The Witmark Demos: 1962-1964 (The Bootleg Series Vol. 9)

The Witmark Demos features 47 Bob Dylan songs recorded by the artist – accompanied only by his acoustic guitar, harmonica and occasionally piano – for his first music publisher, Leeds Music, in January 1962, and for his second publisher, M. Witmark & Sons, between 1962 and 1964. Listening to these recordings, one can trace Dylan’s dramatic growth as a songwriter from early traditionally-styled songs like “Man On The Street” and “Ramblin’ Gamblin’ Willie” through the social commentary of “Blowin’ In The Wind, “The Times They Are A Changin’” and “Masters Of War”, and the groundbreaking lyrical genius of “Mr. Tambourine Man.” All of these songs, and all the others on The Witmark Demos, were written – and their subsequent demos recorded – before Bob Dylan turned 24 years old.

Among the many gems found on The Witmark Demos are 15 Bob Dylan songs that were recorded by the artist only for these sessions, and which have never been officially released to the public until now. These include the plaintive“Ballad For A Friend,” the civil rights era-inspired “Long Ago, Far Away” and “The Death Of Emmett Till,” and the poignant “Guess I’m Doing Fine.”

The Witmark Demos also features a deluxe booklet featuring in-depth liner notes by noted music historian Colin Escott, as well as rare photographs of Bob Dylan captured during the same period as these early recordings.

Amazon.com is very excited to offer an extremely rare and newly discovered Bob Dylan live concert CD to all customers who pre-order The Witmark Demos: 1962-1964 (The Bootleg Series Vol. 9) on CD or vinyl.

Bob Dylan: In Concert, Brandeis University, 1963 has never been heard, bootlegged or circulated in any way. It was taped on May 10th, 1963, at Brandeis University’s first annual folk festival.

This offer is limited to pre-orders only and will not be available after 10/18/2010.

Price: $14.88

Rehab

Brand new Record for 2110!!

Price: $7.64

Made of Metal

2010 solo album from the legendary Metal God and Judas Priest vocalist. Made Of Metal is the first proper Halford studio release since 2002’s Crucible.

Price: $9.80

Higdon & Tchaikovsky Violin Concertos

The two-time Grammy winning violinist releases the world-premiere recording of Jennifer Higdon’s 2010 Pulitzer Prize winning concerto, paired with the popular Tchaikovsky concerto.

Price: $10.34

6: Commitment

2010 release, the sixth studio album from the British vocalist. This highly-anticipated album was produced by David Foster. While showcasing Seal’s one-of-a-kind husky baritone, ear for unforgettable melodies, and unique lyrical point of view, songs such as “Secret,” “The Weight of My Mistakes,” “Best of Me,” and “If I’m Any Closer,” delve into the emotions surrounding love, family, and commitment, hence the title. “Everything about my life is fully committed,” he says. “I’ve never felt more focused on the matter at hand: My wife, my children, the family in general, my own well-being, and of course music and my career. Each one of these songs has personal meaning for me. I dug very deep and all I can hope for is that the music strikes a chord with people.”

Price: $9.99

Blood of the Nations

Accept’s history dates back to the days when heavy metal was just in its formative stages. The band’s first incarnation was put together in `68, but their first album came in `79. Over the course of their early career, they’ve written several influential songs and albums and helped define what heavy metal has become. Their most famous song, “Balls to the Wall”, has been featured in Guitar Hero Encore: The 80s, Grand Theft Auto: Vice City Stories, 08’s Oscar Award-winning movie The Wrestler and was #38 on VH1’s Top 40 “Greatest Metal Songs”. That album has even gone Gold in the US according to Billboard, no small feat for the genre! Now, after a decade away from the heavy metal scene, Accept have returned with a renewed strength, enthusiasm and a new album that hits you with that unmistakable, classic sound. Blood of the Nations is every bit as voluminous as the band’s legendary releases with new metal anthems that carry on their legendary tradition. This vibrant and mesmerizing album harnesses everything that earned Accept the status of true heavy metal legends: thunderous riffs, blinding guitar leads, aggressive vocals and infectious, undiluted metal songs with a bite that are destined to once again put Accept ahead of the pack.

Price: $8.99

Poetry for the Poisoned

The legendary American/Norwegian Metal Masters KAMELOT are back with their ninth studio release, “Poetry For The Poisoned”, their most diverse and complete album to date. Initially written in the remote woods of Norway, and with final songwriting sessions completed in Germany, the dynamic compositions of “Poetry For The Poisoned” take the listener on an emotional journey that touches both the mind and soul with its mix of Progressive elements, Modern Rock, dark arts and, of course, Power Metal!

“I think this album is by far our most diverse, fusing new ideas and elements along with the traditional KAMELOT sound and style that we have established over the years,” states KAMELOT guitarist Thomas Youngblood. “It comes at a time where many people around the world are searching for something to grab on to spiritually, including myself. I recently lost my mother and to be honest it was very hard on me. So there are some melancholy moods reflected on this album.”

“Poetry For The Poisoned” was recorded at Gate Studios in Wolfsburg, Germany with producers Sascha Paeth and Miro and features guest appearances by Simone Simons (EPICA), Gus G. (OZZY OSBOURNE, FIREWIND), Björn “Speed” Strid (SOILWORK) and Jon Oliva (SAVATAGE, JON OLIVA’S PAIN).

Available in three versions (Regular CD edition, Digipak CD with bonus DVD and 2LP gatefold vinyl edition), “Poetry For The Poisoned” has proven to be KAMELOT’s longest and toughest production to date and will surely please their legions of fans as well as attract new believers into the realm of KAMELOT!

Price: $14.39

Mirror

Many critics have opined that Lloyd’s “New Quartet”, with Jason Moran, Reuben Rogers and Eric Harland may be the best of all his groups. The quartet’s previous release in this line-up, the live-recorded Rabo de Nube, met with across-the-board approval and was voted #1 album of the year in both the Critics and Readers Polls of JazzTimes.

Mirror is the first studio album by the Lloyd-Moran-Rogers-Harland unit and it features beautiful, transformed versions of favorites including both Lloyd originals and tunes Charles has made his own over the years. There is a pair of Thelonious Monk tunes, “Ruby, My Dear” and “Monk’s Mood”, as well as hymns and traditionals including “Go Down Moses”, “Lift Every Voice And Sing”, and “The Water Is Wide”. Lloyd covers Brian Wilson’s’ “Caroline, No” (the saxophonist guested on several Beach Boys albums in the 70s, including the classic “Surf’s Up”), and plays an achingly lovely version of the the standard “I Fall In Love Too Easily”. Lloyd originals include “Desolation Sound”, “Mirror”, “Tagi” (which includes a Bhagavad Gita inspired spoken-word meditation by Lloyd) and “Being and Becoming”.

The band plays superbly. Interaction between Jason Moran and the elastic rhythm section of Harland and Rogers is agile and alert in every moment. While each of these three players is completely in tune with Lloyd’s way of working, none of them had yet been born when Charles had his idiomatic breakthrough with “Forest Flower” in 1967. Moran recalls that his father encouraged him to listen to Forest Flower when he was just starting to check out jazz, and the album was part of the soundtrack of his childhood.

There is plenty of Lloyd’s graceful, mellifluous and poetic tenor sax: We also get to hear some of his rarely-showcased alto saxophone, the instrument that Billy Higgins called Charles’s “secret weapon”.

“Charles is playing really beautiful,” Ornette Coleman says, in the documentary film The Monk and the Mermaid. “He’s expressing the qualities of what we experience. Trying to make a contribution to the quality of life, to do with knowledge.” The knowledge, experience, and wisdom conveyed through Lloyd’s tender saxophone soliloquies have drawn great musicians to him over the decades, and contributed to a reputation as one of the most insightful band leaders in all of jazz. Those qualities are reflected once more in Mirror, which is perhaps as succinct a portrait of Charles’ music as can be embraced by a single disc.

“Charles approaches the music with such openness”, pianist Jason Moran said recently “I like playing with leaders who let you bring what you’ve got to the table, and interpret the music however you’d like. Charles is a great promoter of free-thinking music, and letting it develop on the spot.”

Reuben Rogers was born in the Virgin Islands and grew up listening to calypso and reggae as well as jazz, exposure that seems to have impacted on the lyrical dancing swing of his bass playing. He works exceptionally well with Harland, exploring loose grooves behind Lloyd’s solos, and speaks of the joy of “being in the music in the moment,” when the Lloyd band is improvising collectively, “without any worries, just giving it all.” A much sought after sideman, Reuben has also worked extensively with Nicholas Payton, Joshua Redman, Dianne Reeves and more.

Eric Harland is increasingly regarded as one of the most important contemporary jazz drummers. In addition to his work with Lloyd in the quartet and in the Sangam trio (with Zakir Hussain) he has played and recorded with McCoy Tyner, Pharoah Sanders, Greg Osby, Dave Holland and many others.

Price: $12.65

Home

Los Angeles, California. “Home,” Jane Monheit’s eagerly anticipated new CD, is set for release by Emarcy/Universal Records on September 21st, 2010. An ode to the golden age of the jazz standard – the genre which Jane identifies with most – “Home” celebrates the treasured tracks of songwriters and lyricists past and present whom Monheit greatly admires including Rodgers and Hart and Schwartz & Dietz. A sumptuously sung passionate song cycle of 12 tunes self-produced by the modern-day jazz diva, “Home” is Monheit’s tenth CD and will be accompanied by a world tour beginning in the Fall. Accompanying Monheit on “Home” are long-time Monheit band-members Michael Kanan (piano), Neal Miner on bass and Rick Montalbano on drums, who were joined on the CD by guest artists John Pizzarelli (vocals and guitar), Peter Eldridge (vocals), Frank Vignola (guitar), Joe Magnarelli (trumpet and flugelhorn), Mark O’Connor (violin) and Larry Goldings (piano).

Price: $11.57

Invented

Jimmy Eat World – Invented

Recorded in Tempe, Arizona at the band’s Unit 2 studio, Jimmy Eat World reunited with Mark Trombino, the producer on the band’s breakthrough album, Bleed American, and their seminal earlier albums, Static Prevails and Clarity. “We’re very excited about Invented,” said lead singer and guitarist Jim Adkins, “It was great reconnecting and creating an album with Mark Trombino, we can’t wait for our fans to hear it.” Fans will get their first taste of Invented when the first single “My Best Theory” hits the airwaves in August. Jimmy Eat World has a stellar history across Modern Rock radio with five top 10 hits.

Invented marks the band’s first studio album since 2007’s Chase This Light which landed Jimmy Eat World’s highest chart position of their career at #5 on the Billboard 200 Album Chart. Jimmy Eat World’s last release may have been three years ago but they’ve been busy. The boys took a break from the recording of Invented to commemorate the 10-year anniversary of their influential album, Clarity with a sold out national tour.

Price: $7.99

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