these are in stock right now:
AMOS,TORI/ABNORMALLY ATTRACTED TO SIN@2 LP SET
BELLINI/THE PRECIOUS PRIZE OF GRAVITY
COMBICHRIST/HEAT EP: ALL PAIN IS BEAT
CRYSTAL METHOD/DIVIDED BY NIGHT@2 LP SET
CURSIVE/MAMA I'M SWOLLEN
EAR PWR/SUPER ANIMAL BROTHERS III
FELICE BROTHERS/YONDER IS THE CLOCK
HARPER,BEN/RELENTLESS7/WHITE LIES FOR DARK TIMES@2 LP SET
HEADLIGHTS/REMIXES
HINT/CMONSTEP
HOPEWELL/GOOD GOOD DESPERATION
IRON & WINE/AROUND THE WELL
JOKER'S DAUGHTER/LAST LAUGH
LEWIS,JEFFREY & THE JUNKYARD/EM ARE I
LYTLE,JASON/YOURS TRULY COMMUTER
MATES OF STATE/ALL DAY
MOSCHELLA,NINO/BOOM SHADOW
RHODES,DUSTY & THE RIVER BAND/PALACE & STAGE
VANDERSLICE,JOHN/ROMANIAN NAMES
WARBRINGER/WAKING INTO NIGHTMARES
WARLOCKS/MIRROR EXPLODES
WHITE RABBITS/IT'S FRIGHTENING
SOURCE: http://independent-records.blogspot.com
Tuesday, May 19, 2009
Vinyl Collective News
More restocks from my friend Virgil over at www.vinylcollective.com Stop by and pick up some great vinyl (tell him I sent you on over!)
AGAINST ME! “New Wave” LP yellow vinyl + CD
AKRON/FAMILY “Set Em Wild, Set Em Free” LP
BOB MOULD “Life And Times” LP
BRAID “Frame And Canvas” LP
CHIMAIRA “The Infection” LP picture disc
CHOKING VICTIM ìNo Gods No Managersî LP
DR. DOG “We All Belong” LP
FALL OUT BOY “Take This To Your Grave” LP blue vinyl
GLASSJAW “Everything You Ever Wanted To Know About Silence” dbl LP
HANK WILLIAMS III “Lovesick, Broke & Driftin’” LP + CD
HANK WILLIAMS III “Risin’ Outlaw” LP + CD
HANK WILLIAMS III “Straight To Hell” dbl LP
LUCERO ìAttic Tapesî LP + 7″
MASTODON “Crack The Skye” LP
MATCHBOOK ROMANCE/ MOTION CITY SOUNDTRACK split 10″
METALLICA “And Justice For All” 180 gram 4xLP limited edition vinyl
METALLICA “Garage Inc” triple LP
METALLICA “Master Of Puppets” LP
METALLICA “S&M” triple LP
METALLICA “S/T” 180 gram 4xLP limited edition vinyl
MOTION CITY SOUNDTRACK “I Am The Movie” LP
NOMO “Invisible Cities” LP
OKKERVIL RIVER “The Stand Ins” LP
PARAMORE “Riot!” LP
PEACHES “I Feel Cream” LP
PINK MOUNTAINTOPS “Outside Love” LP
SINGLE FILE “Common Struggles” LP
ST. VINCENT “Actor” LP
STREET DOGS “State Of Grace” LP red vinyl
THE HIGH STRUNG “Ode To The Inverse Of The Dude” LP
THE HUSH SOUND “Goodbye Blues” LP
THE LOCUST “Plague Soundscapes” LP
TOM GABEL “Heart Burns” LP
AGAINST ME! “New Wave” LP yellow vinyl + CD
AKRON/FAMILY “Set Em Wild, Set Em Free” LP
BOB MOULD “Life And Times” LP
BRAID “Frame And Canvas” LP
CHIMAIRA “The Infection” LP picture disc
CHOKING VICTIM ìNo Gods No Managersî LP
DR. DOG “We All Belong” LP
FALL OUT BOY “Take This To Your Grave” LP blue vinyl
GLASSJAW “Everything You Ever Wanted To Know About Silence” dbl LP
HANK WILLIAMS III “Lovesick, Broke & Driftin’” LP + CD
HANK WILLIAMS III “Risin’ Outlaw” LP + CD
HANK WILLIAMS III “Straight To Hell” dbl LP
LUCERO ìAttic Tapesî LP + 7″
MASTODON “Crack The Skye” LP
MATCHBOOK ROMANCE/ MOTION CITY SOUNDTRACK split 10″
METALLICA “And Justice For All” 180 gram 4xLP limited edition vinyl
METALLICA “Garage Inc” triple LP
METALLICA “Master Of Puppets” LP
METALLICA “S&M” triple LP
METALLICA “S/T” 180 gram 4xLP limited edition vinyl
MOTION CITY SOUNDTRACK “I Am The Movie” LP
NOMO “Invisible Cities” LP
OKKERVIL RIVER “The Stand Ins” LP
PARAMORE “Riot!” LP
PEACHES “I Feel Cream” LP
PINK MOUNTAINTOPS “Outside Love” LP
SINGLE FILE “Common Struggles” LP
ST. VINCENT “Actor” LP
STREET DOGS “State Of Grace” LP red vinyl
THE HIGH STRUNG “Ode To The Inverse Of The Dude” LP
THE HUSH SOUND “Goodbye Blues” LP
THE LOCUST “Plague Soundscapes” LP
TOM GABEL “Heart Burns” LP
Music News & Notes
Blink 182 Touring
On July 24, Blink-182 (Mark Hoppus, Travis Barker and Tom DeLonge) will commence its 50-date tour of North American arenas and amphitheaters at the Joint in Las Vegas, according to Billboard. Other artists teaming up with the rockers on the Live Nation-produced tour include: Weezer, Fall Out Boy, Panic at the Disco, All-American Rejects, Taking Back Sunday, Asher Roth and Chester French. Tickets for the road trip, which will end on Oct. 3 at the Borgata Events Center in Atlantic City, N.J., will go on sale May 30 at livenation.com.
The pop-punk trio announced that it'll make $20 tickets available on its upcoming reunion tour. The price includes parking and all those pesky middle-man surcharges, too. No clues were given as to how many of the affordable tickets will be available at each tour stop.
========================
Radiohead Back in the Studio
Radiohead isn't resting too long between albums: The British rockers are back in the studio and are about halfway through its still-untitled follow-up to 2007's In Rainbows, according to the BBC. The act's once again teaming up with Nigel Goodrich for the sessions.
========================
Dandy Warhols Rescue Shelved Album
The Dandy Warhols have yanked a rejected version of an old album out of the vaults and are dusting it off for release.
The Dandy's The Dandy Warhols ARE Sound revisits a shelved version of what would later become 2003's Welcome to the Monkey House (EMI) through Beat The World/World's Fair July 14.
========================
Gimme' Back My Guitar!
After a magazine came in and took pictures of his guitar collection now Gary Moore is the subject of a controversy. His classic guitar collection was shown in Britain's Guitar Buyer magazine. It seems that one of the guitars shown may have been stolen from Ronnie Montrose way back in 1972.
According to a MusicRadar article, Montrose bought the Gibson Les Paul from J.Geils in 1972 when he was playing with the Edgar Winter Group. It disapeared during a tour stop on October 20, 1972 and he's been trying to get it back ever since.
Since seeing the article, Montrose has tried to contact Moore but has not gotten a response, so he is resorting to a law suit.
========================
Dave Matthews Blames Rolling Stone For Ruining Twitter
On July 24, Blink-182 (Mark Hoppus, Travis Barker and Tom DeLonge) will commence its 50-date tour of North American arenas and amphitheaters at the Joint in Las Vegas, according to Billboard. Other artists teaming up with the rockers on the Live Nation-produced tour include: Weezer, Fall Out Boy, Panic at the Disco, All-American Rejects, Taking Back Sunday, Asher Roth and Chester French. Tickets for the road trip, which will end on Oct. 3 at the Borgata Events Center in Atlantic City, N.J., will go on sale May 30 at livenation.com.
The pop-punk trio announced that it'll make $20 tickets available on its upcoming reunion tour. The price includes parking and all those pesky middle-man surcharges, too. No clues were given as to how many of the affordable tickets will be available at each tour stop.
========================
Radiohead Back in the Studio
Radiohead isn't resting too long between albums: The British rockers are back in the studio and are about halfway through its still-untitled follow-up to 2007's In Rainbows, according to the BBC. The act's once again teaming up with Nigel Goodrich for the sessions.
========================
Dandy Warhols Rescue Shelved Album
The Dandy Warhols have yanked a rejected version of an old album out of the vaults and are dusting it off for release.
The Dandy's The Dandy Warhols ARE Sound revisits a shelved version of what would later become 2003's Welcome to the Monkey House (EMI) through Beat The World/World's Fair July 14.
========================
Gimme' Back My Guitar!
After a magazine came in and took pictures of his guitar collection now Gary Moore is the subject of a controversy. His classic guitar collection was shown in Britain's Guitar Buyer magazine. It seems that one of the guitars shown may have been stolen from Ronnie Montrose way back in 1972.
According to a MusicRadar article, Montrose bought the Gibson Les Paul from J.Geils in 1972 when he was playing with the Edgar Winter Group. It disapeared during a tour stop on October 20, 1972 and he's been trying to get it back ever since.
Since seeing the article, Montrose has tried to contact Moore but has not gotten a response, so he is resorting to a law suit.
========================
Dave Matthews Blames Rolling Stone For Ruining Twitter
Audiophile Audition Review
I want to thank John over at http://www.audaud.com/index.php for the exclusive rights to reprint this great review!
AUDIOPHILE AUDITION focuses on recordings of interest to audiophiles and collectors, with an accent on surround sound for music, and on all hi-res disc formats. Over 100SACD, DVD Video/Audio and standard CD reviews are published during each month, and our archives go back to January 2001.
Whest TWO Phonostage
A quality phono preamp worth your consideration
Whest TWO Phonostage
SRP: $1195
Music Hall
108 Station Road
Great Neck, NY 11023
516-487-3663 (voice)
516-773-3891 (fax)
www.whestaudio.co.uk
Basic Description
Dual-mono design phonograph preamplifier; 18Hz-22kHz RIAA accuracy +/- .2dB; THD+N of .01%; gain 40, 65 or 70dB, loading 100, 500, 47k; high current, Class-A discrete output stage; variable gain and loading via internal switches; 3.3 pounds; 5.1” W x 8.3” D x 1.7” H; one year warranty.
Associated Equipment
Marantz TT-15S1 Turntable, Krell KAV-400i Integrated Amplifier, Musical Fidelity A5 Integrated Amplifier, Marantz SA-11 Integrated Amplifier, PS Audio GCPH Phono Stage (for comparison), Musical Fidelity XLPS (for comparison), Musical Surroundings Phonomena (for comparison), Rega Apollo (for preamp comparison), Bowers and Wilkins 803S speakers, Audioquest cabling.
Setup, Testing and Description
The preamplifier seems to be one of the most overlooked aspects of an audio system. Consumers tend to focus in on speakers, amplifiers, or sources, but many years ago I discovered that, although it should impart the least sonic signature, the preamplifier can radically change the quality/character of an audio system. (Of course I’m not saying to neglect other areas, only that more attention should be paid to the preamplifier).
The build quality of the Whest is understated, but there is a separate power transformer with a proprietary plug-in, a single torroidal transformer inside the chassis, and the rest of the circuitry is completely separate for each channel. If you plan to be the one to adjust the gain and loading (and what audiophile wouldn’t?), be careful to open the component from the front and not the back! This procedure requires a metric Allen wrench for the front panel and then a Philips for the bottom. Why make it so hard to get at?
Once inside, the adjustments are straightforward and given that I was using a MM cartridge I set the unit for 47K and 40 dB of gain. Even though the there are preset values of adjustment, the manual suggests that the unit can be reconfigured to ANY setting by calling Whest. Power is always on and make sure you follow the manual’s recommended procedure for connecting the unit to avoid damage.
The Whest comes with a set of decent interconnects (read ~ $200 pair sound-wise) and an RCA to mini-plug cable to connect to a computer soundcard. The mini to RCA cable looks sufficient for the task, while most users will have interconnects that they prefer based on system-matching and long-term listening and testing.
When I first received the Marantz turntable last month for review, I realized right away that a good preamp would be necessary to complete the package. Having sold my Audio Alchemy VITB years ago and only having the phono section in an old receiver to listen with, I made it a priority to obtain a high quality phono preamp. Before the review began I lent the Whest out to a friend to try it out as he was using the Musical Surroundings Phonomena.
Taking the initiative, he set the preamps he had up for the same cartridge (with loading and gain as close as possible) and recorded the output from the same recordings into his computer. He then burned a CD that contained a few tracks with four different phono preamplifiers. This was good enough to allow us to rate the preamplifiers with a few different records and separate them in groups. The preamplifiers were: The Musical Fidelity XLPS, the Musical Surroundings Phonomena (old version), the Whest (under review), and the PS Audio GCPH (future review).
He level-matched each preamp using Sony SoundForge and an Echo Audio Mia MIDI sound card and recorded the music at 16 bit/44.1 kHz. His source is a Clearaudio Champion turntable and Benz Micro L2 cartridge. He knew which preamps were which during the audition, but I and a fellow audiophile did not know which preamp was which. We quickly separated the pieces into three groups of quality.
It was clear that the PS Audio and the Whest were a large step above the other two in terms of fidelity and were in the same league but offered a different presentation. (See the PS Audio review for more information on this piece.)
Sound
The differences between the Whest and the XLPS and the Phonomena was a much improved sense of resolution, less compression and congestion, truer midrange presentation, improved bass and dynamics, more realistic soundstaging and depth—just to get started. There should be no reservation for a serious vinyl listener to jump up into the $1K+ category. The sonic rewards are huge. With the lesser preamps I did not get the Goosebumps I did while listening to the recordings mentioned in the review of the Marantz turntable. The sound was simply okay to good. With the Whest, the music was elevated to a whole new level.
Critical listening began with the title track from The Eagles’ One of These Nights record. Bass was punchy and tight but not overly full. Transients were quick and the music had good extension, but the balance leaned towards the lighter side. Imaging was good and voice was neither up front nor set back in the soundstage. I would have liked a little more depth and presence/involvement but otherwise the sound was very good.
From Fleetwood Mac’s self-titled record I chose the song “Landslide.” The portrayal of voice was quite beautiful—big, full, and rich. The guitar work was delicate and tuneful. It was easy to imagine the images hanging in the space between the speakers. It will be hard to ever listen to this track on CD again after hearing it sound this good.
From Yes’ The Yes Album I picked another fun classic rock guitar track “I’ve Seen All Good People.” The tendency that I had heard earlier that was not bothersome became more noticeable on this cut—an ever so slightly laid back characteristic to the sound present on the initial chorus. Again there seemed to be some foreshortening of the deep bass. And there was the leanness, but along with it a slight reticence—a trait that was often associated with English electronics and speakers—a lack of aggression…a politeness to the sound. I expect the music to really grab the listener and pull them in, but it just didn’t happen on this track. Pace was hard to fault, but the sound just wasn’t rockin’!
On the lighter side of things I tried “Las Manos De Fuego,” a track from Earl Klugh’s Blue Note Album. The record is mainly 70s-influenced jazz (some funk, those Phil Collin’s style horns, etc). I expected the preamp to help this music really shine and it did. The sound was lively, clean, and had better dynamics than many of the other records I auditioned. It was still missing some of the “oomph” I’d like, but for the listener who prefers a relaxed quality with low/no irritation this preamp would be worth auditioning. It is extremely liquid and the listener never feels that it is getting in the way of the music. Guitar work on this cut was vibrant and pulsing.
Conclusion
Like many other higher end components, the Whest cannot be judged based on its failings. Choice becomes more a matter of taste and although the ideal may be complete transparency, it is rare to find any electronic component that can fully achieve it. Designers also tend to have a particular characteristic sound they strive for in a design. Thus some companies begin to have a reputation for a particular sound (for better or for worse). The Whest offered superior transparency in comparison to sub $1000 preamps that I had on hand making me cognizant of the important contribution of the preamp in the system yet again. Music issued forth from it without any obvious additive coloration.
If I had to nitpick with the piece I’d say there was some lack of deep bass and front to back depth—although some of the depth issues were recording dependent. As Whest’s entry level piece this piece is surely not entry level. I can’t profess to be an expert in this category and there are a quite a few other pieces in this range. Time will tell if my impression of the Whest improves or declines after I’ve had a chance to compare it with other phono preamplifiers. For now, I would recommend it to those looking for a large upgrade to the analog side of their system.
-- Brian Bloom
AUDIOPHILE AUDITION focuses on recordings of interest to audiophiles and collectors, with an accent on surround sound for music, and on all hi-res disc formats. Over 100SACD, DVD Video/Audio and standard CD reviews are published during each month, and our archives go back to January 2001.
Whest TWO Phonostage
A quality phono preamp worth your consideration
Whest TWO Phonostage
SRP: $1195
Music Hall
108 Station Road
Great Neck, NY 11023
516-487-3663 (voice)
516-773-3891 (fax)
www.whestaudio.co.uk
Basic Description
Dual-mono design phonograph preamplifier; 18Hz-22kHz RIAA accuracy +/- .2dB; THD+N of .01%; gain 40, 65 or 70dB, loading 100, 500, 47k; high current, Class-A discrete output stage; variable gain and loading via internal switches; 3.3 pounds; 5.1” W x 8.3” D x 1.7” H; one year warranty.
Associated Equipment
Marantz TT-15S1 Turntable, Krell KAV-400i Integrated Amplifier, Musical Fidelity A5 Integrated Amplifier, Marantz SA-11 Integrated Amplifier, PS Audio GCPH Phono Stage (for comparison), Musical Fidelity XLPS (for comparison), Musical Surroundings Phonomena (for comparison), Rega Apollo (for preamp comparison), Bowers and Wilkins 803S speakers, Audioquest cabling.
Setup, Testing and Description
The preamplifier seems to be one of the most overlooked aspects of an audio system. Consumers tend to focus in on speakers, amplifiers, or sources, but many years ago I discovered that, although it should impart the least sonic signature, the preamplifier can radically change the quality/character of an audio system. (Of course I’m not saying to neglect other areas, only that more attention should be paid to the preamplifier).
The build quality of the Whest is understated, but there is a separate power transformer with a proprietary plug-in, a single torroidal transformer inside the chassis, and the rest of the circuitry is completely separate for each channel. If you plan to be the one to adjust the gain and loading (and what audiophile wouldn’t?), be careful to open the component from the front and not the back! This procedure requires a metric Allen wrench for the front panel and then a Philips for the bottom. Why make it so hard to get at?
Once inside, the adjustments are straightforward and given that I was using a MM cartridge I set the unit for 47K and 40 dB of gain. Even though the there are preset values of adjustment, the manual suggests that the unit can be reconfigured to ANY setting by calling Whest. Power is always on and make sure you follow the manual’s recommended procedure for connecting the unit to avoid damage.
The Whest comes with a set of decent interconnects (read ~ $200 pair sound-wise) and an RCA to mini-plug cable to connect to a computer soundcard. The mini to RCA cable looks sufficient for the task, while most users will have interconnects that they prefer based on system-matching and long-term listening and testing.
When I first received the Marantz turntable last month for review, I realized right away that a good preamp would be necessary to complete the package. Having sold my Audio Alchemy VITB years ago and only having the phono section in an old receiver to listen with, I made it a priority to obtain a high quality phono preamp. Before the review began I lent the Whest out to a friend to try it out as he was using the Musical Surroundings Phonomena.
Taking the initiative, he set the preamps he had up for the same cartridge (with loading and gain as close as possible) and recorded the output from the same recordings into his computer. He then burned a CD that contained a few tracks with four different phono preamplifiers. This was good enough to allow us to rate the preamplifiers with a few different records and separate them in groups. The preamplifiers were: The Musical Fidelity XLPS, the Musical Surroundings Phonomena (old version), the Whest (under review), and the PS Audio GCPH (future review).
He level-matched each preamp using Sony SoundForge and an Echo Audio Mia MIDI sound card and recorded the music at 16 bit/44.1 kHz. His source is a Clearaudio Champion turntable and Benz Micro L2 cartridge. He knew which preamps were which during the audition, but I and a fellow audiophile did not know which preamp was which. We quickly separated the pieces into three groups of quality.
It was clear that the PS Audio and the Whest were a large step above the other two in terms of fidelity and were in the same league but offered a different presentation. (See the PS Audio review for more information on this piece.)
Sound
The differences between the Whest and the XLPS and the Phonomena was a much improved sense of resolution, less compression and congestion, truer midrange presentation, improved bass and dynamics, more realistic soundstaging and depth—just to get started. There should be no reservation for a serious vinyl listener to jump up into the $1K+ category. The sonic rewards are huge. With the lesser preamps I did not get the Goosebumps I did while listening to the recordings mentioned in the review of the Marantz turntable. The sound was simply okay to good. With the Whest, the music was elevated to a whole new level.
Critical listening began with the title track from The Eagles’ One of These Nights record. Bass was punchy and tight but not overly full. Transients were quick and the music had good extension, but the balance leaned towards the lighter side. Imaging was good and voice was neither up front nor set back in the soundstage. I would have liked a little more depth and presence/involvement but otherwise the sound was very good.
From Fleetwood Mac’s self-titled record I chose the song “Landslide.” The portrayal of voice was quite beautiful—big, full, and rich. The guitar work was delicate and tuneful. It was easy to imagine the images hanging in the space between the speakers. It will be hard to ever listen to this track on CD again after hearing it sound this good.
From Yes’ The Yes Album I picked another fun classic rock guitar track “I’ve Seen All Good People.” The tendency that I had heard earlier that was not bothersome became more noticeable on this cut—an ever so slightly laid back characteristic to the sound present on the initial chorus. Again there seemed to be some foreshortening of the deep bass. And there was the leanness, but along with it a slight reticence—a trait that was often associated with English electronics and speakers—a lack of aggression…a politeness to the sound. I expect the music to really grab the listener and pull them in, but it just didn’t happen on this track. Pace was hard to fault, but the sound just wasn’t rockin’!
On the lighter side of things I tried “Las Manos De Fuego,” a track from Earl Klugh’s Blue Note Album. The record is mainly 70s-influenced jazz (some funk, those Phil Collin’s style horns, etc). I expected the preamp to help this music really shine and it did. The sound was lively, clean, and had better dynamics than many of the other records I auditioned. It was still missing some of the “oomph” I’d like, but for the listener who prefers a relaxed quality with low/no irritation this preamp would be worth auditioning. It is extremely liquid and the listener never feels that it is getting in the way of the music. Guitar work on this cut was vibrant and pulsing.
Conclusion
Like many other higher end components, the Whest cannot be judged based on its failings. Choice becomes more a matter of taste and although the ideal may be complete transparency, it is rare to find any electronic component that can fully achieve it. Designers also tend to have a particular characteristic sound they strive for in a design. Thus some companies begin to have a reputation for a particular sound (for better or for worse). The Whest offered superior transparency in comparison to sub $1000 preamps that I had on hand making me cognizant of the important contribution of the preamp in the system yet again. Music issued forth from it without any obvious additive coloration.
If I had to nitpick with the piece I’d say there was some lack of deep bass and front to back depth—although some of the depth issues were recording dependent. As Whest’s entry level piece this piece is surely not entry level. I can’t profess to be an expert in this category and there are a quite a few other pieces in this range. Time will tell if my impression of the Whest improves or declines after I’ve had a chance to compare it with other phono preamplifiers. For now, I would recommend it to those looking for a large upgrade to the analog side of their system.
-- Brian Bloom
Monday, May 18, 2009
New Album Cover Art
IMPALED NAZARENE Albums To Be Reissued On Vinyl
IMPALED NAZARENE's "Tol Cormpt Norz Norz Norz" (1993) and "Ugra Karma" (1993) albums will be reissued by Osmose Productions on June 15 as gatefold double 10" EPs, limited to 700 copies each. Side 3 and 4 on both albums contain remastered live bonus tracks from the same period as the original recording sessions.
IMPALED NAZARENE's latest album, "Manifest", was released in October 2007. The CD was recorded and mixed at Sonic Pump studio by Tapio Pennanen, and was mastered at Finnvox studio by Mika Jussila. The cover artwork and layout was handlded by Ritual. The album was made available in the following formats: jewel case, digipack (limited to 5,000 copies) and double 10" vinyl (limited to 500 copies).
=============================
BULLETBOYS: '10c Billionaire' Cover Art, Track Listing Revealed
The cover art for BULLETBOYS' long-awaited new album, "10c Billionaire", can be viewed below. After several delays, mixing and mastering for the CD were recently completed and the final touches were applied by producer/guitarist Brent Woods (VINCE NEIL, WILDSIDE). A summer release via Chavis Records is expected.
"10c Billionaire" was written by original founding member and flamboyant frontman Marq Torien. Having reinvented the band and composed one of the most sonically superb and relevant rock and roll records to date, the revitalized BULLETBOYS — featuring Torien, Ryche Green, Stephen Allan, and Tory S. — are a hard rock force majeure delivering non-stop music mayhem that is winning over new audiences with every performance.
BULLETBOYS will support "10c Billionaire" beginning with a full summer tour in July with FASTER PUSSYCAT, dubbed "Dias de Los Muerto Tour 2009". Dates will be announced soon.
=============================
Behemoth reveal cover artwork and release date for their new album, ‘Evangelion’.
Behemoth will release ‘Evangelion’ through Nuclear Blast on August 10th.
In a statement, Behemoth frontman Nergal has said:
“Evangelion combines a pure art form with a direct message. It was also important for us to ensure that the graphical presentation did justice to the record. Again, we have worked with Tomasz Danilowicz who has created his best illustration yet for BEHEMOTH. The picture is of The Great Harlot of Babylon riding the seven-headed beast. Saints bow before her in worship whilst the tablets of the Ten Commandments lie broken at her feet. It represents our vision and the interpretation of the New Testament parable where the “Whore of Babylon” is a symbol of rebellion and resistance against God.”
“I am fascinated by stories whose source lies in the Bible and we have used biblical symbolism, coupled with my own experience and outlook, in our lyrics or on the covers of previous Behemoth records. I love to juggle with meanings and play around with symbolism which is exactly what I have done in this case. The main character of our new cover is an archetype of disobedience, individualism, self-determination and a free, unfettered will – these are universal keywords which are typical and crucial in understanding the character of our works, life as a whole and the true nature of man.”
=============================
Willie Isz Album Cover Art By James Jarvis
Soon the new Willie Isz album will be released and none other than UK illustrator/artist James Jarvis is responsible for the album cover art work. Good news for both Willie Isz and James Jarvis fans.
Vinyl Nation - The unlikely rebirth of analog in a digital world
As you know, I love great articles and this one certainly caught my eye. I want to thank Ryan for allowing me the permission to reprint this material.
Vinyl Nation
The unlikely rebirth of analog in a digital world
Story and photos by Ryan Heinsius
“Originally printed in Flagstaff Live, May 14, 2009”
Flagstaff Live.com
Reprinted By Permission
Brett Schenning sits cross-legged on the wood floor in his living room, a healthy grin splayed across his face. In a slightly different setting, his longish goatee, slim figure and at-peace disposition could get him confused with an enlightenment-seeking yogi as we talk about one of his most intense passions.
The 30-year-old Flagstaff local carefully removes a record from its sleeve, methodically places it on his turntable, hits play and makes a couple runs over its grooves with a static brush. He then takes the album cover (Calexico and Iron and Wine’s In the Reins) and places it in a display stand next to the stereo. Hundreds of new and old records, each sheathed in plastic covering and stored in milk-crate shelving, line the floor of his Flagstaff apartment. Box sets, rarities, limited pressings—nearly every genre from modern to classic rock, to blues, to classical, to jazz is represented in Schenning’s impressive collection (Tom Waits’ Mule Variations, the Red Hot Chili Peppers’ Blood Sugar Sex Magik and Benjamin Britten’s “War Requiem” have all had recent spins).
“Nothing sounds quite like it—the whole act of actually physically being involved with the music, as opposed to a CD where you kind of put it on and punch a couple buttons—you’re dropping (the needle) onto a record and it’s actual sound waves. It feels more involved to me and I really like that about vinyl,” he says.
Schenning, a local photographer and employee in the bulk department at New Frontiers Natural Marketplace, represents a relatively small but steadily growing number of local music fans who, despite the overwhelming dominance of the Internet and digital formats, are flocking back to the same method of music listening their parents’ generation made standard.
“I didn’t really get vinyl until a little more recently when I really started listening to music,” Schenning says. “And then once you do that and you start listening to vinyl you realize that there are all these subtleties that you’re not catching in CDs. I’ve always liked listening to music in headphones, but vinyl on headphones is a whole different world.”
Unlike often-ridiculed cassettes and eight-track tapes, vinyl has never totally gone away. Even in the face of the industry game-changer of CDs in the early ’80s, analog music listening has always existed, after having been, in a sense, forced underground as the sexy newness of shiny discs and the techno-miracle status of mp3s made records seem out of touch, antiquated and even dull.
But, vinyl has endured. The signature warmth and depth of records has kept vinyl pressers and turntable and needle manufacturers in business through the dark days of the ’80s, ’90s and early ’00s. For the better part of two decades, a hard core of audiophiles has remained the primary keepers of the flame, a secret knowledge-keeping Knights Templar-esque society, quietly awaiting vinyl’s second coming.
“You’re a little more committed to sitting down and listening to the whole record spin around, and flipping it over, whereas with a CD or an mp3 you can get bored with it and skip ahead—not as much commitment,” says Schenning, who is far from merely some luddite, as he utilizes both analog and digital means of music consumption, describing iPods as “amazing.” But, there just isn’t any digital replication of the vinyl experience.
“Maybe, it’s become such a fast culture,” says Schenning. “Everything’s fast; the Internet’s fast, fast food. Communications are fast. Maybe this is a chance for people to slow down, take a breath. You can’t take a record and go jogging, or talk on your cell phone and run around, and do this, and this, and this with your headphones on or whatever. This is something you have to sit down to appreciate. And people who really love music, it’s a chance for them to appreciate music instead of multitasking all the time.”
The modern 12-inch polyvinyl chloride record represents only the tip of the iceberg after more than a century of innovation in recording and reproducing sound. Thomas Edison famously invented the phonograph in 1877 utilizing a rotating tinfoil cylinder, intending the machine’s use to be as a voice recorder for office dictation. But music quickly became an obvious and natural fit for the new technology, and by the 1890s 7-inch discs that spun at approximately 70 rpm were booming business. Wax and hard rubber were also early materials used for recordings along with shellac, which survived as a popular material until the 1950s in the form of now-heavily collected 78’s. In the early ’50s, the vinyl record—either 33 1/3 rpm (the long play format) or 45 rpm (the extended play format, or single)—became the industry standard due to its durability and relatively low surface noise level.
And then came the musical revolution of the ’60s where the LP’s anatomy came to dictate the length, structure and often some of the artistic relevance of specific collections of songs. With just over 20 minutes available per side, producers and artists constructed their albums accordingly, shifting the recording paradigm to fit with the prevailing technology. Song order and the general dynamics of a record were now a more critical part of the art itself. The era of the album had begun.
Abbey Road, The Dark Side of the Moon, Led Zeppelin II, Tommy—every recording that has become a classic at some level had a structure in which it had to fit, even in the case of double or triple LPs. The late’60s and early ’70s are venerated as the golden age of the album, and one that defined, until the rise of a more single-song-oriented Web culture, how music fans conceptualize recorded music. But, after years of declining sales, a reemergence of vinyl has occurred in the industry—a seeming reaction to this brave new digital world, igniting a slight return to the cherished concept of the album. So, why now?
Since 2000, CD sales have annually decreased by percentages well into the teens. Digital downloads have largely replaced CDs, but vinyl sales account for one of the only bright spots in music industry sales, even if it’s still a small one.
Ben Gersten, owner of Flagstaff’s sole independent record store, Rock-It-Man, has seen the music industry’s changing trends during his three decades in the business. Gersten says he took vinyl out of his stores when CDs arrived in the ’80s, and now has put it back on his racks as a new generation of music fanatics has revived the popularity of the format.
“I think the reason (vinyl is) doing so well is a fanbase is looking for that vinyl now,” says Gersten. “Over the last few years they’ve been introduced to it. The Decemberists come out, I sell two CDs and I sell 12 records. I sit there and I laugh because five years ago it would have been the opposite.”
Gersten has seen a marked demand increase in recent years for newer artists on vinyl. My Morning Jacket, Neko Case, Pearl Jam, Ryan Adams, M. Ward, Wilco and the Flaming Lips, among many others, put out nearly every new release on vinyl, albeit often in limited numbers (the format still remains prohibitively expensive for many smaller bands). And older artists are jumping back on the LP train—Bob Dylan, Bruce Springsteen and Depeche Mode have begun reissuing their classic albums on vinyl creating a small put powerful surge. Gersten estimates that the format represents 6 to 10 percent of the music industry’s current sales. For Rock-It-Man, vinyl accounts for 10 to 15 percent of sales, which he says is common for the 400 or so still-remaining independent retailers in the U.S.
“It’s bringing people that lost the record store feel,” says Gersten. “I wasn’t quite sure a year ago that I was going to go in as heavy as I did. Some days I sell more records than I do CDs.”
Another Flagstaff audiophile and vinyl junkie, Fred Wojtkielewicz, also sees listening to records as a mark of a small consciousness shift among music fans.
“I think people want something real and tangible,” he says. “Society is so caught up in the digital age that we forgot what is important. We need to take a step back in time and realize that vinyl is a true music lover’s medium. Yes, it isn’t always convenient, but that isn’t necessarily the point. When was the last time you sat down and just listened to a record—maybe not on vinyl, definitely not a greatest hits record, or the top five tunes recommended to you on iTunes, but the whole damn album as the artist intended? We sometimes forget that this is a piece of art.”
Wojtkielewicz, 42, co-owner and proprietor of the Wine Loft downtown, estimates that he owns about 1,200 albums, mostly in pristine condition ranging from first pressings to ultra-rare mono versions of Bob Dylan’s John Wesley Harding and Highway 61 Revisited to Thelonious Monk’s Monk’s Dream and Billy Holiday’s final studio album Lady in Satin.
“It isn’t about how many gigabytes of music you have, or how many records you have for that matter. The process of listening to vinyl is centering, and it takes us sonically and spiritually to the core of what is important: the music,” he says.
Wojtkielewicz also hunts down and collects modern artists like Wilco (their 2007 release Sky Blue Sky is one of his favorites) on vinyl. “Sometimes we get a sense that certain artists are record collectors themselves, like Jack White of the White Stripes. His vinyl releases are beautifully packaged and highly sought after. I only buy vinyl now. CDs I consider obsolete. Everybody is releasing their stuff on vinyl now. And if not, in the end, there is always the lowly download.”
Dwayne Conn, 44, a local who works for W.L. Gore & Associates as the company’s information specialist, spends much of his off-time obsessively researching the rich history of lost and lesser-known music.
“It seems like the Internet has given us the ability to peer into the far corners of the world more easily than ever before,” he says, “and that has increased people’s hunger for the unusual and obscure. And of course the sample culture of hip-hop and electronic music feeds into that as well—people are always looking for a great sample that no one else has used yet. I’m sure there’s also a bit of nostalgia that draws people to vinyl as well.”
Last summer, Conn, an amateur musicologist, produced an hour-long podcast examining the largely unknown tradition of African American string band music in honor of Southern trio the Carolina Chocolate Drops’ performance at the Pickin’ in the Pines Bluegrass and Acoustic Music Festival. But, the dusty corners of music’s vast history is only a small part of Conn’s infinitely diverse interests. He has all the classics one might expect as well as the collectibles from recorded music’s past.
A significant portion of Conn’s Flagstaff home is stacked literally from floor to ceiling with records. “In addition to the LPs that most people know about, I also have quite few older 78-rpm records that I treasure,” he says. “I especially love the Django Reinhardt and Stéphane Grappelli with the Quintette of the Hot Club of France 78’s that I have. Lately, I’ve been collecting any Hawaiian/exotica records I can find, and have about 200 along those lines. All told, I probably have over 5,000 records at this point, and add more every week.”
Like many modern music fanatics who keep large reserves of vinyl, Conn supplements his music listening with both analog and digital forms, but enjoys the meditative process and all-encompassing state of mind that records require of the listener.
“I do enjoy the physicality of records—especially the oversized artwork,” he says. “I also like the feeling that I’m ‘rescuing’ music that might otherwise be lost to history. I spend a lot of time converting old records to CDs and mp3s so I can more easily enjoy listening to them. And even though most of my records are used and not in pristine condition, I find that a small amount of scratchiness kind of adds to the appeal of vinyl.”
The increasing hunger for vinyl these days seems to be, at least on some level, a reaction to both the ease at which the Internet can serve us anything at anytime, as well as its non-tangible nature. It is rare to actually find a vinyl purest nowadays who disavows any sort of digital mingling, but the analog junkies who live in Flagstaff have found a comfortable balance between the two: digital for ease and portability, and vinyl for the type of real music listening that means more than background music in a car or a soundtrack at the gym.
Vinyl brings the soulfulness back into music to a point where it transcends a mere product for sale, and has begun to retake its rightful place as functional art again. After all, as Gersten says, “You can’t roll a joint on a download.”
“The digital format is great,” says Wojtkielewicz, “but I don’t get a real sense of the music’s true origins. Vinyl is the real thing. It is analog, just the way music is meant to be heard. There is something missing with the digital format—that is a fact. When I fire up my amp—which is a tube amp and the only way to really appreciate a vinyl record in all its glory—I’m still floored, every time, with how real that sound is.”
---------------------------------------------------
Some modern artists leading the vinyl charge
By Ryan Heinsius
Jack White
Many music freaks see Jack White as the messiah in the drive to resurrect the vinyl format. From the White Stripes to the Raconteurs, to his new project (he plays drums) called the Dead Weather, White has stayed true to analog, just saying no to digital during the whole recording process: from laying down tracks on reel-to-reels to releasing high quality vinyl versions of his work. This guy is the true believer. Do what he does.
Brandi Carlile
Rock-It-Man’s Ben Gersten met singer-songwriter Carlile when she played in town last year at the Orpheum. He asked where he could get her vinyl albums and she said they were only available through her Web site. With the advent of the Internet, much more control can potentially stay in the artist’s hands, and as the popularity of vinyl increases, the costs will go down making it accessible to musicians both big and small. (Did I just say that the Internet was making vinyl more available?)
Wilco
2002’s epic Yankee Hotel Foxtrot put Wilco on the map of broad cultural consciousness, but it also became one of modern rock’s great, experimental records. The album’s lush complexity lends itself extremely well to the warm vinyl format and the band’s two albums since, 2004’s A Ghost is Born and 2007’s Sky Blue Sky, also provide a multilayered and exhilarating listening experience on the turntable. Their newest, Wilco (the album), is expected in June. Its vinyl release will surely sound awesome.
Ryan Adams
Yes, everything you’ve heard is true. Ryan Adams announced his retirement from music last winter and broke up his rockin’ band the Cardinals. Around the same time, he got hitched to former child star and all-around wholesome girl Mandy Moore—neither situations are expected to last. But, the unstable yet brilliant country rocker has helped helm vinyl’s resurgence, mixing and mastering his albums specifically for vinyl release, totally separate from their digital counterparts.
Vinyl Nation
The unlikely rebirth of analog in a digital world
Story and photos by Ryan Heinsius
“Originally printed in Flagstaff Live, May 14, 2009”
Flagstaff Live.com
Reprinted By Permission
Brett Schenning sits cross-legged on the wood floor in his living room, a healthy grin splayed across his face. In a slightly different setting, his longish goatee, slim figure and at-peace disposition could get him confused with an enlightenment-seeking yogi as we talk about one of his most intense passions.
The 30-year-old Flagstaff local carefully removes a record from its sleeve, methodically places it on his turntable, hits play and makes a couple runs over its grooves with a static brush. He then takes the album cover (Calexico and Iron and Wine’s In the Reins) and places it in a display stand next to the stereo. Hundreds of new and old records, each sheathed in plastic covering and stored in milk-crate shelving, line the floor of his Flagstaff apartment. Box sets, rarities, limited pressings—nearly every genre from modern to classic rock, to blues, to classical, to jazz is represented in Schenning’s impressive collection (Tom Waits’ Mule Variations, the Red Hot Chili Peppers’ Blood Sugar Sex Magik and Benjamin Britten’s “War Requiem” have all had recent spins).
“Nothing sounds quite like it—the whole act of actually physically being involved with the music, as opposed to a CD where you kind of put it on and punch a couple buttons—you’re dropping (the needle) onto a record and it’s actual sound waves. It feels more involved to me and I really like that about vinyl,” he says.
Schenning, a local photographer and employee in the bulk department at New Frontiers Natural Marketplace, represents a relatively small but steadily growing number of local music fans who, despite the overwhelming dominance of the Internet and digital formats, are flocking back to the same method of music listening their parents’ generation made standard.
“I didn’t really get vinyl until a little more recently when I really started listening to music,” Schenning says. “And then once you do that and you start listening to vinyl you realize that there are all these subtleties that you’re not catching in CDs. I’ve always liked listening to music in headphones, but vinyl on headphones is a whole different world.”
Unlike often-ridiculed cassettes and eight-track tapes, vinyl has never totally gone away. Even in the face of the industry game-changer of CDs in the early ’80s, analog music listening has always existed, after having been, in a sense, forced underground as the sexy newness of shiny discs and the techno-miracle status of mp3s made records seem out of touch, antiquated and even dull.
But, vinyl has endured. The signature warmth and depth of records has kept vinyl pressers and turntable and needle manufacturers in business through the dark days of the ’80s, ’90s and early ’00s. For the better part of two decades, a hard core of audiophiles has remained the primary keepers of the flame, a secret knowledge-keeping Knights Templar-esque society, quietly awaiting vinyl’s second coming.
“You’re a little more committed to sitting down and listening to the whole record spin around, and flipping it over, whereas with a CD or an mp3 you can get bored with it and skip ahead—not as much commitment,” says Schenning, who is far from merely some luddite, as he utilizes both analog and digital means of music consumption, describing iPods as “amazing.” But, there just isn’t any digital replication of the vinyl experience.
“Maybe, it’s become such a fast culture,” says Schenning. “Everything’s fast; the Internet’s fast, fast food. Communications are fast. Maybe this is a chance for people to slow down, take a breath. You can’t take a record and go jogging, or talk on your cell phone and run around, and do this, and this, and this with your headphones on or whatever. This is something you have to sit down to appreciate. And people who really love music, it’s a chance for them to appreciate music instead of multitasking all the time.”
The modern 12-inch polyvinyl chloride record represents only the tip of the iceberg after more than a century of innovation in recording and reproducing sound. Thomas Edison famously invented the phonograph in 1877 utilizing a rotating tinfoil cylinder, intending the machine’s use to be as a voice recorder for office dictation. But music quickly became an obvious and natural fit for the new technology, and by the 1890s 7-inch discs that spun at approximately 70 rpm were booming business. Wax and hard rubber were also early materials used for recordings along with shellac, which survived as a popular material until the 1950s in the form of now-heavily collected 78’s. In the early ’50s, the vinyl record—either 33 1/3 rpm (the long play format) or 45 rpm (the extended play format, or single)—became the industry standard due to its durability and relatively low surface noise level.
And then came the musical revolution of the ’60s where the LP’s anatomy came to dictate the length, structure and often some of the artistic relevance of specific collections of songs. With just over 20 minutes available per side, producers and artists constructed their albums accordingly, shifting the recording paradigm to fit with the prevailing technology. Song order and the general dynamics of a record were now a more critical part of the art itself. The era of the album had begun.
Abbey Road, The Dark Side of the Moon, Led Zeppelin II, Tommy—every recording that has become a classic at some level had a structure in which it had to fit, even in the case of double or triple LPs. The late’60s and early ’70s are venerated as the golden age of the album, and one that defined, until the rise of a more single-song-oriented Web culture, how music fans conceptualize recorded music. But, after years of declining sales, a reemergence of vinyl has occurred in the industry—a seeming reaction to this brave new digital world, igniting a slight return to the cherished concept of the album. So, why now?
Since 2000, CD sales have annually decreased by percentages well into the teens. Digital downloads have largely replaced CDs, but vinyl sales account for one of the only bright spots in music industry sales, even if it’s still a small one.
Ben Gersten, owner of Flagstaff’s sole independent record store, Rock-It-Man, has seen the music industry’s changing trends during his three decades in the business. Gersten says he took vinyl out of his stores when CDs arrived in the ’80s, and now has put it back on his racks as a new generation of music fanatics has revived the popularity of the format.
“I think the reason (vinyl is) doing so well is a fanbase is looking for that vinyl now,” says Gersten. “Over the last few years they’ve been introduced to it. The Decemberists come out, I sell two CDs and I sell 12 records. I sit there and I laugh because five years ago it would have been the opposite.”
Gersten has seen a marked demand increase in recent years for newer artists on vinyl. My Morning Jacket, Neko Case, Pearl Jam, Ryan Adams, M. Ward, Wilco and the Flaming Lips, among many others, put out nearly every new release on vinyl, albeit often in limited numbers (the format still remains prohibitively expensive for many smaller bands). And older artists are jumping back on the LP train—Bob Dylan, Bruce Springsteen and Depeche Mode have begun reissuing their classic albums on vinyl creating a small put powerful surge. Gersten estimates that the format represents 6 to 10 percent of the music industry’s current sales. For Rock-It-Man, vinyl accounts for 10 to 15 percent of sales, which he says is common for the 400 or so still-remaining independent retailers in the U.S.
“It’s bringing people that lost the record store feel,” says Gersten. “I wasn’t quite sure a year ago that I was going to go in as heavy as I did. Some days I sell more records than I do CDs.”
Another Flagstaff audiophile and vinyl junkie, Fred Wojtkielewicz, also sees listening to records as a mark of a small consciousness shift among music fans.
“I think people want something real and tangible,” he says. “Society is so caught up in the digital age that we forgot what is important. We need to take a step back in time and realize that vinyl is a true music lover’s medium. Yes, it isn’t always convenient, but that isn’t necessarily the point. When was the last time you sat down and just listened to a record—maybe not on vinyl, definitely not a greatest hits record, or the top five tunes recommended to you on iTunes, but the whole damn album as the artist intended? We sometimes forget that this is a piece of art.”
Wojtkielewicz, 42, co-owner and proprietor of the Wine Loft downtown, estimates that he owns about 1,200 albums, mostly in pristine condition ranging from first pressings to ultra-rare mono versions of Bob Dylan’s John Wesley Harding and Highway 61 Revisited to Thelonious Monk’s Monk’s Dream and Billy Holiday’s final studio album Lady in Satin.
“It isn’t about how many gigabytes of music you have, or how many records you have for that matter. The process of listening to vinyl is centering, and it takes us sonically and spiritually to the core of what is important: the music,” he says.
Wojtkielewicz also hunts down and collects modern artists like Wilco (their 2007 release Sky Blue Sky is one of his favorites) on vinyl. “Sometimes we get a sense that certain artists are record collectors themselves, like Jack White of the White Stripes. His vinyl releases are beautifully packaged and highly sought after. I only buy vinyl now. CDs I consider obsolete. Everybody is releasing their stuff on vinyl now. And if not, in the end, there is always the lowly download.”
Dwayne Conn, 44, a local who works for W.L. Gore & Associates as the company’s information specialist, spends much of his off-time obsessively researching the rich history of lost and lesser-known music.
“It seems like the Internet has given us the ability to peer into the far corners of the world more easily than ever before,” he says, “and that has increased people’s hunger for the unusual and obscure. And of course the sample culture of hip-hop and electronic music feeds into that as well—people are always looking for a great sample that no one else has used yet. I’m sure there’s also a bit of nostalgia that draws people to vinyl as well.”
Last summer, Conn, an amateur musicologist, produced an hour-long podcast examining the largely unknown tradition of African American string band music in honor of Southern trio the Carolina Chocolate Drops’ performance at the Pickin’ in the Pines Bluegrass and Acoustic Music Festival. But, the dusty corners of music’s vast history is only a small part of Conn’s infinitely diverse interests. He has all the classics one might expect as well as the collectibles from recorded music’s past.
A significant portion of Conn’s Flagstaff home is stacked literally from floor to ceiling with records. “In addition to the LPs that most people know about, I also have quite few older 78-rpm records that I treasure,” he says. “I especially love the Django Reinhardt and Stéphane Grappelli with the Quintette of the Hot Club of France 78’s that I have. Lately, I’ve been collecting any Hawaiian/exotica records I can find, and have about 200 along those lines. All told, I probably have over 5,000 records at this point, and add more every week.”
Like many modern music fanatics who keep large reserves of vinyl, Conn supplements his music listening with both analog and digital forms, but enjoys the meditative process and all-encompassing state of mind that records require of the listener.
“I do enjoy the physicality of records—especially the oversized artwork,” he says. “I also like the feeling that I’m ‘rescuing’ music that might otherwise be lost to history. I spend a lot of time converting old records to CDs and mp3s so I can more easily enjoy listening to them. And even though most of my records are used and not in pristine condition, I find that a small amount of scratchiness kind of adds to the appeal of vinyl.”
The increasing hunger for vinyl these days seems to be, at least on some level, a reaction to both the ease at which the Internet can serve us anything at anytime, as well as its non-tangible nature. It is rare to actually find a vinyl purest nowadays who disavows any sort of digital mingling, but the analog junkies who live in Flagstaff have found a comfortable balance between the two: digital for ease and portability, and vinyl for the type of real music listening that means more than background music in a car or a soundtrack at the gym.
Vinyl brings the soulfulness back into music to a point where it transcends a mere product for sale, and has begun to retake its rightful place as functional art again. After all, as Gersten says, “You can’t roll a joint on a download.”
“The digital format is great,” says Wojtkielewicz, “but I don’t get a real sense of the music’s true origins. Vinyl is the real thing. It is analog, just the way music is meant to be heard. There is something missing with the digital format—that is a fact. When I fire up my amp—which is a tube amp and the only way to really appreciate a vinyl record in all its glory—I’m still floored, every time, with how real that sound is.”
---------------------------------------------------
Some modern artists leading the vinyl charge
By Ryan Heinsius
Jack White
Many music freaks see Jack White as the messiah in the drive to resurrect the vinyl format. From the White Stripes to the Raconteurs, to his new project (he plays drums) called the Dead Weather, White has stayed true to analog, just saying no to digital during the whole recording process: from laying down tracks on reel-to-reels to releasing high quality vinyl versions of his work. This guy is the true believer. Do what he does.
Brandi Carlile
Rock-It-Man’s Ben Gersten met singer-songwriter Carlile when she played in town last year at the Orpheum. He asked where he could get her vinyl albums and she said they were only available through her Web site. With the advent of the Internet, much more control can potentially stay in the artist’s hands, and as the popularity of vinyl increases, the costs will go down making it accessible to musicians both big and small. (Did I just say that the Internet was making vinyl more available?)
Wilco
2002’s epic Yankee Hotel Foxtrot put Wilco on the map of broad cultural consciousness, but it also became one of modern rock’s great, experimental records. The album’s lush complexity lends itself extremely well to the warm vinyl format and the band’s two albums since, 2004’s A Ghost is Born and 2007’s Sky Blue Sky, also provide a multilayered and exhilarating listening experience on the turntable. Their newest, Wilco (the album), is expected in June. Its vinyl release will surely sound awesome.
Ryan Adams
Yes, everything you’ve heard is true. Ryan Adams announced his retirement from music last winter and broke up his rockin’ band the Cardinals. Around the same time, he got hitched to former child star and all-around wholesome girl Mandy Moore—neither situations are expected to last. But, the unstable yet brilliant country rocker has helped helm vinyl’s resurgence, mixing and mastering his albums specifically for vinyl release, totally separate from their digital counterparts.
This Date In Music History-May 18
Birthdays:
Albert Hammond ("It Never Rains In Southern California") is 67.
Butch Tavares – Tavares (1953)
Michael Cretu – Enigma (1957)
Rick Wakeman – Yes (1949)
George Strait was born in 1952. He has the second most #1 country hits among any artist in any musical genre in history, totaling 53 #1 hit songs. Only Conway Twitty has more, with 55.
Joe Bonsall - The Oak Ridge Boys (1948)
Rodney Dillard - The Dillards (1942)
They Are Missed:
Born in 1912, Perry Como, singer, TV presenter (Como died on May 12, 2001).
Joe Turner, US blues songwriter was born in 1911. Wrote “Shake Rattle and Roll,” “Sweet Sixteen.” He died on November 23, 1985.
In 1980, Joy Division singer and guitarist Ian Curtis hanged himself in the kitchen of his house in Macclesfield, England at the age of 23. Curtis had the Iggy Pop album “The Idiot,” playing on his stereo and left a note that said, “At this very moment, I wish I were dead. I Just can't cope anymore.”
In 2004, Elvin Ray Jones, a jazz drummer who played with John Coltrane, Charlie Parker and Miles Davis, died of heart failure in Englewood, N.J. He was 76. He can be heard to excellent effect on Coltrane's A Love Supreme.
History:
Wilbert Harrison’s “Kansas City,” written by Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller, topped the pop chart in 1959. The song was later covered by The Beatles (“Beatles VI”).
Having been promoted to RCA’s manager of operations in 1957, Chet Atkins persuaded the label to build its own office and studio in Nashville. The result was the world-famous RCA Studio B, a.k.a. “the house that Chet built.”
Today in 1985, the song "Don't You (Forget About Me)" by Simple Minds topped the charts and stayed there for a week.
Today in 1968 the song "Tighten Up" by Archie Bell & the Drells was #1 on the charts. The cut didn't chart in the UK.
Get Back (The Beatles) was a hit in 1969. (#1 for five weeks)
"Dancing Machine," one of the Jackson 5's last big hits for Motown, reached #1 on the R&B chart and #2 on the pop chart in 1974.
Peter Gabriel left Genesis to pursue a solo career in 1975. Drummer Phil Collins eventually replaced Gabriel as lead singer for the group.
The Buddy Holly Story, a popular film biography starring Gary Busey in the title role, was released in 1978. Twelve years later, the actor paid a quarter of a million dollars at auction for an acoustic guitar that belonged to Holly.
George Strait was at #1 on the US album chart in 1997 with “Carrying Your Love With Me.”
Bone Thugs-N-Harmony started a 8 week run at #1 on the US singles chart in 1996 with “Tha Crossroads,” (#8 hit in the UK).
Ray Stevens started a three week run at #1 on the US singles chart in 1974 with the inane novelty song “The Streak.” Surprisingly, it was also #1 in the UK.
The Kingsmen recorded their controversial cut "Louie Louie" in 1963.
R.E.M. went to #1 on the US album chart in 1991 with “Out Of Time,” probably their finest effort.
Diana Ross left Motown Records in 1981 and signed a $20 million contract with RCA (the most lucrative ever at the time).
The Animals recorded "House Of The Rising Sun" in 1964.
The Hollies record "Bus Stop" in 1966.
Tiny Tim's "Tip-Toe Through the Tulips" was released in 1968. It was originally a #1 hit for Nick Lucas in 1929. Tiny Tim’s version topped out at #17 on the charts.
Albert Hammond ("It Never Rains In Southern California") is 67.
Butch Tavares – Tavares (1953)
Michael Cretu – Enigma (1957)
Rick Wakeman – Yes (1949)
George Strait was born in 1952. He has the second most #1 country hits among any artist in any musical genre in history, totaling 53 #1 hit songs. Only Conway Twitty has more, with 55.
Joe Bonsall - The Oak Ridge Boys (1948)
Rodney Dillard - The Dillards (1942)
They Are Missed:
Born in 1912, Perry Como, singer, TV presenter (Como died on May 12, 2001).
Joe Turner, US blues songwriter was born in 1911. Wrote “Shake Rattle and Roll,” “Sweet Sixteen.” He died on November 23, 1985.
In 1980, Joy Division singer and guitarist Ian Curtis hanged himself in the kitchen of his house in Macclesfield, England at the age of 23. Curtis had the Iggy Pop album “The Idiot,” playing on his stereo and left a note that said, “At this very moment, I wish I were dead. I Just can't cope anymore.”
In 2004, Elvin Ray Jones, a jazz drummer who played with John Coltrane, Charlie Parker and Miles Davis, died of heart failure in Englewood, N.J. He was 76. He can be heard to excellent effect on Coltrane's A Love Supreme.
History:
Wilbert Harrison’s “Kansas City,” written by Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller, topped the pop chart in 1959. The song was later covered by The Beatles (“Beatles VI”).
Having been promoted to RCA’s manager of operations in 1957, Chet Atkins persuaded the label to build its own office and studio in Nashville. The result was the world-famous RCA Studio B, a.k.a. “the house that Chet built.”
Today in 1985, the song "Don't You (Forget About Me)" by Simple Minds topped the charts and stayed there for a week.
Today in 1968 the song "Tighten Up" by Archie Bell & the Drells was #1 on the charts. The cut didn't chart in the UK.
Get Back (The Beatles) was a hit in 1969. (#1 for five weeks)
"Dancing Machine," one of the Jackson 5's last big hits for Motown, reached #1 on the R&B chart and #2 on the pop chart in 1974.
Peter Gabriel left Genesis to pursue a solo career in 1975. Drummer Phil Collins eventually replaced Gabriel as lead singer for the group.
The Buddy Holly Story, a popular film biography starring Gary Busey in the title role, was released in 1978. Twelve years later, the actor paid a quarter of a million dollars at auction for an acoustic guitar that belonged to Holly.
George Strait was at #1 on the US album chart in 1997 with “Carrying Your Love With Me.”
Bone Thugs-N-Harmony started a 8 week run at #1 on the US singles chart in 1996 with “Tha Crossroads,” (#8 hit in the UK).
Ray Stevens started a three week run at #1 on the US singles chart in 1974 with the inane novelty song “The Streak.” Surprisingly, it was also #1 in the UK.
The Kingsmen recorded their controversial cut "Louie Louie" in 1963.
R.E.M. went to #1 on the US album chart in 1991 with “Out Of Time,” probably their finest effort.
Diana Ross left Motown Records in 1981 and signed a $20 million contract with RCA (the most lucrative ever at the time).
The Animals recorded "House Of The Rising Sun" in 1964.
The Hollies record "Bus Stop" in 1966.
Tiny Tim's "Tip-Toe Through the Tulips" was released in 1968. It was originally a #1 hit for Nick Lucas in 1929. Tiny Tim’s version topped out at #17 on the charts.
Top 5 eBay Vinyl Record Sales
Week Ending 05/16/2009
1. LP - Genesis "A Trick Of The Tail" MFSL UHQR Test Pressing - $3,550.00 - Start: $895.00 - Bids: 16
2. 45 - Jelly (titles not available) Fu-Ju JR-1001 - $3,349.00 - Start: $350.99 - Bids: 13
3. 78 - Vogue Picture Disc Unnumbered (Rum & Coca-Cola / The Lion's Roar) - $3,106.96 - Start: $400.00 - Bids: 19
4. LP - The Velvet Underground & Nico "self titled" Verve Mono Promo - $2,750.00 - Start: BIN
5. LP - King Crimson "In The Court Of The Crimson King" MFSL - $2,550.00 - Start: $849.00 - Bids: 22
Two MFSL test pressings make the list this week, in the #1 and #5 spots. The #1 goes to a test pressing of Genesis's "A Trick Of The Tail" which sells for halfway over $3.5k. Next, a Northern Soul 45 from Jelly bids to a dollar less than halfway over $3.3k.
A beautiful Vogue picture record, possibly a one of a kind, sells for a little over $3.1k, and gets the #3 spot.
Next, A mono Velvet Underground Warhol mono LP goes for halfway over $2.7k, and in the #5 spot, the other MFSL, this one of King Crimson's first LP, sells on a Buy-It-Now for halfway over $2.5k
Thank you to Norm over at http://ccdiscoveries.blogspot.com for this wonderful data!
1. LP - Genesis "A Trick Of The Tail" MFSL UHQR Test Pressing - $3,550.00 - Start: $895.00 - Bids: 16
2. 45 - Jelly (titles not available) Fu-Ju JR-1001 - $3,349.00 - Start: $350.99 - Bids: 13
3. 78 - Vogue Picture Disc Unnumbered (Rum & Coca-Cola / The Lion's Roar) - $3,106.96 - Start: $400.00 - Bids: 19
4. LP - The Velvet Underground & Nico "self titled" Verve Mono Promo - $2,750.00 - Start: BIN
5. LP - King Crimson "In The Court Of The Crimson King" MFSL - $2,550.00 - Start: $849.00 - Bids: 22
Two MFSL test pressings make the list this week, in the #1 and #5 spots. The #1 goes to a test pressing of Genesis's "A Trick Of The Tail" which sells for halfway over $3.5k. Next, a Northern Soul 45 from Jelly bids to a dollar less than halfway over $3.3k.
A beautiful Vogue picture record, possibly a one of a kind, sells for a little over $3.1k, and gets the #3 spot.
Next, A mono Velvet Underground Warhol mono LP goes for halfway over $2.7k, and in the #5 spot, the other MFSL, this one of King Crimson's first LP, sells on a Buy-It-Now for halfway over $2.5k
Thank you to Norm over at http://ccdiscoveries.blogspot.com for this wonderful data!
Sunday, May 17, 2009
Rain Songs- part one
As the featured writer at www.musicstack.com, I thought that, with the spring rains that we are experiencing, it would be a great topic to look at some 'rain' songs. Here is the first installmnet (of four)
By Robert Benson
After a long, hard winter, we all look forward to the spring, the warmth of the sun and the longer days of April and May and then on to summertime. However, as they say- with spring a little rain must fall. In this four-part article series, let’s explore some popular ‘rain’ songs in musical history, you will probably be surprised how many of these songs from American music that you are familiar with.
B.J. Thomas scored number one hit in 1970 with the Burt Bacharach/Hal David song called “Raindrops Keep Falling On My Head.” The song was written for the soundtrack of Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid, starring Paul Newman and Robert Redford. The cut was the second number one single for the Bacharach-David songwriting team and it won an Academy Award for Best Song, being only the second number one song of the rock era to do so.
Interestingly, the night before B.J. Thomas was to record the song, he was under doctor’s orders not to use his voice for two weeks (he was suffering from laryngitis). However, he pleaded with the doctor to treat his condition, explaining that he had to record a song for a new Paul Newman movie and the doctor gave him some medication to keep his throat lubricated so he could sing.
The next day, Thomas did five takes of the song before Bacharach was satisfied (and Thomas would later admit that if he had been asked to record one more take, he couldn’t have done it). After a few weeks his voice healed and he flew to New York to record the single version, this time his voice was crystal clear.
Some history books say that Bob Dylan was originally asked to record the song, but Bacharach disputes this, claiming that he had asked Ray Stevens to do it, but it wasn’t a career move that Stevens wanted to make. Ooops.
Iconic guitarist Eric Clapton released a cut called “Let It Rain” in 1972 (it peaked at #48 on the Billboard charts). Clapton wrote the song with the help of Bonnie and Delaney Bramlett while they were on tour together in 1969 (and while Clapton was still with the supergroup Blind Faith). The song is the last track on Clapton’s first solo album, which was coincidently produced by Delaney Bramlett. There is also a nineteen-minute version of the song on the Derek and the Dominos “Live at the Fillmore LP.
The song was not released as a single until 1972. Two years after the album came out. Jerry Allison and Sonny Curtis, both former members of Buddy Holly and the Crickets, along with Bonnie Bramlett and Rita Coolidge sang back up vocals.
Another fantastic rain song is the Creedence Clearwater Revival cut, “Have You Ever Seen The Rain,” which hit number eight on the Billboard charts in 1971 (from the LP Pendulum 1970).
There have been some who have speculated that the song’s lyrics were referring to the Vietnam War, with ‘rain’ being a metaphor for bombs falling for the sky. But John Fogerty, singer and songwriter for the band has stated that the song is about the rising tension and internal strife that CCR was experiencing at the time and about the imminent departure of his brother, Tom from the band (he ultimately left the band in early 1971 after the release of Pendulum).
Before there was the Partridge Family, another family band scored a huge hit with a ‘rain’ song. The Cowsills, a family pop group, hit number two on the Billboard charts in the fall of 1967 with the song called “The Rain, The Park and Other Things.” It is also known as the ‘flower girl song, in reference to the lyrics, “I love the flower girl.”
Some interesting tidbits about the cut are that it is one of only a few vocal works whose lyrics do not contain the song’s title. The song was co-written and produced by Artie Kornfeld, who later went on to fame as one of the concert promoters at the legendary concert at Woodstock. Additionally, the song was an international hit, reachi9ng number one in Canada in the week of November 13, 1967 and was also a hit in the UK.
“Blue Eyes Crying In The Rain” is a song that was written by Fred Rose and was originally recorded in 1945 by Roy Acuff and later in 1951 by Hank Williams Sr. But it is best remembered as the breakthrough number one hit for country singer Willie Nelson (the song hit number one on the country singles chart and number twenty-one on the Billboard Top 100), who also earned a Grammy Award for Country Male Vocalist in 1975.
Prior to the massive success of the song, Nelson had enjoyed mainstream success primarily as a songwriter; the best known song he wrote was “Crazy,” performed by Patsy Cline. He chose to include “Blue Eyes Crying In The Rain” on his concept LP “Red Headed Stranger” and with his own unique style incorporated into the melody, the hit helped launch his career to country superstardom.
The cut has also been placed at number 302 on Rolling Stone’s 500 Greatest Songs. Interestingly, it is also the last known song that Elvis Presley performed before his untimely passing on August 16, 1977 (he had played the song at his Graceland home piano shortly before his demise).
Look for our next article coming soon, where we will explore more popular ‘rain’ songs in music history.
By Robert Benson
After a long, hard winter, we all look forward to the spring, the warmth of the sun and the longer days of April and May and then on to summertime. However, as they say- with spring a little rain must fall. In this four-part article series, let’s explore some popular ‘rain’ songs in musical history, you will probably be surprised how many of these songs from American music that you are familiar with.
B.J. Thomas scored number one hit in 1970 with the Burt Bacharach/Hal David song called “Raindrops Keep Falling On My Head.” The song was written for the soundtrack of Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid, starring Paul Newman and Robert Redford. The cut was the second number one single for the Bacharach-David songwriting team and it won an Academy Award for Best Song, being only the second number one song of the rock era to do so.
Interestingly, the night before B.J. Thomas was to record the song, he was under doctor’s orders not to use his voice for two weeks (he was suffering from laryngitis). However, he pleaded with the doctor to treat his condition, explaining that he had to record a song for a new Paul Newman movie and the doctor gave him some medication to keep his throat lubricated so he could sing.
The next day, Thomas did five takes of the song before Bacharach was satisfied (and Thomas would later admit that if he had been asked to record one more take, he couldn’t have done it). After a few weeks his voice healed and he flew to New York to record the single version, this time his voice was crystal clear.
Some history books say that Bob Dylan was originally asked to record the song, but Bacharach disputes this, claiming that he had asked Ray Stevens to do it, but it wasn’t a career move that Stevens wanted to make. Ooops.
Iconic guitarist Eric Clapton released a cut called “Let It Rain” in 1972 (it peaked at #48 on the Billboard charts). Clapton wrote the song with the help of Bonnie and Delaney Bramlett while they were on tour together in 1969 (and while Clapton was still with the supergroup Blind Faith). The song is the last track on Clapton’s first solo album, which was coincidently produced by Delaney Bramlett. There is also a nineteen-minute version of the song on the Derek and the Dominos “Live at the Fillmore LP.
The song was not released as a single until 1972. Two years after the album came out. Jerry Allison and Sonny Curtis, both former members of Buddy Holly and the Crickets, along with Bonnie Bramlett and Rita Coolidge sang back up vocals.
Another fantastic rain song is the Creedence Clearwater Revival cut, “Have You Ever Seen The Rain,” which hit number eight on the Billboard charts in 1971 (from the LP Pendulum 1970).
There have been some who have speculated that the song’s lyrics were referring to the Vietnam War, with ‘rain’ being a metaphor for bombs falling for the sky. But John Fogerty, singer and songwriter for the band has stated that the song is about the rising tension and internal strife that CCR was experiencing at the time and about the imminent departure of his brother, Tom from the band (he ultimately left the band in early 1971 after the release of Pendulum).
Before there was the Partridge Family, another family band scored a huge hit with a ‘rain’ song. The Cowsills, a family pop group, hit number two on the Billboard charts in the fall of 1967 with the song called “The Rain, The Park and Other Things.” It is also known as the ‘flower girl song, in reference to the lyrics, “I love the flower girl.”
Some interesting tidbits about the cut are that it is one of only a few vocal works whose lyrics do not contain the song’s title. The song was co-written and produced by Artie Kornfeld, who later went on to fame as one of the concert promoters at the legendary concert at Woodstock. Additionally, the song was an international hit, reachi9ng number one in Canada in the week of November 13, 1967 and was also a hit in the UK.
“Blue Eyes Crying In The Rain” is a song that was written by Fred Rose and was originally recorded in 1945 by Roy Acuff and later in 1951 by Hank Williams Sr. But it is best remembered as the breakthrough number one hit for country singer Willie Nelson (the song hit number one on the country singles chart and number twenty-one on the Billboard Top 100), who also earned a Grammy Award for Country Male Vocalist in 1975.
Prior to the massive success of the song, Nelson had enjoyed mainstream success primarily as a songwriter; the best known song he wrote was “Crazy,” performed by Patsy Cline. He chose to include “Blue Eyes Crying In The Rain” on his concept LP “Red Headed Stranger” and with his own unique style incorporated into the melody, the hit helped launch his career to country superstardom.
The cut has also been placed at number 302 on Rolling Stone’s 500 Greatest Songs. Interestingly, it is also the last known song that Elvis Presley performed before his untimely passing on August 16, 1977 (he had played the song at his Graceland home piano shortly before his demise).
Look for our next article coming soon, where we will explore more popular ‘rain’ songs in music history.
Music News & Notes
Don Henley Getting New Hits Set
It's been 14 years since Don Henley released Actual Miles: Henley's Greatest Hits so, for most artists, it would probably be time for a new career retrospective. For Henley, though, his only release over that time has been 2000's Inside Job.
That's one of the reasons that the upcoming "The Very Best of Don Henley" is not all that different from the 1995 retrospective. Specifically, the new album is the first ten tracks from Actual Miles, in the exact same order, plus the track Everybody Knows, which was recorded for Miles and three songs from Inside Job.
What is totally new, at least in the deluxe set, is a DVD with six of the hits from the first disc in their original video form (for some reason, though, the End of the Innocence video is not included) along with four additional audio tracks from various movie soundtracks.
Two versions of the set will be released on June 16 in physical formats with a single CD or the CD/DVD set.
SOURCE: http://winkscollectibles.blogspot.com
=========================
Springsteen Euro Release
Bruce Springsteen & the E-Street Band will release a new Greatest Hits compilation exclusively in Europe for their upcoming tour.
The 18-track set expands the album released exclusively through Wal-Mart earlier this year with fan favorites Blinded By the Light, The River and I'm On Fire, Long Walk Home from the Magic album, and two tracks from the 1975 concert included in the recent box set (Because the Night and Fire). The other 12 tracks are the same on both albums.
Even the cover is very reminiscent of the Wal-Mart release with yellow tinting and the lettering in block letters. Springsteen on his motorcycle is replaced with a band photo.
The album is due in Europe June 1.
=========================
Vandaveer Announce US Dates, 7-inch Release
Vandaveer have announced their first 7-inch release. The limited edition vinyl, to be released with Providence's Supply & Demand Music, features two new tracks: "Turpentine" and "Woolgathering." Both tracks appear on the band's "Divide & Conquer," which has already seen release in France, Belgium and Switzerland. To celebrate the release of the 7-inch, Vandaveer are hitting the road for a US tour. The band, who just completed shows in Europe, have also filmed a video for their song "Fistful Of Swoon."
It's been 14 years since Don Henley released Actual Miles: Henley's Greatest Hits so, for most artists, it would probably be time for a new career retrospective. For Henley, though, his only release over that time has been 2000's Inside Job.
That's one of the reasons that the upcoming "The Very Best of Don Henley" is not all that different from the 1995 retrospective. Specifically, the new album is the first ten tracks from Actual Miles, in the exact same order, plus the track Everybody Knows, which was recorded for Miles and three songs from Inside Job.
What is totally new, at least in the deluxe set, is a DVD with six of the hits from the first disc in their original video form (for some reason, though, the End of the Innocence video is not included) along with four additional audio tracks from various movie soundtracks.
Two versions of the set will be released on June 16 in physical formats with a single CD or the CD/DVD set.
SOURCE: http://winkscollectibles.blogspot.com
=========================
Springsteen Euro Release
Bruce Springsteen & the E-Street Band will release a new Greatest Hits compilation exclusively in Europe for their upcoming tour.The 18-track set expands the album released exclusively through Wal-Mart earlier this year with fan favorites Blinded By the Light, The River and I'm On Fire, Long Walk Home from the Magic album, and two tracks from the 1975 concert included in the recent box set (Because the Night and Fire). The other 12 tracks are the same on both albums.
Even the cover is very reminiscent of the Wal-Mart release with yellow tinting and the lettering in block letters. Springsteen on his motorcycle is replaced with a band photo.
The album is due in Europe June 1.
=========================
Vandaveer Announce US Dates, 7-inch Release
Vandaveer have announced their first 7-inch release. The limited edition vinyl, to be released with Providence's Supply & Demand Music, features two new tracks: "Turpentine" and "Woolgathering." Both tracks appear on the band's "Divide & Conquer," which has already seen release in France, Belgium and Switzerland. To celebrate the release of the 7-inch, Vandaveer are hitting the road for a US tour. The band, who just completed shows in Europe, have also filmed a video for their song "Fistful Of Swoon."
Vinyl records making a comeback
Posted By LORNE VANSINCLAIR
It's somewhat ironic that in an era when more and more people prefer to get their recorded music digitally, vinyl records are making a comeback.
It's not about nostalgia; young people love them too. Vinyl records are suddenly cool again and part of the reason is they sound better. There's a warmth to analogue sound that digital can't match.
That means you were right to keep your vinyl records for all these years despite the digital onslaught. Digital music has some advantages; it's portable and lightweight. A digital player will run through your entire collection and continuously play songs in any order you want, you can even broadcast them over the Internet.
Part of the reason vinyl records sound better is the way the music was mixed -- they needed to sound good on cheap radios. That means if you record your vinyl records on to a computer, the digital files you create still sound a lot like vinyl records.
Now you need to be aware of copyright restrictions. In Canada, making a copy of a recorded work that you already own is considered "fair use" as long as keep it for yourself. If the work is more than 50 years old, it is no longer protected by copyright and you can do whatever you want with it.
Some people find the task of converting their records daunting, but the rewards are well worth it. I have been digitizing my collection for years and people are always asking me how it's done, so I've put together some pointers. I don't want to get mired in tedious details here so I'm posting a more detailed version of this article on the web, just go to www.vibrations.ca/articlesif you want to see it.
First, it's not a good idea to rely on recordable CDs to store your music, they only have a life expectancy of about five years. You really want your music on a hard drive, then you can transfer it anywhere you want. I recommend buying an external hard drive, they're cheap, reliable and have unimaginable amounts of storage space.
You will need a good turntable with a magnetic cartridge, a funky old record player won't do. Fortunately you can still buy them new and the best deals are on-line. Most sellers are U. S. based and many won't ship out of the country, presumably to keep turntables out of the hands of terrorists, but some will. You can get a good, three-speed turntable delivered to your door for around $300.
Numark makes turntables with a USB connection that you just plug into your computer and you're set. If you want more control, Stanton makes a line of digitally controlled turntables for DJs that have both USB and normal connectors and do many weird things like play backwards. I also love this fact: they don't have a 78 speed but 33 and 45 add up to 78, press both speed buttons at the same time and voila, it's 78 RPM.
If you use an older turntable then you'll need a small preamp to bring the sound up to line level and you will likely need to upgrade the sound card in your computer. The most basic card will do and you can get one for under $50. You'll also need a connector that converts your turntable's RCA style jacks to a stereo jack that goes into your sound card -- you can get one at The Source.
Finally you need software to make the recording and there's a lot out there. One of the most popular is Audacity, which works well and is free.
Now you're ready to start recording. The first decision you need to make is what sample rate you're going to use. To make a file that is compatible with CD players, chose a rate of 44,100 and a resolution of 16 bits.
Once you record the selection, you'll want to remove the noise at the beginning and the end, so you just have the music. That's really easy, you'll see a graphic representation of the sound on your screen, you just highlight the part you don't want and delete it. It's just the same as taking an unwanted word out of a text document.
Most recording software includes a "noise reduction" feature but none of it works very well. It will take out some noise but will often make your music sound like it's playing under water. If you have clean records in good condition, noise reduction isn't necessary.
Occasional clicks and pops can be edited out manually. You just zoom in on the offending spot and cut it out. You want to cut out as small a portion as possible or you'll hear a jump in the sound.
Usually you can't control the volume while you're recording so you'll need to "normalize" it when you're finished. That adjusts the volume to the highest level possible without clipping or distorting any of the sound. Records have wildly different volume levels. If you normalize every file when you're recording, they should all play at more or less the same volume.
You need to decide on a format for saving your files. The best-known format is mp3, which is sometimes pronounced "empeg".
The mp3 encoding takes out some of the detail and compresses the file to a much smaller size preserving most of the sound quality. It's good because the file is small and it will play virtually anywhere.
Another common format is called the wave file, which ends with the extension ".wav".
A standard wave file does not does not compress the digital information at all so it is better sounding than an mp3 but it is often 10 times as large and needs special software to play it. For archiving purposes, you might want to save all your recordings as wave files for best quality, then make mp3 copies of them for portability.
Most software allows you to add information that is not part of the audio.
You can put in the artist name, the song title, the LP title, the genre of music etc. It's a good idea to do this as the player will display it, otherwise you just see the file name. You should also decide on a standard way to name and organize your files. You'll appreciate it when you're looking for a particular file a few years from now.
All this may sound like a lot, but digital archiving is a great way to get to know your record collection again.
You'll find you listen to your music more without even touching the vinyl records, you can put them in storage or sell them. The market for vinyl is strong right now, if you have a good collection, you'll make enough to more than pay for all the do-dads you had to buy to digitize them.
Lorne VanSinclair is organizer of the Toronto Musical Collectables Show & Sale, Canada's largest record collectors' event and is a website designer.
SOURCE: http://www.orilliapacket.com
It's somewhat ironic that in an era when more and more people prefer to get their recorded music digitally, vinyl records are making a comeback.
It's not about nostalgia; young people love them too. Vinyl records are suddenly cool again and part of the reason is they sound better. There's a warmth to analogue sound that digital can't match.
That means you were right to keep your vinyl records for all these years despite the digital onslaught. Digital music has some advantages; it's portable and lightweight. A digital player will run through your entire collection and continuously play songs in any order you want, you can even broadcast them over the Internet.
Part of the reason vinyl records sound better is the way the music was mixed -- they needed to sound good on cheap radios. That means if you record your vinyl records on to a computer, the digital files you create still sound a lot like vinyl records.
Now you need to be aware of copyright restrictions. In Canada, making a copy of a recorded work that you already own is considered "fair use" as long as keep it for yourself. If the work is more than 50 years old, it is no longer protected by copyright and you can do whatever you want with it.
Some people find the task of converting their records daunting, but the rewards are well worth it. I have been digitizing my collection for years and people are always asking me how it's done, so I've put together some pointers. I don't want to get mired in tedious details here so I'm posting a more detailed version of this article on the web, just go to www.vibrations.ca/articlesif you want to see it.
First, it's not a good idea to rely on recordable CDs to store your music, they only have a life expectancy of about five years. You really want your music on a hard drive, then you can transfer it anywhere you want. I recommend buying an external hard drive, they're cheap, reliable and have unimaginable amounts of storage space.
You will need a good turntable with a magnetic cartridge, a funky old record player won't do. Fortunately you can still buy them new and the best deals are on-line. Most sellers are U. S. based and many won't ship out of the country, presumably to keep turntables out of the hands of terrorists, but some will. You can get a good, three-speed turntable delivered to your door for around $300.
Numark makes turntables with a USB connection that you just plug into your computer and you're set. If you want more control, Stanton makes a line of digitally controlled turntables for DJs that have both USB and normal connectors and do many weird things like play backwards. I also love this fact: they don't have a 78 speed but 33 and 45 add up to 78, press both speed buttons at the same time and voila, it's 78 RPM.
If you use an older turntable then you'll need a small preamp to bring the sound up to line level and you will likely need to upgrade the sound card in your computer. The most basic card will do and you can get one for under $50. You'll also need a connector that converts your turntable's RCA style jacks to a stereo jack that goes into your sound card -- you can get one at The Source.
Finally you need software to make the recording and there's a lot out there. One of the most popular is Audacity, which works well and is free.
Now you're ready to start recording. The first decision you need to make is what sample rate you're going to use. To make a file that is compatible with CD players, chose a rate of 44,100 and a resolution of 16 bits.
Once you record the selection, you'll want to remove the noise at the beginning and the end, so you just have the music. That's really easy, you'll see a graphic representation of the sound on your screen, you just highlight the part you don't want and delete it. It's just the same as taking an unwanted word out of a text document.
Most recording software includes a "noise reduction" feature but none of it works very well. It will take out some noise but will often make your music sound like it's playing under water. If you have clean records in good condition, noise reduction isn't necessary.
Occasional clicks and pops can be edited out manually. You just zoom in on the offending spot and cut it out. You want to cut out as small a portion as possible or you'll hear a jump in the sound.
Usually you can't control the volume while you're recording so you'll need to "normalize" it when you're finished. That adjusts the volume to the highest level possible without clipping or distorting any of the sound. Records have wildly different volume levels. If you normalize every file when you're recording, they should all play at more or less the same volume.
You need to decide on a format for saving your files. The best-known format is mp3, which is sometimes pronounced "empeg".
The mp3 encoding takes out some of the detail and compresses the file to a much smaller size preserving most of the sound quality. It's good because the file is small and it will play virtually anywhere.
Another common format is called the wave file, which ends with the extension ".wav".
A standard wave file does not does not compress the digital information at all so it is better sounding than an mp3 but it is often 10 times as large and needs special software to play it. For archiving purposes, you might want to save all your recordings as wave files for best quality, then make mp3 copies of them for portability.
Most software allows you to add information that is not part of the audio.
You can put in the artist name, the song title, the LP title, the genre of music etc. It's a good idea to do this as the player will display it, otherwise you just see the file name. You should also decide on a standard way to name and organize your files. You'll appreciate it when you're looking for a particular file a few years from now.
All this may sound like a lot, but digital archiving is a great way to get to know your record collection again.
You'll find you listen to your music more without even touching the vinyl records, you can put them in storage or sell them. The market for vinyl is strong right now, if you have a good collection, you'll make enough to more than pay for all the do-dads you had to buy to digitize them.
Lorne VanSinclair is organizer of the Toronto Musical Collectables Show & Sale, Canada's largest record collectors' event and is a website designer.
SOURCE: http://www.orilliapacket.com
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