Wednesday, September 03, 2014

Coming Soon THE SEPTEMBER TOP 40


#1  Nancy Ackerman
Fancy Pop  Nadia Ackerman

 Outstanding CD by Nancy Ackerman featuring Steve Holley on drums!
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#2 Tami Show 50th Anniversary
CELEBRATING THE 50TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE T.A.M.I. SHOW
THE T.A.M.I. SHOW: COLLECTOR’S EDITION AVAILABLE FROM Shout! Factory

Moulty talks TAMI show with Joe Viglione on Visual Radio.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3BaoMW2O2qA



CELEBRATING THE 50TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE T.A.M.I. SHOW
THE T.A.M.I. SHOW: COLLECTOR’S EDITION AVAILABLE FROM Shout! Factory

“The greatest rock concert movie ever” – Rolling Stone
“arguably the most electrifying performance in the history of postwar American music.” – The New Yorker
“the most praised, most coveted, and perhaps least-viewed concert film in history” – USA Today
“The chance to see Brown’s breathtaking routine is cause enough for celebration” – The New York Times
“one of the most celebrated, and sought-after, assemblages of talent in pop music history” –Los Angeles Times

Los Angeles, CA – August 2014 marks the 50th Anniversary of one of the greatest concerts of all time, The T.A.M.I. Show. One of the rarest rock events ever captured on film, the 1964 concert featured performances by future Rock and Roll Hall of Famers the Rolling Stones, James Brown, Chuck Berry, the Beach Boys, Marvin Gaye, Smokey Robinson & The Miracles, the Supremes, and many others.

The T.A.M.I. Show  was filmed live at the Santa Monica Civic Auditorium in 1964, a mere seven months after the Beatles appeared on The Ed Sullivan Show and introduced the Swinging ’60s to America. The T.A.M.I. Show originally appeared in theaters, including its "world premiere" at 33 Los Angeles area theaters on November 14, 19 64. After the theatrical run it was it was largely unseen for the next 46 years, until it was released as The T.A.M.I. Show: Collector’s Edition on DVD by Shout! Factory on March 23, 2010. The T.A.M.I. Show: Collector’s Edition includes bonus features including commentary by the film’s director Steve Binder (who would go on to direct Elvis Presley’s 1968 “comeback” special), original T.A.M.I Show radio spots, a 20-page booklet with liner notes by Don Waller and rare photos and memorabilia. Mastered from a new High-Definition transfer and restored to its original length, this complete version features the Beach Boys performances that were removed shortly after the film’s initial theatrical run.

Clips From The T.A.M.I. Show: Collector’s Edition

There are two scheduled events in Southern California to mark the 50th Anniversary. On August 14 at 7:30 pm, The American Cinematheque will host a screening of the film at the Egyptian Theater in Los Angeles, to be followed by a discussion with director Steve Binder, moderated by John Landis, who attended the original concert. Tickets are available at fandango.com.

On August 23 at 7:15 pm, the Plaza Playhouse Theater in Carpinteria, CA, will host a screening of the film. Director Steve Binder will take the stage at 7:15 pm to give some background on “The T.A.M.I. Show,” and will return for a Q&A after the screening. Tickets are $20 each and available for purchase online or (if available) can be purchased at the box office the night of the show.

Director Steve Binder is available for interviews.

The T.A.M.I. Show is the first concert movie of the rock era, capturing such superstars as the Rolling Stones (with the late Brian Jones), James Brown, Chuck Berry, the Beach Boys, the Supremes, Marvin Gaye, the Miracles (featuring Smokey Robinson), and many other Motown and British Invasion acts in their early prime. Aside from the five rock groups, all the performers are backed by a band that we've now come to know as “the Wrecking Crew,” famed for playing on all the Phil Spector-produced hits, and included future stars Glen Campbell and Leon Russell among others. Fanita James, Jean King, and future solo star Darlene Love, billed as The Blossoms, provide backing vocals.

Critically acclaimed and long sought after, the film contains James Brown’s legendary 18 minute performance, which was a major influence on Michael Jackson, Prince, Mick Jagger, Sting, Beck and many others. Rick Rubin calls it “the single greatest rock & roll performance ever captured on film.” The T.A.M.I. Show was added to the Library Congress’s National Film Registry in 2006.

Shout! Factory, LLC is a diversified multi-platform media company devoted to producing, uncovering, preserving and revitalizing the very best of pop culture. Founders Richard Foos, Bob Emmer and Garson Foos have spent their entire careers sharing their music, television and film favorites with discerning consumers the world over. Shout! Factory’s DVD and Blu-Ray™ offerings serve up feature films, classic and contemporary TV series, animation, live music and comedy specials in lavish packages crammed with extras.  Shout’s audio division boasts GRAMMY®-nominated box sets, Broadway cast albums, new releases from storied artists, lovingly assembled album reissues and indispensable “best of” compilations.  In addition, Shout! Factory maintains a vast digital distribution network which delivers video and audio content to all the leading digital service providers in North America.  Shout! Factory also owns and operates Timeless Media Group, Biograph Records, Majordomo Records, HighTone Records and Video Time Machine. These riches are the result of a creative acquisition mandate that has established the company as a hotbed of cultural preservation and commercial reinvention.  Shout! Factory is based in Santa Monica, California. For more on Shout! Factory, visit shoutfactory.com

Moulty talks TAMI show with Joe Viglione on Visual Radio.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3BaoMW2O2qA


The song "Moulty" from the 1966 Barbarians single "Moulty"/"I'll Keep On Seeing You" (Laurie 3326) was added to the songs from the original LP on the CD re-release of this Barbarians album. In interviews with members of the Barbarians, they claim that the Hawks (minus the departed Levon Helm) played on the track "Moulty". This has later been confirmed by the Barbarians' one-handed drummer Victor "Moulty" Moulton, through his friend, artist and producer Joe Viglione (who in 1998 released the compilation Boston Rock and Roll Anthology #20 on his own label Varulven Records, with two previously unreleased tracks credited to Moulty & the Barbarians.)
Here's an excerpt from an interview Viglione did with Moulton for the July '98 issue of Discoveries magazine:

http://theband.hiof.no/albums/are_you_a_boy_or_are_you_a_girl.html

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4)Jim Peterik

 im Peterik may not be a household name, but most people likely are more than a bit familiar with some of his famous songs.  Among the many tunes the 64-year-old songwriter and musician has written or co-written over the years are Survivor's "Eye of the Tiger" and The Ides of March's "Vehicle."
Peterik looks back at his eventful and colorful career in a new memoir titled Through the Eye of the Tiger: The Rock 'n' Roll Life of Survivor's Founding Member, which will be published on September 23.  He was just 15 when he joined The Ides of March, who scored a #2 hit in 1970 with "Vehicle," a song written and sung by Jim.  Later in the '70s, he founded Survivor, for whom he co-wrote the chart-topping 1982 smash "Eye of the Tiger," which served as the theme to the film Rocky III.


http://abcnewsradioonline.com/music-news/2014/8/3/jim-peterik-of-the-ides-of-march-and-survivor-to-release-aut.html
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5)Jimi Hendrix


Experience Hendrix and Legacy Recordings To Reissue
The Cry Of Love and Rainbow Bridge – Two Classic Out-Of-Print
Jimi Hendrix Albums Available Sept. 16 on CD and LP



On September 16, Experience Hendrix, LLC in conjunction with Legacy Recordings, the catalog division of Sony Music Entertainment will reissue two critically revered Jimi Hendrix albums on CD, vinyl and digital. The Cry Of Love and Rainbow Bridge, his first and second posthumous studio releases respectively, will be reintroduced with original album art and track orders. Both albums have been remastered by Bernie Grundman from the original analog masters. The Cry Of Love was last issued on CD in 1992, while Rainbow Bridge has never before seen an official CD release. The Cry Of Love may be pre-ordered on CD and LP; Rainbow Bridge may be pre-ordered on CD and LP - at Amazon.

Originally released in 1971, The Cry Of Love was compiled and mixed by Hendrix’s longtime engineer Eddie Kramer and Experience drummer Mitch Mitchell. The bulk of these tracks were recorded between December 1969 and the summer of 1970 at Electric Lady Studios in New York, and were intended to be part of an ambitious double LP tentatively titled First Rays of the New Rising Sun. Commercially, The Cry Of Love was a huge success, reaching #3 in the U.S. and #2 in the UK, and spawned favorites such as “Angel,” “Freedom,” and “Ezy Ryder.” While Mitch Mitchell and bassist Billy Cox comprised the rhythm section on the lion’s share of the tracks, Buddy Miles played drums on “Ezy Ryder” and Noel Redding played bass on “My Friend” (recorded in 1968, before his departure from the Jimi Hendrix Experience).  The Cry Of Love also includes the participation of notable guest musicians including Steve Winwood, Chris Wood and Buzzy Linhart among others.  VH1 recently declared The Cry Of Love the greatest posthumous classic rock record of all time.

Rainbow Bridge was also compiled and mixed by Eddie Kramer and Mitch Mitchell in 1971, with the help of Electric Lady Studios engineer John Jansen. Most of the tracks were recorded in 1969 and 1970, during the same sessions that spawned The Cry Of Love. Rainbow Bridge is often misconstrued as being an entirely live album, being that the film of the same name features excerpts of a live Jimi Hendrix performance in Maui. However, Hendrix had no role in the creation of the rambling, unfocused 1971 film which was directed by Chuck Wein.  The film was not a Hendrix project in any way but instead an independent vision of his manager Michael Jeffery.  After Hendrix’s death in September 1970, Jeffery scrapped Hendrix’s original vision of a double studio album titled First Rays Of The New Rising Sun and called for Kramer, Mitchell and Jansen to compile two posthumous albums—including one that would that would serve as a soundtrack for the Rainbow Bridge film.


Mitchell, Kramer and Jansen drew upon Hendrix’s rich trove of studio recordings that the guitarist had been developing at Electric Lady Studios.  Songs such as “Dolly Dagger” and “Room Full Of Mirrors” were bright examples of Hendrix’s new creative direction.  Other standouts on the album included a studio rendition of “Star Spangled Banner” as well as the majestic “Hey Baby (New Rising Sun).” The one live track on the album, an extraordinary rendition of Hendrix’s original blues composition “Hear My Train A Comin’” is taken from a performance at Berkeley Community Theatre in May of 1970, and not in the film at all. Buddy Miles and Noel Redding both appear on one track each, and the Ronettes provide backing vocals on “Earth Blues.”
Beginning in the late 1990s, the tracks on The Cry Of Love and Rainbow Bridge were reassembled into various compilations, including First Rays of the New Rising Sun, South Saturn Delta, and The Jimi Hendrix Experience box set. Now, fans of all ages will be able to enjoy songs such as “Straight Ahead,” “Nightbird Flying,” and “Hey Baby (New Rising Sun)” as they were experienced when they first became available 43 years ago.
JimiHendrix.com
The Cry Of Love track list:
1)  Freedom
2)  Drifting
3)  Ezy Ryder
4)  Night Bird Flying
5)  My Friend
6)  Straight Ahead
7)  Astro Man
8)  Angel
9)  In From the Storm
10) Belly Button Window

Rainbow Bridge track list:
1)  Dolly Dagger
2)  Earth Blues
3)  Pali Gap
4)  Room Full of Mirrors
5)  Star Spangled Banner (studio version)
6)  Look Over Yonder
7)  Hear My Train A Comin’ (live)
8)   Hey Baby (New Rising Sun)
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6)Sydney Greenstreet


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 7) JOHNNY THUNDERS LOOKING FOR JOHNNY

Interview with Danny Garcia, Director, just in

Chip Baker Films in association with Jungle Records and MVD Entertainment Group presents a Danny Garcia film.

Johnny Thunders was the legendary hard-living rock'n'roll guitarist who inspired glam-metal, punk and the music scene in general. Looking For Johnny is a 90-minute film that documents Thunders' career from his beginnings to his tragic death in 1991.

When Johnny Thunders died in New Orleans on April 23rd 1991, he left behind a mystery. Though MTV and international broadsheets reported the guitarist's demise, for many in the mainstream, Thunders was perceived as an enigmatic outlaw. He was adored by a legion of devotees and cited as an influence by at least three successive generations of musicians. Thunders refused to play the corporate game and was both elevated and damned for it.
Looking for Johnny is the creation of the documentary maker, Danny Garcia (The Rise & Fall of The Clash). The young Spanish filmmaker was seized by a question that wouldn't let go - "just who was Johnny Thunders?" He spent 18 months travelling across the USA and Europe, filming interviews with fifty of the people who were closest to Johnny, building a compelling narrative drawn from first hand testimonies.
The film examines Johnny Thunders' career from the early 70's as a founding member of the influential New York Dolls, the birth of the punk scene with The Heartbreakers in both New York City and London, and later incarnations including Gang War and The Oddballs. It also explores Johnny's unique musical style, his personal battle with drugs and theories on the circumstances of his death in a New Orleans hotel in 1991 at age 38.

Interviewees include Sylvain Sylvain, Lenny Kaye, Walter Lure, Billy Rath, Bob Gruen, Terry Chimes, Alan Vega, Peter Perrett, Sami Yaffa, three of his late managers (Marty Thau, Leee Black Childers and Malcolm McLaren), and many others.
The film includes forty songs (including Born To Lose and You Can't Put Your Arms Around A Memory) and historic film of Johnny with live performances from all periods, including unseen New York Dolls and Heartbreakers footage and photos. Cult filmmakers Bob Gruen, Don Letts, Patrick Grandperret, Rachael Amadeo and others contribute classic archive footage, helping illustrate the charisma, chaos and heartbreak inherent to the guitarist.

Premiere showings took place in May and June 2014 across USA and Europe, including New York City, London, Los Angeles, Chicago, Stockholm, New Orleans, Dallas, Toronto, Boston, Washington DC, Gloucester MA, San Francisco, Madrid, Barcelona and elsewhere, with more events to follow.

Pre-order / Item Info / Hi Res Art:   DVD http://bit.ly/1oDyMI1 - Soundtrack http://bit.ly/VckIOS

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STATUS QUO
The Frantic Four's Final Fling – Live At The Dublin 02 Arena
Out September 30 on earMUSIC / Eagle Rock Entertainment
 
New York, NY (August 6, 2014)—When the last notes rang out in the Dublin o2 on Saturday, April 12, 2014, the 9000 fans packing the venue knew that they were witnessing the end of something special.  The reunion that nobody thought would ever be possible had happened, but now the itch was scratched and that particular book was closed. 
On September 30, 2014, Status Quo will commemorate one very special night with the North American release of The Frantic Four’s Final Fling – Live At The Dublin 02 Arena on 2CD, double vinyl, and digital audio through earMUSIC / Edel / Eagle Rock Entertainment.
When the original line-up of Status Quo reunited for a 9-date UK tour in March 2013 the outpouring of approval and raw emotion from the fans was incredible. Public demand made the final tour of 2014 mandatory and it was just as emotional. Rossi, Parfitt, Lancaster and Coghlan received a rapturous response; the band clicked straight back into their groove, the chemistry obvious, the music stunning and the volume almost overpowering.  It all led to Dublin; the final show of the final tour. Ever.
The Frantic Four tours were highlights in a career that has seen Quo achieve more than anyone dreamed possible.  The Times (UK) said, “It sounded fantastic.  And they, like us, were clearly getting a tremendous kick out of revisiting these long-neglected songs.”  Classic Rock said, quite simply, “F*ck me, dreams can come true!” Dublin was a genuine milestone on the incredible road that Quo have traveled, and it’s captured in all its glory here: The Frantic Four´s Final Fling – Live At The Dublin 02 Arena.
For more information regarding this and other Eagle Rock Entertainment releases, contact Carol Kaye at Carol@Kayosproductions.com. Follow us on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/KayosProductionsInc.

Follow Eagle Rock Entertainment at:
Facebook:   www.facebook.com/EagleRockEnt
Twitter:  www.twitter.com/EagleRockNews
YouTube:  www.youtube.com/user/eaglerocktv

Follow earMusic at:
Youtube: www.youtube.com/earmusicofficial
Facebook: www.facebook.com/earmusicofficial
Website: www.ear-music.net

TRACK LISTING:
1.) Junior’s Wailing
2.) Backwater
3.) Just Take Me
4.) Is There A Better Way
5.) Blue Eyed Lady
6.) In My Chair
7.) Little Lady
8.) Most Of The Time
9.) Rain
10.) (April) Spring, Summer and Wednesdays
11.) Railroad
12.) Oh Baby
13.) Forty-Five Hundred Times
14.) Gotta Go Home
15.) Big Fat Mama
16.) Down Down
17.) Roadhouse Blues
18.) Caroline
19.) Bye Bye Johnny
www.facebook.com/earmusicofficial



10)GALLAGHER
 

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:



Gallagher "I Am Who I Pretend To Be"

to be released on October 7th


The farewell stand-up album from the legendary comedian 
who inspired the creation of Comedy Central





The name Gallagher conjures up immediate images of smashing watermelons. However, his roots are in Stand-Up Comedy, and this is where he returns in this, his final album. Recorded live in May 2014 at the legendary Ice House Comedy Club, where he recorded his very first, and only, stand-up album in 1978, Gallagher treats his loyal fans to his unique observations about life. 

By his own acknowledgment, the smartest person around, he offers solutions to problems between the sexes, between countries and even with religion, just to name a few. Sprinkled in between these astute and hilarious observations are jokes-yes, actual jokes- that will have you chuckling long after the show is over.

Gallagher virtually invented the television stand-up comedy special. He's had 14 Showtime specials as well as 3500 live shows to capacity crowds. Before him, no one had exhibited his level of audience interaction. For 15 years he was a #1 comedian in both ticket sales and ratings. He was an inspiration for the creation of Comedy Central. 

After smashing nearly 15,000 watermelons throughout his lifetime, Gallagher has decided to return to his stand-up roots for his final hurrah. Leo Anthony Gallagher was born in North Carolina and raised in South Tampa, Florida. He graduated from the University of South Florida where he studied Chemical Engineering and English Literature. After college, he changed his focus and began working as comic/musician Jim Stafford's road manager. In 1969 Gallagher and Stafford traveled to California. It was then that Gallagher decided to attempt performing his own comedy. He proceeded to hone his craft working at both the legendary Ice House Comedy Club in Pasadena as well as the world famous Comedy Store on Sunset Blvd. in Hollywood.
Gallagher has led an extraordinary life and a spectacular career. He has a loyal fanbase and he rewards them every chance he gets. "I Am Who I Pretend To Be" is the culmination of his life experience viewed through his own unique perspective. Gallagher on Gallagher. Gallagher on The World. Truly he is unlike anyone else.

About Uproar Entertainment



Uproar Entertainment is committed to recording and promoting today's most talented comedians. From discovery at comedy festivals throughout the country (where Uproar gives a recording contract to the winners), to state of the art recording live in top comedy clubs, Uproar nurtures, supports and develops the best comedic talents of our time. Their unique catalog boasts seasoned veterans of the stand-up comedy world such as Brian Regan, Bobby Collins, John Pinette, Alonzo Bodden, Margaret Cho, Pablo Francisco, Suzanne Westenhoefer, and Scott Kennedy among others, as well as up-and-comers Tyler Boeh, John Moses, AJ Finney, Andrew Norelli, and Kabir Singh, just to name a few. Uproar also features the classic comedy stylings of such notables as Jonathan Winters, LaWanda Page (hilarious as Aunt Esther on the Sanford & Son TV series), Slappy White, Shecky Greene, Marsha Warfield (Roz the bailiff on the hit 80's sitcom Night Court) and Rich Little, not to mention the legendary comedy albums (on CD and digital) of the 70s and 80s National Lampoon featuring many of the original cast members of Saturday Night Live.



Uproar Entertainment is under the helm of David Drozen, the man who discovered Richard Pryor in early 1970, signed him to his first recording contract, and produced 12 of his albums for the legendary comedy label Laff Records. Included in these are the classics "Craps After Hours", "Are you Serious", "Super Nigger", and "Black Ben the Blacksmith". On national television, Chris Rock called "Black Ben the Blacksmith" the best comedy album ever produced! Of the 12 Pryor albums David produced for Laff, 6 were nominated for Grammy's, including the Grammy winner "Rev. Du Rite". With an unparalleled eye for comedic talent, Mr. Drozen is responsible for discovering many of today's great comedy talents, producing their very first comedy albums and igniting their comedy careers. Under his leadership Uproar Entertainment is makin' comedy happen!

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#20  GUNS OF BRIGHTON

CD  A Selfish Call To Arms
Review by Joe Viglione


A Selfish Call To Amrs is a serious take on punk rock meets metal, the product delivered by Markie D (Mark Duchane) guitar/vocals/songwriting, Anthony Aubrey (drummer) adding harmony vocals and crunching percussion and former Virginian (the state)  Lee Holland on bass who joined the group in July of 2012.   A fourth member rounds out the trio-gone-quartet, recently added Mike Lucantonio on 3rd harmony vocals and lead guitar.

The official video of Track 4, Heroes of the Past is a perfect example of what is store on the eight track disc. exploding power-pop metal with the groove of a Maglev propelled train (magnetic levitation):

“Rude Boy Warning” is a quick burst of the Ramones meet AC/DC with some poignant lyrics – “Like father like son / but for some of us it ain’t much fun.”  The 2:33 short, succinct essay has an eleven second phone call added to it, and from there it is right into the Ska-influenced “All the Young Hooligans” – a change of pace from the relentless onslaught of guitar-powered melodies.  This is not your grandpa’s “All The Young Dudes” from David Bowie’s pen, more like Bob Marley playing at Aerosmith’s old Mama Kin club where the House of Blues is now.

Opening track A Call To Arms gives an acapella 18 second admonition before “Unjustifiable Mistake” kicks things off, three minutes and 29 seconds of driving rock and roll.  All of the songs are under three minutes and thirty seconds, “Unjustifiable Mistake” actually the longest of the eight cuts at 3:29.    Duchane’s voice works on record and in concert, the group showing off its skills in live performance August 30, 2014, a Labor Day weekend special at Club Bohemia at the Cantab.  Guns of Brighton rocked the hall with louder versions of the (if there's any justice in the world) soon-to-be classics on this disc.

While most groups are advised to issue a single or an EP at best, Guns of Brighton double the pleasure with a short-but-sweet 8 tracks, tunes like “Ready for Salvation” have accurate backing vocals and Aubrey’s steady beat to keep things uniform in the controlled mayhem.  Great job on the CD and terrific live.


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#21 LIVE AT THE RAT



In 2001 the legendary building that housed Boston's infamous Rat was demolished, but this recording (catalog #528, same as the address for the establishment on Commonwealth Avenue in the heart of Boston) remains as evidence of what transpired in that "cellar full of noise." Inspired by Hilly Kristal's Live at CBGB's, this is truly the companion double LP to that disc on Atlantic, though the Boston compilation came close but failed to obtain major-label release. Recorded September 27, 28, and 29th, 1976, at the dawn of the "new wave," Read more here: http://www.allmusic.com/album/live-at-the-rat-mw0000972859


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#22   "SUNNY"  Ray Donovan

Episode 8, Season II




 The show Ray Donovan is a real find with visual textures that take the Soprano's into 2014, and similarly-styled plot distancing that comes together in an effective and powerful way.

The theme of "Sunny" (the episode) is actually how the famous Bobby Hebb song brings some light to a very dark chunk of this series, but there are also parallels to the family structure – issues and complexities between sons and fathers - so it could also be called "Sonny" - which is the double entendre at play throughout.  

    Ray Donovan's dad is ex-con Mickey Donovan, actor Jon Voight looking more together than his haggard appearance as Jim Phelps in the 1996 film version of TV's Mission Impossible.  18 years later he looks just as old, but more effective here -- and he appears to model the image to what an aged version of boxer Irish Mickey Ward might look like.   So there's the dynamic with "fixer" son Ray Donovan, played brilliantly by Liev Schreiber  and his low-life daddy played by Jon Voight as well as the Rap mogul mentor-father figure Re-Kon (Kwame Anderson) and his protege 15-year old surrogate "son" (played by 18 year old  Octavius J. Johnson) named Marvin Gaye Washington.   

In as blatant a fashion as you can get, the song "Sunny" is performed as a rap, not over Bobby Hebb's hit tune, but over a rare version by the fictional character’s namesake -  which originally appeared on the Marvin Gaye boxed set, only the specific performance used on Ray Donovan is in its "Mercury Mix" form - remixed by Mercury* (a duo) as the Mercury Mix II - hear it here:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QiVKP_sMqHU


  
To reiterate, you have the "professionally(not legally) adopted son" of a rap mogul  utilizing Marvin Gaye's rare version of "Sunny" - the Mercury Mix,  to create a new rendition of the classic Bobby Hebb tune by actor Octavius J. Johnson.  Hopefully it will be on the market soon.

For those not familiar with the show, the twists and turns make a scorecard mandatory, quick cuts and multiple vignettes converging, long shots cradled in extensive pauses infiltrate episode 8, which one critic notes is chock full of telephone conversations between the protagonist and supporting cast...as well as the supporting cast with each other.   

Having Eliot Gould, Jon Voight, Peter Jacobson, Liev Shreiber, Kwame Anderson and Steven Bauer  and Richard Benjamin (as film producer Jerry) - all familiar faces - in one program means the acting is reliable and, like the Sopranos, very believable.   

It's a good find tucked away on one of the cable networks, Showtime, and worth seeking out. There's a Kathy Bates-styled woman handing out checks and advice to Ray Donovan, all cheeky and fun in a dark way.  But the inclusion of Bobby Hebb's signature tune is a welcome addition to television, and a great song around which to build a theme. 

The program has its share of vulgarities and violence, but the superb acting and storyline will draw you in despite the overabundance of such a negative tone. 






INTERESTING INFORMATION ON THE MERCURY REMIX DUO

Information on Mercury
MERCURY AKA MEL & SIMON
Bern is a picturesque but marginal town in the center of Switzerland. However, the provincial town, by the way the legal capital of the country, has some serious assets – it is home to the likes of Deetron, the Round Table Knights and the up and coming Mercury.
Mercury is Mel, a former hip-hop DJ and shoemaker-to-be, and Simon, an educated children’s teacher and drummer to the francophone pop-star Stephan Eicher. The duo’s skills and frank approach to house music were first discovered by the world-acclaimed Dutch illustrator and Le Le member Parra, who invited the Swiss producing duo to create a remix of his band’s second single »Breakfast«. Frenetically supported by Pedro “Busy P” Winter, the remix ultimately became a true dance floor hit during 2009.http://worldofmercury.com/online/?page_id=46

MERCURY PAGE on MARVIN GAYE MIX
MARVIN GAYE – SUNNY [MERCURY EDIT II]
Mercury (Switzerland) would like to share their newest edit with you. A heart-warming track for welcoming the morning sun and collectively praising the joy of life. “Our man Rampa from Keinemusik dropped it when the first sun rays poured into the legendary window front of Berlin’s Watergate Club. A beautiful notion, no? We would have loved to be there”.

http://www.musiqtrend.com/2012/02/20/marvin-gaye-sunny-mercury-edit-ii/

33)Eric Clapton
                                                                                                                                
                                                                                                                     
EAGLE ROCK ENTERTAINMENT PROUDLY RELEASES
ERIC CLAPTON
PLANES, TRAINS AND ERIC
~DVD,  BLU-RAY, AND DIGITAL FORMATS OUT NOVEMBER 4, 2014~
New York, NY (August 7, 2014)-- On November 4, 2014, Eagle Rock Entertainment will release Planes, Trains and Eric by Eric Clapton on DVD and Blu-ray [Pre-book Order Date October 10, MSRP $19.98 Blu-ray, $14.98 DVD].  This is an intimate film documenting life on the road during part of his 2014 tour intercut with superb full-length performances.  The film features many classic tracks including: “Layla,” “Wonderful Tonight,” “Cocaine,” “Tears In Heaven,” “I Shot The Sherriff,” “Crossroads” and more.
Planes, Trains and Eric follows Eric Clapton and his band on the Far and Middle Eastern leg of his 2014 World Tour. The film features 13 full-length performances blended with interviews with Eric Clapton and the band members, rehearsal and soundcheck footage, travel by trains and planes, presentations and “fly on the wall” filming of all the many aspects of being on the road with Eric Clapton.
Eric Clapton is one of the most revered and influential guitarists of all time. From his early days with the Yardbirds, through John Mayall’s Bluesbreakers, Cream, Blind Faith, Derek And The Dominos and on to his solo career he has had consistent critical and commercial success.
The line up of the band featured on the film is Eric Clapton (guitar & vocals); Steve Gadd (drums); Paul Carrack (Hammond & vocals); Nathan East (bass & vocals); Chris Stainton (keyboards); Michelle John (backing vocals); Shar White (backing vocals).
Planes, Trains and Eric offers an unrivalled peek into the world of one of today’s greatest performers; and of course plenty of fantastic music.
Eagle Rock Entertainment is the largest producer and distributor of music programming for DVD, Blu-Ray, TV, Audio and Digital Media in the world.  Eagleworks directly alongside talent to produce top quality, High Definition and 3D programs, both concerts and documentaries, including The Rolling Stones, Pink Floyd, The Who, Queen, The Doors, Jeff Beck, U2, Peter Gabriel, Paul McCartney and Ozzy Osbourne. Eagle is a Grammy Award winning company and has received over 30 multi-platinum, over 50 platinum and over 90 gold discs, worldwide. Eagle Rock Entertainment has offices in London, New York, Toronto, Paris and Hamburg.

For more information regarding this and other Eagle Rock Entertainment releases, contact Carol Kaye at Carol@Kayosproductions.com. Follow us on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/KayosProductionsInc.
Follow Eagle Rock Entertainment at:
Facebook:  www.facebook.com/EagleRockEnt
Twitter: www.twitter.com/EagleRockNews
TRACK LISTING:
1) Tell The Truth  
2) Pretending  
3) Crossroads  
4) Driftin’  
5) I Shot The Sherriff  
6) Little Queen Of Spades  
7) Layla  
8) Wonderful Tonight  
9) Key To The Highway  
10) Before You Accuse Me  
11) Tears In Heaven  
12) Cocaine  
13) Hoochie Coochie Man  
14) High Time (Credits – Audio Only)


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34)

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

SUTTER ZACHMAN’S REPEAT OFFENDER EP OUT 9/2 FROM MODERN ROOTS


Repeat Offender is Sutter Zachman’s 4-track EP that Modern Roots Music Co. has set for release directly after the Labor Day weekend. The EP includes “Back To Sleep,” a song that has become something of an airplay staple in Ireland (see below) and parts of the UK over the summer.  Repeat Offender was produced by Modern Roots’ founder Jimmy Sloan who has worked with a broad range of artists including The Blind Boys Of Alabama, Fishbone, Weezer and Dave Alvin as  producer and/or recording engineer. Dave Jerden (Red Hot Chili Peppers, Jane’s Addiction, Talking Heads) mixed three of the EPs four songs, all of which were recorded earlier this year at  Seahorse Sound in downtown LA.  

Zachman, 26, a Southern California native, wrote all of the Repeat Offender material. A student of the songwriting of Nick Lowe, Van Morrison, Robbie Robertson and Ron Sexsmith, he signed his first major music publishing deal when he was barely out of his ’teens.  One UK pundit said of Zachman that he is “blessed with a warm and woodsy voice that would have been right at home in 1970s Laurel Canyon…”  

Sutter Zachman has developed his own sound while working at odd jobs in small towns across the country from Lawrence, KS to California’s Coachella Valley.  Now that he’s based back in Los Angeles, he’s reconnected with his roots and has been working with a group of top players who collaborated on the recordings including these Repeat Offender “co-conspirators”: Janson Mandell (bass, vocals), Cameron Meshell (drums, vocals, bass), Angela Russell (violin/vocals), Wallflowers/Foo Fighters’ Rami Jaffe (keyboards) Fishbone’s John Norwood Fisher (bass) and Gap Band veteran Victor Orlando (percussion).

While those who feel compelled to categorize music might call his efforts folk-oriented or Americana, Sutter is ambivalent about such labels commenting, “I try to stay open to the words and feelings that move me,” he explains, “and I try not to over-analyze what comes out.”  

If you’d like a CD copy of Sutter Zachman's Repeat Offender please let us know.



                                                                   
                                                                                                                                                                      
Sutter's music has been regularly highlighted on Ireland's national RTÉ Radio  (Raidió Teilifís Éireann) of late.  Like Jimi Hendrix, Paul Simon and James Taylor before him, it seems that listeners a long way from home have embraced a young American artist and our hope is to let folks back home know about him.

To this end we offer a little Soundcloud visit to Dublin where Sutter's "Back To Sleep" has been aired on Late Date, the eclectic RTÉ after hours show hosted by DJ Alf McCarthy.  The show has been going strong for the last two decades and is described as attracting " a loyal, local audience of night owls, from cabbies to clubbers, shift workers to security crews and a lot more besides."

And, to sound a note of ecumenicism, let it be known that BBC's Ulster service has also programmed the song.

Click on the link http://ow.ly/y86KM listen to Sutter's "Back To Sleep" (strange choice for a late night show, eh?) and see what you think.. it's right there between Procol Harum's "Whiter Shade of Pale" and Bob Dylan's "Full Moon and Empty Arms."
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#35     



LEADING MUSIC RETAILER JON HABER’S DEC3 PREMIERES NEW SINGLE “RED LINE” AUGUST 6, WITH NEW ALBUM TO FOLLOW SEPT. 30
Owner of N.Y.-based Alto Music instrument and high-end studio equipment chain accomplishes lifelong dream with a debut album that showcases his skills as a musician, songwriter and producer
New York, NY (July 31, 2014)— It’s been a long time coming, but Jon Haber has  finally managed to achieve a goal he’s had since he was six years old, when he first picked up a guitar, releasing his debut album, DEC3 through his own Raddist label, on Sept. 30.
The man who owns the successful New York-based Alto Music instrument retail chain has now come full circle and is back on the other side of the counter, as a musician, songwriter and producer, a lifelong dream come true.
“I was in bands when I was younger, but I never stopped writing songs,” says the 49-year-old entrepreneur, who opened his first store when he was 24, temporarily putting an end to his playing career. “I didn’t want to look back when I was 70 and regret I hadn’t done it. I never had the opportunity to prove what I could do on this level.”
Haber, who played virtually every instrument on the album, as well as wrote and produced all of the songs, is joined by two longtime collaborators Chris Saulpaugh (singer) and Mike Kalajian (drummer), whose births in three different decades give the band its name. Veteran keyboard wizard Shane Keister (Paul McCartney, Five for Fighting) and Coheed and Cambria’s Zach Cooper also make cameos on the album.
With influences that range from The Beatles, Led Zeppelin, Queen, Boston, Radiohead and Foreigner to the Beach Boys, Stevie Wonder, Steely Dan, Peter Gabriel and The Police, DEC3 is music for people who grew up on rock ‘n’ roll and the diversity of AM/FM radio, with indelible melodies, superb playing and memorable choruses. The album’s dozen songs range from tuneful ballads like “In Front of You,” a love song that could well serve as a metaphor for Haber’s own long-delayed ambitions, to anthems like “Where Should I Go Tonight,” which feature Saulpaugh’s yearning Bono-esque vocals. The crunchy “We’re All Friends” has an AC/DC feel and a classic sing-along rock chorus in its story of a renewed high school relationship through Facebook, while the crystal-clear harmonies and cascading guitar riffs of “Simple Mess” reflect Haber’s primary inspiration in the Fab Four. Both “4 Small Black and White Pictures of You” and the sing-song acoustic “Black Kid on a Pink Bike” capture the past with the unerring narrative alacrity of Bruce Springsteen.
The first single, “Red Line,” a song telling the story of the Syrian civil war from the viewpoint of a citizen caught up in the massacre, in which hundreds of thousands have been killed, and rapidly losing hope, will be released with an accompanying video on August 6. The song, with a sound byte of President Obama, includes the lyrics: “The leader of the whole free world/Said that he’d help rescue me/But he ain’t trying/He’s just coloring lines.”
“This is not about politics,” says Haber. “It’s more of a humanitarian theme. We should have done something, but we did nothing.”
As a member of the Board of Directors for the National Association of Music Merchants (NAMM), Haber has been an activist, who has lobbied Washington for more music education programs in school. He also appeared in a national American Express Plum Card commercial for his Alto Music stores that stresses “putting instruments in the hands of more people.” His business eventually mushroomed into a musical instrument distribution company and an international manufacturing company.
DEC3 is the culmination of a lifelong devotion to music.
“I’m doing this because I love it,” Haber continues. “This is a passion project.”
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#36  YES

         Kayos Productions, Inc.     
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                       (212) 366.9970

 
EAGLE ROCK ENTERTAINMENT TO RELEASE
YES
SONGS FROM TSONGAS – THE 35TH ANNIVERSARY CONCERT
SPECIAL EDITION BLU-RAY, 2DVD, DIGITAL FORMATS OUT SEPTEMBER 23
~FIRST EVER RELEASE OF SONGS FROM TSONGAS ON 3CD~
New York, NY (July 21, 2014)-- Eagle Rock Entertainment is proud to announce the September 23 simultaneous release of Yes’ Songs From Tsongas - The 35th Anniversary Concert - Special Edition on 2DVD, Blu-ray, and Digital Formats, and the first ever release of Songs From Tsongas as a 3CD set. [Pre-book Order Date August 29, MSRP $19.98 Blu-ray, $24.98 DVD, $TBA CD]. 
The Special Edition of Songs From Tsongas contains two different concerts from Yes’ 35th Anniversary Tour in 2004, the last tour to feature the classic line-up of Jon Anderson, Steve Howe, Chris Squire, Rick Wakeman and Alan White. In addition to the originally released Songs From Tsongas show, this DVD is packed with an additional 70 minutes of never-before-released highlights from Lugano. Songs From Tsongas offers a fantastic set list of favorites and rarities including “Going For The One,” “Roundabout,” “Owner Of A Lonely Heart,” “And You And I,” “Starship Trooper,” “Wonderous Stories,” “I’ve Seen All Good People,” “Yours Is No Disgrace,” “Ritual,” “Turn Of The Century,” and many more captured here in all their glory.
Disc One of the Special Edition DVD contains the whole concert from the Tsongas Arena in Lowell, Massachusetts, previously spread across two discs. This epic show features tracks from across the band’s career including an extensive acoustic section (tracks 11 – 18) and some tracks that have rarely been performed live. This entire concert is featured on the Songs From Tsongas 3CD.
Disc Two features a very different concert on the same tour filmed at Estival in Lugano, Switzerland. This outdoor show has a stripped down stage and full on rock versions of the acoustic tracks from Tsongas while the crowd wield a multitude of umbrellas against the pouring rain, which is clearly not preventing them having a great time!
As a Bonus Feature, the DVD includes another track “Ritual,” also filmed at the Tsongas Arena, and an insightful interview with legendary designer and Yes collaborator Roger Dean who created the brand new stage set for the shows.
Songs From Tsongas – The 35th Anniversary Concert is an incredible collection that no Yes fan should be without!
Eagle Rock Entertainment is the largest producer and distributor of music programming for DVD, Blu-Ray, TV, Audio and Digital Media in the world.  Eagle works directly alongside talent to produce top quality, High Definition and 3D programs, both concerts and documentaries, including The Rolling Stones, Pink Floyd, The Who, Queen, The Doors, Jeff Beck, U2, Peter Gabriel, Paul McCartney and Ozzy Osbourne. Eagle is a Grammy Award winning company and has received over 30 multi-platinum, over 50 platinum and over 90 gold discs, worldwide.  Eagle Rock Entertainment has offices in London, New York, Toronto, Paris and Hamburg.

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#37  RAY DONOVAN   "SUNNY" 

September 4, 2014 11:30 PM  Ray Donovan  SHOWTIME
http://www.sho.com/sho/ray-donovan/season/2#/index ___________________________________________
#38 THE PHANTOM OF THE PARADISE


He Sold His Soul for Rock N’ Roll!
Phantom of the Paradise
Cult Favorite Makes its American Blu-ray Debut in
                                             Collector’s Edition 2-Disc Set
       August 5th, 2014 from Shout! Factory
The music made him do it! Phantom of the Paradise, the darkly satirical cult favorite from acclaimed writer and director Brian De Palma (Carrie, Dressed To Kill) will make its American Blu-ray debut  as a Collector’s Edition 2-Disc set on August 5th, 2014 from Scream Factory. The new edition of this Academy-Award nominated horror musical classic is packed to the rafters with bonus features, including new interviews with Brian De Palma, Paul Willaims and Tom Burman; new audio commentary with producer Jack Fisk,  a new audio commentary with Jessica Harper, Gerrit Graham and the Juicy Fruits (Archie Hahn, Jeffrey Comanor and Harold Oblong aka Peter Eibling); as well as a DVD of additional bonus content including a new interview with producer Edward R. Pressman, a new featurette the neon poster art, and much, much more! 
Fans who order their copy directly from ShoutFactory.com will receive an exclusive limited-edition 18"x24" poster featuring the newly commissioned cover art.
Nominated for an Academy Award for Best Original Song, Score and Adaptation, as well as a Golden Globe Award for Best Original Score – Motion Picture, Phantom of the Paradise is the Faustian tale of  Swan, (Paul Williams, who also wrote the acclaimed score) an evil record tycoon who is tormented by the disfigured composer Winslow Leach (William Finley, Sisters) he once wronged. Also starring Jessica Harper (Suspiria, Shock Treatment) and Gerrit Graham (Used Cars, Terrorvision), Phantom of the Paradise is a hilarious send-up of the glam rock era that is pure entertainment from beginning to end.
 
Phantom of the Paradise 2-disc set features:
DISC ONE (BLU-RAY):
·         High-Definition transfer of the film
·         NEW Audio Commentary with Jessica Harper, Gerrit Graham and the Juicy Fruits (Archie Hahn, Jeffrey Comanor and Harold Oblong aka Peter Eibling)
·         NEW Audio Commentary with Production Designer Jack Fisk
·         NEW Interview with director Brian DePalma (36 minutes)
·         NEW Interview with Paul Williams talking about the music of PHANTOM (30 minutes)
·         NEW Interview with Make-up Effects wizard Tom Burman discussing the Phantom Helmet
DISC TWO (DVD):
·         Paradise Regained – documentary on the making of the film featuring director Brian DePalma, Producer Edward R. Pressman, William Finley, Paul Williams, Jessica Harper, Gerrit Graham and more… (50 minutes)
·         Interview with Paul Williams moderated by Guillermo Del Toro (72 minutes)
·         Interview with costume designer Rosanna Norton (10 minutes)
·         NEW Interview with producer Edward R. Pressman (15 minutes)
·         NEW Interview with drummer Gary Mallaber (15 minutes)
·         NEW Alvin’s Art and Technique – a look at the neon poster (15 minutes)
·         NEW Phantom of the Paradise Biography by Gerrit Graham - 1974 Publicity Sheet written by and read by Graham (8 minutes)
·         Alternate Takes (40 minutes)
·         Swan Song Outtake Footage (10 minutes)
·         Radio Spots
·         TV Spots
·         Theatrical Trailer
·         Still Gallery
Shout! Factory will continue to present the on-going SCREAM FACTORY™ home entertainment series in 2014 with specific release dates, extras and key art.  Meanwhile, fans  are encouraged to visit the Scream Factory main website (www.screamfactorydvd.com), follow them on Facebook (www.facebook.com/ScreamFactoryDVD) and Twitter (@Scream_Factory) or to view exclusive video content on YouTube (http://www.youtube.com/user/ScreamFactoryTV).
 
About Shout! Factory
Shout! Factory, LLC is a diversified multi-platform media company devoted to producing, uncovering, preserving and revitalizing the very best of pop culture. Founders Richard Foos, Bob Emmer and Garson Foos have spent their entire careers sharing their music, television and film favorites with discerning consumers the world over. Shout! Factory’s DVD and Blu-Ray™ offerings serve up feature films, classic and contemporary TV series, animation, live music and comedy specials in lavish packages crammed with extras.  Shout’s audio division boasts GRAMMY®-nominated box sets, Broadway cast albums, new releases from storied artists, lovingly assembled album reissues and indispensable “best of” compilations.  In addition, Shout! Factory maintains a vast digital distribution network which delivers video and audio content to all the leading digital service providers in North America.  Shout! Factory also owns and operates Timeless Media Group, Biograph Records, Majordomo Records, HighTone Records and Video Time Machine. These riches are the result of a creative acquisition mandate that has established the company as a hotbed of cultural preservation and commercial reinvention.  Shout! Factory is based in Santa Monica, California. For more on Shout! Factory, visit shoutfactory.com
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#39  GREEN TEA






#40  PETER WHITE


FROM PUBLICIST BOB MERLIS
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

ROY ORBISON’S “OH, PRETTY WOMAN” CHART LAUNCH BEGAN 50 YEARS AGO THIS WEEK
BRITISH INVASION DISRUPTED BY MASSIVE SMASH ON BOTH SIDES OF THE ATLANTIC

“Oh, Pretty Woman” ad in Billboard issue of August 22, 1964; the record had entered the chart at #10 1that week.

Roy Orbison began making his mark on the music world in 1956 at Sun Records, which boasted a roster of unparalleled talent that also included Elvis Presley, Jerry Lee Lewis, and Johnny Cash.  However, it was during his years on Monument Records in the early-to-mid '60s when Orbison’s commercial success reached stratospheric levels, the apex of which was “Oh, Pretty Woman,” a song co-written by Orbison and Bill Dees. The blockbuster hit, first appeared at #101 on Billboard’s “Bubbling Under” chart in the issue dated August 22, 1964.  It would go on to spend three weeks at the top of the Billboard Hot 100 chart, with sales of 7 million copies.  It also topped the British charts for three weeks, an unprecedented achievement for any American to have this kind of chart-topping power simultaneously on both sides of the Atlantic in the Beatles-dominated year of 1964.

This week, Roy's Boys LLC, the Nashville-based company formed by the sons of the late Roy Orbison, begins a countdown/celebration of the 50th Anniversary of “Oh Pretty Woman” and its rapid rise to #1.  Alex Orbison commented, “My brothers and I thought it would be fitting to call attention to what ‘Oh, Pretty Woman’ was able to achieve 50 years ago.  The song endures to the present and we certainly acknowledge it as one of the keystone elements in our dad’s brilliant career.  It’s just about the purest expression of his art and we’re happy that it’s been the source of so much joy for so many for so long and we’re delighted to share in the celebration of its Golden Anniversary."

“Oh, Pretty Woman” kept close chart company with hits by The Beatles,  Animals, Dave Clark Five, Dusty Springfield, Gerry & The Pacemakers and Manfred Mann, reflecting the tremendous impact of the British Invasion as well as with domestic drama-infused smashes from  The Shangra-Las, Gene Pitney, Drifters and The Four Seasons, representing the NY-based Brill Building school of pop rock. There were also Nashville-spawned, and decidedly non-country, hits like “Bread & Butter” by The Newbeats and Ronny & The Daytonas’ ode to Pontiac-powered performance, “Little GTO.” Also burning up the charts at the time were The Supremes and Martha & The Vandellas, the apotheosis of Motown’s girl group juggernaut while The Beach Boys, Elvis Presley and Dean Martin all had significant chart presence at the time.

To be sure, releases by Roy Orbison had found their way into these realms over the course of the previous five years, starting in 1959 with “Only The Lonely” getting as far as #2. 1960 saw “Blue Angel hit #9, followed by Orbison’s very first #1 -- “Running Scared."  The next year “Crying” went to #2 and “Dream Baby” to #4. “In Dreams,”  released in 1962, made it to #7 and the next year “Mean Woman Blues” hit #5, followed by the less than prophetic “It’s Over” getting to #9.  When Orbison went into the studio early in August of 1964 and recorded “Oh, Pretty Woman” with Fred Foster producing, he was undaunted by the British Invasion. In fact, he had embraced it by reversing the trend by “invading” Britain for a 21-day tour in 1963, sharing the stage with locals The Beatles and Gerry & The Pacemakers, his special guests.  His life-long friendship with George Harrison, with whom he collaborated 35 years later as part of The Traveling Wilburys, along with Tom Petty, Bob Dylan and Jeff Lynne, dates from that tour.  
Roy Orbison with The Beatles and Gerry & The Pacemakers on tour in 1963
“Oh, Pretty Woman" was written by Roy Orbison and his songwriting partner Bill Dees who had co-wrtten “It’s Over,” a #1 record in the UK earlier in 1964.  Legend has it that Claudette, Orbison’s wife — and inspiration for the Everly Brothers “Claudette” that Orbison had composed — told her husband that she was going shopping and when Roy asked if she needed money, Dees attempted to compliment her by quipping,  “A pretty woman doesn’t need any money.”  The song was written almost immediately thereafter and the recording session was soon booked.  Orbison played the famous “Oh, Pretty Woman” guitar riff on his 12 string Epiphone guitar while singing in the vocal booth, all captured live in one take with no overdubs.  Dee’s was in the booth with him and his voice is heard in a vocal harmony that works quite perfectly against Roy’s main melody line. Other musicians on the session that day included Jerry Kennedy, Wayne Moss, Billy Sanford, Floyd Cramer, Boots Randolph, Charlie McCoy, Buddy Harman and Paul Garrison — a who’s who of Nashville elite session players of the era.


The signature  guitar riff that Orbison came up with and played that day was honored, just this year by the Musicians Hall of Fame and Museum at a ceremony in Nashville with the posthumous presentation of its Iconic Riff Award to Orbison and a performance of the song by Orbison admirer Chris Isaak. This was not the first kudo for “Oh, Pretty Woman.”  The recording is both in the Grammy Hall of Fame as well as on the National Recording Registry at the Library of Congress.  Roy Orbison is, of course, a Rock and Roll Hall of Fame member, having been inducted by Bruce Springsteen, as well as an inductee into the Songwriters Hall of Fame. “Oh, Pretty Woman” has been recorded by a richly diverse group of artists including Al Green, John Mellencamp, Johnny Rivers, Bon Jovi, Green Day and Van Halen whose 1982 version was the group's biggest singles success during the first five years of their recording career.  The song inspired the title of and is heard on the soundtrack from Pretty Woman, the blockbuster film starring Julia Roberts and Richard Gere, considered the most commercially successful romantic comedy of all time based on number of tickets sold. 
Above: Original Monument 45

Below: Original UK release on London Records


“Oh, Pretty Woman,” a staple of Roy Orbison’s live performances, is also featured as an encore in the Black & White Night DVD, released by Roy’s Boys through Sony’s Legacy Recordings. The concert, filmed in September of 1987, features an all-star line up that includes outspoken Roy admirers Bruce Springsteen, Elvis Costello, Jackson Browne, JD Souther and Tom Waits, among others, joining Orbison on the show’s closer, “Oh, Pretty Woman.” The time-honored tune was, in fact, the last song Roy Orbison ever recorded. On December 4, 1988, just two days before his sudden passing, he performed at a Cleveland-area venue, at a concert that was taped and released as The Last Concert – 25th Anniversary Edition through Legacy Recordings.

Late last year “Oh, Pretty Woman” became the title track of a Roy Orbison album for the first time.  It’s one of four LPs that comprise The Monument Boxset, released by Roy’s Boys via Legacy. The set is comprised of the three classic Roy Orbison Monument studio albums -- Lonely and Blue, Crying and In Dreams as well as Oh! Pretty Woman, which did not exist in immediate wake of the song’s breakthrough, but came more than 49 years later.  Roy Orbison was signed to  MGM Records after the success of “Oh, Pretty Woman” and Monument never saw fit to release an album built around that track but chose, rather, to ‘mine the hits’ with a Greatest Hits album instead. The Oh! Pretty Woman LP included tenure in the The Monument Boxset consisting of tracks reflective of the period and determined, by the team at Roy’s Boys, to be the songs that would have comprised that fourth Monument album.
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December top 40, Chicago, The Rolling Stones, Kitty Wells, Mama Cass and more!

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