This is a ‘leap year’ adjustment (we had it last year), so I will be posting the odd number days in March; so I do not repeat previous posts.
Birthdays:
Ryan Peake- Nickelback (1973)
Mike D'Abo- Manfred Mann (1944)
Jerry Fisher- Blood Sweat & Tears (1942)
Roger Daltrey of the Who turns 65.
Harry Belafonte is 82.
They Are Missed:
Chris Curtis, drummer with The Searchers, died in 2005 (age 63).
Frank Smith from Air Supply died of pneumonia in Melbourne, Australia in 1991.
In 2006, Jackson 5 drummer Johnny Jackson was found stabbed to death in his Gary, Indiana, home. The Jackson family cousin, who was part of the group's live band, was 54.
History:
Already operating a recording studio, Memphis Recording Service, Sam Phillips started Sun Records in 1952.
In 1970, The Ed Sullivan Show, aired clips of the Beatles performing "Let It Be" and "Two of Us." It's the last time the band appeared on the show that introduced them to American fans.
In 1967, fans at Ottawa, Ontario's Colliseum rioted after waiting an hour for Eric Burdon & the New Animals to perform (the group was gone however, since they hadn't been paid).
Buddy Holly began his only British tour in 1958.
"The Doors" biographical movie (with Val Kilmer as the Lizard King) premieres in 1991.
The "Johnny's Greatest Hits" album by Johnny Mathis was released in 1958, eventually spending 9 1/2 years on the charts.
The Everly Brothers signed with Cadence Records in 1957 and record "Bye Bye Love.”
In 1969, Jim Morrison of the Doors was arrested and officially charged with lewd and lascivious behavior, indecent behavior, open profanity and public drunkenness in Miami. Morrison was later sentenced. Morrison died while the sentence was under appeal.
John Lennon was granted an extension on his American work visa in 1972 and began recording "Sometime in New York City."
A Beatles song was used for the first time in a U.S. TV commercial in 1985. Lincoln-Mercury used the song, "HELP!" and I for one, will never buy a Lincoln-Mercury.
A Motley Crue fan who claimed his hearing had been irreparably damaged after a show in New Jersey had his lawsuit thrown out of court in 1997. The judge told Clifford Goldberg who had sat near the front of the stage, knew the risk he was taking. Ya Think?
Nirvana played their final ever concert in 1994, when they appeared at The Terminal Einz in Munich, Germany. The 3,000 capacity venue was a small Airport Hanger. The power went off during the show so they played an impromptu acoustic set including a version of The Cars “My Best Friend's Girl.”
Mr. Mister started a two week run at #1 on the US singles chart in 1986 with “Kyrie,” the groups second US #1.
In 1967, working at Abbey Road studios, London, The Beatles started recording a new song John Lennon song ”Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds.”
Gene Clark of The Byrds announced he was leaving the group in 1966 due to his fear of flying.
Sunday, March 1, 2009
Album Cover Art
I will admit that I am not a big fan of Elton John, but this great cover done by British artist Alan Aldridge is if you excuse the pun, fantastic.
Vinyl albums draw wonks of all ages
By Eric R. Danton
Hartford Courant
As album sales plummeted in 2008 for the seventh time in eight years, there was one bright spot for a music industry still in love with physical products: Sales of vinyl records increased by nearly 90 percent.
That’s right, they still make vinyl.
Consumers bought almost 1.9 million new LPs in 2008, the most since Nielsen SoundScan started keeping track in 1991. That’s a mere fraction of the total music sold in 2008 —- 1.5 billion units, which accounts for albums, singles, digital tracks and music videos. But it’s a strong showing for a format thought to have begun its death spiral with the introduction of the compact disc 25 years ago.
Actually, the dominance of digital music is part of what has sparked a resurgent interest in vinyl, say some in the music industry.
“Ultimately, I think in some form it is a backlash against technology,” said Jack Tieleman, who owns the small Canadian label Lance Rock. Tieleman, whose label has put out vinyl editions of CD releases by country-noir singer Neko Case, stopped making compact discs five years ago to focus on LPs.
It’s not just indie labels that are keeping vinyl alive. EMI has been reissuing some of the most revered records on its Capitol and Virgin labels, including albums by the Beatles, Roxy Music and Radiohead, along with new albums by Brian Wilson and Glen Campbell. The full Ben Harper catalog is due out on wax in February, and EMI plans to rerelease albums by the Beach Boys and selections from its Blue Note jazz label later this year.
Each LP is remastered and pressed on 180-gram audiophile-quality vinyl and, in the case of older albums, the label re-creates the original packaging, down to stickers and posters.
The reissues are attracting music fans of all ages, said Jason Boyd, senior director of catalog sales at EMI.
“It’s pretty split between older customers who grew up on vinyl, who think it’s cool and are happy to see some of the classic titles they liked back on vinyl and are dusting off their turntables and getting back into it, and … [the] college lifestyle hipster person that’s going after the right albums because of their cultural or iconic significance,” Boyd said.
Digital music is still the fastest-growing segment of the record industry, with sales of digital tracks up 32 percent to more than 1 billion in 2008, and digital album sales up 27 percent to 65 million.
Vinyl and digital technology aren’t mutually exclusive, however. There are record players on the market that convert songs on LP to mp3s, and some labels include download coupons with the vinyl format.
There’s plenty of vinyl out there for people to buy, and some of it even touches on multiple formats.
But why the sudden interest?
There are a couple theories. One is sonic: Adherents say music on vinyl simply sounds better than its digital counterpart.
“A well-recorded and -mastered vinyl record will sound 10 times better, even with the background noise,” said Michael Deming, a music producer and recording engineer who has made records with the Pernice Brothers, Mike Ireland, the Lilys and Jim White.
Digital technology is based on sampling sound. Commercially released CDs sample at the speedy rate of 44,100 times per second but can’t re-create the stereo image and other technical aspects that give an analog sound recording its warmth.
“Your ears, brain and soul don’t like that,” Deming said. “A tape recording or vinyl record is constantly variable without any samples. It is as analog as our own hearing or eyesight and, therefore, is digested by our ears and brains in such a way that the emotional as well as the audio content is uncompromised.”
There’s a less wonky reason, too: With its larger platform for album artwork and limited editions released in different colors, vinyl is a cool collectible.
SOURCE: http://www.ajc.com
Hartford Courant
As album sales plummeted in 2008 for the seventh time in eight years, there was one bright spot for a music industry still in love with physical products: Sales of vinyl records increased by nearly 90 percent.
That’s right, they still make vinyl.
Consumers bought almost 1.9 million new LPs in 2008, the most since Nielsen SoundScan started keeping track in 1991. That’s a mere fraction of the total music sold in 2008 —- 1.5 billion units, which accounts for albums, singles, digital tracks and music videos. But it’s a strong showing for a format thought to have begun its death spiral with the introduction of the compact disc 25 years ago.
Actually, the dominance of digital music is part of what has sparked a resurgent interest in vinyl, say some in the music industry.
“Ultimately, I think in some form it is a backlash against technology,” said Jack Tieleman, who owns the small Canadian label Lance Rock. Tieleman, whose label has put out vinyl editions of CD releases by country-noir singer Neko Case, stopped making compact discs five years ago to focus on LPs.
It’s not just indie labels that are keeping vinyl alive. EMI has been reissuing some of the most revered records on its Capitol and Virgin labels, including albums by the Beatles, Roxy Music and Radiohead, along with new albums by Brian Wilson and Glen Campbell. The full Ben Harper catalog is due out on wax in February, and EMI plans to rerelease albums by the Beach Boys and selections from its Blue Note jazz label later this year.
Each LP is remastered and pressed on 180-gram audiophile-quality vinyl and, in the case of older albums, the label re-creates the original packaging, down to stickers and posters.
The reissues are attracting music fans of all ages, said Jason Boyd, senior director of catalog sales at EMI.
“It’s pretty split between older customers who grew up on vinyl, who think it’s cool and are happy to see some of the classic titles they liked back on vinyl and are dusting off their turntables and getting back into it, and … [the] college lifestyle hipster person that’s going after the right albums because of their cultural or iconic significance,” Boyd said.
Digital music is still the fastest-growing segment of the record industry, with sales of digital tracks up 32 percent to more than 1 billion in 2008, and digital album sales up 27 percent to 65 million.
Vinyl and digital technology aren’t mutually exclusive, however. There are record players on the market that convert songs on LP to mp3s, and some labels include download coupons with the vinyl format.
There’s plenty of vinyl out there for people to buy, and some of it even touches on multiple formats.
But why the sudden interest?
There are a couple theories. One is sonic: Adherents say music on vinyl simply sounds better than its digital counterpart.
“A well-recorded and -mastered vinyl record will sound 10 times better, even with the background noise,” said Michael Deming, a music producer and recording engineer who has made records with the Pernice Brothers, Mike Ireland, the Lilys and Jim White.
Digital technology is based on sampling sound. Commercially released CDs sample at the speedy rate of 44,100 times per second but can’t re-create the stereo image and other technical aspects that give an analog sound recording its warmth.
“Your ears, brain and soul don’t like that,” Deming said. “A tape recording or vinyl record is constantly variable without any samples. It is as analog as our own hearing or eyesight and, therefore, is digested by our ears and brains in such a way that the emotional as well as the audio content is uncompromised.”
There’s a less wonky reason, too: With its larger platform for album artwork and limited editions released in different colors, vinyl is a cool collectible.
SOURCE: http://www.ajc.com
Plaza packed with tracks on wax
Peoria Music Collectors Show draws die-hard fans of vintage LPs
By TIM SAMPSON
of the Journal Star
PEORIA — An MP3 never will be a match for an old-fashioned LP, Craig Moore says.
Including his personal collection and the inventory at his store, Younger Than Yesterday, 2615 N. University St., Moore estimates he owns between 70,000 and 100,000 albums and singles - all on vintage vinyl.
"If you just download music, you are not a real music collector," he said.
On Saturday, at the 25th annual Peoria Music Collectors Show, Moore was with plenty of others at Packard Plaza who share his disdain for digital music.
"You think with the technology they could get the music to sound as good on a CD as it did on records, but it doesn't even compare," said Steve Aderman, a music collector from Peoria.
As he shopped Saturday, Aderman had an old newspaper bag over his shoulder that held more than a dozen LPs and 45 rpm records.
Sponsored by Moore and his store, the show gathers music collectors from across the Midwest to swap singles and sell albums from almost any band and genre.
Turnout was smaller than usual this year, with only about 15 vendors showing up instead of the usual 40 to 50. Moore attributes this to an unusual date for the show this year and an economy that discourages collectors from traveling. But even with a smaller turnout, thousands of records were for sale.
"It's a sickness," said Tim Smith, a professional collector from St. Louis who has been gathering records for more than 20 years.
"You start off with a couple records, and it just grows over time," said Smith, who estimates he owns more than 10,000 LPs and CDs. Like many of the collectors on hand, he owns too many to keep an exact count.
Smith said part of the joy of album collecting comes from reading liner notes and seeing how artists and bands connect and how music has evolved over the decades.
CDs and some DVDs also were on sale at the show, but the main feature was records. Most ranged from $10 to $50, but albums by bigger-name artists were priced at more than $100. "Abbey Road" and "With the Beatles," two Beatles albums from Moore's collection, were going for $125 each.
Moore said he is a huge fan of the Fab Four. When making a list of his top five albums of all time, he puts the Beatles' "Revolver" at No. 2 and all the band's other ones in a tie for third.
"I grew up in the '60s and was prime meat for the Beatles," Moore said.
Although times have changed and many people get their music without stepping foot in a store, Moore said there always will be guys like him who have an affinity for "the album."
"An album gives you a story and experience you can't get from an MP3," he said.
SOURCE: http://www.pjstar.com
By TIM SAMPSON
of the Journal Star
PEORIA — An MP3 never will be a match for an old-fashioned LP, Craig Moore says.
Including his personal collection and the inventory at his store, Younger Than Yesterday, 2615 N. University St., Moore estimates he owns between 70,000 and 100,000 albums and singles - all on vintage vinyl.
"If you just download music, you are not a real music collector," he said.
On Saturday, at the 25th annual Peoria Music Collectors Show, Moore was with plenty of others at Packard Plaza who share his disdain for digital music.
"You think with the technology they could get the music to sound as good on a CD as it did on records, but it doesn't even compare," said Steve Aderman, a music collector from Peoria.
As he shopped Saturday, Aderman had an old newspaper bag over his shoulder that held more than a dozen LPs and 45 rpm records.
Sponsored by Moore and his store, the show gathers music collectors from across the Midwest to swap singles and sell albums from almost any band and genre.
Turnout was smaller than usual this year, with only about 15 vendors showing up instead of the usual 40 to 50. Moore attributes this to an unusual date for the show this year and an economy that discourages collectors from traveling. But even with a smaller turnout, thousands of records were for sale.
"It's a sickness," said Tim Smith, a professional collector from St. Louis who has been gathering records for more than 20 years.
"You start off with a couple records, and it just grows over time," said Smith, who estimates he owns more than 10,000 LPs and CDs. Like many of the collectors on hand, he owns too many to keep an exact count.
Smith said part of the joy of album collecting comes from reading liner notes and seeing how artists and bands connect and how music has evolved over the decades.
CDs and some DVDs also were on sale at the show, but the main feature was records. Most ranged from $10 to $50, but albums by bigger-name artists were priced at more than $100. "Abbey Road" and "With the Beatles," two Beatles albums from Moore's collection, were going for $125 each.
Moore said he is a huge fan of the Fab Four. When making a list of his top five albums of all time, he puts the Beatles' "Revolver" at No. 2 and all the band's other ones in a tie for third.
"I grew up in the '60s and was prime meat for the Beatles," Moore said.
Although times have changed and many people get their music without stepping foot in a store, Moore said there always will be guys like him who have an affinity for "the album."
"An album gives you a story and experience you can't get from an MP3," he said.
SOURCE: http://www.pjstar.com
Music News & Notes
Rock Stars Unite To Help Officer
Signed memorabilia donated by members of bands like Van Halen, KISS and Velvet Revolver are going to auction to help raise funds for Los Angeles County Sheriff Deputy Kevin Corrales, who was diagnosed with acute myeloid leukemia last April. Among the items up for bid is a drum head signed by Eddie, Wolfgang and Alex Van Halen, a Silverton guitar signed by KISS’s Paul Stanley and a guitar signed by Velvet Revolver’s Slash, Duff McKagan, Matt Sorum and Dave Kushner. Additional items include a drum head autographed by Rush drummer Neil Peart.
“Several of rock & roll’s royalty immediately stepped up,” sheriff’s Deputy Mike Ascolese, who organized the fundraiser with Deputy John Maio, told L.A.’s Daily News.
========================================
Axl Rose Calls Slash a “Cancer”
In a Billboard interview earlier this month, Axl Rose has no intention of ever reuniting with Slash. “There’s zero possibility of me having anything to do with Slash other than by ambush, and that wouldn’t be pretty,” Rose tells James, adding later that, “Slash either should not have been in Guns to begin with or should have left after Lies. In a nutshell, personally I consider him a cancer and better removed, avoided—and the less anyone heard of him or his supporters, the better.”
Signed memorabilia donated by members of bands like Van Halen, KISS and Velvet Revolver are going to auction to help raise funds for Los Angeles County Sheriff Deputy Kevin Corrales, who was diagnosed with acute myeloid leukemia last April. Among the items up for bid is a drum head signed by Eddie, Wolfgang and Alex Van Halen, a Silverton guitar signed by KISS’s Paul Stanley and a guitar signed by Velvet Revolver’s Slash, Duff McKagan, Matt Sorum and Dave Kushner. Additional items include a drum head autographed by Rush drummer Neil Peart.
“Several of rock & roll’s royalty immediately stepped up,” sheriff’s Deputy Mike Ascolese, who organized the fundraiser with Deputy John Maio, told L.A.’s Daily News.
========================================
Axl Rose Calls Slash a “Cancer”
In a Billboard interview earlier this month, Axl Rose has no intention of ever reuniting with Slash. “There’s zero possibility of me having anything to do with Slash other than by ambush, and that wouldn’t be pretty,” Rose tells James, adding later that, “Slash either should not have been in Guns to begin with or should have left after Lies. In a nutshell, personally I consider him a cancer and better removed, avoided—and the less anyone heard of him or his supporters, the better.”