Beastie Boys back in the studio and set up a film company while they're at it

The Beastie Boys, MCA, Mike D. and Ad-Rock are working on a new album, recording at the Beastie Boys‘ Oscilloscope Studios in lower Manhattan. “It’s in the early stages of development, but it sounds cool to me,” says Adam Yauch. Now, I like the Beasties best when they're too cool to smile in photographs, so I'm hoping for Check Your Head styled fuzziness as opposed to the cleanliness of Hello Nasty.

Anyway, aside from the new soundz, Yauch spoke of his new side project, Oscilloscope Pictures, which is a small film distribution company that he launched earlier this month. He’s already looking at “a handful” of films, saying, “There are cool, interesting films that fall between genres that the larger companies might not be not looking to distribute.” Yauch says he sees the new company as a “small indie label,” adding that he’s learned some lessons from his experience with the Beasties’ defunct Grand Royal imprint. “There’s a danger of getting too much overhead going,” he said. This time around, “a big part of the idea is to do everything in-house - the artwork, the DVD covers, posters, that kind of stuff.” Please can we have some B-Movies? Cheers.

Mike Smith, singer of Dave Clark Five, RIP

Another day, another RIP. Sadly, Dave Clark Five's lead singer Mike Smith died of pneumonia yesterday (February 28), just two weeks before his band was to be inducted to the US Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Of course, DC5 were one of the first and biggest Brit bands to go and invade America. Here's a rockin' little number to celebrate the Five.

And click over for my fave Dave Clark Five number, Chaquita

It's a shame about raisins? Naw, 'It's A Shame About Ray' is gettin' reissued (with loads of bonuses)

When I was but a spotty nipper tryin' to let on like I was cool or sumfing, I would hang around the girls who best suited these needs. This essentially meant asking people if they "preferred vinyl". Dolt. Anyway, as a result of this, I met quite a few fans of The Lemonheads and, more importantly, had quite a few compilation tapes done for me... any that were an aid to romance ALWAYS featured My Drug Buddy. I don't know why that is... but it stands. So, my old sonic drug fug friends of yore, dig this... The Lemonheads' 'It's A Shame About Ray' has been given the collector's edition treatment ahead of a reissue next month.

The new Rhino remastered version of the band's break through album features nine previously unreleased demos that frontman Evan Dando recorded in 1991, including early renditions of album tracks “Confetti”, “Rockin Stroll” and “Hannah & Gabi” plus “Bit Part”, which includes vocals from Hatfield. The bonus DVD also features the music promo videos and live performances that featured on the 1993 video 'Two Weeks In Australia.' The CD/DVD collector's edition will be available on March 31 through Rhino. Read over for tracklistings of CDs and DVDs.

Jimi Hendrix: Band Of Gypsys (A Tribute To Buddy Miles)

"The Fillmore is proud to welcome back some old friends with a brand new name....A Band Of Gypsys!"

The LP pictured here was released by Capitol Records in 1970 under Jimi Hendrix's name, but the title of the LP suggests a different, collective authorship: this LP belongs not just to Hendrix, but to the Band Of Gypsys, a three piece, all-black psyche-funk band comprising of Jimi Hendrix on mind distorting guitar, ex-army pal Billy Cox on floor quaking bass, and be-afro'd ex-Electric Flag soul brother Buddy Miles on fat-back drums. Together they produced what is by far and away my favourite LP in the Hendrix canon, a live LP recorded before an awed audience at New York's Fillmore East on New Years Day 1970. This album has been underrated and even maligned for decades now. With Buddy Miles sadly gone, I think it's about time we bring Band Of Gypsys back in from the cold.

Radiohead refuse to play Glasto because it ain't green enough

Thom Yorke has revealed that Radiohead didn’t want to play Glastonbury this summer because of the lack of a local transport infrastructure around the festival site. In short, it ain't green enough. So, in short(er), STICK THAT FAKE HIPPIES!

He explained: “One of the conditions of the band carrying on touring is that we do everything we can to minimise our impact on the environment. That has included buying two lots of equipment and keeping one in Europe and one in America so we never have to fly our kit around the world again. Another big one is shipping stuff rather than flying it. We also use new technology for our lighting rig."

He added: "One of the interesting things we discovered is how people get to our big shows. A lot of the time people are driving with one or two people in a car and that’s an ecological disaster. What we’re trying to do now is only play in areas that have a public transport infrastructure in place. So that rules out Glastonbury for this year. Maybe we can work out a plan for the future. They’re probably sick of the sight of us anyway.”

The most psychedelic thing ever?

Live in London? Watch Pete Molinari tomorrow before he's too famous

Listen. I know we keep going on about Pete Molinari, but if you'd just been listening to his imminent LP almost non-stop for the past hundred years like I have, you'd be foaming at the mouth too. So with that, I need to get all you Londoners to get your fingers outta your arses and support the new king of rock'n'roll!

Pete Molinari will be playing a very rare show with his band at Nashville Babylon this Friday to preview tracks from 'A Virtual Landslide' (review here).  So who is un/lucky enough to be supporting the best songwriter on the planet? Well, you'll get the swaggering grooves of Elwood Grace and the folk-noir of Tom Baxendale. Should be a cracking gig.

You want tickets? Man, you oughta click here.

So. To sum up in Caps...

NASHVILLE BABYLON @ THE LUMINAIRE FRIDAY 29TH FEBRUARY

The Pete Molinari Band + Elwood Grace + Tom Baxendale.

Go to 311 High Road, Kilburn, London, NW6 7JR. Doors at 7.30pm. £9 on the door. Jump off at Kilburn  Tube, or if you're on the bus, catch the 16, 32, 98, 189 or 316.

Review - The Masonics 'Royal and Ancient' LP

Who are The Masonics? Are they the collective mothers of The Sonics? Well, no. They're a buncha Brits who dig all things garage and they've had loads of records out. So why should I buy this? Well, if you dig the sounds of '60s beat mixed with fuzztone garage, then you'll dig this. No question.

Now, the band members are various, but I ain't gonna tell you 'bout 'em because, well, you never bothered to find out who played drums in The Nazz did you? Well then. It's the music you're interested in so that's what I'll give yer.

Listen buddy, get on with it, I got all day... Okay, okay, read over for a review of the tracks, the sounds and my response...

Stephen Malkmus to take his Jicks on the road in the UK

When I heard that song about "chasing pavements" I thought it was a confessional from one of Stephen Malkmus' stalkers. If that's true, then she'll have to get some time off work as he's going on tour with his band, The Jicks.

To plug his new LP, Real Emotional Trash, out 3rd March, he'll be playing...

June
5 London Shepherds Bush Empire
7 Manchester Academy 2
8 Glasgow Oran Mor
9 Dublin Tripod

Tickets should cost you between £15 and £20.

Buddy Miles - RIP

Damn.

I was all geared up to write a 'hero' piece on Buddy Miles, who co-founded and played drums in Band Of Gypsys with Jimi Hendrix, but sadly, earlier this week, he passed away (Feb. 26) in Austin, Texas, at the age of 60.

A cause of death has yet to be announced, but to be honest, that's unimportant. Let's just hope he was having fun. Buddy was introduced to music at a young age by his father, who played in a band called the Bebops. As a young man he also played with Wilson Pickett, the Delfonics and the Ink Spots. Later, Miles met Hendrix in the early '60s but didn't begin collaborating with him until '69, when Hendrix produced an album by the Buddy Miles Express.

New Courteeners video and tour

Have you heard the fuss about thenextbigthing? They're called The Courteeners and guess what? They've a new single out called Not Nineteen Forever and here, you can watch the video for it! After you've watched the video, click over to find a load of tour dates.

Back In The USSR

I know nothing about this video other than the fact that it features some seriously heavyweight breakbeat powered Lalo Schifrin-esque cinema-funk from back in the USSR, and the U-Boat sound FX only add to the general brillance of the whole thing. Check out Pipeline Productions for more Funky Cold (War) Medina. (PF)

Another exciting edition of 'Name That LP'!

Hello, and welcome to another exciting edition of NAME THAT LP, the 8th most popular LP orientated naming stuff competition on the internet! If you like LPs, and you like Naming Stuff, you'll love: NAME THAT LP! Check out these liner notes below and the cropped sleeve image to the right and see if you can work out which classic LP we've been downing romilar cough syrup and falling over to this week!

"Still the rain, the veils of darkness shroud the blackened trees, which, contorted by some unseen violence, shed their tired leaves, and bend their boughs toward a grey earth of severed bird wings."

Aw, it's a cinch! Answers on a postcard, etc. Click over the jump to see if you were right!

Legends Of Rap collectors cards

Never mind football cards, how about trading Legends Of Rap collectors cards?

It's an illustrated history of hip hop by Florian Braun, ignoring all the new faces of rap, keeping it very much old school. The 32 full-colour illustrated cards include portraits, biographical stories and selected discographical data of each featured artist. There's also a fold-out poster of Grand Mixer D.S.T. and an extra card showing all the artists.

Which artists? Well there's...Kool Moe Dee, Melle Mel, Whodini, Busy Bee, Kool DJ Red Alert (is the great man), Fab 5 Freddy, The Treacherous Three, Kool DJ Herc, Doug E Fresh, Grandmaster Flash and The Furious Five, Double Trouble, Fantastic 5, LL Cool J, Roxanne Shante, Grand Wizard Theodore, Afrika Bambaataa, Crash Crew, Kurtis Blow, Bobby Robinson, The Beastie Boys, Cold Crush Brothers, The Sugar Hill Gang, The Sequence, The Fearless Four, Funky Four Plus One, The Fat Boys, Run DMC, Spoonie G, DJ Hollywood, Rick Rubin + Russell Simmons and Sylvia Robinson.

Yours for £25.

Find out more at the Design Museum website

Via Retro To Go

Great garage 45s on 45...

Here in the UK some enterprising souls have set up a new label Garage Greats, dedicated to re-issuing the best and rarest garage 45s from around the world.

The first batch of ten records include classics such as Fe Fi Four Plus 2’s ‘I Wanna Come Back (from the World of LSD)’ The Heard's version of 'You're Gonna Miss Me', and The Plague's ‘Go Away’. Some of these 45s are so rare as to be simply impossible to find no matter how deep your pockets (less than 20 known original copies in all cases). Each 45 has been remastered at London’s Abbey Road studios for ‘maximum playback enjoyment’. In keeping with the original releases the original labels have been reproduced faithfully. Each release is a hand-numbered limited edition of 500 that comes in a generic Garage Greats house bag.

The website www.garagegreats.com has been registered and advertised but is currently inactive (hopefully that will change soon). In the meantime  you want to purchase any of these 45s your best bet is from Bomp Mailorder in then US and Soundflat in Europe. [via]

Roulette Pin-Ups - SoKo

Who?

Soko - French folkie fond of Moldy Peaches and next big darling of pop.

Where can you find her?

Somewhere between heaven and a cigarette vending machine.

Style

Cool French hipster dancing at to She's Not There. Possibly hanging out with the cool kids but only to break their hearts. Last seen re-enacting film noir in a cafe with a Gitanes and some come to bed eyes.

Quote

"I will never love you more than the drummer from The Flaming Lips”

Roulette?

Electric!

Visit her Myspace page by clicking here.

Earthquake! Or Carole King sings 'I Feel The Earth Move'

In tribute to the earthquake that woke me up at 1am last night...

You wanna listen to a new B-52s track for free?

Do you still care about the B-52s? Do you? We asked a while back and summa you answered the call. Well, do you wanna hear a song from their new LP? Do you!? Okay. I'll stop testin' ya.

The new track is called 'Hot Corner' and geetarist Keith Strickland calls it “loud, sexy rock & roll with the beat pumped up to hot pink.” I'm not sure what that means but I sure like it as a review.

Anyway, you probably don't wanna read anymore... you wanna listen to the music right? Well, click here and be whisked off into the weird and wonderful world of the B-52s! New LP out next month.

Coral, Supergrass, King Creosote and others added to Summer Sundae

Do you like your indiepop psych flavoured? Well, Supergrass and The Coral have been confirmed as the headliners at this year's Summer Sundae Weekender... so... there. Liverpudlian beat combo The Coral will be performing a special acoustic set at the festival. The annual bash takes place at its regular home De Montfort Hall and Gardens, Leicester on August 8-10.

Who else is playing? Simian Mobile Disco, Roisin Murphy, Whitest Boy Alive, Lightspeed Champion, Tom Baxter and King Creosote. Festival Co director Rob Challice said: "Already this year's Summer Sundae Weekender bill is already looking one of the strongest lineups to date with the likes of Supergrass and The Coral. We're no longer the best kept secret of the Summer festival circuit. We are especially pleased that we've secured acts of the moment like Lightspeed Champion, Whitest Boy Alive and Simian Mobile Disco." More to follow no doubt.

Early bird tickets for the festival are on sale now if you click here.

Brian Wilson to play gigs in UK this summer!

This news is so short and to the point that I'm running on the spot to make it more exciting and typing it as quickly as I possibly can and not using any punctuation to convey the fact that I'm rushing for no real reason other than your entertainment so the news is that Brian Wilson will play some shows in England this summer at London Kenwood House on June 28 and on the 29th he'll play at Ipswich Regent Theatre followed by a show on July 1 at the Royal Albert Hall in London and it's worth pointing out that the shows will be a Greatest Hits set so you can singalong to all your fave Beach Boys hits *collapses*

Review - Pete Molinari's 'A Virtual Landslide'

Okay. This is the deal. I've been sitting on a copy of Pete Molinari's newest LP, A Virtual Landslide, for a good few weeks now. I wasn't going to review it until closer to the release date (which is March 31st seeing as you asked me so nicely). Yeah, I'll leave it... it's awful when rags review albums ages before release because, well, no-one can get their hands on it and it's jus' a prick tease. That's the morals... but I can't contain myself. I need to tell y'all how stupendous this beautiful long player really is. I NEED TO TELL YOU RIGHT NOW!

I continually tripped over my own jaw after listening to the last album, Walking Off The Map (read the review here). As albums go, it was pretty much perfect... so this new one? Wasn't ever gonna live up was it? That's the way it works surely? Non-believers, this is Pete Molinari... a man who can clearly do no wrong. A Virtual Landslide might just be the greatest album ever released!

Happy Mondays (and others) to play Lake District

The Happy Mondays are to top the bill at a brand new festival taking place in Cumbria this May.

The inaugural Forgotten Valley weekend (who can you forget something that hasn't happened yet?) will also see The Enemy, Reverend and the Makers, Pendulum, The Wombats, New Young Pony Club, Joe Lean and the Jing Jang Jong also all play over the May Bank Holiday weekend, 23-25th. Be sure to marvel at Shaun Ryder's new dazzling white teeth if you go.

More information about the new three day indie and dance festival are available from the event's website.

www.forgottenvalley.com / www.myspace.com/forgottenvalley

New Releases, 25th February, with Tom Cruise

Hi. I'm Tom Cruise, star of Top Gun, Cocktail and various 'viral' videos about Scientology that have swept through the internet. It's no biggie. Come the day, you'll all wished you listened.

Anyway, George Clooney recently said that I should learn to laugh at myself if I want to 'regain' my popularity. Well, I think I'm still pretty popular. I mean, I may be a pipsqueak, but my stature in Hollywood is as big as ever! Anyway, I'm reviewing the new releases for Electric Roulette this week... so let's have a look pop pickers! (note, I've used 'pop pickers' because I believe it's a common phrase in Britain).

Review - Breakthru 'Adventures Highway'

Firstly. Look at that LP cover. Man, that's a fine lookin' bit of psych-pop-art. Cars, swirls, dreamy women and a buncha psychedelic Midlanders all doin' their darnedest to look hard as nails... but we still wanna be mates witcha y'know?

In inner sleeve notes say 'you can't judge a book by it's cover' before talking about Breakthru's red-herring single, 'Ice Cream Tree', which doesn't do these cats justice at all. However, if you wanna judge this book by it's cover, go right ahead. This is some heavy heavy freakbeat meets prog. Eh? Believe me... that's the closest you're getting to a quick-snip nailed down bite.

When you've finished talking amongst yourselves... okay okay, I'm getting to the actual review... jeez... you ain't payin' for this... gimme a break. Anyway, read over for a dissection.

Jack White and Bob Dylan do Hank Williams

White Stripes honcho Jack White has ratted on a project that he's working on with Bob Dylan. The project, co-ordinated by Dylan, is to complete a series of songs left unfinished by country legend Hank Williams at the time of his death in '53.

White has been one of a number of musicians approached by Dylan to work on completed lyrics and music for the songs, with other artists involved now revealed to include Lucinda Williams and Willie Nelson.

White has now recorded a now ‘finished’ version of the incomplete Williams song “You Know That I Know” at Nashville’s Blackbird Studios, with engineer Joe Chiccarelli.

Speaking to MTV News, White stated: "[Bob] came upon, somehow, 20-25 unfinished songs by Hank Williams, just the lyrics, no music, and he started to ask people if they would finish these songs. He did one, asked Willie Nelson to do one, asked me to do one, and I think Lucinda Williams and Alan Jackson are on it too. I think it might come out this year. It's a cool record.”

White appeared with Dylan last September, when Bob played a two-night stint at Nashville’s Ryman Theatre. On the first night they performed together on the first ever live version of “Meet Me In The Morning” from Blood On The Tracks... and others. You can see Bob Dylan and Jack White getting it on over the page...

Richard Thompson to play Royal Festival Hall

Hello folkies. Fancy watching Richard Thompson? Well, you're in luck because he's announced he will play a special one-off solo show in London in May.

The former Fairport Convention axesmith will play London's Royal Festival Hall on May 24. It doesn't mean anything to me, but it might to you... special guest at the concert will be singer Mary Gauthier.

Thompson will be drawing on material from his most recent album Sweet Warrior as well as his extensive back catalogue.

Tickets and more details about the event are available from: www.southbankcentre.co.uk 

Steve Martin In Full Effect

"Now if you want to learn it, it really takes time

That's why I'm here now telling you this rhyme

And if you've never seen it, then I'll be startin'

My brand new funky dance:

It's called The Steve Martin."

- EPMD, "The Steve Martin"

From EPMD's timeless Golden Age hip-hop joint Strictly Business (1988) a stoopid-bizarre track which suggests, contrarily, that they weren't strictly business after all. Unless you count Ice T's infamous Chevy Chase assisted LP "National Lampoon's Home Invasion", Eric Sermon and Parrish Smith's ode to 'Three Amigos' star Steve Martin is a unique meeting of two hitherto mutually exclusive worlds: old skool rap dance crazes and oddball banjo-powered stand-up comedy. Quite frankly I could stand a few more breakin' and lockin' moves based on 70s and 80s comedians. The Belushi Boogaloo, The Funky Kaufman. I can't believe this idea didn't catch on. (The track itself is available over the cut.)

RIP Teo Macero, 82, Record Producer

Somewhat belatedly, sad news reached us over the weekend that Teo Macero, one of the all-time great record producers, has passed away in Riverhead, NY, aged 82. Macero's introduction of 'modern-classical' avant-garde cut-up techniques to the jazz world represented a great-leap-forward for the genre, and his contribution to Miles Davis' revolutionary electric experiments of the psychedelic era is immeasurable. Pain-stakingly cutting and splicing tapes to create collages of Miles' freak-outs, his work on seminal recordings like In A Silent Way, Bitches Brew, Get Up WIth It and A Tribute To Jack Johnson altered way jazz music was recorded forever. Macero was uncomfortable with Columbia's extensive Miles 'Complete' reissues, regarding the original LPs as definitive and believing that releasing the hours of endless noodling jams he used as his source material damaged the 'illusion' of those final cuts. Despite Macero's understandable reservations, I would still recommend the box-sets of all of those LPs listed above (especially the stunning psyche-fuzz-funk of the Jack Johnson set - hear clips here), if only because they allow you to truly appreciate the extent to which Macero shaped these studio vamps into the stunning records they became. Electric Roulette bids a heavy-hearted farewell to a true innovative genius of modern music. (PF)

The Cubical

Hey kids! Do you like Captain Beefheart, Howlin' Wolf, The 13th Floor Elevators and cult 90s RnB / Garage legends The Stairs? Can you see yourself digging a demented shamanistic frontman wigging out like a deep South preacher who's necked all the Communion wine? Are you hep to sea-shanty 'woah-woah' backing vox, horny harmonica howlin' and bad-ass heavy-blues stompolla? Do you like bands from Liverpool who sound exactly like they come from Liverpool in the best possible way? Well, if your answer to some of those questions was "Yeah, but don't pigeon hole me dude, I'm into all sortsa stuff, like I'm really feeling the post-Crunk scene at the moment," then you might wanna check out the myspace of all hollerin', all stompin' Merseyside acid-blues outfit The Cubicle. We had 'em down at my club night last Saturday and they blew the roof off the muvva, just really tore the place apart...the records are pretty great but live they're just something else, a real-deal voodoo rock 'n' roll medicine show. Catch 'em at a psychedelic dungeon near you soon and Support This Band. (PF)

Fancy watching Nick Cave and The Bad Seeds for free?

Have you heard of iTunes Live: The London Sessions? Me neither. That's because I hate Apple and I hate London even more. Anyway, just because I'm a moaning git, doesn't mean you lot are, which is why you might be interested in some free gigs.

iTunes Live: The London Sessions kicked off this week at Air recording studios. Charlene Soraia, Jose Gonzalez, Julian Velard and Stephanie Dosen all played the first night of the two-week run of shows. The full line-up looks like this: 22 Feb (Nizlopi, Soweto Kinch) 23 Feb (Alphabeat, Joe Lean and the Jing Jang Jong) 24 Feb (Billy Bragg, KT Tunstall, Foy Vance, Leo Abrahams) 25 Feb (Daniel Merriweather, Estelle, Tawiah) 26 Feb (Charlie Winston, Natalie Clein, Tom Baxter) 27 Feb (Laura Marling, Mystery Jets) 28 Feb (Jason Mraz, Ron Sexsmith) 29 Feb (TBC) 1 Mar (Roisin Murphy, Tony Christie) 2 Mar (Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds, Spiritualized)

Entry is free of charge for competition winners only. Head to www.ituneslive.co.uk for more.

Hot 45s - The Shirelles 'His Lips Get In The Way'

Dig this! It's The Shirelles' His Lips Get In The Way (no, not a song about Mick Jagger). How can anyone resist a song that rhymes 'dope' with 'hope'? Not only that, you get the cool teen-melodrama of "What can I do? What can I say? Each time I try to say goodbye, his lips get in the way". Go listen!

Are women unfairly treated in the world of pop?

What's with the worrying man? At the moment, there's a load of women doin' their thing in pop... but save for those squeaky bubble types who jus' sing and parade their rumps 'n' thighs, women seem to get a tough deal.

Of late, you can't budge for people either chastising or sniping at Amy Winehouse and Britney Spears. I mean, one is definitely mentally unwell and the other has a big drug problem. Since when was it okay to taunt the mentally sick? Since when were drugs a problem? Amy Winehouse gets called a trainwreck by just about anyone with(out real) opinions, but Pete Doherty... oh... he's a modern bard. If Amy Winehouse was a bloke in a punk band, her behaviour would not only be expected, but encouraged.

Not only that, but look at someone like Beth Ditto. People are always bringing up how fat she is. 'Man, she's got a diff'rent postcode for each arsecheek...' 'Yeah, but it's like, so totally positive that someone can be her size and still, y'know, be like, totally happy...'. When was the last time someone shouted "Oi! Frank Black! Right on brother! Pig lib!"?

Hey! Do you like reading tracklistings of unreleased LPs? Here's the new Spiritualized one!

I don't understand why I like reading tracklistings for albums that haven't been released yet. Maybe, just maybe, by reading the tracklisting, I might get a feel for what the LP will sound like when I buy it? Well why didn't you say so?

Spiritualized's sixth studio album called Songs In A & E is set for release this May. The twelve track album is interspersed with six 'Harmony' tracks and features several tracks that Jason Pierce previewed at his 'Acoustic Mainline' shows late last year including 'Sitting On Fire', 'Baby I'm Just A Fool' and 'Goodnight, Goodnight'. The LP should land on May 19. I know who the record label is as well, but I ain't tellin' you because it's so unimportant. Spiritualized are playing some festivals this year, confirmed so far are Coachella and Benicassim. Pierce has also scored the music for Harmony Korine's forthcoming movie 'Mister Lonely' about a poor Michael Jackson lookalike living in Paris... which, on the strength of that, sounds marvelous! Anyway, read the tracklisting for ...A & E over.

Pere Ubu guitarist - RIP

Jim Jones, once guitarist with post-punkers Pere Ubu, died at his home in Cleveland on Monday 18th Feb from a heart attack. While Jones had not been a part of the Ubu since 1996 – health problems lead him to leave the band – he played a key part in the ‘expressionist rock’ band’s revival in the late nineties and early ‘90s.

Aged 57 at the time of his death, local paper the Cleveland Plain Dealer reports that Jones was much loved within the local music community where he worked in a record store in between playing and supporting various bands. “There were six degrees of separation between Jim Jones and Cleveland music,” longtime friend Char Rao told the Cleveland paper. “He might not have known everyone, but everyone was somehow connected to him.”

The band plan to play a show in London this spring, appearing at the South Bank Centre's Queen Elizabeth Hall in April - more details if you click here.

Forever Changes gets expanded for reissue andyetmoreagain...

Surely every single reader of Electric Roulette owns a copy of Love's Forever Changes? Well, if not, you should hang on for a month or so until the release of the new re-issue that's got a rather large amount of bonuses.

Now, before you start shooting the messenger, I know there's been loads of reissues of this LP, with loads of bonuses... but this one has more okay? Rhino will give the world one more Forever Changes on April 22nd, with their 40th anniversary double-disc "Collector's Edition" of the '67 LP. Okay, it's a little late, but better belated than never. This version will see a complete alternate mix of the album as well as outtakes, demos, backing tracks, and even something called "tracking session highlights"... as well as a restored original running.

Read over for full tracklisting...

Elbow make new site so you can hear new tracks

When Uncut start wetting themselves over Elbow's new website, boy, you jus' know it's gonna be the most exciting thing you ever placed eye-balls 'pon. They tell of "a 3D Rubiks type cube which you can find tracks from the new album within". Man! It combines two of my most favourite things! Dour indie and puzzle games! I ain't been this excited since Snow Patrol lent me their Pairs card game.

Sweating, heady, giddy with anticipation, I clicked a link and there it was...  a rotating grey cube that doesn't move like a Rubik's cube, but rather, spins aimlessly whilst playing bits of some plodding synthy indie music when you click the clearly highlighted 'click me' cubes. Elbow are touring too... Glasgow ABC (April 4) Newcastle Academy (5) Leeds Metropolitan University (6) Oxford Academy (8) Bristol Colston Hall (9) Birmingham Academy (10) Sheffield Octagon (12) Manchester Academy (13) Nottingham Rock City (14) London Brixton Academy (15) Follow the following link to hear the tracks http://www.theseldomseenkid.com/

Brit Awards 2008: Hot Live Blog Action!

Last night in London there was a large music industry event known as The Mastercard Brit Awards 2008. Loads of people went. There was some live music, and some people were presented with awards for achievement in various fields. The Osbournes, from The Telly, were the hosts. Paul McCartney, who played bass in The Beatles, played three songs. And Kylie was there. And Doctor Who presented an award. Lots of people who attended the Brit School in London were there too. Infact, 96% of the people there attended the Brit School in London. I wasn't there. But the good thing was, they showed The Mastercard Brit Awards 2008 on telly,  which meant you could enjoy it at home, even if you didn't attend the Brit School in London. Over 'the jump' you will find my LIVE BLOG of the coverage, written LIVE, as it happened. It's like watching it yourself, but if you were me.

Black Keys to collaborate with Rod Stewart?

I've not really dug a Rod Stewart LP since the seventies. I wasn't alive then... but y'know... the 60s and 70s was the last time I really dug Rod. If you feel the same, how about Rod goes Filthy Electrified Blues again?

Rod The Mod told Rolling Stone that he wanted to record a blues album backed by the Black Keys. Guess what? The Black Keys were listening. Drummer Patrick Carney told Billboard that he read the news online the day it was posted, and was flattered by Stewart's rhetorical question: "Do you think that they know who I am?"

Guitarist/vocalist Dan Auerbach says they'd be happy to record with the Rodfather, "As soon as he comes to Akron. Maybe somebody will make the first move." The Keys are no strangers playing with legendary rockers. They covered the Kinks' Act Nice and Gentle with the help of Ray Davies, at a gig for Tibet or something, and last year got it on with late rock pioneer Ike Turner.

Rod Stewart, essentially making a Faces LP again. I can't wait!

The Chester Bennington Theory can change your life