I have nothing to do with them but if you want to get some stuff on import from Japan I would say that the CDs Vinyl Japan outlet looks like a pretty good alternative. They certainly have stuff that I have not seen elsewhere.
(My Sabbath shot, some CDs inserted)
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Hard Case Crime is edging themselves into the comic book side of things with “Gun Honey” (Titan Comics, 2022) and other exciting titles. In this case what we have got is kind of a modern time Modesty Blaise. The talent involved is staggering, they have even managed to involve the great Robert McGinnis for some cover art (although this cover is by Bill Sienkiewicz). This edition consists of the original four issue run of said adventure, plus a lot of bonus material. This is the first collection of its kind but there has already been others. I will get back to you on this. This is pretty epic stuff. Written by Hard Case Crime editor Charles Ardai, main inside art by Ang Hor Kheng.
(My shot of said book)
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Sad to hear that well renowned publication Bass Player has reached the end of the line as a printed magazine with the current issue (426), although it will still be part of the Guitar World platform in Digital form. It is not a lack of interest that has resulted in the decision to end the printed edition, but rather the difficult times that we live in. In a press statement they said: “We have faced challenges over the last few years, through a difficult retail landscape and an actual pandemic, to maintain Bass Player as a profitable magazine, but 2022’s dramatic increase in costs for us and our suppliers – paper, printing, fuel, distribution to name a few – mean that its print edition is no longer viable. Arguably, Bass Player’s content has never been better, and sales and subscription numbers are healthy, so the problem is not that people do not want to read BP. It is the cost of publishing a physical magazine in an impossibly difficult market that has caused the end of the best bass mag ever” (end quote, the official statement is longer and can be found on the online platform). Bass Player is the latest casualty in a field that has been under severe pressure for the last few years, and titles like Kerrang! and Planet Rock comes to mind. Kerrang! has survived online (digital radio etc) and so has Planet Rock, but the printed magazines are gone. One might wonder if the printed magazine will largely be a thing of the past some day? I sincerely hope not.
(My shot of the Bass Player logo of issue 402, with the final issue inserted)
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Got this book yesterday (on a day off work) and had the opportunity to just enjoy the hell out of it in one reading session. The author behind the unofficial Ritchie Blackmore biography “Black Knight” (2006, still the best book on The Man In Black out there), Jerry Bloom, is the man behind this great celebration of the late Jon Lord. The book is part of the “A Visual Biography” series on the Wymer Publishing imprint, and this is a very successful (from the view of anybody who owns these books) idea that deserves credit. I have the Deep Purple Family titles and of these I have to say that the Jon Lord book is my favourite. Maybe because the man was such a class act? Not sure, but he has certainly been of great importance to me ever since I discovered Deep Purple back in 1971 and on the few occasions that I met with him and got to talk to him a bit (there is a few quotes from those meetings in this book, lifted from this blog) he was a really nice fellow. As a musician and a composer, he strived to broaden the horizons. For rock fans around the world, he set a standard with his playing in Deep Purple that simply made him the King in his field. His work as a composer in the classical world gave him further respect and the journey is presented in a wonderful way in this book. The cover shot from the MK4 days of Purple by German photographer Didi Zill is very cool as well. Loads of nice images throughout this book. Hardback, 196 pages.
(My shot of said book)
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This book arrived just in time for Halloween, “Blood Sugar” (Hard Case Crime, 2019) by author Daniel Kraus. Awesome cover art by artist Paul Mann. I greatly appreciate that stuff like this is still published.
(My shot of said book)
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Dream Theater are releasing a lot of interesting stuff from the archives right now, and the most interesting one to me is their classic “Made In Japan” tribute concert from back in 2006. They copy the original live album by Deep Purple almost note for note. We now get it as a Double LP+1 CD Limited Edition with gatefold sleeve, so you need to act fast to secure a copy of this.
(Covers from official platforms)
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The Official Deep Purple YouTube Channel has added what looks like one of these dodgy live radio broadcast releases for all to check out. You can listen to “Sao Paulo 1991” track by track. This concert has been heavily bootlegged for years. So far, I can not find a release with this particular cover, so we will have to wait and see if it pops up. Might be the management trying to fight this sort of thing by putting it out themselves in this way. Who knows? Pretty decent show though.
(My shot of my computer screen this morning)
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From the vaults of DC Thomson (of Commando fame) we now get some classic stuff through digital platforms released every last Wednesday of each month starting now. The first Kindle Editions can now be found at Amazon and other platforms, just search “Commando Presents” and “Heritage Comics Presents” and you will find it.
(Ad seen here from official platforms)
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Commando 5587-5590 is out today in the UK. Just search “Commando comics” should you want to subscribe.
(Covers courtesy of Commando)
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Saw this sign and decided that it would be good fun to use it at the far end of my property where the deer trail is. It has been placed close to the property line but the neighbours can really not see it unless they walk into my land. So this was just a bit of fun as I have been landscaping down there in recent days. I will be continuing with this project next summer (1000+ liters of soil etc is enough for now but there is a lot to do down there).
(My shot of said sign)
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trinkelbonker 