Happy 69th, John Fogerty!

Photo courtesy of johnfogerty.com

Happy Borthday to John Fogerty who's 69 today!

1974 Rick Wakeman album re-recorded

Keyboardist and Yes veteran Rick Wakeman's 1974 album Journey to the Centre of the Earth will be released on 23rd June in a newly re-recorded and extended format.
It will be available as a 'Ltd Edition Box Set', a very limited edition 'Super Deluxe Collector's Edition', and also as a digi CD, gatefold vinyl, and digitally. 

And here is an interesting interview with mr Wakeman, not new but very amusing: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/tvshowbiz/article-1045969/Yes-original-Spinal-Tap-says-Rick-Wakeman-Seventies-prog-rock-supergroup.html#ixzz2mORFOQdl

The 2014 return of Steely Dan's "Countdown To Ecstasy" x 3

Spotted on a Japanese online retailers website: Steely Dan's second album Countdown To Ecstasy from 1973 getting a re-release in three different formats; SHM-CD, Platinum SHM-CD and SACD.

Release date i July 30, so Steely Dan completists/collectors have a few weeks to research these, but the description says that the three new versions are made from a HR 2014 DSD master that is based on the U.S. original analog tape.

Unseen footage for new Elton John documentary

Tam Johnstone, son of long time Elton John band member Davey Johnstone, is currently making a documentary about the original Elton John band from the early 1970's.

It all began with late bass playes Dee Murray's wife Anett wanting to make a documentary about her husband. She got in touch with a couple of crew members from the early days and discovered that they had shot Super 8 footage while on the road with Elton and the band.
That unseen footage from the years 1971-1974 is now part of the documentary on the whole band.

Here's a taster using some of that footage used in a new video for Harmony from the 1973 double album Goodbye Yellow Brick Road:


Spot Stevie Wonder at 1:56!

Anniversary edition of Pink Floyd's The Division Bell

Pink Floyd is releasing a 20th anniversary edition of the album The Division Bell.
Available as a double LP and as a deluxe box set which includes the double LP, the CD and more.

http://www.divisionbell20.com/?eml=2014May20%2F1576958%2F6223366

The 1981 Kate Bush/David Bowie collaboration

The story goes...

In 1981, Kate Bush and David Bowie rented a secluded mansion in a remote part of England to work on an album together. Over the course of one month, these two iconic figures lived and worked together, away from the limelight and pressures of their lives. Little is known of what became of this collaboration. Neither of them has ever spoken publicly about what happened during this time. Any recordings they made have never been heard.

OK. So this actually never happened. But it is the base for the Canadian Theatre Replacement company's new show.  Read more about it here:

http://theatrereplacement.org/portfolio-item/kate-bowie/

1977 Don Cherry recording gets a limited release

The Date:
June 14-15, 2014

The Place:
Hova Record Fair in Sweden. (Sweden's oldest!)

The Record:
A limited vinyl and CD release of the January 1977 live performance of the music from Don Cherry's 1976 Hear & Now album featuring Tommy Koverhult, Georg Wadenius, Torbjörn Hultcrantz, Branislaw Suchanek, Maki Cherry, Lena Ahlman, Per Ek and Per Tjernberg.

The performance was recorded at the Modern Museum in Stockholm, Sweden and is said to be one of, if not the best Don Cherry recording. The album is released on the Mellotronen label.

Solo album debut from Chrissie Hynde: Stockholm

Since much of the music we're playing here on Radio Dupree is from the 1970's and we're based in Sweden it would be a bit of a miss if we didn't mention the first album from Chrissie Hynde since The Pretenders' Break Up The Concrete in 2008.

Her album is titled Stockholm because it was recorded in the Capital of Sweden.
It will be out in about a month's time. And with that we hand it over to the official press release:

Recorded at Ingrid Studios in Stockholm with co-writer, guitarist and producer Bjorn Yttling (Peter, Bjorn and John), the album features cameos from Neil Young and tennis legend John McEnroe. The album, 11 tracks in total incudes the first single ‘Dark Sunglasses’, released on April 21. Summing up her aims with the album, Chrissie said; “I wanted to make a power pop album you could dance to – Abba meets John Lennon”.

Speaking about the new album Chrissie adds, “I think life is serious, and you should take it seriously, but in rock n roll either have a laugh or don’t come to the party…so much of rock n roll has become what I would call Glory Rock, with family values. It’s the irreverence in rock that was always the turn on”.

It's all in the packaging... きゃりーぱみゅぱみゅ and きらきらキラー

Here's the last post in this unplanned series on extensive packaging of music.
Just happened that way as we wrote about a) Wu Tang Clan, b) Rush and c) Blondie.

A mild curiosity in Japanese popular music has exposed us to a land where the selling of physical records has been taken to another level when it comes to tie-ins with movies, shows and commercials plus the packaging. Case in point is the lastest release from singer Kyary Pamyu Pamyu that was announced this Friday.
Usually her singles come in two versions. One regular and one limited with the limited one including something extra like a DVD or a photo booklet, a poster or something like that. But this time they went all out on the make-it-special front.

So it was announced on Friday with the release date set to June 11 but instantly available for pre-order. The trick is that this time there was just one limited edition. And when we say limited we mean limited. The single titled きらきらキラー (Kirakira Killer) will only come in 7777 copies. No more, no less.
The song itself is about being lucky so they go with lucky number seven and include seven goodies in the package.

Everybody gets a mini-poster signed by Kyary herself, a Kirakira Killer sticker and an exclusive vinyl bag.

Also included are raffle tickets that you send in to be in the drawing for a sparkly "Kirakira" hair tie (777 winners), a T-shirt that matches the one Kyary is wearing in the coming music video for Kirakira Killer (777 winners), a mask to match Kyary’s in the same music video (77 winners) or a personal thing picked by Kyary herself (1 winner).

Needless to say the record was sold out within a few hours and just as quickly reselling on EBay for seven times the original price of 1777 Yen.
All this a whole month before it is actually out.

And no, we missed out, never got our order in in time and will have to face summer without a sparkly hair tie. And our very own copy of quite a catchy japanese pop song.
(Sad face...)



Like most of Kyary's singles this one is tied to a commercial with lyrics that more or less alludes to the theme of the commercial. It has been airing for a couple of months now preparing the way for the new single.

Case in point; her latest full length album. Of the 12 songs eight has been used in commercials and one as the theme song for a TV cartoon. 

Here's a few more examples of Kyary commercials that all feature her music:

Blondie celebrates 40 with a double dose of a record

Blondie is 40. And a new album is just around the corner. In fact it is two albums. Or a double album. Or two single albums coming in a package. Whatever.

There is the all new album titled Ghosts Of Download that's been on its way since last summer with a song here, a song there being releaseed in one form or another. The album is finally here in a couple of days.

But it comes bundled with a Greatest Hits album. It is titled Deluxe Redux: Greatest Hits and contains 11Blondie classics - as the wording usually goes. But wait! There's a twist. The 11 old songs are all new recordings made last year by the current version of Blondie.
Nothing wrong with that, but having heard a couple of examples of the re-recordings we find that they sound pretty much like the originals, so the question is why do it if you're not going to add something new or different to a song?

Anyways, the two albums come joined under the somewhat unwieldy title Blondie 4(0)-Ever.

Radio Dupree Top 20 - May 2014

1. Joni Mitchell - Down to You
Court and Spark

2. Steely Dan - King of the World
Countdown to Ecstasy [2008 SHM-CD Remaster]

3. Blue Floyd - Fearless
Begins

4. Yes - Close to the Edge: The Solid Time of Change
Close to the Edge

5. Samuel Purdey - Lucky Radio
Musically Adrift

6. The Kinks - I Need You
Sunny Afternoon

7. Deep Purple - What's Goin' on Here
Burn

8. Steely Dan - Your Gold Teeth
Countdown to Ecstasy [2008 SHM-CD Remaster]

9. David Bowie - Lady Stardust
The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars

10. Steely Dan - Show Biz Kids
Countdown to Ecstasy [2008 SHM-CD Remaster]

11. Electric Light Orchestra - Showdown - On The Third Day
12. Eight Wonder - Having It All - Absolute Beginner
13. Mike Oldfield - Tubular Bells (excerpt) - Tubular Bells
14. Frank Zappa - The Illinois Enema Bandit - Zappa In New York
15. The Who - Substitute - Meaty Beaty Big & Bouncy
16. Pink Floyd - Goodbye Blue Sky - The Wall
17. Tokyo Ska Paradise Orchestra - THE PEAK - Goldfingers
18. Stevie Wonder - They Won't Go When I Go - Fulfillingness First Finale
19. State Cows - Careful With The Chainsaw, Dear - The Second One (Japanese Edition)
20. Santana - El Nicoya - Abraxas

-----------------------------------------------------

Chart compiled by listeners voting
on the songs they hear on Radio Dupree

Now and then we moan about the lack of women on this chart. Most of the female artists we play is ignored by our listeners when it comes to actions that put them on our monthly chart. One exception is Joni Mitchel who this time around takes the top spot. A rarity indeed on the Radio Dupree Top 20!

Even more rare on the chart is the group The Kinks who make it to number six, and it's "cheers" and "welcome" for first time charting Tokyo Ska Paradise Orchestra.  

N.S.

Two "new" Zappa songs available for Mothers Day

To commemorate Mothers Day 1964 the Zappa Family Trust releases previously unreleased versions of two songs:
Zoot Allures recorded live in 1982 with new drums added in the studio by Chad Wackerman.
Cosmik Debris from one of the concerts in Helsinki, Finland 1973. 

Mother's Day May 10 1964 was when Frank Zappa changed the name of the band The Soul Giants to The Mothers. This release is a nice surprise, but when it comes to Cosmik Debris one can't help to think of the "milking the customer" syndrome. Didn't we just order a 2 CD set featuring the ultimate selection of tracks from the three Helsinki shows of 1973? Is there even more to expect from that source?

Barfko-Swill (you may download here)

Album of the Month: Rush

Announcing the long overdue Album of the Month for May 2014. But what's a week and a half in the great scheme of things for a record that was released 40 years ago?
And we're looking to Canada and the still very much active band Rush debut album titled "Rush".

This is also gives us a chance to continue our posts about non-average packaging of music. The first being yesterdays post about the nickel-silver Wu Tang Clan extravaganza.

As the debut album from Rush is 40 years old it is only fitting that a remaster is released. And it is. Digitally of course, but also in a vinyl box that surprisingly does not include any outtakes and extra music, but some other goodies for the Rush fan/collector.

Original album jacket art, a reproduced promo poster, three litographs, a family tree of the band and a card for a digital download of the album should you not want to play the physical vinyl one that's in the box.
The record itself is pressed on 200g audiophile vinyl. And the box is a limited release.

Come back later today and Sunday for two more packaging posts! One of them including the sad story of how Radio Dupree missed out on a brand new, fresh collector's item due for release June 11, 2014.

Cher + Wu Tang Clan = True

Yes, Cher is apparently on two tracks on rap legends Wu Tang Clan's forthcoming double album Once Upon A Time In Shaolin.

And if you think that's a way to increase interest and sales of the album you're wrong. At least as far as sold copies go. The fact of the matter is that it will be released in one copy only, sold to the highest bidder.

According to this article in The Guardian the plan is to sell the album through some auction house, but apparently the band has already been offered $5 million from private parties interested in owning the only copy.
At the same time fans have started a Kickstarter crowdfunding campaign to match the $5 million bid and share the music among fans.

You see, before the album copy is sold it will do a tour of museums, galleries, universities and such being exhibited and people can listen to it on headphones for $30-50 a pop.

Yes. You read that correctly. Send the album on tour and charge people to hear it.

The person who finally end up with the only existing copy of the Wu Tang album will get it in a nice engraved nickel and silver box...

Chuck Berry gets The Polar Music Prize

The Polar Music Prize 2014 is awarded to rock'n'roll pioneer Chuck Berry and director Peter Sellars.
They will receive their awards during a gala ceremony in Stockholm with the Swedish king on August 26.
http://polarmusicprize.org/announcement/

The Polar Music Prize was founded in 1989 by the late Stig ”Stikkan” Anderson, the publisher, lyricist and manager of ABBA.

Two more dates for the Steely Dan 2014 tour

Those who thought the schedule for the Jamalot Ever After tour was complete will have to rethink. Two dates were added today:

September 19 & 20 at The Capitol Theatre in Port Chester, New York. Tickets go on sale May 9 (pre-sale May 7).

More info on steelydan.com and facebook.com/steelydan