New Music Releases - October 5, 2010

Some great rock and roll being released today including remastered selections from John Lennon.   As always, Collecting Vinyl Records Blog Picks Are In Red.


ABC - All of My Heart: ABC Collection (2 CDs)
Aficionado - When It Comes To Creation
Alain Johannes - Spark
Alex Chilton - Like Flies on Sherbert (vinyl reissue)
Allo Darlin - Allo Darlin (vinyl)
Amusement Parks on Fire - Road Eyes
Autopsy - The Tomb Within
Avett Brothers - Live, Volume 3
Badly Drawn Boy - It's What I'm Thinking Pt.1 – Photographing Snowflakes
Barry Manilow - The Music of (3 CDs)
Bay City Rollers - Rollermania (4 CDs)
Bellamy Brothers - The Anthology: Volume 2
Bill Monroe - Father of the Blues
Black Country Communion - Black Country Communion (vinyl)
Black Sabbath - Live at Last
Black Sabbath - Past Lives (Vinyl)
Blondie - At The BBC
Blue Oyster Cult -  The Music Of Blue Oyster Cult
Bob Dylan - Time Out of Mind / Love & Theft (2 CDs)
Bob Geldof - How To Compose Popular Songs That Will Sell
Bonjay - Broughtupsy
Bright Light Bright Light - Love Part II
Bring Me The Horizon - There Is A Hell, Believe Me I’ve Seen It...
British Sea Power - Zeus EP
Bruno Mars - Doo Wops & Hooligans
Carl Barat - Carl Barat
Cheap Time - Fantastic Explanations (and Similar Situations) (vinyl)
Chiodos - Illuminaudio
Ciara - Basic Instinct
Clinic - Bubblegum
Connie Francis - Songs for Christmas
Corin Tucker Band - 1,000 Years (vinyl)
Crimson Glory - In Dark Places...1986-2000 (Five-CD Box Set)
Crowbar -  Crowbar
Crowbar - Live +1
Crowbar - Time Heals Nothing
Dan Fogelberg - The Music of (3 CDs)
Dark Dark Dark - Wild Go
David Archuleta - The Other Side of Down
David Bowie - Outside/Heathen (reissue)
David Gray - Foundling (vinyl)
Dead or Alive - That's The Way I Like It: Best of
Deep Purple - Beyond Purple (LTD 10-CD Box Set)
Demon's Claws - Defrosting of Walt Disney's Head (vinyl)
Devon Sproule - Live in London
Dinosaur Pile-Up - Growing Pains
Donavon Frankenreiter - Glow
Down - Diary of a Mad Band (CD & DVD)
Duke & the King - Long Live the Duke & the King
Dungen - Skit I Allt (vinyl)
Dustin Wong - Infinite Love (vinyl)
Dwight Twilly - Green Blimp
Elizabeth Mitchell - Sunny Day
Ella Fitzgerald - Ultimate
Emerson, Lake & Palmer - At High Voltage 2010 (2 CDs)
Emily Osment - Fight or Flight
Engineers - In Praise of More
Finger Eleven - Life Turns Electric
Fistful of Mercy - As I Call You Down
Fran Healy - Wreckorder (vinyl)
Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin, Sammy Davis, Jr. - Christmas With The Rat Pack
Gay Blades - Savages
George Jones - The Music of George Jones (3-CD box set)
Gladys Knight & the Pips - The Music of (3 CDs)
Gonjasufi - Caliph's Tea Party (vinyl)
Gordon Giltrap & Rick Wakeman - From Brush & Stone
Grant Cutler and the Gorgeous Lords - Grant Cutler and the Gorgeous Lords
Guster - Easy Wonderful [Deluxe Edition]
Herbie Hancock - Complete Columbia Collection
Holy Mackerel - Holy Mackerel
Huey Piano Smith - Just Clownin (More of the Best)
Imelda May - Mayhem
Jars of Clay - Jars of Clay Presents The Shelter
Jefferson Airplane - The Music of
Jennifer Warnes - Famous Blue Raincoat (24 Karat Gold CD)
Jennifer Warnes - Well (24 Karat Gold CD)
Jesse McReynolds - Songs Of The Grateful Dead
Jimi Jamison & Jim Peterik - Extra Moments
Joe Cocker - Hard Knocks (Import Version - No Date Yet for U.S. Release)
Joe Satriani - Black Swans & Wormhole Wizards
John Ford Coley - Timeless Love Songs
John Lennon - Signature Box (11-CD box set)
John Lennon - Double Fantasy Stripped Down [New Mix + Original Recording Remastered]
John Lennon - Gimme Some Truth (4-CD box set of remastered songs)
John Lennon - Imagine (remastered)
John Lennon - Milk And Honey (remastered)
John Lennon - Mind Games (remastered)
John Lennon - Plastic Ono Band (remastered)
John Lennon - Power To The People: The Hits (cd & dvd)
John Lennon - Rock 'N' Roll (remastered)
John Lennon - Sometime In New York City (remastered)
John Lennon - Walls And Bridges (remastered)
John Mayer - Battle Studies (CD/DVD Expanded Edition)
John Zorn - Ipsissimus
Johnny Thunders - Hurt Me (Vinyl)
KT Tunstall - Tiger Suit
Kate Rusby - Sweet Bells (reissue)
Legendary Pink Dots - Seconds Late for The Brighton Line
Leland Sundries - The Apothecary EP
Los Lobos - Tin Can Trust
Louis Armstrong - Hello Louis: The Hit Years 1963-1969 (2 CDs)
Lupen Crook - The Pros And Cons Of Eating Out
Madness - Mad Not Mad (3 CDs)
Marnie Stern - Marnie Stern (vinyl)
Marty Balin - Blue Highway
Merle Haggard - The Music of Merle Haggard (3-CD box set)
Middle Class Rut - No Name No Color (vinyl)
Mike Wilhelm - Wilhelm (Vinyl)
Miles Davis - Live Evil (reissue)
Ministry - Every Day Is Halloween: Greatest Tricks
Morrissey - Everyday Is Like Sunday (Single)
Motorhead - Another Perfect Day: Deluxe Edition (2 CDs)
Motorhead - No Remorse: Deluxe Edition (2 CDs)
Motorhead - Orgasmotron: Deluxe Edition (2 CDs)
Motorhead - Rock N Roll: Deluxe Edition (2 CDs)
Motorhead - You'll Get Yours: Best of
Muddy Waters - King of Chicago Blues (4 CDs)
Nick Potter - Dreams in View 81 - 87
Olympus - Bold Mould
Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark - History of Modern (vinyl)
Ou Est Le Swimming Pool - The Golden Year
Overkill - Immortalis
Ozzy Osbourne - Scream: Tour Edition
PS I Love You - Meet Me at the Muster Station (vinyl)
Pancake Breakfast - Pancake Breakfast
Paul Jones - Crucifix in a Horsehoe
Performance - Red Brick Heart
Phil Manzanera - The Music 1972-2008 (2 CDs)
Puppini Sisters - Christmas With the Puppini Sisters
Raul Malo - Sinners & Saints
Renaissance - Live in Chicago
Revolution Renaissance - Trinity
Richard Marx - Hits & Ballads
Ronnie Milsap - The Music of (3 CDs)
Royal Baths - Litanies (vinyl)
Shad - TSOL
Skyzoo & Illmind - Live From the Tape Deck
Slayer - Undisputed Attitude / South of Heaven (2 CDs)
Slim Cessna's Auto Club - Jesus Let Me Down (vinyl reissue)
Soars - Soars
Soft Landing - Soft Landing (vinyl)
Solar Bears - She Was Coloured In (vinyl)
Sons of the Pioneers - My Saddle Pals & I (4 CDs)
Status Quo - In the Army Now 2010 (Single)
Stimulators - Loud Fast Rules!
Sun Araw - Off Duty
Suzanne Vega - Close Up Vol 2: People & Places
Syd Barrett - Barrett
Teddy Pendergrass - The Music of (3 CDs)
The Divine Comedy - Live At Somerset House
This Day Will Tell - Too True To Be Good
Tim Kasher - The Game of Monogamy
Toby Keith - Bullets In The Gun
Todd Rundgren - For Lack of Honest Work (3 CDs)
Tom Ze - Estudando a Bossa (Nordeste Plaza)
Tom Ze - Studies of Tom Ze (3-LP & CD box set)
Tricky - Mixed Race
Various Artists - Christmas With the Rat Pack (reissue)
Various Artists - Let Me Tell You About The Blues: Detroit Blues
Various Artists - Ninja Tune XX: 1
Various Artists - Ninja Tune XX: 2
Various Artists - Ninja Tune XX Box (6-CD and 6-7" vinyl single box set)
Various Artists - On the Chitlin Circuit 2: Memphis Soul Blues
Various Artists - Parenthood (soundtrack)
Various Artists - Pink Floyd's Jukebox
Various Artists - Subterranean Homesick Blues: A Tribute to Bob Dylan's Bringing It All Back Home
White Hills - Stolen Stars Left For No One
Willie Nelson - Face Of A Fighter
Wow & Flutter - Hearts on Hold (vinyl reissue)

New Music releases are put together from a variety of online sources by Robert Benson - http://collectingvinylrecords.blogspot.com/

Have new music for the list? Email me at rbenson30@wi.rr.com 

New Jazz Releases - Tuesday, October 5, 2010

Aarow Jazz Orchestra - Jj:Standard (Video Arts Japan/Zoom )
Andre Previn - Like Blue (Pickwick )
Andrews Sisters - Bei Mir Bist Du Schoen:Greatest Hits (Zyx )
Antonio Carlos Jobim - Stone Flower ( )
Astor Piazzolla - Ultimate (Phantom )
Atelier Bossa-Consci - In Autumn (Warner Japan/Zoom )
Bad Company - Burnin' Sky (Weasel Disc )
Bad Company - Desolation Angels (Weasel Disc )
Billie Holiday - Ultimate (Phantom )
Chet Baker (Trumpet / Com / Vocals - She Was Too Good To Me (Masterworks )
Chris Barber - Chris Barber Band Box (Pickwick )
Chris Higginbottom - One (Basho )
Christian Brewer - Brewer, Christian - Seesaw (Basho Records )
Christian Brewer - Seesaw (Basho Records )
Dave Holland - Hands (Decca )
David Abrgel - Reverse Universe (Phantom )
Dean Martin - All Of Me (Synergy Distribution )
Diana King - Untitled (Phantom )
Die Alsterspatzen - Warten Auf Den Weihnachtsmann (Phantom )
Dion Parson - Dion Parson And The 21ST Century Band (Dion Parson )
Dion Parson - Live At Dizzy's Club Coca-Cola, Vol. 1 (Dion Parson )
Dion Parson & The 21ST Century Band - Parson,Dion & The 21ST Century Band Vol. 1-Live At Dizzy's Clubcoca-Cola (Dion Parson Records )
Dizzy Gillespie - Performance (Feat Charlie Parker) (Varese Sarabande )
Dizzy Gillespie - Performance (Var�se Sarabande (USA) )
Don Cornell - I'm Yours (United States of Distribution )
Dwayne Ford - Needless Freaking ( )
East New York Ensemble De Music - At The Helm (Folkways Records )
Ella Fitzgerald - Ultimate (Phantom )
Ephie Resnick - Resnick, Ephie - The Struggle (Basho Records )
Ephie Resnick - Struggle (Basho )
Ephie Resnick - New York Survivor (Basho )
Frank Harrison - Harrison, Frank - First Light (Basho Records )
Frank Harrison - First Light (Basho )
Fred Astaire - Let's Face The Music (United States of Distribution )
Freddie Hubbard - Red Clay (Phantom )
Geoff Eales - Synergy (Basho )
Glenn Miller - Ultimate (Phantom )
Han Bennink - Nerve Beats (Unheard Music Series/Atavistic )
Holy Mackerel - Holy Mackerel (Phantom )
Houston Person - Moment To Moment (Highnote )
Hubert Laws - Morning Star ( )
Jason Robinson - Two Faces Of Janus (Phantom )
John Legend - Wake Up! (& The Roots) (Phantom )
John Zorn - Ipsissimus (Tzadik )
Juewett Bostick - It's Not So Easy (Nutbutton )
Julian Arguelles - Arguelles, Julian - Partita (Basho Records )
Julian Arguelles - Partita (Basho )
Kathleen Willison - Close To You (Basho )
Kenny Burrell - God Bless The Child ( )
Kruse / Schaefer / Wollny - Em Live (Phantom )
Lanfranco Malaguti - Live (Splasc(H) )
Lee Konitz - So Many Stars (Philology )
Lew Soloff - Sketches Of Spain (Indies Japan/Zoom )
Liam Noble - In The Meantime (Basho )
Liam Noble - Noble, Liam - Romance Among TH (Basho Records )
Liam Noble - Romance Among The Fishes (Basho )
Lori Williams - Healing Within (Pacific Coast Jazz )
Louis Armstrong - Hello, Louis! The Hit Years (1963-1969) (Hip-o Select )
Luigi Tessarollo - Bemsha (Splasc(H) )
Manhattan Jazz Quint - Latino Bop (Indies Japan/Zoom )
Mark Lockheart - Lockheart, Mark - Moving Air (Basho Records )
Martin Speake - Secret (Basho )
Martin Speake - My Ideal (Basho )
Mary Stallings - Dream (Highnote )
Maurey Richards - Best Is Yet To Come (Indie Europe/Zoom )
Microscopic Septet - Friday The 13th: The Micros Play Monk (Phantom )
Miles Davis - Essential Miles Davis (Phantom )
Nikki Iles - Everything I Love (Basho )
Nina Simone - Nina Simone At Town Hall (As Is )
Nina Simone - Ultimate (Phantom )
Ramsey Lewis - Movie Album/Dancing In The Street (BGO - Beat Goes On )
Raul Malo - Sinners & Saints (Fantasy )
Ryota Komatsu - In Einer Kleinen Koditorei Tokyo Tan (Phantom )
Som - Free Jazz And North Indian Fusion (Random Chance )
Stan Sulzmann - Jigsaw (Basho )
Stanley Clarke - Modern Man/I Wanna Play For You (BGO - Beat Goes On )
Stanley Turrentine - Sugar (Pure Pleasure )
Stephane Grappelli - Performance (Feat Django Reinhardt) (Varese Sarabande )
Stephane Grappelli - Performance (Var�se Sarabande (USA) )
Three Sounds - Introducing The 3 Sounds (Analogue Prod. )
Tim Lapthorn - Natural Language (Basho )
Tim Lapthorn - Seventh Sense (Basho )
Tony Woods - Lowlands (Basho )
UoU - Home (Tippin' Records)
Vince Guaraldi - Charlie Brown Suite And Other Favorit (Sony Japan )
Youn Sun Nah - Same Girl (Phantom )

Reissues
Astrud Gilberto - Girl from Ipanema (Synergy)
Duke Jordan - Flight To Jordan (EMI )
Grant Green - Grantstand (Blue Note)
Jaco Pastorius - Jaco Pastorius (Sony)
Jimmy Smith - Midnight Special (Blue Note Records (USA) )
John Coltrane - Traneing In (Prestige / New Jazz)
Miles Davis - Milestones (Not Now)

New release information provided by www.allaboutjazz.com.  The Release Center at allaboutjazz.com is the most comprehensive new release listing for jazz music on the internet. The information is updated biweekly by John Kelman

News & Notes

OZZY OSBOURNE Covers JOHN LENNON's 'Imagine' To Benefit AMNESTY INTERNATIONAL

Legendary heavy metal singer Ozzy Osbourne has recorded a cover version of John Lennon's "Imagine" to benefit Amnesty International. The track is being released today (Tuesday, October 5) via iTunes.   A video for the song will make its online debut on AOL's PopEater.com.

Here is video footage of Ozzy Osbourne singing a version of THE BEATLES classic "In My Life" — with Slash on guitar — at the 77th Royal Variety Performance on November 21, 2005 in Cardiff, Wales, U.K.:




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The Who To Re-Release 'Live At Leeds' Album (with some new material)

The Who are scheduled to re-release 'Live At Leeds' to coincide with the album's 40th anniversary. The super-deluxe collectors’ edition is due to be released on November 14. It will feature the band's original performance at Leeds University on February 14, 1970, as well as their set from Hull City Hall on the previous night. The new edition will also include a heavyweight vinyl reproduction of the original six-track album and a new 64-page hard-back.

Housed in a hard-back box, 'Live At Leeds' will also be accompanied by a classic Pete Townshend poster and replica 7” single of ‘Summertime Blues' and 'Heaven & Hell’.

The tracklisting for 'Live At Leeds' is:

CD one – Leeds

'Heaven and Hell'
'I Can't Explain'
'Fortune Teller'
'Tattoo'
'Young Man Blues'
'Substitute'
'Happy Jack'
'I'm a Boy'
'A Quick One, While He's Away'
'Summertime Blues'
'Shakin' All Over'
'My Generation'
'Magic Bus'

CD two – Leeds

‘Tommy’

'Overture'
'It's a Boy'
'1921'
'Amazing Journey'
'Sparks'
'Eyesight to the Blind a.k.a. "Born Blind"'
'Christmas'
'The Acid Queen'
'Pinball Wizard'
'Do You Think It's Alright?'
'Fiddle About'
'Tommy, Can You Hear Me?'
'There's a Doctor'
'Go to the Mirror!'
'Smash The Mirror'
'Miracle Cure'
'Sally Simpson'
'I'm Free'
'Tommy's Holiday Camp'
'We're Not Gonna Take It'

CD three - Hull

'Heaven and Hell'
'I Can't Explain'
'Fortune Teller'
'Tattoo'
'Young Man Blues'
'Substitute'
'Happy Jack'
'I'm a Boy'
'A Quick One, While He's Away'
'Summertime Blues'
'Shakin' All Over'
'My Generation'

CD four - Hull

‘Tommy’

'Overture'
'It's a Boy'
'1921'
'Amazing Journey'
'Sparks'
'Eyesight to the Blind a.k.a. "Born Blind"'
'Christmas'
'The Acid Queen'
'Pinball Wizard'
'Do You Think It's Alright?'
'Fiddle About'
'Tommy, Can You Hear Me?'
'There's a Doctor'
'Go to the Mirror!'
'Smash The Mirror'
'Miracle Cure'
'Sally Simpson'
'I'm Free'
'Tommy's Holiday Camp'
'We're Not Gonna Take It'

Original vinyl LP

Side 1
'Young Man Blues'
'Substitute'
'Summertime Blues'
'Shakin’ All Over'

Side 2

'My Generation'
'Magic Bus'

7” single

'Summertime Blues'
'Heaven & Hell'

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INNERWISH: LIMITED 12? “NO TURNING BACK” PICTURE DISC ANNOUNCED

Ulterium Records are proud to announce the release of a limited 12? picture disc edition of the INNERWISH album 'No Turning Back.' The edition will be strictly limited to 250 copies, and the release date is scheduled for November 12th.

Track listing:

Side A:
01. The signs of our lives
02. Chosen one
03. Burning desires
04. No turning back
05. Sirens
06. Save us

Side B:
01. Last breath
02. Lawmaker
03. Welcome to my world
04. Kingdom of the prime
05. Full of lust
06. Live for my own

The disc can be pre-ordered at the Ulteirum Records Store:
www.ulteriumstore.bigcartel.com

Lennon Re-Releases Library Today

Unless you live in a cave, you should know that Oct. 9 is the day John Lennon would have turned 70. To celebrate, today, Oct. 5, EMI will release eight of his solo albums plus two compilations and an 11-CD box set. (all with remixed sound supervised by his widow, Yoko Ono — showcasing his solo work after the Beatles’ split up in 1970).

Based on Amazon's pre-sales, the "John Lennon Signature Box," which includes 11 CDs of all the albums, rarities and non-album singles, is #1 among all of the Lennon titles. "Double Fantasy Stripped Down," which includes the album as released in 1980 plus a new version produced by Yoko Ono and Alan Douglas, is the runner-up.

Ono says the new version of "Double Fantasy" places the focus on Lennon's vocals. Comparing the original vinyl with the new versions of "(Just Like) Starting over" and "Beautiful Boy," her assertion is correct. Based on the new versions provided by EMI on a sampler, the reverb on the tunes has been greatly reduced. The new "Starting Over" no longer has the choir backing Lennon, and the drums, which dominated the original, have been placed deep in the mix. There's less vocal layering on "Beautiful Boy," and the mix emphasizes the island lullaby feel generated by the steel drums; both recordings have gone from tightly packed to loose and airy.

“John was a Renaissance man,” says Ono, who met Lennon at a showing of her artwork in 1966 in London and married him on March 20, 1969. “He was an inspired artist. He could not control himself; he just dished out all the things he was inspired to dish out. But also, he was aware it was very, very dangerous.

“I knew that he knew he was playing a dangerous game. ‘Gimme Some Truth’ is what he was thinking, so he was pushing that to the point that it might have been dangerous, and he was probably too daring for his own good. He knew that. He always said, ‘It’s a little bit much, isn’t it?’ ”

Nevertheless, Ono says Lennon’s fearlessness and willingness to be controversial in support of women’s rights, protecting the environment, ending the Vietnam War and promoting peace and tolerance made a lasting impression that went well beyond pop music.

“He’s a brilliant man whose work actually changed the world — or it changed the map of your brain, let me put it that way,” she explains.

Read more of Ono's comments here

The John Lennon Signature Box: An 11-CD set featuring the eight solo albums he made while he was alive (including the newly created “Double Fantasy Stripped Down”), a disc of non-album singles and a CD of rare and previously unreleased material.

Buy Signature Box Here

Buy Double Fantasy Stripped Down [New Mix + Original Recording Remastered] Here

John Lennon Box of Vision: An adjunct box designed to house Lennon’s releases in style, along with a 166-page book documenting his LP artwork, a lavishly illustrated discography and a pair of special recordable DVDs and CDs for fans’ use.

Available via www.boxofvision/johnlennon

Music News & Notes

Cowboy Junkies are set to release Renmin Park – The Nomad Series Volume 1 on October 25th through Proper Records in the UK.

Renmin Park was inspired by a three-month stay that Michael Timmins and his family spent in China—which he describes as "an other-worldly experience"— Renmin Park is the first of four releases planned over the next 18 months, collectively titled "The Nomad Series."

The album will be followed by 'Demons,' on which Cowboy Junkies will cover the songs of their late friend Vic Chesnutt, who passed away in December 2009.

"His catalogue is so deep and, for the most part, so overlooked," said Michael. "It will be a labor of love." The final two volumes of the Nomad Series will be titled Sing in My Meadow, the contents of which are still being discussed, and The Wilderness, a full album of new songs, some of which ("Angel In The Wilderness," "Fairytale," "The Confession of Georgie E") the band has already introduced on stage.

The band’s recently revamped website will play an important role in the Nomad Series by taking fans inside the creative process and after all four volumes are released, plans call for a book that will delve into the character, nature, and inspiration behind each of the albums. Michael sums up the band's motivation for taking on such a massive project quite simply:

"The main reason for wanting to do it," he says, "is that, as we steam through our twenty-fifth year, we feel that we have the energy and inspiration to pull it off."

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Weezer's Death to False Metal album cover

Considering their controversial album cover for their new album 'Hurley,' Weezer is doing it again with something that is even more bizarre. The cover for their upcoming b-sides and rarities album 'Death to False Metal' has a strange title and equally strange cover art.

The cover does not include the band's logo or any reference to their name. The artwork is a painting of people working on an idyllic farm. 

'Death to False Metal' and a deluxe edition of Weezer's 'Pinkerton' LP are both scheduled to be released this November 2.






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Monster Magnet to release Mastermind

MONSTER MAGNET is set to release their long-awaited new album 'Mastermind' on October 26. AOL Music's Noisecreep premiered the brand new MONSTER MAGNET music video – for the album's roll out single “Gods and Punks." The video was directed by Nathan "Karma" Cox (Queens of the Stone Age, Linkin Park, HIM) and tells the story of “a Super Villain down on his luck” whose “life's mission is to destroy the planet” trying to find a way to make his way back to “respectable evil genus status.”

The album's cover artwork was designed by Invisible Creature (Wolfmother, Chris Cornell, Foo Fighters).

"I'm extremely proud of this new album," says Wyndorf. "It's a big, beefy ball of demented anthems and power rock. The music itself is exaggerated and muscular; like classic rock gone insane! Giant hooks, giant sounds. The rockers are direct and intense. The ballads; trippy and strange. It's guitar heaven."



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Bloodsoaked Reveals New Album "The Death Of Hope" Details

North Carolina's Bloodsoaked has issued the following announcement about revealing the cover artwork for the new album "The Death of Hope:"

"Here it is, the brand new cover art and track listing. The two re-recorded songs are my two favorite songs from the first CD that I feel deserve a much better production. I have been writing the entire new CD with Brent Williams, the drummer for Atrocious Abnormality. Brent has sparked new blood in the writing process as will be very evident once the recording is complete.

"At this time it is still un-clear if I will record with Brent or stick with the programmed drums. Shane McFee is still programming my live drums as he did on the last Bloodsoaked album 'Sadistic Deeds Grotesque Memories.' The cover art for the new CD was done by Jumali Katani, the complete layout will be done by Steve/Comatose Music."

Track list:

1. Wading The Blood Pools
2. Forever Damned
3. Obsessed With Hate
4. No God
5. Consume The Flesh
6. The Death of Hope
7. Infestation
8. TBA
9. Self Mutilation (re-recorded)
10. Grinding Your Guts (re-recorded)

Janis Joplin: A Piece of Her Heart on a 40th Anniversary

By GREG EVANS NY Times 10/01/10

IN the late summer of 1968, Big Brother and the Holding Company had nearly finished recording “Cheap Thrills” when Janis Joplin, the band’s singer, slipped the drummer Dave Getz a set of lyrics she’d handwritten to accompany a piano riff he had been practicing. The song, “Can’t Be the Only One,” with words by Joplin and music by Mr. Getz, was something of a parting gift. Within days, Joplin gathered her band mates in a room at the Chelsea Hotel and announced that she was going solo.

This April Mr. Getz, still drumming with Big Brother, released “Can’t Be the Only One,” the first solo album of his career, which includes two versions of the bluesy title song. Mr. Getz had 500 copies of the CD made, selling them through iTunes and other Internet sites.

As he expected, Mr. Getz immediately heard from Joplin’s heirs: “I got an e-mail saying, ‘You can’t do this. Anything involving the Joplin estate has to go through us.’ ” Not for the first time throughout an often contentious four-decade relationship with the Joplin family, Mr. Getz sought legal advice, and he was assured of his rights as the song’s co-author, he said.

Joplin died of a heroin overdose at 27, alone in a Los Angeles motel room in the early morning hours of Oct. 4, 1970. Yet “Can’t Be the Only One” is one of the few projects coinciding with the 40th anniversary of her passing.

“We don’t celebrate her death,” said Laura Joplin, the singer’s sister, who controls the Joplin estate with her brother, Michael Joplin. “We celebrate her life.”

Some Joplin fans wonder whether there has been enough celebrating at all. The singer’s faded cultural presence suggests a failure to groom a legacy lately reduced to pale imitations on “American Idol.”

Consider this year’s tide of memorial offerings sanctioned by the Jimi Hendrix estate for the guitarist, whose own drug-related death occurred 16 days before Joplin’s. Last spring’s acclaimed “Valleys of Neptune” CD of previously unreleased material will be followed by next month’s boxed set, “West Coast Seattle Boy: The Jimi Hendrix Anthology.”

The dearth of significant, unheard Joplin recordings — a five-CD boxed set in 1999 essentially cleared the vaults — has presented an obstacle to maintaining Joplin’s presence in the marketplace. But now the Joplins have recruited, for the first time, a professional estate manager, Jeffrey Jampol, to develop business opportunities and guide the career of a singer dead since Nixon’s first term.

His firm, Jampol Artist Management in Los Angeles, handles the estates of the Doors frontman Jim Morrison, the country rocker Gram Parsons, the reggae legend Peter Tosh and the ’80s funk star Rick James. Mr. Jampol has an ambitious blueprint to end what he calls Joplin’s “fallow period.” Working closely with the Joplins, he has sketched a one- to three-year business plan that includes Made for Pearl, a Joplin-inspired line of jewelry, accessories and clothing based on items worn by the singer; at least two books (a follow-up to Laura Joplin’s 1992 “Love, Janis” and a critical appreciation); vinyl collector editions of her albums; two reproductions of her Gibson Hummingbird guitar; an iPhone app allowing custom mixes of Joplin songs; and the tour of the Strange Kozmic Experience exhibition of Joplin, Hendrix and Morrison memorabilia, now at the Grammy Museum in Los Angeles.

Mr. Jampol, a producer of this year’s Doors documentary, “When You’re Strange,” is also working with Spitfire Pictures on a feature-length Joplin documentary, with access to rarely seen footage shot by Joplin’s road manager John Byrne Cooke. In addition, Mr. Jampol said the Joplin estate would next year co-produce “One Night With Janis,” a touring theatrical production of Joplin songs.

In several phone interviews Mr. Jampol emphasized his intention to expand the Joplin enterprise while honoring the singer’s “authenticity.” In choosing projects, he said, “the first question we ask is, Will this stand proudly next to Monterey Pop and ‘Me and Bobby McGee?’ ”

Indeed, Mr. Getz said that when he questioned Mr. Jampol about the estate’s initial opposition to “Can’t Be the Only One,” he was told that a “new” Joplin-penned song, even without her vocals, would be squandered on such a small-scale project. (Mr. Jampol confirmed the phone call with Mr. Getz but declined to discuss details.)

As Mr. Getz remembers it, “I told him, Look Jeff, I have three boxes of CDs in my house.

“Get me Pink to sing it, get me Stevie Nicks to sing it, get me anyone, and I’ll take my CDs and throw them in the garbage. But I’m 70 years old. I don’t have forever to wait.”

Mr. Jampol’s presence might provide a new avenue of communication between the singer’s family and her old band mates. Profits from the two albums Joplin made with Big Brother, notably “Cheap Thrills” and its hit single “Piece of My Heart,” are split among the three surviving band members (Mr. Getz, Sam Andrew and Peter Albin) and the estates of Joplin and the guitarist James Gurley, who died last year.

The Joplin and Big Brother camps have often been less than friendly. Ms. Joplin described the partnership now as “cordial.”

“They thought we murdered Janis, not to put too fine a point on it,” Mr. Andrew said. “They thought we brought her into a room and shot her full of heroin. They were from Port Arthur, Tex. How would they know what it was like?”

Among the less-considered ramifications of rock star deaths are the mismatched partnerships left in their wakes as grieving families struggle to make sense of careers they didn’t choose.

Laura Joplin was 21 when her sister died and 27 when she and her brother stepped in for their aging parents to run the family business. “I had an incredible amount of grief over Janis’s death,” Ms. Joplin said from her home in Paradise, Calif. Running her sister’s estate “was not something I intended to do, and certainly not something you can get a lot of training in.”

“Neither my brother nor I were involved in the entertainment industry,” she added. “We were isolated from connections.”

And now, Ms. Joplin said, the seismic shifts in the post-digital music industry demand an expertise she and her brother (who lives in Tucson) lack. “At this point I think someone else can do this better than we can,” she said.

One thing that would boost Joplin’s 21st-century profile is a feature film. The Joplin siblings sold considerable song rights and life rights to Sony Pictures during the 1990s, and so relinquished any significant control over their sister’s cinematic portrayal. Sony later sold the rights to the producer Peter Newman, whose credits include the critically lauded film “The Squid and the Whale,” and whose commitment to a Joplin biopic is undaunted after more than a decade of unsuccessful attempts. “We’re in the final stages of closing a deal with a highly respected director who is noteworthy for his innovative approach to rock topics,” Mr. Newman said in an e-mail last month.

Mr. Newman might have competition. Temple Hill Entertainment, the production company behind the blockbuster “Twilight” vampire movies, confirmed in July that it had signed the actress Amy Adams and the director Fernando Meirelles for a Joplin biopic. (Ms. Adams and Mr. Meirelles declined to comment; neither Mr. Newman nor Temple Hill have secured financing for their projects.)

Temple Hill’s announcement set the stage for a potential replay of the 1990s duel between Lakeshore Entertainment’s planned Joplin vehicle for, variously, Renée Zellweger, Melissa Etheridge and Brittany Murphy, and the Sony project, which Mr. Newman was co-producing for, also variously, the actresses Lili Taylor and Zooey Deschanel, and the singer Pink.

Neither film came to fruition, joining other Joplin movie projects killed by script problems, a tangle of legal rights and the ego clashes among the people who claim a piece of the singer. Myra Friedman, Joplin’s friend and publicist, who wrote the 1973 biography “Buried Alive,” said she’s all but abandoned hope that a film would be made from her book. Hundreds of pages of documents — contracts, film option agreements, memorandums, old scripts, yellowing correspondence with agents and producers, some dating back to the 1970s — line the closet shelves of her Manhattan apartment.

Ms. Friedman, perusing the documents one hot day last summer, recalled a June evening 40 years earlier, when she accompanied Joplin to a taping of “The Dick Cavett Show.” Ms. Friedman sat in the studio audience as Joplin, her hair streaked with a rainbow of feather boas, told Cavett of plans to attend her 10th high school reunion in Texas. She’d be dead within months, but at that moment (still available on YouTube) Joplin looked like God’s idea of a rock star.

This Date In Music History - October 4

Birthdays:

Country music singer Leroy Van Dyke (1929)

Nona Hendryx (1944)

Patti LaBelle (1944)

Jim Fielder - Blood Sweat & Tears (1947)

Barbara Kooyman - Timbuk 3 (1957)

Chris Lowe - Pet Shop Boys (1959)

Greg Hubbard - Sawyer Brown (1960)

Jon Secada (1961)

Neil Sims - Catherine's Wheel (1965)

Marc Roberge - O.A.R. (1978)


They Are Missed:

Legendary singer Janis Joplin was found dead at the Landmark Hotel Hollywood in 1970, after an accidental heroin overdose.



J. Frank Wilson ("Last Kiss) died of a heart attack on October 4, 1991.

Canadian bassist Bruce Palmer died of a heart attack in 2004. Member of The Mynah Birds and The Buffalo Springfield. Also worked with Crosby, Stills, Nash, & Young and Neil Young.


History:

Winners for 1957's annual NME readers poll included Pat Boone who was voted the world's #1 singer, with Elvis Presley voted second.

Bob Dylan played a showcase at New York's Carnegie Hall in 1961 - to 53 people.

In 1963, Eric Clapton was asked to join the Yardbirds to replace Anthony "Top" Topham.

In 1963, the Beatles made their first appearance on the UK TV pop show 'Ready Steady Go!' They lip-synch "She Loves You" and "Twist And Shout."

The Byrds played the first of a 13 night run at The Village Gate, New York City in 1966.

Creedence Clearwater Revival started a four week run at #1 on the US album chart in 1969 with 'Green River.'

The Beatles 'Abbey Road' album went to #1 on the UK chart in 1969. The cover supposedly contained clues adding to the ‘Paul Is Dead’ phenomenon: Paul is barefoot and the car number plate ‘LMW 281F’ supposedly referred to the fact that McCartney would be 28 years old if he was still alive. ‘LMW’ was said to stand for ‘Linda McCartney Weeps.’ And the four Beatles, represent; the priest (John, dressed in white), the Undertaker (Ringo in a black suit), the Corpse (Paul, in a suit but barefoot), and the Gravedigger (George, in jeans and a denim work shirt).

The song "Suite: Judy Blue Eyes" was released by Crosby, Stills & Nash in 1969.



In 1971, Pink Floyd played the first of four nights at the Roman Ampitheater, Pompeii, Italy for their Live in Pompeii album.

The BBC broadcast the 500th edition of UK music show Top Of The Pops in 1973. Slade, Gary Glitter and The Osmonds all appeared.

In 1973, a San Francisco Stephen Stills & Manassas concert turned into a reunion when David Crosby and Graham Nash joined Stills onstage. A bit later Neil Young showed up and it’s CSN&Y.

'Walls And Bridges' was released by John Lennon in 1974.

Pink Floyd’s album “Wish You Were Here” topped the charts in 1975.

In 1980, Carly Simon collapsed on stage during a show in Pittsburgh suffering from nervous exhaustion. The tour was canceled.

Queen started a three week run at #1 on the US singles chart in 1980 with "Another One Bites The Dust."



In 1980, Mick Fleetwood, Lindsey Buckingham and Stevie Nicks present a platinum record to the USC Marching Band for their contributions to 'Tusk.'

Winners in the Melody Makers readers poll in 1980 included, Kate Bush who won Best female singer, Peter Gabriel won Best male singer, Best guitarist went to Ritchie Blackmore, Phil Collins won Best drummer, Genesis won Band of the year, Best single went to Pink Floyd for "Another Brick in The Wall" and Saxon won brightest hope.

The Smiths made their live debut at the Ritz in Manchester England in 1982.

The group Squeeze broke up in 1982.

Muggers attacked CBS News anchor Dan Rather in 1986 and yell “What’s The Frequency Kenneth?” Later, R.E.M. turns this bizarre incident into a song.



In 1996, Roger Miller was inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame.

Also in 1996 - Van Halen announced that Gary Cherone, formerly of Extreme, would be the singer that would replace Sammy Hagar.

Boyz II Men went to No.1 on the US singles chart in 1997 with "4 Seasons Of Loneliness," the group's fifth US #1.

In 1997 - Farm Aid '97 raised over $1 million for U.S. farmers.

It was reported in 1999 that the sister of Jimi Hendrix was planning to exhume her brothers body and move it to a pay-to view mausoleum. Other plans for the new site included a chance for fans to buy one of burial plots around the guitarist's new resting-place.

Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band concluded their 2002-03 world tour at NY’s Shea Stadium in 2003. It’s the 120th show of the 14 month tour. Bob Dylan shows up to perform “Highway 61 Revisited.”

In 2004, Elton John takes the stage to rip Madonna’s nomination as the Best Live Act. "Since when has lip-synching been live?" John asks rhetorically. "Anyone who lip-synchs in public on stage when you pay to see them should be shot.” Chick fight!!...

In 2006, Dave Grohl fulfillled his promise to drink a beer with an Australian miner named Brant Webb who asked to hear Foo Fighters music while he was trapped underground for nearly two weeks. Grohl performed a new instrumental song called "The Ballad Of Beaconsfield Miners" during the Foo Fighters' acoustic concert in Sydney. After the show Grohl hooked up with Webb and his friends for a brew or two.

The legendary Jerry Lee Lewis performed (with Neil Young on hand) on CBS' Late Show With David Letterman in 2006 to promote his album “Last Man Standing” (Carl Perkins, Johnny Cash & Elvis Presley of the so-called Million Dollar Quartet are deceased - hence the title).

Former R Kelly employee (who claimed to have been a “mentor and guide” to Kelly since he was a teenager) Henry Vaughn filed a lawsuit against the singer in 2006, accusing him of assault, false imprisonment and a breach of contract that defrauded him of songwriting royalties. Vaughn also claimed that Kelly and his associates dragged him to the basement at Kelly’s Olympia Fields home and “repeatedly struck him about the face and body with his fists."

In 2007, producer Phil Spector was set to be retried for the murder of actress Lana Clarkson following the collapse of the first trial in Sept of this year. The first trial ended with the jury deadlocked 10-2 favouring conviction. Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Larry Paul Fidler set another hearing for the case on October 23.

Also in 2007, the Rolling Stones set a new record for the top grossing tour of all time with their A Bigger Bang tour. T he tour which ran from late 2005 to August 2007, earned the band $437 million with The Stones playing to over 3.5 million people at 113 shows. The previous high was set by U2's Vertigo tour, which took place in 2005 and 2006, which earned $389 million.

Michael Fremer Album Review

Neil Young Official Release Series Discs 1-4 Box Set (new reissue)
Neil Young
Warner Brothers/Reprise 4 180g LP, numbered Box Set
Produced by: Neil Young, Jack Nitzsche, David Briggs, Elliot Mazer, others
Engineered by: various engineers
Mixed by: various mixers
Mastered by: Chris Bellman at Bernie Grundman Mastering
 
 

Music

Sound

Available Again For a Short Time!: Neil Young's Upcoming Four 180g LP Box Set!

by Michael Fremer

September 01, 2010

 
When Buffalo Springfield broke up, Neil Young set about building his solo career. The high-production work with Jack Nitzsche that had created classics like “Expecting to Fly” and “Broken Arrow” brought Neil back to the producer/keyboardist/orchestrator, who gained fame working with Phil Spector but the results on Young’s eponymous debut album were not as memorable. In fact, many critics and fans alike back in 1969 considered the album a disappointment and a misstep.

The “overproduction” charge was compounded by two issues: first was the original mix that buried Young’s voice, second was the label’s disastrous choice to master using the Haeco-CSG system. Invented by Howard Holzer, A&M’s chief engineer, Haeco-CSG was about cost cutting not sonic improvement.

By the late ‘60s, stereo had taken hold among album buying youngsters but most rock was still heard on AM radio or FM in the car, which was mostly monophonic. Stereo records played back monophonically usually produced terrible results: folding stereo down to mono upped common L/R information by 3 dB, which is major. That means vocals placed in both channels so they’d appear in the phantom center channel would be way too loud in mono. Not many rock singers of the era needed that kind of exposure, so Holzer invented a system to deal with the problem.

Unfortunately, his solution was to phase-shift common L/R right information so that it didn’t get the 3dB boost. Imagine, though, what happened to image focus and soundstage clarity! It produced a sonic mess that ruined many releases of the era, including Neil’s debut and Roots The Everly Brothers’ superb “comeback” album that inexplicably hasn’t been reissued yet on vinyl.

Neil remixed the first album, made sure it was mastered without Haeco-CSG and put a wide banner with his name on it at the top of the front cover in an effort to save the debut but it was too late. The album never recovered. Relatively rare original pressings with the first cover, mix and Haeco-CSG processing were quite collectible for a time, going for hundreds of dollars. I’m not sure what the going rate is today.

Time has actually been kind to Young’s debut. “The Loner” and “I’ve Been Waiting For You” are fuzz-tone laden standouts. “I’ve Loved Her Too Long” maintains its warm grip and even the surreal, Dylanesque overreach of “The Last Trip to Tulsa,” with Young’s acoustic guitar center stage and his voice off on the right channel, arrives nicely burnished through the time tunnel.

One could argue that the first album isn’t a high priority but no one would say that of the next three in this four, 180g LP box set: Everybody Knows This is Nowhere, After the Goldrush and Harvest.

With a set list that includes “Cinnamon Girl,” the title tune, “Round and Round,” “Down By The River,” and “Cowgirl In The Sand,” the second album with Crazy Horse is a hard-rocking, no-nonsense follow-up to the tentative debut and contains no filler. But surely you didn’t need to be told that.

Nor do you need to be told about the enduring folk/rock brilliance of After the Goldrush or Young’s greatest album chart success Harvest. If you do, you’re not forking over the big bucks for this 180g box set anyway. You’re more likely to opt for a 140g individual album or two.

What you’re really interested in hearing about is the sound quality of these reissues. But first a word about the packaging: Warner Brothers has gone to the trouble and expense of using deluxe paper over cardboard jackets that are authentic to the originals, though there are barcodes, new catalog numbers and updated mastering credits— all tastefully and respectfully done. All original posters and inserts are included. Pick up the new Harvest and you’ll be hard-pressed to tell it from the original, so perfectly does the new, thick outer paper stock match the original.

What’s very different about these reissues though, is the sound: I have multiple originals of all of them, including both the original Haeco-CSG version of the debut album and the re-do (obviously, though Warner Brothers and Young went with the original cover, the second mix was used) and I have to tell you, these reissues, mastered by Chris Bellman at Bernie Grundman and pressed at Pallas in Germany (buy a copy of my second DVD It’s a Vinyl World, After All and you can take a guided tour of Pallas, shot in high definition), sound far superior to the originals.

Look, I’ve been listening to these four albums for up to forty years now and I was not prepared for what I heard on all four of these albums. Grundman’s chain is sounding better than ever after what I hear are a series of upgrades.
Starting with the second album, Young arranged for multiple voices, often his own multi-tracked, but never before have the individual voices been so clearly locked in three dimensional space and timbrally distinct. The way the voices project into 3D space (including Young’s main centered one) is positively eerie (assuming your system can reproduced this, because trust me, it’s in the grooves in a way it’s not on the originals). Instrumental textures are far richer, fuller and better defined. Harmonics are fully fleshed out. Reverb trails extend to infinity before disappearing into background pitch blackness. There is so much more there there in every respect, it’s almost stupefying.

You can see Young before the microphone and experience every little vocal tick and breath pressurization. It’s not important because you can hear these details. It’s important because hearing them imparts greater meaning to the proceeding and certainly a greater appreciation of his singing and the deliberateness of his communications skills.

I wish I could tell you that the 140g versions, pressed, I assume, from the same stampers, sounded as good, but even correcting for the VTA/SRA differences, they don’t. They do sound plenty good, mind you, and better than the originals, but not quite as good as the 180g versions contained in the box set. And good as the Blu-ray versions are at 192k/24 bit, they don’t touch the vinyl.

So, my advice is: when the numbered, limited edition box is finally introduced shortly, if you’re as big a Neil fan as I am, don’t hesitate until it’s too late. Buy and enjoy this box set.

Warner Brothers, thanks to the tireless and meticulous efforts of Warner Brothers Senior Vice President and vinyl fanatic Tom Biery, demonstrates yet again, that it is possible for a major label to do vinyl correctly: cutting from analog masters, pressing at the best plants and packaging to provide fans with the genuine experience. It’s sad that the others don’t have the will to properly manage the task.

Thanks to Michael over at http://www.musicangle.com/  for the exclusive rights to reprint this material.

Copyright © 2008 MusicAngle.com & Michael Fremer - All rights reserved Reprinted by Permission

Maxwell Smart Releases Full Length Debut Album

Maxwell Smart is a ska/punk band from California's San Fernando Valley. They have been steadily making danceable music since Jan. 2007. This record entitled "Infinite Appeal" has just that, a conscious effort to keep the genre of ska alive.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

PRLog (Press Release) – Oct 01, 2010 – Do you get tired of hearing the same old songs on the radio? Are you looking for something fresh and new, but also tried and true? Look no further! Maxwell Smart are here to lift your spirits! The Band was formed in January of 2007 and released their first self titled EP in November of 2007. Coming from the ashes of a legendary SFV ska band "eleven penny life", Maxwell Smart made it their mission to enlighten and coerce EVERYONE into liking ska music.

Its members include Eduardo Lizarraga on drums, Tristan Garcia on bass guitar, Pedro Ramirez on Trombone, Eddie Martinez on Trumpet, Ian Anderson on Baritone Sax, and Brandon Maxwell on Lead Vocals and Guitar.

Maxwell Smart just recently played Pomona California's SKA IN THE PARK concert series, the Carson, CA stop of the VANS WARPED TOUR on the Kevin Says stage and have shared the stage with bands such as Big D and the Kids Table, Mustard Plug, Warsaw Poland Bros., Fishbone, and Suburban Legends, just to name a few.

The band has played such venues as The Glasshouse in Pomona, The Fox Theatre, The Home Depot Center, The Knitting Factory Hollywood, The Whiskey, The Roxy, The Cat Club, The Cobalt, Paladinos, The Little Rock, and many many more.

Maxwell Smart has become a prominent name in the Southern CA music scene, and will continue to make records for everyone's enjoyment well into the twilight of their lives.

# # #

About Maxwell Smart: A ska band coming from the San Fernando Valley. Dedicated to making great music for an energetic new audience.

This Date In Music History - October 2

Birthdays:

David Sommerville - Diamonds (1933)

Lolly Vegas - Redbone (1939)

Ron Meagher - Beau Brummels (1941)

Don McLean (1945)



Richard Hell - Voidoids (1949)

Mike Rutherford, guitar, Genesis & Mike And The Mechanics (1950)

Gordon Sumner - Police, solo Due to a fondness for a black and yellow striped jersey he acquired the name Sting (1951)

Phil Oakey - Human League (1955)

Soul singer Freddie Jackson (1956)

Sigtryggur Baldursson - Sugarcubes (1962)

Bud Graugh - Sublime (1967)

Badly Drawn Boy (Damon Gough) (1969)

Mall queen Tiffany (1971)

LaTocha Scott - Xscape (1973)


They Are Missed:

America's singing cowboy Gene Autry died in 1998 (age 91). During his career he scored 25 successive Top 10 Country hits. In 1995 it was estimated he was worth $320 million.




History:

DeFord Baily recorded eight masters in Nashville, TN in 1928. The songs that were issued were the first recording sessions to be made in what is now known as Music City, USA.

In 1954, Elvis Presley made his only appearance on Nashville's "Grand Ole Opry" (the Opry manager told him to stick to driving a truck).

US band vocalist from the 1940s, Don Cornell was at #1 on the UK singles chart in 1954 with "Hold My Hand." This song was banned by the BBC for the words 'kingdom of heaven'.

Connie Francis recorded her immortal cut "Who's Sorry Now" in 1957.



Phil Spector and partner Lester Sill released the first single in 1961 on their new label Philles, The Crystals’, "Oh Yeah Maybe Baby." A little over a year later, they had a #1 hit with "He’s a Rebel" and soon after, "Da Doo Ron Ron" and "Then He Kissed Me."

'Banks of the Ohio' was released by Joan Baez in 1961.

The Who made their debut on US TV in 1965 on the show "Shindig!"

In 1965, the McCoys were at #1 on the US singles chart in 1965 with "Hang On Sloopy." The song was first released by The Vibrations and called "My Girl Sloopy."



In 1965, Manfred Mann became the first Western rock band to play behind the Iron Curtain, in Prague, Czechoslovakia.

The Grateful Dead (all six members), were arrested for possession of marijuana in 1967. They were released six hours later on bail.

Rod Stewart started a five week run at #1 on the US singles chart in 1971 with "Maggie May / Reason To Believe," his first solo #1 hit. Stewarts album 'Every Picture Tells A Story' also started a four-week run on this day at #1 on the UK and US chart.

In 1975, a bomb scare canceled a Bruce Springsteen concert in Milwaukee. The show was re-scheduled for midnight. Meanwhile Springsteen has a few drinks at the hotel and rode on the hood of a car back to the concert hall. A journalist writes “I have seen the future of Rock & Roll and he’s on my windshield.”

In 1976, John Belushi came out on stage with Joe Cocker while he was performing on "Saturday Night Live."



"Tonight's The Night" by Rod Stewart was released in 1976.

In 1977, the body of Elvis Presley and his mother Gladys were moved from the cemetery where they were buried to Graceland's after an unsuccessful attempt was made to body snatch the coffin.

Also in 1977, Gene Simmons (KISS) received a platinum record for his solo album.

In 1980, Leaveil Degree from the soul group The Whispers started a two-year prison sentence in Boron California for his part in diamond robbery.

1982, John Cougar started a four week run at #1 on the US singles chart in 1982 with "Jack and Diane," his first US #1 hit.

Rush’s “Signals” entered the LP charts in 1982. In addition, The Clash’s “Rock The Casbah” hits the singles charts. And at a benefit concert in England, current members of Genesis (Phil Collins, Mike Rutherford and Tony Banks) were joined by past members Steve Hackett and Peter Gabriel.

Welsh singer Bonnie Tyler was at #1 on the US singles chart in 1983 with the Jim Steinman written and produced track "Total Eclipse Of The Heart." It made her the only Welsh artist to score a US #1.

Bruce Springsteen's "Born in the U.S.A." tour ended in 1985 in Los Angeles, CA .

The Prince single "America" was released in 1985.

In 1994, John Mellencamp announced that it was true - that he had suffered a mild heart attack.

Oasis released their second album '(What's The Story), Morning Glory' in 1995, which entered the UK chart at #1.

Iron Maiden's tenth album "The X Factor" was released in 1995. It was the first album to include Blaze Bayley as vocalist.

In 1996, a Pearl Jam show in Hartford Connecticut ended in a riot when mass fighting broke out among the 30,000 strong crowds.

In 1997, Juanita L. Evans filed suit against Wu-Tang members RZA and Method Man, rapper Redman, and a Pennsylvania university and its student government. Evans claimed that she was distracted by Redman and therefore did not see Method Man when he leapt off stage and landed on her. Evans was knocked unconscious.

Radiohead's fourth album, "Kid A", was released in 2000.

Come Together: A Night For John Lennon’s Words and Music was held at New York’s Radio City Music Hall in 2001. Dave Matthews and the Stone Temple Pilots are among the performers.

In 2002, Adam Ant (yes, that Adam Ant!) escaped a prison sentence after a judge ruled that an incident in which he threatened drinkers with a replica pistol in a London pub was a result of mental illness. The 1980's pop star had been voluntarily having psychiatric treatment since the incident.

Robbie Williams signed the most lucrative British record deal in history in 2002 when he signed with EMI records for £80m (over 125 million). Asked what he was going to do with money Robbie said, "I'm going to count it all." Can I help?

In 2003, police were called to a suspected burglary at the Los Angeles house of Courtney Love's former boyfriend and ex-manager Jim Barber in the early hours. Love was picked up in the street outside and detained - with officers noting "Miss Love's behaviour was consistent with being under the influence of a controlled substance." Shortly after her arrest, Love was taken to hospital with a suspected drug overdose. Real smart.......

In 2006, the second leg of the Rolling Rock and Roll Show cranks up with The Romantics and Shadows Of Knight. The Garage Rock-themed tour featuring ‘60s bands was organized by E Street Band guitarist Steven Van Zandt. The first stop was San Diego.

Matchbox 20 released 'Exile On Mainstream' in 2007.

John Fogerty's LP 'Revival,' with the single, "Don't You Wish It Was True," was released in 2007. Recorded in L.A., the disc's title references the singer-guitarist’s former band, Creedence Clearwater Revival, as does the track, "Creedence Song." Fogerty also appears on CBS' Late Show With David Letterman to promote the album.

Bruce Springsteen released 'Magic' in 2007. The 11-track album was his first in five years (since '02's 'The Rising') with the E Street Band. "You could say that it's a little more sonically guitar-driven than any past Bruce album," says Jon Landau, Springsteen's long-time manager. A single, "Radio Nowhere," was initially available as a free download exclusively at iTunes. Springsteen and Co. also kicked off a North American tour in Hartford, CT.

Songs by Paul McCartney and Bob Dylan were free at Starbucks locations in 2007 via "Song of the Day" cards that are redeemable at iTunes. During the month-long promotion Starbucks issued 1.5 million free downloads per day.

In 2007, Britney Spears was ordered to hand over her two young children to her former husband Kevin Federline by a judge in Los Angeles. The court ruled that Federline would be given custody of Sean Preston, two, and one-year-old Jayden James, until further notice. Last month Judge Scott Gordon had said Ms Spears showed "a habitual, frequent and continuous use of controlled substances and alcohol." The singer was ordered to undergo random drug and alcohol tests twice a week as part of her child custody dispute with Mr Federline. Idiot......

The Unseen Beatles, a DVD with rare footage of the lads from Liverpool, was in stores in 2007. The 65-minute documentary has interviews and personal home movies of the band shot in the '50s and '60s.

Elton 60: Live at Madison Square Garden, a two-DVD set documenting John's 60th birthday concert (earlier in the year) in New York was released in 2007.

"The Best Of Steely Dan: The Millennium Collection" was also released in 2007.

An eBay auction to help pay the medical bills of founding Poco drummer George Grantham, who suffered a debilitating stroke in '04, got underway in 2007. Items for sale during the weeklong auction were contributed by ex-Poco/Buffalo Springfield member Richie Furay, Graham Nash and the Eagles' Don Henley and Timothy B. Schmit.

Mott The Hoople's five original members reunited in 2009 for the first of two London concerts to commemorate the band's 40th anniversary. "Why are we doing it? I can't speak for the others, but I'm doing it just to see what it's like," writes frontman Ian Hunter. A second show is the following day. Cool......

Esoteric Sound Rek-O-Kut Rondine 3 Turntable

For the serious vintage music listener there is no turntable out there I know of with the speed flexibility to accommodate for the many different types of records made over time.

Published on August 01, 2010

Esoteric Sound Rek-O-Kut Rondine 3 Turntable
SRP: $1300

Multi-speed turntable adjustable from 16-90 rpm with +/- 15% pitch adjust; DC motor; hinged dust cover, 17” transcription playback with ability to play vertical cut discs; removable spindle for eccentric records; 12 fixed speeds (16.67, 22.5, 33.33, 39.13, 45, 68.5, 71.29, 76.59, 78.26, 80, 85, 90 rpm); belt drive; Delrin platter (3.75 pounds); rated wow & flutter .09% max; four included Vibrapod feet; strobe disc; 25 pounds; 6.5” H x 18.5” W x 15” D; one-year warranty. Tonearm: S-shaped aluminum and magnesium; 0-3 grams tracking force; 11 Hz arm resonance; 23 grams effective arm mass; removable headshell.

Esoteric Sound
1608 Hemstock Ave.
Wheaton, IL 60189
630-933-9801
http://www.esotericsound.com/turntable1.htm

Associated Equipment

Bowers & Wilkins CM9 loudspeakers, Bowers & Wilkins Signature 8NT loudspeakers, Bowers & Wilkins 804 Diamond Speakers, Meridian 568.2MM Preamplifier, McIntosh MC402 Amplifier, Sunfire Cinema Grand Amplifier, Krell S-300i Integrated Amplifier, Sonneteer Sedley Phono Preamplifier, Benz L2 and Grado 78E phono cartridge (mono 78), Furman Elite 15i Power Conditioner, PS Audio Power Plant Premier, Audioquest, Canare, DeCorp cables, McIntosh MCD301 CD Player, Tascam US-122 MKII external sound mixer, Dell Studio 1537 Laptop, Audacity 1.3 recording software.

Setup and Impressions

In the early days of my retail career (in the 90s) I would occasionally have customers interested in variable speed turntables that could play 78 rpm records. In those days I remember a leaflet that Esoteric put out listing their various Technics modded 78 rpm players. It’s only fitting that I’ve finally received one of their players for review. This, however, is not simply an upgraded Technics.

When I first pulled the Rondine out of the box I thought that the table looked a little bit homebrewed. The arm looks like one manufactured from Jelco (similar to the Sumiko MMT and the arms from Audioquest). The control box is metal and mounted underneath the plinth. The screws that protrude from it will scratch the platform surface unless the supplied Vibrapod feet are utilized. These just sit under the pillars at each corner of the table, so placement is a bit delicate as there is no way to level the table. The plinth is fairly heavy and vinyl-covered, but the cutout for the motor is not fully hidden by the platter. The spindle comes off which seems like an advantage, but it would occasionally also come off when I just lifted the record off the platter.

The headshell is detachable, which is advantageous for those who will be using a variety of cartridges. Set up and alignment was no more difficult than the last few turntables I’ve used. There is a VTA adjustment, but I didn’t need it as I was right on the money with the L2 (although it is a little hard to get at). Azimuth is adjusted right on the headshell itself by a small setscrew.

The dust cover was a pain to get on as the hinges require prying open (with a flathead screwdriver) while sliding the plastic lid into them. The lid is rounded on the one side, but whether I put this part in front or back it did not line up with the front edge of the table. There are some rubber pads on the plinth up front to cushion the lid as it comes down. I’m not a big fan of dust covers, but leaving this one off meant having to look at three ugly hinges on the back. Luckily, you can just unscrew them and this will clean it up. I suppose you can remove the rubber pads in the front corners as well. The control box is very convenient, but some users might prefer having it separate from the table.

There is no need for a mat—the record goes right on the playing surface. Startup is fast (like a direct drive table). The rough speed settings are on a stepped, rotary switch. If the speed needs to be adjusted from these rough settings there is a switch that engages a smooth rotary control that can increase or decrease the speed by 15%. In addition, each fixed speed has an adjustment screw in the back of the control box for fine tuning. I checked speed at 33 1/3 and 45 and I didn’t feel the need to bother tweaking (as the speed was almost right on).

The manual is well-written and easy to follow even for the novice. There is a troubleshooting section for any that get lost along the way.

Phono Preamplifiers and Cartridges

Although there is standardization when it comes to playing back modern records using an RIAA curve, older records use a variety of different EQ curves for correct playback. There are several options for phonograph preamplifiers that will accommodate older recordings (and new as well). has two: KAB Electro Acoustics   the VSP MK2 at $600 that only accepts MM cartridges and the EQS MK12 (at $1625)—a more full-featured model (10 curves + RIAA) with better specifications, two turntable connections, ability to use MC cartridges, adjustable level output and more. Another offering is by Vadlyd ($1760) and available here  This piece looks like a good higher-end option as well. Esoteric themselves offer the Re-Equalizer II at $350. If you want to go all out there is always the LOC Analog Legacy at $10000. Lastly, there is the Graham Slee Revelation at $1600 which offers switching capabilities as well. Nauck’s Vintage Records  offers a book that lists the proper EQ for many older recordings.

The type of stylus used for older records is also different from those typically used for 45 and 33 1/3 rpm records. Some of the popular ones are from Audio Technica, Grado, Shure and Stanton. Modern records use needles with tips that typically measure .7 mil (mil- 1000th of an inch) around for conical or spherical tips (and represent the longer length for elliptical styli). Due to the fact that older discs have larger grooves, these styli are not a good choice for 78 and older records. Choices are often 2.5 (transcriptions) – 3.0 mil (30s to 50s discs and Edison) although 3.5, 4.0 (raw aluminum) and even some bigger styli exist. Many companies offer a kit that includes a variety of sizes to accommodate different vintages or condition of the records. Tracking force can typically be higher than with LPs, so caution should be taken if switching back and forth.

Recommended Speeds

This information comes from the manual:
(1) 71.29- Berliner, Early Victor (no label), Zonaphone
(2) 76.59- Acoustic Victor
(3) 78.26- Modern 78 records
(4) 80- Edison, Pathe vertical (paper label), acoustic Columbia & Okeh, most vertical
(5) 90- Some Pathe
(6) 16.66- Half speed of 33 1/3
(7) 22.5- Half speed of 45
(8) 39.13- Half speed of 78.26

Vertical-cut records could be from: Pathe, Edison, Sapphire, Arya, Lyric, Genet, Phono-Cut, Star, Crescent, Empire, Mozart, Okeh, Operaphone, Rex, Rishell, Aeolian, Vocalion, World Transcription. To set up for vertical playback just reverse the leads to one channel of the phono cartridge. Esoteric offers a pre-wired vertical only headshell as well. Esoteric offers older records for sale   here

Listening – Part I (LP)

As is typical of my latest phono reviews, I did some comparisons by recording tracks to a computer and then burning a CD for direct comparison on playback (with the same cartridge and phono preamp as reference). In this case, I compared the Rondine 3 with a Linn LP12 (with a Valhalla power supply). I have to say that there wasn’t a huge difference with the recordings I listened with (a mix of jazz, rock, vocal, etc.) The Linn combination sounded slightly mellower (due to the cartridge choice). The Rek-o-Kut had a bit more top end by comparison and bass wasn’t as good, but it was close. The fact that it could keep up with an LP12 (performance-wise) is saying a lot for the Esoteric and makes me think that unless the listener is looking for a much better LP player, the Rondine 3 is “good enough” for both newer and older records.

I spent hours listening to various records with this table and have nothing negative to report. My wife liked the fact that she could easily switch between 33 1/3 and 45 speeds with the turn of a knob (and that there weren’t a bunch of separate boxes to make this occur). Records sounded good and competitive with tables in this price range. To get up to the next level I’d say double the price is where you’d be at and that is not figuring in the multi-speed capability.

Listening – Part II (78 rpm)

Years ago I had given away the old 78 records I’d had for lack of the ability to play them. There are a few factors that need to be considered for playback. First, there is the need for the specialized phono preamp and cartridge (as mentioned above). Next, you’ll need to realize that due to the speed increase, you typically get a single song per side. For classical listening this is going to be a huge issue. Typically, popular music comes in little “books” that house four or more records for an entire album (figuring both sides are in use). If you aren’t big on record flipping then you will soon tire from constantly having to get up.

People often have the misconception about the sound of these records having only listened to them on old victrolas or what those in the industry (un)affectionately call “close n’ plays” (i.e. all-in-one devices that accommodate 78s and have speakers built-in). The truth is: On a good system these records can incredibly lifelike and that is even without the proper equalization (unfortunately I did not have a proper phono preamp during this review). This meant a boost in highs and a cut in the lows. Vocals came through beautifully and it’s easy to get immersed in the performance. With people giving away these records by the bunch in pawn shops and swap meets, fans of “older” music might want to jump in head first.

[One carriage-trade-level historic recordings dealer had several 78s for sale alongside his LPs and one was the complete Bach Cello Suites with Pablo Casals for $500. The Angel/EMI reissue CDs are pretty bad, but recent software improvements in remastering recordings have made huge advancements in reducing the noise in the grooves while still capturing all the music. I have a recent Italian double CD reissue of the Casals Suites which is excellent, but the one original 78 rpm side I once heard still surpasses it…Ed.]

Conclusion

My reservations on the physical appearance aside, the Rondine 3 offers an attractive performance package. The modern record listener can get very good performance with a high-end phono cartridge and for the serious vintage music listener there is no turntable out there I know of with the speed flexibility (and ease of adjustment) to accommodate for the many different types of records made over time. Anyone looking at revitalizing a system with LP playback and needing 78 (or variable speed playback) should give this a turntable a serious look. Highly recommended!

-- Brian Bloom

AUDIOPHILE AUDITION focuses on recordings of interest to audiophiles and collectors, with an accent on surround sound for music, and on all hi-res disc formats. Over 100 SACD, DVD Video/Audio and standard CD reviews are published during each month, and our archives go back to January 2001.

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Copyright 2010 AUDIOPHILE AUDITION Reprinted by Permission