Music News

Creed Hammering Out Reunion Details

Jonathan Cohen, N.Y.

As first tipped here last month, Creed is hammering out details for a lucrative 2009 reunion tour, sources tell Billboard. The Scott Stapp-led group, which was one of the top sellers of the past decade, has not performed since a rancorous split in June 2004.

Stapp promptly embarked on a solo career, while guitarist Mark Tremonti, drummer Scott Phillips and original bassist Brian Marshall formed Alter Bridge with vocalist Myles Kennedy and released two albums. The 2004 Wind-Up debut, "One Day Remains," sold 496,000 copies in the United States, according to Nielsen SoundScan; a 2006 follow-up for Universal, "Blackbird," has moved 227,000.

However, Kennedy is rumored to be the top contender to replace Robert Plant for a tour with Led Zeppelin's Jimmy Page and John Paul Jones. And following a recent USO tour performing for American servicemen oversees, Stapp is said to be in prime physical and mental condition.

As such, there are "significant dollars" on the table for a Creed trek, according to sources close to the situation, who say an official announcement could be imminent. A spokesperson for Wind-Up tells Billboard, "There have been some talks, but it would be premature to comment on them at this time."

Creed has sold 26.1 million albums in the United States since 1997, according to Nielsen SoundScan. The group was also a significant touring presence, having grossed more than $70.3 million from 220 shows reported to Billboard Boxscore between Nov. 1997 and Dec. 2002.

SOURCE: http://www.billboard.com

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Kanye, Guns N' Roses Post Slow Debut-Week Sales

Ed Christman, N.Y.

While mainstream media is touting that the Black Friday weekend started the holiday selling season with a bang, music merchandisers certainly didn't have that experience.

Music sales were down anywhere from 10% to 30% and hit albums released for Black Friday didn't perform up to expectations, according to merchants contacted by Billboard. Sources say Kanye West's "808s & Heartbreak" will sell in the range of 425,000-450,000 units, significantly down from 700,000-975,000 units previously projected.

Guns N' Roses' "Chinese Democracy" is expected to clock in at 250,000-260,000, which is also down from expectations that it would sell anywhere from 300,000-784,000 units.

While some press reports show across-the-board retail weekend sales up 7%, music merchandisers point out that in order to accurately measure the holiday, it should be measured the week containing Black Friday this year, which was the last week in November, versus last year when the day fell in the third week of the month.

At music specialty stores Newbury Comics, sales were down 21% on a comparable store basis for the last two weeks of November, while music sales were down 28%, reports the Brighton, Mass.-based chain's CEO, Mike Dreese.

At big boxes like Wal-Mart and Barnes & Noble, label executives report that hit sales were off significantly for the Black Friday weekend, anywhere from 30% to 40%.

On the other hand, as expected, online shopping was stronger than last year, says an executive with a wholesaler that does CD and DVD fulfillment for online stores. But he declined to provide details, other than to say that Friday was better than Thursday, for the first time.

"I hear traffic was high, but overall purchasing wasn't because shoppers were cherry-picking the deals," says one senior distribution executive.

SOURCE: http://www.billboard.com

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My Chemical Romance Side Project Sets Release Date

Although its debut has the same title as a very, very well known Elliott Smith album, Leathermouth has a lot more in common with My Chemical Romance than the indie singer/songwriter.

Led by My Chem guitarist Frank Iero, Leathermouth, which signed to Epitaph in October, will drop its debut, XO from the punk label Jan. 27. We're not sure if the New Jersey hardcore/punk act plans on calling its sophomore effort Figure 8 or, in an attempt to make things really confusing, starts stealing record titles from Leatherface instead.

XO's track listing is:

5th Period Massacre
Catch Me If You Can
This Song Is About Being Attacked By Monsters
I Am Going To Kill The President Of The United States Of America
Murder Was The Case That They Gave Me
Sunsets Are For Muggings
My Lovenote Has Gone Flat
Your Friends Are Full Of Shit
Bodysnatchers 4 Ever
Leviathan

SOURCE: http://www.aversion.com

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Neko Case Reveals Cover, Song Titles

You know an album has a lot of potential if on its cover it features a winning trifecta of Neko Case, a muscle car and a sword, right?


Case nailed down a release date for her Middle Cyclone -- March 3 from Anti -- while revealing a cover that looks like she's shooting for a place in '70s hard-rock history rather than modern-day alt-country. She also unveiled a list of collaborators who lent a hand on the record, including Calexico, M.Ward and the Lilys. Middle Cyclone follows up 2006's Fox Confessor Brings the Flood (review) (Anti).

Middle Cyclone's track listing is:

This Tornado Loves You
The Next Time You Say Forever
People Got A Lotta Nerve
Polar Nettles
Vengeance Is Sleeping
Never Turn Your Back On Mother Earth
Middle Cyclone
Fever
Magpie To The Morning
I'm An Animal
Prison Girls
Don't Forget Me
The Pharaohs
Red Tide
Marais La Nuit

SOURCE: http://www.aversion.com

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Kanye Edges GNR, Ludacris For No. 1 Debut

Katie Hasty, N.Y.

Kanye West earns his third straight No. 1 on The Billboard 200 as "808s & Heartbreak" bows in the top slot. The Roc-A-Fella/Def Jam set moved 450,000 copies in the U.S., according to Nielsen SoundScan, the artist's lowest debut sales frame since his first album, "The College Dropout," bowed with 441,000 in 2004.

His last release, "Graduation," began with 957,000 at No. 1 last year, while sophomore set "Late Registration" checked in with 860,000 at No. 1 in 2005.

With the help of Thanksgiving sale prices and a performance from the singer at the Nov. 23 American Music Awards, sales for Taylor Swift's Big Machine album "Fearless" increase 23% to 267,000, pushing the set up 4-2.

At No. 3 with 261,000 is Guns N' Roses' Best Buy exclusive "Chinese Democracy" (Black Frog/Geffen), the first studio album of original material from the group since 1991. GNR's last studio efforts, "Use Your Illusion I" and "Use Your Illusion II," debuted at Nos. 2 and 1 respectively, with 685,000 and 770,000 after being released on the same day in 1991.

Since then, the act has charted with a covers set (1993's "The Spaghetti Incident?" with a 190,000 debut), a live effort (1999's "Live Era '87 - '93;" 60,000) and the 2004 "Greatest Hits" package (169,000).

Beyonce's "I Am ... Sasha Fierce" (Music World/Columbia) declines by 47% in its second week, dropping 1-4 with 257,000. Debuting right behind at No. 5 is Ludacris' "Theater of the Mind" (DTP/Def Jam) with 213,000. It's the first time one of the rapper's albums debuted anywhere but No. 1 since 2001's "Word of Mouf" bowed and peaked at No. 3.

The Killers' third album, "Day & Age" (Island) enters at No. 6 with 193,000. Its 2006 predecessor, "Sam's Town," bowed at No. 2 with 315,000.

After debuting at No. 2 last week, Nickelback's "Dark Horse" (Roadrunner) slips to No. 7 on a 46% decline to 178,000. Chop Shop/Atlantic's soundtrack to the runaway hit film "Twilight" falls 6-8 with 162,000 (+29%) while the multi-label "Now 29" hits compilation earns a 26% sales increase to 145,000, slipping 7-9. David Cook's self-titled 19 Recordings/RCA debut rounds out the top tier, descending 3-10 with 112,000 (-60%).

Other debuts this week include Barry Manilow's "Greatest Songs of the Eighties" (Arista) at No. 14 with 78,000, the Coldplay EP "Prospekt's March" (Capitol) at No. 15 with 77,000, Trace Adkins' "X: Ten" (Capitol Nashville) at No. 32 with 37,000, Jeremy Camp's "Speaking Louder Than Words" (Tooth & Nail) at No. 38 with 32,000 and Linkin Park's "Road to Revolution" (Warner Bros.) at No. 41 with 31,000.

At 12.15 million units, sales this week are up 29% compared to last week's sum, but down 0.7% compared to the same sales week last year.

SOURCE: http://www.billboard.com

Classic Rock Videos

The Doors Hello, I Love You

This Date In Music History-December 3

Birthdays:

Duane Roland, guitar, Molly Hatchet (1952)

Montell Jordan, singer (1968)


Birthday wishes to the “Prince of Darkness”- Ozzy Osbourne

John Cale, Velvet Underground (1940)

Crooner Andy Williams (1928)


They Are Missed:

Guitarist Grady Martin died in 2001 (age 72). Martin worked with Elvis Presley, Willie Nelson, Buddy Holly and played the riff on Roy Orbison's 'Pretty Woman'.

Hoyt Curtin, composer, died of heart failure in 2000. He wrote the themes to 'The Flintstones', 'Yogi Bear', 'The Jetsons' and other cartoon themes.

History:

In 1965, while performing "The Last Time" in Sacramento, Calif., Keith Richards' guitar accidentally touched his microphone. The resulting electric shock knocked him unconscious. He recovered after seven minutes and the show went on.

Elvis Presley's first release on RCA Victor Records was announced in 1955. The first two sides were actually purchased from Sam Phillips of Sun Records: "Mystery Train" and "I Forgot to Remember to Forget". Elvis was described by his new record company as 'The most talked about personality in recorded music in the last 10 years.'

The Beatles met future manager Brian Epstein for the first time in 1961, at his Liverpool record store.

In 1969, John Lennon was asked to play the title role in the stage musical "Jesus Christ, Superstar" (the offer was withdrawn the next day).

In 1971, the Montreaux Casino burned to the ground during a show by Frank Zappa and the Mothers of Invention. The incident was immortalized by Deep Purple's 1973 hit, "Smoke on the Water." (some stupid with a flare gun, burned the place to the ground...")

Elvis Presley's "comeback" TV special aired on NBC in 1968.

In 1929, Britain's Gramophone Company Ltd. bought a house at 3 Abbey Road in London. The residence was later converted into the famous Abbey Road studios, where groups like the Beatles and Pink Floyd have recorded.

In 1979, a concert by The Who at The Riverfront Coliseum, Cincinnati, turned to disaster when 11 members of the audience were trampled to death after a stampede to claim unreserved seats.

A lawsuit was filed against Judas Priest and CBS Records in 1986, alleging that two fans shot themselves after listening to the band's music for six hours.

An inflatable pig was spotted floating over London's Battersea Power Station in 1976. It's only the prop being used for the album cover to Pink Floyd's Animals. However, the balloon breaks free of its moorings and drifts away, prompting the Civil Aviation Authority to issue a warning to pilots flying over London. I guess pigs do fly.

According to the Royal Albert Hall, it had received more than 3.5 million applications for a total of 11,212 tickets to the forthcoming Abba shows at the London venue in February of 1976.

In 2003, the Recording Industry Association of America gave Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers a Diamond Award, marking the sale of 10 million copies of the band's "Greatest Hits" album in the United States.

Boyz II Men knocked themselves off the No.1 position on the US singles chart in 1994, when 'On Bended Knee' started a six week run a No.1. The groups 'I'll Make Love To You' had been at No.1 for a record breaking 14 weeks.

The Rolling Stones recorded 'Brown Sugar' at Muscle Shoals studios in 1969. The single went on to be a UK & US No 1.

An attempt was made on Bob Marley's life in 1976, when seven gunmen burst into his Kingston home injuring Marley his wife Rita and manager Don Taylor, the attack was believed to be politically motivated.

Album Cover Art

Let's continue our look at Gigwise.com's list of the top 50 dirtiest and sexiest album cover art, this time #20 (Gigwise comments in quotes):



20. Fausto Papetti:'18a Raccolta' - "If you were being pedantic you could charge Sebastien Tellier with pilfering Fausto Papetti's idea of a small vehicle straddling a woman's naked body. That aside, we're just wondering whether he's going to make it up that steep hill..."

Hmmm, I see a pattern here, small objects on large hilly breasts, anything to sell music I guess. Can't wait to see tomorrows post....

Classic Rock Videos

The Doors - Touch Me

The MAG Cover story: Spinning heads Vinyl is taking another turn on the table

Posted By LARA BRADLEY


I have no vinyl in my history to wax nostalgic over. My earliest memory is pushing the buttons on the family eight-track to get "Jumping Jack Flash" again. Jump the groove to the next music memory and I'm slotting Michael Jackson's "Thriller" into my gettoblaster.

But about a month ago, a friend asked if we could house her record collection during her indefinite stay in Mexico. Sure.

Two truck loads later, we had three turn tables, a stack of speakers and several hundred milk crated records in our living room. Obviously stuff had to be moved around to accommodate this collection, but man what a gift ... I mean loan. It's like inheriting all the books you want to read but probably wouldn't remember to search for in the library.

Listening to records is so different than hearing a mix of MP3 tracks off the computer. It's a fuller sound. A sound that crackles. Suddenly the room becomes warmer and you hear parts of Beatles songs you never had before. Flipping through the stacks, searching for records to play takes almost as much time, as actually listening to them. But that's OK because you want to listen -- not background music listen -- to the whole thing.

In this age of coveted iPods, free downloads and white ear buds, vinyl seems so anachronistic. Most predicted its death when the compact disc came on the scene in 1982.

But just like news of radio's demise when television came out, vinyl never really died. It has been kept alive during the lows of the 1980s by DJs, collectors, and hardcore punks.

And now it's making kind of a comeback. According to a New York Times article, the industry dipped down to a low 900,000 sales in 2006, but then sales then shot up about 37 per cent in 2007, to nearly 1.3 million. Three years ago, Warner Bros. Records opened an online vinyl store. At first, any release that sold 3,000 copies was considered a success, but then the 2007 Wilco album, "Sky Blue Sky," shot over 14,000 copies.

So who is buying these records?

Ghost World, a pop-culture movie that came out 2001, offers some clues. In it, teenager Thora Birch, wearing clunky glasses and 1940s dresses, connects with hard-core collector Steve Buscemi over vinyl. Birch's character, who abhors fakeness, is drawn to the realness of the music and the medium.

It's not the geeky old guy, but rather the retro girl fueling sales. And Sudbury is on the cutting edge of this trend. About six months ago, Cosmic Dave's Vinyl Emporium opened at 525 Kathleen St. It is one of the only stores in the country devoted solely to selling new vinyl records.

"I've sold over 500 records since June, which is good," said owner Mark Browning. "It's not like I'm getting rich doing it. It's a labour of love. At the same time, it's impressive ... That's people building collections."

The majority of his clients are in their teens to the early 30s. Some of the younger ones don't yet have a turntable, but they're buying anyway.

"I think most of them didn't grow up listening to records. It's funny, cause when I see someone older who's coming in I know they're coming in to get rid of their record collection."

High Fidelity is another record movie, in this case about a dusty, cluttered used vinyl store, where customers are mocked for their lack of knowledge. Cosmic Dave's is nothing like that. Each record is presented like a painting on the wall of its open concept space. Browning isn't interested in impressing collectors looking for vintage, but rather he's into turning people on to new music.

"The idea is reduce the choice, give more information about each choice and make each one special and come in and discover new music," he said. "There's so much good new music being made."

The concept for the store came to him when he was living in Vancouver, where he started building up a record collection from second-hand finds. Soon enough, however, listening only to music recorded before 1982 got stale.

"We had 25 years of CDs. Then we see general music industry business deteriorate," Browning said. "Suddenly records are coming back. And it's almost as if there is something magical about a record. It's not about whether records sound better than CDs or not, but there's something about buying a record."

The sound is different -- CDs are mastered to sound like the music is in front of you, while records have more of a surround feeling. Browning calls them more organic too. You know your record will die and you will kill it by playing it, he said.

"You don't feel cool walking down the street with a CD in your hand, but you do feel cool with a record. I think whatever it is that is missing (in CDs), is what killed the music industry ... There is something more personal about listening to a record."

The new vinyl releases come with codes, allowing the owner to download the album online, giving them the best of both worlds.

It costs more for bands to press vinyl records. Making a CD can start around $1,500, while a small run of records (about 1,000) begins at about $4,000, said Browning. The process of mastering it is different and more involved. Of course, with smaller runs they're also more expensive to buy -- most are in the $20 range.

Sudbury also has more local bands that have pressed their work to vinyl -- The Statues, Kate Maki, Nathan Lawr and the Minotaurs, and Browning's band, Ox, come to mind.

"Other cities of this size don't have this many bands that are touring and making records," Browning said.

Rob Seaton, frontman of The Statues, a Sudbury power-pop punk band, explained why its music is available on the big discs.

"Mostly, it was the labels we were working with. They're pretty much only vinyl labels," he said. "Any kind of underground music lends itself to the vinyl format. In the '90s everyone was pretty much doing CDs because it was cost effective. But there's been a huge shift and everyone's going back to vinyl."

At their shows, The Statues tend to sell more vinyl than CDs. Actually when the band was touring Europe, the ratio of records sold to CDs became even more skewed at about 5:1. The format fits the music, he said.

"It's a little more DYI to have your record pressed to ship it off to the CD manufacturer," Seaton said.

Browning's theory is the punk and metal lovers tend to appreciate the tactile, so have always been fond of the clunky discs. Records are also about friction which fits the sound.

"I prefer the sound of vinyl. It sounds better," said Seaton. "Audiophiles will debate that until they are blue in the face, of which I'm not one. I love the fact that they are huge and cumbersome and that they require work."

He's more inclined to put a record on and listen to the whole thing, while with a CD, there's the temptation to skip tracks.

"It's totally making a comeback," Seaton said.


SOURCE: http://www.thesudburystar.com

Salem record store goes back to its roots

I always love stories about independent record stores and have found another great story (originally published at http://willamettelive.com)

Salem record store goes back to its roots

By Jason Gooder

from Salem Monthly, Section Music / Nightlife


Since opening Ranch Records in 1982, Kit Close has been providing the kind of rare, offbeat music and collectibles that you won’t see in the Wal-Mart music section. A self-described “record nerd," who has always had a huge record collection, Close has followed his dreams to a profitable business, opening two other Ranch Records stores in McMinnville and Bend. Close’s wife Lori runs the McMinnville store and his partner John co-owns the Bend store. Even though this might seem like a modest chain, Close says, “Surprisingly, we find ourselves as the largest independent chain of music stores in Oregon. Who saw that coming?”

Ranch Records recently opened in its new Salem location on High Street, the sixth space it’s inhabited, from its most recent spot on Liberty Street. Close says he moved because the old space was larger than he needed and the heating bills were enormous.

“[The] place was a little run-down," Close said. "There was an oil burner in the basement from the '50s. Heating oil got so expensive last year it was costing me $1500 a month to heat it.”

Kit estimates that about 90 percent of his stock is rock and roll, with a little bit of jazz, blues and hip-hop making up the other ten percent.

Music released on vinyl records has had a recent resurgence, Close says. With the move, Ranch Records has cut back on CDs to focus more on records.

"It’s what all music stores are doing these days. If you want digital music, you just download it off the Internet really cheap. We still sell a lot of used CDs, but new CDs are almost going away. I don’t want to pay $16 for a CD. We’re bringing in a lot more records than we used to. Plus, I’ve been stockpiling records for the past 20 years and we’re starting to break into those.”

The appeal of vinyl records, Close thinks, is that it’s like a piece of art.

"It’s like books or anything else. It’s something you can hold. When you play records you’re more connected to the music because you have to get up every 20 minutes and turn the record over! You put CDs on, sometimes they just become background. I have a six-changer CD player and I won’t change the CDs for a week.”

According to Close, records aren’t cheap, and even more expensive than CDs. But he doesn’t think people mind paying the extra money because of the artwork that you get to see on a record.

Some records are being released on extra-thick, 180 gram vinyl that can run from $30-$40, but Close is convinced that the sound quality is “absolutely” better than a standard vinyl record. In the '90s, vinyl was dying out. CDs were hyped as what would make vinyl obsolete. New records were still being made, but the punk and underground music scenes were what kept the medium of vinyl records, especially singles, alive. One of the claims about CDs (espoused by the makers of CDs) was that they were a lot more durable than records. Close agrees.

“When they came out, they said that CDs were indestructible. But that’s absolutely not true.”

Ranch Records doesn’t try and compete with mainstream music stores.

On the future of recorded music, Close says, “the days of selling 20 million records are over. Bands are going to have to rely on touring, T-shirts, and merchandise and stuff to make a living. There’s a lot of other ways for bands to make money these days. Commercials have become huge. Bands come out and do commercials before they’re even known. People come here all the time, ‘what’s that song on that so-and-so commercial?’ There was a day when we looked down on bands for doing that though. We were idealistic; it was the '60s.”

Album Cover Art

Let's continue our look at Gigwise.com's list of the top 50 dirtiest and sexiest album cover art, this time #21 (Gigwise comments in quotes):


21. Sebastien Tellier: ‘Sexuality’ – "Released just this year, Tellier’s ‘Sexuality’ dissects the subject of sex with almost unparalleled aplomb. It was only natural then that the record’s cover should be a sexed up beast. Tellier’s very own “sexual fantasy”, it features the singer aboard a horse straddling a massive naked female form – complete with pert nipples and pubic hair. Lovely."

This album is absolutely fantastic. I've admittedly been a fan of Monsieur Tellier ever since "La Ritournelle" first graced my ears a few years ago, but now he's delivered his masterpiece with this albums worth of fantastic songs! It's been produced by Daft Punk's own Guy-Manuel De Homem Christo so it's got that way sexy French electro touch to it whilst retaining Tellier's touch of fragility. With this album Tellier's gone from making super cinematic, lush orchestral pop music to achingly romantic, retro-futuristic electronic pop complete with ooahs and aahs dripping in synths and body heat. The best sonic aphrodisiac you'll find all year! (Amazon.com review)

New Vinyl Shop

I love the Internet! I have found a great new site www.thebestvinylshop.com and wanted to share it with you. They also had this fantastic article:


Bob Porter's History of Collecting


When it was introduced by engineers at Columbia Records in 1948, the long playing record was a 10" LP. The reason for that was that a 78 rpm album held four discs and eight songs. The LPs were pressed on vinyl, a considerably quieter surface than the shellac used to press 78s. The actual grooves were smaller (microgroove) and required a special stylus to play them. The speed was 33 1/3 rpm, a speed common for radio transcription recordings but not for those intended for home use. There were few phonographs capable of playing the new records but Columbia soon packaged a player and three LPs for a special price in order to create interest in the new product. And surprisingly, Columbia did not pursue a patent of the LP. The idea was to get other labels to participate to ensure the success of the format. Decca and Mercury were manufacturing LPs before the end of the year.

Until this point virtually all the innovations regarding records had come from RCA. It would be 1950 before RCA launched a line of LPs and the reason for that was their own introduction of the 45 rpm disc in the spring of 1949. The initial releases on 45 rpm were reissues of older Victor titles and they were pressed on colored vinyl, coded to indicate the type of music. RCA would use 45 rpm for Extended Play albums, which contained four songs, as well as singles. Within a few short years the 45 had become the dominant configuration for singles. This was hastened considerably by the Juke Box industry, which was able to double the number of records on each machine by switching from 78 to 45.

The LP had to undergo a few changes before it settled into its popular 12" format in 1956. There were lines of 12" LPs in the early years but they were few and far between and were never very popular with distributors. There were challenges from a 7" LP that was short-lived at the time but was revived in the 1960s (for Juke Box Stereo albums rather than public consumption). In the jazz field, 12" LPs gained a popularity because of the ability to contain live concert performances such as Benny Goodman's 1938 Carnegie Hall Concert or Norman Granz' Jazz at the Philharmonic productions. 12" LPs were also used for spoken word albums, many of which were played back at 16 rpm.

Broadway shows, Hollywood cast albums and classical works were also a part of the 12" success story. On the other hand, there were few blues albums being recorded in the early years of the format, R&B albums tended to be compilations of singles and gospel labels were still selling 78s into the 1960s. For jazz, 1956 was the year that the great independent labels began to build those remarkable catalogs of 12" LPs many of which were continually in-print over the next thirty years.

Argo, Atlantic, Bethlehem, Blue Note, Contemporary/Good Time Jazz, Emarcy, Fantasy, GNP Crescendo, Pacific Jazz, Prestige, Riverside, Roost, Roulette, Savoy, Vee Jay and Verve would be the major players over the next few years. Labels such as ABC, Modern and King produced jazz LPs as a part of a general product line. Other jazz labels such as Dawn, Mode, Debut and Jazz West began with a great deal of promise but couldn't sustain themselves. The big labels, Capitol, Columbia, Decca and RCA Victor integrated a certain amount of jazz into the mix of major artists and big stars from all fields that made up their release schedules.

Stereo came into play about the same time although it was a few years before stereo LPs were released on a regular basis. There had been attempts at creating stereo in the 1930s but it was the binaural process developed by Emory Cook in the early 1950s which was used by Atlantic and Fantasy on selected projects. Binaural required two separate tone arms to play the LPs and it quickly proved to be impractical in the marketplace. Yet when the binaural recordings were later re-mastered, it gave us true stereo recordings of a 1952 Wilbur DeParis album and a 1955 Lennie Tristano live date. By 1960, stereo records were issued simultaneously with their monaural counterparts but labels developed stereo lines independently of each other and there wasn't a fixed date when they all appeared. Stereo LPs were priced a dollar higher than their mono counterparts.

The dual system of inventory needed to keep up with both mono and stereo LPs was not something that wholesalers enjoyed. It was 1967 when Columbia Records decreed that it would no longer press monaural LPs that the next change took place. The entire industry, pressured by wholesalers, followed suit and mono became as obsolete as 78 rpm very quickly. Retailers in turn insisted that "stereo" had to appear on every album and that led to the "electronically reprocessed" fake stereo of the late 1960s. It was at this stage that jazz LPs suffered a steep decline in sales. When the mono portion of an album's sales disappeared, it never was recovered. Wholesalers returned thousands of LPs in mono that were no longer saleable.

The list price of most jazz labels, which had been at $4.98 since the 1950s, began to rise. Prestige moved to a $5.98 for most new projects in 1971 and that was only the beginning. The price of vinyl soared, sparked by the Arab oil boycotts of 1973 and 1979. This, in turn, led to continual price escalations and new competition in the form of tape cassettes. Cassettes had been around for a while and at one point co-existed with 8 Track as a tape configuration. 8 Track fell away as audio improvement came to cassette and cassettes were used in automobiles. By the end of the 1970s, $8.98 was the standard list price for LPs and cassettes.

Cassettes gradually increased its share of the market during the 1970s & 80s in almost all the pop categories of music. Jazz was among the holdout areas for LP yet the decline in quality of LP pressings was a source of continual annoyance to collectors. There had been a consolidation of pressing facilities and those owned by the major labels were more concerned with the cost of a pressing than the quality. It was in the late 1970s that Japanese pressings began to appear with regularity in the USA. Reissue series of Riverside and Blue Note led the way and it quickly became obvious that the quality of the Japanese pressings were at least equal to the finest American audiophile pressings. They became the standard by which anything else was judged for the remainder of the LP era.

The LP era lasted well into the late 1980s before CD became the norm. There has been plenty of debate about the audio superiority of digital recording vs. analog. One thing is certain: digital recording will always sound better on CD. If an analog recording is being digitally re-mastered, the engineer better know how to do it. There has been an enormous amount of mediocre re-mastering foisted upon the marketplace. On the other hand, the work of Rudy Van Gelder in his RVG series for Blue Note (and now Prestige) has been exemplary and the Japanese engineers continue to lead the rest of the world in quality.

Yet there are many jazz collectors who still prefer LP. Now that jazz LP reissues have begun to resurface again, it is worthwhile acknowledging the collector market for LP that has never gone away. Collectable LPs are usually those from the first edition (in their original covers) in the best possible condition. Mono records are more desirable than stereo and minor flaws can subtract substantially from the overall value. The auction market for collectable LPs can be quite volatile with the value of an LP fluctuating more like a share of common stock than having the fixed value of other antiques. Among the most desirable jazz collectables are albums on Blue Note (Lexington Avenue address on the label, flat edge and deep groove) or Prestige (yellow label, New York address, flat edge and deep groove) as well as those short-lived labels from the 1950s. 10" LPs on certain labels are highly desirable. The original cover art, such as the line drawings of David Stone Martin or the photography of Herman Leonard, is often as important as the music.

Limited editions have exceptional value in some (but not all) cases. Autographed albums generally do not increase the value of an album unless the autograph itself is rare. A Charlie Parker autograph would be meaningful; a Sol Yaged autograph would not. Colored vinyl was used on the first pressings of many companies in California but not in the rest of the country. In general, second pressings and reissues have little collector value although certain reissue series are desirable in complete sets. Mosaic Records reissues with their complete packages in limited editions are highly prized.

Original albums on European or Japanese labels that did not get American distribution can often command high prices. International editions of American albums can have some value on a European label but significantly more on a Japanese label. In large measure, the great albums by the great artists are not especially valuable unless they are first edition. They are the ones that everyone owns rather than the obscure album by a talented musician with a cult following that was pressed in small quantities. In the collecting world, in many, if not all, cases it is NOT about the music.

The return of LPs to the marketplace is a more recent development. Improved mastering and pressing quality will provide exceptional listening especially on high end equipment. While things will never return to the halcyon days of the 1950s & 60s, you will have cover art in a more viewable form and liner notes that are liner notes rather than booklets. The albums won't be in 10" form, they will be stereo or perhaps monaural depending on how it was originally recorded and will certainly not be "electronically reprocessed".

Bob Porter (Bob Porter has been running LP auctions since 1973. They are viewable on line at http://www.jazzetc.net or available, free, in hard copy from Jazz Etc, P.O. Box 393, Bergenfield NJ 07621.)

A groove only vinyl provides

In digital age, LP sales stage big comeback

written by Emma Downs-The Journal Gazette

You can find 25-year-old Brandon Roth at the Wooden Nickel on North Anthony Boulevard about once a week, thumbing through the rows of brightly colored vinyl records stacked neatly throughout the store.

Usually, he scours the bins for newer vinyl – re-released classics or LPs by current artists such as the Black Keys. But he’s not above searching for lightly used Black Sabbath albums, either, he says.

“I’ve been buying vinyl for about a year,” Roth says. “I started with lots of hand-me-down stuff, mostly. Nothing I was really interested in. My mom had a bunch – country stuff from the ’70s – she said I could have but I passed on that. My thing is, I want to buy albums I can listen to the whole way through.”

There’s nothing unusual about Roth’s story – a man in his 20s buying new LPs at a record store – except that it’s taking place in 2008. In the digital age, even CDs are beginning to seem cumbersome. But young people like Roth are embracing vinyl in increasing numbers these days. And it’s the sound – not the size – they’re after.

“I used to like the popping and crackling sounds of vinyl,” Roth says. “But then I started buying newer vinyl. The new stuff sounds like a CD but better. MP3s – which I hate – sound like a car stereo with the treble all the way up and the bass all the way down. Good vinyl has a really warm sound.”

Bob Roets, owner of Wooden Nickel, says he began stocking vinyl in all of the company’s three stores several months ago after receiving a number of requests from customers. On some days, half of the sales at the North Anthony location – which houses about 8,000 vinyl titles – are from vinyl, Roets says.

Megastores such as Best Buy are also jumping on the bandwagon, offering thousands of vinyl titles online. Best Buy stores in 26 states – but not Indiana – also sell vinyl in-store.

“You’ll see a lot of stores selling new vinyl online, but not in the stores,” Roets says. “I’m more reckless. I see a trend, and I jump all over it. There’s definitely a resurgence right now.”

Roets has seen “dozens and dozens” of re-released and new vinyl come through his stores in the past year, from offerings by local bands such as Left Lane Cruiser to re-released Beach Boys albums.

Requests for vinyl were so high this summer that Roets began selling turntables in his stores. Currently, Wooden Nickel stores sell two kinds of turntables – the traditional variety that hooks up to a stereo and one that allows records to be recorded and stored in a digital format on a computer.

“I don’t know if it’s nostalgia or considered hip or cool or what,” Roets says. “But my son Andy started at Ball State (University) this year, and the one thing he wanted to take with him was a turntable. Records are really capturing young people’s imaginations right now.”

But why? Why records? Why not 8-track tapes or rotary telephones? Proponents of vinyl say the sound of a high-quality vinyl record is just better. And recording artists are taking note of this – including local artists. Streetlamps For Spotlights released a vinyl album this year, and the Swingin’ Angels and Key of Skeletons plan to in the future.

“You’re going to see a lot more of that in the near future,” says Jason Davis, owner of all-analog recording studio Off The Cuff Sound and member of Streetlamps For Spotlights. “It’s evident now that the CD is a transfer medium. But releasing an album on vinyl is like releasing the first edition hardcover copy of a book.”

Local band Graverobber also recently released a four-track EP on CD and vinyl – red vinyl, no less – recorded at local recording studio The Ensomberoom, which also offers analog mixing. The idea was the brainchild of the band’s former bassist Morrison Agen, who started buying new vinyl about two years ago.

“I think one of the primary reasons CD sales have suffered – despite MP3s – is because of the compression, which reduces the dynamic range and really takes away the life of the music. On vinyl, the sound recreation is more realistic, more natural and more dynamic, especially when you have a great sound system.”

Agen, 33, bought his first album – “Private Eyes” by Hall & Oates – at age 7. But during the mid-1990s, new vinyl releases were few and far between. Two years ago, after attending a record show in Chicago and realizing how many vinyl titles were available, he began replacing CDs with records. Last week, he purchased Elliott Smith’s posthumously released double album “New Moon” at Wooden Nickel.

“The thing people don’t realize is that CDs never replaced records,” he says. “They replaced cassettes. They were portable, convenient, hard to break. When Graverobber put out our vinyl album, we wanted people to get back into habit of buying vinyl – to support new vinyl pressings.”

But a new pressing of an album by a local band can also end up a collector’s item, Agen says.

When Memphis artist Jay Reatard played at The Brass Rail in October, a few of Agen’s friends drove from Chicago just to see the show and buy vinyl albums – full length and 7-inch – from Reatard himself.

“I bought three of his full-length records directly from him,” Agen says. “Bands aren’t just carrying around CDs now. They’re selling vinyl at shows. It’s been so long since I’ve seen that.”

SOURCE: http://www.journalgazette.net

Top 5 eBay Vinyl Record Sales

Week Ending 11/29/2008




1) LP - The Beatles "White Album" - $5,049.99 Start: $19.00 Bids: 46

2) LP - Captain Marryat self titled Private Press - $4,450.92 Start: $500.00 Bids: 10

3) LP - Johanna Martzy "Bach: The unaccompanied Violin Sonatas" Columbia Box set - $3,990.00 Start: $9.99 Bids: 21

4) LP - Dexter Gordon "Blows Hot And Cool" Dootone Red Vinyl - $2,280.55 Start: $19.99 Bids: $2,280.55

5) LP - The Southern University Jazz Ensemble "Goes To Africa With Love" - $2,133.00 Start: $9.99 Bids: 21

Selling on Thanksgiving Day and topping the $5k mark, a Beatles "White Album" takes the #1 spot. This US copy is numbered and sealed, as are all ones on the graph (yes, one lucky buyer did win one for $300 last year).

Next, a private press Prog LP out of Scotland bids up close to $4.5k . Captain Marryat appears to be a new discovery in Psych/Prog circles. Read the sellers story of how he has managed to contact one of the band members.

The rare and sought after Johnanna Martzy Bach Sonata set goes for a good price at almost $4k and gets the #3 spot.

In the #4 spot, Dexter Gordon's Dootone released "Blows Hot And Cool", pressed on red vinyl, sells for over $2.2k. And last, a '73 release from the Souther University Jazz Ensemble bids up over $2.1k.


As always, I want to thank Brian over at http://ccdiscoveries.blogspot.com for this great data!

Classic Rock Videos

Light My Fire - The Doors

Album Cover Art

Let's continue our look at Gigwise.com's list of the top 50 dirtiest and sexiest album cover art, this time #22 (Gigwise comments in quotes):


22. Bob Geldof: ‘Sex, Age & Death’ – "If you thought the belligerent rocker has only been interested in saving planet earth is recent years, then think again. Just six years ago he released this album featuring a raunchy cover of a woman presumably riding on something… Despite glowing reviews, the album flopped and Sir Bob moved back into the ego-boosting world of politics."

Quite possibly the greatest accomplishment of Geldof's musical career. Recorded at the studio of Queen drummer Roger Taylor and Tricky producer, ex-Boomtown Rats and long time collaborator and friend Pete Briquette as producer. Sex, Age & Death sees Geldof exercise his emotional demons with songs of ruthless honesty, brimming with passion and emotion in an album of live and loss. 10 tracks including 'One For Me', '$6,000,000 Loser' and 'Pale White Girls'. (review from Amazon.com)

I actually like the album as well, the songs are well-structured and memorable; I also think it is one of his best.

Music News & Notes

Madonna Makes $91.5 Million

Madonna ended up grossing $91.5 million for her 28-date North American tour with a total of 550,000 tickets sold. Adding in the sales from the earlier European portion of the Sticky & Sweet tour gives her a grand total of $207.5 million. She is now off to Mexico and South America; however, she has canceled January shows in Sydney and Melbourne, Australia due to the high cost of production and the world economic downturn.

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Drifters Record New Album

The official version of the Drifters is in the process of releasing a new album, Five Decades and Moore, their first in almost 30 years.

The album is a salute to late former member Johnny Moore who was with the group from 1954 well into the 70's and returned on a number occasions. Moore sang lead on hits such as Ruby Baby, Adorable and Under the Boardwalk.

Release date and titles are unknown at this time as most sites are listing it as being available in late-2008.

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An Overdue Apology

Rolf Harris insulted the Aboriginal community in Australia in the original version of his song Tie Me Kangaroo Down and had to change the lyrics for the eventual hit recording.

Forty years later, he has apologized for the mistake but turned around and insulted them again. After claiming the original lyrics were just "a mark of the times", he added that they are responsible for their current living conditions. "In their original way of life they would wreck the countryside and go walk-about to the next place. The attitude is still there."

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Soul Christmas Songs

70's Philadelphia International soul singer Bunny Sigler is back with two songs for the Holidays, Christmas Dream and Oh Holy Night. He is joined on the songs by Piano4, a quartet of four concert pianists.

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Happy Birthday Dave

Jazz great Dave Brubeck, who had a top 30 hit with Take Five (top 5 on the Adult Contemporary chart) will celebrate his 88th birthday with a concert at Showcase Live in Foxborough, Massachusetts on December 6.

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R.I.P. Bill Drake

The man who streamlined Top 40 radio has died. Bill Drake used research and demographics to build tight playlists, starting in the mid-60's with the Boss Radio concept which originally premiered on KHJ in Los Angeles. He later created the automated station formats for the FM dial and was behind the 52-hour History of Rock and Roll that aired nationally in 1969 and was updated in 1978. He was 71.

SOURCE: http://winkscollectibles.blogspot.com

This Date In Music History-December 1

Birthdays:

John Densmore (Doors) was born in 1945.

Gilbert O'Sullivan ("Clair") turns 62.

Rockabilly drumming star Sandy Nelson is 70.

Billy Paul ("Me And Mrs. Jones") is 74.

Birthday wishes to Bette Midler.

Eric Bloom (Blue Oyster Cult) was born in 1951.


They Are Missed:

The late Lou Rawls ("Dead End Street") was born in 1935.

Lee Dorsey ("Ya Ya") died of emphysema in 1986.

In 1969, Blues singer "Magic" Sam Maghett collapsed and died in Chicago after complaining of heartburn. He was 32.


History:

In 1958, Ricky Nelson became the first ‘rock 'n' roller’ to appear on the cover of Life magazine.

A San Diego, California quintet called Rosie And The Originals reached #5 on the Billboard Hot 100 in 1960 with a crudely recorded ballad called "Angel Baby". Written by the group's 14 year old singer, Rosie Hamlin, the song held the position for six weeks and stayed on the chart for three months.

Carly Simon's "You're So Vain" was released in the US in 1972- where it will reach #1. The tune caused much speculation about who Carly was singing about, with popular guesses that included Mick Jagger (who sang uncredited backing vocals on the song), Cat Stevens, Warren Beatty, Kris Kristofferson (with whom she had had brief relationships), her unfaithful fiancé William Donaldson, and her ex-husband, James Taylor. We do have these insipid ‘letter’ clues, but we may never know who it is really about.

Fats Domino's highest-charting Top 40 hit, "Blueberry Hill," reached #2 in 1956 (and topped the R&B chart for 11 weeks). It was held back from the top pop spot by Guy Mitchell's "Singing the Blues." Despite a career as hit-filled as his, Domino will—like Creedence Clearwater Revival—never have a #1 pop record.

The Phil Spector written "To Know Him Is To Love Him" was the #1 song in the US in 1958 for The Teddy Bears. The trio consisted of Spector, along with two friends, Marshall Leib and Annette Kleinbard.

In 1961, "Please Mr. Postman," by the Marvelettes, became Motown's first #1 pop hit and second million-seller.

Three rock and roll acts made their debut on the Ed Sullivan Show in 1957: Buddy Holly & the Crickets ("That'll Be the Day"), Sam Cooke ("You Send Me"), and the Rays.

In 1968, Janis Joplin made her final appearance with Big Brother & the Holding Company.

"I Want to Hold Your Hand," the Beatles' first American single, was released by Capitol Records in 1963.

"I Heard It Through the Grapevine," written by Marvin Gaye and recorded by Gladys Knight and the Pips, rose to #2 in 1967. Exactly a year later, Gaye's own version will become the top song in the country.

A free concert was organized by the Rolling Stones at Altamont Speedway, outside San Francisco in 1969. The event turned ugly when sets were disrupted by violence from Hell's Angels, Marty Balin was knocked unconscious, and a concert-goer was stabbed to death.

Michael Jackson's 'Thriller' was released in 1982.

Nirvana's "Nevermind" hits #1 on Billboard's Top 200 album chart in 1992. It grossed more than $50 million in sales.

The Dave Clark Five reach #1 with "Over and Over" in 1965.

In 1976, The Eagles' “Hotel California” spends the first of a total of eight weeks at Number One.