12
Apr
2005
• Without a doubt, the hottest record auctions on eBay fall into two categories: homegrown psychedelic LPs and Northern Soul 45s. If you're not familiar with the passion of Northern Soul and the collecting of these seven-inch singles at jaw-dropping prices, don't feel left out; not many of us Yanks passed through this legendary dance scene in the north of England in the late 1960s and early 1970s. The short story is that during this period, small, independent American record labels that specialized in local R&B artists found that they often couldn't compete with the big companies such as Motown and Stax. Without the clout and muscle to get their singles played on the radio, many of these unwanted 45s found their way to England through exporters hoping to pawn off these unknown artists on buyers caught up with urban-American soul fever. A precursor to today's all-night raves, the Wigan Casino and the Blackpool Mecca dance halls built reputations rivaling our own holy shrines of sweaty gyration, CBGB's and Studio 54, and the DJs at these clubs became superstars based on their personal arsenal of rare records. Mesmerizing the dance floor with these obscure 45s that were ignored and unknown back in the States, so few copies of these singles exist today that rabid collectors often pay thousands for these under-appreciated grooves. Looking to get schooled? This coming Tuesday BGP Records and Portishead DJ Andy Smith are sharing personal favorites from his own collection, as a mix CD and unmixed two-LP vinyl set, simply entitled Andy Smith's Northern Soul. Be prepared to catch the fever, because once you've heard forgotten artists Vernon Garrett, Lee Moses, Roscoe Robinson, and Dottie & Millie, these soul stompers are like a breath of fresh, exhilarating air in response to radio's same old short list of Motown hits.
• After 20 years of combining almost every conceivable musical style to create something "new," look out for a truly unique approach with this Tuesday's release of Live at Stubbs - Austin, TX 2/19/05 from Matisyahu. The Or Music/JDub Records release offers up the unlikely sound of Hasidic reggae, building tremendous buzz with sold-out concerts featuring a live three-piece band backing the young Hasidic Jew dressed in traditional garb.
Television Alert:
The Tonight Show with Jay Leno welcomes The Killers on Thursday; The Late Show with David Letterman hosts Mariah Carey on Thursday and Martha Wainwright on Friday; Late Night with Conan O'Brien features Widespread Panic on Thursday overnight, Le Tigre on Friday overnight, and the unique vocal style of William Shatner on Monday overnight; The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson boasts the reunion of Dinosaur Jr. on Friday overnight; Last Call with Carson Daly gets chatty with Moby on Friday overnight and Gomez on Monday overnight; and Austin City Limits presents The Pixies this weekend.
New Releases Coming Tuesday, April 19:
... and like the winds, young grasshopper, are subject to change
Da Beatminerz - Fully Loaded with Static (Copter Records)
Brownsville Station - Yeah!, School Punks, and Motor City Connection (Wounded Bird) CD re-issues from 1973, 1974, and 1975
The Caulfield Sisters - Say It with Fire (American Laundromat) CD EP from former members of Pee Shy
The Chemistry - The Chemistry (Razor & Tie) debut produced by former Third Eye Blind guitarist Kevin Cadogan
Judy Collins - Portrait of an American Girl (Wildflower) originals and covers of Train's "Drops of Jupiter" and Bruce Cockburn's "Pacing the Cage"
Elvis Costello - Club Date: Live in Memphis (Eagle) DVD filmed last summer at the Hi-Tone Lounge, featuring the road trip documentary Off the Beaten Path
Daft Punk - "Robot Rock" (Astralwerks) CD and 12-inch single featuring a remix by Soul Wax
Mercan Dede - Su (Escondida) new from the Turkish Sufi musician, with Trans-Global Underground sitarist Sheema and Turkish rapper Ceza
Diary of a Mad Black Woman - original motion picture soundtrack (Motown) with new music from India.Arie, Cheryl Pepsi Riley, Natalie Cole, Angie Stone, and more
Flaming Lips - Late Night Tales (Azuli) collection of the band's favorite songs for kicking back in the evening shade, featuring their own wild cover of The White Stripes' "Seven Nation Army"
Great Lakes Myth Society - Great Lakes Myth Society (Stop, Pop, & Roll)
Al Green - Everything's OK (Blue Note) special vinyl release of this new album
Heavy Trash - Heavy Trash (Yep Roc) new duo of Jon Spencer of the Blues Explosion and Matt Verta-Ray of Speedball Baby and Madder Rose, hunchin' through 13 swampy rockabilly concoctions
The HighEnd Sound - Urban Lounge Supreme (Groove Gravy) new "urban lounge" from producer Rudy Mangual, working out dub, tiki, and Latin influences into new moods with guest MC Kiwi
Tim Kinsella - Crucify Swastika (Record Label) second solo release from the Joan of Arc and Cap'N Jazz frontman, writing these six songs on his recent honeymoon
M83 - "Teen Angst" (Mute) new CD single featuring a Montag remix
Jan Martens Frustration - Jan Martens Frustration (Hidden Agenda) with guests from The Hellacopters and The Soundtrack of Our Lives
Maria McKee - Peddlin' Dreams (Eleven Thirty) the sixth solo album from the Lone Justice vocalist, featuring a cover of Neil Young's "Barstool Blues"
Murdocks - Surrenderender (Surprise Truck) full-length debut from the wrong side of the tracks of Austin, Texas
Anna Nalick - Wreck of the Day (Columbia) produced by Christopher Thorn and Brad Smith of Blind Melon
The Philistines - On Something (Majestic) featuring Glen Matlock, original bass player for the Sex Pistols
Public Enemy - It Takes a Nation: The First London Invasion 1987 (Music Video Distributors) DVD featuring a commentary voice-over by Chuck D and bonus audio tracks
Kyle Riabko - Before I Speak (Aware/Columbia) debut from this 17-year-old blues-funk guitar prodigy from Saskatoon, Saskatchewan
Adam Richman - Patience & Science (Or Music) basement pop from this one-man band from Allentown, Pennsylvania
Second Sun - Inside Out (System) featuring a remake of M's 1979 hit "Pop Musik"
Mem Shannon - I'm from Phunkville (Northern Blues) new from the New Orleans bluesman, featuring a cool cover of the Beatles' "Eleanor Rigby" and guest Billy Martin of Medeski Martin & Wood
Steel Train - Twilight Tales from the Prairies of the Sun (Drive-Thru) with guests Gene Parsons and Dave Grisman
Stereolab - Oscillons from the Anti-Sun (Too Pure/Duophonic) three-CD and DVD box set collecting all the group's EPs and videos, with a special set of artwork stickers in the first pressing
Rob Thomas - Something to Be (Melisma/Atlantic) with guest John Mayer
Mary Timony - Ex Hex (Lookout) new from the Helium founder with drummer Devin Ocampo of The Medications
The Track Record - The Track Record (Rushmore) CD EP
Loudon Wainwright III - Here Come the Choppers! (Sovereign Artists) with guests Bill Frisell and Jim Keltner, this is his 21st album
XXX: State of the Union - original motion picture soundtrack (Jive) featuring a cover of Public Enemy's "Fight the Power" by Korn and Xzibit
Z-Trip - Shifting Gears (Hollywood) major-label debut for this mash-up DJ, with guests Chester Bennington of Linkin Park and Chuck D of Public Enemy
various artists - Friends & Lovers: Songs of Bread (Badman) tribute CD with cover contributions from Cake, Paula Frazer, Holy Sons, Josh Rouse, Erlend Oye of Kings of Convenience, Ken Stringfellow of The Posies, Rachel Goswell of Mojave 3, and more
• After 20 years of combining almost every conceivable musical style to create something "new," look out for a truly unique approach with this Tuesday's release of Live at Stubbs - Austin, TX 2/19/05 from Matisyahu. The Or Music/JDub Records release offers up the unlikely sound of Hasidic reggae, building tremendous buzz with sold-out concerts featuring a live three-piece band backing the young Hasidic Jew dressed in traditional garb.
Television Alert:
The Tonight Show with Jay Leno welcomes The Killers on Thursday; The Late Show with David Letterman hosts Mariah Carey on Thursday and Martha Wainwright on Friday; Late Night with Conan O'Brien features Widespread Panic on Thursday overnight, Le Tigre on Friday overnight, and the unique vocal style of William Shatner on Monday overnight; The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson boasts the reunion of Dinosaur Jr. on Friday overnight; Last Call with Carson Daly gets chatty with Moby on Friday overnight and Gomez on Monday overnight; and Austin City Limits presents The Pixies this weekend.
New Releases Coming Tuesday, April 19:
... and like the winds, young grasshopper, are subject to change
Da Beatminerz - Fully Loaded with Static (Copter Records)
Brownsville Station - Yeah!, School Punks, and Motor City Connection (Wounded Bird) CD re-issues from 1973, 1974, and 1975
The Caulfield Sisters - Say It with Fire (American Laundromat) CD EP from former members of Pee Shy
The Chemistry - The Chemistry (Razor & Tie) debut produced by former Third Eye Blind guitarist Kevin Cadogan
Judy Collins - Portrait of an American Girl (Wildflower) originals and covers of Train's "Drops of Jupiter" and Bruce Cockburn's "Pacing the Cage"
Elvis Costello - Club Date: Live in Memphis (Eagle) DVD filmed last summer at the Hi-Tone Lounge, featuring the road trip documentary Off the Beaten Path
Daft Punk - "Robot Rock" (Astralwerks) CD and 12-inch single featuring a remix by Soul Wax
Mercan Dede - Su (Escondida) new from the Turkish Sufi musician, with Trans-Global Underground sitarist Sheema and Turkish rapper Ceza
Diary of a Mad Black Woman - original motion picture soundtrack (Motown) with new music from India.Arie, Cheryl Pepsi Riley, Natalie Cole, Angie Stone, and more
Flaming Lips - Late Night Tales (Azuli) collection of the band's favorite songs for kicking back in the evening shade, featuring their own wild cover of The White Stripes' "Seven Nation Army"
Great Lakes Myth Society - Great Lakes Myth Society (Stop, Pop, & Roll)
Al Green - Everything's OK (Blue Note) special vinyl release of this new album
Heavy Trash - Heavy Trash (Yep Roc) new duo of Jon Spencer of the Blues Explosion and Matt Verta-Ray of Speedball Baby and Madder Rose, hunchin' through 13 swampy rockabilly concoctions
The HighEnd Sound - Urban Lounge Supreme (Groove Gravy) new "urban lounge" from producer Rudy Mangual, working out dub, tiki, and Latin influences into new moods with guest MC Kiwi
Tim Kinsella - Crucify Swastika (Record Label) second solo release from the Joan of Arc and Cap'N Jazz frontman, writing these six songs on his recent honeymoon
M83 - "Teen Angst" (Mute) new CD single featuring a Montag remix
Jan Martens Frustration - Jan Martens Frustration (Hidden Agenda) with guests from The Hellacopters and The Soundtrack of Our Lives
Maria McKee - Peddlin' Dreams (Eleven Thirty) the sixth solo album from the Lone Justice vocalist, featuring a cover of Neil Young's "Barstool Blues"
Murdocks - Surrenderender (Surprise Truck) full-length debut from the wrong side of the tracks of Austin, Texas
Anna Nalick - Wreck of the Day (Columbia) produced by Christopher Thorn and Brad Smith of Blind Melon
The Philistines - On Something (Majestic) featuring Glen Matlock, original bass player for the Sex Pistols
Public Enemy - It Takes a Nation: The First London Invasion 1987 (Music Video Distributors) DVD featuring a commentary voice-over by Chuck D and bonus audio tracks
Kyle Riabko - Before I Speak (Aware/Columbia) debut from this 17-year-old blues-funk guitar prodigy from Saskatoon, Saskatchewan
Adam Richman - Patience & Science (Or Music) basement pop from this one-man band from Allentown, Pennsylvania
Second Sun - Inside Out (System) featuring a remake of M's 1979 hit "Pop Musik"
Mem Shannon - I'm from Phunkville (Northern Blues) new from the New Orleans bluesman, featuring a cool cover of the Beatles' "Eleanor Rigby" and guest Billy Martin of Medeski Martin & Wood
Steel Train - Twilight Tales from the Prairies of the Sun (Drive-Thru) with guests Gene Parsons and Dave Grisman
Stereolab - Oscillons from the Anti-Sun (Too Pure/Duophonic) three-CD and DVD box set collecting all the group's EPs and videos, with a special set of artwork stickers in the first pressing
Rob Thomas - Something to Be (Melisma/Atlantic) with guest John Mayer
Mary Timony - Ex Hex (Lookout) new from the Helium founder with drummer Devin Ocampo of The Medications
The Track Record - The Track Record (Rushmore) CD EP
Loudon Wainwright III - Here Come the Choppers! (Sovereign Artists) with guests Bill Frisell and Jim Keltner, this is his 21st album
XXX: State of the Union - original motion picture soundtrack (Jive) featuring a cover of Public Enemy's "Fight the Power" by Korn and Xzibit
Z-Trip - Shifting Gears (Hollywood) major-label debut for this mash-up DJ, with guests Chester Bennington of Linkin Park and Chuck D of Public Enemy
various artists - Friends & Lovers: Songs of Bread (Badman) tribute CD with cover contributions from Cake, Paula Frazer, Holy Sons, Josh Rouse, Erlend Oye of Kings of Convenience, Ken Stringfellow of The Posies, Rachel Goswell of Mojave 3, and more
