STEVIE WONDER-Superstition
Tuesday, March 17, 2009
Bird & Animal Names in Rock & Roll History
Throughout music history there have been many bands that have adopted an "animal" or "bird" monikers to represent their band and their sound. Some artists even have a last name that fits into this category and in this continuing article series we will explore some of the unique "animal" and "bird" names and the diverse music that has been created by these groups or individuals.
As I prepared for this project, I did not realize the amount of bands and artists who fall into the category. There are so many new bands like Fleet Foxes, Minus The Bear, Weird Owl and Andrew Bird, Animal Collective, just to name a few, to add to the growing list (which is no particular order). If you have a particular band or artist that fits into this article series, please email me and I can add them to the growing and seemingly endless list. Look for this feature every Tuesday and Thursday. This should be a fun series!
First and foremost and fittingly leading the pack is of course the 1960's group led by Eric Burdon, appropriately called The Animals. The group was one of the first R&B-based bands from the first wave of the British Invasion. With their breakthrough hit “House Of The Rising Sun,” which hit number one on the Billboard charts in 1964, the Animals went on to record several Top 40 hits including: “Don t Let Me Be Misunderstood,” “We Gotta Get Out Of This Place,” the rebellious “Its My Life” and “Dont Bring Me Down,” among many others. After many personnel changes, the band was renamed Eric Burdon and the Animals and secured Top 40 fame with hits like “See See Rider,” a Top Ten hit, “San Franciscan Nights,” and the spacey psychedelia of “Sky Pilot.”
The popular myth is that their audience called the group “Animals,” thus their name, but actually Burdon and band member John Steel knew of a gang led by a crazy Army vet who called himself “Animal Hog.” He was a symbol of rebellion to the band members and inspired them to name their band the Animals. Eric Burdon recorded two albums with the soul/pop-rock group War and scored a Top Ten hit with the narrative ditty called “Spill The Wine.”
Do you remember a group called the Teddy Bears? The group managed to secure a number one hit with a song called “To Know Him Is To Love Him,” which was written by band member Phil Spector.
In the late 50’s, Spector wanted to break into the music business so he booked a session at the Gold Star Studios. Studio time cost $15 an hour plus an additional $6.00 for a reel of blank tape. But Spector's first obstacle to becoming a recording star and record producer was raising the $40. The first ten came from his mother. He then enlisted the help of some of his friends to contribute the rest. One, a sixteen year old student at Fairfax High School named Annette Kleinbard, contributed the final ten dollars if she could be included in the group. The group picked their name from a very popular tune at the time "Let Me Be Your Teddy Bear," which was a US number one hit for Elvis Presley during the summer of 1957.
In the summer of 1958, Spector and his friends recorded a cut called "You Don't Know My Little Pet." In September of 1958, a deejay in Fargo, North Dakota, flipped the single over and played the B-side which was "To Know Him Is To Love Him." Soon orders were flying in for the new song and the Teddy Bears were a national hit, even appearing on American Bandstand with Dick Clark. "To Know Him Is To Love Him" became a number one record, selling more than a million copies before Christmas. So at 17, Phil Spector had written, arranged, played, sung, and produced the best-selling record in the country. Although subsequent releases by the Teddy Bears were well-recorded pop, they did not sell, and within a year of the debut, Spector disbanded the group.
Now a famous “one hit wonder,” the Teddy Bears disbanded, in part, because of Spector’s reluctance to be a performer. The rest is rock and roll history, as he became a world famous record producer, incorporating his “wall of sound” recording production method for such artists as The Crystals, The Ronettes, Darlene Love, The Righteous Brothers and of course the Beatles (“Let It Be”) among many others.
Ross Bagdasarian created the fictional character band and a multi-million empire centered around three friendly rodents with his novelty act the Chipmunks. Bagdasarian adopted the name David Seville after executives at Liberty Records told him his name was too difficult to pronounce. Seville named the three chipmunks after executives at Liberty Records. Alvin was named after Al Bennett, the president of the company; Simon was named after Bennett’s partner Si Waronker and Theodore was named after Ted Keep, a recording engineer. Seville’s own mischievous son inspired the role of Alvin and Seville was inspired to name the sped up voices of his fictional group, The Chipmunks, after having to stop in Yosemite, California when a chipmunk in the road refused to budge and he had to stop his car.
In 1958, Bagdasarian began experimenting with a novel technique, recording normal vocals, but then speeding up the playback on a tape machine. When the tape was played back at double speed, they would sound a full octave higher in pitch, at normal tempo. The voices of the group were all performed by Bagdasarian and the process yielded the number one hit "Witch Doctor" in early 1958, and the phenomenon snowballed later that year when his Christmas gimmick single “The Chipmunk Song” spent four weeks at the top of the charts.
Although Bagdasarian died in 1972, his son Ross Jr. revived Alvin, Simon, and Theodore in 1979 on Saturday mornings and on the 1980 album Chipmunk Punk. The series became more popular than it was in the '60s, and albums of the Chipmunks singing country, Christmas, rock, and Hollywood favorites were big sellers, though they didn't enjoy chart success.
In the next article we will continue exploring more “animal” groups, including the Turtles and the Monkees.
Tidbits:
The Animals:
The original line-up comprised Eric Burdon (vocals), Alan Price (organ and keyboards), Hilton Valentine (guitar), John Steel (drums), and Bryan "Chas" Chandler (bass)and has gone through various incarnations since.
The original Animals were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1994. Their influence can be heard in artists as diverse as The Doors, Joe Cocker, The Cult, Frijid Pink, Bruce Springsteen, Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers, Janis Joplin and Fine Young Cannibals and many more.
In 2003, the band's version of "House of the Rising Sun" ranked #122 on Rolling Stone magazine's 500 Greatest Songs of All Time list. Their 1965 hit single "We Gotta Get out of This Place" was ranked #233 on Rolling Stone's The 500 Greatest Songs of All Time list that was put together in 2004. Both songs are included in The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame's 500 Songs that Shaped Rock and Roll.
The original Animals line-up of Burdon, Price, Valentine, Chandler, and Steel reunited for a benefit concert in Newcastle in 1968.
Chandler died in 1996, putting an end to the full original line-up.
Buy Animals Music
Teddy Bears:
Spector’s inspiration to write the song actually came from a photograph of his father’s tombstone which read “to know him is to love him.”
Kleinbard was involved in an auto accident in September 1959, but recovered and attempted a solo singing career. She had a number of recording contracts, but enjoyed success as a songwriter. She was a co-writer of "The Nights the Lights Went Out In Georgia" a gold record by Vicki Lawrence in 1973 and a country hit for Reba McEntire in 1992. She also co-wrote "Hey Little Cobra" for the Ripchords and "Gonna Fly Now" the theme from the first Rocky movie.
Spector was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame as a "non-performer" in 1989. He is truly one of the legends of modern pop music.
After the Teddy Bears broke up, Phil Spector moved back to New York, where he worked with Leiber and Stoller in 1960. With Leiber, he co-wrote "Spanish Harlem," a massive hit for ex-Drifter Ben E. King. Spector also played guitar on the Drifters' "On Broadway."
Buy "To Know Him is to Love Him
The Chipmunks & Dave Seville:
In 1959, the Chipmunks (Seville) won three Grammy Awards for Best Recording for Children, Best Comedy Performance, and Best Engineered Record - Non-Classical for the song "The Chipmunk Song." (Was also nominated for Record of the Year, but did not win.)
In 1961, Seville won a Grammy Award for Best Album for Children for the album “Let's All Sing with The Chipmunks.”
As their popularity grew, the Chipmunks' voices were recorded onto audiotape by voice talent talking or singing at half the normal speed. The technique was by no means new to the Chipmunks. For example, the high and low pitched characters in The Wizard of Oz were achieved by speeding up and slowing down vocal recordings.
The Chipmunk’s recorded numerous novelty songs, prime time animated specials, record albums and were featured in a Saturday morning cartoon series.
The words of the song “Witch Doctor” are nonsense: "Oo-ee, oo-ah-ah, ting-tang, walla-walla, bing-bang." The "Walla Walla" part of the song was just thrown in as a reference to Ross Bagdasarian's uncle who lived in Walla Walla, Washington.
As I prepared for this project, I did not realize the amount of bands and artists who fall into the category. There are so many new bands like Fleet Foxes, Minus The Bear, Weird Owl and Andrew Bird, Animal Collective, just to name a few, to add to the growing list (which is no particular order). If you have a particular band or artist that fits into this article series, please email me and I can add them to the growing and seemingly endless list. Look for this feature every Tuesday and Thursday. This should be a fun series!
First and foremost and fittingly leading the pack is of course the 1960's group led by Eric Burdon, appropriately called The Animals. The group was one of the first R&B-based bands from the first wave of the British Invasion. With their breakthrough hit “House Of The Rising Sun,” which hit number one on the Billboard charts in 1964, the Animals went on to record several Top 40 hits including: “Don t Let Me Be Misunderstood,” “We Gotta Get Out Of This Place,” the rebellious “Its My Life” and “Dont Bring Me Down,” among many others. After many personnel changes, the band was renamed Eric Burdon and the Animals and secured Top 40 fame with hits like “See See Rider,” a Top Ten hit, “San Franciscan Nights,” and the spacey psychedelia of “Sky Pilot.”
The popular myth is that their audience called the group “Animals,” thus their name, but actually Burdon and band member John Steel knew of a gang led by a crazy Army vet who called himself “Animal Hog.” He was a symbol of rebellion to the band members and inspired them to name their band the Animals. Eric Burdon recorded two albums with the soul/pop-rock group War and scored a Top Ten hit with the narrative ditty called “Spill The Wine.”
Do you remember a group called the Teddy Bears? The group managed to secure a number one hit with a song called “To Know Him Is To Love Him,” which was written by band member Phil Spector.
In the late 50’s, Spector wanted to break into the music business so he booked a session at the Gold Star Studios. Studio time cost $15 an hour plus an additional $6.00 for a reel of blank tape. But Spector's first obstacle to becoming a recording star and record producer was raising the $40. The first ten came from his mother. He then enlisted the help of some of his friends to contribute the rest. One, a sixteen year old student at Fairfax High School named Annette Kleinbard, contributed the final ten dollars if she could be included in the group. The group picked their name from a very popular tune at the time "Let Me Be Your Teddy Bear," which was a US number one hit for Elvis Presley during the summer of 1957.
In the summer of 1958, Spector and his friends recorded a cut called "You Don't Know My Little Pet." In September of 1958, a deejay in Fargo, North Dakota, flipped the single over and played the B-side which was "To Know Him Is To Love Him." Soon orders were flying in for the new song and the Teddy Bears were a national hit, even appearing on American Bandstand with Dick Clark. "To Know Him Is To Love Him" became a number one record, selling more than a million copies before Christmas. So at 17, Phil Spector had written, arranged, played, sung, and produced the best-selling record in the country. Although subsequent releases by the Teddy Bears were well-recorded pop, they did not sell, and within a year of the debut, Spector disbanded the group.
Now a famous “one hit wonder,” the Teddy Bears disbanded, in part, because of Spector’s reluctance to be a performer. The rest is rock and roll history, as he became a world famous record producer, incorporating his “wall of sound” recording production method for such artists as The Crystals, The Ronettes, Darlene Love, The Righteous Brothers and of course the Beatles (“Let It Be”) among many others.
Ross Bagdasarian created the fictional character band and a multi-million empire centered around three friendly rodents with his novelty act the Chipmunks. Bagdasarian adopted the name David Seville after executives at Liberty Records told him his name was too difficult to pronounce. Seville named the three chipmunks after executives at Liberty Records. Alvin was named after Al Bennett, the president of the company; Simon was named after Bennett’s partner Si Waronker and Theodore was named after Ted Keep, a recording engineer. Seville’s own mischievous son inspired the role of Alvin and Seville was inspired to name the sped up voices of his fictional group, The Chipmunks, after having to stop in Yosemite, California when a chipmunk in the road refused to budge and he had to stop his car.
In 1958, Bagdasarian began experimenting with a novel technique, recording normal vocals, but then speeding up the playback on a tape machine. When the tape was played back at double speed, they would sound a full octave higher in pitch, at normal tempo. The voices of the group were all performed by Bagdasarian and the process yielded the number one hit "Witch Doctor" in early 1958, and the phenomenon snowballed later that year when his Christmas gimmick single “The Chipmunk Song” spent four weeks at the top of the charts.
Although Bagdasarian died in 1972, his son Ross Jr. revived Alvin, Simon, and Theodore in 1979 on Saturday mornings and on the 1980 album Chipmunk Punk. The series became more popular than it was in the '60s, and albums of the Chipmunks singing country, Christmas, rock, and Hollywood favorites were big sellers, though they didn't enjoy chart success.
In the next article we will continue exploring more “animal” groups, including the Turtles and the Monkees.
Tidbits:
The Animals:
The original line-up comprised Eric Burdon (vocals), Alan Price (organ and keyboards), Hilton Valentine (guitar), John Steel (drums), and Bryan "Chas" Chandler (bass)and has gone through various incarnations since.
The original Animals were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1994. Their influence can be heard in artists as diverse as The Doors, Joe Cocker, The Cult, Frijid Pink, Bruce Springsteen, Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers, Janis Joplin and Fine Young Cannibals and many more.
In 2003, the band's version of "House of the Rising Sun" ranked #122 on Rolling Stone magazine's 500 Greatest Songs of All Time list. Their 1965 hit single "We Gotta Get out of This Place" was ranked #233 on Rolling Stone's The 500 Greatest Songs of All Time list that was put together in 2004. Both songs are included in The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame's 500 Songs that Shaped Rock and Roll.
The original Animals line-up of Burdon, Price, Valentine, Chandler, and Steel reunited for a benefit concert in Newcastle in 1968.
Chandler died in 1996, putting an end to the full original line-up.
Buy Animals Music
Teddy Bears:
Spector’s inspiration to write the song actually came from a photograph of his father’s tombstone which read “to know him is to love him.”
Kleinbard was involved in an auto accident in September 1959, but recovered and attempted a solo singing career. She had a number of recording contracts, but enjoyed success as a songwriter. She was a co-writer of "The Nights the Lights Went Out In Georgia" a gold record by Vicki Lawrence in 1973 and a country hit for Reba McEntire in 1992. She also co-wrote "Hey Little Cobra" for the Ripchords and "Gonna Fly Now" the theme from the first Rocky movie.
Spector was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame as a "non-performer" in 1989. He is truly one of the legends of modern pop music.
After the Teddy Bears broke up, Phil Spector moved back to New York, where he worked with Leiber and Stoller in 1960. With Leiber, he co-wrote "Spanish Harlem," a massive hit for ex-Drifter Ben E. King. Spector also played guitar on the Drifters' "On Broadway."
Buy "To Know Him is to Love Him
The Chipmunks & Dave Seville:
In 1959, the Chipmunks (Seville) won three Grammy Awards for Best Recording for Children, Best Comedy Performance, and Best Engineered Record - Non-Classical for the song "The Chipmunk Song." (Was also nominated for Record of the Year, but did not win.)
In 1961, Seville won a Grammy Award for Best Album for Children for the album “Let's All Sing with The Chipmunks.”
As their popularity grew, the Chipmunks' voices were recorded onto audiotape by voice talent talking or singing at half the normal speed. The technique was by no means new to the Chipmunks. For example, the high and low pitched characters in The Wizard of Oz were achieved by speeding up and slowing down vocal recordings.
The Chipmunk’s recorded numerous novelty songs, prime time animated specials, record albums and were featured in a Saturday morning cartoon series.
The words of the song “Witch Doctor” are nonsense: "Oo-ee, oo-ah-ah, ting-tang, walla-walla, bing-bang." The "Walla Walla" part of the song was just thrown in as a reference to Ross Bagdasarian's uncle who lived in Walla Walla, Washington.
Bird & Animal Band Names Feature
This from the folks at Rolling Stone: their list of the top animal bands (the Beatles were banned for some odd reason as were all 'bug' bands) is listed below. I have recently began a great series of "Birds & Animals Groups in Rock and Roll History" at my new writing assignment, www.musicstack.com. I will try and cover all the bands with a Bird & Animal moniker (mine will include bugs, insects and even fish!), no small feat I will admit, because if you name an animal, there probably has been a group that has used the name. I will start to post the articles here as well, there are a lot of interesting and fascinating stories behind the names!
Rolling Stones' Readers’ Rock List: Animal Bands
1. Animal Collective
2. Eagles
3. The Animals
4. Fleet Foxes
5. Grizzly Bear
6. Modest Mouse
7. Super Furry Animals
8. Cat Power
9. Panda Bear
10. Wolfmother
11. The Monkees
12. Def Leppard
13. Steppenwolf
14. Wolf Parade
15. Phish
16. The Byrds
17. Gorillaz
18. The Turtles
19. The Yardbirds
20. Dr. Dog
Rolling Stones' Readers’ Rock List: Animal Bands
1. Animal Collective
2. Eagles
3. The Animals
4. Fleet Foxes
5. Grizzly Bear
6. Modest Mouse
7. Super Furry Animals
8. Cat Power
9. Panda Bear
10. Wolfmother
11. The Monkees
12. Def Leppard
13. Steppenwolf
14. Wolf Parade
15. Phish
16. The Byrds
17. Gorillaz
18. The Turtles
19. The Yardbirds
20. Dr. Dog
Music News & Notes
KAMELOT Keyboardist's SONS OF SEASONS Announce Live Dates For Germany, Reveal Cover Art For Debut Album Special Edition Featuring EPICA Vocalist
SONS OF SEASONS, founded by KAMELOT keyboardist Oliver Palotai, have revealed the cover art for the limited edition version of their debut album, Gods Of Vermin, which is different from the standard edition. It features EPICA vocalist Simone Simons, who also makes a guest appearance on the album.
==============================
Elvis Items On Auction Block
Gotta Have Rock and Roll (www.gottahaverockandroll.com) started an on-line auction today for over 500 lots of Elvis Presley owned items and other Elvis memorabilia. The auction runs through March 25.
The top items in the auction:
Lot #506: White Wm. Knabe & Co. Grand Piano Used at Graceland - Minimum Bid $500,000
Lot #001: Elvis' Madison Square Garden Jumpsuit - Blue with Gold Lining - $100,000
Lot #309: Hound Dog Christmas Oil Painting by Ralph Wolfe Cowan - $25,000
Lot #310: Praying Elvis Oil Painting by Ralph Wolfe Cowan - $25,000
Lot #311: Pink Cadillac Oil Painting by Ralph Wolfe Cowan - $25,000
Lot #015: Elvis Presley Signed Seventh Degree Black Belt Karate Card with Fingerprints - $10,000
Lot #011: Elvis Presley Owned and Worn Silver & Turquoise Belt - $8,000
Lot #005: Elvis Presley Owned and Worn Black Pants and Shirt with IC Costume Label - $8,000
Lot #012: Elvis Presley Owned and Worn 14kt Gold and Diamond Owl Ring - $5,000
Lot #013: Elvis Presley Owned and Worn Solid 14kt Gold Diamond Pave Bracelet - $5,000
For those with a little less money, there are a number of Presley albums, press books, lobby cards and other ephemera available for under $100.
==============================
Dylan's New LP
Columbia Records has officially announced an April 28 release date for Bob Dylan's 46th album, called "Together Through Life."
The album comes on the heels of the critically acclaimed "Modern Times," "Love and Theft" and "Time Out of Mind" Those three releases have led to a huge career resurgence for the icon, winning multiple Grammys and each selling over a million copies.
The album was recorded late last year and is based on classic styles from the Chess and Sun recordings of the 1950's. In an interview on his sight, Dylan commented.
". . . the old Chess records, the Sun records. . . I think that’s my favorite sound for a record.
"I like the mood of those records - the intensity. The sound is uncluttered. There’s power and suspense. The whole vibration feels like it could be coming from inside your mind. It’s alive. It’s right there. Kind of sticks in your head like a toothache."
In discussing the change in sound from his last album, Modern Times:
"All the Modern Times songs were written and performed in the widest range possible so they had a little bit of everything. These new songs have more of a romantic edge.
"These songs don’t need to cover the same ground. The songs on Modern Times songs brought my repertoire up to date, and the light was directed in a certain way. You have to have somebody in mind as an audience otherwise there’s no point.
"There didn’t seem to be any general consensus among my listeners. Some people preferred my first period songs. Some, the second. Some, the Christian period. Some, the post Colombian. Some, the Pre-Raphaelite. Some people prefer my songs from the nineties. I see that my audience now doesn’t particular care what period the songs are from. They feel style and substance in a more visceral way and let it go at that."
==============================
Bad Co Tour?
That one-off performance by Bad Company must have gone pretty well as the band has announced on its website:
"Just announced: Bad Company to tour in 2009! Paul Rodgers, Mick Ralphs and Simon Kirke have announced that Bad Co will perform together again. Dates to be announced soon."
==============================
ELP Return?
Carl Palmer's website is hinting at a possible Emerson, Lake and Palmer reunion tour.
"2009 is shaping up to be one of Palmer's busiest years in his career, that began with The Crazy World Of Arthur Brown and spanned four decades plus. In addition to select dates with the Carl Palmer Band, Palmer will return to his drum kit, propelling the powerful sound of the original ASIA. There is also talk of an ELP reunion tour in the fall."
==============================
Kid Rock/Lynryd Skynyrd Tour
Following on the heels of their successful “Rock and Rebels” tour together last year, Kid Rock and Lynyrd Skynyrd will teamup once again for another trek this summer. The tour will kick off June 26th in West Palm Beach, Florida. Tickets for the shows go on sale March 20th at Live Nation’s Website. Like last time, Rock will be backed by the 11-piece Twisted Brown Trucker Band.
==============================
Mötley Crüe - Crue Fest 2
Mötley Crüe will be joined by Godsmack, Theory of a Deadman, Drowning Pool and Charm City Devils on the Crüe Fest 2: The White Trash Circus tour, the band announced at a Fuse TV press conference yesterday (March 16).
The band will celebrate the 20th anniversary of "Dr. Feelgood," its first No. 1 album on the Billboard 200, by performing the album in its entirety on the tour, which kicks off July 19 in Camden, NJ and runs through Sept. 5 in Darien Lake, NY.
==============================
Thicke Readying New Release
Robin Thicke has made enough progress on his next album to predict a first single this summer with a full-length release in the fall.
"I've got about 15 new (songs)," Thicke told reporters during a Monday conference call to promote his upcoming concert tour with Jennifer Hudson. The big change this time, he said, was working with a variety of different producers rather than helming the set himself.
==============================
CATHEDRAL: 'Caravan Beyond Redemption' Reissued On Double Splatter Vinyl - Mar. 16, 2009
Night Of The Vinyl Dead Records has released CATHEDRAL's "Caravan Beyond Redemption" album on limited-edition double splatter vinyl with a gatefold cover. The LP, which was originally released by Earache in 1998, is limited to 500 copies.
CATHEDRAL's latest album, "The Garden of Unearthly Delights", was released in Europe in October 2005 and in North America in January 2006. Produced by Warren Ryker (DOWN, CROWBAR), the CD was said to be the band's "most varied effort so far." Using every stylistic device — from female vocals up to violins — and embedding it all in that typical CATHEDRAL brand of doom, "The Garden of Unearthly Delights" is a treat for every fan of the band, old and new alike. The follow-up to 2002's "The VIIth Coming" once again features the epic artwork of long-standing CATHEDRAL sleeve artist Dave Patchett.
SONS OF SEASONS, founded by KAMELOT keyboardist Oliver Palotai, have revealed the cover art for the limited edition version of their debut album, Gods Of Vermin, which is different from the standard edition. It features EPICA vocalist Simone Simons, who also makes a guest appearance on the album.
==============================
Elvis Items On Auction Block
Gotta Have Rock and Roll (www.gottahaverockandroll.com) started an on-line auction today for over 500 lots of Elvis Presley owned items and other Elvis memorabilia. The auction runs through March 25.
The top items in the auction:
Lot #506: White Wm. Knabe & Co. Grand Piano Used at Graceland - Minimum Bid $500,000
Lot #001: Elvis' Madison Square Garden Jumpsuit - Blue with Gold Lining - $100,000
Lot #309: Hound Dog Christmas Oil Painting by Ralph Wolfe Cowan - $25,000
Lot #310: Praying Elvis Oil Painting by Ralph Wolfe Cowan - $25,000
Lot #311: Pink Cadillac Oil Painting by Ralph Wolfe Cowan - $25,000
Lot #015: Elvis Presley Signed Seventh Degree Black Belt Karate Card with Fingerprints - $10,000
Lot #011: Elvis Presley Owned and Worn Silver & Turquoise Belt - $8,000
Lot #005: Elvis Presley Owned and Worn Black Pants and Shirt with IC Costume Label - $8,000
Lot #012: Elvis Presley Owned and Worn 14kt Gold and Diamond Owl Ring - $5,000
Lot #013: Elvis Presley Owned and Worn Solid 14kt Gold Diamond Pave Bracelet - $5,000
For those with a little less money, there are a number of Presley albums, press books, lobby cards and other ephemera available for under $100.
==============================
Dylan's New LP
Columbia Records has officially announced an April 28 release date for Bob Dylan's 46th album, called "Together Through Life."
The album comes on the heels of the critically acclaimed "Modern Times," "Love and Theft" and "Time Out of Mind" Those three releases have led to a huge career resurgence for the icon, winning multiple Grammys and each selling over a million copies.
The album was recorded late last year and is based on classic styles from the Chess and Sun recordings of the 1950's. In an interview on his sight, Dylan commented.
". . . the old Chess records, the Sun records. . . I think that’s my favorite sound for a record.
"I like the mood of those records - the intensity. The sound is uncluttered. There’s power and suspense. The whole vibration feels like it could be coming from inside your mind. It’s alive. It’s right there. Kind of sticks in your head like a toothache."
In discussing the change in sound from his last album, Modern Times:
"All the Modern Times songs were written and performed in the widest range possible so they had a little bit of everything. These new songs have more of a romantic edge.
"These songs don’t need to cover the same ground. The songs on Modern Times songs brought my repertoire up to date, and the light was directed in a certain way. You have to have somebody in mind as an audience otherwise there’s no point.
"There didn’t seem to be any general consensus among my listeners. Some people preferred my first period songs. Some, the second. Some, the Christian period. Some, the post Colombian. Some, the Pre-Raphaelite. Some people prefer my songs from the nineties. I see that my audience now doesn’t particular care what period the songs are from. They feel style and substance in a more visceral way and let it go at that."
==============================
Bad Co Tour?
That one-off performance by Bad Company must have gone pretty well as the band has announced on its website:
"Just announced: Bad Company to tour in 2009! Paul Rodgers, Mick Ralphs and Simon Kirke have announced that Bad Co will perform together again. Dates to be announced soon."
==============================
ELP Return?
Carl Palmer's website is hinting at a possible Emerson, Lake and Palmer reunion tour.
"2009 is shaping up to be one of Palmer's busiest years in his career, that began with The Crazy World Of Arthur Brown and spanned four decades plus. In addition to select dates with the Carl Palmer Band, Palmer will return to his drum kit, propelling the powerful sound of the original ASIA. There is also talk of an ELP reunion tour in the fall."
==============================
Kid Rock/Lynryd Skynyrd Tour
Following on the heels of their successful “Rock and Rebels” tour together last year, Kid Rock and Lynyrd Skynyrd will teamup once again for another trek this summer. The tour will kick off June 26th in West Palm Beach, Florida. Tickets for the shows go on sale March 20th at Live Nation’s Website. Like last time, Rock will be backed by the 11-piece Twisted Brown Trucker Band.
==============================
Mötley Crüe - Crue Fest 2
Mötley Crüe will be joined by Godsmack, Theory of a Deadman, Drowning Pool and Charm City Devils on the Crüe Fest 2: The White Trash Circus tour, the band announced at a Fuse TV press conference yesterday (March 16).
The band will celebrate the 20th anniversary of "Dr. Feelgood," its first No. 1 album on the Billboard 200, by performing the album in its entirety on the tour, which kicks off July 19 in Camden, NJ and runs through Sept. 5 in Darien Lake, NY.
==============================
Thicke Readying New Release
Robin Thicke has made enough progress on his next album to predict a first single this summer with a full-length release in the fall.
"I've got about 15 new (songs)," Thicke told reporters during a Monday conference call to promote his upcoming concert tour with Jennifer Hudson. The big change this time, he said, was working with a variety of different producers rather than helming the set himself.
==============================
CATHEDRAL: 'Caravan Beyond Redemption' Reissued On Double Splatter Vinyl - Mar. 16, 2009
Night Of The Vinyl Dead Records has released CATHEDRAL's "Caravan Beyond Redemption" album on limited-edition double splatter vinyl with a gatefold cover. The LP, which was originally released by Earache in 1998, is limited to 500 copies.
CATHEDRAL's latest album, "The Garden of Unearthly Delights", was released in Europe in October 2005 and in North America in January 2006. Produced by Warren Ryker (DOWN, CROWBAR), the CD was said to be the band's "most varied effort so far." Using every stylistic device — from female vocals up to violins — and embedding it all in that typical CATHEDRAL brand of doom, "The Garden of Unearthly Delights" is a treat for every fan of the band, old and new alike. The follow-up to 2002's "The VIIth Coming" once again features the epic artwork of long-standing CATHEDRAL sleeve artist Dave Patchett.
This Date In Music History- March 17
Birthdays:
Pattie "Layla" Boyd (former Mrs. George Harrison and Mrs. Eric Clapton-- the one he wrote "Layla" for) turns 64.
Scott Gorham- guitar, Thin Lizzy (1951)
John Sebastian ("Welcome Back" and lead singer of the Lovin' Spoonful) is 65.
Caroline Corr - The Corrs (1973)
Melissa Auf der Maur- Hole, Smashing Pumpkins (1972)
Billy Corgan- Smashing Pumpkins (1967)
Paul Kantner- Jefferson Airplane/Starship (1941)
Jim Weatherly (1943)
They Are Missed:
The late Nat "King" Cole was born in 1919.
Terry Stafford ("Suspicion") died of liver failure in 1996.
The late Zola Taylor of the Platters ("Twilight Time"-- claimed after his death that Frankie Lyman had married her) was born in 1938.
Samuel George, Jr., lead singer of the Capitols ("Cool Jerk") was stabbed to death during a family argument in Detroit in 1982.
Rick Grech, bass player with Family, Blind Faith and Traffic died of kidney and liver failure in 1990.
History:
In 1962, the Shirelles release "Soldier Boy." The single becomes the New Jersey girl group's biggest hit, selling a million copies and going all the way to #1.
The Bee Gees made their U.S. television debut on the Ed Sullivan Show in 1968. They performed "To Love Somebody" and "Words."
Tangerine Dream formed in 1970.
In 1951, Sam Phillips recorded Howlin' Wolf for Chess Records.
The Champs started a five week run at #1 on the US singles chart in 1958 with 'Tequila', a #5 hit in the UK.
In 1997, the RIAA announced that the Eagles' "Greatest Hits" album had tied Michael Jackson's "Thriller" as the all-time best-selling album in the U.S.
In 1976, Bob Dylan's protest song "Hurricane" led to boxer Rubin "Hurricane" Carter's murder case being reopened.
The Grateful Dead released their self-titled debut album in 1967.
In 2000, Dixie Chick Natalie Maines apologized to George W. Bush for comments made earlier in the month. Several radio stations boycotted the group's records after Maines said she was ashamed the president was from her home state of Texas.
“Deja Vu,” by Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young, was released in 1970. With the addition of Neil Young giving the band a more electric edge, the album goes to #1 and sells more than 7 million copies.
Paul McCartney tops the Rolling Stone rich list in 2003, with earnings of $72 million. Runners-up were the Rolling Stones ($44 million) and Dave Matthews Band ($31 million).
The movie "American Hot Wax" (about influential disk jockey Alan Freed) premiered in 1978.
In 1958, the Coasters recorded "Yakety Yak," which was highlighted by King Curtis's honking sax solo. It hits #1 on both the pop and R&B charts, and King Curtis becomes a mainstay of Atlantic Records' soul and R&B sound.
Eric Weissberg started a three-week run at #1 in 1973 with “Dueling Banjos.” Song taken from the film “Deliverance.”
In 1973, Dr Hook's single “On The Cover Of Rolling Stone” peaked at #6 on the US chart. The single was banned in the UK by the BBC due to the reference of the magazine.
The soundtrack album “O Brother, Where Art Thou?” started a two week run at #1 on the US album chart in 2002.
Pattie "Layla" Boyd (former Mrs. George Harrison and Mrs. Eric Clapton-- the one he wrote "Layla" for) turns 64.
Scott Gorham- guitar, Thin Lizzy (1951)
John Sebastian ("Welcome Back" and lead singer of the Lovin' Spoonful) is 65.
Caroline Corr - The Corrs (1973)
Melissa Auf der Maur- Hole, Smashing Pumpkins (1972)
Billy Corgan- Smashing Pumpkins (1967)
Paul Kantner- Jefferson Airplane/Starship (1941)
Jim Weatherly (1943)
They Are Missed:
The late Nat "King" Cole was born in 1919.
Terry Stafford ("Suspicion") died of liver failure in 1996.
The late Zola Taylor of the Platters ("Twilight Time"-- claimed after his death that Frankie Lyman had married her) was born in 1938.
Samuel George, Jr., lead singer of the Capitols ("Cool Jerk") was stabbed to death during a family argument in Detroit in 1982.
Rick Grech, bass player with Family, Blind Faith and Traffic died of kidney and liver failure in 1990.
History:
In 1962, the Shirelles release "Soldier Boy." The single becomes the New Jersey girl group's biggest hit, selling a million copies and going all the way to #1.
The Bee Gees made their U.S. television debut on the Ed Sullivan Show in 1968. They performed "To Love Somebody" and "Words."
Tangerine Dream formed in 1970.
In 1951, Sam Phillips recorded Howlin' Wolf for Chess Records.
The Champs started a five week run at #1 on the US singles chart in 1958 with 'Tequila', a #5 hit in the UK.
In 1997, the RIAA announced that the Eagles' "Greatest Hits" album had tied Michael Jackson's "Thriller" as the all-time best-selling album in the U.S.
In 1976, Bob Dylan's protest song "Hurricane" led to boxer Rubin "Hurricane" Carter's murder case being reopened.
The Grateful Dead released their self-titled debut album in 1967.
In 2000, Dixie Chick Natalie Maines apologized to George W. Bush for comments made earlier in the month. Several radio stations boycotted the group's records after Maines said she was ashamed the president was from her home state of Texas.
“Deja Vu,” by Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young, was released in 1970. With the addition of Neil Young giving the band a more electric edge, the album goes to #1 and sells more than 7 million copies.
Paul McCartney tops the Rolling Stone rich list in 2003, with earnings of $72 million. Runners-up were the Rolling Stones ($44 million) and Dave Matthews Band ($31 million).
The movie "American Hot Wax" (about influential disk jockey Alan Freed) premiered in 1978.
In 1958, the Coasters recorded "Yakety Yak," which was highlighted by King Curtis's honking sax solo. It hits #1 on both the pop and R&B charts, and King Curtis becomes a mainstay of Atlantic Records' soul and R&B sound.
Eric Weissberg started a three-week run at #1 in 1973 with “Dueling Banjos.” Song taken from the film “Deliverance.”
In 1973, Dr Hook's single “On The Cover Of Rolling Stone” peaked at #6 on the US chart. The single was banned in the UK by the BBC due to the reference of the magazine.
The soundtrack album “O Brother, Where Art Thou?” started a two week run at #1 on the US album chart in 2002.
Monday, March 16, 2009
Top 5 eBay Vinyl Record Sales
Week Ending 03/07/2009
1. 45 - The Admirations "You Left Me" / "I Want To Be Free" Peaches - $4,350.00 - Start: $9.99 - Bids: 29
2. 45 - The Kings "Don't Say You're Sorry" / "Kicking With My Stallion" Club - $2,938.88 - Start: $999.99 - Bids: 14
3. 45 - The Residents "Santa Dog" set Ralph - $2,241.00 - Start: $9.99 - Bids: 27
4. 45 - Nirvana "Love Buzz" 670/1000 Sub Pop - $2,200.00 - Start: n/a - Bids: Best Offer
5. LP - Dexter Gordon "Blows Hot & Cool" Dootone Red Wax - $2,013.00 - Start: $9.99 - Bids: 20
A Northern Soul 45 from The Admirations tops the list this week, bidding up halfway over $4.3k. A Doo-Wop 45 get the #2 spot, this record from The Kings sells for over $2.9k.
The first Resident's singles get over $2.2k and the #3 spot. Next, the Nirvana Love Buzz 7" sells on a Best Offer for $2.2k.
And last, a red wax pressing of a Dexter Gordon LP bids up a little over $2k.
A special thank you to Norm at http://ccdiscoveries.blogspot.com/ for this great data!
1. 45 - The Admirations "You Left Me" / "I Want To Be Free" Peaches - $4,350.00 - Start: $9.99 - Bids: 29
2. 45 - The Kings "Don't Say You're Sorry" / "Kicking With My Stallion" Club - $2,938.88 - Start: $999.99 - Bids: 14
3. 45 - The Residents "Santa Dog" set Ralph - $2,241.00 - Start: $9.99 - Bids: 27
4. 45 - Nirvana "Love Buzz" 670/1000 Sub Pop - $2,200.00 - Start: n/a - Bids: Best Offer
5. LP - Dexter Gordon "Blows Hot & Cool" Dootone Red Wax - $2,013.00 - Start: $9.99 - Bids: 20
A Northern Soul 45 from The Admirations tops the list this week, bidding up halfway over $4.3k. A Doo-Wop 45 get the #2 spot, this record from The Kings sells for over $2.9k.
The first Resident's singles get over $2.2k and the #3 spot. Next, the Nirvana Love Buzz 7" sells on a Best Offer for $2.2k.
And last, a red wax pressing of a Dexter Gordon LP bids up a little over $2k.
A special thank you to Norm at http://ccdiscoveries.blogspot.com/ for this great data!
Music News & Notes
Dream Theater Release New Album Details
Progressive metal veterans, Dream Theater, have announced 'Black Clouds & Silver Linings' as the title of their tenth studio album. The band commenced work on the album - their second for Roadrunner Records, following up 2007's 'Systematic Chaos' - in October last year. Roadrunner will release the record on June 22.
In addition to the standard version CD, the album will also be available on vinyl LP, as well as a three-disc Special Edition CD that will include the full album, a CD of instrumental mixes of the album and a CD of six cover songs, which will be revealed at a later date. Also in consideration is a super deluxe special edition package, though not yet confirmed.
===============================
Eels to release new album in June
The Eels will return with their first album in four years on June 2nd with the release of Hombre Lobo: 12 Songs of Desire. The new album was recorded at Mark Oliver Everett’s Los Angeles studio
===============================
Queen Rerelease
Queen's original EP is being reissued in a limited 3,000 copy run for the U.K.'s Record Store Day on April 14. It will only be available at stores officially participating in the one day celebration.
The track list:
Good Old Fashioned Loverboy
Death On Two Legs
Tenement Funster (single version)
White Queen
===============================
All U.S. Virgin Megastores To Close By June
The planned U.S. closure of the Virgin Megastore chain by mid-June will mark the end of the British music retail invasion.
HMV was the first to land in November 1990, with an East Coast incursion, followed soon by Virgin's entry on the West Coast and W.H. Smith's focus on the country's heartland malls.
The three chains came in thinking they could teach the Americans a thing or two about merchandising music. But their high-handed attitude wasn't directed at their competitors, like Tower Records, Camelot Music, Record World and other long-dead music chains. Rather, it was targeted at the record labels.
"They were arrogant," a label sales executive told Billboard about the British chains before Virgin confirmed its U.S. closings. "They thought they knew everything. They thought they were going to take the U.S. by storm. But I grew to love them. They were all good music guys and their stores were great."
The British merchants were especially known for championing certain kinds of artists and genres. But their fatal flaw was a failure to understand the U.S. real estate market. HMV and Virgin had a history of overpaying for locations, which meant both chains usually had more unprofitable stores than profitable ones.
At its peak, the Virgin Megastore chain had 23 stores and revenue of $280 million annually, but at least 12 of those stores weren't profitable. After a four-year store-closing spree, the chain was down to six stores by January, all of them profitable, and combined they were doing a very respectable $180 million in annual sales. The chain's New York Times Square location generated $55 million, with $6 million in profit, while its Union Square store downtown had $40 million in sales and a few million dollars in profit, according to sources.
===============================
New Breeders Music On The Way
Fans of the Breeders waited six years between the band’s 2002 album Title TK and last year’s Mountain Battles, but Kim and Kelley Deal are back already, returning with four fresh tracks next month. On April 21st the group will release a limited-edition EP called Fate to Fatal, which features a Bob Marley cover and a tune sung by former Screaming Trees frontman and Queens of the Stone Age collaborator Mark Lanegan.
Progressive metal veterans, Dream Theater, have announced 'Black Clouds & Silver Linings' as the title of their tenth studio album. The band commenced work on the album - their second for Roadrunner Records, following up 2007's 'Systematic Chaos' - in October last year. Roadrunner will release the record on June 22.
In addition to the standard version CD, the album will also be available on vinyl LP, as well as a three-disc Special Edition CD that will include the full album, a CD of instrumental mixes of the album and a CD of six cover songs, which will be revealed at a later date. Also in consideration is a super deluxe special edition package, though not yet confirmed.
===============================
Eels to release new album in June
The Eels will return with their first album in four years on June 2nd with the release of Hombre Lobo: 12 Songs of Desire. The new album was recorded at Mark Oliver Everett’s Los Angeles studio
===============================
Queen Rerelease
Queen's original EP is being reissued in a limited 3,000 copy run for the U.K.'s Record Store Day on April 14. It will only be available at stores officially participating in the one day celebration.
The track list:
Good Old Fashioned Loverboy
Death On Two Legs
Tenement Funster (single version)
White Queen
===============================
All U.S. Virgin Megastores To Close By June
The planned U.S. closure of the Virgin Megastore chain by mid-June will mark the end of the British music retail invasion.
HMV was the first to land in November 1990, with an East Coast incursion, followed soon by Virgin's entry on the West Coast and W.H. Smith's focus on the country's heartland malls.
The three chains came in thinking they could teach the Americans a thing or two about merchandising music. But their high-handed attitude wasn't directed at their competitors, like Tower Records, Camelot Music, Record World and other long-dead music chains. Rather, it was targeted at the record labels.
"They were arrogant," a label sales executive told Billboard about the British chains before Virgin confirmed its U.S. closings. "They thought they knew everything. They thought they were going to take the U.S. by storm. But I grew to love them. They were all good music guys and their stores were great."
The British merchants were especially known for championing certain kinds of artists and genres. But their fatal flaw was a failure to understand the U.S. real estate market. HMV and Virgin had a history of overpaying for locations, which meant both chains usually had more unprofitable stores than profitable ones.
At its peak, the Virgin Megastore chain had 23 stores and revenue of $280 million annually, but at least 12 of those stores weren't profitable. After a four-year store-closing spree, the chain was down to six stores by January, all of them profitable, and combined they were doing a very respectable $180 million in annual sales. The chain's New York Times Square location generated $55 million, with $6 million in profit, while its Union Square store downtown had $40 million in sales and a few million dollars in profit, according to sources.
===============================
New Breeders Music On The Way
Fans of the Breeders waited six years between the band’s 2002 album Title TK and last year’s Mountain Battles, but Kim and Kelley Deal are back already, returning with four fresh tracks next month. On April 21st the group will release a limited-edition EP called Fate to Fatal, which features a Bob Marley cover and a tune sung by former Screaming Trees frontman and Queens of the Stone Age collaborator Mark Lanegan.
Sunday, March 15, 2009
Vinyl In Japan
Vinyl heaven: A treasure-hunter fingers 7-inch gems at Be-in in Tokyo's Koenji district.
45s at 60 just keep groovin' on their 7-inch way
By DAVID HICKEY
It was 60 years ago this month when a country crooner from the South released the first-ever single to spin at 45 rpm.
Issued in green vinyl on the RCA label, the 7-inch "Texarkana Baby" by Eddy "The Tennessee Plowboy" Arnold became a No. 1 hit and enjoyed the sort of sales that today's artists can only dream of.
But good news from the music industry these days is (almost) rarer than a gaffe-free member of Prime Minister Taro Aso's Cabinet, what with total sales in all formats here down 3 percent last year, and one industry official now estimating that worldwide sales have nose-dived by more than 30 percent since 2001 because of illegal downloads.
Amid the gloom, though, there's a bright spot: Several young entrepreneurial owners of Tokyo specialty record stores are experiencing a miniboom — and it has a lot to do with those 7-inch slices of circular vinyl.
"Sales of 45s are up 75 percent on last year, and 75 percent up on five years ago," says Haruka Naka as she steps out from Escalator Records' office, stacked almost to the ceiling with cardboard boxes full of records so new they're likely to be unknown as yet to even the most savvy Tokyo indie kid.
"Vinyl is so much more collectable than MP3s," she adds when asked to explain the format's appeal. "We've got cool kids who are pumped up for buying 7-inches every week."
The mood is similarly upbeat elsewhere, from Daikanyama's Bonjour Records (electronica/alternative) to Koenji's Be-In Records (rarities), with its 30,000 45s in stock (out of 100,000 in all), and Shibuya's Warszawa, a dance-music specialist that does much of its business online and is also taking part in the second Record Store Day on April 18 — a global event to promote independent record stores supported by the likes of Nick Hornby, Bruce Springsteen and The Flaming Lips.
One reason for this vinyl revival is the passion and knowledge of the stores' staff, who are more curators than shop assistants.
For example, those at Be-in can show customers such gems as a 1963 demo of The Rolling Stones' second single, "I Wanna Be Your Man" (a cool ¥126,000), and their oldest 45 in the racks, Elvis Presley's 1958 "Hard-Headed Woman" (a snip at ¥7,800).
Add to that a steady stream of younger buyers, and Tokyo's vibrant DJ scene — dominated by analog purists who sniff at the enfeebled sound quality of MP3s and CDs (because digital can't capture the ultra-high frequencies that analog can) — and you have an idea why plastic is still very much fantastic.
Another key player is the music industry itself, which is grappling for a sustainable business model and is desperate to sell music in any form possible to anybody who will listen. Consequently, some boutique independent labels — and some artists themselves — are coming up with marketing strategies (read: gimmicks) to make a connection with the likes of Escalator's "cool kids."
Naka credits British dance act Klaxons, who built up a buzz in 2006 with limited-edition 7-inch singles before they went Top 40, and London singer- songwriter Jack Penate, whose 2006 release "Second Minute or Hour" was limited to 1,000 copies (each with a unique Polaroid), for making the 7-inch single a cult object again. These days it's vinyl singles by the likes of Vampire Weekend and Friendly Fires (priced at around ¥1,000) that are flying out of the bins and onto turntables.
Here in Tokyo, life also began at 45 rpm for up-and-coming garage-rock trio The Feminine.
"We don't want our tunes to be something you can just download," explains singer Coatea of the band, whose debut single, "Sweet Stout Boogie," was released as a 7-inch last year on Seez Records. "It had to be something 'real.' Even with CDs, it's effectively just data, and you can copy it easily."
Says bassist Shimmy: "We like that crackle you get with vinyl."
Producing a grooved platter of black wax and the paper sleeve it's housed in isn't cheap.
Seez Records President Chikara Yoshida says that it cost ¥250,000 to press (in the United States), package and distribute 500 copies of "Sweet Stout Boogie." Then there's recording costs. Yoshida, 30, says he'd have to sell all 500 copies (at ¥1,000 each) just to break even — something he cheerfully admits is unlikely. So why does he do it? Why not put out a CD, which is cheaper to produce?
"Because vinyl is something that'll never die," he says. "I think the way people listen to analog and digital forms of music is different. On one side of a 45, you've only got room for one song. If you want to listen to the flip side, you've got to physically get up, turn the record over and put the needle on again. I think that's really important. There's no fun in listening to CDs or whatever, where you're just pushing a button.
"I think music should be something you have to put some effort into to get enjoyment out of it. That's what you have to do with vinyl; it's a ritual. I don't understand why the major labels spend ¥500,000 to ¥600,000 on making a tune, using the best recording equipment, if the song is going to end up being downloaded onto a cell phone for ¥100."
Indeed, in such a cell-phone-saturated culture, in which browsing is something you're more likely to do while standing on a train than in a record store, perhaps the continued rude health of Tokyo's independent record stores signifies nothing less than a primordial urge for something physical — for possessions that in and of themselves mean something again. Certainly Escalator's Naka thinks so.
"I think young people these days desire more of a connection — with people, things and music," she says.
Despite the diversification of music formats — it would probably make the late Eddy Arnold chortle if he knew Justin Timberlake's last album was released in more than 100 formats, from ring tones to iTunes to plain old CD — it's ironic that some old technology is in vogue once again.
Perhaps the future lies in a mixture of analog and digital. Many stores, including Warszawa, are offering free download coupons when shoppers purchase a record of any sort.
Analog on the A-side, digital on the B-side, if you like.
SOURCE: http://search.japantimes.co.jp
Music News & Notes
TYRANTS BLOOD - Cover Art And Tracklist Of New Album Revealed
Vancouver, BC-based black/death metallers TYRANTS BLOOD - who feature members from some of Canada’s most prestigious and important metal bands such as BLASPHEMY, WITCHES HAMMER and INFERNAL MAJESTY - have revealed the cover art and tracklisting of their forthcoming album Crushing Onward Into Oblivion. The tracklist is as follows: 'Cast Into Hell', 'Torn From The Sky', 'Slithering Into Exile', 'Behold The Conqueror', 'Deceiver', 'Empire Of Acheron', 'Crushing Onward Into Oblivion', 'Slaine: The Berzerker - I: 'Cauldron Of Blood', II: 'Eyes Without Life', III: 'Flesh Cage Of Insanity'
==================================
Digital Beatles Music
Paul McCartney, Ringo Starr and the estates of John Lennon and George Harrison are said to be leaning towards giving up on any deal with iTunes for releasing the music of the Beatles instead going with their own website.
Harrison's son, Dhani, says that they have not been able to put together an acceptable deal with the download giant. He told Blender, "We're losing money every day. So what do you do? You have to have your own delivery system, or you have to do a good deal with Steve Jobs. But he says that a download is worth 99 cents, and we disagree."
Vancouver, BC-based black/death metallers TYRANTS BLOOD - who feature members from some of Canada’s most prestigious and important metal bands such as BLASPHEMY, WITCHES HAMMER and INFERNAL MAJESTY - have revealed the cover art and tracklisting of their forthcoming album Crushing Onward Into Oblivion. The tracklist is as follows: 'Cast Into Hell', 'Torn From The Sky', 'Slithering Into Exile', 'Behold The Conqueror', 'Deceiver', 'Empire Of Acheron', 'Crushing Onward Into Oblivion', 'Slaine: The Berzerker - I: 'Cauldron Of Blood', II: 'Eyes Without Life', III: 'Flesh Cage Of Insanity'
==================================
Digital Beatles Music
Paul McCartney, Ringo Starr and the estates of John Lennon and George Harrison are said to be leaning towards giving up on any deal with iTunes for releasing the music of the Beatles instead going with their own website.
Harrison's son, Dhani, says that they have not been able to put together an acceptable deal with the download giant. He told Blender, "We're losing money every day. So what do you do? You have to have your own delivery system, or you have to do a good deal with Steve Jobs. But he says that a download is worth 99 cents, and we disagree."
This Date In Music History-March 15
Birthdays:
Will.i.am- Black Eyed Peas (1975)
Mark McGrath- Sugar Ray (1968)
Grateful Dead bassist Phil Lesh (1940)
Beach Boy Mike Love (1944)
Sly Stone (1944)
Ry Cooder (1947)
Daniel "Dee" Snider- Twisted Sister (1955)
Terence Trent D'Arby (1962)
Bret Michaels- Poison (1962)
Mark Hoppus- Blink-182 (1972)
They Are Missed:
Lightnin' Hopkins was born in 1912. (died January 30, 1982 age 70). Was a major influence on Bob Dylan and Jimi Hendrix.
In 1929, Boogie-woogie inventor Pinetop Smith was shot dead in a Chicago dance hall. He had made the mistake of dancing with a Miss Louise Ford, who appeared to have been already taken by someone toting a revolver.
Marshall Lieb of the Teddy Bears ("To Know Him Is To Love Him") died of a heart attack in 2002.
History:
Fats Domino recorded "Ain't It a Shame" in 1955.
Colonel Tom Parker became Elvis Presley’s manager in 1955. Having already managed several major Country stars, Parker makes Elvis his life’s work. The partnership is beneficial to both parties though not always artistically rewarding.
Billboard magazine began listing a top albums chart in 1945. The first #1 was "The Nat King Cole Trio."
At the 8th annual Grammy Awards in 1966, Album of the Year was Frank Sinatra's "September of My Years," and Herb Alpert & Tijuana Brass' recording of "A Taste of Honey" was named Record of the Year.
Police invaded Los Angeles' KHJ in 1972 after DJ Robert W. Morgan repeatedly plays Donny Osmond's "Puppy Love" from 6 to 7:30 in the morning. The cops feared the station had been overrun with crazies, but it turned out to be just another radio stunt.
In 1990, some 13.7 million households signed up to see a pay-per-view special by the New Kids on the Block, breaking PPV records. I was not among them.
In 1999, Bruce Springsteen, Paul McCartney, Billy Joel, and Dusty Springfield were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.
In 2003, protesters in Louisiana destroyed Dixie Chicks CDs with a 33,000-pound tractor, in protest over singer Natalie Maines' derogatory comments about President George W. Bush. I guess the truth hurts.
In 2004, Prince, George Harrison, Bob Seger, Traffic, Jackson Browne, The Dells and ZZ Top were all inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.
Today in 1969, the song "Dizzy" by Tommy Roe topped the charts and stayed there for 4weeks.
In 2002, Yoko Ono unveiled a seven foot bronze statue of John Lennon overlooking the check-in hall of Liverpool John Lennon airport. The re-branding of the airport featured a sketch of Lennon's face with the words “Above Us Only Skies.”
Led Zeppelin went to #1 on the US chart in 1975 with the double album “Physical Graffiti,” the first on their own Swan Song label.
Olivia Newton-John went to #1 on the US album chart in 1975 with “Have You Ever Been Mellow.”
The Bangles were at #2 on the US singles chart in 1986 with “Manic Monday,” a song written by Prince under the pseudonym Christopher. Ironically, it was prevented going to #1 by Prince with “Kiss.”
Will.i.am- Black Eyed Peas (1975)
Mark McGrath- Sugar Ray (1968)
Grateful Dead bassist Phil Lesh (1940)
Beach Boy Mike Love (1944)
Sly Stone (1944)
Ry Cooder (1947)
Daniel "Dee" Snider- Twisted Sister (1955)
Terence Trent D'Arby (1962)
Bret Michaels- Poison (1962)
Mark Hoppus- Blink-182 (1972)
They Are Missed:
Lightnin' Hopkins was born in 1912. (died January 30, 1982 age 70). Was a major influence on Bob Dylan and Jimi Hendrix.
In 1929, Boogie-woogie inventor Pinetop Smith was shot dead in a Chicago dance hall. He had made the mistake of dancing with a Miss Louise Ford, who appeared to have been already taken by someone toting a revolver.
Marshall Lieb of the Teddy Bears ("To Know Him Is To Love Him") died of a heart attack in 2002.
History:
Fats Domino recorded "Ain't It a Shame" in 1955.
Colonel Tom Parker became Elvis Presley’s manager in 1955. Having already managed several major Country stars, Parker makes Elvis his life’s work. The partnership is beneficial to both parties though not always artistically rewarding.
Billboard magazine began listing a top albums chart in 1945. The first #1 was "The Nat King Cole Trio."
At the 8th annual Grammy Awards in 1966, Album of the Year was Frank Sinatra's "September of My Years," and Herb Alpert & Tijuana Brass' recording of "A Taste of Honey" was named Record of the Year.
Police invaded Los Angeles' KHJ in 1972 after DJ Robert W. Morgan repeatedly plays Donny Osmond's "Puppy Love" from 6 to 7:30 in the morning. The cops feared the station had been overrun with crazies, but it turned out to be just another radio stunt.
In 1990, some 13.7 million households signed up to see a pay-per-view special by the New Kids on the Block, breaking PPV records. I was not among them.
In 1999, Bruce Springsteen, Paul McCartney, Billy Joel, and Dusty Springfield were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.
In 2003, protesters in Louisiana destroyed Dixie Chicks CDs with a 33,000-pound tractor, in protest over singer Natalie Maines' derogatory comments about President George W. Bush. I guess the truth hurts.
In 2004, Prince, George Harrison, Bob Seger, Traffic, Jackson Browne, The Dells and ZZ Top were all inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.
Today in 1969, the song "Dizzy" by Tommy Roe topped the charts and stayed there for 4weeks.
In 2002, Yoko Ono unveiled a seven foot bronze statue of John Lennon overlooking the check-in hall of Liverpool John Lennon airport. The re-branding of the airport featured a sketch of Lennon's face with the words “Above Us Only Skies.”
Led Zeppelin went to #1 on the US chart in 1975 with the double album “Physical Graffiti,” the first on their own Swan Song label.
Olivia Newton-John went to #1 on the US album chart in 1975 with “Have You Ever Been Mellow.”
The Bangles were at #2 on the US singles chart in 1986 with “Manic Monday,” a song written by Prince under the pseudonym Christopher. Ironically, it was prevented going to #1 by Prince with “Kiss.”
Saturday, March 14, 2009
A Labor Of Love Has Given Birth To A Radio Show, Accidental Nostalgia.
March 13, 2009. – FULL FRONTAL LOBE, USA - “I like the built-in nostalgia of vinyl - whether it's a 1964, Top 40, one-hit wonder or a super rare, private press, psychedelic LP” said co-host Norm Geddis.
He’s been collecting records since he got kicked out of a record store in 1978 for trying to order "Black Market Clash". Norm met his wife, Jane, a Grateful Dead concert in 1985.
Twenty-four years later, they’re the owners of Counter-Clock Records, an eBay store, which houses a vast collection of records, mostly 45s.
Jane and Norm buy collections from individuals, closed record stores and from eBay. Their tastes are eclectic and intuitive. They look through a stack of records and sense what's interesting, unusual, weird . . . just enjoyable. Norm has an encyclopedic knowledge of music history, but their show is far from esoteric.
Featuring random juxtapositions , unusual pairings and occasional divine accidents, each show is a voyage of discovery interspersed with short music news segments and trivia.
“We have something unique and something we're proud of. We play what we find. I call the programming style Accidental Nostalgia," said Jane.
"I'll do artists like Etta James, Grateful Dead, Joni Mitchell, The Band, Bill Monroe, Renaissance, Mazzy Star, Opal, Joan Armatrading, CSNY," Jane continued. "While Norm stirs in the Moody Blues, Sandi Sheldon Small Faces, Pink Floyd, The Intruders and hundreds of others . We never know what the result will sound like until we play it.”
"The community record store used to be a hub for music lovers. You got to browse, explore, chart and share.” said Norm. “The Internet cannot deliver that. We can’t begin to replace the chill up your spine dirty tile smell of your record store, but we can begin to replace the sense of community and shared interests.”
And that’s the goal of Accidental Nostalgia weekly Thursday Nights at 7:00 starting March 19th only on Radio Dentata.
For additional information on this show, go to http://www.radiodentata.com.
Contact:
Frankie Monroe
RadioDentata Inc
P.O.Box 265
Bean Station TN 37708
RadioDentata
There are no call letters for our station,
therefore no rules, limitations or boundaries.
http://www.radiodentata.com
webmaster@radiodentata.comThis e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it
twitter: @radiodentata
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About
Radio Dentata offers a fast-paced, quick-witted alternative to the pabulum-driven, vanity or shock jock shows that “out of the box thinking” radio stations have been famous for. We are here to Engage, Enlighten Educate & Entertain 24/7. Checkout the station at http://www.radiodentata.com.
Counter-Clock Records Ebay Store: offers thousands of record albums, singles, specialty lots of 45's. http://stores.shop.ebay.com/Counter-Clock-Records
Music News & Notes
Reprise Records to Release Green Day's Entire Catalog on 12-Inch Vinyl
BURBANK, Calif. - (Business Wire) Reprise Records will release multi-platinum rock band Green Day's entire catalog on 12-inch vinyl, giving fans and collectors alike access to records that have been hard-to-find or out-of-print for years. The band's first two albums, 39/Smooth and Kerplunk, will be made available on March 24th, while their third, the breakthrough smash Dookie, will be made available on April 18th, in honor of the second annual Record Store Day — a celebration of the unique culture surrounding the more than 700 independently owned record stores in the U.S. The remaining albums will be released chronologically throughout 2009.
Details about each release are as follows:
Green Day's debut 39/Smooth, which was originally released by Lookout! Records in 1990, will be available on 140-gram vinyl, along with two 7-inch singles, "Slappy" and "1000 Hours," beginning March 24th.
Kerplunk, originally released on Lookout! Records in 1992, will be available on 140-gram vinyl, along with the 7-inch single "Sweet Children," beginning March 24th.
Dookie, the band's Diamond-selling major-label debut that was originally released by Reprise Records in 1994, will be available on 180-gram, audiophile-grade vinyl beginning April 18th.
Insomniac, which was originally released by Reprise Records in 1995, will be available on 140-gram vinyl beginning May 12th.
Nimrod, which was originally released by Reprise Records in 1997, will be available on two 140-gram vinyl discs with a gatefold sleeve, beginning June 16th.
Warning, which was originally released by Reprise Records in 2000, will be available on 140-gram vinyl beginning July 14th.
International Superhits!, a greatest hits collection that was released by Reprise Records in 2001, will be available on 140-gram vinyl beginning August 11th.
Shenanigans, a compilation of B-sides, rarities, and covers that was released by Reprise Records in 2002, will be available on 140-gram vinyl beginning September 15th.
American Idiot, the band's chart-topping, Grammy-Award winning punk rock opera that was released by Reprise Records in 2004, will be available on two 180-gram, audiophile-grade vinyl beginning October 13th.
Bullet in a Bible, a live CD/DVD, that was released by Reprise Records in 2005, will be available on 140-gram vinyl beginning November 10th.
Each album will be plated and pressed at Pallas in Germany and mastered at the world-renowned Bernie Grundman Studios, familiar to audiophiles worldwide.
In addition, Reprise will also release a boxed set of Green Day singles culled from the band's entire career, including those from their alter egos Foxboro Hot Tubs and The Network, as well as B-sides, international tracks, and live tracks, on July 21st.
Green Day are currently putting finishing touches on their highly anticipated, Butch Vig-produced eighth studio album, 21st Century Breakdown, which will be released by Reprise Records in May 2009. It, too, will be available on 180-gram, audiophile-grade vinyl.
For more on Green Day, please visit their official website www.greenday.com.
==================================
Wacko Jacko Sells Out
A total of 750,000 tickets have been sold for the 50 London shows scheduled by Michael Jackson, with the last one being sold just hours after they were made available to the public.
Chris Edwards of Ticketmaster in the U.K. said in a statement, "We often talk about unprecedented demand, but this week we have witnessed a live entertainment phenomenon. We have seen a truly amazing level of interest and demand for tickets from fans from across the world for the Michael Jackson shows at the O2 over the last three days. This was undoubtedly the busiest demand for tickets for an event which we have ever experienced."
==================================
Pixies Back In Action With European Dates
The Pixies return to their roots this summer with a series of European concert dates, including a June 14 appearance at the Isle of Wight festival with Neil Young, according to Billboard. The gigs will be the first for the alternative rock standard-bearers since 2007, dispelling doubts that the group's most recent hiatus was permanent. Further details about the additional European shows will be released soon. No North American gigs are planned, according to Billboard's sources.
The Pixies reunited in 2004 after an 11-year break. From 2004-2007, the group toured throughout the United States, Europe, Asia, and Australia, including appearances at the Coachella, Lollapalooza, and Sasquatch festivals. The reunion was the subject of the 2006 documentary, "loudQuietloud: A Film About the Pixies."
==================================
DREAM THEATER - New Album Details Revealed
Progressive metal veterans DREAM THEATER have announced Black Clouds & Silver Linings as the title of their tenth studio album. The band commenced work on the album – their second for Roadrunner Records, following up 2007's Systematic Chaos - in October of last year.
Roadrunner will release the record on June 23. In addition to the standard version CD, the album will also be available on vinyl LP, as well as a 3-disc Special Edition CD that will include the full album, a CD of instrumental mixes of the album and a CD of six cover songs, the titles of which will be revealed
at a later date.
==================================
Jack White unveils two new projects in Nashville
White has opened a brand new downtown office for Third Man Records and revealed his new band, Dead Weather
written by Matt Kappel
Jack White constantly keeps himself busy. Some would think that, between handling a record company, The White Stripes and The Raconteurs, that activity would be enough. However, this is clearly not enough for this rock great. White unveiled two new projects in his hometown of Nashville, TN this week.
White has opened a downtown location for Third Man Records, his record company that has offered White Stripe and Raconteur releases. This new location will also come equipped with an office for the label, a vinyl record store, photo studio/dark room and a rehearsal space.
White’s second project will take him from usual front-man position and sit him behind the drum kit. The new band is called Dead Weather and the members of the band all come from various places.
Alison Mosshart of The Kills will take over singing duties, Jack Lawrence of the Raconteurs will handle the bass and Dan Fertita of both the Raconteurs and Queens of the Stone Age will man the guitar. White has produced the first LP entitled Horehound being released on Third Man Records in June 2009, according to Rolling Stone.
Dead Weather performed a five song set for close friends in the new rehearsal space at Third Man Records just to give people a little taste of what’s to come.
The new band will carry-on more of that blues rock sound. It will include the volatile drumming people that people have come to love from White’s other projects. The band’s inception is pretty neat as well. According to Rollingstone.com, White had bronchitis at the end of his tour with the Raconteurs. Instead of ruining his voice, he brought Mosshart on to sing his parts, specifically “Steady as She Goes.” There was so much energy and love it spawned a new band. They would visit each other and discuss music and eventually the idea to release a seven-inch record was born.
Source: http://www.collegenews.com
BURBANK, Calif. - (Business Wire) Reprise Records will release multi-platinum rock band Green Day's entire catalog on 12-inch vinyl, giving fans and collectors alike access to records that have been hard-to-find or out-of-print for years. The band's first two albums, 39/Smooth and Kerplunk, will be made available on March 24th, while their third, the breakthrough smash Dookie, will be made available on April 18th, in honor of the second annual Record Store Day — a celebration of the unique culture surrounding the more than 700 independently owned record stores in the U.S. The remaining albums will be released chronologically throughout 2009.
Details about each release are as follows:
Green Day's debut 39/Smooth, which was originally released by Lookout! Records in 1990, will be available on 140-gram vinyl, along with two 7-inch singles, "Slappy" and "1000 Hours," beginning March 24th.
Kerplunk, originally released on Lookout! Records in 1992, will be available on 140-gram vinyl, along with the 7-inch single "Sweet Children," beginning March 24th.
Dookie, the band's Diamond-selling major-label debut that was originally released by Reprise Records in 1994, will be available on 180-gram, audiophile-grade vinyl beginning April 18th.
Insomniac, which was originally released by Reprise Records in 1995, will be available on 140-gram vinyl beginning May 12th.
Nimrod, which was originally released by Reprise Records in 1997, will be available on two 140-gram vinyl discs with a gatefold sleeve, beginning June 16th.
Warning, which was originally released by Reprise Records in 2000, will be available on 140-gram vinyl beginning July 14th.
International Superhits!, a greatest hits collection that was released by Reprise Records in 2001, will be available on 140-gram vinyl beginning August 11th.
Shenanigans, a compilation of B-sides, rarities, and covers that was released by Reprise Records in 2002, will be available on 140-gram vinyl beginning September 15th.
American Idiot, the band's chart-topping, Grammy-Award winning punk rock opera that was released by Reprise Records in 2004, will be available on two 180-gram, audiophile-grade vinyl beginning October 13th.
Bullet in a Bible, a live CD/DVD, that was released by Reprise Records in 2005, will be available on 140-gram vinyl beginning November 10th.
Each album will be plated and pressed at Pallas in Germany and mastered at the world-renowned Bernie Grundman Studios, familiar to audiophiles worldwide.
In addition, Reprise will also release a boxed set of Green Day singles culled from the band's entire career, including those from their alter egos Foxboro Hot Tubs and The Network, as well as B-sides, international tracks, and live tracks, on July 21st.
Green Day are currently putting finishing touches on their highly anticipated, Butch Vig-produced eighth studio album, 21st Century Breakdown, which will be released by Reprise Records in May 2009. It, too, will be available on 180-gram, audiophile-grade vinyl.
For more on Green Day, please visit their official website www.greenday.com.
==================================
Wacko Jacko Sells Out
A total of 750,000 tickets have been sold for the 50 London shows scheduled by Michael Jackson, with the last one being sold just hours after they were made available to the public.
Chris Edwards of Ticketmaster in the U.K. said in a statement, "We often talk about unprecedented demand, but this week we have witnessed a live entertainment phenomenon. We have seen a truly amazing level of interest and demand for tickets from fans from across the world for the Michael Jackson shows at the O2 over the last three days. This was undoubtedly the busiest demand for tickets for an event which we have ever experienced."
==================================
Pixies Back In Action With European Dates
The Pixies return to their roots this summer with a series of European concert dates, including a June 14 appearance at the Isle of Wight festival with Neil Young, according to Billboard. The gigs will be the first for the alternative rock standard-bearers since 2007, dispelling doubts that the group's most recent hiatus was permanent. Further details about the additional European shows will be released soon. No North American gigs are planned, according to Billboard's sources.
The Pixies reunited in 2004 after an 11-year break. From 2004-2007, the group toured throughout the United States, Europe, Asia, and Australia, including appearances at the Coachella, Lollapalooza, and Sasquatch festivals. The reunion was the subject of the 2006 documentary, "loudQuietloud: A Film About the Pixies."
==================================
DREAM THEATER - New Album Details Revealed
Progressive metal veterans DREAM THEATER have announced Black Clouds & Silver Linings as the title of their tenth studio album. The band commenced work on the album – their second for Roadrunner Records, following up 2007's Systematic Chaos - in October of last year.
Roadrunner will release the record on June 23. In addition to the standard version CD, the album will also be available on vinyl LP, as well as a 3-disc Special Edition CD that will include the full album, a CD of instrumental mixes of the album and a CD of six cover songs, the titles of which will be revealed
at a later date.
==================================
Jack White unveils two new projects in Nashville
White has opened a brand new downtown office for Third Man Records and revealed his new band, Dead Weather
written by Matt Kappel
Jack White constantly keeps himself busy. Some would think that, between handling a record company, The White Stripes and The Raconteurs, that activity would be enough. However, this is clearly not enough for this rock great. White unveiled two new projects in his hometown of Nashville, TN this week.
White has opened a downtown location for Third Man Records, his record company that has offered White Stripe and Raconteur releases. This new location will also come equipped with an office for the label, a vinyl record store, photo studio/dark room and a rehearsal space.
White’s second project will take him from usual front-man position and sit him behind the drum kit. The new band is called Dead Weather and the members of the band all come from various places.
Alison Mosshart of The Kills will take over singing duties, Jack Lawrence of the Raconteurs will handle the bass and Dan Fertita of both the Raconteurs and Queens of the Stone Age will man the guitar. White has produced the first LP entitled Horehound being released on Third Man Records in June 2009, according to Rolling Stone.
Dead Weather performed a five song set for close friends in the new rehearsal space at Third Man Records just to give people a little taste of what’s to come.
The new band will carry-on more of that blues rock sound. It will include the volatile drumming people that people have come to love from White’s other projects. The band’s inception is pretty neat as well. According to Rollingstone.com, White had bronchitis at the end of his tour with the Raconteurs. Instead of ruining his voice, he brought Mosshart on to sing his parts, specifically “Steady as She Goes.” There was so much energy and love it spawned a new band. They would visit each other and discuss music and eventually the idea to release a seven-inch record was born.
Source: http://www.collegenews.com
Friday, March 13, 2009
Michael Fremer Review
I am very proud to continue our new feature (look for this every Friday), music reviews that are written by the senior contributing editor of Stereophile magazine- Michael Fremer. It has been a pleasure to speak with Michael and learn more about audio sound and equipment. In fact, his new DVD, "It's A Vinyl World, After All" has hit the shelves and is selling out very quickly. This is a must have for anybody who loves vinyl, it is a true masterpiece.
Additionally, make sure to stop by his site, www.musicangle.com and bookmark it for further exploration. I certainly want to thank Michael for the exclusive rights to reprint his fantastic material.
ALBUM REVIEW:
Stevie Wonder (REVISED review 2/21/09)
Songs In the Key of Life
Tamla/Speakers Corner 06007 5303833 2 180g LPs+7" EP
Produced by: Stevie Wonder
Engineered by: John Fischbach and Gary Olazabal
Mixed by: N/A
Mastered by: Maarten de Boer at UMG Berliner
Review by: Michael Fremer
2009-03-01
Editor's note: this review has caused quite a dust-up, in part because of the sonic description and in part because of this, which you'll find further down in the text:
"..but the mastering is just plain weird.
A layer of crunchy ice has been added on top and the bass has been boosted, producing a garish sonic mix. The result is an unpleasant edgy grit to Wonder’s voice. You know something's wrong when the triangle on "Love's In Need ..." is louder than Wonder's voice! And believe me, it is.
One would hope an analog source was used, but whatever was the source, this reissue sounds nothing like the original and represents an unnecessary, unwarranted revision that I’m sure would appall Stevie Wonder."
Mastering engineer Maarten de Boer has responded, first on the Steve Hoffman forums:
Steve Hoffman Forums
and then to me personally. Here's what he wrote:
"Being the engineer who mastered and cut this record I think I am the only one who can put this record straight.
1. never will a digital source be used as a master for Speaker Corner records
2. the master is an analog copy run at 30 ips on virgin tape. So if the copy is done correctly it will be pretty close to the original.
3. I did use a very slight touch of EQ, 0,5dB at 700 Hz with a Q of 2.5. Just to enhance depth a bit . This is a typical 70's recording so it is very dry and lacks depth. I had to use the de esser so anybody could play the album without distortion.
4. No dolby has been used and the copy was obviously from a non dolby tape. Believe me after 30 years of disc cutting and mastering I can tell the difference.
5. If I EQ an old analog master there has to be a good reason for that otherwi9se I won't and if I EQ it it will be minimal and it will probably most of the time midrange. EQing low and top is totally useless and ruins practically everything.
What bothers me about this discussion is the amount of presumptions instead of knowledge and fact. One of the problems with vinyl is the playback system and difference in quality and sound between all these systems. I'm glad Mr Grant shows the right way to approach the record as it was cut and mastered. As long as you haven't heard the real master tape and we probably never will you will never know what the truth is. What I can tell you is that for a lot of cuts I do get the absolute original and when I compare these to the original release I am glad they masterd it originally before cutting it."
Maarten de Boer
Emil Berliner Studios
There were many posts on the thread, some accusing me of having "an agenda" (not spelled out, of course) and others telling people that my word shouldn't be taken "as gospel" (no shit!).
My response was this:
"Now that I have Mr. de Boer's email address, I will ask him before presuming anything. However, I don't think my review presumes anything and I don't think Mr. de Boer had aimed that at me. I don't think it's fair to say that I "trashed" the Wonder reissue. I reported on what I heard, comparing the original, the Japanese copy I have and the Speakers Corner reissue.
In my experience, when a reissue sounds very different from an original, it is the reissue that is the revision. This is not always the case, but usually is. If you read a lot of reviews of reissues, you will find that there are many reviewers who are biased against reissues, and of course there are the usual dingbat re-sellers of original pressings who say the same thing, and then accuse me, who sells no records, of having an "agenda."
I have no "agenda" here. There are also reviewers who love everything. I am not one of those reviewers either.
I have never asked anyone to take my word as "gospel," so when I read posters saying "why are you taking Fremer's word as 'gospel' " I agree with them, though I defy them to show me where I've ever claimed to be the light.
I state my opinion and I don't mince words---or at least I try not to.
In this case, the Speakers Corner reissue is much brighter than the original. That is not my opinion, that is a fact. And the brightness is in this one narrow zone.
Now, I am also sure Mr. deBoer has no agenda here other than the truth.
Then the issue becomes, as it has always been, is the master tape "the truth" that should pretty much be transferred to lacquer or DMM untouched? Or is it merely a tool to be manipulated to achieve a particular result.
Often, master tapes include original "notes," wherein the original mastering engineer explains what he did AT THE DIRECTION OF THE ARTIST OR PRODUCER to create the original lacquer from which the original pressing was created.
In that case, an original pressing, not the master tape, should be considered the "original document."
For instance, Sundazed's Bob Irwin told me when he mastered Love's "Forever Changes" for vinyl reissue he consulted the original notes he found. Arthur Lee insisted that the first song on the record start out very low in level and build. It's what Arthur Lee wanted. The tape wasn't produced that way but when Irwin remastered it, he conformed to the artist's intentions.
So if you compare an original gold label Elektra pressing to the Sundazed reissue, you will hear that same slow fade-up (along with dozens of other subtle "moves" found in the notes).
There was a later Elektra "butterfly" pressing mastered by someone who simply rolled the tape. The level is higher at the beginning, more uniform throughout and the cut misses all of what Arthur Lee intended for his record to sound like.
Yet I've read message boards and reviews claiming THAT was the best version of the album because it was the loudest and most dynamic and whatever....too bad it wasn't what Arthur Lee intended.
Now, as for the Stevie Wonder album under discussion here: clearly the Speakers Corner reissue is brighter in one particular region than the original, that produces an icy crust over Wonder's voice and over the voices of the background singers. It literally makes the triangle on the opening tune sound louder than Wonder's own voice!
I have no doubt Mr. de Boer's transfer is faithful (with the exception of the minor EQ tweaks he mentions) to the tape copy he was given to use as a source and we can assume it was a flat transfer and that his mastering produced a result faithful to that tape.
That does not mean, however, that the result is necessarily what Stevie Wonder, or his producers, or whoever was originally responsible for the final vinyl's sound, wanted!
Is everyone with me on this?
So in conclusion:
1) The Speakers Corner reissue was cut from an analog source
2) The Speakers Corner reissue was not a wild "revision" of that source (my wrong presumption that I will revise in my review)
3) The Speakers Corner reissue sounds much different than either an original RCA/Motown or Japanese pressing, being icier and brighter, perhaps in the "Aural Exciter" range (presumption warning) than either of those and also having a more robust bottom end.
4) Without consulting either the original mastering engineer, the original engineer Mr. Orazabal or Stevie Wonder himself (who was at CES in the Venetian Towers and who I have been told will soon take delivery of a pair of Hansen King speakers), it is impossible to determine whether the sound of the original pressing was their intent and that they desired to tame and soften the edge around Wonder's vocals and curtail the bottom end a bit, OR whether those changes happened as a result of sloppy mastering, or technical limitations of the gear at the time (neither of which I believe to be true).
5) I was present at the mastering for Classic's reissue of "Tommy." I brought along an early UK Track original for them to compare to the tape (which was the original master---photo available upon request) and as we rolled the tape and played the record in real time, we discovered that in the original mastering, the tape playback speed was actually increased at certain points to add "excitement." It was decided to reproduce that speed differential in the reissue to remain faithful not to the tape, but to the original LP, which was considered the "document of record."
5) In conclusion: I stand by what I heard as the major tonal differences between the original and reissued "Songs in the Key of Life" --it's not opinion, it is FACT.
6) How these differences will play out on your system or how your senses will react to them, is something I obviously don't know.
7) It was not my intention to trash the reissue. it was my intention to honestly tell you what it sounded like compared to an original and that's what I did.
8) As I wrote in the review, the reissue is pressed on much better, quieter, thicker vinyl. It is a meticulously done reissue in every way and well worth the money if you like the music and if you are prepared for an edgier sound than you might be used to.
9) I DON'T HAVE A FRIGGIN' AGENDA other than trying to be truthful and informative.
I'm Michael Fremer and I approved of this message"
So here's the original review, please consider what Mr. de Boer has written above as "gospel" and discard my conjecture below.
However, I stand by the sound of the reissue. It was never my intention to "trash" the reissue. Just be prepared for it to sound edgier an grittier around the vocals than you might have become accustomed to on the original, that is for sure. And be prepared for far quieter surfaces and improved dynamics.-MF (2/21/09)
Unfortunately, at the time Stevie Wonder released this sprawling career pinnacle in the fall of 1976, RCA’s pressing quality had reached its nadir. It was a Dynaflex world of paper thin, flexible records pressed from what sounded like recycled BIC pens. Yikes! Some youngsters reading this might not even know what a BIC pen is/was!
Tamla/Motown had used RCA’s mastering and pressing facilities from the label’s inception and during the great pressing days of the 1960’s Motown released some great sounding records, thanks to the mastering, pressing and the engineering.
Beginning in the mid 1960’s, most of Motown’s releases were issued in both mono and stereo, which was unusual for a label catering to the “youth market.” Still, the mono releases were more important and often, the stereo versions were delayed and sometimes featured alternative takes. But I’m rambling and writing in the passive tense. Sorry.
It took Wonder over an hour’s worth of material that filled two LPs and a four song 7” EP to get off his chest what was occupying the music of his mind between 1974’s introspective, some would say dark and definitely neglected Fullfillingness’ First Finale and this, his most acclaimed and accomplished work. Mr. Wonder never regrouped after this album to produce anything as masterful as this or the four great albums that preceeded it.
With the state of the world and the tribulations of his people on his mind, Wonder moves between the opener, in which he says that even love is in need of love in 1976 (and that the listener had better send some in “right away” because hate’s going around), and the bleakness of “Village Ghetto Land.”
Wonder doesn’t point fingers: he merely asks “Tell me would you be happy in Village Ghetto Land?” Side one ends with Wonder’s passionate tribute to music generally and Duke Ellington specifically.
The album veers between the personally joyous and tuneful (“Isn’t She Lovely”) to the non-militant pride of “Black Man.” Throughout, Wonder produces wondrous melodies, particularly on the slow movers like “Joy Inside My Tears.”
Both the music and the arrangements move away from the rock and funk of earlier albums towards more complex mainstream jazz and pop.
As with many productions of the era, there was a noticeable decrease in sound quality on this album compared to earlier Wonder releases, though no doubt the engineers thought they were making better sound here with “more”: more compression, more use of effects, more tracks and newer, more complex boards, but what was really happening was less transparency, diminished dynamics, narrower and flatter soundstages and especially less extension. This production sounds closed in, distant and listless. Bass lacks real thrust and extension and there's little shimmer from the cymbals. "Boxy" is the operative adjective.
Add the noisy Dynaflex (or whatever RCA was or was not calling it at the time) and despite the superb music making, I remember being disappointed by the clogged, flat sound, though had I known how bad sound was going to get a few years later, I would have been more than happy with it!
When a Japanese edition arrived at my local vinyl emporium back then I snapped it up and it produced a big improvement in every way. Unlike many Japanese pressed albums, the mastering did not brighten the top and/or cut the bottom and of course the pressing quality was superb.
I wish I could say that this Speakers Corner reissue was revelatory or even excellent but it’s not. Of course the Pallas 180g pressing is perfection and the packaging is absolutely stellar (complete with full-sized booket and 7" 4 song EP), but the mastering is just plain weird.
A layer of crunchy ice has been added on top and the bass has been boosted, producing a garish sonic mix. The result is an unpleasant edgy grit to Wonder’s voice. You know something's wrong when the triangle on "Love's In Need ..." is louder than Wonder's voice! And believe me, it is.
One would hope an analog source was used, but whatever was the source, this reissue sounds nothing like the original and represents an unnecessary, unwarranted revision that I’m sure would appall Stevie Wonder.
It’s very “hi-fi” and might sound exciting or “lively” on a dull system, but it’s plain wrong and difficult to recommend. Speakers Corner usually gets it right. Unfortunately, on this wonderful album, SC gets it very wrong.
In a misguided attempt to inject some life into what was a relatively dull production to begin with Mr de Boer has injected too much bass on bottom and way ice in a very thin region on top.
Copyright © 2008 MusicAngle.com & Michael Fremer - All rights reserved
SOURCE: http://www.musicangle.com Reprinted By Permission
Pick up Michael's DVD's Here:
Additionally, make sure to stop by his site, www.musicangle.com and bookmark it for further exploration. I certainly want to thank Michael for the exclusive rights to reprint his fantastic material.
ALBUM REVIEW:
Stevie Wonder (REVISED review 2/21/09)
Songs In the Key of Life
Tamla/Speakers Corner 06007 5303833 2 180g LPs+7" EP
Produced by: Stevie Wonder
Engineered by: John Fischbach and Gary Olazabal
Mixed by: N/A
Mastered by: Maarten de Boer at UMG Berliner
Review by: Michael Fremer
2009-03-01
Editor's note: this review has caused quite a dust-up, in part because of the sonic description and in part because of this, which you'll find further down in the text:
"..but the mastering is just plain weird.
A layer of crunchy ice has been added on top and the bass has been boosted, producing a garish sonic mix. The result is an unpleasant edgy grit to Wonder’s voice. You know something's wrong when the triangle on "Love's In Need ..." is louder than Wonder's voice! And believe me, it is.
One would hope an analog source was used, but whatever was the source, this reissue sounds nothing like the original and represents an unnecessary, unwarranted revision that I’m sure would appall Stevie Wonder."
Mastering engineer Maarten de Boer has responded, first on the Steve Hoffman forums:
Steve Hoffman Forums
and then to me personally. Here's what he wrote:
"Being the engineer who mastered and cut this record I think I am the only one who can put this record straight.
1. never will a digital source be used as a master for Speaker Corner records
2. the master is an analog copy run at 30 ips on virgin tape. So if the copy is done correctly it will be pretty close to the original.
3. I did use a very slight touch of EQ, 0,5dB at 700 Hz with a Q of 2.5. Just to enhance depth a bit . This is a typical 70's recording so it is very dry and lacks depth. I had to use the de esser so anybody could play the album without distortion.
4. No dolby has been used and the copy was obviously from a non dolby tape. Believe me after 30 years of disc cutting and mastering I can tell the difference.
5. If I EQ an old analog master there has to be a good reason for that otherwi9se I won't and if I EQ it it will be minimal and it will probably most of the time midrange. EQing low and top is totally useless and ruins practically everything.
What bothers me about this discussion is the amount of presumptions instead of knowledge and fact. One of the problems with vinyl is the playback system and difference in quality and sound between all these systems. I'm glad Mr Grant shows the right way to approach the record as it was cut and mastered. As long as you haven't heard the real master tape and we probably never will you will never know what the truth is. What I can tell you is that for a lot of cuts I do get the absolute original and when I compare these to the original release I am glad they masterd it originally before cutting it."
Maarten de Boer
Emil Berliner Studios
There were many posts on the thread, some accusing me of having "an agenda" (not spelled out, of course) and others telling people that my word shouldn't be taken "as gospel" (no shit!).
My response was this:
"Now that I have Mr. de Boer's email address, I will ask him before presuming anything. However, I don't think my review presumes anything and I don't think Mr. de Boer had aimed that at me. I don't think it's fair to say that I "trashed" the Wonder reissue. I reported on what I heard, comparing the original, the Japanese copy I have and the Speakers Corner reissue.
In my experience, when a reissue sounds very different from an original, it is the reissue that is the revision. This is not always the case, but usually is. If you read a lot of reviews of reissues, you will find that there are many reviewers who are biased against reissues, and of course there are the usual dingbat re-sellers of original pressings who say the same thing, and then accuse me, who sells no records, of having an "agenda."
I have no "agenda" here. There are also reviewers who love everything. I am not one of those reviewers either.
I have never asked anyone to take my word as "gospel," so when I read posters saying "why are you taking Fremer's word as 'gospel' " I agree with them, though I defy them to show me where I've ever claimed to be the light.
I state my opinion and I don't mince words---or at least I try not to.
In this case, the Speakers Corner reissue is much brighter than the original. That is not my opinion, that is a fact. And the brightness is in this one narrow zone.
Now, I am also sure Mr. deBoer has no agenda here other than the truth.
Then the issue becomes, as it has always been, is the master tape "the truth" that should pretty much be transferred to lacquer or DMM untouched? Or is it merely a tool to be manipulated to achieve a particular result.
Often, master tapes include original "notes," wherein the original mastering engineer explains what he did AT THE DIRECTION OF THE ARTIST OR PRODUCER to create the original lacquer from which the original pressing was created.
In that case, an original pressing, not the master tape, should be considered the "original document."
For instance, Sundazed's Bob Irwin told me when he mastered Love's "Forever Changes" for vinyl reissue he consulted the original notes he found. Arthur Lee insisted that the first song on the record start out very low in level and build. It's what Arthur Lee wanted. The tape wasn't produced that way but when Irwin remastered it, he conformed to the artist's intentions.
So if you compare an original gold label Elektra pressing to the Sundazed reissue, you will hear that same slow fade-up (along with dozens of other subtle "moves" found in the notes).
There was a later Elektra "butterfly" pressing mastered by someone who simply rolled the tape. The level is higher at the beginning, more uniform throughout and the cut misses all of what Arthur Lee intended for his record to sound like.
Yet I've read message boards and reviews claiming THAT was the best version of the album because it was the loudest and most dynamic and whatever....too bad it wasn't what Arthur Lee intended.
Now, as for the Stevie Wonder album under discussion here: clearly the Speakers Corner reissue is brighter in one particular region than the original, that produces an icy crust over Wonder's voice and over the voices of the background singers. It literally makes the triangle on the opening tune sound louder than Wonder's own voice!
I have no doubt Mr. de Boer's transfer is faithful (with the exception of the minor EQ tweaks he mentions) to the tape copy he was given to use as a source and we can assume it was a flat transfer and that his mastering produced a result faithful to that tape.
That does not mean, however, that the result is necessarily what Stevie Wonder, or his producers, or whoever was originally responsible for the final vinyl's sound, wanted!
Is everyone with me on this?
So in conclusion:
1) The Speakers Corner reissue was cut from an analog source
2) The Speakers Corner reissue was not a wild "revision" of that source (my wrong presumption that I will revise in my review)
3) The Speakers Corner reissue sounds much different than either an original RCA/Motown or Japanese pressing, being icier and brighter, perhaps in the "Aural Exciter" range (presumption warning) than either of those and also having a more robust bottom end.
4) Without consulting either the original mastering engineer, the original engineer Mr. Orazabal or Stevie Wonder himself (who was at CES in the Venetian Towers and who I have been told will soon take delivery of a pair of Hansen King speakers), it is impossible to determine whether the sound of the original pressing was their intent and that they desired to tame and soften the edge around Wonder's vocals and curtail the bottom end a bit, OR whether those changes happened as a result of sloppy mastering, or technical limitations of the gear at the time (neither of which I believe to be true).
5) I was present at the mastering for Classic's reissue of "Tommy." I brought along an early UK Track original for them to compare to the tape (which was the original master---photo available upon request) and as we rolled the tape and played the record in real time, we discovered that in the original mastering, the tape playback speed was actually increased at certain points to add "excitement." It was decided to reproduce that speed differential in the reissue to remain faithful not to the tape, but to the original LP, which was considered the "document of record."
5) In conclusion: I stand by what I heard as the major tonal differences between the original and reissued "Songs in the Key of Life" --it's not opinion, it is FACT.
6) How these differences will play out on your system or how your senses will react to them, is something I obviously don't know.
7) It was not my intention to trash the reissue. it was my intention to honestly tell you what it sounded like compared to an original and that's what I did.
8) As I wrote in the review, the reissue is pressed on much better, quieter, thicker vinyl. It is a meticulously done reissue in every way and well worth the money if you like the music and if you are prepared for an edgier sound than you might be used to.
9) I DON'T HAVE A FRIGGIN' AGENDA other than trying to be truthful and informative.
I'm Michael Fremer and I approved of this message"
So here's the original review, please consider what Mr. de Boer has written above as "gospel" and discard my conjecture below.
However, I stand by the sound of the reissue. It was never my intention to "trash" the reissue. Just be prepared for it to sound edgier an grittier around the vocals than you might have become accustomed to on the original, that is for sure. And be prepared for far quieter surfaces and improved dynamics.-MF (2/21/09)
Unfortunately, at the time Stevie Wonder released this sprawling career pinnacle in the fall of 1976, RCA’s pressing quality had reached its nadir. It was a Dynaflex world of paper thin, flexible records pressed from what sounded like recycled BIC pens. Yikes! Some youngsters reading this might not even know what a BIC pen is/was!
Tamla/Motown had used RCA’s mastering and pressing facilities from the label’s inception and during the great pressing days of the 1960’s Motown released some great sounding records, thanks to the mastering, pressing and the engineering.
Beginning in the mid 1960’s, most of Motown’s releases were issued in both mono and stereo, which was unusual for a label catering to the “youth market.” Still, the mono releases were more important and often, the stereo versions were delayed and sometimes featured alternative takes. But I’m rambling and writing in the passive tense. Sorry.
It took Wonder over an hour’s worth of material that filled two LPs and a four song 7” EP to get off his chest what was occupying the music of his mind between 1974’s introspective, some would say dark and definitely neglected Fullfillingness’ First Finale and this, his most acclaimed and accomplished work. Mr. Wonder never regrouped after this album to produce anything as masterful as this or the four great albums that preceeded it.
With the state of the world and the tribulations of his people on his mind, Wonder moves between the opener, in which he says that even love is in need of love in 1976 (and that the listener had better send some in “right away” because hate’s going around), and the bleakness of “Village Ghetto Land.”
Wonder doesn’t point fingers: he merely asks “Tell me would you be happy in Village Ghetto Land?” Side one ends with Wonder’s passionate tribute to music generally and Duke Ellington specifically.
The album veers between the personally joyous and tuneful (“Isn’t She Lovely”) to the non-militant pride of “Black Man.” Throughout, Wonder produces wondrous melodies, particularly on the slow movers like “Joy Inside My Tears.”
Both the music and the arrangements move away from the rock and funk of earlier albums towards more complex mainstream jazz and pop.
As with many productions of the era, there was a noticeable decrease in sound quality on this album compared to earlier Wonder releases, though no doubt the engineers thought they were making better sound here with “more”: more compression, more use of effects, more tracks and newer, more complex boards, but what was really happening was less transparency, diminished dynamics, narrower and flatter soundstages and especially less extension. This production sounds closed in, distant and listless. Bass lacks real thrust and extension and there's little shimmer from the cymbals. "Boxy" is the operative adjective.
Add the noisy Dynaflex (or whatever RCA was or was not calling it at the time) and despite the superb music making, I remember being disappointed by the clogged, flat sound, though had I known how bad sound was going to get a few years later, I would have been more than happy with it!
When a Japanese edition arrived at my local vinyl emporium back then I snapped it up and it produced a big improvement in every way. Unlike many Japanese pressed albums, the mastering did not brighten the top and/or cut the bottom and of course the pressing quality was superb.
I wish I could say that this Speakers Corner reissue was revelatory or even excellent but it’s not. Of course the Pallas 180g pressing is perfection and the packaging is absolutely stellar (complete with full-sized booket and 7" 4 song EP), but the mastering is just plain weird.
A layer of crunchy ice has been added on top and the bass has been boosted, producing a garish sonic mix. The result is an unpleasant edgy grit to Wonder’s voice. You know something's wrong when the triangle on "Love's In Need ..." is louder than Wonder's voice! And believe me, it is.
One would hope an analog source was used, but whatever was the source, this reissue sounds nothing like the original and represents an unnecessary, unwarranted revision that I’m sure would appall Stevie Wonder.
It’s very “hi-fi” and might sound exciting or “lively” on a dull system, but it’s plain wrong and difficult to recommend. Speakers Corner usually gets it right. Unfortunately, on this wonderful album, SC gets it very wrong.
In a misguided attempt to inject some life into what was a relatively dull production to begin with Mr de Boer has injected too much bass on bottom and way ice in a very thin region on top.
Copyright © 2008 MusicAngle.com & Michael Fremer - All rights reserved
SOURCE: http://www.musicangle.com Reprinted By Permission
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