Author Archives: Robert Duffy

The top 10 vinyl records of 2011 so far, are:

1. Abbey Road, The Beatles (20,200)
2. Helplessness Blues, Fleet Foxes (20,200)
3. King of Limbs, Radiohead (15,400)
4. Sigh No More, Mumford & Sons (14,800)
5. Tomboy, Panda Bear (11,500)
6. Bon Iver, Bon Iver (10,900)
7. The King Is Dead, The Decemberists (8,300)
8. Chinese Democracy, Guns ‘N Roses (8,200)
9. Angles, The Strokes (7,900)
10. People’s Key, Bright Eyes (7,900)

The numbers come via Seattle Weekly. Looks like The Beatles are just beating Fleet Foxes by a handful of records.

Also: album sales are up 1% from 2010, the first uptick since 2004.

Clarence Clemons, the saxophonist in Bruce Springsteen’s E Street Band whose jovial onstage manner, soul-rooted style and brotherly relationship with Springsteen made him one of rock’s most beloved sidemen, died Saturday at a hospital in Palm Beach, Fla. He was 69.

The cause was complications from a stroke, which he suffered last Sunday, said a Springsteen spokeswoman.

From the beginnings of the E Street Band in 1972, Mr. Clemons played a central part in Springsteen’s music, complementing the group’s electric guitar and driving rhythms in songs like “Born to Run” and “Tenth Avenue Freeze-Out” with muscular, melodic saxophone hooks that echoed doo-wop, soul and early rock ‘n’ roll.

Equally important to the group’s image was the sense of affection and unbreakable camaraderie between Springsteen and his sax man. (read more)