TESLA Releases 'Forever More' Collector's Edition Vinyl

TESLA's Jeff Keith, Frank Hannon, Brian Wheat, Troy Luccketta and Dave Rude will be appearing on January 27, 2009 from 6:30 - 8:30 p.m. at R5 Records (home of the original and legendary Tower Records) at 2500 16th Street and Broadway in Sacramento, California to sign autographs and celebrate the release of their latest album, "Forever More", on a limited run of collector vinyl.

The 1,000-piece limited-edition LP includes a full gatefold 12" jacket complete with photos and artwork. 300 of the packages will be made available at the January 27 event where the band will personally autograph each of those first 300.

All fans that purchase either the vinyl or CD version of "Forever More" at the R5 Records event will be eligible to win the original "acetate" (test pressing) of the "Forever More" vinyl LP, a highly collectible item for any music aficionado. The drawing will take place at the in-store at 8:15 p.m. TESLA will also debut its newest video, "Fallin' Apart", during this January 27 event.

The band begins the second leg of their tour the end of January and will continue on the road, both in the States and abroad through the remainder of 2009.

VH1's 100 Greatest Hard Rock Songs

I love 'lists' as well as the next guy, but to include Jethro Tull's "Aqualung" and omit "Locomotive Breathe" doesn't make sense to me. Ditto with Deep Purple's "Smoke on the Water" and omitting "Space Truckin'" or even "Burn" or "Highway Star." In the 70's, I loved Montrose ("Rock Candy") and UFO ("Phenomenon," or "Doctor, Doctor"), yet I see no mention of them here. And to have a "Greatest Hard Rock Songs" list with no Humble Pie? And Foreigner "Hot Blooded" and Journey's "Any Way You Want It," are more pop-rock songs than hard rock (to me anyway). Neil Young's classsic "Cinammon Girl" would be a better choice or even "Rockin' in the Free World." And no "LA Woman" from the Doors (or even "Roadhouse Blues")? No "Purple Haze" by Hendrix? But I guess these lists are always subjective, it depends on who is making them and the year they were born and their choice of music. Anybody care to comment on some glaring omissions from the VH1 "Greatest Hard Rock Songs" list?

VH1's 100 Greatest Hard Rock Songs

100 Sammy Hagar - "I Can't Drive 55"
99 Grand Funk Railroad - "We're An American Band"
98 Buckcherry - "Lit Up"
97 The Edgar Winter Group - "Frankenstein"
96 Kansas - "Carry On Wayward Son"
95 Creed - "Higher"
94 The Darkness - "I Believe In A Thing Called Love"
93 Autograph - "Turn Up The Radio"
92 Night Ranger - "Don't Tell Me You Love Me"
91 Smashing Pumpkins - "Bullet With Butterfly Wings"
90 Jethro Tull - "Aqualung"
89 Andrew W.K. - "Party Hard"
88 Alice In Chains - "Would?"
87 Winger - "Seventeen"
86 Marilyn Manson - "The Beautiful People"
85 Velvet Revolver - "Slither"
84 W.A.S.P. - "I Wanna Be Somebody"
83 Evanescence - "Bring Me To Life"
82 Rainbow - "Since You Been Gone"
81 Black Sabbath - "Heaven And Hell"
80 Journey - "Any Way You Want It"
79 Billy Idol - "Rebel Yell"
78 Bad Company - "Feel Like Making Love"
77 Soundgarden - "Black Hole Sun"
76 Lita Ford - "Kiss Me Deadly"
75 The White Stripes - "Seven Nation Army"
74 The Cult - "Love Removal Machine"
73 Thin Lizzy - "Jailbreak"
72 Pat Benetar - "Heartbreaker"
71 Jane's Addiction - "Mountain Song"
70 Foreigner - "Hot Blooded"
69 Living Colour - "Cult Of Personality"
68 White Zombie - "More Human Than Human"
67 ZZ Top - "Tush"
66 Europe - "The Final Countdown"
65 MC5 - "Kick Out the Jams"
64 Rollins Band - "Liar"
63 Survivor - "Eye Of The Tiger"
62 Dokken - "Breaking The Chains"
61 Ratt - "Round And Round"
60 Skid Row - "18 And Life"
59 Billy Squier - "The Stroke"
58 Stone Temple Pilots - "Interstate Love Song"
57 The Kinks - "You Really Got Me"
56 Warrant - "Cherry Pie"
55 Blue Oyster Cult - "Don't Fear The Reaper"
54 Faith No More - "Epic"
53 Steppenwolf - "Born To Be Wild"
52 The Runaways - "Cherry Bomb"
51 Megadeth - "Peace Sells"
50 Red Hot Chili Peppers - "Give It Away"
49 The Stooges - "Search And Destroy"
48 Korn - "Freak On A Leash"
47 Kid Rock - "Bawitdaba"
46 Anthrax - "Madhouse"
45 Foghat - "Slow Ride"
44 Cream - "Sunshine Of Your Love"
43 Dio - "Holy Diver"
42 The Clash - "Should I Stay Or Should I Go"
41 Quiet Riot - "Cum On Feel The Noize"
40 Poison - "Talk Dirty To Me"
39 Boston - "More Than A Feeling"
38 Queen - "Stone Cold Crazy"
37 The Who - "My Generation"
36 Van Halen - "Hot For Teacher"
33 Alice Cooper - "School's Out"
34 Heart - "Barracuda"
33 Green Day - "Basket Case"
32 Ted Nugent - "Cat Scratch Fever"
31 AC/DC - "Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap"
30 Pearl Jam - "Even Flow"
29 Joan Jett - "Bad Reputation"
28 Foo Fighters - "Everlong"
27 Whitesnake - "Still Of The Night"
26 Lynyrd Skynyrd - "Free Bird"
25 The Ramones - "Blitzkrieg Bop"
24 Iron Butterfly - "In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida"
23 Ozzy Osbourne - "Crazy Train"
22 Jimi Hendrix Experience - "Hey Joe"
21 Led Zeppelin - "Kashmir"
20 Bon Jovi - "You Give Love A Bad Name"
19 Rush - "Tom Sawyer"
18 Scorpions - "Rock You Like A Hurricane"
17 Twisted Sister - "I Wanna Rock"
16 Kiss - "Rock And Roll All Nite"
15 Motley Crue - "Dr. Feelgood"
14 Iron Maiden - "Run To The Hills"
13 Def Leppard - "Photograph"
12 Judas Priest - "Breaking The Law"
11 Deep Purple - "Smoke On The Water"
10 Motorhead - "Ace Of Spades"
09 Van Halen - "Runnin With The Devil"
08 Aerosmith - "Walk This Way"
07 Nirvana - "Smells Like Teen Spirit"
06 The Who - "Won't Get Fooled Again"
05 Metallica - "Enter Sandman"
04 Black Sabbath - "Paranoid"
03 Led Zeppelin - "Whole Lotta Love"
02 AC/DC - "Back In Black"
01 Guns N' Roses - "Welcome To The Jungle"

Rock & Roll Tidbits

When The Supremes' Mary Wilson was contacted for an interview by the television show Romance of The Rich and Famous, she moved some of her personal belongings into a freinds' mansion and let on it was hers, instead of revealing her true residence, a tiny, two bedroom bungalow in Studio City, California.

Little Richard's recording career had just gotten off the ground when his father was murdered in the winter of 1952. To support his family, Richard took a job washing dishes at a Greyhound bus station in Macon, Georgia.

Reginald Kenneth Dwight changed his stage name to Elton John, taking his first name from Bluesology saxophonist Elton Dean and his last from bluesman, Long John Baldry.

When Decca Records first released "Rock Around The Clock" by Bill Haley And His Comets in the Spring of 1954, most people had never heard of Rock And Roll and the company had a hard time describing the song. The label on the single called it a "Novelty Foxtrot."

On December 17th, 1977, David Ackroyd became the first record buyer to receive a Gold Disc when he purchased the one-millionth copy of "Mull Of Kintyre" by Wings.

In December of 1969, Mick Jagger was quoted saying "I don't really like singing very much, I enjoy playing the guitar more than I enjoy singing and I can't play the guitar either."

Ross Bagdasarian (Davis Seville) named The Chipmunks after executives at Liberty records. Alvin was named for Al Bennett, president of the company, Simon was named after Bennett's partner, Si Waronker and Theodore was named for Ted Keep, a recording engineer.

"Rockin' Around the Christmas Tree" was written by Johnny Marks and recorded by Brenda Lee in 1958. Although Decca released it in both that year and again in 1959, it did not catch on until Lee rose to stardom in 1960. That Christmas season, it reached #16 on the Billboard Pop chart and has since become a perennial holiday favourite. The song continues to sell well during the holiday season and rose to #5 on the Christmas chart in 1984.

One of the strangest moments in Pop music history took place on September 11, 1977, when two stars from different generations, David Bowie and Bing Crosby, got together to tape "The Little Drummer Boy" and "Peace On Earth" for Bing's upcoming Christmas TV special. The pair rehearsed for an hour and finished their duet in only three takes, but Bing died a month later having never seen the video.

In October, 2000, George Michael paid over $2 million for the piano that John Lennon used to write "Imagine". It is a simple upright model and not the white piano that appeared on the album cover.

John Lennon often expressed his dislike for Winston Churchill, the former British Prime Minister that he was named after. He felt so strongly that he had his middle name changed from Winston to Ono after he married Yoko.

Andy White, who played drums on The Beatles' track "Love Me Do", which was included on the Beatles Greatest Hits album, did not earn any money in royalties from it. He only received his original session fee of £7 ($14 US), which is not even enough for him to buy his own copy of the album.

Gloucestershire airport in England used to blast Tina Turner songs on its runways to scare birds away.

The much publicized Jerry Lee Lewis pistol-waving episode outside Graceland in 1976 is said to be a misunderstanding. Jerry and Elvis were long time friends and he had been invited to visit. A pistol on the dashboard of Jerry’s car had been given to him earlier that evening as a present and when security guards at the Gracelands gates saw the pistol and asked Jerry if he’d come to shoot Elvis, Jerry just joked: "Sure I have." This led to the arrest and the subsequent press stories.

After Sam Cooke turned down "Travelin' Man", Ricky Nelson recorded the song and had a Billboard chart topping single with it in 1961.

Classic Rock Videos

Creedence Clearwater Revival - Have you ever seen the rain?

Music News & Notes

"Hair" Director Passes Away

Tom O'Horgan, the director of the original production of Hair, passed away on Sunday at the age of 84. He had been suffering from Alzheimer's Disease.

Along with Hair, O'Horgan also directed and wrote the music for the Broadway production of Lenny and directed and designed Jesus Christ Superstar for the stage.

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Pretenders Video Contest

The Pretenders, PETA and YouTube are joining forces for a video contest where entrants are asked to lipsynch to the group's Boots of Chinese Plastic while showing off their footware made from plastic. The winner will be flown to Los Angeles to appear in the group's video for the song.

Chrissie Hynde commented, "This is a fun way to raise awareness for a very serious cause. We are looking forward to seeing our fans and animal loving friends perform Boots of Chinese Plastic via YouTube."

For more information, go to the Pretenders' website. http://www.thepretenders.com/petacontest.html

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New Morrissey Single

Morrissey is releasing the first single from his new album, Years of Refusal, on February 9. I'm Throwing My Arms Around Paris will be available in the U.K. as a digital download, a vinyl single with a live version of Death of a Disco on the B-side, and as a 2-CD set with the additional tracks Because of My Poor Education and Shame is the Name (with Chrissie Hynde).

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Slipknot frontman plotting solo album

As Slipknot prepares to hit the road later this month, the frontman for the masked Iowa metal band is making plans to record his first solo album.

"I know I have this album that I need to make," Corey Taylor tells Billboard.com, "and I'm the kind of guy that if I can't get that done then it's going to hold me back from all this other stuff I want to do. I just know I've got to make it or I can't branch out."

Taylor, who keeps busy on the side with the band Stone Sour, describes the solo material as a cross between the Foo Fighters and Social Distortion "with some Johnny Cash mixed in."

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Cheap Trick May Be Bringing Sgt. Pepper to Vegas

It is being reported by a number of sources that Cheap Trick is close to a deal to perform the Beatles' Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band in its entirety in Las Vegas. The show is seen as a good bet with the Beatles' Love still playing to large crowds almost two years after it first opened.

If the deal goes through, the group will be playing the album with a full orchestra for nine months at the Las Vegas Hilton. Word is that the performances could start as early as March and run through the end of the year.

It is also being reported that the band's original members would be involved with the run.

The idea is not new to the group. Cheap Trick played the entire album at a August 2007 concert in L.A.'s Hollywood Bowl with a number of guest stars, including Ministry and Joan Osbourne. They've also covered a number of Beatles' tracks throughout their career.

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Times Square Virgin Megastore To Close

The Times Square Virgin Megastore, which is the highest volume music store in the U.S., will shut down come April.

The store has been at the center of speculation since August 2007 when the Virgin Entertainment Group North America was acquired by two real estate companies - the Related Cos. and Vornado - in a joint venture.

Last June, a Vornado executive told Reuters that the store would shut down in the first quarter of 2009. The decision to close the store appears related to real estate and the value connected to the location. That executive was quoted as saying that Virgin pays only $54 per square-foot when the market rent in the area is about $700 a square foot.

So, while the store, which does an estimated $55 million in annual volume, is profitable to the tune of $6 million, according to sources, the space would be even more profitable for its owner with a higher rent tenant. Vornado bought the 180,000 square foot retail component of the Bertelsmann building, which houses the Times Square store, in 2006, and will lease the space to Forever 21, according to press reports.

The closure leaves the Virgin chain with five stores, and one of them, the Union Square store in New York, will now be the city's premiere record store, with an estimated $40 million annual volume. But the status of that store is also at question as the Related Cos. and Vornado leased the ground floor of the store to Nordstrom Rack for the holiday season, only to have the deal fall through.

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Jennifer Hudson to sing at the Super Bowl

Jennifer Hudson is using sports' grandest stage — the Super Bowl — to make her return to the spotlight following the slayings of her mother, brother and 7-year-old nephew.

NFL spokesman Brian McCarthy confirmed Wednesday that Hudson will sing the national anthem at the Super Bowl in Tampa, Fla., on Feb. 1. E! News first reported Tuesday that Hudson would perform.

Hudson hasn't made a public appearance since her 57-year-old mother, Darnell Hudson Donerson; 29-year-old brother Jason Hudson; and 7-year-old nephew Julian King were slain in Chicago in October. Her estranged brother-in-law has been charged in the killings.

Hudson, who had released her self-titled debut album shortly before the killings, is also scheduled to sing at the Grammys' MusiCares event in Los Angeles a few days later. She is nominated for four awards at the Feb. 8 Grammy Awards.

The Super Bowl is one of the most viewed spectacles on television. Bruce Springsteen is scheduled to sing during halftime of the pro football championship game.

New Vinyl Releases

As always, a special thank you to my vinyl friend DJ-Spyder at http://dj-spyder.blogspot.com/ for this up-to-date information!

1/20/09 RELEASE DATE



Breeders - Last Splash [LP] (180 Gram Vinyl)

Breeders - Pod [LP] (180 Gram Vinyl)

Dan Auerbach (of the Black Keys) - Keep It Hid [LP]

Delbert McClinton - Live [LP] 180 Gram Vinyl

Django Reinhardt - 1938 (London Debut And Paris Sessions) [LP]

Django Reinhardt - From The Ultraphone Shelves [LP]

Django Reinhardt - The Last Years Of Peace (1936-1937) [LP]

Emerson Lake & Palmer - Brain Salad Surgery [2LP]

Fiction Family - Fiction Family [LP] (includes CD)

Herb Alpert & The Tijuana Brass - Whipped Cream & Other Delights [LP] (PICTURE DISC) (includes Poster)

Plasmatics (Wendy O Williams) - Beyond the Valley of 1984 [LP]

Primus - Sailing The Seas Of Cheese [180 Gram Vinyl]

Pulp - This Is Hardcore [2LP] (180 Gram Vinyl Gatefold)

Royal Trux - Royal Trux [LP]

Royal Trux - Twin Infinitives [2LP]

Serge Gainsbourg - Aux Armes Et Caetera [LP] (180 Gram Vinyl)

Serge Gainsbourg - L'Homme A Tete De Chou [LP] (180 Gram Vinyl)

Six Organs of Admittance - RTZ [3LP]

Toots & The Maytals - Funky Kingston [LP] (180 Gram Vinyl)

Umphreys McGee - Mantis [LP]

Various Artists - Last Kind Words [LP]

Various Artists - Rag & Stomp [LP]

Glimpse (Chris Spero) - Drifting (includes Carl Craig mix) 12''

Jeremy Jay - Love Everlasting 12''

Mr. Scruff - Music Takes Me Up (feat. Alice Russell) 12''

Angelo Spencer feat. L Orchid - My Music Is My Sweat 7"

Etana & Alborosie - Blessing 7''

Fake Problems - The Dream Team/ Rumble In The 7"

Will Sheff / Charles Bissell - Will Sheff Covers Charles Biss 7"

DENON INTRODUCES FULLY AUTOMATIC TURNTABLE THAT CONVERTS LPS TO MP3S

Denon Electronics, one of the world’s premier manufacturers of high-quality home entertainment components, today introduced its DP-200USB (SRP: $250) fully automatic turntable, allowing users to easily convert all their favorite LP records to modern

-- New High-Performance Denon DP-200USB Turntable Features Front-Panel USB Port for Easy Digital Conversion of Analog LP Music --

Las Vegas, NV, January 8, 2009 — Denon Electronics, one of the world’s premier manufacturers of high-quality home entertainment components, today introduced its DP-200USB (SRP: $250) fully automatic turntable, allowing users to easily convert all their favorite LP records to modern MP3 digital audio tracks. Playing vinyl LPs in classic style and sound, the Denon turntable gives the growing number of vinyl LP collectors a new high-performance, high-value opportunity for getting even more enjoyment out of their record collections. The DP-200USB is currently available.

“Vinyl record collecting is becoming a mainstream trend,” noted Joe Stinziano, Sr. Vice President, Sales & Marketing, Denon Electronics. “And while more and more people are discovering the rich sound of LP records, many are also just as active in today’s digital music formats. For years, audiophiles around the world have consistently looked to Denon as a top choice in turntable quality and value. Now with our DP-200USB, we’re giving a brand new generation of consumers the opportunity to experience Denon turntable performance with the added value of being able to convert LP records to MP3s and enjoy all the benefits of a digital universe.”

New Turntable Offers Best of Both Analog and Digital Worlds


Denon’s sleek black DP-200USB fully automatic turntable offers users a high-performance bridge from the analog vinyl to the digital music eras. Built from high-quality aluminum, and featuring a see-through flip-up cover reminiscent of classic 1960s and ‘70s home turntables, the DP-200USB is equipped with an internal MP3 encoder, along with a front panel USB port, letting users not only play their favorite LPs and enjoy high-performance analog audio, but create MP3 tracks easily and automatically. Once an MP3 file is created, users can share the music with friends, play it on their PCs or other portable music devices, and store entire record collections digitally.

For added user convenience, the included PC software features Audio Waveform Recognition, which checks the first 15 seconds of each track and searches the extensive Gracenote™ Internet music tracks database to capture the track’s meta-deta (artist, title, etc.).

Adding even more user flexibility, the included software also features Auto Track Divide, which notes silent breaks between tracks and automatically inserts a new track tag for each track (you also have the option of doing this manually). The front panel USB port allows direct connection to a USB drive or an external hard disk drive. In addition, the DP-200USB features conventional stereo outputs, which can be configured with or without RIAA equalization, for full compatibility with the widest range of audio components.

For more info visit: http://www.denon.com/

This Date In Music History-January 14

Birthdays:

Dave Grohl- Foo Fighters, Nirvana (1969)

T-Bone Burnett (1948)

Clarence Carter ("Patches") turns 73.

Jack Jones is 71.

Allen Toussaint, the master of New Orleans funk piano, was born in 1938.

LL Cool J (1968)


They Are Missed:

Jerry Nolan drummer with The New York Dolls died from a stroke in 1992. The influential American band formed in 1972 and made just two albums.

Solly McElroy, lead singer with the doo-wop group the Flamingoes, died in Chicago in 1995 (age 61).

Ruby Starr, vocalist for Black Oak Arkansas on their 1974 hit "Jim Dandy," died of cancer in 1995 (age 45).

Linda Jones, US soul singer was born in 1944. She died on March 14, 1972 (age 26), after collapsing into a diabetic coma following a performance at Harlem's Apollo Theatre.


History:

Elvis Presley was promoted to Sergeant in the U.S. Army in 1960.

Over 25,000 people attended The Human Be-In - A Gathering Of The Tribes at San Francisco's Golden Gate Park in 1967. The event was a forerunner of major, outdoor rock concerts and featured The Grateful Dead, Jefferson Airplane, Quicksilver Messenger Service and Big Brother And The Holding Company.

In 1970, Diana Ross performed for the last time with The Supremes at the Frontier Hotel in Las Vegas. During the show, Diana introduced her replacement, Jean Terrell.

In 1973, Elvis Presley's "Aloha From Hawaii" concert was broadcast live to a billion people around the world (but not in the U.S., where it will air on TV two months later). The soundtrack was later released as a two record set and became one of the King's best selling LPs of the '70s, hitting #1 later that same year.

In 1963, the Rolling Stones performed for the first time with new recruit Charlie Watts on drums at London's Flamingo Jazz Club.

In 1966, David Jones changed his name to David Bowie to avoid confusion with Davy Jones from the Monkees, just in time for the release of his single, "Can't Help Thinking About Me.” He would later say that he chose "Bowie" because he liked that "big American bear-killin' knife."

In 2003, the Who's Pete Townshend was arrested at his London home on suspicion of a number of offenses connected with child pornography, including the making of indecent images. He was later released without being formally charged.

Paul McCartney released his album "Back In The U.S.S.R." exclusively in Russia in 1989.

In 1978, the Sex Pistols played their last concert before breaking up.

In 1978, a group called Player had the top tune in the US with "Baby Come Back.” The song was written by band members Peter Beckett and John Crowley after both had broken up with their respective girl friends.

Paul McCartney was at #1 on the UK singles chart with 'Pipes Of Peace' in 1984. McCartney made history by becoming the first artist to have a #1 in a group, (The Beatles), in a duo, (with Stevie Wonder), in a trio, (with Wings) and as a solo artist.

In 2007, Amy Winehouse started a two week run at #1 on the UK album chart with 'Back To Black’ (which went on to become the biggest-selling album of 2007 with sales over 1.5m copies).

In 2006, actor and stand-up comic Jamie Foxx started a two-week run at #1 on the US album chart with his second album ‘Unpredictable.’