991.com Sleevenotes : A Blog about Collecting Rare Vinyl 7", 12" & LP Records, CDs, Memorabilia & Music

SAXON return with a 'Call To Arms'...

SAXON 'Call To Arms' [Release Date 06/06/2011]

CD album I 2CD album set I Vinyl LP

Packing an armoury of steel-coated riffs and songwriting swagger, British hard rock legends Saxon are releasing their 19th studio album titled 'Call To Arms'. Recorded at Chapel Studios in Lincolnshire, UK and Brighton Electric Studios in Brighton, UK, the 11-track album was co-produced by singer / songwriter Biff Byford and Toby Jepson [Little Angels].

Featuring Byford on lead vocals, Paul Quinn and Doug Scarratt on guitars, Nibbs Carter on bass and Nigel Glockler on drums, 'Call To Arms' is bang on-the-money brilliant Saxon music, a confident embrace of the aura and writing values from their early years married perfectly to a modern Saxon crunch. The first edition digipack version of 'Call To Arms' will also contain a free bonus CD featuring 7 songs recorded live at Saxon's historic performance at Castle Donington 1980.

BLONDIE get into a Panic...

BLONDIE 'Panic Of Girls' [Release Date 04/07/2011]
2011 UK 11-track CD album

The much anticipated album by Blondie will be released on July 4th. The Album entitled 'Panic of Girls' will be the bands ninth studio album following 'The Curse of Blondie', which was released in 2003.

Debbie, Chris and Clem have once again united together to create the new album, produced by Jeff Saltzman [The Killers] and Kato Khandwala [My Chemical Romance, Papa Roach]. The new album promises to encapsulate the true character and spirit of the sound of Blondie. The album was written and recorded in a number of locations in the US, including New York, New Jersey and Los Angeles. The single 'Mother' received a first play on the Ken Bruce show on BBC Radio 2 on Thursday 17th March 2011. It is to be released on May 23rd 2011.

In addition to the launch of 'Panic of Girls', Blondie will be touring the UK and Europe this summer, playing a selection of the biggest and best festivals, as well as a number of headline dates.  They’ll be sharing the stage with some of the biggest names in music today such as Coldplay, Foo Fighters, Scissor Sisters, Jessie J, Weezer, Bruno Mars and more.

 

SUCK IT AND SEE (WHAT YOU THINK...)

ARCTIC MONKEYS 'Suck It And See' [Release Date 06/06/2011]

CD album I vinyl LP

Light and airy, filmic but intimate, carefully arranged but deceptively powerful, 'Suck It And See' is Arctic Monkeys' fourth album.

Recorded at Sound City Studios in Los Angeles with long-time producer / collaborator James Ford, it has a Summery pop feel, with the bulk of work completed on the West Coast. etaining only a modicum of the heaviness of 'Humbug', 'Suck It And See' sees Arctic Monkeys in major chord, classic songwriting territory once more.

P.J. H-arty - P.J. Harvey To Release Paintings, Poetry And Short Stories!

Harvey in concert, 2004

Following the release of her fantastic Let England Shake album this year, the Dorset-born singer/songwriter plans to make her passion of the arts become more than a hobby, proclaiming "My beginnings were as a visual artist, not a musician". Fans and collectors alike will be eagerly awaiting P.J.'s musings! Read the full story at The Guardian.

Friday's Top Items! Including Kylie, Stone Temple Pilots, David Bowie And The Mighty Led Zepplin!

LED ZEPPELIN Special Sampler

Ultra rare 1996 Japanese 13-track promotional 'Radio Use Only' CD compilation featuring the digitally remastered versions by Jimmy Page & George Marino, including Good Times Bad Times, Whole Lotta Love, Gallows Pole,Kashmir, Custard Pie and more. Custom printed disc housed in a in superb custom fold-out digipak matte/gloss mix '4-symbols' picture sleeve with discography inside, complete with Japanese booklet!

 

DAVID BOWIE Complete Set Of 17 Paper Sleeve CD Albums

RARE AND COMPLETE 2007 Japanese limited edition SEVENTEEN CD back-catalogue paper sleeve album collection comprising Space Oddity, The Man Who Sold The World, Hunky Dory, Ziggy Stardust, Aladdin Sane, Pin Ups, Diamond Dogs, Young Americans, Station To Station, Low, Heroes, Lodger, Scary Monsters, Let's Dance, Tonight, Never Let Me Down and Tin Machine. Each CD is housed in a mini-LP replica style picture sleeve with a deletion notch cutin the spine, complete with inner sleeve and Japanese insert. An amazing complete set of reissued classic Bowie albums!

 

STONE TEMPLE PILOTS Stone Temple Pilots

1994 UK limited edition 11-track PURPLE vinyl LP including original lyric inner, custom stickered picture sleeve. Both sleeve & vinyl are in wonderful near mint condition!

 

 

KYLIE MINOGUE Showgirl

Official 2005 UK 52-page 16" x 12" souvenir tour programme from 'The Greatest Hits Tour' with gold printed rice paper title page. Includes UK Discography, tour personnel and stage diagram, with stunning full colour photographs of Kylie throughout in a series of spectacular outfits. The cover has embossed titles and features a beautiful picture of Kylie wearing a pink feather and jewelled headress. Despite a light corner crease, this copy is otherwise in superbcondition and complete with the original custom printed carrier bag!

 

Thursday's Top Items! Including The Rolling Stones, Alan Skidmore, Spencer Davis Group And The Smiths!

ROLLING STONES Plundered My Soul

Official 2010 US UMe label promotional 2-track CD for the song that was released for the '2010 Record Store Day' and taken from the Expanded & Remastered 'Exile On Main Street' album, featuring the Radio Mix by Spike Stent and LP Version. Custom picture sleeve featuring a black & white tongue logo made up using the 'Exile On Main Street' artwork, plus a custom picture back insert, this copy also comes with a custom promo postcard advertising the album release.

 

ALAN SKIDMORE QUINTET TCB

Rare original 1970 UK 7-track stereo LP on a black & silver Philips label, a free-jazz firestorm as performed by what you'd normally expect to be reserved Brits! No such thing here, with Malcolm Griffiths, John Taylor,Chris Lawrence, Tony Levin plus John Surman and Mike Osborne causing havoc in the studio. The fully laminated sleeve shows minimal edge wear with a perfectly legible spine and the vinyl is near mint.

 

SPENCER DAVIS GROUP Set of 3 Japanese Promo Sample CD Albums

Superb collection of THREE 2006 Japanese promo sample issues of the limited edition CD albums comprising Their First LP [including 9 bonus tracks], The Second Album [with 8 bonus tracks] and Autumn '66 [with 8 bonus tracks]. Each promotional stamped disc is housed in a mini-LP replica card wallet picture sleeve with bio/liner notes on the reverse and complete with replica inserts, plus fold-out Japanese insert and promo stickered 'British Beat 40th' obi-strip!

 

THE SMITHS There Is A Light

1992 Part 1 UK 4-track CD single, including Hand In Glove Live, Some Girls Are Bigger Than Others Live and Money Changes Everything, picture sleeve with stickered jewel case YZ0003CD1.

Fleetwood Mac to reunite?

It's been eight years since Say You Will, and there are promising signs of a follow-up in the works. Speaking to US press, Stevie Nicks has reportedly said:

"When my album and Lindsey's albums come to a stop, then Fleetwood Mac will gather again and we'll either make another record or we won't and we'll just go on tour..."

The Guardian elaborate.

Following the breadcrumb trail...

"The term post-rock was coined by Simon Reynolds in issue 123 of The Wire (originally released - May 1994) to describe a sort of music "using rock instrumentation for non-rock purposes, using guitars as facilitators of timbres and textures rather than riffs and powerchords." (source: prog-archives)

 

Here's a brief overview of some of the prime movers of today's post-rock sound that we're highly pleased to have some great items on offer for...

Starting with Tortoise, who with a distinctly electronic, almost brittle texture to their music made the 'minimalistic' sound enthralling and influential early 90's American band Slint who's sparse and dense atmospherics helped develop the post/math rock genres to new depths. Almost as a resounding celebration of these sounds came Mogwai who, as likely contenders for leaders of the genre with their unmistakable outputs like the incomparable 'Zidane' film soundtrack, epitomise the building soundscapes that have become a key denominator in identifying the sound of the 'scene'. 

Other 'must mention' bands would have to be Godspeed You Black Emperor and Explosions In The Sky who, both in their own exacting ways have spent the last 10 years crafting the sublime lonely-guitar-picked intro's and crushingly yet melodic climaxes to their instrumental soundtracks on reflection - and not forgetting Sigur Ros - the masters of the 'sublime' from Iceland, delivering delicate melody with their native (and at times own invented language - Magma from years past springing to mind here!) hovering over pulsating progression.

We're committed to keeping a healthy flow of classics like Mogwai's Come On Die Young or Tortoise's Millions Now Living Will Never Die to maintain a range of delights from the genre here in the 991 archives to help keep the post-rock carousel boldly turning ever on!

Wednesday's Top Picks! Including The Wild Bunch, An Unmissable Kylie Book, Rush And New Order!

THE WILD BUNCH Story Of A Soundsystem

2002 UK Strut label 9-track double vinyl LP, compiled by DJ Milo as a snapshot of the early b-boy/disco years of The Wild Bunch DJ crew from Bristol, members of which went on to enjoy worldwide success as Massive Attack. Custom stickered picture sleeve with illustrated/essay insert STRUTLP019.

 

KYLIE MINOGUE Aphrodite Les Folies

Amazing 2011 UK limited edition 46-page hardback tour programme which is packed with stunning photographs of Kylie in a series of spectacular outfits, along with tour dates, tour personnel and quotes/lyrics. This beautiful item has gold front and end pages plus a luxurious black dust jacket with an embossed Kylie bust. Gorgeous!

 

 

RUSH Different Stages 9 Song Sampler

Scarce 1998 Canadian Anthem 9-track promotional-only live CD sampler for the 'Different Stages Live' three disc set which was meticulously put together by Geddy Lee during the band's hiatus, including Roll The Bones, Tom Sawyer, Bastille Day, Working Man and more. Custom printed disc complete with a unique promo-printed picture sleeve with the tracklisting for the 3-CD set on the reverse, plus also comes with the custom tracklisting back insert PRCD18.

 

NEW ORDER Confusion Remix

Rare 1990 US Minimal Records 6-track 12" vinyl single, featuring Essential Mix, Accapella & Trip I-Ambient Confusion and more, housed in a generic card sleeve QAL249.

Macca The Knife

Described as the perfect 'get-home-from-work music', Macca's new record, pencilled in for early 2012, is set to be a covers album. 

Speaking to Rolling Stone magazine, Sir Paul states the material is his 'dad's style of music'; we're already pulling possible album titles out the hat this afternoon.

The Cure, Kiss and Billy Joel are among the acts reported to be taking part. NME carry the news...

Lennox, Wilson and American Idol all awarded at NARM dinner

Brian Wilson, Annie Lennox and American Idol were honoured at the NARM Awards Dinner last week – marking the close of the US trade organisation’s music and commerce conference.

American Idol received the Award For Outstanding Achievement, celebrating the franchise’s 10th season for its significant impact on the business while Annie Lennox accepted the Harry Chapin Memorial Award.

Kenneth Gamble and Leon Huff, Nicki Minaj, John Marmaduke of Hastings Entertainment and Joe and Rachelle Friedman of J&R Music and Computer World were all also honoured for their contributions to the music industry.

More than 300 companies attended the convention in LA, which saw a keynote interview with BMG North America president of creative Billy Mann.

Rachelle Friedman was also re-elected for her fourth term as NARM chair of board and the organisation will also launch the product meta platform initiative – which will update NARM’s retail database to include digital product data.

NARM President Jim Donio said the organisation was there to support is member companies and added, “We’ve got three more classes coming up at our Music Startup Academy in New York, and our next online seminar is with TuneSat on June 9. So stay tuned in to NARM’s website, Facebook, and Twitter.”

Read more at Music Week here.

If you are still completing your collection, exploure our archives on Brian Wilson & Annie Lennox

Gloss Dropped...

Drawing on roots as diverse as The Velvet Underground's fuzzy drone to the haunting melancholy of Talk Talk, the shoe-gazer-noise blend of My Bloody Valentine to the early spatial rhythms of Krautrock the largely instrumental sub-genre that is post-rock has been heavily invested in by an increasing number of bands in the last few years and to acknowledge the fore-runners in the eclectic side of the genre (and downright trendy) Battles comes the highly anticipated release of their new album 'Gloss Drop'  (featuring Gary Numan!) surfacing right now...

This is the same Battles who feature ex members of Helmet and Don Caballero and who somehow defy logic and seem to be able to make their genre-boundary-pushing sounds accessible having had tracks appearing on channel 4 teen dramas like Skins and several TV ads! New album Gloss Drop further proves that rock music isn't just defined 'heavy' due to runaway rhythms or break neck speed but as much in the sheer intensity of layered harmonies and haunting repetition.

 



Tuesday's Top Items! Featuring The Walker Brothers, The Smiths, The Pretenders, Van Morrison And Oasis!

WALKER BROTHERS 1965 UK Tour Programme And Ticket Stubb

Rare original 1965 UK 8" x 10½" 16-page programme and ticket stubb for the tour jointly headlined by the Walker Brothers and Roy Orbison, with support artists Lulu, the Quotations, and KimD, featuring photographs and biographies of the performers plus advertisements for Vox sound equipment and the latest releases from the three main acts. This copy has some scuffs to the cover, but is in otherwise excellent condition with clean intact pages free from writing, rips or tears!

 

THE SMITHS Singles Box

2008 UK strictly limited edition 12 x 2-track 7" vinyl boxset - 'Singles Box' contains the first ten UK-issued singles, such as 'This Charming Man', 'Heaven Knows I'm Miserable Now', 'How Soon Is Now?' & more, all presented in their original picture sleeves; plus 2 additional singles [exclusive to this box set] including the projected 4th single: 'Still Ill' [which was pressed as DJ promo 'A' label single only, but ultimately got passed over and replaced by 'Heaven Knows I'm Miserable Now'], presented in it's original form, and the Dutch release of 'The Headmaster Ritual' in it's black & white 'cowboy' sleeve - the rarest commercially issued Smiths single in any territory. All housed together in a deluxe sealed & stickered clamshell picture box complete with four contemporary badges and a poster featuring the singles artwork ** Strictly Limited to 7500 Copies ONLY **

 

THE PRETENDERS Pretenders

Original 1979 UK Real Records FULLY AUTOGRAPHED 12-track vinyl LP, housed in a picture sleeve with original song hype sticker on the front plus comes with the picture inner sleeve. The front of the sleeve has been signed by Pete Farndon, Chrissie Hynde, Martin Chambers and James Honeyman in black/red ballpoint pen above their respective pictures with Pete using the 'P' from the band name as part of his name. A stunning item ideal for framing inan Art Vinyl Play & Display frame!

 

VAN MORRISON The Best Of Van Morrison

Rare official 1990 Canadian CRIA certified PLATINUM award PRESENTED TO VAN MORRISON to commemorate sales of over 100,000 copies of the Polydor album. This stunning award features the album artwork and a copy of the CD, mountedabove a custom engraved dedication plaque dated December 1990 and a CRIA 'Certified Platinum' plaque. This beautifully framed and glazed award measures 15½" x 14½". A fabulous item to hang on your wall** Complete With Certificate Of Authenticity **

 

OASIS Familiar To Millions

Rare 2000 UK limited edition 18-track triple vinyl LP recorded live at Wembley Stadium, July 2000 - includes extra track Helter Skelter recorded for US Radio Network, housed in a fabulous tri-fold picture sleeveRKIDLP005 - An increasingly hard to find triple album!!!

Pink Floyd Reunite

   
Fans will have already found out by now but for those that may have missed it, Roger Waters was indeed joined on stage by both remaining members of Pink Floyd last Friday at the O2, for the first time since Live 8 in 2005 in fact, when they reunited for a one-off performance. Read the article at The BBC. 

All the world's indeed a stage...

Rush are back and have finally arrived in the UK as tonight [16th May, 2011] they're gracing Sheffield with their first show on English turf since the Snakes And Arrows tour, show-casing their highly anticipated 'Time Machine' tour, which as well as comprising a 25-track strong set boasts 2 brand new tracks form the forthcoming album 'Clockwork Angels' and most jaw-droppingly exciting their globally successful and favourite album of many 'Moving Pictures' played in order in it's entirety for the first time EVER!

 

 

 

The band first embarked on the mammoth tour jumping in their 'Time Machine' and first landing on American shores back in June 29, 2010 in Albuquerque!

After 6 more slots due in Europe [including the 25th May show at London's O2 - there's a few of us here @ 991 that will see you there if you're going to that one!] they'll be taking to the skies again to head back to the States for another round of musical mayhem and then after a penultimate date in their homeland Canada in Vancouver [sure to be a hearfelt exciting performance there!] they'll be exiting stage ['left' we presume] in George, America on 2nd July 2011.

Let's hope that final date brings about [after a welcome rest of course - not too long though boys!] a solid date on the horizon for the new album...

Before we see any special copies of that little baby emerging however we URGE you to come check out the comprehensive and scintillating collection of classic Rush albums, limited editions, rare memorabilia [including Presto 'rabbit' pens and bobble-heads!] to collectable singles and promos we have hiding in the treasure troves here at 991.com - everything you need before heading out and seeing the super-human trio step out once again into the Limelight!

Go here for more! www.rush.com

And check out the set-list for the Time Machine tour below:

The Spirit of Radio

Time Stand Still

Presto

Stick It Out

Workin' Them Angels

Leave That Thing Alone

Faithless

BU2B (from Clockwork Angels)

Freewill

Marathon

Subdivisions

(Interval)

Tom Sawyer

Red Barchetta

YYZ

Limelight

The Camera Eye

Witch Hunt

Vital Signs

Caravan (from Clockwork Angels)

Love 4 Sale (Drum solo)

Closer To The Heart

2112 Overture / The Temples of Syrinx

Far Cry

Encore:

La Villa Strangiato (with polka intro)

Working Man (with reggae intro and Cygnus X-1: Book I outro)

 

　

Monday's Top Three including QUEEN, JANIS JOPLIN and VAN MORRISON...

QUEEN The 3" CD Singles Set

Mega rare set of all TWELVE UK 3" CD singles from QUECD1 through to QUECD12, each housed in unique 3" wallet picture sleeves and still in their original EMI bubble packs - now extremely hard to find even separately!.

 

 

JANIS JOPLIN Japanese Paper Sleeve Reissue Campaign

Stunning 2007 Japanese extremely limited edition FOUR album 6-CD paper sleeve collection box set, includes the albums Farewell Song [SICP-1674], Janis [SICP-1672-3], Greatest Hits [SICP-1671] and In Concert [SICP-1669]. Each album is in its respective mini-LP replica sleeve with obi-strip with the 'Greatest Hits' album housed in a unique pull-out cover picture sleeve slipcase, all wonderfully presented in a custom glossy picture boxwith the artwork to the 'In Concert' and 'Greatest Hits' albums on the front/back, this box was only available via a proof-of-purchase coupon scheme for a short period of time - stunning MINT item!.

VAN MORRISON Paper Sleeve Collection

Complete set of 7 2008 Japanese exclusive limited edition audiophile SHM-CDs [Super High Material CD - playable on all CD players] from the legendary singer, including 'Tupelo Honey' [1971], 'It's Too LateTo Stop Now' [2-CD set, 1974], 'Wavelength' [1978], 'Into The Music' [1979], 'A Sense Of Wonder' [1984] and 'Avalon Sunset' [1989] - a total of 48 tracks! Each CD features bonus recordings & is superbly presented in a mini LP-style card sleeve with fold-out Japanese lyric sheet, English lyric booklet & obi strip - a superb collection!.

Out NOW... Including KATE BUSH, THE MONKEES and FRIENDLY FIRES...

* Kate Bush 'Directors Cut': CD album I Deluxe 3-CD Edition I 2-LP Vinyl Set
* Kate Bush Reissues: 'The Dreaming' I 'Hounds Of Love' I 'The Sensual World' I 'The Red Shoes'
* Billy Joel 'Live At Shea Stadium': 2CD/1DVD I DVD I Blu-Ray
* Billy Joel 'The Last Play At Shea': DVD
* Monkees 'Monkeemania': 2-CD album set
* Friendly Fires 'Pala': CD album I 2-LP Vinyl Set
* DangerMouse & Daniele Luppi with Jack White & Norah Jones 'Rome': CD album
* Heaven & Hell 'Radio City Music Hall' set: DVD I Blu-Ray
* Michael Franti & Spearhead 'The Sound of Sunshine' album: CD album
* Poison 'Double Dose: Ultimate Hits': 2CD album set
* Al Stewart 'Images [His First Three Albums]': 2CD album set

Just In...From The Storm

Classic, original, iconic, fuzzbox, Stratocasters, wah-wah pedals, breakers and shakers - just some of the words that spring to mind when you think of the great British and American heavy blues guitarists and bands that started everything that lead to the rock music we know today and like a rollin' stone we've been gathering up the cream of the crop...with legendary live performances from Jimi Hendrix to influential Eric Clapton albums knockin' on the door setting the wheels of fire in motion when it comes to stunning hard to find collectables becoming available once again...

 

 

Along with classics from Jimi and rarities from Cream we've had a mouth watering collection of staple items and unique goodies by The Who from beautiful Japanese issues to scarce promo solo releases. And for those of you that prefer the tuning stepped down and the amps turned up we're currently standing back admiring a serious stack of Black Sabbath mini-LP replicas and deluxe editions to die for!

 

So Come On, don't Wait Until Tomorrow it's time for some heavy, geetar burnin' Summertime Blues!

 

 

The Weekend's Top Three including THE JAM and THE WHO!

THE JAM Signed & Framed Photograph

Rare official UK 10" x 8" black & white publicity photograph featuring a classic iconic image of the band performing with Bruce & Paul both jumping up off the stage in front of the drum kit. This has been fully AUTOGRAPHED by Paul Weller, Bruce Foxton and Rick Buckler in black marker pen. Professionally framed & glazed with a white surround in a dark brown wooden frame measuring 15" x 17" in size. ** Complete With Certificate Of Authenticity **.

THE WHO Live At The Isle Of Wight Festival 1970

Columbia 30-track promotional special advance gold recordable double CD-R acetate set featuring classics like I Cant' Explain, Pinball Wizard, Magic Bus, Substitute and My Generation from the legendary performance. Custom stickered discs & title & tracklisting inserts - very rare!.

THE WHO At The Marquee

Rare original 1970 UK poster which was issued with the Live At Leeds vinyl LP album which advertises the bands show at The Marquee club in London, which has been professionally framed & glazed measuring 22½" x 29½" in size. This has been fully AUTOGRAPHED by the late great Keith Moon & John Entwistle, plus surviving members Roger Daltrey & Pete Townshend on the white lettering of the band name in a black ball point pen. This has a white surround and is framed in a black & gold wooden frame. The poster has a small hologram in the bottom left corner from the company who originally authenticated the signatures, plus a sticker on in the top left corner and authenticity certificate attached to the back - A simply stunning item that won't hang around, now very hard to find a full set of signatures and very sought after. ** Complete With Certificate Of Authenticity **.

Adam Ant: Back From The Brink

Eighties star Adam Ant talks to Andrew Perry about beating his mental health problems and his forthcoming tour and album

Adam Ant swans into his Kensington mews apartment an hour late, wearing motorbike leathers, a cigarette between his teeth. After numerous tribulations, he’s to make a dramatic comeback to music next month, with his first full tour in more than 15 years.

Fondly remembered for his swashbuckling run of hits in the early Eighties, such as Ant Music, Stand & Deliver and Prince Charming, Ant (real name Stuart Goddard) had fallen out of favour by the mid-Nineties. He drifted into acting, but then hit the headlines for all the wrong reasons... read more at The Telegraph here.