Live

New Releases 6/6/06: AFI, Ice Cube, Head Automatica, DJ Khaled, Oakenfold, Holly Brook, Live, Hush Sound & More

6 Jun 2006 06:00:00 EDT

Also due Tuesday: Bouncing Souls, Psapp, Elvis Costello, Camera Obscura, Cracker, Paper Chase, Joan Jett.
By Kurt Orzeck

AFI's Decemberunderground
Photo: Interscope Records

Finally, the fated 6/6/06 has arrived. But what's to show for it? Where's Slayer's LP, intended for today? Alas, still in purgatory (a.k.a. production). Deicide and Entombed also missed deadlines. But have no fear, Beelzebub believers. Artimus Pyledriver and Sikth are repping. As are new grindsters Genghis Tron. There's the End Records' black-metal tutorial. And don't forget the "Omen" soundtrack.

Are you pent up with pentagrams? Not feeling horny for devil's horns? There's a heavenly corner as well. Amps for Christ, Combichrist and Evangelicals.

And there's loads more, of course. Here goes, each in six words:

The Despair Faction Weep With Joy: That would be AFI's fan club. Sobbing at the arrival of Decemberunderground. It's the band's seventh time out. Replete with requisite choruses and bombast. No limited editions or video enhancements. Just 12 doses of strident punk. You've already heard "Miss Murder" tirelessly. So check out "37mm" and "Affliction."

More Crying, Courtesy a Rap Legend: Ice Cube's Laugh Now, Cry Later. It's another classic West Coast hoedown. Snoop and WC, all over it. Plus Lil Jon's helping out, too. Just "Go to Church" for proof. Swizz Beatz and Green Lantern produce. Scott Storch polishes off two tracks. And don't miss Mike Epps' spot. Come on, "Holla @ Cha' Boy." Make LP #7 worth Cube's while.

Head Automatica Graduate to Become Sophomores: Daryl Palumbo is at it again. Decadence followed Glassjaw's hiatus — now this. Fourteen tracks' worth of power-pop prickliness. "Graduation Day" is all over mtvU. The band is "Laughing at You." While you're "Lying Through Your Teeth." Don't miss "God" or "Curious," either.

DJ Khaled Brings the Miami Heat: DJ Khaled's Listennn ... The Album arrives. And it's presented by Terror Squad. Kanye and Jeezy also on here. Beanie Sigel and Lil Scrappy, too. Plus Clipse, Freeway, Pitbull and CTE. Now that's called a star-studded LP. It's devoted to Khaled's Miami hometown. ("Future of Dade" says it all.)

Paul Oakenfold's Aged Oak-Barrel Wine Flows: At last, Oakenfold's A Lively Mind. This one has been bumping forever. But it's well worth the wait. Pharrell and Grandmaster Flash both appear. Plus 8 Mile-r Brittany Murphy, incredulously. On "Faster Kill Pussycat," no less. This is the producer's second LP. Emphasis on the unquenchable, club-ready beats. Fall Out Boy need new shoes.

The Fort Minor Queen Steps Out: She's half of "Where'd You Go." You know, Mike Shinoda's "TRL" tune. Now, time for Holly Brook proper. Like Blood Like Honey is piano-heavy. Many a heart-wrenching confessional as well. "What I Wouldn't Give" is ubiquitous. It's on TV's "Conviction" and "Related." Is this 20-year-old ready to break? Will she be the next Dido? Only time will tell, they say.

Some People Just Won't Say Die:

Cheap Trick's Rockford
Cracker's Greenland
Joan Jett and the Blackhearts' Sinner
Live's Songs From Black Mountain
The New Cars' It's Alive!
Frank Sinatra Jr.'s That Face!

A Rose by Any Other Name:

Joe Bonamassa (You & Me)
Donavon Frankenreiter (Move by Yourself)
Heideroosjes (Royal to the Bone)
Janez Detd. (Like Cold Rain Kills a Summer Day)
Kraak En Smaak (Boogie Angst)
Shakatak ("Live at the Playhouse" DVD)

They Are Singing the Body Electric:

Amps for Christ (Every Eleven Seconds)
Elevator Action (Society, Secret)
The Robot Ate Me (Good World)
Scanners (Violence Is Golden)
Soft Machine ("New Morning: The Paris Concert" DVD)
Stereo Fuse (All That Remains)

Yeah, They Decided to Take Off:

The Bottle Rockets (Zoysia)
Camera Obscura, as they declare Let's Get Out of This Country
Jefferson Airplane (The Worst of Jefferson Airplane)
Jet Lag Gemini (Business)
Ladyhawk (Ladyhawk)
Metallic Falcons (Desert Doughnuts)

Are They Rivals in the Making?:

The "Cars" soundtrack vs. the New Cars (It's Alive!)
Cheap Trick (Rockford) vs. Cheap Sex (Written in Blood)
Jet Lag Gemini (Business) vs. Joan Jett and the Blackhearts (Sinner)
Oakenfold (A Lively Mind) vs. Oakley Hall (Gypsum Strings)
Henry Rollins (Sweatbox) vs. Sonny Rollins (The Impulse Story)
Divided by Zero (The Black Sea) vs. Zero 7 (The Garden)

They Need Direction in Their Lives:

Drift (Scott Walker)
Compass (Susanne Abbuehl)
Floating World (Anathallo)
Koast II Koast (Kottonmouth Kings)
The River in Reverse (Elvis Costello & Allen Toussaint)
The Search Party Never Came (Vanna)

The Song Title of the Week:

"Hanasakajijii" from Floating World by Anathallo

Six More Notables for Your Consideration:

The Hush Sound's Like Vines: They opened for Fall Out Boy. Actually, they're on Pete Wentz's label. Like Vines is Hush's second effort. Their first for Wentz's Decaydance imprint. FOB singer/guitarist Patrick Stump co-produces here. Don't miss "Magnolia" and "Wine Red."
Psapp's The Only Thing I Ever Wanted: Domino Recording Co. is still gold. These Londoners follow Franz Ferdinand's lead. Except they're even goofier and quirkier. Their bleeps made it to radio. Go, Carim Clasmann and Galia Durant. Psapp us of all our energy.
Camera Obscura's Let's Get Out of This Country: How apropos: this is a sextet. And this is their third release. One album for every other person. "If Looks Could Kill," they say. On the new LP, that is. Even comes with a free-MP3 coupon.
Amps for Christ's Every Eleven Seconds: Recorded in L.A.'s San Gabriel Mountains. Unbelievably, this is Amps' ninth LP. An age-old German standup bass — check. Washboard, autoharp, sitar and electronics — check. Some lyrics about time travel — check. Yup, it's all right in there.
The Paper Chase's Now You Are One of Us: Which makes us one of them. It's subversive racket, through and through. Harrowing pianos about to burst apart. Squawky vocals that make you shudder. If this sounds appetizing, click "buy."
Mojave 3's Puzzles Like You: This is Mojave at their poppiest. Neil Halstead gets slightly more accessible. One song by drummer Ian McCutcheon. Glorious pencil artwork adorns the cover. "Breaking the Ice" video is included.

New Releases:

Susanne Abbuehl - Compass (ECM)
AFI - Decemberunderground (Interscope)
Buy Now: Decemberunderground (Interscope)
Amps for Christ - Every Eleven Seconds (5 Rue Christine)
Anathallo - Floating World (Nettwerk/ Artist Friendship)
Artimus Pyledriver - Artimus Pyledriver (Sever/ DRT)
B-Real - The Gunslinger (BCD)
Joe Bonamassa - You & Me (Premier Artists)
The Bottle Rockets - Zoysia (Bloodshot)
Bouncing Souls - The Gold Record (Epitaph)
Buy Now: The Gold Record (Epitaph)
Holly Brook - Like Blood Like Honey (Warner Bros.)
Peter Brötzmann Group - Alarm (live; Atavistic)
Camera Obscura - Let's Get Out of This Country (Merge)
Cheap Sex - Written in Blood (enhanced; Punkcore)
Cheap Trick - Rockford (Cheap Trick Unlimited/ Big3)
Buy Now: Rockford (Cheap Trick Unlimited/ Big3)
Combichrist - Get Your Body Beat (EP; Metropolis)
Conner - Hello Graphic Missile (Sonic Boom)
Barbara Cook - The Metropolitan Opera Presents: Barbara Cook at the Met with Special Guests (DRG)
Elvis Costello & Allen Toussaint - The River in Reverse (version with DVD due same day; Verve Forecast)
Buy Now: The River in Reverse (Verve Forecast)
Cracker - Greenland (Cooking Vinyl)
Decyfer Down - End of Grey (SRE)
The Derailers - Soldiers of Love (Palo Duro)
Divided by Zero - The Black Sea (Corporate Punishment)
Drag the River - It's Crazy (Suburban Home)
Elevator Action - Society, Secret (MoRisen)
Evangelicals - So Gone (Misra)
Jon Faddis - Teranga (Koch)
Etran Finatawa - Introducing Etran Finatawa (World Music Network)
Fleshies - Scrape the Walls (Alternative Tentacles)
Buy Now: Scrape the Walls (Alternative Tentacles)
Fort Knox - The New Gold Standard (Fort Knox Recordings)
Pete Francis - Everything Is One (with bonus DVD; Scrapper)
Donavon Frankenreiter - Move by Yourself (Lost Highway)
Buy Now: Move by Yourself (Lost Highway)
Freeheat - Back on the Water (Planting Seeds)
Genghis Tron - Dead Mountain Mouth (Crucial Blast)
Gracer - Voices Travel (Revelation)
Greeley Estates - Far From the Lies (Record Collection)
Head Automatica - Popaganda (Warner Bros.)
Read: "Daryl Palumbo Spreads Head Automatica Popaganda"
Buy Now: Popaganda (Warner Bros.)
Kieran Hebden and Steve Reid - The Exchange Session, Vol. 2 (Domino)
(Hed) p.e. - Back 2 Base X (Suburban Noize)
Buy Now: Back 2 Base X (Suburban Noize)
Heideroosjes - Royal to the Bone (I Scream)
Micah P. Hinson - The Baby & the Satellite (EP; Jade Tree)
The Husbands - There's Nothing I'd Like More Than to See You Dead (Swami)
The Hush Sound - Like Vines (Decaydance)
Buy Now: Like Vines (Decaydance)
Ice Cube - Laugh Now, Cry Later (Lench Mob)
Read: "Ice Cube Wants The Last Laugh With Independent LP Featuring Lil Jon, Snoop"
Buy Now: Laugh Now, Cry Later (Lench Mob)
In Strict Confidence - Exile Paradise (Metropolis)
Janez Detd. - Like Cold Rain Kills a Summer Day (I Scream)
Jarboe - The Conduit (Atavistic)
Jet Lag Gemini - Business (Doghouse)
Joan Jett and the Blackhearts - Sinner (enhanced; Blackheart)
Buy Now: Sinner (Blackheart)
Mike Johnson - Gone Out of Your Mind (Up)
DJ Khaled - Terror Squad Presents DJ Khaled: Listennn ... The Album
Buy Now: Terror Squad Presents DJ Khaled: Listennn ... The Album
Kraak En Smaak - Boogie Angst (Quango)
Kottonmouth Kings - Koast II Koast (Suburban Noize)
Buy Now: Koast II Koast (Suburban Noize)
Ladyhawk - Ladyhawk (Jagjaguwar)
Live - Songs From Black Mountain (Epic/ Red Ink)
Buy Now: Songs From Black Mountain (Epic/ Red Ink)
The Mag Seven - The Future Is Ours, if You Can Count (End Sounds)
Katie Melua - Piece by Piece (Dramatico)
Metallic Falcons - Desert Doughnuts (Voodoo-Eros)
Jeff Mills and the Montpellier Philharmonic Orchestra - Blue Potential (live; Uncivilized World)
Brian Stokes Mitchell - Brian Stokes Mitchell (Playbill/ Legacy)
Juana Molina - Son (Domino)
Mojave 3 - Puzzles Like You (4AD)
Monsters Are Waiting - Fascination (Retone)
Alexi Murdoch - Time Without Consequence (Zero Summer)
The New Cars - It's Alive! (live; Eleven Seven)
Oakenfold - A Lively Mind (Maverick)
Buy Now: A Lively Mind (Maverick)
Oakley Hall - Gypsum Strings (Jagjaguwar)
Oppenheimer - Oppenheimer (Bar None)
The Paper Chase - Now You Are One of Us (Kill Rock Stars)
DJ Papito Red - El Más Esperado (Esntion Silver)
Danielle Peck - Danielle Peck (Big Machine)
Patent Pending - Save Each Other: The Whales Are Doing Fine (We Put Out)
Portastatic - "Who Loves the Sun" soundtrack (Merge)
PovertyNeck Hillbillies - PovertyNeck Hillbillies (two CDs; Rust)
Psapp - The Only Thing I Ever Wanted (Domino)
Buy Now: The Only Thing I Ever Wanted (Domino)
John Ralston - Needle Bed (enhanced; Vagrant)
The Robot Ate Me - Good World (5 Rue Christine)
Scanners - Violence Is Golden (Dim Mak)
Sha Na Na - One More Saturday Night (Titan/ Pyramid)
Sikth - Death of a Dead Day (Bieler Bros.)
Frank Sinatra Jr. - That Face! (Rhino)
Sleepaway - Sleepaway (No Milk)
Smoosh - Free to Stay (Barsuk)
Sound Team - Movie Monster (Capitol)
Amy Speace - Songs for Bright Street (Wildflower)
Richie Spice - Spice in Your Life (VP)
Stars of Track and Field - Centuries Before Love and War (SideCho)
Stereo Fuse - All That Remains (Toucan Cove)
Syd Matters - Syd Matters (V2)
Trio Beyond - Saudades (two CDs; ECM)
Vanna - The Search Party Never Came (Epitaph)
The Wailin' Jennys - Firecracker (Red House)
Scott Walker - Drift (4AD)
Katharine Whalen - Dirty Little Secret (MC)
Yung Joc - New Joc City (Bad Boy)
Buy Now: New Joc City (Bad Boy)
Zero 7 - The Garden (Atlantic)
Zox - The Wait (Side One Dummy)
Various artists - The Dark Psyche: An Aural Exhibition of Black Metal From Top Scholars in the Genre (The End)
Various artists - Imaginational Anthem, Volume Two (Tompkins Square)
Various artists - The Rough Guide to Bachata (World Music Network)
Various artists - The Rough Guide to Planet Rock (World Music Network)
Various artists - SMACK: Streets Music Arts Culture & Knowledge - The Album, Volume 1 (with DVD; Koch)
Various artists - Unsound (with bonus DVD; Epitaph)
Various artists - Warped Tour '06 (two CDs; Side One Dummy)
Various artists - "Cars" soundtrack (Disney)
Various artists - "Jesus Is Magic" soundtrack (Interscope)
Various artists - "The Omen" soundtrack (Varèse Sarabande)

Notable Reissues and Archival Material:

Bill Anderson - The Definitive Collection (MCA Nashville)
Au Pairs - Stepping Out of Line: The Anthology (Castle)
Albert Ayler - The Impulse Story (Impulse)
Gato Barbieri - The Impulse Story (Impulse)
Bee Gees - Children of the World, Their Greatest Hits: The Record (two CDs), One Night Only, Size Isn't Everything, Spirits Having Flown, Still Waters and This Is Where I Came In (Rhino)
Charo and the Salsoul Orchestra - Cuchi-Cuchi (Salsoul)
Alice Coltrane - The Impulse Story (Impulse)
John Coltrane - The Impulse Story (Impulse)
Will Downing - 20th Century Masters: The Best of Will Downing - The Millennium Collection (Hip-O)
Dr. John - An Introduction to Dr. John (Fuel)
Robert Fripp - Exposure (limited edition two-CD version due same day; Discipline)
Great White - Rock Me: The Best of Great White (Cleopatra)
Lee Greenwood - The Definitive Collection (MCA Nashville)
Groove Coverage - Greatest Hits (Universal)
Tony T. Hall - The Definitive Collection (Hip-O)
(Hed) p.e. - The Best of (Hed) Planet Earth (Jive)
Imperative Reaction - Eulogy for the Sick Child (Metropolis)
Keith Jarrett - The Impulse Story (Impulse)
DJ Jazzy Jeff & the Fresh Prince - The Very Best of DJ Jazzy Jeff & the Fresh Prince (Jive)
Jefferson Airplane - The Worst of Jefferson Airplane (RCA)
Alexis Korner - Kornerstoned: The Anthology 1958-1983 (Castle)
Lighthouse Family - Greatest Hits (Fontana)
Meneguar - I Was Born at Night (Troubleman Unlimited)
Charles Mingus - The Impulse Story (Impulse)
Mint Condition - 20th Century Masters: The Best of Mint Condition - The Millennium Collection (Hip-O)
The Muckrakers - Front of the Parade (Universal)
DJ Quik - Greatest Hits Live at the House of Blues (Mad Science)
The Ramones - Greatest Hits (Rhino)
Lou Rawls - The Very Best of Lou Rawls: You'll Never Find Another (Capitol)
Henry Rollins - Sweatbox (two CDs; 2.13.61)
Sonny Rollins - The Impulse Story (Impulse)
Pharoah Sanders - The Impulse Story (Impulse)
Marvin Sease - Candy Licker: The Sex & Soul of Marvin Sease (Jive)
Archie Shepp - The Impulse Story (Impulse)
George Strait - The Ultimate Collection (Madacy)
Maxine Sullivan and Her Jazz All-Stars - Memories of You: A Tribute to Andy Razaf (Empire Musicwerks)
Survivor - Reach (Frontiers)
Harry Taussig - Fate Is Only Once (Tompkins Square)
Ernest Tubb - The Definitive Collection (MCA Nashville)
McCoy Tyner - The Impulse Story (Impulse)
Whodini - Funky Beat: The Best of Whodini (Jive)
World Party - Bang! and Egyptology (enhanced; Seaview)
Various artists - Dance Essentials: The Collection, Vol. 1-3 (three-CD box set; UBL)
Various artists - The House That Trane Built (four CDs; Impulse)
Various artists - Pure Trance 6 (Water Music)
Various artists - This Is How We Lounge, Vol. 2 (Sunshine Entertainment)

Music DVDs:

Abba - "The World's Greatest Albums: The Gold Singles" (Classic Rock Legends)
Accept - "Metal Blast From the Past" (DualDisc; Music Video Distributors)
Black Uhuru with Sly & Robbie - "Dubbin' It Live" (Music Video Distributors)
Kate Bush - "Under Review" (Music Video Distributors)
Donavon Frankenreiter - "The Abbey Road Sessions" (Lost Highway)
John Hammond - "Paris Concert" (Music Video Distributors)
Keith Jarrett - "Tokyo Solo" (EMC)
Moistboyz - "Live Jihad" (Music Video Distributors)
Pete Doherty - "Who the Hell Is Pete Doherty?" (Image Entertainment)
Shakatak - "Live at the Playhouse" (Music Video Distributors)
Tupac Shakur - "Tupac Unauthorized: So Many Years, So Many Tears - Anniversary Edition" (Music Video Distributors)
Soft Machine - "New Morning: The Paris Concert" (Music Video Distributor)
Tiamat - "Church of Tiamat" (Music Video Distributors)
Two Tons of Steel - "Live! From Gruene Hall" (Palo Duro)
The Who - "Quadrophenia Live With Special Guests" and "Tommy Live With Special Guests" (Rhino)
Various artists - "Antone's Home of the Blues: A Legend Every Night" (Koch Vision)
Various artists - "ATL Underground Live" (Carlos Glover)
Various artists - "Bastards of Young" (two DVDs; Image)
Read: "Loud-Rock Docs Rely On Fall Out Boy, Korn For The Undistorted Truth"
Various artists - "Classic Rhythm & Blues, Volume 5" and "Volume 6" (Music Video Distributors)
Various artists - "Metalmania 2005" (Music Video Distributors)

Coming Attractions:

June 13:

Chris Brown - "Chris Brown's Journey" DVD (Jive)
Preorder: Chris Brown's Journey (Jive)
The Futureheads - News and Tributes (Vagrant)
Preorder: News and Tributes (Vagrant)
Busta Rhymes - The Big Bang (Aftermath)
Read: "Busta Making An Even Bigger Bang With Em, ODB, Neptunes, Rick James"
Preorder: The Big Bang (Aftermath)
Shadows Fall - Fallout From the War (Century Media)
Preorder: Fallout From the War (Century Media)
Sonic Youth - Rather Ripped (Geffen)
Preorder: Rather Ripped (Geffen)
Regina Spektor - Begin to Hope (two-CD limited-edition version due same day; Sire/ London/ Rhino)
Preorder: Begin to Hope (Sire/ London/ Rhino)

June 20:

Fefe Dobson - Sunday Love (enhanced; Island)
Preorder: Sunday Love (Island)
Nelly Furtado - Loose (Geffen)
Read: "Nelly Furtado Hooks Up With 'Distant Cousin' Timberlake, Emerges With 'Sexy' Song"
Preorder: Loose (Geffen)
Keane - Under the Iron Sea (Interscope)
Read: "Keane Nearly Followed Breakthrough With A Breakup"
Preorder: Under the Iron Sea (Interscope)
Madonna - I'm Going to Tell You a Secret (with DVD; Maverick)
Preorder: I'm Going to Tell You a Secret (Maverick)
Pearl Jam - Live at Easy Street (J)
Obie Trice - Second Round's on Me (Aftermath)
Preorder: Second Round's on Me (Aftermath)

June 27:

Björk - Surrounded (seven-DualDisc box set; Rhino)
Dashboard Confessional - Dusk and Summer (Vagrant)
Read: "No Reggae Emo, But New Dashboard LP Owes A Lot To Jamaica"
Preorder: Dusk and Summer (Vagrant)
Lostprophets - Liberation Transmission
Read: "Lostprophets Enlist Metallica Producer But Leave 'Chugga-Chugga' Metal Behind"

Related Artists

Did 'Idol' Contender Daughtry Go Over The Line With 'Walk The Line' Cover?

24 Mar 2006 07:22:00 EST

Singer's version of Johnny Cash song sounded nearly identical to rendition by rock band Live.
By Corey Moss

Chris Daughtry on Tuesday's "Idol"
Photo: Ray Mickshaw/Fox

Did Chris Daughtry cross the line?

That's the question "American Idol" chat-room devotees are debating after the rocker sang a rendition of Johnny Cash's "I Walk the Line" Tuesday nearly identical to a version Live recorded for a 2001 compilation — without giving them credit.

Daughtry never claimed it was his arrangement outright, but the judges seemingly assumed it was his, praising him for the arrangement. Live, who also included the cover on their 2004 greatest-hits album, were never mentioned.

Last week Daughtry sang Stevie Wonder's "Higher Ground" in an arrangement similar to the Red Hot Chili Peppers' 1989 cover, but fully acknowledged it in his pre-performance segment. For that reason fans in various chat rooms believe he was not trying to mislead the public with "I Walk the Line" and have suggested he might have mentioned Live, only to see it edited out.

As is the case with all the remaining contestants, Daughtry is not available for comment and a spokesperson for "American Idol" had no comment.

After the 26-year-old McLeansville, North Carolina, native performed Tuesday, Randy Jackson praised him for taking a song everyone knows and putting a twist on it. Simon Cowell said he made a great song his own.

Jacob Clifton, who covers "Idol" for TelevisionWithoutPity.com, noted that a similar situation happened last season after Carrie Underwood sang the Janis Joplin staple "Piece of My Heart" in a rendition similar to Faith Hill's.






	'Idol' Season Five Performances
	Top 12 Finalists

"I think it's more a sign of the judges being out of touch or the show's producers deliberately trying to fool the public," Clifton said. "The fact is Chris should not be blamed for using the arrangements that he does. I think the show does him a disservice by not being open about it because in the end it's going to come out. And since his appeal is in being real ... it could hurt his musical career in the long run. I would make sure the judges knew that the arrangements were from recent covers."

Also quick to defend Daughtry was Kimberly Caldwell, a second-season finalist and current host of the TV Guide Channel's "Idol Tonight."

"That's stupid, so what?" she said. "We're doing cover songs, so leave it alone. Who cares? He didn't steal it and say, 'I wrote these words.' Everybody needs to get over it and find something else to talk about. It makes me really angry because I'm a huge Chris Daughtry fan and everybody really enjoyed that performance. Maybe somebody should have said, 'And I wanted to get the vibe of Live' as well, but they didn't, so whatever. Let's move on."

Not so fast, said DJSlim, who writes a popular "Idol" blog at Idol.Slimtainment.com.

"The bottom line is stealing and taking credit for Live's works should result in Chris being removed from the show or at least having to make a public apology," he said. "I know it is a strong punishment but in the day of copyrights and trademarks, 'Idol' is the first to send the law in after us when we steal their work, so why should they allow their contestants to do the same?"

David Bloomberg, editor of RealityNewsOnline.com and FoxesOnIdol.com, concurred with DJSlim.

"He definitely should not have taken credit for the arrangement or allowed people to praise his originality," Bloomberg said. "In his video piece, he talked about doing something different with the arrangement when he had to know he was simply using somebody else's arrangement. Then he stood onstage and let the judges talk about how he made it his own when he really did nothing of the sort."

Calls to Live's management were not returned by press time.

Cowell has called Daughtry one of his three favorites to win, along with Taylor Hicks and Kellie Pickler (see " 'American Idol' Final 12 Celebrate Making The Cut").

Get your "Idol" fix on MTV News' "American Idol" page, where you'll find all the latest news, interviews and opinions.

Related Artists

Got Charts? The Long Road To #1 — And Those Who Rocked It

14 Mar 2002 05:10:00 EST

A weekly tale of the tape for the statistically obsessed.
By David Basham

Brandy
Photo: Atlantic

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

In this week's chart and sales analysis, we pursue the extended, chart-topping travels of the "O Brother, Where Art Thou?" soundtrack and compare it with some other lengthy runs to #1 made by the likes of Live and No Doubt. We'll also go dancing in the Full Moon-light with Brandy and examine why debuting at #2 on the Billboard chart is not always a bad thing.

The Chart Odyssey Of 'O Brother'

What a long, strange trip it's been for the "O Brother, Where Art Thou?" soundtrack.

More than a year after its chart debut, the album will finally lay claim to the #1 spot on next week's Billboard 200 after selling more than 159,000 copies last week (see "Brandy Blocked From #1 Slot By 'O Brother' Soundtrack"). Much like the Homeric poem upon which the Coen Brothers film is based, the soundtrack for "O Brother, Where Art Thou?" made a long and winding expedition to its ultimate chart destination.

Released in December 2000 a few weeks before the movie hit screens, the "O Brother" soundtrack didn't crack the Billboard 200 until the turn of the century, when the LP sneaked in at #192. But whereas the flick enjoyed modest box office success, the album has emerged as something of a roots and bluegrass revival phenomenon.

According to Variety, the "O Brother" film grossed $45.5 million before being withdrawn from screens in August 2001. The "O Brother" album has enjoyed its greatest chart success since the flick's theatrical run ended, spending most of the last six months in the top 20 and tallying 4.36 million copies sold.

The "O Brother" LP's unexpected chart twists and turns culminated in last month's surprise Album of the Year win at the Grammy Awards. That victory has helped the soundtrack sell 368,000 copies alone in the last two weeks, sending "O Brother" to the top of the Billboard 200.

But what's truly remarkable about the soundtrack's #1 trek is the duration of the trip. It took 63 weeks for "O Brother, Where Art Thou?" to complete its chart-topping jaunt, making it the longest climb to #1 on the Billboard 200 during the SoundScan era, which dates back to 1991.

To the best of our knowledge, the previous longest chart climb to #1 (during the last 12 years) was made by Live's Throwing Copper, which took a full year to top the Billboard 200. After debuting on the charts at #38 in April 1994, Throwing Copper would later ascend to #1 in April 1995 — exactly 52 weeks later — as the band's "Lightning Crashes" was embraced by a country still reeling in shock from the Oklahoma City bombing.

Although Throwing Copper would only spend one week at #1, the LP would continue to hover around the top of the charts for the next few months, logging a total of five other weeks at #2. With more than 5.57 million copies sold, Throwing Copper remains the best-selling record of Live's career and one of the pivotal, if often overlooked, albums from the mid-'90s.

The next longest chart-topping climb belongs to No Doubt, whose Tragic Kingdom took 49 weeks to reach #1 on the Billboard 200. Released in October 1995, Tragic Kingdom would not enter the albums chart until the first week of January 1996.

Building upon the strength of the "Just a Girl" and "Don't Speak" singles and videos, Tragic Kingdom was eventually crowned #1 on the charts in December 1996. As mentioned in a previous Got Charts? (see "Got Charts? Creed, Eminem, No Doubt, 'NSYNC Have Something In Common"), Tragic Kingdom went to rattle off eight straight weeks at #1 through January 1997 and has sold over 7.75 million copies to date.

After the "O Brother" soundtrack, Live's Throwing Copper and No Doubt's Tragic Kingdom, the next longest chart climb to #1 was made by none other than Hootie & the Blowfish's Cracked Rear View. After debuting at #127 on the Billboard 200 in July 1994, the record would take 44 chart weeks to reach the top of the Billboard albums chart.

Cracked Rear View spent four consecutive weeks at #1 and would dominate the charts for much of the summer, with the LP earning four additional weeks at #1 through September 1995. At better than 9.96 million copies sold, Cracked Rear View remains the best-selling debut by a rock band — although Linkin Park's Hybrid Theory (and its 6.49 million copies sold) could make it interesting (see "Got Charts? Britney, Linkin Park Give Peers A Run For Their Sales Figures").

And despite the heroic 63-week chart-topping feat of the "O Brother, Where Art Thou?" soundtrack, sometimes it's not always best to have the #1 album — just ask Shania Twain. Despite debuting at #2, her Come on Over. — the best-selling album of the SoundScan era (at 14.2 million copies sold to date) — never reached #1 on the Billboard 200 during its two-year run on the charts, and that certainly impresses us much.

Brandy — Almost Does Count

Maybe Brandy can take some chart solace in Twain's non-#1 example. The singer's new album, Full Moon, sold 156,000 copies last week to enter the albums chart at #2, falling short of the "O Brother, Where Art Thou?" soundtrack by less than 4,000 copies.

While Brandy is likely to be a tad disappointed after being denied the first #1 album of her career, there is still much for the singer to celebrate and get all full-moon feverish about. Most importantly, Full Moon marks the highest chart debut yet for the 23-year-old singer. Her previous LPs, 1994's Brandy and 1998's Never Say Never, entered the Billboard 200 at #94 and #3, respectively, even though Never Say Never sold more copies (nearly 160,000) than Full Moon did out of the gates.

Brandy can also feel comfortable knowing that Full Moon should be orbiting around the Billboard 200 for many lunar cycles to come, as her Brandy LP logged 89 weeks on the charts, while Never Say Never spent a total of 72 weeks — 28 of which were in the top 20. There's also a slight chance that Full Moon could actually rise on the charts next week, something Never Say Never managed to do in its second week.

After debuting at #3, Never Say Never managed to climb up to #2 on the chart the following week, even though the LP's sales had dipped slightly to 152,000 copies. Figure that Brandy stands a decent shot at repeating the second-week climb — especially if she can hold off new releases by B2K and N.E.R.D.

Lastly, even though Full Moon didn't debut at #1, Brandy can be consoled by how she has set the bar even higher for her one-time collaborator and friendly rival, Monica. Though the two shared a Best R&B Performance Grammy for their joint effort, "The Boy Is Mine," Brandy has clearly gotten the better of Monica in terms of album sales and chart positioning.

To date, Brandy has sold 2.12 million copies of her self-titled debut (which peaked at #20) and a healthy 4.4 million copies of Never Say Never (which peaked at #2). As for Monica, the Atlanta-born singer has sold just 1.35 million copies of her 1995 debut, Miss Thang (which peaked at #36), and another 1.96 million copies of The Boy Is Mine (which peaked at #8).

Coming Attractions

March Madness is in full bloom, and by next week the NCAA basketball tournament will have whittled its way down to the Sweet 16. Brackets (and space) permitting, we'll try and help fans size up potential Final Four match-ups with the help of some representative music artists and their SoundScan numbers. But, please, this is all for fun — so no wagering in the chat rooms.

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

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Calling All Chart Freaks: Michael, Lenny, Bush Under The Microscope

8 Nov 2001 08:19:00 EST

A weekly tale of the tape for the statistically obsessed.
By David Basham

Michael Jackson
Photo: Epic

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

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

Lil' Sis Is Lil' No More

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

The Apprenticeship Of Lenny Kravitz

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

The Downward Spiral: Pumpkins, Live & Bush

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

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

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

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

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

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

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Overcome By Terrorist Wreckage, Live Plan Emotional Video

21 Sep 2001 10:18:00 EDT

Frontman Ed Kowalczyk visits disaster site, fire station, memorials in clip.
By Jon Wiederhorn, with additional reporting by Jill Modabber

Live's Ed Kowalczyk
Photo: MTV News

Radio programmers across the country have adopted Live's "Overcome" to reflect last week's devastation and the subsequent confusion consuming the nation.

The day after the September 11 tragedy, the documentary Web site CameraPlanet.com created a montage of New York rescue scenes and relief efforts and combined them with the Live song. The resulting video was aired repeatedly on VH1 beginning two days after the attack.

The powerful presentation overwhelmed nearly everyone who viewed it — not least of all members of Live, who had no foreknowledge of the video.

"My wife and I woke up, flipped on the TV and the video came on," recalled Live frontman Ed Kowalczyk. "I was shocked and overwhelmed by how striking the images of the rescue workers were. It was amazing."

Live have decided to create their own video for the song by combining CameraPlanet's footage with studio shots of Kowalczyk. Live enlisted video director Mary Lambert, best known for her work with Madonna, and on Tuesday (September 18) she filmed the vocalist singing under an artificial waterfall in a Los Angeles studio. Lambert worked for free and Kodak donated the film.

But CameraPlanet.com CEO Steve Rosenbaum blanched when he learned the band wanted to use his company's film alongside studio footage.

"We said to Ed, 'Look, if you're gonna make a video, it has to feel honest,'" said Rosenbaum, "'and putting something from the studio over those pictures is just wrong.' Ed called me and said, 'We've thought about what you said and we think you're right.'"

Rosenbaum invited Kowalczyk to visit New York to experience the shell-shocked city first-hand. Wednesday night, CameraPlanet.com filmed the singer visiting the wreckage site, a fire station and various memorials. Band manager Chris Harden said an "Overcome" video combining that material with the rescue footage will be released soon. The Lambert material may wind up as an alternate version of the video, Harden said.

Kowalczyk was affected deeply by the scope of the damage. "It's overwhelmingly huge," he said. "It hits so hard. There's such a wrongness about all this."

Instead of lashing out in rage, however, Kowalczyk's Buddhist faith compels him to help and heal. "We're going through a profound test as human beings and Americans," Kowalczyk said. "We have to concentrate on passing that test, and part of that test is loving. Practicing love is a difficult thing to do. It's much easier to get angry. But to answer this type of tragedy with more hate is almost a bigger crime. It's horrible to do that in the face of all this suffering."

Live plan to spread love and understanding by performing onstage and will proceed with their scheduled North American tour, which begins at the Centrum in Worcester, Massachusetts, on October 2. Shows in Philadelphia; Toronto; Bristow, Virginia; Mobile, Alabama; and Atlanta will follow. Live will then jet to Europe for performances in Belgium and the Netherlands before returning to America to play Madison Square Garden in New York on October 15. Gigs in East Rutherford, New Jersey; Pittsburgh; Auburn Hills, Michigan; Rosemont, Illinois; and St. Paul, Minnesota will follow.

Shows have been booked through October 23, but additional dates will likely be announced shortly, said the band's publicist. Live will also appear on the September 27 "Tonight Show With Jay Leno."

"Music is a spiritual event and a means to realize freedom," explained Kowalczyk. "Individuals have to find a place to experience a profundity of feeling, and art is a means to that. I think musicians, artists and directors will come to that party and make sure people have the means of contemplating what's going on in the physical world."

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Live, U2, Enya, Aerosmith Songs Become Radio Memorials

14 Sep 2001 08:55:00 EDT

News coverage, speeches, first-person testimony enhance tracks reflecting terrorist attacks.
By Corey Moss

Moby
Photo: V2

On the radio this week, songs by Live, Moby, Jewel, Aerosmith, Enya and others have been transformed into musical tributes integrating news coverage of Tuesday's events, passages from President Bush's speeches in response to them and first-person accounts from witnesses to the terrorist attacks in New York and Washington, D.C.

KIIS in Los Angeles produced a tribute version of U2's "Stuck in a Moment You Can't Get Out Of" and is also playing a tribute version of Enya's "Only Time" and Faith Hill's "Star-Spangled Banner."

"We were looking for something to help, songs that touch the heart, that help you reflect and make you feel good," KIIS program director John Ivy said Friday (September 14). "We are playing tributes that make sense and don't sensationalize the events in any way. Our listeners are calling for them."

WHFS in Washington, D.C., produced a version of Moby's "Porcelain" that opens with the line, "Freedom itself was attacked this morning," from President Bush's address to the nation. Other sound clips interspersed with Moby lyrics such as "In my dreams I'm dying all the time" include "there was chaos everywhere" and "firefighters were crying." The tribute can be heard on the station's Web site (www.whfs.com).

WVRV in St. Louis produced a tribute version of Annie Lennox's "Why," and is also playing a tribute version of Don Henley's "In a New York Minute" and a new version of "God Bless the U.S.A." by Tom Pilcher.

"The songs we are playing are incredibly powerful," WVRV program director Mark Edwards said Friday. "In all of my many years in radio, never have I seen more response from listeners. These songs are touching people very deeply."

WBBN in Chicago is playing Whitney Houston's "Star-Spangled Banner" and a tribute version of Enrique Iglesias' "Hero."

In New York, WHTZ is spinning a tribute version of Jewel's "Hands," and in Chicago, WKQX is playing a tribute version of Live's new "Overcome."

Live dedicated "Overcome" to the tragedies' victims this week, their spokesperson said Thursday. The song, from their new album V, due Tuesday, is available for download at their Web site (www.friendsoflive.com).

WBCN in Boston is playing the Live piano ballad without the added dialogue.

"I think [the tributes] are cheesy," Oedipus, the rock station's program director, said Friday. "I am not putting Bush on my station. He doesn't like the music we play. The song alone has hit a chord with our audience. It is an amazing song. It gives me chills when I hear it."

"Overcome" opens with frontman Ed Kowalczyk singing, "Even though/ The world is bleeding/ But feeling just fine/ Alone in the castle/ Where we're always free to choose." The edited version includes Bush declaring, "Thousands of lives were suddenly ended by evil."

A tribute version of Aerosmith's "Living on the Edge" has also received air time on some stations, while others are relying on Bruce Springsteen's "Born in the U.S.A." to pump up listeners' pride.

Country singer Jo Dee Messina's "Bring on the Rain" has been edited into a tribute version being played on country stations around the world.

"When I recorded that song, it felt deep but it was about personal heartache," Messina told the Associated Press. "To know that the song also can relate to such a massive destruction, it gives the song an entirely new dimension. To have this song be a part of all of us uniting, feeling and connecting, is a massive deal for me."

KCRW in the Los Angeles area, home to "Morning Becomes Eclectic" and the syndicated "Sounds Eclectic" shows, dedicated its airwaves to news coverage until Friday morning, when music director Nic Harcourt hosted a special show.

Harcourt played songs such as Jeff Buckley's "Hallelujah," Simon and Garfunkel's "America" and Joni Mitchell's "Come in from the Cold" on the show, an hour of which can be heard on the station's Web site (www.kcrw.com).

"During this day of remembrance and national prayer," Harcourt said, "I felt it was important to program music that reflected the emotions and feelings many of us have experienced during the last week, music that could express sympathy, sorrow, strength and hope. It is my belief that music can help us heal."

KCRW's Cathy Tamkin will host a second show dedicated to the tragedies at midnight Friday and said she will include PJ Harvey's "This Mess We're In," Belle and Sebastian's "I Fought in a War" and Bob Marley's "So Much Trouble in the World" on her show.

Television stations are also including musical tributes in their coverage of the attacks. WNBC, New York's NBC affiliate, played Bruce Springsteen's version of "We Shall Overcome" during one of its segments. Others have also used Pilcher's "God Bless the U.S.A."

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Jane's Addiction Relapsing Again With Live, Femi Kuti

28 Aug 2001 09:38:00 EDT

Jubilee 2001 tour will begin October 2 in Boston.
By Gil Kaufman

Jane's Addiction's Dave Navarro, Perry Farrell, and Stephen Perkins
Photo: MTV

Months after getting together for a series of reunion shows, '80s art-rockers Jane's Addiction are taking their (freak) show on the road again.

Billed as the Jubilee 2001 tour, the outing kicks off October 2 in Boston and features Jane's sharing the stage with rockers Live and world music sensation Femi Kuti.

The first leg of shows will take the band — singer Perry Farrell, guitarist Dave Navarro, drummer Stephen Perkins and former Porno for Pyros bassist Martyn LeNoble — up and down the East Coast and into the Midwest. A second stretch of North American dates through November 11 is not yet confirmed, according to the tour's publicist.

The name of the festival is derived from the Old Testament concept of Jubilee, the culmination of a 50-year cycle in which debts are forgiven and slaves are freed, according to a statement from the group's publicist. One dollar from every ticket will be donated to the nonprofit Jubilee Foundation, founded by Farrell.

In June, Farrell said he expected the tour to be more like a barnstorming party than a traditional roadshow. "It's more freeform — we'll set up and do wonderful parties," he said. "It's more fluid. It's not as solid and stiff as Lollapalooza was. It's going to be a globe-trot, [and] as you globe-trot you might want to pick up some local people."

Farrell said he expected the Jane's set to combine classic tracks from the group's studio albums with a handful of selections from his debut solo LP, Song Yet to Be Sung. Among the songs he plans to include in the show is his album's techno-flavored title track, which features all the current members of the group.

Jane's played a handful of festival and radio shows earlier this summer, including the recent MTV 20th anniversary celebration, but they haven't toured since their 1997 Relapse outing.

The trip might lead to some fresh Jane's Addiction recordings, Farrell said in June. Although the group broke up in 1991 due to what Farrell described as a loss of musical curiosity, the intervening years have helped stoke his desire to revisit the band's chemistry. His "secret plan" is to bring recording equipment on the band's bus and see what happens to the new Jane's.

"If we're bored from Dallas to Houston," he said, giggling, "then we can all sit around this thing and have a good time. I couldn't think of a better time to be enthusiastic and reflective than now. These guys are at the top of their field — they are amongst the greatest musicians."

Navarro has also expressed interest in recording new Jane's material.

Jane's Addiction tour dates:

10/2 - Worcester, MA @ Centrum

10/3 - Philadelphia, PA @ First Union Spectrum

10/5 - Toronto, ON @ Air Canada Centre

10/6 - Bristow, VA @ Nissan Pavilion

10/15 - New York, NY @ Madison Square Garden

10/16 - East Rutherford, NJ @ Continental Airlines Arena

10/19 - Pittsburgh, PA @ Mellon Arena

10/20 - Auburn Hills, MI @ Palace of Auburn Hills

10/21 - Rosemont, IL @ Allstate Arena

10/23 - St. Paul, MN @ Xcel Energy Center

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Live Turn Tracks Written In Smelly Locker Rooms Into Aggressive V

13 Aug 2001 02:01:00 EDT

Band moves beyond beautiful ballads for fifth LP.
By Jon Wiederhorn

Live's Ed Kowalczyk
Photo: Image Direct

He couldn't have been more eager to talk about Live's fifth album, V, which comes out September 18. Every time frontman Ed Kowalczyk started to explain the creative process for the disc, though, a Chihuahua circled his feet and yapped noisily.

"Will you just shut up?" the singer snapped at the dog, momentarily breaking his Zen-like disposition.

"She's a girl and we fixed her," he continued. "They say sometimes after you fix them they get all barky."

The animal is one of three dogs that circulate through Kowalczyk's Los Angeles house, where he lives with his wife, Erin, when he's not on tour — which until last year was rarely. Live spent 14 months straight on the road to promote their 1999 album, The Distance to Here, playing on five continents. And since he's not exactly the party-till-dawn, sleep-till-noon kind of guy, Kowalczyk found time to write lots of new material on the road.

"I wrote this record in some really strange places," he said. "There were so many times I wound up writing on balconies, in bathrooms or even high school locker rooms. We'd play these colleges and we'd be in the smelly locker room that had just emptied out. That was often the only place I could find that was quiet enough to write in."

When Live returned from the road in October 2000, they went straight into their friend Alain Johannes' studio in Los Angeles to work on Kowalczyk's 20-plus new songs. Johannes, one half of the Los Angeles rock band Eleven, co-produced the album. In the studio, the singer's creativity kept on flowing. Before heading to a recording session one morning, he banged out the upbeat rocker "Flow." The next day, lightning struck again, and the Beatles-esque ballad "Call Me a Fool" was born.

"The way you hear 'Call Me a Fool' on the record is the way it sounded at 8 p.m. the very day it was written," Kowalczyk said. "I remember reading stories about Jimi Hendrix walking in, showing the band the song and within two or three takes, that would be the record. This was kind of like us heading in that direction, which was really cool."

The ever-changing atmospheres in which V was written and the speed with which it was recorded have resulted in some of Live's heaviest material to date. The first single, "Simple Creed," buzzes with the bluesy charge of Led Zeppelin and the positive power of Creed. "People Like You" combines surging guitar riffs, pummeling drums and agitated vocals. "OK" percolates to a funk-rock rhythm, rapid wah-wah guitar strums and screaming sirens.

"This is really a street record," Kowalczyk said proudly after a moment of deliberation. "It has a feel to it which I totally attribute to taking the energy from the fans every night and pouring it into the music. The basic message for Live since the very beginning has been to not be afraid of taking on these big themes and make universal music. This time, I wanted to do that in a way that was aggressive to show people that our music doesn't have to be just beautiful ballads."

In addition to being fueled by the road, the singer was energized by his frustration with mainstream radio. Sure, Live staples like "I Alone," "Lightning Crashes" and "Lakini's Juice" don't sound too far removed from Train or Lifehouse, but the aggregation of teen pop and mainstream rock has motivated Live to take some chances. As a result, tracks such as "Intro," "Deep Enough" and "Like a Soldier" are flavored with evocative drum loops, eerie samples and impressive musical diversity.

"I wanted to record these songs as fast as Live could play them. And then we listened back to it all to see what we could add without taking away from Chad Gracey's drums," Kowalczyk said. "So we found ways to add these cool drum'n'bass parts. We would pull the drums and guitars away [while we were recording the techno parts], and just listen to the grooves we were creating. There was this weird alchemy going on, which was amazing."

A number of guest stars contribute to the eclectic V, including trip-hop pioneer Tricky, who raps in the breakdown of "Simple Creed," and Counting Crows singer Adam Duritz. Kowalczyk, a longtime Tricky fan, hooked up with him after their two management companies merged, but the meeting of the minds wasn't premeditated.

"I was on the phone with a friend of mine, who's an engineer, and out of the blue he said, 'Hey, somebody wants to talk to you,' " Kowalczyk said. "It was Tricky. He asked me to come over and check out this track 'Evolution Revolution Love.' So I came over and sang the melody on it, and then we hung out and he came into our studio and returned the favor. It was all just a mutual affirmation of how much we loved each other's music."

A video for "Simple Creed" was shot early last month in Burbank, California, by Marc Webb. The footage is mostly live, but the clip also contains narrative threads that vibe with Kowalczyk's positive lyrics.

"The verses are kind of aggressive and they're partially about gratuitous over-the-top violence in lyrics," he said. "So Marc has this pit bull in a shot and everyone's giving it hell. Then the chorus is this universal message about needing each other and loving each other, so everybody in the video is hanging out and getting along. I really like it because it reminds me of the Clash's video for 'Rock the Casbah.' "

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Tricky, Adam Duritz Guest On Fifth Live Album, V

12 Jul 2001 08:56:00 EDT

Alain Johannes, Glen Ballard contribute production work to September 18 release.
By Teri vanHorn

Live
Photo: Danny Clinch

After toying around with calling their fifth album "Ecstatic Fanatic," Live have opted to stick with the facts — the Pennsylvania rockers' latest will be titled V when it hits stores September 18.

The 14-track album features Counting Crows frontman Adam Duritz on "Flow" and electro-witchdoctor Tricky on "Simple Creed." Frontman Ed Kowalczyk guests on a song on Tricky's latest LP, Blowback, called "Evolution Revolution Love," which the pair will perform together July 20 on "Late Night With Conan O'Brien." Live co-produced most of V with Eleven singer/guitarist Alain Johannes, while Glen Ballard (Alanis Morissette, Dave Matthews Band) co-wrote "Forever May Not Be Long Enough" with Kowalczyk and produced the track. "Forever" also appears on the soundtrack to "The Mummy Returns," released in the spring (see "Live To Offer 'Mummy Returns' Song As Free Download"). Its accompanying video will appear on the DVD release of the film in September.

Live recently teamed with director Mark Webb (Green Day) to shoot a video for "Simple Creed," although the song might not be the album's first single, a Live publicist said.

In addition to playing the Rolling Rock Town Fair on August 4 (see "STP, Live To Headline Rolling Rock Town Fair"), Live will also play a July 27 show at the Trump Taj Mahal in Atlantic City, New Jersey, and a pair of radio festivals — WRZX-FM's XFest 2K1 on July 29 in Noblesville, Indiana, and WEBN-FM's Lunatic Fringe Fest on August 3 in Cincinnati.

The track listing for V:

"Intro"
"Simple Creed"
"Deep Enough"
"Like a Soldier"
"People Like You"
"Transmit Your Love"
"Forever May Not Be Long Enough"
"Call Me a Fool"
"Flow"
"The Ride"
"Nobody Knows"
"OK"
"Overcome"
"Hero of Love"

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Tricky Exchanges Sweets For Ear Candy On Blowback

29 Jun 2001 07:57:00 EDT

Dark electronic-music artist's relaxed album includes guests Alanis Morissette, Red Hot Chili Peppers.
By Corey Moss

Tricky
Photo: Hollywood Records

Like Jenny Craig or Subway-commercial guy Jared Fogle, Tricky's life changed when his diet did.

The peculiar electronic-music producer saved himself from insanity by dropping dairy, sugar, yeast and canned foods under doctor's orders, and by switching to macrobiotic products.

Tricky recovered from a severe depression to create a stellar advertisement for his life-changing diet in Blowback, arguably the best album of his decade-long career.

"I went through a lot of mad stuff," Tricky said from his New York studio in May. "This is the first time I've relaxed in three years and you kind of hear that on the record." Unlike the collections of broken beats and twisted words that comprised Tricky's earlier albums, Blowback is total ear candy. On it he works with a slew of hit makers including Alanis Morissette, Live's Ed Kowalczyk, the Red Hot Chili Peppers and Cyndi Lauper. He even remade "Wonder Woman." It's a far cry from 1999's Juxtapose, the nadir of Tricky's dark and dreary phase.

"I was in a state of insanity," Tricky said of his life following that album's release. "I was seeing a psychiatrist and that didn't work. It was all about my diet. It's hard to stay on it. I broke it last night and feel sick as f---." Tricky also credits his recovery to his desire to bring new sounds to the world.

"I've got nothing against things like Britney Spears," he explained. "My daughter loves her. She is a totally positive artist. Things like Eminem aren't the opposite. He does songs about 'NSYNC and the Backstreet Boys and stuff, but, with no disrespect to him at all, he's exactly like the Backstreet Boys except there's only one of him. It's pop music. It's pop art. There needs to be more art on the radio and MTV." Blowback, released Tuesday, is not a collaborative showcase (see "Tricky Works With Chili Peppers, Morissette, Kowalczyk on Blowback"). Tricky tries to combine different worlds on the album, as when Jamaican prodigy Hawkman and soul singer Ambersunshower tag team on "Over Me" or England-bred Tricky's own distinguished voice tears into Nirvana's "Something in the Way." It may be arty, but it's also the most commercial music Tricky has released. "Evolution Revolution Love," with Kowalczyk and Hawkman, is climbing rock-radio charts, and the producer hopes to expose his new sounds to a wider audience by touring in the fall as an opener for a bigger act (he's hoping for Tool).

"I'm the luckiest man alive, because I can do anything I want," Tricky said. "Some people in England won't like this album because they prefer the darker, stranger stuff. If my name is associated with pop, they're going to not listen to it. I might be called a sellout if I get radio play. All I know is, my music is more honest than most."

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