Vinyl Record News & Music Notes

for longtime readers and folks just visiting, i will be taking the weekend off (i deserve it!) and resume regular postings on monday the 29th

interesting that there is a demand for cassettes (i never liked their sound quality - or lack of it....)

Indy record label puts spin on cassettes

Najib Aminy

First vinyl made a comeback. Now it's cassettes.

The tape cartridge of the '80s is experiencing a bit of a revival, thanks to a thriving indie music scene and the same bit of nostalgia.

For Karl Hofstetter's Indianapolis- based record label, that means business.

Read the rest at indystar.com

=============

marvelous write up about a legendary soul man

Marvin Gaye’s masterpiece reissued

By Charles Young

To commemorate the 40th anniversary of its release, Motown Record's is reissuing Marvin Gaye's seminal masterwork "What's Going On?" For the reissue, Motown is releasing the album as a deluxe collectors bundle.

Included in the package are two CD's and a vinyl LP. The CD's contain demos, B-sides, and the remastered original album. The LP, also containing the remastered original album, is on 180 gram audiophile quality vinyl.

There isn't much to be said about "What's Going On?" that hasn't already been said. It's the breakthough Vietnam War-era album that helped transform Gaye from a squeaky-clean pop star into a street poet and social philosopher.

Read the rest at thedaonline.com

=============

if you live in the area or just visiting, be sure to stop by their list of vinyl record stores!

Top Spots to Find Vinyl in Pittsburgh

By Brendan Sullivan

Remember vinyl records? They’re those circular slabs of wax with grooves in them and, for the avid music fan, they’re still the best way to listen. The audio quality can’t be beat and holding the album and cover art in your hands is far more engaging than any mp3 file will ever be. Pittsburgh has plenty of places to buy vinyl, so break out that turntable and check out our picks for the best local spots to buy records, both new and used.

See the list at pittsburgh.cbslocal.com

=============

variety.com has a great piece on a new pressing plant!

Vinyl presser meets growing demand

By Christopher Morris

The renascent vinyl LP is cresting at the moment, and true believer Chad Kassem is effortlessly surfing the rising tide.

Vinyl, an industry-mandated white elephant in the compact disc era, is now bouncing back as CD sales plummet. LP sales were up 14% in 2010, and the format grew a staggering 41% during the first six months of 2011, according to Nielsen SoundScan data.

While last year's sales of 2.8 million LPs were not immense, rapid growth has taxed meager existing manufacturing facilities. With major U.S. pressing plants shuttered since the '90s, fewer than 20 American companies currently press LPs.

Earlier this year Kassem filled the void by opening his own plant, Quality Record Pressings, in Salina, Kan

Read more at variety.com

=============

lovely write up how one man's mission for records hasn't changed over the years

I love the smell of vinyl in the morning

Music By Turner By Ed Turner/Special columnist

While conversing the other day with some friends who are fellow “vinyl junkies,” the subject of old local record stores came up.

It’s very encouraging that sales of vinyl are the highest they have been in more than 25 years. Did you know that most any album, new or catalog, is available in this wonderful, old-fashioned format?

From Pink Floyd to Foo Fighters, you can get it on wax. I just love the way it smells and feels when I break the seal on a record and pull the disc out of its protective sheath. Gently placing it on the turntable, the needle drops and musical nirvana is mine. Sweet.

Read the rest at chronicle.augusta.com

=============

this from Blabbermouth:

CRADLE OF FILTH: 'Evermore Darkly…' Artwork Unveiled?

French retailer Fnac has posted what appears to be the cover artwork for "Evermore Darkly…", the new mini-album from British extreme metallers CRADLE OF FILTH. Due on October 10 via Peaceville Records, the follow-up to last year's triumphant "Darkly, Darkly, Venus Aversa" album will arrive as a CD/DVD package including new tracks and rarities, with a lengthy on-the-road documentary and ten songs filmed live at this year's Graspop Metal Meeting in Dessel, Belgium, as well as the video for the song "Lilith Immaculate".

Read the rest at Blabbermouth














=============

Blabbermouh also has this exciting news:

STEVEN TYLER, MASTODON, WOLFMOTHER, FILTER Featured On ZZ TOP Tribute Album

The music and legacy of ZZ TOP that has been part of the world's musical landscape for over 40 years will be celebrated with the October 11 release of "A Tribute From Friends".

The album, to be released by Show Dog/Universal Music, features 11 classic ZZ TOP songs interpreted by top-flight artists working in a broad range of musical genres. All of the album's tracks have been newly recorded, specifically for the project. These include FILTER's performance of "Gimme All Your Lovin'", GRACE POTTER & THE NOCTURNALS' take on "Tush", as well as WYCLEF JEAN's "Rough Boy", "Legs" from NICKELBACK and WOLFMOTHER's interpretation of "Cheap Sunglasses".

Read more and get the tracklist at Blabbermouth










=============

i used to be in love with all the members!

The Beat Goes On

Kathy Valentine unseals her lips about New Wave beauties the Go-Go's 30th anniversary tour.

By William Michael Smith

For parents of a certain mind-set, the Go-Go's were the band they wanted their musically inclined daughters to aspire toward. The first all-female band to top the Billboard 200 with 1982 debut Beauty and the Beat, the Go-Go's had swagger, spit and style to go along with chops, great songs that rocked and some extremely effective music videos.

All five were also that certain type of female who looked like she could either put a liplock on you or kick your ass, but wasn't about to ask permission to do either. The band recently got its own star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. Chatter caught up with Austin-based bassist Kathy Valentine on an off day in Los Angeles.

Read the interview at houstonpress.com

=============

the AARP has a nice write up about our beloved vinyl!

Vinyl Records Are Back

New and vintage album sales are on the rise

by: Gary Dretzka

Vinyl just won't die, even though it's been pronounced dead twice already: once after the introduction of cassettes and eight-tracks, and again after CDs took over the world. Now a growing analog underground of DJs, collectors and music lovers of all stripes is once again buying vinyl records — both new releases and vintage favorites.

Read the rest at aarp.org

=============

Television Personalities Honoured with New Vinyl Reissues

By Alex Hudson

In recent timesTelevision Personalities have kept things current with new albums and contemporary cover songs. This fall, the long-running English indie pop lifers will take a well-deserved look back with a pair of reissues.

Following recent re-releases of their classic 1980 debut ...And Don't the Kids Just Love It and the following year's Mummy Your Not Watching Me, TVPs are giving some much-deserved vinyl reissue treatment to They Could Have Been Bigger Than the Beatles, a collection of singles, demos, outtakes and rarities that was initially intended to mark the band's breakup in 1982. Of course, they got back together soon after, so this compilation ended up being just another celebrated record in the band's lengthy career. This new reissue will come out on vinyl via the label 1972 on October 25.

Read more at exclaim.ca

=============

hey DJ, play a song for me!

A spinner of tunes

Kang Hyun-min, popularly known as DJ Min, is an encyclopaedia of long-forgotten songs

By John M. Glionna, -Los Angeles Times

Kang Hyun-min remembers the first time he slid an album from its cardboard jacket and delicately placed it on the turntable. It was 1979 and Kang's father had made the record player off-limits to the 10-year-old. But home alone one day, the young Kang gave in to his curiosity.

Unable to read English, he knew musicians only by their album-cover art. He grabbed an album by ABBA and set the needle down on a random song. The room was dark and Kang held his face close. He watched the black vinyl spin slowly and was mesmerised. The career of one of Seoul's most popular foreign-music nightclub disc jockeys was born.

Three decades later, vinyl records have been replaced by internet downloads in most DJ booths but the 41-year-old Kang remains loyal to those early sounds.

Read the rest at gulfnews.com

=============

David Crosby and Graham Nash Take Crosby-Nash Tour to Europe Starting September 27

BLUE CASTLE, THE DUO'S NEW RECORD LABEL, TO RELEASE THE HD DVD OF CROSBY-NASH: IN CONCERT WORLDWIDE ON OCTOBER 11, FEATURING A FULL PERFORMANCE PLUS BONUS MATERIAL

Legendary singer-songwriters David Crosby and Graham Nash have been touring the U.S. since early this year. On September 27, the duo kicks off the European leg of their 2011 tour with a show in Dublin. Dates in Europe continue through November 2, with a final show at Teatro Sistina in Rome. Other highlights along the way include shows at Bridgewater Hall in Manchester (9/30), Royal Albert Hall in London (10/8), the Olympia in Paris (10/14), and Admiralspalast in Berlin (10/20).

While Crosby and Nash's storied vocal harmonies are the centerpiece of the show, they will be accompanied on the road by an ace backing band featuring James Raymond (keyboards), Shayne Fontaine (guitar), Kevin McCormick (bass), and Steve DiStanislao (drums). Shows will mix both full band performances and more intimate ones spotlighting just Crosby and Nash.

Earlier this year, Crosby and Nash — who have been harmonizing ever since Crosby, Stills & Nash formed in 1968, and have recorded and toured as a duo for almost as long — launched their new independent label, Blue Castle Records. On October 11, Blue Castle will release globally the HD DVD Crosby-Nash: In Concert. The title features a full concert filmed in high-definition at the Palace Theatre in Stamford, CT on May 22, 2011 during the U.S. portion of the current tour. The show was broadcast live on HDNet, which will air highlights from the DVD surrounding the release date.

Crosby-Nash: In Concert captures inspired versions of career-spanning classics including "Guinevere," "Marrakesh Express," "Deja vu," "Wooden Ships," "Our House," "They Want It All," "Just A Song Before I Go," "Almost Cut My Hair," and "Don't DigHere." The disc's bonus content comprises previously unreleased bonus videos of Crosby & Nash songs, including "Immigration Man," and an intense live version of the non-nuclear anthem "Don't Dig Here," newly produced with footage, graphics, and facts warning against nuclear proliferation. "Don't Dig Here" is also available as a free download on www.crosbynash.com.

Blue Castle's inaugural releases were digital and vinyl versions of the historic live album Another Stoney Evening, an acoustic show recorded on October 10, 1971 at the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion in Los Angeles — one of Crosby and Nash's earliest shows as a duo. In conjunction with the forthcoming tour, Blue Castle will release Another Stoney Evening in Europe on this September, marking the first time it has ever been available there.

David Crosby and Graham Nash have each been inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame twice — once with Crosby, Stills & Nash, and a second time with The Byrds and the Hollies, respectively. They have also been inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame. In addition to Another Stoney Evening, their recorded repertoire as a duo includes Crosby & Nash (1972), Wind On The Water (1975), Whistling Down The Wire (1976), Crosby-Nash (2004), and Highlights (2006).

For more information and tour dates, log on to: www.crosbynash.com

=============

Voltaire - Master of the Macabre, Releases Ninth Album and Embarks on Extensive U.S. Tour This Fall

“Riding a Black Unicorn Down the Side of an Erupting Volcano While Drinking from a Chalice Filled with the Laughter of Small Children” is Voltaire’s latest full-length outing released on his Mars Needs Music imprint on September 6, 2011. This ninth album features a host of alternative music legends along with artwork by famed fantasy artist, Daarken. After premiering at the upcoming DragonCon in Atlanta, a 26 date U.S. tour follows leading up to Halloween - a holiday on which macabre renaissance man Voltaire is an expert.


“Riding a Black Unicorn Down the Side of an Erupting Volcano While Drinking from a Chalice Filled with the Laughter of Small Children” is Voltaire’s latest full-length outing released on his Mars Needs Music imprint on September 6, 2011. This ninth album features a host of celebrated alternative players, including: David J (Bauhaus, Love & Rockets), Brian Viglione (Dresden Dolls), Melora Creager (Rasputina), Franz Nicolay (The World/Inferno Friendship Society, Guignol), Hannah Thiem (Copal, Nyxss) and The Red Hook Ramblers. The stunning cover art was created by legendary fantasy artist, Daarken; best known for his World of Warcraft, Warhammer, and Magic the Gathering illustrations.

Voltaire (Aurelio Voltaire Hernandez) is often described as a modern day renaissance man of the macabre. He is a singer/performer, animator, author, comic book writer, and toy creator. As a musician, Voltaire’s music can best be described as a collection of murder ballads, tongue-in-cheek exercises in the ghoulish and spooky, with just enough bawdy songs about Star Trek and Star Wars to keep a convention audience rolling in the aisles. “Riding a Black Unicorn…” (a title taken from a description of Voltaire’s music by an earnest fan), is a bewitching assortment of nine songs ranging from the exalted title track; to the hilarious “Dirtiest Song That Ain’t” sing-a-long; to the steampunk whimsy of “Mechanical Girl”; to the haunting proclamations of “Innocent”.

Voltaire is an established on-camera expert on alternative, horror, goth and steampunk lifestyles. He has appeared on the macabre hit TV show, “Oddities”, as well on the SyFy Channel, Fox News, Bravo, and MTV. A computer-animated Voltaire has also led several special Friday the 13th campaigns on the 16 million-user massively multiplayer online role-playing game, AdventureQuest Worlds. He also authored the popular gothic lifestyle guidebooks, “What is Goth?” and “Paint It Black”.

Furthering his reputation for artistic over-achievement, Voltaire has also just hit the indie film festival circuit with, “Odokuro”, the fifth installment in his other worldly, award-winning stop-motion animation, “Chimerascope Series” narrated by New Wave legend, Gary Numan. His prior films were narrated by Debbie Harry (Blondie), Richard Butler (Psychedelic Furs), Gerard Way (My Chemical Romance), and Danny Elfman (Oingo Boingo).

Voltaire has performed to tens of thousands allover North America and Europe over the past fifteen plus years. He has headlined at such venues as: CBGBs (New York), The Vic (Chicago), The Trocadero (Philadelphia), and The Showbox (Seattle); as well as sell out shows at Dragoncon; playing before 4,000+ for the three nights in a row! This fall, Voltaire embarks on a five-week nationwide tour that promises to be a full-on bawdy cabaret with This Way to the Egress, The Hellblinki Sextet, and local burlesque talent.

Voltaire’s “The Black Unicorn Cabaret Tour” with This Way to the Egress & The Hellblinki Sextet

For more information on Voltaire, please visit:
www.Voltaire.net
www.youtube.com/voltairenyc
www.facebook.com/VoltaireFanPage

=============

this from our friends at vinylcollective.com

Nirvana – Nevermind 4XLP Reissue

A reissue of Nirvana’s, “Nevermind” has been set for September 27th on a 4XLP, which contains never before released B-sides and recordings. The LP set will be 180 gram and contains a total of 40 tracks. You can pre order it now here.












Track Listing

(Original Album)
‘Smells Like Teen Spirit’
‘In Bloom’
‘Come As You Are’
‘Breed’
‘Lithium’
‘Polly’
‘Territorial Pissings’
‘Drain You’
‘Lounge Act’
‘Stay Away’
‘On A Plain’
‘Something In The Way’

(The B-Sides)
‘Even In His Youth’
‘Aneurysm’
‘Curmudgeon’
‘D-7′ live At The BBC
‘Been A Son’ live
‘School’ live
‘Drain You’ live
‘Sliver’ live
‘Polly’ live

(The Smart Studio Sessions)
‘In Bloom’ previously unreleased
‘Immodium’ (Breed) previously unreleased
‘Lithium’ previously unreleased
‘Polly Previously’ unreleased mix
‘Pay To Play’
‘Here She Comes Now’
‘Dive’ previously unreleased
‘Sappy’ previously unreleased

(The Boombox Rehearsals)
‘Smells Like Teen Spirit’
‘Verse Chorus Verse’ previously unreleased
‘Territorial Pissings’ previously unreleased
‘Lounge Act’ previously unreleased
‘Come As You Are’
‘Old Age’ previously unreleased
‘Something In The Way’ previously unreleased
‘On A Plain’ previously unreleased

(BBC Sessions)
‘Drain You’ previously unreleased
‘Something In The Way’ previously unreleased

=============

and in music history for today, August 26th:

In 1967, Jimi Hendrix's "Purple Haze" was released. Although it is now considered a Rock 'n' Roll classic, the single only reached #65 on the Billboard chart.



Also in 1967, Bobbi Gentry's "Ode To Billie Joe" claimed the top spot on the Billboard Hot 100. The record would also become an international hit and later win three Grammy Awards. In 1976, the song was adapted into a motion picture which showed Billie Joe and his girlfriend throwing a rag doll off the Tallahatchie Bridge, although Bobbie Gentry has never revealed what she had in mind when she wrote the song.

In 1970, Duane Allman sat in with Eric Clapton for the recording of the Derek & the Dominos album

Also in 1970, Jimi Hendrix made his last live appearance in the UK at the Isle of Wight festival. On September 18th, he would die from an overdose of sleeping pills.

In 1972, A New York quartet called Looking Glass had the number one tune in the US with "Brandy". Despite the success of the song, the band could muster only one more chart hit, "Jimmy Loves Mary-Anne" the following year.



1973, 10CC made their live debut at the Palace Lido Isle of Man at the start of an U.K. tour.

In 1976, Donna Summer groans and sighs her way through her erotic Disco hit "Love To Love You Baby" on American Bandstand. Even though the song reached #2 in America, Donna later admitted that she was not completely sure of some of the lyrics, and parts of the song were improvised during the recording.

The Pretenders played their first public gig in 1977, opening for Strangeways.

In 1978, Frankie Valli went to #1 on the US singles chart with the Barry Gibb song “Grease.” It went on to sell more than 2 million copies in the U.S.

Also in 1978, a crowd of 80,000 people attended the first Canada Jam Festival held at Mosport Park, just north of Bowmanville Ontario. The show featured sets by The Doobie Brothers, The Commodores, Kansas, Dave Mason and The Atlanta Rhythm Section.

In 1981, 67 year-old Lee Hays, a co-founder of an influential American Folk music quartet The Weavers and co-writer of "If I Had A Hammer", suffered a fatal heart attack at his New York home.

In 1987, Sonny Bono, who once said that he never voted until age 53, announced that he was running for mayor of Palm Springs, California. Sonny said he was frustrated over the red tape he faced for a remodeling project at his Italian restaurant. He would win the election in 1988 and serve until 1992. He failed in a Senate race later that year, but won a seat in Congress in 1996. Bono died in a skiing accident on January 6th, 1998, at the age of 62.

In 1989, Ringo Starr won a court case to stop the release of music that he recorded while in a less than desirable state. good...

In 1990, at a show in Alpine Valley, WI, Stevie Ray Vaughan & Double Trouble were joined for the encore by Eric Clapton, Buddy Guy, Jimmy Vaughan and Robert Cray.

In 1995, Ronnie White of the Miracles died of leukemia at the age of 56. As one of the founding members of Motown singing group, he was the only one to survive all of their line-up changes. He is also noted as the man who discovered Stevie Wonder, then White's 11-year-old neighbor, and brought him to the attention of Motown head, Berry Gordy Jr.

Creed released their debut album 'My Own Prison' in 1997.

In 2003, Rolling Stone magazine named Jimi Hendrix as the greatest guitarist in rock history. Eric Clapton, Jimmy Page, Keith Richards, Chuck Berry, Stevie Ray Vaughan and Ry Cooder also made the top 10.

In 2004, pop star Laura Branigan died in her sleep at her home in East Quogue, New York after suffering a brain aneurysm. She was 47 years old. Branigan was one of the world's biggest female pop stars of the 80s with hits like "Gloria", "Self Control" and "Solitaire".

In 2009, Ellie Greenwich, who wrote and co-wrote such classic pop songs as "Chapel of Love", "River Deep, Mountain High", "Leader of the Pack" and "Be My Baby", passed away at the age of 68.

In 2010, Britain's EMI Records confirmed that Iron Maiden's latest album 'The Final Frontier' debuted at #1 in 21 countries around the world. Just under four years earlier, the band's last studio LP, "A Matter Of Life And Death" also entered the pan-European chart at the top.

celebrating birthdays today include (among others): Maurice Williams (Maurice Williams & the Zodiacs) (73), Nik Turner (Hawkwind) (71), Maureen Tucker (Velvet Underground) (67), Shirley Manson (Garbage) (45)