Rockphiles Blog

NOWHERE TO RUN, NOWHERE TO HIDE

Continuing in his quest to bring the bad boys of the music biz to order, intrepid NY AG Eliot Spitzer has now launched an investigation into the pricing of digital music downloads, referencing a possible Anti-Trust problem. Billboard story here.

Is this guy planning to run for office again?

WHO, WHAT, WHERE, AND WHEN

According to a recent entry in Pete Townshend's Diary, The Who will tour in 2006. Pete also mentions there will be a "very, very cool surprise announcement" just before the tour commences in June.  Can it be the long-awaited Who album, which was recently bogged down by Pete's notorious creative heel-dragging and Roger's reported unhappiness with some of the material so far?

A quote from Pete's diary seems to indicate that something is afoot:

"What I care about is that Roger Daltrey feels comfortable with the songs I write so he can sing a few of them on stage - while I lunge around looking gorgeous and playing show-off guitar like a kid in a music shop. After forty-five years of this crap I've just started to enjoy it."

ALOHA, GOODBYE-AH

Well, I'm off to Hawai'i for ten days (I know, poor me), but we'll continue to post anything of interest that comes up during the holidays.  I hope you have a great Christmas and Hanukkah, wherever it may find you. 

Jacko is back-o in trouble once more - this time, he's about to default on $200M in loans, as his creditors stand by to take Neverland and also his 50% interest in the Beatles publishing rights valued at some $500 million.  Billboard story here.

David Gilmour has announced a handful of US dates for April - he'll play New York, Toronto, Chicago, Oakland and two dates in Los Angeles.  Tickets go on sale today.  More info here.

BONO, BILL AND MELINDA GATES NAMED TIME'S PERSONS OF THE YEAR

U2 frontman and well-known philanthropist Bono shares Time magazine's prestigious Person of the Year with Bill and Melinda Gates for their work in trying to find ways to eradicate such calamities as malaria in Africa, HIV and AIDS and the poverty that kills 8 million people a year, according to James Kelly, Time's managing editor.  The issue hits the newstands today, December 19.  Billboard story here.

THREE DOORS DOWN TO PLAY NEW YEAR'S ROCKIN' EVE

3 Doors Down's brilliant rock anthem, Landing In London, featuring tour de force accompanying vocals from Bob Seger, will be one of two songs the band will feature during their appearance on ABC's New Year's Rockin' Eve. 

When 3DD played Landing in London during a recent Detroit appearance, to the delight of the hometown crowd, the reclusive Seger walked on stage and performed the duet with 3DD's stellar frontman Brad Arnold. 

I don't know what Mr. Seger's immediate plans are, but this writer sure wishes he would do a few more songs or even a few live shows.  Or even Landing In London with 3DD on New Year's Eve.

Here's 3DD's website.  Great band. 

The only reliable source of info on Seger at the moment is the Seger Files.  The link is here at Bob's artist page.

Photo: Henry Diltz.

JOHN SPENCER 1947-2005

John Spencer (West Wing's Leo McGarry) died today at age 58, after a heart attack.  More here.

God bless. 

SUE ME SUE YOU - THE BEATLES PURSUE UNPAID ROYALTIES FROM EMI

Apple Corps, the Beatles company, has initiated a lawsuit against EMI, claming unpaid royalties of approximately $50M.  Apple resorted to law when negotiations with EMI broke down recently.  The suit is filed in both London and in New York.  Besides Apple, other claimants include Paul McCartney and Ringo Starr, and the wives of George Harrison and John Lennon.  More from Billboard.

Here we see the Paul, George and John apparently trying to shake the loose change out of Ringo's pockets! 

ELIOT ROLLS ON AS THE MUSIC BUSINESS IS ROCKED

New York AG Eliot Spitzer has been making a list and checking it twice, and now two more major labels are in the cross-hairs.  Rolling Stone story here. 

When it comes to payola, he's gonna find out who's naughty or nice. 

GILMOUR TO TOUR

Dave Gilmour will be touring next Spring, in support of his new album "On An Island."  So far, European dates are set. Billboard story and itinerary here.

This is Dave's first solo release since 1984's "About Face," and will feature guest appearances by David Crosby and Graham Nash on the title cut,  as well as contributions from Rick Wright, Robert Wyatt, Phil Manzanera and Jools Holland.

No US dates are set yet, but Dave is expected to show up sometime in April.

Columbia has also pushed up the release of Pink Floyd's "Pulse" to January 31.

BOB DYLAN TO HOST SHOW ON XM RADIO

Bob Dylan will be hosting a weekly radio show on XM Radio starting next March.  I'm posting the release right here.

Bob Dylan Signs on With XM Satellite Radio to Host Weekly Radio Music Show

Music Icon Becomes First-Time DJ to Spin Records, Interview Guests, Take Emails and Offer Commentary on Music and More

WASHINGTON, Dec. 13 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- XM Satellite Radio (Nasdaq: XMSR), the nation's leading satellite radio service with more than 5 million subscribers, today announced that Bob Dylan will host a new music show exclusively for XM, marking the first time the music legend has hosted a radio show.  The weekly hour-long music show will feature an eclectic mix of music hand-selected by Dylan.  In addition, Dylan will offer regular commentary on music and other topics, host and interview special guests including other artists and will take emails from XM subscribers.  The show will debut in March 2006 on XM's deep album rock channel Deep Tracks (XM channel 40).

   

"Songs and music have always inspired me. A lot of my own songs have been played on the radio, but this is the first time I've ever been on the other side of the mic," said Dylan.  "It'll be as exciting for me as it is for XM."

Bob Dylan is one of music's most enduring performers.  He has released more than 44 albums containing more than 600 songs that have been covered by more than 2,000 different artists ranging from The Rolling Stones, Stevie Wonder and Guns N' Roses to Duke Ellington, Garth Brooks, Pearl Jam and Rage Against the Machine.  His last two albums have been critical and popular successes with 1997's Time Out Of Mind garnering three GRAMMY(R) Awards, including Album Of The Year.  In 2001, he won an Academy Award(R) and a Golden Globe(R) for the song "Things Have Changed."  In 2004 his best selling memoir, Chronicles Volume 1, spent 19 weeks on the New York Times' Bestseller List.  For the past eighteen years Mr. Dylan has been a mainstay on the concert stage performing over a hundred shows a year around the globe.

"Bob Dylan epitomizes the American music experience and his unflagging integrity and vision defines everything we hope for XM to be," said Lee Abrams, Chief Creative Officer, XM Satellite Radio.  "It is an honor to count Bob Dylan among the members of the XM artist family, and is further testimony of XM's commitment to create original music programming that makes a difference."