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Youthful grunge-lite band the Calling call their new album Two for two reasons. First, it’s the group’s second record. More important, singer Alex Band and guitarist Aaron Kamin want fans to know the Calling are now, and always have been, a two-man band. That point was questioned in November, when former bassist Billy Mohler and drummer Nate Wood sued the group and its manager for fraud and mismanagement. The pair claimed they were owed significant song royalties and a merchandise percentage, and that they were only paid $26,000 each for two years’ touring, even though they’d been promised much more.… Read more »

Ben Kweller and producer Ethan Johns took a trip back in time in recording Kweller’s third solo release, On My Way. Johns encouraged the twentysomething pop phenom to cut his latest album in classic garage rock manner: guitars, bass and drums played live in the studio with no headphones and minimal post-production. Johns’ recording of the eleven-song set, due April 6th, captures some live-wire vocals from Kweller as well as his inspired guitar interplay with Mike Stroud (formerly of Dashboard Confessional), which echoes that of Neil Young and Crazy Horse’s Danny Whitten circa 1969. Kweller was introduced to the producer… Read more »

The big question as we enter 2004 is simply “Do you want some?” The answer will come when Liam Gallagher and elder brother Noel return to the fray with the new Oasis album later this year. Although to some the Mancunian brothers’ group may be too tied up with the hangover of ’90s Britpop to ever be a potent force again, they are still undoubtedly one of the biggest rock groups in the country. They do like to tread water, however, and a much-needed change in direction may finally come with the introduction of Death In Vegas man Richard Fearless… Read more »

The Beatles want to take another bite out of Apple Computer Inc. Their record company, Apple Corps Ltd., said Friday that it was suing Apple Computer because the technology company violated a 1991 agreement by entering the music business with its iTunes online store. When Steve Jobs co-founded Apple Computer in 1977, he is said to have chosen the name in part as a tribute to the Beatles. The 1991 agreement dealt with the future use of the name “Apple” and of both companies’ well-known logos. Apple Corps, founded in 1968, is owned by Sir Paul McCartney; Ringo Starr; John… Read more »

With anticipation building to a feverish pitch in advance of the imminent release of the eagerly awaited Led Zeppelin live recordings, Atlantic Records has announced that “LED ZEPPELIN DVD,” a 2-DVD set, will be shipping quadruple-platinum in the U.S. alone, and “HOW THE WEST WAS WON,” a 3-CD set, will ship platinum. “The enormous pre-release response from retailers and fans alike to the announcement of these Zeppelin releases dramatically demonstrates the enduring power, timeless influence, and undiminished popularity of this truly phenomenal band,” said Atlantic Group Co-Chairman/CEO Val Azzoli. “To have been associated with Zeppelin for their entire career has… Read more »

Michael Jackson is a “disturbing individual” with a love of multi-million-dollar shopping sprees and a desire to live forever, according to a journalist granted unrivalled access to the pop star. Martin Bashir, who spent eight months making a documentary on the normally reclusive singer, said 44-year-old Jackson truly is the Peter Pan of pop who is obsessed by the idea of childhood being frozen in time. Plastic surgery, child abuse allegations and his father’s cruelty all feature in a warts-and-all British television documentary being aired in Britain Monday evening. The ITV program is the result of the unprecedented access Jackson… Read more »

A founder member of British rock group Oasis has lost his bid to sue the band’s lawyers over his firing because he took too long to start legal action. London’s High Court threw out the claim by drummer Anthony McCarroll that solicitors Statham Gill Davies had negligently handled Oasis’s 1993 recording agreement with Sony, allowing the band to get rid of him instantly without compensation. The judge, awarding summary judgment to the solicitors without the need for a full trial, said McCarroll had failed to bring his claim within the legal limit of six years from the date his cause… Read more »

Veteran U.K. rock outfit Primal Scream has set a Nov. 26 North American release date for its domestic Epic debut, “Evil Heat.” The album, which features contributions from Robert Plant, Kate Moss, My Bloody Valentine’s Kevin Shields, and the Jesus And Mary Chain’s Jim Reid, was released in August in the group’s homeland. The North American release of “Evil Heat” will be accompanied by a DVD featuring 45 minutes of bonus material. The video clips for “Miss Lucifer” and “Autobahn 66” are included, alongside videos of four songs performed live at August’s V2002 festival: “Rocks,” “Moving on Up,” “Swastika Eyes,”… Read more »

Forty-six years after Gene Vincent and the Blue Caps helped define the rockabilly sound with their signature hit “Be Bop a Lula,” Vincent’s first two records, 1956’s Bluejean Bop! and 1957’s Gene Vincent and His Blue Caps, will be re-released with bonus tracks on September 17th. Vincent himself died in 1971 at the age of thirty-six from a ruptured stomach ulcer, but bassist Jack Neal – one of two surviving members of the group, along with drummer Dickie Harrell – still remembers the early recording sessions vividly. “It was great to go ahead and cut a record where all the… Read more »

A lawsuit against Ozzy & Sharon Osbourne may have been dismissed, but the former bandmembers who filed the case say it will go on. Bob Daisley, bassist and songwriter on the first two Osbourne solo albums (1980’s Blizzard Of Ozz and 1981’s Diary Of A Madman), released this statement concerning the court’s decision: “Obviously, this is a disappointing ruling, but it’s not over yet. This case has merit-Lee and I have been struggling for two decades just to receive the correct royalties and credit that’s due us-and we are confident that we will prevail in the end.” For some 20… Read more »