2011 – Paul McCartney to debut 2012 with awesome cover tunes album on This Day in Rock Music History. Inspired by songs that influenced John and Paul in the early days of the Beatles, the album will also have two new originals.
“When I kind of got into songwriting, I realized how well structured these songs were, and I think I took a lot of my lessons from them,” McCartney said in a statement.
“I always thought artists like Fred Astaire were very cool. Writers like Harold Arlen, Cole Porter, all of those guys — I just thought the songs were magical. And then, as I got to be a songwriter I thought it’s beautiful, the way they made those songs.”
Working with Grammy-winning Diana Krall and producer Tommy LiPuma is a highlight for Paul. Approaching in a new way, he recorded all the vocals alone in a booth without music.
“It was very spontaneous, kind of organic, which then reminded me of the way we’d work with the Beatles. We’d bring a song in, kick it around, when we found a way to do it we’d say ‘Okay, let’s do a take now’ and by the time everyone kind of had an idea of what they were doing, we’d learnt the song. So that’s what we did, we did the take live in the studio,” said McCartney.
Also playing on the album are Stevie Wonder on “Only Our Hearts” and Eric Clapton on “My Valentine.”
2011 – John Cossette, 54, producer of the Grammy Awards, died today.
“We are deeply saddened to report that John Cossette, 54, has passed away. We ask that you please respect our privacy during this incredibly emotional time. We appreciate everyone’s love and support, and further details regarding funeral arrangements will be forthcoming in the next few days.”
– Rita Cossette, and daughters Maria and Rose Cossette
2011 – Judge orders Jobs to answer iTunes questions on This Day in Rock!
Apple Inc. Chief Executive Steve Jobs, who is out on medical leave, has been ordered by a federal magistrate to answer questions from plaintiffs’ lawyers in an antitrust lawsuit related to his company’s iTunes business.
U.S. Magistrate Judge Howard Lloyd, based in San Jose, California, ruled that lawyers representing the plaintiffs in the suit may question Jobs for a total of two hours. He issued the ruling on Monday.
Apple could appeal the ruling to a district judge, but it would likely have to make a case that the magistrate “made a big mistake,” said Professor David Levine at University of California Hastings College of the Law.
An Apple spokeswoman declined to comment, and attorneys for the plaintiffs did not respond to requests for comment.
In the class-action lawsuit, a group of consumers say Apple created a music-downloading monopoly with its iPod player and iTunes store. At issue is a piece of software called Fairplay that allowed only music bought on iTunes to be played on the iPod, according to the complaint.
One competitor, RealNetworks Inc, responded in 2004 by introducing a new technology that would allow customers to play music downloaded from its site on their iPods. Apple quickly announced a software upgrade to iTunes that once more blocked music from RealNetworks, the complaint charges.
“The court finds that Jobs has unique, non-repetitive, first hand knowledge about Apple’s software updates in October 2004 that rendered the RealNetworks’s digital music files once again inoperable with iPods,” Lloyd wrote in his ruling.
The ruling comes amid intense questions about Jobs’ health and whereabouts. Earlier this month an energetic but thin Jobs resurfaced to unveil Apple’s new iPad. His appearance helped reassure investors and fans worried about what his absence might mean for the company.
Apple failed to provide specific examples of how a deposition of Jobs would constitute “undue hardship,” the plaintiffs wrote in a court filing last December.
Lloyd said the deposition of Jobs would be limited to questions about the back-and-forth with RealNetworks in 2004. Apple had sought to prevent the deposition altogether, while the plaintiffs asked to be allowed a broader inquiry.
“By limiting the scope of the deposition, the judge is trying to avoid using this as some sort of tool for embarrassment or annoyance,” Levine said.
Should a district judge uphold Lloyd’s ruling, Levine said it would be extremely difficult for either side to appeal further.
The case is in re Apple iPod iTunes antitrust litigation, Case No. 05-00037, U.S. District Court, Northern District of California.
Apple is involved in a host of other lawsuits, both as a plaintiff and defendant, ranging from disputes over patents to antitrust allegations. On Monday, Apple sued Amazon.com Inc in a bid to stop the online retailer from improperly using its APP STORE trademark, according to a court filing.
(Reporting by Paul Thomasch in New York, Dan Levine in San Francisco and Sakthi Prasad in Bangalore; Editing by Gerald E. McCormick and Derek Caney)
2011 -Imprisoned music producer Phil Spector settled his lawsuit against attorney Robert Shapiro over a $1 million retainer before a trial was scheduled to begin.
The judge sealed the documents pertaining to the agreement after meeting with the respective lawyers.
Spector had been seeking a refund of the $1 million retainer he paid Shapiro after his arrest in 2003. The “Wall of Sound” producer was convicted of second-degree murder in the shooting of Lana Clarkson after two trials and is currently serving 19 years to life in prison.
Phil is also the producer that plowed thru miles of Beatles tape to finalize production on ‘Let it be’.
All the facts about rock hisory you need in one easy place. With a database of over 25,000 records and growing daily, we update posts about Elvis, the Beatles, Led Zeppelin, Jimi Hendrix, the Doors, Jet, My Chemical Romance and many more. We include Video from YouTube, lyrics, and all the juicy facts that happen to your favorite stars. Tell you friends, leave comments, and enjoy history.
2011 – Bobby Z, 55, the music producer best known as a drummer for Prince, is in critical condition in a Twin Cities hospital after a heart attack.
Adam Rivkin, his son, revealed “He had three arteries that were blocked, and the doctors on Sunday night were able to take care of two of them,” told me Wednesday. “They wanted him to get stronger in order to go through the final phase and take care of the third one. He’s in critical condition and resting”…
2011 – Don Kirshner,who’s guiding light led some of POP’s biggest stars from the 1950s thru the 1970s, died today of Heart failure in his home in Boca Raton, Fla at the age of 77.
An early promoter of Pop/Rock music, he propelled the many careers of of bands and artists like Pink Floyd, Kiss, ELP, the Ramones, and even Bruce Springsteen. His weekly program, “Don Kirshner’s Rock Concert”, was a greatly under-rated program that was far ahead of it’s times.
His Career as a jingle writer was destined for greater things, as his then partner, Bobby Darin, can make the same claim.
We salute you Don Kirshner, for the many bands you brought to our delight!
2010 – Gene Simmons wants Simon Cowell’s job – he’s convinced he would make a better judge on the TV mogul’s reality singing contests because he has real experience in the music industry.
The Kiss rocker has joined a string of stars, including Sir Elton John and The Who’s Roger Daltrey, who have taken aim at Cowell and his hit TV competitions.
Simmons insists he is “more qualified than anybody” to dole out advice on the program, which he claims will never discover any new music legends like Jimi Hendrix or Robert Plant.
He tells Britain’s Daily Star, “I think I could be the sole judge on The X Factor, I’m more qualified than anybody on the show. Nobody on the show has written songs, then been on stage, or had record companies and managed Liza Minnelli. Nobody can shine my shoes.
“Maybe Simon should talk to me, although he is the only one on television that tells the truth. Everybody is nice, but that’s not how life is. Life is: ‘You suck, get off the stage.’ Realistic is good.
“Part of the reason we like watching these shows is because there are people up there and you’re like, ‘Are you on crack? Do you actually believe that you belong on stage?’ The biggest superstars of all time would have never made it on The X Factor.
“Imagine if Jimi Hendrix or Mick Jagger or Robert Plant came out. I wouldn’t make it, and neither would they. We’re peculiar and that’s what makes stars interesting, not the fact that you can sing well. Broadway and pop is the place where people really sing correctly.”
2010 – U2′s new producer… Over the past six years, producer Brian “Danger Mouse” Burton has compiled one of the most impressive lists of collaborators in recent music history. From Gorillaz to the Black Keys and Beck to his bands with Cee-Lo (Gnarls Barkley), the Shins’ James Mercer (Broken Bells) and members of Blur and the Clash (The Good, the Bad & the Queen), Danger has dipped his toes in a wide and impressive variety of creative pools.
But, as cool as that résumé is, for his latest trick the onetime mash-up master has landed one of the premier gigs in all of music. According to Bono, Danger has produced songs for the upcoming album from the Irish rock gods, which the frontman told The Age is slated for release early next year.
“We have about 12 songs with him,” Bono said of the tentatively titled Songs of Ascent, just one of three albums the group is working on. “At the moment, that looks like the album we will put out next, because it’s just happening so easily.” While Bono did not reveal much about how those songs came together or what they will sound like, he did say the group is also working on a “club” record that will feature tracks created with Lady Gaga collaborator RedOne, as well as will.i.am and David Guetta.
“U2′s remixes in the 1990s were a real treasure,” Bono explained. “So we wanted to make a club-sounding record. We have a pile of songs.”
While a return to the Achtung Baby era of big beats and dance-floor-worthy tunes seems like an odd detour for the act after a string of albums that brought them back to their anthemic rock roots with a few slight detours into world-music-inspired melodies, the third album in the works is perhaps the most unusual.
Bono said he would like to record some of the nearly 2 dozen songs he and guitarist The Edge have written for the “Spider-Man” Broadway musical they are scoring, but selling the other two members of the group on the project has been tough so far. “We haven’t convinced the rest of the band to do that yet,” he said. “[Drummer] Larry [Mullen Jr.] definitely has a raised eyebrow.”
2010 – U.K. Declares Abbey Road A Historic Site
February 23, 2010
2010 – With all the talk about EMI possibly selling Abbey Road Studios, the U.K. government has stepped in and declared it a historic site so that no radical changes can be made. Culture Minister Margaret Hodge declared the iconic venue a “Grade II” listed building, which means that although changes to its interior are permitted, any proposed alterations must respect the character and preservation of the site. In a statement, Hodge said the listing had been granted “overwhelmingly on the historic merit of the studios” and because “it has huge cultural importance and a very special place in the hearts of recording artists and music lovers alike.”
“The Abbey Road Studios have been listed in acknowledgement of their outstanding cultural interest and to ensure that recording artists for generations to come can continue to make and record music in the same rooms as musical icons of years gone by,” said Hodge’s statement. “Music – of whichever genre – is the thread that follows us through all our lives and Abbey Road Studios have produced some of the very best music in the world. It’s a testament to both the importance of music in people’s lives as well as the passion this kind of issue stirs up, that so much interest has been generated by the perceived threat to the future of Abbey Road.”
Among those calling for the studios to be saved were Sir Paul McCartney and Andrew Lloyd Webber, who signaled that he was a potential buyer. However, EMI said over the weekend that it did not want to sell Abbey Road, although it was talking to other parties about revitalizing the site. EMI said it had been in discussions since November 2009 to find ways to regenerate the studios.
“EMI confirms that it is holding preliminary discussions for the revitalization of Abbey Road with interested and appropriate third parties,” the company said in the statement. “We believe that Abbey Road should remain in EMI’s ownership.”
LOS ANGELES, California (CNN) — Berry Gordy called Michael Jackson the “greatest entertainer that ever lived” as family, friends, colleagues and fans gathered to remember the King of Pop at the Staples Center in Los Angeles Tuesday.
Michael Jackson’s casket is placed in front of the stage at the Staples Center.
“The more I think and talk about Michael Jackson, I feel the King of Pop is not big enough for him,” Gordy, the founder of Motown Records, said as the crowd rose to its feet. “I think he is simply — I think he is simply the greatest entertainer that ever lived.”
Jackson’s golden casket was placed in front of the stage at his memorial as a choir sang.
Several of Jackson’s older brothers served as pallbearers, carrying the coffin to the stage as the Andrae Crouch choir sang “Soon and Very Soon.”
The stage at the Staples Center resembled a church sanctuary with a stain-glassed backdrop.
Mariah Carey was joined by Trey Lorenz singing The Jackson 5′s 1970 hit “I’ll Be there” as a montage of Jackson photographs appeared on arena screens.
Queen Latifah, saying she was on stage to represent “millions of fans inspired by Michael,” said “Michael was the biggest star on earth.” Lionel Richie then performed the song “Jesus is Love.” Stevie Wonder took the stage to sing “Never Dreamed You’d Leave in Summer.”
Smokey Robinson read personal messages from several of Jackson’s celebrity friends who could not attend.
“Michael was a personal love of mine, a treasured part of my life, part of the fabric of my life, in a way that I can’t seem to find words to express” Diana Ross said in a message read by Smokey Robinson.
Robinson also read a message from Nelson Mandela, saying they had grown close after trips and performances in South Africa.
“We had great admiration for his talent and that he was able to triumph over tragedy on so many occasions in his life. Michael was a giant and a legend in the music industry. And we mourn with the millions of fans worldwide,” Robinson said, relaying Mandela’s message. “We also mourn with his family and his friends over the loss of our dear friend.”
The public memorial began after Jackson’s family and closest friends attended a gathering at Forest Lawn Memorial Park in Hollywood Hills on Tuesday morning.
Jackson’s family and friends were at the chapel, which can hold about 1,000 people. Seven men carried the golden casket covered in red flowers from Forest Lawn’s Hall of Liberty.
“It wouldn’t be fair for the fans who are going to appear and be here at the Staples Center not to see his casket,” Teddy Riley, a singer who worked closely with Jackson on several albums, said. Watch Riley talk about working with Jackson »
An army of fans poured into Los Angeles from places far-flung, hoping to collectively mourn their idol in a massive ceremony.
Thousands appeared to be on hand, but the atmosphere was peaceful, almost festive. People waited patiently, talking to each other, taking pictures and singing Jackson songs. Some fans were excited, others somber, as they entered the arena.
Parking lots in the area raised their prices, some as high as $30. Airports in Southern California saw a spike in bookings. And several movie theaters in the area announced special screenings of the event, which also will be carried live by some television networks and Web sites.
The first fans — those holding the best seats — began entering the arena at 7:30 a.m. The service is set to start at 10 a.m. (1 p.m. ET).
Deka Motanya, a San Francisco, California, woman who won tickets in the computer lottery, posted a message on Twitter just before 9 a.m. saying she had reached her “not-too-bad seats.” “(M)ichael jackson music playing. people filling in; very organized w/ assigned seats” her message said.
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