Michael Fremer Album Review

Worth the wait?

Tea For the Tillerman

(new reissue)

Cat Stevens

Island/Analogue Productions APP 9135 200 gram LP

Produced by: Paul Samwell-Smith

Engineered by: N/A

Mixed by: N/A

Mastered by: George Marino at Sterling Sound, NYC

MUSIC

SOUND




Analogue Productions Launches Quality Record Pressing Plant
by Michael Fremer
August 01, 2011

Poor misunderstood Steven Demetre Georgiou/Cat Stevens/Yusef Islam. Like Bob Marley or Barack Obama, he’s a “hybrid” and subject to misinterpretation and fear-mongering.

Born of a Greek-Cypriot dad and a Swedish mom, he was half Greek Orthodox and half Baptist and now he’s a devout Muslim.

In between, he’s had a remarkable and tumultuous career as a pop star. He’s had backup artists on his albums ranging from Peter Gabriel to Biff Rose. He’s cited influences as wide-ranging as the Gershwins, Leonard Bernstein and Muddy Waters.

He dated Carly Simon (“Anticipation” was about him, not the difficulties involved in coaxing Heinz Ketchup from the bottle) and his songs were featured in the unforgettable cult film “Harold and Maude” starring the great Ruth Gordon and Bud Cort.

He almost died twice: first, before his career took off, from a bout with Tuberculosis in the UK and later in 1976 he almost drowned in the ocean off of Malibu. When he sings “But I might die tonight,” he sings from experience!

Without going into all of the details, let’s just agree that his first great album was Mona Bone Jackon issued originally on Island Records in the UK and A&M in America. A vinyl reissue from Mobile Fidelity is scheduled for release sometime this year.

His follow up, Tea For the Tillerman also originally on Island and A&M is considered by most to be his greatest record as well as a Top 10 Billboard hit. Like all true classics, the cover art (drawn by the then Mr. Stevens) is a perfect fit for the music.

Acoustic Sounds/Analogue Productions’ Chad Kassem chose the album as the first release pressed at his new Salina, Kansas state of the art Quality Record Pressings pressing facility. Some on-line grumbling asked “why this'”

The answer is simple: it remains a great, enduring piece of folk/rock, brilliantly performed and recorded. Original pink label Island pressings are still much sought after for both sound and the superior gatefold presentation.

There have been a few reissues including a Japanese JVC pressed Mobile Fidelity issue and a flat profile UHQR edition. Though the master tape had been lost since it was last used for a 1999 CD reissue—part of a Cat Stevens reissue series overseen by the original producer, Paul Samwell-Smith and mastered by Ted Jensen at Sterling Sound—Kassem was determined to find it and use it for his first vinyl release.

Thanks to a lot of leg and detective work, the pristine original analog master tape was found and used by George Marino, who cut lacquers at Sterling Sound, the mastering house where it was originally cut by Sterling Sound founder Lee Hulko, for both the U.S. and UK first editions. Hulko’s original mastering notes were on file at Sterling and used as a reference by Marino.

The original was cut using a Telefunken M10 playback deck and a Neumann VMS 66 lathe and SX68 cutter head. Marino used an Ampex ATR-102 deck, Neumann VMS80 lathe and SX74 cutter head.

Despite starting with the same cut, the pink label edition sounds vastly superior in every way, evidently because of superior plating and pressing quality, even though indie A&M was among the more meticulous, sound conscious record labels at the time.

Kassem was also determined to reproduce as closely as possible the original gatefold packaging featuring a laminated outer jacket and an opaque, cloth-like inner one that was used only for the first pressing. Subsequent ones featured lamination inside and out.

What makes this music special and capable of enduring through the decades' For one thing, the songs have memorable melodies, even the ones built upon two chord vamps like the opener, “Where Do the Children Play,” a prescient, still relevant song about the environment, overdevelopment and whatever else you wish to read into it. The production and sound remain spectacular and the arrangements, combining strummed acoustic guitars, strings arranged by Del Newman, stand up bass and drums sets the perfect stage for Stevens’ simultaneously tender and gruff vocalizing.

The impeccably orchestrated arrangements include syncopated and dynamic flourishes played out on drums and strings that were and remain unusual for this musical genre.

Speaking of being misunderstood, when I was on the radio in the early 1970s, the hit “Wild World” was actually banned from the progressive rock station as being “a sexist break-up song” because of it’s supposed general condescension and lines like “I’ll always remember you like a child, girl.” Supposedly it’s about his breakup with girlfriend Patti D’Arbanville (sung about on Mona Bone Jakon).

But in retrospect, the only line that would lead one to believe it was a “break-up” song is the ambiguous opening line “Now that I’ve lost everything to you,” and indeed, perhaps it is a sexist break-up song, but it could just as easily be about a song to a daughter venturing out into the world for the first time. Considering the cover art, and another song on the album, “Father and Son,” that’s an equally probable interpretation—it certainly is a better one in 2011!

There’s melancholy in “Sad Lisa,” and majestic spiritual yearning (a hint of what was to come) in the “Miles From Nowhere.”

There’s not a second wasted on the first side and so many arrangement nooks and crannies to be discovered on this superbly dynamic, spacious and detailed re-mastering and pressing.

Side two begins with the short “stop and smell the flowers” of “But I Might Die Tonight,” followed by “Longer Boats,” another song with both hippie and religious overtones and then comes the exquisite “Into White” that sounds inspired by the imagery of The Incredible String Band. “On the Road to Find Out” returns to the search for spiritual fulfillment but that’s followed by the settled satisfaction of the old man’s message on “Father and Son.”

The title song is a short, joyous gospel-influenced denouement to end an endlessly entertaining journey that holds up fully every play forty-one years later!

I remember buying my pink label Island copy at a small record store called The Depot, next to a train station in a small suburban Boston suburb, the name of which escapes me.

Upon taking the expensive record out of the jacket I was disappointed to see the same STERLING stamp and LH marking on the inner groove area as on my A&M copy. I consoled myself with the far superior packaging and that iconic pink Island label.

The first play on my Dual 1219 brought gasps because the sound was so far superior to the A&M. It was razor sharp in the best sense of the word, with black backgrounds and a dynamic thrust missing from the lackluster American pressing. Wow!

And wow again listening to this impeccably pressed on 200g vinyl reissue. The attack of the pick on the guitar strings is astonishingly clean and detailed. Depth is pronounced and because of both the blackness of the backdrop and the precision of both the state of the art plating and the technological breakthroughs achieved in the retro-fitted presses, the resolution of low level detail reveals a host of details that are either buried or glossed over on the other versions I’ve heard and own.

If you have the UHQR edition, you’ll find this similar in one way: there’s nothing “mellow” about the overall production and when the music gets loud (and Marino lets it get so) it can get a bit hard, but better that than to soften it and lose the clarity, focus and detail of this superb recording, especially in the quieter passages where the resolution of low level detail is astonishing.

If your system is bright, this may sound a bit bright, especially if you can’t get the bottom octaves, but as your rig gets better, this record will only keep sounding better and better.

As for Cat Stevens, he went on to record a string of equally fine records, similar in tone and formula to this one, including Teaser and the Firecat, that contained more hits (“Peace Train,” “Morning Has Broken,” and “Moon Shadow”) than did Tea for the Tillerman, and Catch Bull at Four, followed by a few more albums that were somewhat less distinguished.

Audio Fidelity issues a twenty song, two LP live set of his 1976 “Majikat” tour (AFZLP2 040) containing many of his most well-liked tunes. It was his farewell to the world as Cat Stevens and listening makes it clear that he was dispirited and going through the motions much of the time, though there are sparks of the old Cat there too.

A year later he converted to Islam, taking the name Yusef Islam and forsaking his pop music career, though he did do a benefit for UNICEF at Wembley Stadium in 1979 and has been involved in charitable work ever since.

Controversy followed as he was accused of aiding the terrorist group Hamas, which he denied and he is reputedly said to have been okay with the fatwa issued against Salman Rushdie, but again he denied that, saying he was “joking” and his comments had been improperly edited.

After 9/11 he condemned the attack and he sang an a cappella version of “Peace Train” during the “Concert For New York” pre-concert show that was an unforgettable moment (among dozens during the concert proper) for his fans.

He was ridiculously put on the terror watch list and in 2004 the commercial plane he was on bound for Washington D.C. was diverted to Maine where he was escorted off and sent back to the U.K.

Since then he’s become more active in the secular music world but his piety seems to inhibit his expression, though his live performances have been generally well-received.

He made a bizarre and somewhat uncomfortable appearance at the Jon Stewart/Stephen Colbert “Rally to Restore Sanity and/or Fear” where he performed “Peace Train” tentatively while Ozzie sang “Crazy Train” with the O’Jays finishing up with “Love Train.” You had to see it to believe it.

None of that takes away from his rich period between 1969 and the mid-seventies when he produced some of the most memorable and enduring folk-rock records of the rock era. Analogue Productions will release them over the next year.

Tea For the Tillerman is a great choice for an inaugural album to launch a new pressing plant in my opinion, and if this release is any indication of what we can expect from Chad Kassem’s new venture, we’re in for some great vinyl!!!!! (Please read my story about a visit to the new pressing plant in the August issue of Stereophile magazine).

The release has been delayed until August 1st, 2011 but it will be well worth the wait!

Thanks to Michael over at www.musicangle.com   for the exclusive rights to reprint this material. Stop by MusicAngle.com for more reviews and features.

©2011 MusicAngle.com & Michael Fremer - - All rights reserved

Reprinted by Permission

Vinyl Record News & Music Notes

Deerhoof Collaboratives with Jeff Tweedy & The Raccoonists on Single Series

'Behold A Raccoon In The Darkness,' is the fourth installment of Deerhoof’s collaborative 7” series in which guest vocalists perform over an instrumental track from the band’s latest album, 'Deerhoof vs. Evil.' The A side is "Behold" and we can hear the immediately identifiable sounds of Jeff Tweedy, with harmonies by his son Spencer.

The Side B features "Own It," an original song by The Raccoonists, a group comprised of Tweedy and his two sons, Spencer and Sam.

The record is due out on October 11 via Polyvinyl Records. It is strictly limited to 2000 copies on clear pink vinyl and it is available for pre-order now.

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pollstar.com has a very cool interview with popovic, well worth checking out!

The Very ‘Unconditional’ Ana Popovic

The Serbian guitarist/singer talks about her new album, writing music and her passion for the blues.

Born in Belgrade, Ana Popovic’s affinity for the blues came via her parents’ record collection. Inspired by singers Tina Turner, Nina Simone and Koko Taylor as well as guitarists such as Jimi Hendrix and Buddy Guy, Popovic formed her first band while still a teenager.

Scheduled for an August 16 release on Electogroove Records, her latest album, Unconditional, was recorded in New Orleans and was helmed by Grammy-winning producer John Porter.

Popovic recently talked with Pollstar about Unconditional as well as how she approaches writing her music and why parents should never discourage their children’s musical aspirations.

Read the interview at pollstar.com

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nice write up from the UK on the passing of an icon:

Alex Steinweiss

Alex Steinweiss, who died on July 17 aged 94, invented the modern album sleeve, revolutionising the appearance of what was then known as the “long-playing microgroove” record and paving the way for some of the most famous images in modern popular culture

Some album covers — such as The Beatles’ Sergeant Pepper and Nirvana’s Nevermind — are now almost as celebrated as the music they contain. But before Steinweiss, discs were entombed in plain paper packaging.

It was in 1939 that Steinweiss, who designed posters promoting Columbia Records’ new releases, rebelled against such stupefying dullness. . “They were so drab, so unattractive,” he recalled of the covers.

Read the rest of the story at telegraph.co.uk

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it is the world we live in (this from down under), we can and will continue to clutch our beloved vinyl while the music landscape changes around us...again....

Music's new frontier

Andrew Harris

Aa a solo artist and founding member of alternative rock band Throwing Muses, US singer and songwriter Kristin Hersh has been trying out new sounds for three decades. Recently, however, she has been exploring a different musical frontier - this one at the contested border where music and technology meet.

Hersh's latest release, Crooked, is available as an application for the iPad, iPhone and iPod Touch and includes lyrics and an essay for each song, as well as exclusive interactive content, video extras and a forum where fans can interact with her through text and live web chats.

''Since the app release we've sold more apps than album downloads,'' says Hersh. ''Although numbers are still coming in, we've sold a couple of thousand already''. She estimates that to date the app has accounted for about 20 per cent of digital content sold.

Hersh may be at the vanguard of a new musical movement.

Read more at smh.com.au

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in the age where music is free and anyone can be heard by millions, here's another way that bands of today get their music out:

Farm Boy Music Announces New Music Releases Available For Phone App

Farm Boy Music Group had announced that it is now using a webapp service for the promotion of new songs recorded at the company's studio in Flintstone, GA

For Immediate Release

Farm Boy Music Group, a music production facility in the North Georgia mountains near Chattanooga, Tn is always striving to be on the cutting edge of technology and their latest addition to their arsenal is proof. They have recently began using a web based phone app service to handle releases and promotion of new material as it is being released from their studio.

"In today's world, music is being released at an amazing rate," says Gary R. Farmer, CEO of the Farm Boy Music Group. "We are like most everyone else out there. New material promotion for the independant artist is always a tough thing to do with so many avenues for promotion. Do I use Twitter, Myspace, Digital Rodeo, Linkedin, or what? We are using a service that allows direct submission to all of those plus gives an artist an app for promotion direct to their fans and as they make changes to their app it will automatically send the updates to the app and ultimately the fans and buying public."

The service is at the website www.songpier.com  and available to anyone looking to self promote their music. "The app allows linking through to personal artist websites, video promotion, song promotion, mechandise sales, pictures, as well as much more. In essence, the app can become your own personal press kit because it allows you to daily blogging or press releases direct to the ones that have the app bookmarked to their smartphone".

Farm Boy Music Group is a music service that caters to the singer/songwriter community and independant artist. For information visit them on the web at: www.farmboymusicgroup.com

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Yellowcard Reisssues On Vinyl Up For Pre-Order

Yellowcard have recently announced the vinyl release of four of their albums on vinyl including: 'Lights and Sounds,' 'The Underdog,' 'Paper Walls' and 'Ocean Avenue.' Pre orders have been launched with a Septemeber 13th release date. Pre-Order at shopradiocast.com

In addition to these brand new vinyl releases you can get a copy of Yellowcards 2011 release, 'When You’re Through Thinking, Say Yes' on a purple LP limited to only 300 copies.


Lights and Sounds

Originally released in 2006, Lights & Sounds debuted at #5 on the Billboard Top 200 chart, selling over 90,000 copies first week. Album features single, "Lights & Sounds" which peaked at #4 on Billboard Hot Modern Rock tracks. This is the first time the album has ever been released on vinyl. Yellowcard recently released their album, When You're Through Thinking, Say Yes, debuting at #19 on the Billboard Top 200 chart. After a sold out tour with All Time Low, they will be headlining in the fall and continuing to build the fan base that has kept them at the forefront of the pop punk scene.

Track Listing

Three Flights Up
Lights & Sounds
Down On My Head
Sure Thing Falling
City Of Devils
Rough Landing Holly
Two Weeks From Twenty
Waiting Game
Martin Sheek Or JFK
Space Travel
Grey
Words Hands Hearts
How I Go
Holly Wood Died


The Underdog

Released in 2002, The Underdog was released as a limited EP and is extremely rare. These 5 songs illustrate an important transition between older Yellowcard releases and the Ocean Avenue era. This is the first time the album has ever been released on vinyl with updated cover art. Yellowcard recently released their album, When You're Through Thinking, Say Yes, debuting at #19 on the Billboard Top 200 chart. After a sold out tour with All Time Low, they will be headlining in the fall and continuing to build the fan base that has kept them at the forefront of the pop punk scene.

Track Listing
Underdog
Avondale
Finish Line
Powder
Rocket


Paper Walls

Released in 2007, Paper Walls debuted at #13 on the Billboard Top 200 chart. The release features the single "Light Up The Sky". This is the first time the album has ever been released on vinyl. Yellowcard recently released their album, When You're Through Thinking, Say Yes, debuting at #19 on the Billboard Top 200 chart. After a sold out tour with All Time Low, they will be headlining in the fall and continuing to build the fan base that has kept them at the forefront of the pop punk scene.



Track Listing

The Takedown
Fighting
Shrink The World
Keeper
Light Up The Sky
Shadows And Regrets
Five Becomes Four
Afraid
Date Line (I Am Gone)
Dear Bobbie
You And Me And One Spotlight
Cut Me, Mick
Paper Walls


Ocean Avenue

Southern California punk heroes Yellowcard are a young quintet which has created an enormous national grass-roots fan base from tireless touring and hundreds and hundreds of passionate live shows.

Ocean Avenue was produced by Neal Avron and mixed by Lorde-Alge. The 13 song album offers a passionate brand of anthemic and melodic punk, but with a twist - complementing the standard band set up with the furious violin playing of Sean Mackin.


Track Listing

Way Away
Breathing
Ocean Avenue
Empty Apartment
Life Of A Salesman
Only One
Miles Apart
Twentythree
View From Heaven
Inside Out
Believe
One Year, Six Months
Back Home

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and in music history for August 6th:

In 1955, Elvis Presley's first number one record was released. The song was called "I Forgot to Remember to Forget" and when it hit the top of the US Country charts several months later, it stayed there for 5 weeks.

In 1960, Chubby Checker appeared on US television show American Bandstand and performed “The Twist.” The song went to #1 on the US chart and again 18 months later in 1962. It is the only song to go to the top of the charts on two separate occasions.



In 1970, the 10th National Jazz, Blues and Pop four day Festival was held at Plumpton Racecourse in Sussex, England. Featuring, Family, Groundhogs, Cat Stevens, Deep Purple, Fat Mattress, Yes, Caravan, The Strawbs, Black Sabbath, Wild Angles, Wishbone Ash and Daddy Longlegs.

Also in 1970, the Concert for Peace was held in Shea Stadium, New York, with Paul Simon, Johnny Winter, Poco, Janis Joplin and Steppenwolf. The concert date coincided with the 25th anniversary of dropping an atomic bomb on Hiroshima, Japan.

In 1973, 23 year-old Stevie Wonder is seriously injured when the rented car he is riding in slams into the back of a small logging truck on I-85 near Winston-Salem, North Carolina. He suffers multiple head injuries and will remain in a coma for four days.

In 1981, Stevie Nicks released her first solo album Bella Donna which contained four top 40 US hits. “Stop Draggin’ My Heart Around,” (with Tom Petty), “Leather and Lace,”(with Don Henley), “Edge of Seventeen” and “After the Glitter Fades.”

The movie version of Pink Floyd's The Wall opened in 1982.

In 1988, Appetite For Destruction, Guns N' Roses debut album went to #1 in the U.S., after spending 57 weeks on the chart and selling over 5 million copies.  Singles from the album, “Sweet Child O’ Mine,” “Welcome to the Jungle” and “Paradise City’”were all U.S. Top 10 hits.

In 1994, Domenico Modugno, the Italian singer whose recording of "Volare" topped the North American charts in 1958, died of a heart attack near his home on the island of Lampedusa. He was 66.

In 2000, it was announced that Ice-T would play a detective on the TV series Law & Order: Special Victims Unit.

In 2004, Rick James was found dead at his Los Angeles home. Known as “The King of Punk-Funk,” James scored the 1981 U.S. #3 album Street Songs and 1981 U.S. #16 single “Super Freak part 1.” In the late ‘60s James worked as a songwriter and producer for Motown, working with Smokey Robinson and The Miracles. Addicted to cocaine, he once admitted to spending $7,000 a week on drugs for five years.

celebrating birthdays today include (among others) Mike Ellott (Foundations) (82), Mark DuFresne (Confederate Railroad) (58) and Pat MacDonald (Timbuk3) (59)

Vinyl Record News & Music Notes

wow. lots to get to today, first some great articles about music, some fantastic new album cover art and then the anniversary of two notable album releases, i'm partial to the Beatles and Revolver. i think it is some of their best work and i have never stopped playing my vinyl copy to this day!

on to the news:

the wall street journal online has a detailed look at the music industry from author ANDREW MCKIE

Music Industry Sighs No More

After a Decade of Decline, Album Sales are Starting to Rise and New Artists are Turning the Tables

By ANDREW MCKIE

"ABC, Easy as 1, 2, 3, Simple as do, re, mi..." This cheerful, uncomplicated sentiment, expressed by the Jackson Five to a melody itself so simple that it might have been an attempt to provide a blueprint for the pop song, went to the top of the U.S. charts in 1970.

Some four decades later, the music industry looks a good deal more complicated........

Read the rest at online.wsj.com

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Gene Simmons and Paul Stanley of KISS To Collaborate On Book

'Nothin’ To Lose' charting the band's rise will be published in Summer 2012.

Gene Simmons and Paul Stanley, two of the founders of legendary superband KISS, are collaborating with rock journalist Ken Sharp on Nothin’ To Lose, an detailed history of the band’s early years, from its founding in 1973 to the 1975 release of its breakout concert album Alive! The book will include interviews with bandmates Peter Criss and Ace Frehley, other rock stars of the era, and the behind-the-scenes players. The book will feature never-before-published photographs. IT Books, an imprint of Harper Collins is scheduled to publish the book in Summer 2012.

Denise Oswald, editor at IT Books states that Kiss’ status as “one of the most beloved and influential hard rock bands of the last 40 years” is the reason that the need for a book like this exists.

She went on to say, “What is particularly fascinating about this project is about how the band got off the ground, how they came up with the concept of who they were that so defined them and captured the love and imagination of all of their fans.”



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interesting perspective about these types of music releases (i am sure there is a michael jackson album to be put out at some point and have we heard the last from john lennon?)

Posthumous album releases can reward fans but diminish a legacy

By Steven Maxwell and Diane Swanson

That may be the case with Amy Winehouse, the Grammy Award-winning singer who died July 23. Winehouse reportedly left a trove of unreleased material, including an unfinished third album that had been shelved, raising prospects for a posthumous release.

But according to two Kansas State University professors, a posthumous release of unfinished and shelved material can often trivialize a career. Worse, it can also come off as unethical.

"Posthumous releases are both a positive and negative thing," said Steven Maxwell, an assistant professor of music and instructor of a history of rock and roll course at K-State. "On the positive side, it gives fans the opportunity to listen to something new from a musician one last time. The negative side is that many of the releases don't fit into the vision of the artist and in some cases, they diminish the artist's legacy."

Read the rest fo the article at physorg.com

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and rolling stone has a great look at a growing trend. i say, why not? they made the music to be heard (and bought!)

Musicians Split Over Album Reissues

Henry Rollins: 'When the band isn't involved, it usually means the label is looking for sales'

By Patrick Flanary

This year’s Nineties-era reissues — like Nirvana's Nevermind, Pearl Jam's Vitalogy and Alice in Chains' Jar of Flies – may seem like harmless exercises in Gen X nostalgia, but some artists are publicly denouncing what they see as their labels' blatant money-grab.

Read the story at rollingstone.com

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the la weekly has this fine mess, i picked a 'tame' cover, go check out the Top Ten, hope you had your lunch.....

The Ten Bloodiest Metal Album Covers [Gross, but not entirely NSFW]

By Jason Roche

​At Exhumed's Sunday night show absolutely nothing trendy, hip, or fashionable will be on display. Picking up where they left off after a five-year hiatus, the California deathgrind pioneers will headline at the Key Club in support of their comeback release All Guts, No Glory. That title should give you an idea of what we're talking about here.

Song names like "Your Funeral, My Feast" and "Through Cadaver Eyes" pretty much sum up Exhumed.

See their Top Ten at blogs.laweekly.com













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Casiokids New Album Due Oct 11

Norwegian-based group Casiokids have announced their new full-length release,' Aabenbaringen over aaskammen,' which is scheduled for release on October 11 via Polyvinyl. 'Aabenbaringen over aaskammen' ("The Revelation over the mountain") is the band's follow up to their critically acclaimed US singles collection 'Topp stemning på lokal bar '("Great vibe at local bar"), hailed by Pitchfork as "tropic and cosmic...an uncommonly ripened and grounded debut." The upcoming album features a collaboration with labelmates of Montreal and will be released on CD/MP3/LP (Limited Edition of 500 copies 180 Gram Blue Vinyl).








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Erasure Reveal Cover Art For New Release

Classic synthpop duo Erasure have revealed the artwork and tracklist for their first new album in four years, the nine-song 'Tomorrow’s World' which also will come packaged in a special deluxe edition with a second CD loaded with as-yet-undisclosed “remixes, demos and a bonus track.” The album’s artwork was designed by Tom Hingston using sculptures made by Kate MacDowell.

Tomorrow’s World, to be accompanied by a 25-date North American tour, arrives Oct. 3 in the UK and Oct. 4 in the US on CD and as a digital download. No word whether they will do a vinyl release, look for more news at a later date.

Tracklist:

1. “Be With You”
2. “Fill Us With Fire”
3. “What Will I Say When You’re Gone?”
4. “You’ve Got To Save Me Right Now”
5. “A Whole Lotta Love Run Riot”
6. “When I Start To (Break It All Down)”
7. “I Lose Myself”
8. “Then I Go Twisting”
9. “Just When I Thought It Was Ending”

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CONDEMNED Completes Work New Album

San Diego, California-based death metallers CONDEMNED are scheduled to release their second album, 'Realms Of The Ungodly' this coming November 8th on Unique Leader Records. According to a press release:

"This barbaric creation has taken huge steps ahead of their debut with more devastating brutality fused with dark visions of ancient evil, bestial figures and barren worlds of tormented spirits. CONDEMNED ravages through scores of enfeebled souls to bring to you the heaviest death metal release of the year. The [CD] was recorded by engineer Samur Khouja of Seahorse Sound Studios and mastered by Scott Hull of Visceral Sound Mastering, giving the final product a massive and high-quality sound. Phenomenal art concept created by the famous Jon Zig."

sounds cool









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FALLUJAH To Release New Album In November

Northern California's FALLUJAH is set to release its new album, 'The Harvest Wombs,' on November 22 on Unique Leader Records. According to their press release, the follow-up to 2009 s "Leper Colony" EP is "the apex of nearly two years of musical and ideological progression the band has hoped to achieve. Hailing from the musically and aesthetically vibrant San Francisco Bay Area, the band is finally prepared to make this release the quintessence of their sound. Recorded by Sam Pura at Panda Studios and mixed/mastered by Logan Bennet, 'The Harvest Wombs' is the largest leap forward for a band quickly developing and refining the sound of atmospheric death metal. Expect something fresh, complex, and thought-provoking."

cool, again....









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and in music history for August 5:

In 1957, American Bandstand first aired on US television. Dick Clark had replaced Bob Horn the previous year, when the show was still called Bandstand. The first record Clark played on the network debut show was "That'll Be the Day" by Buddy Holly and his first guests were the Chordettes. The smooth talking Clark hosted the show until 1989 when he was replaced by David Hirsch, but the show would be cancelled five months later. Countless acts appeared on the show over the years, including ABBA, The Doors, Talking Heads, Madonna, Otis Redding, R.E.M. and Pink Floyd.

"When I Grow Up to Be a Man" was recorded by the Beach Boys in 1964.

In 1967, Pink Floyd released their debut album, "The Piper At the Gates of Dawn", which would reach #6 in the UK. The LP did not contain the two singles released earlier in the year, "Arnold Layne" and "See Emily Play". It only managed to climb to #131 on The Billboard Hot 200 and took nearly 27 years to be certified Gold when it received the honor in March, 1994.

In 1968, American country guitarist Luther Perkins died at the age of 40 as a result of severe burns and smoke inhalation. Perkins fell asleep at home in his den with a cigarette in his hand. He was dragged from the fire unconscious with severe second and third degree burns. Perkins never regained consciousness. He worked with Johnny Cash and The Carter Family and featured on the live album At Folsom Prison.

In 1969, George Harrison had his new Moog synthesizer brought into the studio for The Beatles to use in finishing their forthcoming album Abbey Road.

Aerosmith signed to Columbia Records in 1972 by Clive Davis.

In 1975, the band that would become the Runaways was formed by Kim Fowley.

Stevie Wonder signed a $13 million contract with Motown in 1975, the largest contract to date.

The #1 single in the US in 1978 was "Miss You" by the Rolling Stones (1 week).

Def Leppard signed with Polygram in the UK in 1979.

In 1992, Jeff Porcaro, drummer from Toto, died at age 38. His death has been the subject of controversy: some say the attack was caused by an allergic reaction to garden pesticide, while others say Porcaro’s heart was weakened by smoking and cocaine use. Porcaro also worked with many other acts, including Sonny and Cher, Roger Waters, Eric Clapton, Paul McCartney, Steely Dan, Paul Simon and Boz Scaggs.

In 1993, Randy Hobbs, bassist for The McCoys on their 1965 hit, "Hang On Sloopy", passed away at the age of 45.

In 1999, music written by Johann Sebastian Bach was found in the Ukraine. The music was thought to have been destroyed over 50 years ago during World War II. The material was found in the musical estate of Carl Phillipp Emanuel Bach, who was on of J.S. Bach's children

In 2005, a report by 560 UK undertakers revealed that bereaved families preferred Pop songs to Hymns at funerals. "Wind Beneath My Wings" by Bette Midler was the most requested song, along with Robbie Williams "Angels", Whitney Houston's "I Will Always Love You" and Elton John's "Candle In The Wind". Among the most unusual songs played was Queen's "Another One Bites The Dust". my song choice? old man, by neil young

In 2009, plans for a free show to commemorate the 40th anniversary of the legendary Woodstock music festival were cancelled by Michael Lang, one of the original promoters. Lang told Rolling Stone magazine that the reason for the cancellation was "Money. No sponsors." they can never duplicate the original, so why try?

birthdays today include (among others) Rick Huxley (Dave Clark Five) (69), Pat Smear (Germs, Nirvana) (52), Adam Yauch (Beastie Boys) (47) and Rick Derringer (64)



has to be in my top ten favorite Lps of all time, these classic two to three minute songs are just peerless!

The Beatles album "Revolver" was released in the UK on this date in 1966.

Revolver was the seventh studio album by the the Beatles, released on 5 August 1966 on the Parlophone label and produced by George Martin. Many of the tracks on Revolver are marked by an electric guitar-rock sound, in contrast with their previous LP, the folk rock inspired Rubber Soul (1965).

In Britain, the fourteen tracks from Revolver were released to radio stations throughout July 1966, "building anticipation for what would clearly be a radical new phase in the group's recording career".

It reached number one on both the British chart and American chart and stayed at the top spot for seven weeks and six weeks, respectively. The album was remastered 9 September 2009 for the first time since its 1987 digital compact disc release. Placed at number 3 in the Rolling Stone magazine's list of the 500 greatest albums of all time, the album is often regarded as one of the greatest achievements in music history and one of The Beatles' greatest studio achievements.

The cover illustration was created by German-born bassist and artist Klaus Voormann, one of the Beatles' oldest friends from their days at the Star Club in Hamburg. Voormann's illustration, part line drawing and part collage, included photographs by Robert Whitaker, who also took the back cover photographs and many other images of the group between 1964 and 1966, such as the infamous "butcher cover" for Yesterday and Today. Voormann's own photo as well as his name (Klaus O. W. Voormann) is worked into Harrison's hair on the right-hand side of the cover. In the Revolver cover appearing in his artwork for Anthology 3, he replaced this image with a more recent photo. Harrison's Revolver image was seen again on his single release of "When We Was Fab" along with an updated version of the same image.

Side one

1. "Taxman" 2:39
2. "Eleanor Rigby" 2:08
3. "I'm Only Sleeping" 3:02
4. "Love You To" (Harrison) 3:01
5. "Here, There and Everywhere" 2:26
6. "Yellow Submarine" 2:40
7. "She Said She Said" 2:37

Side two

1. "Good Day Sunshine" 2:10
2. "And Your Bird Can Sing" 2:02
3. "For No One" 2:01
4. "Doctor Robert" 2:15
5. "I Want to Tell You" 2:30
6. "Got to Get You into My Life" 2:31
7. "Tomorrow Never Knows" 2:57

Notable Achievements:

In 2000 Q magazine placed it at number 1 in its list of the 100 Greatest British Albums Ever. The same magazine's readers placed it at number 4 of greatest albums of all time in 2006.

In 2001 the TV network VH1 named it the number 1 greatest album of all time

In 2002, the readers of Rolling Stone ranked the album the greatest of all time.

In 2006, the album was chosen by Time magazine as one of the 100 best albums of all time

Vinyl Record News & Music Notes

Blink-182 Reveal Album Art

The album cover artwork for Blink-182's 'Neighborhoods' - which will be the band's sixth studio album and their first new LP since 2003- has has been revealed. The black and white cover depicts the band logo set against a bird's eye illustration of a neighborhood. The LP is due out on September 27

They have yet to reveal its tracklist, however, lead vocalist/guitarist Tom DeLonge has been quoted in a Sun Chronicle interview as saying that the music in the much-anticipated Neighborhoods will "mix the familiar and the new."














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striking album cover art:

GOTTHARD To Release 'Homegrown - Alive In Lugano' In September

Swiss hard rockers GOTTHARD will release a live album entitled "Homegrown - Alive In Lugano" on September 30 via Nuclear Blast Records. On September 2, a previously unreleased track entitled "The Train", featuring the band's late singer Steve Lee on vocals, will be made available.

"Homegrown - Alive In Lugano" contains a live recording of GOTTHARD's July 17, 2010 concert in Lugano, which turned out to be one of the band's last performances with Lee.

Steve was killed on October 5, 2010 in what has been described as a freak road accident in Nevada. Due to Lee's sudden passing, the CD's release was postponed — until now.

Read more at Blabbermouth  









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Hull Announces New Album

New York's Hull has recently revealed the band's latest album 'Beyond The Lightless Sky.' The effort will be released on October 11th, 2011 via The End Records.

Tracklist:

1. Earth From Water
2. Just A Trace of Early Dawn
3. Beyond The Lightless Sky
4. Curling Winds
5. Fire Vein
6. Wake The Heavens, Reveal The Sun
7. False Priest
8. A Light That Shone From Aside The Sea
9. In Death, Truth








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My Morning Jacket to Release Live Box Set?

Bryan Wawzenek

Earlier this year, My Morning Jacket played their first five studio albums in concert – performing one each night at New York City’s Terminal 5. Now, following the release of their new album, Circuital, the Kentucky band is considering releasing recordings from those shows. They might collect the performances in a vinyl box set or out them out in a digital format.

Read more at Gibson.com

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Jack White, Bob Dylan Record ‘Lost’ Hank Williams Songs

Russell Hall

Bob Dylan and Jack White are among the A-list artists who’ve contributed to a collection of previously unheard songs by country legend Hank Williams. The set, titled The Lost Notebooks of Hank Williams, also features Sheryl Crow, Norah Jones, Levon Helm and Jakob Dylan, among others.

As the album’s title implies, the songs on the disc were crafted from notes found in a leather briefcase that had belonged to Williams, following the country star’s death. Song ideas and lyrics found in the briefcase have been fleshed out by the 13 artists featured on the new album.

Read more and get the tracklist at Gibson.com

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cool cover art!

Steve Hackett New Album Details

InsideOut Music have scheduled a September 27th release date for Steve Hackett's new album called 'Beyond the Shrouded Horizon.'

This eagerly awaited new album follows hot on the heels of the tremendous success of his previous opus 'Out Of The Tunnel's Mouth' which until now has been heralded as his strongest work.

'Beyond The Shrouded Horizon' is a deeply profound and mystical, yet heartfelt and spellbinding, progressive rock record which will seduce the listener. It marks another step on the enthralling journey we are taking with Hackett as he makes sense of his life through music.

Available as: 2 CD set with six previously unreleased tracks / 180g vinyl gatefold LP (including digital download) / digital album

Tracklist:

1. Loch Lomond
2. The Phoenix Flown
3. Wanderlust
4. Til These Eyes
5. Prairie Angel
6. A Place Called Freedom
7. Between The Sunset And The Coconut Palms
8. Waking To Life
9. Two Faces Of Cairo
10. Looking For Fantasy
11. Summer's Breath
12. Catwalk
13. Turn This Island Earth


Bonus CD (Limited Special Edition only)
1. Four Winds: North
2. Four Winds: South
3. Four Winds: East
4. Four Winds: West
5. Pieds En L'Air
6. She Said Maybe
7. Enter The Night
8. Eruption: Tommy
9. Reconditioned Nightmare

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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE AUGUST 4, 2011

GAINING NOTAR-IETY:    COMBINING HIP-HOP, ROCK N’ ROLL, AND RAP RISING SUPERSTAR NOTAR SET TO RELEASE HIGHLY ANTICIPATED DEBUT LP “DEVIL’S PLAYGROUND” SEPTEMBER 13TH ON TYRANNOSAURUS RECORDS WITH

DISTRIBUTION BY MEGAFORCE RECORDS

SELF-TITLED EP OUT LAST YEAR TO WIDESPREAD ACCLAIM

When you start a label you’re responsible for the hopes and dreams of the artists you sign…we are here to help our artists create great music and navigate the treacherous waters of the music business…”    --- Adam Duritz, founder-Tyrannosaurus Records, Counting Crows

“Not pure hip-hop, nor rap-rock, but a musical cornucopia of the aforementioned along with elements of funk and radio-friendly pop hooks, the debut EP from NOTAR is the first indication that what we're hearing isn't just another EP, but the groundwork for what just may become one of the biggest cross-over success stories of 2011.”  --- Kik Axe Music

“Being a rapper in the game today is challenging for any newcomer… The only thing that separates predator from prey is skills, and New York based lyrical alchemist, NOTAR, has a surplus big enough to fill an aircraft hangar.”  --- Unrated NYC

Tyrannosaurus Records’ artist, NOTAR, a rapper, musician and producer whose talent defies description, has announced the release date of his eagerly awaited debut full-length CD, Devil’s Playground, as September 13, 2011. Devil’s Playground follows NOTAR’s self-titled 2010 EP, which garnered much attention from press and fans alike. Counting Crows’ Adam Duritz who discovered and signed NOTAR to his label, Tyrannosaurus Records, found NOTAR’s “words so clear, so lucid, and so brilliant” that he knew he had no choice but to work with the gritty genre defying performer.

Last year’s self-titled EP received rave reviews from the press. Revolt Media Magazine claimed, “Variety can be a strong suit of any artist, and NOTAR shows precise mastery of this on his EP,” while The Cutting Edge Culture stated, “NOTAR pushes boundaries with a refreshing, honest sound.” Says Duritz, “My favorite thing about the EP is that we left some of his best tracks off. NOTAR has enough good songs in him that we left some of my favorites off the EP and it was still great. Think of it as a ‘virtual Side 1.’ With Devil’s Playground, you’ll hear Side 2.”

On Devil’s Playground, NOTAR pushes the boundaries of hip-hop music, unafraid to blend rock, funk, and pop, with his roots in jazz and formal training as a trumpet player. NOTAR adds, “ When your father, who has sat in with legends like Maynard Ferguson and Chicago, is listening to Earth Wind & Fire in one room and your older sister to Slick Rick in another room, I realized that music comes in all different form and sounds, so I was inspired to combine as many as I could into my interpretation of music.” His music inhabits a spot where the gutter meets the church choir, where harsh, raw beats settle nicely behind gritty hook-driven rock melodies. And above all, his instinct for emotionally honest lyricism and diverse flows radiates throughout the album. “I like cutting up a beat eight different ways so it doesn’t become boring,” says NOTAR.

During the summer of 2010, NOTAR joined Counting Crows and Augustana, among other artists, on the “The Traveling Circus and Medicine Show,” performing for hundreds of thousands of fans during the 25-city tour. Rather than a traditional show format, the Traveling Circus took a communal approach with all of the musicians onstage together at the very beginning of the show, performing covers such as Van Morrison’s “Caravan,” Bob Dylan’s “Just Like A Woman,” or The Rolling Stones’ “Sweet Virginia.” With a revolving potpourri of musicians taking turns playing original songs and joined by the other featured artists, Duritz served as the ‘ringmaster’ of the evening. NOTAR dominated the stage with his unmatched energy, and as Duritz told an interviewer, “I can’t keep guys off the stage when he’s playing.

"Everybody wants to play with him.”

Devil’s Playground was produced by NOTAR, Grammy winner, Ken Lewis (Kayne West, Beastie Boys, Usher), hip-hop producer MGeezy (Wyclef Jean, T-Pain), and Kevin Augsburg, an up and comer out of Brooklyn, New York. The album consists of 13 songs, written and performed by NOTAR and features such talent as Young Cash, Chris Carrabba of Dashboard Confessional and Adam Duritz. Tour plans will be announced at a later date.

www.NOTARnyc.com

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"U2's Daring Descent Into Darkness" -Robert Hilburn, LA Times

20 YEARS OF ACHTUNG BABY

Anniversary Edition - Previously Unreleased Songs and New Documentary

LOS ANGELES, Aug. 4, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- Twenty years ago, Bono described Achtung Baby as "the sound of four men chopping down The Joshua Tree" while Jon Pareles of The New York Times wrote that "stripped-down and defying its old formulas, U2 has given itself a fighting chance for the 1990's." The album won a Grammy® Award for Best Rock Performance and became one of the most significant records of the nineties and of U2's career.

To mark twenty years since its 1991 release, an anniversary edition of U2's Achtung Baby is due on November 1, 2011, in the United States (internationally, October 31, 2011).

Recorded over six months at Hansa Studio in Berlin and Windmill Lane in Dublin, Achtung Baby is U2's seventh studio album. Produced by longtime U2 collaborators, Daniel Lanois and Brian Eno with Steve Lillywhite, Achtung Baby was engineered by Flood and led by "The Fly." The album spawned four other singles: "Mysterious Ways," "One," "Even Better Than The Real Thing" and "Who's Gonna Ride Your Wild Horses."

The Achtung Baby archives have unearthed some previously unreleased songs from the recording sessions. With a raft of unreleased material, video, remixes, b-sides and documentary footage discovered, a full album of demo and early versions of the final 1991 tracklisting has also been revealed. Five physical editions including vinyl, CD, DVD and digital options will be made available. Full details of all formats are at achtungbaby.u2.com.

Earlier this year U2 returned to Hansa Studio in Berlin to discuss Achtung Baby in From The Sky Down, directed by Academy Award®-winning director Davis Guggenheim (Waiting for Superman, An Inconvenient Truth). The film has been selected to open the Toronto International Film Festival on September 8 and will be included in the anniversary edition.

SOURCE Universal Music Enterprises

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LIONSGATE PARTNERS WITH UNIVERSAL REPUBLIC RECORDS TO RELEASE DYNAMIC NEW MUSIC COLLECTION FOR THE HUNGER GAMES

SANTA MONICA, Calif., Aug. 3, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- LIONSGATE® (NYSE: LGF), a leading global entertainment company, together with Universal Republic today announced a sweeping partnership on the soundtrack to the highly anticipated Lionsgate motion picture event THE HUNGER GAMES, which will be in theaters everywhere on March 23, 2012.

Unlike typical soundtracks, this collection will not only include music being recorded by major artists for inclusion in the film, but a series of companion recordings that will feature new songs directly influenced by the themes and subject matter of THE HUNGER GAMES, all recorded by some of music's most successful and acclaimed artists.

Said Lionsgate's Head of Music Tracy McKnight, "We are absolutely thrilled to be joining forces with Universal Republic. There is a tremendous opportunity for us to draw from so many different musical genres with this soundtrack. The setting for THE HUNGER GAMES ranges from what could be perceived as the rural Southern part of the U.S. all the way to the most advanced metropolis imaginable, and it all takes place in a vividly imagined future. The list of artists that could participate, and the opportunities for them to write and record, are really unlimited."

The film's Executive Music Producer and co-composer T Bone Burnett will produce many of these recordings, and will oversee all production. It was previously announced that Burnett will be collaborating with composer Danny Elfman on the film's score, which will also be released by Universal Republic.

"THE HUNGER GAMES is a highly imaginative and thrilling narrative that combines edginess, raw emotion and themes of freedom," stated Monte Lipman, President and CEO of Universal Republic Records. "And these are the same qualities we will be considering as we start building this innovative new music collection. We are not only looking for great music, but a diverse array of music that speaks to the universal themes of the movie."

The deal was negotiated for Lionsgate by Lenny Wohl, EVP Music Business Affairs, and by Universal Republic's head of Business Affairs Michael Seltzer.

About The Hunger Games

Every year in the ruins of what was once North America, the nation of Panem forces each of its twelve districts to send a teenage boy and girl to compete in the Hunger Games. Part twisted entertainment, part government intimidation tactic, the Hunger Games are a nationally televised event in which "Tributes" must fight with one another until one survivor remains. Pitted against highly-trained Tributes who have prepared for these Games their entire lives, Katniss is forced to rely upon her sharp instincts as well as the mentorship of drunken former victor Haymitch Abernathy. If she's ever to return home to District 12, Katniss must make impossible choices in the arena that weigh survival against humanity and life against love. THE HUNGER GAMES is directed by Gary Ross, and produced by Nina Jacobson's Color Force in tandem with producer Jon Kilik. Suzanne Collins' best-selling novel, which has over 3 million copies in print in the United States alone, is the first in a trilogy of novels which have developed a global following.

The film will be released on March 23, 2012.

About Universal Republic Records

A division of Universal Music Group, the world's leading music company, Universal Republic is home to a diverse array of superstar artists such as Enrique Iglesias, Florence + the Machine, 3 Doors Down, Colbie Caillat, Eddie Vedder, Godsmack, Hinder, Owl City, The Rolling Stones, The Voice (Javier Colon, Dia Frampton), among many others.

It is also comprised of innovative imprints and digital business ventures such as Republic Nashville Records (The Band Perry), and is in partnerships with Aware Records (Mat Kearney), Big Machine(Taylor Swift), Brushfire(Jack Johnson, G Love), Cash Money(Lil Wayne, Drake, Nicki Minaj) Lava Records(Jesse J, Black Veil Brides), SRC(Akon, Melanie Fiona, Shontelle), Tuff Gong(Damien Marley, Stephen Marley) among others.

About Lionsgate

Lionsgate is a leading global entertainment company with a strong and diversified presence in motion picture production and distribution, television programming and syndication, home entertainment, family entertainment, digital distribution and new channel platforms. The Company has built a strong television presence in production of prime time cable and broadcast network series, distribution and syndication of programming through Debmar-Mercury and an array of channel assets. Lionsgate currently has 15 shows on more than 10 networks spanning its prime time production, distribution and syndication businesses, including such critically-acclaimed hits as "Mad Men", "Weeds" and "Nurse Jackie" along with the comedy "Blue Mountain State, " the upcoming drama "Boss" and the syndication successes "Tyler Perry's House Of Payne", its spinoff "Meet The Browns", the upcoming "For Better or Worse," "The Wendy Williams Show" and "Are We There Yet?".

Its feature film business has generated more than half a billion dollars at the North American box office in the past year, fueled by such successes as THE LINCOLN LAWYER, TYLER PERRY'S MADEA'S BIG HAPPY FAMILY, THE EXPENDABLES, which was #1 at the North American box office for two weeks, THE LAST EXORCISM, TYLER PERRY'S WHY DID I GET MARRIED TOO?, KICK ASS and the critically-acclaimed PRECIOUS, which won two Academy Awards®. The Company's home entertainment business has grown to more than 8% market share and is an industry leader in box office-to-DVD and box office-to-VOD revenue conversion rate. Lionsgate handles a prestigious and prolific library of approximately 13,000 motion picture and television titles that is an important source of recurring revenue and serves as the foundation for the growth of the Company's core businesses. The Lionsgate brand remains synonymous with original, daring, quality entertainment in markets around the world.

SOURCE Lionsgate

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for those who have these devices, here's a new app, although nothing beats holding a cardboard album cover!

Rdio Launches Highly Anticipated iPad App

Social music service reaffirms its commitment to music everywhere by bringing their unique, intuitive and sleek design to Apple's groundbreaking device


SAN FRANCISCO, Aug. 4, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- Rdio, the unlimited, on-demand social music service from the creators of Skype, today announced the availability of Rdio for iPad. Like the company's popular iPhone app, Rdio for iPad lets users discover music through friends and other influencers as well as search for and instantly play any song, artist, album or playlist from a growing catalog of over 10 million songs. The new app fully utilizes the iPad's expansive screen and intuitive touch interface, turning listening to music into a highly visual, social and interactive experience. This uniquely designed iPad app joins a growing collection of Rdio supported devices and platforms that let users sync music seamlessly across devices and easily pick up their listening experience wherever they've left off.

"With Rdio for iPad you can sit back and casually thumb through the world's collection of music to explore new and old favorites in a stunning and sleek manner," said Malthe Sigurdsson, VP of Product Design at Rdio. "Rdio is focused on design and access across platforms and we were meticulous with every aspect of our iPad app as it is our most requested and anticipated platform to date. Albums flip over to reveal track listings, transitions between portrait and landscape orientations are gorgeously animated, and controls and lists are cleverly laid out to show off album art in high definition."

Rdio for iPad takes advantage of the device's glossy widescreen, bringing album cover art to life in both display modes, with a clean layout and intuitive user experience. The app includes all the features of Rdio's widely praised iPhone app in a format designed specifically for the iPad, including:

•Activity - Follow the recent activity of other Rdio users, including friends, recording artists, and influencers whose music taste you appreciate

•Offline access – Sync your music collection including songs, albums and playlists to your mobile devices for listening while you're not connected to a 3G or wireless network

•User profiles – Discover new music through other Rdio users by exploring their music collections, playlists, listening history and more

•Top charts and heavy rotation – Just want to know what's new and buzzing in music? Check out top charts to see what's popular on Rdio and what's in heavy rotation among the people you follow

•New Releases – Be the first to listen to new albums and singles on the day they are released

•Artist Radio and Recommendations – Play a stream of continuous music similar to an artist or receive recommendations based on your listening history

•And much, much more – Listen to and collaborate on playlists, find and follow friends and influencers, access your web queue, listening history and more

Pricing

Rdio for iPad is a free download from the iTunes App Store. After a 7-day free trial, users can subscribe to Rdio Unlimited for $9.99/month at rdio.com or $14.99/month if subscribed through Apple's in-app purchasing system. Rdio Unlimited includes access via Web, Mac/Windows desktop clients, Roku, Sonos, Pioneer AppRadio, iPad and all major mobile platforms plus the ability to sync for offline listening. Rdio Web is also available for $4.99/month (Web & Mac/Windows desktop clients). Rdio for iPad is available now from the App Store or at itunes.com/appstore

About Rdio

Rdio is an unlimited, on-demand social music service that brings music alive by letting subscribers listen to as many songs as they want, anytime, anywhere, and discover and share new music with friends.

Rdio subscribers build and share their online music collections from a catalogue of over 10 million songs and can check out the listening activity, collections and playlists of other users and influencers as well as see what's in heavy rotation in their network, top charts, and newly released albums. Subscribers can access Rdio on a variety of platforms including web, Mac and Windows desktop clients, mobile phone applications for iPhone, Android, BlackBerry and Windows Phone 7, iPad, in-home devices like Sonos and Roku and in the car on Pioneer AppRadio. Rdio was founded by Janus Friis, one of the founders of Skype and is funded by Atomico, Janus Friis through his investment entities, Mangrove Capital Partners and Skype. For more information please visit www.rdio.com

SOURCE Rdio

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GRIMEY'S BEST SELLERS 7/25 - 7/31, 2011

Top 25 Vinyl:

1. Bon Iver - Bon Iver
2. Diarrhea Planet - Yama-Uba 7"
3. Fleet Foxes - Helplessness Blues
4. Wilco - I Might 7"
5. Mumford & Sons - Sigh No More
6. The Avett Brothers - Emotionalism
7. Beastie Boys - Hot Sauce Committee Part 2
8. Polvo - Heavy Detour 7"
9. The Strokes - Taken For A Fool 7"
10. Mellowhype - Blackenedwhite
11. Eddie Vedder - Ukulele Songs
12. Dawes - Nothing Is Wrong
13. Radiohead - Supercollider 12"
14. The National - Boxer
15. Ryan Adams - Heartbreaker
16. Radiohead - OK Computer
17. Radiohead - King Of Limbs
18. Pentagram - First Daze Here
19. JEFF The Brotherhood - We Are The Champions
20. My Morning Jacket - Circuital
21. The Ettes - No Home 7"
22. The Features - Rambo 7"
23. Queens Of The Stone Age - Queens Of The Stone Age
24. Elliott Smith - Either/Or
25. John Coltrane - A Love Supreme

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and in music history for August 4th:

In 1956, the Platters score their third US top ten hit when "My Prayer" went to #1. The song was originally a French tune written by Georges Boulanger called "Avant de Mourir" that had English lyrics added in 1939.

In 1957, the Everly Brothers made their second appearance on the Ed Sullivan Show and introduced their upcoming single, "Wake Up Little Susie" and the song "Bye Bye Love."

In 1958, Billboard Magazine introduced its "Hot 100" chart, which was part popularity and a barometer of the movement of potential hits. The first number one song was Ricky Nelson's "Poor Little Fool."

In 1963, the Beatles appear on the US record charts for the first time as "From Me To You" debuts at #116.

In 1966, John Lennon's comment that the Beatles were "more popular than Jesus Christ" was re-printed in an American teen magazine called Datebook and was widely reported in North America. The statement, made to London Evening Standard journalist Maureen Cleave several months earlier, caused a public outcry in the US and led to mass destruction of Beatle records. Thirty five radio stations banned all Beatles songs and even the Ku Klux Klan made threats against the group. What Lennon actually said was "Christianity will go. It will go. It will vanish and shrink. I needn't argue about that, I'm right and I will be proved right. We're more popular than Jesus Christ now; I don't know which will go first - rock 'n roll or Christianity. Jesus was all right, but his disciples were thick and ordinary. It's them twisting it that ruins it for me."



In 1967, a female Monkees fan stowed away on the bands plane between shows in Minneapolis and St Louis. The girl's father threatened to bring charges for transporting a minor across state lines.

Louis Armstrong, singer, bandleader, trumpeter died on July 6th, 1971 (born in 1901).

In 1973, Maureen McGovern started a two-week run at #1 on the U.S. singles chart with the insipid “The Morning After.”

Paul Simon's "Love Me Like A Rock" was released in 1974.



In 1975, Led Zeppelin singer Robert Plant and his wife were both badly injured when the hired car he was driving spun off the road and crashed on the Greek island of Rhodes. Plant smashed both his ankle and his elbow, and was not fully fit for the best part of two years. A forthcoming North American Led Zeppelin tour had to be cancelled.

In 1980, after a five year hiatus, John Lennon and Yoko Ono begin recording their album "Double Fantasy" at New York's Hit Factory Studio. The LP would go to number one in the US after its release in November, less than a month before Lennon was gunned down outside his New York apartment. "Double Fantasy" received the 1981 Grammy Award for Album of the Year.

The soundtrack "Dirty Dancing" was released in 1987.

Prince started a 24-week run at the top of the US album charts with Purple Rain in 1984. It went on to sell more than 10 million copies.

Mariah Carey's started a four week run at #1 on the US singles chart in 1990 with "Vision Of Love," which was her debut release.

In 2002, Bruce Springsteen scored his fifth US #1 album with 'The Rising' (which also hit #1 in the UK).

In 2005, American blues singer and guitarist Little Milton died. Milton had suffered a brain aneurysm on 25th July 2005 and had lapsed into a coma. He signed to Sun records in 1953 and had the 1965 US #25 single "We're Gonna Make It."

Also in 2005 - The iTunes Music Store in Japan officially opened with one million songs available.

In 2007, singer-songwriter Lee Hazlewood died of cancer, in his home near Las Vegas at age 78. Hazlewood wrote and produced many of Nancy Sinatra’s most famous hits, including “These Boots Were

Made for Walkin’,” “Jackson” and “Did You Ever?” He also produced Duane Eddy and Gram Parsons as well as “Something Stupid” – the duet Nancy recorded with her father Frank in 1967.

Born on this day in 1940, Larry Knechtel of the soft-rock group Bread. He died on Dec 24, 2009.

The iTunes Music Store was officially launched in Mexico in 2009.

birthday wishes to (among others): Klaus Schulze of Tangerine Dream (1947), Sam Yaffa from Hanoi Rocks (1963) and Max Cavalera of Sepultura (1969)

Ask Mr. Music by Jerry Osborne

FOR THE WEEK OF AUGUST 1, 2011


DEAR JERRY: A satellite station played “Open the Door, Richard,” first by Dusty Fletcher then by several other artists. Each one was a little different.

How many different versions are there? I am confident you can solve this mystery.
—Diane in Milwaukee


DEAR DIANE: There is no mystery here, it's just a matter of research. Lots of research.

Originally scripted in the 1920s by Clinton “Dusty” Fletcher for an Amos & Andy style vaudeville routine, this novelty first made its way to phonograph records in January 1947.

Yes, every “Open the Door, Richard” differs from all the others. Most feature a jive-talk narrative about a fellow who, after too much time at the saloon, arrives home only to find he forgot his door key.

No problem, he thinks, he'll just stand outside and call out to his roommate, Richard, to open the door! This is where the shenanigans begin.

The first three versions came out in January:

1. “Open the Door, Richard! - Parts 1 & 2” By the Originator, “Dusty” Fletcher with Jimmy Jones and His Band (National 4012).

National must have anticipated cover versions, as they added “By the Originator” to the credit line.

Fletcher's is one of the few extended versions. His yarn runs for six minutes and is split into two parts.

2. Jack McVea and His All Stars (Black & White 792). This is the track heard in the 1997 “Lolita” film soundtrack.

In just two weeks, McVea and Fletcher both ranked on Billboard's Top 5 Most-Played Juke Box Race Records.

Seemingly overnight, “open the door, Richard” became a social and media catch phrase. The press even called it “Richardmania.”

Riding the “Richard” wave, Jack McVea immediately changed his band's name from All Stars to His Door Openers.

Even with “Richard” still high on the charts, Black & White announced McVea's two sequels: “The Key's in the Mailbox” and “Richard Gets Hitched,” both sides of B&W 828.

Routines referencing “Open the Door, Richard” appeared on more radio comedy skits than any song ever!

“Open the Door, Richard” is shattering all records for number of plugs on top commercial radio programs. Richard has opened the door to innumerable script conferences and has wound up as a gag bit in programs such as: Jack Benny; Fred Allen; Fibber McGee & Molly; Phil Harris; Henry Morgan; and Bing Crosby. As of January 29th, more than 500,000 copies had been shipped,” reported Billboard on February 1.

A month later, they updated the figures: “McVea's “Open the Door, Richard” [alone] is reportedly past the 500,000 mark and still going strong. “The Key's in the Mailbox” is expected to boost sales beyond 200,000, according to B&W.”

Comedian Steppin Fetchit countered with a sequel of his own, “Richard's Answer, Parts 1 and 2” (Apollo 1042), as did Gay Crosse: “The Door Is Wide Open” (Mercury 8034).

Two others came out in January:
3. Bill Samuels and the Cats 'n Jammer Three (Vocal By Sylvester Hickman) (Mercury 8029).
4. Dick Peterson and the Vocal Yokels (Enterprise 253).

During February, 11 more versions joined the horde:
5. Columbia: Charioteers (37240).
6. Columbia: Three Flames (Vocal by “Tiger” Haynes with guitar, bass and piano acc.) (37268).
7. RCA Victor: Count Basie and His Orchestra (Vocal Refrain by Harry Edison & Bill Johnson) (20-2127).
8. Decca: Louis Jordan & His Tympany Five (23841).
9. Capitol: Pied Pipers (Capitol 369).
10. Majestic: Merry Macs (With Orchestra Directed by Sonny Burke) (Majestic 1112).

The Pied Pipers completely recast the narrative, replacing the jive references to whiskey and women with a more milquetoast storyline.

Also not wanting to offend lords and ladies, the Merry Macs took a different approach and eliminated nearly all of the narrative. Unlike all others, their track features a female (Marjory Garland) lead singer.

11. Continental: Bill Osborne and His Heptette (C-6042).
12. Empey: Tosh “One String Willie” and His Jivesters (103).
13. King: Hank Penny (2279).
14. Manor: Big Sid Catlett Orchestra (1058).
15. Walter Brown with Tiny Grimes Sextet (Signature 1006).

Just as Dusty Fletcher did with the original “Open the Door, Richard,” this lengthy treatise is being presented in two parts.

Next week we will hear Richard's side of the story, and analyze why one version was first banned by radio stations, and then publicaly recalled by the record company itself. See you on the flip side!


IZ ZAT SO? More than 30 years before the flood of Elvis impersonators arrived, a fellow using the stage name Jack McRae built an act around Jack McVea's “Open the Door, Richard.”

McRae foolishly billed himself as the song's “originator and author,” which led to litigation, an injunction, and eventually the door closing on his ruse.

Jerry Osborne answers as many questions as possible through this column. Write Jerry at: Box 255, Port Townsend, WA 98368 E-mail: jpo@olympus.net   Visit his Web site: www.jerryosborne.com

All values quoted in this column are for near-mint condition.

Copyright 2011 Osborne Enterprises- Reprinted By Exclusive Permission