Once again, Rick Rubin proves himself at being my personal hero. He personally brought Black Sabbath back together. Is there anything this dude can’t do? He got Johnny Cash in the studio to sing Nine Inch Nails songs.
Here are just some of the ground-breaking albums Rubin produced:
Did I mention he got Black Sabbath to reunite?
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The awesome dudes over at http://www.allthatisheavy.com/info.asp?item_num=ATH-9990 are selling a limited run of 200 translucent green/gatefold Dead Roots Stirring. This is an incredible opportunity to buy an amazing album. I expect this record to climb in value. Limit one per customer!
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I’m loving the new Pandora|One. First, they added all my “stations” in a shuffle list that I can turn on and off at will according to my mood. The more artists and stations I put in my list the better to more accurately serve my musical mood. My only real complaint is that I can’t seem to block all the Smiths songs that come up in my Cure station. I suppose another complaint is that some of the stations don’t go “deep” enough, but that can be easily overcome by artist choices – go deeper.
I’ve really gotten into the artist descriptions. They’re really well written and complete. I’ve learned a lot about the artists I love. For instance, I didn’t know the Smiths guitarist Jonny Marr played and helped write We Were Dead Before the Ship Even Sank. Hey the Smiths did something right!
Pandora just keeps getting better and I payed for a year’s subscription and never looked back. It was more than worth it, I think I’d have paid twice the money, especially if Windows Phone 7 supported Pandora – fail btw.
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Elder’s new album, Dead Roots Stirring is probably among the best stoner rock albums I’ve ever heard. I bought it mainly because I love the All That’s Heavy label. I went to All That’s Heavy mainly to buy YOB’s new album Atma. ( That album ended up being nearly unlistenable.) Thankfully, I love All That’s Heavy enough to buy just about whatever they suggest – for one to help the small label, and also because they tend to suggest some really good music I’ve never heard before – count Elder among those.
At first Listen, Elder seems like nothing new, but well done nonetheless. After the second listen, you’re hooked. Hooked hard. It’s been a while since I had a CD stuck in my player for so long – maybe Clutch’s Robot Hive had as long a run in my player.
Bought on a fluke, lasted like a heavy hitter, this album comes on in waves. Songs that last 7 mins and longer end and leave you wishing it would have gone on for another 7. Each song is as if it’s a new album altogether. This is a new, totally fresh album for an aging genre, while going back to “roots”. Other bands can take a hint from Elder, and work at making great stoner rock instead of trying to push a genre to it’s uncomfortable limits.
I have a feeling this album is just the beginning of Elder’s to-be fantastic career. I can’t wait for the next!
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I recently watched Rush Beyond the Lighted Stage and let me say that Sam Dunn is a genius in the first order. I was immediately a fan with Metal: A Headbanger’s Journey. That documentary was a brilliant piece on a sub-genre of music I love. I imagine I felt what jazz aficionados get from watching Jazz by Ken Burns.
Lighted Stage further delves deeply into a single band, Rush, and unearths video from their youth, even sitting around the kitchen table discussing music as a career choice with worried parents. Dunn portrays, candidly, Rush as a bunch of music geeks turning down prerequisite groupie-tail and instead watching TV and reading books while getting enough sleep to do the next show. In the words of immortal douche Gene Simmons, “WTF are these guys doing at night, sleeping?”. Well yes, Gene, they’re writing good, no, epic music, go back to your threesome and write some more drivel.
Run to see all of Dunn’s documentaries, but more so, see Beyond the Lighted Stage, as Dunn’s ability to spin a deeply interesting documentary is only getting better.
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Found these ongoing over at Ebay, a Velvet Underground Nico Warhol original Mono vinyl album with sticker intact, and a 13th Floor Elevators 2nd Album mono acetate.
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Steve Lacey in England is selling his collection of 12,000 Elvis records at auction. It’s estimated to bring in $375,000. That’s $31.25 a record. Really it doesn’t sound like a great deal to me, because some of those records aren’t going to be worth $30, but I suppose some will be worth well more than that.
If I had $375,000 to blow, I don’t think I’d spend it on Elvis records.
For instance, you can buy this car for $375,000:
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Slayer released a box set of 10 records for $150.00. It looks pretty cool, the price isn’t too bad for 10 records, and there are some great records in there (except for World Painted Blood, in my opinion.
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My wife took an old (crappy) record of mine and made these awesome tatting shuttles! They came out really cool, complete with record grooves still intact.
She also made me a beer coaster out of the center part, and even sanded and rounded the edges to make it look professional 
Check them out here, at www.shadetreeart.com
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