ONE OTHER THING...

Is this welcome board at GeorgeHarrison.com (commemorating 8 years since he's passed) playing Just For Today??

GOOD TIMES, GOOD TIMES....

First off: Happy Holidays, everyone!  Hard to believe it's here already.  While the last few months have been scarce news-wise, here are a few FYI items:

The Traveling Wilburys Deluxe Edition book from Genesis Publications has sold out.  There are still Collector's Editions available and are identical in terms of book content.  It appears that they're trying to get the books delivered before Christmas.  At last check (from me) a week ago, they're still at the printers/binders and they all need to be signed by Jeff.  Genesis says if you don't get the book by Christmas, they will send a gift card for the inconvenience.

Those of you passed on re-buying George Harrison's Cloud Nine on iTunes in order to get the rare Extended Version of Got My Mind Set On You, good news: the individual track is available to buy at CD Universe.com.  Get it soon in case that was an oversight....  Same is true is you're interesting in having the demo for Blow Away, which was a digital download-only bonus track on the 1979 George Harrison album.

Jeff Lynne will be among several producers and musicians who are featured in a new 3-part Beatles radio show, Here, There And Everywhere, coming to radio station near you starting this Friday and supposedly running through the holidays.

Oh, and Sony (or some arm of Sony) released yet another 11 track (original 1979 Greatest Hits) ELO compilation earlier this month.  This is the Good Times Edition.  OK...  Amazon UK, Amazon US

Here's hoping the downtime is over soon.  ELO's 40th Anniversary year starts in January and rumor has it, things will get active again.  In the meantime, enjoy the holidays!

"THE OFFICIAL LIMITED EDITION BOOK"

The pre-orders are up for The Traveling Wilburys book by Genesis Publications.  There is one Collector's Edition for 195 British Pounds (US $318) and one Deluxe Edition for 375 British Pounds (US $612)...

Copies will be signed by Jeff Lynne.

Genesis Publications blurb:

Interwoven with hundreds of unseen photographs, Polaroids, drawings, log book entries and handwritten lyric sheets, The Wilburys tell their tale in their own words, with the occasional help of drummer Jim Keltner and others.

Not sure yet what makes the Collector's edition different from the Deluxe edition other than the obvious.

BOOTLEG THEATRE

For the record, this is a fake.  But I'm buying one anyway.  It's Jeff Lynne's Armchair Theatre from 1990 presented in a mini-LP CD, made in central bootlegsville.  I'm curious, that's all.

This album's 20th anniversary is next year and we're all still (after 6 years) awaiting the remastered and expanded edition.

HALL OF FAME DVD - FOLLOW-UP

For those of you who passed on the Rock And Roll Hall of Fame DVD box set released in September: Congratulations, your patience has paid off. Time-Life Music is issuing a slimmed down 3DVD set to be released November 3 for a more manageable $40 retail. This particular set will have much, if not all, of the George Harrison induction from 2004:

On DVD1:
*  Olivia And Dhani Harrison Accept for George Harrison 2004 Tom Petty, Jeff Lynne, Steve Winwood And Dhani Harrison (2004) Handle With Care
*  Tom Petty, Jeff Lynne, Steve Winwood, Dhani Harrison And Prince (2004) While My Guitar Gently Weeps

On DVD3 Bonus Features:
*  Tom Petty and Jeff Lynne Induct George Harrison 2004

press release/story here.

THE BOOK OF WILBURY - UPDATE

The Beatles Examiner is reporting that the long awaited Traveling Wilburys deluxe (and I mean deluxe) book from Genesis Publications could be out in time for the holidays.  As mentioned earlier, these books are not cheap.  Genesis' music books range from 295-900 British Pounds.  That translates into $489-1,495 USD.  Their books are, however, second to none in terms of quality.  Genesis previously wrote that they would pull out all the stops for the Wilburys, so who knows what that means for the book price.

They have/had two Concert For George books, the deluxe is long sold out, as is (two volumes of) Songs by George Harrison.

No indication of what will be included in the Wilburys book.  The announcement is expected any day now.

LIVE ELO DOWNLOADS

Those of you in the UK will have the opportunity to buy and download a small set of vintage ELO live tracks on Amazon UK's web site beginning 12 October.  BBC Session (19th April 1973) is being released through EMI and includes unique artwork.

The track list is:
From The Sun To The World (BBC in Concert)
Kuiama (BBC in Concert)
In The Hall Of The Mountain King (BBC in Concert)
Roll Over Beethoven (BBC in Concert)

These tracks have been previously available on the now rarely seen Live At The BBC set released in 1999 as well as promo-only radio show LPs and CDs that have landed in collector's hands.  So far, it's just available on Amazon's MP3 page.  We'll have to wait until release day to see if the UK's iTunes will have it, too.

WHILE WE WAIT...

While things in Otis Wilbury-land appear to be quite dormant since Regina Spektor's far in June, there are new things to explore for two other Wibury brothers.

For starters, George Harrison's website had undergone a complete facelift.  It has some interesting new features including videos, interactive booklets, photos and even lyrics to his songs (sans bonus tracks) including the Traveling Wilburys songs.

And as announced a few weeks ago, Tom Petty will be issuing what appears to be a rather unprecedented line of releases of his live material, including a 4CD box set on November 17.

KINDA OT: HAPPY BEATLES DAY EVERYONE

I'm starting with Rubber Soul and working my way around the box set randomly. The set is really nice. More as the day goes on...

HALL OF FAME PERFORMANCES

Time-Life Music is set to release a DVD box set full of performances from Rock and Roll Hall of Fame ceremonies over the years. Included in that are the two performances featuring Jeff Lynne, Tom Petty, and Dhani Harrison when George Harrison was inducted into the Rock Hall in 2004. Both live tracks - Handle With Care and While My Guitar Gently Weeps (featuring a raging guitar solo by Prince) - will be on the lead-off disc back to back.

The set has 9 DVDs, so as you can imagine, it' s not cheap. But each disc promises at least an hour of behind-the-scenes bonus material and rehearsals. Release date: September 11, 2009.

(Apologies if you're getting multiple posts, I'm still trying to work out some layout issues with Blogger)

WHAT'S THIS SECRET MESSAGES SUPPOSED TO MEAN?

UPDATE (8/10): This is just a priced-down re-issue of the 2001 remaster.

In the (USA) shops tomorrow is a re-issue of ELO's Secret Messages from Sony/BMG Custom Marketing Group. Order links are at Amazon and CD Universe.

Clearly, this is similar to what they did with Out Of The Blue last year. They take the remastered CD and place it in old original CD packaging, but with the remaster booklet. Since that version of it came out, the 2007 editions (standard and deluxe) have disappeared.

But why Secret Messages? And is this, especially considering the big picture, anything other than a complete waste of energy? Is the 2001 remaster discontinued now? Will there even be a CD tomorrow? The same fiasco happened with Ole ELO last year, too.

OT: MONSTERS OF FOLK

Either these guys totally nailed the Jeff Lynne/Wilbury 'sound' on this, or....

Very interesting track.

Free download of Say Please is on their website, just say "please"....

Beatles remastered box sets update - new pictures, official U.S. list prices

Beatles remastered box sets update - new pictures, official U.S. list prices

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FAR UP ON THE CHARTS

As much as I would have loved for this to chart higher, this is great news nonetheless. regina spektor's far debuts on the Billboard 200 album charts at #3... one notch higher than the album that drove regina to Jeff Lynne's producing: Highway Companion by Tom Petty, which debuted at #4 after its release in 2006.

far is the highest chart debut for the week and is behind only The Black Eyed Peas and The Jonas Brothers in total sales for the week, selling 50,000 copies in the US since its release last week.

Michael Jackson's spike in album and download sales actually affected the catalog charts only because his releases are at least 18 months old. Airplay of Michael Jackson music following his death last Thursday jumped a staggering 1735%.

Anyway, good for regina. far went far indeed and in my opinion, should be a contender for bigger things down the road.

By the way, Let It Roll: Songs by George Harrison is at #41 after debuting at #24 last week.

R.I.P. MICHAEL.

Well, regina spektor's Far is now the top selling non-Michael Jackson album on iTunes. Jackson now occuppies 7 of the top 10 spots on iTunes album sales.

MAYBE I SHOULDN'T ADMIT THIS...

I probably could have been more discreet, but I was busted on the highway today singing the dolphin bark part of Folding Chair by a perplexed-looking passing driver.

ROLLING STONE SEES FAR

Rolling Stone gives Far 4 stars.

The Russian-born Lower East Side piano punk has the European yelp of Björk, the loopiness of Fiona Apple, the too-much-information torridness of Tori Amos and the slanted critical eye of Liz Phair. But none of those girls ever interrupted a song about long-term commitment to uncork a flurry of dolphin noises, as Spektor does on "Folding Chair," one of the stranger — and catchier — moments on her excellent third major-label record.

Los Angeles Times (3 1/2 stars)

Entertainment Weekly (B+)

Drowned In Sound (8/10)

RTE Entertainment (4 stars)

And for those you who want the physical version of the CD, but still want the bonus tracks, you can buy them individually from iTunes. This is what I hoped (and should be able to do) with Let It Roll...

REVIEW: FAR

Whether Regina Spektor is your cup of tea or not, the fact of the matter is Far could be one of the biggest success stories of the year... at least it should be. And a guy whose music we’ve been following for decades is right in the thick of it.

Her songs are sometimes kitschy, sometimes funny and in a few instances on Far, quite thought provoking. And it’s all done outside the parameters of the traditional “verse/chorus/verse/chorus/solo/chorus/end or fade” song structure.

This is one of those CDs where having the lyrics to follow along helps a lot. What struck me the most, though, is how Jeff’s producing rises and fades and rolls through the emotions with her lyrics more than I think I’ve ever heard him do before. I hoped Regina Spektor’s quirky and Jeff Lynne’s trippy/moody would make for a good match. It did.

Blue Lips – after a month, this is still one of the most spectacular recordings I’ve heard in ages. It just absolutely soars.
Folding Chair – I can directly relate the lyrics of this song to someone I know. That just makes this song 10 times more fun to listen to. That, and the dolphin bark.
Genius Next Door –Just like Jeff Lynne productions that run 3 minutes or less, there’s not a wasted second. Such a haunting mood… and from what I’m reading, a heavy fan favorite.
Wallet – Classic example of how specific her lyrics can be. When it dawns on her that she can take the wallet to the local Blockbuster and the music rises in intensity as she sings it?? I mean, that’s great record making.
The Sword and The Pen- When you peel away the advant garde nature of this track, you’ll actually find a very sensibly composed track just like the others. It's a grower.

Outside of the Jeff Lynne tracks,:
The Calculation –Perfect lead-off track. It makes me dance from room to room with the iPod on. Laughing With – outstanding recording
Human of the Year - that dramatic silence after the huge build up?? Stop your heart staggering.
One More Time With Feeling – still dancing with the iPod on.

Of course, some songs hit you better than others, some may come across too quirky or too cute. But overall, I’m totally gushing over it. All of it. Are Regina Spektor’s songs for everyone?? Of course not. But if any of them do grab you, be forewarned that it’ll probably be a while before it lets go.

REGINA INTERVIEW

Posted to ELO Forever Message Boards:

FAR AND WIDE

Regina Spektor's Far is the Featured Album of the Week at WXPN, which those of you who have heard of Live at the World Cafe already know it's a great kickoff for a new album. WXPN is probably the biggest and best college (member supported) radio station in the country based out of the University of Pennsylvania and they have a huge following. Far will get heavy airplay, especially this week.

And even more exciting, there's an excellent article about Regina Spektor in the New York Times with a few new quotes from Jeff... sent via e-mail. :-)