Chart Watch Canada: Chart Date April 28, 2011

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

• After taking a one week hiatus for Paul Simon, Ginette Reno returns to having the top selling album by a veteran artist in Canada for the fourth non-consecutive week. La Musique En Moi drops only from 8 to 10 while Simon goes 7 to 16.
• Alabama, in support of Brad Paisley, moves into the top 50 on the Singles chart with Old Alabama.

TW = This Week, LW = Last Week, N = New, R = Returning to Chart.  The highest charting entry by a veteran artist is shown in red.  There can be ties in chart positions.

Top 100 Canadian Albums

TW	LW	Title	Artist
1	2	21	Adele
2	N	L' Existoire	Richard DeJardins
3	3	Americana 2	Roche Voisine
4	4	Songs for Japan	Various Artists
5	N	Glee: The Music, Presents The Warblers	Glee Cast
10	8	La Musique En Moi	Ginette Reno
13	11	Sing It Loud	k.d. lang & the Siss Boom Bang
16	7	So Beautiful or So What	Paul Simon
36	19	How to Be Clairvoyant	Robbie Robertson
41	45	Appalaches	Richard Seguin
50	24	Paper Airplane	Alison Krauss & Union Station
53	46	Greatest Hits	Bon Jovi
59	56	Collections	Johnny Cash
75	97	Legend: The Best of	Bob Marley & the Wailers
78	61	Recollection	k.d. lang
82	69	Les Chemins Ombrages	Andre Gagnon

The balance of the Canadian charts are after the cut.

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Almanac: April 30, 2011

Birthdays:

• Willie Nelson (78)
• Richard Shoff (Sandpipers) (77)
• Darrell McCall (Little Dippers, country singer) (71)
• Johnny Farina (Santo & Johnny) (70)
• Bobby Vee (68)
• Wayne Kramer (MC5) (63)
• Des Tong (Sad Cafe) (60)
• Merrill Osmond (Osmonds) (58)

Deaths:

• 1966 - Richard Farina - Motorcycle accident (29)
• 1982 - Lester Bangs (music journalist) - Heart attack (33)
• 1983 - Muddy Waters - Heart failure (70)
• 1999 - Darrell Sweet (Nazareth) - Heart attack (52)
• 2005 - Norma-Jean Wofford (guitarist with Bo Diddley) (~53)

On This Day:

• 1953 - Frank Sinatra and Nelson Riddle teamed up for the first time.
• 1965 - The Kinks began their first tour of the U.K.
• 1965 - Herman's Hermits began their first U.S. tour with the Zombies opening.
• 1968 - The Cilla Black Show debuted on the BBC.
• 1970 - The Allman Brothers road manager, Twigs Lyndon, was arrested for killing a club manager during an argument over a contract. He was eventually acquitted.
• 1976 - It was reported that Keith Moon paid nine cab drivers to block off a New York city street while he through the contents of his hotel room out the window.
• 1980 - The film McVicar, with Roger Daltrey, premiered in London. 
• 1983 - The original members of Manfred Mann reunited in London for a show.
• 1988 - Dark Side of the Moon by Pink Floyd fell out of the Billboard Top 200 after 725 weeks.
• 1999 - Three former members of Spandau Ballet lost a case against songwriter Gary Kemp over unpaid royalties.
• 2001 - An small aircraft carrying Sting, a friend and two pilots slid off the runway in Florence, Italy after the brakes failed.
• 2004 - New child abuse charges were brought against Michael Jackson.
• 2008 - Roger Waters' giant inflatable pig floated away during his show at the Coachella Festival.

Marriages:

• 1995 - Rosanne Cash and John Leventhal

Recorded:

• 1957 - Jailhouse Rock - Elvis Presley
• 1960 - Walking to New Orleans - Fats Domino

Released:

• 1954 - Goodnight, Sweetheart, Goodnight - McGuire Sisters
• 1973 - Red Rose Speedway - Paul McCartney
• 1976 - Silly Love Songs - Wings
• 1985 - Sussudio - Phil Collins
• 1987 - Help!, Rubber Soul & Revolver - Beatles (first release on CD)

Number Ones - U.S. Singles:

• 1955 - Cherry Pink (and Apple Blossom White) - Perez Prado (10 weeks)
• 1966 - Good Lovin' - Young Rascals (1 week)
• 1977 - Southern Nights - Glen Campbell (1 week)
• 1983 - Beat It - Michael Jackson (3 weeks)

Number Ones - U.S. Albums:

• 1960 - Percussive Percussion - Enoch Light/Terry Snyder & the All-Stars (Stereo Chart) (1 week)

Number Ones - U.K. Singles:

• 1954 - Such a Night - Johnnie Ray (1 week)
• 1983 - True - Spandau Ballet (4 weeks)

Number Ones - U.K. Albums:

• 1966 - Aftermath - Rolling Stones (8 weeks)
• 1988 - The Innocents - Erasure (1 week)

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Trevor Horn Goes to Studio to Produce One Yes Song, Ends Up Helming Whole Album

Awhile back, Trevor Horn met up with Yes to produce one song for their new album. He ended up staying to helm the whole thing.

The album is Fly From Here, the group's first since 2001's Magnification and marks a major turning point for the group. It will be their first album with new lead singer Benoit David, who replaced Jon Anderson for the last tour and was previously the lead for the Canadian Yes cover band Close to the Edge.

It will also mark the return of Geoff Downes on keyboards after the departure of Oliver Wakeman (son of Rick Wakeman). Downes had previously played with the group in 1980 for the recording of Drama, an album that also saw Trevor Horn as the lead vocalist, the two coming over to Yes after their success as the Buggles (Video Killed the Radio Star).

The title of the album actually comes from a song that Horn and Downes brought to the group in 1980, We Can Fly From Here. While they did record the track as a studio demo and played the song during the tour in support of Drama, they never finished the track for official release, until now.

Back to Horn's contribution, he recently said "I said I was prepared to spend two weeks with Yes recording that song. When I arrived in America to record it, I was taken prisoner by the band and only allowed my freedom again in return for producing the whole album. It was an offer I couldn’t refuse!"

Look for the album on Frontiers Records in July.

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U2 Promises An "Un-Glastonbury" Production at Festival

U2 want to fight tradition and put on a big show at this year's Glastonbury Festival.

The group are headlining the festival this year for the first time ever, after having to pull out of its 40th anniversary in 2010 due to Bono's back injury, and bassist Adam Clayton says they will be "sneaking in" some of the huge pyrotechnics from their 360 Degree world tour for the stage show.

He said: "It's very un-Glastonbury to have a big production, but we will be sneaking a few things in through the back gate which will hopefully make the experience a little more like Glastonbury on steroids.

"We're stretching the levels of what can be done. We hope to create a mind blowing experience that reacts well with all the other substances involved."

The rocker also hinted the group's set for the British festival will include hits from their celebrated 1991 Achtung Baby album, in honour of its 20th anniversary.

He added: "We want to go back to our 90's work that plays into a certain kind of psychedelia and do something tailored around that, from the Zoo TV to PopMart. This is the 20th anniversary of Achtung Baby so there's a nice connection there and we thought we should mark that."

U2 headline Glastonbury's Pyramid stage on Friday June 24. The festival,which runs until June 26, will also see headline sets from Coldplay and Beyonce Knowles.

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Almanac: April 29, 2011

Birthdays:

• Carl Gardner (Coasters) (83)
• Big Jay McNeely (83)
• April Stevens (Nino Tempo & April Stevens) (75)
• Klaus Voormann (73)
• Bob Miranda (Happenings) (69)
• Duane Allen (Oak Ridge Boys) (68)
• Tommy James (64)
• Francis Rossi (Status Quo) (62)
• Bill Drummond (Big in Japan, the KLF) (58)
• Debora Iyall (Romeo Void) (57)
• Ron Verlin (Shooting Star) (55)
• Richie Robertson (Fabulous Poodles) (54)

Deaths:

• 1990 - Floyd Butler (Friends of Distinction) - Heart attack (49)
• 1993 - Mick Ronson - Liver cancer (46)

On This Day:

• 1963 - The Rolling Stones signed with Andrew Oldham and Eric Easton who convinced Ian Stewart to drop out of the band to become road manager, even though he still played keyborads.
• 1973 - The BBC aired the first episode of The John Denver Show.
• 1976 - Bruce Springsteen climbed over the wall at Graceland to try and meet Elvis Presley, who wasn't home.
• 1978 - P.J. Proby was fired from the London musical Elvis for constantly changing his lines.
• 1980 - Black Sabbath started their first tour with Ronnie James Dio as lead singer.
• 1993 - Barry White, in animated form, appeared on The Simpsons.
• 1993 - Gilby Clark of Guns N' Roses broke his hand in a motorcycle accident.
• 1998 - Steven Tyler broke his knee during a show in Anchorage, AK.
• 2003 - A $5 million dollar lawsuit brought against John Fogerty by a fan who claimed he suffered hearing loss during one of the singer's concerts was dismissed.
• 2003 - Great White played their first show since the club fire that killed 100 people.
• 2004 - Buddy Guy and Etta James were the big winners at the W.C. Handy Blues Awards.

Marriages:

• 1989 - Jon Bon Jovi and Dorothea Hurley

Divorces:

• 1988 - Eric Clapton and Patty Boyd (filed)

Recorded:

• 1969 - Octopus's Garden - Beatles (Ringo's vocals)

Released:

• 1957 - Don't Ask Me to Be Lonely - Dubs
• 1967 - Respect - Aretha Franklin
• 1975 - Main Course - Bee Gees
• 1979 - Dance the Night Away - Bon Jovi
• 2008 - Hard Candy - Madonna

Number Ones - U.S. Singles:

• 1960 - Third Man Theme - Anton Karas (11 weeks)

Number Ones - U.S. Albums:

• 1972 - First Take - Roberta Flack (5 weeks)
• 1995 - The Lion King - Soundtrack (Including Elton John) (1 week)

Number Ones - U.K. Singles:

• 1955 - Cherry Pink and Apple Blossom White - Perez Prado (2 weeks)
• 1978 - Night Fever - Bee Gees (2 weeks)

Number Ones - U.K. Albums:

• 1989 - A New Flame - Simply Red (1 week)

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Depeche Mode's Dave Gahan to Receive MusiCares Stevie Ray Vaughan Award

MusiCares has announced that Dave Gahan of Depeche Mode will be this year's recipient of the Stevie Ray Vaughan Award at the 7th Annual MusiCares MAP Fund Benefit Concert.

The May 6 event will see Steven Tyler present the award to Gahan recognizing his dedication and support to the MusiCares MAP Fund and his commitment to helping addicts with the recovery process. As is traditional, the evening is an alcohol-free event.

Also being honored is Kevin Lyman, the founder of the Vans Warped Tour, with the From the Heart Award for his dedication to the mission of the MusiCares MAP Fund.

Gahan will be performing along with Paramour, Jane's Addiction, Chester Bennington (Linkin Park), Curt Bisquera, Vincent Jones, Martyn LeNoble (Porno for Pyros, the Cult), Jason Orme and Joel Shearer.

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Michael Takes Las Vegas: Sin City to House Multiple Michael Jackson Attractions

Perhaps no other city in the world can compete with some of the excesses of Michael Jackson's life like Las Vegas and that city is going to live up to its reputation by opening multiple attractions saluting the King of Pop.

On Thursday, Mandalay Bay Resort & Casino President and Chief Operating Officer, Chuck Bowling, Cirque du Soleil President and CEO, Daniel Lamarre and Estate of Michael Jackson Co-Executor, John Branca confirmed that Mandalay Bay would be the home of a permanent production based on the music of Michael Jackson that will be created by Cirque du Soleil.

Bowling said "The world may never again know a force in entertainment of the caliber of Michael Jackson. On behalf of the entire Mandalay Bay and MGM Resorts International teams, we are deeply honored and humbled to be home to incredible entertainment celebrating his legacy for new generations to come."

Lamarre added "We are excited about creating this new Michael Jackson production for Mandalay Bay.  Michael Jackson is creatively inspiring for Cirque du Soleil artisans and creative teams.  There are so many common creative elements between us that it is a pleasure to imagine this new production.  It is also very exciting that we will be presenting Michael Jackson The IMMORTAL World Tour at Mandalay Bay for an extended run this December and Jamie King and the creative team are promising us a pop rock spectacular to kick things off grandly."

The actual Cirque du Soleil show must be designed, cast and produced and is not expected to open until the spring of 2013. For now, there are multiple other attractions planned above and beyond The IMMORAL World Tour which will open December 3.

• Also starting on December 3 will be the Michael Jackson Fan Fest, the first-ever fan gathering authorized by the Jackson estate. Plans include displays of memorabilia, items from the Neverland Ranch, Q&A's with people from the World Tour show and more.
• A permanent exhibit at Mandalay Bay of Jackson items called Michael Jackson All Access.
• The Michael Jackson Lounge which will revolve around the singer's music in an atmosphere celebrating his career and legacy.

In addition, it is being reported that Lamarre wants to design a theater for the production that recreates Jackson's Neverland Ranch.

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Wanda Jackson Sets a Summer Worth of Shows

Wanda Jackson is taking full advantage of her new found popularity by hitting the road for the summer, both playing her own shows and opening for the current chart topping sensation, Adele.

Her Jack White produced album, The Party Ain't Over, has raised her visibility among the younger set and her 2010 induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame reminded all her other fans that she is still around and a vibrant force.

Jackson is especially excited about the nine shows where she will open for Adele. "I was thrilled to learn that my music has been an influence on such a talent as Adele. I am looking forward to the concert tour with her. We’re gonna have a party!"

Later in the tour, she has three shows with Irish sensation Imelda May, who is currently on the road with Jeff Beck, along with one with Justin Townes Earle.

The tour itinerary:

• April 29 - Tucson, AZ - Plush
• April 30 - Phoenix, AZ - Rhythm Room
• May 1 - Indio, CA - Stagecoach Festival
• May 3 - Santa Cruz, CA - Moe’s Alley
• May 4 - San Francisco, CA - Great American Music Hall
• May 6 - Seattle, WA - Neumos
• May 7 - Portland, OR - Roseland Theater
• May 12 - Detroit, MI - Magic Stick
• May 13 - Cleveland, OH - Rock and Roll Hall of Fame
• May 14 - Cleveland, OH - Rock and Roll Hall of Fame
• May 15 - Nelsonville, OH - Nelsonville Music Festival
• May 18 - Lawrence, KS - The Granada
• May 21 - Houston, TX - Fitzgerald’s
• May 22 - New Orleans, LA - Tipitina’s Uptown
• May 25 - Little Rock, AR - The Rev Room
• May 26 - Memphis, TN - Minglewood Hall
• May 27 - Knoxville, TN - Bijou Theatre
• May 31 - Vancouver, Canada - Orpheum (opening for Adele)
• June 6 - Los Angeles, CA - Greek Theatre (opening for Adele)
• June 8 - San Diego, CA - Humphreys Concerts by the Bay (opening for Adele)
• June 9 - Los Angeles, CA - Hollywood Palladium (opening for Adele)
• June 10 - Manchester, TN - Bonnaroo Music Festival
• June 12 - Austin, TX - Stubbs Waller Creek (opening for Adele)
• June 15 - Dallas, TX - House of Blues (opening for Adele)
• June 17 - Atlanta, GA - Tabernacle (opening for Adele)
• June 18 - Asheville, NC - Thomas Wolfe Auditorium (opening for Adele)
• June 19 - Charleston, WV - Mountain Stage
• June 20 - Nashville, TN - Ryman Auditorium (opening for Adele)
• June 30 - Milwaukee, WI - Summerfest
• July 2 - Montreal, QC - Montreal Jazz Festival
• July 6 - Torrington, CT - Backstage Live — Nancy Marine Studio
• July 7 - South Burlington, VT - Higher Ground
• July 9 - Ottawa, ON - Cisco Ottawa Bluesfest
• July 10 - Quebec, QC - Quebec City International Summer Festival
• July 17 - Greenfield, MA - Green River Festival
• July 26 - Washington, DC - 9:30 Club (with Imelda May)
• July 27 - New York, NY - Central Park SummerStage (with Imelda May)
• July 28 - Philadelphia, PA - The Trocadero (with Imelda May)
• July 30 - Bethlehem, PA - Musikfest Café
• July 31 - Newport, RI - Newport Folk Festival
• August 5 - Edmonton, AB - Edmonton Folk Festival
• August 6 - Apple Valley, MN - Music in the Zoo (with Justin Townes Earle)

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Bon Jovi's Richie Sambora May Be Headed Back to Rehab

Bon Jovi guitarist Richie Sambora may be headed for another stint in rehab.

Sambora spent a month at the Cirque Lodge treatment facility in Utah following his divorce from wife Heather Locklear, separation from girlfriend Denise Richards and death of his father Adam in 2007 and pals say Richie realised on his latest tour with the band that he needs some time out to regain his sobriety and deal with exhaustion.

A source told RadarOnline.com: "Richie recently has been drinking too much, and wants to get his life together. Richie has had a busy year. I think this was a culmination of all the things that overloaded his life and finally he realised he needed to take care of himself."

Although the 52-year-old musician reportedly has the support of his bandmates, Jon Bon Jovi, Tico Torres and David Bryan, it is unclear how his decision will affect the group as they are set to play a series of concerts in the UK this summer.

After leaving Cirque Lodge in 2007, Richie said  was just drinking too much and I needed to get my life together. I'm still in therapy and stuff like that, but it's good. I'm great. I feel fine.'

Richie and Heather currently share custody of their 13-year-old daughter Ava.

Update (4/29/11, 12:33 AM): The other members of Bon Jovi have announced that they will go forward with their tour even though Sambora will miss part of the trek. They have not announced a replacement guitarist.

"Our support for Richie is absolute. He is, and will remain, a member of Bon Jovi. Although he will be absent from upcoming shows for the time being, we very much look forward to his healthy return. In the meantime, we will keep our commitment to our fans and continue our tour."

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Review: The Playful Heart - Robin Trower

by Andy Snipper

Robin Trower has been as much a joy to me over the years as he has a trial to many other critics. Since Bridge Of Sighs many of the critics have dumped him in the bag marked "Hendrix copyist" but this is both unfair and patently untrue and The Playful Heart, his 31st album either solo, with Procul Harum or others, is one of the best things he has ever done.

The guitar playing is soulful and full of blues heart but he has melancholic touches that seem to make the instrument more of a voice than any other guitarist. His vocals seem slightly lighter in tone than they have for a while and the sense of power and confidence that has been lacking for a while is back. Davey Pattison’s vocals elsewhere are excellent and provide a counterpoint to Trower’s. Glenn Letsch (bass) and Pete Thompson (drums) are exactly what Trower needs to bring his music out fully formed.

The songs on this album are definitely among the best he has written and overall he is sounding as good as he has for years.

The title track kicks the album off and the slow, almost funereal, pace of the opening giving way to a powerful chorus is quintessential Trower and sets the album up perfectly. The Turning has all the elements you would associate with Robin Trower, complex blues riff and dream-laden lyrics, all played with pace and passion and Maybe I Can Be A Friend proves he can still write a ballad better than anyone with a solo that hits so deep and strong that it positively resonates your soul. Prince Of Shattered Dreams is full the language of a broken relationship but he manages to avoid the bitterness in his sound that the words suggest. The rockiest number in the set is Not Inside - Outside and the band let themselves go with a sense of enjoyment before the album closer, And We Shall Call It Love, delivers the listener via a powerful love blues, slow and emotionally dense.

Sadly, this won’t win over those critics who continue to denigrate Robin Trower but his fans and the critics who can see past the trite "copyist" tags will find some of the best work he has ever done here. An album full of his trademarks but also more complete and confident than anything he has done in a while.

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Wolfgang's Vault Adds Almost 4,000 Live Performance Videos to Site

Wolfgang's Vault, the website famous for providing audio streams of live performances from the Bill Graham archive, King Biscuit, Newport Festivals and more, has added a new section of with almost 4,000 videos of live performances from over the past five decades.

The Video Vault includes previously unseen performances, carefully remastered, digitized and curated for this exclusive archive. Wolfgang's fully admits that this is a work in progress with many more videos to be added, but there are already an impressive array of songs from a number of artists including Aretha Franklin, the Tubes, Van Morrison, Tony Bennett, the Sex Pistols and many more.

Upon trying out a few videos, it is obvious the care that was taken, especially on the audio. The video has also been cleaned up but, as is pointed out in the Wolfgang's Vault blog, there is a limit to how much can be done with the picture and some performances are just too historic to hold back because of flaws.

From that post:

Allow us to take you on a journey of sight and sound…

In the beginning, there were tapes — literally thousands of tapes of every format used in the capture of moving picture and sound from the last 50 years.  Some were in such a state that they may only have had one more play-back left in them before the footage they contained was stripped away forever, while many others suffered from dubious labeling practices, making it difficult to determine what sort of content they might hold, where it was filmed, or even when.  It has taken four years and millions of dollars to archive and restore this content so that it may be preserved and presented in the best possible form for your enjoyment, and we are proud to announce that the time has come for the great unveiling — the Concert Video section of Wolfgang’s Vault has arrived.

Bringing these aging concerts into the Internet era was painstaking work from beginning to end.  Utilizing the best facilities available, we sought to gently improve the quality of our video concerts without robbing them of their natural vintage flavor.  Once restored, each video was reviewed by our team of music experts to assess quality and catalog information about each performance, including exhaustive research to verify dates and venues of performances, as well as titles and cue points for each individual song — tens of thousands in all from the Bill Graham Archive, the King Biscuit Flower Hour, and the Newport Jazz and Folk Festivals.

This is truly a great historical addition to the offerings on the internet. To take a look at the Vault's initial video offerings, go to http://www.wolfgangsvault.com/video/.

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Almanac: April 28, 2011

Birthdays:

• Emma Pought (Bobbettes) (69)
• Fantastic Johnny C (68)
• Kim Gordon (Sonic Youth) (59)
• Eddie Jobson (Curved Air, Roxy Music) (56)

Deaths:

• 1980 - Tommy Caldwell (Marshall Tucker Band) - Car accident (30)
• 1981 - Steve Currie (T Rex) - Car accident (33)
• 1991 - Ken Curtis (Sons of the Pioneers, actor) (74)
• 2005 - Percy Heath (Modern Jazz Quartet) - Bone cancer (81)

On This Day:

• 1964 - The Beatles recorded their TV special Around the Beatles.
• 1965 - Barbra Streisand's first special, My Name is Barbra, airs on CBS.
• 1968 - Hair opened on Broadway at the Baltimore Theatre.
• 1987 - Ozzy Osbourne surprised fellow air travelers by buying a round of drinks and singing Crazy Train over the PA.
• 1987 - The Art of Excellence by Tony Bennett became the first album to be released on CD before its vinyl version.
• 1999 - Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.
• 2000 - A fire swept through the offices of James Brown Enterprises, destroying memorabilia and live tapes.
• 2002 - Vince Neil attacked a record producer outside of L.A.'s Rainbow Room.
• 2006 - ABBA's Bjorn Ulvaeus was accused by the Swedish government of failing to pay $14.5 million in taxes on the band's songs and recordings.

Marriages:

• 1990 - Axl Rose and Erin Everly (daughter of Don Everly)
• 1991 - Bonnie Raitt and Michael O'Keefe

Recorded:

• 1940 - Pennsylvania 6-5000 - Glenn Miller
• 1958 - Drip Drip - Drifters

Released:

• 1987 - Dead Letter Office - R.E.M.

Number One - U.S. Singles:

• 1958 - Witch Doctor - David Seville (2 weeks)
• 1979 - Heart of Glass - Blondie (1 week)

Number One - U.S. Albums:

• 1951 - Voice of the Xtabay - Yma Sumac (6 weeks)
• 1973 - Dark Side of the Moon - Pink Floyd (1 week)
• 1979 - Minute by Minute - Doobie Brothers (3 weeks, 2 previous weeks at number 1)

Number One - U.K. Singles:

• 1960 - Do You Mind? - Anthony Newley (1 week)
• 1966 - You Don't Have to Say You Love Me - Dusty Springfield (1 week)
• 1991 - The Shoop Shoop Song (It's In His Kiss) - Cher (5 weeks)
• 1996 - Fastlove - George Michael (3 weeks)

Number One - U.K. Albums:

• 1973 - Ohh La La - Faces (1 week)

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Morrissey Gets All Grumpy About the Royal Family

It doesn't look like Morrissey will be spending much time watching the royal nuptials this Friday. He's gone and labeled the British Royal Family as "benefit scroungers."

While the ceremony at London's Westminster Abbey will be attended by 1,900 guests and is expected to be watched by a worldwide audience of two billion, the former Smiths singer won't be among the viewers as he believes Queen Elizabeth and her family don't "serve any purpose".

The Queen Is Dead singer, who is famously against the UK monarchy, said: "Why would I watch the wedding? Why would I watch it? I couldn't take any of that seriously.

"I don't think the so-called royal family speak for England now and I don't think England needs them. I do seriously believe that they are benefit scroungers and nothing else. I don't believe they serve any purpose whatsoever."

Morrissey, real name Steven Patrick Morrissey, also claimed his view is shared by many of his countrymen and says he won't be the only person not celebrating when Kate and William tie the knot.

In an interview on station BBC Radio 5 Live, he added: "Go out now and speak to people on the street and they will laugh at you. They really will."

While the 51-year-old singer won't be watching the nuptials, a number of celebrities have been invited including Sir Elton John and his husband David Furnish, David Beckham and his wife Victoria, Guy Ritchie, Joss Stone and comic actor Rowan Atkinson.

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Preview: McCartney & McCartney II: Deluxe Editions - Paul McCartney

Artist: Paul McCartney
Title:

• McCartney: Deluxe Edition
• McCartney II: Deluxe Edition

Release Date: June 7, 2011
Label: Hear Music
Format(s):

• 2-CD/1-DVD (McCartney)
• 2-CD/1-DVD (McCartney II)
• 3-CD/1-DVD (McCartney II)

Paul McCartney is about to release expanded and remastered deluxe editions of his first two solo albums McCartney and McCartney II.

McCartney was originally released in April 1970 one month before the final album by The Beatles Let It Be. McCartney II was released 10 years later in May 1980.

In between, McCartney recorded the Ram album, credited to Paul and Linda McCartney, and then started a decade of albums with Wings, starting with Wild Life (1971), Red Rose Speedway (1973), Band On The Run (1973), Venus and Mars (1975), Wings At The Speed Of Sound (1976), London Town (1976) and his final Wings album Back To The Egg (1979).

McCartney featured the classic Maybe I’m Amazed, still performed today live by Sir Paul. McCartney II featured the hit song Coming Up, a number one hit worldwide.

The two discs will feature never-before released bonus material including the out-takes Suicide and Don’t Cry Baby and demo Women Kind from the 1970 sessions and the unreleased Blue Sway from the McCartney II sessions, complete with a new video.

Track List:

McCartney

Disc 1 (Remastered Album)

• The Lovely Linda
• That Would Be Something
• Valentine Day
• Every Night
• Hot As Sun / Glasses
• Junk
• Man We Was Lonely
• Oo You
• Momma Miss America
• Teddy Boy
• Singalong Junk
• Maybe I'm Amazed
• Kreen-Akrore

Disc 2 (Bonus Audio Tracks)

• Suicide (Out-take]
• Maybe I'm Amazed (From One Hand Clapping)
• Every Night (Live At Glasgow, 1979)
• Hot As Sun (Live At Glasgow, 1979)
• Maybe I'm Amazed (Live At Glasgow, 1979)
• Don't Cry Baby (Out-take)
• Women Kind (Demo) (Mono)

DVD

• The Album Story
• The Beach
• Maybe I'm Amazed (Music Video)
• Suicide (from One Hand Clapping)
• Every Night (Live at Concert for the People of Kampuchea)
• Hot As Sun (Live at Concert for the People of Kampuchea)
• Junk (MTV Unplugged)
• That Would Be Something (MTV Unplugged)

McCartney II

Disc 1 (Remastered Album)

• Coming Up
• Temporary Secretary
• On The Way
• Waterfalls
• Nobody Knows
• Front Parlour
• Summer's Day Song
• Frozen Jap
• Bogey Music
• Darkroom
• One Of These Days

Disc 2 (Bonus Audio 1)

• Blue Sway (With Richard Niles Orchestration)
• Coming Up (Live At Glasgow, 1979)
• Check My Machine (Edit)
• Bogey Wobble
• Secret Friend
• Mr H Atom / You Know I'll Get you Baby
• Wonderful Christmastime (Edited Version)
• All You Horse Riders/Blue Sway

Disc 3 (Bonus Audio 2) (Available only in 3-CD/1-DVD Edition)

• Coming Up (Full Length Version)
• Front Parlour (Full Length Version)
• Frozen Jap (Full Length Version)
• Darkroom (Full Length Version)
• Check My Machine (Full Length Version)
• Wonderful Christmastime (Full Length Version)
• Summer's Day Song (Original without vocals)
• Waterfalls (DJ Edit)

DVD

• Meet Paul McCartney
• Coming Up (Music Video)
• Waterfalls (Music Video)
• Wonderful Christmastime (Music Video)
• Coming Up (Live at Concert for the People of Kampuchea)
• Coming Up (taken from a rehearsal session at Lower Gate Farm, 1979)
• Making the Coming Up Music Video
• Blue Sway

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Ringo Starr's Next Album to Be About His Hometown Liverpool

Ringo Starr has always had an on-again/off-again relationship with his hometown of Liverpool. When he released Liverpool 8 in January 2008, he said there wasn't a lot of reason to return to the city, setting off a PR storm. Now, he's looking back at his life in the city of his birth with a semi-autobiographical album.

He said: "I am actually making a record about Liverpool. It's about me and Liverpool. It's like I've decided to do mini-autobiographies, instead of writing a book, I'm doing it on record."

Ringo admitted the reason he would rather tell the story of his life "quickly in a song" because all anyone ever wants to hear about is his time with The Beatles and legendary Liverpool hang-out The Cavern Club.

Speaking to Uncut magazine, he added: "I have been offered autobiographies but they only really wanna know about is those eight years in The Beatles and there would be three volumes before I even got to that.

"Right now, I'd rather put it quickly in a song, snippets of part of my life. Everybody talks about The Cavern Club, but in this new track, I actually mention the Iron Door, which was a much better club, it was more of a real rock club."

Ringo is currently preparing to embark on a 27-date tour with his All Starr Band.

The first show takes place in Kiev, Ukraine on June 4, stopping in Russia, Sweden, Norway, Denmark, Latvia, Poland, Britain, France, Czech Republic, Italy, Holland and Germany before concluding in Vienna, Austria on July 17.

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Dionne Warwick, Chuck Jackson & Members of the Shirelles Sue Producers of Broadway's Baby It's You

Wednesday night was the opening of the Broadway musical Baby It's You, the story of Florence Greenberg who discovered the Shirelles and was the founder of Scepter Records. The night was tempered, though, by a lawsuit brought against the producers of the show on Tuesday by three members of the Shirelles, Dionne Warwick and Chuck Jackson who all recorded for Scepter and are depicted in the show.

Surviving Shirelles member Beverly Lee and the estates of the late Doris Coley Jackson and Addie Harris McFadden were joined by Warwick and Jackson in bringing the suit which charges Warner Bros. Theater Ventures Inc., Warner Brothers Entertainment Inc. and Broadway Baby LLC "have promoted the musical publicly as The Shirelles' Musical and based the play upon the life and career of The Shirelles, Ms. Warwick and Mr. Jackson."

The plaintiff's lawyer, Oren Warshavsky, said in a statement "The Plaintiffs, having been cheated out of their royalties once already when they were young, are being victimized again, as they are forced to see their names, likenesses and biographical information being used without their consent.

"We believe that the producers of Baby It's You!, the Defendants, should not receive financial gain or other benefits from the use of these great artists' lives and success without having consent to do so. …It is disappointing that the producers of the play would simply piggy-back on the careers of these original artists without asking permission at all, let alone without sufficiently compensating the people without whom there would be no Broadway story, original music or iconic styling."

While the filing of the lawsuit on Tuesday may look like a ploy to gain publicity from the opening, Warshavsky said that it was a coincidence as he had been negotiating with Warner Brothers for some time but was not able to come to an agreement.

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Chart Watch Britain: Chart of April 30, 2011

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

• Five weeks after being released, Up on the Roof: The Very Best of the Drifters finally takes the top selling album by a veteran artist in Britain as it moves 15 to 14. The album has barely moved from the high teens since its release.
• There are number new releases by veteran artists charting, but the highest belongs to Easy Listening giant James Last. His Music is My World starts at 25, well short of last year's Eighty Not Out which peaked at 11.
• At 33 is the premier of Forevermore by Whitesnake. Their last studio album, 2008's Good to Be Bad, started much better at number 7. The album also starts at 2 on the Rock & Metal Albums chart.
• k.d. lang and her new band, the Siss Boom Bang, debut at 34 with Sing it Loud, virtually equal with 2008's Watershed which started at 35. It also makes a number 2 premier on the Country Albums.
• Genesis member Mike Rutherford revives his Mike + the Mechanics at number 42 with The Road.
• Morrissey returns to the Singles chart with Glamorous Glue at number 69. The song was originally issued in the U.S. in 1992.
• On the Rock & Metal chart, Uriah Heep debuts at 11 with Into the Wild and Duff McKagan's Loaded at 22 with The Taking.

TW = This Week, LW = Last Week, N = New, R = Returning to Chart.  The highest charting entry by a veteran artist is shown in red.

Top 100 British Albums

TW	LW	Title	Artist
1	2	21	Adele
2	1	Wasting Light	Foo Fighters
3	3	19	Adele
4	7	Who You Are	Jessie J
5	6	Loud Rihanna	Katy B
14	15	Up On the Roof: The Very Best of	Drifters
23	11	Paper Airplane	Alison Krauss & Union Station
24	N	Music is My World	James Last
33	N	Forevermore	Whitesnake
34	N	Sing It Loud	k.d. lang & the Siss Boom Bang
42	N	The Road	Mike + the Mechanics
46	31	When Ronan Met Burt	Ronan Keating & Burt Bacharach
81	69	Collapse Into Now	R.E.M.
56	56	How to Become Clairvoyant	Robbie Robertson
85	93	Number Ones	Michael Jackson
87	R	The Ultimate	Bee Gees
95	84	Greatest Hits	Guns N' Roses
97	68	Heroes	Michael Ball
98	57	Gold: Greatest Hits	ABBA

The balance of the British charts are after the cut.

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Watch: Coney Island Winter, New Single From Garland Jeffreys

Garland Jeffreys originally was a pioneer of the early punk scene in New York City. After attending Syracuse University, where he was friends with Lou Reed, he played in the short-term group Grinder's Switch before striking out on his own.

Jeffreys signed with Atlantic in 1973 where he had a hit on the burgeoning album oriented radio stations with Wild in the Streets, a song that he rerecorded for his second album on A&M Records. Even though he was a prolific songwriter, his biggest charting hit came in 1981 when his cover of ? and the Mysterians' 96 Tears reached number 5 on the Mainstream Rock chart.

Garland is out with a new single, Coney Island Winter, which will be part of an upcoming album The King of Inbetween. The video includes archive footage of Coney Island and was directed by Doug Webb.

“Twenty-two stops to the city” sings Garland Jeffreys on “Coney Island Winter,” the NYC stalwart’s ripping new single, as he recounts a train ride from the Brooklyn neighborhood he grew up in to Manhattan. The song is an icy lament about a frozen place, vividly brought to life in half-spoken, half-sung poetics. ‘The King Of In Between,’ Garland’s first album in 13 years, will be released this spring.

“Coney Island Winter” is a romping affair, the emphatic thud of the kick drum and wiry guitars propelling this hazy anthem that harkens back to some of Jeffreys’ earliest recordings. The song was recorded three weeks ago and cut in a single take, the thinly veiled lyrics fine-tuned during the session. “Vanity strikes, humilty speaks / Insanity lives on the edge of the streets / This is a story, it happens every day / Politicians kiss my ass / Your promises they break like glass,” he sings.

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Roger Daltrey Announces Tommy Tour Dates

Roger Daltrey has officially announced the dates for his U.K. tour performing the Who rock opera Tommy in its entirety.

Daltrey performed the opera on March 25 at London's Royal Albert Hall during a benefit for the Teenage Cancer Trust and was happy enough with the results to take the show on tour. Along with the performance, the show employs striking visuals to help tell the story. Plans also call for Daltrey to perform a number of other Who classics during the program.

Joining Roger will be Frank Simes (guitar), Scott Deavours (drums), Jon Button (bass), Loren Gold (Keyboards) and Simon Townshend (guitar), younger brother of Pete Townshend.

Daltrey described the production as "A Tommy Show for today's audience from a different perspective. Tommy, an album that tells a story about a “deaf, dumb, and blind boy” who becomes the leader of a messianic movement, will always be seen as a turning point for the band. Within it, I found the new voice of The Who and the band found its stride in making that music, adjusting it, using all that knowledge that we had from jazz and the blues into making it work in a rock way."

While Pete Townshend will not be on the tour, he did comment "Great to see Roger performing Tommy with his band in 2011. I will be there in spirit and Roger has my complete and most loving support. Roger is touring his unique concert version of Tommy using his faithful presentation of the original work as the backbone for a set of wider material. It is wonderful to hear the way Roger and his new band re-interpret the old Who songs."

The dates:

• 07/03 - Alchester - Ragley Hall
• 07/04 - Gateshead - Sage
• 07/06 - Glasgow - Clyde Auditorium
• 07/07 - Manchester - Bridgewater Hall
• 07/09 - Nottingham - Royal Centre
• 07/10 - Newport - Centre
• 07/12 - Bristol - Colston Hall
• 07/13 - Southend - Cliffs Pavillion
• 07/15 - Guildford - Guilfest
• 07/16 - Hampshire - Broadlands
• 07/17 - Harrogate - Ripley House
• 07/19 - Hull - City Hall
• 07/21 - London - Indigo O2
• 07/22 - Norwich - Blicking Hall
• 07/24 - Exeter - Powderham Castle

At this point, there are no announced shows for other parts of the world.

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Columbia Announces New Roger Waters Collection; Dates For the Wall Tour

Columbia Records has announced the May 30 release of The Roger Waters Collection, a compilation of three solo records, his opera and a rare live performance.

The set will contain seven CDs and one DVD in a special box with original album artwork. Included is:

• The Pros and Cons of Hitchhiking
• Radio K.A.O.S.
• Amused to Death
• Ca Ira (Waters' opera)
• In the Flesh: Live (2 CDs/DVD)

The live portion of the set was recorded and filmed during Waters' three-year In the Flesh Tour.

Columbia will also release May 30 the rare Flickering Flame, a compilation originally released in 2002. Flame will be available for a one-year period.

The following are the upcoming dates for Waters' The Wall Tour:

• 04/27 - Apr 28 - Helsinki, FI - Hartwall Arena
• 04/28 - Helsinki, FI - Hartwall Arena
• 04/30 - Oslo, NO - Telenor Arena
• 05/01 - Oslo, NO - Telenor Arena
• 05/04 - Stockholm, SE - Ericsson Globe
• 05/05 - Stockholm, SE - Ericsson Globe
• 05/07 - Copenhagen, DK - Parken
• 05/11 - London, UK - O2 Arena
• 05/12 - London, UK - O2 Arena
• 05/14 - London, UK - O2 Arena
• 05/15 - London, UK - O2 Arena
• 05/17 - London, UK - O2 Arena
• 05/18 - London, UK - O2 Arena
• 05/20 - Manchester, UK - Manchester Evening News Arena
• 05/21 - Manchester, UK - Manchester Evening News Arena
• 05/23 - Dublin, IE - O2 Arena
• 05/24 - Dublin, IE - O2 Arena
• 05/27 - Antwerp, BE - Sportspaleis
• 05/28 - Antwerp, BE - Sportspaleis
• 05/30 - Paris, FR - Bercy
• 05/31 - Paris, FR - Bercy
• 06/03 - Mannheim, DE - SAP Arena
• 06/04 - Mannheim, DE - SAP Arena
• 06/06 - Zurich, CH - Hallenstadion
• 06/07 - Zurich, CH - Hallenstadion
• 06/10 - Hamburg, DE - O2 World
• 06/11 - Hamburg, DE - O2 World
• 06/13 - Herning, DK - MCH Multiarena
• 06/15 - Berlin, DE - O2 World
• 06/16 - Berlin, DE - O2 World
• 06/18 - Dusseldorf, DE - Esprit Arena
• 06/20 - Munich, DE - Olympiahalle
• 06/22 - Budapest, HU - Papp Laszlo Budapest Sportarena
• 06/24 - Zurich, CH - Hallenstadion
• 06/25 - Zurich, CH - Hallenstadion
• 06/27 - Birmingham, UK - National Indoor Arena
• 06/28 - Manchester, UK - Manchester Evening News Arena
• 06/29 - Manchester, UK - Manchester Evening News Arena
• 06/30 - Paris, FR - Bercy
• 07/01 - Paris, FR - Bercy
• 07/03 - Milan, IT - Mediolanum Forum
• 07/04 - Milan, IT - Mediolanum Forum

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New Red Hot Chili Peppers Album Gets August Date

Five years after their last album, the Red Hot Chili Peppers will finally release a new studio set in August.

Drummer Chad Smith has confirmed the new album but only joked about a title saying it might be called Hello, Is It Me You're Looking For, a reference to that cheesy old Lionel Richie ballad from the 80s. The group had previously joked they were calling the album Dr. Johnny Skinz's Disproportionately Rambunctions Polar Express Machine-head.

The group officially started media reactivation when a promo CD was sent to American radio stations last week featuring 18 of their hits. The CD was titled Road Trippin' Though Time and was used to remind media of the legacy of the band since it was five years since Stadium Arcadium.

Yesterday (April 26), Rock Band announced Red Hot Chili Peppers were one of the most downloaded acts for their computer game.

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Watch: The EPK for Journey's New Album Eclipse

Frontiers Records has released the EPK (Electronic Press Kit) for the upcoming Journey album, Eclipse. The set will be released exclusively through Wal-Mart in the U.S. on May 24 and to Europe on May 27 (originally announced as June 3).

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