Posts Tagged ‘Black Friday’

RECORD STORE DAY – Black Friday 2019

Posted: November 13, 2019 in Classic Albums, MUSIC
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Record Store Day, the annual event celebrating independent music retailers, has announced special releases for Black Friday 2019.

Though separate from the traditional Record Store Day — which takes place in April — the Black Friday releases follow a similar theme of rare material usually available in limited quantities and almost exclusively on vinyl. This marks the ninth year organizers have unveiled Black Friday releases.

“Since 2010, the organizers of April’s worldwide celebration of the record store, Record Store Day, have worked to shift the perception of Black Friday as a mass-produced, low-as-you-can-go event,” declared the announcement’s press release. Organizers went on to note that Record Store Day Black Friday concentrates instead on “a list of special releases that highlight how great gifts from a record store can be, and celebrating the kick-off of the holiday rush at independently owned neighborhood businesses.”

Alice Cooper 'Billion Dollar Babies (Live)' LP + 7"

Alice Cooper, Billion Dollar Babies Live
Originally released on a deluxe edition of Alice Cooper’s bestselling 1973 album, this concert from Houston, Texas features live versions of “No More Mr. Nice Guy” and “I’m Eighteen” plus a bonus 7″ featuring versions of “School’s Out” and “Under My Wheels” that were not on that aforementioned bonus disc. (6000 copies)

Alice Cooper, ‘Dragontown’

In 2001, Alice Cooper unleashed the 15th solo album of his career, ‘Dragontown.’ The release saw the singer embracing a heavier, more industrial-metal sound, while still maintaining the dramatic flair that made him a shock-rock legend. For Record Store Day Black Friday, ‘Dragontown’ will be made available as a limited-edition double LP on colored vinyl.

Bad Company, ‘Live at Red Rocks’

This live album captures Bad Company during a performance at the legendary Red Rocks Amphitheatre in 2016. The performance, which features Rich Robinson of the Black Crowes on guitar, was originally released as a CD/DVD set exclusive to Walmart stores. Here it receives a vinyl limited edition reissue for Record Store Day Black Friday, with only 1,500 copies available.

Cheap Trick, “Gimme Some Truth”

In a 2018 interview, Cheap Trick singer Robin Zander told UCR about his band’s cover of “Gimme Some Truth,” calling it a “great version” of the John Lennon classic. Here the track finally sees the light of day, featured on the A-Side of this limited-edition red vinyl 7” single. The B-Side is a live rendition of the holiday song “I Wish It Could Be Christmas Every Day,” featuring a guest appearance by the song’s writer, ELO and Wizzard member Roy Wood.
Cheap Trick 'Are You Ready? Live 12/31/1979' 2xLP

Cheap Trick, ‘Are You Ready or Not? – Live 12/31/79’

Recorded on New Year’s Eve 1979, ‘Are You Ready or Not?’ finds Cheap Trick delivering an electrifying performance at the Forum in Los Angeles. The recording, released here for the first time ever, features mixes taken from the original multi-track masters. Classic songs like “I Want You to Want Me,” “Surrender” and “Dream Police” are featured in this double LP set, along with the band’s rendition of “Auld Lang Syne” as they welcomed the dawn of the ’80s.

Devo, Devo Live 
Back in the ’80s, Warner Bros. Records pressed up a special series of “Music Show” albums sent to radio stations for one-time-only airings. Rhino will now release the first-ever commercial vinyl edition of Devo’s WB Music Show as Devo Live. (The set, excerpted on the DEV-O Live EP in 1981, was pressed on CD in 1999 by Rhino Handmade.) (4500 copies)

The Doors, Live At The Isle Of Wight Festival 1970
The group’s last ex-U.S. performance with the original line-up was first released in 2018, and now receives a debut release on vinyl. (11,000 copies)

Aretha Franklin, The Atlantic Singles Collection 1968
A sequel to last year’s singles box set, this volume replicates the four original singles The Queen Of Soul released 51 years ago, including “Sweet, Sweet Baby (Since You’ve Been Gone)” and “Think” – all in their original mono versions. (3000 copies)

Geddy Lee, My Favourite Headache
Available for the first time on vinyl, the sole solo album by Rush’s iconic bassist, first released in 2000. This pressing includes bonus instrumental versions of singles “Home On The Strange” and the title track, plus a special poster and download code. (5000 copies)

Dr John 'Babylon' LP

Dr John – Babylon

Get On Down reissue this unique record for Record Store Day Black Friday, which has not been repressed on vinyl in over 40 years. In keeping with the album’s hallucinogenic sound, it is presented on trippy splatter coloured vinyl,  After the release of debut record Gris-Gris, Dr. John found himself in a strange and awkward position. The US was deep into the Vietnam War, and the assassinations of Martin Luther KingJr. and Bobby Kennedy were fresh in the public memory. Much like Sly and The Family Stone’s There’s A Riot Goin’ On, Dr. John’s follow-up album Babylon would be a reflection of the chaotic and tumultuous time that he was living in. He and band dove deeper into the voodoo-inflected psychedelic rock and R&B of Gris-Gris, while touching upon elements of free jazz and Captain Beefheart-style avant garde. As with his debut record, production was handled by the legendary Harold Battiste, and much of the same session personnel who performed on it returned for Babylon, including Plas Johnson on saxophone, Alvin Robinson on guitar, and backing vocals from Jessie Hill, Shirley Goodman, and Tami Lynn. Babylon stands out as one of Dr. John’s most overtly political albums, and is a singularly murky and darkly entrancing record in his discography. A psychedelic swamp of apocalyptic lyrical content, drunk, disorienting experimentation, and a fascinating entry into Dr. John’s catalogue well-worthy of his expansive legacy.

The Hold Steady 'Four On Ten' 10"

The Hold Steady Four on Ten

The Hold Steady Four on Ten is the final four songs from the digital singles released throughout the last two years that has never been on a physical format.

Nick Lowe & Wilco 'Cruel To Be Kind' 7"

Nick Lowe and Wilco – ‘Cruel to Be Kind’

Nick Lowe’s ‘Cruel to Be Kind’ was first released as a single in 1979 and, thanks to the hook-laden chorus and Lowe’s signature turn of phrase, has never left our ears since.

To celebrate the 40th anniversary of the power pop gem, Yep Roc is releasing a limited edition 45 single of ‘Cruel to Be Kind’ for Black Friday 2019. The A-side features the classic single and the B-side contains Nick Lowe & Wilco performing the track together in 2012.

The Nick Lowe & Wilco cover of ‘Cruel to Be Kind’ has never been previously available in any physical format. The 45 single arrives on green vinyl and contains a digital download for both songs. was first released as a single in 1979 and, thanks to the hook-laden chorus and Lowe’s signature turn of phrase, has never left our ears since.

The Monkees, Christmas Party Plus!

Last year’s Christmas Party was a fine epilogue to The Monkees’ story, featuring newly-recorded songs written by Andy Partridge and Rivers Cuomo and posthumous performances by Davy Jones (not to mention Peter Tork’s final work with the group before his passing last February). This double 7″ EP, pressed on green and red vinyl, includes two versions of the Partridge-penned “Unwrap You At Christmas” (a radio mix and the former XTC mastermind’s original demo, featuring vocals from his daughter Holly); a Spanish carol, “Riu Chiu,” performed on The Monkees TV show; and the original mix of the 1976 holiday single “Christmas Is My Time Of Year.” (5000 copies)

Pretenders, UK Singles 1979-1981

To commemorate 40 years since the Pretenders’ debut single, a cover of The Kinks’ “Stop Your Sobbing,” this box set assembles the band’s first eight singles as originally issued in England. Includes the hits “Brass In Pocket,” “Talk Of The Town” and “Message Of Love” plus non-album B-sides and a recreation of a rare 1981 flexidisc. (3500 copies)

Pearl Jam 'MTV Unplugged 3/16/92' LP

Pearl Jam –  MTV Unplugged

Previously Unreleased On Vinyl: Three days after completing their first American tour, Pearl Jam headed to New York to strip back songs from debut album Ten, well on its way to becoming one of 1992’s top rock albums. For the first time on vinyl, relive all seven songs featured in the MTV Unplugged broadcast, includingJeremy, Even Flow, Alive, Black and State Of Love and Trust.

Lou Reed 'The Raven' 3xLP

Lou Reed, The Raven

The debut vinyl issue (on three LPs) of what turned out to be Reed’s final solo rock album, a star-studded interpretation of the works of Edgar Allen Poe. Includes cameos by Laurie Anderson, David Bowie, Willem Dafoe and Steve Buscemi. (5000 copies)

Lou Reed’s 2003 album, and 19th solo album The Raven, is a concept album, recounting the short stories and poems of Edgar Allan Poe. The album which features guest vocals from Laurie Anderson and David Bowie (amongst others) also includes different versions of two classic Lou Reed tracks – Perfect Day (originally released on his breakthrough album Transformer) and The Bed(originally released on his third studio album Berlin). This is the first time The Raven has been on vinyl.

U2 'Three' 12"

U2, ‘Three’

Originally released in 1979, ‘Three’ was the first commercial effort from U2. At the time, it was exclusively available in Ireland and quickly sold out the 1,000 copies of its initial run. As the name implies, the release featured three tracks: “Out of Control,” “Stories for Boys” and “Boy-Girl.” The former two would appear on the band’s 1980 debut album ‘Boy.’ All songs have been remastered for this special Record Store Day Black Friday reissue. Only 7000 copies will be released, each with an individual number.

PALEHOUND – ” Black Friday ” Best Albums Of 2019

Posted: July 8, 2019 in Classic Albums, MUSIC
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Palehound Black Friday

The very first Palehound songs were acerbic and wired. They could be dark and ugly, even masochistic at times. “Vandalize my body if it helps you sleep soundly,” Ellen Kempner begs on one of her best early tracks. The music she was making back then matched that energy: knotted guitars dripping with sourness and slime. But as Kempner has grown up and settled down, her songs have become less nervy and more quietly assured. Black Friday, Palehound’s third full-length album, is her most accomplished yet. It trades in the slicing guitars that made Kempner so beloved for more pillowy arrangements that sound like something you could fall back on to keep warm. “I think I hate my body/ ‘Til it’s next to yours,” she sings instead here — something once accepting of harm now deserving of love.

Love abounds on Black Friday. At its center is a healthy partnership that feels like a safe bubble, one that isn’t liable to fade away any time soon. “Aaron,” one of Kempner’s most gorgeous songs, is about supporting her partner through his transition, and it’s filled with tender-hearted declarations of devotion that slide out into open air. “You live your life with your back turned to me/ Your body swaying, voice steady in stance,” she sings. “If shutting my mouth will help you/ Turn around, Aaron/ I can, I can, Aaron, I can.” Even more than the specific experience, “Aaron” is about learning how to be comfortable with what we’ve been given, about wanting to feel weightless in the face of life’s burden. “Rid of our bodies, come and float with me,” she beckons. It’s the happiest Kempner has ever sounded in her music, when she’s opening herself up to new forms of love.

Palehound’s last album, A Place I’ll Always Go, had happy songs like this, too, but they were tempered by songs about death. That album was written shortly after Kempner’s grandmother and a close friend passed away in quick succession, and a lot of those songs were dealing with the disconnect that comes with happiness arriving at the most inopportune time. But Black Friday accepts happiness as something that we’re entitled to, that everyone should feel regardless of their situation. “If there’s anything I learned while I was back in town/ It’s that nothing worth loving ever sticks around/ But you,” Kempner sings on the last lines of this album.

Her newfound stability allows her the opportunity for some perspective to explore devotion in all its forms. Some of the most impressive songs are about friendships and partnerships that didn’t work out. On the album’s title track, Kempner reflects on one such friendship where she constantly felt like an afterthought, but a mislaid sense of dedication kept her coming back for more. “I’ll take being the last one on your mind,” she sings. “Still squeeze me in, never cared about waiting on your line.” The album’s title comes from this clever barb: “You’re Black Friday and I’m going to the mall,” a reminder of our tendency to keep doing things that we know are bad for us, like keeping up the ties of an imbalanced friendship or stoking the memories of an old flame, like Kempner does on the anthemic “Stick N Poke.” There she adopts some of her clanging old-school dramatic flair for a shout-along chorus: “I think I’m due for a shitty tattoo! I only have these thoughts when I’m missing you!”

A good relationship will only get you so far away from your demons, though, and Kempner still falls into old patterns of negativity on Black Friday. Love isn’t a cure for self-consciousness and self-loathing. The feeling that you’re never going to be enough is pervasive, that expectation that the worst will happen never really goes away. On “Worthy,” she pokes at that old wound of unworthiness: “I text you late at night/ I’m in the motel bathroom/ Staring at my thighs.” But Kempner leans into that fear, using it to remind herself of how far she’s come already. “At the thought of losing you/ My muscles hum familiar tunes/ And curl me to a naked ball/ Wet on our shower floor/ How do I unfurl from here?” she sings on the album’s closing track. But the difference between then and now is that there’s a light at the end of the tunnel, in the form of another half that understands where you’re coming from and accepts you for who you are.

Black Friday’s central visual motif is a plush puppet mask (created by Gaudmother) that’s featured on the album’s cover art and recurs in its music videos. In the one for “Aaron,” we see this puppet before it assumes its final form. It’s rough-looking, covered in lint and muck, a gigantic outer protective layer that ends up being shed as it runs wildly through the streets, emerging into a cozy and lovable Muppet-like creature, delightful in its awkwardness. Kempner achieves a similar transformation with this album. Her gnarled guitar lines have given way to soft-focus serenity, warm keys stemming the anxiety that once threatened to envelop her. Her bitter edge has opened up to vulnerability and light.

Black Friday is out 6/7 via Polyvinyl Records.

PALEHOUND – ” Black Friday “

Posted: May 3, 2019 in Classic Albums, MUSIC
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Boston-based Palehound have returned with a brand new observe known as “Killer,” which we known as one in all the most effective songs of the year. It was a welcome comeback, and it continued final month with the discharge of the track“Aaron” and information of a brand new album known as Black Friday.

Right now, Ellen Kempner’s band is again with one other new track and video for “Worthy.” In a press launch, Kempner says the observe is “about feeling unworthy of affection even inside a relationship. It’s about years of being conditioned to hate my physique and the shock of discovering somebody who isn’t telling me to vary. Selecting to consider the one that believes in you is a wild journey particularly when it correlates with ebb and stream of a partnership.”

The “Worthy” video was directed by Home Of Nod’s Robert Kolodny, who additionally helmed the “Aaron” video, and touches on comparable themes and imagery. Kempner confirms that this one is a continuation: “It’s the identical characters however on this one I’m mask-less and speaking my approach in direction of my companion, our shrinking distance represented by a string that ties us collectively.”

Howdy everyone!

Hope y’all are enjoying “Aaron.” It’s been really special for me to put that song out into the world. I was having anxiety about it but y’all put that to rest with your overwhelmingly kind response. Also the video by House of Nod is the best music video we’ve ever had!! Makes me feel excited about doing/ releasing more.

The full album, Black Friday, will be out on 6/7 on Polyvinyl Records who have been ultra amazing. I feel the proudest of this record of all the things I’ve done. Gabe Wax was my co-producer again and he’s a magician. We’re also gearin’ up to take these songs to a city near you with our favorite band Big Thief in October. Counting down the days!!

Thanks so much for everything, love y’all can’t wait to see you on the road

PALEHOUND – ” Aaron “

Posted: April 5, 2019 in MUSIC
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Boston-based trio Palehound have announced their third album, “Black Friday”, marking the occasion with the release of their lead single “Aaron.” The forthcoming record, due out on June 7th via Polyvinyl Record Co., examines love and the many different ways it can take shape in our life. “Aaron,” in particular, explores love of one’s own body, and connects to singer/songwriter Ellen Kempner’s partner.

Kempner says of the track and its music video in a statement:

“Aaron” is a character that represents my partner, who is trans. It’s not specific to his experience though, the song is about change in relation to our bodies in general. It’s about learning to be comfortable in our skins, whether that means changing our bodies or mindsets. Robert Kolodny directed the video and captured this theme perfectly through portraying physical insecurity as living in an unruly, amorphous body and gradually shedding it.

The video for “Aaron” takes Kempner’s gentle, heartfelt storytelling and gives it an artistic texture that is both fitting and unexpected. Kempner sings underneath a knitwear mask, crafted by Gaudmother, as a figure runs around the streets in a ghillie suit made out of yarn. In the end, both figures take off their knit masks and are haloed by light, a visual representation of their own newfound self-love and body empowerment.

On Black Friday, Kempner and bandmates Jesse Weiss (drums) and Larz Brogan (bass) hope that their art will help others who are struggling. She herself knows the therapeutic benefits of music, explaining:

What I always want to do with my songs is to help people heal in some way, or come to some new understanding about whatever it is that they’re going through. Even if it’s just hearing a song and feeling less alone than they were before, that would mean so much to me.

Kempner produced the record with Gabe Wax (Beirut, Soccer Mommy). Palehound recorded their latest project at Panoramic House in Stinson Beach, Calif.

Watch the video for “Aaron” (dir. Kolodny) check out the album art for Black Friday and the band’s national tour dates with Big Thief

ALICE COOPER – ” Live From the Astroturf ” Black Friday Record Store Day

Posted: November 28, 2016 in MUSIC
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JIMI HENDRIX – ” Morning Symphony Ideas ” Black Friday Record Store Day Release

Posted: November 28, 2016 in MUSIC
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Event: BLACK FRIDAY 2016
Release Date: 11/25/2016
Format: 10″ Vinyl
Label: Sony Legacy
Quantity: 3000
Release type: RSD Exclusive Release