Stewart Copeland sues the Doors’ Manzarek and Krieger
ByMar 11, 2003 11:00 PM
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.