Music News & Notes

T-Model Ford Releases New Album

T-Model Ford's new album 'Taledragger' hit stores on Tuesday via Alive Records on color vinyl (limited to 900 copies), 180 gram vinyl (limited to 100 copies and available exclusively by mailorder through Alive Records), as well as CD and digital formats.

Despite a mild stroke in April 2010, T-Model still plays with an intensity and consistency that belies his age. Now 90-years old, the self proclaimed "Boss of the Blues" continues to show his strengths. Playing the blues is his life, he knows no other way

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Crosby, Stills and Nash Split With Label and Rubin

Even after getting about a third of the way through a comeback album, Crosby, Stills and Nash have split with Columbia Records and producer Rick Rubin. Despite the many months spent working on a covers record, the rock legends were reportedly tired of delays and of Rubin's obsession with Kid Rock.

"We have amicably parted ways with both Rick Rubin and Columbia," the trio said in a statement.

The problem was not musical vision, according to the Daily Express, but the slow pace of recording. Rubin, who is co-president of Columbia, had a panoply of production projects, including new albums by Adele, Red Hot Chili Peppers and Gogol Bordello. His work on Kid Rock's new LP, 'Born Free,' was reportedly particularly galling to David Crosby, Stephen Stills and Graham Nash.

Let's hope the folk rock vets get someone to take them in a different direction and get the LP finished soon......

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Kanye West wanted new album cover 'to be banned'

I hate to even cover this at all, I don't think album cover art should be used (although let's be real, it is) to sell records and create hype. So it's not really news that Kanye West wanted new album cover 'to be banned.'

The artist who designed the cover art for Kanye West's ‘My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy’ album has said that West asked him to create "something that will be banned."

In a profile written about artist George Condo in The New Yorker, journalist Calvin Tomkins explained how the rapper briefed Condo to make something controversial.

"Kanye West asked him to do a painting for the cover of his new album," he wrote. "West said that he had seen paintings by Condo, and wanted to collaborate with him. According to Condo, he also said that he was looking for 'something that will be banned'."

Enough said........

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Cover Art For New Green Day LP

The cover artwork for Green Day's upcoming live album, 'Awesome as Fuck,' has been released on GreenDay.com. The live CD/DVD is due out on March 15th and follows their 2009 album, '21st Century Breakdown' along with their last live release 'Bullet In A Bible.'

Lovely cover and title.....










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Anna Waronker EP/companion vinyl w/CD release

Los Angeles based singer, songwriter, and composer Anna Waronker is delivering an EP to coincide with her new album, California Fade, on Five-Foot-Two Records. The personal tone and stripped down instrumentation of the four-track EP are the perfect compliments to California Fade’s lush arrangements and detailed production. “I wanted to show an even more different side of myself on the EP,” says Waronker, “believe it or not, the lyrics feel even more personal than ever before.”

The Anna Waronker EP will be exclusively available on vinyl as a bonus record to the deluxe and limited vinyl version of California Fade. This premium, expanded, double LP package is available for pre-order at annawaronker.com and will be released on February 8, 2011.

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Dead Milkmen Plan First New Material In 15 Years

According to recent reports, the legendary pop-punk band The Dead Milkmen just finished recording a new album scheduled for release later this year. The record, tentatively titled 'The King In Yellow,' is the band’s first set of new material since 1995′s 'Stoney’s Extra Stout (Pig).'

The band recorded a total of 17 songs during two two-day marathon sessions at Buddha Sounds and at Miner Street Studio. They will be finishing up the final mixes in February and, hopefully, releasing the effort in either March or April.

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Less Than Jake Re-Releases Hello Rockview & Losing Streak

After re-releasing a handful of older material (Goodbye Blue And White, Pezcore, Losers, Kings And Things We Don’t Understand, Peoples History Of Less Than Jake) on their own label, Sleep It Off Records, Gainesville, Florida’s Less Than Jake have recently announced plans to continue re-releasing their back catalog. On March 1st, 2011, the band will be re-releasing their classic albums from the mid to late nineties – 1996′s Losing Streak along with 1998′s Hello Rockview.

The physical release of both albums will include the original album along with a bonus DVD of live video recorded at various shows Florida (the digital release will consist of the recorded audio from these shows only). The re-releases will feature all new artwork and expanded packaging been created by longtime Less Than Jake artist Horsebites.

Looking forward to it!

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Gwar Picture Discs Coming Soon!

Metal Blade Records has announced the release dates for the vinyl versions of both GWAR's 'Lust and Space' and 'Bloody Pit of Horror.' 'Lust in Space is being released on January 18 and it is a picture disc with a gatefold sleeve. 'Bloody Pit of Horror is set for release on February 15 and it is also picture disc with a die cut gatefold sleeve.

GWAR's new album, "Bloody Pit Of Horror", sold around 2,800 copies in the United States in its first week of release. The band's previous CD, "Lust In Space", opened with 5,000 units to debut at position No. 96 on The Billboard 200 chart.

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WORMROT: New Album Artwork

Their new album, 'Dirge' is scheduled for release in North America on May 3 via Earache Records. The 'Dirge' cover art was created by Andrei Bouzikov (MUNICIPAL WASTE, SKELETONWITCH, CANNABIS CORPSE). Lovely......











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VOLTURYON 'Coordinated Mutilation' Cover Art

The cover artwork for 'Coordinated Mutilation,' the second album from Swedish death metalers VOLTURYON, has been released. A gruesome masterpiece by Polish artist Lukasz Jaszak, the cover depicts a psychotic blood covered maniac butchering a cadaver with a chainsaw.

Jaszak is known for his previous works which include the "Lords Of Chaos" book cover and album covers from artists like BLOOD RED THRONE and WITCHMASTER.

Lovely again.......






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10 Sexually Suggestive, Food-Related Album Covers

Here's an interesting take on some sexy, food album covers.
Look at the rest of the covers and the story HERE










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Birdland Records revels in its history

GoldMine Magazine has an nice article about Birdland Records, a music store in Virginia Beach VA. Check it out HERE

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Music Pleasure A Chemical Connection In The Brain

Read a very interesting study that claims that listening to one's favorite music can actually make you feel better. The reason according to a recent study is the release of dopamine in the brain. The study helps explain why music is so popular across many cultures.

Howver, the study only includued music with no lyrical content or voices, so I can only imagine that the results for the continuing testing with these elements present will be just as good or even better; as the chills and good feeling that lyrics and singing only adds to the effect.

So, this is why we love our music so much...makes sense to me....

Read the interesting results HERE

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Sign of the digital times: Sony shutting plant that used to make 18M CDs a month

Sony shuttering 50 year-old media plant in Pitman, NJ

Sony this week said it was shuttering one of its largest CD manufacturing plants - citing the impact of digital downloads and other economic issues.

The plant, which is in Pitman, NJ and has been in operation for some 50 years, first producing vinyl records, will close on March 31 and about 300 people will lose their jobs. The 500,000-square-foot warehouse began producing vinyl LPs in 1960 and moved to CD manufacturing in 1988.

I have symphathy for the job losses, but none for the dreaded CD....

Read the rest of the article HERE

SONY MUSIC ENTERTAINMENT LAUNCHES POPMARKET.COM

Heard from Corey Crossfield, Digital Marketing Manager at Miles High Productions about a brand new music site. I hope to work with him to identify some great new vinyl releases and deals for vinyl record collectors.

SONY MUSIC ENTERTAINMENT LAUNCHES POPMARKET.COM, THE ULTIMATE ONLINE SHOPPING CLUB FOR MUSIC FANS

Members Offered Hottest Deals On World's Coolest Music

Sony Music Entertainment announces the launch of PopMarket.com, the ultimate online destination shopping club for music fans offering its members limited-time private sales on the world's coolest music.

A member's-only online initiative designed for music fans, bargain hunters and serious collectors alike, PopMarket.com offers a 24-hour limited time Daily Deal (changing each day at 12noon Eastern) and five channels (changing weekly) containing a mix of premium music and merchandise available for a limited time at exclusive member's-only prices. PopMarket membership is free.

"Sony Music Entertainment is proud to be the first music company to open its vaults to music lovers and provide them with an elegant direct-to-consumer online shopping experience," said Adam Block, Executive Vice President and General Manager of Legacy Recordings, Sony Music Entertainment's catalog division. "Secure, seamless and convenient, PopMarket is open 24-7, offering fans exceptional values on great music."
Now live, PopMarket.com provides a rare window of opportunity to purchase rare and collectible albums, boxed sets, memorabilia and more at deeply-discounted member's-only prices. PopMarket's inventory is limited and products are sold on a first come basis.

PopMarket has already offered deluxe boxed sets by Santana, Alabama, Ken Burns Jazz, Simon & Garfunkel and The Clash with future Daily Deals to include albums and collections by Dave Brubeck, Neil Diamond, Billie Holiday, Dolly Parton, Elvis Presley, Janis Joplin, Aerosmith and many more.

Product channel categories have included Country Legends (classic recordings from American country artists, 30th Anniversary (deluxe box sets of recordings that have stood the test of time), framed Gold Records from music's biggest artists, Singer Songwriters, and limited edition artist-specific Collector Crates sets including a classic album, t-shirt and branded CD crate.

Upcoming weekly channel categories will include deals from the British Invasion, Romantic Hits, Diva Sets, Folk/Rock Legends, Punk & Glam Rock, American Jazz & Soul, Complete Artist Collections, Pop Sensations and dedicated campaigns focusing on music from the '60s, '70s and '80s.

A members-only site, PopMarket.com gives music fans unprecedented access to a limited time finite inventory of the coolest music on the planet.

Ask Mr. Music by Jerry Osborne

FOR THE WEEK OF JANUARY 10, 2011


DEAR JERRY: I am looking for an instrumental that came out around the same time as “Mission Impossible” ran on TV. I think the title is “Mission Accomplished.”

There are several other instrumentals using that same title, but they all seem to be from more recent years.

Then, just to complicate things, I found someone selling a CD of TV themes titled “Mission Accomplished.” I thought I'd found it, but when I called the guy he said it didn't include anything using that title. How weird is that?

Whether a sequel, an answer, or a parody I don't know. Nor do I recall the name of the band.
—June Swanson, York, Pa.


DEAR JUNE: This assignment is one where you get to choose from three different solutions, any of which will accomplish your mission.

First is the original 1967 TV soundtrack “Music from Mission: Impossible,” by Lalo Schifrin and His Orchestra (Dot 25831). This LP has 11 tunes from the series, the last of which is “Mission Accomplished.”

Nearly 30 years later (1996), when the “Mission: Impossible” motion picture came out, Hip-O Records jumped on the bandwagon and reissued the contents of the Dot LP on compact disc, as “Music from Mission: Impossible.” To the original 11, they added three bonus tunes: “Intrigue”; “Self-Destruct”; and “More Mission” (Hip-O 076744002129). Dot originally included these three on their 1968 “More Mission: Impossible” collection (DLP-25919).

Choice three is another Hip-O CD, “Mission Accomplished (Themes for Spies & Cops)” (Hip-O HIPD-40017), a 1996 assortment of movie and TV secret agent-type themes. Among its 14 offerings are Schifrin's original “Mission: Impossible” and “Mission Accomplished.”

The album you called about has a slightly misleading title, “Mission Accomplished Too (Themes for Spies & Cops)” because it is essentially volume two in the series. That's why it doesn't have “Mission Accomplished.”

Mission accomplished!


DEAR JERRY: We need you to settle a debate about one of our native Oklahomans, Patti Page.

A friend says when he was a child, his parents played a Patti Page 78 rpm that features her yodeling.

I think I know most of Patti's recordings, especially those that were popular, and I have never heard her even come close to yodeling.

Is there an oddball record by her, or is my pal confusing Patti Page with Patti Montana?
—Will Hassack, Tulsa, Okla.

DEAR WILL: He is not, yet there is a surprise connection between Patti Page and Patsy Montana.

Montana's signature song is the 1936 western classic, “I Wanna Be a Cowboy's Sweetheart,” and this is exactly the same song your buddy remembers.

With a title modified slightly for city folk, and a more metropolitan arrangement, Patti's “I Want to Be a Cowboy's Sweetheart,” backed with “Down in the Valley” (Mercury 5751), came out in December 1951.

On this track, Patti does a credible job of basic yodeling, sans any of the improvisational gimmicks used by top yodelers.

Overall, the talented and versatile “Singing Rage” seems out of her element as a cowgirl riding the plains.

Not surprisingly, this record flopped, even with Patti being the nation's top vocalist, male or female, at the time.

Let the record reflect that all good yodelers can sing, but not many great singers can truly yodel.


IZ ZAT SO? In the mid-'40s, KTUL, in Tulsa, ran a regularly scheduled 15-minute music program, sponsored by the Page Milk Company.

Instead of buying 30- and 60-second spot announcements, “block programming,” as it is known, provided their advertisers exclusive control for the number of minutes or hours they purchased.

The original star of the Page Milk time slot used the “house name” of Patti Page, meaning when she left the show, her replacement, Clara Ann Fowler, began performing as Miss Patti Page — and still does, after 63 years.

Jerry Osborne answers as many questions as possible through this column. Write Jerry at: Box 255, Port Townsend, WA 98368 E-mail: jpo@olympus.net  Visit his Web site: www.jerryosborne.com 

All values quoted in this column are for near-mint condition.

Copyright 2010 Osborne Enterprises- Reprinted By Permission

Amos Lee's Music & Sound Spreading Like Wildfire

For Immediate Release

AMOS LEE TO BE A GUEST ON NPR’S “ALL THINGS CONSIDERED” DURING WEEK HIS NEW ALBUM MISSION BELL WILL BE RELEASED

MISSION BELL WILL STREAM IN ITS ENTIRETY ON MSN MUSIC THE WEEK LEADING UP TO ITS JANUARY 25TH RELEASE ON BLUE NOTE RECORDS

LEE HITS THE ROAD FOR SPRING 2011 TOUR DATES ON JANUARY 20TH


January 11, 2011 — New York, NY — Critically acclaimed singer and songwriter Amos Lee will be a guest on NPR’s All Things Considered the week his new album, Mission Bell, is released by Blue Note Records. Mission Bell streets on January 25th. Lee will also appear on NBC’s The Tonight Show With Jay Leno on January 26th, CBS’s The Early Show on February 18th, and on PBS’s Tavis Smiley (airdate TBA).

Mission Bell, the highly anticipated new album from Philadelphia-based singer and songwriter, will premiere on MSN’s music site (www.music.msn.com) on January 18th. Visitors will be able to stream the album in its entirety for the week leading up to its January 25th release.

The first single from Mission Bell, Lee’s fourth album for EMI’s Blue Note Records, is “Windows Are Rolled Down,” which was released digitally in November. After just six weeks, "Windows Are Rolled Down" is already No. 14 on the AAA chart with airplay on over 60 stations.

The track will be available as a Starbucks Pick of the Week iTunes download beginning January 26th. Starbucks Pick of the Week cards are available free at more than 8,000 stores in the U.S.

Having already announced the winter and spring legs of his 2011 U.S. headlining tour in support of Mission Bell, Lee has just announced new shows for the month of April, including a performance for NPR’s Mountain Stage live music program, broadcast from Charleston, West Virginia, on April 24th. Please visit www.amoslee.com for more details.

Lee was recently featured on WXPN’s “Free At Noon” performance at World Café in Philadelphia, which was webcast live by NPR Music. He also headlined WFUV’s 6th Annual Holiday Cheer show and was a featured performer on Levon Helm’s intimate Midnight Ramble concert series in Woodstock, NY. In addition, Lee appeared on CMT’s Artists of the Year special, which honored a host of country music’s top artists, including the Zac Brown Band. Due to fan demand, CMT has put a clip of Lee’s performance of “Colder Weather” with the Zac Brown Band into heavy rotation on CMT as a music video, which is bubbling under on the CMT Top 20 Countdown.

Produced by Calexico’s Joey Burns, Mission Bell is Lee’s richest and most fully formed recording to date, displaying an array of emotions unified by his eclectic taste and distinctive vocals. With a remarkable set of guests — including Lucinda Williams, Willie Nelson, Iron & Wine’s Sam Beam, Priscilla Ahn, Pieta Brown, and James Gadson — and the musical backing of Calexico, the album marks the arrival of Lee as a mature artist who continues to explore his musical and thematic interests.

* * * *

CRITICAL PRAISE FOR AMOS LEE:

“Mission Bell reflects the themes of loss, redemption, and hope and Lee’s talents still ring true on the album: soulful vocals and vivid, narrative-driven lyrics mixing folk, pop, R&B, rock, gospel, blues and country influences. His skills fused with those of Joey Burns and Convertino, spark the perfect synergy on lead single, ‘Windows Are Rolled Down.’” — Billboard

“Burnt-sugar vocals catch your heart as much as your ears [on “Windows Rolled Down”]. Backed by open-road roots rock and a slide guitar that howls like a coyote, Lee’s heartbreak feels so big, it could fill the landscape outside your car.” — Marie Claire

“Joey Burns and his sun-dazed band Calexico have transported the soul-folk singer/songwriter to a more arid and country-tinged musical geography. Though he hails from Philadelphia, Lee is truly at home in the desert. Lee’s voice has always been his greatest asset and he sounds like a grounded Al Green against the elegant rumba of “Hello Again” and the Staples Singers-sounding “Jesus.”
— Relix

“Lee and producer Joey Burns (Calexico) aren’t afraid to take chances and stretch the limits of Lee’s folky R&B sound…’Hello Again’ showcases his tremendous vocal range against booming trumpets that are reminiscent of the French Quarter.” — Filter

"I'm ready to convert to the church of Amos Lee." — Bust

“Guy can play a mean guitar, but man, that voice.” — Metroland


Amos Lee’s upcoming tour dates are as follows:

01/20 Moore Theater Seattle, WA
01/21 Crystal Ballroom Portland, OR
01/22 McDonald Theater Eugene, OR
01/24 El Rey Theater Chico, CA
01/25 The Fillmore San Francisco, CA
01/27 Music Box Los Angeles, CA
01/28 House of Blues Anaheim, CA
01/29 House of Blues San Diego, CA
01/30 Rialto Theater Tucson, AZ
02/01 The Depot Salt Lake City, UT
02/03 Vilar Center Beaver Creek, CO
02/04 Belly Up Aspen, CO
02/05 Boulder Theater Boulder, CO
02/07 Liberty Hall Lawrence, KS
02/09 Cain’s Ballroom Tulsa, OK
02/10 House of Blues Dallas, TX
02/11 Paramount Austin, TX
02/12 House of Blues Houston, TX
03/24 State Theatre Minneapolis, MN
03/25 Turner Hall Milwaukee, WI
03/26 The Vic Theater Chicago, IL
03/27 Egyptian Room Indianapolis, IN
03/29 The Ark Ann Arbor, MI
04/01 Irving Plaza New York, NY
04/02 Irving Plaza New York, NY
04/03 Wilbur Theater Boston, MA
04/05 Merriam Theatre Philadelphia, PA
04/06 9:30 Club Washington, DC
04/08 Ryman Auditorium Nashville, TN
04/09 Variety Theatre Atlanta, GA
04/22 Lincoln Theater Raleigh, NC
04/23 Knight Theater Charlotte, NC
04/24 Mountain Stage Charleston, WV
04/25 Tennessee Theater Knoxville, TN
04/28 NCPAC Charleston, SC
04/29 WorkPlay Theatre Birmingham, AL

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For me, I love this video, it's my favorite song:

Music News & Notes

Fela Kuti Vinyl Box Set

Knitting Factory Records is proud to release the first of the long-awaited vinyl reissues from the Fela Kuti catalog. This is the first in a series of curated vinyl box sets. The box includes six Fela Kuti albums that were handpicked by ?uestlove of The ROOTS. The artwork for each album is painstakingly recreated original album artwork along with vintage vinyl label artwork. What’s more is that this release marks the first time that some of these Fela Kuti albums have been released on vinyl domestically.

The box includes the albums:

Everything Scatter (1975)
Expensive Shit (1975)
Teacher Don’t Teach Me Nonsense (1986)
Beasts Of No Nation (1989)
Fear Not For Man (1977)
Sorrow Tears And Blood (1977)

“It’s the story of Hip Hop. It’s the story of taking nothing and turning it into something.” – ?uestlove

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Press Gatsbys American Dream on Vinyl

Project by Overdue Collection Agency

About this project:  Our goal is to Kickstart the inaugural releases of the Overdue Collection Agency, a non-profit record label. We will focus primarily on releasing special edition versions of albums: 180 gram vinyl, with gatefold covers and packed with as much bonus content we can collect. Interviews with the band, and bonus material (Possibly demos and b-sides. We're working on that prospect). In addition to that, all the profits will be donated to a charity of the band's choice. Our goal in doing this to maintain the integrity of the artist, the album and to help those in need

Read the rest HERE

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Stratovarius Release "Under Flaming Skies" From "Elysium"

Stratovarius have just released "Under Flaming Skies," another track from their forthcoming new album, 'Elysium.'  Produced by guitarist Matias Kupiainen, 'Elysium,' will be hitting stores on January 18th via Armoury Records. "Under Flaming Skies" finds the Finnish metal masters firing on all cylinders with a particularly impassioned performance from vocalist Timo Kotipelto, who wrote the track along with Kupiainen









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Debut LP from By Surprise

TOPSHELF RECORDS to Release Debut LP from BY SURPRISE

Topshelf Records (Grown Ups, My Heart To Joy, Pianos Become The Teeth) is proud to announce the addition of By Surprise (Haddon Heights, NJ ) to the label’s growing roster. Topshelf will be releasing the band’s debut full-length on vinyl. Entitled Mountain Smashers, the LP will see an official release in mid-March with pre-orders beginning in February. The first pressing will be limited to 500 copies.

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Great article about our beloved vinyl in Tennessee

A vinyl comeback

Read the article:  HERE

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SLASH Discusses JIMI HENDRIX's Enduring Influence In New Interview

Why Jimi Hendrix is his personal guitar hero

Read about Slash   HERE

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Student-run labels record professional musicians

Explore outside UNC’s music scene

By CARSON BLACKWELDER | The Daily Tar Heel

When two blues legends took the stage in Wilson Library last November, students Reed Turchi and Andrew Hamlet jumped at the chance to record them.

Turchi and Hamlet, both presidents of local student record companies, recorded Alfred “Uganda” Roberts and John “Jojo” Hermann when they performed at Wilson Library on Nov. 16.

“This is the first time (Vinyl Records has) gotten to record professional musicians in our studio,” said Hamlet, president of Vinyl Records.

Read the rest HERE

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KISS In Your Garden?

And finally, throughout their career, KISS has done just about everything with regards to marketing. Now, in the case of  'just when you thought you have seen everything,' comes the KISS garden gnomes of each of the four members of the group; which will soon be released by Grilla Covers.

New Music Releases - January 11, 2011

Some fresh music for us after the slow holiday season.  Lots of great vinyl releases, as always, CVR Blog picks are in red:








Abigail Washburn - City of Refuge

Alice Cooper - Spark in The Dark (2 CDs)


 

 
Aretha Franklin - Deeper Love: the Best of (2 CDs)
Bardo Pond - Bardo Pond
Beach Fossils - "Calyer" 7''
Beaten By Them - Invisible Origins
Bette Midler - Divine Miss M: In Performance
Birds of Avalon - Birds of Avalon
Bridget St. John - Ask Me No Questions (Vinyl)
British Sea Power - Valhalla Dancehall: Ltd ed
Broken Records - Let Me Come Home
Bullet - The Entrance To Hell
Byrds of Paradise - Teenage Symphonies
Cage the Elephant - Thank You Happy Birthday
Cake -  Sick of You (vinyl)
Casey Jones - I Hope We're Not the Last
Clive Tanaka y Su Orquesta - Jet Set Siempre #1
Cult - Pure Cult: The Singles (1984-1995) Vinyl
Cure - Entreat Plus (Vinyl)
Damon Fowler - Devil Got His Way
Deadmau5 - 4x4=12 (Vinyl)

Deep Purple - Burn (180 Gram Audiophile Vinyl / Limited Edition)





Deep Purple - Live at Montreux 2006 (2 LPs)(Vinyl)
Desmond Dekker - The Israelites
Dismemberment Plan - Emergency & I (reissue) (Vinyl)
Dungen - "Oga Nasa Mum" b/w "Highway Wolf" 7''
Edie Brickell - Edie Brickell
Elmore James - Hits & Rarities
Emma’s Imagination - Stand Still
Empresarios - Sabor Tropical
Engel - Threnody
Frank Sinatra - Sinatras Sinatra (Mobile Fidelity) (Vinyl)
Gary Barden - Rock 'n' Roll My Soul
Georgia Anne Muldrow - Vweto
Ike & Tina Turner - Absolutely The Best - Live
Jack's Mannequin - Everything in Transit (Anniversary Edition) (reissue) (Vinyl)
Jane Lui - Goodnight Company
Jeff Dunham - All By My Selves

Jimi Hendrix - Blues (2 LPs)





Kayo Dot - Stained Glass EP
Keri Hilson - No Boys Allowed
Kid Sister - Kiss Kiss Kiss mixtape
Lecrae - Rehab: The Overdose
Lee Dorsey - Absolutely The Best
Lemuria - Pebble
Louis CK - Hilarious
Love and Rockets - Sorted! the Best of Love & Rockets (vinyl reissue)
Lynyrd Skynyrd - Skynyrd Nation
Madison - Some People Make
Magna Carta - Midnight Blue / Live and Let Live (2 CDs)
Margot & The Nuclear So & So's - Vol. 1 - Happy Hour at Sprigg's: Live & Acoustic
Mew - Eggs Are Funny
MillionYoung - Replicants
Minks - By the Hedge
Morning After Girls - Alone
N.E.R.D. - The Best of N.E.R.D.
Nikki & Rich - Everything
Nina Simone - Little Girl Blue (Vinyl)
No Bragging Rights - Illuminator
Oh No Oh My - People Problems

Pixies - BEST OF PIXIES: WAVE OF MUTILATION(reissue)





Poison - Look What the Cat Dragged in (180 Gram Audiophile Vinyl/ Ltd. Ed./ Gatefold Cover)
Queens of the Stone Age - Queens of the Stone Age
Robert Plant - Band Of Joy
Rye Rye - Go! Pop! Bang!
Sam Humans & Heligoats - Live Free & Let Loose
Scott Holt - Kudzu
Shackleton - Fabric 55
Shenda K - The Most Wanted
Sodom - In War and Pieces
Starflyer 59 - The Changing of the Guard (vinyl)
Steel Magnolia - Steel Magnolia
Steve Roach & Brian Parnham - The Desert Inbetween
Stevie Wonder - Fulfillingness First Finale (Gold CD)
Stooges - Thousand Lights: Live in 1970
Stranglers - In The Night: Limited Edition
Suuns - Zero, Qc
Tape Deck Mountain - Secret Serf EP
Tapes ‘N Tapes - Outside

Ted Nugent - Cat Scratch Fever (180 Gram Audiophile Vinyl / Gatefold Cover / Limited Edition)








The Beets - "Time Brought Age" 7''
The Beets - Stay Home
The Material - The Material
The Residents - Not Available (reissue)
The Soft Boys - Underwater Moonlight (reissue) (Vinyl)
Tim Buckley - Tim Buckley (2xCD)
Toto - Africa (2 CDs)
Tu Fawning - Hearts On Hold
Various Artists - Hand In Glove: The Smiths Tribute
Various Artists - Putumayo Presents Bossa Nova Around the World
Various Artists - Rock & Roll Train: Tribute to AC/DC
Various Artists - Season 4 Music from the Showtime Series Californication
Vusi Mahlasela - Say Africa
Widowspeak - "Brainfreeze" 7''
Wire - Red Barked Tree
X - More Fun in the New World (reissue) (Vinyl)
X-Ray Press - UVB-76
Yo Gotti - Live from the Kitchen
ZZ Top - Deguello (Vinyl)
ZZ Top -Rio Grande Mud (Vinyl)


Upcoming New Jazz Releases - January 11, 2010

Remember, if you are a record company and have new releases or know of any I missed (especially vinyl), please email me and I will add your music to the list. I also do reviews of new vinyl, email me for more information.

New Music Releases are put together from a variety of sources by blog owner Robert Benson

Have new music for the list? Email me at rbenson30@wi.rr.com  

Music News & Notes

SKELETONWITCH: New Seven-Inch Single Now Available

The second installment of the new seven-inch trilogy from Ohio metal vets SKELETONWITCH is now available. The first installment was released in November and has sold out. Part II is available on green vinyl and features a recently re-recorded version of "The Skullsplitter," a track that originally appeared on the band's self-released debut album, 'At One With The Shadows.'

The B-side, meanwhile, is "No Rest For The Dead," a song recorded with legendary producer Jack Endino (NIRVANA, SOUNDGARDEN, HIGH ON FIRE) during the 'Breathing The Fire' sessions (and, coincidentally, also a re-working of a song from "At One With The Shadows"). This version of "No Rest..." was originally used as the iTunes bonus track for "Breathing The Fire" and has never been released in a physical format until now. This is limited to 500 copies and will not be repressed! Order yours now at this location.

SKELETONWITCH is spending the winter writing the follow-up to 2009's "Breathing the Fire", with tentative plans to hit the studio in the spring.

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AMEBIX Redux 12" vinyl, CD and digital download now available

Exclusive 5 x 6" embroidered patch is included with the vinyl version.

Amebix are pleased to announce the release their first new studio recordings since 1987 in the form of a three-song 12" EP appropriately titled 'Redux' on Profane Existence Records. This is three classic Amebix tracks as redone by the current lineup: Rob (aka “The Baron"), Chris (aka "Stig"), and Roy. This is Amebix played louder, tighter and more intense than you've ever heard them before. All tracks recorded and produced by Roy Mayorga, mastered by Rodney Mills and vinyl lacquors cut by Prairie Cat Mastering. Total running time is approximately 17 minutes and is pressed on heavyweight black virgin vinyl. Also included with the vinyl edition is a large embroidered Amebix patch and an access card for a free download for the digital edition (including the bonus track). Vinyl / CD tracks are Arise, Winter, and Chain Reaction. The digital release includes the bonus track Progress to preview their upcoming live album and DVD release.



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The Strokes New Album 'Released On March 22'

The Strokes new studio album is scheduled to be released on March 22, according to reports. The band's as-yet-untitled fourth album features ten songs and is currently in the mixing stage. Details about the band's release plans were revealed in a leaked RCA label release schedule obtained by Direct Current Music.

The website said the lead single from the album would debut in February. Hmmm....and we will wait

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U2 frontman old friends with Facebook

Singer enjoys investment growth as Facebook expands

Irish singer and U2 frontman Bono owns 1.5 per cent of Facebook, it has been revealed. Bono's Elevation Partners has now quadrupled the worth of its original investment to $750 million (£485.3m) thanks to the continued growth of the popular social networking platform.

Read the rest HERE







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At Sound Garden in Syracuse, CD sales dip slightly, vinyl sales rise

By Mark Bialczak/The Post-Standard

Mirroring the national statistics released Thursday by The Nielsen Company and Billboard, album sales for 2010 were down at Syracuse independent record store Sound Garden.

But while the national total that includes CDs, cassettes, vinyl and digital downloads, dropped 12.7 percent, from 373.9 million in 2009 to 326.2 million last year, Sound Garden manager Eric Brush reported a drop of about 3 percent in CD sales. Brush said Sound Garden sold about 109,000 new CDs. The store also sold about 11,000 vinyl records in 2010.

“Our numbers tend to be different from the big-box stores,” Brush said of the store, in downtown Syracuse’s Armory Square.

Read the rest HERE

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Universal Music Donates 200,000 Master Recordings to the Library of Congress

The Universal Music Group announced on Monday that they would be donating 200,000 master recordings from their vaults to the Library of Congress. Artists represented in the gift include Bing Crosby, Tommy and Jimmy Dorsey, the Mills Brothers, Ella Fitzgerald and Dinah Washington.

Over the years, Universal has acquired many major labels including Decca, Mercury and Brunswick along with their complete libraries of masters. Among the songs included are Crosby's White Christmas, the Mills Brothers' Paper Doll, Les Paul's Guitar Boogie and Josh White's Jim Crow Train.

The Library of Congress will catalog and digitize the collection at the Packard Campus for Audio Visual Conservation in Culpeper, VA and, as a bonus for music fans, will make recordings from the collection available on-line for streaming starting this spring.

Read more HERE

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Elvis' How Great Thou Art, 2-LP 180 Gram 12" Limited Edition Vinyl from FTD

Following on from the great success of FTD's previous vinyl editions, FTD will release of 'HOW GREAT THOU ART' as a limited edition 180 gram 2-LP set. The vinyl edition features all the original masters plus many outtakes.

Also included is BEYOND THE REEF that was recorded informally at these sessions. This is the overdubbed version. Vinyl cutting by ABBEY ROAD STUDIOS Contains original movie soundtrack mastered by Vic Anesini and many Stereo outtakes DMM Copper Mastering 180 Grams heavyweight vinyl.










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My friend in vinyl Virgil talks about the operations and growth of Suburban Home Records

Lessons Learned: Virgil Dickerson with Suburban Home Records

January 10, 2011 · by Matt Ferner

”Lessons Learned” is a series where we ask ecommerce business owners to share their experiences and advice. For this installment, we interviewed Virgil Dickerson, CEO and owner of Suburban Home Records and Vinyl Collective, a Denver, Colo.-based music label that sells music, digital downloads and tangible albums in CD and vinyl forms, as well as music-related apparel.

Suburban Home Records launched in 1995. In 2008, the site recorded gross revenues of roughly $1 million. Sales have reduced since then.

Dickerson holds a bachelor’s degree in molecular biology from the University of Colorado at Boulder and it was there, while pursuing his undergraduate degree, that his burgeoning record label came to life.

“It all started with.....

Read the rest of the interview HERE

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Poobah’s Let Me In Tops Rolling Stone Year End List!

As 2010 came roaring to an end, Poobah’s 'Let Me In,' released on Oct. 12th found itself at the top of many Year End Lists, being hailed as a Re-Issue of the Year by David Fricke, Senior Writer for Rolling Stone Magazine, Pat Prince of Goldmine Magazine, Ray Van Horn, Jr. of The Metal Minute/Retaliate Magazine, and even going as far as being called “album of the decade” by Ray Dorsey of Ray’s Realm!

So, congratulations go out to Jim Gustafson for creating a piece of music with the vitality and staying power that Let Me In has, as well as a big round of applause to T. Dallas Reed for his countless hours of blowing off the sonic dust from the original 1972 analog tapes, and graphic designer Vic Jong for laboriously toiling over the details of the packaging reproduction in an effort to retain the visual feel of the original LP!

Here are a few more words to carry us into 2011:

“Between Jim Gustafson’s primal vocals to his gut wrenching licks on his Les Paul . . . they should have been huge, Black Sabbath Huge, because they were on par as far as sound and attack but it was not to be." -- Metal Exiles

"One of the highlights of the year! Let Me In is an album deserving of any status this reissue can give it, be it “classic” or otherwise.” – The Obelisk

“On the basis of Let Me In, Poobah is more than just a shaggy curiosity from the Me Decade – it’s a band worth discovering for fans not satisfied with endless Grand Funk retreads on classic rock radio." -- Sleazegrinder

Catch Poobah on the road throughout the winter of 2011!

Fri. Jan.7 WRANGLER Whipple, OH 8:30pm
Fri.Jan.21 MARIETTA BREWING Co., Marietta, OH 9:45pm
Fri. Jan. 28 JACKIE O's Athens, OH 9:30pm
Sat. Jan. 29 HOME Tavern, Logan, OH 9:00pm
Fri. Feb. 18 IRON SADDLE Akron, OH 10:00pm
Sat. Feb.19 HAPS Bar New Waterford, OH 9:45pm
Sat. Feb.26 LAKEVIEW Tavern Albany, OH 8:30pm
Fri. March 4 NICOLOZAKES Fairpoint, OH 9:45 pm

http://www.poobahband.com/
http://www.ripple-music.com/

For more information, please contact:

John Rancik
Ripple Music
ripplemusic9@aol.com

Amos Lee Sings With His Soul

Nicole over at CrowdSurf.net  sent me an invitation to listen to some new music. I am happy that she did because I loved it!

His name is Amos Lee and if you can imagine the country rock of the Eagles or America in their prime, mixed in with a dab singer James Blunt and the alt-country sounds of today - that's how I describe his sound.

He wears his heart on his sleeve, what you see is what you get, with sincere songwriting that his sung with a real conviction - as you get to feel the way he does as he masterfully sings his songs.

I have a couple of you tube videos, I hope you enjoy them as much as i did.

Do I hear Austin City Limits calling again, he is the perfect match......


Amos Lee - Colors (LIVE)

Music News & Notes

‘Reign In Blood’ Guitar By ESP Celebrates Slayer Album’s 25th Anniversary

Guitar company ESP plans to release a limited-edition Slayer guitar which will feature the cover art from the band’s classic 1986 thrash metal album 'Reign In Blood.'


Limited to just 250 guitars worldwide, the LTD Slayer-2011 is highlighted with a custom graphic finish that employs elements of the cover artwork from the “Reign In Blood” album. Details include a special LTD headstock logo in SLAYER’s distinctive typeface, pentagram-shaped neck inlays, and the SLAYER logo inlaid near the 12th fret. The guitar uses bolt-on construction, an alder body, a maple neck with rosewood fingerboard, 24 XJ frets, a TOM bridge with string-thru-body design, and EMG 81 (bridge) and EMG 85 (neck) active pickups.

Amongst other 2011 models being released by ESP are the James Hetfield Snakebyte guitar in black or white, and the Kirk Hammett Signature Series ESP KH-2 and LTD KH-SE guitars.

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Variety has a nice article about our beloved vinyl records:

Analog recording makes a comeback

Musical artists turn to old tech for vintage sound

By Variety Staff

John Mellancamp's recent album "No Better Than This" was recorded by the singer and "O Brother, Where Art Thou" music producer T-Bone Burnett using a single vintage RCA 77DX microphone and a 50-year-old refurbished mono Ampex 601 portable tape deck.

It's easy to dismiss the record as simply an artful manifesto on Mellancamp's part -- he along with fellow music artists Prince and Stevie Nicks have all railed publicly that digital technology in general and the Internet in particular have destroyed both music and the music business. Except that Mellancamp also took what has become a recent trend to its extreme: as CD sales continue to plummet and digital downloads barely dent that fiscal void, new recordings using hoary analog technology and released on vinyl making a surprising comeback.

Read the rest of the article HERE

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Superstars salvage tough year for country music album sales

By PETER COOPER • The Tennessean • January 9, 2011

Post a Comment RecommendPrint this pageE-mail this articleShare
Del.icio.usFacebookDiggRedditNewsvineBuzz up!TwitterNASHVILLE, Tenn. - Sales of country music albums dropped 5 percent last year, a decline that would have been much steeper if not for late-year releases from big-name stars such as Taylor Swift, Sugarland, Jason Aldean and Kenny Chesney.

Across the music industry, album sales in all genres decreased 12.7 percent in the past year. The figures were released in a report Wednesday from industry tracker Nielsen SoundScan. Christian and gospel albums dipped 13 percent, and rock albums declined 16 percent. Country music was the only genre that did not see a double-digit decline, and rap music was the only category with an increase, rising 3 percent.

Read the rest of the artilce Here

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USA

Albums:
1.Taylor Swift : Speak Now
2.Eminem : Recovery
3.Rihanna : Loud
4.Nicki Minaj : Pink Friday
5.Kanye West : My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy
6.Daft Punk : Tron: Legacy
7.Susan Boyle : The Gift
8.Mumford and Sons : Sigh No More
9.Katy Perry : Teenage Dream
10.Keyshia Cole : Calling All Hearts

Singles:
1.Katy Perry : Firework
2.Bruno Mars : Grenade
3.Ke$ha : We R Who We R
4.Rihanna feat. Drake : What's My Name
5.Pink : Raise Your Glass
6.Enrique Eglesias : Tonight (I've Lovin' You)
7.Black Eyed Peas : The Time
8.Wiz Khalifa : Black and Yellow
9.Bruno Mars : Just The Way You Are
10.Nelly : Just A Dream


UK

Albums:
1.Rihanna : Loud
2.Take That : Progress
3.Plan B : The Defamation of Strickland Banks
4.Tinie Tempah : Disc-Overy
5.The Wanted : The Wanted
6.Mumford and Sons : Sigh No More
7.Kings Of Leon : Come Around Sundown
8.Katy Perry : Teenage Dream
9.Ellie Goulding : Lights
10.Michael Buble : Crazy Love

Singles:
1.Matt Cardle : When We Collide
2.Rihanna : Whats My Name
3.Black Eyed Peas : The Time
4.Ellie Goulding : Your Song
5.Katy B : Lights On
6.Rihanna : Only Girl (In The World)
7.Take That : The Flood
8.Far East Movement : Like A G6
9.Willow : Whip My Hair
10.Olly Murs : Thinking Of Me

Europe

Albums:
1.Take That : Progress
2.Rihanna : Loud
3.Bruce Springsteen : The Promise
4.Shakira : Sale El Sol
5.Pink : Greatest Hits ... So Far
6.Bon Jovi : Greatest Hits
7.James Blunt : Some Kind Of Trouble
8.Susan Boyle : The Gift
9.Kings Of Leon : Come Around Sundown
10.JLS : Outta This World

Singles:
1.Rihanna : Only Girl (In The World)
2.Duck Sauce : Barbra Streisand
3.Bruno Mars : Just The Way You Are
4.Black Eyed Peas : The Time
5.X Factor Finalist 2010 : Heroes
6.Usher : DJ Got Us Fallin In Love
7.Rene La Taupe : Mignon Mignon
8.Eminem feat. Rihanna : Love The Way You Lie
9.Take That : The Flood
10.Israel Kamakawiwo'Ole : Over The Rainbow


Canada

Albums:
1.Rihanna : Loud
2.Black Eyed Peas : The Beginning
3.Kanye West : My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy
4.Eminem : Recovery
5.Susan Boyle : The Gift
6.Various : Much Dance 2011
7.Taylor Swift : Speak Now
8.Katy Perry : Teenage Dream
9.Justin Bieber : My Worlds Acoustic
10.Pink : Greatest Hits ... So Far

Singles:
1.Black Eyed Peas : The Time
2.Bruno Mars : Grenade
3.Katy Perry : Firework
4.Pink : Raise Your Glass
5.Ke$ha : We R Who We R
6.Rihanna : Only Girl (In The World)
7.Rihanna feat. Drake : What's My Name
8.Enrique Iglesias : Tonight (I'm Loving You)
9.Bruno Mars : Just The Way You Are
10.Nelly : Just A Dream


Australia

Albums:
1.Pink : Greatest Hits So Far
2.Susan Boyle : The Gift
3.Bon Jovi : Greatest Hits
4.Altiyan Childs : Altiyan Childs
5.Glee Cast : Volume 4
6.Guy Sebastian : Twenty Ten
7.Ronan Keating : Duet
8.Katy Perry : Teenage Dream
9.Black Eyed Peas : The Beginning
10.James Blunt : Some Kind Of Trouble

Singles:
1.Guy Sebastian feat. Eve : Who's That Girl
2.Bruno Mars : Grenade
3.Black Eyed Peas : The Time
4.Chris Brown : Yeah X3
5.Katy Perry : Firework
6.Ke$ha : We R Who We R
7.Jessica Mauboy feat. Ludacris : Saturday Night
8.David Guetta feat. Rihanna : Who's That Chick
9.Far East Movement feat. Cataracs & Dev : Like A G6
10.Pink : Raise Your Glass

eBay Vinyl Record Sales

Norm and Jane over at Vinyl Record Talk   have been very busy cataloging new inventory and dealing with other issues, yet Norm still finds the time to supply us with this great data (cheers!!). 

Did you know about their weekly radio show Vinyl Record Talk ?  Swing on over and give it a listen, they make every week's show unique with special guests, music news, vinyl record news and their unique brand of commentary.  


Top 5 eBay Vinyl Record Sales - Week Ending 01/08/2011

An unreleased acetate from an Ohio funk band makes the top of the list this week, and is one of three soul related gems - the others being the very rare Northern 45 from Bobby Rich, and a Modern Soul 45 that is one to watch. Split Descision Band's "Watchin Out" single has been on the rise for several years, and this week's sale price is it's peak. It's also one that teaches looks can be deceiving. As a good friend and fellow dealer says, "No one knows every record", and he came close to passing this one up a year back because from the label style and font used for the band name it looked like just another lost country 45. Fortunately for his bottom line, he dropped a needle on it.

1. LP - The Crowd Pleasers unreleased acetate - $3,939.89

2. LP - The Beatles "The Beatles Collection" MFSL Japan Box Set - $3,599.99

3. 45 - Bobby Rich "There's A Girl Somewhere (For Me)" / "I Can't Help Myself" Sambea 101 - $3,000.00

4. 45 - Split Decision Band "Watchin' Out" / "Dazed" Network - $2,131.33

5. LP - Arthur Grumiaux "Bach Violin Concerto" Philips 835 - $2,026.98



Top 5 eBay Vinyl Records Sales - Week Ending 01/01/2011

A dull week between Christmas and New Years where no one wants to spend any money gave someone lucky buyer a sweet deal on a Parlophone "White Album" pressing. The rest of the list is full of obscurities this week, with private press Psych, blank label Jamacian Reggae and rare Rockabilly 45's.

1. LP - The Beatles "White Album" Parlophone UK Export Pressing - $2,750.00

2. LP - Christopher "What'cha Gonna Do?" Private Press - $2,524.00

3. 45 - Prince Buster "Linger On" / The Maytals "Baby Come Home" Jamacian Pressing - $2,200.00

4. 45 - Jackie Bernard "Torture & Flames" Test Pressing - $2,198.61

5. 45 - Marlon Mitchell "Bermuda Shorts" / "Ice Cold Baby" Vena - $2,005.00


Shameless plug to follow

Click Here To Enter The Vinyl Record Talk Store

Michael Fremer Album Review

The Power and the Glory
(reissue)

Gentle Giant
Capitol/Alvcard ALUGGVO2 180g LP
Produced by: Gentle Giant
Engineered by: Gary Martin
Mixed by: N/A
Mastered by: Carl Rowatti at TruTone Mastering

MUSIC

SOUND





Prog Rock Classic Back on Vinyl
by Michael Fremer
December 01, 2010

The British progressive rock group Gentle Giant never achieved exalted status among the genre's aficionados, though they were well respected and their following was loyal and vociferous. When I was on "free form" FM radio in the mid 1970s I'd get calls from fans requesting Gentle Giant, but when I played through the albums, I heard nothing that I thought would grab listeners. Listening today to this and to Free Hand (ALLUGV03)—the two albums falling midway in their recording career— makes clear why that was so, and why they are deserving of a second listen almost forty years later.

Musically they were more inwardly directed and less given to bombast. While the level of musicianship was extremely high, keyboardist Kerry Minnear wasn't interested in showboating like Keith Emerson. Lead vocalist Derek Shulman (who went on to a very successful career in the music business after the band broke up) had a big voice but not a commanding presence that demands your attention. He was more a vocal technician than an emoter of emotions. He had neither Peter Gabriel's dramatic prowess nor Jon Anderson's, soaring, hypnotic pull. And as lyricists the Shulman, Shulman, Minear team never produced memorable lines that jumped out and grabbed. No "in and around the lake, mountains come out of the sky and they stand there," kind of moments.

So one could listen to this album or to Free Hand (Alucard ALLUGV03) and greatly appreciate the boldness of the musicianship and the complexity of the parts produced by the five musicians but not be moved or changed. Then and today these records come across as technically brilliant but emotionally flat—more like intellectually satisfying exercises than physically gripping and emotionally moving ones. The listening experience doesn't transcended the physical and leave you moved. These are inner thoughts expressed, with little resulting action.

They adhered to all of the genre's musical conventions, which if you don't dig in the first place, you won't like here, but in some ways they upped the ante, with precise vocal harmonies, complex, shifting rhythms and melodic inventiveness and harmonic complexities few other groups came close to achieving. While Keith Emerson used to toss classical music quotes into his solos, these guys actually made serious music!

The Power and the Glory is a cynic's delight: a concept album about authority, subjugation and foolish faith in and dissatisfaction with authority, even by the person exercising it, but the chessboard-like tunes spawned by the concept are lyrically uni-dimensional, which produces little drama or emotionally dynamic contrasts. You're invited to watch but not in.

Still, I bet prog rock fans of Genesis, Yes and some of the other bigger acts of the genre who may have missed Gentle Giant will be delighted by what they find here, for beyond familiar conventions, lies higher resolution musical complexity than made by some of the bigger selling groups. A Yes fan unfamiliar with Gentle Giant who plays side two's "Cogs in Cogs" first might exclaim "how the hell did I miss these guys?"

Sonically, both of these records could only be described as "decent" and "competent," but not mesmerizing or transcendent; sort of like the music. Don't expect spacious vistas. Instead, the instruments are closely miked in what sounds like a fairly small studio, with little if any reverb, except on specified parts. Why muck up the incredible playing precision with expansive, rhythm smearing reverb?

The Power and the Glory is the more musically dense and challenging of these two reissues (though both are dense and musically challenging), while Free Hand is more baroque yet jazz-like. If you can find a free MP3 of "On Reflection" somewhere, you'll marvel at the complexity and ingenuity of the vocal arrangement that's jazz like, yet medieval at the same time. If you think Jethro Tull did this sort of thing well, wait until you hear this track!

Sonically it's no contest: Free Hand sounds far more spacious, three dimensional and transparent. Perhaps its just a coincidence that the jacket says "Mastered from the original 1/4 inch tapes 2010" and The Power and the Glory, which sounds flatter, more two dimensional and less transparent doesn't. The sound knob 7 is for The Power and the Glory. Free Hand gets an "8".

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

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

Music News & Notes

Blackguard Reveals Artwork For Upcoming Album

Canadian metallers Blackguard have revealed the cover art fort heir upcoming album. The new album, 'Firefight,' is scheduled for release on March 29, 2011 through the band's new label home in Victory Records. The band commented on the new album by saying:

"This is going to be our most dynamic release to date. We’re going to have a few slower songs on this album; more head banging tunes. We’re also going to be introducing some new elements to our song to mix things up a bit. Not to sound too cliché but we definitely don’t want to write the same record over and over again and this record is going to be a great step forward for us."

Cool cover art!




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Tesla in the Studio Recording New Album

It's being reported that rock vetsTesla’s Jeff Keith and Frank Hannon are currently in the studio working on tracks for a planned acoustic album to commemorate the 20th anniversary of the band’s landmark Five Man Acoustical Jam disc. However, no release date has been set for the yet-to-be-titled album, but it’s expected that stripped-down versions of “Changes” and “Paradise” will be among the tracks included. Also slated for inclusion is a brand new song titled “2nd Street” and an acoustic version of “Better Off Without You.”

Released in 1990, Five Man Acoustical Jam was highlighted by a cover version of “Signs,” the classic hit recorded by the Five Man Electrical Band in 1971. Tesla’s version topped out at #2 on the Billboard Mainstream Rock Chart. The album also featured covers of The Rolling Stones’ “Mothers Little Helper,” Creedence Clearwater Revival’s “Lodi,” and The Beatles’ “We Can Work it Out.”



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New Robbie Robertson Album Due In April

Robbie Robertson returns this April with his fifth solo album, and first since 1998.

“How To Become Clairvoyant” – co-produced by Robertson and Marius de Vries - will feature several guests, including Eric Clapton (who co-wrote three tracks and plays on six), Steve Winwood (organ on two songs), Tom Morello, Robert Randolph, Trent Reznor and more. The album is due April 5.

"It turned out quite extraordinary," Robertson tells Rolling Stone. "I think I’ve written some really good songs, and the boys helped me out."

The title track from the record is set to be featured on the Season Two soundtrack for the popular HBO television series, True Blood.

Rolling Stone also reports that “This is Where I Get Off" is reportedly about Robbie’s departure from The Band in 1976; if true, it’ll be the first time Robertson has ever addressed the issue in a song.

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Chandler man preserves art of record sleeves

by Randy Cordova  The Arizona Republic

When Jeff Marcus was a toddler, there were clear signs where he would go in his life. Just ask his mother, who remembers watching him stare in wonder at the family record player.

"He was just watching it go round and round," Elaine Marcus recalls. "Then when the record stopped, he just said, 'More music.' "

"More music" could be the mantra by which Marcus has lived his life. The Cave Creek man is a lifelong music buff who makes his living as a disc jockey working corporate events and weddings. Now, he has added another title to his resume. With the publication of the two-volume set "A History of Collectible American Record Sleeves," Marcus is an author.

Read the rest HERE

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Victoria Record Store Celebrates 25 Years In Business

Midnite Rambler Collectibles is a music library in vinyl form. Rows of records line the shelves, while the overflow sits piled wherever there is room.

It might appear to be a sort of chaos, but it's an organized chaos. Owner Ruben Flores said he knows what he has in stock and where to find it.

That's the sort of savvy that comes naturally after years in the biz.

The business just celebrated its 25th anniversary.

Read the rest HERE

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LEAVE A B'DAY MESSAGE FOR ELVIS PRESLEY: Sonia is all shook up

SONIA Kuehne was a late bloomer when it came to rock star Elvis, but she continues to hold a flame for the singer.

``Even when he talked Elvis had a bloody sexy voice,’’ the Hebersham great grandmother said.

For 15 years, Mrs Kuehne has been collecting Elvis memorabilia and can’t believe he’d be celebrating his 76th birthday this week.

``I’ve always liked his music and the collection which is now in the hundreds, started with old vinyl records,’’ the 78-year-old said.

``It’s just grown from there and whenever I have a birthday everyone asks me what I want I always say Elvis, Elvis, Elvis.’‘

Read the rest HERE

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Entering A Musical Time Warp

By John MacCormack

Bobby J spins jazz recordings from his collection during his "The Mainstream 120" show on Saturday mornings on KSYM 90.1 FM.

As tributes to radio DJs go, it doesn't quite match those given to Wolfman Jack, the great border radio howler who was immortalized in the movie “American Graffiti,” and in various rock 'n' roll hits.

On the other hand, in San Antonio, if you get a mention in a song by Los #3 Dinners, you've pretty much made it, and by that standard, KSYM DJ Bobby J stands alone.

“Our most recent CD has a line in it that says, ‘Listenin' to jazz with Bobby J, trying to chase the blues away,' and almost all our fans know just who I'm taking about,” said Eric “Lenny” Friedland, a guitarist and vocalist for the group.

“Listening to his show is always an education, no matter how much one thinks they know about jazz, plus he has the uncanny ability to pick songs that have a logical and cool connection to each other,” Friedland said.

And for more than two decades, an unassuming guy named Bobby J has been serving up tunes and stories from the golden age of jazz for two hours each Saturday morning from the San Antonio College campus.

“This is Bobby J. Your dial is set on FM 90.1 at KSYM, San Antonio,” is how it has begun a thousand times or more since January 1989.

Read the rest HERE

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 Happy Birthday To The King Of Rock & Roll

While I am not the biggest fan of Elvis, I do know that he helped shape rock and roll and our musical culture.  Here is a bit of info from Wikipedia, and you know the rest :O)



Elvis Aaron Presleya (January 8, 1935 – August 16, 1977) was one of the most popular American singers of the 20th century. A cultural icon, he is widely known by the single name Elvis. He is often referred to as the "King of Rock and Roll" or simply "the King".

Born in Tupelo, Mississippi, Presley moved to Memphis, Tennessee, with his family at the age of 13. He began his career there in 1954 when Sun Records owner Sam Phillips, eager to bring the sound of African American music to a wider audience, saw in Presley the means to realize his ambition. Accompanied by guitarist Scotty Moore and bassist Bill Black, Presley was one of the originators of rockabilly, an uptempo, backbeat-driven fusion of country and rhythm and blues. RCA Victor acquired his contract in a deal arranged by Colonel Tom Parker, who would manage the singer for over two decades. Presley's first RCA single, "Heartbreak Hotel", released in January 1956, was a number one hit. He became the leading figure of the newly popular sound of rock and roll with a series of network television appearances and chart-topping records. His energized interpretations of songs, many from African American sources, and his uninhibited performance style made him enormously popular—and controversial. In November 1956, he made his film debut in Love Me Tender.

Conscripted into military service in 1958, Presley relaunched his recording career two years later with some of his most commercially successful work. He staged few concerts, however, and, guided by Parker, proceeded to devote much of the 1960s to making Hollywood movies and soundtrack albums, most of them critically derided. In 1968, after seven years away from the stage, he returned to live performance in a celebrated comeback television special that led to an extended Las Vegas concert residency and a string of profitable tours. In 1973, Presley staged the first concert broadcast globally via satellite, Aloha from Hawaii, seen by approximately 1.5 billion viewers. Prescription drug abuse severely compromised his health, and he died suddenly in 1977 at the age of 42.

Presley is regarded as one of the most important figures of 20th-century popular culture. He had a versatile voice and unusually wide success encompassing many genres, including country, pop ballads, gospel, and blues. He is the best-selling solo artist in the history of popular music.  Nominated for 14 competitive Grammys, he won three, and received the Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award at age 36. He has been inducted into four music halls of fame.

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Records? They're Making a Comeback!   By KSEE News