Dec 21
FBI releases John Lennon files after 25 years
[source: NME.com] A surveillance report on John Lennon by US intelligence services has finally been released after a lengthy court battle.
The documents, which reveal the Beatle’s links to left-wing and anti-war groups in London in the 1970s, had been suppressed by the FBI for 25 years.
Lennon’s infamous “bed-ins” in protest against the Vietnam War made him a target of the FBI, subject to wire-taps and surveillance.
According to BBC News, historian Jon Wiener requested the documents in 1981 when he decided to write a book in the wake of the star’s assassination.
The FBI released some of the documents, but argued others were exempt from freedom of information laws due to their politically sensitive nature.
Wiener sued the US government, eventually getting some of the documents in a settlement in 1997, before a Federal Judge this week ordered the release of the final ten pages.
The new files note an interview Lennon gave to left-wing journal Red Mole and his support for Cambodia during the US attacks. But they also report he turned down requests to fund a left-wing bookshop, with the FBI admitting Lennon “apparently resisted the attempts of any particular group to secure any hold over him”.
"Today we can see that the national security claims the FBI had been making for 25 years were absurd from the beginning,” Weiner told the LA Times.
http://bigpondmusic.com/Artist/John-Lennon.aspx
Organist wins Procol Harum battle
[source: NME.com] Procol Harum founding member Matthew Fisher has won a high court battle over the writing credits on “A Whiter Shade Of Pale”.
Fisher played organ on the song and argued he wrote the distinctive melody line, which Mr Justice Blackburne agreed with and ruled he was entitled to 40 per cent of the copyright. For more than 40 years, the song was credited to lead singer Gary Brooker and lyricist Keith Reid.
“I find that the organ solo is a distinctive and significant contribution to the overall composition and, quite obviously, the product of skill and labour on the part of the person who created it,” Blackburne said:
Fisher said he wanted half the royalties, but the court decided singer Brooker’s input was more substantial.
It also rejected the organist’s claim for up to AU$2.5 million in back royalties.
Brooker, who still fronts the 60s band, defended his claim to be the sole writer of the song. He now faces paying a large part of the legal costs, estimated at around AU$1.2 million.
http://bigpondmusic.com/Artist/Procol-Harum.aspx
Eminem in second divorce
[source: NME.com] Eminem divorced Kim Mathers for the second time on Tuesday December 19 in Michigan.
The couple agreed to divide property under terms of a private settlement and share custody of daughter Hailie Jade Scott. They told the judge they understood the divorce was final.
Judge Antonio P Viviano said the pair conducted themselves with dignity and respect and were "a very fine couple to deal with".
They remarried on Saturday January 14 of this year and Eminem filed for divorce on Wednesday April 5. They first married in 1999 in a secret ceremony before divorcing in 2001.
http://bigpondmusic.com/Artist/Eminem.aspx
The Doors and Grateful Dead get honorary Grammys
[source: NME.com] Rock legends The Doors and The Grateful Dead are among artists set to receive lifetime achievement gongs at next year's Grammy Awards.
According to the Reuters news agency, other artists include folk legend Joan Baez, soul musician Booker T and saxophone player Ornette Coleman. The ceremony traditionally rewards artists who were never awarded Grammys at the height of their careers.
As such, deceased artists such as opera singer Maria Callas and country icon Bob Willis will also be honoured.
http://bigpondmusic.com/Artist/Doors-The.aspx
http://bigpondmusic.com/Artist/Grateful-Dead.aspx
Pink says no to Aussie wool
Despite an impending visit Down Under in April, sassy US pop singer Pink is campaigning to urge shoppers to stop buying Australian wool.
“I am calling on consumers to check labels on sweaters before buying them and, if they’re merino wool or made in Australia, to leave them on the racks,” the singer says in a video released by the People for Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA).
The video, which contains gruesome scenes of sheep having their throats cut and undergoing mulesing (reportedly done to prevent maggot infestation), will be screened across the globe. It also urges Australia to stop live exportation to the Middle East.
“If you’re like most people, you already refuse to wear fur because of the obvious cruelty involved. And, like me, you may even look for stylish alternatives to leather.
“But what about wool? Most of us have never thought about it. Sadly, like any other industry that uses animals, the wool trade uses methods so sadistic it makes you consider clearing your closet of any animal products.”
http://bigpondmusic.com/Artist/Pink.aspx
Cat Stevens returns to the stage
Almost three decades after his last live performance, Yusuf Islam – better known as Cat Stevens – performed new songs and old favourites in an invite-only gig in Manhattan this week.
“It’s one small step for man, one giant step for commonsense,” the 58-year-old joked. The “Peace Train” singer has a brand new album, An Other Cup, due for release next month.
Back in 1978, Stevens changed his name after converting to Islam and walking away from the music industry. It wasn’t until his son, also a musician, brought home a guitar that the singer picked one up again “for the first time in 20 years”.
“My fingers knew just what to do,” he said this week. “I believe what I could do with a song is much more valuable than just giving a lot of talks. I feel I’ve been given a gift, and I should use it.”
http://bigpondmusic.com/Artist/Cat-Stevens.aspx
P Diddy selling racoon?
Rapper, producer, businessman and clothing designer Sean "Diddy" Combs (aka P Diddy) has attracted the ire of animal rights activists in the US.
The Humane Society Of The United States (HSUS) claim a “fake fur” jacket issued under Combs’ label, Sean John, is actually made out of raccoon dog.
The organisation bought the jacket – whose tag claims it’s made with an “imitation rabbit fur collar” and “nylon/faux fur/goose down” – only to discover a label stating it’s actually constructed from “genuine raccoon fur”.
HSUS is conducting DNA testing on the item to determine whether or not the fur is raccoon dog, a breed of Chinese dog whose coat resembles racoon.
If it is real fur, the jackets will be pulled from major US chain store Macy’s, who have a strict policy on cat and dog fur items.
http://bigpondmusic.com/Artist/P-Diddy.aspx
Nelly Furtado records Latin LP
US pop songstress Nelly Furtado – who’s scored one of the biggest hits of the year with the Timbaland-produced “Maneater” – is recording a Latin album.
Furtado grew up speaking Portuguese and learnt Spanish while at high school. Furtado has already recorded tracks in Spanish (“Te Busqué” on her Loose LP and a 2002 duet – "Fotografi" – with Colombia rock singer Juanes), but this is her first attempt at writing in the language.
“I feel like a little kid again, because it’s a whole new language,” she told MTV this week. “I can’t translate poetically yet. But Latin languages come easy to me. When I sing in them, it feels natural. It feels organic.
"I always wanted to be an international artist and it’s more of a true artistic experience when you just let yourself go. My parents listened to Julio Iglesias and stuff like that – bilingual, trilingual – and those types of artists were real icons.”
http://bigpondmusic.com/Artist/Nelly-Furtado.aspx
Spice Girls to reform?
British pop icons the Spice Girls are reportedly considering reuniting to perform at Concert For Diana, a memorial for the former Princess Of Wales, on Sunday July 1.
Baby Spice (Emma Bunton) is friends with Prince William who, together with his brother Harry, is behind the concert. The event will mark the tenth anniversary of their mother’s death.
Held at London’s Wembley Stadium, Bunton admits a reformation is a possibility.
“I would love to do something with the girls again,” Bunton revealed this week. “It would be great to sing at Princess Diana’s concert.”
http://bigpondmusic.com/Artist/Spice-Girls.aspx
March release for Josh Pyke’s debut LP
Sydney singer-songwriter Josh Pyke will release his highly anticipated debut album on March 10.
Memories & Dust was recorded with producer Wayne Conolly (The Vines, You Am I, Youth Group) and will be released locally through indie label Ivy League. The LP will also see a release in the UK via major label Island/Universal, who signed Pyke earlier this year following a head-turning promotional tour.
Memories & Dust is the follow-up to Pyke’s 2005 EP, Feeding The Wolves.
Memories & Dust tracklisting:
“Lines Of Palms”
“Memories & Dust”
“Forever Song”
“Mannequins”
“Someone Else’s Town”
“Fed And Watered”
“Sew My Name”
“Covers Are Thrown"
“Middle Of The Hill”
“Buttons”
“Vibrations In Air”
“Monkey With A Drum”
http://bigpondmusic.com/Artist/Josh-Pyke.aspx
[source: NME.com] A surveillance report on John Lennon by US intelligence services has finally been released after a lengthy court battle.
The documents, which reveal the Beatle’s links to left-wing and anti-war groups in London in the 1970s, had been suppressed by the FBI for 25 years.
Lennon’s infamous “bed-ins” in protest against the Vietnam War made him a target of the FBI, subject to wire-taps and surveillance.
According to BBC News, historian Jon Wiener requested the documents in 1981 when he decided to write a book in the wake of the star’s assassination.
The FBI released some of the documents, but argued others were exempt from freedom of information laws due to their politically sensitive nature.
Wiener sued the US government, eventually getting some of the documents in a settlement in 1997, before a Federal Judge this week ordered the release of the final ten pages.
The new files note an interview Lennon gave to left-wing journal Red Mole and his support for Cambodia during the US attacks. But they also report he turned down requests to fund a left-wing bookshop, with the FBI admitting Lennon “apparently resisted the attempts of any particular group to secure any hold over him”.
"Today we can see that the national security claims the FBI had been making for 25 years were absurd from the beginning,” Weiner told the LA Times.
http://bigpondmusic.com/Artist/John-Lennon.aspx
Organist wins Procol Harum battle
[source: NME.com] Procol Harum founding member Matthew Fisher has won a high court battle over the writing credits on “A Whiter Shade Of Pale”.
Fisher played organ on the song and argued he wrote the distinctive melody line, which Mr Justice Blackburne agreed with and ruled he was entitled to 40 per cent of the copyright. For more than 40 years, the song was credited to lead singer Gary Brooker and lyricist Keith Reid.
“I find that the organ solo is a distinctive and significant contribution to the overall composition and, quite obviously, the product of skill and labour on the part of the person who created it,” Blackburne said:
Fisher said he wanted half the royalties, but the court decided singer Brooker’s input was more substantial.
It also rejected the organist’s claim for up to AU$2.5 million in back royalties.
Brooker, who still fronts the 60s band, defended his claim to be the sole writer of the song. He now faces paying a large part of the legal costs, estimated at around AU$1.2 million.
http://bigpondmusic.com/Artist/Procol-Harum.aspx
Eminem in second divorce
[source: NME.com] Eminem divorced Kim Mathers for the second time on Tuesday December 19 in Michigan.
The couple agreed to divide property under terms of a private settlement and share custody of daughter Hailie Jade Scott. They told the judge they understood the divorce was final.
Judge Antonio P Viviano said the pair conducted themselves with dignity and respect and were "a very fine couple to deal with".
They remarried on Saturday January 14 of this year and Eminem filed for divorce on Wednesday April 5. They first married in 1999 in a secret ceremony before divorcing in 2001.
http://bigpondmusic.com/Artist/Eminem.aspx
The Doors and Grateful Dead get honorary Grammys
[source: NME.com] Rock legends The Doors and The Grateful Dead are among artists set to receive lifetime achievement gongs at next year's Grammy Awards.
According to the Reuters news agency, other artists include folk legend Joan Baez, soul musician Booker T and saxophone player Ornette Coleman. The ceremony traditionally rewards artists who were never awarded Grammys at the height of their careers.
As such, deceased artists such as opera singer Maria Callas and country icon Bob Willis will also be honoured.
http://bigpondmusic.com/Artist/Doors-The.aspx
http://bigpondmusic.com/Artist/Grateful-Dead.aspx
Pink says no to Aussie wool
Despite an impending visit Down Under in April, sassy US pop singer Pink is campaigning to urge shoppers to stop buying Australian wool.
“I am calling on consumers to check labels on sweaters before buying them and, if they’re merino wool or made in Australia, to leave them on the racks,” the singer says in a video released by the People for Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA).
The video, which contains gruesome scenes of sheep having their throats cut and undergoing mulesing (reportedly done to prevent maggot infestation), will be screened across the globe. It also urges Australia to stop live exportation to the Middle East.
“If you’re like most people, you already refuse to wear fur because of the obvious cruelty involved. And, like me, you may even look for stylish alternatives to leather.
“But what about wool? Most of us have never thought about it. Sadly, like any other industry that uses animals, the wool trade uses methods so sadistic it makes you consider clearing your closet of any animal products.”
http://bigpondmusic.com/Artist/Pink.aspx
Cat Stevens returns to the stage
Almost three decades after his last live performance, Yusuf Islam – better known as Cat Stevens – performed new songs and old favourites in an invite-only gig in Manhattan this week.
“It’s one small step for man, one giant step for commonsense,” the 58-year-old joked. The “Peace Train” singer has a brand new album, An Other Cup, due for release next month.
Back in 1978, Stevens changed his name after converting to Islam and walking away from the music industry. It wasn’t until his son, also a musician, brought home a guitar that the singer picked one up again “for the first time in 20 years”.
“My fingers knew just what to do,” he said this week. “I believe what I could do with a song is much more valuable than just giving a lot of talks. I feel I’ve been given a gift, and I should use it.”
http://bigpondmusic.com/Artist/Cat-Stevens.aspx
P Diddy selling racoon?
Rapper, producer, businessman and clothing designer Sean "Diddy" Combs (aka P Diddy) has attracted the ire of animal rights activists in the US.
The Humane Society Of The United States (HSUS) claim a “fake fur” jacket issued under Combs’ label, Sean John, is actually made out of raccoon dog.
The organisation bought the jacket – whose tag claims it’s made with an “imitation rabbit fur collar” and “nylon/faux fur/goose down” – only to discover a label stating it’s actually constructed from “genuine raccoon fur”.
HSUS is conducting DNA testing on the item to determine whether or not the fur is raccoon dog, a breed of Chinese dog whose coat resembles racoon.
If it is real fur, the jackets will be pulled from major US chain store Macy’s, who have a strict policy on cat and dog fur items.
http://bigpondmusic.com/Artist/P-Diddy.aspx
Nelly Furtado records Latin LP
US pop songstress Nelly Furtado – who’s scored one of the biggest hits of the year with the Timbaland-produced “Maneater” – is recording a Latin album.
Furtado grew up speaking Portuguese and learnt Spanish while at high school. Furtado has already recorded tracks in Spanish (“Te Busqué” on her Loose LP and a 2002 duet – "Fotografi" – with Colombia rock singer Juanes), but this is her first attempt at writing in the language.
“I feel like a little kid again, because it’s a whole new language,” she told MTV this week. “I can’t translate poetically yet. But Latin languages come easy to me. When I sing in them, it feels natural. It feels organic.
"I always wanted to be an international artist and it’s more of a true artistic experience when you just let yourself go. My parents listened to Julio Iglesias and stuff like that – bilingual, trilingual – and those types of artists were real icons.”
http://bigpondmusic.com/Artist/Nelly-Furtado.aspx
Spice Girls to reform?
British pop icons the Spice Girls are reportedly considering reuniting to perform at Concert For Diana, a memorial for the former Princess Of Wales, on Sunday July 1.
Baby Spice (Emma Bunton) is friends with Prince William who, together with his brother Harry, is behind the concert. The event will mark the tenth anniversary of their mother’s death.
Held at London’s Wembley Stadium, Bunton admits a reformation is a possibility.
“I would love to do something with the girls again,” Bunton revealed this week. “It would be great to sing at Princess Diana’s concert.”
http://bigpondmusic.com/Artist/Spice-Girls.aspx
March release for Josh Pyke’s debut LP
Sydney singer-songwriter Josh Pyke will release his highly anticipated debut album on March 10.
Memories & Dust was recorded with producer Wayne Conolly (The Vines, You Am I, Youth Group) and will be released locally through indie label Ivy League. The LP will also see a release in the UK via major label Island/Universal, who signed Pyke earlier this year following a head-turning promotional tour.
Memories & Dust is the follow-up to Pyke’s 2005 EP, Feeding The Wolves.
Memories & Dust tracklisting:
“Lines Of Palms”
“Memories & Dust”
“Forever Song”
“Mannequins”
“Someone Else’s Town”
“Fed And Watered”
“Sew My Name”
“Covers Are Thrown"
“Middle Of The Hill”
“Buttons”
“Vibrations In Air”
“Monkey With A Drum”
http://bigpondmusic.com/Artist/Josh-Pyke.aspx
posted by nick at 11:05 PM
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