Bowie Vinyl, is Heaven Sent

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Bowie Vinyl, is Heaven Sent

New David Bowie vinyl is heaven sent, for fans and collectors alike. We all have phones and computers bulging with playlists or demand 'Alexa' instantly plays a chosen track. However, the buzz around vinyl is real, after years of being cast off to the world of the geeky collector. If you have never sat next to a deck and placed a needle on a record, you've missed one of the joys of life. Record labels are now taking vinyl more seriously than they have probably done for 30 years and production is now seen as key to any new release.

January 8th 2021 would have been David Bowie's 74th birthday. To mark this occasion, Parlophone/ISO are offering two previously unreleased cover versions, pressed onto a limited edition, double-sided 7" single. This heaven sent vinyl offers the tracks, 'Mother' by John Lennon and Bob Dylan’s 'Tryin' to Get to Heaven'.

The 7” single is limited to 8147 (Bowie's birth date) numbered copies, 1000 of which will be on cream coloured vinyl, available only from the official David Bowie store and Warner Music’s Dig! store (the remainder will be black). Both tracks will be available to stream and download.

Bowie's version of 'Mother' was produced by Tony Visconti in 1998 for a Lennon tribute, that never materialised. It was originally recorded by Lennon for his 1970 album John Lennon/Plastic Ono Band. Bob Dylan’s original 'Tryin' to Get to Heaven' was released on his 1997 'Album of the Year' GRAMMY winning 'Time Out Of Mind'. David’s version was recorded in February 1998 during the mixing sessions for the ‘LiveAndWell.com’ album.

As if this wasn't enough for the die-hard Bowie fans and vinyl collectors, Parlophone are also marking the 45th Anniversary of Bowie's 10th studio Album, 'Station To Station' with a limited edition pressing in red and white vinyl, to be released 22 January 2021.

David Bowie - 'Station to Station' anniversary release

Originally released 23rd January 1976, it has remained a classic among fans and critics alike. The album was unusual as it contained just six tracks, but still offered at a little over 38-minutes of music.

'Station to Station', was the first David Bowie album to become a bigger commercial success in the USA, than in the UK. It reached #3 on the Billboard 200 and #5 on the official UK album chart.

Four of the 'Station To Station' tracks were released as commercial A-sides by RCA, with 'Golden Years' being the pre-album hit on both sides of the Atlantic. The song scored Bowie yet another top ten just in time for the Christmas UK chart in 1975, where it remained right up to the release of the album in January 1976.

45 years on from its release, 'Station To Station' is now seen as a musical bridge between the ‘plastic soul’ of 1975’s 'Young Americans' and the start of Bowie’s Berlin era with 1977’s 'Low'.

For more information go to: www.davidbowie.com

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10
Jun

Top 5 Acoustic Guitar Brands

Here at Jeeni.com we celebrate and support all musicians and performers to showcase their work and earn 100% of their sales, ticketing, merchandise and donations. Last week Jeeni returned to Crowdcube to raise more funds for helping new talent. We have been very encouraged with the positive response as we reached our target in just 6 days and are now overfunding. If you want to see our pitch click HERE. Here is a really interesting blog by Bree Noble. Who produces the best acoustic guitars in the world? What brand is great for beginners? What price range fits me well? The answer to these questions can be subjective. Everybody has their parameters to judge the quality of the instruments. To be purely objective, we will be looking at overall instrument quality, brand reputation, and popularity. With these parameters, it’s possible for us to at least come up with a list of the best acoustic guitar brands. We’ve included a range of brands–some are known for making some of the world’s best-sounding guitars, and others are known for making economically priced guitars that swing well above their weight class in terms of build quality, tone and playability, Here are our top picks: #5. Yamaha–The Best Value Guitars You probably weren’t expecting to see Yamaha as our 5th pick on a list of top acoustic guitar brands. However, Yamaha is a brand that’s been praised for consistent quality and economical price range, allowing them to provide the best value for money. Most leading manufacturers have an economical line of guitars that caters to all budgets. Still, you often end up paying more for the brand itself rather than paying for the quality of the instrument. And like us, if you ever played a poorly-made acoustic while learning, you know just how frustrating the endeavour can get. However, while Yamaha guitars are recognised for value, many influential and legendary musicians have performed with Yamaha instruments, especially in the 70s such as John Lennon, John Denver, Bob Dylan and Carlos Santana. Today, it can be quite rare to see experts playing Yamaha acoustics, but the brand remains an excellent choice for those looking out for quality construction at an affordable price. You also can find some of the high-end Yamaha acoustics at most major music stores. #4. Gibson–For Players Who Want A Piece Of History Most novices and regular people have likely heard of Gibson–it’s a brand name seen on stages and in studios around the world. Gibson has been making quality guitars for over 100 years. Professional & expert musicians widely use both their acoustic-guitars and their electric guitars. Most Gibson acoustic-guitars are made of all solid wood, and even though Gibson is a large corporation, their acoustics are all still made by hand at their factory in Montana rather than a cheap, mass-produced guitar. The difference between a high-end, handmade one and factory mass-produced one can be significant. #3. Guild–For Those Looking For A Player’s Guitar Guild has been making and producing quality guitars since the 1950s. The guild as a brand, unfortunately, doesn’t have the mainstream popularity of Gibson or Fender yet, it’s still the preferred instrument of many professionals such as legendary musician Doyle Dykes who plays a Guild guitar and has his signature model, a stunning grand orchestra guitar launched in 2012. Guild guitars are frequently described as having a unique ‘sound’. To us, they have a brilliant sort of clarity about them, with punchy and natural-sounding bass. Guild is a company that has been bought out several times, and its tumultuous history may explain why it isn’t as well known or as mainstream as Martin or Taylor. The company was also famous for producing electric archtop guitars during the 1950s and 1960s. As archtops fell out of favour, the guild began moving back to creating acoustics. The company’s focus on excellent build quality and top-class materials means that their guitars are a pure joy to play. #2. Martin–Classic Tone, Classic Style Martin is the manufacturer responsible for introducing the dreadnought body shape, X bracing, and other key innovations to the world of acoustic guitars. Their amazingly responsive dreadnoughts are often used as bluegrass instruments, and they sound great when being played fingerstyle, too. However, their rich tone lends itself well to just about any musical style. The best-known Martin guitar is probably the D-28. This all solid spruce and rosewood dreadnought has both deep bass response and the sparkling nuances of rosewood. From the body shape to the tonewood configuration, it’s what a lot of people would consider the classical acoustic guitar. Martin is a brand steeped in history, but their guitars aren’t without modern touches–acoustic-electric models have sophisticated electronics (usually by Fishman), and the brand has a connection to pop superstar Ed Sheeran. Because Sheeran often played Little Martins onstage, he collaborated with Martin to produce his signature, Little Martins. #1. Taylor–Nuanced, Modern Sound Taylor produces almost every conceivable type of acoustic guitar you could ask for. From ornately-inlaid limited editions to affordable, durable instruments, you can find something that’s perfect for most budgets and playing styles. They’re also refreshing to listen to. To our ears, Taylor guitars have a light, almost airy sound that suits modern singer-songwriters exceptionally well. One thing that really sets a Taylor guitar apart is the Expression System pickups on acoustic-electric models. The pickup system sits behind the saddle (rather than under it). The pickup isn’t compressed like a standard under-saddle pickup; the sound ends up being more natural. Taylor has also pioneered a new bracing style, which experts believe is a step up from traditional X bracing. Taylor’s V-class bracing is designed to let the soundboard vibrate more freely, resulting in improved sound and sustain. This video offers a demo of some of V-class Taylor guitars. Whether you’re in search of a fast-playing bluegrass guitar or something to play relaxing slow songs on, one of these brands offers it. Let us know who your top picks/brands are? Add your thoughts in the comments section, and please share this article if you liked it! Click HERE to visit or return to jeeni.com

14
Jan

Weekly Round-Up #7

The latest news on all things Jeeni, music and entertainment. Happy new year from Jeeni! We're constantly trying to enrich our database with new art for listeners to explore and enjoy and so, on this edition of Weekly Round-Up, we wanted to keep everyone updated on the new developments and additions that have been going on here at Jeeni. New Releases on Jeeni: Jeeni’s database of incredible new music has recently been expanded with new projects from a variety of artists ranging from hip-hop to country. Baby Panna, Ariana May, Richard Murray, Lennox Campbell and DarkStarGraver have all recently uploaded new projects onto Jeeni. Exciting new music is what fuels Jeeni and allows us to promote and boost the artists behind them. If you want to feature your work on Jeeni or if you’re already a Jeeni artist and want more of your work to be added to your showcase, contact us at doug@jeeni.com or ella@jeeni.com and we can sort everything out for you! New Review blogs: As more inspiring and inventive work is uploaded to Jeeni, as are more reviews. DarkStarGraver released an album late last year titled ‘Over The Bridge & Far Away’. Jeeni’s review of the album claimed that, “If you had any familiarity with this Portsmouth rapper’s refreshing and inventive brand of UK hip-hop, then it should be of no surprise that his newest album is as buoyant, animated and thought-out as it is.” We also had the pleasure of reviewing Maple Sky’s ‘Wearing Red’, a smoky and lush opening track from their self-titled EP. A “perfect sonic epitome of the smooth jazz inspired outfit”, ‘Wearing Red’ is certainly a must-listen for jazz-heads. Finally, Richard Murray’s anticipated new album, ‘Fire Sale’ was reviewed on Wednesday. “Richard Murray is a Northern Irish singer and songwriter who specialises in expanding the pre-conceived ideas people have about country music.” Jeeni University Partnerships: Jeeni is keen to operate and work with various universities to uplift blossoming and brand-new artists and to provide an ethical and supportive means of showcasing their talent to a worldwide platform. As well as getting young students and artists interested in becoming a Jeeni artist and making use of our marketing and artist liaison team, we’re also offering roles to become a part of the Jeeni team itself. Right now, we have our roles advertised with BIMM and Middlesex Unis, as well as on our Indeed page (https://uk.indeed.com/jobs?q=jeeni&l&vjk=a98f08cca58bd410). Make sure you're following us on social media to keep up to date with new releases from our artists, our reviews and any job openings: Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jeenimusic/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/jeenimusic Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/jeenimusic Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/33222018/admin/

12
Mar

A Showcase for a New Chapter - Biden's Inauguration

What a difference four years make! This Wednesday 20 January 2021 will see Joe Biden inaugurated as the 47th President of America and he's planning a showcase for a new chapter. To begin the process of uniting his divided country, The Presedential Inaugural Committee has assured, the pared down event for health and safety reasons, will feature 'music, poetry, dance and pay homage to America's heroes on the frontline of the pandemic'. President-Elect Joe Biden and Lady Gaga - Photo: Variety When the outgoing President, Donald Trump stepped up to take the oath in 2017, he had struggled to get artists and crowds to help him celebrate. Having been turned down by Elton John, Celine Dion, Kiss and others, he eventually secured the services of the Mormon Tabernacle Choir, rock band 3 Doors Down and country singer Toby Keith. It is alleged he also had the further embarrassment of having to have a crowd edited into the TV footage, as so few had shown up to witness the ceremony. Joe Biden in contrast, has had his pick of the crop and the list of artists wanting to be a part of the showcase action reads like a Grammy Award ceremony. Lady Gaga will be singing 'The Star Spangled Banner' for the swearing-in ceremony, due to commence at 11:30am. The inauguration line-up of stars reported so far, includes Bruce Springsteen, Jennifer Lopez, John Legend, The Foo Fighters, Demi Lovato and Jon Bon Jovi, who also performed at Obama's inauguration in 2009. Justin Timberlake is confirmed, writing on twitter he will be performing a track he wrote with Ant Clemons during the lockdown. Timberlake recorded his final vocals for 'Better Days' on the night of the election. The track reflects the last year and the frustration, grief, anger and powerlessness everyone has felt, whilst encouraging everyone to stay hopeful. The spoken-word will play a large part in the proceedings too. The new President's speech to the nation will be an obvious focal point, alongside the words from his Vice-President, Kamala Harris. The firefighter Andrea Hall will lead the Pledge of Allegiance. Amanda Gorman, the first National Youth Poet Laureate will recite a poem. Father Leo O'Donovan and Reverend Dr Silvester Beaman, longtime friends of the Biden's, will deliver invocation and benediction, respectively. Vice-President Elect Kamala Harris - Photo: Getty American National Treasure, Tom Hanks, is also hosting a prime-time special, 'Celebrating America' on the night of the inauguration. the programme will air across multiple networks. More names are expected to be added to the itinerary, as the event is marking one of the most important days in US history for many years. http://www.twitter.com/joebiden www.twitter.com/kamalaharris www.jeeni.com

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