Music Hound

The Oscars – the movie industry’s event of the year. You know, the one dedicated to movies, movie stars, movie directors, movie producers… the one in which the only time music stars ever get a mention is when they are nominated for the best score and song awards. This is only right considering that the awards have only ever operated in such a tight niche. However, there was a little bit of a crossover this year and that has angered a lot of people. With good reason too.

Farrah Fawcett sadly died of cancer in 2009, although few people will actually remember that given that she died the same day as pop superstar Michael Jackson. The media furore after Jackson’s death overshadowed the death of the TV and movie icon despite her many campaigns to draw attention to women’s cancers and early diagnosis, which was unfair in itself. However, the fact that her peers have not even recognised her is disgusting.

Fawcett did not appear in the roll of honour featuring the acting stars that died last year because apparently she was better known as a TV star. That argument holds in itself because she will be honoured at the Emmys. However, it doesn’t when none other than Michael Jackson features in the roll of honour in her place.

Mention the name Michael Jackson and you think pop star, amongst more negative things. You do not think movie star or even TV star, so why did he feature at the Oscars instead of Fawcett? He was arguably a greater star than she was but that should not detract from her achievements. It is like the Grammys honouring Fawcett, Corey Haim, Heath Ledger, River Phoenix or any number of other movies stars that have died instead of Michael Jackson

The opinion behind the story? I just wish everyone would apply one rule for everybody in the arts world instead of giving some special attention when it is not necessarily always merited.

Mark Linkous, the frontman of American band Sparklehorse, committed suicide over the weekend according to various friend and family sources of the rock genius, who was believed to be in his 40s.

The music world is most definitely in mourning as a result of the sad demise of one of alternative rock’s greats. Linkous broke onto the music scene in a big way in 1995 with the release of the band’s first album – Vivadixiesubmarinetransmissionplot. The further three acclaimed albums that Sparklehorse released revolutionized the music world. His collaborations with acclaimed artists like Danger Mouse, PJ Harvey and Tom Waits also showed how versatile and talented he was. Virginia born Linkous found a place in music history as a result of all of the above and his very presence on stage.

Linkous’s problems with alcohol and drugs had been well documented through the years, particularly in relation to his collapse as a result of a Valium and antidepressant overdose in 1996 whilst supporting Radiohead’s tour over here. He was out of action after quite some time as a result of how close he actually came to passing away. Following surgery to restore the use of his legs and the full recovery from the heart attack that the overdose caused, Linkous went on to be more musically prolific than ever.

Linkous will definitely be sadly missed but if you are a fan then he is not done yet. Despite his untimely death, a collaboration with Danger Mouse and David Lynch will be officially released in the summer, although Dark Night Of The Soul is available for download now. He was also working on a new album with Sparklehorse. Although there has been no announcement on this yet, it was supposed to be released this year so stay tuned for more information.

My Chemical Romance are amongst the most popular bands in the world and 2010 was supposed to be their major comeback year. Since the release of The Black Parade in 2006, the band has been doing their own projects as well as working on new material for an as yet untitled album that is due for release this year. However, news broke this week that the boys are officially one man down at the moment.

Drummer Bob Bryar has officially quit the band as of February. Although the news broke two days ago, he had already parted ways with Gerard Way and the rest of the band four weeks ago. Bryar originally joined in 2004 after the previous drummer, Matt Pelissier, had left so this will mark the first change in the band’s membership in six years.

Guitarist Frank Lero had the following to say on his blog: “As of four weeks ago, My Chemical Romance and Bob Bryar parted ways.  This was a painful decision for all of us to make and was not taken lightly. We wish him the best of luck in his future endeavours, and expect you all to do the same.” Although there is no hint of why Bryar left here, the statement was pretty matter of fact and closed off the potential for any questions so no doubt more news will emerge a little later.

There has been no explanation given for Bryar’s departure, no replacement announcement and no hint of one either. However, the band has provided fans with assurances that they will continue making music as they have absolutely no plans to split up and go their own ways. Hopefully, the plans for the new album will remain on schedule and we will get to hear all of their new tunes soon.

More festival news today because the headliners for 2010’s V Festival have finally been announced. They are usually released around the same time as the Glastonbury headliners are released so this should come as no surprise but if you are planning on heading to Glastonbury this year then you are in for a treat.

The official headliners of V Festival 2010 are … (drum roll please)… Kings Of Leon and Kasabian!

It may come as a surprise but neither band has headlined before. Kings Of Leon last played at V in 2008, when The Verve headlined, and for Kasabian it was 2007 when The Killers and Foo Fighters headlined. There is little doubt that both bands deserve to headline the event now, given how big they are and how popular they are right now off the back of numerous award wins.

Last year, The Killers and Oasis headlined V… or should have done but Oasis didn’t play there and famously announced their split just a few days later. Hopefully the festival, to be held in Chelmsford and Staffordshire on 21^st and 22^nd August this year, will not see any more drama on that level this year!

There are numerous acts that have already been announced for V this year so far, including Florence And The Machine, Ellie Goulding, La Roux, Pixie Lott, Stereophonics, The Prodigy, Paolo Nutini and Plan B, in addition to Cheryl Cole, who has confirmed that she will make an appearance. Although they have yet to be officially announced, there are suggestions that Kate Nash, Scouting For Girls, Imogen Heap, and Chase and Status will also be playing.

Well people, the festival season is certainly starting to hot up now with so many great acts having already been announced and no doubt many more to come. Get your sunscreen, wellies and tent ready because summer will soon be here!

Music-news.com reported today that the brand new superband composed of Black Sabbath’s Glenn Hughes, Foreigner’s Jason Bonham, Planet X’s Derek Sherinian and Bloodline’s Joe Bonamassa is now completely nameless.

Previously known as Black Country, the band has been forced to abandon their name because of a copyright infringement claim made by a previously existing band of the same name. Regardless, they will undoubtedly come up with a new moniker soon, but it did get me thinking about superbands and how they are affecting music right now.

Superbands are effectively those bands that are made up of members of previously successful bands and there seem to be quite a few around at the moment. The Crooked Vultures (Foo Fighters’ Dave Grohl, Led Zeppelin’s John Paul Jones and Queen Of The Stone Age’s Josh Homme), Dead By Sunrise (Linkin Park’s Chester Bennington, Anthony Valcic and Julien-K’s Elias Andra, Brandon Belsky, Amir Derakh and Ryan Shuck) and The Dead Weather (The Kills’ Alison Mosshart, Queens Of The Stone Age’s Dean Fertita, The Raconteurs’ Jack Lawrence and The White Stripes’ Jack White) seem to be the most popular superbands around right now. However, the idea of a superband has been around since the 1960s.

Cream was the first supergroup in 1966. Eric Clapton, Jack Bruce and Ginger Baker had all been in hugely successful bands before that. They were followed by Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young (with a really imaginative name there!), Humble Pie and Blind Faith, which was another Eric Clapton band, before 1970. However, the concept has really taken off since the turn of the Millennium, with no less than 38 superbands being identified in the last 10 years.

As such, it appears as if superbands are here to stay and ill have a huge part in music in the coming years. Why not? They give music fans everywhere exactly what they want, which can only be a good thing!

Despite being the recipient of billions of pounds every year thanks to the ridiculous tax they call the TV license, the BBC is officially beginning to penalise music lovers in order to justify the salaries of its big stars. What do I mean? Well, a recent report in The Times newspaper revealed that at least two radio stations will be shut down in order to save up to £600 million in the coming year.

The two stations that are said to be on the chopping block are 6Music and the BBC Asian Network.

It must be said that this report has not been confirmed by the BBC yet, although it will apparently be announced at some stage in March. According to the BBC website, the National Union of Journalists had said that they received a briefing and that most of the information reported was actually true.

Upon hearing the news, David Bowie added his voice to the many that had rallied around the stations on Facebook and Twitter. Bowie stated that “6 Music keeps the spirit of broadcasters like John Peel alive and for new artists to lose this station would be a great shame.” I thoroughly agree.

Although the likelihood is that the radio department is not the only one that will experience severe cuts, it is highly unfair on music fans that have personal preferences, especially in regards 6Music. Furthermore, it will actually deprive the Asian community in the UK of a voice that they are more than entitled to on the BBC airwaves.

Some reports suggest that this move is politically motivated and has been put in place in order to prevent a license fee freeze in the coming months. However, what the BBC have effectively done is penalised the very people who are paying that fee in the first place. 

The awards season is in full swing in the music industry now with the Shockwaves NME Awards 2010 taking place tonight. Taking place at the O2 Academy Brixton in London, some of the biggest names in British music attended the awards to see exactly who had benefitted from the votes of the public!

The big winners of the night were Muse, who won two awards – the Best British Band and Best Website awards to be precise. Kasabian also won two awards. They scooped Best Album and Best Album Artwork. There were no awards for the lady of the moment though – Lady Gaga. Although she won the awards for best dressed and worst dressed – no idea how she won both – there were no awards based on her musical ability.

This year, it was The Specials that won the Outstanding Contribution To Music Award with Paul Weller winning the Godlike Genius Award. Both performed and were absolutely fantastic on stage. The entire show was amazing, with no miming in sight!

For a full list of winners, take a quick look below:

Best British Band – Muse

Best International Band – Paramore

Best Solo Artist – Jamie T

Best New Band – Bombay Bicycle Club

Best Live Band – Arctic Monkeys

Best Album – Kasabian – ‘West Ryder Pauper Lunatic Asylum’

Best Track – The Big Pink – ‘Dominos’

Best Video – Biffy Clyro – ‘The Captain’

Best Live Event – Blur at Hyde Park

Best Festival –Glastonbury

Best Dancefloor Filler – La Roux – ‘In For The Kill’ (Skream Remix)

Best DVD – The Mighty Boosh – Future Sailors

Giving It Back Fan Award – Lily Allen for her Twitter ticket treasure hunt

Hero Of The Year – Rage Against The Machine

Villain Of The Year – Kanye West

Worst Album – The Jonas Brothers – ‘Lines Vines Trying Times’

Worst Band – JLS

Best Album Artwork – Kasabian – ‘West Ryder Pauper Lunatic Asylum’,

Best Band Blog – Radiohead (Radiohead.com/deadairspace)

On Friday, I wrote a post about the plans for Abbey Road studios, the former home of the Beatles and one of the most iconic buildings in the British music industry past or present. According to reports last week, Sir Andrew Lloyd Webber had confirmed that he wanted to not only save it but buy it in order to keep it in use. This week, the story is completely different and has definitely thrown my information out of touch!

Now, nobody will be buying Abbey Road because… it’s no longer for sale! Yes, after all the uproar and outrage that such an established and important part of British music history would be sold or worse, it is no longer for sale.

EMI have now taken Abbey Road off the market and are instead looking for investment to revitalise the studios. They have also welcomed news from the National Trust that they are expediting plans to list the building. This may come as a bit of a shock but it is absolutely true. They said so themselves in the following statement:

“In response to recent press speculation, EMI confirms that it is holding preliminary discussions for the revitalisation of Abbey Road with interested and appropriate third parties. Abbey Road studios had, for a number of years, been losing money and we have developed plans to revitalise the studios. These plans would involve a substantial injection of new capital.”

It really is a shame that it took a National Trust campaign and a Facebook campaign to alert EMI to the fact that Abbey Road can still be a viable proposition in the music industry, whether for recording purposes or simply as an attraction. Profitability overrules sentimentality though so if it cannot generate cash then we will probably hear the same rumours again in the near future.

Let’s hope not!

The world has changed a lot since the days of the height of Beatles hysteria. Music has changed time and time again since then, and no circumstance or event highlights that as much as the plight of Abbey Road.

The Beatles made Abbey Road iconic during their heyday, recording many of their albums there in the 1960s and of course naming one of those albums after it. The image of all four Beatles walking across the road on the crossing depicted above is one of the enduring images of British pop. However, the recording studio has now been under threat for some time after EMI announced that they were to sell it.

The London based recording studio was set to be offloaded in an attempt to raise funds to pay off the debts that EMI currently have and a surprise announcement may mean that the studio will not have to close at all. Hot on the heels of Paul McCartney’s expression of the need to save it, Sir Andrew Lloyd Webber has announced that he is interested in purchasing it.

This new information has come on the back of numerous Facebook and Twitter campaigns to save the Abbey Road and even the announcement of a National Trust planned campaign should no buyer be found.

Abbey Road and Lloyd Webber go back years because he has used the studio before when recording soundtracks for his musicals, including Jesus Christ Superstar. As such, he not only recognises the sentimental value of the place but also the practical use that it can be put to.

A spokesman for Lloyd Webber declared: “”He thinks it is vital that the studios are saved for the future of the music industry in the UK. Abbey Road has such great facilities, with three major recording studios.” He went on to add: “Andrew has probably brought more musicians to record there than anyone else, because it has the capacity to record large orchestral productions.” With a little luck, long may that continue!

Oasis is undoubtedly one f the greatest bands of the past couple of decades in British music, with unbelievable albums like What’s The Story, Morning Glory? making their mark on the face and identity of British music as we know it. However, they are also incredibly well known for their ability to fall out with each other at the drop of a hat, with Liam and Noel Gallagher particularly derogatory about each other, although that really is putting it mildly at the moment.

Of course, Oasis won the award for the best album of the last 30 years at the BRITS on Tuesday night and the reaction of Liam Gallagher has been well documented. He threw the microphone into the crowd as well as the statuette in a move that was highly disrespectful but had an edge of rock n roll about it. This split the country’s opinion, with some disgusted and others cheering, but one thing that everyone agrees on is the fact that Liam was highly disrespectful by failing to mention Noel when he did pick up the award.

Peter Kay, the host of the BRITS and the UK’s favourite comedian, had something to say on the night with his infamous “what a knobhead” comment after Gallagher had left the stage. However, he’s gone a little further on his website, writing the following: “So it was the Brits last night (February 16) and I was honoured to be asked to host the show, especially with it being 30 years old. Congratulations to all the winners, including Noel Gallagher, who sadly didn’t get a mention (and who thankfully isn’t a knobhead).”

Noel Gallagher actually wrote all the songs on the album and so deserved more than a mention. Good on Peter Kay for at least recognising him, but shame on Liam for acting like a complete idiot. Methinks he’s gotten a little too above his station for someone that hasn’t done much for the past decade or so!