"...Anyway, all these computers and digital gadgets are no good. They just fill your head with numbers, and that can't be good for you."

The Rolling Stones' 1972 masterpiece "Exile on Main Street" is being re-released today in a new remastered version, complete with 10 outtakes or alternate versions that have never been released before. A friend posted the question on Facebook: "should I buy the remastered vinyl version?" The answer to this question is more complicated than you might expect: there are five different versions of the re-release available.

Super Deluxe Edition is $137, but you can go a la carte. Are you getting a copy? Which version?

Livestreaming a record player spinning the vinyl as a preview before the record drops on May 10. Leave it to Jack White...

Me, I walked into a music store on Saturday, April 17 for experiment's sake. I'm all for the basic philosophy of RSD, for recognizing the corner shop as a vibrant cornerstone of musical conversation and enlightenment. But, really, is that still what my record shops are about? And I walked into a music store on Sunday, April 18th, to continue my experiment. After the limited-edition clear vinyl releases sell out and the bands get their gear out of the crowded store corners, what happens on the day after Record Store Day?

 

U2's Achtung Baby tops the list of the top 125 Albums of the past 25 years from Spin Magazine (celebrating their 25th anniversary.) We haven't had time to go thru the full list yet!

This is apparently still in production, but based on this "taster tape" it looks to be an interesting doc about vinyl records and the people who love them. Keeping our eyes open for the release!

Seems like a lof of special releases for Record Store Day will be in colored vinyl, but nothing beats this Split Enz record. Sadly I'm pretty sure my sister's copy ended up shattered somehow.

An icon of the punk movement that swept Great Britain in the mid-Seventies, McLaren got his start as a fashion designer who opened up a clothing shop with Vivienne Westwood called Let It Rock. While in New York City to start up a new boutique, he became the New York Dolls manager, a role he held until their breakup in 1976. After working with the Dolls and returning to London, McLaren wanted to start up his own band — the misfit group of punks would later be inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as the Sex Pistols.

Forty years after their much-lamented demise, the Beatles are to release a limited edition vinyl edition of 'Paperback Writer' backed with the psychedelic classic 'Rain' in celebration of this year's Record Store Day on April 17. Presented in a vintage-style paper Parlophone house bag, the single is limited to a run of just 1,000 copies.

Add this one to the list, if we can even find a copy.

“Plundered My Soul” is just one of 10 tracks unearthed by the Rolling Stones and producer Don Was for the Exile reissue. “Well, basically it’s the record and a few tracks we found when we were plundering the vaults,” Keith Richard told Rolling Stone. “Listening back to everything we said, ‘Well, this would be an interesting addition.’” Other rediscovered highlights include the horn-fueled “Pass the Wine,” the instrumental “Aladdin’s Story” and an early version of “Tumbling Dice” called “Good Time Women.”

Zeppelin opened for the band Vanilla Fudge, and the newspapers promoting the event read, “The Vanilla Fudge with Len Zefflin.”

First Impressions: If you’re in the market for John Denver, Neil Diamond, Anne Murray, Judy Collins, or Dan Fogelberg, you should really make your way to the dollar bin forthwith. It’s a venerable free-for-all of this sort of thing.

Follow the link for more. Wow.

A 35-year-old woman from Withernsea, East Yorkshire, has been fined and had her stereo equipment confiscated after annoying neighbours with endless, high-volume repetitions of the bouffant-haired rock group's hits.

Durkin apparently sought solace in the soothing sounds of New Jersey's finest in April 2009, one year after the break-up of her marriage. Local residents objected to the soft rock stylings of Jon Bon Jovi, Richie Sambora et al, eventually installing audio equipment to capture the strains of 'Livin' on a Prayer,' 'Bad Medicine' and the like echoing through the walls from 11pm to the early hours of the morning.

"Pins, posters, coffee mugs... ...Manilow"

A bit creepy and bizarre, lovely piece of video.

One thing about vinyl records that has kept them from going extinct outside of the DJ/turntablist market is the physicality of the format. The novelty of nostalgia plays a role no doubt, but not enough to justify a consistent annual increase in vinyl record sales. Vinyl records are perhaps the most complete media made for mass consumption. Back in its heyday, long before the great world wide web, it had to be. The look of the thing is often what made you buy it, and in some cases, gave the only clue to the grooves inside. For the compact disc, the art lives in the little chinks beneath its mirrored surface. For vinyl, the art lives in the entire thing, the packaging, the cover art, the liner notes (written in a point size almost anyone can read), and sometimes, even the vinyl itself.

What a cool little idea! And I love that it's a recording of a children's story, teaching those kids about vinyl!