Wednesday, December 11, 2013

Vinyl Record News & Music Notes


turntables and christmas vinyl from our friends at Sundazed

Sundazed Now Selling Music Hall Turntables  

Music Hall mmf-2.2 Turntable (includes 2 Free Albums)

Music Hall turntables first saw the light of day in 1998. They are manufactured in the Czech Republic in a factory that continued, throughout the Soviet Era, to make high quality turntables despite growing interest in CDs. Music Hall has developed a cohesive and logical range of turntables. All are designed to extract a musical and satisfying presentation from that fabulous medium we call vinyl.

The music hall mmf-2.2 turntable is a 2-speed belt driven audiophile turntable at a budget price. It is constructed using high quality components and it comes complete with an arm and cartridge. The construction of the mmf-2.2 has been simplified to focus on the critical components; the bearing, the motor, and the arm. It comes complete with cartridge mounted.

Description, Features & Specs:

  • Gorgeous high-gloss piano black lacquer finish
  • Special vibration damping foot
  • One piece alloy tonearm for superb tracking ability
  • Low noise fully manual belt-drive design
  • Separately isolated asynchronous motor with two-speed (33/45rpm) pulley
  • Music Hall Tracker moving-magnet phono cartridge with replaceable elliptical stylus
  • The cartridge supplied is properly aligned and mounted
  • High precision stainless steel and bronze bearing assembly for quiet fluid operation
  • Alloy platter and felt mat
  • Excellent instruction manual
  • Quick and easy to assemble
  • High quality gold RCA connectors
  • Dust cover and 45rpm adaptor

Dimensions 17in. W x 13in. D x 4.5in. H Turntable weight: 20 lbs.

Buy at Sundazed



Phil Spector & Various Artists - A Christmas Gift For You

In 1963, visionary producer Phil Spector, then at the peak of his creativity and cultural influence, created one of the first—and still one of the greatest—rock ’n’ roll Christmas albums. Using the artist roster of his Philles label—the Ronettes, the Crystals, Darlene Love and Bob B. Soxx and the Blue Jeans—and the legendary studio musicians of the Wrecking Crew, Spector applied his fabled Wall of Sound to a set of Christmas pop standards and holiday-themed originals.

Buy at Sundazed



The Ventures' Christmas Album

The Ventures’ Christmas Album has remained a holiday favorite, as well as one of the most popular items in the band’s catalog. Tracks from the album continue to grace the radio airwaves during the holiday season, and are regularly included on Christmas-themed compilation albums. But the best way to experience these instrumental gems is on the complete original vinyl LP. Sundazed Music has mastered this vintage gem from the original analog tapes and pressed it on 180 gram vinyl, with complete original cover art.

Buy at Sundazed



Booker T. & The MGs - In The Christmas Spirit

Booker T. & the MG's – the heart, soul and pulse of Stax Records – cut their incredible holiday album, In the Christmas Spirit in mid-1966. With their unique, soulful groove, Jones, Cropper, Dunn and Jackson interpret 12 holiday classics, infusing each and every track with funk, taste and style. This labor of love from Sundazed Music is sourced from the original analog (and fruitcake free!) Stax Records masters, pressed on vinyl pure as the driven snow, wrapped in the festive original artwork and hung by the chimney with care.

Buy at Sundazed



The Trashmen - Dancin' With Santa / Real Live Doll

Christmas is a merry time and what could make one merrier than giving this exact repro of the Trashmen's ultra-rare Christmas 7" a whirl on the ole holiday hi-fi?

Buy at Sundazed



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in stock vinyl records from our friends at MusicRecordShop

The Beatles - The Beginning  
  • Label Mischief Music
  • Vinyl Record - LP - New
  • Limited Edition
  • Colored Vinyl
Side A
1. MY BONNIE 2.41 
2. THE SAINTS 3.18 
3. LET'S DANCE 2.33 
4. YA YA (Parts 1 & 2) 5.10 
5. SWEET GEORGIA BROWN 2.04

Side B
1. MY BONNIE (GERMAN INTRO) 2.42 
2. CRY FOR A SHADOW 2.24 
3. WHY 3.00 
4. LOVE ME DO 2.22 
5. PS. I LOVE YOU 2.02 

Buy at MusicRecordShop


Arctic Monkeys - AM

Limited 180gm vinyl LP pressing including digital download. 2013 release, the fifth album from the British Alt-Rock band. AM was produced by James Ford and co-produced by Ross Orton at Sage & Sound Recording, LA and Rancho De La Luna, Joshua Tree. The album was engineered by Ian Shea and mixed by Tchad Blake. Josh Homme, Pete Thomas and Bill Ryder-Jones all make guest appearances on AM as do the words of John Cooper Clarke, on the track "I Wanna Be Yours."
  • Label Domino
  • 180 Gram Vinyl Record 
1. Do I Wanna Know?
2. R U Mine?
3. One for the Road
4. Arabella
5. I Want It All
6. No. 1 Party Anthem
7. Mad Sounds
8. Fireside
9. Why'D You Only Call Me when You'Re High
10. Snap Out of It
11. Knee Socks
12. I Wanna Be Yours

Buy at MusicRecordShop



Social Distortion - Somewhere Between Heaven 

The American punk rock band Social Distortion formed in 1978 in Fullerton, California. Frontman of the band is vocalist, guitar player and main songwriter Mike Ness. Since its inception the band lineup has been a virtual revolving-door of talent, with many members coming and going with the only constant member being Mike Ness. Somewhere Between Heaven and Hell is their fourth studio album originally released in 1992. It continues the melding of country and rockabilly influences with punk that began two albums before with the album Prison Bound. Clear influences include Hank Williams and Johnny Cash. The album also marks the first time that a Social Distortion line-up had not changed in three consecutive studio recordings.
  • Label Music On Vinyl
  • 180 Gram Vinyl Record - LP - New
Side A 
1. COLD FEELINGS 
2. BAD LUCK 
3. MAKING BELIEVE 
4. BORN TO LOSE 
5. BYE BYE BABY

Side B
1. WHEN SHE BEGINS 
2. 99 TO LIFE 
3. KING OF FOOLS 
4. SOMETIMES I DO 
5. THIS TIME DARLIN'

Buy at MusicRecordShop


Top 10 Best Selling Vinyl at MusicRecordShop
     
1. Various Artists - I Am The Center: Private Issue New Age Music In America 1950-1990 (3-LP)
2. Queens of the Stone Age - ...Like Clockwork
3. Muddy Waters & The Rolling Stones - Live at the Checkerboard Lounge Chicago 1981 (2-LP + DVD)
4. THE BEATLES - ONE (2-LP)
5. Bruce Springsteen - Live At The Main Point 1975 (4-LP)(Clear Vinyl)
6. Cream - Live At The Royal Albert Hall 2005 (3-LP)
7. BILLY JOEL - PIANO MAN
8. Led Zeppelin - The Song Remains The Same (4-LP Box Set)
9. Jimi Hendrix - Live At Woodstock (3-LP)
10. Grateful Dead - Wake of the Flood

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GRIMEY'S BEST SELLERS 12/02 - 12/08, 2013

Vinyl Top 25:
1. John Mayer - Paradise Valley
2. Natural Child / Guantanamo Baywatch - Surf N' Turf split 7"
3. Nick Lowe - Quality Street
4. Jason Isbell - Southeastern
5. Rodriquez - Cold Fact (clear vinyl 'Coachella' edition)
6. Fuzz - Live In San Francisco
7. Bully - Brainfreeze 7"
8. Haim - Days Are Gone
9. Hits From The Streets Vol. 1 7"
10. M.I.A. - Matangi
11. Destroyer - Five Spanish Songs
12. The Shins - Live At Third Man
13. Washed Out - Paracosm
14. The Civil Wars - The Civil Wars
15. Bela Fleck & The Flecktones - Jingle All The Way
16. Vampire Weekend - Modern Vampires Of The City
17. The National - Trouble Will Find Me
18. Miles Davis - Kind Of Blue
19. Mumford & Sons - Sigh No More
20. John Fahey - New Possibility: John Fahey's Guitar Soli Christmas Album
21. Chris Crofton & Alcohol Stunt Band - Thelema!
22. Puscifer - V Is For Vagina (red vinyl 'Coachella' edition)
23. Arcade Fire - Reflektor
24. Grateful Dead - One From The Vault
25. Tristen - C A V E S

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from our friends at Relapse

Relapse Top 10 Best Sellers

1. Death - Individual Thought Patterns (3CD Deluxe Reissue)
2. Baroness - Yellow & Green Deluxe Digi Book 2xCD
3. Death - Spiritual Healing (3CD Deluxe Reissue)
4. Baroness - Yellow & Green Deluxe Hardbound Book 2xLP (Yellow - Opaque)
5. Pig Destroyer - Book Burner Deluxe 2xCD Edition
6. Baroness - Yellow & Green Standard 2xLP (Yellow A/B Green D/C)
7. Baroness - Live At Maida Vale - BBC LP (Gold Translucent w/ Silk Screen)
8. Dying Fetus - Reign Supreme CD (Limited Deluxe)
9. Pig Destroyer - Book Burner Deluxe 2xLP Deluxe Edition (Deep Blue)
10. Baroness - Yellow & Green 2xCD

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Amazon Top 10 Best Selling Vinyl Records - December 11, 2013

1. Reflektor - Arcade Fire
2. Random Access Memories - Daft Punk
3. Born to Die - Lana Del Rey
4. Sigh No More - Mumford & Sons
5. Celebration Day (3 LP) - Led Zeppelin
6. AM - Arctic Monkeys
7. Babel - Mumford & Sons
8. Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band - The Beatles
9. Pure Heroine - Lorde
10. For Emma, Forever Ago - Bon Iver

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from our friends at SoundStageDirect

Top Ten Best Sellers At SoundStageDirect

1. Vince Guaraldi Trio - A Charlie Brown Christmas (Black Vinyl)
2. Neil Young - Live At The Cellar Door
3. Beatles - Sgt. Peppers Lonely Hearts Club Band
4. Passion For Vinyl (Book)
5. Beatles - Abbey Road
6. Stone Temple Pilots - Tiny Music (Pre-Order)
7. James Taylor - James Taylor Greatest Hits
8. Bob Marley - Legend
9. Lana Del Rey - Born To Die
10. Arctic Monkeys - AM

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Many UK Music Retailers' Holiday Sales At Risk Due To Single Distributor's Failure

Arvato, a distributor that normally promises a 24 hour turnaround time, is said to be delivering orders up to 5 days late. The distributor is said to have underestimated Christmas sales, changes in order that increased transactions and even the popularity of vinyl, which face the longest delays

Read more HERE

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Soul Obscurities Family Circle Get Treated to Reissue via Numero's JR Imprint











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Bob Mould Preps Vinyl Deluxe Reissue of Solo Debut 'Workbook'











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Pop Music Hall of Fame Names Chicago, the Carpenters, the Monkees, the Bee Gees and ten more

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Andy Johns on the secrets behind the Led Zeppelin IV sessions











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The 30 best, most beautiful album covers of 2013 - A purely superficial look at some of the coolest album artwork of the year










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The worst Christmas album covers ever: part 1 - A gallery of seasonal sleeves that will sleigh your eyes











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album cover art of the day:

FREEDOM CALL: 'Beyond' Cover Artwork, Track Listing Revealed





















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album cover art of the day, part two:

CREMATORY: Complete 'Antiserum' Album Details Revealed






















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if you are in the la area, don't miss this!




Monday, December 9, 2013

New Music Releases - December 10, 2013










!!! (Chk Chk Chk) - And Anyway It's Christmas (7")
50 Cent - Get Rich or Die Tryin’ (2xLP)
7 Days of Funk (Dam-Funk and Snoop Dogg) - 7 Days of Funk
Arthur's Landing - Miracle 2 (remixes) (vinyl)
Asian Women On the Telephone - Ivan (vinyl)
Audion - Audion X
Badfinger - Icon
Bassnectar - Freestyle / Wildstyle
Bassnectar - Timestretch / Take You Down
Beastmilk - Climax
Ben Sims - Fabric 73
Billie Holiday - Lady Sings the Blues (reissue) (vinyl)
Billie Joe and Norah - foreverly
BJ Nilsen - Eye of the Microphone
Bjorn Torske - Kok EP (12")
Bloodgroup - Disquiet EP (12")
Blue Sky Black Death - Glaciers (vinyl)
Bonde Do Role - Tropicalbacanal (Deluxxxe Version)
Bone Thugs-N-Harmony - Art of War III
Booka Shade - Love Inc (12")
Bosnian Rainbows - Live at Clouds Hill (10")
Brendan Benson - You Were Right (vinyl)
Brian Jonestown Massacre - Tepid Peppermint Wonderland Volume 1 (2xLP)
Brigitte Fontaine - Brigitte Fontaine Est...Folle (vinyl)
Brigitte Fontaine - Comme à la Radio (vinyl)
Bryan and the Haggards feat. Dr. Eugene Chadbourne - Merles Just Want to Have Fun (vinyl)
Cabaret Voltaire - #8385 (Collected Works 1983 –1985) (6xCD)
Cabaret Voltaire - Micro-phonies (vinyl)
Cabaret Voltaire - The Covenant, the Sword, and the Arm of the Lord (vinyl)
Cabaret Voltaire - The Crackdown (vinyl)
Carmen Villain - Sleeper Remixes (12")
Caspian - Hymn for the Greatest Generation (vinyl)
Charlie Parker - Charlie Parker with Strings (vinyl)
Cheap Time - Exit Smiles (vinyl)
Childish Gambino - Because The Internet
Chuck Berry - After School Session: The Deluxe Edition (vinyl)
Cliff Martinez - Solaris OST (picture disc)
Cocoanut Grove - How to Build A Maze (vinyl)
Connan Mockasin - Caramel (vinyl)
Count Basie - April In Paris (reissue) (vinyl)
Crown The Empire - The Fallout (deluxe edition)
Cybotron - Enter (2xLP)
Dance Chapter - Chapters (vinyl)
Danny and the Darleans - Danny and the Darleans (vinyl)
Dave Van Ronk - Inside Dave Van Ronk (vinyl)
David Ackles - David Ackles (vinyl)
Dead Meadow - Warble Womb (vinyl)
Detroit Emeralds - Let's Get Together
Disfiguring The Goddess - Deprive
DJ KAOS - Swoop EP (12")
DJ Nu-Mark - Oya (7")
DJ Red - Eyes Are Blind (12")
DOA - Welcome to Chinatown: DOA Live (2xLP)
Drexciya - Journey Of The Deep Sea Dweller Volume IV
DTCV - Hilarious Heaven
E-40 - Block Brochure: Welcome to the Soil Vol. 4
E-40 - Block Brochure: Welcome to the Soil Vol. 5
E-40 - Block Brochure: Welcome to the Soil Vol. 6
Ella Fitzgerald - Ella Fitzgerald: The Voice of Jazz (10xCD)
Ella Fitzgerald and Louis Armstrong - Ella and Louis (vinyl)
Eric Clapton - Give Me Strength: The '74/'75 Recordings (3LP)
Evergreen Terrace - Dead Horses
Everything In Slow Motion - Phoenix
Farhot - Kabul Fire Vol.1 (vinyl)
Faust and Omar Rodriguez Lopez - Live at Clouds Hill (10")
Flume - Flume (deluxe reissue)
Frank Zappa - Uncle Meat (reissue) (2xLP)
Gallon Drunk - Live at Clouds Hill (10")
Gary War | Purple Pilgrims - Split LP (vinyl)
George Benson - Giblet Gravy (vinyl)
Glaxo Babies - Nine Months to the Disco (vinyl)
Glaxo Babies - Put Me on the Guest List (vinyl)
Good Old War - Live from the City of Brotherly Love
Grateful Dead - Dick’s Picks Vol. 5 (5xLP)
Guerilla Toss - Gay Disco
Gunter Schickert - Kinder in der Wildnis
Harold Budd - Budd Box (7xCD)
HIEROGLYPHICS - The Kitchen
Holger Czukay - On the Way to the Peak of Normal (picture disc)
Honour Crest - Spilled Ink
Howard Shore - The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug OST (2xCD)
In Camera - IV + II (vinyl)
J. Rocc - J. Rocc Enjoyed the Experience (12")
Jay Ferguson - All Alone in the End / Thunder Island / Real Life
Jellyfish - Radio Jellyfish (vinyl)
Jeremiah Jae - Dirty Collections Vol. 3 (7")
Jerry Garcia Band | Bob Weir and Rob Wassermann - Fall 1989: The Long Island Sound (6xCD)
Jimmy Smith - The Cat (vinyl)
John Mellencamp - 1978-2013 (box set)(19xCD)
Josh Rouse - 1972 (reissue) (vinyl)
JTC - Valley Road (We Are 1) (12")
Katy Perry - PRISM (vinyl)
Keith Jarrett - Concerts: Bregenz Munich
Kele - Heartbreaker
Kleer - I Love to Dance (expanded edition)
Kowloon Walled City / Batillus - split 7"
Krystal Keith - Whiskey & Lace
Lawrence - Films and Windows Remixed (12")
Lee Bannon - Alternate/Endings
Les Vampyrettes - Les Vampyrettes (boxset) (3x10")
Logos - Cold Mission
Lou Reed with Nico and John Cale - Le Bataclan, Paris. Jan 29, '72 (vinyl)
Mass - Labour of Love (vinyl)
Mass Production - Turn Up the Music - Straight Album
Mastodon - Live at Brixton
Maybeshewill - Not For Want of Trying
Maybeshewill - Sing The World In 4-part Harmony
Mexican Summer - Mexican Summer: Five Years (10")
Miles Davis and Sonny Rollins - Dig (vinyl)
Milosh - Jetlag (vinyl)
Moan - Think About Forgotten Days
Moderat - Bad Kingdom EP (12")
Morphine - Good (vinyl)
My Epic - Behold
Mykestro - Set Precedent (12")
Negative Trend - Negative Trend (7")
Neil Young - Live at the Cellar Door (vinyl)
Nick Drake - Tuck Box
Nils Frahm - Spaces (2xLP)
Norman Connors - Dance of Magic / Dark of Light
Oiseaux-Tempete - Oiseaux-Tempete (2xLP)
Onyx - Bacdafucup (2xLP)
Orchestra of Spheres - Vibration Animal Sex Brain Music (vinyl)
Oscar Peterson - Night Train (reissue) (vinyl)
Parmalee - Feels Like Carolina
Paul McCartney - New (vinyl)
Peshay - Generation
Pleasure - Special Things
Polkadot Cadaver - From Bethlehem To Oblivion
Polly Scattergood - Arrows (vinyl)
Post Louis - This Could Be A Bridge EP (12")
Pyrolator - Pyrolator's Wunderland (vinyl)
Quincy Jones - Big Band Bossa Nova (vinyl)
R Kelly - Black Panties
Rangda - Live in Krefeld
Replacements - Don't Tell A Soul (vinyl)
Ricardo Donoso - As Iron Sharpens Iron (12")
Robert Pollard - Blazing Gentlemen (vinyl)
Rocky Sharpe and the Replays - If You Want To Be Happy: The Polydor & RAK Masters & More
Rogue Wave - Nightingale Floors (vinyl)
Shelby Lynn - Thanks
Shuko - Cookies and Cream 3 (vinyl)
Slayer - Christ Illusion (reissue) (vinyl)
Slayer - Decade Of Aggression: Live (reissue) (vinyl)
Slayer - Diablous In Musica (reissue) (vinyl)
Slayer - Divine Intervention (reissue) (vinyl)
Slayer - God Hates Us All (reissue) (vinyl)
Slayer - Reign In Blood (reissue) (vinyl)
Slayer - Seasons In The Abyss (reissue) (vinyl)
Slayer - South Of Heaven (reissue) (vinyl)
Slayer - Undisputed Attitude (reissue) (vinyl)
Slayer - World Painted Blood (reissue) (vinyl)
Slick Rick - The Great Adventures of Slick Rick (2xLP)
Sniff "N" the Tears - No Damage Done
Snoop Dogg and Dam Funk - 7 Days of Funk (2xLP - 8x7")
SOKO - I Thought I Was An Alien (vinyl)
Stained Glass - A Scene In-Between 1965-1967
Stan Getz - Big Band Bossa Nova (vinyl)
Teengenerate - Get More Action (vinyl)
Tennis - Small Sound (vinyl)
The Heliocentrics - Quatermass Sessions 1 (12")
The Len Bright Combo - The Len Bright Combo
The Lucksmiths - Cartography for Beginners
The Replacements - Don't Tell A Soul (vinyl)
Thee Oh Sees - Singles Collection 3 (vinyl)
Their / They're / There - Analog Weekend (12")
Thelonious Monk - Brilliant Corners (reissue) (vinyl)
Tiga Vs Audion - Let's Go Dancing EP (12")
Todd Terje - Spiral (12")
Too Much Joy - Cereal Killers (vinyl)
Toy - Join The Dots
Tuxedomoon - No Tears (12")
Tuxedomoon - Scream With a View (12")
Two Two - Bikini Atoll
Various Artists - 20 Jahre Kompakt/Kollektion 2 (2xLP)
Various Artists - Africa Express Presents: Maison Des Jeunes
Various Artists - Angola Soundtrack 2: Hypnosis, Distortions & Other Sonic Innovations 1969-1978 (2xLP)
Various Artists - Boysnoize Presents: A Tribute to Dance Mania (2xLP+CD)
Various Artists - Complete Motown Singles - Vol 12b: 1972
Various Artists - Crystallized - Celebrating 15 Years of Rocket Recordings (2xLP)
Various Artists - I Heard the Angels Singing: Electrifying Black Gospel from the Nashboro Label, 1951-1983 (4xCD)
Various Artists - L.I.E.S. Presents Music for Shut-Ins (2xCD)
Various Artists - Rainy City Punks (Manchester Punk and Post-Punk Indie Singles) (vinyl)
Various Artists - Rebita 74 (vinyl)
Various Artists - The Best of Jefree's Vol. 1 (2xCD)
Various Artists - The Decca Sound - The Analogue Years (6xLP)
Various Artists - The Music Of Nashville, Season 2, Vol. 1
Various Artists - The Recordings of the Harisis Group from Northern Greece 1933 (7")
Various Artists - Verve: The Sound Of America - The Singles Collection
Various Artists - Young Turks 2013
Vatican Shadow - When You Are Crawling (vinyl)
Velvet Underground - White Light/White Heat (2LP - 45th Anniversary Edition)
Who - Tommy (2xLP)
Workout - Rockit Science
Xasthur - Telepathic With the Desceased (2xLP)

Vinyl Record News & Music Notes




If You Want to Sell Christmas Music, Put It on Vinyl







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in nc, vinyl doing well with a new opening of an old shop

Repo returns with vinyl, CDs, collectibles – and a lot of history











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in the great state of washington, spinning vinyl anew!

Capitol Hill vinyl bar Revolver promises homey retro vibe and a massive record collection










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this very well written article comes from the Philippines

Back in Black






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another great article about our beloved records!


Vinyl Records Refuse To Die






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The Twilight Sad to Release Expanded Vinylk Edition of 'Fourteen Autumns & Fifteen Winters'











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Former Can members Holger Czukay and Damo Suzuki set for new vinyl releases






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 Bob Dylan's Newport Guitar Sells for Nearly a Million Bucks









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SPIN's 20 Best Dance Albums of 2013







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interesting look at a very famous album cover:

The story behind The Eagles’ Hotel California album cover









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album cover art of the day:

Moonlit Sailor Debut Cover Art For ‘We Came From Exploding Stars’

ANNOUNCING THE 2013 INDUCTEES INTO THE ALBUM COVER HALL OF FAME

as a proud voting member of the Album Cover Hall Of Fame, it is my pleasure to post this.  Mike has done tons of work to the Album Cover Hall of Fame website, please, if you are a fan of album cover art, check out all the links provided and learn more about the medium and the people behind the phenomenon



PRESS RELEASE - DECEMBER 5, 2013

ANNOUNCING THE 2013 INDUCTEES INTO THE ALBUM COVER HALL OF FAME 

SOPHOMORE CLASS OF HONOREES IN THE 7 MAJOR CATEGORIES - AS VOTED ON BY A WORLD-WIDE PANEL OF MUSIC, ART AND MARKETING EXPERTS IN THE AREA OF ALBUM COVER ART 

Portland, OR - based organization selects the designers, illustrators, photographers, art directors and patrons whose works were released between the years 1976 - 1990.

Since officially launching the site last year based on the results from the group's initial survey (album cover designers whose initial efforts were released between the years 1960 - 1975), nearly new 200 biographies were added for consideration by the esteemed panel of writers, music industry leaders and curators of galleries (retail and online) that focus on album cover imagery and, after a research, nominating and voting process that began in August and ended in late November with our final vote, the ACHOF Voting Panel has selected a list of individuals and companies that very clearly represent the best examples of a large number of talented men, women and teams who’ve created and published a huge portfolio of memorable album cover images. This year's Class consists of people who BEGAN their careers in the field during the period we're focusing on this time - 1976 - 1990.

Going forward, the Nominating Panel – currently consisting of experts in the fields of packaging design, illustration, photography and music product marketing – will continue the process each year (beginning in Summer 2014 to nominate the third class of Inductees representing those whose works were published during the period of 1991 – present) by selecting nominees in each of the featured categories for consideration by both that voting body and, ultimately, by registered fans of the ACHOF, and those nominees that receive the most total votes in their respective categories will be inducted.

Once we’ve caught up to present time (i.e., after next year's class is inducted), qualified individuals become eligible for induction 10 years after the publication of their first record album, CD, DVD or digital album cover image.

We’ve divided the Inductees into their respective categories so that you, the fans, can get to know each winner individually and within their group of peers. Please note that some names will be seen in more than one category, as it is that certain individuals serve in more than one role in a project. Inductees are listed alphabetically:


Album Cover Photographers  

Anton Corbijn - notable album cover credits include – Depeche Mode – Songs of Faith and Devotion, Exciter and Sounds of the Universe; U2 - War, The Unforgettable Fire and The Joshua Tree; Bee Gees - One Night Only, Still Waters and Number Ones; Fine Young Cannibals - FYC; REM - Automatic For The People; Art of Noise - Who's Afraid Of? www.corbijn.co.uk

BOB GRUEN - Notable examples of album cover work - KISS - Dressed To Kill; John Lennon John Lennon - Mind Games; Raspberries - Raspberries; Labelle - Labelle; The Clash - Live at Shea Stadium; Roy Buchanan - Roy Buchanan  www.bobgruen.com

ANNIE LEIBOVITZ - Notable album cover credits include - Peter Tosh - Mystic Man; Cyndi Lauper - She's So Unusual and True Colors; Bruce Springsteen - Born in the U.S.A. and Tunnel of Love; Patti Smith - Gone Again; Laurie Anderson - In Our Sleep; Tony Bennett - The Art of Excellence; Judy Collins - Portrait of an American Girl; J. Geils Band - Best of the J. Geils Band; Lucinda Williams - West; Paul Anka - Duets www.contactpressimages.com

NEAL PRESTON – Notable album cover credits include – Bruce Springsteen –Live 1975-85 and Streets of Philadelphia; Alice Cooper – Beast of Alice Cooper; Peter Frampton – Peter Frampton and A Day In The Sun; Heart –Passionworks; The Traveling Wilburys – The Traveling Wilburys, Vol. 1; Captain & Tennille – Song of Joy and Songs Of Joy; Tom Petty – The Live Anthology; Various Artists – Almost Famous and Elizabethtown soundtracks; Billy Joel – A Matter Of Trust; Patty Scialfa – Rumble Doll; Fleetwood Mac – Say You Will and Live In Boston; Stevie Nicks – Trouble In Shangri-La  www.prestonpictures.com

HERB RITTS – Notable album cover credits include – Olivia Newton-John –Physical; Gloria Estefan – Destiny, The Essential Gloria Estefan, Mi Tierra/Destiny; Billy Idol – Whiplash Smile; Warren Zevon – Sentimental Hygiene; Cher – Chronicles; Belinda Carlisle - Runaway Horses; Diana Ross – Love & Life; Madonna – True Blue; Tracy Chapman – Matters of the Heart; James Taylor – Hourglass; Prince – The Hits/The B-Sides www.herbritts.com

PENNIE SMITH – Notable album cover credits include – The Pink Fairies –What A Bunch Of Sweeties; The Clash – London Calling, Combat Rock, The Clash on Broadway and Essential Clash; Robyn Hitchcock – Kershaw Sessions; Andy White – Rave On; The Jam – Jam At The BBC; Various Artists -Sandanista! Project; The Slits - Cut; Pet Shop Boys - Behaviour


Album Cover Illustrators 

HUGH GILMOUR – Notable album covers include – Tony Iommi – Fused; Ian Gillan – Future Shock, Double Trouble and Singles + The Promo Videos; Glenn Hughes – This Time Around; The Bonzo Dog Band – New Tricks; Marillon – This Strange Engine; The Strangles – Sessions; Black Sabbath –Mob Rules, Live Evil and Seventh Star; Iron Maiden - Somewhere In Time, Seventh Son of a Seventh Son and Fear of the Dark; UFO - High Stakes & Dangerous Men; Motorhead - Protect The Innocent www.gilmourdesign.co.uk

PETER LLOYD – Notable album cover work examples – Jefferson Starship –Dragonfly; Rod Stewart – Atlantic Crossing; Kansas – Song For America and Audio Visions; Graham Central Station – My Radio Sure Sounds Good To Me; Ronnie Laws – Pressure Sensitive http://overspraybook.blogspot.com

DAVE MCMACKEN – Notable album cover work – Frank Zappa – Over-nite Sensation and 200 Motels, AC/DC – Ballbreaker, Warrant – Dog Eat Dog, Weather Report –Black Market, The Beatles – Reel Music, Steve Miller – The Joker; Kansas – Leftoverture; Journey - Raised on Radio; The Beach Boys - Friends; Various Artists - Nadia's Theme (The Young & The Restless) www.mcmackengraphics.com

JAMIE REID – Notable album cover work examples – The Sex Pistols – Never Mind the Bollocks…Here’s The Sex Pistols, Anarchy in the U.K., The Great Rock and Roll Swindle and God Save The Queen; Afro Celt Sound System - Volume 1:Sound Magic, Volume 2:Release and Release Remixes, Vol.1; Billy Childish - Thatcher's Children

DEREK RIGGS – Notable album cover art credits include – Iron Maiden – Iron Maiden, Killers, Number of the Beast, Piece of Mind, Power Slave, Somewhere in Time, Live After Death, No Prayer For The Dying and Brave New World; Stratovarius – Infinite and Elements Pt. 1 & Pt. 2; Budgie – Nightflight; Bruce Dickinson – Accident of Birth; Gamma Ray – Power Plant derek.server311.com

HUGH SYME – Notable album cover credits include – Def Leppard –Retroactive; Megadeth – Countdown To Extinction and Youthanasia; Supertramp – Some Things Never Change; Celine Dion – Live A Paris; Aerosmith – Get A Grip; Rush – All album covers since 1975: Quiet Riot - QRIII; Whitesnake - World Trade, Slip of the Tongue and 1987; The Band - Jericho; Slaughter - Stick It To Ya; Alice Cooper - A Fistful of Alice www.hughsyme.com


Album Cover Designers

MARTYN ATKINS – Notable album cover credits include – Joy Division – Closer; Echo & The Bunnymen – Heaven Up Here, Porcupine and Ocean Rain; Depeche Mode – A Broken Frame, Catching Up With Depeche Mode and Music For The Masses; Bee Gees – E.S.P. and One; Jeff Lynne – Armchair Theatre and Long Wave; Tom Petty – Wildflowers and A Higher Place; Johnny Cash – American Recordings and Unchained www.oishiiproductions.com

BARNEY BUBBLES – Notable examples of album cover work include – Hawkwind – Space Ritual; Elvis Costello – My Aim Is True, This Year’s Model, Armed Forces, Get Happy!, Imperial Bedroom and Punch The Clock; Ian Dury – New Boots & Panties and Do It Yourself; The Damned – Music For Pleasure; Graham Parker – Parkerilla; Hawkwind - Hall of the Mountain Grill and Astounding Sounds, Amazing Music; Nick Lowe - Labour of Lust www.barneybubbles.com

NICHOLAS (“Nick”) De VILLE – Notable album cover credits include – Roxy Music – The Complete Studio Recordings, The Best of Roxy Music, The Thrill Of It All, Siren, Country Life, Stranded and Roxy Music; King Crimson – USA and The 21st Century Guide to King Crimson; John Wetton – Arkangel and King’s Road 1972-80; Bryan Ferry – Frantic, As Time Goes By, Mamouna, Taxi, In Your Mind and These Foolish Things; Phil Manzanera – Nowomova: Wasted Lands, Live At The Karl Marx, Southern Cross and Guitarissimo; UK – UK www.gold.ac.uk

NICK EGAN – Notable album cover credits include – Bow Wow Wow – Last Of The Mohicans/See Jungle! See Jungle!...; Bob Dylan – Biograph; Ric Ocasek – This Side Of Paradise; Iggy Pop – Blah, Blah, Blah and The Complete A&M Recordings; Psychedelic Furs – Midnight To Midnight; INXS – Kick, X and Live Baby Live; Duran Duran – Duran Duran (The Wedding Album), Greatest and The Singles: 1986-95; The Brian Setzer Orchestra – Guitar Slinger; Tesla - Mechanical Resonance and Psychotic Supper; Faster Pussycat - Wake Me When Its Over; Belinda Carlisle - Live Your Life Be Free www.nickegan.com

MICK HAGGERTY – Notable album cover work examples – David Bowie – Let’s Dance, Never Let Me Down and Tonight, The Police – Ghost In The Machine; Dave Mason – Let It Flow; Jimmy Hendrix - Kiss The Sky; Phoebe Snow - Phoebe Snow; Gamma - Gamma 2; Goo Goo Dolls - Gutterflower; Styx - Cornerstone; Electric Light Orchestra - Face The Music; Supertramp – Breakfast In America. www.mickhaggerty.com

PETER SAVILLE – notable album cover credits include – Joy Division – Unknown Pleasures and Closer; New Order – Power, Corruption, Lies and Blue Monday; Pulp – This Is Hardcore and We Love Life; OMD – Dazzle Ships and History of Modern; King Crimson – Discipline; Peter Gabriel – So; Roxy Music – Avalon; David Byrne - My Life In The Bush Of Ghosts; Suede - Beautiful Ones, Coming Up and Head Music www.petersaville.com


Album Cover Art Directors 

MARTYN ATKINS – Notable album cover credits include – Joy Division – Closer; Echo & The Bunnymen – Heaven Up Here, Porcupine and Ocean Rain; Depeche Mode – A Broken Frame, Catching Up With Depeche Mode and Music For The Masses; Bee Gees – E.S.P. and One; Jeff Lynne – Armchair Theatre and Long Wave; Tom Petty – Wildflowers and A Higher Place; Johnny Cash – American Recordings and Unchained www.oishiiproductions.com

BARNEY BUBBLES – Notable examples of album cover work include – Hawkwind – Space Ritual; Elvis Costello – My Aim Is True, This Year’s Model, Armed Forces, Get Happy!, Imperial Bedroom and Punch The Clock; Ian Dury – New Boots & Panties and Do It Yourself; The Damned – Music For Pleasure; Graham Parker – Parkerilla; Hawkwind - Hall of the Mountain Grill and Astounding Sounds, Amazing Music; Nick Lowe - Labour of Lust  www.barneybubbles.com

NICHOLAS (“Nick”) De VILLE – Notable album cover credits include – Roxy Music – The Complete Studio Recordings, The Best of Roxy Music, The Thrill Of It All, Siren, Country Life, Stranded and Roxy Music; King Crimson – USA and The 21st Century Guide to King Crimson; John Wetton – Arkangel and King’s Road 1972-80; Bryan Ferry – Frantic, As Time Goes By, Mamouna, Taxi, In Your Mind and These Foolish Things; Phil Manzanera – Nowomova: Wasted Lands, Live At The Karl Marx, Southern Cross and Guitarissimo; UK – UK www.gold.ac.uk

NICK EGAN – Notable album cover credits include – Bow Wow Wow – Last Of The Mohicans/See Jungle! See Jungle!...; Bob Dylan – Biograph; Ric Ocasek – This Side Of Paradise; Iggy Pop – Blah, Blah, Blah and The Complete A&M Recordings; Psychedelic Furs – Midnight To Midnight; INXS – Kick, X and Live Baby Live; Duran Duran – Duran Duran (The Wedding Album), Greatest and The Singles: 1986-95; The Brian Setzer Orchestra – Guitar Slinger; Tesla - Mechanical Resonance and Psychotic Supper; Faster Pussycat - Wake Me When Its Over; Belinda Carlisle - Live Your Life Be Free www.nickegan.com

MICK HAGGERTY – Notable album cover work examples – David Bowie – Let’s Dance, Never Let Me Down and Tonight, The Police – Ghost In The Machine; Dave Mason – Let It Flow; Jimmy Hendrix - Kiss The Sky; Phoebe Snow - Phoebe Snow; Gamma - Gamma 2; Goo Goo Dolls - Gutterflower; Styx - Cornerstone; Electric Light Orchestra - Face The Music; Supertramp – Breakfast In America. www.mickhaggerty.com

PETER SAVILLE – notable album cover credits include – Joy Division – Unknown Pleasures and Closer; New Order – Power, Corruption, Lies and Blue Monday; Pulp – This Is Hardcore and We Love Life; OMD – Dazzle Ships and History of Modern; King Crimson – Discipline; Peter Gabriel – So; Roxy Music – Avalon; David Byrne - My Life In The Bush Of Ghosts; Suede - Beautiful Ones, Coming Up and Head Music  www.petersaville.com


Individual Achievement Awards (given to people who’ve stepped out of their regular areas of expertise to create a notable record cover)

Included in this category are designers, illustrators, photographers and art directors who, while not working primarily in the music-packaging field, created a memorable album cover. In some cases, the nominee may have had his/her career cut short due to illness or death (a condition that seems to have plagued the burgeoning recorded music industry), while in other examples, an artist’s talents in one specialty were noted and they were then asked to apply those talents in some unique way to an album cover project. In more than one instance, the nominee was a friend/relative/business associate/guru of someone related to the featured musical act and, therefore, entrusted with this important responsibility. Regardless of the circumstances, each nominee has left an indelible mark on the art of the album cover.

CATHERINE KANNER (Illustrator) – Noted album cover work – Bob Dylan – Slow Train Coming (Columbia Records, 1979) www.kannerbook.com

KIRK WEDDLE (Photographer) – Noted album cover work – Nirvana – Nevermind (DGC Records, 1991) www.kirkweddle.com


Record Labels 

In as much as “pop” music in the early days of the Pop/Rock era included musical acts that easily crossed-over from jazz, R&B, country, folk and Rock & Roll to deliver music in many styles to a public hungry for their records, record companies were not eager to be classified and chose to make sure that their cover designs would appeal to a fairly broad audience.

However, many musical artists sought to team with like-minded art directors to create packaging for music that would best-represent their own feelings about how they’d like the buying public to perceive them and their music. Once shown to be effective marketing tools, trend-setting album cover design was embraced by certain record labels, who then – as a prelude to the big-budget video productions of the 1980s and 90s – put significant resources behind these promotional packages. It is the labels that showed this type of forethought that we look to honor in this category.

Name of Label 

CASABLANCA (KISS, Village People, Parliament, others) - www.casablanca-music.com

SIRE (Talking Heads, k.d. lang, Seal, others); now a sub-label of Warner Brothers Records) - www.warnerbrosrecords.com

SUB POP (Sonic Youth, The Postal Service, The Shins, others) - www.subpop.com


MUSICAL ACTS WITH A LONG-STANDING COMMITMENT TO GREAT ALBUM COVER IMAGERY 

Of course, without the patronage of musical acts and their record labels, there would be no great album cover art, but there were some acts that "got it" better than others and used their cover imagery to both help set the mood for the music packaged inside and build a deeper bond with their fans and potential fans. At times, a great album cover image could be a powerful enticement to shoppers browsing the racks at their favorite record store, whereas some fans of a band viewed them as rewards given to those who had waited patiently for an act's next release.

With the strong connection evident between the visual and aural arts, it only seems natural that musicians would find kindred spirits in the men and women tasked to produce the images for their recorded music.

NAME OF MUSICAL ACT & LINK TO DISCOGRAPHY AS LISTED ON THE ALLMUSIC.COM WEB SITE: 

BJORK

DEPECHE MODE

NIRVANA

THE RAMONES

THE SEX PISTOLS

TALKING HEADS


Please contact Mike Goldstein, Curator, AlbumCoverHallofFame.com with any questions or comments. News stories about album cover art and artists are added 5X per week on our site and on the site's Facebook page found at www.facebook.com/AlbumCoverHallOfFame

Contact(s) - Mike Goldstein, Curator, AlbumCoverHallofFame.com,
Portland, OR 
Email - curator@albumcoverhalloffame.com
Web site - www.albumcoverhalloffame.com
Phone - 971-645-8958 (West Coast) 

Friday, December 6, 2013

Vinyl Record News & Music Notes


SpaceLab9 Breaking Bad Picture Disc Contest

Still taking entries (until the end of the month) for the awesome pictures discs from the folks at spacelab9.com, who have given me one copy of the Breaking Bad picture disc set to be given away to a lucky CVR blog reader.

The contest is simple, you can enter by emailing me at rbenson30@wi.rr.com with the words "SpaceLab9 Breaking Bad Picture Disc Contest" in the subject line. Limit one email entry per person. Entries limited to the USA residents only.  Contest ends on December 31, 2013.  Winner will be chosen at random among the qualifying email entries at noon on December 31, 2013.   Good luck to all and thanks again to spacelab9 for the contest prize!



SPACELAB9 DEBUTS WITH LIMITED EDITION VINYL RELEASES FOR BREAKING BAD AND THE WALKING DEAD

Coming to planet earth during November 2013, record label imprint Spacelab9 makes its debut with vinyl releases for the official score to AMC and Sony Pictures Entertainment’s hit series and Emmy® winning drama BREAKING BAD followed by the official soundtrack to multi-award winning fan-favorite drama series THE WALKING DEAD. A limited picture disc LP edition for each will be available exclusively from lifestyle retail giant HOT TOPIC, hitting store shelves on November 26th and December 3rd respectively, available while supplies last.

This marks the first time that “BREAKING BAD (Original Score From The Television Series)” will be offered on vinyl format. The 2-disc set features nearly one hour of original music composed by Dave Porter, including the now-iconic “Breaking Bad Main Title Theme.” “AMC’s THE WALKING DEAD (official soundtrack Vol.1)” also makes its vinyl debut, featuring tracks from composer Bear McCreary and artists Jamie N. Commons, Voxhaul Broadcast, Baby Bee, Fink, Lauren Cohan (Maggie Greene) & Emily Kinney (Beth Greene) as well as multiplatinum Icelandic artists Of Monsters and Men.

Conceived of by music industry veteran Dave Amcher and staffed by fellow record collectors, film buffs and all-around fanboy fanatics, SPACELAB9 takes a 360 view of music and pop culture fandom with a wide variety of merchandise in the works. Amcher speaks enthusiastically about the prospects for the new imprint.

“Most of us involved with SL9 have worked together running traditional record labels since the mid-1990s. Many a Monday morning has been spent taking turns showing off the spoils from the previous weekend’s plundering of record shows, comic-cons, horror conventions, indie-movie screenings and game pre-sales followed by the inevitable discussion about how we would love to spend more time creating cool merchandise outside of the boundaries of the traditional music industry, given the opportunity. The recent sale of one of our popular label imprints presented just such an opportunity so that’s exactly what we intend to do. Records, art prints, t-shirts and apparel, even action figures and model kits. If it’s fun and it’s something that we would love to own as fans, we’ll consider it. We’re leaving no possibilities off the table.”

Look for more news about upcoming releases and pop culture merchandise from www.spacelab9.com

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from our friends at relaspe

Obliteration make their Relapse debut with ‘Black Death Horizon’ a raging slab of filthy death metal in the tradition of Dismember and Autopsy. Hailing from Kolbotn, Norway (the home of Darkthrone) Obliteration are true heirs to a long line of gritty Scandinavian death metal. Black Death Horizon both invokes the classics of the genre and puts a new and fresh spin on the sound to make it their own. Black Death Horizon is true, cult death metal, put the needle on the record and prepare for aural OBLITERATION..

***Only Available for sale in North America!***

Pressing info: 

First Press 
695 x Black Standard Gram *Exclusive North American Pressing* 
300 x Silver w/ Red Spaltter *Exclusive North American Pressing / Mailorder Exclusive* 
104 x Clear (do not request clear)

Buy at Relapse

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new releases from our friends at musiconvinyl

ORIGINAL SOUNDTRACK - CARRIE

The haunting classical score of Carrie (2013) by Marco Beltrami vividly accompanies the eerie and terrifying scenes of the film. The dynamic soundtrack is wonderfully suited for a vinyl issue, making this without a doubt an audiophile collectible.

Carrie is the 2013 remake of the classic horror tale about Carrie White, a shy girl who is outcast by her peers and sheltered by her deeply religious mother. Carrie unleashes telekinetic terror on her small town after being pushed too far at her senior prom.

Based on the best-selling novel by Stephen King, Carrie is directed by Kimberly Peirce with a screenplay by Lawrence D. Cohen and Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa, with top actresses Chloë Grace Moretz and Julianne Moore signing for the lead roles.

  • 180 gram audiophile vinyl 
  • Insert
  • Gatefold sleeve
  • First 1000 copies numbered and pressed on bloody red vinyl!



PETER GABRIEL - SCRATCH MY BACK AND I'LL SCRATCH YOURS

"Rather than make a traditional covers record, I thought it would be much more fun to create a new type of project in which artists communicated with each other and swapped a song for a song, i.e. you do one of mine and I'll do one of yours, hence the title - Scratch My Back - And I'll Scratch Yours." Peter Gabriel

Scratch My Back…And I'll Scratch Yours is a series of song exchanges in which Gabriel and other leading artists reinterpret each other's songs. The first half of this double album, titled Scratch My Back, was originally released in 2010. Gabriel covers work by seasoned superstars like David Bowie, Paul Simon and Lou Reed, but he also took on marvelous interpretations of work by younger acts like Arcade Fire, Bon Iver and Radiohead. In 2013, most of these artists returned the favour on …And I'll Scratch Yours.

The reciprocating artists opted for differing approaches to Peter's songs. A few chose to radically reinterpret the original material, in the process leaving it barely recognisable - Lou Reed's snarling "Solsbury Hill" or the frighteningly futuristic version of "Mother Of Violence" by Brian Eno, co-writer of David Bowie's "Heroes" covered by Gabriel on Scratch My Back. Other contributors include Arcade Fire ("Games Without Frontiers"), Elbow ("Mercy Street") and Regina Spektor ("Blood Of Eden").

  • 180 gram audiophile vinyl 
  • Gatefold sleeve
  • Printed innersleeves
  • Includes download card



JIMI HENDRIX - MIAMI POP FESTIVAL

Miami Pop Festival by the Jimi Hendrix Experience is the first-ever release of one of the guitar virtuoso's most sought-after performances, as originally recorded on site by Hendrix's long term sound engineer, Eddie Kramer. The live recording introduces the first recorded stage performances of "Hear My Train A Comin'" and "Tax Free" while showcasing definitive live takes on such classics as "Fire," "Hey Joe," "I Don't Live Today" and "Purple Haze."

The first ever major rock festival staged on the East Coast, the May 1968 Miami Pop Festival was the first event promoted by Michael Lang--who would organize Woodstock, the biggest pop culture event of the decade, fifteen months later--and Ric O'Barry, who had been the dolphin trainer for the popular television program Flipper. Lang and O'Barry had been inspired by the June 1967 Monterey Pop Festival, the groundbreaking gathering where Jimi Hendrix, making his US debut, famously set fire to his guitar at the conclusion of his performance. Lang staged the festival at Gulfstream Park in Hallandale, Florida, securing the Jimi Hendrix Experience as the headline act for the two-day festival.

This lavish double LP package includes an 8-page booklet containing never before published photos taken at the festival and an essay by award-winning music journalist and Grammy Museum Executive Director Bob Santelli.

  • 180 gram audiophile vinyl 
  • Gatefold sleeve
  • Numbered edition
  • Includes 8-page booklet



ALANIS MORISSETTE - MTV UNPLUGGED

Alanis Morissette defined the alternative female Pop sound in the '90s, with a string of hits under her belt from the million-seller albums Jagged Little Pill (1995) and Supposed Former Infatuation Junkie (1998). In 1999 she performed a selection of personal favourites live at MTV Unplugged, with an emphasis on the non-hit material from the Supposed album. Morissette wanted to prove she's more than 'just' the hits she produced, resulting in her daring step to not perform some of her contemporary hits including "Thank U" and "So Pure". MTV Unplugged shows a multi-faceted artist, fully grown into her own and strong as ever.

Original vinyl copies are extremely hard to find. To celebrate MTV Unplugged's reissue, we're pressing this record in a limited first edition of 1000 gold/red marbled copies. Be quick to snag one of these!

  • 180 gram audiophile vinyl 
  • Gatefold sleeve
  • First 1000 numbered copies are pressed on gold/red marbled vinyl



ROBERT JOHNSON - KING OF THE DELTA BLUES SINGERS VOL.1

If one would ever have to start assembling a serious Blues collection, Robert Johnson's King Of The Delta Blues Singers vol. 1 would be the best purchase. The mythical figure that inspired the worldwide Blues revival in the Sixties will forever be credited with inspiring guitar greats like Clapton and Hendrix to pick up a guitar.

Johnson lived a short but impactful musical tenure in the Thirties. After apparently 'selling his soul at the crossroads', Johnson quickly became the best Country Blues singer in his time, however a tormented one. The devil eventually took his soul at a too young age of 27. The remastered audio of this original 1961 collection of material is simply stunning – Robert Johnson never sounded so alive.

  • 180 gram audiophile vinyl 
  • Insert
  • Remastered audio


Stone Temple Pilots - Tiny Music...Songs From The Vatican Gift Shop

The third Stone Temple Pilots album received critical acclaim for its broad spectrum of sounds – it proved the Pilots are anything but a one hit wonder and also their Grunge roots (although being accused of being too 'commercial' sounding for true Grunge standards) are still firmly in place.

Guitarist Dean DeLeo is a true master of hooks and his palette of chords and melodies seems endless. Singer Scott Weiland's out-of-this-world lyrics set him apart as a true showman. By slightly accentuating their music with Pop influences, this very strategy allows STP to distinguish themselves from the pack of flannel wearing, long haired bands that were raiding the airwaves in the '90s.

  • 180 gram audiophile vinyl 
  • Insert
  • First pressing of 2500 numbered copies on solid light blue vinyl

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from rhino

DEVO - Recombo DNA 

DEVO Recombo DNA is a 2-CD collection packed to its aluminum-wafered edges with 42 previously unreleased tracks which have been carefully cultivated from the effusively illustrated tapeboxes of the Official DEVO Archive. These recordings cover the period just after their first independent Booji Boy singles to the year before they sign with Enigma Records. For the first time on this planet you can hear these original demos, alternate takes, rough mixes, unissued masters and other audio arcana from the years DEVO were signed to Warner Bros Records. Augmented with almost a dozen pre- and post-WB-era delights, Recombo DNA collects over two-and-one-half hours of prime DEVO double helix fun.

Though Recombo DNA is overflowing with unheard DEVO rarities, the original unreleased band-produced demo alternate version of the Freedom Of Choice album (which comprises Tracks 10 to 18 on Disc One) will likely put the most collectors into a sweat. In addition to the alternate versions of eight FOC tracks that you already know, you now can hear two tracks which were originally intended for that album but, in the end, didn't make the final cut. Almost all of the recordings on Recombo DNA were taken from 7-inch and 10-inch reel-to-reel masters which have been carefully stored in the climate-controlled DEVO Archive for decades. Some recordings were taken from cassettes which contained the only surviving version of the songs in question. And, as many of these recordings were rough mixes and demos never intended for public consumption, you should expect some tape hiss here and there, and perhaps a recording imperfection or two (for example, during the keyboard solo of "Gotta Serve Somebody" there are crackling sounds for about 30 seconds which were caused by a loose on-stage connector plug).

In all cases we used the best available source for every track -- you will hear each recording exactly as you would if you were standing in Spudville and listening to them over the DEVO Archive studio monitors yourself. From the unissued title composition to the astonishing demo of "Pink Pussycat" to the unused "Mr B's Ballroom""-precursor entitled "Luv & Such" to the first official appearance of DOVE, THE BAND OF LOVE featuring Booji Boy singing Bob Dylan's "Gotta Serve Somebody" to the rock demo version of "Here To Go" to the twin experiments of "Big Adventure" and "No Noise" to the soaring guitar anthem of "The Only One" (which is sung by DEVO pal, Toni Basil, by the way) to the studio version of "Somewhere With Devo"", DEVO, Recombo DNA is an exquisite treat for all of your six senses and should, we think, be a most welcome addition to any Devotee's collected audio works. Recombo DNA is available as an individually numbered limited edition of 5,000 copies.

Visit Rhino HERE

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inspiring story from the great state of california:

An Old-School Music Man Finds His Niche in a Santa Ana Record Store






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from the land down under:

Money spinners in the groove





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Alexisonfire Detail Vinyl Box Set







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Rosemary’s Baby OST to be released on “first of its kind” coloured vinyl











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King Crimson’s Debut Album Sells for Almost $900







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Third Man Records Continues Sun Records Reissues Series with 7-Inches by Roy Orbison, Jerry Lee Lewis, D.A. Hunt











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'The Fifth Beatle' Biopic to Begin Filming Next Year - Film will tell the story of Beatles manager Brian Epstein








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Bruce Springsteen’s ‘Born to Run’ Lyrics Sold for $197,000











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Dylan's electric guitar from Newport up for sale








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Time's Top 10 Albums of 2013











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List: The 15 best indie rock Christmas songs










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cool story about local album cover locations..read on:


Great Album Covers, Preserved Forever



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it's that time of year, some of the usual suspects, but some i have never seen before

16 Very Unappealing Christmas Album Covers





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album cover art of the day:

APOSTOLUM To Release 'Winds Of Disillusion' In January





















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simply lovely album cover art:

Aborted Fetus Releasing Third Album On Comatose Music