Friday, September 19, 2014

Vinyl Record News & Music Notes


CVR blog picks of the week:

Deep Purple - Concerto for Group and Orchestra (2002 Remix/Remaster)

Box set, Original recording remastered

Deep Purple survived a seemingly endless series of lineup changes and a dramatic mid-career shift from grandiose progressive rock to ear-shattering heavy metal to emerge as a true institution of the British hard rock community; once credited in The Guinness Book of World Records as the globe's loudest band, their revolving-door roster launched the careers of performers including Ritchie Blackmore, David Coverdale, and Ian Gillan.

Despite continuing lineup upheavals, Deep Purple remained active well into the 21st century. The late '90s and early 2000s also saw the release of many archival releases and collections preserving the band's enduring legacy (Machine Head's 25th anniversary, Friends & Relatives, Rhino's The Very Best Of, and Days May Come and Days May Go: The 1975 California Rehearsals), as well as a slew of DVDs (Total Abandon: Live Australia 1999, In Concert with the London Symphony Orchestra, Bombay Calling, and New Live & Rare). The impressive and timeless sounding Now What?!, produced by Bob Ezrin, appeared early in 2013.

Order Concerto for Group and Orchestra (2002 Remix/Remaster)



Led Zeppelin I (Deluxe Edition Remastered Vinyl) 

Original recording remastered

John Bonham, John Paul Jones, Jimmy Page and Robert Plant came together in 1968 as Led Zeppelin. Over the next decade, the band would become one of the most influential, innovative and successful groups in modern music, selling more than 300 million albums worldwide. Their songs are some of the most celebrated in rock n roll history that, to this day, resonate with fans young and old around the globe. Still, no matter how many times you may have listened to their music, you ve never heard Led Zeppelin like this before.

With the 2014 release of deluxe editions of Led Zeppelin, Led Zeppelin II, & Led Zeppelin III, the band will launch an extensive reissue program of all nine of its studio albums in chronological order, each remastered by guitarist and producer Jimmy Page. Led Zeppelin will also open its vaults to share dozens of unheard studio and live recordings, with each album featuring a second disc of companion audio comprised entirely of unreleased music related to that album.

"The material on the companion discs presents a portal to the time of the recording of Led Zeppelin, " says Page. "It is a selection of work in progress with rough mixes, backing tracks, alternate versions, and new material recorded at the time."

Order Led Zeppelin I (Deluxe Edition Remastered Vinyl)

=============

Haim Releasing Limited Edition Picture Disc

Very limited shaped picture disc vinyl featuring two versions of My Song 5, a standout track from HAIM s acclaimed debut album, Days Are Gone. Side B features the brand new remix of the song featuring A$AP Ferg.

Scheduled to be released on October 27, 2014.

Order My Song 5 (Limited Picture Disc Vinyl)



=============

The Misfits - DEA.D. ALIVE!

The raw ferocity of the legendary Misfits captured DEA.D. ALIVE! in concert on All Hallows' Eve, in the center of Times Square, New York City! With select tracks from the band's encore set at their hometown show in NJ added for good measure, DEA.D. ALIVE! is an audio Molotov cocktail guaranteed to have bonfires burning bright with pumpkin faces, day or night, all year round. Speakers will virtually melt as a torrential downpour of "Devil's Rain" engulfs the senses, catapulting you front row center into a jam-packed house of horrors. The diverse set of modern day Misfits classics included range from current hits like "Land of the Dead" and "Curse of the Mummy's Hand" on through all-new live versions of earlier-era material.

Get it at Insound


Deathconsciousness - Have a Nice Life

Have a Nice Life released their debut double-album Deathconsciousness in 2008 to a whimper and critical non-interest; six years later, the band followed it up with 2014’s stunner The Unnatural World. In the meantime, Deathconsciousness has become a cult classic whose seamless blend of shoegaze, postpunk, new wave, industrial and noise influences inspires fanatic obsession. Now, longtime Have a Nice Life collaborator The Flenser reissues Deathconsciousness on colored vinyl with deluxe packaging. The band commented, “Working with Flenser lets us keep things comfortable on our end, while also pressing enough copies to actually meet the need and not creating an artificially inflated collector’s market, as happened with some of our past releases.”

Rhythmic, primal and expansive, Deathconsciousness offers a meditation on death, loss and unrequited love, with repeated listens revealing new layers of depth and meaning. The Flenser’s reissue is accompanied by a 75-page booklet detailing the dark and forgotten history of the Antiochean cult—an engrossing narrative that blurs the lines between liner notes, novella and academic text.

Get it at Insound


The Man Upstairs - Robyn Hitchcock

The Man Upstairs sees psychedelic troubadour Robyn Hitchcock uniting with legendary producer Joe Boyd (Nick Drake, Fairport Convention, R.E.M.) for one of the most unique outings of his already quite distinctive career. The album – which arrives just one short year after 2013’s acclaimed Love From London – sees the British singer/songwriter musing on mortality, masculinity, and the impossibility of forever via an unexpected intermingling of self-penned originals and “songs I wished I’d written.” Modern standards like The Doors’ “The Crystal Ship” and The Psychedelic Furs’ “The Ghost In You” are reimagined as stark and melancholy folk ballads, and then set to powerful effect alongside haunting new songs like the plaintive “Recalling The Truth.” Hitchcock’s 20th solo studio recording – give or take a few outtake, demo, and rarities compilations – The Man Upstairs is a remarkable portrait of an artist raging quietly against the dying of the proverbial light, even though that light may well be the 9:35 to Winchester coming directly at him.

Get it at Insound

=============

upcoming releases from our friends at MusicOnVinyl

KANSAS - LEFTOVERTURE

Leftoverture is the fourth album by American rock band Kansas, released in 1976. With Steve Walsh taking a back seat on the production of material, Kerry Livgren stepped up and his compositions retained much of the classically inspired complexity of Livgren's previous work. The album begins with the hit single "Carry On Wayward Son". Kerry Livgren wrote the song as a sequel to the final song, "The Pinnacle", from the previous album, Masque.

Rolling Stone called Leftoverture Kansas's best album to date, and said that it 'warrants Kansas a spot right alongside Boston and Styx as one of the fresh new American bands who combine hard-driving group instrumentation (with a dearth of flashy solos) with short, tight melody lines and pleasant singing.'
  • 180 gram audiophile vinyl
  • Insert


2Cellos - 2Cellos

Young Croatian cellists Luka Sulic and Stjepan Hauser, together known as 2CELLOS, have achieved sensational success by taking the cello to a new level. Their playing style has broken down the boundaries between different genres of music, from classical and film music to Pop and Rock. 2CELLOS have no limits when it comes to performing live and are equally as impressive when playing Bach and Vivaldi as they are when rocking out AC/DC. Their debut album is a thrilling collection of chart-topping Rock and Pop songs performed in their signature style.

2CELLOS rose to fame in 2011 when their version of Michael Jackson's "Smooth Criminal" took the world by storm. The YouTube video became a massive viral sensation leading to a record deal with Sony Masterworks and an invitation to join Sir Elton John on his worldwide tour. The song charted at No. 10 on the Billboard Hot 100 Digital Songs Chart and landed the 2CELLOS' debut album in the Top 100.

In addition to many sold out solo tours (US, Japan, Europe) and collaborations with the Red Hot Chili Peppers, Queens of the Stone Age and George Michael, the duo have also appeared on major TV shows such as The Tonight Show with Jay Leno, The Ellen DeGeneres Show, The Bachelor and many others. Together with the Chinese classical superstar pianist Lang Lang, they appeared at the CCTV New Year's Gala for more than 1 billion viewers.
  • 180 gram audiophile vinyl
  • 2CELLOS is a thrilling collection of chart-topping Rock and Pop songs performed in their signature cello style
  • Limited numbered edition of 1000 copies on transparent red vinyl
  • Classical Music On Vinyl release, packed in a sturdy PVC bag Insert


THEY MIGHT BE GIANTS - FLOOD

Flood is the third studio album by Brooklyn-based Alternative Rock duo They Might Be Giants. Originally released in 1990, the album is generally considered to be the band's definitive release, as it is their best-selling and most recognizable album.

Despite minimal stylistic and instrumental differences from previous releases, Flood is distinguished by contributions from seasoned producers Clive Langer and Alan Winstanley, who as a team worked with artists like Morrissey, Elvis Costello and Madness.

The critically acclaimed album generated three radio singles: "Birdhouse In Your Soul", "Istanbul (Not Constantinople)", and "Twisting".  Other promotion for Flood included TV appearances, promotional videos and an international tour.

The reissue of this classic They Might Be Giants album is pressed on 180 gram audiophile vinyl and is presented in a gatefold sleeve.

=============

Zodiac - Sonic Child

"SONIC CHILD" the new record from Germany’s Blues Rock leaders ZODIAC is mixed, mastered and sounds amazing. Martin Meinschäfer (Megaphon Tonstudios) comments about the recordings: "There is some massive energy coming out of the speakers! In terms of production technology there where no boundaries. The game was: awesome wins! It didn't matter if it was an old deluxe guitar sound or a moog solo. It had to give the song something special, an organic sound and it had to reflect the unconditional love for music. Just the right level of natural room is again featured in the production as it did in the late 60ies and early 70ies records!”

Vocalist & Lead Guitarist Nick Van Delft comments, “The idea behind SONIC CHILD is actually very simple: As a child, you hear music in its purest form. You do this without caring about a certain image, without looking at the band pictures, without thinking about fancy clothes or any other parameters; you just listen to the music and create your own vision of it. Nowadays, it seems for many bands that music isn’t the most important element anymore. That’s why we wrote a concept album about the love for music in general. It is our “Sonic Child”, and we hope you’ll cherish it as much as we do.

Order at ProstheticRecords

=============

from our friends at Relaspe

Neurosis - Honor Found in Decay

NEUROSIS’ critically acclaimed, tenth studio album, Honor Found In Decay  via Relapse Records/Neurot Recordings. This deluxe 2xLP edition comes packaged in a gorgeous Stoughton tip-on gatefold jacket and is accompanied with a stunning 16 page LP sized Booklet. The audio was cut directly from the original studio master tapes and pressed on 180 gram weight vinyl.

Order at Relapse


=============

Sepultura - Schizophrenia

1987's Schizophrenia exploded onto the metal scene fueled by fusing thrash & death metal, improved songwriting, musicianship, and the band's first "professional" quality production. Constant touring & the addition of classically trained lead guitarist Andreas Kisser were monumental factors in the impact Schizophrenia had on the metal community.

Vinyl Details:
 + Transparent Blue Vinyl
+ 180 Gram
 + Limited to 1500 Copies!

Order at MetalBladeRecords


Deicide - Legion

"Legion" is an onslaught of ever-shifting double-bass and extreme guitar riffing is considered by many to be an essential example of Deicide's world-class death metal. While bassist/vocalist Glen Benton never accepted the categorization, his band helped define the early '90s death movement with their intricate, ultra-heavy music and low, growling vocals.

Vinyl Details:
 + Opaque Red Vinyl
 + 180 Gram
 + Limited to 1500 Copies!

Order at MetalBladeRecords


Obituary - The End Complete

The band's third release, marks the return of lead guitarist Allen West and it also marks an impressive leap forward in production. "The End Complete" is arguably the definitive Obituary album as well as being considered by many as the prototypical death metal album.

Vinyl Details:
 + Coke Bottle Clear Vinyl
 + 180 Gram
 + Limited to 1500 Copies!

Order at MetalBladeRecords

=============




Invada Records Releasing Four ‘Hannibal’ OSTs On 2xLP Vinyl (Exclusive)








=============

album cover art of the day:


PANZER Featuring ACCEPT And DESTRUCTION Members: 'Send Them All To Hell' Cover Artwork, Track Listing





















=============

album cover art of the day, part two:


New Album "Catharsis" Announced By Soldierfield