Buy New Releases Here
A.A. Bondy - When the Devil's Loose
Alice Cooper - Killer
Allen Toussaint - Saint of New Orleans
Amon Amarth - The Crusher
Andrew W.K. - 55 Cadillac
Apples In Stereo - #1 Hits Explosion
Beanie Sigel - Broad Street Bully
Black Crowes - Before the Frost...Until the Freeze
Black Crowes - The Southern Harmony and Musical Companion (vinyl)
Brandi Shearer - Love Don't Make You Juliet
Brendan Benson – My Old, Familiar Friend
Chevelle - Sci-Fi Crimes
Chris Young - The Man I Want to Be
Chthonic - Mirror Of Retribution
Chuck Ragan - Gold Country
Cougar - Patriot
Buy New Releases here
Cross Canadian Ragweed - Happiness And All The Other Things
CuCu Diamantes - CuCuland
Datarock - Red
David Bazan - Curse Your Branches
Dirge Within - Force Fed Lies
Dizzee Rascal - Holiday
Dr. Dre - The Chronic (remastered with bonus disc)
Drive-By Truckers - The Fine Print (A Collection of Oddities and Rarities) 2003-2008
Emerson, Lake & Palmer - The Essential Emerson, Lake & Palmer 3.0
Entrance Band - The Entrance Band
Explode Into Colors - Eyes Hands Mouth 7"
Farewell - Run It Up the Flagpole
Farmer Dave Scher - Flash Forward to the Good Times (vinyl)
Frankel - Anonymity Is The New Fame
Friendly Fires - Friendly Fires (reissue)
George Usher - Yours & Not Yours
Heavy Young Heathens - Heavy Young Heathens
Insane Clown Posse - Bang Pow Boom
John Fogerty - The Blue Ridge Rangers Rides Again
Juliette Lewis and The New Romantiques - Terra Incognita
Just Jack - All Night Cinema
Kath Bloom - Finally (reissue)
Lady Gaga - Hit Mixes
Ladyhawke - Ladyhawke (with bonus tracks)
Led Zeppelin - The Roots of Led Zeppelin (Various Artists)
Les Sabler - Live
Buy New Releases here
Liam Finn - Champagne In Seashells
Little Boots - Remedy
Lost Fingers - Lost in the 80s
Love of Diagrams - Nowhere Forever
Lovvers - OCD Go Go Go Girls
Lullabye Arkestra - Threats/Worship (vinyl)
Madcon - Conquest
MadLove - White With Foam
Mammal - The Majority
Marshall Tucker Band - The Essential Marshall Tucker Band 3.0
mewithoutYou - It's All Crazy! It's All False! It's All a Dream! It's Alright (vinyl)
Miles Davis - Ascenseur Pour L'Echafaud (2-LP vinyl reissue)
Miles Davis - Cookin' with the Miles Davis Quintet (vinyl reissue)
Miles Davis - Steamin' with the Miles Davis Quintet (vinyl reissue)
Miles Davis - Working (vinyl reissue)
Motown - Motown 50 Fanthology
Nina Simone - Little Girl Blue (vinyl reissue)
Noah & The Whale - First Days Of Spring
Opposite Of Sex Live + Burn [EP]
Ozzy Osbourne - The Essential Ozzy Osbourne (3-CD set)
Pete Yorn/Scarlett Johansson - Break Up (vinyl)
Peter Broderick - 4 Track Songs (vinyl)
Pitbull - Rebelution
Buy New Releases Here
Pretenders - The Pretenders (Gold CD)
Prodigy - Take Me to the Hospital
Psyke Project - Dead Storm
Queen - A Kind of Magic (vinyl)
Queen - Flash Gordon (vinyl)
Queen - Innuendo (vinyl)
Queen - News of the World (vinyl)
Queen - Queen (vinyl)
Radney Foster And The Confessions - Revival
Reverend Horton Heat - Laughin' & Cryin' With Reverend Horton Heat
Richard Lloyd - The Jamie Neverts Story
Robin Guthrie - Carousel
Rod Stewart - The Definitive Collection 1969-1978
Saint Etienne - So Tough: Deluxe Edition
Sam Baker Cotton
Serge Gainsbourg - Confidentiel(reissue)
Serge Gainsbourg - Aux Armes Et Caetera (Versions Dub) (reissue)
Simple Minds - Graffiti Soul
Sleepthief - Labyrinthine Heart
Street Sweeper Social Club - Street Sweeper Social Club (vinyl)
Sultan - Nu Breed
Susana Baca -Seis Poemas
Susanna and the Magical Orchestra - 3
The Color - Morale We All Have Demons
Theoretical Girl - Divided
These United States - Everything Touches Everything
They Might Be Giants - Here Comes Science
Those Bastard Souls- Twentieth Century Chemical (remastered with bonus tracks)
Tommy Sparks - Tommy Sparks
Trey Songz - Ready
Used - Artwork
Various Artists - Psych-Funk 101
Various Artists- 9 (soundtrack)
Various Artists - Definitive Jux Presents, Vol. 4 (vinyl)
Various Artists - Dreams
Various Artists - Lenny: A Salute to Stevie Ray Vaughan
Various Artists - Mark Ronson Presents - Man in the Mirror
Various Artists- Motown 50 Fanthology
Various Artists - Porno Groove: The Sound of 70's Adult Films (vinyl)
Various Artists - Sorority Row (soundtrack)
Various Artists - The Roots of Led Zeppelin
Various Artists - Ze 30: Ze Records Story 1979-2009 (vinyl)
Wale - Chillin
Weekend Nachos - Unforgivable
Whitney Houston - I Look To You
Wiggles - Hot Potatoes! The Best of The Wiggles
Willard Grant Conspiracy - Paper Covers Stone
Yonder Mountain String Band - The Show
Buy New Releases Here
Tuesday, September 1, 2009
Music News & Notes
Neil Young Release
Neil Young's website has an announcement for Archives Performance Series #12: Dreamin' Man, to be released on or about November 2. According to the site:
"DREAMIN' MAN, Neil Young Archives Performance Series #12, will be released on or about Nov. 2nd, 17 years after the original release of Harvest Moon. A closer look at Harvest Moon songs, all performed solo acoustic before the release of Harvest Moon, DREAMIN' MAN contains intimate live performances recorded in concert halls during 1992."
-- NY Times
=====================
Wolfmother Releases “Transmissions From The Cosmic Egg” Episode 1
Wolfmother has just launched the first of a series of a behind the scenes looks at their forthcoming opus, Cosmic Egg. Transmissions From The Cosmic Egg: Episode 1 travels the open high-way to Byron Bay where much of the record was born and pre-production took place. In the piece front man Andrew Stockdale provides an introspective look at the new album, “sometimes I kind of think… Are these songs good enough? Will people like them?” and goes on to explain, “I think these songs suit me. They suit the way I sing and what I can relate to, the world I can relate to.”
The wonderfully ambitious new record is set for release on October 13, preceded by their joyously shredding first single, “New Moon Rising,” which is out now! “New Moon Rising” is a thumping, ripping slice of optimistic future-blues that’s all over the radio now and just the first piece to be unveiled of the fine Cosmic Egg puzzle. It’s a thrilling rush of goodtimes direct to the soul and is only the beginning of a mighty return…. grab “New Moon Rising” NOW on iTunes.
Wolfmother’s new album is, in short, the sound of the band’s world being rethunk and cracked wide open, with a sprawling, jubilant galaxy of musical and metaphysical harmony spilling forth. Expedition is welcome to all, and to begin you on your journey, you can now pre-order limited edition versions of Cosmic Egg in a variety of formats including CD, deluxe CD, 2LP Vinyl, Limited Edition Box Set, and various music and merch combos NOW from wolfmother.com.
=====================
Britain's Official Chart Company Names She Loves You As Biggest Selling Beatles Track
The U.K.'s Official Chart Company, the people responsible for the music charts each week, were asked by BBC Radio 2 to research and assemble a list of the biggest selling tracks in the U.K. by the Beatles. It took the organization a bit of time, as they had to take into account the various re-releases over the years, but the final list of 30 was revealed Monday on BBC Radio 2 by Ken Bruce.
Topping the list is She Loves You, which was the biggest selling single by any artist in Britain from 1964 until 1977 when Paul McCartney's Mull of Kintyre/Girl's School sold more copies. Second is I Want to Hold Your Hand followed by Can't Buy Me Love, I Feel Fine and the double sided Day Tripper/We Can Work it Out.
All of the top five records only charted once to reach their sales while number 6, Hey Jude, was a hit twice (1968/#1 and 1976/#12). There are a couple of surprises of note. Yesterday, the most recorded song of all-time, only comes in at number 26 as it wasn't released in the U.K. until 1976 and only managed to make it to number 8. Strawberry Fields Forever is listed twice instead of combining two separate releases as the first issue was as the B-side of Penny Lane while the 70's release was as the A-side.
The following are the top 30 with indications of year(s) and chart position(s):
1.She Loves You (1963/#1)
2.I Want to Hold Your Hand (1963/#1)
3.Can't Buy Me Love (1964/#1)
4.I Feel Fine (1964/#1)
5.Day Tripper/We Can Work it Out (1965/#1)
6.Hey Jude (1968/#1, 1976/#12)
7.From Me to You (1963/#1, 1983/#40)
8.Help! (1965/#1, 1976/#36)
9.Hello, Goodbye (1967/#1)
10.Get Back (1969/#1, 1976/#28)
11.Paperback Writer (1966/#1, 1976/#23)
12.All You Need is Love (1967/#1)
13.Yellow Submarine/Eleanor Rigby (1966/#1)
14.Ticket to Ride (1965/#1)
15.Magical Mystery Tour EP (1967/#2)
16.A Hard Day's Night (1964/#1)
17.Penny Lane / Strawberry Fields Forever (1967/#2)
18.Lady Madonna (1968/#1)
19.Love Me Do (1962/#17, 1982/#4)
20.Please Please Me (1973/#2, 1983/#29)
21.The Ballad of John & Yoko (1969/#1)
22.Let it Be (1970/#2)
23.Free as a Bird (1995/#2)
24.Something/Come Together (1969/#4)
25.Beatles Movie Medley (1982/#10)
26.Yesterday (1976/#8)
27.Real Love (1996/#4)
28.Baby It's You (1995/#7)
29.Back in the U.S.S.R. (1976/#19)
30.Strawberry Fields Forever (1976/#32)
Overall, the Beatles had 31 titles make the British top 40 with Ain't She Sweet (1964/#29) the one record that didn't make the list.
=====================
Sugarland to Release Their First Ever Holiday Album Gold And Green October 6
NASHVILLE, Tenn. Aug. 31 /PRNewswire/ -- Grammy award winning duo Sugarland will release a 10-track holiday-themed record titled Gold And Green October 6,
which includes 5 original songs co-written by lead members Jennifer Nettles and Kristian Bush. With the purchase of Gold And Green, available everywhere, fans will be able to access exclusive content such as downloads and the chance
to enter special sweepstakes.
TRACK LISTING:
1. City Of Silver Dreams*
2. Winter Wonderland
3. Holly Jolly Christmas
4. Coming Home*
5. Gold And Green*
6. Maybe Baby (New Year's Day)*
7. Nuttin' For Christmas
8. O Come, O Come, Emmanuel
9. Little Wood Guitar*
10. Silent Night
Jennifer Nettles and Kristian Bush make up country duo Sugarland who've sold over 8 million records since exploding onto the music scene in '04 with Twice The Speed Of Life ("Baby Girl"/"Something More"). Enjoy the Ride ("Want To"/"Settlin'"/"Stay") quickly followed in '06 and their third studio album Love On The Inside ("It Happens"/"Love"/"All I Want To Do"/"Already Gone") in July '08, which skyrocketed them to superstardom, drawing fans from all genres and critics abroad. Sugarland is credited with co-writing all tracks from all three albums and co-producing the last two. As a thank you to their loyal fans, in Aug. '09 the duo released Live On The Inside, a CD/DVD set of live tracks, covers and footage from their tour. They've performed in six European countries and are now headlining a U.S. tour that runs thru the fall. They've received trophies from the Grammy's, American Music Awards, Academy of Country Music, CMT Music Awards and the Country Music Association. Nettles was recently chosen to perform for the Obama Presidential celebration, as well as the duo for Oprah. In August, ABC aired an hour long network special
featuring the duo in their most beloved setting...on stage.
=====================
Cover Art for Carrie Underwood's 'Play On'
Carrie Underwood has a flower on her ear for the cover art of her new album 'Play On'.
An artwork which reportedly will be featured on the front cover of Carrie Underwood's new album "Play On" has been found. Outed via USA Today, the photo has the country music singer sitting with a flower inserted on one of her ears and leaning her chin on her right hand.
Carrie is expected to release the new album across United States on November 3. She has worked on a new song with top-notch producer Max Martin. Though so, it is still unclear whether or not the track they crafted will be included in the forthcoming set.
Neil Young's website has an announcement for Archives Performance Series #12: Dreamin' Man, to be released on or about November 2. According to the site:
"DREAMIN' MAN, Neil Young Archives Performance Series #12, will be released on or about Nov. 2nd, 17 years after the original release of Harvest Moon. A closer look at Harvest Moon songs, all performed solo acoustic before the release of Harvest Moon, DREAMIN' MAN contains intimate live performances recorded in concert halls during 1992."
-- NY Times
=====================
Wolfmother Releases “Transmissions From The Cosmic Egg” Episode 1
Wolfmother has just launched the first of a series of a behind the scenes looks at their forthcoming opus, Cosmic Egg. Transmissions From The Cosmic Egg: Episode 1 travels the open high-way to Byron Bay where much of the record was born and pre-production took place. In the piece front man Andrew Stockdale provides an introspective look at the new album, “sometimes I kind of think… Are these songs good enough? Will people like them?” and goes on to explain, “I think these songs suit me. They suit the way I sing and what I can relate to, the world I can relate to.”
The wonderfully ambitious new record is set for release on October 13, preceded by their joyously shredding first single, “New Moon Rising,” which is out now! “New Moon Rising” is a thumping, ripping slice of optimistic future-blues that’s all over the radio now and just the first piece to be unveiled of the fine Cosmic Egg puzzle. It’s a thrilling rush of goodtimes direct to the soul and is only the beginning of a mighty return…. grab “New Moon Rising” NOW on iTunes.
Wolfmother’s new album is, in short, the sound of the band’s world being rethunk and cracked wide open, with a sprawling, jubilant galaxy of musical and metaphysical harmony spilling forth. Expedition is welcome to all, and to begin you on your journey, you can now pre-order limited edition versions of Cosmic Egg in a variety of formats including CD, deluxe CD, 2LP Vinyl, Limited Edition Box Set, and various music and merch combos NOW from wolfmother.com.
=====================
Britain's Official Chart Company Names She Loves You As Biggest Selling Beatles Track
The U.K.'s Official Chart Company, the people responsible for the music charts each week, were asked by BBC Radio 2 to research and assemble a list of the biggest selling tracks in the U.K. by the Beatles. It took the organization a bit of time, as they had to take into account the various re-releases over the years, but the final list of 30 was revealed Monday on BBC Radio 2 by Ken Bruce.
Topping the list is She Loves You, which was the biggest selling single by any artist in Britain from 1964 until 1977 when Paul McCartney's Mull of Kintyre/Girl's School sold more copies. Second is I Want to Hold Your Hand followed by Can't Buy Me Love, I Feel Fine and the double sided Day Tripper/We Can Work it Out.
All of the top five records only charted once to reach their sales while number 6, Hey Jude, was a hit twice (1968/#1 and 1976/#12). There are a couple of surprises of note. Yesterday, the most recorded song of all-time, only comes in at number 26 as it wasn't released in the U.K. until 1976 and only managed to make it to number 8. Strawberry Fields Forever is listed twice instead of combining two separate releases as the first issue was as the B-side of Penny Lane while the 70's release was as the A-side.
The following are the top 30 with indications of year(s) and chart position(s):
1.She Loves You (1963/#1)
2.I Want to Hold Your Hand (1963/#1)
3.Can't Buy Me Love (1964/#1)
4.I Feel Fine (1964/#1)
5.Day Tripper/We Can Work it Out (1965/#1)
6.Hey Jude (1968/#1, 1976/#12)
7.From Me to You (1963/#1, 1983/#40)
8.Help! (1965/#1, 1976/#36)
9.Hello, Goodbye (1967/#1)
10.Get Back (1969/#1, 1976/#28)
11.Paperback Writer (1966/#1, 1976/#23)
12.All You Need is Love (1967/#1)
13.Yellow Submarine/Eleanor Rigby (1966/#1)
14.Ticket to Ride (1965/#1)
15.Magical Mystery Tour EP (1967/#2)
16.A Hard Day's Night (1964/#1)
17.Penny Lane / Strawberry Fields Forever (1967/#2)
18.Lady Madonna (1968/#1)
19.Love Me Do (1962/#17, 1982/#4)
20.Please Please Me (1973/#2, 1983/#29)
21.The Ballad of John & Yoko (1969/#1)
22.Let it Be (1970/#2)
23.Free as a Bird (1995/#2)
24.Something/Come Together (1969/#4)
25.Beatles Movie Medley (1982/#10)
26.Yesterday (1976/#8)
27.Real Love (1996/#4)
28.Baby It's You (1995/#7)
29.Back in the U.S.S.R. (1976/#19)
30.Strawberry Fields Forever (1976/#32)
Overall, the Beatles had 31 titles make the British top 40 with Ain't She Sweet (1964/#29) the one record that didn't make the list.
=====================
Sugarland to Release Their First Ever Holiday Album Gold And Green October 6
NASHVILLE, Tenn. Aug. 31 /PRNewswire/ -- Grammy award winning duo Sugarland will release a 10-track holiday-themed record titled Gold And Green October 6,
which includes 5 original songs co-written by lead members Jennifer Nettles and Kristian Bush. With the purchase of Gold And Green, available everywhere, fans will be able to access exclusive content such as downloads and the chance
to enter special sweepstakes.
TRACK LISTING:
1. City Of Silver Dreams*
2. Winter Wonderland
3. Holly Jolly Christmas
4. Coming Home*
5. Gold And Green*
6. Maybe Baby (New Year's Day)*
7. Nuttin' For Christmas
8. O Come, O Come, Emmanuel
9. Little Wood Guitar*
10. Silent Night
Jennifer Nettles and Kristian Bush make up country duo Sugarland who've sold over 8 million records since exploding onto the music scene in '04 with Twice The Speed Of Life ("Baby Girl"/"Something More"). Enjoy the Ride ("Want To"/"Settlin'"/"Stay") quickly followed in '06 and their third studio album Love On The Inside ("It Happens"/"Love"/"All I Want To Do"/"Already Gone") in July '08, which skyrocketed them to superstardom, drawing fans from all genres and critics abroad. Sugarland is credited with co-writing all tracks from all three albums and co-producing the last two. As a thank you to their loyal fans, in Aug. '09 the duo released Live On The Inside, a CD/DVD set of live tracks, covers and footage from their tour. They've performed in six European countries and are now headlining a U.S. tour that runs thru the fall. They've received trophies from the Grammy's, American Music Awards, Academy of Country Music, CMT Music Awards and the Country Music Association. Nettles was recently chosen to perform for the Obama Presidential celebration, as well as the duo for Oprah. In August, ABC aired an hour long network special
featuring the duo in their most beloved setting...on stage.
=====================
Cover Art for Carrie Underwood's 'Play On'
Carrie Underwood has a flower on her ear for the cover art of her new album 'Play On'.
An artwork which reportedly will be featured on the front cover of Carrie Underwood's new album "Play On" has been found. Outed via USA Today, the photo has the country music singer sitting with a flower inserted on one of her ears and leaning her chin on her right hand.
Carrie is expected to release the new album across United States on November 3. She has worked on a new song with top-notch producer Max Martin. Though so, it is still unclear whether or not the track they crafted will be included in the forthcoming set.
Rock/Pop Tidbits
When Stu Cook and Doug Clifford reformed CCR as Creedence Clearwater Revisited in 1995, former band mate John Fogerty won a court injunction to prevent the use of the name and the live performance of CCR's hits. The pair toured as Cosmo's Factory until the injunction was overturned on appeal.
Pat Boone spent a total of 21 weeks at the top of the Billboard Pop chart with six different number one hits spread out between 1955 and 1961. His daughter Debby had only one hit, "You Light Up My Life" in 1977, but it stayed number one for 10 straight weeks.
"Beyond The Sea" by Bobby Darin was based on a song called "Le Mer", written by Louis Charles Augustin Georges Trenet in 1945. Bobby used the same melody, but the English words are not a translation of the original French lyrics.
When United Artists was preparing to release Electric Light Orchestra's debut album, a company representative tried to place a call to someone connected with the band to find out what the LP should be titled. The caller, having failed to reach the desired party, jotted down the notation "no answer," a phrase which was mistaken for an album title and assigned to the U.S. version of the LP.
In 1967, CBS-TV attempted to turn Led Zeppelin singer Robert Plant into the next Tom Jones. In fact, Plant recorded a lushly orchestrated Italian ballad called “Our Song.” It actually sold over 800 copies.
The longest title of an album that actually made the Billboard chart is by Fiona Apple. Made up of 90 words, the album is called -
"When the Pawn Hits the Conflicts He Thinks Like a King What He Knows Throws the Blows When He Goes to the Fight and He'll Win the Whole Thing 'Fore He Enters the Ring There's No Body to Batter When Your Mind Is Your Might So When You Go Solo, You Hold Your Own Hand and Remember That Depth Is the Greatest of Heights and If You Know Where You Stand, Then You Know Where to Land and If You Fall It Won't Matter, Cuz You'll Know That You're Right"
The motel that was the scene of Janis Joplin's death in 1970 was right across the street from where Bobby Fuller died in 1966.
1950s crooner, Pat Boone is the great, great, great, great grandson of American frontier hero Daniel Boone.
Led Zeppelin founder Jimmy Page played as a session guitarist on Tom Jones’ 1965 hit, "It’s Not Unusual".
The world's first jukebox was installed at the Palais Royal Hotel in San Francisco on November 23rd, 1899. At a nickel per play, the machine earned nearly $1000 during the first six months of operation.
While upset about a girl who had just left him, Joe Rock wrote most of the lyrics to The Skyliners 1959 number one hit, "Since I Don’t Have You", while sitting in his car between stoplights.
In 1931, George Beauchamp and Adolph Rickenbacker designed and built the world's first electric guitar. Because of its odd shape, it was nicknamed 'Rickenbacker's Frying Pan'. The pair were granted a patent for their invention in 1937.
Paul McCartney originally wrote the first two lines of "I Saw Her Standing There" as "She was just seventeen, Never been a beauty queen." When he sang it for John Lennon, both realized that it was a poor rhyme. Finally, it was John who came up with "She was just seventeen, you know what I mean", which they knew was a perfect sexual innuendo for the song.
"I Heard It Through The Grapevine" has reached the Billboard Hot 100 six times in versions by Marvin Gaye (#1), Gladys Knight (#2), Creedence Clearwater Revival (#43), Roger Troutman (#79), King Curtis (#83) and The California Raisins (#84). The song has also been recorded by dozens of other artists including The Temptations, Ike and Tina Turner, Paul Mauriat and Elton John.
In a 2005 interview, Billy Joel said that during the recording of "We Are The World", most of the artists didn't like the song, but nobody would say so. Cyndi Lauper thought it sounded like a Pepsi commercial and Billy agreed.
The contract that made Brian Epstein the Beatles' manager was never really valid. Both Paul and George were under 21 at the time and needed a legal guardian to sign. Epstein himself never signed the document at all.
Rocker Neil Young arrived at Woodstock in 1969 with fellow musician Jimi Hendrix. When they realized that they had to travel several miles from the helicopter pad to the stage, they stole a pickup truck for the journey. Young calls the theft, “One of the high points of my life.”
Pat Boone spent a total of 21 weeks at the top of the Billboard Pop chart with six different number one hits spread out between 1955 and 1961. His daughter Debby had only one hit, "You Light Up My Life" in 1977, but it stayed number one for 10 straight weeks.
"Beyond The Sea" by Bobby Darin was based on a song called "Le Mer", written by Louis Charles Augustin Georges Trenet in 1945. Bobby used the same melody, but the English words are not a translation of the original French lyrics.
When United Artists was preparing to release Electric Light Orchestra's debut album, a company representative tried to place a call to someone connected with the band to find out what the LP should be titled. The caller, having failed to reach the desired party, jotted down the notation "no answer," a phrase which was mistaken for an album title and assigned to the U.S. version of the LP.
In 1967, CBS-TV attempted to turn Led Zeppelin singer Robert Plant into the next Tom Jones. In fact, Plant recorded a lushly orchestrated Italian ballad called “Our Song.” It actually sold over 800 copies.
The longest title of an album that actually made the Billboard chart is by Fiona Apple. Made up of 90 words, the album is called -
"When the Pawn Hits the Conflicts He Thinks Like a King What He Knows Throws the Blows When He Goes to the Fight and He'll Win the Whole Thing 'Fore He Enters the Ring There's No Body to Batter When Your Mind Is Your Might So When You Go Solo, You Hold Your Own Hand and Remember That Depth Is the Greatest of Heights and If You Know Where You Stand, Then You Know Where to Land and If You Fall It Won't Matter, Cuz You'll Know That You're Right"
The motel that was the scene of Janis Joplin's death in 1970 was right across the street from where Bobby Fuller died in 1966.
1950s crooner, Pat Boone is the great, great, great, great grandson of American frontier hero Daniel Boone.
Led Zeppelin founder Jimmy Page played as a session guitarist on Tom Jones’ 1965 hit, "It’s Not Unusual".
The world's first jukebox was installed at the Palais Royal Hotel in San Francisco on November 23rd, 1899. At a nickel per play, the machine earned nearly $1000 during the first six months of operation.
While upset about a girl who had just left him, Joe Rock wrote most of the lyrics to The Skyliners 1959 number one hit, "Since I Don’t Have You", while sitting in his car between stoplights.
In 1931, George Beauchamp and Adolph Rickenbacker designed and built the world's first electric guitar. Because of its odd shape, it was nicknamed 'Rickenbacker's Frying Pan'. The pair were granted a patent for their invention in 1937.
Paul McCartney originally wrote the first two lines of "I Saw Her Standing There" as "She was just seventeen, Never been a beauty queen." When he sang it for John Lennon, both realized that it was a poor rhyme. Finally, it was John who came up with "She was just seventeen, you know what I mean", which they knew was a perfect sexual innuendo for the song.
"I Heard It Through The Grapevine" has reached the Billboard Hot 100 six times in versions by Marvin Gaye (#1), Gladys Knight (#2), Creedence Clearwater Revival (#43), Roger Troutman (#79), King Curtis (#83) and The California Raisins (#84). The song has also been recorded by dozens of other artists including The Temptations, Ike and Tina Turner, Paul Mauriat and Elton John.
In a 2005 interview, Billy Joel said that during the recording of "We Are The World", most of the artists didn't like the song, but nobody would say so. Cyndi Lauper thought it sounded like a Pepsi commercial and Billy agreed.
The contract that made Brian Epstein the Beatles' manager was never really valid. Both Paul and George were under 21 at the time and needed a legal guardian to sign. Epstein himself never signed the document at all.
Rocker Neil Young arrived at Woodstock in 1969 with fellow musician Jimi Hendrix. When they realized that they had to travel several miles from the helicopter pad to the stage, they stole a pickup truck for the journey. Young calls the theft, “One of the high points of my life.”
This Date In Music History- September 1
Birthdays:
Dave White - Danny & The Juniors (1940)
Archie Bell & The Drells (1944)
Greg Errico - Sly and The Family Stone (1946)
Barry Gibb - singer, songwriter, producer, The Bee Gees (1947)
Bruce Foxton - The Jam (1955)
Gloria Estefan (1957)
J.D. Fortune - INXS, winner of the 2005 CBS reality television series Rock Star: INXS (1973)
Babydaddy (Scot Hofman) - Scissor Sisters (1976)
Joseph Mark Trohman - Fall Out Boy (1984)
They Are Missed:
Jerry Reed ("When You're Hot, You're Hot") died from complications of emphysema in 2008.
In 2005, R L Burnside, a blues singer and guitarist who found latter-day success working with the John Spencer Blues Explosion, died in Memphis (age 78).
Born on this day in 1933, Conway Twitty. He died on June 5, 1993.
Boxcar Willie (Lecil Martin) - Singer, songwriter, known as "The Singing Hobo" (September 1, 1931 – April 12, 1999)
History:
The Texas duo of Buddy Holly and Bob Montgomery auditioned for radio station KDAV's Sunday Party in 1953. The duo started a slot on Sunday afternoon that became known as The Bob and Buddy Show.
In 1955, after complaints from his neighbors, rock 'n' roll fan Sidney Adams was fined £3 and 10 shillings, ($9.80) by a London Court after playing Bill Haley's 'Shake Rattle and Roll' all day at full volume.
Elvis Presley shared his success with his family in 1956 by purchasing his mother a pink Cadillac.
19 year old Jerry Lee Lewis arrived at Sun Records in 1956 hoping for an audition, only to find that owner Sam Phillips was on vacation in Florida. Jerry Lee recorded some demos that Phillips would hear when he returned.
The Biggest Show Of Stars package tour kicked off at Brooklyn Paramount in 1957 and featured: Buddy Holly & The Crickets, The Drifters, The Everly Brothers and Frankie Lymon. On some dates artists were unable to play because of segregation laws.
Tommy Roe went to #1 in 1962 with "Sheila." The record was a re-recorded version of a song that was first released in 1960 when Roe was part of a group called The Satins.
James Brown appeared on "Shindig!" in 1965 performing "Papa's Got a Brand New Bag." Also on the show was Booker T. & the MG's.
The Byrds played the first of an 11 night run at the Whisky-a-go-go, Hollywood, California in 1966.
Guitarist Boz Scaggs joins the San Francisco based Steve Miller Band in 1967. Scaggs stays with the group through two albums (Children of the Future and Sailor) before heading out on a solo career in 1969.
In 1967, the four Beatles held a meeting at Paul McCartney's house in London to decide upon their next course of action following the death of manager Brian Epstein. They decided to postpone their planned trip to India and to begin the already-delayed production of the Magical Mystery Tour movie. They have two songs already recorded for the movie, ‘Magical Mystery Tour’ and ‘Your Mother Should Know’.
David Bowie released "John, I'm only Dancing" in the UK in 1972. However, due to the song's supposedly gay lyrics, it's not released in the US until 1976, on the greatest hits LP ChangesOneBowie.
Bob Dylan's soundtrack to the film, "Pat Garrett and Billy The Kid" entered the LP charts in 1973. It includes "Knockin' On Heaven's Door."
In 1973, the Rolling Stones open their first European tour since 1971 at Vienna's Stadthalle, the first stop of the 20 city tour. The band wanted to play on the other side of the iron curtain but were denied.
In 1976, Ode Records president Lou Adler and employee Neil Silver were kidnapped at Adler's house in Malibu. The two were released after paying a $25,000 ransom. A week later, a California couple were charged with the crime, but a third accomplice got away.
Blondie, featuring former Playboy Bunny Debra Harry, signed their first major record company contract with Chrysalis Records in 1977.
Billy Idol's former band, Generation X, released their debut single, "Your Generation" in 1977. Elton John reviews it for a British newspaper calling it "really dreadful garbage. The Ramones do this sort of thing so much better."
INXS made their live debut in Sydney, Australia in 1979.
U2 released their first record in 1979, an EP entitled, U2-3 in their native Ireland.
In 1983, Paul Simonon and Joe Strummer of the Clash, fired guitarist Mick Jones, accusing him of "drifting apart from the original concept of the band." Jones goes on to form Big Audio Dynamite, and the Clash soon break up.
Tina Turner's "What's Love Got To Do With It" peaked at #1 on the pop chart in 1984.
Paul McCartney released his Press to Play LP in 1986.
Madness announced they were splitting up in 1986. The band achieved over 20 Top 40 UK hits including the No.1 'House Of Fun', (they re-formed in 1992 and again in 1999).
Cleveland's Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum was opened with a seven-hour concert with dozens of stars in 1995.
David Bowie opened his online internet service provider business, Bowienet in 1998. The service offers basic internet services and exclusive Bowie news and releases.
"Rock N Roll Train," the first single from AC/DC's album "Black Ice," was used in commercials promoting the CBS show Criminal Minds in 2008.
In 2009, the Black Crowes unfurl “Before The Frost...” A second album, “...Until The Freeze,” is free exclusively through a download code included in “Before The Frost...” So you have to buy one to get the other. The discs were recorded live earlier in the year during a five-night stint at ex-Band singer/drummer Levon Helm's studio in Woodstock, NY.
Also in 2009, Kurt Cobain appears as a playable character in the Guitar Hero 5 video game. The late Nirvana frontman's avatar performs "Smells Like Teen Spirit" and a previously unreleased live version of "Lithium." The 85-song video game also has Kings Of Leon's "Sex On Fire," Blur's "Song 2" and Sublime's "What I Got." Looking for a Classic Rock Guitar Hero? Well, there’s a Santana avatar that accompanies a live version of "No One To Depend On."
Dave White - Danny & The Juniors (1940)
Archie Bell & The Drells (1944)
Greg Errico - Sly and The Family Stone (1946)
Barry Gibb - singer, songwriter, producer, The Bee Gees (1947)
Bruce Foxton - The Jam (1955)
Gloria Estefan (1957)
J.D. Fortune - INXS, winner of the 2005 CBS reality television series Rock Star: INXS (1973)
Babydaddy (Scot Hofman) - Scissor Sisters (1976)
Joseph Mark Trohman - Fall Out Boy (1984)
They Are Missed:
Jerry Reed ("When You're Hot, You're Hot") died from complications of emphysema in 2008.
In 2005, R L Burnside, a blues singer and guitarist who found latter-day success working with the John Spencer Blues Explosion, died in Memphis (age 78).
Born on this day in 1933, Conway Twitty. He died on June 5, 1993.
Boxcar Willie (Lecil Martin) - Singer, songwriter, known as "The Singing Hobo" (September 1, 1931 – April 12, 1999)
History:
The Texas duo of Buddy Holly and Bob Montgomery auditioned for radio station KDAV's Sunday Party in 1953. The duo started a slot on Sunday afternoon that became known as The Bob and Buddy Show.
In 1955, after complaints from his neighbors, rock 'n' roll fan Sidney Adams was fined £3 and 10 shillings, ($9.80) by a London Court after playing Bill Haley's 'Shake Rattle and Roll' all day at full volume.
Elvis Presley shared his success with his family in 1956 by purchasing his mother a pink Cadillac.
19 year old Jerry Lee Lewis arrived at Sun Records in 1956 hoping for an audition, only to find that owner Sam Phillips was on vacation in Florida. Jerry Lee recorded some demos that Phillips would hear when he returned.
The Biggest Show Of Stars package tour kicked off at Brooklyn Paramount in 1957 and featured: Buddy Holly & The Crickets, The Drifters, The Everly Brothers and Frankie Lymon. On some dates artists were unable to play because of segregation laws.
Tommy Roe went to #1 in 1962 with "Sheila." The record was a re-recorded version of a song that was first released in 1960 when Roe was part of a group called The Satins.
James Brown appeared on "Shindig!" in 1965 performing "Papa's Got a Brand New Bag." Also on the show was Booker T. & the MG's.
The Byrds played the first of an 11 night run at the Whisky-a-go-go, Hollywood, California in 1966.
Guitarist Boz Scaggs joins the San Francisco based Steve Miller Band in 1967. Scaggs stays with the group through two albums (Children of the Future and Sailor) before heading out on a solo career in 1969.
In 1967, the four Beatles held a meeting at Paul McCartney's house in London to decide upon their next course of action following the death of manager Brian Epstein. They decided to postpone their planned trip to India and to begin the already-delayed production of the Magical Mystery Tour movie. They have two songs already recorded for the movie, ‘Magical Mystery Tour’ and ‘Your Mother Should Know’.
David Bowie released "John, I'm only Dancing" in the UK in 1972. However, due to the song's supposedly gay lyrics, it's not released in the US until 1976, on the greatest hits LP ChangesOneBowie.
Bob Dylan's soundtrack to the film, "Pat Garrett and Billy The Kid" entered the LP charts in 1973. It includes "Knockin' On Heaven's Door."
In 1973, the Rolling Stones open their first European tour since 1971 at Vienna's Stadthalle, the first stop of the 20 city tour. The band wanted to play on the other side of the iron curtain but were denied.
In 1976, Ode Records president Lou Adler and employee Neil Silver were kidnapped at Adler's house in Malibu. The two were released after paying a $25,000 ransom. A week later, a California couple were charged with the crime, but a third accomplice got away.
Blondie, featuring former Playboy Bunny Debra Harry, signed their first major record company contract with Chrysalis Records in 1977.
Billy Idol's former band, Generation X, released their debut single, "Your Generation" in 1977. Elton John reviews it for a British newspaper calling it "really dreadful garbage. The Ramones do this sort of thing so much better."
INXS made their live debut in Sydney, Australia in 1979.
U2 released their first record in 1979, an EP entitled, U2-3 in their native Ireland.
In 1983, Paul Simonon and Joe Strummer of the Clash, fired guitarist Mick Jones, accusing him of "drifting apart from the original concept of the band." Jones goes on to form Big Audio Dynamite, and the Clash soon break up.
Tina Turner's "What's Love Got To Do With It" peaked at #1 on the pop chart in 1984.
Paul McCartney released his Press to Play LP in 1986.
Madness announced they were splitting up in 1986. The band achieved over 20 Top 40 UK hits including the No.1 'House Of Fun', (they re-formed in 1992 and again in 1999).
Cleveland's Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum was opened with a seven-hour concert with dozens of stars in 1995.
David Bowie opened his online internet service provider business, Bowienet in 1998. The service offers basic internet services and exclusive Bowie news and releases.
"Rock N Roll Train," the first single from AC/DC's album "Black Ice," was used in commercials promoting the CBS show Criminal Minds in 2008.
In 2009, the Black Crowes unfurl “Before The Frost...” A second album, “...Until The Freeze,” is free exclusively through a download code included in “Before The Frost...” So you have to buy one to get the other. The discs were recorded live earlier in the year during a five-night stint at ex-Band singer/drummer Levon Helm's studio in Woodstock, NY.
Also in 2009, Kurt Cobain appears as a playable character in the Guitar Hero 5 video game. The late Nirvana frontman's avatar performs "Smells Like Teen Spirit" and a previously unreleased live version of "Lithium." The 85-song video game also has Kings Of Leon's "Sex On Fire," Blur's "Song 2" and Sublime's "What I Got." Looking for a Classic Rock Guitar Hero? Well, there’s a Santana avatar that accompanies a live version of "No One To Depend On."
Monday, August 31, 2009
Top 5 eBay Vinyl Record Sales
Week Ending 08/29/2009
1. LP - The Beatles "Please Please Me" Stereo Parlophone Gold UK First Press - $36,409.41
2. 45 - Sex Pistols "God Save The Queen" / "No Feeling" A&M AMS-7284 - $13,211.91
3. 45 - Narbay "Believe It Or Not" / "Believe It Or Not" Impact - $3050.00
4. LP - Stack "Above All" Charisma - $2,949.99
5. LP - Judge "Chung King Can Suck It Up" Revelation white vinyl - $2,905.55
As always, a special thank you to Norm at http://ccdiscoveries.blogspot.com for this great data. Stop in and listen to their unique radio show Accidental Nostalgia with Norm & Jane On Radio Dentata Thursdays 4PM PDT/7PM EDT
1. LP - The Beatles "Please Please Me" Stereo Parlophone Gold UK First Press - $36,409.41
2. 45 - Sex Pistols "God Save The Queen" / "No Feeling" A&M AMS-7284 - $13,211.91
3. 45 - Narbay "Believe It Or Not" / "Believe It Or Not" Impact - $3050.00
4. LP - Stack "Above All" Charisma - $2,949.99
5. LP - Judge "Chung King Can Suck It Up" Revelation white vinyl - $2,905.55
As always, a special thank you to Norm at http://ccdiscoveries.blogspot.com for this great data. Stop in and listen to their unique radio show Accidental Nostalgia with Norm & Jane On Radio Dentata Thursdays 4PM PDT/7PM EDT
Rock/Pop Tidbits
The first recording that Ray Charles made was called "Confession Blues", but at the time of the session, the American Federation Of Musicians was on strike. The violation cost Ray $600 and left him penniless.
For their first two appearances on The Ed Sullivan Show, The Beatles were paid just $3500 per show. The expenses alone to bring them to America totaled over $50,000, which was paid for by their manager, Brian Epstein.
When record executives at RCA gave a song called "Rock and Roll Waltz" to Kay Starr, she thought they must have been kidding, as rock and roll was still frowned upon by serious musicians. After many arguments, RCA still insisted that she record the song. Their hunch proved to be a good one as the record went to number 1 in the US in February, 1956.
Carl Perkins, the rockabilly pioneer who wrote Elvis Presley's hit, "Blue Suede Shoes", was a sharecropper's son who learned to play music on a guitar fashioned from a cigar box and broomstick.
In the late 70’s, while at a stadium show in Toronto, the members of Aerosmith actually boarded limousines to travel the one hundred yards from their dressing rooms to the stage.
Beach Boy Carl Wilson got so excited the first time one of their songs was played on the radio-that he threw up when he heard the song.
The Odeon label was created in Germany in 1904 by the International Talking Machine Company. Odeon pioneered something they called the "album" in 1909 when it released the "Nutcracker Suite" by Tchaikovsky on four double-sided discs in a specially designed package.
Dion DiMucci of Dion and The Belmonts was a part of 1959's Winter Dance Party with Buddy Holly. When Buddy suggested that Dion fly with him after their show at the Surf Ballroom in Clear Lake, Iowa, on February 2nd, Dion declined because he didn't want to spend the extra money. It was a decision that saved his life.
Buddy Holly and The Crickets recorded their hit "Maybe Baby" in the officer's club at Tinker Air Force Base in Oklahoma.
The publishing rights to most of Buddy Holly's songs are owned by Paul McCartney.
The first time that Don McLean performed "American Pie" on stage, it didn't get a very good response from the audience. McLean would later remark that "People didn't know what the hell I was singing about."
Jimmy Hart, one of the original members of The Gentrys, who scored a US number 4 hit with "Keep On Dancin" in 1965, went on to become a popular wrestling character in the WWF, calling himself the "Mouth of the South".
The popular 1970s group, Super Tramp, turned down a five million dollar offer from the Greyhound corporation to use their song "Take The Long Way Home" in bus commercials.
Including Ringo, there have been at least five drummers for The Beatles. Norman Chapman (for the Silver Beatles), Tommy Moore, Pete Best and Jimmy Nichol.
While the Beatles were still struggling to establish themselves, they were turned down by five different British record companies.
Rock and roll fakers Milli Vanilli had a problem during one of their “live” performances. Apparently, the tape-loop jammed and kept repeating the same line over and over again. The boys danced a few steps and then both bolted from the stage to fix the malfunctioning equipment.
Cher was a background vocalist on the Righteous Brothers' "You've Lost That Lovin' Feeling".
For their first two appearances on The Ed Sullivan Show, The Beatles were paid just $3500 per show. The expenses alone to bring them to America totaled over $50,000, which was paid for by their manager, Brian Epstein.
When record executives at RCA gave a song called "Rock and Roll Waltz" to Kay Starr, she thought they must have been kidding, as rock and roll was still frowned upon by serious musicians. After many arguments, RCA still insisted that she record the song. Their hunch proved to be a good one as the record went to number 1 in the US in February, 1956.
Carl Perkins, the rockabilly pioneer who wrote Elvis Presley's hit, "Blue Suede Shoes", was a sharecropper's son who learned to play music on a guitar fashioned from a cigar box and broomstick.
In the late 70’s, while at a stadium show in Toronto, the members of Aerosmith actually boarded limousines to travel the one hundred yards from their dressing rooms to the stage.
Beach Boy Carl Wilson got so excited the first time one of their songs was played on the radio-that he threw up when he heard the song.
The Odeon label was created in Germany in 1904 by the International Talking Machine Company. Odeon pioneered something they called the "album" in 1909 when it released the "Nutcracker Suite" by Tchaikovsky on four double-sided discs in a specially designed package.
Dion DiMucci of Dion and The Belmonts was a part of 1959's Winter Dance Party with Buddy Holly. When Buddy suggested that Dion fly with him after their show at the Surf Ballroom in Clear Lake, Iowa, on February 2nd, Dion declined because he didn't want to spend the extra money. It was a decision that saved his life.
Buddy Holly and The Crickets recorded their hit "Maybe Baby" in the officer's club at Tinker Air Force Base in Oklahoma.
The publishing rights to most of Buddy Holly's songs are owned by Paul McCartney.
The first time that Don McLean performed "American Pie" on stage, it didn't get a very good response from the audience. McLean would later remark that "People didn't know what the hell I was singing about."
Jimmy Hart, one of the original members of The Gentrys, who scored a US number 4 hit with "Keep On Dancin" in 1965, went on to become a popular wrestling character in the WWF, calling himself the "Mouth of the South".
The popular 1970s group, Super Tramp, turned down a five million dollar offer from the Greyhound corporation to use their song "Take The Long Way Home" in bus commercials.
Including Ringo, there have been at least five drummers for The Beatles. Norman Chapman (for the Silver Beatles), Tommy Moore, Pete Best and Jimmy Nichol.
While the Beatles were still struggling to establish themselves, they were turned down by five different British record companies.
Rock and roll fakers Milli Vanilli had a problem during one of their “live” performances. Apparently, the tape-loop jammed and kept repeating the same line over and over again. The boys danced a few steps and then both bolted from the stage to fix the malfunctioning equipment.
Cher was a background vocalist on the Righteous Brothers' "You've Lost That Lovin' Feeling".
Bird and Animal Names In Rock And Roll History- part twenty-eight
Let’s continue our article series about “bird” and “animal” band names and individuals in rock and roll history, again focusing our attention to ‘indie’ bands; specifically with the name wolf.
Sea Wolf is a Los Angles-based band led by singer/songwriter Alex Brown Church. He attended the prestigious NYU film school and then started playing with a group called Irving. However as one of three songwriters in Irving, Church soon found himself with of songs that didn't fit the band's dreamy '60s-inspired psych-pop, so he began performing as Sea Wolf with a rotating ensemble of backing musicians, playing locally in Los Angeles and recording demos in Seattle.
Church always had a boyhood fascination with wolves. So it stands to reason that the band he is associated with is called Sea Wolf, which is named after 1904 Jack London novel The Sea Wolf. Church's list of influences is like looking at a who's who among 'wolf' band names including: Wolf Eyes, Wolf Parade, We Are Wolves, AIDS Wolf, Wolfie, Wolf Colonel, Patrick Wolf, WolfMother, Howlin' Wolf, Superwolf, White Wolf, Seasons of the Wolf, Wolf & Cub, Peanut Butter Wolf, Peter Wolf and even more wolf inspirations that we could imagine.
After signing with the indie label Dangerbird Records in 2007, Sea Wolf released their debut EP, “Get to the River Before It Runs Too Low,” in the spring of 2007, with a full-length album following. To tour behind the record, Church assembled a stable lineup with himself on vocals and guitar, Aaron Robinson on guitar, Lisa Fendelander on keyboards, Theodore Liscinski on bass, Aniela Perry on cello and Byron Reynolds on drums.
In anticipation of Sea Wolf’s forthcoming sophomore album, ‘White Water, White Bloom,” the band is releasing a free download online. Fans can download the track, ‘Stanislau‘, online now at www.dangerbirdrecords.com/whitewaterwhitebloom. The song will be a bonus track on the vinyl version of the new album, due out September 22 via Dangerbird Records.
The Montreal-Canada indie rock outfit Wolf Parade formed in 2003 when former Frog Eyes member Spencer Krug was offered a gig by Grenadine Records' Alex Megelas. With only a 3-week deadline to form a band, Krug contacted a fellow Canadian guitarist Dan Boeckner and the duo began writing songs in Krug's apartment. Initially using a drum machine for their rhythm section, they later invited Arlen Thompson to the lineup as the drummer; and the band's first show saw them opening for Arcade Fire. During the tour, Wolf Parade recorded and released their self-titled debut EP (referred to as the “4 Song EP”).
In September 2003, Hadji Bakara was invited to join the band, contributing his stellar synthesizer work and sound manipulation skills to the lineup. By the summer of 2004 the band released its second independent, self-titled EP, commonly referred to as the "6 Song EP."
Wolf Parade eventually gained the attention of songwriter Isaac Brock (of Modest Mouse fame) who was also an A&R rep for Sub Pop Records. Brock helped the band secure a deal with Sub Pop and helped the band refine and define their indie-prog-rock sound. The band worked feverishly on a new LP and after some remixing, the band returned to Montreal to finish recording. The album was scheduled for a May release, but then pushed back, however Sub Pop released its first widely-distributed EP, “Wolf Parade,” in July 2005.
One of the fall's most anticipated releases, the band's debut album "Apologies to the Queen Mary" (the album is named after an incident in which the band was removed from the ocean liner Queen Mary for breaking down the door of a ballroom and staging a violent séance) was released in September 2005, to critical acclaim and admiration. A Rolling Stone review (as were most of the reviews for this LP) is very positive, some reviewers calling it the album of the decade so far:
"I'll Believe in Anything," the best cut on Wolf Parade's excellently shambling debut, may be the indie-rock song of the year. Overflowing with desperate, Brit-inflected yelping, a heartstring-tugging chorus and a clamorous racket that could have come from a drunken bagpipe troupe, "Anything" shows off Wolf Parade's twin strengths: the mock-orchestral grandeur of their Montreal buddies the Arcade Fire and the weirdo pop sensibility of their producer, Modest Mouse's Isaac Brock."
After considering the title “Kissing the Beehive” for their follow-up (ultimately dismissed for fear of copyright infringement due to a Jonathan Carroll book by the same name), Wolf Parade issued their sophomore effort "At Mount Zoomer," in June 2008.
The LP grew from jams in a Montreal church owned by Arcade Fire and building prog-rock brainteasers out of waves of viscous keyboard drones and ambling guitar sting, Wolf Parade mirror their landlords’ knack for grand music adventures, all the while capturing their unique sound in an orderly chaotic way.
According to AllMusic:
“At Mount Zoomer proves Wolf Parade to be much more than the one-trick pony of their peers. And it's no surprise — both of the band's primary songwriters have established themselves as two of the most exciting and consistent songwriters in indie rock, coming off of great records in their own right: Spencer Krug's Random Spirit Lover with Sunset Rubdown (not to mention the Swan Lake record), and Dan Boeckner's Plague Park with his Handsome Furs project. But even after three years away from the Parade, they come to Mount Zoomer with a fresh reel of tape, and are back with a more mature and confident approach….. All in all, At Mount Zoomer is a remarkable achievement, and another soon-to-be classic from Wolf Parade.”
The band is planning to get together to record new music for their third album in October of 2009. And if the first two efforts are any indication of the endless talent the group possesses, this should be an album worth waiting for.
AIDS Wolf is a Canadian noise rock band who, quoting Captain Beefheart, describes their sound as that of "a squid eating dough in a polyethylene bag." They have earned a loyal fan base playing with the Unicorns, Wolf Parade, and others in the Montreal indie scene.
Their unique band name, "AIDS Wolf," comes from an urban legend wherein wolves carry AIDS and pass it to house pets that then pass it on to people:
"We didn’t come up with AIDS Wolf as a concept. The idea has been floating around in the public psyche for a while. In urban legend, wolves transmit AIDS instead of rabies; in depressing college towns, street gangs spray-paint ‘AIDS Wolf’ on the side of buildings" according to singer Special Deluxe. "It fits, because we're a little bit no–wave and a little bit hardcore, like each of those bands. It's also a message that we as humans must take care for our animal siblings as their health is a barometer of our own survival."
After touring their native Canada, AIDS Wolf kicked off their first European tour in early 2006 as their debut album, "The Lovvers LP," was being released. Next, they challenged members of Athletic Automaton to a "versus" record and the result, "Clash of the Life-Force Warriors," landed the band on Skin Graft label in early 2007. The band has had a series of splits and singles; a 2008 LP called "Cities of Glass," a self-release and continues to work on numerous collaborations with a number of record labels and bands.
We will continue looking at ‘indie’ wolf bands in our next article of this continuing series.
Sea Wolf Tidbits:
Sea Wolf contributed the song “Song of the Magpie” to the audio book for Augusten Burroughs’ book “A Wolf at the Table.” Burroughs had asked Church to read the book and respond with an original song.
Sea Wolf gained popularity when their song "You're a Wolf" was featured in a General Motors ad for the 2008 Chevrolet Malibu Hybrid during the Beijing Olympic Games.
Another of the band's songs, "Sea Monuments" was also featured in a Radio Shack holiday ad campaign in 2007.
Buy Sea Wolf Music
Wolf Parade Tidbits:
The band's debut album Apologies to the Queen Mary earned a 2006 Polaris Music Prize nomination.
Spencer Krug is also the lead singer of the indie rock band Sunset Rubdown. Other bands Krug has belonged to include Frog Eyes, Fifths of Seven, and Swan Lake.
Dan Boeckner is also a member of the indie rock duo Handsome Furs which he formed with his wife Alexei Perry. Before joining Wolf Parade, Boeckner played in Atlas Strategic.
Dante DeCaro is currently fronting a project called Johnny and the Moon. Prior to Wolf Parade, DeCaro played in Hot Hot Heat.
Arlen Thompson played drums on the Arcade Fire song "Wake Up". He also helped produce both Handsome Furs albums.
Hadji Bakara is a member of the dance DJ crew Megasoid, along with Sixtoo and Subtitle (Giovanni Marks).
Buy Wolf Parade Music
AIDS Wolf Tidbits:
Current band members: Myles Broscoe, Yannick Desranleau (Hiroshima Thunder)
Chloe Lum (Special Deluxe), Alexander Moskos
Members Chloe Lum and Yannick Desranleau also run the printing/design studio Seripop (aka Serigraphie Populaire), which has been designing gig posters for Montreal's indie scene since 2001.
Record labels the band has worked with include: Lovepump United, Skin Graft Records, Blood of the Drash, Pasalymany Tapes, Kitty Play Records.
Buy AIDS Wolf Music
Sea Wolf is a Los Angles-based band led by singer/songwriter Alex Brown Church. He attended the prestigious NYU film school and then started playing with a group called Irving. However as one of three songwriters in Irving, Church soon found himself with of songs that didn't fit the band's dreamy '60s-inspired psych-pop, so he began performing as Sea Wolf with a rotating ensemble of backing musicians, playing locally in Los Angeles and recording demos in Seattle.
Church always had a boyhood fascination with wolves. So it stands to reason that the band he is associated with is called Sea Wolf, which is named after 1904 Jack London novel The Sea Wolf. Church's list of influences is like looking at a who's who among 'wolf' band names including: Wolf Eyes, Wolf Parade, We Are Wolves, AIDS Wolf, Wolfie, Wolf Colonel, Patrick Wolf, WolfMother, Howlin' Wolf, Superwolf, White Wolf, Seasons of the Wolf, Wolf & Cub, Peanut Butter Wolf, Peter Wolf and even more wolf inspirations that we could imagine.
After signing with the indie label Dangerbird Records in 2007, Sea Wolf released their debut EP, “Get to the River Before It Runs Too Low,” in the spring of 2007, with a full-length album following. To tour behind the record, Church assembled a stable lineup with himself on vocals and guitar, Aaron Robinson on guitar, Lisa Fendelander on keyboards, Theodore Liscinski on bass, Aniela Perry on cello and Byron Reynolds on drums.
In anticipation of Sea Wolf’s forthcoming sophomore album, ‘White Water, White Bloom,” the band is releasing a free download online. Fans can download the track, ‘Stanislau‘, online now at www.dangerbirdrecords.com/whitewaterwhitebloom. The song will be a bonus track on the vinyl version of the new album, due out September 22 via Dangerbird Records.
The Montreal-Canada indie rock outfit Wolf Parade formed in 2003 when former Frog Eyes member Spencer Krug was offered a gig by Grenadine Records' Alex Megelas. With only a 3-week deadline to form a band, Krug contacted a fellow Canadian guitarist Dan Boeckner and the duo began writing songs in Krug's apartment. Initially using a drum machine for their rhythm section, they later invited Arlen Thompson to the lineup as the drummer; and the band's first show saw them opening for Arcade Fire. During the tour, Wolf Parade recorded and released their self-titled debut EP (referred to as the “4 Song EP”).
In September 2003, Hadji Bakara was invited to join the band, contributing his stellar synthesizer work and sound manipulation skills to the lineup. By the summer of 2004 the band released its second independent, self-titled EP, commonly referred to as the "6 Song EP."
Wolf Parade eventually gained the attention of songwriter Isaac Brock (of Modest Mouse fame) who was also an A&R rep for Sub Pop Records. Brock helped the band secure a deal with Sub Pop and helped the band refine and define their indie-prog-rock sound. The band worked feverishly on a new LP and after some remixing, the band returned to Montreal to finish recording. The album was scheduled for a May release, but then pushed back, however Sub Pop released its first widely-distributed EP, “Wolf Parade,” in July 2005.
One of the fall's most anticipated releases, the band's debut album "Apologies to the Queen Mary" (the album is named after an incident in which the band was removed from the ocean liner Queen Mary for breaking down the door of a ballroom and staging a violent séance) was released in September 2005, to critical acclaim and admiration. A Rolling Stone review (as were most of the reviews for this LP) is very positive, some reviewers calling it the album of the decade so far:
"I'll Believe in Anything," the best cut on Wolf Parade's excellently shambling debut, may be the indie-rock song of the year. Overflowing with desperate, Brit-inflected yelping, a heartstring-tugging chorus and a clamorous racket that could have come from a drunken bagpipe troupe, "Anything" shows off Wolf Parade's twin strengths: the mock-orchestral grandeur of their Montreal buddies the Arcade Fire and the weirdo pop sensibility of their producer, Modest Mouse's Isaac Brock."
After considering the title “Kissing the Beehive” for their follow-up (ultimately dismissed for fear of copyright infringement due to a Jonathan Carroll book by the same name), Wolf Parade issued their sophomore effort "At Mount Zoomer," in June 2008.
The LP grew from jams in a Montreal church owned by Arcade Fire and building prog-rock brainteasers out of waves of viscous keyboard drones and ambling guitar sting, Wolf Parade mirror their landlords’ knack for grand music adventures, all the while capturing their unique sound in an orderly chaotic way.
According to AllMusic:
“At Mount Zoomer proves Wolf Parade to be much more than the one-trick pony of their peers. And it's no surprise — both of the band's primary songwriters have established themselves as two of the most exciting and consistent songwriters in indie rock, coming off of great records in their own right: Spencer Krug's Random Spirit Lover with Sunset Rubdown (not to mention the Swan Lake record), and Dan Boeckner's Plague Park with his Handsome Furs project. But even after three years away from the Parade, they come to Mount Zoomer with a fresh reel of tape, and are back with a more mature and confident approach….. All in all, At Mount Zoomer is a remarkable achievement, and another soon-to-be classic from Wolf Parade.”
The band is planning to get together to record new music for their third album in October of 2009. And if the first two efforts are any indication of the endless talent the group possesses, this should be an album worth waiting for.
AIDS Wolf is a Canadian noise rock band who, quoting Captain Beefheart, describes their sound as that of "a squid eating dough in a polyethylene bag." They have earned a loyal fan base playing with the Unicorns, Wolf Parade, and others in the Montreal indie scene.
Their unique band name, "AIDS Wolf," comes from an urban legend wherein wolves carry AIDS and pass it to house pets that then pass it on to people:
"We didn’t come up with AIDS Wolf as a concept. The idea has been floating around in the public psyche for a while. In urban legend, wolves transmit AIDS instead of rabies; in depressing college towns, street gangs spray-paint ‘AIDS Wolf’ on the side of buildings" according to singer Special Deluxe. "It fits, because we're a little bit no–wave and a little bit hardcore, like each of those bands. It's also a message that we as humans must take care for our animal siblings as their health is a barometer of our own survival."
After touring their native Canada, AIDS Wolf kicked off their first European tour in early 2006 as their debut album, "The Lovvers LP," was being released. Next, they challenged members of Athletic Automaton to a "versus" record and the result, "Clash of the Life-Force Warriors," landed the band on Skin Graft label in early 2007. The band has had a series of splits and singles; a 2008 LP called "Cities of Glass," a self-release and continues to work on numerous collaborations with a number of record labels and bands.
We will continue looking at ‘indie’ wolf bands in our next article of this continuing series.
Sea Wolf Tidbits:
Sea Wolf contributed the song “Song of the Magpie” to the audio book for Augusten Burroughs’ book “A Wolf at the Table.” Burroughs had asked Church to read the book and respond with an original song.
Sea Wolf gained popularity when their song "You're a Wolf" was featured in a General Motors ad for the 2008 Chevrolet Malibu Hybrid during the Beijing Olympic Games.
Another of the band's songs, "Sea Monuments" was also featured in a Radio Shack holiday ad campaign in 2007.
Buy Sea Wolf Music
Wolf Parade Tidbits:
The band's debut album Apologies to the Queen Mary earned a 2006 Polaris Music Prize nomination.
Spencer Krug is also the lead singer of the indie rock band Sunset Rubdown. Other bands Krug has belonged to include Frog Eyes, Fifths of Seven, and Swan Lake.
Dan Boeckner is also a member of the indie rock duo Handsome Furs which he formed with his wife Alexei Perry. Before joining Wolf Parade, Boeckner played in Atlas Strategic.
Dante DeCaro is currently fronting a project called Johnny and the Moon. Prior to Wolf Parade, DeCaro played in Hot Hot Heat.
Arlen Thompson played drums on the Arcade Fire song "Wake Up". He also helped produce both Handsome Furs albums.
Hadji Bakara is a member of the dance DJ crew Megasoid, along with Sixtoo and Subtitle (Giovanni Marks).
Buy Wolf Parade Music
AIDS Wolf Tidbits:
Current band members: Myles Broscoe, Yannick Desranleau (Hiroshima Thunder)
Chloe Lum (Special Deluxe), Alexander Moskos
Members Chloe Lum and Yannick Desranleau also run the printing/design studio Seripop (aka Serigraphie Populaire), which has been designing gig posters for Montreal's indie scene since 2001.
Record labels the band has worked with include: Lovepump United, Skin Graft Records, Blood of the Drash, Pasalymany Tapes, Kitty Play Records.
Buy AIDS Wolf Music
Music News & Notes
It's KISS again
The Las Vegas Review-Journal is reporting that Gene Simmons and Paul Stanley are developing a $40 to $50 million Cirque du Soleil-style show under the name Kiss: Carnival of Souls for a possible 2011 opening. Barry Levine, co-founder of Radical, told the paper "It involves every aspect of music, movement, lighting, stage design and special effects. Since Kiss is the epitome of theatrical rock, we need to make sure it represents the Kiss brand. The Kiss brand has endured and sustained itself like no other group for the past 35 years."
==========================
Doors CD Set
Rhino and Bright Midnight Archives have announced a November 10 release date for The Doors: Live in New York, a 6-CD collection chronicling the January 17 and 18, 1970 shows from The Felt Forum.
The shows are a mix of music from their albums along with a few covers such as Bo Diddley's Who Do You Love, Howlin' Wolf's Back Door Man and John Lee Hooker's Crawling King Snake. “Those were the bluesy songs we always used to do,” Robbie Krieger said. “We probably hadn’t done them in years, but we resurrected them for these shows.”
The six-CD's include all four shows from the stand in their entirety. Although the press release for the set does not give any details, it appears that there will also be a book with historical information.
==========================
Beatles Tees Available
Beatles T-Shirts
The Las Vegas Review-Journal is reporting that Gene Simmons and Paul Stanley are developing a $40 to $50 million Cirque du Soleil-style show under the name Kiss: Carnival of Souls for a possible 2011 opening. Barry Levine, co-founder of Radical, told the paper "It involves every aspect of music, movement, lighting, stage design and special effects. Since Kiss is the epitome of theatrical rock, we need to make sure it represents the Kiss brand. The Kiss brand has endured and sustained itself like no other group for the past 35 years."
==========================
Doors CD Set
Rhino and Bright Midnight Archives have announced a November 10 release date for The Doors: Live in New York, a 6-CD collection chronicling the January 17 and 18, 1970 shows from The Felt Forum.
The shows are a mix of music from their albums along with a few covers such as Bo Diddley's Who Do You Love, Howlin' Wolf's Back Door Man and John Lee Hooker's Crawling King Snake. “Those were the bluesy songs we always used to do,” Robbie Krieger said. “We probably hadn’t done them in years, but we resurrected them for these shows.”
The six-CD's include all four shows from the stand in their entirety. Although the press release for the set does not give any details, it appears that there will also be a book with historical information.
==========================
Beatles Tees Available
Beatles T-Shirts
Sunday, August 30, 2009
Rock/Pop Tidbits
Elvis Presley was a devoted animal lover. He owned dogs, mules, horses, peacocks, chickens, a turkey and had a silly mynah bird that said, “Elvis! Go to hell!”
We all know that Elvis loved his food. “I like it well-done,” the legendary icon stated. “I ain’t ordering a pet.”
While we are on the subject, it seems that rowdy Allman Brother Dickey Betts was out riding his motorcycle one day and he was hungry. So he stopped his machine, jumped a fence and killed a cow. As he was butchering the animal, a cop passed by and quickly arrested the bloody Brother.
The first known million selling recording was by Ben Selvin and his Orchestra. It was a two sided hit featuring "I'm Forever Blowing Bubbles" and "Darandella," recorded in 1919.
Guitarist Henry Gross, who hit the US charts in 1976 with "Shannon", was one of the founding members of the rock and roll revival group, Sha Na Na.
For the year 2005, the top earning dead celebrity in the US was Elvis Presley, who still generated $45 million worth of business. John Lennon was third with $22 million.
The Beatles 4th UK #1 single, "Can't Buy Me Love", had advanced sales of over 2.1 million, setting the record for the greatest advanced orders in the UK.
The most expensive guitar in the world is a Fender Stratocaster once owned by Eric Clapton. Nicknamed "Blackie", it sold at auction for $959,500. on June 25th, 2004.
In early 1957, RCA Records released two versions of a song called "Young Love", one by Tab Hunter, the other by Sonny James. Both records caught on and by the first week of March, Hunter's rendition was number one in the US, while James' version was number 4.
When Cher topped the Billboard Hot 100 with "Believe" in March, 1999, she became the first female over the age of 50 to have a chart topping record.
When Elvis was drafted into the US Army in March, 1958, his monthly pay went from $100,000 to $78.
Bobby "Boris" Pickett, who topped the Billboard Pop chart in 1962 with "The Monster Mash", once had his tour bus break down outside of a town called Frankenstein, Missouri.
When asked about their controversial hit song "One Toke Over The Line" during an interview with Brewer and Shipley, they said that "toke" had nothing to do with marijuana, but meant token or ticket. Hence the line about "sittin' downtown in a railway station."
When The Beatles' single "Ticket To Ride" was first issued, the fine print under the title said "From the United Artists Release Eight Arms To Hold You", which was the original name for the film Help!
The bass drum head with the Beatles logo that Ringo Starr used during the band's first appearance on the Ed Sullivan Show was bought by a memorabilia collector in the mid-1990s for around $50,000. By 2006, it's estimated value had risen to half-a-million dollars.
Jethro Tull's 1968 debut single, "Sunshine Day" was erroneously credited to Jethro Toe.
When Roberta Flack was awarded a gold record for her 1973, number one hit, "Killing Me Softly With His Song", she wanted to listen to her song etched in gold. She removed the disc from its frame and placed it on a turntable, only to hear "Come Softly to Me" by The Fleetwoods.
The studio musicians who recorded the music for many "bubblegum" hits credited to The 1910 Fruitgum Company, The Ohio Express and many others, were actually former members of The Shadows of Knight, who had a hit of their own with "Gloria".
In February and March, 1964, The Beatles sold 60% of all the records sold in the U.S.
This Date In Music History-August 30
Birthdays:
Singer Kitty Wells, later dubbed the Queen of Country Music, was born in Nashville in 1919. She's best remembered for "It Wasn't God Who Made Honky Tonk Angels," which became the first single by a woman to top the country charts.
Rockabilly star Dale Hawkins, who recorded the immortal hit "Suzie Q," was born in 1938
John McNally - Searchers (1941)
Charles Colbert - American Breed (1944)
Mick Moody - Whitesnake (1950)
Ronald Beitle - Wild Cherry (1954)
Martin Jackson - Magazine (1958)
Aaron Barrett - Reel Big Fish (1980)
George Ryan Ross III - Panic at the Disco (1986)
They Are Missed:
Born on this day in 1935, John Phillips, The Mamas and the Papas. Phillips died of heart failure (age 65) on March 18, 2001.
Born today in 1939, John Peel, BBC radio DJ and TV presenter. Longest running BBC Radio 1 and most influential British DJ ever. Died in Cuzco, Peru of a heart attack on October 25, 2004 (age 65).
In 1995, Sterling Morrison founder member of the Velvet Underground died of cancer at his home in New York City two days after his 53rd birthday. The guitarist left the group in August 1971 and re-joined in 1992 for a European tour. During the 80’s he became the Captain of a Houston tugboat.
History:
Bobby Darin's "Mack the Knife" debuts on the pop charts in 1959. The song from the "Three Penny Opera" will be Darin's biggest hit.
The Beatles appeared at the Hollywood Bowl, Hollywood, California in 1965. Tickets cost $3.00.
The Beatles' "Hey Jude" was released in 1968.
The three day Texas Pop Festival took place in 1969 featuring Janis Joplin, Led Zeppelin, Sam & Dave, Santana, Johnny Winter, Grand Funk Railroad, Delaney & Bonnie, Nazz, Spirit, BB King, Canned Heat and Chicago. Over 120,000 fans attended the festival.
Two weeks after the Woodstock festival, the second Isle of Wight festival took place in 1969. Over 150,000 turned up over the two days to see Bob Dylan, The Band, Blodwyn Pig, Blonde On Blonde, Bonzo Dog Dooh Dah Band, Edgar Broughton Band, Joe Cocker, Aynsley Dunbar, Family, Fat Mattress, Julie Felix, Free, Gypsy, Richie Havens, The Moody Blues, The Nice, Tom Paxton, Pentangle, The Pretty Things, Third Ear Band and The Who.
In 1969, one hit wonders Zager and Evans started a six week run at #1 with "In The Year 2525." The song that was written by Rick Evens in 1964.
In 1972, John Lennon and Yoko Ono played Madison Square Gardens to raise money for the One to One charity. Stevie Wonder, Sha Na Na and Roberta Flack also appeared at the event. Lennon personally bought $60,000 worth of tickets which were given to volunteer fund-raisers. Several of the performances were later included on Lennon’s, Live in New York City album.
After two so-so albums, the post Jim Morrison Doors broke up in 1973.
KC and the Sunshine Band went to #1 on the US singles chart in 1975 with, "Get Down Tonight," the group's first of five #1 hits.
Cher mades one of her unannounced visits in 1980. This time it's as lead singer with Black Rose, the band led by her former love, guitarist Les Dudek. It happened at a show in New York's Central Park.
The Rolling Stones released their "Tattoo You" album in 1981. From the album, "Start Me Up," is driven into the ground at professional sporting events, especially football, before becoming a Microsoft theme song. Who can say "no" to $12 million?
Steve Winwood's "Higher Love" hit #1 on the singles chart in 1986.
In 1988, John Denver, who wants to ride on a Soviet spaceship, undergoes an astronaut-style physical at the Johnson Space Center in Houston.
Rapper Dr. Dre (real name Andre Young) was sentenced to 8 months in jail in 1994 after he pleads no contest to drunk driving charges. Young had been arrested in January following a high-speed chase through Beverly Hills, CA.
James Taylor and ex-wife Carly Simon reunited in 1995 for their first concert together in 16 years on Martha's Vineyard, Massachusetts.
Today in 1997 the song "Mo Money Mo Problems" by The Notorious B.I.G. topped the charts and stayed there for 2 weeks.
Singer Kitty Wells, later dubbed the Queen of Country Music, was born in Nashville in 1919. She's best remembered for "It Wasn't God Who Made Honky Tonk Angels," which became the first single by a woman to top the country charts.
Rockabilly star Dale Hawkins, who recorded the immortal hit "Suzie Q," was born in 1938
John McNally - Searchers (1941)
Charles Colbert - American Breed (1944)
Mick Moody - Whitesnake (1950)
Ronald Beitle - Wild Cherry (1954)
Martin Jackson - Magazine (1958)
Aaron Barrett - Reel Big Fish (1980)
George Ryan Ross III - Panic at the Disco (1986)
They Are Missed:
Born on this day in 1935, John Phillips, The Mamas and the Papas. Phillips died of heart failure (age 65) on March 18, 2001.
Born today in 1939, John Peel, BBC radio DJ and TV presenter. Longest running BBC Radio 1 and most influential British DJ ever. Died in Cuzco, Peru of a heart attack on October 25, 2004 (age 65).
In 1995, Sterling Morrison founder member of the Velvet Underground died of cancer at his home in New York City two days after his 53rd birthday. The guitarist left the group in August 1971 and re-joined in 1992 for a European tour. During the 80’s he became the Captain of a Houston tugboat.
History:
Bobby Darin's "Mack the Knife" debuts on the pop charts in 1959. The song from the "Three Penny Opera" will be Darin's biggest hit.
The Beatles appeared at the Hollywood Bowl, Hollywood, California in 1965. Tickets cost $3.00.
The Beatles' "Hey Jude" was released in 1968.
The three day Texas Pop Festival took place in 1969 featuring Janis Joplin, Led Zeppelin, Sam & Dave, Santana, Johnny Winter, Grand Funk Railroad, Delaney & Bonnie, Nazz, Spirit, BB King, Canned Heat and Chicago. Over 120,000 fans attended the festival.
Two weeks after the Woodstock festival, the second Isle of Wight festival took place in 1969. Over 150,000 turned up over the two days to see Bob Dylan, The Band, Blodwyn Pig, Blonde On Blonde, Bonzo Dog Dooh Dah Band, Edgar Broughton Band, Joe Cocker, Aynsley Dunbar, Family, Fat Mattress, Julie Felix, Free, Gypsy, Richie Havens, The Moody Blues, The Nice, Tom Paxton, Pentangle, The Pretty Things, Third Ear Band and The Who.
In 1969, one hit wonders Zager and Evans started a six week run at #1 with "In The Year 2525." The song that was written by Rick Evens in 1964.
In 1972, John Lennon and Yoko Ono played Madison Square Gardens to raise money for the One to One charity. Stevie Wonder, Sha Na Na and Roberta Flack also appeared at the event. Lennon personally bought $60,000 worth of tickets which were given to volunteer fund-raisers. Several of the performances were later included on Lennon’s, Live in New York City album.
After two so-so albums, the post Jim Morrison Doors broke up in 1973.
KC and the Sunshine Band went to #1 on the US singles chart in 1975 with, "Get Down Tonight," the group's first of five #1 hits.
Cher mades one of her unannounced visits in 1980. This time it's as lead singer with Black Rose, the band led by her former love, guitarist Les Dudek. It happened at a show in New York's Central Park.
The Rolling Stones released their "Tattoo You" album in 1981. From the album, "Start Me Up," is driven into the ground at professional sporting events, especially football, before becoming a Microsoft theme song. Who can say "no" to $12 million?
Steve Winwood's "Higher Love" hit #1 on the singles chart in 1986.
In 1988, John Denver, who wants to ride on a Soviet spaceship, undergoes an astronaut-style physical at the Johnson Space Center in Houston.
Rapper Dr. Dre (real name Andre Young) was sentenced to 8 months in jail in 1994 after he pleads no contest to drunk driving charges. Young had been arrested in January following a high-speed chase through Beverly Hills, CA.
James Taylor and ex-wife Carly Simon reunited in 1995 for their first concert together in 16 years on Martha's Vineyard, Massachusetts.
Today in 1997 the song "Mo Money Mo Problems" by The Notorious B.I.G. topped the charts and stayed there for 2 weeks.
Music News & Notes
KISS: New Commercial For Upcoming Album, Tour Posted Online
A 30-second commercial promoting KISS' upcoming album, "Sonic Boom", and the Alive 35 Tour can be viewed below.
"Sonic Boom" will be released in Europe on October 5 via Loud & Proud/Roadrunner Records. The CD will be made available on October 6 in the U.S. and Canada exclusively via Wal-Mart, Walmart.com and Sam's Club retail locations.
"Sonic Boom", produced by Paul Stanley in Los Angeles, is the centerpiece of a three-disc set that also features a completely re-recorded greatest hits CD (previously available in Japan) as well as a live DVD shot in Argentina during the band's recent, record-breaking KISS Alive 35 South American tour. The CD set will retail for $12, with pre-orders starting in September on Walmart.com.
KISS bassist/vocalist Gene Simmons says, "'Sonic Boom' may be the best new record we've done since 'Destroyer'! It is 'Rock And Roll Over' meets 'Love Gun'. The world's biggest retailer had better get ready for the hottest band in the world and hire more cashiers before October 6!"
Stanley adds, "Through all of the albums that are considered our classics, we tried to always find ways to give our fans extras that went beyond just the music. Besides our making the best KISS album in decades, Wal-Mart has made it possible for us to include a bonus CD with 15 of our most famous songs and an additional live DVD, shot during our recent concert in Buenos Aires. So in every sense, 'Sonic Boom' is the ultimate return to classic KISS form. You wanted the best, you got the best!"
Wal-Mart, one of America's largest music retailers, is finalizing its exciting plans now for its in-store and online destinations for KISS fans surrounding the launch of the new album and tour, and will host various KISS products in addition to their music in its stores this fall. More details on Wal-Mart KISS activity, announcements regarding album pre-sales, sweepstakes and KISS appearances will be shared shortly.
"Sonic Boom" track listing:
01. Modern Day Delilah
02. Russian Roulette
03. Never Enough
04. Yes I Know (Nobody's Perfect)
05. Stand
06. Hot And Cold
07. All For The Glory
08. Danger Us
09. I'm An Animal
10. When Lightning Strikes
11. Say Yeah
Re-recorded KISS classics:
01. Deuce
02. Detroit Rock City
03. Shout It Out Loud
04. Hotter Than Hell
05. Calling Dr. Love
06. Love Gun
07. I Was Made For Lovin' You
08. Heaven's On Fire
09. Lick It Up
10. I Love It Loud
11. Forever
12. Christine Sixteen
13. Do You Love Me?
14. Black Diamond
15. Rock And Roll All Nite
KISS bonus live DVD track listing:
01. Deuce
02. Hotter Than Hell
03. C'mon And Love Me
04. Watchin' You
05. 100,000 Years
06. Rock & Roll All Nite
======================
SYCRONOMICA: 'Sycroscope' Artwork, Track Listing Revealed
Munich, Germany-based "epic black metal" band SYCRONOMICA will release its third album, "Sycroscope", on October 23 via the Bavarian label Silverwolf Productions. The CD was recorded at Munich's Helion Studios, where both of SYCRONOMICA's previous albums — "Paths" (2004) and "Gate" (2006) — were tracked. The cover artwork was created by drummer Michael Bayer.
A special CD-release show will be held at the Helion Festival II in Munich on October 24 (alongside such acts as EQUILIBRIUM, DEBAUCHERY, SUIDAKRA, DARK FORTRESS, RIGER).
======================
DARZAMAT: New Song Posted Online
Polish dark metallers DARZAMAT are streaming a brand new track, "Chimera", on their MySpace page. The song comes off the band's fifth full-length studio album, "Solfernus' Path", which is scheduled for release on August 28 in Europe via Massacre Records and in Japan through Spiritual Beast Records. The CD was recorded in Poland under the supervision of Jaroslaw Toifl, with whom the band had previously worked on 2005's "Transkarpatia" (Metal Mind Productions in Europe, MVD in the USA). There are two great guests on the album: KING DIAMOND's Andy La Rocque (guitar solo in "King of the Burning Anthems") and STONE SOUR's Roy Mayorga (opening intro). The artwork for the new CD was created by MentalPorn.com Agency, which has previously worked with such bands as DEATHSTARS and BEHEMOTH. The album was mixed by Jonas Kljellgren (SCAR SYMMETRY guitarist) of Black Lounge Studios in Avesta, Sweden.
======================
ARKONA: New Album Details Revealed
Moscow, Russia-based "Slavic pagan metal" band ARKONA will release its new album, "Goi, Rode, Goi!", via Napalm Records on the following dates:
Oct. 28 - Finland, Spain
Oct. 30 - GAS, Benelux, France, Italy, Sweden
Nov. 02 - Rest of Europe
Nov. 03 - USA, Canada
The CD was recorded at CDM Records studio between October 2008 and May 2009 except the drums, which were recorded at Gigant studio, and the guitars, which were recorded at Astia studio.
"Goi, Rode, Goi!" contains a 15-minute song called "Na Moey Zemle" ("In My Land"), which is being described as "a kind of pagan metal opera about the travelling of Slav around countries of Europe." The CD artwork was created by Kris Verwimp (THYRFING, MÅNEGARM).
A 30-second commercial promoting KISS' upcoming album, "Sonic Boom", and the Alive 35 Tour can be viewed below.
"Sonic Boom" will be released in Europe on October 5 via Loud & Proud/Roadrunner Records. The CD will be made available on October 6 in the U.S. and Canada exclusively via Wal-Mart, Walmart.com and Sam's Club retail locations.
"Sonic Boom", produced by Paul Stanley in Los Angeles, is the centerpiece of a three-disc set that also features a completely re-recorded greatest hits CD (previously available in Japan) as well as a live DVD shot in Argentina during the band's recent, record-breaking KISS Alive 35 South American tour. The CD set will retail for $12, with pre-orders starting in September on Walmart.com.
KISS bassist/vocalist Gene Simmons says, "'Sonic Boom' may be the best new record we've done since 'Destroyer'! It is 'Rock And Roll Over' meets 'Love Gun'. The world's biggest retailer had better get ready for the hottest band in the world and hire more cashiers before October 6!"
Stanley adds, "Through all of the albums that are considered our classics, we tried to always find ways to give our fans extras that went beyond just the music. Besides our making the best KISS album in decades, Wal-Mart has made it possible for us to include a bonus CD with 15 of our most famous songs and an additional live DVD, shot during our recent concert in Buenos Aires. So in every sense, 'Sonic Boom' is the ultimate return to classic KISS form. You wanted the best, you got the best!"
Wal-Mart, one of America's largest music retailers, is finalizing its exciting plans now for its in-store and online destinations for KISS fans surrounding the launch of the new album and tour, and will host various KISS products in addition to their music in its stores this fall. More details on Wal-Mart KISS activity, announcements regarding album pre-sales, sweepstakes and KISS appearances will be shared shortly.
"Sonic Boom" track listing:
01. Modern Day Delilah
02. Russian Roulette
03. Never Enough
04. Yes I Know (Nobody's Perfect)
05. Stand
06. Hot And Cold
07. All For The Glory
08. Danger Us
09. I'm An Animal
10. When Lightning Strikes
11. Say Yeah
Re-recorded KISS classics:
01. Deuce
02. Detroit Rock City
03. Shout It Out Loud
04. Hotter Than Hell
05. Calling Dr. Love
06. Love Gun
07. I Was Made For Lovin' You
08. Heaven's On Fire
09. Lick It Up
10. I Love It Loud
11. Forever
12. Christine Sixteen
13. Do You Love Me?
14. Black Diamond
15. Rock And Roll All Nite
KISS bonus live DVD track listing:
01. Deuce
02. Hotter Than Hell
03. C'mon And Love Me
04. Watchin' You
05. 100,000 Years
06. Rock & Roll All Nite
======================
SYCRONOMICA: 'Sycroscope' Artwork, Track Listing Revealed
Munich, Germany-based "epic black metal" band SYCRONOMICA will release its third album, "Sycroscope", on October 23 via the Bavarian label Silverwolf Productions. The CD was recorded at Munich's Helion Studios, where both of SYCRONOMICA's previous albums — "Paths" (2004) and "Gate" (2006) — were tracked. The cover artwork was created by drummer Michael Bayer.
A special CD-release show will be held at the Helion Festival II in Munich on October 24 (alongside such acts as EQUILIBRIUM, DEBAUCHERY, SUIDAKRA, DARK FORTRESS, RIGER).
======================
DARZAMAT: New Song Posted Online
Polish dark metallers DARZAMAT are streaming a brand new track, "Chimera", on their MySpace page. The song comes off the band's fifth full-length studio album, "Solfernus' Path", which is scheduled for release on August 28 in Europe via Massacre Records and in Japan through Spiritual Beast Records. The CD was recorded in Poland under the supervision of Jaroslaw Toifl, with whom the band had previously worked on 2005's "Transkarpatia" (Metal Mind Productions in Europe, MVD in the USA). There are two great guests on the album: KING DIAMOND's Andy La Rocque (guitar solo in "King of the Burning Anthems") and STONE SOUR's Roy Mayorga (opening intro). The artwork for the new CD was created by MentalPorn.com Agency, which has previously worked with such bands as DEATHSTARS and BEHEMOTH. The album was mixed by Jonas Kljellgren (SCAR SYMMETRY guitarist) of Black Lounge Studios in Avesta, Sweden.
======================
ARKONA: New Album Details Revealed
Moscow, Russia-based "Slavic pagan metal" band ARKONA will release its new album, "Goi, Rode, Goi!", via Napalm Records on the following dates:
Oct. 28 - Finland, Spain
Oct. 30 - GAS, Benelux, France, Italy, Sweden
Nov. 02 - Rest of Europe
Nov. 03 - USA, Canada
The CD was recorded at CDM Records studio between October 2008 and May 2009 except the drums, which were recorded at Gigant studio, and the guitars, which were recorded at Astia studio.
"Goi, Rode, Goi!" contains a 15-minute song called "Na Moey Zemle" ("In My Land"), which is being described as "a kind of pagan metal opera about the travelling of Slav around countries of Europe." The CD artwork was created by Kris Verwimp (THYRFING, MÅNEGARM).
Saturday, August 29, 2009
Rock/Pop Tidbits
In December of 1969, Mick Jagger was quoted saying "I don't really like singing very much, I enjoy playing the guitar more than I enjoy singing and I can't play the guitar either."
Ross Bagdasarian (Davis Seville) named The Chipmunks after executives at Liberty records. Alvin was named for Al Bennett, president of the company, Simon was named after Bennett's partner, Si Waronker and Theodore was named for Ted Keep, a recording engineer.
"Rockin' Around the Christmas Tree" was written by Johnny Marks and recorded by Brenda Lee in 1958. Although Decca released it in both that year and again in 1959, it did not catch on until Lee rose to stardom in 1960. That Christmas season, it reached #16 on the Billboard Pop chart and has since become a perennial holiday favourite. The song continues to sell well during the holiday season and rose to #5 on the Christmas chart in 1984.
One of the strangest moments in Pop music history took place on September 11, 1977, when two stars from different generations, David Bowie and Bing Crosby, got together to tape "The Little Drummer Boy" and "Peace On Earth" for Bing's upcoming Christmas TV special. The pair rehearsed for an hour and finished their duet in only three takes, but Bing died a month later having never seen the video.
In October, 2000, George Michael paid over $2 million for the piano that John Lennon used to write "Imagine". It is a simple upright model and not the white piano that appeared on the album cover.
John Lennon often expressed his dislike for Winston Churchill, the former British Prime Minister that he was named after. He felt so strongly that he had his middle name changed from Winston to Ono after he married Yoko.
Andy White, who played drums on The Beatles' track "Love Me Do", which was included on the Beatles Greatest Hits album, did not earn any money in royalties from it. He only received his original session fee of £7 ($14 US), which is not even enough for him to buy his own copy of the album.
Gloucestershire airport in England used to blast Tina Turner songs on its runways to scare birds away.
The much publicized Jerry Lee Lewis pistol-waving episode outside Graceland in 1976 is said to be a misunderstanding. Jerry and Elvis were long time friends and he had been invited to visit. A pistol on the dashboard of Jerry’s car had been given to him earlier that evening as a present and when security guards at the Gracelands gates saw the pistol and asked Jerry if he’d come to shoot Elvis, Jerry just joked: "Sure I have." This led to the arrest and the subsequent press stories.
After Sam Cooke turned down "Travelin' Man", Ricky Nelson recorded the song and had a Billboard chart topping single with it in 1961.
Before assembling AC/DC, Malcolm Young played with the Velvet Underground- not THE Velvet Underground; Young’s band mates were Australians who simply stole the name.
One of Motley Crue’s earliest stage gimmicks was to light their pants on fire. Brings new meaning to the term- ‘liar, liar-pants on fire.’
In 1963, the brother and sister team of Nino Tempo and April Stevens took "Deep Purple" to Billboard's number one position. The same song had topped the charts for Larry McClinton in 1939 and would become a #14 hit for Donny and Marie Osmond in 1976.
1950s crooner Perry Como, who scored many hits including "Round and Round", "Don't Let The Stars Get In Your Eyes" and "Hot Diggity", was the seventh son of a seventh son.
The Righteous Brothers' hit "Unchained Melody" was never intended to be a single. It was recorded as an album cut and later pressed on the "B" side of the 45 "Hung On You". When it was released, DJs flipped the disc over and "Unchained Melody" quickly rose to #4 in the US and #1 in the UK.
Barry Manilow recorded his vocal and piano parts for "Mandy" in just one take.
Ross Bagdasarian (Davis Seville) named The Chipmunks after executives at Liberty records. Alvin was named for Al Bennett, president of the company, Simon was named after Bennett's partner, Si Waronker and Theodore was named for Ted Keep, a recording engineer.
"Rockin' Around the Christmas Tree" was written by Johnny Marks and recorded by Brenda Lee in 1958. Although Decca released it in both that year and again in 1959, it did not catch on until Lee rose to stardom in 1960. That Christmas season, it reached #16 on the Billboard Pop chart and has since become a perennial holiday favourite. The song continues to sell well during the holiday season and rose to #5 on the Christmas chart in 1984.
One of the strangest moments in Pop music history took place on September 11, 1977, when two stars from different generations, David Bowie and Bing Crosby, got together to tape "The Little Drummer Boy" and "Peace On Earth" for Bing's upcoming Christmas TV special. The pair rehearsed for an hour and finished their duet in only three takes, but Bing died a month later having never seen the video.
In October, 2000, George Michael paid over $2 million for the piano that John Lennon used to write "Imagine". It is a simple upright model and not the white piano that appeared on the album cover.
John Lennon often expressed his dislike for Winston Churchill, the former British Prime Minister that he was named after. He felt so strongly that he had his middle name changed from Winston to Ono after he married Yoko.
Andy White, who played drums on The Beatles' track "Love Me Do", which was included on the Beatles Greatest Hits album, did not earn any money in royalties from it. He only received his original session fee of £7 ($14 US), which is not even enough for him to buy his own copy of the album.
Gloucestershire airport in England used to blast Tina Turner songs on its runways to scare birds away.
The much publicized Jerry Lee Lewis pistol-waving episode outside Graceland in 1976 is said to be a misunderstanding. Jerry and Elvis were long time friends and he had been invited to visit. A pistol on the dashboard of Jerry’s car had been given to him earlier that evening as a present and when security guards at the Gracelands gates saw the pistol and asked Jerry if he’d come to shoot Elvis, Jerry just joked: "Sure I have." This led to the arrest and the subsequent press stories.
After Sam Cooke turned down "Travelin' Man", Ricky Nelson recorded the song and had a Billboard chart topping single with it in 1961.
Before assembling AC/DC, Malcolm Young played with the Velvet Underground- not THE Velvet Underground; Young’s band mates were Australians who simply stole the name.
One of Motley Crue’s earliest stage gimmicks was to light their pants on fire. Brings new meaning to the term- ‘liar, liar-pants on fire.’
In 1963, the brother and sister team of Nino Tempo and April Stevens took "Deep Purple" to Billboard's number one position. The same song had topped the charts for Larry McClinton in 1939 and would become a #14 hit for Donny and Marie Osmond in 1976.
1950s crooner Perry Como, who scored many hits including "Round and Round", "Don't Let The Stars Get In Your Eyes" and "Hot Diggity", was the seventh son of a seventh son.
The Righteous Brothers' hit "Unchained Melody" was never intended to be a single. It was recorded as an album cut and later pressed on the "B" side of the 45 "Hung On You". When it was released, DJs flipped the disc over and "Unchained Melody" quickly rose to #4 in the US and #1 in the UK.
Barry Manilow recorded his vocal and piano parts for "Mandy" in just one take.
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.
Grado Reference 1 Moving Magnet Phono Cartridge
You shouldn't count out MM cartridges; this one is superb and has a number of advantages.
Grado Reference 1 Moving
Magnet Phono Cartridge
SRP: $1500
SPECS:
Hand-fashioned mahogany body
Freq. response: beyond 50 kHz
Output: 5mv (optional LO model: .5mv)
Load setting: 47 K
Tracking force: 1 to 2 grams
Mounting: 1/2”
Stylus not removable, may be retipped by Grado
Grado Laboratories
4614 Seventh Ave.
Brooklyn, NY 11220
718-435-5340
www.gradolabs.com
Intro
Ever since I graduated from an earlier Shure VR-15 many, many years ago I have been one of those typical analog audiophiles only into moving coil cartridges. I had thought they were the only truly high fidelity choice for a quality tone arm in a good turntable system, and feared problems of hum with moving magnet cartridges. Well, recently my longtime MC cartridge gave up the ghost after many years by suddenly reducing its right channel to less than half the level of the left. Research proved it not repairable and so a similar price-range cartridge to the Grado being reviewed went painfully to the trash heap.
Grado Technology
I shouldn’t have had any qualms whatever about moving magnets! I am even more pleased with this flagship Grado MM cartridge than I ever was with my moving coil. There were no hum problems whatever, and the cartridge was much easier to install in my SME-V arm than I had expected. It lined up perfectly in all the parameters that are so important in setting up a phono cartridge, and I didn’t need the little aluminum shim that had been required with my MC cartridge due to its smaller size. The clean flat sides and bottom of the Grado are much easier to line up properly in the arm and on the disc than was the MC cartridge. And I could now sell off my Sumiko Flux Buster demagnetizer, since moving magnets not only don’t need demagnetization, but are moreover completely ruined by it! I frankly had the shakes about this whole switchover, because it had been about 15 years since I had carried out any sort of cartridge mounting or turntable setup and had forgotten most of what was involved. My concerns were of no concern with the Grado.
Grado has two lines of cartridges. The Prestige Series are the affordable designs, with a combination of metal and plastic materials plus replaceable styli. They have a grading system consisting of different colors running from Black to Gold. Grado entered the world of high-end audio with the Reference Series of wood-body MM cartridges, which like the Prestige series, have a similar grading scale for the user to select the best value for their budget and application. Each cartridge has a high tolerance nude magnet and coil assembly which is isolated from the structure. The styli cannot be replaced but can be sent in to Grado for retipping. Some of the many Reference Series cartridges are now available in either a high or low output version. The low output model would require a MC-type phono preamp to step up the voltage for a high-end line level preamp. In the case of the Reference 1 the low-output version at the same price was only .5mv whereas the high-output provided for review was 5mv. I was very thankful for Grado’s choice of the high output version; I have a very long though high quality RCA cable going from my SOTA TT to my Sunfire AV preamp, and previously I had a problem of very low level interference from a local rock FM station. Now not only is the interference completely gone but the level at the AV preamp is about double what it formerly was - so much so that I need to lower levels when I am doing a comparison between a vinyl and CD/SACD version of the same recording, whereas it used to require raising the level considerably to match the digital sources.
All of Grado’s cartridges use a derivation of the moving iron principle in three proprietary areas: Optimized Transmission Line cantilever technology, the Pivoted Fixed Axial Stylus-Generator Module, and the Flux-Bridger Generator System. The OTL stylus cantilever design eliminates resonances at the key junctions. All the separate sections are telescoped into one another, made of different alloys - some solid and some hollow - and then bonded together with a black material which controls and absorbs resonances that travel on the surface of the cantilever. This design makes records sound quieter and improves soundstaging and detail.
The Stylus-Generator Module brings the OTL cantilever shaft to a fixed axial pivot supporting the entire cantilever assembly. This type of support if more linear than conventional “teeter-totter” designs that balance the cantilever’s mass with an iron armature. It has a very low tip mass, lowering distortion and giving longer vinyl life, and this system allows for implementing the Flux-Bridger Generator System. The latter uses four separate magnetic gaps between which the miniature element of the cantilever moves - creating an increase in flux in one gap while reducing it in the other. This highly efficient and perfectly balanced system requires fewer turns of coil than conventional designs, giving Grado cartridges lower mass and lower electrical inductance and making them insensitive to tone arm cable capacitance. Probably not many phono cartridges are actually made in the U.S. anymore, but all Grado cartridges are. They are each hand assembled and tested for frequency response, channel output, balance, phase linearity, inductance and resistance.
Listening Tests
The very first thing I noted after the much higher volume level compared to my previous MC cartridge was the reduction of LP surface noise. Even though I use a VPI LP cleaning machine and different liquid treatments, plus zapping with a MapleShade Ionoclast ion generator and treating the stylus with Last’s Stylast, and even though my high-end hearing is somewhat rolled off from what it was years ago, the surface noise on certain of my older LPs has still been annoying. In setting up the VTA of the Grado cartridge I used my old standby vinyl, the original Proprius Jazz at the Pawnshop, and in particular the track Lady Be Good. There is a section near the end where when VTA is perfect the sax jumps right out at you and a “ding” that is either a cymbal or cash register rings rather than sounding damped. I’ve used that track a lot and it has become scratchy. With the Reference 1 it didn’t sound any different from the rest of the LP - yet there was no noticeable rolling off of the extreme high end.
The third attribute of the Grado I noticed was more weight and color in the sound than I was getting with my old MC cartridge. I tried a couple A/B disc comparisons again in which I had found the audiophile CD or SACD had somewhat superior bass end support than the identical recording on vinyl. Now they matched almost perfectly with the Grado, once I adjusted levels to match. This sort of improvement makes jazz recordings sound more rhythmic and exciting. One of the comparisons I made again was the recent F.I.M. K2HD mastered directly from the Toshiba direct disc of pianist Jun Fukamachi “at Steinway.” Before the two sources had sounded amazingly identical. Now my actual direct disc, playing on my SOTA turntable with the Grado, pulled slightly ahead sonically, which seems to be more logical all around.
Some of the “deep mono” audiophile reissues on vinyl from Pure Pleasure sounded more realistic and involving than they ever had before, especially when I made use of the handy mono option on my Sunfire preamp - a useful feature that was missing on the previous preamp. I also really dug an old LP with Slam Stewart and Major Holley playing their doublebasses along with their vocalizations - one one each of the front channels. These basses were walkin’ AND talkin’! (One of them sang in unison with his bass and the other one octave higher - I forget which is which - but there’s absolutely no doubt listening to them.)
Other attributes I felt to be part of the Reference 1’s sound were its highly detailed resolution and its outstandingly low distortion. In other comparisons I had made with identical recordings on CD or SACD there was often a high degree of similarity with the vinyl on the turntable, with perhaps a touch more “air” around the instruments in the vinyl reproduction vs. the optical disc. Now that air was still there, but in addition I was often hearing tiny details in the sound that were either not audible on the digital copy or reduced in clarity.
Summary
I have heard that some audiophiles are simply turned off by the so-called signature sound of moving magnet cartridges. After my experience with the Grado MM I don’t know what they are talking about. The Reference 1 has a highly detailed, hi-res sound that is never metallic or annoying, even with poorer recordings. Neither is there the unnaturally rising high end slope of many MC cartridges. I can’t imagine anyone being displeased with the sweet sound of this lovely cartridge. If you are looking for a quality cartridge, don’t count out MM designs, especially this one. If your turntable system isn’t quite at the level of my vacuum SOTA/SME/MapleShade-supported system, check out some of the other Reference Series models, at prices down to around $300, or the Prestige Series, running from about $60 to $220.
- John Sunier
Copyright © 2009 Audiophile Audition All rights Reserved Reprinted by permission
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.
Grado Reference 1 Moving Magnet Phono Cartridge
You shouldn't count out MM cartridges; this one is superb and has a number of advantages.
Grado Reference 1 Moving Magnet Phono Cartridge
SRP: $1500
SPECS:
Hand-fashioned mahogany body
Freq. response: beyond 50 kHz
Output: 5mv (optional LO model: .5mv)
Load setting: 47 K
Tracking force: 1 to 2 grams
Mounting: 1/2”
Stylus not removable, may be retipped by Grado
Grado Laboratories
4614 Seventh Ave.
Brooklyn, NY 11220
718-435-5340
www.gradolabs.com
Intro
Ever since I graduated from an earlier Shure VR-15 many, many years ago I have been one of those typical analog audiophiles only into moving coil cartridges. I had thought they were the only truly high fidelity choice for a quality tone arm in a good turntable system, and feared problems of hum with moving magnet cartridges. Well, recently my longtime MC cartridge gave up the ghost after many years by suddenly reducing its right channel to less than half the level of the left. Research proved it not repairable and so a similar price-range cartridge to the Grado being reviewed went painfully to the trash heap.
Grado Technology
I shouldn’t have had any qualms whatever about moving magnets! I am even more pleased with this flagship Grado MM cartridge than I ever was with my moving coil. There were no hum problems whatever, and the cartridge was much easier to install in my SME-V arm than I had expected. It lined up perfectly in all the parameters that are so important in setting up a phono cartridge, and I didn’t need the little aluminum shim that had been required with my MC cartridge due to its smaller size. The clean flat sides and bottom of the Grado are much easier to line up properly in the arm and on the disc than was the MC cartridge. And I could now sell off my Sumiko Flux Buster demagnetizer, since moving magnets not only don’t need demagnetization, but are moreover completely ruined by it! I frankly had the shakes about this whole switchover, because it had been about 15 years since I had carried out any sort of cartridge mounting or turntable setup and had forgotten most of what was involved. My concerns were of no concern with the Grado.
Grado has two lines of cartridges. The Prestige Series are the affordable designs, with a combination of metal and plastic materials plus replaceable styli. They have a grading system consisting of different colors running from Black to Gold. Grado entered the world of high-end audio with the Reference Series of wood-body MM cartridges, which like the Prestige series, have a similar grading scale for the user to select the best value for their budget and application. Each cartridge has a high tolerance nude magnet and coil assembly which is isolated from the structure. The styli cannot be replaced but can be sent in to Grado for retipping. Some of the many Reference Series cartridges are now available in either a high or low output version. The low output model would require a MC-type phono preamp to step up the voltage for a high-end line level preamp. In the case of the Reference 1 the low-output version at the same price was only .5mv whereas the high-output provided for review was 5mv. I was very thankful for Grado’s choice of the high output version; I have a very long though high quality RCA cable going from my SOTA TT to my Sunfire AV preamp, and previously I had a problem of very low level interference from a local rock FM station. Now not only is the interference completely gone but the level at the AV preamp is about double what it formerly was - so much so that I need to lower levels when I am doing a comparison between a vinyl and CD/SACD version of the same recording, whereas it used to require raising the level considerably to match the digital sources.
All of Grado’s cartridges use a derivation of the moving iron principle in three proprietary areas: Optimized Transmission Line cantilever technology, the Pivoted Fixed Axial Stylus-Generator Module, and the Flux-Bridger Generator System. The OTL stylus cantilever design eliminates resonances at the key junctions. All the separate sections are telescoped into one another, made of different alloys - some solid and some hollow - and then bonded together with a black material which controls and absorbs resonances that travel on the surface of the cantilever. This design makes records sound quieter and improves soundstaging and detail.
The Stylus-Generator Module brings the OTL cantilever shaft to a fixed axial pivot supporting the entire cantilever assembly. This type of support if more linear than conventional “teeter-totter” designs that balance the cantilever’s mass with an iron armature. It has a very low tip mass, lowering distortion and giving longer vinyl life, and this system allows for implementing the Flux-Bridger Generator System. The latter uses four separate magnetic gaps between which the miniature element of the cantilever moves - creating an increase in flux in one gap while reducing it in the other. This highly efficient and perfectly balanced system requires fewer turns of coil than conventional designs, giving Grado cartridges lower mass and lower electrical inductance and making them insensitive to tone arm cable capacitance. Probably not many phono cartridges are actually made in the U.S. anymore, but all Grado cartridges are. They are each hand assembled and tested for frequency response, channel output, balance, phase linearity, inductance and resistance.
Listening Tests
The very first thing I noted after the much higher volume level compared to my previous MC cartridge was the reduction of LP surface noise. Even though I use a VPI LP cleaning machine and different liquid treatments, plus zapping with a MapleShade Ionoclast ion generator and treating the stylus with Last’s Stylast, and even though my high-end hearing is somewhat rolled off from what it was years ago, the surface noise on certain of my older LPs has still been annoying. In setting up the VTA of the Grado cartridge I used my old standby vinyl, the original Proprius Jazz at the Pawnshop, and in particular the track Lady Be Good. There is a section near the end where when VTA is perfect the sax jumps right out at you and a “ding” that is either a cymbal or cash register rings rather than sounding damped. I’ve used that track a lot and it has become scratchy. With the Reference 1 it didn’t sound any different from the rest of the LP - yet there was no noticeable rolling off of the extreme high end.
The third attribute of the Grado I noticed was more weight and color in the sound than I was getting with my old MC cartridge. I tried a couple A/B disc comparisons again in which I had found the audiophile CD or SACD had somewhat superior bass end support than the identical recording on vinyl. Now they matched almost perfectly with the Grado, once I adjusted levels to match. This sort of improvement makes jazz recordings sound more rhythmic and exciting. One of the comparisons I made again was the recent F.I.M. K2HD mastered directly from the Toshiba direct disc of pianist Jun Fukamachi “at Steinway.” Before the two sources had sounded amazingly identical. Now my actual direct disc, playing on my SOTA turntable with the Grado, pulled slightly ahead sonically, which seems to be more logical all around.
Some of the “deep mono” audiophile reissues on vinyl from Pure Pleasure sounded more realistic and involving than they ever had before, especially when I made use of the handy mono option on my Sunfire preamp - a useful feature that was missing on the previous preamp. I also really dug an old LP with Slam Stewart and Major Holley playing their doublebasses along with their vocalizations - one one each of the front channels. These basses were walkin’ AND talkin’! (One of them sang in unison with his bass and the other one octave higher - I forget which is which - but there’s absolutely no doubt listening to them.)
Other attributes I felt to be part of the Reference 1’s sound were its highly detailed resolution and its outstandingly low distortion. In other comparisons I had made with identical recordings on CD or SACD there was often a high degree of similarity with the vinyl on the turntable, with perhaps a touch more “air” around the instruments in the vinyl reproduction vs. the optical disc. Now that air was still there, but in addition I was often hearing tiny details in the sound that were either not audible on the digital copy or reduced in clarity.
Summary
I have heard that some audiophiles are simply turned off by the so-called signature sound of moving magnet cartridges. After my experience with the Grado MM I don’t know what they are talking about. The Reference 1 has a highly detailed, hi-res sound that is never metallic or annoying, even with poorer recordings. Neither is there the unnaturally rising high end slope of many MC cartridges. I can’t imagine anyone being displeased with the sweet sound of this lovely cartridge. If you are looking for a quality cartridge, don’t count out MM designs, especially this one. If your turntable system isn’t quite at the level of my vacuum SOTA/SME/MapleShade-supported system, check out some of the other Reference Series models, at prices down to around $300, or the Prestige Series, running from about $60 to $220.
- John Sunier
Copyright © 2009 Audiophile Audition All rights Reserved Reprinted by permission
Music News & Notes
Oasis Disolves (Again)
Oasis canceled an appearance at a French music festival last night after a fight between the Gallagher brothers and it's reported that guitarist Noel Gallagher has quit the band he helped form in 1991 — again.
Before the band’s scheduled set time, one of the festival’s organizers announced to the crowd that Liam and his sibling had “had a fight backstage,” and, according to reports, that “the group no longer exists. They will not play tonight and they are canceling the rest of their European tour.”
The BBC is reporting the split as official on their Website, and that it was Noel who indeed left. In a statement posted to the band’s MySpace page, Noel says he could no longer work with his brother.
“It’s with some sadness and great relief to tell you that I quit Oasis tonight,” the statement reads. “People will write and say what they like, but I simply could not go on working with Liam a day longer. Apologies to all the people who bought tickets for the shows in Paris, Konstanz, and Milan,” he added, referring to the remaining stops on the band’s trek.
Idiots.
===================
NIGHTMARE: New Song To Debut This Saturday
The first song from "Insurrection", the seventh album from French power metallers NIGHTMARE, will make its online debut this Saturday, August 29 via the band's MySpace page.
"Insurrection" is scheduled for release on September 11 via Germany's AFM Records. The CD was recorded at Peek studio in France with Patrick Liotard and at U3multimedia and Indiscreet Studios in Stuttgart, Germany with Achim Köhler (PRIMAL FEAR, EDGUY, MASTERPLAN). The follow-up to 2007's "Genetic Disorder" will contain nine tracks, including a two-part concept song. Part II of the track, entitled "Cosa Nostra..." , will be featured as a bonus cut for Japan and limited editions along with one other song. Songtitles set to appear on the CD include "Insurrection", "Three Mile Island", "The Gospel Of Judas", "Decameron", "Angels Of Glass" and "Legions Of The Rising Sun".
The "Insurrection" cover art (see below) was created by Swedish artist Pär Olofsson who previously worked on "Genetic Disorder".
Special guest vocalist on the album is Fabrice Emmanuelsson from ELLIPSIS.
===================
Indie Record Stores Show Their Love To Brandi Shearer With The First Ever Record Store Day Sponsored Tour
Beginning in mid-September, Brandi Shearer launches an exclusive "Shore To Shore In-Store Tour" across the US with free concerts at independent record stores. This is the first time the independent coalitions (CIMS, AIM and Music Monitor Network, banded under the Recordstoreday.com moniker) have sponsored an artists' tour. The tour coincides with the release of her new album, "Love Don't Make You Juliet," out September 1 on Vinyl Tiger Records. In addition to the release of her full length album, Shearer is selling a 4 song EP, "Live At The Soiled Dove" exclusively at indie stores.
The inspiration for the tour was Shearer's. "The more impersonal buying music digitally becomes, the more I crave talking to an actual human - there is no replacement for someone sizing you up and putting a record in your hands that they know you'll love," says Shearer.
"I don't believe that can ever be duplicated, and somehow having those spaces becomes more & more special to me."
Check out what else Shearer has to say on this Vlog entry on the tour:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FipKnkboCLw
"Record Store Day could not be more thrilled to have Brandi Shearer be the first artist we've ever sponsored to do a tour of indie stores across the country," says Record Store Day co-founder Michael Kurtz. "Having an artist of Brandi's quality provide in-store performances for indie-record store customers gives her a tight connection to the hub of local music communities and gives the music fans who shop indie a special intimate no cost experience. She's a wonderful performer and we are confident that, together with the indie stores, we are going to create a bit of magic."
===================
Rehasher (featuring Roger of Less Than Jake) releases new album on Paper + Plastick?
Paper + Plastick Records is proud to announce that the new Rehasher album will be added to the labels growing catalog of vinyl. High Speed Access To My Brain can be pre-ordered beginning today exclusively at www.paperandplastick.com, where fans can also get a taste of the new album by downloading the recently released P+P summer sampler, containing the track “Turn Around.”
The Gainesville punk band is lead by guitarist/vocalist Roger Manganelli, P+P label owner Vinnie Fiorello’s band mate in Less Than Jake, and boasts members from local punk bands Army of Ponch, Bullets To Broadway and Savage Brewtality. The band self-recorded their sophomore album at Manganelli’s own Moathouse Studios, and self-released the CD on their Moathouse Records, which will be released on vinyl via Paper + Plastick on September 11th.
“Rehasher are a group of friends of mine from Gainesville that happen to also make great melodic punk,” says Fiorello. “This record is them on their ‘A’ game and is hands down, flat-out amazing… and I’m not just saying that because one of the dudes sleeps 15 feet away from me six months a year.”
The band formed in 2002 as an excuse for a group of friends to hang out and play music, and resulted in the 2004 release of Off Key Melodies via No Idea Records. PunkNews.org lauded the album, and stated “The all-star lineup comes through and ignites simplistic three-chord punk rock via a vigorous charge,” and AbsolutePunk, which commented, “ brings back the days of Lagwagon and NOFX-style punk.”
===================
Experience Hendrix and Sony Sign Major Deal
Experience Hendrix L.L.C. and Sony Music Entertainment have signed a major deal to bring the music of Jimi Hendrix, both catalog and new, to all forms of media.
Included in the deal is:
•The reissue of Hendrix' catalog in deluxe editions (Are You Experienced, Axis: Bold As Love, Electric Ladyland, Band of Gypsies)
•Reissues of compilations produced by Experience Hendrix
•Filmed concerts.
•Releases from Dagger Records, Experience Hendrix' "official bootleg" label for Hendrix recordings of significant interest.
•The yearly Experience Hendrix tours
•Other Hendrix-related business
The deal covers both physical product and digital services.
"Jimi's legacy and vision were unique and there will never be another that reaches his unparalleled genius. He was the greatest guitarist ever," said Janie Hendrix, President and CEO of Experience Hendrix. "We are confident that our new relationship with Sony Music will honor my beloved brother's legacy and will deliver Jimi's special 'Message Of Love' across the globe. We look forward to the creative partnership and ground breaking releases that this new relationship will engender to bring Jimi's music to successive generations of fans."
"No artist has ever transformed the pop music landscape as profoundly or as permanently as Jimi Hendrix," said Adam Block, Senior Vice President and General Manager, Legacy Recordings. "We are proud to be partnering with Experience Hendrix, keeping the sound and spirit of Jimi's music alive for future generations around the world."
===================
Los Angeles Coroner's Office Official Statement On Michael Jackson
The Los Angeles Coroner's Office has released a statement confirming that Michael Jackson died of high levels of Propofol along with other drugs that suppress the bodies function.
The following is the coroner's statement:
Earlier this month, the Los Angeles County Department of Coroner completed its investigation into the death of Michael Joseph Jackson, age 50, who died on June 25, 2009.
The cause of death was established as:
—ACUTE PROPOFOL INTOXICATION
—OTHER CONDITIONS CONTRIBUTING TO DEATH: BENZODIAZEPINE EFFECT
The manner of death has been ruled: HOMICIDE
The drugs Propofol and Lorazepam were found to be the primary drugs responsible for Mr. Jackson's death. Other drugs detected were: Midazolam, Diazepam, Lidocaine and Ephedrine.
The final coroner's report, including the complete toxicology report will remain on security hold at the request of the Los Angeles Police Department and the Los Angeles County District Attorney. In accordance with this request, the Department of Coroner will not comment on its completed investigation.
Like, we all knew that. How freaking sad....
Oasis canceled an appearance at a French music festival last night after a fight between the Gallagher brothers and it's reported that guitarist Noel Gallagher has quit the band he helped form in 1991 — again.
Before the band’s scheduled set time, one of the festival’s organizers announced to the crowd that Liam and his sibling had “had a fight backstage,” and, according to reports, that “the group no longer exists. They will not play tonight and they are canceling the rest of their European tour.”
The BBC is reporting the split as official on their Website, and that it was Noel who indeed left. In a statement posted to the band’s MySpace page, Noel says he could no longer work with his brother.
“It’s with some sadness and great relief to tell you that I quit Oasis tonight,” the statement reads. “People will write and say what they like, but I simply could not go on working with Liam a day longer. Apologies to all the people who bought tickets for the shows in Paris, Konstanz, and Milan,” he added, referring to the remaining stops on the band’s trek.
Idiots.
===================
NIGHTMARE: New Song To Debut This Saturday
The first song from "Insurrection", the seventh album from French power metallers NIGHTMARE, will make its online debut this Saturday, August 29 via the band's MySpace page.
"Insurrection" is scheduled for release on September 11 via Germany's AFM Records. The CD was recorded at Peek studio in France with Patrick Liotard and at U3multimedia and Indiscreet Studios in Stuttgart, Germany with Achim Köhler (PRIMAL FEAR, EDGUY, MASTERPLAN). The follow-up to 2007's "Genetic Disorder" will contain nine tracks, including a two-part concept song. Part II of the track, entitled "Cosa Nostra..." , will be featured as a bonus cut for Japan and limited editions along with one other song. Songtitles set to appear on the CD include "Insurrection", "Three Mile Island", "The Gospel Of Judas", "Decameron", "Angels Of Glass" and "Legions Of The Rising Sun".
The "Insurrection" cover art (see below) was created by Swedish artist Pär Olofsson who previously worked on "Genetic Disorder".
Special guest vocalist on the album is Fabrice Emmanuelsson from ELLIPSIS.
===================
Indie Record Stores Show Their Love To Brandi Shearer With The First Ever Record Store Day Sponsored Tour
Beginning in mid-September, Brandi Shearer launches an exclusive "Shore To Shore In-Store Tour" across the US with free concerts at independent record stores. This is the first time the independent coalitions (CIMS, AIM and Music Monitor Network, banded under the Recordstoreday.com moniker) have sponsored an artists' tour. The tour coincides with the release of her new album, "Love Don't Make You Juliet," out September 1 on Vinyl Tiger Records. In addition to the release of her full length album, Shearer is selling a 4 song EP, "Live At The Soiled Dove" exclusively at indie stores.
The inspiration for the tour was Shearer's. "The more impersonal buying music digitally becomes, the more I crave talking to an actual human - there is no replacement for someone sizing you up and putting a record in your hands that they know you'll love," says Shearer.
"I don't believe that can ever be duplicated, and somehow having those spaces becomes more & more special to me."
Check out what else Shearer has to say on this Vlog entry on the tour:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FipKnkboCLw
"Record Store Day could not be more thrilled to have Brandi Shearer be the first artist we've ever sponsored to do a tour of indie stores across the country," says Record Store Day co-founder Michael Kurtz. "Having an artist of Brandi's quality provide in-store performances for indie-record store customers gives her a tight connection to the hub of local music communities and gives the music fans who shop indie a special intimate no cost experience. She's a wonderful performer and we are confident that, together with the indie stores, we are going to create a bit of magic."
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Rehasher (featuring Roger of Less Than Jake) releases new album on Paper + Plastick?
Paper + Plastick Records is proud to announce that the new Rehasher album will be added to the labels growing catalog of vinyl. High Speed Access To My Brain can be pre-ordered beginning today exclusively at www.paperandplastick.com, where fans can also get a taste of the new album by downloading the recently released P+P summer sampler, containing the track “Turn Around.”
The Gainesville punk band is lead by guitarist/vocalist Roger Manganelli, P+P label owner Vinnie Fiorello’s band mate in Less Than Jake, and boasts members from local punk bands Army of Ponch, Bullets To Broadway and Savage Brewtality. The band self-recorded their sophomore album at Manganelli’s own Moathouse Studios, and self-released the CD on their Moathouse Records, which will be released on vinyl via Paper + Plastick on September 11th.
“Rehasher are a group of friends of mine from Gainesville that happen to also make great melodic punk,” says Fiorello. “This record is them on their ‘A’ game and is hands down, flat-out amazing… and I’m not just saying that because one of the dudes sleeps 15 feet away from me six months a year.”
The band formed in 2002 as an excuse for a group of friends to hang out and play music, and resulted in the 2004 release of Off Key Melodies via No Idea Records. PunkNews.org lauded the album, and stated “The all-star lineup comes through and ignites simplistic three-chord punk rock via a vigorous charge,” and AbsolutePunk, which commented, “ brings back the days of Lagwagon and NOFX-style punk.”
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Experience Hendrix and Sony Sign Major Deal
Experience Hendrix L.L.C. and Sony Music Entertainment have signed a major deal to bring the music of Jimi Hendrix, both catalog and new, to all forms of media.
Included in the deal is:
•The reissue of Hendrix' catalog in deluxe editions (Are You Experienced, Axis: Bold As Love, Electric Ladyland, Band of Gypsies)
•Reissues of compilations produced by Experience Hendrix
•Filmed concerts.
•Releases from Dagger Records, Experience Hendrix' "official bootleg" label for Hendrix recordings of significant interest.
•The yearly Experience Hendrix tours
•Other Hendrix-related business
The deal covers both physical product and digital services.
"Jimi's legacy and vision were unique and there will never be another that reaches his unparalleled genius. He was the greatest guitarist ever," said Janie Hendrix, President and CEO of Experience Hendrix. "We are confident that our new relationship with Sony Music will honor my beloved brother's legacy and will deliver Jimi's special 'Message Of Love' across the globe. We look forward to the creative partnership and ground breaking releases that this new relationship will engender to bring Jimi's music to successive generations of fans."
"No artist has ever transformed the pop music landscape as profoundly or as permanently as Jimi Hendrix," said Adam Block, Senior Vice President and General Manager, Legacy Recordings. "We are proud to be partnering with Experience Hendrix, keeping the sound and spirit of Jimi's music alive for future generations around the world."
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Los Angeles Coroner's Office Official Statement On Michael Jackson
The Los Angeles Coroner's Office has released a statement confirming that Michael Jackson died of high levels of Propofol along with other drugs that suppress the bodies function.
The following is the coroner's statement:
Earlier this month, the Los Angeles County Department of Coroner completed its investigation into the death of Michael Joseph Jackson, age 50, who died on June 25, 2009.
The cause of death was established as:
—ACUTE PROPOFOL INTOXICATION
—OTHER CONDITIONS CONTRIBUTING TO DEATH: BENZODIAZEPINE EFFECT
The manner of death has been ruled: HOMICIDE
The drugs Propofol and Lorazepam were found to be the primary drugs responsible for Mr. Jackson's death. Other drugs detected were: Midazolam, Diazepam, Lidocaine and Ephedrine.
The final coroner's report, including the complete toxicology report will remain on security hold at the request of the Los Angeles Police Department and the Los Angeles County District Attorney. In accordance with this request, the Department of Coroner will not comment on its completed investigation.
Like, we all knew that. How freaking sad....
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