Vinyl Record News & Music Notes

an article that both fascinated me and made me smile, what a wonderful story about an iconic man of album cover art (and if you ever get the chance, stop by his website amazing!    

Interview: Illustrator and Musician Robert Crumb, Author of The Complete Record Cover Collection

By Richard Marcus, BLOGCRITICS.ORG

Robert Crumb is probably best known from his career as a comic book artist, specifically from the world of underground comics in the United States in the late 1960s and early to mid 1970s. Characters such as Mr. Natural have assured Crumb's name will endure amongst comic fans for years to come. However, talent like his does not pass unnoticed and his work has graced more than just the pages of comic books. Aside from illustrating Crumb has another passion, early twentieth century popular music. Over the course of his career drawing comics he has also been steadily amassing a portfolio of music related art work. He's designed everything from record covers to business cards and letterhead for small companies to promotional material for concerts and record stores.

Please read the rest at seattlepi.com


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Boy from U2 album covers shares story behind photos

By Kwala Mandel

Cover of U2's album "Boy" (L) and an unpublished outtake (R)

In 1980, U2 released a debut album, "Boy," with a memorable album cover photo featuring a six-year-old boy staring directly at the camera. Three years later, the same figure reappeared on the cover of "War." The child (who has since been featured on many of U2's albums) is Peter Rowen. Rowen, now a 37-year-old photographer with a daughter of his own, lives in Dublin, Ireland, and still stays in touch with Bono and The Edge

Read more at news.yahoo.com

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Joe Walsh Set To Release First Album in 20 Years

Walsh’s first solo album in 20 years will be called 'Analog Man,' and according to Walsh, it does actually mean something. It is the veteran rock star’s reflection on that facts that he started making music on reel-to-reel cassettes and vinyl LPs, but now he records on computers and sells his songs as digitally. The album was produced by Jeff Lynne.

"I know in the past, I’ve had screwy album titles, but I decided to call it 'Analog Man,'" Walsh said in an interview with Ultimate Classic Rock. "Because, you know, my generation of musicians, we grew up analog, and now it’s a digital world. We had to learn it, you know? Everything’s totally different. There's no record companies -- who knew that would happen? They were so powerful when I was young!"

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Nashville Country Stars To Cover Paul McCartney For Charity

SHeDAISY, Ricky Skaggs, Steel Magnolia, and Chuck Wicks (among others) have all signed on to appear at a tribute concert on November 7th at the Ryman Auditorium in a fundraiser for the Women and Cancer Fund. The show is in memory of Paul McCartney's late wife Linda McCartney, who died of breast cancer in 1998.

They are to join an all-star crew of performers that will perform songs by the former Beatle as well as tracks from their own catalogs. They will later collect their covers for a charity album titled 'Let Us In: Nashville - A Tribute To Linda McCartney.' The album will be released through Reviver Music on November 21.

Tracklist:

Blue Sky Riders (Kenny Loggins, Georgia Middleman and Gary Burr) - "Junk"
Juliana Cole - "Bluebird"
Jeff Daniels - "Heart Of The Country"
Sarah Darling - "Blackbird"
Tommy Emmanuel - "She's A Woman"
Nikki Shannon Fernandez - "I Saw Her Standing There"
Cheyenne Kimball - "Mull Of Kintyre"
Samantha Landrum - "Pipes Of Peace"
Timothy B. Schmit, Mark Hudson, Laurence Juber, Denny Seiwell - "Every Night"
Ricky Skaggs - "Listen To What The Man Said"
SHeDAISY - "With A Little Luck"
Jordyn Shellhart - "I Will"
Nancy Siranni - "Calico Skies"
Steel Magnolia - "Maybe I'm Amazed"
Phil Vassar - "Lady Madonna"
Chuck Wicks - "No More Lonely Nights"

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stunning album cover art!

KRISIUN: New Album Released On Halloween

The group's new album, 'The Great Execution,' which will be released on October 31 in Europe and November 1 in North America via Century Media Records. The band's eighth studio effort "musically expands KRISIUN trademark high-speed death metal violence with a heavily increased amount of diversity ranging from extreme tempo variations over distinct rhythm patterns to clean guitars and even Flamenco parts!" according to a press release.

KRISIUN only used analog gear and instruments this time to avoid the compressed sound that so many musicians produce today. This wise decision resulted in a more organic sound, with the songs on "The Great Execution" possessing both warmth and rawness, which are so often lost through digital production. The low end is deeper, with drums that pound instead of bounce and guitar tones that sear rather than hiss.

"With our new record we managed to capture the sound and the vibe that we were always looking for," says KRISIUN vocalist/bassist Alex Camargo.

The cover artwork was created by Japanese artist Toshihiro Egawa who has been doing tons of great designs for acts like SUICIDE SILENCE, HEAVEN SHALL BURN, DEVOURMENT and DYING FETUS, among others.

"The Great Execution" will be available as a limited-edition digipack including a re-recorded version of the classic KRISIUN song "Black Force Domain" as a bonus track, as a 180-gram gatefold vinyl and as a digital download.

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Tony Iommi/Black Sabbath/Ozzy Osbourne Saga Report

Black Sabbath guitarist Tony Iommi discusses writing his new autobiography, life as a rock star and whether Ozzy Osbourne will ever rejoin the band.

When asked if Iommi will ever record with Ozzy again, the metal legend said, “Who knows? It’s like when we had Ronnie James Dio with us, we broke up, got back together, did another album and tour. You can never tell. We got back together with Ozzy in 1997 and toured so you never know what’s around the corner.”

Iommi admitted that he and Ozzy had had their ups and downs, but never had an actual falling out – not even when they had a widely publicized legal tussle over the ownership rights to the Black Sabbath name.

hey, guys, open a bottle of wine and get together and stop talking about it!

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Testament - Practice What You Preach

STUNNING 180 GRAM WHITE VINYL REISSUE OF TESTAMENTS DEBUT ALBUM

Practice What You Preach is the third album by American heavy metal band Testament, released in 1989. The album's lyrical themes are more about politics and society than the occult themes of the band's previous two albums. The title track of this album was a moderate mainstream rock hit, which featured a music video that gained substantial MTV airplay, as did "The Ballad".

SIDE A
1. Practice What You Preach
2. Perilous Nation
3. Envy Life
4. Time Is Coming
5. Blessed In Contempt



SIDE B
6. Greenhouse Effect
7. Sins Of Omission
8. The Ballad
9. Nightmare (Coming Back To You)
10. Confusion Fusion

Buy The LP Here



Testament - Souls of Black

DELUXE 180 GRAM LIMITED EDITION GATEFOLD BLUE VINYL REISSUE OF TESTAMENTS 1990 ALBUM

Souls of Black is the fourth album by American heavy metal band Testament, released in 1990. It preceded several changes in style to rather diverse styles of metal, including the traditional heavy metal sound heard in its succeeding album, The Ritual

SIDE A
1. Beginning Of The End
2. Face In The Sky
3. Falling Fast
4. Souls Of Black
5. Absence Of Light
6. Love To Hate


SIDE B
7. Malpractice
8. One Man’s Fate
9. The Legacy
10. Seven Days Of May

Buy The LP Here

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i know, it's only october......

Billboard Reveals Top Ten Best Selling Christmas Albums of the Last Twenty Years

Billboard has published a list of the top selling Christmas albums of the Soundscan era (1991-2011).

The top ten:

1. Noel - Josh Groban (5.28 million)
2. These Are Special Times - Celine Dion (5.17)
3. Merry Christmas - Mariah Carey (5.12)
4. A Fresh Aire Christmas - Mannheim Steamroller (3.61)
5. Christmas - Mannheim Steamroller (3.48)
6. Now That's What I Call Christmas! - Various Artists (3.39)
7. Christmas Eve & Other Stories - Trans-Siberian Orchestra (3.19)
8. When My Heart Finds Christmas - Harry Connick, Jr. (3.08)
9. A Charlie Brown Christmas - Vince Guaraldi Trio (3.01)
10. Home For Christmas - N'Sync (2.66)

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Songwriters Hall of Fame Nominates Costello, Lightfoot, Michaels, Reed, Townshend, Waits, 18 More

24 songwriters and songwriting teams have been nominated for the 2012 class at the Songwriters Hall of Fame. Among the nominees are Elvis Costello, Dion DiMucci, Yusuf Islam (Cat Stevens), Gordon Lightfoot and George Michael.

The nominees are broken into two categories, non-performing songwriters and performing songwriters with twelve being nominated in each. Members will have until December 12 to pick two from each category for induction. The inductees will be named in early 2012 with the ceremony taking place on June 14 at the New York Marriott Marquis. The British rock band Queen was the first band to be inducted in 2003

Established in 1969, the Songwriters Hall of Fame honors those whose work represents a spectrum of the most beloved songs from the world’s popular music songbook. Songwriter Johnny Mercer and publishers Abe Olman and Howie Richmond who founded the organization wanted to shine the spotlight on the accomplishments of songwriters who have provided us with the words and music that form the soundtrack of our lives. Each year the Hall of Fame inducts a slate of songwriters voted on by the membership at an Awards Gala that has been recognized by the music industry and the media as the most important of the year. In this digital age, the Hall of Fame has put together an award-winning online museum to honor songwriters who have been inducted. This has become a leading destination for music industry professionals and researchers, along with popular music fans.

Out of the tens of thousands of successful songwriters of our era, there are fewer than 400 inductees who make up the impressive roster enshrined in the Hall of Fame. The list includes Barry Mann and Cynthia Weil, Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller, Eddie Holland, Lamont Dozier and Brian Holland, Albert Hammond, Desmond Child, Paul Williams, Hal David and Burt Bacharach, John Fogerty, Bob Dylan, Isaac Hayes and David Porter, Richard and Robert Sherman, Carole King, Paul Simon, Billy Joel, Sir Elton John, Bernie Taupin, Brian Wilson, James Taylor, James Brown, Bruce Springsteen, Curtis Mayfield, Jim Croce, Phil Collins, Alan and Marilyn Bergman, Loretta Lynn, Jimmy Webb, Van Morrison, Kris Kristofferson, Dolly Parton, Diane Warren and Leonard Cohen among many others.

2011 Nominees:

Elvis Costello
Dion DiMucci
Deborah Harry & Chris Stein (Blondie)
Yusuf Islam (former Cat Stevens)
Annie Lennox & Dave Stewart (Eurythmics)
Gordon Lightfoot
George Michael
Steve Miller
Lou Reed
Bob Seger
Pete Townshend
Tom Waits

Get more info at our friends at vintagevinylnews

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sabotagetimes.com has a sad story, a man and his music gone wrong!

Vinyl’s Dead. Now WAV Goodbye

"This is the last call for all you vinyl junkies out there."

With figures released this week showing that 99.7% of all singles sold are now digital, we need reminding of the joyful days when music existed in a physical world, before it all becomes but a distant memory...

Read the story at sabotagetimes.com

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and in music history for today, october 17th:

In 1957, the movie 'Jailhouse Rock,' starring Elvis Presley, was released in the US, premiering at Loews State Theatre where Elvis worked as an usher five years earlier.

In 1960, Ben E. King led the Drifters to the top of the US Pop chart with "Save The Last Dance For Me". The record will reach #2 in the UK in December.

In 1960, Dion and the Belmonts split up over what is described as "musical differences". Dion DiMucci says that the Belmonts are leaning too much toward "Middle Of The Road" music, but insiders say that the sharing of money is the major factor.

In 1962, the Beatles made their first TV appearance in Britain when they appeared on Granada TV's People And Places, singing "Love Me Do".

In 1964, a British group known collectively as Manfred Mann had the number one single on the Billboard Pop chart with "Do Wah Diddy Diddy". The song was sung by vocalist Paul Pond, who used the stage name Paul Jones. Keyboard player Michael Lubowitz would retain the band's name and continued to turn out chart hits until the mid 1980s.

In 1967, the musical "Hair" premiered at New York's Public Theatre. The show ran for 1,758 performances.

Also in 1967, a memorial service for Brian Epstein in London was attended by the Beatles.

In 1968, Jose Feliciano released his controversial, bluesy rendition of "The Star Spangled Banner."

Eric Clapton released "After Midnight" in 1970. Written by J. J. Cale, the laid back boogie feel of "After Midnight" is a prime example of Cale's signature style. Cale had written the song and released a demo version in 1966. This was Clapton's first single as a solo artist. Delaney Bramlett, who was friends with J.J. Cale, introduced Clapton to the song and to Cale's music. Clapton became a big fan, and began using Cale's whispery vocal style on some of his tracks.

"After Midnight" was also in many ways the catalyst for Cale's own solo recording career. Cale was unaware of Clapton's recording of the song until it became a radio hit in 1970. He recalled to Mojo magazine that when he heard Clapton’s version playing on his radio, “I was dirt poor, not making enough to eat and I wasn’t a young man. I was in my thirties, so I was very happy. It was nice to make some money.” Cale's friend and producer Audie Ashworth then encouraged him to capitalize on the song's success by recording a full album, Naturally, released in 1971. The single by Cale reached #42 on the Billboard Hot 100 in 1972.

Clapton switched guitars for this album. He started using a Fender Stratocaster instead of a Gibson Les Paul.

Clapton was still a member of Derek and the Dominos when he released this song.



Also in 1970, with lead vocals shared by Michael and Jermaine Jackson, The Jackson 5 scored their fourth straight US number one Pop single with "I'll Be There". Motown reported that the group had sold more than ten million records worldwide.

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

Fleetwood Mac's two record set "Tusk", an experimental set of songs that cost the band a then record $1 million to record, was released by Warner Brothers Records in 1979. "Tusk" peaked at #4 in the US and achieved sales in excess of two million copies, spawning two Top Ten singles, "Sara" and the title track. It reached #1 in the UK and achieved Platinum status.

The film biography "Sid And Nancy" opened nationally in 1986.

In 1990, Steppenwolf's 1968 rocker, "Born to Be Wild" re-entered the Top 10 in Holland on the strength of the amount of airplay it received in recent movies and commercials.

In 1991, American singer and television presenter Tennessee Ernie Ford died of liver failure. He had the 1955 U.S. and U.K. #1 hit with his version of the Merle Travis song “Sixteen Tons.” In the ’60s, he hosted a talk show, The Tennessee Ernie Ford Show on the ABC television network.

In 1995, in London, Sting's former financial adviser was sentenced to six years in prison after being convicted of stealing $9.4 million from the musician.

Also in 1995, Rhino Home Video released 58 episodes of "The Monkees" on 21 cassettes. It was the largest video boxed set to be released.

In 1999, Thomas Durden died at age 79. He wrote the lyrics to “Heartbreak Hotel.” Durden read a newspaper account of a man who had committed suicide, the man had left a note saying, “I walk a lonely street.” Durden used the phrase as the basis for “Heartbreak Hotel.”

In 2000, a flat in Montague Sq. London, which was once owned during the ’60s by Ringo Starr, went on the market for £575,000. The two-bedroom, two-story property was also home for Jimi Hendrix, John Lennon and Yoko Ono and Paul McCartney during the ’60s.

In 2000, George Michael became the new owner of the piano that John Lennon used to compose his classic song "Imagine". George paid £1.5m at a London auction.

In 2005, visiting his New Orleans home for the first time since he was rescued by boat from rising floodwaters, 77 year-old Fats Domino found his piano overturned among mud and debris and his house in ruins.

In 2007, Teresa Brewer, who placed 14 songs on the Billboard Top 40, including the Top 10 hits "A Tear Fell" and "Sweet, Old Fashioned Girl", both in 1956, died of neuromuscular disease at the age of 76.

In 2008, the Four Tops lead singer, Levi Stubbs, died after a long series of illnesses, including cancer and a stroke, at the age of 72. Stubbs had been in ill health since being diagnosed with cancer in 1995, and a stroke and other health problems led him to stop touring in 2000. The group signed with Motown Records in 1963 and produced 20 Top 40 hits over the following 10 years, making music history with other acts in Berry Gordy's Motown stable. The group placed 24 songs on the Billboard Pop chart and were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall Of Fame in 1990.



birthdays today (among others) Jim Seals (Seals & Crofts) (70), Eminem (born Marshall Mathers III) (39), Gary Puckett (Union Gap) (69), Ziggy Marley (43), Michael Hossack (Doobie Brothers) (65) and Jim Tucker (Turtles) (65)

Michael Fremer Album Review

The Complete Original Masters - Centennial Edition

(Reissue)

Robert Johnson

Columbia/Legacy 88697 86066-1 BK1 12 10" singles, 4 CDs 1 DVD Set
Produced by: Don Law
Engineered by: Vincent Liebler
Mixed by: Vincent Liebler
Mastered by: Mark Wilder (Disc Mastering by Joe Palmaccio), Vinyl Mastering by Geor
Compilation produced by: Michael Brooks and Steve Berkowitz

MUSIC

SOUND





Robert Johnson Gets a Centennial Edition

by Michael Fremer
September 01, 2011

A funny thing happens as you age: time compresses. When I was 20, music from the 1940s seemed old. Robert Johnson was positively pre-historic, and to my ears the sound was equally cobwebbed. Oh, like everyone else, I bought CL 1654 after seeing it on the cover of Bringing It All Back Home and reading one of the breathless cover dissections in a magazine. Back then every cover prop "meant" something.

But honestly, I didn't listen to it much. It was just too old for me. Besides there were living blues masters I could actually see perform and their records sounded better. Yes, lame. I admit it. But how many kids paying lip service sat and listened? Certainly the ones who were musicians looking to pick up licks (not that copying this guy is easy or even possible!).

Suddenly you're older. Much older than 20 and you think about a 20 year old today. He'd think something from the early '90s was old! Maybe not as old as 20 years before 1966 since that's the timeframe for Nirvana's Nevermind and rock music hasn't changed all that much since then. Music from the '70s would be really old to that kid. Yes, I know, some college kids listen to the Dead and Led Zep. They're less "age-ist" than my generation, but then we gave them better music!

So you get much older and then music from the 40s doesn't sound that old, especially when you pay attention and realize the "modern" stuff you loved from the '60s and '70s all came from what came before.

Of course the wiser kids knew that all along, especially the ones who became musicians by listening, copying and then presenting to their peers all of this "new" music, the original versions of which most didn't have access to. Perhaps the reason Dylan remains "timeless" is because he always was. When he was a kid he didn't distinguish music in the context of a time frame.

So listening to Robert Johnson's music now is a much different experience than listening 20 or 40 years ago. It sounds more modern and up to date. With perspective you realize how everything called rock and roll had at least some of its origins here. A whole lotta copying went on.

Dylan, Keith Richards, Brian Jones, Hendrix, Clapton and the entire British and American '60s blues scene was galvanized by these recordings. Most kids though, couldn't care less. They were only interested in what their peers produced. In 1969 how many kids digging Let It Bleed knew or cared that Robert Johnson wrote "Love in Vain?"

Ever since Johnson was "discovered" by boomer generation musicians there's been a mini-industry created around what were but 29 original songs (41 performances including outtakes) recorded in five sessions, three in November of 1936 and two in June of 1937, many of which remained unissued until the LP era. Johnson's actual recorded output consisted of 24 sides issued as 12 10" 78rpm records that were not widely distributed, making copies extremely collectible and valuable.

Johnson was murdered August, 16, 1938 fewer than two years after he first began recording for Columbia's Vocalion label. He was 27, murdered in a juke joint, probably by the owner jealous of the attention the performer paid to his wife.

Columbia issued King of the Delta Blues in 1961 as the LP format was beginning to become popular but not because it had hopes for big sales. The album consisted of 16 Johnson performances—a mix of songs some of which had not been previously issued. The packaging and liner notes hint more of historic preservation than commerciality. As the liner notes begin "Robert Johnson is little, very little more than a name on aging index cards and a few dusty master records in the files of a phonograph company that no longer exists."

Volume II issued in the early '70s (Columbia C30034) consisted of 16 tracks, some repeated from the first album, but including "Love In Vain," "I Believe I'll Dust My Broom," "Sweet Home Chicago," and others that kids back then had become acquainted with from covers and originals that were little more than covers with different names.

Columbia waited until 1990 to issue the two CD set Robert Johnson: The Complete Recordings that was the first time all of Johnson's performances had been assembled in a single package. Music critics and fans were rapturous. The reviews gushed about Johnson's supposed "deal with the devil," and the other otherworldly but overplayed aspects of his legend. More importantly they highlighted the more important aspects of his performing abilities and creativity: his dynamic swoops to whispers singing style, his slashing slide guitar technique and his ability to produce and control multi- rhythms that made him sound more like a multi-instrument assemblage than a guy singing and playing a solo guitar. They also noted his metaphorically salacious lyrics. "Phonograph Blues" is not about the guy's record player.

And of course the reviewers nearly wept about the sonic improvement digitalization had wrought. In this rare case, they were correct. The original transfers for the LPs were seriously compromised in terms of sources and an unfortunate attempt to attenuate surface noise. The CDs definitely had more to tell. In October of 1990 sales had already surpassed 100,000 copies. By the time a monument to Johnson was unveiled in May of 1991 the set had sold an astonishing 300,000 plus copies.

Johnson would have been 100 last May 8th so to celebrate, Columbia/Legacy decided to give the catalog another go round. Now you could be cynical and say it's all about the money and there's nothing left to be said or heard, but regardless, what's been done here has value, particularly since the 1990 double CD box set is old news to a young generation, scary as that might seem. 1990 was a long time ago!

So this time, in an age of "free music" downloads the producers decided to "get physical," releasing this limited to 1000 edition deluxe package consisting of all of the music newly remastered on a double CD, a superbly packaged '30s style album containing reproductions on 45rpm vinyl of all 12 much sought after Johnson shellac '78s, along with a second double CD from the Victor vaults venerating the recording dedication of Ralph Peer, who, after beginning his career at Columbia and Okeh, where he pioneered field recordings (location as opposed to studio), he joined Victor Records, the recording division of Victor Talking Machine Company, which had recently switched from acoustic to electric recordings, calling their version "Orthofonic"—a term familiar to every audiophile.

These obscure tracks were mostly recordings of Memphis area musicians recorded under Peer's auspices between 1928 and 1932. There are a few exceptions including Blind Willie McTell, performing here as "Hot Shot Willie" and calling himself "George Slim in duets with Ruby Glaze. My wife walked in while that was playing and asked if it was Willie Nelson. The vocal resemblance is uncanny. Most of these tracks were sourced from original metal parts, with but eight of them derived from pristine 78s archived at EMI's Hayes-Middlesex archives.

However, also included on this second set are other recordings from the Dallas and San Antonio session that produced the Robert Johson material. Most of what was recorded during those sessions were hillybilly string bands or "Western String" groups like Bob Wills' Texas Playboys. Only one "race" performer other than Johnson had been invited to record during these sessions.

In the original liner notes to Robert Johnson King of the Delta Blues Singers is this paragraph: " (Producer Don) Law also recalls that Johnson was an extremely shy young man. He asked him to play guitar for a group of Mexican musicians gathered in a hotel room (the Gunter Hotel, now considered a historic site) where the recording equipment had been set up. Embarrassed and suffering from a bad case of stage fright, Johnson turned his face to the wall, his back to the Mexican musicians. Eventually, he calmed down sufficiently to play, but he never faced the audience."

"Possibly" this section's annotator Tony Russell writes, the Mexican duo Law mentions, might have been San Antonio's Berlanga and Montalvo, whose two songs recorded during those sessions are on this set, along with The Chuck Wagon Gang and The Light Crust Doughboys.

Much of what this set represents, in both the annotation, the second CD set and the DVD, "The LIfe & Music of Robert Johnson, Can't You Hear The Wind Howl?" a film by Peter Meyer hosted by Danny Glover and starring Keb' Mo' as Robert Johnson, acts as surrounding musical and historical cushions for the main event. The film will fascinate any Johnson fan and includes clips from Robert Cray, Johnny Shines, Honeyboy Edward, Eric Clapton and Keith Richards, among others. It fills in the historical blanks and demonstrates what has been learned about Johnson and his times since the 1961 LP issue, the annotation of which says "Although little is known about Johnson...."

The heart of the new set of course is the album containing reproductions of the 12 original 10" singles, cut at 45rpm instead of 78 (the producers rightly feared that most buyers wouldn't be able to play 78s) and pressed on vinyl instead of shellac for obvious reasons. Some of the originals are extremely rare. All are collectible. All were originally issued on Vocalion but some were also specially issued on "dime store" budget labels Oriole, Perfect and Romeo, with three issued on Conqueror. The rarest is "Milkcow's Calf Blues/"Malted Milk" of which only 50 copies were pressed. The producers chose the Perfect label for that on in this reissue set.

Producer Michael Brooks notes in his annotation that a WW II scrap metal drove caused RCA and Columbia to donate thousands of metal masters, basing which to save and which to scrap on popularity. A few Johnson metal parts survived and they were used to produce the original 1961 LP. In 1980 they were again used, this time sent to a freelance engineer for a sonic update and use in a movie soundtrack. He returned them but they were mis-filed and not discovered until 2008.

Unfortunately, most these were takes that had never been issued on 78rpm. Only 4 of the 24 sides issued here on vinyl were sourced from those metal parts. Those parts were shipped to Harry Coster, a Dutch 78rpm expert who has a press in his barn. He pressed polystyrene copies, which were transferred to digital and then sonically enhanced (hopefully using the correct EQ curve!). Twenty original 78s had to be found. Eight were found in the Library of Congress and carefully played and digitized (probably using the Library's Simon Yorke transcription turntables). An English collector hand delivered 78s of some of the others to Mr. Coster for transfer and the well known LP anc 78 collector John Tefteller contributed "Love in Vain Blues," the rarest of the 24 78s.

Otherwise, the set utilizes the original Frank Driggs flat disc to tape transfers from 1960 discovered in the Sony vault. These were flat transfers from 78s then only 23 years old and while they were noisy, they were deemed suitable for sound restoration.

Ultimately, multiple copies of the original 24 sides taken from both disc and tape transfer were auditioned by Mark Wilder and Steve Berkowitz, who found, in addition to sound quality variations, speed variations that could have resulted from either the turntables used for the transfers, or from the turntable used in the original cutting. Slight voltage variations could cause speed variations of from 1 to 5 rpms. The 45s in this set were derived from all of the versions and speed-corrected as necessary.

The booklet included in the double CD set is completely different from the larger one included in the record album and contain photos and excellent annotation by record collector, music historian and record producer Stephen C. LaVere. The section "A History of the Recorded Masters" is particularly fascinating and detailed. As noted in the annotation, the CDs here are mostly from new 24 bit disc to digital transfers produced by engineer Steven Lasker using CEDAR CAMBRIDGE software. Once they had been transferred to digital, another engineer, Seth Winner, removed noise, pops, clicks and other minor imperfections.

In other words, this set includes two completely independent productions! One by Lasker and Winner for CD. The other by Michael Brooks and Steve Berkowitz for vinyl.

The CD set differs from the 1990 production in another way: it's broken up by recording venue, with disc 1 containing the 16 San Antonio recordings and 6 alternate takes and disc 2 containing the 13 Dallas originals and 7 alternates including "test groove" recordings that occurred before actual takes. Also, the EQ was accomplished to produce greater consistency among the tracks.

The vinyl was made from high resolution files produced from analog sources including tape and the 78s pressed in the Netherlands and then mastered at Nashville Record Productions. Plating and pressing was at United in Nashville.

About the pressing quality: the records were uniformly well-pressed and quiet but came out of the sleeves dusty. Oh well, the music is old. A reader from New Zealand emailed to complain about eccentricity and warpage but the copy I bought (164/1000) didn't exhibit either problem.

So which sounded better, the CDs or the LPs? Obviously the sound quality varies wildly within each format, but just for the hell of it, I compared "From Four Until Late" on the 10" and on the CD. First of all, if you have the original Columbia LPs, the sound on both versions here is dramatically superior, especially on top. The CDs sound superior to the 1990 go round too.

As expected the vinyl sounds somewhat richer and warmer and better textured, probably as a result of being sourced from 96/24 bit files and a different set of EQ values aimed at vinyl. With this set you get to experience both, so what's the difference?

When this was announced, cynics figured it was just slick repackaging to mark the 100th anniversary of Robert Johnson's birth, but clearly a great deal more care went into it to take advantage of improved digital processing and a greater awareness of how to properly use noise reduction. Between the annotation in both sets, the improved sonics, the 78rpm facsimiles, the bonus double CD and the very informative and well-produced DVD, I'd say I got my $300 dollar's worth, so it was disturbing to read a negative online review written before the set had even been released. That editor/publisher knows who he is and I wish he'd stop the nonsense. First doesn't mean best. In this case first meant wrong.

I don't know how many copies of this limited to 1000 edition are still available (I see that one online vendor has sold out), but if you can afford it, you'll enjoy it and it's sure to become yet another Robert Johnson collector's item.

Thanks to Michael over at www.musicangle.com  for the exclusive rights to reprint this material. Stop by MusicAngle.com for more reviews and features.

©2011 MusicAngle.com & Michael Fremer - - All rights reserved

Reprinted by Permission

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This is redeemable at the bottom of our online US checkout form.
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**Excluding item 19220 or any items listed as "Call for Pricing", large furniture items, or select items marked as discounted on our site. Coupon is for Online Shopping Cart orders only through our site checkout or our link to the amazon checkout. Coupons will not function with International Checkout Orders. Only 1 coupon code can be applied to an order.

Shop At RetroPlanet

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this vinyl record news from our friends at polyvinyl.com

Polyvinyl Record Co.

Pre-Order matt pond PA Emblems 2xLP - First Time on Vinyl!

Emblems, one of matt pond PA's most beloved albums, is now available on vinyl for the first time and features three bonus tracks not found on the original release!

The deluxe 2xLP is limited to 1000 copies on 180-gram vinyl.

Pre-orders ship October 21. In stores November 1.

All pre-orders receive an INSTANT full-album MP3 download at checkout.


matt pond PA Emblems 2xLP + Instant MP3 -- $15













Ltd. Edition matt pond PA/Rocky Votolato Split 7"+MP3

After touring together this past winter, matt pond PA and Rocky Votolato are back on the road this fall with another co-headlining trek.

This time around they have a split 7" to commemorate their pairing.

Pressed on clear blue vinyl (limited to 500), the split features one exclusive song each from two of this generation's most prolific and respected songwriters.


matt pond PA/Rocky Votolato Split 7" + Instant MP3 -- $5







5 matt pond PA LPs + FREE 7" Package Deal

To celebrate the vinyl debut of Emblems, we are now offering a package deal featuring five matt pond PA albums (all on 180-gram vinyl) for one low price.

Included in the bundle are:

The Green Fury LP
The Nature of Maps LP
Last Light 2xLP
The Dark Leaves LP (limited to 1000 on clear green vinyl)
Emblems 2xLP (limited to 1000)
Each package includes a FREE copy of the limited edition matt pond PA/Rocky Votolato split 7" along with three posters.

Plus, receive an instant MP3 download of every album at checkout.


5 matt pond PA LPs + FREE 7" Package Deal -- only $49!






Pre-Order Owen Ghost Town -- Clear Vinyl is 2/3 Sold Out!

Pre-orders will be shipping soon for Ghost Town, the new album from Owen (Mike Kinsella of American Football, Cap'n Jazz, Owls).

But if you want to make sure your package includes a copy of the limited edition clear vinyl -- act now!

Less than 1/3 of the pressing's 800 copies remain and will soon be sold out.

All pre-orders receive an INSTANT full album download at checkout and include a FREE button, sticker, and two digital bonus tracks.

Pre-orders ship October 28. In stores November 8.


Owen Ghost Town CD - $ 10 / Clear LP - $14 / T-Shirt+MP3 - $20

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this from our friends at vinylcollective.com

Six Foo Fighters Vinyl Pressings!

Looks like we are going to be able to finally get some of Foo Fighters greatest albums on vinyl! All six are due out November 21 with links to pre orders are as follows:

Foo Fighters – Skin And Bones 2XLP

Foo Fighters – One By One 2XLP

Foo Fighters – There Is Nothing Left To Lose 2XLP

Foo Fighters – In Your Honor 2XLP

Foo Fighters – Color and Shape 2XLP

Foo Fighters – Foo Fighters LP

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Former EDGAR WINTER GROUP Drummer CHUCK RUFF Dies

Chuck Ruff, the American rock drummer best known for his drum duet with Edgar Winter and THE EDGAR WINTER GROUP on the 1972 No. 1 hit instrumental "Frankenstein", passed away in San Francisco, California on October 14 after a long illness. In 1977, Ruff joined Sammy Hagar and performed on the albums "Street Machine" (1979) and "Danger Zone" (1979), including the song "Bad Reputation", which is featured in the film "Fast Times At Ridgemont High".

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Candlemass Begins Work On Final Studio Album

Doom metal masters Candlemass have recently signed a deal with Austria's Napalm Records, and the band is currently writing material for a final album.  Accoding to Napalm Records:

"Napalm Records is very proud to announce that the legendary Swedish doom metal legend Candlemass has joined their ranks. The band is currently working on material for their farewell album, which is tentatively scheduled for a spring 2012 release."

Candlemass commented on the signing: "Now it is official, Swedish doom 'meisters' Candlemass have signed with Austrian Napalm Records for their 11th and last studio album. The band is very happy and excited about this and are looking forward to work with such a great and growing label as Napalm, home of cool bands like Monster Magnet, Karma To Burn, and Isole."

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and in music history for october 15th:

In 1955, Buddy Holly opened a show for Elvis Presley in Lubbock, TX.

In 1958, Jackie Wilson recorded "Lonely Teardrops", which went on to become his first US Top Ten hit, reaching #7 on Billboard's Pop chart and #1 on the R&B chart.  In September 1975, while performing at the Latin Casino in New Jersey, Wilson collapsed from a heart attack and a stroke right in the middle of this song. He never recovered and remained in a coma for eight more years; he was hospitalized until his death on January 21, 1984 (age 49). In tragic irony, the last words he sung before collapsing were "My heart is crying." The audience at first thought that his fall was part of the act and they started applauding and cheering. It became evident that something was wrong when about half a minute later, he hadn't moved. The excitement instantly turned into confusion and shock as attempts to revive Jackie on the stage were to no avail.

It is a 1999 Grammy Hall of Fame Inductee. The song is ranked #308 on Rolling Stone magazine's list of The 500 Greatest Songs of All Time.



In 1960, Ringo Starr fills in for Pete Best when The Beatles play back-up at a recording session for Rory Storm and The Hurricanes' guitarist, Wally Eymond, in the small Akustik studio in Hamburg, Germany. Nine copies of a song called "Summertime" were pressed onto 78 RPM acetate discs, though none are known to have survived. It would be nearly two years before Ringo would join John, Paul and George on a permanent basis.

In 1963, the Rip Chords record "Hey Little Cobra", which features Doris Day's son Terry Melcher on lead vocal, with the high harmony added by future Beach Boys member, Bruce Johnson. The record will enter the Hot 100 next January and reach #4.

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

In 1968, Led Zeppelin made its performance debut in England.

In 1971, it was almost a blessing in disguise when Rick Nelson played the seventh annual Rock 'n' Roll Revival Show in New York. He thought he was being booed for not playing his old hits and came away with the inspiration to write what would be his last Top Ten hit, "Garden Party", which would climb to number six in 1972. It was later revealed that the crowd was booing some trouble makers who had started a fight and were being escorted out of the building.

In 1973, Keith Richards was convicted of marijuana trafficking in Nice, France, receiving a suspended sentence, fine and ordered not to return to France for two years.

Also in 1977, The U.S. Supreme Court refused to review a 1971 Federal Communications directive that broadcasters censor from the airwaves songs with drug-oriented lyrics.

"Slip Slidin' Away," by Paul Simon (with the Oak Ridge Boys providing background vocals), was released in 1977.

In 1977, Debbie Boone's first single, "You Light Up My Life" reaches #1 on the Billboard Pop chart, where it will stay for 10 weeks. It would go on to win a Grammy Award for Best Song and 21-year-old Debbie is named Best New Artist. The record only made it to #48 in the UK. In the 1980s she focused on Country music, resulting in the #1 hit, "Are You on the Road to Lovin' Me Again". She later recorded Christian music, which garnered her four Top 10 Contemporary Christian albums as well as two more Grammys. if i ever hear the song again, i will turn to stone!

In 1979, Abba played their first concert in North America when they appeared in Vancouver, Canada.

In 1982, Marvin Gaye's "Sexual Healing" enters the Billboard R&B singles chart on its way to number one. The song would also make the Top 10 in the UK and the Hot 100 and later win a Grammy as Best R&B Male Vocal Performance of the Year.

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

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

In 1996, Ralph Middlebrooks, trumpeter for The Ohio Players died at the age of 57. The band reached Billboard's Top 40 eight times between 1973 and 1976, including two number ones, "Fire" and "Love Rollercoaster" in 1975.

In 1997, Michael Jackson played the last date of his HIStory Tour in Durban, South Africa.

In 2003, Mike Smith, the former lead singer of The Dave Clark Five suffered a fall at his home in Spain that left him paralyzed from the waist down. Smith would die of pneumonia on February 28th, 2008, less than two weeks before the band was to be inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

In 2008, Jon Bon Jovi demanded that the John McCain campaign stop using the Bon Jovi song Who Says You Can't Go Home at rallys.

birthdays today (among others) David Stead (Beautiful South) (45), Frank Dimino (Angel) (60), Barry McGuire (76), Mickey Baker (guitarist, Mickey & Sylvia) (86)

Vinyl Record News & Music Notes

Led Zeppelin Debut LP Sells For $3,500

An early copy of Led Zeppelin’s first album, simply titled Led Zeppelin, has sold on eBay for approximately $3,500 recently.

This example of a first Led Zeppelin pressing is rare: it has a turquoise sleeve, a Superhype label credit and an all-important – to collectors – “label matrix” of “Side 1: 588171 A//1” and “Side 2: 588171 B//1.”









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cool project!

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

THOMAS NEGOVAN RECORDS AND RELEASES “WELCOME TO MY NIGHTMARE” ON WAX CYLINDER – A MUSICAL FIRST OF THE 21st CENTURY

October 31, 2011

Rejecting modern music conventions, singer/composer Thomas Negovan has recorded- and released- a cover of Alice Cooper’s signature hit “Welcome to My Nightmare” in the most terrifying and exciting way possible in the digital age: on a 1900s Thomas Edison Wax Cylinder Recorder, a feat not performed since 1914. Not content to record using archaic technologies, Negovan will release the single in a limited edition of 13 glow-in-the-dark wax cylinders as well as on vinyl. To raise funds for this ambitious Halloween-inspired project, Negovan has turned to online fundraising community Kickstarter.com. The vinyl 10” record, titled “The Divine Nightmare”, features “Welcome to my Nightmare” as well as an alternate recording of the debut single “The Divine Eye” from his soon-to-be-released album “By Popular Demand”. “The Divine Nightmare” comes in two versions, a limited edition of 666 glow-in-the-dark vinyl records featuring Grand Guignol-inspired hand silkscreened album art and a limited edition of 13 black lacquered records with original hand-painted album art by acclaimed contemporary painter Gail Potocki. The single is set to be released October 31st, 2011, with a music video for “Welcome to My Nightmare” also set to debut in time for Halloween on his website: thomasnegovan.com

Thomas Negovan is a musician and art historian based in Chicago, IL and is also a published author. His debut album, “By Popular Demand” was recorded in the same manner as “Welcome to my Nightmare”, without electricity using a 1900s Thomas Edison Wax Cylinder Recorder. It debuts Fall 2011 on vinyl from Olympian Records. Concerning “Welcome to My Nightmare”, Negovan says of the project: “I wasn't ready to quite give up on the wax cylinder ghost, and was looking for an old 1920s song to record for Halloween... [instead] I decided to interpret an Alice Cooper song in a blues style that I think captures the descent into madness that the lyrics and chords of the song illustrate; beautiful minor ninth chords on an old 12-string [guitar], I recorded this at 3 in the morning and completely lost myself in the lyrics.” His work with wax cylinder recording has led to an invitation to speak at the prestigious TEDx conference on November 11, 2011.

For further information, contact Jack at 773.717.9284 or jack@centuryguild.net

Kickstarter.com

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interesting interview in the ny times blog:

New Book Covers the Covers of the 1980s

By ERIK PIEPENBURG

In a new book, “Put the Needle on the Record: The 1980s at 45 Revolutions Per Minute” (Schiffer), Matthew Chojnacki argues that the perfect union of pop music and visual art took place in the 1980s, when big-hair metalheads and New Wave androgynes shared the top of the singles charts. The book is an annotated compilation of selected record covers of singles released in the 80s that were culled from Mr. Chojnacki’s own collection of more than 5,000 7- and 12-inch singles.

Read more at artsbeat.blogs.nytimes.com









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RONNIE JAMES DIO Cancer Fund Awards Gala: More Details Revealed

The Ronnie James Dio Stand Up And Shout Cancer Fund, founded last year in memory of the world-renowned voice of DIO, BLACK SABBATH and HEAVEN & HELL, will host its first Awards Gala on Tuesday, November 1 at the world-famous Playboy Mansion in Holmby Hills, California. Awards will be presented to six distinguished honorees for their contributions to spreading awareness of Fund's important work.

A privately funded 501C3 charity organization dedicated to cancer prevention, research and education, the Ronnie James Dio Stand Up And Shout Cancer Fund has already raised more than $500,000 in its short history.

Read more about the gala at our friends at Blabbermouth











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KING MOB To Release Debut Album

English beat combo KING MOB, comprising of guitar legend Chris Spedding (Roxy Music, Elton John, John Cale, Paul McCartney), Glen Matlock - bass (Sex Pistols, Iggy Pop, Faces), Martin Chambers – drums (Pretenders), Stephen W Parsons aka Snips – vocals (film composer and vocalist of cult 70’s band Sharks) and introducing hot new guitar talent Sixteen have recenly announced that the band's debut album 'FORCE 9' (produced by SWP) is scheduled for release on October 31st 2011 on 11 track CD and 7 track 180g Vinyl LP with gatefold sleeve, plus bonus 3 track CD included.

The Mob are heavily influenced by two great band leader composers, Duke Ellington and Jimmy Page.












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Yonder Mountain String Band Announce Vinyl Release

Town By Town" now available for pre-order on vinyl!

The second release in our limited vinyl series: our sophomore album Town By Town!

Town By Town is scheduled to be released on Friday, October 14th at Yonder's Harvest Festival. Produced by Tim O’Brien, Town By Town was original released on Frog Pad Records in 2001. The album’s reissue will be available on 180 gram vinyl with a gatefold jacket and digital download card.

PRE-ORDER it now to be entered to win a set of the album's vinyl test pressings autographed by the band!!!

•180 gram vinyl in gatefold jacket
•Download card of the album included
•Limited pressing of

Pre-order The Album Here








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RIOT: New Album Available On Vinyl

Legendary metal band RIOT will release their new album, 'Immortal Soul,' on October 21 in Japan via Marquee/Avalon; October 26 in Scandinavia; October 28 in Germany; Austria and Switzerland; October 31 in the rest of Europe; and November 22 in the US and Canada through Steamhammer/SPV. The effort will be available as a limited digipack with two bonus tracks, double gatefold LP (colored blue vinyl) and regular jewel case. The artwork was created by the band's vocalist Tony Moore.

Tracklist
1. Riot
2. Still Your Man
3. Crawling
4. Wings Are For Angels
5. Fall Before Me
6. Sins Of The Father
7. Majestica
8. Immortal Soul
9. Insanity
10. Whiskey Man
11. Believe
12. Echoes
13. Johnny's Back (live recording; digipack bonus track) *
14. Metal Soldiers (live recording; digipack bonus track) *


* Recorded live at the Sweden Rock Festival on June 6, 2009 in Sölvesborg, Sweden

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sounds like a cool time, wish i could be there!

Boulder's Absolute Vinyl kicks off concert series this weekend

Record shop lined up 11 acts for the next month

By Ashley Dean

It's been a little more than a month since Absolute Vinyl Records and Stereo, 5360 Arapahoe Ave., made the move from North to East Boulder, and now that things have settled down, they're ready to wind back up.

The shop is kicking off a weekly in-store concert series this weekend under the eager, passionate direction of owner Doug Gaddy. There are 11 acts lined up for the next four weekends, with the possibility of a few more.

"Why did I do this? Because I love music and I love musicians and I want the shop to be a place where music happens," Gaddy said. "It's not just about buying records. It's about having people have music be a part of their lives."

Gaddy wants the acts that come through to be as diverse as possible, and the current schedule already reflects that. Friday's inaugural show features Seattle's The Soft Hills, which Gaddy billed as being similar to Seattle folk band, Fleet Foxes. They're joined by locals The Alright Band and Sedges Have Edges, a three-piece rock group and a male singer/songwriter, respectively. Next weekend's bill gets even more diverse, covering jazz, soul and glam rock, while the following weekend's lineup will showcase hip-hop DJs.

Read more at coloradodaily.com

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and in music history for today:

In 1955, Buddy Holly, Larry Welborn, and Bob Montgomery open for Bill Haley & the Comets in Lubbock, TX. Eddie Crandell sees the show and arranges for Holly to record his first demo.

In 1957, although it was banned by some US radio stations for its suggestive lyrics, The Everly Brothers' "Wake Up Little Susie" reached the top of the Billboard singles chart. In the UK, it reached #2. The Everly's were accompanied by guitar legend, Chet Atkins.

Also in1957, the Elvis Presley classic, “Jailhouse Rock” was released.  The single, with its B-side "Treat Me Nice," was a US #1 hit for 7 weeks in the fall of 1957, and a UK #1 hit for three weeks early in 1958.  In addition, "Jailhouse Rock" spent one week at the top of the country charts and reached the #2 position on the R&B charts. The song as sung by Elvis Presley is #67 on Rolling Stone's list of The 500 Greatest Songs of All Time and was named one of The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame's 500 Songs that Shaped Rock and Roll. The film clip from the movie where he sang the song is considered by many historians to be the first rock video.

This was written by Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller, who also wrote "Hound Dog," which became a huge hit when Elvis recorded it. Leiber and Stoller excelled at writing catchy Pop songs with elements of Blues music. Their songs could be very funny and clever, and often take place in unusual situations.

This was featured in the Elvis movie of the same name, where Elvis plays a wrongly accused convict who becomes a star when he gets out. The film, which is considered one of the best of his 31 movies, is famous for the scene where Elvis performs this song in an elaborate dance number taking place in prison.

Sha-Na-Na played this at Woodstock in 1969. Very few of the attendees saw their performance, as they didn't go on until Monday morning (the event was scheduled to end at midnight on Sunday, but ran long). Jimi Hendrix followed Sha-Na-Na to close out the festival.



In 1966, Grace Slick made her first appearance with Jefferson Airplane.

In 1967, The Who's "I Can See for Miles" was released. In the UK, the single peaked at #12, while in the US it reached #9 and is the group's biggest hit through 1982. The cut was written by Pete Townshend of The Who, recorded for the band's 1967 album, 'The Who Sell Out.' It was the only song from the album to be released as a single, on October 14th, 1967. It remains The Who's biggest hit single in the US to date, and their only one to reach the Top 10 of the Billboard Hot 100

In 1969, police in New Jersey issued a warrant for the arrest of Frank Sinatra in relation to his connections with the Mafia.

In 1971, John Lennon and Yoko Ono appeared on "The Dick Cavett Show" on ABC to promote Lennon's new LP and film ("Imagine"), Yoko's book, two films and a fine arts show.

In 1972, Michael Jackson went to #1 on the US singles chart with “Ben,” his first solo No.1. a #7 hit in the U.K.

In 1977, crooner Bing Crosby died of a heart attack at the age of 76.

In 1978, all four solo albums by the members of KISS break through Billboard's Top 100. Gene Simmons effort will prove to be the highest charting at #22, followed by Ace Freshly at #26, then Paul Stanley at #40 and Peter Crises at #43.

In 1988, Def Leppard became first act in chart history to sell seven million copies of two consecutive LPs, with Pyromania (released in 1983) and Hysteria.

In 1988, Bruce Springsteen appeared at Estadio Mundialista, Mendoza, Argentina to a crowd of over 30,000. The concert was also aired on Chile TV.

In 1990, multi-Emmy and Grammy award-winning American composer, pianist and conductor, Leonard Bernstein died of pneumonia. Composed music for the 1957 musical 'West Side Story', and 'On The Waterfront'. Bernstein conducted the New York Philharmonic aged 25 and wrote three symphonies, two operas, five musicals, and numerous other pieces.

In 2000, llawsuit was filed against Don Henley in Little Rock, AR. The suit claimed that a fan was hit in the forehead with a maraca during on October 4, 2000 concert.

In 2004, the iTunes Music Store reached 150 million songs sold.

In 2006, Freddy Fender, the Tex-Mex singer died of complications from lung cancer at the age of 69. Known for standards as “Before the Next Teardrop Falls” (U.S. #1 in 1975) and “Wasted Days and Wasted Nights.”

In 2008, illustrator and rock cartoonist Ray Lowry died. He contributed illustrations for NME, Punch, Private Eye and The Guardian and designed the artwork for The Clash album London Calling.

In 2009, Paul McCartney was named Songwriter of The Year at the 29th Annual ASCAP Awards in London, England. The awards presentation honored songwriters and publishers of the most performed works in the US during 2008.

birthdays today (among others) include: Natalie Maines from the Dixie Chicks (1974), Thomas Dolby (1958), Colin Hodgkinson of Whitesnake (1945) and Justin Hayward of the Moody Blues (1946)

Vinyl Record News & Music Notes

in my email box today, i want to thank Chris Kennedy for contacting me and sharing this fantastic slice of americana and rock and roll history! i have taken the liberty and have posted more information about this amazing book as well as what reviewers are saying. now, to get my hands on a copy!

Hi Robert:

My name is Chris Kennedy, I'm a writer and musician from New York. I like your site so I thought I'd take the shot and reach out to you.

In 2006, I discovered the lost, never before published color photo collection of popular 1950s Cleveland radio deejay Tommy Edwards. The collection consists of over 1,700 Ektachrome slides of practically everyone who passed through his radio station from 1955-60. Elvis, Chuck Berry, country music superstars, Hollywood celebrities and hopeful unknowns.

I believe the photographs capture something magical. The Kent State University Press has published my book on the collection.

The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in Cleveland are curating a Tommy Edwards photo exhibit, January 12, 2012 through May 6, 2012.

Best,
Chris Kennedy


so, let's take some time and take a closer look at the book. there was a day when DJ's mattered, however with the musical landscape being what is is today, this seems to be a lost medium at times.

'1950s Radio in Color' recalls Cleveland deejay Tommy Edward's rockin' role through photos

Reviews

"Viewing these photographs delivers the same exquisite, intimate, irresistible thrill as looking through family albums and yearbooks.-- Anthony DeCurtis, Contributing Editor, Rolling Stone

"Tommy Edwards helped establish many a successful recording artist - including me!" - Pat Boone

"As producer and historian for Sony Music I sometimes run into kindred spirits--Chris Kennedy is such a person, and 1950s Radio in Color is a splendid example of Chris's dedication to his craft." - Ernst Jørgensen

"Frankly astonishing...with the quite extraordinary book, 1950s Radio in Color, Christopher Kennedy presents the cream of this archive, once believed lost." Mojo - September 2011

"Anyone who loves early rock 'n' roll - and early rock 'n' roll radio - will be mesmerized by the new book "1950s Radio in Color: The Lost Photographs of Deejay Tommy Edwards" by Chris Kennedy." - NY Daily News

AMAZON talks more about the book

A remarkable collection of photographs by one of rock's early champions

Between 1955 and 1960, popular Cleveland deejay Tommy Edwards photographed the parade of performers who passed through the WERE-AM radio studio for on-air interviews, shooting more than 1,700 Ektachrome slides. Following his death in 1981, most of the collection vanished and was presumed lost. The few images that remained were often reprinted and rarely credited to Edwards, labeled photographer unknown. Until now.

Discovered by musician Chris Kennedy in 2006, Tommy Edwards's candid photographs capture the birth of rock 'n' roll at its flashpoint: Elvis Presley while he was still dangerous; a raw and incomplete Chuck Berry before his star ascended; and some beady-eyed, high-voiced kid named Roy Orbison. It wasn't just the architects of rock music whom Edwards had in his viewfinder. There were also pop and country music s biggest stars, mysterious, unknown hopefuls, and vulnerable, deglamourized Hollywood celebrities. Edwards's passion for photography immortalized hundreds of pioneers of rock 'n' roll and pop culture in the radio studio, a setting that was often unseen. His photos offer a rare look behind a closed door.

In 2009, Kennedy located the only surviving copy of the T.E. Newsletter collection, Tommy Edwards's self-published weekly two-page recap of Cleveland radio and record news for music business insiders, spanning from 1953 through 1960. The wealth of information and dates contained in the newsletters are the photo collection's indispensable companion piece, and Edwards's anecdotal quips are interspersed throughout the text of the book.

1950s Radio in Color gives Tommy Edwards his due recognition as the deejay responsible for perhaps the most important photographic and written documentation of twentieth-century music ever produced. Featuring over 200 color photographs, this book will transport readers back in time, allowing them to step into Edwards's shoes for a moment and to feel the wonder and excitement he must have felt every day while witnessing a cultural revolution.

Buy The Book Now At Amazon

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Third Man Records Reissuing Flat Duo Jets Seminal Rockabilly LP

Jack White & Third Man Records are reissuing North Carolina rockabilly band Flat Duo Jets’ seminal 1991 album called 'Go Go Harlem Baby.' Out-of-print on vinyl since it’s original issue twenty years ago, Third Man Records worked solidly for a year-and-a-half to make this record available again. The reissue will be released October 18th on standard vinyl, with 75 limited edition black & white split colored LPs also available on the day of release at the Third Man Records store.

The White Stripes covered album Flat Duo Jets tracks “You Belong to Me” and “Apple Blossom Time” on several occasions (White also talked the band up in the documentary It Might Get Loud). TMR wrote that the songs on the record are “genuinely important in the pantheon of American music.

Flat Duo Jets, the brainchild of Dexter Romweber, released a slew of albums and singles from their formation in 1983 until their 1999 break-up. Romweber has since gone on to a solo career, touring with the likes of Cat Power and Neko Case.

Tracklist
1. Flat Duo Jets Anthem
2. The Dainty Song
3. Go Go Harlem Baby
4. You Belong To Me
5. Frog Went A Courtin’
6. No Greater Love
7. I Don’t Know
8. Harlem Nocturne
9. Wild Trip
10. Rock House
11. Stalkin’
12. Don’t Blame Me
13. Love Has Its Joke Sometimes
14. TV Mama
15. Apple Blossom Time
16. Ask Me How I Live

Pre-sales

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cool album cover art!

Dragonland - New Album Cover Unveiled

Swedish symphonic metal band Dragonland have recently revealed that their new album will be called 'Under The Grey Banner.' The album is scheduled for release on November 18th via AFM Records

DRAGONLAND's fifth album was recorded at several different studios, with Jacob Hansen adding his magic touch to the mix at Hansen studios in Ribe, Denmark. Twelve songs were recorded during the sessions, and the music itself is based on a deep and emotional story, picking up where the band's second album, "Holy War", left off nine years ago.

Tracklist:
1. Ilmarion
2. Shadow Of The Mithril Mountains
3. The Tempest
4. A Thousand Towers White
5. Fire And Brimstone
6. The Black Mare
7. Lady Of Goldenwood
8. Dûrnir's Forge
9. The Trials Of Mount Farnor
10. Throne Of Bones
11. Under The Grey Banner
12. Ivory Shores

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fantastic article at huffingtonpost.com   i wholeheartedly agree with author Mona Elyafi's taste!

Music Sounds Better on Vinyl

Read the article HERE

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this has been making the rounds on all the music sites:

Trailer for Lou Reed & Metallica's Lulu



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the great ozzzzy

OZZY OSBOURNE Interviewed On NBC's 'Today' Show

Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

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saw this at gibson.com  and thought i'd share it. she's amazing, her name is Juliette Valduriez and she is from Paris, France. a masterful job at Ozzy Osbourne’s “Bark at the Moon!” man, she's got some skills, somebody sign her!



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so much happened on this day in music, some names from the past along with some memorable music (for me anyway) enjoy the clips and the music!

In 1958, Billboard magazine runs a story about the vocal group, The Teddy Bears, saying "18 year old Phil Spector, who wrote and arranged their hit 'To Know Him is to Love Him', is studying to be a court reporter."

In 1963, in Britain, the Beatles appeared on the ITV's "Sunday Night at the Palladium." It was their first appearance on a major TV show. Many fans battled with police to get into the theater as 15 million British viewers watched the show on TV.

45 rpm SinglesFacts

In 1965, the Who recorded “My Generation” at Pye studios, London.

"My Generation" is a song that expresses the anger and frustration of teenagers of the day. Roger Daltrey would later say that he stuttered the lyrics to try to fit them to the music. The BBC initially refused to play the song because it did not want to offend people who stammer, but later reversed its decision. The tune would rise to #2 in the UK, but stalled at #74 in the US.

"My Generation" also appeared on The Who's 1965 debut album, My Generation (The Who Sings My Generation in the United States), and in greatly extended form on their live album Live at Leeds (1970). The Who re-recorded the song for the Ready Steady Who! EP in 1966, but this version was only released in 1995 on the remastered version of the A Quick One album. The main difference between this version and the original is that instead of the hail of feedback which ends the original, the band play a chaotic rendition of Edward Elgar's "Land of Hope and Glory". In the album's liner notes the song is credited to both Townshend and Elgar. A music video featuring a montage of live performance clips has been played on music stations.

The song was named the 11th greatest song by Rolling Stone on their list of the 500 Greatest Songs of All Time and 13th on VH1's list of the 100 Greatest Songs of Rock & Roll. It's also part of The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame's 500 Songs that Shaped Rock and Roll and is inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame for "historical, artistic and significant" value.

"My Generation" has been covered by numerous artists. Some of the most recognized include Oasis, Iron Maiden, Alice Cooper, Count Five, Hilary Duff, Green Day, Phish, Floater, The Wahas, The Zimmers, Gorky Park, Di-Rect, Generation X, Acrylic Steel and The Sweet.

The performance of "My Generation" on the Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour was another defining moment in the television comedy series. As they often did during that period, The Who destroyed their instruments at the conclusion of their performance. However, a stage hand, at the request of Keith Moon, had overloaded Moon's kick drum with explosives. When they were detonated, the explosion was so intense that Moon was injured by cymbal shrapnel and bandmate Pete Townshend's hearing was permanently damaged.




"Drive My Car" was recorded on October 13, 1965 in the Beatles' first recording session to extend past midnight.

McCartney, working closely with George Harrison, laid down the basic rhythm track, doubling similar riffing lines on bass and low guitar, as per Harrison's suggestion. Harrison had been listening to Otis Redding's "Respect" at the time and, as a result of its influence, "Drive My Car" has more bottom than any previous Beatles recording, mimicking the bass-heavy sound generated in Redding's Memphis studio.

The song's male narrator is told by a woman that she is going to be a famous movie star, and she offers him the opportunity to be her chauffeur, adding "and maybe I'll love you." When he objects that his "prospects are good", she retorts that "working for peanuts is all very fine/but I can show you a better time." When he agrees to her proposal, she admits that she does not have a car, "but [she's] found a driver and that's a start."

According to McCartney, "'Drive my car' was an old blues euphemism for sex".[5] McCartney also described the song (along with "Norwegian Wood", also from Rubber Soul) as a "comedy number" in Melody Maker two days after the song's recording.

The song also appeared in North America on the 'Yesterday and Today' collection. The upbeat, lighthearted "Drive My Car" was used as the opening track for both albums.


In 1970, Janis Joplin's ashes were scattered off the coast of California.

In 1974, TV host Ed Sullivan died. Introduced The Beatles and other U.K. acts to America via his Ed Sullivan television show, from New York City, which ran from June 20, 1948 to June 6, 1971, on CBS every Sunday night at 8 p.m. The Beatles’ appearance on February 9, 1964 is considered a milestone in American pop culture and the beginning of the British Invasion in music. The broadcast drew an estimated 73 million viewers.

In 1977, 32 year old Shirley Brickley of The Orlons was shot and killed by an intruder in her Philadelphia home. Her group placed five songs in the Billboard Top 20 in 1962 and '63, including "The Wah Watusi" (#2), "Don't Hang Up" (#4) and "South Street" (#3).

KISS released the album "Creatures of the Night" in 1982.

In 1984, Stevie Wonder started a three week run at the top of the Billboard singles chart with "I Just Called To Say I Love You", his seventh US #1. The song, produced by Lionel Ritchie, also reached #1 in the UK and 11 other countries.

In 1990, George Michael went to #1 on the US singles chart with “Praying For Time,” his sixth U.S. solo #1.

In 1992, the US Supreme Court refused to hear the case of two sets of parents suing Ozzy Osbourne for his music's influence in the suicide of their sons.

In 1998, Craig Atkinson, drummer for Count Five on their 1966, US Top Ten hit "Psychotic Reaction", died from an unknown illness at the age of 50.



In 2001, Peter Doyle, guitarist and vocalist for the New Seekers, died of cancer at the age of 52. The group scored two US Top 20 hits, "Look What They've Done To My Song, Ma" in 1970 and "I'd Like To Teach The World To Sing" in 1971, as well as placing twelve songs in the UK Top 40.

In 2002, the UK rock band Muse took legal action against Celine Dion after she announced her forthcoming Las Vegas show would be called Muse. Singer Matt Bellamy from the band said, “We don’t want anyone to think we’re Celine Dion’s backing band.” i don't blame them....

In 2007, Tom Dawes, bassist for the Cyrkle on their two 1966 Billboard Top 20 hits, "Red Rubber Ball" and "Turn Down Day", died following complications from heart surgery. He was 64.



In 2008, in a video message on his website, Ringo Starr announced that he no longer has time to sign autographs and asked fans not to send him any mail at all. "No more fan mail and no objects to be signed. Nothing." After finishing a tour of the US and Canada, he was dividing his time between Los Angeles, the South of France and his UK home in Surrey. i also asked the same thing, yet no one ever asks for my autograph

In 2009, Al Martino, a Pop crooner who placed eleven songs on the Billboard Top 40, including "I Love You Because", "Spanish Eyes" and "I Love You More And More Every Day", died at the age of 82. He is often remembered for playing the Frank Sinatra-type role of Johnny Fontane in The Godfather.

In 2010, General Norman Johnson, the lead singer of the Soul band Chairmen Of The Board, died of lung cancer at the age of 67. The Detroit, Michigan quartet reached the Top 40 of the Billboard Pop chart four times in 1970, including the #3 hit "Give Me Just A Little More Time".

birthdays today include (among others): Craig MacGregor (Foghat) (62), Joey Belladonna (Anthrax) (51), Robert Lamm (Chicago) (67), Sammy Hagar (64) and in peerless Paul Simon (70)