991 is pleased to bring you the editor's excert from this week's R.C. Weekly Newsletter.
You can subscribe to the full version of the Weekly Newsletter by emailing Anna 
anna.bowen@metropolis.co.uk [Please mention 991].
The new Christmas issue of Record Collector is out now!
In this issue, not be missed:
Led Zeppelin:
Zep expert Dave Lewis reveals the meaning of the runes on their fourth, magnum opus
Deep Purple: main man Ian Gillan recalls waking up Cliff Bennett, and Don Airey guides us through his Top 121 projects.
Flying Nun: we lift the lid on the 80s indie scene in New Zealand.
Sleighed Alive: the Ed. picks 31 festive Christmas cuts that won’t make you want to OD on the sherry trifle.
Julian Lennon: an exclusive personal guide to his favourite Fabs memorabilia, and memories of John.
Steve Roden: a sepia-tinged trip into ancient Americana.
R&B to Reggae: how one genre led to another.
The Jesus And Mary Chain: a fine Reid with the gothic siblings.
*****
The new issue is out today, and this week the Ed. has been released from N. Acton (with a tag) for good behaviour and time served. He should be imminently replacing his learner-driver L-plates for a P plate, or in his case, gleefully displaying both on his motor. You can’t keep him away from an LP for long. Whatever, he’s no doubt spinning I Like Driving In My Car as we speak. That, or getting Road Rage. Possibly in one of the Postman Pat rides outside Morrison’s. Either way, he’s passed with flying colours with regard to the Christmas issue of the mag, bedecked as it is with plenty of blooming marvellous fare, not least the cover feature focusing on Led Zeppelin’s fourth album. You know, the one with the Signs. Fortunately, Zep expert Dave Lewis’ feature makes a lot more sense than M. Night Shyamalan’s, dissecting as it does the album and its runic meaning. Also on the 70s hard rock front, Deep Purple frontman Ian Gillan recalls tapping up Cliff Bennett in his pyjamas. Cliff that is, not Ian. You’ll have to read it... And Ian’s colleague, Don Airey, revisits his favourite projects and waxes lyrical about Gary Moore, among others.
For those who want to know moore (see what we did?) about the Kiwi indie scene – alright, something - then our seasonal sojourn southwards to Flying Nun should have you singing the praises of The Chills and their ilk. The Jesus And Mary Chain also add a touch of Yuletide gothic cheer to proceedings, as siblings Jim and William Reid revisit the birth of their own baby, and Steve Roden’s sepia photograph album of American folk makes for a fascinating visitation to an otherworldly yesteryear. The roots of reggae in R&B are revealed with some choice sides, and Julian Lennon’s roots are explored care of an exclusive personal guide to his own Beatles collection, including reminiscence and rumination about John. Lennon Sr., of course, made one of the more memorable hardy perennials in Merry Christmas (War Is Over), and our round-up of 31 Christmas singles that you don’t actually want to smash in Santa’s mince-pie-riddled beard on Boxing Day are charted, even if they didn’t.
We here at RC refuse to be drawn into the controversy over whether the X Factor winner or another artiste should hog the Christmas No. 1 spot, but if you’re going to purchase this year’s turkey, you’ll no doubt be doing it as a download, what with the demise of the CD single, and that. While few mourned the loss of that particular format, the impending ‘death’ of the CD album has been greatly exaggerated. It still accounts for three-quarters of album sales in the UK and, despite media and blog rumours to the contrary, there are no plans for the major labels to get shot of their £10 billion of income-generating silver discs just yet. So don’t scrub that Motorhead 15-CD or 15-LP box set off your wish-list. There’s still life in the old discs yet (including the older black ones), and you can’t hang a download on your Christmas tree or wear them as Noddy Holder-style ear-rings, can you? As our Ed. will tell you.
It’s (nearly) Chrisstmaaaaaaaaaaaas!
Tim Jones
Record Collector News Editor
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