Upcoming releases-August 2010

Let's talk about some vinyl releases coming in the next several weeks.

The Black Crowes' Croweology is going to be a monster three-disc set. The band's Web site is taking pre-orders for delivery the first week in August. This is the band's first album of acoustic material.

Brandon Flowers' solo album Flamingo is scheduled for release in September, but the 10-inch single will be available Aug. 3.

Also coming out in August: John Mellencamp's No Better Than This, which was recorded in three notable locations—Sun Studios in Memphis, where Elvis and Johnny Cash made their early albums; the historic First African Baptist Church in Savannah; and Room 414 in the Gunter Hotel in San Antonio, where blues legend Robert Johnson first recorded. The album is produced by T Bone Burnett. How can this be bad?

Vinyl Finds 3

I picked up a few more vinyl discs recently, including Gaslight Anthem's American Slang.
I got this one on the green/black vinyl from SideOneDummy Records. It's also available as a standard vinyl release.
It's a terrific album with a great classic rock sound. It's their best yet.

I also received a couple of albums that I ordered from Third Man Records, Jack White's label. First, there's Karen Elson's The Ghost Who Walks. Yeah, she's a model, and she's married to White, but don't hold that against her. She's put together a decent record that covers several styles. The title track has a spooky retro vibe while other songs have a strong country flavor. White plays drums on the album.

Not sure why but I also picked up Jon Wayne's Texas Funeral, a reissue on Third Man. You have to be in the right mood to listen to this cowboys-gone-punk release. It's funny, offensive, and rude, sometimes all at the same time. There's a song about a Middle Eastern gas station attendant and another about a Texas jail cell.

And, I'm just really digging Third Man these days. My local record store had a copy of The Raconteurs' The Consolers Of The Lonely. It's a beautifully packaged two-disc album, with old-style photographs of each of the band members included.

White's label is producing some of the nicest vinyl records around. Check out more at www.thirdmanrecords.com

Vinyl Finds 2

Hey Everyone:

I did some vinyl shopping in Berkeley the other day and picked up some great stuff at Amoeba and Rasputin.

I bought copies of Hacienda's Loud Is The Night and Big Red & Barbacoa, both on the Alive label. Big Red & Barbacoa is on a limited edition of 500 red vinyl. If you haven't heard Hacienda, I recommend checking the Texas quartet out. Dan Auberbach of The Black Keys, who produced the albums once described the band as "Mexican-Americans who are obsessed with the Beach Boys." There are some great harmonies here.

Amoeba also had an import copy of The White Stripes' Elephant so I picked that up as well. It's nice to have it on vinyl.

At Rasputin, I bought The Swell Season's Strict Joy. It's a good Sunday morning album, nice and mellow with a Van Morrison kinda vibe.

Last but not least, I also bought Liz Phair's great Exile In Guyville. It's a special 15th anniversary reissue that comes with a 45 of previously unreleased material. This album is a classic.

20 Years Later, A New Vaselines Album

Sub Pop has announced a new release from The Vaselines. Sex With An X is set to drop Sept. 14.

It is only the duo's second release, and it comes just 20 years after the first album. Most people know the band through fan Kurt Cobain, with Nirvana covering the band's "Jesus Wants Me For A Sunbeam."

Here's a track list:
Ruined
Sex With An X
The Devil Inside Me
Such a Fool
Turning It On
Overweight But Over You
Poison Pen
I Hate the ‘80s
Mouth to Mouth
Whitechapel
My God’s Bigger Than Your God
Exit The Vaselines

I'm looking forward to this release on vinyl.

For more information, visit www.subpop.com/artists/the_vaselines