Simon & Garfunkel-Kathy's Song
Tuesday, January 13, 2009
Rock & Roll Tidbits
The Sir Douglas Quintet were playing in a club one night and noticed a couple dancing. Lead singer Doug Sahm said "She's a body mover!", which gave him an idea for a song. Back in those days you couldn't say "body mover" on a record, so he changed the lyrics to "She's About A Mover" and achieved a US Top 20 hit.
The blistering guitar lead in George Harrison's song, "Taxman" is the exact same guitar part heard at the ending fade of the song. It was copied and re-recorded onto the end.
The song "Summertime Blues" was a US Top 40 hit in three different decades - in the fifties by Eddie Cochran (#8), the sixties by Blue Cheer (#14) and the seventies by The Who (#27).
The Mothers Of Invention are believed to have released the first double album with "Freak Out!" in early 1967.
In 1962, Gene Pitney recorded "The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance" for the movie of the same name, starring John Wayne and Jimmy Stewart. Although the song reached #4 on the Billboard singles chart, it was never included in the film.
When the Beatles made their first appearance on the Ed Sullivan Show on February 9th, 1964, producers received over 50,000 applications for the 728 seats in the TV studio.
Alan Gordon, the co-writer of The Turtles' hit "Happy Together" said that he wrote the melody to the song based on an open string pattern used by a bandmate to tune his guitar.
Jerry Lee Lewis' parents mortgaged their house in order to buy him a piano.
Johnny Preston's 1960 number one hit, "Running Bear" was written by J.P. Richardson, The Big Bopper.
The double entendre title of the Bellamy Brother's hit "If I Said You Had a Beautiful Body Would You Hold It Against Me" was derived from a quote by Groucho Marx.
With some left over studio time on their hands, a group of musicians recorded an instrumental intended to be a throw-a-way album track. The song ended up on the flip side of a single release called "Train To Nowhere", which was virtually ignored by US radio stations. Finally, someone flipped the disc over and discovered "Tequila", which went to number one on both the Pop and R&B charts for The Champs.
Kenny Loggins joined The Electric Prunes during their final tour in 1969, two years after the band had scored a hit with "I Had Too Much Too Dream". When the tour was over, the band split up for good and Loggins went on to team up with Jim Messina in 1971 and later had several solo hits.
The distinct horse logo that appeared on most of Poco's albums was designed by Saturday Night Live star, Phil Hartman.
John Lennon and Paul McCartney wrote "I Want To Hold Your Hand" in the basement of Jane Asher's house. She was Paul's girlfriend, to whom he would later become engaged to, but never married.
One day while out riding with her dad, Stella McCartney stopped to stare at him. It had just come to her at that moment. She said, "You're Paul McCartney."
While the title of the song is often shown with a comma ("Louie, Louie"), writer Richard Berry told Esquire magazine in 1988 that the correct title of the song was "Louie Louie", with no comma.
The blistering guitar lead in George Harrison's song, "Taxman" is the exact same guitar part heard at the ending fade of the song. It was copied and re-recorded onto the end.
The song "Summertime Blues" was a US Top 40 hit in three different decades - in the fifties by Eddie Cochran (#8), the sixties by Blue Cheer (#14) and the seventies by The Who (#27).
The Mothers Of Invention are believed to have released the first double album with "Freak Out!" in early 1967.
In 1962, Gene Pitney recorded "The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance" for the movie of the same name, starring John Wayne and Jimmy Stewart. Although the song reached #4 on the Billboard singles chart, it was never included in the film.
When the Beatles made their first appearance on the Ed Sullivan Show on February 9th, 1964, producers received over 50,000 applications for the 728 seats in the TV studio.
Alan Gordon, the co-writer of The Turtles' hit "Happy Together" said that he wrote the melody to the song based on an open string pattern used by a bandmate to tune his guitar.
Jerry Lee Lewis' parents mortgaged their house in order to buy him a piano.
Johnny Preston's 1960 number one hit, "Running Bear" was written by J.P. Richardson, The Big Bopper.
The double entendre title of the Bellamy Brother's hit "If I Said You Had a Beautiful Body Would You Hold It Against Me" was derived from a quote by Groucho Marx.
With some left over studio time on their hands, a group of musicians recorded an instrumental intended to be a throw-a-way album track. The song ended up on the flip side of a single release called "Train To Nowhere", which was virtually ignored by US radio stations. Finally, someone flipped the disc over and discovered "Tequila", which went to number one on both the Pop and R&B charts for The Champs.
Kenny Loggins joined The Electric Prunes during their final tour in 1969, two years after the band had scored a hit with "I Had Too Much Too Dream". When the tour was over, the band split up for good and Loggins went on to team up with Jim Messina in 1971 and later had several solo hits.
The distinct horse logo that appeared on most of Poco's albums was designed by Saturday Night Live star, Phil Hartman.
John Lennon and Paul McCartney wrote "I Want To Hold Your Hand" in the basement of Jane Asher's house. She was Paul's girlfriend, to whom he would later become engaged to, but never married.
One day while out riding with her dad, Stella McCartney stopped to stare at him. It had just come to her at that moment. She said, "You're Paul McCartney."
While the title of the song is often shown with a comma ("Louie, Louie"), writer Richard Berry told Esquire magazine in 1988 that the correct title of the song was "Louie Louie", with no comma.
The Biggest Rock Albums Coming Your Way In 2009
Green Day and U2 drop new LPs this year, along with promising young guns like Paramore, Tokio Hotel and more.
By Gil Kaufman, with additional reporting by James Montgomery
2008 was a huge year for rock ... and 2009 looks like it could be even bigger. So all this week, we're taking stock of the things guaranteed to rock this year. From the triumphant returns of some of the biggest bands on the planet to a handful of up-and-coming acts that we're expecting big things from in '09, we've got it all covered. This is Rock Week, on MTVNews.com
It will be pretty difficult to top a year that saw new albums from both Metallica and Guns N' Roses, but 2009's roster of rock includes just as much firepower — including LPs from colossal acts like Green Day, U2 and the Boss, not to mention potential new sounds from young guns like Paramore, My Chemical Romance and Tokio Hotel.
And that's just the headliners. On the undercard, we've got the triumphant return of British songstress Lily Allen, radio-ready rock from the Fray and bludgeoning prog-metal from Mastodon. Plus, there are new albums from critical faves like the Yeah Yeah Yeahs, The Decemberists and Black Lips. And let's not forget sonically adventurous indie hipsters like Animal Collective (who, depending on what you read, may have already released the best rock album of the year), or the gloriously maudlin new album from Antony and the Johnsons. Oh, and Prince is releasing three records this year.
All in all, 2009 looks like it's gonna be a doozy — so to prime your pump, here's our roundup of expected album releases:
January
» Animal Collective, Merriweather Post Pavilion: The blogosphere's favorite sonic experimentalists, who've already notched "album of the year" pronouncements from the Chicago Tribune and Stereogum.com, among others, go "pop" on their upcoming ninth full-length effort — for them, anyway. Expect some hippie-friendly rave-ups; fat, speaker-blowing bass lines; and trippy lyrics about leaving your body for just one night.
» Antony and the Johnsons, The Crying Light: Speaking of blogs, eccentric falsetto crooner Antony Hegarty is promising a gospel/ art-rock meditation on nature ... with some guitars! The twee, gender-bending, Mercury Prize-winning singer seems poised to confound and entertain again with songs that include "Her Eyes Are Underneath the Ground," "Epilepsy Is Dancing" and "Kiss My Name."
» Bruce Springsteen & the E Street Band, Working on a Dream: The Boss' 16th studio album was recorded during breaks on the E Street Band's 2007-08 Magic tour and reportedly inspired by the energy generated by the band during that outing. A recent Rolling Stone article described it as largely off-the-cuff, but also intricately arranged, with a combination of the band's dense, swirling live sound and the "orchestral and vocal flourishes that recall classic recordings by Roy Orbison and the Byrds."
» Franz Ferdinand, Tonight: Franz Ferdinand: The Scottish band's third album reportedly has some African influences. Singer Alex Kapranos has described it as "music of the night to fling yourself around your room to as you psych yourself for a night of hedonism, for the dance floor." Be prepared.
» Leathermouth, XO: The debut from My Chemical Romance guitarist Frank Iero's 1990s hardcore-inspired band punches up some raw, in-your-face punk rock with 10 tracks blitzing by in just 23 minutes. Think distorted, chaotic guitars and spazzy vocals from Iero on songs like "5th Period Massacre," "This Song Is About Being Attacked by Monsters" and "I Am Going to Kill the President of the United States of America."
February
To read the rest of this great music preview, visit the MTV site at http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1602440/20090109/green_day.jhtml
By Gil Kaufman, with additional reporting by James Montgomery
2008 was a huge year for rock ... and 2009 looks like it could be even bigger. So all this week, we're taking stock of the things guaranteed to rock this year. From the triumphant returns of some of the biggest bands on the planet to a handful of up-and-coming acts that we're expecting big things from in '09, we've got it all covered. This is Rock Week, on MTVNews.com
It will be pretty difficult to top a year that saw new albums from both Metallica and Guns N' Roses, but 2009's roster of rock includes just as much firepower — including LPs from colossal acts like Green Day, U2 and the Boss, not to mention potential new sounds from young guns like Paramore, My Chemical Romance and Tokio Hotel.
And that's just the headliners. On the undercard, we've got the triumphant return of British songstress Lily Allen, radio-ready rock from the Fray and bludgeoning prog-metal from Mastodon. Plus, there are new albums from critical faves like the Yeah Yeah Yeahs, The Decemberists and Black Lips. And let's not forget sonically adventurous indie hipsters like Animal Collective (who, depending on what you read, may have already released the best rock album of the year), or the gloriously maudlin new album from Antony and the Johnsons. Oh, and Prince is releasing three records this year.
All in all, 2009 looks like it's gonna be a doozy — so to prime your pump, here's our roundup of expected album releases:
January
» Animal Collective, Merriweather Post Pavilion: The blogosphere's favorite sonic experimentalists, who've already notched "album of the year" pronouncements from the Chicago Tribune and Stereogum.com, among others, go "pop" on their upcoming ninth full-length effort — for them, anyway. Expect some hippie-friendly rave-ups; fat, speaker-blowing bass lines; and trippy lyrics about leaving your body for just one night.
» Antony and the Johnsons, The Crying Light: Speaking of blogs, eccentric falsetto crooner Antony Hegarty is promising a gospel/ art-rock meditation on nature ... with some guitars! The twee, gender-bending, Mercury Prize-winning singer seems poised to confound and entertain again with songs that include "Her Eyes Are Underneath the Ground," "Epilepsy Is Dancing" and "Kiss My Name."
» Bruce Springsteen & the E Street Band, Working on a Dream: The Boss' 16th studio album was recorded during breaks on the E Street Band's 2007-08 Magic tour and reportedly inspired by the energy generated by the band during that outing. A recent Rolling Stone article described it as largely off-the-cuff, but also intricately arranged, with a combination of the band's dense, swirling live sound and the "orchestral and vocal flourishes that recall classic recordings by Roy Orbison and the Byrds."
» Franz Ferdinand, Tonight: Franz Ferdinand: The Scottish band's third album reportedly has some African influences. Singer Alex Kapranos has described it as "music of the night to fling yourself around your room to as you psych yourself for a night of hedonism, for the dance floor." Be prepared.
» Leathermouth, XO: The debut from My Chemical Romance guitarist Frank Iero's 1990s hardcore-inspired band punches up some raw, in-your-face punk rock with 10 tracks blitzing by in just 23 minutes. Think distorted, chaotic guitars and spazzy vocals from Iero on songs like "5th Period Massacre," "This Song Is About Being Attacked by Monsters" and "I Am Going to Kill the President of the United States of America."
February
To read the rest of this great music preview, visit the MTV site at http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1602440/20090109/green_day.jhtml
Music News & Notes
General Surgery Releases Split With Butcher ABC
Swedish metal band General Surgery has issued the following statement about a split album with the Japanese band Butcher ABC:
"General Surgery/Butcher ABC split is finally released. The story goes back all the way to 2003 (!) when we got asked by then Escorbuto Recordings president Johan Wallin if we would be interested in doing a split with Japanese gore maniacs Butcher ABC.. Naturally we were, and we planned to do it pretty much right after the split 7"s we did with Machetazo and Filth. After that, things got changed up and we found ourselves working on our first album instead, and it wasn't until May 2007 we got around to finally record the songs for this split. By this time it was decided that the release would be handled by Obliteration Records and Living Dead Society/Coperaction Records. Butcher ABC followed suit and recorded their material later in 2007, and finally here's the result, the most anticipated split release ever. Feast your ears on this putrid mess.
The CD will be out on Obliteration on Jan 11th 2009. The LP will be out on Living Dead Society/Coperaction Records, February 2009. Vinyl 12" LP version is a limited edition to 1000 copies in splatter vinyl, with different cover/artwork from the CD version."
---------------------------------------------
Riverdales announce title, release date, reissues
Ben Weasel has announced a full slate of releases under various names this year. Most notable among them is the long-awaited album from Riverdales. According to the Weasel release schedule, the record is titled Invasion U.S.A and is due out July 14, 2009. The album will feature fourteen new songs.
Before that, Ben has announced that his 2007 LP, These Ones Are Bitter, will receive a proper CD/LP release on April 7, 2009. The album was previously available digitally and on vinyl through Ben's own Mendota label. The same day, a reissue of the Riverdales' Phase 3 is expected.
Finally, Ben's solo live album, The Brain That Wouldn't Die [Live], is set for May 5, 2009.
---------------------------------------------
Earache Records Announces New "Heavy Metal Killers" Compilation Album
Earache Records has issued the following statement:
"Earache Records is proud to announce the forthcoming release of Heavy Metal Killers - a compilation featuring the very best bands from the emerging "New Wave of Traditional Heavy Metal" scene.
Heavy Metal Killers features 13 new tracks from the best fresh, young bands who share one common goal - to bring back the glory days of heavy metal and with it, good old-fashioned headbanging riffs and that rarest of talents in this age of growlers - powerful, true heavy metal vocals. Released on the 30th anniversary of the original NWOBHM explosion, this compilation shows that traditional heavy metal is alive and well in the hands of a new breed of bands.
The full track listing for Heavy Metal Killers is as follows:
01. Powervice - "Behold The Hand Of Glory"
02. White Wizzard - "High Speed GTO"
03. Cauldron - "Chained Up In Chains"
04. RAM - "Suddent Impact"
05. Enforcer - "Mistress Of Hell"
06. H.O.D. - "Kicked To The Kerb"
07. Crowning Glory - " Sea Of Dead Dreams"
08. Portrait - "A Thousand Nightmares"
09. Celtic Legacy - "Live By The Sword"
10. ALLTHENIKO - "Feel The Power"
11. Voltax - "Steel Maker"
12. In Solitude - "Witches Sabbath"
13. Cast Iron - "Running From The Law"
Heavy Metal Killers is due to be released on February 16th, 2009 and will be available as CD as well as limited edition vinyl LP in black, red, blue and white."
---------------------------------------------
Twelve Radiohead Singles Set For Special Vinyl Re-Release
Twelve Radiohead singles are to be re-released by the band's former record label, EMI, on 12” vinyl this April.
The re-releases include the band's rare Drill EP, as well as the hits singles 'Creep', 'High and Dry' and 'Pyramid Song'.
Each special vinyl sleeve will feature a sticker of the original 5” CD single artwork.
Radiohead left EMI shortly before the release of their 2007 album 'In Rainbows'
Following their departure, EMI controversially reissued Radiohead's albums – excluding 'In Rainbows' - and released a 'Best Of'.
The singles re-releases will be available from April 21st.
The full 12 singles are:
'Drill'
'Creep'
'My Iron Lung'
'Just'
'Fake Plastic Trees'
'High and Dry'
'Street Spirit (Fade Out)'
'Paranoid Android'
'Karma Police'
'No Surprises'
'Pyramid Song'
'There There'
'2+2=5'
---------------------------------------------
(This from http://www.largeheartedboy.com blog);
This Week's Interesting Music Releases (January 13th, 2009)
Adam & The Ants: Friend or Foe (reissue)
Cream: Wheels of Fire (vinyl reissue)
Dead Can Dance: Spleen and Ideal (vinyl reissue)
Derek Trucks Band: Already Free (vinyl)
The Jam: All Mod Cons (vinyl reissue)
Jimmy Cliff: The Harder They Come (vinyl reissue)
Late of the Pier: Fantasy Black Channel (vinyl)
Lemonheads: It's a Shame About Ray (vinyl reissue)
Los Campesinos!: We Are Beautiful, We Are Doomed (vinyl)
M83: Before the Dawn Heals Us (2-LP and CD reissue)
M83: Digital Shades, Vol. 1 (2-LP and CD reissue)
M83: Saturdays=Youth (vinyl)
Various Artists: Notorious Soundtrack (vinyl)
White Lies: To Lose My Life (import single)
Winterpills: Central Chambers (vinyl)
---------------------------------------------
Stones Readers Pick Their Favorite Jam Bands
The jam band that started it all, the Grateful Dead, could only muster a second place finish in this week's Rolling Stone reader's poll naming their favorites. It was the Allman Brothers that took the top spot in what was said to be a very tight finish.
Veteran artists are spread throughout the list, including Led Zeppelin, Jimi Hendrix and Santana. Surprisingly, one of the most popular touring jam bands, the Dave Matthews Band, only managed number nine on the list. Maybe I am showing my age, but there are a few bands here that made the list that I have never heard of (moe, Umphrey's McGee??)
1-Allman Brothers Band
2-Grateful Dead
3-Phish
4-Umphrey’s McGee
5-moe.
6-Widespread Panic
7-Led Zeppelin
8-My Morning Jacket
9-Dave Matthews Band
10-Gov’t Mule
11-Jimi Hendrix
12-String Cheese Incident
13-Santana
14-Disco Biscuits
15-STS9
---------------------------------------------
In Other News:
It was a good week for Bruce Springsteen as he took him the Best Song from a Motion Picture award for The Wrestler. He had one in the same category at the Critic's Choice Awards earlier in the week. It is his second Golden Globe, winning previously for the song Streets of Philadelphia.
---------------------------------------------
A rarely seen photograph of the three remaining Beatles shortly after the death of John Lennon is part of National Portrait Gallery's touring exhibition of the changing idea of family. The photo, taken at Ringo Starr's 1981 wedding to Catharine Bach, shows the happy couple with Paul and Linda McCartney and George Harrison and Olivia Trinidad Arias.
---------------------------------------------
Dan Randall, the marketing man who gave the Fender Stratocaster its name, passed away back on December 23 at the age of 91.
---------------------------------------------
Keith Richards and Nick Cave will appear on the upcoming Marianne Faithfull album, tentatively called Easy Come Easy Go.
Swedish metal band General Surgery has issued the following statement about a split album with the Japanese band Butcher ABC:
"General Surgery/Butcher ABC split is finally released. The story goes back all the way to 2003 (!) when we got asked by then Escorbuto Recordings president Johan Wallin if we would be interested in doing a split with Japanese gore maniacs Butcher ABC.. Naturally we were, and we planned to do it pretty much right after the split 7"s we did with Machetazo and Filth. After that, things got changed up and we found ourselves working on our first album instead, and it wasn't until May 2007 we got around to finally record the songs for this split. By this time it was decided that the release would be handled by Obliteration Records and Living Dead Society/Coperaction Records. Butcher ABC followed suit and recorded their material later in 2007, and finally here's the result, the most anticipated split release ever. Feast your ears on this putrid mess.
The CD will be out on Obliteration on Jan 11th 2009. The LP will be out on Living Dead Society/Coperaction Records, February 2009. Vinyl 12" LP version is a limited edition to 1000 copies in splatter vinyl, with different cover/artwork from the CD version."
---------------------------------------------
Riverdales announce title, release date, reissues
Ben Weasel has announced a full slate of releases under various names this year. Most notable among them is the long-awaited album from Riverdales. According to the Weasel release schedule, the record is titled Invasion U.S.A and is due out July 14, 2009. The album will feature fourteen new songs.
Before that, Ben has announced that his 2007 LP, These Ones Are Bitter, will receive a proper CD/LP release on April 7, 2009. The album was previously available digitally and on vinyl through Ben's own Mendota label. The same day, a reissue of the Riverdales' Phase 3 is expected.
Finally, Ben's solo live album, The Brain That Wouldn't Die [Live], is set for May 5, 2009.
---------------------------------------------
Earache Records Announces New "Heavy Metal Killers" Compilation Album
Earache Records has issued the following statement:
"Earache Records is proud to announce the forthcoming release of Heavy Metal Killers - a compilation featuring the very best bands from the emerging "New Wave of Traditional Heavy Metal" scene.
Heavy Metal Killers features 13 new tracks from the best fresh, young bands who share one common goal - to bring back the glory days of heavy metal and with it, good old-fashioned headbanging riffs and that rarest of talents in this age of growlers - powerful, true heavy metal vocals. Released on the 30th anniversary of the original NWOBHM explosion, this compilation shows that traditional heavy metal is alive and well in the hands of a new breed of bands.
The full track listing for Heavy Metal Killers is as follows:
01. Powervice - "Behold The Hand Of Glory"
02. White Wizzard - "High Speed GTO"
03. Cauldron - "Chained Up In Chains"
04. RAM - "Suddent Impact"
05. Enforcer - "Mistress Of Hell"
06. H.O.D. - "Kicked To The Kerb"
07. Crowning Glory - " Sea Of Dead Dreams"
08. Portrait - "A Thousand Nightmares"
09. Celtic Legacy - "Live By The Sword"
10. ALLTHENIKO - "Feel The Power"
11. Voltax - "Steel Maker"
12. In Solitude - "Witches Sabbath"
13. Cast Iron - "Running From The Law"
Heavy Metal Killers is due to be released on February 16th, 2009 and will be available as CD as well as limited edition vinyl LP in black, red, blue and white."
---------------------------------------------
Twelve Radiohead Singles Set For Special Vinyl Re-Release
Twelve Radiohead singles are to be re-released by the band's former record label, EMI, on 12” vinyl this April.
The re-releases include the band's rare Drill EP, as well as the hits singles 'Creep', 'High and Dry' and 'Pyramid Song'.
Each special vinyl sleeve will feature a sticker of the original 5” CD single artwork.
Radiohead left EMI shortly before the release of their 2007 album 'In Rainbows'
Following their departure, EMI controversially reissued Radiohead's albums – excluding 'In Rainbows' - and released a 'Best Of'.
The singles re-releases will be available from April 21st.
The full 12 singles are:
'Drill'
'Creep'
'My Iron Lung'
'Just'
'Fake Plastic Trees'
'High and Dry'
'Street Spirit (Fade Out)'
'Paranoid Android'
'Karma Police'
'No Surprises'
'Pyramid Song'
'There There'
'2+2=5'
---------------------------------------------
(This from http://www.largeheartedboy.com blog);
This Week's Interesting Music Releases (January 13th, 2009)
Adam & The Ants: Friend or Foe (reissue)
Cream: Wheels of Fire (vinyl reissue)
Dead Can Dance: Spleen and Ideal (vinyl reissue)
Derek Trucks Band: Already Free (vinyl)
The Jam: All Mod Cons (vinyl reissue)
Jimmy Cliff: The Harder They Come (vinyl reissue)
Late of the Pier: Fantasy Black Channel (vinyl)
Lemonheads: It's a Shame About Ray (vinyl reissue)
Los Campesinos!: We Are Beautiful, We Are Doomed (vinyl)
M83: Before the Dawn Heals Us (2-LP and CD reissue)
M83: Digital Shades, Vol. 1 (2-LP and CD reissue)
M83: Saturdays=Youth (vinyl)
Various Artists: Notorious Soundtrack (vinyl)
White Lies: To Lose My Life (import single)
Winterpills: Central Chambers (vinyl)
---------------------------------------------
Stones Readers Pick Their Favorite Jam Bands
The jam band that started it all, the Grateful Dead, could only muster a second place finish in this week's Rolling Stone reader's poll naming their favorites. It was the Allman Brothers that took the top spot in what was said to be a very tight finish.
Veteran artists are spread throughout the list, including Led Zeppelin, Jimi Hendrix and Santana. Surprisingly, one of the most popular touring jam bands, the Dave Matthews Band, only managed number nine on the list. Maybe I am showing my age, but there are a few bands here that made the list that I have never heard of (moe, Umphrey's McGee??)
1-Allman Brothers Band
2-Grateful Dead
3-Phish
4-Umphrey’s McGee
5-moe.
6-Widespread Panic
7-Led Zeppelin
8-My Morning Jacket
9-Dave Matthews Band
10-Gov’t Mule
11-Jimi Hendrix
12-String Cheese Incident
13-Santana
14-Disco Biscuits
15-STS9
---------------------------------------------
In Other News:
It was a good week for Bruce Springsteen as he took him the Best Song from a Motion Picture award for The Wrestler. He had one in the same category at the Critic's Choice Awards earlier in the week. It is his second Golden Globe, winning previously for the song Streets of Philadelphia.
---------------------------------------------
A rarely seen photograph of the three remaining Beatles shortly after the death of John Lennon is part of National Portrait Gallery's touring exhibition of the changing idea of family. The photo, taken at Ringo Starr's 1981 wedding to Catharine Bach, shows the happy couple with Paul and Linda McCartney and George Harrison and Olivia Trinidad Arias.
---------------------------------------------
Dan Randall, the marketing man who gave the Fender Stratocaster its name, passed away back on December 23 at the age of 91.
---------------------------------------------
Keith Richards and Nick Cave will appear on the upcoming Marianne Faithfull album, tentatively called Easy Come Easy Go.
Monday, January 12, 2009
Martha Reeves Wants Detroit to Erect Motown Statues
Martha Reeves has started a campaign to get the city of Detroit to erect statues to salute some of the major players in Motown Records history.
Reeves was impressed by the way Liverpool, England had saluted the Beatles and felt that it would be fitting to do the same for its hometown musical dignitaries.
Reeves told World Entertainment News Network, "I take back a lot of information when I travel. I've seen places like Liverpool grow. It reminds me a lot of Detroit. I've seen it grow.
"It produced the Beatles, and the museum, and different markings all over the city. It's encouraged me to go back and see - can I get Motown and Detroit to erect some statues of different artists so that when you come to our famous city you will see some signs that Motown was there?"
Reeves is aiming to raise $3 million and to break ground for the first statues sometime this year. She is a Detroit city councilwoman.
SOURCE: http://winkscollectibles.blogspot.com
Music stores adjust to the changing times
I liked this article and would have liked to see more about the resurgence of vinyl
Music stores adjust to the changing times
CD sales decline as fans move on to digital downloads
You could choose from an almost endless list of cliché songs to talk about trends in the music industry — and overall economy — that are coming home to roost with local music retailers.
Rich Menning of Atomic Records in Milwaukee, either by choice or just an appropriate nature, leans back on Kenny Rogers when talking about what is happening with his business.
"We had to know when to hold 'em and know when to fold them," he said.
They'll fold the cards in February when the doors on one of the state's largest independent record shops close.
While Atomic is packing it in, The Exclusive Company in Green Bay says it saw sales of CDs drop last year (while vinyl album sales at both stores took off exponentially) and is diversifying to offset the difference.
"Our sales of CDs were down in '08 … every year it's persistently down," said Tom Smith, general manager at The Exclusive Company. "This year, we brought in more DVDs, and we're trying not to depend as much on the CD."
Industry wide, music sales continued to slump last year, according to year-end figures from The Nielsen Co., which indicated total album sales, including album equivalents made up of single digital tracks, fell to 428.4 million units, down 8.5 percent from 500.5 million in 2007.
Likewise, physical album sales fell 20 percent to 362.6 million from 450.5 million, while digital album sales rose 32 percent to a record 65.8 million units while digital track sales, such as those conducted in Apple Inc.'s iTunes Music Store, were up 27 percent from the previous year, breaking the 1 billion mark for the first time at 1.07 billion.
Smith, who has a quarter century of working in the music retail business, said at times he feels like an ice salesman on the brink of the refrigerator age.
"I've been doing this since the fall of '84 … and for me it's weird to not want to own the liner notes and the artwork and have something on your hands," he said. "But I think this store is run well enough that we will survive this."
Atomic's Web site cites a number of reasons for the announced closing including a long-running decline in the music industry and the recession.
"Our clientele still likes to have a physical product and to hold it in their hands, but when it comes down to it, the vast majority of people seem to be happy to not have the physical product," Menning said. "People prefer free (illegal file downloading and burning CD copies) … and they don't think of the ramifications."
National retailer Best Buy hasn't been immune to the changes, either, offering CDs, LPs and file downloads through its Web site. The company says it is paying close attention to what consumers want — both nationally and regionally — and trying offer those products.
"For years, the trend in CD sales has been in decline, so it's not surprising that trend would continue," said Brian Lucas, a spokesman with Best Buy in Richfield, Minn. "The challenge for us as a retailer is to help people have a great experience no matter how they listen to music, or how they consume music."
He said sales of CDs and DVDs are all lumped into one sales category, and despite the dip in CD sales, people may actually be listening to more music than ever.
"We're trying to be smarter about our inventory and catering it to local audiences, and understanding what the local community is listening to," Lucas said.
None of the people interviewed for this story were worried the CD is a dying breed, pointing out customers still want a tangible product complete with album art and liner notes.
"The customer is going to tell us what is a viable format and what is not," Lucas said. "There are still people that like to hold a physical product in their hands, open it up and read the liner notes, and they like to have a physical possession so we need to remember that customer as well."
As they work to change with the market, Exclusive may branch into video games and other areas. Smith said they sold Nintendo Wii game systems during the holidays.
"The whole industry isn't too sure of how this will shake out right now," he said.
It may not be symbolic of anything, or maybe it is, but one of the top selling CDs at the end of the year was the recent release of a 1968 concert by Neil Young — a 40-year-old show.
"I don't know if that's a good sign or a bad sign," he said with a laugh.
Smith is optimistic 2009 could be a better year all around after people pulled back drastically on holiday spending.
"I think that will pass and people will spend money on entertainment and things that make them happy," he said. "There could be positive things that happen in 2009."
A rocky economy coupled with the downward trend in physical music sales sounded the death knell for Atomic.
"It was an extremely difficult decision, but it's been trending this way for eight or 10 years and you can only hold on and hope things turn around for so long — or find different niches to crawl into," Menning said. "Vinyl sales were up a ton last year, but it wasn't enough to offset the losses in CD sales."
SOURCE: http://www.greenbaypressgazette.com— The Associated Press
Here is what Atomic Records (Milwaukee) said on their website (and a record store I will truly miss as it was the BEST in my area):
The Announcement: Atomic Records To Close In February 2009
Rich from Atomic Records here.
It is with great sadness and more than a little difficulty that I have to announce that Atomic Records will be closing in February 2009.
The reasons for shutting down are many -- and I'd hate to bore you with wonkish details of shifting demographics, downward market trends, changing consumer habits, etc. -- but the decade-long (and running) decline of the music industry combined with the recent economic downturn have made it impossible to continue doing what we love to do.
Thank You !
First off, THANK YOU! It has truly been a pleasure serving the music lovers of Milwaukee for the past 24 years. Much gratitude goes out to our customers. The recent words of encouragement -- the likes of "hang in there," "please don't go out of business," "what would I do without you?" -- mean more than you can imagine. I only wish we had the wherewithal to continue on. But for the next couple months the current members of Team Atomic shall keep on serving you as best we can.
-- 12/04/2008
Music stores adjust to the changing times
CD sales decline as fans move on to digital downloads
You could choose from an almost endless list of cliché songs to talk about trends in the music industry — and overall economy — that are coming home to roost with local music retailers.
Rich Menning of Atomic Records in Milwaukee, either by choice or just an appropriate nature, leans back on Kenny Rogers when talking about what is happening with his business.
"We had to know when to hold 'em and know when to fold them," he said.
They'll fold the cards in February when the doors on one of the state's largest independent record shops close.
While Atomic is packing it in, The Exclusive Company in Green Bay says it saw sales of CDs drop last year (while vinyl album sales at both stores took off exponentially) and is diversifying to offset the difference.
"Our sales of CDs were down in '08 … every year it's persistently down," said Tom Smith, general manager at The Exclusive Company. "This year, we brought in more DVDs, and we're trying not to depend as much on the CD."
Industry wide, music sales continued to slump last year, according to year-end figures from The Nielsen Co., which indicated total album sales, including album equivalents made up of single digital tracks, fell to 428.4 million units, down 8.5 percent from 500.5 million in 2007.
Likewise, physical album sales fell 20 percent to 362.6 million from 450.5 million, while digital album sales rose 32 percent to a record 65.8 million units while digital track sales, such as those conducted in Apple Inc.'s iTunes Music Store, were up 27 percent from the previous year, breaking the 1 billion mark for the first time at 1.07 billion.
Smith, who has a quarter century of working in the music retail business, said at times he feels like an ice salesman on the brink of the refrigerator age.
"I've been doing this since the fall of '84 … and for me it's weird to not want to own the liner notes and the artwork and have something on your hands," he said. "But I think this store is run well enough that we will survive this."
Atomic's Web site cites a number of reasons for the announced closing including a long-running decline in the music industry and the recession.
"Our clientele still likes to have a physical product and to hold it in their hands, but when it comes down to it, the vast majority of people seem to be happy to not have the physical product," Menning said. "People prefer free (illegal file downloading and burning CD copies) … and they don't think of the ramifications."
National retailer Best Buy hasn't been immune to the changes, either, offering CDs, LPs and file downloads through its Web site. The company says it is paying close attention to what consumers want — both nationally and regionally — and trying offer those products.
"For years, the trend in CD sales has been in decline, so it's not surprising that trend would continue," said Brian Lucas, a spokesman with Best Buy in Richfield, Minn. "The challenge for us as a retailer is to help people have a great experience no matter how they listen to music, or how they consume music."
He said sales of CDs and DVDs are all lumped into one sales category, and despite the dip in CD sales, people may actually be listening to more music than ever.
"We're trying to be smarter about our inventory and catering it to local audiences, and understanding what the local community is listening to," Lucas said.
None of the people interviewed for this story were worried the CD is a dying breed, pointing out customers still want a tangible product complete with album art and liner notes.
"The customer is going to tell us what is a viable format and what is not," Lucas said. "There are still people that like to hold a physical product in their hands, open it up and read the liner notes, and they like to have a physical possession so we need to remember that customer as well."
As they work to change with the market, Exclusive may branch into video games and other areas. Smith said they sold Nintendo Wii game systems during the holidays.
"The whole industry isn't too sure of how this will shake out right now," he said.
It may not be symbolic of anything, or maybe it is, but one of the top selling CDs at the end of the year was the recent release of a 1968 concert by Neil Young — a 40-year-old show.
"I don't know if that's a good sign or a bad sign," he said with a laugh.
Smith is optimistic 2009 could be a better year all around after people pulled back drastically on holiday spending.
"I think that will pass and people will spend money on entertainment and things that make them happy," he said. "There could be positive things that happen in 2009."
A rocky economy coupled with the downward trend in physical music sales sounded the death knell for Atomic.
"It was an extremely difficult decision, but it's been trending this way for eight or 10 years and you can only hold on and hope things turn around for so long — or find different niches to crawl into," Menning said. "Vinyl sales were up a ton last year, but it wasn't enough to offset the losses in CD sales."
SOURCE: http://www.greenbaypressgazette.com— The Associated Press
Here is what Atomic Records (Milwaukee) said on their website (and a record store I will truly miss as it was the BEST in my area):
The Announcement: Atomic Records To Close In February 2009
Rich from Atomic Records here.
It is with great sadness and more than a little difficulty that I have to announce that Atomic Records will be closing in February 2009.
The reasons for shutting down are many -- and I'd hate to bore you with wonkish details of shifting demographics, downward market trends, changing consumer habits, etc. -- but the decade-long (and running) decline of the music industry combined with the recent economic downturn have made it impossible to continue doing what we love to do.
Thank You !
First off, THANK YOU! It has truly been a pleasure serving the music lovers of Milwaukee for the past 24 years. Much gratitude goes out to our customers. The recent words of encouragement -- the likes of "hang in there," "please don't go out of business," "what would I do without you?" -- mean more than you can imagine. I only wish we had the wherewithal to continue on. But for the next couple months the current members of Team Atomic shall keep on serving you as best we can.
-- 12/04/2008
Rock & Roll Tidbits
Chad Stuart and Jeremy Clyde were a popular English duo during the British Invasion and scored two US Top Ten hits in 1964 with "Yesterday's Gone" and "A Summer Song". After the pair had gone their seperate ways, Stuart served as the musical director for the US television show The Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour.
The Beach Boys concert contract states that any sell-outs must be reported to all industry related newspapers and magazines.
The break up of Simon and Garfunkle came about when Art refused to record Paul's song "Cuba Si, Nixon No" for their 1969 "Bridge Over Troubled Water" LP.
"Bye Bye Love" was turned down by Elvis Presley and thirty other artists before The Everly Brothers recorded it. Their version rose to #2 in the US and stayed on the charts for 22 weeks.
The Flamingos 1959 smash, "I Only Have Eyes For You" was first performed by actor Dick Powell in the 1934 movie, Dames.
Gramophone was a U.S. brand name that referred to a specific brand of sound reproducing machine in the late 1800s. The name fell out of use around 1901, though it has survived in its nickname form, Grammy, as the title of the Grammy Awards. The Grammy trophy itself is a small rendering of a gramophone.
The inclusion of "Louie Louie" in the John Belushi movie National Lampoon's Animal House, is in fact, historically incorrect. The film is set in 1962, one year prior to the Kingsmen's release.
When Little Richard (Penniman) was a teenager, he ran away from home and joined a medicine show. By the time he was 15, he was adopted by Ann and Johnny Johnson, a white family from Macon, Georgia.
On the recording session for Bob Dylan's "Like A Rolling Stone", future Blood, Sweat and Tears founder Al Kooper played organ and The Electric Flag's Mike Bloomfield played guitar.
The song title of the Beatles' "Penny Lane" is derived from the name of a street in the Beatle's hometown of Liverpool. Locally the term "Penny Lane" was the name given to Allerton Road and Smithdown Road and its busy shopping area and is named after James Penny, an 18th century slave trader.
After recording her first record, Oasis records made a spelling mistake on the label and Donna Sommer became Donna Summer for the rest of her career.
Songwriter Jimmy Webb got the inspiration to write The Fifth Dimension's hit "Up, Up and Away" from a hot air balloon that a friend flew on promotions for radio station KMEN.
The Dovells, who scored a number two hit in the U.S. in 1961 with "Bristol Stomp", also appeared as Chubby Checker's backing band on "Let's Twist Again" and accompanied Jean Hillery on the 1968 novelty tune, "Here Comes The Judge".
The Beach Boys concert contract states that any sell-outs must be reported to all industry related newspapers and magazines.
The break up of Simon and Garfunkle came about when Art refused to record Paul's song "Cuba Si, Nixon No" for their 1969 "Bridge Over Troubled Water" LP.
"Bye Bye Love" was turned down by Elvis Presley and thirty other artists before The Everly Brothers recorded it. Their version rose to #2 in the US and stayed on the charts for 22 weeks.
The Flamingos 1959 smash, "I Only Have Eyes For You" was first performed by actor Dick Powell in the 1934 movie, Dames.
Gramophone was a U.S. brand name that referred to a specific brand of sound reproducing machine in the late 1800s. The name fell out of use around 1901, though it has survived in its nickname form, Grammy, as the title of the Grammy Awards. The Grammy trophy itself is a small rendering of a gramophone.
The inclusion of "Louie Louie" in the John Belushi movie National Lampoon's Animal House, is in fact, historically incorrect. The film is set in 1962, one year prior to the Kingsmen's release.
When Little Richard (Penniman) was a teenager, he ran away from home and joined a medicine show. By the time he was 15, he was adopted by Ann and Johnny Johnson, a white family from Macon, Georgia.
On the recording session for Bob Dylan's "Like A Rolling Stone", future Blood, Sweat and Tears founder Al Kooper played organ and The Electric Flag's Mike Bloomfield played guitar.
The song title of the Beatles' "Penny Lane" is derived from the name of a street in the Beatle's hometown of Liverpool. Locally the term "Penny Lane" was the name given to Allerton Road and Smithdown Road and its busy shopping area and is named after James Penny, an 18th century slave trader.
After recording her first record, Oasis records made a spelling mistake on the label and Donna Sommer became Donna Summer for the rest of her career.
Songwriter Jimmy Webb got the inspiration to write The Fifth Dimension's hit "Up, Up and Away" from a hot air balloon that a friend flew on promotions for radio station KMEN.
The Dovells, who scored a number two hit in the U.S. in 1961 with "Bristol Stomp", also appeared as Chubby Checker's backing band on "Let's Twist Again" and accompanied Jean Hillery on the 1968 novelty tune, "Here Comes The Judge".
This Date In Music History-January 12
Birthdays:
Glenn Yarbrough is 78.
Ray Price turns 83.
Louisiana swamp rock guitarist Danny James (1945)
Rob Zombie- White Zombie (1966)
Tommy Ardolino- NRBQ (1957)
William Lee Golden- The Oak Ridge Boys (1939)
Cynthia Robinson- Sly and the Family Stone (1946)
Per Gessle- Roxette (1959)
ZacarÃas (Zach) Manuel de la Rocha, singer and lyricist for Rage Against The Machine, was born in Long Beach, CA in 1970.
They Are Missed:
INXS singer Michael Hutchence was born in 1960.
English blues singer Long John Baldry (January 12, 1941 – July 21, 2005) He gave both Rod Stewart and Elton John their first breaks in the music biz by employing them to play in his band.
Maurice Gibb of the Bee Gees died in 2003.
In 2001, Brazilian guitarist Luis Floriana Bonfa died of cancer in Rio de Janeiro. His soundtrack to the 1959 film Black Orpheus helped popularize the bossa nova genre.
In 2004, Randy Vanwarmer, the singer/songwriter/guitarist who went to #4 in 1978 with "Just When I Needed You Most" succumbs to leukemia. He was 48.
In 1999, Barry Pritchard, vocalist and guitarist for The Fortunes, died of heart failure. The group reached the Billboard Top 20 with "You've Got Your Troubles" in 1965 and "Here Comes That Rainy Day Feeling Again" in 1971.
History:
In 1957, Sun released "Flyin' Saucer Rock n' Roll" by Billy Riley and His Little Green men. Featuring Roland Janes on guitar and Jerry Lee Lewis on piano, the song is a rockabilly classic.
The Beach Boys reach #1 with "I Get Around" in 1964.
In 1970, The Band appeared on the cover of Time magazine beneath the headline “The New Sound of Country Rock.”
Britney Spears released her debut album in 1999, “..Baby One More Time,” which debuts at #1, along with their first single of the same title. Spears is the first debut artist to hit #1 on both the singles and the albums charts at the same time.
Elvis Presley recorded "All Shook Up" in 1957.
Today in 1974, the song "The Joker" by the Steve Miller Band topped the charts and stayed there for a week.
In 1981, The Recording Industry Association of America donated 800 albums to the White House library including Bob Dylan's Blonde on Blonde, Never Mind the Bollocks, Here's the Sex Pistols and KISS' Alive.
Using an $800 family loan, 29 year old Berry Gordy Jr. formed his first record label, Tamla Records in 1959.
In 1961, Motown Records signs The Primettes to a recording contract and convinces them to change their name. From several possibilities, they settle on one suggested by Florence Ballard - The Supremes.
The Beatles released "Please Please Me" in 1963, which would be their first number one single in the UK. Written mostly by John Lennon, the song made it to the top in just three weeks and would sell over 1.5 million copies world wide. However, the record wouldn't appear on the US charts for another year.
In 1969, Led Zeppelin released their self-titled, debut album. The groundbreaking LP is now seen as one of the most impressive and important debuts in Rock music history. The name of the band had recently been changed from The New Yardbirds after drummer Keith Moon of The Who predicted the band's music would "go over like a lead zeppelin".
In 1993, Cream reform at tonight's Rock and Roll Hall of Fame induction ceremony in Los Angeles. Other inductees are Creedence Clearwater Revival - who don't reform at all - the Doors - who can't reform - Van Morrison, Sly & the Family Stone, Frankie Lymon, Dinah Washington and Etta James. The reclusive Sly Stone appears at the ceremony rocking the Prince look, but says nothing.
In 1995, the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame holds its annual induction dinner to welcome Led Zeppelin, the Allman Brothers Band, Martha & the Vandellas, Neil Young, Janis Joplin, Al Green and Frank Zappa to their ranks.
In 1998, Tonight at New York's Waldorf-Astoria Hotel, the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inducts the Eagles, Fleetwood Mac, the Mamas & the Papas, Santana, Lloyd Price, Gene Vincent, Allen Toussaint and Jelly Roll Morton.
In 1965, NBC premieres a new pop TV show called Hullabaloo, hosted by Jack Jones. Today's guests include the New Christy Minstrels and a comedian called Woody Allen. In a taped segment, Beatles manager Brian Epstein introduced performances by the Zombies and Gerry & the Pacemakers from London.
Glenn Yarbrough is 78.
Ray Price turns 83.
Louisiana swamp rock guitarist Danny James (1945)
Rob Zombie- White Zombie (1966)
Tommy Ardolino- NRBQ (1957)
William Lee Golden- The Oak Ridge Boys (1939)
Cynthia Robinson- Sly and the Family Stone (1946)
Per Gessle- Roxette (1959)
ZacarÃas (Zach) Manuel de la Rocha, singer and lyricist for Rage Against The Machine, was born in Long Beach, CA in 1970.
They Are Missed:
INXS singer Michael Hutchence was born in 1960.
English blues singer Long John Baldry (January 12, 1941 – July 21, 2005) He gave both Rod Stewart and Elton John their first breaks in the music biz by employing them to play in his band.
Maurice Gibb of the Bee Gees died in 2003.
In 2001, Brazilian guitarist Luis Floriana Bonfa died of cancer in Rio de Janeiro. His soundtrack to the 1959 film Black Orpheus helped popularize the bossa nova genre.
In 2004, Randy Vanwarmer, the singer/songwriter/guitarist who went to #4 in 1978 with "Just When I Needed You Most" succumbs to leukemia. He was 48.
In 1999, Barry Pritchard, vocalist and guitarist for The Fortunes, died of heart failure. The group reached the Billboard Top 20 with "You've Got Your Troubles" in 1965 and "Here Comes That Rainy Day Feeling Again" in 1971.
History:
In 1957, Sun released "Flyin' Saucer Rock n' Roll" by Billy Riley and His Little Green men. Featuring Roland Janes on guitar and Jerry Lee Lewis on piano, the song is a rockabilly classic.
The Beach Boys reach #1 with "I Get Around" in 1964.
In 1970, The Band appeared on the cover of Time magazine beneath the headline “The New Sound of Country Rock.”
Britney Spears released her debut album in 1999, “..Baby One More Time,” which debuts at #1, along with their first single of the same title. Spears is the first debut artist to hit #1 on both the singles and the albums charts at the same time.
Elvis Presley recorded "All Shook Up" in 1957.
Today in 1974, the song "The Joker" by the Steve Miller Band topped the charts and stayed there for a week.
In 1981, The Recording Industry Association of America donated 800 albums to the White House library including Bob Dylan's Blonde on Blonde, Never Mind the Bollocks, Here's the Sex Pistols and KISS' Alive.
Using an $800 family loan, 29 year old Berry Gordy Jr. formed his first record label, Tamla Records in 1959.
In 1961, Motown Records signs The Primettes to a recording contract and convinces them to change their name. From several possibilities, they settle on one suggested by Florence Ballard - The Supremes.
The Beatles released "Please Please Me" in 1963, which would be their first number one single in the UK. Written mostly by John Lennon, the song made it to the top in just three weeks and would sell over 1.5 million copies world wide. However, the record wouldn't appear on the US charts for another year.
In 1969, Led Zeppelin released their self-titled, debut album. The groundbreaking LP is now seen as one of the most impressive and important debuts in Rock music history. The name of the band had recently been changed from The New Yardbirds after drummer Keith Moon of The Who predicted the band's music would "go over like a lead zeppelin".
In 1993, Cream reform at tonight's Rock and Roll Hall of Fame induction ceremony in Los Angeles. Other inductees are Creedence Clearwater Revival - who don't reform at all - the Doors - who can't reform - Van Morrison, Sly & the Family Stone, Frankie Lymon, Dinah Washington and Etta James. The reclusive Sly Stone appears at the ceremony rocking the Prince look, but says nothing.
In 1995, the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame holds its annual induction dinner to welcome Led Zeppelin, the Allman Brothers Band, Martha & the Vandellas, Neil Young, Janis Joplin, Al Green and Frank Zappa to their ranks.
In 1998, Tonight at New York's Waldorf-Astoria Hotel, the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inducts the Eagles, Fleetwood Mac, the Mamas & the Papas, Santana, Lloyd Price, Gene Vincent, Allen Toussaint and Jelly Roll Morton.
In 1965, NBC premieres a new pop TV show called Hullabaloo, hosted by Jack Jones. Today's guests include the New Christy Minstrels and a comedian called Woody Allen. In a taped segment, Beatles manager Brian Epstein introduced performances by the Zombies and Gerry & the Pacemakers from London.
Top 5 eBay Vinyl Record Sales
Week Ending 01/10/2009
1. 45rpm - Tony Sheridan and the Beat Brothers (The Beatles) "My Bonnie" / "The Saints" Decca
(commercial copy) - $5,500.00 - Start: $5,500.00 - Bids: BIN
2. LP - The Sevens "self titled" Layola Switzerland - $2,410.00 - Start: $9.99 - Bids: 39
3. LP - Lightnin' Hopkins "Lightnin' And The Blues" - $2,125.00 - Start: $20.00 - Bids: 29
4. LP - Lee Morgan "Candy" Blue Note BP-1590 - $2,114.00 - Start: $499.00 - Bids: 13
5. LP - Linda Hoyle "Pieces Of Me" Vertigo UK - $1,722.44 - Start: $637.00 - Bids: 11
The first of the Tony Sheridan 45's, backed by the Beatles, tops the list this week, selling on a Buy-It-Now for $5.5k. This is the commercial, black label, Decca 45, the rarer of the two versions, the second being the pink promo release. The Beatles changed their name to the Beat Brothers for this and other Tony Sheridan records, as the primary audience was in Germany, and "Beatles" sounded very close to a German slang word for penis.
In the #2 spot, a Swiss Pysch LP from The Sevens bids past $2.4k. Next, a Lightnin' Hopkins LP on Herald sells for one quarter past $2.1k.
The #4 spot goes to Lee Morgan's "Candy" LP on Blue Note, which closes over $2.1k. And last, a jazz fusion LP from Linda Coyle, her first solo record after being a member of Affinity, bids up past $1.7.
As always, I want to thank Norm over at http://ccdiscoveries.blogspot.com for this great data!
1. 45rpm - Tony Sheridan and the Beat Brothers (The Beatles) "My Bonnie" / "The Saints" Decca
(commercial copy) - $5,500.00 - Start: $5,500.00 - Bids: BIN
2. LP - The Sevens "self titled" Layola Switzerland - $2,410.00 - Start: $9.99 - Bids: 39
3. LP - Lightnin' Hopkins "Lightnin' And The Blues" - $2,125.00 - Start: $20.00 - Bids: 29
4. LP - Lee Morgan "Candy" Blue Note BP-1590 - $2,114.00 - Start: $499.00 - Bids: 13
5. LP - Linda Hoyle "Pieces Of Me" Vertigo UK - $1,722.44 - Start: $637.00 - Bids: 11
The first of the Tony Sheridan 45's, backed by the Beatles, tops the list this week, selling on a Buy-It-Now for $5.5k. This is the commercial, black label, Decca 45, the rarer of the two versions, the second being the pink promo release. The Beatles changed their name to the Beat Brothers for this and other Tony Sheridan records, as the primary audience was in Germany, and "Beatles" sounded very close to a German slang word for penis.
In the #2 spot, a Swiss Pysch LP from The Sevens bids past $2.4k. Next, a Lightnin' Hopkins LP on Herald sells for one quarter past $2.1k.
The #4 spot goes to Lee Morgan's "Candy" LP on Blue Note, which closes over $2.1k. And last, a jazz fusion LP from Linda Coyle, her first solo record after being a member of Affinity, bids up past $1.7.
As always, I want to thank Norm over at http://ccdiscoveries.blogspot.com for this great data!
Sunday, January 11, 2009
Rock & Roll Tidbits
Lesley Gore was given the first chance to record "A Groovy Kind of Love", but her then-producer Shelby Singleton did not want her to record a song with the word "groovy" in it. The Mindbenders seized the opportunity and took the song to #2 on the Billboard charts.
Gladys Knight's "Pips" were named after her manager / cousin James "Pip" Patten. Later on, Gladys said it stood for "Perfection In Performance."
Several meanings for The Rolling Stones' hit "Brown Sugar" have been suggested over the years, including Mick Jagger's alleged affair with a black woman, African slaves being raped by their white masters and the perils of being addicted to Brown Heroin. It has even been rumored that Jagger wrote the song as "Black Pussy" before commercializing it to "Brown Sugar".
With less than ten minutes of studio time left, The Marcels recorded a doo-wop version of a song called "Blue Moon", written in 1934 by Richard Rodgers and Lorenz Hart. The result was a US number one hit in April, 1961.
The yardstick for every aspiring young drummer in the sixties was an instrumental called "Wipe Out" by The Surfaris. The record has sold millions and has become a classic rock standard, yet was put together as a b-side filler in about 15 minutes and recorded in just two takes.
Elvis Presley's former home, Graceland is the second most-visited house in America after the White House.
The original title of KISS' 1976 hit "Beth" was "Beck", a nickname given to songwriter Stan Penridge's girlfriend Becky. Penridge was the guitar player in a band that Peter Criss was in before he joined KISS. Additional lyrics were added by Criss and producer Bob Ezrin and resulted in a #7 Billboard hit.
William Ashton, who used the stage name Billy J. Kramer and scored hits with "Bad To Me" and "Little Children" during the British Invasion, took the last part of his name at random from a telephone directory. At the suggestion of John Lennon, Billy added a middle initial to give his name more appeal and used "J" in memory of John's mother, Julia and for his newly born son, Julian.
When The Guess Who performed at the White House in 1970, First Lady Pat Nixon, undoubtedly breifed as to the scathing anti-US sentiment of the band's hit "American Woman", asked that the band delete the song from their show.
Franki Valli's 1975 number one hit "My Eyes Adored You" was originally titled "Blue Eyes In Georgia", but was altered by Valli when he recorded it.
After "Good Lovin'" became Billboard's number one song in April, 1966, organist Felix Cavaliere admitted, "We weren't too pleased with our performance. It was a shock to us when it went to the top of the charts."
On the Mamas and Papas 1966 album "If You Can Believe Your Eyes and Ears", the group's name was spelled with an apostrophe before the "s" - The Mama's and Papa's. Subsequent albums opted for grammatical correctness and the apostrophes were dropped.
According to songwriter Burt Bacharach, his first choice of artist to record "Raindrops Keep Falling On My Head" was Ray Stevens. Fortunately for BJ Thomas, Stevens didn't like the song and passed on the opportunity.
Gladys Knight's "Pips" were named after her manager / cousin James "Pip" Patten. Later on, Gladys said it stood for "Perfection In Performance."
Several meanings for The Rolling Stones' hit "Brown Sugar" have been suggested over the years, including Mick Jagger's alleged affair with a black woman, African slaves being raped by their white masters and the perils of being addicted to Brown Heroin. It has even been rumored that Jagger wrote the song as "Black Pussy" before commercializing it to "Brown Sugar".
With less than ten minutes of studio time left, The Marcels recorded a doo-wop version of a song called "Blue Moon", written in 1934 by Richard Rodgers and Lorenz Hart. The result was a US number one hit in April, 1961.
The yardstick for every aspiring young drummer in the sixties was an instrumental called "Wipe Out" by The Surfaris. The record has sold millions and has become a classic rock standard, yet was put together as a b-side filler in about 15 minutes and recorded in just two takes.
Elvis Presley's former home, Graceland is the second most-visited house in America after the White House.
The original title of KISS' 1976 hit "Beth" was "Beck", a nickname given to songwriter Stan Penridge's girlfriend Becky. Penridge was the guitar player in a band that Peter Criss was in before he joined KISS. Additional lyrics were added by Criss and producer Bob Ezrin and resulted in a #7 Billboard hit.
William Ashton, who used the stage name Billy J. Kramer and scored hits with "Bad To Me" and "Little Children" during the British Invasion, took the last part of his name at random from a telephone directory. At the suggestion of John Lennon, Billy added a middle initial to give his name more appeal and used "J" in memory of John's mother, Julia and for his newly born son, Julian.
When The Guess Who performed at the White House in 1970, First Lady Pat Nixon, undoubtedly breifed as to the scathing anti-US sentiment of the band's hit "American Woman", asked that the band delete the song from their show.
Franki Valli's 1975 number one hit "My Eyes Adored You" was originally titled "Blue Eyes In Georgia", but was altered by Valli when he recorded it.
After "Good Lovin'" became Billboard's number one song in April, 1966, organist Felix Cavaliere admitted, "We weren't too pleased with our performance. It was a shock to us when it went to the top of the charts."
On the Mamas and Papas 1966 album "If You Can Believe Your Eyes and Ears", the group's name was spelled with an apostrophe before the "s" - The Mama's and Papa's. Subsequent albums opted for grammatical correctness and the apostrophes were dropped.
According to songwriter Burt Bacharach, his first choice of artist to record "Raindrops Keep Falling On My Head" was Ray Stevens. Fortunately for BJ Thomas, Stevens didn't like the song and passed on the opportunity.
Tamla Motown celebrates 50 years
by Nathan Bevan, Wales On Sunday
SUNDAY FOCUS: Legendary Motown label celebrates 50th birthday
WHETHER you’re old enough to remember them the first time around, or just discovered them among the boxes of dusty vinyl in your parents’ attic while growing up, everyone’s life has been touched by a Motown song at some point.
Even if you’ve never heard of Martha Reeves And The Vandellas, you’ve still probably whistled Dancing In The Street in the shower without realising.
And there are tribes in parts of the Amazon as yet untouched by civilisation who could, at a push, do all the dance moves of Stop! In The Name Of Love.
Meanwhile, those of you who’ve never listened to Stevie Wonder will ... wait a minute, you’ve never listened to any Stevie Wonder? – Where have you been exactly?
Never mind, because now’s as good a time as any to catch up as the legendary label celebrates its 50th anniversary tomorrow, giving us all the perfect opportunity to bask in the glory of artists such as Marvin Gaye, The Supremes, The Temptations, Smokey Robinson & The Miracles, The Jackson Five, The Four Tops and The Isley Brothers.
And to think it all started on the back of an $800 loan given to a man named Berry Gordy Jr by his family in order to set up a label called Tamla Records in the US car-making capital of Detroit in 1959.
Changing its name to Motown, an abbreviation of the city’s nickname of Motor Town, it would become a dream factory that would churn out a prolific number of bone fide pop classics.
It so nearly didn’t happen though. Gordy was one of eight children born to a strict middle-class family in the tough Midwest industrial city who dreamed of delivering hits of a very different kind with his aspirations of becoming a boxer.
He dropped out of school to pursue that ambition and later risked millions of us never hearing his musical mastery by risking life and limb by joining the US Army to fight in the Korean War.
He returned safely, got married and set up a record store, dabbling in songwriting on the side and penning Reet Petite, among other hits, for singer Jackie Wilson.
Gordy’s real strength, however, was in producing and talent spotting and in the years leading up to Tamla’s foundation he built up an impressive portfolio of artists, including The Miracles.
In fact, it was The Miracles’ lead singer and Gordy’s best friend Smokey Robinson who encouraged him to start his own label.
Detroit’s automotive legacy also played a small part in the story. “Every day I watched how a bare metal frame, rolling down the line, would come off the other end, a spanking brand new car,” says Gordy, now 79, who beat panels for a time in the local Lincoln-Mercury plant.
“I thought what a great idea!’
“Maybe I could do the same thing with music. Create a place where a kid off the street could walk in one door, an unknown, go through a process, and come out another door, a star.”
And that’s exactly how Motown worked.
Behind the slick choreographed moves of The Supremes and The Temptations, or the raw emotion of Marvin Gaye and The Four Tops, was a well-oiled bank of songwriters, most notably the holy triumvirate of Holland-Dozier-Holland of brothers Eddie and Brian Holland and Lamont Dozier.
This trio wrote more than 200 songs for Motown between 1962 and 1967, including such timeless hits as Where Did Our Love Go?, Reach Out I’ll Be There, You Keep Me Hanging On and You Can’t Hurry Love.
And, should there be anyone out there left wondering why so many of us are still obsessed with the sounds of Motown, let’s let Daryl Easlea answer.
“Pages and pages have been written about this over the years, but I think it’s simply the universality of the lyrics and the glory of the beat,” said the head of back catalogue at Universal Music, the firm that now owns Motown. “Look at those early symphonies, those classic love songs. There was high drama, mixed with a mundane use of everyday phrases that gave it such incredible reach.
“Those songs could mean something to the man or woman on the street in Rotherham, or in Richmond, Virginia.”
And no matter what you looked for in music, there was an artist to cater for all tastes, too.
“Diana Ross had that incredibly frail, interesting voice. Not a classic singer’s voice, but so charming,” said Daryl. “Then there was Levi Stubbs of The Four Tops who sounded like the most wounded man in the world.
“Marvin sang like he was everyone’s lover. Straightaway, you knew who you’re listening to.”
Another reason for Motown’s impact was the important part it played in America’s civil rights struggle, becoming the voice of so many black artists whose voices were suddenly starting to emerge in the mainstream.
Martha Reeve’s Dancing In The Street was adopted as an unofficial anthem of the fight for equality, while subjects such as the Vietnam War were dissected on albums like Marvin Gaye’s What’s Going On and, more overtly, War by Edwin Starr. They were, to paraphrase a James Brown song, Talkin’ Loud and Sayin’ Something.
In this country these US imports were championed by the likes of pirate stations like Radio Caroline, while up north Motown became popular with the Northern Soul fraternity and the sound- track to the world-famous dance all- nighters at the Wigan Casino in the 70s.
And more than 30 years on, the sounds of Motown are still very much in demand.
“That’s our job now – to make sure we keep the new listeners coming in.
“That way, this wonderful music will be passed down and stay with us forever.”
SOURCE: http://www.walesonline.co.uk
SUNDAY FOCUS: Legendary Motown label celebrates 50th birthday
WHETHER you’re old enough to remember them the first time around, or just discovered them among the boxes of dusty vinyl in your parents’ attic while growing up, everyone’s life has been touched by a Motown song at some point.
Even if you’ve never heard of Martha Reeves And The Vandellas, you’ve still probably whistled Dancing In The Street in the shower without realising.
And there are tribes in parts of the Amazon as yet untouched by civilisation who could, at a push, do all the dance moves of Stop! In The Name Of Love.
Meanwhile, those of you who’ve never listened to Stevie Wonder will ... wait a minute, you’ve never listened to any Stevie Wonder? – Where have you been exactly?
Never mind, because now’s as good a time as any to catch up as the legendary label celebrates its 50th anniversary tomorrow, giving us all the perfect opportunity to bask in the glory of artists such as Marvin Gaye, The Supremes, The Temptations, Smokey Robinson & The Miracles, The Jackson Five, The Four Tops and The Isley Brothers.
And to think it all started on the back of an $800 loan given to a man named Berry Gordy Jr by his family in order to set up a label called Tamla Records in the US car-making capital of Detroit in 1959.
Changing its name to Motown, an abbreviation of the city’s nickname of Motor Town, it would become a dream factory that would churn out a prolific number of bone fide pop classics.
It so nearly didn’t happen though. Gordy was one of eight children born to a strict middle-class family in the tough Midwest industrial city who dreamed of delivering hits of a very different kind with his aspirations of becoming a boxer.
He dropped out of school to pursue that ambition and later risked millions of us never hearing his musical mastery by risking life and limb by joining the US Army to fight in the Korean War.
He returned safely, got married and set up a record store, dabbling in songwriting on the side and penning Reet Petite, among other hits, for singer Jackie Wilson.
Gordy’s real strength, however, was in producing and talent spotting and in the years leading up to Tamla’s foundation he built up an impressive portfolio of artists, including The Miracles.
In fact, it was The Miracles’ lead singer and Gordy’s best friend Smokey Robinson who encouraged him to start his own label.
Detroit’s automotive legacy also played a small part in the story. “Every day I watched how a bare metal frame, rolling down the line, would come off the other end, a spanking brand new car,” says Gordy, now 79, who beat panels for a time in the local Lincoln-Mercury plant.
“I thought what a great idea!’
“Maybe I could do the same thing with music. Create a place where a kid off the street could walk in one door, an unknown, go through a process, and come out another door, a star.”
And that’s exactly how Motown worked.
Behind the slick choreographed moves of The Supremes and The Temptations, or the raw emotion of Marvin Gaye and The Four Tops, was a well-oiled bank of songwriters, most notably the holy triumvirate of Holland-Dozier-Holland of brothers Eddie and Brian Holland and Lamont Dozier.
This trio wrote more than 200 songs for Motown between 1962 and 1967, including such timeless hits as Where Did Our Love Go?, Reach Out I’ll Be There, You Keep Me Hanging On and You Can’t Hurry Love.
And, should there be anyone out there left wondering why so many of us are still obsessed with the sounds of Motown, let’s let Daryl Easlea answer.
“Pages and pages have been written about this over the years, but I think it’s simply the universality of the lyrics and the glory of the beat,” said the head of back catalogue at Universal Music, the firm that now owns Motown. “Look at those early symphonies, those classic love songs. There was high drama, mixed with a mundane use of everyday phrases that gave it such incredible reach.
“Those songs could mean something to the man or woman on the street in Rotherham, or in Richmond, Virginia.”
And no matter what you looked for in music, there was an artist to cater for all tastes, too.
“Diana Ross had that incredibly frail, interesting voice. Not a classic singer’s voice, but so charming,” said Daryl. “Then there was Levi Stubbs of The Four Tops who sounded like the most wounded man in the world.
“Marvin sang like he was everyone’s lover. Straightaway, you knew who you’re listening to.”
Another reason for Motown’s impact was the important part it played in America’s civil rights struggle, becoming the voice of so many black artists whose voices were suddenly starting to emerge in the mainstream.
Martha Reeve’s Dancing In The Street was adopted as an unofficial anthem of the fight for equality, while subjects such as the Vietnam War were dissected on albums like Marvin Gaye’s What’s Going On and, more overtly, War by Edwin Starr. They were, to paraphrase a James Brown song, Talkin’ Loud and Sayin’ Something.
In this country these US imports were championed by the likes of pirate stations like Radio Caroline, while up north Motown became popular with the Northern Soul fraternity and the sound- track to the world-famous dance all- nighters at the Wigan Casino in the 70s.
And more than 30 years on, the sounds of Motown are still very much in demand.
“That’s our job now – to make sure we keep the new listeners coming in.
“That way, this wonderful music will be passed down and stay with us forever.”
SOURCE: http://www.walesonline.co.uk
Saturday, January 10, 2009
Music News & Notes
Top selling vinyl for 2008
From Nielsen Soundscan, here are the top 10 vinyl sellers in 2008. I find it amazing that the legendary Beatles' LP "Abbey Road" is included, it says a lot for their music.
10. Radiohead, OK Computer, 1997.
9. Metallica, Death Magnetic, 2008.
8. Fleet Foxes, Fleet Foxes, 2008.
7. Pink Floyd, Dark Side of the Moon, 1973.
6. Neutral Milk Hotel, In the Aeroplane Over the Sea, 1998.
5. Portishead, Third, 2008. See number 8.
4. B-52s, Funplex, 2008.
3. Guns 'n' Roses, Chinese Democracy, 2008.
2. The Beatles, Abbey Road, 1969.
1. Radiohead, In Rainbows, 2008.
-----------------------------------
Autopsy Records Two New Songs For New Vinyl 7" and "Severed Survival" Reissue
Autopsy has been "dragged from the grave and vomited out 2 brand new tracks" (according to the press release), their first in nearly 15 years. This will make up the new extremely limited vinyl single release of "Horrific Obsession" in January. "Horrific Obsession" will be limited to only 1000 units and will be available exclusively from peaceville.com on January 26, 2009, with pre-orders available now.
The two tracks will also be included on a special 2-disc 20th anniversary edition of the classic 1989 debut album, "Severed Survival," coming in March. The release includes a second disc of previously unheard rehearsal and live rarities, including two songs originally intended for "Severed Survival." The package also includes a booklet detailing the early history of the band, as documented by the guys themselves, plus unseen photos. This special 2-disc edition of "Severed Survival" will be available on February 23, 2009.
-----------------------------------
Southern Lord vinyl release
In February, Southern Lord will release the vinyl-only version of the new WOLVES IN THE THRONE ROOM EP entitled "Malevolent Grain", featuring two brand new tracks from the Pacific Northwest organic black metallers. Conspiracy Records will offer a limited-edition picture disc of the 12" for Europe, while Southern Lord will release a black 180-gram version worldwide. Additionally, the band will press a limited CD version for tour purposes only. The EP features the band's newly designed logo (see below) crafted by renowned artist Christophe Szpajdel, designer of black metal band logos for KULT OV AZAZEL, EMPEROR, MOONSPELL and other international acts.
The third WOLVES IN THE THRONE ROOM full-length, "Black Cascade" will follow on March 31 via Southern Lord. Both the EP and the full-length were recorded to 2-inch tape by Randall Dunn and Mell Dettmer in Seattle this winter. The new recordings are the first to feature the band's new guitar player Will Lindsay (MIDDIAN) who had previously served as the band's touring bass player, in addition to longtime members, brothers Nathan and Aaron Weaver.
The band will tour Europe beginning in late January.
-----------------------------------
Queen: More Details Revealed On Upcoming Vinyl Reissues
EMI Music and Queen are announcing the re-release over two years of the entire Queen studio album catalogue on long playing vinyl albums. The album packaging will include every detail of the original releases in their original 12” format. Bonus posters, extra pictures, and all the unique content of the original albums will be faithfully reproduced.
The first group of releases, out March 16th, will consist of four classic Queen albums Queen II, Sheer Heart Attack, A Night At The Opera and A Day At The Races.
Following in May 2009 will be come five further albums including the very first album, Queen, along with News Of The World, Flash Gordon, A Kind Of Magic and Innuendo, with successive releases coming approximately every 6 months.
In a deliberate move, the albums are not being released chronologically but instead sequenced over the twenty-two year period of release allowing buyers wider choice with each new batch of releases.
Queen’s original studio albums: Queen, Queen II, Sheer Heart Attack, A Night At The Opera, A Day At The Races, News Of The World, Jazz, The Game, Flash Gordon, Hot Space, The Works, A Kind Of Magic, The Miracle, Innuendo, Made In Heaven.
-----------------------------------
Stax Reissuing Two Isaac Hayes Classics
Stax Records, now part of the Concord Group, will be reissuing two of Isaac Hayes' classic 70's album on February 24.
Up first is Black Moses, originally issued in 1971. This double-CD of Hayes' most critically acclaimed album includes a complete replication of the original album cover which folds out into a cross-shaped image of the artist. New to the set is liner notes by Rob Bowman who wrote Soulsville U.S.A.: The Story of Stax Records.
The album was notable for the fact that so many of the tracks were covers, including the Jackson 5's Never Can Say Goodbye, the Carpenters Close to You, and Kris Kristofferson's For the Good Times. Hayes took the songs and crafted soulful versions that, at times, ran upwards of ten minutes in length. The singer noted that the album came out of the pain of a divorce. Bowman says "Isaac's ability to take other people's material and make it so deeply personal is nothing short of brilliant."
The album went to number one on the R&B, number two on the Jazz and number ten on the Pop Album charts while Never Can Say Goodbye was a number five R&B and number 22 Pop single. It won the Grammy for Best Pop Instrumental Performance.
Also being released is 1976's Juicy Fruit (Disco Heat). The album was nowhere near as good or as big as most of his previous works, mostly attempting to tap into the current disco trend. It was also his third release of that year for his new label, ABC, and was one of his few albums on which he wrote all of the songs. The combination proved problematic with the songs being formulaic and non-descript.
The album peaked at 18 on the R&B and 124 on the Pop charts and didn't produce any hit singles.
-----------------------------------
Loretta Lynn Busy With Two New Albums
Country legend Loretta Lynn is preparing two projects this year to follow up her 2004 crossover hit, "Van Lear Rose."
Lynn, 74, is working on an album of new material that she says could be ready by late spring. The album will be in her traditional country style but will deal with modern issues. "(A friend) told me: 'Loretta, don't quit writing, because if you do, no one in Nashville is writing songs,'" Lynn tells Billboard. "I write about what's happening today and how I feel."
The second project, an album of re-recorded versions of her No. 1 hits from the past four decades, is being produced by John Carter Cash and could hit stores this summer.
From Nielsen Soundscan, here are the top 10 vinyl sellers in 2008. I find it amazing that the legendary Beatles' LP "Abbey Road" is included, it says a lot for their music.10. Radiohead, OK Computer, 1997.
9. Metallica, Death Magnetic, 2008.
8. Fleet Foxes, Fleet Foxes, 2008.
7. Pink Floyd, Dark Side of the Moon, 1973.
6. Neutral Milk Hotel, In the Aeroplane Over the Sea, 1998.
5. Portishead, Third, 2008. See number 8.
4. B-52s, Funplex, 2008.
3. Guns 'n' Roses, Chinese Democracy, 2008.
2. The Beatles, Abbey Road, 1969.
1. Radiohead, In Rainbows, 2008.
-----------------------------------
Autopsy Records Two New Songs For New Vinyl 7" and "Severed Survival" Reissue
Autopsy has been "dragged from the grave and vomited out 2 brand new tracks" (according to the press release), their first in nearly 15 years. This will make up the new extremely limited vinyl single release of "Horrific Obsession" in January. "Horrific Obsession" will be limited to only 1000 units and will be available exclusively from peaceville.com on January 26, 2009, with pre-orders available now.
The two tracks will also be included on a special 2-disc 20th anniversary edition of the classic 1989 debut album, "Severed Survival," coming in March. The release includes a second disc of previously unheard rehearsal and live rarities, including two songs originally intended for "Severed Survival." The package also includes a booklet detailing the early history of the band, as documented by the guys themselves, plus unseen photos. This special 2-disc edition of "Severed Survival" will be available on February 23, 2009.
-----------------------------------
Southern Lord vinyl release
In February, Southern Lord will release the vinyl-only version of the new WOLVES IN THE THRONE ROOM EP entitled "Malevolent Grain", featuring two brand new tracks from the Pacific Northwest organic black metallers. Conspiracy Records will offer a limited-edition picture disc of the 12" for Europe, while Southern Lord will release a black 180-gram version worldwide. Additionally, the band will press a limited CD version for tour purposes only. The EP features the band's newly designed logo (see below) crafted by renowned artist Christophe Szpajdel, designer of black metal band logos for KULT OV AZAZEL, EMPEROR, MOONSPELL and other international acts.
The third WOLVES IN THE THRONE ROOM full-length, "Black Cascade" will follow on March 31 via Southern Lord. Both the EP and the full-length were recorded to 2-inch tape by Randall Dunn and Mell Dettmer in Seattle this winter. The new recordings are the first to feature the band's new guitar player Will Lindsay (MIDDIAN) who had previously served as the band's touring bass player, in addition to longtime members, brothers Nathan and Aaron Weaver.
The band will tour Europe beginning in late January.
-----------------------------------
Queen: More Details Revealed On Upcoming Vinyl Reissues
EMI Music and Queen are announcing the re-release over two years of the entire Queen studio album catalogue on long playing vinyl albums. The album packaging will include every detail of the original releases in their original 12” format. Bonus posters, extra pictures, and all the unique content of the original albums will be faithfully reproduced.
The first group of releases, out March 16th, will consist of four classic Queen albums Queen II, Sheer Heart Attack, A Night At The Opera and A Day At The Races.
Following in May 2009 will be come five further albums including the very first album, Queen, along with News Of The World, Flash Gordon, A Kind Of Magic and Innuendo, with successive releases coming approximately every 6 months.
In a deliberate move, the albums are not being released chronologically but instead sequenced over the twenty-two year period of release allowing buyers wider choice with each new batch of releases.
Queen’s original studio albums: Queen, Queen II, Sheer Heart Attack, A Night At The Opera, A Day At The Races, News Of The World, Jazz, The Game, Flash Gordon, Hot Space, The Works, A Kind Of Magic, The Miracle, Innuendo, Made In Heaven.
-----------------------------------
Stax Reissuing Two Isaac Hayes Classics
Stax Records, now part of the Concord Group, will be reissuing two of Isaac Hayes' classic 70's album on February 24.
Up first is Black Moses, originally issued in 1971. This double-CD of Hayes' most critically acclaimed album includes a complete replication of the original album cover which folds out into a cross-shaped image of the artist. New to the set is liner notes by Rob Bowman who wrote Soulsville U.S.A.: The Story of Stax Records.
The album was notable for the fact that so many of the tracks were covers, including the Jackson 5's Never Can Say Goodbye, the Carpenters Close to You, and Kris Kristofferson's For the Good Times. Hayes took the songs and crafted soulful versions that, at times, ran upwards of ten minutes in length. The singer noted that the album came out of the pain of a divorce. Bowman says "Isaac's ability to take other people's material and make it so deeply personal is nothing short of brilliant."
The album went to number one on the R&B, number two on the Jazz and number ten on the Pop Album charts while Never Can Say Goodbye was a number five R&B and number 22 Pop single. It won the Grammy for Best Pop Instrumental Performance.
Also being released is 1976's Juicy Fruit (Disco Heat). The album was nowhere near as good or as big as most of his previous works, mostly attempting to tap into the current disco trend. It was also his third release of that year for his new label, ABC, and was one of his few albums on which he wrote all of the songs. The combination proved problematic with the songs being formulaic and non-descript.
The album peaked at 18 on the R&B and 124 on the Pop charts and didn't produce any hit singles.
-----------------------------------
Loretta Lynn Busy With Two New Albums
Country legend Loretta Lynn is preparing two projects this year to follow up her 2004 crossover hit, "Van Lear Rose."
Lynn, 74, is working on an album of new material that she says could be ready by late spring. The album will be in her traditional country style but will deal with modern issues. "(A friend) told me: 'Loretta, don't quit writing, because if you do, no one in Nashville is writing songs,'" Lynn tells Billboard. "I write about what's happening today and how I feel."
The second project, an album of re-recorded versions of her No. 1 hits from the past four decades, is being produced by John Carter Cash and could hit stores this summer.
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