By: David Schultz


Chuck Berry who’s also featured in The T.A.M.I. Show, has his own documentary floating around the nether regions of the cable universe. In Hail! Hail! Rock ‘n’ Roll, Taylor Hackford, the director of Ray, focuses on the preparations for a 1986 concert at the Fox Theater in St. Louis, Missouri to celebrate Berry’s 60th birthday. Filmed almost a quarter century ago, it features a fascinating round table between a now-deceased Bo Diddley, a now-incoherent Little Richard and Berry discussing the good-old-days in a calm, unembellished manner. It also features Berry going into a slow burn as he instructs an increasingly irritated Keith Richards on the correct way to play “Carol.” All of originators of rock and roll know what gets a crowd going and the concert footage, especially “Little Queenie,” captures Berry doing just that.

Howlin’ Wolf, one of Berry’s label mates from Chess Records, is the appropriate subject of Don McGlynn’s 2003 documentary, The Howlin’ Wolf Story. Popping up sporadically on Ovation, this one is a must DVR as it’s riddled with lengthy commercial breaks. The black and white footage from Wolf’s TV appearances, reminiscences from peers like Hubert Sumlin and Wolf’s own voice from archival footage make this worth the time. Among the voyeuristic moments, footage of a gathering of old blues musicians that gets a little edgy when Son House has too much to drink and, to Wolf's consternation, becomes a bit of an irascible and annoying presence in the room.

Beyond The Sea, Kevin Spacey’s biopic of Bobby Darin, falls at the other end of the spectrum. Using nearly all of the musical biography staples mocked in Walk Hard, Spacey fails to make Darin captivating or show why his career was worthy of the feature film treatment. The actor’s version of “Mind Games” blew people away at a 2001 John Lennon benefit, overshadowing many of the actual musicians on hand that night. He doesn’t recapture that glory in his embodiment of Bobby Darin. Stay away from this one and just watch The Usual Suspects again.

Although none of them play a note of music, rock stars dominate Jim Jarmusch’s 2003 gabfest Coffee & Cigarettes. Consisting of conversations between smokers sipping Java, the offbeat director gets the most out of his musical actors. Meg White says more in her one scene with her brother/husband/houseboy Jack and a Tesla coil than she has in a decade on stage. The GZA and RZA, who are the only ones in the film to neither light up or imbibe caffeine, more than hold their own in their absurd interlude with Bill Murray as they convince him to gargle oven cleaner as a homeopathic remedy. The piece de resistance is Iggy Pop and Tom Waits engaging in an uncomfortable conversation in which Waits consistently rebuffs all of Pop’s overtures of friendship while they both chain smoke their way through a found pack.

Labels: Chuck Berry, Howlin' Wolf, James Brown, The Rolling Stones, White Stripes

By: David Schultz


IF YOU ARE READING THIS because The Stones and/or Petty tickles your musical fancy, then you will be excited to know that Alan Parsons has a new live album coming out March 19 in Europe and April 6 in the USA. Eye 2 Eye - Live In Madrid captures a May 14, 2004 show at the Playa Mayor in Spain and contains "Games People Play," "Damned If I Do" and "Sirius," a staple of every NBA pre-game. There seems to be a supporting tour but to see it, you need to be in Israel, Slovakia, the Czech Republic or Russia.

Labels: Alan Parsons, The Rolling Stones, Tom Petty

By: David Schultz

Twenty years ago, an uninspired and jaded Generation X pondered their future while staring at a bleak job market, the trickle down economics of Reagan era failing to bring about feelings of prosperity or any sense of hope in America’s youth. At the same time, a disenfranchised demographic moved their interest from the boy bands and formulaic pop that flourish during economic upswings to the flannel-draped hordes flooding out of the Pacific Northwest. Capturing the zeitgeist, Nirvana, Pearl Jam, Alice & Chains and the rest of their brethren turned self-loathing, insecurity and good old-fashioned rage into grunge rock, possibly saving rock and roll in the process. In contrast to the moody cynicism of the grunge rockers, Lenny Kravitz unleashed Let Love Rule, a psychedelic-drenched, flower-power collection that espoused a message of peace, love and harmony, owing as much to the peacenik nature of the Beatles as it did to Jimi Hendrix’ incendiary interpretation of the blues.

The more things change, the more they stay the same. Two decades later, we face a floundering economy, a job market sitting at its nadir and Lenny Kravitz’ eternally optimistic and live-affirming attitude is as necessary and gloriously anachronistic to the times as it was back then. To celebrate the milestone of his debut album’s release, Kravitz has devoted his set list to reviving healthy portions of Let Love Rule, still his finest effort. Last week, Kravitz (finally) finished up his five night New York City residency at The Fillmore at Irving Plaza. Originally scheduled to take place two weeks ago, Kravitz postponed the show, not wanting to turn in a subpar performance after his voice gave out on him.

Declaring the evening family night, Kravitz played with his daughter Zoe, who opened the show, perched atop one of the speakers along the side of the stage. Instead of playing Let Love Rule in its entirety, as has become the fashion, Kravitz used selected songs as a framework to resurrect the feeling and mood of the album. The steamroller guitar riffs of “Freedom Train” and “Mr. Cab Driver” remained tight and concise but on “Flower Child” and “Blues For Sister Someone,” Kravitz led the band through extended jams that flowed through organ leads and solos from the horn section. Stretching the songs out also let Kravitz show off his versatility, permitting him to show off the keyboards and jump behind the drum kit.

The free flow of the opening half of the show gave way to a run through Kravitz’ post-Let Love Rule greatest hits. More apropos for stadiums and amphitheaters, Kravitz’ proven arena-rockers like “Always On The Run” and “American Woman” blew the roof off The Fillmore and the ultra-funky elastic spring of the bass line of “Fly Away” got the tightly-packed throng to ignore the overcrowded dance floor. (When large acts come to Irving Plaza, the sound board and extra equipment take up to eight times as much room than that of the bands that usually play the venue; it hardly seems as if the venue adjust admission accordingly).

After an acoustic solo rendition of “Stillness Of Heart,” Kravitz closed the night with a lengthy version of “Let Love Rule,” urging the crowd to sing along until the message became ingrained in their psyche and fostering the communal spirit by jumping down from the stage to mingle with the masses. The Fillmore at Irving Plaza bears a fleeting, exceedingly corporate relationship to Bill Graham’s original venue. For five shows though, Kravitz’ heady vibe came closer to reconnecting with the ghosts of the Fillmore’s past than any number of posters and branding could ever accomplish.

HALLOWEEN 2009 WAS ALL ABOUT THE ROLLING STONES. After weeks of speculation, Phish chose to cover Exile On Main Street for Halloween at Festival 8 in Indio, California and Gov't Mule's first set on October 31 consisted solely of Stones classics. Even Mick Jagger himself took to the stage, albeit on Halloween eve, popping up on stage at Madison Square Garden during U2's Friday night set at the Rock & Roll Fame concerts to sing "Gimme Shelter" with Bono and The Black-Eyed Peas (Yes, that sentence is factually accurate).

Labels: Gov't Mule, Lenny Kravitz, Phish, The Rolling Stones

By: David Schultz

Seventy years ago today, MGM released The Wizard Of Oz. While the film ranks as one of the most beloved of all-time, it gained a whole new following in the mid-Nineties when an uncharacteristically intrepid group of stoners, likely to lazy to turn off the TV while they blasted Dark Side Of The Moon, came across a startling number of coincidences between the images on the screen and the sound in their speakers. A cosmic version of getting your peanut butter in my chocolate or vice versa.

Although Roger Waters acts coy when asked about whether Floyd had any intent to coordinate its classic album with the film, the odds are improbably highly against it. Rather, what seems to have transpired is a fantastic sense of synchronicity that trumps anything The Police came up with in 1983.

To celebrate the 70th anniversary of the movie, let's watch it as no one ever intended.

IN A LESSER KNOWN BIT of stoner-synchronicity, someone put down the bong long enough to figure out that Floyd's "Echoes" matches up perfectly with the end of Stanley Kubrick's 2001. For those who can't get enough of nonsensical synchronization, check it out.

EVER SINCE IT WAS FILMED, it's been rumored that Cocksucker Blues, Robert Frank's documentary capturing the post Exile On Main Street, post Altamont Rolling Stones, is the best rock and roll documentary ever filmed. I say rumored because despite being commissioned the Stones, they quashed its release, finding it inappropriate and too revealing. Almost a quarter century later, the rock doc has leaked onto the Internet. Not being fluent in French, I think part 1 has been removed due to content issues but parts 2 through 9 remain extant, so this link takes you to part 2. If you're savvy enough to get that far, you can figure out the rest.

WHILE THE DEAL DOESN'T APPEAR to be written in stone, Robert Zemeckis and Disney in the process of navigating the obstacle of rights and clearances needed to remake Yellow Submarine, The Beatles 1968 animated feature film. Zemeckis has grand plans for the project: rather than re-animate, he wants to utilize the new 3D performance-capturing technology that he used on The Polar Express and Beowulf. While Help! and A Hard Days Night get regular airings on cable TV, screenings of Yellow Submarine, along with Let It Be and Magical Mystery Tour have become scarce to non-existent. If Zemeckis succeed in bringing his plan to fruition - he's targeting 2012 - let's hope it gets these buried Beatles movies back in circulation.

Labels: Beatles, Pink Floyd, The Rolling Stones

Infamous manager Allen Klein died over the weekend. The stereotype many people have of the brusque, strong-arming and unyielding manager comes from Klein and the manner in which he handled his dealings with and on behalf of The Rolling Stones and The Beatles.

His stint with The Stones ended in a lawsuit over Klein's rights to ownership of some of their songs and he, not Yoko Ono, may have been the prime factor in the breakup of The Beatles. Also among Klein's legacy: John Belushi's brief cameo as the abusive Ron Decline in Eric Idle's The Rutles: All You Need Is Cash is based on Klein. John Lennon made his feelings about his manager quite clear in “Steel And Glass,” from his Walls and Bridges record.

Klein was 77 years old.

Labels: Beatles, John Lennon, The Rolling Stones

By performing at the Boston Garden the night after Martin Luther King was murdered in Memphis, Tennessee, James Brown is credited with saving Boston. Worried about the violence that had sprouted in other major cities as a result of King’s assassination, Mayor Kevin White considered canceling the concert but was deeply concerned about bringing about the rioting he wanted to avoid by giving the appearance of stifling black expression. The political wrangling and monetary machinations that led to The Godfather of Soul taking the stage that night and permitting the show to be simulcast on public television have been the subject of multiple books and documentaries. More than the music, which included funky classics like “Please Please Please” and “Cold Sweat,” smoldering soul masterpieces like “It’s A Man’s Man’s Man’s World” and numerous R&B covers sung by other members of the traveling revue, Brown made this show memorable by reminding everyone watching – and there were many - of the immediate importance of King’s non-violent beliefs and imploring Boston’s African-American population to rise above the violence plaguing the other cities. James Brown’s righteous brand of soul might not be the music that would customarily soothe the heart of a city about to explode, but on this night, often referred to as “The Night James Brown Saved Boston,” it kept Beantown from falling apart at the seams.

Labels: Beatles, Bob Dylan, James Brown, Jimi Hendrix, Michael Jackson, Nirvana, Phish, The Doors, The Rolling Stones, U2

Rolling Stones jokes are a dime a dozen these days. You even have some fellow artists questioning the value of repeated Rolling Stones tours. Now, there is speculation that the Stones may finally take up a rocking chair (or at least a final bar stool for Keith) and sit back and enjoy all the dough they've raked in over the years.

But, Mick Jagger is apparently quashing any such talk. Mick reportedly says "I'm sure the The Rolling Stones will do more things and more records and more tours. We've got no plans to stop any of that really. As far as I'm concerned I'm sure we'll continue."

My take on it is if you enjoy what you are doing, do it as long as you can. Plus, there's still more money to be made! Rock on, boys.

Labels: The Rolling Stones

The Rolling Stones are set to play a show in Serbia. It'll be their first performance in the former war torn area. But, the choice of venues is causing a little stir (or "stir up" for pun addicts).

The Stones are set to play at a racetrack. However, the stage and concert area, according to some, are too close to the stable area where 300 or so horses reside. Concerns have been raised that the noise, vibrations and general ruckus of a large rock concert will agitate the horses.

A suggestion was raised to drug the horses to keep them calm during the show. Although some don't think that is fair to the horses and want the venue changed. T the Stones likely response will be "hey, we dope Keith to keep him calm during the show" so what's the big deal?

Of course, there is another option besides moving the venue or drugging the horses. Simply move the horses for the day. I imagine between the Stones and the promoter they can scrape together the cash to make the necessary accommodations.

Labels: The Rolling Stones

Keith Richards set the internet abuzz the last couple of days after telling NME that he snorted some of his deceased father's ashes with a line of cocaine. The Rolling Stones guitarist was quoted as saying, "The strangest thing I've tried to snort? My father. I snorted my father. He was cremated and I couldn't resist grinding him up with a little bit of blow. My dad wouldn't have cared. ... It went down pretty well, and I'm still alive."

Richards is reportedly confounded that people actually believed the story. His manager now tells MTV that the comments were made "in jest." Apparently, Richards doesn't realize that in the new millennium if something appears on the internet, then its true.

Labels: The Rolling Stones

By: David Schultz

More than 25 years ago, John Mellencamp began his career under the name John Cougar, a name he claimed was foisted upon him in a calculated A&R move to boost album sales and increase radio airplay. Once he had achieved a modicum of success, Mellencamp secured the return of his true surname, spending the next decade releasing material as John Cougar Mellencamp. In 1991, Mellencamp finally shed the Cougar, seemingly regaining every ounce of his artistic integrity. Given Mellencamp's tireless efforts to rid his populist work of any corporate influence, the ultra-ubiquitous use of his latest single "Our Country" in conjunction with the promotion of the Chevy Silverado bears every indicia of "corporate sellout." Long gone are the days when PETA member Chrissie Hynde goes to a Gap outlet and knifes a bunch of leather jackets simply because the shopping mall mainstays requested her consent to use one of her songs in a Gap commercial.

To say that the profitable nature of the record business has skyrocketed since the days of Buddy Holly and "Rock Around The Clock" would be an understatement of gargantuan proportion. The evolution of the "music business" has oftentimes seen the focus placed more on business than music. Basic corporate concepts such as skillful marketing plans, profit maximization and good old Gordon Gekko greed, once inimical to the artistry of the music profession, are now commonplace. On one hand, debuting "Our Country" as a placard for the automotive industry could be considered good marketing, but it also qualifies as just another moment in the uncomfortable marriage between art and commerce . . . and not even one of the more egregious ones. What follows are the ten most severe instances of the artistic vision coming under attack by the corporate mindset.

10. Ed Sullivan Tells The Rolling Stones and The Doors To Keep It Clean

Given Janet Jackson's "wardrobe malfunction" at the 2004 Super Bowl, it seems almost quaint that CBS and Ed Sullivan once worried about suggestive lyrics being sung on The Ed Sullivan Show. In 1967, The Rolling Stones were slated to make an anxiously anticipated appearance on the legendary variety show and sing "Let's Spend The Night Together." Concerned that the lyrics, tame by today's standards, could prove offensive, CBS censors asked Mick Jagger to change the words. Under threats of being taken off the air if he sang the "offensive" lyric, Jagger complied, rolling his eyes while warbling "let's spend some 'time' together." [The BBC wasn't as prudish] Later that year, the Sullivan show made a similar request to another high-profile artist, but with much different results, Worried that the line, "Girl, we couldn't get much higher," from The Doors' "Light My Fire" promoted drug use, CBS asked The Doors to change the lyric. Playing live without a delay - ah, the trusting pre-wardrobe malfunction era - Jim Morrison got right up into the camera and, much to the dismay of CBSand Sullivan, not only delivered the line unedited, accentuated "higher." The network's crusade to protect tender sensibilities from suggestive rock and roll lyrics didn't succeed. In the aftermath, the two songs went on to be played on classic rock radio a few hundred thousand times without corrupting the nation's youth. However, the same Puritan attitudes exhibited by CBS and those that monitor and oversee network television persist today; Janet Jackson's left breast has not been seen in public since 2004 (at least not without a hand covering it) and the repercussions of her "wardrobe malfunction" are still being felt on network TV and commercial radio.

9. Sony Infects Its Customers' Computers In The Name Of Combating Illegal Copying

In 2005, according to the New York Attorney General, BMG Music placed XCP and MediaMax DRM copy restriction software on a number of CDs, including releases by Trey Anastasio and the Black Rebel Motorcycle Club. The software installed its own CD playback software and prevented the music from being downloaded onto the purchaser's computer in an iPOD compatible format. While Sony portrayed their effort as an ideological blow against the illegal copying and exchanging of copyrighted music, it seemed more of a thumb in the nose to the increasingly popular proliferation of Apple's iTunes. In making sure that their programs went undisturbed and iPOD unfriendly, Sony installed cloaking software that not only rendered them undetectable, it interfered with the way Windows played compact discs, opened security holes that permitted viruses to enter the user's system and transmitted certain data to Sony/BMG from the user's computer. When the problems became known to Sony, they acted arrogantly and denied culpability, drawing the ire of Attorney Generals in New York and Massachusetts. By the time Sony was finished making sure no one publicly or privately duplicated their music, they ceased implementing the software, had to offer "patches" the fix the damage done to their customers' computers and faced a class action lawsuit.

8. The Fan Club Pre-Sale Goes Corporate

Many artists have made a practice of allowing registered members of their fan club to purchase tickets for their shows in advance of the general public. For most fan clubs, membership is free and takes only a minute to complete the online form. Savvy marketers that they are, The Rolling Stones were one of the first artists to take the concept one step further, charging a hefty membership fee for inclusion in their fan club. Other bands like The Who, U2 and recently The Police picked up on the practice, which amounts simply to a premium payment of usually $60 or more, for the right to buy advance tickets. Sad enough that bands found a new way to extract money from their fans' wallets, corporate marketers have recently latched on to this trick. For the recent Best Buy sponsored reunion of The Police, members of Best Buy's Rewards Program had the opportunity to purchase tickets even before The Police's fan club, whose membership fee is $100. Norah Jones' recent concert at the Theater at Madison Square Garden was practically sold out through the Target pre-sale by the time tickets were made available to the rest of her non-Target shopping fans. Corporate sponsorship has become an accepted practice within the touring world, but when purchasing preference of quality concert tickets becomes a Best Buy, Target or any other corporate benefit, it's the fans who will truly suffer.

7. The Grateful Dead Removes Their Soundboards From the Live Music Archives

Inherent to The Grateful Dead's mystique was their willingness to permit their fans to bootleg and trade their live shows. Long before other bands would recognize the benefits to be reaped from the free exchange of live music, The Dead created the model from which they would work. With the advent of the Live Music Archives at archive.org, Deadheads entered the digital age, flooding the site with multiple copies of nearly every Dead show ever played; all with the permission and consent of the venerable San Francisco band. The Grateful Dead were not the first band to change their mind about the availability of their shows on the Archives, but their about-face stung their fans the most.



Citing the detrimental effect on present and future archival CD and DVD releases, the Grateful Dead, upon the initiative of Bob Weir, Bill Kreutzmann and Mickey Hart, revoked the consent that permitted the Archives to act as a conduit for the exchange of the Dead's shows, denying fans the opportunity to obtain the music for free so that it could be sold to them in the future. "When the music was given away for free to trade, the band was making so much money touring that the music was not as valuable to them," explained Marc Schiller, who assists the Dead with their online marketing. "Apple iTunes has made digital downloads a business." The Dead underestimated the angry, aggrieved response from their fans: like dire wolves they howled vociferously, adamantly pointing to Jerry Garcia's numerous statements that the music belonged to the fans. Bassist Phil Lesh even chimed in to express his bewilderment over the entire issue. Ultimately, a compromise was reached: fans would still be able to freely download shows recorded by their peers but the better-quality soundboard recordings would remain available as streaming audio only - that is, until the Dead decide to release the show commercially and remove it from circulation.

6. John Fogerty Gets Sued For Plagiarizing Himself

In 1985, John Fogerty, the most identifiable member of Creedence Clearwater Revival, released Centerfield, the album that marked the high-water mark of his post-Creedence recording career. As Fogerty had assigned the copyrights to his CCR material to Saul Zaentz' Fantasy Records as part of a deal to get out of his contract, he was loathe to play his old material lest he generate royalties for Zaentz, a man he despised. Once Centerfield, which contained the scathingly derogatory "Zanz Can't Dance" (ultimately changed to "Vanz Kant Danz"), became a certified hit for Warner Bros., Zaenz retaliated as only a scorned corporate mogul can. In a fit of pique, Zaentz sued Fogerty for infringing the copyrights he held on Fogerty's Creedence Clearwater Revival material. Claiming that Fogerty's hit single "Old Man Down The Road" sounded too similar to Creedence's "Run Through The Jungle," Fantasy Records sued Fogerty, marking the first time in history that a label sued a musician for sounding like themselves. Although the Court declined to set a precedent that a musician cannot plagiarize from himself, Fogerty did win at trial. With guitar in hand, Fogerty took the witness stand and took the jury through the songwriting process of each song, showing that a musician can have an archetypal sound without borrowing from past successes. As Fogerty hadn't played Creedence songs in years, seats for the gallery were filled for his performance/testimony. "I was accused of ripping off myself," Fogerty later marveled. "The little boy in me envisions the day I'll actually segue from 'Old Man' right into 'Run Through the Jungle.'"

5. EMI Sees Things In Black And White – Not Grey

Before DJ Danger Mouse became a household name as the skinnier half of Gnarls Barkley, he stood poised to become a highly publicized defendant to a copyright infringement suit at the hands of EMI. Mixing Jay-Z's raps from The Black Album with musical snippets from The Beatles' White Album, Danger Mouse, nee Brian Joseph Burton, created the cleverly-named The Grey Album. Danger Mouse pressed only 3000 copies: none of which he sold, giving them away to his friends instead. However, in the age of the Internet, The Grey Album became a digital success story with copies being downloaded in record numbers. By exposing Beatles fans to Jay-Z and vice versa, Danger Mouse's 2004 venture transcended the lines that usually bracket musical genres, creating an interpretive work to be enjoyed by everyone . . . except EMI Records. While Sony Music/ATV Publishing, a venture between Sony Music and Michael Jackson, own the publishing side of The Beatles catalog, EMI controls The Beatles' sound recordings on behalf of Capitol Records, Inc. At the peak of The Grey Album's success, the hyper-vigilant EMI sent cease-and-desist letters to Danger Mouse and independent retail outlets carrying the album, effectively ceasing distribution of one of rock's most inventive musical works. The concept of reworking Beatles music and vocals in fresh combinations wouldn't be forgotten though. Two years later, EMI would release Love, a recombination of Beatles music overseen by producer George Martin and his son Giles.

4. Ticketmaster Crushes Pearl Jam

At the apex of their early 90s success, Pearl Jam got the bizarre notion in their head that tickets prices for their shows should be kept reasonable, somewhere around $20. Raining on the grunge rockers parade, Ticketmaster's service charges rendered such a dream relatively impossible. When Ticketmaster proved to be killjoy, remaining inflexible on Pearl Jam's demands that they soften their policies on excessive service fees, Pearl Jam refused to play any arena that sold tickets through Ticketmaster. Quickly, they learned that practically every arena in the United States had an exclusive ticket sales agreement with Ticketmaster and that the corporate behemoth threatened lawsuits against any promoter or arena that breached it by using another distributor. Left with no method of selling tickets, Pearl Jam cancelled their 1994 summer tour and brought an antitrust suit alleging that Ticketmaster used a monopolistic domination of the ticket distribution industry to secure a near 30% markup on tickets sales. In the band's view, Ticketmaster was taking unfair advantage of adolescent passion while unreasonably exploiting a marketplace in which they had no competition. Pearl Jam may have won a fleeting battle when Jeff Ament and Stone Gossard testified before Congress but ultimately Ticketmaster would win the war. By 1995, Congress decided against further investigating Ticketmaster's business practices and Pearl Jam's antitrust lawsuit proved unsuccessful. In 1998, heeding the complaints of their fans, who had difficulty acquiring tickets through alternative distributors, the grunge godfathers returned to Ticketmaster arenas. A true victory in every sense of the word for Ticketmaster, their service charges have doubled since the conflict ended.

3. Geffen Sues Neil Young For Not Sounding Like Neil Young

In 1983, David Geffen enticed Neil Young to sign with Geffen Records for considerably less money than Shakey was being offered elsewhere. The incentive that brought Young into Geffen's fold was the assurance that he could make whatever records he wanted without commercial restraint. Right off the bat, Young explored the new found territories of his freedom, testing the patience of his new label by experimenting with computer generated synth-rock and recording Trans, which gave the world an opportunity to hear what might have happened had "Mr. Soul" been recorded by robots. For his next effort, Young recorded Everybody's Rockin', an album of middling Fifties-style rockabilly tunes. Despite the fact that Young was exerting the exact creative freedom promised to him, Geffen wondered exactly they were getting out of their deal and sued Young for making "uncharacteristic music with no chance of commercial success." Even though Trans and Everybody's Rockin' peaked respectively at #19 and #46 on Billboard's album charts, Geffen seemed miffed that they didn't sound like Harvest or Tonight's The Night and demanded the return of $3 million dollars advanced to Young. In response, Young countersued for $21 million, the value of the entire deal. Although the matter ultimately settled, Geffen Records lost some credibility as a label with a commitment to fostering artistic creativity. Backtracking from the allegations of the suit, Geffen later tried to justify it, "The truth is I fought with [Young] because I wanted him to do better work."

2. The "Special Edition" CD

When music fans worldwide embraced compact disc technology in the Eighties, record companies salivated over the ability to sell them music they already owned, albeit in a higher-quality medium. Over the past 25 years, practically every major, minor and obscure album has been released on CD, leaving the labels with the quandary of having to come up with new music for the public to purchase. From this dilemma sprung the insidious creation of the "special edition" CD. Relying on fans' obsession to own the highest quality version of their favorite album, labels "remastered" them, tacked on a couple outtakes and re-released it in an effort to seek an additional $13.99. Already purchased Aqualung on CD? Well, too bad, because now you missed out on the "special edition" containing an interview with Ian Anderson and alternate versions of three songs off their earlier albums. The practice has pervaded practically any new re-issue. For example, although long available on CD, Arista re-released Patti Smith's Horses as a remastered special edition containing one solitary bonus track ("My Generation") and a "legacy edition" containing a second disc with a live performance of Horses. While nicely packaged and presented, the practice smacks of charging full price for an already available product with little fresh material. The practice has spread to Greatest Hits reissues as well. What better way to boost sales for Aerosmith's fourth Greatest Hits collection than to add on a couple rushed together new songs? Even when the re-issue does it right, like the "special edition" of Bruce Springsteen's Born To Run, the labels use the bona fide extras (e.g. concert footage, classic photos and copious liner notes) as an excuse to obscenely jack up the price.

1. Woodstock 99

Raping their own legacy and sinking to deplorable depths of capitalistic corporate behavior, Woodstock's organizers tried one last time to milk a dollar out of 3 more days of peace love and music. To counteract the storied legions of festival-goers who crashed the gates at the original Bethel, NY concert and its 1994 Saugerties, NY sequel, Woodstock 99 took place at the well-defended Griffiss Air Force Base in Rome, NY. The fenced in, concrete covered space not only kept anyone without a $150 ticket (a steep price at that time) outside the gates, it also trapped in the 90 degree heat. Bringing life to the grizzly yet surefire marketing concept of selling water in the desert, the festival's organizers were more than happy to hydrate the sweltering fans - for $6 a bottle. Contrary to the spirit of brotherhood fostered at the original Woodstock, everything at Woodstock 99 was for sale, with corporate tents and ATMs set up throughout the grounds. By Sunday night, the breaking point had been reached. Limp Bizkit's "Break Stuff" seemed to inspire many in the crowd to recklessness and by the time the Red Hot Chili Peppers launched into Jimi Hendrix' "Fire," rowdy, lawless fans had attacked numerous booths, ruined a great deal of merchandise and destroyed the Woodstock myth beyond repair. Woodstock 99's desire to wring every last cent out of their franchise, to the point of turning the crowd into a dehydrated, captive mass of marketing targets for food, water and merchandise, created the circumstances that led to the perfect storm of revolt against the "noble" corporate goal of maximizing profits at the expenses of the most communal, anti-commercial festival in rock and roll history.

Labels: Beatles, Creedence Clearwater Revival, DJ Danger Mouse, Grateful Dead, Jay-Z, John Fogerty, Lists, Neil Young, Pearl Jam, The Doors, The Rolling Stones, Woodstock

Arcade Fire front man Winn Butler lashed out at big bands like U2, Oasis and The Rolling Stones. Speaking to NME Butler implied that these big acts "force feed their music to fans."

Butler reportedly said: "It's not like we shun success, but at the same time we don't want to shove it down people's throats. In the UK there's this kind of rock star competition." The Gallaghers of Oasis certainly feel they're in a competition given the way they mouth off, but I don't think the Stones and U2 fit into that same mold.

I love it when rock stars talk about other rock stars "selling out" or trying to be too famous (like this guy didn't know he'd get tons of exposure for making these comments). Butler is a somewhat admitted hypocrite here. If he truly didn't like music to be marketed to fans he wouldn't have his band on one of the most successful labels who focus on marketing his music to fans. Yes, they are a good band and are putting on good shows, but lets drop the holier than thou attitude.

Labels: Arcade Fire, Oasis, The Rolling Stones, U2

Snow Patrol won four awards at Ireland's Meteor Music Awards last night. The lads won Best Live Performance, Best Irish Album, Most Downloaded Irish song, and Best Irish Band - beating off competition from The Divine Comedy, Humanzi and The Frames. Justin Timberlake was named "Best International Male" and Lily Allen was named "Best International Female". Scissor Sisters scooped the award for "Best International Group" and "Best International Album" went to Arctic Monkeys for Whatever People Say I am, That`s What I'm Not.

Mariah Carey is showing off her boobs on the cover of this month's Playboy. Yep, we don't care much either. But, anytime you can put "Mariah Carey", "Playboy" and "boobs" in your post there's a good chance the google gods will smile in our direction.

Billy Joel, Keith Richards and Elvis made Blender's list of rock's worst drivers. Apparently Richards used to have a "napping while driving" habit. Hopefully he sticks to limos these days.

Arcade Fire has now joined Fall Out Boy as the latest indie rockers to duke it out with security guards. NME reports that front man Win Butler scuffled with a security guard after a recent gig when the band wanted to play one more song...in the venue's foyer. In an era where concerts have gotten shorter, I've got to tip my hat to this guy for going the extra mile to give fans something extra to remember.

Philadelphia's Dr. Dog have caught the national media's attention with their upcoming release. High praise is coming from no less than Rolling Stone and GQ (what, GQ reviews music?) and CREEM Magazine. We All Belong drops on February 27th, but you can check out Dr. Dog's video for "My Old Ways" on MTV.com starting today and on MTV2 "Subterranean" on Sunday, February 4th.
MP3: Alaska

Death Cab for Cutie frontman, Ben Gibbard recently wrote a blog entry about The Birmingham Sound: The Soul of Neal Hemphill (a collection of unreleased recordings from Neal Hemphill's Sound of Birmingham and Hemphill Studios) on his MOG.com page, calling it "the best soul music you've most likely never heard."
MP3: "Groove Me Mamma" by Eddie Steele.

You may remember Andrew Douglas Rothbard from his vocal work in Sub Pop rage-rockers Pleasure Forever. After the group disbanded, Andrew disappeared from "the scene" to work on his solo material. His album Abandoned Meander was on Aquarius Records' top ten of 2006.
MP3s: Bull in the Dell, "High Upon Love" & "Indigo"

Labels: Arcade Fire, Arctic Monkeys, Billy Joel, Justin Timberlake, Lily Allen, Philadelphia, Playboy, Scissor Sisters, Snow Patrol, The Rolling Stones

Justin Timberlake continues to amaze. Not just on stage, but off. Perez Hilton - ok, not exactly a journalistic icon - reports that Timberlake was joined at Sundance by Jessica Biel. Now, that my friends certainly qualifies as sexy back.

Keith Richards, who may or may not have recovered from falling out of that tree last year, is apparently on a health kick. The "walking dead" guitarist has reportedly taken to drinking "organic vodka." The healthy booze was supposedly a gift from Ronnie Wood's wife, who is reported to be encouraging a more healthy lifestyle for the group of sixty-somethings.

Jason Mraz composed "The Beauty In The Ugly" in support of the "Be Ugly 07" campaign as "Ugly Betty" seems to be all the rage these days. The show appears Thursdays on ABC at 8/7c.
Stream: real / windows

U-Melt's Winter Tour will be kicking off tonight, Friday, 1/26, with a show at Mexicali Blues Cafe in Teaneck, NJ. Saturday night, U-Melt will be travelling down the Jersey Turnpike to headline The North Star in Philly. More tour dates here.

The Arctic Monkeys reportedly were victims of theft. The band was said to have set up a photo shoot near some unoccupied Liverpool houses and were planning to feature a toilet in the shots. But, some local kids reportedly spoiled the fun when the ran off with it. Now word on whether the loo-ters were caught.

The Safes get a mention here because of a song title I liked. Their "Phonebook Full of Phonies" title reminded me of my favorite book Catcher in the Rye. You'll recall Holden Caufield's fondness of the word phonies. But, back to the Safes, the Chicago band of brothers just released their latest record Well, Well, Well. and are embarking on a club tour.
MP3s: "Phonebook Full of Phonies" and "Fairy Tale Tomorrow"

The legendary B.B. King was reportedly hospitalized last night. King is reportedly in good condition and under observation in the University Of Texas Medical Branch in Galveston. No reason was reported for the visit. King's hospitalisation meant a scheduled gig last night at the Grand Opera House had to be cancelled.
Video Flashback: B.B. King joins Stevie Ray Vaugh for SRV's "Texas Flood" in 1988.

Labels: Arctic Monkeys, BB King, Justin Timberlake, The Rolling Stones, U-Melt

After spending the summer playing stadiums and soccer arenas around the world, The Rolling Stones have announced a two night run at New York City's 2,900 seat Beacon Theater. The October 29 and October 31 shows will be part of Bill Clinton's 60th birthday celebration and will be The Stones' most intimate concert performances in years. Tickets for the shows have yet to go on sale and no statement has been made as to their face value, which should be sizable. However, proceeds are earmarked for Clinton's charitable foundations. There has also been no announcement as to whether the former President will break out his saxophone and join Mick, Keith and the boys on stage. (Earvolution suggests The Stones' cover of Ray Charles' "The Right Time" would be a perfect vehicle for a Presidential jam session).

Director Martin Scorsese will be filming the shows for use in a documentary on The Rolling Stones' Bigger Bang tour. One of the editors on the original Woodstock documentary, Scorsese's most recent rock 'n' roll doc on Bob Dylan, No Direction Home, won a slew of awards including a Grammy for Best Long Form Video.

Labels: The Rolling Stones

Over the past two weeks Keith Richards may or may not have fallen out of a palm tree. Over those same two weeks: Keith Richards may or may not have had brian surgery; opted against brain surgery or may not have ever needed brain surgery in the first place. During that same two weeks, The Rolling Stones cancelled some shows.

However, rather than enlighten their fans on the current status of the band or provide updates on Keith Richards' present medical condition, The Rolling Stones newsletter opted to inform their fans the startling revelation...that Rolling Stones World Cup merchandise is currently on sale. Nice.

Now, I know it's only rock and roll, but who can like this type of merchandising?

Labels: The Rolling Stones

According to a statement released by his publicist to PRinside.com, Rolling Stones guitarist Keith Richards is denying rumors that he faces long term or permanent brain damage and paralysis after falling from a palm tree in Fiji last month.

British tabloids claimed that Richards was set to undergo a second operation on his brain to remove broken bone and stem internal bleeding, at an Auckland, New Zealand, hospital. However, a publicist for the 62-year-old insists the reports are inaccurate and says Richards will be ready to play revised dates for the Stones' "A Bigger Bang" tour set to resume early next month.

The statement reads, "The first and only operation was done on Monday, May 8, and was 100 per cent successful. There was no brain damage. He continues to improve as expected."

Labels: The Rolling Stones

Keith Richards and Mick Jagger made news this week for reasons other than their music.

Richards reportedly fell out of a palm tree in Fiji, when he and fellow Stone Ron Wood attempted to climb it. Hmmm...what possibly motivated these guys to try and climb a palm tree? When you're a Rolling Stone anything is possible - even at 62 years old.

Meanwhile, frontman Mick Jagger made news for doing his own slapstick. Of course, Jagger's comedy act was on purpose as he's filming a pilot for ABC that may hit the airwaves this fall. Jagger also was the subject of reports saying he had refused to give up a hotel room to President Bush the singer has booked for the Stones' concert in Vienna, Austria in June. Jagger's camp says the reports are not true in that no one from Bush's team had requested Jagger release the room.

The seemingly ageless Stones are still on tour and play next in Barcelona, Spain on May 27 and continue touring Europe throughout the summer.

Labels: The Rolling Stones

After all these years the Stones are still rock and roll enough to get censored. No, there wasn't a true "malfunction" in the Janet Jackson sense, but these buzzwords have a way of catching on and when buzzwords catch on "google hits" usually follow.

Unlike the Stones infamous Ed Sullivan appearance when they changed their lyrics to suit the suits, Mick stuck to his guns and sang the lyrics as writte for "Rough Justice" and "Satisfaction" which included what some deemed to be sexually explicit references. Rather than face the wrath of America's morality watchdogs and the FCC, the NFL and ABC had their own censors "silence" certain lyrics.

For example in the opening lines of Rough Justice, Mick bellows:

One time you were my baby chicken
Now you've grown into a fox
Once upon a time I was your little rooster
But am I just one of your cocks

It's Mick's second reference to rooster that got the axe. Interestingly though, Mick's allusion to oral sex nearly immediately following that line was heard loud and clear.

So put your lips to my hips, baby
And tell me what's on your mind

In the post-Janet Jackson wardrobe malfunction era, I won't be surprised if someone fires up the old complaint letter duplicator machine and let's some good old fashioned "outrage" rip toward the FCC.

Labels: The Rolling Stones