This Date In Music History - May 26

Birthdays:

Ray Ennis - Swinging Blue Jeans (1942)

Levon Helm - The Band (1943)

Verden Allen - Mott The Hoople (1945)

Gary Peterson - Guess Who (1945)

Stevie Nicks - Fleetwood Mac (1948)



Hank Williams Jr. (1949)

Dave Robbins - Blackhawk (1959)

Wayne Hussey - Mission (1959)

Lenny Kravitz (1964)

Phillip Rhodes - Gin Blossoms (1968)

Joey Kibble - Take 6 (1971)

Alan White - Oasis (1972)

Jaheim Hoagland (aka Jaheim) (1978)

Isaac Slade - Fray (1981)


They Are Missed:

Born on this day in 1904, George Formby, UK singing comedian and ukulele player. He made over 20 films and his best-known song is "Leaning On A Lamp Post." He was made an OBE in 1946, and died on March 6, 1961. Formby also influenced George Harrison, among others.

In 1968, blues artist Little Willie John died in prison after being convicted of manslaughter. Co-wrote and was the first to record the song "Fever" (covered by Peggy Lee in 1958). James Brown recorded a tribute album 'Thinking Of Little Willie John... And A Few Other Nice Things.'

Billy Powell, singer with The O'Jays, died of cancer in 1977. Originally known as The Triumphs, and then The Mascots, they took the name 'The O'Jays,' in tribute to radio disc jockey Eddie O'Jay.

Born today in 1949, Mick Ronson, guitarist, producer, member of The Rats, then worked with David Bowie. Also worked with Mott The Hoople, Bob Dylan, Ian Hunter. Ronson died on April 28, 1993.

Peggy Lee (May 26, 1920 – January 21, 2002)


History:

In 1953, Elvis Presley hitchhiked to Meridian, Mississippi to perform in the first Jimmie Rodgers Memorial Talent Show (he took second place).

Acker Bilk went to #1 on the US singles chart in 1962 with "Stranger On The Shore."

Elvis Presley recorded the classic cut "(You're) The Devil In Disguise" in 1963.

In 1964, Marianne Faithful recorded the Mick Jagger and Keith Richards song "As Tears Go By," accompanied by future Led Zeppelin members Jimmy Page on guitar and John Paul Jones on bass.



The Beatles recorded ‘Yellow Submarine’ at Abbey Road studios in London in 1966. Recovering from a case of food poisoning, producer George Martin missed this recording, EMI engineer Geoff Emerick worked on the session.

In 1969, John and Yoko began an eight-day 'bed in', in room 1742 of The Hotel La Reine Elizabeth, Montreal, Canada, to promote world peace. They recorded "Give Peace a Chance" in the hotel room (Petula Clark can be heard on the chorus). The song was credited to Lennon & McCartney, even though Paul had nothing to do with the record.

In 1970, George Harrison began work on what will become the album “All Things Must Pass.” Phil Spector produced the triple album set.

Don McLean recorded "American Pie" in 1971.

In 1972, at the point of the band splitting up David Bowie offered Mott The Hoople two of his new songs, "Suffragette City," which they turned down and "All The Young Dudes," which they recorded.



The Beatles '1967-1970' album went to #1 on the US chart in 1973.

The Edgar Winter Group went to #1 on the US singles chart in 1973 with "Frankenstein," the bands only US #1. The group featured ex-McCoys guitarist Rick Derringer.

Deep Purple's single "Smoke On The Water" was released in 1973.



Tragedy struck at a 1974 David Cassidy concert at London's White City when over 1,000 fans had to be treated by first aid workers due to the frenzied excitement. One fan, Bernadette Whelan, died from heart failure four days later.

Former backing singer with Stevie Wonder, Deniece Williams started a 2 week run at #1 on the US singles chart in 1984 with "Let's Hear It For The Boy," taken from the film 'Footlose.'

In 1990, for the first time ever the Top five positions on the US singles chart were held by female artists: Madonna was at #1 with "Vogue," Heart were at #2, Sinead O'Connor #3, Wilson Phillips at #4 and Janet Jackson was at #5

Michael Jackson married Lisa Marie Presley, daughter of Elvis Presley in 1994. The couple divorced in 1995.

In 1996, a fire at the home of Eric Clapton caused over one-milliondollars worth of damage. Firemen arrived on the scene to find Clapton braving the blaze to save his collection of guitars.

The Manic Street Preachers refused to play a concert in 1999 because Queen Elizabeth II was present. The group had vowed to never perform for the monarchy because they considered it an outdated institution.

In 1999, it was announced that the Backstreet Boys album 'Millennium' had sold 1.13 million units in its first week of release.

In 2000, Drummer Tommy Lee was jailed for five days for drinking alcohol. Lee appeared in front of a LA court charged with violating his probation by consuming alcohol, an act that directly contravenes the terms of his parole. Smart.....

Cam'ron, was at #1 on the US album chart in 2002 with ‘Come Home With Me.’

Rush kick off their 30th anniversary tour in Nashville in 2004.

Nine Inch Nails mastermind, Trent Reznor, pulled his band from the MTV Movie Awards in 2005 over the stage's design. "We were set to perform 'The Hand That Feeds' with an unmolested straightforward image of George W. Bush as the backdrop," says Reznor. Not wanting to get political MTV vetoes the idea. "Apparently, the image of our president is as offensive to MTV as it is to me," concludes Reznor.

In 2009, a US judge ended a bitter two-year battle over the late soul singer James Brown's estate. Judge Jack Early ruled half of his assets will go to a charitable trust, a quarter to his wife and young son, and the rest to his six adult children. Brown's family and wife Tomi Rae Hynie Brown had fought over his fortune since he died of heart failure in 2006.

New Music Releases - May 25, 2010

Adam Kesher - Challenging Nature
All Time Low - Straight To DVD [Live CD/DVD]
Andy Bell [Erasure] - Non-Stop
Bar-Kays - Too Hot to Sleep / Flying High on Your Love
Beach Fossils - Beach Fossils
Beth Nielsen Chapman - Back to Love
Bettye LaVette - Interpretations: The British Rock Songbook
Big Boi - Shutterbugg (vinyl)
Black Keys - Tighten Up/I Got Mine (vinyl)
Black Sunshine - Black Sunshine
Bobby Caldwell - Songs For Lovers Only Vol. 1
Born Ruffians - What to Say (vinyl)
Brooklyn Dreams - Brooklyn Dreams
Burton Cummings - Above the Ground (CD/DVD)
Caw! Caw! - Bummer Palace
Cheap Trick - Music of Cheap Trick (3 CDs)
Chick Corea - Solo Piano Improvisations / Children's Songs
Christina Aguilera - Not Myself Tonight (Eu Mixes)
Common - Go!: Common Classics
Corey Dargel - Someone Will Take Care of Me
Crystal Castles - Days Difference
Cure - Disintegration (digital remastered) (digital deluxe remastered edition)
Cute Lepers - Smart Accessories (vinyl)
D.M. Stith - Heavy Ghost: Appendices
Damien Jurado - Saint Bartlett (vinyl)
Daniel Johnston - Story of An Artist (6-disc box set)
David Cross - Bigger and Blackerer
Deftones - Diamond Eyes (vinyl)
Dionne Warwick - How Many Times Can We Say Goodbye / Friends In Love
Dogg Pound - Keep On Ridin'
Elephant Stone - The Glass Box EP
Ella Fitzgerald - Performance
Ellen Allien - dust (vinyl)
Eric Clapton - Behind the Sun (2 LPs)
Evelyn Champagne King - Get Loose
Fall - Bury! (vinyl)
Far - At Night We Live
First Aid Kit - Big Black And The Blue
First Class - Beach Baby: The Best of
Foreigner - Can't Slow Down
Fyfe Dangerfield - Fly Yellow Mood
Get Up Kids - Simple Science
God Help the Gir - Baby You're Blind
Grails - Black Tar Prophecies 1, 2 & 3 (vinyl)
Grails - Black Tar Prophecies 4 (vinyl)
Greg Ashley - Requiem Mass And Other Experiments (vinyl)
Grovesnor - Soft Return
Hank Williams III - Rebel Within (vinyl & CD)
Harlan T. Bobo - Sucker (vinyl)
Heartless Bastards - All This Time (vinyl reissue)
It's Alive - Human Resources
James Holden - DJ-Kicks (vinyl)
Jamie Drake - When I Was Yours
Jeremy Jay - Splash (vinyl)
Jimmy Somerville - Suddenly Last Summer
John Prine - In Person & On Stage (Preview)
Judas Priest - British Steel: 30th Anniversary: Deluxe Edition (2 CDs/1 DVD)
Judas Priest - Defenders of the Faith (2 LPs)
Judas Priest - Screaming for Vengeance (2 LPs)
Junip - The Rope and The Summit
Kansas - Music of Kansas (3 CDs)
Karen Elson - The Ghost Who Walks (vinyl)
Katrina & the Waves - Walking on Sunshine: 25th Anniversary (Single)
Keith Jarrett & Charlie Haden - Jasmine
Keller & The Keels - Thief
Keller Williams - Thief
Kim Richey - Wreck Your Wheels
Kool & the Gang - Very Best of-Live in Concert
Kris Kristofferson - Please Don't Tell Me How the Story Ends: 1968-72 (vinyl)
Krokus - Hoodoo
Kurt Vile - Square Shells EP (vinyl)
Laurel Aitken - You Got Me Rockin: Best of Blue Beat Years 60-64
Lee Dorsey - New Lee Dorsey
Leela James - My Soul
Lower Dens - I Get Nervous b/w Johnssong
Mahavishnu Orchestra - Birds of Fire (180 Gram Audiophile Vinyl) Ltd. Edition
Manatee - Indecision (vinyl)
Marc Almond - Open All Night (reissue with bonus CD)
Marc Anthony - Iconos
Marina And The Diamonds - The Family Jewels
Masterplan - Time To Be King
Micah P. Hinson - Micah P. Hinson & the Pioneer Saboteurs
Modern English - Soundtrack
Neverever - Angelic Swells (vinyl)
Ohio Players - Angel / Jass-Ay-Lay-Dee
Otis Rush - Stand the Test of Time
Peter Wolf Crier - Inter-Be (vinyl)
Piebald - Volume II
Plies - Goon Affiliated
Qua - Q&A
Rebbie Jackson - Centipede / Reaction
Rick Derringer - The Three Kings of the Blues
Rihanna - Rated R: Remixed
Robin Zander - Countryside Blvd.
Rolling Stones - Boxed (14-disc box set)
Secret Chiefs 3 - Vol. 1 - Satellite Supersonic
Shlohmo - Shlohmoshun Deluxe (vinyl)
Smashing Pumpkins - Teargarden By Kaleidyscope Vol. 1: Songs For A Sailor [EP]
Soft Machine - NDR Jazz Workshop, Germany, May 17, 1973 (CD/DVD)
Solvent - Subject To Shift (vinyl)
Stone Temple Pilots - Stone Temple Pilots (deluxe edition) (vinyl)
Tanya Tucker - Greatest Hits
Teenage Fanclub - Baby Lee (vinyl)
This Piano Plays Itself - As The House...
Tobacco - Maniac Meat (vinyl)
Tomorrows Bad Seeds - Sacred For Sale
Trampled By Turtles - Palomino (vinyl)
Transient Songs - Cave Syndrome
Truth & Salvage Co. - Truth & Salvage Co. (vinyl)
Twin Sister - Color Your Life (vinyl)
Ty Segall - Melted (vinyl)
Various Artists (as the John Hartford String Band) - Memories Of John
Various Artists - Be Yourself: Tribute to Graham Nash's Songs for Beginners (vinyl)
Various Artists - Get Down With the Philly Sound 3
Various Artists - Rough Guide to Scottish Folk
Various Artists - Sex and the City 2: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack
Various Artists - The Bobby Sheen Anthology 1958-1975
Various Artists - The Story Of British Folk
Various Artists - True Blood: Music From The HBO Original Series Volume 2
Villagers - Becoming a Jackal
Walking Sleep - Measures
Widespread Panic - Dirty Side Down (vinyl & CD)
Wild Nothing - Gemini
Will Young - Leave Right Now
Wynonna Judd - Love Heals (Cracker Barrel Exclusive)

Music News & Notes

Roots Unveil ‘How I Got Over’ Cover Art

The Roots have unveiled the cover art for their forthcoming 11th album, ‘How I Got Over‘. The band are set to release the new album on June 22.

The album is set to feature guests John Legend and My Morning Jacket’s Jim James.

The album is also set to feature a sample track of Joanna Newsom’s “Book of Right-On“.








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Ryan Adams Releases "Fully-Realized Sci-Fi Metal Concept Album" ORION

Ryan Adams' "first fully-realized sci-fi metal concept album" is here, according to an email newsletter. It is a real thing called ORION that was recorded in 2006 and features artwork by Away, aka Michel Langevin from real life metal band Voivod.

You can order ORION on limited edition clear vinyl at Ryan's website right now (http://store.pax.am). It comes with a download card and a poster. This album won't be released on CD.




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Madden Lands Top Artist For Album Cover

GOOD CHARLOTTE's new album CARDIOLOGY will feature cover art from reclusive artist DANIEL MARTIN DIAZ after bassist BENJI MADDEN wrote to him and asked him to consider a commission.

The rocker was thrilled when his art idol replied - because he rarely accepts album cover jobs.

Madden says, "He's my favourite artist in the world. He does religion-based pop-surrealism. A lot of people approach him to design album covers, but he hasn't done one in over 10 years.

"I blindly emailed him... on his website. I told him that I was in a dark place during our last record, but that in the last two years I fell in love with music all over again.

"He came down and listened to some rough mixes and agreed to do it. It's my dream come true."

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LAMB OF GOD’S HOURGLASS RELEASES NOW AVAILABLE WORLDWIDE

In anticipation of the June 1st release of the Hourglass anthologies and special packages, LAMB OF GOD and Epic Records are immediately making all of the Hourglass packages available for pre-order in 41 countries through www.lamb-of-god.com. The band is currently in the midst of a month long tour of Asia and Europe that has already visited India and Turkey, with stops still to be made in Russia, Israel, Greece and other cities in Eastern and Western Europe. The tour ends June 12th with a main stage appearance at the Download Festival in Donnington, England.

The Hourglass packages include:

Hourglass: Vol 1 – The Underground Years
13 of the most choice Lamb of God songs from their early years. Culled from their first album Burn The Priest, their debut as Lamb of God, New American Gospel, and the album that put them on the map, As The Palaces Burn.

Hourglass: Vol 2 – The Epic Years
13 of the most choice Lamb of God songs from their career on Epic Records to this point. Both Grammy nominated songs “Redneck” and “Set To Fail” are surrounded by fan favorite anthems and crushing riffs from Ashes Of The Wake to Sacrament to 2009’s #2 debut Wrath.

Hourglass: The 3 CD Anthology
The ultimate Lamb of God retrospective. 44 tracks on 3 CDs. Vol 1 and 2 join Vol 3 containing 18 rare or never heard before songs. Included are Japanese issued bonus tracks, multiple rehearsal demos, along side the 8 songs recorded prior to Burn The Priest.

Hourglass: The Vinyl Box Set
All 6 Lamb of God Studio albums for the first time on 180 Gram vinyl in a Linen-wrapped collectors box. Includes Burn The Priest, New American Gospel, As The Palaces Burn, Ashes of the Wake, Sacrament, and Wrath.

Hourglass: The USB Box Set
All 6 Lamb of God studio albums on individual USB drives in a cigarette box shaped collectors package. Includes Burn The Priest, New American Gospel, As The Palaces Burn, Ashes of the Wake, Sacrament, and Wrath.

Hourglass: The Deluxe Set
The collectors set including The 3 CD Anthology, The Vinyl Box set, The USB Box Set, and a Linen bound 144 page book of the art of Lamb of God as created by K3n Adams including designs for tour passes, albums, t-shirts, and his commentary on them.

Hourglass: The Super Deluxe Set
The limited edition definitive collectors set including The 3 CD Anthology, The Vinyl Box Set, The USB set, the Book, a Mark Morton Signature Series Jackson Dominion D2, A 4’x6’ Pure American metal Flag, an Hourglass sticker, and a signed 8×10 in a personalized Lamb of God Coffin Case.

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Rolling Stones's Exile on Main Street tops UK chart

The Rolling Stones have scored their first UK number one album for 16 years with a re-release of their classic LP Exile On Main Street.

The album, which was first released in 1972, has been reissued with previously unheard tracks. Their last number one album was 1994's Voodoo Lounge.

Exile On Main Street has been dusted off to tie in with the release of a documentary about the making of the album, which includes tracks such as Tumbling Dice and Rocks Off.

David Joseph, chairman of the Stones's label Universal Music UK, said: "It's quite a result for an album from 1972 to be back at number one. It proves the Stones's music is as powerful today as when it was created."

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The Rolling Stones 1969-1974 - The Mick Taylor Years Coming To DVD

Sometimes regarded as the period in which The Rolling Stones recorded the finest music of their career, the years during which Mick Taylor was the fifth Stone remain the band's "Golden Age." Notably, on albums "Let It Bleed," "Sticky Fingers" and "Exile On Main Street" the Stones' sound changed as they developed new ideas and were informed by a range of new influences. But crucially it was Taylor's sophisticated blues and jazz licks that gave The Rolling Stones an added dimension between 1969 and 1974 - one they lacked both before and afterward. The film "The Rolling Stones 1969-1974 - The Mick Taylor Years" tells the behind the scenes story of this hugely productive era for the group. The film will be released on DVD on July 27.

Featuring interviews with Taylor himself and further contributions from his old boss, John Mayall; author and group colleague, Robert Greenfield; Village Voice music editor, Robert Christgau; Stones session musicians, Al Perkins and Bill Plummer; highly regarded UK music critic, Barney Hoskyns and many others. The program also includes liberal performance footage of The Stones, archive footage and interviews, numerous seldom seen photographs and a host of other features.

Extras include:

•'Meet Mick' - John Mayall and music historian Alan Clayson tell the Mick Taylor story, prior to his entry into The Rolling Stones.
•Contributor Biographies
•Beyond DVD section

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Elvis Presley's Record Collection Up For Auction

Elvis Presley's first record collection will be auctioned on Thursday at the U.K.'s Fame Bureau Auction House.

The collection of vinyl records was given by Presley to his guitarist, manager and friend Scotty Moore in 1968, when Presley asked Moore to transfer the records to reel-to-reel tapes.

The 26-record collection includes classics by Ray Charles, Sammy Davis Jr., Carl Perkins, Fats Domino, and the Billy Vaughn Orchestra.

It also includes an authenticated letter by Moore, which states, "Elvis left me the briefcase with the records and asked me to mail the tape back to his house in Memphis. I made a safety copy for myself and kept the records and tape in my studio in Nashville. Elvis never asked for the records to be returned."

The Fame Bureau's James Wilkinson, tells the U.K.'s Mirror, "These records really were the birth of rock 'n' roll because they influenced Elvis in his very early days."

The collection is expected to earn as much as $187,500.

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Phil Spector Releases New Album From Jail Cell
It's his first in 30 years...

Music producer Phil Spector, who is serving a prison sentence for murder, has released his first new studio album since 30 years.

Spector recorded ‘Out Of My Chelle’ with his wife, Rachelle, before he was imprisoned.

The producer, famed for his pioneering Wall of Sound recording technique, said his wife was “fantastic” on the record.

‘Out Of My Chelle’ will be available from June 8 as a digital download.

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Kiss Announces U.S. Tour

Kiss has announced a summer tour of the U.S. which will include stops in 28 cities. The Hottest Show on Earth will showcase the many hits from their 37-year career along with songs from their latest album, 2009's Sonic Boom.

The tour is being produced by Live Nation and opens on July 23 in Cheyenne, WY, running through September 24 in Phoenix, AZ. Tickets for some shows go on sale on June 4 at LiveNation.com; however, Citi cardmembers can get presale tickets on June 2 through their Private Pass program. Dr. Pepper is sponsoring the tour.


Paul Stanley told Reuters that the group isn't concerned about the current state of the economy. "The bands that have to worry about the recession are the ones who don't give their money's worth to the audience. If you come to see us, your money will blind you and deafen you and pummel you."

The tour schedule:

•07/23 - Cheyenne, WY - Cheyenne Frontier Days
•07/24 - Minot, ND - North Dakota State Fair
•07/29 - Pittsburgh, PA - First Niagara Pavilion
•07/30 - Cincinnati, OH - Riverbend Music Center
•07/31 - Hershey, PA - Hershey Park Stadium
•08/06 - Philadelphia, PA - Susquehanna Bank Center
•08/07 - Boston, MA - Comcast Center
•08/09 - Indianapolis, IN - Indiana State Fairgrounds
•08/13 - Buffalo, NY - Darien Lake Performing Arts Center
•08/14 - Wantagh, NY - Nikon at Jones Beach Theater
•08/15 - Scranton, PA - Toyota Pavilion
•08/19 - Uncasville, CT - Mohegan Sun Arena
•08/20 - Holmdel, NJ - PNC Bank Arts Center
•08/21 - Washington DC - Jiffy Lube Live
•08/27 - Virginia Beach, VA - Virginia Beach Amphitheater
•08/28 - Charlotte, NC - Verizon Wireless Amphitheatre
•08/29 - Raleigh, NC - Time Warner Cable Music Pavilion at Walnut Creek
•09/02 - Milwaukee, WI - Marcus Amphitheatre
•09/03 - Chicago, IL - First Midwest Bank Amphitheatre
•09/04 - St. Paul, MN - Minnesota State Fair
•09/10 - Toronto, ON - Molson Canadian Amphitheatre
•09/11 - Detroit, MI - DTE Energy Music Theatre
•09/12 - Cleveland, OH - Blossom Music Center
•09/17 - Houston, TX - Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion
•09/18 - Dallas, TX - Pizza Hut Park
•09/19 - San Antonio, TX - AT&T Center
•09/22 - Sandy, UT - Rio Tinto Stadium
•09/24 - Phoenix, AZ - Cricket Wireless Pavilion

Vinyl Sales Continue to Rise!

From the British Newspaper The Telegraph:

Sales of old-fashioned albums rose by more than five per cent last year, figures from the Official UK Charts Company showed.

CD sales have fallen by a fifth over the same period, leading to some manufacturers threatening to halt their production.

Despite accounting for less than one per cent of music purchases, American sales of vinyl topped almost three million, an increase of a million records. Music website Amazon.co.uk said it had more than 250,000 vinyl albums in stock to meet the growing demand. Internet search engine Yahoo meanwhile, has reported a 210 per cent increase in searches of the phrase "blank cassette tapes" and a 110 per cent rise in users seeking “music cassette tapes”.

The new trend is believed to have originated from New York teenagers, leading to a boom in record player and turntable sales. Most vinyl records bought over the past 10 years were by DJs and dance music fans, but recently more rock and country music albums have been sold.

Some of the most popular records include music from Florence and the Machine and The Courteeners and re-released Jimi Hendrix and The Red Hot Chili Pepper albums.

Music experts said that vinyl sales figures could be even higher because official British statistics do not include sales from smaller record shops and albums sold at concerts. British sales of seven-inch records peaked in 1979, with 89 million copies sold, but as CDs became more popular they slumped to less than 180,000 in 2001. Last year sales rose to 223,000.

Bitches Brew by Miles Davis Celebrates 40 Years

APPEARS ON ROLLING STONE's 500 GREATEST ALBUMS OF ALL TIME LIST

NEW YORK, May 24 /PRNewswire/ -- BITCHES BREW RELEASED IN TWO SEPARATE CONFIGURATIONS:


SUPER-DELUXE 40th ANNIVERSARY COLLECTOR'S EDITION 12" x 12" SLIPCASE BOX SET PACKAGE CONTAINS:

•Two CDs with original 94-plus minutes of music plus six bonus tracks

•CD of previously unissued performance at Tanglewood, August 1970, with Keith Jarrett, Chick Corea, Dave Holland, Jack DeJohnette, Airto Moreira and Gary Bartz

•DVD of previously unissued performance in Copenhagen, November 1969, with Wayne Shorter, Corea, Holland and DeJohnette

•Audiophile 180-gram vinyl double-LP gatefold replication of original album

•48-page color 12x12 book with 5,000-word liner notes essay by Greg Tate, producers' notes, and Lenny White interview by Ashley Kahn

•Plus memorabilia envelope and fold-out poster


LEGACY EDITION includes the original album and six bonus tracks on 2 CDs, plus Copenhagen DVD

Both formats released August 31, 2010, through Columbia/Legacy

Starting May 26th on MilesDavis.com, a previously unreleased video clip from Bitches Brew will be released with additional exclusive clips to follow

"Hardly said enough is that while Bitches emerged from Miles' Zeus-like head in 1969, it did so within the musical context provided by other longform genre benders of the day: Jimi's Electric Ladyland, Dylan's Blonde on Blonde, The Beatles' Sgt Pepper's and White Album, Frank Zappa's Hot Rats, Aretha Franklin's Spirit In The Dark, The Who's Tommy, James Brown's Live At The Apollo Vol. 2 and Sly and The Family Stone's Stand! – not to mention all the adventurous singles rolling out of Motown's Hitsville on a weekly basis by your Stevie Wonders, Supremes and Marvin Gayes." – from the liner notes essay by Greg Tate

"I listen to Miles all the time. The art on the Bitches Brew album cover is what first drew me to it. The music is incredible. The album itself is timeless." – Nas

Recorded at the end of a tumultuous decade (August 1969), Miles Davis' Bitches Brew reflected the chaos and beauty of a society stretched (and stressed) to its breaking point. This genre-bending, barrier-smashing double LP would become Miles' first RIAA gold album.

BITCHES BREW: 40th ANNIVERSARY COLLECTOR'S EDITION is a tribute to both the man who changed the course of jazz ("four or five times," as he himself once quipped), and the album that virtually single-handedly brought jazz into the commercial rock era, earning a place at #94 on Rolling Stone magazine's list of the 500 Greatest Albums Of All Time. The new super-deluxe release will be available in two separate packages starting August 31st through Columbia/Legacy, a division of SONY MUSIC ENTERTAINMENT. The two packages are summarized as follows:

•BITCHES BREW: 40th ANNIVERSARY COLLECTOR'S EDITION, a box set containing a 48-page 12" x 12" book, and:

◦Three CDs (two CDs containing the original 94-plus minutes of music with six bonus tracks), plus a third CD with a previously unissued performance by Miles' group with Keith Jarrett, Chick Corea, Dave Holland, Jack DeJohnette, Airto Moreira and Gary Bartz at Tanglewood, August 1970);

◦DVD of a previously unissued performance by Miles' Quintet lineup with Wayne Shorter, Chick Corea, Dave Holland and Jack DeJohnette in Copenhagen, November 1969;

◦Audiophile 180-gram vinyl double-LP gatefold replication of the original album mastered from the original 2-track analog masters for the first time in many years.


•BITCHES BREW: LEGACY EDITION, a three-disc package comprising the two album CDs (as above) and Copenhagen DVD (as above).

Released in April of 1970, Bitches Brew was informed by and reflective of the music that Miles heard being produced in the late-'60s by Jimi Hendrix, Sly Stone, James Brown, Santana, Marvin Gaye and others, as well as the Beatles' post-production editing pyrotechnics. The original double-LP's six tracks, as formulated in the studio by Miles and his long-time producer Teo Macero, presented a seismic breakthrough in jazz/rock/funk/R&B. The tracks comprised the 20-minute side-long "Pharaoh's Dance" (a Joe Zawinul composition), followed by four Miles compositions, the 27-minute side-long "Bitches Brew," then "Spanish Key," "John McLaughlin," and "Miles Runs the VooDoo Down," concluding with the Wayne Shorter composition, "Sanctuary."

The COLLECTOR'S EDITION takes full advantage of the LP-sized 12x12 box set format. It includes (in addition to the recordings and DVD) a lavish 48-page color book, memorabilia envelope (among the contents are a reproduction of a Miles Davis cover story originally published by Rolling Stone in 1969, and correspondences from the Teo Macero archives), and a fold-out poster of Miles in concert. The super-deluxe slipcase box set design complements the Kind Of Blue: 50th Anniversary Collector's Edition released in September 2008 on Columbia/Legacy.

In 1970, the Bitches Brew double-LP gatefold introduced the memorable cover art of the late Mati Klarwein. His uniquely surreal, psychedelic motifs caught the hallucinogenic essence of Bitches Brew (and a year later in 1971, Miles' Live-Evil), as well as Santana's iconic Abraxas in 1970, the Last Poets' This Is Madness in 1971, Earth Wind & Fire's Last Days and Time in 1972, and dozens more album covers. Another example of Klarwein's painting, Zonked, is featured on the COLLECTOR'S EDITION book cover.

At the heart of the COLLECTOR'S EDITION book is a 5,000-word essay written by journalist-author-producer-musician Greg Tate, an authority on jazz, hip-hop and the rise of the Black Rock Coalition. Tate has annotated some 25 albums over the past two decades. Introductory notes to the book are written by reissue producers Richard Seidel and Michael Cuscuna. There will also be an interview with drummer Lenny White (whose recording career began at age 20 on the Bitches Brew sessions) conducted by Ashley Kahn, journalist-author-educator and Miles Davis authority. Kahn's Kind of Blue: The Making of the Miles Davis Masterpiece (2001) is the definitive study of that album.

As the producers' notes point out, 1998's Grammy Award®-winning 4-CD box set The Complete Bitches Brew Sessions covered all the music recorded by Miles and his group between August 1969 and February 1970, using the same general instrumentation and musicians. Starting in the summer of 1969, the core of the Miles Davis Quintet was Miles on trumpet, Wayne Shorter on soprano saxophone, Chick Corea on electric piano, Dave Holland on acoustic bass, and Jack DeJohnette on drums. That is the group who succeeded Miles' so-called "second great quintet": Wayne Shorter on tenor saxophone, Herbie Hancock on piano, bassist Ron Carter, and drummer Tony Williams. They [the second great Quintet] flourished from 1965 to 1968, and recorded five seminal LPs: E.S.P. (1965), Miles Smiles (1966), Sorcerer and Nefertiti (both 1967) and Miles in the Sky (1968). With the dissolution of that quintet, as the Tony Williams Lifetime began, and Hancock founded Mwandishi, and Ron Carter became an even more active first-call bassist for New York recording sessions – Miles cast about for new players to join him and Wayne Shorter.

The new quintet lineup of Shorter, Corea, Holland, and DeJohnette solidified during the 1968-'69 recording of Filles De Kilimanjaro and In a Silent Way. This is the group who performs on the Copenhagen concert DVD of November 1969. By March of 1970, they were a seasoned touring group that had accepted the challenge to go head-to-head with arena rock bands at venues like Bill Graham's Fillmore where rock audiences embraced them.

But three months earlier at Columbia Studios in New York City, at the principal sessions of August 19th ("Bitches Brew," "John McLaughlin," "Sanctuary"), 20th ("Miles Runs the VooDoo Down"), and 21st ("Pharaoh's Dance," "Spanish Key"), the ranks had swelled to a dozen musicians, and looked like this: Miles on trumpet, Wayne Shorter (soprano saxophone), Bennie Maupin (bass clarinet), Joe Zawinul (electric piano - left), Chick Corea (electric piano - right), John McLaughlin (guitar), Dave Holland (acoustic bass), Harvey Brooks (electric bass), Lenny White (drums – left), Jack DeJohnette (drums - right), Don Alias (congas), and Jumma Santos (Jim Riley) - shaker. The only variation was Don Alias taking over for Lenny White on the 20th, but White was back on the 21st. The advent of multiple keyboardists, multiple bassists, and multiple percussionists and drummers is one of the defining sonic characteristics of Bitches Brew, and made a serious impression on the FM progressive rock audience.

The COLLECTOR'S EDITION adds four bonus tracks from August – alternate takes of "Spanish Key" and "John McLaughlin," and rare edits (for 45 rpm single releases) of "Miles Runs the VooDoo Down" and "Spanish Key."

Miles reconvened at Columbia Studios in New York for two days of sessions on November 19th and 28th (long after Copenhagen) with most of his group intact, except for Shorter. The lineup looked like this: Miles on trumpet), Steve Grossman (soprano saxophone), Bennie Maupin (bass clarinet), Herbie Hancock (electric piano - left), Chick Corea (electric piano - right), John McLaughlin (guitar), Ron Carter (bass), Harvey Brooks (electric bass), Khalil Balakrishna (sitar), Bihari Sharma (tambura, tabla), Billy Cobham (drums, triangle), and Airto Moreira (cuica, berimbau). The only variations were the additions of Larry Young (organ, celeste) and Jack DeJohnette (drums) on the 28th.

None of this music was used for the original Bitches Brew album (although all of it is heard on the 1998 box set). For the COLLECTOR'S EDITION, producers Seidel and Cuscuna have judiciously chosen to include two short pieces – single edits of "Great Expectations" and "Little Blue Frog" – as examples to show the evolution of Miles' sound in just three short months. "These edited 45 rpm singles," the producers explain, "bound no doubt for radio stations and juke boxes, were the only nod to traditional marketing that this album received." Although the music on this single was not included in the original double LP, the single was released in February 1970 as part of the promotional set-up for the Bitches Brew full album in April 1970.

When Wayne Shorter played his final dates with the group at the Fillmore East in March, it marked a turning point, as he went on to organize Weather Report, and Corea and Holland subsequently joined forces as Circle. Only DeJohnette stayed on with Miles (through the Jack Johnson and Live-Evil period).

Soon after the April release of Bitches Brew, while Holland and DeJohnette were still on board, Shorter was replaced by Gary Bartz on saxophone, Keith Jarrett joined as a second keyboardist (on organ, complementing Corea's electric piano), and Airto Moreira joined on percussion. "Their outstanding live Tanglewood performance from August 18, 1970, of four compositions from Bitches Brew" the producers note, "shows further development of the material due in large part to the added colors possible with the larger ensemble. In the hands of master improvisers, the constant evolution that a piece of music experiences is fascinating. The full story can only be told with the passage of time in live performance."

Greg Tate explores a world of contexts in which to understand Bitches Brew both literally and figuratively. Miles' fatherly instruction to Lenny White (some 25 years his junior) was "to literally think of all the assembling players as stewing in a big pot where they were all the bitches." Tate then places the album "forthrightly within the pantheon of the period's other goddess-muse inspired masterworks: Eric Clapton's Layla, the Rolling Stones' Exile On Main Street, Santana's Abraxas, James Brown's Original Funky Divas, and Funkadelic's Maggot Brain and Cosmic Slop."

After Bitches Brew, Tate concludes, "Miles didn't wait five years to radically switch up his game in the '70s – for the next half decade he will steadily release edgy, rough-angled and prophetic music that sounds as contemporary today as any front runner we care to choose – OutKast, Bjork, Radiohead, the Roots, Erykah Badu, bring 'em on – Bitches possesses all their contemporaneity and stuff beyond their grasp too, the shape of jazz to come, still."

BITCHES BREW: 40th ANNIVERSARY COLLECTOR'S EDITION


by MILES DAVIS (3 CDs + DVD + 180-gram double-LP)


(Columbia/Legacy 88697 70274 2)

Disc One (CD) – Selections: 1. Pharaoh's Dance * 2. Bitches Brew * 3. Spanish Key * 4. John McLaughlin.

Disc Two (CD) – Selections: 1. Miles Runs The Voodoo Down * 2. Sanctuary * Bonus tracks: 3. Spanish Key (alternate take) * 4. John McLaughlin (alternate take) * 5. Miles Runs The Voodoo Down (single edit) * 6. Spanish Key (single edit) * 7. Great Expectations (single edit) * 8. Little Blue Frog (single edit).

Disc Three (CD) – Selections: 1. Bill Graham introduction * 2. Directions * 3. Bitches Brew * 4. The Mask * 5. It's About That Time * 6. Sanctuary * 7. Spanish Key/The Theme * 8. Miles Runs The Voodoo Down * 9. Bill Graham outro. (Recorded live at the Tanglewood / Berkshire Music Center, Lenox, MA, August 18, 1970. Previously unreleased.)

Disc Four (DVD) – Chapters: 1. Directions * 2. Miles Runs The Voodoo Down * 3. Bitches Brew * 4. Agitation * 5. I Fall In Love Too Easily * 6. Sanctuary * 7. It's About That Time/The Theme. (Recorded live at the Tivoli Konsertsal, Copenhagen, Denmark, November 4, 1969. Previously unreleased.)

180-gram vinyl double-LP:

LP One – Selections: Side A – 1. Pharaoh's Dance * Side B – 1. Bitches Brew.

LP Two – Selections: Side A – 1. Spanish Key * 2. John McLaughlin * Side B – 1. Miles Runs The Voodoo Down * 2. Sanctuary.

BITCHES BREW: LEGACY EDITION by MILES DAVIS (2 CDs + DVD)

(Columbia/Legacy 88697 54519 2)

Disc One (CD) – Selections: 1. Pharaoh's Dance * 2. Bitches Brew * 3. Spanish Key * 4. John McLaughlin.

Disc Two (CD) – Selections: 1. Miles Runs The Voodoo Down * 2. Sanctuary * Bonus tracks: 3. Spanish Key (alternate take) * 4. John McLaughlin (alternate take) * 5. Miles Runs The Voodoo Down (single edit) * 6. Spanish Key (single edit) * 7. Great Expectations (single edit) * 8. Little Blue Frog (single edit).

Disc Three (DVD) – Chapters: 1. Directions * 2. Miles Runs The Voodoo Down * 3. Bitches Brew * 4. Agitation * 5. I Fall In Love Too Easily * 6. Sanctuary * 7. It's About That Time/The Theme. (Recorded live at the Tivoli Konsertsal, Copenhagen, Denmark, November 4, 1969. Previously unreleased.)

http://www.milesdavis.com/ 

http://www.facebook.com/milesdavis

SOURCE Legacy Recordings

Top 5 eBay Vinyl Record Sales - Week Ending 05/22/2010

1. 45 - Larry Clinton "She's Wanted" / "If I Knew" Dynamo stock copy - $6766.66

2. LP - LP - Johanna Martzy "Bach: The unaccompanied Violin Sonatas" Columbia Box set UK - $4,500.00

3. 78 - Los Beatles (The Beatles) "Twist Y Gritos" (Twist And Shout) / "La Vi Parada" (I Saw Her Standing There) Odeon Pops Argentina - $3,500.00

4. 45 - Billy Byrd "Silly Kind Of Love" / "Lost In The Crowd" Scream - $3,038.99

5. 45 - The Professionals "That's Why I Love You" / "Groove City" - $2,599.02



Top 5 brought to you by: Vinyl Record Talk Tuesday 5pm ET / 8pm PT

More on this week's top 5 on Vinyl Record Talk, Tuesday 8:00PM Eastern / 5:00PM Pacific on Radio Dentata.

http://shows.radiodentata.com/shows/accidental-nostalgia/

Preserving the spin

By Jenny Hopkins
POCATELLO — A few years ago, a father telling his teenage son or daughter that he was going to get out the turntable and listen to some 45s was probably met with a confused look and some words expressing how uncool he was.

But as Bob Dylan said, “times, they are a changin’,” and now the dad with the extensive record collection may just be the coolest one on the block.

Records, or “vinyl” as they have been nicknamed, has been considered by many to be a dead form of sound storage.

But recently, records have again begun to gain popularity, so much so that Jay Reeves, co-owner of Vinyl Perk in Pocatello, has decided to start a local chapter of the Vinyl Preservation Society of Idaho.

The society started in Boise with the intent to preserve the heritage of records by caring for and about vinyl records and to share history, knowledge and passion for them.

Reeves, a self-proclaimed vinyl “junkie,” heard about the society and immediately wanted to create a local chapter.

“I have been pleasantly surprised by how many of our customers love records. There are many, many hobbyists and enthusiasts here. It was natural to start this,” said Reeves.

The Pocatello chapter held its first gathering on May 20. Participants will gather at Vinyl Perk, 150 S. Main St. in Pocatello, from 7 to 9 p.m. each third Thursday of each month to swap, spin and talk about records. The next will be on June 17.

The gatherings may have themes, such as jazz night, where enthusiasts are encouraged to bring music of that theme.

“It is open to anyone who wants to bring their own records,” says Reeves, “It is an opportunity for people to learn about new music.”

Reeves says that extending the group to Southeast Idaho was a no-brainer.

So why, when there have been so many advancements made in digital sound, are people coming back to and staying loyal to vinyl?

Reeves says that vinyl offers things to the listener that digital music just can’t compete with.

“The sound of a record is better than anything I have ever heard digitally. Analog is a warmer, more textured sound. It’s truer to the original music,” he says.

Rich Graves, owner of Budget Tapes and Records in Pocatello, agrees.

“From the time CDs came out, there were a lot of people who said records had a better sound. It has a warmer, more natural sound,” says Graves.

Reeves says that teenagers in particular are playing a huge part in the vinyl revival.

“It’s tactile, it’s something they can hold in their hand, they can read the album liner notes, they may know the music to some of these classic rock albums, they may have downloaded them, but they have never held a record in their hands and looked at the picture of the band on the cover.”

For more information about the Pocatello chapter of the Vinyl Preservation Society of Idaho, call Jay Reeves at Vinyl Perk, 478-7375.


SOURCE: http://www.idahostatejournal.com/

This Date In Music History - May 24

Birthdays:

Robert Zimmerman (Bob Dylan) (1941)



Derek Quinn - Freddie and the Dreamers (1942)

Patti LaBelle (1944)

Priscilla Presley (1945)

Dave Peacock - Chas & Dave (1945)

Steve Upton - Wishbone Ash (1946)

Albert Bouchard - Blue Oyster Cult (1947)

Rosanne Cash (1955)

Guy Fletcher - Dire Straits, Roxy Music, Bryan Ferry (1960)

Vivian Trimble (Luscious Jackson) - (1963)

Heavy D (1967)

Rich Robinson - Black Crowes (1969)

Tommy Page (1969)

Alessandro Cortini - Nine Inch Nails (1976)


They Are Missed:

Elmore James US blues guitarist, singer, died of a heart attack in 1963 (age 45). Wrote "Shake Your Money Maker," covered by Fleetwood Mac in 1968. Known as "The King of the Slide Guitar." James influenced Jimi Hendrix, BB King, Stevie Ray Vaughan and Keith Richards.



Composer, pianist, and bandleader Duke Ellington, died of lung cancer and pneumonia in 1974 (age 75). Worked with Louis Armstrong, Ella Fitzgerald, Dizzy Gillespie, Billie Holiday. Awarded a Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award in 1966. In 2009 the United States Mint launched a new coin featuring Duke Ellington on the reverse side of the coin.

Founder member of the Byrds, Gene Clark died of a heart attack in 1991 (age 49). Wrote The Byrds hits "I'll Feel a Whole Lot Better" and "Eight Miles High," member of McGuinn, Clark and Hillman and solo.


History:

The Beatles recorded the first of their very own BBC radio program, "Pop Go the Beatles" in 1963. The theme song for the program was a version of "Pop Goes the Weasel." The Beatles' guests for this first show were the Lorne Gibson Trio.

Captain Beefheart appeared at the Whisky a Go Go. West Hollywood, California in 1966. Supported by Buffalo Springfield and The Doors.

The Beatles with Billy Preston started a five week run at #1 on the US singles chart in 1969 with "Get Back," the group's 17th US #1.

The Guess Who made their American TV debut on "American Bandstand" in 1969.

Surprisingly, the Hollywood Festival is not in L.A. The 1970 U.K. event featured Traffic, the Grateful Dead and Free. But the breakout performance comes from Black Sabbath.

Peter Green played his last gig with Fleetwood Mac when they appeared at the Bath Festival, Somerset, England in 1970.

Earth Wind and Fire went to #1 on the US singles chart in 1975 with "Shining Star," the group's first and only US #1.

 

In 1980, Genesis fans turning up at the Roxy Club box office in Los Angeles to buy tickets for a forthcoming gig were surprised to find the band members Phil Collins, Tony Banks and Mike Rutherford selling the tickets themselves.

In Hamburg, Germany in 1980, a battle between The Clash and the audience resulted in Joe Strummer’s arrest. He had struck one audience member in the head with his guitar.

In 1982 - Jefferson Starship, the Grateful Dead, Boz Scaggs, and Country Joe McDonald played at San Francisco's Moscone Center to raise money for the Vietnam Veterans Project.

The Monkees "reunion" tour (minus Mike Nesmith) began at the Concord Hotel in the Catskills of New York in 1986.

In 1991, Guns n' Roses played the first show on their 192-date 'Use Your Illusion' world Tour at Alpine Valley Music Theatre, East Troy, Wisconsin.

In 1992, police in Montgomery were called when an impostor posing as Steve Miller left a hotel owing a $600 unpaid bill, he did however leave a $73 tip on a $8 drinks bill.

Poison lead singer Bret Michaels crashed his Ferrari into a Burbank telephone pole in 1994. He suffered multiple injuries.

Hanson started a three week run at #1 on the US singles chart in 1997 with "MMMBop," the brothers first US #1, also a #1 in the UK.

The Spice Girls went to #1 on the US album chart in 1997 with 'Spice', making them only the third all girl group to do so after The Supremes and The Go-Go's and the first ever UK girl group to do so.

In 1999, Freddie Mercury was featured on a new set of millennium stamps issued by the Royal Mail . The Queen front man who died in 1991, was featured on the 19p stamp. The singer was a keen stamp collector, and his collection was bought by the Post Office in 1993. The stamp marked his contribution to the Live Aid charity concert in 1985.

In 2000, A New York Judge told Pretenders singer Chrissie Hynde that if she wanted her March arrest for protesting the sale of leather goods in a Gap store dismissed, she'd better keep her nose clean for the next six months.

Also in 2000 - Chuck D testified to the U.S. Congress about the benefits of Napster and online music distribution.

Paul McCartney made his first ever live performance in Russia in 2003 when he appeared in-front of 20,000 fans in Red Square.

In 2005, Mötley Crüe files a lawsuit against NBC for allegedly banning the group from appearing on the network after singer Vince Neil slips in an expletive during the group’s New Year’s Eve performance on The Tonight Show With Jay Leno. Crüe claims the action violates their free speech rights. They also feel the ban hurt CD sales. "This is a discrimination issue," says bassist Nikki Sixx.

"Return To The Dark Side Of The Moon" was released in 2006. The tribute to Pink Floyd’s "Dark Side Of The Moon" featured the Doors' Robbie Krieger, Styx's Tommy Shaw, Yes' Rick Wakeman and Steve Howe and Asia/ex-King Crimson singer-bassist John Wetton.

Bob Dylan's American Journey 1956-1966 officially opened at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum in Cleveland in 2006. The exhibit debuts on Dylan’s 65th birthday.

Pirates Of The Caribbean: At World's End opened in 2007. Rolling Stones guitarist Keith Richards played the father of Capt. Jack Sparrow (Johnny Depp's role). (It was) just something to do," says Richards. "I don't know if I can really pull it (off) or not." Richards sees similarities between being a pirate and life in a Rock group. "Both are ways to make a good dishonest living.”

In 2007, it's the first day of the U.K. edition of Rock N' Roll Fantasy camp. Instructors for the five-day session include Bad Company's Simon Kirke, Procol Harum's Gary Brooker and Cream's Jack Bruce. Ex-Rolling Stones bassist Bill Wyman and Bad Company guitarist Mick Ralphs are also onboard. Wyman vows to "jam on a Stones tune with every camper."

R.E.M.'s appearance on PBS’ Austin City Limits was broadcast in 2008.

Michael Fremer Album Review

Hank Mobley (reissue) Roll Call


Blue Note/Music Matters MMBST-84058 2 180g 45rpm LPs


Produced by: Alfred Lion
Engineered by: Rudy Van Gelder
Mixed by: Rudy Van Gelder
Mastered by: Kevin Gray and Steve Hoffman at AcousTech

Review by: Michael Fremer
2010-04-01


With clean “deep groove” originals of this 1960 release going for $500 and up, $50 is a bargain for this double 45rpm reissue cut from the original master tape without compression and including a set of outstanding inner jacket Francis Wolff photos included in a deluxe package.

The rarity of clean originals probably accounts for the high prices, plus it’s an all-star group backing Mobley including a twenty three year old Freddie Hubbard fresh off his own debut album Open Sesame plus a rather stellar rhythm section consisting of Paul Chambers on bass, Wynton Kelly on piano and the always mighty Art Blakey on drums.

This is one Blue Note that ices the notion that mono is how Blue Notes should be heard. For one thing, Blakey’s drums are allowed to roam half way across the soundstage in a bath of reverb instead of being locked away in one channel as RVG often did to drummers. For another, the wide separation between Hubbard’s trumpet and Mobley’s tenor sax allows for full enjoyment of each man’s contribution to the proceedings. Even Kelly’s piano, holding center court gets excellent sonic treatment from Van Gelder, whose piano sound was often boxy and distorted.

With the exception of a cover of “The More I See You,” the session features Mobley originals beginning with the title track opener that seems built upon or inspired by Ellington’s “It Don’t Mean a Thing (If it Ain’t Got That Swing).” Hubbard goes nuts and Mobley follows with some neat twists and turns.

The annotation’s characterization of Mobley is unusually tepid. For instance, “..and if the tenor saxophonist’s writing is not distinguished by innovation or always by a particular identity, it has good taste, form and a rhythmic persuasiveness going for it.”

That description is on target. The tunes themselves, especially heard in 2010, are familiar and not particularly memorable, but as the notes also contend, “…(the tunes) provided the springboard for many solos or merit.” Those are in abundance from both Mobley and Hubbard.

When this was recorded, Mobley had been in Miles Davis’ group for but a few months, which explains the presence of Wynton Kelly and Paul Chambers, who were also playing with Miles then and had, of course, for some time.

Mobley played on the Some Day My Prince Will Come album and of course on the “Live at the Blackhawk” sessions, but his softer tone and laid back overall personality didn’t mesh well with what Davis was looking for and he was soon out of the group.

Mobley’s playing on the standard “The More I See You” is among the album’s highlights as is Hubbard’s muted trumpet playing on the tune. He doesn’t sound like Miles, liner notes to the contrary. He’s too busy and too fluid in my opinion. Wynton Kelly turns in a nice solo stand too.

The final tune “The Breakdown” gives everyone a chance to cut loose, with Blakey wailing and Mobley quoting some “Bemsha Swing.” It has the album going out on a high energy note.

This is another great Music Matters Blue Note reissue at a fraction of the price of an original and most likely more dynamic and tonally accurate too.

I compared it to Classic’s 33 1/3 reissue mastered by Bernie Grundman some years ago. I don’t have the exact date but this one was 180g and before Classic moved to paper on cardboard jackets. The cover art is abysmal as were many reissue covers in those early vinyl reissue days. It’s washed out and almost looks Xeroxed. The sound however, is very good. Never bet against Bernie cutting jazz. It’s his true passion. The 45rpm cut has an advantage, particularly on the inner grooves. However, for those who think some of the Hoffman/Gray cuts are too warm, the Classic has a hotter top end some might prefer. I’ll take the double 45 myself.

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

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

This Date In Music History - May 22

Birthdays:

Bruce Rowlands - Fairport Convention (1941)

Calvin Simon - Funkadelic (1942)

Bernie Taupin (1950)

Jerry Dammers - Specials (1954)

Iva Davis - Icehouse (1955)

Steven Morrissey - Smiths, solo (1959)

Dana Williams - Diamond Rio (1961))

Jesse Valenzuela - Gin Blossoms (1962)

Johnny Gill - New Edition (1966)

Dan Roberts - Crash Test Dummies (1967)


History:

Bob Dylan (Robert Zimmerman) celebrated his bar mitzvah in 1954.

In 1955, a Fats Domino concert was canceled in Bridgeport, CT because policed feared a rock 'n' roll riot would occur.

In 1958, Jerry Lee Lewis arrived at London's Heathrow Airport to begin his first British tour, along with his new bride, 14 year old third cousin, Myra. Although advised not to mention it, Lewis answered all questions about his private life. The public's shock over Lewis' marriage marks the start of a controversy leading to his British tour being cancelled after just 3 of the scheduled 37 performances.

Ernie K Doe went to #1 on the US singles chart in 1961 with "Mother In Law."

In 1964, the Beatles arrived back from their first US trip at Heathrow Airport and were greeted by thousands of screaming fans. Also on this day The Beatles scored their second US #1 album with 'The Beatles Second Album'. It displaced 'Meet The Beatles!' from the top of the charts.

The Beatles went to #1 on the US singles chart in 1965 with "Ticket To Ride," the group's eighth US #1.

Frank Sinatra appeared at Oakland Coliseum, California in 1968 and was backed by a full orchestra. The concert was a Democratic Party fundraiser.

Cream’s 'Disraeli Gears' goes gold in 1968 . Containing the war-horse “Sunshine of Your Love” it’s the group’s second album.



Now firmly ensconced as the “World’s Greatest Rock N’ Roll Band,” the Rolling Stones’ 'Sticky Fingers,' containing “Brown Sugar,” begins a four week run at #1 on the US chart in 1971. It’s guitarist Mick Taylor’s first full album with the group since replacing Brian Jones.

Wings started a five week run at #1 on the US singles chart in 1976 with "Silly Love Songs," McCartney's fifth US #1 since leaving The Beatles.

The Doobie Brothers album, “Takin’ It To The Streets,” peaked at #8 in 1976 and sells over a million copies.

Cheap Trick’s breakthrough album “Live At Budokan” featuring “I Want You To Want Me” goes platinum in 1979. The album does so well as an import, Epic Records releases it in the US.



In 1980, in New York, five gold records that belonged to Jimi Hendrix were stolen from the Electric Ladyland studios.

In 1989, Rap group Public Enemy fired one of its members, Professor Griff, after he made anti-Semitic remarks in the Washington Post.

Fleetwood Mac begin recording their “live” concert on an L.A. soundstage in 1997. The performance was played on both MTV and VH1.

In 1999, ticket demand turns a five show gig in July at New Jersey’s Continental Airlines Arena into a fifteen show stand for Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band. The reunion shows set the record for one stay at a single arena.

The final manuscript of Beethoven's Ninth Symphony, which was annotated by the composer, sold at an auction for $3.47 million in 2003.

In 2004, dozens of people were sent to the hospital and more than 200 are treated for heat exhaustion (temperatures near 90 degrees) at a music festival in Washington, D.C. An estimated crowd of 60,000 attend the show, which includes performances by the Offspring, Lostprophets, P.O.D. and Papa Roach.

In 2006, the J. Geils Band's entire original lineup performed together in their hometown of Boston at a private party celebrating bassist Dick Klein's 60th birthday. It reportedly was the first time the six members play together onstage in more than 20 years.

Led Zeppelin received the Polar Music Prize -- Sweden's most prestigious music award, in 2006. The award was the result of the group's "playful and experimental music [whose] eclectic elements" helped "define the genre of Hard Rock." The surviving members are presented with a check worth $123,000 by the King of Sweden.

Ozzy Osbourne's "Black Rain" was released in 2007. "It's a well-put-together album," says Ozzy. "I took my time on (it) and (guitarist) Zakk (Wylde) plays some amazing stuff as always." "I Don't Wanna Stop" is the lead single. "People keep saying to me, 'You'll be quitting soon, retiring.' I don't wanna stop!" adds Ozzy. "I'd miss the fans. I'd miss the buzz, seeing the crowd going crazy." The album was recorded at Osbourne's home studio in L.A.

In 2008, Pink Floyd's David Gilmour and Radiohead were recognized for their songwriting accomplishments at Britain's prestigious Ivor Novello Awards in London. Gilmour takes a Lifetime Achievement trophy. "It's been a long, bumpy and exhilarating road," says Gilmour. Radiohead receives the Album Award for "In Rainbows."

Music News & Notes

METALLICA: 'Load' Vinyl Release Pushed Back To June

The release date of the vinyl version of METALLICA's 1996 album "Load" has been postponed until June 15 from the previously announced May 18. The LP will be made available outside North America on July 5.

Commented the band: "If you've been following along, you know the drill — there will be two packages, a two-disc gatefold package for the 33.3 version, and a box for the four-disc, 180-gram, 45-rpm deluxe edition.

"All the music was half-speed-mastered from the original analog tapes at Bernie Grundman Mastering in Hollywood, California to bring you audiophile quality.





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

REM to reissue 'Fables Of The Reconstruction' with bonus rarities disc

REM have announced details of the reissue of their third studio album 'Fables Of The Reconstruction'.

Due out on July 13, the '25th Anniversary Edition' of the group's LP will include a remastered version of the original album, plus a 14-track disc called 'The Athens Demos', which features early recordings of songs like 'Driver 8', 'Can't Get There From Here' and the unreleased track 'Throw Those Trolls Away'.

The album will be issued on double CD, 180-gram vinyl LP and as a digital download.

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

Ronnie James Dio Public Memorial Set For May 30

Ronnie James Dio’s life is to be celebrated at a public memorial service in Los Angeles later this month, it’s been announced. The former Black Sabbath vocalist passed away on Sunday following a battle from cancer. He was 67.

Fans have been asked to gather at The Hall of Liberty in Hollywood from 2pm (local time) on May 30.

A statement on Dio's official Facebook page said: “This will be a celebration of the life and music of Ronnie James Dio and is open to all of his friends and fans from around the world.”

All Vinyl - All The Time

New Kid on the Cherokee Street Block: Phono-Mode, A Record Store for Vinyl Junkies

By Diana Benanti

SOURCE: http://blogs.riverfronttimes.com

​Attention vinyl devotees and converts: There's a new place in town to get your 180 grams and 45s. Phono-Mode opened on Cherokee Street in April, and it's the only all-vinyl store in St. Louis.

Phono-Mode is located in the historic antique district, and it's owner Jason Lammert's first business venture. The place is small but stocked with everything from classic '60s rock and garage to newer indie artists; the store sold out of the new Broken Social Scene album in a few days. Lammert said he's primarily interested in '60's and early '70s. The prices range from 25 cents for 45s to $55 for a two-album Bauhaus reissue, but most of the records are in the $15 dollar range.

Lammert admits opening an all-vinyl record store in a down economy is a bit of a gamble, but he thinks the resurgence in vinyl collecting over the past few years has created a ready market. According to a Reuters article, Nielsen SoundScan reported 2.8 million vinyl units sold in 2009, up from 1.8 million in 2008. Lammert believes that CDs will become obsolete before vinyl does: "MP3s are the same quality as CDs, there's no reason to hang onto them when you have that digital format. A record is more nostalgic and collectable."

He said most of his customers have surprisingly been "people of our generation" and not people who lived through the heyday of vinyl. Phono-Mode's sole employee besides Lammert is local zinester Ben Stegmann, who added that Phono-Mode's clientele is niche-oriented in its tastes. "Beatles fans buy nothing but the Beatles, some people will only buy jazz and nothing more."

What Phono-Mode will carry depends on the limitations of the modest space, but Lammert is unpretentious and aims to appeal to a wide variety of tastes, from electronic to reggae, two genres that he thinks are lacking in the stock of other stores. Lammert said he shies away from the super mainstream stuff, most country and classical, but if, say, Justin Bieber were to come out with an LP, and someone really, really wanted it, he would be willing to order it.

There's been a lot of support from the neighborhood; when I arrived, Lammert was chatting with other shop owners on the street. The only complaints so far have been about their music being too loud. Lammert said they're going to put in a small listening station in the front of the store where people can hang out and listen before they buy.

Lammert doesn't think Phono-Mode will take business away from Apop Records -- which is located on Cherokee as well, west of Jefferson Avenue -- and said the proximity of the two stores may actually help his business. In fact, he thinks that Phono-Mode's size is an advantage, not a weakness: You can get through the stacks in an hour or so, which is an impossibility at more established stores such as Euclid Records or Vintage Vinyl.

And while Lammert of course wants people to come in to Phono-Mode, he says that people should frequent all the record stores in the city.

"People should go everywhere," Lammert says. "Check out as many places as you can."

Phono-Mode
2308 Cherokee Street
314-489-4567
Hours:
Monday and Tuesday: noon to 6 p.m.
Wednesday through Saturday: 11 a.m. to 7 p.m.
Sunday: 11 a.m. to 6 p.m.

This Date In Music History - May 20

Birthdays:

Jill Jackson - Paul and Paula (1942)

Joe Cocker (1944)

Cherilyn Sarkasian (Cher) - Sonny & Cher, Solo (1946)


Warren Cann - Ultravox (1952)

Jimmy Henderson - Black Oak Arkansas (1954)

Steve George - Mr Mister (1955)

Jane Wieldin - Go-Go's and solo (1958)

Sue Cowsill - Cowsills (1960)

Nick Heyward - Haircut 100 (1961)

Dan Wilson - Semisonic (1961)

Brian Nash - Frankie Goes To Hollywood (1963)

Patti Russo - best known as the female lead vocalist with Meat Loaf (1964)

Thomas Gorman - Belly (1966)

Busta Rhymes (1972)


They Are Missed:

In 1964, Rudy Lewis of The Drifters died (age 28) under mysterious circumstances the night before the group was set to record "Under the Boardwalk." Former Drifters backup singer Johnny Moore was brought back to perform lead vocals for the recording session.

Born on this day in 1947 - Steve Currie, T Rex. Currie died on April 28, 1981.


History:

Bill Haley and the Comets' "Rock Around the Clock" was released in 1954. Interestingly it was not successful until it was released in 1955 on the soundtrack to 'Blackboard Jungle.'

In 1960, the Silver Beetles (John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison, Stu Sutcliffe, and Tommy Moore) played the first night of a short tour of Scotland backing singer Johnny Gentle, at Alloa Town Hall in Clackmannanshire. Three of the Silver Beetles adopted stage names: Paul McCartney became Paul Ramon, George Harrison was Carl Harrison, and Stuart Sutcliffe became Stuart de Stael.

Also in 1960 - Disc jockey Alan Freed was indicted for income tax evasion stemming from payola.

Here's a great story: In 1966, Pete Townshend and Roger Daltrey of the Who grew tired of waiting for John Entwistle and Keith Moon to arrive for their gig at the Ricky Tick Club in Windsor, England so they took to the stage with the bass player and drummer of the local band that opened the show. When Moon and Entwistle finally arrived in the middle of the set, a fight broke out, with Townshend hitting Moon on the head with his guitar. Moon and Entwistle quit the band, (and rejoined a week later).

In 1967, the Beatles new album 'Sgt Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band' had a special preview on the Kenny Everett BBC Light program, 'Where It's At,' playing every track from the album, (except "A Day In The Life," which the BBC had banned saying it could promote drug taking).

George Harrison visited the Maharishi Mahesh Yogi for the first time in 1967.

Jimi Hendrix signed his first American record contract with Reprise Records in 1967.

The Young Rascals started a two week run at #1 on the US singles chart in 1967 with "Groovin."



In 1968, the Beatles, armed with a bunch of new songs after their visit to India, met at George Harrison's home in Esher, Surrey. They taped 23 new songs on George's 4-track recorder, many of which would end up on The Beatles' next two albums, (the White Album) and Abbey Road. The demos include: "Cry Baby Cry," "Revolution," "While My Guitar Gently Weeps," "Blackbird" and "Child of Nature" (a Lennon song that became "Jealous Guy").

In 1969, while watching a baseball game in Dodger Stadium, Los Angeles, Peter Cetera of Chicago was set upon by four Marines (because they didn't like the length of his hair). They broke his jaw, resulting in the singer spending two days in intensive care.

The final feature film involving The Beatles 'Let It Be' was premiered in 1970, simultaneously in London and in Liverpool, a week after the film's US release.

Paul McCartney went to #1 on the US singles chart in 1978 with "With A Little Luck," his sixth solo US #1.

Elton John performed in Leningrad, Soviet Union in 1979.

Priscilla Presley held a press conference in 1988 to deny that Elvis was still alive. Umm, we all knew that.....

Paula Abdul started a two week run at #1 on the US singles chart in 1989 with "Forever Your Girl," her second US #1 hit.

The Metallica single "Until It Sleeps" was released world-wide in 1996, excluding North America, where it was released the next day.



U2 caused traffic chaos in Kansas City, Missouri in 1997, after they paid for traffic control to close down five lanes so they could shoot the video for "Last Night On Earth," Apart form major traffic jams a passing Cadillac crashed into a plate glass window trying to avoid a cameraman.

The funeral of Frank Sinatra was held at the Church of the Good Shepherd in Beverly Hills in 1998. Mourners in attendance included, Tony Bennett, Faye Dunaway, Tony Curtis, Liza Minnelli, Kirk Douglas, Angie Dickinson, Sophia Loren, Bob Newhart, Mia Farrow and Jack Nicholson.

In 1998, Black Sabbath drummer Bill Ward was taken to hospital in London after suffering a heart attack during a band rehearsal.

The Beach Boys got a monument in their home town of Hawthorne, CA in 2005. It’s California Historical Landmark No. 1041 in case you are interested.

Ozzy Osbourne appeared at the Prince’s Trust 30th Birthday concert at the Tower of London in 2006. Prince Charles and other members of the British royal family attended the benefit event. "I have met lots of young people helped by the Prince's Trust and been inspired by all of them," Osbourne says of the charity, which provides financial aid and mentor programs for young people.

It’s Levon Helm Day in Woodstock, NY in 2006. Helm, best known as the drummer/singer for The Band, is a long time Woodstock resident.

The Steve Miller Band's first-ever DVD package, Live From Chicago, hit the stores in 2008. The three-disc set includes footage from two ‘07 concerts, a behind-the-scenes documentary and live renditions of 12 of the group's hits. 2008

Green Day's '21st Century Breakdown' makes its debut at #1 on the Billboard 200 album chart in 2009. The disc claims the top spot after moving 215,000 copies in only three days. It’s the group's second chart topper, 'American Idiot' was the first.

KISS, Carlos Santana and Queen’s Brian May were guest performers on the season finale of FOX's American Idol in 2009. Kris Allen gets the nod in a surprising victory over the heavily favored Adam Lambert.

Ask Mr. Music by Jerry Osborne

FOR THE WEEK OF MAY 17, 2010


DEAR JERRY: As a fan of the 1960s British music, I often buy entire collections of those type records on a pot luck basis. In those lots I have come up with some very interesting items about which I knew nothing and wouldn't have bought individually. One such record is “Zoot Suit” backed with “I'm the Face” (Back Door 4) by a rock band called the High Numbers.

About all I know about them is they never had a hit record in the U.S.

What can you tell me about the High Numbers? Who were they?
—Ken Madigan, Madison, Wisc.

DEAR KEN: The short answer requires only a simple transposition within your question: They were Who.

However, I suspect you seek a slightly more illuminating reply.

Formed in the spring of 1964, the High Numbers were the same foursome who one year later became world famous as the Who, and eventually one of rock's greatest bands: Roger Daltrey, John Entwisle, Pete Townshend, and Keith Moon.

Their first record deal came with Fontana, and resulted in a single coupling “Zoot Suit” and “I'm the Face” (Fontana TF-480).

As one would expect, the first record by the Who would be quite collectible, especially a non-hit that didn't sell very well. This coveted single, not issued in America despite so much British music coming our way in 1964, now sells in the $1,000 to $1,500 range.

The Back Door “Zoot Suit” is a $4.00 to $8.00 reissue, made in the 1980s specifically for Who fans whose music budgets didn't allow for $1,000 records.

The High Numbers signed with Decca in 1965, then came their first hit, “I Can't Explain.” By mid-April this tune ranked in the New Musical Express Top 10.


DEAR JERRY: I am a newcomer to vinyl collecting, and I am having a lot of fun with this new hobby.

When it comes to describing condition, I notice most of the dealers use one- or two-letter abbreviations.

Since this is so common, can you put together a list that will help me to break the code?
—Angie Beachwood, York, Pa.

DEAR ANGIE: Gladly. Here is the standard system of record grading used by buyers and sellers worldwide:

M (mint): A mint item must be absolutely perfect. Nothing less can be honestly described as mint. Even brand new purchases can easily be flawed in some manner and not qualify as mint. To allow for tiny blemishes, the highest grade used by most dealers is NM (near-mint).

VG (very good): Records in very good condition should have a minimum of visual or audible imperfections, and they should not detract much from your enjoyment of owning it. This grade is halfway between good and near-mint.

G (good): Good enough to fill a gap until a better copy becomes available. Good condition merchandise will show definite signs of wear and tear, probably because no protective care was given the item. Records in good condition should at least play all the way through without skipping. You will often see a plus (”) or minus (-) sign to indicate the item is slightly better or worse than the primary grade, such as VG” (very good plus) and

VG- (very good minus). M- is synonymous with NM (near-mint).

The condition of most older records is probably something less than near-mint condition, so it is very important to use the near-mint price range only as a starting point in record appraising.


IZ ZAT SO? For the first 30 years of the Rock Era in England, only 14 singles made their debut at No. 1 on the New Musical Express chart: (1958) “Jailhouse Rock” (Elvis Presley); (1960) “My Old Man's a Dustman” (Lonnie Donnegan); (1960) “It's Now Or Never” (Elvis Presley); (1961) “Surrender” (Elvis Presley); (1962) “The Young Ones” (Cliff Richard); (1963) “I Want to Hold Your Hand” (Beatles); (1964) “Can't Buy Me Love” (Beatles); (1964) “A Hard Day's Night” (Beatles); (1964) “Little Red Rooster” (Rolling Stones); (1964) “I Feel Fine” (Beatles); (1965) “Ticket to Ride” (Beatles); (1965) “Help!” (Beatles); (1965) “Day Tripper” (Beatles); and (1967) “All You Need Is Love” (Beatles).

All became huge hits in England, but only the 11 by Elvis and the Beatles were also U.S. hits. The tunes by Lonnie Donnegan, Cliff Richard, and Rolling Stones never charted in the States.

Jerry Osborne answers as many questions as possible through this column.  Write Jerry at: Box 255, Port Townsend, WA 98368  E-mail: jpo@olympus.net  Visit his Web site: http://www.jerryosborne.com/. All values quoted in this column are for near-mint condition.

Copyright 2010 Osborne Enterprises- Reprinted By Permission

Musical nook where records rule

Here's a neat article from India, and yes, they enjoy vinyl there as well!

SOURCE: http://www.telegraphindia.com/

by ARKA DAS

The Free School Street neighbourhood is a nostalgic nook of the city where firaangs still touch down to get a feel of what was once a bustling hub of hippie culture.

Just before the corner where the road takes a turn into the upmarket bustle of Lindsay Street, a series of quaint gramophone record-players lure passers-by.

Often, when the MTV-friendly trash on the CD systems run their daily course, the 76s circle out interesting tunes: jazz and blues standards, screechy Motown, the odd Elvis, sometimes Marley, Dylan or The Meters. Anyone who has ever had a record player knows the sound of a well-oiled one, and these shops maintained theirs well enough.

A stone’s throw from the intersection of Sudder Street and Free School Street, rechristened Mirza Ghalib Street, stands Record Prince, better known as Chacha’s shop.

Chacha —Anis Ashraf, 65 – hardly visits the store these days; it is manned by his two sons, Danish and Abid. This is the Mecca of vinyl records in town, not to mention a few well-maintained gramophone players, some of which are even up for sale.

The racks on display on the pavement with cassette tapes — yes, some of these still exist — and CDs of the latest Bollywood remixes are a facade that throws off all but the genuine vinyl aficionado.

The real gems are kept in a room, rather a musty hole in the wall, behind the shop. Stacked up in racks, the records are alphabetically arranged according to the artistes’ names. Each one goes right back to its place after a record-to-tape, or now record-to-CD, capture.

While he had sold off a large part of his collection a decade back, there are still over 5,000 records at Ashraf’s store. His collection is a Flower-Power music lover’s haven, a jazz aficionado’s well-kept secret and a roomful of rarities for the classical music devotee.

In the tiny backroom, Santana’s eponymous debut album from 1969, a bunch of albums by the Southern Rock legends Allman Brothers Band and Charlie Daniels Band, records from the Seventies by British progressive rock pioneers King Crimson and jam band pioneers like the Grateful Dead share shelves with jazz must-haves like Miles Davis’ Kind of Blue, live albums by the Bill Evans Trio and Weather Report classics.

Then there are records of everyone from Pandit Ravi Shankar to Debussy, Rabindrasangeet renditions by Hemanta Mukhopadhyay, not to mention a nostalgic 80s throwback with everyone from Jackson to Kraftwerk on offer.

Ashraf “inherited” the gems from their previous owner, Bakhtiar Jaan. As an employee of the nameless record store that Bakhtiar ran, Ashraf came to learn not just the technical details of how a 78rpm is supposed to run smooth but also about genres and artistes that were worlds apart from his upbringing.

Setting up Record Prince in 1965, he still keeps up with practices that he learned on the job. To this day, he maintains worn-out diaries that detail track names and artistes on a particular LP, year of publication and total length of the recording. Details like these were prized titbits that customers would lap up while getting “transfers” done, mostly to cassette tapes.

The music is one thing. Then there’s the artwork on these vinyls: imagine the excitement of laying your hands on original LPs from The Beatles’s Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band, with its sleeve after sleeve of sheer psychedelia, the paranoid face that reflects King Crimson’s alien soundscapes on In The Court Of The Crimson King or Pink Floyd’s Wish You Were Here, designed by British graphic designer/photographer Storm Thorgerson.

“While a number of vinyl records from my collection are broken, there are a few that are over five or six decades old. The charm of the vinyl is that even with years of repeated playing, these do not lose their warm, rich sound. The same cannot be said about cassettes or even CDs,” Ashraf smiles.

And while he’s officially “retired” from the business, the magic of the vinyl hasn’t quite left him.

“I’ve handed over most of the duties to my sons now, but I still keep track of a rare LP being sold from Record Prince’s collection,” says Ashraf.