W♥M

Reintroducing the Beatles

Rolling Stone #1200 (16 Jan 2014) Rolling Stone LLC Read More The Beatles The Beatles' second film, Help!, is released on Blu-Ray and digitally on iTunes today (June 25). The digitally restored film and 5.1 soundtrack features iTunes Extras including …

In case you haven't noticed, early next month mark The Beatles' 50th Anniversary in America. The two surviving Beatles members, Paul McCartney and Ringo Starr, will likely 'come together' on David Letterman for a special on-air performance on February 7th, 2014, according to an article published on The Guardian.

Hitting newsstand this week is Rolling Stone #1200 (cover date of January 16th), featuring a rather lengthy story about how The Beatles took over America as the biggest band in the country in 1964. The article, written by Mikal Gilmore, is quite detailed and it is well researched... much better than what you will find on Wikipedia or any news article.

Zinio iTunes App Zinio LLC

I got the magazine via Zinio, which I prefer over iTunes' own Newsstand app because of the ability to move Zinio content to other platforms (for instance, if I wanted to read Rolling Stone on the web or my android device, it's possible).

There's other benefits, like I read the Beatles article using Zinio's text-only feature, which strips out all the distracting layout and format. I love it, but I believe this is done via optical reading software, so sometime the spell checker gets things wrong. For instance, sometime "Beatles" is printed as "Beat les". For the most part, the text-only feature is very good.

Beatles 50 iTunes

This also marked the Beatles' 50th Anniversary in America, so Capitol Records is launching a massive 2014 Beatlesmania campaign with exclusive iTunes content (and iTunes Radio, which is possibly the only place you can stream The Beatles for free), and for the younger fans, you can buy some 12 Beatles album for a pittance of $112.

Hey, I understand why the record label is trying to milk every penny from the Beatles, but didn't we already experienced this with 2009's re-re-remastered editions (09/09/09) or 2010's 50th Anniversary with the Beatles? Also, seriously, who doesn't already own the Beatles catalog in one form or another?

Of course, America is celebrating the arrival of the Beatles. There are a ton of small events, here are the ones that came in my inbox (you can always email me at vu at weheartmusic.com):

NYC Fab 50 nycfab50.com

NYC Fab 50 is happening this February 6-8, 2014, in New York City. The February date is important because February 9th, 1964, was the very first Beatles appearance on the Ed Sullivan show, which drew in a then-record of 73 million viewers.

The NYC Fab 50 will include a star-studded concert at the Apollo Theater in Harlem, the gala, ‘America Celebrates the Beatles, All-Star Concert’ at Town Hall and The Across The Universe, 3-event Series at Hudson Theater. Starting ticket price is $50, but please note that the money will be benefit various charities such as the Food Bank in NY.

Some of the headliners are Mary Wilson of the Supremes, Lloyd Price, Bettye La Vette, and The Spin Doctors, be sure to check out their website (nycfab50.com) for more details.

For Beatles Fans thefest.com

Also happening is The 2014 Fest For Beatles Fans which is happening February 7-9 at Hyatt hotel (near Grand Central Station) in New York City.

Their guest of honor is Prudence Farrow, you know her as "Dear Prudence". Well she's come out to play.

Other guests include Emmy Award-winning journalist and New York Times best-selling author Larry Kane, who was the only American reporter with a 'ticket to ride' in the Beatles' touring entourage during their 1964 and 1965 U.S. tours, and Scottish singer Donovan (who I previously mentioned was a confirmed guest).

The Pulse/Mensa Infographic mensa.org

Mensa members are also big Beatles fans (who knew the smartypants like to rock out?). Their members recently selected their favorite Beatles songs. I won't list all the top songs, but you can see for yourself over at mensa.org. The list is divided between analog and digital.

What? No "Octopus's Garden" or "Revolution" or "Back in the USSR"?

The Beatles Are Here! Algonquin Books

A new book called The Beatles Are Here!: 50 Years after the Band Arrived in America, Writers, Musicians & Other Fans Remember, by Penelope Rowlands, is coming out on Algonquin Books on February 4th, 2014.

The book compiles memories from famous fans (like Cyndi Lauper) who remembered The Beatles when they first arrived in America.

A Night of Peace & Love dlflive.org

Also in the news, the David Lynch Foundation will honoring Ringo Starr with a "Lifetime of Peace & Love Award", during the global launch of its new performance arts events division, entitled DLF LIVE. The celebration will be held in Los Angeles next week. With an 'all-Starr' guestlist of Peter Frampton, Ben Folds, Joe Walsh, Brendon Benson, Ben Harper, Bettye LaVette, Dave Stewart.... well it's been long sold out.

If you're lucky enough to have a ticket, it is taking place at the El Rey Theatre in Los Angeles on January 20, 2014.

PS, Fans who cannot get enough of the Beatles can join The Collectionary's Beatles Club at thecollectionary.com, where fans and collectors can showoff or trade Beatles items.

vu () ♥ weheartmusic.com

Beatles Now

Read More The Beatles The Beatles. Really, a giant of rock giants. Unless you've been living under a rock, you know that Apple Records/EMI recently re-released all of the Beatles albums re-mastered this past 9/9/09 ..…

THE BEATLES
thebeatles.com

The Beatles' second film, Help!, is released on Blu-Ray and digitally on iTunes today (June 25). The digitally restored film and 5.1 soundtrack features iTunes Extras including a 30-minute documentary about making of the film - plus an appreciation by Martin Scorsese.

If you are a fan, like I am, you'll want to add this classic to your collection, along with 2012's Blu-Ray releases of Yellow Submarine and Magical Mystery Tour.

I am assuming you get all the bonus features of the iTunes version as you do with the Blu-Ray, so here is a listing of what's included:

• “The Beatles in Help!” – a 30-minute documentary about the making of the film with Richard Lester, the cast and crew, including exclusive behind-the-scenes footage of The Beatles on-set.
• “A Missing Scene” – a film outtake, featuring Wendy Richard
• “The Restoration of Help!” – an in-depth look at the restoration process
• “Memories of Help!” – the cast and crew reminisce
• 1965 Theatrical Trailers – two original U.S. trailers and one original Spanish trailer
• 1965 U.S. Radio Spots (hidden in menus)

Read More Yoko Ono Didn't Kim & Thurston called it quits? They're still on good terms as they've teamed up with Yoko Ono to release YOKOKIMTHURSTON, coming out September 25th, 2012, via Chimera Music ..…

THE SMITH TAPES
thesmithtapes.com

Columnist of the Village Voice "Scenes" and radio personality Howard Smith, is making his original recordings available now for the first time in 40 years (since it was originally aired). This upcoming collection focus on the Beatles, featuring five interviews with John Lennon & Yoko Ono between 1969 to 1972 and George Harrison in 1970.

The Smith Tapes— Collection 7 – John & Yoko & George

Paul is Dead Nov. 1969 / 12min.
As the rumor gains momentum, Smith phones Sandi Morse, the National Director of the Beatles’ fan club to ask her about what’s going on. A distraught Morse is overwhelmed by the frenzy surrounding the rumor and her failed attempts to quell it.

Dave Morrell Jan. 1972 / 27min.
Smith interviews the teenaged, rare recordings collector about the afternoon he spent trading memorabilia with John Lennon. Morrell then plays early rare Beatles’ recordings on the air.

John & Yoko’s Bed-In May 29, 1969 / 36min.
Smith speaks on the phone with John & Yoko, who are in their suite at the Queen Elizabeth Hotel in Montreal for the second of their two Bed-Ins. Among other things, they discuss selling Peace as a commodity, the Activist Movement, and Lennon’s denial of being, nor intention of being, a leader.

John & Yoko at Hawkin’s Ranch Dec. 17, 1969 / 1hour 58min.
Smith traveled to Ronnie Hawkin’s Ranch outside of Toronto to interview John & Yoko. While eating shrimp tempura, they discuss the ins and outs of recording with the Beatles, the band’s uncertain future, Woodstock vs. Altamont, the impact of the Youth Movement.

George Harrison May1, 1970 / 37min.
Just before beginning work on his first solo album, All Things Must Pass, Harrison speaks with Smith about the Beatles breakup, why he thinks they ought to keep recording albums together and his own evolution as a songwriter.

John & Yoko at the Regency Hotel Dec. 12, 1970 / 1hour 27min.
Smith interviews John & Yoko the day after the Plastic Ono Band album release while they are in the midst of shooting 2 art films. They discuss the emotional process of their music, their time in Janov therapy, how about they handle fame, and whether the Beatles will ever get back together.

John & Yoko at the St. Regis Sept. 9, 1971 / 1hour 11min.
Smith interviews John & Yoko on the day Lennon’s album Imagine is released. They discuss Ono’s upcoming retrospective, Paul’s, George’s and Ringo’s individual albums, the media’s criticisms of their relationship, John’s “working class” nature, and future plans.

John & Yoko at Home Jan. 23, 1972 / 1hour 18min.
Smith drops by John & Yoko’s West Village apartment on the day of a WPLJ Beatles marathon. Heard at times in the background, the songs inspire and direct the conversation. They discuss the experience of being a Beatles and their break up, being a Beatle wife, the experience of stage fright and emotional rollercoaster of performing, breakthroughs acquired in Janov therapy, and meeting Black Panthers.

AP Photo/Christie's, Mike Mitchell Read More Henry Grossman This 13-pound book, features over 1,000 photographs of The Beatles and their families and friends, all shot by Henry Grossman. Many of these photographs have never bee ..…

DAFA
davidanthonyfineart.com

"The Beatles are Coming to Taos" is the name of a photographic exhibit at the David Anthony Fine Art (DAFA) in Taos, New Mexico.

The exhibit is happening in the month of August (Aug. 2–30), with an emphasis on Mike Mitchell's photographs of the Beatles during their 1964 performance in Washington, DC (two days after their first appearance on the Ed Sullivan Show).

With the limitation of photographic technology back in that time period, Mitchell was forced to use his instinct in capturing the Beatles without flash and not knowing if any of his photos would turn out without developing the negatives.

Many of the stills used in "The Beatles Illuminated: the Discovered Works of Mike Mitchell" will be featured at the DAFA exhibit.

Details below:

The Annual DAFA Photography Invitational will host an opening reception on August 2, 2013, and the show will run through August 30, 2013. On August 3, Mike Mitchell will give a free talk and take questions in the Arthur Bell Auditorium at the Harwood Museum of Art. David Anthony Fine Art is located at 132 Kit Carson Road, Taos, NM.

vu () ♥ weheartmusic.com

Pop Books

Read More AFI My brother's favorite band is releasing a live album. But WAIT! It's not new (do you see a trend here?), the audio CD is actually the audio soundtrack of the DVD of I Heard a Voice ..…

Our aspirations are wrapped up in books
Our inclinations are hidden in looks

Belle & Sebastian

POP KIDS
popkidsbook.com

Singer/songwriter of AFI, Davey Havok, announced his debut novel, Pop Kids, coming out April 4th, 2013, via Black Candy Publishing.

We will be doing a proper review of the book, because we like AFI and we're looking forward to reading the book. This is just a pre-order announcement for you. In fact, if you pre-order the book, you do get a special embossed edition signed by Davey Havok - all for the same retail price of $20.

The publisher describe the book as a fictional novel about today's youth: "Obsessed by social networking, reality tv, Internet porn, fashion, film, music, sex, and drugs – today’s teens are on an existential collision course with disaster. With an insider’s eye for nuance, language and style, Davey Havok, lead singer and songwriter of AFI and Blaqk Audio, creates a blistering, yet compelling portrait of high school angst in his debut novel POP KIDS."

Additional information:

POP KIDS
By Davey Havok
Publisher: Black Candy Publishing
Publication Date: April 4, 2013
Price: $20.00/ trade paperback original
ISBN: 978-0-9859572-0-9

PLACES I REMEMBER: MY TIME WITH THE BEATLES
henrygrossman.com

Attention Beatles fans: Places I Remember: My Time With the Beatles is available for purchase now via the publisher's website, curvebender.com.

This 13-pound book, features over 1,000 photographs of The Beatles and their families and friends, all shot by Henry Grossman. Many of these photographs have never been seen. I haven't seen these books, but based on their website; it seems they are only producing these books for very wealthy Beatles collectors with the "standard" pricing of $495, and going up as much as $1190 bundle and autographs!

I'm sorry, for that much money, I'm buying a new computer… and probably still have some cash left over for a beer.

Still, I think if you see the book physically in the book stores - it would probably be very tempting.

THE SONG IN YOU: FINDING YOUR VOICE, REDEFINING YOUR LIFE
ladonnagatlin.com

Did you know that before the Gatlin Brothers, it was The Gatlin Quartet? Before the band went on tour, their sister, LaDonna Gatlin left the group to settled down: "[my brothers] went on to produce hit records, I went on to produce two children!".

In LaDonna's new book, The Song in You: Finding Your Voice, Redefining Your Life, she shares stories about raising children, putting family first, overcoming adversity, and ultimately inspiring countless others to discover their own 'song' in life.

If you were curious, she uses the music scale as a reminder of uplifting messages:

do (do the right thing)
re (realize your potential)
mi (mind your manners)
fa (failures can become fertilizer)
sol (solutions begin with me)
la (laugh)
ti (time is valuable)

Personally, I think of a deer (a female deer!), and so forth.

LaDonna has also recorded four solo CDs and is a contributing writer to the bestselling book series Chicken Soup for the Soul, her latest book The Song in You: Finding Your Voice, Redefining Your Life is out now via HCI Books.

vu () ♥ weheartmusic.com ♥ podcast.weheartmusic.com ♥ twitter.com/weheartmusic

Rewind TV: Decemberists and McCartney with Nirvana

Read More The Decemberists It looks like The Decemberists have left 1825 with their latest release, The King is Dead, released today on Capitol Records. While I can't say upon first listening to the new album that I like this new direction .....

DECEMBERISTS
decemberists.com

Did you catch the seventh episode of season 24 of the Simpsons? It's basically Portlandia (Fred Armisen and Carrie Brownstein) meets the Simpsons.

What's also pretty cool about the episode is that the Decemberists briefly appeared as themselves! It's exciting because the Decemberists took a "multi-year hiatus" after their The King is Dead tour (which ended last August). They haven't released new music since their EP, Long Live the King, which came out November 2011.

Colin Meloy and company were probably asked by the Portlandia people to guest star because the band is also based out of Portland, Oregon.

Anyway, I don't normally watch the Simpsons, but my sister said I should watch it this week for the Decemberists and so I did. Can't believe Matt Groening is still producing the Simpsons after twenty-four years! I remember seeing them when they first appeared on the Tracey Ullman show!

The Decemberists on the Simpsons Season 24, Episode #7 (12/09/12)

Read More Paul McCartney Since I'm assuming we all know who Sir Paul Mccartney is, I'll skip the usual introduction and just proceed to Memory Almost Full. .....

PAUL MCCARTNEY
paulmccartney.com

So, did we all survived 12/12/12?

Members of Nirvana, Dave Grohl, Krist Noveselic and Pat Smear, reunited for the first time in 18 years after Kurt Cobain's death with Sir Paul McCartney on the benefit show for the Superstorm Sandy victims. They collaborated on a brand new song called "Cut Me Some Slack," which can be seen on YouTube.

According to Wikipedia, over 2 billion people saw this "12-12-12: The Concert for Sandy Relief" special!

The song, "Cut Me Some Slack," will also appear on Dave Grohl's upcoming film "Sound City Movie."

McCartney's latest album is called Kisses on the Bottom, it was released earlier this year. The big controversy about his fifteenth studio album was that you couldn't find it on Spotify or any streaming services. His label, Hear Music (Starbucks) might have changed their tune, but McCartney, as far as I'm concern, is old-skool and it doesn't surprise me that he won't go streaming.

Paul McCartney and Nirvana at 12-12-12: The Concert for Sandy Relief (12/12/12)

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W♥M164: Beatles or the Rolling Stones?

W♥M164 (29 mins)

Introducing Jess on W♥M Radio! She's here to help us talk about music news and comment about some of the shows she went to in Los Angeles.

BEATLES AND R.E.M.
Jess fell in love with these bands at a young age and not at all embarrassed about it. Better tastes than me: who fell in love with Information Society, Phil Collins, and Wilson Phillips (this was not discussed).

Personally I love that R.E.M.'s Out of Time-era. I do really love Eponymous and Murmur (which I reviewed the Deluxe Edition).

THE ROLLING STONES
The legendary Rolling Stones formed in 1962, and fifty years later, they are still together. Last month (October), the band played their first gig as a band in five years. And they're just "starting up", with a few other live dates announced this year:

11/25/12 London, United Kingdom The O2 - London
11/29/12 London, United Kingdom The O2 - London
12/08/12 Brooklyn, NY Barclays Center
12/13/12 Newark, NJ Prudential Center
12/15/12 Newark, NJ Prudential Center

In addition to the live dates, their record label ABKCO and Universal Music Group released a three-disc "Greatest Hits" album called GRRR!. The regular edition compiles 50 hit tracks, while a four disc "Super-Deluxe" set will feature 80 tracks. The Super-Deluxe set will also feature Charlie is My Darling, a DVD/Blu-Ray hour-long Rolling Stones road trip documentary and costs $99.99. I believe you can also purchase the DVD/Blu-Ray by itself if the deluxe edition is too rich for your blood.

If you're a hardcore fan and already own all the selected singles, you'd be pleased to note that the new compilation also feature two brand new songs called "Doom and Gloom" and "One More Shot."

We've seen this before with other band reunion, notably The Beach Boys and The Stone Roses - where the band members all hate each other. Will it last long enough for them to enjoy the mad cash or "the music that matters"?

Vaccines: Come of Age

MINER, SAN CISCO, AND VACCINES
Jess was rather impressed by Miner, who played their very first show at the The Echo, Los Angeles (10/23/12). I was rather star struck when I saw that Daisy Betts, actress tweeted the link (she's one of the few women on the submarine.)

It also looks like San Cisco will be opening up for Vaccines! I really love the Vaccines, so this is a match made in heaven.

Vaccines and San Cisco 2013 tour dates:

January 29 Boston, MA Paradise Rock Club
January 31 New York, NY Terminal 5
February 1 Washington, DC 9:30 Club
February 2 Philadelphia, PA Union Transfer
February 4 Toronto, ON Phoenix Concert Theatre
February 5 Columbus, OH Newport Music Hall
February 6 Chicago, IL Lincoln Hall
February 8 Milwaukee, WI Turner Hall Ballroom
February 9 Minneapolis, MN Triple Rock Social Club
February 11 Denver, CO Bluebird Theater
February 14 Los Angeles, CA The Fonda Theatre
February 15 San Francisco, CA The Fillmore

MOTH AND THE FLAME
Jess attended two The Moth & Flame shows, you can read about her Bootleg Theater, Los Angeles (11/06/12) and listen to her talk about the "industry-event" for The Moth and the Flame at in Los Angeles.

Tame Impala: Lonerism

TAME IMPALA
Tame Impala just played a bunch of sold out shows in America. Jess loves these guys and had the opportunity to see them at The Fonda Theatre in Los Angeles on November 17th. Expect to read all about it soon.

Song of the show is Tame Impala's "Elephant" from their latest LP Lonerism.

BONUS: More R.E.M.

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Archive of this show at archive.org. More information on podomatic.com

vu () ♥ weheartmusic.com ♥ podcast.weheartmusic.com ♥ twitter.com/weheartmusic ♥ +W♥M

PBS

Read More Prince Rama This PBS biography series, American Masters, is on its 26th season (hint: it beats The Simpsons) and to start things off will be its look at folk & protest singer/songwriter Phil Ochs and jazz legend Cab Calloway.....

AMERICAN MASTERS
pbs.org/wnet/americanmasters

PBS is airing a brand new two-hour documentary "American Masters Inventing David Geffen" on Tuesday, November 20th at 8pm (ET) on PBS.

If you're a music lover, you probably love Geffen Records. They have released some of my favorite albums: Siouxsie and the Banshees' Once Upon a Time: The Singles, XTC's Skylarking ("Dear God"), Guns N' Roses' Appetite for Destruction, The Sundays' Reading, Writing, and Arithmetic ("Here's Where the Story Ends"), Nirvana's Nevermind and Incesticide, Weezer's Weezer (the blue album) and Pinkerton, Beck's Odelay, and my favorite Welsh punkers 60ft. Dolls' The Big 3.

I got to preview the documentary and I have to say it was overall enjoyable. How lucky was executive producer Susan Lacy? She got incredible access to David Geffen and his various friends, colleagues and clients on the documentary! Interviews included face time with Cher, Jackson Browne, Tom Hanks, David Crosby, Don Henley, Arianna Huffington, Elton John, Calvin Klein, Steve Martin, Yoko Ono, Frank Rich, Steven Spielberg, Jann Wenner, etc. Everyone had nice stories to tell. My favorite was Jackson Browne, who told us that Geffen went up to bat for him when he was relatively unknown.

I was only interested in the music part, which accounted for the majority of the documentary. Thankfully, his early start at the William Morris Agency mailroom (how he intercepted a letter from a school and replaced it with a letter indicating that he attended the college) or his sexual relationships or his work with Geffen Films (in the latter part of the documentary) were kept to a minimum. The documentary got it right in focusing on Geffen and his love for music.

The documentary also pointed what made Geffen unique was that he generally loves the artists he worked with. He didn't treat them as simply clients, but as friends. They also reinvented the way Rock n Roll contracts were written, giving artists more control and money. It wasn't all roses, for instance, they spotlight his lawsuit with Neil Young, because he wasn't producing a "commercial" record. In the end, Geffen did the right thing and dropped the lawsuit, but it was already too late because Young never recorded an album for Geffen after that.

The highlight for Geffen was his relationship with Cher and how he finally landed Bob Dylan. Dylan was Geffen's Mt Everest and he was so happy to release a live album. All the promotion and booking were done for free because Geffen believed so much in Dylan. The other highlight was about how Geffen knew Guns N' Roses was on the verge of exploding.

Surprisingly the documentary is very up-to-date with Barack Obama near the end of the documentary. I didn't really think this was really necessary to telling David Geffen's story. If anything, I would've liked to have seen more of Geffen's misses (Nelsons, anyone?), along with his hits.

I learned quite a lot about David Geffen, and if you love his records and want to know more about how he got there, check out "American Masters Inventing David Geffen" next Tuesday, November 20th on PBS.

American Masters Inventing David Geffen

IN OTHER PBS NEWS:

AARON NEVILLE aaronneville.com Multiple Grammy Award-winning artist Aaron Neville will be performing a special concert on Wednesday, November 28th, in Brooklyn. A limited number of tickets are still available. The concert will be filmed by PBS for broadcast as "Aaron Neville: My True Story" in March 2013! If you are a true fan and want to possibly appear in the background, you definitely will want to attend his upcoming show. As I have previously mentioned, his new record, My True Storywill feature doo-wop music. You can grab "Ting a Ling" as a free download on his official website.

THE BEATLES thebeatles.com "Magical Mystery Tour Revisited" will be airing on PBS, via THIRTEEN'S Great Performances, on December 14th at 10pm. I actually have not seen the original "Magical Mystery Tour", but I'm sure I've seen snippets of it on television. From my understanding, the "Magical Mystery Tour" and "Magical Mystery Tour Revisited" will be airing back-to-back on December 14. The latter will feature interviews with the remaining Beatles (Paul McCartney, Ringo Starr, George Harrison- before his death), plus Peter Fonda, Paul Gambaccini, Terry Gilliam, Neil Innes, Paul Merton, Barry Miles, Annie Nightingale and Martin Scorsese. Again, The Beatles' "Magical Mystery Tour" will be airing on THIRTEEN's Great Performances on December 14. More details on pbs.org.

vu () ♥ weheartmusic.com ♥ podcast.weheartmusic.com ♥ twitter.com/weheartmusic ♥ +W♥M

Rrring

Read More The Beatles The Beatles. Really, a giant of rock giants. Unless you've been living under a rock, you know that Apple Records/EMI recently re-released all of the Beatles albums re-mastered this past 9/9/09 (a reference to their "song", "Revolution 9".) ....

RINGO STARR & HIS ALL STARR BAND
www.ringostarr.com

You know I love the Beatles (who doesn't?), as I've previously mentioned. Today (October 17th), Ringo Starr announced that his All Starr Band will tour the Pacific Rim this winter with select dates in New Zealand, Australia and Japan. The All Starr Band is the same lineup from this previous summer, featuring Steve Lukather (Toto), Richard Page (Mr.Mister), Todd Rundgren, Mark Rivera, Gregg Rolie (Santana & Journey) and Gregg Bissonette.

"The tour this summer was just GREAT - I love playing with this band and I can’t wait to get back out and play with them again," Ringo said. "I am looking forward to revisiting Japan with the All Starrs and of course New Zealand and Australia. Peace & Love!"

Yes, it wouldn't be a quote unless he said, "Peace & Love."

The confirmed dates are as follows:

Feb 7 – CBS Canterbury Arena, New Zealand
Feb 9 – Vector Arena, Auckland, New Zealand
Feb 25 & 26 –Zepp Arena, Tokyo, Japan
Feb 27 – Zepp Hall, Nagoya, Japan
March 1 – Zepp Hall, Osaka, Japan

The dates for Australia will be announced October 26.

DIAMOND RINGS
diamondringsmusic.com

Diamond Rings (aka John O'Regan) is currently on tour in America. Apparently he was one of the founding members of my favorite Thomas Hardy-referenced band, The D'Urbervilles.

Diamond Rings released his debut album in 2010, but since then, he was picked up by Astralwerks, who re-released his album last year. His latest album, Free Dimensional, will be coming out this October 22nd. Look for his national television debut on The Late Show with David Letterman on October 26th.

I will be there on October 27th to check him out. I'm happy to announced that Australia's Gold Fields are opening up for most of Diamond Rings' shows in America.

10/17/12 San Diego, CA House Of Blues 10/18/12 Hollywood, CA Amoeba Music 10/18/12 Los Angeles, CA Mayan Theatre 10/19/12 Santa Cruz, CA Rio Theatre 10/20/12 San Francisco, CA The Fillmore 10/26/12 Chicago, IL Empty Bottle 10/27/12 Minneapolis, MN 7th Street Entry 10/28/12 Madison, WI The Frequency 10/29/12 Nashville, TN Marathon Music Works 10/30/12 St. Louis, MO Off Broadway Nightclub 10/31/12 Nashville, TN High Watt

11/01/12 New Orleans, LA Circle Bar 11/02/12 Austin, TX Auditorium Shores 11/03/12 Austin, TX Auditorium Shores 11/04/12 Tucson, AZ Club Congress 11/08/12 San Francisco, CA Rickshaw Stop 11/09/12 Santa Cruz, CA The Crepe Place 11/14/12 Portland, OR Doug Fir Lounge 11/15/12 Seattle, WA The Crocodile 11/16/12 Victoria, BC Legends 11/17/12 Vancouver, BC Fortune Sound Club 12/04/12 New York, NY Bowery Ballroom

R. RING
rringband.com

What's the deal with Kim Kelley Deal (* see comment below)? She's teaming up with Ampline's Mike Montgomery to start a new band called R. Ring.

I have absolutely no details about the band, other than that they're releasing a debut 7" orange-tinted through Misra Records for "Fallout & Fire" and b-side of "See." You can listen to the a-side on Soundcloud.

Cover artwork was drawn by their "weird friend" Ali Calis at Able Projects.

To celebrate, they are heading out on a brief tour:

Oct 25 Shake It Records, Cincinnati, OH 7pm FREE
Oct 26 Firehouse, North Manchester, IN
Oct 27 Shitty Barn/Knitty Barn, Spring Green, WI
Oct 28 Abbey Pub, Chicago,IL with the Avengers!
Oct 29 Omega Music, Dayton,OH. 7pm FREE

T.SHIRT
www.illrapper.com

I think this is a DJ/producer rapper* called T.Shirt. The last project/email I got was talking about how he hijacked Purity Ring's Shrines and made it into a 15-minute mixtape.

Details from pigeonsandplanes.com:

Purity Ring's Shrines is one of the most uniquely excellent albums of the year. Taking a dark, gothic tone and applying it to extremely catchy pop, the group has earned a spot as a frontrunner in a new wave of pop that isn’t all sugar and sunshine.

(excerpt)

T.Shirt's sound is rooted in classic New York hip-hop, but he’s never been one to recycle or become stagnant. With each project he’s exploring new territory and looking for creative ways to push himself and listeners.

DOWNLOAD: T.SHIRT x PURITY RING MIXTAPE

* This is what happens when you don't send a biography.

vu () ♥ weheartmusic.com ♥ podcast.weheartmusic.com ♥ twitter.com/weheartmusic ♥ +W♥M

Thursday, 18 October 2012 at 07:18 PM
Mel Bushman writes:

CHILD, NO!

R.Ring is Kelley Deal, Kim Deal's twin sister. Kim may sing a note or play a lick on the new record, but R.Ring is all Kelley and some man with a beard.

Kim is napping under a big pile of her Pixies reunion tour money. Godamnit, I really thought that was a good idea in the beginning... Now I hate it; Kim Deal probably doesn't ever need to work again for the rest of her life. Or, at least another 10 years before another Breeders album materializes.

Steve Albini should go kick her in the ass.

W♥M107: Cover Lover Special

W♥M107 (57min: archive )

Part of the Cover Lover series: this week is Cristina's choices.

This show is pretty epic. We planned on five cover songs and maybe 30 minutes of talk-time. Unfortunately, we derailed. As usual. We spent a lot of time talking about the Runaways. Well maybe it was mostly Cristina talking about the movie, since I haven't seen it. But it was good, the whole thing reminds me of The Fabulous Stains. Incidentally, we kept referring to the punk band as The Professionals, but, in fact, the band was called The Looters (which I have misheard as The Losers when I first saw the movie - which on retrospect, that is a better name).

Grace Jones' version of "She's Lost Control", changing the meaning of the song from the original Joy Division version.

Bimbo Jet's "El Bimbo", which is based on an obscure Afghan song, "Tanha Shudham Tanha" by Ahmad Zahir. According to Wikipedia, it is Paul Mauriat's version that appears on Police Academy.

"Falling in Love" is an old German song, and was covered by many bands, including: Kevin Ayers, The Beatles, Christina Aguilera (dance version), Nina Simone, and Claudine Longet. But the version Cristina loves is the Adicts' version.

Song of the week is Adicts' "Falling in Love".

"Ever Fallen in Love (With Someone You Shouldn't've)" is a classic punk song from The Buzzcocks. The cover version by Fine Young Cannibals is pretty awesome too. Mostly because Roland Gift brings his own element to it with his vocals.

Luna was a 90s dreampop band from New York, who was probably most famous for that revenge-song “Slash Your Tires” off their debut album, Lunapark. After several years and dropping off their major Warner Brothers label, they released The Days of Our Nights under an indie label. Obviously, the album didn’t do that well, but on the album, they closed out with Guns n Roses cover “Sweet Child o’ Mine”. What I generally like about covers is that they try something different, and what’s different here is Dean Wareham’s calm, sad, dreamy vocals over the screamy metal quality of Axl Rose. Other covers we mentioned was Sheryl Crow and Ruby Isle's version. You can read the Ruby Isle/Mark Mallman details and free download here.

Bonus material includes:
Vu remembers man/woman Jane Child. Upon listening to her nowadays, she reminds me of La Roux. No seriously.
The Fighter movie and The Heavy band, "How Do You Like Me Now?"
Richard Cheese's "Ice Ice Baby". Yeahhhh baby.

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Archive of this show at archive.org. More information on mypodcast.com

vu () ♥ weheartmusic.com ♥ podcast.weheartmusic.com ♥ twitter.com/weheartmusic

W♥M055: Paul McCartney Interview by Colin Richardson

W♥M055 [download (27 min, 25mb)]

Subscribe to our show at gcast.com (RSS), more information at podcast.weheartmusic.com.

Please enjoy this special episode of We Heart Music Radio as Sally & I figure out the best way to handle our ever-busy schedule.

This week, we were sent a 20-minute recording of Sir Paul McCartney as he talked about his post-Wings album, McCartney II (originally called On His Own). Special thanks to Colin Richardson and HOBO - Coventry Music Magazine for putting this together.

Richardson writes:

In May 1980, towards the end of my "journalist" days, I got an invite to the EMI press reception for Paul McCartney's solo album, "On his own", at Abbey Road studios. I was one of about 100 scribes from all parts of the globe and the set up was very efficient...15 or so oblong tables, each with 8 chairs and the plan was that Paul would move from table to table, spending exactly 20 minutes at each. I managed to get one of the end chairs, thus ensuring that I would be facing the star when he sat down...yes, I was that pushy! When our turn came, I opened the session with what I hoped was some humorous banter, thus getting Paul's attention for when the real questions started. It seems to have worked, since I managed to ask the majority of them....hey, all's fair in love, war and journalism! Well, take a listen...and please don't judge too harshly! I was just 'doing my job!'

From the interview, it was quite interesting to hear about McCartney's Japan problem, first with his midly-offensive title, "Frozen Jap" song, and then his apology for the whole country when their tour got canceled (due to his arrest for marijuana in Tokyo circa January 1980).

It was revealed later through a BBC article, in McCartney's own words:

I was out in New York and I had all this really good grass. We were about to fly to Japan and I knew I wouldn't be able to get anything to smoke over there. This stuff was too good to flush down the toilet, so I thought I'd take it with me.

McCartney spent ten days in jail, then deported from the country. Of course, these kind of stories doesn't surprise me. I mean, just look at some of the Beatles songs, like "Day Tripper", "Strawberry Fields Forever", and "Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds".

Still, despite the Japanese problems, McCartney II, went straight to #1 in the UK and #3 in the US charts.

10/18/2009 20:18:14♥ vu () ♥weheartmusic.com♥twitter.com/weheartmusic♥news.weheartmusic.com

The Beatles Remastered

The Beatles - Komm, Gib Mir Deine Hand The Beatles Discography [1963] Please Please Me [1963] With The Beatles [1964] A Hard Day's Night [1964] Beatles for Sale [1965] Help! [1965] Rubber Soul [1966] Revolver [1967] Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band [1968] The Beatles ("The White Album") [1969] Yellow Submarine [1969] Abbey Road [1970] Let It Be Read More The Beatles http://weheartmus... With The Beatles coming out with their own Rockband game on, yes you are reading it correctly, 09...

The Beatles. Really, a giant of rock giants. Unless you've been living under a rock, you know that Apple Records/EMI recently re-released all of the Beatles albums re-mastered this past 9/9/09 (a reference to their "song", "Revolution 9".)

What I have always found fascinating of Beatles (and, of course, Rolling Stones), were that they were heavily influenced by US rock and blues. However, the cover songs and original music that these British bands were playing had their own style to them, making their music their own unique take.

All of us grew up with The Beatles, and we all love them. However, for every "Love Me Do" and "I Want to Hold Your Hand" hit song, The Beatles had at least ten lesser or unknown songs.... and it's these unknown songs that I think only true fans will know and appreciate.

Still, the band's musical output of Paul McCartney and John Lennon (and let's not forget producer George Martin) is legendary: thirteen albums in ten years, for a total of over 200 songs (600 minutes - yep, all of their songs are about three minutes).

Since I actually own many of these albums from their reissue in the 90s (with The Beatles Anthology), I didn't need to get the all of recent 9/9 release. I bought a few, mostly for collecting reasons or filling in a missing discography, and a few were sent in for review.

Overall, each remastered edition comes with a movie file on the disc, with the exception of Past Masters. The often brief video talks about the respective album, with voiceovers of the people involved (including McCartney, Ringo Starr, and Martin). While that's probably not going to be a deal breaker for most people, it's still a very nice bonus.

As for recommendation, if you are a casual fan and/or just looking to get a compilation, look no further than the two-disc Past Masters remastered. These were originally released in 1988 as parts one and two, but with this reissue, they are now one package. The album collects some of the Beatles' best-known singles, including "I Want to Hold Your Hand", "Love Me Do", "Day Tripper", and "Revolution". Plus, I got a kick out of hearing some of their hits in Germany.

What's interesting about "Komm, Gib Mir Deine Hand" (I Want to Hold Your Hand), was that the German vocals were basically overdubs over "I Want to Hold Your Hand" instrumental. I don't speak German, but Paul sounds pretty convincing to me.

The big draw for fans is that the audio's been remixed in stereo. I think sometime the remaster team of Guy Massey, Steve Rooke, Sam Okell with Paul Hicks and Sean Magee, goes overboard - especially with some of the drums (it's hard to explain, but sometime the instruments sounds like it's in 3D, in four quadrant). The stereo mix does sound especially clear and organic... but for the purists, they are making the original mono editions as part of a boxset.

Also, I should point out that the packaging is gorgeous, all in digipack, with a big 32-page lyric booklet. The booklet has an introduction article about the album, a ton of rare Beatles photos, lyrics, and, also, the original album sleeve notes.

PS, all of these releases follows the UK track listing (hello, Rubber Soul).

BEATLES FOR SALE (1964) Beatles For Sale This is one of the few Beatles album that I was missing in my collection, partly because the album was never released in the US (ironic for its title, no?). Technically, the album was re-released in America as Beatles '65 and Beatles VI, but for the full release, I was happy to pick up Beatles for Sale and hearing it for the first time. My favorite song off this album is probably "Eight Days a Week", a song that took only minutes to compose and write in the studio (this was often the case for many of the Beatles' masterpieces!)		SGT PEPPER'S LONELY HEARTS CLUB BAND (1967) Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band Back in high school, in my PASCAL programming class (this should date me), our teacher was obsessed with this album. He played it constantly in the computer class. I think the reason why he loved this album so much, is that, as a conceptual album, it's very different from the Beatles you were used to. Part of this was probably because the band had an idea of "an alter-ego" band. So, you started hearing more orchestral music, more experimenting (Indian sitars!), and just making this a very interesting work than standard rock and roll fair. Most people will probably know "Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds" and "When I'm Sixty-Four" from this album.
THE WHITE ALBUM (1968) The White Album After Pepper's very complicated album sleeve, we have the simple "white album". Technically, the album is self-titled and, personally, I don't consider Magical Mystery Tour a "real Beatles album". The Beatles came back to "basic" music, recording a giant treasure trove of songs. They had so much music that the album was, for the first time, issued on double LPs. Some famous songs on the double album are "Dear Prudence" and "Revolution". Personally, I love the all-out rock song "Helter Skelter" - which I'll have to admit the song was tainted after Charles Manson.		LET IT BE (1970) Let It Be Although this is the last Beatles record (see Abbey Road below), it was put together without much Paul or John's input. In fact, legends has it that Paul hated the Phil Spector mixes so much that they eventually released Let it Be...Naked a few years ago. Not a blow to Phil, but I felt that much of this album's recording shows off that the Beatles were a "live" band, and the songs feels like they were played live. Trying to make the album into a "studio" sound didn't help. Some gems off the album, "Let it Be", "I've Got a Feeling", "The Long and Winding Road" and of course "Get Back" (which feels like it the recording was lifted from the infamous rooftop concert.

ABBEY ROAD (1969)

Abbey Road

This is my favorite Beatles record. Chronologically, it's not the last album, but I've always considered it the final Beatles record because this album marked all four band members in the studio.

Have you ever listened to an album and every song on it is so great? That's what you get with Abbey Road. There's a bit of everything here. From revolution/freedom songs ("Come Together"), to silly/mental ("Maxwell's Silver Hammer"), to quickies ("Polythene Pam"), to epic ("I Want You (She's So Heavy)").

Some interesting thing to note about this album was that it marked that the stereo revolution (it was never released as mono). Also that Harrison was becoming more important as songwriter (although he's been doing this since Yellow Submarine in my opinion), and his classic song of "Here Comes the Sun" is still loved to this day.

PS, I never knew Ringo Starr actually wrote any Beatles songs, I know he eventually wrote solo material... but his song, "Octopus's Garden", is on this album (and it's really good). 

 09/30/2009 00:01:04 ♥ vu () ♥ thebeatles.com