Village People's original cop, Victor Willis,
has
filed a lawsuit in San Diego in an effort to stop a new version of the
band from using his likeness and voice. Willis claims that
companies continue to use his voice and picture to promote the new
Village People line-up and he is seeking at least $1 million and a
cease-and-desist order by the judge.
Yes were forced to postpone their Feb. 10th concert in Dallas, Texas,
due to an unforseen medical emergency. Reports have claimed
that bassist Chris Squire was rushed to the hospital and that he had a
blood clot in his leg. An official announcement has yet to be
made elaborating on the issue.
The 51st Annual Grammy Awards were announced on Feb. 8th.
Robert Plant & Alison Krauss won Record Of The Year (for
"Please Read The Letter,") Album Of The Year (for Raising Sand,) Best
Pop Collaboration With Vocals ("Rich Woman,") Best Country
Collaboration With Vocals (for "Killing The Blues") and Best
Contemporary Folk/Americana Album (for Raising Sand.) The
Eagles won Best Pop Instrumental (for "I Dreamed There Was No
War.") Béla Fleck & The Flecktones won
Best Pop Instrumental Album (for Jingle All The Way.) Natalie
Cole won Best Traditional Pop Vocal Album (for Still
Unforgettable.) Metallica won Best Metal Performance (for "My
Apocalypse.") Zappa Plays Zappa Featuring Steve Vai &
Napoleon Murphy Brock won Best Rock Instrumental Performance (for
"Peaches En Regalia.") Bruce Springsteen won Best Rock Song
(for "Girls In Their Summer Clothes.") Al Green featuring
John Legend won Best R&B Performance By A Duo Or Group With
Vocals (for "Stay With Me (By The Sea).") Al Green featuring
Anthony Hamilton won Best Traditional R&B Vocal Performance
(for "You've Got The Love I Need.") Brad Paisley, James
Burton, Vince Gill, John Jorgenson, Albert Lee, Brent Mason, Redd
Volkaert & Steve Wariner won Best Country Instrumental
Performance (for "Cluster Pluck.") George Strait won Best
Country Album (for Troubadour.) Ricky Skaggs &
Kentucky Thunder won Best Bluegrass Album (for Honoring The Fathers Of
Bluegrass: Tribute To 1946 And 1947.) Randy Brecker won Best
Contemporary Jazz Album (for Randy In Brasil.) Chick Corea
& Gary Burton won Best Jazz Instrumental Album, Individual Or
Group (for The New Crystal Silence.) Gaither Vocal Band won
Best Southern, Country, Or Bluegrass Gospel Album (for Lovin'
Life.) The Blind Boys Of Alabama won Best Traditional Gospel
Album (for Down In New Orleans.) José Feliciano
won Best Tropical Latin Album (for Señor Bachata.)
B.B. King won Best Traditional Blues Album (for One Kind
Favor.) Dr. John And The Lower 911 won Best Contemporary
Blues Album (for City That Care Forgot.) Pete Seeger won Best
Traditional Folk Album (for At 89.) Burning Spear won Best
Reggae Album (for Jah Is Real.) Mickey Hart, Zakir Hussain,
Sikiru Adepoju & Giovanni Hidalgo won Best Contemporary World
Music Album (for Global Drum Project.) They Might Be Giants
won Best Musical Album For Children (for Here Come The 123s.)
George Carlin won Best Comedy Album (for It's Bad For Ya.)
Peter Gabriel & Thomas Newman won Best Song Written For Motion
Picture, Television Or Other Visual Media (for "Down To Earth" from
Wall-E) and Best Instrumental Arrangement (for "Define Dancing" from
Wall-E.) John Williams won Best Instrumental Composition (for
"The Adventures Of Mutt" from Indiana Jones And The Kingdom Of The
Crystal Skull.) Nan Schwartz won Best Instrumental
Arrangement Accompanying Vocalist(s) (for "Here's That Rainy Day" by
Natalie Cole.) Metallica's art directors won Best Recording
Package (for Death Magnetic.) Rick Rubin won Producer Of The
Year, Non-Classical (for his work on albums by Metallica and Neil
Diamond.) Peter Bogdanovich and Skot Bright won Best Long
Form Music Video (for Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers' Runnin'
Down A Dream.)
The Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) officially
certified Guns N' Roses new album, Chinese Democracy, as platinum on
Feb. 3rd for shipments of over 1 million copies in the U.S.
Billboard's Moneymakers list for 2008 has been announced.
Madonna topped the list with over $242 million earned last
year. Bon Jovi followed with over $157 million.
Bruce Springsteen came in third with over $156 million followed by The
Police and Celine Dion. Beyond the top 5 were Neil Diamond
(#7), The Eagles (#11), AC/DC (#13), Journey (#17) and Billy Joel (#18).
Bruce Springsteen's Working On A Dream fell a spot to #2 on the
Billboard 200 albums chart on sales of 102,000 copies. The
various artist compilation Grammy Nominees 2009 dropped 6 places to
#12. The Twilight soundtrack fell 4 spots to #17.
The Mamma Mia! soundtrack dropped 8 places to #30. Wynonna's
Sing: Chapter 1 debuted at #37.
Eminem, Dr. Dre & 50 Cent's "Crack A Bottle" rocketed 77 places
to #1 on the Billboard Hot 100 singles chart. The song set a
new record at Nielsen SoundScan for opening week download sales of
418,000 downloads.
Bruce Springsteen's Working On A Dream retains the #1 spot on the U.K.
Albums chart. Roger Whittaker's The Golden Age Of Roger
Whittaker: 50 Years Of Classic Hits holds onto its place at
#11. Luciano Pavarotti's The Duets debuted at #15.
UB40's Love Songs debuted at #19. James Taylor's Covers
debuted at #23. Luther Vandross' Lovesongs debuted at
#27. Bette Midler's The Best Bette climbed a place to
#32. ABBA's Gold: Greatest Hits fell 5 spots to #36.
Simple Minds have just wrapped up their 30th Anniversary Celebration
Tour and have finished up work on their 15th studio album, Graffiti
Soul, due out via Universal Music Records on May 25th.
Bell Biv Devoe have released, "Welcome To My Heart," to
iTunes. This is their first new single since 1993's "Above
The Rim."
Suzanne Vega has been revisiting her studio albums by recording
acoustic versions of the songs for a collection to be released through
her SuzanneVega.com Web site as Suzanne Vega Acoustic
Favorites. Vega announced the project in August and before
the end of the year expected it to run 5 volumes.
Great White will release their new studio album, Rising, via Frontiers
Records in Europe on Mar. 13th.
A new television series, Pop Goes The Band, debuts on the U.K.'s Living
channel on Feb. 23rd. The show follows bands like The
Original Bucks Fizz, Dollar, Shakatak and Visage as they undergo the
grueling workouts of celebrity master trainer Mark Anthony, strict
diets, drastic makeovers and (in some cases) cosmetic surgery in an
attempt to recapture their former glory topped off with a performance
in front of friends, family and fans.
Heaven And Hell have announced that their first album under that name
will be titled The Devil You Know when released via Rhino on Apr.
28th. Meanwhile, their former Black Sabbath bandmate Ozzy
Osbourne has put the 2009 edition of his annual Ozzfest festival on
hold as he works on his follow-up to 2007's Black Rain which is
expected out around Thanksgiving.
Sonic Youth have announced that they will release their 16th album, The
Eternal, via Matador Records on June 9th. The album marks the
studio debut of former Pavement/Dustdevils bassist Mark Ibold.
Eric Clapton and Steve Winwood are planning a run of performances
together in June. Their 2008 performances will be released on
a CD/DVD due out in the spring.
The Blockheads have signed to EMI Records for the release of, Staring
Down The Barrel, their second studio album since their original lead
singer, Ian Dury, lost his battle with cancer in 2000.
Staring Down The Barrel is due out in the U.K. on Apr. 6th and a biopic
about Dury, Sex & Drugs & Rock & Roll is in the
works with a 2010 release expected.
According to an AP report, a black-and-white nude photo of a 20
year-old Madonna Louise Ciccone sold at a New York auction for $37,000
on Thursday.
Neil Diamond told press on the Grammy Awards red carpet that he has
just begun writing for his third collaboration with producer Rick Rubin.
Rock supergroup Big Noize (Joe Lynn Turner, Phil Soussan, Carlos
Cavazo, Simon Wright and Vinnie Appice) have posted a recording of
their song, "Battlefields," to their MySpace page
(www.myspace.com/abignoize). The band have previously
performed the song for U.S. troops in Iraq and Kuwait.
U2 have announced that they will spend the week that they release their
new album, No Line On The Horizon, (Mar. 2nd to 6th) performing on the
Late Show with David Letterman.
Metal Mind Productions have announced that they will be reissuing
limited edition versions of Scandanavian metal act Silver Mountain's
albums starting Mar. 10th in the U.S.
Private equity group Hilco Consumer Capital, who earlier this month
paid $20 million for half of House of Marley LLC, has teamed up with
Bob Marley's family to license products from shoes, food, collectibles,
luggage, musical instruments and stationery with the Bob Marley family
of brands under the names of Tuff Gong, Catch A Fire, One Love, Three
Little Birds and Relics of Antiquity.
Ultravox release a CD/DVD version of their 1983 live mini-album and
live VHS, Monument, in the U.K. on Feb. 16th. The double-CD
version of 1982's Quartet heads to stores the same day.
The new album Skold vs. KMFDM will be released via KMFDM Records and
The Bicycle Music Company on Apr. 7th. The album was entirely
recorded with KMFDM's Sascha Konietzko in Germany and Tim Skold in
California as they sent files to each other via an FTP server.
The Proclaimers have been working on their new album, Notes &
Rhymes, due out later this year but, to tease fans, they will release
an EP containing a cover of Kings Of Leon's "17."
Dave Stewart has announced plans to release a 4-track EP, Let's Do It
Again, featuring Sierra Swan online exclusively in time for Valentine's
Day.
Live Nation have dismissed online reports that they have signed Janet
Jackson to a multi-rights or longterm deal. According to
senior VP of communications John Vlautin, "We have not signed a deal
with Janet, nor are we currently in discussions with the artist."
The Meat Puppets have plans to release their new studio album, Sewn
Together, via Megaforce Records on May 12th.
Wetton Downes Icon will release their new studio album, 3, on Mar. 13th
via Frontiers Records. The album features Asia members John
Wetton and Geoffrey Downes supported by former ELO cellist Hugh
McDowell and guitarist Dave Kilminster.
The Spongetones are currently putting the final touches on what will be
their 12th studio album, Scrambled Eggs. It can be
pre-ordered at their MySpace page (www.myspace.com/spongetones).
John Foxx's Metamatic label will release D'Agnostino/Foxx/Jansen's
album, A Secret Life, in the U.K. on Mar. 23rd. Meanwhile
Foxx's My Lost City instrumental collection will be released on Feb.
23rd.
Leonard Cohen will release a 26-track double-disc CD and DVD, Live In
London, on Mar. 31st via Columbia. The album is culled from
his performance at London's 02 Arena on July 17, 2008.
Sirius XM Radio will launch an exclusive Paul McCartney channel on
Valentine's Day until Mar. 13th in honor of his new album, Electric
Arguments, released under the name The Fireman.
Grand Duchy (Violet Clark & Black Francis), The Wedding Present
and Tanya Donelly are among the artists contributing tracks to Just
Like Heaven: A Tribute To The Cure which is available now at iTunes.
Belinda Carlisle has been announced as one of the contestants on the
8th season of ABC's Dancing With The Stars set to premiere on Mar.
9th. A special edition of her 1987 album, Heaven On Earth,
will be released on Apr. 20th.
X frontman John Doe will be teaming up with Toronto alt-country act the
Sadies to record classic country tunes (and a few originals) for,
Country Club, expected to be released on Apr. 14th via Yep Roc Records.
Gap Band vocalist Charlie Wilson hopes to inform fans about prostate
cancer when he returns to the road in support of his new solo album,
Uncle Charlie, due out Feb. 17th.
MVD are expecting to release the new DVD Metal Machine Music: Nine Inch
Nails And The Industrial Uprising on Apr. 7th. The
documentary follows the 1970s origins of the genre through the rise
toward commercial acceptance with Nine Inch Nails. The video
includes music by Throbbing Gristle, Cabaret Voltaire, Depeche Mode,
Ministry, Skinny Puppy, Nine Inch Nails as well as interviews and
performance clips.
Jazz/rock fusion collective Return To Forever will release their new
double-disc album, Returns, on Mar. 17th via Eagle Rock Entertainment.
Ray Charles will see a lot of his albums reissued this year via Concord
Records. Expected on Apr. 7th will be the 21-track anthology,
Genius: The Ultimate Ray Charles Collection.
Christian Death's 1984 album, Catastrophe Ballet, will be reissued on
Mar. 16th with the previously-unreleased track, "Beneath His Widow,"
included as a bonus track.
Pearl Jam are about to head into the studio for a two-week Los Angeles
session with producer Brendan O'Brien to continue work on their 9th
studio effort which they plan to self-release in the U.S.
Eagle Rock Entertainment will release a new DVD, Rory Gallagher: Live
In Cork, on Mar. 17th which chronicles his 1987 Ireland homecoming
performance at the Cork Opera House.
MVD plans to release a new documentary DVD entitled Dee Dee Ramone:
History On My Arms on Mar. 10th which will include a bonus CD called
Dee Dee Blues.
Sarah McLachlan will appear on PBS' Austin City Limits on Feb. 14th.
Jody Watley has released a few remixes of her song "Candlelight" by
Aris Kokou via iTunes.
Specimen's Alive At The Batcave album will be re-released via
Metropolis Records on Apr. 7th.