I’m intrigued by this release. It isn’t the usual stereo remaster plus the mono version plus a couple of demos laziness, as the track list shows. Previous Cream SDE releases of Fresh Cream and the Goodbye Cream live set have been really good, and this seems to carry that on, and at £50 for the 5 CD set is terrific value (there are LP sets of the studio stuff too).

But what piqued my interest was the description of the original release using something called CSG processing, I had never heard of this, but a quick google search revealed it was a process applied around the time we were switching from mono releases to stereo in the late 60s, so therefore relatively short lived. The attached article explains this….although I’m not sure I totally get it! Has anyone come across this before? Are there any other examples of releases where this was applied??

This is a description of the release – forgive the shouty caps, but it is lifted from Cream’s website….

WHEELS OF FIRE 5CD SUPER DELUXE EDITION CHRONICLES THE FULL CREATION, AND FRUITION OF CREAM’S GROUNDBREAKING THIRD ALBUM.

THE SET INCLUDES A SPECIAL, NEWLY REMASTERED STEREO » Continue Reading.

There’s so much to unpack here.

Firstly, I very much doubt any 8 year old would have any notion of who Hendrix was, or maybe even anyone under, say, 40. What would the man himself have made of it? ‘Yeah man, I love a game that bankrupts people – right on’.

Can you imagine the pitch at the meeting for new products…’Bear with me here, I know Jimi Hendrix died after choking on his own vomit, but we won’t include that bit’..?

Having gone down this rabbit hole, I see there are Monopoly versions featuring Iron Maiden, Bowie in Labyrinth, HM Queen Elizabeth II, Queen, and I’m sure I saw a Beatles one a few years ago. Who buys this crap besides Monopoly collectors (and I know there are some).

Any other rock related tat we have come across..?

https://winningmoves.co.uk/products/jimi-hendrix-monopoly-board-game?srsltid=AfmBOorZhS62NT1aVTKIvALsH3MKbn9fJpQegIGJ1aiy6uEW0vQmEveR

It’s 50 years (50 effing years!) since Bohemian Rhapsody was unleashed into an unsuspecting world. Despite their other hits, I suspect this is the track that propelled Queen into the rock pantheon and largely sustains their position to this day (apparently is the most streamed 20th century song – it would have taken me a while to guess that).

It divides opinions, as the attached article says, although I suspect a straw poll of AWers would be firmly on the side of the haters. I still tend to sing along in my head when it comes on and I’m sort of neutral- if I never hear it again I wouldn’t care, but do admire its originality and bonkersness. What think you..?

https://www.theguardian.com/culture/2025/oct/31/the-guide-215-why-cant-we-get-enough-of-bohemian-rhapsody?CMP=Share_iOSApp_Other

Another one gone. I love the Moodies and got to see them several times – once back in 1969 and then a couple of times in recent years and they are a bit of a go to on a Sunday afternoon. Only Justin Hayward left now.

https://www.theguardian.com/music/2025/oct/10/moody-blues-singer-and-bassist-john-lodge-dies-aged-82?CMP=Share_iOSApp_Other

I have never sold records of any real value on eBay or wherever, only the odd CD worth a few quid where I have duplicates or have replaced a version, so I am a bit wary of anything with serious worth.

My sister recently moved nearby and has had boxes of LPs in storage or under the stairs for donkey’s years. The move has prompted her to have a look through them and, of course, I joined in the crate digging. First one I see is Pink Moon by Nick Drake – first pressing, excellent near mint condition – and other treasures followed (including his first two LPs). Now, these and some others are apparently worth serious dosh, and she has decided to sell some that have no sentimental value (she doesn’t even remember owning the Nick Drakes), but I would really like some advice on where and how to sell. What if, for instance, the buyer substitutes a crappy copy for ours and claims we sent it? Is there anything else I need to be careful about?

Any advice greatfully received!

I’m old enough to remember ITV coming along in 1955. My uncle, who had learned about electronics in the war, had a sideline in supplying and servicing TVs and radios and got us our Bush TV for the coronation in 1953. When a valve went, round he would come to replace it. So….when ITV came along he fitted a new control knob on the outside to enable us to switch from 1 (BBC, obviously) to the new fangled channel 9 with commercials. I can still recall the clunk, clunk of the switch as you turned it round.

Anyway, I digress. Here is a list of 70 shows, one from each year of ITV. I can’t help thinking there is another list of 70 – a list of shame if you will – but these are the highlights. Probably just me, but I watched a whole lot more of the earlier shows than the later ones on this list.

https://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2025/sep/22/hard-to-believe-it-happened-70-unforgettable-and-unforgivable-shows-from-70-years-of-itv?CMP=Share_iOSApp_Other

This seems to have leaked early as no official details online yet.

https://www.reddit.com/r/bobdylan/comments/1n8ini1/bootleg_series_vol_18_leaked_via_gijsbert_kamer/

In case you missed it (and there has been a bit of media coverage over the last few weeks), the Searchers are finally calling it a day this evening with a spot at Glastonbury. It is in the Acoustic Tent at 8pm, and it is the end of the road for a band that has been performing for over 60 years – arguably the longest continuous run of any group (as we used to call them!).

They have always been close to my heart – they were second only to the Beatles around the end of 1963 and into 1964 – and I still play them regularly at home. Their first 3 albums were pure Merseybeat, but also included folk songs and unusual material which, whilst audibly recorded in a hurry, stand up well today, unlike most other bands of that era. They were influential on the likes of the Byrds, Tom Petty and all the jingle janglers that came afterwards. It was the singles that were their real strength – Sweets for My Sweet, Sugar and Spice, Needles and Pins, Don’t Throw Your Love Away and the peerless When You Walk In The Room to name but a few.

» Continue Reading.

I guess the ‘look’ rules a lot of potential recruits out!? With all the Fabs tribute acts out there, I suppose there will be plenty wanting to step up to the top one.

I believe the current Macca taught himself to play left handed for that iconic look, but a right handed Paul just doesn’t look right to me anyway.

Macca

I really fancy this, but the description says the record plays ‘inside out’ …what the actual flip does that mean? Here is the thing I have read….

Nick Mason’s Saucerful of Secrets share an incredible live version of their interpretation of Echoes. Propelled by Nick Mason’s drumming, this recording captures the band with Gary Kemp, Guy Pratt, Dom Beken and Lee Harris at the peak of their powers. The performance was recorded on August 1st, 2024 at the Centennial Hall in Frankfurt, Germany by Steve Carr. Echoes Live was mixed by Steven Wilson with consultation and assistance from Dom Beken. This 12″ was half-speed mastered by Miles Showell at Abbey Road and uniquely plays from the inside-out for the ultimate sound quality. The B-side includes an exclusive etched design.

From Neil Young….

After famously playing their second show at Woodstock in August 1969, David Crosby, Stephen Stills, Graham Nash, and Neil Young spent the rest of the year touring and writing songs for what would become CSNY’s 1970 debut, Déjà Vu. A newly discovered multi-track recording of the band’s September 20, 1969, concert at the historic Fillmore East in New York City captures an early moment from that first tour and will be released as a double live album on October 25.

Live At The Fillmore East, 1969 will be available from Rhino.com on vinyl (2LP) and CD on October 25. A special clear-vinyl edition will be available exclusively at select retailers on the same day. An unreleased live version of “Helplessly Hoping” is available today digitally.

Crosby, Stills, Nash, and Young were heavily involved in the creation of this never-before-heard live show. Stills and Young compiled and mixed the original eight-track concert recordings with John Hanlon at Sunset Sound Studios in Los Angeles. The audio is AAA lacquer cut for the vinyl release to provide the highest audio fidelity.

Young recently said: “[We] have the tapes, and they sound so real. We mixed at Sunset Sound – » Continue Reading.

Do we really need another mix of this album? This time in bloody Dolby Atmos. This is the second Blu-Ray in 2 years or so of this album. Are they having a laugh?

Having bought the last one, I’m damned if I’m going to fork out for this!

https://superdeluxeedition.com/news/new-atmos-mix-of-pink-floyds-animals-available-on-blu-ray-audio/?utm_source=Klaviyo&utm_medium=campaign&_kx=Xj8lnGTa2oVJgMT270aRuXXGxPPONXhWn2LOx03lOLY.H3pGub

This popped up between Christmas and New Year on the tax dodgers site, and I think it was on HMV too. I ordered it but it then disappeared quickly, but I see it is on again at £39.99 for the mega 6CD edition, down from around £120. God knows where they are shipping it from, but it should arrive on Thursday. I have waited patiently to get this, so can’t wait!

I’ve often pondered why some bands have so many tribute acts and some others very few or none at all. I present a Gig Guide show on the local radio, so I have become very aware of what seems to work and what doesn’t, but I have no real idea why.

The Beatles, ABBA, Queen, Elvis Presley, Fleetwood Mac, Eagles and Pink Floyd I would say are the most numerous by far. I can understand the first five of those as they had loads of huge hits, but Pink Floyd didn’t there are no end of Pink Floyd tribute bands and they always seem to be on locally. They sell well too. Why Pink Floyd and not, say, Yes or Genesis? I have done interviews with bands hopefully trying to sell tickets for a Journey show, and Toto, and I just knew they wouldn’t have an audience, but what about the Rolling Stones, the Who, or the Kinks? There are, I think, a couple of Stones and Who tribute shows, but certainly not many considering their popularity. The originals are still going of course, so maybe that makes some difference..? The Eagles had very few genuine hits in the » Continue Reading.

I happened across this video today on Youtube. The chap is saying that a lot of CD players don’t play gapless CDs ..er…gaplessly (he demonstrates a Cambridge model in the video) and they insert a gap between tracks – so, for instance, DSOTM or Abbey Road simply don’t play properly. Really?? Has anyone come across this? I am amazed if this is true, but he seems convinced.

https://youtu.be/qVEmahyfhQU?si=ctLZRgKgJZ6vCyye

As we all know, this is (was…?) a perennial charity shop record. Maybe they are banking on all those people who got rid of it hankering after hearing it again in Dolby Atmos. Like my post about the Sound of Music issue a week or so ago, I’m not convinced there is a huge market out there, but I guess someone has done the math.

https://www.thesdeshop.com/collections/paul-young?utm_source=Klaviyo&utm_medium=campaign&_kx=Xj8lnGTa2oVJgMT270aRuXXGxPPONXhWn2LOx03lOLY%3D.H3pGub

Yes, really. I know it was a huge seller back in the day, but is there a market for this?! I guess someone must know what they are doing.

The blurb….

The soundtrack to Robert Wise’s film version of Rodgers & Hammerstein’s The Sound of Music is being reissued across multiple formats, with a super deluxe edition offering “every musical element” from the film and a Dolby Atmos Mix.

The musical features classics such as as ‘My Favourite Things’, ‘Do-Re-Mi’, ‘The Sound of Music’ and ‘Edelweiss’ and Robert Wise walked away with Best Picture and Best Director Oscars (being director and co-producer) at the 1966 Academy Awards.

The new reissue is led by a 4CD+blu-ray super deluxe which features over 40 previously unreleased tracks, including 11 never-before-heard alternate takes and instrumentals of each song for that singalong-a-Sound-of-Music experience. The blu-rays capacity allows it to deliver the full score in hi-res stereo audio and well as a Dolby Atmos Mix of the 16-track original soundtrack.

Here’s that track listing in full….

CD 1 Prelude and The Sound of Music (Film Version) Overture Preludium (Dixit Dominus) Morning Hymn and Alleluia Maria (Film Version) I Have Confidence (Film Version) The Little Dears* The » Continue Reading.

This is about a vast archive of records in the US. It got me wondering how many of these huge collections there are in the world. I’m sure there was a piece years ago about a vast private collection in a warehouse somewhere (South America somewhere perhaps?), and aren’t there institutions such as the BBC who once claimed to have every record issued? I know Elton has or had a huge collection, and I’m sure there must be other megarich people with similar stashes.

https://www.theguardian.com/music/2023/nov/16/archive-of-contemporary-music-new-york?CMP=Share_iOSApp_Other