Hi Everyone,

Hope ye are all keeping well.

Quite a bit to plough through tonight so let’s rock on….

Warner could nearly have a newsletter to themselves for all the interesting releases they have for the 20th of February.

ZEPPELIN ZEPPELIN ZEPPELIN “physical graffiti” gets the remaster treatment on Atlantic/Swansong for the 20th, again on 5 formats.

The first 5 Zep reissues last year won the award (awards for crossing the road these days) for best reissues of 2014, Optimal being the pressing plant and the sound quality being exceptional by all accounts.

So “PHYSICAL GRAFFITI” is to be released nearly 40 years exactly to the day it was originally released and too many is Led Zeppelin’s best work.

It will be on a double CD, triple CD, double LP, triple LP and a super duper deluxey boxy thingy for good measure.

The Music Zone Corporation is one euro cheaper on the CDs, four and seven euro cheaper on the LPs and seventeen euro cheaper on the super duper boxy thingy than our/ my big faceless, friendless foe in the sky, who wants to gobble up all retail, from nappies to nail varnish…am I showing them to much love….anyway, anyone who wants to throw a nod my way for the Zep….that pass will be very gratefully excepted by the local lads!!…we will stick your name on one, no nail varnish though unless one of the Bowie lads are in the shop at the same time!

Parlophone through Warner have the next in the DAVID BOWIE 40TH anniversary 7” picture disc with the release of “young Americans” on the 20th also.

Warner doing a blast of Vinyl reissues that day also including FLEETWOOD MAC’S “ then play on”, “ klin house” , “ future games” and “ bare trees”, DR John’s “ in the right place” and the fantastically sounding RAY CHARLES duets album “ genius loves company” 10th anniversary ….his last recording before his death I think…a true legend….sample below if its new to you.

Warner have a nice priced SHADOWS 5 CD set and a best of BILLY TALENT, a DUSTY SPRINGFIELD DVD as well as new records from KID ROCK and hardcore punk band FALLING IN REVERSE.

The last one I want to mention from Warner is MAHALIA BARNES (JIMMY BARNES daughter) doing a covers album of BETTY DAVIS songs (MILES DAVIS’S WIFE….bitches brew album title attributed to her??….as she was by accounts one sassy funky lady) with the help of guitar virtuoso JOE BONNAMASSA…..( if all that makes sense!!)

Universal has an album by acclaimed producer EMILIE HAYNIE getting very well received ….

They also have a blast of RAINBOW LP reissues including “rising”, a deluxe CD version of JOHN MARTYNS brilliant “grace and danger”, and ALI FARKA TOURE with RY COODER “TALKING TIMBUKTU” on a limited gatefold Vinyl….if you forgot how good it sounds or have never heard it hears a sample below..

Universal also have some nice Jazz LP reissues on the Bluenote label including THELONIUS MONK, SONNY ROLLINS and DON CHERRY.

DAVE GROHL was announced as RECORD STORE DAY ( RSD) ambassador during the week, a great choice, a guy who really believes in the cause and is passionate about it…..is it just me or does he get a tad emotional here in the clip below when he talks about his kids and their records…

http://t.co/sbJ1s0TuuH

I have been meaning to speak about RSD for a few weeks and just never got to it.

So here goes….

This is the fourth year that the Music Zone Corporation will partake in RSD….first year that there was a threat of a fee….soon to be more than a threat I would imagine.

It has grown massively since 2012 when I first got involved.

And do not get me wrong here; I think it was an absolutely fabulous idea, and still do by the way once it doesn’t shoot itself in the foot or even worse in the head, which it has the potential to do.

It was the busiest day in the shop in 2014 outside of Christmas week by quite a bit.

But dealing with the record companies for RSD is like dealing with a bank….someone never loses, (and if they do we all chip in so they wont lose again….i wont get sidetracked on banks for to long but got a letter this week from my friendly partly owned by me bank to say they were increasing the charges they apply….12 months ago it cost 32 cent to lodge 100 euro cash in the business account, now its 60 cent….say a big business ( a big business) was lodging 10 k in cash a week, that’s 60 euro to the bank for the 10 second pleasure of putting the money through a counting machine and attributing it to an account…ah Christ don’t get me started on them…lets move back)

I have a very good relationship with most of the record companies and if I have an overstock problem we generally work something out between us, but for RSD all bets are off, what you buy stays with you forever….tough shite if it don’t sell…some retailers posted pictures of their record store day graveyards after last years event.

That’s all fine with me IF it was a level playing field we were playing on, but it aint I am afraid.

You see, this is the scenario for a retailer…….

If you want 5 copies of a limited RSD product, to achieve your 5 copies for your loyal and valued customers ( whom record shop owners like me hate to disappoint) you must show your keenness to get those 5 copies by ordering 15/20 copies…..the more you order the better chance you have of making the qty you desire….but because there is no transparency with it, ultimately you can end up with 15 copies of HENRY MANCINIS PINK PANTHER SOUNDTRACK on yes, you guessed it, pink vinyl ( If you know anyone who is looking for it…..) because sometimes you get what you ordered but not what you really wanted if that makes sense, so you are left with a lot or all of the profit for the day sitting on your shelves for months and months, whilst the record company execs go to lunch with the bankers.

Basically, your orders get cut, so if you want to get the amount you really want, you have to gamble on what % of the order you think they will cut you by…..not a level playing field I think you would agree.

Then from a consumer’s point of view…..

There are a few issues…..a grave one unfortunately is when your favorite bands limited 12 “ record falls into the wrong hands , those hands are only interested in making a quick buck, so you are forced to pay over the odds prices online for it….not good on loads of levels.

The other major issue I would think is the pricing on the product for the day…..retailers I would imagine take the same mark up as usual (well I do anyway) but customers are looking at 15 euro for Nirvana’s “pennyroyal tea “on 7 inch or a Roger Taylor COLOURED NUMBERED record for 50 bucks…..Crazy…..and its not a little thing called love.

There can be some remedies for this issues I believe (I have a few ideas myself which I will share some day soon) but RSD should act soon or what is a brilliant idea and a brilliant day could easily end up shooting itself somewhere it hurts.

Having said all that, I am starting to get excited about RSD, asides from looking at Peter Sellers face everyday, there was a great buzz in the shop last year….kids of all ages going through the racks….it is fantastic for the shop, people in all day long buying long playing vinyl records….as Prince said on presenting the Grammy to BECK for best record “records matter, they do tonight, and they will forever”.

Bit carried away as usual, so I am going to skip through the rest quickly please…

Sony has the new KODALINE LP for the 20th…a step forward sonically I feel with this record and Sony also has a new SCORPIONS album.

Pias has Nick Caves “abbatoir blues/ lyre” 2 CD/DVD reissue as well as two new records from BRANDI CARLILE and PURITY RING which Raymond here gives a thumps up to…quick sample of each below

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zr5mtKSbd7M

Proper Music has a new album by Irish trad band ALTAN.

I don’t know if many of you read BOB DYLAN’S acceptance speech for the MUSICARES award he received, but it is well worth a read…..

Id say he was saving his breath down da marquee in the summer for this acceptance speech (those of you who were there should find that bit amusing, those who weren’t….well….ye weren’t down there I suppose)

http://www.rollingstone.com/music/news/read-bob-dylans-complete-riveting-musicares-speech-20150209

On the local scène, the really talented ANNA MITCHELL was in the shop Friday the13th at 4pm signing copies of her new album and playing some tunes from her new album, which is available in the shop.

Also, we should have some copies of THE HEDGE SCHOOLS “at the end of a winding day” CD in stock towards the end of next week.

Sin e for this week,

Thanks for listening,

Ray.