Michael Fremer Review

I am very proud to continue our feature (look for this every Friday), music reviews that are written by the senior contributing editor of Stereophile magazine- Michael Fremer. It has been a pleasure to speak with Michael and learn more about audio sound and equipment. In fact, his new DVD, "It's A Vinyl World, After All" has hit the shelves and is selling out very quickly. This is a must have for anybody who loves vinyl, it is a true masterpiece.

ALBUM REVIEW:
Various Artists (new reissue)
A Christmas Gift to You From Philles Records

Sundazed LP 5323 180g mono LP

Produced by: Phil Spector
Engineered by: Larry Levine
Mixed by: Phil Spector and Larry Levine
Mastered by: Bob Irwin (LP cut by "WG/NRP")

Review by: Michael Fremer

2009-12-10

The classic Phil Spector Christmas album is Sundazed’s holiday gift to us all. Mastered in glorious mono from the original mono master tape (remember: Phil didn’t do stereo so if you see “stereo” on the jacket, it’s fake stereo, though I heard there was a 1974 “stereo remix” but given how Spector recorded I can’t imagine from what source tracks such a mix could have been assembled).

Phil used jingle bells and such when recording secular teen love songs so the move to Christmas wasn’t particularly difficult. And who better than a New York Jew to produce such a timeless Christmas classic? After all, Irving Berlin wrote “White Christmas,” and Mel Tormé (Melvin Howard Torma) co-wrote “The Christmas Song” (“chestnuts roasting on the open fire”). And don’t forget, the guy whose birthday everyone is celebrating was also one.

And what better place to record a Christmas album than Los Angeles? Well, I can name ten, but what better studio to record a Phil Spector album in than Gold Star? I can name none.

And what worse day to release a cheery Christmas album than Novemberr 22nd, 1963? There are no worse days, so the album, like the president, stiffed (sorry, I couldn’t help myself but I wish I could have).

Few copies sold of such a wonderful record means original pressings are rare and expensive. Apple reissued with a different cover and name in 1972 and that time it went into the Top Ten and deservedly so.

So here’s Sundazed’s gift to you with the original Philles cover and all of the great tracks recorded by Phil’s outstanding artist roster.

The Ronette’s “Frosty The Snowman,” and “Santa Claus is Coming To Town” might be my favorites and the latter is the foundation for the E-Street Band, but there’s really not a bad track on the album. The strings and baritone sax provide warmth, the percussion and castenets the icicles and the big wobbly vibratos the soul. Such a classic combination! You know the guy who wrote and sang “To Know Him is to Love Him” knows how to pour on the sap!

Spector places the vocals way above the background mass of strings and percussion and Hal Blaine’s drums are in another time zone but that just adds to the vast holiday cheer this album produces every time you play it$#151at least until you get to Phil’s sign-off at the end of side two. It sounded creepy back in 1972 when I first heard it but now given what’s happened to poor Phil it sounds creepy squared.

I compared this reissue cut from the analog tapes with the digitally remastered LP included in the out of print ABKCO Phil Spector Box Back to MONO (even though the box says “mastered in analog” that referred to the analog tapes being used to produce the digital master) and the Sundazed reissue is clearly the winner in terms of crystalline clarity and that certain pleasing piercing quality to the vocal mix that’s supposed to cut through on an edge without slicing your eardrums. The digitally remastered box set version is thicker and not as pleasingly icy-clean.

However I was a bit disappointed by a lack of bass heft on some of the big drum “thwacks” that the box set version has. Whether that was someone goosing up the bottom end there, or cutting a bit off here, I don’t know. Accurate or not, I like it.

Still, overall the new Sundazed reissue wins the clarity and transparency race and that’s more important if you want to hear into the Spector wall and pull out all the candy-elements.

Even the 180 gram pressing, which I assume is from United, Nashville is good. Non “no-fill” and no noise. Maybe Sundazed’s Bob Irwin is finally whipping that woefully sloppy joint into shape?

Now that A Christmas Gift For You is out again all analog on vinyl, it will definitely be a merry Christmas!

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

How Records Got Their Groove Back

Yet another intriguing article about vinyl (it is all over the news and Internet), but we vinyl collectors already knew that. This one os from the AARP Magazine issue for Jan, Feb 2010.

How Records Got Their Groove Back

As CDs fade away, there's a new vinyl answer


By Bill Newcott


"They lied to us, man," he said.

Flipping through old vinyl albums at a used-record shop, I did what anyone does when a fellow human bares his soul: I ignored him. "They said CDs would sound better," he persisted. "They lied!" He rapped a vintage Ramsey Lewis album on the edge of the bin, like a gavel, releasing that distinct scent of dust and decomposing cardboard.

"I got rid of my record player. I let my records go. And they never even bothered to bring back half of my old jazz albums. Not half. It was like they hooked us, and then they gutted us."

It was a spontaneous outburst, but the gist of it I've been hearing for years among frequenters of the vinyl bins: despite the advantages of compact disks (CDs) over vinyl—you'll never hear a CD pop or click, and you can access any track instantly—the supposed perfection of the format was overstated. Of course, the companies were just as over-the-top about LPs. Here's a quote from my vinyl copy of Tony [Bennett]'s Greatest Hits, Volume III: "You can purchase this record with no fear of its becoming obsolete in the future." Pioneer audiophiles felt that way about Edison's cylinder phonograph of the late 1800s and the 78-rpm shellac disks of the early 20th century. And even as the "never obsolete" vinyl promise was being made in the 1960s, guys in lab coats were dreaming up cassette tapes and eight-track tape cartridges.

Then came the CD in the mid-1980s, and everyone knew that vinyl's days were numbered. But like those ancient tiny mammals that predated the dinosaurs—and then kept skittering around the feet of T. rex and his pals—vinyl never completely disappeared: throughout the '90s, hip-hop DJs spun vinyl disks, manipulating the turntables by hand for musical effect.

Now record companies are making money from vinyl again: vinyl-record sales soared 89 percent in 2008, while CDs, falling prey to Internet downloads, continued to trudge down the road to extinction. Music giant EMI has rereleased some 65 classic albums on vinyl, including acts ranging from Frank Sinatra to the Beastie Boys. U2's newest album (No Line on the Horizon), Bruce Springsteen's latest (Working on a Dream), and Harry Connick Jr.'s Your Songs have all done brisk vinyl business.

And it's not just a generational thing. Newer acts such as The Killers and Ryan Adams are finding an LP audience as well, offering vinyl and MP3-download versions of their latest releases as a single package. In fact, whereas Borders and Best Buy stores have been reducing their CD space, both retailers have installed new vinyl-LP racks.

The Sound of Silence

It wasn't the sound that sold us on CDs—it was the absence of it. Your first CD experience was probably a lot like mine. I was working at a tabloid newspaper in Florida, and one day the publisher called me into his office. "Siddown," he barked. As always, I did as I was told. He just sat there staring at me, cigarette aloft in one hand. Then, suddenly, the crashing opening chords of Tchaikovsky's Capriccio Italien came barreling out at me from two large speakers. I leaped to my feet, as if to escape. My boss clapped his hands and laughed, sending ashes flying.

"It's the silence," he said gleefully. "A record warns you something's gonna happen with all the noise it makes. But this is a compact disk. When it's quiet, it's damn quiet."

Maybe too quiet. Even after CDs nudged vinyl out the record-store door in the late 1980s, enthusiasts stuck to their position that vinyl's sound reproduction was ultimately more satisfying than digital's. Warmer is the word used most frequently, and Jason Boyd, who oversees vinyl-record production and sales for music giant EMI, tried to explain it to me.

"The imperfections of the sound—the low ends—are sonically appealing," Boyd says. "CD is most pristine. But vinyl has the warm, full sound of the music. The cracks and the little imperfections that pop up seem to enhance the music. It's a way of experiencing music rather than just consuming it."

Boyd is probably right. But here's my theory: it's the unique imperfections of each vinyl record that make it irreplaceable. After enough plays, a record becomes a fingerprint of your listening experience. Just about everyone who owned the Beatles' White Album wore the thing down to a nub. Your copy, like mine, is a crackling mess through "Cry Baby Cry"—but then it becomes a mint-condition collector's item the moment that unlistenable jumble of sounds the Lads called "Revolution 9" fades in.

Indeed, all of our records carry an indelible personal stamp: the skip on your copy of The Dark Side of the Moon that results in Roger Waters's repeating "Money!" over and over…the holiday album you still play despite the damage it sustained in that unfortunate 1962 Christmas-tree pine-needle accident...the Shari Lewis record you kicked off the turntable while you were dancing, so now Lamb Chop repeats herself, like Rain Man.

See Me, Feel Me

Even the nonlistening rituals of record ownership are burned into the memories of everyone who ever had a collection. Need proof? Head down to a music store and buy a record—most larger shops now have at least a small vinyl section. The rest will come naturally: bring the record home (on the way, I guarantee, you'll admire the cover artwork). Now slip your thumbnail into the cellophane sheath, right at the album's business end, and slide it along. Feel that flutter in your stomach as the album opens? You're remembering what it's like to access your music with a single, graceful stroke—instead of peeling, stabbing, cutting, and finally biting your way into a CD jewel case. Now slide out the inner sleeve. There she is: the proud, black thing of beauty, her label winking at you through the sleeve's center hole. As you extract the disk from the sleeve, you'll find you haven't forgotten how to hold it safely: your thumb at the ridge, the label resting on your fingers. If you're lucky enough to still have your turntable, you'll deftly center the record on the spindle. Best of all, the disk won't hop into a drawer and disappear into a box, like a CD. It will stay right there in plain view, singing to you at a steady 33 1/3 revolutions per minute.

Then there's the structure of a two-sided album. In the old days, records were programmed in two acts: Side One and Side Two. Someone who's never flipped an LP would be mightily puzzled over the lyric at the end of Side One on the Carpenters' fourth album, A Song for You: "We'll be right back /After we go to the bathroom." On my favorite album, Electric Light Orchestra's Eldorado, Jeff Lynne ends Side One on a chord progression that is left unresolved until Side Two.

Your Song

In my world, digital and vinyl have found a way to coexist: when I'm on the subway, or walking on a bustling city sidewalk, the slightly shrill digital music flowing through my earbuds seems appropriate. At home, however—where I'm bathed in the warmth of family and familiar surroundings—the sounds from my old record player seem to float from room to room, filling every corner with aural incense.

"Vinyl will never be mainstream again, but it's a growing niche," says Michael Fremer, senior contributing editor for Stereophile magazine. (He owns 15,000 vinyl records.) "When a former vinyl listener reconnects, he or she says, 'I remember that sound. That's what I'm missing!' And a new generation is discovering that vinyl sounds better and represents tunes sequenced as the artist wishes, rather than as a series of random events.

"I doubt kids will look back in 50 years and say, 'I remember when I downloaded that!' The forward-looking young people are going for vinyl editions of their important music."


The End

Those of us who fell for the Great Lie will never fully recover. My distraught friend from the used-record store is right: we'll spend the rest of our days trying to re-create our old collections, Ancient Mariners roaming the earth, our MP3 players slung about our necks like albatrosses.

But there will be the inevitable reunions with long-lost LP friends, the rush of anticipation when the needle hits that groove, and the exquisite moment when the music plays, warm and full, punctuated with the pops and crackles of passing time.

SOURCE:  http://www.aarpmagazine.org/

A vinyl record, properly cared for, can certainly last your lifetime and probably your kids and grandchildrens as well.  Where will that song you downloaded two weeks ago be?  There is something to be said about actually owning something, something tactile, long live vinyl!

Music News & Notes

The Beatles Have Best Selling Album of the Decade

Our good friends at AntiMusic are reporting that The Fab four are still pretty damn fab. At least with people who buy music according to the following Rolling Stone.com report:

Over three decades after their breakup, the Beatles still released the top-selling album of the 2000s. The Fab Four's greatest hits compilation 1 sold over 11,448,000 copies since its release in November 2000 according to Nielsen SoundScan's decade-end sales numbers. Eminem was the 2000s’ top-selling artist with 32.2 million combined in sales, plus two albums in the decade’s Top 10. The Beatles claimed Number Two with 30 million.

Soundscan's Top 10 Selling Albums of the 2000's

1.1 - Beatles (11,499,000 copies sold)
2.No Strings Attached - *NSYNC (11,112,000)
3.Come Away With Me - Norah Jones (10,546,000)
4.The Marshall Mathers LP - Eminem (10,204,000)
5.The Eminem Show - Eminem (9,799,000)
6.Confessions - Usher (9,712,000)
7.Hybrid Theory - Linkin Park (9,663,000)
8.Human Clay - Creed (9,491,000)
9.Oops!…I Did It Again - Britney Spears (9,185,000)
10.Country Grammar - Nelly (8,461,000)

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SLASH - New Album Release And Tour Set

SLASH (VELVET REVOLVER, ex-GUNS N' ROSES) has issued the following Twitter update:

"Driving around listening to the analog mixes of my solo record, I gotta say it sounds awesome. The whole self titled record was recorded analog. It will be released March/April - tour starts around then too. It will be released in all formats including vinyl."

Slash will be released in Europe via Roadrunner Records. A release date for other territories will be announced soon.

As previously reported, the first single from Slash's upcoming solo album will feature OZZY OSBOURNE on vocals. Other guests who will appear on Slash include ALICE COOPER, Lemmy Kilmister (MOTÖRHEAD), former Guns N' Roses men Duff McKagan (LOADED), Steven Adler and Izzy Stradlin, Dave Grohl (FOO FIGHTERS), Flea (RED HOT CHILI PEPPERS), IGGY POP, KID ROCK, CHRIS CORNELL, Myles Kennedy (ALTER BRIDGE), Stacy "Fergie" Ferguson (BLACK EYED PEAS), MAROON 5 singer Adam Levine and WOLFMOTHER's Andrew Stockdale.

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Midlake announce limited-edition vinyl release and UK tour
Texas band head to the UK early next year

Midlake have announced details of a limited-edition 12-inch vinyl release featuring two new songs.

There will only be 500 copies of the record, which features 'Acts Of Man' and 'Rulers, Ruling All Things', available from December 14. Both songs will feature on Midlake's forthcoming album 'The Courage Of Others' (released on February 1).

Midlake tour the UK and Republic Of Ireland in January and February.

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Iron Maiden, Rammstein, Stooges, Mötley Crüe for Sonisphere Festival 2010

Iron Maiden and Rammstein have been announced as headliners of the UK leg of the Sonisphere Festival next summer.  The Knebworth House event will also feature Alice Cooper, Mötley Crüe, Iggy And The Stooges, Anthrax, The Cult and Slayer.

Rammstein's appearance will mark their first ever UK festival show.

Sonisphere takes place between July 30 and August 1 next year.

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Bon Iver releases live charity album 'A Decade With Duke' also features Justin Vernon's high school jazz band

Bon Iver has released a recording of a charity show at mainman Justin Vernon's old high school in Eau Claire, Wisconsin.  Called 'A Decade With Duke', the album is a collaboration between Vernon and jazz ensemble Eau Claire Memorial Jazz 1.

Featuring songs from Bon Iver's critically acclaimed album 'For Emma, Forever Ago', such as 'Lump Sum' and 'For Emma', the album also sees Vernon performing jazz classics such as 'Lady Is A Tramp' and 'Bewitched'.

Vernon did the show to help raise money to send the jazz band to New York to take part in the Essentially Ellington competition, where they came third.

Released both physically and digitally, the CD is only available from Brickhouse Music, Morgan Music, and from the Volume One office in the Eau Claire area. For those outside of Wisconsin, a digital copy is available from various online retailers.

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Elvis Costello set to release new live album 'Live At Hollywood High' to be released in January

Elvis Costello has announced plans to release the second in his 'The Costello Show' live performance series.  Entitled 'Live At Hollywood High', the 20-song album is taken from Costello's gig at the school in Los Angeles in June 1978.

Released on January 11, the record will include songs from early albums 'My Aim Is True', 'This Year's Model' and 'Armed Forces'.

'Live At Hollywood High' follows on from the reissue of 'Live At The El Mocambo'earlier this year, and future releases for the series are set to include performances from the Royal Albert Hall, reports Billboard.

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Neil Young | Gary Burden Get Grammy Music Nomination For Package Design

LOS ANGELES (Top40 Charts/ R. Twerk & Co.) - Gary Burden's design of the Neil Young Archives, Volume 1 has been nominated for a 52nd Annual Grammy Award in the Best Boxed or Special Limited Edition Package category. Lead art director and designer Gary Burden, R. Twerk & Co., says he had "no idea 'the archives' were entered into the awards, so it was a huge surprise when we received a phone call and learned we were nominated. This is just so cool and I am really happy for Neil, too." This is Burden's fourth Grammy nomination for design. Burden, representing his company R. Twerk & Co., has received three other Grammy nominations for 'Best Package of the Year.'

The long-awaited Neil Young Archives, Volume 1 (1963-1972) is a deluxe boxed set. It was conceived as a time-capsule of Neil Young's musical and personal journeys from 1963 to 1972. The elaborate box contains multiple cds/dvds/bluerays (depending on the version, there are three), a replica of Neil Young's revealing personal journal with a faux embossed leather cover, and a "stash" box (look in the corners for reproductions of pot seeds). The box was designed to last a long time, and also designed with sustainability in mind. "The Mohawk paper we used is FSC-certified, recycled with PCW content and made with windpower," said Burden.

Burden and Neil Young have been collaborating on album cover art for more than forty years and have become lifelong friends. They still enjoy working together and are currently at work on Volume II, and a myriad of other packages.

Gary says he will 'definitely' be going to the Grammy Awards in January, "It is very cool that the years of work Neil, my wife Jenice and I put into the packaging of Neil's archive is recognized by my peers as being worthy of a Grammy. I immediately recalled my first Grammy nomination in 1969 for Richard Pryor's comedy album. I went to Western Costume to rent an outfit. I got a tuxedo with sequin lapels and stripes on the trousers that was made for Elvis Presley. It fit me perfectly. Sweet!"

Gary Burden started designing album covers at the suggestion of Mama Cass after he did a short stint as an architect, designing Cass' home. Shortly thereafter, Burden had designed Joni Mitchell's "Blue" cover, albums for Steppenwolf, Three Dog Night and The Mamas and the Papas all of which went gold and platinum. Burden created Crosby, Stills and Nash's first album cover artwork, The Doors' "Morrison Hotel" and four album covers for the Eagles including "Desperado," several for Jackson Browne, Judee Sill, Laura Nyro, and many others even making a cover for Zydeco artist Clifton Chenier.

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Handwritten Song Lyrices Up For Auction

Want to own the origianl handwritten lyrices for the classic cut "Wild Thing?" A long list of artists have contributed handwritten and signed lyrics to some of their greatest songs to the Americana Music Association for a December 14 benefit auction, including Chip Taylor's "Wild Thing." Those donating lyrics include Dolly Parton (I Will Always Love You), Willie Nelson (On the Road Again), Robert Plant (Please Read the Letter), Peter Frampton (Baby I Love Your Way), Emmylou Harris (Tulsa Queen), Phil Everly (When Will I Be Loved), J.D. Souther (Faithless Love), John Prine (Angel From Montgomery), John Oates (She's Gone) and many more.

Currently, the Plant lyrics are the high bid receiver at $925. To see the full list and the current bids, go to the American Association website.

http://www.americanamusicauction.com/

Vinyl’s comeback makes musicians want to sing

TORONTO -- As music lovers approach a new decade in this still-young century, a recording technology once considered old and obsolete -- vinyl -- has been making a strong comeback. Vinyl albums, which began to be replaced by CDs in the mid-1980s, have rebounded in recent years as enthusiasts young and old turned sentimental for the old pops, cracks and warm sounds emitting from grooves on a record.

And as sales have rebounded, music makers ranging from big acts like Jack White and the Flaming Lips to local bands in major cities have been cranking out vinyl and treating fans with added material like old-style liner notes or posters. If bands can keep costs low, they may even be able to make extra money in the financially strapped music business where cheap digital downloads are replacing once-lucrative CD sales.

"It’s hard to say how long it’ll last, but even if you’re 16 years old, your parents probably have vinyl somewhere," said Wayne Coyne, lead singer of the Flaming Lips. "So there’s probably some trigger of another time, an exotic world where this was the way you bought music."

While vinyl records never truly became extinct from record store shelves, the current resurgence seems to have picked up pace starting around 2007. Last year, 1.9 million vinyl records sold, roughly double 2007. Industry tracker Nielsen SoundScan projects that 2.8 million units will be purchased in 2009.

A wide range of bands, from Radiohead and the Beatles to Bob Dylan and Metallica, have been shipping albums on vinyl. Radiohead, for instance, sold 61,000 vinyl records in 2008. Turntable sales are increasing, too, suggesting vinyl is reaching new customers and not just collectors and purists.

Seeing is believing

Vinyl’s renaissance springs from both musicians and fans longing for something more tangible than just listening to music on a digital file, said Paul Simcoe, co-owner of Toronto’s Criminal Records.

"I’ll support an artist to the end of time," he said. "But I still have a huge problem buying something I can’t see."

The Flaming Lips’ Coyne said vinyl appeals to fans’ senses in ways digital downloads can’t by providing colorful notes, posters or other visual items that downloads just don’t have. In fact, his band has even packaged DVDs with vinyl albums.

Trevor Larocque, co-founder of Toronto’s Paper Bag Records, said vinyl gives artists the chance to offer fans distinct products. His label’s records are made in limited amounts of 200 or 300, and the record sleeves are silk-screened with exclusive artwork.

Another technique to lure online listeners is offering memberships in fan clubs that include shipments of unreleased, vinyl recordings, which is what Nashville-based Third Man Records, founded by the White Stripes’ Jack White, is doing.

"That, for us, is a really strong way of reaching out to a digital generation," said label executive Ben Swank.

In the case of Toronto-based band the Diableros, they released a new EP, Old Story, Fresh Road, digitally and on vinyl, forgoing CDs which they felt were unnecessary.

But releasing an album on vinyl presents musicians with challenges that don’t exist for CDs or digital files, said David Read of Vinyl Record Guru, a manufacturing outfit on Vancouver Island, Canada.

Costs vs. benefits

Listeners can download files and/or copy digital songs onto CDs and DVDs from their home computer but vinyl presses aren’t easy to find -- there are only a handful in North America. And to produce a vinyl album, first the lacquer on which to press each vinyl album must be made. Then, a test pressing needs to be done and sound problems must be fixed before mass quantities are produced.

Also, many bands want to release just a few hundred copies on vinyl, yet custom vinyl jackets must be ordered in minimum quantities of 500. To get around that problem, Paper Bag Records ships its albums in, aptly so, paper -- recycled cardboard jackets that are customized for each band.

Diableros drummer Mike Duffield said his band borrowed money to finance their vinyl EP, but it was worth it.

"When you’ve worked a year and a half on something and you want to see it done, you take risks," he explained. "I think you have to invest in yourself and your product."

Vinyl records also cost fans more than CDs, said Criminal Record’s Simcoe.

CDs generally range from $10 to $14, but a vinyl record is usually at least $15. A price of $20 is more normal and a double-disc, for instance, can cost upward of $35.

Some major and independent labels have increased vinyl prices to account for higher costs and increased demand, but Simcoe worries that tactic may end the positive sales trend. "These guys are in danger of killing this industry," he said.

But for some artists, vinyl’s downsides are worth working around. Third Man Records, for instance, sidesteps higher costs and inconvenience by doing all their work in Nashville. The music is recorded in a studio behind their storefront and records are pressed at a facility just down the road.

"We can have it on the shelves in about a month, which is about as long as it takes to get it on iTunes these days," Swank said. "What we’re trying to do is make vinyl as immediate as a digital track can be." -- Reuters

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How vinyl record sales stack up

CD SALES are off 13% in 2009 heading into the lucrative holiday shopping season, after a 20% annual drop in 2008 from the year before, but sales of vinyl records are bucking that trend.

Vinyl record sales reached 1.9 million units in 2008 and are on track to sell nearly 2.8 million units in 2009, according to industry tracker Nielsen SoundScan. Those numbers account only for stores that report to Nielsen and not smaller record shops or albums sold at concerts.

Though vinyl record sales have momentum, they still make up only 1% of total album sales tracked by Nielsen SoundScan. Following are some facts about vinyl records. Sales for individual albums and artists in 2009 are incomplete, so data covers 2008.

Vinyl by genre

Rock and alternative albums account for the most vinyl record sales, but other genres have shown growth, too.

Rock and alternative are each up just under 60% this year over last, while electronic (31%), rap (23%) and R&B (18%) are showing more modest gains.

Sales of LPs in country and gospel in 2009 are each up 200% from this time last year.

Jazz and hard rock are up 150% and 106% year-to-date, respectively.

Sales of Latin vinyl records are flat compared to this point last year, while soundtrack sales are down 7%.
Best-selling albums of 2008

In 2008, slightly fewer than 13,000 vinyl records sold at least one copy, while nearly 400 sold at least 1,000 copies and accounted for 50% of total vinyl sales. Here are the five best-selling vinyl records in 2008:

1. Radiohead -- In Rainbows: 25,800 copies sold
2. The Beatles -- Abbey Road: 16,500 copies sold
3. Guns N’ Roses -- Chinese Democracy: 13,600 copies sold
4. The B-52s -- Funplex: 12,800 copies sold
5. Portishead -- Third: 12,300 copies sold

Best-selling artists of 2008

The top five best-selling artists on vinyl in 2008 were a mix of those who released new albums that year, like Radiohead and Guns N’ Roses, and catalog artists like the Beatles with popular older releases. These artists sold 225,000 LPs in 2008, or 13% of all vinyl sold that year.

1. Radiohead: 61,000 copies sold
2. Metallica: 40,000 copies sold
3. Beatles: 20,000 copies sold
4. Elliot Smith: 18,000 copies sold
5. Bob Dylan: 15,000 copies sold -- Reuters

SOURCE: http://www.bworldonline.com/

2009 results will be available next month, but one important element of the story is that the 'counters' of these figures do not count some independent dealers and record shops where vinyl sells the best.  Go figure.....

New Music For 2010

This from http://www.bumpershine.com/, lots of great music on the way!

2010 Jan, Feb, March - New Releases (With Dates)

Courtney Love – “Nobody’s Daughter” (01/01/10)*
Findlay Brown – “Love Will Find You” (01/05/10) Verve
Ringo Starr – “Y Not” (01/12/10) Hip-O/UMe
Laura Veirs – “July Flame” (01/12/10) Raven Marching Band
Final Fantasy – “Heartland” (01/12/10) Domino
OK Go – “Of The Blue Colour Of The Sky” (01/12/10) EMI
Editors – “In This Light And On this Evening” (01/19/10) Fader
Surfer Blood – Astro Coast (01/19/10) Kanine
Lindstrøm & Christabelle – “Real Life Is No Cool” (01/19/10)
Vampire Weekend – “Contra” (01/12/09) XL
The Paperbacks – “Lit From Within” (01/12/10) Parliament Of Trees
Woodpigeon – “Die Stadt Muzikanten” (01/12/10) Boompa
Hawksley Workman – “Meat” (01/19/10) Six Shooter
Alberta Cross – “The Broken Side Of Time” (01/19/10)
Spoon – “Transference” (01/19/10) Merge
Eels – “End Times” (01/19/10) Vagrant
RJD2 – “The Colossus” (01/19/10) Electrical Connections
Daniel Merriweather – “Love & War” (01/19/10) Sony/BMG
Cold War Kids – “Behave Yourself EP” (01/19/10) Downtown
Moonface (Spencer Krug) “Dreamland EP: Marimba and Shit-Drums” (01/26/10) Jagjaguwar
Jaga Jazzist – “One-Armed Bandit” (01/26/10)
Beck & Charlotte Gainsbourg – “IRM” (01/26/10) Because
Various Artists – “Casual Victim Pile” (01/26/10) Matador
Los Campesinos! – “Romance Is Boring” (01/26/10) Arts & Crafts
Magnetic Fields – “Realism” (01/26/10) Nonesuch
Slow Six – “Tomorrow Becomes You” (01/26/10) Western Vinyl
Beach House – “Teen Dream” (01/26/10) Sub Pop
Citay – “Dream Get Together” (01/26/10) Dead Oceans
Locksley – “Be In Love” (01/26/10)
The Silent League – “…But You’ve Always Been The Caretaker” (01/26/10)
Corrine Bailey Rae – “The Sea” (01/26/10) EMI
Basia Bulat – “Heart Of My Own” (01/26/10) Rough Trade
Four Tet – “There Is Love In You” (01/26/10) Domino
Pit Er Pat – “The Flexible Entertainer” (01/26/10) Thrill Jockey
Patrick & Eugene – Altogether Now (Birds Bees Flowers Trees) (01/26/10)
Thavius Beck – “Dialogue ” (01/26/10) Mush
Midlake – “The Courage of Others” (02/02/10) Bella Union
Lifehouse – “Smoke and Mirrors” (02/02/10)
Chamillionaire – “Venom” (02/02/10) Chamillitary/Universal Republic
Martha and The Muffins – “Delicate” (02/02/10) Muffin Music
Groove Amanda- “Black Light” (02/02/10)
Pantha Du Prince – “Black Noise” (02/09/10) Rough Trade
Massive Attack – “Heligoland” (02/09/10) Virgin
Hot Chip – “One Life Stand” (02/09/10) DFA/EMI
Yeasayer – “Odd Blood” (02/09/10) Secretly Canadian
Reckless Kelly – “Somewhere in Time” (02/09/10) Yep Roc
Galactic – “Ya-Ka-May” (02/09/10) ANTI-
You Say Party! We Say Die! – “XXXX” (02/09/10) Paper Bag
The Watson Twins – “Talking To You, Talking To Me” (02/09/10) Vanguard
Drake – “Thank Me Later” (02/14/10) Cash Money
Angels & Airwaves – “Love” (02/14/10)
Lightspeed Champion – “Life Is Sweet! Nice to Meet You” (02/16/10)
Tindersticks – “Falling Down a Mountain” (02/16/10)
Field Music – “(Measure)” (02/16/10) Memphis Industries
Efterklang – “Magical Chairs” (02/23/10) The Leaf
Zeus – “Say Us” – (02/23/10) Arts & Crafts
Wolf People – “Tidings” (02/23/10) Jagjaguwar
Toro Y Moi – “Causers Of This” (02/23/10) Carpark
Quasi – “American Gong” (02/23/10) Kill Rock Stars
Shout Out Louds – “Work” (02/23/10) Merge
Shearwater – “The Golden Archipelago” (02/23/10) Matador
The Streets – “Computers and Blues” (02/23/10)
Xiu Xiu – “Dear God, I Hate Myself” (02/23/10) Kill Rock Stars
Holly Miranda – “The Magician’s Private Library” (02/23/10) XL
Frightened Rabbit – “The Winter of Our Mixed Drinks” (03/01/10) FatCat
Rogue Wave – “Permalight” (03/02/10) Brushfire
The Ruby Suns – “Fight Softly” (03/02/10) Sub Pop
The Whigs – “In The Dark” (03/02/10) ATO
BRMC – “Beat The Devil’s Tattoo” (03/09/10) Abstract Dragon
Ted Leo – “The Brutalist Bricks” (03/09/10) Matador
Josh Rouse – “El Turista” (03/09/10) Yep Roc #
Liars – “Sisterworld” (03/09/10) Mute
Jason Collett – “Rat A Tat Tat” (03/09/10) Arts & Crafts
Goldfrapp – “Head First” (03/23/10) Mute
Jonsi – “Go” (03/23/10) XL
Mose Allison – “The Way of The World: (03/23/10) ANTI-
Dillenger Escape Plan – “Option Paralysis” (03/23/10) Party Smasher Inc. / Season of Mist
She & Him – “Volume 2″ (03/23/10) Merge
The Apples in Stereo – “Travelers in Space and Time” (04/06/10) Yep Roc
Peggy Sue – “Fossils and Other Phantoms” (04/20/10) Yep Roc

* Speculative
# Tentative

All dates are subject to change.

FEATURED RECORD COLLECTOR OF THE MONTH

Found a very interest read, 45 rpm records are still in the news and sought after.


FEATURED RECORD COLLECTOR OF THE MONTH

People like Harold Ott are indispensable to a community's culture—to a community's legacy. What's a community? That's us! Through his music work, Harold Ott provides reminders of who "we" were and thus, of course, who we are—not an irrelevant consideration. Harold's weapon of choice is Arkansas garage & psychedelic rock circa the 1960s/early 1970s. There are clues to our current identity in this music. Also: this music reminds us that anything is possible; "art" is not a genre; it's a door. You might think the study of Arkansas garage & psych rock is constraining but the fun-filled truth is that it's not. Arkansas garage & psych rock is a worthy puzzle: how can something so "small" be so big? Harold Ott grew up in Jacksonville, Arkansas, becoming a garage music fan around the age of sixteen. After a stint in the band Lollygadget and finishing school at the University of Arkansas in 1998, Ott began collecting records. His Psych of the South website project was founded in 2007 (visit: www.psychofthesouth.com). Since then, Ott has been an avid collector and historian of Arkansas garage rock, duly transforming into a dedicated crate-digger and audiophile. He is roundly considered the state's resident expert concerning the garage scene of the 1960s.

THE OA: You've now released two LOST SOULS compilations, both of which present garage and psychedelic rock music from Arkansas from the mid-'60s to early '70s. Why should other people care about this music?

HAROLD OTT: For me, the '60s and early '70s were the greatest time for rock. I'm just casting a light on the happenings in my own backyard, forty years ago. In spite of the obscurity of most of the recordings presented here, Arkansas produced garage and psychedelic rock on par with any other part of the country. This is the recorded legacy of Arkansas and I care about preserving it for the future. Many of the stories, pictures, and music I present are on the utter edge of extinction. Once the guys who have the material are gone, that's pretty much it. I'm making it my mission to discover local music and present the very best of what I find. I hope people can relate to the quest and the thrill of discovering something forty years old that can be appreciated by people around the world now.

Read the rest of this interesting interview here:

http://www.oxfordamerican.org/interviews/2009/dec/07/featured-record-collector-month/

Music News & Notes

VF Manufacturing

The Vinyl Factory Manufacture from thevinylfactory on Vimeo.

In the short time since its inception in 2001, Vinyl Factory Manufacturing (Ex Portal Space Records) has established itself as a leading manufacturer of quality record pressings. Everything and everyone in the plant is dedicated to the provision of a fast, consistent and reliable supply to meet the needs of the customer.

As the inheritors of EMI’s equipment, knowledge and experience our roots go back to the very origins of record discs as a carrier of sound.
This heritage includes EMI’s Type 1400 press. All our records are made on these machines which are the result of many years of design and development and are widely recognised as the best in the world.

The Vinyl Factory’s manufacturing philosophy recognises the vital role of people and to this end it has retained key staff from the former EMI Records plant to form the basis of a team who are proud to carry on the historic traditions associated with the best in the music industry.

Located in Hayes, Middlesex, The Vinyl Factory Manufacturing has excellent transport links. Heathrow Airport is on its doorstep and there is easy access to the motorway network via the M4, M25 and M40. Within the M25 The Vinyl Factory Manufacturing is able to offer a twice-daily service at reasonable cost.

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

Susan Boyle At #1 On Billboard For Second Straight Week

Susan Boyle couldn't have dreamed up selling over a million copies in just two weeks in stores. Her "I Dreamed A Dream" sells 527,000 copies in its second week, bringing her total to 1.23 million copies and earning her the #1 spot for a second week on the Billboard Albums chart. The album, which features covers of "Wild Horses" and "Silent Night," is already the #10 best-selling album of 2009.

Joining her near the top (and what a duet that would be) is Andrea Bocelli, who spends a fourth week at #2 with "My Christmas." The holiday album, which continues to increase in sales each week, sells 428,000 copies, bringing his total to 1.12 million copies.

At #3 this week is Taylor Swift, who rises all the way to #3 from #8 last week, selling another 127,000 copies of her album "Fearless," and inching that much closer to selling 5 million copies in the U.S.

R. Kelly debuts at #4 with "Untitled," his latest studio album selling 114,000 in its first week. This is R. Kelly's ninth album to reach the top 4 on Billboard. Lady Gaga follows at #5 with "The Fame," which moves up one spot selling 84,000 copies. "The Fame" now includes "The Fame Monster" EP, which features "Bad Romance" and her Beyonce duet "Telephone."

Carrie Underwood moves up to #6 with "Play On," selling 81,000 copies this week. Norah Jones follows at #7 with "The Fall" selling 80,000 copies. Michael Jackson's "This Is It" compilation moves up to #8 this week with 75,000 copies.

The "New Moon" soundtrack is #9 this week, moving 72,000 copies and climbing up three spots. Up from #18 last week and at #10 this week is Michael Buble. His "Crazy Love" album sells 72,000 this week.

Billboard Top 200 Albums Week Ending December 19th, 2009

1. I Dreamed a Dream, Susan Boyle

2. My Christmas, Andrea Bocelli

3. Fearless, Taylor Swift

4. Untitled, R. Kelly

5. The Fame, Lady Gaga

6. Play On, Carrie Underwood

7. The Fall, Norah Jones

8. This Is It, Michael Jackson

9. The Twilight Saga: New Moon, Soundtrack

10. Crazy Love, Michael Buble

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

Flaming Lips hail resurgence of vinyl

Guitar player Wayne Coyne has welcomed the surge of interest in vinyl records among music fans. The emergence of CDs and internet downloads had led to traditional 33s and 45s falling by the wayside, but they seem to be coming back into favour.

Coyne, who fronts US-based rock group The Flaming Lips, has hailed this as a positive development.

Speaking to Reuters, he said vinyl records offer music lovers things that digital downloads can not, such as posters and colourful packaging.

"Even if you're 16 years old, your parents probably have vinyl somewhere," Coyle commented.

"There's probably some trigger of another time, an exotic world where this was the way you bought music."

However, Coyle admitted that it is hard to predict how long the renewed interest in vinyl will last.

Jim Penistan, owner of a record shop in Lincoln, has credited artists such as The White Stripes for driving demand for vinyl records and turntables.

He told the Lincolnshire Echo that the band have been among those to put out their new releases in this format, along with The Strokes.

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

Sonic Youth Going Back To Studio

Guitarist Lee Ranaldo of Sonic Youth has told the BBC6 that the group will be going in the studio next year to record their 17th album and the followup to this year's The Eternal. Also on tap is a DVD of their 2007/08 Daydream Nations tour and the digitizing of 30 years worth of the group's music.

"We're doing a big archival house clean right now. We've got a massive archive of audio and video that's sitting in our studio in Hoboken. We've got somebody in there who's noting every single thing down and making a massive database, and then we're going to start digitizing it because some of the tapes are 30 years old now."

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

Nickelback Single Tops Decade

Nickelback's first single, 2001's "How You Remind Me," ranks #1 in USA Today's list of the most popular radio songs of the '00s.

According to Nielsen, the hit single racked up 1.2 million spins since 2000. Also exceeding 1 million spins are these popular radio songs listed in descending order:


1. Nickelback, How You Remind Me

2. Train, Drops of Jupiter

3. Lifehouse, Hanging By a Moment

4. Faith Hill, Breathe

5. 3 Doors Down, Kryptonite


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

Blues Nominees

The Blues Foundation has announced their nominees for the 2010 Blues Music Awards, to be held on May 6 at the Cook Convention Center in Memphis, Tennessee. Leading the nominees is Joe Lewis Walker with five followed by Tommy Castro, Rick Estrin, Super Chikan, Louisiana Red and Duke Robillard (right) who each have four.

B.B. King Entertainer of the Year
•Candye Kane
•Magic Slim
•Rick Estrin
•Super Chikan
•Taj Mahal
•Tommy Castro

Album
•Stomp! the Blues Tonight - Duke Robillard's Jumpin’ Blues Revue
•Tear This World Up - Eddie C. Campbell
•Between a Rock and the Blues - Joe Louis Walker
•Juke Joint Back to the Black Bayou - Louisiana Red & Little Victor
•Chicago Blues A Living History - Various Artists

Band
•Duke Robillard's Jumpin' Blues Revue
•Nick Moss & the Flip Tops
•Rick Estrin and the Nightcats
•The Mannish Boys
•Tommy Castro Band

New Artist Debut
•Walk That Fine Thin Line - Greg Nagy
•White Sugar - Joanne Shaw Taylor
•Man Child - Marquise Knox
•Tiger in your Tank - Monkey Junk
•Soul Tub! - The California Honeydrops

Song
•Pearl River - Cyril Neville & Mike Zito
•Fred's Dollar Store - James “Super Chikan” Johnson
•I'm Tide - Joe Louis Walker
•Never Going Back to Memphis - John Hahn & Oliver Wood
•At Least I'm Not With You - Vyasa Dodson

Acoustic Album
•You Got to Move - David Maxwell & Louisiana Red
•Good Time Music for Hard Times - Maria Muldaur & her Garden of Joy
•Havin' The Last Word - Saffire-the Uppity Blues Women
•For Rosa, Maeve and Noreen - Samuel James
•Things About Comin' My Way - A Tribute to the music of the Mississippi Sheiks - Various Artists

Acoustic Artist
•Annie Raines & Paul Rishell
•Doug MacLeod
•Guy Davis
•Louisiana Red
•Samuel James

Contemporary Blues Album
•Superhero - Candye Kane
•Between a Rock and the Blues - Joe Louis Walker
•Twisted - Rick Estrin and the Nightcats
•Living in the Light - Ronnie Earl and the Broadcasters
•Hard Believer - Tommy Castro

Contemporary Blues Female Artist
•Bettye LaVette
•Candye Kane
•Janiva Magness
•Ruthie Foster
•Shemekia Copeland

Contemporary Blues Male Artist
•Derek Trucks
•Joe Louis Walker
•John Nemeth
•Michael Burks
•Tommy Castro

Rock Blues Album
•Already Free - Derek Trucks Band
•Done with the Devil - Jason Ricci & New Blood
•Tijuana Bible - Jim Suhler & Monkey Beat
•Pearl River - Mike Zito
•Speak No Evil - Tinsley Ellis

Soul Blues Album
•Troubled Child - Charles Wilson
•Just for You - Darrell Nulisch
•Ace of Spades - Johnny Rawls
•All About the Rhythm and the Blues - Latimore
•Betcha Didn't Know - Mighty Sam McClain

Soul Blues Female Artist

•Barbara Carr
•Denise LaSalle
•Irma Thomas
•Shirley Brown
•Sista Monica Parker

Soul Blues Male Artist
•Curtis Salgado
•Darrell Nulisch
•Jackie Payne
•Johnny Rawls
•Latimore

Traditional Blues Album
•All Original - John Primer
•The Gentleman is Back - Johnnie Bassett
•Back to the Black Bayou - Louisiana Red & Little Victor's Juke Joint
•Chikadelic - Super Chikan
•Chicago Blues A Living History - Various Artists

Traditional Blues Female Artist
•Ann Rabson
•Debbie Davies
•Fiona Boyes
•Shirley Johnson
•Zora Young

Traditional Blues Male Artist
•Duke Robillard
•John Primer
•Johnnie Bassett
•Louisiana Red
•Super Chikan

Historical Album
•Taking Care of Business (1956-1973) - Freddie King
•Authorized Bootleg - Muddy Waters
•Essential Montreux - Gary Moore
•The Complete Chess Masters (1950-1967) - Little Walter
•Sean's Blues - Sean Costello

This Date In Music History-December 10

Birthdays:

Chad Stuart of Chad & Jeremy is 66

Susan Dey of the Partridge Family (though she never actually sang) turns 57

Ace Kefford - Move (1946)

Walter Orange - Commodores (1946)

Ralph Tavares - Tavares (1948)

Jessica Cleaves - The Friends Of Distinction (1948)

Joseph Mascis - Dinosaur Jr. (1965)

Meg White - White Stripes (1974)


They Are Missed:

The flamboyant blues guitarist Guitar Slim was born in Greenwood, MS in 1926. Armed with an estimated 350 feet of cord between his axe and his amp, Slim would confidently stride onstage wearing a garishly hued suit of red, blue, or green ? with his hair usually dyed to match. best known for the million-selling song ‘The Things That I Used to Do’, a song that is listed in The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame's 500 Songs that Shaped Rock and Roll. He died on February 7, 1959

In 1967, soul singer, songwriter Otis Redding was killed in a plane crash at the age of 26. Redding and his band had made an appearance in Cleveland, Ohio on the local ‘Upbeat’ television show the previous day. The plane carrying Otis Redding and his band crashed at 3.28.pm into icy waters of Lake Monoma near Madison, Wisconsin. Redding was killed in the crash along with members from the The Bar-Kays, Jimmy King, Ron Caldwell, Phalin Jones and Carl Cunningham. Trumpet player Ben Cauley was the only person to survive the crash.



Born today in 1910, John Hammond, producer, A&R scout. Worked with Bob Dylan, Bruce Springsteen, Leonard Cohen, George Benson and Janis Joplin. Hammond died on 10th July 1987.

Rick Danko died in his sleep at his home near Woodstock, New York in 1999. The Canadian guitarist and singer joined The Hawks in 1963 who went on to work as Bob Dylan’s backing band, (with Robbie Robertson, Richard Manuel and Garth Hudson). Renamed The Band who released their 1968 debut Music from Big Pink (featuring the single ‘The Weight’). The Band released the 1978 concert film-documentary triple-LP soundtrack ‘The Last Waltz.’

Bill Harris of the Clovers died of cancer in 1988 at the age of 63.

Faron Young died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound Country star Faron Young, known as both the Hillbilly Heartthrob and the Singing Sheriff, died in 1996 (age 64). He shot himself the day before, after being diagnosed with debilitating emphysema.

2005 Richard Pryor, the profane comedian whose monologues inspired rappers like Ice T and N.W.A., died in 2005 (age 65).


History:

The Grand Old Opry made its first radio broadcast from Nashville, TN in 1927.

Having signed to the Imperial label, Fats Domino cuts eight tracks during his first recording session at Cosimo Matassa's J&M Studios. in 1949. They included "The Fat Man" (adapted from a song called "Junkers Blues"), which reached #2 on the R&B chart and reportedly sold a million copies. Some regard it as the first rock and roll record.

In 1955, Johnny Cash makes his first appearance on the "Louisiana Hayride" program in Shreveport (and meets future wife June Carter).

In 1959, the four male members of the Platters were acquitted of charges of aiding and abetting prostitution, lewdness and assignation stemming from their August 10 arrest in Cincinnati. Municipal Court judge Gilbert Bettman, in handing down the decision, tells the black singers: "You have lost an opportunity to be an example to your people . . . You have taken that which can be the core of reproductive life and turned it into a socially abhorrant, tawdry indulgence in lust . . . For these transgressions you will be accountable in that highest court before which you must, in the end, stand final judgement."

Donny Osmond made his debut with the Osmonds in 1963 on NBC's "Andy Williams Show."

The Grateful Dead played their first concert in 1965. The show took place at the Fillmore Auditorium in San Francisco, CA.

The Electric Prunes' "I Had Too Much to Dream Last Night" was released in 1966.




The Beach Boys went to #1 on the US singles chart in 1966 with 'Good Vibrations', the group's third US #1. Also #1 in the UK.

In 1967, the Byrds played the first of an 8 night run at the Whisky-a-go-go, Hollywood, California.

The Steve Miller Blues Band, an unrecorded San Francisco group via Texas and Chicago, signed with Capitol Records for an unheard of $750,000 in 1967. In doing so, the group drops the "Blues" from its name. Good move.

John Lennon and Yoko Ono announced plans to make a film called A6 in 1969. The film, they say, will focus on the case of James Hanratty, who was hanged in 1962 after being convicted of murdering a man on the A6 motorway in England. Many believe that Hanratty was innocent and capital punishment in Britain was later abolished as a result.

In 1971, Frank Zappa breaks his leg and ankle and fractures his skull when he is pushed from a London stage by the jealous boyfriend of a Zappa fan. Zappa will spend months in a wheelchair recovering.

The CBGB Club opened in the lower eastside of New York City in 1973; where it became the home of new bands such as Blondie, Television, Patti Smith and The Ramones.

A three-record set of live performances from the U.S. Wings tour, Wings over America, summarized Paul McCartney's post-Beatles career with its 30-song selection, was released in 1976. The compilation which included "My Love," "Silly Love Songs," "Titanium Man" and "Maybe I'm Amazed," reached #1.

Paul McCartney and Michael Jackson started a six week run at #1 on the US singles chart in 1983 with "Say Say Say." It was Jackson's 10th #1 (solo & The Jackson's) and McCartney's 29th, (solo and The Beatles).

Band-Aid, the group assembled by the Boomtown Rats' frontman Bob Geldof, released the single "Do They Know It's Christmas" in 1984. The proceeds of the song went to famine relief. Bob Geldof was eventually knighted on behalf of his efforts.

Chicago started a two week run at #1 on the US singles chart in 1988 with "Look Away."

In 1998, a recording of a 1963 Beatles concert was sold at auction at Christies in London for $41,500. The tape of The Beatles' 10-song concert was recorded by the chief technician at the Gaumont Theatre in Bournemouth during one of six consecutive nights which The Beatles had played. Also sold for $8,500, was a set of autographs of five Beatles, John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison, Pete Best, and Stuart Sutcliffe. The autographs had been obtained by a fan in Liverpool in 1961.

Legendary rock & roll deejay, and in fact the man who coined the phrase "Rock & Roll," Alan Freed was posthumously awarded a Hollywood Walk of Fame Star in 1991.

Alicia Keys sells 618,000 copies of "The Diary of Alicia Keys" to top the album charts in 2003.

In 2004, one of three RCA microphones used by radio station KWKH for the historic Elvis Presley appearance at the Louisiana Hayride was sold for $37,500. The microphone was one of three used during 50 performances by Elvis Presley when he performed for the radio show in Shreveport from 1954 to 1956.

Led Zeppelin played their first concert in 19 years, at London's 02 arena in 2007. Original band members Jimmy Page, Robert Plant and John Paul Jones were joined on stage by Jason Bonham, the son of their late drummer John Bonham. More than one million people had taken part in a ballot for the 9,000 pairs of tickets available for the show.

Ask Mr Music by Jerry Osborne

I am continuing our feature: Ask "Mr. Music." Now in its 23rd year of syndication (1986-2009), Jerry Osborne's weekly Q&A feature will be a regular post every Wednesday from now on. Be sure to stop by Jerry's site (http://www.jerryosborne.com/) for more Mr. Music archives, record price guides, anything Elvis, buy & sell collectibles, record appraisals and much more. I thank Jerry for allowing the reprints.

FOR THE WEEK OF DECEMBER 7, 2009


DEAR JERRY: I'm a long-haul trucker and one of my 2002 trips took me across Wyoming.

A radio station there played a song that I have been unable to identify, mainly because I lack the details. There was no announcer, and the station seemed automated.

As a Marty Robbins fan, I have the “El Paso” trilogy, but I nearly drove off the road when I heard this fascinating song.

By a woman with guitar accompaniment, using Marty's original “El Paso” melody, the lyrics tell the story from Feelena's point of view. It has nothing to do with Marty's “El Paso” prequel, “Feelena (From El Paso).”

Sorry I have no other clues for you.
—Rick Whittaker, York, Pa.


DEAR RICK: Just don't jackknife the rig!

No other clue is necessary, as I know of only one female response recording to “El Paso.”

Plus, you hearing it in 2002 confirms it to be “Red Velvet Slippers,” an award-winning 1999 release with a title seemingly unconnected to “El Paso.” More on that later.

Written and recorded by Juni Fisher, “Red Velvet Slippers” is the lead track on her debut album “Tumbleweed Letters,” and it tells a slightly different story than Marty's familiar saga.

For example, killed at Rosa's Cantina in place of the “dashing and daring” cowboy shot in 1960, is Feelena's brother, Roberto.

It seems her love interest (Marty's character) mistakenly thought Roberto was wooing Feelena, thus the shootout.

An angry Feelena then picks up Roberto's gun intending to shoot his killer, but reconsiders when realizing his death won't bring Roberto back.

A Marty Robbins fan myself, I became curious as to Fisher's inspiration to write this song. And, thanks to cell phones, I caught up with Juni just after her November western tour, along with an appearance at the Western Music Association Awards in Albuquerque.

We talked while Juni drove, on her way home to Tennessee for Thanksgiving.

She recalls: “My father loved Marty's music, and it definitely rubbed off on me. In fact, “El Paso” is the first 45 I owned.

“Then in the early '90s, while I was in El Paso, I saw the building that was the real Rosa's Cantina. All those images in the song started running through my head, which led to my writing the story as told by a much older Feelena (i.e., “when I was a young girl I lived in El Paso, I danced at Rosa's Cantina at night”).

“I substituted my brother for the “handsome young stranger,” to better justify my anger and desire for revenge.

“Regarding the title, I wrote “As I headed back to Rosa's that night, I let the pistol slip out of my hand. I stopped and took off my red velvet slippers, and left them to fade in the El Paso sand.”

“Feelena discarding the slippers she wore when dancing at Rosa's is a metaphor for her leaving the life of the foolish young dance hall girl, whose flirting caused her brother's death.”

Juni didn't mention it, but at the aforementioned Western Music Association Award Showcase, she won in two key categories: Female Performer of the Year, and Traditional Album of the Year, “Gone for Colorado.” This brings to six her total of WMA awards since 2005.

Congratulations Juni!


DEAR JERRY: I have Phil Spector's “A Christmas Gift for You,” but there is one song, “Rockin' Around the Christmas Tree,” that must have been cut from the final album. I've only heard it online but it sure sounds like a 1963 recording.

This is a duet by two of the stars on the original LP, Ronnie Spector (of the Ronettes), and Darlene Love.

I was surprised to see neither Ronnie's nor Darlene's web site mentions this record at all.
—Mindy Olsen, Orem, Utah


DEAR MINDY: Though made many years after “A Christmas Gift for You,” Ronnie and Darlene truly capture the distinctive Spector sound on their revival of Brenda Lee's “Rockin' Around the Christmas Tree.”

My source for this 1992 gem is the CD, “A Very Special Christmas 2” (A&M 731454000321), a 19-track various artists compilation.

Issued in A&M's series to benefit Special Olympics, this disc can usually be found online for less than five bucks.


IZ ZAT SO? “A Christmas Gift for You” is not only the title of one of the most important albums ever, it is also the name of an exciting new stage show, starring Ronnie Spector and Darlene Love.

This event, a benefit for the Boys and Girls Clubs of Monmouth County, is set for Thursday, December 17, at the Count Basie Theatre, 99 Monmouth Street, Red Bank, N.J.

Ronnie routinely performs at clubs in the tri-state area, but this Christmas Gift promises to be something special. They'll do the pop hits of the Ronettes, Crystals, and Darlene Love, as well as those on “A Christmas Gift for You,” plus “Rockin' Around the Christmas Tree.”

For more information, visit CountBasieTheatre.org.


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

Copyright 2009 Osbourne Enterprises- Reprinted By Permission

Reprise Records to Release Original Soundtrack to Feature Film Book of Eli on January 12th, 2010

BURBANK, Calif. - (Business Wire) Reprise Records will release the original motion picture soundtrack to the Hughes Brothers-directed feature film Book Of Eli on January 12th, 2010 — three days before the film hits theaters nationwide on January 15th, 2010.

The Book of Eli Original Motion Picture Soundtrack features an original score by composer/musician/producer Atticus Ross, marking his third collaboration with the Hughes Brothers and his first feature film score. Ross’ music is a unique hybrid score of electronic and organic elements; writing with his wife (Claudia Sarne) and brother (Leopold Ross), the basic tracks were recorded at his studio in Los Angeles before departing to London where it was finished in Abbey Road Studios with a full 80 piece orchestra.

Ross’ other film credits include co-writing and producing “Go All the Way (Into the Twilight),” the Perry Ferrell single for the hit film Twilight, the score for the Allen Hughes’ vignette for the film New York, I Love You, as well as the music to the Hughes Brothers TV show 'Touching Evil." Ross has also incorporated his musical style into collaborations and productions of such major artists as NIN (the albums With Teeth, Year Zero, The Slip, and the Grammy-nominated Ghosts), Jane's Addiction, and Korn.

The Book of Eli stars Denzel Washington, Mila Kunis, and Gary Oldman in a post-apocalyptic tale in which a lone man, Eli (Washington), fights his way across America in order to protect a sacred book that holds the secrets to saving humankind.

The soundtrack will be released in four configurations: standard CD, a digital version available through all digital service providers, and a special exclusive iTunes edition that will feature a remixed track by Dave Sitek (TV on the Radio). A vinyl version will be released in February.

Book of Eli is being distributed domestically by Warner Bros. Pictures.

The track-listing for The Book of Eli Original Motion Picture Soundtrack is as follows:

Panoramic
Outland
The Journey
Amen
The Convoy
Solara Violated
Safe
Human
Meant to be Shared
The Passenger
Den of Vice
Gattling
Blind Faith
Convoy Destruct
Movement
Carnegie's Demise
The Purpose

http://thebookofeli.warnerbros.com/

www.repriserecords.com

Music News & Notes

Bachman, Turner shifting into overdrive
Aging rockers working on new album, planning to head out on world tour

You ain't seen nothing yet from Randy Bachman and Fred Turner.

The former members of Bachman-Turner Overdrive are teaming up for the first time since 1991, but the reunion isn't just a trip down memory lane: the duo are working on a new album and planning a 2010 world tour.

"The great part about it is we've got new songs. That's the kicker. That's what brought me back," Turner said yesterday at a press conference, confirming the reunion three months after it was first reported in the Winnipeg Free Press.

"I was retired for five years and I thought, 'It's over. This is done, just enjoy yourself (and) go fishing.' I'm surprised to be back. It's like being reborn. It feels really good."

Because of legal issues surrounding the old name, the pair will tour as Bachman & Turner. They are in the process of recording about 16 songs for a new album, which will be released by E1 Records (formerly Koch) on vinyl, CD and MP3. They hope to have the album finished in January before heading out on the highway for tours of North America, South America and Europe. They will be backed by Bachman's regular band.

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U2 Could Gross $750 Million From Tour

Paul McGuinness, manager for U2, has told the Financial Times that he expects the 360 Degree tour to gross around $750 million by the time it ends later next year. To date, the band has played 44 sold out dates for 3.2 million people and grossed $320 million.

The Vertigo tour brought in $389 million, so 360 Degree will almost double the amount grossed. Much of this is due to the "claw" which allows most venues to seat 20% more people. Unfortunately, tour costs, mainly because of the staging, runs around $750,000 per day (EVERY day), so the amount the tour will profit is still way up in the air.

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McCartney Writes Song for DeNiro Movie

Paul McCartney has written and recorded a song for the new Robert DeNiro film Everybody's Fine. McCartney felt compelled to write the song after seeing a preview screening of the movie. "The De Niro character inspired me. I can very much relate to a guy who's got older children, who happens to have lost his wife, the mother of those children, and is trying to get them all together at Christmas. I understand that."

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Bruce Springsteen Pledges Support For Gay Marriage Bill
In home state of New Jersey...

Bruce Springsteen has pledged his support to a gay marriage bill in his home state of New Jersey. Politicians are due to vote on the bill on Thursday, but Democrats fear it could fall short of the 21 votes needed to pass the Senate.

In a message on his website, Springsteen said he agreed with Governor Jon Corzine that the marriage-equality issue should be recognized as a civil rights issue.

“I've long believed in and have always spoken out for the rights of same sex couples,” Springsteen said.

He called on “those who support equal treatment for our gay and lesbian brothers and sisters to let their voices be heard”.

New Music Releases – December 8, 2009

The holiday season is upon us and that means plenty of great music to choose from. The Beatles continue their assault on the charts with a USB box set and there is lots of vinyl to choose from. Records from Arctic Monkeys, Bauhaus, Dinosaur Jr, Jeff Beck, three from Joni Mitchell, two from underrated musician Kim Fowley, Okkervil River, a 10-disc vinyl box set of 7” records from Morrissey, a live Tom Waits LP (along with his 7-LP vinyl box set, Orphans) along with vinyl from NOFX, Sun Ra, Sebastien Tellier, Sea Wolf and Phil Spector, among others. Look for a 20-CD box set from Django Reinhardt, a four CD set from Elvis Presley, a three CD set from Erasure, a two CD set from John Mayall with the Bluesbreakers and Eric Clapton, three remastered 2-CD deluxe editions from Pulp as well as a Robert Wyatt - Box Set (9-CD box set). Lots of vinyl reissues including records from Bill Cosby, John Vanderslice, George Carlin, Dwight Yoakam, Bob Newhart, Kraftwerk and Trans Am, among many others.

Buy New Vinyl Here:  http://vinyluniverse.com?a=CollectingVinyl



30 Seconds to Mars - This is War
A Place to Bury Strangers - Keep Slipping Away (vinyl)
Abbo Abbas - Abbo Abbas
Animal Collective - Fall Be Kind
Arctic Monkeys - Cornerstone (vinyl)
As Tall As Lions - Circles (vinyl)
Ash - E (vinyl)
Autograph - That's The Stuff
Avi Buffalo - What's In It For? (vinyl)
Babys - Alive in America
Bauhaus - This Is For When Live...1981 (Deluxe Edition) (2 LPs) (vinyl)
Beatles - The Beatles (USB box set)
Beekeepers - Bee Funk (vinyl)
Bette Midler - The Best Bette Deluxe Edition (CD/PAL DVD)
Bette Midler - The Rose
BG - Too Hood 2 Be Hollywood
Bill Cosby - 200 M.P.H. (reissue)
Bill Cosby - I Started Out as a Child (reissue)
Bill Cosby - Revenge (reissue)
Bill Cosby - To Russell, My Brother, Whom I Slept With (reissue)
Bill Frisell - Good Dog, Happy Man (2-LP vinyl & CD)
Billy Joe Royal - Hard Rock To Roll
Blue Roses - Does Anyone Love Me Now? (vinyl)
Bob Newhart - Button-Down Mind of Bob Newhart (reissue)
Box Tops - Neon Rainbow The Best of
Cal Smith - Best of
Camera Obscura - My Maudlin Career (2-CD holiday edition)
Camera Obscura - The Blizard (vinyl)
Carolyn Mas - Modern Dream
Chris Brown - Graffiti
Chuck Ragan - Live from Rock Island The Daytrotter Series (vinyl)
Clipse - Til the Casket Drops
Cloud Cult - They Live on the Sun / Aurora Borealis (remastered)
Depeche Mode - Fragile Tension / Hole To Feed (8-track Mixes EP)
Dinosaur Jr. - Pieces b/w Houses (vinyl)
Dionne Warwick - Greatest Hits
Django Reinhardt - Djangologie (20-CD box set)
Donnie & Marie Osmond - Donnie & Marie
Dwight Yoakam - Dwight Live (reissue)
Elvis Presley - Elvis 75 (4 CDs)
Erasure - The Innocents (3 CDs)
Europe - Out of This World / Prisoners in Paradise
George Carlin - A Place for My Stuff! (reissue)
Gerald & Eddie Levert - Father & Son
Glen Campbell - Hey, Little One / A New Place in the Sun
Graham Parker & the Rumour - Live in San Francisco 1979
Gucci Mane - The State vs. Radric Davis
Harmonia - 76 Remixes (vinyl)
Heartsrevolution - Hearts Japan EP
James Pants - Seven Seals
Janis Ian - The Secret Life of J. Eddy Fink / Who Really Cares
Jawbox - For Your Own Special Sweetheart (remastered with bonus tracks)
Jeff Beck - Blow by Blow (vinyl)
Jim Reeves - Welcome To My World the Best of
Jimmy Buffett - Buffett Hotel
Joe Walsh - The Smoker You Drink, The Player You Get (Audio Fidelity)
John Martyn - Grace & Danger (Deluxe Edition) (2 CDs)
John Mayall - Bluesbreakers with Eric Clapton (2-CD edition)
John Vanderslice - Cellar Door (vinyl reissue)
John Vanderslice - Life and Death of an American Fourtracker (vinyl reissue)
John Vanderslice - Pixel Revolt (vinyl reissue)
John Vanderslice - Time Travel Is Lonely (vinyl reissue)
Johnny Hallyday - 1967-1969 EP Box Set (10 CDs)
Jon Dee Graham & The Fighting Cocks - It's Not As Bad As It Looks
Joni Mitchell - Court & Spark (vinyl)
Joni Mitchell - Ladies of the Canyon (vinyl)
Joni Mitchell - The Hissing of Summer Lawns (vinyl)
Keb' Mo' - Live and Mo'
Kim Fowley - Another Man's Gold (vinyl)
Kim Fowley - One Man's Garbage (vinyl)
King Crimson - In the Court of the Crimson King (Remastered)
King Midas Sound - Waiting for You
Klaxons - Sweetheart/Speedway/Super Subway Comedian (vinyl)
Kraftwerk - Autobahn (vinyl remastered)
Kraftwerk - Radio-Activity (vinyl remastered)
Kraftwerk - The Man-Machine (vinyl remastered)
Kraftwerk - Tour de France (vinyl remastered)
Kraftwerk - Trans-Europe Express (vinyl remastered)
Linda Ronstadt - Don't Cry Now
LL Cool J - All World 2
Lloyd Cole and the Commotions - Rattlesnakes (remastered 2-CD deluxe edition)
Lowell Brams - Music For Insomnia
Mandrill - New Worlds / Getting in the Mood
Marillion - Less Is More
Mark Matos - Words of the Knife (vinyl)
Maze - Back to Basics
MF Doom - Gazzillion Ear EP (vinyl)
Mi Ami - Cut Men (vinyl)
Mighty Mighty Bosstones - Pin Points & Gin Joints
Morrissey - 7-Inch Singles 88-91 (10-disc vinyl box set)
Mumford & Sons - Winter Winds (vinyl)
Neil Young - Dreamin' Man Live '92
NOFX - Cokie the Clown (vinyl)
NOFX - My Orphan Year (vinyl)
Notwist - Come in/Boneless (Grizzly Bear Remix) (vinyl)
Nurse with Wound - Chance Meeting on a Dissecting Table Machine and An Umbrella (2-LP vinyl reissue)
Okkervil River - Black Sheep Boy (Definitive Edition) (vinyl)
Otis Redding - The Dock of the Bay (Budget Release)
Patrice Rushen - Shout It Out
Patrick Watson - Wooden Arms (vinyl)
Patrick Wolf - Damaris (vinyl)
Pet Shop Boys - Party
Peter Tosh - Black Dignity Early Works of the Steppin' Razor
Phil Spector - A Christmas Gift for You (vinyl reissue)
Puddle of Mudd - Volume 4 Songs in the Key of Love & Hate
Pulp - Different Class (remastered 2-CD deluxe edition)
Pulp - His 'n' Hers (remastered 2-CD deluxe edition)
Pulp - This Is Hardcore (remastered 2-CD deluxe edition)
Redman - Reggie Noble 9 1/2
Riot - Thunder Steel / The Privelege of Power
Robert Wyatt - Box Set (9-CD box set)
Sea Wolf - Leaves in the River (vinyl)
Sebastien Tellier - L'amour Et La Violence/Fingers of Steel (vinyl)
Sigur Ros - Gobbledigook
Silkie - You've Got to Hide Your Love Away
Snopp Dogg - Malice N Wonderland
Sonny Burgess & the Legendary Pacers - Gijon Stomp!
STS9 - Ad Explorata
Sun Ra - Interplanetary Melodies (vinyl)
Sun Ra - Rocket Ship Rock (vinyl)
Sun Ra - Second Stop Is Jupiter
The Dexateens - Singlewide (vinyl)
The Game - The R.E.D. Album
Timbaland - Shock Value 2
Tom Waits - Glitter and Doom Live (vinyl)
Tom Waits - Orphans (7-LP vinyl box set)
Trans Am - What Day Is It Tonight? (Trans Am Live 1993-2008) (3-LP vinyl)
Twisted Sister - Big Hits and Nasty Cuts The Best of (Budget Release)
Unicorn - Blue Pine Trees
Unicorn - Too Many Crooks
Various Artists - Christmas Inspired By Lord of the Rings
Various Artists - Glee The Music, Volume 2
Various Artists - Hot Women Women Singers From the Torrid Regions (curated by R. Crumb)
Various Artists - Invictus Original Motion Picture Soundtrack
Various Artists - Motown 50 Love (3 CDs)
Various Artists - New York City Christmas - A Benefit Album for ASTEP
Various Artists - Rare Blues & Soul From Nashville 1960s
Various Artists - The People Speak (soundtrack)
Various Artists - Tru Thoughts 10th Anniversary (2-LP vinyl)
Vicki Lawrence - The Night the Lights Went out in Georgia
We the Kings - Smile Kid

This Date In Music History-December 8

Birthdays:

Jerry Butler - Impressions (1939)

Robert Elliott - Hollies (1942)

Mike Botts - Bread (1944)

Gregg Allman - Allman Brothers Band (1947)



Geoff Daking - Blue Magoos (1947)

Ray Shulman - Gentle Giant (1949)

Phil Collen - Def Leppard (1957)

Warren Cuccurullo - Duran Duran (1957)

Paul Rutherford - Frankie Goes To Hollywood (1959)

Marty Friedman - Megadeth (1962)

Sinead O'Connor (1966)

Ryan Newell - Sister Hazel (1972)

Nick Zinner - Yeah Yeah Yeahs (1974)

Chrisette Michele (1982)


They Are Missed:

One of the most legendary and influential figures in rock & roll history, Jim Morrison, singer for the Doors, was born in Melbourne, FL. in 1943. Morrison died of heart failure in a bathtub in a Paris hotel room on July 3, 1971.

Gary Thain bass player with Uriah Heep died of a drug overdose in 1975 (age 28).

The dream is over. John Lennon was fatally shot in New York in 1980. The world is in shock. John Lennon was assassinated by Mark David Chapman. Lennon was returning to his apartment building with Yoko Ono from a recording session. Lennon was shot in his chest, back and left arm and was pronounced dead thirty minutes later. Earlier in the day, Lennon had autographed an album for Chapman.





Country singer, songwriter Marty Robbins died in 1982 (age 57) of complications following cardiac surgery. Famous for his #1 hit of the 60's, "El Paso" (winning him a Grammy Award). Robbins later portrayed a musician in the 1982 Clint Eastwood film Honkytonk Man.

Drummer Nicholas Dingley of Hanoi Rocks was killed in a head-on collision in 1984. He was 24. Dingley was a passenger in a car driven by Motley Crue's Vince Neil. Neil was jailed for 20 days and paid $2.6 million in compensation.

Recognized throughout much of his career as "the world's greatest living entertainer," Sammy Davis Jr. was born in New York, NY in 1925. Davis died of throat cancer on 16th May 1990.

In 2004, former Pantera guitarist Dimebag Darrell was one of five people killed after a man stormed the stage during a Damageplan show at the Alrosa Villa Club in Columbus. Nathan Gale, aged 25, began firing at the band and crowd, was then shot and killed by a police officer who arrived shortly after the first shots were fired.


History:

Billboard reported in 1956 that Elvis Presley was setting new sales records in Canada. Usually a hit record makes 100,000 sales, however "Hound Dog" and "Don't Be Cruel" have sold over 225,000 copies with "Love Me Tender" selling 135,000 in sixteen weeks.

"Surfin'," the Beach Boys first recording, was released by Candis Records, a small LA based company in 1961. The song was written by Brian Wilson and his cousin Mike Love and recorded with Brian's brothers, Carl and Dennis and their friend Alan Jardine — Carl playing acoustic guitar, Al on double bass and Brian keeping time on a garbage can.

Alan Freed leaves Miami's WQAM to appear at his payola trial in New York in 1962. He testified to receiving $2,000 in 1958 from Cognat Distributors for a promise to play their records on his New York radio show. He also worked a similar deal with Superior Records for $700. He pled guilty to payola and was fined $300 and given six months probation.

In 1963, Frank Sinatra Jr was kidnapped at gunpoint from a hotel in Lake Tahoe. He was released two days later after his father paid out the $240,000 ransom demanded by the kidnappers, who were later captured, and sentenced to long prison terms. In order to communicate with the kidnappers via a payphone the senior Sinatra carried a roll of dimes with him throughout this ordeal, which became a lifetime habit, he is said to have been buried with a roll of dimes.

Traffic's Mr. Fantasty LP was released in 1967.

Singer and guitarist Graham Nash left The Hollies in 1968 and started work with David Crosby and Stephen Stills who went on to form Crosby Stills and Nash.

The hour-long special Elvis, sponsored by Singer Sewing Machines, aired on NBC-TV in 1968. Clad in black leather, Elvis successfully pulls off the greatest comeback in rock and roll history. After his decade-long stint as a movie star, he re-established himself as a musical performer and cultural totem on this electrifying, widely viewed special.

Testifying at his trial for possesion of hashish and heroin in the Toronto Supreme Court in 1969, Jimi Hendrix claimed that he has smoked pot four times and hashish five times, taken LSD five times and sniffed cocaine twice and that he had now "outgrown" drugs. After eight hours of deliberation, the jury finds him not guilty. Eight hours of deliberation, what, didn't they believe him?

Jim Morrison recorded a collection of original poetry on his 27th and last birthday in 1970. The tapes are later set to music by the surviving Doors as "An American Prayer."

This weeks Top Selling 8-Track cartridges chart in 1971: #5, Frank Sinatra's Greatest Hits Vol 2, #4, Carole King, Tapestry, #3, Simon and Garfunkel, Bridge Over Troubled Water, #2, Motown Chartbusters Vol 6 and #1, John Lennon, Imagine.



Elton John hits #2 in 1973 with "Goodbye Yellow Brick Road," the title track from a double album that would itself reach #1 and remain on the album charts for two years.

"A Night of the Hurricane" benefit show at Madison Square Garden brings the Rolling Thunder Revue to a climax in 1975. In addition to Bob Dylan and company, Muhammad Ali, Roberta Flack and others show-up. The highlight was when a phone call from "Hurricane" Carter reaches the Garden stage. The show raises $100,000 for legal fees for Carter and alleged accomplice John Artis.

The Eagles released their classic, “Hotel California” in 1976.

Styx went to #1 on the US singles chart in 1979 with "Babe," the group's only US #1. Yes, even bigger than "Mr. Roboto."

A letter carrying this post date was printed on the last page of Rolling Stone's January 21, 1982 issue. The date was, of course, the first anniversary of the murder of John Lennon. The letter begins: "I think of John's death as a war casualty — it is the war between the sane and the insane." It's signed "Love, Yoko."

In 1984, one-time Coasters manager Patrick Cavanaugh was convicted in the murder of group member Buster Wilson, whose dismembered body was found near Modesto, CA.

Hall and Oates started a two week run at #1 on the US singles chart in 1984 with "Out Of Touch," the duo's 6th US #1.

In 1995, Courtney Love appeared on the ABC TV show '10 Most Fascinating People', telling the presenter that she wished she had done 'eight thousand million things differently' to have prevented the death of her husband Kurt Cobain.

The FBI opened its files on Frank Sinatra to the public in 1998. The file contained over 1,300 pages.

In 1998, it was announced that Bruce Springsteen would tour again with the E Street Band for the first time in nearly a decade.

In 1999, Carlos Santana tells a press conference in Mexico City that while he was praying in church, the Virgin of Guadalupe spoke to him. He adds, "Marijuana is not a drug and if factories are set up here to make clothes, tofu cheese, medicine and paper from marijuana, we won't have to chop down so many trees." Just marijuana plants....

On his Web site in 2000, Julian Lennon does his best to remember the father who was never there for him on the 20th anniversary of John Lennon's murder. "I had a great deal of anger towards Dad because of his negligence and his attitude to peace and love," he posts. "That peace and love never came home to me." In Cuba, Fidel Castro unveiled a statue in honor of Lennon at Havana's El Vedado Park.

In 2003, BPI figures showed that the UK sales of seven-inch singles had increased by 84% on the previous year. The report claimed that bands such as The Darkness, The Strokes and The White Stripes had boosted sales by releasing special limited edition seven-inch records.

Also in 2003, The U.S. Supreme Court supports a ruling saying that activist Rosa Parks can sue OutKast for using her name as the title of a song. Parks alleges the use of her name constituted false advertising and infringed on her right to publicity.

Usher wins 11 awards at the Billboard Awards in Las Vegas in 2004, including Artist of the Year and Hot 100 Single of the Year for "Yeah!" His "My Boo" singing partner Alicia Keys wins seven. Stevie Wonder was given the Century Award.

Green Day, Foo Fighters, Velvet Revolver, Rancid and U2 are on "CBGB Forever," a compilation available exclusively at Best Buy. This was the first album released by Little Steven Van Zandt's Wicked Cool Records in 2006.

In 2008, L.A. eatery Barney's Beanery unveiled a plaque honoring The Doors' Jim Morrison on what would have been the late singer's 65th birthday. The marker commemorates the spot where Morrison infamously urinated on the bar. How sweet. Fellow Doors, Ray Manzarek and Robby Krieger, attended.

Still Miss You John......Make today a day of his music

Music News & Notes

Peter Gabriel to Release Indie-centric Covers Album

The latest news is that Peter Gabriel will be releasing an album of covers entitled ‘Scratch My Back’ on February 15th 2010.

Gabriel describes this as “a very personal record” with the twelve songs performed only with orchestral instruments and voice. To help craft the recording he enlisted John Metcalfe as composer/arranger, the expertise of producer Bob Ezrin (Pink Floyd’s ‘The Wall’, Lou Reed’s ‘Berlin’) and the engineer, mixer and producer Tchad Blake (Suzanne Vega, Sheryl Crow, Tom Waits).

It’s chock full of indie goodness!

Heroes (David Bowie)
The Boy in the Bubble (Paul Simon)
Mirrorball (Elbow)
Flume (Bon Iver)
Listening Wind (Talking Heads)
The Power of the Heart (Lou Reed)
My Body is a Cage (Arcade Fire)
The Book of Love (The Magnetic Fields)
I Think it’s Going to Rain Today (Randy Newman)
Après Moi (Regina Spektor)
Philadelphia (Neil Young)
Street Spirit (Fade Out) (Radiohead)

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Judas Priest To Reissue Classics On Vinyl

Back on Black, a company specializing in vinyl re-issues of classic metal albums, has announced that they will be re-releasing a number of classic Judas Priest albums beginning next year.

The reissues begin February 22 with Sin After Sin, followed by British Steel, which will be reissued April 19 to coincide with its 30th anniversary.

Other release dates include the seminal live disc Unleashed in the East on March 22, Screaming for Vengeance on May 24 and both Painkiller and Angel of Retribution on July 19.

All records will be 180 gram heavyweight vinyl and will come packaged in deluxe gatefold sleeves. The first 1,000 pressed will be limited-edition colored collectible vinyl. All of the records will contain bonus tracks.

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Paul McCartney: 'It Would Have Been Interesting To Work With John Lennon Again'

Sir Paul McCartney has admitted it would have been “pretty interesting” to work again with former Beatles bandmate John Lennon. In an interview with The Times, Sir Paul said the pair had resolved their tumultuous relationship before Lennon was murdered in 1980.

But the singer said they were still cautious about re-igniting their creative relationship.

“Yeah, we were mates. God, that was so cool. It was the saving grace. Because it got a bit sticky after the Beatles,” he said. “No, we were really good mates again — it was lovely, actually.”

When asked if they had considered working together again, Sir Paul replied: “I dunno. We were always a bit nervous of that.

"Had he lived it might have happened, there was a mellowing. It could have been pretty interesting.”

How freaking sad, with the anniversary of his death tomorrow, December 8.

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Nickelback Donates $500K to the Obakki Foundation

Founder and Obakki Designs Inc. owner Treana Peake launched the first awareness building and fundraising campaign for the newly created Obakki Foundation this week. The creative and moving campaign began with Peake, a philanthropist, entrepreneur and wife of Nickelback guitarist Ryan Peake, who gave 150 children at three orphanages in Cameroon, Africa a piece of paper and a pen and asked: What Makes You Happy? What Makes You Afraid? What Makes You Sad? Their answers can now be found on a series of fashion items that will be available for purchase at www.obakki.com in early 2010.

“I have always been involved in charitable causes, even when I could only afford to donate my time, ” said Treana. “I am so grateful to now have a platform for people to come together and, through small actions, create big results. We are excited about the impact that the Obakki Foundation will have on these children in Africa.”

The Obakki Foundation partners with organizations around the world that seek to empower individuals, groups and communities, at a grassroots level, to make a positive change. 100% of all donations made go directly back to the projects being supported by the Obakki Foundation. International superstars Nickelback recently became one of the first major contributors to the Obakki Foundation donating $1 of every ticket sale from their sold out summer tour, resulting in a total contribution of $500K.

“Through the ongoing support of our incredible fans, Nickelback has the opportunity to step up, contribute and make a difference,” said Ryan. “I will personally be making the trip to Africa this weekend and I’m really looking forward to visiting the villages and communities to see where we can make the largest impact.

With an active role, Treana personally visits all project locations supported by the Obakki Foundation. All travel and accommodation costs are paid out of pocket to ensure that 100% of the funds raised go to helping others. From December 5 - 15, the Peakes will visit the children from all three orphanages to share the impact of their stories and words and show what it brings to their world. They will assist in the construction of a new child-care center as well as conduct surveys for water sites and other potential projects related to education and health.

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Technics 1200 & 1210 turntables not facing axe

Panasonic has issued a clarification to its statement on the future of its Technics SL-1200 and SL-1210 turntables. There has been speculation about the industry standard decks since the announcement from antipodean retailers that they would be discontinued.

However, the company has now confirmed the invaldity of the rumour, telling Pocket-lint: "As a major global business, Panasonic keeps all of its operations under constant review. However, there are no current plans to discontinue the Technics brand and the production of Technics turntables".

Previously, the company had issued a similar denial, however it only covered the Technics brand, which contains many products. The news that the SL-1200 and SL-1210 will be continued for now should keep vinyl DJs and other fans of the turntable happy.