Mark Cormican Music

Embryonic Will Be The 3rd Flaming Lips Album Of The 2000s

Not counting the instrumental soundtrack to their insane film Christmas on Mars, Embryonic will be their 3rd album released in this decade (no release date is set, but it will likely be released sometime this fall.) 

Yoshimi Battles the Pink Robots (2002)

The Lips followed up the brilliant 1999 album The Soft Bulletin (definitely among the best albums of the 1990s and in my opinion still the best album The Lips have recorded thus far) with Yoshimi which brought the band new commercial success with catchy songs like “Do You Realize?” and the title track.

This was an electronic left turn (possibly inspired by Radiohead’s Kid A?) which some Lips fans didn’t care for, but which many felt was their best album yet. It definitely brought in a whole lot of new fans to the group.

At War with the Mystics (2006)

It took four years for the band to release their next album. And while At War with the Mystics did reach #11 on the Billboard charts (the highest chart position ever for the band) it is seen as somewhat of a dissapointment by many Lips fans (including myself.) 

It’s not an awful album and it includes some great songs. But the production leaves something to be desire (it has a “plastic” over compressed quality) and because of the fantastic albums the Lips had been releasing since 1990 (sorry, I’m not a fan of their 1980s stuff) it paled in comparison with the Lips earlier work.

Embryonic (2009)

I, like many other Lips fans, was surprised by the announcement that the Lips would be releasing a new album in 2009 and that it would actually be a double album!

Thus far I’ve been able to hear three songs from the album (those released on the Embryonic Digital EP) and they’ve got me quite excited. I think they are an exciting new direction for the band. Looser and more experimental than their last album (which was overly synthetic sounding and a bit “safe” the by Lips outrageous standards.)

But, now that the album’s track listing is out it seems that Wayne Coyne (the band’s lead singer) really meant a “Double LP” not a “Double CD” when he said Embryonic would be a double album because the tracks running times only add up to about 70 minutes which does fit on one CD.

By: Johnny Moon

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Yes released their most recent album entitled Yes Album.

It’s a rare day indeed that I get a CD from an artist that I can truthfully say does not have a bad track in the bunch. I’m more than happy to announce that’s exactly what I must say about this one. There simply is NOT a bad one in the bunch. No fillers here at all, with each song standing tall on it’s own.

Yes Album has a pleasantly varied, mix of 9 tracks that are very well written and brilliantly performed songs by these clearly superb musicians. Most of the songs display a lot of the kind emotion that makes for a really great listen. Seemingly drawing from what I can only imagine are their own personal experiences. At different points touching on the most real emotions of love, and the pain of failed relationships can certainly be heard.

I’m of the opinion that Yes Album is certainly some of this groups best work in a few years. A totally enjoyable CD and an outstanding release. What I call must have music. I give it two thumbs up because it’s a collection that even the casual Rock fan can appreciate and enjoy.

While this entire album is really very good the truly standout tunes are track 3 – Starship Trooper: Life Seeker, track 4 – I’ve Seen All Good People: Your Move / All Good People, and track 9 – Clap.

My Bonus Pick, and the one that got Sore [...as in "Stuck On REpeat"] is track 1 – Yours Is No Disgrace. This is a great track!

Yes Album Release Notes:

Yes originally released Yes Album on January 14, 2003 on the Elektra Entertainment label.

CD Track List Follows:

1. Yours Is No Disgrace

2. Clap

3. Starship Trooper: Life Seeker / Disillusion / Wurm

4. I’ve Seen All Good People: Your Move / All Good People

5. Venture, A

6. Perpetual Change

7. Your Move – (single version)

8. Starship Trooper: Life Seeker – (single version)

9. Clap – (previously unreleased, studio version)

Yes: Jon Anderson (vocals, percussion); Steve Howe (acoustic guitar, electric guitar, background vocals); Tony Kaye (piano, organ, Moog synthesizer); Chris Squire (bass instrument, background vocals); Bill Bruford (drums, percussion).

Additional personnel: Colin Goldring (recorder).

Recording information: Advision Studios, London, England (1970).

By: Clyde Lee Dennis

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Coin collecting albums are favored by most experienced coin collectors. They are especially great for coins that are of a series. With an album, the entire series may be kept all in one place and in which ever order is desired, whether it be chronological by date or possibly alphabetical for a series such as U.S. States. Coin collecting albums may also be used to keep certain types of coins all in one storage medium. For instance pennies could be in one album, dimes in another, and so on. Coin albums also provide a way for you to view your collection quickly and safely. Albums come in a variety of types and budget ranges.

Albums are excellent for displaying a coin collection. They provide viewing of both sides of the coin without having to handle the coin itself. Attractive leather and vinyl coin collecting albums are available which will enhance the beauty of any collection. Coin albums may be obtained online or at your local coin shop.

Superb protection and easy viewing are two of the primary benefits of using coin collecting albums. Some of the other benefits are discussed as follows. Two way coin viewing is probably the most popular reason coin albums are favored by many. Being able to view both sides of a coin without removing it from its storage container provides protection against excess handling which will prevent potential mishaps from occurring. Coin albums are manufactured with special plastics which contain no harmful chemicals or other substances which could possibly harm a coin. This special plastic also protects the coin from elements in the local environment such as moisture or other contaminates. The pockets that actually house the coins in an album are especially useful for older worn out coins as the pocket will securely hold even a severely worn coin unlike other types of coin holders.

Due to the variety of styles and types of albums available, just about any budget can afford one of the best methods of protecting a collection. The actual album cover is partially responsible for the varying cost. Leather of course, would be more expensive than vinyl for instance. Any money spent on a coin collecting album is well worth the price simply for the outstanding protection you will be providing for your valuable collection.

Albums may also double as an information center of sorts. Most coin albums have a front cover which may be utilized to provide information about the coins contained inside. Information such as coin series or grades and values comes to mind. Many coin collectors use the inside back cover to house “mintage figures.” Naturally, the back cover could also be used for additional information.

All of the benefits listed above allow anyone to see the value of utilizing coin collecting albums for their valuable coin collections. Not only do they provide a beautiful method of displaying a collection, they also provide some of the best protection available for the average collector. Knowing that your collection is safe from mishandling by others will bring you peace of mind which will allow you to enjoy your collection even more. Your coins will be brilliantly displayed and remain protected from damage and wear for many years to come.

By: Ben Goodness

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Just like people, wedding albums come in all kinds of shapes and every size under the sun. But all of them, no matter what they look like do the same thing; hold memories that will provide you a lifetime of memories. But a wedding album can be much more than just photos. It can help arouse all your senses and memories of a day that you will never want to forget.

Be very careful when choosing your wedding album. After all, your day was filled with wonderful memories of family, friends, love and unique happenings. You have to find an album that will keep all of those precious memories alive and allows you to feel them every time you open it. But, do not only speak to your photographer about albums. Usually they are more expensive buying it through them. Go online and see the hundreds of varieties as well as visiting department stores wedding areas. You may save quite a bit of money.

But, do not buy an album based on price alone. Finding one that is the least expensive is not always the best idea. You want a wedding album that will safely hold your photos on pages that have no acid in them. If they do, your photos will dull and yellow much more quickly, over the years. You want an album that is known for preserving your memories for you, for your children and for your children’s children.

But, remember that your album can hold more than pictures. It can hold anything that contributed to the smells, sites and even sounds of your special day. For example, add a few wedding petals from your wedding flowers. They will dry beautifully. also, to remember, add a piece of any wedding fabric or tulle that you may have used during your wedding ceremony. Next to that, put one of your ceremony announcements as well as your bridal shower and wedding invitation. And to round it all out, make sure the photographer takes a picture of not only the wedding cake, but each course of the dinner as well.

Adding these items to a wedding album allows you to experience over and over, much more than just the normal photos. Although all your photos are precious and treasures to keep forever, adding the extra touches will arouse memories in you and your spouse that perhaps pictures alone can’t do.

By: Delora O’Brien

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2009 Albums

People like to share photos of their friends and loved ones with others. There is a way that you can get your photos together for your family and friends to see without having to run here and there with a book. You can create an free online photo album. Free online photo albums are easy to create and they are also time savers.

Here are the steps you can to take to create one:

• Get your photos together. Whatever photos you want to include, whether they’re from a vacation, wedding or any other event, place them in a folder on your computer. Make sure that you have the photos you want to use.

• Use a photo sharing service to upload the photos. There are some that can allow uploads of several hundred photos at the same time. When you upload your photos, they will be placed on a server and kept secure out of harm’s way.

• If you have photos you would like to use that have aged or a just older in years, you will want to scan those.

• When you’re looking for an album, choose one that suits your tastes. There are plenty of free online photo albums to choose from. You have to decide on how many photos you want on each page and what size you want them to be when deciding on an album.

• You will need to choose colors, the layout of your pages and a theme. There are plenty of selections to choose from and it’s up to you what you want.

• Move your photos to the album pages by dragging them with the mouse. If you need edit some of all of them, do that prior to putting them in the pages.

• If you’re looking to tell a story, you can add text. It can be sentences, quotes or captions. This way, other people will know the meaning behind the photos.

• When you’re finished, you can deliver the free online photo album to whoever you choose. This can be done electronically. Once they see it, their eyes will light up, especially if they are in some of the shots.

Creating a free online photo album is not only fun, it’s also a great way of keeping those memories alive for many years to come.

By: MJ Johnston

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The Recording Industry Association of America lists the top best-selling albums of the Beatles. Here are the top five:

The White Album

This album sold 18 million copies. This is the group’s ninth album, officially called “The Beatles.” It is better known, however, as the White Album because of the design on its sleeve (just pure white sleeve, with a plain text that says The Beatles). It was released in 1968. The White Album contains hits such as “Helter Skelter” and “Blackbird” by Paul McCartney; “Dear Prudence” and “Revolution” by John Lennon. This album is also remembered for a more collaborative song writing efforts from the band, with George Harrison penning the song “While My Guitar Gently Weeps.”

The Beatles 1967-1970

This album sold 15 million copies. Also called the Blue Album, this “best of”, 2-disc album was released in 1993. Songs include “Strawberry Fields Forever,” “Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band,” “Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds,” “Don’t Let Me Down,” “Here Comes the Sun,” “Don’t Let Me Down,” and many more hits from the last few years of this legendary rock group.

The Beatles 1962-1966

This album sold 14 million copies. This one is also called the Red Album. It was released in 1993, with the Red Album. It contains 26 classic songs from the Fab Four, branded by some as a definitive “greatest hits” album from the greatest band of all time. Hits include “Love Me Do,” “I Want to Hold Your Hand,” and many more.

The Magical Mystery Tour

This album sold 6 million copies. A double EP, 11-song album, the Magical Mystery Tour was released in 1967 as compilation of the songs in the television film of the same title. Songs include “I am the Walrus” and “Penny Lane.” Most of the songs were penned by McCartney and Lennon.

Revolver

This album sold 5 million copies. Revolver is the seventh album by the band. It was originally released in 1966. It includes hits such as “Eleanor Rigby” and “Yellow Submarine.” The album was highly praised for its more inventive song-writing and sound, infusing more rock-guitar and psychedelic touches to each of the songs.

By: Antwon Chitown

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Every moment on your wedding day should be romantic and sweet. There are full of lovely memories in your wedding. All the sweet moments are captured into your wedding photos. In order to keep all these romantic moments and details, you may want to create a wedding album.

Creating a good wedding album is not just putting all the photos together. In the past, you may need to select the photos and put them into the album, which can be considered a container of the photos. With the advance in technology, it is possible nowadays to make your wedding album like a well designed story book about your wedding.

Selecting the Photos

The wedding photos are the most essential component in your wedding album. In order to get photos of the highest quality, you have to choose a good photographer. This is very important otherwise you will find it very hard to choose a photo which you think is good.

When you receive all the photos from your wedding photographer, you do not select the photos right the way. Instead you will need to arrange the photos according to different times of your wedding day. Since you are going to create a story book, you will try to have the photos capturing the moments from the very beginning of the wedding day till you left the reception hall.

After the photos are arranged, you can start choosing the best photos. In order to make the wedding album consistent, you can ask for the opinion of your designer after you have chosen the photos.

Designing the Album

You will start the design process after you have selected the photos that will be included in the album. You will probably hire a professional designer to handle the design work for you. However, it does not mean that you can just sit down and wait for the designer to do everything for you. You should be actively involved in the design process. You can tell your designer what your ideas are and what kind of album you want to create.

Besides, it is very common that a wedding album is composed using design templates. In fact there is nothing wrong with templates. However, you should ask your designer to add your personal touch into the template so that the album will still be unique.

Printing the Album

You should ask your designer for proofs before he or she bring the computer files to the printer. You should read your album with the greatest care. Although it may cost you a bit more if you request for changes in design at this stage, it should be worth doing that provided that you have any new idea to make the album more perfect.

By: Jerry Leung

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An anniversary is a very important event in your life, whether it’s the first one, or the fiftieth. Whether you have plans for a big celebration, or you are just looking for a very special gift, a photo album offers a unique way to create a memorable occasion as well as providing you with some great gift ideas. Plus, it’s a great way to take part in online photo sharing. If you have an upcoming anniversary and you’d like to do something special, there are a few things you need to know before you get started.

A photo album can be completely customized to your heart’s desire. This makes them an ideal gift, especially for someone that you love. You can work to create the ultimate picture album for them, and surprise them with the finished result. This type of gift is unique and shows the amount of care that you took to get them just the perfect gift. If you’re ready to get started with your free online photo album, here are some tips to get you off on the right foot.

1. Start collecting important pictures. An anniversary album should ideally include many different pictures that were taken at different times throughout your life. Whether it’s of an important even in your shared lives, or pictures from another anniversary party, try to get as many of these rounded up as you can. You’ll be able to create a stellar free online photo album if you have as many of these images as possible.

2. Use your photo album to tell a story. This is a powerful way to let someone special in your life know just how much you care. By putting together the story of their live in pictures, you are letting them know how special they are to you. Consider starting with some early pictures of them as a youth and then gradually add more pictures until you get to the current time. This offers a wonderful chronological view of their life and the impact that they had on you throughout the years.

3. Liven things up. A photo album doesn’t need to be stagnant. You can add special graphics, clip art and other important items that will enhance your photographs and help you tell your story. This is yet another unique way to customize your album and make it more special for the recipient. Try out a few different additional images, and arrange them until you’re happy with the finished product.

When you’re using a photo album to create a special gift for someone, it’s obvious that you went to a lot of trouble. It may not be the most expensive gift in the world when compared with jewelry, watches or other common anniversary gifts. However, its overall worth is priceless, especially if you’ve taken the time to utilize the techniques mentioned above. It’s easy to share by having it printed or via online photo sharing. Consider giving someone you love a special anniversary themed free online photo album this year as a unique gift.

By: MJ Johnston

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If you don’t have your own recording studio, making a hit recording requires a lot of time and money to purchase studio time, hire studio quality musicians and find people with the expertise necessary to produce a top quality CD. In the end, the quality of the CD is greatly affected by how much time and money you sink into the project. Unfortunately, most fledgling recording artists don’t have the required funds and don’t know where to turn to obtain them.   The purpose of this article is to give you a few tips for funding your next album or your first album, whichever the case may be.

1. Go directly to your fans. Last year, singer-songwriter Jill Sobule shocked the music world by asking her fans to fund her next album. Using a weblog, she set up donation levels from $10 to $10,000 for her fans to donate and each person who donated received a prize. For example, the $10 donation received a free digital download of her album; the $10,000 donation won the opportunity to sing on her album! Jill raised the needed $75,000 to create her new album that will be released in April, 2009.

This worked for Jill because she already had a huge fan base from her six previous recordings. Maybe you won’t use such a novel approach for funding your next album; however, whatever method you use, you will need money unless you’ve landed a contract from one of the major labels or you intend to use the do-it-yourself (DIY) method. Even if you use the DIY method you will need funds, although the amount needed will be much less.

2. There are websites that foster personal and financial relations with indie artists and music fans worldwide. Sites like Sellaband, MICROFUNDO and indie FINANCIAL network are great resource sites that allow you to build a fan base and raise funding for your projects.

3. Private investments from friends and business people in your own hometown. Sometimes this is the best place to start. If you have built up your fan base in your own hometown you will have many acquaintances in the business community who might jump at the chance to help you out.

4. Private grants or grants from private foundations. There are still a few places available to obtain private grants. For example, Foundation Grants to Individuals Online is one such organization.  They provide information to obtain private grants for students, artists and academic researchers. Since you are an artist this is worth investigating.

5. Government Grants. Although it is difficult these days to get a government grant, you may find help at cfda.gov and grants.gov. These sites provide information on federal government grants available and details of how to apply for a grant.

In order to obtain funding using the above methods you will need to have an estimate of actual costs of creating the CD. Following are expenditure possibilities that you will incur:

Setting up the legalities of your business Musicians Production fees Engineering Mixing Time/Additional Studio costs Mastering Manufacturing Artwork New Gear Piano Tunings CD Release Party Radio Promotion Advertising
You will need to estimate the prices for all of these possible expenses by talking with professionals in your area. You may cut corners by doing some of the work yourself.  However, you must always be aware that homemade CDs seldom become top hits. If you want to compete with the big boys you will need to bite the bullet and pay a professional to produce your music CD. While the expenses can be enormous, funding your next album may be as close as a phone call to a friend, or as easy as starting a blog aimed at getting the support of your fan base. All it takes is perseverance, patience and a good plan.

By: Jimmy CL Newson

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Many crafters creating their very first scrapbook page layout are not looking to put together masterpieces but simply want to ask the question ‘how to embellish photo album pages’ or ‘can I find computer programs to make photo albums’?

Having a unique photo album or scrapbook to store all your treasured memories creates a personalised keepsake that can be cherished for years to come.

There are many variables you can incorporate in finding ways to embellish a photo album or scrapbook depending on the theme of the pages you are going to include. If your scrapbook pages are specific to one event or a certain person, it stands to reason the best way how to embellish photo album pages is to add memorabilia and scrapbook quotes that harmonize to the overall theme.

With the internet becoming larger than ever it is a great resource for finding the best scrapbook quotes and ideas on how to embellish photo album pages. It may be tempting to upload your picture to an online animated photo album and be caught up with the ease of doing so but there is nothing more rewarding than creating something unique, handmade and tactile as people will always have a preference for something they can feel and smell as well look at.

When searching the internet you may also find many computer programs to make photo albums some of which you may be able to download and print out your scrapbook papers and designs to help you embellish your scrapbook.

More often than not computer programs to make photo albums will offer you the resources to create a homemade DVD using slides and animation of your favourite pictures.

Deciding whether to create your own scrapbook page layouts from scratch or to find computer programs to make photo albums is really a matter of personal preference however there are a few things to consider before making your choice.

- Who is the scrapbook for and do they have access to the software that will enable them to play the photo album on their computer.

- Is it a gift where the recipient would appreciate the amount of time and effort you have put in creating it?

- Do you have the time to create the entire number of scrapbook page layouts you will need to fill the scrapbook or are you stuck for time and it would be easier to use computer programs to make photo albums in order to ensure it is done on time?

- Is scrapbooking already a hobby that you enjoy and would get more pleasure from creating your own scrapbook than resorting to a digital option?

Although it may seem the easiest and quickest option is to use computer programs to make photo albums you could try enlisting the help of other like minded scrapbooking enthusiast or family members to create a beautiful handmade scrapbook or photo album that in my opinion will be far more appreciated.

By: Vicki Churchill

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