Sunday, March 16, 2003
Paul McCartney, The Rolling Stones are rock’s richest
Paul McCartney ($72.1 million) and The Rolling Stones ($44 million) were rock music’s top earners in 2002, according to Rolling Stone’s annual “Rock’s 50 Richest” report. Dave Matthews Band, Celine Dion and Eminem round out the Top 5.
Paul McCartney ($72.1 million) and The Rolling Stones ($44 million) were rock music’s top earners in 2002, according to Rolling Stone’s annual “Rock’s 50 Richest” report. Dave Matthews Band, Celine Dion and Eminem round out the Top 5.
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Country fans turn on Dixie Chicks following anti-Bush remarks
Dixie Chicks singer Natalie Maines apparently pissed off a large number of U.S. country-music fans last week after she dared to voice dissent toward President Bush and his current push for a war in Iraq.
“Just so you know, we’re ashamed that the president of the United States is from Texas,” Maines told a London audience, which responded with a hearty round of applause.
Country-music radio stations in the U.S. were soon hit with many calls from fans demanding that the stations boycott the trio’s music, which all three country stations in Kansas City did, http://washingtontimes.com/national/20030316-24182798.htm >according to the Washington Times.
The group’s subsequent damage control included a press release in which Maines offered a terse apology.
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Travis Tritt to protesters: shut up
Meanwhile, country star Travis Tritt issued a statement that essentially says that silly entertainers shouldn’t speak out against the war because it damages the morale of troops. Of course, given that logic, it’s hard to imagine a situation in which anyone is allowed to speak out against any war a president might choose to pursue.
But logic was outlawed by the USA PATRIOT act.
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The Polyphonic Spree leads the charge
The Polyphonic Spree, which was on hand at the South by Southwest Music Festival in Austin, Texas, may have taken The Best Band Photo Ever on Saturday.
The scene: Austin’s Congress Avenue, where 7,000 anti-war protesters had just begun a march from the state capitol through downtown. As the wall of marchers approaches, the 20-plus members of the band--all wearing long white gowns-- dart into the middle of the street with a photographer. The band poses with the throng in the background, and the photographer snaps the shot.
Cool! Let’s hope it turned out.
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Lollapalooza is coming to a town near you-za
Dates and venues have been locked down for this summer’s Lollapalooza tour, Billboard.com reports. The run--which is due to kick off on July 3--features Jane’s Addiction, Audioslave, Queens of the Stone Age, Incubus, Jurassic 5 and the Donnas.
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Grand Ole Opry Member Bill Carlisle dead at age 94
Grand Ole Opry and Country Music Hall of Fame member “Jumpin’” Bill Carlisle died at his home in Nashville on Monday (3/17) from complications stemming from a stroke that he suffered last Wednesday (3/12).
Carlisle--whose country-music career spanned over 70 years--became a member of the Grand Ole Opry in 1953, and performed at the Opry as recently as March 7 of this year.
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KISS extinguishes the pyro in Las Vegas
KISS--heeding the orders of local fire officials--had to forego its pyrotechnics during a Sunday (3/16) concert at Rain in the Desert at the Palms casino in Las Vegas, the Las Vegas Sun reported.
“There are some things we couldn’t do here tonight,” Paul Stanley reportedly told the crowd. “But you can’t stop rock and roll!”
Thursday, March 13, 2003
Heart resuscitated for new album and tour
Female rock-duo Heart--a.k.a. sisters Ann and Nancy Wilson--are finishing work on their first new studio album in almost ten years, and are gearing up for a lengthy summer tour to support the set. No release date has been set for the album, but a new live DVD titled “Heart - Alive in Seattle” hits stores on April 29. The concert originally aired last summer on Pay Per View.
Female rock-duo Heart--a.k.a. sisters Ann and Nancy Wilson--are finishing work on their first new studio album in almost ten years, and are gearing up for a lengthy summer tour to support the set. No release date has been set for the album, but a new live DVD titled “Heart - Alive in Seattle” hits stores on April 29. The concert originally aired last summer on Pay Per View.
In related news, singer Ann Wilson--who gained a noticeable amount of weight in the ‘90s--has lost 70 pounds as the result of a surgical procedure know as a LAP-BAND, according to Heart’s website. The procedure is the same one that heavy-metal wife Sharon Osbourne underwent in 1999.
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Mellencamp lays down new track to oppose war
Rocker John Mellencamp has joined the ranks of artists speaking out against President Bush’s plans to attack Iraq; Mellencamp has recorded a new anti-war track titled “To Washington,” and is offering the cut as a free download at his official website.
The song’s lyrics--which are posted at the site--include lines such as:
- So a new man in the White House
With a familiar name
Said he had some fresh ideas
But it’s worse now since he came
From Texas to Washington
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Bonnie Raitt to headline Earth Day festival
Bonnie Raitt will headline the upcoming We the Planet festival, an Earth Day (4/20) event to be held at Speedway Meadow in San Francisco’s Goden Gate Park, Billboard.com reports. Rap acts the Coup and De La Soul have also signed on, and additional artists will be named.
Some Red Hot Chili Peppers fans are reportedly speculating that the band may be among the acts who will join the roster, a theory that popped up after the group on Wednesday (3/12) sent to subscribers of its email newsletter a message that endorsed the We the Planet event. The group’s members are also reportedly friends with the event’s organizer.
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Former Bizkit buddies still searching for a new mate
Ex-Limp Bizkit guitarist Wes Borland--who earlier this year announced that he had tapped a singer named Adam Yas to front his post-Bizkit outfit, Eat the Day--has decided to feel out a few more candidates before the group begins work on its new album, according to a message that he posted at the group’s website.
Meanwhile, as Limp Bizkit gears up to release a new album and hit the road with Metallica this summer, Fred Durst and company continue their search for Borland’s replacement.
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Third Eye Blind plans to debut new song on AOL
Hoping to generate interest in its forthcoming album “Out of Vein,” rock act Third Eye Blind is scheduled on Friday (3/14) to debut a new single titled “Blinded (When I See You).” The song will be available exclusively to America Online members, who can access the track in AOL’s Music First Listen area (keyword: First Listen) beginning at 12:01 a.m. on Friday (3/14), according to AOL, and will then be made available to the public on Saturday (3/15) at aolmusic.com.
The group will also tape an exclusive performance and interview that will run on AOL Music’s original program “Sessions@AOL,” though AOL did not specify an air date.
Tuesday, March 11, 2003
Stewart Copeland sues the Doors’ Manzarek and Krieger
Doors members Robby Krieger and Ray Manzarek may wanna reconsider their plans to revive the group for a 2003 tour under the name The Doors 21st Century; the pair are now being sued not only by original Doors drummer John Densmore, but also by Densmore’s recent--and short-lived--replacement, ex-Police skins-basher Stewart Copeland, the Associated Press reports.
Doors members Robby Krieger and Ray Manzarek may wanna reconsider their plans to revive the group for a 2003 tour under the name The Doors 21st Century; the pair are now being sued not only by original Doors drummer John Densmore, but also by Densmore’s recent--and short-lived--replacement, ex-Police skins-basher Stewart Copeland, the Associated Press reports.
Krieger and Manzarek last year enlisted Copeland and Cult frontman Ian Astbury for a new incarnation of the Doors that was due to tour this year. Densmore filed a suit against all four musicians, claiming that they don’t have the authority to use the band’s name without his permission. Copeland was then sidelined, and subsequently replaced himself, after breaking his arm last November.
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Fleetwood Mac reunion is must-see-T.V.
Fleetwood Mac is launching its forthcoming album, “Say You Will"--the group’s first studio set of new material with Stevie Nicks and Lindsey Buckingham since 1987--with a flurry of appearances on various NBC television programs, Billboard.com reports. The group--which recently let the network use the new album’s first single, “Peacekeeper,” on an episode of “Third Watch"--is due to be featured on “Today” throughout the week of April 14, culminating in an April 18 performance on the program. A “Dateline” profile on the band is also in the offing.
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Company creates software to ID potential hit songs
Polyphonic HMI, a Barcelona-based company, has created a new software application dubbed Hit Song Science (HSS), which the company claims is designed to identify hit songs before they are released, according to a Reuters report. For example, the program months ago helped identify Norah Jones as a potential star, the company claims.
New Scientist magazine reportedly said that the program “looks for songs that match the musical traits of known hits,” such as melody, harmony, beat variation, tempo, rhythm and pitch. The report goes on to say that several major record companies are experimenting with the software.
Oh goody. Just what we need: Another way for the record industry to make popular music more formulaic and soulless.
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Clash’s Mick Jones steps up the the anti-war microphone
On the heels of the Clash’s induction to the Rock ‘n Roll Hall of Fame this week, word is surfacing that Mick Jones, the voice behind “Train In Vain,” has added his own anti-war song to the recent surge in such artistic endeavors.
The song, titled “Why Do Men Fight?,” is available for free download from the Poptones label site.
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Steven Tyler, Alison Krauss pairing delayed a little longer
Next week’s scheduled taping of CMT’s “Crossroads” program, featuring Aerosmith’s Steven Tyler alongside old-timey-country songbird Alison Krauss, has been postponed to allow Krauss to recover from a throat ailment.
The show, which pairs country artists with rock artists to see what happens, has previously paired Kid Rock with Hank Williams, Jr. and James Taylor with the Dixie Chicks.
Album Chart: 50 Cent reclaims top spot from Norah Jones
After riding a post-Grammy surge that placed it back at No. 1, Norah Jones’ “Come Away With Me” falls behind rapper 50 Cent’s “Get Rich or Die Tryin’,” while new albums from Fabolous, Lil’ Kim and Evanescence make Top 10 debuts.
After riding a post-Grammy surge that placed it back at No. 1, Norah Jones’ “Come Away With Me” falls behind rapper 50 Cent’s “Get Rich or Die Tryin’,” while new albums from Fabolous, Lil’ Kim and Evanescence make Top 10 debuts.
Sales of “Come Away With Me” slipped almost 50 percent from its post-Grammy week total, down to about 330,000 copies, according to industry sources, which places it at No. 2. 50 Cent also lost some traction, down 50,000 copies to about 360,000, but that’s enough to place the set back at No. 1 on the forthcoming Billboard 200 album chart.
Adding some new blood to the chart is Brooklyn rapper Fabolous, whose sophomore effort, “Street Dreams,” makes its debut at No. 3 thanks to first-week sales of about 180,0000 copies. The album got a boost from its hit single “This Is My Party.”
Singer R. Kelly is faring better on the charts than he is in the legal system these days; despite being up on child-pornography and sexual-abuse charges, the singer managed to move another 168,000 copies of “Chocolate Factory.” The album, which debuted at No. 1 two weeks back, drops one spot to No. 4.
Following Kelly with a No. 5 debut is Lil’ Kim, whose “La Bella Mafia” sold 166,000 copies during its first week in stores.
Rounding out the triumvirate of Top 10 debuts is Evanescence, whose inaugural effort, “Fallen,” logs on at No. 7 with sales of about 142,000 copies.
Sandwiched between the No. 5 and No. 7 debuts is the Dixie Chicks’ “Home,” which, like Jones’ “Come Away With Me,” is suffering from a post-Grammy hangover; the album drops two places to No. 6.
Kid Rock’s “Cocky” continues to ride its second wind, down one notch to No. 8 with sales of almost 105,000 copies.
The “Chicago” and “Cradle 2 the Grave” soundtracks close out the Top 10, in at Nos. 9 and 10, respectively.
Other albums whose Grammy afterglow is fading include: John Mayer’s “Room for Squares,” down seven spots to No. 15; Coldplay’s “Rush of Blood to the Head,” down three places to No. 16; Eminem’s “The Eminem Show,” down nine rungs to No. 21; Nelly’s “Nellyville,” slipping a dozen places to No. 30; and Bruce Springsteen’s “The Rising,” which freefalls 32 spots to No. 59.
Albums making their debut outside of the Top 10 include: the Ataris’ “So Long Astoria” at No. 24; and the latest from Hootie & the Blowfish, a self-titled set that clocks in at No. 46.
Monday, March 10, 2003
AC/DC, The Clash, The Police and others join Rock Hall
AC/DC, The Clash, The Police, Elvis Costello & the Attractions, and the Righteous Brothers were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame during a Monday night (3/10) ceremony in New York City. The event included performances from all of the inductees accept for the Clash, whose founder and frontman, Joe Strummer, died in December.
VH1 will air highlights from the induction ceremony on Sunday (3/16).
AC/DC, The Clash, The Police, Elvis Costello & the Attractions, and the Righteous Brothers were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame during a Monday night (3/10) ceremony in New York City. The event included performances from all of the inductees accept for the Clash, whose founder and frontman, Joe Strummer, died in December.
VH1 will air highlights from the induction ceremony on Sunday (3/16).
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Phil Spector not off the hook
Radio reports claiming that police are treating the death of actress Lana Clarkson--who was found shot dead in producer Phil Spector’s home on Feb. 3--as an accidental suicide are false, an investigator tells Billboard. An L.A. radio station reportedly said on Monday (3/10) that police were theorizing that Clarkson shot herself, and the claim was echoed on Tuesday’s (3/11) edition of “The Howard Stern Show.”
Police took Spector into custody following the shooting. He was later freed on $1 million bail, and no formal charges have been lodged against him.
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New Beastie Boys track blasts Bush on Iraq
The Beastie Boys have ended a five-year recording hiatus and released a new song titled “In a World Gone Mad” via their official website. The song is the group’s message to George W. Bush re: the Iraq situation. Sample lyrics:
You and Saddam should kick it like back in the day
With the cocaine and Courvoisier
But you build more bombs as you get more bold
As your mid-life crisis war unfolds
All you want to do is take control
Now put that axis of evil bullshit on hold
Our boys are all grown up. Remember when their stage show featured girls in cages and a giant inflatable penis?
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New club-fire lawsuit filed against Clear Channel, Anheuser-Busch
The family of a woman who died in last month’s blaze at a Rhode Island nightclub has filed a lawsuit that, in addition to naming many of the defendants already targeted in a similar but separate suit, also names Rhode Island rock-radio station WHJY, parent company Clear Channel Communications, and beer-brewer Anheuser-Busch, The Boston Globe reports.
The suit reportedly alleges that the radio station and beer company sponsored the Great White concert that ended in a deadly fire that killed 99 people and injured nearly 200 others, and that the companies therefore bear part of the responsibility for the tragedy.
A Clear Channel executive told the paper the company is “deeply saddened that plaintiffs’ lawyers are looking for deep pockets to pick, rather than allowing people the requisite time to grieve for those whom we have lost.”
Unfortunately, that sounds about right.
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CMT Flameworthy nominations
Country Music Television has unveiled the nominees for its CMT Flameworthy Video Music Awards, the Tennessean reports. Kenny Chesney, Dixie Chicks, Faith Hill, Alan Jackson, Toby Keith, Martina McBride, Tim McGraw, Rascal Flatts, Shania Twain and Keith Urban are vying for the Video of the Year honor.
Sunday, March 09, 2003
DMX says he’s hanging up his mic, picking up the Bible
Multi-platinum rapper DMX says his forthcoming fifth record, “It’s Not a Game,” will be his last, MTV News reports. “I’m going into the church,” he reportedly said. “I wanna take some time off--you know, read my Bible and just get more into the word.”
Multi-platinum rapper DMX says his forthcoming fifth record, “It’s Not a Game,” will be his last, MTV News reports. “I’m going into the church,” he reportedly said. “I wanna take some time off--you know, read my Bible and just get more into the word.”
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System of a Down bassist sues venue security
Shavo Odadjian, bassist for alt-metal outfit System of a Down, has filed a lawsuit against a Grand Rapids, Mich., security company for allegedly elbowing him in the face and dragging him out of an arena after he tried to go backstage during a Slipknot performance, Billboard.com reports.
In the suit, Odadjian, who is an Armenian-American, reportedly accuses the guards of assault, ethnic intimidation and humiliation.
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New Deftones album expected on May 20
California quintet Deftones--whose record label, Maverick Records, apparently jumped the gun last year by announcing that the group’s next album was due out last November--plan to deliver the album to fans on May 20, VH1.com reports. The tentatively self-titled set is the follow up to 2000’s “White Pony.”
“Fans got hold of [the date that Maverick announced last year] ... and we weren’t even done with the record!” band member Abe Cunningham told VH1.com. “How dare they put out a release date?”
How dare they, indeed.
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Limp Bizkit’s Fred Durst isn’t as stupid as originally thought
Limp Bizkit frontman Fred Durst--whom a number of press outlets ridiculed for his use of the word “agreeance” during his impromptu anti-war comments at last month’s Grammy awards--has been vindicated by several linguists who have confirmed that the word “agreeance” really is a word, after all, according to Reuters.
Both the North American editor of the Oxford English Dictionary and the chairwoman of the University of Southern California’s linguistics department have reportedly said that Durst didn’t make up the word--which both linguists admit is largely obsolete--and that he used it correctly.
“Agreeance is a word according to the Oxford English Dictionary,” Durst said in a posting on Limp Bizkit’s website. “So the dumb asses at the Orange County Register [who called Durst “illiterate” following the perceived flub] and everyone else are welcome to intern at [Durst’s Interscope imprint] Flawless Records until they learn enough about journalism to write for a major daily newspaper.”
So there.
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Youssou N’Dour calls off tour to protest U.S. Iraq policy
Senegalese musician Youssou N’Dour has called off a planned North American tour due to protest the United States’ Iraq policy, Billboard.com reports. “It is my strong conviction that the responsibility for disarming Iraq should rest with the United Nations,” N’Dour said in a statement.
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Tim McGraw’s tour supports the Red Cross
Tim McGraw will donate 50 cents from every ticket sold on his website and 100 percent of the proceeds from the sale of special Red Cross/Tim McGraw T-shirts will go to the Red Cross, according to the AP.
Thursday, March 06, 2003
New Led Zeppelin double-DVD and triple-CD set due in May
Led Zeppelin fans can look forward to the May 27 release of “Led Zeppelin DVD,” a two-DVD set that houses almost five-and-a-half hours of live performances, television appearances, interviews, behind-the-scenes footage and more. Also due out the same day is a live, three-disc collection titled “How the West Was Won.”
Led Zeppelin fans can look forward to the May 27 release of “Led Zeppelin DVD,” a two-DVD set that houses almost five-and-a-half hours of live performances, television appearances, interviews, behind-the-scenes footage and more. Also due out the same day is a live, three-disc collection titled “How the West Was Won.”
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Backstreet Boys plan fall release for new album
The Backstreet Boys are heading into the studio soon to begin work on a new album that the group expects to deliver this fall, Billboard.com reports. The set follows the group’s 2000 release, “Black and Blue,” which has sold more than 5 million copies in the U.S.
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New technology gets artists, not labels, paid for online swapping
A Dutch Internet company claims to have developed software that could be used to pay musicians whose songs are traded over the Internet, while cutting out entirely the record labels that have spent recent years trying to plug up the flow of online file sharing, Reuters reports.
The founder of the firm that created the software told Reuters that the recording industry has been “quite hostile” toward the initiative.
We like it.
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Death toll grows to 99 in Rhode Island club fire
Mitchell Shubert, 39, a Florida resident who had been hospitalized since the fast-moving Feb. 20 fire at The Station nightclub in West Warwick, R.I., died of his injuries on Thursday, the Associated Press reports. Shubert, a construction superintendent, is the fire’s 99th death.
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Rock Hall inductees profiled
Rollingstone.com has a nice online feature that looks at this year’s class of inductees into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. AC/DC, The Clash, Elvis Costello, The Police and The Righteous Brothers officially join the Rock Hall on March 10.
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Cat Stevens: Peace. Skynyrd guitarist: Let’s have a war.
Yusuf Islam--who used to be known as Cat Stevens--has recorded two songs to express his opposition to war in Iraq, http://www.kansascity.com/mld/kansascity/entertainment/5341025.htm >the AP reports. One is a rerecording of his ‘70s hit “Peace Train;” the other, “Angel of War,” is a reworking of “Lady D’Arbanville.”
Meanwhile, Launch.com reports that Lynyrd Skynyrd guitarist Rickey Medlocke has released a statement saying that “[t]he time has come for us to speak up in support of our government and our troops.” Adds the member of a band whose concerts attract more than a few Confederate flags: “So far, the only message that has been broadcast to Americans, to our allies, and to our enemies is one of peace at all costs. Those of us who do not agree with pacifism have a responsibility to speak up and be heard just as loud.”
Wednesday, March 05, 2003
The Rolling Stones’ ‘Licks’ tour to visit China
The Rolling Stones will make their first concert appearances in China in April, Reuters reports. Shows are scheduled to take place in Beijing and Shanghai.
The Rolling Stones will make their first concert appearances in China in April, Reuters reports. Shows are scheduled to take place in Beijing and Shanghai.
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Fleetwood Mac takes to the road
More than half of the itinerary for Fleetwood Mac’s upcoming spring-summer tour of North America has surfaced at Pollstar.com. The group issues a new album titled “Say You Will” on April 15.
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Live ‘Plasma’ from Phish’s Trey Anastasio
Phish frontman Trey Anastasio releases a 2-CD live set titled “Plasma” on April 29, according to Phish’s official website. The set was culled from Anastasio’s summer and fall 2002 tours.
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Anthony Kiedis shows you his scars
Hyperion Books will release “Scar Tissue,” the autobiography of Red Hot Chili Peppers frontman Anthony Kiedis, in the fall of 2003. According to Hyperion, Larry “Ratso” Sloman--who collaborated with Howard Stern on “Private Parts” and “Miss America"--will assist Kiedis on the project.
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Mark Knopfler on the road
Mark Knopfler, former Dire Straits singer and guitarist, embarks on a tour of North American theaters and and amphitheaters this summer, according to Billboard.com. His last release was last fall’s “The Ragpicker’s Dream.”
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Smokey Robinson, George Jones get medals
President George W. Bush, in between foreign policy blunders, took a quick break on Thursday (2/6) to present the National Medal of Arts for 2002 to Smokey Robinson and George Jones, among others, E! Online reports.
Album Chart: Grammy sweep lifts Norah Jones back to top
Norah Jones’ recent slew of Grammy wins caused droves of record buyers to pick up her debut album, “Come Away With Me,” propelling the release back to the top of the album chart.
Norah Jones’ recent slew of Grammy wins caused droves of record buyers to pick up her debut album, “Come Away With Me,” propelling the release back to the top of the album chart.
“Come Away With Me"--which was crowned Album of the Year at the Feb. 23 Grammy ceremony--sold about 621,000 copies in the week following the awards, according to industry sources. That figure is up from a pre-Grammy week that saw the set move about 144,000 copies.
Rapper 50 Cent’s “Get Rich or Die Tryin’” manages to stay put at No. 2 on the Billboard 200 chart for the second consecutive week thanks to sales of about 423,000 copies, a drop of about 100,000 over its previous week’s tally. R. Kelly’s “Chocolate Factory"--sales of which dropped more than 50 percent to about 238,000 copies--follows at No. 3, down from its No. 1 debut of last week.
Despite a nice post-Grammy sales bump for its award-winning album “Home"--about 202,000, roughly 80,000 more than the previous week--the Dixie Chicks don’t gain any ground, and remain locked at No. 4.
The only newcomer to bust into the Top 10 is the debut from rapper Freeway, whose “Philadelphia Freeway” enters the chart at No. 5 after logging first-week sales of about 132,000 copies.
Meanwhile, also basking in the post-Grammy glow is the “Grammy Nominees 2003” compilation set, which is up four spots to No. 6 on the strength of single-week sales that jumped from about 64,000 copies pre-Grammys to about 113,000.
Kid Rock’s “Cocky” didn’t see much benefit from his Grammy performance with one-time squeeze Sheryl Crow; the set dips two spots to No. 7 despite a modest sales bump of about 5,000 copies, totaling about 106,000.
Singer-songwriter John Mayer, on the other hand, wins more than just a Grammy. The singer-songwriter’s Grammy win and award-show performance of his hit single “Your Body Is a Wonderland” launched his major-label debut “Room for Squares” from No. 17 to No. 8. Sales of the album--which leapt from No. 32 to No. 17 the previous week--more than doubled following the Grammys, up from about 45,000 copies to about 97,000 copies.
Avril Lavigne, who got shut out at the Grammy’s despite five nominations, gets squeezed out of the No. 7 spot to wind up at No. 9, though her debut set “Let Go” did see an increase in sales thanks to her performance at the ceremony.
Closing out the Top 10 is the “Cradle 2 the Grave” soundtrack, which slips four places to No. 10.
Outside the Top 10, Grammy winners and performers taking a ride up the chart include Eminem’s “The Eminem Show,” up six spots to No. 12; Coldplay’s “A Rush of Blood to the Head,” up nine spots to No. 13; Nelly’s “Nellyville” up three spots to No. 18; Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band’s “The Rising,” up a whopping 82 places to No. 27; Foo Fighters’ “One by One,” up an impressive 40 slots to No. 47; Vanessa Carlton’s “Be Not Nobody” up 33 places to No. 66; and No Doubt’s “Rock Steady,” up 38 slots to No. 68.
Debuting further down the chart are B.G.’s “Livin’ Legend” at No. 21; the “Smallville” soundtrack at No. 31; Dirty’s “Keep It Pimp & Gangsta” at No. 63; American Hi-Fi’s “The Art of Losing” at No. 80; and Lyle Lovett’s “Smile” at No. 106.
Tuesday, March 04, 2003
Dave Matthews Band lays out summer amphitheater tour
The Dave Matthews Band--longtime staples of the summer amphitheater circuit--have lined up a 50-plus city tour for this year, RollingStone.com reports. Through April, Matthews will be on an acoustic tour with Tim Reynolds.
The Dave Matthews Band--longtime staples of the summer amphitheater circuit--have lined up a 50-plus city tour for this year, RollingStone.com reports. Through April, Matthews will be on an acoustic tour with Tim Reynolds.
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Tracklisting for new Madonna album unveiled
A new Madonna album titled “American Life” is due to hit stores on April 22. The first single is the title track, which is expected to hit radio late this month. “Die Another Day,” first heard on the soundtrack to the James Bond film of the same name, is among its 11 cuts.
The tracklisting, you ask?
American Life
Hollywood
I’m So Stupid
Love Profusion
Nobody Knows Me
Nothing Fails
Intervention
X-Static Process
Mother and Father
Die Another Day
Easy Ride
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Great White, club owners sued over deadly blaze
The first of an inevitable slew of lawsuits stemming from the Rhode Island nightclub fire that killed 98 and injured almost 200 was filed on Tuesday (3/4), Reuters reports. The lawyer for relatives of two of the victims--Donald Roderiques and Tina Ayer--filed a wrongful death suit against Great White and the owners of the Station nightclub--brothers Michael and Jeffrey Derderian--among others. The attorney added that he expected later this week to file additional suits on behalf of four other families, in which he plans to seek judgments of at least $1 million per victim.
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Staind drops new album in May
Boston-based rock quartet Staind plans to release a new album titled “14 Shades of Grey” on May 6, Billboard.com reports. The set is the follow-up to its 2001 multi-platinum album, “Break the Cycle,” which spawned the hits “It’s Been Awhile” and “Outside.”
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Michael Jackson paid witch doctor to curse Spielberg?
A new article in Vanity Fair magazine claims that Michael Jackson paid a witch doctor $150,000 to put a curse on Steven Spielberg for not casting the singer as Peter Pan in the movie “Hook,” and on David Geffen for supposedly sabotaging the singer’s career, the Associated Press reports.
The article, which also claims that Jackson wears a prosthetic tip on what is left of his nose, quotes an unidentified California prosecutor who investigated child-molestation allegations made against the eccentric performer as saying that Jackson befriended young boys, and then broke ties with them “as soon as they started sprouting whiskers.”
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Dude, that’s the best album EVER!
The Top 10 albums of all time, according to the ever-so-cheeky NME:
1. The Stone Roses, “The Stone Roses”
2. Pixies, “Doolittle”
3. The Beach Boys, “Pet Sounds”
4. Television, “Marquee Moon”
5. The Beatles, “Revolver”
6. Love, “Forever Changes”
7. The Strokes, “Is This it”
8. The Smiths, “The Queen Is Dead”
9. The Velvet Underground, “The Velvet Underground & Nico”
10. The Sex Pistols, “Never Mind The Bollocks...”
Ten years ago, when NME last conducted the poll, “Pet Sounds” topped the list.
Who wants to bet that The Strokes won’t make the cut 10 years from now?