Bad Company- Rock & Roll Fantasy (live 1999)
Thursday, May 21, 2009
'Rain' Songs- part two
written by Robert Benson
Let’s continue with our short four-part series about ‘rain’ songs in popular music history.
“Fire and Rain,” a #3 Billboard hit in 1970 for James Taylor, helped to define his creative songwriting skills and became, not only part of his signature sound, but was a profound influence for many other songwriters and performers.
The sparse arrangement, including Taylor on the acoustic guitar, was written into three parts. The first part refers to a friend Suzanne, who had died while Taylor was in London working on his first album (he never got to say goodbye- friends thought that it would be a distraction and kept the tragic news from him). The second part of the song details Taylor’s struggles to overcome his own drug addictions and depression. Finally, the third part of the song deals with facing the perils of fame and fortune, and in retrospect, exploring the road he traveled to get there.
The song includes a reference to James Taylor and the Flying Machine, a band he had worked with before he signed on with Apple Records. In fact, the lyric, “sweet dream and flying machines in pieces on the ground,” is a direct reference to the dissolved group and not a fatal airplane crash which the phrase was long rumored to be about.
As we all know, James Taylor has gone on to a stellar music career, his genre-defining sounds have long been recognized and admired. The song, “Fire and Rain” is in the Grammy Hall of Fame, the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and is named as Rolling Stones’ 227th greatest songs of all time (out of 500). The song has also been covered by numerous musicians including Willie Nelson (1975- #30 on the Billboard chart), Richie Havens, Herb Alpert, the Isley Brothers and many more.
Another ‘rain’ song that has a unique story is the cut “It’s Raining Men,” by the aptly named duo the Weather Girls (who were originally the back up singers for Sylvester in the late 1970s). The disco duo (Martha Wash and Izora Redman) took the song to #46 on the Billboard charts in 1983.
What’s interesting is that this one-hit-wonder had been offered to a virtual who’s who of female singing stars including the queen of disco, Donna Summer, diva Diana Ross, Cher, Grace Jones, Chaka Khan, Aretha Franklin, among many others. Why even Barbra Streisand turned the song down. However, the Weather Girls made the song an international hit, selling over six million copies worldwide. The cut went to #1 on the US Disco chart, #34 on the US R&B charts, #2 in the UK and Australia and #1 on the Euro Hot 100.
The song was redone in April of 2001 by Geri Halliwell as a single on her second solo effort and was also on the soundtrack for the film “Bridget Jones Diary.” “It’s Raining Men” also became the second best selling single of 2001 (with over 3 million copies sold), not bad for a song nobody wanted to record in the early 1980s!
John Cougar Mellencamp’s ode to the plight of Midwestern farmers, “Rain On The Scarecrow,” hit #21 on the Billboard charts in 1986 (from the LP "Scarecrow" released in 1985 on Mercury Records). Although Mellencamp is widely accepted as the writer of the song, it was actually co-written by George M. Green. Mellencamp has a unique touch and passion in his songwriting that appeals to everyman.
But, this was more than just a song; it laments the sad financial difficulties that American farmers have endured and it shows that Mellencamp can be a serious social commentator. However, Mellencamp does more than just sing about the struggle, in fact, shortly after Scarecrow was finished, Mellencamp helped organize the first Farm Aid benefit concert with Willie Nelson and Neil Young in Champaign, Illinois on September 22, 1985. The Farm Aid concerts remain an annual event and have raised over $33 million for struggling family farmers through 2009. Interestingly, this album was also the first that Mellencamp recorded at his own recording studio, located in Belmont, Indiana (which was built in 1984). All of his subsequent albums after Scarecrow have also been recorded there.
“The Rain Song,” is a love ballad of over 7 minutes in length by Led Zeppelin (from the band’s fifth album Houses of the Holy, released in 1973). George Harrison was reportedly the inspiration for "The Rain Song" when he commented to Led Zeppelin drummer John Bonham that the group never wrote any ballads. So as a tribute to Harrison the opening two notes are recognizably borrowed from his ballad "Something.”
During Led Zeppelin concerts from late 1972 until 1975, the band played the song immediately following "The Song Remains the Same," and by doing so they presented the songs in the same order as they appeared on the album. However, there was another reason for this; the group organized the set list in this manner because Page used a Gibson EDS-1275 double-necked guitar for both songs: the top, 12-string portion for "The Song Remains the Same" and then switching to the bottom, 6-string portion for "The Rain Song".
"The Rain Song" has appeared in two films: Almost Famous, directed by Cameron Crowe (who, as a teen reporter for Rolling Stone magazine, covered Led Zeppelin), and Led Zeppelin's own 1976 concert film, The Song Remains the Same (and accompanying soundtrack), as part of lead singer Robert Plant's fantasy sequence.
A hit for the band Blind Melon in 1993, their signature single “No Rain” topped off at #20 on the Billboard chart for 23 weeks in 1993 and hit #1 on both the Modern Rock Tracks and Mainstream Rock Tracks charts. "No Rain" was originally released in 1992, but was later re-released the following year and the cut subsequently helped propel Blind Melon to a multi-platinum level.
Led by singer Shannon Hoon (who died in 1995), the song was a hit not only because of the great music but is also well-known for its accompanying music video, which featured the "Bee Girl" character. The music video, directed by Samuel Bayer, received heavy airplay on MTV at the time of its release; helping to fuel sales.
It is a song that Blind Melon bass player Brad Smith had written about a former girlfriend. In the November, 1993 issue of Details magazine, he explained: "She had a hard time with depression. I was telling myself that I was writing it about her: how f--ked up she could be, but how intelligent she was and why she was so unhappy and how much she needed me to be happy. And I realized I was writing it about myself at the same time. I needed her just as much. She would sleep even when it was sunny outside and she'd complain that there wouldn't be any rain, because that would give her an excuse to stay in."
VH1 ranked the "No Rain" video 83rd on its "100 Greatest Videos of All Time" list and the cut is also #99 on the video channel's "100 Greatest One-Hit Wonders" list.
Look for part three of popular ‘rain’ songs in music history coming soon!
Blind Melon - No Rain (Live Acoustic)
Let’s continue with our short four-part series about ‘rain’ songs in popular music history.
“Fire and Rain,” a #3 Billboard hit in 1970 for James Taylor, helped to define his creative songwriting skills and became, not only part of his signature sound, but was a profound influence for many other songwriters and performers.
The sparse arrangement, including Taylor on the acoustic guitar, was written into three parts. The first part refers to a friend Suzanne, who had died while Taylor was in London working on his first album (he never got to say goodbye- friends thought that it would be a distraction and kept the tragic news from him). The second part of the song details Taylor’s struggles to overcome his own drug addictions and depression. Finally, the third part of the song deals with facing the perils of fame and fortune, and in retrospect, exploring the road he traveled to get there.
The song includes a reference to James Taylor and the Flying Machine, a band he had worked with before he signed on with Apple Records. In fact, the lyric, “sweet dream and flying machines in pieces on the ground,” is a direct reference to the dissolved group and not a fatal airplane crash which the phrase was long rumored to be about.
As we all know, James Taylor has gone on to a stellar music career, his genre-defining sounds have long been recognized and admired. The song, “Fire and Rain” is in the Grammy Hall of Fame, the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and is named as Rolling Stones’ 227th greatest songs of all time (out of 500). The song has also been covered by numerous musicians including Willie Nelson (1975- #30 on the Billboard chart), Richie Havens, Herb Alpert, the Isley Brothers and many more.
Another ‘rain’ song that has a unique story is the cut “It’s Raining Men,” by the aptly named duo the Weather Girls (who were originally the back up singers for Sylvester in the late 1970s). The disco duo (Martha Wash and Izora Redman) took the song to #46 on the Billboard charts in 1983.
What’s interesting is that this one-hit-wonder had been offered to a virtual who’s who of female singing stars including the queen of disco, Donna Summer, diva Diana Ross, Cher, Grace Jones, Chaka Khan, Aretha Franklin, among many others. Why even Barbra Streisand turned the song down. However, the Weather Girls made the song an international hit, selling over six million copies worldwide. The cut went to #1 on the US Disco chart, #34 on the US R&B charts, #2 in the UK and Australia and #1 on the Euro Hot 100.
The song was redone in April of 2001 by Geri Halliwell as a single on her second solo effort and was also on the soundtrack for the film “Bridget Jones Diary.” “It’s Raining Men” also became the second best selling single of 2001 (with over 3 million copies sold), not bad for a song nobody wanted to record in the early 1980s!
John Cougar Mellencamp’s ode to the plight of Midwestern farmers, “Rain On The Scarecrow,” hit #21 on the Billboard charts in 1986 (from the LP "Scarecrow" released in 1985 on Mercury Records). Although Mellencamp is widely accepted as the writer of the song, it was actually co-written by George M. Green. Mellencamp has a unique touch and passion in his songwriting that appeals to everyman.
But, this was more than just a song; it laments the sad financial difficulties that American farmers have endured and it shows that Mellencamp can be a serious social commentator. However, Mellencamp does more than just sing about the struggle, in fact, shortly after Scarecrow was finished, Mellencamp helped organize the first Farm Aid benefit concert with Willie Nelson and Neil Young in Champaign, Illinois on September 22, 1985. The Farm Aid concerts remain an annual event and have raised over $33 million for struggling family farmers through 2009. Interestingly, this album was also the first that Mellencamp recorded at his own recording studio, located in Belmont, Indiana (which was built in 1984). All of his subsequent albums after Scarecrow have also been recorded there.
“The Rain Song,” is a love ballad of over 7 minutes in length by Led Zeppelin (from the band’s fifth album Houses of the Holy, released in 1973). George Harrison was reportedly the inspiration for "The Rain Song" when he commented to Led Zeppelin drummer John Bonham that the group never wrote any ballads. So as a tribute to Harrison the opening two notes are recognizably borrowed from his ballad "Something.”
During Led Zeppelin concerts from late 1972 until 1975, the band played the song immediately following "The Song Remains the Same," and by doing so they presented the songs in the same order as they appeared on the album. However, there was another reason for this; the group organized the set list in this manner because Page used a Gibson EDS-1275 double-necked guitar for both songs: the top, 12-string portion for "The Song Remains the Same" and then switching to the bottom, 6-string portion for "The Rain Song".
"The Rain Song" has appeared in two films: Almost Famous, directed by Cameron Crowe (who, as a teen reporter for Rolling Stone magazine, covered Led Zeppelin), and Led Zeppelin's own 1976 concert film, The Song Remains the Same (and accompanying soundtrack), as part of lead singer Robert Plant's fantasy sequence.
A hit for the band Blind Melon in 1993, their signature single “No Rain” topped off at #20 on the Billboard chart for 23 weeks in 1993 and hit #1 on both the Modern Rock Tracks and Mainstream Rock Tracks charts. "No Rain" was originally released in 1992, but was later re-released the following year and the cut subsequently helped propel Blind Melon to a multi-platinum level.
Led by singer Shannon Hoon (who died in 1995), the song was a hit not only because of the great music but is also well-known for its accompanying music video, which featured the "Bee Girl" character. The music video, directed by Samuel Bayer, received heavy airplay on MTV at the time of its release; helping to fuel sales.
It is a song that Blind Melon bass player Brad Smith had written about a former girlfriend. In the November, 1993 issue of Details magazine, he explained: "She had a hard time with depression. I was telling myself that I was writing it about her: how f--ked up she could be, but how intelligent she was and why she was so unhappy and how much she needed me to be happy. And I realized I was writing it about myself at the same time. I needed her just as much. She would sleep even when it was sunny outside and she'd complain that there wouldn't be any rain, because that would give her an excuse to stay in."
VH1 ranked the "No Rain" video 83rd on its "100 Greatest Videos of All Time" list and the cut is also #99 on the video channel's "100 Greatest One-Hit Wonders" list.
Look for part three of popular ‘rain’ songs in music history coming soon!
Blind Melon - No Rain (Live Acoustic)
Music News & Notes
Warbringer Debut New “Severed Reality” Video, Releases Album
The much anticipated new WARBRINGER album, Waking Into Nightmares, is set for a May 19th release, and the group recently completed a new video for the track, “Severed Reality,” which was shot by the acclaimed David Brodsky (Black Dahlia Murder, GWAR). This is a frenetic, performance based clip that perfectly captures the band’s live, unrelenting stage show. This video can now be viewed exclusively at the link below.
John Kevill (vocals) further comments: “The video for ‘Severed Reality’ got done in the middle of a tour, and it was done mostly live at the venue we were playing at that night in Milwaukee. We did a couple shots on the stage before anyone showed up, and then just shot the whole show for the video. As it turns out the show was fucking insane, we couldn't even fit all the stage divers in the video! David Brodsky went to put the whole thing together and it came out great, I think it is the strongest video we have had so far.”
Waking Into Nightmares is set to be released in just under a month and have now launched a pre-order for the album online at the new CM Distro. There are packages available for both the CD and LP versions of the album and each contain an exclusive T-Shirt and a bonus disc featuring rough mixes from the record.
WARBRINGER - Severed Reality (OFFICIAL VIDEO)
==========================
Megadeath LP Coming Soon
Megadeth front-man, Dave Mustaine, has issued a statement to TheLIVELine.com that the recording of Megadeth's forth coming album is done.
Recorded in Megadeth's studio coined "Vic's Garage," the still untitled album will be the twelfth studio release for the band.
Mustaine indicated that he's more excited about this album than any of his releases since the 1980's.
==========================
And even more coverage of the controversial album cover art from the Manic Street Preachers
Asda defends album cover ban
by James McCarthy, South Wales Echo
ASDA has become the latest supermarket to defend its decision to ban the cover of the Manic Street Preachers’ new album from their shelves.
The retail giant, along with Tesco, Sainsbury’s and Morrisons, have been criticised for hiding the sleeve of the Blackwood band’s Journal for Plague Lovers behind a plain cover on the grounds it was “inappropriate”.
It features a painting by artist Jenny Saville of a girl with a large birthmark on the left side of her face.
Cardiff and Vale Coalition for the Disabled and Wales Liberal Democrat health spokesman, Peter Black, expressed concern the four retail giants had banned the image of a disfigured child.
But an Asda spokeswoman said: “It’s not really about that. If you first look at that picture it looks like a child that has been beaten up. Jenny Saville, her art, it’s deliberately designed to shock.”
“It’s a very shocking image and it may upset some of our customers.
“It’s not saying that we’re not (going) to look at people with facial disfigurements.
“People are not coming to Asda to look at art. They are coming to shop.”
SOURCE: http://www.walesonline.co.uk
================================
Ian Hunter Signs To New West Records
Legendary Mott the Hoople front man and renowned solo artist, Ian Hunter, has signed to New West Records. Man Overboard, due July 21.
With Mott the Hoople, Hunter quickly established himself as an incredibly inventive songwriter with his gritty and thought provoking songs which paved the way for the original wave of punk rock.
The 1972 David Bowie produced breakthrough album All The Young Dudes catapulted the band into the British Top 10 and the American Top 40. Additionally, the band was the first act to ever sell out a week of Broadway concerts in New York City. Ian Hunter's autobiography, Diary Of A Rock and Roll Star, waswritten during the band's 1972 US Tour and published in 1974. The original Mott The Hoople lineup of Hunter, Mick Ralphs, Verden Allen, Dale Griffin, and Overend Watts have announced five 40th anniversary reunion shows at the HMV Hammersmith Apollo in London on October 1-6.
As a solo artist, Mr. Hunter has been responsible for instantly recognizable classics as "Once Bitten, Twice Shy," "Cleveland Rocks" (which went on to be the theme song for ABC's hit series The Drew Carey Show), and many, many more. Hunter and Mott the Hoople have been cited as inspirations for numerous artists including The Clash, Kiss, R.E.M., Oasis, Jeff Tweedy of Wilco, Motley Crue, Blur and Primal Scream among others. Hunter's influence on modern rock and roll music has been immeasurable, with over 150 different cover versions of his songs.
Man Overboard is Ian Hunter's 13th solo album since his eponymous debut in 1975. Recorded in late 2008 in Pawling, NY. It was produced by Andy York (veteran guitarist for John Mellencamp) and Ian Hunter and features a backing band of superstar talent comprised of Steve Holley on drums and percussion (Wings, Joe Cocker), Paul Page on bass (Dion), Jack Petruzzelli on electric guitar (Rufus Wainwright, Joan Osbourne), James Mastro on electric guitar (Patti Smith, John Cale), Andy Burton on piano and organ (The Db's) and Producer Andy York on guitar and backing vocals. Many of the band members are returning from the Shrunken Heads sessions. Regarding Man Overboard, Ian Hunter stated, "When we did Shrunken Heads, I felt like we had a good thing going so I wanted to revisit the experience before anything changed, and that's what we did."
==========================
Blur Compiles New Greatest Hits Collection
Now that they’ve got some serious headlining slots lined up—major festivals like T in the Park, Glastonbury and Oxegen—Blur have prepared a two-disc primer to their back catalogue. Dubbed Midlife: A Beginner’s Guide to Blur and due out June 15 in the UK, it features 25 tracks from throughout the band’s career, including some selections from their last LP, Think Tank.
==========================
Iggy Pop & the Stooges
Iggy Pop talked to The Australian about plans to reunite the Stooges' Raw Power lineup without the recently passed Ron Asheton.
“There is always Iggy and the Stooges, the second growth of the band. I had a meeting in LA last week with James (Williamson). It was the first time we had seen each other in 30 years. So we talked about doing something together. Raw Power would be the repertoire.”
==========================
Wolfmother News
Wolfmother are currently in the studio West Hollywood, Los Angeles working on their second album. They've been at it recording the album, entitled "Cosmic Egg," with renowned English producer Alan Moulder for a shade over six weeks now, according to the blog at Modular People.
"Back Round," the first piece from the new record to be revealed, was showcased at the MTV Australia Awards in March, and has been available from wolfmother.com for free ever since, encouraging fans to donate money to the Red Cross Bushfire appeal in lieu of payment for the new track. "Back Round" will be available from iTunes worldwide on June 2nd. It has also now been revealed that the Australian four piece will hit the road on what's set to be the biggest tour in Australia of 2010, that is the return of AC/DC. In February and March of next year Wolfmother will be on the road with the legends as part of the Black Ice World Tour.
==========================
CCR Reissues
Fantasy Records continues its massive Creedence Clearwater Revival reissue program with the May 26, 2009, release of Creedence Covers the Classics, a compilation of the band's best cover tracks, plus a fully remastered version of The Concert, the band's 1970 live album. Last year, marking Creedence's 40th anniversary, Fantasy re-released the Rock ‘n' Roll Hall of Fame-inducted band's first six studio albums including rare never-before-released bonus tracks.
Creedence Clearwater Revival had developed a vast arsenal of covers during a lengthy apprenticeship in the local Bay Area music scene (as Tommy Fogerty & the Blue Velvets and later as the Golliwogs) by the time they emerged on the national stage in 1968. As fans of the 1950s "Golden Age of Rock ‘n' Roll," CCR hardly missed an opportunity to salute their musical heroes while making the songs their own. The Creedence Covers the Classics collection brings together for the first time these classic cover recordings.
Included are renditions of Dale Hawkins' "Susie Q" (CCR's very first hit single), Little Richard's "Good Golly Miss Molly," Marvin Gaye's "I Heard It Through the Grapevine," Ricky Nelson's "Hello Mary Lou," Leadbelly's "The Midnight Special" and "Cotton Fields," Roy Orbison's "Ooby Dooby," Ray Charles' "The Night Time Is the Right Time," Wilson Pickett's "Ninety-Nine and a Half," Bo Diddley's "Before You Accuse Me," Arthur "Big Boy" Crudup's "My Baby Left Me" (made a hit by Elvis Presley) and Screamin' Jay Hawkins' "I Put a Spell On You."
The much anticipated new WARBRINGER album, Waking Into Nightmares, is set for a May 19th release, and the group recently completed a new video for the track, “Severed Reality,” which was shot by the acclaimed David Brodsky (Black Dahlia Murder, GWAR). This is a frenetic, performance based clip that perfectly captures the band’s live, unrelenting stage show. This video can now be viewed exclusively at the link below.
John Kevill (vocals) further comments: “The video for ‘Severed Reality’ got done in the middle of a tour, and it was done mostly live at the venue we were playing at that night in Milwaukee. We did a couple shots on the stage before anyone showed up, and then just shot the whole show for the video. As it turns out the show was fucking insane, we couldn't even fit all the stage divers in the video! David Brodsky went to put the whole thing together and it came out great, I think it is the strongest video we have had so far.”
Waking Into Nightmares is set to be released in just under a month and have now launched a pre-order for the album online at the new CM Distro. There are packages available for both the CD and LP versions of the album and each contain an exclusive T-Shirt and a bonus disc featuring rough mixes from the record.
WARBRINGER - Severed Reality (OFFICIAL VIDEO)
==========================
Megadeath LP Coming Soon
Megadeth front-man, Dave Mustaine, has issued a statement to TheLIVELine.com that the recording of Megadeth's forth coming album is done.
Recorded in Megadeth's studio coined "Vic's Garage," the still untitled album will be the twelfth studio release for the band.
Mustaine indicated that he's more excited about this album than any of his releases since the 1980's.
==========================
And even more coverage of the controversial album cover art from the Manic Street Preachers
Asda defends album cover ban
by James McCarthy, South Wales Echo
ASDA has become the latest supermarket to defend its decision to ban the cover of the Manic Street Preachers’ new album from their shelves.
The retail giant, along with Tesco, Sainsbury’s and Morrisons, have been criticised for hiding the sleeve of the Blackwood band’s Journal for Plague Lovers behind a plain cover on the grounds it was “inappropriate”.
It features a painting by artist Jenny Saville of a girl with a large birthmark on the left side of her face.
Cardiff and Vale Coalition for the Disabled and Wales Liberal Democrat health spokesman, Peter Black, expressed concern the four retail giants had banned the image of a disfigured child.
But an Asda spokeswoman said: “It’s not really about that. If you first look at that picture it looks like a child that has been beaten up. Jenny Saville, her art, it’s deliberately designed to shock.”
“It’s a very shocking image and it may upset some of our customers.
“It’s not saying that we’re not (going) to look at people with facial disfigurements.
“People are not coming to Asda to look at art. They are coming to shop.”
SOURCE: http://www.walesonline.co.uk
================================
Ian Hunter Signs To New West Records
Legendary Mott the Hoople front man and renowned solo artist, Ian Hunter, has signed to New West Records. Man Overboard, due July 21.
With Mott the Hoople, Hunter quickly established himself as an incredibly inventive songwriter with his gritty and thought provoking songs which paved the way for the original wave of punk rock.
The 1972 David Bowie produced breakthrough album All The Young Dudes catapulted the band into the British Top 10 and the American Top 40. Additionally, the band was the first act to ever sell out a week of Broadway concerts in New York City. Ian Hunter's autobiography, Diary Of A Rock and Roll Star, waswritten during the band's 1972 US Tour and published in 1974. The original Mott The Hoople lineup of Hunter, Mick Ralphs, Verden Allen, Dale Griffin, and Overend Watts have announced five 40th anniversary reunion shows at the HMV Hammersmith Apollo in London on October 1-6.
As a solo artist, Mr. Hunter has been responsible for instantly recognizable classics as "Once Bitten, Twice Shy," "Cleveland Rocks" (which went on to be the theme song for ABC's hit series The Drew Carey Show), and many, many more. Hunter and Mott the Hoople have been cited as inspirations for numerous artists including The Clash, Kiss, R.E.M., Oasis, Jeff Tweedy of Wilco, Motley Crue, Blur and Primal Scream among others. Hunter's influence on modern rock and roll music has been immeasurable, with over 150 different cover versions of his songs.
Man Overboard is Ian Hunter's 13th solo album since his eponymous debut in 1975. Recorded in late 2008 in Pawling, NY. It was produced by Andy York (veteran guitarist for John Mellencamp) and Ian Hunter and features a backing band of superstar talent comprised of Steve Holley on drums and percussion (Wings, Joe Cocker), Paul Page on bass (Dion), Jack Petruzzelli on electric guitar (Rufus Wainwright, Joan Osbourne), James Mastro on electric guitar (Patti Smith, John Cale), Andy Burton on piano and organ (The Db's) and Producer Andy York on guitar and backing vocals. Many of the band members are returning from the Shrunken Heads sessions. Regarding Man Overboard, Ian Hunter stated, "When we did Shrunken Heads, I felt like we had a good thing going so I wanted to revisit the experience before anything changed, and that's what we did."
==========================
Blur Compiles New Greatest Hits Collection
Now that they’ve got some serious headlining slots lined up—major festivals like T in the Park, Glastonbury and Oxegen—Blur have prepared a two-disc primer to their back catalogue. Dubbed Midlife: A Beginner’s Guide to Blur and due out June 15 in the UK, it features 25 tracks from throughout the band’s career, including some selections from their last LP, Think Tank.
==========================
Iggy Pop & the Stooges
Iggy Pop talked to The Australian about plans to reunite the Stooges' Raw Power lineup without the recently passed Ron Asheton.
“There is always Iggy and the Stooges, the second growth of the band. I had a meeting in LA last week with James (Williamson). It was the first time we had seen each other in 30 years. So we talked about doing something together. Raw Power would be the repertoire.”
==========================
Wolfmother News
Wolfmother are currently in the studio West Hollywood, Los Angeles working on their second album. They've been at it recording the album, entitled "Cosmic Egg," with renowned English producer Alan Moulder for a shade over six weeks now, according to the blog at Modular People.
"Back Round," the first piece from the new record to be revealed, was showcased at the MTV Australia Awards in March, and has been available from wolfmother.com for free ever since, encouraging fans to donate money to the Red Cross Bushfire appeal in lieu of payment for the new track. "Back Round" will be available from iTunes worldwide on June 2nd. It has also now been revealed that the Australian four piece will hit the road on what's set to be the biggest tour in Australia of 2010, that is the return of AC/DC. In February and March of next year Wolfmother will be on the road with the legends as part of the Black Ice World Tour.
==========================
CCR Reissues
Fantasy Records continues its massive Creedence Clearwater Revival reissue program with the May 26, 2009, release of Creedence Covers the Classics, a compilation of the band's best cover tracks, plus a fully remastered version of The Concert, the band's 1970 live album. Last year, marking Creedence's 40th anniversary, Fantasy re-released the Rock ‘n' Roll Hall of Fame-inducted band's first six studio albums including rare never-before-released bonus tracks.
Creedence Clearwater Revival had developed a vast arsenal of covers during a lengthy apprenticeship in the local Bay Area music scene (as Tommy Fogerty & the Blue Velvets and later as the Golliwogs) by the time they emerged on the national stage in 1968. As fans of the 1950s "Golden Age of Rock ‘n' Roll," CCR hardly missed an opportunity to salute their musical heroes while making the songs their own. The Creedence Covers the Classics collection brings together for the first time these classic cover recordings.
Included are renditions of Dale Hawkins' "Susie Q" (CCR's very first hit single), Little Richard's "Good Golly Miss Molly," Marvin Gaye's "I Heard It Through the Grapevine," Ricky Nelson's "Hello Mary Lou," Leadbelly's "The Midnight Special" and "Cotton Fields," Roy Orbison's "Ooby Dooby," Ray Charles' "The Night Time Is the Right Time," Wilson Pickett's "Ninety-Nine and a Half," Bo Diddley's "Before You Accuse Me," Arthur "Big Boy" Crudup's "My Baby Left Me" (made a hit by Elvis Presley) and Screamin' Jay Hawkins' "I Put a Spell On You."
Wednesday, May 20, 2009
Mr. Music
I am continuing our new feature: Ask "Mr. Music." Now in its 23rd year of syndication (1986-2008), Jerry Osborne's weekly Q&A feature will be a regular post every Wednesday from now on. Be sure to stop by Jerry's site (www.jerryosborne.com) for more Mr. Music archives, record price guides, anything Elvis, buy & sell collectibles, record appraisals and much more. I thank Jerry for allowing the reprints.
FOR THE WEEK OF MAY 11, 2009
DEAR JERRY: In a collection of '60s and '70s records I bought is a Capitol single (#5112) of “I Want to Hold Your Hand” and “I Saw Her Standing There,” by the Beatles.
What intrigues me is how new this record looks. It seems a 45-year-old record would show its age with signs of wear.
The label is typical of Capitol's mid-'60s releases, yellow with a curling orange wave breaking.
Is this an original or just one of their many reissues?
—Milt Spencer, West Allis, Wisc.
DEAR MILT: There are indeed many reissues; however, most do not fit the description your provide.
Between Capitol and Apple alone we've seen at least 20 different variations of “I Want to Hold Your Hand,” but only two of those reissues have that yellow and orange label, and are numbered 5112. Both are special anniversary issues intended to replicate the originals.
So let's see which you have.
All variations have the music publishing company name on the right side, directly above the time (2:24).
If that name is Walter Hoffer [Music], George Pincus & Sons Music, or Gil Music Corp., you have a '64 original.
Should it read Duchess Music Corporation, and have black text printed around most of the outside border of the label, it is a 20th Anniversary (1964-1984) edition.
In 1994, Capitol issued a 30th Anniversary (1964-1994) edition, also published by Duchess Music Corporation. This one, however, has only a few words at the bottom, underneath “The Beatles,” all in WHITE print.
I think you can take it from here.
DEAR JERRY: Your column inspired me to dig out my old 45s, most of which I bought as a teen in the 1950s and early '60s.
One in my collection has me curious, and I'm hoping you'll shed some light on things.
I have several by Brenda Lee, all credited just that way. However, one shows the singer as “Little Brenda Lee (9 Years Old).” The song is her version of Hank Williams' “Jambayala.”
Did she then turn 10 or 11 and dump the “Little”?
I know Little Stevie Wonder and Little Anthony both dropped the “Little” when they got a bit bigger. What's the deal with Little Brenda?
Is this her first recording?
—Alice Holt, Glendale, Ariz.
DEAR ALICE: Yes, “Jambayala,” backed with “Bigelow 6-200” (Decca 30050), is indeed Brenda's first record.
Her debut single came out in September 1956, two months after Decca signed the pre-teen to what turned out to be a 30-year collaboration — itself a rarity in this business.
Brenda's second single couples two charming Christmas tunes: “I'm Gonna Lasso Santa Claus” and “Christy Christmas.”
None of those first four songs charted, but her first release in '57, “One Step at a Time,” became a hit in both the pop and country fields. With the release of “One Step at a Time,” Brenda Lee was no longer “Little.”
About that “Little” thing: even though these two 1956 Decca singles both credit her as “Little Brenda Lee (9 Years Old),” they were not being honest.
What virtually no one knew at the time is that Brenda turned 12 on December 11, 1956.
Next came, “Dynamite,” which gave Brenda her final chart hit until nearly the end of the decade. Just 10 days before 1960 arrived, “Sweet Nothin's” debuted.
Little Miss Dynamite, as the 4' 9" wunderkind was affectionately known, went on to chart 46 hits in the 1960s making her that decade's top female singles artist.
IZ ZAT SO? For singles sales in the 1960s, Brenda Lee topped all females, but her dominance did not extend to albums.
In that category, she ranked behind (in order) Nancy Wilson; Barbra Streisand; and Connie Francis.
Not surprising, since only once in long play history has the same woman worn both the singles and albums crown for a decade.
That would be '90s superstar Mariah Carey.
Copyright 2009 Osbourne Enterprises- Reprinted By Permission
*************************************************************
"Rockin Records" is now on sale- call with the code "CVR" and receive $6 off your purchase
Toll-Free: (800) 246-3255
http://www.jerryosborne.com/
Jerry Osborne's "Rockin' Records" has long been the most popular record guide. Now with 1,104 pages, it is by far the biggest record guide we've ever made. It is regarded throughout the industry as the best available guide, and it is the one accepted by all the major insurance companies.
Call today with the code "CVR" to receive your discount!
CYBERGUIDESThe Up-To-Date Record Price Guide
Call to order your weekly Cyberguides- emailed to you every week!
FOR THE WEEK OF MAY 11, 2009
DEAR JERRY: In a collection of '60s and '70s records I bought is a Capitol single (#5112) of “I Want to Hold Your Hand” and “I Saw Her Standing There,” by the Beatles.
What intrigues me is how new this record looks. It seems a 45-year-old record would show its age with signs of wear.
The label is typical of Capitol's mid-'60s releases, yellow with a curling orange wave breaking.
Is this an original or just one of their many reissues?
—Milt Spencer, West Allis, Wisc.
DEAR MILT: There are indeed many reissues; however, most do not fit the description your provide.
Between Capitol and Apple alone we've seen at least 20 different variations of “I Want to Hold Your Hand,” but only two of those reissues have that yellow and orange label, and are numbered 5112. Both are special anniversary issues intended to replicate the originals.
So let's see which you have.
All variations have the music publishing company name on the right side, directly above the time (2:24).
If that name is Walter Hoffer [Music], George Pincus & Sons Music, or Gil Music Corp., you have a '64 original.
Should it read Duchess Music Corporation, and have black text printed around most of the outside border of the label, it is a 20th Anniversary (1964-1984) edition.
In 1994, Capitol issued a 30th Anniversary (1964-1994) edition, also published by Duchess Music Corporation. This one, however, has only a few words at the bottom, underneath “The Beatles,” all in WHITE print.
I think you can take it from here.
DEAR JERRY: Your column inspired me to dig out my old 45s, most of which I bought as a teen in the 1950s and early '60s.
One in my collection has me curious, and I'm hoping you'll shed some light on things.
I have several by Brenda Lee, all credited just that way. However, one shows the singer as “Little Brenda Lee (9 Years Old).” The song is her version of Hank Williams' “Jambayala.”
Did she then turn 10 or 11 and dump the “Little”?
I know Little Stevie Wonder and Little Anthony both dropped the “Little” when they got a bit bigger. What's the deal with Little Brenda?
Is this her first recording?
—Alice Holt, Glendale, Ariz.
DEAR ALICE: Yes, “Jambayala,” backed with “Bigelow 6-200” (Decca 30050), is indeed Brenda's first record.
Her debut single came out in September 1956, two months after Decca signed the pre-teen to what turned out to be a 30-year collaboration — itself a rarity in this business.
Brenda's second single couples two charming Christmas tunes: “I'm Gonna Lasso Santa Claus” and “Christy Christmas.”
None of those first four songs charted, but her first release in '57, “One Step at a Time,” became a hit in both the pop and country fields. With the release of “One Step at a Time,” Brenda Lee was no longer “Little.”
About that “Little” thing: even though these two 1956 Decca singles both credit her as “Little Brenda Lee (9 Years Old),” they were not being honest.
What virtually no one knew at the time is that Brenda turned 12 on December 11, 1956.
Next came, “Dynamite,” which gave Brenda her final chart hit until nearly the end of the decade. Just 10 days before 1960 arrived, “Sweet Nothin's” debuted.
Little Miss Dynamite, as the 4' 9" wunderkind was affectionately known, went on to chart 46 hits in the 1960s making her that decade's top female singles artist.
IZ ZAT SO? For singles sales in the 1960s, Brenda Lee topped all females, but her dominance did not extend to albums.
In that category, she ranked behind (in order) Nancy Wilson; Barbra Streisand; and Connie Francis.
Not surprising, since only once in long play history has the same woman worn both the singles and albums crown for a decade.
That would be '90s superstar Mariah Carey.
Copyright 2009 Osbourne Enterprises- Reprinted By Permission
*************************************************************
"Rockin Records" is now on sale- call with the code "CVR" and receive $6 off your purchase
Toll-Free: (800) 246-3255
http://www.jerryosborne.com/
Jerry Osborne's "Rockin' Records" has long been the most popular record guide. Now with 1,104 pages, it is by far the biggest record guide we've ever made. It is regarded throughout the industry as the best available guide, and it is the one accepted by all the major insurance companies.
Call today with the code "CVR" to receive your discount!
CYBERGUIDESThe Up-To-Date Record Price Guide
Call to order your weekly Cyberguides- emailed to you every week!
Music News & Notes
More New Releases
Dale Ann Bradley has just released a new album, "Don't Turn Your Back," on Compass Records on Tuesday (May 19). The album is an eclectic mix of new songs, as well as solid remakes of Fleetwood Mac's "Over My Head," Patty Loveless' "Last Thing on My Mind" and Tom Petty's "I Won't Back Down." Bradley is the International Bluegrass Music Association's (IBMA) reigning female vocalist of the year.
Other new independent releases include singer-songwriter Ashley Cleveland's "God Don't Never Change" (Koch), Gregory Alan Isakov's "This Empty Northern Hemisphere" (self-released), Red Stick Ramblers' "My Suitcase Is Always Packed" (Sugar Hill), Russell Moore & IIIrd Tyme Out's self-titled album (Rural Rhythm), Chris Pandolfi's "Looking Glass" (Sugar Hill), Angie Stevens' "Queen of This Mess" (Boss Koala) and the Tractors' "Trade Union" (Koch). Additionally, Sony Music Entertainment has digitally released Ashley Monroe's 2006 album, "Satisfied," a Columbia Records project that was sidelined during Sony's corporate merger with BMG.
============================
Concord Issuing Ray Charles' Modern Sounds In Country and Western Music Volumes 1 & 2
Back in 1962, the legendary Ray Charles electrified the musical world with his soulful take on many popular country and western music of the day with his LP "Modern Sounds In Country and Western Music." The album would became his first #1 hit on the Pop Albums chart, staying there for an amazing 14 weeks, and included four charting singles ("Born to Lose," "Careless Love," "I Can't Stop Loving You" and "You Don't Know Me"). In response to the overwhelming success of this record, later that same year, Charles released Volume 2, which produced three more hits ("You Are My Sunshine," "Take These Chains From My Heart" and "Your Cheating Heart").
Concord Records has released the following press release and talks about the making of these classic albums:
“Since joining ABC’s roster in late 1959 after permanently altering the rhythm & blues landscape that sired soul, Charles had been contemplating an LP of country chestnuts for years,” Dahl writes. “So to him it wasn’t a radical concept. What was earth shattering was the way he redefined each song. When Ray unleashed the roaring horn section from his recently formed big band, those country evergreens swung like never before.”
In preparation for the album, Charles asked Feller to bring him the biggest country and western hits from the preceding 20 years. According to Ward, “Completely confused and wondering what possible use Ray could make of such material, Sid began collecting songs. The more he thought about Ray’s idea, the more excited Sid became. And by the time the sessions rolled around, he was nearly the most enthusiastic person on the studio.”
Initially skeptical at first themselves, ABC Records gave Charles artistic freedom and was pleased when Modern Sounds in Country & Western Music became the label’s first million-selling album. A lot of this was due to the success of its first single, I Can’t Stop Loving You. Never intended to be a single, the Don Gibson-penned track was buried deep in the album sequence. Yet when actor Tab Hunter covered the song, Feller quickly edited Charles’ rendition to single length and got it into the marketplace in enough time to bury the Hunter version. It topped the pop and R&B hit parades and won a Grammy for Best R&B Recording. You Don’t Know Me also proved a massive R&B and pop seller.
A few months later, Ray and his team convened at Capitol Studios in New York to plan Volume 2, Ray mining another dozen country standards. Within the month, the album was at retail and proceeded to reach #2 on the pop album chart. Hank Williams’ Take These Chains From My Heart, which kicked off the “ballad side” of Volume 2, became another huge Charles hit in mid-1963.
Having made countless new country converts by giving these 24 songs a soul-steeped urban dimension, Charles continued to dip into the country and western songbook. He covered Johnny Cash’s hit Busted to Grammy-winning acclaim in 1963, and his remakes of Buck Owens’ Cryin’ Time and Together Again hit during the mid-‘60s. “Then again,” Dahl writes, “Ray’s unique vocal interpretations inevitably made any song from any genre entirely his own.”
=============================
In an earlier post, I had shown the new album cover art for this release- why it is causing quite a stir is anyone's guess, here is the album ocver again and the response for the band:
MANIC STREET PREACHERS - MANICS BLAST CENSORS OVER COVER ART ROW
MANIC STREET PREACHERS frontman JAMES DEAN BRADFIELD is baffled by the decision to censor the band's new album cover - insisting critics have misunderstood the artwork.
A number of stores in the band's native U.K. are issuing Journal For Plague Lovers in plain cases, because the original cover - a painting by artist Jenny Saville - shows a face that appears to be splattered in blood.
But Bradfield is annoyed, insisting the image isn't blood, and accusing stores of looking for controversy.
He tells the BBC, "We just thought it was a beautiful painting. We were all in total agreement. It is her brushwork. If you're familiar with her work, there's a lot of ochres and browns and reds and browns and perhaps people are looking for us to be more provocative than we are being.
"You can have lovely shiny buttocks and guns everywhere in the supermarket on covers of magazines and CDs, but you show a piece of art and people just freak out".
It's not the first time the Manics have teamed with Saville - they used one of earlier paintings of an overweight woman in just underwear on the cover of their 1994 album, The Holy Bible.
Buy Manic Street Preachers Music Here
=============================
New 'Brimful' Of Cornershop Music
Here's something that doesn't happen very often, a new record from one of the UK's most cherished bands, Cornershop.
They will be releasing the 1st single from their forthcoming album on Tuesday 26 May. The new single is titled 'The Roll Off Characteristics (Of History In The Making)' and will be released on Cornershop's own Ample Play Records imprint. The Devil has a twitchy house remix of the single available for download for a limited period.
Vinyl copies of the single are to be distributed through Cargo to local shops, however, both vinyl and digital copies are also available for sale directly and securely at the Cornershop On-Line Shop from the group themselves, at www.cornershop.com .
Cornershop Music
===========================
Ash to release 26 new songs in 12 months + “Return of White Rabbit”
With 18 Top 40 UK hits, Ash are one of the most successful ‘singles bands’ of recent times, consistently bothering charts and airwaves with their distinctive, lovable and inventive pop.
In 2007 Ash released the album ‘Twilight Of The Innocents’, bequeathed another brace of hit singles “You Can’t Have It All” and “Polaris,” before promptly announcing they would no longer release albums. Heralding a new approach to record releases, the ultimate singles band will now deliver the ultimate singles collection - a year-long series of fortnightly single releases, with limited edition collectors vinyl.
For the past year they have been holed up in their New York HQ, Atomic Heart Studios, writing and recording a series of songs that will form what Ash is calling the A-Z series.
Starting in October, every two weeks for the next twelve months, Ash will release one single on limited 7” vinyl and digital download…starting with ‘A’ and ending at ‘Z’, all 26 songs will be released on Ash’s own Atomic Heart Records and will be available through shops and by subscription through the band’s website.
Ash kick off this series with a bonus track (not one of the forthcoming 26 songs) — the Mark Hamilton penned song “Return of White Rabbit.”
Fans can currently download this song free of charge on the Ash website, www.ash-official.com and 1000 limited edition 7” singles will be made available through mail order and selected independent record shops starting June 8, 2009.
===============================
Zao Releasing Early Album "Where Blood And Fire Bring Rest" On Vinyl
Zao has issued the following announcement about releasing an early studio album on vinyl:
"Yup. Broken Circles Records is putting out a 1000 copy pressing of Where Blood And Fire Bring Rest on vinyl. First time it's seen a vinyl release. Ever.
"While WE don't really have a hand in this one, we've given our blessing and are sitting on the sidelines watching how it goes down to see if there's enough demand to put OTHER stuff out. I mean, think about it. A certain ANALOG recorded album getting the vinyl treatment it deserves? double picture-disc set of Funeral of God?? the possibilities are endless.
"In the meantime, here's the breakdown of the pressing.
"Dark Clear Red Vinyl (400 copies)
"Opaque Yellow Vinyl (300 copies)
"Brown Marble Vinyl (200 copies)
"Black VInyl (100 Copies) Sold Out!
Hurry- the release is selling out fast- check here to see if they have it!
===============================
L.A. GUNS: ''86 Demo Sessions' To Be Released On Limited-Edition Vinyl
Cleopatra Records will release L.A. GUNS' "'86 Demo Sessions" on limited-edition, hand-numbered vinyl on June 2. The LP, which contains recordings that were made prior to the release of the band's major label debut album in 1988, features the following track listing:
01. Soho
02. Nothing To Lose
03. Bitch is Back
04. Down In the City
05. Electric Gypsy
06. Instrumental
07. Guilty
08. Hollywood Tease
09. Sex Action
10. Midnight Alibi
11. One More Reason
12. One Way Ticket
13. Shoot For Thrills
L.A. GUNS has recently been touring in two competing lineups: one fronted by guitarist Tracii Guns, and another led by his Eighties bandmates, singer Phil Lewis and drummer Steve Riley. "Tracii's L.A. GUNS is bogus," Riley recently told Rolling Stone magazine. "People want to hear the songs sung by the original lead singer." Guns countered, "Those guys are a couple of dirty motherfuckers. I hired them for my band — if you get hired as a manager at McDonald's, you don't take over the McDonald's."
Guns told Rolling Stone that he was going to court, and he hoped to get the name back. "I just want to put it to bed and start a new band," he said. "This has proved beyond 'Spinal Tap' ridiculous. The next chapter would be us trying to book a convenience store and battling over the $300 they'd pay us."
===============================
Handwritten Poem By Teenage Bob Dylan Up For Auction
A two-page poem written by “Bobby Zimmerman,” or Bob Dylan as the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame calls him, has been unearthed and is now up for auction at Christie’s. Handwritten by a teenage Dylan in the mid-1950s, “Little Buddy” was penned for The Herzl Herald, the official newspaper of Northwestern Wisconsin’s Herzl Camp, where young Zimmerman was a camper. The handwritten poem is currently on the block until June 23rd, with an estimated price in the $10,000-$15,000 range.
==============================
Echo & the Bunnymen Space Bound
Recently, Echo & the Bunnymen were contacted by NASA astronaut Timothy Korpa about taking the group's music with him on his next space mission. Specifically, what he wants to take is the group's 1984 album "Ocean Rain," which he states as his favorite from their catalog.
Group member Ian McCulloch said in a statement:
"Now it's official. We are the coolest band in the universe. As a kid I dreamt of being an astronaut, and now in a way it feels like I'm fulfilling that dream. I cannot wait to hear from Tim what it is like to listen to The Killing Moon in the actual glow of the moon."
***Buy The LP Here***
==============================
Green Day #1 LP
Despite their unorthodox release date that saw Green Day's "21st Century Breakdown" in stores on Friday instead of the conventional Tuesday, Green Day’s newest rock opera has bolted to the top of the charts. The album sold more than 214,000 copies in its short week, giving the band their second consecutive #1 debut after 2004’s American Idiot.
**Buy 21st Century Breakdown Here**
Dale Ann Bradley has just released a new album, "Don't Turn Your Back," on Compass Records on Tuesday (May 19). The album is an eclectic mix of new songs, as well as solid remakes of Fleetwood Mac's "Over My Head," Patty Loveless' "Last Thing on My Mind" and Tom Petty's "I Won't Back Down." Bradley is the International Bluegrass Music Association's (IBMA) reigning female vocalist of the year.
Other new independent releases include singer-songwriter Ashley Cleveland's "God Don't Never Change" (Koch), Gregory Alan Isakov's "This Empty Northern Hemisphere" (self-released), Red Stick Ramblers' "My Suitcase Is Always Packed" (Sugar Hill), Russell Moore & IIIrd Tyme Out's self-titled album (Rural Rhythm), Chris Pandolfi's "Looking Glass" (Sugar Hill), Angie Stevens' "Queen of This Mess" (Boss Koala) and the Tractors' "Trade Union" (Koch). Additionally, Sony Music Entertainment has digitally released Ashley Monroe's 2006 album, "Satisfied," a Columbia Records project that was sidelined during Sony's corporate merger with BMG.
============================
Concord Issuing Ray Charles' Modern Sounds In Country and Western Music Volumes 1 & 2
Back in 1962, the legendary Ray Charles electrified the musical world with his soulful take on many popular country and western music of the day with his LP "Modern Sounds In Country and Western Music." The album would became his first #1 hit on the Pop Albums chart, staying there for an amazing 14 weeks, and included four charting singles ("Born to Lose," "Careless Love," "I Can't Stop Loving You" and "You Don't Know Me"). In response to the overwhelming success of this record, later that same year, Charles released Volume 2, which produced three more hits ("You Are My Sunshine," "Take These Chains From My Heart" and "Your Cheating Heart").
Concord Records has released the following press release and talks about the making of these classic albums:
“Since joining ABC’s roster in late 1959 after permanently altering the rhythm & blues landscape that sired soul, Charles had been contemplating an LP of country chestnuts for years,” Dahl writes. “So to him it wasn’t a radical concept. What was earth shattering was the way he redefined each song. When Ray unleashed the roaring horn section from his recently formed big band, those country evergreens swung like never before.”
In preparation for the album, Charles asked Feller to bring him the biggest country and western hits from the preceding 20 years. According to Ward, “Completely confused and wondering what possible use Ray could make of such material, Sid began collecting songs. The more he thought about Ray’s idea, the more excited Sid became. And by the time the sessions rolled around, he was nearly the most enthusiastic person on the studio.”
Initially skeptical at first themselves, ABC Records gave Charles artistic freedom and was pleased when Modern Sounds in Country & Western Music became the label’s first million-selling album. A lot of this was due to the success of its first single, I Can’t Stop Loving You. Never intended to be a single, the Don Gibson-penned track was buried deep in the album sequence. Yet when actor Tab Hunter covered the song, Feller quickly edited Charles’ rendition to single length and got it into the marketplace in enough time to bury the Hunter version. It topped the pop and R&B hit parades and won a Grammy for Best R&B Recording. You Don’t Know Me also proved a massive R&B and pop seller.
A few months later, Ray and his team convened at Capitol Studios in New York to plan Volume 2, Ray mining another dozen country standards. Within the month, the album was at retail and proceeded to reach #2 on the pop album chart. Hank Williams’ Take These Chains From My Heart, which kicked off the “ballad side” of Volume 2, became another huge Charles hit in mid-1963.
Having made countless new country converts by giving these 24 songs a soul-steeped urban dimension, Charles continued to dip into the country and western songbook. He covered Johnny Cash’s hit Busted to Grammy-winning acclaim in 1963, and his remakes of Buck Owens’ Cryin’ Time and Together Again hit during the mid-‘60s. “Then again,” Dahl writes, “Ray’s unique vocal interpretations inevitably made any song from any genre entirely his own.”
=============================
In an earlier post, I had shown the new album cover art for this release- why it is causing quite a stir is anyone's guess, here is the album ocver again and the response for the band:
MANIC STREET PREACHERS - MANICS BLAST CENSORS OVER COVER ART ROW
MANIC STREET PREACHERS frontman JAMES DEAN BRADFIELD is baffled by the decision to censor the band's new album cover - insisting critics have misunderstood the artwork.
A number of stores in the band's native U.K. are issuing Journal For Plague Lovers in plain cases, because the original cover - a painting by artist Jenny Saville - shows a face that appears to be splattered in blood.
But Bradfield is annoyed, insisting the image isn't blood, and accusing stores of looking for controversy.
He tells the BBC, "We just thought it was a beautiful painting. We were all in total agreement. It is her brushwork. If you're familiar with her work, there's a lot of ochres and browns and reds and browns and perhaps people are looking for us to be more provocative than we are being.
"You can have lovely shiny buttocks and guns everywhere in the supermarket on covers of magazines and CDs, but you show a piece of art and people just freak out".
It's not the first time the Manics have teamed with Saville - they used one of earlier paintings of an overweight woman in just underwear on the cover of their 1994 album, The Holy Bible.
Buy Manic Street Preachers Music Here
=============================
New 'Brimful' Of Cornershop Music
Here's something that doesn't happen very often, a new record from one of the UK's most cherished bands, Cornershop.
They will be releasing the 1st single from their forthcoming album on Tuesday 26 May. The new single is titled 'The Roll Off Characteristics (Of History In The Making)' and will be released on Cornershop's own Ample Play Records imprint. The Devil has a twitchy house remix of the single available for download for a limited period.
Vinyl copies of the single are to be distributed through Cargo to local shops, however, both vinyl and digital copies are also available for sale directly and securely at the Cornershop On-Line Shop from the group themselves, at www.cornershop.com .
Cornershop Music
===========================
Ash to release 26 new songs in 12 months + “Return of White Rabbit”
With 18 Top 40 UK hits, Ash are one of the most successful ‘singles bands’ of recent times, consistently bothering charts and airwaves with their distinctive, lovable and inventive pop.
In 2007 Ash released the album ‘Twilight Of The Innocents’, bequeathed another brace of hit singles “You Can’t Have It All” and “Polaris,” before promptly announcing they would no longer release albums. Heralding a new approach to record releases, the ultimate singles band will now deliver the ultimate singles collection - a year-long series of fortnightly single releases, with limited edition collectors vinyl.
For the past year they have been holed up in their New York HQ, Atomic Heart Studios, writing and recording a series of songs that will form what Ash is calling the A-Z series.
Starting in October, every two weeks for the next twelve months, Ash will release one single on limited 7” vinyl and digital download…starting with ‘A’ and ending at ‘Z’, all 26 songs will be released on Ash’s own Atomic Heart Records and will be available through shops and by subscription through the band’s website.
Ash kick off this series with a bonus track (not one of the forthcoming 26 songs) — the Mark Hamilton penned song “Return of White Rabbit.”
Fans can currently download this song free of charge on the Ash website, www.ash-official.com and 1000 limited edition 7” singles will be made available through mail order and selected independent record shops starting June 8, 2009.
===============================
Zao Releasing Early Album "Where Blood And Fire Bring Rest" On Vinyl
Zao has issued the following announcement about releasing an early studio album on vinyl:
"Yup. Broken Circles Records is putting out a 1000 copy pressing of Where Blood And Fire Bring Rest on vinyl. First time it's seen a vinyl release. Ever.
"While WE don't really have a hand in this one, we've given our blessing and are sitting on the sidelines watching how it goes down to see if there's enough demand to put OTHER stuff out. I mean, think about it. A certain ANALOG recorded album getting the vinyl treatment it deserves? double picture-disc set of Funeral of God?? the possibilities are endless.
"In the meantime, here's the breakdown of the pressing.
"Dark Clear Red Vinyl (400 copies)
"Opaque Yellow Vinyl (300 copies)
"Brown Marble Vinyl (200 copies)
"Black VInyl (100 Copies) Sold Out!
Hurry- the release is selling out fast- check here to see if they have it!
===============================
L.A. GUNS: ''86 Demo Sessions' To Be Released On Limited-Edition Vinyl
Cleopatra Records will release L.A. GUNS' "'86 Demo Sessions" on limited-edition, hand-numbered vinyl on June 2. The LP, which contains recordings that were made prior to the release of the band's major label debut album in 1988, features the following track listing:
01. Soho
02. Nothing To Lose
03. Bitch is Back
04. Down In the City
05. Electric Gypsy
06. Instrumental
07. Guilty
08. Hollywood Tease
09. Sex Action
10. Midnight Alibi
11. One More Reason
12. One Way Ticket
13. Shoot For Thrills
L.A. GUNS has recently been touring in two competing lineups: one fronted by guitarist Tracii Guns, and another led by his Eighties bandmates, singer Phil Lewis and drummer Steve Riley. "Tracii's L.A. GUNS is bogus," Riley recently told Rolling Stone magazine. "People want to hear the songs sung by the original lead singer." Guns countered, "Those guys are a couple of dirty motherfuckers. I hired them for my band — if you get hired as a manager at McDonald's, you don't take over the McDonald's."
Guns told Rolling Stone that he was going to court, and he hoped to get the name back. "I just want to put it to bed and start a new band," he said. "This has proved beyond 'Spinal Tap' ridiculous. The next chapter would be us trying to book a convenience store and battling over the $300 they'd pay us."
===============================
Handwritten Poem By Teenage Bob Dylan Up For Auction
A two-page poem written by “Bobby Zimmerman,” or Bob Dylan as the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame calls him, has been unearthed and is now up for auction at Christie’s. Handwritten by a teenage Dylan in the mid-1950s, “Little Buddy” was penned for The Herzl Herald, the official newspaper of Northwestern Wisconsin’s Herzl Camp, where young Zimmerman was a camper. The handwritten poem is currently on the block until June 23rd, with an estimated price in the $10,000-$15,000 range.
==============================
Echo & the Bunnymen Space Bound
Recently, Echo & the Bunnymen were contacted by NASA astronaut Timothy Korpa about taking the group's music with him on his next space mission. Specifically, what he wants to take is the group's 1984 album "Ocean Rain," which he states as his favorite from their catalog.
Group member Ian McCulloch said in a statement:
"Now it's official. We are the coolest band in the universe. As a kid I dreamt of being an astronaut, and now in a way it feels like I'm fulfilling that dream. I cannot wait to hear from Tim what it is like to listen to The Killing Moon in the actual glow of the moon."
***Buy The LP Here***
==============================
Green Day #1 LP
Despite their unorthodox release date that saw Green Day's "21st Century Breakdown" in stores on Friday instead of the conventional Tuesday, Green Day’s newest rock opera has bolted to the top of the charts. The album sold more than 214,000 copies in its short week, giving the band their second consecutive #1 debut after 2004’s American Idiot. **Buy 21st Century Breakdown Here**
This Date In Music History-May 20
Birthdays:
Busta Rhymes (1972)
Patti Russo, American singer/songwriter/actress (1964) Best known as the female lead vocalist with Meat Loaf.
Brian Nash - Frankie Goes To Hollywood (1963)
Nick Heyward - Haircut 100 (1961)
Steve George - Mr Mister (1955)
Jimmy Henderson - Black Oak Arkansas (1954)
Warren Cann – Ultravox (1952)
Sue Cowsill – Cowsills (1960)
Jill Jackson - Paul and Paula (1942)
Joe Cocker was born in Sheffield, England in 1944.
Born on this day in 1946, Cherilyn Sarkasian, better known as Cher.
1958 Jane Weidlin - Go-Gos (1958)
They Are Missed:
Rudy Lewis of The Drifters died in 1964 (age 28) under mysterious circumstances the night before the group was set to record “Under the Boardwalk.” Former Drifters backup singer Johnny Moore was brought back to perform lead vocals for the recording session.
Born on this day in 1947 Steve Currie, T Rex (died on 28th April 28, 1981).
The late Teddy Randazzo ("The Way Of A Clown" and writer of seven of Little Anthony's hits) was born in 1930.
History:
In 1960, Johnny & the Moondogs changed their name to the Silver Beetles for their first tour of Scotland, backing pop singer Johnny Gentle. The Silver Beetles were made up of John Lennon, Paul Ramon, Carl Harrison, and Stuart de Stael. The last three are actually pseudonyms for Paul McCartney, George Harrison, and Stuart Sutcliffe.
Legendary DJ Alan Freed was indicted for allegedly receiving payola from six record companies in 1960. He would later get a $300 fine.
In 1988, Priscilla Presley held a press conference to deny that Elvis was still alive. He did leave the building (earth) after all….
The #1 R&B single in America today in 1967 was Aretha Franklin's "Respect."
In 1998, Bob Dylan was among those attending a funeral mass for Frank Sinatra in Beverly Hills, California. In a statement, Dylan said, "Right from the beginning, he was there with the truth of things in his voice. His music had an influence on me, whether I knew it or not. He was one of the very few singers who sang without a mask. It's a sad day." Other mourners in attendance included: Tony Bennett, Faye Dunaway, Tony Curtis, Liza Minnelli, Kirk Douglas, Angie Dickinson, Sophia Loren, Bob Newhart, Mia Farrow and Jack Nicholson.
Tool were at #1 on the US album chart in 2006 with “10,000 Days” their second #1 album.
Paula Abdul started a two week run at #1 on the US singles chart in 1989 with “Forever Your Girl,” her second US #1 (a #24 hit in the UK).
Paul McCartney went to #1 on the US singles chart in 1978 with the cut “With A Little Luck,” his sixth solo US #1.
The Beatles, armed with a bunch of new songs after their visit to India, met at George Harrison's home in Esher, Surrey in 1968. They taped 23 new songs on George's 4-track recorder, many of which would end up on The Beatles' next two albums, (the White Album) and Abbey Road. The demos included: “Cry Baby Cry,” “Revolution,” “While My Guitar Gently Weeps,” “Blackbird” and “Child of Nature” (a Lennon song that became “Jealous Guy”).
Bill Haley and the Comets' "Rock Around the Clock" was released in 1954. It was not successful until it was re-released in 1955 on the soundtrack to "Blackboard Jungle."
Jimi Hendrix signed his first American record contract with Reprise Records in 1967.
"Let It Be," the film by The Beatles, premiered worldwide in 1970.
George Harrison visited the Maharishi Mahesh Yogi for the first time in 1967.
Busta Rhymes (1972)
Patti Russo, American singer/songwriter/actress (1964) Best known as the female lead vocalist with Meat Loaf.
Brian Nash - Frankie Goes To Hollywood (1963)
Nick Heyward - Haircut 100 (1961)
Steve George - Mr Mister (1955)
Jimmy Henderson - Black Oak Arkansas (1954)
Warren Cann – Ultravox (1952)
Sue Cowsill – Cowsills (1960)
Jill Jackson - Paul and Paula (1942)
Joe Cocker was born in Sheffield, England in 1944.
Born on this day in 1946, Cherilyn Sarkasian, better known as Cher.
1958 Jane Weidlin - Go-Gos (1958)
They Are Missed:
Rudy Lewis of The Drifters died in 1964 (age 28) under mysterious circumstances the night before the group was set to record “Under the Boardwalk.” Former Drifters backup singer Johnny Moore was brought back to perform lead vocals for the recording session.
Born on this day in 1947 Steve Currie, T Rex (died on 28th April 28, 1981).
The late Teddy Randazzo ("The Way Of A Clown" and writer of seven of Little Anthony's hits) was born in 1930.
History:
In 1960, Johnny & the Moondogs changed their name to the Silver Beetles for their first tour of Scotland, backing pop singer Johnny Gentle. The Silver Beetles were made up of John Lennon, Paul Ramon, Carl Harrison, and Stuart de Stael. The last three are actually pseudonyms for Paul McCartney, George Harrison, and Stuart Sutcliffe.
Legendary DJ Alan Freed was indicted for allegedly receiving payola from six record companies in 1960. He would later get a $300 fine.
In 1988, Priscilla Presley held a press conference to deny that Elvis was still alive. He did leave the building (earth) after all….
The #1 R&B single in America today in 1967 was Aretha Franklin's "Respect."
In 1998, Bob Dylan was among those attending a funeral mass for Frank Sinatra in Beverly Hills, California. In a statement, Dylan said, "Right from the beginning, he was there with the truth of things in his voice. His music had an influence on me, whether I knew it or not. He was one of the very few singers who sang without a mask. It's a sad day." Other mourners in attendance included: Tony Bennett, Faye Dunaway, Tony Curtis, Liza Minnelli, Kirk Douglas, Angie Dickinson, Sophia Loren, Bob Newhart, Mia Farrow and Jack Nicholson.
Tool were at #1 on the US album chart in 2006 with “10,000 Days” their second #1 album.
Paula Abdul started a two week run at #1 on the US singles chart in 1989 with “Forever Your Girl,” her second US #1 (a #24 hit in the UK).
Paul McCartney went to #1 on the US singles chart in 1978 with the cut “With A Little Luck,” his sixth solo US #1.
The Beatles, armed with a bunch of new songs after their visit to India, met at George Harrison's home in Esher, Surrey in 1968. They taped 23 new songs on George's 4-track recorder, many of which would end up on The Beatles' next two albums, (the White Album) and Abbey Road. The demos included: “Cry Baby Cry,” “Revolution,” “While My Guitar Gently Weeps,” “Blackbird” and “Child of Nature” (a Lennon song that became “Jealous Guy”).
Bill Haley and the Comets' "Rock Around the Clock" was released in 1954. It was not successful until it was re-released in 1955 on the soundtrack to "Blackboard Jungle."
Jimi Hendrix signed his first American record contract with Reprise Records in 1967.
"Let It Be," the film by The Beatles, premiered worldwide in 1970.
George Harrison visited the Maharishi Mahesh Yogi for the first time in 1967.
Tuesday, May 19, 2009
New Releases for 5/19
these are in stock right now:
AMOS,TORI/ABNORMALLY ATTRACTED TO SIN@2 LP SET
BELLINI/THE PRECIOUS PRIZE OF GRAVITY
COMBICHRIST/HEAT EP: ALL PAIN IS BEAT
CRYSTAL METHOD/DIVIDED BY NIGHT@2 LP SET
CURSIVE/MAMA I'M SWOLLEN
EAR PWR/SUPER ANIMAL BROTHERS III
FELICE BROTHERS/YONDER IS THE CLOCK
HARPER,BEN/RELENTLESS7/WHITE LIES FOR DARK TIMES@2 LP SET
HEADLIGHTS/REMIXES
HINT/CMONSTEP
HOPEWELL/GOOD GOOD DESPERATION
IRON & WINE/AROUND THE WELL
JOKER'S DAUGHTER/LAST LAUGH
LEWIS,JEFFREY & THE JUNKYARD/EM ARE I
LYTLE,JASON/YOURS TRULY COMMUTER
MATES OF STATE/ALL DAY
MOSCHELLA,NINO/BOOM SHADOW
RHODES,DUSTY & THE RIVER BAND/PALACE & STAGE
VANDERSLICE,JOHN/ROMANIAN NAMES
WARBRINGER/WAKING INTO NIGHTMARES
WARLOCKS/MIRROR EXPLODES
WHITE RABBITS/IT'S FRIGHTENING
SOURCE: http://independent-records.blogspot.com
AMOS,TORI/ABNORMALLY ATTRACTED TO SIN@2 LP SET
BELLINI/THE PRECIOUS PRIZE OF GRAVITY
COMBICHRIST/HEAT EP: ALL PAIN IS BEAT
CRYSTAL METHOD/DIVIDED BY NIGHT@2 LP SET
CURSIVE/MAMA I'M SWOLLEN
EAR PWR/SUPER ANIMAL BROTHERS III
FELICE BROTHERS/YONDER IS THE CLOCK
HARPER,BEN/RELENTLESS7/WHITE LIES FOR DARK TIMES@2 LP SET
HEADLIGHTS/REMIXES
HINT/CMONSTEP
HOPEWELL/GOOD GOOD DESPERATION
IRON & WINE/AROUND THE WELL
JOKER'S DAUGHTER/LAST LAUGH
LEWIS,JEFFREY & THE JUNKYARD/EM ARE I
LYTLE,JASON/YOURS TRULY COMMUTER
MATES OF STATE/ALL DAY
MOSCHELLA,NINO/BOOM SHADOW
RHODES,DUSTY & THE RIVER BAND/PALACE & STAGE
VANDERSLICE,JOHN/ROMANIAN NAMES
WARBRINGER/WAKING INTO NIGHTMARES
WARLOCKS/MIRROR EXPLODES
WHITE RABBITS/IT'S FRIGHTENING
SOURCE: http://independent-records.blogspot.com
Vinyl Collective News
More restocks from my friend Virgil over at www.vinylcollective.com Stop by and pick up some great vinyl (tell him I sent you on over!)
AGAINST ME! “New Wave” LP yellow vinyl + CD
AKRON/FAMILY “Set Em Wild, Set Em Free” LP
BOB MOULD “Life And Times” LP
BRAID “Frame And Canvas” LP
CHIMAIRA “The Infection” LP picture disc
CHOKING VICTIM ìNo Gods No Managersî LP
DR. DOG “We All Belong” LP
FALL OUT BOY “Take This To Your Grave” LP blue vinyl
GLASSJAW “Everything You Ever Wanted To Know About Silence” dbl LP
HANK WILLIAMS III “Lovesick, Broke & Driftin’” LP + CD
HANK WILLIAMS III “Risin’ Outlaw” LP + CD
HANK WILLIAMS III “Straight To Hell” dbl LP
LUCERO ìAttic Tapesî LP + 7″
MASTODON “Crack The Skye” LP
MATCHBOOK ROMANCE/ MOTION CITY SOUNDTRACK split 10″
METALLICA “And Justice For All” 180 gram 4xLP limited edition vinyl
METALLICA “Garage Inc” triple LP
METALLICA “Master Of Puppets” LP
METALLICA “S&M” triple LP
METALLICA “S/T” 180 gram 4xLP limited edition vinyl
MOTION CITY SOUNDTRACK “I Am The Movie” LP
NOMO “Invisible Cities” LP
OKKERVIL RIVER “The Stand Ins” LP
PARAMORE “Riot!” LP
PEACHES “I Feel Cream” LP
PINK MOUNTAINTOPS “Outside Love” LP
SINGLE FILE “Common Struggles” LP
ST. VINCENT “Actor” LP
STREET DOGS “State Of Grace” LP red vinyl
THE HIGH STRUNG “Ode To The Inverse Of The Dude” LP
THE HUSH SOUND “Goodbye Blues” LP
THE LOCUST “Plague Soundscapes” LP
TOM GABEL “Heart Burns” LP
AGAINST ME! “New Wave” LP yellow vinyl + CD
AKRON/FAMILY “Set Em Wild, Set Em Free” LP
BOB MOULD “Life And Times” LP
BRAID “Frame And Canvas” LP
CHIMAIRA “The Infection” LP picture disc
CHOKING VICTIM ìNo Gods No Managersî LP
DR. DOG “We All Belong” LP
FALL OUT BOY “Take This To Your Grave” LP blue vinyl
GLASSJAW “Everything You Ever Wanted To Know About Silence” dbl LP
HANK WILLIAMS III “Lovesick, Broke & Driftin’” LP + CD
HANK WILLIAMS III “Risin’ Outlaw” LP + CD
HANK WILLIAMS III “Straight To Hell” dbl LP
LUCERO ìAttic Tapesî LP + 7″
MASTODON “Crack The Skye” LP
MATCHBOOK ROMANCE/ MOTION CITY SOUNDTRACK split 10″
METALLICA “And Justice For All” 180 gram 4xLP limited edition vinyl
METALLICA “Garage Inc” triple LP
METALLICA “Master Of Puppets” LP
METALLICA “S&M” triple LP
METALLICA “S/T” 180 gram 4xLP limited edition vinyl
MOTION CITY SOUNDTRACK “I Am The Movie” LP
NOMO “Invisible Cities” LP
OKKERVIL RIVER “The Stand Ins” LP
PARAMORE “Riot!” LP
PEACHES “I Feel Cream” LP
PINK MOUNTAINTOPS “Outside Love” LP
SINGLE FILE “Common Struggles” LP
ST. VINCENT “Actor” LP
STREET DOGS “State Of Grace” LP red vinyl
THE HIGH STRUNG “Ode To The Inverse Of The Dude” LP
THE HUSH SOUND “Goodbye Blues” LP
THE LOCUST “Plague Soundscapes” LP
TOM GABEL “Heart Burns” LP
Music News & Notes
Blink 182 Touring
On July 24, Blink-182 (Mark Hoppus, Travis Barker and Tom DeLonge) will commence its 50-date tour of North American arenas and amphitheaters at the Joint in Las Vegas, according to Billboard. Other artists teaming up with the rockers on the Live Nation-produced tour include: Weezer, Fall Out Boy, Panic at the Disco, All-American Rejects, Taking Back Sunday, Asher Roth and Chester French. Tickets for the road trip, which will end on Oct. 3 at the Borgata Events Center in Atlantic City, N.J., will go on sale May 30 at livenation.com.
The pop-punk trio announced that it'll make $20 tickets available on its upcoming reunion tour. The price includes parking and all those pesky middle-man surcharges, too. No clues were given as to how many of the affordable tickets will be available at each tour stop.
========================
Radiohead Back in the Studio
Radiohead isn't resting too long between albums: The British rockers are back in the studio and are about halfway through its still-untitled follow-up to 2007's In Rainbows, according to the BBC. The act's once again teaming up with Nigel Goodrich for the sessions.
========================
Dandy Warhols Rescue Shelved Album
The Dandy Warhols have yanked a rejected version of an old album out of the vaults and are dusting it off for release.
The Dandy's The Dandy Warhols ARE Sound revisits a shelved version of what would later become 2003's Welcome to the Monkey House (EMI) through Beat The World/World's Fair July 14.
========================
Gimme' Back My Guitar!
After a magazine came in and took pictures of his guitar collection now Gary Moore is the subject of a controversy. His classic guitar collection was shown in Britain's Guitar Buyer magazine. It seems that one of the guitars shown may have been stolen from Ronnie Montrose way back in 1972.
According to a MusicRadar article, Montrose bought the Gibson Les Paul from J.Geils in 1972 when he was playing with the Edgar Winter Group. It disapeared during a tour stop on October 20, 1972 and he's been trying to get it back ever since.
Since seeing the article, Montrose has tried to contact Moore but has not gotten a response, so he is resorting to a law suit.
========================
Dave Matthews Blames Rolling Stone For Ruining Twitter
On July 24, Blink-182 (Mark Hoppus, Travis Barker and Tom DeLonge) will commence its 50-date tour of North American arenas and amphitheaters at the Joint in Las Vegas, according to Billboard. Other artists teaming up with the rockers on the Live Nation-produced tour include: Weezer, Fall Out Boy, Panic at the Disco, All-American Rejects, Taking Back Sunday, Asher Roth and Chester French. Tickets for the road trip, which will end on Oct. 3 at the Borgata Events Center in Atlantic City, N.J., will go on sale May 30 at livenation.com.
The pop-punk trio announced that it'll make $20 tickets available on its upcoming reunion tour. The price includes parking and all those pesky middle-man surcharges, too. No clues were given as to how many of the affordable tickets will be available at each tour stop.
========================
Radiohead Back in the Studio
Radiohead isn't resting too long between albums: The British rockers are back in the studio and are about halfway through its still-untitled follow-up to 2007's In Rainbows, according to the BBC. The act's once again teaming up with Nigel Goodrich for the sessions.
========================
Dandy Warhols Rescue Shelved Album
The Dandy Warhols have yanked a rejected version of an old album out of the vaults and are dusting it off for release.
The Dandy's The Dandy Warhols ARE Sound revisits a shelved version of what would later become 2003's Welcome to the Monkey House (EMI) through Beat The World/World's Fair July 14.
========================
Gimme' Back My Guitar!
After a magazine came in and took pictures of his guitar collection now Gary Moore is the subject of a controversy. His classic guitar collection was shown in Britain's Guitar Buyer magazine. It seems that one of the guitars shown may have been stolen from Ronnie Montrose way back in 1972.
According to a MusicRadar article, Montrose bought the Gibson Les Paul from J.Geils in 1972 when he was playing with the Edgar Winter Group. It disapeared during a tour stop on October 20, 1972 and he's been trying to get it back ever since.
Since seeing the article, Montrose has tried to contact Moore but has not gotten a response, so he is resorting to a law suit.
========================
Dave Matthews Blames Rolling Stone For Ruining Twitter
Audiophile Audition Review
I want to thank John over at http://www.audaud.com/index.php for the exclusive rights to reprint this great review!
AUDIOPHILE AUDITION focuses on recordings of interest to audiophiles and collectors, with an accent on surround sound for music, and on all hi-res disc formats. Over 100SACD, DVD Video/Audio and standard CD reviews are published during each month, and our archives go back to January 2001.
Whest TWO Phonostage
A quality phono preamp worth your consideration
Whest TWO Phonostage
SRP: $1195
Music Hall
108 Station Road
Great Neck, NY 11023
516-487-3663 (voice)
516-773-3891 (fax)
www.whestaudio.co.uk
Basic Description
Dual-mono design phonograph preamplifier; 18Hz-22kHz RIAA accuracy +/- .2dB; THD+N of .01%; gain 40, 65 or 70dB, loading 100, 500, 47k; high current, Class-A discrete output stage; variable gain and loading via internal switches; 3.3 pounds; 5.1” W x 8.3” D x 1.7” H; one year warranty.
Associated Equipment
Marantz TT-15S1 Turntable, Krell KAV-400i Integrated Amplifier, Musical Fidelity A5 Integrated Amplifier, Marantz SA-11 Integrated Amplifier, PS Audio GCPH Phono Stage (for comparison), Musical Fidelity XLPS (for comparison), Musical Surroundings Phonomena (for comparison), Rega Apollo (for preamp comparison), Bowers and Wilkins 803S speakers, Audioquest cabling.
Setup, Testing and Description
The preamplifier seems to be one of the most overlooked aspects of an audio system. Consumers tend to focus in on speakers, amplifiers, or sources, but many years ago I discovered that, although it should impart the least sonic signature, the preamplifier can radically change the quality/character of an audio system. (Of course I’m not saying to neglect other areas, only that more attention should be paid to the preamplifier).
The build quality of the Whest is understated, but there is a separate power transformer with a proprietary plug-in, a single torroidal transformer inside the chassis, and the rest of the circuitry is completely separate for each channel. If you plan to be the one to adjust the gain and loading (and what audiophile wouldn’t?), be careful to open the component from the front and not the back! This procedure requires a metric Allen wrench for the front panel and then a Philips for the bottom. Why make it so hard to get at?
Once inside, the adjustments are straightforward and given that I was using a MM cartridge I set the unit for 47K and 40 dB of gain. Even though the there are preset values of adjustment, the manual suggests that the unit can be reconfigured to ANY setting by calling Whest. Power is always on and make sure you follow the manual’s recommended procedure for connecting the unit to avoid damage.
The Whest comes with a set of decent interconnects (read ~ $200 pair sound-wise) and an RCA to mini-plug cable to connect to a computer soundcard. The mini to RCA cable looks sufficient for the task, while most users will have interconnects that they prefer based on system-matching and long-term listening and testing.
When I first received the Marantz turntable last month for review, I realized right away that a good preamp would be necessary to complete the package. Having sold my Audio Alchemy VITB years ago and only having the phono section in an old receiver to listen with, I made it a priority to obtain a high quality phono preamp. Before the review began I lent the Whest out to a friend to try it out as he was using the Musical Surroundings Phonomena.
Taking the initiative, he set the preamps he had up for the same cartridge (with loading and gain as close as possible) and recorded the output from the same recordings into his computer. He then burned a CD that contained a few tracks with four different phono preamplifiers. This was good enough to allow us to rate the preamplifiers with a few different records and separate them in groups. The preamplifiers were: The Musical Fidelity XLPS, the Musical Surroundings Phonomena (old version), the Whest (under review), and the PS Audio GCPH (future review).
He level-matched each preamp using Sony SoundForge and an Echo Audio Mia MIDI sound card and recorded the music at 16 bit/44.1 kHz. His source is a Clearaudio Champion turntable and Benz Micro L2 cartridge. He knew which preamps were which during the audition, but I and a fellow audiophile did not know which preamp was which. We quickly separated the pieces into three groups of quality.
It was clear that the PS Audio and the Whest were a large step above the other two in terms of fidelity and were in the same league but offered a different presentation. (See the PS Audio review for more information on this piece.)
Sound
The differences between the Whest and the XLPS and the Phonomena was a much improved sense of resolution, less compression and congestion, truer midrange presentation, improved bass and dynamics, more realistic soundstaging and depth—just to get started. There should be no reservation for a serious vinyl listener to jump up into the $1K+ category. The sonic rewards are huge. With the lesser preamps I did not get the Goosebumps I did while listening to the recordings mentioned in the review of the Marantz turntable. The sound was simply okay to good. With the Whest, the music was elevated to a whole new level.
Critical listening began with the title track from The Eagles’ One of These Nights record. Bass was punchy and tight but not overly full. Transients were quick and the music had good extension, but the balance leaned towards the lighter side. Imaging was good and voice was neither up front nor set back in the soundstage. I would have liked a little more depth and presence/involvement but otherwise the sound was very good.
From Fleetwood Mac’s self-titled record I chose the song “Landslide.” The portrayal of voice was quite beautiful—big, full, and rich. The guitar work was delicate and tuneful. It was easy to imagine the images hanging in the space between the speakers. It will be hard to ever listen to this track on CD again after hearing it sound this good.
From Yes’ The Yes Album I picked another fun classic rock guitar track “I’ve Seen All Good People.” The tendency that I had heard earlier that was not bothersome became more noticeable on this cut—an ever so slightly laid back characteristic to the sound present on the initial chorus. Again there seemed to be some foreshortening of the deep bass. And there was the leanness, but along with it a slight reticence—a trait that was often associated with English electronics and speakers—a lack of aggression…a politeness to the sound. I expect the music to really grab the listener and pull them in, but it just didn’t happen on this track. Pace was hard to fault, but the sound just wasn’t rockin’!
On the lighter side of things I tried “Las Manos De Fuego,” a track from Earl Klugh’s Blue Note Album. The record is mainly 70s-influenced jazz (some funk, those Phil Collin’s style horns, etc). I expected the preamp to help this music really shine and it did. The sound was lively, clean, and had better dynamics than many of the other records I auditioned. It was still missing some of the “oomph” I’d like, but for the listener who prefers a relaxed quality with low/no irritation this preamp would be worth auditioning. It is extremely liquid and the listener never feels that it is getting in the way of the music. Guitar work on this cut was vibrant and pulsing.
Conclusion
Like many other higher end components, the Whest cannot be judged based on its failings. Choice becomes more a matter of taste and although the ideal may be complete transparency, it is rare to find any electronic component that can fully achieve it. Designers also tend to have a particular characteristic sound they strive for in a design. Thus some companies begin to have a reputation for a particular sound (for better or for worse). The Whest offered superior transparency in comparison to sub $1000 preamps that I had on hand making me cognizant of the important contribution of the preamp in the system yet again. Music issued forth from it without any obvious additive coloration.
If I had to nitpick with the piece I’d say there was some lack of deep bass and front to back depth—although some of the depth issues were recording dependent. As Whest’s entry level piece this piece is surely not entry level. I can’t profess to be an expert in this category and there are a quite a few other pieces in this range. Time will tell if my impression of the Whest improves or declines after I’ve had a chance to compare it with other phono preamplifiers. For now, I would recommend it to those looking for a large upgrade to the analog side of their system.
-- Brian Bloom
AUDIOPHILE AUDITION focuses on recordings of interest to audiophiles and collectors, with an accent on surround sound for music, and on all hi-res disc formats. Over 100SACD, DVD Video/Audio and standard CD reviews are published during each month, and our archives go back to January 2001.
Whest TWO Phonostage
A quality phono preamp worth your consideration
Whest TWO Phonostage
SRP: $1195
Music Hall
108 Station Road
Great Neck, NY 11023
516-487-3663 (voice)
516-773-3891 (fax)
www.whestaudio.co.uk
Basic Description
Dual-mono design phonograph preamplifier; 18Hz-22kHz RIAA accuracy +/- .2dB; THD+N of .01%; gain 40, 65 or 70dB, loading 100, 500, 47k; high current, Class-A discrete output stage; variable gain and loading via internal switches; 3.3 pounds; 5.1” W x 8.3” D x 1.7” H; one year warranty.
Associated Equipment
Marantz TT-15S1 Turntable, Krell KAV-400i Integrated Amplifier, Musical Fidelity A5 Integrated Amplifier, Marantz SA-11 Integrated Amplifier, PS Audio GCPH Phono Stage (for comparison), Musical Fidelity XLPS (for comparison), Musical Surroundings Phonomena (for comparison), Rega Apollo (for preamp comparison), Bowers and Wilkins 803S speakers, Audioquest cabling.
Setup, Testing and Description
The preamplifier seems to be one of the most overlooked aspects of an audio system. Consumers tend to focus in on speakers, amplifiers, or sources, but many years ago I discovered that, although it should impart the least sonic signature, the preamplifier can radically change the quality/character of an audio system. (Of course I’m not saying to neglect other areas, only that more attention should be paid to the preamplifier).
The build quality of the Whest is understated, but there is a separate power transformer with a proprietary plug-in, a single torroidal transformer inside the chassis, and the rest of the circuitry is completely separate for each channel. If you plan to be the one to adjust the gain and loading (and what audiophile wouldn’t?), be careful to open the component from the front and not the back! This procedure requires a metric Allen wrench for the front panel and then a Philips for the bottom. Why make it so hard to get at?
Once inside, the adjustments are straightforward and given that I was using a MM cartridge I set the unit for 47K and 40 dB of gain. Even though the there are preset values of adjustment, the manual suggests that the unit can be reconfigured to ANY setting by calling Whest. Power is always on and make sure you follow the manual’s recommended procedure for connecting the unit to avoid damage.
The Whest comes with a set of decent interconnects (read ~ $200 pair sound-wise) and an RCA to mini-plug cable to connect to a computer soundcard. The mini to RCA cable looks sufficient for the task, while most users will have interconnects that they prefer based on system-matching and long-term listening and testing.
When I first received the Marantz turntable last month for review, I realized right away that a good preamp would be necessary to complete the package. Having sold my Audio Alchemy VITB years ago and only having the phono section in an old receiver to listen with, I made it a priority to obtain a high quality phono preamp. Before the review began I lent the Whest out to a friend to try it out as he was using the Musical Surroundings Phonomena.
Taking the initiative, he set the preamps he had up for the same cartridge (with loading and gain as close as possible) and recorded the output from the same recordings into his computer. He then burned a CD that contained a few tracks with four different phono preamplifiers. This was good enough to allow us to rate the preamplifiers with a few different records and separate them in groups. The preamplifiers were: The Musical Fidelity XLPS, the Musical Surroundings Phonomena (old version), the Whest (under review), and the PS Audio GCPH (future review).
He level-matched each preamp using Sony SoundForge and an Echo Audio Mia MIDI sound card and recorded the music at 16 bit/44.1 kHz. His source is a Clearaudio Champion turntable and Benz Micro L2 cartridge. He knew which preamps were which during the audition, but I and a fellow audiophile did not know which preamp was which. We quickly separated the pieces into three groups of quality.
It was clear that the PS Audio and the Whest were a large step above the other two in terms of fidelity and were in the same league but offered a different presentation. (See the PS Audio review for more information on this piece.)
Sound
The differences between the Whest and the XLPS and the Phonomena was a much improved sense of resolution, less compression and congestion, truer midrange presentation, improved bass and dynamics, more realistic soundstaging and depth—just to get started. There should be no reservation for a serious vinyl listener to jump up into the $1K+ category. The sonic rewards are huge. With the lesser preamps I did not get the Goosebumps I did while listening to the recordings mentioned in the review of the Marantz turntable. The sound was simply okay to good. With the Whest, the music was elevated to a whole new level.
Critical listening began with the title track from The Eagles’ One of These Nights record. Bass was punchy and tight but not overly full. Transients were quick and the music had good extension, but the balance leaned towards the lighter side. Imaging was good and voice was neither up front nor set back in the soundstage. I would have liked a little more depth and presence/involvement but otherwise the sound was very good.
From Fleetwood Mac’s self-titled record I chose the song “Landslide.” The portrayal of voice was quite beautiful—big, full, and rich. The guitar work was delicate and tuneful. It was easy to imagine the images hanging in the space between the speakers. It will be hard to ever listen to this track on CD again after hearing it sound this good.
From Yes’ The Yes Album I picked another fun classic rock guitar track “I’ve Seen All Good People.” The tendency that I had heard earlier that was not bothersome became more noticeable on this cut—an ever so slightly laid back characteristic to the sound present on the initial chorus. Again there seemed to be some foreshortening of the deep bass. And there was the leanness, but along with it a slight reticence—a trait that was often associated with English electronics and speakers—a lack of aggression…a politeness to the sound. I expect the music to really grab the listener and pull them in, but it just didn’t happen on this track. Pace was hard to fault, but the sound just wasn’t rockin’!
On the lighter side of things I tried “Las Manos De Fuego,” a track from Earl Klugh’s Blue Note Album. The record is mainly 70s-influenced jazz (some funk, those Phil Collin’s style horns, etc). I expected the preamp to help this music really shine and it did. The sound was lively, clean, and had better dynamics than many of the other records I auditioned. It was still missing some of the “oomph” I’d like, but for the listener who prefers a relaxed quality with low/no irritation this preamp would be worth auditioning. It is extremely liquid and the listener never feels that it is getting in the way of the music. Guitar work on this cut was vibrant and pulsing.
Conclusion
Like many other higher end components, the Whest cannot be judged based on its failings. Choice becomes more a matter of taste and although the ideal may be complete transparency, it is rare to find any electronic component that can fully achieve it. Designers also tend to have a particular characteristic sound they strive for in a design. Thus some companies begin to have a reputation for a particular sound (for better or for worse). The Whest offered superior transparency in comparison to sub $1000 preamps that I had on hand making me cognizant of the important contribution of the preamp in the system yet again. Music issued forth from it without any obvious additive coloration.
If I had to nitpick with the piece I’d say there was some lack of deep bass and front to back depth—although some of the depth issues were recording dependent. As Whest’s entry level piece this piece is surely not entry level. I can’t profess to be an expert in this category and there are a quite a few other pieces in this range. Time will tell if my impression of the Whest improves or declines after I’ve had a chance to compare it with other phono preamplifiers. For now, I would recommend it to those looking for a large upgrade to the analog side of their system.
-- Brian Bloom
Monday, May 18, 2009
New Album Cover Art
IMPALED NAZARENE Albums To Be Reissued On Vinyl
IMPALED NAZARENE's "Tol Cormpt Norz Norz Norz" (1993) and "Ugra Karma" (1993) albums will be reissued by Osmose Productions on June 15 as gatefold double 10" EPs, limited to 700 copies each. Side 3 and 4 on both albums contain remastered live bonus tracks from the same period as the original recording sessions.
IMPALED NAZARENE's latest album, "Manifest", was released in October 2007. The CD was recorded and mixed at Sonic Pump studio by Tapio Pennanen, and was mastered at Finnvox studio by Mika Jussila. The cover artwork and layout was handlded by Ritual. The album was made available in the following formats: jewel case, digipack (limited to 5,000 copies) and double 10" vinyl (limited to 500 copies).
=============================
BULLETBOYS: '10c Billionaire' Cover Art, Track Listing Revealed
The cover art for BULLETBOYS' long-awaited new album, "10c Billionaire", can be viewed below. After several delays, mixing and mastering for the CD were recently completed and the final touches were applied by producer/guitarist Brent Woods (VINCE NEIL, WILDSIDE). A summer release via Chavis Records is expected.
"10c Billionaire" was written by original founding member and flamboyant frontman Marq Torien. Having reinvented the band and composed one of the most sonically superb and relevant rock and roll records to date, the revitalized BULLETBOYS — featuring Torien, Ryche Green, Stephen Allan, and Tory S. — are a hard rock force majeure delivering non-stop music mayhem that is winning over new audiences with every performance.
BULLETBOYS will support "10c Billionaire" beginning with a full summer tour in July with FASTER PUSSYCAT, dubbed "Dias de Los Muerto Tour 2009". Dates will be announced soon.
=============================
Behemoth reveal cover artwork and release date for their new album, ‘Evangelion’.
Behemoth will release ‘Evangelion’ through Nuclear Blast on August 10th.
In a statement, Behemoth frontman Nergal has said:
“Evangelion combines a pure art form with a direct message. It was also important for us to ensure that the graphical presentation did justice to the record. Again, we have worked with Tomasz Danilowicz who has created his best illustration yet for BEHEMOTH. The picture is of The Great Harlot of Babylon riding the seven-headed beast. Saints bow before her in worship whilst the tablets of the Ten Commandments lie broken at her feet. It represents our vision and the interpretation of the New Testament parable where the “Whore of Babylon” is a symbol of rebellion and resistance against God.”
“I am fascinated by stories whose source lies in the Bible and we have used biblical symbolism, coupled with my own experience and outlook, in our lyrics or on the covers of previous Behemoth records. I love to juggle with meanings and play around with symbolism which is exactly what I have done in this case. The main character of our new cover is an archetype of disobedience, individualism, self-determination and a free, unfettered will – these are universal keywords which are typical and crucial in understanding the character of our works, life as a whole and the true nature of man.”
=============================
Willie Isz Album Cover Art By James Jarvis
Soon the new Willie Isz album will be released and none other than UK illustrator/artist James Jarvis is responsible for the album cover art work. Good news for both Willie Isz and James Jarvis fans.
Vinyl Nation - The unlikely rebirth of analog in a digital world
As you know, I love great articles and this one certainly caught my eye. I want to thank Ryan for allowing me the permission to reprint this material.
Vinyl Nation
The unlikely rebirth of analog in a digital world
Story and photos by Ryan Heinsius
“Originally printed in Flagstaff Live, May 14, 2009”
Flagstaff Live.com
Reprinted By Permission
Brett Schenning sits cross-legged on the wood floor in his living room, a healthy grin splayed across his face. In a slightly different setting, his longish goatee, slim figure and at-peace disposition could get him confused with an enlightenment-seeking yogi as we talk about one of his most intense passions.
The 30-year-old Flagstaff local carefully removes a record from its sleeve, methodically places it on his turntable, hits play and makes a couple runs over its grooves with a static brush. He then takes the album cover (Calexico and Iron and Wine’s In the Reins) and places it in a display stand next to the stereo. Hundreds of new and old records, each sheathed in plastic covering and stored in milk-crate shelving, line the floor of his Flagstaff apartment. Box sets, rarities, limited pressings—nearly every genre from modern to classic rock, to blues, to classical, to jazz is represented in Schenning’s impressive collection (Tom Waits’ Mule Variations, the Red Hot Chili Peppers’ Blood Sugar Sex Magik and Benjamin Britten’s “War Requiem” have all had recent spins).
“Nothing sounds quite like it—the whole act of actually physically being involved with the music, as opposed to a CD where you kind of put it on and punch a couple buttons—you’re dropping (the needle) onto a record and it’s actual sound waves. It feels more involved to me and I really like that about vinyl,” he says.
Schenning, a local photographer and employee in the bulk department at New Frontiers Natural Marketplace, represents a relatively small but steadily growing number of local music fans who, despite the overwhelming dominance of the Internet and digital formats, are flocking back to the same method of music listening their parents’ generation made standard.
“I didn’t really get vinyl until a little more recently when I really started listening to music,” Schenning says. “And then once you do that and you start listening to vinyl you realize that there are all these subtleties that you’re not catching in CDs. I’ve always liked listening to music in headphones, but vinyl on headphones is a whole different world.”
Unlike often-ridiculed cassettes and eight-track tapes, vinyl has never totally gone away. Even in the face of the industry game-changer of CDs in the early ’80s, analog music listening has always existed, after having been, in a sense, forced underground as the sexy newness of shiny discs and the techno-miracle status of mp3s made records seem out of touch, antiquated and even dull.
But, vinyl has endured. The signature warmth and depth of records has kept vinyl pressers and turntable and needle manufacturers in business through the dark days of the ’80s, ’90s and early ’00s. For the better part of two decades, a hard core of audiophiles has remained the primary keepers of the flame, a secret knowledge-keeping Knights Templar-esque society, quietly awaiting vinyl’s second coming.
“You’re a little more committed to sitting down and listening to the whole record spin around, and flipping it over, whereas with a CD or an mp3 you can get bored with it and skip ahead—not as much commitment,” says Schenning, who is far from merely some luddite, as he utilizes both analog and digital means of music consumption, describing iPods as “amazing.” But, there just isn’t any digital replication of the vinyl experience.
“Maybe, it’s become such a fast culture,” says Schenning. “Everything’s fast; the Internet’s fast, fast food. Communications are fast. Maybe this is a chance for people to slow down, take a breath. You can’t take a record and go jogging, or talk on your cell phone and run around, and do this, and this, and this with your headphones on or whatever. This is something you have to sit down to appreciate. And people who really love music, it’s a chance for them to appreciate music instead of multitasking all the time.”
The modern 12-inch polyvinyl chloride record represents only the tip of the iceberg after more than a century of innovation in recording and reproducing sound. Thomas Edison famously invented the phonograph in 1877 utilizing a rotating tinfoil cylinder, intending the machine’s use to be as a voice recorder for office dictation. But music quickly became an obvious and natural fit for the new technology, and by the 1890s 7-inch discs that spun at approximately 70 rpm were booming business. Wax and hard rubber were also early materials used for recordings along with shellac, which survived as a popular material until the 1950s in the form of now-heavily collected 78’s. In the early ’50s, the vinyl record—either 33 1/3 rpm (the long play format) or 45 rpm (the extended play format, or single)—became the industry standard due to its durability and relatively low surface noise level.
And then came the musical revolution of the ’60s where the LP’s anatomy came to dictate the length, structure and often some of the artistic relevance of specific collections of songs. With just over 20 minutes available per side, producers and artists constructed their albums accordingly, shifting the recording paradigm to fit with the prevailing technology. Song order and the general dynamics of a record were now a more critical part of the art itself. The era of the album had begun.
Abbey Road, The Dark Side of the Moon, Led Zeppelin II, Tommy—every recording that has become a classic at some level had a structure in which it had to fit, even in the case of double or triple LPs. The late’60s and early ’70s are venerated as the golden age of the album, and one that defined, until the rise of a more single-song-oriented Web culture, how music fans conceptualize recorded music. But, after years of declining sales, a reemergence of vinyl has occurred in the industry—a seeming reaction to this brave new digital world, igniting a slight return to the cherished concept of the album. So, why now?
Since 2000, CD sales have annually decreased by percentages well into the teens. Digital downloads have largely replaced CDs, but vinyl sales account for one of the only bright spots in music industry sales, even if it’s still a small one.
Ben Gersten, owner of Flagstaff’s sole independent record store, Rock-It-Man, has seen the music industry’s changing trends during his three decades in the business. Gersten says he took vinyl out of his stores when CDs arrived in the ’80s, and now has put it back on his racks as a new generation of music fanatics has revived the popularity of the format.
“I think the reason (vinyl is) doing so well is a fanbase is looking for that vinyl now,” says Gersten. “Over the last few years they’ve been introduced to it. The Decemberists come out, I sell two CDs and I sell 12 records. I sit there and I laugh because five years ago it would have been the opposite.”
Gersten has seen a marked demand increase in recent years for newer artists on vinyl. My Morning Jacket, Neko Case, Pearl Jam, Ryan Adams, M. Ward, Wilco and the Flaming Lips, among many others, put out nearly every new release on vinyl, albeit often in limited numbers (the format still remains prohibitively expensive for many smaller bands). And older artists are jumping back on the LP train—Bob Dylan, Bruce Springsteen and Depeche Mode have begun reissuing their classic albums on vinyl creating a small put powerful surge. Gersten estimates that the format represents 6 to 10 percent of the music industry’s current sales. For Rock-It-Man, vinyl accounts for 10 to 15 percent of sales, which he says is common for the 400 or so still-remaining independent retailers in the U.S.
“It’s bringing people that lost the record store feel,” says Gersten. “I wasn’t quite sure a year ago that I was going to go in as heavy as I did. Some days I sell more records than I do CDs.”
Another Flagstaff audiophile and vinyl junkie, Fred Wojtkielewicz, also sees listening to records as a mark of a small consciousness shift among music fans.
“I think people want something real and tangible,” he says. “Society is so caught up in the digital age that we forgot what is important. We need to take a step back in time and realize that vinyl is a true music lover’s medium. Yes, it isn’t always convenient, but that isn’t necessarily the point. When was the last time you sat down and just listened to a record—maybe not on vinyl, definitely not a greatest hits record, or the top five tunes recommended to you on iTunes, but the whole damn album as the artist intended? We sometimes forget that this is a piece of art.”
Wojtkielewicz, 42, co-owner and proprietor of the Wine Loft downtown, estimates that he owns about 1,200 albums, mostly in pristine condition ranging from first pressings to ultra-rare mono versions of Bob Dylan’s John Wesley Harding and Highway 61 Revisited to Thelonious Monk’s Monk’s Dream and Billy Holiday’s final studio album Lady in Satin.
“It isn’t about how many gigabytes of music you have, or how many records you have for that matter. The process of listening to vinyl is centering, and it takes us sonically and spiritually to the core of what is important: the music,” he says.
Wojtkielewicz also hunts down and collects modern artists like Wilco (their 2007 release Sky Blue Sky is one of his favorites) on vinyl. “Sometimes we get a sense that certain artists are record collectors themselves, like Jack White of the White Stripes. His vinyl releases are beautifully packaged and highly sought after. I only buy vinyl now. CDs I consider obsolete. Everybody is releasing their stuff on vinyl now. And if not, in the end, there is always the lowly download.”
Dwayne Conn, 44, a local who works for W.L. Gore & Associates as the company’s information specialist, spends much of his off-time obsessively researching the rich history of lost and lesser-known music.
“It seems like the Internet has given us the ability to peer into the far corners of the world more easily than ever before,” he says, “and that has increased people’s hunger for the unusual and obscure. And of course the sample culture of hip-hop and electronic music feeds into that as well—people are always looking for a great sample that no one else has used yet. I’m sure there’s also a bit of nostalgia that draws people to vinyl as well.”
Last summer, Conn, an amateur musicologist, produced an hour-long podcast examining the largely unknown tradition of African American string band music in honor of Southern trio the Carolina Chocolate Drops’ performance at the Pickin’ in the Pines Bluegrass and Acoustic Music Festival. But, the dusty corners of music’s vast history is only a small part of Conn’s infinitely diverse interests. He has all the classics one might expect as well as the collectibles from recorded music’s past.
A significant portion of Conn’s Flagstaff home is stacked literally from floor to ceiling with records. “In addition to the LPs that most people know about, I also have quite few older 78-rpm records that I treasure,” he says. “I especially love the Django Reinhardt and Stéphane Grappelli with the Quintette of the Hot Club of France 78’s that I have. Lately, I’ve been collecting any Hawaiian/exotica records I can find, and have about 200 along those lines. All told, I probably have over 5,000 records at this point, and add more every week.”
Like many modern music fanatics who keep large reserves of vinyl, Conn supplements his music listening with both analog and digital forms, but enjoys the meditative process and all-encompassing state of mind that records require of the listener.
“I do enjoy the physicality of records—especially the oversized artwork,” he says. “I also like the feeling that I’m ‘rescuing’ music that might otherwise be lost to history. I spend a lot of time converting old records to CDs and mp3s so I can more easily enjoy listening to them. And even though most of my records are used and not in pristine condition, I find that a small amount of scratchiness kind of adds to the appeal of vinyl.”
The increasing hunger for vinyl these days seems to be, at least on some level, a reaction to both the ease at which the Internet can serve us anything at anytime, as well as its non-tangible nature. It is rare to actually find a vinyl purest nowadays who disavows any sort of digital mingling, but the analog junkies who live in Flagstaff have found a comfortable balance between the two: digital for ease and portability, and vinyl for the type of real music listening that means more than background music in a car or a soundtrack at the gym.
Vinyl brings the soulfulness back into music to a point where it transcends a mere product for sale, and has begun to retake its rightful place as functional art again. After all, as Gersten says, “You can’t roll a joint on a download.”
“The digital format is great,” says Wojtkielewicz, “but I don’t get a real sense of the music’s true origins. Vinyl is the real thing. It is analog, just the way music is meant to be heard. There is something missing with the digital format—that is a fact. When I fire up my amp—which is a tube amp and the only way to really appreciate a vinyl record in all its glory—I’m still floored, every time, with how real that sound is.”
---------------------------------------------------
Some modern artists leading the vinyl charge
By Ryan Heinsius
Jack White
Many music freaks see Jack White as the messiah in the drive to resurrect the vinyl format. From the White Stripes to the Raconteurs, to his new project (he plays drums) called the Dead Weather, White has stayed true to analog, just saying no to digital during the whole recording process: from laying down tracks on reel-to-reels to releasing high quality vinyl versions of his work. This guy is the true believer. Do what he does.
Brandi Carlile
Rock-It-Man’s Ben Gersten met singer-songwriter Carlile when she played in town last year at the Orpheum. He asked where he could get her vinyl albums and she said they were only available through her Web site. With the advent of the Internet, much more control can potentially stay in the artist’s hands, and as the popularity of vinyl increases, the costs will go down making it accessible to musicians both big and small. (Did I just say that the Internet was making vinyl more available?)
Wilco
2002’s epic Yankee Hotel Foxtrot put Wilco on the map of broad cultural consciousness, but it also became one of modern rock’s great, experimental records. The album’s lush complexity lends itself extremely well to the warm vinyl format and the band’s two albums since, 2004’s A Ghost is Born and 2007’s Sky Blue Sky, also provide a multilayered and exhilarating listening experience on the turntable. Their newest, Wilco (the album), is expected in June. Its vinyl release will surely sound awesome.
Ryan Adams
Yes, everything you’ve heard is true. Ryan Adams announced his retirement from music last winter and broke up his rockin’ band the Cardinals. Around the same time, he got hitched to former child star and all-around wholesome girl Mandy Moore—neither situations are expected to last. But, the unstable yet brilliant country rocker has helped helm vinyl’s resurgence, mixing and mastering his albums specifically for vinyl release, totally separate from their digital counterparts.
Vinyl Nation
The unlikely rebirth of analog in a digital world
Story and photos by Ryan Heinsius
“Originally printed in Flagstaff Live, May 14, 2009”
Flagstaff Live.com
Reprinted By Permission
Brett Schenning sits cross-legged on the wood floor in his living room, a healthy grin splayed across his face. In a slightly different setting, his longish goatee, slim figure and at-peace disposition could get him confused with an enlightenment-seeking yogi as we talk about one of his most intense passions.
The 30-year-old Flagstaff local carefully removes a record from its sleeve, methodically places it on his turntable, hits play and makes a couple runs over its grooves with a static brush. He then takes the album cover (Calexico and Iron and Wine’s In the Reins) and places it in a display stand next to the stereo. Hundreds of new and old records, each sheathed in plastic covering and stored in milk-crate shelving, line the floor of his Flagstaff apartment. Box sets, rarities, limited pressings—nearly every genre from modern to classic rock, to blues, to classical, to jazz is represented in Schenning’s impressive collection (Tom Waits’ Mule Variations, the Red Hot Chili Peppers’ Blood Sugar Sex Magik and Benjamin Britten’s “War Requiem” have all had recent spins).
“Nothing sounds quite like it—the whole act of actually physically being involved with the music, as opposed to a CD where you kind of put it on and punch a couple buttons—you’re dropping (the needle) onto a record and it’s actual sound waves. It feels more involved to me and I really like that about vinyl,” he says.
Schenning, a local photographer and employee in the bulk department at New Frontiers Natural Marketplace, represents a relatively small but steadily growing number of local music fans who, despite the overwhelming dominance of the Internet and digital formats, are flocking back to the same method of music listening their parents’ generation made standard.
“I didn’t really get vinyl until a little more recently when I really started listening to music,” Schenning says. “And then once you do that and you start listening to vinyl you realize that there are all these subtleties that you’re not catching in CDs. I’ve always liked listening to music in headphones, but vinyl on headphones is a whole different world.”
Unlike often-ridiculed cassettes and eight-track tapes, vinyl has never totally gone away. Even in the face of the industry game-changer of CDs in the early ’80s, analog music listening has always existed, after having been, in a sense, forced underground as the sexy newness of shiny discs and the techno-miracle status of mp3s made records seem out of touch, antiquated and even dull.
But, vinyl has endured. The signature warmth and depth of records has kept vinyl pressers and turntable and needle manufacturers in business through the dark days of the ’80s, ’90s and early ’00s. For the better part of two decades, a hard core of audiophiles has remained the primary keepers of the flame, a secret knowledge-keeping Knights Templar-esque society, quietly awaiting vinyl’s second coming.
“You’re a little more committed to sitting down and listening to the whole record spin around, and flipping it over, whereas with a CD or an mp3 you can get bored with it and skip ahead—not as much commitment,” says Schenning, who is far from merely some luddite, as he utilizes both analog and digital means of music consumption, describing iPods as “amazing.” But, there just isn’t any digital replication of the vinyl experience.
“Maybe, it’s become such a fast culture,” says Schenning. “Everything’s fast; the Internet’s fast, fast food. Communications are fast. Maybe this is a chance for people to slow down, take a breath. You can’t take a record and go jogging, or talk on your cell phone and run around, and do this, and this, and this with your headphones on or whatever. This is something you have to sit down to appreciate. And people who really love music, it’s a chance for them to appreciate music instead of multitasking all the time.”
The modern 12-inch polyvinyl chloride record represents only the tip of the iceberg after more than a century of innovation in recording and reproducing sound. Thomas Edison famously invented the phonograph in 1877 utilizing a rotating tinfoil cylinder, intending the machine’s use to be as a voice recorder for office dictation. But music quickly became an obvious and natural fit for the new technology, and by the 1890s 7-inch discs that spun at approximately 70 rpm were booming business. Wax and hard rubber were also early materials used for recordings along with shellac, which survived as a popular material until the 1950s in the form of now-heavily collected 78’s. In the early ’50s, the vinyl record—either 33 1/3 rpm (the long play format) or 45 rpm (the extended play format, or single)—became the industry standard due to its durability and relatively low surface noise level.
And then came the musical revolution of the ’60s where the LP’s anatomy came to dictate the length, structure and often some of the artistic relevance of specific collections of songs. With just over 20 minutes available per side, producers and artists constructed their albums accordingly, shifting the recording paradigm to fit with the prevailing technology. Song order and the general dynamics of a record were now a more critical part of the art itself. The era of the album had begun.
Abbey Road, The Dark Side of the Moon, Led Zeppelin II, Tommy—every recording that has become a classic at some level had a structure in which it had to fit, even in the case of double or triple LPs. The late’60s and early ’70s are venerated as the golden age of the album, and one that defined, until the rise of a more single-song-oriented Web culture, how music fans conceptualize recorded music. But, after years of declining sales, a reemergence of vinyl has occurred in the industry—a seeming reaction to this brave new digital world, igniting a slight return to the cherished concept of the album. So, why now?
Since 2000, CD sales have annually decreased by percentages well into the teens. Digital downloads have largely replaced CDs, but vinyl sales account for one of the only bright spots in music industry sales, even if it’s still a small one.
Ben Gersten, owner of Flagstaff’s sole independent record store, Rock-It-Man, has seen the music industry’s changing trends during his three decades in the business. Gersten says he took vinyl out of his stores when CDs arrived in the ’80s, and now has put it back on his racks as a new generation of music fanatics has revived the popularity of the format.
“I think the reason (vinyl is) doing so well is a fanbase is looking for that vinyl now,” says Gersten. “Over the last few years they’ve been introduced to it. The Decemberists come out, I sell two CDs and I sell 12 records. I sit there and I laugh because five years ago it would have been the opposite.”
Gersten has seen a marked demand increase in recent years for newer artists on vinyl. My Morning Jacket, Neko Case, Pearl Jam, Ryan Adams, M. Ward, Wilco and the Flaming Lips, among many others, put out nearly every new release on vinyl, albeit often in limited numbers (the format still remains prohibitively expensive for many smaller bands). And older artists are jumping back on the LP train—Bob Dylan, Bruce Springsteen and Depeche Mode have begun reissuing their classic albums on vinyl creating a small put powerful surge. Gersten estimates that the format represents 6 to 10 percent of the music industry’s current sales. For Rock-It-Man, vinyl accounts for 10 to 15 percent of sales, which he says is common for the 400 or so still-remaining independent retailers in the U.S.
“It’s bringing people that lost the record store feel,” says Gersten. “I wasn’t quite sure a year ago that I was going to go in as heavy as I did. Some days I sell more records than I do CDs.”
Another Flagstaff audiophile and vinyl junkie, Fred Wojtkielewicz, also sees listening to records as a mark of a small consciousness shift among music fans.
“I think people want something real and tangible,” he says. “Society is so caught up in the digital age that we forgot what is important. We need to take a step back in time and realize that vinyl is a true music lover’s medium. Yes, it isn’t always convenient, but that isn’t necessarily the point. When was the last time you sat down and just listened to a record—maybe not on vinyl, definitely not a greatest hits record, or the top five tunes recommended to you on iTunes, but the whole damn album as the artist intended? We sometimes forget that this is a piece of art.”
Wojtkielewicz, 42, co-owner and proprietor of the Wine Loft downtown, estimates that he owns about 1,200 albums, mostly in pristine condition ranging from first pressings to ultra-rare mono versions of Bob Dylan’s John Wesley Harding and Highway 61 Revisited to Thelonious Monk’s Monk’s Dream and Billy Holiday’s final studio album Lady in Satin.
“It isn’t about how many gigabytes of music you have, or how many records you have for that matter. The process of listening to vinyl is centering, and it takes us sonically and spiritually to the core of what is important: the music,” he says.
Wojtkielewicz also hunts down and collects modern artists like Wilco (their 2007 release Sky Blue Sky is one of his favorites) on vinyl. “Sometimes we get a sense that certain artists are record collectors themselves, like Jack White of the White Stripes. His vinyl releases are beautifully packaged and highly sought after. I only buy vinyl now. CDs I consider obsolete. Everybody is releasing their stuff on vinyl now. And if not, in the end, there is always the lowly download.”
Dwayne Conn, 44, a local who works for W.L. Gore & Associates as the company’s information specialist, spends much of his off-time obsessively researching the rich history of lost and lesser-known music.
“It seems like the Internet has given us the ability to peer into the far corners of the world more easily than ever before,” he says, “and that has increased people’s hunger for the unusual and obscure. And of course the sample culture of hip-hop and electronic music feeds into that as well—people are always looking for a great sample that no one else has used yet. I’m sure there’s also a bit of nostalgia that draws people to vinyl as well.”
Last summer, Conn, an amateur musicologist, produced an hour-long podcast examining the largely unknown tradition of African American string band music in honor of Southern trio the Carolina Chocolate Drops’ performance at the Pickin’ in the Pines Bluegrass and Acoustic Music Festival. But, the dusty corners of music’s vast history is only a small part of Conn’s infinitely diverse interests. He has all the classics one might expect as well as the collectibles from recorded music’s past.
A significant portion of Conn’s Flagstaff home is stacked literally from floor to ceiling with records. “In addition to the LPs that most people know about, I also have quite few older 78-rpm records that I treasure,” he says. “I especially love the Django Reinhardt and Stéphane Grappelli with the Quintette of the Hot Club of France 78’s that I have. Lately, I’ve been collecting any Hawaiian/exotica records I can find, and have about 200 along those lines. All told, I probably have over 5,000 records at this point, and add more every week.”
Like many modern music fanatics who keep large reserves of vinyl, Conn supplements his music listening with both analog and digital forms, but enjoys the meditative process and all-encompassing state of mind that records require of the listener.
“I do enjoy the physicality of records—especially the oversized artwork,” he says. “I also like the feeling that I’m ‘rescuing’ music that might otherwise be lost to history. I spend a lot of time converting old records to CDs and mp3s so I can more easily enjoy listening to them. And even though most of my records are used and not in pristine condition, I find that a small amount of scratchiness kind of adds to the appeal of vinyl.”
The increasing hunger for vinyl these days seems to be, at least on some level, a reaction to both the ease at which the Internet can serve us anything at anytime, as well as its non-tangible nature. It is rare to actually find a vinyl purest nowadays who disavows any sort of digital mingling, but the analog junkies who live in Flagstaff have found a comfortable balance between the two: digital for ease and portability, and vinyl for the type of real music listening that means more than background music in a car or a soundtrack at the gym.
Vinyl brings the soulfulness back into music to a point where it transcends a mere product for sale, and has begun to retake its rightful place as functional art again. After all, as Gersten says, “You can’t roll a joint on a download.”
“The digital format is great,” says Wojtkielewicz, “but I don’t get a real sense of the music’s true origins. Vinyl is the real thing. It is analog, just the way music is meant to be heard. There is something missing with the digital format—that is a fact. When I fire up my amp—which is a tube amp and the only way to really appreciate a vinyl record in all its glory—I’m still floored, every time, with how real that sound is.”
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Some modern artists leading the vinyl charge
By Ryan Heinsius
Jack White
Many music freaks see Jack White as the messiah in the drive to resurrect the vinyl format. From the White Stripes to the Raconteurs, to his new project (he plays drums) called the Dead Weather, White has stayed true to analog, just saying no to digital during the whole recording process: from laying down tracks on reel-to-reels to releasing high quality vinyl versions of his work. This guy is the true believer. Do what he does.
Brandi Carlile
Rock-It-Man’s Ben Gersten met singer-songwriter Carlile when she played in town last year at the Orpheum. He asked where he could get her vinyl albums and she said they were only available through her Web site. With the advent of the Internet, much more control can potentially stay in the artist’s hands, and as the popularity of vinyl increases, the costs will go down making it accessible to musicians both big and small. (Did I just say that the Internet was making vinyl more available?)
Wilco
2002’s epic Yankee Hotel Foxtrot put Wilco on the map of broad cultural consciousness, but it also became one of modern rock’s great, experimental records. The album’s lush complexity lends itself extremely well to the warm vinyl format and the band’s two albums since, 2004’s A Ghost is Born and 2007’s Sky Blue Sky, also provide a multilayered and exhilarating listening experience on the turntable. Their newest, Wilco (the album), is expected in June. Its vinyl release will surely sound awesome.
Ryan Adams
Yes, everything you’ve heard is true. Ryan Adams announced his retirement from music last winter and broke up his rockin’ band the Cardinals. Around the same time, he got hitched to former child star and all-around wholesome girl Mandy Moore—neither situations are expected to last. But, the unstable yet brilliant country rocker has helped helm vinyl’s resurgence, mixing and mastering his albums specifically for vinyl release, totally separate from their digital counterparts.
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