Michael Fremer Album Review

The double Rhino 180g LP set adds another level of sonic greatness!

Smile
(new release)

Brian Wilson

Brimel/Rhino R1 76582, 2 180g LPs/ Nonesuch 79846-2 HDCD
Produced by: Brian Wilson
Engineered by: Mark Linett
Mixed by: Mark Linett
Mastered by: Don Grossinger (LP) at Masterdisk/ Bob Ludwig (CD) at Gateway Mastering

MUSIC

SOUND






Wilson's Smile Delivers Even Better Vibrations on Vinyl!

by Michael Fremer


LP mastering engineer Don Grossinger brought over two LP editions of Smile last week, test pressings from RTI used for the domestic Rhino release and a set from Pallas in Germany for the European market. Grossinger cut identical lacquers for both.

First of all, as Bob Ludwig predicted, the LPs, cut from an analog tape copy of the 88.2K original (see story) add another octave of high frequency extension compared to the CD, and the result is a far more natural and organic sound to the production. Soundstaging is far more open and expansive and for the first time, you can actually "sense" and "see" Wilson's head and mouth. Transients are far cleaner, faster and more transparent, and the level of sonic excitement is greatly heightened.

The double set is exquisitely packaged, with a blue foil insert of "Smile" logo and embossed picture frame effect on the front and rear of the double truck gatefold packaging.

RTI's pressing was tighter and better defined in the bass, while the Pallas pressing offered a wider, arc-shaped soundstage, with greater transient speed and clarity and an overall more pristine-sounding picture. Either version will do, believe me! Now back to the original review, written before the LP was released:

How this long awaited project finally came to be is well covered in the articles and interviews found elsewhere on this website. You should read that first. It won't prepare you for what's been produced on this disc, but it puts into focus the enormity of the accomplishment and lets the reviewer off the hook.

Re-creating any failed musical project almost 30 years after the fact, however pure the motives, is almost an impossibility, especially this one given the fragility of the composer involved. Even were Lennon and Harrison still available to perform on it, imagine trying to “finish” Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band had some songs not been recorded, by re-recording the entire song cycle, and making it sound convincing and credible.

That was the level of the challenge facing the participants. “Good Vibrations,” went beyond familiar-it was iconic. Other songs such as “Surf's Up” and “Heroes And Villains “ were also burned into the synapses of millions of Wilson fans. Fans lucky enough to buy 20-20 when it was issued heard original Smile session performances of “Our Prayer” and “Cabin Essence.”

Over the years Smile had acquired a life of its own. Bootlegs stitched together forensic versions of what fans thought Wilson intended, and articles surmised what it might have sounded like. Now we know much of what Brian had in mind, not just in form, but in spirit. Fear not a “Good Vibrations” that compares to the familiar #1 single the way Ringo's summer tour “Help From My Friends” compares to the original.

Even Brian partisans recognized a brittleness permeating his “comeback” music making. It's not here, which is a good thing, because this music requires suppleness and flow. And it requires effective vocalizing, which the Beach Boys certainly were capable of delivering. The singing here is actually better in most ways compared to The Beach Boys-especially whoever's covering for Mike Love's parts. Love wasn't into this phase of Wilson's music-making and he detested Van Dyke Parks's lyrics, which he didn't understand. Who does? Not that it matters. Parks's lyrical impressionism worked brilliantly during the '60s. His dazzling ephemeral word-pictures, depicting an optimistic, sunny Americana, are even more effectively now as both a tonic and as nostalgia. Wilson's vocals rise to the occasion as well. You can sense Wilson casting off decades old cobwebs as he swims toward the musical light.

The finished Smile is an ambitious celebration of a once bright and optimistic America and of the power of the unfettered human voice. It opens with a series of rich cascading a-capella grooves that bathe the listener in golden honey, in preparation for what's to come. For listeners used to today's “modern” dynamically compressed, bright and etchy recordings, the immediacy, power, transparency and richness of Mark Linett's production will be truly startling-even listening on computer speakers. This is one musical package not worth owning as a downloaded MP3 file. In fact, the vocals were recorded using a vacuum tube driven board identical to the one used by The Beach Boys throughout the 1960's.

The familiar “Heroes and Villains” comes first, and the performance and production immediately erase any doubts about the viability of the project. The singing is remarkably strong, losing nothing to the original. The production and sound quality, while somewhat “ultra-clean” and harmonically restrained for my tastes, is still leagues beyond what passes for “modern sound” today.

The sound is coherent and full-bodied, with uncommonly well-focused three dimensional images on an expansive soundstage few modern pop records deliver. That's true in part because Wilson chose to record master tracks with everyone playing live-including strings and horns according to David Leaf's annotation-and in the same Sunset Sound Studio One (with original echo chamber intact) used for the original “Good Vibrations” and “Heroes and Villains.”

Listening to “Cabin Essence,” you hear in one song what High Llamas's Sean O'Hagan turned into an entire and rich musical career-and that's not meant to slight O'Hagan.

By the time the song cycle reaches “Surf's Up,” the listener has been elevated to heights of musical and sonic ecstasy few contemporary records are capable of producing. More musical riches follow including “Vega-tables,” “Wind Chimes,” “In Blue Hawaii,” and finally wrapping up with “Good Vibrations.”

Wilson's original plan included a trip through American musical time. 30 years later, an additional layer of time does nothing to diminish the brilliance and audacity of the concept and of Wilson's musical growth while still a young man. If early Beach Boys was about sand, surf and car-centric Southern California in the early '60s, Smile is about growing up and reaching back to find America's rich musical heritage. With the teen musical constraints dropped, Wilson's musical influences become more pronounced: the vocal harmonies of The Four Freshman, perhaps the melodies of Stephen Foster, and definitely the grand sweep of George Gershwin.

The musical mix of strings, horns, fanciful sound effects, pounding tympani, and complex vocal harmonies-gracefully takes flight thanks to Wilson's extraordinary arranging gifts-his soaring, swooping palette of colors and textures, his use of unexpected silences, and his ability to construct segue ways and bridges that create musical updrafts lifting the listener ever higher.

The endless possibilities promised in the mid- 60's and embodied in Wilson's Smilehave given way to a grimmer 21st Century, but this newly minted time capsule is a gift that reminds us of what was, and perhaps what still could be. If you buy one disc this year, make it this one.

Editor's note: I may have already told you this story, but I'll repeat it: back in the mid-80's a friend of mine was Brian Wilson's doctor for a short time. He was not a fan, and was not much into music, period. One day he called and asked if I'd like to meet Wilson-as a goof. I was taken aback by his attitude, but glad to have the opportunity.

He drove me into the Sunset Blvd. hills off the coast to a nice home in which I found a grossly obese Brian Wilson, wearing some kind of diaper. There was an adult size high chair with a tray covered in cigarette burns. Wilson was smoking, lighting one cigarette after another and forgetting the one he'd just lit.

While my friend discussed Wilson's condition and his medication regimen with the full time nurse, I tried talking with him, but it was difficult. His mouth was peculiarly twisted, and his voice was guttural and sandpapery. He spoke in short outbursts as if he was communicating from far away, which, being heavily medicated, he obviously was.

At one point he left the room and came back with a stack of LPs-not in jackets. He flipped through them telling me what each was-some jazz, some gospel, some rock-and apologizing that he couldn't play any of them because his record player was broken.

Brian Wilson with a broken record player and no one could take the time to fix it or get him a new one? How sick is that? “Maybe I can fix it for you!” I exclaimed. A warm flush came over me as I thought of the implications of being able to add music to Brian Wilson's day! He looked at me in anticipation with a puppy face as he led me to the cabinet in which I found a Dual 1209 or perhaps one model down, in mid-cycle-the arm hanging in the air.

A closer inspection showed a cantilever bent at a right angle midway down the shaft. I popped out the headshell, disconnected the wires, and took the 'table down from the shelf. Freeing up the changer's cam mechanism was easy. A shot of petroleum jelly in the cam's pathways, plus a bit of bending and straightening got the mechanism working perfectly. Wilson's nurse supplied a pair of tweezers and I set about working on the cantilever, which would either get straight, or break off. I've been there before! Luckily, it straightened out almost perfectly. I reinstalled, set the tracking force and anti-skating and put one of the records on the spindle. I pushed play, it dropped and soon I had added music to Brian Wilson's life! As soon as the first note hit, he closed his eyes and began rocking back and forth to the beat, tears falling from his eyes, and mine. A few minutes later he arose and began thanking me over and over, while vigorously pumping my hand.

My friend saw all of this, and oblivious to the significance of what had just occurred, laughed and said “Let's go. See? I told you it was a bizarre scene.” I don't know if Brian Wilson remembers that evening, but I'll never forget it!

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 Exclusive Permission

Vinyl Record News & Music Notes

nice account of a wonderful day for our beloved vinyl!

Record Store Day on Black Friday: A Firsthand Account

By Johnny Firecloud

Celebrating a ton of new releases and experiencing a little bit of the magic of the few independent record shops that remain.

Independent music stores and rare and potentially fantastic little nooks full of wonder and discovery. They were a cultural hub of our youth, an escape, a place to meet with friends or make new ones through a shared common love of music and the legend surrounding it. Then, throughout the nineties, they were co-opted by the big box retailers - countless generic CD Warehouse and Sam Goody sorts of stores which cropped up in every town with a population over ten. The romance dissolved, the magic suffocated by bright florescence and life-size cardboard Britney Spears cutouts. Eventually, the time-honored ritual of going out to pick up new music became a venture into enemy territory, rather than an immersion into enrichment. It meant having to deal with the corporate interpretation of "cool," according to the market-tested demographic in which you fit.

Read the rest at craveonline.com

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Mobile Fidelity Announces Major New LP/SACD Reissue Program Featuring Dylan and Davis

Mobile Fidelity announced today a new reissue program featuring iconic albums from Miles Davis and Bob Dylan, all mastered from the original analog tapes. Contractual issues mean some titles will be at 45rpm and some at 33 1/3, but either way this will return to the reissue catalog some of the most important albums in 20th century musical history.

From Miles Davis will come Kind of Blue, Milestones, In A Silent Way, Sketches of Spain and two others. The Dylan releases will include Blood on the Tracks, Bringing It All Back Home, Blonde on Blonde (a 45rpm box set), Another Side of Bob Dylan and Freewheelin'. Also, the first audiophile remastering of The Basement Tapes

All titles will be in stereo.

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Doors at 45rpm Coming From Analogue Productions

Analogue Productions announced today a Doors reissue project that will include all six studio titles on 45rpm LP and Hybrid Multichannel SACD. With the exception of the first Doors album, where the master tape is missing and will be cut from "the best tape copy," the project will use the original analog master tapes cut by Doug Sax at The Mastering Lab.

Door producer/engineer Bruce Botnick will work with Sax to assure a superb set up and execution that will be faithful to the original releases.

The originals were recorded and mastered on tube gear and tubes will be used for this reissue series, which will be pressed on 200g vinyl.

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music history for the 26th of november:

In 1955, "Sixteen Tons" by Tennessee Ernie Ford tops the Billboard singles chart, becoming the fastest selling single in recording industry history up to that time.

Also in 1955, Bill Haley's "Rock Around The Clock" reaches #1 in the UK and is considered to be the first Rock and Roll record to accomplish that feat.

In 1956, trombonist/bandleader Tommy Dorsey died at the age of 51. Dorsey had started taking sleeping pills regularly and died from choking in his sleep after a heavy meal, so sedated that he was unable to awaken.

In 1958, Johnny Cash, made his debut on the US country chart when “Cry! Cry! Cry!” made it to #14. His next seven singles would all make the country top 10, with “I Walk the Line” and “There You Go” both hitting #1.

CVR Blog 45rpm Singles Spotlight:

In 1962, at EMI's Abbey Road studios in London, the Beatles recorded "Please Please Me" and "Ask Me Why." "Please Please Me" was a re-recording of the song in a more uptempo style after producer George Martin told the band that their original ballad version was "too bloody boring for words."

John Lennon, who was a big Roy Orbison fan, wrote this in the style of Orbison's overly-dramatic singing. Beatles producer George Martin suggested it would sound better sped up. In 2006, Martin told The Observer Music Monthly, "The songs the Beatles first gave me were crap. This was 1962 and they played a dreadful version of 'Please Please Me' as a Roy Orbison-style ballad. But I signed them because they made me feel good to be with them, and if they could convey that on a stage then everyone in the audience would feel good, too. So I took 'Love Me Do' and added some harmonica, but it wasn't financially rewarding even though Brian Epstein bought about 2,000 copies. Then we worked for ages on their new version of 'Please Please Me', and I said: 'Gentlemen, you're going to have your first number one'."

Lennon was partly inspired by a line from a Bing Crosby song that read, "Please lend a little ear to my pleas." He recalled: "I remember the day I wrote it, I heard Roy Orbison doing "Only The Lonely", or something. And I was also always intrigued by the words to a Bing Crosby song that went, 'Please lend a little ear to my pleas'. The double use of the word 'please'. So it was a combination of Roy Orbison and Bing Crosby." Lennon was a great fan of Bing Crosby and when in 1978, Yoko gave him a vintage '50s Wurlitzer jukebox for his birthday he loaded the machine with as many 78-rpm records by the easy-listening vocalist as he could find.

Capitol Records, EMI's United States label, was offered the right to release "Please Please Me" in the US, but turned it down. Instead, it was placed with Transglobal, an EMI affiliate that worked to place foreign masters with US record labels. It was told to find an American outlet for the record as quickly as possible, in order to appease Martin and Beatles' manager Brian Epstein. "Please Please Me" was then offered to Atlantic, which also rejected it. Finally, Vee-Jay, which had released the top-five hit "I Remember You" by Frank Ifield in 1962, another record Capitol had turned down, was offered the right to issue "Please Please Me" in the States, and chose to do so. The exact date of the US issue was lost for decades, but research published in 2004 showed that the single "Please Please Me"/"Ask Me Why" was released by Vee-Jay on 7 February 1963. Coincidentally, this was exactly one year before The Beatles' plane landed in New York on their first visit as a band to America.

Dick Biondi, a disc jockey on WLS in Chicago and a friend of Vee-Jay executive Ewart Abner, played the song on the radio, perhaps as early as 8 February 1963, thus becoming the first DJ to play a Beatles' record in the United States. Art Roberts, legendary DJ and Music Director at the time tells how the record came to be played first at the station:

"Let me tell you the story of "Please Please Me". The record was released on the Vee-Jay label. It was a local Chicago recording company. The owner, Ewart Abner, brought a copy of the record to W. L. S. I was the music director at the time and listened to his story about a group, and looked at pictures in teen magazines he brought back from England. I figured, what if this group would get as popular in the United States as they were in England and Europe. So I added the record to the list."

Rolling Stone ranked the song at number 184 on its list of the 500 Greatest Songs of All Time.



In 1964, the Zombies recorded "Tell Her No."

In 1966, "I'm Losing You" by The Temptations enters the US R&B chart where it will become the group's fourth straight number one. The record peaked at #8 on the Pop chart. The tune will return in versions by Rare Earth in 1970 (#7) and Rod Stewart in 1971 (#24).

In 1969, at EMI's Abbey Road studios in London, John Lennon spent the afternoon mixing the Beatles songs "What's The New Mary Jane" and "You Know My Name (Look Up The Number)" with the intention of releasing them as the two sides of a Plastic Ono Band single. When this plan fell through, "Number" was released as the b-side of the Beatles' "Let It Be" single, making this the last time John Lennon was in the studio working on a Beatles song.

In 1973, John Rostill former bassist with The Shadows died after being electrocuted at his home recording studio. A local newspaper ran the headline, “Pop musician dies, guitar apparent cause.” After the break up of The Shadows Rostill worked with Tom Jones and wrote songs covered by Elvis Presley and Olivia Newton-John.

In 1974, Elton John's 'Greatest Hits' became his fifth consecutive number 1 album in the US. The record spent 10 weeks at the top and followed "Honky Chateau", "Don't Shoot Me I'm Only the Piano Player", "Goodbye Yellow Brick Road" and "Caribou".

In 1976, the Sex Pistols released the single “Anarchy In The UK.” It peaked at #38 on the UK charts.

Also in 1976, Lol Creme and Kevin Godley left the group 10CC to work as a duo, and to concentrate on their other projects, including the development of the Gizmo, a device used to make orchestral sounds on a guitar.

In 1989, the Rolling Stones played a concert at Death Valley Stadium in Clemson, South Carolina to help raise money for the victims of Hurricane Hugo.

In 1991, country singer Garth Brooks asked fans to bring 10 cans of food to a grocery store in exchange for a lottery envelope, some of which contained tickets to see Garth at a forthcoming show. Over 10,000 cans were donated to charity.

In 1994, when "Hell Freezes Over" was the answer that former Eagles members would give when asked when a reunion would take place. When they finally gave in to financial pressures, the band titled their album just that, and it hit the top of the Billboard album chart on this day. The effort was a combination of live versions of earlier hits and studio cuts of newly recorded material.

In 2000, Frank Smith of the Monotones, who reached number 5 in 1958 with "Book Of Love," died of cancer. He was 61.

In 2003, rapper (Slow Motion) James Tapp, Jr., whose stage name was Soulja Slim, was shot to death at age 26. His killer has never been brought to justice.

In 2008, the parents of missing Manic Street Preachers guitarist and lyricist Richey Edwards were granted a court order for him to be declared presumed dead, after he disappeared nearly 14 years ago. Despite alleged sightings all over the world many believed Edwards, whose car was found near the Severn Bridge, took his own life at the age of 27.

In 2009, Paul McCartney told a BBC interviewer that his concerts are a way of helping him "revisit" other members of the Beatles and his late wife Linda. "If I'm doing songs by the Beatles, I obviously remember the sessions when we recorded. Similarly with John and Linda - in a way you're kind of in contact with them again and it's sad, it's emotional."

birthdays today (among others) include: Tina Turner (72), Jean Terrell (Supremes) (67), Alan Henderson (Them) (67), John McVie (Fleetwood Mac) (66), Adam Gaynor (Matchbox 20) (47), John Stirratt (Wilco) (44) and Ronald Jones (Flaming Lips) (41)

Vinyl Record News & Music Notes

if you didn't get out to a record store today, there are some alternatives - wait for the releases to show up on eBay - or buy them from an online source.  this from our friends at vinylcollective.com

Shop Official Record Store Day / Black Friday Releases Online

Today at 9 am EST you can purchase official Record Store Day titles online at ShopRadioCast here. Titles you can purchase today online include:

All That Remains / Jamey Jasta 7″
Beastie Boys – Hot Sauce Committee Part Two
Black Keys – Lonely Boy LP
Chris Cornell – Songbook 2XLP
Iron & Wine – Morning Becomes Eclectic LP
Kings of Leon – The Early Vinyl 4XLP Box set
Misfits – The Devil’s Rain LP (Record Store Day)
Mr Gasser and the Weirdos – Hot Rod Hootenanny LP
Mr Gasser and the Weirdos – Rods & Ratfinks LP
Mr Gasser and the Weirdos – Surfink! LP
Nick Lowe – Go Away Hound Dog 10″
Nick Lowe – Go Away Hound Dog 7″
Nirvana – Nevermind- The Singles 10″ Box Set
Pinback – True North 7″
Ryan Adams – Do I Wait/Darkness 7″
Soundgarden – Live On I-5 ‚Äì Before The Doors Soundcheck 10″
The Civil wars – Tracks In The Snow 10″
Type O Negative – Boxset 6xLP

Shop for these releases HERE

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this sounds exciting!

The GRAMMY Foundation® and MusiCares® Announce the Third Annual GRAMMY® Charity Black Friday

Auction Offers Music and Entertainment Memorabilia, VIP Experiences and More to Benefit MusiCares and the GRAMMY Foundation

WHO: MusiCares® and the GRAMMY Foundation®

WHAT: The GRAMMY® Charity Black Friday Sale — a post-Thanksgiving closeout including all-new "buyitnow" bargains and slashed prices on amazing celebrity autographed memorabilia and VIP experiences — perfect for the music lover in your life! Auction launches on Black Friday, Nov. 25, and will continue until Dec. 5 at www.ebay.com/grammy. Presented in partnership with Kompolt, all proceeds raised through this special auction will benefit programs and services of the MusiCares and GRAMMY Foundations.

Featured items include:

•Ultimate 54th GRAMMY Awards VIP Experience package for two including Platinum-level seating to the awards on Feb. 12, 2012, at Staples Center in Los Angeles, passes to the GRAMMY Celebration® after-party and GRAMMY rehearsal passes

•A one-on-one guitar lesson with Jimmy Olander of Diamond Rio!

•Autographed guitars from Eric Church, Coldplay, Gavin DeGraw, Jane's Addiction, Maroon 5, Sugarland, and more

•Autographed vinyl and Rolling Stone magazines from Adele, Mariah Carey, Mick Jagger, Miranda Lambert, Dolly Parton, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Paul Simon, Barbra Streisand, and more!

•Music memorabilia autographed by Arcade Fire, Josh Groban, Barry Manilow, Tim McGraw, NBA star Lamar Odom, LMFAO, Paramore, and many more!

•Reduced prices on perfect stocking stuffers including: Celebrity autographed GRAMMY T-shirts and programs, and limited-edition Christian Audigier shirts for only $10 (retail price of $100)!

WHEN: The auction runs Nov. 25 through Dec. 5

WHERE: www.ebay.com/grammy

WHY: Proceeds from the GRAMMY Charity Black Friday Sale will provide essential support for MusiCares and the GRAMMY Foundation.

MusiCares ensures that music people have a place to turn in times of financial, medical and personal need by providing programs and services including emergency financial assistance, educational workshops, and flu shots, hearing tests and medical/dental screenings. The MusiCares MAP Fund(SM) allows access to addiction recovery treatment and sober living resources for members of the music community regardless of their financial circumstances, and Safe Harbor Rooms, weekly addiction support groups, and the MusiCares Sober Touring Network provide ongoing recovery support.

SOURCE GRAMMY Foundation

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cool cover art!

EL CACO: 'Hatred, Love And Diagrams' Artwork, Track Listing Revealed 

Norway's EL CACO will release its new album, "Hatred, Love And Diagrams", on January 27, 2012 in Europe and January 31, 2012 in North America via Indie Recordings.

Read more and get the tracklist at our friends at Blabbermouth
















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album cover art of the day:

The Contagion Effect Reveals Debut EP Artwork

The Contagion Effect have recently revealed the artwork for the band's debut EP called 'Dichotomy of Reality.' The EP was recorded at Oceanic Recording with Taylor Larson manning the controls. Artwork for the EP was handled by Grindesign.

An official release date for "Dichotomy of Reality," which will be self released, is pending. The band recently made 4 of the 5 tracks available for streaming via Facebook, with "A Global Abortion" available for free download. "A Global Abortion" is also set to be featured in an upcoming video game, with details to be announced soon.














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Jagger and Richards to Discuss Rolling Stones 50th Anniversary in December

A source has told Rolling Stone that Mick Jagger and Keith Richards will meet sometime in December to discuss how the Rolling Stones will celebrate their 50th anniversary, whether it be recording, touring or both.

How that meeting will go is anyone's guess.

Read more at our friends at vintagevinylnews

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music history for the 25th of november:

In 1949, "Rudolph, the Red-Nosed Reindeer" by Gene Autry made its first record chart appearance.

In 1957, Billboard magazine reports that Rock and Roll acts are turning away from the "increasingly disappointing grosses" of big package shows in favor of smaller scale teen record hops, where performers appear for smaller guarantees but bigger percentages of the gate.

In 1957, Gene Vincent and His Blue Caps got their first national television exposure on CBS's "The Ed Sullivan Show," performing "Lotta Loving" and "Dance to the Bop."

In 1965, Harrods, London's famous department store, opened for two hours after closing to allow the Beatles to do their Christmas shopping.

In 1966, the Jimi Hendrix Experience made its London performance debut at the Bag O' Nails Club.

In 1967, "Incense and Peppermints" by The Strawberry Alarm Clock hits the top of the Billboard Pop chart. The recording was initially intended as a 'b-side' and the lead vocal is actually that of a friend of the band, 16 year old Greg Munford, who was just hanging around during the session. Munford was not even a regular band member, but ended up singing a tune that would become a Rock and Roll standard and sell over a million copies. Despite this success, Munford never actually joined the group and drummer Randy Seol sang the song in concert. Although it was a huge success in America, the single didn't chart at all in the UK.



In 1968, over 10,000 fans saw Cream play their final two concerts at the Royal Albert Hall in London. During the shows, the crowd chanted "God save the Cream." Clapton and drummer Ginger Baker would continue to work together in Blind Faith with Steve Winwood and Rick Grech.

In 1969, as protest against Britain's military involvement in foreign conflicts, John Lennon returned his MBE (Member of the British Empire) medal. His attached letter said, "Your Majesty, I am returning this MBE in protest against Britain's involvement in the Nigeria-Biafra thing, against our support of America in Vietnam, and against 'Cold Turkey' slipping down the charts. With love, John Lennon of Bag."  For decades, that MBE has been kept at the Central Chancery of the Orders of Knighthood, in St James’s Palace, where it was carefully stored on the day of its return. It is still in the original presentation case and sits alongside the singer's protest letter to the Queen.

In 1971, Rolling Stone magazine reported that the surviving members of the Doors intended to continue as a trio following the loss of lead singer Jim Morrison.

In 1974, 26 year old Nick Drake, an English singer, songwriter and musician best known for his acoustic tunes, died from an overdose of amitriptyline, a type of anti-depressant. Although he failed to find a wide audience during his lifetime, Drake's work has grown steadily in stature, to the extent that he is now widely considered one of the most influential English singer-songwriters of the last 50 years.

In 1976, at San Francisco's Winterland Ballroom, the Band and some of the music industry's biggest stars performed for what was announced as the group's final performance. The show was filmed and later released as Martin Scorsese's acclaimed motion picture "The Last Waltz."

In 1984, for a project conceived and organized by Bob Geldof, several British and American stars got together as Band-Aid at S.A.R.M. Studios in London and recorded "Do They Know It's Christmas?," with record sales proceeds going to Ethiopian famine relief. Artists at the session included Bob Geldof, Midge Ure (Ultravox), Bono and Adam Clayton (U2), Phil Collins, Paul McCartney, Sting, David Bowie, Paul Young, Paul Weller and members of Spandau Ballet, Duran Duran, Bananarama, Kool & the Gang, Culture Club, the Boomtown Rats and more. The single went on to sell more than three million copies in the UK and raised in excess of $13.6 million worldwide.

In 1989, songwriter Diane Warren was the author of the number 1 and number 2 songs in the US. "When I See You Smile" was a hit for Bad English, and "Blame It On the Rain" was credited to Milli Vanilli. Warren would go on to write "I Don't Want to Miss a Thing" for Aerosmith and the Armageddon soundtrack in 1998.

In 1997, at London's Jazz Cafe, the original lineup of the Zombies – Rod Argent on organ, Colin Blunstone on vocals, Paul Atkinson on guitar, Chris White on bass, and Hugh Grundy on drums – played onstage for the first time in 30 years. They performed only two songs, "Time Of The Season," and "She's Not There," to promote their new box set of recordings, "Zombie Heaven."

In 2000, Alice Cooper's home in Paradise Valley, California was burglarized. The thief (or thieves) took $6,000 of his daughter's clothes and electronics as well as four of Alice's Gold records.

Also in 2000, the Beatles' album simply titled "1", a collection of their UK and US chart toppers, reaches number one in Great Britain. It will top the US chart a week later and will become the best selling album in a total of 28 countries worldwide.

In 2007, singer Kevin Dubrow, lead vocalist of Quiet Riot, died of a cocaine overdose at 52.

birthdays today include (among others): Percy Sledge (70), Roy Lynes (Status Quo) (68), Val Fuentes (It's a Beautiful Day) (64), Steve Rothery (Marillion) (52), Tim Armstrong (Rancid) (46) and Mark Lanegan (Screming Trees) (47)

Vinyl Record News & Music Notes

first and foremost, i thank you for visiting the CVR Blog and i wish you and yours a Happy Thanksgiving!

wonderful vinyl record article!

10 Reasons To Visit Your Local Record Store Day On Black Friday

by Clare Flynn

As someone who grew up a few blocks away from the original Tower Records in Sacramento, California, record stores will always hold a special place in my heart, even as their numbers continue to dwindle.

That's part of the reason things like Record Store Day get me so excited.

Read the rest of this well thought out article at npr.org

For a complete list of Record Store Day releases visit an earlier post at Record Store Day Releases

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very interesting article!

Vinyl record stores in Europe – Spotted by Locals!

Vinyl record stores are here to stay! The vinyl record we know today was born in the early 1900′s and ruled the music industry from the 1920′s and onwards. For a while there, in 1980, it seemed like the shiny and small CD had ruthlessly put down the vinyl record, but while its market was small the vinyl record was never really gone. Especially since 2008, the vinyl record has been making a comeback.

Of course our Spotters are very much aware of this and have dedicated articles to their favorite record store on their city’s up-to-date blog. In this list you’ll find 10 examples of these favored record stores. Enjoy!

Read the rest at spottedbylocals.com





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THE SUNDAZED MASSIVE HOLIDAY BLOWOUT - NOVEMBER 24TH - NOVEMBER 27TH

THE BUSTLING SUNDAZED KITCHEN IS OPEN FOR BUSINESS!

The mouth-watering aroma of a well-stuffed turkey roasting in the oven reminds everyone at Sundazed just how fortunate we are to have such smart, discerning and loyal supporters. To celebrate Thanksgiving in all its leaf-blown, rum-sauce and cranberry-drenched glory, we are, once again, thanking our much-appreciated customers by carving a meaty 20% off the price of every regularly priced Sundazed title you order.   *(see exclusions below)

And we mean it! When you order from our bulky online catalog—from Thursday, November 24 through Sunday, November 27—you will receive an eyepopping 20% discount. Yes, that includes all regularly priced Sundazed CDs, LPs, singles, 10-inchers, and t-shirts from our warehouse, freshly stocked with all the rock, pop, surf, garage-punk, psychedelia, soul, rockabilly, R&B, country, blues and jazz you can handle. Thanksgiving will have an extra layer of meaning once you've cashed-in your generous Sundazed discount. How about celebrating with an extra slab of pecan pie topped with an XXL scoop of vanilla ice cream!

* 20% discount automatically calculated at checkout. Regularly priced in-stock Sundazed titles only. Excludes Sale Items, Package Deals, Black Friday Releases, Turntables and accessories, and Gift Certificates.

www.sundazed.com


SUNDAZED BLACK FRIDAY EXCLUSIVE RELEASES

AVAILABLE FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 25!

If we had our way, the holiday season would run from September through December, and we'd call that stretch of the calendar "the Embers"—like the best part of a campfire when it's nothing but a warm glow. Black Friday, the official holiday kickoff, is almost upon us and SUNDAZED, once again, leads the pack with a menu of limited-edition collectibles that are on-beyond rare. This tempting swag will be available only at your local record store (and on the Sundazed website). The appealing menu includes three Finkabulously rare CDs and LPs by Mr. Gasser & the Weirdos (among our most requested titles for years and years), the rare, Davie Allan-fueled Golden Breed soundtrack LP, as well as gorgeous pic-sleeved, never-before singles by the Byrds (two, actually) and the Lovin' Spoonful, plus two ultra-rare 45s from the Yardbirds, sounding exactly like they were always supposed to sound. There's a few more surprises as well. You know how this "limited edition" thing works. Once they're all sold, they're gone baby gone. The only place you can pick up this glorious loot is at your "local," or from Sundazed in VERY limited quantities. So, before you stagger over to the Mall with the rest of the zombies, swing by the place that's given you untold musical kicks over the years. Like the sirens' song, these SUNDAZED gems will enchant you or my name's not Ulysses (and it IS).

We are offering an extremely limited quantity of these titles to our loyal customers and friends who find it impossible to make it to a record store. Quantities on all of these titles are ultra limited!

Check back on Nov. 25 to place your order, but in the meantime you can browse our Black Friday Exclusive Releases HERE

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Paper + Plastick Reissuing Five Previous Releases

Beginning at 3 p.m. EST today, Paper + Plastick Records will reveal seven new vinyl releases of albums that came out earlier this year. For sale will be brand-new first pressings of Farewell Continental’s Hey, Hey Pioneers!, Junior Battles’ Idle Ages, Reverse the Curse’s Hither & Yon, Riverboat Gamblers’ Smash/Grab EP, a split from Red City Radio and The Gamits, the Are You With the Band? compilation of female-fronted punk bands, and the Plow United collection entitled Sleepwalk: A Retrospective. Also available will be a second pressing of Dave Hause’s Resolutions LP.

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The 3rd Wave SKA Preservation Society Releasing Classic Ska LPs On Vinyl

The 3rd Wave SKA Preservation Society is cooking up some old-school Ska via vinyl. This is a joint project between Connecticut based Asbestos Records & Chicago based Underground Communique Records. The two label owners, Matt Flood and Justin Schwier, have a love of ska music and vinyl and want to spread it around. Here is a statement from the Society:

“A few years ago it dawned on us that there was a ton of great records we loved as teenagers, that were long out of print on CD, never made it to iTunes, and were never available on vinyl. We slowly started contacting our old friends in these bands, asking for their blessing to reissue them, knowing full well that releasing a dead genre on a dead format was a horrible business model, but these albums are just too good, and too important to their fans to be left to obscurity. A few years ago we started our little project separately, before joining forces to bring these records back from the brink of obscurity and began reissuing classic 90′s & 00′s albums…”

cool.....

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album cover art of the day

OPERA IX To Release 'Strix Maledictae In Aeternum' In January 

'Strix Maledictae In Aeternum,' the new album from the Italian symphonic black metal band OPERA IX, is scheduled to be released on January 24, 2012 in Europe and February 28, 2012 in North America via Agonia Records. The effort, which is described in a press release as "a great opera dedicated to the dark ages of medieval witchcraft," was recorded at the Occultum studios and was mastered at the Necromorbus Studio in Alvik, Sweden. The artwork was created by Kris Verwimp.

'Strix Maledictae In Aeternum' will be released as a digipack CD and on limited-edition vinyl.













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Pearl Jam's Final Concert from "Pearl Jam Twenty Tour" in Mexico City to Air on SiriusXM's Pearl Jam Radio

Intimate conversation about "Pearl Jam Twenty" documentary with its director Cameron Crowe to also air on Pearl Jam Radio

NEW YORK, Nov. 23, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- Sirius XM Radio (NASDAQ: SIRI) announced today that its Pearl Jam Radio, the commercial-free music channel devoted to the music of Pearl Jam, will broadcast the band's final show from the "Pearl Jam Twenty Tour" recorded live in Mexico City.

The concert will air on Friday, November 25 at 2:00 pm ET on Pearl Jam Radio, channel 22, and will include on-site interviews hosted by Pearl Jam Radio host The Rob.

Before the concert broadcast, at 12:00 pm ET, Pearl Jam Radio will air an in-depth conversation with director Cameron Crowe about his new documentary Pearl Jam Twenty, during which he will talk about the creation of the film's soundtrack and his thoughts on the band's influence and legacy.

2011 is a yearlong celebration of Pearl Jam's twenty-year history. The band started off the year with the release of a new live compilation album, Live on Ten Legs, followed by the expanded reissues of Vs. and Vitalogy in March. Things kicked into high gear in September with the Alpine Valley Labor Day anniversary weekend concert, followed by the release of Cameron Crowe's film, Pearl Jam Twenty, with accompanying book and soundtrack album. The celebration continued with tours in Canada, South and Central America and Mexico, as well as the release of Pearl Jam Twenty on DVD.

Pearl Jam Radio features archival concerts from throughout the band's celebrated 20-year career, rarities, unreleased material from the band's personal music library and music from the band's side projects, including solo and pre-Pearl Jam music.

For more updates and information on Pearl Jam, please visit: pearljam.com

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Bob Dylan Tribute Album Tracklisting Unveiled

The tracklisting for Amnesty International's forthcoming Bob Dylan tribute album has been revealed. 'Chimes Of Freedom: Songs Of Bob Dylan Honoring 50 Years of Amnesty International' will be released on 30th January, with all proceeds going towards the charity.

The full tracklisting is as follows:

Disc 1: 01. Raphael Saadiq – Leopard-Skin Pill-Box Hat
; 02. Patti Smith – Drifter’s Escape
; 03. Rise Against – Ballad of Hollis Brown
; 04. Tom Morello The Nightwatchman – Blind Willie McTell
; 05. Pete Townshend – Corrina, Corrina
; 06. Bettye LaVette – Most of the Time
; 07. Charlie Winston – This Wheel’s On Fire
; 08. Diana Krall – Simple Twist of Fate
; 09. Brett Dennen – You Ain’t Goin’ Nowhere
; 10. Mariachi El Bronx – Love Sick
; 11. Ziggy Marley – Blowin’ in the Wind
; 12. The Gaslight Anthem – Changing of the Guards
; 13. Silversun Pickups – Not Dark Yet
; 14. My Morning Jacket – You’re A Big Girl Now
; 15. The Airborne Toxic Event – Boots of Spanish Leather
; 16. Sting – Girl from the North Country
; 17. Mark Knopfler – Restless Farewell

Disc 2
: 01. Queens Of The Stone Age – Outlaw Blues
; 02. Lenny Kravitz – Rainy Day Woman # ; 12 & 35
; 03. Steve Earle & Lucia Micarelli – One More Cup of Coffee (Valley Below)
; 04. Blake Mills – Heart Of Mine
; 05. Miley Cyrus – You’re Gonna Make Me Lonesome When You Go
; 06. Billy Bragg – Lay Down Your Weary Tune
; 07. Elvis Costello – License to Kill
; 08. Angelique Kidjo – Lay, Lady, Lay
; 09. Natasha Bedingfield – Ring Them Bells
; 10. Jackson Browne – Love Minus Zero/No Limit
; 11. Joan Baez – Seven Curses (Live)
; 12. The Belle Brigade – No Time To Think
; 13. Sugarland – Tonight I’ll Be Staying Here With You (Live)
; 14. Jack’s Mannequin – Mr. Tambourine Man
; 15. Oren Lavie – 4th Time Around
; 16. Sussan Deyhim – All I Really Want To Do
; 17. Adele – Make You Feel My Love (Recorded Live at WXPN)

Disc 3
: 01. K’NAAN – With God On Our Side
; 02. Ximena Sariñana – I Want You
; 03. Neil Finn with Pajama Club – She Belongs to Me
; 04. Bryan Ferry – Bob Dylan’s Dream
; 05. Zee Avi – Tomorrow Is A Long Time
; 06. Carly Simon – Just Like a Woman
; 07. Flogging Molly – The Times They Are A-Changin’
; 08. Fistful Of Mercy – Buckets Of Rain
; 09. Joe Perry – Man Of Peace
; 10. Bad Religion – It’s All Over Now, Baby Blue
; 11. My Chemical Romance – Desolation Row (Live)
; 12. RedOne featuring Nabil Khayat – Knockin’ on Heaven’s Door
; 13. Paul Rodgers & Nils Lofgren – Abandoned Love
; 14. Darren Criss featuring Chuck Criss and Freelance Whales – New Morning
; 15. Cage the Elephant – The Lonesome Death of Hattie Carroll
; 16. Band of Skulls – It Ain’t Me, Babe
; 17. Sinéad O’Connor – Property of Jesus
; 18. Ed Roland and The Sweet Tea Project – Shelter From The Storm
; 19. Ke$ha – Don’t Think Twice, It’s All Right
2; 0. Kronos Quartet – Don’t Think Twice, It’s All Right

Disc 4
: 01. Maroon 5 – I Shall Be Released
; 02. Carolina Chocolate Drops – Political World
; 03. Seal & Jeff Beck – Like A Rolling Stone
; 04. Taj Mahal – Bob Dylan’s ; 1; 15th Dream
; 05. Dierks Bentley – Senor (Tales of Yankee Power) (Live)
; 06. Mick Hucknall – One Of Us Must Know (Sooner Or Later)
; 07. Thea Gilmore – I’ll Remember You
; 08. State Radio – John Brown
; 09. Dave Matthews Band – All Along the Watchtower (Live)
; 10. Michael Franti – Subterranean Homesick Blues
; 11. We Are Augustines – Mama, You Been On My Mind
; 12. Lucinda Williams – Tryin’ To Get To Heaven
; 13. Kris Kristofferson – Quinn The Eskimo (The Mighty Quinn)
; 14. Eric Burdon – Gotta Serve Somebody
; 15. Evan Rachel Wood – I’d Have You Anytime
; 16. Marianne Faithfull – Baby Let Me Follow You Down (Live)
; 17. Pete Seeger – Forever Young
; 18. Bob Dylan – Chimes Of Freedom

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KISS Remembering ERIC CARR

KISS' official web site, KissOnline.com, has been updated with the following message:

"Twenty years ago today, our friend Eric Carr passed away after losing his battle with cancer. Over the eleven years Eric spent with KISS, he played over 800 concerts to millions of fans around the world, and he brought joy to and touched the lives of so many people. Here are some thoughts and memories that the band would like to share."

Paul Stanley (guitar, vocals): "At a time when KISS was in the midst of upheaval and turmoil, Eric brought calm and an optimism that refocused our priorities so we could move forward. I can't overstate his contribution to our rebirth. His dedication to his music was only matched by his dedication to his fans. He was a kind soul who couldn't say an unkind word about anyone and I think of him all the time."

Eric Singer (drums): "Eric Carr was a beloved member of KISS for eleven years. His drumming was as powerful as his love and devotion for the fans and remains in the hearts of many to this day..."

Tommy Thayer (guitar): "Eric Carr was a special person and a friend. He would always go out of his way to be friendly and say something nice. I remember the band was mixing 'Hot In The Shade' back in 1989 at Cherokee Studios in L.A. 'Hot In The Shade' was a mish-mash of sorts and everyone was throwing in their two cents on the mix — you know, 'Turn up the guitars, turn up the bass...' I was listening and remember saying to the engineer, 'Where's the drums?' At the end of the night, Eric quietly pulled me aside and said, 'Thanks for mentioning the drums.' He appreciated that... A good guy."

Gene Simmons (bass, vocals): "I never knew anyone more humble in my life. Eric Carr was a kind soul who never said anything bad about anybody. He was also a double threat on drums, and vocals. I miss him."

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now i've heard it all......

Drugs Intercepted In Vinyl Records

A 33-year-old Nigerian and a 23-year-old Somali were arrested on drug-smuggling charges on Tuesday. The men were detained in a Greek police operation after collecting two parcels that had been sent from Germany via courier. Officers confiscated 528 grams of cocaine hidden in four vinyl records as well as various fake documents.

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and in music history for today, november 24:

In 1937, the Andrews Sisters recorded their first hit, "Bei Mir Bist Du Schön." By early 1938, it was the #1 record on the charts and stayed there for five weeks.

1950 - The musical "Guys and Dolls" opened in 1950.

In 1958, Brenda Lee released "Rockin' Around The Christmas Tree." 

Although Decca released it in both 1958 and again in 1959, it did not sell well until Lee became a popular star in 1960; that Christmas season, it hit #14 on the Billboard pop chart and turned into a perennial holiday favorite. It continued to sell well during the holiday season, hitting #5 on the Christmas chart. Brenda Lee's recording still receives a great deal of airplay. Despite the song's title, its instrumentation also fits the Country genre which Brenda Lee more fully embraced as her career evolved. Despite her mature-sounding voice, she recorded this song when she was only 13 years old. The recording featured Hank Garland's ringing guitar and Boots Randolph's swinging solo sax break. For decades, Brenda Lee's recording was the only notable version of the song.

In 1958, Jackie Wilson released "Lonely Teardrops."

Written by Berry Gordy, Gwendolyn Gordy (Berry's sister) and Roquel "Billy" Davis, going under the pseudonym Tyran Carlo, the single, alongside Wilson's debuting five consecutive singles between 1957–58, turned Wilson into an R&B superstar and influenced the later careers of Davis, who joined the staff of Chess Records while Gordy used the money from the song's success to form Motown Records within a year. The song raced up to number-one on the Billboard R&B chart and became Wilson's first top ten hit on the Billboard Hot 100, eventually peaking at number seven. The hit's success helped land Wilson on American Bandstand and The Ed Sullivan Show performing to receptive audiences on the respective shows. It is a 1999 Grammy Hall of Fame Inductee. The song is ranked #308 on Rolling Stone magazine's list of The 500 Greatest Songs of All Time.

Also in 1958, Ritchie Valens released the single "Donna" b/w "La Bamba."

"Donna", the second Ritchie Valens single released, was the A side of the influential and much more famous song "La Bamba". This single was only one of three, along with the previous single ("Come On, Let's Go"/"Framed" – Del-Fi 4106) and the follow-up ("Fast Freight"/"Big Baby Blues" – Del-Fi 4111) ever released in Valens's lifetime. Original Del-Fi pressings of "Donna"/"La Bamba" include black and sea green labels with circles, later replaced with solid sea green or solid dark green labels. Early 1960s pressings have black labels with sea green "sawtooth" outer edge.

In 1958, the Kingston Trio became the very first group to ever have an album reach the top of the US chart. Before them, only solo artists had hit number one. They would go on to record a total of fourteen Top Ten albums and an additional five would enter the Top 25.

In 1964, the Who played their first show after changing their name from the High Numbers.

In 1965, the Young Rascals begin laying down tracks for "Good Lovin'", which will rise to #1 in the US early next year.

Also in 1965, the Elvis Presley movie "Harum Scarum," with Mary Ann Mobley, Fran Jeffries, Michael Ansara, Jay Novello, and Billy Barty, premiered in Los Angeles.

In 1966, the Beatles begin recording sessions for the 'Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band' LP by laying down tracks for "Strawberry Fields Forever." The song however, doesn't make the 1967 album, but would appear the following year on 'Magical Mystery Tour.'

Also in 1966, several thousand teenagers battle with Kansas City police after a James Brown concert is halted because of what officials call "obscene dances being performed on the stage."

In 1967, the Beatles released the single "Hello Goodbye" b/w "I Am The Walrus."

"Hello, Goodbye" topped the charts in both the United States and Britain where it spent seven weeks at number one, and was the Christmas number one for 1967. With the release of the song, McCartney gave an explanation of its meaning in an interview with Disc: "The answer to everything is simple. It's a song about everything and nothing. If you have black you have to have white. That's the amazing thing about life."

In 1968, Diana Ross and The Supremes were at #1 on the US singles chart with “Love Child.”

In 1972, ABC-TV's "In Concert," the network's weekly late-night answer to NBC's "Midnight Special," debuted. The initial episode of the Don Kirshner-produced program featured musical performances by Chuck Berry, Alice Cooper, the Allman Brothers, Poco, and Blood, Sweat & Tears. KHJ-Los Angeles disc jockey Robert W. Morgan was the offstage announcer for the show.

In 1973, following more than two years of retirement, Frank Sinatra returned to the spotlight with the NBC-TV special, "Ol' Blue Eyes Is Back."

In 1974, during his infamous "Lost Weekend," John Lennon rehearsed with Elton John for Elton's upcoming Madison Square Garden performance, at which Lennon planned to make a surprise cameo appearance.

In 1973, after cracking Billboard's Top Ten with "It Don't Come Easy" (#4) and "Back Off Boogaloo" (#9), Ringo Starr reaches number one with "Photograph", a song he co-wrote with George Harrison.

In 1979, a pair of Pop music divas, Donna Summer and Barbra Streisand combined their voices to produce the top tune in the US, "No More Tears (Enough Is Enough)". It's Summer's third number one single and Streisand's fourth. The record made #3 in the UK.

In 1985, rock pioneer Big Joe Turner died of kidney failure at the age of 74. Turner was one of the first artists to ever play Rock and Roll when he recorded "Shake, Rattle and Roll" in 1954, although Bill Haley and His Comets had a bigger hit with their cover version. Turner also recorded "Sweet Sixteen" before B.B. King, and wrote "Honey Hush", later copied by Jerry Lee Lewis and Paul McCartney. Turner earned his nickname from his 6'2", 300 lbs stature.

In 1991, 45 year-old Freddie Mercury, lead singer of Queen, died of bronchopneumonia induced by HIV, at his home in London, England, only one day after publicly acknowledging he had the disease.

In 1991, Eric Carr (Paul Charles Caravello) drummer with Kiss died aged 41, of complications from cancer in a New York hospital. Carr replaced Peter Criss in 1980 and remained a band member until he became ill in 1991. For his Kiss stage persona, Carr was known as “The Fox.”

In 1993, blues musician Albert Collins died of lung and liver cancer at 61.

In 2007, Red Hot Chili Peppers bassist Flea lost his multi-million pound house in a wildfire that swept through Malibu, 53 other properties were destroyed by the blaze. Flea told the Los Angeles Times the $4.8m property was "burnt to a crisp."

In 2008, the movie "Cadillac Records," based on the history of Chess Records and starring Adrien Brody, Cedric the Entertainer, Mos Def, and Beyoncé Knowles, had its premiere in Hollywood.

In 2009, the Rolling Stones began cashing in on British singing sensation Susan Boyle's rendition of their hit "Wild Horses" by re-issuing their original version which was first released 40 years ago this month.

birthdays today include (among others): Jim Yester (Association) (72), Donald “Duck” Dunn (70), Pete Best (Beatles) (70), Bev Beven (Move, Electric Light Orchestra) (67), Lee Michaels (66), Clem Burke (Blondie) (57), John Squire (Stone Roses) (49), Gary Stonadge (Big Audio Dynamite) (49), Tony Rombola (Godsmack) (47) and Rob Nicholson (Rob Zombie, Ozzy Osbourne) (42)

Ask Mr. Music by Jerry Osborne

FOR THE WEEK OF NOVEMBER 21, 2011

DEAR JERRY: Your coverage of the invention of the LP (Columbia, 1948) and then the 45 rpm (RCA Victor, 1949) reminds me of an attempt in the late 1950s or early '60s to eliminate all speeds except 33.

They succeeded with the 78, but the 45 obviously lived on.

What do you know about this bold maneuver?
—Lawrence Finnegan, Terre Haute, Ind.

DEAR LAWRENCE: By 1965, when support of a “one-speed industry” peaked, the 78 format was long gone.

The phasing out, in the late 1950s, of the 78 single had nothing to do with the industry's desire for a one-speed world, and much to do with production logistics; increased handling, packing, and shipping costs; and far greater losses due to breakage of the fragile 78s, when compared to the 45 single.

The sole objective of the mid-'60s campaign was the elimination of the 45 rpm.

Considering the overwhelming support behind the one-speed campaign, it's hard to believe they were not successful.

During what was at the time the record industry's top news story, here are just a few of the comments made by prominent executives and widely quoted in trade publications:

“Our company sold 60,000 of a 33 single at the [1964] New York World's Fair, without a single complaint. It's time our industry converts to one speed, and that's 33.”
—Jimmy Johnson, Disneyland Records

“I'm in hearty accord with the theory of one speed [for all records] … I definitely think it would be better for all concerned to adopt the 33 speed. Dot Records supports the elimination of the 45 rpm. It's an educational process which has to be accomplished.”
—Randy Wood, Dot Records

“We've been in favor of one speed for years, but it's a tough thing to get done. It could be accomplished in one year if all the majors [labels] and several of the independents would agree. There is no need for the 45. It is senseless.”
—Mike Maitland, Warner Bros. Records

“There is no good reason for multiple speeds. The LP speed [33] is the one with the greatest growth potential. Having one speed would also reduce confusion.”
—Irwin Steinberg, Mercury Records

“We agree, it makes all the sense in the world to have just one speed. It is ridiculous to have both 45 and 33 speeds.” Referring to the late '40s format battle between RCA Victor (45s) and Columbia (33s), “You can't deny that 33 has taken over. Now, it shouldn't be too difficult to get RCA to get in step with the rest of the industry.”
—Mo Ostin, Reprise Records

“We are very much in favor of the idea and always have been. There should be an industry move to just one speed. The biggest complication is the millions of homes with equipment that cannot play singles with a small, LP-size [quarter-inch], hole. There's no doubt that one speed is a great idea, and the only way to accomplish it would be joint action by all the manufacturers to cease issuing 45 singles. To simultaneously release 33 and 45 singles only creates a third inventory category rather than narrowing a two inventory situation down to one.”
— Alan Livingston and Stan Gortikov, Capitol Records

“We favor a single speed, which would be good for the industry throughout the world. I don't think it would affect the cost of records very much, though it might affect the price of record players. Still, one speed will be difficult to institute because the two-speed situation has now become a habit.”
—Georges Meyer, Philips Records

“There is no reason for two speeds, and never has been. Our company would support an industry drive to eliminate the 45 speed, though convincing record retailers and juke box operators could be a very slow process.”
—Al Bennett, Liberty Records

“A single speed is ideal for the coin machine industry, and 33 is the only speed that makes sense. Most 45-only machines are old now and approaching the junking age.”
—A.D. Plamer, Wurlitzer

“I would love to see all records on 33. It would cut down on our inventory, which is now double having to stock both 33 and 45 speeds. Stereo is gaining momemtum every week. I feel in the future there won't be anything but stereo.”
—Harry Rosen, Philadelphia Rowe-AMI Juke Box Distributor

“One speed is a good idea, which we could support. However, there is a negative aspect because of the many machines specifically designed to play 45s.”
—Orris Keepnews, Merchandising Manager, Colpix Records

“We favor having all records play at 33, one reason being that the spindle adapter to play 45s is a real annoyance. Columbia once hoped everything would play at 33, but now it may be too late to change people's indifferent attitudes.”
—Abe Diamond, Record Distributor

“There's nothing we'd like better. The cost differential would be minimal but the performance of the players would be improved. One of the biggest sources of customer complaints is with the 45 adapter.”
—Carl Gates, Admiral

“We'll produce whatever the public wants. A one-speed player would give better performance; however, it would be only slightly cheaper. In manufacturing, when you add it costs a lot, but when you take away you don't save much.”
—Phil Wood, Zenith

“We have no objections at all. The problem lies with the equipment, but the benefits will be large if we can all travel down the same road together.”
—Jack Burgess, RCA Records

“If we eliminated the 45 speed on our changers, we would surely have some disgruntled buyers.”
— Richard Hanselman, RCA Consumer Products

“One speed could broaden the market for singles. Consumer education is the difficult part, the equipment is not the problem to worry about.” Bill Gallagher, Columbia Records

“An overwhelming majority of record executives are of the opinion that the conversion to one speed would benefit the entire industry. Billboard reiterates its position, that in the face of such strong opinion in favor of a one-speed industry, the RIAA should move quickly to implement it.”
—Billboard Editorial

With an avalanche of support for one speed (33) from literally every faction of the music industry, it appeared “the little record with the big hole” (45) would soon go the way of the 78 speed.

But the record-buying public could not be swayed, and, against all odds, the underdog 45 not only survived but triumphed as the dominant speed for singles during the vinyl era.

For me, of all the one-speed discussion, one moment of wishful thinking, mentioned only as an aside, stands out: While offering support to the movement, Kris Jensen, a leading maker of phonograph needles, casually made a wish.

In March 1965, Jensen expressed hope there would “one day be a practical device that will select and play an individual song or track from an album.”

It took a little over 15 years, but with the laser compact disc came the technology to do exactly that.


IZ ZAT SO? Conspicuously absent from all of the comments made by all of the label heads quoted is that most of them had recently produced and promoted 33 speed singles, none of which even made a dent in 45 sales.

For four years (1959-1962) most of the majors simultaneously issued 45 and 33 speed singles, especially for their big hits and top artists.

Losing that challenge by a landslide still didn't dissuade the one-speeders from trying again just a couple of years later.

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

Vinyl Record News & Music Notes

we know, we know!! and we love it!

Vinyl record stores booming in London

By Marlene Leung (for London Community News)

Music lovers looking to buy a particular album would have been out of luck 7 p.m. Monday (June 13) night. The downtown location of Sunrise Records was closed for the evening. Around the corner however, David Clarke, co-owner of Grooves Record Store, still has another hour to go before he closes up. There’s one catch though, his store mainly sells vinyl records.

On this summer evening, a handful of men and boys drop by, leisurely flip through the boxes of records and chat with one another over their stacks of selected vinyl.

Clarke, a long time London resident, has been working in record stores since 1974. In his opinion, the reasons why people continue to buy records haven’t changed much.

Read the rest at londoncommunitynews.com

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Rolling Stone Top 100 Guitarists

RollingStone.com has published their top 100 guitarists of all time. As usual, the list is subjective and cannot please everyone. However, looking at the list (Hendrix is rated #1) and the comments, the magazine missed a lot of great musicians and guitar players. I mean, we can start with 100, Lindsey Buckingham....he would be rated much higher on my list.

Rolling Stone’s top 10 greatest guitarists follow:

1. Jimi Hendrix
2. Eric Clapton
3. Jimmy Page
4. Keith Richards
5. Jeff Beck
6. B.B. King
7. Chuck Berry
8. Eddie Van Halen
9. Duane Allman
10. Pete Townshend

head on over and this weekend and check it out at Rolling Stone Top 100 Guitarists

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GRIMEY'S BEST SELLERS 11/14 - 11/20, 2011

Top 25 Vinyl:

1. Sigur Ros - INNI
2. Ryan Adams - Ashes & Fire
3. The Beach Boys - The SMiLE Sessions
4. She & Him - A Very She & Him Christmas
5. White Denim - Takes Place In Your Work Space
6. Tom Waits - Bad As Me
7. Atlas Sound - Parallax
8. Caitlin Rose - Own Side Now
9. PUJOL - Nasty Brutish & Short
10. Portishead - Chase The Tear 12"
11. Thee Oh Sees - Carrion Crawler/Dream
12. Black Belles - Black Belles
13. Pink Floyd - Wish You Were Here
14. Feist - Metals
15. Various - The Lost Notebooks of Hank Williams
16. The Civil Wars - Barton Hollow
17. Wilco - The Whole Love
18. The Bees (Band Of Bees) - Every Step's A Yes
19. M83 - Hurry Up We're Dreaming
20. R.E.M. - Lifes Rich Pageant (MFSL reissue)
21. King Crimson - In The Wake Of Poseidon
22. Real Estate - Days
23. Strange Boys - Live Music
24. JEFF The Brotherhood / Best Coast - split 7"
25. Wilco - Yankee Hotel Foxtrot

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this from our friends at vinylcollective.com

Shop Radio Cast Black Friday Week Sales - Wednesday

Today’s Black Friday sales include a variety of limited vinyl titles as well as Vinyl Collective Slip Mats!! Here is the full list of what is on sale today only HERE

500 Miles to Memphis – Sunshine in a Shot Glass LP 8.99
A Day To Remember – For Those Who Have Heart LP 7.99
Alkaline Trio – Agony & Irony CD 6.99
Angels and Airwaves – Love: Part One & Two 2xCD 11.99
Angels And Airwaves – We Don’t Need To Whisper CD 6.99
Anthrax – Worship Music LP 9.99
Blink 182 – Neighborhoods LP Bundle (Blue/White & White) 35.99
Brand New – Zebra Girls Tee 6.99
Cannibal Corpse – Butchered At Birth LP 8.99
Cannibal Corpse – The Bleeding LP 8.99
Deftones – Diamond Eyes LP 16.99
Deftones – White Pony (2XLP) 19.99
Four Year Strong – In Some Way Shape or Form LP + Skull T Shirt 24.99
Frank Turner – Campfire Punkrock 10″ 10
Horace Pinker – Local State Inertia LP 11.49
Just Surrender – Burning Up 7″ 0.99
Just Surrender – On My Own 7″ 0.99
Just Surrender – Take Me Home 7″ 0.99
Lemuria – Pebble 12.75
Nightmares For A Week – Don’t Die 6.99
No Trigger – Be Honest 7″ 0.99
Rocket From The Crypt – Plays The Music Machine 7″ 2.99
Saves The Day – Sound The Alarm CD 6.99
Silverstein – Rescue LP 1.99
Sloppy Seconds Slip Mat 4.99
Taking Back Sunday – Louder Now CD/DVD 8.99
The Methadones – The Methadones LP (Exclusive Clear) 4.99
Two Tongues – Freak T Shirt 6.99
Vinyl Collective Logo Slip Mat 4.99
Vinyl Collective Record Slip Mat 4.99
White Stripes – 4×7″ Bundle 20.99
White Wives – Happeners LP (Includes free 7″ and 2 Posters) 15.99
Yellowcard – 2002-2011 Collection Limited Edition Colored Vinyl Box Set 74.99

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Box Sets In The Stocking For Christmas!

The Associated Press' reviews of selected box sets released this year:

U2, "Achtung Baby," Super Deluxe Edition Box Set (Capitol Records)

Longevity in the music business can be traced to a pivotal moment in an artist's career, and for U2, that milestone was "Achtung Baby." The seminal 1991 album represented U2 2.0, the point where the band reinvented itself. Now fans can experience the making of the classic recording with a box set that includes nearly as many discs as album releases.

The album that spawned such classics as "One" and "Mysterious Ways" was recorded in Berlin during a tumultuous period for the band.

After experiencing the mega-success of "The Joshua Tree" and the concert film "Rattle and Hum," the band was at a crossroads. So they broke away from their families to find their sound in a distant land.

But things didn't go as planned. Disagreements over musical direction weighed heavy on the band and divisions formed. Bono and the Edge wanted to move toward an electronic sound, while Larry Mullen and Adam Clayton yeaned for a classic rock sound. And producer Daniel Lanois wanted to recapture the tone of past recordings.

After a great deal of tension, they found what they were looking for with "One," and the rest fell into place. Not only were they able to churn out the remainder of the album, but they also recorded the follow-up, "Zooropa."

The trajectory of "Achtung Baby" shares similarities to Bruce Springsteen's "Darkness on the Edge of Town" and the ensuing documentary, "The Promise," as being pivotal by showing growth in the music. Like the "Darkness" album, U2 gets a feature-length documentary chronicling the pain-staking process in Davis Guggenheim's "From the Sky Down."

The entire history of "Achtung Baby" is chronicled in the super deluxe edition. It consists of six compact discs and four DVDs, including the documentary, and a Zoo TV special. Other goodies in the box include a hardcover book and 16 art prints.

Fans of the band are treated to the original album, and a variety of extra material that ranges from informative to overkill, depending on your level of fandom. Still, there's a little too much raw material here for most listeners to process. And besides, who really needs to see four different versions of the video for "One"?

There's a scaled-down two disc set that includes 14 additional tracks, as well as an uber-deluxe version at the uber-high price of $434.99 that includes a set of collectible vinyl singles, a magnetic puzzle tiled box, and a pair of Bono's trademark "Fly" sunglasses.

- John Carucci, Associated Press



Nirvana Nevermind [4CD/DVD Super Deluxe]

Working through the hours of material on this 20th anniversary celebration of Nirvana's atom bomb of an album, "Nevermind," is an unexpectedly melancholy experience.

The music here is just as vital as it was the day it knocked Michael Jackson from the top of the charts - perhaps even more so, given that time as failed to produce a worthy successor.

When "Nevermind" hit the street in 1991, destroying hair metal in just a few bars of "Smells Like Teen Spirit," it reshaped not just rock music but pop and punk and America. It captured a moment, the aimless uneasiness of a large part of a generation, and heralded the promise of something better.

As Cobain noted announcing the arrival of "Nevermind," ''Punk is musical freedom."

And it was - for a moment. What "Nevermind" reminds us is that freedom was quickly commodified and corporatized. Everyone sought to copy the magic formula that Kurt Cobain and Co. used to erase years of malaise in American rock 'n' roll.

Listening to the various versions of "Nevermind" in this edition, one of two commemorative releases, reminds us that no one's really come close to carrying the standard in the years after Nirvana's fiery flare across the night sky. And that's pretty disheartening.

The super deluxe version is both fascinatingly deep and needlessly so at the same time. There are four discs with 69 cuts that include a remastered version of the original album, various B-sides, live cuts and unreleased versions and even a few early boom box proto-recordings that provide a glimpse at the evolution of Nirvana's biggest hits. There's also a book that includes photos and other artifacts from the period (For those curious but looking for something a little more economical, there's also a 39-song, two-disc version that's a fraction of the cost).

The highlight of the super deluxe edition is the "Nirvana: Live at the Paramount" DVD of the band's Oct. 31, 1991, concert in Seattle. Things were just starting to blow up and the band is lean and powerful and young and beautiful, and there's no hint of things to come.

It's a moment in time that's nearly perfect.

- Chris Talbott, AP Entertainment Writer



The Smiths, "The Smiths Complete" (Rhino)

We have the perfect Christmas gift for that kid (even if she hates Christmas): "The Smiths Complete." It's a swank box set, in both CD and vinyl, containing all four studio albums released in an astounding flurry between 1984 and 1987 and four more discs of live bits and odds and ends.

Morrissey's sweetly crooned rancor and cutting indignation remain a soothing balm all these years later, and Johnny Marr's diamond-lattice guitar work is still every bit as engaging as it was in the mid-1980s, despite all the copycats and pretenders over the years.

These albums were grenades lobbed at the establishment at the time and should find fresh ears in the 21st century. Morrissey and his mates were reacting to the growing elitism of the wealthy and the many inequalities of modern society. Many of the same themes have re-emerged 25 years later in the age of Occupy Wall Street and open class warfare.

The Smiths have aged very well. "The Queen is Dead" and "Vicar in a Tutu" remain vibrant and alive, the sneer still fresh on the lips. "There is a Light That Never Goes Out" and "I Want the One I Can't Have" remain just as heartbreakingly sad. And songs like "How Soon is Now" and "London" still rock with an unexpected ferocity.

The one disappointment is the light liner notes. But what's here gives us a starting point, and Morrissey takes it from there.

- Chris Talbott, AP Entertainment Writer



Pink Floyd - The Dark Side Of The Moon - Immersion Box Set

Regarded as one of the most important albums in pop thanks to its unprecedented life on the charts and timeless sound, it should come as no surprise the iconic album "The Dark Side of the Moon" gets the box set treatment.

"The Immersion Collection," as it's called, consists of six discs centered on the album, and lots of collectibles, including a 40-page booklet, marbles, drink coasters, and a scarf. That's right, a scarf, complete with the album's trademark dispersive prism.

While these items may be cool for a few minutes, the real value of this collection lies in the album's original mix, which up until now, has never been released. Unlike alternate takes that seem to pervade these types of collections, the early mix of this album stands on its own merit. Presented in its entirety, it provides a different perspective of the version of the album burned into our minds over the past 37 years.

"Dark Side" seemed to culminate the experimental soundscape of the band's seven previous albums with the right blend of mainstream appeal. So this cut of the album serves as the step before their masterpiece was complete.

Roger Waters wrote the album about a daily stresses of living, and David Gilmour sings most of the songs on the album with the exception of the final two, "Brain Damage," and "Eclipse," which were sung by Waters. The album marked a major change for the band as they went from a psychedelic rock band to rock 'n' roll history. It stayed in the Top 200 for a record 741 weeks.

If you ever wondered what "Great Gig in the Sky" would sound like without Claire Torry's non-lexical vocals, or a different maniacal laugh on "Brain Damage," then you'll get to hear those versions and much more.

There's even an instrumental of "Us and Them," which was the song's earliest version. "The Violent Sequence," as it was originally titled, was written by keyboardist Richard Wright for the Michelangelo Antonioni film, "Zabriskie Point." The director rejected the track, and it found new life with Roger Waters' haunting lyrics.

Another track, "The Travel Sequence," was a piece the band did in concert since 1970. For "Dark Side," it would eventually evolve into "On the Run." For fans of the album, this disc, along with an included 2003 documentary on the making of the album, is a history lesson.

- John Carucci, Associated Press



Billy Joel, "Billy Joel: The Complete Albums Collection" (Columbia/Legacy)

We live in a fragmentary culture. Songs are "quoted" in commercials, sampled in other songs, heard in slivers in all corners of our landscapes.

How odd, then, to be able to listen to the entire arc of a singer-songwriter's artistic life in one package - and see, as close as is possible in art, the complete picture of who someone has been.

So it goes with "Billy Joel: The Complete Albums Collection" - a 15-CD (15!) collection that takes the Joel oeuvre from the dawn of the 1970s into the 21st century. From "Piano Man" to "Just the Way You Are" to "Uptown Girl" to "We Didn't Start the Fire" and beyond, it's quite a ride.

In recent years, Joel-bashing has become a not-uncommon exercise. He's saccharine, people say. Hackneyed. Not too relevant. Syrupy.

That's unfair. Joel is one of the premier pop songwriters of his generation, and even his more uneven efforts are generally good listening.

If you can - and it's a lot to ask, true - take the time to listen straight through to the more than 11 hours of music in these albums. Taken together, it's an epic portrait of an era and how it unfolded, in New York City and beyond.

Through music and words, we watch Joel move through Manhattan and Los Angeles of the 1970s, making sense of its darker corners and singing about weariness and struggle and odd characters, about moving away from hometown and high school and roots.

We see him pan with a wider lens in the 1980s, singing of joblessness in Allentown, the wages of Vietnam and the melancholy of starting to get old and remembering your first attempts at romance. We see him fall in love with Christie Brinkley and fall away from her. We see him start to age.

Along the way, we encounter frantic, high-speed odes to American history, wry perspectives on suburban sprawl, tributes to lobstermen, even a spate of classical music that's not completely memorable but utterly listenable. We are served up some outtakes. And, of course, we are offered love songs, lots of love songs: Love found, love lost, unexpected love, comfortable love, tortured love.

As the albums spin by and Joel's voice gets more gravelly, his life experiences are reflected in his songs. His has sometimes been a bumpy road, and many times he has worked through it with his craft. "I never felt the desire to let music set me on fire," Billy Joel once sang. "Then I was saved." This sprawling, eye-opening collection shows how we benefited from that.

- Ted Anthony, AP National Writer



Twisted Sister "From The Bars To The Stars: Three Decades Live" (Eagle Vision)

Twisted Sister is one of the most visual bands in the history of heavy metal, and this five-DVD box set chronicles their rise from New York bar band extraordinaire to worldwide metal legends, in all its cinematic glory.

The set includes their 1982 performance at Long Island, N.Y.'s Northstage Theater, and the 1982 coming-out show at England's Reading Festival, where the band won over a skeptical audience that began the afternoon by throwing garbage at them and ended up cheering them. It also includes the 2001 New York Steel benefit concert for the families of police officers and firefighters killed in the World Trade Center attacks, a show that reunited the band for the first time in 14 years.

In addition, there's "Live at Wacken," their 2003 festival show for a rabid German audience, and "A Twisted X-Mas," a video culled from three Christmas shows they did in December 2009 at the Las Vegas Hilton. This disc is the only one in the box set that hadn't previously been released. It begins with strippers pulling singer Dee Snider onto the stage on Santa's sleigh (hey, it's Vegas!) and includes numerous songs from their brilliant 2006 heavy metal Christmas album "A Twisted Christmas."

The box set also comes with some cool swag, including a silver Twisted Sister Christmas ornament, a vintage hot-pink band button from the 1970s, a laminated backstage pass from the New York Steel show, and a photocopy of the very first typed-out newsletter the band mailed to fans in 1979.

It's the definitive video history of one of the most underrated bands in heavy metal, drenched with band interviews and rehearsal footage (check out Snider grafting the vocals to the Doors' "Gloria" onto Twisted's "Shoot 'Em Down" while guitarist Jay Jay French sings "Wild Thing" - all at the same time). Moments like this are why God created box sets.

- Wayne Parry, AP Writer



Loudon Wainwright III, "40 Odd Years" (Shout! Factory)

The familiar shtick is captured repeatedly on a DVD included in this set: Loudon Wainwright III clenches his teeth, waggles his tongue, hops on one leg and sings with bracing humor, candor and power about the things he has seen and done. "My whole cheesy life," as he describes it in one of his best songs.

Wainwright makes his aural autobiography fascinating by mixing comedy and tragedy, with just enough of the latter to give his wit extra bite. Confessional songwriting seems to be a form of therapy for Wainwright, and after all these years, his willingness to share his story in self-deprecating detail remains astounding.

Four CDs are included with the DVD on "40 Odd Years," and while the title is marvelous, the material's just as good. Many of the performances here feature the troubadour solo as he offers insights about childbirth, childhood, parenthood, debauchery, divorce and death; about sex, guitars and roadkill; about family dysfunction, the joys of solitude and the ravages of time. There are also two references to dental floss.

Touted as the next Dylan, Wainwright instead became a one-of-a-kind artist. He arrived on the scene in the late 1960s fully formed, as evident in such early tunes as "Uptown." ''I want to elevate up and down with you in the building of the Empire State," he sings. Now in his 60s, Wainwright remains prolific and has done some of his best work lately, including such songs as "Bed," ''Surviving Twin" and "My Biggest Fan."

Wainwright has written so many gems that it was impossible to include them all here, but his essay in an accompanying 40-page booklet offers an eloquent apology for any omissions. The excellent liner notes make the set appealing even for longtime fans, as do a CD of rare and unreleased material and the terrific DVD, which includes documentaries, TV performances and lots of tongue-wagging.

- Steven Wine, Associated Press


Robert Johnson, "Robert Johnson: The Complete Original Masters. Centennial Edition" (Columbia/Legacy)

Pulling together a box set of recordings by Mississippi Delta blues legend Robert Johnson shouldn't be that tough a task. Johnson only released a handful of songs from two recording sessions in 1936 in 1937, in San Antonio, Texas and Dallas respectively.

But Johnson was no ordinary musician, and justly, Sony's Legacy division has treated his work with respect and detail. In the box set titled "Robert Johnson: The Complete Original Masters, Centennial Edition," homage is paid on 100th anniversary year of Johnson's birth with a dozen 78 rpm replicas of each of his released songs.

The set also contains two CDs of 42 master and alternate takes. For a retrospective of the times in which Johnson made his music, one of the CDs contains 10 songs from various artists recorded on the same days as the Robert Johnson sessions all those decades ago. There's a DVD documentary as well which takes a look at Johnson's short 27 years on Earth.

But to be clear, Johnson's vinyl is the centerpiece here. To hear the bluesman play classics like "Last Fair Deal Gone Down" and "Love In Vain Blues" on this medium is a treat. The slight crackle from those original recordings feels right at home between the newly etched grooves on a vinyl platter. Johnson deserves this analog attention, and not merely the 128 kbps stream of an MP3 on an iPod.

For the re-mastering of the vinyl records themselves, Sony turned to 78 rpm format expert Harry Coster, who keeps a record press in a Netherlands barn and handmade new polystyrene pressings especially for this effort.

Johnson is one of the most important American artists ever recorded. Thus, this sort of packaged adoration seems fitting for a young man who influenced so many.

- Ron Harris, Associated Press



Grateful Dead, "Europe '72: The Complete Recordings" (Rhino)

How much is too much when it comes to the Grateful Dead?

That question is being tested like never before with the 73-disc box set "Europe '72."

For the venerable band's detractors, even more than a couple minutes of jamming sends them running for the exits.

But to Deadheads who started trading shows on tape 40 years ago and continue to snatch up archival releases from the vault, there appears to be a bottomless desire for more.

"Europe '72," which includes all 25 shows from their revered 1972 tour of Europe, is the boldest release to date.

It's a lot of Dead, to be sure.

The 25 shows amount to 73 discs, more than 70 hours of music. And at $450 the price isn't chump change, either. Although, when priced out it comes to just $6.25 per disc.

The box set was originally offered in a limited numbered run of 7,200 in a replica travel trunk, complete with a hardcover book. After those sold out, the music-only version of the set was put up for sale. Those unwilling to take the tour from Copenhagen to Amsterdam and all stops in between can also buy individual shows.

But for those with the cash, the entire tour is something to behold. In typical Dead fashion, every show is unique and some are better than others. Only one song - "Mr. Charlie" - showed up every night.

In general, the Dead is in prime form while in a period of transition. Original keyboardist Ron "Pigpen" McKernan was ill but still performing, while his eventual replacement Keith Godchaux was already on board along with his wife, back-up vocalist Donna Jean Godchaux.

The tour was first immortalized on the band's famous three-record live set "Europe '72," released at the end of 1972. But until now, only one complete show from the tour had ever seen the light of day.

Now it's all there for whoever is willing to take it on.

- Scott Bauer, Associated Press

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and in music history for today, november 23rd:

In 1899, in San Francisco, the Palais Royal Hotel installed the first coin-operated machine that by about 1940 was known as a "jukebox." In the beginning it was a crude slot-machine apparatus connected to an Edison phonograph which, upon receiving a coin, unlocked the mechanism, allowing the listener to turn a crank that simultaneously wound the spring motor and placed the reproducer's stylus in the starting groove. The music was heard via one of four listening tubes. Despite its then-high price of a nickel a song, the new contraption took in $1000 in its first six months of operation.

In 1960, Elvis's film, 'G.I. Blues' opened in the US, where box office sales are strong. Juliet Prowse co-starred in the King's first film since he got out of the Army on March 5th.

In 1956, a 19-year-old sheet metal worker named Louis Balint was arrested after punching Elvis Presley at a hotel bar in Toledo, Ohio. Balint was upset that his wife carried a picture of Elvis in her wallet. He was fined $19.60 but ended up being jailed for seven days because he was unable to pay the fine.

In 1962, the Beatles did a ten-minute audition for BBC Television at St. James' Church Hall in London. Four days later, Brian Epstein received a polite rejection letter from the BBC.

In 1964, the Rolling Stones were late arriving for the BBC radio shows, "Top Gear" and "Saturday Club" and as a result were banned by the BBC for "unprofessionalism."

On November 23, 1964, the Beatles released the single "I Feel Fine" b/w "She's A Woman" in the US (it was issued in the UK four days later).

Lennon wrote the guitar riff while in the studio recording "Eight Days a Week." "I wrote 'I Feel Fine' around that riff going on in the background", he recalled. "I told them I'd write a song specially for the riff. So they said, 'Yes. You go away and do that', knowing that we'd almost finished the album Beatles for Sale. Anyway, going into the studio one morning, I said to Ringo, 'I've written this song but it's lousy'. But we tried it, complete with riff, and it sounded like an A side, so we decided to release it just like that." John Lennon said that the riff was influenced by a riff in "Watch Your Step", a 1961 release written and performed by Bobby Parker and covered by the Beatles in concerts during 1961 and 1962. Paul McCartney said the drums on "I Feel Fine" were inspired by Ray Charles's "What'd I Say".

At the time of the song's recording, the Beatles, having mastered the studio basics, had begun to explore new sources of inspiration in noises previously eliminated as mistakes (such as electronic goofs, twisted tapes, and talkback). "I Feel Fine" marks the earliest example of the use of feedback as a recording effect. Artists such as The Kinks and The Who had already used feedback live, but Lennon remained proud of the fact that the Beatles were the first group to actually put it on vinyl.

The single reached the top of the British charts on 12 December of that year, displacing The Rolling Stones' "Little Red Rooster," and remained there for five weeks. It also reached the top of the Billboard Hot 100 in late 1964. The B-side was "She's a Woman".

The Beatles taped this for an appearance on The Ed Sullivan Show that aired September 12, 1965. They had returned to America to play their famous Shea stadium concert. It was their last appearance on the show. (i found a live version on youtube)



In 1967, San Francisco disc jockey Tom Donahue, inventor of "classic rock" and "deep cut" radio, told Rolling Stone magazine, "Top Forty radio, as we know it today and have known it for the last ten years, is dead, and its rotting corpse is stinking up the airwaves."

In 1968, Led Zeppelin signed with Atlantic Records on the recommendation of Dusty Springfield.

In 1970, George Harrison released the single "My Sweet Lord" in the U.S. It was issued on January 15, 1971 in the UK.

When released as a single, "My Sweet Lord" became an international #1 hit. In October 1970, Harrison told the British press that it was going to be his first solo single, but a few days later he changed his mind and said it would not be made available thus, as he did not want sales in that format to detract from those of the album. (The other three former Beatles had also released solo albums earlier that year, without releasing a single in Britain from any of them). It was released as a single in the US (Apple 2995) on 23 November 1970. Within a few weeks, EMI and Apple Records bowed to media and public demand, and the UK release (Apple R 5884) followed on 15 January 1971. The single was certified Gold by the Recording Industry Association of America for sales of over one million copies.

Entering the British charts in the first week at number seven and then hitting the summit for five weeks, it was the first single by an ex-Beatle to reach number one. It did so again in the UK when reissued in January 2002 after Harrison's death from cancer. It reached number one on the US Billboard Hot 100 on 26 December 1970, remaining on top for four weeks.

In Britain, the original single was officially a double-A Side with "What Is Life". In the US it was a double-A-side with "Isn't It a Pity"- with both sides featuring a full Apple label.

Following the song's release, musical similarities between "My Sweet Lord" and The Chiffons' hit "He's So Fine" led to a prolonged copyright infringement suit, known as Bright Tunes Music v. Harrisongs Music, which lasted over 10 years. In 1976, a U.S. district court decision found that Harrison had "subconsciously" copied the earlier song. In 1978, before the court decided on damages in the case, Harrison's former manager Allen Klein, who represented Harrison earlier in the proceedings, purchased the copyright to "He's So Fine" from Bright Tunes. In 1981, the court decided the damages amounted to $1,599,987 but that due to Klein's duplicity in the case, Harrison would only have to pay Klein $587,000 for the rights to "He's So Fine"—the amount Klein had paid Bright Tunes for the song

Harrison stated in his autobiography that he was not consciously aware of the similarity when he wrote the song and was inspired to write "My Sweet Lord" by the Edwin Hawkins Singers' version of "Oh Happy Day."  In a 1980 interview with Playboy magazine, John Lennon expressed his doubt of the notion of "subconscious" plagiarism: "He must have known, you know. He's smarter than that. It's irrelevant, actually—only on a monetary level does it matter. He could have changed a couple of bars in that song and nobody could ever have touched him, but he just let it go and paid the price. Maybe he thought God would just sort of let him off."

In 1970, Cat Stevens released the 'Tea for the Tillerman' album. Stevens, a former art student, created the artwork featured on the record's cover.

This album, Stevens' second during 1970, includes many of Stevens' best-known songs including "Where Do the Children Play?", "Hard Headed Woman", "Wild World", "Sad Lisa", "Into White" and "Father and Son". Four of the tracks ("Where Do the Children Play?", "On the Road to Find Out", "Tea for the Tillerman" and "Miles from Nowhere") were featured in the Hal Ashby and Colin Higgins' black comedy film entitled Harold and Maude, in 1971.

On November 18, 2003, Rolling Stone Magazine included this album in its 500 Greatest Albums of All Time list at number 206.   In 2006, the album was included in the book 1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die. In 2007, the album was included in the list of "The Definitive 200 Albums of All Time", released by The National Association of Recording Merchandisers and the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.



In 1974, the group Spooky Tooth disbanded. The members went on to fame elsewhere: Gary Wright as a solo artist with "Dream Weaver" and "Love Is Alive," Henry McCullough as one of the guitarists for Wings, Mick Jones as the guitarist for Foreigner, and Chris Stainton as a sideman for Eric Clapton.

Frankie Valli released "My Eyes Adored You" in 1974.

Also in 1974, Billy Swan, a former member of Kris Kristofferson's band and writer of Clyde McPhatter's "Lover Please", has a US number one single of his own, "I Can Help." It reached #6 in the UK.

In 1975, Queen's, "Bohemian Rhapsody" hit number one in the UK, where it stayed until the end of January 1976, longer than any other song since Slim Whitman's "Rose Marie" in 1955. The promotional video that accompanied the song is generally acknowledged as being the first UK Pop video and cost £5,000 to produce.

In 1976, Jerry Lee Lewis visited Elvis Presley's Memphis home very early in the morning and was told that Elvis was asleep. Lewis returned after sunrise, invited there by Elvis himself, however not all of the Graceland security guards were told, and when Jerry Lee was again refused permission to enter, he allegedly brandished a gun and claimed he'd come to kill Presley. Lewis, who later said he was just making a joke, was promptly arrested.

In 1990, MTV banned Madonna's "Justify My Love" video because it contained brief nudity. It was also banned from regular rotation on MuchMusic in Canada. On December 3, 1990, ABC-TV's "Nightline" played the video in its entirety, then interviewed Madonna live about the video's sexual content and censorship.

In 1992, country music publisher/singer/fiddler (Wabash Cannonball) Roy Acuff, known as "The King of Country Music," died of heart failure at 89.

In 1994, songwriter Tommy Boyce committed suicide by shooting himself at his Nashville home. Besides writing "Last Train To Clarksville", "Valleri" and "I'm Not Your Steppin' Stone" for The Monkees, Boyce and his partner Bobby Hart scored a number eight hit of their own with "I Wonder What She's Doing Tonight" in 1967.

In 1995, singer/saxophonist (What Does It Take To Win Your Love, Shotgun) Junior Walker of Jr. Walker and the All Stars died of cancer at age 64.

In 1998, the world's first portable mp3 player went on sale, despite strenuous objections from the RIAA (Recording Industry Association of America). The unit cost $200 and could play about a dozen songs.

In 2001, singer O.C. Smith died at the age of 69. His biggest hits were two 1968 tunes, "The Son Of Hickory Holler's Tramp" and the Grammy Award winning "Little Green Apples". Smith's final entry into the US Top 40 was 1969's "Daddy's Little Man", although the Soul-flavored "La La Peace Song" proved popular in 1974 and "Together" was a chart entry in 1977.

In 2002, Otis Redding's widow and his former manager sued Scott Freeman, author of a 2001 biography of the late singer. The book mentioned rumors that Redding's then-manager, with help from the mob, caused Redding's plane to crash in 1967 in order to collect on his life insurance. The lawsuit sought $15 million in damages and claimed that the book also detailed rumors about the R&B legend's drug use, extramarital affairs and divorce, causing "harm to the plaintiffs."

birthdays today include (among others): Sandra Stevens (Brotherhood of Man) (62), Bruce Hornsby (57), Ken Block (Sister Hazel) (45) and Charlie Grover (Sponge) (45)