December 17th: Christmas Wishes and Thanks, new LUCINDA WILLIAMS, VAN MORRISON, JOHN BLEK, and reissues from CHESS RECORDS, PRINCE and GEORGE MICHAEL

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Hi folks

Hope all is well….happy Christmas!
So a quick enough one this week i think

Before though, i just want to thank each and everyone of you for the support all year, we all really really appreciate it….important 7 days trade left, the most nb block of the year…keeping the doors open is success for us, we like to treat folks like we would like to be treated ourselves and we like to do it in a fun way where possible, occasionally there are balls dropped but its a dynamic game….keeping the doors open is always the goal….i heard very sad news of an absolutely super independent record shop closing its doors soon…it really saddened me cos they are like us, very like us, very community based shop and good people…terrible to hear they couldn’t keep making it work…it aint  all wine and roses folks, this rock n roll game…i was talking to another lad over the weekend who had a super shop in Tralee and the downturn in 2010 and 2011 caught him and he had to close….we are fine but hugely conscious how important each and everyone of ye are to keeping our doors open…i know folks sometimes go the extra mile to support us, when it could be easier to go elsewhere or be lured by the record companies half naked coloured exclusives …anyway crux of this is THANK YE for the support x

 

Below here are bits we mentioned already for the 2nd and 9th of Jan mostly…

Here is the link again to vote for the best albums of the year

https://shorturl.at/4J0WN

 

Just a bit on our opening hours over the Christmas…here they are…im going to be late in the shop a few nights so if someone is caught out im happy to do a brief exchange…of dollars for records…did i mention brief….here are the opening hours

Thurs 18th 10 to 6

Friday 19th 10 to 6

Saturday 20th 10 to 6

Sunday 21st 11 to 6

Monday 22nd 10 to 6 

Tuesday 23rd 10 to 6

Wednesday 24th 10 to 3….NB note till 3 sharp sharp

Closed Christmas and Stephens

Saturday 27th 11 to 6

Sunday 28th closed 

Monday 29th 10 to 6

Tuesday 30th 10 to 6

Weds 31st 10 to 6

New years day closed

Back to normal then Friday 2nd on….

And then we have more….some more for the 9th, but mostly for the 16th Jan and some for the 23rd also….tonight will be the last half normal newsletter of the year….so if interested in anything below shout please

Right going to hand ye over to Shane now as normal for our last handover of the year!!

Sound, Ray! Hello everyone! Yeah, the years do fly. I’m with Music Zone 12 years next May.
Working here with Ray, Bobby, Cormac, Adam, Mia and the work experience crowd over the years has been great.
And to reiterate, thanks to ye guys for the support and soundness over the years. The work can be intense at times, more going on than it might look. Even when the shop floor is empty there’s lots of admin/online stuff these days. But being able to chat to sound people every day and listen to a variety of music makes it worth it. So, thanks again, and I hope ye have a lovely christmas and good new year. See ye on the other side.

Mine and Ray’s stuff is kind of overlapping a bit today.

First mention (again) is JOHN BLEK’s new album ‘The Midnight Ache’, out January 16th. John is a good friend of the siopa for years. And he’s doing an in-store for this one. He’s always great live and a talented and prolific songwriter as ye know. He took a gap year this year for their new baby.
Here’s a bit more about the making-of the album:
“In April 2024 Blek finished building his new creative home, Bigger River Recording Co., and set about working on what would become The Midnight Ache. Echos of Sea Change era Beck and Sparklehorse give this record a lo-fi intimacy while the string arrangements balance the sound with an element of grandeur and sophistication. Home is very much at the heart of this new album, it features vocal performances by John’s wife and even the cover is adorned with pressed flowers from their garden. Additional production and mixing was done by regular collaborator Brian Casey at Wavefield Recordings.

“This album took me by surprise. I was slowly writing and using the songs to try to get to know the new studio space. Sonically feeling my way around and seeing what I could achieve when all of a sudden I realised I was looking at a new record.””

Here’s the track 747 from it, which Ray linked a couple week’s back. Love the strings:
https://youtu.be/ZWxsZhhpQ3c?si=QTwoc41-dj3WjX7I
CD and Vinyl available of the album.

On January 30th, there’s going to be the 10th Anniversary reissues of PRINCE – HitnRun, Phase One and Two. CD and Vinyl versions. I remember when this came out. Some great stuff on them. Two albums by him in the one year, which he often did. And he passed away not long after they came out. Sad.

Another nice reissue is GEORGE MICHAEL – Faith which is coming out on February 20th. It’s going to be on CD, standard Vinyl, Deluxe 2 LP, or Limited Deluxe red and black marbled 2 LP.

And there’s another brand new album coming out on January 23rd from VAN MORRISON, ‘Somebody Tried to Sell Me a Bridge’. A quick follow up to his last one ‘Remebering Now’, but it’s only on CD for now which is a bit disappointing, but maybe there will be a vinyl to follow.

There’s also going to be three TONI BRAXTON reissues out that week, self-titled, ‘Secrets’ and ‘The Heat’. All on 2 LP black vinyl.

And lastly from me, heavy Sub Pop band, CHAT PILE have a new coloured 7 inch out on February 6th called ‘Masks’. Two tracks on it, including a cover of Nirvana’s ‘Sifting’. It will be on ‘Sea Glass’ and Black Swirl coloured vinyl.

That’s my lot so for the year. Slán agus tabhair aire.

Thanks Shane

Sin e for this week/year really

Thanks for listening and the support….keep it coming btw…7 days to go!

Happy christmas

Ray, Shane, Adam & Mia