11.30.04 (MusicPortal.com) PAUL McCARTNEY has been tapped to perform in the Super Bowl XXXIX Halftime Show on FOX at Alltel Stadium in Jacksonville, Florida on Sunday, February 6th, the NFL has announced. "We are extremely pleased to work again with Paul McCartney, one of the greatest musicians of our time, to create a memorable show," said Steve Bornstein, the NFL's executive vice president of media. Added Bornstein, who will oversee the show for the NFL: "As one of the world's most beloved artists and incomparable live entertainers, Paul McCartney will deliver an inspirational performance." "There's nothing bigger then being asked to perform at the Super Bowl," said McCartney. "We're looking forward to rocking the millions at home and in the stadium." "We're thrilled Paul McCartney has agreed to perform at halftime of Super Bowl XXXIX," said FOX Sports Chairman David Hill. "He is one of the world's most influential rock artists, and his music has been part of our culture for 40 years. He, more than any other musician, lives up to this year's Super Bowl theme of "Building Bridges." His music bridges generations, countries, cultures and musical genres. I'm also sure that the duet Paul performed with Terry Bradshaw at Super Bowl XXXVI was such a major event, that he couldn't wait to reunite with Terry in Jacksonville." This will be McCartney's second Super Bowl appearance. He provided a memorable pre-game performance at Super Bowl XXXVI in New Orleans in 2002, the first Super Bowl after the tragic events of September 11th.

11.29.04 (MusicPortal.com) Earlier this month during a live concert appearance at the Canyon Club in Agoura Hills, California, THE TUBES' lead singer and frontman Fee Waybill was bitten by a number of "Mouse Ear" bats. Waybill, who co-found the pioneering early shock rock band from San Francisco, has spent the past week in Cedar Sinai Hospital in Los Angeles undergoing injections for rabies and a series of blood tests. "This is the last time we play Agoura Hills," says Waybill. "Had we known that the area was awash with bats, we would have thought twice about playing the venue. The bat situation in California is getting out of hand. This is the first time any kind of animal has attacked me during a performance. The Tubes may be perceived to be an outrageous rock 'n' roll band, but this is too extreme." For the past week, Waybill has been slowly recovering while being placed on a rigorous health and fitness regime. Personal trainer Larry Gillespie says: "Fee's a trooper. Bat bites can drain the energy from your central nervous system, but Fee is making a speedy recovery and should be up to speed for THE TUBES' forthcoming "Wild West Show" UK concerts at the following venues beginning next week: 12/05 Stourbridge, UK [Rock Cafe] • 12/06 London, UK [Shepherd's Bush Empire] • 12/07 Liverpool, UK [Carling Academy] • 12/08 Glasgow, UK [King Tut's Wah Wah] • 12/09 Birmingham, UK [Carling Academy] • 12/10 Bristol, UK [Carling Academy] • 12/11 Manchester, UK [Academy 3] • 12/13 Penzance, UK [The Acorn Theatre] • 12/14 Portsmouth, UK [Southsea Parade Pier]

11.24.04 (MusicPortal.com) Twenty-five years after THE CURE began their global musical invasion with their debut disc, "Three Imaginary Boys," Rhino Records will give the album its first-ever U.S. domestic release on December 7th. A deluxe two-disc edition loaded with previously unreleased tracks, the release of "Three Imaginary Boys" marks the kickoff to Rhino Records' coming revitalization of THE CURE's lengthy catalog of past albums and singles. In the coming months, each title by the band will receive a sonic upgrade and be released as a deluxe double-disc set featuring the original album on one CD and numerous rarities on the other. In addition, each revitalized release by THE CURE will come with a 16-page booklet filled with photos and tour memorabilia from the personal archives of vocalist Robert Smith, as well as a track-by-track commentary and notes by U.K. music scribe Johnny Black. Cure fans have long clamored for "Three Imaginary Boys," an energetic 1979 U.K. debut which features songs incuding '10:15 Saturday Night,' 'Grinding Halt,' 'Fire In Cairo,' and a quirky rendition of Jimi Hendrix's 'Foxy Lady.' The band's debut U.S. album, "Boys Don't Cry," featured many of the songs on "Three Imaginary Boys," along with singles like 'Jumping Someone Else's Train' and 'Boys Don't Cry.' The Rhino reissue offers the original U.K. album with an added previously unreleased instrumental in 'The Weedy Burton,' as well as a 20-track bonus disc which includes the additional tracks from "Boys Don't Cry," previously unreleased studio and home demo versions, live renditions, and other curiosities. In total, the package includes... [full story]
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11.23.04 (AP) With the bright lights of lower Manhattan shining on the stage, U2 played a surprise outdoor concert Monday in a waterfront park beneath the Brooklyn Bridge. Although the MTV-organized show hadn't been publicly announced or advertised, thousands lined up at the Empire-Fulton Ferry State Park, a riverside park between the Brooklyn and Manhattan Bridges and across from the New York skyline. Most people said they heard about the show through word-of-mouth or postings on U2 fan web sites. The concert was for an MTV special called "mtvJAMMED: U2," set to air December 10th. Led by frontman Bono, U2 played songs from their new album, "How To Dismantle An Atomic Bomb." Although the album wasn't scheduled to be released until today, many fans had already downloaded the songs and sang along with the choruses. Deb Pruitt, 47, left her home in Culpeper, Va., at 4 a.m. to see the concert. She met her daughter, Melissa, who was flown in from Los Angeles after winning a U2 raffle. "It's totally worth it not to sleep at all and drive eight hours to be here," said Pruitt. "We're big fans." Before the concert, U2 spent the day playing on the back of a flatbed truck that wound through city streets as a film crew shot the band for a new video. When the waiting fans in Brooklyn saw the truck crossing the Manhattan Bridge with the band on board, they screamed and waved at the rockers. "It was an incredible show," Zain Deane, 30, said after the band's 45-minute set. "U2's the best. And there's nothing like the skyline at night."
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11.22.04 (AP) TERRY MELCHER, a record producer and songwriter who aided the careers of RY COODER, THE BYRDS and THE BEACH BOYS, has died at the age of 62. Melcher, the son of actress Doris Day, died Friday night at his Beverly Hills home after a long battle with melanoma. Melcher co-wrote the hit song 'Kokomo' for THE BEACH BOYS. The song was used in the movie "Cocktail," and was nominated for a Golden Globe award in 1988 for best original song. He also performed on that band's classic album, "Pet Sounds." In the early 1960s, Melcher began singing as a solo act, and later paired with future Beach Boy Bruce Johnston to form the group BRUCE & TERRY. The pair had several hits, then went on to form THE RIP CHORDS, who recorded the 1964 hit, 'Hey Little Cobra.' In the mid-1960s, Melcher joined Columbia Records as a producer. Working with THE BYRDS, he produced their top-selling version of Bob Dylan's 'Mr. Tambourine Man' and other hits, including 'Turn, Turn, Turn.' Melcher also produced hit songs for PAUL REVERE AND THE RAIDERS and worked with THE MAMAS & THE PAPAS. In 1969, TERRY MELCHER's name became linked with the grisly Charles Manson murders. Melcher once rented the home where actress Sharon Tate and a group of her friends were murdered by Manson followers. Rumors circulated that Melcher, who knew Manson, was the real target because he had turned Manson down for a record contract. Los Angeles police discounted the rumors. Melcher had since moved to Malibu, and police established that Manson knew of his new address.

11.17.04 (MusicPortal.com) Aussie Rockers JET will get down to writing the songs for the follow-up to their highly successful debut album, "Get Born." when they take a well-deserved break from the limelight and their hectic touring schedule soon. Also, says bass player Mark Wilson: "I will start my regimen to get extremely fat, 'cause I got a couple months off." "We want to get Britney Spears and Jessica Simpson to guest on the album - as many talentless people as possible," joked JET drummer Chris Cester. "We want as many people who don't write their own songs as possible. That's the whole point. What the world needs are more talentless people." "We've been playing these songs for many years, even before the album was recorded, 'cause these were the songs we got our deal with," said Wilson. "We've been touring for a long time, and after you've been doing it for a while, all you want to do is write new songs and record new songs." "If we had new songs to play," added guitarist Cameron Muncey, "it would be really nice." Meanwhile, a new JET live DVD entitled "Family Style" is slated for a worldwide release next Tuesday, November 23rd. Featuring live concert footage shot in London in front of 4,000 fans, backstage moments and more, "Family Style" brings all the raw energy JET fans have come to expect from the group, plus several previously unreleased songs (in the North American territories) in the tracks 'Sweet Young Thing,' 'Hey Kids,' 'Take It Or Leave It' and 'That's Alright Mama.'
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11.16.04 (MusicPortal.com) Multi ARIA award winner DIESEL will be releasing his first live DVD on November 29th, entitled "The First Fifteen '89-'04 Live." One of Australia's most respected contemporary artists, he recently celebrated 15 years of music in a sold out, one-night-only show with a three-part performance encompassing solo acoustic, "stripped back" band and "slam dunk" electric, at Sydney's Metro Theatre this past Spring, wwhich show was recorded live on high definition video in Dolby 5.1 Surround Sound. DIESEL first erupted out of Perth in 1988 with his band THE INJECTORS, after which he launched his solo career in 1991 with the release of the single 'Love Junk,' followed by his debut album "Hepfidelity, which sold over 300,000 copies and delivered hit songs such as 'Tip of My Tongue' and 'Man Alive.' In 1993 the release of DIESEL's third album, "The Lobbyist," reached No.1 on the Australian charts, securing the ARIA for Best Male Artist for the second consecutive year. 1994's "Solid State Rhyme" became another multi-platinum smash for DIESEL, yielding more hits in 'All Come Together' and 'Fifteen Feet Of Snow.' The next few years spawned the Blues album "Short Cool Ones," "Soul Lost Companion" and "Hear," which received an ARIA nomination in 2003 for Best Independent Album. After forming his own independent Hepfidelity Records label, DIESEL released several singles, followed by the album "Singled Out," featuring stripped down acoustic versions of his better known songs.

11.04.04 (MusicPortal.com) A remixed and remastered version of JOHN LENNON's album "Rock 'N' Roll" has been released. With the new version supervised by Yoko Ono, "Rock 'N' Roll" is the fourth of JOHN LENNON's solo efforts to be remixed and remastered by Capitol Records. The album, which was originally released in 1975 and is considered by many as one of the most highly revered albums of his post-Beatles career appears this time around with four bonus tracks and a new selection of black and white Lennon photographs in the booklet. The bonus tracks are 'To Know Her Is To Love Her' and 'Angel Baby,' both remastered, a never-before issued version of the track 'Since My Baby Left Me' (which was originally included on "Menlove Avenue"), and a reprise of 'Just Because' with an alternative ending and a very special Christmas message to fellow Beatles Paul McCartney, George Harrison, Ringo Starr, Yoko Ono and the British people. Ono was inspired to include this version of the track for all the Lennon and Beatles fans across the world. "Rock 'N' Roll" originally paid tribute to JOHN LENNON's teenage idols, including Chuck Berry, Gene Vincent, Fats Domino, Little Richard, Ben E. King and Buddy Holly. Sessions for the album began in L.A. in 1973 with Phil Spector producing. Lennon returned to the album and completed it the following year, retaining three tracks produced by Spector. "Rock 'N' Roll" was originally produced by JOHN LENNON.
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11.03.04 (MusicPortal.com) Aussie Alternative Rockers GELBISON will release their sophomore album, "See The World," Monday November 8th via EMI Records. The new effort is a warm invitation into the world of GELBISON, an album of a band finding itself, becoming looser and more approachable. "Before we started recording, I really didn't know if we could do it," admits GELBISON vocalist/guitarist Edo. "All the dramas of life had just mounted up. I'd just broken up with my girlfriend, Dave (Galafassi, ex-drummer) had married and decided to leave the band, and the weight of expectations that comes with a second record, was getting to me." As a result, the emotions expressed go from the aching to the euphoric. "See The World" takes stylistic and musical leaps from GELBISON's debut album, "1704." The listener will find hints of the band's passion for Electronica, ambient loops, cinematic orchestration and the stripped back Folk/Country simplicity the Kahn Brothers found in their Nations By The River collaboration. But the fact that GELBISON do it with such subtlety is further evidence of their artistic growth and the strength of the new album. "On '1704,' we explored a wide range of our personalities and influences," Edo explains. "The canvas felt limitless and we tried to incorporate everything we love about music into the one painting. On 'See The World' the canvas is still full, but somehow the picture is clearer."
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11.02.04 (MusicPortal.com) THE ROLLING STONES' 2-disc live album, "Live Licks," has been released by Virgin Records. The new release documents the band's "Licks World Tour 2002/3," one of the most successful tours of THE ROLLING STONES' career. "Live Licks" not only features many of the band's hits, but also 11 unique tracks that have never been recorded live by the group in their 42-year career. THE ROLLING STONES took the 'Licks Tour' around the world, often playing cities they had not been to before in Eastern Europe and the Far East, and toured the world celebrating their four decades together in a way only they could, playing to over two million people in a range of venues, packing out clubs, arenas and massive stadiums. "Live Licks" is illuminated by guest performances from Sheryl Crow, who appears on 'Honky Tonk Women,' and Soul legend Solomon Burke, who guests on his own 'Everybody Needs Somebody To Love,' which shows the Stones highlighting a performer that they have drawn much inspiration from during their career. "Live Licks" stands as a snapshot of the band in a celebratory mood, reeling off tracks from their illustrious catalogue, with classics such as 'Paint It Black,' 'Brown Sugar', '(I Can't Get No) Satisfaction' and 'Gimme Shelter', lesser known gems such as 'Rocks Off' and 'Worried About You', 'Monkey Man' mixed with choice cover versions such as 'Rock Me, Baby,' and Keith Richards' unique version of Hoagy Carmichael's 'The Nearness of You.'

11.01.04 (MusicPortal.com) Experimental Pop/Rocker TORI AMOS has announced the unveiling of two new projects come February -- a new CD entitled "The Beekeeper," which will be released on 2/22, and her first book, "Tori Amos: Piece By Piece," which was co-written with journalist Ann Powers. Currently, Amos is putting the finishing touches on "The Beekeeper," which she's recording and self-producing in her UK studio Martian Engineering. On unique new tracks like 'Sweet The Sting,' 'Sleeps With Butterflies,' and 'Ribbons Undone,' TORI AMOS incorporates vintage organs, Afro-Cuban drums and Gospel choirs, working once again with here long-time musical partners, drummer Matt Chamberlain and bassist Jon Evans. "The Beekeeper is musically inspired by the fact that the piano has realized that she has an organ - with my right hand on her organ and my left hand on her piano keys, I have been changed by the relationship between these two beautiful creatures, the Bosendorfer piano and the B3 Hammond organ," Amos says. In the book "Tori Amos: Piece By Piece," the usually private TORI AMOS gives a rare inside look into many intimacies of her life as both a private individual and a very public performing musician. The book, published by Broadway Books (a division of Random House), will be released on February 8th. On Thursday, February 24, TORI AMOS and co-author Powers will make a special appearance at the 92nd Street Y in New York City.
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[Pop News: October 2004]
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