Sights and Sounds: Paul Weller to release 'Fat Pop (Volume 1)'; 'The Final Countdown' collector's edition; Nik Turner's 'Xitintoday'

 Here is a roundup on some just-announced upcoming titles!

FAT POP (VOLUME 1) NEW ALBUM SET TO BE RELEASED MAY 14TH ON POLYDOR RECORDS TODAY BLACK BOX CELEBREATES THE RELEASE OF "COSMIC FRINGES"

February 25, 2021 - We may be cursed to be in the midst a global pandemic, buffeted by all of its stresses and pain, but everyone knows that art provides succour, that music is the most reliable balm. For many there is further significant comfort to be drawn from the knowledge that Paul Weller is in the midst of an unbelievably prolific purple patch. Paul Weller will not let us down when we need him most.   On May 14, Paul Weller releases his 16th solo album since his 1992 self-titled debut, which comes in just under twelve months following June 2020’s magnificent, UK chart-topping On Sunset. It’s not hyperbole to state that this new album, titled Fat Pop (Volume 1), is among his most compelling collections. It’s an absolute scorcher. Weller heralds the new album with a video for “Cosmic Fringes” which can be viewed HERE.   During spring last year, after his tour dates were postponed, Paul Weller needed something else to focus on. With many ideas for new songs stored on his phone, Paul started to record them on his own with just vocals, piano and guitar which he’d send to his core band members (drummer Ben Gordelier, Steve Cradock on guitar and bassist Andy Crofts) to add their parts. Despite it being strange not being together, it kept the wheels rolling and sanity prevailing. The band reconvened at Weller’s Black Barn studio in Surrey when restrictions were lifted to finish the work with the shape of the album becoming clear to all.   Fat Pop (Volume 1) – Paul adding the “Volume 1” to keep options open for a second volume in the future - is a diverse selection of sounds. No one style dominates. There’s the synth-heavy, future-wave strut of “Cosmic Fringes”, the stately balladeering of “Still Glides The Stream” (co-written with Steve Cradock), the chunky percussive groove of “Moving Canvas”(a tribute to Iggy Pop no less), and the kind of dramatic immediate pop symphonies on “Failed”, “True” and “Shades of Blue” with which Paul Weller has hooked in generation after generation of devotees.   As ever, Fat Pop, sees a number of guests contributing including Lia Metcalfe, the young Liverpudlian singer with The Mysterines who combines her tremendous vocal as well as a song writing credit to "True." Andy Fairweather Low adds his distinctive vocals to superfly strutting “Testify” and Paul’s daughter Leah co-wrote and features on the classic 3-minute pop kitchen sink drama “Shades Of Blue” which will be the first single taken from the album. Hannah Peel is back in the fray adding her classic string scores to “Cobweb / Connections” and “Still Glides The Stream.” Tracklisting: 1. Cosmic Fringes 2. True 3. Fat Pop 4. Shades Of Blue 5. Glad Times 6. Cobweb / Connections 7. Testify 8. That Pleasure 9. Failed 10. Moving Canvas 11. In Better Times 12. Still Glides The Stream Fat Pop comes in several covetable formats all showcasing the stunning artwork:  Standard CD Individual exclusive cassettes for Indie Record Stores and Paul’s artist store Individual exclusive colored vinyl for Amazon, Indie Record Stores and Paul’s artist store Black heavyweight vinyl Exclusive picture disc vinyl   Deluxe Formats which include Fat Pop, Mid-Sömmer Musik (the live special from November last year) and bonus tracks: 3 CD Box Set 3 LP Box set – black heavyweight vinyl

THE FINAL COUNTDOWN Exclusive Limited Collector’s Edition includes 4K UHD Blu-ray, Blu-ray, Soundtrack CD, Collectible Booklet, and 3D Lenticular Slipcover (First Pressing Only) Available April 27th PRE-ORDER NOW (SAVE $10 at MVDshop.com) “Captivating, exciting, and wondrous filmmaking that poses one of the ultimate ‘what if’ scenarios of our time!” – Blu-ray.com

WATCH TRAILER

Trapped outside the boundaries of time and space – 102 aircraft... 6,000 men... all missing.   The time is now. The place is aboard the U.S.S. Nimitz, America’s mightiest nuclear-powered aircraft carrier on maneuvers in the Pacific Ocean. Suddenly, a freak electrical storm engulfs the ship and triggers the impossible: The Nimitz is hurtled back in time to December 6, 1941, mere hours before the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor. As the enemy fleet speeds towards Hawaii, the warship’s Captain (Kirk Douglas), a Defense Department expert (Martin Sheen), a maverick Air Wing Commander (James Farentino) and a desperate Senator in the Roosevelt administration (Charles Durning) must choose between the unthinkable. Do they allow the Japanese to complete their murderous invasion, or launch a massive counterstrike that will forever change the course of history?   Katharine Ross and Ron O’Neal co-star in this spellbinding sci-fi action hit filmed on location aboard the U.S.S. Nimitz with the full participation of the U.S. Navy and the ship’s crew. Now Blue Underground is proud to present THE FINAL COUNTDOWN in a stunning new restoration, scanned in 4K 16-bit from the original 35mm camera negative, with Dolby Vision HDR and Dolby Atmos audio, for the ultimate in explosive home theater excitement! Trailer: https://youtu.be/vfrh9PtLoZ8 EDITOR'S NOTE: The stills displayed from the film below are NOT from the 4K restoration, they are screenshots from the previous Blu-ray edition. If you have posted a news item, please amend it with this caveat.

Extras: Audio Commentary with Director of Photography Victor J. Kemper Lloyd Kaufman Goes Hollywood - Interview with Associate Producer Lloyd Kaufman Starring The Jolly Rogers - Interviews with The Jolly Rogers F-14 Fighter Squadron Theatrical Trailers TV Spots Poster & Still Galleries BONUS! THE FINAL COUNTDOWN Original Motion Picture Soundtrack CD by John Scott BONUS! Collectible Booklet featuring The Zero Pilot Journal  BONUS! 3D Lenticular Slipcover (First Pressing Only)

# # # Blue Underground Official Channels

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For Immediate Release

Cleopatra Records Issues Deluxe Collector’s Edition Of HAWKWIND Co-Founder NIK TURNER’s 1978 Album XITINTODAY!

Produced by GONG’s Steve Hillage

Los Angeles, CA - From ‘60s legends the Grateful Dead to Grammy winning flautist Paul Horn, industrial band Killing Joke, and Hawkwind co-founder Nik Turner, Egypt’s Great Pyramids have been a powerful source of inspiration for many musical adventurers over the years. Some, like Turner, have even gone so far as to record their instruments inside the ancient wonders, capturing the unique resonance of these mystical spaces and blending them with modern techniques and sensibilities to create a truly innovative work of art. Shortly after his abrupt departure from Hawkwind in the late ‘70s, Turner recorded nearly a half an hour’s worth of improvised flute melodies within the Egyptian pyramids, which he then used as the basis for his incredible 1978 experimental ambient masterpiece Xitintoday. The album, which is officially credited to Nik Turner’s Sphynx, is an adventurous, groundbreaking collaboration with several alums from prog rock legends Gong including Steve Hillage (who produced the album), Miquette Giraudy, Harry Williamson, Mike Howlett, Tim Blake and more. 

For Turner, the album has a more personal meaning as he explains, “Xitintoday was a very necessary source of catharsis and healing for me, not only from being fired by my former band but also from the death of my father.”

Now this superb project is being reissued in a deluxe collector’s edition on gorgeous picture disc vinyl housed in a gatefold jacket with 16-page booklet insert that meticulously recreates the distinctive artwork of graphic design icon Barney Bubbles. The package also includes the entire album on CD with a special bonus track of Turner's raw 30-minute flute recording from deep within the pyramid. 

Order the album: https://cleorecs.com/store/shop/nik-turners-sphynx-xitintoday-limited-edition-picture-disc-vinyl-bonus-cd-booklet/

Track List: 
VINYL 
SIDE A
1. The Awakening (Life On Venus) 
2. The Pyramid Spell 
3. The Hall Of Double Truth 
4. Anubis 
5. Thoth 

SIDE B
1. Horus 
2. Isis And Nephthys 
3. Osiris 
4. God Rock (The Awakening)

CD 
1. The Awakening (Life On Venus) 
2. The Pyramid Spell 
3. The Hall Of Double Truth 
4. Anubis 
5. Thoth 
6. Horus 
7. Isis And Nephthys 
8. Osiris 
9. God Rock (The Awakening)
BONUS TRACK
10. Pyramidflutenik

Get more information HERE.