While talking on the phone with his mother, Disc Jockey Murray The K mentioned that he and Bobby Darin were soaking their feet after playing a game of softball in Central Park. A few minutes later, she called back to say that she had an idea for a song - "Splish, Splash, take a bath..." Murray and Bobby began sorting out some lyrics while Murray's mother, Jean, who had been a vaudeville piano player, finished the melody. It became the first of Bobby's 22 US Top 40 hits when it reached #3 in the Summer of 1958.
The Beatles recorded two different versions of the song "Strawberry Fields Forever". One was a half-tone higher and slightly faster than the other. The group couldn't decide which rendition they liked better and finally asked producer George Martin if he could put them together somehow. When one was slowed down, it fit perfectly with the other, resulting in the song we know today.
Apparently, Little Richard was not a real smart child. As a lad, he wanted to give one of his neighbors a ‘creative gift.’ But his neighbor, Miz Ola screamed when she opened her present. It seems young Richard thought that defecating in a box and wrapping it up as a present for his elderly friend would be a good gift for her. Little Richard stated in his autobiography: “God bless Miz Ola, she’s dead now.” No word on if he selected other neighbors to receive his thoughtful gift.
When Malcolm Young and Angus Young named their band AC/DC, they apparently didn’t realize that the electrical term was also slang for bisexual. But the ambiguous name helped them out in the beginning as the group was hired to play many gay-themed gigs. Work is work, I guess.
In the early days, the Bee Gees were so desperate to sell their records that they actually gave members of their fan club money to go out and but their records. Thankfully, there were only six members in the fan club or the trio would be broke.
Ironically, only Dennis Wilson of the Beach Boys was the group’s only surfer.
Antoine "Fats" Domino came by his nickname because he stood 5 feet, 2 inches tall and weighed 225 lb.
Fats Domino's 1956, US #2 hit, "Blueberry Hill" was originally a number one hit for big band leader Glen Miller in 1940.
When Elvis Presley was inducted into the US Army on March 24th, 1958, Uncle Sam started losing an estimated $500,000 in lost taxes for each year that Private Presley served.
Jerry Garcia of The Grateful Dead was brought in as a session musician to play steel guitar on Brewer and Shipley's March, 1971 hit, "One Toke Over The Line".
Michael Jackson was just five years old when the Jackson Five played their first professional gig. Their fee for the night was only eight dollars, but they collected over one hundred dollars in money tossed on the stage.
The music business is hard on a marriage. Paul Revere has been married six times. Jerry Lee Lewis, Kenny Rogers and Tammy Wynette have each been married five times. James Brown, Glen Campbell and Peggy Lee have been married four times.
Diana Ross, Florence Ballard and Mary Wilson were not the first group in the rock and roll era to call themselves The Supremes. An all male quartet from Columbus, Ohio used the name on a 1957 single called "Just You And I" and Ruby and the Romantics, who had a number one US hit with "Our Day Will Come" in 1963, started out as The Supremes.
The Guess Who performed at The White House during the Nixon administration, but were asked not to perform their #1 hit "American Woman" because of its' anti-U.S. establishment lyrics.
According to Rolling Stone magazine, The Young Rascals were surprised by the success of "Good Lovin". Felix Cavaliere admitted, "We weren't too pleased with our performance. It was a shock to us when it went to the top of the charts."
Although Jerry Lee Lewis received a lot of bad press for marrying his 13 year old second cousin, Jerry's sister Linda Gail first married at 14 and another sister, Frankie Jean, first married at age 12.
When song writer Burt Bacharach asked B.J. Thomas to sing "Raindrops Keep Fallin' On My Head" for the movie Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid, he neglected to tell Thomas that the song had already been turned down by Bob Dylan and Ray Stevens.
Buddy Holly's drummer, Jerry Allison played drums on The Everly Brothers 1959 hit "Til I Kissed You".
Songwriter Hoyt Axton once revealed that the first line of "Joy To The World", Jeremiah was a bullfrog, was never intended to be in the song. It was just a fill-in line he used until he could come up with better lyrics. He pitched the tune to Three Dog Night when they toured together and they ended up recording it "as is."
George Harrison expressed his feelings about the break-up of The Beatles by saying: "The saddest thing was actually getting fed up with one another."
Thursday, September 10, 2009
TOP TEN BIGGEST RECORD-COMPANY SCREWUPS OF ALL TIME
Youth Movement
#10 Columbia Records loses Alicia Keys, drops 50 Cent
Columbia had a way with young talent in the late ’90s and early ’00s. First, after plunking down a reported $400,000 to sign Alicia Keys, they turned her over to high-priced producers who tried to transform her into Whitney Houston. Frustrated, she bolted—and signed with J Records, where she has sold more than 20 million albums to date. Around the same time, another languishing Columbia prospect, 50 Cent, recorded “How to Rob” in a desperate attempt to get his label to notice him. But when he was shot nine times in 2000, skittish execs dumped him—and then watched as he became an unstoppable one-man money factory at Interscope.
Unintended consequence Fedoras and bullet¬proof vests become essential urban-fashion accessories.
Spy Game
#9 “Digital-rights management” backfires even more badly than usual
In a 2005 effort to combat digital piracy, Sony BMG packaged millions of CDs with copy-protection software that automatically installed a “rootkit” on users’ PCs, which, in addition to preventing consumers from making more than three copies of their legally purchased CD, also made them vulnerable to viruses and hackers. Sony BMG initially downplayed the problem, but after the Department of Homeland Security issued an advisory, the label recalled more than 4 million CDs. Sony was accused of spying on its customers’ listening habits and was forced to pay several million dollars to settle class-action lawsuits that alleged violations of spyware laws and deceptive trade practices.
Unintended consequence Radiohead offer up In Rainbows for a bargain pay-what-you-like price.
Rap Attack
#8 Warner junks Interscope
When anti-rap crusaders wanted to deliver a body blow to hip-hop, they took aim at the Warner Music Group, because its corporate parent, Time Warner, was American-owned and publicly traded. When Ice-T’s “Cop Killer” became too hot to handle, Warner Music dropped him, but the label still enjoyed huge rap hits—particularly through Death Row Records, partially owned by their Interscope label. But when Republican presidential candidate Bob Dole attacked Warner Music in his stump speech, Time Warner panicked, ordering the sale of Interscope to rival Universal. Universal soon became the biggest record company in the world—in large measure due to Interscope hits by Tupac, Dr. Dre and Eminem. Warner Music went on a long slide and was finally sold in 2004.
Unintended consequence Time Warner shareholders never have to worry about who killed Tupac.
Something’s Happening, But You Don’t Know What It Is
#7 Music publisher gives away Bob Dylan
In the early 1960s Leeds/Duchess was a legendary music-publishing company but far from the hippest: It knew Tin Pan Alley but couldn’t find a Greenwich Village coffeehouse with a compass. Yet when Columbia signed Bob Dylan in 1961, they steered him to Leeds, where he happily signed a publishing deal with a $1,000 advance. The following year, Dylan’s new manager, Albert Grossman, got out of the deal with the disinterested publisher simply by repaying the $1,000. Dylan’s new publisher, the savvier M. Witmark & Sons, received 237 songs—many of them future standards worth tens of millions of dollars—in just the first three years.
Unintended consequence The receptionists at Leeds/Duchess never have to field calls asking what “All Along the Watchtower” is really about.
Nothing Exceeds Like Excess
#6 Casablanca rides strong sales straight to the poorhouse
No record label represents the coked-up inanity of the late ’70s like disco-driven behemoth Casablanca. In 1978, the label simultaneously shipped a million copies of four solo albums by each member of their biggest rock act, Kiss, so they could justifiably claim the records “shipped platinum.” The albums sold well—but not that well. Record stores returned hundreds of thousands of unsold copies, inspiring comedian Robert Klein to joke that Casablanca’s releases “shipped gold and returned platinum.” The label continued to lose millions a year throughout the late ’70s, until part-owner PolyGram Records bought out founder Neil Bogart for $15 million in 1980.
Unintended consequence Hey, man—400,000 extra surfaces to snort drugs from!
Whoa, Mama
#5 The RIAA sues a struggling single mom for digital piracy
n In the court of public opinion, it’s hard to find a more sympathetic defendant than a single mother of two, earning $36,000 a year. So what in the name of common decency was the Recording Industry Association of America thinking when it went after 30-year-old Jammie Thomas from Brainerd, Minnesota? The RIAA accused Thomas of using the P2P service Kazaa to illegally share mp3 files of 24 songs, including Journey’s “Don’t Stop Believin’,” the Goo Goo Dolls’ “Iris” and Destiny’s Child’s “Bills, Bills, Bills.” Thomas pleaded not guilty, blaming the shared files on mistaken identity, but last October a jury disagreed and fined her $222,000. That breaks down to a whopping $9,250 per song—more than six times her annual salary. At press time, Thomas was planning an appeal.
Unintended consequence The nation’s toddlers and fluffy kittens rush to erase their hard drives.
Pay (Somebody Else) To Play
#4 Indie promoters take the major labels to the cleaners
After the payola scandals of the ’50s, the government barred record labels from paying radio stations to play records. The solution: set up middlemen to do the dirty work! “Independent promoters” represented the labels’ interests to radio programmers, creating a massive cash flow of corruption. Even a mid-size hit could cost $700,000 in promo expenses—cash, vacations, drugs and other illicit rewards for mustachioed DJs—and labels ended up paying to get airplay for huge artists the stations would have spun anyway. A lot of coked-up DJs got nice tans, while the labels spent unnecessary millions and covered their balance sheets in bloody red.
Unintended consequence Colombian GDP spikes each time Mariah Carey releases a single.
Detroit At a Discount
#3 Motown sells for a pittance
In 1988 Berry Gordy Jr., reportedly losing millions of dollars on the label he had founded decades earlier, sold Motown and its incomparable back catalogue to MCA and investment company Boston Ventures for $60 million. How bad was that price? The next year, Herb Alpert and Jerry Moss sold their A&M Records to PolyGram for roughly $500 million. In 1990, David Geffen got about $700 million for Geffen Records and in ’92, Richard Branson unloaded Virgin Records to EMI for $960 million. And five years after buying Motown, Boston Ventures cashed out, selling the label to PolyGram for $325 million—a return of more than 500 percent.
Unintended consequence The Motown Atlantic airline, and Berry’s career as a trans-global balloonist, have yet to materialize.
Tomorrow Never Knows
#2 Decca Records A&R exec tells Fab Four, “No, thanks”
Dick Rowe was not the only record-label executive who passed on the Beatles in the early ’60s, but he was the only one who brushed off their manager, Brian Epstein, with the astute prediction that: “Groups with guitars are on their way out.” Epstein begged Rowe to reconsider, so Rowe hopped a train to Liverpool to check out the band live. When he arrived at the Cavern, he found a mob of kids trying to force their way into the club in the pouring rain. Annoyed, he smoked a cigarette, went home and signed Brian Poole and the Tremeloes instead.
Unintended consequence The Monkees.
THE BIGGEST RECORD-COMPANY SCREWUP OF ALL TIME
#1 Major labels squash Napster
Shawn Fanning’s file-sharing service attracted tens of millions of users, but instead of trying to find a way to capitalize on it, the Recording Industry Association of America rejected Napster’s billion-dollar settlement offer and sued it out of existence in 2001. Napster’s users didn’t just disappear. They scattered to hundreds of alternative systems—and new technology has stayed three steps ahead of the music business ever since. The labels’ campaign to stop their music from being acquired for free across the Internet has been like trying to cork a hurricane—upward of a billion files are swapped every month on peer-to-peer networks. Since Napster closed, “there’s been no decline in the rate of online piracy,” says Eric Garland of media analysts BigChampagne, who logged users of son-of-Napster peer-to-peer networks more than doubling between 2002 and 2007. And that figure doubles again if you count BitTorrent.
#10 Columbia Records loses Alicia Keys, drops 50 Cent
Columbia had a way with young talent in the late ’90s and early ’00s. First, after plunking down a reported $400,000 to sign Alicia Keys, they turned her over to high-priced producers who tried to transform her into Whitney Houston. Frustrated, she bolted—and signed with J Records, where she has sold more than 20 million albums to date. Around the same time, another languishing Columbia prospect, 50 Cent, recorded “How to Rob” in a desperate attempt to get his label to notice him. But when he was shot nine times in 2000, skittish execs dumped him—and then watched as he became an unstoppable one-man money factory at Interscope.
Unintended consequence Fedoras and bullet¬proof vests become essential urban-fashion accessories.
Spy Game
#9 “Digital-rights management” backfires even more badly than usual
In a 2005 effort to combat digital piracy, Sony BMG packaged millions of CDs with copy-protection software that automatically installed a “rootkit” on users’ PCs, which, in addition to preventing consumers from making more than three copies of their legally purchased CD, also made them vulnerable to viruses and hackers. Sony BMG initially downplayed the problem, but after the Department of Homeland Security issued an advisory, the label recalled more than 4 million CDs. Sony was accused of spying on its customers’ listening habits and was forced to pay several million dollars to settle class-action lawsuits that alleged violations of spyware laws and deceptive trade practices.
Unintended consequence Radiohead offer up In Rainbows for a bargain pay-what-you-like price.
Rap Attack
#8 Warner junks Interscope
When anti-rap crusaders wanted to deliver a body blow to hip-hop, they took aim at the Warner Music Group, because its corporate parent, Time Warner, was American-owned and publicly traded. When Ice-T’s “Cop Killer” became too hot to handle, Warner Music dropped him, but the label still enjoyed huge rap hits—particularly through Death Row Records, partially owned by their Interscope label. But when Republican presidential candidate Bob Dole attacked Warner Music in his stump speech, Time Warner panicked, ordering the sale of Interscope to rival Universal. Universal soon became the biggest record company in the world—in large measure due to Interscope hits by Tupac, Dr. Dre and Eminem. Warner Music went on a long slide and was finally sold in 2004.
Unintended consequence Time Warner shareholders never have to worry about who killed Tupac.
Something’s Happening, But You Don’t Know What It Is
#7 Music publisher gives away Bob Dylan
In the early 1960s Leeds/Duchess was a legendary music-publishing company but far from the hippest: It knew Tin Pan Alley but couldn’t find a Greenwich Village coffeehouse with a compass. Yet when Columbia signed Bob Dylan in 1961, they steered him to Leeds, where he happily signed a publishing deal with a $1,000 advance. The following year, Dylan’s new manager, Albert Grossman, got out of the deal with the disinterested publisher simply by repaying the $1,000. Dylan’s new publisher, the savvier M. Witmark & Sons, received 237 songs—many of them future standards worth tens of millions of dollars—in just the first three years.
Unintended consequence The receptionists at Leeds/Duchess never have to field calls asking what “All Along the Watchtower” is really about.
Nothing Exceeds Like Excess
#6 Casablanca rides strong sales straight to the poorhouse
No record label represents the coked-up inanity of the late ’70s like disco-driven behemoth Casablanca. In 1978, the label simultaneously shipped a million copies of four solo albums by each member of their biggest rock act, Kiss, so they could justifiably claim the records “shipped platinum.” The albums sold well—but not that well. Record stores returned hundreds of thousands of unsold copies, inspiring comedian Robert Klein to joke that Casablanca’s releases “shipped gold and returned platinum.” The label continued to lose millions a year throughout the late ’70s, until part-owner PolyGram Records bought out founder Neil Bogart for $15 million in 1980.
Unintended consequence Hey, man—400,000 extra surfaces to snort drugs from!
Whoa, Mama
#5 The RIAA sues a struggling single mom for digital piracy
n In the court of public opinion, it’s hard to find a more sympathetic defendant than a single mother of two, earning $36,000 a year. So what in the name of common decency was the Recording Industry Association of America thinking when it went after 30-year-old Jammie Thomas from Brainerd, Minnesota? The RIAA accused Thomas of using the P2P service Kazaa to illegally share mp3 files of 24 songs, including Journey’s “Don’t Stop Believin’,” the Goo Goo Dolls’ “Iris” and Destiny’s Child’s “Bills, Bills, Bills.” Thomas pleaded not guilty, blaming the shared files on mistaken identity, but last October a jury disagreed and fined her $222,000. That breaks down to a whopping $9,250 per song—more than six times her annual salary. At press time, Thomas was planning an appeal.
Unintended consequence The nation’s toddlers and fluffy kittens rush to erase their hard drives.
Pay (Somebody Else) To Play
#4 Indie promoters take the major labels to the cleaners
After the payola scandals of the ’50s, the government barred record labels from paying radio stations to play records. The solution: set up middlemen to do the dirty work! “Independent promoters” represented the labels’ interests to radio programmers, creating a massive cash flow of corruption. Even a mid-size hit could cost $700,000 in promo expenses—cash, vacations, drugs and other illicit rewards for mustachioed DJs—and labels ended up paying to get airplay for huge artists the stations would have spun anyway. A lot of coked-up DJs got nice tans, while the labels spent unnecessary millions and covered their balance sheets in bloody red.
Unintended consequence Colombian GDP spikes each time Mariah Carey releases a single.
Detroit At a Discount
#3 Motown sells for a pittance
In 1988 Berry Gordy Jr., reportedly losing millions of dollars on the label he had founded decades earlier, sold Motown and its incomparable back catalogue to MCA and investment company Boston Ventures for $60 million. How bad was that price? The next year, Herb Alpert and Jerry Moss sold their A&M Records to PolyGram for roughly $500 million. In 1990, David Geffen got about $700 million for Geffen Records and in ’92, Richard Branson unloaded Virgin Records to EMI for $960 million. And five years after buying Motown, Boston Ventures cashed out, selling the label to PolyGram for $325 million—a return of more than 500 percent.
Unintended consequence The Motown Atlantic airline, and Berry’s career as a trans-global balloonist, have yet to materialize.
Tomorrow Never Knows
#2 Decca Records A&R exec tells Fab Four, “No, thanks”
Dick Rowe was not the only record-label executive who passed on the Beatles in the early ’60s, but he was the only one who brushed off their manager, Brian Epstein, with the astute prediction that: “Groups with guitars are on their way out.” Epstein begged Rowe to reconsider, so Rowe hopped a train to Liverpool to check out the band live. When he arrived at the Cavern, he found a mob of kids trying to force their way into the club in the pouring rain. Annoyed, he smoked a cigarette, went home and signed Brian Poole and the Tremeloes instead.
Unintended consequence The Monkees.
THE BIGGEST RECORD-COMPANY SCREWUP OF ALL TIME
#1 Major labels squash Napster
Shawn Fanning’s file-sharing service attracted tens of millions of users, but instead of trying to find a way to capitalize on it, the Recording Industry Association of America rejected Napster’s billion-dollar settlement offer and sued it out of existence in 2001. Napster’s users didn’t just disappear. They scattered to hundreds of alternative systems—and new technology has stayed three steps ahead of the music business ever since. The labels’ campaign to stop their music from being acquired for free across the Internet has been like trying to cork a hurricane—upward of a billion files are swapped every month on peer-to-peer networks. Since Napster closed, “there’s been no decline in the rate of online piracy,” says Eric Garland of media analysts BigChampagne, who logged users of son-of-Napster peer-to-peer networks more than doubling between 2002 and 2007. And that figure doubles again if you count BitTorrent.
Music News & Notes
THE FEW AGAINST MANY: Entire Debut Album Available For Streaming -
"Sot", the debut album from former SCAR SYMMETRY vocalist Christian Älvestam's THE FEW AGAINST MANY project (in which he plays rhythm guitar and sings), is available for streaming in its entirety at Terrorizer.com. (Note: The stream will be available until September 13.)
"Sot" will be released on September 15 via Pulverised Records. The effort will be made available in a super jewel box format and limited digipack format edition. "Sot" will also receive an exclusive vinyl version edition release, also via Pulverised. It will be available in two different formats: gatefold sleeve with black vinyl and gatefold sleeve with picture-disc vinyl (both formats will be strictly limited to 250 copies each).
"Sot" ("Soot" in English) was recorded at Panic Room studios with producer Tomas "Plec" Johansson and features lyrical contributions from Mikael Stanne (DARK TRANQUILITY) and Jonas Renkse (KATATONIA, BLOODBATH). The cover artwork (see below) was created by acclaimed artist Dan Seagrave (MORBID ANGEL, ENTOMBED, DISMEMBER, SUFFOCATION).
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X Classic Gets 180 Gram Vinyl Reissue
(PR) It's no secret that vinyl is back and the demand for this format is soaring. So, we at Porterhouse Records have created a new imprint, Prime Vinyl specifically focusing on releasing fan favorites and out-of-print gems in the 12" vinyl format.
The first scheduled Prime Vinyl release will be "Wild Gift," the second studio album from Los Angeles' greatest punk rock act ever X, which will arrive in stores October 6, 2009.
Hailed by Rolling Stone Magazine as "the finest American punk album ever" "Wild Gift" has long been considered one of the most relevant recordings of it's time and stands as a landmark to the originality and creativity of the Los Angeles quartet. Out of print in vinyl format for well over 15 years, long time fans will appreciate the time and care that has gone into creating this re-issue product. Including re-mastered audio at today's highest standards, 180 Gram premium vinyl and dead accurate artwork and lyric sheet reproductions as per the original Slash and Electra releases.
Prime Vinyl, will be releasing 3 of the bands first 4 albums in their original format. "Under The Big Black Sun", and "More Fun In Then New World", will also be getting the treatment, and are scheduled for release in the spring of 2010. The members of X themselves are overseeing and will approve all of these re-issues to ensure that they are true to the originals in every way. We look forward to bringing these titles to X fans everywhere.
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Switchfoot Set New Album Release
On November 10, Atlantic Records will release Hello Hurricane, the seventh full-length album from the multi-Platinum, San Diego-based rock band Switchfoot.
Hello Hurricane is the group's first album on Atlantic Records and its first studio album since 2006's Oh! Gravity, which debuted at No. 18 on The Billboard 200. Switchfoot has been hard at work on Hello Hurricane, tracking more than 80 songs at the band's self-built home studio and selecting the very best of them for the record. The band recorded the album with noted producer/bassist Mike Elizondo (Dr. Dre, Rilo Kiley, Eminem, and Pink). The edgy, driving lead single "Mess of Me" goes for adds at Modern and Active Rock radio this month.
The back-to-basics approach employed has yielded a career-defining album that lead singer Jon Foreman views as "a new beginning." Elizondo's unique background facilitated a departure for the band, allowing it to build on SWITCHFOOT's foundation, punctuated by hard-hitting instrumentation and soaring choruses, and elevating the music to a new level.
"Hello Hurricane acknowledges the storms that tear through our lives," states Foreman. "This album is an attempt to respond to those storms with an element of hope, trying to understand what it means to be hopeful in a world that keeps on spinning."
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Lost John Lennon Interviews Published
Nightwatcher reports: A series of interviews with late Beatles legend John Lennon have been published - revealing the star's thoughts on his bandmate Paul McCartney and the Fab Four's split. The interviews also include previously unpublished chats with McCartney and Ringo Starr by British journalist Ray Connolly.
In one of the tapes, recorded in 1969, Lennon is heard praising McCartney's musical ability at a time when the legendary band was on the verge of splitting up and after he was rumored to have dismissed his pal's work as pop ditties. Lennon tells Connolly, "(For No One from the Revolver album) that was one of the good ones. All his semi-classical ones are best, actually. I suppose it was a bit hard on him... I only ever asked two people to work with me as a partner. One was Paul McCartney and the other Yoko Ono."
Lennon also opens up about the reasons behind the band's split, insisting he wanted to initiate the break up months before they parted ways in 1970 - but they stayed together in case it damaged sales of their album Let It Be.
In another taped interview two years after the split, Lennon adds,"The whole thing died in my mind long before the rumpus started. We used to believe the Beatles myth just as much as the public and we were in love with them just the same way. But we were four individuals who eventually recovered our individualities (sic) after being submerged in a myth."
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Big Star Boxed Set
Rhino is releasing Big Star's 4-disc boxed set which includes 98 tracks spanning from 1968-1975. This power pop band created music that turned artists as diverse as Cheap Trick, R.E.M., and The Replacements into Big Star fans. The 4-disc boxed set, Keep an Eye on the Sky, includes extensive liner notes, rare and never-before-seen photos, and insightful essays about the cult of Big Star and the band's history. These influential tracks will be released September 15, 2009.
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Lennon would have liked computer game
JOHN LENNON would have been very "amused" if he'd seen himself immortalised on a computer game.
Sir Paul McCartney said if Lennon and his other former Beatles bandmate George Harrison, were still alive today, they would have "seen the point" of The Beatles: Rock Band, released on September 9 for Wii, Xbox 360 and PS3.
Speaking to Observer Music Magazine, McCartney said: "For us, lets remember that the central thing is our music is getting played. That's the bottom line. I'm sure John and George would have thought, 'Hey, what a clever idea'."
But he admitted that his first impression of Rock Band was quite negative.
He said when he first saw it, he described it as "a couple of grown-ups standing looking very foolish with these little plastic guitars playing to a screen".
But he added that he has since been impressed with the work of the Harmonix team, which has been respectful and stayed true to the band's legacy and image.
Sir Paul said this approach was important "not just because you should respect The Beatles, but mainly because there are a lot of people out there who are going to notice if you don't".
Lennon's wife Yoko Ono agreed that her husband would have been "excited" by the game's concept and "very happy with how the music and the visuals of The Beatles were represented".
She said: "It will inspire and encourage the young generation to be intimately involved in music making.
"You can't ask for more. It will be another musical revolution created by The Beatles to make our planet a planet of music."
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McCartney was blessed to know Lennon
SIR PAUL MCCARTNEY has said he rarely remembers his disagreements with John Lennon because he is blessed just to have known him.
The Beatles stars had a tumultuous relationship during the group's later years and their constant arguing has often been blamed for the band's split in 1970.
They reconciled later that decade but then Lennon was shot dead in New York in 1980 - and McCartney said he never thinks about the bad times between them.
Speaking to Entertainment Tonight, he said: "What I do is I look for the positive side... I'm the only guy who sat down with John and wrote all those songs. It's me. (I've) got to pinch myself, I can't believe it. I just feel blessed to have known him and to have experienced his presence so intimately."
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ANVIL: Entire 'This Is Thirteen' Re-Release Available For Streaming
ANVIL's re-release of the group's latest album, "This is Thirteen", is available for streaming its entirety at VH1.com. The CD will finally be given proper national distribution on CD and vinyl on September 15 via VH1 Classic Records. The collectible double vinyl LP boasts newly re-recorded versions of ANVIL classics "Metal on Metal" and "666". The album, originally recorded in 2007 and produced by Chris Tsangarides (JUDAS PRIEST, THIN LIZZY), was primarily available directly from the band via their web site and at their concerts.
ANVIL will take part in an in-store performance and signing session at Vintage Vinyl in Fords, New Jersey on September 27, 2009 at 2:00 p.m. A free screening of the band's acclaimed documentary, "Anvil! The Story Of Anvil", will take place at Vintage Vinyl on September 25, 2009 at 7:00 p.m.
ANVIL, considered a major influence for a generation of hard rockers including METALLICA, SLAYER, ANTHRAX, and GUNS N' ROSES, was the subject of a critically acclaimed, must-see rock-doc, "Anvil! The Story of Anvil", directed by Sacha Gervasi. And in the process, the film has made the group (led by Kudlow and Reiner — both founding members) a household name. But the group's story will certainly not end with the film.
According to RollingStone.com, ANVIL is currently re-recording several other classics with producer Chris Tsangarides, which will be included on a forthcoming "Anvil!" soundtrack. "What happened was the label that owns the old material wanted so much money to license the songs, that it became ridiculous," explained Lips. "In fact, it was far cheaper to go in and re-record in the same studio [Phase One], with the same producer, and re-do the songs. The new version of 'Forged in Fire' is amazing — I think the original version was played too fast. Remarkably, we're getting a second chance to record the songs."
Other freshly re-recorded tunes are "Winged Assassins", "March Of The Crabs", and "School Love". "It's going to be a true 'Best of Anvil', in a way," added Reiner.
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Ryan Adams Relaunches Record Label, Preps Digital Single
Musical savant Ryan Adams may be nearing the end of his break from the music industry as it appears he has relaunched his record label and is planning to release a digital single on Sept. 11.
Having finished out his contract with Lost Highway, Adams is following in the footsteps of Jack White and is launching a digital and vinyl label to distribute new material. Adams originally launched Pax Americana as a way to release 4-tracked home recordings of songs while he was still signed to Lost Highway; but other than T-shirts, the label seemingly closed shop after a handful of releases.
Today it was revealed the first release from the rebranded PAX.AM will be a digital single featuring the tracks “Lost and Found” and “Go Ahead and Rain.” The album is available for preorder for $1.49 and is set to be released Sept. 11.
There’s no word yet on a physical release, but a video on Adams’ homepage hints that vinyl manufacturing has ensued, so don’t be surprised to see Digital Single: No. 1 find its way to the new old medium
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The Red Chord Reveals New Album, "Fed Through the Teeth Machine"
Boston Massachusetts metal band THE RED CHORD is gearing up for the release of their fourth full length album, entitled "Fed Through the Teeth Machine," due out on October 27th in the US through Metal Blade Records.
Guitarist Mike “Gunface” McKenzie comments on the band’s new album "Fed Through the Teeth Machine," "We spent the last year working hard on this one and we're excited for everyone to finally hear it. It's a lot faster and, in my opinion, more straight forward in a structural sense. We're really happy with the great work Jonny Fay and Zeuss did too. It's not a concept record, but there are some loose conceptual elements to it: hygienic obsession, delusional compound-dwellers and Maniac Mansion. Get ready to make fun of us on the internet!"
THE RED CHORD has also uploaded the brand new track, "Demoralizer," to their MySpace page that showcases the album’s artwork.
"Demoralizer kind of sums up what the record is about. It's aggressive and fast with some darker melodic parts. Probably one of the angriest-sounding songs we've recorded, which fits the records vibe" comments Mike “Gunface” McKenzie.
======================
Krallice Reveals New Album, "Dimensional Bleedthrough
Brooklyn NY’s KRALLICE have completed work on their new album “Dimensional Bleedthrough.” The tracklisting for “Dimensional Bleedthrough” [cover] is as follows:
1. Dimensional Bleedthrough
2. Autocthon
3. Aridity
4. The Mountain
5. Intraum
6. untitled
7. Monolith Of Possession
======================
Hollenthon Announces New EP
Hollenthon has issued the following announcement about releasing a new EP:
"New EP coming! It's called 'Tyrants and Wraiths' and features 4 new tracks and 2 live videos from last years Graspop Metal Meeting. The official release dates are: 28.10.09 Finland & Spain, 30.10.09 Benelux, France, Italy and Sweden, 02.11.09 Rest of Europe, 03.11.09 in Canada, and 17.11.09 in the USA.
"But if you come see us on tour, you'll be able to purchase the album already on October 23rd."
The cover art for the EP can be viewed below
Halfway to Platinum: Furnace MFG Produces 500,000th Vinyl Record
Furnace MFG, a leader in the growing trend of vinyl record sales, announced they have produced their 500,000th vinyl record showing no shortage of capacity for additional audiophile-quality vinyl manufacturing.
Fairfax, VA (PRWEB) September 9, 2009 -- With the completion of Green Day's newest box set, twenty-one 7" records, Furnace MFG has surpassed a historic milestone today; producing 500,000 vinyl records since the beginning of the year.
While the sale of audio CDs continues to decline, vinyl LP sales are steadily climbing. Industry estimates indicate that vinyl record sales are expected to increase 80-90% in 2009 over the previous year. Furnace MFG has experienced that growth rate firsthand by packaging and shipping over 100,000 vinyl records in July and August alone.
"A new generation of music fans are experiencing music in a whole new/old way. While the digital music format provides the convenience of portability and storage, only vinyl offers audio playback the way artists intended: analog and uncompressed. Not to mention, the larger packaging format makes the experience so much more enriching than looking at cover graphics on a computer screen or iPod," says Eric Astor, Furnace MFG President and CEO.
Notable titles among Furnace MFG's half-million records include recent new releases Green Day's "21st Century Breakdown" and Wilco's "The Album" as well as re-releases such as John Coltrane's "Live at the Village Vanguard", Neil Young's "Sugar Mountain" and Metallica's "Black Album" Box Set.
It has been reported that there is a vinyl record manufacturing capacity constraint, which will limit the growth of vinyl sales beyond current numbers. Not so, says Manish Naik, COO of Furnace MFG. "Through our exclusive partnerships with two of Europe's leading vinyl pressing plants, we have enough capacity to produce over 325,000 records per month. We import the records to our Virginia facility where we assemble and package them for retail distribution."
As vinyl record sales continue to grow and US music labels gear up for the retail holiday season, Furnace MFG expects to pass the 1 million vinyl record mark later in 2009.
About Furnace MFG:
In business since 1996, Furnace MFG (http://www.furnacemfg.com) is a recognized leader in CD and DVD duplication, replication, and vinyl record manufacturing and packaging.
Contact:
Manish Naik, COO
Furnace MFG
703-205-0007
# # #
Fairfax, VA (PRWEB) September 9, 2009 -- With the completion of Green Day's newest box set, twenty-one 7" records, Furnace MFG has surpassed a historic milestone today; producing 500,000 vinyl records since the beginning of the year.
While the sale of audio CDs continues to decline, vinyl LP sales are steadily climbing. Industry estimates indicate that vinyl record sales are expected to increase 80-90% in 2009 over the previous year. Furnace MFG has experienced that growth rate firsthand by packaging and shipping over 100,000 vinyl records in July and August alone.
"A new generation of music fans are experiencing music in a whole new/old way. While the digital music format provides the convenience of portability and storage, only vinyl offers audio playback the way artists intended: analog and uncompressed. Not to mention, the larger packaging format makes the experience so much more enriching than looking at cover graphics on a computer screen or iPod," says Eric Astor, Furnace MFG President and CEO.
Notable titles among Furnace MFG's half-million records include recent new releases Green Day's "21st Century Breakdown" and Wilco's "The Album" as well as re-releases such as John Coltrane's "Live at the Village Vanguard", Neil Young's "Sugar Mountain" and Metallica's "Black Album" Box Set.
It has been reported that there is a vinyl record manufacturing capacity constraint, which will limit the growth of vinyl sales beyond current numbers. Not so, says Manish Naik, COO of Furnace MFG. "Through our exclusive partnerships with two of Europe's leading vinyl pressing plants, we have enough capacity to produce over 325,000 records per month. We import the records to our Virginia facility where we assemble and package them for retail distribution."
As vinyl record sales continue to grow and US music labels gear up for the retail holiday season, Furnace MFG expects to pass the 1 million vinyl record mark later in 2009.
About Furnace MFG:
In business since 1996, Furnace MFG (http://www.furnacemfg.com) is a recognized leader in CD and DVD duplication, replication, and vinyl record manufacturing and packaging.
Contact:
Manish Naik, COO
Furnace MFG
703-205-0007
# # #
Interesting Thoughts
Here are some of the music/Beatle related stories circulating the net:
Apple iTunes 9 announced
Apple has announced the launch of iTunes 9 at It's Only Rock and Roll event in San Francisco.
The new music download software will add a host of new features bringing with it a Snow Leopard style interface allowing you to access the navigation menu from the top of every page.
Other features include greater preview and buy features as well as the much rumoured iTunes LP that gives users a visual experience of old vinyl records - so they get the feeling they've bought a LP rather than just a selection of digital tracks. That includes lyrics, artwork, but will be applied by the record companies, not Apple.
Read the rest here:
www.pocket-lint.com/news
REVIEW: Apple records finally gets it right with Beatles CD reissues
People laughed at me in the early 1990s when I refused to submit to the hegemony of the compact-disc world.
I was a vinyl man, through and through.
CDs might have been smaller and easier to maintain but they didn't have the sound quality or dynamic range of records, I said. Pish-tosh, other said.
Why didn't I go ahead and trade in my light bulbs for some nice kerosene lanterns while I was at it?
I bring all this up because it was not long before that time that Apple Records released The Beatles catalog on CD.
Read the rest here:
www.lehighvalleylive.com/music
Beatlemania sweeps the world again
Fab Four create global stir with revamped 14-set CD collection - and a video game
The scenes were familiar: long, snaking queues of ardent fans waiting eagerly to lay their hands on the latest Beatles album. But the photos were taken in 2009, not 1969, and there were 14 different CD albums up for grabs, rather than just the one on vinyl.
Beatlemania returned around the world yesterday with the release of remastered copies of the Fab Four's studio recordings and a new computer game to draw in a new audience.
The new CDs are designed to appeal to those who want to upgrade their collections and to potential younger fans whose interest has been sparked by classics from their parents' – or grandparents' – albums, or from bands who have name-dropped their influence.
Read the rest here:
www.independent.co.uk
Beatles for Sale (Again)
It's an event that happens once a generation. If you'd had a child in 1987, the last time the Beatles catalog was re-mastered for release (on CD, for the first time), the kid wouldn't be a kid anymore. Voting rights? Check. Able to purchase alcohol without a fake ID? Check and mate.
On September 9, at long last, the re-mastered (again) catalog was released on CD, this time in conjunction with the release of The Beatles: Rock Band video game (how very 21st century). It includes the Beatles' 12 albums as originally released in their native UK, along with Magical Mystery Tour and non-LP song collections "Past Masters Vol. I and II," which have now been combined as one title.
Read the rest here:
www.phoenixnewtimes.com
Record shops across Canada flooded by fans looking for Beatles reissues
TORONTO — Record stores were overrun Wednesday with devoted Beatles fans clamouring to get their hands on yet another round of rereleased Fab Four material, this time remastered and repackaged in box sets, individual CDs and even the first-ever Beatles video game.
Those diehard fans - at least those who actually managed to walk away with product in hand - said they were more than happy to open their wallets for the latest and greatest Beatles package, even if they've bought into the hype before.
"The cynic in me would normally come out and say, 'Come on, how much money can you guys get from us?"' said Toronto radio DJ Stu Jeffries, who picked up both versions of the new box sets.
"But I think the fan in me says, 'Great, if it's better, I want it, and if there really is never before seen stuff, then I want it."'
Read the rest here:
canadianpress
Beatles Wizardry Charms Again as EMI Issues Remastered Albums
From Paul McCartney’s excited “one- two-three-FOUR” kick-start on “I Saw Her Standing There” to the surprise sign-off of “Her Majesty’s a pretty nice girl ...,” the Beatles took little more than six years to record more than 220 songs and 620 minutes of music.
Today, the band’s output is released on CD after being digitally remastered at last -- a process that took four years. Many fans will be asking if the time was well spent on what was probably the biggest sonic makeover to date.
In a word, yes. These recordings are the purest version of the most revered repertoire in rock. The quality of tracks such as “All You Need Is Love” shone through in the 1960s even when played through tinny transistors. Now, it’s easier to hear why the British foursome became the most successful group ever -- with more than a billion records sold, according to their label EMI Group Plc, owned by Guy Hands’s London-based Terra Firma Capital Partners Ltd.
Read the rest here:
www.bloomberg.com
Apple iTunes 9 announced
Apple has announced the launch of iTunes 9 at It's Only Rock and Roll event in San Francisco.
The new music download software will add a host of new features bringing with it a Snow Leopard style interface allowing you to access the navigation menu from the top of every page.
Other features include greater preview and buy features as well as the much rumoured iTunes LP that gives users a visual experience of old vinyl records - so they get the feeling they've bought a LP rather than just a selection of digital tracks. That includes lyrics, artwork, but will be applied by the record companies, not Apple.
Read the rest here:
www.pocket-lint.com/news
REVIEW: Apple records finally gets it right with Beatles CD reissues
People laughed at me in the early 1990s when I refused to submit to the hegemony of the compact-disc world.
I was a vinyl man, through and through.
CDs might have been smaller and easier to maintain but they didn't have the sound quality or dynamic range of records, I said. Pish-tosh, other said.
Why didn't I go ahead and trade in my light bulbs for some nice kerosene lanterns while I was at it?
I bring all this up because it was not long before that time that Apple Records released The Beatles catalog on CD.
Read the rest here:
www.lehighvalleylive.com/music
Beatlemania sweeps the world again
Fab Four create global stir with revamped 14-set CD collection - and a video game
The scenes were familiar: long, snaking queues of ardent fans waiting eagerly to lay their hands on the latest Beatles album. But the photos were taken in 2009, not 1969, and there were 14 different CD albums up for grabs, rather than just the one on vinyl.
Beatlemania returned around the world yesterday with the release of remastered copies of the Fab Four's studio recordings and a new computer game to draw in a new audience.
The new CDs are designed to appeal to those who want to upgrade their collections and to potential younger fans whose interest has been sparked by classics from their parents' – or grandparents' – albums, or from bands who have name-dropped their influence.
Read the rest here:
www.independent.co.uk
Beatles for Sale (Again)
It's an event that happens once a generation. If you'd had a child in 1987, the last time the Beatles catalog was re-mastered for release (on CD, for the first time), the kid wouldn't be a kid anymore. Voting rights? Check. Able to purchase alcohol without a fake ID? Check and mate.
On September 9, at long last, the re-mastered (again) catalog was released on CD, this time in conjunction with the release of The Beatles: Rock Band video game (how very 21st century). It includes the Beatles' 12 albums as originally released in their native UK, along with Magical Mystery Tour and non-LP song collections "Past Masters Vol. I and II," which have now been combined as one title.
Read the rest here:
www.phoenixnewtimes.com
Record shops across Canada flooded by fans looking for Beatles reissues
TORONTO — Record stores were overrun Wednesday with devoted Beatles fans clamouring to get their hands on yet another round of rereleased Fab Four material, this time remastered and repackaged in box sets, individual CDs and even the first-ever Beatles video game.
Those diehard fans - at least those who actually managed to walk away with product in hand - said they were more than happy to open their wallets for the latest and greatest Beatles package, even if they've bought into the hype before.
"The cynic in me would normally come out and say, 'Come on, how much money can you guys get from us?"' said Toronto radio DJ Stu Jeffries, who picked up both versions of the new box sets.
"But I think the fan in me says, 'Great, if it's better, I want it, and if there really is never before seen stuff, then I want it."'
Read the rest here:
canadianpress
Beatles Wizardry Charms Again as EMI Issues Remastered Albums
From Paul McCartney’s excited “one- two-three-FOUR” kick-start on “I Saw Her Standing There” to the surprise sign-off of “Her Majesty’s a pretty nice girl ...,” the Beatles took little more than six years to record more than 220 songs and 620 minutes of music.
Today, the band’s output is released on CD after being digitally remastered at last -- a process that took four years. Many fans will be asking if the time was well spent on what was probably the biggest sonic makeover to date.
In a word, yes. These recordings are the purest version of the most revered repertoire in rock. The quality of tracks such as “All You Need Is Love” shone through in the 1960s even when played through tinny transistors. Now, it’s easier to hear why the British foursome became the most successful group ever -- with more than a billion records sold, according to their label EMI Group Plc, owned by Guy Hands’s London-based Terra Firma Capital Partners Ltd.
Read the rest here:
www.bloomberg.com
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