Gavin Rossdale (file)
Photo: Getty Images/Frazer Harrison

Gavin Rossdale's been out of the rock-and-roll game going on four years now. The former frontman for British post-Nirvana modern-rockers Bush said his band's been in something of a holding pattern since guitarist Nigel Pulsford's revelation — not long after the release of 2001's Golden State — that his passport had been stamped for the last time, and he'd be touring no more.

So Rossdale decided that if he were to return to rock's front lines, he'd have to do so in drastic style. Forget about going the tender route of the softhearted solo troubadour — in the words of brusque celebrity chef Emeril Lagasse, it was time to turn it up a notch.

"I didn't want to do a softer record than Bush, because I thought that would be maybe more expected," Rossdale said. "I thought what would be cooler would be to do something a little bit heavier, a little stronger. I wanted to make a more forceful record."

To that end, Rossdale recruited Helmet mastermind Page Hamilton to produce his first post-Bush project, and assembled a band called Institute, made up of a veritable who's who of hardcore: former Helmet/ Orange 9mm guitarist Chris Traynor; bassist Cache "Utah Slim" Tolman, formerly of Civ, Rival Schools and exploratory jazz metalloids Iceburn; and drummer Charlie Walker (Chamberlain, Split Lip).

"What I wanted to do with this record was make it very spacious and very muscular," Rossdale said. "Sometimes there's as much music in the space as there is in the sound. So a stripped-down kind of record was the intention. With Page producing it, I couldn't help but have that aesthetic being in my head — of that kind of hardcore genre, of the Helmet thing. It was right in there. This, for me, is such a natural process, creating these large rocks songs. It's kind of second nature."

Institute's tentatively self-titled album — slated for an early fall release with the first single, "Bulletproof Skin," expected at radio later this summer — is a departure from Rossdale's work with Bush. Producer Daniel Lanois even sings with Rossdale on several of the tracks.

Rossdale said the band will soon shoot a video with "XXX" director Rob Cohen, whom he met when he contributed a solo track, "Adrenaline," to that film's soundtrack a few years back. Also, "Bulletproof Skin" appears on the soundtrack to Cohen's forthcoming Jessica Biel flick, "Stealth," about a fighter jet piloted by a computer that develops a mind of its own, threatening all of human existence.

For Rossdale, much of the material on Institute's debut — songs like "Boombox," "Animals Attack" and perhaps even more specifically, "Ambulances" — revolves around the theme of self-preservation.

"This idea that people ... you're always trying to find hope, improvement, salvation of some kind. It's a large idea of how to survive. It's a common feeling of sometimes you can be low, and you find your way through with the power of going right into that, headfirst into those feelings, and then you come out. ... I never want to make depressing music, morose music. I like it to be hopeful and uplifting. But you can't do that the whole way. There has to be some sort of a ramp-up to that."

More than anything, Rossdale said, he's anxious to be back on the road again — something he's missed these last few years, which saw him dabbling in acting, appearing in "Constantine" and the forthcoming "The Game of Their Lives." "It's a real bad cliché, but I feel best when I'm onstage," he said.

Still, he can't help but worry about how the new band will be received.

"I'm really excited, but I'm a little bit nervous," he said. "I think those nerves come no matter what, because you're kind of putting your head right out the window for people to either throw eggs at or wave at and say nice things. So you don't really know how it's going to go. But that's another affirmation of being alive and doing something ... I had fun working on those films, but music is my love. So to get back to that, to get back on tour, it's really exciting for me."

• Gavin Rossdale
• Gwen Stefani
• Helmet
• Bush

No Doubt's Gwen Stefani and Bush's Gavin Rossdale were married Saturday in London. The couple of six years walked the aisle of St. Paul's Church before heading to Los Angeles for a second ceremony for their Stateside friends and family. ... TLC has decided to go with the Edmund "Eddie Hustle" Clement-produced "Girl Talk" as the first single from its upcoming album, 3D. The group had previously planned to offer the Dallas Austin-produced "Quickie" as the first single from the album, which hits stores on November 12. ...

Paul McCartney will release "Carnival of Light," a Beatles track previously unheard for 35 years, as reported by Reuters. The 14-minute song will serve as the soundtrack for a film montage of photographs memorializing his late wife, Linda. ... The Osbournes were awarded an Emmy statuette for Outstanding Non-Fiction Reality Program during the Creative Arts Emmy Awards on Saturday, according to the Associated Press. The ceremony acknowledges technical and artistic achievements as a precursor to the 54th Annual primetime Emmy Awards that will air Sunday, September 22. ...

Feeling the band's auxiliary drummers were poorly represented on last year's Iowa, Slipknot guitarist Jim Root said the band is thinking much harder about how their third album will sound. With plans to reconvene in March to begin recording, Root said the next effort from the masked rockers will likely "take it to that third level, the obscure Neurosis/Pink Floyd level of more experimental, unstructured songs." ...

Prince will release his first live album, the three-disc box set One Nite Alone ... Live, this fall. The collection is culled from his stripped-down, jazzy spring tour and features an album of material recorded at his famed after parties, featuring guests like George Clinton and Musiq. ... As their new album, Stanley Climbfall, hits stores this week, Lifehouse announced the addition of guitarist Sean Woolstenhulme to their lineup. Woolstenhulme, whose brother Rick drums for the onetime trio, quietly parted company with the Calling in June and has been serving as Lifehouse's touring member throughout the summer. ...

Steve-O had an arraignment scheduled Monday (September 16) for charges of obscenity and battery, but he can breathe easy for a little while longer. The "Jackass" stunt-monger (whose real name is Stephen Glover) had a continuance granted instead. He's due back in Terrebonne Parish, Louisiana on December 16. ... After being charged last month with misdemeanor battery, Vince Neil is now facing a million dollar lawsuit from the record producer who claims Neil attacked him. Michael Schuman filed the suit Thursday (September 12) in Los Angeles Superior Court, alleging that Neil "violently and brutally" struck him as he was exiting his vehicle in front of the Rainbow Bar & Grill. Neil's management said Monday that "the civil case is as ridiculous as the criminal case." ...

Finally the Punk Rockers Are Taking Acid 1983-1988, a three-CD set of the Flaming Lips' first full-length albums and 16 bonus tracks, is due September 17. Two weeks later, The Day They Shot a Hole in the Jesus Egg, a double CD set of 1990's In A Priest Driven Ambulance plus outtakes and demos, will hit stores. ...Sixpence None The Richer have completed production on their CD, Divine Discontent, slated to be released October 29 with the first single, "Breathe Your Name," in-stores on October 1. The band recently became involved in U2's Bono DATA initiative for Africa and will include sponsorship information in the album's liner notes. ...

After winning a Local H concert on eBay in July, highest bidder Kevin Krak — at $9701 — has picked the date for his private concert. Local H will play a venue to be determined in Chicago on November 27. Krak might even get two gigs out of his bid. A rep for Local H said that the band is considering playing one show at a school or on a school bus, and then another at a venue where tickets could be sold. ...

Supreme Beings of Leisure will promote their recently released Divine Operating System with their first national tour. A five-piece band will accompany the Los Angeles duo on the outing, which kicks off October 10 in Portland and wraps November 17 in Orlando. ... On October 30, the day after Sigur Rós' new album ( ) hits stores, the Icelandic soundscape innovators will kick off a North American tour in Toronto. The outing, which hits New York's Beacon Theatre, Washington, D.C.'s Lincoln Center and Los Angeles's recently remodeled Wiltern Theatre among other theaters, ends November 27 in Vancouver, British Columbia. ...

Seven soundtracks filled with the tunes of Judas Priest, Blondie, Hall and Oates, and other 1980s artists are set for release October 29, to coincide with the release of Grand Theft Auto: Vice City, the fourth installment in the GTA series, set in the era marked by Reganomics and the birth of the music video. Each soundtrack corresponds with the in-game radio stations — spanning the metal, soul and power-ballad genres — with the underground hip-hop station boasting banter from the influential Mr. Magic, a forerunner of Funkmaster Flex, whose Sunday night radio show, Rapp Attack, on New York's WBLS was among the first to broadcast hip-hop.

9.13.02

The memory of Lisa "Left Eye" Lopes will live on when TLC release their fourth album, 3D, on November 12, with the first single, "Quickie," arriving next month. Dallas Austin, Timbaland, Missy Elliott, Rodney Jerkins, Babyface, the Neptunes and Organized Noize are among the producers on the LP; its title and artwork were dreamed up by Lopes, who was killed in a car crash in April before the record was completed. ... Oasis singer Liam Gallagher and former All Saints star Nicole Appleton have gotten engaged, the latter told Reuters on Friday. Gallagher was last married to actress Patsy Kensit, while Appleton is the former fiancée of Robbie Williams. ...

Phantom Planet were forced to cancel Friday and Saturday's (September 13-14) shows in Albany, New York, and Worcester, Massachusetts, respectively, because singer Alex Greenwald has laryngitis. The band's tour with Superdrag continues through September 20, after which they'll open 12 shows for Elvis Costello. ... Just weeks after his #1 Hits collection hits stories, Elvis Presley will be celebrated again with the release of the covers album A Tribute to the King, due October 22. The 13-track compilation features covers by John Lennon, Paul McCartney, Bryan Ferry, Kenny Rogers, Willie Nelson & Leon Russell, Fine Young Cannibals, Jerry Lee Lewis and Eddie Cochran. ... A Montreal radio station ceased playing a parody of Celine Dion's "I'm Alive," in which the singer is referred to as "annoying," after husband/manager Rene Angelil accused them of violating copyright laws. Angelil has also warned the station's parent company, the Radio Energie network, and eight other of its stations not to play any Dion songs in the future. ...

While in Los Angeles for a show with his side project, the Minus 5, this week, R.E.M. guitarist Peter Buck stopped by Pete Yorn's studio to record mandolin parts for the singer/songwriter's second album. Buck and Yorn last collaborated on the radio version of "Strange Condition," from Yorn's debut, Musicforthemorningafter. ... AFI have begun recording their follow-up to 2000's The Art of Drowning. Garbage's Butch Vig (Nirvana, Smashing Pumpkins) and Jerry Finn (Blink-182, Green Day) are producing. ...

To celebrate the release of the turntablism documentary "Scratch" on DVD Tuesday, Mix Master Mike and DJ Z-Trip will perform at Amoeba Records in Los Angeles. Z-Trip's film "How to Rock a Party" is included in the two-disc DVD, along with extended interviews with Mix Master Mike, Afrika Bambaataa, DJ Shadow and others. ... "Scrubs" star Zach Braff will direct the video for Lazlo Bane's "Superman," which is the show's theme song and the first single from its soundtrack. Due September 24, the album features the Eels, Butthole Surfers, Shawn Mullins and others, as well as Men At Work's Colin Hay, who will appear on the show on September 26. ...

A three-disc, 65-song box set celebrating the struggle for freedom in America, Freedom: Songs From the Heart of America, will be released on November 19, featuring songs from Bruce Springsteen ("Chimes of Freedom"), Bob Dylan ("The Times They Are A-Changin' ") and Johnny Cash ("Song of the Patriot"). Also included on the set — a companion to an 8-hour PBS special hosted by Katie Couric and narrated by Christopher Reeve — are inspiring numbers from Simon & Garfunkel, Sly Stone, Keb Mo', the Isley Brothers and Woody Guthrie.

• No Doubt
• Bush
• The Beatles
• Ozzy Osbourne
• Slipknot

Bush's Gavin Rossdale
Photo: Emma Mitchell

NUREMBERG, Germany — Bush guitarist Nigel Pulsford's break from touring now looks to be a permanent vacation from the band he co-founded a decade ago with frontman Gavin Rossdale.

The British rockers will continue with ex-Helmet guitarist Chris Traynor instead of counting on Pulsford's return, Rossdale said Sunday, shortly before Bush performed at Rock Im Park music festival (see "Ozzy's Ratings Low In Germany As P.O.D., Lenny Kravitz Thrill Festival"). Traynor had been subbing for Pulsford on Bush's tour while he spent time at home with his newly expanded family.

"He didn't get kicked out. He didn't want to be on tour, and you can't kick someone out that isn't there," Rossdale said as he sat in a tent backstage, while fiancée Gwen Stefani, on a break from her tour with No Doubt, talked with friends nearby. "There was not a bad word, not any arguments. I respect him fully and think he's a really talented, brilliant musician. It's weird — it's not like we've had a fight. It's not musical differences; there are no differences.

"It just became really apparent that Chris was the way to continue. It started off really organically, in that he wasn't going to replace Nigel."

Pulsford could not be reached for comment on Monday (May 20).

In a January journal posting on Bush's official Web site, Pulsford asserted that his break from the group was only temporary, writing, "Why would I quit something I started ... I haven't quit." The guitarist, who has been working on his second solo album, said he was taking a hiatus from the road so he could be home for the birth of his son, who arrived in early March.

Rossdale said he hasn't spoken with his old friend since December but said their relationship "will always be transcendental and very, very strong and full of love. We've done so much together that we don't need to speak, and we're connected. I think it's just awkward when it first happens, but I think in my heart, everyone got what they want.

"The last few months when he was in [the band], he was very unhappy. He never approached the subject with me, but I think he was quite unhappy touring and stuff. Everyone else knew, so it was quite a fractured environment to be in, whereas now it's the happy-happy bus, so it's fun.

"We're having the best time we've ever had, playing and being with Chris," he continued. "It's like having a new member of your family, like adopting someone."

While the band plans to record its next album with Traynor, Rossdale said that things with Pulsford might still change. "We haven't said anything publicly because we didn't know; it wasn't that we were holding anything back. And even to this point, there's an element that we don't know — is Nigel going to ring up and say, 'F--- it, I really want to do it. Are you going to let me do it?' But I don't think [he will]."

The singer said that while he spent some time reevaluating and questioning Bush's future as a result of the uncertainty surrounding Pulsford's commitment, he found resolve in touring with Traynor. Rossdale said he's looking forward to seeing what Bush will kick up in the studio with their new member, adding that he and Traynor recently worked on a few tracks in his home studio.

"We don't know what's going to happen with the next record," Rossdale said. "Whatever direction it's going to be, it won't be anything like we've done from a lead guitar point of view — well, it will be a bit, 'cause I'm still here."

• Bush

Bush
Photo: Atlantic

If absence makes the heart grow fonder, Gavin and Gwen should be able to keep their romantic flame burning bright this winter, since Bush will be touring the U.S. all through March.

The 22-date trek of mid-sized venues will begin February 28 in Denver at the Fillmore Auditorium. From there, Bush will play Midwest cities including Milwaukee on March 2, St. Louis on March 3, Chicago on March 5 and Detroit on March 8.

Then the band will head east, hitting Scranton, Pennsylvania; Boston, New York, Philadelphia and Washington, D.C. between March 11 and 18. Bush will then wind across the South, performing in cities including Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, on March 19; Atlanta on March 21; Sunrise, Florida, on March 23; and Dallas, Houston and San Antonio March 26, 27 and 28, respectively.

The tour will end on the West Coast with stops in Phoenix on March 30 and Los Angeles the next night. The last date is April 2 in San Francisco.

Bush will be touring to support their fourth album, Golden State, which was released October 23.

Bush tour dates, according to Atlantic Records:

• 2/28 - Denver, CO @ Fillmore Auditorium
• 3/2 - Milwaukee, WI @ Eagles Ballroom
• 3/3 - St Louis, MO @ The Pageant
• 3/5 - Chicago, IL @ Riviera Theater
• 3/6 - Grand Rapids, MI @ Orbit Room
• 3/8 - Detroit, MI @ State Theatre
• 3/9 - Columbus, OH @ PromoWest Pavilion
• 3/11 - Scranton, PA @ Scranton Cultural Center
• 3/12 - Boston, MA @ Orpheum Theatre
• 3/14 - New York, NY @ Hammerstein Ballroom
• 3/16 - Philadelphia, PA @ Ship Yards
• 3/18 - Washington, DC @ 9:30 Club
• 3/19 - Myrtle Beach, SC @ House of Blues
• 3/21 - Atlanta, GA @ Tabernacle
• 3/22 - Orlando, FL @ Hard Rock Live
• 3/23 - Sunrise, FL @ Sunrise Musical Theater
• 3/26 - Dallas, TX @ Bronco Bowl
• 3/27 - Houston, TX @ Aerial Theatre at Bayou Palace
• 3/28 - San Antonio, TX @ Sunken Gardens Amphitheatre
• 3/30 - Phoenix, AZ @ Web Theatre
• 3/31 - Los Angeles, CA @ TBA
• 4/2 - San Francisco, CA@ The Warfield

• Bush

Gwen Stefani & Gavin Rossdale at the 2001 MTV Movie Awards
Photo: Tsuni/ImageDirect

After six years of dating, Bush frontman Gavin Rossdale and No Doubt singer Gwen Stefani have decided to tie the knot.

Rossdale proposed to Stefani in England on the morning of January 1 and she happily accepted, according to spokespeople for their respective bands. The couple has not set a wedding date.

The two met and began dating while No Doubt were opening for Bush on a spring tour in 1996. Bush were supporting their debut, Sixteen Stone, while No Doubt were promoting their breakthrough second album, Tragic Kingdom. In 2000, Stefani performed live with Bush (see "Gavin Gets Help From Gwen At Bush European Closer").

Besides supporting each other's musical careers, Rossdale and Stefani also are involved in some of the same political causes, including promoting solar energy use and ending oil drilling in the North Sea (see "Gwen, Gavin, Blur Try To Halt U.K. Oil Drilling").

Bush's fourth studio album was released in October (see "Bush Battle Back With Golden New Album"), while No Doubt's Rock Steady dropped in December (see "No Doubt: Time To Party").

• No Doubt
• Bush

Pink
Photo: Arista

Pink, Blink-182, Busta Rhymes and Bush are among the artists slated to help Dick Clark usher in the new year on December 31.

Clark, who's been a New Year's Eve fixture for 30 consecutive years, will host three programs that night, according to a spokesperson for Dick Clark Productions. Live performances from the aforementioned artists, as well as from Blu Cantrell, the O'Jays, LFO and Jessica Simpson, will be part of "Dick Clark's New Year's Rockin' Eve 2002, Part 1," which will be televised on ABC from 11:30 p.m. to 1 a.m. ET/PT. While Clark is presiding over the festivities in New York's Times Square, "Whose Line Is It Anyway?" star Wayne Brady will co-host the show from Hollywood, where the performances will take place.

Following "Part 1," "Dick Clark's New Year's Rockin' Eve 2002, Part 2" will feature encore stints by Blink-182, Blu Cantrell, Bush, the O'Jays, Pink and Busta Rhymes.

For their last performances of 2001 and first of 2002, Blink-182 will play "The Rock Show" and "First Date" from their latest album, Take Off Your Pants and Jacket; Blu Cantrell will offer "Hit 'Em Up Style (Oops!)" and "Waste My Time" from So Blu; Bush will deliver "Headful of Ghosts" and "Inflatable" from their latest album, Golden State, and "The Chemicals Between Us" from 1999's The Science of Things; LFO will serve up "Every Other Time" and the title track from their latest album, Life Is Good; the O'Jays will perform their classic "Love Train" and new single "Let's Ride" from For the Love ...; Pink will bring her "Don't Let Me Get Me" and "Get the Party Started" from her latest LP, Missundaztood, as well as "There You Go" from last year's Can't Take Me Home; Busta Rhymes will compile a hits medley and perform "Break Ya Neck" from his latest, Genesis; and Jessica Simpson will bop to "A Little Bit" and the title track from her second album, Irresistible.

For those looking for primetime Dick, "Dick Clark's Primetime New Year's Rockin' Eve" airs from 10-11 p.m. ET/PT. That show will feature highlights of the year's biggest tours, including footage of Aerosmith, Destiny's Child, Elton John and Dave Matthews Band; archived "New Year's Rockin' Eve" performances by Barry Manilow and Kool & the Gang; and Clark reporting live from Times Square.

For a full-length feature on Pink, check out "Pink: So Missundazstood."

• P!nk
• blink-182
• Busta Rhymes
• Blu Cantrell
• LFO

Michael Jackson
Photo: Epic

If you're a real chart geek, we invite you to tune in Friday night at 5 p.m. ET for "Bangin' the Charts," MTV News' weekly, in-depth look at what's charting where and why. Check out the Bangin' Web page for more info.

In this week's chart and sales analysis, we go into the brother-sister sales rivalry of Michael and Janet Jackson (just in time for Thanksgiving), track Lenny Kravitz's rootsy and rocky statistical rise, and use the Smashing Pumpkins' fall from sales grace to ponder the future of Live and Bush.

Lil' Sis Is Lil' No More

Michael Jackson may feel Invincible right now, but that won't get him the big piece of turkey at this year's Jackson family Thanksgiving. Those honors (and that plate) will go to his younger sister, Janet.

As expected, Jackson will debut at #1 on next week's Billboard 200 albums chart with Invincible, which moved more than 366,000 copies during its initial week in stores (see "Michael Jackson Proves Invincible On Billboard Albums Chart"). But while Michael may have the chart muscle to up-end DMX, Invincible's first-week numbers fall far short of those posted by Janet's All for You, issued earlier this year.

Buoyed by a #1 single ("All for You") — something Michael can only dream about these days — Janet and All for You sold 605,000 copies during its first week in April to debut atop the Billboard 200. All for You's second-week figures of 310,000 copies almost equaled that of Invincible's debut, and Michael will seem hard-pressed to match those numbers or chart position next week.

In light of how Invincible had been touted as Michael's comeback album, the record's debut numbers make his sister's 1993 comeback, Janet, seem all that more impressive. Janet, the (then) long-awaited follow-up to Rhythm Nation 1814, which sold more than 350,000 copies out of the gate to enter the Billboard 200 charts at #1 in May 1993, where it remained for six straight weeks.

To date, Janet has sold some 6.69 million copies, almost a million copies more than the 5.79 million sold of Dangerous, brother Michael's previous album, according to SoundScan. Michael does hold the edge over his sister in their respective greatest-hits compilations, both of which were issued just a few months apart in 1995. Michael's two-disc HIStory: Past, Present & Future, which debuted at #1 on the Billboard 200 in June 1995 with 390,000 copies sold, has registered 2.41 million total copies. Janet's Design of a Decade: 1986-1996 has sold more than 2.01 million copies, and only entered the charts at #4 in October 1995 on the strength of 128,000 copies.

In his defense, Michael achieved his greatest sales success in the '80s. His 1987 album, Bad, has been certified eight-times platinum, and Thriller — perhaps the definitive pop album — has been certified 26-times platinum and continues to jostle with the the Eagles' Their Greatest Hits: 1971-1975 as the biggest-selling album of all time. (The Eagles currently hold a slight lead, as 1971-1975 was certified 27-times platinum by the RIAA last year, a week after Thriller reached the 26 million level.)

If Michael wants to prove how Invincible he is in this millennium, his new album will need to do at least as well as Janet's last two efforts, All for You and 1997's Velvet Rope. Considering that Velvet Rope has sold 3.07 million copies to date and All for You has sold more than 2.42 million copies in just seven months, the Gloved One has his work cut out for him.

The Apprenticeship Of Lenny Kravitz

Lenny Kravitz must have some patient fans. Kravitz just missed cracking the top 10 of the Billboard 200 with his new studio album, Lenny, which sold more than 92,000 copies last week to debut at #12 on the charts.

Admittedly, we thought Lenny might do a little better in its first week — especially in light of the monster numbers posted by Kravitz's last two releases, 5 and Greatest Hits (2.92 million and 3.18 million copies sold, respectively). But it seems like fans are waiting for the big radio and video hit to emerge from Lenny before deigning to buy it.

In terms of sales and chart position, Lenny marks Kravitz's best debut since his schizo Circus release, which entered the charts at #10 with 63,000 copies sold back in October 1995.  But Circus' dark nature and lack of hit singles was a point of divergence for Kravitz and his audience, and it remains the black sheep of his back catalog with only 527,000 copies sold.

In comparison, Kravitz's Are You Gonna Go My Way? debuted at #18 in March 1993 on the strength of 45,000 copies sold, eventually climbed as high as the #12 spot on the Billboard 200 and has sold more than 2.16 million copies. (SoundScan figures indicate that Kravitz's first two albums, Let Love Rule and Mama Said, have sold 760,000 and 1.88 million copies respectively.)

Circus' freak-show sales undoubtedly had a negative impact on the debut of Kravitz's 5, which sold only 32,000 copies to enter the charts at #36 in May 1998. But when Kravitz's "Fly Away" took off some six months later, 5's sales began to soar up the charts as well. The album would eventually peak at #28 in July 1999, buoyed by another single, Kravitz's cover of "American Woman." That track was added to pressings of 5 in June 1999 after originally appearing on the "Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me" album.

The commercial love shown to Lenny Kravitz's Greatest Hits collection also demonstrates how crucial such radio and video hits have been to his career. Kravitz's Greatest Hits debuted at #2 (with 161,000 copies sold) last November, providing the singer with the biggest single sales and chart week of his career.

With 3.18 million copies sold, Kravitz's compilation is one of the most successful greatest-hits albums to be released by a contemporary artist in recent years, dwarfing the likes of the Black Crowes' Greatest Hits 1990-1999 (221,000 copies sold), Beastie Boys' Anthology: The Sounds of Science (990,000 sold) and even U2's The Best of 1980-1990 (2.74 million sold). The Smashing Pumpkins — who will issue their own hits compilation in a few weeks — beware.

The Downward Spiral: Pumpkins, Live & Bush

In light of the less-than-stellar sales posted by the Smashing Pumpkins' final/farewell album, Machina/The Machines of God, we're left to wonder what the future holds for some other '90s alternative rock groups, specifically Bush and Live.

Despite debuting at #3 on the Billboard 200 in March 2000 with sales in excess of 165,000 copies, Machina only spent 13 weeks on the charts and has sold a total of 549,000 copies. Comparatively, the Pumpkins sold 4.51 million copies of their double LP, Mellon Collie & the Infinite Sadness, and another 1.09 million copies of Adore, the beginning of the group's sales comedown.

In recent weeks, Live and Bush have issued new LPs — V and Golden State — and both entered the Billboard 200 at the #22 spot, selling 72,000 and 55,000 copies, respectively. Bush's Golden State has mined only 81,000 in sales in two weeks, less than the first week posted by the Brit group's previous album, The Science of Things, which sold 106,000 copies upon its release and debuted at #11 in October 1999.

Live's V has only counted its way up to 194,000 copies in seven weeks on the charts, a figure the band's previous LP, The Distance to Here, surpassed in its first two weeks of release in October 1999 (with 220,000 copies sold). After debuting at #4 on the strength of 138,000 copies sold, Live's The Distance to Here has gone on to sell 1.01 million copies, while Bush's The Science of Things has moved just 943,000 copies to date.

Both groups released the best-selling albums of their career in 1994, with Bush's Sixteen Stone tallying 5.61 million in sales and Live's Throwing Copper at the 5.54 million mark. We're not trying to suggest anything about the imminent future of either group, but the recent numbers do make us wonder, especially when it seems that folks would rather buy Nickelback, Incubus and Staind these days.

[In SoundScan we trust. All figures, unless otherwise noted, are according to SoundScan's audited sales numbers and reflect sales as of press time.]

• Michael Jackson
• Lenny Kravitz
• Janet Jackson
• Bush
• The Smashing Pumpkins

Dave Matthews
Photo: Tim Reynolds

From the Dave Matthews Band to the Strokes, rock and pop artists are re-examining their music in the wake of last week's terrorist attacks.

Matthews changed his mind about releasing "When the World Ends" as his band's next radio single, feeling it would be insensitive given people's fears after the deadly hijackings, according to the band's publicist. Instead, the group, which does not put out commercial singles, will ask programmers to play the title track from its latest album, Everyday.

New York band the Strokes, who were set to play last week's CMJ Marathon in Manhattan before it was postponed, are pulling the song "New York City Cops" from their debut album, Is This It, according to their publicist. The song is a third-person narrative in which a character says, "New York City cops, they ain't too smart."

"The band stands by 'New York City Cops,' but feels after witnessing the valiant response of the [NYPD] during last week's tragedy, that timing was wrong to release it during these highly sensitive times," according to a statement from the band's publicist. A newly recorded song, "When It Started," will replace "New York City Cops" on the album, the release of which has been pushed back from September 25 to October 9 to accommodate the change.

The song is still available on international editions of Is This It, which came out earlier this month, and the band will continue on its U.S. tour, the publicist said.

Watching firefighters in New York moved Sheryl Crow so much that she's reportedly rethinking some of the lyrics she wrote for her upcoming album, which she finished early this summer, according to the Los Angeles Times. One of the songs found her decrying a dearth of heroes in the world — a complaint she said she no longer feels justified making.

"I feel differently about all that now after what we've seen," Crow told the newspaper, adding that she may rewrite the song or drop it from the album. "My home in New York City is right next to a fire station, and I had a lot of good friends and familiar faces in that department who are missing now."

Other artists are looking at work they've already released and considering how it might be perceived after the horrific events of September 11. Images and words that might have been metaphorical or symbolic are now being considered carefully for the feelings and memories they might evoke. Bush, for instance, changed the title of their new single, "Speed Kills," to "The People That We Love" (see "Bush Battle Back With Golden New Album").

Radio programmers are steering clear of songs that mention jets, and images of the World Trade Center's twin towers are being excised from movies such as "Spider-Man." Irish rockers the Cranberries have pulled a video featuring shots of skyscrapers and airplanes, as well as a character walking past the chalk outline of a dead body. The clip for "Analyse," the first single from the band's October 23 release, Wake Up and Smell the Coffee, had been delivered to video outlets and was available on the band's Web site.

Other effects on the music industry are more logistical in nature. Mammoth Records' lower Manhattan headquarters is nine blocks from the World Trade Center, and the label's staff was unable to get into the office for the week following the attacks. As a result, the label has postponed the release of hard rockers Fu Manchu's next album, California Crossing, until January.

"Fu Manchu made a great new record, and it will still be great in January," band manager Dan DeVita said in a statement. "Right now, though, what's important is for the staff of our label and their city, New York, to have time to sort through all that has happened."

For more information on and audience reaction to the attacks, including tips on how you can help, see "9.11.01: Moving Forward."

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• Dave Matthews
• The Strokes
• Sheryl Crow
• Bush

Bush's Gavin Rossdale
Photo: MTV News

Seven years ago, Bush singer Gavin Rossdale entered the spotlight screaming the lines, "Everything zen? Everything zen?/ I don't think so." While he was reflecting the frustration and disenchantment of the era, he might well have been singing about Bush circa 2001.

After 1999's techno-influenced The Science of Things failed to compute for many of the band's fans, the English quartet — Rossdale, guitarist Nigel Pulsford, bassist Dave Parsons and drummer Robin Goodridge — went defiantly back into the studio to try to recapture some of their former bluster. And despite what Billboard's charts might suggest, life doesn't end at 30.

"It's so crazy to me that people question whether it's still viable for me to be doing this," Rossdale griped over the phone from his London home shortly before the band released its turbulent new single, "The People That We Love," to radio. (The song had been titled "Speed Kills," but that was changed after the September 11 terrorist attacks. In the single, Rossdale sings, "The things we do to the people that we love/ The way we break into something in the wake/ Destroy the world that we took so long to make.")

"No one should sit down at age 30 and go, 'Well, it's time for the slippers.' You need to express things if you're an artist, and that has nothing to do with age. Sometimes I wish I'd chosen to work in a different medium. No one asks classical musicians or playwrights if they think they're too old to create."

Bush's fourth album, Golden State, arrives October 23 and marks a return to their rock roots. Rossdale has turned back the clock and returned to the visceral rock riffs and yearning, earnest melodies that first inspired him to pick up a guitar.

"We tried to lose our inhibitions and make a primal rock record," he said. "It was a return to the band esthetic. There's something really powerful about four people playing together."

Not all of Golden State is as punchy as "The People That We Love." The opening cut, "Solutions," seesaws between melancholy reflection and guitar bombast. "Superman" opens with brooding bass and ringing guitars before blossoming into a sumptuous chorus. "Fugitive" is choppy and insistent, drawing strength from a propulsive rhythm and eerie, echoing guitar noises. And "Head Full of Ghosts" is a slow, pain-stricken ode full of haunting guitars, aching vocals and the repeated line, "Where is my head, where are my bones?"

"It's a really weird, majestic track," Rossdale said of "Head Full of Ghosts," adding that it might be the record's second single. "It's so mournful and sad. It gets me right in my stomach when I hear it, which is how I know I've done a track right."

Majestic and euphoric overall, Golden State had a shaky beginning last November. After returning to its London rehearsal room following a three-month break, the band took a while to rediscover its collective muse.

"It went slower than we all expected it to," admitted Rossdale. "We were together for five weeks and I was like, 'Oh f---, this sounds really sh--ty!'."

The songs began to take shape two weeks before Christmas, but the entire project was put on hold for 21 days when the Los Angeles studio the band had booked proved unsatisfactory.

"That was a total drag because we didn't want to just go back to rehearsing," Rossdale said. "We lost a bit of momentum but soon got it back. The rest of the experience was really good.

"I love being in the studio," he continued after a long pause. "You play something and hear it back. You try to get it right. You love each other and hate each other. It's crazy, but it's a really cool experience. I'd hate to give it up."

• Bush

Bush's Gavin Rossdale
Photo: Interscope

Each year, more than 41,000 people are killed in automobile accidents in the United States, and experts agree that motorists driving too darn fast cause many of these fatalities.

That was just one of the things on Bush frontman Gavin Rossdale's mind when he wrote "Speed Kills," the first single from the band's new album, Golden State, which comes out October 23.

Rossdale admitted that he rarely focuses on only one thing at a time. "Often it's really hard to explain what I've written because of that," he said over the phone from his London home. "Sometimes there are so many ideas in there, I can't even understand it fully myself. At least it's honest."

Addressing velocity termination from different vantage points, the song is an insistent stormer that layers screechy guitar harmonics over blasting power chords and contrasts bass-dominated verses with distortion-drenched choruses.

"I was watching D.A. Pennebaker's amazing documentary 'The War Room,' which is about the Clinton/Gore campaign battling George Bush," Rossdale said. "On the back of their shirts they had the slogan 'speed kills.' I just loved the idea of killing with the speed of thought. Not just traffic. I like the idea of being powerfully whippetlike with your brain."

Somewhere in the writing process, Rossdale shifted focus from politics to personal issues. He thought of friends who were single parents and his sister, who disappeared in Southeast Asia for months before resurfacing.

"There's this collage of family stuff and relationship moments," he continued. "One line goes, 'Can you tell she's coming up roses, can you tell she's coming up sweet.' That's about kids who are raised by single parents and the other parent doesn't even know his or her child."

Since "Speed Kills" confronts the listener from a variety of angles, it's understandable that Rossdale decided not to commission a narrative video for the song. Bush hired Canada-based video director Ulf Buddensieck, who, though widely respected, has primarily shot undiscovered bands such as Chevelle and Big Wreck and local bands such as Finger Eleven and Moist.

"He came up with a treatment that was exactly what I was looking for," Rossdale explained. "It was as if I wrote a list and ticked off boxes. He wanted to do something that was edgy and vibrant and alive, and that's exactly what I wanted. Too many videos today are just too dark and moody. They all look like they were shot in a garage. We wanted to be unmoody and undark."

The band shot the "Speed Kills" video last month in a large studio just up the road from Rossdale's London house. While the footage will feature computer animation and unconventional camera work, it will be strictly a performance video.

"I just wanted to use the visuals to emphasize the song," said Rossdale. "I haven't seen that many other bands use the same approach, so I thought it was interesting."

• Bush

47th Annual Grammy Awards Red Carpet

• Beyoncé
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• Mos Def
• Gwen Stefani
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• Missy Elliott
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• Bush
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