...AND MEREDITH VIEIRA TURNS 56.

Happy 62nd Birthday, Jeff.

REWIND 2009

Well, we've come to the end of what turned out to be a relatively quiet 2009.  There was even very little in terms of rehashed reissues.  The only re-issues of note were Blu-Spec CDs for Discovery, Out of The Blue and A New World Record, which (correct me if I'm wrong) were really just very slightly higher quality captures of their current masters.  The only worthwhile compilation this year came from The Move.

Really my only disappointment this year was reading how so many Jeff Lynne and ELO fans didn't bother with Regina Spektor.  Understandably, we'd all like to hear more from Jeff himself.  But I tend to view Jeff Lynne as a record maker more than anything else.  The moment I see Jeff run across the stage and drop to his knees like Springsteen, I'll view him strictly as a performer.

Regina Spektor has won a fan in me.  Nothing in her songs is conventional, yet they make perfect sense.  Jeff Lynne provided a driving cadence to Blue Lips, a playful hand-clapping shimmy to Folding Chair, a dark ambiance to Genius Next Door, an antiquey feel to Wallet and a little spook to The Sword and The Pen.  I thought he hit all of them out of the park.  The other producers on that record fit her songs like a glove, too.

On a personal level, I had a little more (ok, a lot more) time on my hands this year thanks to being a economic casualty.  (Still am, actually.)  I thought I used much of the time wisely by at least 2 dozen bands/singers/acts live this year, Regina Spektor included, although they put her with an awful venue here, The Electric Factory.  These live acts led me to some amazing CDs this year.  If you're interested in some recommendations:

M. Ward (and Monsters of Folk) - He's turning out to be quite a prolific guy and amazing songwriter and yes, record maker.  He released Hold Time early this year with several stand-out tracks, released an album as Monsters of Folk with Mike Mogis (who produced), Conor Oberst and Yim Yames.  And in April, he's releasing an album with actress Zooey Deschanel.



Swell Season- I had the pleasure of meeting Glen Hansard and Marketa Irglova following a concert on their current tour.  If you haven't seen the movie Once, do yourself a favor.  They won the Academy Award for Best Original Song from that movie.  Their new CD is only a few months old.



One EskimO- a late-year entry, but a band I can't shut up about right now.  Their music was used in a Toyota commercial and as the foundation for a series of animations that won top awards.  The music was retooled and refined for their debut CD released in September.  The whole CD is amazing with the rather addicting Kandi as the lead single.  (By the way, their album and the complete set of animations is on sale at iTunes for $5.99)



I was also lucky enough to see Rickie Lee Jones, Roseanne Cash, Marianne Faithful, and less-knowns Peter Bjorn and John, DeVotchka, Diane Birch, the list goes on and on.  For me, it was amazing year for new and live music.

So now we look to 2010.  ELO's 40th Anniversary is being celebrated in 2010.  Will this translate into some worthwhile releases?  Time will tell.  In case you missed it, ELO's official website from Sony is gone, and we're still waiting for elo.biz.

But in 2010, we should have a produced by Jeff Lynne album from Joe Walsh and a produced by Jeff Lynne album from, uh, Jeff Lynne.  As I always say, keep your fingers crossed.

I hope it'll be a great year for all of you.  Have a Happy New Year!

GOOD GOLLY...

This is the produced by Jeff Lynne version from 1991. This is my first time seeing this. Enjoy:

OH, A GIFT "CARD"...

Genesis Publications is now shipping the Traveling Wilburys in January 2010.  To hold us over, the publisher sent us a greeting card, not a gift card.  Though, frankly, I wasn't quite sure how much a gift card would help for another $300-$600 book.

THE WILBURYS (BOOKS) ARE COMING...

Those of you who ordered The Traveling Wilburys from Genesis Publications should have gotten this flier in the mail in advance of the actual book arriving on your doorstep.  There's still no indication on when these books will ship.

A few things struck me in particular.  It appears that Jeff may have written (or "written") the forward to the book based on the wording in the flier.  The flier also notes that this book was originally George Harrison's idea, so this book has been a long time coming.

Deluxe Editions are sold out and the Collector's Edition will jump in price from 195GBP to 225GBP beginning of the year.  So, if you're on the fence about this...

UGH, WHATEVER...

I recognize this is the typical 'you're getting old' argument.  But I mean, they couldn't muster a single Grammy nod for Regina Spektor?  Not one??  There are several other names that should be on the nomination list, too, but aren't.  Not to begrudge any talented artist (and many names on the list are indeed talented,) but didn't the AMAs and the VMAs and the Billboards and the People's Choice, etc etc already honor [insert name here] multiple times over??   The Grammys must be in a bind.  If ratings for the awards ceremony on TV are down, they need to have a nomination list like this one to stay mainstream.

The Grammys, however, should be digging a little deeper into the talent pool to keep their award's prestige above the others.  Now it's just deluded with the others.

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.