It’s been a while since I posted, but I’ve got a good reason. I’ve been consumed with finishing and now launching my first book, the just released 101 Essential Rock Records: The Golden Age of Vinyl, From The Beatles to the Sex Pistols. It’s a coffee table sized celebration of vinyl’s Golden Age, beginning with […]
On Sunday I wrote a post about helping Public Television’s History Detectives investigate a Fender Stratocaster guitar allegedly played by Bob Dylan at the 1965 Newport Folk Festival, when he famously “went electric.” The people at History Detectives had asked me not to reveal the results of the investigation before the show airs, next Tuesday, […]
The July 17 episode of Public Television’s History Detectives will be of great interest to Bob Dylan fans–and anyone interested in 60′s music and rock memorabilia. The show, the first in History Detectives’ 10th season, is devoted to solving three mysteries involving potentially historic music artifacts. On History Detectives, a group of researchers from various […]
Note: another copy has just surfaced, which we have for sale here. The original “Freewheelin’.” One of–if not the–rarest and most valuable records in the world. A stereo copy sold for $35,000, and a mint mono copy would likely bring $15,000. So it’s big news when a previously unknown copy surfaces. And I’m happy to […]
Since the advent of eBay, sellers have been hyping UK versions of the Jimi Hendrix Experience’s Electric Ladyland with blue type and larger photos of Noel Redding and Mitch Mitchell as “true first pressings.” We have long disputed this claim, and now we have evidence to refute it. For those obsessed with minutiae like this, […]
On April 9, I was thrilled to attend the opening of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame’s new Library and Archives in Cleveland. Many years in the making, the Rock Hall has opened a truly world class (I know it sounds crazy) study center dedicated to Rock and Roll. The opening featured a panel […]
I love collecting letters and documents that help tell the story of popular music, and thought I’d start posting a few of my favorites. I buy this kind of thing whenever I can, keeping those that interest me most, donating the rest to archives that will preserve and share them–most often, the Rock and Roll […]
Just before the end of the year, I was fortunate to purchase an amazing collection of classic Jazz memorabilia and autographs, some of which I’d originally sold years ago–and never thought I’d see again. This post shows off some of the most interesting and unusual items, many of which are for sale at Recordmecca. […]
Fifty years after his recording debut (on the 1961 album “The Clancy Brothers & Tommy Makem”) the great Bruce Langhorne has released his debut solo album, the appropriately named “Tambourine Man.” Bob Dylan, in the liner notes for his “Biograph” box set said ““Mr. Tambourine Man,” I think, was inspired by Bruce Langhorne. Bruce was […]
Here’s something I thought people might enjoy seeing; a 1967 management contract for The Byrds and The Jet Set, their previous incarnation, which included Jim McGuinn, David Crosby and Gene Clark. This 10 page document is signed by the original Byrds lineup–David Crosby, Jim McGuinn, Chris Hillman, Michael Clarke, and Gene Clark (who signs using […]
Here’s a great Ramparts cover story by early Dylan supporter Ralph J. Gleason from March 1966; Gleason was one of the most important music critics in America at the time and his early and wholehearted embrace of Dylan was important to Dylan’s acceptance by the critical community. This article features some great Dylan quotes and […]
It was 50 years ago today—well, tomorrow–that Bob Dylan played his first concert, on November 4, 1961. Billed as Dylan’s “First New York Concert” it was, more accurately, Dylan’s first anywhere concert. Prior to this show, at Carnegie Chapter Hall, he had only played club dates and a few guest spots on multi-artist bills. Dylan […]
Recently we’ve had the good fortune to acquire some truly amazing Velvet Underground artifacts from the collection of the late, great Velvets guitarist, Sterling Morrison. Sterling actively collected memorabilia from throughout his band’s career, and we feel fortunate to have obtained many one-of-a-kind items from his widow, Martha Morrison. We’ve created a new Velvet Underground […]
My friend Zach just sent me a link to an incredible website where you can listen to any or all of 9 individual basic tracks to the Rolling Stones classic “Gimmie Shelter” and mute parts selectively to hear individual tracks in any combination. Multiple guitar, drum, vocal parts and one for Bill Wyman’s bass–amazing to […]
Earlier today we received word that the amazing Bob Dylan manuscripts offered in the June 23 Christie’s New York sale (see below) have been pulled–a close friend of ours received word from Christie’s that “Lots 319-325 have been withdrawn, pending resolution of a title issue”. Evidently Christie’s had no other comment beyond this. We don’t […]
Today’s mail brought me an auction catalog for Christie’s upcoming sale of “Fine Printed Books and Manuscripts,” which takes place June 23 in their New York showrooms. While manuscript auctions typically aren’t my thing, this one includes some truly mindblowing items for any Dylan fan. Hidden at the very end of the catalog are six […]