QUIRKYZINE
2007/2006
5/2/07
Life as a Rock Star…and a Gay Man
Chuck
Panozzo Chronicles the Journey of Styx and His Struggle for Self-Acceptance
THE GRAND ILLUSION
"Styx's fans will enjoy Panozzo's detailed look at the band's internal conflicts as they rise from small Chicago bars to sold-out arenas. But the heart of Panozzo's autobiography is a sensitive and insightful look at 'one gay man's struggle to come to terms with himself' while performing in a rock world where 'the things that would make the other guys laugh-a female fan lifting up her skirt, a pair of panties thrown on stage-just didn't do it' for him." -Publishers Weekly
Tune into any Classic Rock station in America and you'll hear their hits-"Lady," "Renegade," "Come Sail Away," "Fooling Yourself," "Babe." With record sales surpassing 54 million, including a record-setting four consecutive triple platinum albums, Styx is one of the biggest rock bands of the 20th century. What's more, after almost four decades together, Styx is still touring and thrilling sold-out crowds.
A founding member of Styx and its iconic bass player, Chuck Panozzo remembers what it was like on the road to success, riding between local gigs in the back of a station wagon, and at the peak of his fame, playing before thousands of screaming female fans and torrents of panties, bras, and propositions. He also recalls the loneliness and gnawing fear of being found out and exposed as a gay man. He tells the story of his struggle to come to terms with himself while navigating a rock 'n' roll odyssey in THE GRAND ILLUSION: Love, Lies, and My Life with Styx (AMACOM; May 15, 2007; $24.95 Hardcover).
"Fortunately, I am now comfortable enough in my own skin to take a stand on my own behalf," Panozzo reflects. "But I know that there are thousands of others who are not. For them, I hope to be an example. For them, I hope to help break down the stigma and stereotypes that still surround not only the gay community, but also many other groups and individuals who feel disenfranchised.
" THE GRAND ILLUSION begins on the South Side of Chicago. Born in 1948 to hardworking and devoutly Catholic second-generation Italian-immigrants, Chuck was his mother's only son for exactly 20 minutes. Then his twin brother, John, made his entrance. Growing up, Chuck was reserved and compliant, while John routinely raised hell. Teased at school for "running like a girl," Chuck felt worthless-until he discovered his talent for making music. At age 10, the Panozzo twins started music lessons, taught by their Uncle Tony. John was a natural drummer. Though it took Chuck a few months, he found his instrument: the rhythm guitar. At age 13, the Panozzo twins formed a trio with their neighbor, 15-year-old Dennis DeYoung, and quickly became popular on the local wedding/party circuit. Thanks to a bit of almost divine intervention-savvy advice from a nun-the boys dumped their Sinatra repertoire to focus on playing rock 'n' roll. After an unlikely detour-a year in the seminary-Chuck came back playing bass guitar with John and Dennis and working on building a rock band.
THE GRAND ILLUSION presents a backstage pass to the journey of one of the world's most successful bands, while tracing the awakening of a gay man to his own sexual identity. Chuck recounts:
The birth of Styx, including how the band got its name, in 1970, and the hungry years with Wooden Nickel records, a local label notorious for spending next to nothing on promoting its artists.
Styx's breakout into the national spotlight-propelled by the pledge of Chicago radio station WLS to play "Lady" every night at 8 p.m. until it became a hit.
His strategy of reflecting an Italian tough-guy persona on stage to hide his lack of interest in all the female attention-and his covert schemes to find and sneak out to gay bars while on tour.
The tensions of creative differences, provoked by Dennis DeYoung's penchant for high-concept theatrics, and his brother John's tragic, self-destructive, and ultimately fatal alcohol addiction.
The break up of Styx, the blow of being diagnosed as HIV positive, and his long battles with denial and depression.
His comeback performance with Styx, his healing decision to tell the band about his second dreaded diagnosis, with AIDS, and how the death of a friend spurred him to publicly come out as a gay man.
Still the bass player for Styx, Chuck Panozzo now lives as an openly gay man, in a committed loving relationship, and is an activist for HIV/AIDS education and gay rights. "I've been given the opportunity to make a difference," says Panozzo. "I do not take that opportunity lightly."
Filled with insider revelations, THE GRAND ILLUSION will strike a chord with fans of Styx and anyone fascinated by the true tales of rock legends. At its heart, however, Chuck Panozzo's memoir is a testament to the power and peace of self-acceptance, certain to resonate with not only gay and lesbian readers, but anyone who has ever felt different or had difficulty accepting their true identity.
### About the Author CHUCK PANOZZO is the bass player for and a founding member of Styx. Since 2001, he has been involved in campaigning for HIV/AIDS awareness and gay rights. He lives in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, with his partner, Tim.
MICHELE SKETTINO is a professional writer. Based in New York City, she has worked in the music and entertainment industry since 1989.
Title:
THE GRAND ILLUSION: Love, Lies, and My Life with Styx
Author: Chuck Panozzo,with Michele Skettino
Pub. Date: May 15,2007
Price: $24.95 /$30.95 CAN
Pages: 240 pages, with a 16-page photo insert
ISBN: 0-8144-0916-4 / ISBN-13: 978-0-8144-0916-9
4/26/07
RICHARD THOMPSON PLUGS IN FOR NEW ELECTRIC ALBUM "SWEET WARRIOR"
In Stores May 29th from Shout! Factory
LOS ANGELES,
CA - Richard Thompson, the "guitar god" (Chicago Sun-Times) whose "official
catalogue… is a long trail of genius" (Rolling Stone), will add a new album
to that illustrious body of work with Sweet Warrior, out May 29 from
Shout! Factory. The disc is his first work of all-new material since 2005's
Front Parlour Ballads, and his first electric disc since 2003's The Old
Kit Bag.
The album plays like a book of short stories set to music, populated with
characters like a mournful widower whose "love makes her bed/where poppies
grow over her head" ("Poppy-Red"), a divorcee who sarcastically reassures
his wife that "when your friends point out you're stuck with/a Neanderthal
for an ex/don't fret about it, darling/I still sign my name on cheques" ("Mr.
Stupid"), a dissolute husband and wife each cheating on the other yet wearily
resigned to "the job of man and wife" and "the old comforts of the missionary
life" ("Johnny's Far Away") and in the album's standout track, "Dad's Gonna
Kill Me," a terrified young soldier stationed in Baghdad (abbreviated "Dad")
pondering his own mortality: "I've got a wife, a kid, another on the way/I
might get home if I can live through today/Before I came out here I never
used to pray/Nobody loves me here."
Of "Dad's
Gonna Kill Me," Thompson tells the San Diego Union Tribune that "sometimes
you just have to name names. There's a time and place for political music,
a time to stand up and name the despots, and say: 'People take to the streets,
it's time for the revolution.' There's a time for Neil Young to say 'Impeach
the President.' And, God, this is the time." However, lest fans think this
is a purely a political album, he reminds the Associated Press that "It's
kind of a war record, not just political war but also domestic war or relationship
war. There's a sweetness to it as well."
Musically, Thompson is in top form, reminding fans why Rolling Stone voted
him one of the top 20 guitar players of all time with his gorgeously arranged
solos and "dazzling fusion of rock, country, jazz, classical, Celtic, and
Middle Eastern styles" (San Diego Union Tribune). The songs cover a range
of sounds, from the gentle, late-afternoon ballad "Too Late To Come Fishing,"
to the bluesy, barn-burning rocker "Bad Monkey" and even the ska-inflected
"Francesca," complete with horn section.
Co-produced by Richard Thompson and Simon Tassano and recorded in late 2006, Sweet Warrior includes frequent musical collaborators Danny Thompson, Michael Jerome, Sara Watkins (Nickel Creek), Judith Owen, and others. Sweet Warrior will be available May 29, 2007.
4/17/07
COLUMBIA RECORDS ANNOUNCES THE RELEASE OF "TWELVE," AN ALBUM OF CLASSIC SONGS NEWLY INTERPRETED BY 2007 ROCK & ROLL HALL OF FAME INDUCTEE PATTI SMITH
Album
Available Tuesday, April 24
Columbia Records will release Twelve, the eagerly-anticipated album of "cover"
versions of classic popular songs newly interpreted by the 2007 Rock & Roll
Hall of Fame inductee Patti Smith, on Tuesday, April 24.
Twelve is Patti Smith's first album of new studio recordings since trampin',
her Columbia Records debut, was released in 2004, and is the artist's first-ever
full-length collection of songs originally created by other performers.
On Twelve, Patti Smith and her band -- Lenny Kaye (guitar), Jay Dee Daugherty
(drums) and Tony Shanahan (bass, keyboards) -- work their magic on a surprising
selection of classic songs and overlooked treasures from the rock & roll canon
including "Pastime Paradise" by Stevie Wonder, "Everybody Wants To Rule The
World" by Tears for Fears and "Helpless" by Neil Young. Also on Twelve, Smith
and company interpret songs by Jimi Hendrix, Bob Dylan, the Doors, Nirvana,
Jefferson Airplane, the Beatles, the Rolling Stones, the Allman Brothers,
and Paul Simon.
An assortment of guest artists appear with Patti on Twelve including Italian
cellist Giovanni Sollima; playwright Sam Shepard (with whom Patti collaborated
on "Cowboy Mouth" in 1971) on banjo; early 60s Greenwich Village folk artists
John Cohen (banjo) and Peter Stampfel (fiddle); Red Hot Chili Peppers' bassist
Flea; Television guitarist Tom Verlaine; the Black Crowes' Rich Robinson on
slide guitar and dulcimer; hip-hop producer Luis Resto (Eminem) on keyboards.
Patti's son, Jackson, and daughter, Jesse, are on-hand to contribute guitar
and vocal respectively.
Patti Smith, whose seminal rock & roll album, Horses, was released in 1975,
was presented with the prestigious insignia of Commander of the Order of the
Arts and Letters by French Cultural Minister Renaud Donnedieu de Vabres at
a ceremony in Paris on July 10, 2005. Cited as an esteemed rock & roll poet
laureate, Patti was praised by the French Cultural Ministry as "one of the
most influential artists in women's rock 'n' roll." The citation also noted
Smith's deep appreciation of the 19th century French poet Arthur Rimbaud.
She was recently named one of the five inductees in the Rock & Roll Hall of
Fame's Class of 2007 along with R.E.M., Van Halen, the Ronettes, and Grandmaster
Flash and the Furious Five. Patti Smith was officially inducted into the Rock
& Roll Hall of Fame during a ceremony at New York 's Waldorf-Astoria Hotel
on March 12. "It's a great honor to be inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall
of Fame," said Smith. While her groundbreaking vision of "three chord rock
merged with the power of the word" has ensured her place in rock & roll history,
Patti Smith has, throughout her career, developed a reputation as one of pop
music's foremost interpreters, visiting the songs of other musical artists
and transforming them through the lens of her own understanding, appreciation
and imagination. Beginning with her first single, "Hey Joe," in 1974 and her
extrapolations of Van Morrison's "Gloria" and Chris Kenner's "Land of 1,000
Dances" on her seminal Horses album in 1975 through her live performances
of songs ranging from "You Light Up My Life" to "My Generation" to her new
album, Twelve, Patti Smith continues to reshape popular music's classic source
materials and make them her own.
PATTI SMITH COVER CD/SONG & MUSICIAN CREDITS
Changing of the Guard - Bob Dylan FROM STREET LEGAL band Lenny Kaye guitar
Jay dee Daugherty drums Tony Shanahan bass, keyboards
Are You Experienced - Jimi Hendrix FROM ARE YOU EXPERIENCED band cello Giovonni
Sollima
A Perfect Day - Lou Reed FROM TRANSFORMER band cello Giovanni Sollima
Smells Like Teen Spirit -Nirvana FROM NEVERMIND band Sam Shepard banjo, tamberine
Walker Shepard banjo John Cohen banjo Peter Stampel fiddle Duncan Webster
guitar
Everybody Wants to Rule the World Tears for Fears Jackson Smith guitar Mary
Weiss vocals
White Rabbit- Jefferson Airplane FROM SURREALISTIC PILLOW Flea Bass Tom Verlaine
guitar
Gimme Shelter - Rolling Stones FROM LET IT BLEED Tom Verlaine guitar Flea
bass
Within You Without You - Beatles SGT PEPPER'S LONELY HEARTS CLUB BAND band
jack petruzelli acoustic guitar Jackson smith guitar
Helpless - Neil Young FROM DÉJÀ VU band barre Duryea bass
Midnight Rider - Allman Brothers FROM IDLEWILD SOUTH band Rich Robinson slide
guitar Jackson Smith guitar
Boy in a Bubble - Paul Simon FROM GRACELAND band Rich Robinson Dulcimer, Jesse
Smith vocals
Past Time Paradise Stevie Wonder Luis Resto keyboards
Patti Smith MySpace
Official
Site
2/23/07
Mini-review
of the Oscar nominated film Days Of Glory on
Entertainment Today Online (Pg. 16) Link: here
2/4/07
My coverage (writing as Marianne M.) of the Bobby press conference with Emilio Estevez, Sharon Stone and Demi Moore archived (pg. 11) here
1/29/07
A
selection of new music/film releases for early '07:
What is the Corman Cult?
The
Corman Cult will be celebrating the career of Roger Corman – a true original
and pioneer of independent filmmaking. Roger Corman was the driving force
behind such classics as The Little Shop of Horrors, Death Race 2000, Caged
Heat, and countless other B movie classics Cult members will be kept up to
date on the latest DVD releases of Roger Corman’s classic films, and even
get to voice their opinion on future releases. Members will also be able to
participate in team challenges to win lots of cool Roger Corman swag – autographed
DVDs, t-shirts, posters, and lots of other great merchandise.
Corman Cult Website
HOLLYWOODLAND
Universal
City, California, December 19, 2006 – Ben Affleck (Good Will Hunting, Pearl
Harbor) is a Golden Globe Award nominee* for his riveting performance in Hollywoodland,
a story of scandal, corruption and a star’s mysterious death during Hollywood’s
Golden Era. The film comes to DVD and HDDVD/DVD Combo format on February 6,
2007 from Universal Studios Home Entertainment.
Academy Award® winner
Affleck, along with Academy Award® winner Adrien Brody (King Kong, The Pianist)
and Oscar® nominees Diane Lane (The Perfect Storm, Unfaithful) and Bob Hoskins
(Who Framed Roger Rabbit), leads a sterling cast in the critically acclaimed
account of the strange demise of actor George Reeves, known to a generation
of Americans as television’s Superman. The price of celebrity is viewed in
a stark light in this compelling retelling of Tinsel Town ’s most infamous
real-life mystery. Allen Coulter (The Sopranos, Sex and the City) makes an
outstanding feature film directorial debut with a picture-perfect thriller
set against the glamour and corruption of 1950s Hollywood . Affleck dazzles
as the increasingly desperate Reeves, a performance that earned him Best Actor
honors at the 2006 Venice International Film Festival. A murder mystery with
a twist, Hollywoodland dramatizes a search for the truth that will keep audiences
guessing at every turn. The DVD includes exciting bonus features that take
viewers inside classic Hollywood for a glimpse of the toxic effects of celebrity.
In Hollywoodland, low-rent private detective Louis Simo (Adrien Brody) is
hired to investigate the premature death of Hollywood striver George Reeves
(Ben Affleck). Haunted by his own success and unable to shed the superhero
image created by his popular television show, Reeves is found dead, apparently
by his own hand. As Simo probes the circumstances surrounding the actor’s
death, he finds tantalizing suggestions of foul play involving Reeves’ fiancée,
his wealthy lover and her movie mogul husband – and puts himself at risk.
See clips from Hollywoodland here:
Obsession With George Reeves
Am I Being Indiscrete?
Son Volt Return with
'The Search' on Transmit Sound/Legacy March 6
Album
Marks Farrar's and Son Volt's Most Diverse Record Yet
'The Search,' the intriguing new album from Son Volt, is set for release on
March 6 on Transmit Sound/Legacy, and it's by far the band's most daring and
diverse album yet. The follow-up to 2005's acclaimed 'Okemah and the Melody
of Riot,' 'The Search' is a startlingly powerful and inspiring departure from
the band's alt-country laden records, employing an exceptional variety of
sounds, melodies, and arrangements.
"Instrumentally, the electric guitar was the focus of the last record 'Okemah',
but for 'The Search' we wanted to try something new, " says songwriter Jay
Farrar. "This time, we utilized different instrumentation to fit each song
-- from guitar pedal loops to various keyboard sounds to horns."
The piano of 'Okemah's' gorgeous closing ballad "World Waits For You" returns here to open 'The Search' with the beautifully haunting processional "Slow Hearse." Laced with Eastern-style electric guitar and Farrar's signature vocals, the tune fades out to silence only to dive into 'The Picture,' a track that features an upbeat Memphis-style horn section combined with stirring lyrics that reflect on the current and future state of things, "when war is profit and profit is war."
There's the buzzing, Zeppelin-esque guitar of "Action"; the hypnotic, other-worldly riff of "Circadian Rhythm"; the vocal harmonizing of chanteuse Shannon McNally on "Highways and Cigarettes"; and the Big Brother commentary of title track "The Search," a solid rock song delivered as only Son Volt can.
'The Search' features Jay Farrar (vocal, guitar, piano), Dave Bryson (drums), Derry DeBorja (keyboards), Andrew Duplantis (bass, backing vocals) and Brad Rice (guitar).
Jay
Farrar, who is currently wrapping up a run of dates with Anders Parker as
part of their side-band Gob Iron in support of the duo's debut 'Death Songs
For The Living,' will hit the road with Son Volt for a national tour in March.
'THE SEARCH' Track Listing
1.
Slow Hearse
2. The Picture
3. Action
4. Underground Dream
5. Circadian Rhythm
6. Beacon Soul
7. The Search
8. Adrenaline and Heresy
9. Satellite
10. Automatic Society
11. Methamphetamine
12. L Train
13. Highways and Cigarettes
14. Phosphate Skin
Audio
Streams
No More
Kings: "Sweep
The Leg" Video Stream (WMP)
Review of
Return of the Golden Rhodes by The Baldwin Brothers (electronica) on
Slums Off Hollywood Boulevard Blog here
1/15/07
1/6/07
Happy
2007 and all that.
New postings:
Interview
with Matt Tauber, director of The Architect (Anthony LaPaglia, Isabella
Rosselini) here Review
of Dirty Blonde by Courtney Love here
12/7/06
Fallopian
(quirky all-girl punk rock band) CD review-"Dammit, Eat Your Pudding!
at
Slums Off Hollywood Boulevard 11/9/06
Well,
it's been a busy week Dirty
Blonde/Courtney Love site APPLE
CORPS LTD/CAPITOL RECORDS TO RELEASE THE Apple
Corps Ltd/Capitol Records are to release the Beatles LOVE album in stereo
and 5.1 November 21st. This will be the first Beatles album available in 5.1
The 5.1 disc is a DVD-Audio/DVD-Video
hybrid. The audio is presented in high-resolution 96/24 5.1 surround on the
DVD-Audio part of the disc. The DVD-Video part carries 5.1 surround in DTS and
Dolby Digital as well as a PCM stereo mix. This DVD album is designed to be
played on DVD video equipment but will carry no video component. 10/20/06
Quick!
Before Google turns YouTube into a corporate vehicle for Nickleback and Jessica
Simpson to tout mullet shampoo and ProActive-check out hard rock/hair metal/loud,
nasty music videos courtesy of our friends at Sleazeroxx.com. Salty
Dog, Babylon A.D., Motorhead, Hanoi Rocks, Love/Hate-and the Sex Pistols here
The Picture
Circadian Rhythm
The Search
Son Volt Official Site
Buy from Amazon.com
"No More Kings is for anyone who's ever wanted a talking car."
- Pete Mitchell
After dancing the night away to his fun, high-energy pop/funk/rock, you'll
find snippets of his catchy songs about zombies, Smurfs, and The Karate Kid
stuck in your head. And you won't be at all surprised to learn that this singer/songwriter's
story is as unique as the characters in his songs. Pete Mitchell is just as
comfortable on the West Coast as on the East, in a garage band as in a recording
studio, animating cartoons as painting fine art, and his music echoes this
ability to swing between the silly and the serious.
No More Kings, the self-titled first major release, is a positive, upbeat,
party-in-a-box, full of pop culture references and quirky lyrics.
"This album is very character-driven, very story-based," Pete says. A trait
he learned as an animator that has carried over into his songwriting is communicating
a character's core to an audience. In "Sweep the Leg," for example, Pete digs
into the head of Johnny, Daniel-san's nemesis in The Karate Kid, and presents
a new way of looking at the story.
Pete Mitchell calls No More Kings' first album a "thank-you letter to the
80s," a perfect theme for someone who says that he (and his music) were "born
in the 70s, raised in the 80s, and perfected in the 90s."
.jpg)
(Under my "other" name, Marianne M.)
Los Abandoned at the Troubadour 9/06 reviewed here
(pg. 18)
Latino alt-rock
band Kinky in concert-album release part reviewed here
(pg 12)
1) Britney dumps K-Fed. Maybe he could get Fred Durst as a room-mate and they
could share tips on wigger talk & picking up wanna-be porn stars.
2) Joan Jett at the Fonda, New York Dolls at the Avalon, Courtney Love
booksigning at Virgin Megastore (see below).
All incidentally on the same night, Nov. 7th..
3) A bunch of new books, CDs, etc. released (or soon to be released), including
the following:
"You really have never seen a celebrity memoir like this."* *
DIRTY BLONDE
The Diaries of Courtney Love
In each and every one of these roles, Courtney Love has demonstrated a wholehearted
commitment to her art, and an intense drive and lust for life that have made
her a star and a celebrity icon but have also led her into some unwise, uncharted,
and even dangerous territory. Simultaneously candid and enigmatic, Love is
undeniably compelling, her mordant wit and vivid intelligence matched in intensity
only by the extraordinary life she has led, from a bleak early childhood through
great fame and terrible heartbreak to the present day. By turns exhilarating
and unsettling, this is a story told for the first time in DIRTY BLONDE: The
Diaries of Courtney Love, to be published by Faber and Faber, an affiliate
of Farrar, Straus and Giroux, on November 2, 2006 (ISBN 0-86547-959-3/ $35.00).
An eclectic composition of deeply personal artifacts-including letters, childhood
records, poetry, journal entries, song lyrics, fanzines, show flyers, other
original writings, and never-before-seen photographs-DIRTY BLONDE leads us
through the unimaginable highs and the despairing lows of one of the most
captivating and creative figures in the world of popular culture. Forming
a kind of impromptu memoir, the book shows Love's accomplishments, her mistakes,
her history, and her future in a whole new light. Ranging from her upbringing
in Oregon through her years of living in Japan, New Zealand, and London, from
her career highs with Hole and as a Hollywood leading lady to her personal
heartbreak and struggles, DIRTY BLONDE is Love laid bare-a wholly fascinating
portrait of a fierce and insightful woman with an unblinking worldview and
a determination to express herself no matter the cost.
"Love writes in her introduction: 'I have always said that I would never write
a book, and I really haven't.' It's true- 'diaries' is something of a misnomer,
as 'scrapbooks' would more accurately describe the collection of old photographs,
hand-scrawled song lyrics and other documents that fill these pages. The materials
assembled by Stander cover every phase of the rock star's 'wild pirate life,'
from a failed childhood audition for The Mickey Mouse Club to an e-mail exchange
with Lindsay Lohan about dealing with negative press coverage. (The compilation
is so up-to-date it even includes her shocked reactions to the revelations
about JT Leroy.) Along the way there are mimeographed flyers for early Hole
concerts, a picture of the actual heart-shaped box that inspired Kurt Cobain
to write the Nirvana song and photo after photo of Love herself, from candid
backstage shots to more polished celebrity portraits. A foreword by Carrie
Fisher and an afterword by political activists Jennifer Baumgardner and Amy
Richards (Manifesta) each, in their own way, celebrate Love as an unrestrained
feminist, but the best way to understand her may be to plunge directly into
the raw materials. " -Publishers Weekly*
"Fractured and full of soul . . . A glimpse into the permutations [of] Love's
artistic, political and personal selves." -Hilton Als, Fashion Rocks
BEATLES "LOVE" ALBUM IN STEREO AND 5.1
ON NOVEMBER 21, 2006
The stereo CD will contain 78 minutes of music. The DVD surround sound version
on DVD disc album will be a slightly extended version with 81 minutes of music.
After being asked by the remaining Beatles, Ringo and Paul, along with Yoko
Ono Lennon and Olivia Harrison, to make experimental mixes from their master
tapes for a collaboration with Cirque du Soleil, Sir George Martin, The Beatles
legendary producer, and his son Giles Martin have been working with the entire
archive of Beatles recordings to create LOVE. The result is an unprecedented
approach to the music. Using the master tapes at Abbey Road Studios, Sir George
and Giles have created a unique soundscape. The release of this album, which
is also featured in the Cirque du Soleil/Apple Corps collaborative production
of the same name at The Mirage in Las Vegas, has been much anticipated.
"This album puts the Beatles back together again, because suddenly there's
John and George with me and Ringo," said Paul McCartney. "It's kind of magical."
"George and Giles did such a great job combining these tracks. It's really
powerful for me and I even heard things I'd forgotten we'd recorded." commented
Ringo Starr.
"The album has the feeling of love and that's why the title is Beatles LOVE,"
added Yoko Ono Lennon, "They have let everything that is beautiful and daring
come out."
"The music is stunning. I think the most amazing thing about it is that you
can pull it apart and find that all the elements carry with it the essence
of the entire song," said Olivia Harrison.
Andrew Slater, President & CEO Capitol Records said, "The Beatles and George
Martin invented everything we love about modern recorded rock music. It is
only fitting that they now shake things up and create the new blueprint for
rediscovering and falling in love again with the soundtracks to our lives."
Octopus'Garden-LOVE
Version WMP
Strawberry
Fields Forever-LOVE Version WMP
Amazon.com links: Audio
CD
CD/DVD
TheBeatles.com
The "LOVE" CD and DVD track listing is:
1. Because
2. Get Back
3. Glass Onion
4. Eleanor Rigby Julia (Transition)
5. I Am The Walrus
6. I Want To Hold Your Hand
7. Drive My Car/The Word/What You're Doing
8. Gnik Nus
9. Something Blue Jay Way (Transition)
10. Being For The Benefit of Mr. Kite!/I Want You (She's So Heavy)/Helter Skelter
11. Help!
12. Blackbird/Yesterday
13. Strawberry Fields Forever
14. Within You Without You/Tomorrow Never Knows
15. Lucy in the Sky With Diamonds
16. Octopus's Garden
17. Lady Madonna
18. Here Comes The Sun The Inner Light (Transition)
19. Come Together/Dear Prudence Cry Baby Cry (Transition)
20. Revolution
21. Back In The U.S.S.R.
22. While My Guitar Gently Weeps
23. A Day In The Life
24. Hey Jude
25. Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band (Reprise)
26. All You Need Is Love
10/16/06 New Reviews: 9/23/06 9/16/06 CD Review The Krum
Bums, who are on tour supporting the Casualties, also hail from Austin. Definitely
more thrash than Complete Control, they blaze and snarl through their two
original songs, In Sickness We Prevail and Misery. The Bums do a cover of
CC's Are You Ready? as speed punk meets death metal. Not for the faint of
heart. Note for collectors-500 copies of this split will be released on vinyl.
Complete
Control My Space Page Krum
Bums MySpace Page Disregard
the announcement below. Apparently, the Black Crowes box set release has been
delayed, and guitarist Marc Ford has quit the band without the requsite 2
weeks notice due to health problems. More on this soap opera later..
8/20/06 Well,
just in time to capitalize on the Chris Robinson-Kate Hudson divorce (see
Popbitch.com for
salient details), Rhino is releasing a Black Crowes CD/DVD compilation Who
Killed That Bird On Your Windowsill? Streaming Video She
Talks To Angels 8/16/06 THE
ESSENTIAL ALICE IN CHAINS The
first comprehensive two-CD collection ever issued on Alice In Chains is a
chronological ascent from 1990 (four cuts from their debut album, Facelift,
including "We Die Young," title track of the three-song Columbia debut EP
released earlier that year) up through 1999, ("Get Born Again" and "Died,"
the two newly recorded tracks on their three-CD box set retrospective, Music
Bank). THE ESSENTIAL ALICE IN CHAINS gathers its 28 selections from all four
original albums they recorded, Facelift (1990), Dirt (1992), the self-titled
Alice In Chains (1995), and the live 'acoustic' MTV Unplugged (1996), as well
as from their two EPs, SAP (1992) and Jar Of Flies (1994). Also included are
remixes of their two songs from the Last Action Hero original motion picture
soundtrack album (1993, the only band with two cuts on the album). That
musical legacy rises on THE ESSENTIAL ALICE IN CHAINS, whose release finds
the current lineup - Cantrell, Kinney, Inez, and vocalist William Duvall -
returning from a series of club dates and festival appearances in Europe and
Japan, and about to embark on a series of late-summer shows. Audio
Streams
8/6/06 GODZILLA
ON DVD!!!! Classic
Media is releasing the original and uncut Japanese-language version of Ishiro
Honda's GOJIRA (1954), critically acclaimed as a bold anti-nuclear allegory
and one of the greatest monster movies of all time. Also included is the English
edited version "Godzilla, King of the Monsters" starring Raymond Burr. GodzillaOnDVD.com 7/11/06 Yeah! A
cover album normally indicates that a band has to fufill a record company
obligation quick and/or that they are at a creative low point. Given that
premise, Def Leppard's Yeah! is a pleasant surprise. The choice of material,
which focuses on early 70s glam and hard rock, is a refreshing selection of
the familiar and the obscure. DL's huge, anthemic hard rock sound permeates
every song here, including The Sweet's Hellraiser and Badfinger's No
Matter What. Even Blondie's Hangin On The Telephone is given the
full Def Leppard treatment with riff-heavy guitars and booming drums. You
can almost hear it blasting from the amps right after Armageddon It! There
are no fancy reinterpretations here, no reggae or bluegrass or alt-new wave
versions of the originals. Just pure rock blasted lovingly by a band that
grew up on the material. The raucous cover of the Faces' Stay With Me (with
Phil Collen on vocals) reminds you why you fell in love with the song in the
first place. Joe Elliot's voice expresses a strength and enthusiasm unusual
for a covers album. Waterloo Sunset, the Kinks' gorgeous, melancholic
ballad is performed with a passion that equals any of Def Leppard's original
ballads.
The liner notes, written by band members, describe the admiration they have
for the songs and artists they've chosen to cover. Even some of the booklet
photos recreate classic album covers--Phil Collen as Iggy in Raw Power
, Viv Campbell on the cover of Electric Warrior, etc. Campbell
reminisces about watching Old Grey Whistle Test as a kid and Joe Elliot
explains the story behind 2 hit wonder John Kongos' He's Gonna Step On
You Again, the album's most obscure cover. Yeah! is a joy to listen
to, and the band certainly had fun recording it. That's evident on every track.
6/17/06 The
compilation gathers 18 songs released between 1994 and 2001, including songs
from the band's first five studio albums, plus singles, live performances
and a soundtrack contribution. Sequenced chronologically, HIT BY A TRAIN opens
with songs from the band's indie releases including "Stoned" from Hitchhike
to Rhome (the band's 1994 debut on Big Iron), along with "Cryin' Drunk," "Doreen"
and "Victoria," a trio of songs subsequently released on Bloodshot Records.
Full
Album Audio Stream (WMP) here 6/16/06 Normally,
I write about all genres of music except the one I like the most--punk rock.
It seems that except for the occasional Allmusic.com review,most current punk
bands are reviewed by either a) writers who have been covering the "scene"
exclusively for years or b) 18 year old boys from Laguna Beach using a pseudonym
like "Dick Head." I fit into neither category, but I've taken the plunge anyway. Interview
with Susan Dynner, director of "Punk's Not Dead"here
6/9/06 Who
thought this CD cover was a good idea? Reminds me of Spinal Tap...Def
Leppard have released an album of cover songs, but at least the choices are
interesting- Hellraiser by the Sweet, Golden Age of Rock 'N' Roll,
Waterloo Sunset, Hanging On The Telephone, Badfinger's No Matter What.
Looks
like more models have been attending the Naomi Campbell School for
In-Flight Etiquette 6/8/06 6/7/06 LOS
ANGELES-Pet Shop Boys have consistently created some of the most interesting,
entertaining, and substantial dance and pop music of the last two decades.
Now, twenty years after the release of their first album, the Boys return
with their ninth album, FUNDAMENTAL, an infectious blast of pop and dance
music, available June 27 at regular retail outlets and at www.rhino.com. Also
available June 27 is a limited-edition deluxe version of FUNDAMENTAL which
includes an eight-song bonus disc, FUNDAMENTALISM, consisting of five remixes
of FUNDAMENTAL tracks and two songs unavailable elsewhere: "In Private," with
Elton John and "Fugitive," produced by Richard X. The disc also includes a
remix of "Flamboyant," originally included on PopArt, Pet Shop Boys' greatest
hits collection, remixed here. The regular release CD carries a suggested
price of $18.98, while the limited-edition deluxe release carries an SRP of
$24.98. Neil
Tennant says: "We think it's a great Pet Shop Boys album and also a great
Trevor Horn record." One
of the album's highlights is "I'm With Stupid," a love song of sorts, inspired
by the relationship between Tony Blair and George W. Bush. The video for the
song features the U.K.'s hottest comedy team, David Walliams and Matt Lucas,
stars of the series Little Britain.
Neil Tennant says of "I'm With Stupid," "It's a love song about how the rest
of the world can't understand why you're going out with someone. It's also
a satire about the relationship between Blair and Bush from Blair's point
of view." Still,
the book provides a nice overview of Laurel Canyon's rise and fall, not surprisingly
the community based on idealism and incense and hippie free love began to
flounder after the Manson murders, while the soulless, cocaine fueled excesses
of the '70s sent the artistic community into oblivion. While Laurel Canyon
doesn't deliver much in the way of new or startling information, it does serve
as a good reference point for younger readers and those unfamiliar with the
inner machinations of L.A. rock history. 2-Vito
Paulekas, with son Godot,1966. Franzoni, a former salesman of breast pumps,
and Paulekas, a sculptor, led a troupe of free-form dancers whose wild dress
and coiffure helped define the style template for L.A.'s emerging hippie-freak
movement. (Henry Diltz) 3-Laurel
Tavern, circa 1916, once home to silent-movie star Tom Mix and later to Zappa
and his extended family. For four frenzied months in 1968, the "Log Cabin"
was the musical epicenter of the canyon. (HollywoodPhotographs.com) Audio
Interview MP3s Graham
Nash on Altamont and the Manson murders 6/1/06 RHINO
CAN'T GET ENOUGH OF DEPECHE MODE 4/28/06 Neil
Young-Living With War. You've read about it, now listen to the full album
here. Also:
Neil on CNN - A Video Discussing Living With War: Video
4/26/06 Yeah,
I know she was a beeyatch at the Rock 'N' Roll Hall of Fame
induction ceremony...but here's an MP3
of Debbie Harry's new song Dirty Deep. The 2006 version of Blondie
is on tour with the 2006 version of the Cars this summer. Somehow,
this movie didn't bother me that much when I saw it the first time growing
up in Chicago, but since I live in L.A. now it will take on a whole new meaning.. When
the most catastrophic earthquake of all time rips through Southern California,
it levels Los Angeles and sends shockwaves through the lives of all who live
there. Charlton Heston heads the all-star cast as Stewart Graff, the rugged
construction engineer who lives with his spoiled and wealthy wife, Remy (Ava
Gardner). George Kennedy plays Lew Slade, a tough cop in a city of devastation.
Lorne Green is Sam Royce, a construction company owner trapped in his own
building. Earthquake also features Genevieve Bujold, Marjoe Gortner, Lloyd
Nolan, Barry Sullivan, Victoria Principal and Richard Roundtree. Film
Review Bang
Your Head: A Fan Looks At Heavy Metal's History Metal:
A Headbanger's Journey, an hour and half foray into the world of heavy
metal music from a fan's point of view, screened recently at the American
Film Institute's Music Documentary Series at L.A.'s Arclight Theatre. Directed
by Sam Dunn, a 30 year old Canadian anthropologist and metal fan. And even
if you don't like metal music, there's plenty here to keep you amused. The
director's enthusiasm and in-depth research, the cross-section of wacky interviewees
keep you riveted. A 2-DVD version of the film will be released by Warner Home
Video on May 23. Metal:A
Headbanger's Journey is the definitive metal documentary. It's unusual
to see a thoughtful, poignant and sometimes funny film about this much maligned
genre. What's most impressive are the charts that Dunn uses to track the various
genres and subgenres. The general public's perception that metal is one-dimensional
music for dummies-Dunn's chart lists a dozen genres, prog metal, death metal,
pop metal, glam. It's not until you see the charts on the screen that you
realize heavy metal has spawned and mutated into a dozen viable subgenres,
each with its own distinct, sound, look and fan base. I
won't get into too much detail about the interviews themselves. The element
of surprise plays a part in a few of them, and I wouldn't want to ruin it
for those planning to see the movie. We learn about music the tritone, "the
devil's music" and how it was banned in medieval times and later incorporated
into metal. The stars range from Bruce Dickinson, Tony Iommi, Rob Zombie,
Alice Cooper, members of Slipknot and Lamb of God and the infamous Norwegian
satanic metal bands, to Lemmy, Geddy Lee, and Ronnie James Dio. Ronnie offers
several good-natured digs at Gene Simmons and explains how he adapted the
devil's horn symbol from his Grandma!! Angela Gossow, the first female vocalist
to adapt the Cookie Monster growl, Doro, and members of Girlschool & Kittie
round out the female contingent. The hair metal section is mercifully brief.
We get an interview with Vince Neil and a KNAC guy commenting on the groupie
scene of the time. Professor Deena Weinstein and rock crit Chuck Klosterman
provide academic explanations of metal's popularity. Klosterman, the author
of Fargo Rock City :A Heavy Metal Odyssey in Rural North Dakota, bears a slight
resemblance to Austin (Yeah, Baby) Powers, and has an infectious enthusiasm
for metal that matches Dunn's. Tom Araya of Slayer gets in the best quote
of the movie regarding "God Hates Us All." And this being metal there are
a few unintentionally funny, Spinal Tap-ish moments, courtesy of the Waken
Open Air Festival in Germany and the Norwegian black metal groups. The film
features quite a cast of characters. I kept waiting to hear from Marilyn Manson,
but he wasn't included. Seems to me he would be a good addition to any discussion
about music and evil. Maybe he wasn't metal enough, who knows? Dunn
even talks to a violence researcher about death metal band Cannibal Corpse.
For those who don't know, Cannibal Corpse album covers are low-rent Hieronymus
Bosch parodies, with lots of cartoon blood, exploding flesh and skeletons.
Aside--when I reviewed music back in NYC, Roadrunner Records sent me postcards
with CC's album covers on them. The music director of the company I worked
for, a born-again Christian would always very discreetly turn them face down
when putting them on my desk. No
documentary on heavy metal would be complete without a clip of Dee Snider
testifying before the senate committee on "dirty" rock lyrics? Snider is a
pretty sharp guy, despite his outlandish onstage persona, and Dunn's interview
with him, proves this. The metalhead audience in attendance booed heartily
when Tipper Gore appeared on the screen. That whole "Washington Wives" fiasco
now seems like a bad SNL skit. Amazing how all the PMRC nitpicking about heavy
metal has really helped eliminate "naughty" lyrics. Yeah, right. Now we have
hardcore rap at the top of the charts, with lyrics that are eons worse than
anything Twisted Sister could envision. By
the way, you'll never guess who refused to be interviewed for the film-err-who
wouldn't let her husband be interviewed... 4/23/06 Universal
City, California, April 14, 2006 – Munich, the explosive suspense thriller
from director Steven Spielberg, comes to DVD May 9, 2006 from Universal Studios
Home Entertainment. Inspired by the real-life events following the murder
of 11 Israeli athletes at the 1972 Olympic Games, this action-packed film
stars Eric Bana (Black Hawk Down, Troy), Daniel Craig (Casino Royale, Lara
Croft: Tomb Raider) and Academy Award® winner Geoffrey Rush (Shine, Pirates
of the Caribbean) as players in an international campaign to track down and
eliminate the 11 Palestinians believed to have planned the massacre. Munich
combines edge-of-your-seat suspense with a thought-provoking story. Munich
Facts The
making of Munich began with an exhaustive international search for actors
to play the nearly 200 parts in the intricate screenplay, parts ranging from
famous political figures to covert agents. As a point of reference, there
are more speaking parts in this film than any other Spielberg has previously
directed. Official
site: Munichmovie.com 4/22/06 To
women (and perhaps some guys) who grew up in the '60s and '70s, buying a copy
of 16 Magazine was one of the first official acts of adolescence. Its editor,
Gloria Stavers, was a journalistic diva long before The Devil wore Prada..
Grown-ups laughed, but the little girls understood.. 4/21/06 Written
by Nick Cave (who also composed the film's original music), and directed by
John Hillcoat, The Proposition is set against the harsh and unforgiving landscape
of the 1880s Australian outback, The Proposition is a visually stunning tale
of loyalty, revenge and the quest for justice in a lawless land. Charlie Burns
(Guy Pearce) is a renegade. Along with his two brothers, Arthur (Danny Huston)
and Mikey (Richard Wilson), he is wanted for murder. When Captain Stanley
(Ray Winstone) captures Charlie and Mikey, he offers Charlie a proposition
in an attempt to end the brutality that surrounds them -- the only way to
save Mikey from the noose is for Charlie to track down and kill Arthur, his
psychotic older brother. An impossible moral dilemma leads to a murderous
climax. 4/06/06 This
is brilliant!! Use your cell phone camera to document creeps who harass women
in public.
You
Have Killed Me #1 on U.S. singles chart 4/05/06
2/23/06 Because
the viewing public demanded it. Snakes
On A Motherfuckin' Plane... 2/22/06 Cristina
Scabbia-Vocalist for Lacuna Coil Remember
that wacky band Evanescence? They were from Arkansas or something and they
were Christians til they got a major record deal and then Official
Website - Lacunacoil.it Cristina
Scabbia - Vocals, Andrea Ferro - Vocals, Marco Biazzi - Guitars, Cristiano
Migliore - Guitars Marco Zelati - Bass, Cristiano There
is no better indication that greatness can be achieved through a resilient
work ethic than Lacuna Coil, whose aggressive touring and extensive critical
praise have now poised them for mainstream domination. The group initially
left their mark on the hard rock scene in 2004 with their acclaimed album,
Comalies, which opened several opportunities for them that were previously
thought unattainable for an Italian band, such as two highly successful commercial
radio campaigns alongside a breakthrough Ozzfest appearance resulting in over
500,000 copies sold worldwide with a quarter of a million in the U.S. alone.
Now, Lacuna Coil returns with their highly anticipated new album, Karmacode,
which is another huge step forward in the band's continuous evolution. It
has been years since an artist came along that could redefine a genre, but
this group has the potential to do just that. This is the next big thing.
Upholding
the emotive yin-yang tradition of vocal interplay between the dulcet tones
of Cristina Scabbia and the scorching vocals of her male singing partner Andrea
Ferro, Karmacode sees Lacuna Coil realize the potential at which Comalies
hinted, but their evolution is both sonic and spiritual. "If there were an
actual translation of Karmacode," says Ferro, "it would be something like,
'Spiritual DNA and the message behind it.' The title attempts to balance our
modern, overwhelming, self-centered, fast-paced lifestyles and the desire
we all have to lead a more spiritual, compassionate and fulfilling life." The
American breakthrough for Lacuna Coil -- whose moniker translates to "empty
spiral" in English, betraying the rich versatility of their music -- began
with 2001's Unleashed Memories, an album that merited a special mention in
Billboard magazine's Hard Music Spotlight. That same year, their first U.S.
tour left audiences mesmerized by what Metal Maniacs described as "intoxicating"
live performances. Still,
the runaway success of 2002's Comalies was the foundation of which the band's
success was built. The album was praised by the likes of Entertainment Weekly,
Revolver, Rolling Stone, Stuff and virtually every hard rock/metal publication
of note. Soon after the album's release, the group's profile grew tenfold
thanks to aggressive touring with the likes of P.O.D., Opeth, Anthrax, Type
O Negative and Danzig. With the success of the album's first single, "Heaven's
A Lie," Billboard called the band "one of the larger success stories in metal,"
as MTV2 and Fuse put the track's video into heavy rotation and the song itself
graced commercial radio airwaves across the country and planted itself within
the R&R Active Rock Top 30 Chart. Prominent Boston station WAAF led the charge,
inviting Lacuna Coil to appear at its annual Locobazooka festival (alongside
such major acts as Staind and Sevendust) in addition to performing acoustically
on the air. In
early 2004, Lacuna Coil's successes were validated with an invitation to participate
in that year's Ozzfest, supporting such metal stalwarts as Judas Priest, Slayer
and Ozzy himself. Lacuna Coil offered something unique to the package that
ultimately struck a chord with fans, resulting in their being hailed as the
year's breakthrough artist. Over the course of the massive two-month trek,
the group also SoundScanned more units per week than any other band on the
bill second only to the platinum-selling artist Slipknot. The radio success
of "Heaven's A Lie" waned only as the popularity of the second single, "Swamped"
increased at Active Rock and even found its way on to more than a dozen Alternative
stations as well.
For my review of Infamous,
the second and more mainstream film about Truman Capote & In Cold Blood,
go here
(writing as Marianne M.)
Highlights of the Infamous press conference with Toby Jones,
Douglas McGrath and Sandra Bullock here
Trilogy Of Terror DVD
Dark Sky
Films
Made for TV movies from the 1970s were fertile ground for schlock, horror
and the occasional eccentric masterpiece. From Linda Blair being raped with
a broom handle in Born Innocent to Bad Ronald to occult movies
like Satan's School For Girls and Race With the Devil, made
for TV movies have earned a fond place in the hearts of pop culture geeks.
One of the most notorious made for TV horror movies wasn't a full film, but
the last story in Trilogy Of Terror, a 1975 film produced by Dark
Shadows creator Dan Curtis and starring quirky, underrated screen icon
Karen Black. Ms. Black has appeared in some legendary films (Five Easy Pieces,
The Great Gatsby, Easy Rider), but her most popular and gripping role co-starred
a wild-eyed Zuni fetish doll, not an actor.
The first two segments of Trilogy of Terror dim by comparison to the
final one. The introductory vignette, Julie, casts Black as a prim
and proper college English teacher who has an affair with one of her students,
(played by Robert Burton, Black's husband at the time.) For most of the story,
the student is a blackmailing date rapist and Julie is the victim, but there's
a macabre twist at the end.
Millicent and Therese features Black in a dual role as sisters. The repressed
Millicent chronicles the sins of evil, slutty sister Therese in her diary.
The physical transformation Black achieves as Millicent is amazing, one of
the most extreme examples of the spinster ever committed to film. These episodes,
written by William Nolan, who later co-wrote Burnt Offerings, (which also
starred Black), are taut but predictable psychological horror.
While both of these stories were passable entertainment in 1975, they wouldn't
even merit a blink now. The final story in the trilogy, adapted for the screen
by Peter Matheson from his story, Prey, is the crème de la crème of
made for TV horror, and certainly Black's most infamous role. Amelia begins
with Black on the phone with her annoying mother, describing a Zuni fetish
doll she's just bought for her anthropologist boyfriend. And this is one angry,
fugly doll. I doubt all the CGI experts at today's studios could conjure up
such a demonic doll, even with all the technical shortcuts at their disposal.
A modern-day icon like Chuckie pales in comparison to our Zuni friend. The
tiny terror, equipped with a spear and razor-sharp teeth, comes with a scroll
that warns the warrior's soul will escape if the chain around its waist is
removed. You guessed it, Amelia walks away for a minute and when she returns
the chain has fallen off and the doll is nowhere to be found. It reappears
reanimated and ready to slice and dice hapless Amelia. The manic fight between
Amelia and the doll that follows is one of the most frightening sequences
in any horror film released in the 1970s. Hell, ask anyone who watched Trilogy
Of Terror when it was first shown and they'll tell you about the sleepless
night that followed. The chilling final shot, where Amelia has assumed the
spirit-and the sharp-toothed pose-of the Zuni doll as she waits for her mother
to arrive, was not in the original script. In the featurette, Three Colors
Black, we learn that Black suggested the ending, fangs and all. An interview
with writer Peter Matheson and a full audio commentary track for the film
by Black and William F. Nolan are included as special features.
The Strays
Le Futur Noir
TVT Records 
If you took the Killers, Muse, Keane or any of the current batch of neatly
dressed Brit/NY bands, amped them up a bit, and threw in an occasional Nirvana
riff, you'd get The Strays. The band cites the Clash and the Replacements
as influences, but they're a bit hardcore, from their Fight Club style video
for Life Support to their real, rough n tumble onstage demeanor. Singer Toby
Marriot is the son of Small Faces' singer/guitarist Steve Marriot. The band
recently toured with the Buzzcocks and are opening some dates for the revamped
Veruca Salt.
Tony Montana:
Who put this thing together? Me, that's who! Who do I trust? Me!
Scarface:The Platinum Edition is coming to DVD on October 3rd. The 2 Disc
set includes special features, deleted scenes, remixed sound effects, and
The Making of the Scarface Video Game. More inspiration for rappers
everywhere..
Death Can Wait…
Complete Control/Krum Bums
TKO Records
Hardcore meets old school punk on Death Can Wait, another one of TKO Records
"split" CD series, this time featuring 2 Austin, Texas based bands, Complete
Control and the Krum Bums. Complete Control, formed in Austin circa 1999 ,
named themselves after the Clash song and quickly became a favorite among
the city's punk rock community. The band released their first album "Reaction"
in 2004 to enthusiastic reviews, and now return with two new songs and a cover
of the Krum Bums' Cease Fire on this six track CD. On We Were Dead, Sam Ghanbar's
(aka "Sambo") vocals are aggressive without lapsing into indecipherable screaming,
and juxtaposed with the background shouts, it makes for an interesting vocal
line. The guitar work is frenetic without totally losing control , a little
bit Motorhead, a little bit Descendants. Even the guitar solo has a bit of
melody to it. The rhythm section comes across strong on Leave Us Alone, providing
a solid foundation for vocals and guitar. The band's cover of the Krum Bums'
Cease Fire is true to the original with Ghanbar's vocals giving it the distinctive
Complete Control stamp.
Twice The Black Crowes have recorded albums that were never officially
released: Tall in 1993 and Band in 1997. While a few songs from these lost
albums were rerecorded and released on studio albums, many have emerged only
through the band's legendary live shows.
The Black Crowes recently went into the vault, collecting the best moments
from those abandoned sessions for a special treat for their longtime fans.
Titled THE LOST CROWES, it is a two-disc set of unreleased music that has
been remixed for its public debut on Rhino. The compilation will be available
August 29 at all retail outlets and at www.rhino.com. The same day, the band's
1992 home video, WHO KILLED THAT BIRD OUT ON YOUR WINDOW SILL, will make its
DVD debut on Rhino Home Video. In fall of 1993 vocalist Chris Robinson, guitarists
Rich Robinson and Marc Ford, drummer Steve Gorman, bassist Johnny Colt, and
keyboardist Ed Harsch recorded more than 30 songs at Conway Studios in Los
Angeles. Working on the follow-up to Southern Harmony And Musical Companion,
the band descended into an emotional, startlingly heavy creative patch that
became a stepping-stone to the 1994 album, amorica.
Jealous
Again
FIRST HISTORIC CAREER-SPANNING 2-CD COLLECTION GATHERS 28 SINGLES AND ALBUM
TRACKS, 1990 TO 1999
Available from Sony/BMG on September 5th
CD REVIEW
Def Leppard
Bludgeon Riffola/Mercury
HIT BY A TRAIN Features 18 of the Old 97's Best Songs From the Band's First
Five Studio Albums, Plus Singles, Live Tracks and More
The Old 97's debut in 1994 and its acclaimed follow-up a year later on Bloodshot
Records established Rhett Miller, Murry Hammond, Ken Bethea and Philip Peeples
as indie-rock's favorite cowpunks. After signing with Elektra in 1997, the
Dallas quartet recorded a trio of artistically restless albums that found
Miller refining his emotional lyricism and the band tightly coiling around
power pop arrangements. Rhino shakes its caboose with a collection of classic
tracks from the band's first seven years. HIT BY A TRAIN: THE BEST OF OLD
97's is available on June 20.
E-Card and Purchase Info here
OC Punk: A Primer: The Record Labels, Circa 2006 here
Interview with the Smut Peddlers at Sleazegrinder.com
Punk Rock Demonstration:Grass Roots Punk Radio here
WMP Audio Streams
20th Century Boy
Hangin'
On The Telephone
Defleppard.com
One of the coolest women alive-
Joan Jett, showing the kids how it's done
Oh, Diamond Dave, where did it all go wrong? First the radio show debacle,
now this
(OK, I shouldn't be so snarky, he does still sing pretty well. )
Yay!! Pee Wee's Playhouse is finally back,
courtesy of Adult Swim.
The album reunites Pet Shop Boys with legendary producer Trevor Horn, who
first worked with them on the seminal "Left To My Own Devices" in 1988. It
was recorded in London starting in May 2005 and features 12 tracks-11 new
Tennant/Lowe compositions and one track, "Numb," written by Diane Warren.
With songs like "The Sodom And Gomorrah Show," "I Made My Excuses And Left,"
"Psychological," and "Twentieth Century," FUNDAMENTAL is proof again that
Pet Shop Boys are masters of pop music with something on its mind.
Trevor Horn adds: "I have always wanted to make a whole album with Pet Shop
Boys. This album shows off their wonderful songwriting and is a record that
I think only the three of us together could have made."
Laurel Canyon: The Inside Story of L.A.'s Legendary Rock 'N' Roll Neighborhood
Book Review
Haight Ashbury, Greenwich Village, Carnaby Street and Sunset Strip immediately
evoke memories of the 1960s counterculture. Laurel Canyon remains a secondary
point on L.A.'s musical roadmap as far as mainstream observers are concerned.
Ironically, Laurel Canyon had more of a verifiable creative community than
the more famous Sunset Strip, as evidenced by Michael Walker's history, Laurel
Canyon: The Inside Story of L.A.'s Legendary Rock N Roll Neighborhood Walker
deconstructs the history of the Canyon from its beginning as a playground
for silent film stars like Tom Mix to the folkie era to the Canyon's days
as a gathering place for the crème de la crème of L.A.s 60s' era rock 'n'
rollers.
Young Girls are coming to the Canyon, the Mama and Papas sang in 12:30
and they are indeed a part of the story here. Mama Cass is drawn as the earth
mother of the scene, (Nash even says he doesn't known what his life would
be like if he hadn't met her), while Michelle Phillips was the disruptive
muse. Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young, Joni Mitchell, and the Byrds were some
of the enclaves's most famous residents. Frank Zappa's abode, a cabin that
once belonged to silent film star Tom Mix, became the epicenter of Laurel
Canyon's social and creative community. An endless cast of characters visited
the Zappa's, from Mick Jagger and Marianne Faithfull to the ubiquitous GTOs,
and Walker recounts their exploits.
Pamela and Michael Des Barres, Kim Fowley and early 70s groupie Morgana Welch,
Hollywood scenesters who have seemingly been interviewed by most, if not all,
L.A. journalists and documentarians provide most of the background. Aside
from Graham Nash, most of the interview subjects are record execs and scenesters
like the Des Barres and Fowley, Crosby has only a few quotes.
6/5/06
1-Joni Mitchell at her Lookout Mountain home in 1970. After moving in with
Mitchell, Graham Nash wrote "Our House," the ultimate hippie pastoral, about
their life together there "with two cats in the yard." (Henry Diltz)
Laurel Canyon THE INSIDE STORY OF ROCK-AND-ROLL'S LEGENDARY NEIGHBORHOOD by
MICHAEL WALKER
"Laurel Canyon is hilarious and true and bittersweet." -CAMERON CROWE
"Fascinating . . . Walker makes a strong case for Laurel Canyon being at least
as important as San Francisco's Haight-Ashbury in defining the sound of pop
music." -Library Journal
In the late sixties, musicians like Joni Mitchell, Jim Morrison, Carole King,
Frank Zappa, the Eagles, and the Mamas and the Papas came together for the
first time to meld folk, rock, and American pop into something completely
new, something that would launch a generation into history. LAUREL CANYON
is the account of what happened behind the scenes to make that generation
of music blow up and out of Laurel Canyon, California. Walker recreates jam
sessions at the home of Joni Mitchell and then drives down the streets of
Laurel Canyon today, listening as those same songs waft out of bungalow windows.
"[Walker] offers candid, insightful glimpses of Frank Zappa's bizarre, brief
tenure in early cowboy movie star Tom Mix's old log cabin; the jangly social
and musical interaction of the Byrds, Crosby, Stills, Nash, and Young, and
Joni Mitchell; the rise of the singer-songwriter marketing label; and the
scourge of casual cocaine abuse that pervaded the era and, soon, much of the
rest of Woodstock Nation." -Booklist
Michael Walker will be reading and signing his new book at: BookSmith (San
Francisco) June 20 at 7:00 p.m.
Depot Bookstore (Mill Valley, CA) June 21 at 7:00 p.m.
Bumbershoot Music and Arts Festival (Seattle) September 2-4, time tbd
MICHAEL WALKER has written extensively about popular culture for The New York
Times, the Los Angeles Times, The Washington Post, and other publications.
He lives in Laurel Canyon. LAUREL CANYON: The Inside Story of Rock-and-Roll's
Legendary Neighborhood, by Michael Walker, will be published in hardcover
by Faber and Faber, an affiliate of Farrar, Straus and Giroux, on May 25,
2006 8 pages of B&W Illustrations, Map, and Discography | 0-571-21149-6 |
$25.00. 
Highly Anticipated Depeche Mode Reissue Campaign Begins With Remastered Versions
Of SPEAK & SPELL, MUSIC FOR THE MASSES And VIOLATOR Expanded To Include B-Sides
And Remixes Each Deluxe Edition Will Be Available June 6 From Rhino
LOS ANGELES - From its 1981 debut to its upcoming headlining performance at
Coachella, Depeche Mode earned a fervent following and critical acclaim with
its dark synth-pop melodies, soulful vocals and brooding lyrics. Rhino Records
honors one of the most successful and influential alternative bands of all
time as it launches a campaign to remaster and expand Depeche Mode's legendary
catalog. Deluxe versions of three of the band's best - SPEAK & SPELL, MUSIC
FOR THE MASSES and VIOLATOR - will each be available June 6 at all retail
outlets and at www.rhino.com . Each album will be released as a two-disc set
featuring the original album on CD. The DVD includes 5.1 Audio and Enhanced
Stereo mixes of the original album along with b-sides and remixes. Each DVD
also features a short film about the album featuring current interviews with
band members. The deluxe packaging includes a booklet containing lyrics, rare
photos and more. Depeche Mode - vocalist, Dave Gahan, keyboardists, Andrew
Fletcher and Vince Clarke and guitarist/keyboardist, Martin Gore - made its
debut in 1981 on Sire Records with the album SPEAK & SPELL. The first two
singles - "Dreaming of Me" and "New Life" - laid the groundwork for the success
of the album's third single and the band's first Top Ten U.K. hit, "Just Can't
Get Enough." Rhino's deluxe edition of SPEAK & SPELL includes four DVD-only
bonus tracks: the b-sides "Ice Machine," "Shout" and "Any Second Now" plus
the Schizo Mix of "Just Can't Get Enough." Six years after its debut, Depeche
Mode returned in 1987 with its sixth studio album, MUSIC FOR THE MASSES. The
album featured keyboardist, Alan Wilder who replaced Clarke who left the band
after its first album to work with Yazoo and Erasure. Including fan favorites
such as "Strangelove," "Behind the Wheel" and "Never Let Me Down," the album
and ensuing sold-out world tour helped Depeche Mode transcend its underground
status. Rhino's deluxe edition of MUSIC FOR THE MASSES includes nine DVD-only
bonus tracks: the b-sides "Agent Orange," "Pleasure, Little Treasure" and
"Route 66" plus enhanced audio mixes of the Aggro Mix for "Never Let Me Down
Again," the Spanish Taster version of "To Have and to Hold" and more. Depeche
Mode's follow-up, 1990's alt-classic VIOLATOR, confirmed the quartet's status
as international superstars with the mainstream success of landmark singles
"Personal Jesus," "Enjoy the Silence," "Policy of Truth" and "World In My
Eyes." The deluxe edition of this Top Ten Album includes six DVD-only bonus
tracks: b-sides "Dangerous," "Mephisto," "Kaleid," "Happiest Girl" and "Sea
of Sin" plus the song "Sibeling."
Reunite with the eccentric and endearing folks of Cicely, Alaska, as Northern
Exposure The Complete Fourth Season arrives on DVD! Nominated for an amazing
16 Emmy® awards, including Outstanding Drama Series, this must-see season
has Joel (Rob Morrow), Maggie (Janine Turner), “Chris-in-the-Morning” (John
Corbett) and the rest of the town’s residents in their most hilarious and
heartwarming antics yet – from the arrival of a rock star to a totem pole
war to the annual Mosquito Festival! And now, fans can see one of the most
popular seasons ever in a newly digitally remastered format for unbelievable
picture quality. Northern
Exposure DVD website
MySpace
Guri Weinberg, son of Moshe Weinberg, the Israeli wrestling referee and former
champion wrestler who was killed in Munich when Guri was just one month old
had the very rare opportunity to portray his father and pay tribute to him
in Munich. He was 33 at the time, the same age as his father at the time of
his death.
The filmmakers included a nod to ’70s cinema during a scene with Avner (Eric
Bana) and Louis (Mathieu Amalric) as they walk along a Parisian vegetable
market. The scene was shot below the apartment made famous by Bernardo Bertolucci’s
classic Last Tango in Paris.
My latest Slums Off Hollywood Blvd. column
Another current punk band in Hollywood ... all good punk bands
are not geezers from the '70s and '80s..
Austin
Chronicle article about Gloria Stavers
My review of Ringleader Of The Tormentors here
Not that I'm gloating, but look at the #1 single in the U.S. O.K., so nobody
really buys singles anymore, but Moz besting Madonna and Beyonce is a cause
for celebration.
LACUNA COIL-KARMACODE
they started swearing a lot in interviews? Anyhow, they were the cheap
American Idol version of the Italian metal group, Lacuna Coil.
With their new album Karmacode, Lacuna Coil are once again poised for
stateside success. Bio and other info below....
Mozzati
- Drums 
Lacuna Coil spent the summer of 2005 performing at some of Europe's premier
festivals alongside such household names as Green Day, Incubus and System
Of A Down while completing the songwriting process for Karmacode. The highly
anticipated new effort was produced by Sorychta and Lacuna Coil in Germany
and Italy, while the album was both mixed by Ronald Prent (Rammstein, H.I.M.,
Iron Maiden) and mastered by Darcy Proper (Steely Dan, Porcupine Tree, R.E.M.)
at Galaxy Studios in Belgium. Asterik Studio (Trapt, Funeral For A Friend,
The Used), the Grammy-nominated design firm, handled the package design. This
offering begins where Comalies left off, and it will further solidify their
spot as one of the genre's most dynamic and exhilarating artists.
The album's lead track, "Our Truth," received its worldwide debut on the Underworld:
Evolution soundtrack, where it appeared alongside such acclaimed artists as
Puscifer (Maynard Kennan's [Tool, A Perfect Circle] new project), Chester
Bennington (Linkin Park), Slipknot, My Chemical Romance, Atreyu and more.
A video for the track was shot in Los Angeles by Fort Awesome, a brand-new
directorial duo whose individual credits include Queens of the Stone Age,
Linkin Park, Disturbed, Chevelle and more. Lacuna Coil kicked off the album's
extensive touring cycle with a high profile six-week U.S. trek with to Rob
Zombie. This year the group were also featured on the covers of such esteemed
publications as Revolver, Metal Edge, Outburn and Decibel, among others.
With four full-length albums and two EPs now to their credit, Lacuna Coil
have ensured that each offering further enunciates the subtle, solemn beauty
they create. Karmacode takes that a step further, seeing them further mature
as musicians and songwriters to deliver their most cohesive, career-defining
album. If karma has anything to do with it, Italy's most successful rock export
will not have to wait long for the entire mainstream world to take notice.