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Dark mutterings suggest that the freshly recorded Liberty X album will never see the light of day, if V2 have anything to do with it. And since most of the band seem to have returned to the reality TV machine which spat them into our faces in the first place, it doesn't seem likely anyone would be that bothered. Certainly not down in the record shop checkout line.
There's extra stuff been added to the Dinosaur Jr. reunion, with the addition of a huge slew of US dates in July:
Orlando House Of Blues (7)
Atlanta Variety Playhouse (8)
Norfolk The Norva (9)
Cat’s Cradle Carrboro (10)
Washington DC 9:30 Club (11)
Philadelphia Electric Factory (13)
New York Central Park SummerStage (14)
Boston Avalon (15)
Cleveland House Of Blues (19)
Pontiac Clutch Cargo’s (20)
Covington Madison Theater (21)
Milwaukee Eagles Club (22)
Minneapolis Quest (23)
Chicago Lollapalooza (24)
Meanwhile, Kasabian are also going to go traipsing about the US, for a couple of months:
Atlanta The Loft (May 10)
Washington DC 9.30 Club (12)
Philadelphia Theater Of Living Arts (13)
Boston Paradise Rock Club (14)
New York Bowery Ballroom (16-17)
Montreal Cabaret Music Hall (18)
Toronto Kool Haus (20)
Richmond 18th Street (22)
Chicago Double Door (24)
Minneapolis Fine Line Music Café (25)
St Louis Creepy Crawl (27)
Lawrence Bottleneck (28)
Omaha Sokol Underground (29)
Salt Lake City Club Sound (31)
Portland Doug Fir Lounge (June 2)
Vancouver Commodore Ballroom (3)
Auburn White River amp (4)
Mountain View Shoreline Amp (10)
San Diego KBZT Radio show (18)
Every man should live long enough to have a chance to see a band like Kasabian play Salt Lake City, surely? Let's hope they do better than Razorlight.
While Eminem is probably delighted that, after ages, a judge has thrown out an attempt to sue him by an old school bully, he might be less than flattered by the reasons the judge gave:
A Michigan appeals court dismissed DeAngelo Bailey's legal action because most fans would not take Eminem's story of a vicious attack seriously.
In other words, it's now official: legally, nobody takes Eminem seriously. Equally, though, nobody seems to take DeAngelo that seriously, either, not even his own brief:
Mr Bailey's lawyer Byron Nolen said he was not surprised by the ruling and would not appeal to the Michigan Supreme Court. "I don't think [the justices] would even look at it to be honest with you," he said.
Oddly, Mariah Carey's new album - the one that's meant to show us the real her, of course - doesn't seem to be quite so honest when it comes to its artwork, according to Che Graham, professional photography retoucher with Lux Imaging:
"They shrunk her arm, have her a smaller waist, stretched her legs and even lengthened her fingers. She looks at least 30lbs thinner."
It's believed the shoes, at least, are genuine.
Whatever the Girls Aloud camp try to claim, it seems lukewarm reaction to yet another trudging ballad cover has lead to the scrapping of Wicked Games as a single. The Official line is that it's just too difficult to push a single while rehearsing for a tour:
"We tried to release a new single to coincide with the tour but it's just not going to be possible. It would have meant the girls taking time out of rehearsals to film videos and shoot the sleeve and then do promotion for the single on TV."
Hmm... they need so much rehearsal for the tour they can't pop in to do a CD:UK and a slot or two on Radio One? Either they're rubbish singers or... well, even if they are, it's clear that the mass internet going "Another bloody ballad?" has scuppered the single. Thank god for the power of digital.
Just taking a quick pause to mention that, astonishingly, the Kaiser Chiefs are in today's Morning Star:
The big theme in today's papers is that the major label's ban on tracks for free CDs is starting to have an effect - a couple of papers have just shrugged and decided to concentrate on giving away movies on DVD - the Times has got The Fabulous Baker Boys; The Sun is doing some sort of mail-on for a double pack. But the shrugging of the majors has just lead the Daily Star to rummage a little further afield:
Justine Frischmann on the front of the Star, along with a CD featuring Alabama 3's splendid Aint Goin' To Goa. From the Daily Star.
No, no, put your knives down, he doesn't mean like that. But young Trent has made available a new track designed for you to pull into Garageband and remix to your hearts content - add pig noises, the sound of naked arse slapping, some more drums.
(Obviously, this assumes you have a Mac and an up-to-date version of this
)
This far, most of the people targetted by the RIAA have looked at the size of the multi-headed beast attacking them and, understandably, elected to come to a settlement. This far. Dawnell Leadbetter has been contacted by a debt collection agency demanding thousands of bucks on behalf of the RIAA. Leadbetter is furious - not just with the RIAA, but also with Comcast, her ISP. Comcast had just handed over her contact details without her agreement, or, indeed, any court compelling them to do so. Leabbetter is now suing Comcast for violating her privacy. Even if she doesn't win her case, it's going to cause ISPs to demand more than just an email from the RIAA before they hand over details, which is going to make their attempts to sue everybody in America even more expensive, and even more pointless.
The Manics gig tonight at Edinburgh's Corn exchange was to be a small affair, just 2,000 people. A bunch of diehard fans were determined to get the best positions, so drove through the night from last night's Newcastle gig to get to the venue and sezie a place at the front of the queue. They turned up at two am.
And it was worth it - by eleven this morning, there were a whole, erm, sixteen people in the queue.
Police suggest there was no crowd control issues at this stage.
People queueing for something other than the Manics, yesterday
Being slipped Rohypnol while you're out is a terrible thing, and nobody would want to make light of it. However, having read the details of what Ananova are calling Michelle Heaton's Date Rape Drug Hell, we're not quite sure what to make of it all.
Because, it seems, she must have been slipped something - otherwise how could she have woken up the next morning not being able to remember anything after "just a couple of vodkas"?
"It was terrifying. I'm a Geordie lass and can take my drink. I've never been drunk on just two like that. But apparently I lost my balance, was dancing really strangely and then I collapsed. I know my drink must have been spiked for me to behave like that. It's all very scary and from now on I'm going to make sure I am never going to take my eye off a drink for a second."
We're not sure how you can be sure something was terrifying if you don't remember anything about it, and it's possible that her drink was spiked - in which case it's bloody lucky her boyfriend was there to pick her up and take her home.
On the other hand, if she can hold her drink like a Geordie lass, presuambly her groaning entry in the Befuddle drunk celebs archive must be full of snaps taken when she was tired.
We think the key phrase in the report makes everything a little clearer:
[...] said Michelle, who is set to star in new ITV1 show Celebrity Wrestling
It's certainly an ill wind that there's a juicy story just before the series launches, isn't it?
We're actually not entirely sure we can be bothered, but the lyrics to the great Limp Bizkit comeback have sprung up online. And here they are:
You can't sleep, you're restless
and slightly obsessed with falling too deep
and malfunction, you're a virus
who's intention is fucking up something
You're a crater
on the face of a problem much greater
It's the violence, or lack thereof control
Body and soul, digging a hole
Is the blood stainless?
Enjoy the pain with accepting your grief
Are you finished?
Dumb fucking question, don't let yourself fall asleep
Ressurect the intention
Once your vision is now mass-produced,
Imagine the insults a blessing
Imagine accepting the truth
Imagine accepting the truth
Imagine accepting the truth
Imagine accepting the truth
Just imagine accepting the truth
Imagine accepting the truth
The pendulum swinging
hypnosis is taking control, now you linger
on a shadow of a doubt
Have you really figured what you're all about?
Don't trust your instincts
Just open the chamber where you keep those darkest regrets
All the things you've done wrong
Rebellious at heart all along
Is your leader a voice?
Somehow you replaced all your game with a debt
Now the payback's a bitch
Why owe your life to a bitch?
Absolutely pathetic
and regret it when told you are made of mistakes
Imagine the insults a blessing
Imagine accepting the truth
Imagine accepting the truth
Imagine accepting the truth
Imagine accepting the truth
Imagine accepting the truth
Imagine accepting the truth
Now speak to your leader!
Now speak to your leader!
Your father who art in heaven
Hallowed be thy name, deliver us from evil, deliver us from evil
Your father who art in heaven
Hallowed be thy name, deliver us from evil, deliver us from evil
Our father who art in heaven
Hallowed be thy name, deliver me from evil, deliver me from evil
Our father who art in heaven
Hallowed be thy name, deliver me from evil, deliver me from evil
Imagine accepting the truth
Imagine accepting the truth
Imagine accepting the truth
Imagine accepting the truth
Imagine accepting the truth
Imagine accepting the truth
Phew. Stuff like that you can't just find opening up the school folder of any thirteen year-old, you know. Do you see what Fred's done? He's incoporated the Lord's Prayer into the lyric to save having to write another verse ("to make a sharp point about religion, man").
If you really want a giggle, you can apparently download the track in some sort of mp3 format from what we believe is a Polish website. Now, if you'll excuse us, we're going to open the chamber where we store all our regrets, as we think that's where put the charcoal briquettes at the end of last as well.
At long last, Pat Kane has got his rewards for the notorious page three story in NME about the link between sex and chocolate: the Hue and Cry singer and former journo has been named Britain's first Thinker In Residence. His residence is going to be the At Bristol Centre, and his thinking will be... well, we're sure it'll be very good, whatever form it takes. Perhaps these will be included in his thoughts:
- If I phoned ITV and offered to do Looking For Linda, would they let me on Hit Me Baby One More Time?
- How are they going to tell I've been thinking? Will they want some sort of proof before they pay me?
- Was Shattered Dreams us or Johnny Hates Jazz?
- Perhaps they're monitoring my thoughts. My god, perhaps they've got some sort of brain-reader
- I really don't think I look like Jimmy Carr, that seems to be a bit unfair
- Oooh... schoolgirls, flakes, Catholic uniforms, Mint Aeros, forbidden, black tights
- Damn... I hope they didn't hear that
Next week: Muriel Gray to be put on display in a cage at Chessington World of Adventure.
Still available:
The Best of Hue and Cry
We'd dragged JJ72 to our mental trashcan following their long absence and the rumours that the interesting one, Hilary, had quit. But we're dragging them back to the desktop as fast as our overstretched metaphor will allow us: they're back, with a tour:
May 6th Cork - Cruisin Lan
7th Waterford - TEN
8th Limerick - Dolans
10th Galway - Roisin Dubh
11th Castlebar - Royal Theatre Ruby Room
12th Belfast - Spring & Airbrake
14th Glasgow - King Tuts
15th Leeds - Cockpit
17th Manchester - Academy III
18th London - 93 Ft East
They're back with a download-only single (She's Gone - aptly, on May 23rd).
They're back with a proper single (Coming Home - oh, how the aptness extends itself) for July 4th.
They're back with an album in September.
And most of all, they're back with a new bassist, who has an even more Ian Flemingesque name, Sarah Fox.
And, apparently, Nick Rhodes is in the band now:
One of the team at Blogcritics realises those 'get a free iPod' offers are a scam. Luckily, he's able to console himself that when that money from that Nigerian widow hits his bank account, he'll be able to buy all the iPods he wants.
Yes, for whatever reason (probably to try and take everyone's mind off the howling coming from Celine Dion day in, day out) Las Vegas has declared today Diddy Day, in honour of the many names of Sean Combs.
Is it Happy Diddy Day or Merry Diddy Day? I can never remember.
This week's chart battle makes Blur versus Oasis look like a catty slap bitchfest. (Oh, it was, wasn't it?) indie representative group AIM are calling on the government to ban this week's 40 outright.
They're still smarting over the way the downloads are being integrated into the chart and are calling on the Office of Fair Trading to step in and crush the listings. Alison Wenham, Chief Exec explains why:
"There are serious commercial consequences of publishing a chart which is a barometer of public taste, which guides playlists, television, scheduling, compilation activity, and international licensing, and which disadvantages the independent sector."
It's interetsing that the Official Chart Company are keeping a ghost chart without downloads in, presumably just in case. It means they're able to reject claims that indies will be hurt by the new format:
"Midweek figures indicate that the combined chart for this Sunday is likely to figure eight titles from independent labels, two more than would appear in a physical format Top 40," the OCC said in a statement.
It's not clear if that includes anything that Gut are trying to cheat into the chart to prove the weakness of the new system.
We're not expecting the OFT to crush the chart, though.
What does concern us - as someone posted in the No Rock comments box earlier this week - is the claims that the Official Chart Company are somehow able to "check credit card numbers" to avoid fraud. Even if there wasn't a huge data and privacy question over why the OCC should be allowed access to credit card numbers of people buying downloads, it's surely unacceptable from a security point of view for a third party to be allowed to access this supposedly secure data? And, erm, what's to stop people buying those Napster prepay cards to purchase downloads and thereby hide the purchaser's details altogether?
The rather nasty lawsuit between Sony-BMG and Rosa Parks, arising from Outkast naming a song after her without permission, has been settled. Sony BMG admit no wrongdoing, but have agreed to invest cash "to enlighten today's youth about the significant role Rosa Parks played in making America a better place for all races."
Outkast had been dismissed from the suit by a judge earlier; we're still not entirely sure what possessed Sony-BMG to not just say "sorry" and settle back then. Now, though, Sony are positively brimming over with joy about the chances this settlement are giving them, to judge by their solicitor Joe Beck:
"We think it will go a long way towards teaching a new generation about Rosa Parks and her accomplishments, and we appreciate Mrs. Parks' and her attorneys' acknowledgment of the First Amendment in protecting artistic freedom."
- which does raise the question: if Sony thinks this is such a great thing to be involved in, why did it take a lawsuit to make them decide to do it?
We're also wondering if an Associated Press sub saw this bit before they posted the story to the wires:
The settlement ends a legal dispute that some of Parks' own relatives had criticized, saying she wouldn't have minded the use of her name in the song "Rosa Parks" had she not been mentally impaired.
Now, we know they mean that had she been able to speak for herself, some of her family believe she wouldn't have had an objection to the song. But the way it's written makes it sound like her relatives were going "she only complained because she was nuts."
But don't wait for Sony to teach you history:
Dane Bowers, who had a hit about three decades ago with Victoria Beckham doing the vocals, and then presented Smash Hits TV on Sky One and, um, you know, stuff like that got himself arrested after a touch of the Dohertys. Six foot barman Matt Goss (not, we think, that Matt Goss) was enjoying a drink with Dane's manager after hours in a hotel when... well, Matt picks up the story:
"When Dane arrived with two girls and another guy he just went mad. He started screaming and shouting and told me to get the fuck out. I got up to leave and had almost reached the doorway when he punched me three times in the face. I didn't get aggressive or hit him back."
Apparently Dane stays at Novotel these days. When he's not down at the cop shop. Bowers was released on bail.
The band have had to re-arrange their current tour due to illness - presumably the thought of being warm-up act to Charlie Busted's rock wank fantasy band struck them low. The internet rumour was that Justin Schlosberg has snapped his neck, but that (of course) is an internet rumour and we know what they're worth, eh?
The tour now flows like this:
Leicester Princess Charlotte (April 17)
Sheffield Fez Club (18)
Leeds Cockpit (19)
Wrexham Central Station (20)
Birmingham Academy2 (21)
Manchester Academy3 (22)
Gloucester Guildhall (23)
Milton Keynes Woughton Centre (24)
London Mean Fiddler (25)
With the Isle of Wight and Eden added to Glastonbury over the last couple of years, the festival axis seems to be shifting southwards again. Now, Hall for Cornwall are doing a festival as well, Springloaded. Echo and the Bunnymen, Billy Bragg, The Music and Fightstar lined up for the three-day indoor business, from May 26th. Yes, Fightstar. Headlining (over Hell Is For Heroes, which must delight them).
Reggae star Junior Delgado has died. Although he was only 46, Junior had a career spanning three decades, working with nearly all of the giants of reggae.
Junior was born Oscar Hibbert in West Kingston, Jamaica in 1958. A lot of his early work was recorded at Lee 'Scratch' Perry's studio. As Delgado remembered:
"Well, the first producer I worked with was Upsetter, Lee Perry, Scratch. That was like magical, because that was when I was very, very young, you know. I was 17. Scratch, he was a man I could remember. Bob Marley was there, Peter Tosh - but they were like big men - and Family Man (Aston Barrett), and Carlie (Carlton Barrett), and Reggie were there. And Junior Byles and Max Romeo and a lot of people. That's where I saw Chris Blackwell the first time."
At this time, Delgado was working as a member of Time Unlimited, but he also did work on the side for Rupie Smith under the contractually dubious Heavenly Brothers. After both bands petered away, Delgado was persuaded by Dennis Brown to go solo. By now it was the mid-70s, a period which saw Junior recording Tricksters and Storm Is Coming Taste of the Young Heart, his debut solo album, was released in 1978; its success persuaded him to launch his own label, Incredible Jux.
In the 1980s he'd add Sly and Robbie to his illustrious list of collaborators for Fort Augustus and Merry Go Round, building a reputation worldwide.
Spending time split between Jamiaca and London, Delgado brought the same social conscience that lead him to create Tition with Dennis Brown to the track Broadwater Farm. When his predictions of tension boiling over on the estate proved to be correct, the single found itself out of favour.
In the late 90s, Delgado produced Fearless, with a mix of guests stretching from Jerry Dammers to Maxi jazz, and joined the On-U Sound family of acts, working with Adrian Sherwood for his Reasons album.
Although unexpected, Delgado's death is believed to have been from natural causes.
We know people in the US feel obliged to act as outraged as possible whenever a person with a clipboard asks them a question ("quick... better be moralistic in case it's a Bush administration spy - don't want to be sent for re-education in the tunnels under Denver International Airport"), but we're still a little surprised that a majority of American parents think Britney's too young to start a family. She is 24, you know. It's like she's destined to remain a perpetual preteen in the American psyche.
Something that ruins both the concept of the chat show and whatever remains of the image of Fred Durst: plans for My Life with Fred Durst. Yes, apparently an American TV company are thinking of pitching a "hybrid talk/docusoap" anchored by the middle-aged teenager.
Durst says he wants the show to be as far from a tabloid as possible and show sides of him not covered in the press. "I just want to have a spontaneous platform to have good conversations with people, who aren't necessarily on the show to sell a movie of product," he said. "I'm not interested in being controversial and pushing envelopes."
Bischoff was so impressed by the singer that he pitched him the idea for the talk show soon after their first meeting. "Fred can engage you in a conversation about classical music or films and then shift gears and bring up to speed on the world of extreme sports," he said. "His sense of what is on the horizon of pop culture is uncanny."
It's a pity that this side of Fred has never come through in any of his postings online, or his lyrics. Or his interviews, all of which make him seem like a pitiable cretin. We're also struggling to identify anyone who would want to tune in to watch Fred Durst. And when we do identify them, we can't see why they'd want to hear about classical music from him. It's like giving Jeremy Clarkson a fashion programme.
Meanwhile, the man himself has made a couple of posts to the Limp Bizkit blog, and we can safely assume that Letterman won't be rushing to put together a CV for a little while yet:
news
so a lot of the news about the new album i am hearing is true. i love the truth. that's what it's all about. the defintion of what gospel is. the unquestionable truth. no bells and whistles. no sugar coating the truth. for some it could be a bit too much to comprehend. fuck'em.
Oddly, despite his astonishing sense for what is on the radar of pop culture, Fred hasn't quite twigged that its a little hard to create an air of mystery over release dates and album titles when Amazon is already carrying the information.
Mogwai are returning to the studio to record a new album. The band's official statement reads:
I know thy works, and where thou dwellest, even where Satan's seat is: and thou holdest fast my name, and hast not denied my faith, even in those days wherein Antipas was my faithful martyr, who was slain among you, where Satan dwelleth.
Cheer yourself up in the last few days:
It turns out the shooting of Dimebag at the Columbus Damageplan gig wasn't the first time Nathan Gale had disrupted one of their gigs. Gale had previously attempted rushed the stage when the band played Cincinnati in 2004:
Gale, 25, jumped on stage and caused about $1,800 worth of damage to lights and other equipment during a struggle with club security, according to Cincinnati police reports. The band continued playing as Gale was removed from the stage, witnesses said.
Officers who responded to a 911 call labeled Gale's actions as criminal damaging and endangering, but no charges were filed because band members did not want to return to Cincinnati for court hearings, The Columbus Dispatch reported on Wednesday.
In other words, the band had had an opportunity to take action against Gale but elected not to because it would have meant a short interstate flight. Obviously, they didn't know what the consequences of that decision would be.
Apparently Lee Ryan's nodules are healed, and now the Blue tour is able to go ahead. With him singing, and everything.
Oh, brilliant.
We've always had a degree of respect for Benjamin Zephaniah, but that's being tried a bit with the news that he's written a poem to "mark" the ending of The Osbournes on MTV. Pam Ayres territory, surely? Or maybe Andrew Motion. Ben tries to jusitfy the work:
"I thought it was only fitting to put pen to paper and write them a fitting ode. The challenge was to write a poem about a family that has become an alternative institution without it sounding too worthy. Ozzy's not just the Prince of Darkness, but he's bona fide Brummy royalty too."
Doubtless he'll be knocking one out when Sharon makes the next Asda Mums commercial.
D'Angelo has had his driving licence takern away and been given a USD250 fine - complete with a 90 day suspended sentence. He pleaded guilty to traffic violations after he was stopped in January, soused and carrying dope while driving.
Ol Dirty Bastard is about to launch his new album, about six months after he died. It doesn't usually take dead rappers that long to get their work out. Slacker. Anyway, it's complete with a quasi-religious title ('A Son Unique'). There's a nasty little legal battle between Bastard's wife and his mother, so I guess the album not being called A Husband Unique tells us something right there.
The death has been announced of Johnnie Johnson, Chuck Berry's creative partner.
Born in 1925 in Fairmont, West Virginia, by the age of four Johnson was playing the piano. After the Second World War, Johnson moved first to Chicago, and then to St Louis, playing in bars and clubs and eventually creating his own trio.
New Years Eve 1952 brought a small crisis for the Johnnie Johnson trio - saxophonist Alvin bennett called in sick for the biggest gig of the year. The band managed to drum up a young bloke to fill in; it was the start of a collaboration with Chuck Berry that would shape the sound of rock and roll for a generation. Berry was a useful member of the band - not only was he a strong guitarist, but he had a car and the drive to hassle for gigs. It was Berry who got a tape of the act to Chess Records, claiming an audition slot and lifting the pair to a new level of working.
The partnership worked smoothly: Johnson would write a tune on the piano; Berry would then adapt it to guitar and add lyrics - a method which produced Sweet Little Sixteen, No Particular Place To Go and Roll Over Beethoven. Berry's Johnny B Goode was a tribute to his long standing partner.
Their working relationship came to an end in the early 70s, and it wasn't a happy split: Johnson tried to sue Berry for cash and credits in 2000, failing when a judge ruled there had been too much time passed since the songs had been written. Johnson had been a chronic alcoholic at the time, and was happy with a spot of cash in hand, while Berry, a sharper mind, was able to secure the glory and much of the cash for himself. (That was why the Johnnie Johnson trio auditioned for Chess, but the contract ended up under Chuck Berry's name).
While Berry continued to tour, Johnson had to find other ways of supporting himself. In 1987, Keith Richards set himself the task of putting together a backing band for a Chuck Berry tribute. Knowing his rock history, Richards set out to find Johnson, discovering him working a bus driver ferrying pensioners about. Despite all the upset, Johnson maintained he wasn't actually bitter; Berry and Johnson would often play together when their paths crossed. After the publication of Travis Fitzpatrick's biography of Johnson, Father of Rck and Roll, there were rumours that Berry was pissed off at suggestions that he diddled anyone out of their credits, which nearly wrecked plans for them to play together in St Louis, as Fitzpatrick recalls:
“Right about that time, the promoter came upstairs to the dressing room and said, ‘OK, Johnnie, there’s been a change in plans here ... you’re going to play your songs and then get off and Chuck is going to go on with his band,’” Fitzpatrick said. “Which is really unusual, because if they’re ever in the same vicinity, they always play together. So, obviously, it had to do with this controversy.”
As directed, Johnson played his set and left the stage. Berry followed with his band, but according to Fitzpatrick, things weren’t going well.
“It’s not sounding good at all .. all of a sudden, in the middle of his set, he kicks his piano player off the stage and says, ‘I need Johnnie,’” Fitzpatrick said. “He’s calling him a genius and my partner and all this stuff in front of the governors.
“He brought him (Johnson) on stage and really catered to him and actually stopped playing a couple of times just to point at Johnnie and let him take it,” Fitzpatrick continued. “It was really bizarre and I don’t know if it was him (Berry) admitting what happened (with the songwriting credits) or he just needed him to save the show.”
Johnson died on Wednesday morning at home. He had recently been in hospital with pneumonia, but had performed live a couple of weeks ago. The cause of death is still uncertain.
