UK | Genesis, Rush, Wakeman, Oldfield white label discs up for charity auction: A host of prog goodies up for auction at this year’s White Label Auction in Aid of The BRIT Trust. Over 170 rare white label pressings from bands such as Genesis, Rush, Rick Wakeman, Hawkwind, 10cc, Mike Oldfield, Moody Blues, Brian Eno and more will be auctioned off for charity next month. The White Label Auction in Aid of The BRIT Trust returns on Tuesday June 7 offering fans the chance to grab a slice of prog rock history. The auction – first staged in October 2019 – will be hosted live onsite/online for UK and international collectors by the music memorabilia and vinyl records specialists Omega Auctions from their Greater Manchester base. Funds raised will go to support the work of recorded music industry charity The BRIT Trust, which since 1989 has donated around £28 million to charities and causes that promote education and wellbeing through the power of music and the creative arts, such as the BRIT School and Nordoff-Robbins music therapy.
UK | Rare LPs and memorabilia from John Peel’s private collection will be auctioned off next month: The records on offer were “carefully selected by [the legendary DJ’s] family.” A series of records owned by legendary DJ John Peel – once branded by NME as “the king of the live session” – will be sold at an auction in London next month. Before his death in 2004, Peel amassed a weighty collection spanning over 26,000 LPs, 40,000 seven-inch singles and countless CDs. A selection of those, as well as various items of memorabilia, will be auctioned off at Bonhams’ Knightsbridge location on Tuesday June 14. It takes place a week before the 50th anniversary of Glastonbury, which has long honoured Peel with a stage named in his honour. According to a press release, the records on offer were “carefully selected by the family, whist retaining the integrity of the John Peel Record Collection”. Key pieces in the lot include an annotated mono pressing of John Lennon and Yoko Ono’s ‘Two Virgins’ LP (which holds an estimated value of £15,000-20,000), a promotional album signed by The Rolling Stones (£6,000-8,000), a copy of the rare Marc Bolan album ‘Hard On Love’ (£5,000-6,000) and a copy of ‘Queen II’ that comes with a letter handwritten to Peel by Freddie Mercury (£1,000-1,500).
The Offspring’s ‘Smash’ repressed on limited “lava” vinyl: The Offspring recently launched a 30th anniversary reissue of their 1992 Epitaph debut Ignition (available on limited marigold vinyl), and now we’re also partnering with them on an exclusive repress of their 1994 breakthrough album Smash. It’s pressed on “lava” covered vinyl, and limited to just 500 copies. Pre-order yours now while they last. Smash probably needs no introduction, but for the uninitiated, it — along with Green Day’s Dookie — helped bring punk into the mainstream, influenced countless bands in the process, and still holds up today. (It also remains the best-selling album ever released by an independent label.) It’s home to some of the band’s most recognizable songs (“Self Esteem,” “Come Out and Play,” “Bad Habit”), as well as several of their best deep cuts. It’s the band’s crowning achievement and a stone cold classic of ’90s punk, and it managed to take punk into the mainstream without forgetting where the band came from.
Adrian Sherwood releasing new compilation celebrating female dub artists: Featuring Yehaiyahan, Likkle Mai, Maria Wenda, Saba Tewelde and more. Adrian Sherwood is releasing a new compilation shining a light on female dub artists, called Adrian Sherwood Presents: Dub No Frontiers, via Real World Records. The album’s ten tracks were all produced by Sherwood, with a collection of female artists later adding their own vocals. “Many of the singers said they felt the dub/reggae arena was a male preserve and a little intimidating even,” shares Sherwood, “so we decided to invite artists to perform a song of their choice, all in non-English on our rhythm tracks.” Adrian Sherwood Presents: Dub No Frontiers follows Real World Records’ release of Hannah Peel and Paraorchestra’s The Unfolding album. Pre-order Adrian Sherwood Presents: Dub No Frontiers here in advance of its 22nd July release; check out the artwork and tracklist below.
