UK | National Album Day launches album artwork exhibition: National Album Day has partnered with Network Rail for ‘The Sounds of…’ exhibitions in the UK’s busiest train stations. In the lead up to National Album Day on 12 October pop up exhibitions will arrive at London Bridge, Birmingham New Street, Glasgow Central Station and Manchester Piccadilly. The album lists have been chosen by NAD artist champions Lewis Capaldi, Elbow, Mahalia and Mark Ronson in collaboration with local music critics and independent record stores to reflect the sounds of each part of the UK. The touring exhibition also includes lists of the best-selling albums since the millennium according to the Official Charts. Artists that appear more than once in the exhibition include Amy Winehouse, whose albums Frank and Black to Black appear on Mahalia’s list and the London and South best-sellers, and The Cure who appear in the London and South music critic list for Disintegration and the London and South record store pick for Seventeen Seconds.
Cork, IE | No vinyl countdown for Douglas record store hit by shopping centre fire: The owner of one of Cork’s most loved record stores is hoping to keep on trading until he can access his unit at Douglas Village Shopping Centre. A car park fire over the weekend has left part of the building structurally compromised and demolition works will be needed to make the rest of the centre safe before traders can return to their stores. It is unclear how much of the building will be demolished and traders have not been given any indication of a timeframe for when the centre will return to trading following a fire last Saturday evening. Estimates for the centre to be reopened to the public vary widely with some saying it could be months before the public can access businesses on the premises. However, businesses are already rallying and helping each other out in the village. Ray O’Brien of Music Zone has said he plans to keep selling records with help from Falveys Pharmacy on the Main Street.
Youngstown, OH | Local Vinyl shop keeps authentic sounds alive: One of a few in the Valley, the record store offers vinyl records of all genres and eras. In a world full of technology, music is available at our fingertips, but finding authentic sound may take a little digging. Geo’s is a record shop in downtown Youngstown. One of a few in the Valley, it offers vinyl records of all genres and eras. “You have people that really like true sound, so they wanna hear that wave, like it’s supposed to be,” said George Case, owner of Geo’s. Case opened the shop in 1997. He started out with roughly 1,000 records. Now, he has thousands. Case said listening to music on vinyl is not the same as listening to it in a digital format. “If you care about real music and how the artist intended for it to sound, a record is the truest, closest thing to a real instrument… it sounds warmer to the ears,” he said.
Fords, NJ | Vintage Vinyl Records hosts Jon Zazula for Heavy Tales book signing and Q&A: Jon Zazula, founder of Megaforce Records, will celebrate the release of his new book, Heavy Tales. The Metal. The Music. The Madness., with an in-store signing at Vintage Vinyl Records in Fords, NJ, on Saturday, October 26 from 2 to 4 p.m. This event will also feature a Q&A session with Jon Zazula. This will be Zazula’s only New Jersey signing. Rob Roth, Owner, Vintage Vinyl Records says, “Jon Zazula is a New Jersey legend who changed the course of musical history.” Says Zazula, who also notes the irony of appearing at Vintage Vinyl, a longtime destination for metal fans throughout the Tri-State area and an early competitor of Zazula’s own Rock N’ Roll Heaven stores in East Brunswick and Clark, NJ, “Ever since the early days of Rock N’ Roll Heaven, I was competing with Vintage Vinyl to be the coolest record store in New Jersey. Now, 38 years later, I am appearing at Vintage Vinyl and everything is coming full circle. I’m so jazzed and I can’t wait to be back in New Jersey with my friends again. This should be loads of fun.”
Taylor Swift: Lover album sales account for 27% of US market: Pop star’s seventh record is the biggest-selling since her last album, Reputation, was released in 2017. First-week sales of Taylor Swift’s new album Lover accounted for a reported 27 per cent of all album sales in the US. According to Nielsen Music, Swift’s seventh record sold 679,000 copies in the week ending 29 August, marking out a sizeable chunk of the 2.487 million albums (including formats of CDs, digital albums, cassettes, vinyl, etc) sold across the seven days. Billboard reports that it also marked the biggest week of any album since Swift’s last record, Reputation, was released in 2017, when it held 29 per cent of the market in its first week (1.216m of 4.149m albums sold). Sales of the album, which topped the charts in both the US and the UK are reportedly so huge that Lover is the biggest-selling record of 2019 after just a week of being on sale. It is trailed by Lady Gaga and Bradley Cooper’s A Star is Born soundtrack, which has sold 447,000 copies this year.
Pink Floyd to Release “The Later Years” Box Set in November: On 29 November 2019, Pink Floyd Records will release ‘Pink Floyd The Later Years’, a 16-disc set (5xCDs, 6xBlu-Rays, 5xDVDs) covering the material created by David Gilmour, Nick Mason and Richard Wright from 1987 onwards. The period generated record sales of over 40 million worldwide and included three studio albums: ‘A Momentary Lapse Of Reason’, ‘The Division Bell’ and ‘The Endless River’ as well as two live albums: ‘Delicate Sound Of Thunder’ and ‘Pulse’. With additional production from David Gilmour and Andy Jackson, over 13 hours of unreleased audio and audiovisual material, including the sought-after 1989 Venice and 1990 Knebworth concerts, ‘Pink Floyd The Later Years’ is a must for all fans.
Marvin Gaye What’s Going On Live Reissue Announced: The 1972 set, coming to vinyl for the first time, was the only time Gaye’s classic album was performed in full. Marvin Gaye’s What’s Going On Live is being released on vinyl for the first time. Recorded at Washington D.C.’s Kennedy Center on May 1, 1972 for a celebration of “Marvin Gaye Day,” the performance marks the only time Gaye performed the 1971 record in full. The recording also features live versions of “That’s the Way Love Is,” “You,” “Right On,” and “Wholy Holy.” What’s Going On Live is out October 18 via Motown/UMe and is available for preorder here. What’s Going On Live was released on CD in 2001 alongside an expanded deluxe edition of What’s Going On. For its first vinyl release, the record has been newly mixed by John Morales at M+M Mix Studios and remastered by Alex Abrash at AA Mastering. The album will come on 2xLP and CD, which both include rare photos from the performance and new liner notes by Gaye biographer David Ritz.
