AeroLiner Records is proud to announce its 15th release 'Staring At The Sun'. This brand new 2-hour DVD is a blistering compilation of live performances spanning Chris Duarte's career from 1989 to 2009. His searing guitar mastery has sunburned ears of audiences the world over and it is on full burn here with red-hot songs such as "Drivin' South", "Catch The Next Line", "Tailspin Headwhack", "Watch Out", "Screenwriter's Blues" and much more (including surprises along the way).
Not available in stores, this limited edition release is limited to 500 copies, and is priced at $17.00 (U.S) via mail and $18.00 (U.S) via Paypal. These prices include shipping and handling. For more information, and to order go to this location.
Rock Radio is reporting Alice in Chains haven't released a new album in 14 years, so the online leaking of their comeback LP before its release is their first experience of the downloading problem.
Black Gives Way to Blue, featuring singer William DuVall in place of Layne Staley, was available on the web two weeks ago, while its official publication date was yesterday, September 29.
And drummer Sean Kinney says that while they knew it would be a painful episode, they didn't expect how painful it would be - and he goes further, comparing the ordeal to prison rape.
He tells Chicago's Q101 radio station: "You know it's going to happen, but you just hope it doesn't happen too far in advance. We hadn't been through it before so we've had an initial shock.
"It's like going to prison - you know you're going to get raped but you're not ready for it. You think you are, but you're not prepared for how violent that rape is. 'Wow - he's really giving it to me'."
Black Gives Way to Blue is in part a tribute to Staley, who died of a drugs overdose in 2002. The title track is written about and dedicated to him, and last week in a homecoming show guitarist Jerry Cantrell performed an acoustic version of the song with the spotlight on an empty stool behind a mic stand.
While the band have cleaned up, Kinney says he continued to take drugs after Staley died. He tells Faceculture: "I stopped a few years ago. To do this reunion, I couldn't be toxic. It wouldn't make sense. Half the reason I'm doing this is to take Layne's legacy forward.
"I had to make a choice. I didn't want to be false, to be out here bringing our legacy forward and be f'ked up. So I made the choice. What's more important? Music is more important.
Bob Dylan, the singer-songwriter who has taken his fans down Highway 61 by way of Lonely Avenue and Desolation Row, is in negotiations to voice a satellite navigation system.
Dylan claimed that he has been approached by more than one manufacturer keen to harness his unmistakable, rasping tones - a voice which one critic memorably likened to sandpaper. He shared the news with listeners to his late-night radio show, Theme Time Radio Hour, which is broadcast on BBC Six Music.
“You know I don’t usually like to tell people what I’m doing, but I’m talking to a couple of car companies about the possibility of being the voice of their GPS system,” he disclosed.
Motorists who follow Dylan’s directions, however, may take some time to reach their destination. “I think it would be good if you are looking for directions and you heard my voice saying something like, ‘Left at the next street.... No, right... You know what? Just go straight." He added: "I probably shouldn’t do it because whichever way I go, I always end up at one place - Lonely Avenue.”
Billboard.com is reporting that Wolfgang's Vault, which has amassed the largest collection of licensed streaming live recordings on the Internet, is about to make a treasure trove of those concerts available for downloading.
Beginning Nov. 3, the site will add more than 1,000 titles from 919 artists to the approximately 500 that are currently available for purchase from the site's Concert Vault section, Bill Sagan, CEO and founder of Wolfgang's Vault LLC and its parent company, Norton LLC, tells Billboard.com. The additions will include more than 160 Grateful Dead concerts as well as titles from artists such as Santana, Janis Joplin, Jefferson Airplane, Aretha Franklin, Bonnie Raitt, Hall & Oates, Journey, Lynyrd Skynyrd, Jethro Tull, Chicago, Miles Davis, Dolly Parton, Merle Travis and many others.
Leading up to the Nov. 3 "Cracking the Vault Day" blowout, Wolfgang's Vault -- which recently logged its 100 millionth streamed show -- is offering a small amount of new shows twice weekly. The site just put up a Grateful Dead concerts (from May 15, 1970 at the Fillmore East in New York City); future releases include Janis Joplin, Aretha Franklin and Bonnie Raitt (Oct. 2), Hall & Oates and Boz Scaggs (Oct. 6), Santana and Chicago (Oct. 9), Lou Reed (Oct. 13), Miles Davis, Weather Report and Mahavishnu Orchestra (Oct. 16), Twisted Sister and the Ramones (Oct. 20), the Byrds, Dolly Parton and Waylon Jennings (Oct. 23), Cheap Trick (Oct. 27) and Mountain (Oct. 30). Newly streaming shows from Dylan and Pink Floyd will also become available on Oct. 30.
The download prices will run $7.98 and $8.98 for MP3s and $11.98 and $12.98 for Flac recordings. Wolfgang's vault will also introduce a $48 annual membership which includes a $50 gift certificate, discounts on recordings and memorabilia and unlimited higher-end 192k streaming.
Sagan says that the new rash of downloads are "the result of negotiating agreements with performers and record labels that not only acknowledge our ownership of this material but gives us rights to exploit it" in a variety of formats, including ringtones and satellite radio. Sagan estimates that through the acquisition of a dozen archives -- including Bill Graham Presents, the King Biscuit Flower Hour, Silver Eagle and the Festival Network -- since its inception in 2002, Wolfgang's Vault has amassed nearly 10,000 live shows, of which about 3,200 are currently streaming on the site.
The agreements including royalty payments in addition to the mechanical royalties the company routinely pays to publishers.
"The objective is that just about everything we stream we'll be able to download," Sagan says. "When we hit Nov. 3, more than half the concerts...will be available for download. By Christmas or slightly after Christmas we'll be closer to three-quarters." Sagan also hopes to begin making video footage the company has acquired available on the site in the near future.
There are some holdouts to the downloading plan. Sagan says negotiations are continuing with big names such as Bob Dylan, Pink Floyd, Jimi Hendrix, Bruce Springsteen, the Rolling Stones, the Who and Dire Straits, and he's hopeful agreements will be reached with most of those in the near future.
Columbia Records and Albert Productions proudly announce the release of Backtracks, the ultimate AC/DC collector's experience, available Tuesday, November 10.
Arriving in two distinctly different fan-friendly editions, Backtracks spans the length and breadth of AC/DC's career, bringing together rare songs, hard-to-find live performances and the long-awaited debut of "Family Jewels Disc 3," a DVD showcasing the group's music videos, live performances, and promotional clips from 1992-2009.
(The original double-disc "Family Jewels" was named 2005's "DVD of the Year" by the UK's Classic Rock magazine while the RIAA certified the collection 10x Platinum for sales in excess of 1 million copies in the US alone.)
Manufactured in an exclusive run limited to 50,000 pieces, the deluxe collector's edition of Backtracks includes a CD of studio rarities, two CDs of live rarities, the "Family Jewels Disc 3" DVD, the "Live at the Circus Krone" DVD, a front-row immersion in the band's scorching 2003 club show in Munich, Germany, and a 12" long-playing album, struck in 180 gram vinyl, of hard-to-find studio tracks. The limited edition Backtracks includes a five-disc media carrier to house and transport the set's three CDs and two DVDs.
In addition the deluxe collector's edition comes with a 164 page coffee table book and an Original Memorabilia Reproductions Envelope containing an astounding array of facsimiles including the "I DO IT FOR AC/DC" button (the band's very first tour merch), the 1976 "Lock Up Your Daughters" tour flyer, the Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap recording track sheet, a 2' x 3' 1977 Let There Be Rock European Tour poster, a Bon Scott parrot tattoo replica, an AC/DC logo guitar pick, an Australian Money Talks dollar, three b&w fine art lithographs of never-before-seen photos of the band in the Alberts Studio in 1977 and more.
The AC/DC deluxe collector's edition of Backtracks comes housed in a fully operational AC/DC guitar amplifier. The limited and numbered deluxe collector's edition of Backtracks will be available direct-to-consumers exclusively through the website www.acdcbacktracks.com with full details on pre-ordering going live on the site on Tuesday, September 29.
The three-disc standard version of Backtracks distills the electrifying essence of the deluxe set into one CD of studio rarities, one CD of hard-to-find live tracks, and the indispensable "Family Jewels Disc 3" DVD.
Lucy Vodden, who provided the inspiration for the Beatles' classic song "Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds," has died after a long battle with lupus. She was 46.
Her death was announced by St. Thomas' Hospital in London, where she had been treated for the chronic disease for more than five years, and by her husband, Ross Vodden.
Vodden's connection to the Beatles dates back to her early days, when she made friends with schoolmate Julian Lennon, John Lennon's son.
Julian Lennon, then 4 years old, came home from school with a drawing one day, showed it to his father, and said it was "Lucy in the sky with diamonds."
At the time, John Lennon was gathering material for his contributions to "Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band," a landmark album released to worldwide acclaim in 1967. The elder Lennon seized on the image and developed it into what is widely regarded as a psychedelic masterpiece, replete with haunting images of "newspaper taxis" and a "girl with kaleidoscope eyes."
Rock music critics thought the song's title was a veiled reference to LSD, but John Lennon always claimed the phrase came from his son, not from a desire to spell out the initials LSD in code.
Vodden lost touch with Julian Lennon after he left the school following his parents' divorce, but they were reunited in recent years when Julian Lennon, who lives in France, tried to help her cope with the disease.
He sent her flowers and vouchers for use at a gardening center near her home in Surrey in southeast England, and frequently sent her text messages in an effort to buttress her spirits.
"I wasn't sure at first how to approach her," Julian Lennon told the Associated Press in June. "I wanted at least to get a note to her. Then I heard she had a great love of gardening, and I thought I'd help with something she's passionate about, and I love gardening too. I wanted to do something to put a smile on her face."
In recent months, Vodden was too ill to go out most of the time, except for hospital visits.
She enjoyed her link to the Beatles, but was not particularly fond of "Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds."
"I don't relate to the song, to that type of song," she told the Associated Press in June. "As a teenager, I made the mistake of telling a couple of friends at school that I was the Lucy in the song and they said, 'No, it's not you, my parents said it's about drugs.' And I didn't know what LSD was at the time, so I just kept it quiet, to myself."
Vodden is the latest in a long line of people connected to the Beatles who died at a relatively young age.
The list includes John Lennon, gunned down at age 40, manager Brian Epstein, who died of a drug overdose when he was 32, and original band member Stuart Sutcliffe, who died of a brain hemorrhage at 21.
A spokeswoman for Julian Lennon and his mother, Cynthia Lennon, said they were "shocked and saddened" by Vodden's death.
Angie Davidson, a lupus sufferer who is campaign director of the St. Thomas' Lupus Trust, said Vodden was "a real fighter" who had worked behind the scenes to support efforts to combat the disease.
"It's so sad that she has finally lost the battle she fought so bravely for so long," said Davidson.
Planet Rock is reporting that Eric Clapton and Jeff Beck will play a huge show together at the O2 Arena next year.
The blues legends will perform together at London’s premier venue on 13 February. They first performed their collaboration show in Tokyo in February and following the success of the gig they decided to bring it home.
‘Eric and I played together in Japan earlier this year and had a blast. Since then we have been in regular contact and talked about doing a similar show for our fans. Looking forward to the show in 2010,” said Beck.
“I’ve always considered Jeff Beck to be one of the finest guitar players around. He’s a friend, a great guy, and a truly gifted musician. We had such a fun time in Japan that it seemed natural to play together again,” said Clapton.
Tickets for the show go on general sale this Monday, September 28th at 9am from
Classic Rock Magazine is reporting that The Faces are reforming – for one night only. But it will be without Rod Stewart.
After 37 years guitarist Ronnie Wood, drummer Kenney Jones and keyboard player Ian McLagan are getting back together on October 25 at the Royal Albert Hall. This is for the charity event PRS For Music Members Benevolent Fund.
Former Rolling Stones bassist Bill Wyman will replace the late Ronnie Lane, while a host of special guests will help out on vocals.
Also on the bill include Albert Lee, Rick Wakeman, Jan Akkerman among many others.
Tickets are priced from £39.50 and are available from the Royal Albert Hall Box office on 020 7589 8212 and the Credit Card hotline: 0844 888 9991as well as www.ticketline.co.uk. For VIP Stalls Hospitality please call the Box Office on 020 7589 8212.
It has been confirmed today that, among a bewildering array of live music, seminars, music workshops, displays, exhibitions and discussions, The Music Show at the RDS, Dublin, Ireland on October 3 & 4, 2009 will feature a major exhibition of guitars and amps from the collection of the late Rory Gallagher, widely regarded as one of the greatest rock guitarists of all time. The Rory Gallagher Exhibition, presented by Fender in association with XMusic includes Rory's trademark Fender Stratocaster among the cherished selection of guitars and is sure to delight music fans and guitarists from across the country and beyond.
Pride of place will go to his trademark Fender (Ex-)Sunburst Stratocaster 1961 which he used throughout his 30-year music career, including 11 studio albums and countless concerts, and which cost him only $100.
The Rory Gallagher Exhibition is presented by Fender in association with XMusic.
For more information on Rory Gallagher go to this location.
AntiMusic is reporting that the nominations for induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame were announced Wednesday. The twelve nominees are: ABBA, Darlene Love, Donna Summer, Genesis, Jimmy Cliff, KISS, Laura Nyro, LL Cool J, Red Hot Chili Peppers, The Chantels, The Hollies and The Stooges.
Ballots will be sent to more than 500 voters, who will select artists to be inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame at the 25th Annual Induction Ceremony on March 15, 2010 at the Waldorf Astoria in New York City.
Five of the twelve nominees will be inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. To be eligible for nomination into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, an act must have released its first single or album at least 25 years prior to the year of nomination. This year's nominees had to release their first single no later than 1984.
The inductees will be announced in January 2010, and all inductees are ultimately represented in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum in Cleveland, Ohio.
The Who's Roger Daltrey and Aerosmith's Steven Tyler have given the Trans -Siberian Orchestra a Christmas boost by signing up to join the symphonic rockers on tour in November and December.
The two will join Cheap Trick frontman Robin Zander as the guest stars on the orchestra's annual U.S. holiday tour, which begins on November 1st.
Also, the Trans-Siberian Orchestra has announced the upcoming release of its hugely anticipated new album. "Night Castle" will arrive in stores and all digital retailers on October 27th.
Years in the making, "Night Castle" is without question TSO's most ambitious and adventurous work to date. Founder Paul O'Neill and crew have created 26 songs that run the gamut from hard rock to classical, taking the listener on a journey through different points of history.
"Night Castle" details the triumphs and follies of man but is ultimately an epic story of transformation and love. The two-CD set will be released at a special low price, and will include a unique 68-page booklet, featuring story, lyrics, and full-color illustrations by legendary artist Greg Hildebrandt.
"Obviously our fans have been unbelievably patient," O'Neill says. "This was supposed to come out a few years ago. But we were dedicated to making something really special, and the longer it took, the more pressure we felt to give people the best possible piece of art we could.
"These are hard times," he adds, explaining the lower price, "and we're trying to do what we can to make them better. We believe in value with Trans-Siberian Orchestra; everything we do – the shows, the albums, the souvenirs – are over-the-top productions with a lot of stuff for people to see and hear and feel, and we do that for as inexpensive a price as we can."
"Night Castle" will be preceded by the first single, "Nutrocker," which ships to multi-format radio outlets nationwide later this month. The track sees TSO paying homage to one of their greatest influences, Emerson, Lake & Palmer, and features rock icon Greg Lake on bass.
Aerosmith's Joe Perry has denied rumors that the band are about to split up, by saying a new album "Will happen".
Perry who hasn't spoken to frontman Steven Tyler since he fell off the stage, was "Upset" that the band had to cancel their North American tour, but has dismissed rumors of the band splitting.
"Maybe we have three more records in us. Maybe we have five [and] seven years of touring," Perry told the Boston Herald. "[We're] Taking a breather" he added, but hoped the band would reconvene in spring to begin recording their next album and map out a tour for next Autumn.
"That day will come. Whether it's him calling me or me calling him, it will happen," Perry said on re-connecting with Tyler again.
Although the band are officially "Taking a breather" they are still set to play two gigs next month on the Hawaiian island of Maui - as a result of a class action lawsuit decision after the band cancelled the gigs two years ago, reports Star Bulletin.
Jimi Hendrix will continue rocking from beyond the grave for another ten years - his family plans to release boxes of previously unheard recordings.
The legendary guitarist died in 1970, but his sister Janie reveals the family has enough unreleased material to keep fans happy for another decade.
Two batches of songs, live shows, and film footage are stored in vaults at separate locations in the U.S. - and Janie plans to put the material into the public domain with a series of staggered releases.
She says, "We probably have another decade of music, including video. Every 12 to 18 months we'll continue to have new releases and... official bootlegs.
"Jimi was a workaholic. After Electric Lady studios was built he was able to record constantly for as many hours as he wanted to. It's almost as if he knew he had only four years to accomplish everything that he did. We have an amazing amount of original masters, including a lot of material that hasn't been previously released.
"We keep them in a temperature-controlled vault. We have a set of everything in Los Angeles and a set in New York in the event of something catastrophic happening. We have duplicates of everything."
Formed in London in the summer of July 2001, influenced by such legends as Black Sabbath, Led Zeppelin, Deep Purple and AC/DC, Pig Iron are bringing back the time honored sounds of British blues based metal with a vengeance.
With a critically acclaimed 2005 debut EP and last year's stellar 'The Paths Of Glory...Lead To The Grave' under their belts,in their 8 years together they've they've played gigs with Iron Maiden, Budgie, The Answer, Orange Goblin, Stray, Pat Travers, Mustasch, Winnebago Deal, Brandt Bjork, Leaf Hound and Zodiac Mindwarp, thrilling audiences and critics alike with their no nonsense approach of kicking out the jams.
With a brand new live album 'Helvete Ja', recorded in Sweden in front of a rowdy, appreciative crowd just released June 29th upping the ante, this is a band you can't afford to miss. http://www.pigironmc.com/
Back Door Slam guitarist/vocalist Davy Knowles is now one of only two artists ever to play a song live from NASA's Mission Control in Houston, Texas to the International Space Station (the only other being Jimmy Buffett) with a transmission of "Roll Away" from Back Door Slam's album of the same name .
The connection was made via astronaut Nicole Stott, who is serving as a Flight Engineer on ISSExpedition 20 and 21, and has been playing both Back Door Slam albums on her iPod while up in space.
Joe Perry is angry that Aerosmith has been sidelined due to Steven Tyler's tour injury.
The group had to cancel their summer tour after the frontman suffered injuries when he fell off the stage during a concert in August.
"The tour was building up to be a great tour, and I was pretty (upset), you know," Perry said in an interview.
The guitarist hasn't even spoken to Tyler recently: "I haven't talked to him in over five weeks. I don't know what's going on with him. I hear he's getting better, but I don't know I really don't know what's going on with him."
The 61-year-old Tyler fell off the stage during an Aug. 5 performance in South Dakota. He broke his left shoulder and needed 20 stitches in his head. Tyler was ordered by doctors to take the time to properly recuperate from his injuries.
"I was pretty (upset), because right before that, he had pulled a muscle in his leg. And we had to take two weeks off and we missed probably seven dates," Perry said.
Even though Aerosmith is idle, Perry has been keeping busy promoting his upcoming album, "Have Guitar, Will Travel." It's the fifth record for his solo endeavor, The Joe Perry Project. Although the CD was already in the works, he put his full focus on it after Tyler was injured. It is out Oct. 6.
"The bottom line is that every hole that Aerosmith left I filled," he said of the CD.
Aerosmith has been together since the early 1970s, and Perry believes they'll be back in action again: "One thing I do know, there's still life left in the old band."
Still, Perry couldn't hide his feelings regarding Tyler.
"All I know is he's got to get his act together. I mean, he and I haven't written a song together alone in the same room in over ten years, so there's been some changes in (the) paradigm of what Aerosmith is," he said.
BraveWords.com is reporting that US nationally syndicated radio show Rockline, with host Bob Coburn, is listing a Wednesday, November 18th date for Montrose - Live In Concert. No word yet if the show will feature original Montrose singer Sammy Hagar (Chickenfoot, Ex Van Halen).
Rockline airs from 8:30 PM (PT) / 11:30 PM (ET).
For a station near you and for information regarding how to log onto the internet for the broadcast go to RocklineRadio.com.
Guitar hero Joe Satriani and British pop-rock band Coldplay have settled their legal entanglements and the guitarist's lawsuit alleging copyright infringement has been dismissed, Satriani's representative confirmed to Billboard today. While details of the case remain sealed, legal sources tell Billboard a financial settlement between the two parties may have been reached. Coldplay will not be required to admit to any wrongdoing.
Last December, Satriani filed a lawsuit against the members of Coldplay and Capitol Records, alleging the band's song, "Viva La Vida," contained "substantial, original portions" of his 2004 track "If I Could Fly."
"I felt like a dagger went right through my heart. It hurt so much," Satriani told website Music Radar at the time . "The second I heard it, I knew it was [my own] 'If I Could Fly'.
"Almost immediately, from the minute their song came out, my e-mail box flooded with people going, 'Have you heard this song by Coldplay? They ripped you off man.' I mean, I couldn't tell you how many e-mails I received. Everybody noticed the similarities between the songs. It's pretty obvious."
Coldplay denied the allegations.
"If there are any similarities between our two pieces of music, they are entirely coincidental, and just as surprising to us as to him," the band said in a statement at the time.
Over the summer, Satriani - who was on tour with his Chickenfoot supergroup with Sammy Hagar, Michael Anthony, and Chad Smith - was reluctant to discuss details of the negotiations.
"You know it's one of those things that's annoying to talk about because I can't talk about it," he told Billboard. "But I can tell you that the legal system is going through it's paces, the protocols are all being met and it's making its way between various law offices and the courts. I'm pretty confident that there will be an equitable solution reached at some point."
According to court documents posted at justia.com, the case came to a conclusion yesterday. Through his representative, Satriani declined to comment on today's developments.
Planet Rock is reporting that Whitesnake’s Doug Aldrich is to rejoin Dio for the band’s forthcoming UK tour.
He will fill in for regular guitarist Craig Goldy on the tour while Goldy tours with Budgie in Australia. Ronnie James Dio and Aldrich are long-term friends, and while Whitesnake are on holiday Aldrich seemed like the perfect substitute for the vacant guitarist slot.
Aldrich was part of Dio during the early part of the 00s, playing on the album Killing The Dragon, and featuring on the live albums Evil Or Divine and Holy Diver Live.
Classic Rock Magazine is reporting that former Rolling Stones guitarist Mick Taylor is virtually destitute.
Now living in a small, rundown house in Suffolk, apparently with mounting unpaid bills, the 61-year-old told the Mail On Sunday:
“In 1982 they stopped paying me [royalties]. They’d signed to a different record company and had new contracts and were advised they didn’t need to pay me any more.
“I should have got a lawyer. But instead I called them rude words and asked how they could just stop paying me. They all know it’s not right. In fact it is outrageous. They get all the money and I get the plaudits and praise, even from Mick. I’ve tried to talk to Mick a couple of times, but I realize that hiring a lawyer is probably the only way they’ll take me seriously. But they figure I’m not going to do anything about it.”
Yet, despite his financial problems Taylor – who replaced Brian Jones as the Stones guitarist in 1969 – has no regrets about quitting the band in 1974:
“People are always asking me whether I regret leaving The Rolling Stones. I make no bones about it – had I remained with the band, I would probably be dead. I was having difficulties with drug addiction and couldn’t have lasted. But I’m clean now and have been for years.
“My life is so much better now than being a drug-ravaged member of the Stones. So no, I don’t regret leaving. But people who really know me ask another question – whether I regret joining the Stones. To me, that’s far more astute.”
Jim Carroll, the poet and punk rocker who wrote "The Basketball Diaries," died Friday. He was 60.
He died from a heart attack at his home in Manhattan, his ex-wife Rosemary Carroll told the New York Times.
Carroll was a fixture of the 1970s downtown Manhattan scene, where he mixed with artists such as Patti Smith and Robert Mapplethorpe. His life was shaped by drug use, which he wrote about extensively.
"The Basketball Diaries" was made into a movie in 1995 starring Leonardo DiCaprio, and he also published several poetry collections. His 1980 album, "Catholic Boy," has been hailed as a landmark punk record, and he became known for one of its songs, "People Who Died."
But it was "The Basketball Diaries," his autobiographical tale of life as a sports star at Trinity, an elite private high school in Manhattan, that brought him his widest audience. The son of a bar owner, Carroll attended the school on a basketball scholarship.
During his career, Carroll collaborated with Lou Reed, Boz Scaggs, Ray Manzarek, Pearl Jam, Rancid and Blue Oyster Cult.
Billboard.com is reporting that the much-anticipated reissues of the Beatles' catalog which hit stores on Sept. 9 are doing brisk business.
According to SoundScan's Building Chart data, more than 235,000 albums were purchased in the US. on Wednesday (Sept. 9) and Thursday (Sept. 10). The Building Chart's panel of reporters is made up of seven merchants that SoundScan estimates represent more than 70% of all U.S. album sales: Trans World Entertainment, Best Buy, iTunes, Starbucks, Borders, Target and Anderson Merchandisers.
That 235,000 figure is a mighty impressive number, considering in the week ending Sept. 6, the band's entire catalog shifted a total of 21,000.
Abbey Road was the band's bestseller in those two days, shifting 32,000 copies while Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club was in second-place with 27,000. Next up were The White Album (22,000), Rubber Soul (21,000), Help! (16,000) and Revolver (15,000).
With those kinds of preliminary figures already racked up, the Beatles will easily overwhelm both Billboard's Top Comprehensive Albums and Top Pop Catalog Albums charts next week. Nielsen SoundScan's sales tracking week runs from Monday through Sunday of each week and Billboard's new album charts will be revealed next Wednesday (Sept. 16).
On the Top Pop Catalog Albums chart, it looks like the Beatles will own nine out of the top 10 titles, with only Michael Jackson's resilient Number Ones the lone non-Beatles set.
Chart watchers note: the two new Beatles in Stereo and Beatles in Mono boxed sets will chart on the Billboard 200, as the tally houses current and new releases (generally those 18 months old or less). Over on the Top Comprehensive Albums chart, both old and new albums mingle together. Thus, the individual album reissues of the Beatles' catalog will chart on the Top Comprehensive Albums and Top Pop Catalog Albums charts.
Record label sources predict that "Abbey Road" could end up selling as much as 100,000 copies by the close of the tracking week on Sunday night, Sept. 13. Those well-trained industry eyeballs also figure "Peppers," "White Album" and "Rubber Soul" may shift anywhere between 45,000 and 60,000.
The UK's Mail Online reports Phil Collins today revealed he will never drum again because he is suffering from a painful spine injury.
The former Genesis star can't even hold his sticks after years of sitting in front of a drumkit.
Collins, 58, whose hits include "In The Air Tonight", said: 'After playing drums for 50 years, I've had to stop.
'My vertebrae have been crushing my spinal cord because of the position I drum in.
It comes from years of playing. I can't even hold the sticks properly without it being painful, I even used to tape the sticks to my hands to get through.'
But this is not the end of his music career, as Collins told fans: 'Don't worry, I can still sing.'
Led Zeppelin guitarist Jimmy Page has turned down a string of lucrative offers to lift the lid on his time in the legendary band - insisting he's just "not interested" in writing a book.
The rock legend - who is starring in the just released movie 'It Might Get Loud' with U2's The Edge and Jack White of The White Stripes - admits he has been approached by numerous publishing houses over the years, all eager to sign him up to pen his autobiography.
But Page keeps turning the offers down as most books about the Whole Lotta Love hitmaker are "a load of rubbish".
He says, "I've had so many offers over the years, but I'm not interested. I wouldn't know how to go about it."
Bravewords.com is reporting that according to Dana Parker-McClain from Pollstar.com, Van Halen will hit the road in 2010, Ticketmaster Entertainment CEO Irving Azoff announced during the 2009 Bank of America Merrill Lynch Media, Communications and Entertainment Conference Sept. 9.
This was not expected to be the time when the next VH tour would be announced, but some lines got crossed and the information was brought during the Q&A.
Azoff also announced TM plans to unveil interactive seat maps in the fourth quarter followed by dynamic ticket pricing in 2010 and praised the company’s initial moves into paperless ticketing.
Live Nation CEO Michael Rapino, who joined Azoff for their first ever co-presentation at the conference, echoed the need for more dynamic pricing in ticketing and called LN’s no service fee Wednesdays offering this summer a success, garnering 80 to 90 percent approval ratings in exit surveys with fans.
The principals remained fairly mum about the pending merger deal, however both expressed hope they’ll see closure by the end of the year.
The BBC is reporting former Rolling Stones bassist Bill Wyman has expressed concern that music games like Rock Band stop young people from practicing real musical instruments.
He told the BBC: "It encourages kids not to learn, that's the trouble.
"It makes less and less people dedicated to really get down and learn an instrument. I think is a pity so I'm not really keen on that kind of stuff."
Wyman was speaking at Abbey Road studios while recording a charity Beatles song for Children in Need.
His words were echoed by Pink Floyd star Nick Mason who described music games like Rock Band and Guitar Hero as "interesting new developments".
But he added: "It irritates me having watched my kids do it - if they spent as much time practicing the guitar as learning how to press the buttons they'd be damn good by now."
However later on Mason says that Pink Floyd are open to working on a Rock Band or Guitar Hero-style game in the future, stating "I think we'd consider it. I think everyone's looking at new ways of selling the music because the business of selling records has almost disappeared".
Rock Radio is reporting that Glenn Tipton of Judas Priest says the band have had such a great time playing British Steel live in full to celebrate its 30th anniversary, their next project might be to write an album inspired by their early sound.
Rob Halford and co reached new heights of indulgence with their well-received concept album Nostradamus earlier this year, but decided not to tour it because they wanted to give fans time to absorb the ideas contained in its three discs.
Instead, the band credited with bringing leather and studs to the metal fraternity went for another first and hit to road to perform their 1980 classic LP, British Steel, in full.
"It's been received so very, very well - better than we ever expected." guitarist Tipton tells Ground Control. "We've never played an album in its entirety before this tour, but it's just fantastic. It's a really great way to celebrate 30 years of British Steel.
"The set is comprised of British Steel and other songs of the time in keeping - numbers like The Ripper and Victim of Changes and others from that era. It's all retro types of songs and it's quite nostalgic.
"The mix of fans is incredibly wide too - we've got a lot of the stalwart fans there and a surprising number of younger kids who got turned onto Priest by their parents, or discovered us their own way. It's always great to se young faces in the audience - it means that, through the years, we've done something right."
Tipton recalls the making of British Steel, in early 1980, was a very smooth process. It was recorded in John Lennon's Tittenhurst Park, the place he recorded Imagine. Since the project came together smoothly and organically, it's proved very easy to transfer onto the stage.
He explains: "We wrote at least 50% of it while we were recording, which is very unusual for us.. It was very spontaneous and was very straightforward. Songs like Breaking the Law and Living After Midnight just clicked and fell into place."
The band will finish their current tour in Japan, and while they'd already publicly discussed taking Nostradamus on tour, Tipton's more vague about what comes next.
He says: "I'm not sure what the next step is - but we never do. We've got various options open to us and we haven't made those decisions - but we will when the time comes.
"We've had such great fun on this tour, I wonder if a sort of retro-sounding album of new material might be on the cards. That could be the case. We're enjoying playing so much and the crowd's loving it, so that may be the formula for the next album."
Pink Floyd drummer Nick Mason is to participate in this years Children in Need charity event. The long-running event, organized by the BBC, is to feature an album recorded at the famous Abbey Road Studios in London.
Called Bandaged Together, it will feature the works of various artists including Bill Wyman, Midge Ure, Nick Mason, Roger Taylor, Bryan Ferry, Beth Rowley, Imelda May, Clare Teal, Hayley Westenra, Cerys Matthews, Hugh Cornwell, Heather Small, Paloma Faith, Cara Dillon, Peter Gabriel, Finbar Fury, and Red Hurley.
It will be released at some point in late October early November. In addition to the album, there will be a "Making Of" broadcast as part of the Children In Need coverage on the BBC.
A series of interviews with late Beatles legend John Lennon have been published - revealing the star's thoughts on his bandmate Paul McCartney and the Fab Four's split.
The interviews also include previously unpublished chats with McCartney and Ringo Starr by British journalist Ray Connolly.
In one of the tapes, recorded in 1969, Lennon is heard praising McCartney's musical ability at a time when the legendary band was on the verge of splitting up and after he was rumored to have dismissed his pal's work as pop ditties.
Lennon tells Connolly, "(For No One from the Revolver album) that was one of the good ones. All his semi-classical ones are best, actually. I suppose it was a bit hard on him... I only ever asked two people to work with me as a partner. One was Paul McCartney and the other Yoko Ono.”
Lennon also opens up about the reasons behind the band's split, insisting he wanted to initiate the break up months before they parted ways in 1970 - but they stayed together in case it damaged sales of their album Let It Be.
He says, "Paul just kept mithering (worrying) on about what we were going to do, so in the end I just said, 'I think you're daft. I want a divorce.'"
In another taped interview two years after the split, Lennon adds,"The whole thing died in my mind long before the rumpus started. We used to believe the Beatles myth just as much as the public and we were in love with them just the same way. But we were four individuals who eventually recovered our individualities (sic) after being submerged in a myth."
Though music has taken a digital turn, Robert Cray didn't recently get his first computer to keep up with industry trends. The Grammy-winning blues singer/guitarist is just making sure he can see his young son and wife while he's on tour.
"The band just bought me a computer, like three weeks ago," the 56-year-old said in a recent interview. "I just turned it on a few days ago, and I'm getting set up basically so I can see our 2-year-old son when I'm on the road. So I can have video conversations with him."
His family isn't the only thing he's smiling about these days. Cray and his band — including guitarist Richard Cousins, drummer Tony Braunagel and keyboardist Jim Pugh — recently released their eighteenth CD, "This Time." Cray says the disc — which fuses blues, soul and contemporary R&B — is filled with "new life and new energy."
Q : So you really just got your first computer?
Cray: They did it because they wanted to me to see my son. And I was making plans to do that, because I had watched the other guys with their computers and watched them having conversations with their families and said, "Well I'm going to do this." But they beat me to the punch.
To read more of the interview go to this location.
Sony Music Entertainment and Experience Hendrix L.L.C. have partnered in an arrangement that will result in a bevy of “deluxe” reissues of the legendary guitarist’s extensive catalog. Among the planned releases are expanded versions of 'Are You Experienced?', 'Axis: Bold As Love', 'Electric Ladyland', and (outside the US) 'Band of Gypsys'. A number of posthumous compilations, produced under the stewardship of Experience Hendrix, are slated for release as well.
"Jimi's legacy and vision were unique and there will never be another that reaches his unparalleled genius,” said Janie Hendrix, President and CEO of Experience Hendrix, in a statement. “He was the greatest guitarist ever. We are confident that our new relationship with Sony Music will honor my beloved brother's legacy and will deliver Jimi's special 'Message Of Love' across the globe.”
“No artist has ever transformed the pop music landscape as profoundly or as permanently as Jimi Hendrix," echoed Adam Block, Senior Vice President and General Manager of Legacy Recordings. "We are proud to be partnering with Experience Hendrix, keeping the sound and spirit of Jimi's music alive for future generations around the world."
It is said that these releases will include never-before-heard recordings. In addition, Sony will be issuing a series of filmed concerts. The release date is reportedly sometime in 2010.
Earlier today, according to Aussie website Undercover News, drummer Charlie Watts had purportedly announced plans to quit the Rolling Stones.
The exclusive, quoting an "inner circle source", claims “Charlie Watts has quit the band. He will never record or tour with the band again”.
The article goes on to say that the Stones founding member would be replaced by Charlie Drayton of Keith Richards' Expensive Winos for any future recording or tours.
Now comes news from the Stones themselves, categorically denying the rumors.
In a statement issued today, the band said : ""Contrary to a fabricated story that ran this morning on a small music web site in Australia, drummer Charlie Watts has not left The Rolling Stones".
Los Lonely Boys (Henry, Ringo, and Jojo Garza) announce the upcoming release of '1969' (Lonely Tone/Playing in Traffic), an EP of covers that pays tribute to one of America's most musically hailed years.
Five years after crossing into the mainstream with the Grammy winning single "Heaven," the brothers take this opportunity to invoke the sound of a generation that walked the moon and transcended Woodstock. They lend praise to songs that provided a soundtrack for so many and inspired their own multi-platinum success. With their signature blend of Latin rhythms, searing guitar leads and impeccable harmonies, the band takes the opportunity to trace their musical lineage through the following tracks : Santana's "Evil Ways," The Beatles' "She Came In Through the Bathroom Window," Tony Joe White's "Polk Salad Annie," and The Doors' "Roadhouse Blues."
Legendary engineer Andy Johns provides his signature, timeless sound to 1969. In addition to recording Blind Faith's "Well All Right" – also a featured track on the EP – Johns is well known for his work on Led Zeppelin II, III, IV and The Rolling Stones' Exile on Main St.
Close friend Carlos Santana once told the brothers "When you're up on that stage or when you record, you want to be the tool that shines light through to everybody."
Los Lonely Boys always took his message to heart and more so now than ever with their spirited renditions of these classic tracks that they hope will appeal to their current audiences as well as attract new ones that appreciate this generation of music.
"Peace, love and gracias to Carlos Santana, Eric Clapton, Steve Winwood, Buddy Holly, The Beatles, Tony Joe White, The Doors - some of the many musicians and songwriters that made 1969 a pathway for us to follow," offers guitarist Henry Garza on the upcoming project.
1969 also marks the first one via their new label home, the Austin-based Playing in Traffic Records http://playingintrafficrecords.com/ and their own imprint Lonely Tone Records.
A special edition of 'Listening Through A Glass Onyon' radio show will air Sunday, Sept. 6, 2009 at 12:00 pm Noon EST. The show is a tribute to the 10 year anniversary of the release of Bruce Cameron's 'Midnight Daydream' CD, which was originally released in Sept. 1999.
Billy James was the project coordinator and also performed on the CD alongside legendary music artists Mitch Mitchell, Buddy Miles, Billy Cox, Jack Bruce, Ken Hensley, Michael Bruce, Neal Smith and Harvey Dalton Arnold.
Bruce Cameron was a gifted songwriter and guitarist whose life ended much too soon - he is sadly missed. The program will showcase songs from the CD (which is currently out of print) and will also air a rare radio commercial spot by Mitch Mitchell, Billy Cox discussing the project and Bruce Cameron and ANT-BEE radio interview snippet.
To access the radio broadcast go to this location.
Although the CD is out of print, one can still download it legally at the Brain Cell Records website at this location.
Named after two obscure blues men, Whistlin' Rufus and Luther Huff, this hard rockin' foursome from Kentucky mine the heavy blues rock scene of the early 70's ala ZZ Top, Free and early Bad Company to great success on their debut self titled release 'Rufus Huff'.
Featuring Grammy Award winning guitar legend Greg Martin of The Kentucky Headhunters and ex Supafuzz rhythm section Dean Smith and Chris Hardesty, and topped off with the tough vocals of Jarrod England, their approach - which is basically the power trio format augmented by a vocalist, won't break any new ground, but if you're a fan of the down and dirty vintage sound of Marshall amps being overdriven, and hearing a Les Paul guitar sing in the tradition of Billy Gibbons, Duane Allman or Paul Kossoff, you owe it to yourself to check this band out. http://www.myspace.com/rufushuff
