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

Celebrate the Queen's Diamond Jubilee - 15% off ALL records, CDs & memorabilia at 991.com

Here in England the whole country is getting patriotic to celebrate our Queen's Diamond Jubilee.

The Union Jack flags are out, the street parties are starting and to celebrate here at 991.com we are giving our customers a special Jubilee treat.

For a limited time we are offering a 15% discount off EVERYTHING in our huge range of vinyl records, CDs & music memorabilia... and don't forget, some of these items are already reduced here in our Monthly Sale so you'll be saving even more!

Browse and shop at 991.com and enter voucher code JUBILEE991 during checkout.

Spread the word! Your friends can use this voucher code too so please pass it on.

God save the Queen.

Robert Croydon
Managing Director
eil.com Rare vinyl records, CDs & Memorabilia

 

p.s.We are always looking for records, CD or music memorabilia to buy and pay the best prices so contact our buyers by emailing us on buyers@991.com or call us on +44 (0)1474 815099 if you have anything you want to sell us.

 

BBC Four's Punk Britannia reveals the spirit behind the snarl

A new TV series explores punk’s history and the rich legacy it left in British music.

The history of punk rock, like the history of wars, has been written by its victors. One might be forgiven for thinking the whole thing was about two bands: the Sex Pistols, whose feral energy exploded in 1976 and burnt out in two years; and the Clash, who endured a little longer, before imploding on the cusp of massive worldwide success.

Punk Britannia, the latest three-part series from BBC Four’s excellent music documentary strand, seeks to tell a broader, more complex and detailed story. With God Save the Queen being re-released to commemorate the Sex Pistols’ Silver Jubilee protest, punk has been reduced to a few cartoonish gestures of aggression and anti-authoritarianism. “We wanted to show how disparate and kaleidoscopic the whole era was,” explains the series’ producer, Ben Whalley. “Punk was this amazingly transformative cultural force, which is still being felt. It wasn’t necessarily all nihilistic and against everything. There was so much positive energy about it, too, and it created so much wonderful music.”

Read the full article at The Telegraph here, by Andrew Perry.

Vinyl: Back Again for Another Spin

What's old can nowadays be associated with trendy words such as 'vintage', 'retro', and 'old school' and the resurgence of vinyl is just further proof of this. From those who grew up listening to records in their bedrooms as teens and young adults, to those discovering that turntables aren't just for DJ's mixing it up at local night clubs, vinyl records have continually increased in popularity since 2010. According to Digital Music News, US record sales increased from 2.8 million units in 2010 to 3.9 million units in 2011. Sold mostly in independent music shops, http://www.vinylstall.com vinyl records can also be found in some mainstream clothing and electronics outlets as well as online.

The Demise and Resurrection of Vinyl

This is an amazing turnaround, since 20 years ago records were all but extinct. First, many independent music stores couldn't compete with larger music store retailers such as Tower Records. As a result, many local shops closed, which left people without anywhere to go to buy vinyl. Then, CDs came along, which created a dramatic shift in how people listened to music. More portable than records, people could listen to CDs at home, in the office, or in the car. Digital music, which has all but replaced CDs, allows people to download singles from their computer, tablet, and smartphones.

Digital music put most large music store retailers out of business. Independent stores that survived, did so by selling rare and used CDs and audio equipment.

Now, these stores sell vinyl and turntables to a new generation of record listeners. Over the last few years, celebrations like Record Store Day (April 21) have helped independent music stores in the US and UK increase awareness of vinyl.

Who's Listening to All this Vinyl?

With the sudden increase in the popularity of vinyl, the question is who's buying records and turntables? Record collecting, for the most part, was regulated to a small group of people that bought albums for their own enjoyment or those that wanted to make a little extra cash on the side. But thanks to the Internet, collectors have been able to connect with each other along with record companies, auction houses, antique shops, book and music stores and other businesses that sell vinyl recordings.

Nowadays, younger people, especially teens and young adults, can be found flipping through the record racks at local record and book shops. The reasons for the shift in listening to digitized music to vinyl vary depending on who you talk to. Some vinyl fans enjoy the sound quality (skips, pops, vibrations, and all); while others enjoy going to the store and spending time browsing through available titles. For shop owners, this means increased sales and the opportunity to talk with music fans one-on-one.

But it's not just music lovers that contribute to vinyl records increasing popularity. Solo artists like Katy Perry, David Bowie, Paul McCartney, and bands including The White Stripes and The Misfits have all released singles on vinyl. With musicians offering new and old recordings on vinyl, there's even more music to choose from. This has definitely impacted the popularity of records.

The Future of Vinyl

No one knows for certain how long this trend will continue or if musicians will continue to crank out singles on vinyl. But for independent record stores, the resurgence of vinyl has helped these stores stay in business. And with online resources such as 991.com and vinylstall.com music fans and collectors now have options when it comes to shopping for records. Music stores can also use online resources to find vintage recordings for customers.

 

Article courtesy of Sylvia at VinylStall

 

There are supergroups, and then there are Producers...

... arguably the most successful line up of musicians and producers ever. Together, the members of this exciting new collective of extraordinarily highly regarded producers and artists have, over the past 40 years, scored over 200 hit singles and albums. So who are Producers? Step forward Lol Creme, ex-member of brilliant 70s pop group 10cc and one half of hit-makers and production/video duo Godley & Creme, legendary British producer Trevor Horn award-winning musician, engineer and producer Stephen Lipson and ubiquitous human drum machine Ash Soan. Read more…

Watch the Producers play exclusive tracks for HolyMoly here

Iron Maiden's 'The Number Of The Beast' voted Best British Album of the last 60 years

Iron Maiden's 'The Number Of The Beast' has been voted as the best British album of the last 60 years in a new poll.

The metal classic came out on top in a public vote conducted by HMV to celebrate the Queen's Diamond Jubilee and took almost 10% of the votes cast.

Depeche Mode were a surprise in second place with their seminal album 'Violator', while The Beatles featured four times in the Top 10, firstly at Number Three with 'Sergeant Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band'.

The other entries from the Fab Four were 'Abbey Road' at Number Four, 'Revolver' at Number Six and the 'White Album' at Number 10, with Pink Floyd's 'Dark Side Of The Moon' at Number Five. Queen were at Number Seven with 'A Night At The Opera', Oasis were Number Eight with 'What's the Story) Morning Glory?' and Adele was at Number Nine with her mega-seller '21'.

Speaking about the achievement, Iron Maiden frontman Bruce Dickinson said: "We're astonished and delighted to hear 'The Number of the Beast' has been named Number One. Some of the most influential and classic albums from the past 60 years were in the running so it’s a testament to our incredibly loyal and ever-supportive fans who voted for us."

He continued: "Iron Maiden is a proudly British band, so to win this category as voted for by the British public, in Jubilee year, is very special. Thank you to all our wonderful fans!“

Outside the Top 10, The Clash placed at Number 13 with 'London Calling', with David Bowie's 'The Rise and Fall Of Ziggy Stardust And The Spiders From Mars' at Number 14 and The Smiths' 'The Queen Is Dead' at Number 15.

Radiohead's 'OK Computer' was 17th, with Black Sabbath's self-titled effort at Number 16. The Who, Sex Pistols, Blur, Stone Roses, The Cure, Joy Division, Arctic Monkeys, Pulp and The Rolling Stones all failed to make the Top 20.

The 10 Best British Albums of the last 60 years as voted in HMV poll were as follows:

1. Iron Maiden – 'The Number Of The Beast'
2. Depeche Mode – 'Violator'
3. The Beatles – 'Sergeant Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band'?
4. The Beatles – 'Abbey Road'
5. Pink Floyd – 'The Dark Side Of The Moon'
6. The Beatles – 'Revolver'?
7. Queen - 'A Night At The Opera'
8. Oasis – '(What’s the Story) Morning Glory?'
9. Adele - 21'
10. The Beatles – 'White Album'

Article courtesy of NME

You can find these albums, by these artists, and more at 991.com

50 years of the Rolling Stones

For the past fifty years, the Rolling Stones have made people dream. Through the images of a handful of great photographers, the Galerie de l’Instant pays tribute to the group’s half-century of rocking.

Photographer : Dominique Tarlé, Philip Townsend, Richard Dumas, Jerry Schatzberg, Gered Mankowitz, Ethan Russ ell, Ron Galella, Patrick Liechfield, Terry O’Neill, Peter Lindbergh, Albert Watson, Mark Seliger and Claude Gassian.

"Stoned and Respectable" - 50 years of the Rolling Stones
La Galerie de l'Instant
From May 25th to September 12th, 2012
46 rue de Poitou
Paris 75003
Tel : +33 (0) 1 44 54 94 09

Click here for the article source on La Lettre.

This week's R.C. Weekly Newsletter Excerpts from 991.com

Excerpts from this week's R.C. Weekly Newsletter, brought to you by 991.com

*****

Huzzah! Jolly good show! It’s here!

The new issue of Record Collector, that is. Some of you will have seen it already, should you subscribe. Gosh, it’s blue, the same colour as kids paint the sea. We know the little tykes are lying, but our cover really is that blue. The ingredients in this month’s recipe for musical obsession are The Small Faces, the first Ziggy pressing, Beatles books, Winston’s Fumbs, Atomic Forest (heard their version of Jethro Tull’s Locomotive Bread? And yes, I spelled that right), Led Zep (and others) at Chislehurst Caves, the superb Richard Hawley talking to our reviews editor, Jason Draper; Dion, the Nu Groove label by Kris Needs, plus Feeder, an unissued Leviathan LP offer, Madness albums to be won, Can, Dexys, Peter Hammill, Talk Talk and Damon Albarn CDs reviewed, and our Collector is a man who knows more about Marc Bolan than his own mother did. RC 402, in the shops today, pouting sexily and just waiting for your eyes to meet its own.

On a more serious note, there have been some terrible losses lately; Donna Summer and Robin Gibb in the past week. I don’t have much to add to the fulsome tributes we have seen in the media, except that I think both, despite the acclaim and hits and lasting careers, were perhaps under-appreciated. Donna may have seemed something of a puppet in the hands of her producer, Giorgio Moroder, but the work they did together transformed music in a way that might barely seem plausible, when you consider that they took electronic pop to places even Kraftwerk hadn’t thought of. As for Robin Gibb, I was not a fan of The Bee Gees. But their songs were phenomenal and they didn’t get the credit for this, perhaps because much of their 60s work was quite idiosyncratic and didn’t attract cover versions to the extent that Lennon & McCartney’s did. But here is one cover version – sounding like a prayer. Which seems appropriate now1 www.youtube.com/watch?v=OIegCsg4VtM&feature=related

Back to The Small Faces; you know about the deluxe editions that Universal have just released? They’re packed with gems and different versions. That ain’t all, folks. I am told there is a 5-CD box set coming, featuring demos, unissued stuff and things that have not seen the light of day since they were dreamt up in a haze in the studio. It’s some months off yet, but I can hardly wait. Meanwhile, Ronnie Lane’s old band, Slim Chance, are travelling again, with gigs all over the place and a launch party for their return album, The Show Must Go On, at London's Half Moon, Putney, on 9 June. The album is all Ronnie’s tunes, which is as it should be www.slim-chance.co.uk

Just a little nudge about two DJ spots for me this week: Friday 25 May (tomorrow), I am joining Tradition Records and Dave Blue Cat at Ska-Lip-Soul, The Grosvenor, 291, Mansfield Road, Nottingham, NG5 2BY; 8pm-1am, admission £3. On Saturday 26 May, I’m spinning an early set at The Spread Eagle, 267, Victoria Avenue, Southend-on-Sea SS2 6NE, alongside the Live Injection crew, 8pm-1am. Hope to see you at one or the other if you fancy a bit of retro reggae, ska and soul.

Thank you, as ever, for reading. Happy record hunting.

Best wishes,

Ian McCann, Record Collector Editor

In the new JUNE 2012 issue:-

To get the full unedited version of the Weekly R.C. Newsletter, please email:-

 

anna.bowen@metropolis.co.uk

 

and don't forget to mention 991!

 

Paul Simon: I won't record with Garfunkel again

Paul Simon will never record with former partner Art Garfunkel again because he does not want to “go back and visit the past”.

The singer-songwriter does not want to re-visit his musical history and would instead prefer to get on with “quietly making new music”, he said.

A problem with Garfunkel’s vocal chords had left him unable to sing in his mid-range, making the question a “moot point”, he added.

His comments, made during an interview with BBC Radio 4’s Today Programme, will be a disappointment for fans who had hoped the Sound of Silence duo would reunite to record again.

The pair have already have bestselling albums including their last studio venture Bridge over Troubled Water, released in 1970 shortly before they split.

The record, which was delayed due to disputes between the two artists, went on to win five Grammy Awards, including Record of the Year.

Visit the past by viewing Simon & Garfunkel's back catalogue at 991.com

Read the full article here at the Telegraph.

The Music world mourns Robin Gibb

The music world was in mourning today after Robin Gibb of the Bee Gees died aged 62 following a lengthy battle with cancer.

The British singer and songwriter sold more than 200 million records and notched up dozens of hits with brothers Maurice and Barry during a career spanning more than half a century.

With their trademark falsetto close harmonies, the trio helped turn disco into a global phenomenon with hits including Stayin’ Alive and Night Fever, which featured on the soundtrack of the 1977 film Saturday Night Fever, starring John Travolta.

His family announced his death yesterday prompting an outpouring of grief from fans and fellow members of the music industry.

Read the full article here at The Telegraph.

Donna Summer Queen of Disco - RIP

'Queen of Disco' Donna Summer 'thought she became ill after inhaling 9/11 particles'

Donna Summer, the 1970s pop singer known as the Queen of Disco, has died of lung cancer, an illness she believes she contracted from inhaling toxic particles released after the September 11 terrorist attacks in New York.

The 63-year-old singer, who had hits including Hot Stuff, Love to Love You, Baby and I Feel Love, died in Florida on Thursday morning.

She had largely kept her battle with lung cancer out of the public eye. But the website TMZ reported that the singer had told friends she believed her illness was the result of inhaling toxic dust from the collapsed Twin Towers.

On Thursday night tributes were paid to the singer, considered by many to be the voice of the 1970s.

A statement released on behalf of her family — husband Bruce Sudano, their daughters Brooklyn and Amanda, her daughter, Mimi from a previous marriage and four grandchildren — read: “Early this morning, surrounded by family, we lost Donna Summer Sudano, a woman of many gifts, the greatest being her faith

Read the full article here at The Telegraph

Spend More... But Save More at 991.com

For a limited time spending more means you save more on rare vinyl records, CDs, CD singles & music memorabilia at 991.com

Savings start automatically from £2 and increase to £75 depending on the value of your basket.

Plus you can already save up to 75% in out our monthly sale - search here: http://991.com/Offer/Offer.aspx

So don't delay - shop now, spend less and receive more with http://991.com

Regards


Robert Croydon
Managing Director
http://991.com Rare vinyl records, CDs & Memorabilia

PS Follow us on facebook at http://www.facebook.com/NineNineOne

This email was sent to julia.nicholas@eil.com. We hope you found this message to be useful. However

Just 48 hours to save 20-75% on some really rare US Vinyl Records, CDs and memorabilia

Last week we told you about our Bumper US Buying Trip including "sealed from original" vinyl, promotional CDs, and some genuinely rare items - click here to view the most recent items.

And at the same time we discounted (nearly) all our US pressings of Vinyl, CDs and Memorabilia by between 20% and 75%.

Now you have just 48 hours of this offer left, so hurry up and take a look now at http://991.com

Regards


Robert Croydon
Managing Director
http://991.com Rare vinyl records, CDs & Memorabilia

Warhol, Lichtenstein and Ai Weiwei pieces break art records at New York auction

Andy Warhol's "Double Elvis" sold for $37 million and works by Roy Lichtenstein and Chinese dissident artist Ai Weiwei broke their own records at Sotheby's contemporary art sale yesterday, Wednesday.

Lichtenstein's "Sleeping Girl," depicting a woman with closed eyes and flowing blond hair, fetched $44,882,500; Weiwei's 1-ton, handmade porcelain "Sunflower Seeds" brought $782,500.

Another major work on the auction block - Francis Bacon's "Figure Writing Reflected in Mirror" - sold for $44,882,500. The buyers' names for each of the four pieces were not released.

The sale came on the heels of art auction history. Last week, the auction house sold Edvard Munch's "The Scream" for $119.9 million, making it the most expensive artwork ever sold at auction.

"The reason for these record-breaking sales is, quite simply, the quality of material on show," said Michael Frahm, a contemporary art adviser at the London-based Frahm Ltd. "The key is quality."

Read the full article here at The Telegraph.

This week's R.C. Weekly Newsletter Excerpts from 991.com

991 is pleased to bring you excerpts from this week's R.C. Weekly Newsletter. Contact anna.bowen@metropolis.co.uk if you want to sign up and receive the full version each week.  Get tour news, Live Event news, Reviews, R.C. News, Exclusive offers and more!

****

Back in the saddle after last week’s viral fiasco, so I am not writing to you from my bed – you will no doubt be relieved to hear. We’ve been polishing up the pages for the next issue of Record Collector, which will go to press soon. Among the treats in store is an item about the original UK pressing of Ziggy Stardust… which is not necessarily the pressing it is generally assumed to be. We have a fantastic new Rare Record Club release from prog-psych-blues monsters Leviathan to offer you. We speak to Mr Richard Hawley, a musician who knows the value of classic rock just as much as we, the fans, do. And we also bring you the true mod-rock icons, the Small Faces. Can’t wait to see it in print… I only hope this doesn’t read like a Jools Holland announcement!

I would like to be able to tell you of my latest adventures in the world of record buying but I haven’t really found anything of note this week. For sure, there is stuff on the way by what is still just about called the Royal Mail, but it has yet to arrive. I spent quite a lot of my spare time looking for a single that had been misfiled to include a picture of it in the magazine. I knew I had it somewhere, but it wasn’t where the rest of the band’s records were, and in the end I started looking behind the records on the shelves in case it had somehow wormed its way back there – always a bad sign. Alas to no avail. Next day I looked again. Still no luck. I was starting to wonder if I’d imagined owning it. In which case, I’d have imagined walking into the shop, seeing it on the wall, asking the owner, whom I knew well, and paying for it, before going home with it and then going off to the dentist a little late afterwards. Which is of course, one of the great things about visiting a record shop rather than buying online – you remember the events that surround buying an interesting record. So I knew I had it somewhere. Then I remembered – it was in my DJ box. Not that I’d ever played it while DJing, but I’d considered it, and that was enough to mean several hours searching over a few days. I don’t own that many records that this should have been a problem, but cataloguing records can be difficult, especially when you collect across a lot of genres and there’s not really much of a logical way of filing some of them, such as reggae, as the artists all work with each other for any number of record companies in a variety of styles. Somehow we file records this way and that, or not at all, and I’d like to see a definitive method of filing that would eliminate difficulties like the one I had this week. That said, I’d also like to see world peace, an end to illness and free curry for all every Friday night. I suspect I face a long wait…

Have a good week,

Best,

Ian McCann, Record Collector Editor

In the current issue of Record Collector:-

In this issue: The Beatles – Which is the rarest edition of their first album? How many were pressed? In more depth than ever achieved before! Plus a review of recent developments in Fab Four books and a story that looks at some of the less-appreciated elements of their tale. A major feature on one of the most enduring punk bands, Cockney Rejects (and they’re more than just punk, as those who heard their later albums will know). An interview with Madness in which they take us back to their ska days. We meet “the German Pink Floyd”, Eloy. And we hear from The Smiths’ Mike Joyce about a new project which includes something big and unseen about the band.

 

Hundreds of Beatles fans battle it out for roles in West End musical based on the group

Hundreds of Beatles fans are trying out for a new West End musical based on the lives of the Fab Four – the first to have the rights to play songs by the sixties group.

Let It Be will take the form of a gig of 20 songs from different stages of the band's life and include real footage of their rise to fame.

Two sets of four Beatles will eventually be chosen from the hopefuls along with two keyboardists – or Fifth Beatles – to provide backing and effects for some of the band's later hits which were never performed live.

Auditions at the Gielgud Theatre, in London, came a week after others were held at the Cavern Club in Liverpool – where the Beatles played their first gigs.

It is the first West End show to be granted the rights to the band's back catalogue.

Let it Be will have a limited run at the Prince of Wales Theatre, where the Beatles played the 1963 Royal Variety Performance in front of the Queen Mother.

Read the full article here at The Telegraph.

Andy Warhol 'Double Elvis’ expected to make $50m

An Andy Warhol portrait of Elvis Presley as a cowboy could make as much as $50 million (£31 million) when it goes up for auction this evening.

Sotheby’s says the “Double Elvis (Ferus Type)” will be sold Wednesday night, 7pm EDT, during a contemporary art sale.

The silver silk screen painting shows Elvis armed and shooting from the hip. A shadowy Elvis figure is faintly visible in the background.

It was exhibited at the Ferus Gallery in Los Angeles in 1963, the year it was created.

The auction house said it’s the first “Double Elvis” to appear on the market since 1995. The sale estimate is $30 million to $50 million.

Sotheby’s identified the seller only as a private collector.

Courtesy of The Telegraph.

Bumper US Buying and 20%-75% off nearly all US stock

A fantastic buying trip to the USA last week has seen some great vinyl, CDs and pieces of memorabilia arrive in our warehouse (along with a very jetlagged buyer).

There's no shortage of "sealed from original" vinyl, promotional CDs, and genuinely rare items - click here http://991.com/Buy/PresetList.aspx?pageID=10223 to see what we're adding to our catalogue.

And to clear some space in our warehouse we are offering 20%-75% off most of our existing US rare vinyl records, CDs and memorabilia for a VERY limited time only. Browse our stock at http://991.com

Regards


Robert Croydon
Managing Director
http://991.com Rare vinyl records, CDs & Memorabilia

Liam Gallagher's Pretty Green clothing chain to sell vinyl records

Liam Gallagher, the former Oasis singer, is riding to the rescue of traditional high street record shops by selling vinyl albums through his Pretty Green chain of fashion stores.

The number of independent record shops in the UK has fallen from around 2,000 a decade ago to 300 today. However vinyl sales rose by 40 per cent last year and are at their highest level since 2005, according to official figures.

Pretty Green, which was founded by Mr Gallagher in 2009, will sell a range of classic albums – from Exile on Main Street by The Rolling Stones to The Seldom Seen Kid by Elbow – from 10 of its shops for a limited period from the end of this month.

Customers will be able to buy the albums by browsing record sleeves on display in Pretty Green’s shop windows and then ordering them via a mobile telephone app. The records will then be delivered to the customer by post.

Brian Rose, the managing director of Universal Music UK’s commercial division, which is behind the venture, said: “We are seeing continued passion as well as new enthusiasm for vinyl through our online store Uvinyl and the great support the format gets from those indie music shops which are still flourishing.

“But by harnessing the latest technology we hope this partnership with Pretty Green will lead to much wider opportunities for selling music on the high street.”

Nigel Grant, Pretty Green’s brand director, said that selling records complements the clothing company’s brand and ideals.

The app, called Simply Tap, has been developed by technology company Mobile Money Network.

John Milliken, the company’s managing director, said: “Our instant mobile checkout allows shoppers to buy what they want, when they want it. People walking past the Pretty Green store window will be able to instantly buy vinyl records 24 hours a day, seven days a week and have them delivered to their preferred address.”

He said that the Pretty Green shops are “the first in a series of ways” that Mobile Money Network is planning to help Universal Music to sell music.

Article courtesy of The Telegraph.

Jazz is celebrated by stars of music and film

Morgan Freeman and Michael Douglas watch International Jazz Day concert at UN headquarters, with performances from Wynton Marsalis, Lang Lang and Stevie Wonder.

Jazz was celebrated across America yesterday by cultural icons as diverse as film stars Morgan Freedman and Robert de Niro, soul singer Stevie Wonder and Chinese classical pianist Lang Lang.

The celebrations culminated in a finale International Jazz Day concert, featuring Lang Lang, Wynton Marsalis, Herbie Hancock and Tony Bennett, at the United Nations headquarters in New York.

Quincy Jones said: "Jazz is America's only true indigenous art form. It's our classical music, you've got to remember that. It's the heart and soul of American music and we can't afford to let it slip into obscurity."

International Jazz Day was launched in Paris on Friday by the U.N. Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation in partnership with the Thelonious Monk Institute of Jazz, of which Hancock is chairman.

Monday's events began with a concert in New Orleans featuring Hancock and Wynton Marsalis's 78-year-old pianist father Ellis. Trumpeters Terence Blanchard and Kermit Ruffins, singer Stephanie Jordan and others performed On the Sunny Side of the Street. Marsalis added: "Jazz musicians are everywhere. We all know each other."

Courtesy of The Telegraph

Check out The Jazz pages at 991

This weeks R.C. Weekly Newsletter excerpts - brought to you by 991

991 brings you excerpts from this week's R.C. Weekly Newsletter. To subscribe to the full version, simply contact anna.bowen@metropolis.co.uk and please mention 991!

*****

It’s been an up and down week. On the plus side, had the pleasure of attending the Ironhorse Reggae Night in Romford, Essex, on Saturday and I am glad to report, as one of the world’s biggest experts in this kind of music (ahem), there were several tunes that had me foxed. Luckily the DJs weren’t the type to tell you to take a hike when you asked them what they were. On the negative side, on Tuesday I went down with a stomach virus and I feel rougher than 40 grade sandpaper. I am typing this from my sick bed, and found myself deliriously dreaming about going into a charity shop and finding a 12” of Al-Naafiysh (The Soul) by Hashim for a quid. Which sounds like a fantasy, but was a bit of a pointless dream, as that actually happened at the weekend. When you are dreaming about finding records you have already found, you have got to be ill. Or at obsessive at least…

Strange, being ill – when I was a kid I remember being off school in bed with measles and listening to Radio 1 all day. I don’t think there’s a single radio station I could listen to all day now without it driving me bonkers. I suppose the more music you know, the harder it is to listen to someone else’s selection. There’s also much more extraneous matter on the radio these days – not so many madly irritating jingles perhaps, but more news, more travel, more sports news, more ads. That’s partly because the more music is played, the more the stations have to pay. There’s also the idea of an all-round service rather than it just being about non-stop pop. It’s all a lot busier, and music has been pushed aside to some extent. It means that my listening has necessarily become more selective, and a lot of knob-twiddling goes on. In a purely radio sense, I might add…

Still more letters have arrived about the Please Please Me story; including variants we haven’t listed, or so it appears at first glance. We’ll have a sift through and will be printing the best of them in issue 403. In the meantime, Beatles books have been read and rated by Spencer Leigh, a long-time friend of RC who is a definite Fabs expert. You’ll find his conclusions in the next issue, along with The Small Faces, an interview with Richard Hawley and much more…

Hope you’re feeling well yourself

Best

Ian McCann, Record Collector Editor

In the next Record Collector...

 

In this issue: The Beatles – Which is the rarest edition of their first album? How many were pressed? In more depth than ever achieved before! Plus a review of recent developments in Fab Four books and a story that looks at some of the less-appreciated elements of their tale. A major feature on one of the most enduring punk bands, Cockney Rejects (and they’re more than just punk, as those who heard their later albums will know). An interview with Madness in which they take us back to their ska days We meet “the German Pink Floyd”, Eloy And we hear from The Smiths’ Mike Joyce about a new project which includes something big and unseen about the band.