Category: Music

Just Buy An External CD Drive And All Will Be Fine
A new lawsuit challenges copy- protection CD’s.

SONY PLANS JACKO-JETTISON
THE King of Pop’s “crusade” against Sony Music is a face-saving strategy. Insiders say Sony is sick of the unprofitable Michael Jackson and is releasing two “greatest hits” albums back-to-back next year, just to get rid of him. “Michael has two albums on his contract left, and Sony will deal with it in the only way it can be profitable – a greatest hits compilation,” a source reports. Jackson’s last “original” album for the label, “Invincible,” flopped upon its release last year. “Sony can’t figure out what Michael’s beef is with them,” our source said. “They were startled when he had that whole press conference with Johnnie Cochran and Al Sharpton, claiming he was a slave to the music industry.” Sony was said to be caught completely unaware. “Michael is trying to get some more publicity so that he can get a record deal with another company when the contract with Sony is up. Sony let him know a while ago they wouldn’t be re-signing him,” the spy added.

U2 Previews New Song On Band Website
U2 is now previewing a new song, “The Hands That Built America,” on the band’s official website, U2.com. The site offers a video clip of the group in the studio at work on what is reportedly the foursome’s first recording since the end of the All That You Can’t Leave Behind tour.
The song actually had its first public unveiling last May 13 at New York’s Tribeca Film Festival to promote the Martin Scorsese film Gangs Of New York, set for release on Christmas Day, 2002. The song is featured on the soundtrack. The band’s performance from Ireland was broadcast to festival attendees and shot by director Maurice Linnane for video use.
While various fan sites have batted around rumors of a fast follow-up to the band’s last album, this is the first evidence of any recordings. Earlier this year longtime U2 co-producer Daniel Lanois confirmed the release of a second best-of compilation in the fall, which may include several new recordings.
Back in 1978, another Irish band out of Dublin, the folk-rock outfit Horslips, released an album called The Man Who Built America. So far, there are no reports whether this new song’s title is a nod to the title track of that album.

Jennifer Love Hewitt to Release Album ‘BareNaked’
Movie and television star Jennifer Love Hewitt will release her Jive Records debut album “BareNaked” on Sept. 24, her label said on Thursday.
The self-titled single track will be shipped to radio on June 16, to be aired on July 1.
The video for “BareNaked” will debut on MTV’s “Making The Video” the week of July 15.
“BareNaked,” the single, was co-written by 23-year-old Hewitt and Meredith Brooks, who produced the album.
The Texas-born star first hit it big in 1995 by landing a role in the TV series, “Party of Five.” She has starred in various films, including “I Still Know What You Did Last Summer” in 1998.
Hewitt will next co-star with Jackie Chan in an upcoming film called “The Tuxedo.”
Jive Records is a unit of Zomba Music Group, which this week agreed to be sold to Bertelsmann AG.

NO LOVE LOST
Lawyers for rocker Courtney Love and Universal Music meeting with a court-appointed mediator on Monday, one day before Love’s breach of contract countersuit was set to go to trial against the music conglomerate. The singer’s attorney said he did not expect the two sides to reach an out-of-court settlement.

I’d Like To Question Winona Ryder About This
Worldwide sales of pirated music CDs nearly doubled last year to a record 950 million units, an industry trade group said Tuesday.

The Hip Be Back!
Sure, oh sure, yes, yup! This list on today’s new music releases does contain new titles from David Bowie, Boyz II Men, Stompin’ Tom and W.A.S.P., but who cares! The fact that itcontains the latest opus from THE TRAGICALLY HIP is what has me in a tizzy!
Oh yeah, baby!
Here are the New CD Releases for Tuesday, June 11, 2002:
* BALLIGOMINGO Beneath The Surface (Windham Hill)
* BILLY PAUL 360 Degrees Of Billy (Epic)
* BOYZ II MEN full circle (Arista)
* CIRQUE DU SOLEIL Alegria (Le Groupe/BMG)
* DAVID BOWIE Heathen (ISO Records/Columbia)
* DUKE ELLINGTON Live And Rare
* HERBIE HANCOCK, MICHAEL BRECKER, ROY HARGROVE Directions In Music: Live At Massey Hall (Verve)
* HOLLY MCNARLAND Home is Where the Feet Are (Universal)
* HUGH MASEKELA Hope (Razor & Tie)
* JAMES Getting Away With It … Live (Sanctuary Records)
* KORN Untouchables (Sony)
* LIL ROMEO Game Time
* LITTLE AXE Hard Grind (Fat Possum)
* LOS LOBOS Good Morning Aztlan (Hollywood)
* LOUDERMILK The Red Record (DreamWorks)
* MFSB MFSB (Epic)
* MOLLY JOHNSON Another Day
* NEW FOUND GLORY Sticks And Stones
* NILS PETTER MOLVAER NP3 (Verve)
* ORBITAL Work
* PHILADELPHIA CLASSICS Philadelphia Classics (Legacy)
* PHILIP BAILEY Soul On Jazz (Universal)
* PHILLY’S SUPER SOUL Philly’s Super Soul (Epic)
* PROCLAIMERS The Best Of
* RALPH STANLEY Ralph Stanley (Columbia)
* RAPHAEL SAADIQ Instant Vintage
* RAYVON My Bad (MCA)
* STOMPIN’ TOM CONNORS Ode For The Road (EMI)
* THE TRAGICALLY HIP In Violet Light (Universal)
* TRAMMPS The Trammps (Legacy)
* VARIOUS ARTISTS Loud – The Early Daze (RCA)
* W.A.S.P. Dying For The World
* WIDESPREAD PANIC Live In The Classic City (Sanctuary Records)
* YELLOWJACKETS Mint Jam (Universal)

If Someone Elses Opinion Matters
It hits stores tomorrow and if you are curious about it, here’s a preview of IN VIOLET LIGHT from The Tragically Hip.

Michael Jackson Says Record Companies Are Bad
Michael Jackson has joined the ever-growing list of artists who have spoken out about the poor treatment they have received at the hands of record labels. Jackson recently enlisted Reverend Al Sharpton and former O.J. Simpson lawyer Johnnie Cochran in an effort to get the singer out of his long-term deal with Sony Music. In a written statement, Jackson argued, “Record companies have to start treating their artists with respect, honor, and financial justice.”

It’s One Of My Desert Island Classics
Living Colour’s debut CD is being expanded for reissue.