Soul singer Dee Dee Warwick dies in NJ at age 63

SOUTH ORANGE, N.J. – Dee Dee Warwick, a soul singer who won recognition for both her solo work and her performances with her older sister Dionne Warwick, has died. She was 63.

Warwick died Saturday at a nursing home in Essex County, said Kevin Sasaki, a family spokesman. She had been in failing health in recent months, he said, and her sister was with her when she died.

Warwick had several hits on the soul and R&B charts in the 1960s and 70s, including "Foolish Fool," "She Didn't Know (She Kept on Talking)" and a version of "I'm Gonna Make You Love Me" that was later covered by Diana Ross and The Supremes.

Warwick also was a two-time Grammy Award nominee and sang backup for Aretha Franklin, Wilson Pickett and others before starting her solo career.

Warwick was the niece of gospel singer Cissy Houston and a cousin of Whitney Houston.

Born in Newark, Warwick was a teenager when she began singing with her older sister in the late 1950s. The two performed as The Gospelaires and also collaborated and sang with the Drinkard Singers, a long-running gospel group that also featured some of the Warwicks' aunts and uncles and was managed by their mother.

Most recently, Warwick provided background vocals for her sister's recent one-woman autobiographical show, "My Music & Me," which played to sold-out crowds in Europe this year. She also performed on the title song from Dionne Warwick's gospel album, "Why We Sing," released January 2008.

This Date In Music History- October 20

Birthdays:

Jay Siegel of the Tokens ("The Lion Sleeps Tonight") was born in 1939.

It's Snoop Dogg's birthday (1972).

Tom Petty ("Refugee")is 55.

Wanda Jackson ("Right Or Wrong") turns 71.

History:

Led Zeppelin’s concert documentary, ‘The Song Remains the Same,' premiered in New York in 1976.

In 1979,'The Long Run' (by the Eagles) began its yearlong run on the charts, including nine weeks at #1—one more week than Hotel California's reign at the top.

Bill Haley, Pat Boone and Elvis Presley all appeared together in concert at a Cleveland High School in 1955 (the concert was filmed for a documentary of Cleveland DJ Bill Randle but never released).

John Lennon and Yoko Ono released their "Wedding Album" LP in 1969 (with a photo of their own wedding cake and a copy of their marriage certificate included). Highlights included the cut "John and Yoko," in which the couple yell each other's name for 25 minutes.

The Rolling Stones had the number 1 song in the US in 1973 with "Angie.” It made #5 in the UK. It is often reported that the song was written about David Bowie's wife at the time, the former Angela Barnett, but many reliable sources say that the song is really about Anita Pallenberg, the long-time love of Rolling Stones guitarist Keith Richards.

In 2005, Jazz vocalist and pianist Shirley Horn died of diabetes complications in Washington, D.C., aged 71. In a career lasting five decades, she worked with Miles Davis, Quincy Jones and Wynton Marsalis.

The Elvis Presley film "G.I. Blues" premiered in 1960.

In 1977, three members of Lynyrd Skynyrd, Ronnie Van Zant, Steve Gaines, his sister Cassie Gaines (one of three backing singers) and manager Dean Kilpatrick were killed in a plane crash en route from Greenville, South Carolina, to Baton Rouge, Louisiana. The remaining members, Gary Rossington, Allen Collins, Billy Powell and Leon Wilkeson were seriously injured, but all recovered. The band was finished for ten years, until the survivors invited Ronnie's younger brother Johnny to join them in a reunion concert in 1987.

The Four Seasons' "Big Girls Don't Cry" was released in 1962. It will become their second consecutive Billboard #1 hit.

"The Monster Mash" by Bobby "Boris" Pickett, reached the top of Billboard's Hot 100 singles chart in 1962. This novelty song, which was recorded in less than two hours, has become an annual favorite.

In 1969, The Who played the first of six nights at New York's Filmore East performing a two-hour show featuring the songs from 'Tommy.'

The Police made their US debut at C.B.G.B.S, New York in 1978. The trio had flown on low cost tickets with Laker Airtrain from the UK, carrying their instruments as hand luggage.

In 1960, Roy Orbison had his first UK No.1 single with 'Only The Lonely.' The song was turned down by The Everly Brothers and Elvis Presley, so Orbison decided to record the song himself.

US country singer, songwriter Merle Travis died at age 65 in 1983. Invented the first solid body electric guitar. Wrote 'Sixteen Tons' 1955 US No.1 for Ernie Ford.

Top 5 eBay Vinyl Record Sales

Week Ending 09/27/2008


1. 45rpm - Lester Tipton "This Won't Change" / "Go On" La Beat - $6,546.00 Start: $99.99 Bids: 32

2. LP - Sonny Clark "Cool Struttin'" Blue Note Mono - $3,750.00 Start: $5.00 Bids: 12

3. 45rpm - Eric Mercury and the Soul Searchers "Lonely Girl, Part 1" / "Lonely Girl, Part 2" SAC - $3,100.00 Start: $4,500.00 Bids: Best Offer

4. 12" - U2 "Three" #902 - $2,758.00 Start: $500.00 Bids: 27

5. 45rpm - T-Rex "Ride A White Swan" / "Summer Time Blues" Blue Thumb Japan Pic Sleeve - $1,799.99 Start: $1,799.99 Bids: 1

A Northern Soul 45 breaks past $5k this week, a Lester Tipton record on La Beat hitting past $6.5k. La Beat was a label out of Los Angeles that has a huge following in Northern Soul circles and many dozens of records on the label sell in the $30 - $300 range. At least from a glance, it seems La Beat, more than any other small label, has the largest number of high dollar collectible records.

As far as labels go, Blue Note likely has the highest number of high dollar LP's. And the #2 spot goes to Sonny Clarks' "Cool Struttin" on Blue Note. This record sells for over $3.7k. Next, another Northern Soul 45 from Eric Mercury sells on a Best Offer for $3.1k down from an asking price of $4.5k.

The famous U2 12" known as "Three" gets the #4 spot selling for over $2.6k. And last, a Japanese T-Rex 45 closes for a penny less than $1.8k.


SOURCE: http://ccdiscoveries.blogspot.com

Classic Rock Videos

Elvis- In the Ghetto

Album Cover Art

Well, here we are (drumroll please), we have arrived at Gigwise.com's list of the top ten most controversial, weirdest, best and worst album covers of all time (according to their crack staff). Let's roll up our sleeves and get to it:


Controversial


10. Slayer: ‘God Hates Us All’ This is the eighth studio album by the American thrash metal band Slayer. Released on September 11, 2001, the album received mixed critical reviews, although it entered the Billboard 200 at number 28. Recorded in three months at The Warehouse Studio in Canada, God Hates Us All includes the Grammy Award-nominated "Disciple" and is the band's last album to feature drummer Paul Bostaph.

Guitarist Kerry King wrote roughly 80% of the lyrics, adopting a different approach from earlier recordings by including prevalent themes such as religion, murder, revenge, and self-control. Limiting the lyrics to topics which everyone could relate to, King wished to explore more in depth, realistic subject matter. The band experimented musically by recording two songs with seven-string guitars, and a further two with drop B tunings. The album's release was delayed due to the graphic nature of its artwork for which slip covers were created to cover the original artwork, difficulties encountered during audio mixing, and the change of distributor by the band's record label during the release period.

God Hates Us All was originally intended to be named Soundtrack to the Apocalypse. However, Araya suggested that the title would be a better used for a box set, which the band released in 2003. The phrase God Hates Us All originates from the song "Disciple", during which the line is repeated over the chorus. The lyrics are in reference to God's allowance of acts such as suicide and terrorism, while seemingly doing nothing to prevent them. A member of the heavy metal band Pantera suggested using "God Hates Us All" for a shirt design after King played the song to the band. King agreed, although he thought the phrase would have more impact as the album title.

The original album cover depicts a Bible spiked with nails, covered in blood and "Slayer" burnt across it, while the liner notes feature Bible verses crossed out with a black marker. The idea was suggested by the band's record company, although King wished to have more time to develop a better cover. King thought the idea "represents a record company with absolutely no idea what the fuck they were going to do", and said that the effort "looked like a seventh grader defaced the Bible." King's concept for the cover was to insert nails in a shape of a pentagram, and have the nails miss keywords in Bible verses so it appeared as if it had been created by a sociopath who knew where every word appears. A slip insert was created to be placed in front of the covers in stores.

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Weird


10. The Handsome Beasts: 'O4' A pig (or two), a nun and a dog, hmmm, not too weird for me. But, the band is probably more famous for their cover art than they are the music...that's just sad, in my opinion

----------------------------------------





Worst


10. The Handsome Beasts – ‘Beastiality’ Need I say more?







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Best


10. The Velvet Underground: ‘The Velvet Underground & Nico’ ‘The Velvet Underground & Nico’ is often referred to as the ‘Banana Album’ because of Andy Warhol’s fruity creation on its front cover. I still don't see why everyone thinks this is a great cover- it's a freaking banana people!

The Velvet Underground & Nico is the debut album by experimental rock band The Velvet Underground and vocal collaborator Nico. It was originally released in March 1967 by Verve Records, a subsidiary of MGM Records.

Recorded in 1966 during Andy Warhol's Exploding Plastic Inevitable multimedia event tour, The Velvet Underground & Nico would gain notoriety for its experimentalist performance sensibilities, as well as its focus on controversial subject matter expressed in many of their songs.

Though largely ignored upon its release, it has since become one of the most influential and critically lauded rock albums in history, appearing as #13 on Rolling Stone magazine's list of the 500 greatest albums of all time as well as being added to the 2006 National Recording Registry by the Librarian of Congress.

The Velvet Underground & Nico is sometimes referred to as the "banana album" as it features a Warhol print of a banana on the cover. Early copies of the album invited the owner to "Peel slowly and see"; peeling back the banana skin revealed a flesh-colored banana underneath. A special machine was needed to manufacture these covers (one of the causes of the album's delayed release), but MGM paid for costs figuring that any ties to Warhol would boost sales of the album.

On the 1996 CD reissue, the banana image is on the front cover while the image of the peeled banana is on the inside of the jewel case, beneath the CD itself.

Back cover lawsuit controversy

When the album was first issued, the main back cover photo (taken at an Exploding Plastic Inevitable performance) featured an image of actor Eric Emerson projected upside-down on the wall behind the band. Emerson threatened to sue over this unauthorized use of his image, unless he was paid. Rather than complying, MGM recalled copies of the album and halted its distribution until Emerson's image could be airbrushed from the photo on subsequent pressings. Copies that had already been printed were sold with a large black sticker covering the actor's image. The image was restored in the 1996 CD reissue.

It's still a picture of a freaking banana to me.

Vinyl Record Comeback - How Is It Going?

By Thomas Stenumgaard

We have written earlier about how we view the future of the music industry, and what role we think vinyl will play in that future. So today we have been searching around a little bit to see what has been written about vinyl in the media lately. Below is a short wrap up of what we found:

CNET News.com- Making vinyl records the old-fashioned way. According to Jay Millar, the marketing and sales manager for United Record Pressing, it has everything to do with the emergence of Apple's oh-so-ubiquitous MP3 player.

"It really started picking up when iPods started coming onto the scene" Millar said. "Everything got so sterile with digital that people were not spending time" with the physical manifestation of their music.
http://news.cnet.com/8301-13772_3-9977878-52.html

Rollingstone - Vinyl Returns in the Age of MP3 - LP and turntable sales grow as fans find warmer sound in classic format.

There's also something less technical lurking behind vinyl's mini-renaissance. Whether it's inspecting a needle for dust or flipping the record over at the end of a side, LPs demand attention. And for a small but growing group, those demands aren't a nuisance. "There's nothing like putting the needle into the groove of a record" says country singer Shelby Lynne. "It's about as real as you can get. You got your vinyl, your weed, your friends, and while you're rollin', they're pickin' out another record. We're all taking music for granted because it's so easy to push a button. I mean, come on music should be fun.
http://www.rollingstone.com/news/story/20947918/vinyl_returns_in_the_age_of_mp3/print

CNN.com/US - Retailers giving vinyl records another spin
But it's not just about the sound. Audiophiles say they also want the format's overall experience the sensory experience of putting the needle on the record, the feeling of side A and side B and the joy of lingering over the liner notes.

"I think music products should be more than just music," said Isaac Hudson, a 28-year-old vinyl fan standing outside one of Portland's larger independent music stores.
http://edition.cnn.com/2008/US/06/10/vinyl.records.ap/

We are convinced that the vinyl format will have a strong position in the future and the statistics show that the sales are increasing steadily. One of the reasons why we think so is of course the reasons laid out above. Vinyl offers a different context. A second reason, which we believe is important is that even if artists can record and publish their music on the Internet almost for free there will still, to some extent, be a need for putting out something physical. Since releasing something physical entails some kind of investment it also means that there is some kind of risk involved. We believe that artist will need to be willing to, to some degree, take that risk.

About the Author- Nylvi co-founder Thomas Stenumgaard writes about vinyl records and the future of the music industry. A new social marketplace for buying and selling vinyl records. For more information check out www.nylvi.com

An email question

Two questions for you:

On the best way to store properly cared for records:
It's already a given that they must be:

In the record jacket, and in a plastic sleeve. But should the plastic
sleeve's open edge be at the top, or on the open side of the album
jacket? If you store them with the open edge of the plastic cover at
the top, you have to remove the album entirely to play it, and then
assemble the whole thing again upon storing it. If you have an
exceptionally rare or old record jacket, you risk damaging the edges
by constantly removing and replacing the cover in the plastic. If you
store them with the open side where the opening in the album cover is,
when you place the album back on the shelf the plastic starts inching
back, making it harder to read the spine.

I would be interested in reading your answer, and I'm sure your blog
readers will as well. Thanks!

- Bill
North Olmsted, OH


Thanks for your question Bill. There are some solutions to this. I have some Scotch tape handy in my music room and use this to keep this from happening. I store my LP's in protective plastic sleeves with the opening in the back. My records are placed in the album jacket so that the record and sleeve open at the top, so if someone were to pull the album out and opening it, the record is easily acessible. The Scotch tape is placed at the open end of the plastic sleeve, (which is in the back, when stored) usually about two small pieces. This helps to prevent the problem you have encountered, by not allowing the plastic to inch back, thus making the spine easier to read. Another method is to not store your albums so tight- give the records room to breathe. You can also take about 5-8 out and when placing the album of choice back in its place, have a handful of LP's instead of the one, it makes it easier to 'repack' the Lp's and helps with the problem you are having. But, for me, the scotch tape method works best, it also prevents the album from falling out once you have selected it; meaning you could have the open end of the plastic upsidedown and the LP would not fall out.

Classic Rock Videos

Elvis- I Can't Help Falling In Love With You

Album Cover Art

Let's continue our look at album cover art and look at number 11 on Gigwise.com's list of the most controversial, weirdest, best and worst album covers:

Controversial

11. Royal Trux: ‘Sweet Sixteen’ Nothing like a great image of a toilet, err, I think that what it is.

Royal Trux was an American alternative rock band from 1987 to 2001, founded by Neil Hagerty (vocals, guitar) and Jennifer Herrema (vocals). Hagerty and Herrema released their first album, Royal Trux, in 1989. Then, after moving to San Francisco, Royal Trux released the experimental double-album Twin Infinitives. They're parents must be reall proud.



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Weird


11. Tripping Daisy: 'I Am An Elastic Firecracker' The second album by Tripping Daisy, released in 1995. Tripping Daisy weaves their own alterna-rock path like a weary prisoner of war from the battle for college radio and MTV dominance. The band sounds a bit like Public Image Limited morphed into Jane's Addiction.


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Worst


11. David Cassidy – ‘Home Is Where The Heart Is’ Makes the Gigwise 'worst' list (he does look kind of stoned), but Mr. Cassidy was a hot item at one time. "Home is Where the Heart Is" was the second album released on RCA Records by David Cassidy. It was released in 1976 and was produced by Cassidy and Bruce Johnston.

The album is notable for a strong composing contribution from Gerry Beckley of the band America. Beckley also takes a few lines of lead vocals. Some tracks from this album are compiled on the 1996 collection, When I'm a Rock 'n' Roll Star.

Now, I know I am showing my age when I say that my yearbook picture looked a lot like this. Man, I'm an old fart.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Best


11. Sigur Rós: ‘Agaetis Byrjun’ This makes the 'best' list? Man, I thought that the staff had options. Maybe someone was hungover, but this certainly does not belong here.

Ágætis byrjun (Icelandic for "An alright start") is the second album by the Icelandic post-rock band Sigur Rós, which was released in 1999. Ágætis byrjun was recorded between the summer of 1998 to the spring of 1999 with producer Ken Thomas, and became Sigur Rós's breakthrough album, both critically and commercially. Ágætis byrjun represented a substantial departure from the band's previous album Von, with that album's Cocteau Twins-esque dream pop and extended ambient soundscapes replaced by Jónsi Birgisson's now signature cello-bowed guitarwork and lush orchestration (using a double string octet amongst other orchestral elements).

The album's title came from a friend hearing the first song they had written for the album; what would become "Ágætis byrjun". After hearing the song, he said it was "an alright start"; the name stuck.

The sketch on the cover was drawn by Gotti Bernhöft with a Bic Cristal ballpoint pen. The booklet cover for the CD edition of the album features the line: "Ég gaf ykkur von sem varð að vonbrigðum... þetta er ágætis byrjun" which translates to "I gave you hope that became a disappointment... this is an alright start." This line is a reference to their two previous releases, Von and Von brigði.

Sigur Rós assembled and glued together the cases of the first print of Ágætis byrjun themselves. This resulted in many of the CDs being unusable due to glue stains on them.

Blender Selects the 100 Greatest American Albums of All Time

I, too was a bit shocked at this list and it is certainly up for debate. I think Nirvana's "Nevermind" deserves a higher ranking (I am not a big Madonna fan), but I think some greats have been missed. Where is the Band? What about a any Simon & Garfunkel LP? Where is the first Boston LP? And "Hotel California" at #91? No Zappa, Alice Cooper, ZZ Top? What about the Cars debut album? Buffalo Springfield or Jefferson Airplane or maybe Chicago's first LP? And as long as they inlcude Canada, what about the Guess Who? I think they need to rework this, but I am sure that anyone could argue about some of the bands on the list. There are some glaring omissions.


What do you get when you take the greatest albums ever made and remove any by the Beatles, Rollings Stones, Kinks, AC/DC, the Who, Led Zeppelin, the Clash, Elvis Costello, etc.?

You get Blender's list of the 100 Greatest American Albums of All Time. This one should generate a lot of discussion because for every good thing about the list, there's something equally off.

Let's start with the good. Blender has managed to name a number of albums to the list that aren't usually recognized in such compilations. Albums by Billie Holiday, Louis Armstrong, Miles Davis and Chic deserve to be recognized along with all the "regulars."

They've been adventurous in some of their selections within an artist's repertoire. For Steely Dan, it's Katy Lied that made the list instead of Aja. Off the Wall for Michael Jackson instead of Thriller. Let's Get It On for Marvin Gaye instead of What's Goin' On.

On the other hand, can a list that doesn't include classics like What's Goin' On really be taken seriously, especially when so many other lists include it in the top ten albums ever made in ANY country...and what's the deal with including Bruce Springsteen's Darkness on the Edge of Town but omitting Born to Run?

There are also a great many greatest hits and compilation albums, including the Madonna album deemed to be the greatest by an American artist. While these albums sell in great quantities, the fact remains that they are mainly tracks taken from other works by the artists and the only real new "art", save for the occasional bonus track, is the sequencing and the liner notes. About the only good reason to include them on the list is to acknowledge acts that were never considered to be album artists like Chuck Berry, Little Richard, Hank Williams, the Coasters and the Carpenters (but definitely not Madonna).

Finally, these are supposed to be albums by American artists. Joni Mitchell and Neil Young are Canadian and don't really belong here.

Here is the full top ten and all other listings for veteran artists.


1. The Immaculate Collection - Madonna
2. Licensed to Ill - Beastie Boys
3. Highway 61 Revisited - Bob Dylan
4. Innervisions - Stevie Wonder
5. Appetite For Destruction - Guns N' Roses
6. Ramones - Ramones
7. Parallel Lines - Blondie
8. The Great Twenty-Eight - Chuck Berry
9. Nevermind - Nirvana
10. Blue - Joni Mitchell
12. Metallica - Metallica
13. Off the Wall - Michael Jackson
14. Pet Sounds - Beach Boys
15. Let's Get It On - Marvin Gaye
16. Modern Sounds in Country and Western Music - Ray Charles
17. The Velvet Underground & Nico - Velvet Underground, Nico
18. Purple Rain - Prince & the Revolution
19. Rust Never Sleeps - Neil Young
20. Sex Machine - James Brown
21. Blonde on Blonde - Bob Dylan
22. King of the Delta Blues Singers - Robert Johnson
23. Murmer - R.E.M.
24. Mothership Connection - Parliament
26. Van Halen - Van Halen
27. Call Me - Al Green
28. Rocks - Aerosmith
30. Grooviest 17 Original Hits! - Little Richard
31. The Complete Hot Five and Hot Seven Recordings - Louis Armstrong
32. Superfly - Curtis Mayfield
33. 40 Greatest Hits - Hank Williams
34. Katy Lied - Steely Dan
35. The B-52's - B-52's
36. Risque - Chic
37. Paul's Boutique - Beastie Boys
38. I Never Loved a Man the Way I Love You - Aretha Franklin
39. The Sun Sessions - Elvis Presley
41. Electric Ladyland - Jimi Hendrix
42. Horses - Patti Smith
43. There's a Riot Goin' On - Sly & the Family Stone
46. Raising Hell - Run-DMC
47. Back to Mono: 1958-1969 - Various Artists (Phil Spector)
48. Kind of Blue - Miles Davis
50. Destroyer - KISS
51. Court and Spark - Joni Mitchell
52. 12 Songs - Randy Newman
54. In the Wee Small Hours - Frank Sinatra
55. The Basement Tapes - Bob Dylan
58. American Beauty - Grateful Dead
60. Graceland - Paul Simon
61. 50 Coastin' Classics - Coasters
62. Darkness on the Edge of Town - Bruce Springsteen
63. At Folsom Prison - Johnny Cash
64. Grevious Angel - Gram Parsons
65. Lady in Satin - Billie Holiday
66. Modern Lovers - Modern Lovers
69. (Pronounced Leh-nerd Skin-nerd) - Lynyrd Skynyrd
70. Sign "O" the Times - Prince
71. Radio - L.L. Cool J
72. The Singles 1969-1981 - Carpenters
74. Lady Soul - Aretha Franklin
76. At Newport 1960 - Muddy Waters
78. From Elvis in Memphis - Elvis Presley
79. Dust Bowl Ballads - Woody Guthrie
81. Nuggets - Various Artists
83. Double Nickles on the Dime - Minutemen
84. Greatest Hits - Buddy Holly
85. Red Headed Stranger - Willie Nelson
86. After the Goldrush - Neil Young
87. Automatic For the People - R.E.M.
89. Remain in Light - Talking Heads
91. Hotel California - Eagles
92. Lucinda Williams - Lucinda Williams
95. Nilsson Schmilsson - Nilsson
97. The Doors - Doors
98. Let It Be - Replacements
99. Fulfillingness First Finale - Stevie Wonder
100. Otis Blue/Otis Redding Sings Soul - Otis Redding

SOURCES: http://winkscollectibles.blogspot.com
http://www.blender.com/

This Date In Music History- October 18

Birthdays:

Charles ("Chuck") Berry was born in St. Louis, Missouri in 1926.

Songwriter Cynthia Weil (wrote "Kicks", "On Broadway", "You've Lost That Lovin' Feelin'" and many others, usually with then-husband Barry Mann) is 71.

Happy birthday to Russ Gugiere- guitarist/vocalist with the Association ("Along Comes Mary").

REO Speedwagon guitarist Gary Richrath was born in Peoria, Illinois in 1949.

Trumpeter Wynton Marsalis was born in New Orleans in 1961.

History:

Paul McCartney made his debut with the Quarrymen in 1957, a skiffle group founded by John Lennon. He blows the solo on “Guitar Boogie.” The Quarrymen eventually became The Beatles and Paul switched to bass.

'The Graduate', starring Dustin Hoffman and featuring a soundtrack by Simon and Garfunkel, was released in 1967.

Jimi Hendrix's version of Bob Dylan's "All Along the Watchtower" was released in 1968. "Before I came to England, I was digging a lot of the things Bob Dylan was doing," Jimi said. "He is giving me inspiration."

John Lennon and Yoko Ono were busted for possession of marijuana in 1968. The bust, while not a major deal in England, was used in the 1970s as the reason the U.S. government didn’t want Lennon to immigrate. Actually, the government felt Lennon was a political radical/troublemaker.

'Easy Rider', starring Dennis Hopper, Peter Fonda and Jack Nicholson, was released in 1969.

The Band’s masterful self-titled second album - which contains such classics as “The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down” and “King Harvest (Has Surely Come)” – entered Billboard’s album chart in 1969. It reached #9 and eventually went platinum (1 million copies sold).

The late songwriter Laura Nyro ("And When I Die", "Eli's Coming", "Wedding Bell Blues" and many others) was born in 1947.

Today in 1969, the song "I Can't Get Next to You" by the Temptations topped the charts and stayed there for 2 weeks.

In 1956, 21 year old Elvis Presley pulled into a Memphis gas station where he started to attract a crowd of autograph seekers. After repeatedly asking Elvis to move on so he could resume normal business, station manager Edd Hopper slapped Presley on the head and finds himself on the receiving end of a punch in the eye from Elvis. Station employee Aubrey Brown tries to help his boss, but is no match for Presley. After police are called, Hopper and Brown are charged with assault and are eventually fined $25 and $15 respectively.

The Jackson 5 made their US network TV debut on Hollywood Palace in 1968. The group included Jackie (18), Tito (15), Jermaine (14), Marlon (12) and Michael (10).

Dickie Goodman had the best selling single in the US in 1975, with the novelty tune, "Mr. Jaws", which mixed his rapid-fire mock interviews with answers that were snipped from contemporary hit singles. Goodman first entered the US charts in 1956 when he and his partner Bill Buchanan used a similar format on a record called "The Flying Saucer".

At a Rock 'n' Roll revival concert at New York's Madison Square Garden in 1968, Bill Haley was given an eight minute standing ovation.

The Jimi Hendrix Experience played its first major show backing Billy Hallyday at the Paris Olympia Theatre in 1966.

Richard Lester’s "How I Won The War” premiered in London in 1968. The anti-war film featured John Lennon as Corporal Gripweed. Lester directed the first two Beatle films (A Hard Day’s Night and Help!).

The Animals first UK tour as headliners opened in Manchester, England, in 1964 with Carl Perkins, Gene Vincent, Tommy Tucker and the Nashville Teens as supporting acts.

Four Tops vocalist Levi Stubbs dies at 72

By Gary Graff

DETROIT (Billboard) – Arguably the most powerful voice in Motown's storied history has been silenced. Four Tops lead singer Levi Stubbs Jr. died Friday at his home in Detroit after a long series of health problems, including cancer and a stroke, that forced him to stop performing in 2000. He was 72.

Funeral arrangements were pending for Stubbs, who is survived by Clineice, his wife of 48 years, and five children.

"He had one of the most prolific and identifiably voices in American history," the Motown Alumni Association's Billy J. Wilson told Billboard.com. "It's a deep loss, to the entire Motown family and to the world."


(Stubbs, far left)

Stubbs' death leaves Abdul "Duke" Fakir as the Tops' only living member from the original quartet, which formed in 1954 as the Four Aims and signed with Motown nine years later. Laurence Payton passed away in 1997, and Renaldo "Obie" Benson died in 2005.

Fakir continues to lead a version of the Tops that includes Payton's son Roquel, former Temptations member Theo Peoples and Motown veteran Ronnie McNeir.

Stubbs -- born Levi Stubbles in Detroit -- gave voice to enduring hits such as "Baby I Need Your Loving," "I Can't Help Myself (Sugar Pie, Honey Bunch)," "Reach Out I'll Be There" and "Brenadette." The Tops have sold more than 50 million records and racked up 45 chart hits for the Motown, ABC Dunhill, Arista and Casablanca labels, and the group was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1990.

Stubbs also provided the voice of Audrey II, the man-eating plant in the film version of the musical "Little Shop of Horrors" in 1986, and of Mother Brain in the 1989 animated TV series "Captain N: The Game Master."

Stubbs' last public appearance with the group was at the group's 50th anniversary concert July 28, 2004, at Detroit's Music Hall Center.

Reuters/Billboard

Vinyl records make comeback on local scene

I love articles about independent record stores and have found another gem for you to enjoy. I want to thank the author and publication for allowing me to reprint this material:

SOURCE: The Bakersfield Californian http://www.bakersfield.com
(Photo by Henry A. Barrios/ The Californian)



Vinyl records make comeback on local scene

By JOHN COX, Californian staff writer


For nearly 20 years World Records stocked no records. Unless you placed a special order, CDs were what you got.

Earlier this year, though, young people started asking for vinyl. Now World Records’ new home on downtown G Street boasts a record section with new releases and reissues by Amy Winehouse, Parliament, The Velvet Underground and others.


Vinyl’s back.

U.S. record sales were up 15 percent last year over the year before, fed by growing interest in independent record stores like World Records and Darkstar Records and Books, another newcomer to downtown Bakersfield.

The resurgence has many roots, ranging from purists’ ideas about sound quality to availability of turntables at major retailers to the desirability of belonging to an exclusive, anti-digital subculture.

Vinyl’s growing popularity could have side benefits for Bakersfield. Independent record stores tend to promote the local music scene more than chain stores do. And downtown’s cluster of music stores could make it more of a destination for out-of-town collectors, boosting local tourism.

What surprises many longtime record collectors is how vinyl appeals to so many young people born after much of the nation turned its back on records when CDs were introduced in the 1980s.

A THING FOR VINYL

Consider the enthusiasm of 19-year-old Brenndan Morlan. He has amassed 140 or so albums since he began collecting records three or four years ago, and now spends $100 a week on vinyl recordings of classic jazz, psychedelic rock and exotic funk.

His friends “don’t get it.”

“They’re just like, ‘How can you spend so much money on records?’” the Bakersfield sandwich shop employee said Thursday as he flipped through row after row of old vinyl at Darkstar on Truxtun Avenue.

Dan Robertson, the store’s co-owner along with his two sons, understands. His own collection numbers about half a million.

“I think (renewed interest in records) is almost a reaction against the digital,” said Robertson, a deadhead deejay who counted Buck Owens among his personal friends. He has been planning to open a record store for more than three decades.

DIGITAL DIVIDE

Distaste for digital music is common among record people. They tend to frown upon the carelessness others afford CDs, and relish the special care records require and the sense of history one gets when holding an album.

“It’s like having primary text from an author or a philosopher,” said 23-year-old Steven Koontz, the drummer for Bakersfield punk band Loser Life, which this week embarked on a European tour. Band members were planning to bring with them and sell more than 200 vinyl recordings of their music.

Then there’s the sound quality issue. Vinyl enthusiasts praise the medium’s warm sound as compared with digital recordings.

Listening to a record is “kind of like holding someone’s hand without a glove,” said Andrew Winton, a 29-year-old coffeehouse manager and regular at Going Underground, a punk music store on downtown G Street that sells and pays to have pressed many vinyl recordings that have never been transferred to CD format.

A RISING TIDE

The opening of two new record retailers so close in proximity has store owners hopeful that customers near and far will view Bakersfield as a hub for buying vinyl.

“The more the better,” said Alex Rodriguez, co-owner of downtown 19th Street’s Gigantic Vintage, which sells vintage clothing in front and records in back. “Kids aren’t just going to go to one (record store), they’re going to go to all of them.”

David Thomas, owner of Shafter’s Rockit Music, agreed. His 5,000-square-foot store, which has sold records since 1947, draws collectors from the Bay Area and the Los Angeles area. The more stores clustered in one area, he said, the more likely it is that serious collectors will come.

And when they drive in, collectors can drop big money. Jake Chavez, owner of Downtown Records on 19th Street across from Gigantic Vintage, said he once sold 200 records to a collector from Alaska driving on his way to a large show in Las Vegas.

STAYING POWER

Thomas suggested that independent stores such as those operating locally will outlast chains because of their personal touch.

“People want to go back (and) deal with neighborhood-type record stores where they can actually go in and talk about music,” he said.

This appears to be the case recently. Entertainment research company Nielsen SoundScan reported that three-quarters of all vinyl album sales in 2007 took place at independent music stores.

SIDE BENEFITS

But even aside from the business they do, record store owners say there is a benefit to having independent shops around: They help introduce young people to artists new and old.

Robertson, Darkstar’s co-owner, hopes to support the local music scene much the way Going Underground does, selling albums produced locally. He said that would mean opening up his offerings to include many different genres.

For now, though, he said he’s satisfied to be broadening the musical horizons of customers like 17-year-old Jordan Aguirre, who spent time this week checking out Robertson’s diverse collection.

Since becoming interesting in vinyl, Aguirre said he has come to a fuller understanding of the musicians who have influenced many modern recording artists.

“It’s kind of like an education,” he said.

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In the area? Here are some great vinyl shops:

BAKERSFIELD-AREA RECORD STORES

Darkstar Records and Books
1024 Truxtun Ave.
859-0241

Downtown Records
1518 19th St.
324-5235

Gigantic Vintage
1515 19th St.
859-1515

Going Underground
1822 G St.
477-8475

Midnight Music
1215 Olive Drive
399-3454

Rockit Music
429 James St.
746-0822

World Records
1824 G St.
831-3100

Classic Rock Videos

Elvis- Return to Sender

Album Cover Art

Let's continue our look at Gigwise.com's 50 most controversial, weirdest, best and worst album covers as put together by their amazing staff:

Controversial


12. Regurgitate: ‘Carnivorous Erection’ This cover certainly makes my list of gross covers, this angry little man is certainly up for a fight. I looked up the band and their style is described as "Goregrind." Well that explains the cover I guess.

Line up for this recording:
Rikard Jansson: Vocals
Urban Skytt: Guitars and Bass
Jocke Pettersson: Battery
Additional Vocals: Rickard Alriksson and Mieszko

Picture LP version released by Morbid Records and has been banned in many retail outlets (although you can find it rather easily online- if you dare).

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Weird


12. Mike Terry: 'Live At The Pavilion Theatre. Glasgow' While researching this gent, I found that he/she made a bundle of appearances on various websites worst album covers. Here are some comments:

He looks like L. Ron Hubbard in drag. www.worstalbumcovers.org

I can only imagine Mike Terry sounds a lot like he looks: like Elton John crossed with Liberace and fat, Vegas Elvis. www.mentalfloss.com

This is the only cover on the list that makes me laugh every time I lay eyes on it. Mike Terry appears to be having a great time playing his piano. Oh, and he's also stuffed like a beef sausage into a suit that Liberace gave up for being 'entirely too gay.' www.communistdanceparty.blogspot.com

Y luego dicen que Iniesta esta blanquito... www.fotolog.com

I guess that sums it all up.

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Worst


12. Devastatin Dave The Turntable Slave- Zip Zap Rap was a 1986 single released by Devastatin' Dave, the Turntable Slave with some backing vocals performed by middle-to high-school-aged children. As part of the War on Drugs campaign by the Reagan Administration the single focuses on the effects of a cocaine addiction and alludes to possible alternate career paths rather than living a life of crime to pay for the drug. Furthermore the cover itself features a yellow stripe in the top-left corner reading "Hear our message: say no to drugs".

"Devastatin' Dave" Kurin currently lives as a music producer in California, and has appeared on the TV series Divorce Court.

The Gigwise staff thought so much of this single, they just had to include it in their worst album covers of all time. Apparently, they are not alone:

"Worst Album Covers Ever" Lists this single has appeared on:

RateYourMusic.com
The Guardian
Unofficial Worst Album Covers
WorstAlbumCovers.org - Fashion Victims

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Best


12. Supertramp: ‘Breakfast In America’ – Here is a direct quote from the staff at Gigwise.com (sounds to me like they have issues with the US): "The majority of the band may have hailed from UK, but this album cover said more about the vain, commercial obsessed country that America has become in contemporary times than a thousand words. The scary waitress standing in for the Statue of Liberty is a stroke of genius."

Breakfast in America is the sixth album by the band Supertramp, released in 1979. It was recorded the previous year at the Village Recorder in Los Angeles. The album featured four hit singles: "The Logical Song" (#6), "Goodbye Stranger" (#15), "Take the Long Way Home" (#10), and the title track (#16).

The album's front cover is an overlook of New York City through an airplane window. It was designed by Mike Doud and depicted Kate Murtagh as a Statue of Liberty figure holding a glass of orange juice instead of a torch and the background featured a city made from cornflake box, ashtray, cutlery (for the wharfs), eggboxes, vinegar, ketchup and mustard bottles, all spraypainted white. The twin World Trade Center towers appear as two stacks of boxes and the plate of breakfast represents Battery Park, the departure point for the Staten Island Ferry. The back cover photo, depicting the band members having breakfast while reading their respective hometown newspapers, was taken at a diner called "Bert's Mad House."

Despite the turmoil, Breakfast in America became Supertramp's biggest selling album with over 4 million copies sold in the US alone to date (11 million copies worldwide) and was #1 on Billboard's Pop Albums Chart for six weeks in the spring and summer of 1979. The album also hit #1 in Norway, Canada and Australia.

I always hated the music and have been known to turn the radio station at the first note of a Supertramp song. Sounds like I have issues as well.