Michael Fremer Album Review

Elvis Costello (reissue)
My Aim Is True


Stiff/Mobile Fidelity MFSL 1-329 180g LP


Produced by: Nick Lowe
Engineered by: Bazza
Mixed by: N/A
Mastered by: Shawn R. Britton at Mobile Fidelity Sound Labs

Review by: Michael Fremer
2010-04-01

Though it was probably one of the most audacious debuts in rock history and quickly established him as one of the premier songwriters of his generation, Elvis Costello’s My Aim is True has always felt more like a publisher’s demo reel than as a recording intended for commercial release.

Backed up by members of the Bay area group Clover who were then living in the U.K. and recorded in a 24 hour hurry at a small suburban London studio for around $1500 My Aim is True still managed to capture the D.I.Y. spirit of the time so its sparse esthetic resonated with the intended audience.

Though Costello had toiled for almost a decade, his success was deemed “overnight” because the album seemed to take off as quickly as it had been recorded. In short order, thanks to My Aim Is True, Elvis Costello became a major rock star.

While the quality of the songs like “Alison” and “The Angels Want to Wear My Red Shoes” trumped the glazed, often distant, indistinct sound (not to mention the outlandish Buddy Holly meets cerebral palsy cover pose and the cartoonish name Declan McManus chose for himself), My Aim is True has always been difficult to listen to, especially on a good audio system—until now.

I’ve got an original UK Stiff pressing (that omits the single “Watching the Detectives” only found on the American Columbia issue) mastered by the great George “Porky” Peckham and I would never bet against any “Porky Prime Cut,” but in this case, the guys at Mobile Fidelity have not only beat Porky, they’ve produced a near miracle!

Heretofore buried in the glaze instruments now appear with utter clarity thanks to the timbral honesty and transparency of the new transfer from the original master tape. While the tracks are still raw and basic, they have newfound polish, body and three-diimensionality. If you’re a fan of this pre-Attractions album, I think you’ll be absolutely astonished by what Mobile Fidelity has done here.

You know the old expression “you can’t polish a turd?” Well as great as the music is here, the album has always been a sonic turd on vinyl (the Columbia original is markedly inferior to the Stiff “Porky” pressing) and on any of the multiple CD reissues from Ryko to Rhino to UMG. Not so on this reissue.

Somehow Mobile Fidelity has removed the edge and glaze and not by smothering and softening, but rather by stripping away the unpleasantness to reveal an honest, supple, remarkably three-dimensional and immediate recording. I don’t know how they did it or why no one else who tried managed, but they did.

The gatefold incorporates lyrics and images of the master tape boxes and Mobile Fidelity has generously and wisely included “Watching the Detectives.” Add a fine 180 RTI pressing and you have one of Mobile Fidelity’s most significant reissues. “Resurrection” might be a more appropriate word for what’s been done.

I’m not saying Mobile Fidelity has turned My Aim is True into an audiophile sonic spectacular, but if you’re a long time fan of this album, when you hear the details that have been uncovered, along with the rhythmic clarity and certainty that’s been previously missing on every other issue, you may conclude they have.

Thanks to Michael over at http://www.musicangle.com  for the exclusive rights to reprint this material.


Copyright © 2008 MusicAngle.com & Michael Fremer - All rights reserved Reprinted by permission

Music News & Notes

Blur to release single for independent stores

Blur are set to release a new single for the first time in seven years.

It is thought that just 1,000 copies of the record will be issued to highlight Record Store Day, supporting independently-owned music shops. A title for the new material is yet to be revealed and its release will mark the first single from Damon Albarn, Alex James, Graham Coxon, and Dave Rowntree since Good Song in 2003.

It is understood the single will contain two brand new tracks, and further details are likely to be revealed next week.

The foursome reunited for a string of gigs last summer and featured in the documentary No Distance Left To Run. Albarn said in a statement: ''We want independent record stores to continue - they're an important part of our musical culture. Music is a simple way for Blur to show our support and we hope people like it.''

Although sources say the single is a one-off, it is likely to fuel hopes among the Britpop heroes' fans that further new material could be in the pipeline.

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

Mates Of State Announce Covers Album Details

Mates of State have revealed a few details about their forthcoming covers album, ‘Crushes‘. The album, which will feature covers of 10 various artists, is set for release this summer. The album features covers from artists including The Mars Volta, Death Cab For Cutie, and Belle & Sebastian.

The forthcoming album is the duo’s first full length release and was recorded and produced by Mates Jason Hammel and Kori Gardner themselves.

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

Beatles and Lily Allen go vinyl for Record Store Day

The Rolling Stones, The Flaming Lips and Bat For Lashes are some of the other big names participating in the festivities courtesy of the Parlophone label. Each release will be limited to 1,000 copies and come in a vintage-style paper Parlophone house bag, available exclusively from independent record stores taking part in the event.

"Parlophone and our artists recognise the importance of our indie stores and their contribution to not only our new and developing artists but to our catalogue as a whole," said Parlophone president Miles Leonard of the limited-edition releases. Being able to support this campaign with some great seven-inch releases from the Beatles to Bat for Lashes is our way of thanking them for their continued support."

The full list of Record Store Day releases:

The Beatles: Paperback Writer/Rain

Lily Allen: Back To The Start/Kabul Shit

Babyshambles: Side Of The Road/UnBiloTitled

Bat For Lashes: Howl! (live at De La Warr Pavillion)/Wild Is The Wind (live at Grove Music Studios)

Tinie Tempah: Pass Out/Pass Out (SBTRKT Remix)

Chiddy Bang: Opposite Of Adults/Sooner Or Later

Danger Mouse and Sparklehorse: Just War (featuring Gruff Rhys)/Just War (instrumental)

Eliza Doolittle: Pack Up/Rollerblades

Hot Chip: I Feel Bonnie (featuring Bonnie 'Prince' Billie)/Bear Witness

Jónsi: Do Do/Boy Lilikoi

Pet Shop Boys: Love Life/A Powerful Friend

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

TWIN TIGERS ON TOUR--Select Dates with The Hold Steady*

April 17--Give It Up State! Festival--Clemson, SC
April 20--Tin Roof--Charleston, SC
April 29--Neighborhood Theatre--Charlotte, NC
April 30--Nightlight--Chapel Hill, NC
May 1--The Fire--Philadelphia, PA
May 3--Cameo Gallery--Brooklyn, NY
May 4--Pianos--New York, NY
May 6--Garfield Artworks--Pittsburg, PA
May 7--The Red and Black Room--Washington, DC
**May 22 & May 23--The Social--Orlando, FL**
**May 25--Live Wire Music Hall--Savannah, GA**
** May 26--40 Watt Club--Athens, GA**
**May 27--Variety Playhouse--Atlanta, GA**


::WATCH Twin Tigers Video - "Red Fox Run"::
~~Directed by Robert U. Thomason~~

This Date In Music History-April 9

Birthdays:

Country singer Margo Smith (1942)

Terry Knight- Terry Knight and the Pack , Grand Funk Railroad (1943)

Gene Parsons - Byrds (1944)

Les Gray - Mud (1946)

Phillip Wright - Paper Lace (1948)

Hal Ketchum (1953)

Mark Kelly - Marillion (1961)

Joe Peters - Grant Lee Buffalo (1965)

Kevin Martin - Candlebox (1969)

Gerard Way - My Chemical Romance (1977)

Rachel Stevens - S Club 7 (1978)

Albert Hammond Jr - Strokes (1980)

Jesse McCartney (1987)


They Are Missed:

In 1976, American folk singer songwriter Phil Ochs, hung himself at his sister's home in Queens, New York. Wrote "There But A Fortune," a hit for Joan Baez.

Dave Prater of soul duo Sam & Dave was killed in 1988 when his car left the road and hit a tree in Syracuse, Georgia, on his way to his mother's house in Ocilla. He was 50. Recorded for Stax Records from 1965 - 1968, hits included "Soul Man" and "Hold On, I'm Coming."

Singer and songwriter Brook Benton died in 1988 (age 56). Scored over 20 US top 40 singles, in the late 1950s and early 1960s, he scored hits such as "It's Just A Matter Of Time" and "Endlessly" and made a comeback in 1974 when he had the #4 hit "Rainy Night In Georgia."

Songwriter Mae Boren Axton died in 1997 (age 82) after drowning in her bath at her home in Hendersonville, Tennessee after an apparent heart attack. Known as the 'Queen Mother of Nashville' she wrote over 200 songs including a co-writing credit on the Elvis Presley hit "Heartbreak Hotel." Mother of country singer, songwriter Hoyt Axton.

Born on this day in 1932, Carl Perkins, American singer, songwriter, guitarist, (1956 US #2 & single "Blue Suede Shoes"). Perkins' songs were recorded by artists Elvis Presley, The Beatles, and Johnny Cash. Perkins died on 19th Jan 1998 (age 65).



In 2009, Randy Cain, a founding member of US soul group The Delfonics died at his home in Maple Shade, New Jersey at the age of 63. The Philadelphia group, whose hits include "La-La (Means I Love You)," won an R&B Grammy in 1970 for their song "Didn't I Blow Your Mind This Time."


History:

Elvis Presley performed at the L.C. Humes High School talent contest in 1953, singing "Keep Them Cold, Icy Fingers Off Of Me" (he gets the most applause and is allowed to sing an encore of "Til I Waltz Again With You").

Gene Vincent recorded the classic rock 'n roll song "Be Bop-A-Lula" in 1956, which went on to be a US & UK Top 20 hit in this year.



In 1963, the Beatles appeared live on the ITV show Tuesday Rendezvous, miming "From Me to You" and "Please Please Me" (during the closing credits). In the evening The Beatles played live at the Gaumont State Cinema, Kilburn, London.

In 1965, Bruce Johnston joined the Beach Boys as the permanent replacement for Brian Wilson.

The Rolling Stones made their first live appearance on British TV's "Ready Steady Go!" in 1965.

Percy Sledge's "When A Man Loves A Woman" was released in 1966.

The Righteous Brothers started a three week run at #1 on the US singles chart in 1966 with "You're My Soul And Inspiration."

The Doors and The Jefferson Airplane appeared at Cheetah, Santa Monica Pier, Venice, California in 1967. This was the largest show The Doors had played to date with a crowd of over 3,000

Paul McCartney quits the Beatles in 1970 (the group's breakup is announced to the press the next day).

Paul McCartney released the song "My Love" in 1973.

The Jackson 5 played the first of 15 shows at the MGM Grand Hotel in Las Vegas in 1974.

Abba went to #1 on the US singles chart in 1977 with "Dancing Queen," the group's 7th US Top 40 hit and first #1.

Billy Ocean started a two week run at #1 on the US singles chart in 1988 with "Get Outta My Dreams, Get Into My Car."

In 1992, Fort Smith, AR resident Sean Pierce is walking home wearing a T-shirt he purchased the day before at a Van Halen concert when he’s arrested for “violating a statute against wearing a smutty shirt.” The shirt has the title of one of the group's albums printed on it: "For Unlawful Carnal Knowledge.” How could anyone have a problem with that? Van Halen offers to pay Pierce's fine.

Pantera entered the US album chart at #1 in 1994 with 'Far Beyond Driven.'

R. Kelly started a four week run at #1 on the US singles chart in 1994 with "Bump N' Grind," his first US #1 hit.

Soundgarden officially disbanded in 1997.

NSYNC started a seven week run at #1 on the US album chart in 2000 with ‘No Strings Attached.’

In 2008, R.E.M.'s "Accelerate" sells 115,000 copies in its first week to land at #2 on the Billboard 200 (U.S.). The album makes its debut at #1 in the United Kingdom, Canada, Ireland, Denmark, Norway, Switzerland and the Czech Republic and #2 in Germany, Italy, Holland and Austria.

Also in 2008, Green Day admitted (in an email to MTV) that they are also the Garage Rock band Foxboro Hot Tubs. The group posted a downloadable EP titled "Stop Drop and Roll!!!" for free a couple months earlier.

When You're Strange: A Film About The Doors is released in select US theaters in 2010. The biographical film, charting the group’s rise and fall, is narrated by actor Johnny Depp.

VINYL RELEASES FROM WARNER BROS. RECORDS

WARNER BROS. RECORDS AND AFFILIATED LABELS ANNOUNCE EXCLUSIVE VINYL RELEASES FOR NATIONAL RECORD STORE DAY ON APRIL 17TH

Burbank, CA – Warner Bros. Records has announced that it will make a series of vinyl albums and singles available on April 17th exclusively in honor of Record Store Day — a celebration of the unique culture surrounding over 700 independently owned record stores in the USA, and hundreds of similar stores internationally.

These very special exclusive releases are as follows:

The Flaming Lips and Stardeath And White Dwarfs with Henry Rollins And Peaches: Dark Side of the Moon (Warner Bros. Records)

The Flaming Lips, have teamed up with their Oklahoma City brethren, Stardeath And White Dwarfs to record their own unique take of Pink Floyd’s 1973 classic album The Dark Side Of The Moon, under the title of The Flaming Lips and Stardeath And White Dwarfs with Henry Rollins And Peaches. The collaborative project was recorded after several weeks of both bands touring the world together and mutually citing Pink Floyd as one of their favorite bands of all time and The Dark Side Of the Moon as one of their primary influences. Vinyl package marks the first physical exclusive release of this special collaboration.

Devo: Duty Now For The Future (Warner Bros. Records) Devo’s second album, captures the group in the midst of a significant stylistic shift, finding them bringing the keyboards that were used as punctuation on their earlier material into the forefront, adding a new level of irony to their “little minds through big technology” philosophy. Remastered and restored from the original analog tapes by Bernie Grundman Mastering on regular-weight, 140-gram color vinyl.

Mastodon: Blood Mountain (Reprise Records)

Mastodon’s third album and their first for Reprise Records, Blood Mountain isn’t just unconventional, it’s surreal, progressive and unrepentantly heavy. Instead of writing songs for rock radio, Mastodon drew inspiration from within, combining their favorite musical styles, including thrash, doom, prog and psychedelic metal to concoct something utterly original, undeniably devastating and irrefutably entrancing. Released in two editions: one single regular-weight 140-gram colored vinyl disc in a mixed batch of three colors; deluxe edition features two heavyweight, 180-gram black vinyl 45 RPM discs.

Wilco: Kicking Television (Nonesuch Records)

Kicking Television–Live in Chicago, recorded over four nights in May 2005 at The Vic Theatre. “It’s really the best it’s ever felt,” Jeff Tweedy told the Detroit Free Press earlier this year. “I would say at this point, I don’t think I’ve ever been in a band that’s felt this connected and unified with this collective vision.” To document that collective vision that band called upon veteran mixing engineer Jim Scott (Tom Petty, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Dave Matthews, Johnny Cash) to capture the energy, excitement, clarity and musicality that has earned Wilco continued praise for their live shows around the world. This deluxe vinyl package features four heavyweight (180g) black vinyl discs in poly-lined sleeves, pressed at Pallas. Disc 4 features 8 previously unreleased tracks.

The Velvet Underground: Live 1969, Vol. 1 & 2 (Original Recordings Group)

In 1969, The Velvet Underground toured the United States and Canada, playing over 70 dates. While many of the shows were recorded in part or whole by their new and growing fan base with the handheld consumer equipment of the day, two of the shows were recorded in decent quality.

The first being a live performance, at the End of Cole Ave. Club in Dallas, Texas in October. This show was recorded on tape by a fan who that an engineer and brought his own equipment. The second show to be recorded happened the following month in November, at The Matrix in San Francisco. The first release of The Velvet Underground Live 1969, came out on Mercury Records in September, 1974. Remastered and restored for the first time for vinyl in more than 20 years by Bernie Grundman Mastering on heavy-weight, 180-gram vinyl.

Sonic Youth: EVOL (Original Recordings Group)

EVOL is the third studio album from Sonic Youth, originally released in 1986
on SST Records. The album is notable for being the first with new drummer Steve Shelley, replacing Bob Bert, and for showing signs of the band transitioning away from their noise-rock past and toward a greater rock sensibility. The record marks the second album for the band in which it had worked with New York singer/performance artist Lydia Lunch. Remastered and restored for the first time for vinyl in over 20 years by John Golden at Golden Mastering, pressed at RTI on heavyweight (180 gram) pink vinyl.

Sonic Youth: Confusion is Sex (Original Recordings Group)

Confusion Is Sex, the debut album from Sonic Youth, was originally released in 1983 on Glenn Branca’s label Neutral Records label. In 1995, it was reissued on CD from DGC Records, with the extra tracks from the Kill Your Idols EP. Confusion Is Sex remains one of the most important and influential records to emerge from the American No Wave, post-punk scene which thrived through the late 1970s and early 1980s in the lower east side of New York, with bands like The Contortions, Teenage Jesus and the Jerks, Mars, and DNA. Remastered and restored for the first time for vinyl in over 20 years by John Golden at Golden
Mastering, pressed at RTI on heavyweight (180 gram) white vinyl.

Warner Bros. Records is proud to present our newest signing, EVEREST, just in time for Record Store Day. EVEREST formed in Los Angeles in 2007, and is comprised of Russell Pollard (vocals, guitar, drums, lyricist), Jason Soda (guitar, keys, vocals), Joel Graves (guitar, keys, vocals), Elijah Thomson (bass, vocals) and Davey Latter (drums, percussion). Their 2008 debut, Ghost Notes, drew strong critical marks and comparisons to primo Topanga Canyon, California country rock. However, none of this quite prepares one for their WB debut album, On Approach, available May 11, 2010, which finds the group in a full-tilt creative charge.

Warner Bros. Records will also release the following vinyl singles on April 17th exclusively for National Record Store Day:

Everest: Let Go (from the forthcoming LP) b/w By The Morning (previously unreleased) 7”
Black Keys: “Tighten Up” b/w “Howlin’ For You” 12”
Against Me!: “I Was A Teenage Anarchist” (Album version) b/w “I Was A Teenage Anarchist” (Acoustic Version) 7”
Built To Spill: “Water Sleepers” b/w “Linus and Lucy Live” 7”
Devo: “Fresh” b/w “What We Do” 12’
Tegan And Sara: “Alligator,” “Hell” b/w “The Cure,” “On Direction” (All AOL Sessions Versions) 7”
Deftones: “Rocket Skates” (Album Version) b/w “Rocket Skates” (MB3 Remix)
Muse: Exogenesis Symphony (Parts 1-3) 12”

Lastly, please come on out to say hello to your favorite Warner Bros. Records and related artists on Record Store Day at a record store near you!

American Band Grimey’s Nashville, TN Performance / Signing
Mastodon Schoolkids Raleigh, NC Signing
Against Me! Plan 9 Richmond, VA Performance / Signing
Carolina Chocolate Drops Criminal Atlanta, GA Performance
Jason Derulo J & R New York, NY Signing
New Boyz J & R New York, NY Signing
HIM Silver Platters Seattle, WA Signing
DEVO Zia Indio, CA Signing
MUTEMATH Zia Indio, CA Signing
The Cribs Zia Indio, CA Signing

About Record Store Day:
Record Store Day is managed by the Music Monitor Network and is organized in partnership with the Alliance of Independent Media Stores (AIMS), the Coalition of Independent Music Stores (CIMS) and celebrates the culture of independent record stores by playing host to in-store events/performances, signings and special product releases on a global scale on Saturday, April 17, 2010.

Record Store Day Contact: Perry Serpa at Good Cop Public Relations, Phone (718) 846-0518 or perry@goodcoppr.com or Cristina Parker at NoiseNY Public Relations. Phone (917) 684-0452 or email: cristina@noiseny.com

About Original Recordings Group:
ORG is an independent special projects label dedicated to the record collector experience. High quality and restored vinyl reissues from the best catalogs in the world. Focusing on classic alternative, rock, pop and jazz. Distributed by WBR available on Becausesoundmatters.com

For more about National Record Store Day, please visit http://www.recordstoreday.com/.

Ask Mr. Music by Jerry Osborne

FOR THE WEEK OF APRIL 5, 2010


DEAR JERRY: I just noticed something odd in the Captain & Tennille's “Love Will Keep Us Together” that I never noticed in over 30 years of hearing the song.

Near the end, as the music begins fading, Toni Tennille kind of half-sings and half-speaks something that sounds to me like “my daddy is bad,” or my daddy is back.”

She seems to be off-mike, which, coupled with the relative volume of the music, makes it difficult to decipher.

What is she saying? Could this just be an inside joke between Toni and the Captain?
—Darcy Garza, Hampton Roads, Va.

DEAR DARCY: It could be, but it isn't.

Toni's mysterious line, in the coda about 15 seconds before the audio ends, is an acknowledgment to the writer of “Love Will Keep Us Together,” the legendary Neil Sedaka.

After 11 years without a Top 40 hit, Neil stormed back in late 1974 and '75 with the No. 1 hits, “Laughter in the Rain” and “Bad Blood,” along with writing “Love Will Keep Us Together,” also a No. 1.

That is why, near the end of the track, Toni proudly declares “Sedaka is back!”

Coincidentally, Neil is set to make yet another return. Read on:


DEAR JERRY: Years ago, you wrote about what a surprise it was that Neil Sedaka's “Same Old Fool,” a traditional country song, came out in 1960 right in the midst of all those huge teener hits: “Oh Carol”; “Calendar Girl”; “Little Devil”; “Happy Birthday, Sweet Sixteen,” “Stairway to Heaven;” etc.

When I finally found this single, oddly enough on the flip side of “Calendar Girl,” I couldn't believe how very country it is, complete with Nashville twang and a steel guitar.

Is there another hit song that surprised you more, in terms of being something you would never imagine being recording by that particular artist? For me, “The Same Old Fool” is the biggest shocker?
—Ronnie Whitcomb, Dallas, Texas

DEAR RONNIE: Only because I have yet to hear a Led Zeppelin remake of “Itsy Bitsy Teenie Weenie Yellow Polka Dot Bikini,” my most memorable surprise in this category came when I first heard the Mills Brothers cover record of “Get a Job” (Dot 15695).

Issued in mid-January 1958, with the Silhouettes' waxing already in the Top 10 and headed for No. 1, the Mills Brothers stood no chance of overtaking the original.

This unanticipated song choice, their first release for Dot after 26 years with Brunswick and Decca, still managed to spend a couple of weeks in the Top 25 tunes, according to disc jockeys.

For those who haven't heard the short-lived doo-wop side of the Mills Brothers — likely about 99% of readers — their version is nearly identical to the Silhouettes, right down to all the yip-yip-yips and mum-mum-mums.

IZ ZAT SO? From “Tiger Rag” (1931) to “The Jimtown Road” (1969) the Mills Brothers chalked up over 70 hit records — an impressive output made even more so by the 38-year span covered, the most ever by any Pre-Rock Era vocal group. No other groups are even close.

One novelty part of their act was surprising listeners who thought the boys were accompanied by a guitar, trumpet, saxophone, and string bass. Those folks would later discover the only real instrument to be a single acoustic guitar, with all those other sounds convincingly produced vocally by the brothers.

Not many singers were so well-equipped to subsist during a musician's strike.

For the non believers, each of the Mills Brothers 78s on Brunswick prominently displayed this statement on the label: “No musical instruments or mechanical devices used on this recording other than one guitar.”

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

Visit his Web site: www.jerryosborne.com

All values quoted in this column are for near-mint condition.

Copyright 2010 Osborne Enterprises- Reprinted By Permission

This Date In Music History-April 7

Birthdays:

Ravi Shankar (1920)

Charlie Thomas - Drifters (1937)

Alan Buck - Four Pennies (1943)

Mick Abrahams - Blodwyn Pig, Jethro Tull (1943)

Bill Kreutzmann - Grateful Dead (1946)

Patricia Bennett - Chiffons (1947)

Florian Schneider- Esleben - Kraftwerk (1947)

Carol Douglas - Chantels (1948)

John Oates - Hall and Oates (1949)

Janis Ian (1951)

Mark Kibble - Take 6 (1964)

Victoria Adams Beckham - Spice Girls (1975)


They Are Missed:

Born on this day in 1915, Billie Holiday, (Elinore Harris), the greatest female jazz singer of all time. Made over 100 records, worked with Count Basie, Duke Ellington, numerous arrests for drugs possession. Died on 17th July 1959 from liver failure, aged 44.



The late Percy Faith ("Theme From A Summer Place") was born in 1908. He died on February 9, 1976

In 1981, producer and manager, Kit Lambert died of a cerebral hemorrhage after falling down a flight of stairs at his mother's home in London, England. Lambert managed The Who from 1964-1967 and produced the 'Tommy' album. Also produced Arthur Brown's 1968 hit 'Fire'.

Plasmatics’ lead singer and guiding force, Wendy O. Williams, commited suicide in 1998.

In 2000, Heinz, bass player and singer with The Tornadoes died (age 57). The group had the Joe Meek produced 1962 UK & US #1 single "Telstar," making them the first UK group to score a US #1 single. Heinz had the 1963 solo hit "Just Like Eddie," a tribute to Eddie Cochran, (which featured future Deep Purple guitarist Ritchie Blackmore).

Born today in 1938, Spencer Dryden, drums, Jefferson Airplane. Died of cancer on January 10, 2005.

Born today in 1952, Bruce Gary, The Knack. Was best known as the drummer for the music group The Knack. He was nominated for two Grammy Awards as a stage performer, producer, and recording artist. He died on August 22, 2006 at the age of 55 at the Tarzana Regional Medical Center in Tarzana, California of Non-Hodgkin lymphoma.)




History:

The musical "South Pacific" by Rogers and Hammerstein debuted on Broadway in 1949.

In 1956, The CBS Radio Network premiered the first regularly scheduled national broadcast rock & roll show, Alan Freed's 'Rock 'n' Roll Dance Party.'

Little Richard’s classic “Long Tall Sally” was released in 1956.

In 1958, the Alan Freed’s Big Beat Show played two shows at the Memorial Hall in Canton, Ohio, featuring, Jerry Lee Lewis, Chuck Berry, Frankie Lymon, The Diamonds, Billy Ford, Danny & The Juniors, The Chantels, Larry Williams, Screaming Jay Hawkins, The Pastels and Buddy Holly and the Crickets.

Marty Robbins recorded "El Paso" in 1959.

Shelley Fabares started a two week run at #1 on the US singles chart in 1962 with "Johnny Angel."

While at Ealing Jazz Club in 1962, Mick Jagger and Keith Richards met Brian Jones for the first time. Jones was calling himself Elmo Lewis and was playing guitar with Paul Jones.

The Beatles played at the Casbah Coffee Club, Liverpool in 1962, without George Harrison who was ill. This was the group’s last performance before leaving for their third extended engagement in Hamburg, West Germany.

Working at Abbey Road studio’s in London in 1966, the Beatles recorded overdubs on the new John Lennon song "Tomorrow Never Knows" and the new Paul McCartney song "Got to Get You Into My Life" for the forthcoming 'Revolver' album.

This week's US Top 5 singles chart in 1970; #5, "Bridge Over Trouble Water" by Simon and Garfunkel, #4, "Spirit In The Sky," Norman Greenbaum, #3, "Instant Karma" by John Lennon, #2, "ABC" The Jackson Five and at #1, "Let It Be," The Beatles.



"Raindrops Keep Falling On My Head" from "Butch Cassidy And The Sundance Kid" won the Academy Award for Best Original Song in 1970.

Vicki Lawrence started a two week run at #1 on the US singles chart in 1973 with "The Night The Lights Went Out In Georgia."

Guitarist Ritchie Blackmore quit Deep Purple in 1975 to form his own band Rainbow. Tommy Bolin replaced Blackmore.

Aerosmith, Van Halen, Cheap Trick, The Boomtown Rats and Ted Nugent all appeared at the California Music Festival in 1979.

The Doobie Brothers went to #1 on the US album chart in 1979 with 'Minute By Minute', the group's only US chart topper.

Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band kicked off their first full-scale tour in Hamburg, Germany in 1981. This was Springsteen's first tour outside North America, which would take in 10 countries.

In 1984, a record 40 British acts appeared on the US top 100 singles chart.

In 1985, Wham! became the first western pop group to perform live in China, when they played at the workers gymnasium in Beijing.

During a European tour in 1988, Alice Cooper accidentally hung himself in a rehearsal when a safety rope snapped; he dangled for several seconds before a roadie saved him.

Farm Aid IV in Indianapolis in 1990 had Neil Young, Jackson Browne, Bruce Hornsby, Crosby, Stills & Nash, Don Henley, Guns N’ Roses, John Mellencamp and the ever crusty Willie Nelson. There's even a surprise performance by Elton John.

Bonnie Raitt started a three-week run at #1 on the US album chart in 1990 with 'Nick Of Time.'

Taylor Dayne went to #1 on the US singles chart in 1990 with the Diane Warren song "Love Will Lead You Back."

In 1994, Courtney Love was arrested on drugs and theft charges after a reported overdose. At this time, Love was unaware that her husband Kurt Cobain was dead at their home, (his body wasn’t discovered until April 8, by an electrician who had arrived to install a security system at their house).

In 1997, an Amsterdam university began offering a course entitled "Madonna 101."

Panic At The Disco were at #1 on the Australian album chartin 2008 with their second album ‘Pretty Odd.’

Neil Young's “Fork In The Road” was released in 2009.

Green Day perform their "21st Century Breakdown" album in its entirety at a 500-capacity club in San Francisco in 2009. The trio is augmented by two extra guitarists and a keyboardist at the surprise show.

Lightfoot Will Change Edmund Fitzgerald Lyrics After New Findings

Gordon Lightfoot says he will change the lyrics to his hit The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald to reflect new findings about the doomed ship.

A recent series on Canada's History Television, Dive Detectives, theorizes that the ship did not sink from human error but had been swamped by a rogue wave. The 720-foot long ship, one of the biggest on the great lakes, was hauling iron ore on Lake Superior when it encountered a fierce storm with hurricane force winds, described by the captain as “one of the worst seas I've ever been in.” The ship sank in water over 500 feet deep taking with it the 29 crew members.

An investigation of the 1975 incident by the U.S. Coast Guard concluded that the ship sank due to the cargo hatches being left open, allowing them to fill with water. The new evidence uncovered by the crew of Dive Detectives from talks with meteroligists and maritime historians points much more firmly to the ship being hit by an estimated 50-foot rogue wave which was created when groups of waves coming from different dirctions collided and maee one large wave with extreme destructive power. The investigation found that these huge waves had been seen on the lake the day of the disaster. Combine that with the age of the ship and its heavy load and it points to, most likely, the ship splitting in half.

After hearing of the new findings, Lightfoot said "I'm happy for the families. There's been lingering doubt about whether the hatch covers had been left open. This disproves that theory and ends the uncertainty. I think it's definitive."

He does not plan to rerecord the song but, during future performances, he will be replacing the line "At 7 P.M. a main hatchway gave in."


SOURCE: http://www.vintagevinylnews.com

Event gives independent record stores a new spin

By Frank Vaisvilas
Geneva Republican

Geneva, IL — For the seemingly dying breed of the independent record store, business owners can use all the help they can get.

That is why more than 700 stores are participating in Record Store Day, Saturday, April 17, which celebrates the release of special edition CDs and vinyl records for music enthusiasts.

“That day in itself is a big, big sales day,” said Steve Warrenfeltz, co-founder and owner of Kiss the Sky records in Geneva. “It’s a nice shot in the arm in terms of sales.”

Studios including Sony and Universal send independent stores limited edition music releases for April 17 that Warrenfeltz said cannot be obtained any other way and won’t be available at chain stores, such as Best Buy or Wal-Mart.

“The fan base, especially the serious music fans, are pretty much aware of this,” Warrenfeltz said. “What it does is generate an industry-wide buzz.”

Warrenfeltz said his store won’t have room for events that day, as he expects it to be crowded.

However, the store is sponsoring a concert of local bands at Chord on Blues in St. Charles.

A cover fee will go toward the bands at the concert.

“We’re going to celebrate the independent musician as well,” Warrenfeltz said.

He is hoping that Record Store Day will help keep the store afloat.

“Business has been tough for really the last nine years,” Warrenfeltz said.

Warrenfeltz said there has been a 75 percent reduction in physical music stores since the advent of online markets such as Apple’s iTunes, as many customers have turned to the Internet to buy music.

“The Internet is a major player in the music business,” Warrenfeltz said.

Still, he said one silver lining is the significant increase of vinyl record sales during the past three years.

“Vinyl is keeping some of our heads above water,” Warrenfeltz said. “We’re battling.”

But Warrenfeltz is committed to the store, which he opened in Batavia in 1996 with co-founder Mike Messerschmidt. The store moved to Geneva four years ago.

“We love what we do,” Warrenfeltz said. “At this stage in our lives, we don’t want to do anything else.”

The store has three part-time employees, including Rob Weinzirl, 18, of St. Charles, who also is a customer.

“There’s really no suburban record stores out here,” Weinzirl said.

Weinzirl is a big fan of metal, hardcore and punk bands, such as The Acacia Strain and H20.

“A lot of that stuff you might not find at big chain stores,” Weinzirl said.

If you go
WHAT Record Store Day limited edition music releases
WHEN Saturday, April 17
WHERE Kiss the Sky, 301 W. State St.
COST Free to browse
MORE INFO Call (630) 232-1888

Copyright 2010 Geneva Republican. Some rights reserved Reprinted By Permission

A record store in the digital age

By Kim Midboe

 

How is it that a record store continues to exist with all the high-tech gadgetry available to music lovers today?

For Mat Riley, owner of After the Gold Rush Records in Nevada City, keeping his doors open is a labor of love.

“I've forsaken the usual paychecks in a struggle to keep it going.”

Used vinyl and special order CDs help pay the rent these days, along with a lot of “hope and prayer,” muses Riley.

Is interest in vinyl waning? Don't count it out just yet. Riley sees a resurgence of interest in the general public, with young people leading the charge. Vinyl regained popularity in 2008, with nearly 2.9 million units shipped, the most since 1998. Today, record companies still release some major CDs in vinyl.

Why vinyl? Riley thinks part of the continuing attraction lies in the nostalgia factor, but there's no escaping the fact that they are “just cool to collect.” While the debate on the sound quality difference between CDs and vinyl is waged daily by bloggers, Riley contends that “music recorded in the vinyl era before CDs is definitely going to sound better” in its original format.

It can be said that vinyl recordings tend to be more accurate, truer to the original sound, resulting in a richness not found in digital recordings.

Flip through the stacks of used vinyl and CDS at After the Gold Rush, and you'll find your beat with jazz, pop, punk, alternative, country and some good ol' rock ‘n' roll.

Need something to play your vinyl on? Turntables can be ordered, and occasionally records players are available on consignment.

For those who still drive cars manufactured before CD players became standard equipment, Riley sells a number of cassette tapes at $2 or less. He says they are popular with travelers who just want something new to listen to as they continue on their journey.

Most of the record store's inventory of used records comes from within Nevada County. “There is no shortage of people interested in selling,” said Riley.

New CDs by local artists find a spot among the classic fare at After the Gold Rush. There is “a wealth of talent in this area,” and he welcomes it in his store. He has found that most people who purchase locally-produced music from him come in looking for it.

In the ever-changing demand for specific genres, Riley says punk is hot right now among his customers. He attributes it to nostalgia. Fans of punk rock when it first emerged as a musical force, now parents and even grandparents, are going back to what they know best.

When asked what he considers the best find in his store at the moment, Riley says he's most proud of a copy of Frank Zappa's “200 Motels.” The soundtrack for an obscure 1971 British musical film, released only on VHS, combines orchestral and rock music. It's from the kind of “strange, quirky movie that Zappa fans can appreciate,” said Riley.

An eclectic mix of customers can be seen browsing the stacks of used vinyl, CDs and, yes, even those cassette tapes. Riley says that interest in his shop has spread to an even younger audience, the “self-titled MP3 generation.”

It could be they have discovered that vinyl really does sound better or maybe it's the “coolness” of it all that they seek.


Many thanks to Kim Midboe and http://www.theunion.com for allowing me to reprint this story.

New Music Releases - April 6, 2010

BUY YOUR VINYL HERE:  http://www.insound.com/index.php?from=5141



Acker Bilk - Vintage Acker Bilk Vol 2
Al Cohn - Mosaic Select: Al Cohn, Joe Newman & Freddie Green
Alder - Brendance
Alice Cooper - Brutal Planet
Alizee - Une Enfant Du Siecle
Alvin Shine Robinson - Introduction
Amy Cook - Let the Light In
Andy Williams - Icons (4 CDs)
Angelique Kidjo - Oyo
Arcade Fire - Miroir Noir Ltd. Edition Deluxe
Awesome Color - Massa Hypnos
Baden Powell & Vini - Os Afro - Samba De Baden E Vinicius
Ben Sidran - Cat & The Hat
Benny Goodman - Wrappin' It Up
Bernie McGann - Bundeena
Bernie McGann - Kindred Spirits
Bernie McGann - Mcgann By Mcgann
Bernie McGann - Playground
Bernie McGann - Ugly Beauty
Bill Withers - +'Justments
Bing Crosby - Bing Crosby CBS Radio Recordings 1954-56
Bing Crosby - Centennial Anthology (CD/DVD)
Black Prairie - Feast of the Hunters' Moon (vinyl)
BoDeans - Mr. Sad Clown
Bob Dylan - Bob Dylan Never Ending Tour Diaries: Drummer Winston Watson's Incredible Journey"
Bobby Mcferrin - Vocabularies
Bonobo - Black Sands (vinyl)
Brooklyn Rider - Dominant Curve
Buddy Holly and the Crickets - The Music of Buddy Holly and The Crickets: The Definitive Story"
Caetano Veloso - Domingo
Carey Blyton - Choral Music
Carey Blyton - Return Of Bulgy Gogo
Cary Brothers - Under Control
Cassandra Wilson - Silver Pony
Catherine Howe - What a Beautiful Place (vinyl)
Cheap Trick - One on One/Next Position Please (remastered)
Chris Barber - Chris Barber At The BBC Vol 2
Chris Botti - In Boston
Cinematic Orchestra - Late Night Tales
Civil Twilight - Civil Twilight
Codeine Velvet Club - Codeine Velvet Club (vinyl)
Common Loon - The Long Dream of Birds
Communist Daughter - Soundtrack To The End
Count Basie - Basie In London
Count Basie - Hall Of Fame
Crackin' - Crackin'
Crackin' - Makings of a Dream
Crackin' - Special Touch
Cure - Disintegration: 20th Anniversary Edition
Darkthrone - Circle the Wagons
Dave Barnes - What We Want, What We Get
Dave Brubeck - Absolutely Essential 3 CD Collection
Dave Brubeck - Three Classic Albums
Dave Brubeck - Time Out (45 RPM 200 Gram)
David Bowie - David Bowie (remastered with bonus CD)
David Byrne & Fatboy Slim - Here Lies Love (2-CD & DVD special edition)
David Grisman - Live
Death Cab for Cutie - Open Door (vinyl reissue)
Dionne Warwick - No Night So Long
Doors - When You're Strange (soundtrack)
Doves - The Places Between: The Best of Doves
Dr. Dog - Shame, Shame (vinyl)
Drive-By Truckers - Your Woman Is a Living Thing (vinyl)
Duran Duran - Duran Duran (Deluxe Edition) (2 LPs) (Vinyl)
Duran Duran - Seven & the Ragged Tiger (Deluxe Edition) (2 LPs) (Vinyl)
Elis Regina - Como & Porque
Elis Regina - Elis & Tom
Elis Regina - In London
Elliott Smith - From a Basement on the Hill (remastered) (vinyl)
Elliott Smith - Roman Candle (remastered) (vinyl)
Emery - Are You Listening
Eraserheads - The Reunion Concert
Fabrizio Sotti - Inner Dance
Five In Orbit - Freaks
Fleetwood Mac - Perfect in Every Way
Flying Lizards - Flying Lizards (reissue)
Foreigner - SoundStage Presents Foreigner Live
Franciose Hardy - La Pluie Sans Parapluie
Frank Sinatra - Classic Sinatra Green Box
Free & Bad Company - Very Best of Free & Bad Company Featuring Paul Rodgers
Future Islands - In the Fall EP (vinyl)
Gene Autrey - South of the Border: Songs of Old Mexico
Gilberto Gil - Bandadois
Growing - Pumps (vinyl)
Guns N' Roses - The Rock Power Collection
Hacienda - Big Red & Barbacoa (vinyl)
Harlem - Hippies (vinyl)
Hawkwind - Astoria London 2005
Heart - Greatest Hits 1985-1995 Green Box
Heavenly Sweetness -Label Compilation
Helen O'Connell - Woman's Perogative
Hollywood Saxophone Quartet - Hollywood Saxophone Quartet
Hypernova - Through The Chaos
Ian Thomas Band - Still Here
Inaki Etxepare - Integral Per Violonceli Gasp
Isley Brothers - You Make Me Want To Shout 1956 - 59 (Original Recordings Remastered)
Jakob Dylan - Women and Country
Jan Daley - Where There's Hope
Jason Urick - Fussing and Fighting (vinyl)
Javelin - No Mas (vinyl)
Jazz Genius: The Flamingo Era - Jazz Genius: The Flamingo Era
Jazz Legends Forever -Sing Me A Love
Jefferson Starship - Soiled Dove
John Butler Trio - April Uprising
John Coltrane - Absolutely Essential 3 CD Collection
John Stetch - Carpathian Blues
John Stetch - Stetching Out
Johnny Cash - Johnny Cash (4 CDs)
Johnny Hodges - Four Classic Albums
Jon Secada - Classics
Jonsi - Go (vinyl)
Judson Claiborne: Time & Temperature
Judy Garland - Judy On Broadway Tonight
Karma to Burn - Almost Heathen( vinyl)
Karma to Burn - Wild Wonderful Purgatory (vinyl)
Kathy Sanborn - Small Galaxy
Ken Colyer - Very Very Live At The 100 Club
Ken Jazzmen Colyer - Very Very Live At The 100 Club
Ken Vandermark - Chicago Volume
Ken Vandermark - Milwaukee Volume
Kenny Rankin - After the Roses
Kiki & Herb - Live at the Knitting Factory
Kristy - My Romance
Lali Puna - Our Inventions
Larry Clinton - In Hi Fi
Lars Danielsson - Signature Edition
Laura Marling - I Speak Because I Can
Lee Konitz - Lee Konitz & Wayne Marsh
Lee Konitz - Meets Jimmy Giuffrie
Les Paul - After You've Gone 1944-45
Liars - Sisterworld (vinyl)
Look Mexico - To Bed to Battle
Lothar & the Hand People - Presenting Lothar & The Hand People
Lou Gramm - Ready Or Not
Luther Ingram - Absolutely the Best of
Madonna - The Sticky & Sweet Tour (CD/DVD)
Magnus Lindgren - Batucada Jazz
Marc Antoine - Notre Histoire
Martin Sexton - Sugarcoating
McGann - Double Dutch
Meklit Hadero - On A Day Like This...
Melissa Auf der Maur - Out Of Our Minds
Merle Haggard - Out Among The Stars / A Friend in California
Metallica - Broken, Beat & Scarred
Mi Ami - Steal Your Face (vinyl)
Michael Jackson - Dangerous (Vinyl)
Miles Davis - Relaxin
Mini Ripperton - Perfect Angel
Monster Movie - Everyone Is a Ghost
Murder By Death - Good Morning, Magpie
Nara Leao - Meu Primeiro Amor
Natural Four - Natural Four / Heaven Right Here on Earth
Negura Bunget - Maiestrit
New Heavenly Blue - New Heavenly Blue•Alan Parsons - Eye to Eye: Live in Madrid
Nguyen Le - Signature Edition
Nice Nice - Extra Wow (vinyl)
Nina Simone - Icons (4 CDs)
Nirvana - Incesticide (vinyl reissue)
Olaf Arnalds - Vid Og Vid
Ost - Garota De Ipanema
P.E. Jazz Ensemble Hewitt - Winter Winds
PJ Morton - Walk Alone
Pat Benatar - Greatest Hits Green Box
Patrick Park - Come What Will (vinyl)
Paul Jabara - The Third Album (Single)
Perry Como - Icons (4 CDs)
Peter Brotzmann - Woodcuts
Peter Wolf - Midnight Souvenirs
Phoenix - Fences (vinyl)
Pieta Brown - One & All
Poison - 20 Years of Rock Green Box
Porcupine Tree - Porcupine Tree: Arriving Somewhere
Priests - In Concert at Armagh Cathedral
Ralph Marterie - Into The 50's
Ray Charles - Genius + Soul = Jazz (Deluxe Edition)
Red Sparrowes - The Fear Is Excruciating, But Therein Lies The Answer (vinyl)
Rita Coolidge - Ladys Not for Sale / Fall Into Spring / Its Only (2 CDs)
Robin Trower - Twice Removed From Yesterday (remastered)
Robyn Hitchcock & the Venus 3 - Propellor Time (Vinyl)
S - I'm Not As Good at It As You
SRC - Milestones
Sally Seltmann - Heart That's Pounding
Sam Cooke - Live At Harlem Square (Vinyl)
Secret & Whisper - Teenage Fantasy
Shark Speed - Education
Sharon Jones & the Dap-Kings - I Learned The Hard Way (vinyl)
Slash - Slash
Solomon Burke - Nothing's Impossible
Sonny Rollins - Prestige Albums
Sonny Stitt - Plays Giuffre Arrangements
Soundgarden - Hunted Down (vinyl)
Squeeze - Argybargy (remastered with bonus disc)
Stacey Kent - Raconte Moi
Staples (Staple Singers) - Family Tree
Staples (Staple Singers) - Pass It On
Steve Miller Band - Greatest Hits 1974-1978 Green Box
Tensy Krismant / Miguel Nunez - Pacifico
The Classic Crime - Vagabonds
The Drums - Best Friend (vinyl)
The Radio Dept. - Heaven's on Fire
The Sight Below - It All Falls Apart
The Wedding Present - Live 1988
Tim Rollinson - You Tunes
Tom Jones - This Is Tom Jones: What's New Pussycat?
Triffids - Come Ride With Me Wide Open Road (10-CD box set)
True Womanhood - Basement Membranes
Tunng - Then We Saw Land (vinyl)
Ulf Wakenius - Signature Edition
Under Byen - Alt Er Tabt
Unleashed - As Yggdrasil Trembles
Various Artists - Franz Ferdinand Tribute (vinyl)
Various Artists - Putumayo Presents: Latin Party
Various Artists - Remember Me (soundtrack)
Various Artists - Smooth Jazz Tribute to Gorillaz
We Are Scientists - Rules Don't Stop (vinyl)
Whitney Houston - Collection (5 CDs)
Wolfgang Haffner - Signature Edition

Top 5 eBay Vinyl Record Sales

Top 5 eBay Vinyl Record Sales - Week Ending 03/27/2010

1. 45 - Elvis Presley "That's All Right" / "Blue Moon Of Kentucky" Sun 209 - $10,000.00

2. LP - The Beatles "Please Please Me" Parlophone UK Gold Black label 1st Stereo - $5,349.05

3. 10" - Geroges Enesco "Beethoven Sonate a Kreutzer" Columbia FC 1058 Mono - $4,050.00

4. 10" - Geroges Enesco "Beethoven Sonate a Kreutzer" Columbia FC 1058 Mono - $3,300.00

5. LP - Hank Mobley "with Donald Byrd and Lee Morgan" Blue Note 1540 - $2,969.00




Top 5 eBay Vinyl Record Sales - Week Ending 04/03/2010

1. LP - Queen "The Works" Red Vinyl Columbia - $9,000.00

2. LP - various artists "Black-Out: New Sounds Of '70" Century - $5,801.00

3. 45 - Phil Gray & His Go Boys "Bluest Boy In Town" / "Pepper Hot Baby" Rhythm Records 101 - $3,750.00

4. 45 - The Beatles "Strawberry Fields" / "Penny Lane" Acetate rough mix - $3,148.30

5. LP - Horace Parlan, George Tucker, Al Harewood "Us Three" Blue Note 4037 Mono - $2,669.00

More on this week's top 5 on Vinyl Record Talk, Tuesday 7:00PM Eastern / 4:00PM Pacific on Radio Dentata. http://shows.radiodentata.com/shows/accidental-nostalgia/

Music News & Notes

Travis McCoy's "Lazarus" Album Cover Revealed


Gym Class Heroes frontman Travis McCoy's Lazarus debut solo album cover has been revealed online this weekend.

Travie McCoy flys high on the cover of his solo debut album Lazarus, landing in stores June 8. The Gym Class Heroes frontman's first single "Billionaire"featuring Bruno Mars is taking off at radio, while the project boasts contributions from T-Pain, Cee-Lo, Detail and The Stereotypes. (Rap-Up)

Last month, McCoy explained why his album's title was shortened.

"Unfortunately we had to change the title to just Lazarus, because there's already this movie out there called 'The Lazarus Project,' " he explained in an interview. "So we're just calling the record Lazarus now. It's more to the point...It's hard to put a stamp on the record. With anything I do, it's hard to categorize it. With any project, I just go in and blindly start writing songs and then find out which way we want to go with it. This one took a bit longer to find the lane." (MTV)

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

DISBELIEF: 'Heal' Artwork Unveiled

German death metallers DISBELIEF are set to release a 20th-anniversary album called 'Heal' on May 21 via Massacre Records. The CD will contain eight songs, including three cover versions and a remake of the classic track "Shine." The first album to be recorded and mixed by the DISBELIEF members themselves, "Heal" will also feature four original compositions which "are meant to be a tribute to bands who influenced us a lot over those two decades concerning their music and attitude!!" according to the group.

"Heal" track listing:

Covers

* KILLING JOKE - "A Love Like Blood"
* KING DIAMOND - "Welcome Home"
* CRIMSON GLORY - "Red Sharks"

Originals

* Certainty Of Reality
* The Eyes of Horror
* The Last Force: Attack!
* Isolation
* Shine (title track of 2002 album)

"Heal" will be released with a bonus DVD containing footage of a complete DISBELIEF show from the Walpurgis Metal Days in 2009.

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

Dylan Cancels Asian Tour

Apparently Bob Dylan has had to cancel a tour of Asia after the Chinese government refused to allow him to perform. The singer had been planning on a series of dates in the area but when he learned he didn't have permission to play in Beijing and Shanghai, he scrapped the whole tour.

A spokesman from the Taiwan promotion company who was handling the tour stated "China's Ministry of Culture did not give us permission to stage concerts in Beijing and Shanghai, so we had no alternative but to scrap plans for a Southeast Asian tour. The chance to play in China was the main attraction for him. When that fell through everything else was called off.

"What Bjork did definitely made life very difficult for other performers. They are very wary of what will be said by performers on stage now. Last year British rockers Oasis were denied permission to play in China after it was discovered that guitarist Noel Gallagher had had appeared at a Tibet freedom concert 12 years earlier."

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

The Specials Discuss a New Album

Terry Hall of the Specials has told the British site Spinnermusic.co.uk that the original members of the group were discussing making a third album after they complete their 30th anniversary tour. According to Hall: "Nothing has been written. We've played around a bit, but we've all agreed that if we're going to make an album, it's got to an incredibly great album. If we're up for that, and we think that we have the parts in place, there's no reason we won't start recording. I think at this level we need to play for a while, like we did before we had a record deal."





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

The Violent Femmes Won't Be Reuniting

Bass player Brian Richie has stated that his bandmate Gordon Gano licensed their song "Blister in the Sun" to fastfood giant Wendy's for a commercial without first seeking the permission of others in the group. Richie told Spinner.com "I don't like having my sound misappropriated to sell harmful products, such as fast food. That's not why we made the music. It should not be hijacked."

This Date In Music History-April 5

Birthdays:

Ronnie White - Miracles (1939)

Dave Swarbick - Fairport Convention (1941)

Alan Clarke - Hollies (1942)

Crispin St. Peters (1944)



Nicholas Caldwell - Whispers (1944)

Dave Holland - Judas Priest (1948)

Kent Henry - Blues Image (1948)

Agnetha Faltskog - Abba (1950)

Peter Case - Plimsouls (1954)

Stan Ridgeway - Wall of Voodoo (1954)

Jacob Slichter - Semisonic (1961)

Mike McCready - Pearl Jam (1965)

Paula Cole (1968)

Born today in 1973, Pharrell Williams, one half of the writing duo, The Neptunes (with Chad Hugo). Produced numerous #1 hits for Mystikal, Jay-Z, NSYNC, Britney Spears, Nelly.


They Are Missed:

The late Tony Williams of the Platters ("Smoke Gets In Your Eyes") was born in 1928.

Canned Heat singer Bob "The Bear" Hite died of a heart attack in 1981 (age 36). Played at both the 1967 Montery Pop Festival and the 1969 Woodstock Festival.

In 1983, Danny Rapp, leader of 50's group Danny and the Juniors committed suicide in a hotel in Arizona by shooting himself.

In 1994, Kurt Cobain committed suicide by shooting himself in the head at his home in Seattle. Cobain’s body wasn’t discovered until April 8, by an electrician who had arrived to install a security system, who initially believed that Cobain was asleep, until he saw the shotgun pointing at his chin. A suicide note was found that said, "I haven't felt the excitement of listening to as well as creating music, along with really writing . . . for too many years now." A high concentration of heroin and traces of Valium were found in Cobain’s body. His death was officially ruled as suicide by a self-inflicted shotgun wound to the head.



In 1998, British drummer Cozy Powell was killed when his car smashed into crash barriers on a motorway in Bristol, England. Powell had worked with Whitesnake, ELP, Black Sabbath, Rainbow and the ELP spin-off Emerson, Lake, & Powell; plus sessions with Donovan, Roger Daltrey, Jack Bruce, Jeff Beck, Gary Moore and Brian May.

Jazz tenor saxophonistStanley William Turrentine, also known as "Mr. T" or "The Sugar Man" was born today in 1934. He died on September 12, 2000.

In 2006, Gene Pitney was found dead (age 65) in his bed in a Cardiff hotel. The American singer was on a UK tour and had shown no signs of illness. Pitney helped the Rolling Stones break the American market with his endorsement of the band. Jagger and Richards wrote his hit "That Girl Belongs to Yesterday" which became the Stones duo's first composition to reach the American charts.

In 2007, former Kiss guitarist Mark St. John died from an apparent brain hemorrhage at the age of 51. S t. John was Kiss' third official guitarist, having replaced Vinnie Vincent in 1984 and appeared on the album ‘Animalize’.


History:

A tornado killed 235 people in Tupelo, Mississippi in 1936, but luckily for the music world, one year-old Elvis Presley and his family survived.

In 1962, the Beatles performed at the Cavern Club in Liverpool as part of a special night presented by the Beatles' fan club. The Beatles wear their black leather outfits for the first half of the performance, for old time's sake, then change into their new suits for the second half of the show.

The Searchers appeared on "The Ed Sullivan Show" in 1964. They were the first British Invasion group to appear on the show after the Beatles. It was also the Searchers' US debut.

The Beach Boys, with a rare Al Jardine lead vocal, issued their #1 hit, “Help Me, Rhonda" in 1965.

In 1967, Monkees fans walked from London's Marble Arch to the US Embassy in Grosvenor Square to protest Davy Jones' planned call-up. Jones was exempted because he was deemed responsible for supporting his father.

Elvis Presley's "Double Trouble" movie debuted in 1967.

In 1968, James Brown makes a nationally-televised appeal for calm in the wake of the assassination of Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr.

Elvis Presley kicked of a 15 date US tour at the Memorial Auditorium in Buffalo, New York in 1972.

Minnie Riperton went to #1 on the US singles chart in 1975 with the Stevie Wonder produced song "Loving You." It was the singers only US chart hit. Riperton died of cancer on 12th July 1979.

Led Zeppelin released their seventh studio album "Presence" in 1976.

Duran Duran made their live debut at The Lecture Theatre, Birmingham Polytechnic in 1978.

In 1980, R.E.M. played their first ever gig when they appeared at St Mary's Episcopal Church, Athens, Georgia (under the name Twisted Kite).

After eight years of publication to the radio and recording industry, "Record World" magazine ceased publication and filed for bankruptcy protection in 1982.

The Beach Boys were banned from the Fourth of July concert at the White House in 1983. US President Ronald Reagan overturned the ban two days later.

In 1984, Marvin Gaye's funeral took place at The Forest Lawn Cemetery, Los Angeles; Smokey Robinson, Stevie Wonder, Quincy Jones, Berry Gordy and other Motown singers, writers and producers, attended the service.

At 3:50pm GMT in 1985, over 5,000 radio stations worldwide aired the charity single by USA for Africa "We Are The World." The single went on to be a #1 in the US & UK, and in most Western territories.

Construction began on the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in Cleveland in 1993.

In 1999, three of Tammy Wynette's daughters filed a $50 million lawsuit that blamed Wynette's death on negligence by her husband and her doctor.

The Calling’s guitarist Aaron Kamin was electrocuted in 2002 during a soundcheck prior to a Bangkok concert. He was hospitalized.

In 2008, Apple's iTunes overtook supermarket group Wal-Mart to become the largest music retailer in the US. Market research firm NPD said iTunes surpassed Wal-Mart in January and February if 12 downloads are considered equal to the sale of one CD album. iTunes had sold more than four billion songs since its launch in 2003.

Danity Kane were at #1 on the US album chart in 2008 with their second album ‘Welcome To The Dollhouse.’

Also in 2008, Toto performs its last concert before breaking up, in Seoul, South Korea, 2008

In 2009, Kid Rock performed at WrestleMania's 25th anniversary event in Houston. The singer's set includes "Bawitdaba," "Cowboy" and "Rock N Roll Jesus." AC/DC’s "Shoot To Thrill" and "War Machine" (from “Black Ice”) are the official theme songs.

This Date In Music History-April 3

Birthdays:

Doris Day (1924)

Songwriter Jeff Barry - Wrote "Tell Laura I Love Her," "Da Doo Ron Ron," "Be My Baby," "Baby I Love You," "Do Wah Diddy Diddy," among others (1938)

Wayne Newton (1942)

Billy Joe Royal (1942)

Tony Orlando (1944)

Richard Thompson - Fairport Convention (1949)

Mel Schacher - Grand Funk Railroad (1951)

Mick Mars - Motley Crue (1956)

Simon Raymonde - Cocteau Twins (1962)

Sebastian Bach - Skid Row (1968)

Wes Berggren - Tripping Daisy (1971)

Leona Lewis - 2006 UK #1 single "A Moment Like This." The download single set a world record, by being downloaded over 50,000 times within 30 minutes of being available online. (1985)


They Are Missed:

Born on this day in 1943, Richard Manuel, The Band. Manuel committed suicide on March 6, 1986.

In 1990, jazz singer Sarah Vaughan died of lung cancer. She had the 1954 US #6 single "Make Yourself Comfortable" and released over 50 albums.

Born today in 1944, Barry Pritchard, guitar, vocals, The Fortunes. He died on 11th January 1999.

Born on this day in 1928, Don Gibson, country singer songwriter. Neil Young covered "Oh Lonesome Me" on his 'After The Gold Rush' album. Died on November 17, 2003.

Stax records songwriter Homer Banks died in 2003 (age 61). Wrote "I Can't Stand Up for Falling Down," recorded by Sam & Dave and a UK hit for Elvis Costello. Rod Stewart, The Emotions, Isaac Hayes, Millie Jackson and Johnny Taylor all covered his songs.

Born today in 1941, Jan Berry, Jan and Dean. Berry died on March 26, 2004 after being in poor health from the lingering effects of brain damage after a 1966 car crash.

Founder member and original drummer for The Wonder Stuff, Martin Gilks died in 2006 (age 41), after losing control of his motorbike in London.


History:

Elvis Presley appeared on ABC-TV's 'The Milton Berle Show' live from the flight deck of the USS Hancock in San Diego, California in 1956. He performed "Heartbreak Hotel," "Shake Rattle And Roll" and "Blue Suede Shoes." It was estimated that one out of every four Americans saw the show.

In 1959, the BBC banned the Coasters song "Charlie Brown" because of the word "spitball." Two weeks later the BBC changed its position on the song.

During recording sessions at RCA studios in Nashville, Tennessee in 1960, Elvis Presley recorded "It's Now Or Never," "Fever" and "Are You Lonesome Tonight?"

The Marcels started a three week run at #1 on the US singles chart in 1961 with the Rodgers and Hart song "Blue Moon."



"Wooly Bully" by Sam the Sham and the Pharaoh's was released in 1965.

Working on The Beatles 'Sgt Pepper' album at Abbey Road studios in London in 1967, George Harrison recorded his lead vocal on his song "Within You Without You," as well as a sitar part, and some acoustic guitar parts.

The Doors' Jim Morrison turned himself in to the FBI in Los Angeles in 1969. He was charged on six charges of lewd behavior and public exposure at a concert in Miami on March 2, 1969. He was later released on $2000 bail.

The Temptations scored their second US #1 in 1971 with "Just My Imagination (Running Away With Me)."

“The Beatles 1962-1966” & “1967-1970” was released by Capitol Records in 1973.

In 1975, Steve Miller was charged with setting fire to the clothes and personal effects of a friend, Benita DiOrio, and resisting arrest. The charges were dropped the next day.

Johnnie Taylor started a four week run at #1 on the US singles chart in 1976 with "Disco Lady," his 10th US Top 40.

Sid Vicious played his first concert with the Sex Pistols in 1977.

The Traveling Wilburys (Bob Dylan, George Harrison, Tom Petty, Roy Orbison and Jeff Lynn) began recording their "Handle With Care" album in Malibu in 1988.

In 1989, 23 people were arrested after several thousand fans without tickets tried to gate-crash a Grateful Dead concert at the Pittsburgh Civic Arena, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.

Pepsi dismissed Madonna as a spokesperson in 1989 after her "Like a Prayer" video was called "blasphemous" by the Vatican.

Paul McCartney recorded his unplugged session for MTV in 1991.

In 1994, a forthcoming tour by Nirvana and Hole was cancelled amid continuing speculation about Kurt Cobain's drug problems.

Dave Navarro left the Red Hot Chili Peppers in 1998.

In 2006, “Dani California,” the first single from the Red Hot Chili Peppers’ ninth studio album, 'Stadium Arcadium,' made its radio premiere when KTBZ’s (Houston) Don Jantzen played the song continuously for his three hour show. The single peaks at #6 on the Billboard Hot 100.



In 2007, three David Lee Roth solo albums are reissued: remastered versions of '91's "A Little Ain't Enough," 94's "Your Filthy Little Mouth," and the rare Spanish-language version of 86's "Eat 'Em and Smile" (his career best). Didn't the former (and occasionally current) Van Halen frontman's record company lose enough money when these albums were originally released?

Also in 2007, Rolling Stones guitarist Keith Richards denied that he snorted the ashes of his late father during a drugs binge. Jane Rose, Richards' manager, told MTV News the remarks were made "in jest", and she could not believe they had been taken seriously. Richards had said in an interview with The NME: "He was cremated and I couldn't resist grinding him up with a little bit of blow." But NME interviewer Mark Beaumont was convinced that Richards was not joking when speaking to him about the alleged incident. "He did seem to be quite honest about it. There were too many details for him to be making it up," he later told BBC news.

In 2008, Mariah Carey smashed Elvis Presley's US chart record by scoring the 18th number one of her career with "Touch My Body," from her new album E=MC2. Carey had now surpassed Elvis Presley's 17 number ones, The Beatles still held the record with 20 US #1 hit singles.

Michael Fremer Album Review

The Rolling Stones, Ike and Tina Turner, B.B. King (recent reissue)
Get Yer Ya-Ya's Out! The Rolling Stones In Concert 40th Anniversary Box Set

ABKCO 02412 3 180g LPs, 3 CDs, 1 DVD


Produced by: The Rolling Stones and Glyn Johns
Engineered by: Glyn Johns
Mixed by: Glyn Johns
Mastered by: Bob Ludwig , Gateway Mastering (LPs cut by Carl Rowatti at TruTone)
Reissue Produced by: Jodi H. Klein and Teri Landi

Review by: Michael Fremer
2010-04-01


Was this the greatest rock and roll concert recording ever as some suggest? Is it deserving of deluxe box set status? The producers of this ultra-sumptuous box obviously thought so!

It includes a full-sized, perfect bound full color book with large typeface appropriate for aging baby boomer consumption (and well worth the read!), two and a half 180g LPs containing the original album, opening sets by Ike and Tina Turner and B.B. King and four unreleased tracks from the concert on a one sided LP, the second side of which includes band member autograph etchings and a silhouette of Charlie Watts’ uncharacteristically exuberant cover pose. You even get a red guitar pick.

But wait! There’s more! You get three CDs containing the same material minus the four bonus tracks. Those are on a DVD with video. It’s all housed in a quadruple gatefold package encased in a box. Open the double-gatefold and you’re looking down on a panoramic black and white shot of Madison Square Garden.

Look, the bonus stuff is great fun, especially hearing a younger B.B. King who was then mostly unknown to the almost exclusively white, middle class, suburban audience. Credit the Stones for their pioneering work. Ditto Ike and Tina, who were then probably better known than B.B. King. Ike and Tina may have been fighting off stage but on they were still on fire.

So the extras are the spices but what about the main course? Just three years earlier the Stones couldn’t hear themselves play on stage because of the teenybopper screaming. Listen to Got Live if You Want It! most of which was recorded just three years earlier for an ear-opening comparison.

That compilation presents a very different band and a very different audience. Both were operating at far higher energy than here but while that one gets by on youthful energy, Get Your Ya-Ya’s Out simmers, burns and cuts deeply.

With Brian Jones gone, replaced by the bluesy Mick Taylor, who never really fit in but did manage to tug the band into jam-band territory, the Rolling Stones in 1969 were a more introspective, less pop oriented assemblage, though it could be argued that age would have led them in that direction without Taylor.

With weed having replaced adrenaline, the more mature, inward looking audience replaced screaming with concentrated listening, holding their applause and screaming to the end of the song. The seismic shift in both band and audience was enormous given that only three years had passed.

With the adrenaline and speed gone, this concert sounded to some more like a Grateful Dead show than one by The Rolling Stones. The pacing was slower, the grooves more deliberate. While it opens slowly with a somewhat stodgy “Jumpin’ Jack Flash,” followed by a tepid “Carol,” this “Stray Cat Blues” is even meaner and more nasty than the original. “Love in Vain” fills the space and gives relief to the bloody “Midnight Rambler.”

There’s no stopping side two, with special mention going to Bill Wyman’s bass playing throughout this set. He just anchors the band, laying down thick, deep grooves that give Keith and Mick Taylor space to eviscerate the air with edgy.bluesy, soulful riffs. “Little Queenie, another Chuck Berry classic, taken at a really languid pace, nicely breaks up the space between “Live With Me” and a torrid “Honky Tonk Women,” and the final scorcher, “Street Fighting Man.”

By the time the tour hit Madison Square Garden, the band was locked into a tight, precise groove. There was nothing sloppy, drugged-out or drunken about this Rolling Stones. That would come later on Exile on Main Street!.

While most “bonus tracks” make obvious why they didn’t make the original cut, these are good enough to have made the original release had there been room on a forty minute or so album without seriously degrading the sound.

That said, the Keith and Mick Show portion of the show containing “Prodigal Son” would have been one too many slow movers for the final album, as would have “You Gotta Move,” as well as the enjoyably misogynistic “Under My Thumb” and “I’m Free,” which has since gone on to become the soundtrack to some television commercial or other.

When I was on the air at WBCN-FM, playing "Under My Thumb" was controversial. It may even have been unofficially banned by the feminist/lesbian contingent at the station.

I wonder what B.B. King was thinking while Mick and Keith performed the blues classics “Prodigal Son” and “You Gotta Move”—assuming he stayed backstage for the show. Keith’s acoustic guitar playing was magnificent even back then.

Rock’n’Roll recorded sound in 1969, even with Glyn Johns at the helm of the Wally Heider Mobile truck, was a crap shoot and the original sounded somewhat muffled and recessed, overloaded with stage monitor feedback. Still, if you listened in, the guitars were cleanly rendered and the overall effect was pretty powerful, though you needed an original UK Decca pressing to really hear it correctly.

This reissue, produced from the original analog tapes, transferred by Teri Landi who did likewise on the excellent Decca Stones catalog for ABKCO, originally on hybrid SACD but not anymore (and not because Jodi Klein wanted to stop churning it out on SACD) outperforms the original in many ways.

Bob Ludwig mastered the transfer, sending 96k/24 bit files to TruTone Mastering Labs’ Carl Rowatti, who cut the lacquers for the 180g LPs.

The remastered version, while sounding somewhat less “organic” and airy than the original, offers far better low end response, cleaner overall transients, far greater dynamic range and an especially better overall tonal balance that rids the picture of its stage monitor induced midrange haze. It’s much clearer and cleaner in the best sense of the word “clean” compared to the original, though the original UK Decca has it’s own sonic charms not found here. Still, if given the choice, I'd choose this reissue.

Like Eddie Kramer’s superb Woodstock restoration, this one produces an overall improvement to the original sonic product without making fundamental shifts that would ruin the original intent.

The end of that tumultuous decade was a pivot point in cultural history and when you combine the original concert with the opening acts, and the unreleased material on both audio and video, plus the wealth of great background information contained in the book along with great photos, you end up with a superbly produced package—the kind that’s needed to make a compelling case for owning “physical product.”

This 40th anniversary box may be pricey, but I think anyone plunking down the dollars will come away from a first thorough listen and read feeling that it was money well spent!


Thanks to Michael over at http://www.musicangle.com  for the exclusive rights to reprint this material.


Copyright © 2008 MusicAngle.com & Michael Fremer - All rights reserved Reprinted by permission