Ray Charles

Atlantic Records Co-Founder Ahmet Ertegun Dies

14 Dec 2006 09:00:00 EST

Music pioneer, 83, helped launch careers of Ray Charles, Led Zeppelin, Rolling Stones and more.
By Corey Moss

Ahmet Ertegun
Photo: Kevin Winter/ Getty Images

Ahmet Ertegun, co-founder and longstanding chairman of Atlantic Records and the man who helped introduce the world to Ray Charles, Led Zeppelin and countless others, died Thursday (December 14) of a brain injury. He was 83.

The mogul — born into the wealthy family of a Turkish ambassador — never retired and was attending a New York concert by the Rolling Stones (one of the many bands he signed) on October 29 when he fell and incurred the injury. Perhaps fitting of the two worlds he brought together, the event was a 60th birthday party for former President Bill Clinton.

Ertegun, who survived triple-bypass surgery in 2001, later slipped into a coma and died with his family at his side.

In recent years, Ertegun was immortalized in films like "Beyond the Sea" about Atlantic artist Bobby Darin and "Ray," which portrayed how he not only discovered Charles, but promoted him before R&B was a genre, produced much of his music and wrote hits like "Mess Around."

He's also namedropped in Atlantic artist Kid Rock's single "You Never Met a Mother----er Quite Like Me" in the verse, "I'm a seasoned vet/ Educated on jazz by my man Ahmet/ Ertegun my friend."

Indeed, Ertegun was an avid aficianado of jazz as well as blues when, in 1947, he borrowed $10,000 from his dentist to launch Atlantic Records. He never pigeonholed the label, though, and opened his arms to then-genre-defying artists like Charles and soul singer Aretha Franklin, two of his biggest early successes. Ertegun once described Atlantic as "purveyors of African-American music" long before the arrival of Motown Records.

Ertegun was widely known for his ability to befriend anyone, and that showed in his label, as Atlantic expanded into rock and later hip-hop.

As legend has it, Ertegun persuaded the Rolling Stones to sign with Atlantic after pretending to fall asleep at a Chuck Berry concert they attended together, knowing Mick Jagger despised pushy execs.

He's also credited with convincing Crosby, Stills & Nash to tour with Neil Young, spawning one of the greatest supergroups in rock. Through Atlantic and its offshoots and affiliates, Ertegun had a hand in seminal works from Eric Clapton, Phil Collins, Otis Redding, the Drifters, Sam & Dave, John Coltrane, Bette Midler, Sonny & Cher, ABBA and many, many others.

"Ahmet touched the lives of artists, producers, songwriters and countless others who were blessed by his creativity, wisdom and humor," Atlantic President Julie Greenwald said Thursday. "He changed the music and he changed the music business, and he is the inspiration to an entire new generation of music people who will strive to follow in his amazing footsteps. Equally at home in New Orleans juke joints and foreign embassies, Ahmet was a human being of rare character, style and humility. He was the real deal, and the world will be a far lesser place without him."

"Ahmet brought integrity, vision, style and class to the music business," added Jerry Heller, co-founder of Eazy-E's Ruthless Records, with whom Ertegun released hip-hop's first West Coast gold record. "A giant among mere mortals, his presence will be sorely missed by those of us who had the privilege of knowing him."

Along with his Atlantic work, Ertegun was also a founder and chairman of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, which inducted him in 1987 and gave the Museum's main exhibition hall in Cleveland his name.

"From Aretha to Zeppelin, Ahmet was instrumental in breaking many of the iconic artists of the last 50 years," said Terry Stewart, president and CEO of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum. "The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame would not be what it is today without his leadership."

In 1993, Ertegun was presented with a Trustees Award from the Recording Academy, and in 2000, he was honored as a Living Legend by the United States Library of Congress. "Ahmet Ertegun was a true visionary whose life's work had a profound impact on our culture's musical landscape," Recording Academy President Neil Portnow said. "This is truly a sad day for the music industry and for music lovers everywhere, but his legacy will shine on forever."

"I feel so privileged to be able to say that Ahmet Ertegun was a mentor," added Lyor Cohen, Warner Music Group's U.S. chairman and CEO. "Here was a man who combined substance and style like no one else, who affected millions upon millions of people through the music his artists created, who nurtured those artists under his watchful eye. We were blessed to have him."

Ertegun will be buried in a private ceremony in his native Turkey, although a public memorial service will be conducted in New York early next year.

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For The Record: Quick News On Shakira, Diddy, Jack White, Nick Lachey, Michael Jackson, Paul Wall & More

29 Mar 2006 04:51:00 EST

Shakira considered plastic surgery; Diddy unveils Bad Boy's next phase; Raconteurs line up U.S. show.
By MTV News staff report

Shakira on the cover of Teen People
Photo: Time, inc.

Shakira might have said that she's lucky her breasts are "small and humble" in "Whenever, Wherever," but there was a time when she considered getting breast-augmentation surgery because she was unhappy with her body, the singer reveals in the next issue of Teen People. The magazine's latest cover star also said that wasn't the only plastic surgery she looked into. "I considered ... all kinds of things. 'Maybe my eyebrows should be higher. Maybe my lips should be bigger.' " Eventually Shakira came to accept herself, despite all the insecurities. "I'm actually shy; I've just learned to hide it." But her hips don't lie — and her dancing reveals more skin than she sometimes would like to show. "It's not my hobby to show my belly! The moves I do when I perform require it. People of America, I want you to know that I wear clothes once in a while!" ...

Diddy introduced a select few to the next phase of Bad Boy Records Tuesday night in New York. Sean Combs held a small party at his Daddy's House studio and previewed music by newcomers Cheri Dennis and Yung Joc and veterans 8Ball and MJG. ... Jack White is preparing to unleash his brand-new band, the Raconteurs, on America — for one night, at least. On April 7, the band — which also features Detroit songwriter Brendan Benson and two-thirds of Cincinnati garage-rockers the Greenhornes — will play its first-ever U.S. gig at Irving Plaza in New York. Tickets go on sale Thursday at noon via Ticketmaster.com. The Rac's debut album, Broken Boy Soldiers, is due in stores May 16. ...

Nick Lachey has decided on a title and release date for his second album: What's Left of Me, due May 9. The title is the same as the first single, which recently hit the airwaves. ... Paul Wall has titled his fall release Ain't No 401K for a Hustla. Wall is also set to appear alongside Lil' Keke on The Day Hell Broke Loose 3 compilation, due in August. ... Pimp-C will release a DVD documenting his experiences being incarcerated during the Houston boom in 2005 and what has happened after his recent release. "Pimpalation: Return of the Trill," hosted by MTV News' Sway, is due April 11 and will be followed by a CD called Pimpalation on June 13. ... Foo Fighters will be featured in a pair of episodes of "The West Wing." The shows will air Sunday and April 9 at 8 p.m. on NBC. ... Notorious B.I.G.'s family will receive $1.1 million from the city of Los Angeles after the City Council on Wednesday approved the amount U.S. District Judge Florence-Marie Cooper awarded in January. The money covers the family's legal expenses in a civil trial that was ruled a mistrial last year when it was discovered that the Los Angeles Police Department withheld statements that linked two rogue LAPD officers, David Mack and Rafael Perez, to the rapper's shooting. ...

Could it really be over so soon? That's what former Howard Stern listeners across the East Coast and Midwest might have been asking themselves Wednesday morning (March 29) when they turned on their radios to find Stern replacement David Lee Roth absent. Yes, preliminary numbers for Roth have not been promising, but a CBS Radio spokesperson denied reports that the former Van Halen singer had been canned just three months into his gig, saying the motor-mouthed morning man was simply taking a few days off to travel back to New York after broadcasting from Miami Beach Monday and Tuesday. Roth is expected to be back on the air Friday. ... Elsewhere on the dial, Mighty Mighty Bosstones singer Dicky Barrett has attacked Los Angeles' Indie 103.1 after he was recently fired as host of the station's morning show. In a statement released by his publicist, Barrett said he was fired for expressing his dislike on air for a Morrissey song the station was spinning and for an unauthorized pro-choice conversation he had with a caller. Indie General Manager Dawn Girocco responded by saying Dicky was not as committed to the show as he needed to be. ...

After complaints and a lawsuit earlier this year from a Louisiana man, Apple Computer released a software update Wednesday that allows iPod owners to set a maximum volume on their players. The free download works with Nanos and fifth-generation models that play video, and it also allows parents to set a volume limit on their child's iPod and lock it with a special code. The free update is available at apple.com/ipod/download. ... On Monday a judge ordered Michael Jackson and his ex-wife Debbie Rowe to submit copies of legal papers missing from their divorce file, The Associated Press reports. The documents, concerning the custody of the pair's two children, include Rowe's 2001 motion to terminate parental rights and an emergency motion filed two years later seeking temporary custody as well as Jackson's filing opposing his ex-wife's custody motion. Attorneys for Jackson and Rowe have 30 days to turn over the paperwork. A hearing has been set for May 24. ...

As he awaits his murder trial, troubles keep mounting for famed "wall of sound" record producer Phil Spector. A former personal assistant has sued Spector for more than $5 million in Los Angeles, claming sexual harassment, according to an Associated Press report. Spector sued former assistant Michelle Blaine in September, alleging that she skimmed hundreds of thousands of dollars from his accounts. Blaine hit back on Friday, saying that Spector authorized the payments to her, including those for a $700,000 house and that he sexually harassed her, sometimes appeared naked in front of her and once asked Blaine to find a prostitute for him. Blaine also claims that after Spector was charged with the murder of actress Lana Clarkson in 2003, the producer repeatedly proposed marriage to her as a way to block her from testifying against him. Spector's murder trial is slated to begin in September. ...

Eugene Landy, the show-business psychologist famous for his controversial relationship with troubled Beach Boys star Brian Wilson, died March 22 in Honolulu of complications from lung cancer, the Los Angeles Times reports. He was 71. Landy, who also worked with original shock rocker Alice Cooper and actor Rod Steiger, pioneered the concept of "24 hour therapy" when he began treating Wilson in the mid 1970s. Hired to work on Wilson's intense phobias and drug addictions, Landy took control of every aspect of the singer's life, monitoring him 24 hours a day and eventually acting as his manager and artistic collaborator, crossing an ethical line and eventually giving up his license to practice in California after admitting to a charge of unlawfully prescribing drugs in 1989. ...

Prolific songwriter Cindy Walker, known as the "dean of Texas songwriters," died of natural causes Thursday at the age of 87, according to The Los Angeles Times. Walker was known for the more than 500 sentimental, Western-flavored songs she wrote, performed by everyone from Roy Orbison ("Dream Baby (How Long Must I Dream)"), to Ray Charles ("You Don't Know Me"), with the latter covered by more than 75 artists, including Elvis Presley. Willie Nelson released an album-length tribute to Walker this month called You Don't Know Me: The Songs of Cindy Walker. Walker, often called the greatest living country music songwriter, was a charter member of the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame and was inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame in 1997.

03.28.2006

Mariah Carey's been dreaming of a Broadway Christmas since late 2004, when she originally announced plans for a holiday musical, and now she's finally making progress with her plan. "I don't want to mention anything definitive until things are signed," she told MTV Radio, "but there's a very big company that just signed on to develop the project with me." Carey said the musical — which she'll create, produce and star in — will incorporate music from her 1994 album, Merry Christmas, as well as new material. "It's probably going to be a movie first," she said. "I don't want to say a television movie, because it's not like a cheesy network movie, but then it's going to be made for the Broadway production. So the [TV movie] will set the stage for the stage." ...

It was nothing but royalty Monday night in New York as a king, queen and prince came together for the premiere of "ATL." T.I. (the King of the South), Queen Latifah and former Prince of Bel Air Will Smith (with Jada Pinkett) joined Jay-Z, Usher, DJ Drama, Tisha Campbell and Duane Martin at the Tribeca Theater. Latifah's longtime friends and business partners Shakim Compere and Lance "Un" Rivera were also on hand. ...

Jessica Simpson is moving up in the world — at least as far as FHM's annual list of 100 Sexiest Women is concerned. While Scarlett Johansson nabbed the top spot, Simpson catapulted from #16 on last year's list to #4 this year. Other singers making the top half of the chart include Paris Hilton (#11), Lindsay Lohan (#14), Beyoncé (#18), Shakira (#20), Jennifer Lopez (#26; she was #1 in 2000 and 2001), Mariah Carey (#28), Mandy Moore (#31), Christina Aguilera (#37), Gwen Stefani (#40) and Kelly Clarkson (#50). Hilary Duff, the Black Eyed Peas' Fergie and Stefani were new entries this year, but Britney Spears, who was #1 in 2004, was nowhere to be found (Check out photos of FHM's Sexiest Women.). ... Since Lindsay Lohan's upcoming movie "A Prairie Home Companion" (in theaters June 9) focuses on a radio show, it's only natural that the soundtrack would include some of the songs performed on said show. Out May 23, the soundtrack will feature performances from castmembers Meryl Streep, Lily Tomlin, Woody Harrelson, John C. Reilly and Lohan herself, who contributes "Frankie & Johnny." ...

Not every singer on "American Idol" is a pop-star hopeful or graduate of the performance competition, as recent appearances by Stevie Wonder and Barry Manilow have proven. This week the show hopes to shake things up even further with belly-dancing Shakira, who will perform "Hips Don't Lie" with Wyclef Jean on Wednesday night's elimination episode. ... And forgive us if this one sounds familiar, but Simon Cowell is at it again. After expanding his stranglehold on U.S. viewers with his "American Inventor" show earlier this month, the acerbic "Idol" judge is adding a third show to his empire: "America's Got Talent." Open auditions will begin next month for the NBC show, which will be open to performers of all ages and talents — from singers and dancers to jugglers and magicians, according to Reuters. The show will have a celebrity three-judge panel (it will not include Cowell) and the winner will take home a $1 million prize. ...

Live singer Ed Kowalczyk has released a statement in support of "American Idol" contestant Chris Daughtry, who sang a cover of Johnny Cash's "I Walk the Line" last week with an arrangement similar to the version recorded by Live — but without giving the band credit. "We wish Chris the best of luck in the competition," Kowalczyk said. "I thought he did a great job with the song. There's no doubt he's a talented performer and I hope he goes far." Live, meanwhile, will hit the road beginning April 22 in Providence, Rhode Island, in support of their seventh studio album, Songs From Black Mountain, due May 9. ... Travis Barker and DJ AM will take their experimental show to San Francisco April 7 and New York April 13 and 14. VIP packages for the shows are available at StubHub.com and will benefit the Race to Erase MS. ... Chamillionaire and Lil' Flip are teaming for the Texas Boyz Tour, which kicks off March 30 in San Diego and wraps up early this summer. Chamillionaire has recorded several remixes of his new single, "Ridin'," featuring rappers ranging from the Game to Bun B to Fabolous. ...

In a post on Evanescence's official message board Sunday, singer Amy Lee wrote that she and new guitarist Terry Balsamo were in the studio finishing mixes on the group's upcoming album. "We'll be done mixing [the new album] next week! I can hardly believe it, we've been working on this album for so long," Lee wrote. "The stuff sounds so good. ... Wow, what a trip this has been." The singer said Balsamo is "doing really well" after the stroke he suffered in November and that she's busy trying to figure out the order of the songs on the still-untitled album. "It's going to be hard to hold this music in all summer," Lee said. "I really want to thank you guys again for being so patient — I know it's gonna be worth it." A spokesperson for the group confirmed the post and added that the album is slated for release in the fall, with a tour to follow. ...

The Offspring's Dexter Holland is turning into some sort of bionic man or something. In late 2004 he completed a 10-day solo flight around the globe, subsisting only on Doritos and beef jerky. And for an encore — and for charity — he decided to take on the Los Angeles Marathon. Running on behalf of the Innocence Project, a nonprofit legal organization aimed at using DNA testing to free the unjustly convicted, Holland finished in a little more than five hours, good enough for 7,900th place — but not better than Oprah Winfrey's 1994 Washington, D.C., marathon time of 4 hours, 29 minutes and 30 seconds, which was Holland's stated goal. Still, he raised money for a good cause and is happy with his efforts. "I hit a wall at about 16 miles," Holland wrote on Offspring.com, "but I'm glad I was able to finish. I shouldn't have eaten those tacos for breakfast! I didn't beat Oprah's time, but I challenge her to a rematch." ...

If you asked Alanis Morissette, she might say, "Isn't it ironic ... a little too ironic?" Victor Willis, 54, the singer who dressed as the policeman in '70s disco juggernaut the Village People, faces up to five years in prison after his arrest Sunday. He was booked for bailing on a plea deal he cut last year following an arrest on charges of possessing cocaine and a gun. Willis — who left the group in 1980 — had agreed to a maximum of 16 months in jail on the original charge, but when he goes to court Tuesday (March 28) he's looking at four years and four months on the original charges and a possible eight additional months on new drug charges, according to a Reuters report.

[This story was originally published at 12:47 pm E.T. on 03.29.2006]

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New Releases: Ryan Cabrera, Tupac, David Banner, Maroon 5, Coheed And Cambria, Disturbed

19 Sep 2005 08:34:00 EDT

Also due Tuesday are new releases by Bon Jovi, Ray Charles, Ray J, Shaggy and Jamiroquai.
By Kurt Orzeck

Ryan Cabrera's You Stand Watching
Photo: Atlantic Records

Look Out: Ryan Cabrera might not have finished high school, but he's certainly got skills, having produced his second record, You Stand Watching, all by himself. On top of that, he recorded the sucker in a mere three weeks. Tracks include: "Shine On" (first single), "Hit Me With Your Light" and "It's You."

Pollinating Pac: The Rose, Vol. 2 - Music Inspired by Tupac's Poetry commemorates the ninth anniversary of the rapper's death and finds Ludacris, Memphis Bleek, Talib Kweli and others using Pac's poetry as a launch pad for songs of their own. Teenagers Morgan McKenzie and Amber Granderson bring his story full-circle with the final track, "Poetry"; they're students at Pac's Kids, a summer performing-arts camp set up in memory of the rapper. Tracks include: "In the Depths of Solitude" (featuring Ludacris), "Power of a Smile" (featuring Bone Thugs-N-Harmony) and "Life Through My Eyes" (featuring Memphis Bleek and Tupac).

5 Alive: Maroon 5 flipped the name of their CD/DVD combo collection from Live at the Santa Barbara Bowl to the more foreboding Live - Friday the 13th. It's hitched with a bonus DVD featuring an interview with writer/director Mitch Glaser and a photo montage consisting of behind-the-scenes and live footage. Tracks include: "Wasted Years" (unreleased song), "Hello" (Oasis cover) and "She Will Be Loved."

A Novel Idea: As if Good Apollo, I'm Burning Star IV, Volume One: From Fear Through the Eyes of Madness wasn't enough to chew on, Coheed and Cambria are putting out a 118-page graphic novel to coincide with the long-winded release. Good Apollo tracks include: "Ten Speed (Of God's Blood and Burial)," "The Suffering" and "Crossing the Frame."

DualDiscs Galore: Adding extra incentives for fans to buy instead of burn, the video portion of Bon Jovi's limited-edition Have a Nice Day DualDisc has five live clips from a November 2004 gig in Atlantic City, New Jersey, plus a behind-the-scenes video for the title track and a sticker to boot. Flip over Jamiroquai's Dynamite and you'll find two videos and an interview, while David Banner's Certified has some top-secret video goodies.

As Heard On TV: With the Emmys still fresh, the record racks are crossing over into TV land with the "Desperate Housewives" soundtrack (featuring Liz Phair, Macy Gray and Joss Stone); Rock Star: A Night at the Mayan Theatre, a companion to the INXS show; and "American Idol" contender LaToya London's Love & Life. Also, PBS packages three of its specials in video-disc form: the Martin Scorsese-directed Dylan biopic "No Direction Home"; the Carter Family's "Will the Circle Be Unbroken"; and "The Sixties: The Years That Shaped a Generation."

Astral Week: Tupac Shakur's The Rose, Vol. 2 captures Talib Kweli wishing on a "Fallen Star"; George Michael decides to "Blame It on the Sun" on Ray Charles' Genius & Friends; Coheed and Cambria take off with Good Apollo, I'm Burning Star IV, Volume One: From Fear Through the Eyes of Madness; Pilotdrift see "Comets" on Water Sphere; and Trio da Paz "Look to the Sky" on Somewhere. In the meantime, Earth (Hex [Or Printing in the Infernal Method]) and Earth, Wind & Fire (Illumination) stay closer to home. Also going the global route are Alicia Keys and Jermaine Paul ("If This World Were Mine," on So Amazing: An All-Star Tribute to Luther Vandross); Anthax ("In My World," on Alive 2 (2005)); Jordis Unga (covering David Bowie's "Man Who Sold the World," on Rock Star); Bastard Sons of Johnny Cash ("King of the World," on Mile Markers); Most Precious Blood ("World War You," on Merciless); Bif Naked ("The World Is Over," on Superbeautifulmonster); New Order ("World in Motion," on their "A Collection" DVD); Cage ("Perfect World," on Hell's Winter); the Last Dance ("World Down," on Once Beautiful); and the Cruxshadows ("Edge of the World," on the "Sleepwatching: Volume 1" comp).

Song Titles Of The Week:

Horse the Band - "Octopus on Fire" (The Mechanical Hand)
Most Precious Blood - "Narcoleptic Sleepwalker" (Merciless)
Shaggy - "Ready Fi Di Ride" (Clothes Drop)

Other Notables:

Miri Ben-Ari's The Hip-Hop Violinist and Ray Charles' Genius & Friends: The Jay-Z/Wyclef collaborator has arrived at long last, and she joins forces on her maiden release with Kanye, Fabolous and Musiq ("Fly Away"); Scarface ("Sunshine to the Rain"); and John Legend and Consequence ("I've Been Waiting on You"). Don't miss the bonus reggaetón remix of "Jump & Spread Out," with Fatman Scoop, Zion, Lennox and Pitbull along for the ride. John Legend also crops up on Genius & Friends, which also features Mary J. Blige, Diana Ross and Angie Stone. (And, on that note, Rhino issues the behemoth Pure Genius: The Complete Atlantic Recordings (1952-1959) the same day.)

Disturbed's Ten Thousand Fists: The metal band enlisted comic-book guru Todd McFarlane for a special edition of its latest; he crafts original art for the expanded, 24-page booklet. Previously, iTunes offered a video for "Stricken," a bonus track ("Monster") and a McFarlane sketch with pre-orders.

So Amazing: An All-Star Tribute to Luther Vandross, Love to Love You, Baby: A Tribute to Donna Summer and The Killer in You: A Tribute to Smashing Pumpkins: The speedily released Vandross tribute corrals Beyoncé, Elton John, Wyclef and Donna Summer, who gets her own salute the same day via Tom Tom Club, Soft Cell, Heart and others. On the other end of the spectrum, Poison the Well, A Static Lullaby and Hopesfall give Smashing Pumpkins a metalcore makeover with The Killer in You.

New Releases:

The 88 - Over and Over (Mootron)
Agent Sparks - Not So Merry EP (Immortal/Epic)
The American Analog Set - Set Free (Arts & Crafts)
Anthrax - Alive 2 (2005) (Sanctuary)
Buy Now: Alive 2 (2005) (Sanctuary)
A.R.E. Weapons - Free in the Streets (Defend)
At All Cost - It's Time to Decide (Koch)
The Audition - Controversy Loves Company (Victory)
The Bad Plus - Suspicious Activity? (Columbia)
Bang 'Em & Domination - God Giveth, God Taketh Away (Koch)
David Banner - Certified (DualDisc same day; Universal)
Read: "Blessed By Lil Scrappy, Produced By Lil Jon, David Banner Gets Certified"
Buy Now: Certified (Universal)
Bastard Sons of Johnny Cash - Mile Markers (Emergent)
Josh Bates - Perfect Day (Reunion)
Miri Ben-Ari - The Hip-Hop Violinist (Universal)
Read: "Violinist Miri Ben-Ari Enlists Mya, Fabolous, Kanye West For Hip-Hop Debut" 1485394
Bon Jovi - Have a Nice Day (limited DualDisc edition same day; Island)
Broadcast - Tender Buttons (Warp)
Kev Brown - I Do What I Do (Up Above)
Burning Spear - Our Music (DualDisc; Burning Music)
C-Dott - Loyal to Da Block (Empire Musicwerks)
Ryan Cabrera - You Stand Watching (Atlantic)
Read: "Ryan Cabrera's Love-Song LP Isn't All About Ashlee"
Buy Now: You Stand Watching (Atlantic)
Cage - Hell's Winter (limited-edition version with bonus disc of instrumentals due same day; Definitive Jux)
Cartel - Chroma (The Militia Group)
Ray Charles - Genius & Friends (Rhino)
Ken Clark Organ Trio - Mutual Respect (Severn)
Coheed and Cambria - Good Apollo, I'm Burning Star IV, Volume One: From Fear Through the Eyes of Madness (Columbia Records)
Read: "Coheed And Cambria Map Out Final Stages Of Their Convoluted Saga"
Buy Now: Good Apollo, I'm Burning Star IV, Volume One: From Fear Through the Eyes of Madness (Columbia Records)
Cold Blood - Transfusion (Dig Music)
Curumin - Achados E Perdidos (Quannum Projects)
D:Fuse - People 3: Both Sides of the Picture - Live (Moist)
Disturbed - Ten Thousand Fists (special edition due same day; Warner Bros.)
Read: "Disturbed Songs Will Be 'United In Anger' On Third Album"
Buy Now: Ten Thousand Fists (Warner Bros.)
DJ Three - Hallucienda (System Recordings)
Jerry Douglas - The Best Kept Secret (Koch)
Earth - Hex (Or Printing in the Infernal Method) (Southern Lord)
Earth, Wind & Fire - Illumination (Sanctuary Urban)
Echo and the Bunnymen - Siberia (Cooking Vinyl)
Marty Ehrlich - News on the Rail (Palmetto)
El Ten Eleven - El Ten Eleven (Bar/None)
End of Level Boss - Prologue (Exile on Mainstream)
Estéfano - Código Personal: A Media Vida (Universal Latino Media)
The Five Corners Quintet - Chasin' the Jazz Gone By (Milan)
Forgas Band Phenomena - Soleil 12 (Cuneiform)
God Forbid - IV: Constitution of Treason (DualDisc; Century Media)
Alex Gold - Back From a Break (Koch)
Horse the Band - The Mechanical Hand (Koch)
Buy Now: The Mechanical Hand (Koch)
Innerstance.Beatbox - Your Eyes Are Like UFO's My Darling (Consumers Research)
John Hall - Rock Me on the Water (Siren Song)
Jackson - Smash (Warp)
Jamiroquai - Dynamite (DualDisc same day; Epic)
Buy Now: Dynamite (Epic)
Kyle Jason - Revolution of the Cool (Slam Jamz)
JD & the Straight Shot - Nothing to Hide (Rhino)
Djam Karet - Recollection Harvest (Cuneiform)
The Kingsbury Manx - The Fast Rise and Fall of the South (Yep Roc)
The Lackthereof - Christian the Christian (Film Guerrero)
The Last Dance - Once Beautiful (Dancing Ferret)
Christine Lavin - Folkzinger (Appleseed)
Lil Al - The Self Made LP (P.R.)
LaToya London - Love & Life (Peak/Concord)
Eric Marienthal - Got You Covered! (Peak/Concord)
Maroon 5 - Live - Friday the 13th (with DVD; Octone)
Buy Now: Live - Friday the 13th (Octone)
Masterplan - Aeronautics (Candlelight)
Mats/Morgan Band - Thanks for Flying With Us (Cuneiform)
Katy Moffatt - Up Close & Personal (Fuel 2000)
Mojo Gurus - Shakin' in the Barn (Empire Musicwerks)
The Morning After Girls - The Morning After Girls (Rainbow Quartz)
Most Precious Blood - Merciless (Trustkill)
Mr. Oizo - Moustache (Half a Scissor) (Mute)
Municipal Waste - Hazardous Mutation (Earache)
Bif Naked - Superbeautifulmonster (Bodog)
Na'sha - My Story (Pure)
Nashville Pussy - Get Some! (Spitfire)
NDIO - Airback (Cuneiform)
New Recruits - Attila Sex Shock (Cancer)
Old 97's - Alive & Wired (New West)
Oranger - New Comes and Goes (Eenie Meenie)
P$C - 25 to Life (Atlantic)
Paint by Numbers - Plastic (Victory)
Charlie Peacock - Love Press Ex-Curio (Emergent)
Pilotdrift - Water Sphere (Good)
Psyche Origami - The Standard (ArcTheFinger)
Jon Randall - Walking Among the Living (Sony Nashville)
Ray J - Raydiation (Sanctuary)
Read: "R. Kelly, Timbaland Help Ray J Bring The Heat On Raydiation"
Buy Now: All the Right Reasons (Sanctuary)
Jenni Rivera - Parrandera, Rebelde y Atrevida (Fonovisa)
Shaggy - Clothes Drop (Geffen)
Buy Now: Clothes Drop (Geffen)
Billy Joe Shaver - The Real Deal (Compadre)
Tupac Shakur - The Rose, Vol. 2 - Music Inspired by Tupac's Poetry (Koch)
Shipwreck Union - Self Defense (Detroit Management)
Darden Smith - Field of Crows (DualTone)
Barbra Streisand - Guilty Pleasures (DualDisc same day; Columbia)
Swords - Metropolis (Arena Rock)
Tiana - Tiana (Warlock)
Trio da Paz - Somewhere (Megaforce)
Paul Van Dyk - The Politics of Dancing 2 (Mute)
Andreas Vollenweider - Vox (DualDisc; Kin Kou)
Kim Waters - All for Love (Shanachie)
We Are Wolves - We Are Wolves (Fat Possum)
Withered - Memento Mori (Lifeforce)
Zero Hour - A Fragile Mind (Sensory)
Various artists - Anjunabeats Volume Three (Epic)
Various artists - Instrumental Icons, Vol. 3 (Koch)
Various artists - The Killer in You: A Tribute to Smashing Pumpkins (Reignition)
Various artists - Love to Love You, Baby: A Tribute to Donna Summer (Koch)
Various artists - Rock Star: A Night at the Mayan Theatre (Epic)
Various artists - So Amazing: An All-Star Tribute to Luther Vandross (J)
Various artists - "Desperate Housewives" soundtrack (Hollywood)
Various artists - "Roll Bounce" soundtrack (Sanctuary)

Notable Reissues:

Anthrax - Anthrology: No Hit Wonders (1985-1991) (Island)
James Brown - Gettin' Down to It (Verve)
Bon Jovi - Slippery When Wet (DualDisc; Mercury/Universal)
Coal Chamber - Coal Chamber - The 25th Anniversary Series (Roadrunner)
Ray Charles - Pure Genius: The Complete Atlantic Recordings (1952-1959) (Rhino)
Sam Cooke - Night Beat (limited edition), One Night Stand!: Sam Cooke Live at the Harlem Square Club and The Best of Sam Cooke (RCA)
King Diamond - Abigail - The 25th Anniversary Series (Roadrunner)
King's X - Box Set (limited edition; Metal Blade)
Steve Lukather - SantaMental (one bonus track; features Slash, Eddie Van Halen and Steve Vai; Favored Nations)
Master P - ReMix Classics (Koch)
Buy Now: ReMix Classics (Koch)
Premonitions of War - Glorified Dirt/The True Face of Panic (Metal Blade)
VHS or Beta - Le Funk (with bonus remixes; Astralwerks)
Various artists - Night Train to Nashville: Music City Rhythm & Blues 1945-1970 Volume Two (with bonus remixes; Astralwerks)

DVDs:

Anthrax - "Alive 2" (Sanctuary)
The Carter Family - "Will the Circle Be Unbroken" (PBS/Paramount)
Bob Dylan - "No Direction Home" (directed by Martin Scorsese; PBS/Paramount)
Jesse McCartney - "Up Close" (Hollywood)
New Order - "A Collection" (Rhino)
Traffic - "The Last Great Traffic Jam" (Epic)
Various artists - "The Sixties: The Years That Shaped a Generation" (PBS/Paramount)
Various artists - "Sleepwatching: Volume 1" (Dancing Ferret)

Coming Attractions:

September 27:

Ryan Adams & the Cardinals - Jacksonville City Nights (Lost Highway)
Sheryl Crow - Wildflower (A&M)
Lil Kim - The Naked Truth (Atlantic)
Read: "Lil' Kim's Wrath For 50, Foxy Has No Bounds On Naked Truth"

October 4:

Fiona Apple - Extraordinary Machine (DualDisc; Epic)
Read: "Fiona Apple's Long-Delayed LP Slotted For October 4 Release"
Franz Ferdinand - You Could Have It So Much Better (Epic)
Read: "Set A Man On Fire, Name Next LP - Franz Ferdinand Do Whatever They Want"
Nickelback - All the Right Reasons (Roadrunner)

October 11:

Ricky Martin - Life (Columbia)
Alicia Keys - Unplugged (J)
Read: "Alicia Keys Taps Mos Def, Common For 'Inspired' 'Unplugged' "
Ashlee Simpson - In Another Life
Read: "Ashlee Remembers 'SNL' Incident But Forgets Boys On New LP"

Related Artists

Jamie Foxx Has 'Too Many Drinks,' Samples Charles On New LP

18 Jul 2005 09:34:00 EDT

Actor ropes in Pharrell, Timbaland for long-awaited Southern Gentleman.
By Brandee J. Tecson

Jamie Foxx (file)
Photo: Getty Images

SAN DIEGO — Can someone please pass Jamie Foxx the Courvoisier?

The 37-year-old actor/ R&B singer, who has been hard at work on the follow-up to 1994's Peep This, is about to show the world what really went down after he nabbed an Oscar for his turn as the late Ray Charles.

The video for Foxx's "Last Night I Had One Too Many Drinks," will track the actor after his victory.

"It's the day right after the Oscars, and [all these people are] interviewing me and I'm trying to remember what happened because it was such a glorious time at the Oscars, partying so much and kickin' it. So I have to try to explain what happened," Foxx said at a press junket for his upcoming fighter-pilot flick, "Stealth."

"Last night me and my dogs were hangin' out, tired of being cramped up in the house, and that's all that I remember 'cause I had one too many drinks," said the actor, breaking into song. "See, it's gonna be hot. When I tell you this one is blazing, don't snooze."

Still flying high after his Oscar win, Foxx was able to nab some top beatmakers for his forthcoming album, still tentatively titled Southern Gentleman (see " Jamie Foxx Nabs 50 Cent, Kanye For Album Of 'Love Music' ").

"My man Kanye [West] and I just did one [track] called 'Gold Digger' where we got a sample with Ray Charles," he said.

Foxx also sang the praises of the Neptunes' Pharrell Williams, who produced a track called "I'm Still Here." "Pharrell gave me a hot nugget, like that one [song] on the album that you're always gonna hit repeat and go back to," the actor said.

Harold Lilly (Luther Vandross, Alicia Keys) and Timbaland also mixed beats for the album, which will feature "Unpredictable," "Sex" and "Till I Met Your Sister."

"That song's crazy," Foxx said of "Sister." "It's really a life story about how this guy goes to pick up this girl and another attractive girl answers the door. The next thing you know, they're fraternizing, only come to find out it's [that girl's] sister.

"[We're gonna hit with] 'Gold Digger' first, smash, then 'One Too Many Drinks,' smithereens," the actor boasted. "Then comes the album, and it's a real album, too. I'm not coming out with a CD. I'm coming out with the old-ass album, so get your turntables out."

In other news, Foxx has been burning daylight filming the remake of the '80s TV series "Miami Vice" with Colin Farrell.

"Colin is doing his thing," he said. "[Li Gong] is in the house. Naomie Harris. It's going [to go] down."

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50 Cent's The Massacre Still Billboard Champ

16 Mar 2005 02:01:00 EST

Album sells close to 771,000 copies during its second week.
By Chris Harris

50 Cent - The Massacre
Photo: Shady Records/Aftermath

For a second straight week, 50 Cent's musical Massacre will continue to wound artists like Jack Johnson and Jennifer Lopez where oftentimes it hurts them most — album sales.

The Massacre, the follow-up to 50's smash debut, Get Rich or Die Tryin', sold just under 771,000 copies in its second — and first full — week on the market, according to next week's Billboard albums chart. SoundScan numbers put Jack Johnson's latest, In Between Dreams, at a distant second, with just over 117,000 units flying off store shelves in what is also that album's second week in release.

The Game, a former member of 50's Cent's G-Unit clique, saw a slight jump in his debut album's sales in the wake of his highly publicized truce with 50 Cent, but again, with little more than 86,000 copies of The Documentary sold, the Compton, California-bred MC couldn't hold a candle to 50's sales figures.

Jennifer Lopez's latest offering, Rebirth, has suffered the most from 50's retail rampage. Clocking in at #4 this week, Jenny's album sold nearly 200 fewer copies than the Game's entry, a drop in sales of nearly 180,000 units.

Last week's shocking fourth-place finisher, the Mars Volta's Frances the Mute, fell to the #13 position, with sales that barely surpassed the 45,000 mark. Omarion's O finished at #12, besting the Volta by just 30 records.

Some chart regulars finished out the top 10: Green Day's American Idiot is at #5, with close to 77,000 scans; Kelly Clarkson's Breakaway comes in at #6, with close to 60,000 in sales; Ray Charles' Genius Loves Company clings to #7, with 56,000 plus units moved; the Killers' Hot Fuss claims the #8 slot with 54,000; and John Legend's Get Lifted finishes at #9, with under 53,000, just in front of Eminem's Encore, which sold close to 52,000 copies.

Country: The Teflon Genre?

Sales slumped last week all across the musical map, but for some reason, country artists were immune. Releases from Kenny Chesney, Shania Twain, Tim McGraw, Toby Keith, and Gretchen Wilson all saw a decent — or in Chesney's case, a huge 30 percent — sales jump. The only other comparable boost went to Young Buck's million-plus-selling Straight Outta Cashville, which roared up 53 spots to #110 on sales of more than 9,000 — quite possibly thanks to his supporting role in the 50/ Game beef.

A Lack of Fresh Meat = Slow Sales?

Last week's sales slip could be attributed to a lack of blockbuster new releases: Only Mafia from Zakk Wylde's Black Label Society managed to break into the top 20; the metal band's "Mafia" sold more than 41,000 copies to land at #15. The next best debut? Country singer (go figure) Craig Morgan, whose My Kind of Livin' came in at #40. Much farther down, Kasabian's self-titled debut bows at #94 on just over 10,000 records sold.

Next week, 50 probably doesn't have much to fear from promising hip-hop-soul newcomer Brooke Valentine, but the silver bullet just might come from the powerhouse that is Now That's What I Call Music! The franchise's 18th volume, featuring tracks from Gwen Stefani, Ashanti, Lindsay Lohan and Snoop Dogg, could very well knock the Teflon don from his perch.

This story was originally published on 03.16.05 at 07:43 a.m. ET.

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Omarion's Solo Debut Tops Albums Chart

2 Mar 2005 04:25:00 EST

Former B2K singer's O sells more than 182,000 copies.
By James Montgomery

Omarion (file)
Photo: Jason Campbell

Perhaps it's fitting that Omarion's left bicep is covered with a giant tattoo of an "O" capped by a crown ... after all, he is the king of the charts.

The former B2K heartthrob's debut solo album, O, sold more than 182,000 copies to take the top spot on next week's Billboard albums chart, according to SoundScan. While his debut managed to best the opening numbers of his former group's self-titled first album, which came in at #2 and sold more than 108,000 copies in March 2002, he wasn't able to beat the first-week numbers of B2K's final studio LP, Pandemonium!, which sold more than 194,000 copies when it bowed in December 2002.

Coming in a distant second on next week's chart is Ray Charles' Genius Loves Company, the duets album that earned the legendary soul singer eight Grammy awards. Last week's #1 record still managed to ride whatever remains of that Grammy buzz — selling more than 109,000 copies — but it did suffer a 51 percent drop in sales from the previous week.

Green Day are next at #3, selling more than 108,000 copies of American Idiot, and right behind them is 50 Cent's former buddy the Game, whose album The Documentary sold more than 104,000 copies in its sixth week of release.

Scoring the week's second-highest debut is Tori Amos, whose eighth album, The Beekeeper, sold more than 82,000 copies to open at #5. John Legend is next at #6 (as he lately often is), selling more than 79,000 copies of his Get Lifted album. The kiddie-core comp Kidz Bop 7 opens at #7, providing more than 73,000 screaming kids with the soundtrack to their next minivan excursion. Coming in at #8 is the more adult-friendly Eminem, whose Encore sold more than 69,000 copies and moved well past the 4-million mark in total sales.

Everyone's favorite rock quartet from Escatawpa, Mississippi — 3 Doors Down — finish at #9, selling more than 67,000 copies of their album Seventeen Days. And for the second week in a row, Kelly Clarkson rounds out the top 10, selling more than 64,000 copies of her Breakaway album.

Other notable debuts on next week's albums chart include No Limit Records supergroup Tru (featuring Master P, Silkk the Shocker and C-Murder) at #54 with their album Truth; Southern revivalist rockers Kings of Leon at #55 with Aha Shake Heartbreak; and Grammy winners Los Lonely Boys' live set, Live at the Fillmore, at #69.

And hey, next week 50 Cent will be back on the chart — his Massacre album is set to drop on Thursday.

Well Suit-ed
Way back in September 2004, Nelly released two albums simultaneously: Sweat and Suit. In their first week out of the gates, Suit — spurred on by the single "My Place" — took #1, outselling Sweat by more than 54,000 copies. And in the six months since both albums dropped, not much has changed. Suit sits at #36 on next week's chart, selling more than 28,000 copies (and more than 2.7 million overall), while Sweat barely remains on the charts — at #142 — selling a bit above 8,000 copies (and 1.2 million overall). What's the reason for the sales disparity? Probably Tim McGraw. "Over and Over," the country crooner's duet with Nelly, appears on Suit, and has achieved massive crossover success: It's been on Billboard's Hot 100 singles chart for more than five months now, and the video was spun so much on Country Music Television that Nelly's been nominated for two CMT Awards. Meanwhile, "Tilt Ya Head Back," his duet with Christina Aguilera and the last single released from Sweat, has all but disappeared from the public eye. More proof that there's big money to be made from the 10-gallon-hat set.

In the Blink of an Eye
Last week's announcement that pop-punkers Blink-182 were going on indefinite hiatus was met with sadness and a whole bunch of exclamation-filled postings on the band's Web site. But it apparently also got fans out to the record store — more than 17,000 of them bought the compilation Atticus: Dragging The Lake 3, good enough to give it the #63 spot. The comp, sponsored by the clothing line/record label co-owned by Blink-182's Mark Hoppus and Tom DeLonge, features one Blink tune ("Not Now") as well as songs from Death Cab for Cutie, Taking Back Sunday and Gratitude.

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Post-Grammy Buying Frenzy Sends Ray Charles To Top Spot

23 Feb 2005 02:07:00 EST

Other Grammy winners, not to mention losers, performers and presenters, see big-time sales bumps.
By James Montgomery

Ray Charles (file)
Photo: Getty Images

It was a good week to have anything to do with the Grammys. Winners, losers, performers and presenters all experienced big-time sales bumps in a post-telecast buying frenzy that had albums leaping up the Billboard albums chart with reckless abandon.

And no one benefited more than the late Ray Charles. The Grammy champ won eight awards in all, and sales of his posthumous duets album, Genius Loves Company, jumped an astonishing 200 percent to claim the top spot on next week's chart. According to SoundScan, the album sold more than 224,000 copies (up from 74,000 the previous week), giving Charles his first #1 album since his Modern Sounds in Country & Western spent 14 weeks at #1 back in 1962.

Green Day are next at #2, selling more than 201,000 copies of American Idiot. Buoyed by the band's fiery performance on the awards telecast and its subsequent win for Best Rock Album, Idiot posted a 49 percent increase in sales from the previous week and inched ever-closer to the 3-million mark in total sales.

The Game — nominated for exactly zero Grammy awards — proved to be the week's biggest anomaly. His album The Documentary was still hot among consumers, despite the lack of Grammy love (wait until next year), selling more than 131,000 copies in its fifth week of release.

Coming in at #4 (and proving that there are a whole lot of Grammy completists out there) is the 2005 Grammy Nominees compilation, which sold more than 116,000 copies and matched Green Day's 49 percent sales increase. In at #5 is a guy who had a track on the Grammy Noms comp, Usher. Mr. Entertainment took home three golden gramophones and duetted with James Brown during the telecast, and he saw sales of his Confessions album jump by 27 percent as a result. The album sold more than 110,000 copies and crept back into the thick of things after spending the last two weeks on the fringe of the top 10.

Last week's chart champs, 3 Doors Down, failed to live up to their promise to "be #1 for a month" (see "3 Doors Down Singer Boasts They'll Outsell The Game Again" ), as their album Seventeen Days fell to #6. The LP suffered a 55 percent drop in sales in its second week, moving more than 104,000 copies (down from more than 231,000 the previous week).

John Legend's Get Lifted sold more than 90,000 copies to land at #7. Behind him is Eminem, whose Encore sold more than 78,000 copies and moved well beyond the 4-million mark in total sales.

Best New Artist winners Maroon 5 proved that somehow, someway, there are still people out there who have not heard their Songs About Jane. The album, which has been on the Billboard charts for a whopping 93 weeks, sold more than 77,000 copies (a 35 percent sales increase) to leap all the way from #22 to #9.

Former "American Idol" champ Kelly Clarkson rounds out the top 10, selling more than 75,000 copies of Breakaway.

To the Victors Go the Spoils

A whole bunch of other Grammy-winning artists covered major ground and posted mind-boggling numbers outside the top 10, too. Alicia Keys, who snagged four Grammys, saw sales of her album The Diary of Alicia Keys explode by 148 percent (more than 73,000 as compared to more than 29,000 last week). It jumped 36 spots on the chart — from #47 to #11 — as a result. John Mayer's Heavier Things — powered by two Grammy wins for the song "Daughters" — leapt 23 spots (to #19) and rocked an 85 percent increase in sales. Three-time winners U2 sold 43 percent more albums. Winners and performers Los Lonely Boys saw sales jump 98 percent. And Kanye West — who stole the show with his powerful performance and subsequent acceptance speech — saw his College Dropout album post an amazing 201 percent sales increase (more than 45,000 copies, up from more than 14,000 the previous week) and jump a hefty 66 spots, from #99 all the way up to #33.

Losing Ain't Too Bad, Either

Queen Latifah, whose The Dana Owens Album lost out in the Best Jazz Vocal Album category, simply hosted the awards telecast — and sales of her album jumped by 50 percent. The album climbed from #71 to #28. Franz Ferdinand were nominated for two awards (and went home empty-handed), but they did perform in the telecast's opening medley, and their self-titled debut album jumped from #133 to #87. Sales of the album also increased by 54 percent.

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For The Record: Quick News On Mariah Carey, Jay-Z, Ray Charles, Paris Hilton, Kelly Rowland, Bloc Party & More

15 Feb 2005 05:24:00 EST

Mariah finds a new use for her wedding dress, Ray Charles' estate and label get slapped with suit.
By MTV News staff report

Mariah Carey and director Brett Ratner on the set of "It's Like That"
Photo: Island/Def Jam

Mariah Carey has shot not one, but two new videos so far for her upcoming album, The Emancipation of Mimi. Both "It's Like That" and "We Belong Together" were shot in Los Angeles by director Brett Ratner ("Rush Hour," "Red Dragon"), who last worked with Carey in 1999 on her "Heartbreaker" clip. "It's Like That" has a Vegas casino story line, while in "We Belong Together" Carey races to the altar in her very own wedding dress, a Vera Wang number she wore back in 1993 when she married Tommy Mottola. The videos feature cameos by Jermaine Dupri (who produced both tracks), Eric Roberts and Jay-Z, among others. ...

A recording engineer who worked on Ray Charles' Grammy-winning Genius Loves Company has sued the singer's estate and record label for breach of contract, claiming that he was denied the appropriate credit on the album, according to one of his lawyers. Mark Fleming's attorneys filed the suit on Thursday in Los Angeles Superior Court, just three days before Charles' final recording won eight Grammys, three of which Fleming's suit suggests he should have shared. ... Wyclef Jean and Chaka Khan will headline the sixth annual concert to benefit Children Uniting Nations, a Los Angeles mentoring program for foster children. The benefit and black-tie gala, which will be held on Oscar night (February 27), also includes a formal dinner and a live auction. "American Idol" judge Paula Abdul will serve as the master of ceremonies; guests expected to attend include Jamie Foxx and Paris Hilton. More information can be found at www.ChildrenUnitingNations.org. ...

Bride-to-be Kelly Rowland graces the cover of the April/ May issue of Modern Bride, and in the accompanying cover story she talks candidly about her relationship with Dallas Cowboy Roy Williams, whom she'll marry later this year. Among the revelations in the article is that Williams wanted to help plan the wedding, a task from which most men run. "He really put me in my place," Rowland said, "he was like, 'You're making all of the decisions, where do I come in?' " The Destiny's Child singer also jokes about the proposal: Apparently her man got down on one knee and asked, "Would you do me the honor of being my husband — I mean wife?!" ... Former "American Idol" contestant Kimberley Locke has gotten engaged to her high school sweetheart, whom she's dated, on and off, for 10 years. The pair have not yet set a date for the wedding. Meanwhile, Locke is working on her sophomore album, which is scheduled to be released by the end of 2005. ...

Grandiose Swedish rockers the Soundtrack of Our Lives are bringing their aural assault to North America for a spring tour. The trek, in support of their upcoming album Origins Volume 1 (March 15), starts March 11 in Tulsa, Oklahoma, and runs until April 6 in Vancouver, British Columbia. ... Sweater-nerds rejoice: Vancouver power-pop rockers the New Pornographers will wrap up the recording of their third album in March. Appearing on the LP, due in late summer, are usual suspects Neko Case and Destroyer's Dan Bejar. ...

Missing-in-action trip-pop chanteuse Esthero will finally come out of hibernation this spring. Wikked Lil' Girls, her first album since 1998's Breath From Another, features Andre 3000, Sean Lennon and Cee-Lo. ... It's been a while since we've heard from Geoff Wilkinson, the man behind the jazz-sampling one-hit wonder Us3. Well, Wilkinson is back with his first stateside Us3 album in seven years, Questions (April 26), which ditches his trademark jazz sampling for live music and vocals from South Africa's Mpho. As a reminder of the good old days, though, the album will feature two new remixes of Us3's biggest hit, "Cantaloop (Flip Fantasia)." ...

Two U.K. newspapers, the Sunday Times and The Sun, have agreed to pay Yusuf Islam (the singer formerly known as Cat Stevens) "substantial damages," after both alleged that Islam supported terrorism. According to a post on his Web site, in addition to paying damages, both newspapers also published apologies, stating that "Mr. Islam is not, and never has been, involved in or supported terrorism." The British-born Islam made headlines in September when he was removed from a flight because U.S. officials said his name appeared on a "no-fly list." ...

Dance rockers Bloc Party are planning their first North American invasion. The British quartet, whose debut album, Silent Alarm, drops March 22, will mount a 19-date tour that will kick off in New York on February 20, make a stop off at South by Southwest in March and then wrap up April 30 at Coachella. The band's singer, Kele Okereke, can also be heard on the track "Believe," which appears on the new Chemical Brothers album, Push the Button. ... Currently on tour with the Secret Machines and the Moving Units, Los Angeles noise-pop trio Autolux will tackle 13 dates in March and April with Ambulance LTD and then join the Raveonettes for 21 dates in May and June. ...

02.14.2005

Kevin Federline — a.k.a. Mr. Britney Spears — shows he's a real romantic in a cover story in the March issue of Details (his more famous wife also takes part). (Click for photos from Details.) In it, we discover he likes to use the word "ass" a lot, Spears sometimes uses the odd phrase "motherchucker," and she thinks Rolling Stone and Us Weekly publisher Jann Wenner is a "big old fat man." The couple also insist their love is for real. "That's why I married him, because he's not a shallow mother----er Hollywood actor guy," Spears said. "She's f---ing proud of me," Federline boasted. "I could be sitting at home doing nothing. I could be playing video games." Speaking of doing nothing, Federline said that he's giving up dancing as a job because "I've done it, dude." Instead, he hopes to start a clothing company called Pair a Dice, because the couple have matching dice tattoos. "I want to do some cool casual stuff, like jeans and T-shirts and sweat suits," he told the magazine. "And then I also want to hit the flip side — high-end, classy stuff, too." ... Meanwhile, the BBC has restricted the airing of the steamy ad for Britney's Curious perfume until after 7:30 p.m., according to a spokesperson for the Broadcast Advertising Clearance Centre. Less racy edits of the commercial — which features a scantily clad Spears fantasizing about the man in the hotel room next door — can air before the restricted time. ...

Christian Bale, Katie Holmes, Liam Neeson, Morgan Freeman and others will reprise their film roles from the upcoming "Batman Begins" in the video game of the same name. Due June 17, the game challenges players to step into the shadows of Gotham City's perilous criminal underworld as DC Comics' legendary Dark Knight, played by Bale, and use fear as their ultimate weapon. ... R&B singer D'Angelo's court date has been pushed back once again. The Grammy-winning artist was scheduled to be arraigned on charges of drunk driving and drug possession last Friday, but the date has been postponed to April 13. The charges stem from a January 9 incident in which D'Angelo was stopped for a traffic violation near his hometown of Richmond, Virginia. At the stop, his car was searched and officers found substances believed to be cocaine and marijuana. ...

Slim Thug's major-label debut, Already Platinum, has been pushed back to March. The Houston MC has decided to return to the studio to record new material after songs from the original version of the album were leaked. No word yet on an exact release date. ... Pete Rock, Rupee and Doug E. Fresh will lead a host of hip-hoppers at the Rap for Relief tsunami benefit concert at New York's B.B. King's Blues Club on February 22. Other acts scheduled to perform include Rahzel, Buckshot, J-Live, the High & Mighty, C-Rayz Walz and Sean Price. All proceeds from the concert will go to the Red Cross. Tickets are $20 in advance and extra donations will be accepted at the club that night. ...

Distillers frontwoman Brody Dalle might have killer pipes and a tattoo that prominently displays the f-word, but one thing she doesn't have anymore is a drummer. In a post on TheDistillers.com, Andy Granelli — who played drums on the Distillers' most recent record, 2003's Coral Fang — wrote that he was leaving the group to devote more time to his other band, Darker My Love. "I am writing in to say that I have officially quit the Distillers," Granelli said. "I started Darker My Love ... as an outlet for us to play exactly what we wanted to, without compromise. So I feel now it is my time to go back to that." A spokesperson for the band had no information on who would be replacing Granelli. ... Vanessa Williams will show some love for her country when she sings the national anthem at NASCAR's Daytona 500 on Sunday. The singer will also take part in a tribute to America, during which she will sing "America the Beautiful." Joining her in the tribute will be Brian Wilson, Five for Fighting's John Ondrasik, and Clint Black. ...

With the biggest awards show in the film industry less than two weeks away, "The Aviator" took home the top honor of Best Film at England's equivalent of the Oscars. The Howard Hughes biopic also garnered the Best Actress in a Supporting Role award for Cate Blanchett, and several technical awards at the British Academy of Film and Television Awards on Saturday. Jamie Foxx won Best Actor for "Ray," while "Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban" won Orange Film of the Year, the only award chosen by the general public. ... The Clash's Joe Strummer, who died in 2002 of a heart attack, was honored on Saturday with a train named for him in the U.K., according to The Associated Press. The Strummer train, dedicated on Saturday at a railway station in Bristol, joins a long list of trains that have been named after famous people for the last 200 years in England. ...

Falling short of your daily recommended dose of 1950s biker-flick-inspired rock and roll? Well, you're in luck. Because on May 3, retro Danish rockers the Raveonettes will drop Pretty in Black, the follow-up to their 2003 album, Chain Gang of Love. The first single from the new record is "Love in a Trashcan." ...

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Kanye Steals The Show, But Ray Dominates Grammy Winners' Circle

13 Feb 2005 06:07:00 EST

Alicia, Usher, Norah Jones also win big.
By James Montgomery

Kanye West performs at the Grammys
Photo: Frank Micelotta

Youth had hoped to be served at the 47th annual Grammy Awards — with artists like Kanye West, Usher, Alicia Keys and Green Day racking up more than 30 nominations between them — but in the end, no one could escape the shadow of a legend.

Grammy voters smiled on Ray Charles, showering him with eight awards — including Record of the Year and Album of the Year — and musicians paid tribute to the late R&B artist's songs throughout the night. But Kanye West, who entered the night with 10 noms (more than any other artist), still managed to make a lasting impression with a fiery performance and impassioned speech that brought the crowd to its feet.

West had just lost the Best New Artist award to Maroon 5 when he let out any pent-up Grammy frustrations with a fierce performance of "Jesus Walks," which included a full gospel choir, an elaborate church backdrop, West's apparent death and his subsequent resurrection.

That was followed by Ludacris and Kevin Bacon presenting the

"Celebs Keep It Down-To-Earth On Grammy Carpet (They Wore A Lot Of Brown, Anyway)"

His bravado may have earned him a standing ovation from the crowd, but he couldn't overtake Charles for the overall lead in golden gramophones. The R&B legend won five Grammys, including Album of the Year, Best Pop Vocal Album, Best Pop Collaboration With Vocals and Record of the Year for "Here We Go Again," his duet with Norah Jones. His posthumously released album of duets, Genius Loves Company, also scored three technical awards for engineering and arrangement, bringing the LP's total wins to eight.

Alicia Keys and Jamie Foxx also piled on the praise, covering one of Charles' most famous songs, "Georgia on My Mind," for an emotional tribute.

Keys took home four Grammys, including Best R&B Album for The Diary of Alicia Keys, Best R&B Song for "You Don't Know My Name" and Best Female R&B Vocal Performance for "If I Ain't Got You."

In addition to Best Rap Album, West also won the Grammy for Best Rap Song for "Jesus Walks" and got a songwriting win for his work on Keys' "You Don't Know My Name."

Usher and U2 also each won three awards. John Mayer won Song of the Year for his tune "Daughters" (find out who was rooting for him: "Whose Outfit Fell Apart? Who Did Kanye Get Advice From? Grammy Moments You Didn't See"). In his acceptance speech Mayer gave a shout-out to his grandma "for having an awesome daughter named 'my mom.' "

The show began with five bands performing on four stages, the Black Eyed Peas kicking things off with their ubiquitous hit "Let's Get It Started" before segueing to Gwen Stefani and Eve for a pirates-and-bling production of Stefani's "Rich Girl." They were followed by black-clad rockers Los Lonely Boys; Maroon 5 appeared next, frontman Adam Levine rocking what looked like one of his dad's suits from 1977. And finally, Franz Ferdinand ripped through a muscled-up version of their song "Take Me Out."


	Grammy Photos


	J. Lo & Marc Anthony, Jamie & Alicia & Other Unforgettable Moments

	Beyonce, Jay-Z And More Rock The Red Carpet

	Kanye, Alicia, Usher And All The Night's Winners


	Usher's Post-Grammy Gala


	Eve & John Legend Get Dressed For The Show

All five acts then sped through a sort of live "mash-up," trading licks and choruses of each other's hits.

John Travolta, Christina Milian and Steven Tyler then presented the first award of the live broadcast — for Best Pop Performance With Vocals — which went to Los Lonely Boys. Nelly and Adam Sandler — the stars of the upcoming film "The Longest Yard" — presented the award for Best Male R&B Vocal Performance, which went to Prince, for his song "Call My Name."

U2 took the stage clad in black and bathed in white light. Before beginning, a somber (and cowboy-hatted) Bono dedicated the song "Sometimes You Can't Make It on Your Own" to his late father, Bob Hewson.

The award for Best Rock Album went to Green Day for American Idiot, their first win of the evening. As they walked to the stage to accept their award, they received congratulatory handshakes from Aerosmith's Tyler. While wrapping up their acceptance speech, frontman Billie Joe Armstrong held his golden gramophone aloft and announced that "rock and roll can be dangerous and fun at the same time."

Up next were a couple of big-time performances, one of them featuring an actual couple. Jennifer Lopez and Marc Anthony duetted in Spanish in an elaborate number that featured moody lighting, a gilded bedroom and at least two wardrobe changes from J. Lo. That was followed by a tribute to Southern rock, highlighted by nominee Gretchen Wilson and Lynyrd Skynyrd frontman Johnny Van Zant duetting on the band's classic tune "Free Bird."

A gangsta-fied Quentin Tarantino — wearing a stocking cap and parka — introduced Green Day, who blasted through a pyro-and-American-flag-backed performance of "American Idiot," Armstrong chicken-walking his way across the stage and thrusting his guitar triumphantly in the air. Keys then picked up her fourth award of the night, for Best R&B Album.

British soul diva Joss Stone and Melissa Etheridge ran through throaty covers of the Janis Joplin standards "Cry Baby" and "Piece of My Heart," paying tribute to the woman who had just been honored with a Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award. That was followed by Tim McGraw, who performed "Live Like You Were Dying," the tune that won him the Best Country Song award earlier in the ceremony.

But McGraw was edged out in the Best Country Album category by Loretta Lynn and her Jack White-produced Van Lear Rose. It was the second Grammy Lynn took home for the LP, having already won earlier in the night for the track "Portland Oregon," her duet with the White Stripes frontman.

The award for Best Rock Performance by a Duo or Group With Vocals went to U2 for "Vertigo," and a somewhat stunned Bono thanked the crowd before turning the mic over to Larry Mullen Jr., who apologized to U2's fans for their Internet ticket presale snafu.

Bono, Stevie Wonder, Norah Jones, Keys, Velvet Revolver, Armstrong and Brian Wilson all took the stage for a cover of the Beatles' "Across the Universe." Viewers can go to CBS.com to download the live performance of the song for 99 cents. All proceeds will go to tsunami-relief efforts benefiting survivors and their families.

Earlier on, during the pre-televised ceremony, the first batch of Grammy Award winners were announced. And for some Grammy favorites, the ceremony got off to a golden start right then.

Jay-Z won the award for Best Rap Solo Performance for his Rick Rubin-produced track "99 Problems." And show starters the Black Eyed Peas nabbed the Best Rap Performance by a Duo or Group Grammy for their song "Let's Get It Started."

In the pop music category, Charles took top honors, winning for Best Vocal Album. Norah Jones won Best Female Performance for "Sunrise," while John Mayer won the Best Male Performance for his song "Daughters."

U2's "Vertigo" walked off with the award for Best Rock Song, and it was also tops in Best Short Form Music Video category. The clip, directed by the tandem of Alex & Martin, bested videos from Green Day (for "American Idiot") and Franz Ferdinand ("Take Me Out"), among others.

As this year's Grammys approach, you can get all the latest news on the show, the scene and the nominees in our Grammy news archive. On the big night, February 8, be sure to tune in to MTV at 7 p.m. for our "All up in the Grammys" preshow. Plus check out videos of the nominees and more right here on mtv.com.

[This story was updated at 12:08 a.m. ET on 02.14.2005]

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Road To The Grammys: The Making Of Ray Charles' Genius Loves Company

10 Feb 2005 09:29:00 EST

Producer recalls people crying during the recording of one song.
By Gil Kaufman

Ray Charles (file)
Photo: Getty Images

You know you've captured something magical when there's not a dry eye in the house at the end of a recording session. That was the case when Ray Charles finished what turned out to be his final recording, a duet with Elton John for his Album of the Year-nominated Genius Loves Company.

"We set them up three or four feet away from each other, facing each other, and we ran one take that was almost perfect and then one more and that was it. At that moment everyone was in tears," said one of the album's producers, Phil Ramone, who was behind the boards when Charles tracked his final studio song. Ray, who by that point was seriously ill, kissed and hugged everyone in the room, apologized for his lack of energy and was wheeled down the hall. It was the last time most of them would see the singer alive.

John immediately asked Ramone for a copy of the tape as a souvenir, and he, too, burst into tears when he heard the melancholy playback of his 1976 song "Sorry Seems to Be the Hardest Word." It is one of the many songs on the album in which Charles' already world-weary voice seems to take on an added weight.

It was a fitting ending to a nearly yearlong project that Ray undertook with his typical energy and focus and which would serve as a musical epitaph to one of the most eclectic, celebrated careers in modern music history. Charles, who died on June 10 at the age of 73 due to complications from liver disease (see "Ray Charles Dead At 73"), didn't live to see the album's August release, or to share in the joy of it being the best-selling album of his 50-year career. But he sensed early on that the project had the potential to put him back on the world stage.

After a career of memorable duets, Charles' first all-duets album featured friends and fans — ranging from old pals like B.B. King, John,



	Check out everything we've got on the Grammys.

Willie Nelson and Natalie Cole to Bonnie Raitt, Norah Jones and Diana Krall — and was the brainchild of John Burk, executive vice president of Concord Records.

"I really felt that he was under-recognized for many years and hadn't made a record in a while that had any major impact," said Burk, the album's executive producer. "We wanted to do something that brought attention to what a great artist he is and show how he broke down barriers and influenced so many singers, some of whom don't even realize it."

The project began with a song already in the can, a duet between Charles and Van Morrison, recorded live in June 2003 at the Songwriters Hall of Fame induction ceremony. Morrison, who was being inducted, said he'd come only if he could sing a song with Charles. Ramone made it happen, but when Charles picked Morrison's well-known hit "Crazy Love," the Irish bard balked at the suggestion. "I said, 'But you've never done it as a duet,' " Ramone recalled. " 'When you do it that way, it takes on another life.' And when they got onstage, Van looked like a little teenager sitting in front of a genius."

The proper sessions for the album began in October 2003 with the recording of the gritty Lowell Fulson blues song "Sinner's Prayer," a musical meeting of the minds between Charles and King. "I walked into the room and thought, 'I've got the genius of soul, the king of the blues and the fifth Beatle in here,' " Burk said of the recording, which also included Billy Preston on keyboards. "I said, 'Why don't you guys just play? And B.B. said, 'Yeah, let's do it like we used to, go head-to-head.' "

The result, a boogie-woogie blues summit, was a perfect example of why in this age of long-distance "collaborations" Burk insisted all the artists record their parts live in the studio with Charles. "Ray had a real way of making them feel at home and connecting with them," Burk said. Ramone said even for the "coolest people in the world," when the time came to sit down across from Charles, whether it was Krall, Raitt or Cole, "they'd all turn into kids when they heard that voice." Ramone described scenes in which artists such as Krall, Raitt and John would show up hours early to go over their parts and calm their nerves before recording with Charles, with Krall pacing back and forth and Raitt "fidgeting and practicing all over the place."

But it was Jones — whom Burk remembered had mentioned Charles' influence in interviews early in her career — who had the quintessential Brother Ray experience. "One of the most emotional moments was when I introduced Ray to Norah," Burk said. "He had heard of her, and I played him some of her stuff, and he said, 'I guess she'll be all right.' The first time they met I brought her up to his office and he was sitting at his upright piano and he starts talking to her about how to approach the song."

Like many of the people involved in the sessions, from Burk to John and the people who wrote the orchestral charts for a handful of tracks, Jones quickly learned that Charles had his own ideas. In this case, they weren't at all what she expected.

"He wanted her to do something different, and she just took to it, and it was amazing to see the teacher and the student side by side, both amazingly gifted, going into this collaboration on a song that was totally different from what she and I were expecting," Burk said. The resulting track is the album-opening cover of "Here We Go Again," a slow-burn country gospel ballad on which both play piano, their silk and sandpaper voices perfectly meshed.

From the easy bouncing pop of "Sweet Potato Pie" with James Taylor, to the jazzy "Fever" with Cole, the gospel burner "Heaven Help Us All" with Gladys Knight, and the sweeping standard "It Was a Very Good Year" with Nelson, Charles stayed engaged and hands-on until the end of the sessions.

"The arranger wrote the charts for the choir part in 'Heaven Help Us,' " Burk said. "And Ray came in and said he had an idea to do it differently and he starts singing all the parts. He sang the alto parts, the soprano parts and he rewrote the chart on the spot. He had a sound in his head before he came in for every session, and if they sang anything else it was not what he wanted."


		Album of the Year Road to the Grammys

		Ray Charles & Various Artists - Genius Loves Company
		Green Day - American Idiot
		Alicia Keys - The Diary Of Alicia Keys
		Usher - Confessions
		Kanye West - The College Dropout

Though the singer had been in failing health, Ramone said he didn't think Charles knew until near the end of the sessions that Genius might be his final recording. "When you look at the song selection, 'Sinner's,' 'Heaven Help Us,' 'Over the Rainbow,' maybe he was thinking it would be his last statement," Burk said.

And how would the notoriously cantankerous singer feel about the Album of the Year nomination? "He'd be laughing about it," Ramone said. "We thought maybe a pop duo nomination, but not album and record of the year. He'll be looking down, thinking, 'Damn, I made a comeback for the rest of the world to see!' If nothing else, it's guaranteed that a good couple of generations will hear him now."

During the mixing of the album, Burk set up an intercom system so a weakened Charles could sit in his office and hear the mixing and chime in with suggestions. The last time Burk spoke to him, Charles said he was happy with what he heard, adding, "I'm going to rest now."

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