Only 1 more day, get your entry into the SpaceLab9 Breaking Bad Picture Disc Contest
You can enter by emailing me at rbenson30@wi.rr.com with the words "SpaceLab9 Breaking Bad Picture Disc Contest" in the subject line. Limit one email entry per person. Entries limited to the USA residents only. Contest ends on December 31, 2013. Winner will be chosen at random among the qualifying email entries at noon on December 31, 2013.
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from our friends at SoundStageDirect
Rising (Pre-Order) by Rainbow
Initially perceived as a Ritchie Blackmore solo project, Rainbow had become a permanent fixture in the British rock atmosphere by the time the band was ready to follow-up its breakthrough debut. For Rising, Blackmore had replenished Rainbow with a colorful arsenal of accomplished sidemen and studio musicians; keyboardist Tony Carey, bassist Jimmy Bain and drummer Cozy Powell. But the main event here is Ronnie James Dio, who establishes himself as one of heavy metal’s most influential vocalists.
The presence of the new lineup is immediately felt. The keyboard intro to “Tarot Woman” sets a sorcerous tone for the album. Carey’s dexterous playing paired with Powell’s thunderous drumming provides a cavernous sonic template for Blackmore chugging riffs and sparking leads. Dio’s lyrical trademarks are all here: tales of wizards, magic and kings, as well as foreboding of the darkness that lurks ahead. The epic “Stargazer,” which features a 42-piece orchestra, and the equally ambitious, nine-minute “A Light In the Black”—an indisputably thrilling one-two punch—close out the album.
Rising announced Rainbow’s arrival as a new voice in metal, establishing many elements that would shape the genre for decades to come. Complete with a faithful replication of the original gatefold sleeve and dead-quiet surfaces, this Wax Cathedral reissue is pressed at RTI, America’s best record plant. Even better, it’s on colored vinyl.
Order at SoundStageDirect
Live Undead by Slayer
This seven-song live release features five tracks from Slayer's debut, Show No Mercy which was released a year prior, one cut from the three-song Haunting The Chapel EP and an additional non-album track entitled Aggressive Perfector. The songs on Live Undead fundamentally follow the heavy handed arrangements of their studio counterparts, but are enhanced with an added energy and menace that was vital to Slayer's exciting early period. Available here on Limited Edition Splattered Silver Colored Vinyl!
Order at SoundStageDirect
Hot Rocks 1964-1971 by Rolling Stones
Hot Rocks 1964–1971 is the first compilation album of Rolling Stones music released by former manager Allen Klein's ABKCO Records (who gained control of the band's Decca/London material in 1970) after the band's departure from Decca and Klein. Released in late 1971, it proved to be The Rolling Stones' biggest-selling release of their career and an enduring and popular retrospective.
After reportedly having been duped by Klein to unknowingly sign over the recording copyrights to all of their material from 1963 to 1970, The Rolling Stones left Decca and formed their own label, Rolling Stones Records, with a new distributor. They recorded Sticky Fingers throughout 1970, releasing it the following spring. Although Klein—and now ABKCO—no longer had The Rolling Stones as clients, their fruitful catalogue was ripe for the picking and, thus, Hot Rocks 1964–1971 was quickly compiled as a double album greatest hits package.
While the album carries most of the band's biggest hits during their first decade, it does drop a few of them in order to include standout tracks such as "Play With Fire", "Under My Thumb" and "Gimme Shelter" giving listeners a more well-rounded impression of The Rolling Stones' music in this era. Although "Brown Sugar" and "Wild Horses" are a part of Sticky Fingers, those two songs are co-owned by the band and Allen Klein because The Rolling Stones recorded the songs while they were still under contract to Decca.
- 180 Gram Clear Vinyl From ABKCO'S Clearly Classic Reissue Series
- Double Gatefold
- Re-mastered by Bob Ludwig at Gateway Mastering
- Cut at Trutone Mastering by Carl Rowatti
- Pressed at RTI
Order at SoundStageDirect
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colored vinyl (they have many more!) from our friends at PolyVinylRecords
Various Artists - I Need You Bad
I Need You Bad documents the San Francisco garage rock scene (and a little bit beyond) as it exists here and now.
Curated by one of its most vital members, Sonny Smith, the compilation features some bands you already know (Sonny & The Sunsets, The Sandwitches, Warm Soda) and others you'll wish you had discovered sooner.
Featuring artwork by Shannon Shaw (Shannon and the Clams), I Need You Bad is a perfect snapshot into one of the most influential and thriving music scenes in the country, if not the world.
Order at PolyVinylRecords
Wampire - Curiosity
After forming Wampire, Rocky Tinder and Eric Phipps steadily began to make a name for themselves in the same Portland, OR, scene that has produced labelmates STRFKR as well as Unknown Mortal Orchestra.
It makes sense, then, that Wampire came to Polyvinyl's attention when the duo opened for STRFKR at a hometown Portland show and that UMO's bassist Jacob Portrait produced Wampire’s debut full-length, Curiosity.
The choice of Portrait was a natural one, with both Tinder and Phipps believing he'd be able to contribute almost as much to the record as they would.
And so, in mid-August Tinder and Phipps each brought fragments of song ideas into the studio, before deconstructing, re-arranging, and fitting them back together piece by piece -- at times lyrics and melodies were thrown out, brought back from the dead, or improvised on the spot.
This loosely structured approach made the process truly collaborative, with producer Portrait occasionally chipping in ideas for lyrics, arrangements, and instrumentation.
The resulting nine tracks are instantly memorable, while defying easy categorization. Says Phipps, "We realized the record began to stray away from having a 'sound' and gradually became a platter with an assortment of sounds. The record showcases a flavor we haven't quite dug into before."
The album's diverse combination of sounds ultimately helped give birth to its title, Curiosity -- a word that invokes the listener's wonder at what will greet their ears next, while also describing the overall curious tone the record possesses.
First single, "The Hearse" serves as the perfect introduction for those unfamiliar with the band -- its opening notes swelling instantly with electronic organs over a driving drum beat. By the time bass and vocals kick in, you’re already hooked.
Elsewhere, "Orchards" weaves an infectiously breezy melody on the strength of vocal harmonizing, tuneful whistling, and undulating guitar lines.
In some cases, Wampire's unique rhythms are best described by the band members, as with "Trains," a Motown-meets-Strokes track that Tinder perfectly summarizes like so: "It's sexy, sounds huge, and by all means should be blamed for future babies."
The album concludes with the equally sensual "Magic Light," a song centered around a dark seductive bass groove that sets the tone for Phipps’ come-hither lyrics.
It's the kind of track that draws you ever further into the record's beguiling clutches, leaving a lasting impression that remains well after its final notes have faded out.
Order at PolyVinylRecords
Aloha - Here Comes Everyone
Here Comes Everyone launches the retooled Aloha machine with a fury of stick-to-the-ribcage blasts and shimmering ballads. Aloha adds the orchestral pop of the late '60s and the post-prog rock of the '80s to its big-thinking, rhythm-rich repertoire. Engaging yet contemplative, Aloha crosses the experimental/populist divide.
Here Comes Everyone brings the listener on a fevered tour of post-modernity, from the edge cities to the urban enclaves, from buried history to the impending future. What can't be painted with words is told by yearning mellotrons, spikey guitars, and graceful chord changes.
With the help of Don Zientara and Chad Clark at Inner Ear/Silver Sonya Studios (where new Aloha member T.J. Lipple works as an engineer), the band sounds warmer than ever, with all the spirit of a basement-show sensation and the gloss and confidence of an arena rocker.
Order at PolyVinylRecords
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from VictoryRecords
A Day To Remember - For Those Who Have Heart Vinyl (Clear Yellow)
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Camper Van Beethoven Announces Expanded Reissues of 'Our Beloved Revolutionary Sweetheart' and 'Key Lime Pie'
When indie superstars Camper Van Beethoven signed with Virgin Records in the late 1980s, it seemed inconceivable. How could that band move to a major label without “selling out” and sacrificing all that made them great?
The first three tracks on Our Beloved Revolutionary Sweetheart were a pop song, an instrumental and an adaptation of a folk dirge about death. Heck, the release even had a love song for Patty Hearst. No, Camper Van Beethoven didn’t sell out. They just had better distribution now.
Omnivore Recordings is proud to take everyone back to 1988, when musical worlds collided and Camper Van Beethoven helped break the mold and blur the lines between indie rock and “alternative.” Suddenly, it was an even playing field and Our Beloved Revolutionary Sweetheart found itself in the bins next to Chicago and Cinderella. Produced by Dennis Herring (Elvis Costello, Counting Crows), the 25th anniversary of this landmark album finds it reissued on CD with 10 bonus tracks—and on vinyl for the first time since its original issue.
The band returned the following year with what most deem their masterpiece— Key Lime Pie. Once again produced by Dennis Herring, Key Lime Pie continued the journey into the world of CVB, but with higher production value and sound than had been heard before. From a track about Jack Ruby to a cover of Status Quo’s “Pictures Of Matchstick Men”, Key Lime Pie was a slice above the rest and a fitting dessert for the 1980s.
This reissue finds nine bonus tracks on the CD. The nearly hour-long album was originally pressed on one LP, but Omnivore has expanded it to two LPs (for better sound) and added a bonus track to Side 4.
Featuring new liners and photos in the CD and LP, both Our Beloved Revolutionary Sweetheart and Key Lime Pie are being reissued with full cooperation and input from the band themselves. These are the releases CVB fans have been dreaming of.
Pre-Order at OmnivoreRecordings
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from the great state of alabama, collectors get together to share their love of vinyl:
Vinyl Junkies are taking their music out for a spin - Record lovers meet monthly to soak in sounds
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from the great state of pennsylvania!
New vinyl store opens in Robesonia
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KISS Vinyl Reissues On The Way
KISS have recently revealed that a series of vinyl reissues scheduled for release on March 18, 2014.
Set to capitalize on the hype surrounding their April induction into the Rock & Roll Hall Of Fame, the band will reissue nine albums:
KISS
Hotter Than Hell
Alive!
Destroyer
Dynasty
Unmasked
Lick It Up
Animalize
Revenge
Psycho Circus
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Aska To Release Vinyl Edition Of "Fire Eater" Album
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album cover art of the day:
Angel Vivaldi Reveals "Away With Words Part 1" Album Artwork
