All you need is love from the Beatles

Oct. 11, 2006

Stemming from a project in which remaining Beatles Paul and Ringo, along with Yoko Ono Lennon and Olivia Harrison, asked Beatles producer Sir George Martin to make some experimental mixes for a Beatles collaboration with Cirque du Soleil, there will now be a “new” Beatles CD in stores this November.  Martin, working with his son Giles Martin, utilized the archive of Beatles recordings to make a unique, remixed Beatles masterpiece that’s been titled LOVE. Tracks from the disc are also set to be featured in the Beatles/Cirque du Soleil collaborative production show of the same name, which will be staged at the Mirage in Las Vegas.  Martin stated that the music was originally designed for the Cirque du Soleil project, but in doing so, a new Beatles album was created, much in line with how the Beatles were always looking for new ways to express themselves.  
In other Beatles news, thanks to British copyright laws, Paul McCartney will reclaim the publishing rights to the Beatles biggest hits in 10 years, after losing a high-profile bidding war to Michael Jackson in 1984.  McCartney - who says it “doesn’t feel very good” having to pay royalties every time he plays one of his own songs live - will claim his rightful ownership of the Beatles songs in or around 2016, a return that is long overdue...
 
Australia’s premier music fest, Big Day Out, has announced the first listing of artist appearances for next year’s really big show - performances can now be expected from the likes of The Killers, My Chemical Romance, The Sleepy Jackson, The Herd, Scribe, Muse, Jet, and The Violent Femmes, who are returning to the fest after fifteen years; they appeared at the very first Big Day Out back in 1992. The event kicks off in Auckland, New Zealand on Friday, January 19, 2007, and will wrap up in Perth, Australia on February 4;  tix can be snagged at www.bigdayout.com.
Weezer have filed a lawsuit against Miller Beer for using the Weezer name in a recent commercial;  the commercial in question, which was based around pictures of concert tickets from various bands (including Weezer, of course, and also Audioslave, who have previously sued Miller for the same advertising series), tagged the spots with “Rock Without the Souvenir. That’s Like Beer Without Taste” (an odd claim coming from Miller, if you think about it...), and also popped the images of artists like Incubus, Velvet Revolver, and Elvis Presley onto those TV tickets.  Weezer, who “did not, and do not” consent to Miller using their name to promote beer, are seeking profits plus punitive damages, and an injunction against any further use of the band’s image.  Good to know that in this largely sell-out day and age, some bands do still have standards...
British modern rockers Coldplay have announced that they will be taking a short break from recording in order to concentrate on their personal lives.  Not quite the dramatic five-year hiatus that was initially announced in the press to great fan panic, the band has simply stated that they want to enjoy their families and friends for a while, and that they will let the next album project happen “organically” instead of setting a date to begin work on the project.  No definite word yet on if or when they will be making live appearances, but with bassist Guy Berryman having just welcomed baby daughter Nico, and frontman Chris Martin returning home to spend time with wife Gwyneth Paltrow and children Apple and Moses, it could be quite a while...
 
MODERN ROCK LINK OF THE WEEK:   While you’re waiting to see what Coldplay’s going to do, you can always keep yourself busy making a music video for DJ Shadow - the artist is offering one fan the chance to direct his new video in celebration of his new disc, The Outsider. Entries can reportedly be “anything,” but as opposed to Shadow looking for the most professional work, he’s looking for the “best execution of simple ideas,” however off-the-wall they are.  The competition is open to entrants from around the world, and contest entries (now extended) will close on October 20;  get those video cameras out and head to DJ Shadow’s site - www.djshadow.com. - click on DJ Shadow Screen Test for more information on how to enter... 
 
MINI BUZZ:
The Futureheads have had to cancel their US tourdates due to the tendonitis of guitarist/vocalist Barry Hyde;  the UK tour will not be affected, as Hyde will have time to heal, but fans will have to wait until the band’s next available opportunity to return to America...
Mercury Lounge patrons in NYC were surprised to see The Killers’ Brandon Flowers hop on stage with members of Mohair and The Red Romance last weekend, as he participated in an impromptu jam session with the bands, playing several covers that included David Bowie’s “Heroes” and The Velvet Underground’s “I’m Waiting For the Man”...
Oasis’ Noel Gallagher, chatting about the band’s Stop the Clocks compilation album (which he says was “the label’s idea,” although he’s not against its release), says that Oasis are already thinking about their next album, sorting through the leftovers from the last disc and sifting through what he says are another two or three albums worth of additional new songs...
Against Me! has been tapped to open for legendary celtic-punk-folksters The Pogues next week at the Las Vegas House of Blues...
Kinks frontman Ray Davies was named a BMI Icon at the 2006 BMI London Awards, held last week at London’s Dorchester Hotel...
And Guns n’ Roses are now finally active again, having set the opening date for their tour for October 20 in Jacksonville, Florida, and will also reportedly (again) release their longggggg overdue album Chinese Democracy before the end of this year;  Chinese Democracy is one of the longest overdue records of all time, having had an initial release date at Universal Music in 2000...
 
 ON CD: The Killers’ much-anticipated Sam’s Town... Evanescence’s The Open Door... Teddy Bear’s Soft Machine...  The Byrd’s There is a Season 4-CD/1 DVD box set... Lollapalooza standout Mute Math’s eponymously-titled Mute Math... and Sarah McLachlan’s reissued Mirrorball... ON DVD:  Isis’ Clearing the Eye... Sarah Brightman’s Diva - The Video Collection... A Musicares Person of the Year Tribute: James Taylor... and Porcupine Tree’s Arriving Somewhere... and that’s the buzz for this week’s Modern Rock.