What could have been: An experts' image of Jackson (left) and how he looks today after surgery (right)
Monday, September 1, 2008
Michael Jackson at 50 ... What Could Have Been
What could have been: An experts' image of Jackson (left) and how he looks today after surgery (right)
Another Spin for Vinyl
DURING his freshman year at Point Park University in Pittsburgh a couple years ago, James Acklin, now 20, felt lost among the social cliques on his new campus until he got to talking with a student who was in some of his classes. She seemed unusual, and it wasn’t just her look: thick-framed eyeglasses, bangs and vintage dresses. Then, one rainy day in February, the two skipped class and went to her apartment. As soon as she opened her door his instincts were confirmed: she had a turntable. So did he. They both spoke the language of vinyl.
Their bond was sealed as soon as she placed the stylus on an LP by the band Broken Social Scene, he said in an e-mail message. “There was this immediate mutual acknowledgment, like we both totally understood what we define ourselves by,” continued Mr. Acklin, who considers his turntable, a Technics model from the 1980s that belonged to an aunt, a prized possession. “It takes a special kind of person to appreciate pops and clicks and imperfections in their music.”
The ranks of vinyl devotees are growing. Lately, the anachronistic LP has experienced an unlikely spike in sales, decades after the mainstream music industry wrote off the format as obsolete. Major labels are expanding their vinyl offerings for the first time since they left records for dead nearly two decades ago, music executives said. 
While the niche may still be small measured against overall sales of recorded music, the surge of interest in vinyl — and, particularly, its rising cachet among young listeners — is providing a rare glimmer of hope in a hemorrhaging industry.
“Even if the industry doesn’t do all that well going forward, we could really carve this out to be a nice profitable niche,” said Bill Gagnon, a senior vice president at EMI Catalog Marketing, who is in charge of vinyl releases. He said that people who buy vinyl nowadays are charmed by the format’s earthy authenticity.
“It’s almost a back-to-nature approach,” Mr. Gagnon said. “It’s the difference between growing your own vegetables and purchasing them frozen in the supermarket.”
The category virtually collapsed in the late 1980s with the advent of the compact disc. And despite the efforts of various subcultures of supporters — club D.J.’s, audiophiles, hardcore punks — to engineer a vinyl comeback, sales continued to wither as MP3s joined CDs as competition over the last decade. The industry had shipments of 3.4 million LPs and EPs in 1998 and just over 900,000 in 2006, according to the Recording Industry Association of America.
But shipments jumped about 37 percent in 2007, to nearly 1.3 million records. Three years ago Warner Bros. Records returned to the format when it opened becausesoundmatters.com, an online vinyl store stocked with reissues and new releases. At first, any vinyl release that sold 3,000 copies was considered a success, said Tom Biery, who oversees vinyl sales for the company. By comparison, the 2007 Wilco album, “Sky Blue Sky,” surpassed 14,000 copies.
Vinyl is suddenly chic, he said, even among people too young to have grown up with the familiar crackle of a needle carving through the grooves of an album. “I have friends who have younger kids — 13, 15 years old, even 10 — and all those kids want turntables,” he said. “Their parents are like: Wait a minute. What are you talking about?”
Mass-market retailers like Virgin Megastore and smaller record stores like Mondo Kim’s in Manhattan are devoting more floor space to the antiquarian 12-inch disc of late. Newbury Comics, a chain of 29 music and merchandise stores in New England, has sold 400 turntables since it started selling them in June, Duncan Browne, a company executive, said.
Despite the spike, records still represent a sliver of the music business as a whole. In 2007, for example, the industry shipped 511 million CDs. But given the declining interest in compact discs — those half-billion CDs represented a drop of more than 17 percent from the year before — any growth was welcome, executives said.
This year Capitol/EMI is in the process of reissuing its first substantial vinyl catalog in decades. Some of those albums, like “Pet Sounds” by the Beach Boys, are classic rock leviathans aimed at nostalgic baby boomers. But many are albums by contemporary artists, like Radiohead and Coldplay, who appeal to young music buyers, Mr. Gagnon said. Most are pressed on acoustically superior 180-gram vinyl, and many are packaged in gatefold jackets, so they can serve as collectors’ items for young fans who might also have the music in its digital form.
With music so abundant on the Internet, record label executives said they needed to make physical copies of albums stand out as desirable objects in order to get people to buy them. Vinyl albums are up to the task: they are exotic because of their novelty and retro allure, and more physically imposing than CDs. (And the 12.5-inch album sleeve is an ideal canvas for cover art.)
Deluxe editions are trophies of sorts for passionate fans, Mr. Biery said. In September, for example, Warner Bros. Records will release a new Metallica album, “Death Magnetic,” in a five-record box version — each of 10 songs will get its own side — for about $115.
Many new-generation fans of vinyl view LPs as branded merchandise, like band T-shirts or posters, as much as a practical means of acquiring recorded music, said Matt Wishnow, the founder of Insound, an online music and merchandise company. In the last two years vinyl sales have expanded to about 50 percent from less than 20 percent of the company’s business, he said. (The median age of its customers, he added, is 25.)
In an era when “everybody’s music collection is the same” thanks to file swapping, collecting expensive, unwieldy LPs is a conspicuous way for the superfans to advertise their cognoscenti status, he said.
“It’s a customer who wants to have vinyl in their home the same way they want books in their home,” Mr. Wishnow said. For such a customer, he added, the message is, “ ‘When I can have all the music in the world in the palm of my hand, what does it say about me that I spend $15 to $20 for this format that is a pain to store and move and is easily damaged?’ ”
Young vinyl collectors said digital technology had made it easy for anyone — even parents — to acquire vast, esoteric music collections. In that context, nothing seems hipper than old-fashioned inconvenience.
“The process of taking the record off the shelf, pulling it out of the sleeve, putting the needle on the record, makes for a much more intense and personal connection with the music because it’s more effort,” said R. J. Crowder-Schaefer, 21, a senior at New York University who said he became a serious vinyl disciple a few years ago.
Along the way, devotees often cross paths with their parents, who are still upgrading their audio technology. Meghan Galewski, another student at New York University, bought her father, now 56, an iPod for a recent birthday. He bought her a turntable for hers.
“He thought it was stupid that I wanted this old technology,” Ms. Galewski, 21, said. She had to tutor him on how to use his iPod, then rifled through his stacks of records from the ’60s and ’70s to appropriate gems like his original “Woodstock” LP set.
But for Corinne Monaco, 17, who lives in Prospect Heights, Brooklyn, her interest in vinyl provides a way to bond with her parents. Afternoons on the sofa listening to Jethro Tull and Jimi Hendrix albums with her father, she said, give her “a chance to see where he was coming from, with the music of his youth.”
INDEED, records force children of the digital age to listen to music in the rigid manner of previous generations, said Scott Karoly, 21, a student at the University of California, Santa Cruz, and a recent vinyl convert.
No longer can they use a click wheel to sample songs from Miley Cyrus, Nas, Black Sabbath, John Coltrane and the Scissor Sisters within minutes. With vinyl, listeners cede control to the artist. They let the music wash over them, in the original order of songs, at the original pace. “I have a ton of music on iTunes,” Mr. Karoly said, “but with that music I get A.D.D. really quick. With my LPs, it’s like reading a book as opposed to clicking through articles on Yahoo.”
“When you put on a record,” he added, “it’s an event.”
[NY Times]
Sunday, August 31, 2008
Is This Who You Think Should Be In The White House?
Meet Sarah Palin ...extremist conservative, with little experience and no foreign policy background ... and best of all ... she doesn't even know what a VP does and she's involved in an investigation.
John McCain just celebrated his 72nd birthday and if elected he'd be the oldest president ever inaugurated.
And after months of slamming Barack Obama for "inexperience," here's who John McCain has chosen to be one heartbeat away from the presidency: a right-wing religious conservative with no foreign policy experience, who until recently was mayor of a town of 9,000 people.
Huh? 
Who is Sarah Palin? Here's some basic background:
She was elected Alaska's governor a little over a year and a half ago. Her previous office was mayor of Wasilla, a small town outside Anchorage.Link
Palin is strongly anti-choice, opposing abortion even in the case of rape or incest.Link
She supported right-wing extremist Pat Buchanan for president in 2000.Link
Palin thinks creationism should be taught in public schools.Link
She's doesn't think humans are the cause of climate change.Link
She's solidly in line with John McCain's "Big Oil first" energy policy. She's pushed hard for more oil drilling and says renewables won't be ready for years. She also sued the Bush administration for listing polar bears as an endangered species - she was worried it would interfere with more oil drilling in Alaska.Link
This is information the American people need to see.
MoveOn.org also asked Alaska members what the rest of us should know about their governor. The response was striking. Here's a sample:
She is really just a mayor from a small town outside Anchorage who has been a governor for only 1.5 years, and has ZERO national and international experience. I shudder to think that she could be the person taking that 3AM call on the White House hotline, and the one who could potentially be charged with leading the US in the volatile international scene that exists today. - Rose M., Fairbanks, AK
She is VERY, VERY conservative, and far from perfect. She's a hunter and fisherwoman, but votes against the environment again and again. She ran on ethics reform, but is currently under investigation for several charges involving hiring and firing of state officials. She has NO experience beyond Alaska. - Christine B., Denali Park, AK
As an Alaskan and a feminist, I am beyond words at this announcement. Palin is not a feminist, and she is not the reformer she claims to be. - Karen L., Anchorage, AK
Alaskans, collectively, are just as stunned as the rest of the nation. She is doing well running our State, but is totally inexperienced on the national level, and very much unequipped to run the nation, if it came to that. She is as far right as one can get, which has already been communicated on the news. In our office of thirty employees (dems, republicans, and nonpartisans), not one person feels she is ready for the V.P. position. - Sherry C., Anchorage, AK
She's vehemently anti-choice and doesn't care about protecting our natural resources, even though she has worked as a fisherman. McCain chose her to pick up the Hillary voters, but Palin is no Hillary. - Marina L., Juneau, AK
I think she's far too inexperienced to be in this position. I'm all for a woman in the White House, but not one who hasn't done anything to deserve it. There are far many other women who have worked their way up and have much more experience that would have been better choices. This is a patronizing decision on John McCain's part- and insulting to females everywhere that he would assume he'll get our vote by putting "A Woman" in that position. - Jennifer M., Anchorage, AKSo Governor Palin is a staunch anti-choice religious conservative. She's a global warming denier who shares John McCain's commitment to Big Oil. And she's dramatically inexperienced.
In picking Sarah Palin, John McCain has made the religious right very happy. And he's made a very dangerous decision for our country.
In the next few days, many Americans will be wondering what McCain's vice-presidential choice means. Please pass this information along to your friends and family.
[Moveon.org]
Watch this video in which Sarah Palin admits she has no clue what the Vice President even does. Incredible.
Gun-toting beauty queen ...
Here's an allegation that was recently proven false due to the recently announced pregnancy of 17 year-old Bristol Palin:
http://www.dailykos.com/storyonly/2008/8/30/121350/137/486/580223
Upcoming Vinyl Releases (LP's, 12" Singles and 7"s)
Here's a list of upcoming vinyl releases in the U.S.. Please note release dates and item details are subject to change without notice. What is listed is the most up-to-date details, as of the date of this post, based on information provided by the labels listed below, or their exclusive distributor.
Information listed below will supersede any previous listing information.
12" and 7" singles follow the LP's in each release date section.
9/9/08 RELEASE DATE
18th Dye - Amorine Queen ( Crunchy Frog - FROG060-1 / 645211105719 ) $16.98
A Flock Of Seagulls - Space Age Love Songs [180 Gram Vinyl] ( Lilith - 151 / 8013252915116 ) $29.98
Bee Gees - Early Years [180 Gram Vinyl] ( Get Back - 661 / 8013252366116 ) $25.98
Curtis Mayfield - Love Songs Vol.2 [180 Gram Vinyl] ( Get Back - 8065 / 8013252806513 ) $25.98
Damned - Nasty Damned [180 Gram Vinyl] ( Lilith - 152 / 8013252915215 ) $29.98
Daniel Johnston - Fear Yourself [180 Gram Vinyl] ( Coppertree Records - 7 / 5021449175819 ) $29.98
Dinah Washington - I Was Born Ruth Lee Jones, But I Am Singing As Dinah [180 Gram Vinyl] ( Get Back - 7529 / 8013252752919 ) $25.98
DJ Andy Smith - Diggin' In The Bgp Vaults ( BGP - 195 / 0029667519519 ) $39.98
Eagles - Hotel California [LP] (180 Gram Vinyl Analog Mastering with insert) ( Elektra / Rhino - ECG 1084 / 081227991517 ) $24.98
Jennifer Warnes - Famous Blue Raincoat 20th Anniversary Edition ( Cisco - 706045 / 798668706012 ) $99.98
LL Cool J - Exit 13 [2 LP] ( Def Jam - B001150301 / 602517753341 ) $15.98
Maxine Sullivan - On Tour With The Allegheny Jazz Quartet ( Jump - 1214 / 0371012199410 ) $17.98
Michael Franti & Spearhead - All Rebel Rockers [LP] ( Anti / Epitaph - 045778690619 / 045778690619 ) $19.98
Mogwai - Batcat Ep ( Matador Records MTD 108271 / 744861082712 ) $9.98
Natalie Cole - Still Unforgettable [LP] (in Gatefold Jacket with insert) ( Atco / DMI Records - RHP 512320 / 643027812128 ) $24.98
Prince - Purple Rain [LP] (180 Gram Vinyl Analog Mastering with insert) ( Warner Bros / Rhino - RRW 25110 / 081227991494 ) $24.98
Van Halen - Van Halen [LP] (180 Gram Vinyl Analog Mastering with insert) ( Warner Bros / Rhino - RRW 3075 / 081227991487 ) $24.98
Warren Zevon - Warren Zevon [LP] (180 Gram Vinyl Analog Mastering with insert) ( Elektra / Rhino - ECG 1060 / 081227991470 ) $24.98
Who - The Who By Numbers ( Classic Records - 2490150 / 0746424901508 ) $25.98
Young Jeezy - The Recession [2 LP] ( Def Jam - B001153601 / 602517760288 ) $15.98
Murs - Can It Be (Half A Million Dollars And 18 Months Later) / Me And This Jawn [WHITE VINYL in Special Jacket) ( Warner Brothers - MS-514105 / 093624982814 ) $5.98
Wink - Stay Out All Night (Todd Terry / HCCR Remixes) (LIMITED EDITION WHITE LABEL) ( Ovum White Label - OVM-191 / OVM-191 ) $6.98
Donnie Klang - Take You There (ft. P Diddy) / Dr. Love ( Bad Boy - MS-515901 / 075678970634 ) $5.98
Grouch - Artsy ( Legendary Music - LGM-50024 / 788377110514 ) $10.97
FRIDAY 9/12/08 RELEASE DATE
Metallica - Death Magnetic [2 LP] (in Stoughton jacket) ( Warner Bros. - 1-508732 / 093624983552 ) $22.98
Metallica - Death Magnetic [Deluxe Edition] [5 45-RPM LPs] (180 Gram Black Vinyl in a Stoughton box that includes a lithograph and bonus audio CD) ( Warner Bros. - 1-512119 / 093624984368 ) $114.98
9/16/08 RELEASE DATE
Blue Oyster Cult - Agents Of Fortune [1 LP] ( Columbia / Legacy - 88697335711 / 886973357118 ) $16.98
Boston - Boston [1 LP] 180 Gram Vinyl ( Columbia / Legacy - 88697335571 / 886973355718 ) $18.98
Buckcherry - Black Butterfly [2LP] [Includes Bonus CD] ( Atlantic - 511262 / 075678988882 ) $21.98
Charles Mingus - Mingus Ah Um - [1 LP] 180 Gram Vinyl ( Columbia / Legacy - 88697335681 / 886973356814 ) $18.98
Chemical Brothers - Brotherhood [2 LP] ( Astralwerks - 34818 / 5099923481817 ) $25.98
James - Hey Ma ( Decca U.S. - B001185301 / 602517814875 ) $17.98
Johnny Cash - 16 Biggest Hits [1 LP] ( Columbia / Legacy - 88697335701 / 886973357019 ) $16.98
Judas Priest - British Steel [1 LP] ( Columbia / Legacy - 88697341991 / 886973419915 ) $16.98
Lindsey Buckingham - Gift Of Screws [LP] (180 Gram Vinyl includes Bonus CD) ( Reprise - REP 512970 / 093624983217 ) $24.98
Lou Reed - Berlin [1 LP] ( Columbia / Legacy - 88697001041 / 886970010412 ) $16.98
Marc Broussard - Keep Coming Back [2 LP] (includes Bonus CD) ( Atlantic - ATL 512257 / 075678981784 ) $18.98
Ne-Yo - Year Of The Gentleman [2 LP] ( Def Jam - B001141001 / 602517742642 ) $15.98
Raphael Saadiq - The Way I See It [LP] (includes download insert) ( Columbia - 88697085851 / 886970858519 ) $18.98
Yelle - Pop-Up [2 LP] [Contains Bonus 12'' ft. 4 Thundering Dancefloor Remixes of her hits] ( Astralwerks - 97867 / 094639786718 ) $20.98
Ace Hood - Ride (ft. Trey Songz) ( Def Jam - B001190911 / 602517825420 ) $5.98
Cassie - Official Girl (feat. Lil Wayne) ( Bad Boy - MS-516082 / 075678970498 ) $5.98
DJ Danny Diggs - Ladies Anthem [Part 1 & 2] ( AV8 - AV783 / 607938007830 ) $6.98
DJ LBR ft. Fatman Scoop - One More Time (prod. by DJ LBR] b/w Serato Scratch Live digital time coding [Picture Disc] ( AV8 - AV784 / 607938007840 ) $16.98
Fatman Scoop - Where Them Big Dogs At [prod. DJ Illynoize] ( AV8 - AV782 / AV8782 ) $6.98
Laura Izibor - From My Heart To Yours (DJ Premier Remix) ( Atlantic - MS-516090 / 075678970450 ) $5.98
9/23/08 RELEASE DATE
Ace Hood - Gutta [LP] ( Def Jam - B001177301 / 602517806412 ) $15.98
All That Remains - Overcome [2LP] ( Razor & Tie - 79301829991 / 793018299916 ) $15.98
Allman Brothers Band - Live At The Fillmore East [2 LP] (180 Gram Vinyl) ( Mercury - 8232731 / 042282327314 ) $24.98
Anne Briggs - Anne Briggs (180 Gram Vinyl) ( 4 Men With Beards - FMN164 / 646315116410 ) $18.98
Anne Briggs - The Time Has Come (180 Gram Vinyl) ( 4 Men With Beards - FMN165 / 646315116519 ) $18.98
Bauhaus - Burning From The Inside (180 Gram Vinyl) ( 4 Men With Beards - FMN512 / 646315151213 ) $18.98
Bauhaus - The Sky's Gone Out (180 Gram Vinyl) ( 4 Men With Beards - FMN511 / 646315151114 ) $18.98
Belle And Sebastian - Dear Catastrophe Waitress [2 LP] (in Gatefold Jacket with MP3 Coupon) ( Rough Trade - RTD 000801 / 883870008013 ) $29.98
Bob Marley & The Wailers - Burnin' [LP] (180 Gram Vinyl) ( Island - 5488941 / 731454889414 ) $19.98
Cat Stevens - Teaser And The Firecat [LP] (180 Gram Vinyl) ( A&M - 5468851 / 731454688512 ) $19.98
Common Market - Tobacco Road [2LP] ( HYN - 59370 / 825005937010 ) $18.98
David Gilmour - Live In Gdansk [5 LP Box] (180 Gram Vinyl and Includes Digtal Download Card) ( Columbia - 886973447017 / 886973447017 ) $99.98
Dead Can Dance - Dead Can Dance [180 Gram Vinyl 2LP] ( VIN - 265003 / 881626500316 ) $24.98
Dead Can Dance - Garden of Arcade Delights Ep [Deluxe Edition 2LP 180 Gram Vinyl] ( VIN - 265004 / 881626500415 ) $44.98
Def Leppard - Pyromania [LP] (180 Gram Vinyl) ( Mercury - 8103081 / 042281030819 ) $19.98
Derek & The Dominos - Layla And Other Assorted Love Songs [2 LP] (180 Gram Vinyl) ( Motown - 5310373 / 600753103739 ) $24.98
Earpeace - Earpeace Ep (X) ( Porter Records - 3 / 0724101946646 ) $16.98
Elton John - Goodbye Yellow Brick Road [2 LP] (180 Gram Vinyl) ( Mercury - 5310374 / 600753103746 ) $24.98
Eminem - The Marshall Mathers LP [2 LP] (180 Gram Vinyl) (printed sleeves) ( Interscope - 0694906291 / 606949062910 ) $24.98
Guns N' Roses - Appetite For Destruction [LP] (180 Gram Vinyl) ( Geffen - GHS24148 / 720642414811 ) $19.98
Heartbreak - Lies [2LP] ( Lex Records - LEX074LP / 878390001262 ) $15.98
Jenny Lewis - Acid Tongue [2 LP] (includes Bonus CD and one-etched sided vinyl) ( Warner Bros - WB 508668 / 093624986096 ) $22.98
Jimi Hendrix Experience - Are You Experienced? [2 LP] (180 Gram Vinyl) (Gatefold Jacket and includes booklet) ( Geffen - MCA211608 / 008811160814 ) $34.98
Jimi Hendrix Experience - Axis: Bold As Love [2 LP] (180 Gram Vinyl) (Gatefold Jacket and includes booklet) ( Geffen - MCA11601 / 008811160111 ) $24.98
Joe Cocker - Mad Dogs & Englishmen [2 LP] (180 Gram Vinyl) ( A&M - 3960021 / 082839600217 ) $29.98
Johnny Cash - Johnny Cash Remixed [2LP] ( Music World Ent - CR9295121 / 616892951216 ) $17.98
Kiss - Alive! [2 LP] (180 Gram Vinyl) (Gatefold Jacket and printed sleeves & booklet) ( Mercury - 8227801 / 042282278012 ) $29.98
Lynyrd Skynyrd - Second Helping [LP] (180 Gram Vinyl) ( Geffen - MCA1686 / 076732168615 ) $24.98
Motorhead - Ace Of Spades [LP] (180 Gram Vinyl) ( Sanctuary - 5310375 / 600753103753 ) $19.98
Nine Inch Nails - The Downward Spiral [2 LP] (180 Gram Vinyl) ( Nothing - B001169701 / 731452212610 ) $29.98
Peter Bjorn and John - Seaside Rock [LP] (Instrumental Album on WHITE Vinyl with Download Insert Card) ( AG Star Time Intl - 88697365391 / 886973653913 ) $21.98
Peter Frampton - Frampton Comes Alive [2 LP] (180 Gram Vinyl in Gatefold Jacket) ( A&M - 7502165051 / 075021650510 ) $24.98
Police - Synchronicity [LP] (180 Gram Vinyl) ( A&M - 3937351 / 082839373517 ) $19.98
Steely Dan - Gaucho [LP] (180 Gram Vinyl) (Gatefold Jacket) ( Geffen - MCA1693 / 076732169315 ) $24.98
Stephen Stills - Just Roll Tape (April 26th 1968) [LP] (180 Gram Vinyl Analaog Mastering in Gatefold Jacket with Insert) ( Rhino Records - RHI 510892 / 081227992972 ) $24.98
Stevie Wonder - Music Of My Mind [2 LP] (180 Gram Vinyl) ( Motown - 5010903141 / 050109031412 ) $29.98
Sublime - Sublime [2 LP] (180 Gram Vinyl) ( Geffen - B001169601 / 602517800083 ) $29.98
The Who - Who's Next [2 LP] (180 Gram Vinyl) ( Geffen - 8136511 / 042281365119 ) $19.98
Traffic - The Low Spark Of High Heeled Boys [LP] (180 Gram Vinyl) ( Island - 8427791 / 042284277914 ) $19.98
TV On The Radio - Dear Science [LP] ( DGC - B001188201 / 602517840492 ) $15.98
Van Morrison - Astral Weeks [LP] (180 Gram Vinyl Analog Mastering with insert) ( Warner Bros / Rhino - RRW 1768 / 081227990718 ) $24.98
Van Morrison - His Band & Street Choir [LP] (180 Gram Vinyl Analog Mastering with insert) ( Warner Bros / Rhino - RRW 1884 / 081227990695 ) $24.98
Van Morrison - Moondance [LP] (180 Gram Vinyl Analog Mastering with insert) ( Warner Bros / Rhino - RRW 1835 / 081227990701 ) $24.98
Various Artists - Nick and Norah's Infinite Playlist s/t ( Atlantic - A-516007 / 075678970535 ) $18.98
Velvet Underground - Velvet Underground & Nico [LP] (180 Gram Vinyl) ( Polydor - 8232901 / 042282329011 ) $24.98
Apologist - Revolution EP ( Wave Music - WM50202-1 / 790185020213 ) $7.98
Big Boi - Sumthin's Gotta Give ft. Mary J. Blige ( Jive - 88697389181 / 886973891810 ) $6.98
Danny Tenaglia - Space Dance [Remixes] (2x12'' in Glow In The Dark Jacket) ( Tommy Boy - TB-2583-1 / 661868258318 ) $9.98
Ican - Pa' Mi Gente (includes Carl Craig Dub) / Chiclet's Theme ( Planet E - PLE65302-1 / PLE65302-1 ) $6.98
Nina Sky - Curtain Call ft. Rick Ross ( J Records - 88697387941 / 886973879412 ) $6.98
Rachael Yamagata - The Resolution [7 inch Single] ( Warner Brothers - S516364 / 054391991324 ) $4.98
9/30/08 RELEASE DATE
9th Ward - I Ain't Looking Back [2 LP] ( Island - B001140801 / 602517734456 ) $15.98
Anberlin - New Surrender [2LP] ( Universal Republic - B001204301 / 602517845053 ) $15.98
Ben Folds - Way To Normal [2LP 180 Gram Vinyl Gatefold jacket w/digital download card] ( Epic - 88697098491 / 886970984911 ) $21.98
Ben Folds - Way To Normal [Super Deluxe Box Set] [2LP 180 Gram Vinyl includes 2 CD + 1 DVD + Poster in Foil-Stamped Box] ( Epic - 88697357322 / 886973573228 ) $99.99
Bleeding Through - Declaration [2LP] ( Trustkill - TK116V / 824953011612 ) $12.98
Boz Scaggs - Speak Low [2LP] ( Decca U.S. - B001202501 / 602517843462 ) $17.98
Buena Vista Social Club - Buena Vista Social Club at Carnegie Hall [2 LP] [180 Gram Vinyl w/ 2 Bonus CDs] ( Nonesuch - A-514415 / 075597987294 ) $29.98
Colby O'Donis - Colby O [2LP] ( Geffen - B001129001 / 602517792845 ) $15.98
De La Soul - De La Soul Is Dead [LP] (180 Gram Vinyl) ( 4 Men With Beards - 902 / 646315190212 ) $18.98
DJ Rectangle - Ultimate Ultimate Battle Weapon Vol 7.0 [Clear Blue Vinyl] ( Sincenter records - SINCTR92401-1 / SINCTR92401-1 ) $18.98
Dragonforce - Ultra Beatdown [LP] (w/bonus download) ( Roadrunner Records - A-179371 / 016861793715 ) $16.98
Earth Wind & Fire - Gratitude [2LP] ( Legacy / Columbia - 88697341991 / 886973419916 ) $24.98
Innerpartysystem - Innerpartysystem [2 LP] ( Island - B001135901 / 602517825246 ) $15.98
Jack's Mannequin - Glass Passenger [2 LP] ( Sire - A-371452 / 093624989738 ) $21.98
Jimi Hendrix - Band Of Gypsys [LP] (180 Gram RED-Colored Vinyl) (LIMITED EDITION) ( Capitol Records - 16319 / 0077771631917 ) $20.98
John Lennon - Imagine [LP] (180 Gram Vinyl plus poster and postcard) (LIMITED EDITION) ( Capitol Records - 03379 / 0077770337919 ) $29.98
Kardinal Offishall - Not 4 Sale [2LP] ( Geffen - B001164001 / 602517791725 ) $15.98
Michael Jackson - Thriller [LP] [Picture Disc] ( Legacy / Epic - 88697353391 / 886973533918 ) $19.98
Miles Davis - Kind Of Blue 50th Anniversary Collector's Edition [LP] (180 Gram BLUE Vinyl plus 2 CD's / 1 DVD / Book / Poster in custom Gatefold Media Jacket) ( Columbia / Legacy - 886973355220 / 886973355220 ) $105.98
Murs - Murs For President [2 LP] [Red & White Colored Vinyl] ( Warner Brothers - A-176828 / 093624989035 ) $21.98
Nikka Costa - Pebble To A Pearl ( Stax / Fantasy - STX31021 / 888072310216 ) $24.98
Nina Simone - Remixed & Reimagined [LP] ( Legacy / Columbia - 88697335611 / 886973356111 ) $16.98
Paul Kantner / Jefferson Starship - Blows Against The Empire [LP] ( Legacy / Columbia - 88697335671 / 886973356715 ) $16.98
Plain White T's - World [2LP] ( Hollywood - D000264101 / 050087129002 ) $17.98
Sam Cooke - One Night Stand - Live At The Harlem Square Club [LP] 180 Gram ( Legacy / Columbia - 88697337901 / 886973379011 ) $18.98
T.I. - Paper Trail [2 LP] (VERY LIMITED) (single vinyl) ( Grand Hustle / Atlantic - A-512376 / 075678989490 ) $18.98
Trio Of Doom - Trio Of Doom [LP] 180 Gram ( Legacy / Columbia - 88697343311 / 886973433119 ) $18.98
U2 - Under Blood Red Sky (180 Gram Vinyl) ( Island - B001095001 / 602517642850 ) $28.98
Willie Nelson - Red Headed Stranger [LP] ( Legacy / Columbia - 88697335731 / 886973357316 ) $16.98
Ludacris - What Them Girls Like (feat. Chris Brown & Sean Garrett) ( Def Jam - B001213711 / 602517859982 ) $5.98
Mariah Carey - Migrate (feat. T-Pain) ( Island - B001213811 / 602517859838 ) $5.98
Ne-Yo - Miss Independent ( Def Jam - B001211111 / 602517855984 ) $5.98
Polly Scattergood - Nitrogen Pink [10 inch vinyl] ( Mute - 724596939703 / 724596939703 ) $9.98
T.I. - Live Your Life (feat. Rihanna) ( Atlantic - MS-516201 / 075678970344 ) $5.98
Beck - Gamma Ray b/w Gamma Ray (Jay Reatard Version) ( Interscope - B001211521 / 602517857490 ) $2.98
Beck - Gamma Ray b/w Bonfire Blondes ( Interscope - B001211421 / 602517857483 ) $2.98
Jack White & Alicia Keys - Another Way To Die (7 Inch Single) ( RCA - 88697390167 / 886973901670 ) $6.98
Madlib - Go! (feat. Guilty Simpson) b/w Gamble On Ya Boy (feat. Defari) (LIMITED EDITION 7'') ( Rapster / BBE - 730003907074 / 730003907074 ) $6.98
10/7/08 RELEASE DATE
Amanda Palmer - Who Killed Amanda Palmer [LP w/bonus download] ( Roadrunner Records - A-179251 / 016861792510 ) $16.98
Black Sabbath - Dehumanizer [LP] (180 Gram Vinyl) ( Rhino/Warner Bros/Reprise - A-26965 / 081227990770 ) $17.98
Black Sabbath - Heaven And Hell [LP] (180 Gram Vinyl) ( Rhino/Warner Bros/Reprise - A-3372 / 081227990794 ) $17.98
Black Sabbath - Live Evil [2 LP] (180 Gram Vinyl) ( Rhino/Warner Bros/Reprise - A-23742 / 081227990800 ) $24.98
Black Sabbath - Mob Rules [LP] (180 Gram Vinyl) ( Rhino/Warner Bros/Reprise - A-3605 / 081227990787 ) $17.98
Bob Dylan - Tell Tale Signs: The Bootleg Series Vol. 8 (Rare And Unreleased 1989-2006) [4 LP Box] (180 Gram Vinyl and Includes Download Card and Book) ( Columbia - 88697357961 / 886973579619 ) $109.98
Cocteau Twins - Head Over Heels [Deluxe Edition] [2 LP] (180 Gram Vinyl plus Sunburst & Snowblind EP on Lilac Colored Vinyl] ( Virtual - 009 / 881626500613 ) $44.98
Cocteau Twins - Head Over Heels [LP] (180 Gram Vinyl) ( Virtual - 010 / 881626500514 ) $24.98
Margot and The Nuclear So & So's - Animal! [180 Gram Vinyl includes download insert [2LP] ( Epic - 88697356851 / 886973568514 ) $21.98
Margot and The Nuclear So & So's - Not Animal includes download insert 180 Gram Vinyl 2 LP] ( Epic - 88697210801 / 883972108018 ) $18.98
Marty Paich - I Get A Boot Out Of You [LP] (180 Gram Vinyl Analog Mastering with insert) ( Rhino Records - RRW 360572 / 081227994853 ) $24.98
Michelle Williams - Unexpected [Includes download insert] [2LP] ( Columbia - 886970147316 / 886970147316 ) $20.98
Moldy Peaches - Moldy Peaches ( Rough Trade - RTD 000141 / 883870001410 ) $15.98
Oasis - Dig Out Your Soul [2 LP] (180 Gram Vinyl) ( Warner Brothers - A-514078 / 093624982913 ) $29.98
Of Montreal - Skeletal Lampin [2LP] [180 Gram Vinyl Double gatefold jacket] ( Polyvinyl records - PRC160 / 644110016010 ) $24.98
Rachael Yamagata - Elephants Teeth Sinking Into Heart [2LP] Colored Vinyl ( Warner Brothers - A-512764 / 093624982647 ) $21.98
Rise Against - Appeal To Reason [LP] [Limited Edition Picture Disc] ( Interscope - B001207601 / 602517850248 ) $19.98
Rise Against - Appeal To Reason [LP] [Limited Edition w/full album digital download] ( Interscope - B001190401 / 602517850231 ) $15.98
Robin Thicke - Something Else [2LP] ( Interscope - B001179301 / 602517861664 ) $15.98
10/14/08 RELEASE DATE
Cure - 4:13 Dream [2LP] ( Geffen - B001091301 / 602517867086 ) $15.98
Elvis Presley - Elvis Presley [LP] ( Legacy - 88697356961 / 886973569610 ) $16.98
Greg Street - Greg Street Certified Worldwide [2LP] ( Interscope - B001164201 / 602517791770 ) $15.98
Insane Clown Posse - Riddle Box [2LP] ( Legacy - 88697369721 / 886973697214 ) $24.98
Joe Satriani - Surfing With The Alien ( Legacy - 88697383491 / 886973834916 ) $16.98
Knux - Remind Me In 3 Days [2LP] ( Interscope - B001209201 / 602517854246 ) TBD
Lucinda Williams - Little Honey [LP] ( Lost Highway - B001143401 / 602517741768 ) $17.98
Ludacris - Theater Of The Mind ( Def Jam - B001202001 / 602517827554 ) TBD
Peter Tosh - Legalize It ( Legacy - 88697335691 / 886973356913 ) $16.98
Ray LaMontagn - Gossip In The Grain [2LP] ( RCA - 88697326701 / 886973267011 ) $21.98
Various Artists - Wanted! The Outlaws [LP] ( Legacy - 88697356191 / 886973561911 ) $16.98
Weather Report - Heavy Weather [180 Gram Vinyl] ( Legacy - 88697351421 / 886973514214 ) $18.98
10/21/08 RELEASE DATE
And You Will Know Us By The Trail Of Dead - Festival Thyme [LP] ( Justice Records - JR35012 / 719488350124 ) $17.98
Cocoa Tea - Sweet Sound Of Cocoa Tea [2LP] ( VP - VP41231 / 054645412315 ) $17.98
Congos - Heart Of The Congos [Deluxe Edition] [2 LP] ( VP - VP4143 / 054645414319 ) $17.98
Cutty Ranks - Limb By Limb [2LP] ( VP - VP41241 / 054645412414 ) $17.98
Doom - Born Into This [LP] ( Lex Records - LEX069LP0 / 878390001286 ) $17.98
Drew Brown - Tiago La Is Losing The Plot [LP] ( Lex Records - LEX056LP / 878390001040 ) $17.98
James Taylor - Covers [LP] ( Hear Music - HRM31043 / 888072310438 ) $17.98
Joe Gibbs - Scorchers From The Mighty [2LP] ( VP - VP41301 / 054645413015 ) $17.98
La Dusseldorf - La Dusseldorf [180 Gram Vinyl] ( 4 Men With Beards - 166 / 0646315116618 ) $17.98
La Dusseldorf - Viva [180 Gram Vinyl] ( 4 Men With Beards - 167 / 0646315116717 ) $17.98
Pj Harvey - To Bring You My Love [180 Gram Vinyl] ( Plain - 135 / 0646315513516 ) $17.98
Primus - Sailing The Seas Of Cheese [180 Gram Vinyl] ( Plain - 132 / 0646315513219 ) TBD
10/28/08 RELEASE DATE
Beach Boys - Endless Summer [4 Color Gatefold Jacket 180 Gram Vinyl 2LP] ( Capitol - 42794 / 5099924279413 ) $25.98
Billie Holiday - Remixed & Reimagined [LP] ( Legacy - 88697352971 / 886973529713 ) $16.98
Blood Sweat & Tears - Child Is Father To The Man [LP] (180 Gram Vinyl) ( Legacy - 88697383481 / 886973834817 ) $18.98
Cheap Trick - At Budokan [LP] (180 Gram Vinyl) ( Legacy - 88697392171 / 886973921715 ) $18.98
Herbie Hancock - Head Hunters [LP] (180 Gram Vinyl) ( Legacy - 8869792181 / 886973921814 ) $18.98
John Lennon - Rock N Roll [LP] [4 Color Single Jacket 180 Gram Vinyl] ( Capitol - 03419 / 077770341916 ) $20.98
Kaiser Chiefs - Off With Their Heads [LP] ( Motown - B001210601 / 602517859364 ) $15.98
Megadeth - Peace Sells [LP] [4 Color Gatefold Jacket 180 Gram Vinyl Inner Sleeve w/lyrics]] ( Capitol - 12526 / 077771252617 ) $20.98
Megadeth - Rust In Peace [LP] [4 Color Single Jacket 180 Gram Vinyl Inner Sleeve w/lyrics] ] ( Capitol - 91935 / 077779193516 ) $20.98
Paul McCartney & Wings - Band On The Run [LP] (4 Color Single Jacket 180 Gram Vinyl Bonus Digital Album Download w/Poster] ( Capitol Records - 42582 / 5099924258210 ) $20.98
Queensryche - Operation Mindcrime [LP] [4 Color Single Jacket 180 Gram Vinyl Inner sleeve w/lyrics] ( Capitol - 48640 / 077774864015 ) $20.98
Roxy Music - For Your Pleasure [LP] [180 Gram Vinyl 4 Color Gatefold Jacket includes Poster of Jacket artwork] ( Capitol - 43032 / 5099924303217 ) $20.98
Roxy Music - Roxy Music [LP] [180 Gram Vinyl 4 Color Gatefold Jacket includes Poster of Jacket artwork] ( Capitol - 43033 / 5099924303316 ) $20.98
Slayer - Haunting The Chapel [LP] (Clear Vinyl with Blood Splattering) ( Metal Blade - 140341 / 39841403411 ) $21.98
Slayer - Hell Awaits [LP] (Gold Colored Vinyl with Blood Splattering) ( Metal Blade - 140311 / 39841403114 ) $24.98
Slayer - Live Undead [LP] (Silver Colored Vinyl with Blood Splattering) ( Metal Blade - 140331 / 39841403312 ) $24.98
Slayer - Show No Mercy [LP] (Red Colored Vinyl with Black Blood Splattering) ( Metal Blade - 140321 / 39841403213 ) $24.98
Social Distortion - Social Distortion [LP] ( Legacy - 88697351391 / 886973513910 ) $16.98
Steve Vai - Passion And Warfare [LP] ( Legacy - 88697383471 / 886973834718 ) $16.98
Stray Cats - Built For Speed [LP] [4 Color Single Jacket 180 Gram Vinyl] ( Capitol - 17070 / 077771707018 ) $20.98
The Band - Music From The Big Pink [LP] [4 Color Gatefold Jacket] [180 Gram Vinyl] ( Capitol - 42793 / 5099924279314 ) $20.98
The Band - The Band [LP] [4 Color Gatefold Jacket 180 Gram Vinyl] ( Capitol - 43008 / 5099924300810 ) $20.98
Verve - Urban Hymns [4 Color Single Jacket [2LP] 180 Gram Vinyl 2 Inner Sleeves w/photos] ( Capitol - 44913 / 724384491314 ) $25.98
All titles available for preorder at: http://www.vinyluniverse.com/
New Vinyl Releases In Stores This Week (and last week)
Here's this week's releases (and last week's since I did not post them) on vinyl. In shops now, or by this coming Tuesday. For 2 weeks ago's releases, click here.
NEW LP's
A Perfect Circle - Mer De Noms [2 LP] (180 Gram Vinyl in Gatefold Satin Stock Jacket) (LIMITED EDITION) ( Capitol Records - 49253 / 0724384925314 ) $25.98
Alice Cooper - Along Came A Spider [2 LP] ( Steamhammer - STH90601 / 693723906010 ) $24.98
Amy Macdonald - This Is The Life [LP] ( Decca - B001165701 / 602517766242 ) $17.98
Beach Boys - Pet Sounds [LP] (180 Gram Vinyl) (LIMITED EDITION) ( Capitol Records - 34715 / 5099923471511 ) $20.98
Birdmonster - From The Mountain To The Sea [2LP] ( Red Ink / One Label / Fader - FL0907-1 / 829299090710 ) $19.98
Boz Scaggs - Boz Scaggs (1969 Self-Titled) [LP] (180 Gram Vinyl and 1/2-Speed Mastered) ( Friday Music - FRM9003 / 829421900320 ) $22.98
Broken Social Scene - Something For All of Us.. ( Arts & Crafts - 827590340015 / 827590340015 ) $16.98
Coldplay - A Rush Of Blood To The Head [LP] (180 Gram Vinyl) (LIMITED EDITION) ( Capitol Records - 40504 / 0724354050411 ) $20.98
Coldplay - Parachutes [LP] (180 Gram Vinyl) (LIMITED EDITION) ( Capitol Records - 27783 / 0724352778317 ) $20.98
Coldplay - X&Y [2 LP] (180 Gram Vinyl in Gatefold Jacket includes 2-sided poster) (LIMITED EDITION) ( Capitol Records - 74786 / 0724347478611 ) $25.98
Dream Theater - Systematic Chaos [2 LP] (180 Gram Vinyl in Gatefold Jacket) ( Roadrunner Records - RRR 179921 / 016861799212 ) $29.98
Game - LAX [2 LP] ( Geffen - B001146501 / 602517756007 ) $15.98
Kenny Larkin - Keys Strings and Tamourines [2 LP] ( Planet E - PLE65302-1 / PLE65303-1 ) $18.98
Led Zeppelin - Mothership [4 LP] (180 Gram Vinyl Box Set) ( Rhino Records - 344700 / 081227995133 ) $59.98
Machine Head - The Blackening [2 LP] (in Gatefold Jacket) ( Road Runner Records - 180161 / 16861801618 ) $24.98
Motorhead - Motorizer [2 LP] ( Steamhammer - STH91631 / 693723916316 ) $24.98
Prisonshake - Dirty Moons [2LP] ( Scat - SCAT66LP / 753417006614 ) $31.98
R.E.M. - Document [LP] [180 Gram Vinyl] [LIMITED EDITION] ( Capitol Records - 22059 / 076742205911 ) $20.98
Radiohead - Amnesiac [2-10'' LP] (140 Gram Vinyl in Gatefold Jacket) (LIMITED EDITION) ( Capitol Records - 32764 / 0724353276416 ) $25.98
Radiohead - Hail To The Thief [2 LP] (180 Gram Vinyl in Gatefold Jacket) (LIMITED EDITION) ( Capitol Records - 84543 / 0724358454314 ) $25.98
Radiohead - Kid A [2-10'' LP] (140 Gram Vinyl in Gatefold Jacket) (LIMITED EDITION) ( Capitol Records - 27753 / 0724352775316 ) $25.98
Radiohead - OK Computer [2 LP] (180 Gram Vinyl in Gatefold Jacket) (LIMITED EDITION) ( Capitol Records - 55229 / 0724385522918 ) $25.98
Radiohead - Pablo Honey [LP] (180 Gram Vinyl) (LIMITED EDITION) ( Capitol Records - 81409 / 0077778140917 ) $20.98
Radiohead - The Bends [LP] (180 Gram Vinyl) (LIMITED EDITION) ( Capitol Records - 29626 / 0724382962618 ) $20.98
Real Mckenzies - Off The Leash [LP] (Includes CD Insert) ( Fat Wreck Chord - 707311 / 751097073117 ) $12.98
Sigh - A Tribute To Venom [2LP] ( The End - TE115-1 / 654436011514 ) $21.98
Slipknot - Vol 3. The Subliminal Verses [2 LP] (in Gatefold Jacket) ( Roadrunner Records - RRR 183881 / 016861838812 ) $24.98
Steve Miller Band - Greatest Hits 1974-78 [LP] (180 Gram Vinyl) (LIMITED EDITION) ( Capitol Records - 11872 / 0077771187216 ) $20.98
Toxic Holocaust - An Overdose Of Death [2LP] ( Relapse - RLP7661101 / 781676611010 ) $18.98
Urges - Psych Ward [2LP] ( Wicked Cool Records - 85638500122 / 856385001220 ) $15.98
Verve - Forth [LP] (Includes CD AND DVD in Gatefold Jacket) ( MRI - VER01LP / 020286125211 ) $39.98
NEW 12" SINGLES
E-40 - Wake It Up (feat. Akon) ( Reprise - MS-513971 / 093624983071 ) $5.98
Madonna - Give It 2 Me [12'' Picture Disc] (in a Clear Plastic Sleeve) ( Warner Bros - MS-511334 / 093624985341 ) $13.98
Madonna - Give It 2 Me [Double 12''] ( Warner Bros - MS-513014 / 093624983286 ) $9.98
Tony Lionni - Mamadu EP ( Wave Music - WM50201-1 / 790185020114 ) $7.98
T-Pain - Can't Believe (ft. Lil Wayne) ( Jive - 88697365681 / 886973656815 ) $6.98
NEW 7" SINGLES
Madonna - 4 Minutes / Ring My Bell / Give It 2 Me [Double 7''] (WHITE Vinyl in Gatefold Board Sleeve) ( Warner Bros - S-511949 / 054391993120 ) $14.98
All titles available at: http://www.vinyluniverse.com/
Monday, August 25, 2008
Jimmy Page Of Led Zeppelin and Leona Lewis Perform "Whole Lotta Love" at Olympics - VIDEO
British pop star Leona Lewis and Led Zeppelin guitarist Jimmy Page performed the Led Zeppelin classic “Whole Lotta Love” at the Closing Ceremony for the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games at the National Stadium on August 24, 2008 in Beijing, China.
With another dramatic fireworks display Sunday evening at the National Stadium here, the Beijing Olympics came to a dazzling close, ending two weeks of spectacular athletic performances during an Olympic competition that was surprisingly free of protests or the disruptions that some, including Beijing, had anticipated.
In addition to fireworks, there were acrobats clinging to a large “memory tower” at the center of the stadium, also known as the Bird’s Nest, precision drummers, bicyclists and performers representing 56 ethnic groups singing, “Please Stay, Guests From Afar.”
And unlike in the opening ceremony, with its orderly parade of countries and their athletes, the closing ceremony brought flag bearers congregating in the middle, and athletes filing in somewhat haphazardly and many dressed less formally.
In the handover ceremony for the 2012 London Games, a red double-decker bus entered the stadium just after 9 p.m., followed by three cyclists. The bus then opened into a stage with Jimmy Page, the Led Zeppelin guitarist, performing “Whole Lotta Love” with the British singer Leona Lewis, and David Beckham, the soccer star, taking a soccer ball from a young Chinese girl, handing the games off to London.
Check out the video of their performance here (video redirects to official NBC broadcast):
During Recession and Shrinking Music Industry, Newbury Comics Opens up a New Superstore
Norwood superstore sets Newbury Comics record
Thirty years after opening its first store in a converted studio apartment on Boston’s Newbury Street, Newbury Comics is tackling its biggest experiment yet, even as digital downloading continues to erode CD music sales.
The independent chain is opening a Norwood superstore in a former Boch Kia dealership. At 12,000 square feet, it’s more than twice the size of Newbury Comics’ average store and will feature a permanent sound system and movable stage for performances, interactive game-playing, a coffee bar and Wi-Fi.
The store, expected to open this weekend, will be the 29th for Newbury Comics, which projects companywide revenue of $77 million this year. Along with a Faneuil Hall Marketplace location that opened three weeks ago, it represents the chain’s biggest store investment in a decade. The company has put more than $2 million into the Norwood location, including $1 million-plus in inventory.
Although Newbury Comics’ sales have been flat for four years, and profit is down 10 percent from 2007, chief executive Mike Dreese believes it’s the correct time to take a risk and make a big statement.
“Every time the economy goes into a recession, that’s when you want to invest,” said Dreese, 52, an MIT drop-out who co-founded the company with his college roommate, John Brusger. “We’re relatively strong going into it. Virgin (Records) just pulled out of town, Tower is bankrupt. If we’re going to expand, we should do it now.”
The superstore idea sprung from Dreese’s friendship with car czar Ernie Boch Jr., whom he met in the late 1970s when Boch was a student at Berklee College of Music.
“Ernie has been a huge Newbury Comics fan forever,” Dreese said. “He originally brought up an idea of trying to co-locate a car dealership with Newbury Comics.”
But Boch’s exit from the Kia business allowed Newbury Comics to open a store with a completely different look and feel. Much of the difference is in the merchandising. The store will carry extensive inventories of certain products, including vinyl records.
“There’s a huge resurgence in vinyl,” said Dreese, noting that many bands are releasing albums on vinyl and 18- to 20-year-olds are buying turn-tables. “We sold 600 to 800 in the last two months.”
Newbury Comics will sell more than $1.5 million in vinyl this year, up 70 percent from a year ago. The growth comes as its CD music sales have declined to about 43 percent of overall sales, down from 75 percent a decade ago.
“The recorded-music industry is doing quite poorly, but there’s a reason why we didn’t change our name years ago,” Dreese said. “We’ve always had a lot of other merchandise. We think of ourselves as a pop culture department store.”
The Norwood store also will devote expanded space to movies in the Blu-ray Disc format, products tied to local sports teams and jeans, which the company now sells in a couple of its locations.
“We expect a lot of what we set up there won’t work that well, but we think it will be a good testing ground,” Dreese said. “The best in breed of those will spread to other Newbury Comics stores.”
[Boston Herald]
Saturday, August 23, 2008
Tori Amos - a Real Cornflake Girl
Before making it big, in the early 1980's, an unknown Tori Amos was living out in Los Angeles playing piano in bars looking for a record deal. While there she landed an acting job and got a part in a Kellogg's Just Right cereal commercial.
In 1994 she released one of her big hits, "Cornflake Girl" which supposedly is not related to her Just Right commercial.
Obama - Biden '08
Today Barack Obama announced his candidate for Vice President and running mate, Senator Joe Biden.
Make sure you get out to vote on November 4.
It's very easy to register and you can do it online. Act now. Save this country. Save yourself.
Click here to register
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