Wednesday, November 20, 2002
Album Chart: Jay-Z’s ‘Blueprint 2’ topples ‘8 Mile’ soundtrack
Jay-Z’s “The Blueprint 2: The Gift & the Curse” sold about 545,000 copies during its first week in stores to knock Eminem’s “8 Mile” soundtrack from its No. 1 perch on the U.S. album charts.
Jay-Z’s “The Blueprint 2: The Gift & the Curse” sold about 545,000 copies during its first week in stores to knock Eminem’s “8 Mile” soundtrack from its No. 1 perch on the U.S. album charts.
Though its two-week stay at No. 1 ends, “8 Mile” continued to move briskly, with about 400,000 copies sold in the last week, according to industry sources. More than 1.6 million copies have sold to date.
“The Blueprint 2,” Jay-Z’s fifth No. 1 album, is one of five new releases to crack the top 10 of next week’s Billboard 200 album chart. Others are Missy “Misdemeanor” Elliott’s “Under Construction” (at No. 3 with nearly 260,000 copies sold), Pearl Jam’s “Riot Act” (at No. 5 with about 166,000 copies sold), TLC’s “3D” (at No. 6 with about 143,000 copies sold) and 3 Doors Down’s “Away from the Sun” (at No. 8 with 115,000 copies sold).
Justin Timberlake’s “Justified” falls from No. 2 to No. 4 during its second week in stores, while Christina Aguilera’s “Stripped"--in its third week of release--falls three slots to No. 7.
Eminem’s “The Eminem Show” slips two slots to No. 9, and Santana’s “Shaman” slips five to No. 10.
Other notable debuts include Elton John’s “Greatest Hits 1970-2002” (No. 12), “World Wrestling Entertainment Presents: WWE Anthology” (No. 13), Saliva’s “Back Into Your System” (No. 19), Sean Paul’s “Dutty Rock” (No. 26), O-Town’s “02” (No. 28), Phil Collins’ “Testify” (No. 30), Fat Joe’s “Loyalty” (No. 31), U2’s “The Best of 1990-2000” (No. 34), Barry Manilow’s “A Christmas Gift of Love” (No. 71), the “Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets” soundtrack (No. 81) and Vivian Green’s “Love Story” (No. 93).
Tuesday, November 19, 2002
Ashanti, Eminem, Nelly lead American Music Awards nominations
Twenty-two-year old R&B star Ashanti picked up five American Music Award nominations on Tuesday (11/20) to lead the field.
Twenty-two-year old R&B star Ashanti picked up five American Music Award nominations on Tuesday (11/20) to lead the field.
The singer picked up nods in the Favorite Pop/Rock Artist, Favorite Female R&B Artist, and Favorite New Hip-Hop/R&B Artist categories. Her self-titled debut album was nominated for Favorite Pop/Rock Album and Favorite R&B Album.
Eminem and Nelly picked up four nominees apiece. Each is nominated for favorite album and male artist in the pop/rock and hip-hop/R&B categories.
The American Music Awards will be presented on Jan. 13 at the Shrine Auditorium in Los Angeles. The ceremony will be broadcast live on ABC-TV.
The ceremony will be hosted by The Osbournes: Ozzy, wife Sharon, and their children Kelly and Jack.
The complete list of nominees follows:
Favorite Male Artist: Eminem, Enrique Iglesias, Nelly.
Favorite Female Artist: Sheryl Crow, Celine Dion, Pink.
Favorite Band, Duo or Group: Creed, Linkin Park, Nickelback.
Favorite Album: “Ashanti,” Ashanti; “The Eminem Show,” Eminem; “Nellyville,” Nelly; “Missundaztood,” Pink.
Favorite New Artist: Ashanti, Kelly Clarkson, Puddle of Mudd.
Favorite Male Hip-Hop/R&B Artist: Eminem, Ja Rule, Nelly.
Favorite Female Hip-Hop/R&B Artist: Ashanti, Mary J. Blige, Jennifer Lopez.
Favorite Hip-Hop/R&B Band, Duo or Group: B2K, Nappy Roots, OutKast.
Favorite Hip-Hop/R&B Album: “Ashanti,” Ashanti; “The Eminem Show,” Eminem; “Word of Mouf,” Ludacris; “Nellyville,” Nelly.
Favorite New Hip-Hop/R&B Artist: Ashanti, B2K, Nappy Roots.
Favorite Male Country Artist: Alan Jackson, Toby Keith, Tim McGraw.
Favorite Female Country Artist: Martina McBride, Jo Dee Messina, Lee Ann Womack.
Favorite Country Band, Duo or Group: Brooks & Dunn, Dixie Chicks, Lonestar.
Favorite Country Album: “No Shoes, No Shirt, No Problems,” Kenny Chesney; “Home,” Dixie Chicks; “Drive,” Alan Jackson; “Unleashed,” Toby Keith.
Favorite New Country Artist: Kellie Coffey, Carolyn Dawn Johnson, Tommy Shane Steiner.
Favorite Adult Contemporary Artist: Vanessa Carlton, Celine Dion, Five For Fighting.
Favorite Latin Music Artist: Marc Anthony, Enrique Iglesias, Shakira.
Favorite Alternative Music Artist: Creed, Linkin Park, System of a Down.
Favorite Contemporary Inspirational Artist: Avalon, Jars Of Clay, P.O.D.
Favorite Soundtrack: “Lilo & Stitch,” “The Scorpion King,” “Spider-Man.”
Monday, November 18, 2002
Britney Spears preps new book, DVD for November release
Britney Spears, who wrapped up her most recent world tour in late July, offers up a new book and DVD on Nov. 26.
Britney Spears, who wrapped up her most recent world tour in late July, offers up a new book and DVD on Nov. 26.
Titled “Stages,” the release comprises a “lavishly appointed oversized paperback book,” a color poster and a DVD documentary that filmmaker Albert Maysles shot in Mexico City at the end of Spears’ 2002 tour, according to a press release.
The book--which features color and black-and-white photographs, as well as reminiscences from Spears, her family and friends--"captures the excitement of her performance persona with her complex personal character,” the release said.
The DVD documentary, meanwhile, includes footage that captures “frustrations of a major music tour.” Those frustrations most likely include the Mexico City concert that Spears cut short, reportedly due to foul weather.
NVU Publications, the book’s publisher, has set up a website dedicated to the release. The site features a streaming-video sample of the “Stages” DVD, as well as an online puzzle, the solution to which gives users $5 off the purchase price of the release.
Police pepper spray D’Angelo during arrest
R&B singer D’Angelo was subdued with pepper spray at his home on Monday (11/18) after he allegedly resisted arrest on misdemeanor aggressive driving and assault charges.
R&B singer D’Angelo was subdued with pepper spray at his home on Monday (11/18) after he allegedly resisted arrest on misdemeanor aggressive driving and assault charges.
The Fredricksburg (Va.) Free Lance-Star reported that Chesterfield, Va., police went to D’Angelo’s home in suburban Richmond after a woman claimed the singer cursed at her and spit on her at a gas station after cutting her off in traffic.
Police claim that D’Angelo, whose real name is Michael Eugene Archer, resisted arrest, forcing them to use the pepper spray. In addition to the traffic charges and assault charges, he was subsequently charged with misdemeanor resisting arrest and disorderly conduct.
D’Angelo was later released on his own recognizance. He is scheduled to appear in a Chesterfield courtroom to answer the charges on Jan. 15.
The singer picked up two Grammy Awards in 2000: Best Male R&B Vocal Performance for “Untitled (How Does it Feel),” and Best R&B Album for “Voodoo.”
Sunday, November 17, 2002
Street Date Nov. 19: Audioslave, Shania Twain
Also: ‘Now! 11,’ Matchbox Twenty, George Harrison, Joni Mitchell.
Also: ‘Now! 11,’ Matchbox Twenty, George Harrison, Joni Mitchell.
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Audioslave - “Audioslave” (Epic)
Two years after Rage Against the Machine frontman Zack de la Rocha left the group, remaining members Tom Morello (guitar), Tim Commerford (bass) and Brian Wilk (drums) return with former Soundgarden vocalist Chris Cornell. The group’s first release features the hard-hitting, Rage-esque track “Cochise,” the video for which is streaming at Audioslave’s official website. The enhanced CD will allow users to access exclusive bonus content that includes an audio interview and behind-the-scenes video, according to the site.
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Shania Twain - “Up!” (Universal)
Twain follows up her 19-million-selling 1997 album “Come on Over"--which led to much debate over whether she was too pop to be country--with an album on which she’s unabashedly both. The two-CD set includes country (the green disc) and pop (the red one) mixes of each of its 19 tracks, all of which were produced by her husband, Jeff “Mutt” Lange. The first single, “I’m Gonna Getcha Good,” is at No. 10 on Billboard’s Hot Country Singles & Tracks chart.
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Various Artists - “Now That’s What I Call Music! 11” (Universal)
The 11th installment in this series of repackaged, previously released hits includes tracks from Nelly, Creed, Shakira, Kylie Minogue, Eve featuring Alicia Keys, Bon Jovi, Norah Jones, Vanessa Carlton and more. A complete track-list and streaming samples of all 20 tracks are posted at the album’s official jukebox web page. All 10 previous “Now!” compilations have been certified multi-platinum, and four have debuted in the No. 1 slot on the Billboard 200 album chart.
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Matchbox Twenty - “More Than You Think You Are” (Atlantic)
Matchbox Twenty’s follow-up to 2000’s “Mad Season” features the group’s latest single, “Disease,” which is streaming at the group’s official website. “Y’know, when you put out a new record, none of your previous successes matter,” lead singer Rob Thomas said in a press release. “For us, every time we put something out, it feels like we’re putting out our first record all over again.”
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George Harrison - “Brainwashed” (Dark Horse/Capitol)
The late Beatle recorded this album--his first since 1987’s “Cloud Nine"--during the last six months of his life. It includes 11 new Harrison-penned tracks and a cover of “Between the Devil and the Deep Blue Sea,” all produced by Harrison with his son Dhani and Jeff Lynne. Harrison died of cancer on Nov. 29, 2001. On the first anniversary of his death, a benefit concert featuring Paul McCartney, Ringo Starr, Eric Clapton, Lynne, Tom Petty and others will take place at London’s Royal Albert Hall.
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Joni Mitchell - “Travelogue” (Nonesuch)
This two-disc album--which Mitchell claims will be her last--features orchestrated renditions of 22 of her previously released songs. A 70-member London-based orchestra and a 20-voice choir back her on the album. Guest musicians include drummer Brian Blades, keyboardist Herbie Hancock, saxman Wayne Shorter, keyboardist Billy Preston, and bassists Larry Klein and Chuck Berghofer, among others. The album is streaming at Mitchell’s official website.
VH1’s ‘Big’ awards to feature Christina Aguilera, Bon Jovi
Christina Aguilera, Bon Jovi, Norah Jones and John Mayer are among the musical guests set to perform at the “VH1 Big in 2002 Awards,” which premieres on Dec. 15.
Christina Aguilera, Bon Jovi, Norah Jones and John Mayer are among the musical guests set to perform at the “VH1 Big in 2002 Awards,” which premieres on Dec. 15.
The show, which will be taped at the Grand Olympic Auditorium in Los Angeles, will be hosted by Drea De Matteo and Michael Imperioli, who play Adrianna and Christopher, respectively, on “The Sopranos.”
According to a VH1 press release, the show “will package the year’s best (and otherwise) in music, movies, TV and personalities and put it all into a neat two-hour time-capsule.”
Among the awards categories are “Can’t Get You Out of My Head” (the year’s most ubiquitous song), “Do I Look Fat in This Fight?” (girls who kick ass), and “Been Caught Scene Stealin’” (the year’s most unexpected stand-out movie performance).
Select categories will be decided by online voting, but most winners “will be decided by a panel of tastemakers from the worlds of entertainment, sports and government, as well as heavy pop culture consumers from everyday life.”
Thursday, November 14, 2002
Phish rolls out tour plans for February
Phish, which wrapped up its last tour more than two years ago, is set to play a dozen U.S. arena dates in February.
Phish, which wrapped up its last tour more than two years ago, is set to play a dozen U.S. arena dates in February.
The band is also scheduled to perform on “The Late Show With David Letterman” on Dec. 19, and will be the musical guest on Saturday Night Live on Dec. 14, during a show that will be hosted by former Vice President Al Gore.
A new Phish studio album--the band’s first since 2000’s “Farmhouse"--is scheduled to hit stores on Dec. 10. According to a posting on the band’s official website, the album--titled “Round Room"--grew from rehearsals for the band’s upcoming New Year’s shows.
The album’s 12 tracks, recorded in four days in October by producer Bryce Goggin (Pavement, The Ramones), clock in at more than 70 minutes.
Phish ends a two-year hiatus with a New Year’s Eve performance at New York’s Madison Square Garden.
System of a Down sets release date, preps limited edition
System of a Down’s follow-up to last year’s multi-platinum “Toxicity” arrives in stores later this month, and a limited number of the new CDs will feature artwork that the band members created.
System of a Down’s follow-up to last year’s multi-platinum “Toxicity” arrives in stores later this month, and a limited number of the new CDs will feature artwork that the band members created.
“Steal This Album!,” which is set for a Nov. 26 release, has a “very home-burned feel to it, and the only artwork is the band name and CD title scrawled across the face of the CD,” according to a group press release. However, four limited editions of 50,000 copies each will feature artwork from each of the band’s four members.
Drummer John Dolmayan’s version features “an abstract image that is open to the viewer’s interpretation, guitarist Daron Malakian’s is a drawing of “two people engaged in an intimate situation,” Shavo Odadjian’s is a “maze-like illustration” and frontman Serj Tankian’s is a “series of concentric circles of words and phrases,” according to the release.
Both the standard-packaged and limited-edition versions of the CD will housed in a clear jewel case with no booklet, and the album’s lyrics and credits will be available online.
“Steal This Album!” features System of a Down’s latest single, “Innervision.”
Wednesday, November 13, 2002
Jimmy Buffett plots February return to the concert circuit
As has been his rule in recent years, Jimmy Buffet will open his new touring year with a series of February dates in the southeastern U.S.
As has been his rule in recent years, Jimmy Buffet will open his new touring year with a series of February dates in the southeastern U.S.
Tickets for all shows--which will likely sell out quickly--go on sale on Saturday (11/16), according to Buffet’s official website.
In November, Buffett appeared at several campaign stops with Florida gubernatorial candidate Bill McBride, who lost to incumbent Gov. Jeb Bush on Election Day.
Buffett’s latest studio album, “Far Side of the World,” was released in March. The album, produced by Russ Titleman (Eric Clapton, James Taylor), is Buffett’s first studio album since 1999’s “Beach House on the Moon,” and his first studio album for his self-run label, Mailboat Records. Mailboat released “Buffett Live: Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays” in 1999.
Among the tracks on the album--Buffett’s 33rd--is a cover of “All the Ways I Want You,” a song from Bruce Cockburn’s 1994 album, “Dart to the Heart.”
A 55-year-old native of Pascagoula, Miss., Buffett has been one of the most consistent draws on the summer amphitheater circuit for more than two decades. Though his 2001 tour visited only 29 cities, it grossed $26.9 million and ranked as the No. 13 tour on Pollstar’s year-end list.
Foo Fighters, “One By One” (RCA)
Dave Grohl spent twice as much time recording this, his band’s fourth album, than he did recording its 1995 self-titled debut ... which is to say that the new one took 12 days.
Dave Grohl spent twice as much time recording this, his band’s fourth album, than he did recording its 1995 self-titled debut ... which is to say that the new one took 12 days.
Based on the new album’s overall sound, the group was likely able to record so quickly by choosing to keep things stripped down and simple instead of using a bunch of over-produced-sounding studio magic. Though the mix is a bit muddy, the album has a fittingly raw, garage-band-ish vibe. It sounds like what it is: four really talented guys rocking out in a small room. Had they added some crowd noise, the set would pass for a live album.
Collectively, the 11-tracks on “One By One” are heavier than those found on the group’s previous effort, 1999’s “There Is Nothing Left to Lose"--as evidenced by the current rock-radio hit, “All My Life.”
Grohl continues to impress with his exceptional song-writing ability and vocal prowess.