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Halford Back in Judas Priest: Singer rejoins band after twelve years |
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Rob Halford has rejoined Judas Priest, twelve years after leaving the
pioneering British metal group. The reunited ensemble -- which also includes
founding guitarist K.K. Downing and bassist Ian Hill, along with longtime
drummer Scott Travis -- are planning a world tour for 2004, the thirtieth
anniversary of its classic incarnation.
Judas Priest's turnover has been legendary in rock & roll history. The
Birmingham, England-based band formed in 1969 and featured Downing and Hill
backing frontman Alan Atkins. Halford joined the band in 1971, and the group
struck its first record deal three years later with the addition of guitarist
Glenn Tipton. Going through more drummers than Spinal Tap, Judas Priest
unleashed a string of albums that defined heavy metal, finally breaking in the
U.S. with 1980's British Steel and peaking with 1982's Screaming for Vengeance,
which reached as high as Number Seventeen on the charts. A decade later,
Halford left the band to start a new band, Fight. The band looked to a Priest
tribute band for a replacement, hiring Tim "Ripper" Owens in 1995; Owens'
rags-to-riches tale was adapted into the 2001 film Rock Star.
According to a statement, Owens departure was amicable. "The band is very
grateful for Ripper's work in helping them to continue to bring Judas Priest's
music to their millions of fans and they expect big things from him in the
future."
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Bjork
Sets Summer Tour |
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Bjork has lined up a nine-date North American tour, to launch August 8th in San
Francisco. The dates will be Bjork's first in the U.S. since she took
electronic duo Matmos and a full orchestra out in support of Vespertine two
years ago. For the new tour Bjork will be joined again by Matmos along with the
Icelandic String Octet.
Bonnie Prince Billy, the current performing name for Will Oldham, will open all
dates except for Boston. The Matthew Herbert Big Band will also be on the bill
for San Francisco and Los Angeles, and the Yeah Yeah Yeahs will open the final
two dates.
There is no specific release tied to the tour, though Bjork has trotted out a
slew of them over the past year, with more to come. Last fall she released
Greatest Hits, a fifteen-song retrospective with tracks chosen by fans. She's
also in the midst of a massive seven-DVD release schedule, that started with
Royal Opera House last month. Two subsequent DVDs collected all of her videos,
and Vessel documented a show from her 1994 tour. Still to come are Inside
Bjork, a documentary due later this month, Miniscule, which will feature
behind-the-scenes footage of her Vespertine tour, and a DVD with footage from
her visits to Later With Jools Holland. The capper is a four-CD/single-DVD live
set due in the fall.
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Aerosmith
Sings the Blues |
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"It feels like we all took a break, went to summer camp and got laid for the
first time," says Steven Tyler, describing Aerosmith's new blues-covers album,
tentatively titled Honkin' On Bobo, due in January. Working with longtime
producer Jack Douglas, the man behind 1975's classic Toys in the Attic, the
band has tackled blues standards such as "Baby, Please Don't Go," "Roadrunner,"
"Broke-Down Engine" and "I'm Ready." The album will also feature a handful of
new songs, including "Into the Grind," where Tyler scats and plays piano.
All the tracks, however, sound like Aerosmith. "We're not blues purists," says
guitarist Joe Perry. "We're just reinterpreting songs that made the hair on the
back of our necks stand up when we heard them." "I think Aerosmith has always
been a blues-based band," Tyler agrees. "When music hit me the most -- when I
was nine, ten, eleven -- it was always that blues from Mississippi that only
came on at night . . . the devil's music. So we figured, instead of just
putting one or two bluesy songs on our record -- like 'Big Ten Inch' and
'Reefer Head Woman' -- we would do an album that was geared towards what was in
our gut . . . of all the stuff the label said, 'It sounds like a bunch of blues
riffs, it's no good.'"
The band credits Douglas with helping them get back to their old dirty sound.
"Jack is a big advocate of not singing in a perfectly clean room," Tyler says.
"Instead, he wants us to scream it from the bathroom, or outside from the car."
Perry also gets in on the action, taking over the lead vocals on "Back Back
Train." "I think I've managed to figure out where my range is," he says.
"Singing with one of the best rock singers in your band is nothing less than
daunting. I really love to do it, but it works well on some things and not so
well on others."
But Aerosmith is hardly striving for perfection here. "We like to get things
that seem to be just right," Tyler says, "and fuck 'em up good."
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Barry White Dies: Deep-voiced R & B singer was fifty-eight |
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R & B legend Barry White, whose deep voice was a calling card during his
thirty-year career, died of kidney failure on July 4th in Los Angeles; he was
fifty-eight.
Born in Galveston, Texas, on September 12, 1944, White got his start singing,
playing organ and conducting a choir in church. His professional career began
in 1960 when he joined L.A. R & B ensemble the Upfronts, which was followed by a
stint as an A & R man and producer for Mustang Records.
By 1973, White had launched a solo career. That year, he scored his first
charting hit, "I'm Gonna Love You Just a Little More Baby," which climbed to
Number Three. His love songs were a staple of Seventies radio, with "Can't Get
Enough of Your Love, Babe" topping the pop charts in 1974. White hit the Top
Forty ten times in the decade, in addition to landing numerous hit singles on
the R & B charts and selling millions of albums.
Though the hits dried up in the early Eighties, by the Nineties, White enjoyed
a rekindled popularity, starting with the pop-charting "The Secret Garden
(Sweet Seduction Suite)" (from Quincy Jones' Back on the Block). White's lush
arrangements, pillow-talk lyrics and rumbling baritone pushed him towards icon
status in the Nineties, with an appearance on The Simpsons and in 2000 a
recurring role on Ally McBeal. His latest release, 1999's Staying Power, won a
pair of Grammy Awards.
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Jennifer Lopez Murder Link |
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Jewelery worn by Jennifer Lopez in her latest movie has been
discovered at the scene of a gruesome murder.
The £3,000 necklace, stolen from a movie set in Winnipeg, Canada, was
found next to the decapitated body of Robin Robert Greene at the city's
Royal Albert Arms Hotel.
Lopez had been in the area filming 'Shall We Dance?' with Richard Gere
and Susan Sarandon when the prop went missing.
According to police, Greene, 38, sneaked on to the movie set on July 1
and stole the valuable necklace, which was later found in a pool of
blood by his headless corpse.
"The killer was not the one who stole the necklace," a police spokesman
told The Sun. "I can only surmise the victim took it but we may never
know."
Detectives are now trying to work out whether or not the necklace was a
motive in the killing, whilst security on the film set has been
tightened.
Meanwhile, a 33-year-old man - Sydney Teerhuis - was arrested and
charged with second-degree murder when he walked into a Winnipeg police
station to report the murder.
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Elton in Vegas |
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Elton John is in negotiations to secure a $54 million three-year
concert run in Las Vegas, according to reports.
If the deal is completed, Elton would follow in the footsteps of Celine
Dion, who is currently in the midst of a three-year run at a
state-of-the-art venue in Vegas' Ceasars Palace.
According to Billboard, Canadian star Dion grossed around $36 million
for her first batch of 65 shows, which came to an end on July 6.
High-profile guests including Mariah Carey, Gloria Estefan and Tim
McGraw have been lined-up to perform at the purpose-built showroom whilst
Dion takes time off.
Meanwhile, as previously reported, a remix of Elton's 1977 disco track
'Are You Ready For Love', has been released via Southern Fried Records
in the UK.
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Delta has Cancer! |
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Australian pop star Delta Goodrem has been diagnosed with Hodgkin's
disease, a treatable form of lymphatic cancer.
The 18-year-old singer, who made her name playing Nina Tucker in soap
opera 'Neighbours', is currently receiving treatment in Sydney's St
Vincent's Hospital.
A joint statement from Australia's Ten Network television and Sony
Music said Goodrem's cancer had been detected early and that she had a
"good prognosis" for recovery.
"I want to assure all my fans that I will be fine and I will be back
just as soon as my treatment is completed," said the singer.
"Knowing that I have your love and support is making a huge difference
and I look forward to seeing you all very soon."
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Who's Bad? |
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Michael Jackson's catalogue of legal engagements will soon be shorter
after a band of Indiana musicians agreed to settle their dispute.
Producer Gordon Keith and members of the R&B group, Ripples and Waves,
accused Jackson of profiting from two Jackson 5 covers of their songs
that appeared on the compilation 'Pre-History: The Lost Steeltown
Recordings'.
The 1996 Brunswick Records release does not credit Keith or the band
for their work and, according to their lawyers, even goes as far as
suggesting that the Jacksons performed under the name, Ripples and Waves.
Although Keith wants to "work something out", Jackson's defence team
admit he had nothing to do with the album.
"We've been amenable to discussing things with them in the past,"
Jackson's attorney Robert Meyer said.
"Now that we've gone through all the trials and tribulations of
dragging Michael all over the place, frankly, I don't know if the door is
still open on that."
In addition to damages and compensation, the accusers also want Jackson
to record a videotape statement that firmly states the difference
between Ripples and Waves and the Jackson 5.
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R.Kelly's Greatest Hits |
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R Kelly is to release a greatest hits collection in September.
Entitled The "R" in R & B Collection Volume 1, it will aslo include two new
tracks. The new songs will be Ghetto Religion, featuring Wyclef Jean, and
Thoia-Thoing.
A limited edition bonus CD, featuring several previously unreleased
remiwes, will be included in the first pressing of the compilation. Kelly
has recently been writing and producing for other acts including the
Isley Brothers, Baby of the Cash Money Millionaires, JS and Jaheim.
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Daniel Bedingfield is an American at heart |
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Popstar Daniel Bedingfield is turning his back on his native Britain
because he's convinced he's an American at heart. The singer has enjoyed
massive success in Europe but now he's on the verge of making it big in
America, thanks to a cameo appearance on hit daytime soap "Guiding
Light".
And he's determined to crack the US music market because he has dreams
of setting up hime in Seattle, Washington. He says" I'm not really all
that English. I'm loud and like coffee and dogs in the park".
The New Zealand-born pop star admits he jumped at the chance to be part
of "Guiding Light", because he loves kitschy American daytime soaps. He
adds, "The British soaps aren't as good as the soaps in America". The
soaps there suck."
'In Guiding Light', Bedingfield performs at a private party for young
couple.
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Avril won't be in the movie |
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Avril Lavigne has squashed more rumours that she will be starring in
the forthcoming "Sk8er Boi" movie. "The movie has nothing to do with me "
she said. "I don't have any say in it. And no, I won't be in it."
Paramount movies is currently devloping the film, based on Lavigne's
hit single, about love across cultural divides. The song's co-writers,
The Matriw, have already signed on as consultants and will develop an
accompanying album.
Lavigne also revealed that she has started work on the follow-up to her
2002 debut album 'Let Go'. she said: "I think I've really come along in
my songwriting. I really believe in myself, and I'm going to make a
record that really comes from inside, from my feelings. I've had time to
grow and become a better writer, a better guitar player, and I've
learned more about studio work."
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