Very few music fans who were around during the mid-eighties were indifferent to The Smiths – you might love them or hate them, like Marmite really, but you were unlikely not to have much of an opinion. This is what drove their success of course - the fans were the kind of fans who would queue for hours, days even, to get tickets for gigs or the latest release.

With that kind of adoration, the fact that there was also a bunch of people going around saying how much they hated them (not simply didn’t think much of, or even actively disliked, but hated) only served to intrigue the uninitiated, who would then be all the more likely to buy the latest single/album/gig ticket to see what all the fuss was about, and would then either end up slagging them off at every opportunity or queuing for hours in the rain in Wolverhampton hoping to sneak in to the show.

Not that you could do much to get away from them during their heyday, they were everywhere, Top of the Pops, NME, Smash Hits even. For a few years, the Smiths simply were indie music - not that there was too much competition - never forget this is the era that gave us the Wonderstuff and Neds Atomic Dustbin.

The reason they elicited such polarised opinions was of course their front man, Morrissey, he of the curiously flowered back pocket. The music was new too, no doubt, and influential (Travis and Coldplay are the distant dismal ancestors of their bright sparkly sound) but they were riding the wave the new style, rather than being its originators, and anyway, it wasn’t the kind of musical revolution that inspired deep seated passion in and of itself (unlike punk which felt like the end of the world or a new dawn depending on how many Emerson Lake and Palmer records you had). No, when a white-socked casual said they hated the Smiths, what they meant was they hated Morrissey, his attitude, his persona, the whole world-view expressed in his lyrics.

This double CD, ‘The Sound Of The Smiths’, complete with glossy photo booklet, is a pretty impressive document of the band’s activities over those five years from ‘83-’87, all the singles, most of the B-sides, some live recordings and alternative takes. The obsessive fans will have all this stuff already, the equally passionate haters would rather gnaw off their own genitals than have to sit through nearly two hours of the stuff; I guess the CD is intended to introduce the kids to their back catalogue and a jolly good job it will do of that.

For myself, I can’t believe that this stuff is all upwards of twenty years old. Given that it is all such ancient history, the band sounds fantastic. No scrap that, the band sounds fantastic full stop. I remember loving Johnny Marr’s guitar then, and I still do now, but I had forgotten (or not noticed) how effective the rhythm section of Andy Rourke and Mike Joyce was. Those three drove the songs along beautifully, and the music they produced was timeless.

Although I owned a few Smiths records, and thanks to my friend Marcus (who was one of those obsessive fans) listened to pretty much all of it at one time or another, I was never able to make that jump into full-scale fandom, and it was Morrissey that got in my way. I was young and impressionable enough to think that I must have been missing something, perhaps I wasn’t sensitive or poetic enough, I don’t know, but now I am old and ornery I can say with my head held up high that he just wasn’t much cop.

There is room for sensitive poetic young men in popular music, of course there is, but a room containing Nick Drake and Morrissey would only contain one sensitive poetic young man and he wouldn’t be from Manchester. Sticking flowers down your trousers only makes you sensitive if you develop a rash; I challenge any listener to this CD to find even one line which shows any concern whatsoever for the feelings of others.

Writing couplets such as ‘Does the mind rule the body or does the body rule the mind? I don’t know’ (and just sticking it in a song a propos of nothing) does not make you a poet, it only shows that you like to sound clever and profound and that you have no inclination towards metaphysical speculation. Come to think of it, Francis Rossi is more of a sensitive poetic young man than Morissey ever was. (Compare ‘I was looking for a job and then I found a job’ and ‘I like it I like it I like it I like it I la-la-la-like it, la-la-la-like it’; at least in the latter the repetition imparts a rhythmic urgency to the sentiment rather than making the line fall flat on its face - I’m only half-joking.)

If you knew and loved the Smiths, buy this CD for completeness’ sake. If you haven’t heard them, buy it and make your own mind up. Me, I’m off to make some toast and see if I still like Marmite.

By: Jim Driscoll

*** To celebrate the release of The Sound Of The Smiths, an unprecedented 45-track Anthology of hits, b-sides, live tracks and rarities released November 10, 2008 in the UK and November 11th in the US, Inked Mag.com is hosting a tattoo contest.

Entrants are eligible by submitting a photo of their Smiths and / or Morrissey tattoo. Grand prize winner will receive a copy of The Smiths UK Singles box set with a runner-up to receive a copy of the Deluxe 2-CD edition of The Sound Of The Smiths.

Contest ends November 30, 2008. More info at Inked Mag.com / The Smiths ***

Listening Party Links:

qtime
wmedia - low
wmedia - high
real

Listening Party Track list:

1. Hand In Glove
2. This Charming Man
3. What Difference Does It Make? (Peel Session version)
4. How Soon Is Now? (12″ version)
5. That Joke Isn’t Funny Anymore
6. There Is A Light That Never Goes Out
7. Panic
8. Girlfriend In A Coma
9. Meat Is Murder (Live)
10. The Queen Is Dead

The Smiths on amazon.com

The Smiths on amazon.co.uk

The Sound Of The Smiths Track Listing (US release):

SINGLE-CD VERSION

1. “Hand in Glove” - Single Version
2. “This Charming Man” - Single Version
3. “What Difference Does It Make” - Peel Sessions Version
4. “Still Ill” - Album Version
5. “Heaven Knows I’m Miserable Now” - Single Version
6. “William, It Was Really Nothing” - Single Version
7. “How Soon Is Now?” - 12″ Single
8. “Nowhere Fast” - Album Version
9. “Shakespeare’s Sister” - Single Version
10. “Barbarism Begins At Home” - 7″ Version
11. “That Joke Isn’t Funny Anymore” - Single Version
12. “The Headmaster Ritual” - Album Version
13. “The Boy With The Thorn In His Side” - Single Version
14. “Bigmouth Strikes Again” - Single Version
15. “There Is A Light That Never Goes Out” - Album Version
16. “Panic” - Single Version
17. “Ask” - Single Version
18. “You Just Haven’t Earned It Yet Baby” – Single Version
19. “Shoplifters Of The World Unite” - Single Version
20. “Sheila Take A Bow” - Single Version
21. “Girlfriend In A Coma” – Single Version
22. “I Started Something I Couldn’t Finish” - Single Version
23. “Last Night I Dreamt That Somebody Loved Me” - Single Version

DOUBLE CD DELUXE VERSION
(Includes the Single CD along with the following)

1. “Jeane” – Single B-Side
2. “Handsome Devil” - - Single B-Side, Live 1983
3. “This Charming Man” (New York vocal)- 12″ Single
4. “Wonderful Woman” - 12″ Single
5. “Back To The Old House” - Single B-Side
6. “These Things Take Time” - 12″ Single B-Side
7. “Girl Afraid” - Single B-Side
8. “Please, Please, Please Let Me Get What I Want” - Single B-Side
9. “Stretch Out And Wait” - Single B-Side
10. “Oscillate Wildly” - 12″ Single B-Side
11. “Meat Is Murder” - Live In Oxford - Single B-Side
12. “Asleep” – Single B-Side
13. “Money Changes Everything” - Single B-Side
14. “The Queen Is Dead” “Take Me Back To Dear Old Blighty” - Medley
15. “Vicar In A Tutu” - Single B-Side
16. “Cemetry Gates” - Single B-Side
17. “Half A Person” - Single B-Side
18. “Sweet And Tender Hooligan” - 12″ Single B-Side
19. “Pretty Girls Make Graves” — Single B-Side, Troy Tate Version
20. “Stop Me If You Think You’ve Heard This One Before” - Album Version
21. “What’s The World” -Live In Glasgow
22. “London” - Live In London

The Smiths on Wikipedia

The Fray return February 2, 2009 with their hotly anticipated follow-up to the platinum-selling, top five debut ‘How to Save a Life’.

The Fray on amazon.com

The Fray on amazon.co.uk

The band preview their new self-titled album with a special sold-out show at the Borderline December 4th, 2008, with further UK dates to follow in the New Year.

Contagious first single “You Found Me” is released in the UK January 26th, 2009.

The Fray - Isaac Slade (vocals, piano), Joe King (guitar, vocals), Ben Wysocki (drums) and Dave Welsh (guitar) - took the UK by storm in 2007 with hit single “How To Save A Life”, which sold nearly half a million copies and reached number 4 in the UK charts. “Over My Head (Cable Car)” also proved to be a hit, reaching the UK top 20.

The Denver-based quartet enjoyed worldwide success with their Grammy nominated debut album ‘How To Save A Life’ which sold over 3.2 million copies worldwide including half a million in the UK alone.

‘The Fray’ reunites the band with Mike Flynn and Aaron Johnson, the same producers who took them to the top of the US charts in 2007. Musically, it’s a huge step forward: Isaac’s distinctive vocals have never sounded better, perfectly complimenting the piano-based melodies and personal songwriting that characterise the album.

“You Found Me” receives its world premiere on US television November 20th as part of a music video featuring live band footage and exclusive scenes from the upcoming fifth season of ‘Lost’.

On Sunday, November 23, 2008 they will perform the song for the first time on the American Music Awards.

The Fray 2009 US tour dates:

(Dates and information subject to change.)

6 January 2009 Gothic Theatre Denver, Colorado
8 January 2009 First Avenue Minneapolis, Minnesota
9 January 2009 Metro Chicago, Illinois
10 January 2009 St. Andrew’s Hall Detroit, Michigan
12 January 2009 Phoenix Toronto, Ontario
14 January 2009 Wilbur Theatre Boston, Massachusetts
15 January 2009 TLA Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
16 January 2009 9:30 Club Washington, Washington DC
4 February 2009 Webster Hall New York, New York

The Fray Official Website
The Fray MySpace

London thoroughbred brother and sister duo Joe Gideon & The Shark are a sight and sound to behold.

Joe Gideon pounds bass and guitar whilst narrating his autobiographical tales of misadventure, and little sister Viva (The Shark) drives the whole thing along with glorious drums and piano and 8-track (often, incomprehensibly, all at the same time).

Meandering through soundscapes that take in beat-fuelled rifforama, voodoo-injected grooves and melodious beauty, their sound is both comfortably spacious and foot-stompingly intense. And highly original.

Viva’s artistry is gracious and almost gymnastic, evidently a trait learned from her days as a ribbon-twirling athlete (a rhythmic gymnast to be precise) who represented the UK in the Barcelona Olympics. (Incidentally, Viva got the ribbons out once more when starring in the video for Archie Bronson Outfit’s Dead Funny). Gideon was not around to witness his sister’s glory, instead he was on the opposite side of the globe on the jury panel judging Miss Bolivia.

In a roundabout way, this microcosmically befits the picture painted by the band.

Formerly to be seen in the ‘dread-fuelled’ Bikini Atoll (Bella Union, and produced by Steve Albini), Joe Gideon and the Shark have discarded the darkness and have walked into the light. This light is in part provided by Gideon’s humorous and fantastical monologues which hook you in to their world. A Joe Gideon and the Shark record thus provides and indie rock classic and a talking book all for the price of one.

Barely a year old, this band has already gained the respect of their contemporaries by being invited to play with the like of The Duke Spirit, John & Jehn, Archie Bronson Outfit, Scout Niblett and Sons & Daughters.

Their “DOL” single is set for UK release 1st December 2008.

Joe Gideon & The Shark have now been asked by Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds to provide main support on their UK November 2008 tour dates:

Nov 25th: Manchester Apollo w/ Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds
Nov 26th: Edinburgh Corn Exchange w/ Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds
Nov 27th: Sheffield Academy w/ Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds
Nov 29th: London Troxy w/ Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds

“One of the best live acts we’ve seen all year” - Time Out

“It’s rough, ragged, blues in its veins. It’s dark, atmospheric, oddball and surreal; it’s on your doorstep and in your airspace, alien yet talking the same language about the same ol’ trials and tribulations of a life lived” - Drowned in Sound

Joe Gideon & The Shark MySpace

Rock musician Cathy Richardson and her spouse Rachel Rose Regan have vowed not only “to have and to hold as long as love shall last,” but also to “stand up for the right of same-sex couples to wed.”

Richardson and Regan were married in a private ceremony above Napa, CA on October 29, 2008. Universalist Minister KK Ledford officiated the sunrise ceremony in a hot air balloon over Napa Valley, witnessed by a small group of family and friends.

Singer-Songwriter Richardson is best known for her starring role as Janis Joplin in the original off-Broadway, Chicago, San Francisco and Arizona casts of Love, Janis. This year, she became lead singer and released an album with the legendary rock band Jefferson Starship, who she met in 2007 on tour singing with Janis Joplin’s original band, Big Brother and the Holding Company.

Richardson is a regular on the popular music education television series, Jack’s Big Music Show (Noggin) and was a nominated for a GRAMMY in 2004 for her self-released album, the Road to Bliss (Cash Rich Records). Ms. Regan heads the couple’s clothing line, Shining Shakti, which specializes in hand-dyed, organic cotton yoga apparel. The couple met and fell in love two years ago when Regan was working as an ad exec for the San Francisco production of Love, Janis.

Richardson and Regan were able to legally marry just days before the November 2008 election where the controversial Proposition 8 was on the California ballot to “eliminate the right of same-sex couples to marry.” While Proposition 8 passed by a slim margin, the couple’s legal marriage remains intact and Richardson says they are “determined to continue to stand up for the right of same-sex couples to enjoy the same legal and societal benefits of civil marriage afforded to heterosexuals.”

The couple was recently spotlighted in the British newspaper The Telegraph in a story about the Proposition 8 vote.

Cathy Richardson Official Website

KristeenYoung have just finished work on their forthcoming album ‘Music for Strippers, Hookers, and the Odd On-looker’ which features a duet with Fall Out Boy front man Patrick Vaughn Stump on the song “That’s What It Takes, Dear”.

Download “That’s What It Takes, Dear” MP3

The legendary Tony Visconti (Bowie, T. Rex) produced the album. The group will also embark on their first full US tour since touring with Morrissey and Ted Leo and the Pharmacists (dates below).

Front-woman Kristeen Young says of working with Patrick, “From the moment I first heard ‘Sugar, We’re Going Down’ I was a goner. Like all heart-stopping moments, I remember my surroundings clearly…Home Depot parking lot, in the band van, and I couldn’t wait to hear the song again and again. The voice (that leapt out of the speakers and wrapped itself around my entire circulatory system) not only possessed the obligatory radio-ring, but had depth, flexibility, and made all the melody choices that break your heart while simultaneously making you feel like you can conquer all. When I wrote the duet, I knew that Patrick Stump was the very capable man for the job at hand. The song is about the duality of the human spirit. It’s about a battle that a person has with one’s self when at the lowest of low times. Lucky me, not only did Patrick’s voice caress these oddly rhythmed melody lines better than how I imagined, Patrick, personally, seemed to embody the role. He embraced the song with focus and optimism, and was an actual lift of light to my often heavy (and…YES) depressed soul. I am so fortunate that Patrick loved my song so, and that he had no reservations about expressing it.”

KRISTEENYOUNG 2008 Tour Dates:

(Dates and information subject to change.)

11/20 New York, NY Piano’s
11/29 Columbus, OH The Distillery
11/30 Southgate, MI The Modern Exchange
12/1 Chicago, IL Red Line Tap
12/7 Austin, TX Emo’s
12/8 San Antonio, TX Rock Bottom
12/11 Los Angeles, CA Hotel Café
12/17 Kansas City, MO The Record Bar
12/26 St. Louis, MO The Way Out
12/27 Indianapolis, IN Radio Radio

KristeenYoung Official Website
MySpace

Saving Abel and Clear Channel Radio have teamed up to present all Saving Abel fans with a special acoustic performance of “Addicted”, “18 Days” as well as an interview on iheartmusic.com.

Check it out:

Saving Abel on iHeartMusic

Saving Abel 2008 tour dates:

(Dates and information subject to change.)

11/14/2008 Alliant Energy Center Memorial Coliseum w/Shinedown, Buckcherry, Avenged Sevenfold Madison, WI
11/15/2008 McElroy w/Shinedown, Buckcherry, Avenged Sevenfold Waterloo, IA
11/16/2008 LaCrosse Center w/Shinedown, Buckcherry, Avenged Sevenfold La Crosse, WI
11/18/2008 Deltaplex w/Shinedown, Buckcherry, Avenged Sevenfold Grand Rapids, MI
11/19/2008 Roberts Stadium w/Shinedown, Buckcherry, Avenged Sevenfold Evansville, IN
11/21/2008 EMU Convocation Center w/Shinedown, Buckcherry, Avenged Sevenfold Ypsilanti, MI
11/22/2008 Chevrolet Centre w/Shinedown, Buckcherry, Avenged Sevenfold Youngstown, OH
11/23/2008 Schottenstein Center w/Buckcherry, Avenged Sevenfold Columbus, OH
11/25/2008 BancorpSouth Center w/Buckcherry, Avenged Sevenfold Tupelo, MS
11/26/2008 Mississippi Coast Coliseum Convention Ctr w/Buckcherry, Avenged Sevenfold Biloxi, MS
11/28/2008 House of Blues w/Avenged Sevenfold North Myrtle Beach, SC
11/29/2008 Greensboro Coliseum Complex w/Buckcherry, Avenged Sevenfold Greensboro, NC
11/30/2008 James Brown Arena w/Buckcherry, Avenged Sevenfold Augusta, GA
12/02/2008 Leon County Civic Center w/Buckcherry, Avenged Sevenfold Tallahassee, FL
12/03/2008 UCF Convocation Center w/Buckcherry, Avenged Sevenfold Orlando, FL
12/06/2008 w/Flobots, Hawthorn Heights, Saliva, Atreyu, Shinedown, Avenged Sevenfold ,
12/07/2008 Ford Amphitheatre w/Shiny Toy Guns, Anberlin, Jack’s Mannequin, Atreyu, Flobots, Shinedown, Flogging Molly, Avenged Sevenfold Tampa, FL
12/10/2008 Crocodile Rock HEADLINE Allentown, PA
12/11/2008 Webster Theatre HEADLINE Hartford, CT
12/12/2008 The Station HEADLINE Portland, ME
12/13/2008 Recher Theatre HEADLINE Towson, MD
12/15/2008 Toad’s Place Richmond Richmond, VA
12/17/2008 House of Blues w/Shinedown Chicago, IL
12/18/2008 The Pageant St. Louis, MO
12/19/2008 Bogart’s Cincinnati, OH
12/20/2008 The Vogue Indianapolis, IN
12/27/2008 New Daisy Theatre HEADLINE Memphis, TN
12/31/2008 Michigan Theatre HEADLINE Jackson, MI

Saving Abel on amazon.com

iHeartMusic

Saving Abel Official Website
MySpace

Baeble Music is proud to announce the release of a new concert video from The Dodos. The band brings boozy, electric-stomp roots to one of NYC’s most unique venues, the Spiegeltent.

Watch the concert:

Watch the full concert at baeblemusic.com

The Dodos on amazon.com

Baeble editor David Pitz said this about the concert: “There was a bit of irony involved when we ventured to NYC’s most carnivalistic of venues, Spiegelworld. The magnificent, wood and canvas tent that sits oh so awesomely on Pier 17 derives its’ name from a Dutch word meaning mirror tent; an appropriate reference as it’s a place plump full of plenty of aesthetic allusion and deception. But The Dodos, the band who sold out the venue, are none of that. Theirs is a craft that offers absolutely nothing to hide behind. Theirs is a brand of boozy, electric roots that’s elemental, yet completely unique unto them.

Combining Meric Long’s whiplash strokes on a couple of visibly bullied, acoustic guitars, Logan Kroeber’s explosive barrage of stout and strong percussive rhythms - themselves bashed out on drums that most closely resemble a set of marching quads, and newcomer Joe Haener’s ornamental fills of swelling vibraphone (plus the occasion thwack! on a metal garbage can), The Dodos set power and pulse to Long’s beseeching vocal melodies. The results are powerhouse highlights like “Red and Purple”, “Fools”, and “Jodi”"

The Dodos November 2008 tour dates:

(Dates and information subject to change.)

Nov 13 2008 - Poudriere/Belfort, France Belfort
Nov 14 2008 - Point Ephemere/Paris w/The Ruby Suns Paris
Nov 15 2008 - Le Cabaret Electric/Le Havre, France w/The Ruby Suns Le Havre
Nov 17 2008 - Nachtleben/Frankfurt w/The Ruby Suns Frankfurt
Nov 18 2008 - Headcrash/Hamburg w/The Ruby Suns Hamburg
Nov 19 2008 - Voxhall/Aarhus w/The Ruby Suns Aarhus
Nov 20 2008 - Loppen/Copenhagen w/The Ruby Suns Copenhagen
Nov 21 2008 - Knaack/Berlin w/The Ruby Suns Berlin
Nov 22 2008 - Akropolis/Prague w/The Ruby Suns Prague
Nov 23 2008 - 59-1/Munich w/The Ruby Suns Munich
Nov 24 2008 - Chelsea/Vienna w/The Ruby Suns Vienna
Nov 25 2008 - Stalker/Padova w/The Ruby Suns Padova
Nov 26 2008 - Casa 139/Milan w/The Ruby Suns Milan
Nov 27 2008 - ISC/Bern w/Jennifer Gentle Bern
Nov 28 2008 - Le Romandie/Lausanne w/Jennifer Gentle Lausanne
Nov 29 2008 - Luxor/Cologne w/Jennifer Gentle Cologne
Nov 30 2008 - Vera/Groningen w/Jennifer Gentle Groningen

About Baeble Music

Baeble Music is an online destination for free live music. Founded in 2006, Baeble lays claim to an ever growing library of full-length concerts from today’s hottest artists, enabling those from outside the largest markets to share in a unique live music experience of their favorite emerging bands. We bring to our loyal audience artists that we think are hot and emerging and then stream their full-length concerts for free. We offer free single song downloads from each concert on our Baeble Podcast on every concert page. As well, we offer users the option to purchase full concert DVDs and high quality downloads directly from our site, or through our retail partners, Amazon and Insound.

Want to go to the front row of your favorite shows? Watch as many free live concerts as you want and then view pictures from the show in our professionally shot photo albums. Deepen your experience through our expert insight into the Indie music scene including blog posts, feature articles, interviews and album and concert reviews. Top off your Baeble experience with Free Mp3 downloads from the Baeble Blog.

Baeble Music

The Dodos MySpace

The Dodos Official Website

Acclaimed guitarist, singer and songwriter Robyn Hitchcock is set to embark on an 11 date, full band tour in February 2009, performing songs from his forthcoming album ‘Goodnight Oslo’.

Robyn Hitchcock on amazon.co.uk

Robyn Hitchcock on amazon.com

Recorded with friends and longtime cohorts The Venus Three - Peter Buck (guitar) and R.E.M. mainstays Scott McCaughey (bass, vocals) and Bill Rieflin (drums) - and Ryuichi Sakamoto, ‘Goodnight Oslo’ is Robyn’s first album in three years. It follows previous Venus 3 collaborations ‘Ole! Tarantula’ (2006) and the ‘Sex, Food, Death and Tarantulas EP’ (2007).

Boasting ten new songs, ‘Goodnight Oslo’ features “Up To Our Nex”, a track written for Jonathan Demme’s acclaimed new film ‘Rachel Getting Married‘ starring Anne Hathaway, which opens early next year after premiering at last month’s London Film Festival.

Robyn recently journeyed to the Arctic with the Cape Farewell Project, part of an intrepid crew that also included Martha Wainwright, KT Tunstall, Jarvis Cocker and Feist. He is currently touring the US with his ‘I Often Dream Of Trains’ show.

Robyn Hitchcock February 2009 UK Tour Dates:

(Dates and information subject to change.)

February 2009

Sat 7th GLASGOW, ABC2
Sun 8th NEWCASTLE, Academy 2
Tue 10th LEEDS, Brudenell Social Club
Wed 11th BIRMINGHAM, Glee Club
Thu 12th LONDON, Union Chapel
Fri 13th BURY, The Met
Sat 14th BRACKNELL, South Hill Park Arts Centre
Mon 16th BRIGHTON, Komedia
Tue 17th CAMBRIDGE, Junction 2
Wed 18th BRISTOL, The Fleece
Thu 19th CARDIFF, The Globe
Support provided by Catherine Feeny

Tickets On Sale Now

Robyn Hitchcock Official Website
MySpace

The two-Disc Collection includes unreleased recordings of the band playing a small club in San Francisco just weeks before “Light My Fire” made them stars.

Rhino and Bright Midnight Archives present ‘Live At The Matrix 1967′, the latest instalment in The Doors‘ acclaimed series of archival concert releases.

Watch “Break On Through (To The Other Side)” video:

Live At The Matrix on amazon.com

Live at the Matrix 1967: San Francisco on amazon.co.uk

This two-disc addition to the band’s live canon contains two club shows witnessed by few but bootlegged by many. Restored and carefully mastered from first-generation tapes acquired by Elektra Records and The Doors 40 years ago, these historic shows never sounded better. The collection, featuring cover art by legendary San Francisco artist Stanley Mouse, will be available November 18, 2008 at all retail outlets, including www.rhino.co.uk.

Where the previous three Bright Midnight Archives releases documented The Doors’ final tour in 1970, ‘Live At The Matrix 1967′ rewinds to the band’s early days for a pair of shows at a San Francisco club in March 1967.

Only a handful of people showed up, so Jim Morrison, John Densmore, Robby Krieger, and Ray Manzarek played for each other, exploring song arrangements and jamming on a few blues favourites. Ironically, only a few weeks after the Matrix shows, the band’s second single, “Light My Fire,” would make them famous, selling a million copies on its way to topping the chart during The Summer of Love.

“It was early 1967 and The Doors were about to enter the consciousness of the nation. And this is the way it sounded,” Manzarek writes in the album’s liner notes.

In spite of the empty room, the band is fully engaged, using the time to give “The End” and “Back Door Man” extra lyrics and extended sections. “This is probably the closest we’ve come to a true document of The Doors without constraints,” says Bruce Botnick, the album’s producer and the band’s long-time co-producer and engineer.

The band performs much of its self-titled debut on the first disc, including “Soul Kitchen,” “Alabama Song (Whisky Bar),” and the first single, “Break On Through (To The Other Side).”

Along with those early originals, the band indulges its love of the blues with Bo Diddley’s “Who Do You Love,” Muddy Waters’ “I’m A King Bee,” and Allen Toussaint’s “Get Out Of My Life, Woman,” which has never appeared on any previous Doors albums.

The second disc offers a glimpse of the band mapping out its future, working out early versions of several songs from upcoming albums: “Crawling King Snake” (LA Woman); “Summer’s Almost Gone” (Waiting For The Sun); and nearly half of the songs from The Doors’ second album, ‘Strange Days’.

‘Live At The Matrix 1967′ Track Listing:

Disc One

1. Break On Through (To The Other Side)
2. Soul Kitchen
3. Money
4. The Crystal Ship
5. Twentieth Century Fox
6. I’m A King Bee
7. Alabama Song (Whisky Bar)
8. Summer’s Almost Gone
9. Light My Fire
10. Get Out Of My Life Woman
11. Back Door Man
12. Who Do You Love
13. The End

Disc Two

1. Unhappy Girl
2. Moonlight Drive
3. Woman Is A Devil/Rock Me
4. People Are Strange
5. Close To You
6. My Eyes Have Seen You
7. Crawling King Snake
8. I Can’t See Your Face In My Mind
9. Summertime
10. When The Music’s Over
11. Gloria

The Doors Official Website
The Doors MySpace

Black Tide come out of the gate with all guns blazing. Their Interscope Records debut, ‘Light from Above’, is a loaded salvo of fret-burning, hyper-charged riffs. The Florida quartet churns out fist-pumping, fast-paced metallic anthems with no remorse. Their sound channels the forefathers of heavy metal, but with a dose of 21st century attitude.

Black Tide on amazon.co.uk

Black Tide on amazon.com

Cuts like “Shockwave,” “Warriors of Time” and “Show Me The Way” pack enough explosive energy to ignite any crowd.

Vocalist and guitarist Gabriel started singing and playing guitar at eight-years-old, and he knew that’s what he was meant to do the second he donned an axe. “When I started playing, I was like, ‘This is what I have to do.’ I don’t want to be a f***ing lawyer or some shit like that. I told my family I wanted to play heavy metal. My parents have supported my decision the whole time. Anyone else would’ve been like, ‘Shut up! Go to school!’”

Gabriel’s intense immersion into music has paid off. He formed Black Tide along with bassist Zakk Sandler and original guitarist Alex Nunez in 2003. Drummer Steven Spence would join their ranks in 2006, and after an incendiary performance at that year’s Florida Music Festival, Interscope signed the band.

Black Tide recorded their debut, ‘Light from Above’, at Groovemaster Studios, with Johnny K (Disturbed, Machine Head, Soil) in 2007. As soon as it was finished, the four lads hit the road on OZZfest 2007’s main stage alongside Ozzy Osbourne, Lamb of God and Static-X. Immediately, they began to build a buzz because of their no-holds barred approach to infectious, arena-ready heavy metal.

Zakk sums up the band’s sound perfectly. “Black Tide sounds like four pissed off teenagers who listen to too much good music. When we come together, we make something special. We love Iron Maiden, Pantera, Metallica and Guns ‘N’ Roses, but we don’t try to be anything we’re not. We just get up on stage and do what we love.”

Leading up to the ‘Light from Above’ March 18, 2008 release, the band toured with the likes of Avenged Sevenfold, Bullet for My Valentine and All that Remains. Garnering instant acclaim, ‘Light From Above’ sent a “shockwave” of its own through the scene.

Rolling Stone named Black Tide one of the “Best Rookies of 2008″ and “Metal’s New Teen Titans”. Spin tapped them as one of the “Next Big Things,” while Revolver featured them as a “Band To Watch” and included them on the cover of the August 2008 Mayhem issue, and Kerrang! proclaimed them “Best International Newcomer.”

The band followed its release with an appearance on the inaugural Rockstar Energy Mayhem Festival alongside Slipknot and Disturbed as well as playing the main stage of Download 2008.

After Download, Alex and the band amicably parted ways. Black Tide added guitarist Austin Diaz to the fold, and he’s been the perfect fret foil for Gabriel. “Austin is awesome. He learned all of our songs in two days, before the first date of Mayhem. We played the show, and he killed it,” Gabriel says.

In the end, Black Tide are ready for anything. Gabriel’s excited for what the future holds. “The band is so united now. We’ve never been together like this before. Black Tide’s stronger than ever.” That strength will only lead to bigger and better things. Zakk concludes, “The kids want more, and I want more out of us everyday. We’re like that arena rock band who just hasn’t made it to the arenas, yet.” It’s only a matter of time until they do.

‘Shockwave’ will be released on Interscope through Polydor in February 2009; ‘Light From Above’ is out now.

Catch Black Tide with Bullet For My Valentine on the following dates:

November 2008 UK tour dates:

(Dates and information subject to change.)

9th November Corn Exchange Edinburgh
10th November Sugar Mill Stoke (with Bleeding Through)
11th November Pavillions Plymouth
12th November Academy Birmingham
13th November Academy Birmingham
14th November Barfly Liverpool
15th November Alexandra Palace London
16th November Apollo Manchester
17th November Roadmender 2 Northampton (with Bleeding Through)

Band Members:

Gabriel Garcia - lead vocals, guitar
Zakk Sander - bass
Steven Spence - drums
Austin Diaz - guitar

Black Tide Official Website
MySpace

London’s SilverSky is set to play Let Them Eat GAK @ The Rhythm Factory, Whitechapel, London on 11th November, 2008.

‘Calling All Killers’ is the new EP from SilverSky. The record finds them trailing new ground, mixing aggression and spirit with staunchly poetic lyrics. This is rock music, don’t doubt that, but it is voiced both eloquently and elegantly. Sharp, socially aware lyrics are delivered with versatility and wit; one moment prompting comparisons with Morrissey, and the next with The Misfits’ Glenn Danzig. The music marries buzzsaw guitars with pounding drums, and craves the attention of the listener.

Formed in 2006 after vocalist Pete Smith moved from Ireland to London in response to the band’s advert for a singer, ‘Calling All Killers’ is the band’s second EP and shows the dark depths from which their creative juices flow.

The band are now a mainstay on the London live scene, their scuzzy rock translating from the gritty recordings to a powerful live show with Smith’s intense stare captivating the audience as he paces the stage. And intensity is a word that the band does not take lightly. Guitarist Mike Appleton’s battle with alcohol addiction has been both a gift and a curse, informing his songwriting and performance style, but plaguing him with infamous pre-performance panic attacks. Mike’s goal has always been to innovate where others simply emulate, and ‘Calling All Killers’ is the realisation of these intentions.

The multi-faceted appeal of the band is enhanced by Pete Smith’s Irish heritage, which has a great influence on his lyrics. His love of literature in the Anglo-Irish mould (Wilde, Yeats and Kavanagh) consistently makes for thought provoking, innovative, and devilishly noir subject matter.

With a line-up completed by indescribably tight rhythm section John Sampson and Lee McKay, SilverSky really is the full package. ‘Calling All Killers’ communicates itself as the sum of all the parts of a highly proficient, motivated and dedicated group of players.

For music and more information, go to:

SilverSky MySpace

Rave reviews are pouring in ahead of the January 13th, 2009 release of Crooked X, the self-titled full-length debut by the talented young rockers from Coweta, Oklahoma.

Crooked X on amazon.com

Absolutepunk.net exclaims: “the disc is flawless, with fomenting chords roasted to perfection and drilling beats braiding the tracks with heated-coils,” while Decibel magazines Deciblog raves, “We have to admit. Crooked X’s self-titled debut album … will most likely be better than Chinese Democracy. Axl Rose is gonna get schooled.”

The buzz is loud, earning Crooked X a January 15th slot on “Jimmy Kimmel Live” where they’ll perform the first single from Crooked X, “Rock N Roll Dream.”

For the last three years Crooked X have been banging out their nu blend of kick-ass rock inspired by greats such as Metallica, AC/DC, Pantera and Led Zeppelin. They toured with KISS in Europe and played and toured Stateside and hot young rock artists Black Tide and Black Stone Cherry as well as classic rock legends Ted Nugent and Alice Cooper.

The 14-year-old shredders have been filming an MTV reality special, “Start a Band, Rock the World”; and playing a slew of NBC AST Dew concert dates promoting the October 7th EP release of ‘Til We Bleed’, which includes “Rock N Roll Dream” and live versions of “Adrenaline” and “Nightmare,” which is featured in the successful Rock Band video game. Additionally, Crooked X will have a number of new songs featured for download in forth coming 3 packs from Rock Band.

Their 10-song debut for EMI, was helmed by hit producers Spencer Proffer (Tina Turner, Quiet Riot, WASP) and Michael Wagener (Ozzy, Skid Row, Poison). ‘Til We Bleed’, a digital-only EP, is complemented by their reality special, which will be aired across all MTV networks on January 13, 2009, to coincide with the release of their debut EMI/MPM album Crooked X.

The program shows the real-life Cinderella story of Crooked X’s beginnings as 14-year-olds in Coweta (population 7,000), highlighting how the four young boys started a band in a garage, scored music in the highly successful Rock Band, headlined the Fender/Rock Band Lounge at 2008’s Sundance Film Festival and opened for KISS in front of 35,000 screaming fans in Stockholm. These events led to Crooked X signing with EMI via McGhee Proffer Media (MPM) in August of 2008, all within the span of nine months.

The teenage quartet, comprised of Forrest French (vocals, guitar), Jesse Cooper (lead guitar, vocals), Josh McDowell (bass) and Boomer Simpson (drums), began playing in fifth grade, and cite influences including AC/DC, Pantera, Alice in Chains, Jimi Hendrix, Shinedown, Metallica, Audioslave and Pink Floyd.

They cut their teeth in the Tulsa area, playing Cain’s Ballroom and at Coweta Junior High talent shows. The ambitious and mega-talented rockers sent a tape to a CBS Early Morning Show nationally televised competition and landed in an impressive second place. That’s there where media strategists and managers Proffer and Doc McGhee became aware of the band and hooked Crooked X up with EMI Global Marketing and Capitol Records, forging a unique long-term partnership.

Crooked X will benefit from the teaming of multiple and diverse media and marketing partners including Fender, MTV, Red Bull, Fanscape, AEG’S Band Merch, Music Today and rock-based booking agency TAG (Nickelback, My Chemical Romance, 3 Doors Down), who are booking Crooked X worldwide. While the business side is locked down, Crooked X are fully focused on their music…and high school.

Drummer Boomer says: “Being in a rock band is a lot of work with home school, practice, traveling and playing gigs, but I wouldn’t trade it for anything! We like to write lyrics that describe who we are and what we are going through.”

Singer Forrest French concurs, saying, “Some of our songs, like our first single, “Rock n Roll Dream,” have catchy choruses that everyone loves to sing along, then we have songs like “Gone” with lyrics that are deep and come from our souls and personal experiences. Music IS my life! Sometimes juggling family and friends and daily life with concerts and stuff can be tough. I know with family, friends and faith that anything is possible,” French concludes, “and I never put limits on myself or the band.”

Crooked X will appear at the Red Bull Drifting Championships at the Port of Long Beach in Long Beach, CA on November 16, 2008.

Notes: photo credit: Jeremy Charles

Crooked X Official Website
MySpace

Check out the world premieres of these highly anticipated new videos by Oasis and Kings of Leon, from MySpace Music.

Oasis

MySpace Music is proud to announce the worldwide premiere of the highly anticipated new music video from international rock sensations Oasis. The video is for the hit single “I’m Outta Time” off of the band’s ‘Dig Out Your Soul’ album which premiered globally on MySpace before hitting store shelves in October 2008.

The video is available on the band’s official MySpace profile. Oasis joined MySpace in 2004 and has more than 350,000 friends on MySpace.

Watch “I’m Outta Time” video from Oasis:

Oasis on amazon.com

Oasis on amazon.co.uk

Kings of Leon

MySpace Music is proud to announce the worldwide premiere of the highly anticipated new music video from Kings of Leon. The video is for the hit single “Use Somebody” off of the band’s ‘Only By The Night’ album, released in early September 2008 and is available on the band’s official MySpace profile. Kings of Leon has more than 240,000 friends on MySpace.

Watch “Use Somebody” video from Kings of Leon

Kings of Leon on amazon.com

Kings of Leon on amazon.co.uk

Oasis MySpace
Oasis Official Website

Kings of Leon MySpace
Kings of Leon Official Website

I think this is an appropriate song of the day:

Jimi Hendrix - The Star Spangled Banner

One of the most historic musical moments to accompany one of the most historic days in my lifetime.

Congratulations America; Barack Obama.

The arrival of Barefoot Confessor is pretty much the “usual story” - Michael Shearer, front man and main songwriter of Barefoot Confessor, modestly relates. The three of them started a band in school; Brit Pop wannabes with Michael thinking he was a thirteen year old Liam Gallagher. Of course he wasn’t, but the harmonic pop sensibilities that lend so well to the Barefoot Confessor sound has never been lost from that adolescent ideal. They played a few gigs around a not-so-enchanting, though utterly British circuit; in tennis clubs, scout huts and basically anywhere else where underage drinking could be achieved clandestinely.

After a few sweaty youth centre practice sessions, tours of public toilets round Hounslow and, let’s call it, a whirlwind growing up, Michael and the band temporarily parted company, while he perfected the art of scribing truly great pop songs.

Musically, it seems he is a hard man to please and maybe turning so wholeheartedly off the indie-schmindy road that British music can too easily drive along at 80mph is what marks them out from their current surroundings of zeitgeist attraction. His affections for more classic pop song writing; the quintessentially British tales of Morrissey, Strummer, McCartney and Lennon, reassembled into something altogether more present, that sense of magic and discovery however left innocently untouched.

Michael played a few sporadic gigs showcasing his solo material. However, used to the comfort of playing as a band and the sound that a whole unit could produce, he felt lost without his comrades. Re-enlisting the support of James Towers and Chris Rees, two thirds of the original line-up, they sought the help of friend and fan Erol Yurdagul. “We have been friends with Erol for years; he was always playing our tunes to us and would always come to watch us practice and play, so he was the obvious replacement”, says lead guitarist James.

So that’s Barefoot Confessor. And let’s nip that name in the bud, now. Originally wanting to be called Barefoot Contessa, (after the film starring Ava Gardner and Humphrey Bogart), the boys found that there was already a band with that name. Staying as close to the original idea as possible, and after not too many sleepless nights, they had a little play on words and Barefoot Confessor was born.

Barefoot Confessor don’t really have a specific sound, their songs painlessly spanning different genres and philosophies. This is probably due to the fact that Michael cites his song writing influences as anything from Morrissey and Buckley to Michael Jackson. Michael’s writing style is simple; he writes about what he sees and feels at one particular time, a throwback to the Brit Pop emotional and social commentary of his youth.

Take “Camden Road”, an observation song and insight into a pocket of North London that takes in the happy slapping on the Silverlink train and militant fists along the way. Others such as “Urgency” and “Heart Skip Jump” reference feelings from past relationships that everyone can relate to, as does fast-paced live favourite “He Doesn’t Love You”, which could be argued as a 21st century Beatles hit via Springsteen; Michael offering the same suburban annotations as The Boss, in a Mike Skinner way with Daltry delivery.

It is clear that Barefoot Confessor want to be huge and they have the charisma, but more importantly, the songs and, dare we argue, sincerity to do so.

Band Members:

Michael Shearer - Vocals & Guitar / James Towers - Guitar & Keyboards / Erol Yurdagul - Bass / Chris Rees - Drums

Barefoot Confessor 2008 tour dates:

(Dates and information subject to change.)

13 November ITKOMS Acoustic @ Liberties London
20 November YOYO @ Notting Hill Arts Club London
21 November Glenside Campus Bar @ UWE Bristol
29 November Powers bar London
18 December Dancetilyoudie @ The Good Ship London

Barefoot Confessor MySpace