WILBURYS,BEATLES & TAMI: CAN YOU TAKE ME BACK?

Handle (click) with care...

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One can usually find something worthwhile in the UK music mag, MOJO, and the April edition is thankfully-at $15, per-no exception.
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And most worthwhile is a feature on a new Genesis Publications limited edition book on the Wilburys, by Otis Wilbury, AKA Jeff Lynne, which I have kindly scanned for you to
click upon, at left.
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Difficult to believe that 22 years have gone by since the Wilburys debuted, and that the groups two most iconic members, Roy Orbison and George Harrison, are sadly, no longer with us.
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Also on tap today is a new Beatles mini-coffee-table book.
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From Trans Atlantic Press comes, "The Beatles Illustrated Biography," with many, rare

and/or tasty pics of the Fabs throughout their careers.
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OK, go and roll yer eyes at the thought of another book on the boys
but these largely pictorial editions are wonderful eye-candy that
can bring back the memories, or educate younger fans.
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And like I have wrote before, it never ceases to amaze that for
an act that was probably photographed more than any other in pop culture history.
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This book contains several shots I have not seen, including the one at left, from the photo-shoots around the time of Revolver.
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Personally, I will never tire of seeing the lads when they were in
what they later called "the eye of the hurricane."
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And what is particularly interesting to me is how these photos have
aged.
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Most of the first-Gen Beatles fans saw these images when we were between 9 and 14 years of age.
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Of course the younger one was, the more the pictures would
interpreted differently, especially for girls.
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My memory is how much even the modestly long hair of the Beatles totally freaked out my father, who referred to the Fabs
as "sissies," which he actually meant as gay.
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Kind of took me down a peg to find that my Dad considered my
heroes to be light in their Cuban-heeled loafers.
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But then again, my father also said, "they'd never last."
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Finally, we finally have the long awaited TAMI Show on DVD.
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Shout! Factory somehow got all the relative parties to convene at the legal
table to finally get this much talked about but little seen iconic music special out to the masses.
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Although many reviewers-and for good reason-concentrate on James Brown's other-worldly performance, I'd like to throw my lot in with the Rolling Stones' nice effort, and how Gerry Marsden had either the gall or the bollocks to on the same stage follow the great Chuck Berry with a cover of
a Berry song!
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For much more on TAMI:
http://www.boomermediareview.com/TAMI2010DVD.html

GET EXPERIENCED, SOME MORE

The Voodoo Chile's big return




To paraphrase Rolling Stone's 1980s all-timer on Jim Morrison, "He's hot, he's happening and he's dead."
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But the "dead" one this time, is Jimi Hendrix.
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And so "hot," and happening, he is on, as they say, the cover of the Rolling Stone 40 years after his death.
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Well worth picking up, with a nice essay by David Fricke on Jimi's plight near the end of his life, as well as a sidebar-scanned for you to click at left-that has some very interesting and welcome news on a forthcoming Hendrix box set of studio rarities, alts and outs, and live recordings.
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But sadly, there has been a more recent death of another important pop culture
chronicler from the golden era of rock/pop music who helped forge the JH legacy.
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Photog Jim Marshall, who shot what was arguably one of the most
important, and certainly iconic image of a rock performer died this
week in New York City, at age 74.
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Marshall captured Hendrix in all his white-hot glory and indolence in June, 1967,at the Monterey Pop Festival, as the guitarist closed out his ground breaking set by trashing the stage and setting his guitar on fire.
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The shot would go on to be one of the most recognizable pictures of performing arts in the 20th century.
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Marshall also did important work with Janis Joplin and Bob Dylan,
among many, many others.
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At upper left is a clickable scan of the very informative obit penned by Ben Sisario for the New York Times.
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JH&JM; RIP.

NUMBER 1, BY WAY OF RUSSIA, AND "JAPAN!"

Nyet, nyet!




Man, you gotta hand it to them Rooskies.
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Why it was just 20 years ago today, that even bringing a dirty
beatles LP into Mother Russia could lead to the wax being scratched, or at least ripped off by the customs wankers.
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But now, the ex-Bull-shevickies are leading the way in completely
free enterprize music marketing.
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And free, as in just about producing anything they want, regardless.
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Case in point is the "Japanese Import" version of the year 2000 multi-million seller, Beatles 1.
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As far as I can tell, there never, ever, was a (legit) double CD, gate fold version of the release in Japan, or anywhere else.
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But, doing a needle-drop from the (legit) remastered vinyl edition, that DID have a gate fold, and groovy inserts like mini-cards, and a poster-all of which is scanned here for you click, is based on some reality, if not legality
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And the boys from Mother Russia have done a good job with the
wax to polycarbonate swap.
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This thing sounds pretty damn fine, although obviously not up to
the quality of last years Beatles' complete catalogue remasters.
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This here thing was picked up for around 30 dolleros, and as a curio, is probably maybe even worth that much to a hard-core
Beatles fanatic.
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Plus there will be those anal audio-heads who will claim the vinyl
is "warmer" than the CD.
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Yet when the vinyl itself is advertised as "digitally remastered," it
is difficult in any but an Alice in Wonderland looking glass class to hear how it could be ANY different from the CD!!
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Any how, it is obvious that these knock-offs are reproduced in professional
music-making manufacturing dens, as artwork, inserts and CDs are all very
well put together.
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Plus these things are sort of marginal collectors items since they are usually only made in smaller runs of a couple thousand, and once they is gone, brother, they is gone!
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Unless of course until the next bunch of Fabs filches crank out another version
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Back in the USSR, indeed.

THE KING IN THE FATHERLAND, and VIVA LAS VEGAS!

Yassar, yassar, 10-hut, Sir E!




Can anyone over 50 believe that Elvis would have been 75 this year?

Yeah, I can, cuz soon I'll be closing in on a social security benefit..

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Anyways, I became a rock music fan with the Beatles, but prior to the British

Invasion of 1964, my folks used to take me to Elvis movies, because by then, the Fabs and the Rolling Stones had made EP just about parent-kosher, no longer the sexual-scorching pelvis twister, but rather a mainstream movie star and pop ditty crooner.
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Hell, The King even went in the US Army without being drafted!

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How much "safer" could one be?

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And speaking of EAP in the service, here we have a new release from the Presley specialty label, Memphis Recording Service, entitled Off Duty with Elvis Presley.

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But to advise up front, this is really not Elvis for everyone.

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Only 4 of the CD's 35 tracks were recorded in studio, with all others strictly "private

home recordings" that sound it.

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Historically, the home recordings have value, culled from sessions in Germany and Texas. circa 1959 and 1958.
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But the BIG bonus with Off Duty is the absolutely FABULOUS 94 page booklet that

contains an incredible amount of colour and and B&w shot of Elvis

whilst he was in Germany, in the US Army, and in Nashville, when

he returned home, and back into music and movies.

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This package is a little pricey ($40) for what is really a glorified mini-book along with a 60 minute CD, but for devoted fans, Off Duty will most likely be another must-have.

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However, if you would like to get more bang for your music buck,

you must check out the newest, greatest Presley Sony/Legacy

reissue.

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Elvis on Stage, paired with In Person, two original live LPs released in 1970, have been given the deluxe remastering treatment, along with 10 heretofore unreleased bonus tracks from

the historic Presley stand at The International in Las Vegas, circa 1969 and 1970.
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Even though Elvis was just 7 years from his untimely death, he was in most excellent form, here, and those who actually got to see the shows in person were lucky, indeed.

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This new CD package is proof of the above.

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For much, MUCH more on The King in Vegas:

http://www.boomermediareview.com/ElvisOnStageLegacy2CD.html

NO LONGER EXILED TO DIGI-DREK, COME A ROLLING STONES MAY 17!!

OI; a bit of aw-roight, then!

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Well, Rolling Stones' fans, it took a while-a remastered Exile on Main Street was originally skedded for last October-through the last few months' incomplete press reports, as well as precious little from the band itself, that left consumers wondering just what kind of EOMS was to be offered.

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But that's all over now, as we finally have the fully monty beggars banquet product buzz in front of us, as of March 18.
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And the latest, greatest news came from the Stones' website, which in the past has not been that helpful when it came to details

on the very iconic Exile.

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Let's be kind and say that maybe they were working to get it right.

Probably not accurate, but kind.

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Any who, if you like your EOMS just as it was presented in 1972-only better- you can pick the new two disc vinyl version.

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If you've long ago chucked yer platter-spinner, then you have a choice of the remastered single CD of the album proper, or the-preferred-"Deluxe Edition" of EOMS with 10 bonus unreleased

tracks from the Exile sessions.

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(And interestingly, the Stones have brought Voodoo Lounge producer, Don Was, on board for the reissue, despite he and Mick Jagger having their differences in 1994. Yet if Was has obtained the excellent quality of sound and vibe of the Voodoo recordings from Exile's 38 year old tapes, all will be very good, indeed.)

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But if you are a fan of some cash repute, and want to drop about $200 by the time all is paid and done, you can upon this day pre-order the Exile "Collector's Edition Boxset" from the Stones' website which really is an orgy worthy of the band, wot with its 64 page book, double EOMS CD, 30 minute DVD, and an "exclusive free unreleased track."

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Check it all out at:http://store.universal-music.co.uk/restofworld/Artists/The-Rolling-Stones/icat/therollingstones?utm_source=RollingStones180310&utm_medium=Email&utm_campaign=Pre-order+message+UK+%26+IE

CAPITALISM IS LOVED, BUT AT WHAT COST?

Money, money, money, money-MONEY!

I am (mostly) a fan of Michael Moore, but I was not sure I was going to like his latest docu-dramatizer and polemic, Capitalism: A Love Story.
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After all, capitalism certainly has its faults, but for the most part,

all other forms of economic manipulation have either failed outright,

or fall short of duplicating the capitalist system's ability to sustain a
a middle class, without bankrupting the sitting government.

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Yet Moore has laid out a cognizant, and engrossing treatise on why today's form of capitalism in inherently, unsustainable "evil."

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And although it was a Michigan priest who opined about the evil,
Moore produces enough mainstream economists and financial experts who while rarely using the
"E-word," do think our democracy has been overridden by a
star-chamber-like plutocracy, which is surely taking us peasants
to hell in an imported, off-shore, hand basket.
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Moore essentially blames every politician from Ronald Reagan to George W. Bush for tax breaks to the rich and financial deregulation as the source of our malaise-and even includes Jimmy Carter's much maligned 1979 speech warning about the worship of money over all else.
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Carter's entire 17 minute "malaise" speech to the nation is contained in over an hour's worth of excellent bonus material in this new DVD, making the video required viewing even if you have already seen the the theatrical release.
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A must-see; see.
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And for some rock capitalism, try:
http://www.boomermediareview.com/JoanJettHits2CD2010.html

WHY ARE MOST RECORD COMPANIES-AND SOME ARTISTS-SUCH DICKS??

Here yesterday; gone today

This wanking rant is certainly not just directed at David Bowie's current record company, EMI-although they are perhaps the wankingsest of the wank-but why, oh why, do they all have to be such incorrigible, weasley wankers?

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Courtesy of my anal retentive independent record/CD peddler who
boarders on a candidate for the TV show Hoarders, I have upon this fine day (re)acquired-sold me first one when short of brass-a sealed copy of Bowie's 30th Anny Ziggy Stardust double CD from

2002.
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It is a beginner's absolute delicious package, with remastered version of the original Ziggy LP, plus, a second disc of 5 of the Ziggy tracks in alternate and demo form, plus 7 other unreleased and very worthy rarities.
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And to make it even tastier, there is a terrific 40 page booklet housed in the mini-book-style digi-pack.

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The booklet, with many unseen and/or rare shot of Bowie et al circa Ziggy, features a very insightful essay by David Buckley who
(probably correctly) writes that Ziggy was "the first post-modern pop record," due to the "nifty deceit" Bowie fashioned for Ziggy, as a stand-in for himself.

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So, given all this and that, why the bloody 'ell is this package

presently commercially unavailable?

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Good question; I'm quite sure that there is some bizarre, Byzantine answer as to why, but I'd also reckon it won't be a good one.

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SONY/Legacy, which knows a thing or two about deluxe reissues rarely deletes their special two disc offerings, probably due to good due diligence
and a dash of common sense.

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Yet in this case, EMI seems to jettisoned a viable package, whilst at the same
time repacking lots of other Bowie stuff that although not up to the standard

of this Ziggy, is still readily available.

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It's bollocks, but why is it that record companies-and EMI did it with the Beatles Mono Box CD set, only delivering minuscule numbers when first released, while now stores can't give it away, even discounted heavily-get good product and then seem to consciously sabotage the fookin' thing?
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The only semi-logical explanation would be a plan to put out a 4oth Anniversary Ziggy Stardust, with maybe a few extra bon-bons, and hard-core music fans/collectors like silly moi will buy it again.
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If the above is the case, the corporate bastards best better hurry it up because many of us who were old enough to live through Ziggy are no longer young, and dumb(er).

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More at: http://www.boomermediareview.com/