Queen Lyrics

Steve Smith: Beach Boys working on new album

Aug 6, 2011 John Deacon

BEACH BOYS NEW ALBUM

This year marks the 50th anniversary of The Beach Boys. The group that grew up in Hawthorne will celebrate that golden anniversary by reuniting to record a new album, announced singer Mike Love, reports Billboard. He said that he and his cousin, Brian Wilson, have each written new songs and that both are taking this project, “very seriously.” He said that it appears that the album will be recorded this fall with a release date in early 2012.

The goal-oriented Love added that the group is already in the Guinness Book for World Records for the longest stretch between No. 1 songs, saying, “Between ‘Good Vibrations’ and ‘Kokomo’ it was 22 years between No. 1 records. Can you imagine if we got a No. 1 record in 2012? Oh, that would be something.”

WILL THE WHO RETURN?

Roger Daltrey, singer for The Who, said group leader Pete Townshend is nearly “stone deaf” and suffers from severe tinnitus as the result of decades of incredibly loud volume at the group’s concerts. Because of this, he said the band the two of them formed in 1964 may have played its final concert.

Not so, says a rejuvenated Townshend on his blog, who reports that his condition has improved. The guitarist says that The Who is hitting the road next year and they’ll be performing full versions of his 1973 rock opera, “Quadrophenia.”

Daltrey is currently on a marathon U.S. tour that is seeing him and his band perform Townshend’s

1969 rock opera, “Tommy” in its entirety. Townshend said the reason he didn’t join Daltrey on this jaunt is because, “This is entirely Roger’s adventure, one that is bringing him great joy. I don’t belong on this ‘Tommy’ tour.” He ended his post with, “I wish him well, sincerely, and I look forward to playing with Roger again doing `Quadrophenia’ next year.”

CHUCK BERRY GETS STATUE

The city of University City, MO, outside St. Louis, unveiled an eight-foot statue of the 84-year-old “Father of Rock and Roll,” Chuck Berry, reports the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. The statue rests across the street from the Blueberry Hill club where Berry still performs monthly.

Berry attended the unveiling and recorded tributes from Little Richard, Elvis Costello, Merle Haggard, former Doobie Brother’s singer Michael McDonald, Aerosmith guitarist Joe Perry and others were played. The statue depicts the composer of “Johnny B. Goode,” “Maybelline,” “Roll Over Beethoven,” “Rock and Roll Music” and countless other early rock and roll classics in his `50s heyday.

“It’s glorious,” Berry said. “I do appreciate it to the highest.”

He told the assembled throng, “I’m not going to keep you out here for very long. I don’t know how to speak. I can sing a little bit. Thank you. I love you all.”

THAT’S ‘DR. IRON MAIDEN’ TO YOU

Bruce Dickinson, who’s been singing for venerable British metal band Iron Maiden since 1981, was awarded an Honorary Doctorate of Music Degree from London’s Queen Mary University, reports New Musical Express. The 52-year-old Nottinghamshire, England-born Dickinson is a former student who earned a bachelor’s degree in history at the school in 1979.

The multitalented singer is also an author, film script writer, TV broadcaster, a champion fencer, a successful entrepreneur and commercial airline pilot who flies Iron Maiden around the world on their tours on their private Boeing 757 jet.

Since 1980, Iron Maiden has recorded three platinum and 12 gold albums in the U.K. Here, they have six platinum and three gold albums. If you’re in London this weekend, you can possibly catch one of the group’s two shows at London’s O2 Arena.

STEVIE WONDER SURPRISES!

In Toronto, mid-way through his set, Canadian actor-rapper Drake told the crowd, “I’m going to step off for a second. I’ll be back.” With that, roadies quickly set up the equipment of a totally different band. To thunderous applause, out came surprise guest Stevie Wonder, who sat behind his keyboard and had no trouble coaxing the crowd to sing out “da da da da,” before launching into “Sir Duke.”

Over the next half-hour, Wonder blew everybody away by playing his own mini-set that included “My Cherie Amour,” “Signed, Sealed, Delivered,” “I Wish,” and “Superstition,” according to CNN.

The Motown legend provided considerable input on Drake’s upcoming album, “Take Care.” “He (Wonder) helped me out with a lot of the music, He just came and sat with me…told me where I could add a couple things to make it more sonically appealing. Not only that, but we actually are writing together, which is an incredible experience,” he said.

MORRISSEY’S FAST FOOD WAR

British crooner Morrissey, former singer for The Smiths, compared the recent massacre of 76 in Norway, most of them kids at a political youth camp, to the slaughter of livestock for use as food at fast food restaurants, reports the U.K.’s Daily Mail. The 52-year-old vegetarian said at a concert in Warsaw, Poland, “We all live in a murderous world, as the events in Norway have shown, though, that is nothing compared to what happens in McDonald’s and Kentucky Fried (blank) every day.

JACKIE DESHANNON RECORDS CD

One of the most successful singer-songwriters of the rock and roll era, Jackie DeShannon, has rerecorded a batch of her biggest hits for a new CD, “When You Walk In The Room,” that comes out next month, on Sept. 27, according to her website. Among the hits she either wrote or co-wrote include “Put a Little Love in Your Heart” and “Bette Davis Eyes,” plus Jack Nitzsche and Sonny Bono’s “Needles and Pins” and Burt Bacharach and Hal David’s “What the World Needs Now Is Love,” as well as the title song that she wrote in 1963. The new album will be available on Amazon.

LAST LENNON AUTOGRAPH SOLD

A John Lennon autograph signed on the final night of his life, Dec. 8, 1980, at a radio station in New York City, was bought by a memorabilia company, Tracks LTD, for $40,000, according to all Access Music. Lennon signed a poster from his just-released “Double Fantasy” album for an RKO Radio Network engineer who recorded what turned out to be his last interview. He was fatally shot hours later.

CONCERT FOR BANGLADESH’S 40th

The triple album record of George Harrison’s “Concert For Bangladesh,” featuring Beatles Harrison and Ringo Starr, and then-recluses Bob Dylan and Eric Clapton as well as Leon Russell, Billy Preston, Ravi Shankar and Badfinger, is now available as a download on iTunes. The proceeds continue to benefit The George Harrison Fund for UNICEF.

CONCERT VIOLENCE

Four concert audience members were shot after a “Unity in the Park” festival headlined by George Clinton and his band, Parliament-Funkadelic at Luke Easter Park in Cleveland, according to the Plain Dealer. The shooter escaped.

Meanwhile, six people attending a Tim McGraw concert in Mansfield, MA, were arrested after a fight left a 19-year-old man with severe head injuries. It is alleged that the fight began over a woman. Excessive alcohol use is also suspected, according to NECN.com.

MEAT LOAF DOWN BUT NOT OUT

The Pittsburgh heat and humidity got to Meat Loaf as he was performing at Station Square, along the Monongahela River downtown. The full-voiced belter passed out onstage, according to that city’s Post-Gazette. He just finished singing one of his hits, “I’d Do Anything For Love (But I Won’t Do That)” when he collapsed. He was down for approximately 10 minutes and many concert-goers suspected the big man had suffered a heart attack. However, the singer told the crowd that he’d suffered an asthma attack and he ended up finishing the show.

Then, after a concert in New Jersey, the singer collapsed again, this time backstage. He requested oxygen and after about 10 minutes, he said he was fine.

The 63-year-old Mr. Loaf told Billboard about his musical plans, including his Christmas album set for 2012 release that features guests Reba McEntire and Garth Brooks.

JOURNEY’S PERRY RESURFACES

Steve Perry, 62, who had been off the scene to the point of being called a recluse since retiring for good as singer for Journey in 1996 (he left Journey and the music biz for seven years from 1987-94), is making a guest appearance on an album, “Follow the Freedom,” by Cassidy, that will be released this fall, Perry sings on the title track and help mix the CD. In 2009, he came out of retirement to provide backup vocals on a song by Street Sweeper Social Club. His last solo CD was “For the Love of Strange Medicine” in 1994.

AMBASSADOR SHERYL CROW

Sheryl Crow has been named an official ambassador of Country Cares for St. Jude Kids, a non-profit organization of St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital in Memphis, according to the hospital. Country Cares was formed in 1089 by Randy Owen, leader of the country group, Alabama.

NEW RELEASES

Among the new CDs out includes “What Matters Most – Barbra Streisand Sings The Lyrics of Alan And Marilyn Bergman”; “Essential Early Recordings,” an import by James Brown; “Performance,” an import by Renaissance English folk-rockers, Fairport Convention; “Gift from Tom T. Hall,” an import from the 75-year-old storytelling country singer; “Dirty Jeans Mudslide Hymns,” from John Hiatt; “Official Bootleg 3: Live in Kawasaki, Japan 2010″ from Uriah Heep; a 5-CD set, “Bootleg Box 1″ from former Yes keyboard wizard Rick Wakeman; and “Breathe Out, Breathe In,” the sixth studio album since 1965 (and the first since 2004) by singer Colin Blunstone, organist Rod Argent and their band, The Zombies.

Also, look for the new DVD, “Emerson Lake Palmer – 40th Anniversary Reunion Concert” that was recorded last summer at the first High Voltage Festival in London.

U2 FINALLY DONE

After 110 stadium shows that played to more than seven million fans, Irish rockers U2′s 360 Degree Tour has, at last, ended. The quartet that formed in Dublin in 1976 played its last show of the mammoth tour in Moncton, Canada.

The tour began June 30, 2009.

BILLBOARD’S BEST VIDS

Billboard asked its readers to pick the greatest videos from each of the three decades. Here is the Top three from each decade. The 1980s: “Thriller” by Michael Jackson, “Like a Prayer” by Madonna and “Girls Just Want to Have Fun” by Cyndi Lauper.

The 1990s: “Baby One More Time” by Britney Spears, “Scream” by Michael Jackson and Janet Jackson, and “Vogue” by Madonna. The 2000s: “Bad Romance” by Lady Gaga, “Toxic” by Britney Spears and “I Write Sins Not Tragedies” by Panic! At the Disco.

ALAN JACKSON TO THE RESCUE

The Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum in Nashville kicked off its $75 million, 200,000-square-foot expansion campaign with a concert featuring Ricky Skaggs, fiddler Buddy Spicher and headlined by Alan Jackson, according to the Associated Press. The plan calls for the museum to more than double its current size and will include an 800-seat theatre.

CHEAP TRICK UPDATE

Cheap Trick cancelled an outdoor concert appearance at the Pacific National Exhibition at the PNE Amphitheatre in Vancouver, Canada, because the stage was put together by the same company, Groupe Berger/Mega-Stage, who built the stage in Ontario, Canada, that collapsed in a rainstorm July 17 during the band’s performance, according to the Montreal Gazette. That accident resulted in the injury of several people, and loss of equipment, including guitarist Rick Nielson’s trademark black and white checkered guitar with five necks.

BELLAMY BROTHERS BENEFIT

Country music’s Bellamy Brothers, who hit No. 1 on Billboard’s Top 40 Pop chart in 1976 with “Let Your Love Flow” (ironically, it only got to No. 21 on the Country chart), dedicated its concert in Lyngdal, Norway, to that nation’s 76 mass murder victims. David and Howard Bellamy have been touring there since 1976 and “have cultivated many friendships” there. David Bellamy told Great American Country, “We’d like them to know that our thoughts and prayers go out to each and every person in their great country … and we hope the healing process can soon begin for everyone. God bless Norway, and peace and love from the Bellamy Brothers.”

RON WOOD, TV HOST

Following his great success as a radio show host in England, now sober Rolling Stones and Faces guitarist Ron Wood has gotten his own TV show on the Sky Arts channel. Woody and his guests, most being recording artists, will debate issues related to the music industry. Specially recorded live performance will also be included.

GENE McDANIELS DIES

Pop and soul singer Gene McDaniels, who recorded 10 Top 10 hits in the early `60′s hits, died at 76 at home in Kittery Park, ME, after a brief illness. From 1961-62, McDaniels teamed with producer Snugg Garrett to record his biggest hits, “A Hundred Pounds of Clay” and “Tower of Strength.”

As a songwriter, he wrote Roberta Flack’s 1974 No. 1 hit, “Feel Like Makin’ Love.” That song reached the top of the pop, soul and easy listening charts. Jazz singer-musician Les McCann and jazz tenor sax player Eddie Harris had a major hit with McDaniels’ “Compared to What” in 1969.

CELEB-OWNED RESTAURANTS

The food and restaurant-related webpage, The Daily Meal, posted its list of the 25 best celebrity-owned restaurants. Justin Timberlake’s Southern Hospitality in New York City came in at No. 23. At No. 22 was Toby Keith’s Oklahoma City establishment, I Love This Bar Grill. Soul legend Gladys Knight’s place, Gladys and Ron’s Chicken and Waffles in Atlanta was voted No. 16. And No. 1? The Market Restaurant and Bar in Del Mar owned by skateboard king Tony Hawk

TOP 10 BOOKS ON AMAZON

1. “Does the Noise In My Head Bother You?: A Rock ‘n’ Roll Memoir” by Aerosmith singer Steven Tyler

2. “Just Kids” by Patti Smith

3. “Life” by Keith Richards

4. “Fire and Rain: The Beatles, Simon Garfunkel, James Taylor, CSNY and the Lost Story of 1970″ by David Browne

5. “Red: My Uncensored Life in Rock” by Sammy Hagar, former Montrose and Van Halen and current Chickenfoot and Wabos singer

6. “Lady Blue Eyes: My Life With Frank” by Barbara Sinatra

7. “Motley Crue: The Dirt – Confessions of the World’s Most Notorious Rock Band” by Tommy Lee, Vince Neil, Mick Mars and Nikki Sixx

8. “The Heroin Diaries: A Year in the Life of a Shattered Rock Star” by Motely Crue bassist Nikki Sixx

9. “This is Gonna Hurt: Music, Photgraphy and Life Through the Distorted Lens of Nikki Sixx” by Sixx

10. “Scar Tissue” by Red Hot Chili Peppers singer Anthony Kiedes Larry Sloman.

SHANIA AND BUBLE

Fellow Canadians Shania Twain and young retro crooner Michael Buble have recorded a duet of Irving Berlin’s “White Christmas.” The song will appear on Buble’s upcoming holiday album due out later this year, according to The Boot.

BONNIE POINTER’S NEW CD

Bonnie Pointer, she of the famous `70s and `80s hit-making clan, The Pointer Sisters, released her first album in 27 years. “Like a Picasso,” features 14 songs and is her first solo album since “If the Price is Right” came out in 1984.

Bonnie left the Pointer Sisters in 1977. Last summer, she and her sisters Ruth and Anita performed together for the first time in 15 years at a show at the Greek Theatre.

CHRIS CHRISTIE VS. THE BOSS

A recent poll by Public Policy polling showed that, in a hypothetical political race in New Jersey, if Bruce Springsteen ran for governor against current Republican Governor Chris Christie, each would receive 42 percent of the vote.

RICH QUEEN

The three surviving members of Queen, guitarist Brian May, drummer Roger Taylor and bassist John Deacon, and the estate of the late singer Freddie Mercury, will each receive $16 million for the release of the remastered versions of the group’s second five albums. Each is being released as a 2-CD with rare songs, re-mixes and live cuts. It’s reported that the band made a profit of more than $70 million this year from album sales and downloads.

Tags: John Deacon

STEVE SMITH: Classic rock, pop and country – Long Beach Press

Aug 4, 2011 John Deacon

• STEVE SMITH MUSIC COLUMN
• Jul 28:
• STEVE SMITH: Classic pop, rock and country
• Jul 21:
• STEVE SMITH: Classic pop, rock and country
• Jul 14:
• STEVE SMITH: Classic pop, rock and country
• Jul 7:
• STEVE SMITH: Classic pop, rock and country
• Jul 4:
• STEVE SMITH: Classic pop, rock and country
• Jun 23:
• STEVE SMITH: Classic pop, rock and country
• Jun 16:
• STEVE SMITH: Classic pop, rock and country
• Jun 9:
• STEVE SMITH: Classic pop, rock and country
• Jun 2:
• STEVE SMITH: Classic pop, rock and country
• May 26:
• STEVE SMITH: Classic pop, rock and country
• May 19:
• STEVE SMITH: Classic pop, rock and country
• May 5:
• STEVE SMITH: Classic rock, pop and country

BEACH BOYS TO RECORD NEW ALBUM This year marks the 50 th anniversary of The Beach Boys. The group that grew up in Hawthorne, CA, will celebrate that golden anniversary by reuniting to record a new album, announced singer Mike Love, reports Billboard. He said that he and his cousin, Brian Wilson, have each written new songs and that both are taking this project, “very seriously.” He said that it appears that the album will be recorded this fall with a release date in early 2012. The goal-oriented Love added that the group is already in the Guinness Book for World Records for the longest stretch between #1 songs, saying, “Between ‘Good Vibrations’ and ‘Kokomo’ it was 22 years between #1 records. Can you imagine if we got a #1 record in 2012? Oh, that would be something.”

THE WHO WILL RETURN Roger Daltrey, singer for The Who, said group leader Pete Townshend is nearly “stone deaf” and suffers from severe tinnitus as the result of decades of incredibly loud volume at the group’s concerts. Because of this, he said the band the two of them formed in 1964 may have played its final concert.

Not so, says a rejuvenated Townshend on his blog, who reports that his condition has improved. The guitarist says that The Who is hitting the road next year and they’ll be performing full versions of his 1973 rock opera, “Quadrophenia.”

Daltrey is currently on a marathon U.S. tour that is seeing him and his band perform Townshend’s 1969 rock opera, “Tommy” in its

entirety.

Townshend said the reason he didn’t join Daltrey on this jaunt is because, “This is entirely Roger’s adventure, one that is bringing him great joy. I don’t belong on this ‘Tommy’ tour.” He ended his post with, I wish him well, sincerely, and I look forward to playing with Roger again doing ‘Quadrophenia’ next year.”

CHUCK BERRY GETS HIS STATUE The city of University City, MO, outside St. Louis, unveiled an eight-foot statue of the 84-year-old “Father of Rock and Roll,” Chuck Berry, reports the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. The statue rests across the street from the Blueberry Hill club where Berry still performs monthly.

Berry attended the unveiling and recorded tributes from Little Richard, Elvis Costello, Merle Haggard, former Doobie Brother’s singer Michael McDonald, Aerosmith guitarist Joe Perry and others were played. The statue depicts the composer of “Johnny B. Goode,” “Maybelline,” “Roll Over Beethoven,” “Rock and Roll Music” and countless other early rock and roll classics in his ’50 s heyday. Berry said, “It’s glorious. I do appreciate it to the highest.” He told the assembled throng, “I’m not going to keep you out here for very long. I don’t know how to speak. I can sing a little bit. Thank you. I love you all.”

THAT’S “DR. IRON MAIDEN” TO YOU Bruce Dickinson, who’s been singing for venerable British metal band Iron Maiden since 1981, was awarded an Honorary Doctorate of Music Degree from London’s Queen Mary University, reports NME (New Musical Express).

The 52-year-old Nottinghamshire, England-born Dickinson is a former student who earned a Bachelor’s Degree in History at the school in 1979.

The multitalented singer is also an author, film script writer, TV broadcaster, a champion fencer, a successful entrepreneur and commercial airline pilot who flies Iron Maiden around the world on their tours on their private Boeing 757 jet.

Since 1980, Iron Maiden has recorded three platinum and 12 gold albums in the U.K. Here, they have six platinum and three gold albums. If you’re in London this weekend, you can possibly catch one of the group’s two shows at London’s O2 Arena.

STEVIE WONDER SURPRISES! In Toronto, mid-way through his set, Canadian actor-rapper Drake told the crowd, “I’m going to step off for a second. I’ll be back.” With that, roadies, quickly set up the equipment of a totally different band. To thunderous applause, out came surprise guest Stevie Wonder, who sat behind his keyboard and had no trouble coaxing the crowd to sing out “da da da da,” before launching into “Sir Duke.”

Over the next half-hour, Wonder blew everybody away by playing his own mini-set that included “My Cherie Amour,” “Signed, Sealed, Delivered,” “I Wish,” and “Superstition,” according to CNN.

The Motown legend provided considerable input on the 24-year-old’s upcoming album, “Take Care.” “He (Wonder) helped me out with a lot of the music, He just came and sat with me…told me where I could add a couple things to make it more sonically appealing. Not only that, but we actually are writing together, which is an incredible experience,” he said.

MORRISSEY’S FAST FOOD WAR British crooner Morrissey, former singer for The Smiths, compared the recent massacre of 76 in Norway, most of them kids at a political youth camp, to the slaughter of livestock for use as food at fast food restaurants, reports the U.K.’s Daily Mail. The 52-year-old vegetarian said at a concert in Warsaw, Poland, “We all live in a murderous world, as the events in Norway have shown, though, that is nothing compared to what happens in McDonald’s and Kentucky Fried (blank) every day.

JACKIE DESHANNON RECORDS CD One of the most successful singer-songwriters of the rock and roll era, Jackie DeShannon, has rerecorded a batch of her biggest hits for a new CD, “When You Walk In The Room,” that comes out next month, on Sep. 27, according to her website. Among the hits she either wrote or co-wrote include “Put a Little Love in Your Heart” and “Bette Davis Eyes,” plus Jack Nitzsche and Sonny Bono’s “Needles and Pins” and Burt Bacharach and Hal David’s “What the World Needs Now Is Love,” as well as the title song that she wrote in 1963. The new album will be available on Amazon.

LAST LENNON AUTOGRAPH SOLD A John Lennon autograph signed on the final night of his life, Dec. 8, 1980, at a radio station in New York City, was bought by a memorabilia company, Tracks LTD, for $40,000, according to all Access Music. Lennon signed a poster from his just-released “Double Fantasy” album for an RKO Radio Network engineer who recorded what turned out to be his last interview. He was fatally shot hours later.

CONCERT FOR BANGLADESH’S 40 th The triple album record of George Harrison’s “Concert For Bangladesh,” featuring Beatles Harrison and Ringo Starr, and then-recluses Bob Dylan and Eric Clapton, as well as Leon Russell, Billy Preston, Ravi Shankar and Badfinger, is now available as a download on iTunes. The proceeds continue to benefit The George Harrison Fund for UNICEF.

CONCERT VIOLENCE Ironically, four concert-goers were shot after a “Unity in the Park” festival headlined by George Clinton and his band, Parliament-Funkadelic at Luke Easter Park in Cleveland, according to the Plain Dealer. The shooter escaped.

Meanwhile, six attendees at a Tim McGraw concert in Mansfield, MA, were arrested after a fight left a 19-year-old man with severe head injuries. It is alleged that the fight began over a woman. Excessive alcohol use is also suspected, according to NECN.com.

MEAT LOAF DOWN BUT NOT OUT The Pittsburgh heat and humidity got to Meat Loaf as he was performing at Station Square, along the Monongahela River downtown. The full-voiced belter passed out onstage, according to that city’s Post-Gazette. He just finished singing one of his hits, “I’d Do Anything For Love (But I Won’t Do That)” when he collapsed. He was down for approximately ten minutes and many concert-goers suspected the big man had suffered a heart attack.

However, the singer told the crowd that he’d suffered an asthma attack and he ended up finishing the show.

Then, after a concert in New Jersey, the singer collapsed again, this time backstage. He requested oxygen and after about ten minutes, he said he was fine.

The 63-year-old Mr. Loaf told Billboard about his musical plans, including his Christmas album set for 2012 release that features guests Reba McEntire and Garth Brooks.

JOURNEY’S PERRY RESURFACES Steve Perry, 62, who had been off the scene to the point of being called a recluse since retiring for good as singer for Journey in 1996 (he left Journey and the music biz for seven years from 1987-94), is making a guest appearance on an album, “Follow the Freedom,” by Cassidy, that will be released this fall, Perry sings on the title track and helped mix the CD. In 2009, he came out of retirement to provide backup vocals on a song by Street Sweeper Social Club.

His last solo CD was “For the Love of Strange Medicine” in 1994.

AMBASSADOR SHERYL CROW Sheryl Crow has been named an official ambassador of Country Cares for St. Jude Kids, a non-profit organization of St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital in Memphis, according to the hospital.

Country Cares was formed in 1089 by Randy Owen, leader of the country group, Alabama.

NEW RELEASES Among the new CDs out includes “What Matters Most – Barbra Streisand Sings The Lyrics of Alan And Marilyn Bergman;” “Essential Early Recordings,” an import by James Brown; “Performance,” an import by Renaissance English folk-rockers, Fairport Convention; “Gift from Tom T. Hall,” an import from the 75-year-old storytelling country singer; “Dirty Jeans Mudslide Hymns,” from John Hiatt; “Official Bootleg 3: Live in Kawasaki, Japan 2010″ from Uriah Heep; a 5-CD set, “Bootleg Box 1″ from former Yes keyboard wizard Rick Wakeman; and “Breathe Out, Breathe In,” the 6 th studio album since 1965 (and the first since 2004) by singer Colin Blunstone, organist Rod Argent and their band, The Zombies.

Also, look for the new DVD, “Emerson Lake Palmer – 40 th Anniversary Reunion Concert” that was recorded last summer at the first High Voltage Festival in London.

U2 FINALLY DONE After 110 stadium shows that played to more than 7 million fans, Irish rockers U2′s 360 Degree Tour has, at last, ended. The quartet that formed in Dublin in 1976 played its last show of the mammoth tour in Moncton, Canada.

The tour began June 30, 2009.

BILLBOARD’S BEST VIDS Billboard asked its readers to pick the greatest videos from each of the three decades. Here is the Top 3 from each decade.

The 1980 s: “Thriller” by Michael Jackson, “Like a Prayer” by Madonna and “Girls Just Want to Have Fun” by Cyndi Lauper.

The 1990 s: “Baby One More Time” by Britney Spears, “Scream” by Michael Jackson and Janet Jackson, and “Vogue” by Madonna.

The 2000′s: “Bad Romance” by Lady Gaga, “Toxic” by Britney Spears and “I Write Sins Not Tragedies” by Panic! At the Disco.

ALAN JACKSON TO THE RESCUE The Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum in Nashville kicked off its $75 million, 200,000-square-foot expansion campaign with a concert featuring Ricky Skaggs, fiddler Buddy Spicher and headlined by Alan Jackson, according to the Associated Press. The plan calls for the museum to more than double its current size and will include an 800-seat theatre.

CHEAP TRICK UPDATE Cheap Trick cancelled an outdoor concert appearance at the Pacific National Exhibition at the PNE Amphitheatre in Vancouver, Canada, because the stage was put together by the same company, Groupe Berger/Mega-Stage, who built the stage in Ontario, Canada, that collapsed in a rainstorm July 17 during the band’s performance, according to the Montreal Gazette. That accident resulted in the loss of its equipment, including guitarist Rick Nielson’s trademark black and white checkered guitar with five necks, and injured several people.

BELLAMY BROTHERS BENEFIT Country music’s Bellamy Brothers, who hit #1 on Billboard’s Top 40 Pop chart in 1976 with “Let Your Love Flow” (ironically, it only got to #21 on the Country chart), dedicated its concert in Lyngdal, Norway, to that nation’s 76 mass murder victims. David and Howard Bellamy have been touring there since 1976 and “have cultivated many friendships” there. David Bellamy told Great American Country, “We’d like them to know that our thoughts and prayers go out to each and every person in their great country…and we hope the healing process can soon begin for everyone. God bless Norway, and peace and love from the Bellamy Brothers.”

RON WOOD, TV HOST Following his great success as a radio show host in England, now sober Rolling Stones and Faces guitarist Ron Wood has gotten his own TV show on the Sky Arts channel. Woody and his guests, most being recording artists, will debate issues related to the music industry. Specially recorded live performances will also be included.

GENE McDANIELS DIES Pop and soul singer Gene McDaniels, who recorded ten Top 10 hits in the early ’60 s hits, died at 76 at home in Kittery Park, ME, after a brief illness. From 1961-62, McDaniels teamed with producer Snugg Garrett to record his biggest hits, “A Hundred Pounds of Clay” and “Tower of Strength.”

As a songwriter, he wrote Roberta Flack’s 1974 #1 hit, “Feel Like Makin’ Love.” That song reached the top of the pop, soul and easy listening charts. Jazz singer-musician Les McCann and jazz tenor sax player Eddie Harris had a major hit with McDaniels’ “Compared to What” in 1969.

CELEB-OWNED RESTAURANTS The food and restaurant-related webpage, The Daily Meal, posted its list of the 25 best celebrity-owned restaurants.

Justin Timberlake’s Southern Hospitality in New York City came in at #23. At #22 was Toby Keith’s Oklahoma City establishment, I Love This Bar Grill. Soul legend Gladys Knight’s place, Gladys and Ron’s Chicken and Waffles in Atlanta was voted #16. And #1? The Market Restaurant and Bar in Del Mar, CA, owned by skateboard king Tony Hawk.

TOP 10 BOOKS ON AMAZON 1. “Does the Noise In My Head Bother You?: A Rock ‘n’ Roll Memoir” by Aerosmith singer Steven Tyler 2. “Just Kids” by Patti Smith 3. “Life” by Keith Richards 4. “Fire and Rain: The Beatles, Simon Garfunkel, James Taylor, CSNY and the Lost Story of 1970″ by David Browne 5. “Red: My Uncensored Life in Rock” by former Montrose and Van Halen and current Chickenfoot and Wabos singer Sammy Hagar 6. “Lady Blue Eyes: My Life With Frank” by Barbara Sinatra 7. “Motley Crue: The Dirt – Confessions of the World’s Most Notorious Rock Band” by Tommy Lee, Vince Neil, Mick Mars and Nikki Sixx 8. “The Heroin Diaries: A Year in the Life of a Shattered Rock Star” by Motely Crue bassist Nikki Sixx 9. “This is Gonna Hurt: Music, Photgraphy and Life Through the Distorted Lens of Nikki Sixx” by Sixx 10. “Scar Tissue” by Red Hot Chili Peppers singer Anthony Kiedes Larry Sloman.

SHANIA AND BUBLE Fellow Canadians Shania Twain and young retro crooner Michael Buble have recorded a duet of Irving Berlin’s “White Christmas.” The song will appear on Buble’s upcoming holiday album due out later this year, according to The Boot.

BONNIE POINTER’S FIRST CD IN 27 YEARS Bonnie Pointer, she of the famous ’70 s and ’80 s hit-making clan, The Pointer Sisters, released her first album in 27 years. “Like a Picasso,” features 14 songs and is her first solo album since “If the Price is Right” came out in 1984.

Bonnie left the Pointer Sisters in 1977. Last summer, she and her sisters Ruth and Anita performed together for the first time in 15 years at a show at the Greek Theatre.

CHRIS CHRISTIE vs. THE BOSS A recent poll by Public Policy polling showed that, in a hypothetical political race in New Jersey, if Bruce Springsteen ran for governor against current Republican Governor Chris Christie, each would receive 42 percent of the vote.

RICH QUEEN The three surviving members of Queen, guitarist Brian May, drummer Roger Taylor and bassist John Deacon, and also the estate of singer Freddie Mercury, will each receive $16 million for the release of the remastered versions of the group’s second five albums. Each is being released as a 2-CD with rare songs, re-mixes and live cuts. It’s reported that the band made a profit of more than $70 million this year from album sales and downloads.

Readers, email your questions and comments to Steve Smith at classicpopmusicnews@gmail.com. Read this week’s complete Classic Pop, Rock Country Music News online at www.presstelegram.com.

Tags: John Deacon

Mix tape: Going way back

Jul 24, 2011 John Deacon

We didn’t complain and we ate it up. But this new set, which features two CDs and a vinyl LP in a 12×12 package that mimics the original gatefold LP package, ups the ante.

The wax contains the Detroit mix and the first CD has the original LP, some singles mixes, a couple demos (including one from the 2001 deluxe package), and a few other oddities.

Disc two is packed full of some funky, bluesy instrumental sessions recorded in Detroit before Motown decamped to Cali, alongside some alternate versions.

There’s a booklet with some new essays from Gaye biographers David Ritz and Ben Edmonds (the latter also wrote the notes for the 2001 reissue).

While all of this supporting material is fun and, in the case of the instrumentals, worthy of repeated listens, it shouldn’t obscure the fact that in 1971 Gaye’s ongoing rebellion led him to take on not only label folk, but to grab the reins and get his artistic vision pressed into wax.

And his vision was a musical revelation that argued passionately and eloquently for social justice and peace.

“I couldn’t write another love song,” Gaye said. “Whatever songs I wrote, no matter how difficult, had to break ground and drive me in a new direction.”

And in the intervening years, it has become an inalienable truth that “What’s Going On” remains one of the finest moments in American popular music history.

Across the ocean in 1971, a quartet named Queen was getting together. And 40 years later, Hollywood Records reissues Freddie Mercury and company’s first five discs in two-CD sets.

While I quibble a bit with the reissues themselves, they offer a great reminder of how good a band Queen was. Often Mercury’s flamboyant persona and THAT one song overshadow the contributions of Brian May, Roger Taylor and John Deacon and the balance of the band’s oeuvre.

Sometimes overblown, always cinematic – dare I say operatic? – Queen’s style was always based on melody and interesting arrangements and there’s no denying that Mercury possessed one of rock’s most distinctive voices.

Then, consider that the quartet released five fine LPs in the space of four years. The debut arrived in ’73, “Queen II” and “Sheer Heart Attack” followed in 1974, “A Night at the Opera” came in ’75 and its companion piece, “A Day at the Races” arrived in 1976.

And with each release the band clawed its way quickly to the top. It’s not hard to see why.

My quibbles? There are no essays that talk about what made the band, its music and its career special. The booklets could have been expanded to include these and more photos and memorabilia.

With the exception of the eponymous debut, which has a half dozen demos, most of the bonus material is recorded live. There are precious few outtakes and alternate versions that offer clues to how Queen wrote, refined and recorded.

But the “What’s Going On” reissue reminds us that today’s reissue is just that. Tomorrow’s offers another chance to show a different side.

For now, I’m going to devour these … and happily.

Finally, and entirely off theme musically, is a double-disc retake of Sebahoh’s 1994 Sub Pop disc, “Bakesale.”

I admit to having only paid marginal attention to this record at the time, but listening now, I realize that Sebadoh was ahead of me. What I mean by that is that songs like “Careful” are almost blueprints for the sound and style of a band I would come to love later: Idlewild.

The record was made at a transitional time for Sebadoh and yet it turned out to be the group’s most accessible and one of its most critically acclaimed, too.

This gatefold digipak reissue has a fat booklet with commentaries from the band members (it’s interesting to see how each reflects on the era and the disc), photos and track info.

Disc one has the original LP and disc two is the land of “extras,” including related b-sides and EPs and a few demos, too.

Though it’s nearly 20 years old, “Bakesale” was so influential that it still sounds fresh and relevant and I’m glad this reissue has rectified my ignorance of “Bakesale.”

Tags: marvin gaye, motown, what’s going on, queen, a day at the races, a night at the opera, freddie mercury, brian may, sheer heart attack, sebadoh, sub pop, idlewild

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Jody Craddock is a true art genius

Jul 1, 2011 John Deacon

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The next great biopics

Jun 27, 2011 John Deacon

AP

Life and times: Rap star Tupac Shakur was fatally shot in September 1996 in Las Vegas. A biopic about Tupac, which Morgan Creek is doing with Antoine Fuqua directing and the hip hop superstars mother Afeni Shakur Davis executive-producing, is a much talked-about property. Picture: AP

No one wants to talk about a Marvin Gaye movie. Or one about Janis Joplin, or a Jimi Hendrix biopic. As film subjects go, they’re problematic. Heirs to the Joplin and Hendrix estates have blocked films by withholding music and image rights. The pieces to the Gaye story are in so many hands that no one has been able to collect them all in one place.

No, the talk these days is about Queen and Sam Cooke, 2Pac and Teddy Pendergrass, Dennis Wilson of the Beach Boys, Frankie Valli’s days in the Four Seasons and Brian Epstein’s career managing the Beatles. A key factor – and this is a shift in the movie-making paradigm – is access to life rights and music, a desire by stars and heirs to have their stories told and a new level of activity from rights holders.

Securing recordings and publishing rights has become the first order of business rather than the final step in setting up a film.

Heirs and family members are making better efforts to co-ordinate with publishers before taking stories to film-makers. The 20th-century model relied on a studio or production company having an interest in a musician’s story – Benny Goodman, Loretta Lynn, Charlie Parker, for example – and once all the pieces were in place, they’d approach the copyright owners.

In the post-Ray universe, where budgets are smaller and independent companies are the most interested in these stories, rights are secured before a film-making team is assembled. Only one of the 15 or so active biopics with directors, stars, writers or scripts attached has studio backing.

The exception is the story of songwriter/producer Dennis Lambert (Ain’t No Woman (Like the One I’ve Got), Don’t Pull Your Love) and his musical reawakening, with Steve Carell (The Office) in the lead role. It’s attached to a Jonathan Goldstein and John Francis Daley script at Warner Bros. And only one biopic, the Mahalia Jackson story – starring Fantasia Barrino – has reportedly begun shooting.

The Lambert and Jackson stories are among a dozen musician biographies that have made significant strides in the last six months toward becoming reality.

“The time is right” is a common refrain among film-makers, about half of whom note that their movies will focus on a specific time in an artist’s life rather than an entire life span.

For decades, biopic scripts have dramatised a rise, fall and redemption arc, but an increasing number of film-makers are focusing instead on a specific issue and/or time period – Queen as superstars, Dennis Wilson’s post-Beach Boys years, Lambert’s tour of the Philippines. In most cases the story involves overcoming an obstacle, becoming more than just a chronological detailing of a life and career.

“The power of music and second chances drives the Lambert story,” says Jody Lambert, who shot a documentary about his father’s career revival. The 2008 movie Of All the Things was screened at South by Southwest and other film festivals. “Any place where people get their mojo back is a good story, very universal,” he says. Lambert knows the tale will get some Hollywood-style tweaking in the retelling.

He’s not alone, though, in taking an active role in ensuring the story is delivered correctly. The living members of Queen – Brian May, Roger Taylor and John Deacon – created the company Queen Films and joined producer Graham King’s GK Films in getting the band’s tale – which will begin in 1980 and end with Queen’s Live Aid performance in 1985 – turned into a film. Borat creator Sacha Baron Cohen will star as the late Freddie Mercury.

ABKCO president Jody Klein owns and controls Sam Cooke’s recordings and publishing and has commissioned a script based on Peter Guralnick’s 2005 book Dream Boogie: The triumph of Sam Cooke (Little, Brown). With the blessing of Cooke’s heirs, he’s shopping it to directors.

The life of Beatles manager Brian Epstein, aka “the Fifth Beatle”, is moving forward with six to 10 Beatles songs, according to executive producer Vivek Tiwary. His Tiwary Entertainment Group, which has produced the road tours of musicals American Idiot and The Addams Family, has been involved with the project since 2005.

A son and daughter of Beach Boy Dennis Wilson have teamed up with former Warner/Chappell executive Brad Rosenberger and film-makers Randy Miller and Jody Savin to tell his story (focusing on the ’70s) in The Drummer.

Jersey Boys, the musical about Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons, is aiming for a release in 2013 from GK Films. King calls it “a passion project, something I pursued stronger than anything else in my career”.

Judy McHugh Larkin has commissioned a script about the life of John Larkin, an itinerant jazz pianist who, despite a stuttering problem, sold millions of CDs as Scatman John.

On the flip side, and proof of how valuable a family’s involvement can be, last year the Jerry Garcia estate put the kibosh on Amir Bar-Lev’s film based on Robert Greenfield’s 1996 book Dark Star: An oral biography of Jerry Garcia (William Morrow). The estate said it would not license recordings from the Grateful Dead or Garcia’s solo works and access to family members wouldn’t be provided.

As stars age and the internet threatens to mash up all but the most recent pop culture history, more musical artists are volunteering for biopic treatment.

Aretha Franklin has suggested actresses she would like to portray her – Halle Berry, Jennifer Hudson and Patina Miller – but specifics about a script or financing aren’t forthcoming, though the Queen of Soul has said she’s secured funding. And Ice Cube recently said he was working on an NWA film.

Are such moves a pre-emptive strike? If artists or their heirs publicly state they’re working on their own film, a rival production might back down. The biopics that do get made require a tenacious film-maker and the support of rights holders, usually family members.

“When you look at how long it takes to make a biopic, it’s easier to do these stories as documentaries,” says film-maker David Leaf, who’s branching out into scripted films after having made documentary features about chapters in the lives of John Lennon, James Brown and Brian Wilson.

“There are different storytelling challenges. As a screenwriter, we talk about emotional truth and in documentaries it’s literal truth. You can compress time and characters in a biopic in a way that you can’t in a documentary.”

The current crop of proposed biopics could enhance awareness and value of the artist’s catalogue – crucial for those acts whose songs wouldn’t otherwise be licensed.

Hinging on the Carell film being made or the documentary released, Lambert plans to get his father’s music back in print, especially a newly pressed vinyl version of his lone 1972 solo album, Bags and Things.

The Drummer not only brings attention to Wilson’s 1977 album Pacific Ocean Blue, which Sony Legacy reissued two years ago, but also gives Rosenberger a shot at issuing unreleased solo tracks, possibly on his label Omnivore Recordings.

Biopics once required a star or at least a hot newcomer to play a legend to get a green light – Kurt Russell as Elvis Presley, Lou Diamond Phillips as Ritchie Valens.

Walk the Line, the 2005 Johnny Cash-June Carter story starring Joaquin Phoenix and Reese Witherspoon – and the highest-grossing musical biopic yet – reinvigorated interest in such superstar stories as James Brown and the Beach Boys, but those films never materialised.

Instead, for several years cult artists have been the focus of biopics, many of which target niche audiences. This year’s lone biopic with a release date, Gainsbourg: A Hero, follows that pattern: The French film targets hipsters and Francophiles enthralled by singer-songwriter Serge Gainsbourg’s work in the ’60s and ’70s.

Other movies benefit from well-documented stories. GK Films’ King says he has seen the Jersey Boys musical more than 20 times in at least five cities. “It’s pure entertainment,” he says.

“We have to capture the essence of the musical but tell the story slightly differently. This is Goodfellas with good music.”

The story of Tupac Shakur, which Morgan Creek is doing with Antoine Fuqua directing and the hip hop superstar’s mother Afeni Shakur Davis executive-producing, is much talked-about. No one has been cast as the rapper – unknowns are being considered, and Soulja Boy told MTV he was asked to audition – but it could be in motion soon.

Such a nonfictional hip hop story might be attractive to film financiers. The semifictional 8 Mile, starring Eminem, was budgeted at $40 million and pulled in $116.7m in the US in 2002. The 2006 film Get Rich or Die Tryin’, loosely based on the life of 50 Cent, had a worldwide gross of $46m and a production budget of $38m. Notorious (2009), about murdered star Christopher “the Notorious B.I.G.” Wallace, pulled in more money at the box office – $36.8m in the US – than any other musical biopic of the last five years. But rap, despite the success of 8 Mile, is still considered a niche subject for many distributors.

Focusing on a specific moment in an artist’s life helps keep music licensing costs to a minimum. Such a tack was taken for Nowhere Boy, the 2009 biopic about John Lennon’s childhood and teen years.

A similar film has been proposed about Bob Marley’s year in London that would somehow be made without the songs from his albums at the time – Exodus and Kaya – due to the Marley family’s disinterest in the film.

“So much people want to capitalise,” Ziggy Marley says about some of the proposals regarding his father. The Marley family has tabled biopic offers for now, choosing to support a documentary by Kevin MacDonald (Last King of Scotland) for Steve Bing’s company Shangri-La.

“The documentary is from us – a much closer look at Bob’s life because of my personal involvement,” Marley adds. “Other people might do something but that’s not our thing. One day there might be a biopic but that’s one day, not right now.”

But when the financing is found, the movie shot and the film finally released, “(biopics) are great performance vehicles for actors,” Rosenberger says. “These are the kinds of movies that make people want to buy soundtracks.” – Billboard.com

Tags: John Deacon

Hollywood hot for music biopics

Jun 20, 2011 John Deacon

LOS ANGELES (Billboard) – Biographical films about music icons often go through lengthy development periods.

Changes in directors, writers and stars are common — witness projects involving the careers of Jimi Hendrix, Janis Joplin, Miles Davis, Brian Wilson and the Mamas the Papas that have kicked around for decades.

Here is a look at 12 projects in various stages of development, along with the one (“Gainsbourg: A Heroic Life”) that actually has a solid release date.

JAMES BROWN

The latest: A film about the Godfather of Soul was in the works before his death in 2006 with a script that had already been rewritten once. Spike Lee boarded the project within days of Brown’s death and Wesley Snipes was fitted for the cape, vest, and conked hair. Two years ago, Lee said Snipes would sing as well. The film has moved to a back burner at Paramount — perhaps because Snipes is serving time on income tax evasion?

Prognosis: Another “Ray” — a film with a long road ahead.

JEFF BUCKLEY

The latest: Jake Scott (“Welcome to the Rileys”) will direct the untitled biopic, penned by Ryan Jaffe, about the rising star, son of late folk icon Tim Buckley, who drowned in 1997 at age 30. Michelle Sy (“Finding Neverland”) and Orian Williams (“Control”) are producing; Buckley’s mother Mary Guibert is the executive producer. Principal photography is scheduled for the fall and “Twilight” heartthrob Robert Pattinson has been considered for the lead.

Prognosis: Likely to be made; distribution will be another story.

SAM COOKE

The latest: Producer Jody Klein, whose company ABKCO owns the soul singer’s recordings and publishing, commissioned the team of Dick Clement and Ian La Frenais (“Across the Universe,” “The Commitments”) to pen a script. Klein has been taking the finished script to directors for a few months. ABKCO intends to finance the film.

Prognosis: A go project that, with the right star — there have been rumblings about Anthony Mackie, and Ray Lavender announced a few weeks ago on his Twitter feed that he got the part, but there’s no confirmation — could be an Oscar contender.

BRIAN EPSTEIN

The latest: Executive producer and writer Vivek Tiwary says he has the $25 million needed to make this film about the Beatles’ late manager as well as the rights to 6-10 Beatles songs. He has listed “All You Need Is Love,” “A Day in the Life” and “You’ve Got to Hide Your Love Away” as already cleared. The script covers Epstein’s life from 1961 through 1967, the year of his death.

Prognosis: Beatles music in a movie means Paul, Ringo and the estates have approved it. If true, there should be no problem getting this made.

ARETHA FRANKLIN

The latest: Franklin told USA Today she has secured “financial and creative control” but to date has not provided details. She has gone on talk shows (“The View,” “Wendy Williams,” “Late Night With Jimmy Fallon”) and expressed an interest in having Halle Berry (who passed on the project in January, saying she can’t sing) and Patina Miller from the Broadway musical “Sister Act” to play the young Queen of Soul.

Prognosis: As a TV movie it’s likely, but creative-control issues lurk.

MARVIN GAYE

The latest: After decades of stops and starts with different stars and directors, Screen Daily reported in February that British documentary filmmaker Julien Temple (“Joe Strummer: The Future Is Unwritten”) would tackle the story of Gaye recording his final album, “Midnight Love,” in Brussels, as well as his friendship with the Belgian promoter Freddy Cousaert.

Prognosis: As proposed, this is not the biopic fans want to see. It would have to play extremely well at film festivals to get distribution.

SERGE GAINSBOURG

The latest: Released in the U.K. last summer, “Gainsbourg: A Heroic Life” will hit U.S. screens on August 31. Eric Elmosnino stars; Joann Sfar directed and wrote the script. It is the only biopic on a release schedule this year.

Prognosis: A box-office gross of $5 million would be astounding.

PEGGY LEE

The latest: Reese Witherspoon announced in August that she has secured Peggy Lee’s life rights and music rights, and had tapped Nora Ephron would write and direct. Witherspoon would produce and, if her schedule allowed, star as the 1950s songstress. Witherspoon has since taken on two other acting-producing jobs.

Prognosis: Witherspoon’s announcement came out of the blue and was immediately greeted with skepticism – when would she have time to do this? There have been no follow-up reports since the initial announcement.

BOB MARLEY

The latest: Director Jenny Ash is developing a film based on Marley’s year in London, 1977, theoretically circumventing the need for Marley recordings. Greenacre Films is producing.

Prognosis: The Marley estate has declined to give its blessing, making this a very, very tough sell to a distributor. If it gets made without music, it will be a tough sell to a large audience.

QUEEN

The latest: Brian May, Roger Taylor and John Deacon created Queen Films to participate in the movie with GK Films partners Graham King and Tim Headington. Sacha Baron Cohen stars as Freddie Mercury in script from Peter Morgan that is being worked on. The band’s involvement, combined with an emphasis on their less-prolific ’80s era, will ease access to recordings.

Prognosis: As real a movie as there is. Hollywood Records presumably has a marketing plan in place around its reissue of the group’s catalog this year.

TUPAC SHAKUR

The latest: Casting sessions to find an unknown to play the slain rapper apparently proved fruitless: Soulja Boy told MTV in May he had been approached to audition for the role. Antoine Fuqua will direct the Morgan Creek production; 2Pac’s mother, Afeni Shakur-Davis, is an executive producer.

Prognosis: Very close to definite, but the budget will likely hinge on whether 2Pac is portrayed by a star or an unknown.

FRANK SINATRA

The latest: The team is coming together at Universal Pictures, including director Martin Scorsese and producer Scott Rudin. It’s four years away, though, as 2015 is Sinatra’s centennial. The Sinatra family, which controls the music and his image, has all rights under a single roof.

Prognosis: The start is easily three years away, plenty of time for other projects to arise. Everyone will want this to be perfect.

Tags: John Deacon

Mind-numbing minutia

Jun 17, 2011 John Deacon

‘Is This the Real Life? The Untold Story of Queen’
By Mark Blake
c.2011, Da Capo
$25/410 pages

Sometimes it seems as though the building might fall down.

Stomp-stomp-clap. Stomp-stomp-clap. Sports fans know how to make noise, but it’s not the cheers that raise the rafters during games, tournaments and playoffs. No, the stadium shakes at a sound that rattles the roof, supports the team and is awfully fun to do. Stomp-stomp-clap, and when your team wins, it gets better: there’s the other half of the song to sing.

You know where that tune came from. You might even remember where you first heard it. In “Is This the Real Life? The Untold Story of Queen” by Mark Blake, you’ll learn about the band that brought sports fans that anthem, and more.

If you were going to create a musical group, you’d be hard-pressed to find a more motley crew.

Farrokh Bulsara was born on an island near Zanzibar into a family that was wealthy enough to afford domestic staff. Young Farrokh — usually called Freddie — was a popular boy who loved music and adored Jimi Hendrix, was self-conscious about his teeth, and had a flair for the dramatic. His friends tolerated Freddie’s eccentricities, figuring them to be “just Fred.”

Brian May didn’t live far from Fred Bulsara once Freddie, who was gay and died of AIDS in 1991, landed in England, but May later came to realize that they’d been at the same Hendrix concert once. May, who would go on to earn a bachelor’s degree in astrophysics, loved to improvise on guitar, just like Jimi.

Roger Taylor remembers banging on his mother’s pans as a child. He joined May in a band after seeing an ad in a local drum shop. And John Deacon, a relative late-comer, had gone to school to be an electrical engineer as a fall-back career, in case his musical career didn’t pan out.

And while May, Taylor and Deacon were playing together and with other musicians, growing their experience and honing their talents, they had one very exacting, particular fan: a roadie named Fred who liked to give them advice after their gigs.

With so much attention to detail, so many little tidbits for fans, and so many memories it evokes, it’s hard to hate a book like “Is This the Real Life?”

But it’s hard to love it, too.

Author Mark Blake doesn’t seem to have missed one single event in the lives of the men who were Queen, or the few women who were peripherally involved with those men. While some of those finer points make this book trivia heaven for Queen fans, much of it plods along: lengthy accounts of concert dates, musicians who came and went throughout the decades, people that the four band members knew as children, and other minutiae that die-hard musicians and rabid followers will be mindful of, but that most of us will find mind-numbing.

If your iPod is filled with greatest hits and you couldn’t look at this book without singing the title, “Is This the Real Life?” will be a royal treat for you. If you’re not quixotic on Queen, though, just stomp away.

And if you’ve already located your Queen on vinyl and are searching for a good place to curl up and reminisce, you’ll also want to find “Queen: The Ultimate Illustrated History of the Crown Kings of Rock” by Phil Sutcliffe (Voyageur Press, 2011). Jam-packed with pictures, poster reproductions, and lots more information on the boys in the band, this huge paperback book will thrill rock ‘n roll fans and will show youngsters how rock was really done.

Tags: John Deacon

Top 10 "Weird" Al Yankovic Parodies (with Video)

Jun 10, 2011 John Deacon

The prince of parodies, “Weird” Al Yankovic, will be riffing on songs new and old tonight (Friday, June 10) in Chandler. With a career that spans more than 30 years and 150 songs (parodies and originals), it might be hard for Yankovic to whittle down his set list.

If we had our druthers, “Weird” Al would at least perform the following ten parodies – which, in our not-so-humble opinion – are his best.

10. “Smells Like Nirvana”
A straight-up riff off Nirvana’s “Smells Like Teen Spirit” video, complete with sepia tones, cheerleaders with hairy armpits, and Yankovic in a blond wig – what’s not to love?

9. “Another One Rides the Bus”
Yankovic’s parody of Queen’s “Another One Bites the Dust” is made doubly hilarious by swapping out John Deacon’s iconic bass line for an accordion riff.

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Biopic Report Card: The Status of Films on Tupac, Queen, James Brown, Jeff Buckley and 21 More

Jun 8, 2011 John Deacon

May 31, 2011

By Phil Gallo, Los Angeles

Biographical films about music icons often go through lengthy development periods. Changes in directors, writers and stars are common – witness projects involving the careers of Jimi Hendrix, Janis Joplin, Miles Davis, Brian Wilson and the Mamas the Papas that have kicked around for decades.

As a companion to Billboard’s “Rights, Camera Action” package, which takes a look at the complex process of getting a music biopic made and appears in the June 4, 2011 edition – head here to order a copy — here is a look at 24 projects in various stages of development, along with the one (“Gainsbourg: A Heroic Life”) that actually has a solid release date.

James Brown
The latest: A film about the Godfather of Soul was in the works before his death in 2006 with a script that had already been rewritten once. Spike Lee boarded the project within days of Brown’s death and Wesley Snipes was fitted for the cape, vest, and conked hair. Two years ago, Lee said Snipes would sing as well. The film has moved to a back burner at Paramount – perhaps because Snipes is serving time on income tax evasion? Prognosis: Another “Ray”-a film with a long road ahead.

Jeff Buckley
The latest: Jake Scott (“Welcome to the Rileys”) will direct the untitled biopic, penned by Ryan Jaffe, about the rising star, son of late folk icon Tim Buckley, who drowned in 1997 at age 30. Michelle Sy (“Finding Neverland”) and Orian Williams (“Control”) are producing; Buckley’s mother Mary Guibert is the executive producer. Principal photography is scheduled for the fall and “Twilight” heartthrob Robert Pattinson has been considered for the lead. Prognosis: Likely to be made; distribution will be another story.

Sam Cooke
The latest: Producer Jody Klein, whose company ABKCO owns the soul singer’s recordings and publishing, commissioned the team of Dick Clement and Ian La Frenais (“Across the Universe,” “The Commitments”) to pen a script. Klein has been taking the finished script to directors for a few months. ABKCO intends to finance the film. Prognosis: A go project that, with the right star-there have been rumblings about Anthony Mackie, and Ray Lavender announced a few weeks ago on his Twitter feed that he got the part, but there’s no confirmation-could be an Oscar contender.

Sammy Davis Jr.
The latest: At one point in 2007 there were three competing biopics, one of which was scheduled to star OutKast’s Andre 3000, but lawsuits stalled them all. In February of this year, Tracey Davis, who oversees her father’s estate, struck a deal with film producer Rick Appling to produce a feature film and a series of documentaries. Prognosis: Limited interest will keep this moving slowly.

Brian Epstein
The latest: Executive producer and writer Vivek Tiwary says he has the $25 million needed to make this film about the Beatles’ late manager as well as the rights to 6-10 Beatles songs. He has listed “All You Need Is Love,” “A Day in the Life” and “You’ve Got to Hide Your Love Away” as already cleared. The script covers Epstein’s life from 1961 through 1967, the year of his death. Prognosis: Beatles music in a movie means Paul, Ringo and the estates have approved it. If true, there should be no problem getting this made.

Aretha Franklin
The latest: Franklin told USA Today she has secured “financial and creative control” but to date has not provided details. She has gone on talk shows (“The View,” “Wendy Williams,” “Late Night With Jimmy Fallon”) and expressed an interest in having Halle Berry (who passed on the project in January, saying she can’t sing) and Patina Miller from the Broadway musical “Sister Act” to play the young Queen of Soul. Prognosis: As a TV movie it’s likely, but creative-control issues lurk.

Marvin Gaye
The latest: After decades of stops and starts with different stars and directors, Screen Daily reported in February that British documentary filmmaker Julien Temple (“Joe Strummer: The Future Is Unwritten,” Sex Pistols doc “The Filth and the Fury”) would tackle the story of Gaye recording his final album, “Midnight Love,” in Brussels, as well as his friendship with the Belgian promoter Freddy Cousaert. Prognosis: As proposed, this is not the biopic fans want to see. It would have to play extremely well at film festivals to get distribution.

Serge Gainsbourg
The latest: Released in the U.K. last summer, “Gainsbourg: A Heroic Life” will hit U.S. screens on Aug. 31. Eric Elmosnino stars; Joann Sfar directed and wrote the script. It is the only biopic on a release schedule this year. Prognosis: A box-office gross of $5 million would be astounding.

Mahalia Jackson
The latest: The film, directed by Euzhan Palcy and currently being shot in Chicago and Pittsburgh, stars Fantasia Barrino as the gospel great. Jim Evering based his script on the 1993 book “Got to Tell It: Mahalia Jackson, Queen of Gospel.” No distribution company is attached. Prognosis: Realistically, this could end up on pay cable unless Barrino delivers an earth-moving performance.

Hilly Kristal
The latest: The late CBGB founder’s story is being produced by his daughter Lisa Kristal Burgman, Brad Rosenberger, Randall Miller and Jody Savin. (Miller and Savin are working on the script.) The story will focus on the birth of punk rock in New York City, 1974 through 1976, with bands such as Television, the Ramones and Talking Heads. If the stars align, “CBGB” could go into production this fall.  Prognosis: Romanticism over the time and place (particularly in light of Patti Smith’s recent National Book Award-winning memoir “Just Kids”) should spark interest. The soundtrack could make all the difference.

Elton John
The latest: Lee Hall, Elton John’s collaborator on the musicals “Billy Elliot” and “Animal Farm,” told the BBC in January he is also penning on a John biopic. Prognosis: Hall and John are too busy to focus on this. It is years away.

Peggy Lee
The latest: Reese Witherspoon announced in August that she has secured Peggy Lee’s life rights and music rights, and had tapped Nora Ephron would write and direct. Witherspoon would produce and, if her schedule allowed, star as the 1950s songstress. Witherspoon has since taken on two other acting-producing jobs. Prognosis: Witherspoon’s announcement came out of the blue and was immediately greeted with skepticism – when would she have time to do this? There have been no follow-up reports since the initial announcement.

Bob Marley
The latest: Director Jenny Ash is developing a film based on Marley’s year in London, 1977, theoretically circumventing the need for Marley recordings. Greenacre Films is producing. Prognosis: The Marley estate has declined to give its blessing, making this a very, very tough sell to a distributor. If it gets made without music, it will be a tough sell to a large audience.

Milli Vanilli
The latest: Deadline.com reported in February that German director Florian Gallenberger will rewrite a script that had been in Universal’s hands for a few years. He is also slated to direct for the Kennedy/Marshall Co. and producer Jeff Nathanson. Prognosis: A good story that will eventually be made, but is there more than a niche audience?

N.W.A
The latest: Ice Cube has mentioned on talk shows such as “Lopez Tonight” that he is “working with two writers” to document the story of his rap band. Prognosis: Will the six rappers and Eaz
y-E’s estate agree on the story, or will it be reduced to E, Dr. Dre and Cube?

Teddy Pendergrass
The latest: “I Am Who I Am: The Teddy Pendergrass Story” will feature Tyrese as the Philadelphia soul icon. Joan Pendergrass, the late singer’s wife, is producing; the film is tentatively slated to begin shooting this year in Philadelphia and Toronto. Prognosis: It seems likely, and Sony Music has been aggressive in licensing the library of frequent Pendergrass collaborators Gamble Huff.

Charley Pride
The latest: Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson was attached to the story of the country singer in April. Terrence Howard was attached to the project when it was announced in 2006. Prognosis: Since it has disappeared once, this project is surrounded with doubt.

Queen
The latest: Brian May, Roger Taylor and John Deacon created Queen Films to participate in the movie with GK Films partners Graham King and Tim Headington. Sacha Baron Cohen stars as Freddie Mercury in script from Peter Morgan that is being worked on. The band’s involvement, combined with an emphasis on their less-prolific ’80s era, will ease access to recordings. Prognosis: As real a movie as there is. Hollywood Records presumably has a marketing plan in place around its reissue of the group’s catalog this year.

Scatman John
The latest: Steve Basilon and Annie Mebane have scripted the story of a jazz pianist afflicted with a stuttering problem becomes a sensation in Europe when, at the age of 52, he has a No. 1 hit with a scat-rap tune. Producer Judy McHugh Larkin, with the assistance of EMI Music Publishing, is shopping the script to producers. Prognosis: Definitely a film for cable, but financial interest will have to come from Europe.

The Shaggs
The latest: Coinciding with this spring’s Off-Broadway arrival of a musical based on the Wiggins sisters of New Hampshire, whose manager/father had them form a rock band in the 1960s, Katherine Dieckmann’s Shaggs project got a boost with the attachment of Elle Fanning and Dakota Fanning. The project is more than a decade old: Dieckmann started working on it in 2000 for Artisan Entertainment. Prognosis: The musical will need to transfer to Broadway to spark enough interest in these no-hit wonders and their 1969 album, “Philosophy of the World.”

Tupac Shakur
The latest: Casting sessions to find an unknown to play the slain rapper apparently proved fruitless: Soulja Boy told MTV in May he had been approached to audition for the role. Antoine Fuqua will direct a script from Steven Bagatourian, Stephen J. Rivele, and Christopher Wilkinson. Morgan Creek is producing with LT Hutton, David C. Robinson and 2Pac’s mother, Afeni Shakur-Davis, as executive producers; combination of Universal distributing and Shakur-Davis’ participation should spark new interest in his Interscope releases. Prognosis: Very close to definite, but the budget will likely hinge on whether 2Pac is portrayed by a star or an unknown.

Frank Sinatra
The latest: The team is coming together-Martin Scorsese to direct, Mandalay Bay with Scott Rudin to produce for Universal and Scorsese’s Sikelia. It’s four years away, though, as 2015 is Sinatra’s centennial. The Sinatra family, which controls the music and his image, has all rights under a single roof. Prognosis: The start is easily three years away, plenty of time for other projects to arise. Everyone will want this to be perfect.

Dusty Springfield
The latest: Nick Hurran, a TV director in the U.K., will direct Ray Connelly’s script based on Sharon Davis’s book, “A Girl Called Dusty” and the recollections of Springfield’s caretaker and backup singer, Simon Bell. Dominick Fairbanks’ Fairbanks Productions is producing “The Invention of Dusty Springfield” with Arclight Films in Los Angeles. Fairbanks has said he is working with Universal Music to secure her recordings for the film, budgeted at $30 million. Prognosis: A legend in the U.K., name recognition could be an issue in the U.S.  Production appears to have the right elements in place to proceed.

Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons
The latest: The film adaptation of the bio-musical “Jersey Boys” is being written by Marshall Brickman and Rick Elice, who did the Broadway show. GK Films has a fall 2013 release penciled in. Prognosis: A go picture, producer Graham King is bullish on this project.

Dennis Wilson
The latest: Carl B. Wilson, Jennifer Wilson, Brad Rosenberger, Randall Miller and Jody Savin are producing “The Drummer,” a film about the Beach Boys drummer’s life, beginning in 1974 when he leaves the band to go solo. Miller will direct Savin’s script with shooting expected to begin in August or September. The film is being cast now and locations in Georgia, Louisiana and Florida are being scouted. Music will be from Wilson’s 1977 solo album “Pacific Ocean Blue” and unreleased songs.  Prognosis: A pet project six years in the making, if it tells a universal redemptive story and has a charismatic lead, it could outperform all expectations.

Head here to order your copy of the June 4, 2011 edition of Billboard, containing the “Rights, Camera Action” package — which takes a look at the complex process of getting a music biopic made – an extensive report on the 2011 Billboard Music Awards, Lady Gaga’s 99-cent Amazon album sale and much more.

Tags: John Deacon

Music biopics currently in the works

Jun 7, 2011 John Deacon

June 3, 2011

A film about James Brown was in the works before his death in 2006 with a script that had already been rewritten once. Wesley Snipes was set to play the Godfather of Soul, but the film has moved to a back burner. (QMI Agency files)

LOS ANGELES — Biographical films about music icons often go through lengthy development periods.

Changes in directors, writers and stars are common — witness projects involving the careers of Jimi Hendrix, Janis Joplin, Miles Davis, Brian Wilson and the Mamas the Papas that have kicked around for decades.

Here is a look at eight projects in various stages of development:

JAMES BROWN

THE LATEST: A film about the Godfather of Soul was in the works before his death in 2006 with a script that had already been rewritten once. Spike Lee boarded the project within days of Brown’s death and Wesley Snipes was fitted for the cape, vest, and conked hair. Two years ago, Lee said Snipes would sing as well. The film has moved to a back burner at Paramount — perhaps because Snipes is serving time on income tax evasion?

PROGNOSIS: Another Ray — a film with a long road ahead.

SAM COOKE

THE LATEST: Producer Jody Klein, whose company ABKCO owns the soul singer’s recordings and publishing, commissioned the team of Dick Clement and Ian La Frenais (Across the Universe, The Commitments) to pen a script. Klein has been taking the finished script to directors for a few months. ABKCO intends to finance the film.

PROGNOSIS: A go project that, with the right star — there have been rumblings about Anthony Mackie, and Ray Lavender announced a few weeks ago on his Twitter feed that he got the part, but there’s no confirmation — could be an Oscar contender.

BRIAN EPSTEIN

THE LATEST: Executive producer and writer Vivek Tiwary says he has the $25 million needed to make this film about the Beatles’ late manager, as well as the rights to 6-10 Beatles songs. He has listed All You Need Is Love, A Day in the Life and You’ve Got to Hide Your Love Away as already cleared. The script covers Epstein’s life from 1961 through 1967, the year of his death.

PROGNOSIS: Beatles music in a movie means Paul, Ringo and the estates have approved it. If true, there should be no problem getting this made.

ARETHA FRANKLIN

THE LATEST: Franklin told USA Today she has secured “financial and creative control” but to date has not provided details. She has gone on talk shows (The View, Wendy Williams, Late Night With Jimmy Fallon) and expressed an interest in having Halle Berry (who passed on the project in January, saying she can’t sing) and Patina Miller from the Broadway musical Sister Act to play the young Queen of Soul.

PROGNOSIS: As a TV movie it’s likely, but creative-control issues lurk.

MARVIN GAYE

THE LATEST: After decades of stops and starts with different stars and directors, Screen Daily reported in February that British documentary filmmaker Julien Temple (Joe Strummer: The Future Is Unwritten) would tackle the story of Gaye recording his final album, Midnight Love, in Brussels, as well as his friendship with the Belgian promoter Freddy Cousaert.

PROGNOSIS: As proposed, this is not the biopic fans want to see. It would have to play extremely well at film festivals to get distribution.

BOB MARLEY

THE LATEST: Director Jenny Ash is developing a film based on Marley’s year in London, 1977, theoretically circumventing the need for Marley recordings. Greenacre Films is producing.

PROGNOSIS: The Marley estate has declined to give its blessing, making this a very, very tough sell to a distributor. If it gets made without music, it will be a tough sell to a large audience.

QUEEN

THE LATEST: Brian May, Roger Taylor and John Deacon created Queen Films to participate in the movie with GK Films partners Graham King and Tim Headington. Sacha Baron Cohen stars as Freddie Mercury in script from Peter Morgan that is being worked on. The band’s involvement, combined with an emphasis on their less-prolific ’80s era, will ease access to recordings.

PROGNOSIS: As real a movie as there is. Hollywood Records presumably has a marketing plan in place around its reissue of the group’s catalogue this year.

FRANK SINATRA

THE LATEST: The team is coming together at Universal Pictures, including director Martin Scorsese and producer Scott Rudin. It’s four years away, though, as 2015 is Sinatra’s centennial. The Sinatra family, which controls the music and his image, has all rights under a single roof.

PROGNOSIS: The start is easily three years away, plenty of time for other projects to arise. Everyone will want this to be perfect.

Tags: John Deacon