Vinyl Record News & Music Notes

Tim from Sundazed keeps me up to date with their releases and reissues, and i pass the news to you.  i love what they do!

Sundazed remains dedicated to the vinyl medium in LP, ten-inch and seven-inch form. Whether it's exact reproductions of storied works by Johnny Cash, the mono pressings of Bob Dylan's early albums and an unreleased live gem by NRBQ, or fabled longplayers by Otis Redding, Love with Arthur Lee, MC5 or the Rascals, Sundazed Music will never abandon vinyl.

Now available at www.sundazed.com

Artist: Oscar & the Majestics
Title: No Chance Baby! - 180 gram LP and Compact Disc
Vinyl LP 5377

FIRST-EVER COLLECTION OF COMPLETE '60S OUTPUT BY GARAGE ROCK HEROES, PLUS UNISSUED CUTS!

For anyone with an overindulged appetite for ‘60s garage compilations, Oscar & the Majestics must seem like old friends. Certainly, that’s the way we feel about ‘em. In Sundazed’s exhaustive dig through the prized USA & Destination Records catalogs (2131 South Michigan Avenue: 60's Garage & Psychedelia from USA and Destination Records LP/CD), no other act—and that includes hit makers like the Buckinghams and Cryin’ Shames—came close to the coverage afforded Oscar Hamod & the Majestics. If the group had left more than five tracks in the USA vaults, no doubt we would have included more.

Well, that was before Oscar opened up his vast personal archives, undisturbed for over 40 years, allowing for this first-ever collection of his complete ‘60s output. This includes the band’s best known USA sides, like the impossibly cool, fuzzed-out “Soul Finger”, as well as ultra-rare, Oscar-pressed singles (including the first official reissue of “House of the Rising Sun 1969”; an over the top rearrangement that suffers no shortage of Oscar-fuzz/Oscar-attitude.

Most rewarding of all, this set unleashes the unreleased “Baby Under My Skin” and “I Feel Good”; both seriously Kinky krunchers from the USA era. As a bonus, we blow the lid off the untold history of Mr. Hamod & his rockin’ crew in a package also crammed with vintage photos and rare 45 label scans.

TRACK LISTING:
1. Got to Have Your Lovin’
2. Soulfinger
3. My Girl is Waiting
4. Baby Under My Skin*
5. I Can’t Explain
6. Jackie Jackie
7. Why-O or Jungle Beat
8. No Chance Baby
9. I Feel Good*
10. Come On Willie
11. Top Eliminator
12. Fanny Brown
13. Dawn
14. House of the Rising Sun 1969

*previously unissued


Artist: Oscar & the Majestics
Title: Baby Under My Skin / I Can't Explain 7" Single - 7” Vinyl
7" Single S 232

UNISSUED TRACKS BY UNSUNG GARAGE ROCK HEROES!

Sundazed wants to let you in on one of the best kept secrets of ’60s garage bandom, Oscar & the Majestics. Oscar Hamod is one of those unsung heroes of the genre; a first-rate songwriter, arranger, singer and above all else, monster guitar player.

In his formative years, Oscar’s parents did their best to steer him towards a respectable instrument, the trumpet. But he rebelled, soon switching to guitar. By the time he launched the Majestics (in ’60, with older brother Bud), he had already entered into a long-term relationship with his number one axe, a ’58 Gibson Explorer.

By the time of these impossibly rare, unreleased sides (cut prior to three singles on Chicago’s USA Records), Oscar’s guitar playing had taken on a frankly wicked personality. For evidence, check out the savagely tough riffs and soloing on “Baby Under My Skin,” especially where he shouts before the break, “burn”; that personal challenge met with a half-minute flurry of scalding notes.

One of the highlights of Oscar & the Majestics’ vintage output is their version of the Who’s “I Can’t Explain” on USA Records (1966). Instead of playing it note for note, Oscar introduced a screaming, fuzzed-out intro to his version, also adding a unique guitar lick elsewhere. But here we are treated to an earlier, unreleased (and undeniably more “garage”) version that sticks much closer to the Who original. Another brother, Sam Hamod handles lead vocals for a change. However, it’s his bass lines which are the real treat on both sides of this record. The liberty he takes during Oscar’s solos raises the excitement level that much more.

TRACK LIST:
1. Baby Under My Skin (previously unissued)
2. I Can't Explain (previously unissued early version)


Artist: Fever Tree
Title: Live 1969 - 180 Gram LP and Limited Edition Compact Disc
180 gram LP 5378

PREVIOUSLY UNISSUED LIVE RECORDING SHOWCASING THE FINAL STAGE APPEARANCE BY THIS LEGENDARY GARAGE COMBO’S ORIGINAL LINEUP!

This 1969 live recording from Mount Carmel High School in Houston represents the final stage appearance by the original lineup of Texas garage combo Fever Tree. With two strong studio LPs for Uni Records behind them, the group began to fragment from internal struggles (as many bands do). Consequently, the label asked for one more album. The group complied and the results are contained in this previously unreleased concert recording, presented here in 180 gram vinyl.

Sharpening their chops on the Gulf Coast circuit, followed by a high-profile opening night gig at Hollywood’s legendary Kaleidoscope, Fever Tree developed a keen sense of musical drama and dynamics. This versatility is in sharp display on the concert’s rendition of their underground radio hit “San Francisco Girls (Return of the Native).” For the rest, Live 1969 focuses on groovers, a perfect set-up for the gliding fuzztones of lead guitarist Michael Knust, the sonic organ of Rob Landes, the thick rhythms provided by E.E. “Bud” Wolfe III on bass and John Tuttle on drumsand the dynamic, driving lead vocals of Dennis Keller.

“Don’t Come Crying to Me Girl,” a song originally found on the band’s second album, levitates the band beyond any earthly confines. Elsewhere, the set moves between a soaring cover of Donovan’s “Hey Gyp,” their own power pop “Grand Candy Young Sweet” and a whirlng psych take on Wilson Pickett’s “Ninety-Nine and One Half (Won’t Do).” Playing as if their lives depended on it, Live 1969 captures a band at the height of its powers, forever preserved on this final audio testament.

TRACK LIST:
1. Grand Candy Young Sweet
2. Ninety-Nine and One Half (Won’t Do)
3. Don’t Come Crying to Me Girl
4. Hey Gyp
5. San Francisco Girls (Return of the Native)


Artist: Neighb'rhood Childr'n
Title: Neigb'rhood Childr'n - 180 Gram LP and Limited Edition Compact Disc
180 gram LP 5356

1967 DEBUT BY SAN FRANCISCO-BASED PSYCH PIONEERS!

Rock 'n' Roll lightning can strike anywhere. The Neigb'rhood Childr'n, tucked away in Medford, Ore., near the California border were living proof that if you've got it, your mailing address doesn't really matter. And the Neighb'rhood Childr'n definitely had it.

When Dyan Hoffman, Rick Bolz, Ron Raschdorf and W.A. Farrens drove 350 miles through the mighty redwood groves down to San Francisco to cut their first album at Leo de Gar Kulka's Golden State Recorders, they couldn't have picked a better time. It was the summer of 1967—now known as the Summer Of Love—and San Francisco was inundated with young people from all over the world, spurred on by a blossoming rock scene that included Jefferson Airplane, Big Brother and the Holding Co. and the Grateful Dead. And yet, none of those legends in the making ever cut an album as hard to find these days—extremely rare and collectible—as the LP by the Neighb'rhood Childr'n.

Not only is their record hideously hard to find, it's amazingly groovy coming from four kids from a rural background. Dyan's voice has the earnest zeal of a young Grace Slick, and the complex arrangements run the table from acid-soaked tripsichord to fiery anthems meant to spur on a new generation of street-fighting men as well as lonely navigators of the mind. Not surprisingly, Dyan reveals that some of this amazing material was inspired by seeing Quicksilver Messenger Service for the first time. "They were always my favorite group," she says. It just goes to show what you can soak up and give back to the world if your heart is in the right place.

TRACK LIST:
1. Up Down Turn Around World
2. Long Years In Space
3. Feeling Zero
4. Over The Rainbow
5. Changes Brought To Me
6. Please Leave Me Alone
7. Chocolate Angel
8. Happy Child
9. Patterns
10. Happy World Of Captain K
11. She's Got No Identification
12. Hobbit's Dream


Artist: The Remains
Title: Let Me Through (live) / Why Do I Cry 7" Single- 7” Vinyl
7" Single S 231

7” SINGLE FEATURING PREVIOUSLY UNISSUED ED SULLIVAN SHOW LIVE PERFORMANCE!

The Remains are indisputably remembered as Boston’s finest rock group of the sixties. Yet it’s the group’s less celebrated connection with New York City that continues to pay dividends for their ever-spreading legion of fans. Of course, the main source of Remains-music has always been their classic run of recordings cut at New York’s Columbia Records. But in one of the coolest events in history, the Remains also appeared “live” on millions of US television sets courtesy of the top-rated Ed Sullivan Show; direct from NYC.

With the otherwise unrecorded “Let Me Through,” the Remains managed to cram their entire explosive stage act—from Kinks riffs and fleet-fingered guitar heroics from Barry Tashian to an absolutely show stopping rave-up—into under three minutes! Released for the first time anywhere in an audio format, this Sundazed 7” vinyl single pairs the Sullivan performance with even more muscle courtesy of the Remains’ long-worshipped Capitol Records Studios (New York, again) sessions where in a completely live and loud rework manage to improve an already unforgettable Tashian original, “Why Do I Cry.”

TRACK LIST:
1. Let Me Through (previously unissued live recording)
2. Why Do I Cry

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Nirvana: Nevermind 20th Anniversary to be Commemorated With Multi-Format Reissue Out September 27

Deluxe and Super Deluxe Editions to Feature Dozens of Rare and Previously Unreleased Performances

Released in September 1991, Nirvana's sophomore album and major label debut elevated Kurt Cobain, Krist Novoselic and Dave Grohl from a critically acclaimed Aberdeen, Washington, cult band to generational spokesmen who'd unwittingly created a cultural shift and musical touchstone. Rising to No. 1 the world over by year's end and ultimately selling over 30 million copies worldwide, Nevermind would come to be much more than one of the most successful and influential albums of its or any era. As the album that returned unaffected rock 'n' roll integrity and passion to the top of the charts, Nevermind would prove a singular inspiration to fans and musicians alike over the last two decades--and will undoubtedly do so for generations to come.

Now on the occasion of Nevermind's 20th anniversary, Universal Music Enterprises presents a full spectrum re-release worthy of such a pivotal classic. With configurations ranging from a 4-CD/1-DVD Super Deluxe Edition to a standard digital/CD remaster of the original album, the 20th anniversary reissue of Nevermind makes the most of the occasion, unearthing literally dozens of previously unreleased recordings, obscure B-sides, alternate mixes, radio sessions, studio rarities and live recordings, including a 1991 Halloween concert at Seattle's Paramount Theatre in its entirety.

The limited, numbered Super Deluxe Edition more than lives up to its name as one of the most expansive and ambitious collections of its kind with only 10,000 copies available in North America, and another 30,000 for the rest of the world. The Super Deluxe features not only the original remastered album and accompanying studio and live B-sides, but the first full official release of the pre-Nevermind demos recorded at producer Butch Vig's Smart Studios, as well as boombox recordings of subsequent rehearsals through which the listener can actually experience "Smells Like Teen Spirit," "Come As You Are," "On A Plain" and others that take shape before his or her very ears. The Super Deluxe also offers an altogether new perspective on the finished Nevermind album exclusive to this format in the form of the Devonshire Mixes: the album as produced and mixed by Vig as opposed to the commercially released final version produced by Vig and mixed by Andy Wallace. Rounding out the Super Deluxe are a pair of previously unreleased BBC recordings and the aforementioned 1991 Paramount show available for the first time and exclusive to this format on CD and DVD (which also features all four music videos from Nevermind), as well as a stunning 90-page bound book full of rarely and never- before-seen photos, documents and various other visual artifacts of the Nevermind era.

The Nirvana Nevermind 20th anniversary reissue is also available as a 2-CD Deluxe Edition featuring the remastered album and B-sides, the Smart Studio sessions, boombox rehearsals and BBC sessions, a 4-LP, 180-gram heavyweight vinyl edition featuring the same 40 tracks as the Deluxe Edition, a remastered CD of the original album, and digital versions of the standard and deluxe editions. The Paramount concert, transferred from 16mm film and multi-track audio, is the only known Nirvana concert shot to film and will be available in a 1080p high-definition picture and uncompressed 5.1 surround sound and stereo on stand-alone Blu-ray, along with DVD and digital long form video formats.

SOURCE Universal Music Enterprises

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Björk's "Crystalline"12" Vinyl Series

Available today in the Nonesuch Store  is the first of four imported 12" vinyl releases, all part of The Crystalline Series featuring variations on music from Biophilia. The first 12" includes the "Crystalline" and "Cosmogony" singles mixed by Grammy Award–winning engineer Serban Ghenea. The three upcoming releases in the series, now available for pre-order, include mixes of "Crystalline" and "Cosmogony" by Matthew Herbert and versions of three songs from Omar Souleyman.

Also available for pre-order in the Nonesuch Store is the full Biophilia album, which will be released on September 27, 2011, through One Little Indian / Nonesuch Records, in five different physical versions: on CD in distinct jewel-case and digipak versions; on vinyl; and on two custom-made editions—the Biophilia Manual, which presents the music on CD in a 48-page cloth-bound, thread-sewn hardback book, and the Ultimate Edition, which includes the Manual along with 10 tuning forks, each representing the tone of a track on the album. Both custom-made pieces will be available to pre-order for a limited time only.

Biophilia is an interdisciplinary exploration of the universe and its physical forces—particularly those where music, nature, and technology meet—inspired by these relationships between musical structures and natural phenomena, from the atomic to the cosmic. The Independent on Sunday calls it "brilliantly original and ambitious." The LP includes the album on 180-gram, high-performance vinyl.

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Psych Rockers Umbra and the Volcan Siege Vinyl Release

Chicago-based psychedelic outfit Umbra and the Volcan Siege have announced the release of a limited edition vinyl LP 'The End of the Beginning,' as well as an accompanying video documentary directed by Eric Richter, who has shot promotional clips for Victory Records.

'The End of the of the Beginning' was recorded live at Volcan Gallery by Tim Sandusky (Bound Stems, Oucho Sparks) and Umbra band leader Jim Licka. Licka also wrote the songs and created the LP artwork, with layout by Phil Lassa.

Tracklist:

1. Dumb Numb
2. Rains and Pours
3. The March
4. Somebody
5. The Ups and Downs
6. Chromy
7. Surfy
8. Dream Lust
9. Do do do do...

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Skull Snaps to Re-Release Debut LP on Vinyl

Get On Down Records is re-releasing the Skull Snaps’s 1973 debut on double LP and CD today. The vinyl release will come with a 24” x 24” poster of the original album art and a packet of 13 die cut stickers.

This latest release comes on the heels of the purple 7” of the Skull Snaps’s “It’s A New Day” and “I Turn My Back On Love” that dropped earlier this April.

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Aerosmith Continue Work on ‘Old School’ Album

Peter Hodgson

An Aerosmith insider says the band’s new album will have a definite “old school” vibe, helped along by the work of legendary producer Jack Douglas.

In an update on their official website, the band’s “behind the scenes guru” John B. said the recording was shaping up to sound like vintage Aerosmith, although he stopped short of directly comparing the new tracks to the band’s classic ’70s output

Read more at Gibson.com

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love this cover art!

ECHOTERRA: New Album Release Date Announced

ECHOTERRA — the female-fronted symphonic rock/metal band featuring vocalist Melissa Ferlaak (VISIONS OF ATLANTIS), keyboardist Jonah Weingarten (PYRAMAZE), guitarist Yan Leviathan (AVIAN), bassist Brian Hollenbeck and drummer Adam Sagan (INTO ETERNITY) — will release its new album, "Land Of The Midnight Sun", on October 17 via Blinding Force Recordings. The effort will be available for sale in digital and physical formats. The physical copies will have a 16-page booklet filled with spectacular artwork, band pictures and lyrics.

Read more at Blabbermouth













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HOUSE OF LORDS: 'Big Money' Album Due In September

Frontiers Records will release the new HOUSE OF LORDS studio album, "Big Money", on September 23 in Europe and September 27 in North America.

Following on the heels of "Cartesian Dreams", HOUSE OF LORDS is coming back with another amazingly strong release which presents again all the trademark elements of its melodic hard rock sound.

Read more at Blabbermouth







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this from our friends at vinylcollective.com

Dwarves Limited 10″

Dwarves are set to release a 10″ colored vinyl limited to 2,000 copies titled “Fake ID”. It features the hit, Fake ID, along with two never before released tracks. Pre order your copy before its gone here.

In May of this year the Dwaves also releases a full length LP/DVD, “Are Born Again“. Orders at Shop Radio Cast   for this album include autographed insert and stickers from the band.


Comeback Kid – Turn It Around Back On LTD Vinyl!

Facedown Records have announced the reissue of Comeback Kid’s, “Turn It Around” on colored vinyl, limited to ONLY 600 copies. Turn It Around has been out of print for just about 7 years. With only 600 copies, this will surely sell out quick. . Pre order your copy now



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Dan Peek, Former Third Voice in America, Passes Away

Information is sketchy at this time, but the official site of Dan Peek states that "Dan went to Heaven on July 24, 2011." Peek was one of the original members of the group America, with Gerry Beckley and Dewey Bunnell, from its inception through 1977.

All three members of the group were the sons of U.S. fathers who were in the military and stationed in the U.K., and British mothers and all attended London Central High School. They originally formed the group in 1969, adapting the vocal style of Crosby, Stills and Nash.

Read more at our friends at vintagevinylnews.com



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Video for the Cars' New Single "Free"



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and in music history for today, July 26th:

The Jackson Five signed a one-year contract with Motown Records in 1968.

Also in 1968 - John Lennon and Paul McCartney completed the song "Hey Jude." This was the Beatles longest single, running 7:11, and at the time was the longest song ever released as a single. It was the first long song to get a lot of airplay, as radio stations still preferred short ones so they could play more of them. When this became a hit, stations learned that listeners would stick around if they liked the song, which paved the way for long songs like "American Pie" and "Layla." Disc jockeys were the real winners here, as they could finally take a reasonable bathroom break. This song hit #1 in at least 12 countries and by the end of 1968 had sold more than 5 million copies. It eventually sold over 10 million copies in the United States.



In 1969, the Rolling Stones album "Beggar's Banquet" has its release delayed because of their record label's objection to the album's cover design, which featured a graffiti-covered bathroom wall. Mick Jagger was furious. It was the first album on which Jagger played guitar.

In 1969, Elvis Presley opened at the Showroom of the International Hotel in Las Vegas for a four week engagement which netted him $1 million dollars. The concerts were universally acclaimed as a triumph.

In 1970, Jimi Hendrix played in his home town of Seattle for the last time when he appeared at Sicks Stadium.

In 1974, John Denver earned a Gold record for his all-time biggest hit, "Annie's Song", a tribute to his first wife, Annie Martell. Denver would later say that he wrote the song in 10 minutes while he was on a ski-lift.

The first Beatles Festival was held in Boston in 1974.

In 1975, a song that Van McCoy would later say that he wrote in less than an hour, "The Hustle" became the number one tune on the Billboard Hot 100. The Disco hit would prove to be McCoy's only US Top 40 entry. It reached #3 in the UK.

In 1975, the Eagles started a five-week run at #1 on the US album chart with 'One Of These Nights'.

In 1977, Led Zeppelin canceled the last seven days of their US tour after Robert Plant's son dies of a respiratory virus. They would not play live in the US again until Live Aid.

In 1979, Rolling Stone magazine acknowledged the growing influence of music videos, including Queen's Bohemian Rhapsody.

In 1980, the Rolling Stones started a seven week run at #1 on the US album chart with 'Emotional Rescue', the group's eighth US #1.

Prince's movie "Purple Rain" premiered in Hollywood, CA in 1984.

Peter Gabriel went to #1 on the US singles chart in 1986 with "Sledgehammer."

The film soundtrack to 'Top Gun' went to #1 on the US album chart in 1986.

Brent Mydland, keyboard player for The Grateful Dead, was found dead of a drug overdose in his home in Lafayette, California in 1990. He was 37. He joined the band in 1979, replacing Keith Godchaux.

In 1992, singer and Motown artist, Mary Wells, referred to as 'The First Lady of Motown' and who had a 1964 US #1 and UK #5 single "My Guy," died (age 49) of laryngeal cancer. Forced to give up her career and with no health insurance, forced to sell her home, Wells’ old Motown friends including Diana Ross, Mary Wilson, The Temptations and Martha Reeves, along with Dionne Warwick, Rod Stewart, Bruce Springsteen, Aretha Franklin and Bonnie Raitt, personally pledged donations in support.

In 2000. a US federal judge issued a preliminary injunction against Napster, Inc. The injunction had been requested by the Recording Industry of Association of America (RIAA). The website was ordered to cease trade in music covered by RIAA member copyrights by midnight July 28, 2000.

In 2006, the guitar on which Paul McCartney learned his first chords sold for more than half a million dollars at an auction at London's Abbey Road Studios. The Rex acoustic guitar helped McCartney persuade John Lennon to let him join his band, The Quarrymen, in 1957.

In 2006, the final edition of Top of the Pops was recorded at BBC Television Centre in London. Just under 200 members of the public were in the audience for the show which was co-hosted by veteran disc jockey Sir Jimmy Savile, its very first presenter. Classic performances from the Spice Girls, Wham, Madonna, Beyonce Knowles and Robbie Williams featured in the show alongside the Rolling Stones – who were the very first band to appear on Top of the Pops on New Year's Day in 1964.

birthdays today include my Dad (happy birthday pops!) Darlene Love (73), Mick Jagger (68) and Roger Taylor (Queen) (62) (among others)