From the first episode of The Richard Pryor Show, check out this rarely-seen sketch – it’s like Jimi meets KISS meets Funkadelic and creates Black Metal in the process.
Watch vinyl records being cut at Abbey Road Studios
Last month, The Vinyl Factory were given unprecedented access to the mastering suites at London’s world-famous Abbey Road Studios to meet some of the best engineers in the business. The final stage of the production process before the masters are shipped off to the factory to be pressed, mastering is a fine art and its practitioners highly technical craftsmen. Responsible for some of the most important records in history, from The Beatles to Pink Floyd, there’s no better place to learn than Abbey Road.
Having explored the art of vinyl mastering in our short film earlier this year, their visit to Abbey Road was an opportunity to receive a one-on-one tutorial of what actually goes on when you cut music to disc for the first time. Veteran mastering engineer and the man behind the half-speed and direct to metal mastering which make Abbey Road unique, Miles Showell talks you through the process, from keeping the levels tight to spacing the grooves on the record.
The Music Industry’s Most-Loved Albums Of All Time, Part 30
This is part 30 of an ongoing series where the kind folk of the music business reveal their favourite album of all time.
Ask people in the music industry the seemingly simple and straightforward question, “What is your favourite album of all time?” and you’ll find that it’s not always easy. After all, my industry peers listen to hundreds of albums a month – thousands of songs during that time. Because the question isn’t the best album of all time – the one that’s made them the most money in sales – but the one release they personally can’t live without, that one title they have two copies of in several formats, in case one breaks. It’s also about that album that for them has the best back stories and the one that has the most meaning in their lives.
Alan Cross, Broadcaster, Musicologist
Desolation Boulevard, The Sweet
Back when my world didn’t extend much beyond my bedroom in my parents’ basement, I spent hours listening obsessively to about a dozen albums. Out of all those records–which included all the usual suspects like Dark Side of the Moon and Led Zeppelin IV– Desolation Boulevard got the biggest workout. I listened to both sides of the album as I wrote ever single essay for grade 9 through to final year of university. Every. Single. Time. There are actually two versions of the album (I have both, of course) but the North American version is superior. Side one features compositions by the songwriting team Mike Chapman and Nicky Chinn while side two are all Sweet originals. Ballroom Blitz” (Chapman-Chinn) and “Fox on the Run” (written by the band) were the big hits from the album, but other tracks also resonated. For example, “AC/DC” was covered by both Joan Jett and Vince Neil. And Mick Tucker’s playing (including on songs like “No, You Don’t”) were a big part on me wanting to learn how to play the drums. Yes, it’s a bit glammy and the chipmunk vocal effects grate on some people, but I still love it.
Lily Kuo, minoredinmusic.tumblr.com
Is This It, The Strokes
Is This It is the album that taught me how albums are meant to be listened to: in one sitting, one track after another, paying full attention. I remember hearing the killer singles off Is This It first; “Last Nite” and “Someday” still being some of my favorite tracks by The Strokes. It wasn’t actually until at least a few years after the album release that I even bought the CD – and when I listened to it on my huge boombox, I remember thinking “Woah, THIS is rock. I LOVE rock.” The tracks on the LP flowed from one to another seamlessly – not like every track sounded the same by any means, just that there was a central idea, and BOOM, there it was for me to hear. This is honestly one of the few albums that I will put on and listen to in its entirety, not in the background, but as a piece of musical artistry that I enjoy and learn from. Julian Casablancas is really and truly talented as a songwriter, musician, singer… person. The admiration I have for him stems from both deep, undying love, and intellectual and artistic inspiration. A couple first listens turned in to hundreds of listens, and I’m sure now it’s up there close to a thousand listens. I’ve still yet to own the vinyl LP, but I’m looking for that awesome condition international release version with the album cover that I think is one of the best of all time, with the alt-sexy gloved hand and hip, and with “New York City Cops” instead of the immediately-post 9/11 version with “When It Started”. What would really make my life is if I could hear this album in its entirety, live. Tell me that idea doesn’t give you a little petite mort… “Someday”, baby, “Someday”.
Dustin Blumhagen, writer for thepunksite.com, New Noise Magazine, Country Standard Time, Rice & Bread
Left & Leaving, Weakerthans
As a teen I found solace in rebellion against my surroundings. Music provided an escape from the mundane surroundings of the rural Alberta farming community I felt trapped in. California skate punk was the soundtrack to my school days, as I dreamed about surfing and valley girls a world away from the vast prairies that imprisoned me. Through a gifted copy of a Fat Wreck Chords’ sampler, I discovered the political punk group Propagandhi, who opened my eyes to human rights, activism and world issues in an age when the internet was still in its’ infancy. When Propagandhi’s bassist left the group to form the Weakerthans, I tracked down their debut, Fallow. The folk punk sounds were a departure from the skate punk that introduced me to John K. Samson, but I quickly fell in love with his lyrical poetry and folk influences. But it wasn’t until the release of Left & Leaving in 2000 that I discovered what would become my favorite album of all time. The folk tinged pop punk concept album centered around the dissolution of a relationship, which perfectly paralleled my emotional state at the time. Leaving behind high school and venturing out into the wide world, I discovered a seed of longing for the comforts of the home that I had rebelled against for so long. The simple, slowed down lifestyle of the Canadian prairies wasn’t found in the bustling city, where -40C winter walks were narrated by Samson’s nasally croon. The album carried me through various heartbreaks, a traumatic divorce and nights spent shivering as I slept alone in my car on a random city side street or the dark night I stood on the High Level Bridge, contemplating stepping off into the frigid river below. But there was an undercurrent of hope that flickered beneath the surface of the songs and during my darkest days the expression of life given to these characters through song urged me to keep going. This is a collection of musical poetry written for all of those who have experienced loss. It is for those who have been left and for those who have done the leaving. The music itself is wonderful. There are mournful songs that crawl along in anguish and frustrated rock songs reminiscent of The Replacements. But in the end, it is Samson’s heartfelt lyrics that keep drawing me back to this album. The images he creates are so perfectly crafted that they are simultaneously individually owned by his vivid characters and completely universal in their themes. A couple of years ago I had the opportunity to attend a student journalism conference in Winnipeg, a city that I had explored thoroughly through The Weakerthans before ever setting foot on its’ streets. At an evening gathering at Lo Pub I wandered to the washroom in my ever present Propagandhi hoodie and noticed John K. Samson sitting alone at the bar. It was an intensely surreal moment; randomly encountering the artist who had such a profound impact on my life, in the city that had been built in my mind entirely through his words. His words had literally saved my life. I silently walked right by…
Jacob Moore, Complex Magazine
Unplugged in New York, Nirvana
When I was in middle school, I was a total poser. I became obsessed with Kurt Cobain and I copied him relentlessly. I grew my hair long, dyed it different colors, wore those alien eye-shaped sunglasses, put patches on my ripped jeans, and started listening to the Pixies. But for all the superficial imitating I did, I also took a lot from Kurt as a human being. And Kurt Cobain was a magnificent human being. I learned compassion, acceptance, and open-mindedness in a way I hadn’t known before. I learned that there was a way to be rebellious and angry at the world—something that came naturally to me—but to also embrace your sensitive side. I went through a lot of phases after middle school. For a while, I listened to nothing but the Grateful Dead. Soon after, it was exclusively underground hip-hop. I was all over the place, and I’m still in the process of figuring out myself and the world around me. But I carry the things I learned from Kurt with me, and throughout al these years and all these phases, Nirvana is one of the few things that never feels any less potent. For me, Unplugged in New York is the perfect symbol of everything Kurt represented. It’s heartbreaking, chilling, beautiful, and raw. And it’s one album that I know will stick with me for the rest of my life.
Scot Kyle, Paradigm Shift Cafe, CILU Radio
Grievous Angel, Gram Parsons
Seminal influence to the whole country-rick fusion so important to understanding the revolutionary movement and vibe of the 60s, not to mention the utter genius of his combination with Emmy-Lou Harris. Also and this point is highly personal, but I think crucial to understanding the spiritual revolution of the 60s, Parsons’ music was influenced by his ingestion of mescaline (the active ingredient int he Peyote cactus).
A Day In The Life Of Freddie Gibbs
R&R recently spent the day with Gary, Indiana native Freddie Gibbs to take a look at his daily routine and lifestyle. In this feature they hang out with Gangsta Gibbs at his house, go and check on his custom Monte Carlo, grab some drinks, smoke up some Cali kush and do some shopping in LA. In between his daily activities, they also sat down for an extended discussion about everything from the state of the rap game and how he approaches each verse.
R.E.M.’s manager and lawyer Bertis Downs on how he knew the internet would change music
R.E.M.’s manager and lawyer Bertis Downs had his first inkling of just how serious the digital revolution was going to be at an entertainment law symposium at Duke University in the late 1990s. “This was right before Napster,” he says. “It was possible to download music then, but it was difficult. You had to know what you were doing. I was talking to a bunch of law students, and I asked, ‘How many of you download music?’ Ninety percent of the hands went up. I thought, Oh no. And these are law students.”
Via Business Week
Meghan Trainor’s Thanksgiving Carols
There are so many Christmas songs, but none about Thanksgiving. Fortunately a very talented young artist is hoping to fill that gap. Jimmy Kimmel Live are pleased to announce “All About That Bass” singer Meghan Trainor’s brand new album of what they believe will soon be considered Thanksgiving holiday classics.
http://youtu.be/TuB4XmjkSLE
Diplo & Mad Decent Premiere Awesome Christmas Mixtape
From The Fader:
The jolly fools over at Mad Decent couldn’t wait to get this new mixtape off their hands, for good reason: it’s a hilarious pack of remixes of your favorite Christmas jingles featuring Jesse Slayter, DJ Fire, and more. Davoodi’s flip of Tchaikovsky’s Nutcracker score sounds like the Yeezus Tour meets the Radio City Christmas Show, and Kstylis’s verse on “6th Gear” is drunk with holiday cheer. “Christmas was always lonely for me,” Diplo tells FADER. “I only got switches in my stockings. I wish I had an album like this to keep me warm… now you can!” Cop it here.
Vinyl Music Sales Hit 18-Year High in U.K.
From The Hollywood Reporter:
Having mostly been written off in the past by a music industry dominated by digital, vinyl is continuing its resurgence in the U.K. after last year racking up its highest sales in years.
So far this year, more than 1 million vinyl records have been sold in Britain, marking the first time this milestone has been crossed since 1996.
“In an era when we’re all talking about digital music, the fact that these beautiful physical artifacts are still as popular as they are is fantastic,” said Martin Talbot, managing director of the Official Charts Company, which tracks music sales in Britain, in an interview with the BBC.
“Only five years ago this business was worth around £3 million [$4.7 million] a year. This year it’s going to be worth £20 million [$31 million].”
This month, Endless River, Pink Floyd’s first album in 20 years, became the fastest-selling vinyl release in Britain since 1997, racking up 6,000 sales in its first week. 2014’s best-selling vinyl album in the U.K. so far is the Arctic Monkey’s AM, followed by Lazaretto by Jack White.
It Costs at Least $500,000 to Break a New Artist
In a study released last week by major label organization IFPI, breaking an artist in a major market requires at least $500,000, and sometimes as much as $2 million. Of course, there’s no guarantee ‘breaking’ will result in the record label, or the artist making money.
Overall, the IFPI counted $4.3 billion in upfront talent-scouting and marketing costs coming from labels last year alone. “Record companies remain the largest upfront investors in artists’ careers,” the IFPI noted. “Common features of contracts signed with emerging artists include the payment of advances, recording costs, tour support, video production and marketing and promotion costs.”
“The burden of risk lies with the record company.”
