Pre-orders Announced for Austin Lucas' Latest

The pre-sale for Austin Lucas' Collection gets under way Nov. 2.

If you have never heard Lucas, I urge you to check him out. He's a terrific singer with an arsenal of killer songs. I recently bought his Somebody Loves You album, which turned me into a fan. I then quickly picked up Common Cold and Putting The Hammer Down.

Lucas is a tough guy to categorize, and that's a good thing. He came of age in the basements of DIY punk and hardcore, but he also has a strong alt-country vibe. It all works together beautifully.

The terrific Suburban Home label reports that Collection will be pressed on two colors—150 on whiskey-coke and 350 on pink. Pre-orders get an automatic digital download.

To listen to Lucas and learn more about the label, visit them at www.vinylcollective.com.

November Releases

Hey, Vinyl Fans:

There's a lot to look forward to in the coming weeks. There's no slow down of good stuff in November.

Here are a few of the albums I'm looking forward to:

Elliott Smith—An Introduction to ... Elliott Smith (Kill Rock Stars) has a Nov. 2 release date.

Bruce Springsteen—A three-disc vinyl package of The Promise hits the streets Nov. 16. That will go nicely with the The Promise:The Darkness On The Edge Of Town Story box set, with its three CDs and three DVDs. There are 21 unreleased songs here. Am I dreaming?

Norah Jones—...Featuring Norah Jones (Blue Note) also has a Nov. 16 release date. The album collects the collaborations that Jones has done during the past decade with everyone from Ray Charles to Ryan Adams.

Taylor Swift—Country's biggest star releases Speak Now (Big Machine) on vinyl also on Nov. 16.

Cowboy Junkies—Renmin Park (Diverse) gets its vinyl release Nov. 16, a busy day indeed.

Rolling Stones—The Rolling Stones unleash a couple of mammoth box sets. The Rolling Stones 1964-1969 (Universal) features nine remastered albums. The notable albums on this collection of early materials include Beggars Banquet and Let It Bleed. The Rolling Stones 1971-2005 includes 14 remastered albums. Both sets, which will cost you about $350 each, have a Nov. 22 release.

$18,000 White Stripes Record

A White Stripes' single just sold for a whoppin' $18,000.

The band released its second single "Lafayette Blues" a dozen years ago, with a performance at the Gold Dollar in Detroit. There was a delay in printing the sleeves, so Jack White and David Buick, head of Italy Records, the label that released the single, hand-painted 15 covers. Copies sold for 6 bucks that night. Over time, these precious 45s and their unique covers have been the Holy Grail of White Stripes collectors.

The Third Man Records site reports that one of these records just went for $18k.

Cowboy Junkies Report

The Cowboy Junkies performed last weekend at Bimbo's 365 Club in San Francisco, a terrific venue in North Beach.

There was no "Sweet Jane." No "Cause Cheap Is How I Feel." And, no "Murder, Tonight, In The Trailer Park." No problem. Even without those classic Junkies song, the band played a fabulous, full show.

The evening featured several selections from the band's latest release, Renmin Park, the first of four albums the Junkies plan to unveil during an 18-month period. This first volume in the Nomad Series was inspired by Michael Timmins' recent journey to China. While the song cycle has some Asian influences, it is still very much a Cowboy Junkies album led by Margo Timmins' unmistakable vocals.

The band has always supplemented its rich catalog of outstanding original material with well-chosen covers. The San Francisco show featured the band's "Bea's Song" and "Hunted." The Junkies also performed a beautiful version of the Rolling Stones' "Moonlight Mile" and a terrific performance of Vic Chesnutt's "Supernatural." The next album in the four-part Nomad Series will be a collection of Chesnutt numbers.

Vinyl fans can expect Renmin Park to get the vinyl treatment. Diverse Records reports that it will be out at the end of October and that it sounds amazing.

Never Shout Never Pre-Sale

Never Shout Never's Harmony will be released Oct. 25, according to the Because Sound Matters website.

It will be available on limited-edition yellow vinyl. The first 300 pre-orders get a poster signed by Chistofer Drew.
All pre-orders are automatically entered to win a vintage record player decorated by Never Shout Never.

For more info, visit Because Sound Matters.

At Last, Alice Cooper Nominated

Finally. Alice Cooper has been nominated for induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

It's about time. Just consider a few of Cooper's classic songs—"I'm Eighteen," "Under My Wheels, "School's Out," "Elected," "Only Women Bleed," "Hello, Hooray," "No More Mr. Nice Guy," and "You And Me."

In a 1978 interview with Rolling Stone, none other than Bob Dylan called Cooper "an overlooked songwriter."

More than that, he's a true original. Born Vincent Furnier, Cooper is one of the first rock shockers with his big sound and outlandish stage theatrics. Like a mad scientist, he mixed rock music and horror movies and came up with a potion that would captivate rock fans for four decades.

He would scare you with guillotines, electric chairs, and boa constrictors and then make you reach for a tissue with a sensitive ballad like "I Never Cry." He was glam before the New York Dolls. He was a rock villain before Kiss and Ozzy.

Before Furnier took the role for his own, Alice Cooper was the name of a band, and it's the group that's been nominated for the Hall of Fame. Open the doors and let them in.

To be eligible for nomination into the Hall of Fame, an act must have released its first single or album at least 25 years prior to the year of nomination. The 2011 Nominees had to release their first recording no later than 1985. Ballots will be sent to 500 voters, who will then pick the acts that will be inducted.

Here's the full list of this year's nominees:

· Alice Cooper
· Beastie Boys
· Bon Jovi
· Chic
· Neil Diamond
· Donovan
· Dr. John
· J. Geils Band
· LL Cool J
· Darlene Love
· Laura Nyro
· Donna Summer
· Joe Tex
· Tom Waits
· Chuck Willis