Music News & Notes

Arena-Ready Rocker Nathan Lee Releases Risk Everything


Nashville, Tenn. – Arena ready rocker Nathan Lee releases his latest album, Risk Everything on September 1st through One Revolution Entertainment. With a new collection of heartfelt rock anthems, a weekly concert series in Nashville benefiting World Vision and an upcoming appearance on TLC’s LA Ink, this multi-faceted artist is ready to turn heads and make a difference.

Lee kicks off the album with “Open Road,” a windows-down, pounding rock anthem. His raspy growl brings an expressive resonance to songs like “El Diablo Y El Angel” and “Bring Down the Fire” as he explores issues of choice and redemption. His ability to blend foot-stomping, heart-pounding music with the intrinsic spirituality of his lyrics allows listeners to join him on his journey from “Broke and Hollow Man” to “Hold Me Down.” Living up to its title, Risk Everything is an intimate portrait of an artist who is still searching for the answers.

The new album is available on September 1st with a direct to fan pre-sale that begin on July 15th. Nathan Lee is a creative force with undeniable talent and a huge heart. With his determination to touch people in all facets of his music, from the raw intensity of his live performance to the international imprint of giving, Lee continues to live by his self-imposed Risk Everything challenge.

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Ruben Blades releases new CD after 6-year absence

PANAMA CITY — Famed salsa musician Ruben Blades has released a new album after a six-year absence from the music scene.

The 61-year-old Grammy winner from Panama says the CD, "Songs of Underdevelopment," is a tribute to Cuba, his mother's homeland.

In a statement Monday, he says the CD will be sold through his Web site. He plans a tour that will start Aug. 21 with a concert in Puerto Rico.

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Herb Alpert New LP - First In Ten Years

Music Legend Herb Alpert Releases First Album in 10 YearsConcord Music Group presents "Anything Goes," Herb Alpert and his wife Lani Hall’s live collection of beautifully reinterpreted standards.08.17.2009 – Los Angeles, CA -- Music icon, legendary trumpet player and philanthropist Herb Alpert will release his first album in 10 years entitled "Anything Goes" LIVE on Tuesday, August 18, 2009. "Anything Goes" is a live collection of beautifully reinterpreted standards featuring his wife and musical partner Lani Hall. Accompanied by tour dates around the country, "Anything Goes" is a tribute to their enduring personal and professional relationship.

Anything Goes" was produced by Herb Alpert and Lani Hall and recorded live at venues in Los Angeles, New York, San Diego, Washington DC, Boston, Seattle, San Francisco and the Napa Valley Opera House. The 14-song collection features American standards such as Cole Porter’s original song and title track “Anything Goes” as well as a few instrumental songs including “Laura” and Consuelo Velazquez’s “Besame Mucho.” Lani also sings in Portuguese on the tracks “Pararaio” and “Dinorah/Morning.”

The recording features Herb Alpert on trumpet and vocals, Lani Hall on vocals, Michael Shapiro on drums and percussion, Bill Cantos on keyboards and background vocals and Hussain Jiffry on electric bass.

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Dirty Projectors EP

Brooklyn-based six-piece Dirty Projectors will release a new four-track EP, Temecula Sunrise, on September 28th. The release includes Bitte Orca album tracks, “Temecula Sunrise” and “Cannibal Resourse”, alongside new tracks, “Ascending Melody” and “Emblem of the World”.

The release will available on 12-inch vinyl.

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Built to Spill Reveal Album Cover and Tracklist for There is No Enemy


Following Built to Spill's hiatus between 2001's Ancient Melodies of the Future and 2006's You In Reverse, the three years we've had to wait for the band's upcoming LP There Is No Enemy seem as breezy as BtS' own inimitable brand of guitar rock. As we wind down to the album's Oct. 6 release, a steady trickle of details about a supporting tour have emerged, and now the tracklist and album art have been unveiled to boot. The mildly ominous and quasi-impressionist cover above depicts an indistinct giant hunched over a small cottage. It's no doubt a bellwether for the album's politically-charged content, as if the name wasn't enough of a hint (Martsch has also frequently professed his admiration for Noam Chomsky and the Democracy Now! TV show.)

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BBC Beatles Documentary

Nearly 40 years after the breakup of the Beatles, the Fab Four’s lasting legacy will once again take center stage in September 2009: In addition to the upcoming release of both The Beatles: Rock Band and the entire remastered catalog reissues, the BBC are set to air a new documentary dedicated to the band titled The Beatles on Record. The week-long tribute will feature the history of the Beatles in the studio, complete with never-before-heard outtakes and conversations from the band in the studio, plus rare footage and photographs.

Paul McCartney, Ringo Starr, George Harrison and John Lennon will provide archival narration, along with producer George Martin. More than 60 Beatles songs will be featured in the doc, which was directed by Bob Smeaton, who also directed 1995’s The Beatles Anthology.

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Smashing Pumpkins Find Drummer

Billy Corgan officially announced that drummer Mike Byrne is now a member of Smashing Pumpkins, adding that the 19-year-old will make his official debut on the band’s next tour and album. Corgan also hinted that an announcement regarding that album — the Pumpkins’ first since 2007’s Zeitgeist — would be made in September. “I’m super excited to be playing with the band. Dream come true, man,” Byrne said on the Pumpkins’ official site.

Before Byrne makes his Smashing Pumpkins debut, the drummer will perform six shows with Corgan and the Spirits in the Sky, a tribute band to the Seeds’ Sky Saxon. Check out the group’s newly-announced tour dates below:

August 26 - Visalia, CA @ Tazzaria
August 27 - Santa Barbara, CA @ Muddy Waters
August 28 - Long Beach, CA @ Open
August 29 - Pioneertown, CA @ Pappy & Harriet’s Palace
August 30 - San Diego, CA @ Che Cafe
August 31 - Los Angeles, CA @ Hotel Cafe

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Dolly Parton Gets Career Spanning 4-CD Box Set

On October 27, RCA Nashville/Legacy will release Dolly, her first multi-CD box set career restrospective. Drawing on the libraries of Goldband, Mercury, Monument, RCA Victor and Columbia Records, the 4-CD set covers Parton's music from her first single in 1957 up through the 1993 hit Romeo from her Slow Dancing on the Moon album.

In between are 99 songs, 98 as performed by Parton and one by Bill Phillips who recorded Dolly's Put It Off Until Tomorrow, a song she wrote when she was 19 and her first composition to ever hit the charts.

Included in the package is a 60-page book with never-before-seen photographs and memorabilia. The introduction was written by Laura Cantrell and a 5,000-word biographical essay by Holly George-Warren.

There are also seven previously unreleased recordings.

Classic Rock Videos

The Rolling Stones-Sympathy For The Devil

Top 5 eBay Vinyl Record Sales For July 2009

Let’s start a new feature here at CollectingVinylRecords.com, one that helps us to keep track of the top five best selling vinyl records at eBay in the last month. This is a real-time indication of what is ‘hot’ and selling at the present time and reflects the rare vinyl records that are changing hands in the collector’s market these days.

Here we will see test pressings, acetates, promos, and alternate versions of songs, foreign releases as well as a wide variety of musical genres being bought and sold. No matter what the record price guides may quote, these are the real numbers that people are actually paying for specific records. Look for this feature around the middle of each month, where we will review the past month’s listings and best selling vinyl records.



Week Ending 07/04/2009

1. 45 rpm - Iron Maiden "2 Minutes To Midnight" Japan promo - $3,600.00

2. EP - The Thought Criminals "Hilton Bomber" Doublethink - $3,350.00

3. LP - The Rolling Stones self titled Decca UK 1st Press alt mix - $3,278.51

4. LP - Gioconda De Vito "Bach Violin Concerto Mozart Violin Concert No.3" RCA UK - $2,413.00

5. 45 rpm - The Sloths "Makin' Love" / "You Mean Everthing To Me" Impression - $2,258.45



Week Ending 07/11/2009

1. LP - The Beatles "Yesterday and Today" Butcher First State Mono Perry Cox COA - $5,500.00

2. LP - The Beatles "Please Please Me" Parlophone UK Gold and Black - $4,932.00

3. 45 rpm- The Nu Rons "All My Life" b/w "I'm A Loner" Nu Ron - $3,550.00

4. 12" - Led Zeppelin "Road Box" - $3,300.00

5. 45 - The Fix "Vengence" / "In This Town" - $3,200.00



Week Ending 07/18/2009

1. LP - John Hartman and Circles "Music Of My Heart" Private Press - $5,205.00

2. 10" - Kurt Cobain William Burroughs "The Priest They Call Him" Test Press - $3,999.99

3. 45 rpm - The Crystals "The Screw Part 1" / "The Screw Part 2" Phillies - $3,799.99

4. LP - Dave Bixby "Ode To Quetzalcoatl" Private Press - $3,199.99

5. 45 rpm- King Of Soul "Is Your Love For Me" / "Girl What Have You Done" Down To Earth - $2,693.13



Week Ending 07/25/2009

1. 45 rpm- Brute Force "King Of Fuh" / "Nobody Knows" Apple 8 - $8,023.16

2. 78 rpm- Dock Boggs "Old Rub Alcohol Blues" / "False Hearted Lover's Blues" The Lonesome Ace - $4,000.00
78 rpm- Dock Boggs "Lost Love Blues" / "Will Sweethearts Know Each Other There" The Lonesome Ace - $4,000.00

3. 45 rpm- James Cotton "Cotton Crop Blues" / "Hold Me In Your Arms" Sun 206 - $3,050.00

4. 45 rpm- Pink Floyd "Free Four" / "Absolutely Curtains" Odeon Japan Promo - $2,500.00

5. 7" - Elvis Presley "His Latest Flame" / "Little Sister" RCA Victor Compact Single - $2,200.00



Week Ending 08/01/2009

1. 45 rpm - The Beatles "Our First Four" Promotional Presentation (Plastic) - $13,058.88

2. 45 rpm- Ellipsis "People" / "Gregory Moore" Briarmeade - $3,383.33

3. 45 rpm- Al Williams "I Am Nothing" / "Brand New Love" Palmer - $2,650.00

4. LP - The Who "self titled" Italy Polydor (A Quick One) - $2,300.00

5. 45 rpm- Nirvana "Love Buzz" 462/1000 Sub Pop - $2,224.99


A special thank you to Norm at http://ccdiscoveries.blogspot.com for this great data. Stop in and listen to their unique radio show Accidental Nostalgia with Norm & Jane On Radio Dentata Thursdays 4PM PDT/7PM EDT

Restocks: Vinyl Collective

Head on over to www.vinylcollective.com for some great vinyl!

A PERFECT CIRCLE “Mer De Noms” dbl LP
AFI/ SWINGIN’ UTTERS split 7
ANBERLIN “New Surrender” LP
BEATLES “Abbey Road” LP
BECK “Stereopathetic Soul Manure” LP
BUILT TO SPILL “You In Reverse” LP
COHEED & CAMBRIA “No World For Tomorrow” dbl LP
DRIVE LIKE JEHU ìYank Crimeî LP
JACK JOHNSON “Brushfire Fairytales” LP
JIMMY EAT WORLD “Chase This Light” LP
KINGS OF LEON “Aha Shake Heartbreak” dbl 10
KINGS OF LEON “The Bucket” LP
MISFITS “Collection II” LP
MISFITS “Static Age” LP
NAS “Illmatic” LP
PHOENIX “Lisztomania Remixes” LP import
PHOENIX “Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix” LP
RACONTEURS “Consolers of the Lonely” LP
ROBERT PLANT/ ALISON KRAUSS “Raising Sand” dbl LP
SLAYER “Psychopathy Red” 7
SMASHING PUMPKINS “Siamese Dream” dbl LP
SPINNERETTE “S/T” LP
SUBLIME “Superstar Punani” 7
THE CLASH “London Calling” dbl LP

This Date In Music History-August 16

An unusally busy day in Music History, this is an expanded version of the feature, enjoy and listen to some of the music of the past.

Birthdays:

Robert Lester - The Chi-Lites (1942)
Kevin Ayers - Soft Machine (1945)
Gary Loizzo - American Breed (1945)
Gordon Fleet – Easybeats (1946)
Barry Hay - Golden Earring (1948)
Scott Asheton - Iggy Pop And The Stooges (1949)
Joey Spampinato – NRBQ (1950)
James Taylor - Kool & The Gang (1953)
Kevin Rowland - Dexy's Midnight Runners (1953)
Tim Farriss – INXS (1957)Belinda Carlisle – Go Go’s (1958)
Matt Lukin – Mudhoney (1964)
LL Cool J (1968)
Emily Robinson - Dixie Chicks (1972)
Venessa Carlton (1980)
Bob Hardy - Franz Ferdinand (1980)

Madonna, (Madonna Louise Veronica Ciccone) (1958)




They Are Missed:

American blues musician Robert Johnson died at the age of 27 at a country crossroads near Greenwood, Mississippi in 1938. He caught pneumonia after allegedly being poisoned by the jealous husband of one of his many conquests. His recordings from 1936–1937 have influenced generations of musicians including Muddy Waters, Bob Dylan, Jimi Hendrix, Led Zeppelin, The Rolling Stones, Johnny Winter, Jeff Beck and Eric Clapton; just to name a few.


In 1977, Elvis Presley was found dead lying on the floor in his bathroom by his girlfriend Ginger Alden, he had been seated on the toilet reading “The Scientific Search For Jesus.” He died of heart failure at the age of 42. His first record for RCA, “Heartbreak Hotel,” was also his first US #1. He starred in 31 films. Elvis holds the record for the most entries on the US Hot 100 chart with 154. Elvis became the first rock 'n' roll artist to be honored by the US Postal Service with a stamp. He is still a legend and loved by millions - what a sad end.





Pakistani singer Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan died in 1997 (age 48). He had recorded with Bruce Springsteen Eddie Vedder and Peter Gabriel.

Alan Caddy guitarist with The Tornadoes died in 2000. Caddy also played on sessions and worked on arrangements for Spencer Davis Group, Kiki Dee, Pretty Things and Dusty Springfield.

"Hillbilly jazz" fiddler Vasser Clements died in 2005. The 77-year-old instrumentalist worked with Emmylou Harris, The Byrds, Bonnie Raitt and Kris Kristofferson.


History:

Yodeling cowgirl Patsy Montana recorded "I Want to Be a Cowboy's Sweetheart" in 1935. The record later becomes the first million-selling country single by a female artist.

Booked on a race music tour package because the promoter thought they were black, Buddy Holly & the Crickets played the unlikely venue of the Apollo Theatre in 1957. Also on the bill were the G-Clef's, whose Ted Scott remembered, "People were saying, 'What is this?' and I think Buddy and his group were shaken by playing in a black theater in a black territory. But he was a different kind of white act - he did a lot of jumping around - and really put on a good show."

In 1962, Little Stevie Wonder, (age 12), released his first single, “I Call It Pretty Music, (But The Old People Call It The Blues),” the single featured Marvin Gaye on drums.

Also in 1962 - Ringo Starr was picked to replace Pete Best as the drummer for the Beatles. Best had been with the group for about 2 1/2 years.

The Monkees' first single, "Last Train to Clarksville," was released in 1966.

In Blackpool, England, in 1964, the Beatles played a concert supported by the High Numbers. The High Numbers later become the Who.

The Jackson Five made their formal debut with Diana Ross and The Supremes at the Great Western Forum, California in 1968.

Working at Abbey Road studios in 1968, The Beatles recorded 14 takes of the new George Harrison song “While My Guitar Gently Weeps,” taking the song from its early acoustic version into an electric version.

In 1968, Bruce Springsteen’s new band Earth made their live debut at the Off Broad Street Coffee House in Red Bank, New Jersey.

In 1969, during a North American tour Led Zeppelin appeared at the Convention Hall in Asbury Park with Joe Cocker as support. Zeppelin had been asked to perform at Woodstock but due to this gig commitment they were unable to attend. And down the road Bruce Springsteen’s band Child played the first of two shows over two days at the Student Prince, Ashbury Park. Springsteen was also unable to attend Woodstock due to these gigs.

The Who and Janis Joplin performed at the Woodstock Festival in Bethel, N.Y. in 1969. During the Who's set, Abbie Hoffman leaps onstage to protest something or other, but Pete Townshend is having none of it. He clobbers the activist with his electric guitar. Townshend later explains he had no idea who Abbie Hoffman was.




In 1974,the Ramones played their first show at CBGB's in New York's Bowery district.

Peter Gabriel announced he was leaving Genesis to go solo in 1975.

The biggest single of the summer of 1979 was The Knack's "My Sharona," which goes gold. The success of the group was the gimmick of Beatle-esque posturing which the group treats as tounge-in-cheek. The Knack disbanded less than two years later.

Madonna started a two week run at #1 on the US singles chart in 1986 with “Papa Don't Preach,” her fourth US #1, & # 1 in the UK. Also on this day Madonna went to #1on the US album chart with 'True Blue'.

In 1997, on the 20th anniversary of Elvis Presley's death over 30,000 fans descended on Memphis Tennessee for a 10-minute mourning circuit circling his grave. A poll found that almost a third of the fans were keeping an eye out for him in the crowd. See the story in the Enquirer for details…..

In 2005, the artist formerly known as Sean Combs, then Sean "Puffy" Combs, then Puff Daddy, and currently as P. Diddy announced he is changing his name to "Diddy." The name change to Diddy upset Richard "Diddy" Dearlove, a London based DJ who took out court proceedings against P Diddy over the use of the name. He won when an out of court settlement of £110,000 was agreed and as a result, Combs is no longer be able to use the name Diddy in the UK. I used to be Robert ‘Diddy’ Benson…. Just call me Robert....

In 2007, a fan of the 1980s pop band Wham! was silenced after becoming the first noise nuisance to be prosecuted by Newcastle city council's night watch team. Brian Turner had tormented neighbors by playing their hit song ‘Last Christmas’ all night at full volume from 1 am onwards. Magistrates fined Turner, of Sandyford, Newcastle-upon-Tyne, £200 and ordered him to pay £215 costs. Good thing he wasn’t playing Tiny Tim.

Music News & Notes

SCORPIONS Frontman To Guest On New AVANTASIA Album

SCORPIONS vocalist Klaus Meine has recorded a duet with EDGUY frontman Tobias Sammet for the forthcoming album from Tobias' AVANTASIA project.

Commented Tobias: "We played a couple of shows with the SCORPIONS here and there and they are not only the biggest and greatest rock band ever to emerge from Germany, they are also cool rock 'n' roll people who are aware of what's going on in the world of heavy guitars. Lately, we played Bulgaria together, EDGUY and the SCORPIONS, and I watched their full show from onstage. They kicked serious ass! Rudolf (Schenker) did some cool guitar work on the previous [AVANTASIA] record, and now Klaus is on the forthcoming one. He has done a superb job, he opens his mouth and you immediately hear it's that cutting voice that has sung 'Rock You Like A Hurricane' and 'Blackout'! The track we did together is an anthemic mid-tempo tune, big choir chorus. And I am still speechless thinking of Klaus' performance. He is a real pro and he would still blow away 99% of all us rock singers with a quarter of his left lung. People, get ready for a monster song!"

Other musicians who are scheduled to appear on the forthcoming AVANTASIA album include powerhouse Norwegian vocalist Jorn Lande (MASTERPLAN, ARK, MILLENIUM, VAGABOND, THE SNAKES) and acclaimed drummers Eric Singer (KISS, ALICE COOPER, BLACK SABBATH) and Alex Holzwarth (RHAPSODY OF FIRE, ANGRA, SIEGES EVEN.

The most recent album from AVANTASIA, "The Scarecrow", was one of the 20 best-selling albums in whole Europe during the fourth week of January 2008, according to a press release.

"The Scarecrow" was released on January 25, 2008 as a standard CD as well as rare picture (double) vinyl. It features a long list of guest musicians, including Bob Catley, ex-MASTERPLAN frontman Jorn Lande, ex-HELLOWEEN singer Michael Kiske, Alice Cooper, KISS drummer Eric Singer, SCORPIONS guitarist Rudolf Schenker and GAMMA RAY's Kai Hansen. The album produced a Top 10 German hit single, "Lost In Space", and entered the national charts in 15 countries, with the CD landing in the Top 10 in four countries.

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Video for NEIL NATHAN Re-styling of ELO's "DO YA" Released !

MUSIC NEWS - NJ born alt-folk singer, Neil Nathan has just released a new video for his folky cover of ELO's hit single 'DoYa.' His version will featured on the Califonication Season 2 Soundtrack (out August 19th via Lionsgate Records, order below thru MNN) alongside Sheryl Crow and Nick Cave. Neil was thrilled to get Jeff Lynne's approval for the show! Watch the video, directed by Brian Goodwin, below.

Neil's forthcoming debut LP, The Distance Calls, (on Pirate Vinyl) features musicians from The Dead Weather, Queens of The Stone Age, Kid Rock, Detroit Cobras and The Go.

Michael Fremer Review

I am very proud to continue our new feature (look for this every Friday), music reviews that are written by the senior contributing editor of Stereophile magazine- Michael Fremer. It has been a pleasure to speak with Michael and learn more about audio sound and equipment. In fact, his new DVD, "It's A Vinyl World, After All" has hit the shelves and is selling out very quickly. This is a must have for anybody who loves vinyl, it is a true masterpiece.

Additionally, make sure to stop by his site, www.musicangle.com and bookmark it for further exploration. I certainly want to thank Michael for the exclusive rights to reprint his fantastic material.



Billie Holiday (reissue)
Music for Torching
Clef/Speakers Corner MG C-669

Produced by: Norma Granz
Engineered by: N/A
Mixed by: N/A
Mastered by: Maarten de Boer at UMG Berliner










Review by: Michael Fremer
2009-08-01

This summer of 1955 set probably recorded at United in Los Angeles August 23rd and 25th 1955 just a few days after a successful Hollywood Bowl appearance finds Holiday covering standards in fine voice backed up a great small combo.

Holliday (born Eleanora Fagan) covers “I Don’t Want to Cry Anymore,” “It Had to Be You,” “Come Rain or Come Shine,” “I Get a Kick Out of You,” “A Fine Romance” and some others taken at a slow, summer’s eve pace, with both musical feet firmly set in the 1940s but with hi-fidelity sonics.

The backing musicians, including Harry “Sweets” Edison on trumpet, Benny Carter on alto and tenor sax, Jimmy Rowles on piano, Barney Kessel on guitar, John Simmons on bass and Larry Bunker on bass, provide exceptionally sympathetic support for Holiday’s sensual renderings of these introspective romantic musings.

From the photos on the jacket it’s obvious that the then 40 year old Holiday had lost her youthful sexual allure to both natural aging and substance abuse and was getting a bit jowly, but she still looked involved and invigorated and certainly what poured forth from her vocal cords was, with her upper registers still vibrant if just a bit scratchy.

The fine performances here, with her voice still relatively supple and expressive, make the vocal devastation that would render her second to final full album Lady in Satin (Columbia CS 8048), recorded just three years later, such a difficult listen.

Four years after this album Holiday would be gone. Between Holiday’s sophisticated interpretations, the compact, sympathetic arrangements and precise performances, and the “birth of hi-fi” sonics, this is an album that will bring repeated pleasure. A minor gem and highly recommended.

SOURCE: http://www.musicangle.com Reprinted By Permission

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Pick up Michael's DVD's Here:

Woodstock 40 Years Later

Woodstock Music & Art Fair
When: August 15 to August 18, 1969
Where: Bethel, New York (Max Yasgur's 600 acre farm)
Who: Thirty-two Rock, Folk, Blues Artists.
Founded by: Michael Lang, John P. Roberts, Joel Rosenman, Artie Kornfeld
Ticket Price: $18 in advance / $24 at the gate (for all 3 days)

This is a repost, help celebrate the 40th anniversary of this human event, buy some music from the past!

On Friday, August 15, 1969, the historical concert event that was billed as “An Aquarian Exposition” quickly became one of the greatest moments is music history. The organizers thought they could attract between 50,000 and 100,000 people, which was an ambitious and optimistic estimate at the time. No one knew that more than 500,000 music lovers would turn Woodstock into a fairyland of sound, peace, love, drugs and human conformity.

However, there were a multitude of problems, which one could understand given the magnitude of the event. Hunger, bad sanitation, water shortages, inclement weather, traffic jams, first aid issues, bad drugs, why the list seems endless. However, even with these issues, it was a victory for the youth of America and the music world as well. There was no racial tension at a time when racial tension was at its peak. There was little resentment toward your fellow man; it was a place of social harmony and free love. It was a major coup for the counterculture, despite the obvious problems.

Countless books, documentaries, interviews, news articles have captured all the specifics that occurred on Max Yasgur’s farm. But more than the aforementioned qualities, errors in judgement and logistical nightmares, it was after all, one of the most successful events in music history. Let’s explore the time line and some of the little known facts behind this massive musical experience.







The Players:

DAY ONE - August 15, 1969
1. Richie Havens
2. Swami Satchidananda
3. Country Joe McDonald
4. John B. Sebastian
5. Sweetwater
6. Incredible String Band
7. Bert Sommer
8. Tim Hardin
9. Ravi Shankar
10. Melanie
11. Arlo Guthrie
12. Joan Baez





DAY TWO - August 16, 1969
1. Quill
2. Keef Hartley Band
3. Santana
4. Canned Heat
5. Grateful Dead
6. Mountain
7. Creedence Clearwater Revival
8. Sly & The Family Stone
9. Janis Joplin
10. The Who




DAY THREE - August 17, 1969
1. Jefferson Airplane
2. Joe Cocker
3. Country Joe & The Fish
4. Ten Years After
5. The Band



After midnight - Monday Morning) - August 18, 1969
6. Blood Sweat And Tears
7. Johnny Winter
8. Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young
9. Paul Butterfield Blues Band
10. Sha-Na-Na
11. Jimi Hendrix (Hendrix insisted on being the final performer and was scheduled to perform Sunday at midnight. He didn't take the stage until 9 A.M. on Monday morning and played for 2 hours to a dwindling audience)





Musical Acts That Declined Invitations:

The Beatles declined because John Lennon said he couldn't get them all together at the time.

Led Zeppelin was asked to perform, their manager Peter Grant stating: "We were asked to do Woodstock and Atlantic were very keen, and so was our US promoter, Frank Barsalona. I said no because at Woodstock we'd have just been another band on the bill." Instead the group went on with their hugely successful summer tour, playing that weekend south of the festival at the Asbury Park Convention Hall in New Jersey.

Jethro Tull declined to perform. Ian Anderson is reported to have later said he "didn't want to spend [his] weekend in a field of unwashed hippies." Another theory proposed that the band felt the event would be "too big a deal" and might kill their career before it started. Little did they know just how important this could have been for the band. Ironically, in the film Jethro Tull songs can be heard playing in the background between acts.

Bob Dylan was close, but pulled out when his son became ill. He also was very turned off by the number of hippies hanging around his house, which was near the originally planned site.

The Byrds were invited, but chose to defer, figuring that the event would not be any different from all the other music festivals that summer. Additionally, there were monetary concerns and they had trouble earlier that year at a performance at the first Atlanta International Pop Festival, held at the Atlanta International Raceway on July 4 and July 5, 1969, where a melee had broken out.

"We were flying to a gig and Roger [McGuinn] came up to us and said that a guy was putting on a festival in upstate New York,” recalled bassist John York. “But at that point they weren't paying all of the bands. He asked us if we wanted to do it and we said, 'No'. We had no idea what it was going to be. We were burned out and tired of the festival scene. [...] So all of us said, 'No, we want a rest' and missed the best festival of all.”

Tommy James & the Shondells declined the invitation because of being misinformed about the size and scope of the event.

Lead singer Tommy James stated later: "We could have just kicked ourselves. We were in Hawaii, and my secretary called and said, 'Yeah, listen, there's this pig farmer in upstate New York that wants you to play in his field.' That's how it was put to me. So we passed, and we realized what we'd missed a couple of days later."

The Moody Blues were included in the original posters as performers, but backed out after taking a gig in Paris on the same weekend.

The band Mind Garage declined because they thought it wouldn't be a big deal and had a higher paying gig elsewhere. Oops.

The Randy California-led band Spirit also declined, they had other shows planned and did not want to back out of their commitments; not knowing how big that Woodstock would ultimately become.


Cancelled appearances:

The Doors were considered, but they canceled at the last minute, most likely due to frontman Jim Morrison's distaste for performing in large outdoor venues. However, band member John Densmore did attend.

The Jeff Beck Group was an England rock band formed in London in January 1966 by ex-Yardbiirds guitarist Jeff Beck. Their innovative approach to heavy-sounding blues was a major influence on popular music during the late 1960s and early 1970s....They were scheduled to perform at Woodstock, but failed to make an appearance because the band broke up the week before.

Iron Butterfly was a psychedelic rock and early heavy metal music band, well known for their 1968 hit "In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida.” They were enroute, however were stuck at an airport, and their manager demanded helicopters and special arrangements just for them. At one point, helicopters were the only means of transportation that could get to the location. They were wired back and told, as impolitely as Western Union would allow, "to get lost," and they left without playing.

Singer/songwriter Joni Mitchell was scheduled to perform, but her agent recommended that she appear on The Dick Cavett Show. However, she wrote a song from what she had heard from then-boyfriend, Graham Nash, about the festival appropriately called “Woodstock,” that became a major hit for Matthews Southern Comfort and Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young. She was also discouraged by the audience response to her performance at the Atlantic City Pop Festival that was held earlier in August prior to Woodstock. The audience was so rude that she was not able to complete her set and she walked off the stage, sobbing.

Canadian band Lighthouse were originally was scheduled to play at Woodstock, but in the end they decided not to, fearing that it would be a bad scene. Later, several members of the group would say that they regretted the decision.

Musician Ethan Brown was scheduled, but was arrested for LSD possession just three days before the event.

More About Woodstock:

In 2009, complete performances from Woodstock by Santana, Janis Joplin, Sly & the Family Stone, Jefferson Airplane, and Johnny Winter were released separately and were also collected in a box-set entitled “The Woodstock Experience.”

It's also being reported that Woodstock promoter Michael Lang has had to drop plans for a 40th anniversary concert. When asked why he abandoned the pursuit for a third anniversary concert celebrating the Woodstock Music and Art Fair, Lang simply lamented: “Money. No sponsors.”

However, Lang remains busy with Woodstock-related projects. On August 8th, he will join Academy Award-winning director Ang Lee and screenwriter/producer James Schamus in Woodstock, New York, for an advance screening of the comedy “Taking Woodstock,” which hits theaters Aug. 28. The film, directed by Lee, with screenplay by Schamus, is based on a book written by Elliot Tiber, who along with his parents ran a motel in Bethel during the Woodstock festival. Should be interesting…..

In 1997, the site of the concert and 1,400 acres surrounding it was purchased by Alan Gerry for the purpose of creating the Bethel Woods Center for the Arts. The Center opened on July 1, 2006 with a performance of the New York Philharmonic. On August 13, 2006, Crosby Stills Nash & Young performed to 16,000 fans at the new Center — 37 years after their historic performance at Woodstock.

The Museum at Bethel Woods opened in June 2008. The Museum contains film and interactive displays, text panels, and artifacts which explore the unique experience of the Woodstock festival, its significance as the culminating event of a decade of radical cultural transformation, and the legacy of the Sixties and Woodstock today.

VH1 on Friday, Aug. 14, will air, “Woodstock: Now & Then,” a documentary directed by Academy Award winner Barbara Kopple. Original Woodstock promoter Michael Lang is executive producer of the film. The History Channel will show “Woodstock: Now & Then” on Aug. 17.

On August 23, 2009 at Belleayre Mountain, which is just west of Woodstock, Lang will co-present Kidstock, with a “Tribute to Woodstock” by young musicians from Paul Green’s School of Rock, the inspiration for the Jack Black movie.


Author Robert Benson writes about rock/pop music, vinyl record collecting and operates collectingvinylrecords.com

Woodstock cover couple still together

‘We just had to go,’ remembers woman in iconic 1969 photograph

By TOM KEYSER
ALBANY TIMES UNION


Bobbi Kelly and Nick Ercoline were girlfriend and boyfriend, 20 years old. Bobbi lived in Pine Bush, N.Y., and worked at a bank. Nick lived in Middletown, N.Y., and worked two jobs while going to college.

They had heard so much on the radio about an approaching festival called Woodstock that “we just had to go,” Bobbi says. They took back roads to Bethel, N.Y., parked their car when they couldn't drive farther and walked the final two miles.

They stayed only one night. They never saw the stage because they were so far away. But at some point, and they have no idea when, a photographer took their picture hugging, draped in a quilt, on a muddy hillside.

The photo appeared on the cover of the Woodstock soundtrack. And Bobbi and Nick became part of the legend.

“Woodstock was a sign of the times,” says Bobbi, now Bobbi Ercoline. “So many things were churning around in our world at that time: civil rights, the Vietnam War, women's rights. It was our generation.

“I know some people say Woodstock changed their life. But I don't think it contributed to who I am or who Nick is. I think we became the people we would have become anyway.”

Read The Rest Here:

www.chron.com

EMI Music Remembers the Life and Legacy of Music Legend Les Paul

HOLLYWOOD (RPRN) 8/14/2009–EMI Music joins the rest of the world in mourning the legendary musician, inventor and innovator, Les Paul, who passed away this morning at the age of 94. Today, the flag atop the Capitol Records tower in Hollywood has been lowered to half-staff in remembrance of Paul, one of EMI Music’s most legendary and innovative recording artists, who first signed with Capitol Records in 1948 and was instrumental in the development of both the Capitol label and Capitol Studios.

Born Lester William Polsfuss in Waukesha, Wisconsin on June 9, 1915, Les Paul was one of the foremost influences on 20th Century sound as one of America’s most popular, influential, and accomplished electric guitarists, as well as an early innovator in the development of the solid body guitar. His groundbreaking design would become the template for Gibson’s best-selling electric, the Les Paul model, introduced in 1952. Today, countless musical legends still consider Paul’s iconic guitar unmatched in sound and prowess. Among Paul’s most enduring contributions are those in the technological realm, including ingenious developments in multi-track recording, guitar effects, and the mechanics of sound in general.

Les Paul signed with Capitol Records in 1948. His Capitol recordings garnered him a string of hits, notably 1948’s “Brazil,” with its six multi-tracked guitar parts, “Vaya Con Dios,” and 1951’s million-sellers “Mockin’ Bird Hill” and “How High the Moon.”

1949 saw the birth of “The Les Paul Show” on radio, and by year’s end Paul and his frequent musical collaborator, Mary Ford, had married. Between recordings and broadcasts, Paul found time to invent a synthesizer and an effects-generating machine he dubbed the “Les Paulverizer,” a wacky contraption that is wittily depicted in Paul and Ford’s classic CBS Radio-hosted banter as a beast-like appendage, heavily strapped to the back of its user. Since then, the technology of the “Les Paulverizer” has been put to use every day by producers and musicians from every genre, from classical to punk rock.

When Capitol Records’ famous Vine Street building was being built in Hollywood, with its unique “stacked records” design, Paul joked that the idea of a round building was wholly impractical, because it lacked a corner in which to prop a broom. As the final touches were being put on Capitol’s new studios, Paul visited and consulted on the design of the studios’ now-legendary subterranean echo chambers.

Paul retreated from recording in the late 1970s, turning his focus to live performance, a weekly ritual he enjoyed at New York City’s Iridium Jazz Club until his recent hospitalization. Over the years, other world-famous musicians often sat in for a song or two during Paul’s two Monday night sets, including Paul McCartney, Tony Bennett and Keith Richards, and Paul also encouraged aspiring players who toted their guitars to his shows, selecting them from the audience to join him onstage for a song.

In 2005, celebrating his 90th birthday, Paul released Les Paul & Friends: American Made World Played with Capitol/EMI, featuring collaborations with a veritable who’s who of the electric guitar, including dozens of illustrious fans like Keith Richards, Buddy Guy, Billy Gibbons, Jeff Beck, Eric Clapton, and Joe Perry. Les Paul won two Grammy Awards for tracks on the album, for Best Pop Instrumental Performance and Best Rock Instrumental Performance.

Les Paul and Mary Ford were inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame in 1977, and Paul was honored with The Recording Academy’s Trustees Award in 1983. In 2001, when he earned his fifth Grammy award for his technical achievements, Hillel Resner of Mix Online wrote, “If the music industry has a Ben Franklin, surely that man is Les Paul.” In 1988, Paul was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. The Smithsonian Institution has honored Paul with the John Smithson Bicentennial Medal, and in 2008, the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame paid tribute to Paul with a week-long celebration of his life.

Les Paul is survived by his three sons Lester (Rus) G. Paul, Gene W. Paul and Robert (Bobby) R. Paul, his daughter Colleen Wess, son-in-law Gary Wess, long time friend Arlene Palmer, five grandchildren and five great grandchildren.

A private funeral service will be held in New York. A service in Waukesha, WI will be announced at a later date. Details will follow and will be announced for all services. Memorial tributes for the public will be announced at a future date.

The family asks that in lieu of flowers, donations be made to the Les Paul Foundation, 236 West 30th Street, 7th Floor, New York, New York 10001.

Source: EMI Music

Classic Rock Videos

Rolling Stones Gimme Shelter

Capitol/EMI's vinyl campaign continues

CAPITOL/EMI’S “FROM THE CAPITOL VAULTS” VINYL CAMPAIGN CONTINUES NOVEMBER 3 WITH 11 CLASSIC ALBUMS

Remastered Titles Presented on Limited Edition, 180-Gram Audiophile Quality Vinyl with Replicated Original Artwork and Packaging

Put the needle in the groove! Capitol/EMI’s high quality “From The Capitol Vaults” U.S. vinyl campaign continues November 3 with the limited edition, 180-gram vinyl release of 11 classic, standout albums from EMI Music’s celebrated catalog.

Capitol/EMI’s November 3 “From The Capitol Vaults” releases, all previously out of print on vinyl, include The Band’s Cahoots and Stage Fright, The Beach Boys’ Summer Days (And Summer Nights!!) and Today!, David Bowie’s Aladdin Sane, Diamond Dogs, and Young Americans, Faust’s Faust IV, and Frank Sinatra’s Come Dance With Me!, Come Fly With Me, and In The Wee Small Hours.

Capitol/EMI launched its “From The Capitol Vaults” campaign on September 2, 2008 with 13 classic titles, all previously out-of-print on vinyl. Included in the series’ debut were A Perfect Circle’s Mer de Noms, The Beach Boys’ Pet Sounds, Coldplay’s Parachutes, A Rush Of Blood To The Head, and X&Y, Radiohead’s Pablo Honey, The Bends, OK Computer, Kid A (two 10” 140-gram LPs), Amnesiac (two 10” 140-gram LPs), and Hail To The Thief, R.E.M.’s Document, and Steve Miller Band’s Greatest Hits 1974-78.

On September 30, the campaign continued with the release of Jimi Hendrix’s incendiary 1970 concert album, Band Of Gypsys, on fiery red 180-gram vinyl, and John Lennon’s chart-topping 1971 studio album, Imagine, on 180-gram vinyl.

An additional 13 titles were released on October 28, including The Band’s Music From Big Pink and The Band, The Beach Boys’ Endless Summer, John Lennon’s Rock ‘N’ Roll, Paul McCartney & Wings’ Band On The Run, Megadeth’s Peace Sells and Rust In Peace, Queensryche’s Operation: Mindcrime, Roxy Music’s For Your Pleasure and Roxy Music, Stray Cats’ Built For Speed, and The Verve’s Urban Hymns.

On February 24, Ben Harper’s entire Virgin Records catalog was released by EMI Music in limited edition, 180-gram vinyl packaging. Nine Ben Harper albums, all previously out-of-print on vinyl, have been restored to the format with Harper’s supervision. The LPs were released in deluxe packaging with carefully replicated artwork and two live EPs also made their vinyl release debuts.

On April 21, 12 Radiohead EPs were released on 180-gram vinyl for the first time, including “2 + 2 = 5,” “Creep,” “Fake Plastic Trees,” “High & Dry,” “Just,” “Karma Police,” “My Iron Lung,” “No Surprises,” “Paranoid Android,“ “Pyramid Song,” “Street Spirit (Fade Out),” and “Drill.”

On June 16, the series continued with The Beach Boys’ Sunflower and Surf’s Up, Merle Haggard’s Mama Tried, Megadeth’s So Far, So Good... So What!, Plastic Ono Band’s Live Peace In Toronto 1969, Red Hot Chili Peppers’ Freaky Styley, Mother's Milk, and The Uplift Mofo Party Plan, Roxy Music’s Country Life and Stranded, and The Specials’ self-titled album.

All “From The Capitol Vaults” titles feature carefully replicated artwork and packaging true to their original single or gatefold jacket LP releases. More “From The Capitol Vaults” titles will soon be announced.

For more information, visit http://fromthecapitolvaults.com.


November 3, 2009: “FROM THE CAPITOL VAULTS” [artist / title (configuration)]

The Band / Cahoots (1 LP, gatefold jacket, printed sleeve)

The Band / Stage Fright (1 LP, single jacket, printed sleeve, band photo)

The Beach Boys / Summer Days (And Summer Nights!!) (1 LP, single jacket, printed sleeve)

The Beach Boys / Today! (1 LP, single jacket)

David Bowie / Aladdin Sane (1 LP, gatefold jacket, printed sleeve)

David Bowie / Diamond Dogs (1 LP, gatefold jacket, printed sleeve)

David Bowie / Young Americans (1 LP, single jacket, printed sleeve)

Faust / Faust IV (1 LP, gatefold jacket, printed sleeve)

Frank Sinatra / Come Dance With Me! (1 LP, single jacket, printed sleeve)

Frank Sinatra / Come Fly With Me (1 LP, single jacket, printed sleeve)

Frank Sinatra / In The Wee Small Hours (1 LP, single jacket, printed sleeve)

Record stores say discovery of rare 45-rpm hard to duplicate

By Joe Kimball

Last week's news about the St. Paul record collector who scored big on eBay with an old, scratched 45-rpm record -- $10,323 worth of big -- might have sent many scurrying to the attic to search for similar gems.

But apparently not many were found. At least folks aren't showing up in droves at local record stores trying to sell their old 45s.

The story involved St. Paul music collector Tim Schloe, who found a rare, Sun Records single in a large collection he bought from the brother of a deceased Texas collector. So, he paid about quarter for the 45 and ended up raking in $10,323 for it through an eBay auction.

The 1953 record was bluesman D.A. Hunt's rendition of "Greyhound Blues" — with "Lonesome Old Jail" on the flip side.

Read the rest here:
www.minnpost.com

Two New Dead-Related Archive Releases

Over the past twenty years the Grateful Dead have put out nearly one hundred archival releases but outside of a few random releases - and most of the View From The Vault series - they’ve stayed away from putting out shows from the end of their touring days…until now. The band recently announced the next installments in the Road Trips - featuring music from 1993 - and the Pure Jerry series.



Road Trips Volume 2 No. 4 contains highlights from The Dead’s two-night stand at Cal Expo on May 26 and 27, 1993. Of particular note is the 19-minute Playin’ from 5/26 that’s on the second CD of the two CD release. Yet, you’ll have to get past Corrina first. Those who preorder Road Trips Volume 2 No. 4 will get a bonus disc with more from the shows including a unique Cassidy > Uncle John’s Band > Cassidy sandwich.

Jerry Garcia Band: Bay Area ‘78 features songs from the listenable/usable/releasable material recorded on February 18 and 19, 1978 as well as four tunes from June of the same year. For those shows Jerry was joined by a fantastic backing band that included Maria Muldaur, Keith & Donna Godchaux, Buzz Buchanan and John Kahn. Of particular note on this release is a 30-minute Don’t Let Go and a rare cover of Paul McCartney’s Let Me Roll It.

Both releases are priced at $19.98 each and if you preorder both of ‘em you’ll get free shipping.

Music News & Notes

Bouncing Souls announce third 20th Anniversary 7 inch

The Bouncing Souls have detailed the third 7" collecting their ongoing 20th Anniversary Series singles. The new 7" was produced by Ted Hutt (Gaslight Anthem, Flogging Molly) with cover art by Souls bassist Bryan Kienlen and Ramones artistsic director Arturo Vega. It will feature the songs "Ghosts on the Boardwalk," "Boogie Woogie Dowtown," "Badass" and "Uke Chek Girl" with a "locked groove" between the third and fourth track. The record is set to ship on September 15th with 800 on green and black vinyl for mailorder, 1000 on green vinyl with black and red splatter for tour, and 1000 on green vinyl for retail.

The band has been releaseing a new 7" every three months on their Chunksaah label, compiling the tracks they've been releasing digitally on the first of every month. The band is remarkably busy these days, with upcoming anniversary shows and a TV special along with extensive touring and video releases.

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New Weezer Album Gets Release Date

According to a post on Weezer's MySpace, the band's much-rumored seventh album is now due October 27. We can only hope recently debuted teen-pop tributes "I'm Your Daddy" (er) and "The Girl Got Hot" (um) are included.

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Dr. Dre 's Next Mission: Upgrading the Sound Quality of Digital Music

Dr. Dre is going to save digital music. Or at least he's going to save your ears from shitty-sounding mp3 fatigue. That's the idea, anyway.

CNET reports that Dre and Interscope chairman Jimmy Iovine are teaming up with Hewlett-Packard to improve the sound quality of digital music. The particulars of their plan seem pretty vague at the moment, but CNET says that HP will release laptops, headsets, and software featuring the Beats by Dr. Dre "brand". Beats by Dr. Dre is Dre's supposedly very good (but also incredibly expensive) line of top-shelf headphones. You go Dr, make it so....

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AGNOSTIC FRONT's Classic Early Records To Be Reissued


One of the greatest genre-defining hardcore bands of all time, AGNOSTIC FRONT has changed the face of music throughout their 25 year long career. The two records that started it all, "United Blood" and "Victim in Pain", are legendary New York hardcore releases and some of the most sought-after pieces of vinyl for record collectors. Finally, these two releases are coming back to life via Bridge Nine Records.

On November 17, 2009, Bridge Nine will release a CD version with both albums combined, and additionally will re-release "United Blood" on 7" and "Victim in Pain" on 12" LP.

Commented Bridge Nine owner Chris Wrenn, "AGNOSTIC FRONT's debut EP and LP are seminal New York hardcore recordings. To have the opportunity to bring them back to life and make them available again to a new generation of hardcore fans is an incredible honor for Bridge Nine Records. We're excited to do these reissues justice and look forward to helping AGNOSTIC FRONT celebrate the 25 years since the original release of 'Victim In Pain'."

Originally released in 1983, "United Blood" was AGNOSTIC FRONT's first release and was followed shortly thereafter by "Victim In Pain" in 1984. These albums were a blast of pure New York hardcore that confirmed AF's status as leaders of the New York hardcore movement alongside precursors the CRO-MAGS and MURPHY'S LAW. 25 years later, both releases will be made available once again on all formats. Special packaging, vinyl pressings, and more information to come soon.

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SKELETONWITCH launches “CRUSHED BEYOND DUST,”, Pre-order Available

“CRUSHED BEYOND DUST,” the lead track from SKELETONWITCH’s highly anticipated new album, “BREATHING THE FIRE,” due out October 13, will be available for streaming via the band’s Myspace at 9AM PST, Monday… . And LIVE on Sirius XM Liquid Metal August 14th 8:00 PM EST

Vocalist, Chance Garnette, commented about the track: “This song is simply about killing someone with nothing but your bare hands! Plus I was stoked I could find a home for the word “quashed.”

Preorder packages for “BREATHING THE FIRE,” are now available on Prosthetic Records’ webstore. There are four different package options for both the vinyl and CD version of the album. The LP will be on 180 gram vinyl and is in a gatefold jacket and the CD version comes in a digipack. There’s a limited amount of red vinyl, available on a first come, first served basis. There are also three different T shirts available in the bundles.

“BREATHING THE FIRE,” is the follow up to the band’s critically acclaimed album, “BEYOND THE PERMAFROST.” (Prosthetic Records, 2007) The Athens OH based band traveled to Seattle, WA to record with producer Jack Endino (Nirvana, Soundgarden, High On Fire).

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Nirvana’s “Bleach” Returns as 20th Anniversary Deluxe Reissue


To celebrate the 20th anniversary of Nirvana’s Bleach, Sub Pop Records will reissue the band’s 1989 debut album with as an expanded CD/double vinyl collection on November 3rd. Additionally, the reissued Bleach will feature an unreleased bonus live album called Live at Pine Street Theatre, recorded at the Portland, Oregon venue on February 9th, 1990. Both Bleach and the Pine Street show have been digitally remastered from the original tapes by Jack Endino, who produced Nirvana’s debut LP.

Pre-orders will soon be available at the Sub Pop, the home of Nirvana before the band made the major label jump to DGC for the legendary Nevermind. Bleach remains one of Sub Pop’s few platinum albums. Like the original run of Bleach on vinyl, the first-run of the reissued double-LPs will be printed on white vinyl. Also, the songs “Big Cheese” and “Downer” will feature on vinyl for the first time after being excised from the original LP release. Both the CD and the LP will be accompanied with a booklet looking back at the classic debut along with never-before-seen photographs of Kurdt Kobain and Chris Novoselic, as they called themselves in the album’s liner notes, along with pre-Grohl drummer Chad Channing.

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Blame It On Yoko

Britain's NME reports that Yoko Ono had the developers at Harmonix on the ropes over the release version of The Beatles: Rock Band. Instead of giving input during the early development process, she waited until three months before the debut of the game at E3.

Alex Rigopulos, CEO of the company, said "We were like, 'Oh, gee. Thanks.' It would have been nice to know that six months ago, but yes, 'Thank you very much'."

Ono was concerned with the game's look, including wanting the Let It Be rooftop concert to look "windier."

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Withers Writes Song For Benson

Bill Withers has come out of retirement to write the song A Telephone Call Away for George Benson's new album Songs and Stories, due August 25th from Concord. The album also includes new songs from Rod Temperton and Lamont Dozier along with covers of such tunes as Don't Let Me Be Lonely Tonight, Rainy Night in Georgia and Donny Hathaway's Someday We'll All Be Free.

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Ray Charles' Reissue

Ray Charles' first album for ABC-Paramount after leaving Atlantic, The Genius Hits the Road, will be getting a deluxe reissue on September 22 via Concord.

The original 12-track album included his first number one record, Georgia On My Mind. For the deluxe edition, Concord is adding seven more road songs from other parts of Charles' career, Hit the Road Jack, Sentimental Journey, Blue Moon of Kentucky, Rainy Night in Georgia, The Long and Winding Road, Take Me Home Country Roads and I Was On Georgia Time.