Giorgio Gomelsky, first manager of the Rolling Stones and the Yardbirds, and owner of the legendary Crawdaddy Club, died today in NYC after a battle with cancer. He was 82. The Georgian born Gomelsky was instrumental in the career of many progressive musicians, serving as the manager/impresario/sevengali to the Soft Machine, the Blossom Toes, Gong, Vangelis and Magma. RIP, Giorgio.

Just two day after releasing his latest album ★, David Bowie died Sunday January 10th at age 69 after an eighteen month battle with cancer. As a kid, Bowie was always on the radio. Those were such great songs (compiled on ChangesOneBowie), ones that I always wanted to sing along to, oh, and that guitar riff from Ziggy Stardust, it made me want to pick up a guitar and play! I remember the song he gave to Mott the Hoople, Little Drummer Boy with Bing Crosby on the TV, and the hype of the single Fame, the one he wrote with former Beatle John Lennon. As the years passed, so did records.

Anthony Phillips seminal 1978 record Wise After The Event is set to receive yet another remaster, this time from the good folks at Esoteric Recordings, but the great news is that the accompanying 4CD set will also feature a 5.1 surround sound mix in addition to the original stereo mix, a new stereo mix and a CD of outtakes, demos and extras.

Lemmy Kilmister passed away on December 28th at age 70, after a brief battle with cancer. He formed Motörhead in 1975 After anchoring Hawkwind for several years. From Dave Brock:
"So very sad to wake to the news that we have lost Lemmy. He was a character, a gentleman and a friend. I’ll miss him and especially our eccentric text conversations of recent years… We had a magical bond when we played together. He had a style all of his own and his legendary bass playing will live on forever…..We’ll miss you man, you’ll not be forgotten. DB"

"To mark 50 years since the tracks were recorded, Pink Floyd have released a limited edition set of two 7" singles, containing the band's first recordings. Entitled Pink Floyd 1965 – Their First Recordings, the songs include Syd Barrett compositions Lucy Leave, Double O Bo, Remember Me, and Butterfly, coupled with Roger Waters' Walk With Me Sydney, and I'm A King Bee by Slim Harpo. The band lineup was the original quartet of Syd Barrett, Roger Waters, Nick Mason and Richard Wright, augmented by Rado Klose on guitar, and, on Walk With Me Sydney, Juliette Gale on backing vocals.

Rush releases its R40 Live concert set, November 20th. Here's a real gem: