The Practice Rocks: February 2013

Saturday, February 23, 2013

Doctor's Order - New CD - #120

Doctor's Order - New CD

I nicked this from the Doctor's Order website. A new CD is being announced for release in May 2013.

QUOTE
22.1.2013 HAPPY NEW YEAR! THE GAME IS A FOOT!
In the year 2013 we are celebrating our 15th anniversary. There's going be to a bunch of celebration gigs, some of them as a trio and some with the legendary Johnny "The Pirates" Spence. A new 15th anniversary album will be out in May. It features a good amount of new original songs along with three carefully chosen cover songs. And there's more good news; three special guest vocalists from Great Britain will be featured the album. Also as a bonus there's going to be five great sounding live tracks that were recorded last July at Gastro Blues Festival in Paks, Hungary. More information later!
UNQUOTE

As Doctor's Order say on their website, more information later!

Cheers

Devon.2013 HAPPY NEW YEAR! THE GAME IS A FOOT!Hungary. More information later!

Friday, February 22, 2013

2nd Hand CDs, Do They Have Any Value? - #119

2nd Hand CDs, Do They Have Any Value?

A few weeks ago I read a column about how the CDs in your collection have no resale value anymore. Now I read about a collector (in this month’s RC), complaining that his entire CD collection is reduced to the value of a heap of granulated plastic.

Which is quite true. There seems to be no 2^nd hand market for this format, at least nothing to speak of. Every halfway decent shop has now these discount bins where you can get albums for 2 or 3 Euros. And I’m talking about mint condition CDs, a lot of them even still sealed. What’s interesting is, these are not just the James Last’s of this earth. No, there’s the whole Rock and Blues and Jazz royalty in these racks. Albums that are history and some that have been released only recently.

I do follow some of this and seeing CDs not selling for 20 Euros, when they were hot items just about 2 years ago and you couldn’t get them for 60 Euros in cash, tells large volume stories about the state of the market. I believe we’re not talking overproduction here, but the labels are actually flooding the market with, I hasten to add, good product. However, it’s a bit like the proverbial dumbest calf leading their own butcher to the slaughterhouse. The industry must be in a very troublesome state, if they think they can regain some marketshare by throwing their wares to the public. Naturally enough, this must affect the 2^nd hand market, as noone in his/her right mind is going to buy general CDs on any auction platform on the internet.

Just check this for yourself by checking how many albums of a certain release have actually been sold and compare this to how many were on offer during this time. I bet you come out with something like 1 CD sold vs. 10 copies unsold. And the one that actually made it across the counter is a cheapo for the aforesaid 2 to 3 Euros, while you paid 20+ Euros in a shop not so long ago.

Now I know that CDs were never as collectable as LPs, but there was a time where you could almost certainly make at least half of your buying price. These days you’re lucky if you don’t have to pay a disposal fee for the lot. The very few rare and sought after collectable CDs are an exception, but don’t think your collection consists mainly of the latter. It’s probably more likely yours is the massmarket kind of albums, even though there might be some “rare” ones. However, don’t think for a second rare means valuable.

I’m kind of lucky, as my own collection is about half/half, with vinyl seeing a rather healthy market, although, one has to add, even this has seen a bit of a decline. But if you’re a vinyl freak, you can calmly rest in the knowledge that your collection at least retains some of its worth. If you’re a CD kind of guy/gal, there’s the panic button to be hit. Because what it means, is, you’ve sunk quite an amount into your collection and it’s worth now almost nada. Looking at it from this point of view, one would have to do without CDs and either start buying vinyl or forego everything and download this directly for free from the internet.

Not me though, first I’m less of a record collector, but more of a music collector. So, items in my collection don’t really have monetary value to me and second, I need to hold something in my hands (which is quite difficult to achieve trying to hold bits and bytes). And yet, I sometimes wonder why I pay good money in a shop, knowing very well, that by the time I leave said premises, the 100 Euro item has dropped in value by about 75 % (on a good day!). But then, someone has to save all these record shops, and why not me? Devon to the rescue!

Cheers

Devon

Tuesday, February 19, 2013

Dr. Feelgood - Live In London - #118

Dr. Feelgood - Live In London

Grand Records have just re-released the "Live In London" CD as GrandCD33. Very welcome is the fact, that this has been extended from 14 songs to 21 tracks (actually 20, because one is band intros only). Usually I'm a bit suspicious when it comes to re-releases and especially if this concerns albums that are not on my A-list. Although I need to state, that I probably have to think this over from scratch. It's been literally years since I heard "Live In London" the last time, but it does sound fresh and there's a certain urgency behind the whole gig. Of course, we all know how Steve Walwyn got thrown into this with barely having tested the waters and how bravely he mastered this task. But then, Steve is an excellent guitarist, no doubt about that.

I haven't made a 1:1 comparison to older CD and LP releases, but the extended version sounds great. No complaints there! And lending a fresh ear to records you have heard before, is certainly something that can't be wrong. I don't know wether Grand Records have done any remastering/remixing, but I doubt it (it doesn't say anything about it on the sleeve). Grand Records is not exactly known for sinking money into their productions. To be fair, maybe it just wasn't necessary and before dabbling with an otherwise perfect live sound, it could very well mean, to leave it as it is.

I might be to fixed on the guitar playing, but I seem to hear it in a new light. Fascinating! And, of course, Lee Brilleaux, as (almost) always on top of his game. In fact, this is an extremely welcome addition to my Dr. Feelgood collection that leaves me wondering, what else is in the vaults and when are we going to hear it? In fact, going through this latest release, I've found so many interesting snippets, that this album does move a notch or two up the ladder.

One complaint I have to make though. The graphics on the cover are among the worst I've seen in a long long time. Fine, there's Lee Brilleaux, but the rest should probably show the dynamics of London. A city bustling 24 hours a day. This is just cheap and I can't understand why no real professionals are hired to do a proper job. This looks again like the cheapskates Grand Records are. Maybe someone's son/daughter/nephew had a few spare minutes at hand and did the thing ("oh well, but he/she's drawing so beautiful in school, did you see her/his sunflower pictures?"). Other than that, my well meant advice is, go and buy the CD and enjoy!

Cheers

Devon