| CMU Daily - on the inside 28 Aug 2003 |
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In today's CMU Daily:
• Spree dropped
• Radio 1 doing better than we thought
• Obsessive stuff
• Hendrix the best
• Vivendi decision put off
• Brown in jail for nine days
• Layo & Bushwacka on tour
• Madonna box set due
• Copyright owners start appeal against Grokster ruling
• The Latin Connection at Jazz Café
• Coldplay planning a new sound
• Walsh has another bitch at Waterman
• Disney Kid Award nominees announced
• Beck on his more aggressive sound
• Release date for final Strummer album
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SPREE DROPPED
Warners affiliated label 679 have told the Sun they are dropping the Polyphonic Spree because the group – despite have loads of media buzz and a dedicated following for their live shows – have failed to sell enough records. But a spokesman for the band felt that accusation was untrue when speaking to the BBC – he said: "Their album has already sold 80 to 85,000 copies. Plus it is not their job to sell records, it is their job to record and tour them."
Said spokesman added that the Spree were close to completing their second album and that frontman Tim DeLaughter was already in talks with other labels.
679's decision isn't thought to affect the Spree's US record deal with Hollywood Records – also a Warners affiliate.
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RADIO 1 DOING BETTER THAN WE THOUGHT
Turns out Radio 1 isn't fairing so badly after all – or at least that's according to listening figures compiled by sports channel Talk Sport.
As previously reported Talk Sport boss Kelvin MacKenzie has been a vocal critic of the RAJAR system on which the radio industry bases it's fortunes – arguing it's use of hand written 'listening diaries' by a sample of radio listeners is inaccurate. He has set up his own measurement system which uses special wristwatch type devices worn by a different sample group which is able to tell what radio stations it's wearer is listening to at any one time.
The latest stats from Talk Sport's research are out and the BBC aren't likely to be complaining. Because not only does Talk Sport perform much better in these stats, so do all of the BBC's national radio stations. Though it is Radio 1 that comes out strongest – the survey added 3 million listeners to their figures and restored the station to the position of 'most popular in the UK'.
Though the RAJARS are still the stats used by most in the radio and advertising industries Radio 1 bosses (and presumably Sara Cox's management) will take heart at these new stats.
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OBSESSIVE STUFF
The third edition of Obsessive Record's 'Soul Of Science' series has been mixed by Kirk Degiorgio and Ian O'Brien and from what we hear we can expect tracks from Graham Central Station, Pointer Sisters, Jan Hammer, Domu and Ian O'Brien to appear.
Talking about the album, which is released on 6 Oct, they say: "We hope you enjoy 'The Soul Of Science 3', and we sincerely hope it inspires you to check out further material from any of the featured artists that you, the listener, may be unfamiliar with."
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HENDRIX THE BEST
The latest (and these things appear quite frequently these days) survey into who is/was the greatest guitarist ever has awarded the top spot, somewhat unsurprisingly, to Jimi Hendrix beating Duane Allman from the Allman Brothers to the number one spot in the Rolling Stone chart. BB King came third and Eric Clapton fourth.
Once again poor representation of women in the chart – with only Joni Mitchell and Joan Jett appearing (at 72 and 87 respectively).
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VIVENDI DECISION PUT OFF
Yesterday's meeting of the top blokes at Vivendi Universal decided to put off the decision of who to sell their non-music entertainment companies too so they can "enter into further negotiations with the two strongest bidders and continue to investigate an IPO for VUE, which would take place after the implementation of strategic alliances aimed at strengthening its television activities." Those further negotiations may not lead to much, however, if the New York Post is to be believed. They reckon one of the two strongest bids - that led by Edgar Bronfman Jr – is considering bailing out because the Vivendi crew are taking just too long to consider their next move. This may be bad news for Vivendi's creditors because the only other deal on the table – that proposed by GE/NBC – offers lots of potential and investment but not much actual short term cash. Where next? Time will only tell.
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BROWN IN JAIL FOR NINE DAYS
Following a warrant for his arrest over probation violations earlier this month Bobby Brown is now behind bars, and a judge ruled he will stay there for another 9 days, before being subjected to 60 days house arrest. Brown was arrested on Friday in Atlanta accused of failing to show up for court-ordered community service, drug treatment and random drug test. His legal people said his lack of attendance was down to a poorly arm and bereavement over no less than seven family members who have died recently. But the judge at DeKalb County Jail in Decatur was having none of it and passed a sentence of 14 days. Having been in jail for 5 days already, that leaves nine.
Mrs Bobby Brown – Whitney Houston - who authorities claimed angrily confronted police during her husband's arrest, was calm in court.
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LAYO & BUSHWACKA ON TOUR
Layo & Bushwacka are about to tour the UK and beyond in support of their first ever compilation album titled 'All Night Long' (on End Recordings due mid-Oct).
The compilation takes its title from the London based duo's extremely successful monthly night at The End.
The dates are as follows:
5 Sep: The Bomb, Nottingham
6 Sep: The End, London
7 Sep: Space - We Love the End, Ibiza
12 Sep: Red Box, Dublin
13 Sep: Everybody@ Paard, Hague
15 Sep: University Of Newcastle
19Sep: Nasa, Rekyavik
21 Sep: Space - We Love the End, Ibiza
26 Sep: Slam @The Arches, Glasgow
27 Sep: Shine Belfast, N. Ireland
3 Oct: Cool House, Cardiff
4 Oct: The End, London - LONDON LAUNCH PARTY
10 Oct: Boutique, Brighton
11 Oct: Boutique/Bed Sheffield
18 Oct: Chibuku Shake Shake, Liverpool
24 Oct: Empire, Middlesborough
25 Oct: Maison, Bournemouth
1 Nov: The End, London
6 Dec: The End, London
Press info from the Darling Dept
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MADONNA BOX SET DUE
Madonna fans will be pleased to hear a box set featuring both CDs and DVDs highlighting the queen of pop's entire career is in the pipeline for Christmas. There will be two CDs - a 20 track greatest hits collection and a collection of remixes. And there will be two DVDs – one a live show, the other featuring rare video footage and television performances.
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COPYRIGHT OWNERS START APPEAL AGAINST GROKSTER RULING
The fight back continues with a collective of artists, copyright holders and academics yesterday issuing four briefs at the California Court of Appeals in support of the record and movie industry's claims that a previous court decision that P2P developers Grokster and Streamcast Networks were not liable for copyright infringement was a wrong decision. The continuing case should be heard in court this Autumn.
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THE LATIN CONNECTION AT JAZZ CAFÉ
Slip 'n' Slide have announced they will stage a new night called 'The Latin Connection' at The Jazz Café on 5 Sep featuring Slip 'n' Slide DJ's; The Aloha Pussycats (Slip'n'Slide Blue) and Christian King (Slip'n'Slide).
Press info from Jonas at Kickin Music
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COLDPLAY PLANNING A NEW SOUND
Coldplay are promising to: a: disappear for a few months. B: to return with a new sound. Well, hurrah to that. Speaking to the NME Chris Martin said: "We've got to reinvent the wheel, basically. I think we have to hide away and get out of people's faces and cook things up again. We're not going to take any time off, we're just going to be working, working, working, like the mole in Wind In The Willows! But our V Festival set is going to be the death of soft rock."
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WALSH HAS ANOTHER BITCH AT WATERMAN
Louis Walsh has taken the occasion of another Top 3 hit for Popstars girl group Girls Aloud to once again slag off Pete Waterman's management of the now defunct Popstars boy band One True Voice.
"I'm doing what Pete didn't do - I'm managing my group," he told reporters "He mismanaged the boys. I just think he's messed up five young boys' lives. In One True Voice, they were really good singers. It's not their fault. He fucked their lives. They're damaged goods now because of him, and he's sitting on his fat arse every Saturday night judging people for 'Pop Idol'. Come on!"
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DISNEY KID AWARD NOMINEES ANNOUNCED
Forget the up coming VMAs and Mercury Music Prize – here's the one that counts. Nominees for the Disney Channel Kids Awards were announced yesterday and among the music nominees were:
Best newcomers: Busted, Girls Aloud, Blazin Squad, Lisa Maffia, Abs and Triple 8.
Best female: Christina Aguilera, Kelly Rowland, Avril Lavigne, Kym Marsh and Ms Dynamite.
Best Male: Justin Timberlake, Gareth Gates, David Sneddon, Craig David, Nelly and Daniel Bedingfield.
People can now vote for their favourites via Disney stores or online at www.disney.co.uk/kidsawards.
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BECK ON HIS MORE AGGRESSIVE SOUND
Beck has been talking about his next album – due for release next year. And he reckons it will be "pretty aggressive" - reminiscent of his very first "punked out" recordings from the early 90s.
Speaking to Rolling Stone he said: "I've been working on it for a while, but I ended up doing Sea Change first. I've been wanting to do a record with loud guitars for a long time. My early stuff was a lot more punked out and noisy. I didn't really let myself use big guitars for a lot of years. The early Nineties was so saturated by big guitars that I became really interested by what I could do if you took all the guitars out - with the space that was left. It's a bit of everything lyrically. I like to use language that's colourful, that has images. I like my lyrics to have different things happening at the same time."
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RELEASE DATE FOR FINAL STRUMMER ALBUM
Joe Strummer and The Mescaleros' final album 'Streetcore' will be released 21 Oct and will include eight original tracks, plus a cover of Bob Marley's 'Redemption Song'. The new material was the last recorded by Strummer before his sudden death at the end of last year.