Short Takes - Michael Jackson, Prince, Iggy Pop

DON'T tick of Michael Jackson. Prince recently turned down a Jackson offer to do a world tour together. Jackson was overheard complaining about the snub at the Sultan of Brunei's son's birthday party (which Jackson played) and saying that he'd use his $10 million appearance fee to purchase Prince's music catalog.

It wouldn't be without precedence. While there have been all sorts of reports on Jackson selling off his portion of the Beatles catalog, it appears he's doing just the opposite. Jackson has purchased Famous Music LLC from Viacom and has added music from Eminem, Shakira, Beck and Bjork. Don't forget that Eminem did a parody of Michael in his Without Me video. Payback?

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Speaking of Prince, if you are a Verizon Wireless user with the new V Cast song ID feature, you can download the purple ones new single, Guitar, for free. It's just another case of an artist trying to create buzz around a new product by hooking into the latest technology. Guitar is from the forthcoming album Planet Earth.

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Iggy Pop and the Stooges will be playing a charity gig in Leeds, U.K. on August 31 in support of The Children's Society.

Pop got involved with the society after his Lust for Life was used by the group as the theme for a garden they entered in the Chelsea Flower Show. Part of the garden featured a burst of water synchronized with the song.

Iggy said, "I'm getting a big kick out of making music for The Children's Society. All kids deserve a good childhood. It's great to know my music reaches out to so many and inspires."

Also on the bill are Idlewild, The Horrors and Sunshine Underground.

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The defense in the Phil Spector trial is attempting to get a journal written by victim Lana Clarkson admitted into evidence. The computerized writings are said to show that the actress was depressed, had an interest in guns and had struggled with alcohol and drugs.

Some of those writings included in a "Story of My Life" talked about a struggling actress who didn't make it in Hollywood and killed herself with a gun. E-mail was also found on the computer to a friend talking about money problems, wanting to get her affairs in order and "chuck it."

The writings were never submitted to the coroner as evidence and the judge questioned whether it would have changed the conclusion of the investigation from homicide to suicide. Prosecutors countered that they did not feel that the writings were verifiable and could have been done for a creative writing class. While the judge will be reading the transcript of the writings over the weekend, he did state that he is inclined to allow them into evidence.

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Diana Ross was questioned by police in the U.K. after allegedly pushing a three-year-old who was trying to get an autograph into a door.

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Concord to Release Digital Exclusive Albums from Stax

Stax Records, who are celebrating their fiftieth anniversary this year, have announced the release of a number of digital-only offerings through their agreement with Concord. iTunes will have the exclusive rights to the tracks for the first 90-days in release, at which time they will go to other sites.

First, is a series of ten releases known as Short Stax. These will be EPs by a variety of artists with three tracks, two established hits and a deep-cut from the Stax library. The initial releases will be:

• Booker T & the MGs - Time is Tight, Soul Limbo, Green Onions (live)
  
• Dramatics - In the Rain, Whatcha See is Whatcha Get, I Pray She'll Never Go Away
  
• Emotions - Show Me How, My Honey & Me, Ain't No Sunshine
  
• Eddie Floyd - I've Never Found a Girl (to Love Me Like You Do), Bring It On Home to Me, Rainy Night in Georgia
  
• Isaac Hayes - Theme From Shaft, Never Can Say Goodbye, Run Fay Run
  
• Albert King - I'll Play the Blues for You, Part 1, That's What the Blues is All About, Answer to the Laundromat Blues
  
• Soul Children
• Staple Singers - Respect Yourself, Oh La De Da, The Weight
  
• Johnnie Taylor - Who's Making Love, Jody's Got Your Girl and Gone, Love Bones
  
• Carla Thomas - I Like What You Do (to Me), Where Do I Go?, Gee Whiz (Look at His Eyes) (Live at Wattstax)
  
• Rufus Thomas - Do the Funky Chicken, (Do the) Push and Pull, Part 1, Walking the Dog (Live @ PJ's)
  

The EPs sell for $2.49. A second wave of EPs are set for July.

Five full albums never before available on CD will also be released:

• You’ve Got To Have Eddie - Eddie Floyd
• Gritty, Groovin’ & Getting’ It - David Porter
• At the Drive-In - Freddie Robinson
• Lou Bond - Lou Bond
• A Message From the Ghetto - The Sons of Truth

The LPs sell for $9.99. Again, a second group of unreleased albums will hit iTunes on July 24.

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MTV Unplugged Comes Back with Bon Jovi & the Police

On November 26, 1989, MTV premiered a new show that took artists from all genres and put them in front of an audience performing with only acoustic instruments. That show presented Squeeze, Syd Straw and Elliot Easton of the Cars and was known as MTV Unplugged.

Over the next eighteen years, 110 shows would be produced with artists from Tony Bennett to Korn. Unfortunately, in the last few years (and no doubt because there is less M in the MTV), the show has trickled down to only one or two appearances per year.

That will change this summer as the Unplugged franchise will be resurrected and shared among all of the Viacom-owned music channels. It all starts on June 22 on MTV with Bon Jovi, supporting their new country tinged album Lost Highway. Over the next two evenings, the show will be broadcast on VH1 and CMT in reedited form so that the music suits each station's audience.

While dates have not been announced for future tapings, it is thought that the Police would hold their show in Miami sometime in mid-July. Also taping shows will be Kenny Chesney, Mary J. Blige and John Mayer.

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Jackson Memorabilia Auction - Day 2

The second and last day of the Jackson Memorabilia Auction run by Guernsey's is now over. While a majority of the lots sold, most were in the low hundreds. Unlike yesterday that saw a number of items sell in the five figures, no lot in today's proceedings exceeded $9,500.

The highlights from Day 2:

• Michael Jackson's Motown Identity Card - $9,500
• Janet Jackson's Drawing of LaToya - $6,500
• Michael Jackson's Notebook with notes and lyrics - $5,500
• Jackson Family Encino, CA Estate Blueprints - $8,5oo
• Michael Jackson's Black Fedora - $4,250
• Pair of Michael Jackson's Suede Jackets - $8,000
• Michael Jackson's White Fedora - $4,750
• Michael Jackson's Bellmaster Jacket - $9,500
• Michael Jackson's Black Suede Bolero Jacket - $5,500

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Vintage Clip - Dick Dale - Misirlou (1962)

On this day in 1958, Dick Dale performed at the Rendezvous Ballroom in Balboa, California, playing one of the first concerts with the new music that would eventually be called Surf Music.

This clip from a 1962 TV show has Dale performing what is now his most famous piece, Misirlou. The guitarist learned the tune from his Armenian Uncle.

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Short Takes - Muddy Waters, Little Walter, Howlin' Wolf

Sony BMG Films has announced that they are casting the parts of Muddy Waters, Little Walter and Howlin' Wolf for the film Cadillac Records. The movie will be directed by Darnell Martin (Their Eyes Were Watching God) and is expected to start shooting in Chicago later this year.

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The Phil Spector defense team went after the forensic evidence today, getting the medical examiner to admit there was some mishandling of evidence, including the loss of one of the victim's teeth. Dr. Louis Pena also admitted that the body had been moved in a way that compromised the blood splatter evidence.

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A London court heard Wednesday that George Michael had a number of drugs in his system when he was arrested blocking an intersection slumped over the wheel of his car. Among the drugs was a therapeutic quantity of an anti-depressant and GHB (aka, the date-rape drug).

Michael had previously plead guilty to the charge and is scheduled for sentencing on June 8, the day before he plays a show at Wembley Stadium.

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Porter Wagoner will be honored by the International Fan Club Organization with their Tex Ritter Award. The award recognizes Wagoner's contributions to music and the fans. The presentation will be on June 4 at the IFCO's Fun Fest Concert in Nashville.

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Prince has announced another upcoming gig. This one will be on July 7 in the Minneapolis Macy's.

The eighth floor of the store will be turned into a concert hall for 1,400 people who will pay $250 each to see the private concert and also get a ticket to that night's Target Centre concert, a bottle of the new fragrance (3121, which is the reason for the whole show) and a special T-Shirt.

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In another sign of the coming apocalypse, HearMusic is hawking Paul McCartney's new album tonight (Wednesday) on the Home Shopping Network. McCartney appeared in recorded segments talking about his inspirations for the songs.

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Liv Tyler's rep has told the NY Post “Liv never said anything about her father leaving Aerosmith.” Now it's up to you on whether you think it was a typical NY Post hatchet job or damage control.

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Marc Bolan to Be Celebrated in London Concert

Marc Bolan's life and music will be celebrated at London's Shepherd's Bush Empire on September 15.

Producer Tony Visconti is putting the show together with confirmed performers Marc Almond, Rolan Bolan, Ray Dorset, Andy Ellison, Paul King, Linda Lewis, Shakin’ Stevens and Ruby Turner. More are expected to confirm in the future.

The Marc Bolan/T. Rex tribute group T.Rextasy will be the house band for the night along with a number of surprise musicians. Each of the acts will perform their own version of a Bolan or T.Rex song.

Marc Bolan's legacy has lived long beyond his death. In the U.S., T.Rex and Bolan had a cult following with Bang a Gong (Get it On) being their only major hit, reaching number ten in early-1972. In other parts of the world, especially the U.K., Bolan scored numerous hit songs and albums and is credited as a major influence by a number of artists.

The concert is being held on the eve of the 30th Anniversary of Bolan's death. Proceeds will be split between the Nordoff Robbins Music Therapy and the PRS Members Fund.

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Stones Going the Best Buy Route (Again) With New DVD Set

The Rolling Stones will be working with retail giant Best Buy once again in the exclusive release of a four-DVD set of their Bigger Bang tour.

A couple of years ago, the Stones released another four-DVD exclusively through Best Buy for the first year of the release chronicalling their last tour which visited a number of different size venues.

This time, the set will include two complete tour shows along with two documentaries. The set will be released June 12 with a retail price of $29.99 and is available as of today for pre-sale at the Best Buy site.

The press release said, "'The Biggest Bang' DVD set lets fans join us as we traveled around the world. They will go behind the scenes at the Super Bowl, see us play an intimate club show in Toronto and for 2 million people on the beach in Rio, as well as gigs in Shanghai, Buenos Aires and Japan. It features classics but also rarities--songs we've never released before on DVD."

The track listing for the set:

Disc 1 - Zilker Park, Austin, TX

• You Got Me Rocking
• Let's Spend the Night Together
• She's So Cold
• Oh No, Not You Again
• Sway
• Bob Wills is Still the King
• Streets of Love
• Ain't Too Proud to Beg
• Tumbling Dice
• Learning the Game
• Little T&A
• Under My Thumb
• Get Off My Cloud
• Honky Tonk Woman
• Sympathy for the Devil
• Jumpin' Jack Flash
• (I Can't Get No) Satisfaction
• Brown Sugar
• Austin Mini-Documentary
• I Can't Be Satisfied from Milan, Italy

Disc 2 - Copacabana Beach, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

• Jumpin' Jack Flash
• It's Only Rock 'n Roll
• You Got Me Rocking
• Wild Horses
• Rain Fall Down
• Midnight Rambler
• Night Time is the Right Time
• Happy
• Miss You
• Rough Justice
• Get Off My Cloud
• Honky Tonk Women
• Start Me Up
• Brown Sugar
• You Can't Always Get What You Want
• (I Can't Get No) Satisfaction
• Rio de Janeiro Mini-Documentary

Disc 3 - Rest of the World

• Let's Spend the Night Together
• Rain Fall Down
• Rough Justice
• Bitch
• Midnight Rambler
• Gimme Shelter
• This Place is Empty
• It's Only Rock 'n Roll
• Worried About You
• Happy
• Miss You
• Paint It Black
• (I Can't Get No) Satisfaction
• Shine a Light (Duet with Bonnie Raitt)
• Wild Horses (Duet with Eddie Vedder)
• Let It Bleed (Duet with Dave Matthews)
• Wild Horses (Duet with Cui Jian)

Disc 4 - Bonus Material

• Get Up, Stand Up
• Mr. Pitiful
• If It Ain't Got That Swing featuring Charlie Watts
• Hurricane featuring Keith Richards
• Outlets of Emotion featuring Ron Wood
• Busking featuring Mick Jagger
  

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Jackson Family Auction - Day 1 Results

The first day of the Jackson Auction is complete.

Highlights from the first day:

• MTV Video Music Award for USA For Africa - $16,000
• We Are the World Record Awards (1985) - $17,000
• Off the Wall Gold Record - $11,000
• Thriller Award Presented to Janet Jackson - $15,000
• Gold Record Award for I Want You Back - $11,000
• NAACP Award to the Jacksons for Best Vocal Group (1984) - $11,000
• Michael Jackson drawn and signed portrait of Charlie Chaplin - $14,000
• Michael Jackson's Black Crested Jacked from the 80's - $17,000
• Michael Jackson's Bill Whitten Suit from 80's - $19,000
  

It should be noted that a majority of the lots sold went in the $100 to $300 range. This may or may not have been a surprise to the auction house, Guernsey's, who had estimates on all of them of $100 - $1,000,000.

Sessions tomorrow are at 3 and 10 PM EDT.

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Vintage Clip - Roxy Music - Love is the Drug

On this day 35 years ago, Roxy Music played their first major show at the Great Western Express Festival in Lincolnshire, U.K.

Here's a live clip of their classic Love is the Drug with a great performance by Bryan Ferry and a really bad performance by a backup singer.

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Short Takes - Rolling Stones, Joe Jackson, Phil Spector

The Rolling Stones have split from their manager, Prince Rupert Loewenstein, although he will be retained for advising on some aspects of their career. Lowenstein has been involved with the group for more than forty years. No replacement has been named.

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Joe Jackson told a London audience that he and his band will be going into a Berlin studio next month to start recording a new album for 2008 release.

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Dr. Louis Pena, the coroner who examined Lana Clarkson's body, took the stand today in the Phil Spector trial, stating that it is his opinion that her death was a homicide.

The coroner pointed to a bruise on the actress' tongue that were consistent with a blunt force trauma of something striking her, such as a gun. He also testified that there were bruises on Clarkson's right arm and waist and that she died with her purse over her shoulder which is not normal for someone who is killing themself.

Pena also said that there was no evidence of Clarkson planning a suicide such as putting affairs in order and said she had no history of depression or suicide.

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Liv Tyler has said that her father, Steven Tyler, will soon be announcing that he is leaving Aerosmith. She says that he can't take how the rest of the band is treating him. Of course, this was reported in the New York Daily News, so who knows.

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John Lennon's piano on which he wrote Imagine has been touring the country with stops at places where violent acts have occurred. The next stop was on May 26 at Virginia Tech, the site of the recent killing of 32 students.

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Rolling Stones' 25 Greatest Songs Off Bad Albums

Rolling Stone magazine has released it's weekly list delving into some facet of past music. This week it's 25 great songs from bad albums. Interestingly, Elton John is the only artist to have two records on the list from two different albums. In addition, the vast majority are from artists who started their career in 1985 or before which would lead us to believe that most bad albums since that time are just plain all bad.

1. Under Pressure - Queen (Hot Space)
2. This Is England - Clash (Cut The Crap)
3. Eminence Front - Who (It’s Hard)
4. Brownsville Girl - Bob Dylan (Knocked Out Loaded)
5. Hallo Spaceboy - David Bowie (Outside)
6. Kill Your Sons - Lou Reed (Sally Can’t Dance)
7. 2000 Light Years from Home - Rolling Stones (Their Satanic Majesties Request)
8. Goin’ Home - Neil Young (Are You Passionate)
9. Song For Guy - Elton John (A Single Man)
10. Don’t Look Back - Boston (Don’t Look Back)
11. Jammin’ Me - Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers (Let Me Up I’ve Had Enough)
12. Shipbuilding - Elvis Costello (Punch the Clock)
13. Go Let It Out - Oasis (Standing on the Shoulder of Giants)
14. Big Love - Fleetwood Mac (Tango In the Night)
15. Tonight - Elton John (Blue Moves)
16. Celluloid Heroes - Kinks (Everybody’s in Show-Biz)
17. Country Death Song - Violent Femmes (Hallowed Ground)
18. Busy Doin’ Nothin’ - Beach Boys (Friends)
19. Supernova - Liz Phair (Whip-Smart)
20. The Most Beautiful Girl in the World - Prince (The Gold Experience)
21. Human Touch - Bruce Springsteen (Human Touch)
22. Learning To Fly - Pink Floyd (Momentary Lapse of Reason)
23. I Don’t Want Your Love - Duran Duran (Big Thing)
24. Wild Wild Life - Talking Heads (True Stories)
25. My Love - Wings (Red Rose Speedway)

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Bo Diddley on Mend

A Reuters report today has said that Bo Diddley is resting comfortably back in his home town even though he is still struggling to communicate. The rock legend suffered a stroke while performing on May 13.

Accourding to the report, Diddly has begun humming to himself and listening to country and western music which is a particular favorite. His manager Margo Lewis told Reuters, "When he gets up in the morning he'll hum while he's brushing his teeth. And when he goes to breakfast he'll start humming along (to) a song. It'll just come to his head. He's not saying the words but he's humming the tunes. He's a performer."

At this point, it is unknown how much of his ability to speak and recognize speech he will be able to recover. Lewis said, "His problem is only in getting out the words sometimes, and in understanding. I think it happens more when he's tired or excited."

It's expected that Diddley will stay at the Gainesville, Florida facility for another two weeks before returning to his 60-acre estate for rehabilitation.

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New Releases for Tuesday, May 29, 2007

CDs

• Marc Almond (of Soft Cell) - Stardom Road (Sequel)
  
• Herb Alpert - Rise (Shout! Factory)
• John Anderson - John Anderson 2 (American Beat)
• David Axelrod - Warner/Reprise Recordings:Electric Prunes & Sessions (WEA/Rhino Import)
  
• Jeff Beck - Official Bootleg '06 (Sony Import)
  
• Black Oak Arkansas - Live Mutha! (American Beat)
• Blood Sweat & Tears - Definitive Collection (Sony/BMG Import)
• T-Bone Burnett - Proof Through the Night & the Complete the Trap Do (Rhino Handmade)
  
• Cher - Backstage/Golden Hits (Beat Goes On)
  
• Clancy Brothers with Tommy Makem
  • Best of (Collectables)
  • Irish Folk Songs & Airs (Collectables)
  • Irish Revolutionary Songs (Collectables)
    
• Friends of Distinction - Grazin'/Highly Distinct (Rev-Ola)
  
• Crystal Gayle - We Must Believe/When I Dream
• Tim Hardin - Through the Years 1964 - 1966 (Rare & Unreleased Studio Recordings) (Lilith)
  
• Corey Hart - First Offense/Boy in the Box (Collectables)
• Isley Brothers - Live It Up/Heat Is On (Beat Goes On)
• Gary Moore - Close As You Get (Eagle)
• Aldo Nova - Under the Gun...A Portrait Of (Acadia)
• Ray Price - Essential Ray Price (Sony)
• Judee Sill - Live in London: The BBC Recordings 1972-1973 (Water)
  
• Spinners - Love Trippin' (American Beat)
• Richard Thompson - Sweet Warrior (Shout! Factory)
• Kitty Wells - Country Music Legends (Castle)
  

DVDs

• Beatles - Down Under and On the Road (TBC)
• Beatles - The Making of Help! (MPC Inc.)
• Temptations - Live in London (Hudson Street)
  

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Vintage Clip - Mike Oldfield - Tubular Bells

On this date in 1973, Mike Oldfield released Tubular Bells, which would eventually be known as the theme from The Exorcist. The original album was a concept piece that spanned both sides of the record. Even though it was extremely esoteric for the average record buyer, the single version peaked at number seven in the U.S. and the album topped out at number three.

This version is from the 1981 Montreux Jazz Festival and includes the first 8:30 of the piece.

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Police "Open" Tour With Fan Club Show

The Police, in effect, opened their tour on Sunday night with a fan club show for 4,000 at Vancouver's GM Place.

Andy Summers told the Vancouver Sun that they are playing a lot of old favorites but warned concert goers that they might not sound the same.

"We've got all these famous songs, but we look at them like new pieces of material. To a point, we've reworked them, but obviously all the famous riffs are there. You can't play Every Breath You Take without me playing that guitar, obviously."

"We constantly fiddle with them, but because they're alive, they're living, they're not dead. We spent the last two months re-arranging and fiddling around until we felt it was good. (There is) some intensity in the songs that may transcend the original recorded versions."

The opening group for this part of the tour is Fiction Plane, fronted by Sting's son, Joe Sumner, on lead vocals and bass.

The Police played a 21-song, 125-minute concert. The set list:

• Message in a Bottle
• Synchronicity II
• Don't Stand So Close to Me
• Voices Inside My Head"/"When the World Is Running Down, You Make the Best of What's Still Around
• Spirits in the Material World
• Driven to Tears
• Walking on the Moon
• Truth Hits Everybody
• Every Little Thing She Does Is Magic
• Wrapped Around Your Finger
• The Bed's Too Big Without You
• Murder by Numbers
• De Do Do Do, De Da Da Da
• Invisible Sun
• Walking in Your Footsteps
• Can't Stand Losing You
• Roxanne
• King of Pain
• So Lonely
• Every Breath You Take
• Next to You

The group played again tonight in Vancouver along with Wednesday night before moving on to Edmonton on Saturday.

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Vintage Clip - Ike & Tina Turner - River Deep, Mountain High

On this date in 1966, Ike and Tina Turner released one of the great Phil Spector produced records, River Deep, Mountain High. In the U.K., it went to number three. The U.S. met it with indifference, with the single peaking at number 88.

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Short Takes - B.B. King, Lars Ulrich

B.B. King received an honorary doctor of music degree on Sunday from Brown University. In accepting the degree, King told the students he was going to do something he'd never done before, launching into an a cappella version of Guess Who.

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Lars Ulrich of Metallica became a father again on Monday with his partner, actress Connie Nielsen. Bryce Thadeus Ulrich-Nielsen joins Nielsen's son, Sebastian and Ulrich's children, Myles and Layne.

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Notable Links:

The story of Henry Padovani, who walked away from being the fourth member of the Police into obscurity, from the London Daily Mail.

David Marks, an original member of the Beach Boys, who left the band after two years when he was only 16, from the Danbury New Times Live.

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Rhino Homemade to Profile Atlantic Records

Rhino Homemade, the limited edition arm of Rhino Records, is set to salute Atlantic Records on its 60th anniversary with three multi-disk retrospectives.

The first set will be available June 12 and will cover the Blues music recorded by Atlantic. The 4-CD set will be housed in a 12" by 12" box with a book of extensive liner notes and rare photographs. Only 3,000 individually numbered sets will be produced. The price will be $79.98.

The label's press release said:

Produced by Billy Vera, Atlantic Blues features 80 tracks culled from the label's first two decades highlighting the wide variety of blues that found a home at Atlantic. It features everything from the gutbucket down-home blues of Blind Willie McTell to the jumping blues of Joe Morris, from the piano blues of Jimmy Yancey and Floyd Dixon to the guitar blues of T-Bone Walker and Otis Rush, from male shouters Joe Turner and Jimmy Witherspoon to female blues performers such as LaVern Baker and Esther Phillips.

The set opens with Atlantic's first hit, "Drinkin' Wine Spo-Dee-O-Dee" by Stick McGhee and His Buddies followed by a procession of influential artists and songs including Professor Longhair's Carnival classic "Mardi Gras In New Orleans"; Joe Morris Blues Cavalcade performing Atlantic's first #1 single, "Anytime, Any Place, Anywhere"; seven songs from "Big" Joe Turner including the smash "Chains Of Love"; three cuts from Aretha Franklin, "Going Down Slow," "Today I Sing The Blues" and "River's Invitation"; plus four feelin'-lowdown tracks from Ray Charles, "Worried Life Blues," "Losing Hand," "Feeling Sad" and a masterful performance of Percy Mayfield's "Two Years Of Torture." Other well-known artists that appear on are Leadbelly, T-Bone Walker, Guitar Slim, Jimmy Witherspoon, LaVern Baker, Freddy King and Otis Rush.

The complete track list for Atlantic Blues (1949-1970):

• Drinkin' Wine Spo-Dee-O-Dee - Stick McGhee
• Drank Up All The Wine Last Night - Stick McGhee
• The Razor Ball - Barrelhouse Sammy
• Last Dime Blues - Barrelhouse Sammy
• Mardi Gras In New Orleans - Roy "Baldhead" Boyd
• Hey Now Baby - Professor Longhair
• She Walks Right In - Professor Longhair
• Tee-Nah-Nah - Harry Van Walls
• Let's Do It - Stick McGhee
• House Warmin' Boogie - Stick McGhee
• Dallas Bepop Blues - Lawyer Houston
• In The Army Since 1941 - Soldier Boy Houston
• Goodnight Irene - Leadbelly
• Vicksburg Blues '51 - Little Brother Montgomery
• Talkin' Blues - Little Brother Montgomery
• Yancey Special - Jimmy Yancey
• Santa Fe Blues - Jimmy & Mama Yancey
• Monkey Woman Blues - Jimmy & Mama Yancey
• Worried Life Blues - Ray Charles
• All Night Lover Blues - Jimmy "Baby Face" Lewis
• Jump, Everybody, Jump - Joe Morris Blues Cavalcade
• Anytime, Any Place, Anywhere" - Joe Morris Blues Cavalcade
• I'm So Good To You (Pretty Baby) - Jimmy "Baby Face" Lewis
• Rock Me Daddy - Joe Morris Blues Cavalcade
• Yeah! Yeah! Yeah! - Joe Morris Blues Cavalcade
• Chains Of Love - Joe Turner
• Bump Miss Susie - Joe Turner
• Let's Get Together And Make Some Love - Jimmy Lewis
• Every Time - Lil Green
• I've Got That Feeling - Lil Green
• Sweet Sixteen - Joe Turner
• Alarm Clock Boogie - Odelle Turner
• Messin' Up - Chuck Norris
• Losing Hand - Ray Charles
• Feeling Sad - Ray Charles
• TV Mama - Joe Turner
• Oke-She-Moke-She-Pop - Joe Turner
• Last Call For Whiskey - Choker Campbell
• Tipitina - Professor Longhair
• Who's Been Fooling You - Professor Longhair
• Big Foot May - Hal Paige
• In The Evening - Joe Turner
• Roll Baby Roll - Floyd Dixon
• Wait Baby - Little Johnny Jones
• Hoy Hoy - Little Johnny Jones
• Chicago Blues - Little Johnny Jones
• Hey Bartender - Floyd Dixon
• When I Get Lucky - Floyd Dixon
• Floyd's Blues - Floyd Dixon
• Papa Ain't Salty - T-Bone Walker
• Play On Little Girl - T-Bone Walker
• T-Bone Blues Special - T-Bone Walker
• Roll 'Em Pete - Joe Turner
• Piney Brown Blues - Joe Turner
• Down Through The Years - Guitar Slim
• It's Too Late - Chuck Willis
• Ain't Nobody's Business - Jimmy Witherspoon
• How Long Blues - Jimmy Witherspoon
• T-Bone Blues - T-Bone Walker
• Call It Stormy Monday - T-Bone Walker
• After The Lights Go Down Low - Al Hibbler
• Empty Bed Blues - LaVern Baker
• Nobody Knows You When You're Down And Out - LaVern Baker
• Preaching The Blues - LaVern Baker
• Nasty Boogie - Champion Jack Dupree
• Junker's Blues - Champion Jack Dupree
• Along About Midnight - Guitar Slim
• My Time Is Expensive - Guitar Slim
• Trouble In Mind - Jimmy Ricks
• Romance In The Dark - Jimmy Ricks
• Two Years Of Torture - Ray Charles
• I'm Gettin' 'Long Alright - Esther Phillips
• Confessin' The Blues - Esther Phillips
• Cherry Red - Esther Phillips
• Going Down Slow - Aretha Franklin
• Today I Sing The Blues - Aretha Franklin
• River's Invitation - Aretha Franklin
• Play It Cool - Freddie King
• I Don't Know - Freddie King

Atlantic Soul (1959-1975) will be released in August and Atlantic Vocal Groups (1951-1963) will be out in the Fall.

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Bio-Pic of Joy Division Singer Wins Three Awards at Cannes

Control, the biopic of Joy Division singer Ian Curtis, walked away with three awards at the Cannes Film Festival.

Although shown outside the main competition, the move won the big award in the Director's Fortnight section of the festival, receiving the CICAE Art & Essai award for Best Film. It also won the Regards Jeunes award for best first or second directed feature film and the Europa Cinemas Label for Best European Film.

Directed by photographer Anton Corbijn, the film depicts Curtis' life through his suicide in 1980 at the height of the group's popularity. Sam Riley plays Curtis while Samantha Morton plays his wife Deborah. All of the Joy Division music in the film was recreated by the actors playing their own instruments.

The Europa Cinemas jury said, "This is a very impressive and assured debut from a renowned photographer, but he never allows the look of the film, beautiful though it is, to detract from the powerful story and character development.

"The performances are all excellent, not just the leading characters. We feel that this is a film that will strike a real chord with audiences around Europe, and not just with music lovers."

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Vintage Clip - Sex Pistols - God Save the Queen

It was thirty years ago today that the Sex Pistols released God Save the Queen.

The group had a rocky start, being signed and released by both EMI and A&M before they released their first record. Finally, Virgin signed them and released their first single, God Save the Queen. The record sold 100,000 copies in the first week in the U.K., reaching number two, even though the BBC banned the song and it received little airplay.

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Short Takes - Bo Diddley, Sister Sledge, Grass Roots

Bo Diddley has left Creighton University Medical Center in Omaha, Nebraska where he had been treated for the last eleven days for a stroke. He is now in Shands Medical Center at the University of Florida in his hometown of Gainesville, Florida where he will continue treatment and therapy.

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Florence Kathy Sledge, the mother and business manager for her daughter's group, Sister Sledge (We Are Family), passed away on May 17 at the age of 79.

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Chris Merrell, guitarist for the Grass Roots for the last eleven years, will be playing his last show with them this weekend. Merrell has been diagnosed with both prostate and bone cancer.

Rob Grill, lead singer and the only original member still with the group, has organized a Sunday night benefit concert for Merrell who is leaving the group because touring is now physically taxing.

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A Clockwork Orange starring.......Mick Jagger? It almost happened according the the final lead, Malcolm McDowell at this year's Cannes Film Festival.

When talk of making the film first surfaced, the Rolling Stones owned the rights to the Anthony Burgess book and Mick wanted the role. Fortunately for McDowell, Stanley Kubrick was able to obtain the rights and history was made.

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Notable Links:

Leonard Cohen from Toronto's Globe & Mail.

Bowzer's (Sha-Na-Na) fight against musical impostors from Newsweek.

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Vintage Clip - Rolling Stones & Howlin' Wolf

On this date in 1965, the Rolling Stones performed on Shindig with their idol Howlin' Wolf.

This clip contains almost ten minutes of that Shindig show, including two songs performed by the Stones. The Howlin' Wolf song, How Many More Years, is at the end and is, unfortunately, cut off before the end of the song.

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Chart Watch - May 25, 2007

Our weekly recap of classic artists on the current music charts.

Top 100 Albums

34. Live in Concert 2006 - Barbra Streisand - Down from 7 (2 weeks)
    
35. Snakes & Arrows - Rush - Down from 20 (3 weeks)
67. It Just Comes Natural - George Strait - Up from 106 (33 weeks)
    
84. Rocket Man: Number Ones - Elton John - Down from 55 (8 weeks)
99. Love - Beatles - Down from 90 (26 weeks)

Top 50 Singles

• None

Top 50 R&B Albums

19. Deeper Still - Rick James - Premier (1 week)
    
22. In My Songs - Gerald Levert - Down from 13 (14 weeks)
23. We're About the Business - Chuck Brown - Down from 20 (4 weeks)
    

Top 25 Country Albums

13. It Just Comes Natural - George Strait - Up from 25 (33 weeks)
    

Top 25 Pop Catalog Albums

8. Cross Road - Bon Jovi - Down from 2 (223 weeks)
11. Dark Side of the Moon - Pink Floyd - Up from 18 (1,555 weeks)
12. Greatest Hits - Bob Seger & the Silver Bullet Band - No Change (652 weeks)
13. Back in Black - AC/DC - Up from 17 (779 weeks)
16. Greatest Hits - Queen - Up from 20 (683 weeks)
18. Slippery When Wet - Bon Jovi - Down from 11 (227 weeks)
19. Legend - Bob Marley & the Wailers - Down from 30 (895 weeks)
20. Very Best of: Sounds of Summer - Beach Boys - Up from 28 (200 weeks)
21. Metallica - Metallica - Up from 37 (795 weeks)
24. Chronicle: The 20 Greatest Hits - Creedence Clearwater Revival - Up from 32 (539 weeks)
25. The Definitive Collection - Stevie Wonder - Up from 31 (169 weeks)

Top 50 European Albums

10. 12 - Herbert Grönemeyer - Up from 12 (11 weeks)
19. Hymn For My Soul - Joe Cocker - Up from 19 (7 weeks)
31. Stay - Simply Red - Up from 49 (10 weeks)
45. Rocket Man: Number Ones - Elton John - Down from 28 (8 weeks)

Top 50 European Singles

• None

Top Concerts

1. Elton John - The Colosseum at Caesars Palace - Las Vegas, NV - $3.185 million

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Short Takes - Police, Paul McCartney, Ace Frehley

Reuters is reporting that the Police are back to their fighting ways, and they love it.

Stuart Copeland said, "It's not the most comfortable place in the world being in the Police. It's a bed of roses, all right, including the thorns."

"We play nicely for two or three days, and then we start to get on each others' nerves, then have a screaming match, and then we hug and kiss, and then we play even better."

Copeland has also said that they will be splitting the profits equally three ways. "Sting could have raped us. He chose not to. I hear these stories about the way other groups are structured and I shake my head in admiration at my buddy."

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Paul McCartney has told the BBC6's The Music Week that when it came to collaborating, there's nobody that could measure up to John Lennon.

Even though he's worked with some of the best in music, he said, "I'm a little bit wary of collaborating with other people because it doesn't happen as easily or as amazingly as it did with John. That was one hell of a collaboration.

I've done it quite a bit since and, I think - and I hate to say it - there's inevitably a sense of disappointment because it was just so cool for John and me to be working together, because we started so young and knew each other's ways and minds."

The paternity suit brought against McCartney by a German woman who said her mother had an affair with Paul during the early days of the Beatles has been dropped. Per the prosecutor's office, "An examination of the complaint filed and an evaluation of the civil action to determine paternity in 1984 found any criminal act alleged by the woman filing the complaint, even if it happened, has passed the statute of limitations."

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Ace Frehley (ex-KISS) has recorded ten new songs and is mastering three for a demo to shop to record companies. Frehley wrote all the music, played guitar and sang on all tracks. Filling out the album are Anton Fig on drums and Anthony Esposito on bass.

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Barbara Streisand has canceled her Rome concert, not because of the outcry over ticket prices, but because of "production difficulties."

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Wayne Fontana to Be Jailed on Reckless Endangerment Charges

It appears that Wayne Fontana, of the Mindbenders, will be going to jail on the charges that he set a debt collector's car on fire.

While Fontana admitted to setting the car ablaze, he said he did not intend to hurt the driver; however, the baliff testified that Fontana had said "I am going to burn you" while pouring gasoline on the car.

Judge Andrew Hamilton told Fontana that he would be going to jail, but the length of the sentence would be decided later. Fontana could spend up to 14-years in prison.

During his judgement, the judge said "What your client did was a most serious offence. He did not know the car would not blow up immediately and kill this man. It seems to me it does not make the slightest bit of difference if he got out in one second, two seconds or three seconds."

The judge also found fault with Fontana arriving at court dressed as the Lady of Justice. "He regards this whole procedure as a pantomime. He has come dressed as a fool and he wants to act like a fool - I hope they give him a prison uniform at Nottingham Prison to keep him warm."

Fontana will remain in custody until July when sentence will be pronounced.

The Mindbenders hits include Game of Love and A Groovy Kind of Love.

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Stray Cats on the Road Again

The original Stray Cats (Brian Setzer, Slim Jim Phantom and Lee Rocker) are going to be out on the road this summer in the U.S. for the first time in fifteen years.

The rockabilly revivalists formed back in 1980 and tore up the charts with hits like Rock This Town, Stray Cat Strut and Sexy & 17. They called it quits in 1984 only to reform four years later for a reunion that lasted until 1992.

Since that time, the trio have had numerous solo projects, the most successful being the Brian Setzer Orchestra. The group reformed again in 2004 to tour Europe. Other than a couple of special shows, this will be their first appearances together in the U.S. since 1992.

The itinerary, along with the others on the bill:

• 7/19 - Toyota Park - Chicago, IL (ZZ Top, REO Speedwagon, Pretenders, Joan Jett)
• 7/21 - First Mariner Arena - Baltimore, MD (ZZ Top, REO Speedwagon, Pretenders)
• 7/22 - Nikon at Jones Beach Theatre - Wantagh, NY (ZZ Top, Pretenders)
• 7/25 - Freedom Hill Amphitheater - Detroit, MI (ZZ Top, Pretenders)
• 7/26 - Verizon Wireless Music Center - Indianapolis, IN (ZZ Top, Pretenders)
• 7/28 - Xcel Energy Center - St. Paul, MN (ZZ Top, Pretenders, Gin Blossoms)
• 7/29 - Scottrade Center - St. Louis, MS (ZZ Top, Pretenders)
• 8/3 - Zoo Amphitheatre - Oklahoma City, OK (ZZ Top, Pretenders)
• 8/4 - Nokia Theatre at Grand Prairie - Dallas, TX (Don Henley, Pretenders)
• 8/5 - Verizon Wireless Amphitheatre - San Antonio, TX (ZZ Top, Pretenders)
• 8/8 - Jobing.com Arena - Glendale, AZ (Don Henley, Pretenders)
• 8/19 - Coors Amphitheatre - San Diego, CA (ZZ Top, Pretenders)
• 8/21 - Arco Arena - Sacramento, CA (ZZ Top, Pretenders)

The Stray Cats website also says that more dates will be coming very soon.

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Vintage Clip - Sonny Boy Williamson - Nine Below Zero

On this day in 1965, the world lost one of the great blues men, Sonny Boy Williamson.

This clip from the American Folk Blues Festival also includes Memphis Slim (intro), Matt "Guitar" Murphy, Billy Stepney (drums), Otis Spann (piano) and Willie Dixon (bass).

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Short Takes - Bono, Buddy Holly, Ivor Novello Awards

Bono will receive this year's Liberty Medal from the National Constitution Center for his work in Africa. The award is given to those who have "demonstrated leadership and vision in the pursuit of liberty of conscience or freedom from oppression, ignorance or deprivation."

The award includes a $100,000 prize which Bono will give to DATA (Debt, AIDS, Trade, Africa) an organization that he co-founded.

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The City Council of Lubbock, Texas has voted unanimously to remove Buddy Holly's name from two city landmarks after Holly's widow, Maria Elena, demanded the city pay a licensing fee of between $6,500 and $10,000 for the use of his name.

Mayor David Miller said upon the completion of the vote, "Motion carries 6-0 with regrets to our citizens and to all Buddy Holly fans around the world."

The Buddy Holly Walk of Fame will now be known as the West Texas Walk of Fame. They are also removing the name from the Buddy Holly Terrace.

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At the U.K.'s Ivor Novello Awards for songwriting, Madonna and Stuart Price took home international hit of the year for Sorry while Elton John, Scott Hoffman and Jason Sellards received the most performed work for I Don't Feel Like Dancin', a hit for the Scissor Sisters. The lifetime achievement award went to Peter Gabriel.

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Cream to Reunite (Again)

Jack Bruce told the Associated Press on Thursday that he will once again join Eric Clapton and Ginger Baker for at least one and possibly more shows later this year. There is no word on when they would be playing together, other than that it would not be for Live Earth.

Baker and Bruce have a long standing feud that surfaced originally during the heyday of Cream and then reappeared during their 2005 reunion tour. During their Madison Square Garden stop, Baker said that Bruce had turned his bass up to deafening levels. While Clapton did not get involved, it was reported that he looked uncomfortable on stage during the shows.

Bruce now says that some of the tension was due to his physical and mental exhaustion from having taken on the tour a year after a liver transplant. "Now I'm completely recovered so I would enjoy it more."

Neither Baker or Clapton's representatives have confirmed the project.

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Paul Simon's Gershwin Award Concert

Paul Simon received the first Gershwin Award from the Library of Congress on Wednesday night with the help of a full roster of artists.

The show, hosted by Bob Costas, was taped for showing June 27 on PBS. Reports say it was a long evening as, being a TV taping, there were some stops and starts for reshoots.

Highlights included Simon performing Diamonds on the Soles of Her Shoes with Ladysmith Black Mambazo and Bridge Over Troubled Waters and Cecilia with Art Garfunkel, who he introduced as "My dear friend and partner in arguments." The closing was Simon with the Dixie Hummingbirds and Stevie Wonder on Loves Me Like a Rock.

The complete rundown of the show:

• Boy in the Bubble - Paul Simon's Band
• The Boxer - Shawn Colvin, Alison Krauss and Jerry Douglas
• 50 Ways to Leave Your Lover - Lyle Lovett
• Mother and Child Reunion - Steven Marley
• Homeless - Ladysmith Black Mambazo
• Slip Slidin' Away - James Taylor and the Dixie Hummingbirds
• Sunday Morning With the Sensational Nightingales - Billy Collins and the Dixie Hummingbirds
• That Was Your Mother - Lyle Lovett and Buckwheat Zydeco
• Still Crazy After All These Years - James Taylor
• Our Love Is Here to Stay - Diane Reeves
• Something So Right - Diane Reeves
• Gone At Last - Yolanda Adams
• Sounds of Silence - Philip Glass
• El Condor Pasa - Marc Anthony
• Late in the Evening - Marc Anthony
• Graceland - Alison Krauss and Jerry Douglas
• Me and Julio Down in the Schoolyard - Paul Simon and Stevie Wonder
• Diamonds on the Souls of Her Shoes - Paul Simon and Ladysmith Black Mambazo
• Bridge Over Troubled Waters - Paul Simon and Art Garfunkel
• Cecilia - Paul Simon and Art Garfunkel
• Father and Daughter - Paul Simon
• Loves Me Like a Rock - Paul Simon with Stevie Wonder and the Dixie Hummingbirds
  

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The Osmonds 50th Anniversary Show

Seven Osmonds will be appearing at the Orleans Hotel Showroom in Las Vegas on August 13 and 14 to tape the their 50th Anniversary Special. An edited version of the show is scheduled for next March on PBS.

Participating in the concerts are Alan, Wayne, Merrill, Jay, Donny, Marie and Jimmy.

Jimmy said, "At first it was just a tribute to my brothers, but it came together as a celebration of everybody. It's out of control. We started so young, you would think 50 years means we're a bunch of old guys. We aren't a bunch of old guys."

Alan is the oldest in the group at 57 while Jimmy is the baby at 44.

The Osmonds first started performing together in 1959 as a barbershop-style group, with the four oldest boys participating. Their first big break came in late-1962 when they made their first appearance on the Andy Williams show, where they became regulars until its cancellation in 1967. Donny joined the group in early-1964.

The peak of their popularity as a group came in 1971 and 1972 when they topped the charts with One Bad Apple, followed by a string of five more Top 15 hits. Donny's solo career also took off during that time with a string of seven Top 15 hits, along with one for Marie and three for the duo of Donny and Marie.

The popularity of the group wained as the 70's went on, but Donny and Marie broke away to make a successful TV variety show from 1976 to 1978. Since that time there has been Broadway, talks shows, game shows and ongoing touring by the older Osmond brothers.

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Vintage Clip - Bob Dylan - All I Really Want to Do (1965)

Bob Dylan is 66 today. There's no way we could pick a clip from anyone else.

Here's a 1965 clip of Bob singing All I Really Want to Do that was shot for but not used in Don't Look Back. Note that there is a spot in the beginning that is black.

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Short Takes - Ferlin Husky, Phil Spector, Frank Werber

Ferlin Husky is in a Springfield, Missouri hospital after doctors found blockages in the arteries of both legs. It is expected he will undergo surgery in the next few days. The country great, 81, had previously had open heart surgary in 1977 and a heart attack in 1983.

Husky had 41 Top 40 country records, including three number ones (Gone, Wings of a Dove and A Dear John Letter (with Jean Shepard).

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The judge in the Phil Spector trial ruled that forensic expert Henry Lee removed a small bit of evidence from the crime scene that was potentially important to the trial.

Per the prosecution, Lee took a small piece of fingernail that may have had the trace of a passing bullet. It is their contention that this evidence would have helped prove that Lana Clarkson was struggling against the gun being put in her mouth.

Lee claims he has no such evidence. Judge Larry Paul Fiedler said "If Dr. Lee has this object, he's to produce it forthwith."

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Frank Werber, the original manager for the Kingston Trio, passed away on Saturday at the age of 77.

Werber first saw the Trio at the Cracked Pot in San Fransisco in the spring of 1957. He was impressed with the band and their stage presence and, before the night was over, had signed the group. He was instrumental in molding their sound and getting it out before the public.

A notice on the Kingston Trio's website says "His loss is deeply felt by us all. Frank helped make The Kingston Trio what it was and is today, and was our dear friend for over 50 years. Frank, we will miss you greatly, and you will live on in our hearts and souls forever."

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A new duet album by Eddie LaVevert, Sr. (O'Jays) and late-son Gerald Levert will be released on June 12 by Atlantic. Something to Talk About will be the pairs second duet album after 1995's Father & Son. Gerald passed away late last year.

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Michael Jackson will get five-million pounds to play at the birthday party of the Sultan of Brunei.

While the judge is not going to hold Lee in contempt of court, he will allow the prosecution to bring up the incident and question Lee in front of the Jury when he takes the stand.

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Notable Links:

Lou Christie: The Choirboy Who Took the World By Lightning from the Canada Free Press.

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Not-at-All-Vintage Clip - Paul McCartney - Dance Tonight

Premiered this morning on YouTube, here is the video for the first single from Paul McCartney's album Memory Almost Full.

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New Police Best Of to Be Released June 6

The Police are releasing their new two-CD best of set just in time for their tour on June 4. The set isn't the first compilation for the group (and probably not the last), but it is the most comprehensive short of buying their full-catalog box set.

The set was compiled from the groups five studio albums along with their first single, Fall Out, which was never included on an LP. The full track list:

Disc 1

• Fall Out
• Can't Stand Losing You
• Next To You
• Roxanne
• Truth Hits Everybody
• Hole In My Life
• So Lonely
• Message In a Bottle
• Reggatta De Blanc
• Bring On The Night
• Walking On The Moon
• Don't Stand So Close To Me
• Driven To Tears
• Canary In A Coalmine

Disc 2

• De Do Do Do, De Da Da Da
• Voices Inside My Head
• Invisible Sun
• Every Little Thing She Does Is Magic
• Spirits In The Material World
• Demolition Man
• Every Breath You Take
• Synchronicity I
• Wrapped Around Your Finger
• Walking In Your Footsteps
• Synchronicity II
• King Of Pain
• Murder By Numbers
• Tea In The Sahara

Also look for Andy Summers/Robert Fripp's I Advance Unmasked and Stuart Copeland's The Rhythmatist, which have been remastered and will be rereleased the same day.

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Vintage Clip - Iron Butterfly - Soul Experience

On this date in 1971, Iron Butterfly broke up after five years of classic psychedelic sound. Their legacy was four albums (Heavy, In-a-Gadda-da-Vida, Ball and Metamorphosis) and a 17-minute song that is revered by some and a joke to others.

In this clip from the Upbeat TV show, Iron Butterfly plays Soul Experience from the Ball LP.

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Short Takes - Barbra Streisand, R.E.M., Grateful Dead

Barbra Streisand may not be playing Italy on her European Tour after all. An Italian consumer group wants authorities to cancel the concerts because of excessive ticket prices.

The group says that the tickets, priced $200 to more than $1,200 are "absurd and shameful." Their tactic to have the concert cancelled is that the Stadio Flamino "is public property and cannot be used for immoral deals that are shameful to a civilized country."

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R.E.M. is expected to start work on their next album sometime next week. It will be their first since Around the Sun in 2004.

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Sirius Satellite Radio is adding an all Grateful Dead channel to its lineup. The programming will also include solo and other band projects from all Grateful Dead members.

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The video for the first single from Paul McCartney's new album, Memory Almost Full, will premier tomorrow (Wednesday) at 7 AM EDT on YouTube. I guess that's the new way to get video's out now that MTV doesn't play any. Dance Tonight stars Natalie Portman.

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Elton John has canceled his summer mainland European Tour after a disagreement with the promoter. No specific reason was given, but it is known that a date in Seville was pushed back because of technical reasons and that the Red Piano show uses large video screens and inflatable props.

Problems in staging were also suggested when a John spokesman said, "The promoter has been unable to guarantee to put on the shows, resulting in us having to take this very difficult decision."

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Ben Weisman, Elvis Songwriter, Passes Away at 85

Ben Weisman, the songwriter for more than fifty Elvis Presley songs along with many others in a variety of genres, passed away on Sunday at the age of 85.

The man Elvis called "the mad professor" was originally a classically trained pianist, studying at Juilliard before being drafted. During World War II, he was Special Services Music Director for the U.S. Air Force. Once out, Weisman went to New York where he played piano and started working with other songwriters.

In the mid-50's, he wrote the song Let Me Go Lover, a major hit for Joan Weber and Theresa Brewer and the first song to receive a major push from a television program (Studio One).

Eventually, he signed an exclusive deal with Hill and Range who was looking to get into the rock publishing market. In 1956, Elvis recorded Weisman's song First in Line for his first album. Weissman would go on to write 57 songs for Presley, a total that the singer acknowledged as the most he recorded by any one songwriter. Among the more popular:

• Don't Leave Me Now (from Jailhouse Rock)
• Got a Lot O' Livin' to Do (from Loving You)
• Fame and Fortune (Elvis' first post-Army single)
• Wooden Heart (written for Elvis but a hit for Joe Dowell)
• Rock-a-Hula Baby (from Blue Hawaii)
• Follow That Dream
• Change of Habit
• Clambake
• Frankie and Johnny
• Rubberneckin'

Other songs Weisman wrote include The Night Has a Thousand Eyes (Bobby Vee), Lonely Boy Blue (Conway Twitty), Love in the Afternoon (Barbra Streisand) and When I Am With You (Johnny Mathis)

Amazingly, Weisman didn't just write songs. He won an Academy Award for Best Feature Length Documentary for The Young Americans. He wrote classical music, including adapting some of his Elvis songs into a concerto and ballet. In addition, he also acted in a four-year run on the soap The Young and the Restless.

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Prince to Announce Seven-Week Gig in Los Angeles

First it was months in Las Vegas. Then a lengthy stay in London. Now Prince has announced a seven-week residency at the Roosevelt Hotel in Los Angeles. If all goes well in the negotiations, the series will start on June 15, before he goes to London.

Plans are for the performances to be every Friday night in the hotel's Blossom Room starting at 11:30. 250 along with a yet to be determined number of standing room only attendees will see Prince and special guests play a two-hour performance. Starting at 2 AM, Prince's chef will take over the kitchen and the room will be transformed into an after-hours dinner club, complete with Prince playing with a jazz ensemble until 4 AM.

Final word on the series could come as early as this week.

Along with the Los Angeles and London series, Prince will also be part of a concert series in the Hamptons along with other shows by Billy Joel, Dave Matthews, Tom Petty and James Taylor. Tickets for that series of concerts will only set you back $15,000.

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New Releases for Tuesday, May 22, 2007

CDs

• Eric Anderson - Blue Rain (Appleseed)
• Brian Auger & Oblivion Express - Looking in the Eye of the World (Fuel 2000)
• Patti Austin - Intimate Patti Austin (Mosaic Contemporary)
• Beach Boys - The Warmth of the Sun (Capitol)
• Jack Blanchard & Misty Morgan - Weird Scenes Inside the Birdhouse (Omni)
• Dennis Brown - Sings Revival Classics (Attack)
• Jeff Buckley - So Real: Songs from Jeff Buckley (Sony)
• James Chance and the Contortions - Soul Exorcism Redux (ROIR)
• Climax Blues Band - Plays On (Fuel 2000)
• Country Gentlemen - Going Back to the Blue Ridge Mountains (Smithsonian Folkways)
• Rick Derringer - Rick Derringer (Direct Source)
• Five Blind Boys of Alabama - Retrospective (Sheridan Square)
• Fleetwood Mac - Trilogy: Fleetwood Mac/Tango in the Night/Mirage (Warner Import)
  
• Flower Pot Men - Listen to the Flowers Grow (RPM UK)
• Jan & Dean - Take Brian Surfin' (Toshiba EMI Japan)
  
• Modern English - Everything is Mad (High Times)
• Moody Blues - Live at the BBC (UMVD Import)
  
• Mother Earth - People Tree (Beat Goes Public)
• Ozzy Osbourne - Black Rain (Epic)
• Elvis Presley
  • Elvis' Gold Records, Vol. 3 (RCA)
  • Elvis' Gold Records, Vol. 4 (RCA)
• Scorpions - Humanity Hour Volume 1 (Sony/BMG)
  
• Loudon Wainwright III - Strange Weirdos: Music from and Inspired by the Film Knocked Up (Concord)
• Dionne Warwick
  • Anyone Who Had a Heart (Collector's Choice)
    
  • In Paris (Collector's Choice)
  • Here I Am (Collector's Choice)
  • Here Where There is Love (Collector's Choice)
  • Love at First Sight (Collector's Choice)
  • The Magic is Believing (Collector's Choice)
  • Make Way For (Collector's Choice)
  • On Stage and In the Movies (Collector's Choice)
  • Presenting (Collector's Choice)
  • The Sensitive Sound of (Collector's Choice)
• Various - Garage Beat '66, Vol. 6 (Sundazed)
• Various - Let the Boogie Woogie Rock'n Roll (Ace Records UK)
• Various - Now Hear This! Garage & Beat From the Norman Petty Vaults (Big Beat UK)
• Various - The Pomus & Shuman Story: Double Trouble 1956-1967 (Ace Records UK)
• Various - Zealous Records Presents Soul Sides, Vol. 2: The Covers (Velour Recordings)

DVD's

• Chi-Lites - Live in Concert (Soul Classics)
  
• Dells - Live in New York City (Soul Concerts)
• Steve Forbert - On Stage at World Cafe Live (Decca Vision)
• Julio Iglesias - The Greatest Hits - Live in Jerusalem (Laserlight)
• Jerry Lee Lewis - Greatest Live Performances of the 50s, 60s and 70s (Time Life Records)
• Ray, Goodman and Brown - Live in Concert (Soul Classics)
• Temptations - The Temptations Review Featuring Dennis Edwards (Soul Classics)

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Vintage Clip - Rolling Stones - Brown Sugar (1971)

Thirty-Six years ago, the Rolling Stones' Sticky Fingers topped the U.S. LP charts.

Here is a clip of the lead track from that album, Brown Sugar, as performed by the Stones on a 1971 edition of Top of the Pops.

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Short Takes - Bo Diddley, Frank Guida, Dolly Parton

Bo Diddley has been moved out of intensive care and into a regular room at Creighton University Medical Center in Omaha, Nebraska.

A spokesman for Diddley said that he is showing little or no physical limitations from the stroke but continues to have problems with speech and speech recognition. "I was able to speak with him by phone this morning," Faith Fusillo said. "He wanted to know where his stuff was: his guitar and the money from the gig. I was so happy because this is the Bo that I know and love, and a real indication that Bo is on his way back."

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Frank J. Guida, the man credited with creating the Norfolk Sound, passed away on Saturday at the age of 84.

Guida started his music career in 1953 by buying a Norfolk record store that was in bad financial straits. Guida said, "I took this shop that everybody thought was going under to No. 1 in the state. Everybody knew about Frankie's Birdland."

By the late-50's, he began producing records for local Norfolk acts, including Gary U.S. Bonds and Jimmie Soul, and releasing them on his LeGrand label. In producing, Guida came up with the overmodulation that would become the trademark of the Norfolk Sound.

Along with producing, Guida was also a songwriter for such hits as Dear Lady Twist, If You Wanna Be Happy, High School U.S.A., New Orleans and Quarter to Three.

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Dolly Parton raised and estimated $500,000 for a new hospital in Sevier County, Tennessee, where the singer grew up.

The Fort Sanders Sevier Medical Center, a $110 million project, broke ground on Monday and is expected to be completed in 2009. Parton's Dollywood and Dixie Stampede Dinner Theatre each pledged $250,000 to the center. The concert raised another half-million with tickets ranging from $33 to $150.

Parton is passionate about the project because her family is from the area and also as a salute to Dr. Robert F. Thompson, a country doctor who used to ride horseback from home-to-home in the area and who was the man that delivered Dolly.

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Monday, in the Phil Spector trial, the defense cross-examined Adriano De Souza, the Brazilian chauffeur who says that Spector came out of his house with a gun and said "I think I killed somebody."

The defense lawyer focused in on De Souza's grasp of the English language and his ability to understand and comprehend what Spector said. De Souza originally told officers that Spector had said "I think I shot somebody."

During questioning, the attorney asked if it was possible that Spector said "I think somebody was killed." de Souza replied "No."

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Ringo Starr has never gotten all the hoopla over Sgt. Pepper's. "It served its purpose. But as a musician I preferred Revolver and I preferred the White Album because we were back to being musicians. It was like everybody got their madness out in Sergeant Pepper."

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The Drama Desk Awards, a precursor to June's Tony Awards, were given last night in New York. Rupert Holmes and Peter Stone won Best Book for a Musical for Curtains.

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Notable Link:

An interview with General Johnson and the Chairmen of the Board from BallerStatus.com.

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Rolling Stone's Best Road Trip Songs

It's Monday, so it's time for another Rolling Stone editor list of great music. This week, they asked readers to nominate the best road trip songs. The editor's took those nominations and made up a list of the twenty-five best.

1. Immigrant Song - Led Zeppelin
2. Born To Run - Bruce Springsteen
3. Highway to Hell - AC/DC
4. Runnin’ Down a Dream - Tom Petty
5. Truckin’ - Grateful Dead
6. Ol’ 55 - Tom Waits
7. Radar Love - Golden Earring
8. Tush - ZZ Top
9. The Passenger - Iggy Pop
10. Wanted Dead or Alive - Bon Jovi
11. Passenger Side - Wilco
12. Turn the Page - Bob Seger
13. No Particular Place to Go - Chuck Berry
14. Going Back to Cali - LL Cool J
15. Born to be Wild - Steppenwolf
16. Running On Empty - Jackson Brown
17. Take It Easy - Eagles
18. Award Tour - Tribe Called Quest
19. Taking the Long Way - Dixie Chicks
20. Roadrunner - Modern Lovers
21. Rearviewmirror - Pearl Jam
22. Gravity Rides Everything - Modest Mouse
23. No Sleep Till Brooklyn - Beastie Boys
24. Pink Houses - John Mellencamp
25. Travelin’ Band - Creedence Clearwater Revival

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Vintage Clip - Fats Domino - Ain't That a Shame

In tribute to the comeback this weekend of the great Fats Domino, here's a clip from the movie Shake, Rattle & Roll.

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Short Takes - U2, Paul McCartney, Steve Winwood, Eric Clapton

U2 rocked the Cannes Film Festival on Saturday before the premier of their new concert film U23D. The group played Vertigo and Where the Streets Have No Name to thousands of people outside the festival hall.

The new concert film had a late night playing, impressing the crowd with the new 3D technology that replaces the old red/blue glasses with what looks like regular sunglasses. The 55-minute film will play in the U.S. later this year.

Click here for an article from Variety on the new 3D technology.

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Paul McCartney is delaying any major tour to support Memory Almost Full until next year. While he may do shows here and there after the June release, he will not tour full out until after his divorce is final.

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On Saturday at Countryside Rocks in Berkshire, U.K., Steve Winwood was half-way through his set when he brought on surprise guest Eric Clapton. Together, they played Presence of the Lord, Can't Find My Way Home, Crossroads, Had to Cry Today, Little Queen of Spades and Gimme Some Lovin'.

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There are reports that Gloria Estefan has written and will star in Who's Sorry Now?, the bio-pic of Connie Francis. Estefan has been a long time admirer of the singer.

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Notable Link:

An interview with Crystal Zevon on her book I'll Sleep When I'm Dead: The Dirty Life And Times Of Warren Zevon from BlogCritics.

Ernie K-Doe and the New Orleans lounge that keeps his spirit alive from USA Today.

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10 CC Reunite, Release New Music

It's been over thirty years since Kevin Godley and Graham Gouldman of 10 CC have worked together professionally. That has now changed as the duo have released five new tracks on their website (www.gg06.co.uk).

The two artists on their own have carved out a wide ranging history. Graham Gouldman has penned some of the great songs of the British Invasion, including the Yardbirds' Heart Full of Soul, For Your Love and Evil Hearted You, the Hollies' Bus Stop and Herman's Hermits' No Milk Today and Listen People. Later, he worked with Andrew Gold and the Ramones.

Kevin Godley is a video pioneer and overall renaissance man who has made videos for Peter Gabriel, U2, the Police, Herbie Hancock and Duran Duran. As an artist, he has done cover design for The Alan Parsons Project (Turn of a Friendly Card) and as a musician, he has worked with Neil Sedaka, Phil Manzanera, Bob Geldoff and Hotlegs (of which he was a member).

Together, of course, they were 10 CC who had nine charted albums in the U.S. between 1974 and 1980 and reached the Top Ten with I'm Not in Love and The Things We Do For Love.

The new tracks are a bit different in that Kevin Godley has taken over lead vocals. Gouldman has said, "I always figured Kevin had the best voice in the band. Ironic that he never sang lead on a 10 CC single. Even I managed that. Now justice has been done. Kevin's voice and razor sharp lyrics take us places we haven't visited before, Always a good place to start!"

Along with the five songs already released on the website, the duo say that a number more are in various stages of completion.

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More Doo Wop Concerts Coming to PBS

Last week, the Ritz Theater in Elizabeth, New Jersey was the site of a three-night series of concerts with over forty acts from the 50's and 60's. The shows were taped and will be used for future PBS concert specials.

The shows were hosted by long-time New York DJ Bruce Morrow (Cousin Brucie), Jerry Butler and Little Anthony.

The shows featured a number of rare reunions, including Ben E. King with the Drifters, Jay Traynor with the Tokens, and Jimmy Gallagher with the Passions. There was also a rare apperance by Carol Connors of the Teddy Bears.

Also on the bill were the Velours, the Volumes, the Dubs, the Clovers, the Penguins,
the Capris, Larry Chance & the Earls, the Mystics, the Students, Norman Fox & the Rob Roys, the Rainbows, the Safaris, the Solitaires, the Knockouts,
the Three Friends, the Excellents, the Six Teens and Jimmy Charles.

Even with the passing or unavailability of some of the original members, these PBS specials are always a great time. I would expect that these concerts will most likely show up in the Fall or Winter drives.

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Vintage Clip - Blondie - A Girl Should Know Better (1975)

On this day in 1975, Blondie played their first show in the U.K. at the Roundhouse in London.

The group was formed nine-months earlier by Debbie Harry and Chris Stein and spent the better part of a year trying to nail down a permanent drummer, keyboard player and bassist.

This clip, while not from the U.K. show, is from one of their many gigs during 1975 at CBGB's. The group played at least fifteen times at the club over the year, opening for Television (January) and the Ramones (July and October). These shows were when the group was first making their reputation, as their first album wouldn't be released until December 1976.

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Retro Chart - 1958, 1968 & 1978

29 Years Ago (1978)

1. With a Little Luck - Wings
2. The Closer I Get to You - Roberta Flack with Donny Hathaway
3. Too Much, Too Little, Too Late - Johnny Mathis and Deniece Williams
4. You're the One That I Want - John Travolta and Olivia Newton-John
5. If I Can't Have You - Yvonne Elliman
6. Shadow Dancing - Andy Gibb
7. Feels So Good - Chuck Mangione
8. Count On Me - Jefferson Starship
9. Imaginary Lover - Atlanta Rhythm Section
10. Night Fever - Bee Gees

39 Years Ago (1968)

1. Tighten Up - Archie Bell & the Drells
2. Mrs. Robinson - Simon & Garfunkel
3. Honey - Bobby Goldsboro
4. The Good, The Bad and the Ugly - Hugo Montenegro
5. A Beautiful Morning - Rascals
6. Cowboys to Girls - Intruders
7. Love is All Around - Troggs
8. The Unicorn - Irish Rovers
9. Young Girl - Union Gap
10. Do You Know the Way to San Jose - Dionne Warwick

49 Years Ago (1958)

1. All I Have to Do is Dream - Everly Brothers
2. Witch Doctor - David Seville
3. Twilight Time - Platters
4. He's Got the Whole World in His Hands - Laurie London
5. Wer My Ring Around Your Neck - Elvis Presley
6. Chanson D'Amour - Art & Dotty Todd
7. Return to Me - Dean Martin
8. Kewpie Doll - Perry Como
9. Looking Back - Nat King Cole
10. Book of Love - Monotones
    

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Fats Domino Does First Concert in Two Years

Hurricane Katrina took just about everything from Fats Domino. He lost his home, his pianos, his gold records, his memorabilia from fifty-plus years of entertaining and his city. He was listed as one of the missing for several days until he was rescued by boat.

Saturday, Domino came out of his self-imposed retirement to play his first show since Memorial Day 2005. The show was at Tipitina's Club in New Orleans where Domino and long-time musical partner, Herbert Hardesly, played the hits to a packed house of a few hundred.

Domino was dressed in a white jacket and showed his old energy both in his piano playing and his singing. The legend belted out much of his catalog, including Blue Monday, Walkin' to New Orleans, Blueberry Hill, Ain't That a Shame and many more.

Tipitina's has a foundation that is working with a number of music greats (Elton John, Tom Petty, Bonnie Raitt) to record a tribute album to Domino. The proceeds from the album mostly go to New Orleans area schools to buy new musical instruments and for rebuilding city musician's homes.

One of those homes is Domino's which is currently having heavy restoration work. The entire structure had to be cleared of mold that formed after the water's receded. All new drywall had to be installed and all fixtures replaced. The work is expected to be complete later this year.

Edit (5/21/07 - 2:10 AM): We now have the complete set-list for what turned out to be a thirty-minute set.

• I'm Walkin'
• Blueberry Hill
• My Girl Josephine
• I'm In Love Again
• Blue Monday
• I'm Ready
• Ain't That a Shame
• Shake Rattle and Roll
• Valley of Tears
• Jambalaya
• So Long
  

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Vintage Clip - Ramones - Sheena is a Punk Rocker

Today would have been Joey Ramones 65th birthday.

I figured, yesterday I gave you Perry Como, it would be only right to go the the opposite end of the scale today with a little Ramones.

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Short Takes - Michael Jackson, Paul McCartney, Fabian, Frankie Avalon

Michael Jackson has dropped his legal action to try and block an auction of hundred's of items once owned by the Jackson family. According to Jackson's lawyer, the matter was resolved between the singer, the auctioneer and the man who purchased a warehouse of Jackson memorabilia in a bankruptcy sale after a failed business.

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Paul McCartney is under investigation in Germany over an allegation that he faked a 1982 paternity test.

Bettina Huebers, now 44, claims she is the illegitimate daughter of McCartney from an affair he had with her mother while touring Germany in 1962. McCartney has said he doesn't remember the woman; however, he did make two payments to her family in 1966 to settle childcare and press contact disputes. The singer said he made the payments when the German government tried to block the Beatles tour unless the dispute was settled.

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Digital Music Group, Inc. has purchased the catalog of Chancellor Records and has been working on restoring, remastering and digitizing the music of artists like Fabian and Frankie Avalon. To their surprise, they have found a large amount of music that had never been issued in any format. Their new goal is to not only reissue the hits but also the treasure trove of unissued material from many of the Chancellor artists in the digital marketplace.

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A couple of deaths to report from the ranks of noted session players and the bluegrass/gospel world.

Harmonica player Terry O'Neill "Topper" Price passed away on Wednesday in Birmingham, Alabama. He was 54. Price played on a number of Dickie Betts albums, along with live gigs with Gregg Allman, Lynyrd Skynyrd and Delbert McClinton. The cause of death is unknown at this time.

Wallace Lewis, a member of bluegrass and gospel group The Lewis Family, passed away Wednesday in Washington, Georgia at the age of 78.

He was rhythm guitarist and vocalist for the group that recorded over 60 albums and toured the country for up to 200 shows a year. His songs Is This the Beginning of the End?, Strange in My Arms and Streets of Berlin were all recorded by Merle Haggard.

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Notable Links:

The official website for the Joe Strummer movie, The Future is Unwritten.

The Blue Shoe Project, which brings blues singers into the classroom, from AP/Yahoo!.

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VH1 Rock Honors

VH1 held their second Rock Honors concert last Saturday night at the Mandalay Bay in Las Vegas. Honored this year were ZZ Top, Genesis, Heart and Ozzy Osbourne.

The format for the