Category: Music

WEEZER- “Maladroit”
Most bands toil and sweat to come up with an album’s worth of songs. Weezer sounds as if it has the opposite problem–stopping the flood. “Maladroit” (in stores Tuesday) comes just a year after the L.A. band’s last album, and its tuneful music flows out with uniform force. When it stops after 35 minutes, it’s as if the band simply decided it was time to twist the shut-off valve.
There’s none of the rise-and-fall complexity so many musicians use to make their records seem as important as novels, none of the clean, regimented sound that prevails in punk-derived pop. Leader Rivers Cuomo and company wallow in a pure sonic pleasure, slopping through their musical mud with an infectious exuberance.
“Maladroit” is packed with clarion chording, clouds of aural sparks, background-filling vocal refrains, spoken asides, and call-and-response exchanges. The band’s production fills the space to near-capacity–it all seems about to explode into feedback, and even a thump on a certain drum pulls a squeal out of the air.
Trembling at the breaking point is where Cuomo loves to be. Weezer’s central persona, he remains the iconic outsider, and the music serves that character well. But the emphasis in “Maladroit” (which is enhanced with live videos of seven songs) is the sound itself. At a time when even rock’s alternative and underground heroes often record like fastidious fussbudgets, Weezer reminds us that it’s OK to make a mess.

Pearl Jam Finished Recording ‘Binaural’ Follow-up
Pearl Jam has finished recording the follow-up to Binaural and it will be mixed after a short break. The forthcoming album is still untitled, and itís being produced by the band and Adam Kasper, who is also in the middle of working with Dave Grohl on his heavy metal project, Probot. Kasper also produced the Foo Fightersí There Is Nothing Left To Lose.
The new Pearl Jam studio effort wonít be in stores until early next year, but the band is working on a rarities album that is expected to hit stores in time for the Christmas shopping season.

Rolling Stones To Release ‘Best Of’ To Coincide With Tour
The Rolling Stones’ World Tour will support a forthcoming two-CD “best-of” collection, Stones frontman Mick Jagger revealed on Tuesday (May 7th).
“We just last night finished the negotiations with all the different parties to put out a best-of Rolling Stones CD, which is two CDs going from 1963 to the present day,” he said. “And there will be all the sort of hits and all the well-known songs, and there will also be some new songs on that. So that will be coming out.”
Jagger added that the new songs have been written, but the band has yet to enter into a studio to record them. The unnamed songs will be tracked later this month, and should be ready for release in the early fall. The band hopes the new set will be released as close to the September 5 tour opener as possible.

…Will Smith Prepares To Release New Single And Album
Multiplatinum recording artist and actor Will Smith is preparing to release “Black Suits Comin'” as the first single from his new album “Born To Reign,” which is scheduled to be released on June 25.
On July 3, a week following the album’s release, Columbia Pictures will debut Men In Black 2, Smith and Tommy Lee Jones’s sequel to their 1997 film Men In Black. Barry Sonnenfeld directed both films.
Smith’s 1997 song “Men In Black” reached Number One on Billboard’s Hot 100 Airplay chart, and was featured on the Men In Black soundtrack, as well as Smith’s album Big Willie Style.

‘Bohemian Rhapsody’ is UK’s Favorite
“Bohemian Rhapsody,” the record-breaking hit by rock band Queen, is Britain’s favorite single of all time, according to a poll published Wednesday.
The song beat John Lennon’s ballad “Imagine” to claim the top slot in a poll by “British Hit Singles,” published by Guinness World Records.
Accepting the award with Queen drummer Roger Taylor at London’s Dominion Theater, guitarist Brian May said the hit song “has become a classic phenomenon and one which no one will ever allow us to forget.
“Thank you, people, for the memory.”
David Taylor, editor of “British Hit Singles,” said Queen “is a band whose achievements are legendary. No band, apart from ‘The Beatles,’ has had more top 10 hit singles.”
“Bohemian Rhapsody,” a six-minute epic that first topped the music charts in 1975, made it to No. 1 again in 1991 when it was rereleased to raise funds for charity following the death of the band’s lead singer, Freddie Mercury ó the first single to top the charts twice in the same version.
It is also the only song to have hit the No. 1 spot twice at Christmas.
In all, the song has spent a total of 14 weeks at the top of the charts. Because of its complex harmonies it was difficult to reproduce and the band were unable to perform it live.
Half the top 10 songs listed in the poll are by Lennon and The Beatles: “Hey Jude” (No. 3); “Penny Lane/Strawberry Fields Forever” (No. 7); “Yesterday” (No. 9) and “Let It Be” (No. 10) all made it.
The most recent single in the top 10 is Robbie Williams’ “Angels” at No. 6. Abba is at No. 4 with “Dancing Queen,” followed by Madonna’s “Like a Prayer” at No. 5. “Wannabe” by the Spice Girls is at No. 8.
Guinness questioned more than 31,000 people for the poll.

Mariah Carey Gets Own Label in Deal
Mariah Carey, who received a $28 million buyout after delivering one flop album for Virgin Records, has signed a new deal with Island/Def Jam that includes her own label, it was announced Wednesday.
The multi-platinum star has been without a label since January, when EMI, Virgin’s parent company, dropped her contract after her only disc for the label, “Glitter,” was a poor seller.
Since the split, several companies were reportedly bidding to sign the Grammy-winning singer, one of the most successful artists of all time, with hits such as “Vision of Love,” “Hero,” “Fantasy” and “Emotions.”
“Despite offers from many of our competitors, we are delighted that Mariah has chosen Island as the place to begin the next phase of her unprecedented career,” said Lyor Cohen, president and CEO of Island/Def Jam.
The company is home to stars such as Jay-Z, Willie Nelson, Ryan Adams, Ja Rule and Ashanti. It is part of Universal Music Group, which is owned by the conglomerate Vivendi Universal.
Carey has already begun recording her new disc, said Jerry Blair, a former executive at Columbia Records who has worked with Carey since the inception of her career.
“The record she’s working on is going to be a real wide-appeal record,” Blair told The Associated Press. “There’s no artist who is as successful a global artist. There is no artist that has as wide range of commercial appeal.”
Blair declined to put a financial figure on the new deal. Carey’s spokeswoman said the singer would not be available to comment.
Carey, 32, was an immediate commercial success when she made her self-titled debut for Columbia Records in 1990. The album went multi-platinum, as did all her other albums on the label, a division of Sony.
However, Carey became disenchanted with Sony after her divorce from Sony Music President Tommy Mottola, who had guided her career as president of Columbia.
She left Columbia last year and signed with Virgin in a much-hyped multi-album deal reported to be worth as much as $100 million. Her first disc, “Glitter,” was to be the soundtrack of her film project of the same name, her first starring role.
However, her career took a disastrous turn: After displaying erratic behavior in public, Carey was hospitalized for an emotional breakdown in August. She dropped out of the public eye, and both her disc and the movie were commercial failures.
In January, EMI, Virgin’s parent company, paid $28 million to void her contract. Since she had received $21 million when she was signed, Carey got $49 million for delivering one album.
Blair said Carey was in good spirits and “doing just incredibly well.”
He said she was not concerned that her recent troubles would hurt her career. She has a new film with Oscar-winner Mira Sorvino, titled “Wise Girls.” The film debuted at the Sundance film festival, and will be shown in the fall on HBO, Blair said.
He said Carey’s new label, as yet unnamed, would focus on her, but would eventually include other artists. Carey has also created a media company to handle publishing, film production and other projects.
“Setting up this company for her is really guaranteeing her legacy,” Blair said.

Rolling Stones Announce World Tour
The Rolling Stones announced yet another world tour in grandiose fashion Tuesday, circling New York’s sprawling Van Cortlandt Park in a yellow blimp emblazoned with their red tongue trademark.
“Either we stay at home and become pillars of the community, or we go out and tour. We couldn’t really find any communities that still needed pillars,” joked Mick Jagger after he emerged from the blimp.
The Stones intend to celebrate their 40th anniversary with not only the tour but also a greatest hits disc that will feature new songs. The tour will kick off Sept. 5 in Boston. It will be the band’s first since 1999, which was that year’s top-grossing tour.
This time around, the band will play clubs as well as stadiums and arenas.
Jagger, Keith Richards, Charlie Watts and Ron Wood looked as if they were having plenty of fun even before the news conference began. The foursome boarded the blimp at the park and circled the area for about 15 minutes before landing.
They had even more fun at the news conference, cracking jokes as reporters asked questions.
When one asked if they would do any songs from the past, Richards said: “The set list is a bit down the road. It just depends if we can remember them.”
About 300 fans turned out for a chance to see the legendary band, which formed in 1962.
“I wanted to be able to say that I saw their blimp come down,” said Kathleen Wieblack, who came from suburban Long Island to the Bronx.
“I’ve seen the last three tours,” said Richard Bell, who traveled from upstate New York. “Hopefully I will get tickets to see them.”
Tour promoter Michael Cohl said tickets for the first few dates will go on sale this week.
Among the opening acts: Sheryl Crow, No Doubt, Buddy Guy and Jonny Lang.
The group has not released an album since 1998’s “No Security.” Jagger put out his own solo disc last year, “Goddess in the Doorway,” which was a commercial flop.
Jagger said they’re just beginning to work on the new material for the upcoming disc.
“It’s a minor problem,” joked Richards.