It’s reported that drummer Dewey Martin (real name: Walter Milton Dwayne Midkiff), who played drums with the 1960’s group, Buffalo Springfield, passed away on January 31 of unknown causes.
Dewey Martin was born on September 30, 1940 in Chesterville, Ontario. He started playing drums when he was about 13-years-old and his first band was a high school outfit called The Jive Rockets. He soon progressed and played with various dance and ‘rockabilly’ groups in the Ottawa Valley area, including Bernie Early & The Early Birds.
After leaving Canada in the early 1960s, Martin was in the US army for a short time before heading to Nashville. Over the next few years, Martin worked as a session drummer for many of country music's greatest artists, including Carl Perkins, Patsy Cline, Charlie Rich, Faron Young, and Roy Orbison among many others. In 1963, he travelled to Las Vegas with Faron Young's band and then relocated to Los Angeles, where he decided to stay.
In Los Angeles in late 1965, Martin spent a few months with The Standells (“Dirty Water”) when drummer/singer Dick Dodd left. When Dodd returned in February 1966, Martin briefly joined The Modern Folk Quartet before touring and recording a demo with The Dillards. During late March/early April, Martin was working with The Dillards at the Ice House in Pasadena when Doug Dillard informed him that his services were no longer needed and he gave Martin a telephone number for a new group that needed a drummer. That band was Buffalo Springfield.
Dewey Martin became the last member to join the legendary group and apart from Stephen Stills and Richie Furay, he was the only musician to stay with the group from its inception in April 1966 until they broke up in May of 1968. During his time with the group, Martin also did session work for The Monkees.
While performing in concert, Martin sang covers of Wilson Pickett's “In The Midnight Hour,” and Richie Furay's "Nobody's Fool" and "Good Time Boy.” The latter song appeared on the band's second album, "Buffalo Springfield Again.” He also sang on Neil Young's rocker "Mr. Soul,” the introduction to Young's "Broken Arrow" (on the same album) and backing vocals on the band's biggest hit, "For What It's Worth.”
After the band broke up, Martin tried to carry on with new members and billed the band as the New Buffalo Springfield, but that only caused legal problems and he quit the music business to become an auto mechanic.
Martin resurfaced along with former Buffalo Springfield bassist Bruce Palmer in the mid-1980s as part of Buffalo Springfield Revisited. Joined by new members, they performed Buffalo Springfield classics on the oldies circuit before finally calling it quits in the early 1990’s. He was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1997.
Thursday, February 5, 2009
Cramps Frontman Dies
The Cramps performing in Belgium in 2006; original members Lux Interior and Poison Ivy pictured.
According to the group’s publicist, Lux Interior (real name Erick Lee Purkhiser), the co-founder and lead singer of the seminal horror-punk band, the Cramps, passed away on February 4. The cause of death was from a pre-existing heart condition. He was 60 years old.
The Cramps were part of the now legendary New York punk scene in the late 70’s and were formed in 1976. Although their lineup changed over the years, it always included Lux and his wife Kristy Wallace, whose stage name is "Poison Ivy."
Playing alongside punk rock acts like the Ramones and Patti Smith, the Cramps unmistakable sound was a blend of lo-fi rockabilly and surf guitars, which some have termed as ‘psychobilly.’
Their stage antics are legendary- part zombie, part intense punk- but always theatrical and often horror-themed. Songs like “I Was A Teenage Werewolf” and “Bikini Girls With Machine Guns” were punk staples and the band’s breakthrough debut EP was 1979’s “Gravest Hits.”
Their sound has been credited as an influence by popular bands such as Pearl Jam, the White Stripes and the Black Lips, to name a few. The Cramps have released fourteen albums over the course of their career, including their latest, 2004’s “How To Make A Monster,” which sold more than 11,000 copies. The group’s best selling album was 1984’s “Bad Music for Bad people,” which has sold over 95,000 copies according to Nielson SoundScan.
The band was touring as recently as last November and rock and roll, specifically the punk movement, has lost a valuable and iconic member.
Album Cover Art
ELVIN JONES-MR. JONES Love the cover, sometimes I feel the same way :O) I mean who hasn't lost their head at one time or another?
Jones died of heart failure in an Englewood, New Jersey, hospital om May 18, 2004.
Elvin Jones, called by Life magazine "the world's greatest rhythmic drummer," was born in Pontiac, Michigan, one of ten children. He had two musician brothers: Hank, a jazz pianist, and Thad, a trumpet and flugelhorn player.
Jones entered the Detroit jazz scene in the late 1940s after touring as a stagehand with the Army Special Services show Operation Happiness.
Elvin Ray Jones was born September 9, 1927 in Pontiac, Michigan, the youngest of ten children. His father, originally from Vicksburg, Mississipi, was a lumber inspector for General Motors, a deacon in the Baptist church, and a bass in the church choir. "The greatest lady in the world", as Elvin describes his mother, encouraged him and above all taught him the value of self-sufficiency; the strenght to survive that "was especially valuable to me in the beginning as a musician". Music was in full flower in the Jones home. Brother Hank is known as one of the finest pianists in jazz, and brother Thad became a highly successful trumpet and flugelhorn player, arranger and band leader.
By age 13, determined to be a drummer, Elvin was practicing eight to ten hours a day. He went nowhere without drum sticks in his pocket, and would beat out rhythms on any available surface. Early influences Elvin likes to cite range from Kenny Clarke, Max Roach and Jo Jones to parade drummers and the American Legion Drum Corps! In 1946 Elvin enlisted in the Army, and toured with a Special Services show called Operation Happiness - as a stagehand. Unofficially, however, he was honing his own musical skills and gaining confidence, playing at post social affairs.
Jones was discharged in 1949, returning to a Detroit musical scene that was as vibrant as any outside New York. His first professional job was at Grand River Street, where things went well until the leader absconded with the receipts on Christmas Eve, Elvin began to frequent the Bluebird Inn, where he was sometimes asked to sit in. He always refused, thinking "it was presumptuous to sit in with these musicians, because... they were the greatest people I knew." In time, Jeader Billy Mitchell hired Elvin, and in three years at the club he backed up visiting stars including the legendary Charlie Parker, Sonny Stitt, Wardell Grey, and, for six months, Miles Davis. In Addition, Monday nights there were jam sessions Elvin organized at his home, Tuesdays a concert series near a local university, and Elvin and his brother Thad promoted Sunday festival-style concerts. The long list of musicians Elvin played with during this period includes Miles Davis, Sonny Stitt, Tommy Flanagan, Pepper Adams, Barry Harris, Kenny Burrell, Milt Jackson, Lou Hayes and Yusef Lateef.
Elvin made his move to New York ostensibly to audition for a new Benny Goodman band. Instead, he ended up with Charles Mingus, and in subsequent years he developed his style with Bud Powell, Miles Davis, the Pepper Adams-Donald Byrd Quintet, Art Farmer and J.J. Johnson. He also had his first experiences playing with Miles' tenor man and the increasingly celebrated recording artist John Coltrane. After leaving Miles in 1960, Coltrane was touring in San Francisco with his new group when he flew back to New York to seek out Elvin. Elvin joined one of jazz' most celebrated alliances in, of all places, Denver, Colorado. Through 1966, Elvin contributed to some of the most controversial, influential, and ultimately important music in jazz. Among the triumphant recordings from his great association are "A love Supreme" and "Coltrane 'Live' at the Village Vanguard". About this experience, Elvin comments: "Right from the beginning to the last time we played together it was something pure. The most impressive thing was a feeling of steady, collective learning... If there is anything like perfect harmony in human relationships, that band was as close as you can come".
In March 1966, Elvin left Coltrane. After a brief European tour with Duke Ellington's band he returned to New York to begin his distinguished career as leader, with a series of innovative piano-less trios featuring Joe Farrell on tenor alto and flute, and one of several bassists including Jimmy Garrison, Bill Wood, Charlie Haden and Wilbur Little. Also in 1966 Elvin married Keiko, whom he met in Nagasaki, Japan. Keiko has become Elvin's partner in every sense: besides providing inspiration, she is also his personal and business manager. Keiko is involved creatively as composer and arranger; Elvin has performed and recorded many of her works, including "Mr. Jones", "Shinjitsu" and "Zange". Elvin has been heard on nearly 500 recordings, with no end in sight. He also made a temporary detour to Hollywood in 1971 to appear as the character Job Cain in the ABC Paramount film "Zachariah". Reflecting his deep commitment to the music ("Playing is not something I do at night" he said, "It's my function in life").
Rock & Roll Tidbits
Both Davy Jones and Mickey Dolenz were child actors before landing a gig with the Monkees. Neither cared much about the music, they cared more about close-ups. Dolenz slipped the cameraman $25 to make sure he got the most close-ups. That didn’t fair too well, especially when Jones would slip the guy $35 and steal the show.
The drummer who played on the Marvelettes 1961, number one hit, "Please Mr. Postman" was 22 year old Marvin Gaye.
When RCA released 55 albums in stereo in May of 1958, executives at other record companies declared stereo a passing fad and predicted that mono would always be around.
After Prince converted to being a Jehovah's Witness in May of 2001, fans could count at least 50 songs the artist can no longer perform due to their explicit content, including hits such as "Little Red Corvette" and "Cream.”
One day Michael Jackson decided to entertain himself. So he sat on the floor of his living room tearing up $100 bills; throwing them into the air saying, “Isn’t it pretty. Money makes the best confetti.” Uh, I wouldn’t know, gloved one.
Ernie K-Doe found a tune called "Mother-In-Law" in songwriter Allen Toussaint's discarded song pile and immediately wanted to record it, as he was having marital problems and blamed his wife's mother for much of them. The result was a surprising number one hit in May of 1961.
The first pressings of John Sebastian's May, 1976 solo hit, "Welcome Back", were entitled "Welcome Back Kotter" to make sure that the public identified the record as the theme song to the TV show of the same name.
When Elvis Presley married his longtime girlfriend, Priscilla Beaulieu on May 1, 1967, they danced to the Elvis song she heard when they met in 1959, "Love Me Tender.”
Keyboard player Billy Preston is the only studio musician to ever get credit on a Beatles' record.
The only artist in rock and roll history to record Billboard's number one single of the year for two years in a row was Elvis Presley, with "Heartbreak Hotel" in 1956 and "All Shook Up" in 1957. Both records held the top spot for 25 weeks in those years.
Stephen Stills of CSN fame actually auditioned to be one of the Monkees. But the producers didn’t hire him because his hair was falling out and he had bad teeth. So Stills suggested to his friend, Peter Tork, to go in for a tryout. Tork walked into the wall as he entered the audition and the job was his.
The drum sound on Buddy Knox's 1957 hit, "Party Doll" was actually made by a cardboard box filled with cotton.
Lawrence Welk is the only US recording artist to have more appearances on network television than Paul Revere and The Raiders.
Gene Pitney started his music career in the early 1960s as a song writer, penning Rick Nelson's "Hello Mary Lou,” Bobby Vee's "Rubber Ball" and the Crystals' "He's a Rebel.”
The drummer who played on the Marvelettes 1961, number one hit, "Please Mr. Postman" was 22 year old Marvin Gaye.
When RCA released 55 albums in stereo in May of 1958, executives at other record companies declared stereo a passing fad and predicted that mono would always be around.
After Prince converted to being a Jehovah's Witness in May of 2001, fans could count at least 50 songs the artist can no longer perform due to their explicit content, including hits such as "Little Red Corvette" and "Cream.”
One day Michael Jackson decided to entertain himself. So he sat on the floor of his living room tearing up $100 bills; throwing them into the air saying, “Isn’t it pretty. Money makes the best confetti.” Uh, I wouldn’t know, gloved one.
Ernie K-Doe found a tune called "Mother-In-Law" in songwriter Allen Toussaint's discarded song pile and immediately wanted to record it, as he was having marital problems and blamed his wife's mother for much of them. The result was a surprising number one hit in May of 1961.
The first pressings of John Sebastian's May, 1976 solo hit, "Welcome Back", were entitled "Welcome Back Kotter" to make sure that the public identified the record as the theme song to the TV show of the same name.
When Elvis Presley married his longtime girlfriend, Priscilla Beaulieu on May 1, 1967, they danced to the Elvis song she heard when they met in 1959, "Love Me Tender.”
Keyboard player Billy Preston is the only studio musician to ever get credit on a Beatles' record.
The only artist in rock and roll history to record Billboard's number one single of the year for two years in a row was Elvis Presley, with "Heartbreak Hotel" in 1956 and "All Shook Up" in 1957. Both records held the top spot for 25 weeks in those years.
Stephen Stills of CSN fame actually auditioned to be one of the Monkees. But the producers didn’t hire him because his hair was falling out and he had bad teeth. So Stills suggested to his friend, Peter Tork, to go in for a tryout. Tork walked into the wall as he entered the audition and the job was his.
The drum sound on Buddy Knox's 1957 hit, "Party Doll" was actually made by a cardboard box filled with cotton.
Lawrence Welk is the only US recording artist to have more appearances on network television than Paul Revere and The Raiders.
Gene Pitney started his music career in the early 1960s as a song writer, penning Rick Nelson's "Hello Mary Lou,” Bobby Vee's "Rubber Ball" and the Crystals' "He's a Rebel.”
Music News & Notes
Big Bopper To The Hall?
Jay P. Richardson, the son of the Big Bopper, has started a campaign to get his father inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.
"The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame lists Chantilly Lace as one of the 500 Songs that Shaped Rock and Roll," says Jay, "but Dad hasn't been inducted with Buddy and Ritchie."
"Dad deserves this recognition not because of his death or because he wrote three songs that topped the charts but because he is now recognized as the innovator of the music video."
===========================
Wango Twango
Ted Nugent is finally making it into The Hall. Not the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, but the National Bowhunters Hall of Fame. He's set to receive duel honors in bowhunting and literary excellence at the group's February 6 show in Las Vegas.
“I started twanging the one-string ‘bout the same time as the 6-string,” Nugent said. “There was some sort of bow & arrow in my hands as young as six or seven, I’m sure. Got my first guitar around the same time and both have remained my favorite weapons to date!”
===========================
Bruce Springsteen's Atop Album Chart
Coming off an electrifying Super Bowl performance, Bruce Springsteen's new album, "Working on a Dream," dethroned Taylor Swift's "Fearless" from atop the Billboard Charts after an eight-week reign. The Columbia set has sold 224,000 copies in the US, according to Nielsen SoundScan, giving the Boss his ninth #1 album on the chart.
Springsteen is now tied with the Rolling Stones for the third most #1 albums. Only the Beatles (with 19), Elvis Presley (10) and Jay-Z (also 10) have more.
Jay P. Richardson, the son of the Big Bopper, has started a campaign to get his father inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.
"The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame lists Chantilly Lace as one of the 500 Songs that Shaped Rock and Roll," says Jay, "but Dad hasn't been inducted with Buddy and Ritchie."
"Dad deserves this recognition not because of his death or because he wrote three songs that topped the charts but because he is now recognized as the innovator of the music video."
===========================
Wango Twango
Ted Nugent is finally making it into The Hall. Not the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, but the National Bowhunters Hall of Fame. He's set to receive duel honors in bowhunting and literary excellence at the group's February 6 show in Las Vegas.
“I started twanging the one-string ‘bout the same time as the 6-string,” Nugent said. “There was some sort of bow & arrow in my hands as young as six or seven, I’m sure. Got my first guitar around the same time and both have remained my favorite weapons to date!”
===========================
Bruce Springsteen's Atop Album Chart
Coming off an electrifying Super Bowl performance, Bruce Springsteen's new album, "Working on a Dream," dethroned Taylor Swift's "Fearless" from atop the Billboard Charts after an eight-week reign. The Columbia set has sold 224,000 copies in the US, according to Nielsen SoundScan, giving the Boss his ninth #1 album on the chart.
Springsteen is now tied with the Rolling Stones for the third most #1 albums. Only the Beatles (with 19), Elvis Presley (10) and Jay-Z (also 10) have more.
Vinyl Review
Continuing our new feature, my friend in vinyl, Ted, over at myvinylreview.blogspot.com has been kind enough to allow me to reprint his vinyl record reviews. What Ted offers are unbiased reviews of vinyl new releases, audiophile reissues, and more. I hope you enjoy his insights:
Best of 2008 Vinyl Releases: Mudcrutch--S/T, Mudcrutch Live!
With the vinyl renaissance in full swing in 2008, there were quite a few vinyl releases--both reissues as well as new releases. In the next few segments, I will concentrate on the best new rock and pop vinyl releases of 2008 as well as a few reissues that you should be sure to pick up before they go out of print. Many of these releases are analog recordings, all are great musically, and all sound fantastic. Don't miss them--because as many of us have learned, buy them now or be sorry later!
Mudcrutch--S/T, 180 gr. 2 LP set w/ uncompressed audiophile cd
This release has to be one of the finest rock releases of 2008. Tom Petty reunites with his first band Mudcrutch, and the result is a loose, expansive set that borrows as much from The Byrds as it does seventies country rock and it doesn't disappoint in sonics or in material. The nine-minute epic "Crystal River," is a clear high point of the record. Petty and his crew get to really stretch out and this dynamic 180 gram pressing mastered by Chris Bellman at Grundman Mastering really captures every layer of Petty's voice, nuance of Campbell's guitar and decay of every cymbal crash. Included with the vinyl is an uncompressed compact disc taken from the same master as the LP. While not quite as sonically rich as the vinyl, the cd is a breath of fresh air in a world of compressed and maximized music. Highly recommended.
Mudcrutch Live! 180 gr. EP w/ uncompressed audiophile cd
Mudcrutch's live EP, taken from two live appearances in 2008 deserves at least an honorable mention. Two of the finest songs from the studio record, the epic Crystal River and the rocker Bootleg Flyer are featured. The band stretches out for fifteen minutes on Crystal River, and never wears out its welcome. While the soundstage is not as well defined as that on the studio record, the sonics are surprisingly good for a live record with great dynamics and well delineated voices and instruments. As with the studio release, there is an uncompressed cd included with the vinyl, which again is an example of what digital could sound like if done without excessive compression and maximization.
SOURCE: http://myvinylreview.blogspot.com
Best of 2008 Vinyl Releases: Mudcrutch--S/T, Mudcrutch Live!
With the vinyl renaissance in full swing in 2008, there were quite a few vinyl releases--both reissues as well as new releases. In the next few segments, I will concentrate on the best new rock and pop vinyl releases of 2008 as well as a few reissues that you should be sure to pick up before they go out of print. Many of these releases are analog recordings, all are great musically, and all sound fantastic. Don't miss them--because as many of us have learned, buy them now or be sorry later!
Mudcrutch--S/T, 180 gr. 2 LP set w/ uncompressed audiophile cd
This release has to be one of the finest rock releases of 2008. Tom Petty reunites with his first band Mudcrutch, and the result is a loose, expansive set that borrows as much from The Byrds as it does seventies country rock and it doesn't disappoint in sonics or in material. The nine-minute epic "Crystal River," is a clear high point of the record. Petty and his crew get to really stretch out and this dynamic 180 gram pressing mastered by Chris Bellman at Grundman Mastering really captures every layer of Petty's voice, nuance of Campbell's guitar and decay of every cymbal crash. Included with the vinyl is an uncompressed compact disc taken from the same master as the LP. While not quite as sonically rich as the vinyl, the cd is a breath of fresh air in a world of compressed and maximized music. Highly recommended.
Mudcrutch Live! 180 gr. EP w/ uncompressed audiophile cd
Mudcrutch's live EP, taken from two live appearances in 2008 deserves at least an honorable mention. Two of the finest songs from the studio record, the epic Crystal River and the rocker Bootleg Flyer are featured. The band stretches out for fifteen minutes on Crystal River, and never wears out its welcome. While the soundstage is not as well defined as that on the studio record, the sonics are surprisingly good for a live record with great dynamics and well delineated voices and instruments. As with the studio release, there is an uncompressed cd included with the vinyl, which again is an example of what digital could sound like if done without excessive compression and maximization.
SOURCE: http://myvinylreview.blogspot.com
Spinal Tap to Record New Album
It's reported that Spinal Tap will get back together this year to record their first album since 1992. Harry Shearer, aka Derek Smalls, announced to the BBC today that the band would reunite to record new material in their first reunion since 2006’s Live Earth concert. The album will be available for download and in stores.
Vinyl turns tables on CDs
Chattanooga: Compact discs falter as digital tunes turn music world on head
By: Casey Phillips
The continuing decline of CD album sales for the eighth consecutive year in 2008 and the growth of vinyl and digital music formats has local retailers, musicians and record labels considering new approaches to the music business.
A Dec. 31 New York Times article cited Nielsen SoundScan statistics for 2008 showing a 14 percent decline in CD sales and full-album downloads from 2007. Sales for vinyl records and digital downloads increased by 89 and 32 percent, respectively, according to the Nielsen report.
Local musicians’ and businesses’ experiences backed up the national trends, marked by flagging sales of CD albums and a shift of consumer interest online.
“The transition into digital ... may take awhile to finish, but we’ve certainly seen a lot more growth on that front,” said Chris Thomas, the president of Palo Duro Records, headquartered in Chattanooga.
Digital music broke through the 1 billion download mark for the first time in 2008, a 27 percent increase over 2007, according to Nielsen statistics.
With CD sales slowing and the capability to sell a theoretically unlimited number of tracks online without manufacturing and distribution costs, Palo Duro is currently shifting to being primarily digital, Mr. Thomas said.
Despite the tremendous growth of online sales, digital and CD sales won’t reach parity for awhile, and at present, the industry’s current outlook is bleak, Mr. Thomas said.
“The future of recorded music is pretty uncertain right now,” he said. “It’s a struggle, probably the hardest struggle we’ve ever experienced. The business model is very much in flux. There will be a lot more carnage before we see the bottom.”
The transition away from CDs has local artists weighing what they should put on the merchandise table.
Local blues/punk band The Black Diamond Heavies offers music at its shows in both a vinyl and CD format even though pianist John Wesley Myers, a self-proclaimed “vinyl junkie,” said he thinks the band could survive on vinyl and digital sales.
Diversity is still important, Mr. Myers said.
“If people come to the show, we can deliver a good enough show to make them want to take some music home with them,” he said. “A lot of times, people will buy the CDs and the vinyl, (so) having the two mediums ... is, from a business point of view, pretty smart.”
For the same reason, Chad’s Records on Vine Street stocks an inventory of used music and movie DVDs and CDs to support vinyl albums, which are its strongest sellers, said owner Chad Bledsoe.
Successful artists such as Bruce Springsteen, Amy Winehouse and Coldplay continue releasing albums on both CD and vinyl.
New vinyl releases often include a code to download the album in mp3 format for free, which is likely to ensure the format becomes even more popular, Mr. Bledsoe said.
“Now that you can get an mp3 or CD with pretty much any new vinyl release, you can't lose, I think,” he said. “If you're halfway into vinyl, you’re covered.”
SOURCE: http://www.timesfreepress.com
Reprinted By Permission
By: Casey Phillips
The continuing decline of CD album sales for the eighth consecutive year in 2008 and the growth of vinyl and digital music formats has local retailers, musicians and record labels considering new approaches to the music business.
A Dec. 31 New York Times article cited Nielsen SoundScan statistics for 2008 showing a 14 percent decline in CD sales and full-album downloads from 2007. Sales for vinyl records and digital downloads increased by 89 and 32 percent, respectively, according to the Nielsen report.
Local musicians’ and businesses’ experiences backed up the national trends, marked by flagging sales of CD albums and a shift of consumer interest online.
“The transition into digital ... may take awhile to finish, but we’ve certainly seen a lot more growth on that front,” said Chris Thomas, the president of Palo Duro Records, headquartered in Chattanooga.
Digital music broke through the 1 billion download mark for the first time in 2008, a 27 percent increase over 2007, according to Nielsen statistics.
With CD sales slowing and the capability to sell a theoretically unlimited number of tracks online without manufacturing and distribution costs, Palo Duro is currently shifting to being primarily digital, Mr. Thomas said.
Despite the tremendous growth of online sales, digital and CD sales won’t reach parity for awhile, and at present, the industry’s current outlook is bleak, Mr. Thomas said.
“The future of recorded music is pretty uncertain right now,” he said. “It’s a struggle, probably the hardest struggle we’ve ever experienced. The business model is very much in flux. There will be a lot more carnage before we see the bottom.”
The transition away from CDs has local artists weighing what they should put on the merchandise table.
Local blues/punk band The Black Diamond Heavies offers music at its shows in both a vinyl and CD format even though pianist John Wesley Myers, a self-proclaimed “vinyl junkie,” said he thinks the band could survive on vinyl and digital sales.
Diversity is still important, Mr. Myers said.
“If people come to the show, we can deliver a good enough show to make them want to take some music home with them,” he said. “A lot of times, people will buy the CDs and the vinyl, (so) having the two mediums ... is, from a business point of view, pretty smart.”
For the same reason, Chad’s Records on Vine Street stocks an inventory of used music and movie DVDs and CDs to support vinyl albums, which are its strongest sellers, said owner Chad Bledsoe.
Successful artists such as Bruce Springsteen, Amy Winehouse and Coldplay continue releasing albums on both CD and vinyl.
New vinyl releases often include a code to download the album in mp3 format for free, which is likely to ensure the format becomes even more popular, Mr. Bledsoe said.
“Now that you can get an mp3 or CD with pretty much any new vinyl release, you can't lose, I think,” he said. “If you're halfway into vinyl, you’re covered.”
SOURCE: http://www.timesfreepress.com
Reprinted By Permission
Wednesday, February 4, 2009
Ask Mr. Music
I am starting a new feature: Ask "Mr. Music." Now in its 23rd year of syndication (1986-2008), Jerry Osborne's weekly Q&A feature will now be a weekly feature here. 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 JANUARY 26, 2009
DEAR JERRY: I have picked up quite a few things from you about the music industry during the vinyl era.
Still, there is one phase of the recording business that intrigues me: the wisdom of B-sides.
Many artists seemed to routinely release two prime sides, essentially giving consumers two hits for the price of one.
Immediately coming to mind in this regard are: Elvis; Beatles; Rick Nelson; Beach Boys; Connie Francis; Brenda Lee, and Everly Brothers.
Conversely, some folks, most notably Phil Spector, put dreadful instrumentals with senseless titles on the B-side so all of the attention by radio stations and juke box players would go to the A-side.
How drastically different is the payoff between a double-sided hit and a single-sided one, assuming equal unit sales?
—Andrew Davidson, Oakland City, Ind.
DEAR ANDREW: First let's review the two primary types of rights involved: mechanical and performance.
Mechanical rights allow for recording and distribution (without visual images) of music on a record, compact disc, or tape. Mechanical rights or a mechanical license must be obtained in order to lawfully make and distribute records, CDs and tapes.
Without even asking first, one can choose to record their own rendition of previously published and copyrighted works, as long as licensing is eventually arranged. This easy-to-get license provides for compensation to the copyright holder(s).
Performance rights, also known as public performance rights, provide for a performance in a place open to the public or at any place where a substantial number of persons outside of a normal circle of a family and its social acquaintances are gathered.
Now, who better to enlighten us on B-side wisdom than my friend Connie Francis, one of the stars you mention.
Here is what this delightfully congenial superstar, whose 62 nationally charted titles include 15 double-sided hits, says:
“In the days of two-sided singles, it could be a bit of a guessing game.
“When they were sure one side was going to be a big hit, most everyone would put a song on the B-side which they published. This is because of the mechanical rights.
“You see, it can't be proven either way whether a music store customer bought the record for the A-side, the B-side, or both. Some people actually bought hit singles more for the tune on the B-side.
“To allow for this, the B-side publishers and songwriters got as much money as those responsible for the A-side, except when it comes to performance rights, which belong to the individual publisher, writer, artist, and whatever. Nearly everyone did it this way.
“My father would argue with me about this practice. He would say: “You're not a publisher. You've got to give the juke box operators two good songs, and forget publishing. You are a singer!”
“A couple of times when I didn't listen to him, I was wrong.
“I always tried to give the people two good songs, but at times we ended up with a B-side that wouldn't have been my preference. It was used simply because we published it.
“One example is “Plenty Good Lovin,'” the B-side of “You're Gonna Miss Me.” Though I co-wrote it with Howard Greenfield, I thought it was a lousy song. But we put it on the record because we published it.”
IZ ZAT SO? As for the other artists mentioned in today's question, here are the number of double-sided U.S. hits (Billboard and Cash Box) for each: Elvis (53); Beatles (27); Rick Nelson (22); Brenda Lee (16); Everly Brothers (13); and Beach Boys (6).
FOR THE WEEK OF JANUARY 26, 2009
DEAR JERRY: I have picked up quite a few things from you about the music industry during the vinyl era.
Still, there is one phase of the recording business that intrigues me: the wisdom of B-sides.
Many artists seemed to routinely release two prime sides, essentially giving consumers two hits for the price of one.
Immediately coming to mind in this regard are: Elvis; Beatles; Rick Nelson; Beach Boys; Connie Francis; Brenda Lee, and Everly Brothers.
Conversely, some folks, most notably Phil Spector, put dreadful instrumentals with senseless titles on the B-side so all of the attention by radio stations and juke box players would go to the A-side.
How drastically different is the payoff between a double-sided hit and a single-sided one, assuming equal unit sales?
—Andrew Davidson, Oakland City, Ind.
DEAR ANDREW: First let's review the two primary types of rights involved: mechanical and performance.
Mechanical rights allow for recording and distribution (without visual images) of music on a record, compact disc, or tape. Mechanical rights or a mechanical license must be obtained in order to lawfully make and distribute records, CDs and tapes.
Without even asking first, one can choose to record their own rendition of previously published and copyrighted works, as long as licensing is eventually arranged. This easy-to-get license provides for compensation to the copyright holder(s).
Performance rights, also known as public performance rights, provide for a performance in a place open to the public or at any place where a substantial number of persons outside of a normal circle of a family and its social acquaintances are gathered.
Now, who better to enlighten us on B-side wisdom than my friend Connie Francis, one of the stars you mention.
Here is what this delightfully congenial superstar, whose 62 nationally charted titles include 15 double-sided hits, says:
“In the days of two-sided singles, it could be a bit of a guessing game.
“When they were sure one side was going to be a big hit, most everyone would put a song on the B-side which they published. This is because of the mechanical rights.
“You see, it can't be proven either way whether a music store customer bought the record for the A-side, the B-side, or both. Some people actually bought hit singles more for the tune on the B-side.
“To allow for this, the B-side publishers and songwriters got as much money as those responsible for the A-side, except when it comes to performance rights, which belong to the individual publisher, writer, artist, and whatever. Nearly everyone did it this way.
“My father would argue with me about this practice. He would say: “You're not a publisher. You've got to give the juke box operators two good songs, and forget publishing. You are a singer!”
“A couple of times when I didn't listen to him, I was wrong.
“I always tried to give the people two good songs, but at times we ended up with a B-side that wouldn't have been my preference. It was used simply because we published it.
“One example is “Plenty Good Lovin,'” the B-side of “You're Gonna Miss Me.” Though I co-wrote it with Howard Greenfield, I thought it was a lousy song. But we put it on the record because we published it.”
IZ ZAT SO? As for the other artists mentioned in today's question, here are the number of double-sided U.S. hits (Billboard and Cash Box) for each: Elvis (53); Beatles (27); Rick Nelson (22); Brenda Lee (16); Everly Brothers (13); and Beach Boys (6).
Carlisle man's passion for the Beatles
Is it a shrine, a museum or an obsessive’s playroom? David Young isn’t afraid to square up to how his collection might seem to someone at first glance.
Asked if he’s got an illness he shrugs: “Aye, probably.
“It’s not an interest, no, no, it’s a passion,” he says thoughtfully and deliberately.
This passion is housed in a fair-sized room off the kitchen of the neatly-kept home in north Carlisle.
It just happens to be stuffed with books, pictures, files, Toby mugs, glasses, trade cards, clocks, jigsaws, a dress, shopping bags, dolls, puppets, toys, guitars, posters, videos, cassettes... oh and records.
All of it featuring John, Paul, George and Ringo.
In amongst it all, there’s a filing cabinet, a glass display cabinet, a sinister-looking portmanteau chest, shelves, a desk with drawers and a music centre.
David also has copies of John Lennon’s Rickenbacker guitar and Paul McCartney’s Hofner bass.
All together, it is probably worth thousands of pounds, though that isn’t why he has spent all his life amassing it all.
David, 50, works for a glass company, he’s not rich, just comfortable, but he has been collecting since he was five.
Though he was too young to appreciate the full effect the Fab Four were having on music, fashion, society and teenagers across the land, he can remember his parents playing The Beatles’ 45s at home and the first piece of his collection.
“We were on a family holiday in Blackpool and my dad won a promotional photograph of the four Beatles in a darts competition.
“I liked the group because of the music my mum and dad were playing so I asked if I could have the picture.
“I collected the vinyl through the years and I thought this other stuff, the collectable stuff, is good so I collected that as well.
“When I got married 25 years ago, we got our first house in Denton Holme and there was a spare bedroom and I put my collection in there and it became a bit more serious.”
David’s favourite Beatles track is I’ll Get You, the B-side of She Loves You from 1963. “It is a track you never hear of, but it’s really brilliant with really good harmonies.”
Their best album, he reckons, is Revolver. He estimates he has more than 1,000 Beatles or Beatles-related records.
David only collects discs that have been pressed in the UK. Too many different versions were pressed in the US for him to hope to keep up.
Despite restricting himself, he still has to collect every version of the same record that has been produced.
So he will buy the stereo and mono version of a record, one that has a different sleeve, or if the label is different – even if it is marked: ‘Factory sample, not for resale’.
“It is like having the same photo, but taken from a different angle,” he explains.
He hands me two 45s of Strawberry Fields Forever and challenges me to notice the difference. After seven minutes of scanning, squinting and holding up to the light, I make a wild guess that the difference is the centre of the record.
“Yes!” says David, “some have a solid centre, some have a push-out centre!”
He has visited Liverpool to go on the Beatles tour, visit the museum, the Cavern, Penny Lane, Strawberry Fields... though he has never met one of his heroes.
“I’ve been to see Paul McCartney in concert twice, in Birmingham and Glasgow, but I was too young to actually see them in concert.”
Although he loves the thrill of finding something out of the blue in a shop or at a collectors fair or car boot sale, David also dips into eBay to buy.
Although the one-stop-shop can make things easier, it spoils the fun of finding something unexpected, out of the blue – the sheer serendipity.
“Part of the joy of collecting is going out and finding something by chance. It does not have to be something that is worth megabucks, I get a thrill just finding something that I like.
“I can go six months without buying anything, it is just a question of being in the right place at the right time.
“The stuff is there, it is just affording it.
“EBay makes it easier, but it is easier for more people, so the prices go higher.”
All new vinyl (he loves vinyl) has to be played, graded for condition and filed.
Discs include the labels Parlophone, EMI and Apple as well as Ringo’s own record company Ring O and George Harrison’s Dark Horse.
He’s been collecting seriously for 30 years or so. As the years go by, the items become more valuable and David admits he couldn’t possibly afford such a collection if he was to start from scratch now.
Asked for his most valuable item and David points to the wall at the framed 1965 gold disc awarded for a million sales of the classic single We Can Work It Out/Day Tripper.
It was recently valued at £3,000.
Valuable, but not his most valued item – that honour goes to a frame which contains autographs, bill posters and ticket stubs from the two occasions time the Fab Four have appeared in Carlisle.
He appreciates the local connection – so much that the frame even includes a letter of thanks from the Chief Constable at the time to PC 111 who helped control the crowds during the second visit of The Beatles in 1964.
The collection veers off into the bizarre, with a lightbulb that includes a guitar and John Lennon’s name as its filament, a ‘genuine Beatle wig’ (who’s hair is it then – John Paul, George or Ringo’s?) and a Beatles blanket.
There’s a display box of foil-wrapped, unopened trading cards with bubble gum, the sort you might see on the counter of a newsagents.
David couldn’t be sure of getting all the cards in the collection by buying a handful, dozen, or a score of the packs, so he bought the lot... “I’m a completist, I don’t just need a pack, I have to get them all.
“I hardly ever play their music,” he admits.
“But when I want a fix, I will play the first album, then play them all, all the way through.”
His collection includes a big flat videodisc from 1982 – remember them?
It is an illness. It’s called Beatlemania.
David’s quest for something new and different hasn’t diminished over the years.
As I leave, he points out that there’s a collectors fair being staged in a village hall the following day.
“I’ll wander over and have a look around...”
SOURCE: http://www.newsandstar.co.uk
Rock & Roll Tidbits
Wango tango! When a female reporter inquired why ted Nugent didn’t wear tuxedos on his album covers, his reply was, “Why did you decide not to douche yourself with molten lava?”
When Vernon Presley re-married on July 3rd, 1960, Elvis did not attend the ceremony.
Elton John wrote his US number one hit, "Philadelphia Freedom" after watching Billie Jean King play a tennis match with her World Tennis League team, the Philadelphia Freedoms.
It was in 1972 when John Denver dropped some acid and drove around on a motorcycle. Then he penned the hit song, “Rocky Mountain High.” Denver explained: “What a far out experience that was.”
Denver also thought that saying “far out” was really, well for the lack of a better term, far out. “The first time I appeared as guest host of the Tonight Show, I must have said ‘far out’ fifty times. I would say ‘far out’ without even thinking, it was like a nervous tic…” Far out.
After John Denver saw a Rolling Stones concert in Long Beach, California, the soft rock troubadour confessed, “I didn’t get Mick Jagger or his onstage gyrations. It just didn’t compute to me.” Maybe he needed more of that ‘Rocky Mountain’ high to appreciate it.
In 1951, when Brenda Lee was only 6 years old, she auditioned for a local Atlanta television show called TV Ranch. An hour and a half after singing "Hey, Good Lookin'" for the producer, she appeared on the program.
Apparently Madonna’s pet Chihuahua “Chiquita” was suffering a bout of doggy depression over the attention that was given to Madonna’s new baby, Lourdes. So the ‘material girl’ sent the sad pooch to a canine shrink. I guess the $7,500 choker from Tiffany’s just wasn’t enough to cheer up the little yapper.
Before Michael Jackson made love to his wife Debbie Rowe, the gloved one would dress up as Peter Pan and dance around the room. Another time he wore a horse’s head and galloped around on a broom stick. “It made him feel romantic,” explained Debbie. Uh, okay…and why doesn’t that surprise anyone?
The Queen song, “Radio Gaga” was actually inspired by band member Roger Taylor’s son who had heard a song on the radio and called it “Radio Ka-Ka.”
When the record producer for the Spice Girls hired a voice and singing coach to train the girls, his first impression: “My God, there’s a lot of work to be done here!”
In the early fifties, Neil Sedaka teamed up with some high school friends to form a vocal group. They had a local hit in New York, but then parted ways. The group later went on to record as The Tokens and in 1962, scored a Billboard number one smash with "The Lion Sleeps Tonight.”
Courtney Love and Kurt Cobain got very close early on in their relationship. “We bonded over pharmaceuticals,” detailed Love. “I had Vicodin extra-strength…and he had hycomine cough syrup.”
In a Vanity Fair interview in 1992, Love said “If there ever is a time that a person should be on drugs, it’s when they’re pregnant, because it sucks.”
At a Pink Floyd concert in 1980 for the concept album “The Wall,” fireworks ignited the stage curtains. Pieces of burning fabric rained down on the audience, who cheered mightily; they thought it was part of the show.
In 1961 Ricky Nelson's father, Ozzie Nelson, filmed a video for the hit "Travelin Man,” featuring pictures of places mentioned in the song. This film is often called the world's first rock video. This is disputed however by Jay Perry Richardson, the son of J.P. Richardson, better known as The Big Bopper, claiming that his father made a video in 1958 for "Chantilly Lace" and actually coined the term 'music video' in 1959.
When Vernon Presley re-married on July 3rd, 1960, Elvis did not attend the ceremony.
Elton John wrote his US number one hit, "Philadelphia Freedom" after watching Billie Jean King play a tennis match with her World Tennis League team, the Philadelphia Freedoms.
It was in 1972 when John Denver dropped some acid and drove around on a motorcycle. Then he penned the hit song, “Rocky Mountain High.” Denver explained: “What a far out experience that was.”
Denver also thought that saying “far out” was really, well for the lack of a better term, far out. “The first time I appeared as guest host of the Tonight Show, I must have said ‘far out’ fifty times. I would say ‘far out’ without even thinking, it was like a nervous tic…” Far out.
After John Denver saw a Rolling Stones concert in Long Beach, California, the soft rock troubadour confessed, “I didn’t get Mick Jagger or his onstage gyrations. It just didn’t compute to me.” Maybe he needed more of that ‘Rocky Mountain’ high to appreciate it.
In 1951, when Brenda Lee was only 6 years old, she auditioned for a local Atlanta television show called TV Ranch. An hour and a half after singing "Hey, Good Lookin'" for the producer, she appeared on the program.
Apparently Madonna’s pet Chihuahua “Chiquita” was suffering a bout of doggy depression over the attention that was given to Madonna’s new baby, Lourdes. So the ‘material girl’ sent the sad pooch to a canine shrink. I guess the $7,500 choker from Tiffany’s just wasn’t enough to cheer up the little yapper.
Before Michael Jackson made love to his wife Debbie Rowe, the gloved one would dress up as Peter Pan and dance around the room. Another time he wore a horse’s head and galloped around on a broom stick. “It made him feel romantic,” explained Debbie. Uh, okay…and why doesn’t that surprise anyone?
The Queen song, “Radio Gaga” was actually inspired by band member Roger Taylor’s son who had heard a song on the radio and called it “Radio Ka-Ka.”
When the record producer for the Spice Girls hired a voice and singing coach to train the girls, his first impression: “My God, there’s a lot of work to be done here!”
In the early fifties, Neil Sedaka teamed up with some high school friends to form a vocal group. They had a local hit in New York, but then parted ways. The group later went on to record as The Tokens and in 1962, scored a Billboard number one smash with "The Lion Sleeps Tonight.”
Courtney Love and Kurt Cobain got very close early on in their relationship. “We bonded over pharmaceuticals,” detailed Love. “I had Vicodin extra-strength…and he had hycomine cough syrup.”
In a Vanity Fair interview in 1992, Love said “If there ever is a time that a person should be on drugs, it’s when they’re pregnant, because it sucks.”
At a Pink Floyd concert in 1980 for the concept album “The Wall,” fireworks ignited the stage curtains. Pieces of burning fabric rained down on the audience, who cheered mightily; they thought it was part of the show.
In 1961 Ricky Nelson's father, Ozzie Nelson, filmed a video for the hit "Travelin Man,” featuring pictures of places mentioned in the song. This film is often called the world's first rock video. This is disputed however by Jay Perry Richardson, the son of J.P. Richardson, better known as The Big Bopper, claiming that his father made a video in 1958 for "Chantilly Lace" and actually coined the term 'music video' in 1959.
Album Cover Art
I found this cover kind of cool, seems a bit odd.
Andrew Bird
Chicago-based multi-instrumentalist and lyricist Andrew Bird picked up his first violin at the age of 4. Actually, it was a Cracker Jack box with a ruler taped to it, and the first of his many Suzuki music lessons involved simply bowing to the teacher and going home. He spent his formative years soaking up classical repertoire completely by ear so when it came time for a restless teen-ager to make the jump to Hungarian Gypsy music, early jazz, country blues, south Indian etc., it wasn't such a giant leap. It's fitting that now, though classically trained, he has instead opted to play his violin in a most unconventional manner, accompanying himself on glockenspiel and guitar, adding singing and whistling to the equation, and becoming a pop songwriter in the process.
Over 100,000 sales of 2007’s Armchair Apocrypha, hundreds of shows including a Chicago homecoming for over 15,000 fans at Millennium Park’s Pritzker Pavilion, and dozens of critical accolades and year-end best lists later…
Andrew Bird’s Noble Beast was released January 20, 2009 on Fat Possum Records.
Andrew Bird
Chicago-based multi-instrumentalist and lyricist Andrew Bird picked up his first violin at the age of 4. Actually, it was a Cracker Jack box with a ruler taped to it, and the first of his many Suzuki music lessons involved simply bowing to the teacher and going home. He spent his formative years soaking up classical repertoire completely by ear so when it came time for a restless teen-ager to make the jump to Hungarian Gypsy music, early jazz, country blues, south Indian etc., it wasn't such a giant leap. It's fitting that now, though classically trained, he has instead opted to play his violin in a most unconventional manner, accompanying himself on glockenspiel and guitar, adding singing and whistling to the equation, and becoming a pop songwriter in the process.
Over 100,000 sales of 2007’s Armchair Apocrypha, hundreds of shows including a Chicago homecoming for over 15,000 fans at Millennium Park’s Pritzker Pavilion, and dozens of critical accolades and year-end best lists later…
Andrew Bird’s Noble Beast was released January 20, 2009 on Fat Possum Records.
Music News & Notes
Eddie Van Halen Hopeful For New Music, Tour
It's been about nine months since Van Halen wrapped up its first tour since 1984 with original lead singer David Lee Roth. Legendary guitarist Eddie Van Halen is hopeful there will be future activity for the rock and rollers.
Van Halen related to Spinner.com that after he and girlfriend Janie Liszewski get married in June and his son Wolfgang graduates from high school, he plans to discuss recording new music, which he says he has "tons of."
"If Dave's up for singing ... then do another tour, and just see where it takes us," Van Halen stated. "Actually, next week or the week after Wolfie, Alex and I are gonna start jamming. Maybe we'll give Dave a call and see what he's up to. He's off, always doing his own thing, and he checks in every now and then to see how we're doing."
Van Halen has not released a new studio album since 1997's "Balance," and hasn't recorded with the original lead singer since tracking two new songs with him for a 1996 "Greatest Hits" album.
==============================
Cyrus, Swift Teaming Up At Grammys
It's reported that teen superstars Miley Cyrus and Taylor Swift will be performing together at the 51st Grammy Awards this Sunday (Feb. 8) in Los Angeles.
Also added to the lineup are Estelle and Kanye West, Adele, Chris Brown, Sugarland and a Four Tops tribute featuring surviving member Duke Fakir with Jamie Foxx and Ne-Yo. In addition, Sheryl Crow, Craig Ferguson, Al Green, Jay Mohr, Queen Latifah and T-Pain will present awards.
The Grammys will also boast performances from U2, Kid Rock, Rihanna, Robert Plant and Alison Krauss, Kenny Chesney, Coldplay, Jennifer Hudson, Jonas Brothers, Lil Wayne, Paul McCartney (with Dave Grohl on drums), Katy Perry, Radiohead, T.I. and Justin Timberlake, Carrie Underwood, and the quartet of Jay-Z, Lil Wayne, T.I. and Kanye West.
==============================
Pop Diva Streisand Recording New Music
Barbra Streisand is recording a new album with Diana Krall producing. She commented to the Associated Press, "I'm trying to convince her to sing with me, but she's resisting it. She plays the piano for me on several songs, but it's not over yet. I'm still working on her to try to do a duet with me. ... We have to find the right song."
==============================
Initial Lineup Set for Bonnaroo Festival
The 2009 Bonnaroo Music and Arts Festival has announced the initial list of performers for the annual show in Manchester, Tennessee, set for June 11 to 14. Tickets go on sale this Saturday morning at 12 PM EST.
The two big artists that have been recently announced are Bruce Springsteen & the E-Street Band and the reunited Phish who will play two shows. Beyond that, it's everything from jam bands to R&B to straight out rock and roll.
Below are the major acts and veteran artists playing the festival (no dates have been announced by act). For a full list, go to the Bonnaroo site. http://www.bonnaroo.com/artists.aspx
Bruce Springsteen & the E-Street Band
Phish (2 shows)
Beastie Boys
Nine Inch Nails
David Byrne
Wilco
Al Green
Snoop Dog
Elvis Costello (solo)
Erykah Badu
Gov't Mule
Merle Haggard
Bela Fleck & Toumani Diabate
Del McCoury Band
Alan Toussaint
Booker T and the DBTs
David Grisman Quintet
Lucinda Williams
Robert Earl Keen
Robyn Hitchcock & the Venus 3
==============================
Hold Steady Preps Documentary, Live Album
The Hold Steady is set to release their first live album and documentary DVD, "A Positive Rage," on April 7 via Vagrant.
The double-disc set will chronicle a 2007 Halloween show at Chicago's Metro and also includes a pair of previously unreleased tracks ("Spectres" and "40 Bucks") as well as three additional tracks culled from the limited edition version of the band's last release, 2008's "Stay Positive."
The documentary centers around the international tour in support of 2006's "Boys and Girls in America" and features band interviews and a wealth of behind-the-scenes footage.
==============================
Beastie Boys release remastered 'Paul's Boutique' album
Beastie Boys have made a remastered version of their 1989 album 'Paul's Boutique' available to buy as a download from their website.
You can get the new version now at Beastieboys.com.
As well as the music, fans who buy the album will receive 3D artwork as part of the download.
The remastered album, now 20 years old, will be released on CD and vinyl on February 10. Combination packs including a T-shirt and album artwork poster will also be available. See Beastieboys.com for more.
==============================
Viva La Beatles!
The man that banned Beatles music from the airwaves in Cuba has died. Jorge "Papito" Serguera removed all music by the Fab Four from radio and TV in the 1970's, although it is believed his action had been ordered by the government who viewed most modern music as a threat to the revolution. The Beatles can now be heard in Cuba again and a statue of John Lennon can be seen in Havana.
==============================
Lamb Of God Giveaway
In support of their new release "Wrath," due Feb. 24 from Epic, heavy metal rockers Lamb Of God are saluting hardcore fans with a huge promotional giveaway.
The first 100,000 copies of the album will come with a lottery ticket which fans can use to try and win one of 100 unique prizes.
Fans will compete by entering their lotto number on the band's Web site and correctly answering questions about Lamb Of God. The prizes include the band's personal instruments, a ticket voucher to see the band at any show, a chance to sing with the band onstage, and two tickets to see it perform this summer at a European music festival. Winners will get to pick which prize they want on a first-come-first-served basis.
"The band wanted to give back to its fans with something more interactive," says Epic VP of marketing Scott Greer, who thinks that a chance to have singer Randy Blythe cook barbecue at a fan's house for an afternoon will be the first prize to go. "These prizes are meaningful. We wanted to have an old-school 'event' mentality with this release, and I think what the band has done speaks for itself."
It's been about nine months since Van Halen wrapped up its first tour since 1984 with original lead singer David Lee Roth. Legendary guitarist Eddie Van Halen is hopeful there will be future activity for the rock and rollers.
Van Halen related to Spinner.com that after he and girlfriend Janie Liszewski get married in June and his son Wolfgang graduates from high school, he plans to discuss recording new music, which he says he has "tons of."
"If Dave's up for singing ... then do another tour, and just see where it takes us," Van Halen stated. "Actually, next week or the week after Wolfie, Alex and I are gonna start jamming. Maybe we'll give Dave a call and see what he's up to. He's off, always doing his own thing, and he checks in every now and then to see how we're doing."
Van Halen has not released a new studio album since 1997's "Balance," and hasn't recorded with the original lead singer since tracking two new songs with him for a 1996 "Greatest Hits" album.
==============================
Cyrus, Swift Teaming Up At Grammys
It's reported that teen superstars Miley Cyrus and Taylor Swift will be performing together at the 51st Grammy Awards this Sunday (Feb. 8) in Los Angeles.
Also added to the lineup are Estelle and Kanye West, Adele, Chris Brown, Sugarland and a Four Tops tribute featuring surviving member Duke Fakir with Jamie Foxx and Ne-Yo. In addition, Sheryl Crow, Craig Ferguson, Al Green, Jay Mohr, Queen Latifah and T-Pain will present awards.
The Grammys will also boast performances from U2, Kid Rock, Rihanna, Robert Plant and Alison Krauss, Kenny Chesney, Coldplay, Jennifer Hudson, Jonas Brothers, Lil Wayne, Paul McCartney (with Dave Grohl on drums), Katy Perry, Radiohead, T.I. and Justin Timberlake, Carrie Underwood, and the quartet of Jay-Z, Lil Wayne, T.I. and Kanye West.
==============================
Pop Diva Streisand Recording New Music
Barbra Streisand is recording a new album with Diana Krall producing. She commented to the Associated Press, "I'm trying to convince her to sing with me, but she's resisting it. She plays the piano for me on several songs, but it's not over yet. I'm still working on her to try to do a duet with me. ... We have to find the right song."
==============================
Initial Lineup Set for Bonnaroo Festival
The 2009 Bonnaroo Music and Arts Festival has announced the initial list of performers for the annual show in Manchester, Tennessee, set for June 11 to 14. Tickets go on sale this Saturday morning at 12 PM EST.
The two big artists that have been recently announced are Bruce Springsteen & the E-Street Band and the reunited Phish who will play two shows. Beyond that, it's everything from jam bands to R&B to straight out rock and roll.
Below are the major acts and veteran artists playing the festival (no dates have been announced by act). For a full list, go to the Bonnaroo site. http://www.bonnaroo.com/artists.aspx
Bruce Springsteen & the E-Street Band
Phish (2 shows)
Beastie Boys
Nine Inch Nails
David Byrne
Wilco
Al Green
Snoop Dog
Elvis Costello (solo)
Erykah Badu
Gov't Mule
Merle Haggard
Bela Fleck & Toumani Diabate
Del McCoury Band
Alan Toussaint
Booker T and the DBTs
David Grisman Quintet
Lucinda Williams
Robert Earl Keen
Robyn Hitchcock & the Venus 3
==============================
Hold Steady Preps Documentary, Live Album
The Hold Steady is set to release their first live album and documentary DVD, "A Positive Rage," on April 7 via Vagrant.
The double-disc set will chronicle a 2007 Halloween show at Chicago's Metro and also includes a pair of previously unreleased tracks ("Spectres" and "40 Bucks") as well as three additional tracks culled from the limited edition version of the band's last release, 2008's "Stay Positive."
The documentary centers around the international tour in support of 2006's "Boys and Girls in America" and features band interviews and a wealth of behind-the-scenes footage.
==============================
Beastie Boys release remastered 'Paul's Boutique' album
Beastie Boys have made a remastered version of their 1989 album 'Paul's Boutique' available to buy as a download from their website.
You can get the new version now at Beastieboys.com.
As well as the music, fans who buy the album will receive 3D artwork as part of the download.
The remastered album, now 20 years old, will be released on CD and vinyl on February 10. Combination packs including a T-shirt and album artwork poster will also be available. See Beastieboys.com for more.
==============================
Viva La Beatles!
The man that banned Beatles music from the airwaves in Cuba has died. Jorge "Papito" Serguera removed all music by the Fab Four from radio and TV in the 1970's, although it is believed his action had been ordered by the government who viewed most modern music as a threat to the revolution. The Beatles can now be heard in Cuba again and a statue of John Lennon can be seen in Havana.
==============================
Lamb Of God Giveaway
In support of their new release "Wrath," due Feb. 24 from Epic, heavy metal rockers Lamb Of God are saluting hardcore fans with a huge promotional giveaway.
The first 100,000 copies of the album will come with a lottery ticket which fans can use to try and win one of 100 unique prizes.
Fans will compete by entering their lotto number on the band's Web site and correctly answering questions about Lamb Of God. The prizes include the band's personal instruments, a ticket voucher to see the band at any show, a chance to sing with the band onstage, and two tickets to see it perform this summer at a European music festival. Winners will get to pick which prize they want on a first-come-first-served basis.
"The band wanted to give back to its fans with something more interactive," says Epic VP of marketing Scott Greer, who thinks that a chance to have singer Randy Blythe cook barbecue at a fan's house for an afternoon will be the first prize to go. "These prizes are meaningful. We wanted to have an old-school 'event' mentality with this release, and I think what the band has done speaks for itself."
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