60th Anniversary of Nina Simone’s 'I Put A Spell On You' Special Collector's Edition

 Media release

60th Anniversary Of Nina Simone’s I Put A Spell On You  Celebrated With September 19 Release Of Special “Spellbound” Vinyl Collector’s Edition  A Timeless Masterpiece from the High Priestess of Soul

In celebration of the album’s 60th anniversary, I Put A Spell On You (Verve Records) will be reissued on a special, collector’s edition commemorative “Spellbound” splatter vinyl, cut from original analog sources, and housed in a deluxe jacket featuring embossed elements in metallic gold. This distinctive effect will create a unique one-of-a-kind design on each record, making it a must-get item for collectors worldwide. Set for release on September 19, 2025, you can pre-order the Nina Simone 60th anniversary edition here.  Nina Simone’s classic 1965 release I Put A Spell On You stands as a towering achievement in her catalog —an exploration of love, desire, and defiance. Anchored by her smoldering version of Screamin’ Jay Hawkins’ title track, the album weaves together bawdy blues (“Gimme Some,” “Take Care of Business”), sophisticated French songwriting (“Ne Me Quitte Pas,” “You’ve Got to Learn”) and jazz-infused soul, including the streaming-era anthem “Feeling Good,” whose bold, brassy arrangement still resonates today. Songs from the album have become standards in her legendary catalog, and the album itself is a gateway for new listeners discovering her music. The impact of I Put a Spell On You across the musical landscape is immeasurable and growing still.  Tracklist:  A1. “I Put a Spell on You” A2. “Tomorrow Is My Turn” A3. “Ne Me Quitte Pas” A4. “Marriage Is for Old Folks” A5. “July Tree” A6. “Gimme Some” B1. “Feeling Good” B2. “One September Day” B3. “Blues on Purpose” B4. “Beautiful Land” B5. “You've Got to Learn” B6. “Take Care of Business”

Craft Recordings announces 20th anniversary deluxe reissue for Hawthorne Heights’ ‘The Silence in Black and White’

Hawthorne Heights' breakout full-length debut "The Silence In Black and White" is set to be reissued on vinyl and will arrive this fall...Robert Kinsler

HAWTHORNE HEIGHTS’ BESTSELLING DEBUT THE SILENCE IN BLACK AND WHITE SET FOR DELUXE 2-LP VINYL REISSUE IN CELEBRATION OF 20TH ANNIVERSARY   Gold-certified album features the iconic emo hit, “Ohio Is for Lovers,” plus fan-favorites “Niki FM” and “Silver Bullet”   Band remains on an extensive North American tour through the fall, and will perform The Silence in Black and White in its entirety at Las Vegas’ When We Were Young Festival 

Click here to pre-order   Craft Recordings celebrates the 20th anniversary of The Silence in Black and White—the electrifying debut from Hawthorne Heights, with a deluxe vinyl reissue. Set for release on November 22, this limited-edition 2-LP set features the rock band’s signature hit “Ohio Is for Lovers,” plus such enduring fan-favorites as “Niki FM” and “Silver Bullet,” in addition to a host of live recordings, demos and other bonus tracks (all originally featured on the 2005 deluxe edition of the album). A gatefold jacket also includes a double-sided insert, new artwork, plus updated liner notes, in which the band reflects on the album and their two decades together.   In addition to classic black vinyl, The Silence in Black and White is available for pre-order in several exclusive colorways, including “Black and White Split” (hawthorneheights.com), “Dissolve Clear” (ziarecords.com), and “Decay” (craftrecordings.com and victoryrecords.com). The band’s Spotify followers will be able to pre-order a limited-edition “Silver Bullet” variant via Spotify Fans First starting on September 3rd.   ***   Formed in Dayton, OH in 2001, Hawthorne Heights exploded onto the alt-rock scene with their captivating blend of pop punk, hardcore, and emo. After releasing an album and an EP under their original name, A Day in the Life, the band caught the attention of Victory Records—the storied rock, metal, punk and hardcore label, which boasts Thursday, Between the Buried and Me and Taking Back Sunday among its legendary alumni. Victory Records was acquired by Concord in 2019, while its influential catalog, which spans over three decades, is managed by Craft Recordings.   Weeks after signing to Victory, the five-piece—which, at the time, included lead vocalist/guitarist JT Woodruff, guitarist Micah Carli, guitarist/unclean vocalist Casey Calvert, bassist/backing vocalist Matt Ridenour, and drummer Eron Bucciarelli—entered Madison, WI’s hallowed Smart Studios (owned by Butch Vig and home to classic recordings by Nirvana, Smashing Pumpkins, and Garbage) to record their debut as Hawthorne Heights, The Silence in Black and White. Working with producer Sean O’Keefe (Fall Out Boy, Plain White T’s, Motion City Soundtrack), the band drew from personal experiences—as well as some of their favorite films—for the album’s 11 anthemic and emotion-filled tracks.   “A lot of the lyrics were inspired by the feeling of being by yourself,” explained Woodruff in a 2014 interview with Killthemusic.com. “Everyone feels isolated to a degree, because we all have to live inside our own minds. Whether we are locked in a small town, struggling in a big city, trapped in a dead-end job, or raised in a harmful environment…we all have to deal with isolation.” He continued, “The album was meant to sound bleak, desolate, sad, but hopeful. It was meant to show that music can be a guiding light, in a world in which the arrow is constantly pointed downward.”   Reflecting those themes are songs like “Silver Bullet,” named for Woodruff’s favorite ’80s horror film, and written while he was attending college, working two jobs, and devoting the rest of his time to the band—often second-guessing if they would ever make it. Such uncertainties also feature prominently in “Wake Up Call,” in which Woodruff speaks to the vulnerability that comes with putting songs out into the world. “People are either going to love something or hate it these days,” he wrote in the album’s original liner notes. “I wish there was no such thing as a critic, but I myself am one.” Similarly, “Niki FM” (the music video for which was inspired by the classic teen flick, Say Anything), speaks to the relationship between artists and music journalists. The band also touches upon the highs and lows of life on the road in the emotive “Life on Standby,” while “Ohio Is for Lovers,” which became Hawthorne Heights’ signature tune, found the group yearning for their significant others while on tour.   The latter song became the band’s signature hit—earning regular airplay on MTV, breaking the Top 40 of Billboard’s Alternative Songs chart, and earning a Gold certification from the RIAA. The Silence in Black and White, released in June 2004, found similar success—topping Billboard’s Heatseekers chart, peaking at No.3 and No.23 on the Independent and Rock Albums charts, respectively, and landing at No.56 on the Billboard 200. In addition to earning a Gold certification, The Silence in Black and White also became a landmark title for Victory, as the label’s highest-selling debut album at the time.   Yahoo! Music praised, “[These] punks aren’t afraid of adding a little riffage to their attack arsenal. But while the riffs hurl fast and furious…the band still centers around sentiment.” AllMusic praised their “catchy choruses,” while Alternative Press ranked “Ohio Is for Lovers” at number 88 on their “Best 100 Singles from the 2000s” roundup. An enduring album in the emo canon, The Silence in Black and White remains one of Hawthorne Heights’ bestselling albums—and a beloved fan favorite. In 2014, owing to the LP’s popularity, the band recorded an acoustic version of The Silence in Black and White. Perhaps most importantly, however, the album launched Hawthorne Heights’ lengthy career.   Reflecting on The Silence in Black and White in the LP’s new liner notes, the band writes: “It is impossible to articulate into any language what the last 20 years have meant to us, and how our fans have helped us grow into adults, while living our most wildest dreams…. We think that the art truly begins when we start to build and develop relationships with our fans, and learn who they are and why these songs have helped them. The stories you have told us are equally important to the ones we’ve shared with you, which is exactly why 20 years feels so special.”   They continue, “Hawthorne Heights has experienced catastrophic lows and meteoric highs, all while trying to settle into a comfortable zone somewhere within a normal Midwestern existence… Despite the triumphant and tragedy, we’ve always been able to hold each other together, and we’ve realized that these songs are way more than who we are. They are beacons of hope for whoever needs them, because they’ve always been written from a place where sometimes the darkness overtakes light. That feeling is constant, and will continue to be constant until we are all dead and gone, but the songs continue to shine a light and find their way through the darkness. As our fans share this music with their kids, the relationship of uncaged pure emotional hope will simply grow over time, and what a special journey that will be.”   Today, Hawthorne Heights—whose lineup currently consists of Woodruff and Ridenour, plus Mark McMillon (vocals, lead guitar) and Chris Popadak (drums)—continues to maintain an active schedule on the road and in the studio. To-date, the band has released nine studio albums, including the chart-topping If Only You Were Lonely (2006), Fragile Future (2008), and Skeletons (2010). Last year, Hawthorne Heights thrilled fans with a reimagining of If Only You Were Lonely and released their sixth EP, Lost Lights. The four-piece is currently on an extensive North American tour which culminates with a highly anticipated performance of The Silence in Black and White in its entirety at Las Vegas’ When We Were Young Festival. For tickets and more info, visit the band’s official website.   Click here to pre-order The Silence in Black and White   Tracklist:   Side A 1. Life On Standby 2. Dissolve And Decay 3. Niki FM 4. The Transition 5. Blue Burns Orange 6. Silver Bullet   Side B 1. Screenwriting An Apology 2. Ohio Is For Lovers 3. Wake Up Call 4. Sandpaper And Silk 5. Speeding Up The Octaves Side C 1. Silver Bullet—Demo 2. Niki FM—Demo 3. Speeding Up The Octaves—Demo 4. Ohio Is For Lovers—Live Acoustic On Q101 Side D 1. The Transition—Live Acoustic On A101 2. Silver Bullet—Acoustic In The Studio 3. Apparently Hover Boards Don’t Work on Water (As A day In The Life)   Hawthorne Heights Upcoming Tour Dates: August 3 - Magic Springs (Hot Springs, AR) August 8 - The St. Augustine Amphitheatre (St. Augustine, FL) August 9 - House of Blues Orlando (Orlando, FL) August 10 - Handlebar (Pensacola, FL) August 12 - The Fillmore New Orleans (New Orleans, LA) August 13 - Home Run Dugout (Katy, TX) August 14 - Stubb's Waller Creek Amphitheater (Austin, TX) August 16 - Uptown Theater (Kansas City, MO) August 17 - Reverb Music Festival (Eau Claire, WI) August 18 - Earth Rider Fest Grounds (Superior, WI) August 19 - Outdoors at Fargo Brewing Company (Fargo, ND) August 21 - Epic Event Center (Green Bay, WI) August 22 - McGrath Amphitheatre (Cedar Rapids, IA) August 24 - Iowa Is For Lovers Festival (Council Bluffs, IA) August 26 - Toyota Music Factory (Dallas, TX) August 27 - Sunken Garden Theater (San Antonio, TX) August 28 - Lonestar Events Center Pavilion (Lubbock, TX) August 31 - California Is For Lovers Festival (Los Angeles, CA) September 1 - The Van Buren (Phoenix, AZ) September 2 - Revel Entertainment Center (Albuquerque, NM) September 5 - Minglewood Hall (Memphis, TN) September 7 - Ohio Is For Lovers Festival (Cincinnati, OH) September 8 - Pickering Casino Resort (Pickering, ON) September 10 - Cross Insurance Center (Bangor, ME) September 11 - Starland Ballroom (Sayreville, NJ) September 12 - Palladium Times Square (New York, NY) September 13 - XL Live Southside Stage (Harrisburg, PA) September 14 - FOrX Summer Stage (Wayland, NY) September 15 - The Palladium (Worcester, MA) October 10 - Aftershock Festival (Sacramento, CA) October 19-20 - When We Were Young Festival (Las Vegas, NV)     About Craft Recordings: Craft Recordings is home to one of the largest and most essential collections of master recordings and compositions in the world. Its storied repertoire includes landmark releases from icons such as Joan Baez, John Coltrane, Creedence Clearwater Revival, Celia Cruz, Miles Davis, Isaac Hayes, John Lee Hooker, Little Richard, R.E.M., Joan Sebastian, and Traveling Wilburys. Plus, the catalog recordings of celebrated contemporary acts including A Day to Remember, Evanescence, Alison Krauss, Nine Inch Nails, Taking Back Sunday, and Violent Femmes, to name just a few. Renowned imprints with catalogs issued under the Craft banner include Fania, Fantasy, Fearless, HITCO, Musart, Nitro, Panart, Prestige, Riverside, Rounder, Specialty, Stax, Vanguard, Varèse Sarabande, Vee-Jay and Victory, among many others. Craft creates thoughtfully curated packages, with a meticulous devotion to quality and a commitment to preservation— ensuring that these recordings endure for new generations to discover. Craft is also home to the Billie Holiday and Tammy Wynette estates which preserve and protect their respective names, likeness, and music through day-to-day legacy management of these cultural trailblazers.    Craft Recordings is the catalog label team for Concord. For more information, visit CraftRecordings.com and follow us on Facebook,  X, Instagram, TikTok, and YouTube.

Pat Benatar and Neil Giraldo to release new vinyl versions of 'Crimes of Passion,' 'In The Heat of the Night' and 'Precious Time' on Sept. 13

 Media release

ROCK AND ROLL OF FAME® INDUCTEES PAT BENATAR & NEIL GIRALDO TO RELEASE NEW VINYL VERSIONS OF CRIMES OF PASSION, IN THE HEAT OF THE NIGHT, & PRECIOUS TIME ON SEPTEMBER 13   NORTH AMERICAN TOUR UNDERWAY

PREORDER HERE   AVAILABLE IN MULTIPLE CONFIGURATIONS [July 30, 2024 - Los Angeles] – Multi-GRAMMY® Award-winning Rock and Roll Hall of Fame® Inductees Pat Benatar and Neil Giraldo announce new vinyl reissues of three seminal albums, Crimes Of Passion, In The Heat Of The Night, and Precious Time, out September 13, 2024, via UMe.   Each LP will be available in various limited-edition configurations: In The Heat Of The Night will be pressed on either Black or Tangerine Vinyl, Crimes Of Passion on either Black or Opaque Magenta Vinyl, and Precious Time on either Black or Opaque Fruit Punch Vinyl.   “We know how much you’ve wanted reissues of the early records on vinyl. Finally, here they are! Happy listening, enjoy!” – Pat Benatar & Neil Giraldo   Preorder In The Heat Of The Night, Crimes Of Passion, and Precious Time HERE.   The platinum-certified debut, In The Heat Of The Night, initially landed in 1979, effectively introducing Pat Benatar and Neil Giraldo to the world. It notably boasts anthemic hits such as “Heartbreaker,” “I Need A Lover,” and “We Live For Love.”   Just a year later, Pat Benatar and Neil Giraldo returned with Crimes Of Passion in 1980. It reached #2 on the Billboard 200 and went 4x-Platinum. In addition to housing hits “You Better Run” and “Treat Me Right,” it included the signature smash “Hit Me With Your Best Shot,” which went Top 10 in the United States. The album marked their first GRAMMY® Award win for “Best Rock Vocal Performance, Female.”   1981’s Precious Time bowed at #1 on the Billboard 200 and touted “Promises In The Dark” and “Fire And Ice,” notching their second straight GRAMMY® Award in the category of “Best Rock Vocal Performance, Female.” The record also went 2x-Platinum.   To date, Pat Benatar and Neil Giraldo have sold over 30 million records worldwide and garnered four consecutive GRAMMY® Awards.   Pat Benatar and Neil Giraldo are on tour this summer! For dates and more information, click HERE.   # # #

Elliott Smith's Major Label Masterpiece, "XO," Now Available As Deluxe Edition On Vinyl For First Time

Huge news for fans of celebrated singer-songwriter Elliott Smith...Robert Kinsler

ELLIOTT SMITH’S MAJOR LABEL MASTERPIECE, XO, EXPANDED TO INCLUDE EVERY B-SIDE, ALTERNATE VERSION AND PREVIOUSLY RELEASED DEMO FROM THE RECORDING SESSIONS ON XO (DELUXE EDITION) FIRST-EVER VINYL PRESSING AVAILABLE VIA INTERSCOPE VINYL COLLECTIVE 2LP ON 180-GRAM BROWN OPAQUE VINYL FEATURES NINE BONUS TRACKS INCLUDING FAN FAVORITES “HOW TO TAKE A FALL” AND “THE ENEMY IS YOU” PLUS “MISS MISERY”

Los Angeles – August 2, 2024 – The Deluxe Edition of Elliott Smith's major label masterpiece, XO, will be released on vinyl for the first time, expanding the classic album with all the b-sides and assorted tracks that were released on the various singles, promos, and international editions of the revered 1998 record. XO (Deluxe Edition), which was first released digitally in 2019 to commemorate Smith’s 50th birthday, is available exclusively as this month’s offering of The Interscope Vinyl Collective, a monthly subscription that celebrates the legacies of Interscope’s most essential acts while introducing timeless albums to a new generation of fans. The first-ever vinyl pressing of XO (Deluxe Edition) features the album on 180-gram opaque brown vinyl along with nine bonus tracks, many of which have never been on vinyl, including fan favorite b-sides, “How To Take A Fall,” and “The Enemy Is You,” along with the “Good Will Hunting” smash and Oscar-nominated “Miss Misery.” Spread across two LPs, the packaging features a 2LP gatefold jacket with deluxe edition cover art and includes a limited edition lithograph of Elliott Smith. The records are individually numbered and limited to 4,000 units globally. For more information or to pre-order XO (Deluxe Edition), visit: https://interscope.com/pages/interscope-vinyl-collective#this-months-vinyl XO has been expanded to include nine tracks recorded and released during the XO era and features a handful of excellent b-sides released on the UK singles for “Waltz #2” and “Baby Britain:” the instrumental “Our Thing,” the rocker “How To Take A Fall,” the brooding “The Enemy Is You” and the full band version of “Some Song (Alternate Version).” It also includes a demo of “Waltz #1” and an early version of “Bottle Up and Explode!,” as well as a remix of “Baby Britain” and a radio edit of “Waltz #2.” It's rounded out with “Miss Misery," which was included as a bonus track on the Japanese edition of XO. Aside from “Waltz #1 (Demo),” “Our Thing” and "Miss Misery," all of the bonus songs are making their vinyl debut. XO signified a major evolution for Smith and a critical turning point in his career, away from the lo-fi indie folk confessionals laid bare on his previous three albums and toward a more stereophonic, full band sound. XO was released August 25, 1998, just a few months after Smith was reluctantly thrust into the spotlight with a life-changing performance at the Academy Awards for his Oscar-nominated song, the “Good Will Hunting” closer, “Miss Misery.” With the backing and resources of his new label DreamWorks Records and the help of producer team Rob Schnapf and Tom Rothrock, Smith embraced his opportunity to create a lush, ambitious, and beautifully complex album unlike anything he had done before. XO finds Smith coloring his introspective acoustic songs, still filled with understated melodies and barbed one-liners, with shades of rich, Beatlesque production, string-laden baroque pop and spirited rock. While “Sweet Adeline” opens the album with Smith's hushed vocals and gentle fingerpicking, familiar of what fans had come to expect from him, the song takes a dramatic and unexpected turn halfway – as if switching from black and white to color – with an explosion of piano, drums, bass and Smith's soaring voice. It was a bold assertion that this was not going to be a quiet singer-songwriter record. Indeed XO, which saw Smith playing most instruments, was his most expansive album to date, filled with exquisite arrangements, masterful pop songcraft, and a musically diverse collection of songs. Tracks like the aggressive “Amity” and horn-filled “A Question Mark” echoed Smith's former band Heatmiser's grungy indie rock and hinted at his punk roots while the jaunty “Baby Britain” displayed his knack for an indelible melody. Album centerpiece and first single, “Waltz #2,” described by Stereogum as the apex of his career – "ambitious, bold, intoxicating, and beautiful" – included some of Smith's most biting lyricism and culminated with the unsettling squelch of bowed strings. Some of his finest guitar playing is evident on “Independence Day” and “Tomorrow Tomorrow.” The album concludes with an emotional one-two punch to the gut: the rollicking kiss-off anthem, “Everybody Cares, Everybody Understands,” followed by the haunting multi-tracked a capella, “I Didn't Understand,” which proved that Smith could be equally powerful at his most bare. Universally hailed upon release, XO topped best of lists in 1998 and continues to resonate, as powerfully moving as ever, more than 25 years later. The album is consistently included on greatest albums list and was featured on Spin's “Top 125 Albums of the Past 25 Years” and Pitchfork's “Top 100 Albums of the 1990s.” Praising the album, the latter wrote, “Elliott Smith used his DreamWorks debut, XO, as an opportunity to further focus the emotional power of his previous releases. Melancholy and grandiosity may seem mutually exclusive, but on XO, they're combined to wonderful effect, each crystalline guitar line and majestic piano arpeggio adding momentum and depth to Smith's gorgeous and impassioned vocals.” Elliott Smith’s legacy and enduring influence have only continued to grow since his untimely death in 2003 at the age of 34. To celebrate what would have been Smith’s 55th birthday on August 6th, the acclaimed 2014 documentary about Smith, “Heaven Adores You” (READ ROBERT KINSLER'S REVIEW OF THAT DOCUMENTARY HERE), is returning to theaters for a limited time week of August 5 via Mercury Studios, and New Monkey Studio, the Van Nuys, Calif.-based recording studio Smith established in the late ‘90s is producing a tribute concert at the Regent Theater in downtown Los Angeles on the late legend’s birthday, August 6. With a winking nod to Smith’s joyous cover of Hank Williams Jr.’s song, the “All My Rowdy Friends” concert will feature Scott McPherson, Aaron Embry and Shon Sullivan of Smith’s Figure 8 touring band, joined by a diverse cast of guest artists performing heartfelt tributes to Smith’s music, including Jason Lytle and Jim Fairchild of Grandaddy, Ben Bridwell of Band of Horses, Earlimart, Illuminati Hotties, Kevin Devine, Leslie Stevens, Aaron Lee Tasjan, Cheekface, comedian Margaret Cho, and others. For more information or to purchase tickets, for “All My Rowdy Friends” visit: https://regentdtla.com/tm-event/all-my-rowdy-friends-celebrating-the-music-of-elliott-smith/ To find a theater near you showing “Heaven Adores You,” visit: https://heavenadoresyou.com/mercury-studios-proudly-presents-elliott-smith-heaven-adores-you-10th-anniversary-re-release-of-documentary-marks-55th-birthday-of-beloved-singer-and-songwriter About Interscope Vinyl Collective (IVC): The Interscope Vinyl Collective is a monthly subscription that celebrates the legacies of Interscope’s most essential acts while introducing timeless albums to a new generation of fans. Subscribers get first access to exclusive merch runs related to each month’s release and perks on the Interscope.com store. Each IVC release is individually numbered and limited to 4,000 pressings. IVC is by fans for fans, deepening connections to the most cherished albums through new storytelling content, reinvigorated artwork, and carefully curated merch collections. This project is also in tandem with Interscope.com’s new monthly exclusive drop cadence, which features never before released hi-fidelity and color variant versions of classic fan favorites.  About Universal Music Enterprises Universal Music Enterprises (UMe) is the centralized global catalog division of Universal Music Group (UMG). Working closely with all of UMG’s record labels, territories and operating companies, UMe provides a frontline approach to catalog management, a concentration of resources, opportunities in new technologies and an emphasis on strategic marketing initiatives to engage all types of consumers across multiple entry points and platforms. XO (DELUXE EDITION) TRACK LIST LP1 Side 1 1. Sweet Adeline 2. Tomorrow Tomorrow 3. Waltz #2 (XO) 4. Baby Britain 5. Pitseleh 6. Independence Day 7. Bled White Side 2 1. Waltz #1 2. Amity 3. Oh Well, OK 4. Bottle Up And Explode! 5. A Question Mark 6. Everybody Cares, Everybody Understands 7. I Didn't Understand LP2 - BONUS TRACKS Side 3 1. Our Thing 2. How To Take A Fall * 3. The Enemy Is You * 4. Some Song (Alternate Version) * 5. Waltz #1 (Demo) Side 4 1. Bottle Up And Explode (Early Version) * 2. Baby Britain (Remix) * 3. Waltz #2 (Radio Edit)* 4. Miss Misery * first time on vinyl