Emerging Irish Talent, Documentaries on the Corporation, and Good News for Radiohead Fans

Hi Everyone,

 

Hope the form is good…

 

The hurling is back… Thurles Sunday what’s the chances?.. Against the oldest enemy… Slim to none? Hard to call is my opinion.. Could, should be an interesting one.

 

Anyway… News on the RADIOHEAD white vinyl is better.. I am receiving 24 copies of it now… Better than 10… So still 6 copies available if anyone else is interested.. No luck at all on the single.. Got zero, zip, nada, nought… Crazy Ebay pricing now your only option (my advice, forget about it and don’t support the slippery quick buck merchants)…

radioheadwhite

 

Anyway, June 17th for the Radiohead… I have not listened at all to it yet..

Right so, releases in the shop today for your browsing pleasure include RICHARD ASHCROFT, BOB DYLAN, MANIC STREET PREACHERS, THE ASSOCIATES, ADAM + THE ANTS, CHRISTY MOORE (CD), DAVID BOWIE, ERIC CLAPTON (CD), and MUDCRUTCH (CD) amongst others.

 

Or for those who prefer the visual medium of a video, we have upgraded our camera in the Music Zone Towers, but unfortunately our camera man is still a bit on the shakey side! Be sure to hit the subscribe button on our YouTube channel in order to keep up with these weekly video new release updates! One customer got a fine chuckle from me during the week when he asked for me not to send him any more Vinyl Pornography.. Sorry, here’s more porn.. Be sure to subscribe for vinyl porn!

 

 

Moving on from that so… To releases for next Friday the 27th of May.. No major releases but still quite a few interesting ones.

UNIVERSAL

Universal have the new CATFISH AND THE BOTTLEMEN album on CD and Gatefold Vinyl via Island records..

catfish

Thirty four years on and the return of MARTIN FRY with the follow up to ‘The Lexicon of Love’.. Part II is out next Friday.. CD only for now.. LP will follow in coming weeks.

 

Universal also have a nice WILKO JOHNSON selected blues album CD… 40 tracks, 8 quid.. Entitled ‘The First Time I Met The Blues’.

 

There is a 9LP STEVE HACKETT vinyl boxset of his first 6LPs, plus previously unreleased ‘Live at the New Theatre, Oxford 1979’, and a double live LP ‘Live At Reading 1981’

 

Still more from Universal for next week, the third instalment of the MARVIN GAYE boxsets, this is an 8LP set again, covering records from 71-81, including the classics like ‘Let’s Get It On’, and ‘What’s Going On’, and the alimony acquired favourite ‘Here, My Dear’.

marvin

Universal have a reissue of TALK TALK’s ‘Laughing Stock’ and the NIRVANA live compilation ‘From The Muddy Banks of the Wishkah’ on double LP, and lastly there is a new ALAN PARSON’s triple live album.

SONY

Sony for the 27th of May have LACUNA COIL’s new album ‘Delirium’, limited edition CD and limited edition LP. Some nice Sony Legacy vinyl reissues also out, including titles from the brilliant JEFF LYNNE’S E.L.O, and the great bard himself MR. LEONARD COHEN… E.L.O titles include ‘A New World Record’, ‘El Dorado’, and ‘Out of the Blue’, and the Cohen titles are ‘Songs of Leonard Cohen’, ‘Songs From A Room’, and ‘Songs of Love and Hate’. Decent value on the Cohen’s at 18Eur each!

leocohen

A good friend and customer of the shop, Tim Mc 2, put together a really fabulous video documentary of the shop on Record Shop Day… A brilliant piece in my opinion, really captured the day… Thanks Tim!

 

Tim and myself go back a while but inadvertently Tim is the reason MUSIC ZONE is here.. We worked together in McDonalds in 1991.. Tall ships race time.. Busy for the burgers, burnt fingers, work there, work anywhere… Tim got into GOLDEN DISCS just around the corner on Patrick Street. Tim always loved his tunes and I had him pestered if there was news on a job there, not to forget me… Low and behold, one day in trots Tim.. ‘I’m moving on Ray, will I put in a word for ya?’… True to his word.. Bod a bing, here I am… 23 years later, boring guys to death with my rambling notes.

 

If you can spare 40 minutes over the weekend have a watch.. We think it’s worth it.. Thanks to Ian, Frank, Stevie, Martin and Aaron for doing the auld interviews.. There are some lovely moments in the video.. I lightly chuckle when I see Arthur making his decision on his free CD from the box of freebies… The reaction is great I think (over Stevie’s shoulder during his interview!). Great document of a great day.. Thanks a million Tim.. And the rest of ye… Handsome devils for showing up… It was a Boyzone reunion audition in the man cave that day..

PROPER 

Proper for the 27th of May have new albums by BRONAGH GALLAGHER. The King of swamp rock, TONY JOE WHITE, has a new one via YepRoz.. MARK KOZELEK ‘Sings Favourites’, PINK FLOYD ‘London 66/67’, PET SHOP BOYS new 12 inch single on white vinyl.. Nice few bits.

 

Lastly from Proper is the second album by CIARAN LAVERY… I am really looking forward to hearing this one… Firstly he is Irish which is always a great starting point for me.. So much Irish music is as good, if not better, than any of the stuff we are being force fed, but it is so hard to get seen.. Radio in this country don’t help.. It’s all about the dollar.. Why can’t this song be played on 96FM?… Radio Friendly, surely?… You heard the quality of the local guys here from the video.. Top quality each and everyone of them, and deserve a shot at it..

 

 

 

 

This dude has a lot of talent, and deserves to be heard… And he starts from the right place… All for one and one for all, let’s hold hands and build a wall..

ciaranlav

PIAS

PIAS have new albums for the 27th by FLUME, on coloured vinyl for Indies only, the new I HAVE A TRIBE vinyl, as well as the new DEATH ANGEL record through Nuclear Blast… .DANIEL ROMANO’s new record on New West called ‘Mosey’ is also out… Being very well received by critics, LP is double gatefold at 45RPM in Mono, with codes.

 

Geoff Barrow of PORTISHEAD has the soundtrack to the ‘Couple In The Hole’ movie..

 

Plenty of reissues from PIAS also for next week including JOHN LEE HOOKER’S ‘Alive Volume 1’ and ‘Volume 2’, some MOBY vinyl reissues of ‘Animal Rights’, ‘Everything is Wrong’, and ‘Play’. Also reissued is MY MORNING JACKET’s ‘It Still Moves’, deluxe LP reissued with 13 track b-sides on ATO, and finally the 10th Anniversary of SPOON’s ‘Gimme Fiction’ on 2LP through Matador..

 

Republic of Music have the new GOLD PANDA record, their third on City Slang records.

WARNER

Warner for the 27th of May have NEIL YOUNG’s ‘Rust Never Sleeps’ DVD and Blu Ray, which is a visual document of the tour of the same name… Also the Human Highway DVD for the first time ever.. It had a very limited cinema release back in the day… Neil has decided to let it out after years.. This has been described as The Wizard of Oz on acid…

neilhuman

Warner also have the new MONKEES album.. First in 20 years.. Also out is a BURT BACHARACH ‘Best Of’, and the new album by BAND OF SKULLS…

 

Sin é for this week folks,

 

Check out VINYL RECORDS CORK for all the comings and goings,

 

Thanks for listening,
Ray.

Radiohead, Rants and the return of the Roses

Hey everyone,
Hows the form…
Releases in the shop for today include CAPTAIN BEEFHEART, SANTANA, METALLICA, EAGULLS,GRAND MAGUS, FOY VANCE, RUFUS WAINWRIGHT and BIRDY.
Right so, on to next Friday, the 20th of May… where do I start though, quite a few of note…

SONY

Sony gets the nod to start for the 20th of May. Dylan’s new album is out next Friday entitled “Fallen Angels”, another covers album, the first record really divided people, some saying it was as good as anything Dylan has ever done, others thinking it was pure tripe.. I’m praying to sit on the fence somewhere firmly in between both views… I thought it was a nicely produced, easy listening album, well arranged and for me, vocally quite nice… not great but not shite either. Bob has sold over 125 million records now… savage like… but I do wish he was writing his own songs and not doing these covers stuff. Must have a touch of writers block… can happen to the worst of us!

Story goes (probably not true at all), when Bono met Bob for the first time, Bono questioned Bob on his apparent ease with penning songs… Bono – “they say you can write a song anywhere, at any time, at the drop of a hat??”… Dylan – “Yeah, that’s about right”… Bono – “can you write a song now?” Dylan writes some lines on a napkin and shows Bono… Bono- “wow that’s unreal, can I have it?”… Dylan – “no, write your own songs”. As I said, probably not true at all.

 

manicsbox

Sony also have the brilliant MANIC STREET PREACHERS fourth album… commercially massive album… “Everything Must Go” on a deluxe reissue boxset  as well as CD and standard LP. A cracking album in my opinion aside from the huge hits on it, some gems like “small black flowers” and the brilliant “all surface but no feeling”… in fact every track is strong on it… just like the new FRANKS album… its brilliant… not a weak song… really, really good… in case I didn’t tell ye already.

Sony also have the ADAM AND THE ANTS reissue of 1980’s “Kings of the Wild Frontier” on a fancy super dooper boxy thingy… I was a tad young for this at the time, only 6… but seems to be a lot of interest so I must have a proper listen.
Sony also have the new CHRISTY MOORE CD, his 25th solo album, “Lily”… lovely name… eh hem… same as the smallest… Christy wrote some of the songs on this one as well as songs written by Peter Gabriel, Declan O’Rourke and our own John Spillane.

Lastly from Sony is a new HIGHWAYMEN live one called “American Outlaws Live”… Johnny Cash, Willie Nelson. Kris Kristofferson and Waylon Jennings… four fine lads lads I’d say would make Christy look like an altar boy even in his heyday… this one is a 4CD set.

PIAS

Pias have a GRATEFUL DEAD tribute album created and curated by Aaron and Bryce Dessner of the National… it’s a celebration of the DEAD’s music over 6 hours and 59 tracks… CD only

Essential have the new RICHARD ASHCROFT album on CD and double vinyl record as well as the new SATYRICON CD and LP, “Nemesis Divina”.

I had to rush purchase the indies only, one press only, really, really limited RADIOHEAD vinyl on Monday last… I ordered a few… quite a few, but have been told by the rep to stop taking names at 10… that he would try and get me more than 10, but 10 was all he thought I would get… at this point 8  customers have contacted me about the record (the white version), so only 2 more kinda guaranteed to get them… if you want to throw your hat in the ring… its first come first served… if I get more than ten white ones, they will be allocated to the names in that position… sorry about this, I know it’s not ideal… if you’re not arsed about the colour, let me know also and I shall keep for you… released for Friday the 17th of June… I hoped I would get around 20/25 of the white, but looks like it will be around 10 copies… will keep ye posted next week on developments… just telling ye the sceal is all.

WARNER

Warner for the 20th of May have the BOWIE “changes one Bowie” on CD digipack and 180 gram vinyl… random black or clear are the vinyl, 50% of each being pressed… like looking for willy wonkas golden ticket… you don’t know until you open the wrapper… bit of a gimmick really… the powers that be know a lot of Bowie fans are completists and the record company are not really looking after their customers… make it limited to a number so at least the early and more eager birds will get the worms… this way (50/50 way) is less fair but probably more lucrative… don’t kill the golden goose lads… vinyl is keeping the whole thing afloat… do not piss people off… treat them right…cornerstone of any relationship is honesty, trust and respect… not making people feel like they have been mugged … bigi curamach Mr. Record company man or I won’t be coming for dinner, I can hear some Bowie fans hum.
Warner also has the second album release by Tom Petty’s band MUDCRUTCH… they actually formed back in 1970 originally… took them a while to get the debut album out… 2008… Warner also have a reissue of DEATH’s debut album “scream bloody gore” on 2CD and royal blue vinyl with codes.

UNIVERSAL

I did warn there was a bit tonight… is anybody awake still? Nearly there. Universal for the 20th of May have the new ERIC CLAPTON record called “I Still Do” on CD and LP… Bleeding Heart Pigeons have the CD release of their excellent debut “is” out next Friday. Ariana Grande has a new album… Bassist and a third of the JAM, Bruce Foxton has a new solo record… contributions by Weller. Sing Street gets its vinyl release and there are some nice Jazz 5CD sets by some of the greats like Miles, Coltrane and Bill Evans.

New song tonight by the Stone Roses… one of my favourite bands (who were never properly a band, if that makes sense). Probably, if there had been more productivity, would have been my numero uno, up there competing with THE DOORS, THE BEATLES, THE CURE and THE SMITHS, (note to upcoming bands, put THE at the start of your band name).

I was 15 when the debut album dropped… all the b-sides… sheer class… the tunes were class… still are… I love the second record also… it was a disappointment for a lot of people and the snobby purists will slag it off, but this snobby purist thinks it’s a fine record with some cracking tunes… so there for ya… must say though the new song… jury is out big time… lovely riff and playing all through by Squire, Mani with his northern soul influenced bass lines and Reni is driving the beat as only the beatmaster can but lyrically it is so weak… catchy, anthemic, but so weak lyrically… where are the lyrics that caught a 15 year olds imagination:

“as the miles they disappear,
see land begin to clear,
free from the filth and the scum,
this American satellite’s won”

from ‘Waterfall’ or

“kiss me where the sun don’t shine,
the past is yours but the future’s mine”

from ‘she bangs the drums’ or the adolescent awakenings from ‘going down’,

“Penny’s place, her crummy room,
her Dansette crackles to Jimi’s tune,
I don’t care I taste Ambre solaire,
her neck, her thighs, her lips, her hair”

Brownie was always a good man for lyrics, including his solo stuff like:

“fed up of excuses,
theres nothing more to say,
sands of your patience have surely drained away,
backed into a corner,
built of my design, peer into the future,
entwined is yours and mine,
I know this can’t go on if things remain the same,
drastic change is needed, its driving me insane”

…  and I’m sure there will be finely penned songs off this album…just not this one…. maybe they felt they had to open with some kind of a singalong anthem … I still love them and always will but this is no ‘I am the Ressurection’… did I say I still love them though…
Anyway, for those still awake,
sin e for this week,
Thanks for listening,
Ray