| CMU Daily - on the inside 28 Oct 2002 |
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In today's CMU Daily:
• Chart Update,
• Family feud over Hendrix legacy,
• Harrison’s film support recognised,
• Review: Ice Minus - Spidermite / Bango Manchi,
• McCartney postpones Aussie date,
• Pop Idol 2 delayed,
• American Idol adds judge four,
• Download war enters the workplace,
• Ryan’s next album ready,
• Freeview’s quiet launch,
• Robbie on the media offensive,
• Ali B launches label,
• BBC’s Asian station goes digital,
• Review: The Black Neon – Your Sex Life,
• Foo Fighters support green group,
• The End is seven,
• Carey on the gossip,
• Additions to MTV World Aids Day benefits,
• Timberlake’s post recording smoke
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Which band have sampled The Clash and The Pretenders - and in which songs?
Answer tomorrow
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RECOMMENDED RELEASES: OUT TODAY
Singles: Mcalmont & Butler - Bring It Back (EMI/Chrysalis); Nice Man - Sauchie Hall & Hope (Shoe Shine Recds); Primal Scream - Autobahn 66 (Sony/Columbia); Raging Sppedhorn - Fuck The Voodoo Man (ZTT); Stereo8 - Get Above Yourself / Groove Diggin (Finger Lickin)
Albums: DJQ - Music As We Know It (Glasgow Underground); Sigur Ros - () (Fat Cat); Nirvana – Greatest Hits (Universal/Polydor); Simian - We Are Your Friends (Virgin/Source)
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CHART UPDATE
With the exception of the Red Hot Chili Peppers’ ‘Zephyr Song’, a new entry at 11 (and perhaps U2’s ‘Electric Storm’, a new entry at 5) there’s very little worthy of your time in the singles top 20 this week. It was a battle of the boy bands at the top with Nelly fighting off Justin Timberlake and Blue to stay at number one (Mr Timberlake went in at two, Blue at three). Elsewhere there’s a definite pop bias, and it’s not particularly good pop either – though I’m quite fond of that Big Brovaz track which falls out of the Top 3 to this week’s number 6.
By contrast there’s loads of good stuff in the lower half of the Top 40. New entries wise there’s The Polyphonic Spree’s ‘Hanging Around’ (in at 39), Groove Armada’s ‘Purple Haze’ at 36, DJ Shadow’s gorgeous ‘Six Days’ at 28 (yep, it’s only just been released!), Idlewild’s ‘Live In A Hiding Place’ at 26, Turin Brakes’ ‘Long Distance’ at 22 and the excellent ‘Don’t Mug Yourself’ from The Streets at 21. With Foo Fighters, Oasis, Eminem, The Coral, Badly Drawn Boy and The Manics in there too it’s quite a good week chart wise if you ignore the top 20!
On the albums front after a static top three last week its all change with four of the Top 6 new entries – Feeder’s ‘Comfort In Sound’ at 6, the S Club Juniors ‘Together’ at 5, Richard Ashcroft’s ‘Human Conditions’ at 3 and the Foo Fighters’ ‘One By One’ straight in at one. Will Young’s album falls to number 4, while Nelly’s single chart success helps take his album ‘Nellyville’ back up to number 2.
Lower down the chart Santana is back with ‘Shaman’ at 15, the Who best of ‘Ultimate Collection' goes straight in at 17 and former CMU Album on the Week Lemon Jelly’s ‘Lost Horizons’ goes in at 20. LL Cool J’s ‘10’ goes in at 26 and The Libertines’ ‘Up The Bracket’ enters the chart at 35.
Double good news this week in that Aled Jones’ eponymous album, a new entry last week, is still in the Top 40, and there's a new entry for granny’s favourite Daniel O’Donnell, ‘Yesterday’s Memories’ is in at 19.
Presumably Nirvana’s Greatest Hits, out today, will clear the decks in the album chart next week…
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FAMILY FUED OVER HENDRIX LEGACY
With the arguments over the rights to the Nirvana legacy now over another royalties row may take centre stage as the family of Jimi Hendrix argue over just who own his music. Ownership of Jimi’s music returned to the family seven years ago and his adopted half-sister Janie set up the Experience Hendrix company to manage the rights, promising fans a number of rarity releases.
But all is not happy in family Hendrix - Rolling Stone magazine reports that, following the death of Jimi’s father in April, his brother Leon is suing Janie, claiming she stole his inheritance and defamed him when she claimed he was only Jimi’s ‘half brother’. He also accuses Janie of defrauding the public when she claimed her company was family owned - "Leon and other family members were not allowed to participate in the company's function or operation, or to receive the benefits of those operations," the suit states.
Janie Hendrix isn’t without her critics. Many fans claim that, with the exception of the ‘The Jimi Hendrix Experience’, Janie hasn’t delivered the rarities releases she promised, despite the number of unreleased recordings at her disposal, while others criticise her use of Jimi’s image on what they see as tacky official merchandise.
Noel Redding, who played on three Hendrix albums and who helped Janie gain control of the estate from previous owners Alan Douglas and Leo Branton says he still waiting for royalty payments he was promised. And Kathy Etchingham, Jimi's former girlfriend, question’s Janie suitability to manage Jimi’s legacy - "Janie is a devout Christian, and is offended by Jimi's lifestyle. So she won't allow Hendrix music to be used in any context that suggests sex or drugs ... Janie doesn't want people to see the truth about Jimi, and when someone says something about him that she doesn't like, she threatens them with legal action."
But others defend Janie. Billy Cox, Jimi's army buddy, says he is "very proud of how Janie's handled Jimi's legacy. She's done it all in a very professional manner”.
The case will now go to court with Leon promising more music rarities for the fans if he’s victorious. Full story at www.rollingstone.com
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HARRISON’S FILM SUPPORT RECOGNISED
When the BBC profiled George Harrison as one of the hundred greatest Britons last week they talked about his time in the Beatles and his solo work, but they didn’t talk about the fact he ploughed much of his Beatles fortune back into the arts. But now his support of the British film industry will be recognised with a Lifetime Achievement Award to be presented at the British Independent Film Awards on Wednesday. Harrison’s film company Handmade Films rescued a cash strapped ‘Life of Brian’ in the late seventies, as well as producing a number of films, perhaps most notably the seminal classic ‘Withnail and I’.
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REVIEW: Ice Minus - Spidermite/ Bango Manchi (Ice Minus Recordings)
Hailing from just outside Bristol, the Iceman socks us in the face with some dark and rather industrial drum and bass on the fourth release from his imprint. 'Spidermite' uses a hard hoover style growler b-line with menacing atmospherics with no real let up. 'Bango Manchi' is less hard and with a hidden jump up feel within the bassline, and a microscopic trace of funk. Definitely from the Virus school of thinking but thoughtfully done, and not nearly as mindless as many attempts at this genre. PV
Release date: 28th October
Press contact: Ice Minus IH [all]
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AUSSEY BANDS THE IN THING
Aussey rock bands are becoming hip, what with The Vines getting all the hype here and in the US, and V2 signing The Datsuns proving popular. Now The D4, signed to Mushroom in Australia and currently released via Mushroom imprint Infectious over here, have been snapped up by Sony Asia. Record company execs apparently flew from Japan to Melbourne to catch the band before offering them a deal. Whether this means big budget Sony releases for the band over here remains to be seen. Word is more Aus bands will appear on the scene before the bandwagon runs out of steam – favourites at the moment are Melbourne band Jet, currently signed to Aussey indie Rubber Records, but expected to be signed by a major any day soon.
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MCCARTNEY POSTPONES AUSSEY DATE
Elsewhere in the Aussey music world Paul McCartney's has cancelled the Australian date of his world tour in reaction to the Bali bombing telling reporters: "Like many who have a deep fondness for Australia, I have been shocked and saddened by the recent terrible events in Bali. My heart goes out to all who have been affected by this tragedy. In time, that show will hopefully come to be but for now, my sympathies and those of all of us on this tour are with you all in your grief. As a mark of respect to both the families who have lost loved ones and to the families of the injured, I have decided to postpone my planned concert in Melbourne as this is not the appropriate time for a rock show. In time, that show will hopefully come to be. But for now, my sympathies and those of all of us on this tour are with you all in your grief". The 30,000 people who bought tickets for the gig will get a full refund.
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POP IDOL 2 DELAYED
Word is the second series of Pop Idol is being delayed while the show’s producers watch the debatable fortunes of BBC rival, the much panned Fame Academy. Auditions were due to start over the summer, but they have been pushed back into the new year leading to speculation the show may be cancelled. A spokesperson for producers Thames TV told the Sunday Mirror: "We are aware that there is a danger of overkill".
Elsewhere in the world of pop idol Gareth Gates has confirmed he will record a duet with So Solid Crew’s Romeo. Promising a track that’s more R&B than pop he joked - "I'll probably change my name to MC G."
Meanwhile it was Will Young who won the title of Favourite UK Male and Favourite Newcomer at ITV’s viewer voted National Music Awards, recorded this weekend and due to be aired on Thursday. Gareth picked up an award for Favourite TV Music Performance though. Kylie Minogue was voted Queen Of Pop and Sophie Ellis Bextor won Favourite UK Female.
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AMERICAN IDOL ADDS JUDGE FOUR
Over in the US the second pop idol is well underway, and the show’s fourth judge has been announced as New York radio personality and hip-hop artist Angie Martinez. Asked about judging alongside BMG man Simon Cowell she told reporters: "Well, Simon is brutal. But the truth is that the music business is mean and honest and brutal. So if you don't have somebody like that on the panel then you're not doing a good service. 'Cause then you go out into the real world and the music business and you're in for a surprise."
In the course of attending American Idol auditions around America Martinez hopes to squeeze in a little self-promotion for her own new record ‘Animal house’. "I have to hit the road anyway for American Idol," she said. "I'll be, in the daytime, judging and, in the nighttime, I'll be in the clubs doing shows and on the radio promoting my album. So it's helping me out on the artist side, too."
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DOWNLOAD WAR ENTERS THE WORKPLACE
War on music downloads enters stage 492 – now record label bosses in the US are asking the country’s employers to stop their employees from downloading songs at work. It is thought many people’s home internet connections are too slow for serious music downloading, so many make use of their workplace’s fast connection. With this in mind trade groups representing record labels, film studios and music publishers are sending a letter to 1,000 big corporations asking them to implement a system to stop illegal downloads.
"We urge you to take whatever steps necessary to ensure that your network is not being misused to infringe copyrighted works," the letter says. Schools and colleges have been sent similar letters to encourage them to stop students using campus computers to illegally download material.
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RYAN’S NEXT ALBUM READY
Ryan Adams has confirmed the follow up to album ‘Gold’ is done and dusted and should be in the shops by March. He told CNN - "I've finished. It's done. Just wait. It will be out around March." Ryan will be in the UK next month for some live dates.
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FREEVIEW'S QUIET LAUNCH
The new BBC backed terrestrial digital TV service goes live this week, though without the glitz of the launch of its doomed predecessor ITV Digital. Word is much of the new service’s marketing budget will be spent on providing point of sale material to retailers, manning an information line and developing a new website, freeview.co.uk. The service’s owners hope that an improved reception, their package of free channels and marketing campaigns from set-top box manufacturers will be enough to raise public awareness of the service. The new service will initially offer viewers 24 television channels and 12 radio stations, including two music TV channels (one from MTV, one from EMAP) and digital radio stations BBC 1 Xtra, BBC 6Music, Jazz FM, Kiss, Smash Hits and Kerrang.
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ROBBIE ON THE MEDIA OFFENSIVE
Robbie Williams has begun his media offensive for forthcoming album ‘Escapology’. First single release ‘Feel’ was aired on Radio 1, Virgin and Capital on Friday, and is now being pushed by radio stations around the country. Meanwhile Robbie apparently undertook a series of media interviews in the nude – and to prove it he’s posted pictures of himself lying naked on a sofa on his website, with that one part of his anatomy hidden between his legs. With his trademark modesty he tells fans on his site: "When I was going to bed last night in LA my house in the hills the thought came into my mind "what is it that I've been put here for". Then I realised that it is this. It is these lungs, this mouth. God has given me this gift and I think it would be unfair to keep that gift from people. God's given it me and I need to share it with the world. My gift from God is the fact he has given me these lungs, this mouth and as long as this holds out (points to throat) and this doesn't get too wonky (points to his hair) I can share my gift with the people. I just wish he'd given me a dick too".
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ALI B LAUNCHES LABEL
Fabric resident Ali B is launching a new record label - Air Recordings – to showcase the finest international breaks artists. The first release will come from Finnish duo, Tatu Metsatahti and Tatu Peltonen (aka Mr Velcro Fastener). Called ‘Electric Appliances’, it’s a 12-inch electro track which is currently doing the rounds on the European underground.
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BBC’S ASIAN STATION GOES DIGITAL
The BBC's fourth digital radio station launches today. The Asian Network, which has broadcast to certain parts of the Midland and the North since the mid-nineties, went national on digital this morning. The station is available via digital radio and will feature on the new Freeview service when it launches on Wednesday. The station broadcasts a mix of speech and music and is described by its boss Vijay Sharma as "a one-stop shop for daily national news, top international stories, big consumer stories, and music ranging from the latest in British Asian sounds to old favourites".
Among the presenters on the new station are Gagan Grewal on breakfast, DJ Adil Ray late night and Bhangra star DJ Ritu at the weekends.
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REVIEW: The Black Neon – Your Sex Life (Memphis Industries)
Steve Webster (Black Neon) delivers Carly Simon’s classic ‘Your Sex Life’ as a kitsch amalgamation of late eighties house, early-eighties goth, and late nineties retro electronica (see Les Rhythmes Digitales) all served up with a definite Electroclash sensibility: glam/scary/weird male vocals and as many Atari-style noises as is possible to collect over one 1988 909 at 120 bpm. The B-side, ‘Your B-Side’ would not be spotted as the odd one out on a Jean-Michel Jarre LP – it sounds stylistically identical.
Release date: 4 Nov
Press contact: No 9 [all]
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FOO FIGHTERS SUPPORT GREEN GROUP
The Foo Fighters have announced they will use revenue generated from sponsorship of their current tour to support environmental project Future Forests which encourages companies to offset their everyday environmental damage by doing something positive to offset the damage they cause. The Foo Fighters money will go towards the preservation of two forests by using funds to plants trees in California and Louisiana – the aim being to ‘soak up’ the equivalent amount of greenhouse gases used to make their new album ‘One by One’. Fans are also be encouraged to support the scheme – more info at www.futureforests.com/foofighters
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THE END IS SEVEN
London club The End will celebrate its seventh birthday this December with the joint talents of residents and founders Layo & Bushwacka! and Mr C, playing together for the first time in over a year. They will be joined by monthly AKA guests Peppermint Jam, featuring Mousse T, Mike Gray (Full Intention) and Simon Marlin. More info at www.the-end.co.uk.
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CAREY ON THE GOSSIP
Mariah Carey has told the New York Post she takes exception to rumours that one of the members of her entourage has the job of tasting her food and wipes down her cans of soda with disinfectant before they're opened up. She insisted that although she is “careful among germs to protect her voice”, she doesn't "care that much."
In the same interview Carey said she's looking for love – though Eminem’s out of the race. Word is that one of the songs on Carey’s new album is a reaction to comments by Eminem earlier this year when he told Rolling Stone that he and Carey had dated briefly and that he didn't care for the experience. "Don't believe the hype," he told the magazine, Carey "doesn't really have it all together."
In her song ‘Clown’ Carey sings: "You should have never intimated we were lovers. I gotta break it to you delicately -- who's gonna love you when it's over? Who's gonna care?"
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ADDITIONS TO MTV WORLD AIDS DAY BENEFITS
P Diddy and Michelle Branch have been added to the bill of two concerts to be recorded next month and aired by MTV on World AIDS Day. P Diddy joins Alicia Keys at the Cape Town concert, Branch will play at a Seattle gig alongside Dave Matthews and Missy Elliott.
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TIMBERLAKE’S POST RECORDING SMOKE
NSync's Justin Timberlake told FHM he smoked a cannabis cigar after recording Nsync track ‘Girlfriend’ with Nelly. He says Nelly lit up the cigar, which he calls a ‘blunt’, once they'd finished recording. "Nelly loves cigars, but he don't smoke cigars, he smokes blunts. You know what I mean? He smokes blunts.” Asked if he smoked one after recording, Justin replied: "Well, yeah. Why not? I can't do that when I'm singing, but after I'm done..."
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Answer to Friday's pop quiz:
Who’s sampled the music of David Bowie, Public Enemy, Lisa Stansfield and Christopher Cross in their single releases – and which British musician, also sampled by this artist, performed his bit live at an awards show?
P Diddy of course – Bowie’s ‘Let Dance’ and Stansfield’s ‘All Around The World’ in ‘Been Around The World’; Public Enemy’s ‘Public Enemy No 1’ in ‘PE 2000’; Cross’ ‘Sailing’ in ‘Best Friend'. Sting performed live with P Diddy at the MTV awards – singing the ‘Every Breath You Take’ sample in ‘I’ll Be Missing You’.