VIDEO: Sound City (trailer)

If you read your liner notes, you’ll know about some of the recording studios that are considered “the best”, or at least those that offer a certain feel that welcomes artists from around the world. Sound City is one of those studios that was a mandatory visit for all, and perhaps some of your favorite records in your collection may have been recorded, mix, or mastered there. Sound City is a new documentary film which focuses on the magic and chemistry created in that room, and it stars everyone from Dave Grohl (who is presenting the film) and Josh Homme to Lindsey Buckingham and Barry Manilow, all celebrating the wonder of the room and some of the analog equipment that made it what it is and has become. I love the quote in the trailer which says “how do we keep music sounding like people?” The film will be released on February 1st, while the soundtrack album is scheduled for a March 12th release.

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=B00APKIN1I

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”

---

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.