| CMU Daily - on the inside 26 Nov 2002 |
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In today's CMU Daily:
• Diddy and Keys record Capetown leg of World Aids Day gig,
• Farmer faces trial for allegedly attacking Prodigy man,
• Online services closes,
• Review: Various – More GDM,
• Weatherhall announces Christmas date,
• The last attack on Madster?,
• Star columnist takes on NME news job,
• Report says the anti-download war will be lost,
• Review: The Majesticons – Beauty Party,
• Otis Redding’s wife sues biographer,
• Eminem’s favourites on second 8 mile album
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Which rocker from Stoke had previous employment as a roadie for Jimi Hendrix and Pink Floyd?
Answer tomorrow
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WHATS THE BEST SINGLE AND ALBUM OF 2003
Vote now in the CMU chart of the year. Email your name, where you work / study and the name of your favourite single and album of 2003 to [email protected] – and look out for the chart of the year on 20 Dec.
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DIDDY AND KEYS RECORD CAPETOWN LEG OF WORLD AIDS DAY GIG
P Diddy and Alicia Keys were in Capetown this weekend to record a live show which will be screened by MTV on Sunday as part of its World Aids Day concert. MTV picked South Africa to film half of its World Aids Day output because it is one of the countries where the AIDS epidemic has hit the hardest. Speaking at a press conference prior to the concert P Diddy told reporters: "Once you know about the AIDS epidemic, it's almost like being an accessory to the genocide if you just turn your back on it".
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FARMER FACES TRIAL FOR ALLEGEDLY ATTACKING PRODIGY MAN
In a bizarre pop story, a farmer was in court yesterday for allegedly threatening the Prodigy’s Keith Flint with a shotgun. John Kirby allegedly confronted Flint near his home in Great Dunmow in Essex. Kirby pleaded not guilty to possessing a 16-bore shotgun with intent to “cause Flint to believe unlawful violence would be used against him.”
A date for a full trial was set for 27 Feb.
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ONLINE SERVICES CLOSES
Online music news service Allstar, which for the last year has operated as part of the online music retailer CD Now, yesterday closed its doors. Managing Editor Carrie Borzillo-Vrenna told readers: “allstar has had an awesome six-year run – one of the longest running online music news sites. We would like to thank our loyal readers for sticking it out with us through all the changes (and as always for your colorful reader mail – in answer to the most frequently asked questions: Yes, I do have a life. No, I won't go to hell. And, no, I don't get my news and gossip from my husband.)”
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REVIEW: Various – More GDM (Tiger Sushi)
From this rather odd Parisian Label comes this rather odd 15 track compilation. Cashing in on the electroclash vibe this includes tracks from 1974 to the present, and some of these are totally far out. From the slow ranting about lesbians in Gina X’s ‘No GDM’ from 1981 (where GDM is revealedas Great Dark Man). From the absolute bullshit of Silver Apples ‘Salad’ to rather poor 80’s rock from the Bush Tedras, to the nauseating 1980 ‘Swinging Pool’ by Tokow Boys there are some real duds here, including Maurice
Fulton’s ‘Feels the Same’. 3 passable tunes are included – 1978 Max Berlins downtempo jazz ‘Elle and Moi’ the late 80’s sounding house cut ‘Love’s Got Me High’ by SGHA from 1995 and John Tejada’s stealthy dub breaks with ‘Present Pretence.’ Worth a mention is Chapter Three’s ‘Smurf Trek’ – some 1983 jocular old skool hip-hop. The CD comes with a nice booklet inside
about the tracks with pixelated cartoon depiction of the artists. Just a shame about the tunes on this hugely awkward sonic trip. PV
Release date: 27 Jan
Press contact: Rocket Science [all]
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WEATHERHALL ANNOUNCES CHRISTMAS DATE
Andy Weatherhall has announced the Haywire Christmas party will take place at London’s Fortress Studios on 6 Dec. Eon, Tokyo Windbag, Radioactive Man (aka Keith Tenniswood), Bass Junkie, and Weatherhall himself will play in the ‘electro:techno:bass’ room, while Rick Hopkins, Sidney Le Sarge (and a second set from Weatherall) will play in a second ‘dub:funk:house’ room. Tickets at £10 are available in advance.
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THE LAST ATTACK ON MADSTER?
In the next chapter in the war against music downloads, record companies in the US have filed a contempt motion against Madster claiming it has disregarded a court order to stop trading. US District Judge Marvin Aspen in Chicago ordered the service to disable access to copyright material last month stating that they were currently violating copyright laws. The Recording Industry Association of America have now asked that Aspen find the service in contempt of court and appoint a compliance officer who could shut the service down. Madster founder Johnny Deep is refusing to make comment until he files a response to the motion on Friday. The future of the service now hangs in the balance - Deep has filed for bankruptcy, along with two other companies involved in Madster's operation, plus he faces legal action from other companies in the US.
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STAR COLUMNIST TAKES ON NME NEWS JOB
Mel Myers, who writes the Daily Star’s ‘Bitches’ column is leaving the tabloid to take on the post of News Editor at the NME. When she joins the IPC weekly in July she will coordinate news coverage at the IPC title and its new media outlets, including NME.com and the SMS updates service. "I've read the NME since I was a young teenager and it's always been an ambition of mine to work on the title. NME has an unrivalled reputation for breaking the best new music and covering the biggest stars," Myers told the Media Guardian. "I'm looking forward to taking NME's news service on to even bigger and better things. I also can't wait to swap soap stars for guitars and get out to loads of gigs!"
NME editor Conor McNicholas said that the combination of Myers' skills and taste in music made her the perfect choice. “I'm delighted to be announcing the appointment of such a talented and high-profile journalist as Mel to be NME's group news editor.
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REPORT SAYS THE ANTI-DOWNLOAD WAR WILL BE LOST
Despite the doom and gloom at Madster, new research from Microsoft says that the record industry’s attempts to stop the swapping of pop music online won’t work.
The research says that the steady spread of file-swapping systems and improvements in their organisation will eventually make them impossible to shut down. Meanwhile the gradual spread of CD and DVD burners will help thwart any attempts to control what the public can do with the music they buy.
While they noted the success of the industry’s campaign against Napster and its more high profile clones they argue that an increase of swapping between private individuals (especially as broadband becomes the norm) will ensure music downloads survive.
They were also dismissive of the industry’s attempts to develop pirate-proof technology. They pointed out there were always technical flaws in these systems and that, so far, all of them have been defeated.
The paper's researchers emphasise that it represents their opinions rather than those of Microsoft, but their conclusions are likely to make uncomfortable reading for record labels. Once again it seems that long term record labels need to find new income streams other than simple record sales.
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REVIEW: The Majesticons – Beauty Party (Big Dada)
The man behind the Majesticons, Mike Ladd, is like a hiphop version of Johnny Depp – more than a little eccentric, with anglophiliac tendencies. While gangsta hiphop endlessly rants about guns, hos and other assorted ghetto topics, the Majesticons are the white collar gangstas: rhyming about real estate, bank accounts, investments , offices and secretaries. This album has absolutely everything: beats that will blow your mind, rhymes that will make you laugh and ‘pump yo fiss’, and samples that come mail-order from another galaxy. The tracks vary from rough uptempo Busta Rhymes-esque beats and rhymes, to smooth now-soul cuts like Jill Scott, everything in between and a big dollop of Ladd’s forward thinking eccentricity (for example a bastardized cover of the Pet Shop Boys’ ‘Lets Make Lots Of Money’). I think this is my favourite hiphop album this year. Sublime. Flawless. Perfect. JG.
Release date: 27 Jan
Press contact: Zzonked [all]
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OTIS REDDING’S WIFE SUES BIOGRAPHER
More legal action in the US - Otis Redding's widow and business manager (Zelma Redding and Phil Walden) are suing American author Scott Freeman over a biography he wrote about the soul music legend. They allege Freeman used unreliable sources to imply Walden was a member of the mob who plotted to kill Redding for insurance money. Their suit also disputes Freeman's claim that Redding was having extramarital affairs and planned to divorce his wife. On a commercial level they claim the book interferes with a potential movie Zelma Redding and Walden are trying to make.
Under instructions from his publisher Freeman is making no comment except to say he does not believe the book is libellous.
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EMINEM’S FAVOURITES ON SECOND 8 MILE ALBUM
Following the huge success of the soundtrack to Eminem’s movie ‘8 Mile’, a second volume is set to be released in the US next week. ‘More Music From 8 Mile’ won't feature any new Eminem material, but has a number of hip classics from the likes of the Notorious B.I.G. (‘Juicy’), OutKast (‘Player's Ball’), the Wu Tang Clan (‘C.R.E.A.M.’) and Ol' Dirty Bastard (‘Shimmy Shimmy Ya’). The tracks were selected from a wish list compiled by Eminem and manager Paul Rosenberg.
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Answer to Friday's pop quiz:
Which early-nineties gangsta rapper's death didn't involved a bullet?
Eazy E – who died of AIDS