Well, it’s been forever. I know. I’m sorry. How’s the family?

Honestly I haven’t had much to blog about on the audio side of things… I’ve been way too busy doing things like getting married… working overtime, painting, sleeping, putting up Christmas decorations, and otherwise being as absolutely boring as possible. It’s been smashing! I’m really ready for a nice 14 day vacation, but alas, there will be no such thing in 2009. Next year, maybe… just maybe, heck maybe we’ll even get a honeymoon. But not any time soon. After all, there “Ain’t no rest for the wicked” as they (Cage the Elephant) say. By the way, that is music you should buy… Plus, they’re our neighbors from the North (Kentucky, that is… not Canada).

What have I been doing lately, audio-wise? Well let’s see…. I’ve transferred tons of tapes for Sun Records & some Bear Family releases. I restored & remastered some very old Oak Ridge Boys material for a 3 disc release through Cracker Barrel. I prepared masters for the new Johnny Cash 3 disc Cracker Barrel exclusive… I’ve completely ignored my blogging responsibilities… I developed a custom database and digital distribution platform for the Sun Records catalog. I’ve started a modest web-hosting company… I’ve been toying with the idea of starting a digital-only record label but then I realize that I would probably want to press vinyl for every release (how’s that for a crazy?) More on that later… possibly.

I’m starting to feel musically constipated… like I need to take a big creative poo. Maybe I’ll let you look at it when I’m done.

Oh yeah, this was supposed to be my 2009 list of Music You Should Buy… Here you go:

1. Paramore – brand new eyes
2. The Glen Miller Orchestra – Glenn Miller Orchestra (2 CD Set)
3. Louis Jordan – At The Swing Cat’s Ball
4. JET – Shaka Rock
5. Spoon – Ga Ga Ga Ga Ga
6. Matthew Perryman Jones – Swallow The Sea
7. Death Cab For Cutie – Narrow Stairs

What’s on your list?

James

Another awesome release from Bear Family Records (and I’m not saying that just because I worked on it). This album ranks pretty high in my iTunes play-count list. Pick up a copy and give it a spin.

CD with 48-page booklet, 35 tracks, playing time: 82 mns. – A ten-year retrospective of one of the unsung Sun Records heroes! Previously unissued Sun recordings! He was there at the beginning… watching Elvis in Mississippi in 1955… and he’s still wowing crowds at revival shows! This collection covers Hayden Thompson’s first decade of recording: Here are both sides of all five singles issued between 1954 and 1962… all of them fabulously rare, along with most of the songs unissued at the time, plus eight previously unissued versions of the much-admired and much-emulated classic rockabilly sides Hayden cut at Sun in 1956 and ’57.

Bear Family Records just released the Johnny Cash box set that I worked on recently. It’s a 3CD box set that includes ALL of the Out-Takes and alternate versions of Cash from the Sun Record Company vault. I can say that with authority, because I personally took out each tape and threaded them onto the tape machine. Transfers were made at 88.2Khz through Apogee converters for all you audio nerds out there.

This is, without a doubt, the best Johnny Cash alt-takes collection ever assembled. It’s literally like you’re a fly on the wall inside the Memphis Recording Service. You can hear Sam Phillips come into the room and give them pointers on how to approach the songs.

Bear Family Records is proud to present the most eagerly awaited entry in its series of Studio ‘Outtakes’ releases that includes the Everly Brothers and Janis Martin. The CD-set provides an unprecedented collection of every known alternative take recorded by Johnny Cash at Sun Records, including previously unissued alternative takes. This set offers the dedicated Johnny Cash fan and collector an opportunity to hear subtle differences between takes as each song developed in the studio. Material is presented in chronological order for easy reference and comparison with master recordings and focuses on the first four years (1955-1958) of Johnny Cash’s career, widely acknowledged as his peak period of youthful creativity. The package includes a lavishly illustrated booklet containing rare and previously unpublished photos of his fishing trip with Johnny Horton, as well as original session notes.

Bear Family recently released “Hank Ballard – Nothing But Good”. It’s a 5 CD box set that includes an 84-page album size book. As usual, The Bear really outdid themselves in terms of quality & quantity. I transferred & mixed some of the original 2 & 3-track tapes for this release. Classic R&B and funk never sounded so good! My album credit on this project is printed in huge letters on the back, gotta love that.

Hank Ballard and The Midnighters were the first professional vocal group young James Brown ever witnessed in person. He vowed one day soon he’d be onstage doing the very same thing. Our retrospective contains everything the Rock ‘n’ Roll Hall of Famer and his vocal group cut for the Federal and King labels from 1954 to 1962! Five jam-packed discs include unissued gems, alternate takes, unreissued rarities, and a demo version of ‘The Twist’ as well as the classic hit! It’s also featuring all the original hit versions, and comes with comprehensive liner notes from Bill Dahl! – Long before The Temptations, Four Tops, and Spinners made Detroit ground zero for soulful male vocal groups, the city spawned Hank Ballard & The Midnighters, the Motor City’s first nationally successful R&B group. Though Hank could belt the blues with livewire intensity (and does here), Ballard’s group was primarily concerned with rocking the house. They were one of the first vocal groups to record with their own band, initially led by blistering Houston guitarist Cal Green, whose solos are frequently mind-boggling. – Never has the recorded legacy of the late Rock ‘n’ Roll Hall of Famer been treated with such loving care and respect, and never have he and his group sounded better!