News Catch-up 09 July 2023

Welcome back all. Hope you are all keeping warm this winter. Nothing beats passing the cold nights by staying in, sipping a warm beverage and listening to your favourite record on the speakers. Or, you know, maybe some brand new records. Fortunately, the upcoming releases we're going to talk about today are all hot enough to keep the winter at bay. So let's get to it!

With less than two weeks to go until its release, everyone has Barbie movie fever. And we are no different here! All of us are eagerly awaiting the release of the Barbie soundtrack on hot pink vinyl!!!

Barbie The Album features a wide variety of all-star artists including Tame Impala, Lizzo, Fifty Fifty, Charli XCX, The Kid LAROI, Khalid and Dua Lipa (who also plays a mermaid in the film). The album will also include the - already released - single Barbie World by Nicki Minaj and Ice Spice. The song is notable for sampling the classic 1990's Aqua track Barbie Girl.

Barbie The Album is sure to be one of the (if not the) biggest soundtrack albums of the year. It even has its own Instagram page where fans can go and see sneak-peeks of the tracks leading up to its release. While we definitely can't stop you from checking out the album's Instagram, we can definitely encourage you to go to our page HERE to read more about the album and, more importantly pre-order your copy now!

Toy-based Hollywood releases aside, 2023 will also be the 20th anniversary of Powderfinger's 5th studio album, Vulture Street.

Peaking at #1 on the Australian charts upon its release, Vulture Street went on to be certified platinum and was met with critical acclaim for its rockier and rawer sound. No less than four singles were spawned from the album; Since You've Been Gone, Love Your Way, Sunsets and (Baby I've Got You) On My Mind.

To celebrate its 20th anniversary, Vulture Street has been remastered and wil be released on 180gm black vinyl in late August.

Go to our Powderfinger Vulture Street 2023 reissue page HERE to get notified about its release.

There is another anniversary this year: the 25th for Marilyn Manson's Mechanical Animals.

It is hard to describe how groundbreaking the album was for 1998. Those who were there (even wee lads like myself) all remember seeing the (now iconic) haunting album cover spread out on billboards or on display at record store. And possibly the biggest single from the album, The Dope Show, played on the radio seemingly incessantly.

Mechanical Animals has now been given the double LP treatment for its 25th birthday and will be hitting the shelves later this August.

Pre-order Marilyn Manson Mechanical Animals 2 LP HERE.

Last but not least; can a cold winter night get any hotter than the amazing sounds of a MFSL Dire Straits release? We think not!

On Every Street is the last Dire Straits album to get the Mobile Fidelity treatment - fitting as the record itself proved to be the swan song of the legendary rock band. Sourced from the original master tapes and pressed at RTI at 45RPM, the 1991 album has benefited greatly from the MFSL treatment. As the release's official description reads:

"Afforded generous groove space and black backgrounds, the songs from On Every Street burst with nuanced details and vibrant colors... Mobile Fidelity's definitive-sounding set also brings into transparent view Knopfler's finely sculpted guitar lines, expressive tones, and laid-back vocals – as well as the balanced accompaniment from his band mates. Here's a record on which you can hear the full blossom and decay of individual notes, and imagine the size and shape of the studio."

Far be it from us to say anything to the contrary. The MFSL Dire Straits releases have been absolute highlights over the last couple of years, and, to very little suprise, some of our biggest selling records.

Go to our Dire Straits On Every Street MFSL page HERE and make sure to click on 'Get Notified' to... well... get notified for when this awesome release is available to buy.