Friday, June 10, 2011

Vinyl Record News & Music Notes



Gotta Groove Records means big business in Cleveland

The vinyl LP is far from extinction



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Heartsounds Drifts Toward 2nd Album

Jermy Leeuwis

It was just in 2010 that punk rock group Heartsounds released their debut album. One year later their second album "Drifter" is set to be released on July 26th via Epitaph Records. Don't be afraid that the band has evolved into something horrible because they did not.

Progressing on their sophomore follow-up album to their 2010 Epitaph debut Until We Surrender, Heartsounds reach a new level of maturity and diversity without holding back a single ounce of what fans have loved from the start, and that is pure punk rock heart. Drifter embraces their same fast, melodic, technical punk rock style that we have come to love, while reaching new heights vocally and in overall songwriting.

Read more at musicremedy.com





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TV on the Radio Announce Tour Dates

Jermy Leeuwis

Just a month ago TV on The Radio dropped their fifth album 'Nine Types of Light'. To make it easy for you here is nice little summary what the band has planned for this summer. Naturally the band will start their tour at the Pitchfork Music Festival on July 17th.

As the hot weather approaches, so does news from TV on The Radio. Given that it's a scientific fact (more or less) that you’re going to be a lot lazier in the summertime, we are making it easy breezy to stay on top of what the band will be doing and where they'll be going. Take a look below for what you’ve already missed (but don't worry, you can still get the retroactive experience) and what's coming up that you shouldn't miss!

Read more and get the tour dates at musicremedy.com

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Wilco Offer Up "I Might" 7-Inch Details


A while back, prolific alt-country stars Wilco announced they were starting up their own record label, dBpm Records and, with it, a new seven-inch, to be released this summer. We already knew the vinyl single would feature new tune "I Might" on one side and a cover of Nick Lowe's "I Love My Label" as the flip, but we now finally know when we can get our hands on the release.

As previously reported, the limited-edition "I Might" single will be pressed on clear vinyl and sold at the group's Solid Sound Festival, which takes place in North Adams, MA from June 24 to 26. Following that, two more versions of the release will be issued on July 19.

A limited press on blue vinyl will be available through the group's online store and via the Anti- shop, while the standard black vinyl version will be loosed upon traditional retailers. All copies come with a digital download and you can pre-order copies now. That's the newly revealed cover above.

A press release also confirms that "I Might" will appear on the as-of-yet untitled follow-up to 2009's Wilco (The Album). The new record will drop sometime this fall, and while a tracklisting has yet to appear, band leader Jeff Tweedy recently dished some dirt on the other songs on the set.


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Top 10 London Album Covers

By Londonist

A whistlestop tour through rock and pop history through the artwork of our Top 10 London album covers. Agree with our selection? What did we miss? Let us know in the comments.

1. The Beatles ‘Abbey Road’: Abbey Road, NW8.

Let’s be honest, as soon as you saw this post you thought of this album. It was nearly left off the list for fear of it being too obvious, but that would have been silly so let’s get it out the way first.

Anyone who loves music and lives in London has made / has plans to make / has been too-cool-for-school-and-deliberately-avoided-making a pilgrimage to the most famous road crossing in the world. Go there on any day of the week and you’ll see the traffic being held up as Beatles fans from around the world re-create the cover.

At the time of recording The Beatles were on the verge of splitting up after the death of Brian Epstein in 1967, triggering their downward spiral toward law suits and slanging matches in the press. They got together for what was pretty much acknowledged beforehand by all as their last album. They put aside their differences and pulled a blinder with the album which contains not one single bad tune (we’ll settle with fisticuffs anyone who says that the macabre ‘Maxwell’s Silver Hammer’ is a dud, even if Lennon referred to it as ‘More of Paul’s granny music’!)

Photographer Ian Macmillan was given ten minutes to climb a stepladder while a policeman stopped traffic and at approximately 11:30 am on 8 August 1969 music history was made.

Look and read about the other nine at londonist.com

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Anthrax to release new album 'Worship Music' on September 12

'Music is something worth worshipping' say the band

Anthrax have completed work on their new album 'Worship Music' and have revealed a UK release date of September 12, 2011.

The long-awaited album marks the return of vocalist Joey Belladonna and features 11 tracks produced by Anthrax, guitarist Rob Caggiano and Jay Ruston. The record is Anthrax's first studio release in eight years.

“I get goosebumps listening to the new music,” drummer Charlie Benante says in an official press release.

Read more at nme.com

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Interview: Rush's Neil Peart talks drum solos

"You have to practice...and trust yourself"

Joe Bosso

It's mid-afternoon in New York City, and Neil Peart is unwinding. And how exactly does Rush's world-famous drummer and lyricist kick back in the Big Apple? By solving a math problem, of course. But this particular equation has a very specific purpose, and it's one that will soon be played out in front of TV cameras, a studio audience and millions of home viewers, for Peart is one of the stars - in fact, he's the closing act - of Drums Solos Week on The Late Show With David Letterman.

There's just one little hitch: The show's producers have asked the renowned sticksman, who this Thursday (9 June) will follow performances by The Late Show's own Anton Fig, along with Sheila E and drum legend Roy Haynes, to keep the razzle-dazzle down to "three, maybe four minutes," says Peart. Hence, the numbers crunching.

Just back from a morning rehearsal, Peart admits that when he was approached to be part of Drum Solos Week, his initial reaction was, "I don't know…it's not really my thing. But then I thought, Hey, a drum solo on TV - sounds great! I'd be very honored to be the ambassador to drum solos."

Read the rest of this indepth interview at musicradar.com

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Juliana Hatfield Announce Eleventh Album Speeches

Jermy Leeuwis

Juliana Hatfield is set to release her eleventh album 'Speeches Delivered To Animals and Plants' on August 30th on her own Ye Olde Records. Her last album was released last year and her debut in 1992. This is a very special album because it is a fan-funded release.

Hatfield says, "I really think that PledgeMusic and similar sites are the future of music, especially for people like me who have devoted cultish fanbases but who have never sold a ton of records and don't really fit in anywhere at major labels. Working with this new model, you go straight to the fans, who become your patrons, in a very direct and vital way. They have a special kind of access to you in a way that makes them happy - they see the progress of the album-making in real time with the video and audio updates I post at the PledgeMusic site. And I have total ownership of the music at all stages, present and future. I love working like this."

Read the rest at musicremedy.com

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Yeah, i know, it's not vinyl....however it's great rock and roll!

New Singles Box Set for Judas Priest


Metal gods Judas Priest will release a comprehensive 20-CD box set in August.

The set will be called Singles Cuts and will feature all of the band’s U.K singles released on the Columbia label from 1977 to 1992.

Track listing:

CD 1 – 1977
“Diamonds and Rust”
“Dissident Aggressor”

CD 2 – 1978
“Better by You, Better by Me”
“Invader”

CD 3 – 1978
“Evening Star”
“Starbreaker”

CD 4 – 1978
“Before the Dawn”
“Rock Forever”

CD 5 – 1979
“Take on the World”
“Starbreaker” (Live)
“White Heat Red Hot” (Live)

CD 6 – 1979
“Evening Star”
“Beyond the Realms of Death”
“The Green Manalishi”

CD 7 – 1980
“Living After Midnight”
“Delivering the Goods” (Live)
“Evil Fantasies”(Live)

CD 8 – 1980
“Breaking the Law”
“Metal Gods”

CD 9 – 1980
“United”
“Grinder”

CD 10 – 1981
“Don’t Go”
“Solar Angels”

CD 11 – 1981
“Hot Rockin’”
“Breaking the Law”(Live)
“Steeler”
“You Don’t Have to be Old to be Wise”

CD 12 – 1982
“You’ve Got Another Thing Comin’”
“Exciter” (Live)

CD 13 -1982
“(Take These) Chains”
“Judas Priest Audio File”

CD 14 – 1984
“Freewheel Burning”
“Breaking the Law”(Live)
“You’ve Got Another Thing Comin’”

CD 15 – 1984
“Some Heads are Gonna Roll”
“The Green Manalishi (with the Two-Pronged Crown)”
“Jawbreaker”

CD 16 – 1986
“Turbo Lover”
“Hot for Love”

CD 17 – 1986
“Locked In”
“Reckless”
“Desert Plains” (Live)
“Freewheel Burning” (Live)

CD 18 – 1990
“Painkiller”
“United”
“Better by You, Better than Me”

CD 19 -1991
“A Touch of Evil”
“Between the Hammer and the Anvil”
“You’ve Got Another Thing Comin’” (Live)

CD 20 – 1992
“Night Crawler”
“Breaking the Law”
“Living After Midnight”

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DYLAN LYRICS UP FOR AUCTION

Drafts of BOB DYLAN's original lyrics are expected to fetch thousands of pounds when they hit the auction block later this month (Jun11).

The newly-discovered papers, which are heavily edited and even feature notes in crayon, date from the mid-1960s, when Dylan hit a productive peak.

Some of the documents are handwritten and others typed, and they include the lyrics to some of the folk star's most famous tracks, such as Subterranean Homesick Blues, Queen Jane Approximately and Visions of Johanna.

The original draft of Maggie's Farm is estimated to sell for £44,000 to £56,000.

Chris Coover of Christie's auction house says, "The mid-60s, especially 1964-1966, were a true watershed for Dylan. In that period his lyrics became deeper and more personal, while his songs moved away from the acoustic, folk-inflected style, and he forged a unique personal style as poet and songwriter."

Collectors will have a chance to bid on the pages at Christie's auction of fine printed books and manuscripts in New York on 23 June (11), reports Reuters.

Dylan's handwritten lyrics to his 1964 anthem The Times They Are a-Changin' pulled in a staggering £264,000 at Sotheby's in December (10).

Read more at express.co.uk

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Los Angeles Times Magazine Picks the Fifty Greatest L.A. Bands

The Los Angeles Times Magazine has put together their list of the fifty best L.A. bands.

In making the selections, a few were left out, such as Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers and No Doubt, who have been associated with Los Angeles but did not form in the city or county area.

The bands at the top of the ranking are really no big surprise with the Doors, the Beach Boys, the Byrds and the Buffalo Springfield, but the big discussion rankings start in the next three spots.

1. Doors
2. Beach Boys
3. Byrds
4. Buffalo Springfield
5. Los Lobos

Read more and see the rest of the list at our friends at vintagevinylnews.com

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and in music history for today:

In 1964, the Rolling Stones recorded “It's All Over Now” during their first session at historic Chess Studios in Chicago.

Also in 1964, 'A Hard Days Night' by the Beatles (single and album) was released.

In 1966, Big Brother & the Holding Company make their first live appearance with new lead singer Janis Joplin.

The cut "Rain," by the Beatles (first use of reverse tapes) was recorded in 1966.

In 1967, the Beatles' "Sgt Peppers Lonely Hearts Club Band" started a 23 week run at #1 on the UK album chart. The LP also topped the Billboard Hot 200 chart for 15 weeks, won the Grammy Award for Album of the Year and would eventually sell over 30 million copies world wide. Ringo Starr would later comment: "a bunch of songs and you stick two bits of 'Pepper' on it and it's a concept album. It worked because we said it worked."

In 1967, Jimi Hendrix is denied entry to London's Botanical Gardens because "people in fancy dress aren't allowed."

In 1967, after selling over 356,000 copies in the first three weeks after its release, "A Whiter Shade Of Pale" by Procol Harum tops the UK chart. The song would peak at #5 in the US near the end of July. In 2004, the United Kingdom performing rights group Phonographic Performance Limited recognized it as the most-played record by British broadcasting of the past 70 years. The same year, Rolling Stone placed "A Whiter Shade of Pale" #57 on its list of the 500 Greatest Songs of All Time.



In 1971, police tear gas the crowd at a Jethro Tull concert in Denver, CO. The band plays on, even though keyboardist John Evans can't see his piano through the gas.

In 1973, Sammy Davis Jr. enjoyed the biggest hit of his career when "Candy Man", taken from the musical Willie Wonka and the Chocolate Factory, went to number one in the US.

Joe Walsh's "Life's Been Good" was released in 1978.

Asia was formed in 1981 by Steve Howe, Geoff Downes, John Wetton and Carl Palmer.

In 1982, Addie Harris from The Shirelles died of a heart attack after a show in Atlanta. The group had a 1961 U.S. #1 and U.K. #4 single with “Will You Love Me Tomorrow,” becoming the first all-girl group to have a #1 single on the Billboard Hot 100.

In 1993, Irish singer Sinead O'Connor took out a full-page ad in the Irish Times asking the public to "stop hurting me please." She blamed her troubles on abuse she suffered as a child. O'Connor was still being criticized for ripping up a picture of the Pope during an appearance on Saturday Night Live the previous October. oh, go shave your melon and shut up!

In 1993, Jimmy Weston, lead singer of The Danleers, passed away. The Brooklyn, New York doo-wop group is most often remembered for their 1958 hit "One Summer Night".



In 2004, singer-songwriter and soul legend Ray Charles died at the age of 73. Glaucoma rendered Charles blind when he was six years old. Charles had the 1962 U.K. and U.S. #1 single, “I Can't Stop Loving You." During his 45 year career, Ray appeared on the US Pop charts 77 times, with 33 of those songs making the Top 40. He became the first artist to have an album on Billboard's Hot 200 for six decades in a row.

In 2004, Peter Garrett of Midnight Oil announced he was running for the Australian Parliament.

birthday's today include Shirley Alston from The Shirelles (1941), Kim Deal (Pixies, Breeders) (50) and Kelley Deal (Breeders) (50) and Jimmy Chamberlin (Smashing Pumpkins) (47)

Thursday, June 9, 2011

Vinyl Record News & Music Notes

our friends over at Gibson.com have a wonderful write-up about one of the most innovative guitar legends (Born in 1915, Les Paul, guitarist, inventor, died August 12, 2009) of our time, check it out:

Happy Birthday Les Paul: Celebrating the Artistry of a Gibson Genius

Ted Drozdowski

Les Paul had one of the most colorful and diverse careers in the history of the entertainment industry. During his 80 years on stage and screen and in the studio, Paul was a solo performer, jazz bandleader, big band guitar chair, virtuoso sideman, pop tunesmith, radio personality, TV star, engineer producer, six-string eminence and inventor. In the latter role, the solid body guitar model that bears his name, multi-track recording and the harmonica holder are among his best-known creations.

But Paul, who was born Lester Polfuss on June 9, 1915, was also a master of evolution as a guitarist. Many players start in one style and stay there for their entire career. Paul’s arc of technique runs from kid-with-a-cowboy-guitar to country picker to jazzman to pop player to textural genius and, ultimately, a distillation of all of the above.


Read the rest of this tribute at Gibson.com




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our friends at www.sundazed.com are at it again, this time with a reissue of some great Hollies tracks, you can buy the set at Hollies



The Hollies

Lost Recordings and Beat Rarities 10x7" Box Set

7" (vinyl) | $49.98
S 7004


7” vinyl box set with 20 lost tracks and hard-to-find gems!



This highly resonant set acts as a guidebook to many of the missing links behind the one British beat group who, more than any other, stayed neck-and-neck with the Beatles throughout the ‘60s. In terms of quality single releases with irresistible chart appeal (15 Top Ten 45s in the UK) and pure musical evolution, there is no doubt the Hollies breathed the same rarified air as the Fab Four.

The Hollies Lost Recordings and Beat Rarities collects 20 long-buried tracks and hard-to-find gems, ranging from rare U.S. and British singles to EP rarities and unissued songs, all perfectly ripe for release as an original Hollies 45, whether that happened or not. Follow the group from their first single (released in May of 1963), the savage “Ain’t That Just Like Me” b/w “Hey What’s Wrong With Me,” through their discotheque dance floor raves: “Come On Back,” “What Kind of Love” and “She Said Yeah.” Swoon to their swingin’ ballad “Yes I Will,” groove with their jazzy “Honey and Wine” and float to outer space with “All The World is Love.” Discover an impossible-to-find, spy-style double-sider the Hollies did for a 1967 Italian movie, and groove to unreleased tracks cut while on tour in New York City in 1965, then marvel at an extremely scarce cover of the Beatles’ “If I Needed Someone,” tracked at Abbey Road, revered recording home to both groups.

Sundazed has collected a pirate’s ransom of tracks here, nearly all unavailable on any original English or American Hollies album. Delivered now via the supremely cool format of 45 r.p.m. vinyl, each single is loaded with guaranteed Disk Jockey dance-floor magic that only further cements the Hollies’ reputation as the coolest Manchester band, ever!!!

BOX SET CONTENTS:

TRACK LIST:
Single One
(Ain't That) Just Like Me
Hey What's Wrong With Me

Single Two
Whole World Over
Now's the Time

Single Three
What Kind of Love
When I'm Not There

Single Four
Come on Back
She Said Yeah

Single Five
Nobody
Yes I Will

Single Six
Honey and Wine
Bring Back Your Love to Me

Single Seven
She Gives Me Everything I Want
I Can't Get Nowhere With You

Single Eight
If I Needed Someone
I've Got a Way of My Own

Single Nine
You in My Arms
All the World Is Love

Single Ten
Kill Me Quick
We're Alive

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3 Doors Down Reveal 'Time of My Life' Album Cover -- Exclusive Premiere

Multi-platinum rockers 3 Doors Down will be releasing their highly anticipated 5th studio album, 'Time of My Life,' on July 19th. Recorded in Los Angeles with studio wizard Howard Benson (Creed, Flyleaf), the record promises to deliver more of the arena-sized hooks on which the Mississippi group has built its reputation. "We are excited for the fans to hear these songs and think they'll love them as much as we do. It's a record we're proud of and we can't wait to play the songs for y'all live." vocalist Brad Arnold told Noisecreep.

Read more and get the track list at noisecreep.com














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Bayonet (Senses Fail) Announces Debut EP

Bayonet, a new hardcore group featuring Buddy Neilsen (Senses Fail) on vocals, Jeremy Comitas (The Banner) on guitar, Paul Klein (Suburban Scum) on drums, and Will Putney (Fit For An Autopsy) on bass, has announced that they will release their debut self-titled EP on July 26 on Mightier Than Sword Records.

The first pressing is limited to 500 one-sided 12″ records. The color breakdown will be 100 on black 180gram vinyl, 200 on clear-yellow-brown swirl, and 200 on clear-grey-black marble swirl.

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our friends at www.vinylcollective.com  have this news:

Some OOP Records Available Now – Alk3 & Dashboard


ShopRadioCast now has a few copies of previously out of print Alkaline Trio – Good Mourning on white vinyl and the Dashboard Confessional – The Shade of Poison Trees on Red and Yellow. These have both been out of print for some time now. All three colors were limited to ONLY 300 copies!

Pick up your copies today at shopradiocast.com








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in the green land of ireland, vinyl doing well!

Record shops enjoy revival as new music fans turn to vinyl

By Maureen Coleman

When the compact disc was introduced to mainstream music in the 1980s, it seemed to mark the final farewell for vinyl.

For many music fans, the new digital format replaced the trusted old seven, 10 and 12-inch record and analogue became, to a large extent, obsolete.

Vinyl records were stored away in attics, gathering dust, or were sold off at record fairs to collectors or DJs.

But in recent years there's been an upsurge in the sale of vinyl, with independent record shops springing up around Belfast.

Read more at belfasttelegraph.co.uk

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TESTAMENT: First Four Albums To Be Re-Released On Deluxe Limited-Edition180-Gram Vinyl

Back On Black, which specializes in vinyl editions of classic metal albums and is dedicated to providing top-quality releases for record collectors and metal fans worldwide, will re-release TESTAMENT's first four albums — "The Legacy", "The New Order", "Practice What You Preach" and "Souls Of Black" — on June 27 on deluxe limited-edition180-gram vinyl:

* "The Legacy" (originally released in 1987) (purple vinyl)
* "The New Order" (originally released in 1988) (clear vinyl)
* "Practice What You Preach" (originally released in 1989) (white vinyl)
* "Souls Of Black" (originally released in 1990) (blue vinyl)

For more information, go to this location. backonblack.com

Read more at Blabbermouth



took a look at backonblack.com and here is what they say about themselves:

Established in 2004, Back On Black specialises in vinyl editions of classic Metal albums and is dedicated to providing top quality releases for record collectors and Metal fans worldwide.

Our releases are pressed on exquisite, heavy weight vinyl to produce the very best in sound quality with a mesmerizing tactile feel that makes them a pleasure to handle. Beautiful vinyl colours are carefully chosen to complement the artwork, with some releases available in a variety of colours for the dedicated collector. Many releases are double, or even triple, LPs!

The artwork itself is re-worked to faithfully interpret the original album, and reproduced on superior quality gatefold sleeves in heavy weight card with a superb and un-rivalled finish.

As well as all our re-mastered LPs of classic albums from throughout Metal’s history, Back On Black also issues many exclusive vinyl editions of contemporary Metal releases. Far from being dead, our beloved vinyl format is going from strength to strength – and Back On Black is proud to serve the needs of the Metal vinyl connoisseur!

great place to find vinyl!!!

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love the cover art!

Svartsot Reveals Artwork For New Album "Maledictus Eris"

Svartsot has recently issued the an announcement about 'Maledictus Eris,' the band's upcoming album:

"We're proud to be able to release the cover artwork and track list for the third Svartsot album; Maledictus Eris. As previously announced, the album recounts the tale of the Black Death's incursion into Danish history from 1349 to 1350. The album begins the tale from just prior to the plague's arrival through to when the first bout relinquished its grasp, and focuses on the way the epidemic affected the population – from victim to survivor. We have taken more inspiration from medieval music than on previous albums, and the feel of the album in general has taken a darker and more emotive turn on this recording.











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more album cover art, however, this list is a must see for heavy metal fans!

Eternal Summer: The Hottest Heavy-Metal Album Covers of All Time


check out their list at blog.rhapsody.com













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GRIMEY'S BEST SELLERS 5/30 - 6/05, 2011

Top 25 Vinyl:

1. My Morning Jacket - Circuital
2. Death Cab For Cutie - Codes & Keys
3. Fleet Foxes - Helplessness Blues
4. Iron & Wine / The Low Anthem - Daytrotter Sessions LP
5. David Bazan - Strange Negotiations
6. Thurston Moore - Demolished Thoughts
7. Bake Sale - As Predicted 7"
8. Jacuzzi Boys - Island Avenue 7"
9. Brian Eno - Before And After Science
10. The Black Keys - Brothers
11. Mumford & Sons - Sigh No More
12. Natural Child - White Man's Burden 7"
13. Bon Iver - For Emma, Forever Ago
14. White Denim - D
15. Queens Of The Stone Age - Queens Of The Stone Age
16. Explosions In The Sky - Take Care, Take Care, Take Care
17. Frank Fairfield - Out On The Open West
18. KORT - Invariable Heartache
19. The Coolin' System - The Coolin' System
20. Radiohead - OK Computer
19. Jeff Buckley - Grace
20. The Zombies - Odyssey & Oracle
21. Jeff The Brotherhood - Heavy Days
22. R Stevie Moore - Phonography
23. Thao & Mirah - Thao & Mirah
24. Bob Dylan - Bringing It All Back Home
25. The Black Keys - Thickfreakness


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and in austin, texas, here are the best selling vinyl records at waterloorecords.com for the week ending June 4th, 2011


Vinyl Top Sellers

1. My Morning Jacket
2. Fleet Foxes
3. Mumford & Sons
4. Death Cab for Cutie
5. Okkervil River
6. Explosions in the Sky
7. Thurston Moore
8. Adele
9. The Cars
10. Sarah Jarosz

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Two Disc, 36 Song Runaways Tribute Album Announced

On June 28th, Main Man Records will release a two-disc, thirty-six song Runaways tribute album 'Take It or Leave It.'

Some of the participants include The Donnas, Shonen Knife, The Adolescents, The Dandy Warhols, Richard Barone (of The Bongos), Derwood Andrews (of Generation X), Toilet Boys, Care Bears On Fire (with Earl Slick of David Bowie/New York Dolls), Kittie, Starz, David Johansen (of New York Dolls) and Kathleen Hanna (of Bikini Kill/Le Tigre) and Peaches, (whose collaboration was produced by Ad Rock of the Beastie Boys).

Take It Or Leave It also includes two performances by original Runaways band members: lead vocalist Cherie Currie recorded a cover of fan-favorite “American Nights” with the band Frakenstein 3000 and “Dirty Magazines”, the last recording made by drummer Sandy West with her band Blue Fox.

Mixed in with the music are interview clips with the members of The Runaways, mock radio ads by broadcast legends Rodney Bingenheimer, Carol Miller and ”Mr. Marty” Martinez, candid comments from Johnny Ramone and a recollection of the band’s appearance at CBGB’s by noted radio personality Meg Griffin.

In Sandy West’s name, a donation from the proceeds of the album will be made to the American Institute for Cancer Research. Since 1982, the AICR’s mission has been to fund, support and promote research as well as expand public knowledge through educational programs to bring its message of cancer prevention to millions of Americans. To that end, the AICR has committed more than $82 million, and was the first organization in the nation to support research into the role of diet and exercise as it related to cancer prevention.

The track listing is below.

Disc One:

THE DONNAS – Queens Of Noise
SHONEN KNIFE – Black Leather
THE BINGES – I Love Playin’ With Fire
BEBE BUELL BAND – Heartbeat
DEENA & THE LAUGHING BOYS – Lovers
FRANKENSTEIN 3000 – California Paradise
DELIRIUM TREMENS – Wasted
RICHIE SCARLET – Wild Thing
BLUE FOX – Neon Angels On The Road To Ruin
THE EASY OUTS featuring GAR FRANCIS – Is It Day Or Night
LAURA WARSHAUER – Little Lost Girls
WHITE FLAG – C’mon
CALI GIRAFFES – You’re Too Possessive
TARA ELLIOTT & THE RED VELVETS – You Drive Me Wild
PLANET SORROW – Thunder
ROBBIE RIST – Yesterday’s Kids
SERPENTEENS – Little Sister
ADOLESCENTS – School Days
BLUE FOX featuring SANDY WEST – Dirty Magazines

Disc Two:

THE DANDY WARHOLS – Cherry Bomb
RICHARD BARONE – Hollywood
CARE BEARS ON FIRE with EARL SLICK – Saturday Night Special
DERWOOD ANDREWS – Gotta Get Out Tonight
DAVID JOHANSEN – Blackmail
THE RIBEYE BROTHERS – Trash Can Murders
DIGGER PHELPS – Rock & Roll
TOILET BOYS – Born To Be Bad
THE SWALES – Midnight Music
FRANKENSTEIN 3000 featuring CHERIE CURRIE – American Nights
F-13 – I Wanna Be Where The Boys Are
THE STAY AT HOMES – Getting’ Hot
KITTIE – Fantasies
STARZ – Waitin’ For The Night
JACK BRAG – Secrets
CLINICAL TRIALS – Don’t Go Away
KATHLEEN HANNA & PEACHES – Dead End Justice (produced by Ad Rock)

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and in music history for today:

In 1958, Sheb Wooley hit the top of the Billboard chart with a novelty song called "The Purple People Eater". When he first sang the tune for MGM executives, Sheb said he was scraping "the bottom of the barrel", but the brass loved the song and wanted to release it. Three weeks after it hit store shelves it was the number one record in the US and would start a merchandising craze that included hats, T-shirts and even ice cream.

In 1958, the Elegants released the immortal cut Little Star.

In 1962, the Beatles, on the last night of their tour with Roy Orbison, performed at King George’s Hall, Blackburn, Lancashire. It was during this tour that The Beatles’ fans started throwing jelly babies (or beans as we call them here in the great US) at them while they were on stage, after an off-the-cuff remark on television that George Harrison enjoyed eating them. depending on how far they were thrown from, i bet them suckers hurt!

In 1964, during an evening session, Bob Dylan recorded “Mr. Tambourine Man” at Columbia Recording Studios in New York City.

In 1967, the Monkees kicked off their summer tour at the Hollywood Bowl in California, where they performed in front of a large and hysterical crowd.

Brian Jones announced he was leaving The Rolling Stones in 1969 because he didn't agree with the band's musical direction.

In 1971, Paul McCartney's "Ram" LP goes Gold in the US, where it would reach #2 and spend over five months in the Top Ten, eventually going Platinum. The album reached #1 in the UK.

In 1972, Elvis Presley made entertainment history by performing four sold-out shows at New York’s Madison Square Garden. George Harrison, John Lennon, David Bowie, Bob Dylan and Art Garfunkel were among the music stars attending the shows, which were recorded and became the album Elvis as Recorded at Madison Square Garden.

Also in 1972, Bruce Springsteen signed with Columbia Records and started assembling the E Street Band from various Asbury Park ex-bandmates.

In 1989, exactly 25 years to the day after Brian Wilson and The Beach Boys reached number one with "Help Me Rhonda", his daughters Carnie and Wendy, along with John Phillips' daughter Chynna, had the top song in the US with "Hold On".

In 1990, M.C. Hammer’s debut album started a record-breaking 21-week stay at the top of the U.S. album charts, making it the longest uninterrupted stay at the top since the album charts started.

In 1993 - The U.S. Postal Service debuted its Legends of American Music, Rock and Roll-Rhythm and Blues stamp collection. The set featured Bill Haley, Buddy Holly, Clyde McPhatter, Otis Redding, Ritchie Valens, Dinah Washington, and Elvis Presley.

In 1993, What's Love Got to Do With It?, a film about singer Tina Turner and how she rose to Rock stardom with her husband Ike Turner, opened in US theatres. The film was well received and the stars, Angela Bassett and Laurence Fishburne, were both nominated for Oscars. Bassett won a Best Actress Golden Globe for her performance as Tina.

Also in 1993, Arthur Alexander, a Rhythm and Blues singer-songwriter who reached #24 on the Billboard Pop chart in 1962 with "You Better Move On", died of a heart attack at the age of 53. Alexander had his tunes recorded by The Beatles ("Anna"), The Rolling Stones ("You Better Move On"), Steve Alaimo ("Every Day I Have To Cry") and Bob Dylan ("Sally Sue Brown").

Lisa "Left-Eye" Lopes (TLC) set fire to her boyfriend's house in 1994. Her boyfriend was Andre Rison of the Atlanta Falcons.

In 1998, the Ronettes finally got their day in court, as a judge in the Appellate Division of the Supreme Court of New York heard arguments in their lawsuit against Phil Spector. The Ronettes, whose hits included "Be My Baby" and "Walking In The Rain", charged that the producer breached the group's 34-year-old contract by paying the members no royalties since 1963. The suit asked for $12 million in damages, rescission of the contract, the return of the masters and recoupment of all monies received by the defendants from the sale of Ronettes masters. Although The Ronettes would win this case, a five-judge panel of the New York State Court of Appeals would overturn the decision in October, 2002, saying that the contract the Ronettes signed with Spector in 1963 was still binding.

In 2009, the Librarian of Congress announced that twenty-five culturally significant recordings, including "Tom Dooley" by The Kingston Trio, "Rumble" by Link Wray and "My Generation" by The Who, will be preserved in a special sound archive in the National Recording Registry.

celebrating birthdays today include Jon Lord of Deep Purple fame (1941), Ed Simmons (Chemical Brothers) (41) and Trevor Bolder of Uriah Heep (1950), just to name a few

Mike Montrey Band Releases Highly Anticipated Live Studio Album, Weaving The Basket



New Jersey Independent Artist, Mike Montrey Band has released its highly anticipated live double studio album, Weaving The Basket, inspired by the literary classic, "Walden" by Henry David Thoreau.


NEW BRUNSWICK, N.J.—A stifling, infectious infirmity is running rampant under pop culture’s slate gray clouds. A society – and modern music industry – that pretends to nurture the creative spirit actually forces an ideal: that to produce products and sell the results is the only acceptable form of creative exchange. For its upcoming double album, Mike Montrey Band (The MMB) reach back to an older literary classic for the inspiration to burst through the veil of robotic capitalism and its stranglehold on recording, and let music drip with all the passion with which it was intended.

In Henry David Thoreau’s “Walden” (1854), Thoreau tells of a Native American who approaches a wealthy lawyer, intending to sell his woven baskets. Denied, he feels snubbed and cheated. Thoreau writes: “I too had woven a kind of basket of a delicate texture, but I had not made it worth anyone's while to buy them. Yet not the less, in my case, did I think it worth my while to weave them, and instead of studying how to make it worth men's while to buy my baskets, I studied rather how to avoid the necessity of selling them. The life which men praise and regard as successful is but one kind. Why should we exaggerate any one kind at the expense of the others?”

For Weaving the Basket, The MMB’s first studio album since 2008’s “A Perfect Reality,” the band decided to innovate by getting back to the source – art for art’s sake and the visceral experience of live music performed in front of an audience. On January 29, The MMB offered the public an opportunity to hear Weaving the Basket recorded live, in two two-hour sessions at the intimate Retromedia Studios in Red Bank, N.J. With the live show presented in a recording studio rather than a club, in front a silent audience who influenced the players’ spontaneity and showmanship through their presence, a special musical ambience was created, one trumping the isolated production atmosphere of typical recording and overlays. Enigmatic frontman Mike Montrey explained, “We chose this route because we felt it was the best way to convey the feeling of these songs, and while we are not opposed to studio albums in the true sense, we do feel that playing as one emits an irreplaceable feel.”

The album contains two discs: the tender and emotive “Acoustic Side,” and the raucous zouk- inspired “Electric Side.” MMB members Rob Smith (drums), Anthony “Duke” Duca (bass), Karl Dietel (keyboards), Hayden Wright (tenor sax) and Adam Garnys (alto sax) spin their collective mastery, while central New Jersey favorite James Dalton on harmonica and Juggling Suns vocalist Jen Nay make spine-tingling guest appearances. Lead guitarist and vocalist Mike Montrey has been weaving his baskets, so to speak, since his early days of commanding northern New Jersey’s live music scene as the frontman of cult-following roots-rock quintet ...water... in 2001.

Montrey was invited to tour as a member of heavy-hitting rock band The Samples, who’d been touring for 19 years and had shared stages with Dave Matthews Band, Sting and Phish. Montrey continues to play with The Samples across North America. In 2008, Montrey formed the nexus of what would become The MMB, and it’s been a nonstop ride ever since. “A Perfect Reality” enjoyed a nomination for Top Release of 2008 by the prestigious Asbury Music Awards, debuted at #29 on the Jambands.com radio charts, and the single “Tin Can” was a Relix Magazine Jam Off! selection. For more information on live dates and to buy the new album visit: www.mikemontrey.com

Wednesday, June 8, 2011

UnCovered Interview - Jon Sarkin - Guster Easy Wonderful album cover


UnCovered Interview - Guster - Easy Wonderful - a 2010 release on Universal Records, with cover artwork by Jon Sarkin




During the 4-year break between releasing albums, the members of indie-pop band Guster took a break from their strenuous touring schedules to pursue other projects of great interest to them, including having children, contributing music to films, building home studios and, in the case of Adam Gardner, promoting the works of his environmentally-oriented not-for-profit organization (called Reverb, which is "dedicated to greening musicians' tours and engaging their fans to take action to protect the planet"). When they re-grouped in late 2008 to begin work on their next release, they'd hoped to be able to record some new songs rather quickly, but a variety of roadblocks - including having to fire their original producer and leaving their long-time record label (Warner Brothers) for a new one (Universal) - forced the band mates to do an in-depth appraisal of their future together.

A meeting in a Brooklyn bar made them realize that they all wanted to move ahead and, rather than focus on pressures from the record label and on "making hits", what they really wanted was just to pour their souls into making a record they could be proud of. The result was their well-received 2010 release titled Easy Wonderful.

Once the record was done, though, they were eager to get it out to the public and, with a shortened production schedule, it was time to find an artist and create the designs for the packaging. Guster drummer Brian Rosenworcel then showed his good sense of timing when he asked an artist whose work he'd recently added to his own art collection to produce something wonderful for the cover.

What Brian hadn't bargained for was that, once this particular artist gets started on a project, prodigious amounts of artwork would be created and that this effort would produce imagery that would be used in nearly every aspect of the band's visuals. What was it about this artist that so engrossed the band and would provide them with the inspiration to use his frenzied process and output as the bases for the record cover, their merchandise and the highly-praised music video for the record's first single? Read on - hope you can keep up... :-)

Interview with artist Jon Sarkin about his work for Guster's Easy Wonderful - conducted in March, 2011 by Mike Goldstein, RockPoP Gallery

"My wife's ex-step-mother has a niece who was Chad Carlberg's boyfriend. I met Chad at a family gathering and he told me that his sister went to med school with Brian Rosenworcel's wife and that the two of them became friends after that. Chad liked my work and asked me to work with him on a couple of projects. I did a TV commercial that I was the star of and also did some art that he animated for a music video.

About a year ago, Chad introduced me to Brian, who was a fan of my work, and they asked me to work on the album cover art for their new record. Since Brian was familiar with my work, he was able to sell me to the other band members. They all thought that my kind of art would go along well with the vibe of what they were doing musically. The band gave me an advanced copy of the CD, so I knew what their stuff was like. The music had a very "feel good" vibe - very "pop-py". I knew that this would be an ongoing collaboration, and so by listening to the songs on the album, I hoped to portray visually what each song and the whole album was about.” I decided to go with a circle because CDs are circular. Also, I like bright colors, and since Guster is a sunny, optimistic band, I designed my art to reflect this feeling.

I just listened to the music and riffed a lot on my own and, once the band saw my stuff, they gave me some feedback. I talked to Brian a lot while I was doing the art - I kept feeding him ideas and he kept giving me feedback. They didn't come up with ideas for specific images; I would show them something and they would let me know if it worked and then I'd give them others with the same feel. I kept giving them new things to look at and, eventually, they were happy. They were incredibly easy and fun to work with, so I never minded doing dozens of images and then re-working them to their satisfaction. It's a lot like advertising, really.

Most of my contact was with the band itself - that is, I didn't really hear anything from the label people. Everyone was pretty cool during the time I was given (the money was fine, too!), even Chad gave me some feedback (Editor's note - in a recorded interview in February, 2011 at New York's Metropolitan Museum on the subject - you'll find a link to this at the end of this article - the band members said that Jon basically works based on his own inspirations, so any suggestions are typically discarded quickly. 'John creates, then discards - he doesn't touch anything up'). Ryan Miller told me that I was the only artist that he knew of that just makes art and that he'd never seen a purer expression of art.

Anyway, the whole job probably took 3 months or so. I didn't use any special materials. I know that I submitted dozens of images and they were all scanned and given to the A.D. at the label. The artwork that I thought I had done originally for the CD label wound up as the main image on the cover. After the scanning, the A.D. then PhotoShopped together 3 or 4 images from different art pieces to arrive at the final image for the cover. I’m really happy with what he did. He really got my sense and didn’t have a heavy hand at all.

I also did all of the lettering and the lyric sheets, the inside illustrations, the back cover, the liner notes, and designs for the labels on the CD and vinyl LP. Many of the other images are used on their stage props and their merchandise. Other ones were used on their singles, T-shirts, sweatshirts, water bottles, scarves, knapsacks, Brian's bass drum head and then all of the painting during the music video for "Do You Love Me?"



The band told me that this was the first time that they used their album art beyond just the cover - it's on the video and their website and their merchandise, too. To sum it up is simple. The band and their management and the label were - I mean are - great. They were very communicative about what they wanted, and they created an environment in which I really wanted to satisfy them."

Guster hired film director Chad Carlberg to produce the music video for the album's first single, "Do You Love Me?" (in fact, the band produced music videos for every cut on the album). Knowing Jon and how he works, Chad decided that the best way to harness all of Sarkin's kinetic energy would be to feature it (and him) in the video. Using a technique where he recorded the band members playing as if they were doing it in slow motion, Jon then painted everything in eyeshot - the set, the band-members, I mean EVERYTHING - in real time, so when the edit was sped up to normal speed, it appears that the band is playing in regular time and that Jon is running around frenetically - a very cool and effective approach to representing both the players and the artist as you might imagine them.




To watch a short video created by director Chad Carlberg about his collaboration with Jon to produce the music video for the "Do You Love Me?" single, please visit - http://www.productionblue.com/guster

About the artist, Jon Sarkin (includes excerpts from his web site) -

As a youngster in New Jersey, Jon Sarkin liked to draw and enjoyed visits to the art museums in New York City where he could see works that inspired him. He particularly liked Pop art - Warhol, Rauchenberg - and the Dadaists as well. Later on, he discovered the wild and crazy art styles of R. Crumb and Ralph Steadman, with these inspirations highlighted in his sketches and in the posters he would create for the dances at his school.

While not all that athletically inclined, he did discover a liking for golf, a game which he'd take up again later on in life. A lover of the outdoors, the shy young chiropractor would often try to steal away from the office on a beautiful day to get in 9 holes of golf with his friends. It was during a round in 1988 that Jon suffered a sudden brain hemorrhage, followed by a post-surgery stroke that nearly killed him. While the stroke left him partially blind, deaf in one ear and with his sense of balance permanently affected, some unexplained force re-awakened his artistic talents. As author Amy Ellis Nutt states so elegantly in her article on Jon (see below), "the once-shy, ambitious chiropractor awoke with an effusive, unfocused need to create... He didn't approach the world anymore, the world absorbed him - overwhelming his senses, swamping the filters that protect the rest of us from the minor details of existence. Colors, sounds, smells, words and images produced a cacophony of sensations."

Today, he lives and works in Gloucester, Massachusetts - in a studio based in an old converted fish factory - with his wife and his two daughters . As he puts it, "I mean, after all, my life has not sucked totally, and the whole art thing is pretty cool, don’t you think? And my kids are great. And my wife Kim, well, she ROCKS!"

Sarkin has work in the private collections of Tom Cruise, Robert DeNiro, Annie Leibovitz, Meryl Streep and Diane Von Furstenberg. He has shown at Diane von Furstenberg, The DeCordova and Revolving Museums in MA, The Museum of Modern Art in NY and others (please visit his web site at http://www.jsarkin.com  for more information). Jon has been featured in three BBC documentary films, an episode of ABC's "Medical Mysteries" and in articles in GQ, Vanity Fair, and Readers Digest, etc.

As an actor, Sarkin has appeared in film and on stage ("I enjoy the work, but I really don't consider myself an actor"). Jon has also written many volumes of poetry and, in addition to a long list of art commissions, he is currently writing/illustrating both a novel and his own autobiography.

His artwork is in the collections of The Museum of Modern Art in NY, the Decordova and Revolving Museums in MA, and private collectors including Tom Cruise, Annie Leibovitz, Diane Von Furstenburg/Barry Diller and many others.

The rights to Jon's life story have been purchased by United Artists for a film to be developed by Tom Cruise’s production company. A script has been written and a director has been chosen. More details will be available on his site as they are released.

To read author Amy Ellis Nutt's Pulitzer Prize-nominated article on Jon Sarkin titled "The Accidental Artist", please visit - http://www.nj.com/starledger/sarkin/

To watch a video on YouTube of a live interview/concert/spontaneous art performance featuring Jon, Guster and director Chad Carlberg recorded at a "Spectrum Presents" concert at NY's Metropolitan Museum, click on the following link - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7g837CY9xN4

At about 37:30 into the video, you can watch Jon produce a new version of the "color wheel" artwork while Guster plays cuts from the new record.

About UnCovered -

Our ongoing series of interviews will give you, the music and art fan, a look at "The Making Of" the illustrations, photographs and designs of many of the most-recognized and influential images that have served to package and promote your all-time-favorite recordings.

In each UnCovered feature, we'll meet the artists, designers and photographers who produced these works of art and learn what motivated them, what processes they used, how they collaborated (or fought) with the musical acts, their management, their labels, etc. - all of the things that influenced the final product you saw then and still see today.

We hope that you enjoy these looks behind the scenes of the music-related art business and that you'll share your stories with us and fellow fans about what role these works of art - and the music they covered - played in your lives.

All images featured in this UnCovered story are Copyright 2010 Jon Sarkin and Guster - All rights reserved. Except as noted, all other text Copyright 2011 - Mike Goldstein & RockPoP Gallery (www.rockpopgallery.com) - All rights reserved. 

Reprinted by Exclusive Permission

Ask Mr. Music by Jerry Osborne

FOR THE WEEK OF JUNE 6, 2011



DEAR JERRY: Who are the 10 artists of the past century with the greatest number of pop albums on the charts? How does that group compare to those folks with the most chart singles?

Lastly, how many acts reached No. 1 with a single, but then did not get the opportunity to make an LP?
—Matt Morrison, York, Pa.


DEAR MATT: The all-time Top 10, with their total number of charted albums, are: 1. Elvis Presley (105); 2. Frank Sinatra (78); 3. Johnny Mathis (72); 4. Ray Conniff (53); 5. James Brown (51); 6. Barbra Streisand (48); 7. Temptations (48); 8. Beach Boys (47); 9. Willie Nelson (46); 10. Beatles (45).

As for pop singles, only 40% of the names on the previous list are carried over: 1. Elvis Presley (163); 2. James Brown (107); 3. Ray Charles (91); 4. Aretha Franklin (88); 5. Fats Domino (77); 6. Beatles (75); 7. Frank Sinatra (75); 8. Elton John (69); 9. Connie Francis (67); 10. Nat King Cole (66).

James Brown once sang “It's a Man's Man's Man's World,” and so it goes with these two lists. Of the 16 total names, the only ladies are Barbra, Aretha, and Connie.

The vinyl long-play format debuted in 1948, but the album Nazi (“No LP for you!”) appeared only during four years. By 1959 this strange and short-lived predicament came to an end.

With each of their No. 1 singles noted, we know of no vinyl LPs for these five hit-makers:
1952: Johnny Standley (“It's in the Book”).
1955: Joan Weber (“Let Me Go Lover”).
1957: Charlie Gracie (“Butterfly”).
1958: Danny and the Juniors (“At the Hop”); Elegants (“Little Star”).

Two on this short list eventually had an LP of their own, but those came 20 or more years after their original success. Both 1958 groups, Danny and the Juniors and the Elegants, finally made it to long-play vinyl in the early 1980s.

Johnny Standley; Joan Weber; and Danny and the Juniors did at least have seven-inch, four-track, extended play 45s, which are sometimes described as mini-LPs.


DEAR JERRY: Until recently, I didn't know Patsy Cline's “Sweet Dreams (Of You)” was written by Don Gibson.

I see he is also the composer of “I Can't Stop Loving You,” recorded by Ray Charles, Elvis, Roy Orbison, and many others.

Did Mr. Gibson write these songs just for others, or did he release his own versions?
—Betsy Gibbs, Orem, Utah


DEAR BETSY: Yes, Don recorded his own versions of both of those tunes. However, in neither case did Gibson have the best selling record.

Don's and Faron Young's “Sweet Dreams (Of You)” both came out in the summer of 1956, but Faron's became a far bigger hit. It didn't hurt that Young was an established star with a dozen Top 10 records to his credit, and Gibson had yet to have his first hit as a singer.

Patsy Cline's classic version of “Sweet Dreams (Of You)” was her first posthumous hit, issued just a few weeks after the plane crash that took her life (March 5, 1963).

Don's second hit, “Oh Lonesome Me,” didn't come along until 1958. It would, however, be worth the wait. It became his biggest ever, a smash in both the C&W and Top 40 fields.

Not a lot of attention was paid to the B-side, a terrific ballad titled “I Can't Stop Lovin' You” (no 'g').

Roy Orbison took note of the tune and put it on the flip side of his 1960 hit, “I'm Hurtin'.”

Four years later, Ray Charles' “I Can't Stop Loving You,” backed with “Born to Lose,” sold over a million copies — elevating writer Don Gibson to a higher tax bracket. Elvis, Conway Twitty, and others who recorded “I Can't Stop Loving You,” kept him there.


IZ ZAT SO? Of all the versions of “Sweet Dreams (Of You),” the only one to reach No. 1 is by Emmylou Harris. That was on the C&W charts.

Her 1976 treatment of the Gibson classic remains one of the biggest hits of her 42-year career.

Two other significant waxings are by Tommy McLain, who had the biggest pop version (1966), and Reba McEntire (1979).


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 2011 Osborne Enterprises- Reprinted By Exclusive Permission



Naxos of America Begins Distribution for Three Labels in June 2011



FRANKLIN, TN - During the month of June, Naxos of America will launch distribution for three labels in the U.S. and Canada, with genres ranging from classical to audiophile recordings and UK roots and folk music. The labels included in this month's launch will be Navigator Records, Yarlung Records and K&K Verlagsanstalt.

Navigator Records (navigatorrecords.co.uk) is the home to many ground-breaking artists on the UK roots and folks scene today. Since the label's inception in 2008, Navigator releases have received awards and nominations from the BBC Radio 2 Folk Awards and the Irish Music Awards. The regular and glowing reviews in the majority of UK music press (Q, Mojo, fRoots, Word, The Guardian, The Independent and many more) have made it obvious why Navigator is one of the most acclaimed new labels in the UK. The Roster of artists includes Bellowhead, Jon Boden, Boo Hewerdine, Faustus, Bella Hardy, Spiers & Boden, Chris Wood and many others.

Grammy® Award-winning Yarlung Records (www.yarlungrecords.com) brings fresh musicians to the classical music world using minimalist audiophile recording techniques to deliver sound as close to live performance as possible. Rather than using recording studios, engineer Bob Attiyeh produces these albums in concert halls famous for their acoustics, including Walt Disney Concert Hall and Ambassador Hall in Los Angeles. Yarlung uses both analog tape and high resolutions digital media for CDs made with special alloys, high resolution digital downloads, and 180 Gram vinyl LPs, all mastered by Steve Hoffman. With repertoire ranging from the 11th century through the Baroque, Classical, Romantic, and 21st Century, Yarlung highlights performances of top soloists as well as superstar young musicians at the beginnings of their international careers.

K&K Verlagsanstalt (www.kuk-verlagsanstalt.com), founded in 1995, is the publishing house of the German producers and artists Josef-Stefan Kindler and Andreas Otto Grimminger. Specializing in acoustic music, concert recordings and visual art, the label records outstanding performances and concerts for posterity. Through its recordings, K&K creates an atmosphere where the performers, audience, opus and room enter into an intimate dialogue that in its form and expression is unique and unrepeatable. This goes hand-in-hand with the label's philosophy of enabling the listener to acutely experience every facet of this symbiosis, the intensity of the performance.

Tuesday, June 7, 2011

Vinyl Record News & Music Notes

Grateful Dead's Shakedown Street and Blues for Allah Get Deluxe 180-Gram Pure Virgin Vinyl Treatment

Written by W3 Public Relations  


In a move sure to delight audiophiles and collectors of classic pop music albums, the Audio Fidelity label will reissue of two classic Grateful Dead albums on 180-gram pure virgin vinyl, in limited numbered edition gatefold packages on June 7th, according to label president Marshall Blonstein.The band's 1975 BLUES FOR ALLAH and 1978's SHAKEDOWN STREET will be available from both online and brick-and-mortar retail outlets as the latest offerings in Audio Fidelity's continuing program of audiophile reissues.

Audio Fidelity, which Blonstein founded in 2002 after leaving the pioneering DCC Compact Classics label that he started in 1986, has become synonymous with high-quality album reissues geared toward the audiophile market. Since 2009, Audio Fidelity has reissued some of the best-known and most significant pop and rock titles in both 24Karat Gold CD and 180-gram virgin vinyl editions.Continuing the policy Blonstein established at DCC, all Audio Fidelity titles are produced from original sources and feature the original artwork. Among the imprint's growing catalog are key recordings by Stevie Wonder, Simon & Garfunkel, the Beach Boys, Rod Stewart, the Doors, Cat Stevens, James Taylor and Linda Ronstadt.

The two Grateful Dead reissues occupy special places in the fabled San Francisco band's history. BLUES FOR ALLAH, originally released in September of 1975, was the third of only four albums issued on the group's Grateful Dead Records imprint.

Read more at gratefulweb.com

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CSS Announce Track List And Cover Art For New Album, La Liberacion

Fresh off their Coachella performance and recent co-headlining tour with Sleigh Bells, where they played sold out shows across the country, CSS are getting ready to unveil their third full-length. Titled 'La Liberacion,' the new album also features collaborations with Ratatat, Primal Scream's Bobby Gillespie, and Mike Garson (who played piano on David Bowie's "Aladdin Sane"). It will be released worldwide August 22 via V2/Cooperative Music/Downtown Records.

Track List:

I Love You
Hits me like A Rock
City Grrrl
Echo of love
You Could Have It All
La Liberacion
Partners In Crime
Ruby Eyes
Rhythm To The Rebels
Red Alert
Fuck Everything



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never heard of the man, however, i like his style

Israel Nash Gripka Releases Joplin, MO Tornado Relief Album

Ozark native Israel Nash Gripka has announced the release of Missouri, a collection of new and original songs written and inspired by the tragedy of May 22nd when a tornado destroyed 1/3 of Joplin, MO and killed more than 100 people.

"The emotional and physical destruction endured by those residents of Joplin, MO is nothing less than a tragedy," says Gripka. "My aim is to promote hope through the power of song and to raise money for the victims, the city of Joplin, and the continued efforts that must be done." Donate $5 and receive a link to download Missouri.

All proceeds from the EP will go to the "United for Joplin" campaign by Heart of Missouri United Way to benefit tornado victims in Joplin. "Having lived most of my life in the Ozarks, I have always recognized the spirit of generosity and community that people have there," says Gripka. "Living in New York and not being able to physically help has been tough. I wanted to get involved and thought the best thing that I could give would be my songs."

Read the rest at antimusic.com

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Cymbals Eat Guitars Have Announced New Album Title, Cover Art and Tracklist


In 2009, New York/New Jersey fuzz rockers Cymbals Eat Guitars released their debut album 'Why There Are Mountains.' Since then, aside from releasing a very faithful Elliott Smith cover, the band’s been pretty quiet; however, on September 14th, the band will back. Cymbals Eat Guitars has recently announce that their second album, 'Lenses Alien,' will be released on Barsuk Records at the end of this summer.

1 Rifle Eyesight (Proper Name)
2 Shore Points
3 Keep Me Waiting
4 Plainclothes
5 Definite Darkness
6 Another Tunguske
7 The Current
8 Wavelengths
9 Secret Family
10 Gary Condit






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great story behind the album cover for seasick steve:

Seasick Steve CD cover fame for abandoned Welsh dog TwmBy Carl Yapp

BBC Wales News website

A dog found abandoned on the M4 near Swansea has found unlikely fame on the front cover of a new album by American blues singer Seasick Steve.

A photograph of labrador-collie cross Twm standing in water on a beach in Portsmouth features on the album You Can't Teach An Old Dog New Tricks.

Twm's owner Claire Sambrook admitted she did not know who Seasick Steve was when he phoned to ask to use it.

He spotted it on the internet and said it went well with his stage name.

Seasick Steve's popularity has soared since he performed on Jools Holland's annual hootenanny on the BBC in 2006, and he has now sold more than a million records.

The 69-year-old phoned Ms Sambrook, originally from Tonna, Neath, last November.

He left a message on her answer phone, but she was not sure who he was at first.

Read the rest of this fascinating story at bbc.co.uk

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Primus Return With First New Album in a Decade

Primus have set a September 13, 2011 release date for Green Naugahyde, their first studio album in 11 years.

The record was produced and engineered by Les Claypool in his personal studio, Rancho Relaxo, in Northern California, and features Claypool, long-time guitarist Larry LaLonde and drummer Jay Lane. Lane was in an early lineup of the band, and was also in Sausage, a 1994 reunion of the 1988 Primus lineup. Green Naugahyde expands on Primus' incomparable sound and also sees them bringing it into the next millennium. It is a cerebral and complex album that, like all of the band's output, is teeming with the band's signature blend of whimsy and underlying darkness.

Read the rest at antimusic.com

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love this cover art!

Morbus Chron Reveals New Album Track List And Artwork


Death metal veterans Morbus Chron are gearing up to release their upcoming new full-length album later this year via Pulverised Records. Titled "Sleepers In The Rift," the nine-track offering was recorded in November of 2010 and produced by the band with Entombed’s Nicke Andersson. "Sleepers In The Rift" features cover art by Spanish fantasy artist Raul Gonzalez (Deceased, Abraxas et al), which can be viewed below.

Track list:

1. Through The Gaping Gate / Coughing In A Coffin
2. Creepy Creeping Creep
3. Hymns To A Stiff
4. Red Hook Horror
5. The Hallucinating Dead
6. Ways Of Torture
7. Dead Body Pile Necrophile
8. Lidless Coffin
9. Deformation Of The Dark Matter




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the wall street journal blog has a fascinating story about a legend in soul music, well worth checking out

When Marvin Broke Pattern

By MARC MYERS

Dressed in a crisp white linen shirt, black slacks and black loafers, Berry Gordy Jr. settled into a plush sofa last week as Marvin Gaye's voice boomed through a recessed speaker system. The founder of Motown Records had invited me to his estate here high above Los Angeles to talk about "What's Going On," Gaye's monumental hit single and album released 40 years ago, to be reissued Tuesday as a remastered anniversary package. By the end of the title track, Mr. Gordy's eyes were watery.

Read the rest of this informative piece at online.wsj.com

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The Dear Hunter Confirms First US Headlining Tour Starting July 15 In Support Of 'The Color Spectrum,' Due Out June 14

THE DEAR HUNTER is gearing up for their first-ever headlining U.S. tour, which will launch July 15 in San Francisco, CA and conclude August 27 in Pomona, CA. As with their recently wrapped trek with dredg, fans will be treated to new music from the forthcoming nine-EP collection, THE COLOR SPECTRUM, which is due out June 14 on Triple Crown Records.

Early acclaim for THE COLOR SPECTRUM comes from Alternative Press, Consequence of Sound and SPIN, the latter of whom proclaims it "a sprawling, heady mix, merging some of the challenging piano work of latter day Ben Folds Five with a bit of Muse-y, glam rock melodrama."

Ticket pre-sales will begin Wednesday, June 8 at 10am local time here: thedearhunter . Fans will have the option to add on an early download of the Full Length THE COLOR SPECTRUM CD, as well as an exclusive T-shirt for an extra $15.

THE COLOR SPECTRUM consists of songs inspired by the colors of the spectrum, specifically RED, ORANGE, YELLOW, GREEN, BLUE, INDIGO and VIOLET, with WHITE and BLACK being included as bookends. Casey Crescenzo, of The Dear Hunter, completed the EPs while traveling the US, documenting every step of the process. The collection features collaborations with several producers and musicians, including Manchester Orchestra, Brendan Brown from The Receiving End of Sirens, Mike Watts (who has worked with As Tall As Lions and he mixed the band's ACT III: LIFE AND DEATH), and Steve Haigler (Brand New, As Tall As Lions, Quicksand).

It will be available in the following formats:

# Full Length CD/Digital Download: Includes select music from each EP compiled on one full length compilation.

# Limited Edition Deluxe Vinyl Box Set: Nine 10" vinyl records available as a Box Set, which includes all music from THE COLOR SPECTRUM and a digital download of all the music. Available only through mail order via Triple Crown Records' website.

# Full Length Vinyl: Same as CD, but full length vinyl features songs from each EP of THE COLOR SPECTRUM.

# Individual digital versions of each song and EP from the entire collection of THE COLOR SPECTRUM.

Check out The Dear Hunter at any of the following stops:

DATE - CITY - VENUE

Fri 7/15 - San Francisco, CA - Bottom of the Hill
Sat 7/16 - Portland, OR - Hawthorne Theater
Sun 7/17 - Seattle, WA - El Corazon
Tue 7/19 - Salt Lake City, UT - Kilby Court
Wed 7/20 - Denver, CO - The Summit Music Hall/Front Room
Thu 7/21 - Omaha, NE - The Waiting Room
Fri 7/22 - Minneapolis, MN - Triple Rock Social Club
Sat 7/23 - Dekalb, IL - The House Cafe
Sun 7/24 - Chicago, IL - Lincoln Hall
Tue 7/26 - St. Louis, MO - The Firebird
Wed 7/27 - Covington, KY - Mad Hatter Club
Thu 7/28 - Grand Rapids, MI - The Pyramid Scheme
Fri 7/29 - Cleveland Heights, OH - The Grog Shop
Sat 7/30 - Pittsburgh, PA - Mr. Small's Theatre
Tue 8/9 - Manchester, NH Rocko's
Wed 8/10 - Cambridge, MA - Middle East
Thu 8/11 - Hamden, CT - The Space
Fri 8/12 - Brooklyn, NY - Knitting Factory
Sat 8/13 - Philadelphia, PA - North Star Bar
Sun 8/14 - Vienna, VA - Jammin' Java
Tue 8/16 - Atlanta, GA - The Drunken Unicorn
Wed 8/17 - Jacksonville, FL - The Pit
Thu 8/18 - Tampa, FL - The Orpheum
Fri 8/19 - Lake Worth, FL - Propaganda
Sat 8/20 - Orlando, FL - The Social
Mon 8/22 - Houston, TX - Warehouse Live Studio
Tue 8/23 - Dallas, TX - The Loft
Wed 8/24 - Austin, TX - Emo's (inside)
Fri 8/26 - Mesa, AZ - Sail Inn
Sat 8/27 - Pomona, CA - Glass House

www.thedearhunter.com
www.tdhcolors.com
www.myspace.com/thedearhunter
www.facebook.com/therealTDH
www.twitter.com/therealTDH

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not a real fan of digital, however, any time you can get some George Clinton action, however method you choose, is all right in my book

Hear Exclusive New Songs From George Clinton On The Big Ol'Nasty Getdown Volume 1

Funk up your weekend with an exclusive preview of the debut album from The Big Ol' Nasty Getdown and hear for the first time tracks featuring George Clinton recorded specifically for Volume 1. Go to www.bigolnastygetdown.com to access the player. The album will be available for streaming from Friday, June 3 to Sunday, June 5 at midnight. The Big Ol' Nasty Getdown Volume 1 will be available on iTunes on August 16.

Listeners will finally get a chance to hear "The Beauty of Pretty," a collaboration between George Clinton and Sidney Barnes, a song 30 years in the making and finally completed at the sessions for Volume 1. This soon-to-be-classic recording also features some of the last tracks recorded by the late Garry Shider. Belita Woods, Michael "Clip" Payne, members of the Dirty Dozen Brass Band, Robert Mercurio (Galactic); JP Miller (Yo Mamas Big Fat Booty Band), Lee Boys guitarist Roosevelt Collier, Danny Bedrosian (P-Funk); Ian Neville (The Meters / Dumpstaphunk), are just a few of the 60+ musicians who participated in the project.

The record was recorded in New Orleans and in Tallahassee at George Clinton's home studio and produced by John Heintz, JP Miller, and Frank Mapstone. The Big Ol' Nasty Getdown will debut songs for the album at the Long Beach Funk Festival on August 20th.



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i have a few albums, check them out if you can, some of their early work is awe inspiring

The Zombies To Celebrate 50th Anniversary With Album, Tour

The Zombies, helmed by founding members Rod Argent and singer Colin Blunstone, are marking the group's half century with a new album - "Breathe Out, Breathe In" - and a tour, with US dates this Fall. The tour kicks off on the east coast, with several dates already confirmed.

"Breathe Out, Breath In," is from the group who back in the 1960s provided such signature works as the singles "She's Not There," "Tell Her No" and "Time Of The Season."

"There was a clear brief," says Rod Argent. "We wanted to use as many two and three part harmonies as possible and lots of Hammond organ, Mellotron and Memotron. We didn't want to recreate the past, but we wanted to capture The Zombies' essence and meaning. Our energy and enthusiasm for making music is the same as it was when we first started and the magic and mystery of the whole music making process, we are still thrilled by it all. So we thought it would be great to celebrate when that all began. I first met Colin outside the Pioneer Club in St Albans for The Zombies' first rehearsal. We didn't know each other but Colin turned up with a broken nose and two black eyes. I thought, oh no, what have we got here? But he was a keen rugby player and was injured during a game."

Read the rest of this indepth interview at our friends at pluginmusic.com

The Zombies 50th Anniversary Tour with special guests Acoustic Strawbs

•9/15 Thursday MusikFest Café Bethlehem, PA
•9/16 Friday Montgomery College Silver Spring, MD
•9/17 Saturday Keswick Theatre Glenside, PA
•9/18 Sunday Tarrytown Music Hall Tarrytown, NY
•9/19 Monday Rams Head On Stage Annapolis, MD
•9/21 Wednesday Showcase Live Foxborough, MA
•9/22 Thursday Tupelo Music Hall Londonderry, NH
•9/23 Friday Infinity Hall Norfolk, CT
•9/24 Saturday Mohegan Sun Uncasville, CT
•9/26 Monday City Winery New York, NY
•9/27 Tuesday City Winery New York, NY
•9/28 Wednesday State Theatre State College, PA

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for some reason, i love this cover art!

Execration Announces New LP "Odes Of The Occult" Physical Release

Norway's Execration has announced the LP "Odes of the Occult" will be released through Duplicate Records on June 27th, 2011.

Track list

1 - Ode To Obscurity
2 - Unction
3 - Entheogen
4 - Intermezzo I
5 - A Crutch For Consolation
6 - Soul Maggot
7 - Grains
8 - Obsession
9 - Intermezzo II
10 - Left In Scorn
11 - High Priest







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lovely story about a record store in la

Permanent Records: Powered by Demand for "Shit That You Can't Find Anywhere Else"

By LA Weekly
STORY BY SAM BLOCH


Britt and Amanda Brown (above) of Eagle Rock's psychedelic record label Not Not Fun spun Dadawah and Indeep records they bought "for fifty cents" at Poo-Bah in Pasadena. "Nothing too crazy," said Amanda of her set Saturday during Permanent Records' opening. "It's daytime, and the walls are yellow."

After five successful years in Chicago, Lance Barresi and Liz Tooley just opened their second Permanent Records franchise in Eagle Rock. Powered by the consumer demand for "the shit that you can't find anywhere else," as Barresi says, the two decided to move to Los Angeles after visiting the neighborhood.

Read the rest at blogs.laweekly.com



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Paul McCartney Releases “The Making of ‘Coming Up’” Video



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New Orleans R&B Legend Benny Spellman Passes Away

One of the enduring legends of New Orleans Rhythm and Blues, Benny Spellman, passed away on Friday from respiratory failure at the age of 79.

Spellman ended up moving from Florida to New Orleans when Huey "Piano" Smith wrecked his truck and Benny offered to drive him and his band, the Clowns, back to the Big Easy. He ended up joining the band and becoming popular as a studio musician in the area, working regularly with Allen Toussaint.

Read more at our friends at:
vintagevinylnews.com





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not a fan of all this digital mumbo jumbo (i don't own a cell phone or ipad or blueberry or whatever all these people are hooked up to), but to call it real is really a stretch. but if you can have people listening to zeppelin, the world will be a better place (i worked out the garage yesterday and had Zep 1 blarring!)

LED ZEPPELIN App Makes 'Live Dreams' A Reality

One of rock's most seminal live bands can now be seen in a completely new way, anywhere, anytime on the iPhone. Based on the award-winning photography book, Led Zeppelin: Live Dreams is now an app with interactive features and additional materials that could only be presented in an app. It is currently made available by Strategic Marketing and Management, LLC, exclusively through iTunes.

In 1993, critically acclaimed rock photographer Laurance Ratner released his lavish work, "Led Zeppelin Live Dreams". Based on his personal experiences at 22 LED ZEPPELIN concerts, this museum-quality coffee table book was itself a work of art, with a hand-made slipcase and silver sculpture on the cover. It was released in commemoration of the 25th anniversary of the formation of LED ZEPPELIN in 1968. Unfortunately, the limited availability and high price tag kept it out of reach for the majority of LED ZEPPELIN fans worldwide. Now, almost two decades later, thanks to technology, Live Dreams is back and available to LED ZEPPELIN fans as an iPhone app.

The multi-media aspects of Live Dreams take the viewer/listener inside the experience of being at LED ZEPPELIN's legendary performances.

Read the rest and learn more about this 'app' at Blabbermouth

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and in music history for the day:

In 1954, with Big Joe Turner's "Shake, Rattle and Roll" riding high on the Billboard R&B chart, Bill Haley and His Comets enter Decca Records' New York studio to record the same number. Haley's version will enter the Pop chart next August for an amazing 27 week run and rise to #7, becoming the first Rock and Roll tune to sell a million copies.

In 1963, Decca Records releases "Come On", The Rolling Stones' first single. It would go on to peak at #21 in the UK. That same night, the group makes their TV debut on the BBC's Thank Your Lucky Stars. After the show, its producer is reported to have told Stones' manager Andrew Loog Oldham to get rid of "that vile looking singer with the tire-tread lips."

In 1966, Roy Orbison's wife, 25 year old Claudette, was killed when her motorcycle collided with a truck in Gallatin, Texas. Orbison witnessed the accident. She and Roy had recently reconciled after a short split. The Everly Brothers' 1958 hit, "Claudette" had been written for her by Roy.

In 1969, one of rock's first super groups, Blind Faith played their only live performance in Hyde Park, London in front of an estimated 120,000 people. Eric Clapton, Steve Winwood, Ginger Baker and Rick Gretch produced just one album together, which included the songs, "Can't Find My Way Home" and "Presence of the Lord".




In 1971, Carole King's album "Tapestry" is awarded a Gold record. The album was number one in the US for fifteen straight weeks and would remain on the charts for three years, producing her biggest selling single, "It's Too Late". On July 17, 1995 the LP was certified Diamond in the United States by the RIAA for 10 million copies sold in the US and has sold over 25 million copies worldwide.

In 1975, Elton John saw his album, "Captain Fantastic and the Brown Dirt Cowboy" go straight to number 1 in the US in its first week of release. It was the first time any artist had achieved this feat. Elton would do it again later in the year with "Rock of the Westies".

In 1976, Capitol Records re-issues some of The Beatles' hits in a package called, "Rock 'N' Roll Music". Even though Ringo Starr speaks out against it, the album would reach #2 in the US.

In 1980, Rocky Burnette's "Tired of Toeing the Line" peaks at number 8 on the Billboard Hot 100. Rocky bills himself as The Son Of Rock and Roll as his father, Johnny Burnette had scored a 1960 number one hit with "You're Sixteen". The feat of father and child both scoring a Top Ten hit has also been accomplished by Ozzie and Rick Nelson, Frank and Nancy Sinatra, Nat and Natalie Cole as well as Pat and Debbie Boone. i found this clip on youtube (i used to like this song) now, watching the video makes me laugh, someone actually produced this shit?)



In 1987, among the acts featured at the fifth annual Prince's Trust Rock Gala at Wembley Arena in London are George Harrison and Eric Clapton performing "While My Guitar Gently Weeps" and Jeff Lynne backing Ringo Starr on "A Little Help From My Friends". Elton John and Ben E. King also appear.

In 1993, the Who's Pete Townshend and Chuck Berry are among those present for the ground breaking ceremony for the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in Cleveland, seven years after the city won the right to host the building. Guests stood on a guitar shaped stage at the construction site on the shore of Lake Erie.

2008, The funeral of guitarist and singer Bo Diddley took place in Gainesville, Florida. Many in attendance chanted “Hey Bo Diddley” shortly after family members had passed by his coffin as a gospel band played Bo Diddley’s music. At the service, they presented a floral tribute in form of his trademark square guitar.

The great Dean Martin (Dino Paul Crocetti) was born in 1917 (died December 25, 1995)

celebrating birthdays today are Tom Jones 1940, Prince (Prince Rogers Nelson) 1958), rocker David Navarro (1967) and Gordon Gano of The Violent Femmes (1963), just to name a few.....