Cee-Lo
Photo: Arista

The movie may be as anticipated as "Spider-Man," but the soundtrack? Not so sure. Nevertheless, John Williams' "Star Wars: Episode II - Attack of the Clones" score hits shelves this week.

From the files of When Band Members Regroup/Go Solo, the Kickovers — a group made up of ex-Weezer bassist Mikey Welsh and former Mighty Mighty Bosstones guitarist Nate Albert — issue their first album, Osaka, this week, while closet freak and Goodie Mob member Cee-Lo unleashes Cee-Lo Green & His Perfect Imperfections.

Other releases to look out for are Classic Chillout Album, a compilation featuring Moby, Dido and Sade;When I Was Cruel, the umpteenth album from Elvis Costello; and Stereo, the Vagrant debut of ex-Replacements frontman Paul Westerberg. Cornershop generously dole out Handcream for a Generation on their LP, which features Noel Gallagher of Oasis, and Badly Drawn Boy returns with the soundtrack LP "About a Boy," his first full-length release since The Hour of Bewilderbeast.

There's also an embarrassment of riches available for Wilco fans, as their long-delayed Yankee Hotel Foxtrot finally hits stores, as does frontman Jeff Tweedy's solo soundtrack LP, "Chelsea Walls." Meanwhile, Jay Bennett, who left the band last year, releases The Palace at 4 A.M., recorded with Edward Burch.

Finally, if it's felt like a long time since the last Michael Bolton release, that's because it has been. Coming back stronger, sexier and more soulful than ever before, the crooner gives fans Only a Woman Like You.

  Out Tuesday, April 23:

• 10cc - Alive in Japan (BMG)
• 12 Stones - 12 Stones (Wind-up)
• Acid House Kings - Mondays Are Like Tuesdays (Hidden Agenda)
• Agiel - Dark Pantheons Again Will Reign (Unique Leader)
• Akwid - 2002 A.D. (Two K Sounds)
• Alfie - A Word in Your Ear (XL/Beggars Banquet)
• Audra - Going to the Theatre (Projekt)
• Autopilot Off - Autopilot Off (EP, Island)
• Susana Baca - Espiritu Vivo (Luaka Bop)
• Badly Drawn Boy - "About a Boy" soundtrack (Artist Direct)
  Read about it ... About A Badly Drawn Boy: Singer/Songwriter Does Soundtrack
• Philip Bailey - Soul on Jazz (Heads Up)
• Jay Bennett & Edward Burch - The Palace at 4 A.M. (Undertow)
• Big Moe - Purple World (Wreckshop)
  Read about it ... DJ Screw Protege Big Moe Spills 'Purple Stuff'
• Black Tape for a Blue Girl - The Scavenger Bride (Projekt)
• Michael Bolton - Only a Woman Like You (Jive)
• Brute - Nine High a Pallet (Velocette)
• Carbon Leaf - Ether-Electrified Porch Music (Constant Ivy)
• Cee-Lo - Cee-Lo Green and His Perfect Imperfections (Arista)
  Read about it ... Cee-Lo Is Water And A Wig-Wearing 'Closet Freak' On Solo Debut
• Kenny Chesney - No Shoes, No Shirt, No Problems (BNA)
• Tom Clark & the High Action Boys - Cross-Eyed & Bow-Legged (Blacksmith)
• W.C. Clark - From Austin With Soul (Alligator)
• Cornershop Handcream for a Generation (Wiija/Beggars Banquet)
  Read about it ... Gump-Like Cornershop Learn Lessons From 'Rocky' On New LP
• Elvis Costello - When I Was Cruel (Island)
• Damon and Naomi - Song to the Siren (two CDs) (Sub Pop)
• Death Threat - For God & Government (Triple Crown)
• Deeds of the Flesh - Inbreeding the Anthropophagi (Unique Leader)
• Kevin Denney – Kevin Denney (Lyric Street)
• The Dirty Dozen Brass Band - Medicated Magic (Ropeadope/Atlantic)
• Dishwalla - Opaline (Immergent)
• Florence Dore - Perfect City (Slewfoot)
• Earth, Wind & Fire - That's the Way of the World: Alive in '75 (Legacy)
• Mark Eitzel - Music for Courage & Confidence (New West)
• Entety - Cadaveric Necrogrind (World War III)
• Cor Fijneman - Mesmer 1 (Razor & Tie)
• John Forte - I, John (Kinetic)
• Frost - Still Up in This S#*T! (In the Paint)
• Gada - Addictive Lifestyle (Nuff Nuff)
• Gay Dad - Transmission (Thirsty Ear)
• Hate Theory - Hate Theory (World War III)
• Hot Hot Heat - Knock Knock Knock (Sub Pop)
• Jim Hurst - Second Son (Pinecastle)
• Insight - Updated Software V.2.5 (Landspeed)
• Bert Jansch - Dazzling Stranger: Anthology (Castle America)
• Jerry Joseph & the Jackmormons - Conscious Contact (Terminus)
• Joeski & Onoinz - Nu-York Nite Life (NRK)
• K's Choice - Almost Happy (Sony)
• Nik Kershaw - To Be Frank (Koch)
• The Kickovers - Osaka (Fenway)
• King Kong - Big Bang (Drag City)
• Greg Long - Balance (Shadow)
• Joe Lovano - Viva Caruso (Blue Note)
• Luna - Romantica (Jetset)
• Lupine Howl - Vaporizer EP (Beggars Banquet)
• Mad Happy - Feel Good Music for the Broke Middle Classes (Bar None)
• John Martyn - Patterns in the Rain: Anthology (Castle America)
• The Meat Purveyors - All Relationships Are Doomed to Fail (Bloodshot)
• Kylie Minogue - Hits + (Arista)
• Mae Moore - It's a Funny World (Paras Group)
• Mortal Decay - Forensic (Unique Leader)
• Peter Murphy - Dust (Metropolis)
• Non-Phixion - Future Is Now (Landspeed)
• NRBQ - NRBQ Live From Mountain Stage (Black Pumpkin)
• The Octopus Project - Identification Parade (Peekaboo)
• Organic Grooves - 4 (Codek)
• Oxymoron - Best Before 2000 (GMM)
• Oxymoron - Feed the Breed (GMM)
• Eddie Palmieri - La Perfecta II (Concord Picante)
• Palomar - Palomar II (Self Starter Foundation)
• Pet Shop Boys - Release (Sanctuary)
  Read about it ... Pet Shop Boys 'In Love' With Gay Eminem Character
• Gary Primich - Dog House Music (Antone's)
• Primus - Frizzle Fry (reissue, Prawn Song)
• Primus - Suck on This (reissue, Prawn Song)
• The Promise Ring - Woodwater (Anti/Epitaph)
• Rae & Christian - Mixer Presents Rewind (Razor & Tie)
• Racer X - Snowball of Doom (Shrapnel)
• Toshi Reagon - Toshi (Razor & Tie)
• Reid Speed - Resonance (Breakbeat Science)
• Will Rigby - Paradoxaholic (Diesel Only)
• RL - RL:Ements (J Records)
• Rovo - Tonic 2001 (Tzadik)
• Savatage - Dungeons Are Calling (Metal Blade)
• Daryle Singletary - That's Why I Sing This Way (Audium)
• Charlie Sizemore - The Story Is ... The Songs of Tom T. Hall (Rebel)
• Sloan - Pretty Together (RCA)
• Darden Smith - Sunflower (Dualtone)
• Sneaker Pimps - Bloodsport (Tommy Boy)
• Soul Hooligan - Music Like Dirt (Maverick)
• Stevens Sisters - Little by Little (Rounder)
• Step Kings - 3 the Hard Way (We Put Out)
• Curtis Stigers - Secret Heart (Concord Jazz)
• Still Breathing - September (Solid State)
• Stir Crazy - Stir Crazy (Global Ent.)
• Simon Stokes - Honky (Uppercut/Disgruntled)
• The Stranglers - Live in Concert (Castle America)
• Strike Boys - Grapefruit Flavoured Green Tea Time (Stereo Deluxe)
• Strung Out - An American Paradox (Fat Wreck Chords)
• Tall Paul - Back & Forth (Moonshine)
• James Talley - Touchstones (Cimarron)
• Templars - Reconquista 1994-1998 (GMM)
• Toy Dolls - We're Mad! The Anthology (Castle America)
• Tuatara - Cinemathique (Fast Horse)
• Jeff Tweedy - "Chelsea Walls" soundtrack (Rykodisc)
• Unwed Sailor - Firecracker EP (Constant Ivy)
• Vinyl - Flea Market (Tornado)
• The Walkabouts - Ended Up as a Stranger (Innerspace)
• Waterboys - Waterboys (Chrysalis)
• Wayward Shamans - Alchemy (Fedora)
• Paul Westerberg - Stereo (Vagrant)
• Wilco - Yankee Hotel Foxtrot (Nonesuch/Atlantic)
  Read about it ... Jeff Tweedy Describes Wilco's Evolution
• John Williams – "Star Wars: Episode II - Attack of the Clones" soundtrack  (Sony Classical)
• Luther Wright and the Wrongs - Rebuild the Wall (Back Porch)
• Pete Yorn - Musicforthemorningafter (reissue, Columbia)
• Frank Zappa - Threesome #1 (Rykodisc)
• Frank Zappa - Threesome #2 (Rykodisc)
• Various artists - "Ansel Adams" soundtrack (Green Linnet)
• Various artists - Because We Care: Benefit for the Children's Hospital of Orange County (Glue Factory/Oglio)
• Various artists - Best of House Vol. 2 (Robin's Ent.)
• Various artists - Classic Chillout Album (Epic)
• Various artists - "Dark Angel" soundtrack (Artemis)
• Various artists - Exposure (Four Foot Eleven)
• Various artists - Full Cycle Live! (Full Cycle)
• Various artists - Glasgow Underground Presents - Explorations in Chill (Paras Group)
• Various artists - Hed Kandi: Disco Heaven (Hed Kandi)
• Various artists - My Favorite Things - A Richard Rodgers Celebration (RCA Victor)
• Various artists - Monster Disco (Razor & Tie)
• Various artists - "The New Guy" soundtrack (Epic)
• Various artists - Progressive Development 01 (Nettwerk)
• Various artists - Stereo Sushi Vol. 2 (Hed Kandi)
• Various artists - Trance: The Progressive Experience (Capitol)
• Various artists - Ultimate After Hours Vol. 2 (Groovilicious)

April 30:

• Blackalicious - Blazing Arrow (MCA)
  Read about it ... Zack De La Rocha Joining Blackalicious On Blazing Arrow
• Donell Jones - Life Goes On (Arista)
• Various artists - "Spider-Man" soundtrack (Columbia)
  Read about it ... 'Spider-Man' Theme To Come Courtesy Of Aerosmith

May 7:

• Grandmaster Flash - Essential Mix (Warner)
  Read about it ... Grandmaster Flash Brings Back '70s, '80s Beats On Essential Mix
• Musiq - Juslisten (Island/Def Jam)
  Read about it ... Musiq Soulchild Croons Conversation Pieces On Juslisen
• Naughty by Nature - Iicons (TVT)
  Read about it ... Naughty By Nature, 3LW Save The Day
• Various artists - Family Values Tour 2001(Elektra)
  Read about it ... Aaron Lewis Assists STP, Linkin Park On Family Values CD

May 14:

• Atticus Fault - Atticus Fault (Island/Def Jam)
• Various artists - Now Presents Urban Hits (Columbia)

May 21:

• Breeders - Title TK (Elektra)
• Tommy Lee - Never a Dull Moment (MCA)
• Raphael Saadiq - Instant Vintage (Universal)

June 4:

• Eminem - The Eminem Show (Interscope)
  Read about it ... The Doc's Diagnosis: Eminem Still Crazy
• Lil' Romeo - Game Time (Universal/No Limit)
  Read about it ... Lil' Romeo Battles His Evil Twin On B-Ball Court

• Cee-Lo
• Wilco
• Elvis Costello
• Paul Westerberg
• Cornershop

Cornershop
Photo: Warner Bros.

"Spectral Mornings," the epic centerpiece of Cornershop's new Handcream for a Generation, clocks in at a wickedly unconventional 14 minutes, but that's nothing considering the song's history.

"The demo of it was 40 minutes," frontman Tjinder Singh said matter-of-factly from his England home. "It would have been longer, but the tape ran out."

And even that 40-minute track is a sliver compared to the remix of the tune Cornershop recently streamed on their Web site. At 24 hours, it made history as the world's longest remix.

One might think Singh was out to prove something (size does matter, perhaps?) with "Spectral Mornings," which features Oasis' Noel Gallagher on guitar, but that's far from the case. Like Forrest Gump, he just kept going.

That's the genius of Cornershop, whose nucleus also includes guitarist Ben Ayres. Rather than stop to configure their unique blend of traditional Indian music and disco pop, they just take their ideas and run. And run. And run.

"I was just thinking of getting a track done," Singh said of the writing session that gave birth to "Spectral Mornings." Gallagher's name came into the picture weeks later. "If you're doing a track and think about someone else coming in, that doesn't work too well. I think you take a track to a level and then realize where it can go from there and then bring people in. [Thinking about a collaborator] would take a little of the shine out of it."

Handcream for a Generation, like 1997's widely acclaimed When I Was Born for the Seventh Time, is an enthusiastically intelligent album disguised in catchy dancefloor ditties with offbeat titles like "Staging the Plaguing of the Raised Platform."

Singh claims even he doesn't know what most of his songs are about. "When you find out, tell me," he quipped. But he did reveal that the first single, "Lessons Learned From Rocky I to Rocky III," is more about the humorous elements of the music industry than the actual movies named in the title. ("I don't mind the first three, but the fourth one might as well be 'Rambo,' " he added).

Handcream, which also features guest appearances by former Oasis bassist Paul "Guigsy" McGuigan and soul singer Otis Clay, certainly has Cornershop's signature quirky sound, but also possesses many of the same elements as Singh's 2000 funk side project Clinton. Singh hears the similarities but doesn't know how it happened.

"I wasn't feeling very funky," he said. "It was quite hard in the studio. It wasn't as if it was an atmosphere that was totally happy. There was a lot of weird things going on personally and within the band. It was really just a case of sticking with ideas and carrying them on and not thinking of anything more than getting the tracks done."

Midway through recording the album, Singh's father died. A month later, his wife gave birth. The studio was a few hours' drive from Singh's home, so he spent a lot of time traveling, which he said "is probably why people like [the album] in the car."

What helped Cornershop through recording was the fresh face of the X-ecutioners' Rob Swift, who co-produced two songs, "Wogs Will Walk" and "Slip the Drummer One."

"It's good to have someone else in the studio and break things up a little," Singh said. "He was very simplistic, no messing about, just getting to a groove. Great bloke. Really laid-back."

Although Swift's touch helped give Handcream the feel of a dance album, it was important for Singh to record songs that could be transferred well to the stage. That meant using a real bass guitar to fill out the album's bottom end.

"We haven't done that in the past because we didn't want to sound like anyone, but then after 10 years, there was a realization that no one sounds like us," Singh said. "So we went ahead and did it."

Cornershop will launch a North American tour April 26 in Las Vegas. The group will play the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival the following night.

Cornershop tour dates, according to the band's spokesperson:

• 4/26 - Las Vegas, NV @ The Joint

• 4/27 - Indio, CA @ Coachella festival

• 4/30 - Austin, TX @ The Backyard

• 5/1 - Dallas, TX @ Trees

• 5/3 - New Orleans, LA @ Saenger Theatre

• 5/4 - Atlanta, GA @ Variety Playhouse

• 5/6 - Carrboro, NC @ Cat's Cradle

• 5/8 - Boston, MA @ Paradise Rock Club

• 5/9 - New York, NY @ Irving Plaza

• 5/10 - Philadelphia, PA @ The Trocadero

• 5/11 - Washington, DC @ 9:30 Club

• 5/13 - Montreal, QC @ Cabaret Music Hall

• 5/15 - Toronto, ON @ Phoenix Concert Hall

• 5/17 - Chicago, IL @ Metro

• 5/18 - Minneapolis, MN @ Fine Line Music Cafe

• 5/21 - Vancouver, BC @ Richard's On Richards

• 5/22 - Seattle, WA @ Showbox

• 5/23 - Portland, OR @ Crystal Ballroom

• 5/25 - San Francisco, CA @ Fillmore

• 5/26 - Angels Camp, CA @ Calaveras County Fairground

• Cornershop
• Oasis
• The X-Ecutioners

Alicia Keys and Angie Stone will sing "America the Beautiful" during the NBA All-Star pre-game show on Sunday, before Elton John takes the court to perform "Philadelphia Freedom." ... Our condolences go out to Slayer vocalist and bassist Tom Araya, whose father died Wednesday night of a heart attack. The group has canceled its Friday (February 8) show in Dallas and may postpone or cancel other dates as well. ... A court date scheduled Wednesday for rapper Capone was adjourned until March 19. The MC is facing second-degree assault charges stemming from an alleged altercation involving a gun at a Queens, New York, nightclub in September. ...

The entire "Queen of the Damned" soundtrack — featuring new tracks penned by Korn's Jonathan Davis and interpreted by Linkin Park's Chester Bennington, Disturbed's David Draiman, Wayne Static of Static-X and Jay Gordon of Orgy — is available for preview at WBR.com via streaming audio. The album is due February 19. ... Ben Folds will embark on his first solo piano tour February 25 in Iowa City, Iowa. The 17-date outing, to support last year's Rockin' the Suburbs and his new single and video, "Still Fighting It," ends March 20 in Los Angeles. ... Marc Anthony will deliver Mended, his second English-language album, to stores on March 26. ...

Backstreet Boy Howie Dorough will host a one-hour meet-and-greet February 16 at the Rock & Sports Experience, a weekend event held at the Washington Convention Center and sponsored by Washington, D.C. radio station Hot 99.5 FM. Dorough will promote awareness of the autoimmune disorder lupus via his Dorough Lupus Foundation, which provides financial assistance to victims who cannot afford treatment and aids in research of the disease, which took his sister's life in 1998. ... Mindless Self Indulgence and Dillinger Escape Plan will fight for marquee space when they jump aboard the System of a Down tour, which kicks off Valentine's Day in Las Vegas. ...

Soul Coughing will release a greatest-hits album, Lust in Phaze, on April 9. Along with radio favorites like "Soundtrack to Mary" and "Rolling," the album will include Ruby Vroom outtake "Buddha Rhubarb Butter," "Unmarked Helicopters" from the "X-Files" compilation Songs in the Key of X, a Propellerheads remix of "Super Bon Bon" and a live version "Casiotone Nation." ... Cornershop will attempt to break a record for the longest remix ever when their official Web site (www.cornershop.com) streams a dynamic, continuously mixed version of "Spectral Mornings" for 24 hours beginning February 12. The song, in its original 15-minute form with Oasis' Noel Gallagher on guitar, appears on Cornershop's Handcream for a Generation, which is now due April 9. ...

Turntablist ensemble the X-ecutioners will kick off a two-month tour to support their second album, Built from Scratch, at the South by Southwest music conference on March 14 in Austin, Texas. The trek wraps May 6 in Los Angeles. ... Hardcore band Speedealer will release their third album, Second Sight, on Palm Pictures on May 14. The record was produced by ex-Metallica bassist Jason Newsted and features heartwarming songs such as "Leave Me Alone," "Slowly Burning Alive" and "Kill Myself Tonight."... Pro File 1, a collection of remixes by Meat Beat Manifesto (a.k.a. Jack Dangers) due February 19, will include the famed sound manipulator's takes on Nine Inch Nails' "Closer," David Bowie's "You've Been Around" and others. Pro File 2, featuring Frankie Bones remixes, is due in May. ...

02.06.02

Eve and DJ Jazzy Jeff are heroes — they'll be honored by the Philadelphia chapter of the Recording Academy at their 2002 Heroes Awards ceremony on April 22 at the Loews Philadelphia Hotel. The event will benefit the academy's MusiCares Foundation as well as other programs to advance music education and musicians' welfare. ... Kiss bassist and irrepressible self-promoter Gene Simmons will be giving his famed tongue an onscreen workout in the film Legend of the Seven Golden Vampires, which stars Tim Allen of "Home Improvement" fame (oh, of course). ...

It's Aaron's Valentine Party (Come Get It) — yep, teenage ball o' fire Aaron Carter has his own 90-minute pay-per-view special lined up for February 16 on INDemand and DirecTV. "Aaron Carter's Valentine Party," shot at Baton Rouge, Louisiana's Riverside Centroplex, will also feature several performances by Carter's big Backstreet Boy brother, Nick. ... Sign up these switch-hitters, stat — Will Smith and Jennifer Lopez are Hollywood's two most bankable musician/actors, notching up #1 and #2, respectively, on a survey of industry execs by The Hollywood Reporter. "Marky" Mark Wahlberg feels the vibrations at #3, while Madonna, Britney Spears, Whitney Houston, Ice Cube, Janet Jackson, Cher and Courtney Love bubble under him, according to the Associated Press. ...

Photogenic twin-brother act Evan and Jaron are through with being "Crazy for That Girl." They're writing songs for their next album, which could include a new track penned by Evan called "It's So Funny I Could Cry," according to VH1 Radio. ... Rollins Band will record their March 1 and 2 shows at Chicago's famed Metro Cabaret for their first live CD, due in the summer. Henry Rollins and cohorts will warm up for the gigs with dates in Towson, Maryland (February 25), Boston (26) and Buffalo (27). ...

Run-DMC will help kick off the NBA All-Star Weekend on Friday by appearing and performing at a charity auction party held at Philadelphia's Zanzibar Blue. Two nights after the event, which benefits the Inner-City Games Foundation's efforts to enrich young people's lives through sports and educational programs, the rap innovators will join Slick Rick, Big Daddy Kane, Biz Markie, Doug E. Fresh, EPMD, DJ Jazzy Jeff, MC Lyte, Public Enemy and Rakim at the Electric Factory's Old School All-Stars party. ... Fatboy Slim and Paul Oakenfold have released albums of their favorite beats, breaks and scratches on the UK label Music of Life. Fatboy's All Star Breakbeats and Oakenfold's Bust a Groove are fodder for DJs, rappers and producers who want a sneak peak into the superstar DJs' record collections and sound files. ...

Reggae/dancehall veteran Capleton — a former Def Jam artist whose past albums have featured collaborations with Q-Tip and Method Man — will release Still Blazing on February 26 through VP Records. The foul-mouthed "slackness" king-turned-Rastafarian is planning to tour behind the LP, which combines hardcore dancehall and old-school reggae flavor. ... Classic rockers Bad Company recorded their recent tour, which featured original singer Paul Rodgers and drummer Simon Kirke along with new members, for a live CD and DVD due in May. The releases will include two new songs and guest appearances by Slash and Journey guitarist Neal Schon on "Wishing Well" and "Crossroads." ...

Good golly, Little Richard will be inducted into the NAACP Hall of Fame at the civil rights organization's 33rd annual Image Awards ceremony, which takes place February 23 and will be broadcast March 1 on Fox. "Little Richard has distinguished himself as not only an unparalleled musical genius, but also as a unique and innovative performing artist — fusing pure vocal talent with exhilarating showmanship," NAACP President/CEO Kweisi Mfume said in a statement. ... Van Morrison wrote two songs and sings on one ("Sometimes We Cry") for the second album by his daughter, Shana Morrison. Due April 2, 7 Wishes blends elements of pop, rock and blues, her spokesperson said. ...Joan Osborne, Shawn Colvin and Deep Blue Something will headline WorldSong 2002 - The Next Country Over, a concert to promote world peace and harmony during the Olympic Winter Games, on February 21 at the McKay Event Center in Orem, Utah.

• Alicia Keys
• Angie Stone
• Elton John
• Slayer
• Capone -N- Noreaga

Cornershop
Photo: Warner Bros.

Even if music critics didn't worship Cornershop, they would probably write about the curry-flavored London band just so they could mention the group's album and song titles.

Handcream for a Generation, Cornershop's follow-up to 1997's widely acclaimed When I Was Born for the 7th Time (see "Why The Critics Love Cornershop"), features such ditties as "Lessons Learned From Rocky I to Rocky III" and "Staging the Plaguing of the Raised Platform."

Conveniently, the album, due April 2, is armed with more than just quirky titles. Oasis' Noel Gallagher, who has performed live with Cornershop (see "Noel Gallagher Cornershop Bass Playing Report 'Premature'"), guests on the record, playing guitar on the 14-minute epic "Spectral Mornings." Former Oasis bassist Paul "Guigsy" McGuigan plays on "Lessons Learned From Rocky I to Rocky III," soul singer Otis Clay sings on "Heavy Soup," and "Wog.com" and "Slip the Drummer One" feature production work from X-ecutioners turntablist Rob Swift.

Cornershop frontman Tjinder Singh wrote and produced or co-produced all 13 tracks on Handcream for a Generation. "Lessons Learned From Rocky I to Rocky III" will be the album's first single.

When I Was Born for the 7th Time featured the hit single "Brimful of Asha," a tribute to Indian singer Asha Bhosle.

Track list for Handcream, according to Cornershop's spokesperson:

• "Heavy Soup"
• "Staging the Plaguing of the Raised Platform"
• "Music Plus 1"
• "Lessons Learned from Rocky I to Rocky III"
• "Wog.com"
• "Motion the 11"
• "People Power"
• "Sounds Super Recordings"
• "The London Radar"
• "Spectral Mornings"
• "Slip the Drummer One"
• "Heavy Soup (outro)"
• "Bonus Track"

• Cornershop
• Oasis
• The X-Ecutioners

Chemical Brothers
Photo: Astralwerks

Cornershop, the Chemical Brothers and the Buzzcocks are among the 56 bands included on an upcoming compilation celebrating the 25th anniversary of a legendary U.K. record store.

Rough Trade Shops — 25 years, a four-CD collection featuring rare and exclusive tracks from the likes of Stereolab, Talking Heads, Mudhoney and the Lemonheads, pays tribute to the first Rough Trade Shop, which opened in West London in February 1976.

The store, renowned for its involvement in independent music throughout the world, spawned a record label and distribution company, along with several shops around England.

The compilation, due March 5 on Mute Records (no U.S. release date exists as yet), boasts songs from some of the top bands on the Rough Trade Records roster over the years, including the Fall, the Smiths, the Pixies, Scritti Politti, the Go-Betweens and Mazzy Star.

Several other bands on the compilation, including Joy Division and the Sugarcubes, never released albums on Rough Trade but were influenced by the record shops and label. Rough Trade, the brainchild of Geoff Travis, is also celebrating its anniversary with 10 days of special live events in venues across London beginning February 23. Acts confirmed for the concerts include Beth Orton, the Sea and Cake, the Raincoats, Tindersticks, Nectarine No. 9 and Echoboy.

The shows will raise money for various national charities, including the Sickle Cell Society, London Lighthouse, Breast Cancer Campaign and Prostate Cancer Charity. Show details are available at www.deo.com.

• The Chemical Brothers
• Cornershop
• Stereolab
• Talking Heads

You may not consider British curry-flavored rockers Cornershop, rockabilly noise mongers the Jon Spencer Blues Explosion, or funk-master George Clinton to be jazz artists, but someone does.

Those acts will join the Squirrel Nut Zippers, Debbie Harry, and many others as part of the annual "What Is Jazz" festival, once again staged by the folks at New York's Knitting Factory.

The festival will further stretch the notion of jazz with two shows that infuse the genre with dance elements: clarinet wiz Don Byron's Existential Dred (a jazz-funk party that a few months ago featured rapper Biz Markie) will turn up, as will rising star trumpeter Graham Haynes and his outfit Tones For The 21st Century, which will join highly-regarded post-techno DJ Mutamassik.

The two week festival will sprawl across 11 venues in Manhattan, and users can find schedule and ticket information at www.knittingfactory.com.

• George Clinton
• Cornershop
• Jon Spencer Blues Explosion
• Squirrel Nut Zippers

The Anglo-Indian band Cornershop canceled its show in Bristol, England on Sunday after singer Tjinder Singh trashed his hotel room at the Marriott. The local police showed up at the scene but no arrests were made.

Cornershop's U.S. management attributed the outburst to "One of those bad days," adding that the band hasn't had a break in its hectic touring schedule for quite some time.

While the Marriott reported about five hundred pounds (or roughly one thousand dollars) worth of damage, the Cornershop camp says that figure is greatly exaggerated.

According to NME, the venue, The Bristol Fleece and Firkin, posted a handwritten sign on the doors saying, "Tonight's gig is canceled due to Cornershop being unable to act like adults." But the band's management could not confirm this note.

Cornershop is carrying on with its headlining U.K. tour, playing London on Wednesday and Thursday and Dublin on Saturday.

• Cornershop

Spokespeople for Oasis and Cornershop say that a BBC report that Oasis' Noel Gallagher will be playing bass with Cornershop on their next album is a bit premature.

Noel is a big Cornershop fan, and he did start playing bass with them during their opening sets on the recent Oasis tour. In fact, Cornershop sitar player and DJ Anthony Saffree joined Noel during his acoustic mini-sets during Oasis' headlining slot as well.

But Cornershop has no recording plans for now, and MTV News has been told that, if anything, Noel may join in on the next project by a Cornershop side project called Clinton. We, of course, will keep you posted.

• Cornershop
• Oasis

In music news, meanwhile, one of the most distinctive pop sounds in the air right now comes from Cornershop, an Anglo-Indian band from England whose latest album, "When I Was Born For The Seventh Time," has critics saying ridiculously nice things at every opportunity. Here's why.

BEN AYERS, Cornershop: It comes from England, in the 70's in particular people used the phrase "corner shop" in a derogatory way and towards Asians, because a lot of Asians were owning corner shops and stuff as well as entering lots of other professions. It's used as a derogatory racist term, basically.

MTV: Cornershop's career took off in the U.K. -- critically, at least -- with its second album, "Woman's Gotta Have It" released in this country on former Talking Head David Byrne's "Luaka Bop" label. And that album got the band a slot on the second stage of last year's Lollapalooza tour.

MTV: Now the Cornershop buzz continues with a single that's about singles, and about a renowned Indian movie diva.

TJINDER SINGH, Cornershop: Asha Bhosle. She's a big screen, Indian movie screen songstress, and she sang loads of songs for Hindi movies and she got a big repertoire, so we used her as a sort of pretext in the song and then went on in the song ["Brimful of Asha" video clip, 576k QuickTime] to sing about the reasons why we like plastic 45's.

MTV: Uh, "brimful"?

AYERS: Like a cup of coffee, brimming with coffee. Overflowing.

SINGH: A lot people don't understand that. Strange.

MTV: Adding samples, scratching, and some rapping to its Punjabi folk funk amalgram, Cornershop is now drawing some starry-eyed praise with its new album, "When I Was Born For The Seventh Time."

SINGH: This album has been compared to a lot of different things. Whether it's "Odelay," "Ill Communication," or "Three Feet High and Rising," it's good to be compared to something that's pretty classic.

DAVID, fan, 22: America: forget Beck as a genius. Tjinder man, Tjinder is the man, seriously!

DAVID BYRNE (after seeing a Cornershop show): I had a good time. There was a couple of Sikhs standing in the audience bopping. That was nice to see.

AMAR, fan, 26: A lot of people from our generation who have been brought up here, have been exposed to the West, but we also have our sort of home in the East ["WOG" video clip, 960k QuickTime] -- we have that culture, too. And he [Tjinder] pretty much represents a lot of young Asian youth who have been brought up in the U.K. and the United States . They sort of have both cultures to deal with and it's natural that they'd come together in music.

Cornershop will be back in the States in January to open up on a tour with Oasis.

• Cornershop

November 14 [10:00 EDT] -- When Oasis finally come to the U.S. for their first Stateside tour behind "Be Here Now," they'll be bringing Cornershop along for help.

The Gallagher brothers and their Oasis-mates have tapped the curry-flavored band, who currently have a Buzz Clip with "Brim Full Of Asha," [900k QuickTime] to open for them on when their U.S. tour kicks off on January 8 in Camden, New Jersey.

Cornershop's latest album, "When I Was Born For The 7th Time," has been hailed by critics as an Indian answer to Beck's "Odelay," and the band will prepare for its stint with Oasis by mounting a co-headlining tour with Iceland's Gus Gus.

While more dates are still to come, here's where Pollstar says the Cornershop/Oasis tour will stop:

• 1/9 - Fairfax, VA @ Patriot Center
• 1/10 - Pittsburgh, PA @ A.J. Palumbo Center
• 1/12 - East Rutherford, NJ @ Continental Airline Arena
• 1/15 - Toronto, ONT @ Maple Leaf Gardens
• 1/17 - Rosemont, IL @ Rosemont Horizon
• 1/23 - Vancouver, BC @ General Motors Place
• 1/27 - Universal City, CA @ Universal Amphitheatre
• 1/28 - Universal City, CA @ Universal Amphitheatre
• 2/8 - Atlanta, GA @ Fox Theatre

• Cornershop
• Oasis