Category: music

The More Things Change – Film, TV & Studio Work 1968-1973

John Barry is a man of mystery to most people outside England. Barry scored perhaps the top movies and TV shows ever known to the human ear in the 60s and 70s. You knew there was magic when the theme song for Beat Girl screamed from the screen in 1960. There was more magic to follow. Ace Records collects some of his best works from 1968-to 1973 with a new offering called The More Things Change - Film, TV & Studio Work 1968-1973. Nobody was doing it better than him at the time. You might also want to buy, Music By John Barry”, a 500-page book covering his greatest scores by Redcliffe Press.

Double-disc from Bear Family celebrates 100 years of Jack Kerouac with Beatitude

Bear Family Records' tribute to Jack Kerouac on the occasion of his 100th birthday in March 2022. Jack Kerouac, who along with Allen Ginsberg and William S. Burroughs formed the core cell of the Beat Generation.

Hohner Musikinstrumente gets license for Beatles and Yellow Submarine harmonicas

Hohner Musikinstrumente, a renowned musical instrument maker from Germany is releasing Beatles products that will enter the market in early 2022. One of the first instruments on the market will be a "Yellow Submarine" harmonica version under its “Signature Model” brand.

Guitar: The World’s Most Seductive Instrument By David Schiller

An obsessive, full-colour book presented in an irresistible slipcase, Guitar features 200 instruments in stunning detail. Here are icons, like Prince’s Yellow Cloud, Willie Nelson’s “Trigger,” Muddy Water’s Thunderbird, and “Rocky,” lovingly hand-painted by its owner, George Harrison. Historic instruments—Fender’s Broadcaster, Les Paul’s “Log,” the Gibson Nick Lucas Special, the very first artist model. Hand-carved archtops, pinnacles of the luthier’s art, from John D’Angelico to Ken Parker. Stunning acoustics from a new wave of women builders, like Rosie Heydenrych of England, who’s known to use 5,000-year-old wood retrieved from a peat bog. And quirky one-of-a-kind guitars, like Linda Manzer’s Pikasso II—four necks, 42 strings, and a thousand pounds of pressure.

Beast of an idea: Iron Maiden joins forces with Marvel Comics

Iconic British rock band Iron Maiden and entertainment powerhouse Marvel have collaborated to create a unique collection of merchandise. Fans of both will be dealt a wide assortment of apparel and accessories that highlight iconic Marvel characters and the notorious otherworldly character Eddie.

Clue The Classic Mystery Games joins forces with Metallica

Picture this: The band and crew are back at HQ to record METALLICA's next album, but with all the excitement, a key piece of equipment has gone missing. As the hours tick by, the group grows more and more eager to begin. They decide to split up and scour the building for any trace of their missing equipment. Find out what piece has gone missing, where it’s hiding, and who finds it so the recording session can get back on track!

Peter Jackson’s The Beatles: Get Back

The Disney+ original docuseries, directed by Peter Jackson, will be arriving on Disney+ just in time for the Thanksgiving holiday. Made entirely from never-before-seen, restored footage, it provides the most intimate and honest glimpse into the creative process and relationship between John, Paul, George, and Ringo ever filmed. Be sure to check them both out, and don’t forget to watch “The Beatles: Get Back” when it rolls out over three days, November 25, 26, and 27, 2021, exclusively on Disney+.

Turntable Lab announces Peanuts collaboration

Turntable Lab, the trusted Brooklyn-based digital retailer and tastemaker for DJs, audio heads, and music fans for over 20 years -- announces an officially licensed collaboration with PEANUTS just in time for the holiday season. Available to pre-order beginning today (11/12) exclusively on TurntableLab.com and due out December 8th, the Turntable Lab x PEANUTS collection features a special edition pressing of A Boy Named Charlie Brown on yellow wax, plus record mats, tote bags, and t-shirts, all being offered in multiple colors.

Ballad for Sophie written by Filipe Melo and illustrated Juan Cavia

I knew nothing of writer Filipe Melo and illustrator Juan Cavia. As I keep reading, the book flowed in a cinematic tone. How silly of me, both of the creators have cinema backgrounds. As most of you know your friendly bookstores are littered with superhero graphic novels. So it is very hard for good graphic storytelling to get through the mainstream audiences. Top Shelf Productions (an imprint of IDW) publisher of Ballad for Sophie, sums it as a music-themed graphic novel by Portuguese musician Filipe Melo and artist Juan Cavia that is packed with all of the drama of a rock ‘n’ roll biopic and with more twists than a night at the opera.

Deep Purple Turning to Crime

It has become a novelty act for many groups as of late to do a whole album of cover songs. Deep Purple has come full circle. Ian Gillan and Roger Glover who both were in Episode Six covered Arthur Lee's Love song "Alone Again Or." I am not surprised that the first song is "7 And 7 Is." It's a great selection of tunes on what is going to be perhaps the last official studio album for the group. Never say never. This is a great range of musical influences. Bob Dylan's "Watching The River Flow" is a welcome surprise. This is a must for Deep Purple Fans.

Remastered 70s album of “Peter and the Wolf”

In the 70s it was a thing to gather a whole bunch of musicians to create a concept/rock opera album. Albums as Jeff Wayne's Musical Version of The War of the Worlds, The Butterfly Ball and the Grasshopper's Feast, Jesus Christ Superstar, Godspell, and The Wiz are perfect examples of rock operas that cobbled some up and coming talent of the time. Sergei Prokofiev’s Peter and the Wolf is another record released in 1975 with rock icons such as Manfred Mann, Gary Moore, Brian Eno, Phil Collins, and Cozy Powell.

Black Sabbath / Technical Ecstasy Super Deluxe

Black Sabbath's Technical Ecstasy was a bitter pill for fans to swallow. The band was no longer hungry, most of them had nothing left in the can. Drugs had taken over the band and the music suffered. Sabbath strayed away from their roots and gave us perhaps the worst album in their recording catalog. However, a song like "She's Gone" is a polished gem that stood out from the lot. “It’s Alright,” is the first time we hear Bill Ward sing on a Sabbath album. There was nothing technical or ecstatic about this album. It was a train wreck from the beginning. It is rare if ever any songs are played live from this album. Time can be forgiving, Rhino has given us an extremely extended version of the album with new live songs and 90 minutes of new studio outtakes and alternate versions of the songs recorded. This deep dive is a welcome addition and perhaps salvation to a greatly misunderstood album. This offering is meant for the true Black Sabbath super-fan.