| CMU Daily - on the inside 11 Oct 2002 |
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In today's CMU Daily:
• Nirvana latest,
• Jay-z denies Braxton copy cat claims,
• Review: McAlmont & Butler - Bring It Back,
• Cooper Temple Clause turn to DJing,
• Ian Brown annoys Welsh locals with house sale,
• No more Pepsi money for Gareth,
• Fischerspooner tour postponed,
• Review: Tutto Matto - Hot Spot,
• Norman Cook tackles the Big Issue,
• The Coral live as single heads for top ten,
• More Nsync solo releases,
• ITV merger back on,
• Accusations fly in 3LW
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Paula Abdul, Sting, Bryan Ferry, Supergrass' Gaz Coombes, Ian Drury and Annie Lennox - which were waiters before they were famous, which were teachers?
Answer on Monday
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NIRVANA LATEST
Courtney Love’s manager James Barber has claimed Amazon jumped the gun when they published the track listing for the forthcoming Nirvana best of (as reported in the Daily on Wednesday). He claims the listing sitting on Amazon just now is wrong, and that the line up will be different in each country. He went on to say preparations for the best of are going well: "remastering is incredible, especially for the Sub Pop era and Nevermind material".
Meanwhile former Nirvana bassist Krist Novoselic has been telling journalists that he’s pleased that the previously unreleased track ‘You Know You’re Right’ is now getting radio play. "I'm glad. If it were up to me, that song would have been out last year," he said. "I had that song in my basement for eight years and nobody even knew about it. I think it's a great song. I'm really proud of it. It's a great performance by everybody and I'm glad that people get to hear it - finally."
Talking about the planned rarities CD and Nirvana box set he said its proving hard to get all parties to agree on what tracks to include. He joked: "It's coming together, it has to be voted on in the Washington State Senate."
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JAY-Z DENIES BRAXTON COPY CAT CLAIMS
Jay-Z has been hitting back at Toni Braxton who claimed he stole her idea to redo the Tupac song ‘Me and My Girlfriend’. Jay-Z’s new track ’03 Bonnie & Clyde’ makes use of a similar chorus and beat to the original, while Braxton has recorded a track called ‘Me and My Boyfriend’ which samples the Tupac song. Braxton claims she recorded hers first and that Jay-Z stole the idea after her track had been delivered to Def Jam records. But Kanye West says he suggested his friend Jay-Z should sample the Tupac track before he knew of Braxton’s project. "I had no idea about Toni Braxton's song," West told reporters, "She can't act like ain't nobody ever heard 'Me and My Girlfriend' before. People hear the song all the time. I can understand her complaint if it was an original song.”
Roc-A-Fella label boss Damon Dash also defended Jay-Z. "Jay is a talented dude. I don't think he would steal anything intentionally," he said. "It's an ill coincidence, and things happen for a reason. We'll see what happens behind it. I read it in the paper, and Jay and I were talking about it this morning and it was a little funny. I know he didn't intentionally make the same record she made. I don't think he even heard it. My reaction is, 'Sorry, it wasn't intentional'."
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REVIEW: McAlmont & Butler - Bring It Back (EMI/Chrysalis)
Seemingly either unaware of, or most probably uninterested in, the newest musical fads, McAlmont & Butler made it clear on August’s ‘Bring It Back’ album that melodies are timeless and that the song is truly the most important thing. This belief is reiterated on second single ‘Bring It Back’ that comes off the back of the success of ‘Falling’, the single that reminded us just who McAlmont & Butler were after that seven year disappearing (and feuding) act. Whereas ‘Falling’ had elements of 1995’s ‘Yes’ about it with its glamorous grandeur and wall of sound production techniques, ‘Bring It Back’ is a different kettle of fish altogether. This time the song is stripped of all the orchestras and big production values and instead opts for a more pop-sound that suits the sentiments and summertime melody of the song perfectly. Like all the songs on the album, ‘Bring It Back’ isn’t doing anything to push any musical boundaries or challenge the listener, it is instead, a wonderful pop song. TM
Release date: 28 Oct
Press contact: EMI IH [CP, CR, RR, NP, NR] Pomona [RP]
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COOPER TEMPLE CLAUSE TURN TO DJING
The NME have reported that The Cooper Temple Clause will play a rare DJ set at 93 Feet East on Brick Lane later this month. They will appear on 25 Oct alongside Johnny Chandler, DJ Yoda, James Lebens and Rob Bringur, with Ten Benson, Siamese and Moco performing live.
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IAN BROWN ANNOYS WELSH LOCALS WITH HOUSE SALE
Local residents from the small village of Llithfaen in Wales are protesting outside the home of local rock star Ian Brown claiming he is pushing up local house prices in the sale of his five bedroom house there. Twelve protesters dressed as monkeys (making reference to Brown’s album ‘Unfinished Monkey Business’) have picketed outside the former Stone Roses frontman’s property. "We feel that this is a case where hugely-inflated property prices are squeezing local people out of the local housing market," picket organiser Dafydd Rhys told the BBC. Protestors claim that by asking £150,000 for the property he is outpricing any local bidders.
But local estate agent Stephen Tudor denies Brown is being unreasonable. "The amount of interest, both local and from elsewhere, indicates £150,000 is a fair price for the house. It is a very nicely-situated with spectacular views and nice architectural features.”
Brown himself is in France and hasn’t commented, but a spokesperson for the star, said the issue here was about local people in rural Wales not being able to afford local property, and that: "this issue is not really about Ian Brown. It's a much wider issue that would be better dealt with by the Welsh Assembly."
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NO MORE PEPSI MONEY FOR GARETH
Pepsi won’t renew their sponsorship deal with pop idol Greath Gates when it runs out next Spring. He was snapped up for a £750,000 advertising deal after being runner up in the TV talent show, but the company have not taken up the option to renew. A spokesman for Pepsi told the Media Guardian: "We are always hopeful people will become superstars. But in the same way as our deal with Roy Keane ran its course, Gareth has done his job and he's been great. The partnership will come to a natural conclusion and we wish him all the best for the future."
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FISCHERSPOONER TOUR POSTPONED
Electro-clash leaders Fischerspooner have postponed their upcoming UK tour. They were due to play eight dates next month. These will now take place in the New Year – new dates should be announced next week.
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REVIEW: Tutto Matto - Hot Spot (Tummy Touch)
Italian Tutto Matto put disco-funk-house on the agenda, with strong influences from the past. Compiling 10 kicking cuts for their second album they lean heavily on funk. From the vocals in 'Stay Forever' to the screeching sax real retro funk of 'Changes In My Piano' to gospel house in 'Peace’, it’s well arranged and fresh. The upbeat pulsing 'I Love You More' is the highlight, and there’s even some electroclash thrown in for good measure with 'You'. All in all a good little package - Tim Lee's label puts no foot wrong with disco duo Prette and Gugliemo. PV
Release date: 14 Oct
Press contact: Rocketscience Media [all]
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NORMAN COOK TACKLES THE BIG ISSUE
Fatboy Slim has been recruited to guest edit an edition of the Big Issue, and word is he’s recruited showbiz friends Alex James, Spike Jonze and Simon Pegg to write articles for the magazine. The edition will hit the streets later this month. Big Issue editor Matt Ford told reporters: "I'm delighted Norman decided to get involved with the magazine and he's been fantastic. He's brought a lot of himself to the issue - and just had fun with the things he likes such as music, film and football."
Previous guest editors of Big Issue include Imran Khan, Wolfgang Tillman, Irvine Welsh, and Damian Hirst.
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THE CORAL LIVE AS SINGLE HEADS FOR TOP TEN
Mercury Award nominated The Coral continue with their UK tour this weekend. Dates still to come:
11 Oct: Leicester DeMonfort University
12 Oct: Bristol University
14 Oct: Exeter Lemongrove
15 Oct: Brighton Concorde 2
17 Oct: Wolverhampton Wulfrun Hall
18 Oct: Liverpool University
20 Oct: Leeds Metropolitan University (a rescheduled date)
The band’s latest single ‘Dreaming Of You’ was released on Monday and is expected to do well in the charts this weekend.
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MORE NSYNC SOLO RELEASES
Nsync’s JC Chasez may follow Justin Timberlake’s lead and release a solo album. He has been recording tracks for the soundtrack of new movie ‘Drumline’. The film and soundtrack’s producer Dallas Austin, confirming at least one JC song will appear on the soundtrack, told reporters: "We've been doing some great, great material. At first he wasn't going to do a record, but I think now he's kind of interested, so we'll probably just keep recording. We were just writing songs for the movie and we caught a niche and it was like, 'Oh shit, this is cool for you, let's keep going.'" Talking about the music style he went on: "It's back to George Michael and Prince and that '80s era, where even though you had up-tempos, they still had songs to them, they had a lot of attitude. It was a trip because we didn't realize how far away music had gotten from doing real songs until we started working on this stuff."
The soundtrack, released in the US on 10 Dec by Nsync label Jive, will also include Alicia Keys, Monica, Petey Pablo and Jive newcomer Nivea. The film is out next year.
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ITV MERGER BACK ON
The much discussed merger between the two main ITV companies, Granada and Carlton, may be just around the corner. ITV, which began life as a collection of regional independent broadcasters, has been moving towards being one big company following a decade of mergers and takeovers. Granada and Carlton are now the two main players in the field. Word is that if a deal was struck Granada would own two thirds of the combined business, Granada's boss Charles Allen would become chief executive and Carlton's founder Michael Green would become chairman.
Green last night told reporters: "A single ITV is within sight. In a rapidly changing broadcast industry we need to combine to compete effectively. Delay is not in the interest of viewers, advertisers, stakeholders or the future of British broadcasting."
The deal would have to get the approval of competition authorities, and past merger talks between the two have failed to come to fruition, but a united ITV is pretty much an inevitability – the question now is 'when' not 'if'.
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ACCUSATIONS FLY IN 3LW
R&B girl group 3LW are facing legal action, and some wild accusations, from former member Naturi Naughton. In a legal suit filed last week Naughton claims she was kicked out of the band because she was not "ghetto enough." The suit demands release from Naughton’s contracts with label Sony and management company Nine Lives, and a payment for loss of income. Elsewhere in the suit Naughton claims she was urged to get into a romantic relationship with a member of rap group St Lunatics so the group would ask 3LW to tour with them, and that other band members harassed her when she failed to do so. There’s been no official reaction from the band to the lawsuit, though they have claimed in the past that Naughton walked out on them without provocation.
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Answer to Thursday’s pop quiz:
What rock ‘n’ roll claims to fame are held by Tittenhurst Park (in Bedfordshire) and Stocks Country Club (in Hertfordshire)?
The former was home to Lennon and Ono between 1969 and 1973 and housed the famous white room in the Imagine video. The latter was the location of the cover artwork on Oasis' album 'Be Here Now'.