Short Takes - U2, Ozzy Osbourne, Madonna, Jethro Tull, more

There is a strong possibility that U2 may set a new record for a residency at London's O2 Arena, breaking the 21-date mark set by Prince last year. Nothing has been confirmed, but statements from the band point toward the Fall which will coincide with the projected release of a new album.

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It looks like Ozzy Osbourne might do it one more time. Billboard, in an aside on other summer tours, stated that Ozzfest will be going out for just a limited run.

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Madonna is being paid $10 million dollars for an "appearance" in a Super Bowl ad for Sunsilk. The ad uses her song Ray of Light and six seconds worth of archive footage of the material girl. Nice work if you can get it.

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Jethro Tull will be touring around the world this year, including Russia and the Ukraine next month, the U.K. in April and May and possibly the U.S. starting in August. Word is that the tour will concentrate on the group's first three albums with just a few later songs mixed in along the way.

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Tuff Jeff Salen, founding member and guitarist for the 70's punk outfit the Tuff Darts, died of a Heart attack last Saturday at the age of 55.

The Tuff Darts made their debut in 1976 with members Salen, Robert Gordon, Bob Butant, John DeSalvo and James Morrison. Early tracks were included on the Live at CBGB's album and, later, the group recorded one album (Tuff Darts!) before breaking up in 1980.

Salen went on to become a well respected blues session musician and to open two successful boutiques with his wife Diana. He also played occassional Tuff Dart reunion shows and recorded with his group, Tuff Jeff Salen & the Silencers.

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Al Jarreau, who released a compilation of love songs this past Tuesday, is readying two more releases for this year. The first is a new best-of compilation, which he promises will be different from the last one he released in 1996. He is also working on a holiday album which he expects will be done by early-summer and in the stores in the fall.

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Bill Cosby will release a hip-hop album in the near future that will be "issues oriented" and contain no offensive language. State of Emergency is Cosby's 35th album.

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Former Kraftwerk member Karl Bartos will be playing at the BLOC Festival in Hernsby, U.K. this March. Bartos was with the group from 1975 to 1991.

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Across the Universe to Be Beamed Into Deep Space

NASA has announced that they will be beaming the Beatles' record Across the Universe into deep space on February 4 to commemorate the 40th anniversary of the recording of the song and the 50th anniversary of the founding of NASA.

The transmission will be made via the Deep Space Network, a series of antennas around the world that supports the exploration of deep space. The network is also celebrating it's 45th anniversary.

The network will be pointed at Polaris (aka the North Star) and, traveling at the speed of light, the song should reach its destination in the year 2439.

Paul McCartney wrote to NASA, "Amazing! Well done, NASA! Send my love to the aliens. All the best, Paul."
Yoko Ono commented, "I see that this is the beginning of the new age in which we will communicate with billions of planets across the universe."

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Jackson Browne Continues Live Series with Solo Accoustic Volume 2

Singer/songwriter Jackson Browne will release the second in his series of live albums on March 4 with Solo Acoustic Volume 2. The album is a follow-up to his Grammy nominated first volume from 2005 and will be released on his own Inside Records.

Material on the album goes back as far as his 1972 debut album (Something Fine, Redneck Friend) all the way up to four songs from his last studio LP, The Naked Ride Home (2002). Also included is a live version of Browne's highest charting hit, Somebody's Baby, originally from the soundtrack of Fast Times at Ridgemont High.

A new studio album is in the works and is expected later this year.

The track list for Solo Acoustic Volume 2:

• Never Stop
• Night Inside Me
• Enough Of The Night
• Something Fine
• Sky Blue And Black
• In The Shape Of A Heart
• Alive In The World
• Casino Nation
• All Good Things
• Somebody's Baby
• Redneck Friend
• My Stunning Mystery Companion

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Paul Young Branches Out With New Download Site

Blue-eyed soul singer Paul Young (Everytime You Go Away, Oh Girl) has branched out into the internet download business with the site Etopia Music.

The site not only sells track from established artists, but also up-and-comers from any country who can create their own profiles and set whatever price they would like for their music.

Young said, "The music business is all about getting your talent noticed, so Etopia Music sells new and unsigned acts alongside the biggest names. We are using the power of the internet to make it easier for bands to connect with new fans and hopefully earn some money from their music."

"Acts from anywhere on the planet can upload their music and have it for sale within minutes, profiled alongside major artists. Etopia Music can help fill the gap between the record industry's narrow commercial focus and the vastness of the web and social networking sites because we are dedicated to giving new or unsigned talent a break on their own terms."

Young also plans to review the uploaded music and present a talent chart, guiding consumers to the best of the new.

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It Was 35 Years Ago Today...

Thanks to the folks at Blabbermouth.net, here's a remembrance of the very first show by Kiss.

Thirty-five years ago today — January 30, 1973 — KISS performed its very first concert at Popcorn (The Coventry) in Queens, NY. The band played two sets at the club that night for a crowd of under 10 people.

Earlier this week, KISS bassist/vocalist Gene Simmons recalled how that show came about: "1973 was the beginning. WICKED LESTER [pre-KISS] had just finished its album for Epic Records. There were five members in the band, including Paul [Stanley] and myself. Though we had a real recording contract with a major label, and though we had finished an entire album, we were depressed. It just wasn't what we had envisioned. So, we started again. We tried firing the other three guys in WICKED LESTER, but some wouldn't leave. So, we quit. We started again with a vision. 'Let's put together the band we never saw on stage' We got a manager named Lou Linet, who managed JF MURPHY AND FREE FLOWING SALT and DIANA MARCOVITZ (or something like that)...and when he heard the newborn baby — KISS. He thought it was the worst crap he had ever heard. Needless to say, he was gone immediately. So, we were managerless. I put together a bio kit while I worked at the Puerto Rican Interagency Council as assistant to the director. Peter's [Criss] friend owned a printing press and printed up our invites. But where to play? We didn't have a manager. We didn't have an agent. We never had. I made a phone call cold to a place called Popcorn in Queens, NY and on the phone convinced the guy to hire a band, who would soon be changing their name from WICKED LESTER to KISS. We got the gig — three nights — Wednesday, Thursday and Friday for the sum total of $150. That was the beginning."

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Short Takes - Carole King, Who, Queen, Neil Diamond, more

Carole King's Tapestry is getting the two-CD special edition treatment on April 15 via Epic/Ode/Legacy. Included will be live tracks from 1973 and 1976 along with some unreleased material.

A full track listing will be posted when available.

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Two classic shows by the Who are expected to be released on DVD sometime later this year. Kilburn '77 and the Coliseum '69 are being packaged with the Japanese release of Amazing Journey: The Story of the Who. They are expected to be stand alone releases in the rest of the world.

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Brian May says that Queen is working on a sequel to their 2002 West End musical We Will Rock You.

The original show wasn't much of a critical darling, but it has been playing since May 2002 and has been extended to October. Ben Elton is once again writing the script.

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The Glastonbury Festival in England is known for picking a couple of unexpected performers every year. Among the performances by the Killers and the Chemical Brothers will be a Shirley Bassey, who performed last year.

Today it was confirmed that Neil Diamond will play this year's festival on Sunday, June 29. The balance of the line-up will be revealed as we go through the winter and spring.

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Country powerhouse Faith Hill released her version of Elvis Presley's That's All Right Mama on her website. It is from her performance on the Viva Las Vegas special.

That special, which also included people like Celine Dione and Paul McCartney, is set for a two-DVD set release in the spring.

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Jazz-rockers Return to Forever (Al Di Meola, Stanley Clarke, Chick Corea, Lenny White) are planning their first live gig in more than 30 years. Date and venue are yet to be set.

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Rock has invaded the world of science. A new beetle has been named the “Orectochilus orbisonorum” after Roy Orbison and his wife Barbara.

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Short Takes - Dolly Parton, Madonna, Barbra Streisand

Dolly Parton has written a musical based on her life story but is in no hurry to produce the show. Her excuse is that, at 61, she still has more life ahead of her, so there is no ending for the story.

Contactmusic quotes her as saying, "I've pretty much got it all written. I'm hoping that possibly I may do that as a movie. Then somebody else can take it later and put it on Broadway.

"I want it to be the right time. I'm still living it, so I don't want to tell my life story yet. I thought it was a little premature."

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Forbes has released its list of the top earning women in music and only two artists who recorded prior to 1986 made the top 20, although they were the top two.

Madonna tops the list with 2007 income of $72 million followed by Barbra Streisand with $60 million. The rest of the top five are Celine Dion ($45 million), Shakira ($38 million) and Beyonce ($27 million).

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Wolfgang's Vault, the live music site that has been the subject of lawsuits in the past, has singed agreements with the Tubes and the Persuasions to distribute archival concerts. The site started with the archives of the late-Bill Graham and has grown over the last couple of years to it's current size, claiming to be the largest on-line repository for live music.

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Don Watkins of the Watkins Family bluegrass group passed away Saturday from a heart attack after a performance. He was 66. The group, first formed in the late-70's with his wife Judy, has been popular on the bluegrass circuit for the last three decades.

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Neil Young Won't Release His Archives Project on CD

For most of his career, Neil Young has been an innovator. He takes that innovation one step further with the first volume of his Archives series by declaring that the album will only be released on Blu-Ray and DVD.

Young has never been a big fan of the CD, saying that the fidelity was limited, but the move is one step closer to making the CD format obsolete.

In talking to Billboard while at Sundance, Young said "I know it's in technical production now, but it's only coming out on Blu-ray and DVD. There won't be CDs. Technology has caught up to what the concept was in the first place [and] how we're able to actually present it. But there's no doubt it will come out this year."

The DVD version of the release will allow Young to make it more interactive, with the addition of film clips and copies of news articles to enhance the listening experience, along with other historical information.

There is still no official word on what will be included in the first volume, but it is rumored that it will include material from Young's early groups, live recordings chronicling a week of performances by the Buffalo Springfield, and the previously released Live at the Fillmore East and Live at Massey Hall.


Source: Billboard

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Paul McCartney Straightens Out the Rumors on His Health

Paul McCartney was a little perplexed when he started getting phone calls over the holidays asking if he was OK.

It all happened right after the story broke that he had undergone an angioplasty. Because of all the commotion, he had to spend part of the holidays convincing loved ones that he, in fact, had never undergone the procedure.

"People are ringing and texting me saying, 'Are you OK?' And I hadn't seen the report, so I was puzzled by so many enquiries about my health. So I think it's a good time to put this rumour to rest.

"What happened was, over a year ago during a routine medical examination, there was a minor irregularity which I needed to have tests for and which I have now been assured is completely fine.

"The media have only just recently reported an exaggerated version of this and that is why people have been asking me if I am OK. So this is where the story has come from. The media reports have, as usual, completely distorted the story.

"I'm happy to say that I feel great and I have passed my most recent medical with flying colours."

Source: ContactMusic.com

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The Very LAST 2007 End-of-Year List - Village Voice Singles

577 critics had their say in the Village Voice's end of year poll. We presented the albums on Sunday and now it is time for the singles or, more appropriately, tracks as any song is eligible for this poll.

With this one, it's a little simpler. The critics were asked to pick ten tracks and they were ranked with total number of votes. The top vote getter received 97 votes. We've listed classic artists in the top 442, which includes tracks that got at least two votes.

• #1 - Rehab - Amy Winehouse
• #2 - Umbrella - Rihanna featuring Jay-Z
• #3 - All My Friends - LCD Soundsystem
• #17 - Radio Nowhere - Bruce Springsteen
• #34 - Girls in Their Summer Clothes - Bruce Springsteen
• #50 - Gone Gone Gone - Robert Plant & Alison Krauss
• #70 - Are You Alright? - Lucinda Williams
• #83 - A Few Words in Defense of Our Country - Randy Newman
• #133 - I'm Not There - Bob Dylan & the Band
• #133 - Guitar - Prince
• #172 - Grey in L.A. - Loudon Wainwright III
• #172 - Chelsea Rodgers - Prince
• #172 - Ever Present Past - Paul McCartney
• #172 - Ordinary People - Neil Young
• #172 - Long Walk Home - Bruce Springsteen
• #172 - Nod Your Head - Paul McCartney
• #172 - I Trained Her to Love Me - Nick Lowe
• #241 - Don't Stop Now - Crowded House
• #241 - Stick to the Plan - Graham Parker
• #241 - I Can't Take It No More - John Fogerty
• #241 - I Guess We Shouldn't Talk About That Now - Bettye LaVette
• #241 - Read 'Em and Weep - Ian Hunter
• #241 - How 'Bout Them Cowgirls - George Strait
• #241 - Angel - Chaka Khan
• #241 - Falling Down - Duran Duran
• #241 - Beggin' (Pilooski Re-Edit) - Frankie Valli & the Four Seasons
• #241 - Tranquilize - The Killers & Lou Reed
• #241 - Livin' in the Future - Bruce Springsteen

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Paul Simon to Be Saluted by Brooklyn Academy of Music

The Brooklyn Academy of Music (BAM) will present a multi-part salute to Paul Simon during the month of April.

Love in Hard Times: The Music of Paul Simon will start from April 1 to 6 with a concert version of his 1998 Broadway show The Capeman. The show, which combines rock, doo wop and latin styles, will be performed by Simon, Oscar Hernández and The Spanish Harlem Orchestra, original Capeman cast member Claudette Sierra, Obie Bermudez, Salsa and Ray de la Paz with a special appearance by Little Anthony and the Imperials.

Part two will run April 9 to 13 and is called Under African Skies, saluting his music from the albums Graceland and The Rhythm of the Saints. Performing with Simon in this segment will be Hugh Masekela, Milton Nascimento, Kaïssa, David Byrne, Luciana Souza, and Brazilian percussionist Cyro Baptista. The backing band will include a number of players from the original Graceland sessions, including Jay Ashby on trombone, Anthony Cedras on keyboard & accordion, Steve Gadd on drums, Jamey Haddad on percussion, Jim Hynes on trumpet, Bakithi Kumalo on bass, Vincent Nguini on guitar, and Andrew Snitzer on saxophone.

April 23 to 27 brings American Tunes, saluting Simon's work from throughout his career. Final performers are still being set, but the list at this point includes Olu Dara, indie band Grizzly Bear and the Roaches.

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Simon & Garfunkel Live 1969 to Finally See the Light of Day Through Starbucks

Back on June 21 of last year, we reported the imminent release of a live Simon & Garfunkel album culled from the duo's November 1969 series of concerts to promote Bridge Over Troubled Water LP.

The album was never released by Columbia/Legacy last fall when scheduled, but here comes Starbucks to the rescue. They will offer the album exclusively until the Fall when a general release is expected.

Here is the original article from last June with an updated track list.

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Long held in the archives, live music from the Simon and Garfunkel's pre-Bridge Over Troubled Water tour will finally see the light of day on August 18 from Columbia/Legacy.

Live 1969 includes music recorded during the duo's November 1969 U.S. tour. The shows included versions of the, at the time, unreleased music from the Bridge Over Troubled Water album. Also included is a previously unreleased take on Gene Autrey's That Silver Haired Daddy of Mine (although I'm sure it is much closer in style to the Everly Brothers' version).

Columbia's original recorded the shows to assemble a live album for release after Bridge. This is their fourth officially released live album following The Concert in Central Park, Live From New York City, 1967 and Old Friends: Live on Stage.

The track list:

• Homeward Bound (11/15/69, Long Beach, Calif.)
  
• At the Zoo (11/27/69, New York)
  
• The 59th Street Bridge Song (Feelin' Groovy) (11/8/69, Carbondale, Ill.)
• Song for the Asking (11/15/69, Long Beach, Calif.)
  
• Scarborough Fair/Canticle (11/28/69, New York)
  
• Mrs. Robinson (11/8/69, Carbondale, Ill.)
  
• The Boxer (11/15/69, Long Beach, Calif.)
  
• Why Don't You Write Me (11/15/69, Long Beach, Calif.)
  
• So Long, Frank Lloyd Wright (11/8/69, Carbondale, Ill.)
  
• That Silver-Haired Daddy of Mine (11/15/69, Long Beach, Calif.)
  
• Bridge Over Troubled Water (11/28/69, New York)
  
• The Sound of Silence (11/8/69, Carbondale, Ill.)
  
• I Am a Rock (11/8/69, Carbondale, Ill.)
  
• Old Friends/Bookends Theme (11/1/69, Toledo, Ohio)
  
• Leaves That Are Green (11/31/69, Detroit)
  
• Kathy's Song (date unknown, St. Louis)

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Short Takes - Grammys, Beatles, UB40, Diana Ross

The Writer's Guild of America (WGA) has come to an interim agreement that will allow union members to work on the Grammy Awards.

WGA West President Patric Verrone said, "Professional musicians face many of the same issues that we do concerning fair compensation for the use of their work in new media. In the interest of advancing our goal of achieving a fair contract, the WGAW Board felt that this decision should be made on behalf our brothers and sisters in the American Federation of Musicians and the American Federation of Television and Radio Artists."

In other Grammy news, rumors are circulating that Michael Jackson may be appearing and possibly singing on the show. A leaked memo from within SonyBMG points to the possibility along with a further TV special.

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Israel has invited Paul McCartney and Ringo Starr to visit, 43 years after banning the Beatles out of fear that their music would corrupt the country's youth.

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"It's your fault." "No, it's your fault."

The remaining members of UB40 have refuted Ian Campbell's claim that he is leaving the group due to management difficulties and maintain it is for his solo career.

A new statement said that the group "do not have artist management and have always been by a democratic process of all eight members."

"Ali made a very simple decision, he chose to pursue and put his solo career over and above continuing to work with UB40."

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Diana Ross ticked off about 40,000 fans on Saturday at the Jamaican Jazz + Blues Festival when she had the video monitors on the sides of the stage turned off during her performance. Many in the crowd, who could not see the performer clearly, booed throughout her set.

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A former girlfriend of Bob Dylan, Suze Rotolo, is set to release her memoir, A Freewheelin' Time, this May. The two dated in the early sixties and part of the book deals with an abortion that she went through in 1963.

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ZZ Top to Release 25th Anniversary Version of Eliminator

ZZ Top's eighth studio album, Eliminator, will be getting the 25th anniversary treatment an March 25 (Amazon is showing it for June 28) with the release of a CD/DVD set.

Included are a remastered version of the album's first pressing with the original album version of Legs, along with the single and 12" versions, and five live takes on songs from the album.

The DVD will hold the famous videos for the albums three big singles and the song TV Dinners, along with five performances from England's The Tube.

The track listing:

CD

• Gimme All Your Lovin’
• Got Me Under Pressure
• Sharp Dressed Man
• I Need You Tonight
• I Got The Six
• Legs (Original Album Version)
• Thug
• TV Dinners
• Dirty Dog
• If I Could Only Flag Her Down
• Bad Girl
• Legs (Single Version)
• Gimme All Your Lovin' (Live)
• Got Me Under Pressure (Live)
• Sharp Dressed Man (Live)
• I Got The Six (Live)
• TV Dinners (Live)
• Legs (Dance Mix)

DVD

• Gimme All Your Lovin' (Video)
• Sharp Dressed Man (Video)
• Legs (Video)
• TV Dinners (Video)
• Got Me Under Pressure (Live on the Tube - 11/17/83)
• Gimme All Your Lovin' (Live on the Tube - 11/17/83)
• Sharp Dressed Man (Live on the Tube - 11/17/83)
• Tube Snake Boogie (Live on the Tube - 11/17/83)

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MIDEM Conference Produces Views on Industry Woes

The MIDEM Conference is currently being held in Cannes, France and has produced many views on the state of the industry.

In picking up his Personality of the Year award, Peter Gabriel said "If the music biz is a corpse, let's put it in the ground and grow interesting things from it." The singer has long been known as an innovator in the production and marketing of music.

On the other end was Paul McGuiness, manager for U2, who attacked Internet Service Providers (ISP's) for not controlling the downloading of copywrighted music and the companies that support them.

At the top of his hit list were the ISP's who he compared to "a magazine advertising stolen cars, handling the money for stolen cars and seeing to the delivery of stolen cars, the police would soon be at your door. That's no different to an ISP, but they say they can't do anything about it. If you steal a laptop from a store or don't pay for your broadband service, you'll soon be cut off and nicked."

He also went after companies who make "marvelous devices but don't think of themselves as makers of burglary kits."

Not to be left out, though, are the record companies who he said "through lack of foresight and planning allowed a range of industries to arise that let people steal music."

In his acceptance speech, Gabriel did agree that the ISP's are a problem, but was weary of industry deals to "help" the musician. "The trouble with any blanket agreement is that the money doesn't tend to trickle down to the artists. We've all been told in the past about these kinds of deals, and we never see it in our accounts. It needs to be not just verbiage. It needs to express itself in money too."

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Track List for New B.B. King Live Album

B.B. King's new album, Live, will be released on February 19 via Geffen Records.

The CD version will have twelve tracks (eleven songs):

• Mr. King Comes On Stage
• Why I Sing the Blues
• I Need You So
• Bad Case of Love
• Bluesman
• When Love Comes to Town
• All Over Again
• You Are My Sunshine
• Rock Me Baby
• Key to the Highway
• The Thrill is Gone
• When the Saints Go Marching In

The DVD has eighteen songs. At this time, we don't have the official track order, but it is known from the press release that other songs include Manhattan Blues and Two I Shoot (both done by King's band before he comes out), Don't Answer the Door, A Whole Lot of Lovin', Ain't That Just Like a Woman, Guess Who and Darling, You Know That I Love You.

CD: MP3: DVD:

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No Zeppelin Tour (for now)

Jimmy Page was in Tokyo on Monday promoting the Led Zeppelin compilation Mothership and the talk turned to the possibility of further Zeppelin appearances.

Per Page, that would depend on Robert Plant's schedule. "Robert Plant has a parallel project running, and he's really busy with that project, certainly until September. So I can't give you any news on anything at the moment."

He did talk at length about the December 10 reunion concert in London. "We wanted people who might not have even been alive in 1980 when we finished to understand what we were."

"We'd all agreed to take it very, very seriously and have a really good time at the same time. We worked out the songs we were going to play, and it was exhilarating, it was fantastic. Every week was a week to look forward to."

"The amount of work that we put into the 02, both for ourselves rehearsing and also for the staging of it, was probably what you'd put into a world tour anyway."

Page also gave the first insight into why the band put out Mothership after already having a successful two-CD compilation in Early Days and Latter Days.

"The overall packaging just did not have the quality of what we expect from Led Zeppelin and what I think everyone else expects from Led Zeppelin. It just made sense to have something done so we don't have to think about it again."

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Short Takes - Van Halen, Led Zeppelin, Ricky Skaggs, more

It may not be a Grammy, but Eddie Van Halen did win a Best Music award at the AVN (Adult Video News) awards in Las Vegas. Two of his songs were used in the feature Sacred Sin.

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Robert Plant was interviewed on MSG TV Friday during the break in the Kicks/Sixers game. When asked about a Led Zeppelin tour, he replied "You never know what is around the corner."

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Chicago blues drummer Francis Clay passed away on January 23 at the age of 84. Clay played in the bands of Muddy Waters, James Cotton, Otis Rush and Buddy Guy, among others.

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Ricky Skaggs next album will be Honoring the Fathers of Bluegrass: Tribute to 1946 and '47, to be released on March 25 on Skaggs Family Records. The album is a salute to Bill Monroe and his band in those years, made up of Lester Flatt, Earl Scruggs, Chubby Wise and Harold Watts.

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Beyonce has been signed to play the role of Etta James in the movie Cadillac Records.

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I'm not sure this will win them any points in their quest to be the "Capitol of Culture," but a new hotel was opened in Liverpool on Friday called The Hard Days Night Hotel. The Beatles-themed establishment has paintings in every room by John Lennon's art school friend Paul Ygartua and Klaus Voorman, who was a member of the Plastic Ono Band.

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...and You Thought We Were Done with 2007 Polls - The Village Voice Album List

The Village Voice has published its 2007 year-end poll of the best singles and albums. What makes this one different is the fact that they have input from 577 critics, much larger than any other source.

The critics were asked to divide 100 points among ten albums from 2007. The most they could give an album is thirty points, the least five. The points for each album were then added up and ranked. The further down the list you get, the more ties as individual critics may have only given them ten or fifteen points.

Within the top 1000 (well, actually top 1,277 because of ties), which we are reviewing today, the number one album received a total of 1,662 points from 141 critics. The bottom of the list are all tied at #794 with ten points from one critic. The list actually goes well beyond number 1000.

As we did last month, here are the top three in each poll along with all others listed from classic artists.

• #1 - Sound of Silver - LCD Soundsystem
• #2 - In Rainbows - Radiohead
• #3 - Kola - M.I.A.
• #8 - Raising Sand - Robert Plant & Alison Krauss
• #9 - Magic - Bruce Springsteen
• #30 - Scene of the Crime - Bettye LaVette
• #33 - We'll Never Turn Back - Mavis Staples
• #45 - At My Age - Nick Lowe
• #48 - West - Lucinda Williams
• #58 - Revival - John Fogerty
• #61 - Comicopera - Robert Wyatt
• #62 - Sweet Warrior - Richard Thompson
• #75 - Memory Almost Full - Paul McCartney
• #76 - Dirt Farmer - Levon Helm
• #81 - River: The Joni Letters - Herbie Hancock
• #83 - Chrome Dreams II - Neil Young
• #116 - Live at Massey Hall - Neil Young
• #118 - The Complete On the Corner - Miles Davis
• #121 - Wagonmaster - Porter Wagoner
• #160 - Dangerous Game - Mary Weiss
• #183 - Sermon on Exposition Boulevard - Rickie Lee Jones
• #186 - Snakes & Arrows - Rush
• #195 - Versatile Heart - Linda Thompson
• #217 - Songs of Mass Destruction - Annie Lennox
• #229 - How You Sell Soul to Soulless People Who Soled Their Soles? - Public Enemy
• #266 - Yes I'm a Witch - Yoko Ono
• #275 - Strange Weirdos - Loudon Wainwright III
• #293 - The Weirdness - Stooges
• #304 - Beauty & Crime - Suzanne Vega
• #308 - Mantaray - Siouxsie
• #329 - Don't Tell Columbus - Graham Parker
• #346 - Time On Earth - Crowded House
• #346 - Long Road Out of Eden - Eagles
• #354 - Live at the Avalon Ballroom 1969 - Graham Parsons & the Flying Burrito Brothers
• #366 - Goin' Home: A Tribute to Fats Domino - Various Artists
• #370 - Charlie Louvin - Charlie Louvin
• #402 - Motel Lovers: Southern Soul From the Chitlin' Circuit - Various Artists
• #412 - Last of the Breed - Willie Nelson, Merle Haggard, Ray Price
• #414 - Funk This - Chaka Khan
• #424 - Shine - Joni Mitchell
• #424 - Red Carpet Massacre - Duran Duran
• #438 - Twelve - Patti Smith
• #438 - New Maps of Hell - Bad Religion
• #500 - Easy Money - John Anderson
• #533 - Planet Earth - Prince
• #559 - Stax 50 - Various Artists
• #559 - Love Brigade - Ted Nugent
• #559 - The Live Wire - Woody Guthrie
• #588 - Fruit Tree - Nick Drake
• #588 - Fully Unleashed: The Live Gigs, Volume II - Cactus
• #588 - My Last Days on Earth - Bill Monroe
• #588 - Double Banjo Bluegrass Spectacular - Tony Trischka
• #588 - Are You Lookin' At Me? - Colin Hay
• #588 - Live Concert 2006 - Barbra Streisand
• #588 - Voila - Belinda Carlisle
• #640 - Collected Box - Sly & the Family Stone
• #675 - Let Us Now Praise Sleepy John - Peter Case
• #708 - If This World Were Mine - Bob & Gene
• #745 - Best of - Black Sabbath with Ronnie James Dio
• #745 - The Beatles & the Great Concert at Shea - Beatles
• #786 - Moonswept - Roaches
• #794 - Instant Karma - Various Artists
• #794 - The Orphans - Tom Waits
• #794 - Old School - Koko Taylor
• #794 - Pay Before You Pump - Denise Lasalle
• #794 - Son of Skip James - Dion
• #794 - Stand in the Fire - Warren Zevon
• #794 - Buffalo - Frank Zappa
• #794 - Rare & Unrleased Recordings - Aretha Franklin
• #794 - Early Southern Guitar Sounds - Mike Seeger
• #794 - Listen My Friends! The Best of - Moby Grape
• #794 - Kill to Get Crimson - Mark Knopfler
• #794 - The Wheel Man - Watermelon Slim & the Workers
• #794 - Back it Up!! Live...An Unauthorized Bootleg - Nils Lofgren
• #794 - Breakin' It Up, Breakin' it Down - Muddy Waters, Johnnie Winter & James Cotton
• #794 - The Song Remains the Same - Led Zeppelin
• #794 - The Mix-Up - Beastie Boys
• #794 - The History of Folk Rock - Various Artists
• #794 - Big Stiff Box Set - Various Artists
• #794 - Wazoo - Frank Zappa
• #794 - My Name is Buddy - Ry Cooder
• #794 - Live - Foghat

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New Releases for January 29, 2008

Click on any of the albums for details on the release. Note that there are two pages of new releases this week.

Purchases made from our site via Amazon help to pay the costs associated with Vintage Vinyl News.

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Chart Watch - January 25, 2008

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

• Two major classic artists premier in the top 100 albums this week. Anne Murray gets her 29th charting album with Duets: Friends & Legends debuting at number 42. Ringo Starr has his 13th charting album post-Beatles with Liverpool 8, which debuts at number 94.
• The Anne Murray album also debuts at number eight on the country albums chart. That's her highest debut ever.
• Huey Lewis makes his debut on the country singles chart with Garth Brooks on his 80's hit Workin' for a Livin'.
• Michael McDonald is back on the adult contemporary chart with his remake of Jackie Wilson's (and Rita Coolidge's) (Your Love Keeps Lifting Me) Higher & Higher.
  

Previous week position noted in parenthesis.

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Comprehensive

Top 100 Albums

• #15 (8) - Long Road Out of Eden - Eagles
• #22 (25) - Raising Sand - Robert Plant & Alison Krauss
• #27 (20) - Mothership - Led Zeppelin
  
• #41 (37) - Grammy Awards: 50th Anniversary Collection - Various Artists (including Bobby Darin, Ray Charles, John Lennon, Fleetwood Mac, more)
• #42 (New) - Duets: Friends & Legends - Anne Murray
  
• #52 (45) - Duets - Reba McEntire
• #72 (69) - 22 More Hits - George Strait
• #74 (74) - Ultimate Santana - Santana
• #84 (87) - Magic - Bruce Springsteen
• #86 (96) - Lost Highway - Bon Jovi
• #94 (New) - Liverpool 8 - Ringo Starr

Top 50 Singles

• #26 (27) - Into the Night - Santana Featuring Chad Kroeger

Top 25 Pop Catalog Albums

• #2 (1) - Legend - Bob Marley & the Wailers
• #5 (6) - The Very Best Of - Eagles
• #6 (19) - Greatest Hits - Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers
• #7 (7) - Greatest Hits - Journey
• #9 (8) - Dark Side of the Moon - Pink Floyd
• #11 (18) - Cross Road - Bon Jovi
• #12 (21) - Experience Hendrix: The Best of Jimi Hendrix - Jimi Hendrix
• #14 (28) - Vault: Greatest Hits - Def Leppard
• #15 (15) - Greatest Hits - Queen
• #17 (10) - The Heart of the Matter: Frank Sinatra Sings About Love - Frank Sinatra
• #18 (46) - The Definitive Collection - Lionel Richie
• #19 (20) - Greatest Hits - Bob Seger & the Silver Bullet Band
• #20 (23) - Greatest - Bee Gees
• #21 (16) - Chronicle: The 20 Greatest Hits - Creedence Clearwater Revival
• #22 (29) - Number Ones - Michael Jackson
• #25 (25) - 1 - Beatles

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R&B

Top 50 R&B Albums

• #42 (44) - Funk This - Chaka Khan
• #47 (49) - Jewels In The Crown: Duets With The Queen Of Soul - Aretha Franklin

Top 50 R&B Singles

• #32 (35) - Baby - Angie Stone featuring Betty Wright
• #42 (51) - Put You Up on Game - Aretha Franklin with Fantasia
• #43 (39) - Angel - Chaka Khan
• #44 (52) - Feedback - Janet
  

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Country

Top 25 Country Albums

• #3 (2) - Long Road Out of Eden - Eagles
• #5 (6) - Raising Sand - Robert Plant & Alison Krauss
• #8 (New) - Duets: Friends & Legends - Anne Murray
  
• #10 (8) - Duets - Reba McEntire
• #13 (12) - 22 More Hits - George Strait

Top 25 Country Singles

• #25 (26) - Workin' for a Livin' - Garth Brooks & Huey Lewis
  

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Rock

Top 10 Rock Albums

• #3 (2) - Long Road Out of Eden - Eagles
• #6 (8) - Raising Sand - Robert Plant & Alison Krauss
• #7 (6) - Mothership - Led Zeppelin
  

Top 10 Hard Rock Albums

• #2 (2) - Mothership - Led Zeppelin

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Adult Contemporary

Top 20 Adult Contemporary Tracks

• #8 (8) - How Long - Eagles
• #16 (21) - (Your Love Keeps Lifting Me) Higher & Higher - Michael McDonald
  

Top 20 Adult Top 40 Tracks

• #3 (5) - Into the Night - Santana Featuring Chad Kroeger
• #18 (19) - Lost Highway - Bon Jovi
  

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Dance

Top 25 Dance Club Play

• #3 (3) - Baby - Angie Stone featuring Betty Wright
• #20 (14) - No, No, No - Yoko Ono
• #25 (23) - Sing - Annie Lennox

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Electronic

Top 10 Electronic Albums

• None

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Jazz

Top 15 Jazz Albums

• #5 (5) - Sings The Ultimate American Songbook, Vol. 1 - Tony Bennett

Top 15 Contemporary Jazz Albums

• #1 (1) - River: The Joni Letters - Herbie Hancock
• #10 (15) - Givin' It Up - George Benson & Al Jarreau
• #15 (16) - Good to Go-Go - Spyro Gyra

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Classical

Top 10 Classical Albums

• #12 (15) - Songs from the Labyrinth - Sting

Top 10 Classical Crossover Albums

• #9 (8) - Wolfgang's Big Night Out - Brian Setzer Orchestra

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Americana

Americana Music Association Top 40 Airplay

• #1 (2) - Raising Sand - Robert Plant & Alison Krauss
  
• #2 (3) - Dirt Farmer - Levon Helm
  
• #4 (4) - Revival - John Fogerty
  
• #10 (8) - Live from the Ruhr Triennale - Chip Taylor & Carrie Rodruguez
  
• #15 (10) - Goin' Home: A Tribute to Fats Domino - Various Artists
  
• #19 (14) - Songbird: Rare Tracks and Forgotten Gems - Emmylou Harris
  
• #25 (31) - Troubadour- Robert Hazard
• #26 (24) - Long Road Out of Eden - Eagles
• #27 (New) - Moment of Forever - Willie Nelson
  
• #38 (26) - Chrome Dreams II - Neil Young
• #40 (27) - Magic - Bruce Springsteen

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British

Top 100 British Albums

• #5 (6) - Raising Sand - Robert Plant & Alison Krauss
• #21 (21) - Long Road Out of Eden - Eagles
• #27 (19) - Mothership - Led Zeppelin
• #34 (New) - Essential - Neil Diamond
  
• #42 (29) - Ultimate Collections - Whitney Houston
• #53 (50) - Greatest Hits Volume I & II - Queen
  
• #57 (52) - Spirit of the Glen - Royal Scots Dragoon Guards
  
• #70 (58) - Magic - Bruce Springsteen
• #71 (59) - Complete - Eric Clapton
• #72 (88) - Legend - Bob Marley & the Wailers
• #74 (85) - Best of 1980 - 1990 - U2
• #86 (66) - Hits - Phil Collins
• #89 (62) - The Very Best Of - Eagles
• #91 (New) - Liverpool 8 - Ringo Starr

Top 100 British Singles

• #24 (New) - NW5 - Madness
• #78 (New) - The Girl is Mine - Michael Jackson featuring will.I.am
  
• #94 (88) - In the Air Tonight - Phil Collins

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