Sleevefacers Become The Album Cover

Jolie Myers/NPR

December 1, 2008 · British DJ Carl Morris was just "horsing around," when he held up a Paul McCartney record to his face, grafting the famous Beatle's head to his body.


Since then, he's perfected the art of "sleevefacing" or melding one's body with an album cover. His little experiment has flourished into a Web site and book that includes photos of people sleevefacing across the world.







He tells Alex Cohen that the best creations involve "happy accidents as much as the planning" and breaks down the evolution of this unique art trend. (See photos below).

Source: http://www.npr.org





Ummm, this is not an original idea, just look at this 1976 release from ELO (Ole') who perfected the art a long time ago. It is an amusing concept, but it has been done before.

If you want to look at more of the silliness, you can visit a website that has been set up. There are some very creative images, it is good for a laugh.


http://www.sleeveface.com/

Vinyl records begin a comeback

By Andrew Steadman
Collegian Staff Writer
http://www.collegian.psu.edu


Jesse Ruegg is a music fan.

So much so, in fact, he runs a concert series in downtown State College (Roustabout!) and owns a venue equipped for hosting rock shows (Chronic Town).

So it should come as no surprise he has a strong opinion about his music.

"Fans who are really passionate about their music want the best they can have, they want the best sound quality," Ruegg said.

For Ruegg, that quality can only be achieved through one medium: the vinyl record.

"When you buy a vinyl record, you actually have something unique," Ruegg said. "You can't download it; it's tangible. You have a nice canvas for cover art, a sleeve with liner notes on it, and the actual physical act of playing a record is a very tactile experience. It's almost ceremonial."

Ruegg's opinion may sound like old-fashioned nostalgia, but there is growing evidence he is certainly not the only one who feels so strongly about the mystique of the vinyl LP (long-playing record). Though the CD supposedly supplanted vinyl as the musical medium of choice back in the '80s, the sale of recorded music has struggled mightily in recent years. Yet, despite the drop in CD sales, vinyl has continued to sell. In fact, record album sales have thrived. And it's not just vintage vinyl; consumers are buying new records by current bands as well.

"With music sales going down, vinyl's actually going up," Ruegg said. "It doesn't seem to make sense."

The Evidence

The Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) is the trade group that represents the U.S. recording industry. Among other things, the RIAA is responsible for keeping track of recorded music sales figures as well as protecting the intellectual property of the artists it represents. The RIAA's 2007 year-end statistics show vinyl records experienced a 36.6 percent sales increase from 2006 to 2007. When compared to CD sales, which dropped 17.6 percent over the same period of time, it's quickly apparent something is happening in the music industry.

Liz Kennedy, deputy director of communications at the RIAA, said the group is hesitant to see the increase as a significant shift in consumer opinion.

"Our 2007 numbers do point to about a 30 percent increase over the year before," Kennedy said. "Any resurgence in sales is good news, but I don't think we'd be able to speculate on the future."

A statement the RIAA released to the media gives the group's official opinion on the matter: "The music industry offers a multitude of options to satisfy the many ways fans prefer listening to music, from classic vinyl to innovative digital services. Any way in which consumers can discover and enjoy legal music is ultimately a great thing for fans and the music community alike."

Others in the industry agree a single year's sales figures aren't enough to prove that vinyl's revival has any staying power. Richard Laing, who works in sales and marketing at Seattle-based independent label Sub Pop Records, said his company is cautiously encouraged by the increase.

"It still remains to be seen if it's a short-term trend," Laing said.

Sub Pop was the label responsible for the grunge movement of the late '80s and early '90s, when its stable of bands included Nirvana, Soundgarden and Mudhoney. It continues to be one of the most influential indie labels with bands like The Postal Service and The Shins. Though RIAA's 2008 figures have not yet been released, Laing said Sub Pop has seen a continued increase in vinyl sales throughout the year.

Greg Gabbard, owner of State College's City Lights Records, said independent record stores like his own have benefited the most from the resurgence. He said some owners of smaller record stores who were discouraged by declining album sales decided to stay in business as a result of the sudden interest in vinyl.

"The increase was dramatic in the past couple years," Gabbard said.

Gabbard said independent stores were best prepared for the sudden interest, because the smaller stores were the ones that were still stocking vinyl records as well as buying used vinyl. Laing said the bigger outlets are catching on, with Best Buy and Amazon.com starting to stock new LPs.

The Theories

There are many differing opinions on the exact reason for vinyl's success in the face of the recorded music industry's recent struggles. Ruegg is willing to suggest what the RIAA will not: The resurgence is a reaction against poor business practices by the major labels. He said the major record labels have lost the trust of consumers for a number of reasons, which has contributed to an increase in vinyl record purchases.

"It's almost like a response to the music industry being like a stick in the mud," Ruegg said. "They're totally missing the point of pop music. I'm talking about the major labels here. Eighteen dollars for a CD is ridiculous, charging that much for crappy music."

Another reason for vinyl's recent success may be sound quality. It's common knowledge that digital music formats like MP3 suffer from a significant decrease in quality, but the vinyl faithful also believe part of the music is lost in translation to CD. Audio purists have long argued over which medium is superior, with many holding the opinion that vinyl records better recreate the live music experience.

"I personally think that music mixed and mastered for vinyl and played on vinyl records is the pinnacle of analog sound," Ruegg said. "If I have the choice between listening to something on CD and listening to it on vinyl, I'll go with vinyl every time."

Ben Sneeringer, a Penn State Berks student who is a member of a vinyl appreciation group on Facebook, said vinyl is less convenient than modern portable options like the iPod, but that he still prefers the sound of vinyl.

"I like the sound of vinyl better. It's much fuller and is far less compressed than MP3s," Sneeringer said. "I just think the sound quality is better on a record, if you have the opportunity, as opposed to MP3s or even CDs."

The final theory for the renewed love of vinyl is harder to quantify, vinyl enthusiast Joseph Lacombe, Class of 2008, said.

"What I like about vinyl is its physicality," Lacombe said. "I like the process of sliding a record out of its sleeve and laying it down, then placing the needle and hearing that first little audible crackle as it begins to spin."

Nostalgia, album art, liner notes and the actual act of playing the record all factor into the power of the vinyl record. Laing compared the phenomenon to the desire to actually own something one enjoys, such as a favorite book or, in this case, a record.

"A lot of people are buying records because they like the sound," Laing said. "But they also like to have the actual piece, the physical artifact."

The Response

Chronic Town, the hookah bar and concert venue Ruegg co-owns with Jeff Van Fossan, has begun buying and selling used and new records. The store is joining several other places to buy records in State College, including Gabbard's City Lights Records on College Avenue and Josh Ferko's Stax of Trax, a record store contained within Webster's Bookstore Café on Allen Street.

Ruegg said the decision to sell records was influenced by his own appreciation for vinyl as well as the wants of his establishment's patrons. He's a vinyl fan and he realized many of the patrons of his store were also vinyl fans, so it made sense.

"Sixty to 75 percent of our collection is vintage stuff, used vinyl," Ruegg said. "Stuff that's not in print anymore and stuff you can't buy anymore."

Selling records originally started as a way for Ruegg and Van Fossan to supplement the musical aspect of Chronic Town. They started by buying a few copies of LPs from bands that played Roustabout! and selling them in the store, but it has since grown beyond their expectations.

"We've actually sold more records than I ever thought we would," Ruegg said.

Even so, vinyl records won't be dethroning CDs just yet. Laing said vinyl records are more expensive to produce than CDs, which means Sub Pop and other record companies must gauge how well a record will sell before deciding to release it on vinyl.

"People still have their listening environments based around the CD," Laing said. "It's a different group of people who buy a record."

Laing said his company has begun offering records packaged with coupons redeemable for a free MP3 download of the album, which stimulates traffic to Sub Pop's Web site as well as meeting the demands of consumers in the digital age.

"The fact that we include a download eliminates some of the shortcomings of vinyl," Laing said. "It's relatively cost effective to do. Plus, to redeem the coupon, you have to come to our Web site."

Despite the innovations, vinyl records still account for only about 10 percent of Sub Pop's total sales. For now, it looks like vinyl will continue to flourish but still maintain a sort of counterculture status to the dominant music media.

And for Ruegg, part of vinyl's attraction is its separation from the ordinary.

"I don't need to hear any more Jessica Simpson. I don't want to hear any more American Idol bands. I want to hear something real," Ruegg said. "The bands that are doing that sort of thing are putting their stuff on vinyl."

Collectors recover lost era of Jewish America on vinyl

By Lilly Fowler


Born into the traditions of both Modern Orthodoxy and Reform Judaism, Josh Kun grew up on the streets of Pico-Robertson trying hard not to stand out.

Still, Kun (who today calls himself a typical "dysfunctioning Los Angeles Jew") admits he was one of the few teenage boys to coast the neighborhood wearing hip-hop gear.

"That tug-of-war between secularism and the expectation of religiosity or the expectation of tradition, that tug was a big one in my life," Kun said in a recent interview.

Now a journalism professor at USC, Kun has found a way to meld his passion for music with the traditions with which he was raised. Namely, by discovering lost pieces of Jewish history through -- of all things -- vinyl records.

While other music fanatics visit Hollywood's nightclubs to discover groundbreaking music, Kun rummages through countless bins at places like the National Council of Jewish Women's thrift shop looking for Jewish records of the past. But he hasn't done it alone.

Roger Bennett, a lawyer from England and co-author of their new book, "And You Shall Know Us by the Trail of Our Vinyl: The Jewish Past as Told by the Records We Have Loved and Lost" (Crown, $24.95), is also guilty of giving in to record-collecting pleasures.

Kun insists that putting together the 11-chapter book filled with hundreds of little-known album covers has been serious business.

"We realized we had this collection of stories that collectively added up to a whole other history," Kun said.

Specifically, Kun believes these albums can help listeners understand the three dominant narratives of postwar Jewish life -- assimilation, the birth of Israel and the Holocaust -- and also help to create new ones.

With chapters titled, "The Yiddish Are Coming: How Vinyl Kept a Dying Language Alive" and "Me Llamo Steinberg: The Jewish Latin Craze," it's not difficult to imagine the new tales these records may have in store for audiences.

But Kun says there are also plenty of questions he and Bennett are still asking.

"Who runs out to the store and says, 'Oh, I can't wait to get home, pour myself a drink, sit back, finish dinner with the family and listen to "Six-Day War,"'?" Kun asks.

In addition to including lavish album covers from the 1950s, '60s and beyond, Kun and Bennett also asked the likes of music critic Ann Powers, actress Sandra Bernhard, TV pioneer Norman Lear and others to write for the book about what they hear when they listen to the music.

Whether it involves forgotten Jewish artists like the Barry Sisters, who belted out a Yiddish version of "Raindrops Keep Fallin' on My Head"; Johnny Yune, a Korean immigrant who got caught up in New York's Israeli club scene and learned how to sing Hebrew and Yiddish songs, eventually putting out a record; or Nat King Cole's rendition of "Nature Boy," a song that takes its melodic riff from an old Yiddish tune, friends, critics and music geeks chime in.

And Kun himself admits to having become a sincere fan of the old albums he has discovered.

"There are those that are kinda the research tools, and then there are those that bleed over to gotta get them on the iPod," he said.

Three Web sites, Reboot Stereophonic, And You Shall Know Us By the Trail of Our Vinyl and Idelsounds, also offer fans of the records an opportunity to explore the music further.

Reboot Stereophonic, whose motto is "history sounds different when you know where to start listening," is a nonprofit record label that reissues the records featured in the book in CD format. Idelsounds offers a discussion forum that allows new conversations about the music to happen. Eventually, the three sites will become one, offering fans a one-stop hub on the Web, streaming the music online, in addition to combining the other features of the sites.

Kun and Bennett are also in the process of tracking down the artists who are still alive to talk about the music they once made.

All in all, Kun said, the project is about capturing a piece of history.

"We want to have these stories preserved before they go away," he said.

Still, it's impossible to separate Kun's and Bennett's boyhood passion for music from their current endeavor.

"If they played this at synagogue, we never would have left," they write in the book.

SOURCE: http://www.jewishjournal.com

Welcome, Mutant Disco!

Cantor records links Edmonton to the lost treasures of New York's musical underground

Published December 4, 2008
by Mike Deane in Music Column
http://www.seemagazine.com/


Edmonton is the last place that comes to mind when you think about the New York post-punk or mutant-disco scene, but our town’s Cantor Records is playing a prime role in documenting relics of the NYC underground.

Cantor is a one-of-a-kind operation in Edmonton, and possibly in Canada: a label dedicated to reissuing rare and marginal vinyl records. The first of these re-releases is the lost art-disco EP Transportation by the group Chandra, named after their 12-year-old singer Chandra Oppenheim.

Much like Cantor’s singular place within Edmonton’s musical landscape, Chandra was the only group of its kind in 1980s New York. Art-punkers The Dance were exploring the possibility of starting a group with a kid when their friend, artist Denis Oppenheim, recommended his daughter Chandra. Once Chandra joined the group, they became the talk of New York, putting out an independent release, selling out concerts at CBGBs, and playing the west coast. A year later, Chandra reformed into The Chandra Dimension with an all-teenage band and recorded four songs that were never released.

Never released, that is, until music fanatic and record junkie Aaron Levin, sole proprietor/employee of Cantor Records and music director at CJSR, took an interest in this lost Lower East Side recording.

“I got a copy of the Chandra EP when I was looking for records by The Dance and found out that The Dance had backed this young girl,” Levin explains. “It really floored me, and when I found out she was 12 when it was recorded I knew it was a very exceptional album.”

“My habit of record collecting, and the idea of starting a record label reissuing the rare records I had discovered seemed really appealing but I never took it seriously,” Levin says. “I was talking to Steve Alexander, guitarist of The Dance, and he mentioned that they had recorded a second EP with Chandra and that it was really psychedelic, so that really piqued my interest.”

Armed with the knowledge of a lost Chandra EP, Levin tried to facilitate its release through other record labels but quickly realized that, though there was interest, no one was serious about releasing it. Levin took on the age-old punk DIY ethic and set out to do it himself. Thus Cantor Records was born with a name that hints at Levin’s broader philosophy. “The name comes from German mathematician Georg Cantor,” he explains, “who proved there were more irrational numbers than rational, which is symbolic, to me, of the many treasures in the independent music scene.”

Levin is the first to admit that these treasures are not easy to release. The Chandra album was a tiring process, yet he’s still working on releasing two other albums you’ve never heard of: Daily Dance by Bob Thompson and Doug Snyder (recorded in a kitchen in 1972), and Ian Tamblyn’s 1972 demo Moose Tracks.

While Edmonton may not be the ideal location to reissue obscure American records, Levin has chosen it over NYC as the setting for the official Chandra release party. And it only makes sense that NYC’s youngest and most promising art-punk will be getting her official release at our youngest and most promising venue, the all-ages Hydeaway. So on Dec. 10, Edmonton will be the only place in the world where you can hear abstract dance music with vocals by a 12-year-old girl. Take that, NYC.

Music News & Notes

DORO - Title, Cover Art And Release Date Of New Album Revealed


Ex-WARLOCK vocalist Doro Pesch will release her new album, Fear No Evil, on January 23rd via AFM Records. Cover art can be viewed on the left (click to enlarge). More details will be revealed soon.

As previously reported, Doro will issue a new single entitled 'Herzblut' on December 12th through AFM Records. It will be recorded in four different languages, all versions will appear on the single. The tracklist is as follows: 'Herzblut' (single version), 'Herzblut' (album version), 'A Fond Le Coeur' (French), 'Te Doy Mi Corazon' (Spanish), 'Eu Dou-Te O Meu Coração' (Portuguese), 'Share My Fate'.

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Burning Point Cover Art

The cover art of the new BURNING POINT album "Empyre" has been revealed. Artwork is from the hands of Felipe Machado Franco who's previous works includes artists such as Iced Earth, Axel Rudi Pell, Blaze Bayley etc.

The band line-up is also completed with a keyboard wizard, Pasi Hiltula ( ex-Kalmah, ex-Eternal Tears of Sorrow ). Pasi also played keyboards on Salvation by Fire & Feeding the Flames albums.

Line-up:
Pete Ahonen/ vocals & guitars
Pekka Kolivuori / guitars
Jukka Jokikokko / bass
Pasi Hiltula / keyboards
Jussi Ontero/ drums

"Empyre" is due to late February and the first pressing of the album will be a limited edition with bonus tracks.

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REPRISE RECORDS TO RELEASE MY CHEMICAL ROMANCE’S THREE CHEERS FOR SWEET REVENGE ON LIMITED-EDITION VINYL ON DECEMBER 16TH

Burbank, CA- In what is sure to be a must-have for devoted fans and vinyl collectors, Warner Bros. Records will release My Chemical Romance’s 2004 breakthrough album Three Cheers for Sweet Revenge on vinyl on December 16th, 2008.

The limited-edition vinyl version of the New Jersey-based band’s major-label debut includes one red vinyl disc in a custom jacket. The jacket features a die-cut logo stencil insert lettered in My Chemical Romance’s classic font. A sticker is also included in the package.

The band’s commercial breakthrough, Three Cheers For Sweet Revenge, was released by Reprise Records in June 2004. The album spawned three Top Ten Alternative Rock radio hits, “I’m Not OK (I Promise),” “Helena,” and “The Ghost of You,” driving it to platinum status in the U.S. and more than two million in sales worldwide. Critics praised Three Cheers as aggressive, melodic, and forward-thinking and My Chemical Romance quickly became one of the biggest bands on the modern rock scene.

The band recently completed their longest and most internationally comprehensive headlining tour in support of their 2006 platinum album The Black Parade, capping off the run by selling out a show at Madison Square Garden.

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Dischord to Remaster, Recut Vinyl Catalog

Dischord Records' back catalog is going to be brought up to date to be reissued on an out of date medium. Makes sense, right?

The Washington, D.C. label became the latest to dig into the vinyl-resurgence gold mine, announcing it'll remaster its entire active catalog, then start digging into the vaults for rereleases. LPs are now set to come with a code for a free download, so you don't have to resort to one of those ridiculous USB turntables to digitize your albums.

The first four records to get their makeover are Out of Step an dFirst 2 7 Inches by Minor Threat, Faith and Void's split LP and 1986, by One Last Wish.

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Morrissey: Quixotic cover artwork for new album 'Years of Refusal,' is revealed

Morrissey continues to confound us mere mortals with his penchant for the dramatic. The Moz's new album, Years of Refusal, is set to come out February 16, 2008 on Polydor/Decca, and while the tracklist has not been finalized, the album cover art has been released.


Morrissey is seen with the requisite facial expression--stern and serious as all hell--holding a baby in his muscular arm. It appears as if the baby has a "W" on his forehead. The Moz's tight short-sleeved dress shirt is opened to reveal some manly chest hair. The Fred Perry logo is visibly obvious to enforce his Britishness perhaps (as if this is necessary)?

What this all represents is anyone's guess. Does the baby's "W" have something to do with a certain outgoing President of the United States?

SOURCE: http://www.prefixmag.com

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Love Her Madly 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 #19 (Gigwise comments in quotes):


19. Jimmy McGriff: ‘Groove Grease’ – "If you like nudity, bustin’ a groove and some grease, then Jimmy McGriff be your man. The jazz musician teamed up with organist Groove Holmes for this 1971 release – and what better way to mark two influential figures coming together than to decorate it with a picture of a naked lady from behind?"

I don't see any small cars or horses on her body (as in #20 & 21 on the list), hopefully we are over that concept.

CD universe had this to say about the record: Though the evocative title and soft-core cover art peg the era of this collection of soul-jazz instrumentals from the great Hammond organist and his band as the early 1970s, Jimmy McGriff's interpretations of standards like "Canadian Sunset,""There Will Never Be Another You," and "Moonglow," as well as originals like "Plain Brown Bag" and the title track, are timeless.

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

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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)