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5/30/08

MOTLEY CRUE IN WAR OF WORDS WITH CANADIAN POLITICIAN

Motley Crue has gotten into a war of words with a Canadian politician who would prefer to see the group banned from his town. According to the Sarnia Observer, 78-year-old Sarnia, Ontario councilman Dave Boushy objected to the band's July 10th appearance at the town's annual Bayfest, suggesting that the Crue's raunchy image and behavior would be bad for the event's reputation. In a teleconference with reporters, Crue bassist Nikki Sixx responded to Boushy's view: "He's right. People are always, like, out to attack rock 'n' roll...God bless 'em, man. They keep our name in the press and re-ignite our passion to basically hold up the middle finger to these type of people, who really don't understand at all. If that's how these people have to get a little press for themselves, you know, we'll help 'em out."

• Boushy called for a motion last month mandating that the city have a say in which acts perform at the festival, stating, "I don't want to see pornography on land that is owned by the community."
• The councilman's idea was dismissed, but he and the rest of the council received a barrage of comments from townspeople, most of them outraged at the attempt to censor live music in Sarnia.
• Boushy defended his proposal, saying, "I did what I believe had to be done. I made a point and I'd do it again...My faith is what drives me."
• The Crue's Bayfest appearance will be on their own, without the rest of the Crue Fest lineup of Buckcherry, Trapt, Papa Roach and Sixx A.M.

STEVEN TYLER ISSUES STATEMENT ON REHAB STAY

Aerosmith frontman Steven Tyler has issued a statement on his recent entrance into a California rehab facility. The statement claims that Tyler checked himself in after "a series of surgeries and post-operative physical therapy (to correct long-time foot injuries resulting from his trademark athletic performance onstage)." Tyler himself commented in the statement, "The doctors told me the pain in my feet could be corrected but it would require a few surgeries over time. The 'foot repair' pain was intense, greater than I'd anticipated. The months of rehabilitative care and the painful strain of physical therapy were traumatic. I really needed a safe environment to recuperate where I could shut off my phone and get back on my feet."

• Tyler concluded by saying, "Make no mistake, Aerosmith has no plans to stop rocking. There's a new album to record, then another tour."
• The 60-year-old Tyler, clean and sober since 1986, checked himself into Las Encinas Hospital in Pasadena, California earlier this month and reportedly sought the help of celebrity drug counselor Dr. Drew Pinsky. The center is also the setting for the reality TV series Celebrity Rehab.
• Sources speculated to the Boston Herald that Tyler had gotten hooked on painkillers due to several recent health issues, including his foot surgeries, a bout of hepatitis C and a procedure on his throat.
• In the same report, some friends blamed his possible relapse into substance abuse on his two-year relationship with reportedly hard-partying girlfriend Erin Brady.

LEGENDARY PHOTOS FROM COLUMBIA RECORDS ARCHIVE TO BE EXHIBITED AND SOLD

Sony BMG, the company that owns the legendary Columbia Records, has announced a new deal to sell photos from the label's archive in a partnership with New York City's rock-based Morrison Hotel Gallery, according to The New York Times.

In mid-July, the Morrison Hotel in partnership with Sony BMG's Icon Collectibles, will open an exhibition of photos from Columbia's 30th Street Studio at the gallery.

Among the many artists who have recorded for Columbia throughout the years are Bob Dylan, Johnny Cash, Janis Joplin, Simon & Garfunkel, Santana, Bruce Springsteen, Billy Joel, and Miles Davis. Miles Davis will also be the focus of his own show at the Morrison Hotel gallery in November.

• John Ingrassia, the president of Sony BMG Music Entertainment's commercial music group said, "We're looking to take advantage of all the assets of the company, not just the audio recordings. We have the content, and we found a way to tap into it."
• Although Sony BMG owns the copyrights to the photos which will be made available for sale, they are giving their staff photographers a royalty for reproducing and/or autographing the reproductions.
• For more information on the gallery, log on to morrisonhotelgallery.com

DEEP PURPLE GOES 'AROUND THE WORLD' WITH NEW DVD

A new Deep Purple DVD, called Around the World Live, will come out on June 17th featuring four discs chronicling several live shows, including a 1995 concert in India, a 1999 Australia show and a 2002 gig from England. A fourth DVD includes a band documentary. The entire 57-song, nine-hour boxed set comes in a hardback cover that also includes a 32-page book, illustrated with photographs of Deep Purple.

Around The World Live has an eight-song bonus disc featuring footage from a 1995 concert in Seoul, South Korea, along with a 2002 interview with singer Ian Gillan and bassist Roger Glover.

• Deep Purple is in the Guinness Book Of World Records as the loudest band ever. Its debut album, Shades Of Deep Purple, came out in September of 1968.
• The current lineup has been together for six years and consists of vocalist Ian Gillan, guitarist Steve Morse, bassist Roger Glover, keyboardist Don Airey and drummer Ian Paice.

BAD COMPANY DRUMMER'S NYC HOME ROBBED

Bad Company drummer Simon Kirke had more than $350,000 worth of jewelry stolen from his Manhattan apartment last weekend. According to the New York Post, when Kirke and his family returned home from a weekend trip, they found their jewelry stash missing from a safe. Also gone were two laptop computers. Police say that both doors of the apartment were unlocked and there was no sign of forced entry. Kirke says he's not sure whether the safe was locked before they left for vacation.

• Kirke was a founding member of the bands Free and Bad Company.
• In recent years, Kirke has been performing and doing some songwriting. In 2006, he released a how-to-play-drums DVD called Lessons from a Legend.

FLASHBACK: THE BEATLES RELEASE 'SGT. PEPPER'S LONELY HEARTS CLUB BAND'

It was 41 years ago Sunday (June 1st, 1967), that the Beatles released the legendary Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band album in the U.K. The album, which was released a day later in the U.S., was one of the most groundbreaking and influential records in history.

There had been an unprecedented eight month gap with no new Beatles music since the group's previous album, 1966's Revolver, with the exception of the double-A sided "Penny Lane/Strawberry Fields Forever," which were recorded during the Sgt Pepper sessions. The album was highly anticipated, and was an immediate critical and commercial success.

Sgt. Pepper was the first Beatles album to be recorded after the group had stopped touring. As a result, the band could now take all the time they wanted with producer George Martin, rather than try to fit sessions in between tours, films, and other activities. The recording sessions stretched over a five month period, spanning from November 24th, 1966 to April 21st, 1967, at the legendary Abbey Road Studios.

The album was notable for its advance in the Beatles' songwriting, its unusual arrangements and orchestration, and its groundbreaking production techniques. It also represented a musical and visual step into psychedelia and the counterculture by the world's most popular band, and its release coincided with the famous 1967 "Summer of Love." It was hailed as a masterpiece by musicians and critics in all fields, and helped show the world that pop music could be taken more seriously as art.

Many other aspects of the album raised the bar for pop music albums, from the way the songs ran into each other, to sonic jokes embedded in the tracks, to the elaborate cover photo and packaging. The album's influence on pop culture has been immense.

• Because of the group's success, they were allowed unlimited studio time and creative carte blanche to rehearse, arrange, record, and overdub while in the studio. Instead of coming to the studio with finished and fully arranged tracks as they did in the past, many of their songs were brought to life on the studio floor, including "With A Little Help From My Friends," "Lucy In The Sky With Diamonds," "Being For The Benefit Of Mr. Kite," and "A Day In The Life."

THE SONGS:

Side One:

• "Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band" - The album opener, which led many people to initially believe that the album was recorded in front of a live audience, features a searing lead guitar part from Paul McCartney. Since 1989, the song has been a concert staple for McCartney.
• "With A Little Help From My Friends"- One of the last songs recorded for the project, it features Ringo Starr on lead vocals, with McCartney on piano and also playing one of his most distinctive and melodic bass parts. The song was originally called "Bad-Finger Boogie."
• Since returning to the road in 1989, Starr has included "With A Little Help From My Friends" in his concert setlists, usually as the show closer.
• "Lucy In The Sky With Diamonds"- This song caused more controversy than the other tracks. The initials of the song's title were rumored to stand for the hallucinogenic drug LSD, and caused the song to be banned from British airwaves. John Lennon, who wrote the majority of the lyrics, always insisted that the song was written after his three-year-old son Julian came home from school with a crayon drawing of a schoolmate. When Lennon asked him what the picture was of, Julian answered, "Lucy in the sky with diamonds."
• This was the only song from the album that Lennon ever performed live, when he sang it with Elton John on Thanksgiving night, 1974, at New York's Madison Square Garden.
• "Getting Better" - The most straight-forward pop track on the album, and stylistically closest to the band's older lineup of two guitars, bass and drums, is representative of how Lennon and McCartney were collaborating at the time. McCartney wrote the main body of the song, with Lennon supplying the "bridge" or "middle eight," of "I used to be cruel to my woman..."
• McCartney has said that Lennon's answering vocal of "Couldn't get much worse" to his "It's getting better all the time" perfectly summed up the sweet and sour elements of their musical partnership.
• McCartney cribbed the title from a pet phrase of substitute drummer Jimmy Niccol, who filled in for Starr during the Beatles' Australian tour in 1964.
• The song got its concert premiere during McCartney's 2002-2003 world tour.
• "Fixing A Hole" - There is some uncertainty as to the exact instrumental lineup on this song. According to session tapes, McCartney is featured on the harpsichord, with the bass part being recorded simultaneously on the same track. Seeing as how McCartney couldn't be in two places at once, it's a safe bet George Harrison was on bass guitar. Harrison also provides the distinctive "spiraling" guitar solo in his only true six-string spotlight of the album.
• "Fixing A Hole" got its live premiere in 1992 when McCartney returned to the Ed Sullivan Theater. On his 2005 tour, he performed the song alone, unaccompanied on the piano.
• "She's Leaving Home" - A classic Lennon and McCartney collaboration about the burgeoning 1960s generation gap. The verses of the song were written by McCartney, with Lennon supplying the song's bridge of "We gave her most of our lives..." No Beatles play instruments on this track. The stereo version of the album, which is different from the Beatles-approved mono mix, features a slightly slowed-down lead vocal.
• McCartney and George Martin got into a slight tiff over this song when McCartney enlisted the help of producer Mike Leander to score the string part for the song, rather than waiting for Martin to finish his session work with Cilla Black.
• McCartney premiered the song live during his 2002-2003 world tour.
• "Being For The Benefit Of Mr. Kite" - Lennon composed the song after purchasing an 1800s circus poster which literally describes the story of the song. The song's characteristic pump organ circus sound came from Lennon playing an actual organ, combined with tape loops of an organ played by George Martin spliced, thrown into the air, and reassembled. McCartney supplies the acoustic guitar solo that sounds like a Greek stringed instrument.
• An early version of the song can be found on The Beatles Anthology 3, with McCartney coaching Lennon on how to deliver the song's lead vocal.

Side Two:

• "Within You, Without You" - George Harrison's sole songwriting contribution to the album, this features a mini-Indian orchestra arranged by producer George Martin. It was Harrison's idea to add the laughter at the end of the track, to dispense with the overly serious mood and subject of the song.
• The song, which is the longest on the album, reflects Harrison's deepening spiritual quest through Hindu teachings.
• Shortly before his death in 1980, Lennon praised this song as one of Harrison's best, and said it was a personal favorite of his.
• "When I'm Sixty-Four" - One of McCartney's earliest songs, which he began around 1958 but took another eight years to finish. The song has a speeded-up lead vocal with a wordless backing vocal by McCartney, Harrison and Lennon, who although admittedly not a fan of the song, supplied the names of the subject's mythical grandchildren, "Vera, Chuck and Dave," along with other lyrics. This song, "Strawberry Fields Forever," and "Penny Lane" were the only tracks on the album to have been recorded in 1966.
• "When I'm Sixty-Four" and "Lovely Rita" are the only McCartney tracks on the album that he has never performed live.
• In 2002 Julian Lennon recorded a version of the song for an Allstate TV commercial.
• "Lovely Rita" - McCartney's ode to a mythical British meter maid. The song features soaring backing vocals by Lennon, McCartney, and Harrison, as well as a piano solo by George Martin, and comb and paper effects by Lennon and Harrison.
• "Good Morning, Good Morning" - Lennon was inspired by a Kellogg's Cornflake commercial for this slightly psychedelic look at suburbia. The song features the horn section of the Brian Epstein-managed group Sounds Incorporated -- who opened for the Beatles on their 1965 U.S. tour. George Harrison doesn't appear on the track, which features McCartney supplying a virtuosic raga-like lead guitar solo. In 1980 Lennon dismissed the song as "garbage."
• "Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band - Reprise"- This short reprise matches its opening guitar note perfectly with the rooster crow that ends the previous track.
• "A Day In The Life" - Lennon, McCartney and George Martin's tour de force combined a stark and plaintive ballad by Lennon with a brisk shuffle by McCartney. George Martin arranged an orchestra to go from the lowest note of their instruments to the highest in order to create the cacophony of sound that links the sections. The song also used the orchestra part to end the song, before the final droning piano chord which had all four Beatles hitting the chord with both hands on different keyboards.
• The Beatles produced a promotional video for the song, filmed primarily at the orchestral session, but it was not released at the time. Studio guests seen in the footage include Mick Jagger, Keith Richards, Marianne Faithful, Donovan and the Monkees' Mike Nesmith.
• At the end of "A Day In The Life," the band added two sonic "jokes" -- first, a high-pitched "dog whistle" noise many people could not hear, but which was audible to small children and dogs, and then a two-second loop of laughing gibberish in the vinyl record's run-out groove, that would continue playing indefinitely on many phonographs.

AUDIO CLIPS:

• In 1995's Beatles Anthology, George Harrison credited Paul McCartney with coming up with the concept of the Beatles taking on an alter-ego for Sgt. Pepper: "Well really, it was Paul who had been on a plane journey with (Beatles road manager) Mal Evans and come up with this idea of Sgt. Pepper. And he was just kind of... To me, we were just kind of in the studio to make the next record, and he was going on about this idea of some fictitious band."
• In 1995's Beatles Anthology Paul McCartney recalled that the types of names that various West Coast groups were using inspired the concept of Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band: "At then time there were lots of those sort of bands that you know, 'Laughing Joe and his Medicine Band Thank You Wham Bam Ma'am', kind of group names. 'Colonel Tucker's Medicinal Brew & Compound.' So I just thought, if there was a band, what would be a mad name for it?"
• John Lennon claimed that despite Sgt. Pepper being called rock's first concept album, he never considered it to be one: "It's called the first concept album. It doesn't go anywhere. '(Being For The Benefit Of) Mr. Kite,' all of my contributions have absolutely nothing to do with this idea of Sgt. Pepper and his band. But it works because we said it worked, and that's how it appeared."
• McCartney recalls writing "A Day In The Life" with Lennon: "For instance, 'A Day In The Life," John and I sat down and he had the opening verse. I think he had the opening idea, or we then took the idea from like The Daily Mirror or something. The Black-burn Lanc-ashire, the holes, Albert Hall all got mixed, a little poetic jumble that sounded nice. It was obviously a gorgeous song when he brought it. And I say, I was a big fan of John's, you gotta remember that. It wouldn't be, 'Yes professional person, we'll write this.' It would be, 'Can't wait to get my hands on this!'"
• In 1995's Beatles Anthology, George Martin recalled scoring the orchestra that linked Lennon and McCartney's sections together: "They told me they wanted an orchestral climax to fill these empty bars. A giant orgasm of sound rising from nothing at all to the most incredible noise."
• McCartney felt vindicated after the album's release, in view of the press' constant speculation that the Beatles were breaking up: "I was very pleased 'cause the newspapers, the musical papers, had been saying recently -- a month or two before -- 'What are the Beatles up to? Drying up, I suppose.' And it was nice making an album like Pepper thinking, 'Drying up? Yeah, I suppose that's right, yeah.' So it was lovely to have that on them, you know?"
• The group's recording engineer Geoff Emerick says that while the group worked out the songs' arrangements, he was happy to have the extra time to experiment on the group's sound: "They never realized what we were doing. As you know most of the tracks were constructed down in that studio. And while they were doing that it gave me the time, the luxury of time to, to be able to think up ideas of how to record different instruments in a different way and get different sounds. But they were never really aware of what we were doing, I don't think"
• Beatlefan magazine's executive editor Al Sussman says that the album was a major moment showing that the youth of the world were all in tune: "In those days, records came out on Friday. So that weekend, everybody was listening to this album. The same thing happened when The White Album came out (the next year). And you knew, that everybody, everybody, who were at all hip to what was musically relevant was listening to this. Oh yeah."
• Al Sussman recalls that at the time most fans were noticing that their heroes might be smoking something stronger that just cigarettes: "The fold-out of Sgt. Pepper. You'd fold the picture over and look in their eyes, and you can tell. There was definitely a glint, a certain glint to their eyes, that we hadn't really seen before."
• Al Sussman says that one of the album's greatest achievements is that it showed the world that rock and roll was not just disposable kids music: "Sgt. Pepper was the first album the non-rock and roll world looked upon as being... this is a significant record. You know, this isn't 'yeah, yeah, yeah' anymore. These guys are doing music that really says something."

THE ALBUM COVER:

The Beatles designed the album cover concept with then-husband-and-wife team Peter Blake and Jann Haworth, explaining that they wanted to appear with a crowd behind them of "people they liked." Blake created the scene of the group wearing psychedelic marching band outfits, being flanked by their audience, using mainly cardboard blown-up photographs of famous people. The final shot, which was photographed by the late Michael Cooper, has gone on to be one of the most recognizable and imitated album covers in rock history.

Among the famous figures that the group's record company EMI flat out rejected for the cover were John Lennon's suggestions of Jesus Christ, Mahatma Gandhi and Adolph Hitler -- although a Hitler cardboard cutout was prepared.

• The label made the Beatles write to each of the people appearing on the cover and ask them for permission. Prior to granting approval, Mae West responded by asking, "What would I be doing in a lonely hearts club?" Only Bowery Boy star Leo Gorcey declined, after requesting $400. His face was painted over.
• Among the many 72 faces featured in the cover are Lenny Bruce, W.C. Fields, Edgar Allan Poe, psychoanalyst Carl Jung, Dion, Fred Astaire, Bob Dylan, Aldous Huxley, Tony Curtis, Marilyn Monroe, Stan Laurel and Oliver Hardy, Karl Marx, original Beatles bassist Stuart Sutcliffe, Oscar Wilde, Albert Einstein, Marlene Dietrich, and Shirley Temple.
• Also featured on the cover were figures on loan from Madame Tussaud's Wax Museum, of former heavyweight champion Sonny Liston and the Beatles themselves with their earlier "mop-top" look.
• A wax figure rumored to be the Beach Boys' Brian Wilson has cropped up on several photos from the session.
• A doll featured in the corner of the cover wore a sweater declaring "Welcome The Rolling Stones," as a nod to the group's good friends and friendly rivals.

TRIVIA

• The album reportedly took more than 700 hours to record and cost more than $75,000, an unprecedented amount at the time. Despite its universal praise, the album only won one Grammy award, when Geoff Emerick won the first-ever Grammy for Best Engineered Rock Album.
• The album was recorded using only four-track tape machines, often combining many tracks into one, to overdub more sounds.
• Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band spent fifteen weeks at Number One on the Billboard 200, and a combined 113 weeks on the chart. The album has been certified eleven times platinum, for sales of over 11 million copies in the U.S.
• The album was the first rock album to feature printed lyrics to its songs.
• "Strawberry Fields Forever" and "Penny Lane" were recorded early on in the sessions, but were removed from the album project and released as a double-A sided single in February 1967, because there had been no new Beatles music released for months. Producer George Martin later regretted the decision, saying it was the biggest mistake of his career.
• Nearly all of the songs recorded for Sgt. Pepper ended up on the album. Only Harrison's initial contribution "Only A Northern Song" was shelved. The track was eventually released on the 1969 Yellow Submarine soundtrack.
• In 1978 the Bee Gees and Peter Frampton starred in a movie version of the album, which was a critical and box office bomb. The film also featured performances by Aerosmith, Earth, Wind & Fire, Alice Cooper, George Burns and Steve Martin.

FLASHBACK: THE BEATLES BEGIN RECORDING THE 'WHITE ALBUM'

It was 40 years ago today (May 30th, 1968) that the Beatles began recording their 30-song self-titled double album, which was commonly known as the "White Album."

The album's first session was for John Lennon's "Revolution 1," which was recorded in London at EMI's Studio Two, with the session stretching from 2:30 p.m. to 2:40 a.m. the next day. The session was the group's first since returning from Rishikesh, India after an extended stay to study transcendental meditation under the Maharishi Mahesh Yogi.

Most of the songs from the "White Album" were written while the group was in India, including "Back In The U.S.S.R.," "Yer Blues," "I Will," "The Continuing Story Of Bungalow Bill," "Rocky Raccoon," "I'm So Tired," "Ob-La-Di Ob-La-Da," "Dear Prudence," "Mother Nature's Son," and Lennon's thinly-veiled attack on the Maharishi, titled "Sexy Sadie."

• Other highlights on the album included "While My Guitar Gently Weeps," "Julia," "Helter Skelter," "Glass Onion," "Martha My Dear," "Birthday," and Ringo Starr's first composition, the country-flavored "Don't Pass Me By."
• Several songs originally intended for the "White Album" turned up on later solo albums, such as "Junk" which Paul McCartney released on his 1970 solo debut McCartney, "Child Of Nature" which John Lennon rewrote as "Jealous Guy" for his 1971 album Imagine, "Not Guilty" which made its way onto George Harrison's 1979 self-titled album, and Harrison's "Circles" which finally saw release on his 1982 album Gone Troppo.
• During The Beatles Anthology, George Harrison defended the group's decision to release a 30-song album: "But you know, what do you do when you've got all them songs and you want to get rid of them so that you can do more songs? You know, there was a lot of ego in that band, and there was a lot of songs (on 'The White Album') that should have been elbowed or maybe made into B-sides."
• The Beatles' "White Album" was released on November 22nd, 1968 and went on to top the charts for nine nonconsecutive weeks beginning on December 28th.

'JOHNNY B. GOODE' TOPS ROLLING STONE'S LIST OF '100 GREATEST GUITAR SONGS OF ALL TIME'

Chuck Berry's 1958 hit "Johnny B. Goode" has topped Rolling Stone's list of the "100 Greatest Guitar Songs Of All Time."

The Jimi Hendrix Experience's 1967 track "Purple Haze" came in second, followed by Cream's 1968 live workout of the Robert Johnson blues classic "Crossroads."

• Here are the Top 20 songs from Rolling Stone magazine's list of the "100 Greatest Guitar Songs Of All Time."
  1. "Johnny B. Goode" - Chuck Berry (1958)
  2. "Purple Haze" - the Jimi Hendrix Experience (1967)
  3. "Crossroads" - Cream (1968)
  4. "You Really Got Me" - the Kinks (1964)
  5. "Brown Sugar" - the Rolling Stones (1971)
  6. "Eruption" - Van Halen (1978)
  7. "While My Guitar Gently Weeps" - the Beatles (1968)
  8. "Stairway to Heaven" - Led Zeppelin (1971)
  9. "Statesboro Blues" - the Allman Brothers Band (1971)
  10. "Smells Like Teen Spirit" - Nirvana (1991)
  11. "Whole Lotta Love" - Led Zeppelin (1969)
  12. "Voodoo Child (Slight Return)" - the Jimi Hendrix Experience (1968)
  13. "Layla" - Derek and the Dominos (1970)
  14. "Born To Run" - Bruce Springsteen (1975)
  15. "My Generation" - the Who (1965)
  16. "Cowgirl In The Sand" - Neil Young with Crazy Horse (1969)
  17. "Black Sabbath" - Black Sabbath (1970)
  18. "Blitzkrieg Bop" - Ramones (1976)
  19. "Purple Rain" - Prince and the Revolution (1984)
  20. "People Get Ready" - the Impressions (1965)

5/29/08

MOTLEY CRUE KEEPING LID ON 'CRUE FEST' PRODUCTION

Motley Crue's Crue Fest tour begins just over a month from now, but the band has yet to reveal any details about their plans for the show's production and staging. The Crue have always been known for over-the-top live shows and bassist Nikki Sixx said in a conference call with reporters this week that they want to keep this one a surprise as long as possible: "You know, with the Internet and fans that are coming to the show, you know, such a large percentage of them are online. You know, when you do your show your first opening night, the last city on the tour already knows the set list and kind of the gist of what you're doing. We try to keep it under wraps as long as possible just to make it more exciting for the fans too."

• Crue Fest kicks off on July 1st in West Palm Beach, Florida, with Buckcherry, Papa Roach, Trapt and Sixx's side project Sixx A.M. joining the Crue on the 40-city tour.
• The Crue will release their first studio album since 2000, Saints of Los Angeles, on June 24th.

·         The album's title track and first single is selling well thanks to both Rock Band and Guitar Hero. According to RollingStone.com, it sold five times more copies through Rock Band as it did on iTunes after a month.

THE EAGLES ADD ADDITIONAL U.S. TOUR DATES

The Eagles have just announced four additional dates on their upcoming itinerary.

• The newly added Eagles shows are (subject to change):
  July 14 - Philadelphia, PA - Wachovia Center
  July 24 - Toronto, ON - Air Canada Centre
  September 24, 25 - Chicago, IL - United Center
• Don Henley says that even though the band waited 28 years between studio albums, he wished that the band had taken just a little bit more time for their latest multiplatinum set Long Road Out Of Eden, telling Rolling Stone, "The album would've been better if we had taken another six months. There are some weak spots. I still think it should have been a single album. There were four or five more songs that were good but not finished."
• Henley says that the reason the Eagles have managed to stay such a successful live act over the years is that they've always been focused on the music: "The secret is, loving what you do. The secret is being motivated by music and creativity, rather than all the trappings that go with that, you know? This band has never been about hair and clothes and pyrotechnics and prancing around on stage. We're basically about the music."
• The Eagles perform tomorrow night (May 30th) at New York City's Madison Square Garden.

PHIL COLLINS SAYS NEW GENESIS DOCUMENTARY GIVES WARTS AND ALL LOOK AT THE BAND

As part of Genesis' new three-disc DVD set, called When In Rome 2007, the band has included a bonus documentary disc, which shows a warts-and-all look at the group as they prep for and perform their sold-out Turn It On Again reunion tour.

Phil Collins says that people who've seen the documentary, called Come Rain Or Shine, respect the fact that it doesn't try to whitewash what it takes to get the band into shape on the road: "They find it refreshing that a band like us, where most people would hide certain bits because they're embarrassing or because they show an unpleasant side of it -- you know they find it refreshing that it's all on there. And I think in a way it makes us more human considering a lot of people have a certain impression of us. I think this might change some of their ideas, you know what I mean?

• When In Rome 2007 chronicles the band's free July 14th, 2007 show, filmed before 500,000 fans at Rome's Circus Massimo.
• The DVD will be released exclusively through Wal Mart stores on June 10th.
• The package comes with a 28-page booklet, and features over five hours of content over the two concert discs and documentary DVD.
• Genesis has no current plans to tour or record. Although Collins has stated that he has retired from the road, he would be willing to reunite with Genesis and former bandmates Peter Gabriel and Steve Hackett to perform their 1974 album The Lamb Lies Down On Broadway in its entirety.

RUSH DONATES $100K TO HUMAN RIGHTS MUSEUM

Rush has donated $100,000 from the sales of tickets to its concert in Winnipeg, Canada last weekend to the Canadian Museum for Human Rights, according to the Winnipeg Free Press. Bassist and singer Geddy Lee said in a statement, "My band mates and I are proud to be associated with the creation of a Canadian Museum of Human Rights in Winnipeg. Canadians are uniquely positioned to be leaders in championing such causes, and we applaud the efforts of the Asper family in making this museum a reality." The group will also sell museum T-shirts at all the remaining Canadian dates on its current tour, with all the proceeds also going to the museum's fundraising campaign.

• Fundraising chairperson Gail Asper said, "This generous donation demonstrates Rush's commitment to advancing the cause for human rights in Canada and around the world. We are thrilled with this donation and encourage all Rush fans to buy the T-shirts and wear them proudly."
• The T-shirt says, "My pals Rush and I support the Canadian Museum for Human Rights."
• The museum, the first new one in Canada in 41 years, is expected to cost $265 million and will "explore the subject of human rights in order to enhance people's understanding of human rights, promote respect for others and encourage reflection and dialogue."
• Rush's latest tour, in support of 2006's Snakes and Arrows album, stops in Vancouver, British Columbia on Thursday (May 29th).

PAUL McCARTNEY TO JAM WITH DAVE GROHL -- NOT RINGO STARR -- THIS WEEKEND IN LIVERPOOL

Paul McCartney says that although Ringo Starr will be in Liverpool this weekend, there are no plans for the surviving Beatles to team up at McCartney's hometown concert on Sunday (June 1st). The concert at Liverpool's Anfield Football Stadium is part of Liverpool's European Capital of Culture year, and will be broadcast live on British radio.

McCartney told The Liverpool Echo that he and Starr never planned to make McCartney's first Liverpool show in five years a reunion, explaining, "That was never going to be on the cards. He opened the (Capitol of Culture) year."

He went on to say, "We've got a few little surprises up our sleeve, it will be a bit different from our normal shows. (The Foo Fighters') Dave Grohl is going to do something with us, so that will be nice. That's it basically. It's not that long a show. There's a curfew at this place, but I am doing a full set. It will be a mixture of music. The idea will be to give the audience what I think they would want."

• Other acts set to appear on the bill on Sunday include Foo Fighters, the Zutons, and the Kaiser Chiefs.
• The new Beatles documentary All Together Now will premiere in Liverpool tomorrow (May 30th) with McCartney, Starr, Yoko Ono and Olivia Harrison in attendance.
• The film documents early meetings between the Cirque du Soleil and Beatles' Apple Corps creative teams, including exclusive contributions from McCartney, Starr, Yoko Ono, Olivia Harrison, and Beatles producer George Martin discussing how the Beatles' music could be used in the show now running in Las Vegas at the Mirage Hotel.

In other McCartney news:

Paul McCartney has ripped the leather interior out of his new Lexus LS600H hybrid and replaced it with cloth, according to mirror.co.uk.

According to a source, McCartney had demanded that the car makers not use any animal products in the car, which a gift from Lexus: "Sir Paul was very particular about his order and made it clear he was not prepared to sit in a car surrounded by dead animals."

• McCartney is also said to have had the leather was removed from seat trims, the gear stick, the sun roof and arm rests.

U2'S BONO GIVEN HONORARY DEGREE BY JAPANESE UNIVERSITY

U2 frontman Bono was given an honorary degree by Japan's Keio University on Tuesday (May 27th) for his contribution to music and humanitarian causes, according to Gigwise.com. The singer was met by an enthusiastic response from students at the college, where he spoke about the need to not ignore the continuing struggles in Africa against poverty and AIDS. Bono is currently in Japan to attend the fourth Tokyo International conference on Africa Development ahead of the G8 summit, which takes place in July and will also be held in Japan on the island of Hokkaido.

• Japan's aid to Africa has fallen off in recent years after reaching a peak in the '90s.
• Bono has spent years meeting with leaders of the industrialized world to plea for continued aid to Africa.
• The Irish rocker was the second artist to receive an honorary degree this week. Paul McCartney was given one by Yale University on Monday (May 26th).
• U2 has been working on its new CD with producers Brian Eno and Daniel Lanois, who together and separately have been involved with classic U2 records like The Unforgettable Fire, Achtung Baby and The Joshua Tree.

BRUCE SPRINGSTEEN ALBUM PHOTOGRAPHER DAVID GAHR DEAD AT 86

Respected music photographer David Gahr died on Sunday (May 25th) at age 86, according to velvetrope.com.

Gahr's photography made its way onto numerous album sleeves throughout the rock era, most notably on the cover for Bruce Springsteen's second album, 1973's The Wild, The Innocent, And The E Street Shuffle.

• Gahr's photos of such legends as Bob Dylan, John Lennon, Keith Richards, David Bowie, Janis Joplin, Mississippi John Hurt, Joni Mitchell, Miles Davis, Pete Seeger, Bill Monroe, and many others have been printed in most of the world's leading magazines. He also published a 1968 anthology called The Face Of Folk Music.

5/28/08

VELVET REVOLVER PLANS TO ANNOUNCE NEW VOCALIST SOON, TURNS DOWN REALITY SHOW PROJECT

Velvet Revolver is getting closer to revealing its new vocalist. Drummer Matt Sorum recently told Artisan News Service, "We're coming out with something in a couple of weeks and I think it's going to surprise everybody. It's exciting. We're moving forward. We're going to keep going and play rock 'n' roll and get a new guy singing, so we did it before we'll do it again." The new singer will replace Scott Weiland, who left Velvet Revolver to reunite with Stone Temple Pilots.

• Velvet Revolver has also rejected offers to do a reality show. Sorum said they had a couple of different TV show offers, including one to do Rock Star: Supernova with Survivor producer Mark Burnett. He said, "We didn't feel it was right for us. No disrespect to him, but it just didn't feel right for what we want to do. As many years as we've tried to keep our integrity intact, we felt that wasn't the right forum for us to do it, so we got some ideas and we should have that news in a couple weeks." But something could be in the works. Sorum said, "We're really seriously thinking about doing something online."

RED HOT CHILI PEPPERS DRUMMER TEAMING WITH EX-VAN HALEN MEMBERS

Red Hot Chili Peppers drummer Chad Smith has joined the new "supergroup" started by former Van Halen frontman Sammy Hagar, according to AntiMusic.com. The band, tentatively called Chickenfoot, also features ex-Van Halen bassist Michael Anthony and guitar virtuoso Joe Satriani and will enter the studio to begin recording its debut album this summer. Smith told us he got involved in the project by owning a home near Hagar's place in Cabo San Lucas, Mexico: "If you're in Cabo, of course you know Sammy 'cause he's, you know, he rules the joint. And he's a really nice man, he's a great guy actually. Somehow he's taken a liking to me, and we played in Vegas, and we played some cover songs -- we're a good cover band now. He got pretty excited about it and it actually sounded really good. Him and Joe got together up at his place and they wrote like five things together, and we'll see."

• Hagar himself spoke about the project in a recent interview, explaining, "We've written eight, nine songs...When people hear the music, it's Led Zeppelin. It's as good as that. I know that's a mighty bold statement...We could rival Zep."
• Hagar sang with Van Halen from 1986 to 1996, and again on a 2004 reunion tour, but left both times after feuding with guitarist Eddie Van Halen. Hagar said recently about his relationship with the troubled guitar hero, "I love Eddie, but we don't love each other. I heard that he got cleaned up again. Hopefully he stays that way and doesn't die, because before we both die we have to be friends again."
• Chad Smith has been playing with former Deep Purple bassist/singer Glenn Hughes as well as his own jazz combo since the Chili Peppers came off the road last year after touring in support of 2006's Stadium Arcadium CD.

STEVE MILLER CREDITS GREAT SONGS FOR SUCCESSFUL CAREER

Steve Miller credits having simple and accessible songs for his 40-year career.

Miller, who's now out on the road with Joe Cocker, says that there's no great science as to why his music still receives so much radio airplay and crowd reaction in concert. Although Miller is considered a world-class blues guitarist, he says that it all come down to the songs: "I think the reason my songs are still around is that they're simple on the first blush, they seem to be fairly simple tunes. There's a lot of harmony, a lot of harmony singing parts, and then when you go through the layers of the lyrics, they have meaning to people. And I think the main thing is that they're positive lyrics (laughs) and people like to sing."

• Out now is the deluxe DVD Steve Miller Band Live From Chicago. The disc was shot at Chicago's Ravinia Theater in High Definition, using over 30 cameras.
• Highlights on the Steve Miller Band Live From Chicago include "Fly Like An Eagle," "Living In The USA," "Abracadabra," "Mercury Blues," "Serenade," "Crossroads," "Dance, Dance, Dance," "Rock 'N Me," "The Joker," "Take The Money And Run," "Tore Down," "Swingtown," "Jungle Love," "Jet Airliner," and more.
• The Steve Miller Band with special guest Joe Cocker perform tomorrow night in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma at the Oklahoma City Zoo Amphitheatre. The Miller-Cocker tour runs through August.

NEW DOORS DOCUMENTARY IN THE WORKS

A new documentary about the Doors is in the works. According to Billboard.com, keyboardist Ray Manzarek said the film will follow the Doors' career using rare footage and performances. He said, "I saw the first cut of it yesterday, and it's looking real good. But that won't be out 'til another six months." Manzarek added, "This is the anti-Oliver Stone (referring to Stone's 1991 film, The Doors). This will be the true story of the Doors."

The Doors recently issued a new Classic Albums DVD, which highlights the band's 1967 self-titled debut album. It features the footage of the group, as well as interviews with longtime Doors fans Henry Rollins and Perry Farrell.

• Also out is a new concert CD, called Live in Pittsburgh 1970. The show was recorded on May 7, 1970, during the band's final U.S. tour with late frontman Jim Morrison.
• Meanwhile, Manzarek is prepping for a busy year. He's about to hit the road on a European tour with the band Riders On The Storm, which features ex-Doors guitarist Robbie Krieger and former Fuel singer Brett Scallions. Manzarek also recently released an instrumental album with guitarist Roy Rogers called Ballads Before the Rain. He's also working on several movie scripts, including one based on the Doors song "L.A. Woman."

QUICK TAKES

• Lynyrd Skynyrd keyboardist and cofounder Billy Powell underwent emergency partial revision hip replacement surgery on May 21st in Jacksonville, Florida. Pollstar.com reported that Skynyrd's manager Ross Schilling said, "Billy's hip had given him dislocation problems and it was determined that a revision was the only possible solution."
• Powell will be resting and recovering for up to six weeks, and wearing a hip brace for the next three months. He's expected to rejoin the band on the road in July. Until then a temporary keyboardist will be filling in with the band.
• A new study funded by Britain's National Health Service claims that music by the Rolling Stones and other bands can cause pub violence. Timesonline.co.uk reported the study conducted by researchers at Glasgow University in Scotland found "guitar-based rock music from the likes of the Stones and AC/DC and bass-heavy rap music were more associated with violent behavior." Songs such as AC/DC's "Highway to Hell" and the Stones' "Brown Sugar" were found to encourage "macho posturing and aggressive behavior among male customers."
• The study also found a correlation between sexually suggestive songs and violent material. Pop ballads such as "(I've Had) The Time of My Life," which tend to make women dance provocatively, were also found to have triggered aggressive and competitive behavior in men.
• Loud music also makes it difficult for people to hear each other, leading to an increase in misunderstandings, the study found.
• The study also found that songs like Sonny & Cher's "I Got You Babe" and different Robbie Williams songs could have a calming effect on rowdy crowds.
• The English Heritage Society has declined to commemorate one of the late Keith Moon's homes with a plaque tribute, according to independent.co.uk. The powers that be which commemorate historical places of interest in Britain claimed that the worthiness of a plaque for Moon, who died 30 years ago next September, had "yet to be proven," and would not be considered again for another decade.
• The English Heritage panel said in their statement: "Moon died aged only 32, and many of his contemporaries, including other members of the Who such as Pete Townshend, are still living. Further time should be allowed to pass so he can be considered alongside his contemporaries."

MOTLEY CRUE HAS SUCCESS WITH NEW SINGLE ON ROCK BAND

Motley Crue's new single "Saints of Los Angeles" is selling well thanks to both Rock Band and Guitar Hero. According to RollingStone.com, it sold five times more copies through Rock Band as it did on iTunes after a month. The Rock Band downloads can only be used with the game, and can't be transferred to mp3 players. The band's manager, Allen Kovac, said, "We do research on every artist we have, and the research said that the people who bought Motley Crue music and tickets play Rock Band and video games... (so) it was our inclination to go there."

Meanwhile, Motley Crue drummer Tommy Lee is expected to star in a new animated series, called The Life and Times of Jimmy Jaxx. Variety.com reports that Lee will provide the voice of the main character in the half-hour show, which is partly based on his own life. He also serves as one of the producers of the series. Lee said, "I've always loved the animated world. How fun and kooky is this gonna be, to combine some real-life experiences with some seriously over-the-top humor."

• Motley Crue will release their new album, Saints of Los Angeles, on June 24th. The band's Crue Fest summer package tour kicks off a week later in Florida.
• The Japanese version of Saints of Los Angeles will come out on June 18th with two bonus tracks: "live and rare" versions of the band's 1989 hit "Kickstart My Heart" and the new record's title track.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, JOHN FOGERTY!!!

Happy 63rd birthday to John Fogerty, who turns 63 today (May 28th).

Last fall Fogerty released his latest album, the Grammy-nominated Revival, and hit the road mixing the new material with most of his classic hits from his Creedence Clearwater Revival days.

Fogerty says that he's glad that his fan base still eagerly awaits every new album and continues to pack auditoriums when he's on the road: "The fans are wonderful, and I really appreciate them being there. I guess when I'm off on these little musical journeys, I kind of forget about that. I tend to just start thinking about what it is I'm supposed to do musically, (chuckles) and then get reacquainted whenever I surface again."

5/27/08

PAUL McCARTNEY RECEIVES HONORARY DOCTORATE FROM YALE

Paul McCartney was honored yesterday (May 26th) with an honorary doctor of music degree from Yale University, according to The Associated Press. The university said in a statement that McCartney "awakened a generation, giving a fresh sound to rock 'n' roll, and rhythm and blues."

Other honorary degrees were bestowed upon former U.S. trade representative Carla Hills, astronomer Martin Rees, architect Cesar Pelli, and poet John Ashbery, among others.

Yaledailynews.com reported that following the Class Day address of former British Prime Minister Tony Blair on Sunday, McCartney attended a formal dinner with Blair, Yale University President Richard Levin, and other Yale dignitaries.

• During Blair's speech to graduates, he name-checked both McCartney and the Beatles, saying, "Be prepared to fail as well as to succeed, and realize it is failure, not success, that defines character... Sir Paul McCartney reminded me that the first record company the Beatles approached rejected them as a band no one would want to listen to."
• McCartney received his first honorary doctorate in music in 1988 from Britain's University of Sussex.

In other Beatles-related news:

Paul McCartney's June 1st concert at Liverpool's Anfield Football Stadium as part of Liverpool's European Capital of Culture year will be broadcast live on British radio.

According to rumors, Ringo Starr may be set to perform with McCartney, marking the first time the two former Beatles have played together in their hometown since the "Fab Four's" final Liverpool appearance on December 5th, 1965.

In other Beatles-related news:

Original Beatles drummer Pete Best is eager to meet up with Paul McCartney and forgive him for his part in his firing from the group in 1962.

Best told entertainmentwise.com, "I would like to see Paul one more time in my life, just to catch up. Talk about our kids and grandkids, compare notes on where we've been and where we're going. It was Paul who actually talked the others into letting me into the band because he thought I was a good fit -- and they couldn't find another decent drummer at the time."

• Best says that there are no hard feelings that McCartney, John Lennon and George Harrison booted him from the band on the cusp of recording their debut single and meteoric rise to fame: "You know, as old friends go, people move in their own directions and you lose touch. We were kids back when we really hung out."
• Best and McCartney have had no personal contact since 1963.
• The Pete Best Band is currently on tour and performs tomorrow night (May 28th) in Roanoke, Virginia at Awful Arthurs.

On This Day In Beatles History:

1963: Nearly a year before the Beatles break in America, "From Me To You" is released, and "peaks" at a disappointing Number 116.

1966: The Beatles meet with Bob Dylan at London's Mayfair Hotel before attending Dylan's concert that night the Royal Albert Hall. Afterwards, Paul McCartney and the Beatles' right-hand man Neil Aspinall join Dylan and the Rolling Stones for drinks at the London nightclub Dolly's.

1967: Britain's Melody Maker publishes John Lennon's quote that the Beatles have retired from live appearances.

1979: After several years of silence, John Lennon and Yoko Ono publish an open letter in the New York Times and several other international newspapers, titled A Love Letter From John And Yoko to People Who Ask Us What, When And Why. The piece is the couple's only public statement until their return to the recording studio in August of 1980.

1995: Paul McCartney's eclectic radio show called Oobu-Jubu, featuring numerous post-Beatles rarities, premieres.

AEROSMITH GUITARIST COMMENTS ON STEVEN TYLER REHAB STINT

Aerosmith guitarist Joe Perry spoke briefly with Blender magazine about last week's report that singer Steven Tyler had checked into rehab after 20 years of sobriety. Perry said, "I actually haven't talked to (Steven) in a while. We spend most of our time off the road split up -- that's just how it goes." When asked if he knew what Tyler had gone in for, Perry replied, "I'm not sure, but I hope he's doing okay."

Perry himself is walking with a cane after recently having total knee-replacement surgery. He told Blender, "I'm about eight or nine weeks out from it...I'll be up and running probably within the next month. We have some press to do for Guitar Hero and hopefully I'll be able to make some of those events."

• Guitar Hero: Aerosmith is due out on June 29th, and will be available for Playstations 2 and 3, the Wii and Xbox 360.
• The 60-year-old Tyler, clean and sober since 1986, checked himself into Las Encinas Hospital in Pasadena, California and sought the help of celebrity drug counselor Dr. Drew Pinsky last week. The center is also the setting for the reality TV series Celebrity Rehab.
• There's been no official word on what Tyler is seeking treatment for, but a report by the Boston Herald last week said that friends blamed his apparent relapse into substance abuse on his two-year relationship with reportedly hard-partying girlfriend Erin Brady.
• Other sources, however, suggested that Tyler had gotten hooked on painkillers because of numerous health issues he's faced over the last few years, including a bout of hepatitis C, two foot surgeries and a procedure on his throat.

BRUCE SPRINGSTEEN LIVE ALBUM AND U.S. DATES RUMORED

A new live Bruce Springsteen album is being advertised on various overseas websites, including the European amazon.de, which lists a June 27th release date. There has been no official confirmation from Springsteen's camp as to any new live releases, although a 30th anniversary box set commemorating his 1978 album Darkness On the Edge Of Town is currently in the works for the fall.

Also:

Online rumors are speculating that following Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band's stadium shows in New Jersey and Boston, they'll take a break before launching a third North American leg of the Magic tour.

A supposed insider using an assumed name has posted the tentative itinerary on the message board of backstreets.com, saying that after Springsteen's August 30th appearance in Milwaukee at the outdoor Harley-Davidson Fest, Springsteen will undertake a 21-city arena tour kicking off on September 2nd in Rosemont, Illinois at the Allstate Arena and include a five-night stand at New York's Madison Square Garden.

• The tour will allegedly wrap up over three nights in L.A. -- October 26th and 28th at the Hollywood Bowl and Oct 31st at the Los Angeles Sports Arena.
• Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band are currently on tour in Europe and perform tomorrow night (May 28th) in Manchester, England.