He was the man who put the backbeat Tutti Frutti, You've Lost That Loving Feeling and River Deep, Mountain High. Rock & Roll Hall of Famer Earl Palmer passed away on Friday at the age of 84.
Palmer grew up in a vaudeville family and was tap dancing by the age of four. The rhythms got him interested in drums and he readily mastered the instrument, starting with BeBop Jazz and eventually gravitating toward blues and R&B.
His first professional gig started in 1947 when he joined Dave Bartholomew's band, which led to a long term association with Fats Domino starting with his 1950 hit The Fat Man. Palmer's use of backbeat throughout the entire record was one of the basis for the Rock and Roll sound. Palmer once said, "That song required a strong afterbeat throughout the whole piece. With Dixieland you had a strong afterbeat only after you got to the shout last chorus. ... It was sort of a new approach to rhythm music."
Palmer was the main drummer at Cosimo Matassa's recording studio in New Orleans for much of the 50's, playing on records like Tutti Frutti for Little Richard, I Hear You Knocking by Smiley Lewis and Lawdy Miss Clawdy for Lloyd Price, but in 1957 he received an offer from Los Angeles' Aladdin Records and he tried his fortunes in the west.
In L.A., Palmer became a highly respected session drummer working with everyone from Phil Spector to Frank Sinatra to B.B. King. He also was used extensively as a session drummer for movies and TV.
Palmer also tried his hand at recording under his own name. Although sales were not great, he released a number of albums, including Drumsville (1961) and Percolator Twist (1962).
A biography, Backbeat: The Earl Palmer Story, by Tony Scherman, was released in 1999 and, in 2000, he was inducted in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.
Among the thousands of recordings graced with the drums of Earl Palmer:
The Fat Man (Fats Domino)
Tipitina (Professor Longhair)
Tutti Frutti (Little Richard)
Blueberry Hill (Fats Domino)
Long Tall Sally (Little Richard)
I'm Walkin' (Fats Domino)
Lucille (Little Richard)
Chicken Shack Boogie (Amos Milburn)
Rockin' Robin (Bobby Day)
La Bamba (Ritchie Valens)
Little Bitty Pretty One (Thurston Harris)
You Send Me (Sam Cooke)
Sinatra and Swingin' Brass (Frank Sinatra)
The Little Old Lady From Pasadena (Jan & Dean)
You've Lost That Loving Feeling (Righteous Brothers)
River Deep, Mountain High (Ike and Tina Turner)
People Like Us (Mamas & the Papas)
Theme From Mission Impossible (Lalo Schifrin)
Birds, the Bees and the Monkees (Monkees)
Express Yourself (Charles Wright & the 103rd Street Rhythm Band)
Stoney End (Barbara Streisand)
L.A. Midnight (B.B. King)
Sail Away (Randy Newman)
Blue Valentine (Tom Waits)
King of America (Elvis Costello)
SOURCE: http://winkscollectibles.blogspot.com
Saturday, September 20, 2008
MVD Plans Vinyl Releases For Devo, GG Allin, Plastmatics and Dwarves
09/18/2008
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MVD Entertainment Group (MVD) has announced plans to issue several releases on vinyl including new and previously unreleased tracks by Devo and the Dwarves, plus reissues by G.G. Allin, Wendy O. Williams and the Plasmatics, and more. MVD and Big Daddy have deep access to a great amount of quality content from some very collectible artists.
DEVO – Watch Us Work It: This will contain four versions of the song "Watch Us Work It": Teddy Bears Version, Original Devo Demo Version, Karaoke Version, and "Still Workin'" Version. It was recorded at Mutato Muzika in Los Angeles and produced by Sweden's famous Teddy Bears. The DELL company heard it when Paul Malmstrom and Linus Karlsson at the Mother agency in NYC pitched it as a possibility for a TV campaign for the newly developed, high-end laptop computer. DELL loved it, so they used it for nationwide TV ad campaign. The vinyl will also include "Devo Was Right About Everything" by Attery Squash (re-mix by Robert and Gerald Casale).
GG Allin - Freaks, Faggots, Drunks and Junkies: Vinyl edition of what is probably GG Allin's greatest studio album. This was GG's fourth album when it was originally released on Homestead Records in 1988. Recorded with a backing band featuring members of New England punk/thrash heavies Psycho, this one contains some of GG's best songs. "Die When You Die" is arguably the most famous GG Allin song and this album features the original, best version of the live warhorse. It also includes GG's rewrite of David Allen Coe's "Longhair Redneck" titled "Outlaw Scumfuc." The punkest man alive (at the time) at his peak.
Plasmatics - Wendy O Williams – Beyond the Valley of 1984: This is their second album and features some of the best songwriting of their career, as well as a lean and tight sound combing metal, punk and hard rock. A truly ground breaking release that sums up everything the band stood for and still sounds completely fresh over 25 years after its release.
Dwarves - Dwarves Limited 10 Inch: Way limited 10" picture disc vinyl split, one side Dwarves, live KSZU FM Stanford, recorded in 2004. The other side is Dwarves singer Blag Dahlia covering AC/DC (Big Balls) and the Ramones (The KKK Took My Baby Away) as well as some originals. This record is limited to 1030 copies and these are the last of them. Full color picture disc of a delightful young woman in a Mexican wrestling mask and not much else.
.
MVD Entertainment Group (MVD) has announced plans to issue several releases on vinyl including new and previously unreleased tracks by Devo and the Dwarves, plus reissues by G.G. Allin, Wendy O. Williams and the Plasmatics, and more. MVD and Big Daddy have deep access to a great amount of quality content from some very collectible artists.
DEVO – Watch Us Work It: This will contain four versions of the song "Watch Us Work It": Teddy Bears Version, Original Devo Demo Version, Karaoke Version, and "Still Workin'" Version. It was recorded at Mutato Muzika in Los Angeles and produced by Sweden's famous Teddy Bears. The DELL company heard it when Paul Malmstrom and Linus Karlsson at the Mother agency in NYC pitched it as a possibility for a TV campaign for the newly developed, high-end laptop computer. DELL loved it, so they used it for nationwide TV ad campaign. The vinyl will also include "Devo Was Right About Everything" by Attery Squash (re-mix by Robert and Gerald Casale).
GG Allin - Freaks, Faggots, Drunks and Junkies: Vinyl edition of what is probably GG Allin's greatest studio album. This was GG's fourth album when it was originally released on Homestead Records in 1988. Recorded with a backing band featuring members of New England punk/thrash heavies Psycho, this one contains some of GG's best songs. "Die When You Die" is arguably the most famous GG Allin song and this album features the original, best version of the live warhorse. It also includes GG's rewrite of David Allen Coe's "Longhair Redneck" titled "Outlaw Scumfuc." The punkest man alive (at the time) at his peak.
Plasmatics - Wendy O Williams – Beyond the Valley of 1984: This is their second album and features some of the best songwriting of their career, as well as a lean and tight sound combing metal, punk and hard rock. A truly ground breaking release that sums up everything the band stood for and still sounds completely fresh over 25 years after its release.
Dwarves - Dwarves Limited 10 Inch: Way limited 10" picture disc vinyl split, one side Dwarves, live KSZU FM Stanford, recorded in 2004. The other side is Dwarves singer Blag Dahlia covering AC/DC (Big Balls) and the Ramones (The KKK Took My Baby Away) as well as some originals. This record is limited to 1030 copies and these are the last of them. Full color picture disc of a delightful young woman in a Mexican wrestling mask and not much else.
Album Cover Art
Continuing our album cover art series as complied by the crack staff at Gigwise.com, let's explore some more unique album cover art:
Controversial
39. Nirvana: ‘In Utero’ - This cover makes yet another list-In Utero is the third and final studio album by the American grunge band Nirvana, released on September 21, 1993 by DGC Records. The album's abrasive and aggressive sound was a departure from the polished production of the band's breakthrough second album, Nevermind (1991), due in part to the selection of recording engineer Steve Albini. The subject matters of the songs included dysfunctional family, cancer, issues of privacy, and abortion.
The art director for In Utero was Robert Fisher, who had designed all of Nirvana's releases on DGC Records. Most of the ideas for the artwork for the album and related singles came from Cobain. Fisher recalled that "[Cobain] would just give me some loose odds and ends and say 'Do something with it.'
The cover of the album is an image of a Transparent Anatomical Mannikin, with angel wings superimposed. Cobain created the collage on the back cover, referred to as "Sex and woman and In Utero and vaginas and birth and death," which includes fetuses and body parts lying in a bed of orchids and lilies. The collage had been set up on the floor of Cobain's living room and was photographed by Charles Peterson after an unexpected call from Cobain. According to Peterson, "one Sunday afternoon, Kurt calls me up, and is like 'Hey, I want you to take that picture now.' I rummaged for whatever film I had in the fridge, and went over." The album's track listing and re-illustrated symbols from Barbara G. Walker's The Woman's Dictionary of Symbols and Sacred Objects were then positioned around the edge of the collage.
Interestingly, the original title for "In Utero" was supposed to be "I Hate Myself And Want to Die," sharing its title with a song that was planned for the album. The phrase had originated in mid-1992 from one of Cobain's journal entries, and was meant as humor. It was Cobain's response whenever someone would ask him "how are you?" The tentative album title would be changed after band mate Novoselic convinced Cobain that "I Hate Myself And Want to Die" could potentially result in a lawsuit. The band considered the title "Verse Chorus Verse," a title shared with "Verse Chorus Verse" and an earlier working title of "Sappy". The final title was taken from one of Courtney Love's poems and is a Latin term meaning "in the uterus." Nice one Courtney.
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Weird
39. The Billy Cobham, George Duke Band: 'Live On Tour In Europe' - George Duke (born 12 January 1946 in San Rafael, California) is a piano and synthesizer pioneer and singer. He made a name for himself with the album The Jean-Luc Ponty Experience with the George Duke Trio. He is known for his solo work as well as for his collaborations with other musicians, particularly Frank Zappa.
Born in Panama, Cobham's family moved to New York City during his early childhood. A drummer from his youth, Cobham attended New York's High School of Music and Art, graduating in 1962.
He played in a U.S. Army Band from 1965 to 1968. Following his discharge, Cobham joined the group of pianist Horace Silver for about a year, also playing or recording with saxophonist Stanley Turrentine, organist Shirley Scott, and guitarist George Benson.
Blending these two talented musicians was brilliance, as the album is a jazz-fusion masterpiece. The cover? Well, I suppose you would have to ask the dynamic duo- if you can catch them!
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Worst
39. Kenny Loggins – ‘Keep The Fire’ Kenneth Clark "Kenny" Loggins (born January 7, 1948 in Everett, Washington) is an American singer and songwriter best known for a number of soft rock and adult contemporary hit singles beginning in the 1970s. He has also recorded as a solo artist and written hit songs for other artists. After attracting the attention of fellow singer-songwriter Jim Messina, the two began a duo career as Loggins and Messina. It lasted until 1976. In 1977 Loggins went on to produce his first solo album, Celebrate Me Home, which included the hit "I Believe In Love," originally sung by Barbra Streisand in A Star Is Born. Nightwatch, a popular album released in 1978, included the hit "Whenever I Call You Friend", a duet with Stevie Nicks of Fleetwood Mac. He followed this in 1979 with Keep the Fire.
The cover, well my guess is, he likes fire or being burned by it. Maybe it was a breakthrough in photography in the late 70's, but a nerd with Photoshop could conjure up a similar cover with ease today!
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Best
39. Snoop Dogg – ‘Doggy Style’ Cordozar Calvin Broadus, Jr. (born October 20, 1971), better known by his stage name Snoop Dogg (previously Snoop Doggy Dogg), is a Grammy Award-nominated American rapper, record producer, and actor. Snoop is best known as an MC in the West Coast hip hop scene, and for being one of producer Dr. Dre's most notable protégés.
While recording Doggystyle with Dr. Dre in August 1993, Snoop Dogg was arrested in connection with the death of Phillip Woldermarian, a member of a rival gang who was fired at and killed in a gang fight. Snoop Dogg was defended by David Kenner, with his bodyguard McKinley Lee, while Sean Abrams (accompanying member in the jeep) was defended by Johnnie Cochran. Both Snoop Dogg and McKinley Lee were acquitted; Lee was acquitted on grounds of self-defense, but Snoop Dogg remained entangled in the legal battles around the case for three years. His video "2 of Amerikaz Most Wanted" with Tupac Shakur chronicled the difficulties each rapper was dealing with as a result of their unrelated but concurrent criminal prosecutions.
The Doggystyle album was released in November 1993 on Death Row Records and became the first debut album ever to enter the charts at #1, helping to fuel the ascendance of West Coast "g-funk" rap. The singles "Who Am I (What's My Name)?" and "Gin and Juice" reached the top ten most-played songs in the United States, and the album stayed on the Billboard charts for several months. Gangsta rap became the center of arguments for censorship and labeling, with Snoop Dogg often used as an example of violent and misogynistic musicians. Doggystyle, much like The Chronic, featured a host of rappers signed to or affiliated with the Death Row label including Daz Dillinger, Kurupt, Nate Dogg and others.
Unbelievable, humorous and flat out insane (some say brilliant) album cover. Who let the dogs out?
Controversial
39. Nirvana: ‘In Utero’ - This cover makes yet another list-In Utero is the third and final studio album by the American grunge band Nirvana, released on September 21, 1993 by DGC Records. The album's abrasive and aggressive sound was a departure from the polished production of the band's breakthrough second album, Nevermind (1991), due in part to the selection of recording engineer Steve Albini. The subject matters of the songs included dysfunctional family, cancer, issues of privacy, and abortion.
The art director for In Utero was Robert Fisher, who had designed all of Nirvana's releases on DGC Records. Most of the ideas for the artwork for the album and related singles came from Cobain. Fisher recalled that "[Cobain] would just give me some loose odds and ends and say 'Do something with it.'
The cover of the album is an image of a Transparent Anatomical Mannikin, with angel wings superimposed. Cobain created the collage on the back cover, referred to as "Sex and woman and In Utero and vaginas and birth and death," which includes fetuses and body parts lying in a bed of orchids and lilies. The collage had been set up on the floor of Cobain's living room and was photographed by Charles Peterson after an unexpected call from Cobain. According to Peterson, "one Sunday afternoon, Kurt calls me up, and is like 'Hey, I want you to take that picture now.' I rummaged for whatever film I had in the fridge, and went over." The album's track listing and re-illustrated symbols from Barbara G. Walker's The Woman's Dictionary of Symbols and Sacred Objects were then positioned around the edge of the collage.
Interestingly, the original title for "In Utero" was supposed to be "I Hate Myself And Want to Die," sharing its title with a song that was planned for the album. The phrase had originated in mid-1992 from one of Cobain's journal entries, and was meant as humor. It was Cobain's response whenever someone would ask him "how are you?" The tentative album title would be changed after band mate Novoselic convinced Cobain that "I Hate Myself And Want to Die" could potentially result in a lawsuit. The band considered the title "Verse Chorus Verse," a title shared with "Verse Chorus Verse" and an earlier working title of "Sappy". The final title was taken from one of Courtney Love's poems and is a Latin term meaning "in the uterus." Nice one Courtney.
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Weird
39. The Billy Cobham, George Duke Band: 'Live On Tour In Europe' - George Duke (born 12 January 1946 in San Rafael, California) is a piano and synthesizer pioneer and singer. He made a name for himself with the album The Jean-Luc Ponty Experience with the George Duke Trio. He is known for his solo work as well as for his collaborations with other musicians, particularly Frank Zappa.
Born in Panama, Cobham's family moved to New York City during his early childhood. A drummer from his youth, Cobham attended New York's High School of Music and Art, graduating in 1962.
He played in a U.S. Army Band from 1965 to 1968. Following his discharge, Cobham joined the group of pianist Horace Silver for about a year, also playing or recording with saxophonist Stanley Turrentine, organist Shirley Scott, and guitarist George Benson.
Blending these two talented musicians was brilliance, as the album is a jazz-fusion masterpiece. The cover? Well, I suppose you would have to ask the dynamic duo- if you can catch them!
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Worst
39. Kenny Loggins – ‘Keep The Fire’ Kenneth Clark "Kenny" Loggins (born January 7, 1948 in Everett, Washington) is an American singer and songwriter best known for a number of soft rock and adult contemporary hit singles beginning in the 1970s. He has also recorded as a solo artist and written hit songs for other artists. After attracting the attention of fellow singer-songwriter Jim Messina, the two began a duo career as Loggins and Messina. It lasted until 1976. In 1977 Loggins went on to produce his first solo album, Celebrate Me Home, which included the hit "I Believe In Love," originally sung by Barbra Streisand in A Star Is Born. Nightwatch, a popular album released in 1978, included the hit "Whenever I Call You Friend", a duet with Stevie Nicks of Fleetwood Mac. He followed this in 1979 with Keep the Fire.
The cover, well my guess is, he likes fire or being burned by it. Maybe it was a breakthrough in photography in the late 70's, but a nerd with Photoshop could conjure up a similar cover with ease today!
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Best
39. Snoop Dogg – ‘Doggy Style’ Cordozar Calvin Broadus, Jr. (born October 20, 1971), better known by his stage name Snoop Dogg (previously Snoop Doggy Dogg), is a Grammy Award-nominated American rapper, record producer, and actor. Snoop is best known as an MC in the West Coast hip hop scene, and for being one of producer Dr. Dre's most notable protégés.
While recording Doggystyle with Dr. Dre in August 1993, Snoop Dogg was arrested in connection with the death of Phillip Woldermarian, a member of a rival gang who was fired at and killed in a gang fight. Snoop Dogg was defended by David Kenner, with his bodyguard McKinley Lee, while Sean Abrams (accompanying member in the jeep) was defended by Johnnie Cochran. Both Snoop Dogg and McKinley Lee were acquitted; Lee was acquitted on grounds of self-defense, but Snoop Dogg remained entangled in the legal battles around the case for three years. His video "2 of Amerikaz Most Wanted" with Tupac Shakur chronicled the difficulties each rapper was dealing with as a result of their unrelated but concurrent criminal prosecutions.
The Doggystyle album was released in November 1993 on Death Row Records and became the first debut album ever to enter the charts at #1, helping to fuel the ascendance of West Coast "g-funk" rap. The singles "Who Am I (What's My Name)?" and "Gin and Juice" reached the top ten most-played songs in the United States, and the album stayed on the Billboard charts for several months. Gangsta rap became the center of arguments for censorship and labeling, with Snoop Dogg often used as an example of violent and misogynistic musicians. Doggystyle, much like The Chronic, featured a host of rappers signed to or affiliated with the Death Row label including Daz Dillinger, Kurupt, Nate Dogg and others.
Unbelievable, humorous and flat out insane (some say brilliant) album cover. Who let the dogs out?
Classic Rock Videos
I just couldn't help myself, another classsic rock video from the master- Little Richard!!
This Date In Music History- September 20
Birthdays:
Gogi Grant ("The Wayward Wind") is 84.
Guitarist Nuno Bettencourt of Boston metal band Extreme was born in Portugal in 1966.
Styx bassist Chuck Panozzo was born in Chicago in 1947.
History:
In 1964, the Beatles wrapped up their American tour with a charity show in Brooklyn, N.Y. Bob Dylan visited them backstage and later introduced the band mates to pot.
Thirty-year old Jim Croce was in fatal plane crash in 1973, after playing a concert at Northwestern State University in Natchitoches, Louisiana. His small chartered plane hit a tree while taking off. Maury Muehleisen and four others were also killed. Only a week before, Croce finished recording his third album, "I Got a Name.”
"Fame," a song from David Bowie's 'Young Americans' album, topped the US singles charts in 1975. It was co-written by Bowie, John Lennon (who can be heard singing near the end of the record) and guitarist Carlos Alomar.
Bob Marley suffered a stroke while jogging in Central Park in 1980. X-rays revealed a brain tumor.
Paul McCartney was arrested for growing marijuana on his farm in Scotland in 1972.
Peter Frampton left Humble Pie to begin a solo career in 1971.
In 1966, George Harrison journeyed to India to meet with the Maharishi Mahesh Yogi for the first time.
No. 1 on both the American and British albums charts today in 1969 was Blind Faith, the only album by the supergroup that featured Eric Clapton, Steve Winwood, and Ginger Baker.
In 2006, Keith Richards says he's finally given up drugs ... because they're not strong enough. "I think the quality's gone down," whines the irresponsible fossil. Talk about tolerance…
In 1970, Jim Morrison of The Doors was acquitted on charges of lewd and lascivious behavior, but was found guilty of exposing himself during a concert at The Dinner Key Auditorium in Coconut Grove a year and a half earlier. At his trial at the Dade County Courthouse in Miami, Judge Goodman sentenced Jim to six months of hard labor and a $500 fine for public exposure and sixty days of hard labor for profanity. The sentence was appealed, but Morrison was never brought to trial, as he would die in Paris France on July 3, 1971.
In 1978, The Who's "Who Are You" LP goes gold. The single of the same name is now used as the theme for the popular US TV show C.S.I.
Hall & Oates released the album, "Private Eyes" in 1981. The L.P. would go platinum on the strength of two #1 hits: "Private Eyes" and "I Can't Go For That".
The Bay City Rollers appeared live on the premiere of the Howard Cosell's Saturday Night show in 1975 and performed their just released record, "Saturday Night." It was their U.S. debut. The song would reach number one by the first week of January.
Grand Funk Railroad owned the #1 spot on the pop chart in 1973 with “American Band.”
Creedence Clearwater Revival scored their only UK #1 single with "Bad Moon Rising". They did not have a number one hit in the US.
Gogi Grant ("The Wayward Wind") is 84.
Guitarist Nuno Bettencourt of Boston metal band Extreme was born in Portugal in 1966.
Styx bassist Chuck Panozzo was born in Chicago in 1947.
History:
In 1964, the Beatles wrapped up their American tour with a charity show in Brooklyn, N.Y. Bob Dylan visited them backstage and later introduced the band mates to pot.
Thirty-year old Jim Croce was in fatal plane crash in 1973, after playing a concert at Northwestern State University in Natchitoches, Louisiana. His small chartered plane hit a tree while taking off. Maury Muehleisen and four others were also killed. Only a week before, Croce finished recording his third album, "I Got a Name.”
"Fame," a song from David Bowie's 'Young Americans' album, topped the US singles charts in 1975. It was co-written by Bowie, John Lennon (who can be heard singing near the end of the record) and guitarist Carlos Alomar.
Bob Marley suffered a stroke while jogging in Central Park in 1980. X-rays revealed a brain tumor.
Paul McCartney was arrested for growing marijuana on his farm in Scotland in 1972.
Peter Frampton left Humble Pie to begin a solo career in 1971.
In 1966, George Harrison journeyed to India to meet with the Maharishi Mahesh Yogi for the first time.
No. 1 on both the American and British albums charts today in 1969 was Blind Faith, the only album by the supergroup that featured Eric Clapton, Steve Winwood, and Ginger Baker.
In 2006, Keith Richards says he's finally given up drugs ... because they're not strong enough. "I think the quality's gone down," whines the irresponsible fossil. Talk about tolerance…
In 1970, Jim Morrison of The Doors was acquitted on charges of lewd and lascivious behavior, but was found guilty of exposing himself during a concert at The Dinner Key Auditorium in Coconut Grove a year and a half earlier. At his trial at the Dade County Courthouse in Miami, Judge Goodman sentenced Jim to six months of hard labor and a $500 fine for public exposure and sixty days of hard labor for profanity. The sentence was appealed, but Morrison was never brought to trial, as he would die in Paris France on July 3, 1971.
In 1978, The Who's "Who Are You" LP goes gold. The single of the same name is now used as the theme for the popular US TV show C.S.I.
Hall & Oates released the album, "Private Eyes" in 1981. The L.P. would go platinum on the strength of two #1 hits: "Private Eyes" and "I Can't Go For That".
The Bay City Rollers appeared live on the premiere of the Howard Cosell's Saturday Night show in 1975 and performed their just released record, "Saturday Night." It was their U.S. debut. The song would reach number one by the first week of January.
Grand Funk Railroad owned the #1 spot on the pop chart in 1973 with “American Band.”
Creedence Clearwater Revival scored their only UK #1 single with "Bad Moon Rising". They did not have a number one hit in the US.
Friday, September 19, 2008
Top 5 eBay Vinyl Record Sales
Week Ending 08/23/2008
1) LP - Bruce Springsteen "Born To Run" Test Pressing Script jacket - $3050.00
2) LP - Bent Jaedig "Jazzman 67" Danish Debut - $2,901.00
3) LP - Elvis Presley "Christmas Album" Sealed LOC-1035 - $2,650.00
4) LP - Elvis Presley "Aloha" Chicken Of The Sea Promo - $2,639.00
5) 45rpm - The Nothing "Scream 'N' Cry" / "Uniformz" Wide Awak Musik - $2,503.00
SOURCE: http://ccdiscoveries.blogspot.com/
1) LP - Bruce Springsteen "Born To Run" Test Pressing Script jacket - $3050.00
2) LP - Bent Jaedig "Jazzman 67" Danish Debut - $2,901.00
3) LP - Elvis Presley "Christmas Album" Sealed LOC-1035 - $2,650.00
4) LP - Elvis Presley "Aloha" Chicken Of The Sea Promo - $2,639.00
5) 45rpm - The Nothing "Scream 'N' Cry" / "Uniformz" Wide Awak Musik - $2,503.00
SOURCE: http://ccdiscoveries.blogspot.com/
Classic Rock Videos
This is the first of many classic rock vidoes, and I can't think of anyone better to start us off, but Little Richard!
Insound vinyl sales charging upward
Posted by peter
Want more evidence that vinyl is making a comeback? Look no further than to the online music retailer Insound.
The company's vinyl record sales have shot up in recent years.
"Oh, God, then it was tiny," says Insound president/founder Matt Wishnow. "When we first started, I mean, when we first started, the first six months, it was less than 5 percent. I would say even until as recently as two years ago, it was 15 to 20 percent. But, then about two years ago, maybe three years ago, when iTunes started really exploding, it was interesting. CDs started declining, but vinyl started growing at a much faster rate even than CDs were declining. So, it wasn't just about people not buying CDs and turning to vinyl; it was more that CDs were becoming less relevant. But, that as digital music became sort of the standard, that avid music fans were saying, 'You know what? The more people buy digital music, the more I kind of want to really celebrate music through vinyl.' So, it climbed from over 20 percent two years ago, and it's been steadily climbing ever since to the point where last month we were at 50 percent of our sales were vinyl."
While Insound deals mainly with today's current bumper crop of indie acts, the company also deals in classic-rock vinyl that stretches back to the '60s (check out Insound's current back to school vinyl sale). The new Brian Wilson LP is there.
Insound also sells turntables and other audio equipment.
Check them out here: http://www.insound.com/index.php?from=5141
Want more evidence that vinyl is making a comeback? Look no further than to the online music retailer Insound.
The company's vinyl record sales have shot up in recent years.
"Oh, God, then it was tiny," says Insound president/founder Matt Wishnow. "When we first started, I mean, when we first started, the first six months, it was less than 5 percent. I would say even until as recently as two years ago, it was 15 to 20 percent. But, then about two years ago, maybe three years ago, when iTunes started really exploding, it was interesting. CDs started declining, but vinyl started growing at a much faster rate even than CDs were declining. So, it wasn't just about people not buying CDs and turning to vinyl; it was more that CDs were becoming less relevant. But, that as digital music became sort of the standard, that avid music fans were saying, 'You know what? The more people buy digital music, the more I kind of want to really celebrate music through vinyl.' So, it climbed from over 20 percent two years ago, and it's been steadily climbing ever since to the point where last month we were at 50 percent of our sales were vinyl."
While Insound deals mainly with today's current bumper crop of indie acts, the company also deals in classic-rock vinyl that stretches back to the '60s (check out Insound's current back to school vinyl sale). The new Brian Wilson LP is there.
Insound also sells turntables and other audio equipment.
Check them out here: http://www.insound.com/index.php?from=5141
Album Cover Art
Let's continue our look at controversial album cover art as well as the weirdest, best and worst album covers as complied by the staff at Gigwise.com
Controversial
40. Poison: ‘Open Up And Say… Ahh’ Is the second studio album by American glam metal band Poison, released in 1988 through the Enigma label of Capitol Records. The album, which ultimately sold eight million copies worldwide, proved to be the band's most successful release. It spawned four hit singles, which are "Nothin' but a Good Time", "Your Mama Don't Dance", "Fallen Angel", and their only number one single to date, "Every Rose Has Its Thorn". The album is widely considered a classic in the glam metal genre. The original front cover of the album, which featured model "Bambi" dressed as a luminous red demon with a protruding tongue (similar to Gene Simmons of Kiss), caused controversy amongst church and parental groups. In previous U.S. releases, the album was released with a censored cover in which most of the model’s face was obscured. The 2006 remastered CD release features the original cover art. Boy a model with a large tongue really scares me!
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Weirdest
40. Led Zeppelin: 'Houses of the Holy' Houses of the Holy is the fifth album by English rock band Led Zeppelin released by Atlantic Records on 28 March 1973. The album title is a dedication by the band to their fans who appeared at venues they dubbed "Houses of the Holy." It was the first Led Zeppelin album to not be, at least unofficially, titled after the band. The album represents a turning point for the band, as they began to use more layering and production techniques in recording their songs.
Although Houses of the Holy initially received mixed reviews, it has since become regarded by critics as one of Led Zeppelin's best albums. The album produced the favorites "Over the Hills and Far Away", "Dancing Days", "The Song Remains the Same, "D'yer Mak'er", and "The Ocean", and it has sold over 11 million copies in the United States. In 2003, the album was ranked number 149 on Rolling Stone magazine's list of the 500 greatest albums of all time.
The cover art for Houses of the Holy was inspired by the ending of Arthur C. Clarke's novel Childhood's End. (The ending involves several hundred million naked children, only slightly and physically resembling the human race in basic forms). It is a collage of several photographs which were taken at the Giant's Causeway, Ireland, by Aubrey Powell of Hipgnosis. This location was chosen ahead of alternative one in Peru.
The two children who modelled for the cover were siblings Stefan and Samanatha Gates. The photoshoot was a frustrating affair over the course of ten days. Shooting was done first thing in the morning and at sunset in order to capture the light at dawn and dusk, but the desired effect was never achieved due to constant rain and clouds. The photos of the two children were taken in black and white and were multi-printed to create the effect of 11 nubiles that can be seen on the album cover. The results of the shoot were less than satisfactory, but some accidental tinting effects in post-production created an unexpectedly magical album cover. The inner sleeve photograph was taken at Dunluce Castle near to the Causeway.
Now, on my list, this is not a weird album cover, but in my top ten of the best of all-time. Different strokes for different folks as they say.
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Worst
40. Prince – ‘Dirty Mind’ Dirty Mind is the third album by Prince, released October 8, 1980. According to the New Rolling Stone Album Guide, "Dirty Mind remains one of the most radical 180-degree turns in pop history." With this album, Prince makes a decisive departure from his preceding more commercial album Prince. He seems keen to distance himself from the disco-ish light soul of "I Wanna Be Your Lover" and experiments with a New Wave-influenced, rock and roll sound. The title track, complete with a demo-like organ, is rich with punk sensibilities. The track "When You Were Mine" is full of bouncy guitar licks. However, it is the LP's second side (tracks 5-8) which gives the album its unique fusion sound and contains the tracks which were most controversial at the time, namely "Head" (a bawdy tale of Prince seducing a bride-to-be with oral sex) and "Sister" (a hyperdriven, punk-ish ode to incest clocking in at just 90 seconds). "Uptown" is the album's high point, with Prince singing about a utopian paradise where everyone is free to express themselves regardless of age, gender and skin color. This album was to set the scene emphatically for Prince's chart domination later in the 1980s. It fused black and white musical styles in a seamless fashion and showed that Prince was not afraid to push boundaries. In 2003, the album was ranked number 204 on Rolling Stone magazine's list of the 500 greatest albums of all time. On its list of Top 100 Albums of the 1980s, Pitchfork Media had Dirty Mind at 87. I rank it as one of the top ten worst, Gigwise is right on here.
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Best
40. The Groundhogs : ‘Split’ (March 1971) The Groundhogs were a British blues band founded in late 1963, which toured extensively in the 1960s and continued in existence sporadically to the present day. The band's blues credentials were recognised when they backed John Lee Hooker and Champion Jack Dupree on their 1960s tours of Britain. The line-up for their first album, Scratchin' the Surface, released in 1968, consisted of Tony McPhee as singer and guitarist, bassist Peter Cruickshank (born 2 July 1945, Calcutta, West Bengal, India), Ken Pustelnik on drums (born 13 March 1946, on a farm near Blairgowry, Angus, Scotland) and Steve Rye on harmonica. They remain one of the lesser known yet critically regarded bands of the late 1960s and early 1970s blues rock groups. Interesting psychedelic cover for those acid lovers.
Controversial
40. Poison: ‘Open Up And Say… Ahh’ Is the second studio album by American glam metal band Poison, released in 1988 through the Enigma label of Capitol Records. The album, which ultimately sold eight million copies worldwide, proved to be the band's most successful release. It spawned four hit singles, which are "Nothin' but a Good Time", "Your Mama Don't Dance", "Fallen Angel", and their only number one single to date, "Every Rose Has Its Thorn". The album is widely considered a classic in the glam metal genre. The original front cover of the album, which featured model "Bambi" dressed as a luminous red demon with a protruding tongue (similar to Gene Simmons of Kiss), caused controversy amongst church and parental groups. In previous U.S. releases, the album was released with a censored cover in which most of the model’s face was obscured. The 2006 remastered CD release features the original cover art. Boy a model with a large tongue really scares me!
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Weirdest
40. Led Zeppelin: 'Houses of the Holy' Houses of the Holy is the fifth album by English rock band Led Zeppelin released by Atlantic Records on 28 March 1973. The album title is a dedication by the band to their fans who appeared at venues they dubbed "Houses of the Holy." It was the first Led Zeppelin album to not be, at least unofficially, titled after the band. The album represents a turning point for the band, as they began to use more layering and production techniques in recording their songs.
Although Houses of the Holy initially received mixed reviews, it has since become regarded by critics as one of Led Zeppelin's best albums. The album produced the favorites "Over the Hills and Far Away", "Dancing Days", "The Song Remains the Same, "D'yer Mak'er", and "The Ocean", and it has sold over 11 million copies in the United States. In 2003, the album was ranked number 149 on Rolling Stone magazine's list of the 500 greatest albums of all time.
The cover art for Houses of the Holy was inspired by the ending of Arthur C. Clarke's novel Childhood's End. (The ending involves several hundred million naked children, only slightly and physically resembling the human race in basic forms). It is a collage of several photographs which were taken at the Giant's Causeway, Ireland, by Aubrey Powell of Hipgnosis. This location was chosen ahead of alternative one in Peru.
The two children who modelled for the cover were siblings Stefan and Samanatha Gates. The photoshoot was a frustrating affair over the course of ten days. Shooting was done first thing in the morning and at sunset in order to capture the light at dawn and dusk, but the desired effect was never achieved due to constant rain and clouds. The photos of the two children were taken in black and white and were multi-printed to create the effect of 11 nubiles that can be seen on the album cover. The results of the shoot were less than satisfactory, but some accidental tinting effects in post-production created an unexpectedly magical album cover. The inner sleeve photograph was taken at Dunluce Castle near to the Causeway.
Now, on my list, this is not a weird album cover, but in my top ten of the best of all-time. Different strokes for different folks as they say.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Worst
40. Prince – ‘Dirty Mind’ Dirty Mind is the third album by Prince, released October 8, 1980. According to the New Rolling Stone Album Guide, "Dirty Mind remains one of the most radical 180-degree turns in pop history." With this album, Prince makes a decisive departure from his preceding more commercial album Prince. He seems keen to distance himself from the disco-ish light soul of "I Wanna Be Your Lover" and experiments with a New Wave-influenced, rock and roll sound. The title track, complete with a demo-like organ, is rich with punk sensibilities. The track "When You Were Mine" is full of bouncy guitar licks. However, it is the LP's second side (tracks 5-8) which gives the album its unique fusion sound and contains the tracks which were most controversial at the time, namely "Head" (a bawdy tale of Prince seducing a bride-to-be with oral sex) and "Sister" (a hyperdriven, punk-ish ode to incest clocking in at just 90 seconds). "Uptown" is the album's high point, with Prince singing about a utopian paradise where everyone is free to express themselves regardless of age, gender and skin color. This album was to set the scene emphatically for Prince's chart domination later in the 1980s. It fused black and white musical styles in a seamless fashion and showed that Prince was not afraid to push boundaries. In 2003, the album was ranked number 204 on Rolling Stone magazine's list of the 500 greatest albums of all time. On its list of Top 100 Albums of the 1980s, Pitchfork Media had Dirty Mind at 87. I rank it as one of the top ten worst, Gigwise is right on here.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Best
40. The Groundhogs : ‘Split’ (March 1971) The Groundhogs were a British blues band founded in late 1963, which toured extensively in the 1960s and continued in existence sporadically to the present day. The band's blues credentials were recognised when they backed John Lee Hooker and Champion Jack Dupree on their 1960s tours of Britain. The line-up for their first album, Scratchin' the Surface, released in 1968, consisted of Tony McPhee as singer and guitarist, bassist Peter Cruickshank (born 2 July 1945, Calcutta, West Bengal, India), Ken Pustelnik on drums (born 13 March 1946, on a farm near Blairgowry, Angus, Scotland) and Steve Rye on harmonica. They remain one of the lesser known yet critically regarded bands of the late 1960s and early 1970s blues rock groups. Interesting psychedelic cover for those acid lovers.
Vinyl Collective Stock Update
My vinyl record buddy Virgil, over at www.vinylcollective has just updated his stock. If you are looking for colored and collectible vinyl, this is the place to go!
"Got quite a few restocks for you and at least for us we have a few newer varieties of certain records. Ones to pay close attention include the Gaslight dbl 7″s, Alkaline Trio, Coalesce, Hot Water Music, Latterman, I Hate Myself, This Bike is a Pipe Bomb, Bananas, F.Y.P, Mono, and lots more." - Virgil
A WILHELM SCREAM “Ruiner” LP purple
Against Me! “Cavalier Eternal” 7″ grey vinyl
Against Me! “Cavalier Eternal” 7″ purple vinyl
Alexisonfire “Crisis” LP IMPORT picture disc
ALEXISONFIRE / MONEEN “Switcheroo” split LP picture disc
ALEXISONFIRE/THE BLED split 7″ purple vinyl
ALKALINE TRIO - CRIMSON (COLORED VINYL) LP import red
BLINK 182 - THEY CAME TO CONQUER URANUS 7″
Bright Eyes “Motion Sick” 7″
BURNING BRIDES “Hang Love” dbl LP blue and purple vinyl
Chuck Ragan “Feast or Famine” LP grey vinyl
CHUCK RAGAN “Los Feliz” LP (Grey Marble vinyl)
Coalesce “Give Them Vol 2″ LP grey vinyl
Coalesce “Give Them Vol 2″ LP turquoise
Communique “Poison Arrows” LP
CRIMINALS “S/T” LP orange vinyl
DASHBOARD CONFESSIONAL Shade Of Poison LP Mustard vinyl
DEATH ó SYMBOLIC LP 180 gram
DEFIANCE OHIO “Share What Ya Got” LP brown vinyl
DEFIANCE OHIO “the fear the fear the fear” LP dark grey / black vinyl
DEFIANCE OHIO “The Great Depression” LP (grey vinyl)
DEFIANCE OHIO “The Great Depression” LP (pink/purple vinyl)
DEFIANCE OHIO “The Great Depression” LP (turquoise vinyl)
DETROIT COBRAS - TIED & TRUE LP orange vinyl
DWARVES “Way Out” 7″ picture disc
Floor “Dove” LP Green Vinyl
FYP “Extra Credit” 7″ clear pink vinyl
FYP “Made In USA” 7″
FYP “Toys That Kill” LP
GORE GORE GIRLS “Get The Gore” LP grey vinyl
Grabass Charlestons/Ergs split 7″ brownish vinyl
Grabass Charlestons/Ergs split 7″ green swirl vinyl
HOLD STEADY - STUCK BETWEEN STATIONS (1ST) 7″ import
HOLD STEADY - STUCK BETWEEN STATIONS (2ND) 7″ import
HOT ROD CIRCUIT - SORRY ABOUT TOMORROW LP
HOT WATER MUSIC “Caution” LP grey vinyl
HOT WATER MUSIC “Flight and a Crash” LP grey vinyl
HOT WATER MUSIC “Forever and Counting” LP reissue gold vinyl
HOT WATER MUSIC “Forever and Counting” LP reissue white vinyl
HOT WATER MUSIC “Fuel For the Hate Game” LP purple vinyl
HOT WATER MUSIC “Never Ender” LP purple vinyl
Hot Water Music “New What Next” LP grey vinyl
HOT WATER MUSIC “No Division” LP (blue vinyl)
HOT WATER MUSIC “No Division” LP (purple vinyl)
HOT WATER MUSIC “Till the Wheels Fall Off” 2xLP grey vinyl
I HATE MYSELF “Ten Songs” LP BURNT CLEAR vinyl
I HATE MYSELF “Ten Songs” LP purple vinyl
I SPY “Revenge Of The Little Sh*ts” 10″
LADYTRON “604″ dbl LP
LAGWAGON “Let’s Talk About Leftovers” dbl LP Y/R, Y/G splatter vinyl
LATTERMAN “We Are Still Alive” LP black and white vinyl
LATTERMAN “We Are Still Alive” LP purple vinyl
LATTERMAN “We Are Still Alive” LP red vinyl
LIFETIME “Lifetime” LP reissue white vinyl
Lucero ìAttic Tapesî LP + 7″
MONO “Memorial Dal Futoro” 10″ grey vinyl
NEW MEXICAN DISASTER SQUAD “Don’t Believe” LP grey
NEW YORK DOLLS ìOne Day It Will Please Us To Rememberî 2xLP
Of Montreal ìHissing Fauna, Are You The Destroyer?î 3LP
Of Montreal ìSatanic Panic In The Atticî LP
OFF WITH THEIR HEADS / DEAR LANDLORD†split 7″ black/grey marble vinyl
PELICAN - CITY OF ECHOES (180 GR) LP clear light blue
PLANES MISTAKEN FOR STARS “Mercy” LP (grey vinyl)
PLANES MISTAKEN FOR STARS “We Ride to Fight” dbl LP red vinyl
RADON “Metric Buttloads of Rock” LP Yellow vinyl
Rehasher “Off Key Melodies” LP pink vinyl
Rehasher “Off Key Melodies” LP yellow vinyl
RISE AGAINST ìSUFFERER AND THE WITNESSî LP
RIVERBOAT GAMBLERS “To the Confusion of Our Enemies” LP
RUMBLESEAT “Is Dead” LP berry mix vinyl
RYAN ADAMS & THE CARDINALS “Easy Tiger” LP orange vinyl
RYAN ADAMS “DEMOLITION” LP
RYAN ADAMS & THE CARDINALS “Jacksonville City Nights” dbl LP
RYAN ADAMS ìHeartbreakerî LP
SAVES THE DAY - STAY WHAT YOU ARE LP
SCOUTS HONOR ìI Am The Dustî LP
THE ARRIVALS “Marvels of Industry” LP
THE BANANAS “A Slippery Subject” LP
THE BANANAS “Forbidden Fruit” LP
THE DRAFT “Devil in the Shade” / “Na Na Na” 7″
THE DRAFT “In a Million Pieces” LP berry vinyl
THE DRAFT “Stop Wastin’ My Time” / “Up All Night” 7″ grey
THE GASLIGHT ANTHEM “Senor and the Queen” 2×7″ clear vinyl
THE QUEERS “Love Songs for the Retarded” LP colored vinyl
THIS BIKE IS A PIPE BOMB “Front Seat Solidarity” LP turquoise vinyl
This is My Fist “History of Rats” LP Pink vinyl
THIS IS MY FIST / FIFTH HOUR HERO†split 7″ Grey vinyl
V/A Read Army Hot Water Music, Avail, Weakerthans 7″ green vinyl
YOUNG LIVERS “The New Drop Era” LP purple vinyl
"Got quite a few restocks for you and at least for us we have a few newer varieties of certain records. Ones to pay close attention include the Gaslight dbl 7″s, Alkaline Trio, Coalesce, Hot Water Music, Latterman, I Hate Myself, This Bike is a Pipe Bomb, Bananas, F.Y.P, Mono, and lots more." - Virgil
A WILHELM SCREAM “Ruiner” LP purple
Against Me! “Cavalier Eternal” 7″ grey vinyl
Against Me! “Cavalier Eternal” 7″ purple vinyl
Alexisonfire “Crisis” LP IMPORT picture disc
ALEXISONFIRE / MONEEN “Switcheroo” split LP picture disc
ALEXISONFIRE/THE BLED split 7″ purple vinyl
ALKALINE TRIO - CRIMSON (COLORED VINYL) LP import red
BLINK 182 - THEY CAME TO CONQUER URANUS 7″
Bright Eyes “Motion Sick” 7″
BURNING BRIDES “Hang Love” dbl LP blue and purple vinyl
Chuck Ragan “Feast or Famine” LP grey vinyl
CHUCK RAGAN “Los Feliz” LP (Grey Marble vinyl)
Coalesce “Give Them Vol 2″ LP grey vinyl
Coalesce “Give Them Vol 2″ LP turquoise
Communique “Poison Arrows” LP
CRIMINALS “S/T” LP orange vinyl
DASHBOARD CONFESSIONAL Shade Of Poison LP Mustard vinyl
DEATH ó SYMBOLIC LP 180 gram
DEFIANCE OHIO “Share What Ya Got” LP brown vinyl
DEFIANCE OHIO “the fear the fear the fear” LP dark grey / black vinyl
DEFIANCE OHIO “The Great Depression” LP (grey vinyl)
DEFIANCE OHIO “The Great Depression” LP (pink/purple vinyl)
DEFIANCE OHIO “The Great Depression” LP (turquoise vinyl)
DETROIT COBRAS - TIED & TRUE LP orange vinyl
DWARVES “Way Out” 7″ picture disc
Floor “Dove” LP Green Vinyl
FYP “Extra Credit” 7″ clear pink vinyl
FYP “Made In USA” 7″
FYP “Toys That Kill” LP
GORE GORE GIRLS “Get The Gore” LP grey vinyl
Grabass Charlestons/Ergs split 7″ brownish vinyl
Grabass Charlestons/Ergs split 7″ green swirl vinyl
HOLD STEADY - STUCK BETWEEN STATIONS (1ST) 7″ import
HOLD STEADY - STUCK BETWEEN STATIONS (2ND) 7″ import
HOT ROD CIRCUIT - SORRY ABOUT TOMORROW LP
HOT WATER MUSIC “Caution” LP grey vinyl
HOT WATER MUSIC “Flight and a Crash” LP grey vinyl
HOT WATER MUSIC “Forever and Counting” LP reissue gold vinyl
HOT WATER MUSIC “Forever and Counting” LP reissue white vinyl
HOT WATER MUSIC “Fuel For the Hate Game” LP purple vinyl
HOT WATER MUSIC “Never Ender” LP purple vinyl
Hot Water Music “New What Next” LP grey vinyl
HOT WATER MUSIC “No Division” LP (blue vinyl)
HOT WATER MUSIC “No Division” LP (purple vinyl)
HOT WATER MUSIC “Till the Wheels Fall Off” 2xLP grey vinyl
I HATE MYSELF “Ten Songs” LP BURNT CLEAR vinyl
I HATE MYSELF “Ten Songs” LP purple vinyl
I SPY “Revenge Of The Little Sh*ts” 10″
LADYTRON “604″ dbl LP
LAGWAGON “Let’s Talk About Leftovers” dbl LP Y/R, Y/G splatter vinyl
LATTERMAN “We Are Still Alive” LP black and white vinyl
LATTERMAN “We Are Still Alive” LP purple vinyl
LATTERMAN “We Are Still Alive” LP red vinyl
LIFETIME “Lifetime” LP reissue white vinyl
Lucero ìAttic Tapesî LP + 7″
MONO “Memorial Dal Futoro” 10″ grey vinyl
NEW MEXICAN DISASTER SQUAD “Don’t Believe” LP grey
NEW YORK DOLLS ìOne Day It Will Please Us To Rememberî 2xLP
Of Montreal ìHissing Fauna, Are You The Destroyer?î 3LP
Of Montreal ìSatanic Panic In The Atticî LP
OFF WITH THEIR HEADS / DEAR LANDLORD†split 7″ black/grey marble vinyl
PELICAN - CITY OF ECHOES (180 GR) LP clear light blue
PLANES MISTAKEN FOR STARS “Mercy” LP (grey vinyl)
PLANES MISTAKEN FOR STARS “We Ride to Fight” dbl LP red vinyl
RADON “Metric Buttloads of Rock” LP Yellow vinyl
Rehasher “Off Key Melodies” LP pink vinyl
Rehasher “Off Key Melodies” LP yellow vinyl
RISE AGAINST ìSUFFERER AND THE WITNESSî LP
RIVERBOAT GAMBLERS “To the Confusion of Our Enemies” LP
RUMBLESEAT “Is Dead” LP berry mix vinyl
RYAN ADAMS & THE CARDINALS “Easy Tiger” LP orange vinyl
RYAN ADAMS “DEMOLITION” LP
RYAN ADAMS & THE CARDINALS “Jacksonville City Nights” dbl LP
RYAN ADAMS ìHeartbreakerî LP
SAVES THE DAY - STAY WHAT YOU ARE LP
SCOUTS HONOR ìI Am The Dustî LP
THE ARRIVALS “Marvels of Industry” LP
THE BANANAS “A Slippery Subject” LP
THE BANANAS “Forbidden Fruit” LP
THE DRAFT “Devil in the Shade” / “Na Na Na” 7″
THE DRAFT “In a Million Pieces” LP berry vinyl
THE DRAFT “Stop Wastin’ My Time” / “Up All Night” 7″ grey
THE GASLIGHT ANTHEM “Senor and the Queen” 2×7″ clear vinyl
THE QUEERS “Love Songs for the Retarded” LP colored vinyl
THIS BIKE IS A PIPE BOMB “Front Seat Solidarity” LP turquoise vinyl
This is My Fist “History of Rats” LP Pink vinyl
THIS IS MY FIST / FIFTH HOUR HERO†split 7″ Grey vinyl
V/A Read Army Hot Water Music, Avail, Weakerthans 7″ green vinyl
YOUNG LIVERS “The New Drop Era” LP purple vinyl
Thursday, September 18, 2008
The Dead, Allmans To Rock For Obama
The Dead and the Allman Brothers Band have signed for a Barack Obama fundraising concert, to be held Oct. 13 at Bryce-Jordan Center in State College, Pa. Tickets go on sale tomorrow (Sept. 19).
"We're all deeply into this, into Barack Obama and the thought of taking this country back in some shape or form, what's left of it -- it's probably one thing we can all agree on," Dead drummer Mickey Hart told Billboard.com in July. The group reunited in February for a similar Obama fundraiser in San Francisco.
The Pennsylvania Campaign for Change is sponsoring the show and its related voter outreach campaign.
Now Obama will get all the old hippie votes :O)
"We're all deeply into this, into Barack Obama and the thought of taking this country back in some shape or form, what's left of it -- it's probably one thing we can all agree on," Dead drummer Mickey Hart told Billboard.com in July. The group reunited in February for a similar Obama fundraiser in San Francisco.
The Pennsylvania Campaign for Change is sponsoring the show and its related voter outreach campaign.
Now Obama will get all the old hippie votes :O)
Farm Aid to help farmers hurt by Ike, Gustav
Thu Sep 18, 6:07 PM ET
SOMERVILLE, Mass. - Farm Aid founder Willie Nelson says the organization will give $30,000 to groups that help family farmers in areas of Texas and Louisiana hit hardest by Hurricanes Ike and Gustav.
Nelson, a native Texan, announced the grants Thursday. They include $7,500 each to the Lutheran Social Services of the South, the Southern Mutual Help Association, the Louisiana Interchurch Conference and the Federation of Southern Cooperatives.
Somerville-based Farm Aid says more money will be distributed as the extent of the hurricane damage becomes clearer.
Farm Aid, the nation's longest-running benefit concert, has raised more than $30 million since its first show in 1985.
The concert will be held in New England for the first time on Sept. 20.
To Help or For More Information:
http://www.farmaid.org/disasterfund
SOMERVILLE, Mass. - Farm Aid founder Willie Nelson says the organization will give $30,000 to groups that help family farmers in areas of Texas and Louisiana hit hardest by Hurricanes Ike and Gustav.
Nelson, a native Texan, announced the grants Thursday. They include $7,500 each to the Lutheran Social Services of the South, the Southern Mutual Help Association, the Louisiana Interchurch Conference and the Federation of Southern Cooperatives.
Somerville-based Farm Aid says more money will be distributed as the extent of the hurricane damage becomes clearer.
Farm Aid, the nation's longest-running benefit concert, has raised more than $30 million since its first show in 1985.
The concert will be held in New England for the first time on Sept. 20.
To Help or For More Information:
http://www.farmaid.org/disasterfund
Checker's "Twist" tops all-time singles chart
NEW YORK (Billboard) - The 50th-anniversary Hot 100 Song chart is based on actual performance on the weekly Billboard Hot 100 since the singles chart's inception in August 1958 through July of this year.
Songs are ranked based on an inverse point system, with weeks at No. 1 earning the greatest value and weeks at No. 100 earning the least.
To ensure equitable representation of the biggest hits from all 50 years, earlier time frames were each weighted to compensate for the differences in the faster turnover rates from those earlier decades, compared with the slower churn the Hot 100 has experienced since the advent of Nielsen Music data.
Here are the top 10 singles on Billboard's 50th-anniversary Hot 100.
1: THE TWIST (CHUBBY CHECKER)
Label: Parkway / Peak Date: 9/19/60 and 1/13/62 / Peak Position: 1 (1 week) and 1 (2 weeks)
"I resurrected a corpse" is how Chubby Checker feels about recording "The Twist" in the early summer of 1960. And Frankenstein's monster had nothing on his achievement.
"The Twist" is the only song in the history of the Billboard Hot 100 to enjoy two separate chart runs to No. 1: September 19, 1960 (one week), and, after an October 1961 appearance on "The Ed Sullivan Show," January 13, 1962 (two weeks). It also set a record for the most weeks (39) on the Hot 100 by a No. 1 song -- which held until UB40's "Red Red Wine" lasted 40 weeks in 1988. Others since have surpassed the mark.
"'The Twist' brought the world dancing apart (to) the beat," says Checker, now 66, who was born Ernest Evans in South Carolina before moving to Philadelphia. "Then came all our dances -- the Pony, the Mashed Potato, the Fly, the Hucklebuck -- all dancing apart to the beat. Chubby gave us that. How did he do it? With 'The Twist."'
Forty-eight years later, however, Checker fesses up to being a reluctant savior for the song. "The Twist" first came out as the B-side of Hank Ballard & the Midnighters' 1959 single "Teardrops on Your Letter." DJs largely ignored "The Twist," but inner-city youth who had flipped the disc began doing a hip-wiggling dance to the track, which did not go unnoticed by "American Bandstand" host Dick Clark. When he couldn't get Danny & the Juniors to record a version of the song, Clark went to Philadelphia's Cameo-Parkway label and suggested that Checker take it on. Checker had recorded "The Class" for him in 1958 as a holiday single to send to friends.
"I said I didn't want to sing that song," Checker remembers. "It had been out already. Nobody was playing it. But I wanted to make records, and so when they said, 'Come up here and sing "The Twist,"' I said, 'OK."'
"The Twist" was the gift that kept on giving: Five more of Checker's 32 Hot 100 entries mined the dance. He even joined the Fat Boys for "The Twist (Yo, Twist)," which hit No. 16 in 1988.
2: SMOOTH (SANTANA FEATURING ROB THOMAS)
Label: Arista / Peak Date: 10/23/99 / Peak Position: 1 (12)
Exactly 30 years before Santana reached No. 1 with "Smooth," his eponymous band made its first appearance on the Hot 100 with "Jingo." It wasn't an auspicious debut, peaking at No. 56. But if you had told Carlos Santana back then that he would have the biggest hit of his career 30 years later to the week, do you think he would have believed you? Probably not. Co-written by Itaal Shur and Matchbox Twenty's Rob Thomas, "Smooth" introduced Santana's smash album "Supernatural" and became one of the biggest radio monsters of the decade, spending 12 weeks at No. 1.
3: MACK THE KNIFE (BOBBY DARIN)
Label: Atco / Peak Date: 10/5/59 / Peak Position: 1 (9)
In 1958, "Splish Splash" put 22-year-old Bobby Darin on the map, and three more hits in quick succession cemented his teen appeal. But the furiously ambitious Darin wanted the longevity promised by singing in supper clubs, appealing to Frank Sinatra's audience. "In night clubs I lean to other things. I even do 'Mack the Knife' from 'The Threepenny Opera,"' Darin told Billboard at the time. He recorded "Mack" for his standards album "That's All," produced by Ahmet and Nesuhi Ertegun and Jerry Wexler for Atlantic's Atco imprint. It won the Grammy for record of the year as well as a slightly belated nod for Darin as best new artist.
4: HOW DO I LIVE (LEANN RIMES)
Label: Curb / Peak Date: 12/13/97 / Peak Position: 2
LeAnn Rimes' second Hot 100 entry, after the 1996 No. 26-peaking "Blue," stands as the longest-running Hot 100 title of all time, charting for 69 weeks total between June 1997 and October 1998. The song, recorded when Rimes was only 14, even outlasted two of her follow-up releases on the chart. It also led the Adult Contemporary chart for 11 weeks and has gone on to sell 3.5 million physical singles. On the digital front, it routinely shifts more than 1,000 units per week, for a total to date in excess of 203,000. "It's just one of those songs that lives on in everyone's life," Rimes says today.
5: MACARENA (BAYSIDE BOYS MIX) (LOS DEL RIO)
Label: RCA / Peak Date: 8/3/96 / Peak Position: 1 (14)
This flamenco-flavored party song and accompanying silly dance by two middle-age men named Antonio Romero and Rey Ruiz was a hit in Spain in 1993, and "Macarena" was a favorite on cruise ships before docking in Miami's South Beach clubs by mid-decade, first appearing on the charts in 1995. But the bilingual Bayside Boys Mix of the song exploded on radio, spending 14 weeks at No. 1 on the Hot 100 in 1996 and reaching the top several weeks before it was used to introduce -- and provide a punch line for -- Al Gore's speech at that year's Democratic National Convention. Los Del Rio's early version eventually returned to the chart, peaking at No. 23 and spending 21 weeks on the tally.
6: PHYSICAL (OLIVIA NEWTON-JOHN)
Label: MCA / Peak Date: 11/21/81 / Peak Position: 1 (10)
Olivia Newton-John was weary of the sweet love songs that had defined her career for more than a decade. With longtime producer John Farrar, she decided to up the tempo for the title track of 1981's "Physical." The song also stirred up controversy for its lyrical nod to sexual intimacy, ultimately fueling a 10-week stay atop the Hot 100 to become Newton-John's biggest career hit. It had immense crossover appeal, scoring on the pop, adult contemporary, club play and black charts. After all was said and done, "Physical" was the No. 1 song of 1982.
7: YOU LIGHT UP MY LIFE (DEBBY BOONE)
Label: Warner Bros./Curb / Peak Date: 10/15/77 / Peak Position: 1 (10)
Pat Boone's four daughters tried for years to forge a music career as the Boone Sisters, with no luck. Label honcho Mike Curb was determined to launch lead Debby as a solo artist and found the ideal song at a screening of the movie "You Light Up My Life." Curb borrowed the instrumental track and had Boone's vocal recorded over it. His instincts were right on: "Light" remained at No. 1 on the Hot 100 for 10 weeks beginning in October 1977, a record at the time for a female artist, and won an Academy Award for best original song and a Grammy Award for Boone as best new artist.
8: HEY JUDE (THE BEATLES)
Label: Apple / Peak Date: 9/28/68 / Peak Position: 1 (9)
The first single the Beatles released on their Apple Records label, "Hey Jude," was written in 1968 by Paul McCartney to comfort John Lennon's son Julian during the divorce of his parents. "I started with the idea, 'Hey Jules,' which was, 'Julian, don't make it bad, take a sad song and make it better,"' McCartney told biographer Barry Miles. "Hey Jude" entered the Hot 100 for the week ending September 14, 1968, at No. 10 and rose to No. 1 two weeks later. It held the top spot for nine weeks, making it the most successful hit of the band's career. It remains a staple of McCartney's live shows to this day.
9: WE BELONG TOGETHER (MARIAH CAREY)
Label: Island/IDJMG / Peak Date: 6/4/05 / Peak Position: 1 (14)
Early in the decade, Mariah Carey experienced a prolonged dry spell of hits that coincided with some bizarre public appearances, a film flop and a disastrous $80 million deal with Virgin. But she regrouped spectacularly on Island Def Jam with "The Emancipation of Mimi." "We Belong Together," the album's monster second single, was produced by Jermaine Dupri. It spent 14 weeks at No. 1 and helped the album shift 5.9 million copies, according to Nielsen SoundScan. "I prayed to get through everything I got through, and I prayed for this record to be really good and really strong and for me to be proud of it," she told Billboard in 2005. "God always answers my prayers." Carey now has 18 No. 1 Hot 100 hits, second only to the Beatles' all-time record of 20.
10: UN-BREAK MY HEART (TONI BRAXTON)
Label: LaFace/Arista / Peak Date: 12/7/96 / Peak Position: 1 (11)
Three years after winning the 1993 best new artist Grammy Award, Toni Braxton released her second consecutive multiplatinum album, "Secrets." The follow-up to her self-titled LaFace Records debut spun off the preacher's daughter's first Hot 100 No. 1 ("You're Makin' Me High") and this, the biggest hit of her career. The song -- written by Diane Warren, produced by David Foster and rendered in Braxton's distinctive, husky alto -- spent 11 weeks at No. 1 on the Hot 100. A "Diva Mix" of the track, inspired by her show-opening performance at the 1996 Billboard Music Awards, spread "Heart" to overseas success as well.
Reuters/Billboard
Songs are ranked based on an inverse point system, with weeks at No. 1 earning the greatest value and weeks at No. 100 earning the least.
To ensure equitable representation of the biggest hits from all 50 years, earlier time frames were each weighted to compensate for the differences in the faster turnover rates from those earlier decades, compared with the slower churn the Hot 100 has experienced since the advent of Nielsen Music data.
Here are the top 10 singles on Billboard's 50th-anniversary Hot 100.
1: THE TWIST (CHUBBY CHECKER)
Label: Parkway / Peak Date: 9/19/60 and 1/13/62 / Peak Position: 1 (1 week) and 1 (2 weeks)
"I resurrected a corpse" is how Chubby Checker feels about recording "The Twist" in the early summer of 1960. And Frankenstein's monster had nothing on his achievement.
"The Twist" is the only song in the history of the Billboard Hot 100 to enjoy two separate chart runs to No. 1: September 19, 1960 (one week), and, after an October 1961 appearance on "The Ed Sullivan Show," January 13, 1962 (two weeks). It also set a record for the most weeks (39) on the Hot 100 by a No. 1 song -- which held until UB40's "Red Red Wine" lasted 40 weeks in 1988. Others since have surpassed the mark.
"'The Twist' brought the world dancing apart (to) the beat," says Checker, now 66, who was born Ernest Evans in South Carolina before moving to Philadelphia. "Then came all our dances -- the Pony, the Mashed Potato, the Fly, the Hucklebuck -- all dancing apart to the beat. Chubby gave us that. How did he do it? With 'The Twist."'
Forty-eight years later, however, Checker fesses up to being a reluctant savior for the song. "The Twist" first came out as the B-side of Hank Ballard & the Midnighters' 1959 single "Teardrops on Your Letter." DJs largely ignored "The Twist," but inner-city youth who had flipped the disc began doing a hip-wiggling dance to the track, which did not go unnoticed by "American Bandstand" host Dick Clark. When he couldn't get Danny & the Juniors to record a version of the song, Clark went to Philadelphia's Cameo-Parkway label and suggested that Checker take it on. Checker had recorded "The Class" for him in 1958 as a holiday single to send to friends.
"I said I didn't want to sing that song," Checker remembers. "It had been out already. Nobody was playing it. But I wanted to make records, and so when they said, 'Come up here and sing "The Twist,"' I said, 'OK."'
"The Twist" was the gift that kept on giving: Five more of Checker's 32 Hot 100 entries mined the dance. He even joined the Fat Boys for "The Twist (Yo, Twist)," which hit No. 16 in 1988.
2: SMOOTH (SANTANA FEATURING ROB THOMAS)
Label: Arista / Peak Date: 10/23/99 / Peak Position: 1 (12)
Exactly 30 years before Santana reached No. 1 with "Smooth," his eponymous band made its first appearance on the Hot 100 with "Jingo." It wasn't an auspicious debut, peaking at No. 56. But if you had told Carlos Santana back then that he would have the biggest hit of his career 30 years later to the week, do you think he would have believed you? Probably not. Co-written by Itaal Shur and Matchbox Twenty's Rob Thomas, "Smooth" introduced Santana's smash album "Supernatural" and became one of the biggest radio monsters of the decade, spending 12 weeks at No. 1.
3: MACK THE KNIFE (BOBBY DARIN)
Label: Atco / Peak Date: 10/5/59 / Peak Position: 1 (9)
In 1958, "Splish Splash" put 22-year-old Bobby Darin on the map, and three more hits in quick succession cemented his teen appeal. But the furiously ambitious Darin wanted the longevity promised by singing in supper clubs, appealing to Frank Sinatra's audience. "In night clubs I lean to other things. I even do 'Mack the Knife' from 'The Threepenny Opera,"' Darin told Billboard at the time. He recorded "Mack" for his standards album "That's All," produced by Ahmet and Nesuhi Ertegun and Jerry Wexler for Atlantic's Atco imprint. It won the Grammy for record of the year as well as a slightly belated nod for Darin as best new artist.
4: HOW DO I LIVE (LEANN RIMES)
Label: Curb / Peak Date: 12/13/97 / Peak Position: 2
LeAnn Rimes' second Hot 100 entry, after the 1996 No. 26-peaking "Blue," stands as the longest-running Hot 100 title of all time, charting for 69 weeks total between June 1997 and October 1998. The song, recorded when Rimes was only 14, even outlasted two of her follow-up releases on the chart. It also led the Adult Contemporary chart for 11 weeks and has gone on to sell 3.5 million physical singles. On the digital front, it routinely shifts more than 1,000 units per week, for a total to date in excess of 203,000. "It's just one of those songs that lives on in everyone's life," Rimes says today.
5: MACARENA (BAYSIDE BOYS MIX) (LOS DEL RIO)
Label: RCA / Peak Date: 8/3/96 / Peak Position: 1 (14)
This flamenco-flavored party song and accompanying silly dance by two middle-age men named Antonio Romero and Rey Ruiz was a hit in Spain in 1993, and "Macarena" was a favorite on cruise ships before docking in Miami's South Beach clubs by mid-decade, first appearing on the charts in 1995. But the bilingual Bayside Boys Mix of the song exploded on radio, spending 14 weeks at No. 1 on the Hot 100 in 1996 and reaching the top several weeks before it was used to introduce -- and provide a punch line for -- Al Gore's speech at that year's Democratic National Convention. Los Del Rio's early version eventually returned to the chart, peaking at No. 23 and spending 21 weeks on the tally.
6: PHYSICAL (OLIVIA NEWTON-JOHN)
Label: MCA / Peak Date: 11/21/81 / Peak Position: 1 (10)
Olivia Newton-John was weary of the sweet love songs that had defined her career for more than a decade. With longtime producer John Farrar, she decided to up the tempo for the title track of 1981's "Physical." The song also stirred up controversy for its lyrical nod to sexual intimacy, ultimately fueling a 10-week stay atop the Hot 100 to become Newton-John's biggest career hit. It had immense crossover appeal, scoring on the pop, adult contemporary, club play and black charts. After all was said and done, "Physical" was the No. 1 song of 1982.
7: YOU LIGHT UP MY LIFE (DEBBY BOONE)
Label: Warner Bros./Curb / Peak Date: 10/15/77 / Peak Position: 1 (10)
Pat Boone's four daughters tried for years to forge a music career as the Boone Sisters, with no luck. Label honcho Mike Curb was determined to launch lead Debby as a solo artist and found the ideal song at a screening of the movie "You Light Up My Life." Curb borrowed the instrumental track and had Boone's vocal recorded over it. His instincts were right on: "Light" remained at No. 1 on the Hot 100 for 10 weeks beginning in October 1977, a record at the time for a female artist, and won an Academy Award for best original song and a Grammy Award for Boone as best new artist.
8: HEY JUDE (THE BEATLES)
Label: Apple / Peak Date: 9/28/68 / Peak Position: 1 (9)
The first single the Beatles released on their Apple Records label, "Hey Jude," was written in 1968 by Paul McCartney to comfort John Lennon's son Julian during the divorce of his parents. "I started with the idea, 'Hey Jules,' which was, 'Julian, don't make it bad, take a sad song and make it better,"' McCartney told biographer Barry Miles. "Hey Jude" entered the Hot 100 for the week ending September 14, 1968, at No. 10 and rose to No. 1 two weeks later. It held the top spot for nine weeks, making it the most successful hit of the band's career. It remains a staple of McCartney's live shows to this day.
9: WE BELONG TOGETHER (MARIAH CAREY)
Label: Island/IDJMG / Peak Date: 6/4/05 / Peak Position: 1 (14)
Early in the decade, Mariah Carey experienced a prolonged dry spell of hits that coincided with some bizarre public appearances, a film flop and a disastrous $80 million deal with Virgin. But she regrouped spectacularly on Island Def Jam with "The Emancipation of Mimi." "We Belong Together," the album's monster second single, was produced by Jermaine Dupri. It spent 14 weeks at No. 1 and helped the album shift 5.9 million copies, according to Nielsen SoundScan. "I prayed to get through everything I got through, and I prayed for this record to be really good and really strong and for me to be proud of it," she told Billboard in 2005. "God always answers my prayers." Carey now has 18 No. 1 Hot 100 hits, second only to the Beatles' all-time record of 20.
10: UN-BREAK MY HEART (TONI BRAXTON)
Label: LaFace/Arista / Peak Date: 12/7/96 / Peak Position: 1 (11)
Three years after winning the 1993 best new artist Grammy Award, Toni Braxton released her second consecutive multiplatinum album, "Secrets." The follow-up to her self-titled LaFace Records debut spun off the preacher's daughter's first Hot 100 No. 1 ("You're Makin' Me High") and this, the biggest hit of her career. The song -- written by Diane Warren, produced by David Foster and rendered in Braxton's distinctive, husky alto -- spent 11 weeks at No. 1 on the Hot 100. A "Diva Mix" of the track, inspired by her show-opening performance at the 1996 Billboard Music Awards, spread "Heart" to overseas success as well.
Reuters/Billboard
Album Cover Art
Let's continue our album cover art series-the top 50 controversial, weirdest, worst and best album covers, brought to us by the crack staff at http://www.gigwise.com
Controversial
41. The Rolling Stones: ‘Beggars Banquet’ Beggars Banquet is an LP released in 1968 by The Rolling Stones. It marked a return to the band's R&B roots, generally viewed as simpler and more primal than the conspicuous psychedelics of Their Satanic Majesties Request. The album is featured in the book "1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die". The controversary was the picture of the toilet and the gaffiti laced walls. The cover was rejected by both Decca and London Records due to its inappropriate imagery. In a show of defiance, Jagger and the band withheld the album for several months before finally relenting and allowing a replacement to be printed. Hey, I have been in that bathroom!
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Weirdest
41. Debbie Harry: 'Koo Koo' -Koo Koo is the title of the debut solo album by Debbie Harry, released in August 1981 while Harry was still a member of the group Blondie. Produced by Nile Rodgers and Bernard Edwards of the 70's disco group Chic, it reached #6 in the UK and stayed in the charts for seven weeks, being certified "Silver" by the BPI. The album reached #28 in the US. For the promotion of Koo Koo there were plans by Harry's record company, Chrysalis Records, to display large posters of the album cover created by Swiss artist H.R. Giger in various stations of the London Underground, but officials deemed the image of Harry's face with metal skewers going through her head too disturbing. In Japan the "Backfired" single was issued with an entirely different picture sleeve, showing a glamorous and most importantly non-provocative Debbie Harry looking more like her established Blondie persona.
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Worst
41. Ice T (Iceberg) Tracy Lauren Marrow (born February 16, 1958 in Newark, New Jersey) better known by his stage name, Ice-T, is a rapper, actor, and author. He is credited with helping create gangsta rap in the late 1980s. A compelling 'nude' album cover also helped fuel sales and its share of controversary as well. Ice-T threw listeners quite a curve ball with his riveting third album, The Iceberg/Freedom of Speech...Just Watch What You Say -- arguably the closest hip-hop has come to George Orwell's -1984. Instead of focusing heavily on gangsta rap, Ice-T made First Amendment issues the CD's dominant theme. Setting the album's tone is the opener, "Shut Up, Be Happy," which finds guest Jello Biafra (former leader of punk band Dead Kennedys) envisioning an Orwellian America in which the government controls and dominates every aspect of its citizens' lives. Though there are a few examples of first-rate gangsta rap here -- including "The Hunted Child" and the chilling "Peel Their Caps Back" -- Ice's main concern this time is censorship and what he views as a widespread attack on free speech in the U.S. As angry and lyrically intense as most of The Iceberg is, Ice enjoys fun for its own sake on "My Word Is Bond" and "The Girl Tried to Kill Me" -- an insanely funny rap-rock account of an encounter with a dominatrix. ~ Alex Henderson, All Music Guide
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Best
41. Pixies: ‘Surfer Rosa’ Surfer Rosa is the first full-length album by the American alternative rock band Pixies, released in March 1988 on the British independent record label 4AD. The album's unusual and offbeat subject matter includes references to mutilation and voyeurism; this is augmented by experimental recording, low-fidelity production and a unique drum sound that owes much to sound engineer Steve Albini. Surfer Rosa contains many of the themes present in the Pixies' earlier output, including Spanish lyrics and references to Puerto Rico. Surfer Rosa's cover features a photograph of a topless "friend of a friend" of the band, posing as a flamenco dancer, pitched against a wall which displays a crucifix and a torn poster. Simon Larbalestier, who contributed pictures to all of the Pixies albums, decided to build the set because "we couldn't find the atmosphere we wanted naturally." According to Larbalestier, Francis came up with the idea for the cover as he wrote songs in his father's "topless Spanish bar"; Larbalestier added the crucifix and torn poster, and they "sort of loaded that with all the Catholicism." Commenting on the cover in 2005, Francis said, "I just hope people find it tasteful." The cover booklet expands on the theme, and features photographs of the flamenco dancer in several other poses; there are no song lyrics or written content, apart from album credits, in the booklet.
Controversial
41. The Rolling Stones: ‘Beggars Banquet’ Beggars Banquet is an LP released in 1968 by The Rolling Stones. It marked a return to the band's R&B roots, generally viewed as simpler and more primal than the conspicuous psychedelics of Their Satanic Majesties Request. The album is featured in the book "1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die". The controversary was the picture of the toilet and the gaffiti laced walls. The cover was rejected by both Decca and London Records due to its inappropriate imagery. In a show of defiance, Jagger and the band withheld the album for several months before finally relenting and allowing a replacement to be printed. Hey, I have been in that bathroom!
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Weirdest
41. Debbie Harry: 'Koo Koo' -Koo Koo is the title of the debut solo album by Debbie Harry, released in August 1981 while Harry was still a member of the group Blondie. Produced by Nile Rodgers and Bernard Edwards of the 70's disco group Chic, it reached #6 in the UK and stayed in the charts for seven weeks, being certified "Silver" by the BPI. The album reached #28 in the US. For the promotion of Koo Koo there were plans by Harry's record company, Chrysalis Records, to display large posters of the album cover created by Swiss artist H.R. Giger in various stations of the London Underground, but officials deemed the image of Harry's face with metal skewers going through her head too disturbing. In Japan the "Backfired" single was issued with an entirely different picture sleeve, showing a glamorous and most importantly non-provocative Debbie Harry looking more like her established Blondie persona.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Worst
41. Ice T (Iceberg) Tracy Lauren Marrow (born February 16, 1958 in Newark, New Jersey) better known by his stage name, Ice-T, is a rapper, actor, and author. He is credited with helping create gangsta rap in the late 1980s. A compelling 'nude' album cover also helped fuel sales and its share of controversary as well. Ice-T threw listeners quite a curve ball with his riveting third album, The Iceberg/Freedom of Speech...Just Watch What You Say -- arguably the closest hip-hop has come to George Orwell's -1984. Instead of focusing heavily on gangsta rap, Ice-T made First Amendment issues the CD's dominant theme. Setting the album's tone is the opener, "Shut Up, Be Happy," which finds guest Jello Biafra (former leader of punk band Dead Kennedys) envisioning an Orwellian America in which the government controls and dominates every aspect of its citizens' lives. Though there are a few examples of first-rate gangsta rap here -- including "The Hunted Child" and the chilling "Peel Their Caps Back" -- Ice's main concern this time is censorship and what he views as a widespread attack on free speech in the U.S. As angry and lyrically intense as most of The Iceberg is, Ice enjoys fun for its own sake on "My Word Is Bond" and "The Girl Tried to Kill Me" -- an insanely funny rap-rock account of an encounter with a dominatrix. ~ Alex Henderson, All Music Guide
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Best
41. Pixies: ‘Surfer Rosa’ Surfer Rosa is the first full-length album by the American alternative rock band Pixies, released in March 1988 on the British independent record label 4AD. The album's unusual and offbeat subject matter includes references to mutilation and voyeurism; this is augmented by experimental recording, low-fidelity production and a unique drum sound that owes much to sound engineer Steve Albini. Surfer Rosa contains many of the themes present in the Pixies' earlier output, including Spanish lyrics and references to Puerto Rico. Surfer Rosa's cover features a photograph of a topless "friend of a friend" of the band, posing as a flamenco dancer, pitched against a wall which displays a crucifix and a torn poster. Simon Larbalestier, who contributed pictures to all of the Pixies albums, decided to build the set because "we couldn't find the atmosphere we wanted naturally." According to Larbalestier, Francis came up with the idea for the cover as he wrote songs in his father's "topless Spanish bar"; Larbalestier added the crucifix and torn poster, and they "sort of loaded that with all the Catholicism." Commenting on the cover in 2005, Francis said, "I just hope people find it tasteful." The cover booklet expands on the theme, and features photographs of the flamenco dancer in several other poses; there are no song lyrics or written content, apart from album credits, in the booklet.
Norman Whitfield (1943-2008)
Soul music, I mean, the 'real' soul music lost a superstar when Motown producer and songwriter Norman Whitfield passed away yesterday from a long-running battle with diabetes. He was 65.
Whitfield was a keen observer of the human psyche and he used it to his advantage as early as the age of 18 when he started working at Detroit's Thelma Records with future Temptation Richard Street and his group the Distants.
He also was full of tenacity and became an admirer of emerging record company owner Barry Gordy and his Motown Records. Gordy, at first, found Whitfield to be a bother but eventually grew to admire his thirst for knowledge and put him in charge of the company's quality control. Whitfield took the opportunity to get his hands on as many of the activities of the company as he could and he eventually ended up as part of the early songwriting group at the label.
Gordy, though, saw more in the young man's talents and eventually made him a producer, putting him initially in charge of the Temptations. From 1966 onward, Whitfield and Frank Wilson produced virtually every one of the group's hits.
Whitfield also showed immense creative flair with the ability to take one song and mold it in many different directions. The best example of this talent was with his own composition I Heard It Through the Grapevine. Whitfield produced the song as an uptempo, gritty R&B record for Gladys Knight and the Pips and then turned around and gave it a smooth, darker treatment with Marvin Gaye. Both turned into huge hits for the label.
Whitfield was also instrumental in taking the Motown labels into the 70's by crafting their sound in a more psychedelic vein, most notably with the Temptations on songs like Ball of Confusion and Cloud Nine. During this time, he also was actively involved with the careers of Edwin Starr (War) and the Undisputed Truth (Smiling Faces Sometimes), who had been Starr's backup singers.
When Motown's fortunes started to wain in the mid-70's, Whitfield left and started his own label which only had major success with Rose Royce (Car Wash). From the 80's on, he remained semi-retired other than occasional projects such as the soundtrack for the movie The Last Dragon.
Major songs composed by Norman Whitfield with various writing partners:
(I Know) I'm Losing You (Temptations, Rare Earth, Rod Stewart)
Ain't Too Proud to Beg (Temptations)
Ball of Confusion (That's What the World Is Today) (Temptations)
Beauty is Only Skin Deep (Temptations)
Car Wash (Rose Royce)
Cloud Nine (Temptations)
Everybody Needs Love (Gladys Knight & the Pips)
Freindship Train (Gladys Knight & the Pips)
I Can't Get Next to You (Temptations)
I Heard It Through the Grapevine (Gladys Knight & the Pips, Marvin Gaye, Creedence Clearwater Revival)
I Wanna Get Next to You (Rose Royce)
I Wish It Would Rain (Temptations)
Just My Imagination (Running Away With Me) (Temptations, Rolling Stones)
Papa Was a Rollin' Stone (Temptations)
Pride and Joy (Marvin Gaye)
Psychedelic Shack (Temptations)
Runaway Child, Running Wild (Temptations)
Smiling Faces Sometimes (Undisputed Truth)
That's the Way Love Is (Marvin Gaye)
Too Busy Thinking About My Baby (Marvin Gaye)
Too Many Fish in the Sea (Marvelettes, Rascals)
War (Edwin Starr)
Wherever I Lay My Hat (That's My Home) (Marvin Gaye, Paul Young)
You're My Everything (Temptations)
Grammy Awards:
1972 - Best R&B Song (Papa Was a Rolling Stone)
1976 - Best Instrumental Composition Written Specifically For a Motion Picture or Television (Car Wash)
Whitfield was a keen observer of the human psyche and he used it to his advantage as early as the age of 18 when he started working at Detroit's Thelma Records with future Temptation Richard Street and his group the Distants.
He also was full of tenacity and became an admirer of emerging record company owner Barry Gordy and his Motown Records. Gordy, at first, found Whitfield to be a bother but eventually grew to admire his thirst for knowledge and put him in charge of the company's quality control. Whitfield took the opportunity to get his hands on as many of the activities of the company as he could and he eventually ended up as part of the early songwriting group at the label.
Gordy, though, saw more in the young man's talents and eventually made him a producer, putting him initially in charge of the Temptations. From 1966 onward, Whitfield and Frank Wilson produced virtually every one of the group's hits.
Whitfield also showed immense creative flair with the ability to take one song and mold it in many different directions. The best example of this talent was with his own composition I Heard It Through the Grapevine. Whitfield produced the song as an uptempo, gritty R&B record for Gladys Knight and the Pips and then turned around and gave it a smooth, darker treatment with Marvin Gaye. Both turned into huge hits for the label.
Whitfield was also instrumental in taking the Motown labels into the 70's by crafting their sound in a more psychedelic vein, most notably with the Temptations on songs like Ball of Confusion and Cloud Nine. During this time, he also was actively involved with the careers of Edwin Starr (War) and the Undisputed Truth (Smiling Faces Sometimes), who had been Starr's backup singers.
When Motown's fortunes started to wain in the mid-70's, Whitfield left and started his own label which only had major success with Rose Royce (Car Wash). From the 80's on, he remained semi-retired other than occasional projects such as the soundtrack for the movie The Last Dragon.
Major songs composed by Norman Whitfield with various writing partners:
(I Know) I'm Losing You (Temptations, Rare Earth, Rod Stewart)
Ain't Too Proud to Beg (Temptations)
Ball of Confusion (That's What the World Is Today) (Temptations)
Beauty is Only Skin Deep (Temptations)
Car Wash (Rose Royce)
Cloud Nine (Temptations)
Everybody Needs Love (Gladys Knight & the Pips)
Freindship Train (Gladys Knight & the Pips)
I Can't Get Next to You (Temptations)
I Heard It Through the Grapevine (Gladys Knight & the Pips, Marvin Gaye, Creedence Clearwater Revival)
I Wanna Get Next to You (Rose Royce)
I Wish It Would Rain (Temptations)
Just My Imagination (Running Away With Me) (Temptations, Rolling Stones)
Papa Was a Rollin' Stone (Temptations)
Pride and Joy (Marvin Gaye)
Psychedelic Shack (Temptations)
Runaway Child, Running Wild (Temptations)
Smiling Faces Sometimes (Undisputed Truth)
That's the Way Love Is (Marvin Gaye)
Too Busy Thinking About My Baby (Marvin Gaye)
Too Many Fish in the Sea (Marvelettes, Rascals)
War (Edwin Starr)
Wherever I Lay My Hat (That's My Home) (Marvin Gaye, Paul Young)
You're My Everything (Temptations)
Grammy Awards:
1972 - Best R&B Song (Papa Was a Rolling Stone)
1976 - Best Instrumental Composition Written Specifically For a Motion Picture or Television (Car Wash)
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