Previous month:
May 2009
Next month:
July 2009

UK Band Makes Video Using Surveillance Cameras

Bands like OKGO have pretty much launched their careers by coming up with clever and quirky ideas for music videos. Now an unsigned band from the UK The Get Out Clause has come up with a unique way of filming a video that is as inexpensive as it is original. They performed in front of a number of surveillance cameras on buses, streets and other public areas. Then they used The Data Protection Act (the UK's version of the U.S. Freedom Of Information Act) to get copies of the tapes and then they edited them into a video that is now an internet hit. The song isn't bad either, but the video is the hook here.


"The Latest" on the Greatest Cheap Trick Release! - UPDATE

If you have not been following my post about the new Cheap Trick release and the Amazon.com CD-R fiasco and all the latest comments and related huh-bub please do so in the post below this one. Then come on back for the update... A very nice person at CheapTrick.com has responded with an explenation of the release and you can read that here: http://tinyurl.com/l2co38

Apparently the CDs being presold on CheapTrick.com through MusicToday are actual replicated discs with professional print. I haven't been able to confirm this yet but the post on the bands site seems to imply that. It sounds like Amazon was in charge of manufacturing their own for this exclusive they had on the June 23rd date and they are doing those via their on-demand service which is a CD-R and quick digital print. Again, this is a problem because from my experience that service has been for reissues of old and out of print titles or small independent releases. Not a new release from a major artist.

Which brings us to my Amazon.com review. Apparently there a couple of people that are upset that I gave it a one star review on Amazon. My review stands and I'll defend it because that is a review of the product I received. Amazon did not make it clear enough that this was a CD-R with short run print. They have one line included in the "Editorial Review" section 2 thirds of the way down on the page. Nothing in the product description. Also, I have RAVED about this record. The music and even the artwork design is excellent. It's my favorite Cheap Trick album since One On One! These are some of the best songs they have ever done. "Sick Man Of Europe" is up there with Dream Police for me! I have told everyone I know and all the readers of this blog to buy this CD! My Amazon review begins by talking about how great the music is... so get this record! However, I do maintain that if you want the actual professional disc you order it from CheapTrick.com and it will ship in just a few days, or that you wait until the official July 21st release and find it in a retail store. If you need it NOW you will have to go download it from Amazon. I'm going to do that or order it from CheapTrick.com (I returned my CD-R version to Amazon.com first thing this morning).

 


DO NOT buy the new Cheap Trick CD from Amazon.com!

Cheaptricklatestcov I have always tried to avoid going negative on this site. I rarely bother posting negative reviews, choosing to stay positive and devote the time and space I have here to promoting music and albums that I like. I am now going to make an exception to that...for Amazon.com. The new Cheap Trick album The Latest is a great sounding record and contains some of the best songs they've ever done (including the amazingly fun "Sick Man of Europe"). Cheap Trick have really outdone themselves with this one and I highly recommend it. The problem is the deal they made with Amazon.com. For some strange reason Amazon.com is the only place you can purchase or download the album right now, at least for the next month. It will be available later from other sites and retail outlets. This is a limited exclusive and it wasn't publicized with the news of the release date from what I had seen. They promote the 23rd as the release date, but it's only available from Amazon or via pre-order from the bands site. I could deal with that, the real problem is what you get if you make the mistake of ordering the CD from Amazon (like I did). What you get is a CD-R, not an actual replicated CD. The print in the jewel case that comes with it is so poorly printed and trimmed that I must say I have never, ever, in 23 years in the music industry and with more than 7,000 CD's in my collection seen such poorly manufactured jewel case print. The paper is thinner than the 1 ply toilet paper in a porta-pottie and the booklet pages are all cut to different lengths. My 6 year old daughter could have done it better trimming by hand. The spines on the tray card don't even line up with the spines of the jewel case. This is not a criticism of the design, I love the cover art, there are some cool pics in the book and the disc face art is clean and nice. But even so, the CD is not a professional disc, but a recordable CD-R. In other words, it's made on-demand, quick and cheap. On demand CD's are nothing new, but what is new is an on-demand CD-R with cheap digital print for a new release of a major band. I buy thousands of CD and have been involved with the release of thousands of others and I am pretty sure this has never ever happened. Which is one of the many reasons why I went onto Amazon a week or so ago and preordered the new Cheap Trick CD with no reason to question the packaging or whether or not it would be a professionally replicated disc (or a CD-R that is not the same). I somehow failed to notice the sentence in a tiny font that is right after the editorial review that says, "This product is manufactured on demand using CD-R recordable media. Amazon.com's standard return policy will apply."
In other words, Amazon is telling you here, in this one sentence made to look like the last line of the editorial review where you'll never read it that it's a CDR so when you want to return it you can't.
This is what I call a REALLY cheap trick.
So here are the questions that remain:
* When the disc is finally released via other outlets on 7/21 will it still be a CDR?
* Is the disc they're selling on their site also a CDR with the same horrible print?
* Will Amazon refund my money and accept the return?
I am trying to find these things out and will post my findings here. When this album is available on iTunes or they finally release it on a professionally replicated disc with professional packaging, it is well worth getting. Cheap Trick is great. This Amazon.com deal is not. If anyone has any thoughts, insight or opinions on this I would love to hear from you. Please leave a comment.


ObviousPopCast Episode 17 - Exclusive New Music and More!

Obviouspopcastlogo Episode 17 of the ObviousPopCast is already here! It's ALL NEW!! Exclusive new music and world premiers. Brand new music from All Star United, Starlight Mints, Patrick Wolf, Weird Al Yankovic and more! This is 50 minutes of music that can be streamed or downloaded as a high quality MP3 and best of all, it's free.

To stream it now click play:

Download it now: ObviousPopCast Episode 17

Add it to your iTunes podcasts: CLICK HERE

(If you use the link to download it to iTunes, it may go into your podcast folder or possibly be listed in the main music library under the title: ObviousPop or the artist name: Dr. Tony Shore.)


ObviousPopCast Episode 16 - New music is here!

Obviouspopcastlogo Episode 16 of the ObviousPopCast is finally finished and it is wall to wall with brand new music, including a new song from power pop super group Tinted Windows, featuring members of Cheap Trick, Fountains of Wayne, Smashing Pumpkins and Hanson. Episode 16 also includes new music from Richard Barone, Phoenix, Owl City and more! This is 50 minutes of fun that can be streamed or downloaded as a high quality MP3.

To stream it now click play:

Download it now: ObviousPopCast Episode 16

Add it to your iTunes podcasts: CLICK HERE

(If you use the link to download it to iTunes, it may go into your podcast folder or possibly be listed in the main music library under the title: ObviousPop or the artist name: Dr. Tony Shore.)