Yes, look closely, that is Prince William bending over pinning Marc’s award on his lapel. Quite unbelievable isn’t it? The original “willing sinner”, the absolute ‘vermin in the ermin’ and the unforgettable fetishist who sang of seedy films and sex dwarves has now officially been awarded an OBE.
Marc Almond has achieved great heights in the last year or so, and this was the real topper. He now is officially an Officer of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire. Well done ol’ boy! Britain must be extremely proud of their little gimp. Gutter hearts rejoice!
Congratulations to Marc and all his hard work and fantastic music over the last 30 years and more.
DAVID BYRNE APOLOGIZES FOR NOT COMPROMISING HIS ARTISTIC INTEGRITY
So David Byrne recently fell victim to avant-hard fem types who called him out for the work he had done on his new LP, ‘American Utopia’. Seems like after much hard work, and feeling pretty jazzed about the completed project, David posted a playlist and a composite image of all the collaborators who he’d just worked with on his new album. As one might expect, the aggro started pouring in from right-on types who were quick to point out there were no women involved. Byrne buckled and issued an apology. Why?
“The image in the post clearly reveals this problem in a way that mere words do not...I regret not hiring and collaborating with women for this album-it’s ridiculous. I never thought of myself as being “one of those guys”but I guess to some extent I am. Your responses serve as a corrective. Thank you”
Byrne issued a tweet as an apology, but why? Obviously, there is no regard for one’s own artistic vision or who he chooses, for whatever specific reason, to work with. As we all know, you cannot always direct your muse-and if it leads this way, you follow. If it leads that way, so be it. If David felt driven to work with each individual based upon what he felt was best for the work, so be it. It is shameful that after all that is invested in the project, he cowers down and apologizes. It diminishes the work of those involved and truly “reveals this problem in a way mere words do not...”. It shows that it is not about the work, only if a woman is involved. This is a very dangerous trend happening now, where the work is not important, but simply only if a woman is involved. If that were the case, why not have the cleaning lady step up to the mic-it would probably achieve the same result as simply drafting in women to keep the feminists happy.
It is disappointing that Byrne felt the need to apologize. He has a strong legacy of working with diverse artists and women, in fact, his last recorded LP was with St. Vincent!
The real irony of it all is that David’s new album, ‘American Utopia’ is actually meant to be about promoting positivity and happiness despite political unrest. So much for the effort, huh David? No good deed goes unpunished.
It’s been over 10 years since Led Zeppelin played their reunion gig at London’s O2 Arena, and according to Jimmy Page, that will go down as the band’s last ever performance. “I really think the time has gone”, he said in his exclusive interview in the newest Planet Rock magazine.
Page thinks that because it took 30 years for the band to actually reform to play one gig, and now that a decade has slipped by since, that the reality of getting everyone together again is never going to happen. To him, that is just too much water under the bridge. Everyone is happy leading their own lives and pursuing their own interests.
That doesn’t mean that it is the end of Zeppelin for good though, as Jimmy points out that there is an authorized book due out this year as well as a new live album. Jimmy had his own autobiography, ‘Jimmy Page’ published in 2010, in a similar vein, ‘Led Zeppelin’ by Led Zeppelin, will be out in October. It is an illustrated history, celebrating their 50 years as a band. Kind of funny, because Jimmy is actually lamenting the fact that they don’t do anything as a band anymore...for almost the last 40 years!
As for the music, Jimmy just says that “There’s a lot of stuff to come out, a number of releases”, though it may eek out over the next 10 years or so, in his words. And so it goes for one of rock’s most iconic guitarists, alone in a studio overseeing remixes of his band’s past glories.
The ‘Snobs already have a contender for single cover of the year, and it’s this one from Dua Lipa.
What is a Dua Lipa anyway...or who is she? As of today, Dua is the youngest UK solo female artist to crack 1 billion views on YouTube. The 22 year old songstress is officially the most ‘streamed’ woman in the UK, outgunning Rhianna, Taylor, Beyonce or whoever else you wanna chuck on the fire. Yes, she is that hot. Like millions of other wannabes, she started singing singing on YouTube, then everything exploded. She officially hit the big time with her breakthrough single “New Rules”, which hit the charts last summer and now has put her in the Billionaires Club of video streaming.
Don’t forget the fact that she already set records last month for the most nominations for a single female artist for this year’s Brit Awards, with 5 nominations.
The ‘Snobs aren’t really into this kind of stuff, but obviously millions of people are. The aforementioned sleeve is for her latest single, “IDGAF” (it doesn’t take much to figure that one out.) She may be an unlikely star, but her label in the UK says that she could be the one to bring back long term strategies not seen since the 80s. She has sold over 1.2 copies of her album worldwide (half of which were actually physical). She is a truly big deal in the UK, and could very well be a contender on the world stage (worldwide streams place her at #7, with Rhianna and Taylor still on top).
More power to ya’ kid. Anyone who can finally put Beyonce and some of those others behind us can’t be a bad thing now can they?
It’s been over four years since his debut, and now Daniel Avery has announced his second LP, ‘Song For Alpha’, due out in early April. A four track EP was released a few weeks back, ‘Slow Fade’, and now the title track gets its video debut.
Its a cubist affair, a bit pinky in tint and trippy. Avery says he likes the London based design studio’s work of Flat-e because “They create worlds into which you can fall with your eyes closed”. However, if you do that, you’ll miss their latest piece.
You can pre-order the LP or buy the current EP here.
This is the kind of reunion we like to hear about. Thee Hypnotics are about to re-emerge onto the scene and blow some dust off of everything.
They must mean business because they have a brand new website up too, proclaiming they are ‘Righteously Recharged’! Good for them. They are showing a bit of muscle and the original line up will be taking it out on the road for 15 dates across Europe and the UK between March and April. If you want some heavy action, these guys are a must see.
The band has not really done anything for the last 20 years. They were last seen in the UK supporting the Black Crowes back in 93. Chris Robinson took a shine to the band and actually produced their last full length LP, ‘The Very Crystal Speed Machine’. They played a string of club dates across the US, then went back home and soon faded away.
Beggar’s Banquet are set to re-issue Hypnotics LPs as an anthology, and promise rare material and hard to find stuff.
Stay up to date via their new site, here.
If you haven’t heard or lost touch with the band, get a recharge by watching the video below. This is “Half Man Half Boy” off their very excellent and heavy “Come Down Heavy” LP.
Just happened across this, the new single from Lady Gaga. Immediately I was thinking, “where do I know this from?”, and in a split second, Death In Vegas!
Now it is common knowledge that Lady Gaga is not the most original songstress out there, but we can’t necessarily fault her for that, because all artists take bits and pieces from here and there. However, one wonders if perhaps Gaga was a fan of DIV or was this image just seared into her head from another time? Perhaps it was the young hip thing in the art department who could not distinguish where the idea came from.
Who knows what Gaga’s new LP will sound like, but it’s an easy bet it will not sound anything like DIV’s ‘Trans-Love Energies’.
Chalk another one up to strangely familiar album covers.
THE MAN WHO WAS THE FALL, MARK E SMITH, DEAD AT 60
The man who was The Fall, Mark E. Smith, has passed away at his home today. He was 60. His death was announced by their manager, who said she would issue more info in the next few days.
Mark was the one true member of The Fall, he sang and wrote the lyrics and spat them at you in a way no one has ever done before or since. He was the one and only member who started the band on day one and stuck it out until today. The fall formed in 1976 and managed to pass 66 members through its different incarnations. Mark kept it in the family, marrying two band members and even the head of their fan club.
The band released their 32nd LP last year. Throughout their career the band managed to lodge 11 of the 32 into the Top 40, the highest peaking at #9 with ‘The Infotainment Scan’, 25 years ago in ’93.
The BBC actually made an announcement that Mark had died on his 60th birthday last March, but sadly, this time there is no mistaking.
You can read what he thought about life and living in his autobiography ‘Renegade: The Lives and Tales of Mark E Smith’, which he published in 2008.
The largest traveling exhibition ever of Albert Einstein's personal possessions are heading to Taiwan, then on to China and Japan. A total of 75 pieces of Albert's personal belongings will be on show, including his LP collection.
Now, one can gain insight on what may have been going on in his mind or what he was probably listening to when he came up with his famous theory of relativity. He has gone on record as to how music helped him in his theory, claiming his famous discovery was only possible thanks to music.
Albert was an avid musician and he loved music. He learned the violin as a child, and throughout his life, whenever he got in a jam he would put on music to help clear his head and get his juices flowing again.
If you are in Taiwan, you can go check out his stash at the National Chiang Kai-shek Memorial Hall until April 8.
Aaaah! It is always a pleasure (and very reassuring) to hear the latest from Teenage Fanclub. This latest single “I’m In Love” is a taster from the band’s 11th album, ‘Here’, due out in September.
The single is typical Fannies, albeit perhaps a slight bit mellower but making for slightly more enjoyable...great little guitar solo too!
Nice. Mr. Lidell has announced a brand new album due out in October. He’s left his longtime label Warp, and started his own, Jajulin Records. The new album, ‘Building A Beginning’ will be on his own label, and he promises a fresh new start.
Listening to this track, it already sounds amazing. Jamie says its loaded with tons of back up singers, a very heavy dose of soul and just an all around great feeling. Keep your eyes and ears peeled.
Believe it or not, this is the first Aphex Twin video since “Windowlicker”, that is 17 years ago! So how to does he make his big video comeback? He hires a 12 year old kid from Dublin, Ryan Wyer, to be in charge. It turns out Richard spotted his work from his YouTube channel.
Surprisingly enough, the video is not that far off base of earlier Warp - style videos. Yeah, and that is the kid and his pals horsing around in the video.
ROISIN MURPHY "TEN MILES HIGH" How does one follow up 'Hairless Toys'? Like this, of course! Check out the latest audio and video delight for your gead, from Roisin Murphy. Quiet a tasty tune, and to think that she did all this herself (directing,stylibg, etc)! This is the first offering from her new album, 'Take Her Up To Monto', due out in July. If you are in to construction worker garb, mirrored images, complete bewilderment and a lovely tune, then this is what you've been waiting for. "Ten Miles High" is a real treat. Enjoy!
The Furries come out of nowhere, bouncing balls off their heads and singing this glorious new anthem, “Bing Bong”.
The band wrote the new tune for their beloved Welsh football team, but it isn't quite the official anthem for the team as it heads into the European chaionships, it is definitely one of the funnest. In fact, we are going ahead and claiming this to be the tune of the summer! Fantastic. Take a few minutes to listen, you'll be glad you did...
The ‘Roses have taken an insane amount of time to release new music before...but this is a topper! Its been 21 years since they last released any new music and as of today, we all have a chance to check out their brand new single, “All For One”.
It’s pretty tasty! Doesn’t sound tired...not really like the first or last albums, but somewhere in between. Great guitar solo from Squire. Let’s see what else they roll out for the new album...
By the time night fell on the day Prince died, I knew something was wrong. There was an obvious overload of sensitivity in the news, and as odd as it sounds, it was just too much to believe that Prince had that big of an influence on so many people the whole world over. Watching CNN devote complete programs to the passing of Prince was odd, and when the host purposely pointed out that he bought a purple paisley tie for the occasion, it really began to smell fishy.
His guest, a young woman who reports for Entertainment Tonight was placed outside Paisley Park. He asked her simple, shallow questions, and dutifully she smiled and gave back hollow, pointless answers. When asked what Prince meant to her she lit up and told of the first time she saw ‘Purple Rain’ and how this androgynous, sexy man made a huge impression on her. This was baffling, since this correspondent could only be 35 at best, which meant she was a baby when Purple Rain was released. How can she be so affected? How can so many millions be so affected? What is the connection?
Prince’s death was an occasion, for exactly what, one can’t be sure. Whatever it is, it has nothing at all to do with sincerity or heartfelt grieving. It was a definite distraction from the political madness, but as the days pass, more and more is coming to light that his death has obviously been hijacked for any number of reasons; viewership, “likes” and easy money are some of the obvious reasons.
Death is a big deal these days, especially in the social media world. That is where all the companies, news outlets and just plain sharks look to get their stories, throw in their ads or to make sure they are dropping the right words behind their hash tags. Before celebrity bodies hit the cold stainless steel tables in the local morgue, there is a full-on bum rush to see who gets their feelings out on the social media outlets first. It is amazing that after the deaths of Amy Winehouse, Whitney Houston, Paul Walker and David Bowie that the public have any tears left to cry…let alone the energy to type out more standard issue “R.I.P.’s” for Prince. How can life go on for anyone after having to cope with these huge losses and have your life ripped apart by their exits? Still, the stories flow, the records pulled out and shown, the tears fall and their new ripples reach further and further out. No one wants to be left out or seem like they weren’t hip enough to know who this new dead guy is or what he did. It’s time to capitalize on this new dead guy in case you missed your last chance. Open the floodgates, its time to wail and moan for the next dead celeb.
There is no debating the genius of Prince. He was one of the few true musicians out there. He could do it all, and pretty much did. He wrote his music (and tunes for others), produced and played almost any instrument he desired to. And, best of all, he was an excellent guitarist, even though many never thought to consider the man when thinking of their favorite guitarists of all time. Prince started to get traction with his second album, ‘Prince’. Chaka Khan would take one of the tunes from this and make it a huge hit, “I Feel For You”. He started to get attention for his outrageousness on the following two albums, and by he finally made a name for himself in 1982, with his fifth album (and a double LP at that!) with ‘1999’. He wasn’t worldwide yet, but he was definitely primed and ready to go.
Prince became the guy everyone knows him as in 1984, with the release of ‘Purple Rain’. This was to be his big breakthrough. The album was a hit, the movie was a hit and from this moment on, things would never be the same. Fame, popularity and sales were their highest for him this year. There is no debate, 1984 was the year that made him the pop star everyone would forever remember. His next two albums were not near as popular, nor was his next film. He started to worry. His record label worried. Prince wanted to be that same guy he was a few years before and proposed a triple album to try and recapture the adoration of millions of fans. The label shot it down. Prince put out a double album instead, ‘Sign O’ The Times’. It was 1987 and it was the last truly great record he would put out. It was a slippery slope from here on out and he managed a grasp at fame again with a few hits from Batman at the end of the 80’s, but would have his last big hit in 91. For all intents and purposes, that was it for him. Yes, he would have a few scattered successes here and there, but in the 25+ years that followed, the music he produced is not the stuff that people neither talk about nor remember him for.
Alan Leeds was Prince’s manager from ’83-’93. He was also the head of Prince’s record label, Paisley Park records. He said that he had never seen anything like the Purple Rain frenzy before. That album was both a blessing and a curse to Prince. He summed up it perfectly in a recent interview when he said, “There were Prince fans, and there were “Purple Rain” fans. Purple Rain fans may not have bought another Prince record in their life”. To many of the “mourning” millions, this would be the only Prince album they ever owned, seen or even heard. This album, these few years on top, this is what Prince’s legacy would become.
Death equals sales. As soon as news was broadcast he died, sales shot through the roof. Prince is finally at the top of the charts again, but who is profiting from it? As one might guess, the three biggest selling albums of all 39 albums released during his career are ‘Purple Rain’ and two compilations, ‘Hits’ and ‘The Very Best Of’. All were recorded during his initial Warner’s phase and none feature music after 1992. The most popular songs being downloaded are the hits from “Purple Rain” and two from “1999”. There is a whole 25 years of material pretty much forgotten, or simply overlooked. Why? Because that ain’t “Prince”. Prince is ‘Purple Rain’. Leeds was right. The day he died, single track sales were already at 1.04 million. Guess what? 1.03 million of those tracks was Warner Bros. material. Prince had only managed to sell 3,400 songs from his own NPG catalog, and it was almost equal from his two other labels of Columbia and Republic (NPG is the label Prince started when he left Warner’s, in 1996). No doubt about it, Warner Bros., has the most to gain from all of this. They had ‘Purple Rain’, so they have it all.
In fact, Warner’s is thinking (and talking) out loud about how to grow Prince after his death. The CEO of Warner Bros., Cameron Strang, had just resigned Prince to a deal with the company in 2014. He returned back to the label after 20 years, when they finally settled their dispute. Now, Strang is wondering if the new deal is solid enough to allow Warner’s to control Prince’s archives. It is rumored that there is over 1,000 songs in there, with an estimated worth of over $100 million. Prince’s best material was recorded during his original 18 year run with Warner Brothers. Before he died, they were already discussing re-releasing his old catalog with the possibility of bonus, unheard tracks. There was already a 30th Anniversary edition of ‘Purple Rain’ planned. The label has already started to rush release old albums from his spin off groups and cohorts, The Family, Sheila E., and The Time. They are doing all they can to tidy up his left-over, messy business affairs, to assure that they will benefit most from his passing.
Who else is cashing in? Prince’s old backing band, The Revolution, just announced they are re-forming to give the fans something to cling to during this difficult time. I don’t suppose this ‘occasion’ has anything to do with seizing the opportunity and making a few bucks. After all, the band members pretty much fell headlong into obscurity after the lack luster ‘Parade’ tour when he dumped them all. There was never the slightest demand to see them perform since…but suddenly, they feel Prince fans want to see them. Why do fans only want to see The Revolution? Why not any of his other countless backing bands? How quickly people forgot of his most recent, all girl backing band. Warner Films and AMC struck a deal for some quick cash. They are going to put ‘Purple Rain’ back up on the big screen at over 200 theaters across the US to ease the feeling of loss for the fans. There are plenty ways to milk it, as the head of Jampro Artist Management pointed out, “ If you enter into this thinking it's just about the music, you have already failed." There are plenty of enterprising ways to keep making money from holograms, books, new movies, unseen photos, licensing…or even a “touring museum” as he suggested. He knows what he’s talking about, the Queens Museum in NYC just opened a Ramones exhibition…their estate is handled by Jampro.
It sounds cold and calloused, but it is true, and it looks as if it is setting a very disturbing precedent. Prince’s death is a red hot opportunity to make money. In even more diabolical terms, it is the perfect chance to regain missed opportunities from a few months earlier when David Bowie died. EBay is an easy litmus test. Copies of Bowie’s ‘Blackstar’ was immediately fetching hundreds of dollars. It was necessary for everyone grieving to own his last album, even if they hadn’t bothered to buy it a few days before when it was actually released. Suddenly, upon his death, it was a must-have accessory. Two days ago, browsing EBay, a paltry Prince collection of a few albums and singles was already fetching a hefty $450! That was only at the halfway point for bidding! Prince albums are being dumped for big bucks on there right now.
If Prince’s death was not a chance to make good for things missed with Bowie a few months earlier, how does one explain the explosion of corporate Tweets and ads, expressing their feeling of loss at Prince’s demise. Do you think General Mills foods were truly upset when they posted their Cheerio tweet for Prince? What about Hamburger Helper? Chevrolet? What was the link for those items and Prince exactly, or even with Maker’s Mark whiskey? Getty Images made an ad out of his death. They posted their grieving tweet with one of their own watermarked images, and guess what? Most of the news stories you’ve read were complete with an image whose rights are owned by this very company. The link is money. Social Media is the world’s biggest stage, and when it comes to money, it is the biggest barrel of fish to shoot at whenever any tragedy strikes.
ThinkTopia is a global branding firm. The founder and CEO, Patrick Hanlon, is very dry and purely business about the money making opportunity of Prince’s death. "Everyone is climbing on the death wagon, and that's understandable because that's where the audience is, that's where the clicks are” It’s an obvious money grab. It is a chance to make good on things learned from the last dead celeb, as he plainly states, "I think everyone got revved up around Bowie’s death and possibly felt they had missed out and suffered a lost opportunity when they didn’t pile on, Prince gave them a second chance."
It is an unavoidable comparison, but the deaths of Bowie and Prince are linked in more ways than one. Sadly, to most it has absolutely nothing to do with the loss of true musical mavericks and amazing talent, but more to do with those who are desperately seeking acceptance and “likes” as well as anyone looking for a quick buck. The data provided by companies such as SocialFlow and FacebookIQ point businesses and others seeking the latest trending topics where to look for money making opportunities. SocialFlow is a social media analytics firm that published some amazing data shortly after Prince’s death. It shows something truly odd, the amount of mentions he got in contrast to Bowie a few months earlier. All in all, the month Bowie died, January, they tracked a total of 436,090 incidents of hash tags with his name. Now, take in to consideration the theory put up by Patrick Hanlon and you see something amazing; in the week of Prince’s death, the search for Prince exceeded 11.5 million, and those associated directly to #Prince totaled over 1.2 million times. Mind you, that is a weekly total for Prince, not even a full month’s. Combined, the social media mentions of Prince are already over 12.8 million!!!
Also, referring back to Alan Leeds, it is no wonder the second biggest trending tags are #PurpleRain and #1999.
It is a hard decision as to where to express your overwhelming grief over this week’s trending hash tag. Is it better to die on Instagram or Facebook? Their algorithms run in different ways. The count isn’t in for April yet, but looking back, one can see how your # helps your dead icon. Facebook only reads words associated with a hash tag. So in January, Bowie’s death fared pretty well there because people were putting his name immediately following their hash tag. His biggest competitors were the Denver Broncos and Power Ball. During the same month, Natalie Cole was the best dead celebrity on Instagram. Bowie counts were no where in sight, because their algorithms read more image related than just text. The biggest trending photos were those pertaining to Natalie Cole, the Rose Parade and the Fiesta Bowl. Obviously, sports fans like their hash tags too.
It is hard to cope with the loss of anyone close, but why are so many inclined to wail openly for their favorite singers, and who could have imagined that they have so many of them?! Sure, we can enjoy an artists’ music but are they really the cause for so much public mourning? Or, is it all about views and “likes” for an expression of grief? After all, Hanlon said it is all about the “clicks”. If it works on a corporate level then surely more so on a personal level. Something is wrong when so much attention is focused on these little screens and how much grieving is contained within. One has to wonder what would happen if everyone hash tagging over a celebs death put the same amount of time and energy into loving and caring for those actually in their lives and close to them.
In Prince’s case, it is looking like it is a giant death party that he would not have wanted to be part of. Every night on the news there has been a new story of something going purple, whether the Eiffel Tower, a bridge in Tennessee or even a news anchor’s tie. Those on the fringes of Prince’s world are coming out of nowhere to tell their stories of how well they knew Prince. There have been stories from Prince’s supposed dope dealer to the cashier at Prince’s local Walgreens, and even a fired Whitehouse employee. There is speculation that he may have OD’ed. There are reports he died of AIDS. His sister now wants to lay claim to his estate, but his old girlfriend, Shelia E., is battling her over the move. His label is worried about how all the unheard music will be heard, and if they will have full rights over streaming. There is already talk of a Prince hologram. Who gets all the money? Who was his closest friend? Who has the best stories? Who got the most likes? How long do we have to put up with this?
It is ironic, because according to his old manager and label head, Alan Leeds, he hated to be part of something because it was what was expected. Prince was not the kind of guy that millions are being now. He was not a “joiner” in Leeds words. He did not like “movements” and especially didn’t like to be linked to some cause because that is what was expected of him. Almost all his charitable deeds were kept under wraps and at arms length. Any cause he supported he liked to do through assorted different channels, so that others may profit and benefit, not so the light was shining on him. He wanted to be known for his music, and his musicianship. Look around. It is one giant Prince death cult. It is gross and it is out of control.
The most baffling thing about it all is how can a guy who basically has not had a real “hit” since 1992 be so massive? No one was buying his music, and even now, no one is really buying anything past that date. He was notoriously private and beyond obsessive about ownership. He would rarely let anything of his be anywhere online. Perhaps everyone is really more fascinated with the myth that was Prince, and not the artist who kept on working. Maybe it is simply a social media frenzy that no one wants to miss out on. It could be the first full-on marketing co-op of a pop star’s death, to see how far they can take it all and to implement lessons learned from missing out on others’ misfortunes. Whatever it is, something is driving this thing like no other celebrity death in recent memory. Geez, not even Michael Jackson had this much of a feeding frenzy and he has the number one selling album in music history!
Life is precious, and everyone’s passing deserves reverence. It is not important for us to comment and hash tag on every single celebrity that dies. In this case, if you really want to celebrate Prince, go out and buy an album other than ‘Purple Rain’ or a compilation. Prince was a true one of a kind, and he’s got a lot of great stuff to hear. Turn on your stereo and turn off the spotlight.
ABC’s “Lexicon of Love” is an undeniable classic. Now, almost 30 years after this gem, Martin Fry will release the follow up, “Lexicon of Love II”. That is great news, but also a lot of weight to carry. It will hard to top the original, but judging by this lead off video, Fry may well be on track to add to the legacy.
In the new video, you can spot several bits relating back to ABC’s classic videos and images. Fry makes several appearances in the video as well. Overall, it is what you would expect; lush orchestration, glitter and glamour and pure pop ecstasy.
The new album is out May 27, and can be ordered via the website or through the regular spots.
