The Daily Vinyl Blog

Um… so many cool things out there. I want this:

and this:

and this:

while I’m dreaming… this too:

I do have this one on vinyl but not this box set!

Ok, day dream over. Time for bed.

Here’s what I did on Record Store Day, 2013.

I interviewed people standing waiting to get it. Some camped out over night. I caught a few artists performing and even visited the place where the vinyl is pressed into a record!

ENJOY installment #3 of “The Daily Vinyl Presents: Off The Record with The Daily Vinyl”
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VAJ2c5G8D2w&list=UUdJ5tO6YufXwUr-8O9MIl0Q&index=1

I was honored to get to sit in the production truck while this was being filmed! At least for a couple songs. Saw Ringo sing “Boys” and “Yellow Submarine” from the multi-cam monitor. Totally awesome. And now HERE IT IS!

Are you going to buy this?

Also, in case you didn’t my earlier post, this just happened to be on my & his birthday! Earlier that day, (July 7, 2012). Ringo was at the Hard Rock in downtown Nashville to celebrate his birthday and do his annual “Peace & Love” wish for the world. I filmed the whole event and edited it down to this 4:32 video. It includes a spontaneous rendition of “Give Peace A Chance”. Also, I was holding up a sign that said “It’s My Birthday Too, YEAH!” He pointed to it and read the sign aloud… and wished ME a “Happy Birthday, Brother!”!

YEAH! I got wished a “happy birthday” by a Beatle!!

Vinyl Hunting: Finding Rare and Imported Releases
by guest blogger Jason Kane

Many audiophiles devote a lot of time to searching for imported releases. It’s a popular pastime, and some rare musical treats will only be found on records from other countries. While there’s a decent market for foreign rock groups and the like, British bands are usually the most familiar to North American music fans. There are numerous American and Canadian groups that received record releases in Europe and Asia. Fans of reggae are certainly going to want to check out the world of Jamaican releases. Some fans even like to see the special releases that came out on French language labels in Quebec.

European Vinyl

Believe it or not, many European albums featuring American and Canadian recording artists will have sleeves in English. Only the record label and some other myriad details will have changed. That being said, that doesn’t mean that these records aren’t worth anything. They can often fetch a good price at auction or in antique stores. Of course, that also means that buyers might have to spend some time shopping around to find the right price.

Once in a while, it’s possible to find a rare track on one of these that might not have had a stateside release. Entire volumes have been written on the differences between Beatles albums in the USA and the UK. There’s an entire period where Britain experienced a revival of the blues not seen in America. Skiffle, which is closely related to the country and western style, might be interesting for some collectors too.

Asian and Australian Record Collecting

While most westerners know JVC for their recording equipment, the company started a revolution in Japan. Japan Victor Company was actually a record label at one point, and interested parties can find many releases that parallel those of their parent American firm, the Victor Talking Machine Company. That being said, the Victor Entertainment brand is more associated with record releases there today. Once again, numerous records from the Far East and Australia may interest collectors. Soundtracks are usually particularly popular, but no one should miss a chance to nab a rare foreign pop album.

Spotting Bootlegs

Unfortunately, it’s so easy to get fooled by a good bootleg recording. No one really wants one of these, though some people feel that they might be collector’s items in their own right. Nevertheless, it’s best to avoid them. Pay attention for any labels that look dull or have rampant misspellings on them. Unofficial record companies seldom invest in good equipment, and they often employ people who aren’t native English speakers.

About the author:
Jason Kane writes about vinyl albums and audio equipment. In his spare time Jason likes going to car shows and listening to his Beatles vinyl collection.

July 7, 2012. Ringo Starr was in Nashville to celebrate his birthday and do his annual “Peace & Love” wish for the world. I filmed the whole event and edited it down to this 4:32 video. ENJOY!

It includes a spontaneous rendition of “Give Peace A Chance”. Also, I was holding up a sign that said “It’s My Birthday Too, YEAH!” and he read the sign and wished ME a “Happy Birthday, Brother!”

And it’s all on video!!!!

Update: He performed at the legendary Ryman Auditorium later that day. That show is being released on DVD

On the Amazon site, you can download FREE Mp3s. (I know, I know, not as cool as Vinyl… I’m with ya. But FREE is pretty darn cool too!)

Free Rock MP3 and Top 100

This list is filtered in the “rock” category, but — obviously — feel free to peruse around.

Oh, and if you happen to buy anything on Amazon through this link, one day I might get enough to download one of those sweet 89 cent MP3s. (still waiting for that glorious day! Glad I’m not holding my breath.)

Free MP3s and the current Top 100 ROCK downloads

I love this….

I get asked a lot about the programs I use. For my video editing, I use Adobe Premiere. (I’ve used Elements for the past 2 years, but I just picked up CS3 and have been using that for the LIVE videos I’m about to launch.)

But for the past 10 years, I have LOVED using Acoustica programs for audio editing. I really encourage you to check these out. (And if you use these links, they’ll send me a finders fee, which is nice. Every buck I get is goin’ straight to my local record shop!)

Spin It Again:

The software is dedicated to the task of recording LPs and cassettes. It digitally cleans and restores them. This allows the user to focus on the job of recording their records and tapes, instead of learning how to use a complex recording application. I haven’t used it too much, but it seems really cool.

Now, Mixcraft is a GREAT program. I use this all the time for editing and recording audio:

I think this link goes to a trial version
Download

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Need a great labeling program? I use this one for all my CDs:

and here’s the trial version link:
Download

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Here’s another program I use weekly. This is a GREAT audio file converter:

Trial version:
Download

Well, hope their stuff helps you as much as they’ve helped me! Let me know if you download it and what you think about them.

The Dude
~ June 2011

So I just signed-up for eMusic again. (This is my 4th time).

Of course, I love vinyl (and you probably do too), but at my core… I am a music fan. I am afflicted with the curse of being a completist. So, sometimes you gotta find the best deal to get music (as well as support the artist).

eMusic has come a long way since i first signed up. But its how I acquired my Bjork and Aimee Mann collections. It’s also been instrumental in finding some of those rare/random songs by my favorite artists on soundtracks.

They’ve changed the billing structure to have a $ value associated with an album or a song. But they’ve got a pretty sweet deal. $5 for trying it out. Find some songs or an album, and the cancel if you want. I’m going to keep mine going and keep filling in the gaps of my collection.

I have seen a preview of this book… and it is FREAKIN’ AWESOME!!!! It was created by a wonderful person and a very dear friend of mine that sadly — and unfarily — left this earth before she could see the final product. Melissa and I spent many afternoons talking about what bands and artists could be featured in an ABC book. LOL! What a great concept!!! I’m amazed it all came together.

Trying to think of what to give that rock’n'roller for Christmas? Here ya go!!!!

You’re welcome!