We’ve closed up the HQ for the Fourth of July holiday. While we’re away, why not fire up our free Record Store Locator app and visit one of your local indie record stores, either online, curbside, or with some sound social distancing?
Perhaps there’s an interview, review, or feature you might have missed? Catch up and we’ll see you back here on Monday, 7/6.
VIA PRESS RELEASE | The Elton John Classic Concert Series features some of Elton’s most monumental concerts. Beginning this Friday, July 3 at 9 AM (LA) / 12 PM (NY) / 5 PM (LDN) exclusively on YouTube, the series will premiere with Live at the Playhouse Theatre, Edinburgh from 1976—available digitally for the first time ever only for 72 hours.
The Elton John Classic Concert Series is running in support of the Elton John AIDS Foundation’s COVID-19 Emergency Fund to continue HIV prevention and care for the most vulnerable people around the globe during the COVID-19 pandemic. You can donate on YouTube whilst watching the show.
“My Foundation’s COVID-19 Emergency Fund helps frontline partners prepare for and respond to the pandemic and its effects on HIV prevention and care for the most marginalised communities. We cannot jeopardise HIV testing and care during this time or else the results could be disastrous for the 37.5 million people living with HIV. So, I’m really happy to connect this YouTube concert series to benefit our Foundation’s urgent COVID response.” —Elton John
Recorded as part of the Edinburgh Festival of Popular Music on 17th September 1976, Live at the Playhouse Theatre gives fans an exhilarating view of Elton at the height of his ‘70s popularity, having just enjoyed his first UK #1 single with “Don’t Go Breaking My Heart.” This electrifying solo performance kicks off with “Skyline Pigeon” (taken from Empty Sky) before ending with a riotous version of “Saturday Night’s Alright (For Fighting).”
The setlist rips through classic after classic, including “Rocket Man,” “Daniel,” and “Bennie and the Jets.” It was also the first time Elton performed “Don’t Go Breaking My Heart” solo. Climbing on his piano and stomping his way through this virtuoso performance, Elton leaves every ounce of himself on the stage, in a classic concert that was to be the last time he would perform a full show for another 7 months.
PHOTO: MICHELLE LOBIANCO | If you’ve ever wondered what comes next after introducing you to a new band or artist under the umbrella of our First Date feature, quite a number continue to stay in family as it were. Such is the case with Vanessa Silberman who we introduced you to way back in the good old days of September 2016. Today we’re delighted to premiere her fifth single of 2020, “Written in the Stars,” a gem of an earworm which was self-produced, engineered, programmed, performed, mixed and mastered by Vanessa with additional creative input, drum consulting, and backing vocals by Ryan Carnes, and additional gang vocals by Skylar Funk-Boorman.
For us it evokes the perfect backdrop and soundtrack for Fourth of July fireworks, but the track has its origins with another set of fireworks entirely. “The inspiration for ‘Written in the Stars’ came from someone who I fell in love with. I asked them to tell me their favorite songs, Vanessa tells us. “I also got inspiration from pop and hip hop drum sample beats to varied artists like Sia, The Beatles, Muse, the Goo Goo Dolls, Enya, Led Zeppelin, and Nirvana as well as bands my drummer Ryan Carnes suggested. The song lyrically is about having trust and allowing yourself to fall in love.”
“Love can be so absolutely beautiful but it can also be scary to be so vulnerable and let someone in. The message is all about chasing whatever you’re afraid of and really just taking a leap of faith. Now more than ever I feel like we must all take a leap of faith on the heart, especially after everything that has happened the last few months. Anything that’s in your heart is always worth taking a chance on or taking a risk for…”
Berlin, DE | The Discogs Guide To Berlin Record Stores: Berlin has enjoyed its reputation as one of Europe’s most important cultural hubs for over a century. Musically, the German capital has been a flashpoint for a vast spectrum of sounds: from classical to jazz, prog rock and Krautrock, punk and post-punk, avant-garde and pop, to the thumping beat that’s fueled Berlin’s nightlife for the last three decades, techno. In the same way that there is a scene for every music subculture in Berlin, there is a record store to satisfy every music lover’s tastes. With 87 individual stores, Berlin boasts the second highest concentration of record stores per capita in the world (beaten only by Tokyo), so there is plenty of room for every type of vinyl-slinger. Here are just some of the essential stops on the maps, including the traditional 2nd hand outlets, quirky specialists, DJ meccas and long-running institutions.
Aberdeen, UK | Plans submitted for takeaway in former Aberdeen record store: A former music shop and centre of Aberdeen’s cultural scene could be transformed into a takeaway. Plans have been submitted to convert 17 Belmont Street from a shop to a hot food restaurant selling items with a little Gallic flair. In 2013, the council made use of the empty property as a base for its ill-fated UK City Of Culture bid. For the three decades prior to that, the building had been home to the One Up record store. The independent music shop fell victim to the changing fortunes of the high street after 34 years, despite being a favourite of famous musicians and bands including Noel Gallagher, Biffy Clyro and Stereophonics. Now, Brighter North Recruitment has commissioned architects to oversee the transformation of the building once again, this time into a French food takeaway. Albyn Architects has lodged proposals to change the use of the ground floor of the council-owned building on the firm’s behalf.
London, UK | ‘It’s magical what they’re doing’: Buy one of the finest reproduced vinyl you’ll ever hear. To some extent the vinyl resurgence of the last decade has been fuelled by reissues. But no reissue label has gone to the same extremes as Electric Recording to recreate the recordings of the Fifties and Sixties, writes Ben Sisario. Interested? Then you better start saving now… Tucked in a trendy co-working complex in west London, just past the food court and the payment processing start-up, is perhaps the most technologically backward-looking record company in the world. The Electric Recording Company, which has been releasing music since 2012, specialises in meticulous recreations of classical and jazz albums from the 1950s and 1960s. Its catalogue includes reissues of landmark recordings by Wilhelm Furtwangler, John Coltrane and Thelonious Monk, as well as lesser-known artists favoured by collectors, like violinist Johanna Martzy. But what really sets Electric Recording apart is its method – a philosophy of production more akin to the making of small-batch gourmet chocolate than most shrinkwrapped vinyl.
Will CDs Replace Vinyl as the New Retro-Modern Music Fad? It doesn’t seem like CDs have much of a chance of coming back anytime soon, but neither did vinyl records or cassettes. First introduced in the early 1980s, CDs quickly surpassed vinyl records and cassette tapes to become the main way that we listened to music. Starting in the late 1990s and early 2000s, however, the popularity of CDs started to wane as digital music distribution began its upward climb. Now though, we’ve seen vinyl come back to the point where they’re selling almost as much as CDs, and may even outsell them soon. Cool as it is, vinyl is expensive to produce, which means some artists have turned to cassettes, which was unthinkable not that long ago. Is the CD the next format to reappear in the mainstream spotlight, or is the digital physical disc set to remain a thing of the past? In 2019, roughly 46.5 million CDs were shipped in the United States. That might sound like a lot, but that’s actually the lowest total in decades.
Andover Model-One Turntable Music System Reviewed: More often than not, the deciding factor on what makes an AV product “good” or “bad” comes down to performance. But is this really what modern AV equipment is really all about: being either good or bad? What if performance were a given? What then? What would cause a product to go from being good to great, or bad to worse? I’ve been asking myself this very question a lot lately, since in 2020 (as bad as this year has been) everything I’ve tested in terms specialty AV has been pretty great from the perspective of performance. Let’s face it: when we criticize a component at any level, we’re really just nitpicking and playing to our base, because 90 percent of the general public either wouldn’t be bothered by our gripe or wouldn’t notice it. So, what makes a product special? I argue what separates a product from the herd in 2020 isn’t performance, value, or any other AV buzz word. It really comes down to whether or not you actually use the thing, and in using said thing does it bring you joy?
VIA PRESS RELEASE | The Welsh rock band Man made waves with their 1969 debut release Revelation featuring the twin-guitar attack of Roger “Deke” Leonard and Mike Jones that led some to compare Man to Quicksilver Messenger Service.
Like most “concept” albums of the period, Man’s 1969 debut release was a little short on continuity and, well, concept…but who cares when in the space of one wildly psychedelic side Revelation careened from the psychedelic pomp of “And in the Beginning…” to the banned-in-the-UK “Erotica,” which upped the ante on Jane Birkin and Serge Gainsbourg’s carryings-on with the sounds of a four minute-long female orgasm set to a fuzz-guitar freak-out!? Side two is only a little bit less intense, with the coulda been/shoulda been single “Don’t Just Stand There (Come Out of the Rain)” a worthy successor to the Small Faces’ “Itchycoo Park.”
Throughout, this Welsh band displays the twin guitar attack of Roger “Deke” Leonard and Mike Jones that led them to be compared to Quicksilver Messenger Service. But Clive John’s Hammond organ gives Man’s sound an extra texture that pushes them a bit in a prog direction, making Revelation exactly that (headphones highly recommended).
Real Gone Music is proud to give this overlooked late-‘60s gem its first-ever American reissue, in a “flipback” album jacket (flaps outside on back cover) that mimics its original Pye label packaging. Purple vinyl pressing limited to 1000 copies.
VIA PRESS RELEASE | Harold Alexander was a competent saxophonist and dynamic flutist whose early and mid-’70s albums for Flying Dutchman and Atlantic blended originals, soul/jazz and R&B effectively. Alexander recorded three albums (including a live Montreux Jazz Festival record in 1972) and contributed to various other recordings during his career.
After a very brief period of recording music, from about 1967 to 1974, Alexander disappeared from the music scene. He is alleged to have commented on the music industry by saying, “Most people don’t know what happened to me… I guess they think I’m gone. They didn’t kill my spirit, but they killed my desire to share.” Before his removal from the scene of recorded music, Harold Alexander provided the world with some incredibly funky jazz fusion tracks with a distinct otherworldly craziness.
His most recognized LP is 1971’s Sunshine Man on Flying Dutchman Records. On that album, the most sought after groove is the straight up banger “Mama Soul,” which features insane scatting over a delicious funky flute and organ driven beat. An immaculate six minutes of mental vocals and Alexander’s flute doing exactly what the vocals are doing. It comes as no surprise that “Mama Soul” was sampled multiple times by artists from Blackalicious to DJ Shadow.
Another highlight (one of the many on this album) is the adept double beat from iconic drummer Bernard “Pretty” Purdie (husband to Aretha Franklin and known for his work with Isaac Hayes, Cat Stevens, B.B. King, and Joe Cocker) who is delivering some of the most tight and wicked drum-skills known to man.
Canandaigua, NY | Vinyl fans rejoice as new record store opens in Canandaigua: In this age of digital music, those with a fondness for the old vinyl records now have a new place to go. The Canandaigua Record Exchange opened earlier this month at 170 Mill St. It’s operated by Jon Cooley. “Canandaigua’s chosen spot for new and used vinyl fills the void in the Finger Lakes region for a record store created when Geneva’s Area Records closed several years ago,” Cooley said, referring to the iconic store that closed in the fall of 2017 after 40 years. The new record store is open noon to 7 p.m. Thursday and Friday, 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. Saturday, and noon to 6 p.m. Sunday. Cooley said he will open the store by appointment on Tuesday and Wednesday. Cooley said his store stocks the latest releases, as well as new back-stock and used records from a wide range of artists covering many music genres. Records can be special ordered as well. Customers are asked to wear masks, use in-store hand sanitizer, and maintain proper social distancing.
There’s a 24-hour live stream taking place across 12 record stores this weekend: Move the Record will stream from London’s Phonica and KMA60 in Berlin with Move The Record. A 24-hour live stream is set to take place across 12 record stores this weekend. Move The Record is a new initiative devised in association with Dana Ruh and KMA60 Berlin, in response to the uncertain future that independent record stores are facing worldwide amid the coronavirus pandemic. The first edition of Move the Record takes place this Friday 3rd & Saturday 4th July, and will feature two 12-hour streams live from artists spinning in record stores across the globe. 20% off will also be offered from the respective stores streaming, to encourage viewers to buy and support independent shops. On Friday 3rd July, between 4PM and 8PM, the DJ Mag Facebook page will exclusively stream Dana Ruh and Fred P from KMA60 in Berlin, as well as Jorge Caiado and Steffi from Carpet & Snares in Lisbon. On Saturday, we’ll also be sharing Bradley Zero and Nick Williams from South London’s Phonica, where they’ll be streamed from 4PM and 6PM.
Edinburgh, UK | Popular Edinburgh record shop will not reopen after lockdown: A popular record shop on Edinburgh’s Canongate will not reopen after lockdown ends citing the cancellation of the festivals and ‘non-existent’ tourist trade as reasons. Unknown Pleasures opened on the Royal Mile in 2006 as a physical spin-off to their established website, vinylnet.co.uk. While the shop will not open its doors again, the website will still be running and those who have purchased gift cards will be able to redeem them online. In a post on their Facebook page, owners of Unknown Pleasures said that the size of the store would make social distancing extremely difficult, and limiting customers in store and implementing a queuing system would be difficult and would have an effect on people who enjoy spending long periods of time browsing the store and flicking through records, which is part of the store’s nature. They added that like many businesses, they are reliant on the summer tourist trade and trade from Edinburgh’s festivals which have been cancelled this year, as well as not being able to allow groups into the shop.
US | Small towns may have a “longer road” to recovery than big cities: …re-invention could be tough for people like record store owner Tom Lefevre. In record stores, people tend to browse and talk to the person behind the counter. “It’s definitely a personal experience,” Lefevre said. That experience has changed a bit at Main Street Juke Box, a shop that’s already survived, among other things, the age of digital music. It’s been a couple of months since someone walked in the door, Lefevre said. But, it’s not the first time he hasn’t had business for that long. “Twelve, 13 years ago, I was across the street, … and there was a fire, and I lost my whole business,” he said. “I was down for probably a couple months until I got insurance money, and then I landed in here.” Insurance, however, won’t cover the losses from the pandemic. “It was a big shock to be honest with you. I was kind of angry, too,” Lefevre said.
Denton, TX | The Comic Store Taking Over a Closing-Down Record Store in Texas: Record store Mad World Records in Denton, Texas, is closing permanently. Already closed because of shutdown, and transitioned to curbside pick-up, owner and manager Mark Burke is making it permanent after nine years. He is now launching an online shop, something he’d been dead set against until the pandemic. The store applied for the Denton County Small Business Grant program the day the applications opened, but two weeks ago, it was denied. Mark posted on Facebook, “Before we locked the doors, I would have customers come in and cough in their hands and then flip through our merchandise. It was terrible and impossible for me to ignore these all too common actions once the virus became a real threat to my customers and employees. Honestly, I am not a healthy guy and I have a wonderful little guy an wife at home, so even on a personal level this seemed crazy scary to me…”
VIA PRESS RELEASE | Third Man Records is excited to announce vinyl reissues of that dog.’s seminal LPs Totally Crushed Out and Retreat From The Sun, to be released on July 24, 2020. These reissues arrive just in time for the 25th anniversary of the original release of Totally Crushed Out and mark the first vinyl pressing of either album. Pre-order Totally Crushed Out here, and pre-order Retreat From The Sun here.
Totally Crushed Out | Conceived as a loosely-based concept album around the idea of crushes and young love, that dog.’s sophomore album Totally Crushed Out is a touchstone underrated classic in line with of-the-era releases like the Breeders’ Last Splash and Liz Phair’s Exile in Guyville. From the Sweet Valley High-reminiscent illustrated album cover, to the A minus rating given by the dean Robert Christgau, to the Jenni Konner songwriting credit (long before she was the showrunner for HBO’s Girls) this album is quirky, smart, well-written and most of all… enjoyable.
that dog.’s touring behind Totally Crushed Out found them sharing stages with Foo Fighters, Weezer, and Teenage Fanclub, their songs being covered live by Pearl Jam, collaborating with Beck, and the vid for “He’s Kissing Christian” achieving sub-Buzz Bin status on MTV.
VIA PRESS RELEASE | Blue Öyster Cult have announced another special live release from their archives. 45th Anniversary–Live In London will be released on August 7, 2020 on CD/DVD, Blu-ray, and 2xLP. The performance, captured in London at the O2 Indigo at the Stone Free Festival, includes a full performance of their legendary debut album, plus more cuts from their storied catalog. The band is also nearing completion of their new studio album, The Symbol Remains, which will be released in October via Frontiers Music.
In 2017, the mighty Blue Öyster Cult celebrated their 45th Anniversary with a run of festival and headline dates across the UK and Europe. The band’s appearance in London at the O2 INDIGO at the Stone Free Festival on June 17th started with a performance of BÖC’s first album in its entirety, a celebration of the 45th anniversary of its release. In addition, the band added special select cuts from their catalog to the set. The full show was filmed in 4K UHD and is another one of a kind archival release which fans of the band cannot miss.
Hailing from New York, Blue Öyster Cult have garnered huge critical acclaim and a dedicated fanbase built on their studio albums, tracks like “(Don’t Fear) The Reaper,” “Godzilla,” and “Burning For You,” and their awesome live shows.
UK | Physical sales bounce back with 20% market share: Music retail has been back for a fortnight and the effect on physical sales is clear to see. After a vinyl sales surge last week when stores returned to the High Street after a three-month lockdown, there’s been a consolidation for the physical music market. According to Official Charts Company data, for the previous seven days physical sales were up 7.6% week-on-week to 371,738 units (physical artist albums were up 9.1%). In comparison, album streams were up just 1.8%. Crucially, physical sales were back above the 20% mark (exactly 20.0% to be precise). That’s up from 19.1% in the prior week and above the 19.4% share in the week before lockdown. During the first weeks of lockdown, physical’s share slumped. New albums from Bob Dylan, Neil Young and Phoebe Bridgers delivered decent volumes, while Lady Gaga’s former chart-topper Chromatica moved a further 4,268 physical copies.
Boston, MA | Record stores are getting their groove back: For the past 12 years, Christmas has come in April for independent record stores. The advent of Record Store Day, the annual blowout when musicians release hundreds of limited-edition recordings to support brick-and-mortar stores, has boosted the fortunes of retailers in a business that was practically left for dead by the arrival of the Internet. This year, though, Christmas never came. March brought the coronavirus, and by April, record stores across New England stood as silent as an album still sealed in its shrink wrap. John Damroth, who opened Planet Records in Kenmore Square nearly 40 years ago, furloughed his four employees and braced for financial impact. Then he went to his current location outside Harvard Square, locked the door behind him, and began filling online orders. Dismayed about closing, his mood quickly brightened. Having handled an average of 20-25 mail orders per day before the Great Pause, suddenly he had twice that many. With no live concerts to attend, it seemed that some music lovers wanted to spend some of that stimulus money adding to their record collections.
The Best Scene From ‘High Fidelity’ You (Likely) Haven’t Seen: Today (June 28) is John Cusack’s birthday, and while many best remember him holding a boombox aloft and openly pining for a girl with the help of Peter Gabriel, his best role is the heavily flawed, yet endearing Rob Gordon from 2000’s High Fidelity. Based on the Nick Hornby book of the same name, High Fidelity is one of those movies to which nearly every obsessive music fan can relate. Perhaps, you’re not as judgemental as Rob or his motley crew of record store employees. (Props to Jack Black for his breakout performance as the hilarious Barry.) But his passion is all too relatable, and there’s no greater example of said passion than in the scene [above]. This scene, which was deleted from the final cut of the film, finds Rob visiting a home where a jilted wife (played by the somehow still hot Beverly D’Angelo) is selling her husband’s incredible collection of 45s. (Rob’s reaction to the collection is priceless.) The wife’s asking price? $50. Rob’s subsequent conversation with D’Angelo’s character is simply pure gold.
Iowa City, IA | There’s something special about record stores: For those who view music as a vital necessity like food and shelter, being without Iowa City’s longtime institution the Record Collector leaves a gaping hole in the soul. “A record store isn’t really a record store without customers,” said co-owner Alissa Witzke. “It feels empty and sad, like we’re just a warehouse.” The store shifted to online sales and began doing free local deliveries during the COVID-19 lockdown, which was better than nothing but not the same as the real deal. Shops like Record Collector have been a key part of the cultural landscape for decades, gathering places where ideas and musical tastes cross-fertilize. “Honestly, I just miss some of the general human interaction,” said Bobby Larson, the store’s other owner. “Community happens when you get enough of those music-fiend types together and talking, which is why COVID-19 has made things extra hard on businesses that were already troubled by the move to online sales and forums.”
VIA PRESS RELEASE | Twenty years ago, Joe Bonamassa took the music world by storm when he released his debut solo album A New Day Yesterday, though he’d already been on the scene for years as a child prodigy and even opened for B.B. King at the age of 12.
The album launched a career that, two decades later, has seen Bonamassa rise to the top of his field with most recently being named Guitar World’s #1 blues guitarist in the world. Today, the blues-rock titan announces a revamped version to be released on August 7th via J&R Adventures. It has been completely re-sung by Bonamassa and remixed and remastered by long-time producer Kevin Shirley. The first single “Cradle Rock” is out today as part of the celebration. Fans can pre-order the album now.
In custom Bonamassa fashion, Joe has shared a personal message to fans, straight from his “Nerdville” home. “The reason we went back and remixed it, and re-sang it, and pulled from the original masters was because I never felt like I deserved a guy like Tom Dowd to produce my first album,” he confesses. “I was an infant as far as being an artist. Tom saw a little pebble in a stream, that could travel down and eventually become this nugget of gold, if you want to call it that, and he had a vision for me that I didn’t see. I appreciate that and I wanted to pay tribute to him as a man who mentored me through that time. I hope you enjoy it.”
He continues, “Tom Dowd was a master of everything he endeavored on. There was no second rate, there was no compromise on quality of absolutions and results. I wasn’t developed enough as a musician myself to rise to his level. I certainly gave it my all and rose to the occasion grading on the curve of the musician I am today, the musician Tom always knew was inside my soul. I decided to enlist the help of another producer and mentor that has significantly impacted my life both on a personal basis and professionally, Mr. Kevin Shirley to help re-mix, re-sing and finally pay tribute to Tom as I tried to so hard to when he was alive.
Redditch, UK | Vinyl records cleaned top to bottom ahead of Vintage Trax’s grand reopening: Vinyl records were cleaned top to bottom in preparation for the reopening of record store Vintage Trax. The independent store on Birchfield Road opened on June 16 for the first time since lockdown began. It has done everything in its power, including only serving one customer at a time, to make music lovers feel comfortable in their search for retro tunes. Vintage Trax owner Ros Sidaway said she was nervous to reopen but that everything has gone ‘smoothly’. “I tried online trading for a while which was okay but I soon realised it’s not what I do this for,” she said. “I’m passionate about music and I like interaction with my customers and the chats that we have. “It’s also great for them to be able to come in and have a tactile dig through our crates. It always invokes happy memories for people.
Norwich, UK | Gloves, masks and mail order – how city’s record stores are coping with social distancing: From completely reshuffling a shop to sterilising items using UV lights, Norwich’s record stores have shaken up their businesses to reopen. Beatniks on Magdalen Street, in the city centre, opened its doors to customers on Monday, June 15, when nonessential shops were given the go ahead to reopen by the government. But with record stores usually a place for music lovers to casually browse, flipping through their impressive array of records, measures to maintain social distancing have been key. John Naylor, who owns the store, said the first few days had gone well and added: “The first week and up to Monday was very, very good, not that I’m thinking this is going to be an indicator of what we’ve got to come but I was very pleased, a lot of the usual people have been in.” Mr Naylor said he had introduced a number of changes to make social distancing possible in the store, including limiting the number of customers inside at any one time.
Leicester, UK | Leicester musician who played with Stevie Wonder opening record shop in Clarendon Park: Nick Murphy’s sons – both producers and DJs- are also involved in the new business. A Leicester musician who once played with Stevie Wonder is launching a record shop in Clarendon Park. Nick Murphy will open the shop, called Shakup Records, together with his two sons, who are also involved in the music industry. The new business will be based in Montague Road, and is described as “Leicester’s grooviest new vinyl store and music hub.” Nick has had a long career in music, which in 1984 included playing on a record, Feel It, with the legendary Stevie Wonder, when Nick was in the Leicester-based group Feelabeelia. He then fronted the band Ska-Boom and has played in bands ever since, before deciding to start this new chapter in his life. He has teamed up with his sons, Sonny and Finn, who are house music producers and DJs and go under the alias Murphy’s Law. They are full-time musicians and promoters, running an event in Leicester called Full House and performing all over Europe…. “We are a family that has grown up in the area, with all three of us being musicians, and this is what spurred us on to open this record shop.
Gainesville, GA | Moe’s Record Shop finds rhythm in new downtown Gainesville spot: As soon as one vinyl record store moved out of the square in Gainesville, another has stepped in to keep the music going. Moe Lyons, owner of Moe’s Record Shop, said he never considered packing up his downtown Flowery Branch business and moving it to Gainesville, until he received a message from Joey Summer, the co-owner of Imperial Records. “He asked if I’d be interested in renting this spot,” Lyons said. “He’s an attorney and was busy doing other things and could no longer run the shop. I knew the foot traffic would be great.” During the beginning of May, Lyons opened his shop along Bradford Street. He started by only accepting customers on weekends, but is now running an 11 a.m. to 8 p.m., Tuesday through Saturday operation. “It’s been awesome since I’ve been up here,” Lyons said. “It just exciting being in Gainesville… Business is going real well,” Lyons said. “I’m meeting new people that didn’t come to Flowery Branch and just talking music with people.”
VIA PRESS RELEASE | Eric Clapton and B.B. King first performed together in NYC in 1967. Over 30 years later, in 1999, the two longtime friends joined forces to create a collection of all new studio recordings of blues classics and contemporary songs. The resulting album Riding with the King would be released in June 2000 and go onto sell over 2 million copies in the U.S. and win the GRAMMY Award® for Best Traditional Blues Album.
To celebrate the 20th anniversary of this classic album, two additional previously unreleased tracks have been added: The blues standard “Rollin’ and Tumblin” and B.B. King’s “Let Me Love You.” Both tracks were recorded during the original sessions and were produced and mixed especially for this release by Simon Climie, who produced the original album with Clapton. The original tapes have been remastered by Bob Ludwig and is finally available again now in expanded form via Reprise Records.
The 14-track collection will be available in all formats including a 180-gram black double vinyl package. A limited edition 180-gram blue vinyl double LP set will available exclusively in Eric Clapton’s official online store and at indie retailers. The vinyl was mastered by Chris Bellman at Bernie Grundman Mastering in Los Angeles.
The original album features four B.B. King originals, plus a selection of covers from writers as diverse as Isaac Hayes & David Porter (“Hold On I’m Coming”), Johnny Mercer & Harold Arlen (“Come Rain Or Come Shine”), and William Broonzy & Charles Seger (“Key To The Highway”). John Hiatt wrote the album’s title track.
VIA PRESS RELEASE | Waxwork Records, in collaboration with Back Lot Music and Hollywood Records, is proud to present the debut film score vinyl release to M. Night Shyamalan’s Eastrail 177 Trilogy. Composed of Unbreakable (2000), Split (2016), and Glass (2019), the Eastrail 177 Trilogy is a visionary comic-book film series written, produced, and directed by M. Night Shyamalan.
Unbreakable, about a security guard named David Dunn (Bruce Willis) who becomes the sole survivor of a train wreck, posed the question of what would happen if superheroes were real. At the insistence of a mysterious, rare-comic-book collector named Elijah Price (Samuel L. Jackson), who suffers from a medical condition that makes his bones shatter on the slightest impact, Dunn comes to believe that he has super strength and is impervious to injury or illness. Not only that, he has the ability to see or sense the evil deeds of others simply by touching them.
The Unbreakable score, by James Newton Howard, was the second collaboration between Shyamalan and Howard, following their work together on The Sixth Sense. The Unbreakable score experience was unlike any the composer had had before. “Night sat there and storyboarded the whole movie for me,” Howard said. “I’ve never had a director do that for me. He wanted something that was very different, very distinctive, that immediately evoked the movie when people heard it.”
Howard and Shyamalan chose to simplify the score, and minimized the number of instruments (strings, trumpets and piano), with limited orchestrations. Some compositions were recorded in a converted church in London. “You could have recorded the same music in a studio in Los Angeles, and it would have been great, but there is something about the sound of that church studio,” Howard said. “It’s definitely more misterioso.”
VIA PRESS RELEASE | Newly remastered double LP beautifully repackaged gatefold sleeve with new artwork and expanded liner notes with a second disc that includes Mad Dog Studio sessions from 1991. An essential Giant Sand album featuring Victoria Williams, Rainer and country veteran Pappy Allen.
A firm fan favourite, Giant Sand’s essential 1991 album Ramp was the second of three revered albums the band released in the early ’90s. Now set for a remastered special indie store exclusive, the new edition released on 17th July comes beautifully repackaged in a gatefold sleeve with new artwork and expanded liner notes from MOJO’s Dave Henderson. Ramp is a magical trip with a host of guests including Victoria Williams, Rainer and Pappy Allen.
“One of Giant Sand’s strongest and most complete albums.”
—The Quietus
Featuring piano lounge music for an off-world colony interrupted by an onslaught of guitar when needed. Reverb on, fuzz friendly. Up to 11, it’s light and dark and the better for it, a musical journey on a road less travelled. All sounds are welcome; banjo, dobro, pedal steel, plaintive harmonica, whistling all wrap themselves around the flow of consciousness; those truly memorable words. The Tucson sound at its very best.
