George Thorogood & the Destroyers Returning to Capitol/EMI With The Dirty Dozen

George Thorogood and the Destroyers are returning to Capitol/EMI on July 28 for the release of their new album, "The Dirty Dozen." The album includes six newly recorded tracks with six previously released songs, three of which have been out-of-print in the U.S. for some time.

The album will be released as a CD and to all digital outlets, but it's the vinyl version (available exclusively through Thorogood's site) that best reflects the intent of the album. Thorogood explains:


"I'm a big fan of vinyl. It's important to me to make The Dirty Dozen available on LP, and I definitely had vinyl in mind as one of the formats for this release when we were recording the new tracks. When we started sequencing the track list, I thought it would be fun to group the songs like an LP, for all of the formats - vinyl, CD, and digital - just as they would be placed for a classic vinyl album. So the new recordings are Side One and the rare tracks are Side Two."

The new tracks include songs by Willie Dixon, Sleepy John Estes, Muddy Waters, Bo Diddley, Mickey Bones and the Holmes Brothers. The out-of-print tracks on side two are Willie Dixon and Howlin' Wolf's Howlin' For My Baby, Chuck Berry's Hello Little Girl and the country standard Six Days On The Road.

Thorogood talked about returning to his old label.

"It feels like a homecoming for me, to be back with Capitol/EMI for The Dirty Dozen. This album is also a homecoming of sorts for us - it's a real rocker, full of songs we've always loved playing, including some that our fans have told us they like a lot but haven't been available for a while. We're definitely going to be playing some of these songs on our tour. I'm ready to mix it up and crank it up, and we look forward to seeing everyone at the shows this summer."

More New Releases

Ryan Bingham/The Dead Horses - Roadhouse Sun
Blank Dogs - Under and Under
Jeff Buckley - Grace: Live Around the World
Marshall Crenshaw - Jaggedland
Crosby, Stills & Nash - Demos
Da Zoo - Da’ Zoo
Ronnie Earl - Living in the Light
Eels - Hombre Lobo: 12 Songs of Desire
Walter Egan - Wild Exhibitions
Emery - …In Shallow Seas We Sail
Hoots and Hellmouth - The Holy Open Secret
Freddie Hubbard - Without a Song: Live in Europe 1969
J Dilla - Jay Stay Paid
Julie London - Sings the Choicest of Cole Porter
The Meatmen - Cover the Earth
Paolo Nutini - Sunny Side Up
Willy Porter - How to Rob a Bank
Louis Prima - Hey Boy! Hey Girl!/Swingin’ Pretty
Jerry Reed - When You’re Hot 1967-1983
Duke Robillard - Stomp! The Blues Tonight
Perry Robinson - Two Voices in the Desert
Sad Day for Puppets - Unknown Colors
Frank Sinatra - Classic Sinatra II
The Sounds - Crossing the Rubicon
Taking Back Sunday - New Again
311 - Uplifter

Classic Rock Videos

Foghat - Slow Ride (Live)

Mr. Music

I am continuing our new feature: Ask "Mr. Music." Now in its 23rd year of syndication (1986-2008), Jerry Osborne's weekly Q&A feature will be a regular post every Wednesday from now on. Be sure to stop by Jerry's site (www.jerryosborne.com) for more Mr. Music archives, record price guides, anything Elvis, buy & sell collectibles, record appraisals and much more. I thank Jerry for allowing the reprints.



FOR THE WEEK OF MAY 25, 2009

DEAR JERRY: As far back as I can remember, I have heard “The Object of My Affection.” My parents used to playfully sing it to each other. It was probably “their song.”

One version they often played was by someone named Pinky. I think they also had a recording of it by Dean Martin.

I don't know who wrote the clever lyrics, but it seems they may have restricted the number of singers who would sing “the object of my affection can change my complexion, from white to rosy red.”

I know Dino is white, and I assume Pinky is also, which raises this question:

Has any non-white singer recorded this song? If so, how did they handle this peculiar line about the simple act of blushing?
—Ruth De Rosa, Evansville, Ind.

DEAR RUTH: This is a colorful observation, one to which I have given no thought until now.

Written in 1934 by Pinky Tomlin, Coy Poe and Jimmy Grier, “The Object of My Affection” became a No. 1 hit late that year for Jimmie Grier's Coconut Grove Orchestra, featuring Pinky Tomlin's vocal (Brunswick 7308).

Also, two 1935 films include Pinky's recording in their soundtracks: “Times Square Lady” and “One More Spring.”

Three others reaching the Top 10 with cover versions are: the Boswell Sisters (Brunswick 7348); Jan Garber and His Orchestra (vocal by Lee Bennett) (Victor 24809); and the Glen Gray Orchestra (vocal by Pee Wee Hunt) (Decca 298).

Many non-charting versions also exist. Here are just a few: Ambrose and His Orchestra; Border Blasters; Frankie Carle; Dick Contino; Jonathan and Darlene Edwards (a.k.a., Paul Weston and Jo Stafford); Four Preps; Arthur Godfrey; Sammy Kaye; Russ Morgan and His Orchestra; Floyd Robinson; Stolen Sweets; Elaine Stritch; Lawrence Welk; Paul Whiteman and His Orchestra (vocals by Johnny Hauser and Peggy Healy); and even Faron Young (with the Jordanaires).

Each of the above is sung by a Caucasian, as are most folks who recorded Pinky's most famous tune.

Still, I did locate and audition three versions by black artists, and they do vary with regard to that one line.

One is by Lionel Hampton, the venerable vibraphonist. Though he rarely sang on his records, he does his own crooning on a 1937 release (Victor 25699) of “The Object of My Affection.”

Another is by Freddy Taylor, a guest vocalist on several tracks by jazz guitarist extraordinaire, Django Reinhardt. One such session with Django (1937) yielded their rendition of “The Object of My Affection.”

Both Hampton and Taylor make the somewhat appropriate lyrical modification: “the object of my affection can change my complexion, from brown to rosy red.”

The third example, by Ralph Marterie's Orchestra featuring the Vagabonds, does not make the substitution (Mercury 5759).

This quartet, formerly known as the Four Vagabonds, is best known for their World War 2 tribute song to “Rosie the Riveter,” a wartime anthem for all women in the labor force.

For “The Object of My Affection,” these guys stick with the original morph “from white to rosy red.”

IZ ZAT SO? From a trivia standpoint, here's one for the record books.

January 1935 began with “The Object of My Affection” by Jimmie Grier's Orchestra (vocal by Pinky Tomlin) as the nation's No. 1 hit.

That January ended with another version of “The Object of My Affection” topping the charts, this one by the Boswell Sisters — backed by Jimmie Grier and His Orchestra.

Jimmie Grier and his band then claimed the distinction of providing orchestration on records by two completely different vocal acts, both of which reached No. 1 in the same month.

Since Grier is also a co-writer of this hit, his 1935 got off to a very prosperous start.


Copyright 2009 Osbourne Enterprises- Reprinted By Permission

RESURGENCE OF VINYL COULD BE JUST WHAT THE MUSIC INDUSTRY NEEDS

A pair of Wired stories recently reported evidence of a significant uptick in the sale of vinyl records, showing that while CD sales have declined 11.7 percent this past year, vinyl sales have increased 36.6 percent. This recent resurgence of vinyl is beautifully ironic. This is the digital age! Music is cheap, convenient and portable. Innovations in technology have propelled us to places no one could have dreamed of a couple of decades ago. 8-Track cartridges came and went. Cassette tapes came and went. We’ll soon be able to say the same thing about CDs. Yet here we are, watching the sale of vinyl records climb like it’s 1976.

There are those who may see this as a step backwards for physical media, but in reality that couldn’t be further from the truth. For the past few years the recording industry has been increasingly commoditized, and listeners have consistently chosen quantity and convenience over quality. The MP3 is the poster child for this idea. You can download, copy and share it almost instantly and carry it anywhere, but it sounds terrible. The result is a glut of recorded music on the Internet and a largely devalued product. Listeners were ok with this for a while, but it seems the masses (or at least an increasingly large subset of the masses) have had enough.

Vinyl could be the perfect answer to listeners’ digital fatigue, and could provide the flailing music industry with something it desperately needs - value. Digital files are nearly worthless as a product. You can’t see them or touch them. They are infinitely reproduce-able and instantly available. If over abundance commoditized a physical product, inite-ness devalues a virtual product completely. Vinyl on the other hand can’t be easily reproduced, and is a much more sensory medium. The sound quality is better, there is more room for artwork. You can see it, hold it, smell it, taste it. It has the ability to foster a much deeper connection between the listener and the music. How many times have you flipped through dozens of songs on your iPod without really listening? You have to work for vinyl - finding the right album, placing it on the turntable, finding the groove, flipping it over when the first side finishes. You can’t just let it play forever in the background. Vinyl has the potential to return some of the appreciation for music as art that this industry has lost.

CDs are not the answer. Digital files have made CDs redundant and obsolete. Why do we need a physical version of a digital file? That makes no sense. We have iPods for that, which better represent the advantages of digital anyway - convenience and portability. MP3 players don’t scratch or skip and you can carry your entire library in your pocket. CDs were always flawed, and now they are finally on their way out.

Of course, we’re talking about vinyl replacing CDs not digital music in general. We have only just begun to realize the potential of digital technology, but digital is still more effective when a physical medium is also available. Labels like Matador Records have recognized this and have begun including coupons in record packaging that can be used to download digital versions of the album’s songs. According to Matador the coupons have been a big hit. Programs like this are a great way of providing fans with the best of both worlds.

I’m not old enough to have any real nostalgia about vinyl records, but the benefits a true resurgence could bring to our struggling industry is exciting. Vinyl provides the artists and labels with a real product to sell again, yes - and that’s great. What excites me, though, is that vinyl has the potential to get listeners to connect to recorded music as an art form again, and that is something we can all get behind.

SOURCE:
http://www.creativedeconstruction.com

Atkins, Daniels, Dale, Cox and More Going Into Musician's Hall of Fame

The Musician's Hall of Fame in Nashville salutes the great musicians, well known and unknown, who played on the greatest records of all time. On Tuesday, the Hall of Fame announced their third class of honorees.


•Chet Atkins - One of the great guitarists in any genre, Atkins recorded over 100 albums; however, his greatest contribution was as a session musician and as a producer. He was instrumental in creating the Nashville Sound, the mixing of country with pop.

•Charlie Daniels - A great fiddler, Daniels' band was one of the leaders in mixing country music with southern rock. As a session musician, he played bass, guitar, fiddle and even washboard on albums by the likes of Al Kooper, Bob Dylan, Ringo Starr, Leonard Cohen and many more.

•Billy Cox - Played bass for Jimi Hendrix from his earliest groups through the recording of his last album. After Hendrix' death, he went on to play with the Charlie Daniels Band and as a session musician for Buddy Miles, J.J. Cale and others.

•Dick Dale - Known as the King of Surf Guitar, Dale helped shape the genre from its inception. His exceedingly fast playing and wild showmanship had him considered at one time as the father of heavy metal and was an influence on everyone from Hendrix to Eddie Van Halen. He also helped to engineer new amplifiers that produced the sound he wanted at huge volumes and the use of portable reverb effects.

•Victor Feldman - British jazz musician Feldman started his career at the age of ten sitting in on drums with Glenn Miller. He later switched to vibes and piano with artists like Woody Herman, Canonball Adderly and Miles Davis. He has also released numerous solo albums.

•Fred Foster - Nashville based producer who headed the Monument label in the 60's and produced most of Roy Orbison's biggest hits. He also worked extensively with Kris Kristofferson, Dolly Parton, Tony Joe White, Willie Nelson and others. As a songwriter, he teamed with Kristofferson for Help Me Make It Through the Night and Me and Bobby McGee.

•Paul Riser - The man who arranged many of Motown's biggest hits, including My Girl, Papa Was a Rolling Stone, I Heard It Through the Grapevine (both Mavin Gaye and Gladys Knight and the Pips), Ain't No Mountain High Enough (both Marvin Gaye & Tammi Terrell and Diana Ross) and many more. He also arranged for the Carpenters, Carly Simon, the Doobie Brothers, Natalie Cole and a host of others. As a songwriter, he wrote What Becomes of the Broken Hearted.

•Toto - The group that most people remember for hits like Rosanna and Africa was actually made up of some highly in-demand studio musicians. David Paich, Steve Lukather, Bobby Kimball, Steve Porcaro, David Hungate and Jeff Porcaro played on hundreds of albums during the seventies before coming together to form the hitmaking powerhouse.

SOURCE: http://winkscollectibles.blogspot.com

This Date In Music History-June 3

Birthdays:

Dan Hill ("Sometimes When We Touch") turns 55.

Eddie Holman ("Hey There Lonely Girl") is 63.

Deniece Williams ("Let's Hear It For The Boy") is 58.

Suzi Quatro turns 59.

Ian Hunter - Mott the Hoople (1946)

El Debarge – Debarge (1961)

Kerry King - Slayer (1964)

John Paul Jones - Led Zeppelin (1946)

Mike Gordon – Phish (1965)


They Are Missed:

Born on this day in 1952, Billy Powell, keyboards, Lynyrd Skynyrd. He died at the age of 56 of a suspected heart attack in Florida on Jan 28, 2009. Powell called police saying he was having trouble breathing and emergency services tried to resuscitate the musician but he was pronounced dead an hour later.

Mike Clark of the Byrds was born in 1944 (died of liver failure on December 19th 1993)

Born on this day in 1947, Dave Alexander, bass, Iggy Pop And The Stooges. Died 10th February 10, 1975.

The late Boots Randolph ("Yakety Sax") was born in 1927

Josephine Baker was born in 1906.

Mickey Finn, T Rex, percussion, (1947-2002)

Curtis Mayfield (1942-1999)


History:

In 1967, Jefferson Airplane appeared on American Bandstand, playing "White Rabbit" and "Somebody to Love."

In 1991, as part of "Operation: Pay My $16 Million in Back Taxes," Willie Nelson released Who'll Buy My Memories: The IRS Tapes. The government seized all the recordings on the album as assets.

In 1983, session drummer Jim Gordon murdered his mother by pounding her head with a hammer. A diagnosed schizophrenic, it was not until his trial in 1984 that he was properly diagnosed. Due to the fact that his attorney was unable to use the insanity defense, Gordon was sentenced to sixteen years-to-life in prison in 1984. A Grammy Award winner for co-writing Layla with Eric Clapton, Gordon worked with The Beach Boys, John Lennon, George Harrison Frank Zappa and many other artists.

In 1949, Elvis Presley received an 'A' in language but only a 'C' in music on his 8th grade report card at Humes High School in Memphis, Tennessee.

Brothers Leonard and Phillip Chess launch Chess Records in Chicago in 1950. The label released countless influential Blues recordings.

Jefferson Airplane guitarist Jorma Kaukonen announced in 2004 that he was running for president. He is the first to admit that his bid is "to be considered for entertainment purposes only." Still, Kaukonen promoted a nonviolent, anti-hatred and pro-compassion platform with a foreign policy based on the need for "visual peace." He does not get the keys to 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue.

Buddy Holly and Elvis Presley appeared together at an autograph session at a Lubbock, Texas car dealership in 1955.

In 1970, the Kinks' Ray Davies flew to England from America to re-record the words "cherry cola" in the song, "Lola,” after the British Broadcasting Corporation refused to air it with the original words, "Coca-Cola.”

The Doors epic "Light My Fire" was released in 1967.

Elvis Presley's Graceland mansion in Memphis, TN, opened as a tourist attraction in 1982.

Aretha Franklin hits #1 with "Respect" in 1967.

The autobiographical "Creque Alley" peaked at #5 in 1967. It is the Mamas and the Papas' sixth and final Top Ten hit.

Music News & Notes

Jesus Lizard Remaster Classic Albums for Late Summer Release

Where were you when Jesus Lizard was releasing seminal releases like Goat and Head and Pure? It doesn't really matter anymore, because if you missed them back in the day, they're all available to you now as remastered versions, starting on September 22nd via Touch and Go Records. All of the tracks were remastered by Bob Weston and Steve Albini.

As full length albums, both Goat and Head will be available on vinyl, CD and MP3 versions, with the vinyl version including a coupon to redeem for an additional MP3 version.

As an EP, Pure is only available in 12" vinyl or MP3 with the same coupon/download approach. It also features "Bloody Mary (Live)" is a bonus track.

This re-issued version of all three include expanded liner notes and new photos.

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Superchunk Return With Super 7"

The further return of Superchunk! July will see the release of a super-limited edition super 7" single titled "Crossed Wires" on clear vinyl and accompanying download. You can get your digital on and your analog on at the same time.

The record was recorded and produced in Durham, North Carolina by Scott Solter (John Vanderslice, The Mountain Goats). It arrives on July 7th. No word on whether this is actually new material or a raiding of the vaults, but who cares! It's Superchunk!

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Will “Vinyl Saturday” Drag People Back To The Record Stores?

The people behind the one-day indie-music-retail blowout Record Store Day are hoping so; they’ve declared the third Saturday of every month Vinyl Saturday, on which limited-edition vinyl releases will be available at participating indie shops. The first installment is Saturday, June 20, and there will be four special releases on shelves that day:


• A Wilco seven-inch (”You Never Know” b/w “Unlikely Japan,” recorded in 2003);
• A Green Day seven-inch (”Know Your Enemy” b/w “Hearts Collide”);
• A Modest Mouse seven-inch (”Autumn Beds” b/w “Whale Song”–this will actually be at all record stores on the 23rd, but Vinyl Saturday participants will allegedly get it in time to sell it Saturday); and
• A Pete Yorn/ScarJo seven-inch (a duet b/w a Yorn demo).

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Costello Album Cover Art


Elvis Costello - Secret, Profane and Sugarcane - Costello's new, predominantly-acoustic release is a collaboration with T-Bone Burnett recorded over a three-day session in Nashville. The album is currently streaming on http://www.elviscostello.com/










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Pearl Jam On Conan



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Elektra Records

Elektra records is back. The label that signed everyone from Judy Collins to the Doors has been made a freestanding label by the Atlantic Records and Warner Music Groups. The first signings include Cee-Lo (Gnarls Barkley), Justice and Little Boots.

Co-president John Janick said “Elektra Records will mark its 60th Anniversary in 2010 and it feels like the perfect time to recapture and reignite the spirit which made the label a beacon of great music and eclectic artistry. Elektra has always been first and foremost about its artists, supporting their vision and giving them the freedom to do their best work. This is a sacred trust that Mike and I take very seriously, and that we will strive to uphold in the years ahead. We’d like to especially thank Jac Holzman for his wonderful support as we begin to build on the legacy of the amazing label he started six decades ago.”