Link Me!
- Beatles Homes in London
- Lovingly compiled pix of former Fab Four addresses.
- Brian Jones Homepage
- The web's most comprehensive Brian site.
- CDnow
- One click links you to the world's biggest record store.
- Amazon.com
- One click links you to the world's biggest book store.
NEW CDs ON THE BLOCK ... Scroll down for CD reviews, including Duffy, Shed 7, Bernard Butler, Asian Dub Foundation, and more ... SPICE GIRLS LOSE THEIR FIZZ June 1. Pepsi Cola are said to be reconsidering their promotional contract with the Spice Girls now that Geri has walked. The lucrative contract, worth a reputed several zillion dollars, was based on a contract signed with all five Spices. The company is allegedly concerned that Geri's absence may adversely affect the group's commercial appeal. U.S. promoters and fans who have bought tickets for the group's upcoming U.S. concerts are said to be unhappy with the prospect of four-fifths of the group showing up on stage. "Geri was the heart and soul of the group," one fan complained. "Without her it's just not the real thing." EMI shares dropped 2% yesterday as news of Geri's departure rocked markets worldwide. Aid agencies were said to be standing by, concerned at reports that the Girls may be down to their last $30 million each. GINGER SPICE: A NATION WEEPS May 30. Flags flew at half mast and muffled church bells tolled across the nation as news of Geri "Ginger Spice" Halliwell's departure from the Spice Girls shook Britain. Geri's departure ends weeks of speculation about the future of Britain's number one pop group. What caused the split is unclear, although persistent reports of "crap" live performances may have something to do with it. Last year, the group were booed off stage in Spain. Rumours that the Girls were unhappy with Geri's new role as "Bossy" Spice, following the firing of the Girls' manager earlier this year, have also surfaced. In the course of their three-year career, the Spice Girls have sold over 30 million albums worldwide and notched up six consecutive no.1 singles in the UK. Scary, Sporty, Posh and Baby Spice have confirmed that the Spice Girls' forthcoming U.S. tour will go ahead, minus Geri. ELTON LIVE IN BELFAST ... May 27. Rock & roll's very own telly tubbie wowed an audience of several thousand at a free concert in Belfast today. Elton, resplendent in cream suit, romped through a greatest hits selection before leaving the stage to massive acclaim. Yawn ... KEEF TAKES A TUMBLE ... The Rolling Stones have postponed the first few dates of their European tour - due to have commenced in Berlin on 22 May - while Stones guitarist Keith Richards recovers from a recent accident. Keef reportedly fell off a ladder in the library of his Westchester, Connecticut, home, bruising his ego and several ribs. Ah well, at least it'll give him time to catch up on his reading ... BLUR TAKE A BATH ... Blur are to play Bath Pavilions on June 25 as a warm-up to their headlining appearance at the nearby Glastonbury Festival. Tickets are 15 pounds plus booking fee. Tel: 01179 299 608. Meanwhile, Blur guitarist Graham Coxon is set to release a solo album,title as yet unknown, on his own label, Transcopic. The album will be released in Japan in July, and the following month in the UK. BLAIR SAYS YES TO ERECTION ... British prime minister Tony "Brown Sugar" Blair is backing plans to erect a statue to late Rolling Stone Brian Jones in Jones' home town of Cheltenham. The rocking PM, who used to play Stones covers in a student rock band, sent a message of support to statue HQ. "All the best", offered the PM, unequivocally. Uproar over the proposed statue was sparked by comments from Cheltenham's mayor, Les "Completely Bonkers" Goodwin. "Brian Jones was not a popular man," fumed Goodwin. "He lived in a drug culture. When you remember what this man did in his lifetime, you have to think, 'Does he deserve a statue'?" To which we ask: Does Cheltenham deserve a mayor like Les Goodwin? Answer: probably. In fact, if anyone epitomizes Cheltenham's antique brand of wool-dyed conservatism, it's our Les. No wonder Brian couldn't get wait to get away from the place. MANSUN RELEASE ... Mansun have announced plans to release an EP, Legacy, on June 29. The band embark on an extensive UK tour in October. ELTON GETS FRUMPY ... Zillionaire pop legend Elton John has split from long-time manager John Reid after a series of rows about something or other. Elton was still in a tizzy when he arrived in New York recently for an invite-only concert, reportedly telling journalists to f*** off. To which we say, f*** off yourself, Elton, you frumpy old git ... MOROCCAN OASIS ... Oasis front man Noel Gallagher is said to have written a batch of new songs inspired by Moroccan music. Noel wrote the songs while holidaying in Morocco recently with his wife, Meg. Whether the songs will surface on a CD in the near future is unclear. Rumours that Noel is planning to release an album of music by a group of Moroccan joujouka musicians have been firmly denied. Noel has also recorded a track for the forth- coming X-Files movie. Called Teotihuacan, the track was reportedly inspired by a visit to Aztec ruins at the end of the group's world tour in Mexico last March. Reports that Noel ingested a large number of "mushrooms" before visiting the site have been put down to "mere speculation." Noel does not believe in flying saucers, or "out of body" experiences, an unnamed Creation spokesperson insisted recently. The spokesperson also denied persistent rumours that Noel's new interest in "spacey" ambient music is the result of abduction by aliens. ALL YOU NEED IS SHOVE... Caught on TV trying to ram a camera into a reporter's face outside London's High Court recently: none other than Mr Peace and Love himself, George Harrison, former member of the famous "Beatles" pop group. Very transcendent, George, we don't think ... SCROLL DOWN for CD and BOOK REVIEWS ... Email your news & comments to rob@entertainmenttokyo.com ...
New Releases
DUFFY/ I LOVE MY FRIENDS (BMG) Duran Duran founder member, (Stephen) Duffy has been ploughing a critically acclaimed furrow ever since he went solo in the early '80s. This latest effort delivers some of the sharpest, most intelligent slices of lo-fi pop genius this side of Elvis Costello. No frills, just taut, spring-driven bass/guitar/ drums and Duffy's wry, occasionally sarcastic vocals snapping through one fabulously ironic couplet after another. We were so young/I didn't know what love was all about/When I slept with her best friend/Of course she threw me out (Lovers Beware). Brilliant, perfectly-hewn pop - don't miss it. THE JESUS AND MARY CHAIN/ MUNKI (Creation) Haven't heard this one, but here's what Mojo says about it: "Munki is confirmation that the Mary Chain are feeling again; alarmingly direct and simple, this stuff will crush your spine to powder." Mmm. Sounds good to me … SYMPOSIUM/ ON THE OUTSIDE (Infectious) Plucky Brit thrash - all rumbling bass surges, power chord uber-riffing and vocals that sneer and strut magnificently. If you're looking for uproarious, plangent, punch-the-air indie-pop, Symposium will do nicely, thanks. Top trax: Impossible, The Answer To Why I Hate You, Bury You, Blue. BERNARD BUTLER/ PEOPLE MOVE ON In which the former Suede lead guitarist proves he can finger his frets and sing at the same time. Problem is, Bernard's song- writing is not quite up to speed. The guitar- playing is predictably impressive - often brilliant. But there are too many over-arranged, indulgent intros and songs that sound like something you've heard before. That said, when Bernard gets around to summoning a bit of authentic Suede flash on Not Alone (the album's obvious single) the effect is stunning, even if the violin bit is nicked from an old Four Tops hit. SHED 7/ LET IT RIDE (Polydor) If ever a band did its growing up in public, it's the Sheds. Gangly, bug-eyed, struggling with mammoth guitar solos no one really wanted to hear, the early Sheds were an awkward mix of erectile pop hooks and fumbling indulgence. Not any more. These days, the Sheds strut convincingly like the pop gods they very nearly are. Cracking good songs. Plenty of attitude and tight trousers. A singer whose head appears to be twice as big as his body. Is this not the very essence of rock & roll? Of course it is. And this time the Sheds are going all the way ... EDDI READER/ ANGELS & ELECTRICITY (Warner) Flame-haired Eddi's been around since the late '80s, making catchy pop records that were hummable enough but often a little thin substance-wise. This is different. This is 30-something pop with a gorgeously hypnotic, country feel to it and some marvelously seductive songwriting. Eddi croons like Patsy Cline on E, and the whole thing sounds like a soundtrack for one of those groovy low budget American road movies that everyone raves about but never gets to see. Compellingly good, in fact, with at least one worldwide smash- in-waiting with the impossibly delectable Kiteflyer's Hill. Gorgeous, or what? ASIAN DUB FOUNDATION/ RAFI'S REVENGE A gritty, vengeful, deliriously manic box of bass'n'drum magic with a hint of Eastern mysticism from one of the best live acts in the UK. This is the album you always knew they could make and should. And now they have. Hit me with that rhythm stick, lads! Now!
Books & Stuff ...
DAYS IN THE LIFE: VOICES FROM THE ENGLISH UNDERGROUND 1961-71/ Jonathon Green (Pimlico) Interviews with the movers and shakers of what was, unquestionably, the greatest cultural revolution in modern British history. Green, who was himself one of those m & s's, has done his homework on this one, tracking down those involved and dredging acid-fried memories for the perfect anecdote and/or penetrating insight into what happened and why. Here, briefly, UFO, IT, Release, OZ, Legalise Pot Rallies and all manner of '60s flower power agit prop surface for one more day-glo trip around the mulberry bush. Essential reading and, dare I say it, like, far out, man ... SKIFFLE: THE DEFINITIVE INSIDE STORY/ Chas McDevitt (Robson Books 1997, hardback) Skiffle first hit in England in 1954 - around the time Elvis walked into Sun Studios looking to record a birthday song for his mom. Like Elvis would later do instinctively, skiffle's pioneering co- option of hardcore blues and R&B helped spark a mid-'50s music revolution on the UK music scene. And though the music's folksy, acoustic sound was hardly a match for Elvis's full-on pelvic dynamism, the success of skifflers like Lonnie "Rock Island Line" Donegan and McDevitt himself with Freight Train would inspire a whole generation of teenagers to pick up their guitars and thrash, the Beatles and the Rolling Stones among them. Disappoint- ingly, McDevitt opts for group-by-group listings and a run-down of long-forgotten venues rather than focusing on the evolution of skiffle itself. The result, offers plenty of facts and anecdotes, but precious little analysis. That said, this remains a valuable and often fascinating reference work, though clearly the full story of British rock and pop in the 1950s remains to be told.