' album.

By ETHAN SHOREY, Valley Breeze Staff Writer

PAWTUCKET - They said he couldn't keep it up.

Every time the music industry chose a new way to get its product to the consumer - from 8-tracks to vinyl, cassettes to CDs - the doubters kept telling Luke Renchan it might be time to call it quits and close up shop.

Thirty years after first opening Luke's Record Exchange on Broadway, Renchan and his one-of-a-kind Rhode Island store are once again enjoying a resurgence in business as he takes advantage of the music industry's return to high quality vinyl records and the booming postmortem popularity of Michael Jackson.

"I'm doing more than surviving," says Renchan, on doing business in this new world of iPods and easy downloads.

Located at 393 Broadway, Luke's Record Exchange, where new and old customers alike can often be found spending hours at a time reconnecting with the albums of their past, is the largest - and oldest - music variety store that he knows of in New England, according to Renchan.

Vinyl in its 180 GRAM form is so popular right now, Renchan told The Breeze, that it is now outselling compact discs, once thought to be the mode for listening pleasure but now becoming another victim of changing trends.

The recent death of pop icon Jackson is having very much the same kind of impact on the record business as when former Beatles star John Lennon died, according to Renchan, with patrons seeking a reconnect with the music of their childhood.

Ask Renchan about any of the more than 1 million items in his store and he'll more than likely be able to tell exactly where it is on one of two packed floors. Collectible items like The Beatles "Butcher Cover," combined with a decline in today's economy, make now "a great time to buy," according to Renchan.

Renchan said he believes ups and downs will always be a part of the music industry. Just because one trend in listening is nearly rendered obsolete does not mean he'll pack it in, instead choosing to adjust to the changes.

"I'm a firm believer that if something happens that you don't like, we as people need to do something about it," said the man who works a second job as a successful disc jockey.

Renchan says he became discouraged last year and shut down his storefront business for a few months to focus on other priorities. He reopened largely at the urging of friends who said the industry was returning to high-quality vinyl, a decision he hasn't regretted since.

Pawtucket Mayor James Doyle has honored Renchan and his wife, Christine, with a sign from the city honoring Luke's Record Exchange for doing business in Pawtucket for the past 30 years.

"The current economic crisis has made it extremely difficult for many of our small businesses to survive, let alone celebrate 30 years of continual operation at the same location," said Doyle in a news release. "Luke's Record Exchange has been a staple of the business community along Broadway for decades, and I know that Mr. Renchan cares deeply about the neighborhood."

Doyle has even offered to rename the block where the Renchans do business in honor of Luke's Record Exchange, said Renchan, something he and his wife are considering.

The Renchans and a volunteer staff are currently in the process of reorganizing the entire store to adapt to the changing times yet again.

Luke's Record Exchange is open each day from noon to 5 p.m. The number to call to inquire about a specific item is 725-7156.

Thanks to the author ETHAN SHOREY and the publication http://www.valleybreeze.com/ for the exclusive rights to reprint this story.

This Date In Music History-November 4

Birthdays:

Harry Elson - Friends Of Distinction (1938)
Chuck Mangione (1940)
Mike Smith - Amen Corner (1947)
Delbert McClinton (country star who taught John Lennon how to play harmonica) (1940)
Yanni (1954)
Chris Difford - Squeeze (1954)
Jordan Rudess - Dream Theater (1956)
Sean John Combs, (aka, Puff Daddy & P Diddy) (1970)


They Are Missed:

Born on this day in 1951, Dan Hartman, multi- instrumentalist, producer, worked with Edgar Winter (died on March 22, 1994). Collaborated with Tina Turner, Dusty Springfield, Joe Cocker, Bonnie Tyler, Paul Young, James Brown, Holly Johnson and Steve Winwood, among others.

Born today in 1957, James Honeyman-Scott, Pretenders (died on June 16, 1982).

Founder member of The Ink Spots, Ivory Watson died in 1969 (age 60).

Nashville session guitarist Phil Baugh die in 1990. He had a unique sound courtesy of a series of six pedals he developed that allowed him to bend the strings of the guitar together or separately.

Fred "Sonic" Smith, guitarist with agit-rockers the MC5 and husband of Patti Smith, died of a heart attack in Detroit in 1994. He was 45.

Drummer Mana "China" Nishiura of Shonen Knife and DMBQ died in 2005 when the latter band's van flips over on Delaware's I-95.


History:

In 1957, the top six songs on the pop and R&B charts are identical: Elvis Presley's "Jailhouse Rock," the Everly Brothers' "Wake Up Little Susie," Sam Cooke's "You Send Me," the Rays' "Silhouettes," Rickie Nelson's "Be-Bop Baby" and Jimmie Rodgers' "Honeycomb."

Bob Dylan made his concert-hall debut at the Carnegie Chapter Hall in New York City in 1961. Fifty people, most of the friends of the singer, pay two bucks to attend. Dylan earns twenty dollars for the night.

In 1963, The Beatles topped the bill at The Royal Variety Show at The Prince Of Wales Theatre, London. With the Queen Mother and Princess Margaret in the audience, this was the night when John Lennon made his famous remark “In the cheaper seats you clap your hands. The rest of you, just rattle your jewellery." The show was broadcast on UK television on the Nov 10, 1963.



The Rolling Stones were at #1 on the US singles chart in 1965 with "Get Off Of My Cloud" (also a #1 in the UK).

A 1967 New York Times article described the new electric six-string sitar introduced by Danelectro Guitar Company, which was being used by many rock bands.

Smokey Robinson and the Miracles' "I Second That Emotion" was released in 1967.

Cream played their final US show in Long Island in 1968.

Also in 1968, at Abbey Road Studios, Pink Floyd recorded "Point Me at the Sky" and "Careful With That Axe, Eugene."

In 1970, Bob Dylan, long under pressure to return to his political stance of the Sixties recorded "George Jackson," a pagean to the black militant killed in a California prison shootout.

Johnny Nash started a three week run at #1 on the US singles chart in 1972 with "I Can See Clearly Now."

Paul McCartney & Wings released "Junior's Farm," in 1974, it became their fourth Top Ten hit of the past year. The song goes to number three.

The Band's Martin Scorcese-directed concert film-documentary, "The Last Waltz" premiered in New York in 1977.

In 1978, Boston, the rock band from the city of the same name, played their hometown for the first time since becoming major stars. They open a two night, sold out stand at the Boston Garden.

Canadian singer Anne Murray went to #1 on the US singles chart in 1978 with "You Needed Me," her only US #1 hit.

In 1978, Greg Reeves, former bass player for Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young, sued the group for $1 million in unpaid back royalties.

The Talking Heads' "Take Me To The River" was released in 1978.



Also in 1978, Linda Ronstadt went to #1 on the US album chart with "Living In The USA."

In 1981, Daryl Hall and John Oates' "Private Eyes" was certified both gold and platinum. The album, now peaking at #5 on the pop LP's chart, contained two #1 pop singles, "Private Eyes" [which will top the pop chart for two weeks starting in three days] and "I Can't Go For That" which hits #1 on both the pop and soul charts early next year.

In 1984, Prince played the first of seven nights at the Joe Louis Arena in Detroit, Michigan at the start of his 87-date North American Purple Rain tour. The outing marked the live debut of his new band The Revolution.

Roxette scored their second US #1 single with "Listen To Your Heart."

Bobby "Blue" Bland, Booker T. & The M.G.'s, Johnny Cash, Jimi Hendrix, The Isley Brothers, Sam & Dave and The Yardbirds are elected to the Rock & Roll Hall Of Fame in 1991.

Elton John and his songwriting partner Bernie Taupin signed a $39 million publishing contract with Warner-Chappell music in 1992.

In 1993, Depeche Mode's Martin Gore was arrested at the Denver Westin Hotel after refusing to turn down the volume of his music in his room. Slow news day.

DMX went to #1 on the US album chart in 2000 with "The Great Depression."

In 2002, Elton John and his lyricist Bernie Taupin received the Music Industry Trusts Award for one of the greatest songwriting partnerships of all time.

The book "Journals" was released in 2002. The book, about Kurt Cobain, contained letters and diary entries from the 1980s until 1994.

Diddy was at No.1 on the US album chart in 2006 with his fifth album ‘Press Play.’

The Eagles went to #1 on the UK album chart in 2007 for the first time ever - 33 years after their debut album On the Border. This was the group's first full studio album since The Long Run in 1979.

The soundtrack to Twlight was released in 2008 containing “Go All The Way” written by Jane's Addiction singer Perry Farrell. "The song conjures up that adolescent feeling when a young man, who has been pursuing a girl he really likes, finally gets her," says Farrell. The vampire flick based on the novel by Stephenie Meyer.

Ask Mr. Music with Jerry Osborne

Let's continue 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 NOVEMBER 2, 2009


DEAR JERRY: As a teen living in New York in the '50s and '60s, I was exposed to a lot of regional hits that I learned in later years are unknown to the rest of the country.

This seems especially evident with doo-wop and group harmony records.

For example, everyone knows “16 Candles,” by Johnny Maestro and the Crests, but does anyone outside New York recall the sequel one year later? After 50 years, I can't remember the exact title. I do know it is not “17 Candles.” Did it make the national charts at all?
—Harold Lorring, Scottsdale, Ariz.

DEAR HAROLD: You're right about the Big Apple being a doo-wop hotbed in those days, though several other areas of the country also made significant contributions to that genre.

The success of the Crests, however, was not restricted to any one region. Following the huge success of “16 Candles,” the next dozen releases by the Crests, featuring Johnny Maestro, became hits from sea to shining sea.

The sixth of those is your sweet 16 birthday sequel: “A Year Ago Tonight” (Coed 521). This tune made the Top 50 on both Billboard and Cash Box, and did so exactly one year after “16 Candles.”

As you suspect, no mention is made of 17 candles, though Johnny doo-wopingly reflects fondly on the previous year's party: “A year ago tonight you were 16, the sweetest teenage queen I've ever seen. A year ago tonight I let you know, that 16 candles in my heart would glow.”

In 1964, three years after Johnny Maestro left to focus on a solo career, another group of Crests released “You Blew Out the Candles” (Coral 62403).

A cha-cha-cha rather than a ballad, this song has nothing whatsoever to do with “16 Candles,” though it's easy to think it does because of the birthday party theme and the group name.


DEAR JERRY: In the days when cover records were common, their release would at times be very close to the original, making it difficult to know which is which. Such is the case with “Baby Elephant Walk.” I know Henry Mancini wrote it for the movie “Hatari,” but apparently Mancini didn't have a single with it. I know it's on the soundtrack album.

We are then left with two versions, one by Lawrence Welk and the other by the Miniature Men. Both were hits at the same time, but which is the original and which is the cover?
—Gloria Esterfield, Hanover, Pa.

DEAR GLORIA: Even looking at the charts offers no solution. Both came out in May and both debuted on Billboard the week of June 3, 1962, with Lawrence Welk (Dot 16364) at No. 96 and the Miniature Men (Dolton 57) at No. 98.

Composer Henry Mancini did not have a single of “Baby Elephant Walk,” leaving the field open for Welk, the Miniature Men, and three other non-charted versions: the Parisian Sextet (Challenge 9151); Carl Stevens (Mercury 71996); and Kai Winding (Verve 10258).

Henry Mancini's is clearly the original recording, but the Miniature Men got their record out first, about three days ahead of all the others. In this quirky situation, the Dolton single is both a cover and an original.

Not surprisingly, Lawrence Welk, with an established name and a popular TV show, outsold all the others combined, though no one made the Top 40 with this tune.

Rather than “Baby Elephant Walk,” the ill-fated Mancini single chosen from the “Hatari” soundtrack turned out to be “Theme from Hatari” (RCA Victor 8037), issued in July '62. This selection pretty much bombed.

IZ ZAT SO? Perhaps because Dolton was in such a rush to get the Miniature Men to dee jays and stores ahead of the herd of baby elephant records that they didn't have time for proof-reading. First pressings mistakenly credit the group as #Minature Men,” and are valued at about $20. Subsequent pressings with the correct spelling fetch about half that.

The Miniature Men are really Dolton arranger Hank Levine and a studio band gathered for just this purpose.


Jerry Osborne answers as many questions as possible through this column. Write Jerry at Box 255, Port Townsend, WA 98368, e-mail: jpo@olympus.net, or visit his Web site: www.jerryosborne.com. All values quoted in this column are for near-mint condition.

Copyright 2009 Osbourne Enterprises- Reprinted By Permission

Beatles News

Yoko Ono, Sean Lennon & Julian Lennon Release Give Peace a Chance 40th Anniversary Single

Yoko Ono, Sean Lennon and Julian Lennon have partnered with EMI Music and Sony/ATV Music Publishing to release a 40th anniversary digital single of the Plastic Ono Band's historic recording of Give Peace a Chance. Proceeds from the sales go to the United Nations Peacebuilding Fund (PBF). The single became available today on iTunes and will be offered through the end of the year.

Ono commented, "I am thrilled that so many in the music business are readily supporting Give Peace a Chance on its 40th anniversary. It is indeed a time when we are all getting more aware of the necessity of doing something to achieve world peace, no matter how small. Thank you, thank you, thank you. I feel deeply that we are all one, regardless of where we stand."

The song was written during John and Yoko's March 1969 "Bed-In" after Lennon told a reporter "All we are saying is give peace a chance" in response to being asked what they were doing. The recording was made using a 4-track recorder on June 1, 1969 in Montreal's Queen Elizabeth Hotel. Those that joined in and sang on the chorus included Tommy Smothers, Timothy Leary, Petula Clark, Dick Gregory, Allen Ginsberg, Murray the K, and Al Capp.



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USB Drive of Beatles Music Available


Though you can play Beatles songs on Rock Band and enjoy the band’s epic catalog on remastered CDs, you still can’t legally buy the music of John, Paul, George and Ringo on the iTunes store or other digital shops — yet. In a move that may represent Apple Corps. softening its traditionally inflexible view of selling the Fab Four’s music digitally, the company and EMI Music will release a limited-edition USB drive featuring the entire Beatles in Stereo remastered set as 320 Kbps MP3s on December 8th. All 14 albums and 13 “mini-documentaries” will be included on the 16GB USB drive, which will be shaped like the iconic Apple logo with “The Beatles” written on it. Only 30,000 of these USBs will be produced; onsale information is available at the Beatles Website. www.thebeatles.com

Following the 9.9.09 debut of the digitally re-mastered catalogue on CD, Apple Corps Ltd. and EMI Music are pleased to announce the worldwide release of a limited edition Beatles Stereo USB on December 8th.

This unique, apple-shaped USB drive is loaded with the re-mastered audio for The Bealtes' 14 stereo titles, as well as all of the re-mastered CDs' visual elements, including 13 mini-documentary films about the studio albums, replicated original UK art, rare photos and expanded liner notes. A specially designed Flash interface has been installed, and the 16GB USB's audio and visual contents will be provided in FLAC 44.1 Khz 24 bit and MP3 320 Kbps formats, fully compatible with PC and Mac.

In addition, EMI is going after a digital-music Website called BlueBeat.com for offering up the Beatles catalog as a digital download without permission. According to Variety, a copyright-infringement lawsuit was filed yesterday by EMI, which controls the digital rights of the Beatles music through an agreement with Apple Corps.

Doors Live in New York!

(PR) Rhino and Bright Midnight Archives unleash four inspired performances from The Doors' final tour with Live In New York. The latest addition to the band's acclaimed series of archival concert releases, this six-disc collection contains all four of The Doors' performances – in their entirety – recorded in 1970 at the Felt Forum in New York City.

The collection will be available November 10 at all retail outlets, including www.thedoors.com and www.rhino.com, for suggested list price of $89.98 for the physical boxed set. A digital version featuring select highlights from all four Felt Forum shows will also be available at all digital retail outlets for $9.99. An exclusive stream of "Break On Through (To The Other Side)" from the second show on January 17, 1970 will premiere at spinner.com beginning this Thursday, August 27.

Recorded January 17 and 18, 1970 – just a few weeks before the release of Morrison Hotel – these concerts find Jim Morrison, John Densmore, Robby Krieger, and Ray Manzarek locked in tight as they deliver smoking takes on soon-to-be-classics from their forthcoming album, including "Roadhouse Blues," "Peace Frog," "Ship Of Fools," and "Maggie M'Gill." The shows also feature a number of driving blues covers, such as Bo Diddley's "Who Do You Love," Howlin' Wolf's "Little Red Rooster," and John Lee Hooker's "Crawling King Snake." "Those were the bluesy songs we always used to do," Krieger says. "We probably hadn't done them in years, but we resurrected them for these shows."

The year prior to these shows, The Doors became one of the first rock bands to play New York City's Madison Square Garden. When they returned in 1970, Densmore says they chose to play the Felt Forum, a smaller venue at the Garden. "It was more intimate, and you could feel the audience more," he says. "There was more interaction, and the acoustics were much better, because it was designed for music."

Manzarek hails these shows as a return to the group's early days, when they used to play a small Los Angeles club called the London Fog. "I mean, talk about going back to basics. We used to do four sets a night at the London Fog, and we only had a small block of songs written up to that time. So we would do other people's material. And in New York, it was like the same thing. We've got four shows to play here, two sets tonight, two sets tomorrow night. Let's play whatever we want! Let's just go!"

And go they did. Along with a mix of then-unheard new songs and old covers, the band also tapped into its 1967, self-titled debut, peppering the set lists with signature songs such as "Break On Through (To The Other Side)," "Soul Kitchen," "The End," and "Light My Fire," The Doors' first #1 hit.

For the final show of the Felt Forum stand, the band was joined onstage by two guests – The Lovin' Spoonful's John Sebastian (who played harmonica on the studio version of "Roadhouse Blues") and drummer Dallas Taylor, who'd played on Crosby, Stills & Nash's debut. Sebastian sat in for "Rock Me" and was joined by Taylor for "Going To N.Y. Blues" and "Maggie M'Gill."

Fans will be blown away by the crisp sound found on LIVE IN NEW YORK. All four shows were mixed and mastered by the band's longtime engineer, Bruce Botnick, who recorded a number of shows from The Doors' 1970 tour on multi-track tape for the Absolutely Live album. While most of the music contained on LIVE IN NEW YORK is unreleased, a few songs (and portions of songs) surfaced in 1970 on Absolutely Live and in 1997 on The Doors Box Set.

Sadly, these shows represent The Doors' final New York City performances with Morrison, who passed away July 3, 1971.

Rhino released 180-gram vinyl versions of all six Doors studio albums on September 15. Previously available only in 2007's The Doors Vinyl Box, original stereo mixes of The Doors, Strange Days, Waiting For The Sun, The Soft Parade, Morrison Hotel, and L.A. Woman will now be available individually at all vinyl retail outlets for a suggested list price of $24.98 each.

You can buy yours here: www.SoundStageDirect.com

Be sure to add the code CVR to your order to receive 5% off!


Disc 1
January 17, 1970 (First Show)
1. Start Of Show
2. "Roadhouse Blues"
3. "Ship Of Fools"*
4. "Break On Through (To The Other Side)"
5. Tuning
6. "Peace Frog"
7. "Blue Sunday"
8. "Alabama Song (Whisky Bar)"
9. "Back Door Man"*
10. "Love Hides"*
11. "Five To One"*
12. Tuning/Breather
13. "Who Do You Love"
14. "Little Red Rooster"
15. "Money"
16. Tuning
17. "Light My Fire"*
18. More, More, More
19. "Soul Kitchen"*
20. End Of Show

Disc 2
January 17, 1970 (Second Show)
1. Start Show 2
2. Jim "How Ya Doing?"
3. "Roadhouse Blues"
4. "Break On Through (To The Other Side)"*
5. "Ship Of Fools"
6. "Crawling King Snake"
7. "Alabama Song (Whisky Bar)"
8. "Back Door Man"*
9. "Five To One"
10. Pretty Neat, Pretty Good
11. "Build Me A Woman"
12. Tuning/Breather
13. "Who Do You Love"*
14. Tuning/Breather
15. "Wild Child"*
16. Cheering/Tuning
17. "When The Music's Over"

Disc 3
January 17, 1970 (Second Show) continued
1. Tuning/Breather
2. "Light My Fire"*
3. Hey, Mr. Light Man!
4. "Soul Kitchen"*
5. Jim's Fish Joke
6. "The End"
7. End Of Show

Disc 4
January 18, 1970 (Third Show)
1. Start Show 3
2. "Roadhouse Blues"*
3. "Ship Of Fools"*
4. "Break On Through (To The Other Side)"*
5. Tuning/Breather
6. "Universal Mind"*
7. "Alabama Song (Whisky Bar)" – False Start*
8. "Alabama Song (Whisky Bar)"*
9. "Back Door Man"*
10. "Five To One"
11. Tuning/Breather
12. "Moonlight Drive"
13. "Who Do You Love"*
14. Calling Out For Songs
15. "Money"*
16. Tuning/Breather
17. "Light My Fire"
18. More, More More
19. "When The Music's Over"*
20. Good Night – End Show

Disc 5
January 18, 1970 (Fourth Show)
1. Start Show 4
2. "Roadhouse Blues"*
3. "Peace Frog"*
4. "Alabama Song (Whisky Bar)"*
5. "Back Door Man"
6. "Five To One"
7. We Have A Special Treat
8. "Celebration Of The Lizard"
9. Alright Let's Boogie
10. "Build Me A Woman"
11. "When The Music's Over"*
12. More, More, More

Disc 6
January 18, 1970 (Fourth Show) continued
1. "Soul Kitchen"*
2. For Fear Of Getting Too Patriotic
3. Petition The Lord With Prayer
4. "Light My Fire"
5. Only When The Moon Comes Out
6. "Close To You"
7. The Encore Begins
8. "Rock Me"*
9. What To Do Next?
10. "Going To N.Y. Blues"*
11. Tuning/Breather
12. "Maggie M'Gill"*
13. Tuning/Breather
14. "Gloria"*/End Of Show

*Previously unreleased

Music News & Notes

Slash to release new solo album

Slash of Guns N' Roses and Velvet Revolver fame, has announced the European release of his debut solo album. The album, entitled 'Slash', will be put out by Roadrunner Records in the spring of 2010.

In keeping with the trend of innovative album releases, 'Slash' will take the form of a 'deluxe fan pack'. The album will be bundled together with a collectible edition of Classic Rock magazine dedicated to Slash's career.

Slash will release a teaser CD of two tracks in Japan on November 11, 2009. The CD will contain the single, 'Sahara', which features singer Koshi Inaba of the Japanese hard rock duo B'Z. The second track will be a version of the GN'R classic, 'Paradise City', which features Cypress Hill and Fergie from the Black Eyed Peas. Should be interesting.

According to Slash, "the record is in its mixing stage and the mixes to this point sound great. We have recorded 18 songs, with one more I want to track. The record is still slated for a February/March release".

As you might imagine, the personnel Slash used is and all-star cast. Josh Freese (A Perfect Circle, Nine Inch Nails, GN'R, etc.) handles drum duties, while professional bass-ace Chris Chaney (Jane's Addiction, The Panic Channel, etc., etc.) holds down the low end. Guest singers include: Ozzy Osbourne, M. Shadows (Avenged Sevenfold), and Chris Cornell (Soundgarden, Audioslave). Other notable contributors include: former Guns N' Roses drummer Steven Adler, Red Hot Chili Pepper bassist Flea, and Nirvana drummer and Foo Fighters main man Dave Grohl. The producer of the CD is Eric Valentine (Queens Of The Stone Age, Smash Mouth).

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Jack White´s Third Man Records to Release Carl Sagan Remix "A Glorious Dawn" on Vinyl

Third Man Records have announced the upcoming 7-inch vinyl release of “A Glorious Dawn,” an Auto-Tuned remix of Carl Sagan’s dialogue from his “Cosmos” television series; the remix, which features Stephen Hawking, first gained notoriety after composer John Boswell uploaded it to YouTube earlier this fall.

“The release is timed to coincide with the 75th anniversary of Sagan’s birth,” Third Man’s news bulletin says. “Also happening that day is a reception in United States’ Congress with speeches by senators, NASA officials and assorted scientists, all hosted by the Planetary Society, which was co-founded by Sagan.”

Ben Blackwell, White, and the rest of Third Man’s musical A-Team aren’t finished yet: A limited edition “Cosmos Colored Vinyl” version will be sold at their Nashville headquarters and randomly included with mail orders of the record. As the “A Glorious Dawn” 7-inch will not have a B-side, an etching on the flipside will be a replica of the Voyager Golden Record, which was launched into space in 1977.

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Red Collar Announce Limited Edition Vinyl Release

(PR) Red Collar will release a limited edition vinyl version of their acclaimed debut album Pilgrim on December 1, 2009 via Loose Charm Records. The 500-copy run will be hand-numbered red vinyl encased by screen-printed sleeves, and the first 100 copies will also be printed with metallic silver ink.

The original album sequencing has been reworked to present more of a Side A/Side B feel and while - due to space - the record will contain only nine of the 11 album tracks, every copy will come with a download card for all 11 tracks in addition to one bonus track, a cover of Jawbreaker's "Jinx Removing."

A pre-order is available now on Red Collar's website and via Vinyl Collective , and will also be at the band's show at the Troika Music Festival in Durham, NC, on November 7th at the Trotter Building (11:30pm set time). Full Pilgrim vinyl track listing is below.

Side A
1. The Commuter
2. Radio On
3. Tools
4. The Astronaut
Side B
1. Pilgrim
2. Rust Belt Heart
3. Used Guitars
4. Tonight
5. Catch A Ride

Additionally, Red Collar has inked a physical distribution deal with Suburban Home Records. Now Pilgrim - which has previously been available only digitally, by mail order through the band's website, and at their shows - will be sold in stores nationwide. "We here at Suburban Home are excited to be distributing Red Collar's album, Pilgrim. The band works hard and their live show is jaw-dropping," said Virgil Dickerson, owner of Suburban Home. "It has always been our idea to help artists who are already doing great things on their own to get records into stores and homes all over the world. We hope to see the band do even bigger and better things, and hope to be there to help them accomplish those milestones."

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Stopping Sublime Abuse

A Los Angeles judge has shut down an effort by former members of the ska-punk band Sublime to perform under the name.

The preliminary injunction was issued Tuesday in a trademark lawsuit brought by the estate of frontman Bradley Nowell, who died of a drug overdose in 1996.

Surviving band members Eric Wilson and Bud Gaugh have continued to perform. For years they played as the Long Beach Dub Allstars, but recently they revived the Sublime moniker when they recruited newcomer Rome Ramirez as lead vocalist.

"Prior to his untimely passing, both Bud and Eric acknowledged that Brad Nowell was the sole owner of the name Sublime," the Nowell family posted on the band's MySpace page. "It was Brad's expressed intention that no one use the name Sublime in any group that did not include him, and Brad even registered the trademark 'Sublime' under his own name."

Now Judge Howard Matz has agreed with the family, issuing the injunction citing the estate's likelihood of prevailing on its trademark claim. Matz asked the estate's attorneys to draw up a written injunction for him to sign.

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Rush's Peart & The Music World

Neil Peart has taken to his website to discuss to state of Rush. According to the acclaimed drummer, the band will convene in Los Angeles very soon to discuss their next recording, the follow-up to 2007's Snakes & Arrows. "These are parlous times in the music business, so our time-honored pattern of touring, recording and touring is no longer the obvious way to do things.""

"The music world - or at least the business of it - is very different now, even since 2006, when we began work on Snakes & Arrows," he continues. "The importance of 'the album' is not what it was, and there is currently a reversion to a musical climate rather like the 1950s, when only 'the song' matters," he wrote. "Radio, downloads and 'shuffle' settings are inimical to collected works. Because of that reality, record company advances that used to pay for album projects are a thing of the past, so if that was what we wanted to do, we'd be on our own...

"To this point, the three of us haven't even discussed what we might discuss, so to speak - so our ideas and shared enthusiasm for the entity of Rush will be fresh, spontaneous and quite likely exciting. For myself, I'm open to anything we can all agree on (I've pointed out before that in a three-piece band, we need consensus, not democracy - it's no good having one outvoted and unhappy member)."

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Iron Maiden Takes Band of the Year, Chickenfoot Gets Best New Band at Classic Rock Awards

Britain's Classic Rock magazine held their annual awards last Sunday night at the Park Lane Hotel in London. The audience included award winners Iggy Pop, Ronnie Wood, Tony Iommi, Ginger Baker and Iron Maiden.

Chickenfoot, which is made up of veteran artists Chad Smith (Red Hot Chili Peppers), Sammy Hagar, Joe Satriani and Michael Anthony (Van Halen) ironically took home the Best New Band prize. Album of the year went to AC/DC's Black Ice while the Band of the Year was taken by Iron Maiden.

Below are the nominees from the main six categories with the winner followed by the winners in the other categories.

Best New Band
•Crippled Black Phoenix
•Steadlur
•New Device
•The Parlor Mob
•Chickenfoot ***********
•Diagonal

Album of the Year

•Black Ice - AC/DC *********
•Death Magnetic - Metallica
•Folklore and Superstitions - Black Stone Cherry
•The Ballad of John Henry - Joe Bonamassa
•Everyday Demons - Answers
•Chinese Democracy - Guns N' Roses
•Consolers of the Lonely - Raconteurs
•And You Were a Crow - Parlor Mob
•The Devil You Know - Heaven and Hell
•Black Clouds and Silver Linings - Dream Theater

Band of the Year

•Kings of Leon
•AC/DC
•Faith No More
•Iron Maiden*************
•Metallica

Reissue of the Year

•Eliminator - ZZ Top
•Pyromania - Def Leppard
•No Sleep 'Til Hammersmith - Motorhead
•The Who Sell Out - Who
•Ten - Pearl Jam
•Reissues - Black Sabbath**********
•Picture Book - Kinks
•Stormbringer - Deep Purple
•Anthology - Move

DVD/Film of the Year

•Kissology, The Ultimate Kiss Collection - Kiss
•Shine a Light - Rolling Stones
•Archives - Neil Young
•Flight 666 - Iron Maiden
•Woodstock
•Anvil***********

Event of the Year

•Download Festival***********
•The Resurrection of Anvil
•The Return of Spinal Tap
•Iron Maiden Get a Brit Award
•AC/DC Take Over the World

Other winners:

•Outstanding Contribution - Ronnie Wood
•Tommy Vance Inspiration Award - John Bonham
•Innovator - Ginger Baker
•VIP Award - Don McGhee
•Metal Guru - Biff Byford
•Spirit of Prog - Dream Theater
•Marshall 11 Award - Billy Gibbons
•Childline Rocks Award - Steve Harley
•Classic Songwriter - Paul Rodgers
•Classic Album - Rocks - Aerosmith
•Breakthrough - Joe Bonamassa
•Comeback of the Year - Mott the Hoople
•Living Legend - Iggy Pop

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Brown Album Cover Horrible


Chris Brown is slowly making his musical comeback following his assault on Rihanna and subsequent guilty plea, and he's made a big step by unveiling the cover art to his upcoming album, 'Graffiti.' Generally, I let album covers speak for themselves, but this one is just so awesomely bad I am almost ashamed to post it. Come on, who is he dealing with here and who is he trying to impress?










Ditto this cover by American Idol idiot Adam Lambert, I mean come on, we know you like being a girl, but do we have to see it?

Now, the next post shows you what a little imagination can do with regard to a wonderful and interesting album cover:





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DISARMONIA MUNDI: New Album Details Revealed


Italian melodic death metallers DISARMONIA MUNDI will release their new album, "The Isolation Game", on December 9 via Coroner Records. The CD was recorded, produced, mixed and mastered at The Metal House Studio by Ettore Rigotti and contains 13 brand new tracks of "wall-shaking extreme metal," according to a press release. The cover artwork was created by the French artist Trëz and can be seen below.

"The Isolation Game" features guest appearances by Björn "Speed" Strid (SOILWORK) on vocals and Olof Mörck (NIGHTRAGE) on lead guitar.