Hi Everyone,

Well the record shop day orders are in….what’s done is done, what’s won is won and what’s lost is lost forever.

Warner mentioned today that orders are going to be cut back….so they have sold everything if they cant fulfill the orders, gee, lucky them.

Excitement has being building for RSD to be honest so I shall stop wining.

Biggest release in this week’s newsletter in my opinion is the third VILLAGERS record on Domino called “darling arithmetic”.

Conor O Brien once again wrote, produced, mixed and played every instrument on this new record….talented cookie…..i must admit I am a bit of a fan….i like the sparse minimalist type of music he makes….the first album you may argue is better but with every listen the second album improves and should have won the mercury in 2013….anyway it’s a game of opinions…. da Opera house boy in May….stay quiet though, Mr. O Brien don’t like the talking during the gigs!

Also out through Pias on the 10th of April is the Vinyl release of THE GLOAMING…just 15 months or so after the CD….better late than never as my mam would say….well worth a listen.

There are some more Motorhead Vinyl reissues as well as three LP reissues from THE DAMNED out through PIAS as well on the 10th.

Btw listening to the new SUFJAN STEVENS album….one word…bliss….well two words may describe it better….quiet bliss.

UNIVERSAL for the 3rd of April have the new album byBRIAN WILSON…..the genius that was or still is??

There seems a very vacant look in Brian’s eyes for a while now and one would wonder is he just a face of a business model……although a few catchy tunes on this one from first listen.

What a life the man has had though….

He readily admits that his mental health problems are most likely caused by his fondness for “Lucy in the sky with diamonds” but he also believes that LSD brought his creative juices to a level that he couldn’t believe existed……

Reading Steve Jobs book at the moment…interesting book…he was a strange but seriously gifted and driven cookie…..he also alluded to taking LSD, and claimed it was one of the three most important things he done in his life.

Both men geniuses anyway or were they drug induced geniuses whose minds reacted off the radar with certain substances??

Not condoning drug use/ abuse here by any means just trying to make a point.

In the music entertainment industry now, everything is so immediate, cameras everywhere, impossible to break free from it…..it seems more a game, who can play it best….get themselves out there…. than it is about the music.

Can you imagine the scandal tomorrow if HOZIER or Ed SHEERAN were known to be taking performance enhancing substances….

I am beating around the bush…..my two tiered point is….were/are musicians more creative when they are high and is it allowed/ condoned in today’s society?

Some kid left some boy band this week, where he had being plucked from complete obscurity and thrown together with 4 complete strangers to be packaged up as the fab five….go home youngfella, keep your head down for a year and you have plenty time to enjoy your Johnny Cash.

Getting video text for Ballincollig where an organic home grown band of kids from Cavan just rocked the place by all accounts……ROCKSTARS ONE AND ALL!!

Anyway, just ever so quickly going back to Jobs….i never really knew the ins and outs of the whole IPOD/ITUNES thing but….he had a meeting with the head of Warner music at the time when they had the iPod but Jobs obviously did not own the rights for the songs and suitable sold yer man the fledling ITUNES, so much so that the top man of Warner said “we don’t know where the whole thing is going, will you help us so” and then Warner boy agreed to get the other majors involved.( this was early 2001 when the Music Zone Corporation was born and Napster was at its most prominent and shops in Ireland were duel pricing CDs at 16.99 punt/21.57 euro in advance of the currency change….. that was never going to push people to pirate island)

Sony were the only ones to put up a fight saying basically all this guy has is a device, we own the content….but in the end the major record companies all dived in…70 cent for us 29 cent a song for Mr. Jobs for having the device and the platform to allow it to happen….

In complete fairness to him though….it probably stopped the rot with Pirate Island and allowed people to access music via MP3 whilst paying for it.

There was some stat in the book; they excepted to sell 1 million songs in the first 6 months….they sold a million songs in 6 days….( 2014 first year since ITUNES began that sales were down …9% I think)….obviously a huge competitor for the likes of me….physical via digital….have ye any iTunes vouchers??…..but you have to tip your hat to him, savage product for its time…..savage man in more ways than one was Steve Jobs.

Ok I shall drive on quickly,

UNIVERSAL also has some nice LP re issues by THE BEASTIE BOYS and the massive selling debut by NORAH JONES as well as the BOB MARLEY “easy shanking in Boston” release.

REPUBLIC OF MUSIC has the new CALEXICO album for the 10th .

This week singles come from Cheena a 3 trk 7″ “Cheena” on Sacred Bones, Fossa’s “Sea Of Skies” CD/EP on Fantastic Plastic & Part 1 the 6 trk “Funeral Parade EP” on Sacred Bones.

2 albums for 13th the wonderful Calexico release their 9th studio album “Edge Of The Sun” on CD/LP & limited CD/LP on City Slang & from Numero Scharpling & Wurster “The Best Of The Best Show” a 16 x CD & a 108-page hardcover book with cover art by Joe Matt.

SONY has the FOO FIGHTERS “sonic highways” DVD and BLURAY for the 3rd April as well as VAN MORRISON’S latest release “ duets” on Vinyl, KINGS OF LEON on Vinyl and a new STEVE VAI live album on CD and DVD.

MUSIC ON VINYL have NINA SIMONE – NUFF SAID LP for the13th April.

ESSENTIAL has a TIESTO album.

WARNER have a new GOV’T MULE and DENAI MOORE as well as some NILE reissues ( death metal)

A good friend of the shop John sent a nice picture during the week……..the rock star is on the left…..taken last Saturday

I am still on a high ………………..!

I knew his wife was attending The Mountains to Sea Writer’s Festival. She wrote lyrics for The Division Bell and The Endless River. Her name is Polly Samson.

I was happy enough to drop in to The Civic Theatre in Dun Laoghaire on Saturday and queue up to have her sign my CD sleeve, as she was doing a book signing.

Lo and behold I spotted David standing in the Foyer and went straight over to him. Went back and got Polly’s autograph too though …………….

My daughter took the picture.

Class is right ……………………..

God loves a tryer ……………..

I was shaking like a leaf ……………….

I met Nick Mason 20 years ago in Silverstone at a motor racing event. So that’s 2 down, one to go!

DG is coming back to the Writer’s Festival in Borris Co.Offaly in June ………………………..

Sin e folks….

Join the forum….please…. and if anyone can tell me how to get rid of that spam shite as well…

https://musiczone.ie/mzforum/

Thanks for listening,

Ray.