RECORD CRACK: Live Ravi Shankar album to be released for Record Store Day

Record Store Day has been a way to pick up new releases and reissues of some of your favorite rock, jazz, country, indie/alternative, funk, hip-hop, and so many other genres but unless it was in the used record section, you don’t hear too much about any new Indian classical music. That’s about to change this year with the release of a previously unreleased live recording by the late Pandit Ravi Shankar.

The Ravi Shankar Foundation’s East Meets West Music and Northern Spy Records are going to release In Hollywood, 1971, which will be released as a 2-record set. While Shankar released a number of live albums in his lifetime, only a small handful consisted of live performances he held in his California home. This is one of those instances as this is taken from a show he did in June 12th in Hollywood. Shankar is joined by Alla Rakha on tabla and Kamala Chakravarty on tanpura, all of whom would perform at George Harrison’s Concert For Bangla Desh two months later.

In Hollywood, 1971 is being made for charity as it is an album where the profits will benefit the Ravi Shankar Foundation, which helps to keep the spirit of Indian classical music alive along with making sure Shankar’s archives are kept alive and active.

RECORD CRACK: Foals ready to release new single for Record Store Day

There was a list posted today of some of the highlights you will be able to find at this year’s Record Store Day, including the one I have featured here, a new single by Foals called Rain/Daffodils. The interesting thing is that the record will have three songs, a non-LP track that they had done when they were making their What Went Down album. However, they’re calling the side with two songs a “double A-side” and traditionally, that would be wrong. But hey, let them be mistaken. Don’t be mistaken by missing this record when it is released on April 16th.

RECORD CRACK: of Montreal share A-side to Record Store Day single plus spring tour dates

of Montreal’s “Jigsaw Puzzle” will be their contribution to a 7″ to be released for Record Store Day 2014. The B-side will be an alternate version of “Triumph of Disintegration”

Meanwhile, the group have a lot of shows planned through mid-May, and are scheduled to play at the Sasquatch this summer.

March 22… Natchitoches, LA (DemonFest @ Northwestern State University)
March 25… Zapopan, Mexico (Teatro Estudio Caveret)
March 27… Mexico City, MX (Vive Latino Festival )
March 29… Athens, GA (Velena’s Birthday Party @ The 40 Watt Club)
March 31… Greensboro, NC (The Blind Tiger)
April 1… Lexington, KY (Cosmic Charlie’s)
April 2… St Louis, MO (The Ready Room)
April 3… Iowa City, IA (Mission Creek Festival @ The Blue Moose Tap House)
April 4… Wichita, KS (The Crown Uptown)
April 6… Memphis, TN (The Hi Tone)
April 17… Columbia, SC (Columbia Museum of Art) (Indie Grits Festival)
May 2… Little Rock, AR (Revolution Music Room)
May 3… Austin, TX (Austin Psych Fest)
May 4… Baton Rouge, LA (Spanish Moon)
May 5… Pensacola, FL (Vinyl Music Hall)
May 6… St Petersburg, FL (State Theatre)
May 7… Miami, FL (Grand Central)
May 8… Orlando, FL (The Social)
May 9… Charlotte, NC (Chop Shop)
May 10… Baltimore, MD (The Ottobar)
May 11… New York, NY (Le Poisson Rouge)
May 12… Philadelphia, PA (Union Transfer)
May 13… Buffalo, NY (Town Ballroom)
May 14… Pontiac, MI (Crofoot Ballroom)
May 15… Grand Rapids, MI (The Pyramid Scheme)
May 16… Chicago, IL (Lincoln Hall)
May 17… Cincinnati, OH (The Taft Ballroom)
May 18… Carrboro, NC (Cat’s Cradle)
July 4-6… George, WA (Sasquatch Festival)

https://player.soundcloud.com/player.swf?url=http%3A%2F%2Fapi.soundcloud.com%2Ftracks%2F137113723
of Montreal – Jigsaw Puzzle by Polyvinyl Records

RECORD CRACK: Thurston Moore & Loren Connors to offer album for Record Store Day

The Only Way To Go Is Straight Through (Northern Spy) is a collaborative album by Thurston Moore and Loren Connors that comes from live recordings they did together last year at two shows in New York City. The album consists of them just playing what comes to them, and there are no proper titles for each piece, both running over 20 minutes. In fact, here is the track listing:

Side A
Manhattan, NY – The Stone – July 14th, 2012 (21:15)

Side B
Brooklyn, NY – Public Assembly – October 17th, 2012 (22:59)

Fairly simple. Also simple is the fact that this record is being pressed up for Record Store Day and will be only available at select stores. What “select stores” means, I’m not sure. I don’t know if Moore, Connors and/or Northern Spy Records determine where the records go, but regardless of the answer, only 3000 copies are being pressed. Not only that, but the record will only be sold on Record Store Day (April 20, 2013) and that’s it. You’ll have to deal with high priced record collectors on eBay, and you know the deal about that. If you see the album at your neighborhood record store on Record Store Day, pick it up and if not for yourself, perhaps for a fan who might find it of use.

VIDEO/RECORD CRACK: Starred’s “Mayday”

“Found” footage music videos can be quite interesting, and then they can lead to some weirdness. The video for “Mayday” by Starred looks like some kind of weird documentary you may have seen on HBO in the late 80’s or early 90’s, and yet the song is so charming and pretty.

The song will be released by Pendu Sound as part of a double 7″ single to be released this year for Record Store Day.

RECORD CRACK: Neon Indian has Twin Shadow remix him for forthcoming Record Store Day 10 inch

Record Store Day is on its way, and Neon Indian will be releasing a 45 of a Twin Shadow remix of “Hex Girlfriend”. The photo above will be the front picture sleeve. Imagine your mom coming over to visit, and she says “hi honey, wanted to see if you needed any money to make ends meet this month and… oh my gosh dern, oh my gosh dern, what is this?” You say “oh, it’s Neon Indian.” Then your mom says “well, this reminds me of some photos your father did of me, but anyway…” and meanwhile, your friends in your dorm have wide eyes. All you want to do is get everyone out and listen to the record again, while your face turns beet red. Sick, isn’t it?

The record will be in the form of a 10″, with the album version on one side, the remix on the other. Only 500 copies will be pressed so if you’re a fan, snag it before you have to pay messed up prizes on eBay.

Also, I’d like to be able to travel as much as Neon Indian. It seems every time I get a new press releases, it’s for another tour, and in this case he’s going out this week. How do you do it? SXSW, Coachella, there’s no stopping this:

March 7 New York, NY MOMA
March 8 Richmond, VA The National *
March 9 Knoxville, TN The Square Room *
March 10 Nashville, TN Mercy Lounge *
March 11 ittle Rock, AR Revolution Music Room *
March 13 Dallas, TX Granada Theater *
March 14 Austin, TX Red Eyed Fly (DJ Set)
March 15 Austin, TX Barbarella / SXSW – Static Tongues Showcase
March 16 Austin, TX Texas Hype Hotel
March 17 Houston, TX House of Blues Houston *
March 19 Atlanta, GA Masquerade *
March 20 Athens, GA 40 Watt Club *
March 21 Carrboro, NC Cat’s Cradle *
March 23 Miami, FL Ultra Music Festival
April 3 Philadelphia, PA Union Transfer ^
April 4 Cleveland, OH Grog Shop ^
April 5 Bloomington, IN Rhinos ^
April 6 Chicago, IL The Metro ^
April 7 Kansas City, MO Beaumont Club ^
April 9 Denver, CO Bluebird Theater ^
April 10 Salt Lake City, UT Urban Lounge ^
April 12 Phoenix, AZ Crescent Ballroom ^
April 13 Indio, CA Coachella
April 16 Santa Ana, CA Constellation Room
April 17 Los Angeles, CA The Echo
April 18 Santa Barbara, CA SOHO
April 20 Indio, CA Coachella
April 22 Mammoth Lakes, CA Mammoth Mountain – Hyde Lounge
April 24 San Francisco, CA Fillmore %
April 26 Portland, OR Doug Fir %
April 27 Seattle, WA Neumos %
April 28 Vancouver, BC Venue %
April 30 Edmonton, AB Starlite Room %
May 1 Calgary, AB Republik %
May 3 Winnipeg, MB Pyramid Cabaret %
May 4 Minneapolis, MN First Avenue %
May 5 Madison, WI Majestic Theatre %
May 6 Detroit, MI Magic Stick %
May 8 Toronto, ON Phoenix Concert Theatre %
May 10 Montreal, QC Cabaret Mile End %
May 11 Boston, MA Paradise %
May 12 New York, NY Terminal 5
June 2 Barcelona, Spain Primavera
June 8 Porto, Portugal Primavera

* = w/ Purity Ring
^ = w/ Friends
% = w/ Lemonade

http://rcm.amazon.com/e/cm?lt1=_blank&bc1=000000&IS2=1&bg1=FFFFFF&fc1=000000&lc1=0000FF&t=thisbosmu-20&o=1&p=8&l=as4&m=amazon&f=ifr&ref=ss_til&asins=B005MH27FMhttp://rcm.amazon.com/e/cm?lt1=_blank&bc1=000000&IS2=1&bg1=FFFFFF&fc1=000000&lc1=0000FF&t=thisbosmu-20&o=1&p=8&l=as4&m=amazon&f=ifr&ref=ss_til&asins=B003R4KFHYhttp://rcm.amazon.com/e/cm?lt1=_blank&bc1=000000&IS2=1&bg1=FFFFFF&fc1=000000&lc1=0000FF&t=thisbosmu-20&o=1&p=8&l=as4&m=amazon&f=ifr&ref=ss_til&asins=B0040JALKQ

RECORD CRACK: New titles from Warner being prepared for Record Store Day

Warner Bros. Records is very active in making sure each Record Store Day is as festive as previous years, not only in attendance but in getting new items out in stores. As always, many of these items are made exclusively for and meant to be sold on that day only. Here are some the titles the Warner family have ready to go:

Bad Brains-God Of Love + bonus 7” (vinyl LP + two song 7” single)

The Belle Brigade-The Belle Brigade (vinyl LP)

Built To Spill-Ripple (7” picture disc) (this one is a 1-sided picture disc and will feature a previously unreleased live cover of the Grateful Dead song, which BTS recorded in Charlotte, North Carolina on October 11, 2010.)

Eric Clapton-Unplugged (Two-disc set on 180-gram vinyl; mastered by Bernie Grundman)

Deftones-Covers (vinyl LP)

The Flaming Lips-Heady Nuggs: The First 5 Warner Bros. Records 1992-2002 (this one is a 5 LP box set, indivudually numbered, of the first five albums the band did for Warner Bros. each of which has been remastered by Bernie Grundman. They include:
Hit To Death In The Future Head (Single Disc)
Transmissions From The Satellite Heart (Single Disc)
Clouds Taste Metallic (Single Disc)
The Soft Bulletin (Two Disc)
Yoshimi Battles The Pink Robots (Single Disc)

Fleetwood Mac-Rumours (Standard and Deluxe Editions, both mastered by Bernie Grundman)
Even if you have this album (and really, with sales of over 10,000,000, you know someone who does), you may want to pick up these editions. One will be a standard pressing at 33 1/3 rpm, while the other is for the audiophiles: a 2 LP 45rpm edition pressed at Pallas in Germany. Yes, the thick stuff.

Mastodon-Live At The Aragon (Deluxe 2-disc set on 180-gram vinyl + DVD; Bernie Grundman Mastering)

My Chemical Romance-Na Na Na (Na Na Na Na Na Na Na Na) (7” picture disc)

Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers-self-titled debut (two limited edition pressings, one on white vinyl, one on blue, both mastered by Bernie Grundman)

R.E.M.-Three (3 – 7” single 45 RPM discs, first three singles from their new album, Collapse Into Now, each with non-LP B-sides, each record in individual art gatefold sleeves. Bernie Grundman on this one as well.:
Disc 1. Mine Smell Like Honey/ Supernatural Superserious (live in Raleigh , NC )
Disc 2. Oh My Heart/ Harborcoat (live in Riga , Latvia )
Disc 3. ÜBerlin/ What’s the Frequency, Kenneth? (live in Oslo , Norway) )

Regina Spektor-Four From Far (Limited Edition 7” 33 1/3 RPM EP on powder-blue vinyl)

Want even more limited edition craziness that will no doubt bring up the old Poison Idea title Record Collectors Are Pretentious Assholes? Warner Bros. are also introducing a series of records called Side By Side, limited edition 45’s where a Warner-related artist of today covers a classic Warner-related song of the past. In the works:

Red Hot Chili Peppers covering The Ramones‘ “Havana Affair”

Green Day covering Hüsker Dü‘s incredible “Don’t Want To Know If You Are Lonely”

Mastodon covering ZZ Top‘s “Just Got Paid” (probably no chance of Mastodon including a brief passage of Johnny Kemp‘s “Just Got Paid”, but you never know)

Jenny & Johnny getting Americana on us with their cover of Gram Parsons‘ “Love Hurts”

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Obviously, many of these releases are in-house, if not down right incestuous, but with luck this will spark the noggins in other artists and labels to do the same not only for this Record Store Day, but for releases throughout the year, across the board.

If you have any soda or wine bottles lying around, or know of parks with many empties, I suggest geting some bags and making the rounds, as this will definitely cause a dent in your pocket.

RECORD CRACK: “I Need That Record” documentary now out on DVD

A vinyl documentary discussed on the world wide internets has finally been widely released on DVD. I Need That Record: The Death (or Possible Survival) of The Independent Record Store is the Brendan Toller film about the vast world of us vinyl junkies, and what all of us do in order to get that sonic itch.

The only way you could obtain this was if you purchased this on Record Store Day this past April, but now everyone can buy and watch it over and over again.

http://rcm.amazon.com/e/cm?lt1=_blank&bc1=000000&IS2=1&bg1=FFFFFF&fc1=000000&lc1=0000FF&t=thisbosmu-20&o=1&p=8&l=as1&m=amazon&f=ifr&md=10FE9736YVPPT7A0FBG2&asins=B003ENHBOS

RECORD CRACK: Sargent House ready to deliver two records for Record Store Day

Sargent House Records have catered to the vinyl junkie from the beginning. With Record Store Day just 9 days away, the label have prepared two new records in time for the occasion.

Omar Rodriguez-Lopez has put together Solar Gambling is not a new “proper” album, but rather a compilation of various tracks and one can call it “a companion album” to his Xenophanes album. The songs were recorded in Zapopan, Mexico. (Digital fiends can also sample and purchase the album as MP3’s and lossless files by clicking here.)

RX Bandits went into a record store for a live performance, which was recorded for possible future use. It’s now the future, so you’ll get to hear the band live on Live At Park Ave. CD’s.

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Again, these two records will be sold at participating stores for Record Store Day, check your local shindig for details.

RECORD CRACK: Pantera’s three most popular albums to be reissued on vinyl in time for Record Store Day

http://video.google.com/googleplayer.swf?docid=-5288359618959261751&hl=en&fs=true

Alliance Entertainment will be reissuing three of Pantera‘s most popular albums on double vinyl, including Cowboys From Hell, Vulgar Display Of Power, and Far Beyond Driven. To make things interesting, the reissue of Far Beyond Driven will be released with the original cover that was rejected by Atlantic Records because of its sexy imagery.

The vinyl reissues will be released on April 17th, in time for Record Store Day.

On March 30th, there will be a Pantera “greatest hits” compilation from Rhino Records called 1990-2000: A Decade of Domination, and this one will be sold exclusively at Wal-Mart. Meanwhile, vinyl reissues of Official Live, The Great Southern Trendkill, and Reinventing The Steel will surface later in the year.

http://rcm.amazon.com/e/cm?lt1=_blank&bc1=000000&IS2=1&bg1=FFFFFF&fc1=000000&lc1=0000FF&t=thisbosmu-20&o=1&p=8&l=as1&m=amazon&f=ifr&md=10FE9736YVPPT7A0FBG2&asins=B0036BDQFQhttp://rcm.amazon.com/e/cm?lt1=_blank&bc1=000000&IS2=1&bg1=FFFFFF&fc1=000000&lc1=0000FF&t=thisbosmu-20&o=1&p=8&l=as1&m=amazon&f=ifr&md=10FE9736YVPPT7A0FBG2&asins=B0036BDPOIhttp://rcm.amazon.com/e/cm?lt1=_blank&bc1=000000&IS2=1&bg1=FFFFFF&fc1=000000&lc1=0000FF&t=thisbosmu-20&o=1&p=8&l=as1&m=amazon&f=ifr&md=10FE9736YVPPT7A0FBG2&asins=B0036BDQ6U