Zodiaks - Mākoņi, RiTonis 3-014-C-1

Zodiac (Zodiak, Russian: Зодиа́к, Latvian: Zodiaks) was a space disco music band that existed in the 1980s in Latvia, then a part of Soviet Union. The band was extremely popular in the Soviet Union and has been credited by critics as the Soviet answer to the French band Space who were popular at the time. Zodiac was formed by Jānis Lūsēns, then studying composition at the Latvian State Conservatory in Riga (now Jāzeps Vītols Latvian Academy of Music). The other four members of the group were also students of various faculties of the same conservatory. Their fourth album In memoriam was composed and produced by Jānis Lūsēns alone and released in 1989. The album was dedicated to the ancient and modern cultural and natural heritage of Latvia. The sounding of the album turned from disco to light techno/synth pop while gaining a lot of classical music influences as well as the influence of Jean Michel Jarre's ambient works.

Their last album "Clouds" was released in 1991 by RiTonis (former Melodiya). It contains a hit song of early 1990s in Latvia "My favourite flowers".

 
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Bastille - Bad Blood, Virgin V3097

Bad Blood is the debut studio-album by British band, Bastille. It was released in the United Kingdom on 4 March 2013, and features the singles; "Overjoyed", "Bad Blood", "Flaws", "Pompeii" and "Laura Palmer". The album was recorded in London, UK, and produced by Mark Crew and Dan Smith. The record debuted at number-one in the United Kingdom. 

• "Overjoyed" was the first single to be taken from Bad Blood. Due to a release with little promotion, the track failed to chart in the United Kingdom.

• "Bad Blood" was the second single to be released from the album. It reached a peak of number-ninety in the UK Singles Chart, yet fell out of the chart the following week.

• "Flaws" was the third single to come from Bad Blood. It became the band's first single to chart within the Top 40 in the UK. It charted at twenty-one, and also charted in Scotland and Belgium.

• "Pompeii" was the fourth single to be taken from Bad Blood. It has become their best-selling single, and most successful international release to date, debuting at number-two and becoming the group's first top-five hit. It also gave Bastille their first number-one single, charting atop the chart in Scotland and Ireland.

• "Laura Palmer" will serve as the fifth single to be released from the album on 3 June 2013. In an interview with Digital Spy in March 2013, lead vocalist, Dan Smith confirmed this. A video for the track was released through the band's official Vevo page on 12 April 2013.

 

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The Boxer Rebellion - Promises, Absentee Recordings TBR012VL

The Boxer Rebellion is an international indie band formed in London, United Kingdom around 2001, consisting of Tennessee-native Nathan Nicholson (vocals, guitar, keyboards), Australian Todd Howe (lead guitar), and Englishmen Adam Harrison (bass guitar) and Piers Hewitt (drums). They have so far released an eponymous EP, four studio albums, Exits (2005), Union (2009), The Cold Still (2011) and Promises (2013), as well as a compilation album, B-Sides & Rarities Collection, Vol. 1 & 2 (2012). The band finished recording their fourth studio album, Promises, in the late part of February 2013. The music video for the debut single from the album, "Diamonds," was released on March 26.

  

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Reginald Dixon - The Storm, Regal Zonophone MR 816

Regal Zonophone was the result of EMI's amalgamation of their two cheaper labels in January 1933, at which time the catalogue numbering was at MR-745. Initially there was a mixture of the last few Zonophone masters (in an 0Y-series), but generally the CAR-series started under Columbia's ownership was used right up until the label's demise in November 1949, by which time the catalogue numbers had reached MR-3819. Many American masters were used, initially from US Columbia, but later from Bluebird. Initially the label was a rather bright green and red, but subsequently the green was darkened (see example) and it was a very attractive label. In February 1935, the price was reduced to 1/- and the colour changed to just plain red with gold printing. As is usual with red labels, the gold printing was apt to wear off. The price increased to 1/3 in March 1937 then back up to 1/6 in September 1937.

Reginald Dixon, MBE, ARCM, born Reginald Herbert Dixon (16 October 1904 – 9 May 1985), was a British theatre organist who was primarily known for his position as organist at the Tower Ballroom, Blackpool, a position he held from March 1930 until March 1970. He made and sold more recordings than any other organist before him, or since. During his fifty year career he was one of the top-selling artists, his prolific output ranking alongside the output of Victor Silvester and Bing Crosby. 

 

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UPDATE - THIS NICE 78 IS UP FOR SALE. I got it in a VERY good condition, and I don't mean it as a VG grade, but much closer to EX+ or even NM. Label is spotless; I doubt it's been played more than once. Record is very clean, but comes in a plain sleeve.

Kenneth McKellar - Skye Boat Song/Lewis Bridal Song, Decca 45-F 10901

Kenneth McKellar (23 June 1927 – 9 April 2010) was a Scottish tenor. McKellar studied forestry at the University of Aberdeen, after graduation working for the Scottish Forestry Commission. He later trained at the Royal College of Music as an opera singer. He did not enjoy his time with the Carl Rosa Opera Company and left them to pursue a career singing traditional Scottish songs and other works. His albums of the songs of Robert Burns (now digitized) are considered by musicologists to be definitive interpretations.

He frequently toured the USA and Canada 1959-1977 with other Scottish entertainers such as Helen McArthur, often appearing in small local venues. McKellar made the majority of his recordings on the Decca Records label. He also recorded several classical works, including Handel's Messiah alongside Joan Sutherland in a performance conducted by Sir Adrian Boult.

McKellar also recorded the musical Kismet with Robert Merrill. He was also notable for his recordings of Gaelic songs in translation such as the Songs of the Hebrides arrangements by Marjory Kennedy-Fraser.

 
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Melodiya Record label history; Riga manufactured company sleeves

Melodiya (Russian: Μелодия, meaning melody) is a Russian (formerly Soviet) record label. It was the state-owned major record company/label of the Soviet Union.

  

It was established in 1964 as the "All-Union Gramophone Record Firm of the USSR Ministry of Culture Melodiya". It utilized gigantic resources of numerous recording studios, manufacturing facilities throughout the USSR as well as powerful centres of distribution and promotion system. The best selling format at the time was 33⅓ and 78 RPM vinyl records. As of 1973 Melodiya released some 1,200 gramophone records with the total circulation of 190-200 million per year and 1 million compact cassettes per year and was exporting its production into more than 70 countries.

Electric Light Orchestra - Discovery, Jet, LX 500

Discovery is a 1979 album by Electric Light Orchestra (ELO). Discovery was the band's first number 1 album in the UK, entering the chart at that position and staying there for five weeks. The album contained five hit songs in "Shine a Little Love", "Don't Bring Me Down", "Last Train to London", "Confusion" and "The Diary of Horace Wimp", many of which were heavily influenced by disco (in fact, Richard Tandy came up with its well known nickname, Disco Very). "Don't Bring Me Down" would become one of their only two top three hits in the UK throughout their career ("Xanadú" will be number One in 1980), and also their highest-charting US single at number 4. "The Diary of Horace Wimp" was also a hit single in the UK, not patterned after the disco sound; instead it was closer in its Beatlesque style to the band's earlier hit "Mr. Blue Sky". The album itself was the first ever to generate four top-ten singles (one of which was a Double A-side) from a single LP in the UK and was eventually certified 2x platinum by the RIAA in 1997.

Discovery is notable in that it was the first ELO album not to feature their resident string trio of Mik Kaminski, Hugh McDowell andMelvyn Gale, although they did make an appearance on the Discovery music videos that were created as a substitute for a live concert tour. Shortly afterwards, leader Jeff Lynne deemed the string section superfluous to his requirements and he decided to dismiss them (although Kaminski did return for the Time Tour in 1981-82, a performer on the 1983 album Secret Messages, and the Balance of Power tour in 1986).

In one of his earliest jobs, comedian/actor Brad Garrett, dressed in middle eastern clothes and turban, appears on the back cover as the menacing palace guard who is drawing his scimitar.

 

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The Rolling Stones - Undercover, Rolling Stones CUN 1654361

Undercover is the 17th British and 19th American studio album by The Rolling Stones, released in 1983. After their preceding studio album, Tattoo You, which was mostly patched together from a selection of outtakes, Undercover was their first release of all new recordings in the 1980s. With the advent of the MTV generation, the band attempted to re-invent themselves for a new era.

 

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The Rolling Stones - Sticky Fingers, Rolling Stones COC 59 100 (France)

Sticky Fingers is the ninth British and 11th American studio album by English rock band The Rolling Stones, released in April 1971. It is the band's first album of the 1970s and its first release on the band's newly formed label, Rolling Stones Records, after having been contracted since 1963 with Decca Records in the UK and London Records in the US. It is also Mick Taylor's first full-length appearance on a Rolling Stones album, the first Rolling Stones album not to feature any contributions from guitarist and founder Brian Jones and the first one on which Mick Jagger is credited with playing guitar.

The album is often regarded as one of the Stones' best, containing songs such as the chart-topping "Brown Sugar" and the folk-influenced "Wild Horses", and achieving triple platinum certification in the US.

 

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P J Harvey - White Chalk, Island 1740335 (UK)

White Chalk is the seventh studio album by English alternative rock musician PJ Harvey, released on 24 September 2007 on Island Records.

Work on the album started in 2006, with producer Flood and John Parish, who also worked on her To Bring You My Love and Is This Desire? albums. Other collaborators on White Chalk are Eric Drew Feldman and Jim White from Dirty Three.

The first single to be released from White Chalk was "When Under Ether" on 17 September 2007 on digital download and 7" vinyl. A second single, "The Piano," was released on 26 November 2007. A third, "The Devil," was released on 7", download, and CD formats in March 2008.

  

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