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

Peter Gabriel covers Radiohead, Elbow & Arcade Fire for new album

As reported by the NME, Gabriel returns early next year with a new studio album of acoustic and orchestral cover versions of Bowie, Radiohead, Magnetic Fields and more. The tracklisting is confirmed:

Heroes (David Bowie)
The Boy In The Bubble (Paul Simon)
Mirrorball (Elbow)
Flume (Bon Iver)
Listening Wind (Talking Heads)
The Power Of The Heart (Lou Reed)
My Body Is A Cage (Arcade Fire)
The Book Of Love (The Magnetic Fields)
I Think It’s Going To Rain Today (Randy Newman)
Apres Moi (Regina Spektor)
Philadelphia (Neil Young)
Street Spirit (Radiohead)

Return of the beardie weirdie look in the noughties

Simon Reynolds makes some valid points, raises some hairy questions and ultimately brings much laughter all round with a Guardian article on the return of "beard rock". But what does the "face-fuzz" signify in leftfield rock? To make a point that you've gone well beyond merely your third album, from teenybopper to mature adult, you've done a George Harrison, your music is deep and has roots and you've reached the fourth plateau... that you've lost the plot? Beard rock. It's back

Good News

For those of you that have been waiting [and for those of you that so far have missed out], there is a new shipment of the amazing books by Yuri Grishin on the way & we should soon have them all back in stock again.

For those that don't know, Yuri has written & released four incredible books on the great British Record Labels of the last thirty years. Each book is an encyclopaedic reference with label designs, sleeve pictures & interviews with key people that had a hand in the label, making then an essential for the library of any serious collector.

The books available so far are for Island, Harvest, Charisma & the recently published Vertigo, which also includes singles for the first time.

Yuri plans to also publish pocket books in the future for ease of use & also to include any updates to his main works.

As someone that has purchased one of each, I can recommend them !

RTA

The King of Schlock Rock keeps Halloween Alive

Apparently Halloween never ends for Alice Cooper, it's a 3-6-5 thing for him and he means it. It's family tradition! To celebrate such madness, he has a new single out just in time for the holiday this year.

Courtesy of Planet Rock news

Cheap Trick brings back the 8-track

Those who swear by vinyl say that records provide a warmer sound compared to compact discs, and that the larger packaging and gatefold artwork offer a superior tactile experience (and certainly to digital downloads). But where's the love for the 8-track, those bulky blasts from the past which sounded fine enough in your El Camino, and which broke down classic albums indiscriminately into four programs. Don't look now, but the cartridges are back, brought by a band from the same era, Cheap Trick. Read more right here

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/arts/cheap-trick-brings-back-the-8-track/article1205531/

Jimmy Page Doesn't Want To Be A Guitar Hero

Don't hold your breath for Guitar Hero Led Zeppelin folks. Led Zeppelin guitarist Jimmy Page has slammed the popular Guitar Hero franchise.

During a press conference in Los Angeles, the guitarist said that he didn't feel video games are the ideal way to expose people to music or to teach them to play instruments.

"You think of the drum part that John Bonham did on Led Zeppelin's first track on the first album, Good Times Bad Times," Page said. "How many drummers in the world can play that part, let alone on Christmas morning?"

"It's depressing to have a label come and tell you that [Guitar Hero] is how kids are learning about music and experiencing music" Jack WhiteWhite went on to say that "It's depressing to have a label come and tell you that [Guitar Hero] is how kids are learning about music and experiencing music." While he added that he doesn't try to limit "which format people should get their music in…if you have to be in a video game to get in front of them, that's a little sad."

Hhmmm, now let me see. In the upcoming Guitar Hero 5, due out in September, The White Stripes song Blue Orchid is featured. So Mr.White is clearly not overly bothered in truth how people find out about his turgid dross.

Peter Gabriel Makes Rare UK Date

Peter Gabriel’s only European show this year will be a headline slot at the Womad Festival.

The former Genesis frontman will headline the Saturday night (25 July) of the Wiltshire festival. All proceeds from the festival will go to the human rights charity Witness, of which Gabriel is a long term supporter.

"This will be my only show in Europe this year, and I am delighted it will be for Witness.org. I had no plans to play in the UK but when Festival Director, Chris Smith, heard I was looking for a suitable event, he generously offered the Saturday at WOMAD. We are trying to raise £100,000 for Witness," he told Womad’s official website.

Eddie Van Halen talks about a new Van Halen album

In a recent conversation with Rolling Stone Magazine, guitarist Eddie Van Halen had the following to say: On new VH material; "Janie and I are getting married on the 27th of June, and then we'll go on a honeymoon. Then Dave, Wolfie, Alex and I are going into the studio and record some new music and go on tour about a year from now....But we're a true band now.

It wasn't just a reunion one-off thing. I've already gone to Dave's house four or five times over the last month. I've got so much music. It's just trying to figure out what Dave's into because we haven't written together in a long time. But it's great. It feels like we've always felt in the beginning. But I'm sober, so it's different. He's sober, so it's different. It's a wonderful feeling."

And on being sober: "I started drinking when I was 12 years old because I was nervous. And my dad gave me a shot of vodka and it was a wonder drug. It really worked for a lot of years. But I certainly didn't drink to make music or to write. It had nothing to do with it. I just get nervous. I'm nervous now. But I stopped drinking over a year ago, and I'm done with it. For 42 years, I drank. It just shows you anything is achievable."

Full Interview (and about Mike's departure from VH) at: www.rollingstone.com

You can also catch up with 991 EXCLUSIVE interivew with guitar legend Joe Satriani on his new band Chickenfoot which features Eddie's former cohorts Sammy Hagar and Michael Anthony right here, right now!  Joe Satriani EXCLUSIVE - Chickenfoot interview 

Fleetwood Mac Tickets Available NOW!

If you are a member of the O2 Bue room priority service you can buy Fleetwood Mac tickets right now!!!

http://www.o2blueroom.co.uk/Portal/Pages/

Fleetwood Mac Announce UK Tour

Fleetwood Mac have announced a UK tour for this winter. 

The band play five dates across the country and one date in Ireland as part of their Unleashed World Tour. The band last played dates in the UK in 2003 in support of their Say You Will Tour.

Tickets for the dates go on sale on Friday at 9am, with some pre-sales starting at 9am on Thursday.

Here are the dates:

22 October SECC, Glasgow
27 October M.E.N. Arena, Manchester
30 October Wembley Arena, London
2 November Sheffield Arena
3 November NIA Birmingham

It was 42 years ago today

...that Sgt Pepper taught the band to play!

Unbelievably today marks the 42nd anniversary of the release of possibly the most important album in history, The Beatles Sgt pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band.

Going straight to number one where it stayed for 23 weeks, 'Pepper' is still the biggest selling UK album ever and sits firmly in the top ten biggest selling albums of all-time.

It truly was an album of firsts.

Sgt. Peppers was the first "concept" album, although any link between tracks was tenuous.
The record is the first not to be banded into individual tracks, with hardly any gaps between songs.
It was also the first to use the run-out groove, therefore leave the stylus on the record and it would chatter away endlessly. 

The Beatles insisted that the album be issued identically worldwide, so for the first time Capitol in America fell into line and didn't split tracks over different L.P.'s

The cover has a picture montage (but not the Beatles first - check out "Beatles For Sale") by Peter Blake which contains,

57 photographs,
9 waxwork models loaned from Madam Tussaud's,
A Sgt. Pepper drumskin,
A stone bust,
Four Statuettes,
An Idol,
A doll wearing a jumper emblazoned with "Welcome The Rolling Stones" and "Good Guys",
A portable T.V.
A Gold award,
A variety of flower arrangements, one spelling "Beatles", and another of a guitar, plus a row of Marijuana plants,
And ... The Beatles.
Other than the waxworks, the other items all came from the personal collections of The Beatles.

The drumskin was painted by a genuine fairground artist, Joe Ephgrave, who actually did two versions. The chosen design is now part of Beatles iconography and is probably the second most famous drumskin of all time.

The cover too, is the subject of a few "firsts",
It was the first to have the lyrics printed on the reverse.
The inner sleeve was also the first to be decorated in a design by Seemon and Marijke.

The total recording time spent on Sgt. Pepper's was over 700 hours at a cost of about £25,000

Also recorded during the Sgt. Pepper sessions,
"Strawberry Fields Forever" - 24th November 1966 - 22nd December 1966
"Penny Lane" - 29th December 1966 - 17th January 1967
"Carnival Of Light" - 5th January 1967
"Only A Northern Song" - 13th February 1967 - 14th February 1967
"Drum Track" - 22nd February 1967 ... 22:10 long, unreleased, never remixed.

For more info on this classic album and on other Beatles recordings do yourself a favour and visit

http://www.jpgr.co.uk/i_sound.html  or http://www.thebeatles.com/core/music/

Zakk Wylde offers his opinions to the world

Zakk Wylde – the always outspoken Black Label Society and Ozzy Osbourne guitarist – is shooting his mouth off again, and this time he’s got Aerosmith and Metallica in his sights.

Guitar Wars - Ron versus Gary

Legendary guitarist Ronnie Montrose – of Montrose and Gamma fame – is suing fellow six-stringer Gary Moore.

The reason? Ronnie reckons Gal is in possession of a guitar of his that was nicked back in the early 1970s.

Ronnie claims he had his 1959 sunburst Gibson Les Paul stolen back in 1972 - two years before the release of Montrose’s seminal debut album (pictured left).

Ronnie was then a member of the Edgar Winter Group, and his guitar was half-inched from an EWG show in Dudley, Massachusetts.

Ronnie says he bought the guitar from J Geils, and used it to record the Edgar Winter Group album They Only Come Out at Night.

Ronnie says he has since hired private detectives to track down the guitar, but with no luck.

Until he saw Gary Moore’s guitar collection in a British guitar magazine. Ronnie is convinced that one of Moore’s pictured Les Pauls is his missing guitar.

Ronnie claims a photo showing a pin-sized hole in the back of the guitar is the proof, as he drills such holes in all of his guitars.

According to US court reports, Moore has not responded to Ronnie’s efforts to establish contact, so Ronnie is suing the Irish axepert. There is no suggestion Moore was behind any claimed theft in 1972.

Reached at his home in Brighton, England, Moore refused to discuss the matter, saying only that the “whole thing is a sham”.

Source: Classic Rock.com

Aerosmith Rethinking the Formula for Summer Arena Tour With ZZ Top

Steven Tyler's bout with pneumonia prevented Aerosmith from getting a new studio album out in time for this amphitheater tour, but that just means more room for rarities. "The set lists have been getting stale," says guitarist Joe Perry. "We've talked about doing an album front-to-back — probably one of the first three records. That's my next battle, to see if we can pull it off."

Also sweetening the deal for longtime Aerosmith fans this time out, another formidable act with arena-sized riffs: ZZ Top. "That's just amazing to be able to play with them because it's going to be a kickass show," Perry says.

Source: rollingstone.com

No More Cream Says Clapton

Eric Clapton says that there won’t be any more Cream reunions, saying that “we’ve gone as far as we could with that.”

Yahoo! News quotes an interview in the latest issue of Rolling Stone magazine, in which the legendary blues guitarist revealed that despite some vague murmurings of a potential reunion, it’s looking increasingly unlikely.

“I think I was clear that I don't think we need to go there again... I think we've gone as far as we could with that,” he told Rolling Stone.

Clapton also revealed that he tried to get his former Blind Faith bandmate Steve Winwood to take part in the reunion shows in 2005, but the idea was shot down. 

"It was not a favourable idea with the other two guys... We would have had to start a new band with a new name."

Todd Rundgren Live!

For immediate release / London, England -

Todd Rundgren - rock’n’roll icon, guitarist, interactive progenitor, singer/songwriter and record producer, will perform his paradigm shifting 1973 album, A Wizard, a True Star in its entirety for the first time ever in Britain on Saturday February 6th 2010 at the London HMV Hammersmith Apollo.  This marks Todd’s only UK concert of the album which is hailed as an influential masterpiece by today’s new bands, including Hot Chip.

Tickets for the concert will go on sale at 9am on Wednesday May 27th.  Tickets are priced £48.50, £45.00, £40.00, £32.00 (Agency and credit card bookings subject to a fee). Ticket Hotline: 08700 603 777, Book Online: www.seetickets.com. 

Although Rundgren's breakthrough 1972 album, Something/Anything? is considered by many to be his masterpiece, the psychedelic impact and bordering-on-disturbing innovation of the follow-up, A Wizard, A True Star is arguably Rundgren's most experimental and influential album and is hailed as one of the most influential and pioneering progressive rock album recordings of all time. 

This will be the first time in Britain that he will perform the whole record live onstage, from start to finish.  The first half of the concert will feature a selection of Rundgren's songs throughout his career, while the second half will consist of the entirety of A Wizard, a True Star. Originally released in 1973, much of the album is an extended medley after the fashion of The Beatles’ late recordings.  The effect of the songs merging one into another was immediate, infectious and dazzling;  the lyrical content was often at once both tongue in cheek and hallucinogenic.

Brian May explains the American Idol rumours

After Adam Lambert’s killer performance with Queen on Wednesday night’s season finale of American Idol, rumors flew that he had already been offered a job singing with the band. That’s slightly premature, according to the band’s guitarist, Brian May. “Amongst all that furor, there wasn’t really a quiet moment to talk,” May tells Rolling Stone in an e-mail interview. “But [drummer Roger Taylor] and I are definitely hoping to have a meaningful conversation with him at some point. It’s not like we, as Queen, would rush into coalescing with another singer just like that. It isn’t that easy. But I’d certainly like to work with Adam. That is one amazing instrument he has there.”

May, whose band recently ended a four-year-long partnership with singer Paul Rodgers, is comfortable with Idol as a launching point for the careers of rock singers. “You’d have to define ‘legitimate’ first,” he writes. “The long-term answer has to be that, if you have enough talent and enough will to succeed, you will get there by whatever route presents itself. Once you have scaled the castle walls, with the sword in your hand, it matters little how you got there. I’ve not always been positive about shows like this, but there is no doubt that it offers a door to some real genuine talent along the way.”

“Both those boys are well worthy of big success,” May continues, in regard to Lambert and Idol winner Kris Allen. “So it’s pointless for someone like me to stand on the sidelines jeering. I’m confident Adam will make great use of this wonderful opportunity. I hope I’m there to see it.”

rollingstone.com

Thunder Classics Reissued

Thunder’s classic albums Back Street Symphony and Laughing On Judgement Day are to be reissued in deluxe expanded form on 6 July.

The band’s first two albums have been remastered and expanded by a tonne of extra material, including live tracks, B-Sides and rarities.

Backstreet Symphony, Thunder’s classic debut album, was originally released in March 1990. Now expanded to 2 CDs, it’s bolstered by a number of bonus tracks, including rare studio and live b-sides. It also includes their March 1990 Town & Country Club gig, available in its entirety on CD for the first time. The sleeve also features out takes from the original photo session, memorabilia and a newly written sleevenotes by Classic Rock’s Dave Ling.

Laughing On Judgement Day, Thunder’s classic second album, was originally released in 1992, entering the charts at No.2 (and only kept off the top spot by Kylie Minogue's Greatest Hits!) This expanded edition now includes a bonus CD featuring studio and live b-sides from the album’s now rare and out of print singles.

Here’s the bonus CD contents:

Back Street Symphony
1.   An Englishman On Holiday (Live)
2.   Girl’s Going Out Of Her Head (Live)
3.   Until My Dying Day (Live)
4.   Another Shot Of Love (Live)
5.   Don’t Wait For Me (Live At Donnington)
6.   Backstreet Symphony (Live At Town & Country Club)
7.   She’s So Fine (Live At The Town & Country Club)
8.   Until My Dying Day (Live At Town & Country Club)
9.   Higher Ground  (Live At Town & Country Club)
10.  Don’t Wait For Me  (Live At Town & Country Club)
11.  Fired Up  (Live At Town & Country Club)
12.  Dirty Love  (Live At Town & Country Club)

Laughing On Judgement Day
1.   She’s My Inspiration
2.   With A Little Help From My Friends
3.   Low Life In High Places
4.   Everybody Wants Her
5.   Dirty Love (acoustic version)
6.   Higher Ground (acoustic version)
7.   Like A Satellite (live version)
8.   Gimme Shelter
9.   The Damage Is Done
10.  Higher Ground (Live)
11.  Lazy Sunday (Live)
12.  Bigger Than Both Of Us

Signed Hendrix Single Discovered

We have just gone through some of our boxes and discovered this absolute gem. We are gobsmacked.

 

http://991.com/Buy/ProductInformation.aspx?StockNumber=469586

 

JIMI HENDRIX Hey Joe

 

 

1967 German wide centred 7" vinyl single also featuring Stone Free. This copy is rather special in that the textured title sleeve has been clearly AUTOGRAPHED by Jimi across the front in a large & unhurried manner. The autograph was obtained by Michael Hoffman on 16th April 1969 in New York while Jimi was on a break from his US Tour, between gigs at The Spectrum in Philadelphia on 12th April & The Ellis Auditorium in Memphis on 18th April.

 

The large autograph itself extends over the entire of the red 'Hey Joe' text & looks to be in black ball point. Mercifully unfaded, even after forty years - a really wonderful piece!