| CMU Daily - on the inside Monday 30th October |
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In today's CMU Daily:
- Hendrix family threaten lawsuit over songs sale
- US judge rules 50 Cent didn't steal birthday line
- EMI music chief: go on, be innovative, you know you want to
- Proof shooter released from prison
- Snoop Dogg in more trouble
- Malawian rights groups get extension in Madonna case
- Flowers on Burton and Elfman
- Jacko to appear at World Music Awards
- New Order play lots of Joy Division
- Single review: Beestings - Running Away
- Gabriel on his latest digital music venture
- Cream launch new community site
- Jay-Z on Dame Dash and LL Cool J
- Victory sign up to eMusic
- Ticketmaster expand into China
- Guardian launch music site
- Chart update
- Total Rock World Album Chart
- Subshot playlist
- This week's Student Radio Chart
- Live review: Jenny Lewis & The Watson Twins at Cain's Ballroom, Tulsa
- Dylan musical opens on Broadway
- Bets are on for Christmas number one
- Moby says raves made him bald
- Gallagher disses people shocker
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TOP BIT>>
Ladies and gentlemen, this just in. Art Brut and Pink Grease have just been added to the line up of next month's Insomniacs Ball. You heard it here first (possibly, or perhaps you already knew - I can't keep up with every single reader's awareness of these things, you know). This means that the Insomniacs Ball line up now boasts all of the following: The Young Knives, Sunshine Underground, Blood Red Shoes, Art Brut, Pink Grease, Friendly Fires, White Rose Movement, Robots In Disguise, Roland Shanks, The Blood Arm, Neils Children, The Officers, Dead Disco, Digitalism, Goose, Lo Fi Funk, Foals, plus on DJ duties Jagz Kooner, Gavin Nugent, Mark Beaumont, Eddy TM, Freelance Hellraiser, Jeff Automatic, Silverlink, Mathew WoWoW and the Modular DJs. Storming. It all takes place in the vaults beneath London Bridge station, the seOne Club, on 25 Nov, into the morning of 26 Nov. Tickets are just £21.50. You can get the full lowdown at http://www.insomniacsball.co.uk, order tickets from http://www.ticketweb.co.uk and get all the press info you need from Scruffy Bird.
Plus, the CMU Beats Bar has a pair of tickets to give away. To be in with a chance of winning them just email your name and number to [email protected] Yep, it's that simple.
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CLASSIFIEDS>>
INTERESTED IN SELLING YOUR RECORD LABEL?
Music Gain is acquiring record labels and catalogue. If you are thinking of selling, or are interested
in a long term capital partner, please contact us. Introduction and spotters fees also paid. Please visit us - http://www.musicgain.com
--
ADVERTISE YOUR SERVICES & PRODUCTS here for just £50 a week, or £150 for two weeks in the Daily and four weeks on the web. Email [email protected] for details.
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CMU RECOMMENDS>>
AIM MUSIC CONNECTED - THIS WEDNESDAY!
The Association Of Independent Music this week stages the UK's biggest one day digital music event, AIM Music Connected, bringing together some 500 attendees from over 100 digital companies and 200 labels. A development of AIM's existing Digital & Distribution Day, this year's expanded event will take place at the Novotel in Hammersmith, and will give independent labels the know-how and contacts they need to best manage and grow their digital businesses. Over 350 people have already confirmed they will intend including, on the digital side, Napster, Virgin Digital, eMusic, HMV Digital, Vital:PIAS Digital, Pinnacle, OD2, Last.fm, 7 Digital, and The Orchard and, on the labels side, AIM members Rough Trade, Beggars Group, Sanctuary, Ninja Tune, Cooking Vinyl, ZTT, Hospital Records, and Cherry Red. There will be a deal zone, pitching zone, masterclass filled learning zone and networking zone. This is going to be really big, and if you are involved in the digital or independent sectors, you really should be there. It takes place on 1 Nov from 10am to 6pm - admission is free for AIM members and £60 for others.
Full info>> http://www.musicindie.com/eventbookingform.asp
BREAKING GROUND
Another storming night for your diaries - the second edition of breaks fest Breaking Ground. All the big names are going to be on the bill - Pendulum (Live), Stanton Warriors, Rennie Pilgrem with MC Chickaboo, Splitloop (Live), Precision Cuts, Janette Slack, Breakfastaz, Deekline & Wizard with MC Ivory, Cltr-Z, Freshold, Si Begg, General Midi, Soto, Merka, Symmetrik, Dirtpop, Mr Sushi and Fyoog. Phew. It will all take place at London's seOne Club on Saturday 2 Dec, from 9.30pm to 6am. Tickets are £18.50 in advance - from http://www.ticketweb.co.uk - press info from Leyline.
Full info>> http://www.leylinepromotions.com/breakingground
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MYSPACE OF THE DAY: MY LUMINARIES
Talking of browsing through the friends page on my MySpace, which I haven't yet, but will do in a bit, these guys 'friend-ed' me recently (MySpace jargon there, in case you wondered), which might have been a sneaky way to prompt us to assign them the honour of MSOTD, or it might have just been them being lovely people. Either way, it's about time we did give My Luminaries this honour, because the buzz around these guys has continued to grow since we first interviewed them on the CMU Beats Bar back at the start of the year, around about the time they released that limited edition single via Xtra Mile Recordings before wowing the crowd at January's Xfm Remix Night. They are especially relevant right now because the band's first single proper, 'Jumping The Great White', is out soon (27 Nov) on Gronland Records, and it's a bit fab - you can hear it on this MySpace. Details are also there of their support slot on the upcoming Radio 4 tour, plus some headline gigs, and a return slot at Remix Night next month to celebrate the single release. All good. Go see.
http://www.myspace.com/myluminaries
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HENDRIX FAMILY THREATEN LAWSUIT OVER SONGS SALE
The family of the late Jimi Hendrix have said they are considering legal action over the $15 million auction last week of some of the legendary guitarist's most famous songs.
The rights to songs like 'Purple Haze' and 'Voodoo Chile' were sold last week as part of an auction of the estate of Hendrix manager Michael Jeffrey, who died in 1973, three years after Hendrix himself. However, the Seattle based Experience Hendrix company, which represents Hendrix's estate, has said that it owns the rights to the songs sold last week, and that it will take legal action to prove that fact.
A spokesman for the company told reporters on Friday: "Whoever bought this bought themselves the right to be a litigant. It will be contested instantly".
It's not the first time Experience Hendrix has entered into legal disputes relating to the ownership of Hendrix songs or recordings. As previously reported, last year they took London based Purple Haze and New York based PPX Enterprises to court to stop the release of what they considered to be unlicensed Hendrix recordings.
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US JUDGE RULES 50 CENT DIDN'T STEAL BIRTHDAY LINE
A US judge has ruled that a line used in 50 Cent's 2003 hit 'In Da Club' was not lifted from a 1994 track from former 2 Live Crew frontman Luther Campbell.
As previously reported, 50 Cent, real name Curtis Jackson, was sued at the start of the year by Lil Joe Wein Music, who own the copyright on Campbell's track 'It's Your Birthday'. They claimed that Fiddy had stolen the line "Sheila, it's your birthday" from that track, and used it as "Shorty, it's your birthday" in 'In Da Club'. At the time a lawyer representing Campbell told reporters: "It's the melody, it's the pace, the style - everything about that one line is the same. We're entitled to a portion of the profits".
However, US District Judge Paul C Huck last week disagreed, saying that the phrase in question was a "common, unoriginal, non-copyrightable element of the song", adding that the line only represented eleven seconds of a track that last three minutes. He said no reasonable jury would conclude that, overall, the two songs had "substantial similarities", nor would the average person confuse the two songs. On that basis, he dismissed the case against 50 Cent.
Neither side in the legal case have, as yet, commented.
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EMI MUSIC CHIEF: GO ON, BE INNOVATIVE, YOU KNOW YOU WANT TO
Stating the obvious, a little (not that there's anything wrong with occasionally stating the obvious), EMI Music boss Alain Levy has told the London Media Summit in, erm, London, that media businesses must place greater emphasis on the consumer in this here digital age. He told the conference at the London Business School on Friday: "Digital has brought us closer to the people who buy music, and has facilitated a new age of empowerment. Power is shifting everywhere from manufacturers, content providers and retailers to consumers. In this age of empowerment, the consumer is king."
With that in mind he recommended: "In the current environment, we must endeavour to ensure that innovation is central to everything that we do, and that we become true sponsors and facilitators of innovation. We must support models that appeal to all different types of consumers. At EMI Music, we will remain committed to working with existing partners to develop new and exciting services for fans. And my door, and those of my senior executives, will always be open to those entrepreneurs seeking support - whether through content licenses or indeed seed financing - for clear business models that will drive digital music forward".
Predictably (though, rightly, in my humble opinion), Levy dismissed the idea that record labels would become redundant in the YouTube age of user generated content, adding: "There will always be demand for compelling content, whatever its source. It is by providing a filter and bringing the consumer an authentic experience that media companies must lead the charge in generating the content of the future".
On the non digital world, Levy admitted that "the CD as it is right now is dead", adding that physical product, which still accounts for the vast majority of a record companies income of course, needs to come with enhanced content if it is to compete in the changing market place. According to Dow Jones' website MarketWatch he stressed the CD still had its place - "you're not going to offer your mother-in-law iTunes downloads for Christmas" - but added: "We have to be much more innovative in the way we sell physical content. By the beginning of next year, none of our content will come without any additional material".
Levy also used the event to comment on his company's ongoing negotiations with Google regarding the unofficial presence of the record company's content on both the Google Video and YouTube websites. EMI are the only major not to reach a licensing arrangement with the internet conglomerate. Levy said that he was concerned about the copyright issues surrounding this site, and that while talks were ongoing regarding granting a licence to legitimise the sharing of EMI's content on the video sharing platforms, he said "the terms they were offering weren't acceptable".
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PROOF SHOOTER RELEASED FROM PRISON
The man who fatally wounded Detroit rapper Proof during a gunfight at the CCC club on the city's 8 Mile Road earlier this year has been released after serving a little more than six months in prison. As previously reported, Mario Etheridge was not charged with killing Proof, real name Deshaun Holton, because he was judged to be acting in defence of his cousin, Keith Bender, who was also fatally shot, dying in hospital a week after the incident took place.
Etheridge was instead convicted of the lesser charges of discharging and possessing a weapon. He was released last week after being sentenced to a $2000 fine and time served - the security guard has been in prison since the incident back in April.
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SNOOP DOGG IN MORE TROUBLE
Snoop Dogg has got into trouble with the authorities again, after police discovered cannabis and a gun in his car at the Bob Hope airport near Burbank in California. As previously reported, the rap star, aka Calvin Broadus, was recently found with in possession of an illegal police baton onboard a flight from California to New York.
Snoop has paid bail of £35,000 over the new incident and will appear in court on 12 Dec, although the rapper's lawyer, Donald Etra, says that his client has done nothing wrong, telling reporters: "There was no basis for this arrest. We believe that once this is cleared up, all charges will be dismissed."
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MALAWIAN RIGHTS GROUPS GET EXTENSION IN MADONNA CASE
The coalition of Malawian rights groups who are opposing Madonna's adoption of little David Banda have been given an extension to prepare their legal challenge, despite the fact that the baby's father objects to their course of action. Judge Andrew Nyirenda has adjourned the hearing until 13 Nov, after lawyers for the rights group, the government and the singer all appeared at a closed court in Lilongwe.
Justin Dzodzi, chair of the human rights alliance organisation said: "The hearing has been postponed until November 13 for the closed-door chamber to hear further arguments." Madonna's lawyer Allan Chinula added "The rights groups have been asked to prepare more arguments. We have already given our evidence to the court."
The baby's father Yohane Banda was also present for the hearing, and reiterated his feelings that the human rights groups should leave well alone. He told reporters: "I gave David to Madonna with all my heart so that she should bring him up and give him a better life. I am worried about the case here because it might jeopardise the chances for David. I don't agree with the action taken by the rights groups. Where were they when Madonna came to Malawi to seek this adoption? I want David to be kept by Madonna."
He added: "I am surprised by this case, that's why I have come to see its outcome. If it was a village court, there would have been no case at all."
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FLOWERS ON BURTON AND ELFMAN
I think you're already aware (or should be, because I am pretty sure I reported on this) that Tim Burton was set to direct a promo for The Killers. Well, he did, and it's the video for 'Bones', and it features bits from classic movies like 'The Creature From The Black Lagoon' and 'From Here To Eternity'. The band's frontman Brandon Flowers told The Sun last week: "It's wonderful. The song's called 'Bones' and it's got brass on it and it's romantic, but it's dark and it just felt like Tim Burton."
Flowers also revealed that he's always been a big fan of Danny Elfman, who frequently soundtracks films for Burton, of course. The singer said: "I stalked Danny Elfman once when he came to eat at a restaurant that I worked at. I went up to the table, I wasn't allowed to, but it was his birthday and he ended up being really sweet. He actually came in the next day and wrote me a note. And so it's been kind of cool to have this big full circle come, where now Tim Burton's talking to [Danny] about us. And he remembers that bus boy."
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JACKO TO APPEAR AT WORLD MUSIC AWARDS
Michael Jackson is to make a first proper public UK appearance for the first time in about nine years when he receives the Diamond Award for his contribution to music at the World Music Awards in London on 15 Nov. The ceremony, this year hosted by actress Lindsay Lohan, will see performances from Beyonce, Katie Melua and Mary J Blige. Blige will also be the recipient of a Legend award for her contribution to R&B. Awards are based on worldwide sales.
Awards founder Melissa Corken says: "We are thrilled to be bringing the World Music Awards to London, the music capital of the world. The UK is the home to many of the world's greatest selling artists of all time. The presence of Michael Jackson is very exciting for us."
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NEW ORDER PLAY LOTS OF JOY DIVISION
New Order opened their set at Wembley Arena on Friday with no less than five of their Joy Division tracks - 'She's Lost Control', 'Shadow Play', 'Love Will Tear Us Apart', 'Transmission' and 'Atmosphere'. The band then returned to New Order songs for the rest of the show.
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SINGLE REVIEW: Beestings - Running Away (Council Pop Records)
Beesting's first single, 'Running Away', is a lightweight. In other words, it's quick, lean and toned, but it won't knock you out. At two minutes and fifty-four seconds, the radio edit highlights the band's strength - playing with dynamics, creating music with pronounced peaks and valleys. The protracted introduction, where swelling strings and brooding synth chords flirt like two beasts of prey, is perhaps the most noteworthy - and effective - of such valleys. Then, the breakbeats simmer and begin to boil below, and Valklyre's languid alto voice seems to float to the top. 51 seconds in, the chorus slams home. The energy is undeniable, and the quick swing from ethereal to mash-up will still hit you after repeated listenings. Where this effort falls flat is its lyrical content. 'Running away' is a good topic, lots of engaging angles, so it's a shame these two words essentially are the lyrics. BH
Release Date: 13 Nov
Press Contact: Rood Media [all]
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GABRIEL ON HIS LATEST DIGITAL MUSIC VENTURE
Peter Gabriel, no stranger to pioneering digital music services, has been bigging up the latest digital music venture in which he has a stake - The Filter. This is another bit of technology that aims to help music fans navigate the plethora of music out there in the digital world. It checks out the music stored on a user's computer and then recommends other albums and artists based on the owner's tastes.
Gabriel, who has a stake in The Filter's parent company, told reporters last week: "I think we are drowning in information and choices and you really need good filtering to help you get the stuff you really want".
The software initially runs on iTunes on PCs, though a Mac and Windows Media Player version is in the pipeline - you'll find more info and all that gubbins at http://www.thefilter.com.
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CREAM LAUNCH NEW COMMUNITY SITE
Talking of new digital ventures, one I meant to report on a week or so ago but I completely forgot to (it's a good job I was looking for a contact on the friends page of my MySpace last night, and that while there I stumbled across Gill from Cream's link, otherwise I might have forgotten completely).
Anyway, the Cream people have announced a partnership with social networking company Playahead which will give the 70,000 people signed up to the clubbing brand's website access to a new online community, Playahead UK. Playahead already boasts some 2 million members across its networks in Sweden, Norway and Denmark. Members of the community can chat, share content and access a special Playazine e-zine.
Commenting on the new service, the aforementioned Gill Nightingale, Cream's Press & PR Manager, told CMU: "This is something that we have been looking forward to launching for a long time and we now feel that it's at a stage to release to the world! The Cream Community is already global and this is a great opportunity to fit all the pieces together to allow like minded people whether they be from Liverpool, Las Vegas, Argentina or Oz to meet and chat".
Leif Carlsson, CEO of Playahead, added: "Our cooperation is a major step towards the establishment of our site in the English market. Cream is the UK's strongest youth brand and leads the way when it comes to music, nightlife, clubbing and festivals worldwide; which is exactly what drives our members. It will be exciting to see how this cooperation will be met in other parts of the world since Cream already has a large number of members globally".
You can look at it all for yourself at http://cream.playahead.co.uk - press info from [email protected]
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JAY-Z ON DAME DASH AND LL COOL J
Jay-Z, busy promoting new album 'Kingdom Come', has been talking to US hip hop mag XXL about his backstage ventures.
First, on ending his business partnership with Roc-A-Fella co-founder Damon Dash, he says "it wasn't what it once was, in my eyes... it wasn't the same thing". However, he stressed that the parting of company with Dash was amicable (despite some reports to the contrary at the time), adding that Universal Music offered him "fucking $20 million to [just] cut Damon out, but I didn't do it - you're friends, you ain't supposed to do that".
Second, on claims by LL Cool J that Jay, as head of Def Jam Records, didn't do enough to promote his most recent album: "We went above and beyond with his project. We shot two videos with Hype Williams, got Jennifer Lopez to appear in one. The commitment to the project was clearly there. How much can you give a man?"
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VICTORY SIGN UP TO EMUSIC
US rock independent Victory Records has signed up to eMusic, and will make its music available via the DRM free independent download platform from tomorrow. The launch of Victory on eMusic will coincide with the label's Tuesday Of Terror promotion, which will see the release of new tracks from Aiden, Four Letter Lie, Endwell, Moros Eros and Scars of Tomorrow.
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TICKETMASTER EXPAND INTO CHINA
Ticketmaster has expanded into China through an alliance with Beijing CSI Ticketing Development. The new joint venture, the catchy titled Beijing Gehua Ticketmaster Ticketing Co, will be the exclusive ticketing provider for the Beijing Olympics which is, presumably, a pretty good contract.
Ticketmaster president Sean Moriarty told Billboard that the Chinese live events market is becoming increasingly important, observing that there is "explosive growth" there and that "the market is moving at a pace that we certainly have not seen anywhere else before". He continued: "We are going to do the 2008 Games within the context of our [joint venture] partnership, and we are going to be pursuing other opportunities in Beijing within the context of that JV. At the same time, we are evaluating very carefully opportunities across mainland China and Hong Kong".
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GUARDIAN LAUNCH MUSIC SITE
The Guardian has launched a music website featuring daily music news - yeah, that old thing. There'll be reviews and interviews too. Oh, and a daily blog and regular podcast. You'll find it at http://www.guardian.co.uk/music. Intel will sponsor the site for the first six months.
Confirming the new site and its sponsor, the Guardian's digital content supremo, Emily Bell, told the, erm, Guardian: "The scale of our sponsorship with Intel is a media first for us. Obviously we will retain editorial independence, but we will work with Intel to integrate their brand into the site on a number of different levels and at the same time offer added value to our users."
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CHART UPDATE
So straight in at the top on this week's lovely singles chart, as expected, go McFly with their rather good new track 'Star Girl'. They go in just ahead of Fedde Le Grand, who get a new entry at 2 with 'Put Your Hands Up For Detroit'.
Other new entries run thus: Bodyrox ft Luciana and 'Yeah Yeah' at 11, View and 'Superstar Tradesman' at 15, Magic Numbers and 'Take A Chance' at 16, Rihanna and 'We Ride' at 17, The Kooks and 'Ooh La' at 20, The Raconteurs and 'Broken Boy Soldier' at 22, The Long Blondes and 'Once And Never Again' at 30, Upper Street and 'The One' at 35 (mmm, I wonder if they'll consider that a big enough success to proceed with the album?) and Cooper Temple Clause and 'Homo Sapiens' at 36.
Onto the album chart, and despite fears the great British public wouldn't be especially fussed with Robbie's new more eclectic long player, and despite fears legal shenanigans would mess with the marketing and release schedule, the EMI bankroller has still managed to go straight in at the top with 'Rudebox'. It will be interesting to see if overall sales figures are sufficient to help EMI reach their current financial targets (you'll remember EMI recently cited the Robbie release as one of the reasons they expected to reach their financial year targets, despite a slightly lower than expected performance in the first half of the year).
Of course Robbie must have shifted quite a lot of units to go top, because it was by no means a quiet week for album releases. My Chemical Romance got second place with their new long player 'The Black Parade'. Then it goes Meat Loaf 'Bat Out Of Hell 3' at 3 (I'm still undecided on that one to be honest), Rod Stewart's 'Still The Same' at 4, John Legend's 'Once Again' at 10, Ordinary Boys' 'How To Get Everything You Ever Wanted' at 15, and a conveniently timed Meat Loaf best of at 23.
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TOTAL ROCK WORLD ALBUM CHART
As counted down on Total Rock over the weekend - http://www.totalrock.com. New and re-entries marked with a *
1. Evanescence - The Open Door (SonyBMG)
2. Audioslave - Revelations (SonyBMG/Epic)
3. Red Hot Chili Peppers - Stadium Arcadium (Warner Bros)
4. Nickelback - All The Right Reasons (Roadrunner)
5. Jet - Shine On (Warner/Atlantic)
6. Iron Maiden - A Matter Of Life And Death (EMI)
7. Trivium - The Crusade (Roadrunner)*
8. Billy Talent - Billy Talent II (Warner/Atlantic)
9. Muse - Black Holes & Revelations (Warner Bros)
10. Razorlight - Razorlight (Universal/Mercury)
11. Evanescence - Fallen (SongBMG)
12. Stone Sour - Come What(ever) May (Roadrunner)
13. Guns n Roses - Greatest Hits (Universal/Geffen)
14. Blue October - Foiled (Universal)
15. The Mars Volta - Amputechture (Universal)
16. AFI - Decemberunderground (Universal/Polydor)
17. Papa Roach - The Paramour Sessions (Universal/Geffen)
18. Avenged Sevenfold - City Of Evil (Warner Bros)
19. Cradle Of Filth - Thornography (Roadrunner)
20. Saosin - Saosin (EMI/Capitol)
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SUBSHOT PLAYLIST
The videos appearing on the SUBtv screens network in students' unions around the UK this week. New entries marked with a *.
A-List
Air Traffic - She Never Even Told Me Her Name
All Saints - Rock Steady
*Babyshambles & Friends - Janie Jones (Strummerville)
Bodyrox feat. Luciana - Yeah Yeah
Fedde Le Grande - Put Your Hands Up For Detroit
Kasabian - Shoot The Runner
The Magic Numbers - Take a Chance
Oakenfold feat. Pharrell - Sex'n'Money
*Oasis - The Masterplan
Plan B - No More Eatin'
The View - Superstar Tradesman
Wolfmother - Joker and the Thief
B-List
AFI - Love Like Winter
*Example - What We Made
The Horrors - Count In Fives
*Jet - Bring It On Back
Klaxons - Magick
*Midlake - Head Home
*Misty's Big Adventure feat. Noddy Holder - Fashion Parade
*Paul Weller - Wild Blue Yonder
Ray LaMontagne - How Come
Stone Sour - Through Glass
Tunng - It's Because We've Got Hair
Ty - Closer
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THIS WEEK'S STUDENT RADIO CHART
The most played music on UK college radio this week, compiled by the Student Radio Association.
1. [6] The Killers - When We Were Young
2. [4] Razorlight - America
3. [11] Hot Chip - Over and Over
4. [1] The Kooks - Ooh La
5. [7] Muse - Starlight
6. [NE] The Zutons - Oh Stacey (Look What You've Done)
7. [NE] Wolfmother - Love Train
8. [RE] The Automatic - Recover
9. [17] Placebo - Meds
10. [NE] Scissor Sisters - I Don't Feel Like Dancing
11. [2] My Chemical Romance - The Black Parade
12. [3] Jamie T - If You Got the Money
13. [12] Panic! At The Disco - I Write Sins Not Tragedies
14. [29] New York Dolls - Dance Like a Monkey
15. [RE] The Fratellis - Chelsea Dagger
16. [RE] Lily Allen - LDN
17. [14] The Ordinary Boys - Lonely at the Top
18. [27] Paramore - Pressure
19. [18] Little Barrie - Pin That Badge
20. [NE] Soho Dolls - No Regrets
21. [RE] Guillemots - Trains to Brazil
22. [20] Cherry Blackstone - Watcha
23. [RE] Bedouin Soundclash - When the Night Feels my Song
24. [NE] Jamelia - Beware of the Dog
25. [NE] Vincent Vincent And The Villains - Johnny Two Bands
26. [NE] Kasabian - Empire
27. [NE] Goo Goo Dolls - Stay With You
28. [NE] Keane - Nothing In My Way
29. [8] The Raconteurs - Broken Boy Soldier
30. [23] Paolo Nutini - Jenny Don't Be Hasty
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LIVE REVIEW: Jenny Lewis & The Watson Twins at Cain's Ballroom, Tulsa, Oklahoma on Oct 24
Cain's Ballroom resonates with age. Portraits of old country singers stare down from the walls, and the atmosphere is thick. Onto the stage steps Khaela Maricich, one half of opening act The Blow. "I've heard this place is haunted", she says, "by the ghost of Bob Wills". She apologises that the other half of her band isn't present, explaining that he's on tour in France, and so all that's left is her. The act, therefore, just consists of her singing and dancing to electro-folk backing tracks - merging her lyrics into between-song banter and responding to an appreciative crowd. It's quirky and fun. Next up is Will Scheff, a singer-songwriter. A great performance, recalling a lot of Swedish indie-pop, as well as contemporaries like Ryan Adams and Conor Oberst, is spoilt by loud chatter from the crowd - so much so that after just 4 songs he leaves the stage. Onto Jenny Lewis, then. With her vibrant red hair, flamboyant personality and backing vocals on the Postal Service's album, as well as work with her other band Rilo Kiley, she's a bit of an Indie-Rock icon, but tonight's performance is definitely more Country than Indie-Rock. Energetic and uplifting on the faster numbers, and moving on the ballads, Jenny Lewis knows how to perform and how to work a crowd, but the songs themselves lack something. Some really hit the spot - the amazing title track from her solo album 'Rabbit Fur Coat', and 'You Are What You Love' especially, but others are sadly forgettable, disappearing into the weighty atmosphere of the venue. Jenny Lewis played a good show, to a crowd who love her to bits, and everyone concerned had a great time, but you can't help but feel that the ghost of Bob Wills remained unimpressed. DG
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DYLAN MUSICAL OPENS ON BROADWAY
Mmm, I can't quite make out whether the Broadway press liked the new Bob Dylan compilation musical or not. See what you think.
Variety: "a literal-minded fable that's vibrant and busy, but also chaotic and narratively incoherent".
Wall Street Journal: "'The Times They Are A-Changin' is so bad that it makes you forget how good the songs are".
New York Times: "a systematic steamrolling of Bob Dylan".
Sounds good, can't wait for it to transfer to London. 'The Times They Are A-Changin' apparently tells the story of "a young man's relationships with his demanding father and a beautiful circus performer". It's been choreographed by Twyla Tharp, who was approached by Dylan after her success in adapting Billy Joel's hits for the show 'Movin Out'.
The Dylan musical, which features songs like 'Subterranean Homesick Blues', 'Mr Tambourine Man' and 'Blowin' in the Wind', did get OK reviews when it premiered in California, but Broadway hasn't been kind to compilation musicals in the last 18 months - shows based on the oeuvres of John Lennon and the Beach Boys both closed early on Broadway last year after mixed reviews.
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BETS ARE ON FOR CHRISTMAS NUMBER ONE
Well, November is almost upon us, so time to start putting a wager on who'll be this year's Christmas number one methinks. The safe, though not entirely rewarding, bet is "whoever wins X-Factor", which bookies reckon is a surefire winner, despite the fact the show's producers are yet to confirm whether they plan to release a single for the Christmas market at all. Other contenders are Take That, who release their reunion record 'Patience' ahead of the festive period, and a cover of Robbie Williams' 'Angels' by classical pop girl group All Angels, which, I believe, is being released in aid of the British Legion's Poppy Appeal.
But don't take anything for granted. Oh no. Just listen to what HMV chart expert Gennaro Castaldo (who's been sadly lacking from your CMU Daily of late) has to say: "You can never rule out Sir Cliff when it comes to Christmas. And by teaming up with the likes of Brian May and Daniel O'Donnell, and their considerable fan bases, he's giving himself every chance of landing his 15th UK number one - putting him just two behind The Beatles".
For those that understand such things, here's the current odds from William Hill:
X Factor winner - 1-3
All Angels - 7-1
Take That - 10-1
Cliff Richard and Brian May - 16-1
Cliff Richard and Daniel O'Donnell - 16-1
Reality TV stars, classical-pop covers or Cliff Richard - brilliant. Isn't Bob The Builder releasing anything this year?
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MOBY SAYS RAVES MADE HIM BALD
Moby has told The Independent that it was the British rave scene of the early nineties that made him lose his hair. Hmmm. I think he might have gone bald anyway. But there you go.
The musician told the broadsheet: "I believe that those early rave experiences contributed to me losing my hair. It was a really fun period, but incredibly stressful. When I was in the UK in 1991-92 I'd be doing three shows a night. I'd have a show in Portsmouth at midnight, then a show in Coventry at three in the morning, and then maybe East London at six in the morning. And so I'd be driving around trying to find these places, then setting up my equipment, then break it down and get in the car. I'd finally get back to London at seven in the morning, completely wiped out."
I can imagine that he got pretty tired, though.
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GALLAGHER DISSES PEOPLE SHOCKER
Liam Gallagher has had a go at the likes of Pete Doherty, Tom Chaplin and Justin Hawkins, saying that they're idiots for ending up rehab, and that they're lightweights. And it's because they're 'posh', of course. See, if they were good, working class lads it'd all be fine. Especially if they were foul-mouthed, unpleasant working class lads with chips on their shoulders, no doubt.
He is quoted as saying: "None of us have ever been in The Priory, like all these little idiots today. They have one little line, they have one burn and they're all in rehab. That Pete Doherty is cabbaged already. And it's like, 'How old are you? Priory at 27 years of age? You idiot.' Posh boys can't take drugs, man. They're lightweights."
I guess this means he must be selling something. Oh, yes, of course. Oasis' greatest hits collection 'Stop The Clocks' is out on 20 Nov.