Malcolm McLaren? The court jester who directed Sex Pistols to such histrionics that endeared/disgusted the band to a wide audience? The man who, after the Sex Pistols, ran a series of life vignettes that kept him in the public eye far past his expiration date? This man could not pull a prank outlandish enough to keep the Grim Reaper at bay?

There is absolutely no ill will intended here, none whatsoever! In actuality, I'm shocked. Death saddens me, and McLaren's passing no less so. But this is a man that I halfway expected to beat the odds. Why? I don't know. His actions and experiments were amusing and a vital part of the punk movement of the late '70s. Regardless...

Malcolm McLaren left us sometime during Thursday due to a battle with cancer, that is, an insidious cancer named mesothelioma, which is a cancer of the linings around his organs. During his life, he had a brief foray into the recording arts but much of it was forgettable. What he leaves us with is the fact that this man managed the New York Dolls until their demise, and then theatrically engineered the Sex Pistols to a recording contract that produced the important Never Mind the Bollocks album. There was a small time of other things afterwards but aside from a few additional roles, McLaren left us with a name and the belief that some were outside the periphery of life. And so it comes as no small shock that Malcolm McLaren has left the stage and is now busily at work with The Great Band to...? I'll leave it at that. McLaren would have wanted to fill in the blanks anyway.

I know that I'll miss him. Yes, I will.

Malcolm McLaren
1946-2010
RIP

We'll see you on Monday with stuff including one of my usual discussions, this one surrounding the upcoming Record Store Day.

I want to alert TAP readers to the fact that I have finally put together a FaceBook fan page that you can access and join by clicking on the badge below.  What this offers is the exact same thing as my Twitter feeds provide and that is first buzz on upcoming releases and free offered downloads, many announcements  that beat our main post, sometimes by days.  We also provide a Google BUZZ page that expands on most of the Twitter/FB feeds. On Buzz, you can even hear the music stream if a stream is offered.  There are still things that I'm working on in the FB page, like calender notes as well as links to great sites like The Second Disc.  I invite you to join us at our FB page and bookmark it.  Visit it daily and you'll be rewarded with much news and info.  Of course, you'll still want to come to the main MusicTAP page for our noisy commentaries.  Remember, with our Twitter feeds, you can elect to receive the news bursts as text on your mobile phone keeping you effortlessly up to date with stuff.  Lots of choices.  Find one, or two, that fits.

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Reprise Records will reissue another Eric Clapton title on vinyl LP, this one Behind The Sun, which will be presented as a 2LP, 140g set. This is set for May 25. (Are you fellas gonna reissue No Reason to Cry on heavy grade vinyl?) (LP).

Just so you know, the release dates for the 180g vinyl LP of Coltrane titles have shifted for a few of them. The new expected dates are now: Coltrane Jazz, and Plays The Blues, are expected on May 25, while Coltrane's Sound, and My Favorite Things are listed for June 15 (LP).

Atlantic Records plan the release of The Family Jewels by Marina and The Diamonds on May 25 (CD).

LA's Rooney will release their new album on June 8. The album is called Eureka (CD).

Columbia Records will release the DVD, DVD/CD, and BD (Blu-ray) for One Night Only: Barbra Streisand & Quartet at The Village Vanguard - September 26, 2009, with the release date expected for May 4.

Mute Records will release False Lights From the Land, a 4-track EP by Richard Hawley. This EP will be release in DD (Digital Download) only on June 8 (DD).

Zoë Records will release the new Sarah Harmer album, her first in 4 years, called Oh Little Fire. it is scheduled for June 22 (CD).

Island Records will release Revolutions: The Very Best of Steve Winwood on CD scheduled for June 8 (CD).

Here 's a title that I'm a little anxious for: Astralwerks/Capitol Records will release the S/T debut album by NYC's The Postelles, who's music is a blend of early Stones, early Lou Reed, and other early influences. It's interesting to note that the album is co-produced by Albert Hammond, Jr (The Strokes). I like the single issue of the song from their recently released 3-track EP (which is available now) called "White Night" (EP is named the same). You can access that for free by clicking through on the widget below. Album arrives on July 27 (CD).