VIA PRESS RELEASE | The Tom Petty Estate and Third Man Records are collaborating to share a unique bootleg performance of Tom Petty and The Heartbreakers recorded by house sound mixer Gennaro Rippo.
Taped at the band’s show in Edinburgh, Scotland, the rare recording showcases a raw era-defining moment in the band’s career as they toured their groundbreaking record, Long After Dark. Set for release on November 29, the bootleg will be available in a limited vinyl press of 7,000 copies—watch the trailer for Tom Petty and The Heartbreakers Live In Edinburgh 1982: The Gennaro Tapes below. Pre-order here.
The offering is inspired by Third Man Record’s Jack White and Ben Blackwell, longtime fans of Tom Petty and The Heartbreakers and their enthusiasm for hearing something raw and unpolished from the band in this golden era.
The release marks the first and only Petty live recording that hasn’t been touched since the day it was captured, pressed directly from cassette to vinyl, provided by beloved sound mixer Gennaro Rippo. The band enjoyed listening to the cassette tapes after shows in what they would call affectionately “Gennaro’s Hawaiian Disco,” often giving him the Presidential Suite in the hotel for the band to hang out and listen each night.
VIA PRESS RELEASE | In an exhilarating announcement for music aficionados and rock historians, the iconic British band Badfinger is proud to unveil the forthcoming release of their long-lost album Head First scheduled for 2024—exactly 50 years after its original recording.
This historic release features Peter Ham’s final studio recordings and marks a significant milestone in the band’s legacy, bringing forth an album that has been shrouded in mystery for decades. Head First will be released on vinyl on December 13, 2024 on Y&T Music (CD TBA). With hits such as “Come and Get It,” “No Matter What,” “Day After Day,” and “Baby Blue,” Badfinger has long been recognized as a formidable force in the power pop and classic rock genres of the 1970s.
A historic recording… Originally laid down in 1974 at The Beatles’ renowned Apple Recording Studio on Savile Row, London, Head First encapsulates a transformative era in Badfinger’s storied career. The sessions for Head First took place during a tumultuous period for the band, marked by personal struggles and external challenges, which ultimately led to the album being shelved. For years, only a rough mix survived, with the master tapes thought to be lost.
However, the recent rediscovery of the original multi-tracks has allowed for a meticulous mixing and mastering process, breathing new life into this long-hidden masterpiece. The release promises to provide fans with an authentic glimpse into the creative spirit of Badfinger during one of their most artistically rich periods.
Country music went through a seismic change beginning in the mid-to late-1960s, that culminated in the explosion of what was called the “outlaw” movement in the mid-1970s. The movement was primarily spearheaded by folks like Willie Nelson, Waylon Jennings and others, even though many of them, Nelson and Jennings included, had been around for a long time.
This change in country music was also affected by the emergence of folk and rock artists who used country as part of their sound or in some cases whose music was directly impacted by the counterculture. Kris Kristofferson could also had been categorized as a key component of this group, but two artists who were also part of the scene, while taking divergent seminal paths, came together for a brief time in the earlier part of the ’70s to make a music all their own. They were Gram Parsons and Emmylou Harris. Parsons died not long after his second solo album in 1973, and that album was helped greatly by Harris, who is still going strong today.
The story really begins with Parsons who must be considered the father of country rock for his work leading the International Submarine Band, who released their one and only album, Safe at Home, in 1968. He was also a key player in the first mainstream country rock album Sweetheart of the Rodeo with The Byrds, which was also released in 1968. That would be his one and only album with The Byrds, before he and fellow-Byrd Chris Hillman departed to form the Flying Burrito Brothers with Sneaky Pete Kleinow and Chris Ethridge in 1969 with their debut album The Gilded Palace of Sin.
Parsons would only record one more album with the group, Burrito Deluxe, in 1970, which also included new members Bernie Leadon and Michael Clark, the former drummer with The Byrds. Chris Etheridge had left the group and did not appear on that album.
VIA PRESS RELEASE | 2019 Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Inductees, The Zombies, have entered into an agreement with Q Prime to provide label services and distribution for the band’s iconic 1960s studio recordings. Plans are underway for a series of four definitive physical reissues in 2025, remastered from the original tapes, compiling all the band’s studio output.
The first will be a remastered Odessey & Oracle due out early next year, which included the classic songs “Time Of The Season,” “Care of Cell 44,” and “This Will Be Our Year” and is a regular entry in “Best Albums of All Time” lists in publications like Rolling Stone and Mojo magazine. The album will be released in its original Mono mix, to coincide with the release of The Zombies’ documentary, Hung Up On A Dream, directed by musician and filmmaker Robert Schwartzman, and co-produced by Schwartzman’s Utopia Films, The Ranch Productions, and Tom Hanks’ Playtone.
Q Prime will manage all aspects of marketing, manufacturing, distribution, and licensing for The Zombies’ new label imprint Beechwood Park Records, with a catalog that includes the timeless hit singles “She’s Not There,” “Tell Her No,” and “I Want You Back Again.” Q Prime co-founder Cliff Burnstein says, “There’s a very narrow window in a Venn diagram where love, admiration, and business overlap. That’s what the deal is all about.”
The Zombies’ four surviving founding members, lead singer Colin Blunstone, keyboardist Rod Argent, bassist Chris White, and drummer Hugh Grundy, along with Helen Atkinson, the widow, and Estate Trustee of late guitarist Paul Atkinson, acquired the rights to their catalog last year from Marquis Enterprises Ltd., the independent UK production company they originally signed with as teens in 1964.
Formed in Cincinnati before migrating westward to San Fransisco, cLOUDDEAD emerged at the turn of the century to profoundly impact the sound of experimental hip hop. Comprised of lyricists Yoni Wolf (Why?) and Doseone (Adam Drucker) and producer Odd Nosdam (David P. Madson), cLOUDDEAD debuted with a series of six 10-inch EPs that were in turn compiled to form the group’s debut album in 2001, an eponymous 3LP set that still carries an avant-garde thrust nearly a quarter century later. Superior Viaduct’s reissue is due on November 29.
Experimental (or underground) hip hop was burgeoning from the late 1990s and into the new century, with Anticon, a label formed by seven individuals including the three members of cLOUDDEAD, one part of a wave that encompassed imprints ranging from Rawkus (Company Flow, Mos Def, Talib Kweli), Definitive Jux (Aesop Rock, Cannibal Ox, Mr. Lif, RJD2), Stones Throw (JDilla, Madlib, MF Doom), and 75 Ark (Antipop Consortium, The Coup, Dan the Automator).
Anticon was formed in 1998 and gathered a deep roster that crossed over into electronica and indie rock. cLOUDDEAD is amongst the label’s most lauded projects while also being somewhat mysterious, even as all three members were active prior to the group’s formation. Wolf and Drucker met in the mid-’90s and were part of the group Apogee before forming Greenthink as a duo and releasing two albums. With the addition of Madson, they became cLOUDDEAD.
Occasionally the experimental tag has been applied to hip hop that was better assessed as just quirky or raw or perhaps just dense with ideas. But in the case of cLOUDDEAD, the descriptor of experimental really fits, and to the point where some would argue that what they were up to wasn’t hip hop at all. But of course, upon encountering new developments in the music, many have decried “that’s not hip hop” for decades.
Grand Rapids, MI | The Best Spots To Go Vinyl Record Shopping In Grand Rapids: My record player and I have a wonderful relationship. My ex got me it for Christmas one year and it continues to be the most important item in my house. I would not say my record collection is even slightly something to brag about, but I love listening to music on vinyl. It feels far more personal to me than just streaming something on Spotify. Thankfully, there are plenty of spots around Grand Rapids to shop for records. Vintage shops, record shops, antique shops, and more are on every corner. So, whether you’ve been a fan of vinyl since before they were cool or recently started, here are some of the best spots to purchase them.
Bristol, UK | Bristol record store Idle Hands to reopen two years after being shuttered: The shop is set to reopen this Wednesday with a launch party at The Red Church. Beloved Bristol record store Idle Hands is set to reopen this week more than two years after it was shuttered due to financial strain. The shop and record label announced its reopening earlier today on Instagram, explaining that Idle Hands will relocate to a new space in central Bristol after spending 11 years on City Road. “We are back,” said owner Chris Farrell. …Idle Hands will reopen on Wednesday, November 20, followed by a launch party at The Red Church on Friday, November 29, featuring Marion Hawkes from Sound Advice in Belfast and Chris Farrell himself B2B with Milly On Air. “Although it was never my intention to be closed for two years, after some false starts and dead ends, Idle Hands is finally re-opening this Wednesday.”
Miami, FL | This Miami Record Shop & Other Florida Stores Are Hosting ‘Wicked’ Listening Parties This Weekend: To celebrate the new “Wicked” soundtrack and all the songs we know and love getting a fresh spin, these local record stores are hosting listening parties with exclusive freebies and prizes! The time has finally come! We’re officially days away from “Wicked” hitting the big screen, which stars Ariana Grande and Cynthia Erivo as Glinda and Elphaba. And with the film premiering soon (Nov. 22), the official soundtrack is sure to hit the shelves. In celebration of its release, select record stores across the country are holding in-store listening parties. The official Record Store Day US released a list of participating stores in nearly 40 states — including Florida! While fans can expect to listen to the album in its entirety, they can also get their hands on freebies like an exclusive poster or enter a giveaway to win a special beanie.
Burlington, CT | Monkees tribute band founder opens the Nevermind Shop in CT, with vinyl from Abba to ZZ Top: Big-voiced and shaggy-haired, Mick Lawless seems to never stop moving, smiling and laughing—and most of all—talking about his music career and how it brought him to open The Nevermind Shop, which has relocated to Burlington. Specializing in vinyl records from the post-British Invasion-era, Nevermind originally opened in Hudson, Mass., in 2000. Lawless moved it to Upton, Mass., in 2008. In October, he moved it again, to Burlington Commons on the Spielman Highway, where Lawless intends to stay. “I moved out here because I had some different opportunities,” he said in the back office and workshop of his new 1,500-square-foot location. “Amazing what love can do. I found a girl, a nice girl. We’ve been together a couple years now, and we came out here.”
PHOENIX, AZ | Dayglow made their Phoenix stop at the Arizona Financial Theatre on Friday night and the group brought everything they had to the desert. Dayglow the band is on Dayglow the tour in support of Dayglow the album—I’ve personally never seen such a trifecta—but the self-titled project and tour is a true testament to the genuine nature of the band.
The 23-song setlist includes three encores and a mix of the band’s entire discography. Despite the album title tour, Dayglow delivers all the fan favorites and includes a little bit of the entire five year resume. The venue hosts shows throughout the week, but Dayglow locked in a coveted Friday night slot. With the year wrapping up and tours coming to a close, fans deserve as much music as they can get before 2024 ends—and this one was a high.
The show was opened by Teenage Dads, a young crew from Australia. Arizona Financial Theatre is a big venue and it can be a difficult feat for a young band to engage a crowd, however Teenage Dads not only has the talent, but the personality to make the building theirs. The band began releasing music in 2017 and is presently making their name known in the States. They are traveling with Dayglow for the majority of the tour and seeing what our music scene has to offer. In return they offer American crowds pure entertainment and a ton of energy as a warm-up for Dayglow.
VIA PRESS RELEASE | As the Eagles’ continue their highly anticipated Sphere residency in Las Vegas, Nevada, UMe is releasing a 40th Anniversary vinyl edition of Don Henley’s triple-platinum Building The Perfect Beast album.
Building The Perfect Beast is available now as a 2-LP set for the first time, remastered from the original analog tapes and pressed on 180-gram vinyl. The album features the hit singles “The Boys of Summer,” “All She Wants to Do Is Dance,” “Sunset Grill,” and “Not Enough Love in the World.” The new 2-LP release will also feature the vinyl debut of the album’s complete track list, as “A Month Of Sundays” was only available previously on the CD, cassette, and digital versions. Order Building The Perfect BeastHERE now. A newly remastered digital version of the album is also available now for streaming and download.
In addition to featuring four hit singles, Building The Perfect Beast garnered five GRAMMY nominations and won the award for Best Rock Vocal Performance, Male for “The Boys Of Summer.” Don Henley was the biggest winner of the 1985 MTV Video Music Awards, taking home four Moonmen, including Video of the Year for “The Boys of Summer,” which was also the year’s most nominated video.
Best known as co-founder of the legendary rock band, the Eagles, as well as an influential solo artist, Don Henley has maintained an extraordinary commitment to music and various philanthropic efforts throughout his career, including a dedication to environmental issues and artists’ rights. Raised in a small East Texas town, Henley was drawn to the sounds of exotic music broadcast from distant radio stations in New Orleans, Nashville, and Ciudad Acuna, Mexico. These stations introduced him to the blues, bluegrass, gospel, jazz, and rock and roll, paving the way for his future as an artist.
Celebrating Joe Correro on his 78th birthday. —Ed.
Talk about your camouflage. On the surface Paul Revere & The Raiders were five smiling and well-groomed (at least by Fab Four mop top standards) young men tricked out in Revolutionary War garb complete with tricorn hats. They certainly didn’t look like long-haired sex fiends out to run off with your daughter to San Francisco where she’d die from an LSD overdose. They looked like The Monkees, and everybody knew The Monkees were safe as Milk Duds.
But 1967’s Greatest Hits (Expanded Edition) tells a different story. Boise, Idaho’s Paul Revere & The Raiders weren’t The Monkees. They were a garage rock band like The Seeds and The Standells, and if America’s parents had just listened to them they’d have packed their daughters off to the nearest nunnery and sent their sons off to military school the minute they found a copy of this baby in their rooms.
Most of the songs on the compilation come straight out of juvenile hall. The Rolling Stones comparisons are obvious–the Raiders follow the Stones’ career trajectory from scruffy R&B to subversive “Under My Thumb” pop, and vocalist Mark Lindsay comes off like an American Mick Jagger. But you also get The Who on “Just Like Me,” an intercontinental kissing cousin of “I Can’t Explain,” and some derivative Beach Boys on “Action.”
But what you mainly get is lip and a bad attitude. When Lindsay isn’t laying down the law with a shameless social climber (see garage rock masterpiece “I’m Not Your Stepping Stone”) he’s snarling mad ‘cuz he’s been hearing rumors his girl’s been running around and he isn’t going to put up with it (see “Steppin’ Out”). Our boy has woman problems galore, and he’ll chew your ear off talking about them if you let him.
Eclectic indie electro artist Marek Kubala has made a mark on the UK music scene in recent years. His expansive use of electronic soundscapes mixed with soaring guitar has garnered support from BBC 6 Music as well as a plethora of influential Spotify playlists. Now, he returns with the release of his latest cut, “Peeping Tom.”
The track is taken from Marek’s latest EP, also titled “Peeping Tom,” and is an example of his ability to combine retro sonics with contemporary production. “Peeping Tom” is a polished electro tune that conjures comparisons with bands such as Depeche Mode. Shimmering vocals are spliced with menacing synths, as the track builds ominously throughout, to create a mature piece of alternative pop music.
Marek describes the EP as a record that combines the futuristic soundscapes of NZCA Lines with the ambitious new wave influences of Talk Talk. With production coming from longtime Brian Eno and Jon Hopkins collaborator Leo Abrahams, “Peeping Tom” encapsulates Marek Kubala’s distinctive take on modern electronic music.
“Peeping Tom” is in stores now via Shore Dive Records.
Trumpeter-composer Richard Allen “Blue” Mitchell recorded steady as a leader and sideman from the early 1950 until his premature death from cancer in 1979. Along the way, Mitchell played rhythm and blues, funk, rock, and a whole lot of hard bop jazz, the style for which he is most renowned, if too often overlooked. His initial run of sessions as a leader were cut for the Riverside label, and one of the best is Blue’s Moods, a quartet date from 1960 featuring pianist Wynton Kelly, bassist Sam Jones, and drummer Roy Brooks. Added to the Original Jazz Classics line in 1984, it’s available now in a fresh 180 gram vinyl edition cut from the original tapes in a tip on jacket with an obi strip from Craft Recordings.
Blue Mitchell was a perennially inside guy, never dabbling in the avant-garde, even as a sideman. He debuted on record straight out of high school in 1951, playing R&B (unsurprising given his nickname) as a sideman in Paul Williams’ Hucklebuckers. Other R&B bands that benefitted from Mitchell’s contribution during these early days were those of Earl Bostic and Red Prysock. Entering the jazz field during this period, Mitchell worked first with alto saxophonist Lou Donaldson, then altoist Cannonball Adderley, who brought him into the sphere of the Riverside label, and after that, pianist Horace Silver.
But if a solidly inside player, Mitchell wasn’t a traditionalist, touring with Brit blues-rock kingpin John Mayall as documented on the 1972 live set Jazz Blues Fusion. Later in the decade, like a few of his contemporaries, Mitchell searched for commercial success by taking a trip to the Funktion Junction, his not highly regarded 1976 LP for RCA.
In terms of critical reception, Mitchell’s peak stretch began in 1958, the year he cut Portrait of Cannonball and his first LP as a leader, Big 6, and continued deep into the following decade as a productive run for Blue Note was winding down. Blue’s Moods, Mitchell’s fourth of six for Riverside, stands out in part through the lack of an additional horn in the lineup (his prior albums featured tenor sax and trombone).
London, UK | New record shop Perfect Lives opens in South London: The New Cross shop will focus “on the cult, occult and the strange,” according to owners Bruno and Daniel. A new record shop has opened in South London. Located in New Cross, Perfect Lives will focus “on the cult, occult and the strange,” according to owners Bruno and Daniel, who host an NTS show of the same name. “We wouldn’t say we have a genre in particular, but we have a lot of private press, underground and hard to find records,” they told Resident Advisor. “The same goes for books and paper generally. If a record or book makes you say ‘why does this exist?’ or ‘why would someone release this?’ then it’s in the racks or on the shelves.” The space, which opened on November 1st, was formerly an antique shop and pop-up gallery. As well as records, it also stocks books and ephemera, and the owners hope to host concerts there soon.
Carlsbad, CA | Discover Classic Vinyl at Love Bus Records: Record shops are an important part of every community. Music-lovers can find their favorite songs, bond over music with others and discover new artists. Love Bus Records is a place where music connoisseurs can do all of that. “I was in corporate America,” said Mike McDonald, owner of Love Bus Records, “and I got to a certain point that it wasn’t fulfilling, and I thought, ‘life is short, do something that you care about.’” McDonald opened Love Bus Records in 2020 as a small shop specializing in vinyl, which has only grown larger since then. Before he started selling records, McDonald built a small community library in front of his house. “I had thousands of books that I was not going to read again. So I built this little library out here,” McDonald said. According to McDonald, when the city saw it, they built nine other libraries like his.
Portland, OR | 2nd Avenue Records forced to leave building after 42 years, another blow to downtown Portland, city’s music history. If you stepped into 2nd Avenue Records on Thursday, you might have thought it was still peak Portland, that golden period, a decade in the past now, when 20-somethings from around the country were pouring into the city and the New York Times regularly raved about its cool factor. Posters for oddball and classic bands littered the walls over rows and rows of bins holding vinyl records. …The shop has been in the historic Governor Building in downtown Portland for 42 years and has diligently maintained its aura as a place to discover new music and what’s going on in the culture, despite the music industry’s wholesale move online in recent decades. But a shock decision by the store’s landlord to empty the building has left the shop – and the other businesses in the building – scrambling to figure out their next moves.
Salt Lake City, UT | The Best Record Shops in SLC for Music Enthusiasts: Each shop holds their own stories and memories for you to enjoy. So, as Penny Lane said in “Almost Famous,” “If you ever get lonely, just go to the record store and visit your friends.” Looking for a record to add to your collection? Or a unique album that no one’s heard of? Well, Salt Lake City has quite a few record shops for all the music enthusiasts out there. Here are a few of the best record shops around town. Diabolical Records: When they opened their doors 11 years ago, they didn’t do any advertising. Instead, they held concerts for small bands inside the shop to get people to come together and enjoy something they’d never heard before. Although they had to stop the concerts because of the COVID-19 pandemic, that has remained the heart of the store. “Our passion and the reason we have the store is so that we can bring in small artists and to introduce people to new and interesting music,” said founder Adam Tye…
Japan’s Babymetal sold out The Anthem in Washington, DC last Friday night, demonstrating once again that the DC area loves to headbang.
From the second The Anthem’s house lights go dark, and Babymetal’s logo is projected onto the nearly bare stage, the room belongs to the three young women. Founded in 2010, Babymetal’s is credited with creating kawaii metal (or “cute metal”), a genre that features a mix of pop-ish vocals and thrash/metal musicianship. Leading on vocals, Su-metal is joined by Moametal and newest member Momometal in intricate and impressive choreography.
The show’s opened with “BABYMETAL DEATH,” from 2014’s Babymetal. Live in 2024, the song serves to introduce the mythology of the band and get the crowd hyped. According to Babymetal lore, “A Long Time Ago in a Heavy Metal Galaxy Far Far Away…” the Fox God (the “spirit of heavy metal”) chose three metal spirits and summoned them to the metalverse. Those three metal spirits marched onto the stage in sync and got the choreography started, backed by the Kami Band. It was like a heavy metal pep rally and the sellout crowd ate it up.
The setlist pulled from across the trio’s four LP discography; based on the enthusiastic crowd reactions, Babymetal know what the fans want to hear and deliver on that. The women appear to barely break a sweat during their hour and change set, which included “Karate,” “PA YA YA,” and “Gimme Chocolate.” The set also included “Time Wave,” from the band’s latest album, The Other One, released in 2023. It’s a concept album based on a journey through alternate realities; Su-metal described the album as an attempt to move beyond old, stereotypical beliefs about Babymetal.
VIA PRESS RELEASE | 30 years ago, Roxette released their fifth album Crash! Boom! Bang!, including a stream of hit singles like “Sleeping In My Car,” the title track, “Fireworks,” “Run To You,” and “Vulnerable.”
The album would sell more than five million copies and was followed by their second world tour, which saw them perform for over a million people, including the second performance ever by an international act in China.
We’re celebrating this classic album’s 30-year anniversary with a unique special edition: a double album in black and white vinyl with 18 tracks and an 8-page booklet, as well as an 18-track CD version that also includes a bonus CD with 23 demo recordings of songs considered for the album.
“Roxette were among the three most played artists on American radio during 1989, 1990, and 1991, and we were on top of the charts all over the world. So, it’s no wonder we felt pretty confident when it was time to record the new album,” Per Gessle says. “Having had that kind of success made us feel that we had a perfect opportunity to stretch out into new directions. To show slightly different sides of what Roxette could be. And I still think Crash! Boom! Bang is our best album.”
The 30-year anniversary versions of Crash! Boom! Bang will be released on December 6. Watch out for the fireworks.
Celebrating Graham Parker on his 74th birthday. —Ed.
Some guys just can’t catch a break. Especially if their name is Graham Parker, who released four stellar albums from 1975 to 1979 and never came close to making the big time. Just how good was he in his prime? The English rocker’s first two LPs (1975’s Howlin’ Wind and 1976’s Heat Treatment) made the top five of TheVillage Voice’s annual Pazz and Jop poll. But has your average music fan heard his music? Not so much. The guy might as well be invisible.
Parker had his own suspicions about his failure to reach the big time, and it was Mercury Records, who in his opinion did nothing to promote his music. He laid out his argument in the scathing “Mercury Poisoning” with its lines, “I got Mercury poisoning/It’s fatal and it don’t get better/I got, Mercury poisoning/The best kept secret in the west, hey the west.” It’s a great song. It never made its way on to an LP. Parker’s new label, Arista Records, planned to release it as a single in 1979, but ultimately relegated it to a B-Side. Too risky to release–Parker could turn on you next.
Parker’s voice bears a distinct resemblance to that of Elvis Costello, but he doesn’t go in for Costello’s witty wordplay. Parker’s songs address everyday concerns in everyday language that Costello’s clever songs never do. Just check out “Local Girls” (don’t bother with ‘em) and “Saturday Nite Is Dead” (“I used to know a good place to go/But now it’s nothing like it was then”).
Parker had a crack backing band in the Rumour, who would go on to release three albums in their own right. Furthermore, ace guitarist Brinsley Schwarz has gone on to record six well-received solo albums, while rhythm guitarist Martin Belmont has released a neat dozen. Keyboard player Bob Andrews, drummer Steve Goulding, and bass player Andrew Bobnar rounded out the quintet, providing more than enough coloring and backbone to fuel the hard rockers and ample subtlety to add nuances the slow ones.