posted by david on Thu 31 Aug 2000 @ 12:21 AM

I just spotted this salon.com article which does a nice job of fleshing out the story behind the RIAA's "work-for-hire" amendment in a US Congress bill late last year. While the musicians eventually won, I'm sure there are lessons to be learnt from the whole debacle. Could this happen in Australia? I can't see why not.

posted by david on Wed 30 Aug 2000 @ 03:14 AM

My only exposure to musician Jack Nitzche is his work on Neil Young's "Harvest" album but I'm sure everyone has heard "Up Where We Belong", a song he co-wrote with Buffy Sainte-Marie and Will Jennings. He also worked with the Rolling Stones, Phil Spector, Neville Brothers, Leo Kottke and Graham Parker. Jack Nitzche passed away on Friday.

posted by david on Wed 30 Aug 2000 @ 03:13 AM

While the RIAA have been jumping up and down about mp3, Napster and other evil music technologies, it seems that CD/DVD sales actually increased during the first six months of this year. It's not exactly vindication for Napster but it's certainly food for thought. You can find the RIAA press release here.

posted by david on Thu 24 Aug 2000 @ 03:16 AM

Although it never hit Australia, Bruce Springsteen's reunion tour with the E Street Band was a must-see event, so much so that I caught 4 consecutive shows in London and contrived a way of catching his final gig of 1999 in Minneapolis. The tour rolled on into 2000 and concluded with a triumphant 10-night stand at New York's Madison Square Garden, tainted only by some ignorant and embarrassing kneejerk reactions to a new song, "American Skin". While Springsteen's handling of that controversy was quietly dignified (refusing to comment, he played on) the shows themselves were unashamed celebrations of rock, sweeping from goofy fun to intense drama. If a rumoured live DVD release from the tour sees light of day, I'll probably find myself running to the nearest hifi store to buy a DVD deck.

posted by david on Wed 23 Aug 2000 @ 03:17 AM

I've now heard more info on some upcoming album releases. First, Radiohead's "Kid A" will be out October 3. U2's new album is called "All That You Can't Leave Behind" and according to this fan site, will be released October 31. And the new Beatles release will be a single disc containing 27 tracks, a compilation of all of their US/UK #1 hits. "Beatles One" will be released November 14. I've always thought that with the exception of "Sgt Peppers" they've done a shoddy job of releasing the Beatles albums on CD. Maybe this "best of" signifies a turning point? 7/9/00 update: added cover artwork for "Kid A"

posted by david on Tue 22 Aug 2000 @ 03:21 AM

Cos sent me a link to this moderately amusing piece titled "So you wanna fake being an indie rock expert?". I say "moderately" because I suspect record company A&R folk would decide it was quite useful.

posted by david on Mon 21 Aug 2000 @ 03:23 AM

The film "High Fidelity" opened in Australia this weekend so I wasted no time in getting myself along to a session. It didn't disappoint. Nick Hornby's excellent book (on which the film is based) wittily dissects the lunacy of the average record collector and it was a treat to see this lunacy brought to life on the big screen by folks like John Cusack, Lisa Bonet, Catherine Zeta-Jones and Tim Robbins. It's fresh, funny, smart and remarkably faithful to the book. I highly recommend it to both music nuts and ordinary folk. :-)

posted by david on Fri 18 Aug 2000 @ 03:26 AM

John Hiatt is one of my favourite songwriters, despite my indifference to his last couple of albums. On Sept 26 he'll release his new album titled Crossing Muddy Waters through Vanguard Records. It will also be released on the net by emusic.com (the first track can be purchased now). Apparently this one is a stripped-back acoustic album which sounds promising. One of Hiatt's finest songs is the original live-in-the-studio version of "Have A Little Faith In Me", a song later covered by Joe Cocker and Jewel, to name but two. The most recent Hiatt cover of note is the Eric Clapton/BB King version of "Riding With The King".

posted by david on Fri 18 Aug 2000 @ 03:24 AM

According to this BBC article, music website IUMA (Internet Underground Music Archive) has not only offered cash prizes for parents naming their child Iuma, they already have a "winner". Anyone heard the one about David Bowie's son Zowie? When he get old enough he thought his name was so stupid he changed it to Duncan. I think there's a lesson in that.

posted by david on Sun 13 Aug 2000 @ 03:27 AM

It's good to know that even obscure fields of musical endeavour have a mechanism for acknowledging achievements of note. The upcoming Air Guitar Championships will undoubtedly be a hard fought contest.

posted by david on Thu 10 Aug 2000 @ 03:36 AM

It's old news now but I only just heard that the Smashing Pumpkins are calling it quits. I guess this means that Billy Corgan can go and find a new bunch of musicians to dictate to. It'd be nice if he can find someone who can sing. Yes, yes, I know they're supposed to be pretty good, I just can't get past Corgan and his voice.

posted by david on Thu 10 Aug 2000 @ 03:34 AM

Those who have embraced the Minidisc format can now embrace the mp3 format as well, thanks to the arrival of the Xitel MD-Port DG1 component. MD users can now connect the USB port of their computer to the optical-in jack of their MD recorder, allowing them to easily transfer their mp3 collection to their preferred format. Minidisco have got it for $99.95US. I wonder if it works with Linux?

posted by david on Thu 10 Aug 2000 @ 03:29 AM

It seems that one of the things Courtney Love was ranting about recently has been rectified. The "work for hire" clause in the recent changes to US copyright law will now be revoked so that musicians can retain some sort of ownership of the works they deliver to their record company. Wall of Sound have the full story. On a vaguely related note, Cos pointed out Steve Albini's rant about the music industry from last year.

posted by david on Wed 9 Aug 2000 @ 03:37 AM

The Australian performers involved in the opening ceremony for the 2000 Olympic Games have been announced and...oh dear. John Farnham, Olivia Newton-John, Julie Anthony, John Williamson, Human Nature, Vanessa Amorosi and Tina Arena will all be part of the spectacle. As an Australian who has heard much quality Australian music, this list of performers is simply embarrassing. They've also included jazz musician James Morrison but that doesn't really make up for the rest. Move on folks, there's nothing to see here, move on, move on... Update: It seems I'm not alone in my thoughts on this lineup, there are pieces in both the Sydney Morning Herald and The Australian expressing dismay.

posted by david on Sun 6 Aug 2000 @ 03:39 AM

Last night I went to yet another gig but, well, it wasn't really just another gig because this was Midnight Oil. There were two special moments for me. The first came at the start, when the lights first dimmed and some shadows moved onto the stage. The atmosphere of the crowd was different to the usual gig - they knew all too well that something special was about to happen. The second moment came soon after they had left the stage for the final time: I realised that the Oils are perhaps the only essential Australian rock band. It's no secret they are the conscience of Aussie rock but anyone who has seen them live also knows they play as eloquently as they speak. Their new album "The Real Thing" features a few new tracks and "unplugged" versions of some old classics. Get it. Hearing the Chris Abrahams piano accompaniment on "In The Valley" is worth the price alone.

posted by david on Thu 3 Aug 2000 @ 03:40 AM

I first encountered Chris Whitley via his staggeringly good debut album, "Living With The Law". No longer with Sony Records, these days he's been doing the independent thing, recording cheaply but no less effectively. His most recent album, "At Martyrs", is one of the more compelling live albums I've heard but if you've seen him live, that wouldn't be a huge surprise. "Perfect Day" is his new disc of covers, with songs by folks like Dylan, Hendrix, Lou Reed and Robert Johnson. I haven't tracked down a copy yet but as Whitley hasn't done any wrong so far, I don't expect he'll be starting now.

Review: Billboard