Soundtrack4Life: The B-Sides

New Single and Album From Bruce Springsteen

2012-01-19T21:26:00.001Z

The new single was announced late Wednesday 18th January and is available now from iTunes/Amazon etc.

The new album 'Wrecking Ball' gets a UK release on 5th March 2012 (6th March in the USA)

"Wrecking Ball" Tracklisting:

"We Take Care of Our Own"
"Easy Money"
"Shackled and Down"
"Jack of All Trades"
"Death to My Hometown
"This Depression"
"Wrecking Ball"
"You've Got It"
"Rocky Ground"
"Land of Hope and Dreams"
"We Are Alive"
"Swallowed Up" (Bonus Track)
"American Land" (Bonus Track)

Classic Debuts: Greetings From Asbury Park NJ - Bruce Springsteen

2012-01-03T07:53:00.001Z

It's hard to believe that Springsteen's debut album is almost 40 years old. For me it is still one of the great debut albums, although it didn't exactly get the kind of welcome that it was due when it saw the light of day on January 5th 1973. In the first year it only sold 25,000 copies

"Tonight! One time only!" — the Greetings From Asbury Park, N.J. album, start to finish. "This was the miracle," he said, "This was the record that took everything from way below zero to... one." That got a big laugh. Bruce went on to speak of John Hammond, "one of the great legends of music production," and of manager Mike Appel, whose "incredible talking" got him a crucial audition with said legend. Tonight's album performance was dedicated "to the man who got me in the door. Mike Appel is here tonight — Mike, this is for you." He added, "We've never done it... hope we can do it!"

Blinded by the Light

Growin' Up

Mary, Queen of Arkansas

Does This Bus Stop At 82nd Street?

Lost in the Flood

The Angel

For You

Spirit in the Night

It's Hard to be a Saint in the City

Joe Strummer 1952-2002

2011-12-22T08:59:00.000Z

Kirsty Maccoll

2011-12-18T15:26:00.000Z

10th October 1959 - 18th December 2000

Remembering Kirsty today

Watch a Four Part Special on the Life and Music of Kirsty Maccoll

Soho Square

Stuart Adamson 11 April 1958 - 16 December 2001

2011-12-16T08:48:00.000Z

"Some days will stay a thousand years

Some pass like the flash of a spark

Who knows where all our days go"

It's been 10 years since Stuart Adamson passed away and whilst gone he and the music he created has not been forgotten.

Earlier this year a memorial bench was put in place at Pittencrief Park in Dunfermline after a long process by fans of the Stuart and the band.

My own personal memories of Stuart started way back when he was guitarist for The Skids. John Peel played their first single 'Charles'

Charles (Audio)

Even back then Stuart was developing that signature guitar sound that he would later become a star with fronting Big Country. I remember seeing them at The Marquee in London when 'Into the Valley' had been released and they were destined for chart success. They were brilliant back then and their debut album 'Scared to Dance' is amazing to listen to all these years later.

Into the Valley

When Stuart left The Skids prior to the recording of their last album ('Joy') he resurfaced with a brand new band - Big Country. They unleashed their debut single in September 1982 and 'Harvest Home' barely scrapped the lower reaches of the chart.

Harvest Home (The Tube 1984)

Between 1983-1988 they had 11 Top 30 hit singles and four Top Ten albums (including 'Steeltown' which reached number one).

Fields of Fire (The Tube 1983)

In A Big Country (from the Wonderland DVD filmed in Essen, Germany 1986)

Wonderland (OGWT at Reading Hexagon)

There's actually so many good tracks that I could put up on here but I'll finish this with one of the most beautiful songs that Stuart ever performed.

Fragile Thing (with Eddie Reader)

Whilst today is a sad day as we reflect upon the untimely passing of Stuart at the age of 43, it is also a day to remember the brilliant music that he left behind. That will be his legacy.

One of my good friends reminded me this morning that December is a pretty sad month because of the deaths of Kirsty MacColl (18th December) and Joe Strummer (22nd December).

Christmas Greetings from Soundtrack4Life

2011-12-11T15:52:00.003Z

Christmas Greetings to all who have visited Soundtrack4Life throughout the year. We wish you all a happy time. Be blessed peoples.

The Yobs - Run Rudolph Run

The Alarm - Happy Christmas (War is Over)

Emmylou Harris - Light of the Stable

Bruce Springsteen - Santa Claus Is Coming to Town

Gems From My Collection: Favourite Singles Part 2

2011-12-11T12:50:00.000Z

I'm not really a huge fan of Blink 182 but I love this song a lot. The video for it is superb as well.

Stay Together For The Kids - Blink 182

Green Day are another of those bands that I would not say I was a fan of but every now and again they manage to release a quality single. It just happens that on 'American Idiot' there were two classy singles (this one and 'Boulevard of Broken Dreams')

Wake Me Up When September Ends - Green Day

Good Charlotte lost their way a bit with the release of 'The Chronicles of Life and Death' album but it's predecessor 'The Young and The Hopeless' brought them to a place of prominence and garnered a hat full of superb singles including this one (which personally I think is one of the best they have ever written).

Hold On - Good Charlotte

The Boys third single release should have been a smash hit but their record label was terrible in it's promotion (well lack of!). To my ears it still sounds brilliant even after all these years. It's hard to believe that it was released way back in 1978!

Brickfield Nights - The Boys

Another 1978 classic. A great band live and just a little disappointing when it came to studio output. Their two albums ('I, Individual' and 'The Word Is Out') are not bad and contained a few good songs but their finest moment was this one. Like a number of bands around the same time I think their Record Labels didn't really now what to do with them and so did as little as possible to promote them.

Fight Back - Gloria Mundi

Soundtrack4Life Albums of 2011 - Singles of the Year

2011-12-09T08:49:00.000Z

I don't really buy singles so it's a rare moment to choose the Singles of the Year. There are two that make my list and I can't choose between what I like better so I will declare them both to be Single of the Year.

Soundtrack4Life Albums of 2011 - Album of the Year

2011-12-09T08:22:00.000Z

It's been a real mixed bag of listening for me this year, from Punk to Soul, Country to Ska, Rock & Roll to Reggae, and Blues to Pop. Trying to figure out what is my Album of the Year has been no easy matter as there have been at least half a dozen that have been in the running. So, with that in mind here are my Top Five Albums of the Year.

5. England Keep My Bones – Frank Turner

Frank Turner continues to inspire with this brilliant mix of folk-punk-blues. It reminds me of times of Billy Bragg's revelries into the English psyche and then it reminds me of nothing becasue of it's uniqueness. Some great tracks on here and a few not so great (I am not for a moment enamoured by the album's closer 'Glory Hallelujah' where he declares rather brashly, "There is no God, so ring that victory bell.") but 'I Still Believe' and 'I Am Disappeared' are just two of the standout tracks. Whilst Frank sometimes seems a little sedate when it comes to his studio output it is his live performances that have everyone talking about him. This year has seen him play a large number of festivals and gain support that must have been the envy of many a larger and louder band.

4. Red Barked Tree – Wire

Garry Mullholland of the BBC said it better than I could about Wire's 11th studio album released way back at the start of the year, "The only sad thing about Red Barked Tree is that few will hear it because many a station won’t play anything by old punks, unless they’re Paul Weller. But if you love alternative guitar music, you will love this, because Wire play alternative guitar music better than any young British band you can name. The oddest thing about that is that everyone name-checks Wire, but no-one listens to them."

For me it was a toss up between this and Gang of Four's 'Content' album and Wire won the day. A quality album that is far better than anything Radiohead have ever released!

3. Hell On Heels – Pistol Annies

"Oh no!" I hear you cry out loud, "A Country album in your Top 5 Albums of the Year! What on earth are you doing?" I hear you, but so many people are too quick to write off Country Music. In the past couple of years I've been listening to a whole range of Country Artists and one lady in particular has impressed me a lot - Miranda Lambert, and she has teamed up with fellow songwriter-friends Ashley Monroe and Angaleena Presley to create the perfect country album released under the banner of The Pistol Annies.

Checkout a previous blogpost on The Pistol Annies

2. Elsie – The Horrible Crowes

Previous Blogpost about The Horrible Crowes

It was a close call between this and Head Cat for my Album of the Year. Brian Fallon (Gaslight Anthem) continues to surprise me. He's an excellent songwriter and teaming up with his long time Guitar Tech Ian Perkins they have produced a magnificent little album that will bring listening pleasure to those who love the music of Gaslight Anthem and hopefully those who just love music fullstop!

12 well crafted songs that run the route of many different emotions and show off the talent that both Fallon and Perkins have. I have to admit that it's hard to find a bad track on the album. My favourite track though has to be the album closer, 'I Believe That Jesus Brought Us Together'. You might think that sounds like a cheesy Gospel song title, but that is so far from the truth. It's a beautiful tune, nice lyrics that seem reminiscent of Springsteen at times.

1. Walk The Walk Talk The Talk - Head Cat

Previous Blogpost about Head Cat

It's Rock and Roll at it's finest. Two original songs and 10 tasty cover versions (I'm hoping that the next album they release will be slanted toward more original material) show that Lemmy Kilmister, Danny B Harvey and Slim Jim Phantom have a deep love for the music of the past. The cover of Cochran's 'Something Else' is far more genuine than the awful rendition that Sid Vicious released as part of the soundtrack to 'The Great Rock 'n' Roll Swindle'. Lemmy has what Vicious never had, true swagger!

I've probably played this album more than any other this year (though The Horrible Crowes album got just a few less plays) and am happy to declare it The Soundtrack4Life Album of the Year for 2011.

Mike Peters - Glee Club Cardiff 27th November 2011

2011-12-02T10:41:00.001Z

The final date on Mike Peter's 30th Anniversary Acoustic Tour was in Cardiff. Simon Bevan was the trusty cameraman getting these videos and the pictures are from M.P.O.

Todays's blog is dedicated to the memory of Andy Gray, long time Guitar Tech for Mike Peters and The Alarm. On December 1st 2011 he passed away following a battle against Motor Neurone Disease. He will be sorely missed by his family and the whole Alarm family.

Setlist

Only the thunder( dedicated to Gary Speed)

Breathe - no video

Unsafe Building

Another country

Hard land - no video

Wasting land

No frontiers

Rivers to cross

New South Wales

Bells of Rhymney

Transcendental

Walk Forever By My Side

Rain in the Summertime - no video

Rose beyond the wall

Pavilion steps

Where we're you hiding ... - no video

Deeside

Badge of honour

Without a fight

Absolute reality

Poetic justice - no video

The rock n roll still burns..

Spirit if '76 - no video

One Step Closer to Home

In a big country - no video

68 guns

One guitar

Blaze of Glory

Soundtrack4Life Albums of 2011 Compilations

2011-11-30T16:08:00.000Z

Well. as the year is drawing to a close (just a month to go) I thought now was as good a time as any to list the albums that have been my favs this past year.

Best Compilations

01. Movement - Various Artists

This is clearly my favourite compilation of the year gathering together 41 artists that recorded sessions for John Peel between 1977-79, and what a bunch of bands: The Jam, The Rezillos, The Flys, XTC, Dr Feelgood, Joy Division, Killing Joke and Madness just to name a few. Brought back a lot of memories for me of being a 14 year old lad listening to Peel on a transistor radio under the covers!

I hope that they are going to release some more compilations like this as there were so many great sessions over the years.

02. A Guided Tour - Madness

There has of course been a fair few Madness compilations over the years and this 3CD and 1DVD collection doesn't really cover any new ground apart from the inclusion of 'La Grand Pantalon' that they did for a recent beer commercial and a few tracks from the excellent 'The Liberty of Norton Folgate'. There's a few duffers on it (in particular the tracks from 'The Dangermen Sessions'. Only two singles are missing from the collection but they are not missed when some of their brilliant b-sides have been included. The DVD is the 'Madstock' gig from 1992 (getting it's DVD debut) which of course is a fine live testament to their greatness.

03. National Treasures - Manic Street Preachers

I have never been a huge fan of the Manics. There are songs that I have absolutely loved of theirs and there has been stuff that I have not liked at all. One thing about them though is that they consistently released good singles - they didn't always top the charts, but that's not what they were seeking to do. This collection is much better than the previously released 'Greatest Hits' album 'Forever Delayed' and gathers together all the singles plus a new rendering of the classic The The track 'This is the Day' (which some people loathe but I actually like!).

04. Live at the BBC - The Beautiful South

They were not everyone's cup of tea but I have a fond affection for The Beautiful South. This collection comprises sessions and live material from the BBC archives and includes a DVD of performances from Later with Jools Holland and a Top of the Pops performance of 'Old Red Eyes is Back'. A couple of years ago a 2CD collection was released of the BBC Sessions but this one is far more detailed and the 2nd CD captures the band live in Blackburn's King George's Hall and shows what a force they were in concert.

05. Walk Out To Winter: The Best of - Aztec Camera

For £3.99 from Amazon this little 37 track compilation brings together some of the fine music that Roddy Frame released under the banner of Aztec Camera. The only thing missing from it are the singles released on Postcard but that is forgiven when you see the tracklisting. Drawn from the single releases and album tracks and a couple of cover versions thrown in for good measure (Van Halen's 'Jump', Cyndi Lauper's 'True Colours' and 'If Paradise is (Half as Nice), orginally done by Amen Corner and features Andy Fairweatherlow on vocals). It's a good reminder that Frame is a great songwriter who is often forgotten when people consider the best Scottish writers.

Never Forget

2011-11-11T09:32:00.003Z

Listen to every track from every John Peel Festive Fifty

2011-11-06T13:33:00.000Z

Listen to every track from every John Peel Festive Fifty

John Peel - Turn That Racket Down!

2011-10-28T13:36:00.000+01:00

The other day was John Peel Day and I should have posted this one. A great wee documentary from 1999 and first shown on BBC2.

Part One

Part Two

Part Three

Part Four

The Alarm - The Gathering 2011

2011-10-28T11:56:00.000+01:00

Mike Peters - Guitar, Harmonica and Lead Vocals

Part One: Blaze of Glory/Absolute Reality/Unsafe Building

Craig Adams - Bass Guitar and Vocals

Mark Taylor - Keyboards and Vocals

Part Two: Direct Action/Deeside/Majority

Part Three: Majority/21st Century/Shout to the Devil

James Stevenson - Gutar and Vocals

Part Four: Or Freedom/One Step Closer to Home/Strength

Smiley - Drums

Part Five: Spirit of 76/Rescue Me/Spirit of 76

Part 6: Where Were You Hiding/68 Guns

Mike Peters and The Alarm Acoustic: The Gathering 2011 Friday Night

2011-10-28T09:37:00.000+01:00

Mike Peters kicked off his Acoustic Tour last night in Wrexham and I just found this set of videos on You Tube from The Gathering earlier this year. This is from Friday night before Mike joined Big Country on stage and rocked the place!.

Part One: Intro by Gaz Top/Breathe/Father to Son

Part Two: Only the Thunder/Walk Forever By My Side

Part Three: Sold Me Down The River

Part Four: Unbreak the Promise/Love Hope and Strength

John Peel Day 2011 - Studio Sessions pt01

2011-10-25T09:16:00.000+01:00

Over the years John Peel had some excellent studio sessions. It is well worth picking up the book 'The Peel Sessions'

That book gives a great history of the sessions and details dates recorded and broadcasted as well as details of the Festive 50's etc. A good investment I think.

Pickin' the Blues - John Peel Theme

The Slits - Love and Romance

New Order - Transmission (to celebrate Peel's 40th Anniversary I think?)

The Damned - Fan Club

The Cure - Grinding Halt

The Specials - Stereotypes

Stiff Little Fingers - Law and Order/Barbed Wire Love/Suspect Device Feb 12th 1980

The Wedding Present - Happy Birthday

The Beat - Ranking Full Stop

The Sundays - My Finest Hour

Sonic Youth - My New House (The Fall cover)

Jimi Hendrix - Daytripper

John Peel Day 2011

2011-10-25T08:21:00.000+01:00

A Minute's Noise For John

A MINUTE'S NOISE FOR JOHN
by Mitch Benn and the Distractions

Let's have a minute's noise from all the girls and boys
Who understand that they lost a friend the other day 'cos
To have a minute's silence somehow would be wrong,
Let's have a minute's noise for John.

Let's have a minute's row from everyone remembering how
He soundtracked all our misspent youths
From Teenage Kicks right to Home Truths.
To stand in wordless contemplation's just not on,
Let's have a minute's noise for John.

So DJs rip up your playlists, remember better stuff exists
Now that he has left us how'll we save the world from Simon bloody Cowell?
Let's have a minute's racket, though he isn't coming coming back it
Seems we understand the need to play something loud and at the wrong speed.
Cos a minute's silence wouldn't show him how we feel,
Let's have a minute's noise for Peel

It's hard to believe that today marks the 7th anniversary of the passing of one of the legends of radio, John Peel. I am hard pressed to think of another Disc Jockey that through his show was able to impact musical culture for a good number of decades. Whether it was Punk, Reggae, Ska, Indie, Electronic, House Music, Hip Hop, Speed Metal, African music, and a whole host of other Musical Genres, John Peel had his finger on the pulse. Without his commitment to play everything from the totally obscure to introducing the world to Wham (yep we have Uncle John to thank for that!)he left a great legacy behind.

This little blog today will have a few posts dedicated to some of the music that John introduced to the world.

To begin with though I thought I'd post the links to the This Is Your Life show in which Michael Aspel presented John Peel with the big red book.

This Is Your Life John Peel - Part 1

This Is Your Life John Peel Part 2

This Is Your Life John Peel Part 3

The Jesus and Mary Chain - Automatic Deluxe Edition

2011-10-14T21:58:00.000+01:00

The third album by The Jesus and Mary Chain, Automatic, when released in September 1989 did not meet with a lot of acclaim. The album was criticized for it's use of synths in place of the bass guitar and a drum machine. The album reached #11 in the UK charts and was well outside the Top 100 in the USA. Two singles were released from the album - 'Blues from a Gun' and 'Head On' (later covered by The Pixies) and both failed to break into the top 30. Included on this Deluxe Version is the brilliant 'Sidewalking' single. The Extended Mix lasting 7 minutes and 51 seconds is the definitive version according to the band and was often the set closer.

I have to totally disgree with Victoria Segal from Q Magazine regarding her comments on the album in the latest issue of the monthly music mag. She said that the album is "unconvincing" and is where "the Reids' love of Americana turned septic. UV Ray and Blues From A Gun sound like The Stooges produced by Bon Jovi and while Head On, later covered by The Pixies, is tremendous - as is the drum-machine bounce of the Sidewalking single - Automatic is lesscrash and burn, more rattle and hum." (Q304 p144). I don't find the album "unconvincing" at all and after not listening to it for at least 10 years playing it again confirmed to me afresh that I actually loved this album a little bit more than 'Darklands'. I was blown away agin by some of the classic b-sides, 'Subway' in particular and their lovely version of 'My Girl' from the John Peel Session of 31st May 1988, is another great cover to add to the list.

Tracklist: The Jesus and Mary Chain, Automatic

CD 1
1. “Here Comes Alice”
2. “Coast To Coast”
3. “Blues From A Gun”
4. “Between Planets”
5. “UV Ray”
6. “Her Way Of Praying”
7. “Head On”
8. “Take It”
9. “Halfway To Crazy”
10. “Gimme Hell”
11. “Drop”
12. “Sunray”

Sidewalking Single
13. “Sidewalking” (Extended Version)
14. “Sidewalking”
15. “Sidewalking” (Chilled To The Bone Mix)
16. “Taste Of Cindy” (Live in Detroit)
17. “April Skies” (Live in Detroit)

CD 2
Surfin' USA Promo 12"
1. “Surfin’ USA” (Summer Mix)
B-sides
2. “Shimmer”
3. “Penetration”
4. “Break Me Down”
5. “Subway”
6. “In The Black”
7. “Terminal Beach”
8. “Deviant Slice”
9. “I’m Glad I Never”
10. “Drop” (Acoustic Remix)
BBC Radio Session
11. “Sidewalking”
12. “Coast To Coast”
13. “Take It”
14. “My Girl”
15. “Far Gone And Out”
16. “Silverblade”
17. “Here Comes Alice”
Outtakes
18. “Coast To Coast” (Alternate – William Vox)
19. “Just Out Of Reach” (88 version)
20. “Radio Ad”
21. “Nine Million Rainy Days” (Live in Detroit)

DVD
Promo Videos
1. “Sidewalking”
2. “Just Out Of Reach”
3. “Blues From A Gun”
4. “Head On”
5. “Her Way Of Praying”
TV Appearances
6. “Gimme Hell – SNUB TV”
7. “Take It – SNUB TV”
8. “Interview – Rapido”
9. “Interview – MTV Week In Rock”
10. “Interview – MTV Australia”

Sidewalking Extended Mix

Just Out Of Reach (Promo Video)

Head On (Live)

Blues From A Gun (Promo Video)

Evanescence - Evanescence Out on Monday 10th October

2011-10-08T13:03:00.000+01:00

It's been a bit of a long wait but finally Evanescence release their brand new Self-Titled album this Monday.

Having been listening to a promo copy of the album for the past month I'm not sure I'm overly convinced by it. I was a major fan of their debut 'Fallen' and the follow up 'The Open Door' had a few moments worth writing home about but this new album sounds very dated to me.

What You Want (from Rock in Rio 2011)

I watched a few of the live videos recently and I am still not impressed by them as a live act. Amy Lee might sound good on record but live she sounds terrible at times.

The Other Side (Rock in Rio)

Call Me When You're Sober (Rock In Rio)

Bring Me To Life (Rock in Rio)

The Jesus and Mary Chain - Darklands Deluxe Edition

2011-10-08T11:30:00.000+01:00

'Darklands' was a very different beast to 'Psychocandy'. It would have been the easiest thing in the world for the JAMC to record 'Psychocandy 2' and the fact that they didn't makes this album a lot more worthwhile. The album reached #5 in the UK charts and spawned their biggest Single Chart hit in 'April Skies' and earned them a place on Top of the Pops (not to be repeated!).

I have to admit that I was not overly impressed by the album when it first came out. I loved the singles ('April Skies' and 'Happy When It Rains') but overall the album seemed a little subdued to me. Listening to it again with fresh ears on this Deluxe Edition I still think the same though I know a number of people who really love the album and think that it is their best release). The inclusion on this package of 'Some Candy Talking' with William on vocals is sweet. It originally came out on an EP given away with the NME in February 1986. I much prefer this version to the later release with Jim on vocals.

Disc: 1
01. Darklands
02. Deep One Perfect Morning
03. Happy When It Rains
04. Down On Me
05. Nine Million Rainy Days
06. April Skies
07. Fall
08. Cherry Came Too
09. On The Wall
10. About You

Some Candy Talking EP
11. Some Candy Talking
12. Taste Of Cindy (acoustic version)
13. Psychocandy
14. Hit

Janice Long Studio Session 23/11/86
15. Darklands
16. Down On Me
17. Deep One Perfect Morning

John Peel Session 25/11/96
18. Fall
19. In The Rain
20. Happy Place

Disc: 2
B-Sides

April Skies Single
01. Kill Surf City -
02. Bo Diddley Is Jesus
03. Who Do You Love

Happy When It Rains Single
04. Everything's Alright When You're Down
05. Shake
06. Happy When It Rains (demo)
07. Happy Place
08. F.Hole

Darklands Single
09. Rider
10. On The Wall(Portastudio demo)
11. Surfin' USA (April outtake)
12. Here It Comes Again

Outtakes
13. Walk And Crawl
14. Some Candy Talking (NME version with William on Vocals)
15. Mushroom
16. The Hardest Walk ('Some Kind of Wonderful' soundtrack version)
17. Don't Ever Change
18. Swing 19. Darklands (with strings. Previously Unreleased)
20. Interview (Janice Long Show 28th April 1987)

Disc: 3 - DVD

Promo Videos
1. Some Candy Talking
2. April Skies
3. Kill Surf City
4. Happy When It Rains
5. Darklands

TV Appearances
6. April Skies - Top Of The Pops
7. April Skies - Villa Tempo
8. Happy When It Rains - The Roxy

Some Candy Talking (Promo Video)

April Skies (Top of the Pops)

Kill Surf City (Promo Video)

Happy When It Rains (from The Roxy)

The Bangles - Sweetheart of the Sun

2011-09-27T13:59:00.001+01:00

It's been a long time coming but today sees the release of the first album for 8 years by The Bangles.The new album is entitled 'Sweetheart of the Sun'. Since the 2003 release of the brilliant 'Doll Revolution' things have been a bit quiet on the output front for the band. They did release a single in 2006 'Light My Way' (their first single for 3 years) but it failed to chart.

Light My Way (Single - not official video)

Anna Lee (Limited 7" Vinyl Release)

I Will Never Be Through With You (New Single September 2011)

The new album is produced by Matthew Sweet who in the past has collaborated with Susanna Hoffs. Tracks for the album were recorded at Sweet's home studio in the Hollywood Hills.

Happy Birthday to The Boss

2011-09-23T17:32:00.000+01:00

Happy Birthday to Bruce, 62 years young today!

Days of Hope and Dreams: An Intimate Portrait of Bruce Springsteen by Frank Stefanko

Buy Book from Amazon

From Backstreets Website

In 2003, Frank Stefanko released his book of photographs of Bruce Springsteen taken from 1978 to 1982. The photographs were from shooting sessions with Bruce and the E Street Band while working on album covers for Darkness on the Edge of Town, The River, and Nebraska. Along with many insightful and intimate images of Bruce and the Band, Frank invites the reader to join him at these sessions, writing a warm, narrative that places the reader at the scene, and gives you a perspective as if you were there.
The first edition of the book, printed as a softcover, sold out in the first few years -- copies have since appeared on eBay for big dollars. We are delighted to announce that, by popular demand, after a long wait, the second edition of Days of Hope and Dreams: An Intimate Portrait of Bruce Springsteen by Frank Stefanko (with an introduction by Bruce Springsteen, and a foreword by Chris Murray) will be released by Insight Editions in early September.
This new, second edition, unlike the first edition, will be a hardcover, coffee table edition with a new cover photograph. This will be the only change from the first edition.
"Frank always shot your internal life. He let your external imperfections show. His photos had a purity and poetry; there was some humor in their laconicness. In the aftermath of Born to Run, he latched on to the very conflicts and ideas I was struggling to come to terms with. Who am I? Where do I go now? He showed me the people I was writing about in my songs. He showed me the part of me that was still one of them." -- from the Introduction by Bruce Springsteen Hardcover, 136 pages, 70 B&W photos, 18 color photos.

R.E.M. A Little Look Back At The Music

2011-09-22T13:48:00.000+01:00

Here's a few of my favourite R.E.M. tracks

World Leader Pretend (Green Tour Film)

This was the tour that changed my perception of R.E.M. I heard this song on the radio and was stunned to find out that it was R.E.M. Went to the London show and was totally blown away.

The One I Love (Live)

What's The Frequency Kenneth (from 'Monster')

Orange Crush (Live From The Point Depot)

Radio Song (Unplugged)

Get Up (Live in NY 2003)

Radio Free Europe (Live in Stockholm 1998)

Drive (Live 2008)

Turn You Inside Out (Live TourFilm)

It's The End Of The World As We Know It (Live Road Movie)

Nightswimming (Later with Jools Holland)

R.E.M. Call It Quits!

2011-09-21T22:08:00.000+01:00

From R.E.M. HQ website 21st September 2011:

"To our Fans and Friends: As R.E.M., and as lifelong friends and co-conspirators, we have decided to call it a day as a band. We walk away with a great sense of gratitude, of finality, and of astonishment at all we have accomplished. To anyone who ever felt touched by our music, our deepest thanks for listening." R.E.M.

In their own words: The guys share their thoughts on why now.

MIKE

"During our last tour, and while making Collapse Into Now and putting together this greatest hits retrospective, we started asking ourselves, 'what next'? Working through our music and memories from over three decades was a hell of a journey. We realized that these songs seemed to draw a natural line under the last 31 years of our working together.

"We have always been a band in the truest sense of the word. Brothers who truly love, and respect, each other. We feel kind of like pioneers in this - there's no disharmony here, no falling-outs, no lawyers squaring-off. We've made this decision together, amicably and with each other's best interests at heart. The time just feels right."

MICHAEL

"A wise man once said--'the skill in attending a party is knowing when it's time to leave.' We built something extraordinary together. We did this thing. And now we're going to walk away from it.

"I hope our fans realize this wasn't an easy decision; but all things must end, and we wanted to do it right, to do it our way.

"We have to thank all the people who helped us be R.E.M. for these 31 years; our deepest gratitude to those who allowed us to do this. It's been amazing."

PETER

"One of the things that was always so great about being in R.E.M. was the fact that the records and the songs we wrote meant as much to our fans as they did to us. It was, and still is, important to us to do right by you. Being a part of your lives has been an unbelievable gift. Thank you.

"Mike, Michael, Bill, Bertis, and I walk away as great friends. I know I will be seeing them in the future, just as I know I will be seeing everyone who has followed us and supported us through the years. Even if it's only in the vinyl aisle of your local record store, or standing at the back of the club: watching a group of 19 year olds trying to change the world."