New Vinyl Record and Music Releases - May 17, 2011

New music this week includes Dog Is Blue with Tortoise, Girls in Trouble's Half You Half Me, Danger Mouse & Daniel Luppi with Rome, Weekend Nachos with Worthless, the self-titled effort from Bachelorette and The Elected with Bury Me in My Rings, just to name a few.

Reissues include a treasure chest by Queen with the 40 Limited Edition Collector's Box Set, which contains the remastered editions of the band'sA Day at the Races Queen II, A Night at the Opera Queen II, Queen Queen II, Queen II, Sheer Heart Attack albums (all with bonus CDs) and a bunch of remastered albums from Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds (Let Love In,  Murder Ballads, No More Shall We Part and The Boatman's Call).

Vinyl reissues are plentiful this week with Black Sabbath's Master of Reality, two from Bob Dylan (Greatest Hits and John Wesley Harding), Crosby & Nash with Another Stoney Evening, several from Mickey Newbury (Better Days, Frisco Mabel Joy, Heaven Help The Child and Looks Like Rain), Humble Pie's Live at Winterland and the Hollies' Lost Recordings and Beat Rarities (10 LP set).

Please support the CVR Blog by purchasing your vinyl at SoundStageDirect.com, in fact, if you add the code CVR at checkout, you get 5% off!



13 & God - Own Your Ghost
ABBA - Super Trouper
A Storm of Light - As The Valley of Death Becomes Us
Across Tundras - Sage
Adelitas Way - Home School Valedictorian
Agoria - Fabric 57
Alexander Turnquist - Hallway of Mirrors
Alison Krauss & Union Station - Paper Airplane (vinyl)
Amor de Dias - Street of the Love of Days
Anaal Nathrakh - Passion
Andrew Belle - Ladder
Arsonists Get All The Girls - Motherland
Art Blakey - The Jazz Messengers (vinyl)
Atlanta Rhythm Section - With All Due Respect
Austra - Feel It Break
Bachelorette - Bachelorette
Bahamas - Pink Strat
Bela Fleck & the Flecktones - Rocket Science
Ben Harper - Give Till It's Gone
Billie Holiday - The Essential Rare Collection (vinyl)
Black Sabbath - Master of Reality (reissue) (vinyl)]
Bob Dylan - Bob Dylan's Greatest Hits (reissue) (vinyl)
Bob Dylan - John Wesley Harding (reissue) (vinyl)
Bob Seger - Live Bullet
Bob Seger - Nine Tonight
Breaking Laces - When You Find Out
Cat's Eyes - Cat's Eyes
Chad VanGaalen - Diaper Island
Company of Thieves - Running From A Gamble
Crass - Yes Sir I Will (reissue with bonus CD)
Crosby & Nash - Another Stoney Evening (vinyl)
Damon & Naomi - False Beats And True Hearts
Danger Mouse & Daniel Luppi - Rome
Deftones - Around the Fur (vinyl)
Dispatch - Dispatch (EP)
Dog Is Blue - Tortoise
Dylan Champagne - Love Songs Of The Apocalypse, Vol. 1
Egypt Central - White Rabbit
Elvin Bishop - Raisin' Hell Revue
Emilie Simon - The Big Machine (vinyl)
Enabler - Year One
Endstille - Infektion 1813
Face To Face - Laugh Now, Laugh Later
Falcon - Disappear
Fonzi Thornton - Pumpin'
Girls in Trouble - Half You Half Me
Glasvegas - Euphoric /// Heartbreak \
Glenn Hughes - Live in Wolverhampton (2 CDs)
Glorie - Glorie
Go-Go's - Beauty & The Beat: 30th Anniversary Deluxe Edition (vinyl)
Gold-Bears - Are You Falling In Love?
Guillemots - Walk the River
Hank Williams III - Hillbilly Joker
Hollies - Lost Recordings and Beat Rarities (vinyl)(10 LPs)
Humble Pie - Live at Winterland (vinyl)
Ian Gillan, Tony Iommi & Friends - Out of My Mind / Holy Water (Single)
Iggy Pop - Roadkill Rising: The Bootleg Collection 1977-2009 (4-CD box set)
Il Volo - Il Volo
Ilaiyaraajah - Solla Solla
J Rawls - The Hip-Hop Affect
Jay Reatard - Teenage Hate (reissue)
Jesse Sparhawk and Eric Carbonara - Sixty Strings
Joan Baez - Play Me Backwards (remastered) (vinyl)
Junior Kimbrough and The Soul Blues Boys - Do The Rump! (reissue) (vinyl)
Kate Bush - Director's Cut
Kate Bush - Hounds of Love (reissue)
Kid Congo & The Pink Monkey Birds - Gorilla Rose
Killer Mike - Pl3dge
LCD Soundsystem - London Sessions (vinyl)
Laura Stevenson and the Cans - Sit Resist
Legend - The Pale Horse
Let's Wrestle - Nursing Home
Levon Helm - Ramble At The Ryman (vinyl)
Living With Lions - Holy Shit
Louis Armstrong - The Great Chicago Concert 1956 (3-LPs) (vinyl)
MC Lars - 21 Concepts (But a Hit Ain't One)
Mai Doi Todd - Cosmic Ocean Ship
Marilyn Monroe - Greatest Moments (reissue) (vinyl)
Marv Johnson - I'll Pick A Rose For My Rose: The Complete Motown Recordings 1964-1971
Marvin Gaye - What's Going On: 40th Anniversary (vinyl)
Matraca Berg - The Dreaming Fields
Matt Baldwin - Night in the Triangle (vinyl)
Melba Moore - A Lot of Love
Mercury Rev - Deserter’s Songs
Metal Mother - Bonfire Diaries
Mia Doi Todd - Cosmic Ocean Ship
Michael Grimm - Michael Grimm
Mickey Newbury - An American Trilogy (4-CD box set)
Mickey Newbury - Better Days (remastered) (vinyl)
Mickey Newbury - Frisco Mabel Joy (remastered) (vinyl)
Mickey Newbury - Heaven Help The Child (remastered) (vinyl)
Mickey Newbury - Looks Like Rain (remastered) (vinyl)
Miracle Fortress - Was I The Wave?
Moby - Destroyed
Nader Sadek - In the Flesh
Nancy Wilson - This Time the Dream's
Necrophagia - Deathtrip 69
Neek the Exotic and Large Professor - Still On the Hustle
Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds - Let Love In (remastered)
Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds - Murder Ballads (remastered)
Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds - No More Shall We Part (remastered)
Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds - The Boatman's Call (remastered)
Nodzzz - Innings (reissue)
Other Lives - Tamer Animals
Owl City - All Things Bright and Beautiful
Patti Austin - Sound Advice
Paul Lawrence - Haven't You Heard
Pet Shop Boys - Battleship Potemkin
Pet Shop Boys - Concrete
Planningtorock - W
Presidents - 5-10-15-20-25-30 Years of Love: The Greatest Hits
Queen - Queen 2 (3 CDs)
Queen - Queen 40 Limited Edition Collector's Box Set (10 CDs)
Queen - Sheer Heart Attack (2 CDs)
Queen - A Day at the Races Queen II (remastered with bonus disc)
Queen - A Night at the Opera Queen II (remastered with bonus disc)
Queens of the Stone Age - Queens of the Stone Age (remastered)
R.L. Burnside - Sound Machine Groove (reissue)(vinyl)
Ran Blake - Grey December: Live in Rome
Replacements - Don't Tell a Soul (reissue)(vinyl)
Ricky Nelson - Million Sellers / Rick Is 21
Romi Mayes - Lucky Tonight
Ronnie Milsap - Country Again
Rory Gallagher - Notes From San Francisco (2 CDs)
Ruth Gerson - Deceived
Ryan Garbes - Sweet Hassle
Sarah Jarosz - Follow Me Down
Scar Symmetry - The Unseen Empire
Screens - Dead House
Seether - Holding Onto Strings Better Left to Fray
Sick Puppies - Tri-Polar Deluxe
Socalled - Sleepover
Steve Singh - Two Halves Short of a Whole (EP)
Supremes - Let Yourself Go: The '70s Albums, Vol. 2: 1974-1977 - The Final Sessions (3 CDs)
Swimming With Dolphins - Water Colours
Tancred - Capes
The Duke Spirit - Bruiser
The Elected - Bury Me in My Rings
The Long Ryders - Native Sons (remastered with bonus tracks)
The Rentals - Resilience
The Sanctuaries - Annette
The Soulless - Isolated
The Waterboys - In A Special Place
The Wilderness of Manitoba - When You Left the Fire (vinyl)
Tinie Tempah - Disc-Overy
Turner Cody - Gangbusters!
Various Artists - A Nod to Bob 2: An Artists Tribute to Bob Dylan on his 70th Birthday
Various Artists - Brand New Wayo: Funk, Fast Times & Nigerian Boogie Badness 1979-1983
Various Artists - It's A Happening! Texas Girls Of The 60's
Venetian Snares - Cubist Reggae (vinyl)
Warrant - Rockaholic
Weekend - End Times
Weekend Nachos - Worthless
Wild Beasts - Smother (vinyl)
Willie DeVille - Come a Little Bit Closer
Witches - Forever
Yael Naim - She Was a Boy
Zachary Cale - Noise of Welcome
Zombies - Breathe Out Breathe in

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

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

Vinyl Record News & Music Notes

great review of the new lp from fleet foxes:

Fleet foxes back in the hunt

The band's second album marks a more mature but just as sonically satisfying effort as their debut

A successful debut album can be both a blessing and a curse for a band. With the achievement comes high expectations, not only to maintain the standard, but also to put out an even better follow-up. Many bands have fallen under the pressure and suffered from the second-album slump. For Fleet Foxes, the weight of expectation was even greater because their 2008 self-titled album was such an unexpected and phenomenal success _ a tough act to follow.

''It was at times difficult to make this record,'' Fleet Foxes' frontman Robin Pecknold admits in the press release about the making of Helplessness Blues.

In following up their critically adored, platinum-selling Fleet Foxes, the Seattle-based sextet have gone though a long and painstaking creative process, plagued with writer's block, second-guessing, illness, tour exhaustion _ neatly summed up by Pecknold as a ''tonne of sh**''. Multiple songs were rewritten and re-recorded. The album was mixed twice because they weren't happy with the sound.

FIVE FAST FACTS ABOUT THE FLEET FOXES

1. FOX FUNDAMENTALS Let's start with a bit of background. Fleet Foxes were started by high school friends Robin Pecknold and Skye Skjelset, who were later joined by Josh Tillman, Casey Wescott, Christian Wargo and Morgan Henderson. Originally they were called Pineapple, but after a name clash with a local band they opted for Fleet Foxes. The reason behind the name? Pecknold simply thought it brought to mind ''some weird English activity like fox hunting''.

2. SMELLS LIKE INDIE SPIRIT For their latest album, Fleet Foxes worked at many studios in different locations from Seattle to New York. But in the early stages of recording, they rented space in a building in Seattle, taking over the lease from indie rock band Death Cab for Cutie. The place has been a studio since the 1970s and it was where Nirvana recorded their debut album, Bleach.

3. ANIMAL URGES Pecknold seems to have a thing for animals and folk music. When he is not fronting Fleet Foxes, he goes under the moniker White Antelope for his solo project. Actually, ''hobby'' seems a more fitting word to describe White Antelope than ''solo project''. The 25-year-old artist simply covers any folk songs he feels like and posts them on his MySpace page, all for his own personal enjoyment. Pecknold isn't interested in releasing a solo album whatsoever.

4. ACE OF BASS Henderson was the bassist of post-punk band Past Lives, and formerly of Blood Brothers. He befriended Pecknold as they worked on a 15-minute pretend film score together during a Fleet Foxes' break _ Pecknold's way to keep his creativity flowing. Henderson helped out on the making of Helplessness Blues and officially become a member of the band earlier this year.

5. FIRST IMPRESSIONS Cover art has always been an important to complement Fleet Foxes' music. The cover of their first album, featuring Pieter Bruegel's 1559 painting Netherlandish Proverbs, won the Best Art Vinyl Award 2008. The cover of Helplessness Blues evokes the same homespun nostalgia. A collage of memories, landscapes and dreams, the cover is illustrated by Seattle artist Toby Liebowitz and painted by Christopher Alderson.

Read the rest at
bangkokpost.com

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Van Dyke Parks Combining Vinyl and Art For First New Music in 15 Years

Van Dyke Parks has always been a bit eclectic for the general public and he is carrying that image through in his first release of new material in 15 years.

Starting in August, Parks will start issuing a series of vinyl 7" records with new songs but that won't be the only draw. He has brought in artists like Art Spiegelman, Frank Holmes, Charles Ray, Billy Ed Wheeler, Sally Parks and Ed Ruscha to do special pieces that will be printed on the vinyl of the releases and Parks feels that the art is as important as the music.

Read the rest at our blogging friend
vintagevinylnews.com

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Danger Mouse Rome to be released on vinyl through Third Man Records

by Pierce King

As an unknown American musician Brian Burton spent years pulling pints in London and soaking up the atmosphere of seedy New Cross.

But in the past few years as Danger Mouse has enjoyed more adventures than his 80s comic alter ego, producing artists such as Gorillaz, Beck and U2, and scoring a worldwide number one in 2006 with Crazy as half of Gnarls Barkley with Cee Lo Green.

Burton is known for being a speedy worker, but his new album, Rome, took five years of painstaking effort to complete.

Recorded in the Eternal City as a self-financed labour of love, Rome reunites musicians who appeared on the much-loved soundtracks of the 60s and 70s Spaghetti Westerns.

With new compositions and contemporary singers such as Jack White and Norah Jones it makes for an album based around retro elements that sounds excitingly fresh

Read the rest of the story at
purplerevolver.com

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this from our friends at www.vinylcollective.com

Top 10 albums at Shop Radio Cast for the week of May 9, 2011 – May 16, 2011:

1. La Dispute / Koji – Never Come Undone LP
2. The Wonder Years – Suburbia I’ve Give You All And Now I’m Nothing LP
3. Touce Amore – Parting The Sea Between Brightness And Me
4. Fireworks – Gospel
5. Balance and Composure – Separation
6. Rise Against / Face To Face Split 7″
7. Black Lips – Arabia Mountain LP + 7″
8. Deftones – Adrenaline LP
9. Devil Wears Prada – Plagues LP
10. The National – Cherry Tree EP 12″

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A Tribute From Burton Cummings to Producer Jack Richardson (1929-2011)

Legendary Canadian record producer Jack Richardson passed away on Friday after a long illness at the age of 81.

Richardson broke into the record business in 1968 when he approached the Coca-Cola company to produce an album that could be obtained by turning in bottle caps. On one side was the Guess Who while the other had a group known as the Staccatos (later the Five Man Electrical Band).

Read more at
vintagevinylnews.com

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RONNIE JAMES DIO Remembered On One-Year Anniversary Of His Death

Legendary heavy metal vocalist Ronnie James Dio, best known for his work with BLACK SABBATH, RAINBOW and his own band DIO, died of stomach cancer one year ago on Monday (May 16) at the age of 67.

A three-minute Artisan News Service report in which Dio's BLACK SABBATH and HEAVEN & HELL bandmate Geezer Butler, Ronnie's cousin David "Rock" Feinstein (both played in ELF) and wife/manager Wendy remember the heavy metal legend can be viewed below.

Butler said that Dio was so special "because he had an incredible voice; he was blessed with it. And he loved his fans. He'd talk to his fans after every show until there was nobody left. He was so genuine."

Read more at Blabbermouth

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Dave Stewart's New Album 'The Blackbird Diaries' Details

THE BLACKBIRD DIARIES, the new solo album by EURYTHMICS co-founder DAVE STEWART is scheduled for release on June 28, 2011. The new record features duets with STEVIE NICKS, COLBIE CAILLAT, and MARTINA McBRIDE, along with one-track co-written by BOB DYLAN.

"This was my favorite time ever in the studio. I wrote most of the songs on the spot and recorded all of them in one incredible session lasting 5 days and nights!" Dave remarks. "I made an unusual film of the process that not only features all the musicians and performers but also gives away some of my writing secrets which involves both a well known fortune teller and hypnotist who allowed themselves to be filmed in session with me."

The Tracklist:

1. So Long Ago
2. Beast Called Fame
3. Magic In The Blues
4. All Messed Up (featuring Martina McBride)
5. Stevie Baby
6. Cheaper Than Free (featuring Stevie Nicks)
7. The Gypsy Girl and Me
8. One Way Ticket To The Moon (featuring The Secret Sisters)
9. Bulletproof Vest (featuring Colbie Caillat)
10. Worth The Waiting For
11. The Well
12. Country Wine (featuring The Secret Sisters)

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Vinyl records make a comeback

Although digital still rules, vinyl is making a steady comeback due to its unique audio quality and artwork



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and in music history for today, may 16:

In 1964, 21 year-old Mary Wells led the Billboard Pop chart with the Smokey Robinson written "My Guy". The record was Wells' 9th Top 40 entry and would prove to be her highest charting US single.

In 1965, the Beach Boys appeared on the "The Ed Sullivan Show" and performed "Help Me Rhonda."

The Beach Boys album "Pet Sounds" was released in 1966.

In 1967, the Monkees' third LP, "Headquarters" was released. It was their first LP recorded primarily by the four members of the group and would reach #1 in the US for one week before being relegated to second place for eleven consecutive weeks by "Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band".

Tony Joe White recorded "Polk Salad Annie" in 1968.



In 1969, Pete Townshend of The Who spent a night in jail in New York City after being charged with assault. The group was performing at the Fillmore East when a fire broke out at a supermarket next door. A plainclothes policeman leapt onto the stage to warn the crowd and Townshend, thinking the cop was a member of the audience, booted him off.

Randy Bachman left the Guess Who in 1970.

In 1980, Dr. George C. Nichopoulous was indicted in Memphis on 14 counts of overprescribing drugs to Elvis Presley, Jerry Lee Lewis and nine other patients. good...

In 1981, "Bette Davis Eyes" by Kim Carnes rocketed to the top spot on Billboard's singles chart, where it would remain for six weeks. Carnes received a personal thank-you letter for the song from actress Bette Davis, saying that it had impressed her young grandson. this song was so overplayed....i can't stand to listen to anymore....

In 1983, the television special "Motown 25: Yesterday, Today and Forever" aired. It was a taping of the first time that Michael Jackson performed the moonwalk for a live audience.

In 1985, a royalty cheque totaling $6.5 million from the sales of "We Are The World" is handed over to the USA for Africa Foundation by Columbia Records executive Al Teller. The total raised would eventually rise to over $50 million. freaking cool!

In 1990, Sammy Davis Jr. died of throat cancer at the age of 64. Davis was a member of The Rat Pack, along with Dean Martin, Frank Sinatra, Peter Lawford and Joey Bishop and had several US Top 40 hits including "Something's Gotta Give", "Love Me or Leave Me", "That Old Black Magic", "The Candy Man" and his signature tune, "I've Gotta Be Me".

Also in 1990, Jim Henson, the Muppets creator who scored two US Top 30 hits with "Rubber Duckie" in 1970 and "Rainbow Connection" in 1979, died of Streptococcal Toxic Shock Syndrome at the age of 53.

The Britney Spears album "Oops!..I Did It Again" was released in 2000.

In 2010, Ronnie James Dio, the powerful voice for Elf, Rainbow, Black Sabbath, Dio and Heaven & Hell, lost his battle with stomach cancer at the age of 67.



Also in 2010, Paul McCartney told Scotland's Sunday Mail newspaper that he is convinced The Beatles would have reformed in recent years if all their members had survived, because they would have signed up for a reunion "just for a laugh". He pointed out that the band was asked to reunite shortly after they split, but said "It wasn't really a good idea then, but I think if this much time had elapsed, I could easily see it happening. Somebody would have said, 'Oh go on. Just for a laugh.'" man, if only........

birthdays today include Janet Jackson (1966), Krist Novoselic of Nirvana fame (1965) and the inventive Robert Fripp (1946

Top 5 eBay Vinyl Records Sales - Week Ending 05/14/2011

Several rare jazz/funk records make the list this week, with Brazil's Arthur Verocai's self-titled record getting the #1 spot. A blues 78 makes the list, the first time for "Black Birds Of Paradise" record. And the test pressing for Sprinsteen's "Born To Run" which used a different script in the title than the released version makes the Top 5 for the second time, the first being in 2008.

1. LP - Arthur Verocai "self titled" continental Brazil Pressing - $5,100.00

2. 78 - Black Birds Of Paradise "Muddy Water" / "Sugar" Gennett 6211 - $4,500.00

3. LP - Uncle Funkenstein "Together Again" - $4,060.00

4. LP - George Szell "Beethoven Choral Symphony" Columbia SAX 2512/3 UK Pressing

5. LP - Bruce Springsteen "Born To Run" Test Pressing Script jacket - $2,125.00


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

Vinyl Record News & Music Notes

hello folks, 

i have been doing this blog for several years and i can't remember not making a post for a couple of days....i always try and get the latest vinyl record news and stuff that interests me posted every day. 

i apologize for the lacks of posts recently, but i have been quite ill and certainly away for the computer. that said, after some poking, prodding and giving them enough blood to feed a small village of vampires, i am feeling better. 

i thank you for your patience and please visit the CVR Blog everyday to see what's going on in the vinyl record world!

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Vinyl Sales Show Steady Yearly Increase!

• Vinyl sales increased 37 percent in the beginning of 2011 over the same period last year. Vinyl sales also rose 14.2 percent in 2010, although they only accounted for 1.2 percent of physical sales.
• 2011 saw the most successful Record Store Day in the event’s four-year history. Album sales at independent record stores increased over 39 percent the week of Record Store Day (April 16) from the prior week – an increase of 180,000 units – and 12.7 percent compared to 2010. 
• Rock is the most popular genre of music, with 32 percent album share, while pop music represents 40 percent of all current digital tracks sold. 
• Ninety-three of the 100 best selling vinyl albums in 2011 fall within the Rock or Alternative genres.

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GRIMEY'S BEST SELLERS 5/02 - 5/08, 2011

Top 25 Vinyl:

1. Fleet Foxes - Helplessness Blues
2. The Clutters - Under Suspicion 7"
3. Mumford & Sons - Sigh No More
4. The New Mastersounds - Masterology
5. TV On The Radio - Nine Types of Light
6. The White Stripes - Let's Shake Hands 7"
7. The White Stripes - Lafayette Blues 7"
8. Fleet Foxes - Fleet Foxes
9. Thee Oh Sees - Singles Collection 1 & 2
10. KORT - Please Don't Touch 7"
11. Crystal Stilts / Comet Gain - Working Circle Explosion 7"
12. Adele - 21
13. The Civil Wars - Barton Hollow
14. Explosions In The Sky - Take Care, Take Care, Take Care
15. Brandi Carlile - Live At Benaroya Hall
16. Radiohead - King Of Limbs
17. Various - The Wuxtry Record
18. The New Mastersounds - So Many Pies 7"
19. J Dilla - Donuts
20. Miles Davis - Kind Of Blue
21. LCD Soundsystem - This Is Happening
22. Sufjan Stevens - Illinois
23. Cheap Time - Immediate Future 7"
24. Daft Punk - Tron Legacy (import)
25. Talib Kweli - Gutter Rainbows

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and in music history for today:

In 1955, Bo Diddley's tune "Bo Diddley" debuts on the US R&B chart on its way to #2. The song will become his most successful record and introduces what will be known as the Bo Diddley beat.

Jan and Dean began recording "Little Old Lady From Pasadena" in 1964.

In 1966, The Kingsmen's "Louie Louie" enters the Billboard Hot 100 for the ninth time. It only stayed on the charts for two weeks, going to #97. When it was first released in 1963, it made it to #2.

In 1968, Paul McCartney and John Lennon were guests on NBC's "Tonight Show" (with guest host Joe Gragiola).

Also in 1968, the Rascals recorded "People Got To Be Free", a song written by the group because of the assassinations of Dr. Martin Luther King and Bobby Kennedy. It will become their fourth and final million-selling single.

In 1976, 33 year-old Keith Relf, former lead singer for the Yardbirds, was electrocuted while tuning a guitar which was not properly grounded. The accident happened in his West London home where he was found by his eight year old son, still holding the plugged-in electric guitar. His voice can be heard on such British Invasion classics as "For Your Love", "Heart Full of Soul", "I Ain't Got You", and "Shapes of Things".

In 1988, Atlantic Records celebrates its 40th anniversary with a star-studded bash at New York's Madison Square Garden. The show features reunions of Led Zeppelin, The Bee Gees, The Rascals, Genesis, Crosby, Stills & Nash, Wilson Pickett, The Coasters, Yes, Foreigner, and many others.

In 1993, the acoustic guitar that Elvis Presley used to make his first recordings, "That's All Right Mama" and "Blue Moon of Kentucky" in 1954, sold for $152,000 at an auction in London, England.

In 1998, Frank Sinatra died after a heart attack at the age of 82.

lots of birthdays today including Jack Bruce of Cream (1943) the great Bobby Darin (1936), the innovative David Byrne of the Talking Heads (1952), Ian Astbury of the Cult (1962), C.C. DeVille of Poison (1962) and Mike Inez of Alice in Chains (1966), among others.

Ask Mr. Music by Jerry Osborne

FOR THE WEEK OF MAY 9, 2011

DEAR JERRY: In 1959, as a 16-year-old sophomore, I had my first date with a wonderful girl from my school.

We went to the local drive-in theater. The picture playing, ironically titled “Date Bait,” was one of those low-budget, teen-oriented flicks.

The title song was sung in a rockin' Gene Vincent style. I don't know this singer, but because of the memories associated with it, I would love to have the song. That is if it even came out as a record. I never once heard it on the radio.

While searching for “Date Bait” I learned about a completely different song with the same title, also from 1959. Apparently a hit of sorts, this other one is by Diana Maxwell, and people mistakenly think her's is the one I'm after.

Oh yes, four years after the “Date Bait” date, the girl became by lovely bride, and this year we will celebrate our 48th anniversary.

Time is running out. Help me find the right “Date Bait.”
—Sherman Putterman, St. Paul, Minn.


DEAR SHERMAN: Congratulations! You obviously used the right bait to land the right date. Now let's piece all of this together and come up with your unofficial theme song.

Yes, the movie is titled “Date Bait,” but the title song is “Date Bait Baby” (tagline: “She turned a cool school into a hot-bed of violence”). “Date Bait Baby,” both in the film and on a record (Ray Note 9), is by Reggie Perkins and His Rockin' Maniacs.

The flip side, “High School Caesar” (“He had more rackets than Al Capone”) is another rocker lifted from the “Date Bait” soundtrack. Neither side made any of the national charts.

The tab on just the record can be $150 to $200, but if it comes with the snazzy “Date Bait” (film) picture sleeve, your checkout total can triple.

It may be a bit of a reach, but “Date Bait” is not your only connection to Diane (not Diana) Maxwell. You were 16 in 1959 when Maxwell's only album came out … titled “Almost Seventeen” (Challenge 607).


DEAR JERRY: I collect and am fairly knowledgeable about original cast recordings (I happen to agree with your recent “Maggie Flynn” review), but here's one cast album I have never heard of, and it's not in the “Broadway on Record” book.

I found it listed in a sales catalog, with the peculiar title “Mummenschanz.”

But wait, it gets even weirder.

Under “Contains These Tracks” are these bizarre titles: “Blob”; “Creepy Crawly”; “Worm”; “Green Mouth”; “Six Heads”; “Slinky”; “Frog”; “Insect”; “Rabbit”; “Cat”; “Ape to Man”; “Toilet Paper”; “Gerry Cans”; “Note Pads”; and “Clay Masks.”

What on earth does all of this mean?

They are asking $50 for this LP, and I might buy it just because it is so other worldly, and obviously rare.
—Arnold McFadden, Stamford, Conn.

DEAR ARNOLD: All of your adjectives apply to the 1978 “Mummenschanz” Original Cast Recording, as well as to the show itself. Now here's one of my own: unique. “Mummenschanz” stands alone in every respect, is one-of-a-kind, and has no like or equal.

German for mummery, “Mummenschanz” is simply mime-masque theater (i.e., non-speaking mummers), and those goofy track listings are not songs. Rather, they identify the quirky skits making up a two-act play.

Act One, from “Blob” through “Ape to Man,” is the “Mummenschanz” take on the evolution of life as we know it.

In Act Two, “Toilet Paper” through “Clay Masks,” the mummers humorously explore human relationships.

Since a mime cast neither speaks nor sings, the “Mummenschanz” album contains only the sounds heard in the theater during each of the 15 segments — which is mostly audience laughter and applause.

Not totally unlike the Audio Fidelity sound effects albums, popular in the late 1950s and early '60s, the “Mummenschanz” recording could be used as a handy do-it-yourself laugh track.


IZ ZAT SO? In a little over three years on Broadway (March 1977 - April 1980), “Mummenschanz,” starring Andres Bossard, Floriana Frassetto, and Bernie Schürch, gave 1,326 performances at the Bijou Theatre.

In June 1986, the mime-masque troupe returned to Broadway with their new show, appropriately titled “Mummenschanz: The New Show.”

This time they lasted just four months, and closed after only 152 performances.

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

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

Copyright 2011 Osborne Enterprises- Reprinted By Exclusive Permission

Vinyl Record News & Music Notes

Pink Floyd Announce Three New Releases

Pink Floyd have recently announced details of three new releases, starting in September later this year. The 'Why Pink Floyd?...' releases form part of the bands' recent agreement with EMI and will include CDs, DVDs and a brand-new single-album ‘Best Of’ collection.

Roger Faxon, CEO of EMI Group, said: ”This is a unique collaboration between EMI and one of the most creative and influential bands in history.”

The first release will be an expanded deluxe and special edition version of Pink Floyd's 'The Dark Side Of The Moon' on September 26.  On November 7, the band will release the new retrospective 'A Foot In The Door - The Best of Pink Floyd'. And on February 27, 2012 'The Wall' - ‘Immersion’ and ‘Experience’ editions, Vinyl LP and digital editions will be released.

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In Singapore, you can find vinyl doing well!

Music To Our Ears: Straits Records Brings Local Music to the Community

by Joyce HUANG

Look beyond the Kebab-serving and Shisha-smoking restaurants that crowd Bali Lane and you will find a slice of Singaporean identity that’s been misplaced for the longest time – local music.

Located at 24 Bali Lane, Straits Records is both a record label and retail space that prides itself on promoting the underground music scene in Singapore. The place reveals a different side of our sunny island, where music lovers can escape from the monotony of their daily lives, to share ideas about their passion for music and immerse themselves in an alternative lifestyle.

Read more at sgentrepreneurs.com

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BATHORY Limited-Edition Vinyl Box Set Due In July

Black Mark has set a July 18 U.K. release date for a limited-edition BATHORY vinyl box set. The collection, which is being released in honor of the band's late mastermind Quorthon, contains the following:

* Three double gatefold LPs
* 48-page booklet
* BATHORY "Goat" poster (70x100cm)
* Picture-disc recreation of the original BATHORY "yellow goat" 1984 pressing of the band's debut album.

All packaged together in a deluxe box.

Read more at Blabbermouth

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Wax Nostalgic: 7 Questions with John Timmons of ear X-Tacy Records (Louisville)

By Jaeki Cho

From '83 to '85, John Timmons, 55, sold records out of his apartment and trunk, taking mail orders, traveling to record fairs across the Midwest, and even doing door-to-door services. Exhausted by customers asking for vinyl at 11 p.m. in the evening, the record store employee since '73 realized it was time to open up a physical store. ear X-Tacy, named after the English band XTC, opened in Louisville, Kentucky. Starting off with a space of 500 square feet, the store slowly expanded, at one point covering 10,000 square feet of space. The current location, boasting 6,500 square feet full of music-related items, recently opened its doors after moving from its previous spot, its home for the last 15 years. Relocating up and down the same area for the last two decades, this upcoming August will mark the store's 26th birthday—truly, an impressive feat for a brick-and-mortar record shop in the current music business climate.

Though tracking down Timmons wasn't easy, Complex got down with the cheerful vinyl advocate who answered our Wax Nostalgic 7 Question Survey.

Read the rest at complex.com

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Led Zeppelin T-Shirt Sells for $10,000

Russell Hall

A Led Zeppelin T-shirt, said to be one of the rarest rock T-shirts in the world, has sold on eBay for a whopping $10,000. The shirt, which was sold by Kyle Ermatinger of Stormcrow Vintage, was produced in 1979 in limited quantity as a unique way to replace conventional backstage passes for one of Zeppelin’s legendary Knebworth House concerts.

Read the rest at Gibson

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and in music history for today:

Buddy Holly & the Crickets auditioned for Arthur Godfrey's Talent Scouts in 1957. They were rejected.

In 1959, Dave "Baby" Cortez reached the top spot on the Billboard chart with "The Happy Organ". The song was originally recorded under the name "The Dog and the Cat" with a vocal track that didn't work out. Cortez then added an organ solo and changed the title. A follow-up record was called "The Whistling Organ", which stalled at #61, but Cortez would find his way back to the Top Ten in 1962 with "Rinky Dink".

The Beatles hit number one in the U.K. in 1963 with the album Please Please Me. It would stay there for 30 weeks.

In 1965, the Byrds made their TV debut with "Mr. Tambourine Man" on NBC's "Hullabaloo."



In 1970, the triple album "Woodstock" soundtrack was released on Cotillion Records. The three record set featured many of the top Rock artists of the time, including Jimi Hendrix, Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young, Joe Cocker and The Who. The album would go Gold within two weeks.

John Lennon was a guest on the Dick Cavett Show in 1972. He told Cavett that he was under surveillance by the FBI.

In 1974, Led Zeppelin attended Elvis Presley’s show at the Los Angeles Forum in California. After a shaky start to the show, Elvis stopped the band and jokingly said: “Wait a minute…if we can start together fella’s, because we’ve got Led Zeppelin out there, lets try to look like we know what we’re doing.”

In 1981, Jamaican singer-songwriter Bob Marley died of lung cancer and a brain tumor aged 36. Had the 1981 single “No Woman No Cry,” plus over ten other U.K. Top 40 singles. In 1990, the 6th February was proclaimed a national holiday in Jamaica to commemorate his birth. The compilation album, Legend, released in 1984, is the best-selling reggae album ever with sales of more than 20 million copies. Time magazine chose Bob Marley & The Wailers' Exodus as the greatest album of the 20th century.



In 1995, a tribute show for the late-Stevie Ray Vaughan included Eric Clapton, B.B. King, Jimmy Vaughan, Buddy Guy and Robert Cray. All five had played with Vaughan at his last show on August 26, 1990, before he was killed in a helicopter crash.

In 2003, Jimi Hendrix Experience bassist Noel Redding died at his home in Ireland aged 57. Redding played on the classic Hendrix albums 'Are You Experienced', 'Axis: Bold as Love' and 'Electric Ladyland.'

birthdays today include Butch Trucks (Allman Brothers Band) (64) and Eric Burdon (Animals) (70) among many others.

Top Selling Vinyl Records Sales at eBay - April 2011

Here is the month in review of the top selling ebay vinyl record sales, on a weekly basis, for April 2011. First and foremost, a special thank you to Norm and Jane at ccdiscoveries.blogspot.com  Be sure to listen to their popular radio show Vinyl Record Talk for more information about the weekly top 5, vinyl record news and as well as weekly guests.


Top 5 eBay Vinyl Record Sales - Week Ending 04/02/2011

A box set of every Led Zeppelin record on 180gm vinyl makes the top of the list. An acetate from 1951, recorded by the strange poet/jazz musician known as Moondog, gets the #2 spot. Another Madrigal learn Spanish LP makes the list. And Seattle band Fleet Foxes sells a test pressing of their yet to be released new album to help Japan's earthquake relief efforts. This record is by far the most recently recorded (if unreleased) piece of vinyl to make the Top 5.

1. LP - Led Zeppelin "Final Option" Box Set - $5,600.00

2. EP - Moondog "Music and Moondog" Acetate - $4,570.20

3. LP - Margarita Madrigal "Madrigal's Magic Key to Spanish" Warhol Cover - $4,500.00

4. 45 - The Factory "Try A Little Sunshine" / "Red Chalk Hill" CBS - $3,927.60

5. LP - Fleet Foxes "Helplessness Blues" Test Pressing - $3,350.00





Top 5 eBay Vinyl Record Sales - Week Ending 04/09/2011

A one off factory floor indulgence of Elvis's 1977 "Moody Blue", in which a floor worker decided to make himself a splash copy, gets the #1 spot this week. Another Warhol cover makes the list. This one from a CBS Radio Broadcast record about the horror of crime in the United States in 1961. And the rare Apple unreleased Delaney and Bonnie record makes get on this week's Top 5.

1. LP - Elvis Presley "Moody Blue" Splash Purple Vinyl RCA - $5,299.99

2. LP - Hailu Mergia & The Walis Band "Ethiopian Instrumentals" Kaifa Greek Pressing - $3,000.00

3. LP - CBS Radio Broadcast "The Nation's Nightmare" Andy Warhol Cover - $2,686.00

4. LP - Delaney and Bonnie "The Original Delany and Bonnie" Apple unreleased - $2,560.00

5. 45 - Ricky Hodges "It Happened Too Fast" / "Love In It's Taking" DeBrossard - $2,403.55



Top 5 eBay Vinyl Record Sales - Week Ending 04/16/2011

A day after The Beatles get the top price of the year on the Top 5, a Sex Pistols acetate bids higher than any record since December 2008 (a low numbered "White Album" that sold for $30k). The Beatles have gotten the top spot on the annual list for all four of the years I've been doing the Top 5, so it'll be interesting to see if a piece of Beatles vinyl beats out the Sex Pistols in the coming year.

1. 10" - Sex Pistols "God Save The Queen" Acetate - $23,805.30

2. LP - Elvis Presley "Speedway" RCA LPM-3989 Mono SEALED - $3,999.00

3. LP - Leonid Kogan "Beethoven Violin Concerto" Columbia SAX 2386 UK Pressing - $3,383.00

4. LP - Hank Mobley self titled Blue Note 1568 - $3,340.00

5. LP - Jaques Dumont Bach Sonata & Partitas Belvedre - $3,228.00



Top 5 eBay Vinyl Record Sales - Week Ending 04/23/2011

A week after the Sex Pistols acetate of "God Saves The Queen" closed higher than any record since 2008, the pulled A&M pressing of the same single closes close to $17k, and itself bid higher than any record of 2010.

A Shrine 45 shows up on the list for the first time in many months. Shrine was a label started by Berry Gordy's ex-wife "Miss Ray". Shortly before the label's first run of singles were to be released, a fire consumed the warehouse where they were being stored. The only Shrine records to make it out into the world were several dozen promos of each title.

Stories have been going around record conventions for many years that Berry Gordy was in some way responsible for the fire. This is especially unlikely, if only for the reason that the warehouse burned along with many other buildings during the 1968 Washington D.C. riot following the assassination of Martin Luther King Jr.

1. 45 - Sex Pistols "God Save The Queen" / "No Feeling" A&M AMS-7284 - $16,921.73

2. 45 - Ray Pollard "No More Like Me" / "This Time" Shirne - $3,500.00

3. LP - The Beatles "White Album" UK Pressing Mono #783 - $3,385.98

4. 78 - Tommy Johnston "Bye Bye Blues" / "Maggie Campbell Blues" Victor 21409 - $3,050.00

5. LP - Hank Mobley self titled Blue Note 1568 - $2,286.50



Top 5 eBay Vinyl Record Sales - Week Ending 04/30/2011

For three weeks in a row the top record has pushed past the $10k mark. For the past two weeks Sex Pistols rarities have topped the list, and this weeks it's The Beatles original Stereo pressing of "Please Please Me", however the top price of over $13k does not come close to the sales of the Sex Pistol's records, which have been the highest recorded for two years.

1. LP - The Beatles "Please Please Me" Parlophone UK Bold Black label 1st Stereo - $13,176.41

2. LP - Wilhelm Furtwangler "Beethoven 9th Symphony" Soviet Union Pressing - $5,100.00

3. 12" - Led Zeppelin “Road Box” Test Pressing - $4,801.00

4. LP - Johanna Martzy "Schubert" Columbia 33CX UK Pressing - $3,500.00

5. 12" - Led Zeppelin "Road Box" - $3,200.00


More on this month's top sellers on Vinyl Record Talk, Tuesday 8:00PM Eastern / 4:00PM Pacific on Radio Dentata.  

New Vinyl Record and Music Releases - May 10, 2011

Lots of great music this week including Okkervil River's I Am Very Far and The Antlers' Burst Apart. CVR Blog recommendations include Wild Beasts' Smother, Sleepy Vikings' They Will Find You Here, Anvil's Juggernaut of Justice, Architecture in Helsinki's Moment Bends on vinyl, Black Label Society's Song Remains Not the Same, the Cars with Move Like This on vinyl, Prince with three reissues on vinyl (1999, Controversy, Dirty Mind), the Jesus and Mary Chain with two reissues on vinyl (Automatic, Honey's Dead), Pearl Jam with remastered editions of Vitalogy and Vs. on vinyl, the Dream Syndicate's Days of Wine & Roses (reissue) on vinyl, a couple of Johnny Winter reissues on vinyl, and a couple of reissues from the Cramps on vinyl.

A couple of CDs also make the CVR Blog list Gene Clark's Tribute to the Byrds (2 CDs) and Russell Hitchcock's Tennessee: The Nashville Sessions (2 CDs).




Africa Hitech - 93 Million Miles
Alvarius B. - Baroque Primitiva
Antietam - Tenth Life
Anvil - Juggernaut of Justice
Arc In Round - Arc In Round
Architecture in Helsinki - Moment Bends (vinyl)
Ark of the Covenant - Separation
Balance and Composure - Separation
Balkans - Balkans
Ben Sollee - Inclusions
Bill Wells & Aidan Moffat - Everything's Getting Older
Bing Crosby - Through the Years 7: 1954
Black Label Society - Song Remains Not the Same
Blue October - Ugly Side: An Acoustic Evening with Blue October
Bob Dylan - Bob Dylan in Concert: Brandeis University 1963 (vinyl)
Booker T. Jones - The Road From Memphis (vinyl)
Booker T. and the M.G.'s - McLemore Avenue (remastered)
Bootsy Collins - Tha Funk Capitol Of The World (vinyl)
Byrds - Lost Broadcasts
Captain Beefheart & His Magic Band - Translucent Fresnel (The Nan True's Hole Tape 72 / 73 Live) (vinyl)
Cars - Door to Door
Cars - Move Like This (vinyl)
Catalepsy - Bleed
Chris Barber - Memories of My Trip (2 CDs)
Chris Thile & Michael Daves - Sleep With One Eye Open
Chrissy Murderbot - Women's Studies
Christina Perri - lovestrong.
Christopher Cross - Doctor Faith
Cirkus - Medicine
City Center - Redeemer
Clutch - Blast Tyrant
Colin L. Orchestra - Infinite Ease / Good God
Colourmusic - My ____ Is Pink
Crippled Black Phoenix - Night Raider (reissue)(vinyl)
Crippled Black Phoenix - The Resurrectionists (reissue)(vinyl)
Daniel Knox - Evryman for Himself
Darkest Hour - The Human Romance (vinyl)
Dave Brubeck - Playlist: The Very Best of Dave Brubeck
Dead Meadow - Peel Session
Delay Trees - Delay Trees
Dengue Fever - Cannibal Courtship
Devil Whale - Teeth
Dionne Warwick - Playlist: The Very Best of Dionne Warwick
Dominik Eulberg - Diorama
Dream Syndicate - Days of Wine & Roses (reissue)(vinyl)
EMA - Past Life Maryred Saints
El Obo - Oxford Basement Collection
Eric Bibb - Troubadour Live
Ezekiel Honig - Folding In On Itself
Forty Winters - Reflection
Fotheringay & Sandy Denny - Lost Broadcasts (2 CDs)
Frankie Miller - Thats Who: Complete Chrysalis Recordings 73-80 (4 CDs)
Gang Gang Dance - Eye Contact
Gardens - Gardens
Gary Moore - Ballads & Blues
Gary Moore - Wild Frontier Tour
Gene Clark - Tribute to the Byrds (2 CDs)
Get Help - The Good Green Earth
Glen Campbell - Rhinestone Cowboy
Greg Brown - Freak Flag
Hate Eternal - Phoenix Amongst the Ashes
Helado Negro - Canta Lechuza
Here We Go Magic - The January (EP)
Hey Champ - Anything At All (EP)
Holly Golightly & Dan Melichior - Desperate Little Town (reissue)
Hooray for Earth - True Loves
Horseback - The Gorgon Tongue
Howe Gelb - Alegrias
Jackie-O Motherf**ker - Volume 1: Fig. 5 & Liberation
Janis Ian - Between the Lines (Gold CD)
Janis Ian - Playlist: The Very Best of Janis Ian
Jared Mees and the Grown Children - Only Good Thoughts Can Stay
Jesu - Ascension
Jesus and Mary Chain - Automatic (reissue)(vinyl)
Jesus and Mary Chain - Honey's Dead (reissue)(vinyl)
Jimmie Dale Gilmour - Heirloom Music
Joan of Arc - Life Like
Johan Agebjorn and Friends - Casablanca Nights
John Grant - Queen of Denmark (vinyl)
Johnnie Taylor - Taylored in Silk Expanded
Johnny Cash - American VI: Ain't No Grave (vinyl)
Johnny Winter - Playlist: The Very Best of Johnny Winter
Johnny Winter - Still Alive & Well (vinyl)
Karl Blau - Max
Laura Veirs - The Triumphs and Travails of Orphan Mae (reissue)
Le Butcherettes - Sin Sin Sin
Led ER Est - May (EP)
Lee Scratch Perry - Rise Again
Liturgy - Aesthethica
Loggins & Messina - Sittin' In (vinyl)
Love Inks - ESP
Magnetic Man - Magnetic Man
Man Man - Life Fantastic
Man Overboard - The Human Highlight Reel
Manchester Orchestra - Simple Math
Mantana Roberts - Coin Coin Chapter One: Gens de Colour Libres
Mark McGuire - A Young Person's Guide to Mark McGuire
Marty Robbins - Playlist: The Very Best of Marty Robbins
Matthew Morrison - Matthew Morrison
Matthew Sweet - Playlist: The Very Best of Matthew Sweet
Memory Map - Holiday Band
Metallica - S&M (6-LP vinyl box set)(vinyl)
Mexicans with Guns - Ceremony
Mint Julep - Adorn
Mountains - Air Museum
Moving Mountains - Waves
Muddy Waters - Playlist: The Very Best of Muddy Waters
New York Dolls - Dancing Backward in High Heels (vinyl)
Ohgr - Undeveloped
Okkervil River - I Am Very Far
Other Lives - Tamer Animals
Oxbow - King of the Jews
Paul Simon - So Beautiful or So What (vinyl)
Pearl Jam - Vitalogy (remastered)(vinyl)
Pearl Jam - Vs. (remastered)(vinyl)
Peter Case - Case Files (vinyl)
Phil Cook - Hungry Mother Blues
Portugal. The Man - Church Mouth (reissue)(vinyl)
Portugal. The Man - Waiter You Voltures (reissue)(vinyl)
Primal Scream - Vanishing Point 2 LPs (vinyl)
Prince - 1999 (vinyl)
Prince - Controversy (vinyl)
Prince - Dirty Mind (vinyl)
Prince Fatty - Supersize (vinyl)
Psychedelic Furs - Playlist: The Very Best of Psychedelic Furs
Psychedelic Horsesh*t - Laced
Pure X - You're In It Now
Randy Newman - Randy Newman Songbook 2
Raphael Saadiq - Stone Rollin’
Rene Hell - Terminal Symphony
Rise Against / Face to Face - Split (vinyl)
Robbie Robertson - How to Become Clairvoyant (2 LPs)(vinyl)
Rory Gallagher - Blueprint
Rory Gallagher - Deuce
Rory Gallagher - Live in Europe
Rory Gallagher - Rory Gallagher
Russell Hitchcock - Tennessee: The Nashville Sessions (2 CDs)
SKOLD - Anomie
Sam Roberts Band - Collider
Sleepy Rebels - Yellow Tree
Sleepy Vikings - They Will Find You Here
Sloan - The Double Cross
Spindrift - Classic Soundtracks
Staple Singers - Be Altitude: Respect Yourself Expanded
Steve Earle - I'll Never Get of This World Alive DVD/Blu-Ray (vinyl)
Tanya Tucker - Heres Some Love
Teena Marie - Playlist: The Very Best of Teena Marie
The Antlers - Burst Apart
The Clutters - Breaking Bones
The Cramps - Psychedelic Jungle (reissue) (vinyl)
The Cramps - Songs the Lord Taught Us (reissue)(vinyl)
The Devil Whale - Teeth
The Felice Brothers - Celebration, Florida
The Gates Of Slumber - The Wretch
The Lonely Island - Turtleneck & Chain
The Michael J. Epstein Memorial Library - Volume One
The Sea and Cake - The Moonlight Butterfly
The Shivers - More
The The - Playlist: The Very Best of The The
The Wilderness Of Manitoba - When You Left The Fire
Thea Gilmore - John Wesley Harding
Thee Oh Sees - Castlemania
Thieves Like Us - Your Love Runs Still
This Romantic Tragedy - Reborn
This Will Destroy You - Tunnel Blanket
Tiago Sousa - Walden's Pond
Tyler the Creator - Goblin
Urge Overkill - Rock & Roll Submarine
Various Artists - 35 Years of Stony Plain (3 CDs)
Various Artists - Playlist: The Very Best of 80s Metal Now Hair This
Various Artists - Hank Williams: Timeless (vinyl)
Various Artists - Nigeria 70 Sweet Times: Afro-Funk Highlife
Viktor Vaughn - Vaudeville Villain: Gold Edition (reissue)(vinyl)
Warren Haynes - Man in Motion 2 LPs (vinyl)
Wild Beasts - Smother
Wild Billy Childish and The MBE's - Mama Rolling Stone b/w Little Latin Lupe-Lu (vinyl)
Wilderness of Manitoba - When You Left the Fire
Wooden Wand - Circle (vinyl)
Yelle - Safari Disco Club (vinyl)
Yes - Union: Live (2 CDs)
Young Legionnaire - Crisis Works
Zombi - Escape Velocity
Zomby - Natalia's Song (vinyl)


New Jazz Releases - May 10, 2011
 

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

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

Vinyl Record News & Music Notes

neat story in salina kansas about a record pressing company:

PRESSING MATTERS

By DAVID CLOUSTON Salina Journal

Two things become clear in the first few minutes while Chad Kassem gives visitors a tour of the latest addition to his expanding business empire.

One is that the worn and greasy unrestored record presses resting in pieces in a dark warehouse corner show how much work it will take to bring them back to life.

The second thing is that those unused presses are ample proof Kassem's business isn't through growing.

Six restored presses resting under bright fluorescent bulbs atop a freshly painted floor in a room nearby appear as shiny as the day they left the factory. They're all 30 years old or older and have been tricked out with the latest electronic monitoring devices.

"Paint 'em now, clean them up. Do everything you can think of. Now is the time," was Kassem's charge to the technicians he's hired to make his latest vision for his company a reality.

Salina for years has been known for the products made here and shipped nationwide -- automotive batteries, frozen pizzas, fluorescent lamps, farm tillage implements, firefighting equipment and airport shuttle buses, to name a few. Now, thanks to Kassem, high-quality vinyl records can be added to the list.

Read the rest at salina.com

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Pavones Records To Release Prevenge, Dig It Up Split 7"

Montreal, Quebec punk outfits Prevenge and Dig It Up will be joining forces and contributing two songs each for a split 7" on Pavones Records. The vinyl will see a May 31st release date while Juicebox Recording Co. will offer the album as a free/donation-based digital download. Pavones Records is now streaming one song from each band at its Bandcamp page.

Limited to a pressing of 500 7-inches on white (100) and black (400) vinyl, the split features two of Canada's best and brightest DIY punk bands tearing through four fist-pumping, high-energy, rough-and-tumble yet relentlessly catchy anthems

Read the rest and get the track list at pluginmusic.com

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SHADOWSIDE: 'Inner Monster Out' Artwork Unveiled

Brazilian female-fronted metallers SHADOWSIDE will release their third album, "Inner Monster Out", on June 7 via SHP Records. The CD was produced, mixed and mastered at Studio Fredman in Gothenburg, Sweden by Fredrik Nordström, who has previously worked with AT THE GATES, IN FLAMES, DARK TRANQUILLITY, ARCH ENEMY, SOILWORK and BRING ME THE HORIZON, among others. It features guest vocals from Björn "Speed" Strid (SOILWORK), Mikael Stanne (DARK TRANQUILLITY), and Niklas Isfeldt (DREAM EVIL).

Read the rest at Blabbermouth






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Cymbals Release Their Debut Album 'Unlearn'

London 3 piece CYMBALS release their debut album 'Unlearn' on Tough Love Records today. 'Unlearn' covers the first 10 songs ever written by the band, pressed up on a limited run of 300 vinyl, each sleeve is individually hand screen printed by artist Sinead Evans. The album is also available digitally.

The album was written and recorded by the band and mixed using the collective efforts of Rory Bratwell (formerly of Test Icicles, producer for Male Bonding, Cold Pumas, Veronica Falls, Teeth!!! etc.), James Yuill and Manchester electronic wunderkids D/R/U/G/S.

CYMBALS formed in London amidst the heat haze of summer 2010, directed by nothing but their excellent record collections and the vague intention to "not be boring".

Read more at stereoboard.com



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August Burns Red announce track listing and cover art for fourth album, 'Leveler'

Genre giants August Burns Red are poised to release one of the most anxiously awaited hard rock albums of 2011 – a colossal effort entitled Leveler, available in stores and online June 21st – and are excited to reveal the tracklisting and atypical cover art.

The album will be available in both regular and deluxe editions - a first for ABR. Explains JB Brubaker:

Read the rest at hangout.altsounds.com








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this sad news from our friends at vinatgevinylnews.com

John Walker of the Walker Brothers Passes Away at 67

John Walker, one of the three musicians who turned themselves into the Walker Brothers, has passed away from liver cancer at the age of 67. His official website posted:

It is with our deepest sadness to report that Mr. John Walker passed away in his Los Angeles area home on May 7, 2011. He was a beloved husband, brother, father, grandfather, friend, and artiste

Read more: vintagevinylnews.com



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GRIMEY'S BEST SELLERS 4/25 - 5/01, 2011

Top 25 Vinyl:

1. Natural Child - 1971
2. Explosions In The Sky - Take Care, Take Care, Take Care
3. KORT - Please Don't Touch 7"
4. Those Darlins - Screws Get Loose
5. TV On The Radio - Nine Types Of Light
6. Fleet Foxes - Helplessness Blues 12"
7. The Civil Wars - Barton Hollow
8. Mumford & Sons - Sigh No More
9. The Clutters - Under Suspicion 7"
10. OFF! - Compared To What 7"
11. Transit - Promise Nothing 7"
12. Panda Bear - Tomboy
13. The Kills - Blood Pressures
14. Tame Impala - Innerspeaker
15. Bill Callahan - Apocalypse
16. Middle Brother - Middle Brother
17. Adele - 21
18. Black Mountain - Rollercoaster 7"
19. Of Montreal - Thecontrollersphere
20. Tune-Yards - WHOKILL
21. Earth - Angels Of Darkness Demons Of Light 1
22. T-Rex - Tanx
23. The Apache Relay - American Nomad
24. The Feelies - Here Before
25. The Mountain Goats - All Eternals Deck

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this from our friends at vinylcollective.com

Top 10 Albums – May 9, 2011

Here are the Top 10 albums at Shop Radio Cast for the week of May 2, 2011 – May 9, 2011:

1. Deftones – Around The Fur LP
2. Moving Mountains – Waves
3. The Wonder Years – Suburbia I’ve Give You All And Now I’m Nothing LP
4. Balance and Composure – Separation
5. La Dispute / Koji – Never Come Undone LP
6. Cancer Bats – Birthing The Giant LP
7. Dance Gavin Dance – People We Knew 7″
8. Better Luck Next Time – A Lifetime of Learning
9. Deftones – Adrenaline LP
10. Periphery – Periphery 2XLP

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USA

Albums:
1. Adele : 21
2. Foo Fighters : Wasting Light
3. Mumford and Sons : Sigh No More
4. Britney Spears : Femme Fatale
5. Soundtrack : Lemonade Mouth
6. Chris Brown : F.A.M.E.
7. Glee Cast : Glee: The Music Presents The Warblers
8. Katy Perry : Teenage Dream
9. Wiz Khalifa : Rolling Papers
10. Paul Simon : So Beautiful Or So What

Singles:
1. Katy Perry feat. Kanye West : E.T.
2. Adele : Rolling In The Deep
3. Britney Spears : Till The World Ends
4. Black Eyed Peas : Just Can't Get Enough
5. Bruno Mars : The Lazy Song
6. Rihanna : S&M
7. Jennifer Lopez : On The Floor
8. Ke$ha : Blow
9. Jeremih feat. 50 Cent : Down On Me
10. Chris Brown feat. Lil Wayne and Busta Rhymes : Look At Me Now


UK

Albums:
1. Adele : 21
2. Fleet Foxes : Helplessness Blues
3. Adele : 19
4. Jessie J. : Who You Are
5. Bruno Mars : Doo-Wops & Holligans
6. Jennifer Lopez : Love
7. Foo Fighters : Wasting Light
8. Rihanna : Loud
9. Beastie Boys : Hot Sauce Committee Part Two
10. Ellie Goulding : Lights

Singles:
1. LMFAO : Party Rock Anthem
2. Bruno Mars : The Lazy Song
3. David Guetta : Where Them Girls At
4. Jennifer Lopez feat. Pitbull : On The Floor
5. Snoop Dogg Vs. David Guetta : Sweat
6. Chris Brown feat. Benny Benassi : Beautiful People
7. Katy Perry : E.T.
8. Wretch 32 : Unorthodox
9. Jessie J : Nobody's Perfect
10. Aloe Blacc : I Need A Dollar


Europe

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

Singles:
1. Jennifer Lopez feat. Pitbull : On The Floor
2. Rihanna : S&M
3. Adele : Rolling In the Deep
4. Lady Gaga : Born This Way
5. Black Eyed Peas : Just Can't Get Enough
6. Jessie J. feat. B.o.B. : Price Tag
7. Katy Perry : E.T.
8. Snoop Dogg Vs. David Guetta : Sweat
9. LMFAO : Party Rock Anthem
10. Bruno Mars : Grenade

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this from consequenceofsound.net

Cluster 1 presents: Record Store Day 2011 Documentary


Record Store Day 2011 from Consequence of Sound on Vimeo.

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and in music history for today:

In 1959, 16 year-old Wayne Newton made his Las Vegas debut at the Freemont Hotel. That first booking, scheduled to last two weeks, stretched into three years. Newton went on to become the king of the Vegas showrooms, earning close to $20-million a year.

In 1962, the Beatles’ manager Brian Epstein met with EMI producer George Martin, who signed the band a month later to record demos.

In 1964, Louis Armstrong dethroned the Beatles at the top of the American Singles chart after 14 weeks with Hello Dolly.

In 1965, the Beatles, Donovan and members of the Animals and Manfred Mann attended Bob Dylan’s concert at London’s Royal Albert Hall.

In 1966, the Doors auditioned to become the house band at the Whiskey A Go Go in West Hollywood.

In 1970, The Guess Who started a three-week run at #1 on the U.S. singles chart with “American Woman” – it was the group's sixth top 30 hit and only chart topper. The song was born by accident when guitarist Randy Bachman was playing a heavy riff on stage after breaking a string. The other members joined in on the jam. A fan in the audience who had recorded the gig presented the tape to the group after the show. The band later developed the impromptu jam into a full song.



Also in 1970, the Blues Images "Ride Captain Ride" was released.



In 1974, John Landau saw Bruce Springsteen opening for Bonnie Raitt in Cambridge, MA. He wrote of the show "I have seen rock & roll's future and his name is Bruce Springsteen."

In 1980, at the Ivor Novello Awards in London, I Don't Like Mondays by the Boomtown Rats won Best Pop Song and Outstanding British Lyric while Supertramp's The Logical Song won Best Song Musically and Lyrically.

lots of birthdays today including Tommy Roe (68), Richie Furay (Buffalo Springfield) (67), Billy Joel (62), Tom Petersson (Cheep Trick) (61), John Edwards (Status Quo) (58) and Dave Gahan (Depeche Mode) (49), just to name a few.

Top 5 eBay Vinyl Records Sales - Week Ending 05/07/2011

Two Northern Soul 45's make the list this week which is a little unusual as Northern Soul values drifted away toward oblivion along with the British economy. Another Beatles "Please Please Me" made the list which has been an almost weekly event lately. And another original U2 12", sold by the band themselves at a swap meet in Dublin sometime around 1979, makes the list again, this time in the #1 spot.




1. 12" - U2 "Out of Control" numbered 12"#644/1000 U2 Three U23 - $5,500.00

2. 45 - Esther Grant "Let's Get The Most Out Of Love" / "Take Me Now Or Leave Me Be" Whilstone 001 - $5,400.00

3. LP - The Beatles "Please Please Me" Parlophone UK Bold Black label 1st Stereo - $5,100.00

4. 45 - The Movements "Cockstrong" / "Let's Get Involved" Sounds International $5012.00

5. LP - The Rolling Stones promotional album Decca UK Pressing - $4,550.00


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

Michael Fremer Album Review

Wretches & Jabberers
(new release)

Various Artists
Rumor Mill Records 2 180g LPs/CD
Produced by: J. Ralph
Engineered by: J. Ralph
Mixed by: J.Ralph
Mastered by: Bob Ludwig at Gateway Mastering (lacquer cut by Bernie Grundman)
Co-produced by: Arthur Pingrey

MUSIC

SOUND

 



Soundtrack to Autism Documentary Sounds Universal Themes
by Michael Fremer
April 01, 2011

The documentary film “Wretches and Jabberers” follows the world traveling adventures of two middle-aged autistic men. One grew to adulthood in a mental institution, the other in an adult disability center.

Misdiagnosed as children because of their inability to speak, only when the two learned to communicate by typing did they join the conversation.

While this exquisitely recorded and packaged double LP set is ostensibly the soundtrack to the movie, it feels more like a parallel “high concept” project that resembles one of Hal Wilner’s tribute albums.

The songs, written by producer, engineer, mixer and arranger J. Ralph or in some cases in collaboration with the artists who sing them, are first person accounts of feelings, thoughts and experiences these two men endured breaking through the barriers of their condition, but they will touch deeply even the most outgoing and loquacious listener.

The search for validation, respect and dignity is a universal theme that transcends the very personal efforts of the two men starring in Gerardine Wurzburg’s film and that’s what will resonate as you listen, but of course for those with autism or who have someone autistic in their family it will touch the core.

Mr. Ralphs has managed to attract an impressive group of collaborators including Norah Jones, Carly Simon, Stephen Stills, Ben Harper, Bob Weir, Antony (of Antony and the Johnsons), Judy Collins, Bonnie Bramlett, Devendra Banhart and Martin Carthy.

Perhaps you consider it ironic that some of the world’s best communicators have been asked to contribute songs about struggling to be heard.

That contradiction didn’t escape Mr. Ralph’s attention. So, in a somewhat daring gambit, he asked the artists to run through the songs only until they could just perform them. At that point he recorded, getting fresh, unpolished but intensely deep performances.

That some of the bigger stars would allow themselves to be heard at a most vulnerable and exposed moment in artistic expression—before the polish goes on—is a testament to their trust in Mr. Ralph’s vision and of course to their desire to contribute something both to the movie and to its mission of making people more aware of autism and the struggles of those afflicted.

Working in a basic folk, folk/rock, folk/pop vein, Ralph has written or co-written a series of short, intimate, engagingly tuneful songs with strong, attractive melodies enhanced by impeccable arrangements.

The album opens with Mr. Ralph singing “The Reason Why.” If the song sounds like something from Tea For the Tillerman and Ralph sounds sort of like Cat Stevens, that’s because the tune was written for him but for one reason or another he was unable to perform it.

Norah Jones is up next with another Ralph composition and again, this guy’s ability to channel an artist’s melodic and stylistic sensibilities is uncanny. You’ll think it’s a gospely Jones composition. The bass/drums/piano backdrop suits perfectly and if you’re not yet hooked, Carly Simon’s “The Letter,” with lyrics by Ralph and Simon should seal the deal.

Simon’s vocal performance is direct and pure and here the “quick read and record” technique works perfectly. The haunting melody is accompanied by Ralph’s wistful, perfectly conceived marimba patch.

Ben Harper sounds more like Antony on “More Like You” (than you’ll ever know) —a plea for understanding that skirts but does not descend into preciousness. A pedal steel guitar floats in an impossibly distant landscape fronted by guitar, bass and piano.

The unique quiverings of Antony are up next in “Killingly Hard,” backed by Ralph on classical guitar and Danny Bensi on cello. The singer voices the demands of the two men for their dignity but of course the song has universal appeal.

Vashti Bunyan, the more recently re-discovered ‘60s British folk singer turns in a pristine vocal performance on “Flower and the Lion” that’s an appropriately nostalgic reminiscence ending with the line “I keep a locket in my pocket with a picture of a time forgotten. You know the one, we were both there.”

The insistent, uptempo Stills/Ralph collaboration sounds surprisingly like something Neil Young might have produced, with lines like “I want my own kingdom beyond this prison of silence I live in alone.”

Most surprising are the back to back contributions by Scarlett Johansson and Vincent Gallo, better know from their work in movies, though of course Gallo has been a fine artist and did have a rap/punk musical career before moving to film. Like producer/songwriter/lyricist/arranger/recording engineer Ralph, he’s a 21st century renaissance man.

Johansson’s dreamy, raspy-edged tone on “One Whole Hour” is as compelling and weighty as any of the veterans’ contributions. Gallo, close-miked and smartly processed to produce a feeling of being suspended between waking and sleep delivers a short but riveting reverie.

It’s really unfair to give any of the performers short shrift—from Judy Collins’s soaring vocal (she’s still got that voice) to David Garza’s pristine falsetto, also tastefully processed, but you’ll just have to discover the others fully on your own.

However, I couldn’t close the musical description without relating the story Mr. Ralph told me about Nic Jones. If you are unfamiliar, he’s a ‘60s folk singer/guitarist who greatly influenced Nick Drake.

You’ll hear that immediately on “Pretty Words Lie,” in both the vocals and the eerie way Ralph lays down the guitar part. It too will remind you of Drake.

Unfortunately, Jones was seriously injured in a career-ending car accident, but Ralph really wanted him for the record so he contacted Jones’s wife and made his pitch.

She was not very encouraging and told him he was welcome to try but that the odds were not great and that he should expect to be summarily shown the door despite the great distance traveled.

Ralph took the chance and Jones was so enthused, he was willing to travel to Abbey Road to record his performance. So here’s a rare Nic Jones performance to add to the richness of this record.

The album winds down elegantly with tracks by British folk veteran Martin Carthy, his Irish counterpart Paul Brady, and finally one from the Mexican singer Lila Downs followed by a reprise by alt-rocker Leah Siegel of “Birdsong” covered by Collins earlier in the set.

Musically, this is a remarkable set of performances with an equally impressive set of songs. Mr. Ralph’s melodic sensibility and the diversity of ideas he summons forth and expresses within a relatively basic folk genre make it difficult to believe that almost every song came from a single individual, though of course Mr. Ralph would be the first to point out the contributions made by a team of musicians and other collaborators.

On top of that achievement is the superb recording quality for which, the young Mr. Ralph is also responsible. The involvement of McIntosh, which provided monitoring gear as well as funding for the limited CD and vinyl production was surely helpful.

The sound is pristine, three-dimensional, dynamic and in every good sense of the “audiophile quality.” The arrangements rely upon the audio to convey musical ideas, with careful placement of instruments in the mixes. Every track is an aural as well as musical treat. Bob Ludwig mastered the 96/24 recordings and Bernie Grundman cut the lacquers plated and pressed at RTI. The vinyl sounds much more life-like than the somewhat opaque-sounding CD. It’s not even close.The vinyl limited edition is a treasure you should not pass on.

April is Autism Awareness month. I can’t think of a more direct and intimate way to become aware of this mysteriously growing problem than listening to this hauntingly beautiful album. You’ll surely return to it often for both the music and the sound.

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

©2011 MusicAngle.com & Michael Fremer - - All rights reserved

Reprinted by Exclusive Permission