British Acts Step Up The Battle To Make It Big In Japan

It has been a typically volatile week in the Japanese music charts. Straight in at number one is the empress of J-pop herself, Ayumi Hamasaki, with her new single, Glitter, followed by four new, home-grown, entries to make up the top five.

If the bands making it big in Japan - such as Porno Graffiti and Orange Range - are unfamiliar to you, it is because there is little evidence of British acts making any impression in Japan's Oricon charts, which are dominated by pubescent female singers and clean-cut boy bands.

But a delegation representing some of the biggest names in the independent British music scene is hoping to change all that. Led by the BPI, an umbrella organisation representing the British music industry, the heads of British record labels and companies offering expertise in everything from recording to marketing are going on a high-powered trade mission to Tokyo, backed by the British Council and the Government, where they will be banging the drum for British talent.

"Being big in Japan might have been a bit of a rock 'n' roll joke in the 1970s, but it was always a big and lucrative market," said Matt Phillips of the BPI. "Today, there is a real anglophile tendency there and bands that have traction in the market tend to be quirky and different. That said, the Japanese market is one of the most complex in the world and one of the hardest to break into," he added.

They will be hoping to build on the recent success of bands such as Oasis and Coldplay, who command loyal, if niche, followings.

Japan is a vital target for global music industry chiefs in the light of declining CD sales and the challenge posed by the digital music revolution. Behind the United States it is the second biggest market in the world and a key staging post for the mega-markets opening up across Asia, including China and its hundreds of millions of increasingly fashion-conscious young people.

Meanwhile, the British music scene is riding a wave of optimism, buoyed by marketable new talent from the Arctic Monkeys to Lily Allen and enjoying a much needed lift in sales volumes.

A quick glance at last weekend's Fuji Rock festival reveals that even if it is not reflected in the charts, there is a huge appetite for British music in Japan. Among the acts playing to a sell-out audience of 100,000 fans were The Cure, Muse, the Chemical Brothers and Ash.

Among those taking part in the five-day BPI mission are Liam Walsh of Manchester's Red Alert, who worked with Oasis and the Smiths, and Pete Gardiner of ZTT records.

Despite experiencing declining physical sales - down 9 per cent in the first half of this year to 129.6 million - the sheer scale of the Japanese market remains a massive lure.

Top-selling acts such as Mr Children have sold 50 million records, clocking up 26 consecutive number-one singles. EMI recently claimed that Utada Hikaru's "Flavor of Life" had become the biggest-selling digital single of all time, with sales in excess of seven million.

The Japanese music industry is a past master in multi-platform marketing. "Flavor of Life" was first launched as a ringtone tied in with a television series. It then sold as a ring video and a blog tag - allowing fans to paste it to their personal blogs - before being released as a physical single, by which time it had already sold two million copies.

Top 10 selling UK acts in Japan

* Oasis
* Coldplay
* Eric Clapton
* Craig David
* Chemical Brothers
* Gorillaz
* The Rolling Stones
* Queen
* Franz Ferdinand
* Rooster

Source: www.independent.co.uk

Tevez On His Way To Madchester?

Carlos Tevez’s move to Manchester United appears to be going towards completion. Tevez will feel at home in the city that gave us The Smiths, The Happy Mondays, The Stone Roses and Oasis.

Tevez is part of the group Piola Vago with his brother Diego and friends from the Villa de Los Andes (Fuerte Apache) area of Buenos Aires.

Tevez who is a big fan of Oasis and The Stone Roses, can't wait to move to the city and sample the nightlife for himself.

The group play a form for Colombian folk dance and dance music called Cumbia villera and gave out their first albumn “Los Pibes del Barrio“, in December 2005.

Source: www.wordpress.com

Liam's Away On Olé Day

Dear Noel,

All right, Our Kid,

I’m just on me holidees with the bird and that.

I’m fed up of them posh places – they only feed you foreign muck, you know what I mean?

All me and the missus Nicole want, you know like, is some Cigarettes and duty-free Alcohol and we’re sweet.

So we’re in Spain with her good mate Mel Blatt, whose been soaking up the sunshiiiiiine in her black cossie.

Being a Rock’n’Roll Star and all that the Masterplan was just to blend in with the rest of the geezers.












So I bought a hat and some dad kecks for the pool – they look top mate.

Anyway, fella, I’m off to ger on me Simpsons inflatable and enjoy the Importance Of Being Idle for a while.

Stop Crying Your Heart Out, we’ll be home soon.

Source: www.thesun.co.uk

(Oh!)asis

In a recent interview with George Stroumboulopoulos, from CBC’s ‘The Hour,’ Oasis’ chief songwriter, Noel Gallagher, discovered something rather interesting about the American/ Canadian version of his band’s first album, ‘Definitely Maybe.’

While going track by track through the album Stroumboulopoulos asked Gallagher about ‘Digsy’s Diner.’ Gallagher excitedly corrected Stroumboulopoulos informing him that it was actually, ‘Digsy’s DINNER.’ To which Stroumboulopoulos responded by showing him a copy of the disc which clearly reads Diner. A rather sheepish Gallagher apologized and said that he had never looked at the disc. He also offered an apology to the throngs of North American journalists he had wrongly chastised over the last decade and a half for what he had perceived as their mistake.

Click here to watch a video, of Noel explaining the songs track by track from Definitely Maybe.

Source: www.blogsmonroe.com

Sermon On The Disc

Those who recall the period when Oasis burst on to the British music scene in 1994 will remember just why the Gallagher brothers were so compelling to a young generation of music fans.

Their appeal wasn't only thanks to the rough-carved anthems destined for their debut album, Definitely Maybe, as much as it was down to their frank and often hilarious straight talking.

While Liam offered endless self-assurance and Noel chipped in with an acutely dry wit, the pair could speak about life and music in a way their fans related to and agreed with. The pair had similarly candid spiritual forebears such as John Lennon, John Lydon, Morrissey and Ian Brown to look up to, but those dawning days of Britpop were the last in which music fans had such divisively opinionated and unafraid heroes of their own to idolise. Nowadays most bands are merely affable, or worse, sound like living extensions of their label's marketing department.

Until now. The "Reverend" Jon McClure hails from Sheffield, and his band, The Makers, combine the rabble-rousing electro-rock squall of Kasabian and Primal Scream with the same intelligent lyrical narrative which informs Arctic Monkeys' and The Streets' best work.

Click here for the full interview.

Source: www.living.scotsman.com

Watch The Rushes Soho Shorts Festival Anywhere With Babelgum

Babelgum is launching its dedicated channel on the Rushes Soho Shorts Festival allowing film and TV fans or budding new industry talent anywhere the opportunity to sample the best of the festival.

Highlights from the festivals in 2005 and 2006 will feature from today and users can view shortlisted entries from this year's awards from tomorrow, Saturday, 28th July.

Shortlisted music videos include Will Young, 'Who Am I?', Oasis, 'The Masterplan', Kasabian 'Shoot The Runner' and Lily Allen 'LDN'.

"Rushes Soho Shorts Festival director, Joe Bateman said, "It has always been difficult to give those located outside of the area the opportunity to view the best in upcoming and established talent within the film and television industry. Using Babelgum allows us to retain the intimacy of the festival, while allowing a potentially huge audience to peek through the curtains at the highlights."

For more information click here

Source: www.broadcastbuyer.tv

In Stores Monday

Paul Weller & Graham Coxon - This Old Town
UK release date: 30 July 2007

Track listing
1. This Old Town
2. Each New Morning
3. Black River

Catalogue Number: REGALSC016
Label: Parlophone

Thirty years since The Jam first crashed into the charts and Paul Weller is still around. Now following his release of his greatest hits album Hit Parade last year and a triumphant set at Glastonbury this year, he's formed an unlikely partnership with ex-Blur gone solo indie-geek Graham Coxon on this latest limited edition release for the Regal Singles Club.

Add in Oasis drummer Zak Starkey and Primal Scream's Mani on bass and you have to wonder whose idea it was to get them all together. It really works quite well though. At first This Old Town sounds like a Weller song with Coxon on lead vocals (Weller provides the harmonies), but then you're not quite sure as you hear some quirky chord changes that can only be down to Coxon. Ultimately this is a collaboration that draws on the distinct talents of both of them.

The song itself isn't going to change the world. But it's a solid track dominated by Weller's crunching guitar and injected with enough pace to take it above the dreary. It'll find its place in the collections of fans of both artists and will surely be a good addition to live gigs.

- Ben Urdang

Source: www.musicomh.com

Noel Gallagher Is Again On The Russell Brand Podcast

Noel Gallagher features again on a large part of the Russell Brand Podcast for BBC Radio 2.

Noel Gallagher joins Russell by phone from his home, for there usual weekend banter.

Noel talks with Russell at length about, Liam getting collared by Phil Collins children at Live Earth ,religion, art, the weather and much much more...

For information on how to download the podcast click here.

The Coral's Split Fears

The Coral's lead singer James Skelly has admitted he feared the band would split when the lead guitarist took a break from playing with them.

The Liverpool-based group are set to release their fifth album Roots And Echoes next month, but James said he thought their previous album The Invisible Invasion could have been their last when Bill Ryder-Jones had a breather to "get his head together".

"When he went, I thought that might've been it, but obviously I never wanted it to end," James admitted.

He added: "With hindsight, it was worrying, but at the time we just had the blinkers on and were trying to fulfil everything we had to do."

Thankfully Bill didn't leave for good and the band recorded their new album at Wheeler End studio - owned by Noel Gallagher.

"It's a great studio. There's loads of vintage gear in there, and there are lots of options when it comes to the way you record something," James said.

"I'd definitely work there again."

Source: www.metro.co.uk

Noel To Swing By For Monkeys?

I Hear that among the thousands at the Arctic Monkeys' eagerly anticipated gigs at Old Trafford this weekend could be Oasis star Noel Gallagher.

The Monkeys' drummer Matt Helders explains: "Our security guards are Noel's security, and we've obviously met him a few times and stuff, so he was saying he might come down, might visit home for a couple of days or whatever, so that'd be amazing if he came."

There is set to be all sorts of celeb activity round the Saturday and Sunday night gigs at Lancashire's cricket ground. There is even rumour of a reunion of sorts when former bassist Andy Nicholson DJs at the band's after-show party at Revolution bar, Deansgate Locks, on Sunday night.

Matt says: "He'll be at the gig I reckon, but I dunno about the after-show. I've DJed with him a few times."

Source: www.manchestereveningnews.co.uk

Sum 41 Cover Oasis's Morning Glory

Sum 41 have covered Morning Glory, frontman Deryck Whibley does a great acousic cover for Yahoo Music's Pepsi Smash.

Click here for the video (US), or here for the rest of the world.

The band's new album Underclass Hero, is in stores now.

Source: www.music.yahoo.com

Win A Marshall DAB Radio Signed By Oasis

Those who live to rock can bid for their own personalised bit of rock greatness with an auction in aid of the Nordoff Robbins Music Therapy charity.

Music fans can win radios signed by musicians spanning the generations, from 60s and 70s legends Bill Wyman, Ronnie Wood and Bruce Dickinson to names more synonymous with the 80s such as Annie Lennox, Marillion and Paul Weller. More modern music fans can opt for radios signed by Keane, Sandi Thom, The Feeling or Queens of the Stone Age.

Legendary music amplifier company Marshall teamed up with DAB digital radio maker Pure some months back in a collaboration that saw Pure selling special Marshall-branded versions of its Evoke-1XT digital radios.

Now, Marshall and Pure have roped in tens of the music legends that use Marshall amps to belt our their overblown hits, getting stars such as Paul Weller, Hawkwind, Alice Cooper and Oasis’ Gallagher brothers to sign the DAB radios. Music fans will be able to bid for the radio signed by their favourite rock star in an auction running online from 1 October.

Proceeds from the charity auction will go to Nordoff-Robbins Music Therapy (see www.nordoff-robbins.org.uk). The charity auction is supported by and will be promoted by specialist digital music station Planet Rock.

For a full list of rock stars currently signed up for the Marshall Pure Evoke-XT1 DAB radio auction, go to www.rockstarradios.com.

Source: www.pcadvisor.co.uk

Andy Bell Joins The Brian Jonestown Massacre For Charity Show

A festival that takes place in Oxford every year called 'Truck', was due to take place but was cancelled due to the downpour in the shire, one of the bands supposed to be playing was the Brian Jonestown Massacre, because it was cancelled so late (Friday) the day before the start of it most bands were in Oxford for it.

So at last minute they put on a gig at Brookes University with all the bands here already as a fundraiser because the rain ruined the site.

Rumours in the venue were that Andy Bell and Mark Mardner were going to do an acoustic set.

With one band to go before the Brian Jonestown Massacre took to the stage, the act before failed to arrive. So during the sound check Anton Newcombe came on to the stage and demanded two leather chairs be put side of stage.

Then when the band come on Andy Bell and Mark Gardner follow them on, so they just sit on the chairs at side of stage with Anton occasionally summoning Andy Bell to jam on some tunes, they played for about hour and half and did about six tunes.

They strung them out with Andy playing little riffs and solos on top, Anton left the stage at one point during a jam and with no idea what to play next they cracked into 'Drive Blind' with the Massacre Band , Andy played rhythm and Mark sang.

The two of them stayed on stage the whole gig, Andy played on more tunes than Mark, Anton was constantly bowing at them.

Small video clip of Drive Blind here

Thanks to Tim Ford for the pictures.

Tabloid Hell: Oasis 'Doner' Look Back In Anger

Noel Gallagher mistaken for Liam

It's the Oasis faux pas to end Oasis faux pas - mistaking Noel Gallagher for younger brother Liam.

However according to today's (July 23) Mirror one unlucky 'fan' ruined an encounter with his hero after running into the guitarist in London last week.

Noel was apparently confused for his singing sibling in Camden kebab shop - and NME favourite - Marathon while queuing up for a takeaway.

"You're Liam," the hapless star-spotted is reported to have told the Oasis leader. "You're in that band."

At the height of Britpop who knows what flurry of abuse would have followed next? Swearing? V-signs? Fisticuffs? (although to be fair at the height of Britpop its unlikely you'd have seen Noel in what was clearly Blur territory).

But Noel it seems, is a mellowed man and according to the paper simply "shot the fan a thunderous glare", before declaring "I don't think so, mate."

After which he simply grabbed his kebab and left. Doner look back in anger, indeed.

Source: www.nme.com

Oasisn't

They may not have topped the charts for a while but we're still surprised to hear the undisputed King of Britpop wasn't recognised in a takeaway.

In line at Marathon Kebab in Camden, Noel Gallagher, 40, was mistaken for his little brother by a tipsy fan. An onlooker tells us: "A fan said, 'You're in that band. You're Liam."

With that the Oasis star shot him a thunderous glare and muttered "I don't think so, mate" before grabbing his kebab and leaving.


C'mon Noel, Don't Look Back In Anger...

Source: www.mirror.co.uk

Even Noel Gallagher Can't Get Backstage

Those down-to-earth Kasabaian boys have come over all diva.

We're told the Leicester lads had a security team almost as big as the crowd when playing Ibiza Rocks on Tuesday.

A spy said: "Support act Pull Tiger Tail were told that no girlfriends or friends were allowed backstage.

"After they performed they were banned from there themselves."

Even pal Noel Gallagher, 40, seemed to have trouble getting near Kasabian. The Oasis rocker mixed with the crowd before leaving.

Source: Sunday People

Blast From The Past...

Scans from the October 1994 issue of Vox
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Scans from the January 1995 issue of Mojo Magazine.
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Scans from the March 1996 issue of Sky Magazine.
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If anyone has any scans from old magazines to share please send them in to scyhodotcom@gmail.com and I will post them here.

The Coral - Who's Gonna Find Me

The Coral release their new single Who's Gonna Find Me on July 30th 2007. Who's Gonna Find Me is taken from their new album Roots and Echoes, due for release on August 6th.

The album and single were recorded at Oasis' Wheeler End Studios and produced by Craig Silvey (The Magic Numbers) during the opening months of 2007 and mixed in London throughout April. 'Roots & Echoes' finds the band invigorated after a period of soul searching following the release of their third studio album, 'The Invisible Invasion'.

It was also around this period that one of the founding members Bill Ryder-Jones decided to quit touring with the group leaving the remaining members questioning whether they should continue. Four long years of touring had taken its toll on the band and Bill's temporary departure was the final straw.

According to James Skelly, "If you take one person out of The Coral, it's just not The Coral anymore. By the end of the last tour we were falling apart." The band took a well deserved break and returned home to Hoylake, Merseyside.

Eventually a period of demo-ing new tracks with long term friend and producer Ian Broudie along with continuous encouragement from the likes of Noel Gallagher enabled the band to rediscover their sense of purpose.

'Roots and Echoes' hums with the confidence of a band newly energised and at ease with themselves, featuring the trademark melodies and confidence which have led to over a oh benny sales across an already stunning career.

Source: www.contactmusic.com

Alan McGee's New Project

When Alan McGee gets involved in something, there's a fair chance it's going to be big. The man who signed Oasis has just signed up to present a television show on the web at www.rockworld.tv.

Death Disco will bring a flavour of McGee's Notting Hill club night of the same name to the computer screen, featuring live sets from bands including Reverend and the Makers at 7pm and midnight tonight.

Those who find the Feeling's take on soft rock a bit too hard would be advised to check out Palladium, whose debut single Happy Hour is available in download stores on Monday.

The nattily dressed quartet gladly compare themselves to Toto and Hall & Oates on MySpace (www.myspace.com/palladiumofficial) and even employ a horrific synthesised pan pipe sound to ensure that no one rocks softer.

As with animal husbandry, bringing two hot bands together in a controlled environment can result in a superior breed of music. Leeds band the Cribs, slowly becoming known more for their ragged indie rock than for being mates with Kaiser Chiefs, have hooked up with scorching Brazilian electro popsters CSS to make a fantastically disco-friendly remix of the former's track Men's Needs.

Source: www.thisisderbyshire.co.uk

The 100 Best Cover Songs Of All Time

If you're experiencing déjà vu, don't worry - you really have heard it all before.

It's the summer of the cover songs, with albums by Mark Ronson, Bryan Ferry and even Poison recording other artists' songs. Then there's "Instant Karma," a benefit album for Darfur, featuring John Lennon classics recorded by wide-ranging artists such as Black Eyed Peas, Big & Rich . . . and Avril Lavigne doing "Imagine" (the horror).

Which got us thinking: What are the best covers of all time?

They're the versions that make you forget there was ever an original, Janis Joplin doing "Me and Bobby McGee" or Soft Cell's take on "Tainted Love." Or, perhaps, it's a track that's so brilliantly redone in a different style, it finds a whole new generation of fans - such as Cake's understated redo of Gloria Gaynor's disco-hit "I Will Survive," or Johnny Cash's heartwrenching take on synth gods Depeche Mode.

In no particular order, here are popular music's 100 greatest covers - plus a few bonus tracks you can download for free today at nypost.com.

01. "Stairway to Heaven," Dolly Parton (Led Zeppelin)
Queen of country rescues song from amateur guitar players everywhere with a soulful rendition that'll have you in tears.

02. "Wonderwall," Ryan Adams (Oasis)
New York troubadour's less-Beatles-y version of the Brit pop smash.

Click here to watch a live performance of the track from Atlanta in 2006

03. "Hazy Shade of Winter," the Bangles (Simon and Garfunkel)
The way Paul Simon originally intended it - with a killer guitar riff and a drugged-out Robert Downey Jr.

04. "Nothing Compares 2 U," Sinead O'Connor (Prince)
Close-cropped video and passionate rendition brought little-known Prince track to light.

05. "Showroom Dummies," Señor Coconut & His Orchestra (Kraftwerk)
Not the first time Germans have hid out in South America, but with better results.

06. "Smooth Criminal," Alien Ant Farm (Michael Jackson)
Turns "Annie are you OK" into a head-banging mantra.

07. "Personal Jesus," Johnny Cash (Depeche Mode)
Electronica transformed into a painful, soul-crushing ballad. In a good way!

08. "Against All Odds," the Postal Service (Phil Collins)
We can't wait for what they're going to do to "Sussudio."

09. "Easy (Like Sunday Morning)," Faith No More (the Commodores)
If this song can't get you some lovin', take a hard, hard look at yourself.

10. "Tainted Love," Soft Cell (Gloria Jones)
Funky grooves.

11. "Tainted Love," Marilyn Manson (Gloria Jones)
Angry growls.

12. "Under Pressure," My Chemical Romance and the Used (Queen and David Bowie)
Emo panters prove that David Bowie and Freddie Mercury were the original definition of "guyliner."

13. "Mah Na Mah Na," Cake (Piero Umiliani)
Going back to the classics, Cake gives "Sesame Street" the business.

14. "Wicked Game," H.I.M. (Chris Isaak)
The love-metal band makes the sexy song even hotter by adding wailing and driving guitar licks. Video isn't as good, though.

15. "Please, Please, Please Let Me Get What I Want," Muse (the Smiths)
Short and sweet, Muse delivers all the punch of the original without getting wimpy about it.

16. "Blue Monday," Orgy (New Order)
The only reason you even need to know who this industrial band is.

17. "Satisfaction," Devo (the Rolling Stones)
Start-stopping their way to brilliance.

18. "I Want Candy," Good Charlotte (the Strangeloves)
Hard to get hold of since it was recorded for the prom scene in "Not Another Teen Movie," the pop-punks give the sugary sweet song a dose of bratty punk flavor.

19. "How Soon Is Now," Love Spit Love (the Smiths)
Richard Butler's Psychedelic Furs-swagger makes the hit a little less mopey, more killing.

20. "Smells Like Teen Spirit," Paul Anka (Nirvana)
The ex-teen idol takes the grunge off and polishes it with a swingin' sound to within an inch of its life.

The full 100 songs can be found here

Source: www.nypost.com

Seven Ages Of Rock To Be Shown On VH1 Classic In The U.S.

Seven Ages of Rock," a co-production with the BBC, will make its U.S. debut on VH1 Classic Monday, December 17. MTV veteran Mark Goodman narrates this 7-part series, which showcases the various genres of rock music that impacted and shaped pop culture.

From the birth of rock to metal to alternative rock -- there is a genre for every music fan -- some that have stood the test of time and others that have not. This exclusive series will delve into what made each of these genres of music resonate with fans across the world.

Each of the seven episodes will take a deeper look into the individual ages of rock by evaluating the music itself -- breaking down key tracks, getting behind the songs and composing ideas, as well as looking into the social influences of the time and the social context that influenced the progression of the music. Throughout each episode viewers will hear from some of rock music's biggest icons including Keith Richards, David Bowie, Roger Waters, Lou Reed, Ozzy Osbourne, James Hetfield, Deborah Harry, Gene Simmons, Roger Taylor, Stewart Copeland, Bruce Springsteen, Steven Van Zandt, Michael Stipe, Henry Rollins, Dave Grohl, Frank Black, Noel Gallagher and many more.

Here's a breakdown of each night:

Episode 1: The Birth of Rock - Rock music emerges in the late 60's as a fresh branch of rock 'n' roll. Becoming popular through artists like The Who, Cream, and The Rolling Stones, rock groups exemplified this era of protest through a tone of seriousness in their music.

Episode 2: Art/Prog Rock - As rock music made a name for itself, upcoming rock artists began to experiment with their sound. Groups including The Velvet Underground, David Bowie, Pink Floyd and Genesis were all a part of this innovative and varied sound.

Episode 3: Heavy Metal - A new sound that emerged from the UK, heavy metal conveyed an intense and powerful resonance. Artists like Black Sabbath and Led Zeppelin paved the way by establishing the heavy sound while artists like Metallica and Motley Crue added their own rock 'n' roll twist.

Episode 4: Punk - Continuing with the evolution of the sound of rock, a genre of music emerged in the 1970s that can best be described as anti- establishment. Demonstrated by bands including The Sex Pistols, The Clash and Television, these artists created music that went hand-in-hand with the rebellion of youth at the time, often containing lyrics that incorporated political outrage and a "do-it-yourself" attitude.

Episode 5: Stadium Rock - Rock music became more dominant in mainstream pop culture in the 80s allowing artists such as Queen, The Police, Bruce Springsteen, and U2 to sell out stadium-sized venues.

Episode 6: Alternative/Grunge - Influenced by punk, bands including Nirvana, REM, Sonic Youth, and Pearl Jam shunned the traditions of the music industry and signed with independent record labels. Despite their deviance from traditional mainstream success, many alternative bands were commercially successful.

Episode 7: UK Indie - Growing out of the UK punk scene, bands such as The Smiths, Oasis, and the Stone Roses possessed an independent spirit that embraced their artistic power and financial control. These groups created music that provided a strong and sometimes arrogant counterpoint to the pop sounds dominating the charts.

"Seven Ages of Rock," a VH1 Classic co-production with the BBC is executive produced by Michael Poole for the BBC and Michele M. Dix and Ben Zurier for VH1. William Naylor serves as the series producer for the BBC.

To learn more about these series and other VH1 Classic series and specials please visit www.vh1classic.com

Source: www.prnewswire.com

Noel Gallagher Checks Out Kasabian At Somerset House

Fittingly, the most proletarian of bands is tonight introduced by that most proletarian of actors, Danny Dyer. "Ladies and gentleman..." says the inebriated cockney... "Kassshabian!" The Oasis de nos jours take the stage an hour late, with Noel Gallagher and Noel Fielding among the other celebrities present.

"Let me hear you Somerset House!" roars Kasabian's singer Tom Meighan. It's been a long road from the pub venues of Leicester to The Duke Of Somerset's 16th century palace, and tonight Meighan gets to be the town crier.

Much has been made of Kasabian's arrogance offstage, but onstage their frontman works hard to dismantle the kind of wall between act and crowd that Bob Dylan, say, has long since bricked himself behind. "I see you darlin'!" flirts Meighan when a girl responds to an enquiry as to whether anybody from Leicester is in the house. Meighan can do messianic as annoyingly as Richard Ashcroft, but he is also refreshingly aware of the public's role in his success.

Further in, he dedicates "The Doberman" to "father, friend and player" Noel Gallagher, while "Processed Beats", sounding exactly like it says on the tin, takes us all the way back to the band's first single. When the crowd takes over the "Stop! We're all wasting away" chorus of "Empire", it is a reminder that Kasabian's karaoke jukebox can have a peculiarly dark quality; for all their everyman aspirations they have yet to write a song that pervades the psyche across generations, probably because military-speak and machismo-infused bluster do not a "Wonderwall" make.

For the full review of the gig click here

Source: www.independent.co.uk

The Scouse Indie Chaps Will Release Their Greatest Hits In September

Shack who are signed to Noel Gallagher's Sourmash label will release a 'Best Of' compilation later this year.

The collection, called 'Time Machine', will include songs from the five studio albums the band have released so far, plus two new tracks 'Holiday Abroad' and 'Wanda'.

'Time Machine' is out on September 10.

The tracklisting is:

'I Know You Well'
'Comedy'
'Cup Of Tea'
'Al's Vacation'
'Pull Together'
'Meant To Be'
'Butterfly'
'Sgt Major'
'On The Terrace'
'Undecided'
'Cornish Town'
'Miles Apart'
'Streets Of Kenny'
'Shelley Brown'
'Neighbours'

The band will tour the UK in support of the album, although specific dates have not been announced yet - check back at NME.COM for the full details of the tour when we get the dates.

Source: www.nme.com

10 Bandmates Who Bit The Dust

When bands split, members' fates can differ wildly. Here are the bandmates who bit the dust while their pals retained the fame.

While Morrissey (pictured above) tours to critical acclaim and Marr joins US indie band Modest Mouse, fellow former Smiths members - bassist Andy Rourke and drummer Mike Joyce - are signing DVDs about the Smiths in Manchester.

Here are five other bandmates who bit the dust while their pals shot to fame.

01. Bananarama
Girl band Bananarama was formed by three friends in the early eighties: Siobhan Fahey, Sara Dallin, and Keren Woodward.

But Fahey, who had married Eurythmics' Dave Stewart, gave the group the slip and came up on top fronting Shakespeare Sister along with Marcella Detroit.

The band continued with a replacement for Fahey, but eventually slipped from the pop radar - making the odd record for release in Europe and beyond.

In February 2007, however, it was reported that Bananarama were back in the studio recording new material. Now that Fahey has dropped out of the limelight, perhaps Bananarama will - as did Take That - get a taste of fame once again.

02. Oasis
The band may not have split, but some of the original band members who left the group early on may now be regretting their hasty departures.

Guitarist Paul "Bonehead" Arthurs and drummer Paul "Guigsy" McGuigan left Oasis within days of eachother in 1999.

Although both said it was to spend time with their families, some rumours - and outright claims made by Noel Gallagher - suggest Bonehead's departure was more to do with the usual rock and roll excesses and lots of arguing.

Guigsy now lives outside of London with his family, and occasionally DJs. Bonehead, meanwhile, lives in Manchester, where he has formed a group with ex-Smiths band members Rourke and Joyce called Moondog One. He also DJs.

03. Wham!
While George Michael shot to fame and notoriety in his post-Wham! years, fellow bandmate Andrew Ridgeley disappeared from popular view.

They parted ways in 1986 after five hit-busting years together. After dabbling in this and that, Ridgely retired to Cornwall, where he lives with ex-Bananarama bandmate Keren Woodward.

Here he became an environmental activist as part of Surfers Against Sewage and went on to partner in a surfing goods firm.

Lucky George Michael, meanwhile, is still very much in the public eye - his every drug-driving transgression a front page grabbing feast for the tabloids.

04. Bros
Luke Goss, Matt Goss, big shoes ... but who was the drummer?

The boy band Bros had young girls swooning at every turn, but while brothers Matt and Luke, who danced about at the front, caught everyone's eye, poor old Craig Logan got stuck at the back devoid of attention.

Even when Logan left the band in the late 80s, the brothers kept on touring.

But Logan drew on his behind-the-scenes talents and has gone on to work for EMI records and to manage mouthy pop-starlet P!nk. Last year he took charge of Sony BMG's RCA Records label group.

The brothers, meanwhile, have continued to dabble in the performing arts and sporadically pop up into the public eye.

05. Recovered from obscurity
And, finally, we couldn't forget the band members who have been rescued from relative obscurity through the current trend for rock reformations.

With the likes of The Who, The Police, Take That and now the Spice Girls reforming (or cashing in, whichever you prefer), the lesser fortunes of some band mates are being propped up by the grand success of others.

Without Daltry and Townsend in the Who, Gary Barlow and Mark Owen in Take That and Sting in the Police, these resurrections might not be quite the crowd pullers they currently are.

Source: www.channel4.com

Call Her Misleading Meg

So Meg Mathews is touting her second-hand gear on t’internet, claiming it’s all genuine Oasis memorabilia.

I hear otherwise. Word reaches me that all the garish furniture touted by Noel Gallagher's ex is from after their divorce.

But when flogging old sticks, it helps to stick an Oasis price tag on.

Better news for Noel and the lads is that Man City chairman Thaksin Shinawatra is offering them £100,000 for a gig.

Better than watching City play, I reckon.

Source: www.thesun.co.uk

7 Ages Of Rock

A definitive landmark series charting the emergence and re-emergence of rock music as a global force, told through the musicians who have shaped this most enduring of genres.

Part 7 - What The World is Waiting For [Indie 1980-2007]

The story of British indie, beginning with The Smiths, the archetypal indie group. The film follows The Stone Roses as the heirs to the indie crown, Suede's dark sexuality and the media saturation of Brit-pop's Blur v Oasis. What The World Is Waiting For explores how indie ultimately lost its once cherished intimacy and integrity in front of 250,000 fans at Oasis's Knebworth spectacle in 1996 and how, by returning to its roots in clubs and bars (and even front rooms) with bands such as Franz Ferdinand, The Libertines and The Arctic Monkeys, indie became respectable again.

For those who missed the show, click here for the video.

This is much better quality then the youtube links, I posted a few weeks ago.

Meg Sells Her Goods On eBay

They witnessed some of Britain’s wildest rock ’n’ roll parties — now these Oasis memories are being sold by Meg Mathews on eBay.

Meg, once wed to Britpop idol Noel Gallagher, is offloading items worth £14,000 — many from Supernova Heights, the mansion they famously shared in the 1990s.

Among them is a Gothic-style black PVC sofa, valued at £3,500 on the online auction site.

Other gear from the house in Belsize Park, North London, includes a dining room table, a chaise longue, a sideboard, lamps, a Gucci dinner service — and even a pair of leather Handcuffs.

Also on sale are Meg’s £4,000 ebonised Gothic bed, a coffee table from her bedroom suite and several items of her clothing collection.

Interior designer Meg, 41 — who lives with daughter Anais, seven, split from Noel in 2001.

But their home, named after Noel’s Oasis hit Champagne Supernova, was notorious as the venue for regular drug-crazed parties.

Celebs like Patsy Kensit, Liz Hurley, Jude Law, Kate Moss and Anna Friel were among guests who cavorted at the house.

But Meg is now said to be keen to put her party lifestyle behind her.

She has told pals she wants to get rid of her past after coming out of rehab.

Meg, who is moving out of her Primrose Hill home, also sold items worth £26,000 on eBay earlier this year.

A pal said: “There are major Britpop artefacts up for sale here. The sofa in particular was the scene of a lot of big nights. There were some major celebs on it.”

Source: www.thesun.co.uk

The Twenty Craziest Soundalike Songs

This weekend you tortured your spouses/roommates/pets by spending hours painstakingly comparing soundalike songs, honing in on the key moments that made pairs of tracks seem so familiar.

Your nominations rocked. So do most of these songs. Check out the finalists that made the cut:

01. Jet’s “Are You Gonna Be My Girl” and Iggy Pop’s “Lust for Life”
02. Fergie’s “Fergalicious” and J.J. Fad’s “Supersonic”
03. The Beatles’ “Ob-La-Di, Ob-La-Da” and Offspring’s “Why Don’t You Get a Job”
04. Bruce Springsteen’s “Born to Run” and Blondie’s “X Offender”
05. Nirvana’s “Smells Like Teen Spirit” and Boston’s “More Than a Feeling”
06. Nazareth’s “Hair of the Dog” and the Beatles’ “Day Tripper”
07. The Doors’ “Roadhouse Blues” and Oasis’ “Put Yer Money Where Your Mouth Is”
08. Foo Fighters’ “Monkey Wrench” and Elton John’s “Whipping Boy”
09. Sublime’s “What I Got” and the Beatles’ “Lady Madonna”
10. Wilco’s “Walken” and Spoon’s “Don’t Make Me a Target”
11. Akon’s “Don’t Matter” and R. Kelly’s “Ignition” (Remix)
12. Billy Joel’s “Honesty” and Elton John’s “Sorry Seems to be the Hardest Word”
13. Phish’s “Farmhouse” and Bob Marley’s “No Woman No Cry”
14. Elastica’s “Connection” and Wire’s “Three Girl Rhumba”
15. Bryan Adams’ “Summer of 69″ and Green Day’s “Jesus of Suburbia”
16. Def Leppard’s “Pour Some Sugar on Me” and Weezer’s “Beverly Hills”
17. Natalie Imbruglia’s “Torn” and The Black-Eyed Peas “Where is the Love”
18. The Kinks “Picture Book” and Green Day’s “Warning”
19. The Killers’ “When You Were Young” and Bruce Springsteen’s “Born to Run”
20. Pearl Jam’s “Given to Fly” and Led Zeppelin’s “Going to California”

Source: www.rollingstone.com

Some Might Sink

Liam taught to swim by son Gene, 6

Oasis star Liam Gallagher is having swimming lessons from his six year-old son Gene.

The Some Might Say singer was even spotted wearing children's arm bands.

An insider said Liam was trying his best to tread water in Hampstead Men's Pond, north west London.

He added: "Gene was at the side of the bank yelling encouragement. He threw some kid's arm bands over to Liam, 34, and yelled at him to put them on.

"Gene has also been helping his dad learn to swim at a swanky swimming pool in the area."

Liam is said to have stepped up visits to the gym. Our sources added: "He wants to join in with Gene when they go abroad somewhere hot.

"And he also thinks it will be a good way of keeping fit."

Source: Daily Star

The OMM Top 50 Covers

Check the full list and let us know if you agree, or if you think we've made any glaring omissions...

1 Siouxsie and the Banshees - Dear Prudence (1983) (orig. The Beatles, 1968)

Dreamy White Album psychedelia made into dark, androgynous sex-goth. Prudence was Mia Farrow's sister, who freaked out on the Beatles' infamous trip to see the Maharishi Mahesh Yogi in India.

2 John Coltrane - My Favorite Things (1960) (orig. Rodgers and Hammerstein/The Sound of Music, 1959)
The legendary sax God takes the waltzing original on a cosmic trip to the spiritual beyond. A free jazz landmark... recorded five years before the movie made nuns'n'Nazis into timeless camp.

3 Cowboy Junkies - Sweet Jane (1988) (orig. The Velvet Underground, 1971)

Lou Reed's ultimate three-chord rock'n'roll anthem given an ethereal, campfire makeover, care of the Canadian indie-folksters' restrained acoustics and the blank, haunting voice of Margo Timmins.

4 Robert Wyatt - I'm a Believer (1974) (orig. the Monkees, 1966)

This unlikely, jazz-flecked version of the Neil Diamond-penned Monkees hit saw the recently paralysed Wyatt performing in his unique cockney tones from a wheelchair on Top of the Pops.

5 Elvis Presley - Hound Dog (1956) (orig. Big Mama Thornton, 1952)

Elvis's high-energy, hard-rocking cut of this dirty Leiber and Stoller ditty stomped all over Thornton's downhome original... just like rock stomped all over the blues.

6 Bryan Ferry - A Hard Rain's A-Gonna Fall (1973) (orig. Bob Dylan, 1963)

A glam-derived nail in the coffin of '60s sincerity, as Ferry converts Dylan's anti-nuclear folk masterpiece into delirious faux-gospel pop deluxe.

7 The Slits - I Heard it Through the Grapevine (1979) (orig. Marvin Gaye, 1968, after Gladys Knight & the Pips, 1967)

The Gaye classic is a study in self-lacerating paranoia. The Notting Hill femme-punks delivered it as an eccentric, feminist, dub-disco jump for joy.

8 Richard Thompson - Oops!... I Did It Again (2003) (orig. Britney Spears, 2000)

The singer-songwriter and founding member of Fairport Convention covered Britney's 'Oops I Did It Again' as part of his show 1000 Years of Popular Music.

9 Devo - Satisfaction (I Can't Get Me No) (1978) (orig. The Rolling Stones, 1965)

Akron, Ohio's art-punk satirists turn Jagger's cocky machismo inside-out, revealing a black, creepy comedy of geeky male sexual frustration.

10 Al Green - How Can You Mend a Broken Heart? (1972) (orig. Bee Gees, 1971)

The soul master's most surreal, spooked and androgynous vocal performance proves that the Brothers Gibb were always blue-eyed soul boys at heart.

11 Oasis - I Am The Walrus (1994) (orig. The Beatles, 1967)

Less a tribute to their idols than an arrogantly thumbed nose, this live B-side replaces Lennon's queasy orchestras with Liam Gallagher's top-of-the-world, rock god disdain.

12 The Jimi Hendrix Experience - All Along The Watchtower (1968) (orig. Bob Dylan, 1967)

The ultimate instant cover, as Hendrix made this small, spooky song from the John Wesley Harding album into the raging, epic soundtrack to the turmoil of 1968.

13 The Specials - A Message To You Rudy (1979) (orig. Dandy Livingstone, 1967)

The 2-Toners revived this beautiful rocksteady plea for an end to 'rudeboy' violence, and, like the original, it was most loved by the skinheads who did the damage.

14 Soft Cell - Tainted Love (1981) (orig. Gloria Jones, 1964)

A northern soul classic, originally performed by Gloria Jones (later, mother of Marc Bolan's son, Rolan) turned into a deviant pop smash by Marc Almond and Dave Ball.

15 Pet Shop Boys - Always On My Mind (1987) (orig. Elvis Presley, 1972, after Brenda Lee, 1972)

The peak of Tennant & Lowe's dance-pop alchemy, as they charmed the planet with a sincere disco re-tooling of the maudlin Elvis ballad.

16 Jeff Buckley - Hallelujah (1994) (orig. Leonard Cohen, 1984)

If you had to prove that the tragic Buckley Jr was the voice of his generation, then this virtuoso choirboy take on Cohen's elegantly grim hymn would be Exhibit One.

17 The Byrds - Mr Tambourine Man (1965) (orig. Bob Dylan, 1965)

Jangling 12-string Rickenbacker and beatific Californian harmonies; Roger McGuinn poppifies Dylan and casually invents folk-rock, alt-country and indie. Bonus.

18 Scissor Sisters - Comfortably Numb (2004) (orig. Pink Floyd, 1979)

How do you remove the pomp from the Floyd and become huge overnight? Easy. Do The Wall's most miserable moment in the style of Saturday Night Fever Bee Gees.

19 Johnny Cash - Hurt (2002) (orig. Nine Inch Nails, 1994)

The Man in Black's rumbling yet fragile baritone - and Mark Romanek's extraordinary video - turned Trent Reznor's numb nihilism into a dying rebel's final, defiant stand on Judgment Day.

20 Saint Etienne - Only Love Can Break Your Heart (1990) (orig. Neil Young, 1970)

Bob Stanley, Pete Wiggs and early Saint Etienne singer Moira Lambert remix Young's fragile lament into a Balearic mash-up of piano-led, dubwise, dancefloor melancholy.

Find the full 50 here

Source: www.guardian.co.uk

Blast From The Past...

Was There Then
Click here













Getting High
Click here













From Childhood to Oasis The Real Story
Click here












Take Me There The True Story
Click here













Q Ten Years Of Rock'n'Roll Mayhem
Click here













Vox Magazine
Click here













Knebworth Tour Book 1996
Click here













Don't Believe The Truth Tour Book 2005/06
Click here













European Tour Programme 1996
Click here













Oasis: The Official Magazine
Click here













Wibblling Rivalry from Q Magazine
Click here

High quality scans from various Oasis books, magazines and tour programmes from www.wiki.oasis-story.com

Source: www.wiki.oasis-story.com

Oasis and REM Help Thrills Get Their Pride Back

The Thrills burst on to the British music scene four years ago with So Much For The City, a debut album full of jangly pop songs inspired by the sunshine of America's west coast and name-checking towns such as Santa Cruz and Big Sur.

But their second album - Let's Bottle Bohemia, in 2004 - was dismissed as a rush job by some critics and the band suffered a crisis of confidence.

Now the Dublin five-piece are back and bursting with pride, having completed third album, Teenager.

And frontman Conor Deasy believes that has reinvigorated the band's sound and given them back the self-belief they had been lacking.

He said: "It has been a while, but we really needed to go away for a bit. We knew that.

"Bands work at quite a slow pace so if an album comes out a year after your first one, people assume it has been rushed.

"Our second album maybe wasn't as cohesive as the first, but I feel some people didn't give it anything other than a quick listen and failed to get what it was about.

"Our confidence took a real kicking for a couple of months, but REM took us out on tour and they loved the new songs and were very supportive of the band.

"Then Oasis invited us to tour with them in Europe and we couldn't say no.

"We played Nothing Changes Around Here and when we came offstage Noel Gallagher told us: 'That's a great song and a great chorus' so things like that helped to lift us up. It prevented us from getting too down and we got through it in the end."

Explaining the band's decision to turn down the glamorous rock 'n' roll hedonism on tap in Los Angeles for a rundown district of Canada, he added: "This record had to be a departure for us.

"I wanted to move away from the aesthetic and iconography we had immersed ourselves in with our first two records. We knew Los Angeles well and it had been a distraction, so we tried to do the album in Dublin.

"We couldn't find a studio we wanted and made a cheeky call to U2 to see if we could use theirs, but they were working in it at the time.

"The very first gig I went to was at Dublin's Slane Castle with Oasis and REM on the bill. I was in the front row with 80,000 people crushing against me.

Teenager is released on July 23.

Source: www.dailyrecord.co.uk

I Won't Be Moving To London Like Oasis Did

Despite his imminent rise to stardom, Tom Clarke, frontman of The Enemy, has said that his band will never up sticks from their native Coventry.

The statement echoes the stance held by Arctic Monkeys, who despite rising to superstardom still live in their hometown Sheffield. Singer Alex Turner still lives with his parents in the city.

Clarke said of his home city: "As much as we sing about the downsides of the place, we still love it," he told The Sun. "We would never leave. It's us. We belong there."

Traditionally northern bands have made the move to London after making it big, to be closer to music industry HQs and the city's party scene. Noel Gallagher famously upped sticks from Manchester while living with a girlfriend to head to the capital back in 1994.

Source: www.nme.com