Monthly Archives: March 2018

VIA PRESS RELEASE | Omnivore Recordings, in conjunction with the Buck Owens Estate, will release Buck Owens and the Buckaroos’ The Complete Capitol Singles: 1967–1970. Street date for the set, available in CD and Digital, is May 11, 2018.

This is Omnivore’s second in a series chronicling every one of Buck’s historic Capitol singles from the ’50s, ’60, and ’70s. Taken from the original mono and stereo masters, The Complete Capitol Singles: 1967–1970 collects the A- and B-side to all 18 singles from that period, including 14 Top Ten hits, in their original, chronological form. The set was produced and compiled by Grammy®-nominated producer, Patrick Milligan and mastered from original analog master tapes by Grammy®-winning engineer, Michael Graves at Osiris Studio.

Owens, the best known proponent of the Bakersfield sound of country, boasted a total of 21 No. 1 country hits, most featuring Buckaroos guitarist Don Rich. In 1969, Owens came to the attention of millions as co-host, with Roy Clark, of the TV series Hee-Haw (the Buckaroos were the show’s initial house band). When Rich died in 1974, Owens took time away from music until he performed with musical disciple Dwight Yoakam, whose own music was modeled after Owens’ Bakersfield sound. Owens also operated the Crystal Palace venue in Bakersfield, which continues to present live music to this day.

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“’Just listen to his scream,’ my mom said as she placed down the vinyl record of John Lennon’s “Well, Well, Well” from Plastic Ono Band.“

“I remember the sound of the crackle and the slightly too-bright timbre of the track. It wasn’t the best of record players, and that particular record was kind of worn out, and so the bass end was not too present. But, man, did that track hit me. It was grunge before grunge. It was raw, it was melodic, and it’s probably one of the first songs in my life that I experienced on record first before hearing it on any other medium.

I really don’t know how I got into records. I guess growing up with baby boomer parents, they’ve just always been around. I started to dive into my mother’s collection probably in my early teens. You know the drill, when you ‘borrow’ … indefinitely. Many of those first records that I borrowed, I still have today. A lot of Beatles.

I interned in the Mastering department at Capitol Records, where I used to leave my desk duties during downtime, and go downstairs to watch Ron McMaster cut record masters. Yes, that’s his real name! I would watch in fascination as grooves would begin to appear on fresh lacquer and take notes while McMaster would explain to me what he was doing. I was surprised when he said he had never had anyone take such interest in what he was doing.

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Kenny Rogers & The First Edition would be groovy with me if they’d never cut another song besides acid burnout anthem “Just Dropped in (To See What Condition My Condition Is In).” I love it, you love it, Jimi Hendrix loved it–hell, even Jeffrey “The Dude” Lebowski loves it, and if that ain’t the Definitive Imprimatur of Indisputable Cool, I’m a walking 7-10 split.

But–and let’s just stick with the bowling metaphors for a moment–during their surprisingly long tenure (from 1967 to who knew?–1975) on both the pop and country charts The First Edition rolled a couple of strikes and a few more spares in the form of a bunch of songs that must have sounded just dandy in the confines of your average Dixie bowling alley. Probably even started a few brawls, a couple of ‘em; The First Edition may hardly be your idea of a socially conscious protest group, but they ruffled feathers with the likes of “Ruby, Don’t Take Your Love to Town” (a crippled vet? What are these fellas, COMMIES?), “Something’s Burning” (is this Kenny Rogers some kind of slobbering sex fiend?), and “Reuben James” (you talk race, we get nervous).

The First Edition were an eclectic bunch; a little bit country and a little bit rock and roll, Kenny and the boys brought the former to suburban Northerners and the latter to rural Southerners, effectively bringing the whole wide world that much closer together. In short they provided an important public service in their desperate bid for radio airplay; hell, even your Muskogee marijuana haters and their long-hair enemies found common ground in writing ‘em off as a shameless commercial shuck.

The First Edition’s Contribution to Western Civilization can be best heard on the 2004 best-of compilation Anthology. Its twenty cuts give us The First Edition in all their splendid diversity; country tear-jerkers rub shoulders with MOR ditties and the kinds of treacle that would later make Rogers a country-pop institution of higher earning. Talk about range; a continental divide separates “Just Dropped In” from the maudlin “For the Good Times” (or “Sunshine” or “Poem for My Little Lady” or “She Even Woke Me Up to Say Goodbye” for that matter), and if you’re like me you’ll find yourself bypassing the tripe in favor of The First Edition’s more upbeat material, regardless of what label (rock, country, country rock) you want to put on it.

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VIA PRESS RELEASE | Third Man Records, in partnership with Universal Music, is excited to announce their 4-LP release of The Supremes’ Supreme Rarities: Motown Lost & Found, which will include 45 songs never-before-released on vinyl.

Originally released on 2xCD in in 2008, the Supremes Supreme Rarities from the Motown Lost & Found Series collects from the depths of the label archives to showcase the rarities, the outtakes, and the incomparable live recordings from this inimitable group of Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductees. Supreme Rarities will be available directly from Third Man Records and finer record outlets everywhere on April 6, 2018, with pre-orders available here.

As the hometown girls who conquered the world, Diana Ross and the Supremes are inarguably the most successful, highest selling girl group of all time. From their inauspicious start as the long-forgotten Primettes, to their ascension past the moniker of “no-hit Supremes,” through the ranks of Motown’s rank-and-file to globe-trotting superstars, this group is as pure and quintessential Detroit Motor City as you can get.

Listen to the story unfold from the innocent teenaged doo-wop of “You Can Depend On Me” from 1960 all the way through the slick, socially-conscious refinement of “I’m Livin’ in Shame” from 1969. Aside a handful of forgotten vinyl releases decades ago, the majority of this material has not been released on vinyl. Until now. Third Man has taken this double-CD and turned it into a glorious 4xLP collection housed in an impeccably-designed slipcase, all watercolor pastel vibrant photos highlight how absolutely impeccable this group is.

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VIA PRESS RELEASE | Here is the official DEVO story, from riots at Kent State University in 1970, through Punk and New Wave, international superstardom with “Whip It!,” the 1980s spent as all-American arch-ironists and duty-freaks, through to the 21st century.

Several years in the making, co-founders Gerald V Casale and Mark Mothersbaugh have raided their archives for photos, artworks, and memories for this uniquely DEVO book—a 2-in-1 upside-down thing of perverse beauty. Inside the softly rubberized covers of DEVO: The Brand / DEVO: Unmasked are photos of the Mothersbaugh and Casale clans at Christmas in the early 1960s, of pre-DEVO bands in action, Kent State-era art happenings, proto-DEVO doings and the whole, gaudy beauty of the DEVO world domination campaign from the evolution of the de-volution theory.

The result is the sumptuously illustrated and wholly remarkable story of DEVO’s astounding career. DEVO: The Brand is illustrated throughout with classic iconography and music press interviews from major British and US publications; flip it over and DEVO: Unmasked, is packed with rare and unseen photos of the band from the 1960s to the present day. Commentary on the photos and DEVO history is provided throughout by Jerry and Mark in first-person testimony.

Available in two separate versions, The Classic, 320 page edition is presented in a two-color rubberized cover, while the limited run Signature edition contains DEVO: The Brand + DEVO: Unmasked as separate volumes inside a hand-crafted, rubberized clamshell box, signed by the band and containing a vintage DEVO artwork, co-created by Jerry and Mark.

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Add Eddie Money to the long list of rockers, from Ozzy Osbourne to Bret Michaels and Joe Jonas, to open their homes to reality TV crews. His new series Real Money, premiering April 8 on AXS TV—already home to Rock & Roll Road Trip with Sammy Hagar—chronicles life with his grown kids, who are also members of his backing band when he tours.

Money, at 68, is still getting mileage out of a string of hits in the 1970s and 1980s. He talked about the origins of hits like “Baby Hold On,” and “Two Tickets to Paradise” in a recent interview from Malibu. A long time Californian, he still retains his Brooklyn roots—mostly through a string of Rodney Dangerfield-like jokes that have been largely excised here for space and sanity.

“I’m sorry I sniffed all that airplane glue, I’m trying to give you good interview,” he began, before a conversation that told of his early days, a legal threat from Doris Day, touring with the Stones, and angering Sting.

Along the way, he took credit for everything from bringing Ronnie Spector back to show business, to being the first rocker to play the daytime TV circuit and the first guy to spray festival crowds with water. And he had a few choice words about Elvis Costello and Lou Gramm.

He concluded by declaring “I lied my way to the top!” in the manner of another ambitious borough-native, so baby hold on to that grain of salt.

Now you’re a reality TV star.

I gotta tell you, I’m very excited about the TV show. For some reason, it came out good, it’s funny, the kids are good. We’ll keep our fingers crossed. If we get a second season, it’d be good.

How many episodes have you done?

Ten. We shot a lot of it at the house until the neighbors got pissed off. So we shot it all over the place, in certain clubs and out on the road. They had me horseback riding, which is horrible. Hated that. And then they had me playing golf, and I play golf like Stevie Wonder at night, so I don’t know what good that episode was.

Do you think the series is going to bring new people to your shows?

I’ve got enough people out in my audience. I’ve got a lot of kids who grew up with their parents putting me in the tape deck. All these kids grew up listening to “Baby Hold On” and “Take Me Home Tonight.”

I get people at the shows who are in their early 20s, I got parents coming to the shows. We do have a pretty large following. You gotta remember, I was putting records out in 1976, I’ve got people listening to me who are in their 70s right now that still come to the Eddie Money show. Sometimes I have people asking the promoters if they have a wheelchair rack.

How many dates do you do a year now?

I’ve got five kids, so I’ll do anything to get out of the house. What I do is I try to work every weekend if I can, because I like to get Dez out there. I want to promote Dez’s music, and I’m not just saying this because he’s my kid, but he’s a great songwriter. He doesn’t sound like me, but the songwriting quality I think he’s a chip off the old block.

It’s a brave thing to do one of these shows and show everybody your family life.

Well, the kids—nobody’s got DUIs, nobody’s doing drugs or anything else like that. I feel fortunate enough, and of course all the kids are still living at home. But that doesn’t bother me either. I like having the kids living at home because I can keep an eye on them.

I’d rather have them in front of me, rather than being in someone’s car, or somebody else’s house until 4 in the morning. This way, I know when they’re going to bed, when they’re getting up, and somebody’s going to have to take out the garbage and do the dishes. I’m very happy.

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VIA PRESS RELEASE | Craft Recordings is proud to announce the release of Evanescence’s Lost Whispers, available exclusively for Record Store Day, on April 21, 2018.

Presented on blue translucent vinyl and limited to 2,500 copies, this represents the first time that Lost Whispers has been available on vinyl as a stand-alone release. The Lost Whispers album gathers Evanescence’s sought-after bonus tracks, B-sides and rarities, including a studio version of the fan-favorite tour intro “Lost Whispers” and an intimate re-recording of one of the band’s earliest songs, “Even in Death (2016)” (originally featured on their 2000 demo album, Origin).

Formed in the mid-’90s, two-time GRAMMY® Award-winning Evanescence was integral in establishing a global, critical mass in rock. Their 2003 landmark debut album Fallen laid the foundation; spending 43 weeks on the Billboard Top 10, the album sold more than 17 million copies worldwide and was certified 7x platinum in the U.S. Global hit “Bring Me to Life” reached #5 on the Billboard Hot 100 as well as marking their first U.K. #1. The equally popular “My Immortal” peaked at #7 in the U.S. and U.K., and both songs were featured in the soundtrack for the action movie Daredevil.

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Joan Jett’s 1979 debut LP is one of rock music’s most joyful readymades–an utterly endearing romp through rock history from hoary old standards (“Wooly Bully”) to bubblegum pop to Gary Glitter to the buzzsaw sound of the Ramones, Bad Reputation is a veritable vinyl jukebox you’ll never get tired of tossing dimes into.

On Bad Reputation–original title Joan Jett--the runaway Runaway dares to wear her heart on her sleeve by pledging allegiance to the songs that made her who she is; this is Joan Jett’s Self Portrait, and with the exception of her too-stiff-by-half take on the Isley Brothers’ “Shout,” she does her personal canon proud. Not only does she prove she’s the true successor to Gary Glitter (and by association her glam role model Suzi Quatro), she demonstrates conclusively that she’s her own gurl by contributing a couple of songs that (with the exception of the punk-tinged title track) blend seamlessly in with their esteemed company.

Jett (the Blackhearts were still in the future) chose her producers wisely. Top guys Kenny Laguna and Ritchie Cordell (Sex Pistols Steve Jones and Paul Cook also lent a hand) were both proud Super K Productions alumni working under immortal bubblegum producers Jerry Kasenetz and Jeffrey Katz, and they brought their many years of throwaway pop songcraft to the table. Remember that version of Led Zep’s “Stairway to Heaven” set to the lyrics of the theme song from Gilligan’s Island? You can thank Laguna for it. And Cordell is the guy who bequeathed us both “I Think We’re Alone Now” and “Mony Mony.”

I could go into all kinds of philosophical digressions about Jett’s reactionary backwards-looking worldview but I’m too busy bashing my head to her positively infectious takes on Glitter classics “Do You Wanna Touch Me (Oh Yeah)” and “Doing Alright with the Boys.” Jett hangs on to that big, bad Glitter sound (dig that tribal thump thump thump!) but takes both songs to Glamtastic new heights by making Glitter (no wallflower for sure) sound positively enervated; she doesn’t sing ‘em, she shouts ‘em, bringing an unprecedented amount of bad attitude to the table. Message to Glam Rock: You’re not dead until Joan Jett says you are!

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Klaus Schulze has released a certifiable ass-ton of music, and only the most severely dedicated have collected it all. For those wishing to own his earliest solo recordings on vinyl, the long wait is over, as the One Way Static label has issued his work from 1968-1970 on the 2LP set La Vie Electronique Volume 1.0. Fully embracing experimentation in a home environment, Schulze’s boldly celestial and drone friendly excursions infuse early electronic, proto-ambient exploration with edge and heft. Today it’s easy to pigeonhole, but at the time it was breaking new ground, or it would’ve been, had it promptly come out; the good news is that it holds up well, and two more volumes are on deck.

This isn’t the debut for the material on offer here, but it is the most concise assemblage of solo Schulze at his earliest. Initially, this stuff was sprinkled non-chronologically by Klaus D. Mueller, who contributes useful notes for this set, into 1995’s 10CD Historic Edition box set, which in 2000 was dropped into the 50CD (that’s right, 50) Ultimate Edition savings-drainer (which also included the 10CD Silver Edition, the 25CD Jubilee Edition and five additional discs).

The maximal method was obviously geared to the diligent fan, but after the Ultimate Edition fell out of print, the notion of following chronology and breaking the music into more digestible sets prevailed; this resulted in the 16 volume La Vie Electronique CD series, which spanned from 2009 to 2015; La Vie Electronique Vol. 1.0 offers the contents of the first 3CD volume’s opening disc across two LPs.

Klaus Schulze wasn’t completely a solo operator. His first group Psy Free, described by Schulze in Mueller’s notes as playing avant-garde/ free rock, never recorded, but he then moved on to Tangerine Dream, and after playing drums on their swell first album, 1970’s Electronic Meditation, just as quickly quit. From there, he formed Ash Ra Tempel with bassist Hartmut Enke and guitarist Manuel Göttsching; helping to shape a terrific self-titled ’71 debut, he made another exit.

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