Tampa Calling

VINYL:

Bad Religion – Stranger Than Fiction
Collectible red vinyl reissue of the Southern California-based band’s Atlantic Records 1994 debut album (and eighth of their career). Mastered from the original analog tapes, featuring guest riffs from the MC5’s Wayne Kramer.

Bikini Kill – New Radio 7”
Re-issue featuring feminist punk anthem “Rebel Girl” and produced by Joan Jett. Still relevant.

Billy Childish – Archive From 1959: The Billy Childish Story 3xLP
This 51-track collection offers a look at the more rock & roll aspects of Childish’s career.

Discovery – LP LP+MP3
Now available on vinyl.

DJ Premier – Instrumental World Vol. 39 3XLP
Here, he has compiled 40 DJ Premier produced instrumentals. Hits from the likes of Gangstarr, Nas, Big L, Jay-Z, Lord Finnesse, Notorious B.I.G and many more. Perfect for DJs!

I Roy – Original Deejay At King Tubby’s
A collection of some of his greatest works to date. I Roy (born Roy Reid) worked as an accountant for the government in the mid-60s, during this time he saw DJing as more of a hobby. Due to the rise in popularity of DJs in the late-60s he established and operated Turbo Sonic Sound. He then started to take the business more seriously and went on to record a string of hits with various producers of the time. Bunny Lee, one of Jamaica’s finest producers, produced some of I Roy’s most popular tracks, which we have right here on one big album. All tracks recorded and mixed at King Tubby’s Studio.

Magnolia Electric Co. – Josephine
Magnolia Electric Co.’s fifth full-length, Josephine, is a concept album that pays tribute to the life and spirit of fallen bassist Evan Farrell. It contains some of the strongest songs Jason Molina has written. He’s approached the universal loneliness before, but never in such a focused, directed manner.

Modest Mouse – Perpetual Motion Machine 7”
Limited edition — b/w “History Sticks To Your Feet.”

Fats Navarro – Fats Blows
Trumpeter Fats Navarro is largely considered one of the lost geniuses of the bop movement. Read the rest of this entry »

Brought straight to your desktops by Lee at Vinyl Fever.

VINYL:

AA Bondy – American Hearts
Their latest (2008) release, now available on vinyl.

Amon Duul II – Yeti
“Yeti” was the second album by Amon Duul II and is quite a musical achievement. This is a double LP set and contains some of Amon Duul’s most impressive work – delivering their thick, full-fledged, multi-layered sound with dense instrumentation and a certain epic vastness. This is Krautrock in the full depth of its power: huge, towering, dark and completely devoid of any happy optimism, but still bound full of energy. An essential bit of the psych/prog era. Released with the original artwork.

Beastie Boys - Ill Communication
Deluxe reissue features the original album remastered and a bonus disc of 12 rarities, live tracks and B-sides.

David Bowie – Man Who Sold The World
David Bowie – Pinups
High-end Simply Vinyl label pressings.

The Clash – The Clash
The Clash – Give ‘Em Enough Rope
The Clash – Combat Rock
High-end Simply Vinyl label pressings.

The Dead Weather – Horehound
The latest musical adventure by Jack White epitomizes the alt-rock ethic: do the music you love, do it yourself, and do it fast. The Dead Weather brings together lead singer Alison Mosshart (half of the London-based lo-fi post-punk duo The Kills), Queens Of The Stone Age guitarist Dean Fertita, The Raconteurs’ bassist Jack Lawrence, and White on drums and vocals.

Iggy & The Stooges – More Power
Digitally remastered collection of rare studio recordings from the Raw Power era.

Son Volt – American Central Dust
Now available on vinyl. Read the rest of this entry »

If you and three to five of your friends plan on attending a Live Nation show this summer at Ford Amphitheatre, the company waves the service fees this Wednesday, July 1. So, basically, you save money on four- and six-packs of tickets for the following shows: blink-182, Coldplay, Crue Fest 2, Def Leppard with Poison and Cheap Trick, Depeche Mode, Incubus, Rascal Flats with Darius Rucker, and the Rockstar Energy Drink Mayhem Tour featuring Marilyn Manson and Slayer. Here’s the release: Read the rest of this entry »

A Rant by Gabe

MOTOWN JUNK

… is the title of one of the earliest releases by Manic Street Preachers. That single was released way before the angry young Welsh band were even close to ever releasing a full-length album. The song is basically an observation of how obsessed we as a culture are with nostalgia.

We revel in the “Glory Days” (another song with a similar theme) and spend countless hours talking about how GREAT the “good old days” were. The irony is that although we were complete fuck-ups, douchebags and nerds, we still somehow only remember how young, hell-raising, wild and crazy we were. Selective memory, if you ask me.

This type of fond remembrance is great but it has its limitations. Such is the case with the warm fuzzy feeling that most people have for bands like Cheap Trick and The Ramones.

Undoubtedly these are two of my all-time favorite bands that I consider myself very lucky to have seen live many, many times. Both influenced thousands of bands who came after them and eventually eclipsed them both in terms of record sales and popularity. Thing is, both bands continued to create solid, respectable music throughout their respective careers.

Hell, Cheap Trick’s last record, Rockford, rocks as hard as anything they’ve ever released! Problem is the folks who go see these bands nowadays only want to hear “the old stuff.”

A chance to grab from the Vinyl Fever swag bag after the jump. Read the rest of this entry »

Rick Nielsen and Robin Zander perform at a post-show jam. The guitar Nielsen is playing fetched $4,000 in an auction.

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Every note, sound and lyric of Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band is so indelibly imprinted in people’s heads that the thought of performing it live must be a little daunting. If that was the case last night at Ruth Eckerd Hall, Cheap Trick did not let on.

They nailed it.

The band had help. A keyboardist and second guitarist augmented the group. Behind them on a riser, 24 members of the Florida Orchestra filled out the sound, playing the string and horn parts with accuracy and feeling. Just for good measure, an Indian sitarist and tabla player came in from Miami specifically for the George Harrison-penned raga “Within You Without You.”

The evening opened with some instrumental versions of Beatles songs by the orchestra, which was followed by a brief set by Donovan. The 62-year old Irishman brandished a kelly green acoustic guitar and performed “Catch the Wind,” “Sunshine Superman” and “Lalena,” followed by heartfelt turns at the Beatles “Dear Prudence” and “Blackbird.”

I thought “Hurdy Gurdy Man” would’ve been a nice choice; it’s Donovan’s most psychedelic tune, and he could’ve employed the orchestra for interesting effect.

After an intermission, Cheap Trick and company took the stage and launched into “Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band” with exuberance and just the right measure of rock ferocity.

Read the rest of this entry »