RICHARD HAWLEY - Standing At The Sky’s Edge OUT TOMORROW 8/28
Following the success of his award-winning, critically acclaimed 2009 album Truelove’s Gutter, Richard Hawley will release Standing At The Sky’s Edge tomorrow, August 28th on CD (including US-only bonus track) and LP.
Recorded in Sheffield at Yellow Arch Studio in 2011, Standing At The Sky’s Edge marks a seismic shift in direction for Richard. Mirroring the blasted industrial sunsets of Sheffield, Hawley partners his distinctive fluid snarl with blazing electric guitar, spray-painting his audiences senses with a new sound, embracing the ever-changing landscape around him. The overall effect is hypnotic and psychedelic, casting a euphoric stage for Hawley to unleash some of his most tender moments to date.
Mourning the passing of friends and contemplating his place in the universe, Hawley urges us to accept how tiny we are and embrace the time we are given. Hawley says of the song, "If we could just allow ourselves to be liberated by the fact that this is our only time here, we could just get on with what really matters."
Hawley says of the album, "I wanted to get away from the orchestration of my previous records and make a live album with two guitars, bass, drums and rocket noises!"
TRACKLIST:
She Brings The Sunlight
Standing At The Sky’s Edge
Time Will Bring You Winter
Down In The Woods
Seek It
Don’t Stare At The Sun
The Wood Collier’s Grave
Leave Your Body Behind You
Before
You Haunt Me * (US CD-ONLY Bonus Track)
"Down In The Woods" is the new single
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from our friends at Sundazed (i remember these songs very well, i still love the old sound....)
A Salute To The Girl Groups Of The 60's
The Ronettes - Presenting the Fabulous Ronettes featuring Veronica LP
Originally released in time for 1964's Christmas season, the Ronettes' one and only Philles LP is considered by many to be the crown jewel of the label's catalogue, representing the ultimate expression of Phil Spector's girl-group ideal.
Fronted by the impossibly charismatic Veronica Bennett, aka Ronnie Spector, the Ronettes combined girlish innocence and playful sexiness in a manner that struck a responsive chord with listeners in the '60s, and continues to do so five decades later. With Phil's surging Wall of Sound arrangements meeting their match in the kittenish vocals of Ronnie and her sister Estelle Bennett and cousin Nedra Talley, it's not hard to understand why the Ronettes effortlessly held their own with the British Invasion acts that otherwise dominated the pop scene in 1964.
Although the Ronettes are principally known as a singles act, Presenting the Fabulous Ronettes featuring Veronica is a remarkably consistent and cohesive set that collects all of the trio's early hits, including such enduring pop masterpieces as "Be My Baby," "Baby (I Love You)," "Walking In The Rain," "Do I Love You?," "(The Best Part Of) Breaking Up," "You Baby" and the Ronettes' original version of "Chapel of Love" (which predates the Dixie Cups' hit version). It's hard to imagine a more consistent collection of perfect pop bliss, or a more excellent expression of girl group greatness.
TRACK LIST
1. Walking In The Rain
2. Do I Love You?
3. So Young
4. (The Best Part Of) Breakin’ Up
5. I Wonder
6. What’d I Say
7. Be My Baby
8. You Baby
9. Baby, I Love You
10. How Does It Feel?
11. When I Saw You
12. Chapel Of Love
Order at
Sundazed
The Crystals - Twist Uptown LP
The Crystals' first LP Twist Uptown, originally released in the summer of 1962, occupies an important position in Phil Spector's remarkable body of work. As the first full album produced by Spector and the first LP to be released on his legendary Philles label, it's a crucial cornerstone in the building of the fabled Wall of Sound. Beyond its historic significance, though, Twist Uptown retains a timeless resonance, thanks to Spector’s seminal studio wizardry and the Crystals' sweet-but-streetwise vocal magic.
The New York-based Crystals, all of whom were still in their teens at the time, were handpicked by Spector as the first act signed to Philles, and the first performers to receive the full-on Wall of Sound studio treatment. The quintet quickly scored major successes with their Spector-produced singles "There's No Other (Like My Baby)" and "Uptown." The latter, penned by Brill building stalwarts Barry Mann and Cynthia Weil, also made history for introducing a new level of gritty social realism to pop.
Indeed, Twist Uptown perfectly embodies the combination of yearning innocence and worldlier emotions that would come to define Spector's greatest work. In addition to the aforementioned classics and the minor hit "Oh Yeah, Maybe Baby," the album features such lesser-known girl-group gems as "I Love You Eddie," "Please Hurt Me," "What A Nice Way to Turn Seventeen" and the one-of-a-kind oddity "Frankenstein Twist," along with an early version "On Broadway," actually recorded before the Drifters' reworked hit version, and an upbeat take on the Carla Thomas chestnut "Gee Whiz."
TRACK LIST
1. Uptown
2. Another Country—Another World
3. Frankenstein Twist
4. Oh Yeah, Maybe Baby
5. Please Hurt Me
6. There’s No Other (Like My Baby)
7. On Broadway
8. What A Nice Way To Turn Seventeen
9. No One Ever Tells You
10. Gee Whiz-Look At His Eyes (Twist)
11. I Love You Eddie
Order at
Sundazed
The Crystals - He's a Rebel LP
Although it was assembled quickly in 1963 to take advantage of the chart success of its eponymous title anthem, the Crystals' second album is a near-perfect summation of this seminal girl group's effortless appeal and the surging majesty of Spector's production genius. Between the group's winsome vocals, the massed muscle of Spector's legendary studio band the Wrecking Crew, and the stellar songwriting of such Brill Building pros as Carole King, Gerry Goffin, Barry Mann, Cynthia Weil and Doc Pomus, He's A Rebel is one of the most beloved items in the Philles Records catalogue.
While most listeners didn’t know it at the time, the Gene Pitney-penned "He's A Rebel" was actually recorded by Darlene Love and her studio group the Blossoms, and released under the Crystals' name. Love also takes the lead on the effervescent hit "He's Sure the Boy I Love." Under any name, however, these are among the most thrilling items in the Spector canon.
Along with such memorable early Crystals classics as "Uptown," "There’s No Other (Like My Baby)" and "Oh Yeah, Maybe Baby," He's A Rebel also features the controversial Goffin/King composition "He Hit Me (It Felt Like A Kiss)." Originally released as a single in 1962, the song's emotionally raw subject matter scared off radio programmers, and Spector quickly had it withdrawn from release. In the years since, the song has gained near-mythical status, and its inclusion here is a handy reminder of the power of Spector's singular artistry.
TRACK LIST
1. He’s A Rebel
2. Uptown
3. Another Country-Another World
4. Frankenstein Twist
5. Oh Yeah, Maybe Baby
6. He’s Sure The Boy I Love
7. There’s No Other Like My Baby
8. On Broadway
9. What A Nice Way To Turn Seventeen
10. No One Ever Tells You
11. He Hit Me (It Felt Like A Kiss)
12. I Love You Eddie
Order at
Sundazed
Bobb B. Soxx and the Blue Jeans - Zip-A-Dee-Doo-Dah LP
One of the most talented acts in Phil Spector's stellar recording stable, Bob B. Soxx and the Blue Jeans featured the great Darlene Love, one of Spector's favorite vocal muses; Fanita James, who also sang alongside Love in the ubiquitous studio vocal group the Blossoms; and Bob B. Soxx himself, aka renowned singer Bobby Sheen, a legend in West Coast R&B circles. The trio's uncanny abilities provided Spector with an ideal vehicle to perfect his musical formula, making the trio's 1963 album Zip-A-Dee-Doo-Dah one of the most enchanting items in the Philles Records catalogue.
Recorded in the hallowed environs of L.A.'s Gold Star Studios with backup from the legendary Wrecking Crew, Zip-A-Dee-Doo-Dah finds the trio cutting loose on a high-energy set that includes the Disney-inspired title hit and the infectious "Why Do Lovers Break Each Other’s Heart?" Love's powerful vocals are also featured on "My Heart Beat a Little Faster" and the Jackie DeShannon-penned "Jimmy Baby," while the ever-soulful Sheen is showcased on such tunes as "Dear (Here Comes My Baby)" and "Everything's Gonna Be All Right." Meanwhile, a left-field reading of Woody Guthrie's "This Land Is Your Land" and the album-closing instrumental "Dr. Kaplan's Office" demonstrate Spector's quirkier side.
TRACK LIST
1. Zip-A-Dee-Doo-Dah
2. Why Do Lovers Break Each Other’s Heart?
3. Let The Good Times Roll
4. My Heart Beats A Little Faster
5. Jimmy Baby
6. Baby (I Love You)
7. White Cliffs Of Dover
8. This Land Is Your Land
9. Dear (Here Comes My Baby)
10. I Shook The World
11. Everything’s Gonna Be All Right
12. Dr. Kaplan’s Office
Order at
Sundazed
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REAL GONE MUSIC’S EARLY FALL RELEASES
Dion, Shoes, Zacherle, David Cassidy and Grateful Dead reissues on Real Gone Music for early Fall.
LOS ANGELES, Calif. — Real Gone Music’s early Fall releases, due out October 2, 2012, are highlighted by Dion’s The Complete Laurie Singles, featuring the multi-decade superstar’s most famous and influential solo recordings (both A and B sides) plus 35 Years: The Definitive Shoes Collection 1977-2012, a 21-song chronicle of both indie and major label recordings by Midwest power-pop legends Shoes.
If that weren’t enough, Real Gone Music also resurrects David Cassidy’s 1985 Romance album, and anticipates Halloween with a twofer (Monster Mash/Scary Tales) from the Cameo-Parkway catalog of the cool ghoul, John Zacherle. Finally, the Grateful Dead’s Dick’s Picks series continues with Dick’s Picks Vol. 27—Oakland Coliseum Arena, Oakland, CA 12/16/92, the only volume of the Dick’s Picks series to feature the final Dead line-up featuring Vince Welnick on keyboard.
Dion DiMucci’s original Laurie singles, the very tracks that established him as a superstar solo act during the ’60s, have never all been collected in one place. Real Gone Music’s 36-track The Complete Laurie Singles collection features all the single sides, both A and B, that Dion recorded for Laurie in their original mono single mixes, including the early singles that sparked his solo success, the sides that Laurie released after Dion signed with Columbia in 1962 (Dion was the first rock ’n’ roll artist to sign with that hallowed label), and, finally, the radically different and progressive singles from his triumphant return to the Laurie label, beginning with "Abraham, Martin and John" in 1968. It would be hard to find the original mono single mixes of any of these songs except for the big hits, and some of these songs (e.g. the later singles and the B-sides) aren’t on CD at all. Remastered from the original tapes at Capitol Studios by Kevin Bartley with assistance from Andrew Sandoval, and featuring liner notes by compilation producer Ed Osborne that include vintage photos of Dion, shots of the original singles and exclusive quotes from Dion himself, this two-CD set is a must for any Dion fan or collector, and encapsulates the Laurie years of this legendary artist like no other release before or since. Highlights include such chart-top hits as "The Wanderer," "Little Diane," "Love Came to Me," "Sandy," "Lonely Teenager," "Lovers Who Wander" and of course "Abraham, Martin & John." (Dion is still making credible music today as the solid new blues album titled Tank Full of Blues attests.)
Improbably hailing from the dry, church-dominated town of Zion, Ill. on the banks of Lake Michigan, Shoes were formed, like a lot of rock bands, by three kids who were just looking for something to do. The difference? Very few bands — none actually come to mind — write and perform perfectly crafted power pop songs for 35 years and counting. Indeed, Gary Klebe and brothers John and Jeff Murphy reign as deans of the entire power pop scene. And now, concurrent with the release of Ignition, their first new studio album in 18 years, and Boys Don’t Lie: A History of Shoes, a behind-the-scenes biography detailing their odyssey through the musical industry, Shoes and Real Gone Music have teamed to release the first-ever career-spanning retrospective of the band. 35 Years—The Definitive Shoes Collection includes 21 tracks chosen by Shoes and taken from all eight of their studio albums that saw an official release, starting with the DIY masterpiece of 1977, Black Vinyl Shoes, through the three albums (Present Tense, Tongue Twister and Boomerang) released on Elektra, the three albums (Silhouette, Stolen Wishes and Propeller) the band self-released in the ’80s and ’90s, and culminating in a newly-released track, "Say It Like You Mean It," from Ignition. Included are classic Shoe-tunes like "Tomorrow Night," "Too Late," "She Satisfies," "In My Arms Again" and "Feel the Way That I Do." The liner notes by Stephen "Spaz" Schnee feature fresh, exclusive interviews with the band and pictures from their private archives. Whether you’re a long-time fan or new to Shoes’ sublime power pop pleasures, 35 Years—the Definitive Shoes Collection 1977-2012 is essential.
Straight from the crypts, er, vaults of Cameo Parkway comes this fiendish find, a gruesome twosome of vintage albums, Monster Mash/Scary Tales, from the Cool Ghoul himself, the original TV horror host, Zacherle. The first of these albums hit #44 on the charts, as it boasts Zach’s Top Ten hit, "Dinner With Drac" (plus, as one of four bonus tracks, its flipside, "Dinner with Drac Pt. 2"), but his sleeve notes alone are worth the price of admission — and these albums come to you in original "moan-o." None other than Zach acolyte (Zacholyte?) John Sebastian chips in with new notes, too. The albums are back in print in America following a long absence, just in time for Halloween.
The Romance album, David Cassidy’s first and only for Arista, was withheld from the American market upon its original release in 1985. Which, one suspects, may have sparked some second guessing in the label’s corporate suites after it scored a Top 10 hit in the U.K. with "The Last Kiss," which featured George Michael on vocals. "She Knows All About Boys" was a European smash as well, while the album itself went to #20 on the British charts. Romance is also notable for being the only ’80s release from the former Partridge Family teen idol, and for the production and songwriting work of Alan Tarney (a-ha, Squeeze, Leo Sayer, Matthew Sweet). Nevertheless, this reissue marks the first time Romance has been released in any form in the U.S. Mike Ragogna’s liner notes place this long-lost recording in context of Cassidy’s one-of-a-kind career.
"Dick" was Dick Latvala, the official tape archivist for the Grateful Dead until 1999, whose inspiration and encyclopedic knowledge of the band’s vaults spawned the fabled Dick’s Picks series of live Dead concert recordings. The 36-volume Dick’s Picks follows the band on its long, strange trip through a multitude of eras, tours and venues, featuring handpicked shows that display the band at its visionary, improvisational height. Dick’s Picks Vol. 27—Oakland Coliseum Arena, Oakland, CA 12/16/92 is the only Dick’s Picks volume to feature the final Dead line-up, with Vince Welnick assuming all keyboard duties after the departure of Bruce Hornsby, and, fittingly enough, it provides quite the showcase for the ex-Tubes keyboardist’s vocal chops on the unexpected covers of the Who’s "Baba O’Riley" and the Beatles’ "Tomorrow Never Knows." Those are two of the four bonus songs taken from the next night’s show at the same venue; the rest of this 3-CD set presents the complete 12/16/92 Oakland show, which offers among its treasures a rare (albeit abbreviated), ‘90s reading of "Dark Star," a great, Pigpen-tribute rendition of "Good Lovin’," Bob Weir’s reading of Willie Dixon’s "The Same Thing" and a marvelously exploratory "Playing in the Band/Drums/Space" segment. The set preserves one of the best ‘90s Dead shows, presented in HDCD sound, previously unavailable in stores.
About Real Gone Music
Real Gone Music, formed and helmed by industry vets Gordon Anderson and Gabby Castellana, is an eclectic and prolific catalog and reissue label with distribution through Razor & Tie. Anderson and Castellana each started businesses in 1993 — Collectors’ Choice Music and Hep Cat Records & Distribution, respectively — that became two of the most important outlets for buyers and sellers of vintage music recordings. They joined forces in 2011 to launch Real Gone Music, which serves both the collector community and the casual music fan with a robust release schedule combining big-name artists with esoteric cult favorites. Real Gone Music is dedicated to combing the vaults for sounds that aren’t just gone — they’re REAL gone.
October 2 releases from Real Gone Music:
Dion: The Complete Laurie Singles
Shoes: 35 Years—the Definitive Shoes Collection
Zacherle: Monster Mash/Scary Tales
David Cassidy: Romance
Grateful Dead: Dick’s Picks Vol. 27—Oakland Coliseum Arena, Oakland, CA 12/16/92
Available October 2, 2012. Pre-Order Coming Soon.
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Dethklok Releasing New Album This Fall
Dethklok have scheduled an October 16, 2012 North America release date for their new album called, 'Metalocalypse: Dethklok Dethalbum III.' The Dethalbum III is once again co-produced by Metalocalypse co-creator Brendon Small and Dethklok producer Ulrich Wild. The cover art was also illustrated by The Dethalbum and Dethalbum II cover artist Antonio Canobbio.
Dethalbum III will not only be released in its original CD and digital format, but also as a Deluxe Edition CD/DVD and a clean version of the CD. The Deluxe Edition CD/DVD will include a 32-minute behind-the-scenes documentary of the making of Dethalbum III, as well as music videos and much more. A vinyl edition of the album with special etching will be released on November 6, 2012.
Tracklist
1. I Ejaculate Fire
2. Crush the Industry
3. Andromeda
4. The Galaxy
5. Starved
6. Killstardo Abominate
7. Ghostqueen
8. Impeach God
9. Biological Warfare
10. Skyhunter
11. The Hammer
12. Rejoin
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Weapon - Embers and Revelations LP (Maroon)
After two stellar albums of filthy blackened death metal, Bangladesh by way of Canada’s WEAPON make their blasphemous Relapse debut with ‘Embers and Revelations’.
Pressing Info: First Press 10/9/12
500 x Standard Gram Black
500 x Maroon
100 x Clear (Not Available to the Public)
Pre-Order at
Relapse
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from our friends at polyvinylrecords.com
Six years after its original release, Xiu Xiu's groundbreaking -- and previously out of print -- fifth album The Air Force makes its return this fall!
Featuring re-imagined artwork by Xiu Xiu frontman Jamie Stewart and his brother, longtime Xiu Xiu designer Joe Stewart, the record is now available on 180-gram vinyl for the first time.
Originally awarded an 8.0 by Pitchfork, The Air Force "make[s] romance sound like a good horror flick" (SPIN).
In stores October 9. Pre-orders ship September 28.
Prog-metal titans of industry Between the Buried and Me are readying their latest full-length The Parallax II: Future Sequence for an Oct. 9 release via Metal Blade, produced by longtime BTBAM collaborator Jamie King.
The 72-minute album is available for pre-order on 2XLP on marbled vinyl (1 LP Grey, 1 LP Light Blue). The gatefold jacket also comes with four color inserts.
The Parallax II: Future Sequence was recorded at The Basement Studios in Winston-Salem, NC with longtime friend of the band and producer Jamie King. Jamie engineered, mixed and mastered The Parallax II: Future Sequence, which makes this the sixth release Jamie and BTBAM have worked together on. The new album, which clocks in at approximately 72 minutes, features artwork from Charlotte, North Carolina artist and designer Chandler Owen (Underoath, Shai Hulud, and Hopesfall).
Regarding the concept of The Parallax II: Future Sequence, the new full-length album picks up where the 2011 EP, The Parallax: Hypersleep Dialogues, left off. "The two main characters of the story take on a journey through space and time with the unenviable task of having to cure the flaws of humanity by any means necessary. While the EP served mostly as an introduction to the characters, Future Sequence contains the action of the story. The lyrics are written in the stream of consciousness style, which really helps to capture the perspective and emotion of the characters. We really enjoyed the challenge of writing this record, and I think we were all pleasantly surprised with how well the music and lyrics jived with one another. I couldn't be happier with how Future Sequence turned out," comments guitarist Paul Waggoner.
Vocalist and keyboardist Tommy Rogers adds his thoughts on the musical direction of The Parallax II: Future Sequence. "This album is BETWEEN THE BURIED AND ME on steroids. I feel like we have created an album that perfectly mirrors the band we've been trying to create since day one. An album that has sounds that will stimulate many genres and music fans alike. A conceptual journey that takes the listener to worlds that seem familiar and worlds that make you scratch your head. From start to finish this is music we want to create, not music we think people want us to create. We create songs that keep us (and hopefully you) excited about heavy music. Keep listening something new will be there each time. Enjoy the music we enjoyed writing it."
