The Velvet Underground

New Releases: Yellowcard, P.O.D., Cat Power, Jenny Lewis, Velvet Underground

23 Jan 2006 08:11:00 EST

Also due Tuesday are albums by the Elected, Tortoise, UB40, the Advantage and Test Icicles.
By Kurt Orzeck, with additional reporting by Jem Aswad

Yellowcard's Lights and Sounds
Photo: Capitol

Lights, Camera, Action: Looking for even more Lights and Sounds? A special edition of Yellowcard's much-ballyhooed, harder-rockin' release is upped with an hour-long DVD featuring the requisite making-of material, commentary, photo gallery and video (for the title track). Don't miss the Judeo-Christian hoedown on "Roots in Stereo," featuring Matisyahu, or "Rough Landing, Holly," "Martin Sheen or JFK" and "Holly Wood Died."

C.O.D.: After priming fans with their second Warriors EP in November, Payable on Death are cashing in with Testify. Those who pre-ordered the disc on the band's Web site were gifted with a T-shirt; everyone else will have to settle for the frills-free package, which houses 13 songs. Among them are "Sounds Like War," "Mistakes & Glories" and "Mark My Words."

The Power That Be: Consummate trickster Chan Marshall (a.k.a. Cat Power) has dubbed her latest The Greatest, even though it's actually a batch of fresh recordings, not a recap. Marshall went back to Memphis, Tennessee, where she recorded 1996's What Would the Community Think, holing up in a Stax-affiliated studio with Al Green's guitarist to track tunes for Cat Power's first album in three years. Keep your eye out for "The Moon," "Willie" and "Islands."

DV(elvet)D: Digital video discs have been around for oh, a little while now, but believe it or not, experimental masters Velvet Underground haven't experimented yet with the format. Until this week, that is! For the Roman-numerically impaired, "Velvet Redux: Live MCMXCIII" is a snapshot of the band's 1993 reunion tour; these performances (by the original lineup, mind you) were filmed at the Paris Olympia on June 15-17. The disc runs 85 minutes and offers both the expected ("Heroin," "Femme Fatale," etc.) and the unexpected (a then-new track, "Coyote").

Purple Pandemonium: Back in 1974, when dinosaur-rock was the dominant species, Deep Purple were a tyrannosaurus rex, stalking the earth in billowing bell-bottoms, platform heels and their own jet. "Deep Purple Live in California 74" captures the band's co-headlining set at the California Jam festival, which drew 200,000 people and was broadcast on network TV. Amid ridiculously long solos — somehow, the band sprawled seven songs over nearly two hours — you see an extremely young and nervous future Whitesnake frontman David Coverdale and some of the greatest rock destruction ever captured on film. Annoyed by an intrusive cameraman, Purple guitarist Ritchie Blackmore goes completely ballistic, hurling two Marshall stacks into the crowd, setting off an alarmingly large explosion and smashing four guitars — one directly into the lens of the camera that irritated him. While we would never endorse such behavior, it does make for great TV.

Diva Envy: Indie-rock usually doesn't have much in common with the top 40 countdown, but this is no ordinary week. Jose Gonzalez covers Kylie Minogue's "Hand on Your Heart" on his Stay in the Shade EP, while Action Action recorded their new one, An Army of Shapes Between Wars, with Cyndi Lauper producer William Wittman. Not to be overlooked is the National Trust, who also go the bubblegum route by collaborating with producer Abel Garibaldi (Britney Spears, Ciara) for Kings & Queens.

Graphic Artists: What is this, Genitalia Celebration Week? We've got Test Icicles' For Screening Purposes Only and Buzzcocks' "Live at Shepherds Bush Empire 2003" DVD and, on a somewhat related note, soul singer Darondo — whose Let My People Go is reissued this week — used to be a pimp; Some Girls are busy with Heaven's Pregnant Teens; and Hayseed Dixie get a Hot Piece of Grass.

Song Title of the Week:

"Oh Sh--, My Phaser's Jammed" (The Beatings' Holding on to Hand Grenades)

Other Notables:

Jenny Lewis With the Watson Twins' Rabbit Fur Coat Vs. Elected's Sun, Sun, Sun: Rilo Kiley's leading representatives duke it out this week with opposing releases. Lewis finally takes a stab at the solo thing, although she finds good company with Death Cab for Cutie's Ben Gibbard, Maroon 5's James Valentine, M. Ward and Bright Eyes' Conor Oberst, whose boutique label Team Love is issuing the album. Her Kiley cohort Blake Sennett has a bit of a head start, having released the Elected's debut in 2004. The follow-up was recorded in analog, which, to studio-philes, is kind of a big deal. Sun, Sun, Sun hammers home the overarching theme with tracks like "Clouds Parting (8:14 a.m.)," "Beautiful Rainbow" and "Biggest Star."

The Advantage's Elf-Titled Vs. Town and Country's Up Above: What's more bizarre, a band devoting an entire album to eight-bit Nintendo songs and toying with convention by calling it Elf-Titled, or a band recording an album after being inspired by a lecture on hypnotherapy? If you're feeling extra adventurous, you might want to give the Advantage and Town and Country's respective releases a spin.

UB40's Who You Fighting For?, Various artists' Future Retro and Marty Casey & Lovehammers' Marty Casey & Lovehammers: UB40 have already fought their way into the U.K. top 40 with their new single "Reasons," but their LP's main attraction might be the bushel of songs they reinterpret: Lennon/McCartney's "I'll Be on My Way," the Jamaicans' lilting "The Things You Say You Love" and the Manhattans' "Kiss and Say Goodbye," which has also cracked the chart. Rhino has another covers-laden disc out this week: Future Retro, a disc that compiles the Crystal Method's version of New Order's "Bizarre Love Triangle," Jaded Alliance's take on Erasure's "A Little Respect" and Static Revenger's rendition of INXS' "Need You Tonight." And speaking of INXS, Marty Casey, who made a name for himself on "Rock Star: INXS," sets forth his major-label debut, containing his heavily downloaded "Trees," "Rain on the Brain" and "Casualty" — a title that's very apropos, given his dismissal from the TV show.

New Releases:

10 Second Drop - 10 Second Drop (Rock Ridge Music)
Action Action - An Army Of Shapes Between Wars (Victory)
The Advantage - Elf-Titled (5 Rue Christine)
Akimbo - Forging Steel and Laying Stone (Alternative Tentacles)
Audio Bullys - Generation (Astralwerks)
Avalon - Stand (Sparrow)
The Beatings - Holding on to Hand Grenades (Midriff)
Karl Blau - Beneath Waves (K)
Calling All Monsters - The Traps That Work Best (Turn)
Marty Casey & Lovehammers - Marty Casey & Lovehammers (Epic)
Rosanne Cash - Black Cadillac (enhanced; Capitol)
Cat Power - The Greatest (Matador)
Buy Now: The Greatest (Matador)
Catfish Haven - Please Come Back (EP; Secretly Canadian)
Andre Ceccarelli and Bireli Lagrene - Avenue Des Diables Blues (Dreyfus)
The Class of 98 - Touch This and Die (The Militia Group)
Clearlake - Amber (Domino)
Tony Conrad - Fantastic Glissando (Table of Elements)
Demiricous - One (Hellbound) (Metal Blade)
Dozer - Through the Eyes of Heathens (Small Stone)
T. Duggins - Undone (Thick)
Liz Durrett - The Mezzanine (Warm)
East River Pipe - What Are You On? (Merge)
East West Blast Test - Popular Music for Unpopular People (Ipecac)
The Elected - Sun, Sun, Sun (Sub Pop)
Ester Drang - Rocinate (Jade Tree)
Excepter - Sunbomber (EP; Touch and Go)
Film School - Film School (Beggars Banquet)
Fivespeed - Morning Over Midnight (enhanced; Virgin)
The Gibson Brothers - Red Letter Day (Sugar Hill)
Golden Dogs - Everything in 3 Parts (Funzalo)
Jose Gonzalez - Stay in the Shade (EP; Hidden Agenda)
Good Clean Fun - Between Christian Rock and a Hard Place (Equal Vision)
The Gossip - Standing in the Way of Control (Kill Rock Stars)
The Gourds - Heavy Ornamentals (Eleven Thirty)
Green Carnation - The Acoustic Verses (The End)
Hayseed Dixie - Hot Piece of Grass (Cooking Vinyl)
The Hellacopters - Rock & Roll Is Dead (with bonus CD; Liquor and Poker)
His Name Is Alive - Detrola (Reincarnate Music)
Taylor Hollingsworth - Tragic City (Brash Music)
William Hooker and Lee Ranaldo - The Celestial Answer (Table of Elements)
Il Divo - Ancora (Columbia)
Incognito - Eleven (Narada)
Richard Julian - Slow New York (Manhattan)
Jennifer Knapp - Jennifer Knapp Live (Gotee)
Ladysmith Black Mambazo - Long Walk to Freedom (enhanced hybrid SACD; Heads Up)
Lareau - Changes (Rust)
Jenny Lewis With the Watson Twins - Rabbit Fur Coat (Team Love)
Read: "Rilo Kiley's Jenny Lewis Gets Her Wilburys On With Death Cab Frontman"
Miwon - Pale Glitter (City Centre Offices)
Paul Motian Band - Garden of Eden (ECM)
Natas - N of Tha World (Warlock)
The National Trust - Kings & Queens (Thrill Jockey)
Nocturnal Rites - Grand Illusion (Century Media)
Pearls & Brass - Indian Tower (Drag City)
Plastic Constellations - Crusades (French Kiss)
P.O.D. - Testify (Atlantic)
Buy Now: Testify (Atlantic)
Robert Pollard - From a Compound Eye (Merge)
Railroad Earth - Elko (two CDs; Sci Fidelity)
Scott Reeder - TunnelVision Brilliance (Liquor and Poker)
Steve Reynolds - Exile (Savoy Jazz)
Tony Rich - Pictures (I.M.)
Saint Etienne - Tales From Turnpike House (Savoy Jazz)
Scarlet - This Was Always Meant to Fall Apart (Ferret)
Seven Witches - Amped (Candlelight)
Duncan Sheik - White Limousine (Zöe/Rounder)
Patty Hurst Shifter Too Crowded on the Losing End (Evo/Fontana)
Slow Runner - No Disassemble (Red Ink)
Some Girls - Heaven's Pregnant Teens (enhanced; Epitaph)
Sound the Alarm - Sound the Alarm (EP; Rock Ridge Music)
Streetwize - Does Dre (Shanachie)
The Subdudes - Behind the Levee (Back Porch)
Sullivan - Hey, I'm a Ghost (enhanced; Tooth & Nail)
KT Sullivan & Mark Nadler - A Fine Romance: A Dorothy Fields Songbook (DRG)
Sworn Enemy - Beginning of the End (Abacus)
Tarkio - Omnibus (two CDs; Kill Rock Stars)
Livingston Taylor - There You Are Again (Chesky)
Test Icicles - For Screening Purposes Only (Domino)
Tortoise and Bonnie "Prince" Billy - The Brave and the Bold (Overcoat)
Buy Now: The Brave and the Bold (Overcoat)
Town and Country - Up Above (Thrill Jockey)
Josh Turner - Your Man (MCA Nashville)
UB40 - Who You Fighting For? (Rhino)
Buy Now: Who You Fighting For? (Rhino)
Rocky Votolato - Makers (Barsuk)
Waterdown - All Riot (Victory)
Wintergreen - The Extended Play (EP; Mt. Fuji)
Jah Wobble - Mu (Sanctuary)
Steve Wynn & the Miracle 3 - ... Tick ... Tick ... Tick (Down There)
Yellowcard - Lights and Sounds (with DVD; Capitol)
Read: "Yellowcard Move To New York, Write LP About Hating Los Angeles"
Buy Now: Lights and Sounds (Capitol)
Various artists - The Best of Taste of Chaos (Warcon)
Various artists - Future Retro (Rhino)
Various artists - Grammy 2006 Nominees (BMG Strategic Marketing)
Various artists - Love Sucks (Rhino)
Various artists - No. 1 Smooth Jazz Hits! (Shanachie)
Various artists - Now That's What I Call Music! #1's (UTV)
Various artists - Otis' Opuses (Kill Rock Stars)
Various artists - UltraDance.07 (Ultra)
Various artists - "Breakfast on Pluto" soundtrack (Milan)
Various artists - "The Color Purple" original cast recording (Angel)
Various artists - "Fun With Dick & Jane" soundtrack (Varèse)
Various artists - "London" soundtrack (Reincarnate Music)
Various artists - "The World's Fastest Indian" soundtrack (Milan)

Notable Reissues and Archival Material:

Ariel Pink - House Arrest (Paw Tracks)
Louis Armstrong - The Definitive Collection (Hip-O/Chronicles)
Chet Baker - Everyday Is Valentine's Day (Blue Note)
Shirley Bassey - Live at Carnegie Hall (DRG)
Jim Croce - Have You Heard Jim Croce Live (Shout! Factory)
Bing Crosby - The Definitive Collection (Geffen/Chronicles)
Crosby, Stills & Nash - Crosby, Stills & Nash and Daylight Again (with bonus tracks; Rhino)
Darondo - Let My People Go (Luv 'N Haight)
Ray Davies - Let My People Go (Luv 'N Haight)
Delta 5 - Singles & Sessions 1979-81 (Kill Rock Stars)
DJ Quik - Trauma: Instrumentals (Mad Science)
Herb Ellis - Ellis in Wonderland (Verve)
Ace Frehley - Greatest Hits Live (Megaforce)
Kenny G - The Essential Kenny G (two CDs; Arista/Legacy)
Stan Getz - Music for Lovers (Blue Note)
Dexter Gordon - Music for Lovers (Blue Note)
Al Green - Full of Fire, Al Green Is Love, Have a Good Time, Livin' for You and Truth N' Time (The Right Stuff/EMI)
Elton John - Legendary Covers as Sung by Elton John (DBK Works)
Richard Julian - Slow New York (Manhattan)
Earl Klugh - Music for Lovers (Blue Note)
Lisa Loeb - The Very Best of Lisa Loeb (Geffen/Chronicles)
Buy Now: The Very Best of Lisa Loeb (Geffen/Chronicles)
MF Doom - Special Herbs Box Set: Vols 0-9 (Nature Sounds)
Lee Morgan - Music for Lovers (Blue Note)
Hank Mobley - Music for Lovers (Blue Note)
Nausea - Punk Terrorist Anthology 1 (Alternative Tentacles)
Pansy Division - The Essential Pansy Division (with DVD; Alternative Tentacles)
Elvis Presley - #1 Singles (20-CD box set; BMG Strategic Marketing)
Kenny Rogers - 21 Number Ones (Capitol)
Henry Rollins - Talk Is Cheap, Volume 2 (2.13.61)
Linda Ronstadt - The Best of Linda Ronstadt: The Capitol Years (two CDs; Capitol)
Savage Garden - Truly, Madly, Completely - The Best of Savage Garden (Columbia)
Horace Silver - Music for Lovers (Blue Note)
Jimmy Smith - Music for Lovers (Blue Note)
T. Rex - Bolan's Zip Gun, Futuristic Dragon, Tanx and Work in Progress (with bonus tracks; Rhino)
Thievery Corporation - Sounds From the Thievery Hi-Fi (Eighteenth Street)
Stanley Turrentine - Music for Lovers (Blue Note)
Bill Wyman - Stoned Alone: The Solo Anthology 1974-2001 (Sanctuary)
Various artists - Love Songs: Gold (Hip-O/Chronicles)
Various artists - Music for Lovers (Blue Note)

DVDs:

Roy Ayers - "In Concert: Ohne Filter" (Music Video Distributors)
Buzzcocks - "Live at Shepherds Bush Empire 2003" (Music Video Distributors)
Can - "Can Live" (two DVDs; Mute)
Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds - "Road to God Knows Where/ Live at the Paradiso" (Mute)
Deep Purple - "Live in California 74" (Eagle Vision)
Gordon Haskell - "The Road to Harry's Bar" (Music Video Distributors)
Ludacris - "Southern Smoke" (Music Video Distributors)
Pain - "Life Is Overrated" (Music Video Distributors)
Procol Harum - "Live at the Union Chapel" (two DVDs; Eagle Vision)
Sacriversum - "Saevitia Draconis: Live in Krakow 2005" (Music Video Distributors)
The Small Faces - "Under Review" (Music Video Distributors)
Starter Set - "Starter Set" (Kill Rock Stars)
Starz - "Back in Action: Live 2003" (Music Video Distributors)
Glenn Tilbrook - "One for the Road" (Image)
The Velvet Underground - "Velvet Redux: Live MCMXCIII" (Rhino)
Various artists - "The '60s Rock Experience Live" (Shout! Factory)
Various artists - "Culturama666, Vol. 2" (Music Video Distributors)
Various artists - "God Save the Queen: A Punk Rock Anthology" (Cleopatra/Music Video Distributors)
Various artists - "Love Songs, Volume 1" and "Volume 2" (Hip-O/Chronicles)
Various artists - "The Tomorrow Show With Tom Snyder: Punk & New Wave" (Shout! Factory)
Various artists - "Triple Crown Video, Vol. 1" (Triple Crown)

Coming Attractions:

January 31

Heather Headley - In My Mind (RCA)
She Wants Revenge - She Wants Revenge (Geffen)
Warren Zevon - Reconsider Me: The Love Songs (Artemis)

February 7:

Belle & Sebastian - The Life Pursuit (Matador)
Beth Orton - Comfort of Strangers (Astralwerks)
Dem Franchize Boyz - On Top of Our Game (Virgin)

February 14:

Jaheim - Ghetto Classics (Warner Bros.)
Sergio Mendes - Timeless (Concord)
Read: "Will.I.Am Wants To Pull A Rick Rubin With Sergio Mendes, Macy Gray"
The Sword - Age of Winters (Kemado)

Related Artists

For The Record: Quick News On Maroon 5, The Roots And Dave Chappelle, Slipknot, Morrissey, Velvet Underground & More

31 Mar 2004 04:56:00 EST

Maroon 5 (file)
Photo: Octone

John Mayer and his friends in Maroon 5 plan on spending the summer together on the road. The artists, who've played several shows together in the past, kick things off July 2 in Milwaukee and continue through August 29 in Atlanta. ...

When a family in West Des Moines, Iowa, rented its house to Slipknot last week to use for the "Duality" video shoot, a little damage was expected, and since the family was planning to gut the house anyway to renovate it, that was OK. But the homeowners had no idea how extensive the devastation would be. The list of items the family is asking the band to replace or fix includes: windows throughout house, entire kitchen, driveway, lawn, front door, rugs, gutters, back door, window frames, basketball backboard, ceiling, chandelier and picnic tables. ... The Tipping Point, the Roots' follow-up to their Grammy-nominated album, Phrenology, is due June 29 and will be preceded by the single "Don't Say Nothin'." Producer Scott Storch, underground MC Jean Grae and comedian Dave Chappelle guest on the album. ...

A 21-year-old Texas college student has accused "Girls Gone Wild" producer Joe Francis of rape. The woman alleges Francis spiked her drink and raped her in his South Beach hotel room in Miami over the weekend of March 12. Although she couldn't remember what happened the night before, she assumed the next morning that she was raped because Francis told her they already had sex. Miami Beach police are investigating the charges, but an arrest warrant has yet to be issued. Francis denies the charges, according to his spokesperson. ...

James Brown, Chris Rock ... and Morrissey? A number of legendary performers have played the Apollo Theater in New York, and now the former frontman for the Smiths will be doing a five-night residency at the legendary Harlem venue. Morrissey will be there May 3-4 and May 6-8. ... A recording of a John Lee Hooker set that had been lost for 50 years, Jack O' Diamonds, will be packaged with Hooker's upcoming DVD, "Come & See Me," due May 18. The album was recorded during a private performance in someone's dining room in 1949. ...

From Autumn to Ashes and Atreyu will crash and wail as they stagger through a path of destruction on an upcoming tour that kicks off April 26 in Tempe, Arizona. The trek will continue through May 13 in Grand Rapids, Michigan. ... In addition to writing with Taproot and finishing his first solo album, Billy Corgan cowrote three tracks on Breaking Benjamin's second album, We Are Not Alone Here, due June 29. "It was the experience of a lifetime," singer Ben Burnley said in a statement. "He stressed 'thinking outside the box' and that's how we came up with 'Forget It,' which moves up a half-step every verse and chorus. Structurally and melodically, it's very cool." ...

Clinic have scheduled a North American tour for May, even though their third full-length album (and their debut for Universal), tentatively titled Winchester Cathedral, won't be out until August at the earliest. The tour begins May 8 in Brooklyn, New York, and ends May 23 in San Diego. ... The Velvet Underground's 1972 album, Live at Max's Kansas City, will be re-released in an expanded edition on June 8. The LP, culled from a 1970 audience recording of the Velvets' last show (until they briefly reunited in the 1990s), will feature a bonus disc of previously unreleased material. ...

Fastball's fourth album, Keep Your Wig On, is due June 8. Fountains of Wayne's Adam Schlesinger, Sheryl Crow songwriter Jeff Trott and ... And You Will Know Us by the Trail of Dead producer Mike McCarthy conspired to produce the record. ... More than 73 songs were recorded for Amen's new album, Death Before Music, due May 18, before singer Casey Chaos pruned the crop down to 15. The LP follows 2000's We Have Come for Your Parents. ...

03.30.2004

Cheers to the Lou. J-Kwon has kept his promise to keep the remix to his hit "Tipsy" "so so St. Louis." He just finished a new version of his track featuring Chingy and Murphy Lee. ...

U.S. District Judge Ronald Lagueux has ruled that all civil suits filed regarding the 2003 Station nightclub fire in West Warwick, Rhode Island, will be handled in federal court. The judge announced his ruling on Monday, stating that the federal court system has authority to handle cases involving accidents in which 75 people or more died and a defendant lives in a different state than the one in which the accident took place. ... Country legend Loretta Lynn's first album in four years, Van Lear Rose, features a guest appearance by the White Stripes' Jack White, who also produced and arranged some tracks. After the Stripes' White Blood Cells was dedicated to Lynn, the singer opened for the band and sang several duets with Jack at a New York show last year. Preceded by the single "Portland, Oregon," Van Lear Rose is due April 27. ...

Ja Rule, Omarion, Courtney Love, MC Lyte, Ice-T and Jermaine Dupri were among the celebs who came to New York's Spice Market on Monday to celebrate the release of Janet Jackson's new album, Damita Jo. ... Missy Elliott's "Pass That Dutch" and Christina Aguilera's "Fighter" will be the leading contenders at the 13th annual Music Video Production Association Awards with six nominations each. Dave Meyers ("Pass That Dutch"), Floria Sigismondi ("Fighter"), David LaChapelle (No Doubt's "It's My Life"), the Malloys (Metallica's "St. Anger") and Sophie Muller (Pink's "Trouble") will vie for Director of the Year at the ceremony, May 20 at the Orpheum Theater in Los Angeles. ...

Queens of the Stone Age will release a limited-edition EP called Stone Age Complication on April 20. The disc will feature six B-sides, half of which will be covers: the Kinks' "Who Will Be the Next in Line," Subhumans' "Wake Up Screaming" and the Cramps' "The Most Exalted Potentate of Love." The collection will also feature the U.N.K.L.E. remix of "No One Knows" and the two originals "Born to Hula" and "The Bronze." Only 25,000 copies of the EP will be printed, and the disc will only be available at select retail outlets. ... Metallica fans in Sweden are trying to convince government officials to erect a stone in memory of late Metallica bassist Cliff Burton. The fans have named the project "Cliff in Our Minds." Burton died in a 1986 bus accident near Ljungby, Sweden. ...

Ryan Adams has released a three-song EP called Moroccan Role which is only available through iTunes. The disc features the previously unreleased tracks "Ah Life," "I'm Coming Over" and "Don't Even Know Her Name." ... Reunited San Francisco thrash metal band Exodus will launch a North American tour on April 10 in Colorado Springs, Colorado. The dates, which run through May 9 in Santa Ana, California, will be to support the band's new album, Tempo of the Damned. ...

Erich "Mancow" Muller, a syndicated shock jock from Chicago, has sued a listener for filing multiple indecency complaints against his morning show. Mancow is accusing Chicagoan David Smith of filing more than 60 FCC complaints and pressuring sponsors to leave the show, and is seeking $3 million and a court order to stop him from filing more complaints. Mancow has been fined for six different shows as part of the FCC's recent crackdown on so-called offensive broadcasting. ... Dax Shepard from "Punk'd" is making his second guest appearance on "Life With Bonnie" this week. Though he last played a young director on an episode that aired just a month ago, Shepard this time takes on the role of a plastic surgeon who leaves his mark on Bonnie Hunt. The episode, called "Nip, Tuck and Roll," airs Friday at 9:30 p.m. ET on ABC. ...

Members of the Spice Girls and 98 Degrees are turning up the heat for the Broadway production of "Rent." Melanie Brown, a.k.a. Scary Spice, will be taking on the part of Mimi, starting April 16, and Drew Lachey, a.k.a. Nick's brother, will be taking the part of Mark, a role Joey Fatone once filled. Brown's stint will run through September, the month Lachey joins the cast, which means they'll overlap for a few weeks. ... The Polyphonic Spree have set a July 13 release date for Together We're Heavy, the many-membered group's second album. Tripping Daisy/ PJ Harvey collaborator Eric Drew Feldman produced the album for the Spree, who are about to hit the road with David Bowie. ...

Swedish melodic death-metal band In Flames will launch a tour with Killswitch Engage on May 3 in Pontiac, Michigan. Dates run through May 11 in Vancouver, British Columbia. In Flames' new album, Soundtrack to Your Escape, comes out April 6; the third Killswitch Engage record, The End of Heartache, will be released May 11. ... Late-'80s industrial/thrash band Prong will begin a tour of North America on April 29 in Sacramento. Dates run through May 29 in Fort Collins, Colorado. The stint will be the band's first in eight years. Prong's latest LP, Scorpio Rising, came out in November. ...

Related Artists

Tori Amos Covers Eminem, Slayer on Strange Little Girls

3 Jul 2001 12:04:00 EDT

In an attempt to examine sexual politics, Amos records 12 songs written by men for LP.
By Teri vanHorn

Tori Amos
Photo: MTV

What if the real Slim Shady were actually a woman rapping about murdering her spouse and getting their toddler's assistance in dumping the body in Lake Michigan? Tori Amos will demonstrate that scenario by covering Eminem's horror-core jingle "97' Bonnie & Clyde" on her sixth album, Strange Little Girls.

In an innovative attempt to examine sexual politics and identity, Amos recorded 12 songs written by men to show the difference in view when they're performed by a woman. The album, due September 18, features her takes on songs by the Velvet Underground, the Beatles, Neil Young, Slayer, Depeche Mode and the Boomtown Rats.

Amos, who recorded the disc in Cornwall, England, wanted the album to address violence and identity in terms of how men see women and themselves (see "Tori Amos To Explore Sexual Politics On Strange Little Girls").

"I've always found it fascinating how men say things and how women hear them," she said in a press release from Atlantic Records. "Words can wound and words can heal, and both are included on the album." When she first heard "97' Bonnie & Clyde," "the scariest thing was ... the realization that people are getting into the music and grooving along to a song about a man who is butchering his wife," Amos said.

"So half the world is dancing to this, oblivious, with blood on their sneakers. But when you talk about killing your wife, you don't get to control whom she becomes friends with after she's dead. She had to have a voice." The singer/songwriter adopted a character for every song, and she's photographed in each persona for the album jacket. The LP's first single, "Strange Little Girl" — written by the Stranglers and originally released in 1982 — will arrive at radio in mid-August.

Amos has lined up a tour to kick off in Miami on September 28 and run through November 21 in San Francisco. She will perform alone at her keyboards during the outing, marking the first time she's toured without backing musicians since 1994. Strange Little Girls will include the following tracks, according to Amos' Atlantic publicist:

"New Age" (The Velvet Underground)
"97' Bonnie & Clyde" (Eminem)
"Strange Little Girl" (The Stranglers)
"Enjoy the Silence" (Depeche Mode)
"Rattlesnakes" (Lloyd Cole & the Commotions)
"I'm Not in Love" (10cc)
"Time" (Tom Waits)
"Heart of Gold" (Neil Young)
"I Don't Like Mondays" (The Boomtown Rats)
"Raining Blood" (Slayer)
"Real Men" (Joe Jackson)
"Happiness Is a Warm Gun" (The Beatles)

Related Artists

Velvet Underground Dig Up Bootleg Series

19 Jun 2001 06:45:00 EDT

Three-disc live album recorded by influential group in 1969 to hit stores August 28.
By Jon Wiederhorn

The Velvet Underground
Photo: Warner Bros.

A previously unreleased three-disc live album by the Velvet Underground will come out August 28, three decades after the influential rock group fizzled out.

Titled The Velvet Underground Bootleg Series, Volume 1: The Quine Tapes, the set consists of material taped in 1969 by Robert Quine, a founding member of Richard Hell and the Voidoids who later played guitar with VU co-founder Lou Reed, Tom Waits and Matthew Sweet. The songs were culled from three shows, two in San Francisco (at the Family Dog and The Matrix) and one in St. Louis (at Washington University), and were recorded on a portable Sony tape machine through a hand-held microphone.

The set features material from the Velvet Underground's first two albums, The Velvet Underground and Nico and White Light/White Heat, and includes "Heroin," "Femme Fatale," "Venus in Furs," "White Light/White Heat" and multiple versions of "Sister Ray," "Foggy Notion" and "I'm Waiting for the Man." The only previously released recording from The Quine Tapes is "Rock & Roll," which appeared on 1969: Velvet Underground Live.

A year after Quine's recordings, the band released its fourth and final studio album with VU founding members, Loaded. Lou Reed quit shortly thereafter. His final appearance with the band was documented on the 1972 disc Live at Max's Kansas City, which was also recorded on a portable tape machine.

Universal plans to release other live Velvet Underground titles during the coming year.

The full track list of The Velvet Underground Bootleg Series, Volume 1: The Quine Tapes, according to the project's publicist:

Disc One

"I'm Waiting for the Man"
"Too Much"
"What Goes On"
"I Can't Stand It"
"Some Kinda Love"
"Foggy Notion"
"Femme Fatale"
"After Hours"
"I'm Sticking With You"
"Sunday Morning"
"Sister Ray"

Disc Two

"Follow the Leader"
"White Light/White Heat"
"Venus in Furs"
"Heroin"
"Sister Ray"

Disc Three

"Rock & Roll"
"New Age"
"Over You"
"The Black Angel's Death Song"
"I'm Waiting for the Man"
"Ride Into the Sun"
"Sister Ray/Foggy Notion"

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The Velvet Underground

Eurythmics, Lou Reed, The Pope For Jubilee

11 Apr 2000 12:30:00 EDT

The Eurythmics (file)
Photo: AFP/Getty Images

Eurythmics, Lou Reed, Andrea Bocelli, and Pope John Paul II will all take the stage for a concert next month in Rome to reduce world debt, according to the entertainment trade publication "Variety."

The Great Jubilee Concert is scheduled to take place at Rome University on May 1 and will open with a speech by The Pope, who will address efforts at reducing debt in the poorer nations of the world. Following the speech, which will be broadcast on television worldwide, Andrea Bocelli will sing a tribute to The Pope.

"Variety" reports that organizers of the free outdoor concert are already expecting more than a half million people and are hoping that Vatican involvement will boost attendance.

There may yet be additions to the lineup, as invitations have reportedly been extended to several other artists.

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Lou Reed Follows Bush In Austrian Protest

15 Feb 2000 07:55:00 EST

Lou Reed

Lou Reed has followed in the footsteps of Bush singer Gavin Rossdale in becoming the latest artist to protest Austria's new right-wing coalition government.

Reed has cancelled a pending performance in Vienna, citing the inclusion of the far-right Freedom Party in Austria's government. The party is generally viewed as anti-immigration and Nazi-sympathetic.

The legendary singer-songwriter told an Austrian radio station over the weekend that people are free to elect someone such as Freedom Party leader Joerg Haider, but that it doesn't mean that other people have to voluntarily choose to be near him.

Reed's concert in Vienna was originally targeted as a stop on a European tour booked for April and May; The Velvet Underground co-founder is scheduled to release his new album, "Ecstasy," internationally the first week in April.

On February 4, Bush frontman Rossdale recited a Jewish prayer onstage just prior to his band's encore at a performance in Graz, Austria. Rossdale, whose paternal line includes Jewish émigrés from Russia, later told Reuters that it was to offer condolences for people having to deal with the country's political situation.

The Freedom Party finished second in the balloting with 27 percent of the vote and helped form a coalition government that was sworn in last week, a move that has led to international protests and rioting in Austria.

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Sonic Youth, Lou Reed, Nick Cave, Others To Tribute Harry Smith

12 Oct 1999 04:00:00 EDT

Wilco

An eclectic group of artists will be performing at St. Ann's Church in Brooklyn, New York, next month for a pair of shows paying tribute to Harry Smith, the avant-garde filmmaker who was responsible for compiling "The Anthology Of American Folk Music."

Nick Cave, Sonic Youth, Wilco members Jeff Tweedy and Jay Bennett, Lou Reed, David Johansen, Howie B., NRBQ, and DJ Spooky are among those who will be performing at the shows, which are set to take place November 11 and 12.

"The Anthology Of American Folk Music" brought nearly forgotten parts of America's musical landscape to public attention in the late '50s and early '60s and played a seminal role in that era's folk revival. The collection was originally released in 1952 as three separate double albums; now available as a six CD box set from Smithsonian Folkways, it contains a total of 84 performances of hillbilly, gospel, and what was known at the time as "race" music. The set profoundly influenced musical historians, cultural critics, and musicians, including Bob Dylan and the Grateful Dead's late leader, Jerry Garcia.

Tickets for the event range in price from $40 to $75. For ticket information, call the St. Ann's box office at (718) 858-2424.

-- Brian Ives

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James Brown, Maureen Tucker, Kevn Kinney, Jack Logan Put On Dancing Shoes For New Audio Book

22 Jun 1999 12:00:00 EDT

James Brown

Following their success with last year's multi-artist audio book, "Not Dogs... Too Simple," former Coolies frontman Clay Harper and his brother Mark have once again assembled an all-star cast for their newest outre project, "The Slippery Ballerina."

This time around, the Brothers Harper have enlisted the vocal aid of Godfather of Soul James Brown, former Velvet Underground drummer Maureen Tucker, Drivin' N' Cryin's Kevn Kinney, and Col. Bruce Hampton for the record.

Stiff Records alumni Ian Dury and Wreckless Eric serve as narrators for "The Slippery Ballerina," which tells the story of a dancer named Monkey who becomes physically affected by the conflict between her love of ballet and the business pressures coming from her sundry managers and contacts. Clay Harper described the new project as "fun for the whole dysfunctional family."

Like "Not Dogs," cover and interior art for "The Slippery Ballerina" has been done by Jack Logan, who recorded his most recent solo release, "Buzz Me In," at Clay Harper's recording facilities, Casino Studios.

"The Slippery Ballerina" is due out on September 28.

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Day In The Garden Ticket Prices Cut After Sluggish Sales

12 Aug 1998 07:00:00 EDT

Third Eye Blind's Stephan Jenkins

Lackluster ticket sales for this weekend's Day In The Garden, the three-day Woodstock commemoration in Bethel, New York, have prompted show organizers to cut ticket prices in an effort to beef up crowds.

Don Henley and Stevie Nicks will perform on Friday with Pete Townsend, Joni Mitchell, Lou Reed, and Donovan taking the stage on Saturday. The show's third day boasts a younger feel with Third Eye Blind, the Goo Goo Dolls, Marcy Playground, and Joan Osbourne among that day's performers.

Tickets were initially priced at $69.98 for the weekend, but were then reduced to a buy-one-get-one-free deal. They've since been cut to $35 for Friday and Saturday and $25 for Sunday.

A spokesperson for "Performance" magazine, which monitors such events, says a 2-for-1 deal is usually the first indication of soft sales, and that the event itself is not very "user friendly" since there are no onsite camping facilities available and lawn chairs were initially banned. The "Performance" spokesperson also noted that Day In The Garden is also trying to tie into Woodstock nostalgia without actually having the rights to use the name "Woodstock."

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Siouxsie, Budgie, And John Cale Hitting The Road

1 Jun 1998 02:00:00 EDT

The sense of déjà vu surrounding this summer's tour landscape is about to get a little stronger.

Banshees associate Siouxsie Sioux and her husband Budgie are resurrecting their outfit the Creatures and are hitting the road this summer with Velvet Underground guitarist John Cale.

The group are promising a seamless set of Creatures and Velvet Underground songs with Cale and the Creatures sharing the stage at some points in the set. During his portions of the set, Cale will be joined by Chad Taylor, who has programmed for Beck in the past, to fill out his sound.

The tour is scheduled to kick off in Mexico City later this month, and run through mid-August.

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The Velvet Underground - Sweet Jane

16 Mar 2007 12:00:00 EDT

Sweet Jane

Artist: The Velvet Underground
Label: Sire/Warner Bros. Records
Director: Declan Lowney
Album: Live MCMXCIII [Single Disc]