By Stuart Levine

On his website, Bruce Springsteen has offered up a video download of "A Night of the Jersey Devil" as a Halloween surprise.

It's an homage to the creature that supposedly has lurked in the Pine Barrens section of New Jersey for hundreds of years. Springsteen's head arises from the swamps and then the Garden Stater goes straight into preacher-mode. Definitely worth a look-see.

Springsteen also posted that the usual spooky display in front of his house that has annually drawn hundreds of visitors wouldn't happen this year. He wrote:

"So as not to inconvenience you this Halloween, due to 'catastrophic success' (read: too many visitors for the neighborhood to handle) and concern for the safety of kids and parents! we won't be having our usual Halloween display this year in Rumson."

As for other Springsteen news, he's been rather low-key during this presidential campaign in comparison to 2004. A staunch Democrat, he recently played a few acoustic numbers at a voter registration drive near Philadelphia, but has chosen to avoid big benefits in arena-sized halls.

When Jermaine Jackson told the Australian Associated Press the original Jackson 5 was in the studio and considering a tour, it sounded fishy, especially the part about Janet being the opening act.
Michael, the key component in any J5 reunion, has squelched the rumor mill.
Through his intriguingly named spokesman Dr. Tohme, Michael Jackson says:
"My brothers and sisters have my full love and support, and we've certainly shared many great experiences, but at this time I have no plans to record or tour with them. I am now in the studio developing new and exciting projects that I look forward to sharing with my fans in concert soon."

Neil Young has canceled tonight's concert in Los Angeles at the Forum. He had received word that the IATSE union, Local 33, had planned to picket his show. Young elected to cancel the performance rather than cross what IATSE told his representatives would be a picket line at his show.
In a statement, Young said "I am extremely disappointed  to have to choose between satisfying my
fans or backing my brothers and sisters of the IATSE. I will miss playing in Los Angeles and apologize to my fans for the inconvenience this has caused."
The Forum management says the icket line is illegal.
Marc Little, Chief Operating Officer and general counsel for the Faithful Central Bible Church and Forum Enterprises, responded by saying “I.A.T.S.E. Local 33 has been insensitive to the African-American ownership of the iconic Forum and has systematically exhibited racism against the church's efforts to employ the local community.  We apologize to the fans who were counting on a great evening of music and the employees who were counting on the income.”
Little states that on July 11, 2006, the National Labor Relations Board ruled that the Forum was  not violating any labor laws.
Young's Los Angeles date will be rescheduled for sometime in 2009. Ticket holders will be able to get refunds at place of purchase.

A Beatles video game produced by MTV Games will be released in time for the 2009 holiday season.
The partnership is the first time Apple Corps., EMI Music, Harrisongs and Sony/ATV Music Publishing have agreed to present the Beatles' music in a video game presentation. Executives from Apple, MTV and game developer Harmonix announced the game Thursday in London, giving few details beyond the game’s existence, noting further announcements would come in the next few months.
The game will not be part of the Rock Band franchise.
"The game is in development," said Jeff Jones, CEO, Apple Corps. "We don't want to talk about how it will turn out a year for now. We’re in the process of creating the game."
Game developers will be able to select 45 songs from the Beatles catalog recorded during their 1962 to 1969 tenure within EMI for inclusion in the game.
Paul McCartney, Ringo Starr Olivia Harrison and Yoko Ono Lennon have been part of the conversations regarding the design, layout and roll out of the game. Discussions, both creative and financial, between Apple Corps. and MTV began 17 months ago and the first contracts were signed about four weeks ago.
Giles Martin, who produced "Beatles Love" with his father George, the Beatles' producer, will oversee the music on the release. He emphasized "we are trying present the songs as they were played, adhering to the (original) mix."
Neither Jones nor Martin would talk about whether the Beatles music, which has not been touched up or remastered in 20-plus years, would be remastered for the game. The Beatles songs are still not available digitally, to which Jones noted "all I can say is we’re still working out the details."
“To me it’s the biggest puzzle and so illogical that the Beatles music is not available for use on MP3 players,” Martin Bandier, CEO and chairman of Sony/ATV Music Publishing, told Daily Variety. “Maybe the fact that this deal is done will offer an impetus to Apple and EMI” to finalize a deal.
Use of the Beatles master recordings have been highly limited over the 38 years since the band called it quits. McCartney, Starr and the widows of George Harrison and John Lennon approved the remixing and reconstructing of the Beatles records for the Cirque du Soleil show "Love" and opened the vaults for the "Anthology" film but that's about it.
Use of their songs has become a bit more common, most prominently on two "American Idol" shows last season and in the films "Across the Universe" and "I am Sam." Sony/ATV handles the music publishing of the vast majority of songs written by Lennon and McCartney.
The music publisher was the last to sign the deal and while no financial figures were released, Bandier said they asked for as much as possible.
“There have been mutterings from artists and songwriters that they are not being offered their fair share in videogames, but the game makers have the leverage,” he said. “In the world of rock there are thousands of tracks that will work but when you get into the world of unique artists that leverage shifts, tremendously, to the artists and songwriters.
“We signed a deal that would be considered very rich by the videogame company but fair for the artists. It will have online implications that will be enormous.”
With the Beatles inking a deal for a video game it leaves one key hold out from the classic rock era, Led Zeppelin. The British hard rock quartet, rumored to be reforming without lead singer Robert Plant, was one of the first acts approached when Guitar Hero was in prototype form. Then, and now, they have rejected uses of their songs in games.
The Rolling Stones moved their post-1970 catalog to Universal Music Group earlier this year and the music conglom said digital was a priority, suggesting a Rock Band game was likely. 

In the early-going, it appeared Marnie Stern had the inside track to become the most discussed person at this year's CMJ. But as reports filter in and I recover from not only seeing snow in October but having to travel through its wake, it appears Passion Pit has emerged as the baby band to watch.
The Boston dance-beat rockers are on tour:
tonight Berbati's Pan – Auburn, Wash.
Oct. 31 Mezzanine  -  San Francisco
Nov. 1  Henry Fonda Theatre - Los Angeles
Nov. 2  Beauty Bar - San Diego
Nov. 3  The Grove Of Anaheim – Anaheim, Calif.
Nov. 5  Alphabeta – Greenpoint, N.Y.

My CMJ/NY/NJ report   
BANDS SEEN IN SHOWCASES/PARTIES: 12
CONCERTS: 2
BEST ACT I HAD NEVER HEARD OF: Emmy the Great
POSSIBILITY THAT I HAVE NOW SEEN THE WORST ACT EVER: 99%
RECORD I AM NOW LOOKING FORWARD TO: Butch Walker's Nov. 11 release
SHOW THAT WAS OUT OF PLACE BUT VERY GOOD NONETHELESS: Southside Johnny singing Tom Waits songs with a big band at a theater three or four neighborhoods away from the rest of the festival. 
RECORDS/CDS PURCHASED: 12 (Downtown Music Gallery and the WFMU Record Convention) 
BEST BEVERAGE: Eredi Ferrero Virginia "San Rocco" Barolo 1997
MOST EXCITING MOMENT: Laveranues Coles' one-handed catch in the end zone at the end of the Jets' victory over the Chiefs
POSITIVE REVIEWS FOR THE INTERN'S BAND: At least one

by Stuart Oldham

According to Pitchfork, Wilco will appear on this Thursday's 'Colbert Report' on Comedy Central.

The tongue-in-cheek news program has featured musicians in the past, including R.E.M., Feist, Nas, Apples in Stereo, the Decembrists, and the Roots.

Stephen Colbert will also be meddling with musicians on his Christmas special, which runs Nov. 23rd on Comedy Central. Elvis Costello, Willie Nelson, and John Legend are skedded to perform.




Wilco tour dates:

11-01 Madison, WI - TBA (Concert for Change)
11-29 Halifax, Nova Scotia - Metro Centre
12-01 Montreal, Quebec - Bell Centre
12-02 Ottawa, Ontario - Scotia Bank Place
12-04 Toronto, Ontario - Air Canada Centre
12-05 Toronto, Ontario - Air Canada Centre
12-06 Rochester, NY - Auditorium Theater
12-07 Detroit, MI - Palace of Auburn Hills
12-12 Philadelphia, PA - Wachovia Spectrum
12-13 Worcester, MA - DCU Center
12-14 Baltimore, MD - Lyric Theatre
12-15 New York, NY - Madison Square Garden
12-16 New York, NY - Madison Square Garden
01-30 Ann Arbor, MI - Hill Auditorium (Jeff Tweedy solo)

"Black Ice" sold 780,000 copies between Oct. 20 and Saturday at Walmart, Sam's Club and www.acdc.com making the U.S. one of 29 countries in which the album will hold the No. 1 slot. It is the band's first No. 1 debut.
The global release on Oct. 20 has resulted in "Black Ice" topping charts in the U.K., Germany, Canada, France, Japan, Ireland, Italy, New Zealand and elsewhere. The album sold nearly 200,000 copies in its first day.
More than 5 million copies of "Black Ice" have been shipped worldwide.
Columbia Records has also partnered with Walmart and MTV to create AC/DC Rock Band Stores in New York’s Times Square and in Los Angeles to sell the album, AC/DC apparel, the Rock Band video game, and Rock Band branded apparel and accessories.
Catalog sales have been rising in recent months.  In the past eight weeks AC/DC albums besides "Black Ice" have sold  800,000 units worldwide, according to the label.
The first leg of the Black Ice World Tour kicked off Monday in Wilkes-Barre, Pa., and runs through April 23 in Birmingham, U.K.
At a "final dress rehearsal" on Sunday at the Wachovia Arena in Wilkes-Barre, Pa.,the band performed
"Rock N' Roll Train"
"Hell Ain't A Bad Place To Be"
"Back In Black"
"Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap"
"Thunderstruck"
"Hell's Bells"
"You Shook Me All Night Long"
"TNT"
"Black Ice"
"Whole Lotta Rosie"
"Let There Be Rock"
"Highway To Hell"
"For Those About To Rock"

The surprise of seeing John Oates without Daryl Hall at the World Series singing the National Anthem really made the viewer pay attention to why the dark curly haired guy was the only one on the field without his battery mate. Daryl had the flu and he knew only one man could play Minnie Minosa and pinch hit and keep the evening Philly-centric: his partner, Mr. Oates. Did Oates get a chance to mention that he has a new solo album out? Yea, I didn't think so.

by Stuart Oldham

Next week, Seattle rockers Pearl Jam will release a free documentary on the band's official website.

The 8mm film was shot by Rick Charnoski and Coan Nichols on the group's 2004 Vote for Change tour and features live performances, on-the-street interviews and behind-the-scenes footage from Pearl Jam. Among other acts on the '04 political tour were headliners Bruce Springstein and Death Cab for Cutie.

According to the band's site, the 'Vote for Change' doc allows fans to "take a look back to take a look forward" before this year's election.

Additionally, Pearl Jam will be offering 50 lucky fans the chance to host their own movie premiere of the 'Vote' film on the eve of the election (Nov. 3, 2008). Click here for contest rules.

On opening night in Detroit, Pete Townshend and Roger Daltrey turned a few heads by  performing "Tattoo" from "The Who Sell Out." Otherwise they played a pretty straight forward set in their first two nights on the current North American tour. On Oct. 23 at the Copps Coliseum they played:

I Can't Explain / The Seeker / The Kids are Alright / Fragments of Fragments / Who Are You? / Behind Blue Eyes / Real Good Looking Boy / Baba O'Reilly / Getting in Tune / Sister Disco / Eminence Front / 5:15 / Love Reign O'er Me / My Generation / Won't Get Fooled Again / Naked Eye /Pinball Wizard>Tommy Medley / Tea and Theatre.

Phil Spector wants the sort of respect that Bob Dylan received nearly 40 years ago when Princeton presented him with an honorary doctorate.
“I am concerned with the fact that I have not been made a doctor at any college and Bill Cosby has, even Dylan has,” he says in the BBC documentary, “The Agony and the Ecstasy of Phil Spector.” “I think I’ve offered more to the American culture and music…or at least as much as they…and a lot of the people that have given them, Mrs. Bush and people like that.”
Steve Clarke reports from London that the knighting of Beatles’ producer George Martin  is something that clearly irritates Spector, who in the film compares his work to that of Leonardo da Vinci.
He rails against the Beatles saying the tapes he was given for “Let It Be” were “garbage” and that the recording of “The Long and Winding Road” featured an uncommitted vocal performance by Paul McCartney and Lennon playing bum notes on bass guitar.
Referencing Lennon who, according to Spector, described him as a genius who is a go-between for other geniuses, the producer said Brian Wilson had spent more than four decades attempting to discover how he concocted the wall of sound.
“I’d like to have a nickel for every joint he smoked trying to figure out how I got the ‘Be My Baby’ sound…He is demented about it,” Spector said.
It bows on BBC2 on Saturday and will be shown at next month’s Intl. Documentary Festival in Amsterdam. In L.A. the jury has been selected for  his retrial in the murder of actress Lana Clarkson.

Colin Meloy, who fronts the Decemberists, is the latest composer from the rock 'n' roll world looking to go legit. Tom Hulce, the producer of "Spring Awakening," spoke at a CMJ panel Thursday and noted that he had met with Meloy in Portland. No details just yet.

"On piano," Butch Walker explained, talking about a song that will be featured on his Nov. 11 release "Sycamore Meadows,"  "this sounds like the Commodores."
He was strumming a guitar at Angels and Kings, a Lower East Side bar with no stage early Thursday evening, previewing three songs from the album named for the street on which his Malibu home was located. (It and its contents were lost in a fire). The songs he played at this showcase - a CMJ-adjacent event - were reflective in nature: two concerned loss and new beginnings; the finale was a biographical timeline delivered rapid-fire style.
The songs were softer than the rock 'n' roll he has proffered on his three other solo albums and the music he written and produced for others, Pink, Katy Perry, Avril Lavigne and Secondhand Serenade among others.
After two days of catching  a handful of bands during this year's CMJ Music Marathon festival, it felt as if Walker was one  of the few willing to verbally acknowledge a debt to  a performer from an earlier era. A performer like Dexter Romweber, whose  guitar-playing was ferocious and precise at a KCRW-sponsored performance,  sounds like he has been locked in the Sun Studios since 1958; pointing out his influence would be redundant. 
Emmy the Great, a London quartet fronted by Emma-Lee Moss, paid tribute to M.I.A., Weezer and Leonard Cohen's "Hallelujah" in a collection of gentle folk-based numbers that echoed early Suzanne Vega. The Vega influence could be heard in the music of Chicago's Deanna Devore, who incorporates Brazilian elements to give her music a gentle sexiness. Emmy's sound is enhanced by violin, Devore's by cello.
Influences from every corner of globe, every period of pop music regardless of ageworthiness creep into the better music that falls under the header of indie-rock, and it can be the path of distinction to a significant payday. Witness Duffy, whose sold-out show Wednesday was not part of CMJ but certainly felt connected in spirit.
Blessed with the talent to write and sing, no different than Devore or Moss, Duffy has connected with the record-buying public by piling on elements from 1960s and early '70s to give her modern sultry pop a rooted core. Devore and Moss, like Duffy, stand to connect with college-age audiences and their parents - those who see the sound as new and those looking for something refreshingly connected to the music of their youth that never threatens and regularly raise a smile on the listener's face.

In just one day of sales after the Republican vice presidential candidate and the Brit songstress appeared on “Saturday Night Live,” Adele’s “19” nearly tripled in sales. The album, released in the U.S.on Columbia, sold 11,000 copies a week after it had done a mere 4,000. It skyrocketed from No. 129 to No. 46, according to Nielsen Soundscan data. Her "Chasing Pavements" video is here. No doubt this week will see her numbers continue to rise.

The televised concert that will include the announcement of the Grammy nominations will include performances by Celine Dion, Foo Fighters, B.B. King, John Mayer and Taylor Swift. The special will be broadcast from 9 p.m. to 10 p.m. on Dec. 3. All of them are Grammy winners with the exception of Swift.

My column this week for Daily Variety concerns the CMJ Music Marathon in New York. Here are a few more thoughts from CMJ chief Bobby Habert, specifically on parties and last year's dust-up over whether some applicants were never listened to.
"We're dealing with 1,000 bands playing officially and 500 to 1,000 play unofficially, five or six gigs. Clearly there's a bit of anarchy but I don't discourage it.
"My only concern is when people who should participate choose not to. It's annoying when people appropriate the CMJ name but in New York there's no way to police it.
"The parties are a necessary evil. Bands can play outside of CMJ and from a consumer's point of view it's a 24/7 event for a week. The benefits outweigh the liabilities."
In regards to last year's complaints that bands were not being listened to: "There have been (no complaints) this year. We have used Sonic Bids as our technical partner for four years. Last year we saw simultaneously how wonderful and evil the Internet could be. "There's a streaming tool on Sonic Bids that chalks up the numbers of listeners. Some people decided we were rejecting bands without listening (based on no recorded streams). We download and audition.But the din was so loud (our response) fell on deaf ears."
From my perspective, Tuesday night's CMJ highlights are Bowery Ballroom with Lykke Li, Friendly Fires, Miles Benjamin Anthony Robinson and Micachu; Middle Distance Runner at Crash Mansion; Belleville Outift and Del McCoury Band at Highline Ballroom; Vivian Girls at Red Bull Space; and the bill at Union Pool of Phil and the Osophers, Army Navy and the Poison Control Center.
It has been almost a month since I did a concert tally and since then I have seen 27 acts at eight shows, leaving me with 20 concerts and 91 acts left to see to hit my goal of 100 shows/300 acts. 

The finale - Part 10 as I pick two songs from every year of my life based on the songs that were important to me at the time or have had a lasting impact on the me. The ground rules are in the first entry. Rest of the list is here.

2003
“Keep Me In Your Heart” - Warren Zevon
The whole reason to try to be involved in music is to give back in some small way, to carry on the legacies that came before and become some piece of link in the chain. The documentary on Zevon's dying days got to me and I felt fortunate to be able to review it. When it was issued on DVD, the producers used so much of my review on the outer package that people called me to say how much they enjoyed my “liner notes.” That was OK – it was writing from the heart.

“Redemption Song” - Joe Strummer & Johnny Cash
When Johnny Cash made his comeback he performed at the Pantages Theater. At the after party I got a chance to meet Cash and two of my idols, Morey Amsterdam and Joe Strummer. As for the song, written by Bob Marley, my favorite version is Marley's on “Talkin' Blues”; my other favorite is listening to my wife sing it, like she did at the beach one day soon after we began dating.

2004
“Surf's Up” - Brian Wilson
First heard the Beach Boys version in a Wherehouse in Granada Hills when I was in the eighth grade and there was something so distant and discouraging about it that I had to get more. On the “Surf’s Up” album, it’s a curious song; on “Smile,” it’s a summation of one man’s bent and twisted mind.

“Neighborhood #3 (Power Out)” - Arcade Fire
Best band to emerge this century. They had a Hollywood Bowl show that was one of the best concerts I have ever seen.

2005
“Debe” - Ali Farka Toure & Toumani Diabete
Absolutely magical music making from Mali.

“Off the Record” - My Morning Jacket
Critic time: Best album of the year.

2006
“Infinito Particular” - Marisa Monte
From one of the best albums of the year; her concert on this tour featured some of the most innovative lighting design I have ever seen.

“The Blue” - David Gilmour
I'm no Pink Floyd fan but I am partial to Gilmour. An elegant album of the first order, his live shows in support of the disc elevated this material and made the Floyd songs feel fresh and viable rather than retreads. And I sat through that concert with a gout attack in progress. 

2007
“100 Days, 100 Nights” - Sharon Jones & the Dap Kings
Soul music of the highest order, delivered fresh in the 21st century. 

“Seahorse” - Devendra Banhart
Devendra was a question mark in my book until he delivered a spellbinding performance at Coachella. As long songs go, this is one of my faves.

If I had to make a choice for 2008, right now I would go with “Ragged Wood” by Fleet Foxes and
“All Alright” by Sigur Ros. They are two bands who represent the future tethered to the thought-out past. Genius stuff here, the sort of music that gives me hope that artists with the potential to create great music will gravitate to the artform and keep it elevated while others worry about sales figures and having the novelty hit of the day. A source of enjoyment and enlightenment, it makes me glad to be where I am, doing what I do.

Part Nine as I pick two songs from every year of my life based on the songs that were important to me at the time or have had a lasting impact on the me. The ground rules are in the first entry. Rest of the list is here.

1998
“Whippin' Picidilly” - Gomez
The band that most closely resembled the Band, which is the one group I feel bad about omitting in this compilation. I thought they would really go places, connecting with audiences thirsting for groups that played well together, switched out lead vocals, knew how to harmonize and make their sound new and rooted in deep traditions. The last time I actually enjoyed myself at the god-awful Whisky, they were playing.

“Os Passistas” - Caetano Veloso
Didn't learn about the great Brazilian singer-songwriter until the mid-1980s and by then his legend was firmly established in his homeland and England where he lived when in exile. A great story about politics, identity and art, but beyond that an artist whose voice coveys soulfulness and meaning in every note.

1999
“The Face of Love” - Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan and Eddie Vedder
After a phenomenal life-affecting show by Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan at the House of Blues, I became friendly with his promoter in the U.S. I was even fortunate enough to meet Nusrat a couple of times. Once was backstage at the Universal Amphitheater. A bunch of us gawkers — Michael Stipe, Flea, Roseanna Arquette, a few other famous types - were watching Nusrat and his band line up before taking the stage. My buddy emerges, looks over at the waiting crowd and shouts “hey Phil,” beckoning me over to where the group was gathering. Baba translated while Nusrat and I spoke. I felt like the coolest kid in school.

“She's a Jar” - Wilco
One of the few bright spots during my short residency in St. Louis was the opportunity to see this local band called Uncle Tupelo play every Tuesday night in the basement of a pizza parlor. Liked them, didn't love them, but after they broke up I was enthralled by the shows given by the two bands they split into - and they kept getting better with each subsequent tour.   

2000
“Open All Night” - Son Volt
And at one point I even though Son Volt might be the better of the two bands. This track was on a  Bruce Springsteen tribute album that was a decent effort. “Nebraska” is one of my favorite albums; this was a way to get it and Jay Farrar on the list.

“Sycamore” - Saint Etienne
The critic kicks in. A track from my favorite album of 2000. Or at least the one I deemed to be the best.

2001
“Redencion” - Cachaito
After 9-11, plenty of shows were cancelled. The first concert I attended was Chicago, just to see how “American” the night might be. A few nights later I went to see Cachaito, the bassist in the Buena Vista Social Club, wondering the opposite: will it feel foreign? Club was far too empty and yet he played like he was in a packed room back in Havana. One of my favorite albums of the year.

“Give Paris One More Chance” - Jonathan Richman
Jonathan Richman, who wrote “Roadrunner,” “Important in Your Life” and “Abominable Snowman in the Market,” is another artist my wife and I bonded over. He had to make the list and what better than way than use the tune that mentions the city in which we got engaged.

2002
“Do You Realize??” - Flaming Lips
My favorite single of the year even if it was in a computer ad.(That didn't bother me). I predict  Wayne Coyne will be much more appreciated in the second half of this century than the first. In 2060, he will be that generation's Nick Drake and the kids will wonder why the Flaming Lips were not among the biggest bands on the planet. 

“Don't Give Up On Me” - Solomon Burke
Real simple: Title track from my favorite album of the year.

Part Eight as I pick two songs from every year of my life based on the songs that were important to me at the time or have had a lasting impact on the me. The ground rules are in the first entry. Rest of the list is here.

1993
“Scarlet Begonias” - The Grateful Dead
First song, final set, last Dead show I ever attended. December 1993. (They opened with the Beatles' "Rain" the other two nights: Very cool.) Branford Marsalis jammed with them; Ornette Coleman was there during the run, too. My first Dead show was in 1974 at the Hollywood Bowl; the best was in Philadelphia in January 1979 during a blizzard, about as solid a mix of the old blues-based material and the jazzier works. Had my ups and downs with their records and concerts, but the more I listen, the more I miss Jerry's playing. (Yes, it's a bit of cheating to include a live tune, but I had to the Dead into this list and they got trumped in '72, '73 and '77).

“The Carnival is Over” - Dead Can Dance
Walked into a Tower Records in 1990 and heard otherworldly music. Dead Can Dance was the act. As perfect an example as I can think of reinforcing the need for record stores. I became transfixed, entranced and committed for life to this band - and it was all enhanced after I saw them perform. 

1994
“Mockingbirds” - Grant Lee Buffalo
Let’s see — try to tally the number of times I saw Grant at Largo or the number of times my buddy Flanagan booked him elsewhere or the time my wife knocked over all the drinks at a table for 10 at Largo.Nah, no need to go into all of that. Great songwriter, distinctive voice, great song.

“Fourth of July” - Dave Alvin
July 4, 1999 is my wedding date and part of it owes to seeing so many great Dave Alvin and Blasters shows. Dave is one of my favorite songwriters. "King of California" is one of the most-played CDs at our home. 

1995
“Scratch” - Morphine
Touring just as their second album was released, Morphine's first show at the Troubadour was one of those once-in-a-lifetime performances, something that feels remarkable when you experience it and only becomes greater in your mind when you discuss it later with others, especially those who were there. This track came from the follow-up album "Yes," at which time I thought they would become stars even if they never again recaptured the spirit of that one night. Tragically, the band’s leader, Mark Sandman, died at 47.

“Wonderwall” - Oasis
A perfect record. By a couple of obnoxious people.

1996
“Caramel” - Suzanne Vega
Another perfect record. By a delightful person.

“Cold Kisses” - Richard Thompson
I have been told I I am never starstruck, but the time I was in line behind Mr. Thompson at Virgin Airlines I apparently could not control myself - according to my wife who was unfamiliar with his work. After years of me telling her how great he is, my wife finally went to see him and became instantly converted to a Thompson believer. The man writes some pretty dark tunes, but this one gave me the creeps and fascinated me for months.

1997
“High Fever Blues” - Corey Harris
During a television convention in New Orleans, a crew of us walked into a place called the Funky Butt that was not as funky as the venues around it but a reasonable performance space. I had been infatuated with Corey's debut album, but it was this solo show - seemingly stumbled upon one January night - that supplied the  evidence of how magical a performer he can be.

“16 Days” - Whiskeytown
Never missed a local show by Ryan Adams, Caitlin Cary and their ever-changing entourage. For me, this was a highpoint of their career. I still feel bad that a review I did of one of their shows at the Mint never ran. Ah, the pre-Internet days.

Remember that list of Grammy nominees you are accustomed to reading in the newspaper the day after the announcement? It's highly unlikely you will see it printed anywhere this year.
The Grammy Awards are taking their nominations to primetime, quite possibly at the expense of news coverage.
In a first for the Recording Academy, nominations in at least six categories will be announced during “The Grammy Nominations Concert Live! — Countdown to Music’s Biggest Night,” which CBS will broadcast Dec. 3. The concert, to be held in the Nokia Theater at L.A. Live,  will celebrate the opening of the Grammy Museum in the complex.
It is the first time the Grammy noms have been delivered in primetime and the first significant move by a peer awards body to stem the declining interest in kudoscasts. If you think awards shows are boring, you should try attending the reading of nominations.
The televised one-hour concert will feature past Grammy winners and nominees who will give performances and then announce nominations in several categories. Event, which starts at 6 p.m. on the West Coast and airs live in the East, will be followed by an hourlong concert by one of the evening’s performers and then a gala to the opening of the museum. Tickets will be available to the public for the the events.
Grammy nominations are usually announced about 8:30 a.m. in the host city about 2½ months prior to the ceremony. Unlike the Oscar announcement, it is not carried live by the morning news programs. The Grammy organization generally has about 10 artists on hand for the announcement, who then do interviews, mostly for various TV news and entertainment programs.
By announcing the full slate of noms — about 110 categories — at 7 p.m. in L.A., the academy will force many East Coast publications to move deadlines or reduce coverage, especially any daily that intends to print any or all of the list. For TV’s entertainment newsmags, Grammy noms will be about 24 hours old by the time the next episode airs and may get bumped.
The televised concert will give the Grammys a leg up in one arena, the morning news programs, especially CBS’ “The Early Show,” which will have the night to assemble packages featuring artists who attend the nominations concert.
An insider said Grammy officials were predicting that news coverage of the noms was most likely migrating to the Internet, bolstering the notion that the nighttime announcement would have more impact than news stories and analysis a day later.
The Grammy Awards, like many kudoscasts, have had ratings struggles. The 50th annual kudoscast, held in February, attracted their smallest overall audience since 1995. At its peak, the show was watched by 20.1 million viewers. Among adults 18-49, the 50th Grammys came in 20% lower than the previous year.

Fifty-four of Hank Williams’ performances from 1951 on his WSM radio show will be included in "Hank Williams The Unreleased Recordings," wich Time Life will release Oct. 28.
An additional 89 songs from his Mother Best’s Flour show will be released in separate installments during the next three years.
Included in the first installment are songs he never recorded commercially, “Blue Eyes Crying in the Rain,” “Cherokee Boogie,” and “Cool Water.”  Williams also talks about the songs, explaining how he learned “On Top of Old Smoky” from his grandmother. She sang it in the original, mournful Appalachian style.
The track list is after the jump.

  Steve Mirkin was impressed by Jay-Z and the renovated Palladium. He reports:
Decked out with new carpets and freshly painted, the refurbished marquee and a circular ceiling return the room to its original look;  the venerable venue is certainly swank. For the opening at least, the prison-like security searches have become a thing of the past. (How often are you patted down by a man wearing white gloves and a tux?). And most importantly the sound is much improved. 
There was still some boominess on the low end (although this is a problem at most live hip hop shows) but the vocals were audible and the mix was crisp and clear, without the muddy echo that was the most prominent feature of the old Palladium.
Jay-Z opened with “Say Hello” and acknowledged the historic nature of his perf, commenting that the venerable ballroom’ opened up in 1940 with a show by the Tommy Dorsey Orchestra featuring Frank Sinatra. “I like to think I’m the Sinatra of today.If he was ‘Old Blue Eyes,’ I’m ‘Old Brown Eyes.’”
Jay-Z then made the case that he is by far the most exciting performing in hip hop today.
The set included “Swagga Like Us,” featuring T.I. in the evening’s lone guest appearance, “99 Problems,” “Excuse Me Miss,” “Blue Magic,”  “Public Service Announcement,” “Minority Report” and "Hard Knock Life."

The annual Spirit of Life gala was bigger and more impressive than ever with music industry heavyweights everywhere anyone looked under the big tent Wednesday. Records were set for attendance — 1,900 — and money raised — $10 million — for the City of Hope’s cancer research, making it one of the largest one-night charity events in California history.
Held at a Santa Monica beach, Doug Morris, chairman & CEO, Universal Music Group,was the man being honored. Universal, of course, owns Motown, which turns 50 next year and will have a series of celebrations and catalog releases and Berry Gordy's musical - Morris is among the producers - is expected to finally be mounted.  It was on the Ahmanson's schedule a couple season back but was not ready to be staged at the time.
Artists currently signed to Universal labels provided the entertainment by covering vintage Motown classics: Erykah Badu tore up Rick James’ “Mary Jane”; Duffy delicately warbled Smokey Robinson’s “I Second That Emotion” and Jamie Cullum frolicked on "Money (That's What I Want),” a Berry Gordy composition that was a hit for Barrett Strong.
Stevie Nicks, who Morris signed as a solo act when he ran Atlantic Records, opened the evening with a story about a late friend who was treated at City of Hope. After performances by 13 Universal acts, Nicks cooed the Supremes hit “Love is Like an Itching in My Heart” before an ensemble delivered an a cappella version of “Sweet Talking Guy,” which Morris wrote in the early 1960s.
Akon and Sheryl Crow were scheduled to sing, too, but illness kept them off the stage.
On hand to enjoy the evening were Apple chairman Steve Jobs, Universal president/COO Zach Horowitz, Motown founder Berry Gordy, David Geffen, CBS president/CEO Leslie Moonves, Viacom chairman and  CEO Sumner Redstone, the Jonas Brothers, Smokey Robinson, Lil Jon and Nelly.
The set list:

Mariah Carey with Trey Lorenz, "I'll Be There" Randy Jackson on bass
Michael McDonald, "Living for the City"
Rihanna - looking divine I might add -  "Where Did Our Love Go"
Lionel Richie, accompanying himself on piano, "Easy"
Clique Girlz (a trio of blonde teens) "Stop! In The Name Of Love" 
Erykah Badu - best performance of the night -  "Mary Jane"
Maroon 5, "My Cherie Amour"
Lee Ann Womack, "Love Child"
Luis Fonsi & David Bisbal, "Overjoyed"
Duffy, "I Second That Emotion"
Keyshia Cole, "Ribbon In The Sky"
Jamie Cullum, on electric piano, "Money (That's What I Want)"
Robin Thicke, "Lately"
Stevie Nicks, "Love Is Like An Itching In My Heart"

Redeye Distribution has signed on to physically distribute David Byrne and Brian Eno's "Everything That Happens Will Happen Today" in the U.S. and Canada. Release is Nov. 25.
When Byrne performed recently at the Greek Theater in L.A. he was cryptic as to when it would be released as a CD or vinyl but seemed rather sure that it would be done this year. Byrne and Eno released the music through a website named for the album.
Redeye also distributes Luaka Bop.

James Taylor will barnstorm for Obama for three days in North Carolina next week.
He will perform Sunday in Charlotte and Asheville; Monday in Chapel Hill; and Tuesday in Raleigh and Wilmington. Question: What old soul cover will he prepare for the shows or will these be strictly "Carolina on My Mind" and "You've Got a Friend" sing-alongs? It would be interesting to see ol' JT take the stage and show some political fever.
All the concerts are free.

Three Rock and Roll Hall of Fame members have albums in the top 10: Bob Dylan, Metallica and James Taylor. Two of the albums are worth owning.
It doesn't end there. Another 15 artists who issued their first recordings more than 25 years are also in this week's Nielsen SoundScan report, some of which proves repackaged catalog might never die.
For the week ended Sunday:
Chart Position/Artist & Album/Sales

2. Metallica "Death Magnetic" 66,000
8. Bob Dylan "Tell Tale Signs" 50,000
10.James Taylor "Covers" 44,000
32. Pretenders "Break Up the Concrete" 16,000
61. Journey "Revelation" 8,000
68. Jackson Browne "Time the Conqueror" 8,000
70. Tina Turner "Tina!" 7,000
74. George Strait "Troubadour" 7,000
93. The Clash "Live at Shea Stadium" 6,000
110. Frank Sinatra "Nothing But the Best" 5,000
125. Led Zeppelin "Mothership" 5,000
127. Robert Plant/Allison Krauss "Raising Sand" 4,500
137. Natalie Cole "Still Unforgettable" 4,300
140. David Gilmour "Live in Gdansk" 4,200
153. Madonna "Hard Candy" 3,800
161. The Eagles "Long Road Out of Eden" 3,600
198. Bette Midler "Jackpot" 3,000

Details regarding sales of Radiohead "In Rainbows" were released at the “You Are in Control” conference in Iceland, including the fact that the album has sold more than 3 million worldwide.
Warner Chappell’s Head of Business Affairs Jane Dyball delivered the keynote address and noted, among other things, that the digital publishing income from just the first license (for the Radiohead pay what you want site) dwarfed all the band’s previous digital publishing income.
OTHER STATS
• The physical CD has sold 1.75 million to date.
• 100,000 boxsets have been sold via W.A.S.T.E.
• Nearing 17 million plays on last.fm
• 1.2 million fans will see the tour
• The digital income from the experiment made a material difference to Warner Chappell’s U.K. digital revenue this year

Music :) Ally has details; Pitchfork has its own take.

Part Seven as I pick two songs from every year of my life based on the songs that were important to me at the time or have had a lasting impact on the me. The ground rules are in the first entry. Rest of the list is here.

1988
“Fast Car” - Tracy Chapman
A perfect recording of a perfect performance of a perfect song. God knows how long I went without hearing it, but some time in 2005 or '06 it came on the radio and I swear chills came over me. One of the more amazing - and underrated - debut albums, I added "Tracy Chapman"  to regular rotation.  I remember seeing her play solo and think performers without bands have a resonance that those who use a band don't achieve. Then Sinead O'Connor came to these shores and I changed my mind.

“Fisherman's Blues” - The Waterboys
Mike Scott's one masterpiece, a Celtic vision of Dylan and the Band's “Basement Tapes.” Expanded edition of the album belongs in everyone's collection.

1989
“Little Floater” - NRBQ
Soon after I met the woman who would become my wife, I made a mixtape but did not include a song list. She said she loved the “zoom zoom song,” which had me mystified for a little while. When I realized it was the Q song, I knew she had good taste. I saw NRBQ twice in the early 1980s and thought they were OK; saw them about 20 times between 1987 and 1993 and thought they were one of the best bands in the world.

“I Won't Back Down” - Tom Petty
Tom Petty's music has been a bond in my relationships with my wife and younger daughter. My favorite show of his took place in San Francisco at the Fillmore during a 20-odd concert run. Two years ago, I caught two of his shows at opposite ends of the tour. First one, at Madison Square Garden, was professional and compact; second, at the Hollywood Bowl, was bolder, more nuanced and better paced. Evidence that bands can do the same show night after night and make some OK and some extraordinary.   

1990
“Loneliness Aint No Crime” - Barrence Whitfield & the Savages
My decade in New England was made tolerable by the abundance of fine bar bands that came out of Boston and there was no greater soul shouter - quite possibly in the U.S. - than Barrence Whitfield. (True story: His given name was Barry White.) The man could scream and sing, bounce between Sugarboy Crawford and Led Zeppelin and use every spot in a club for his own personal performance space. The Savages were a fine outfit, too, eventually carrying on without Barrence as Four Piece Suit.

“Put The Message in The Box” - World Party
One of the first bands I saw in Los Angeles after my return to California. Like his former bandmate Mike Scott of the Waterboys, World Party's Karl Wallinger is one of the few artists capable of combining Dylan and the Band with Beatles and producing something distinct. Had a lovely breakfast with him in Texas at which he told one of the craziest hard-luck stories ever.

1991
“Fall at Your Feet” - Crowded House
Neil Finn's melodies and vocals = The sound of heaven.

“My Eyes Keep Me in Trouble” - RL Burnside
A man who gave me faith in the blues, he worked hard, played hard and gave me a few good interviews. He seemed to be having a great time the last decade of his life. Hearing him tell his stories of plantation work made me realize how distanced we city folk are from a part of America that so many people believe has disappeared.

1992
“Tell Me You'll Be Waiting For Me” - Charles Brown
I was once consumed by Charles Brown, the most elegant bluesman ever. A Texan, classically trained with a penchant for the rococo, he defined West Coast blues of the late 1940s and early '50s before disappearing in the 1970s. Ray Charles emulated his style; admirers of his work with guitarist Johnny Moore included Eric Clapton, Bruce Springsteen and Bonnie Raitt. I wrote a semi-convoluted ,but mostly accurate, piece for L.A Weekly connecting the dots between recordings issued by the 1950s L.A. blues label Swingtime, Shirley Horn's interpretations of Brother Ray's songs and a Charles Brown album. His guitarist Danny Caron and Charles sent me the loveliest thank you letter. It was a compliment of the highest order and the beginning of a musician-journalist relationship that lasted until Charles died in 1999.

“Waiting for the Sun” - Jayhawks
Talk about a record that shoulda been a hit by  one of the best rock bands in America. “Hollywood Town Hall” was their masterpiece and this was the lead-off track. The shock really settled in three years later when "Blue," rich with sumptuous harmonies and a phenomenal refrain, failed to become a hit. One of the best songs of the decade.

Tim McGraw is disassociating himself from "Greatest Hits Vol. 3," which he says was released by Curb Records without his involvement.
McGraw is working on a studio album that will not be ready in time for the Christmas rush and Curb wanted a new McGraw product in stores. Disc was released Oct. 7.
McGraw wanted to release the new album in the fall, but Curb delayed it, his camp says, to extend his contract. The singer debuted three songs that will appear n the album during his “Live Your Voice Tour.”
McGraw issued a statement: “I am saddened and disappointed that my label chose to put out another hits album instead of new music.  I’ve only had one studio album since my last hits package.  It has to be just as confusing to the fans as it is to me.
“I had no involvement in the creation or presentation of this record. Sure I love the songs and I don’t want to take anything away from all the creative people who were a part of making those records.  But the whole concept is an embarrassment to me as an artist. In the spirit of an election year, I would simply say to my fans ‘I’m Tim McGraw and I don’t approve their message.’”
Could McGraw be the next artist to jump ship from the major labels?

The morning after Tina! hit Staples Center - and before I write my review - I had a few thoughts.

Telling patrons to show up at 7:30 - the ads say the show starts promptly - and not letting them go until 10:40 sounds like a three hour show. Tina is onstage for one hour and almost 50 minutes.

Video advertisements for Amway beauty products is wrong, no matter how much they paid to sponsor the tour. A good two-thirds of the house is paying $150 a ticket. They should not be subjected to advertisements during the pre-show and intermission.

Everyone, from the lead guitarist to the lighting designer, was introduced by name - except the video director, whose work made this look like the world's most exciting concert.

"Unplugged" segments have mostly been limited to performers who write their own songs. Tina's finely wrought ballad rendition of the Beatles' "Help!" suggests the format may have a life for interpreters.

Live by the hydraulics, die by the hydraulics. When the curtain refused to close at the end of the first half, Tina had to ride down the shaft in full view of the audience with the house lights up. A bit embarrassing.

Same song ("We Don't Need Another Hero"), different problem. Showing video of yourself from 22 years ago while you are wearing a similar costume - and what appears to be the same wig - is a hard one to pull off without embarrassment.

The Good: River Deep - Mountain High, What You Get is What You See, Better Be Good to Me, Private Dancer, Help!, Undercover Agent for the Blues, Let's Stay Togther, I Can't Stand the Rain, It's Only Rock and Roll, Nutbush City Limits

Eh: Acid Queen, We Don't Need Another Hero, Jumpin' Jack Flash, Proud Mary

The Questionable: Steamy Windows, staged fight with security by street acrobats, What's Love Got to Do With it (pitchy), Goldeneye (tuneless), Addicted to Love (cliched), Simply the Best (drags)

Part Six as I pick two songs from every year of my life based on the songs that were important to me at the time or have had a lasting impact on the me. The ground rules are in the first entry. Rest of the list is here.

1983
“Radio Free Europe” - R.E.M.
Plenty of R.E.M. songs are better and nothing tops meeting the band in Ireland with my older daughter right after her high school graduation. But in '83, not knowing who they were and seeing them open for the English Beat, I was immediately hooked.

“Let's Say Goodnight” - Los Lobos
From their EP “... And a Time to Dance,” a record I played at least twice a day for three months. I could listen to it at 6 in the morning or during dinner for this was the music I had heard in my head for years that did not exist yet in the real world. 

1984
“Jesus & Tequila” - The Minutemen
“Unsatisfied” - The Replacements

My first real taste of indie rock — in attitude and sound — and I was instantly hooked. Nothing was as dogmatic and liberating as the Minutemen; nothing connected as viscerally as the Replacements. For a good while “Unsatisfied” and “I Will Dare” were my theme songs; the Minutemen was the band I wanted to be in.

1985
“Makes No Sense at All” - Husker Du
“Walking around with my head in the clouds”: There's not a better line to define the year, one of significant change, owing mainly to the birth of my first daughter, two job changes and finally settling in a place I rather liked, Connecticut.

“Sorrow, Tears and Blood” - Fela Kuti
Not sure why it was happening but in 1984 and '85 African musicians were making their way to  Boston to perform. (I was living in New Hampshire). The one time I saw Fela was in some god-forsaken club and I could not tell you what year it was but the experience was unbelievable — I just remember the album out at that time was from Shanachie and this was on it. Years later, seeing his son Femi perform was another eye-opener.

1986
“Levi Stubbs' Tears” - Billy Bragg
Woody Guthrie is not a name you toss around lightly in my book and nor is Levi Stubbs, the ferocious lead singer of the Four Tops. A rarity in the songwriting world - a man who writes with conviction about romance and politics - Bragg was a great chronicler of the Reagan-Thatcher years. Wordsmith as a thorn in the side - a brilliant concept that has not been topped since.

“Sledgehammer” - Peter Gabriel
The “So” show was one of my all-time favorite concerts; “Sledgehammer” one of the great car radio jams that never seems to age; and Nick Park's video was my favorite of the 20th century. (Also vying for the top: David Bowie “Ashes to Ashes” and the Clash “This is Radio Clash”). 

1987
“Ngicabange Ngaqeda” - Mahlathini & the Mahotella Queens
The Howlin Wolf of South Africa, “Graceland” and “The Indestructible Beat of Soweto” led to an African feeding frenzy. It was not until 1990 that I got to see the act - with West Nkosi on guitar - and at that time they seemed to be one of the more invigorating acts on the planet.

“Have a Little Faith in Me” - John Hiatt
I interviewed John when this album came out, phone on my shoulder, pen in hand and a squirming daughter on my lap. “Having children,” John said, “is the only time one plus one does not equal two. It comes out somewhere around 3.2 in terms of how many people you feel like you're watching.” So true. P.S. Great as his version was on the album, it was even more riveting in performance on the tour that accompanied.

  "Sugar Mountain Live At Canterbury House 1968" is the next release to come from Neil Young's archives. Details about the gig and the release, slated for Nov., 25, were released Monday.
Young was five days shy of his 23rd birthday when he launched his solo career  at the Canterbury House in Ann Arbor, Mich., on Nov. 9 and 10, 1968.   
The  engagement was an experiment to determine if audiences would accept Neil's music in its most elemental form. Album includes songs  written during his Buffalo Springfield tenure as well as  material that would appear on future solo albums.
"Sugar Mountain Live" is not slated for inclusion in "Neil Young Archives Vol. 1 (1963 – 1972)," the 10-disc Blu-ray and DVD package that has been pushed back to early next year.
Track listing after the jump

Part Five as I pick two songs from every year of my life based on the songs that were important to me at the time or have had a lasting impact on the me. The ground rules are in the first entry. Here are entries one, two, three and four.

1978
“By This River” - Brian Eno
Loved this song from the moment I heard it in college. Flash forward more than 20 years. Cannes Film Festival, back when Variety had a stand next to the main theater. Music playing during arrivals of stars was louder than usual, so loud that it made talking on the phone difficult. “By This River” starts to play amidst the usual random collection of hit songs. Bewildered and awestruck, I raced outside to soak up the tune. The sky had turned an odd shade of gray with streaks of blue but no sense of rain, as if some art director had taken over earth’s controls and this was the chosen soundtrack for those three minutes. Never seen a sky like that since.

“She's the One” – the Ramones
It's the holiday shopping season in 1979. I'm working in a stereo and TV store in East Brunswick, N.J. where only one other employee is a punk rock enthusiast. We are mocked. I help a guy to his car with his new Sony TV and inside his Mercedes he has raised speakers in the back with stickers of the cover of the first Ramones album on them. “Ramones,” I say, thinking these stickers are more out of place than a Dead sticker on a Cadillac. “You a fan? They're my favorite.” He tells me he's their producer and we chit chat, informing me Joey, Johnny, Dee Dee and Tommy are working with Phil Spector, which was the epitome of cool and news I had not heard. He has no cash and asks for  my address so he can send me a tip. I say “how about an autographed copy of 'Road to Ruin'?” He takes the address and I figure I'll never see him again. Dec. 23, the mailman knocks on the door with my signed copy of “Road to Ruin.” Ed Stasium became my hero that day.

1979
“Pocahontas” - Neil Young
“Rust Never Sleeps” tour. Philadelphia. Fist time I am seeing Neil Young. He plays one song after an other that no one has ever heard. They are all great but the one about the guys with the rifles and the river and the other one about Marlon Brando stand out. Big time. Album comes out and I memorize it. Years later, at the sessions that would become “Unplugged,” he hits two notes and I naturally erupt in applause; listen closely and you can hear a few people respond before the masses. One of them is me.

“Accidents Will Happen” - Elvis Costello
Second time seeing Elvis Costello, he enters and with just piano accompanying him sings, what I believe is “Exodus will Happen.” A few weeks later, see him again and he repeats it. I'm still convinced the song has something to do with people following in the footsteps of Moses. “Armed Forces” comes out and he has made a pretty cool rock song out of “Exodus,” oops, “Accidents,” but then we play the bonus 45 and get to hear the version the way he played it. As far I could tell, it was the first Costello song that wasn't all brilliantly expressed anger.

1980
“I'm Not Down” - The Clash
The greatest band ever, or at least my favorite. “London Calling” was released in November 1979 in the UK and early 1980 in the U.S. British press declared it the best album of the ‘70s; American press declared it the best album of the ‘80s. That’s an achievement. Met every member of the band after the break-up and of course the coolest of the lot was Joe Strummer.

“Teacher Teacher” - Rockpile
Dave Edmunds and Nick Lowe used the same band for three or four albums but there was only one official Rockpile release. They opened for Van Morrison on one of Van's weaker tours; they were the embodiment of great rock 'n' roll.

1981
“Tempted” - Squeeze
One of the best pop songs ever. Written Sung by Paul Carrack, who also penned “How Long” when he was in Ace, a band that played the ballroom next to where my  high school prom was held. I snuck over to hear them play “How Long.” Years later, I go see Squeeze and they play “How Long.” Nick Lowe had Paul in his band for a while, and they did “How Long” and “Tempted.” Fortunately, I never saw Mike and the Mechanics.

“Because” - David Grisman
A friend called me one Saturday afternoon when I was in high school to tell me we had to go see the most amazing band at McCabe's, the David Grisman Quartet. We went and I was blown away. As much as Grisman tapped into the world of Django Reinhardt and Stephane Grappelli, both of whom I idolized, he was playing music that didn't seem to exist anywhere except for wherever he was playing. I became a foot soldier in the DGQ army that day.

1982
“Senses Working Overtime” - XTC
“Town Called Malice” - The Jam

I have no affection for most so-called new wave and British pop of the early ‘80s; most of my immediate post-college years were spent acquiring old jazz, blues and rock records. There were exceptions, especially when it came to music from bands I admired in the '70s. XTC had me snagged with “Drums & Wires” and I would often argue that they were superior to Squeeze. The Jam was always inferior to the Clash in my eyes, but “Town Called Malice” is one of my favorite records ever.

-

The Academy has changed its tune: Oscar music hopefuls have been given clearance to send out CDs to voting members of the Music Branch.
In a change from last year, CDs of eligible scores may be distributed to voting members of the Music Branch anytime prior to the nominations announcement on Jan. 22.
After noms are announced, the nominated scores may be distributed to all voting members of the Academy. In both cases, each music track must be titled, include the name of the composer(s) and be identical to the music used in the finished film.
The CD may contain only music written by the eligible composer(s). Music written by other composers, licensed music or music that is otherwise ineligible for award consideration is not permitted.
It is the only significant change from the 2007 awards.
CDs of nominated songs also may be distributed to all voting members, following the same guidelines as for nominated scores. Distribution of eligible songs prior to the nominations announcement is not permitted.
The Academy made an earlier rule change whereby it will be sending DVDs containing film clips featuring the songs to Music Branch members during the nominations balloting phase. The DVDs will contain the same clips to be screened at the annual voting event at which branch members may cast their nominations ballot in person.
Neither video excerpts nor sheet music may be sent at any time.

Part Four as I pick two songs from every year of my life based on the songs that were important to me at the time or have had a lasting impact on the me. The ground rules are in the first entry; here are parts two and three.

1973
“Solid Air” - John Martyn
I heard this album in a record store in a mall and ventured out in search of this disc. I found other albums by Martyn, who uniquely blended folk and jazz, but none had the magic I believed this one possessed. It would appear at times in import racks at astronomically high prices - I'm guessing six or seven dollars - and eventually I scored it used in the early 1980s. During the search for “Solid Air” conversations would start up about other artists from the era and the label, but I did not believe any of the others could be as good as Martyn. One of them was Nick Drake.

“Conference of the Birds” - Dave Holland
My role model on the bass. He plays nearly every form of  jazz imaginable and does it with a multitude of configurations including this track from a disc that is mostly improvised wildness. Sam Rivers and Anthony Braxton are the woodwind players; Barry Altschul is the drummer.

1974
“Down to You” - Joni Mitchell
“Late for the Sky” - Jackson Browne

More than any other albums, Joni's “Court and Spark” and Jackson's “Late for the Sky” were explanations of adulthood. Not sure what they were singing about - extreme amounts of disappointment actually - but the emotions felt more real than anything else I had ever heard.

1975
“Tangled Up in Blue” - Bob Dylan
The hardest task in assembling this set was picking one Dylan song. I had to play by my own rules: First song, first side of the album that affected me most. Bought “Blood on the Tracks” the week it was released and it did not leave my turntable for at least  a month. I love all of the stories in the songs, but this one’s the best - a drifter who can't quite shake a former lover winds up in the thick of an uprising and eventually realizes the importance of a common bond.

“Incident on 57th Street” - Bruce Springsteen
Second hardest task . . . I have heard him perform it only twice in concert and each time it brings chills. Most of that owes to the haunting quality of the song,  and my memories of spending a summer listening to “The Wild, the Innocent and the E Street Shuffle” before Springsteen exploded with “Born to Run.”

1976
“One of These Days” - Mose Allison
One of those humble guys who is all about the music, in his case a blend of Jimmie Rodgers, Duke Ellington and Willie Dixon. He once told me in the early 1990s he'd play anything except “the plantation songs,” noting “that part of America doesn’t exist anymore.”  Percy Mayfield's widow grinned when we were chatting about Mose: “As long as Mose is performing, Percy is alive.” I loved the sentiment. I also named my wonderful dog Mose in his honor.

“I Wish I Was in New Orleans” - Tom Waits
“Small Change,” on which this appears, is the only album I have owned on CD, vinyl, cassette and 8-track. Saw him 18 times between 1976 and 1982; only four times since, the last being in Phoenix.

1977
“Don't Worry About the Government” - Taking Heads
From “Talking Heads 77,” the album that made me stop listening to anything without teeth. John Hiatt once said he heard “Like a Rolling Stone” for the first time in his mother's car while waiting for her. He figured he was such a different person after hearing it, that she might not recognize him. “Talking Heads 77,” left in my dorm room after a party, had that effect on me.

“A Remark You Made” - Weather Report
Musically there might not have been a better band on the planet at that time - Wayne Shorter, Joe Zawinul, Jaco Pastorious and Alex Acuna - and while they had a hit with “Birdland,” it was this ballad that thrilled me over and over. In the late 1980s, Eric Clapton started playing it as an intro to “Layla.”

Best Buy expects to take full advantage of the Thanksgiving week shopping sprees, assigning a Sunday release date for Guns N' Roses' first album in 15 years.
“Chinese Democracy,” which GNR leader Axl Rose started work on more than 10 years ago, is now slated for an exclusive release on Nov. 23 at the big box retailer. Best Buy reports sales to SoundScan on a Sunday-Saturday week, which will give the release a seven day tally. Most albums are released on Tuesdays and first week sales reports are for five days.
Thanksgiving is historically the best time for superstar releases and high expectations have been pinned on “Chinese Democracy,” which Interscope is releasing.
The Tuesday before the 23rd, Nov. 18, will see a superstar deluge led by Nickelback’s “Dark Horse” and the debut from “American Idol” winner David Cook  in the rock arena. The Killers’ “Day and Age” will be released Nov. 25. It is possible that the Nielsen SoundScan report for the week ending Nov. 30 will have a very rare list of rock albums in the top three slots.
Only one week this year has any release topped 1 million in sales — Lil Wayne’s “Tha Carter III” — and GNR, Nickelback and Beyonce appear to be the three candidates to add to that list. Improbable as having three albums top the seven-digit mark is, what is likely is the three albums topping 2 million sales by the end of the year.
Last year’s Thanksgiving week found Josh Groban’s “Noel” at No. 1 selling 405,000 copies, nearly double the business it had done the week before on its way to a 3.7 million tally. Alicia Keys’ “As I Am” sold 349,000 in its second week to come in at No. 2 as 11 albums topped 100,000 in sales. Only one of those, a Keith Urban album, was in its first week of release.
The Keys release is probably the best parallel for the three albums. “As I Am” had an opening week of more than 725,000 and finished the year at 2.54 million sold.
GNR fans will get their first taste of the bands new material via "Shackler's Revenge" appearing in the video game "Rock Band 2" and "If the World" playing over the credit roll in the pic "Body of Lies."
That time of year is also crucial for artists to work the TV appearances. Obviously, Nickelback and Beyonce will games for shows such as the American Music Awards and the talk-show circuit. Imagine the coup — on both sides — if Axl would agree to go on “Oprah.” That would sell records.

Part Three as I pick two songs from every year of my life based on the songs that were important to me at the time or have had a lasting impact on the me. The ground rules are in the first entry; part two is here.

1968
“Since You've Been Gone” - Aretha Franklin
The other greatest soul singer. We did an interview in early 2008 in her hotel suite, eating chicken wings and drinking ginger ale. A week later, the L.A. Times ran an article on how she adheres to a strict diet. I'm forever grateful that I visited on her day off.

“Alone Again Or” - Love
Not sure when I first heard this but it was love (pardon the pun) at first listen. The album on which it appears, “Forever Changes,” came into my possession during college and I started accumulating other discs from the band, wondering why this group from my hometown was not more of a legend. Then it slowly started to creep out in the 1980s, this belief that “Forever Changes” was a mystical masterpiece; that the band's leader, Arthur Lee, was one of rock's forgotten men; that somehow the wrong Sunset Strip band, the Doors, had become deified over time. I met Arthur in 1993 as a journalist and we became good friends - he'd call at all hours to talk about anything from some European bookings to his ailing pet bird. He went to jail, came out and had a thorough career rejuvenation. It warms my heart to know that he did not die in total obscurity. (Irony of this is that “Alone Again Or” was written by his bandmate Bryan McLean).

1969
“Golden Slumbers/Carry That Weight/The End” - The Beatles
The first album I ever purchased with my own money. Bought it at the Northridge Kmart for $4.66 in late 1969. I always favored the B side over the A side - “Polythene Pam” is more fun than “Octopus' Garden”  - and this brings the Beatles saga to a close. It's a crime the CD does not duplicate the segue the way the album does.

Dreams - Allman Brothers Band
I am no fan of Southern Rock, but I will be a lifelong devotee of the Allman Brothers Band. To be honest, “Live at Fillmore East” was the first of their albums I acquired and did not even become acquainted with this song until their first two albums were repackaged as “Beginnings.” “Dreams” is a reinvention of the blues, one of Gregg's strongest early vocals and a dramatic tapestry of the guitars of Duane Allman and Dicky Betts and the bass of Berry Oakley. A wholly different type of complexity from any other rock music of the day, or at least so I thought — and still do.

1970
“Into the Mystic” - Van Morrison
Like this needs explaining? On a personal level, my favorite rock singer.

“Simple” - Traffic Sound
As an exchange student in Mexico City in 1972 — watching the “Immaculate Reception” described in Spanish was quite confusing — I often hung out with the eldest son of the family I was staying with. He was a serious fan of the Animals and loved psychedelic rock 'n' roll, his favorite album at the time of my visit being “Virgin” by Traffic Sound. They were phenomenally popular in their homeland of Peru, but little known elsewhere. I returned to the States in January 1973 and started looking for “Virgin,”  a quest that would take 23 years. Coincidentally, it cost $23 when I finally found a vinyl copy in Manhattan.

1971
“I Used to be a King” - Graham Nash
“Songs for Beginners,” Nash's first solo album, made me think he had more to say than Crosby or Stills. It's among the records I would say I “wore out” from so many listenings, “I Used to Be a King” battling with “Man in the Mirror” as my favorite track.

“Low Spark of the High Heeled Boys” - Traffic
Great album cover with two corners lopped off to suggest a 3-D effect. It made me fall in love with lengthy songs that have interesting twists and turns. One of life's great disappointments: The first time I saw Steve Winwood he played the tune for a mere two minutes and then stopped.

1972
“Ziggy Stardust” - David Bowie
KRLA was a great rock station on the AM dial, and for a year or so as adventurous as any FM station in the country. During that period they started playing this album “Hunky Dory” by a Brit named David Bowie, who sounded like a British folk-rocker. I bought “Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars” right when it came out, not realizing I was participating in the birth of glam rock. For years it stood out as anomaly in my collection as I had little use for any of Bowie’s peers beyond Marc Bolan and Lou Reed. Flash forward 26 years and I'm at a play in London. It is intermission and I get a water and avoid the crowds by hanging out in the relatively empty lobby. Standing across from me, lighting a cigarette, is Bowie. After a minute or so I figured if nobody else is going to bother him I would. We talked art, theater, music and Brian Eno. It might have been the highlight of the trip – had I not become engaged. 

“Vaseline Machine Gun” - Leo Kottke
Record fanaticism, PBS and a telephone. L.A.'s KCET used to have auctions on TV — this would last a week I think — and viewers would bid on lots by phoning in. Analog eBay. Seeing a good cause and a chance to enhance my budding record collection with albums by guitarists I barely knew, I phoned in my paltry bid on several albums from the Takoma label. I liked John Fahey, but I fell head over heels for Leo Kottke. I was actually quite nervous when I met him in 1995;  the man remains in a league of his own.

My Morning Jacket's Jim James fell off the stage in Iowa City on Tuesday, injuring his torso. The band is following doctor's orders, which means James will be recuperating  for the next two to three weeks.
MMJ writes: "For those who attended the Iowa City show, we would like to extend our gratitude for your understanding and cooperation.  We take our fans and performances very seriously, and would never cancel a show unless it was absolutely necessary.  Please know that we will be making every effort to return to your fine city."
There is no word yet on whether it will affect their European tour.

  The Foo Fighters have reacted to reports that John McCain has been using their recording of  "My Hero" at his campaign rallies without permission.
The Foos' statement : "This isn't the first time the McCain campaign has used a song without making any attempt to get approval or permission from the artist. It's frustrating and infuriating that someone who claims to speak for the American people would repeatedly show such little respect for creativity and intellectual property. The saddest thing about this is that 'My Hero' was written as a celebration of the common man and his extraordinary potential. To have it appropriated without our knowledge and used in a manner that perverts the original sentiment of the lyric just tarnishes the song. We hope that the McCain campaign will do the right thing and stop using our song - and start asking artists' permission in general!"

Part Two as I pick two songs from every year of my life based on the songs that were important to me at the time or have had a lasting impact on the me. The ground rules are in the first entry.

1963
“Anyone Who Had a Heart” - Dionne Warwick
Loved her, dismissed her, fell in love with her again, dismissed her, grew to like her, met her, fell in love again. Burt Bacharach told me Dionne's brilliance was her ability to sing lines on a page in a way that went beyond what was written yet did not stray from the intentions of Burt and lyricist Hal David. I don't think there is a better example of that than this recording.

“We Shall Overcome” - Pete Seeger
When I was growing up, it seemed like the only things that were compartmentalized were sports seasons and school schedules. Music, for example, was wide open territory and I never found it odd that my father liked Charlie Parker, Nancy Wilson, Jobim, Pete Seeger and the sound of the banjo. That he would enjoy a man singing about labor unions — now that was strange. My first birthday gift to my father after we moved to the East Coast in 1976 was to take him to see Pete at his annual Thanksgiving concert at Carnegie Hall, which is where this was recorded. Fourth row, stage left seats, we sang along and had a great time. Sixteen years and four of his concerts later I finally met Pete, a truly inspiring man.

1964
“No Particular Place to Go” - Chuck Berry
With the exception that he wrote his own songs, Chuck Berry is a lot like Pete Seeger: Stories of everyday people in situations they feel they need to change. While Pete is talking about oppression of workers, Chuck is concerned with the speed of cars, guitar-playing and, in this instance, driving, parking and removing a girl's seat belt. The important thing: The whole family can sing along.

“Killing Floor” - Howlin Wolf
Heresy for some members of the blues police, but you can’t tell me there was a better blues singer than Howlin Wolf. Wolf and Muddy would get radio airplay in the late 1960s in L.A. and I had no idea what it was or if it was even from this planet. I was10 years old, but it made me want to know more about music.

1965
“96 Tears” - ? & the Mysterians
My favorite rock record, not to be confused with rock song or even the greatest rock song, which would be “Like a Rolling Stone.” Searched for years to find the album, which I discovered at the bottom of a pile atop a pinball machine at an outdoor flea market in Massachusetts. I trembled as I handed over my dollar to pay for it.

“Please Let Me Wonder” - Beach Boys
A “Pet Sounds” tune would be too obvious. Besides, everyone should own “Pet Sounds” and have the Beach Boys classic memorized. Too often, though, the suggestion is that it sprang out of thin air, that its direct predecessor was “Fun, Fun, Fun” and surf tunes. Taken from “The Beach Boys Today” - and issued as the B-side to their cover of “Do You Wanna Dance?” - this is the starting line for Brian Wilson's transition. An absolute gem, even if Mike Love is singing lead with Brian.

1966
“The Trip” - Donovan
Don't know what possessed him, but my father bought a bag of 45s at a home improvement store one afternoon and gave them to my brother and me. “The Dangling Conversation” by Simon & Garfunkel; “Hungry” by Paul Revere & the Raiders; and “Sunshine Superman” by Donovan. They were our first 45s. For some odd reason, we played the Donovan single the most - both sides. This was the B-side.

“I've Been Loving You Too Long” - Otis Redding
The best single from the greatest soul singer ever. As expressions of love as pain go, nothing tops it.

1967
“Fakin' It” - Simon & Garfunkel
It made me laugh when the kid in “Almost Famous” comes home and has to hide his copy of S&G's “Bookends” from his mother — it was the first album my parents ever gave me. Even as a 10-year-old, I was drawn to the theatricality in the spoken interlude, the ringing of a shop's bell and the voice of a school boy, not to mention the lyric about being a tailor in an earlier life. The other songs on the album seemed so easy to understand, even “Mrs. Robinson” to some degree, and as the years go by, this is a shining example of how important Art was to Paul.

“Waterloo Sunset” - The Kinks
Love the line “I am in paradise.”

Depeche Mode’s 12th album, set for release April 21, will go through EMI in the U.S. after 27 years of being with Warner Music. Dave Gahan, Martin Gore and Andy Fletcher are in New York working on the album.
They are making the switch Stateside without changing labels. Band has been signed to Mute since 1981, which had Warner as its distributor in the U.S. EMI distributes Mute globally and will, for the first time, have a worldwide deal with Depeche Mode.
Band will perform in stadiums during the European leg of its Tour of the Universe 2009, in which they will play 28 cities in 21 countries. Tour kicks off in Israel on May 10.

A fun little exercise has been making its way around the Internet this year in which music fans are asked to pick one song or an album for every year rthey are alive. Before I had heard of this fun little time-waster, I had already begun compiling a list of the 100 songs that are most important to my (almost) 50 years on Earth.
But I had to make it harder on myself. For starters, it's a year-by-year reflection of my taste, personality and inspiration based on songs that were important to me at the time. Obviously the first nine years is handled all in retrospect, but I had to go with songs that I obsessed over and not tunes that today are cool.
These are songs and records that are dear to my heart.
My  ground rules. One song per artist, although leeway was given to artists with solo works and group recordings; two songs per year of release (an A side and a B side); and, when in doubt, I opted for the song or album track that had the better story attached to it. It also had to make some sort of collective sense.
Up through 1968, with the exception of one tune, the appeal is purely retrospective. The years 1969-1981 are those of an obsessive record collector; '82-'99 are years of contemporary discovery, of living in the moment musically; the 21st century has been far more broad in terms of music digested professionally, but more selective in terms of music that adheres to the soul.
I hope to dole these out in digestible fashion, five years per weekday until I hit my 50th birthday on Oct. 21.

1958
“Rave On” - Buddy Holly
From the first time I heard and saw Buddy Holly, I loved everything about the guy — the look, the way he played the guitar, the voice, the hiccup in the vocals and the intensity.

“Twilight Time” - Platters
The brilliant opening lines of “Heavenly shades of night are falling, it's twilight time/Out of the mist your voice is calling, 'tis twilight time/” delivered by Tony Williams' booming tenor barely tells half the story. The tune is stocked with words found in novels, not songs: “Deepening shadows gather splendor”; “here in the afterglow of day”; “the spark of love that fills me with dreams untold” - it's an astounding song. The melody lodged itself in my brain at about the age of 15 and stayed there for about six or seven years, regardless of whether it was competing with Joni Mitchell or the Ramones. John Fahey, the eccentric and brilliant guitarist, was equally enthralled and he recorded and played the tune in concerts; Leo Kottke plays it as well in tribute to his mentor.

1959
“Naima” - John Coltrane
It was Christmas 1974 and I received this newly released album titled “Alternate Takes” by John Coltrane. I had become a fan by checking out his albums at the library, but this was the first one I ever actually owned. There's not a lot different between this take and the one originally issued, but this version has a bit more of a sympathetic heart toward the end; the simple yet pronounced bass playing of Paul Chambers made me want to play the bass better and learn jazz. To this day, it’s one of my favorite melodies.

“So What” - Miles Davis
Again, Paul Chambers on bass. From “Kind of Blue,” the most significant jazz recording of my lifetime. Like all the compositions on the album, “So What” was created on the spot. This is not improvising, this is creating a new language. Miles, the coolest guy ever, leading a band with Coltrane, Cannonball Adderley and pianist Bill Evans. Proof that music can be astoundingly complex and popular.

1960
“Cathy's Clown” - the Everly Brothers
Back in the early 1970s, my parents offered to take us to an amusement park and while I was torn between Knotts' Berry Farm and Magic Mountain, it boiled down to the musical attractions: Trini Lopez at Magic Mountain, the Everlys at Knotts. A few days after catching Trini run through “If I Had a Hammer” and “La Bamba,” I read in the paper that the Everlys had a fight onstage and broke up. At the time I was relieved that I got to see a full show; over time I kicked myself for missing a piece of history.

“Walk, Don't Run” - the Ventures
The greatest surf single of all-time? Quite possibly. More bizarrely, when my older daughter was about 1 and nothing would console her, putting her into a swing and playing “Walk, Don't Run” would do the trick. Any parent will tell you, that's magical music.

1961
“Little Sister” - Elvis Presley
Backed with “(Marie's the Name of) His Latest Flame,” this may well be the most atypical 45 of the King's career. Always loved both tunes for their lyrics, use of guitar and the snarl in Elvis' voice.

“At Last” - Etta James
My younger daughter  was in college and playing this tune in her dorm room. A kid told her “that the music sounded so old that if it were TV it would be in black and white.” She defended its greatness; I beam with pride.

1962
“He's a Rebel” - The Crystals
Gene Pitney's brilliant story song surrounded by a nuanced string-free Phil Spector arrangement, Darlene Love takes lead on a shining moment in girl group history. I used a picture of the 45 as my first column logo in a newspaper (Foster’s Daily Democrat in Dover, N.H., for the record).

“Green Onions” - Booker T. & the MG's
The greatest rock instrumental ever. Ever.

TOMORROW: 1963-1967

Richard Thompson is composing a musical play that will be premiere in June at Penn State, according to his newsletter Beesweb, which cites an Ottawa Citizen article.
He has penned 24 songs and instrumental passages for a string quartet. He told the paper, "Some of the songs are short, about 30 seconds, and others regular song length. It's an hour plus of music, which is a lot to write."
The song cycle project was commissioned by the International Society of Bassists and involves Thompson's not-related bassist Danny Thompson.The theme is a talent contest in Hell.
He is also working on a new band album and a new solo album. A  Richard Thompson Songbook series is still a few months away.
Until then he has solo dates in October and December and a "1,000 Years of Popular Music" tour of the U.K. in January.

Madonna opened the U.S. leg of her "Sticky and Sweet Tour" Saturday night at the Izod Center at the Meadowlands in New Jersey. David Sprague reports: Madge leaned surprisingly heavily on material from “Hard Candy,” but did a fine job of cherry-picking her hits. “Borderline” was chopped and channeled into post-modern form via the interpolation of a metallic guitar line. She injected a similar intensity into “Ray of Light,” which had a decidedly more rock edge than in its original incarnation. About the only time she offered the audience a breather was during a breathily pretty rendition of the “You Must Love Me” from "Evita." Madonna did not seem as interested in displaying her breadth of scope as her depth of energy. Performance h closed with a one-two salvo of “Hung Up” and “Give It 2 Me” that had the same force as the opening songs.
The set list:

Candy Shop / Beat Goes on / Human Nature / Vogue / Into the Groove / Heartbeat /
Borderline / She's Not Me / Music / Devil Wouldn't Recognize You / Spanish Lesson / Miles Away / La Isla Bonita / You Must Love Me / Like a Prayer / Ray of Light / Hung Up / Give It 2 Me

The CMJ Music Marathon. which runs Oct. 21-25 in New York, will extend to a full week in either 2009 or '10, going from a Monday until the wee hours of the following Sunday.
CMJ founder and CEO Robert Haber said the Tuesday-Saturday fest will expand from its current presentation of about 1,000 music acts to somewhere between 1,300 and 1,400.
This year's festival will again all be held in downtown and Greenwich Village, with all the daytime activities occurring on the NYU campus.
Bands appearing have already been announced; where and when they will perform is expected to be posted early next week, most likely on Monday.

Tina Turner opened her 2008 tour on Wednesday night at the Sprint Center in Kansas City, her first tour in eight years. Running time is about 150 minutes, including a half-hour intermission, and she covers all the rock greats - Beatles, Stones, the Who and Ike.
The setlist:
Steamy Windows / Typical Male / River Deep, Mountain High / What You Get Is What You See / Better Be Good To Me>Won't Get Fooled Again / Acid Queen / What's Love Got To Do With It / Private Dancer / We Don't Need Another Hero / Help! / Undercover Agent for the Blues / Let's Stay Together / I Can't Stand the Rain / Jumpin' Jack Flash>It's Only Rock and Roll / Goldeneye / Addicted to Love /
The Best / Proud Mary / Nutbush City Limits / Be Tender With Me, Baby

To survive in the music business, the logic dictated just four years ago, the more operations that could be combined the better. Centralization, global superstars,  cost trimming - all were going to be the result of giants merging.
Somehow it worked in 1999 when Universal took over Polygram and made the playing field no longer level; it was one behemoth against four. The creation of Sony BMG, and the non-stop dance between EMI and Warner Music, was pure '90s thinking: manufacture and distribute CDs, promote them on radio and sell them at record stores.
Just four years ago, Sony and BMG still thought it was the '90s. Realizing it wasn't, Bertelsmann offered to sell its share of Sony BMG to Sony Corp. and on Wednesday the acquisition was completed.
Company, now a fully owned subsidiary of the Japanese electronics and entertainment giant, will be known as Sony Music Entertainment. It is the second largest music company in the world with  a 22.8% marketshare in U.S. album sales.
Carp all you want about the majors and their practices - not to mention that they don't produce much with lasting value - but the labels are back to being music companies and not a piece of a vertical integration. Sony now has its hands untied to try to find a way to bring together music, movies and electronics, but its likely that will never be as forced as so some of Time Warner's experiments involving AOL, comics, TV shows and recording artists.
Like the Republicans who rally around the need for change in D.C. as if they have not been in the White House for the last eight years,  Sony's leadership greeted the news that they had finalized their purchase of BMG with words such as "transform"   and "transition."
In a memo to employees, Sony Corp. chairman Howard Stringer wrote "While this will inevitably be a time of transition, it is also a time that holds great promise for us all.  I personally look forward to working with all of you as we continue to develop and transform the music company into an even more vibrant and innovative force in the entertainment industry."
Not sure if reading between the lines means layoffs, reorganization or using the Columbia Records model for  the former BMG properties.  It's highly doubtful it will be   anywhere near as dramatic as EMI's recent transformation.

Swedish radio tapes from the 1970s  make up the first new release in 30 years from the great Henry Cow (Fred Frith/Tim Hodgkinson/Chris Cutler and others). These are the first recordings to featuring Georgina Born, the group's bassist from 1976 to '78.
Downtown Music Gallery is the first shop I have seen that's carrying them and they report that the
recordings from Stockholm and Goteborg fill in some of the missing history between "In Praise of Learning" (1975) and "Western Culture" (1978) and offers music that has not been heard on record until now.
From DMG: "First is Tim Hodgkinson's late and fiendishly complicated epic composition 'Erk Gah' (a working title), that took many months of sweat to learn and resolutely eschews any hint of riff, solo or modular assembly. At the other extreme are the two wide-ranging improvisations built around heady extended instrumental techniques, aleatorics, quotations, more-or-less randomly inserted prepared materials and a blithe disregard for genre rules. Between, constantly shifting ground, are a straight-ahead version of Phil Ochs' 'No More Songs' (one of only two covers ever performed by the band), an unreleased composition by Fred Frith, and a version of the 'Ottawa Song': a typical live set from that period. Finally, Stockholm is a snapshot of a band of exceptional talents having fun. And it reflects what the studio albums could not - that Henry Cow's natural habitat was the stage - and the real-time pressure of public performance - because it was there that the music could live and breathe. And evolve."
DMG also notes two box sets will be released around Christmas time to celebrate the 40th anniversary of Henry Cow. Box 1 will have five CDs covering 1971 to 1976; Box 2 will have four CDs + one DVD covering  1975-1978.The Stockholm CD is an advance release from the second box.

Clement Picon was among the four who won the In Rainbows Animated Music Video Contest. Here's his video for "Reckoner."

Radiohead - Reckoner - by Clement Picon

With Filipino singer Arnel Pineda having crossed the line from Steve Perry Karaoke master to respectable lead singer and  a new album that taps into the energy and formulas of Journey's hitmaking era, there's little reason to doubt Journey has ability to keep their train moving with new passengers boarding at every stop.
But there's more than immediately meets the eye. Beyond it's pair of smart moves - the hiring of Pineda and the Wal-Mart exclusive release of "Revelation" - there are timing issues as well. The pop world is so devoid of well-crafted and polished rock music and bands with uniquely identifiable elements that Journey rises above the landscape like one of those birds on their album covers. There are plenty of us who looked at Journey differently  when  "Don't Stop Believin'" closed out "The Sopranos,"  but that's not who sold out the Greek for two nights; these fans, whether new or veteran, are attracted to the oeuvre and, for a certain segment, the nationality of the new singer.
Like Santana, who employed Neal Schon prior to him creating Journey in 1973, the band has gone through a series of reinventions in the last decade before coming to this point, a focused celebration of the "Infinity" to "Frontiers" ('78-'83) edition of the band.(Santana learned how a bit of focus can help your career back in '99).
Everything about Journey feels rejuvenated - the energy in the playing, the songwriting, the feeding off the energy of the fans and, maybe quite significantly, their re-establishment as bona-fide headliners. Yes, without journeys into all that has defined Journey, their 90 minutes are divided into blocks of screaming rock tunes and power ballads, but there's nothing to derail them - no obsessive solos, nothing sonically wayward or off-putting and nothing that does not sound exactly like the audience's image of Journey.
This summer, Journey has headlined one of the smartest triple bills of the last several years. Cheap Trick played the nostalgia card and performed every tune that made it into heavy rotation 20-30 years ago. Ann Wilson demonstrated her pipes are still Superman-like and that the guitar riffs in Heart's songs still put smiles on the band members' faces; they perform like they're still eying potential in their act to breakthrough to headliner status.
It's not simply evidence that tours  packaging artists whose heydays  came in the late 1970s and early '80s will win over fans every time. Journey and Heart are full of life and vigor, making their standards such as "Lights" and "Magic Man" sound powerful and from the heart.   

Here is my review that was published.