The Musiczone.ie Corporations Top 20 Album List,  The Voucher Winner, and the Passing Of Another (Legend)

Hi Everyone,
Hope ye’r all doing ok..
Dolores buried this past week… Ah very sad for her.In fairness to the family… Allowing people i.e. joe public to show their respects… I’d say the mother is quality.. Terrible unimaginable thing to have to bury a child (at any age)..
Mark E Smith then this week… Maybe i’ll start looking for work as an obituary writer.. It seems like it’s going that way…
What would you say about Mark E…!
One of many many stories i’m sure, but one I read was via a record company when he was asked could they use a bit from an interview of him as an intro for a song for a new band… Mark E didn’t do email so the girl looking for the clip wrote to him and asked him… “Can’t use it”  was the reply..  “Use anything else but not that”… Included in Mark E’s reply was a cassette tape… The girl, hoping for some incredible moment on the tape dashed to get a player somewhere…. C90 tape was blank, empty, zilch…. Nothing on it…. Brilliant brilliant brilliant Markie boy!
I must admit THE FALL stuff kind of passed me by to be honest… Must dig into a bit of it…I know there are 5 or 6 of ye who kind of swear by Mark E and I would trust ye’r judgements so will go digging… Interesting dude by all accounts!!

Right so I suppose.. Releases in the musiczone.ie plaza today include new (and old.. What’s The Story back in on vinyl after a long absence..) albums by CALEXICO (sounds bloody great by the way… Very impressed), NILS FRAHMS, MACHINE HEAD, BETH HART & JOE BONAMASSA, DJANGO DJANGO and NIGHTMARE ON WAX, as well as reissues by THE KILLERS, ASLAN, FUTURE SOUND OF LONDON, BEAUTIFUL SOUTH, THE HOUSEMARTINS (maybe put back a week), JEFF WAYNE’S WAR OF THE WORLDS, SINCERELY L COHEN and SANTANA.

So a nice little roster of releases for today to be fair. All can be viewed in this week’s video here :

Before we move on to releases for the 2nd Feb (spring is in the air) there is something a need to address… We have received numerous emails in December from various organisations… Pitchfork, Rolling Stone, NME to name a few… All asking the same question.. When is the Musiczone.ie Top 20 albums of 2017, decided upon by the Musiczone.ie corporations shareholders and customers, going to be released into the public domain?
When, when, when…?
Not saying outright that these organisations were trying to get a feel from the corporations customers about what was good or not… But we were hounded..
Is that smoke ye feel blowing up towards ye’r bellies by now… Oh yes it is…
Anyway without further ado…

Here ‘tis like :

20. MAGNETIC FIELDS
19. LIAM GALLAGHER
18. RANDY NEWMAN
17. MOUNT EERIE
16. ARCADE FIRE
15. PARAMORE
14. ROGER WATERS
13. SLOWDIVE
12. ROBERT PLANT
11. BONOBO
10. TALOS
9. JOHN BLEK
8. PROTOMARTYR
7. SUSANN SUNDFOR
6. RYAN ADAMS
5. PHOEBE BRIDGES
4. LAURA MARLING
3. FLEET FOXES
2. WAR ON DRUGS
1. THE NATIONAL

The National won handy enough to be honest in the polls… The top 3 appeared quite a bit… More spread out after that…. And the winner of the 50 Euro voucher is… Drum roll please…
Dave From Cork!! (How many Dave’s are there in Cork? We’ve got great nick names for all our customers don’t we?)

Right so on to the 2nd of FEB Warner have new studio albums by SIMPLE MINDS (indes only coloured vinyl with an etching on side 4… The 20th album by the lads).. SAXON “Thunderbolt” on MC, CD, RED INDIES LP and a Box containing the lot, the RAE MORRIS new album and lastly the new CORROSION OF CONFORMITY on LP.

PIAS have the new FIELD MUSIC album for the 2nd of Feb again as an indies only coloured vinyl on pre-orders only, as well as some old rock n’ roll LP reissues from the likes of CHUCK BERRY, EDDIE COCHRAN, ELVIS and also JACQUES BREL and JOHN COLTRANE.

THE ORCHARD for the 2nd have  new albums by AWOLNATION and JOHN OATES (HALL & OATES)

ROM have the repress of THE LEVELLERS 3 LP greatest hits.

SONY have new album by JUSTIN TIMBERLAKE called “Man Of The Woods”… The title does not instill confidence in me… Book by cover Raymond please.. Now now.

Uni have a couple of MAGAZINE LP reissues, MUDDY WATERS – Best Of LP in mono, METALLICA “And Justice For All” LP reissues, as well as new albums by POPPY ACKROYD CD and LP, IAMX “Alive In New Light” and JOHANN JOHANNSSON “The Mercy” OST on CD only. Lastly from Universal we have a super douper deluxe boxset thingy of the first ROXY MUSIC album as well as a BEE GEES live DVD and Bluray “One For All Tour In Australia”

Just on the whole albums of the year thingy… Game of opinions I think we said in the past once or twice.. Here’s my choices..

6. Happy Abandon – Facepaint : I  really liked it, still do… Great orchestral feel to a lot of it, played it a load all year… Really like it

5. Mount Eerie –  A Crow Looked At Me : A sparse album about death, pain and loss basically… No cheerios with warm milk in this one….. But if you can take it it’s really worth the listen if only for a reality check… Phil Elverum wrote this album about the cancer that came into his family’s life and ultimately took his wife… Maybe if you have suffered loss in recent times you may get something out of it… It’s a bloody harrowing listen… Opening line

“Death is real, someone is there and then their not”

I came very close to buying the records in for the shop direct from the record label in the states but I had to buy 20 to get them shipped and just was a bridge too far I thought…. Harrowing but recommended.

4. THE NATIONAL –  Sleep Well Beast : A fine album… Plenty and plenty of good songs… ‘Nuff said

3. TALOS – Wild Alee : A gorgeous listen in my opinion… Just gorgeous… Outside money for the Choice Award

2. JOHN BLEK –  Catharsis Vol. 1 : Seriously underated dude… Beautiful songs and guitar work… Excellent

1. LAURA MARLING – Semper Femina : Top class record start to finish, vocals melodies the whole shooting gallery spot on… Highly recommended.

Opinions opinions opinions….

Heres a few more from ye’rselves with some top 5s.. A nice few reviews left by ye so thank you.. Just to note from Bob-Man, this email may cut because of the reviews taking up a bit of space.. If it does, down the bottom of the page there should be a ‘view full email option’. Not sure if it will, but just in case!

1. The National: Sleep Well Beast
This one caught me by surprise. Was always aware of The National but I never really gave them a listen, always meant to but always forgot. Pure luck I was looking for something new to check out and put on the first track ‘Nobody Else Will Be There’ and it knocked me for six. Kept listening to it….definitely one of the tracks of the year for me. The album itself is a real slow burner….like all great albums, it’s a grower. Each listen keeps getting better. Songs like ‘Guilty Party’ and ‘I’ll Destroy You’ are incredible examples of this. Beautiful melodies that built and built. You hear something new every listen…when the drums kick in on the 1min 20s mark on ‘Guilty Party’….doesn’t get better than that. The only track I’m not fussed about really is ‘Day I Die’..1 out of 12 though, not bad. This album was a nice surprise for me and has been on steady rotation.

2. Feist: Pleasure
A close second. I’m a big fan of Feist. Her 2011 album ‘Metals’ was my album of the year back then so I was really looking forward to this and it didn’t disappoint. It’s essentially a Lo-fi break-up album. The sound she’s able to get out of an acoustic guitar is amazing…almost growls. Really beautiful songs. Again, takes a couple of listens but with songs like ‘Lost Dreams’ and ‘Century’ you can’t go wrong.

3. Bonobo: Migration
Another favorite artist of mine….if you’re into electronic music. Bonobo has released some amazing albums, 2013’s ‘North Borders’ is a highlight. Migration came out in January 2017 so really early on and initially I wasn’t that blown away…guess I wasn’t in the mood. But I rediscovered the album later on in the year and it just clicked. This album warrants headphones, beer/wine/coffee (whatever you tipple) and to be listened to in 1 sitting. Some lovely slow building songs here. Song’s like ‘Break Apart’,  ‘Outliers’ and ‘Kerala’ really set the scene….he’s a master at creating beats (yes I said beats) and melodies.

4. LCD Soundsystem: American Dream
Another group (man?) that I’ve always heard about but never checked out. Something in my brainbox told me this year to check out their new one and it was awesome. It starts off so well…’oh baby’ a slow building synth masterpiece. And when the bass comes in on the second number ‘other voices’..wow…seriously stick on this song and at the 0:15s mark hear that bass and try not to move….holy shit!!! Very clear Talking Heads and Bowie influences here..so much so that friends have gone ‘Is that David Byrne?’. But it’s a solid album…the drumming and bass playing is top notch.

5. Four Tet: New Energy
One for the electronic heads out there. Big fan of Four Tet…his album ‘Rounds’ should be mandatory listening for everyone thinking of getting into electronic music (or just everyone)! His last few albums/releases have been very ‘house/techno’ heavy which isn’t really my cup of tea..a bit too 90s for my blood. So I was very pleasantly surprised when he dropped the first track from this album ‘Two Thousand and Seventeen’. An ambient style slow drum beat with a beautiful melody. He’s gone for more of an ambient style on this album and I can’t recommend it enough. Songs like ‘LA Trance’ are amazing in the headphones..when the drums drop..holy shit!!
—-

1. Cigarettes After Sex – Cigarettes After Sex
A really strong debut from a band that have taken a while to release their first full length. Dreamy, sensual noir pop which couples sweet echoey guitar tones with soft, breathy vocals. One album in and they already have a perfectly defined sound. My favourite album of the year.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5-rbSNzU_b8

2.  Phoebe Bridgers – Stranger in the Alps
A sombre collection of songs from an LA singer-songwriter. Very direct and personal, but tender and ethereal without sounding self indulgent. ‘Ghostly’ is the word I think describes it best.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9sfYpolGCu8

3. James Vincent McMorrow – True Care
A surprise release that caught most people unaware’s, JVM’s fourth album has some of his best work on it. It’s raw and imperfect but somehow pushes his sound even further forward, sliding between balladry and electro-soul.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hXo8zIoTGIw

4. Slowdive – Slowdive
A fantastic comeback for the shoegaze maestros after 22 years without having recorded together. Ethereal, hazy and shimmering, it’s everything you’d want from a shoegaze record.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_kB2ot1PWy8

5. Lil Peep – Come Over When You’re Sober P1 
Pennsylvania artist Lil Peep’s genre-mashing of emo/alt rock and hip hop makes for a strikingly dark record, his vacant delivery echoing the depression and frustration in the lyrics, where he discusses drug use, the rock ‘n’ roll life and his mental health. A tragic listen given his death in August aged just 21, cutting short a career that no doubt had a lot more to give.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xAMgQQMZ9Lk

Honourable mentions go to albums by: St Vincent, Wolf Alice, Liam Gallagher, Fionn Regan, SZA, The War on Drugs, London Grammar, And So I Watch You From Afar, Harry Styles, Gorillaz and Marlene Enright.

Just before I go i’d like to thank ANNA MITCHELL AND BAND and THE ACADEMIC for two memorable in-stores last week

Sin é for this week folks
Thanks for listening,
Ray
musiczone.ie

 

A Sad Week For Irish Music, A Game of Opinions, and Anna Mitchell + Full Band Live In-Store Tomorrow at 1PM

Hey everyone,
Hope ye’r all well…
After quite a bit of tumbleweed chasing the last two weeks we finally have a fine new bits to sell for today.

New albums in the musiczone.ie corporation today by ANNA MITCHELL, FALL OUT BOY, GLEN HANSARD, FIRST AID KIT, WHITESNAKE, STRANGER THINGS OST, GHOST, and BLACK LABEL SOCIETY as well as EPs by BELLE & SEBASTIAN, THE XX and GAVIN JAMES and some reissues by THE SULTANS OF PING, THE PHARCYDE, FLEETWOOD MAC and THE SPECIALS.

Video is back up and running this week.. Bob-Man is on duty today. Check it out here!

https://musiczone.ie/videos/

 

Sad sad week for the music world again… Another unexpected death of a 40-something Rock Star…. And this time one of our own.
Man, I was fond of Dolores and played those first two Cranberries CDs to death… She was a couple of years older than me and maybe I had a thing for her… Couple of years older, couple of miles up the road.. A rock star at what 21… “Leave me alone ‘cos Ii found it all, 21, 21, 21 today”.
She then soon goes on to sing about being “Empty”…
I remember playing those albums in my bedroom the day of my own 21st… Trying to get a power nap before the night ahead… Excitement beat the sleep.. But I can remember as if it was yesterday listening to those two albums on my discman in the bedroom… That’s what music can do for you… It’s like a time capsule tablet in lots of ways… I remember what I was thinking that afternoon listening to those songs… That voice was just spectacular… The songs were well crafted and well wrote… Haven’t played them in a good few years but dusted them off this week and still sound great… Ah sure it’s terrible.
There’s a customer who comes into me who has met Dolores 4 or 5 times, as one of his best mates has done a lot of work with her down through the years… He spoke so highly of her…a A complete lady he said, gentle, kind, caring, quiet and unassuming, the papers may down through the years have painted a rougher edge on her and granted she made mistakes from time to time but I would believe my guy to be honest… His mate (who is fierce well known also) is devastated by it…
When you are catapulted into stardom like that… A slip of a thing from Ballybricken… Quiet, kind, gentle by nature, then this world, this industry can eat you up and spit you out… She suffered for her stardom I think like, so many more, and she was raised to see life as fun and take it if she could.. I really hope it didn’t wear you down Dolores. Rest in Peace.

 

Right so plenty of releases for next week the 26th and a few good ones also to be fair.

Really delighted to have the release of the new NILS FRAHM album on the Erased Tapes label… “All Melody” is the title… He is German (and arguably the best at what he does) so it probably does what it says on the tin… Thanks to Sparrow for the tip towards Nils a couple of years ago… Plenty piano, synths and pipe organ… Available on 2LP or CD…

See what ye think here…

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1PTj1qIqcWM

Another nice one for the 26th out via City Slang is the new CALEXICO album …Their 9th studio album… Fine band… “The Thread That Keeps Us” sounds A-Okay from the few bits I heard… Available to indies as a limited 2CD or 2LP deluxe editions, each with 7 bonus tracks.

Another cracker… This time a reissue from Sony is the legendary JEFF WAYNE’S WAR OF THE WORLDS 40TH Anniversary Replica double gatefold sleeve with lyrics booklet… The JOE SATRIANI new LP is out next friday also the 26th.

SONY also have nice reissues also including COHEN’s “Live In London”… Quality… COHEN’s “Greatest Hits” and SANTANA’s “Greatest Hits”..

Pias have a new NIGHTMARES ON WAX album for the 26th called “Shape The Future”.

Warner for the 26th have the new album from BETH HART and JOE BONAMASSA on Provogue on CD and Indies only 2LP Red Vinyl with codes and a bonus track with the vinyl… You probably know what your getting with it but always of high quality.

Warner now have distribution of the Nuclear Blast Label, and Universal have the Because Label… Big changes in the January transfer window… So via Warner/Nuclear Blast comes the new MACHINE HEAD album “Catharsis”. their ninth studio album on 2LP LTD 180g gatefold and CD with bonus DVD Ltd Digi, or 2lp picture disc or standard CD… New MARMOZETS album on the 26th also… Ltd blue vinyl… PHIL CAMPBELL (MOTORHEAD) has a new album, TESTAMENT reissues on Nuclear blast and lastly reissue of ALICE COOPER’s “Killer” on red and black swirl vinyl.

UNIVERSAL for the 26th have some KILLERS LP reissues…. “Sawdust”, “Day and Age”, “Sams Town” and “Direct Hits”.

Universal have the new DJANGO DJANGO album “Marble Skies” on CD and indies only coloured vinyl as well as BOB SEGER’s new album on LP.

More reissues from Universal include FUTURE SOUND OF LONDON “LIFEFORMS”, BEAUTIFUL SOUTH “WELCOME TO”  and THE HOUSEMARTINS “LONDON 0 HULL 4” in your best soccer score readers voice… You know the one.

Here’s my own top ⅚ albums of the year..will elaborate a bit next week… Time can be my enemy.. Time is a funny thing… For another day though as well.

5. MOUNT EERIE – A CROW LOOKED AT ME

5. THE NATIONAL – SLEEP WELL BEAST

4. HAPPY ABANDON – FACEPAINT

3. TALOS – WILD ALEE

2. JOHN BLEK – CATHARSIS VOL 1

1. LAURA MARLING – SEMPER FEMINA 

I must tot up the results folks… Will get out soon… That time thing again
Other really notables for me were

SEAMUS FOGERTY
NADINE SHAH
JASON ISBELL
MARK EITHEL
MARLENE ENRIGHT
QOTSA

It’s a game of opinions folks… Makes the world go round.

Proper for the 26th have a JOHNNY DUHAN “Best Of”, and MUDDY WATERS “Live at Rockpalast” CD/DVD…

THE ORCHARD have new releases from TURIN BRAKES, MARY GAUTHIER and ALESTORM, as well as “Live in Birmingham” from STEVE HACKETT 2CD/DVD job..

MUSIC ON VINYL have some nice ones coming… STATUS QUO – Collected, TINDERSTICKS –  SIMPLE PLEASURES EXPANDED EDITION with 12 bonus tracks… Nice.. BETH HART Reissues of “Leave the Lights On” and “37 Days”.

Speaking of cracking albums… ANNA MITCHELL’S album is a beaut… She is with us tomorrow for an instore Saturday at 1PM with full band… Magic!… Some great songs with some fine musicians… And do you know what, our saturday sessions are free…. Give it a shot, lights are low… Normally a cracking atmosphere…. Hope to see ye there folks… Really really do… Even if it’s to mind one of my kids.. No problem!

So sin é folks

Thanks for listening

Ray
musiczone.ie

The Queen Is Dead Boxset Content and Merch, A Journey to Kerry, and a Little Extra Newsletter On Your Fish N’ Chips

Hi Everyone,

Hope yer all well…

Bits and bobs on the physical record front in the little siopa today include the new BECK album on standard red vinyl, or the indies only yellow version or limited digipack CD…. We were let down at the 11th hour for the Deluxe DLP version with the interchangeable sleeves….. No one person’s fault but from our place in the world it makes us looks like muppets… We received a mail on Weds afternoon which said

“The UK didn’t allocate us any stock so none of our stores were supplied. I’m really sorry, we’re looking into how it happened now”.

These things happen I suppose but as I have wrote on these pages in the past when you are up against “free” and you’re up against massive online corporations… We need to not f**k up and certainly not as often… And to be honest I have a story every week so we all have to improve… Anyway sincere apologies to any of ye I let down with it… Not good enough I know… I plug it to ye 7 days ago to find out two days ago it ain’t happening… So look sorry (a btw no winners here folks … Not I, not my customers, and not Universal Ireland… Brexit up and running or maybe tis back to #noirishneedapply…. Not good enough full stop)..

Anyway look… Also out for today are new albums by ST VINCENT, ROBERT PLANT (really liking), WILLIAM PATRICK CORGAN, ENSLAVED, PINK (tapping this newsletter Thursday night and this is yet to arrive… Another little story… Fingers crossed for tomorrow… We may not have a queue in the morning for it but people will be in looking for it and once again we look like muppets : Update, it’s in!), COURTNEY BARNETT and KURT VILE and KING GIZZARD…  We also have in today ASLAN “Made in Dublin” LP… First time on vinyl I would think but could not be sure… Only 1000 numbered copies… We have a few…MICK FLANNERY’s manager would have looked after ASLAN back at that time and I remember Lorcan telling me that “Made in Dublin” sold 35,000 physical albums over the counter week one of its release back in Nov 99…. PICTURE THIS were number one in Ireland last week, week ending Thursday 5/10/17 with 1,109 sales…. New FOOs album sold 277 that week to make number 10… Weeks Chart are correlated from a Friday AM to a Thursday PM… Some shift isn’t it…. Sob sob. Reissues out today include GREEN DAYTHE STONES, THE WHO and Mr L COHEN.

And of course, the video to see everything is up, so you can take a look on our Youtube.. Be sure to subscribe… Bob man says it helps.. Few guests on it today.. More of this lads.. Come on in and have a chat with us!..

Right so moving on to releases or the 20th… First up is THE SMITHS “Queen is Dead” deluxe reissue… On 2CD, or 3CD/DVD, or 5LP…. Tote bags up for grabs…. Here’s what’s in the sets..

5LP box – featuring the 2017 master of the album, additional recordings and the ‘Live In Boston’ recording. Housed in lift-off box with 2 double gatefolds and 1 single sleeve pressed on 180g heavy weight vinyl.

LP 1 – Original album: 2017 master
Side A:
1. ‘The Queen Is Dead’

2. ‘Frankly, Mr. Shankly’
3. ‘I Know It’s Over’
4. ‘Never Had No One Ever’
5. ‘Cemetry Gates’
Side B:
6. ‘Bigmouth Strikes Again’
7. ‘The Boy With The Thorn In His Side’
8. ‘Vicar In A Tutu’
9. ‘There Is A Light That Never Goes Out’
10. ‘Some Girls Are Bigger Than Others’

LP 2 & 3 – Additional recordings
Side A:
1. ‘The Queen Is Dead’ (full version)
2. ‘Frankly, Mr. Shankly’ (demo)
3. ‘I Know It’s Over’ (demo)
Side B:
4. ‘Never Had No One Ever’ (demo)
5. ‘Cemetry Gates’ (demo)
6. ‘Bigmouth Strikes Again’ (demo)
Side C:
7. ‘Some Girls Are Bigger Than Others’ (demo)
8. ‘The Boy With The Thorn In His Side’ (demo mix)
9. ‘There Is A Light That Never Goes Out’ (take 1)
Side D:
10. ‘Rubber Ring’ (b-side)
11. ‘Asleep’ (b-side)
12. ‘Money Changes Everything’ (b-side)
13. ‘Unloveable’ (b-side)

Tracks 1-7 and 9 are previously unreleased.
Track 8 was released on 7” for Record Store Day.
Tracks 10 and 11 are 2017 masters of b-sides from ‘The Boy With The Thorn In His Side’.
Tracks 12 and 13 are 2017 masters of b-sides from ‘Bigmouth Strikes Again’.

LP 4 & 5 – ‘Live in Boston’ – previously unreleased
Side A:
1. ‘How Soon Is Now?’ (5.25)
2. ‘Hand In Glove’ (2.58)
3. ‘I Want The One I Can’t Have’ (3.24)
4. ‘Never Had No One Ever’ (3.29)
Side B :
5. ‘Stretch Out And Wait’ (3.09)
6. ‘The Boy With The Thorn In His Side’ (3.34)
7. ‘Cemetry Gates’ (3.01)
8. ‘Rubber Ring/What She Said/Rubber Ring’ (4.17)
Side C:
9. ‘Is It Really So Strange?’ (3.23)
10. ‘There Is A Light That Never Goes Out’ (4.09)
11. ‘That Joke Isn’t Funny Anymore’ (4.51)
Side D:
12. ‘The Queen Is Dead’ (5.08)
13. ‘I Know It’s Over’ (7.39)
Recorded at the Great Woods Center For The Performing Arts on 5th August 1986.

Deluxe 3CD / 1 DVD box set – features the 2017 master of the album; additional recordings featuring demos, b-sides and alternative versions; the ‘Live In Boston’ album recorded at the Great Woods Center For The Performing Arts on 5th August 1986; and a DVD featuring the 2017 master of album in 96kHz / 24-bit PCM stereo and ‘The Queen Is Dead – A Film By Derek Jarman’.

Mcloone just played the new Moz single…it’s a dinger isn’t it!

WARNER

Warner also have the new MARGO PRICE album on Third Man Records on LP and CD, as well as the next batch of PET SHOP BOYS Deluxe Reissues “Elysium” on 180gm vinyl or 2CD and “Yes” on 180gm vinyl, or 3 CD digipack.
WARNER also have reissues by synth pop legends TALK TALK “The Party’s Over” from 1982 as well as “It’s My Life”. Lastly Warner have new albums by TRIVIUM and EUROPE as well as a CD Boxset by DONALD FAGEN and a reissue by ENTOMBED.

SONY

SONY for the 20th of OCTOBER have the 25TH Anniversary of the brilliant GEORGE MICHAEL album “Listen with Prejudice” (still a good title… Hard to believe it’s nearly 12 months since his passing).. It’s available on CD as a box set, or on LP.
Sony have more COHEN LP reissues including “New Skin, “Live Songs” and “Field Commander”.
They also have a new WILLIE NELSON and Sons album, and ELO “Out Of The Blue” 2LP version picture disc…

UNIVERSAL

Universal have the debut album by ONE DIRECTIONER, NIALL HORAN… Loads of expectant on this for him… Up the country, we wish him well… How many we will sell I wouldn’t be so sure… I hope for Niall and ourselves the record hits a nerve and it becomes a bit of a mini ED SHEERAN… Normal lad from Mullingar thrown into this business but in fairness to him he seems to have taken to it like a duck to water so we wish him well… Wrote some songs on this I believe… Quite a few stars would have started out as teeny pop stars to have a really good relevant career… Let’s hope Niall can do the same… The Beatles were the biggest boy band of their time…. Love love me doo… Etc etc…

UNI also have the second volume of JOE DOLAN with the RTE orchestra…Got a letter from them looking for a tv licence over the monitor for the cctv… Ye can visit me in jail folks…not a hope are they getting it…)
UNI have a JESSIE WARE new album as well as a lovely limited MACCABEES vinyl boxset… Here’s the story with them :
This limited edition one off run collection is displayed within an outer sleeve that slides off, revealing all 4 albums on heavy weight vinyl in a sleeve book, supported by a thick spine displaying all The Maccabees logos. It features reworked original album art designed by long-time friend Matt de Jong and includes a special bonus tracks vinyl of acoustic versions, b-sides and the unreleased track ‘Nimm’ from the Marks To Prove It album recording session. The ‘Elephant Days’ DVD is a feature length documentary about change, about time, about place. Made by James Caddick and James Cronin, it charts The Maccabees making their fourth and final record, Marks To Prove It, intertwined with the journeys of a series of amazing characters in Elephant and Castle. An insight into community, perspectives, unique character and redevelopment with original soundtrack by The Maccabees. Also included is a download card (featuring all of the albums, the bonus tracks and some additional rarities selected by the band, not found on the vinyl).Format: 6 x heavyweight black vinyl in vinyl book, printed inner sleeves, DVD in wallet, download card and O-card cover. Matt finish.

THE JAM “1977” 40th anniversary Box as a 3CD and a DVD, STATUS QUO“Live At The NEC” on limited 3LP or 2CD,  and SLIPKNOT “DAYS OF GUSANO” on four different formats  including 3LP and DVD all also out through Uni… The maggots were in flying form in Mexico .

UNI on the vinyl reissue front have the WALK THE LINE OST, some more Elton John including “One Night Only”, and the first four SCOTT WALKERALBUMS… “1, 2, 3,4”… CHRIS WOOD solo album also reissued as well as an issue of the new IAMX LP, and lastly but importantly the release of the new TORI AMOS album on LP..

THE ORCHARD for the 20th of OCT have a few nice ones including the THE THE “Radio Cineola: Trilogy” on CD, DELUXE 3CD AND DELUXE 3LP, LUCINDA WILLIAMS’ “THIS SWEET OLD WORLD”, which is a reworking of older album of hers… On CD and LP and the new BRAND NEW album is out next week via Orchard as well.

I’m writing this whilst travelling on a train to Killarney to collect a banjaxed car… Hopefully not banjaxed anymore… Not really holding my breath though… Hope the 1000 Euro to fix it will get me home… The auld wifi on the train ain’t the mae west and I forgot my little notes so I think i’ll tell a little  a few jokes… What did the Kerryman say when he saw a Corkman with a broken car??… Aagghh wifi in cork… None past the county bounds…

REPUBLIC OF MUSIC have a reissue of the GRANDADDY album “Under the Western Freeway” on LP but ‘tis fierce limited and with ‘tis fierce expensive… Only 500 of these yellow and blue vinyl in the world, but 50 bucks for them, and they also have JOHN CARPENTER “Anthology Movie Themes 74 to 98” on sacred bones… Available as a CD, LP or LP with 7”.

PIAS for the 20th October have a BILL MACKAY/ RYLEY WALKER collaboration album called “SpiderBettleBEE” on Drag City on LP and CD, as well as a SPOON reissue of “Ga Ga Ga Ga Ga”.

Proper for the 20th have a SHIRLEY COLLINS “Introduction To” on CD and LP as well as some NICK LOWE reissues on Vinyl.

Music on Vinyl have the THIN LIZZY “Collected” 2LP set .

Sending this out a bit earlier this week. The #BlameBobby department got started last week, we were too late for an irate customer who’s fish n’ chips were ruined because they didn’t get there weekly newsletter early enough.. Any other complaints for the Bob man send them in.. #BlameBobby has a nice ring to it…

Sin e for this week folks,
Thanks as always for listening,
Ray
www.musiczone.ie

Bowie Sets Are Back In Town, Gilmour Returns to Pompeii, and a Liam Gallagher / ‘RKid’ Merch Giveaway!

Hi Everyone,

Hope ye all had a good week..

Sorry in the delay in getting this out this week. Had live music all Friday evening for another wonderful Culture Night, and our IT Man was busy being a Rock-Star-Man.. Only getting to it on this lovely Sunday morning, so apologies.

Im off staging it the weekend as one of my best friends is planning to succumb to the temptations of marriage… Will kind of believe it when it’s done!! (Brilliant for him though)… So… I could be a bit tender early next week… Just said i’d tell ye that like, no idea why.

Lots of queries in the last few days about physical formats of the new MOZalbum… So we will have the Indies only 7” single in October, and four formats of the album… CD, LP, CASSETTE and Indies Only LP… Should have a bit of merch or posters or something on pre orders… Will confirm closer to the time… Out Nov 17th

Oohh another thing in case I forget… We will have LP copies of the Mic Christopher “Skylarkin” album with us very soon… First time on vinyl… We also got stock of the excellent first three albums by Marc O’Reilly on CD, well worth checking out, brilliant albums..

Right so releases in MZ towers for this week include new albums by THE KILLERSVAN MORRISONBLACK COUNTRY COMMUNIONTRICKY, MACKLEMORE (CD Only), BRIAN WILSON (Compilation)BOWIE ‘HEROES’ 7″ Picture Disc, and THE ROLLING STONES reissue of “Their satanic…” as a deluxe boxset..

WARNER

Ok so releases then for next Friday the 29th must kick off for us with theBOWIE LP and CD Boxset “New Career In A New Town”… The third in the series… Those interested know the drill with it…. Will email ye when the sets are in… The merch landed safe and sound today anyway… Should all be fine!!

Warner also for the 29th have new albums by DAVID CROSBY and CHRIS REA(haven’t heard much of these two yet but will investigate… both on CD and LP), a FEEDER Greatest Hits, an AIRBOURNE Boxset 4LP/DVD or 4CD/DVD…. “Diamond Cuts” it is called containing 4 classic Airbourne albums with bonus material…

Warner also for the 29th have a BOB MARLEY “Live in Santa Barbara” 3LP set… First timer on LP me thinks… BLACK STONE CHERRY have a new 6 track EP of cover versions and a new JAMIE LAWSON album, as well as a fairly limited PAUL WELLER 12” called “Mother Ethiopia” .

Lastly from Warner are a blast of LP Picture Disc reissues… 4 from MASTODON, 3 from MY CHEMICAL ROMANCE and 2 from GREEN DAY… “Dookie” and “Revolution Radio”…

SONY

Sony for the 29th of September have the DAVID GILMOUR “Live in Pompeii” release across 5 formats… The 2CD is 18 EURO, DVD is 20 euro, Bluray is 22 euro, 2CD/Bluray is 55 euro, Vinyl Box is 75 Euro… Here is some more info on the release…

“In 2015 David Gilmour set out to play a series of concerts in historic venues across the world. The following year he became the first performer to play the amphitheatre in Pompeii in front of a live audience since the gladiators in 79AD. It was a return to Pompeii for David, having first performed there in 1971 for Adrian Maben’s legendary concert film, Pink Floyd Live At Pompeii. In Roman times the Pompeii amphitheatre was known as a “Spectaculum” and David worked with longtime collaborator and maestro of colour and light Marc Brickman to bring the spectacle back to the Spectaculum” – Polly Samson, 2017

On July 7th & 8th 2016, David Gilmour performed two spectacular shows at the legendary Pompeii Amphitheatre in the shadow of Mount Vesuvius, 45 years after he first played there for Adrian Maben’s classic film, Pink Floyd Live at Pompeii. The concerts were the first-ever rock performances played to an audience in the ancient Roman amphitheatre, which was built in 90 BC and entombed in ash when Vesuvius erupted in AD 79.  David Gilmour is the only performer to play to an audience in the arena since the time of the gladiators, almost 2,000 years ago.
Speaking about the Pompeii shows David Gilmour commented “It’s a magical place and coming back and seeing the stage and the arena was quite overwhelming. It’s a place of ghosts…”
The concert performance film, David Gilmour Live at Pompeii, was shot in 4k by director Gavin Elder and includes highlights from both shows. The concert is a spectacular audio-visual experience, featuring the famous huge circular cyclorama screen as well as lasers, pyrotechnics and stellar performances from an all-star band.
 DAVID GILMOUR – LIVE AT POMPEII FORMATS
2 x CD
Standard package – 21 tracks.
CD1 – 74 mins
CD 2 – 74 mins      

1 x Blu-ray
Standard package
Pompeii concert 96/24 PCM Stereo & 96/24 DTS MAA
Pompeii Then & Now Documentary

2 x DVD
Standard package
Pompeii concert Stereo PCM, 5.1 Dolby Digital, 5.1 DTS
Pompeii Then & Now Documentary

Blu-ray + CD Deluxe Edition Boxset
2 x CDs,
2 x Blu-rays (special packaging)
South America 2015 / Wroclaw 2016 / concert footage / tour documentaries, feature length BBC documentary, photo booklet, Pompeii Guide, 4 x postcards & poster.

Vinyl
Pompeii concert on 4 x LPs
2 x gatefold sleeves / poly liner inner sleeves / booklet / download card / slipcase.

DIGITAL DOWNLOADS
HD downloads via portal tbc

Sony also have a new album from MILEY CYRUS entitled “ Younger Now” as well a LP release of MUNDY’s excellent debut album “Jelly Legs” for the first time… Would be about 16 or 17 years after its CD release id say…

Sony also have a new MICHAEL JACKSON compilation called “Scream” on CD and a Glow in the Dark DLP, as well as KHALID’s debut album ,and a reissue of “Piano Solo” by the wonderful THELONIUS MONK.

We are running a nice competition / giveaway in conjunction with Warner around the the release of the new LIAM GALLAGHER solo album… As You Were… Folks…Calm down, calm down… If you preorder the album with us, CD, Standard LP or Indies only white vinyl (don’t hold me to the colour, I think the indies only is white vinyl, ‘tis a different colour to the standard anyway)… As You Were.

So we have some sweet pieces of LG merch to give away with the album…. I have 12 pieces of merch… If 12 of ye preorder there’s a piece of merch each… If more than 12 then I will have a draw and lose a few people but will give a quid or two off the album as a consolation… You win even when you lose… Huuhhh… That could be a party political election slogan… There are 8 LG ‘RKid’ Tee Shirts… Potluck on your size i’m afraid…  It might give you an excuse to eat more cake or less cake for that matter… So no promises re tee sizes… We have one LG hat… Ye know the ones…. Fits most heads i’d say… ‘RKid’ on it again.. But the real piece de-resistance of the merch and only a few of them in the whole country is a LG Branded Hip Flask… With the message ‘WHO THE F**K IS LIAM GALLAGHER’ on it… Be worth more than the record i’d say… So alright alright… As You Were, As You Were…. (I’m probably gonna borrow one for the weekend but i’ll wash it and all before I bring it back… There’s a warning label on the flask that it must only be used for alcohol etc etc… ‘Tis gas when you see it like… So that’s the story with it… ‘Guess who’s back, smileys back, back again’…
Throw your order our way if you’re interested…. Sound!!
I presume the hip flask will be most sought after or maybe the hat or the tees so will be a draw to decide you gets what kind of thing… So for the final time… As You Were.

UNIVERSAL

UNIVERSAL for the 29th of September have the PEARL JAM Live Concert “Let’s Play Two” on CD/DVD or DLP… Best price on the LP IS 37 EURO… Let us know if you want… Sterling is a bit of bitch to me off late but I will always try and be as competitive as I can… The biggest dog in the sky is 34 sterling on this one so i’m on the dancefloor I think… These were recorded over two nights at Chicago’s Wrigley Stadium last year.

UNI also have the new second album by WOLF ALICE… A band moving in the right direction it sounds to me…. On CD, LP and Indies Only LP… If new to you have a quick listen here.

 
THE ROLLING STONES – “Sticky Fingers” Live From The Fonda Theatre from 2015 on DVD, BLURAY, DVD/CD and 3LP/DVD, as well as new albums by SHANIA TWAIN and DEMI LOVATO.

We got a nice enough response to the Facebook Group thing and a bit of activity on it in the last 7 days… The more on it the better it will be and to be fair one or two of ye know a thing or two about a thing or two in the music world so we would like ye to join… Bit like me with the IT stuff… So rather than me hogging that department young Bobby is going to show ye the easiest way to access the group….

Easiest way from what I can gather guys (hard to tell exactly as the group thing on Facebook constantly changes) is to follow the link below, and click ‘Request to Join’ (or something along those lines), and we’ll add you in!

https://www.facebook.com/groups/115929649078755/

If that doesn’t work, pop us an email at shop@musiczone.ie with the title ‘Facebook Group Add’, and just link your own Facebook profile, and I will add you into the group individually. (May have to send a friend request from my profile for that, but if you unfriend me after I promise I won’t be offended, my own page has a lot of Man City and soccer spam on it!).

Back to Ray talking now after this, said i’d point that out, all the changing of voices in this newsletter is making it like a T.S. Elliot poem…

PIAS

PIAS for the 29th of Sept have some nice bits including new albums by KADAVAR, PRIMUS and PROTOMARTYR, Indies Only coloured on the latter… They have a new KAMASI WASHINGTON 6 Track EP… Hood value on that one, and a remix album as an indies only release of MARK LANEGAN’s “Gargoyles”, and finally ACCEPT “Restless and Alive” as a 2CD.

PROPER

Proper have a career spanning ‘Best Of’ by PAUL CARRACK, and a MATT MONRO ‘Best Of’ also.

Not much more to mention from the others that I can think of…

On the local scene JOHN BLEK has a new solo album ‘Catharsis Vol. 1’, out on the 6th of October and we have had an advanced copy for a week or two now… We love it in the shop… It’s another excellent record… Constant spins getting here, barely has been out of the CD player for two weeks now… He wrote a lot, if not all of it lying in a hospital bed trying to fight off some mystery illness / virus for over a month… Fine record once again.

John will be in launching the album with us on Saturday the 7th of October… Time TBC…  Between 12 and 1 i’d say, where he will perform tracks and sign copies of the album on LP and CD… Should be a nice one.

Sin é for this week folks,
Thanks for listening as usual,
Ray
Music Zone Vinyl Records Ireland

 

Van’s Stuck In Traffic, Crojayn Live In-Store Tomorrow at 1PM and our Culture Night Line Up Featuring A Familiar Face (and Mop Of Hair)

Hi Everyone,

hope all’s well…

Here is what we got out for release today in the siopa…

New albums by FOO FIGHTERSGARY NUMANANGUS & JULIA STONE , PROPHETS OF RAGELUKAS NELSONRICKY ROSS and ROSTAM as well as vinyl releases of BEYONCE’s “Lemonade”,  PRINCE “ 4Ever” 4 LP box set and THE DOORS “ 20 Singles Boxset”…. There probably are other bits and pieces we will stick them on the video in a while also which ye’ll find as normal here

UNIVERSAL

So on to releases for the 22nd of September.. Firstly from Universal is the new album by THE KILLERS on CD, deluxe CD and high street only limited gatefold pink vinyl…. Just to tell ye something easie enough to deduce… High street onlys refer to all record shops… Including the chains… But not to the big onliners… Indies only refers to the smaller guys or the smaller guys who really are a corporation!  Ha!… Anyway new KILLERS album… 5th album I think?…

Universal also have a new VAN MORRISON album “Roll With The Punches” on CD or 2LP… Some old R&B covers and some new self penned tunes also… Loads of Van stories always going around… Heard one during the week where it is said… Not by me now Van like (in case he comes after me and kicks the shite out of me)… It is said that when he played the Marquee here in Cork he said to the promoters that if there was any traffic delay en route to the venue he was turning around and coming back to the hotel… Traffic equals no gig… The gig went ahead, he must have got an escort or something.. Eh hem….. Any Van stories folks..?

We are going to, or the IT department (Bobby) is going to set up a Facebook group page for customers of the shop… Ye folks… Where we can all share muso stories, recommendations, trivia etc etc etc… We are going to be the administrators… I know nothing about Nosebook so i’ll ask Bob tomorrow about it… Do ye need to send us ye’r nosebook addresses or what?

We tried a forum back a few years on the website but it was spammed to shite so this hopefully should work nicely… It’s a private group with people of similar interests… We are in one with all the UK indie shops and I know the lads in Rollercoaster in Kilkenny have a very good one… New Malojian album coming via those boys soon I think… Looking forward to that.

*IT Department Here guys.. Have the Facebook group set up at the following link, I think you’ll have to request to join but for anyone who’s interested join away here! Whoever wants to start off the discussions, feel free to! We hope over the next few weeks to get this set up as a good spot for all types of music chat!*
https://www.facebook.com/groups/115929649078755/

 

Sorry anyway, new Van album out next Friday… Heard a couple… Sound alright…

UNI have new album by THE HORRORS as well as some WINTERFYLLETH reissues on CD and Coloured LP, and lastly from Uni is the 50th Anniversary remastered DLP/DCD of “Their Satanic Majesties Request” by THE ROLLING STONES… Limited i’m told, expensive too though.

SONY

Sony for the 22th have a JANIS IAN ‘Essential’ CD, and a reissue on CD/DVD and LP by SPANDAU BALLET of “Through The Barricade” .

WARNER

Warner for the 22nd have the new BLACK COUNTRY COMMUNION album “BCCIV”… Supergroup featuring Joe Bonnamassa, Glen Hughes and Jason Bonham released via Mascot records on CD / Deluxe CD with two bonus tracks, and indies only orange flavoured vinyl…. Only kidding… Coloured… Not sure how it tastes to be honest…

Warner also have via Parlophone the next in the series of BOWIE’s 40th anniversary 7” Picture Discs… “Heroes” is up next… Some of ye will hold off buying it I know until Saturday the 23rd, as that’s the real anniversary 23/9/77… Don’t worry lads, I understand ye… I might recreate 1977 for the day in the shop… Flares, medallions the whole deal..

Warner also has new albums by MACKLEMORE and AMADOU & MARIAM as well as a BRIAN WILSON Anthology across his solo albums on 2CD or 2LP, KARL JENKINS “ Adiemus, Songs of  Sanctuary” on blue vinyl, and lastly MASTODON have a new EP on CD of 4 new songs… Unusual enough thing for an established band to do in today’s industry… An EP on a CD…

Myself and the eldest born went in to RYAN ADAMS at the weekend… I kinda had a few mixed feelings after it… It sounded brilliant.. Really brilliant… There wasn’t a bum note the whole night…. Musically it was spot on…. I would run in tomorrow night to see him again, and the two hours flew by… All good so Raymond what’s wrong with ya… But I felt a certain detachment from it or more so I felt he was detached somewhat from it…. Not too pushed about the 15 words of interaction during the night… That wouldn’t really bother me even though I feel Cork crowds like to be loved!… We’re like labradors..

I felt he was somewhat detached from the band and as the gig went on I felt from the crowd as well… Maybe t’was just me… Having said that I am humming tunes all week… No pleasing me i’d say… The Ryanites as well as the Bowieheads will be out for me now… The sooner we get that Nosebook private group up the better… We can have a bit of craic or at least I can… The admin person holds the key… Bit like sitting in Graham Norton’s red chair for ye guys.

ROM have the new TRICKY kid album “Ununiform” it is called and I have been uninformed that it must all be in lower-case…

The Orchard have the new JOSH RITTER album on CD / Deluxe CD or a limited indies only yellow vinyl version… Orchard also have SATYRICON “Deep Calleth Upon Deep”

CARGO

CARGO have a couple of beauts for the 22nd although i’m hearing the new HISS GOLDEN MESSENGER album could be moved back a bit… So it might be 22nd… But def the 22nd is the GODSPEED YOU BLACK EMPEROR new album on CD and indies only fancy LP… there is a 30th anniversary edition of “George Best” by THE WEDDING PRESENT as well.

PROPER

PROPER have new albums by DEREK RYAN and PATRICK FEENEY.

PIAS

PIAS for the 22nd of Sept have new albums by CRADLE OF FILTH, ENTER SHIKARI, METZ and a new 6 track EP by THE LEMON TWIGS… The 3 former ones are all forms of indie only coloured vinyl type thing although CRADLE maybe a picture disc… METZ are one of Toronto’s finest…

Moving to Cork’s finest we have a blast of stuff to mention on the local scene…

Firstly, one of Cork’s finest young bands CROJAYN were in store Saturday tomorrow the 16th at 1PM launching their second EP… Really great upcoming young band… So from one of the finest young bands to one of the finest “old” bands…

THE SHAKER HYMN are back with a new track from an upcoming third album… These boys have all the talent in the world just need a bit of luck….I think they had a track from the second album used in the film “Handsome Devil” which they got a bit of traction from… Heres the new track… Ala Supergrass and The Beatles in parts… Fine tune again from the lads.
http://thethinair.net/2017/09/premiere-the-shaker-hymn-dead-trees/

We are involved in Culture Night which is Friday Week, the 22nd of Sept where we have live music in the shop from 4PM to 7PM… Here’s a lowdown…

Up first we have Queensland, Australia boy-o PEPI MARA in to give us some folk tunes from his EP ‘Leap’, and he’s on at 4PM.

Then second up at 5PM is Cork Indie / Lo-Fi rock group THE BURMA, who are promoting their second EP ‘Her Eyes On Horizions’. The lads just launched the second single from this EP yesterday so check it out here, it’s a cracker.

And finally.. Finally.. The Bob-Man is doing an in-store with his band SMALL DOSE… Well that’s a lie.. Bob broke the news during the video that it will only be half of SMALL DOSE. A very small dose.. Joking aside himself and Sophie will be performing acoustic versions of their tracks for the first time live, and he assures me that it will be as cracking as ever.. Here’s a little taster of an acoustic track, ‘The Door’, recorded a short while back
https://soundcloud.com/bobby-buckley-2/small-dose-the-door-acoustic
And just to convince ye to come in even more, another exclusive track, ‘Ivy’, for ye from the Coughlan’s gig over the summer. Another track he assures will work acoustic. He hopes i’d say!


Bobby’s SMALL DOSE lads are on at 6PM!

So thats Culture Night in Music Zone Next Friday 22nd September :
Pepi Mara 4PM-4:30PM
The Burma 5PM – 5:30PM
Small Dose 6PM – 6:30PM

So sin e for this week folks,
Thanks for listening
Ray
musiczone.ie

The National Back With A Cracker (And No Disasters!), Ryan Adams Tickets For Sale and ATLAS ZERO Live In-Store!

Hi Everyone,

Hope ye’r all doing ok… I know there is a few of ye going through shite of late… It’s never far away from anyone… No fairness in it…. Just try get through it I suppose as best you can… On one of those notes, a good lad that comes in here to us can’t make it to Ryan Adams on Saturday night (tomorrow!) so we would like him to get his 80 quid back for his two standing tickets and maybe put a smile on one of ye’r faces… So first back to us will get the two tickets…. For 80 quid like.

Releases in the shop this week since the 8th include THE NATIONAL’s new album “Sleep Well Beast”… We have been relatively fortunate lately that our fills of the indies only have been quite good…. No disasters really of late… The major biggie I remember was for RSD14 when my PIAS order got lost…Never got a morsel of it… Hard for some people to understand that you see, but it’s quite a regular occurrence… We are on a Facebook group with all the UK indie shops and every week, I mean every week, there are massive cock ups…. So we have escaped thus far well since then anyway with the most important stuff… Got a fright with THE NATIONAL though as I received an email last Thursday / Friday showing me the invoice which means it shipped… 3 boxes… Got the CD and other Pias New Releases on Monday but no vinyl… No great info coming back either… Fairly nervous by Weds morning but landed thank god… Not so much the monetary loss, but you as in me, ala the shop looks like a right plonker… Inept plonker… Sometimes that maybe the case (We fuck up too… I will put the hand in the air then) but in general not so… We need 3 or 4 people to do their job correctly for the product to hit the shelf on time or at all… Me to notice and place the order in time, the rep to key the order on the system and allocate the records to the right shop (wrong shop happens a lot), the faceless person in the warehouse who needs to put the correct records in the box for the correct shop…. It seems to be harder than we would think… And the van drivers, generally one lad in UK and one here…. The guys that handle it at the couriers depots also… Maybe 7 or 8 hands in total so things can go wrong… there was a lad opened  his box of National stuff in the UK and handwritten next to the vinyl was OOS… Out of stock… None… Zero… He wasn’t the only shop… When that day arrives here, try remember this story… We ain’t automated…. A lad who has a record shop in Margate put up a post a week or two ago when he got zero Ghostpoet… Rep got distracted he thinks and never keyed the order… He had none on release day and Obaro who lives around the corner popped in… Like me not having the new MICK FLANNERY album on release day… (although Mick wouldn’t give a shite id say… ‘Aahh tis grand Ray, sure these things happen’)

Anyway, deep breath after that… We have for release this week THE NATIONALNEIL YOUNGTHE WATERBOYS (some great albums recently like WAR ON DRUGS and QOTSA and these three mentioned above sound like really good albums also…. THE WATERBOYS is a lovely album… Quirky, cleverly worded songs, well crafted with lovely sounds and melody… Really enjoying it…) TORI AMOS (CD only), SPARKS, ALVVAYS, DIZZEE RASCAL, PAUL BRADY (CD only), STEVIE WONDER, MAZZY STARNICK MULVEYJACK JOHNSONFREEand DAVID RAWLINGS LP.

Video for the last two weeks of releases up here.

SONY

Right so releases for next week the 15th of Sept… First up SONY have the new FOO FIGHTERS record on CD or Vinyl…. The two singles sound strong… “Concrete and Gold” it’s called.. Sony also have CAROLE KING “Tapestry : Live in Hyde Park” on CD/DVD, a new album by WYCLEF, reissues by SLY AND THE FAMILY STONE and PARADISE LOST on LP and a brand new DEPECHE MODE 12” called “Backwards”…

Lastly from Sony for next week the 15th of Sept, and the demand for it was big when the CD/DVD was released what maybe two years or more now i’d say… Album of the year on a lot of polls was it 2016 or 2015 was BEYONCE’s “Lemonade”… Finally gets its vinyl release.

MUSIC ON VINYL

MUSIC ON VINYL for the 15th have SCREAMING TREES “Sweet Oblivion” on flaming coloured vinyl (picture of Patrick Street on a Saturday night on the cover)… Only 1500 of these boys and girls.

UNIVERSAL

UNIVERSAL for the 15th have the second album by mercury prize winning artist BENJAMIN CLEMENTINE… Worth a google of this dudes story, homeless at one point… Uni also have a new album by double named now YUSEF/CAT STEVENS called “The Laughing Apple” , a new RINGO STARR album and a STEVE MILLER hits compilation.

UNI also have the Soundtrack and the Score to the new Ken Burns TV series “Vietnam”.. The Score is done by scoring duo TRENT REZNOR and ATTICUS ROSS (some would wish Trent had attentions turned away from scores and back to NIN stuff) as well as a new album by RICKY ROSS (DEACON BLUE) on CD and LP, and DIO 5 classic albums box, some CHINA CRISIS CD reissues and the Soundtrack to TABOO on CD by MAX RICHTER.

Nearly there with the UNI stuff but probably their biggest next week via Caroline is the debut album by supergroup PROPHETS OF RAGE… I’m liking this, rap rock with some of the greatest from both genres… POR consists of Morello, Comerford and Wilk from RAGE AGAINST THE MACHINE and CHUCK D and DJ LORD from PUBLIC ENEMY, and B -REAL from CYPRESS HILL… Politically charged rap rock.

Another supergroup next GIZMODROME who are Stewart Copeland (The police) Mark King (Level 42) Adrian Belew (King Crimson) and Vittorio Cosma… Don’t know much or anything at all about this.. But an interesting line up it must be said.

Last two from UNI are the next couple of STYLE COUNCIL LP reissues on Vinyl “ Modernism” on yellow vinyl and “Confessions of a Pop Group” on white vinyl and finally MADONNA “Rebel Heart Tour” on 2 CD, Bluray, DVD, DVD/CD, Bluray/CD.

PROPER

Proper have an ECHO AND THE BUNNYMEN ‘Greatest Hits : Live in London’ LP… 17 bucks… WILLIE WATSON and TRIO DA KALI and the KRONOS QUARTET together.

PIAS

PIAS for the 15th have ANGUS & JULIA STONE’s new album… Class…indies only clear double vinyl from the Aussie siblings as well as a new FINK album.

ROM for the 15th have the score to HOT FUSS 10th anniv edition by David Arnold.

The Orchard for the 15th have the new ARIEL PINK album “Dedicated to Bobby Jameson” who was a real life LA musician who disappeared off the face of the earth and was long presumed dead only to resurface after 35 reclusive years to pen his tragic life story and a series of blogs on youtube.

ORCHARD also have LOU REED / KRIS KRISTOFFERSON album and MOTLEY CRUE REISSUE of “Girls, Girls, Girls” on CD/DVD or LP, and four Paradise Lost LP reissues as well.

WARNER

Warner for the 15th have a new GARY NUMAN album “Savage ; Songs From a Broken World” on CD, Deluxe CD, LP and Cassette…. An album set in an apocalyptic, post global warming world in the future.

Warner also have the 20th Anniversary Edition of “Nimrod” on yellow vinyl DLP by GREEN DAY as well as a reissue of LINDA RONSTADT’s “Simple Dreams” on CD or LP and 7”, and also a new MICHAEL MCDONALD record where he is surrounded by quality… On the record with him are Warren Haynes, Marcus Miller and Robben Ford.

Lastly two legends have best of type things with Warner… PRINCE ‘4Ever’ gets its vinyl release as a  4 LP boxset with 40 tracks…. Bout 60 bucks… And the mighty THE DOORS have a singles collection as CD or 2CD / Bluray or a 20×7” singles boxset…. So all 20 US singles with corresponding B-sides with original sleeve art in an ornate lift top box…. Nice… Nice.

So a bit to chew on again this week… Mainly posters of different shapes and sizes landed for the National…  Carrot, no carrot…

Couple of great in-stores …. So Saturday last, the 9th, we had ATLAS ZERO on the stage to launch their debut EP… Excellent up and coming 3 piece with some great tunes…They were great and attracted a good few passers by in… Check them here….

And we are delighted to announce that we have our good friends and resident RSD performers CROJAYN back in this time to launch their second EP…. Ye know we think the world of these kids so that should be a smashing gig, really talented guys with great musicianship and tunes… If you like your rock old school and bluesy… I think the lads are going to play from 1 pm till 2.30 on the Saturday the 16th… Bright bright futures ahead for both bands so if youre around pop in for our Saturday sessions. With the very best of young Cork talent on display.

 

Sin e for this folks,
Thanks for listening
Ray
musiczone.ie

The National Carrot Dangling, Not Dangling, New Neil Young Album from 40 Years Ago and New Waterboys Album!

Hi everyone,

Hope all is well…

This week in the shop we have new releases by MOGWAIOMDTHE SCRIPTLCD SOUNDSYSTEMPARADISE LOST and IAN FELICE as well as smashing reissues by PORTISHEADTHE VERVE and the first two LPs by FLEET FOXES.

So not doing to bad as well this week with the releases to be fair…20 years ago ( tis all over the telly ) we couldn’t keep stock of “ candle in the wind” i mean could not keep any amount of the single in stock….impossible, people were buying 5s and 6s of it …a single… on CD…just impossible to keep it on the shelves…the record companies were thinking about buying up some flower shops at the time i think, but then released the single…..actually i’m only slagging if my vague memory serves me about it…was the single for charity…?

If anyone still has a copy of the millions that were sold at the time hanging around it should say something on the box about whether it was for charity…let us know sure..

Where do i be going like…a bit on the telly and then that… ( drivel) ….Di was the berries though to be fair and it really was a definite remember where you were moment…gone too soon she was, seemed like a really good one.

PIAS

The biggest independant release of the year will hit our shelves next Friday with the release of the new album by THE NATIONAL. “Sleep well beast” via 4AD once again on CD, indies only blue vinyl best price on pre orders @ 25 euro….the normal version is on white vinyl….will be one of the biggest selling albums of the year and will be one of the best albums of the year also i feel…so far so bloody good old chaps…the lads seem to like the Rebel county,( sure they’re only human like boy!!) never failing to play here really ( must have got on great when they played to about 13 people in the triskel a good few years back now…i was not one of the dirty dozen)…i’m going to torment myself and probably some of ye guys now, and there is still maybe a slim hope, but i had hoped i was getting a “ test pressing” of the new album to raffle off amongst preorderers but it’s looking slim now but you never know …( if anyone is listening…) take it it’s not happening but if it does, we will raffle for a winner amongst those who preorder CD or either LP version…so….that was some carrot to dangle Raymond, a most likely invisible carrot Raymond…bit like Jim Bowen at the end of Bullseye …”alright alright come here lads hard luck hard luck but let’s just see what you could have won”.

 

Insert here :::: friday 12.32 pm now…above was typed about 11 pm last night….no test pressing im afraid for the National but “ loads of bits going out to me today”….a lucky bag folks…hopefully something for everyone who preorders….still an invisible carrot Raymond i hear ye say!!

PIAS also have ALVVAYS second album “ anti socialites” on CD and indies only white vinyl…SPARKS also have a new album out next Friday the 8th of Sept with a special edition picture disc and lastly of note for us from Pias is the reissues of AFGHAN WHIGS “ congregation” “ up in it” and “ uptown avondale” all on indies only coloured vinyl with codes.

WARNER

Warner for the 8th of Sept have the newest NEIL YOUNG release “ the hitchhiker” on CD and LP…this album was recorded in 1976 and messr Young stuck it away in his vault for consumption now…far from dross id say…this was recorded between Zuma and American stars and bars and was recorded in one session one night with Young, his acoustic guitar, harmonica and piano, David Briggs in the booth and Dean Stockwell ( the actor) in the room also….the actor was just chillin…Young had about 12 songs that he wanted to work through and KERPLUNK or POW like a Batman scene… here’s an album…

Warner have a new WATERBOYS album for the 8th also…fine band…it’s called “ out of all this blue”, its available as a 2CD or 2LP or deluxe 3 CD or 3LP with bonus tracks…23 tracks in total…its a lot and i would be more of a quality man than a quantity man but i will give these guys the benefit of the doubt big time…did’nt Room to Roam  have nearly 20 songs and hardly a weak one in there and the last album was very good also…next Friday also the 8th.

Warner have the LP press of the newest PARAMORE album as a solid black and white mixed colour vinyl….the wha…( i could have a career in interior design if the record shop goes belly up) lastly from Warner  are a couple of MARGO PRICE 7” singles….4 new tracks across two 7” @ 8 bucks a single not so bad for  those of you who rightly grumble about the crazy price of 7” s lately…you would have got 5 or 6  candle in the winds back in the day…

PROPER

Proper for the 8th have a new studio album by PAUL BRADY “ unfinished business” as well as a new kinda duets album by DAVE STEWART called the nashville sessions with guests including Stevie Nicks, Alison Krauss  and Joss Stone.

New LIVING COLOUR album also.

Lastly Proper have very very limited LP stock of the newest JESU/SUN KIL MOON record “ 30 seconds to the decline of the planet earth”…with all the rain around the place it  could be sooner than we think and the great leader of the western world pulls out of the Paris agreement as his policemen drown in flood waters trying to get to work.

 

The Orchard for the 8th have the new ARCH ENEMY album on CD, deluxe CD, indies only green vinyl…limited box as available….the Orchard also have ALTERBRIDGE live at the O2 as a 3 CD or 4 LP set.

 

To be fair the 8th is fairly strong all round again…

UNIVERSAL

Universal have the new TORI AMOS album “ native invader”  on two formats for now…CD and DELUXE special edition book style CD with two bonus tracks…TORI LP is the 20th october im told folks…entitled the queen is not dead….

Uni also new albums by JACK JOHNSON and NICK MULVEY….the jack single is catchy out and the Nick LP is indies only orange vinyl.

Universal also has reissues on LP by FREESTEVIE WONDER and MAZZY STAR.

CARGO

CARGO for the 8th have the BLUE VELVET ost on LP and live albums  by TULL, ZZ and MAYALL.

SONY

SONY for the 8th have the DEPECHE MODE LP release of the best of volume one…but tis mad money im afraid…a record i probably may have sold 20 copies off between now and christmas if it was 23/24 euro type thing…but tis 45 bucks…one by 45 versus 12 by 23…makes no sense to me…….Sony also have a HENDRIX best of LP at nearly half the price…i just don’t get it.

Sony also have the second album by NOTHING BUT THIEVES on deluxe CD and indies only marbled vinyl.

Right so two in stores coming up….PICTURE THIS on Monday the 4TH of Sept at 5 pm…its a great story really the  boys rise to success. (The meet and greet was a great success)

Keep meaning to mention…..onliners are welcome in all comps or posters or anything….

Second instore on sat the 9th of Sept at 1 pm are local lads ATLAS ZERO who are launching their debut EP…

Sin e for this week…

Last few days before the Bowie boxset order goes up if anyone is interested…tee, mat or bag with it…

Thanks for listening,

Ray

musiczone.ie

Enough Releases For Some ‘End of Summer’ Cheering Up, The BOWIE Merch Announcement, and Return of the Moz-Man!

Hi Everyone,
Hope ye’r all doing alright this evening..
Plenty of releases on the shop floor anyway today if you want a bit of end of summer cheering up.

So we have the QUEENS OF THE STONE AGE record….Indies only LP and CDwith us… Still waiting on stock of the deluxe vinyl… Should be Monday I think… The new IRON AND WINE is with us, HAPPY ABANDONPICTURE THISNADINE SHAHWAR ON DRUGS… (sounds really good although maybe similar sounding to the last album.. If that’s a bad thing? Early Springsteen undercurrent flowing through it a bit for me, again if that’s a bad thing? We like it a lot anyway).. All of the above are new albums and we also have reissues by BOB DYLAN, UNDERWORLD and a live, acoustic album by CAGE THE ELEPHANT.

Video is also up:

SONY

Right so moving on to releases for the 1st of September, Sony have the new album by James Murphy / LCD SOUNDSYSTEM… 4th studio album by the New Yorker in case you thought t’was the fella living out the Lough by the pet shop… No ‘tis not him….. First album in 7 years from LCD…

Sony also have new album by Irish band, but global stars I think it’s fair to say,THE SCRIPT… 5th album from them lads I think… “Freedom Child” on CD, deluxe CD and LP.

Lastly Sony have some nice reissues (Sidetrack…. We get sent… As in record shop operators, owners, bluffers, assassins, boatmen…  Whatever you choose to call us… We get sent playlists by some of the record companies and while i’m working on this or something I would have it on in the background type of thing…. Well the new Kamasi Washington track stopped my train of thought completely and made me sit up and take notice… I’m far from a jazz head but I do like the sound of it…. Just said i’d share that with ye like).. Where was I?.. Yeah Sony have some nice reissues on Vinyl Record like Mr. Johnny Cash “Greatest hits” (another track far from the beaten one.. Did ye see the statement the Cash family sent out after the Charlottesville hate “rally” where one of the “nationalists” was seen wearing a Johnny Cash T-Shirt.. Worth poking it out for a read..) ELVIS “Moody Blue” 40th anniversary on blue vinyl, and SANTANA “Greatest Hits” on LP also from Sony..

THE ORCHARD have new albums by STARSAILOR and THE RAILS… If anyone is interested give us a shout on them.

PROPER

PROPER have a new MARTIN SIMPSON album for the 1st of Sept…

I see the MOZ man announced a new album this week on his own label… A new label… Distribution done by BMG/WARNERS… The MOZ man don’t hang around too long with his record labels… Whatever happens..!??! You know he has a house down in Cobh….HE’s hardly ever there but reliably informed he still has it… Retirement home maybe…

WARNER

Warner have reissues of the first two FLEET FOXES records on LP, as well as a new MOTORHEAD album… called “Under The Covers”.. It’s a covers album… Covers used before only on tribute albums, and I think 2 or 3 new tracks, well new covers and last studio recordings of Lemmy…

PIAS

PIAS for the 1st of September have the new MOGWAI album as CD, indies only clear vinyl or 2LP plus 12” boxset thingy, PARADISE LOST have a new album on Nuclear Blast entitled “Medusa” and NICK CAVE / WARREN ELLIS have the score to the movie “Wind River” as well as a 3CD set by Epica.

Ok so cap and humility in hand to the BOWIE heads… All the slagging is just for the craic of it and the hope of some enjoyable banter….

Well lads the summer has been quite you know…

On the 29th of Sept the next Bowie Box Set will hit the shops… “A New Career In A New Town”, or as some may call it “The Eno Years”… Sorry sorry look, sorry I can’t help myself…. Covers the Berlin period, and includes my own personal favourite Bowie album “Low”… So most of you probably know the content but we will put it on the bottom of the newsletter anyway…

Ok so here’s the sceal with us anyway for preorders… (The cap in hand bit)

LP SET Best Price is 235 Euro…. But you are entitled to one piece of Bowie merch… Either a T-Shirt, a Tote Bag, or a Slipmat… The Bob man will include images there in a bit of the merch..


CD SET Best Price is 130 Euro…. Same as above as regards the merch… Definitely one item of your chosen merch..

Now the T-Shirts are a bit out of my control especially size wise but I will do my very best… Be mindful of maybe having a plan B if the size don’t fit…. (And being sound about it in the unlikely event that plan A fails)… If someone wants to buy a set from us and not pushed about getting a tee, bag or mat… We will take a fiver off the quoted price above…

If I get extra merch I will have a draw amongst the pre-orderers so you may end up with two bits of merch…

If pre-ordering from us (your local, friendly shop us)  email us back ideally in the next 7 days… The sooner we have the t shirt sizes in, the more likely we will be to get the correct sizes…. Medium, Large and XL I believe are the sizes available, but there all in similar numbers re availability so you see where a problem may lie… Let’s hope Bowie fans in the greater Douglas area are not all small sizes…

Pay it over time if anyone wants or get it tucked away for Santa or the better halves also if wanted…

I’m starting to waffle… Ye get the deal i hope?

Sin é … Let us know please… Be delighted to have yer money! Hold on a second there Rocco I hear ye say… We got the cap bit… Yeah, yeah loads of that… Where’s the humility bit?.. I mulled here for a few seconds about using a famous line from the film “Jerry Maguire” before offering any Bowie humility.. I walked myself into this shite didn’t I… Here we go :

Look Bowie was one of the most innovative, clever, charismatic, unique characters the world has ever seen, not to mention the arts and music world… His likes are fairly unlikely to be seen again in a musical sphere, and certainly even more unlikely to be surpassed…. His songs and music will live on forever across races, religions and generations…. A truly incredible artist and man…
Ah christ I should have went with the Jerry Maguire line… Not the, you had me at hello one… The other one..

UNIVERSAL

Universal for the 1st of Sept have a new album by JAKE BUGG… His fourth now I think.. I like this kid and had high hopes for him at one point… Will be listening… CD only for now, LP in October.

Uni also have a THE VERVE Box Set of “Urban hymns”..  Loads of sidetracking tonight… But I managed the Golden Discs shop in Patrick St ‘cos the manager was on Mat Leave when Virgin came to Cork in either Christmas ‘97 or ‘98.. I used get the bus back then as I didn’t drive and I remember turning Singers Corner on the 4th of December to see a massive queue to get into a new record shop… Only 20 years ago… Massive queue… But that VERVE album was the biggie that Christmas… I also remember that… It’s on 5CD/DVD or 6LP set…

Uni also have new ones by NEWTON FAULKNER and HUE AND CRY, as well as the absolutely gorgeous PORTISHEAD ‘In New York With The Orchestra’… So so good that is… LP repress of it.

ROM have the new OMD record out for next Friday also…. CD/DVD or indies only yellow vinyl… Synth at its best.

Next in store coming up is on SATURDAY the 9TH of SEPT @ 1PM… Our Saturday sessions are back… So making their debut on the Music Zone.ie Towers emporium stage and launching their debut EP are really talented local lads ATLAS ZERO…

Have a listen to a tune from the EP here and check out our boy Mark hit those drums here also…

Mark is an ex-Music Zone employee who probably won’t thank me for saying but his mammy dragged him in when we were opening Douglas Court March 2012 and either, one, i was totally goosed and needed someone to start asap or, two, they caught me at the perfect mood moment… (More likely 1 id say… Me in a perfect mood??).. But it was the first and will be the only time a mammy will get someone a job in the shop… Maybe twas the look of embarrassment on Mark’s face that got him the job… Note to kids.. Go in yourself… Note to parents… Send them in themselves…

Anyway come in and support the boys and support the shop on sat the 9th of Sept @ 1PM if you’re around..

If anyone is still with me..

Sin e for this week
Thanks for listening
Ray
musiczone.ie

——-
Hey guys,
Bobby here quickly with the contents of the Bowie Box. Email was long this week so could clip and cut out, but should be a ‘continue reading’ option below. If it doesn’t clip, sorry that you have to listen on to my waffle. (My waffle is easy work tonight, copy and paste job from the rep!)

‘The follow-up to the awarding winning and critically acclaimed DAVID BOWIE ‘FIVE YEARS (1969 – 1973)’ and DAVID BOWIE ‘WHO CAN I BE NOW? (1974 – 1976)’ will be released on 29th September and will contain a brand new remix of the 1979 album ‘LODGER’ by long time Bowie producer/collaborator Tony Visconti, in a 13LP Set’
Contains :
84 Page hardback book
Low (remastered) (1LP)
“Heroes” (remastered) (1LP)
“Heroes” E.P. (remastered) (12” Single)*
Stage (remastered) (2LP Yellow Vinyl) *
Stage (2017) (remastered)  (3LP)
Lodger (remastered) (1LP)
Lodger (Tony Visconti 2017 Mix) (1LP)*
Scary Monsters (And Super Creeps) (1LP)
Re:Call 3 (non-album singles, single versions and b-sides) (remastered) (2LP)*

MASSIVE week next week : QOTSA / War On Drugs Limited LPs.. Happy Abandon / Picture This Limited and Signed LPs!

How’s it going folks,

Hope yer all doing alright…

New Releases in the shop today on Vinyl record and CD include new albums by GHOSTPOET, GRIZZLY BEAR, RANDY NEWMAN (new album on LP),STEVEN WILSON, EVERYTHING EVERYTHING and reissues by NEIL YOUNG(a blast off them), THE STYLE COUNCIL, INTERPOL, and BIGGIE.

Or video is back this week for those who prefer to see before they spend!!

Cracking week of releases coming up on the 25th of August… Man where do I start…

PIAS

PIAS get the nod… So firstly is the new QUEENS OF THE STONE AGE album “Villains” on a blast of formats… Some QOTSA fans may consider them villains and not be fully gone on this but i think it sounds great… The lead single is a rock n’ roll song wrapped up in a bubblegum pop song… Mark Ronson’s influence, or in some eyes poison, gan doubt… It’s available as CD, and three different LP formats… Gatefold DLP, deluxe DLP tipped on sleeve plus 14 art prints, and finally indies only LP which is the same as above but with alternative cover artwork… First big album for the 25th..

Pias also have the Sam Beam aka IRON AND WINE record out on the 25th called “Beast Epic” on Sub Pop Records and from what I heard it’s a gorgeous listen… Here’s the new single…. Is that even a word in this industry anymore… In the physical industry anyway… I know it is but ye get my drift… Changed times… That ship has sailed Raymond…. 6th album on CD and a deluxe LP edition which includes a bonus LP featuring exclusive tracks and demos with a special etching on the B-Side.

Slight side track…. I keep meaning to mention…. We get posters and we sometimes try and keep them but we have no space so after we use them we are going to offer them to any takers… Unless specified these are all shop window size.. We have a couple this week. We have savage poster size (if that makes sense, like posters you’d buy in a shop) + 12” Record size cardboard sheets to give out to anyone who Pre-Orders the Queens of the Stone Age LP with us. Check out the double sided poster below! (While stock lasts!!!)

We also have normal sized release posters of Erasure ‘World Be Gone’, 2 foot by 2 foot posters of the recent Beach House Rarities release, and finally a Aldous Harding poster. First come first serve with these so if interested pop a mail back and we’ll put you’re name on it!

PIAS also has a KORPIKLAANI live album, a debut by GORDI and some MARK LANEGAN LP reissues “Field Songs”, “Scraps at Midnight” and one whose names escapes me (that’s not the title)..

Pias has an interesting one also from NADINE SHAH… Her third record i think called “Holiday Destination” sounds really good… I really like what I hear so far… Read a bit of an interview where she spoke about themes running through the record, one theme been modern societies empathy or more to the point lack of empathy… There was an influx of refugees onto the Greek island of Kos when Nadine was there which was the inspiration for the album title… Because all that was on the news was holidaymakers complaining about the influx…. ‘It’s spoiling my holidays like’ type of thing.. No mention of the asylum seekers being human beings like… I’m not going to go down the Trump road this week to be honest…It’s too f**ked up…  

But a little by the way… The signed copies of the HAPPY ABANDON LPs and CDs landed with us…. Al personally signed with lovely quirky humorous remarks… One was : ‘Dear Donal, Thank you for not having a “d” at the end of your name.’

(Problem is now I have two Donals with pre-orders in… so may have to toss a coin there lads!)

We had no input into notes on the records… That was mainly Peter the lead singers doing… Quality some are..

One of my other favourites… Sorry now Paud…
‘Dearest Paudie. So… So… Like… Your name….  Is it pronounced like potty? If so.. That’s awesome!’

So the HAPPY ABANDON LP and CD is out next friday also the 25th of August….

WARNER

Warner have a few cracker jacks for next Friday the 25th also… The new WAR ON DRUGS record being one obviously… On CD,  DLP or indies only clear vinyl DLP…. Have not got round to listening to any of it yet but I loved the last one so really looking forward to it…. Will have to have a listening queue of CDs in the shop for next week….

Listening to the newest LAURA MARLING album again recently… Beautiful listen.

Warner also have what will no doubt be the biggest selling Irish album of the year next Friday…. PICTURE THIS…. Album will arrive on 25th of August on CD and LP and the two lads, Ryan and Jimmy will be in MusicZone.ie Towers on Monday the 4th of Sept at 5 PM…. It’s a wristband job as I mentioned before so give us a nod if you want to get in!!

The lads are from Athy and friends since they were small fellas and write their own tunes and play their own instruments so brilliant… More power to them…. And we’re one of a thousand leeches on them over the next month or so… But sure… That’s the game they’re in now… When you’re hot everyone wants ya, and vice versa then i’m afraid… It’s great promo for us to be associated with them as there only Munster appearance… But sorry for being a leech boys.. We try and support up and coming acts, not them support us but sure look if there’s gonna be only one in store… We rather it be us i suppose… We’re not Mother Theresa like!

Warner also have a new album by PVRIS “All We Know Of Heaven, All We Need Of Hell” on CD and indies only LP as well as a new PAUL WELLER 4 track 7’’ “Woo Se Mama”..

UNIVERSAL

Universal for the 25th of August have new albums by CADILLAC THREE “Legacy” and SHANE FILAN, a BOB SEGER Greatest Hits CD, and vinyl reissues by UNDERWORLD “Beaucoup Fish”, and STEVIE WONDER’sabsolute classic “Songs In The Key Of Life”… Triple LP but 40 bucks.

SONY

SONY for the 25th of Aug have the CAGE THE ELEPHANT “ Live and Unpeeled” LP, as well as some LP reissues by DEEP PURPLE “Battle Rages On”, and DYLAN’s “Oh Mercy” , “Hard Rain”, “Brandeis Univ” “Good As I Been To You”.

THE ORCHARD have a solo album by IAN FELICE “In The Kingdom Of Dreams”

PROPER

PROPER for the 25th of August have a JANE’S ADDICTION Live CD/DVD job as well as a couple of LOUVIN BROTHERS LP reissues…. Good aul’ old sytle country..

Look sin é for this week i suppose,
I think a bit more happening on the in-stores front in the next few weeks…
Will keep ye kind folks informed anyway
Thanks for listening
Ray
musiczone.ie

 

Winter is Coming, A Couple From Small Dose at Coughlans, and RIP The Rhinestone Cowboy

Hey Everyone,

How’s things?

Bob-man on duty tonight, bit quiet again on the release front, both with what’s in-store this week and what’s out next week.. So no smiling assassin just yet, but is September looking great or what?? Maybe Ray will buy me a kayak, yachts are a bit fancy for me..

Out today in the shop is the GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY 2 SOUNDTRACKMIDNIGHT OIL’s VINYL BOXSET COLLECTION, As well as reissues of NEIL YOUNG’s ‘DECADE’WU-TANG’s ‘LEGEND OF WU-TANG’THE MENACE II SOCIETY SOUNDTRACK ON RED VINYL, and ASLAN’S ‘FEEL NO SHAME’. CD releases this week from KESHA and a 2CD R.E.M reissue of ‘PART LIES PART HEART’..

Quiet, see? No, next week actually isn’t too bad, especially after the month of July..

WARNER

We’ll crack on with releases for next week, Aug 18th so. From Warner there are the next batch of NEIL YOUNG reissues, and a few nice one’s to be fair. ‘American Stars and Bars’, ‘Comes A Time’, ‘Live Rust’, ‘Long May You Run’ and ‘Rust Never Sleeps’. Encompasses 1976-1979.. 5 albums (be it one live album in there, we’ll leave you off Neil) in three years. These days it’s taking bands 3 or 4 years to release one album. Too much time spent making it sound perfect, picking the right songs? Who knows, I prefer it the King Gizzard way anyway, pelt out 5 albums a year, no bothers. (Disclaimer : It takes me about a year to write a song).

Other reissues out next week from Warner include Boston Irish punk rockers THE DROPKICK MURPHY’s reissue of ‘The Warrior’s Code’, and EAGLES‘Greatest 1+2’ LP set. BIGGIE’s ‘Born Again’ is out on vinyl, as well 2CD reissues of a couple of WATERBOY’s classics ‘Fisherman’s Blues’,‘Room To Roam’ and ‘This is the Sea’.. (Fisherman’s also reissued on vinyl next week again!).

Finally from Warner the new RANDY NEWMAN album ‘Dark Matter’ get’s it’s appearance on vinyl after coming out on CD a week or two ago. ‘Tis a fine listen’ wrote in Ray’s notes, so there ye are!

UNIVERSAL

Universal for the 18th of August have the next two STYLE COUNCIL LP reissues, ‘Our Favourite Shop’ on indies only limited lilac coloured vinyl, and ‘The Cost Of Living’ on indies only limited orange vinyl. Did I mention the word limited? Limited.

INTERPOL have the 10th Anniversary edition of their classic ‘Our Love To Admire’ on 2LP or 2LP+DVD, or CD/DVD. Uni next week also have the new STEVEN WILSON ‘To The Bone’ on CD, Blu Ray or 2LP. Looking forward to giving this one a spin!

PIAS

PIAS for next week have the new GHOSTPOET album ‘Dark Days and Canapes’ on CD, LP or indies only coloured white vinyl (Ray left the word limited out of his notes, will have to have a word with him). But he did leave ye this nice note : ‘Great voice… He creates a great atmosphere. A bit like the Tricky kid. Only heard Franklin from it but sounds really good’.

And it’s limited, just so ye know.

PIAS also have the NICK CAVE and WARREN ELLIS ‘War Machine’ OST Score on CD, the new ELUVEITIE album ‘Evocation II – Pantheon’ on CD and 2LP, and a new one from THY ART IS MURDER.

Sad news this week with the passing of GLEN CAMPBELL. A fine guitar player who has played with just about everyone during the sixties, Elvis, Nelson, Sinatra, and of course his stint with the Beach Boys. As well as his numerous guest appearances as a guitarist, he released 60 studio albums over 55 years, and bridged a line between country and popular music. There was a documentary that deals with his final tour released a few years ago which many people have been chatting to us in the shop about over the week. Meant to be a very difficult watch, dealing with his alzheimer’s and what that meant for touring, but will definitely have to give it a watch myself over the next week or two. RIP to the Rhinestone Cowboy, Adios to a legend.

SONY

SONY for the 18th have the new GRIZZLY BEAR album ‘Painted Ruins’, a new EVERYTHING EVERYTHING album ‘A Fever Dream’, and a new release from one from WILDWOOD KIN, a female folk 3 piece Exeter across the pond, sounds good!

Finally from Sony for next week is a couple of PATTI SMITH LP reissues, including ‘Radio Ethiopia’, ‘Wave’ the classic ‘Outside Society’.

And finally on the release front, Orchard for next week have a new album from THE CRIBS ‘24-7 Rock Star Shit’. Used the aul’ 5 days recording with Steve Albini straight to tape trick. Could be a cracking sounding record. Also from Orchard is the new UNKLE album as a deluxe 2CD or deluxe 2LP format.

A little surprise (not really a surprise, it’s gonna be in the title of this newsletter) for ye tonight, with a couple of clips from my own band SMALL DOSE’s set at Coughlan’s from last month. Ray wrote up in the contract that as well as wanting 50% of all the rights, he wants to us to tease people week by week with just one video, before putting the full gig up. But because i’m sound i’ll share two with ye. A huge thank you again to Tim McSweeney for shooting this for us on the night! So enjoy ‘Rise Again’ and ‘Swim’.

 

That’s it from me guys, boss-man is back Monday and here for the long haul then! Busy couple of weeks on the release front and then Christmas. I think that’s the second mention in the newsletters over the last few weeks. Winter is coming alright!
Thanks guys,
Bobby
www.musiczone.ie

 

Picture This Appearance in the Music Zone HQ, Re-Watch the Happy Abandon Gig in Coughlan’s and an RSD Reissue.. Again..

Hi Folks,

Hope all is well..

Bits and pieces, LPs and CDs in the shop today include new albums by FANGCLUBGEORGE THOROGOODBLACK GRAPE and a new EP on limited blue vinyl from COLDPLAY…. A blast of reissues on vinyl record today also by ELVISTHE MANICSKEANEICE CUBEBRIAN ENO, PAUL SIMONCYPRESS HILLAMON AMARTH  and the 30th Anniversary classic “Hysteria” by DEF LEPPARD.

Bob-man is back in this weeks video… Give it a watch and a thumbs up!

 

My (only playful) teasing and goading of the Bowie fans was met by a strong and dignified silence last week…. It kind of concerns me…. Because to think that not 12 months ago the shop and I were subject to terrifying ransom demands after a famous piece of Bowie art was stolen in the cold of the night from the shop… The culprits’ silence speaks volumes and maybe I have overstepped the mark… I have left clues about suspects in the shop in case anything mysteriously happens to me… or Bobby for that matter in the near future…. I must state Bobby had nothing to do with any perceived slags of the great one.

Moving on to releases for the 11th August… Just before that… Heard a few tracks from the new QUEENS OF THE STONE AGE record out on the 25th of August and I must say I absolutely LOVE them… May not be what QOSA fans expect, with MARK RONSON on production but for me so far I think it could be an absolute belter, as I also think THE NATIONAL’s record in Sept will be.. Also heard some of the new IRON AND WINE and Mr. Beam doesn’t disappoint either…. It’s gorgeous…. So the poor mouth stuff will be stopping soon!!… Anyway back to the 11th…

UNIVERSAL

UNIVERSAL have a 40-track career spanning best of from R.E.M which features 3 songs exclusive to this release…. 5CD set of the A+M years by THE TUBES….. GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY 2 gets its vinyl release… There is a DLP which includes the score as well as the soundtrack, or the single LP which is just the soundtrack.

Universal also have the classic soundtrack by JOHN WILLIAMS for the film “Raiders Of the Lost Ark” on DLP as well as THE NEW RADICALS “Maybe You’ve Been Brainwashed Too” which would have that huge hit… You know the one.

SONY

SONY for the 11th of August have a new album by KESHA, as well as ELVIS “50 Greatest Hits” across 2 CDs… Small meaningless story… I was born in March ‘74 and we went on hols to Kerry in August ‘77… The folks had rented a house in Kerry… We were going with our cousins… 6 bodies in each clan… But when the posse landed in Kerry, the lady in the house wouldn’t accept us… She thought the house was going to be rented to one family… Problem… So the parents rented one caravan (only one available, not complete cheap skates… I dont think so anyway!) but there was a hole in the roof (small enough hole, but that’s why it wasn’t rented).. So 12 of us into one caravan in Ballyheigue with a hole in the roof…Bucket on the floor for half the week… There was more… One of my cousins (I was the youngest of the 8 kids) spent a night spraying the caravan with vomit… Hardly an inch of the caravan escaped I believe… But here’s the thing, the only thing I remember about that “holiday”  was someone called ELVIS was dead… I kid you not…I remember being outside the steps of the caravan as an adult was talking about ELVIS being dead to the other adults… I remember the shock of it from the grown ups….. i did warn ye at the start about the story… the unsubscribe button seriously tempting i’d say… It’s kind of musically related… I suppose point being, ELVIS passing was huge news only matched maybe by Lennon, Cobain and Bowie… (complement lads with no strings…)

Sony also has reissues on LP by BOSTON (mega mega selling debut) , WU-TANG (Greatest Hits) and DJ JAZZY JEFF AND THE FRESH PRINCE “He’s the DJ, I’m the Rapper”.

PROPER

Proper for the 11th of August has RICHARD THOMPSON “Acoustic Classics Volume 2” on CD, and the new DAVID RAWLINGS “Poor David’s Almanack” on CD or LP… Vinyl pricy i’m afraid…

MUSIC ON VINYL

MUSIC ON VINYL have a reissue of “Roots and Echoes” by THE CORAL.

REPUBLIC OF MUSIC have a LAMPCHOP 12” single.

WARNER

Warner have the NEIL YOUNG “Decade” 3LP set… The non RSD version… Quite a few bucks cheaper than the RSD one too… Hmmm… They have the debut album by RATBOY and INCANTATION  “Profane Nexus”, their 10th studio album.

PIAS

PIAS for the 11th have a DWIGHT YOAKAM “Live From Austin Texas” on CD/DVD or LP.

THE ORCHARD for the 11th have the new album by THE DISTRICT’S “Popular Manipulation”

On the local scene a new EP is due out towards the end of the month, or early september  from our boys CROJAYN… So really looking forward to that one… MARC O REILLY has a new album also and we should have copies of that one fairly soon also..

We’re delighted to also have the video of the HAPPY ABANDON gig from Coughlan’s, shot brilliantly by our house camera genius Tim McSweeney now up for your viewing pleasure.. The lads really blew us away in the shop.. Album due out in next few weeks, but to get a taster give it a watch… Hope it captures how great they were.. And please do us and the lads favour and give it a share around.. Thanks again to everyone involved!

 

The opening band.. Well.. We’re having contract issues in regards to the rights.. The video is in exsistance, but quality control through management is holding it up.. Bobby needs to guarantee his hair covers his face enough, must be written in every contract according to his manager, someone emailing under the name Sir Robert… Only slagging, the lads will have their video ready shortly for us too, so looking forward to that one!…

Lastly a big coup for the shop… PICTURE THIS release their debut album on Friday the 25th of August… The lads only in store in the munster region will be in our gaff on Monday the 4th of September @ 5PM… So if you are a fan, or your sons or daughters are, nieces or nephews are, grannies or grandas are, and they want to meet the lads…. You might let them know and spread the word please… It’s a bit of limited wristband job… So anyone who buys the album is entitled to a wristband but they will be limited… I don’t know what to expect really but these boys sold out the Marquee times two here in the summer and I think sold out the 3 arena times 3 in November… The lads I think are on a Munster promo tour that day doing all the big radio stations, so it should be nice exposure for the siopa… Strange time I know but sure if you know any diehards let them know please..

Sin e for this week folks,

Im taking a few days again next week folks… Poor mouth me liathroidi Raymond… So young Bobby will give ye a few words then it’s back at it proper for the next long while… We are a year in the new shop on the 11th of August… Crikey that’s fairly scary isn’t it..

Slán folks

Thanks for listening,

Ray

www.musiczone.ie

The End Of The Summer Drought (Yacht Cleaner Needed), 30 Years of Classic Albums Until When?, and a Kaleidoscope Blue Vinyl!

Hey Everyone,

Hope ye’r doing alright…

Vinyl record releases and CD releases in the the siopa for today the 28th of July include new albums by ARCADE FIREALICE COOPER and ELVIS as well as a 6LP compilation set by Trojan records.

Reissues for today are by THE LASPET SHOP BOYS, GROOVE ARMADASUPER FURRIESTIM BUCKLEY,  GILLIAN WELCH and the mighty IRON MAIDEN.

Or for you video lovers,  Had a bit of an audience this afternoon.

The summer drought is coming to an end and quite a few nice ones are on the distant sunset like an oasis… THE NATIONALWAR ON DRUGSIRON AND WINEPICTURE THISQOTSAFOO FIGHTERS, GARY NUMAN and MOGWAI to name a few … All released from august 25 to sept 15… Then there’s a little matter of a BOWIE box-set in late September also… Better start being nice to the Bowieheads again i suppose, the yacht doesn’t clean itself like…… Who said Bowie was overrated, and the Berlin albums were more ENO albums than Bowie albums??… Not I, I cry…. Or the Blackstar album was more Donny than David… I’d say no no no…. More to follow on that Bowie box.

But the drought isn’t quite over though…. ARCADE FIRE might light up the summer a bit though today..

WARNER

Releases in the shop for next Friday the 4th of August include via Warner the new COLDPLAY ‘Kaleidoscope’ EP …  New 5 track on CD and limited blue vinyl… The Bob man got a nice junket from the good folks at Warner recently to see the COLDPLAY lads in Croker… Wine and dined and rubbing shoulders with the stars in some box in Croker was our Bob…. He enjoyed the gig too! He said they were very good….

Warner also have a new RANDY NEWMAN album on CD only for now…. Top top songsmith as ye folks don’t need telling… This one is titled ‘Dark Matter’, his first album in 9 years..

UNIVERSAL

UNIVERSAL for the 4th of August has Dublin three piece FANGCLUB whom release their debut record on Universal’s Vertigo label… This will be well worth a listen i’d say.

BLACK GRAPE are back with a new album next friday also through Uni.. EAGLES OF DEATH METAL ‘Live at the Olympia’ in Paris is an emotionally charged return by the band after the horror of what happened in the Bataclan.

Universal also have the 30th Anniversary Edition of DEF LEPPARD’s “Hysteria” on 5CD/2DVD, 2CD or 2LP.. Classic album I suppose it has to be said… Hair metal rocks!! That record spawned about 5 or 6 huge singles to be fair to it… 30 years ago and a shit load of change… Is it my old man’s hat on again when I ask about the diminish of quality or are the great records like fine wines….

So 30 years ago this year we had THE JOSHAPPETITE, STRANGEWAYSSIGN OF THE TIMESBAD, TUNNEL OF LOVE, MUSIC FOR THE MASSES, DIESEL AND DUST, HYSTERIA…. The album titles speak for themselves…. Will some fella in 30 years be mentioning the classic albums from 2017 like FOO FIGHTERS, KENDRICKARCADE FIRETHE XX, JASON ISBELL, THE NATIONAL, MARK EITZEL, PAUL WELLER, SMALL DOSE, HAPPY ABANDON…. It doesn’t look overly likely to be fair…. Will there be albums in 30 years, record shops, music mags?…
(Note from Bob-Man.. Rick Ross’ ‘Never Gonna Give You Up’ turned thirty yesterday to the day… Just thought i’d subtly drop that in there, make of it what you want!)

Where’s that fella Bowie when you need him huh? (that’s as good as ye’ll get from me Bowie Suits… For now anyway, until the real crawling starts)

Fecks if i’ve a clue where it will all go… Odds are against the Class of 17 though i’d say…

I start these ramblings wondering how to fill the pages, but a tangent appears like a classic record… So you never know.

UNI also have a new album by GEORGE THOROGOOD…. His first ever solo record would you believe, and they have some nice reissues on vinyl by the aforementioned BRIAN ENO… These are limited double LPs at half speed 45RPM… Includes ‘Another Green World’ , ‘Before and After Science’, ‘Here Comes the Warm Jets’ and ‘Taking Tiger Mountain’, as well as ICE CUBE’s‘Death Cert’ and KEANE’s ‘Hope and Fears’ LP reissue…. Slag me all ye want but I thought that was a good record, I like piano based stuff usually anyway but sure we’re all different like!

SONY

SONY continue their clean out of the MOV vaults with a few nice reissues including CYPRESS HILLTHE MANICS, THE CLASH and PAUL SIMON whom by accounts is.. Still crazy after all these years… Fingers crossed he won’t sue me…

PIAS

PIAS for the 4th have the new album by ACCEPT and not a lot else really i’d say.

Best album of the year could be in there with Pias next week but I ain’t heard it… Is that another huge problem?… Information overkill… Everywhere… Blah blah blah blah blah blah blah… Let he who hath not, cast the first stone I here ye cry… I know… It’s the bolloxology of business today.. Info info info… Blah blah blah…. The problem is the best music may not win the day… Snd that’s a shame, all blah aside..

PROPER

PROPER for the 4th of August have the MATRIX soundtrack on vinyl… First timer I think but savage pricey… As well as the new DANNY BRYANT record on LP.

THE ORCHARD have the new SOCCER MOMMY album on CD, CASSETTE and LP.

Music On Vinyl

Music On Vinyl have represses of the MENACE II SOCIETY OST hopefully on red vinyl, HIGHWAYMEN 2LP and BUDDY GUY ‘Blues Singer’ LP.

On the local scene not a whole pile of albums been released that i’m aware of anyway… Maybe i’m missing out on a few bits?.. Please let me know if so..

Im sure I mentioned the TALOS record a few months back but a fine listen it really is… Check out a little here…

Just caught Talos there a few minutes ago on Other Voices while I was giving Bonnie a bottle (rock n’ roll folks, rock n’ roll) excellent they were.

So sin é for this week folk, I suppose,

Was going to mention the Mercurys.. Next week maybe if I think of it

Thanks as always for listening,

Ray

www.musiczone.ie

 

A Day and Night of Arcade Fire, A Signed First Pressing Special, and Another Dark Day in Rock Music

Hi Everyone,
Hope life’s treating ye all ok..
Well, well, well… Maybe I had beer tinged ears or emotions last thursday night in Coughlans but our boys from the US of A blew me away, absolutely blew me away… I thought HAPPY ABANDON were truly awesome… It was a cracking night… Bobby’s gang SMALL DOSE were a great opener… In great form they were, played really well… But I think Bobby would agree our stateside friends stole the show… They were cracking and there was a great vibe in the room the whole night…. The room was jammed for Small Dose but thinned out a little bit after.
You wonder sometimes are you biased a bit when you have a small bit more involvement in an event/gig like this… But I think the room loved it.. So maybe i’m not biased…Tim done a video of the night’s proceedings so I  hope the footage captures the buzz in the room and the buzz from the band… From rocking out onto been able to hear a pin drop, they played with such energy, skill, passion and abandon oh such Happy Abandon… Will show  ye guys the video when we have it… For me either way it will live long in the memory…. And maybe just maybe this gig will be spoke about in years to come… These boys have a real real chance in my opinion…. Sound lads to boot.
Special word here must also go to Coughlans… Sweet to deal with… And seriously in it for the right reasons… Fed and watered our American guests for the day and night… Every bob taken for tickets and on the door goes to the musicians….. Big thanks to them…
Right so onto the upselling… I think i’m changing my mind a little on this upselling craic!!
Ye hardly thought it was just the gig i’d try and sell… Only kinda kidding
HAPPY ABANDON’s debut record comes out globally on the 25th of August on CD and LP.. Indies only splattered vinyl available to us…. The LP is 25 euro and the CD IS 15 euro…. I’m hoping that won’t change… Shipping from the states is a bit expensive…  Depends on numbers a bit

Also, also, also and here’s the great thing… The three lads from the band have agreed to sign each album Music Zone buys from them… ie ‘To Joe Bloggs… Hope you like the record…Peter, Justin and Jake’.. . So let us know by next Thursday if any of ye are interested in getting a SIGNED first pressing copy of the album on CD or LP….
Imagine now…. a long pause as you take that last sentence in..
The assassin is back with a bang!
Slight pause again…
Picture me cheesily blowing imaginary smoke from the tips of my forefingers ….

 

Right so moving onto to stuff in the shop today…

SONY

We have new albums from DECLAN MCKENNA and PAUL HEATON/JACQUI ABBOTT and LANA DEL REY… The latter two are only here on CD for now…. Today we also have reissues by MARILLIONTHE RAMONESROXY MUSIC, ELTON JOHN and BRAVEHEART Soundtrack…. Not sure if Braveheart is a reissue, could well be a first timer on vinyl… A lot of stuff from the early noughties would not have ever been pressed on vinyl back then.

Or if you’d prefer, check the video of the last few weeks releases here! :



Ok so not ok so as we move on to releases for next Friday the 28th July…  Jays the year is nearly gone… Winter is only around the corner… The biggest release for next week gan aon dabht is the new ARCADE FIRE record on CD and LP…. Day and Night versions… The day ones are standard versions to be found everywhere in the sky etc but the night version of the CD is indies only  (like us!) as is the LP…. different artwork on both, and the night version LP is on limited blue vinyl… Did I mention we are taking names, well if I didnt we are… So you know the drill if you would like a copy…..



Aahh shit… It’s 21.57 on Thursday night as I write this and  I just glanced at our twitter… Ah man my heart sank…  Chester Bennington is dead… Holy shit… Suicide twitter is saying… I dunno… Tis terrible tragic….I had a five minute conversation with a customer who was passing through this morning about Chester… Random one, the guy was looking for Hybrid Theory, and we had a discussion about Linkin Park…. (He had lost his copy)…. He seemed to know a shit load about Chester through some cousin, who’s a friend or something, and said that Chester loved Cork and would be over here a few times a year on the beer… Random conversation I know… Maybe your man was pulling my leg… I didn’t think so though… Man that’s just awful news again… Terribly sorry to hear that… Rest in peace Chester.

 

Sony also has some GROOVE ARMADA LP reissues of Vertigo and Goodbye Country/Hello Niteclub… Two beauts in my opinion…. Lastly Sony has an early ELVIS release… ‘The Boy From Tupelo 53 – 55’ Complete Recordings..

WARNER

Warner for the 28th of July have the last batch of IRON MAIDEN LP reissues which are ‘Death On The Road’, ‘En Vivo’, ‘Flight 666’ and ‘The Final Frontier’.
Warner also has some PET SHOP BOYS reissues on CD and LP of ‘Fundamental’, ‘Nightlife and Release’, TIM BUCKLEY ‘Hello and Goodbye’ LP REISSUE and lastly there is a 20th Anniversary reissue of SUPER FURRY ANIMALS ‘Radiator’.

PROPER

Proper for the 28th have the new JAMES VINCENT MCMORROW record on vinyl ‘True care’.

UNIVERSAL

Universal for the 28th of July have the new JVM (as above) on CD…. Don’t ask… I dunno why they both have a format… UNI also have the new ALICE COOPER album ‘Paranormal” his 20th release… They also have more PETER GABRIEL LP reissues again, half speed 45 RPM numbered and limited editions of ‘Birdy’ ‘Passion’ and ‘Long Walk Home’.
Universal also have THE MISSION’s first five LPs reissued including ‘Carved in Sand’ and ‘Gods Own Medicine’, as well as the reissue of THE LAs on LP, this time on 180gram standard vinyl for the first time.

PIAS

PIAS have a JOHN COLTRANE set from the European tour of 1961 as well as RAGE and RINGS OF SATURN releases.
THE ORCHARD have the new FALL album ‘New Facts Emerge’ on CD or 2×10” LPs, as well as some AMON AMARTH LP reissues ‘Fates of Norms’ and ‘With Oden On Our Side’.

We put our mini-documentary from RSD17, done by our good friend Tim up on the site in the last week or two, but said we would send out the link directly tonight to ye.. Once again, if ye’ve 40 spare minutes and a beer, it’s a great watch.. Cracking performances from cracking performers.. RAISING JUPITER, JACK O’ ROURKE, MARLENE ENRIGHT, ANNA MITCHELL, CROW BLACK CHICKEN, MILKY TEETH, CROJAYN and finally WE CUT CORNERS. All cracking, and some nice footage from the day.. Give it a thumbs up and share for us on YouTube if ye want, it would be great

Crikey that Chester thing really knocked me…. HYBRID THEORY blew up the summer the shop opened in 2001… Twas massive…. I don’t know what to say.. The lyrics from the new album are harrowing now as I listen to it.. The opening lines ‘i’m dancing with my demons, hanging off the edge.. Trying to chase out the darkness ‘cause nobody can save me now’..
Harrowing.. A man with 6 children in so much pain and agony that he choses to separate himself from them.. ‘Sorry for now that I couldn’t be around.. There will be a day when you might understand’.. About suicide and depression I believe you can’t really comment unless you walk a mile in another man’s shoes.. The only comment is that it’s a huge tragedy and a horrible horrible illness.. So sick it can make you chose that end… I suppose I, and a lot of us, are lucky that on a daily basis we are not ‘trying to find the courage to fight my inner beast’ and crying ‘desperately to not leave any of you guys down’.. I’m completely knocked again this year…. Ah man.. Rest in peace..
Sin e for this week
Thanks for listening
Ray

Ticket Competition for Fleet Foxes, Radiohead ‘OKNOTOK’ Part 2, and Tickets Nearly Gone For Coughlans Live : Happy Abandon / Small Dose!

 

Hey Everyone,

Hope all is well with you all.

Mini Smiling Assassin here, the Bob Man for a change as Ray’s walking down beaches somewhere! Looking at his yacht out on the horizon, grinning from cheek to cheek. Very nice i’d say.

Quiet week on the release front for in-shop today, we’ve been spoiled the last few weeks but summer is officially kicking in which can be tame.

In the shop today includes THE CURE, MAX RICHTER, GOV’T MULE, LCD SOUNDSYSTEM, JOHN HOLT, SAM AMIDON, BEACH HOUSE, THE HIGHWAYMEN, G3, and PETER PERRETT..

No video for ye this week. Next week I may try the first ever selfie video with the records. My ugly mug next to the LPs, would only scare ye away i’d say.

We’ll crack on to releases for next Friday July 7th.

PIAS

We’ll start with PIAS, who have one of the biggest releases with RADIOHEAD’s ‘ONOTOK’. But wasn’t that last week Bobby? Have you already made a mistake? No no no. This week there’s a box set version release! A week after the release of the normal LP. Couldn’t they have released it the same day? Anything for the dollars i’d say, unfortunately. Nonetheless, it is a bit of a nice set so sit back and watch the Mini Smiling Assassin work his magic!
The boxset contains the 3LP album, with a hardcover book containing over 30 different prints (most not seen before) and lyrics for the tracks (well, the tracks that actually have lyrics), as well as a notebook with 104 pages of scrawled notes from Yorke’s library of work from the time, a 48 page sketchbook of Donwood and Tchock (the boy-os responsible for Radiohead’s artwork) pre-work for the covers, and most the selling point. Drum roll please… A C90 cassette mixtape compiled by the lads taken from the ‘Ok Computer’ archives of sessions and demos..

PIAS also have a new THIS IS THE KIT album on indies only red vinyl, called ‘Moonshine Freeze’, as well as a BLIND GUARDIAN ‘Live Beyond The Spheres’ 4LP set or 3CD set. Not gonna try to guess what type of metal band this, I may get in trouble from a few of ye. Hair metal? Oh no sorry, the hair-metal flag is being flown by DECAPITATED this week with ‘Anticult’ on CD or LP through PIAS. Sorry Luke, don’t hate me.

Another nice one through PIAS for next week is the new PUBLIC SERVICE BROADCASTING album ‘Every Valley’ on indies only clear vinyl. Really like these guys in the shop, worth checking out, definitely a bit different. This album captures a journey down the mineshafts of the south Wales Valleys. Will be interesting for sure.

WARNER

We’ll move onto Warner next for the 7th of July.. STAX Records celebrates it’s 60th Anniversary with a series of reissues this year, and first up in this is ALBERT KING’s ‘Born Under A Bad Sign’ on vinyl. 20EUR price on this, which is great. There’s also a DR. FEELGOOD 4CD Set out through Warner next week entitled ‘Lee Brilleaux : Rock N’ Roll Gentleman’, which celebrates the 20 years he was in the band.

There’s a 2CD K.D. LANG ‘Ingenue’ 25th Anniversary Edition which includes 8 unheard tracks from the MTV Unplugged Session and a few other bits, and death metalers NICKELBACK have three vinyl record reissues… Well, one reissue, two first timers on vinyl.. ‘Silver Side Up’, ‘The Long Road’, and ‘The Right Reason’. Luke, I really am sorry for that one. I swear.

Finally through Warner is OTIS REDDING ‘Great Ottis Redding Sings Soul Ballads’ and ‘The Soul Album’ reissued on vinyl.

UNIVERSAL

Universal also have a few nice bits for July 7th.. First up is the return of HAIM with their second album ‘Something To Tell You’ on CD. LP pushed back to 15/08/17, so a bit of a wait i’m afraid HAIM fans. Graham Bennett has a new live CD out through Universal, and there’s also a Trevor Jone’s Original Soundtrack to LABYRINTH. Grand little guest musician on this one.. Someone by the name of BOWIE. Wasn’t going to mention it in-case Ray tell’s me i’m up-selling to the poor Bowie heads, but I wouldn’t mind my own yacht being honest.

Another great one from the land of records! Remember our rants about the PAUL WELLER’s being too expensive (nearly 40EUR on the shelf) over the last few months. Well now ‘Stanley Road’ is getting reissued again, but this time will be cheaper! Those who didn’t buy it day 1 will be delighted, those who have already bought it, we apologize. Finally from Universal for July 7th is a CHEMICAL BROTHERs reissue of the classic ‘Dig Your Own Hole’ on silver indies only vinyl.

Trying to figure out how Ray gets to his random tangents in the newsletters is proving difficult. There’s been quite a few heated rants over the last few weeks, so I’ve decided to tone it down this week (we’ll see about next week). Many of ye will know i’ve been working here with Ray for quite some time now, coming up to six years now (AND STILL NO YACHT?!!!), but Music Zone has been a big part of my life since I was about 8 i’d say. I looked the same then, just a bit more like a beardless Hozier. Besides buying my first Shaggy CD of ‘It Wasn’t Me’ off him, growing up I was constantly in with Ray asking him to play different CDs for me while I just aimlessly flicked and listened, buying about every 1 in 10. I do blame myself just a little bit for the anger in some of the rants, must have been very annoying! And i’ll never forget the day I went down for my ‘interview’ (I use the term lightly) with Ray after he told my dad that there could be Christmas work that year if I was looking. After heading down to the shop in Carrigaline twice and missing him (always dossing isn’t he?), the third time lucky he was sitting down at the computers getting his weekly orders done. Never have I been so nervous, first job interview, what if I f**ked it up?. After standing outside the shop out of sight for about 10 minutes trying to gather the courage to go in, the conversation went a bit like this :

‘Hi Ray, dad said to pop in to you as there could be Christmas work this year?’
‘Ah yeah, do you want a job?’
‘That’d be great!’
‘Cool you start Monday’’.

If the ‘interview’ lasted 30 seconds I would be surprised. 6 years on and Ray’s the exact same, safe to say the nerves are gone! Anyway that’s my tangent over for this week, a nice little anecdote of how I got to be here for ye. We’ll fly through the rest of the releases nice and quick before ye fall asleep.

SONY

Sony for the 7th have a nice few LP reissues, including ROSANNE CASH’s ‘Kings Record Shop’, FAITHLESS ‘Outrospective’ and ‘Sunday 8PM’, KING’S OF LEON’s second album ‘Aha Shake Heartbreak’, and Paul Simon’s self titled LP.

Republic of Music for the 7th of July have the new BROKEN SOCIAL SCENE album on CD and limited LP, 3000 only in Europe as a gatefold with a 28 page artbook and vinyl only bonus track. ROM also have the CD 10th Anniversary reissue of HOT CHIP’s debut.

PROPER

PROPER for the 7th of July have TRUE ROMANCE for the first time on Vinyl.. Pricey unfortunately, but limited to 2000 worldwide and on ‘pillow feather’ white and ‘bloody red’ splatter vinyl. Very descriptive indeed.

Finally on the release front for next week, MOV have the LINCOLN Soundtrack on blue vinyl in the next of their series of soundtracks. This one limited to 750 copies.

Delighted to have the RECORD STORE DAY 2017 mini-documentary now up on our website / YouTube page. Thanks again to our main man / camera man Tim for doing a great job. Perfect to chill out with a bottle of beer and watch! It was a cracking day in the shop, and we’d really appreciate (for the bands most importantly) if you could give it a view, share and thumbs up for us!

You can check it here :
https://musiczone.ie/videos/

 

Final two bits for ye. First up, we’re gonna be running a competition for a pair of tickets for FLEET FOXES in Cork Opera House for Wednesday 12th of July, thanks to the kind folk who work at the Opera House. Anyone who’s in and spends over 20EUR in the shop between now and then, let us know if you want to enter and we’ll put your name into the hat! (The hat is a brown paper bag, they cost enough as you all know from previous rants, so we multi-purpose use them).

And finally. Deep breath. Another plug of our upcoming gig with COUGHLAN’s LIVE coming up on July 13th. I know we kept saying it, but honestly this time, tickets really are nearly gone. Like really nearly gone. So if you’re interested pop in and pick one up in-store for 5EUR. Only a handful left. On the night we have the mighty HAPPY ABANDON over all the way from DJT’s America. We have a private link, EXCLUSIVE FOR YE, to the band’s debut album due out in August. I’ve listened to this on repeat for the last few weeks and it just gets better and better. Once again, sit down with a bottle of beer and listen to the whole thing through, it’s a belter. And another excuse for a beer.
https://soundcloud.com/happyabandon/sets/facepaint-private-press-link-releases-825/s-eKDcf

And support slot. Well well well. It’s ME! My own band Small Dose will perform a couple of tracks before hand, it’s our first full band gig in a good few months so we’re really looking forward to it, and it will probably be our last for a small while before we go to record. A way of testing what songs to record! I swear I won’t be nervous at all. If anyone talks they’re getting kicked out.

 

Anyway,
That’s all from me this week,
I’ll be back again next week as the Boss Man will still be away.
Thanks everybody
Bobby

www.musiczone.ie

 

Smith’s Surprise Releases! Radiohead’s OKNOTOK, Transmission Club In-Store Tomorrow at 1PM, and Keep Stumm Keep Stumm

Hi Everyone,

Hope yer all doing well…

I’m a bit under pressure tonight… It’s a late start with this nearly 10:30 and i’m fairly disorganised with it this week also, so I do apologise in advance for my brevity and lack of abandon..

Starting out so with releases in the siopa for today a small few real beauts as well …spoilt for choice….the front stands look great if i say so myself!

We’ll start with the surprise of the week!! THE SMITHS release ‘The Queen is Dead’ on both 7’’ picture disc or 12’’.. Very limited, and we were under strict strict instruction to tell NO-ONE about this until release today.. A nice exciting release.. In-Store only for this one, pop us a note if interested, but no online sales at all.. On the same front with In-Store Releases only, we have the 45th Anniversary of BOWIE’s ‘Ziggy Stardust’ on gold vinyl (same as ‘Hunky Dory’ from a few weeks ago) also out today.. A nice buzz about these releases that makes you come into an independent record shop..

Other new releases include FLEET FOXES, ROYAL BLOOD, RIDE, JASON ISBELL, DAVID BOWIE 7’’ PICTURE DISC, BILLY MACKENZIE, THE STRYPES CD, CAN, FOREIGNER, JOHN COLTRANE, GLADIATOR OST..

Right so moving on to releases for the 23rd of June…

PIAS

I suppose the piece de resistance for Friday the 23rd of June is the remastered reissue of RADIOHEAD’s  ‘Ok Computer – OKNOTOK”… All newly remastered from the analogue tapes… So you will get, or can get, or want to get, or need to get, or hope you get, or couldnt give a shite whether you get the original 12 track album which i’m sure you know is fantastico, 8  B-Sides and the 3 unused or lost tracks from the sessions… All of this on limited indie only triple blue vinyl… The list started about a month ago… 9 names on it… I hope to receive a little over 20 of it… 33 bucks is the retail…. Drop us a line if you want one kept… Sin e with that I suppose…. The smiling assassin at his merry best.

PIAS also have a new ALGIERS album on indies only cream vinyl…

WARNER

Warner for Friday the 23rd of June have the next blast of IRON MAIDEN reissues… This time it is ‘A Matter Of Life and Death’, ‘Brave New World’, ‘Dance Of Death’ and ‘Rock In Rio’, as well as some CARCASS and EMTOMBED vinyl record reissues.

Warner also have the new JOE BONNAMASSA album… ‘Live at Carnegie Hall – An Acoustic Evening’ across 5 formats… Bluray, 2CD, 2DVD, 3LP and indies only orange vinyl 3LP… Guitar god he is in fairness to him… It looks effortless the noise he can make the instrument make…

Warner also have 3 LCD SOUNDSYSTEM vinyl record reissues … Self titled debut, ‘45.33’ and ‘This Is Happening’, as well as the PRINCE “Purple Rain” deluxe reissue on 2CD digi, 3CD/DVD, 180 gram LP and picture disc LP, and then separately are the next batch of PRINCE 12” singles including ‘When Doves Cry’, ‘I Would Die 4 U’, ‘Lets Go Crazy’ and ‘Purple Rain’.

Lastly through Warner is a new album by JEFF TWEEDY (WILCO).. Well it is an acoustic compilation album of songs Tweedy has done with Wilco and other side projects… No promises on this one… Indies only yellow vinyl, only 500 copies pressed… I might get a few.. But don’t know… Again drop a line is the second best way… The best way is to ring the shop but no-one seems to like to talk anymore…. BOOKER T ‘Green Onions’ reissue also through Warner.

SONY

Sony for the 23rd of June have some JUDAS PRIEST LP reissues including ‘Killing Machine’ ‘Stained Glass’ ‘Sin After Sin” and ‘Unleashed On The East’… Not a whole pile else from Sony for next week really then.

CARGO

Cargo for the 23rd of June have GAUDI ‘Magnetic’ on 180 gram indies only white vinyl.

UNIVERSAL

Universal don’t have a whole pile for the 23rd either…. The main one been the new IMAGINE DRAGONS ‘Evolve’ on CD, CD deluxe and gatefold LP.

MUSIC ON VINYL

MUSIC ON VINYL have a few nice ones for the 23rd… The HIGHWAYMEN (Cash, Nelson, Jennings and Kristofferson) gets a LP reissue and there’s also a first timer on vinyl, the brilliant G3 ‘Live in Toyko’ and YO YO MA plays JOHN WILLIAMS also from MOV.

We have done a survey of EDDIE VEDDER goers on the Marquee last week and findings are stark.. Those in seats had a great night.. All reports more or less had Vedder as excellent.. But not all the excellent remarks had a great night… A lot (not all) of those standing did not have a great night.. The reason being it seems that there was a load of muppets at the gig… Event goers, not really Eddie Vedder goers… Loads of noise and talking when he was performing, loads of barging and general agro… A bad vibe in a lot of places among the crowd.. We spoke to about 15 people on it.. All there for the music, no muppets here… And i’d say 13 of them had negative enough feedback about the crowd.. More interested in checking in on Facebook than listening to the tunes.. It’s a bag bearer of mine at the best and worst of times.. Keep stumm a venue where people have paid to hear the band or artist perform.. Keep stumm.. I was surprised to be honest to hear it, but hear it we did all week long..

On the local front we had the brilliant TRANSMISSION CLUB live in-store on Saturday at 1PM. We really really are loving the older EP from the lads in the shop.. Great tunes, great recordings all done themselves in a bedroom in Cork City.. Old school feel all round.. They are promoting a new single right now which you can check out here

It was a class gig!

On to great nights out.. And great night it will be..

We are launching our first ever Music Zone Towers late night gig with our great friends at Coughlan’s Live, in Coughlan’s Bar on Douglas St, Cork on Thursday July 13th.. We’re delighted to have a band from the U.S of A over as the main act.. Happy Abandon are the band in question.. The lads are cracking.. We’ve heard the full album which is due out in August, and we can see why there’s hype building hugely around them in the States.. Produced by the man who produced the last Ryan Adams LP.. Fleet Foxes meets Jeff Buckley people are saying.. We have an exclusive four track sampler available here :

https://soundcloud.com/ray-obrien-7/sets/happy-abandon-4-track-sampler/s-mqk10

Also, big news.. Hozier is supporting on the night… Well, our own Hozier.. A Hozier look-a-like… Bobby’s own Small Dose will be doing a short set beforehand.. He swears he’s not nervous..

So if you’re interested it’s a fiver a ticket, and they’re currently on sale in the shop.. Flying like hot cakes though… We really hope this is a success, for the band, for Coughlans, and so hopefully we can do it again down the line…

So sin e for this week folks,

Thanks as always,

Ray

VINYL RECORDS CORK