TOMORROW NIGHT ON THE CATHOLIC CHANNEL: NO EXPIRATION TALKS U2

Tomorrow night on SIRIUS|XM's

Catholic Channel, I'll be discussing the music of U2. I'll heavily reference the edition of the 33 1/3 book series about Achtung Baby - which imagines that the album is about Adam and Eve being thrown out of Eden into the modern world. It is an incredibly interesting and creative way to interpret the album - one of my favorites of all time. It actually made me like the album even more. I'll also, no doubt, be influenced by my good friend Benjamin Wagner's recent review on his blog, which pretty much says it all. That's where I stole this picture from! Ben is a great artist in his own right, and a documentarian currently working on a Mister Rogers doc that I can't wait to see.

PAUL MCCARTNEY TO RELEASE LIVE ALBUM

Between Tripping The Live Fantastic, Paul Is Live, Back In The U.S. and Unplugged, Paul McCartney has put out lots of live albums in the past few decades, but what's wrong with another one? Nothing, that's what! He's putting out a document of his concerts from the summer that opened Citi Field (the former Shea Stadium). Good Evening, New York City comes out in November, find out more at Paul's official website.

MORE ON SMOKEY ROBINSON

Today, on OutQ, I spoke a bit about Smokey Robinson, but I don't think I did him justice. He's been covered by so many artists, including The Beatles and The Rolling Stones, Bob Dylan called him "America's greatest living poet," and here's a list of songs that he's written: "Who's Loving You," "You've Really Got A Hold On Me," "Oo Baby Baby," "The Tracks Of My Tears," "Going To A Go Go," "(Come 'Round Here) I'm The One You Need," "I Second That Emotion," "The Tears Of A Clown," "My Guy," "My Girl," "The Way You Do The Things You Do," "Get Ready," "Still Water (Love)" and "Ain't That Peculiar," to name a few.

TOMORROW ON OUTQ: AMERICAN LEGENDS

Tomorrow on OutQ, I'll be talking about new albums from some true American legends.

Smokey Robinson just released Time Flies When You're Having Fun. Smokey may be the greatest songwriter of all time, and has nothing to prove to anyone. And on this album, he doesn't really try. It's laid back, and he's having a good time.

John Fogerty just released The Blue Ridge Rangers Rides Again. It's all covers, plus a remake of one of his older solo songs, "Change In The Weather." It's fun, but not as classic as his last album, Revival.

My favorite album of the year is Bob Dylan's Together Through Life. I'm a bit nervous about trying to play it, though, as Larry Flick is not a Dylan fan. But "Beyond Here Lies Nothin'" is kind of funky, hopefully that will go over OK.

Levon Helm isn't in the same league as Smokey, Dylan and Fogerty as a songwriter - he is more of a singer. Back in the days of The Band, Robbie Robertson wrote all the songs (although Levon contests the songwriting credits). But he is a legend, and he is an incredible singer (and a great drummer too). I love his Electric Dirt album. "When I Go Away" may be my favorite song of the year. I thought it was a cover of an older song: in fact, it was written by his guitarist (and former Dylan guitarist) Larry Campbell.

THOM YORKE FORMS BACKING BAND INCLUDING FLEA

Thom Yorke of Radiohead is going to do a few solo gigs to perform songs from his solo album The Eraser, and interestingly, Flea is going to be playing bass. I am a big fan of Flea... who else can jam with Metallica, Thom Yorke, Patti Smith and Young MC?

YOUR FAVORITE RECORD'S ON THE TURNTABLE... SPRINGSTEEN TO PLAY FULL ALBUMS AT GIANTS STADIUM

At their upcoming five night stand closing down Giants Stadium, Bruce Springsteen & The E Street Band will play one album in its entirety each night, either Born To Run, Darkness On The Edge Of Town or Born In The U.S.A. I have tickets for two of the shows - both of them are Born In The U.S.A. nights. I'd like to see two different albums, but I'm not mad, I'm really looking forward to the shows. (And I have tickets to see the tour in November at MSG). It's really exciting that he's doing this - I guess he wanted to do something different, as these are the last concerts ever at Giants Stadium.

IN HAPPIER AC/DC NEWS...

It's a bummer that AC/DC has to postpone some of the dates on their tour because of Brian Johnson's is recovering from surgery. But in more positive news, AC/DC is going to unleash a huge box set, Backtracks. The deluxe version will come inside an actual working amplifier, which is pretty sick, and will contain 3 CDs, 2 DVDs and an LP of rare stuff, plus a coffee table book. The regular edition will be 2 CDs and a DVD. It comes out November 10.

SAM COOKE BIOPIC IN THE WORKS

On one hand, enough with the biopics. On the other, Sam Cooke has a really interesting story, and is one of the greatest singers of all time, and a good film can potentially expose his music to lots of new people. Paste magazine has the story.

BRIAN JOHNSON - GET WELL SOON

I'm bummed to hear that AC/DC has to postpone some concerts on thier tour because frontman Brian Johnson needed some time off to recover from a medical procedure. The shows will all be rescheduled, and the band will be back on the road in about two weeks. Get well soon, Brian!

THE NEW YORK DOLLS: SUPER-UNDERRATED

I was thinking about how underrated The New York Dolls are, and how they should totally be on the ballot for the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame this year. Then I remembered that I never posted this video from the John Varvatos boutique (the former CBGB) that I shot earlier this year. No Expiration is the wide camera, I'd never used a HD camera before. The other cameraman is a total pro though. The important thing, though, is how great this performance of of the title track of 'Cuz I Sez So was. And that's one of the best albums of this year!

NOTE TO LYOR COHEN: PUBLIC ENEMY IS STILL IN EFFECT!

One one hand, it was kind of nice of Lyor Cohen, a big wig at Warner Brothers Records, to give props to Public Enemy in a recent profile in The New York Times Magazine. Especially considering the fact that Chuck D. has slammed the dude with the "Garbage Pail Kids" type nickname "Liar Cohen," I guess due to the way Cohen treated Public Enemy in their last years at Def Jam Records. I've read interviews with Chuck where he actually refers to him as "Liar Cohen."

On the other hand, the props came in the form of Cohen listing P.E. as his favorite "defunct" act, saying that they are "what's missing in the business right now. We need Chuck D and Flavor Flav and the S1Ws. We desperately need a group that's willing to tackle thorny subjects."

So, (A): Hey, Lyor, check out their most recent album, How You Sell Soul To A Soulless People Who Sold Their Soul? from 2007. It blows away nearly every hip-hop record of the past decade... even ones that sold more copies! Remember, homie, it's not about a salary, it's all about reality. Younger hip-hop artists (and the people who make money off of them) like to write them off as being "out of touch" but that just lets everyone else off the hook.

And (B): Hey, Lyor, you can maybe help change the situation and sign artists who are "willing to tackle the thorny subjects." Well, I guess you have Jay-Z, and the topic of how rich he is can be pretty thorny! I'm not very familiar with the recordings of Trey Songz and Michael Buble, but I imagine them tackling thorny subjects pretty regularly.

The picture above is from this week: Chuck and Flav performed backed by The Roots and members of Street Sweeper Social Club at this year's VH1 Hip-Hop Honors, celebrating Def Jam Records' legacy.

RHINO RECORDS R.I.P.?

The Vintage Vinyl blog reported today that the great Rhino Records (owned by Warner Brothers) said that it would be laying off 30-40 employees. I doubt that many people will be left after that. What a bummer. Rhino has always been the gold standard of reissues, and I have personally worked on a number of cool projects for them, including Black Sabbath and Yes box sets. It's a sad day.

SLASH JAMS WITH DAVE GROHL

Seventeen years ago, W. Axl Rose tried to get Nirvana to open on the Guns N Roses / Metallica tour. But Kurt Cobain wasn't having any of that, so he turned them down. It must have bummed out Dave Grohl, a longtime Metallica fan. He made amends years later, with his sort-of-fake open letter to Metallica, and he even interviewed Metallica for a syndicated radio show when Death Magnetic came out. Now, according to Slash's twitter, Grohl is playing on the guitar legend's upcoming solo album. I like it when everyone can get along. (I got the photo and story from Rolling Stone).

TRENT REZNOR TO PRODUCE GARY NUMAN TRACKS

Gary Numan told The Quietus that he is going to be working with Trent Reznor on some new songs. I could see Trent doing this kind of thing more in the future. Read the interview here.

STOOGES, KISS, LL, CHILI PEPPERS AND JIMMY CLIFF ON THE ROCK HALL BALLOT

The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame has announced the artists on the ballot for their next induction class. This isn't the inductees: it's who is will appear on the ballot. For the millionth time, The Stooges are on. Their classic self-titled debut came out 40 years ago. They are one of the best and most influential bands of all time, and it's embarrassing that they aren't in yet. I hope that not only the original members are eligible, but also later-day guitarist James Williamson, who played on Raw Power, and who recently rejoined the band.

Shockingly, KISS is on the ballot. I say shockingly, because Rolling Stone founder and Rock Hall co-founder Jann Wenner famously hates them. But they are also one of the most influential bands in rock and roll, like it or not. They totally deserve to be in. Although they may be on the ballot just because of the hype that that will generate - especially with a new album coming out. And sorry to KISS fans, I would think that the only members being inducted would be the original four (with apologies to the late, great Eric Carr).

Hip-hop legend LL Cool J is on the ballot, and I would definitely be voting for him also. The first artist to release anything on Def Jam, he is more of an actor/celebrity these days, but his early records had a definite rock and roll attitude if not a rock and roll sound the way Run-DMC did. I am totally cool with some hip-hop artists being in the Rock Hall, especially LL. I'm surprised that The Beastie Boys aren't on the ballot - they were last year. Maybe the Hall wants to wait for them to be able to perform - and right now they can't since Adam Yauch is still recovering from surgery.

Reggae legend Jimmy Cliff is also on the ballot - I'd vote for him too. Bob Marley is the only reggae artist in the Hall, and while it isn't the Reggae Hall of Fame, some reggae artists have certainly influenced rock and roll, and I think Jimmy definitely has. How many rock bands have covered "The Harder They Come"? I'd also think that Peter Tosh would deserve to be inducted.

Also, The Red Hot Chili Peppers - I can't believe they are 25! They'd get my vote also. One of the greatest bands of the modern era, and they are still relevant, unlike so many of thier peers. I wonder who will be included: I think original members, the late Hillel Slovak and Jack Irons should get in, along with John Frusciante and Chad Smith, but I wonder if Dave Navarro will be included?

Also on the ballot: Genesis (who I like but wouldn't vote for this time around - and it would be nice if Phil Collins is healthy and could play drums if they were to be inducted - I'd actually favor Peter Gabriel as a solo artist), The Hollies (cool, but they wouldn't get my vote), Darlene Love (ditto, but I bet she gets in), Laura Nyro (a Rolling Stone favorite), and Donna Summer.

Big omissions in my mind: the aforementioned Beastie Boys, Alice Cooper, The MC5, The New York Dolls, Motorhead and Tom Waits. And Bill Withers.

U2 / MUSE AT GIANTS STADIUM

U2 was great. Despite having an album that hasn’t seemed to “take” with the public the way All The You Can’t Leave Behind or even How To Dismantle An Atomic Bomb did, they proved to be one of the few bands worthy of playing stadiums – and playing recent material in them. Songs like “Vergtigo,” “Stuck In A Moment You Can’t Get Out Of,” “Elevation” and “Beautiful Day” are now classics just like “Sunday Bloody Sunday,” “New Year’s Day” and “Where The Streets Have No Name” (all of which they played as well). It was the first U2 show ever that I’ve been to where they didn’t play “Pride (In The Name Of Love)” and the first in years where they didn’t play “Bullet The Blue Sky” and “I Will Follow.” They brought back some older classics – “With Or Without You,” “I Still Haven’t Found What I’m Looking For,” “Walk On” and “Mysterious Ways” and even did two songs out of left field: “The Unforgettable Fire” (which didn’t really do the song justice, I’m sorry to say) and the song from their Passengers side project, “Your Blue Room,” which was amazing. “Mysterious Ways” was the best version that I ever heard of that song. “Get On Your Boots” and “No Line On The Horizon” were better live than the studio versions. They did a fun “dance remix” version of “I’ll Go Crazy If I Don’t Go Crazy Tonight.” Another big highlight was their cover of Bruce Springsteen’s “She’s The One” which went into their own “Desire” – in honor of Bruce’s 60^th birthday. I am too tired to write much now, but it was a great show, and I definitely want to see them next year when they return to the U.S.

Muse was also incredible: I’ve seen some great bands open for U2 in the past, including Primus and PJ Harvey. Muse were as good – but seemed more ready to do their own stadium (or at least arena) shows.

A final note: the NJ Transit system made me embarrassed to be from our great state. I took the shuttle from NYC to the stadium – it took me 2 hours and 15 minutes, and I missed the beginning of Muse’s set. And I heard taking the train back was even worse. Everyone involved in convincing people to take the train should be ashamed of themselves. Of course, the alternative was driving, and it costs $25 to park. I heard a rumor that it will be $40 for Bruce Springsteen’s concerts.

TOMORROW ON OUTQ: PEARL JAM, LIVING COLOUR AND ALICE IN CHAINS

Tomorrow on OutQ, I'll be talking about
three icons of the '90s/Lollapalooza era who have brand new albums and they all have something to prove.

Pearl Jam have just released Backspacer, their first album without any label at all. They made seperate deals with Target, Guitar Hero, Verizon for different ways to distribute it. Which I'm cool with: it's no more of a sell-out than signing to a worldwide corporation. And they have more control of thier career this way. But I think it does sting them that many people aren't familar with much of thier music from the past decade, and I think they want to change that with this album. Eddie Vedder used to romanticize bands that didn't sell a lot of albums, but these days, many of his peers have returned to having day jobs. I think he feels fortunate to be where he is, and I think he's rather have a Sprinsteen-ian or Neil Young-ish career than have to work in a warehouse to support himself.

Living Colour reunited in 1999, and not that many people noticed, which is a shame. The Chair In The Doorway is their second album since getting back together, and I hope more people notice. I just think that thier first single, "Cult Of Personality," was so perfect, they've never been able to duplicate its success.

Out of the three bands, Alice In Chains easily has the most to prove: their new album Black Gives Way To Blue, is thier first without their late, great singer Layne Staley. It is much better than you would think, you should check it out if you are a fan.

LOLLAPALOOZA - WHERE ARE THEY NOW?

I'm talking the '90s version of Lollapalooza, here. I respect the fact that they've totally redefined the festival for a new decade, but playing Lollapalooza doesn't really mean what it used to. From 1991 - 1997, they featured some of the coolest alt-rock and hip-hop artists, plus other artists like Metallica and George Clinton, and managed to avoid having the more clone-y bands like Bush, Stone Temple Pilots and Candlebox on the tour, although it would have been really easy to sign those bands up.

Tomorrow on OutQ, I'll be talking about three Lollapalooza veterans who have new albums out: Pearl Jam, Living Colour and Alice In Chains. But I thought I'd offer a separate post about the whereabouts of some of the other artists:

Jane's Addiction: their summer tour was mind blowing. The went into the studio to re-record two songs from their debut, with Trent Reznor producing, but I have a hard time seeing them do a new full-length album. I bet they'll continue to tour, while pursuing seperate projects.

Nine Inch Nails: toured with Jane's this summer - they were also incredible. After the tour, Trent did a few last NIN club dates and said that that was it. I think this is kind of like what Trent's hero David Bowie has done - left something really successful behind, but he can access it whenever he wants. Bowie "retired" the Ziggy Stardust persona, but still performs songs from that era if he feels like it.

Ice-T: His personality is almost bigger than his music, and he is most visable as an actor these days on Law & Order: SVU.

Henry Rollins: Like Ice-T, most people know who he is, but they probably couldn't name many of his songs. He just got a role on the Sons Of Anarchy show, he hosts his own IFC talk show and does spoken word tours.

The Red Hot Chili Peppers: working on a new album!

Ministry: Al Jourgenson has retired the band, but one of his other bands, The Revolting Cocks. The catch is, he doesn't tour with RevCo anymore but is a special guest on select dates.

Ice Cube: still makes music, but is a much bigger force in film than music these days: he's not just an actor, he directs, produces and writes.

Soundgarden: still broken up! Chris Cornell continues his solo career, and Matt Cameron has been Pearl Jam's drummer for over a decade now.

Primus: one of my favorite bands ever. They broke up in the late '90s and reunited a few years later. I don't think they'll ever do another album, but they'll probably tour here and there. Les Claypool is a very active solo artist, he's also directed a film, written a novel, and is starting his own wine label.

Fishbone: They still tour, but singer/sax player/stone cold entertainer Angelo Moore and bassist Norwood Fisher are the only original members left. Rocky George from Suicidal Tendencies also plays in the current lineup, but there are rumors of a reunion of the originals.

Tool: They toured this summer, and are supposedly going to do a new album. Maynard's main priority is his winery in Arizona, and he's sort of deactivated his other band, A Perfect Circle, but he still has his solo project, Pussyfier.

Rage Against The Machine: I think they will exist as a touring band, I don't see them ever making a new album. Tom Morello is really into his new group, Street Sweeper Social Club, and I think he will continue to do acoustic music as The Nightwatchman. It's been over a year since Zach de la Rocha released his EP with One Day As A Lion, I don't know what's up with that.

Smashing Pumpkins: Still around, it's Billy Corgan and whoever he hires. He also plans to work with other projects.

The Beastie Boys: have been reissuing their catalog, and waiting for Adam Yauch to recover from throat surgery.

A Tribe Called Quest: occasionally perform, but Q-Tip mainly focuses on his solo career now

Green Day: one of the biggest bands in the world!


Hole: kind of like Billy/Pumpkins, Courtney Love says she is Hole, and has hired a new version of the band. But she needs to chill.

E STREET BAND TO TAKE HIATUS

Most Bruce Springsteen fans probably guessed that The E Street Band would be taking a break after this tour wraps up, but now it's a bit more official: Little Steven Van Zandt, Nils Lofgren and Roy Bittan held a conference call with journalists, and said that they'd probably be taking a year and a half or two years off after the Working On A Dream tour wraps in November. They've been working for over two years straight at this point: the classic Magic album came out just about two years ago (on October 2, 2007 - just weeks after No Expiration started), they toured a lot, recorded Working On A Dream during breaks in the tour, put that out, and have been touring since. I'm sure Bruce will take some time off, and probably do a solo acoustic thing, or maybe hook up with the folks he worked with in The Seeger Sessions Band again. I'd love to see them do an album of Hank Williams songs. I've also heard that the Darkness On The Edge Of Town box set (which will be similar in format to the Born To Run box set that came out a while back) is coming before the end of the year.

NEIL YOUNG: SOCIAL MEDIA TRENDSETTER?

Not really, Neil Young doesn't even twitter! And his official website is kind of frustrating - for most of my Neil news, I go to Thrasher's Wheat. (and they do twitter). But this article in the Huffinton Post has a list of five lessons that celebrities can learn about social media from Neil Young (and I'd argue that other people, whether using social media for personal or professional purposes, could learn a thing or two from the article).

IN HAPPIER VIDEO GAME/ROCK NEWS

I think that it's cool that video games are bringing awesome music to a younger generation, although things don't always work out perfectly. But here's some fun news: November will see the release of Lego Rock Band. Here's the Iggy Pop avatar.

BANG! BANG! GO THE JAIL GUITAR DOORS (SLIGHT RETURN)

Mick Jones and Topper Headon of The Clash just re-recorded their classic "Jail Guitar Doors" with lifelong Clash fan Billy Bragg. It was for his Jail Guitar Doors Foundation, which works to provide jail inmates with musical instruments to aid in their rehabilitation. They were backed on the song by Leon Walker, Jonny Neesom, Kevin Hawkins and Jon Smillie - former inmates and "graduates" of the program. Read more about it here.

BON JOVI ON GUITAR HERO COBAIN: "I WOULDN'T LIKE IT EITHER"

There's been some controversy over the Kurt Cobain avatar in Guitar Hero 5 - it doesn't just sing Nirvana songs, you can have it sing songs by other artists - as has often been mentioned in the press (and on this very blog) - Bush (Nirvana lite) and Bon Jovi (the anti-Nirvana). Krist Novoselic and Dave Grohl have asked Activision to "lock" the character so that it only sings Nirvana songs, and somehow Courtney Love has blamed this on Activision, Grohl, everyone but herself. But in an interview with the NME, Guitar Hero's CEO said that Kurt Cobain's estate "cashed the check." Does anyone else from the estate cash the checks other than Courtney?

As for Jon Bon Jovi, who I remember making fun of Nirvana and grunge music in general in a music video years ago, even he doesn't like it, as he recently told BBC News. He said he wouldn't want to hear someone else's song coming out of a cartoon version of himself.

THEY'RE BRINGING SEX-LESS BACK: PAVEMENT REUNITING

The indie-rock world and music critics everywhere are all psyched over the news that Pavement is reuniting. A lot of people who I respect really like them, but I am not really a fan (despite enjoying some of thier songs, like "Summer Babe").

At one point, Pavement had me thinking I shouldn't read music magazines anymore and here's why: I'd read SO much about them before I'd even heard them. And then when I'd heard them, I felt like they were very... OK. I know that there are people who will totally write me off for expressing this opinion, but there you have it. I kind of suspect with certain people, they kind of have to like them, out of a weird sort of hipster peer pressure. I know a lot of indie rock loving females have a thing for Stephen Malkmus (the frontman), but I kind of always thought of them as a bit eunuch-y. They were so post-everything: post-grunge, post-arena rock, post-trying hard, way too clever, and making fun of bands who were way out of their league (like Rush, for one) .

I saw them live at the first Tibetan Freedom Concert: they were on the bill with The Beastie Boys, The Red Hot Chili Peppers, Rage Against The Machine, A Tribe Called Quest, John Lee Hooker, de la soul, The Fugees, The Foo Fighters... they were pretty out of their league. Or if not out of their league, they were far from their usual clique. Most of these artists were larger than life, and Pavement struck me as the guys who snicker at anyone who attempts to be larger than life. Still, they were pretty good - their best songs were a cover of The Velvet Underground's "Beginning To See The Light" and the Schoolhouse Rock song "No More Kings." Even they couldn't be their usual cynical selves about the Tibetan situation. Hearing the monks speak (many through translators) was really moving. Soon after, I'd read that someone from Pavement said that it was one of their best shows ever. They weren't one of the best performances of that day, but OK. I saw them a few years later on Lollapalooza, and they weren't as good.

It seems ironic somehow that they are doing a reunion, they always seemed to be the band who were so anti- that kind of thing. But maybe the guys need to pay their mortgages, I can't be mad at that (although I bet some of their "fans" are). I wouldn't mind checking them out when they play Central Park - I wouldn't pay for it though - I think I'd be just as interested as watching the fans as the band. Anyway, I'm never mad at reunions. If it makes people happy, then great.

P.S. in other news about bands who the hipster union requires its members to like, Sascha Frere-Jones puts this year's Pavement (or this year's Air Supply/Ambrosia), Animal Collective, on blast in The New Yorker. He refers to them as a "communal hallucination." Wow. This is why I'd never last as a rock critic, I'd never come up with that!

UPDATE: maybe not everyone is happy. The Daily Swarm is tracking the Pavement backlash!

THE LEMMYS REUNITE

"The Lemmys" was the name that Metallica used when they played Lemmy 's 50th birthday a couple of years back. Lemmy joined them for one song (I think). Anyway, Lemmy joined Metallica again recently on stage in Nashville. Total bootleg video, but check it out anyway.

WHEN HE PAINTS HIS MASTERPIECE

Well, that headline kind of wrote itself! Bob Dylan isn't just the greatest songwriter ever, an awesome radio host and a wonderful author, he's also a painter. Check out his work at his art website.

BEATLEMANIA: BACK IN EFFECT

Jay-Z has the #1 album in the country with The Blueprint 3, which sold nearly a half million copies. But The Beatles sold over 600,000 albums. Which just goes to show you: you still can sell CDs... you just have to be the best band of all time!

GIRLFRIEND: THE MUSICAL

I don't know much about theater, but the Berkeley Repertory Theatre seems pretty hip. They've adapted Green Day's classic American Idiot into a stage musical, and that's gotten a good amount of attention. But they've also adapted Matthew Sweet's (also) classic Girlfriend. Find out more here.

TOMORROW ON OUTQ: A REAL "ROCK" REPORT

Larry Flick often refers to my weekly contribution to his morning program as a "rock" report, but often times it isn't rock, like when I recently discussed Whitney and Reba. Tomorrow, however, the report will indeed rock.


I will be talking about Muse 's new album, The Resistance, which came out today, and is maybe the most highly anticipated rock album of the year. They are so huge in England that they sold out two nights at Wembley Stadium (not the arena) and they even sold out MSG in New York last year - I would imagine a lot of tickets went to relocated NYC Brits. They're opening for U2 and they just rocked the VMAs, I really think this will be their year, it's a very exciting time to see them. I hope U2 is on their game at Giants Stadium!


Living Colour has a new album The Chair In The Doorway, which also came out today. They reunited in 2000 and this is their second album since then. I haven't had much time to spend with it, but I am a big enough fan to buy it regardless. There's lots of credits for songwriting and producing, like everyone was trying to get theirs, which may not be a great sign, but I bet there will be some great songs.


The Reverend Horton Heat just released Laughin' & Cryin' With The Reverend Horton Heat and it is one of my favorite albums of the year. More on the country side of rockabilly than his usual stuff (which is more punkabilly) and it also has lots of songs with hilarious lyrics like "Death Metal Guys" and "Just Let Me Hold My Paycheck." Highly recommended.


The Arctic Monkeys are like the new Oasis in England, and they're pretty big here also. I liked their first two albums: their latest one, Humbug, was produced by Josh Homme of Queens Of The Stone Age, Eagles Of Death Metal and Them Crooked Vultures. Homeboy gets around! They wanted to get a bit more weird on this album and they went to the right guy to achieve that.


Crown Of Thorns is a hard rock band led by Jean Beauvoir, who is a former member of Wendy O. Williams' Plasmatics and also Little Steven's Disciples Of Soul. They are the first band on Steven's new hard rock label Lost Cathedral (as they wouldn't really fit in on Wicked Cool).

So, that's the lowdown for tomorrow, get ready to rock!

BRIDGE SCHOOL ANNOUNCES THIS YEAR'S LINEUP

The Bridge School has announced this year's lineup: Neil Young (of course), No Doubt, Sheryl Crow, Jimmy Buffett, Adam Sandler, Wolfmother, Chris Martin of Coldplay and Mr. Gwen Stefani, Gavin Rossdale of Bush. Decent lineup .

PHIL COLLINS' STATEMENT

Yeah, lots of people like to hate on Phil Collins, but I'll have none of that. I like him. But even if you don't like him, you have to admit he's a great drummer. And even if you don't admit that, it's sad when someone gets a physical ailment that prevents them from doing what they love. And if you don't agree with that statement, I can't help you.

But news came out that Phil has a physical ailment that he developed on the Genesis reunion tour that won't allow him to play drums ever again. He posted a statement on the Genesis website addressing the situation:

"There isn't any drama regarding my 'disability' and playing drums. Somehow during the last Genesis tour I dislocated some vertebrae in my upper neck and that affected my hands. After a successful operation on my neck, my hands still can't function normally. Maybe in a year or so it will change, but for now it is impossible for me to play drums or piano. I am not in any 'distressed' state, stuff happens in life." Get well soon, Phil.

DID U2 SEE MUSE BEFORE INVITING THEM ON TOUR?

Muse - New Music - More Music Videos

I was really excited when I heard that U2 invited Muse to open shows on thier tour, and that they'd be playing the Giants Stadium shows. Last time I saw U2, I think Kings Of Leon opened, and I felt like they were all hype. They sort of had the indie thing of not being sure that they belonged in a big venue (although I know they are now headlining arenas). Some of my favorite bands have opened for U2, including Primus and PJ Harvey. But I think Muse is really having its moment now, and I wonder if they'll blow U2 away. Their album which comes out tomorrow is super highly anticipated, and U2's No Line On The Horizon was a bit disappointing. I've liked Muse for a while, and I look forward to seeing them break in America. Last night's VMAs was a lot about lame behaviour and hype, but Muse just rocked.

4 REASONS WHY IT'S OK THAT TAYLOR SWIFT GOT THAT VMA

I didn't even watch the VMAs other than the Michael Jackson tribute that opened the show. But right before I went to bed, Facebook went crazy on Kanye West, who played the damn fool as the whole world now knows. I was worried that people were going to turn this into a black/white thing, luckily that didn't happen. And I'm glad that the hip-hop community hasn't supported Kanye on this. They may not be too familiar with Taylor Swift's music (nor am I) but she just seems too nice for that kind of treatment. But some people feel like Beyonce really did get robbed. So here's a few reasons why I think Taylor won (I don't own albums by either lady, and I have never seen either of them in concert, but I do enjoy songs by each - I'm pretty unbiased on this one).

1 - MTV plays "hip" with their promos and image, but MTV is really for high school and early college kids. Beyonce is probably almost 30, and her song "Single Ladies (Put A Ring On It)" probably doesn't resonate with kids that age. Taylor Swift's song is about a girl in the school band who digs a football guy who digs a hot cheerleader. In the video (spoiler alert!) the nice girl gets the guy at the end (Taylor plays both girls, but the nice one more closely resembles her). Taylor is 19, and probably seems a bit more like younger girls. Beyonce never shows weakness, her video features choreography that most girls could never hope to copy, and of course B is impossibly good looking.

2 - Although the VMAs is not a political event, nearly every artist who performed endorsed Barack Obama in the last election. Even the host, a British guy, gave The President -- and even his health care plan! -- some major props during his opening monologue. To me, and lots of people I know, and most people who work at MTV, that's all good and almost expected. The thing is, MTV is supposed to appeal to all young people, not just the ones who voted for (or wanted to vote for) Barack Obama. I bet Taylor Swift voted for Obama also - but she didn't get politically involved in the election, so middle America is comfortable with her. Inviting her to be a part of the VMAs was clever marketing. Which is the entire purpose of the VMAs - don't get it twisted.

3 - Like I said, Beyonce is probably almost 30, Taylor isn't even 20. MTV is all about "in with the new." And while it might make some people uncomfortable hearing this, Beyonce is getting a bit old for MTV. Sorry! It happens to everyone. To me, Kanye West complaining about Taylor just make him look old. REALLY OLD!!!! (caps and !'s in tribute to the man's twitter style). Again: sorry.

4 - And by the way, it's not like Beyonce got dissed. I know "Single Ladies" got Video of the Year - the voters (a small group of MTV execs) decide on all the results at once, so they know that B was getting something later in the night. But to address Kanye's claim that "Single Ladies" is one of the best videos of all time: it isn't even in Beyonce's top five. If you think I don't know what I'm talking about because I don't cover her on this blog, I submit: "'03 Bonnie & Clyde," "Crazy In Love," "Work It Out" (yeah, the Austin Powers jam), plus Destiny's Child's "No, No, No," "Bootylicious," "Soldier," "Lose My Breath," "Survivor," "Jumpin' Jumpin'" and I'm probably forgetting some other ones.

In closing, Kanye is a douche. I have to admit: I liked when he was douche and took aim at bush. But really, come on dude. On the other hand, The College Dropout and Late Registration are still great, and Graduation had some good jams too. And that was very nice of Beyonce to give Taylor her speech back. It's not like she donated her kidney to Taylor (some people seemed to think this made B a saint), but it was a gracious move and the right thing to do.

KRIST NOVOSELIC AND DAVE GROHL WEIGH IN ON GUITAR HERO

Courtney Love has been... well, "ranting" is a good way to put it ... on Twitter about the Kurt Cobain avatar on Guitar Hero, which, when "unlocked," can be used to front other bands including Nirvana ripoffs Bush and even Bon Jovi. She somehow made it seem like Dave Grohl may be to blame. Dave and Krist Novoselic released this statement today:

This is a statement regarding Nirvana, Guitar Hero and the likeness of the late Kurt Cobain.

We want people to know that we are dismayed and very disappointed in the way a facsimile of Kurt is used in the Guitar Hero game. The name and likeness of Kurt Cobain are the sole property of his estate - we have no control whatsoever in that area.

While we were aware of Kurt’s image being used with two Nirvana songs, we didn’t know players have the ability to unlock the character. This feature allows the character to be used with any kind of song the player wants. We urge Activision to do the right thing in “re-locking” Kurt’s character so that this won’t continue in the future.

It’s hard to watch an image of Kurt pantomiming other artists’ music alongside cartoon characters. Kurt Cobain wrote songs that hold a lot of meaning to people all over the world. We feel he deserves better.

Krist Novoselic and Dave Grohl

THE RACONTEURS GET A CMA NOMINATION. HUH?

The Raconteurs got a nomination at the CMA (Country Music Association) Awards, in the "Musical Event Of The Year" category for their collaboration with Ricky Skaggs and Ashley Monroe on a bluegrass version of "Old Enough."

I doubt they'll win, but I wonder if they'll perform.

BRUCE SPRINGSTEEN, DeNIRO, BROOKS SELECTED FOR KENNEDY CENTER HONORS

Bruce Springsteen is among those who were selected to be celebrated at this year's Kennedy Center Honors ceremony. Also getting the nod: Robert DeNiro, Mel Brooks, Grace Bumbry and Dave Brubeck. It's a prestigious ceremony attended by Bruce's friend The President, and probably some big name artists will be there to perform Bruce's songs. I'm glad he is receiving this this year; if it were last year when Bush was president, that would be awkward.

TOMORROW ON OUTQ: THE BEATLES

So, you may have heard that The Beatles are reissuing their catalog tomorrow. I'm going to be playing some of the songs from their incredible career. And right here, I'm going to try to provide a quick rundown of what they've just released, and what else is out there, if you actually don't have any Beatles music and want to check some of it out. Their catalog is actually pretty confusing. I'm not going to talk about The Beatles Rock Band game, although I want to get it myself.


First off, is The Beatles stereo box set. It contains all of The Beatles albums, remastered in stereo. It also has both Past Masters collections. The Past Masters have all the songs that were released as singles, but were never on albums. So, if you get the stereo box set, you pretty much have everything, and by all accounts, the stereo box sets sound amazing. By the way, all the stereo albums will be available seperately.


Some people ask why anyone would want the mono box set, which has fewer albums and is actually more expensive. Back in their early days of the band, they recorded and released everything in mono, as most music was listened to on record players with one speaker or radios with one speaker. So, most of their music was recorded for mono. At first, the band didn't care much about stereo, and didn't pay much attention to stereo mixes. Then when home stereos became a bigger thing, everything was recorded for stereo (in the Beatles' case, I think they started recording for stereo with Sgt. Pepper. The last few Beatles albums were actually recorded for stereo, and so no mono versions exist, which is why the mono box is shorter. It's more expensive because they're making it into a collector's set, and apparently it has sold out just from pre-orders (also, the albums won't be available individually in mono). In some cases, different takes on certain songs are featured in the mono and stereo mixes.


The Beatles box sets Vol. 1 and Vol. 2 came out in 2004 and 2006, respectively. What are they? Well, in the first few years of The Beatles' career, their U.S. label released different versions of albums than the U.K. albums. It's complicated. When CDs were first released in the '80s, the label decided to only release the British versions of the albums, to make things less confusing. But then to make things more confusing (and profitable), they released these box sets with the U.S. versions of the albums - oddly enough, they all contained the stereo and mono mixes! These are kind of just for the real collectors.


If you just want to dive into The Beatles for the first time, I'd recommend "The Red Album" (basically a 2 CD best of covering the first half of their career) and "The Blue Album" (same deal, for the second half). Or, if you're on a tighter budget, 1 is a single CD with all songs that hit #1 in either the U.S. or U.K.

I try not to be a sucker for unnecessary reissues - and some artists have been repackaged so many times. But The Beatles catalog really needed it - these albums haven't been remastered since they first came out on CD in the '80s, and technology to make CDs sound better has improved so much since then. I can't wait to get the stereo box set, and if they ever release the mono albums individually, I'll pick up "The White Album" and Sgt. Pepper.