Ray Charles' America Coming to Digital, Morrissey Announces New Single, more

Concord Music has announced that they will release Ray Charles ' version of America the Beautiful for the first time ever digitally next Tuesday to celebrate Barack Obama's inauguration.

Morrissey is releasing the first single from his new album, Years of Refusal , on February 9. I'm Throwing My Arms Around Paris will be available in the U.K. as a digital download, a vinyl single with a live version of Death of a Disco on the B-side, and as a 2-CD set with the additional tracks Because of My Poor Education and Shame is the Name (with Chrissie Hynde ).

Jay Jay French of Twisted Sister talked to Metal Asylum, confirming that the group will be touring Europe and the U.S. playing their album Stay Hungry in its entirety. They are also in the early stages of putting a show together based on their Twisted Christmas recordings.

Neilsen SoundScan have announced the top selling vinyl albums for 2008. As previously reported, Radiohead's In Rainbows leads the pack with just over 25,000 sold. The Beatles ' Abbey Road was second with just under 17,000 while Guns N' Roses Chinese Democracy was third with about 14,000. Other veteran artists in the top ten were the B-52's with Funplex (#4), Pink Floyd 's Dark Side of the Moon (#7) and Metallica 's Death Magnetic (#9).