Check out this Deluxe Collectors Edition Box Set of Paul McCartney & Wings’ classic 1975 album Venus & Mars. It includes the remastered original album, a disc of extras and a DVD, along with tons of memorabilia — all in a numbered hardcover book.
Would you like to have it? Of course you would. And we’re happy to oblige. Tinnitist and myself — Canada’s two most-followed music nerds if I may say so — are teaming up to give it away to one lucky winner in Canada or the continental U.S. Here’s how to enter:
1) Retweet this tweet:
WIN Deluxe Collectors Edition Box Set of Paul McCartney & Wings’ 1975 album Venus & Mars!
1. RT this.
2) Visit https://t.co/RViHlVnrhw & https://t.co/WXuFLHS9ZD and sign up for our newsletters.
We’ll announce a winner on Oct. 8
Stay tuned to Tinnitist & I for more contests! pic.twitter.com/3GTKRdQmFD
On October 26, Capitol/UMe will release the Bee Gees’ Timeless: The All-Time Greatest Hits in a 2LP vinyl edition. Already available on CD and digitally, the career-spanning collection of top hits by one of music’s most legendary and acclaimed groups features 21 tracks personally selected by Bee Gees co-founder Barry Gibb. Sequenced in chronological order, ‘Timeless’ spans decades of Bee Gees smash hits, from their first Australian chart-topper, 1966’s “Spicks and Specks” to “How Deep Is Your Love,” “Night Fever,” and “Stayin’ Alive” from Saturday Night Fever to 1987’s UK Number One single “You Win Again.”
“There is a spirituality about this album and these songs always meant the most to us,” says Barry Gibb in his written introduction for Timeless: The All-Time Greatest Hits. “Although there are many other songs, these songs, I feel, are the songs that Maurice, Robin, and I would be most proud of.”
The Bee Gees – brothers Barry, Robin and Maurice Gibb – have earned their stature as one of the world’s most popular and bestselling groups of all time. Having recorded 22 studio albums and for numerous soundtracks, including the monumentally successful Saturday Night Fever, the Bee Gees infused popular culture with dozens of worldwide hit singles that featured their singular and highly influential three-part harmonies. They achieved nine Number Ones and 23 Top 10 singles on the Billboard Hot 100 chart, including “How Deep Is Your Love,” “Night Fever,” and “Stayin’ Alive” from Saturday Night Fever, and graced charts around the world with many other classics, including “How Can You Mend A Broken Heart,” “I Started A Joke,” “Lonely Days,” “Words,” and “You Win Again.”
Among the honors bestowed upon the Bee Gees are five GRAMMY Awards®, as well as The Recording Academy’s Lifetime Achievement Award and Legend Award; five American Music Awards; a Brit Award for Outstanding Contribution to Music; and a Legend Award from the World Music Awards. They have been inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, the Songwriters Hall of Fame, BMI Icons, the Vocal Group Hall of Fame, and the Dance Music Hall of Fame. All three brothers were appointed Commanders in the Order of the British Empire in 2001.
Bee Gees ‘Timeless: The All-Time Greatest Hits’ [2LP Vinyl]
Side A
1. Spicks and Specks (1966)
2. New York Mining Disaster 1941 (1967)
3. To Love Somebody (1967)
4. Massachusetts (1967)
5. Words (1968)
6. I’ve Gotta Get a Message to You (1968)
Side B
1. I Started a Joke (1968)
2. Lonely Days (1970)
3. How Can You Mend a Broken Heart (1971)
4. Jive Talkin’ (1975)
5. Nights on Broadway (1975)
Side C
1. Fanny (Be Tender With My Love) (1975)
2. You Should Be Dancing (1976)
3. How Deep Is Your Love (1977)
4. Stayin’ Alive (1977)
5. Night Fever (1977)
Side D
1. More Than a Woman (1977)
2. Too Much Heaven (1978)
3. Tragedy (1979)
4. Love You Inside Out (1979)
5. You Win Again (1987)
One-half of the super production troupe N.E.R.D, Pharrell Williams transcended his role as a simple beatmaker to cultural figure and fashion icon with his debut, In My Mind. Today, Urban Legends releases In My Mind in black 2LP vinyl and limited edition blue 2LP vinyl packages.
Pharrell’s In My Mind was not only a deviation from N.E.R.D’s hard-driving production style, but also a hugely successful debut for the artist turned tastemaker, moving close to 150,000 units within its first week of release. Pharrell’s first project minus longtime partner Chad Hugo, the album not only charted well internationally, but also hit number three on the Billboard 200.
In My Mind is a vibrant mix of out-for-self narratives wrapped in production that teeters between mainstream radio hits and smoothed out, heady tracks—all of it couched in a star-studded mixture of celebrated collaborations. “Stay With Me” features Pusha T’s intricately crime-driven bars, while “Number One” features Kanye West. In addition, Snoop Dogg makes an appearance on “That Girl” and Gwen Stefani pops in on the album’s opener, “Can I Have It Like That.” Towering iconic rap figure/CEO, Jay-Z, appears on “Young Girl/I Really Like You.”
The album is a polished effort, finding Pharrell’s mainstream-driven sights realized as he croons on some songs while delivering raps on others in an easy-to-follow approach that lends to the album’s commercial, easy listening aesthetic. None of the tracks are particularly gangster but the album has hard production edges (“Keep It Playa” featuring Slim Thug, for example). The cult of Pharrell grew astoundingly following this project and its catchy, varied soundscapes aided in making Pharrell the cultural figure he is now. In My Mind was nominated for a GRAMMY® in 2007 for Best Rap Album and it has sold more than two million units in the U.S. to date.
Pharrell Williams: In My Mind [2LP black vinyl; 2LP blue vinyl]
Side A
Can I Have It Like That (feat. Gwen Stefani)
How Does It Feel?
Raspy Shit
Side B
Best Friend
You Can Do It Too
Keep It Playa (feat. Slim Thug)
Side C
That Girl (feat. Snoop Dogg)
Angel
Young Girl/I Really Like You (feat. JAY-Z)
Take It Off (Dim The Lights)
Side D
Stay With Me (feat. Pusha T)
Baby (feat. Nelly)
Our Father
Number One (feat. Kanye West)
Show You How To Hustle (feat. Lauren)
Today, Urban Legends releases Common’s seventh studio album, 2007’s Finding Forever, in black 2LP vinyl and limited edition white 2LP vinyl packages. Both versions feature the bonus track “Play Your Cards Right (featuring Bilal)” on vinyl for the first time.
Common’s follow-up to his hugely popular Be album, Finding Forever saw most of the production helmed by Kanye West and was also a part of GOOD Music’s wildly ambitious rollout, becoming a vibrant chart-topper for Common in his mid-career phase. In the wake of Dilla’s passing, the overall feel and vibe of the album is colorfully soulful, a tribute of sorts to the legendary producer, according to Kanye West. In fact, “So Far To Go (featuring D’Angelo)” is actually credited to Dilla himself, as is the intro to “Southside.”
The album is a solid work by Common, whose rhymes are as thoughtful here as in previous recordings—introspective, fluid, detailed storytelling with aplomb. Chart-wise, the album was a success, selling 155,000 units in its first week and topping the Billboard 200 at number one. The album was critically acclaimed, with Spin magazine rating Finding Forever 9 out of 10 stars. Finding Forever was certified gold and nominated for three GRAMMY Awards, for Best Rap Album, Best Rap Performance by a Duo or Group, and Best Rap Solo Performance.
Major guest spots are also plentiful. “Start the Show” features Kanye West, while “Drivin’ Me Wild” has vocal additions from celebrated, affable chanteuse Lily Allen. While the release is a later Common project, it’s a tight effort with lyrical content that’s gritty and descriptive, and inventive, as well; relaxed when the textured, boom-bap production needs to breathe. Finding Forever is a star-studded, production-fueled, later-in-the game triumph for the Chicago rap veteran.
Common: Finding Forever [2LP black vinyl; 2LP white vinyl]
Side A
1. Intro
2. Start The Show
3. The People
4. Drivin’ Me Wild (feat. Lily Allen)
Side B
1. I Want You
2. Southside (feat. Kanye West)
3.The Game
Side C
1. U, Black Maybe
2. So Far To Go (feat. D’Angelo)
3. Break My Heart
Side D
1. Misunderstood
2. Forever Begins
3. Play Your Cards Right (feat. Bilal)
Distortion and overdrive are forms of audio signal processing used to alter the sound of amplified electric musical instruments, usually by increasing their gain, producing a “fuzzy”, “growling”, or “gritty” tone. Distortion is most commonly used with the electric guitar, but may also be used with other electric instruments such as bass guitar, electric piano, and Hammond organ. Guitarists playing electric blues originally obtained an overdriven sound by turning up their vacuum tube-powered guitar amplifiers to high volumes, which caused the signal to distort. While overdriven tube amps are still used to obtain overdrive in the 2010s, especially in genres like blues and rockabilly, a number of other ways to produce distortion have been developed since the 1960s, such as distortion effect pedals. The growling tone of distorted electric guitar is a key part of many genres, including blues and many rock music genres, notably hard rock, punk rock, hardcore punk, acid rock, and heavy metal music. So let’s go back to the beginning.
Joni Mitchell’s performance at the 1970 Isle of Wight Festival is now available on Blu-ray and Digital Video, Both Sides Now: Live At The Isle of Wight Festival. You can get it here.
In 1970, the Isle of Wight Festival was one of the largest musical events of its time. Bigger than Woodstock, and controversial from the get-go, with hundreds of thousands of people descending on the island. Many of those without tickets set up camp on a hill overlooking the festival site, opposing the consumerism of the event and intent on “taking the music back” by any means necessary. It was a celebration of hippy counter culture gone awry, and in Joni’s words “they fed me to the beast”.
Joni Mitchell took to the stage to deliver an outstanding performance against all odds. At times, it was a battle against the audience, as they tore down barriers and shouted obscenities. Her set was interrupted multiple times, including one man invading the stage to try address the crowd. She later commented, “It seemed like an appropriate time to flee…”, but still the seemingly fragile folk-rock singer stood her ground. Instead she returned to her piano, sitting on a fold-up wooden chair, and made an impassioned plea for respect from the audience, continuing her set with “My Old Man,” she won over the crowd and the atmosphere softened.
Directed by Academy Award winning filmmaker Murray Lerner, Both Sides Now: Live At The Isle of Wight Festival features new interviews with Joni, discussing her recollections of the event intercut with festival footage, both onstage and behind the scenes, offering a fascinating insight into a now legendary concert from the artists point of view and putting the events of the day into context. Alternatively, fans can enjoy the uninterrupted live concert footage featuring classic songs such as “Woodstock,” “Both Sides Now,” and ”Big Yellow Taxi.”
“To me, records are the same as films. Every time I make a record, I’m actually making a holistic story about the way I see the world whether it is a the world as I see it now or as a period of time.”
Nile Rodgers opens up to Strombo about turning down Miles Davis, working with the Black Panther Party, the story behind Bowie’s “Let’s Dance,” the last conversations that he shared with Prince, his time panhandling, his parents’ heroin addiction, his fandom of John Coltrane, his work on Emeli Sande’s new record, what Madonna was best at, how Hendrix was their pack leader and so much more. You can listen to the fill audio here and the audio on YouTube is below.
With his 19th album, Miles to Go out as of last week, Colin James is getting back to the blues. And he’s also getting back to the road, announcing a 24-date, 23-city Canadian tour. See below for the complete schedule.
Miles to Go, Colin James’ ambitious sequel to the critically acclaimed Blue Highways, continues James’ story with a collection of carefully curated songs handpicked from some of the greatest blues artists.
In the months leading up to the recording, as James was reflecting on songs for the album he decided to reacquaint himself with a beautiful red Gibson ES-335. It was just like the guitar he played as a teenager but regretfully had to sell for rent money.
While James reconnected with this guitar, Miles to Go seemed to just flow onto the studio floor.
This album blends songs old and new, some of them completely reimagined and some almost perfect homages. But all are unified by a theme of undying love for the blues and the highest respect for the creators that led the way.
Known as one of Canada’s best blues musicians, it wasn’t until 2016’s Blue Highways that James found himself on a blues chart: the album spent 10 weeks at No. 1 on the Roots Music Report’s Blues Chart. It also landed him one of his biggest hits: “Riding in the Moonlight”. A Willie Dixon song that James once covered when busking in the streets and subways of Toronto and Montreal that landed on a Spotify playlist garnering millions of streams.
When James set out to make Blue Highways, an album of blues covers recorded with his touring band, he always intended it to be the first of two installments. Now we have Miles to Go, in which James records nine new covers of his favourite artists (Howlin’ Wolf, Muddy Waters, Blind Willie Johnson, Blind Lemon Jefferson, Little Willie John, Robert Johnson, etc.) and adds two originals, “I Will Remain” and “40 Light Years.” “Blues has always been a pass-it-forward kind of thing,” says James. “It’s also surprisingly hard to write. You have to be careful how modern you get in your phrasing. Certain writers can write a song that sounds like it was done 40 years ago, but it’s deceptively hard.”
To be a blues musician is to always have a dialogue with the past. As with much blues music, it’s the performances on the original versions rather than the actual song that drew James to them. That said, what could he possibly bring to them in 2018? “You bring what you can,” he says. “If I feel like I’ve brought enough, then I put it out. I knocked a bunch of songs off this record when I realized that I can’t bring anything to them that isn’t there already. All my life I’ve tried to bring vitality to older songs. Hopefully my dedication to it is what floats it over the mark. That’s a subjective thing; some people will always prefer the original. However, there’s always a group of people coming up to see me after a show who might say, “Oh, I never would have heard ‘One More Mile’ by James Cotton—nothing in my life would have pointed me there.”
So much of Colin James’s career has pointed him to this moment: joyfully tangled up in the blues, which, as he notes, “is the only genre where you can maintain a young profile at the age of 53.”
Colin James “Miles To Go 2019 Tour”
March 17 – Victoria, BC – Royal Theatre
March 18 – Nanaimo, BC – Port Theatre
March 19 – Nanaimo, BC – Port Theatre
March 21 – Vancouver, BC – Orpheum Theatre
March 22 – Kamloops, BC – Sandman Arena
March 23 – Prince George, BC – CN Centre
March 25 – Kelowna, BC – Community Theatre
March 27 – Calgary, AB – Southern Jubilee
March 28 – Edmonton, AB – Northern Jubilee
March 29 – Regina, SK – Casino Regina
March 30 – Winnipeg, MB – Burton Cummings Theatre
April 2 – Thunder Bay, ON – Thunder Bay Community Auditorium
April 4 – North Bay, ON – Capital Theatre
April 5 – Hamilton, ON – FirstOntario Concert Hall
April 6 – Toronto, ON – Sony Centre For The Performing Arts
April 8 – London, ON – RBC Theatre at Budweiser Gardens
April 9 – Peterborough, ON – Showplace Performance Centre
April 10 – Kingston, ON – Grand Theatre
April 12 – Quebec City, QC – Palais Montcalm
April 14 – Fredericton, NB – The Playhouse
April 15 – Saint John, NB – Imperial Theatre
April 16 – Moncton, NB – Capitol Theatre
April 18 – Charlottetown, PEI – Confederation Centre of the Arts
April 19 – Halifax, NS – Rebecca Cohn Auditorium
