Category: Artists (Page 226 of 262)

Deep Cuts: Belinda Carlisle, “California”

April 25, 2006 / Will Harris

I might have overrated the source album for this song (A Woman & A Man) when it first came out in 1996, but can you blame me…? Belinda – the second cutest Go-Go (because Jane Wiedlin will always have my heart) – hadn’t put out an album in three years, and her previous outing…Real…hadn’t been the most consistent of her solo works; in fact, it was such a commercial bomb that it ended up being her one and only release on Virgin.

A Woman & A Man was such a creative success, however, that it was easy to get swept up in it and…cough, cough…put it in your top 10 of the year; unfortunately, while the best tracks were released as singles in both the UK and Australia, the album came out in the States on Miles Copeland’s label, Ark 21, and died a quick death…so much so that, if we were fortunate enouh to get any singles in the US, I have absolutely no idea what they were! If we had, however, my picks would’ve been a tie between “Always Breaking My Heart,” written by Per Gessle from Roxette (who proves here that he can write a power pop song that can kick your ass), and this one.

“California” features Brian Wilson on very obvious (and very perfect) doo-wop styled backing vocals, as well as one of the great opening couplets of all time: “I remember I was in the tanning salon / When I heard that River Phoenix was gone.” I once read the track described as a cross between “California Dreaming” and X’s “Los Angeles,” and that’s not a bad comparison. Check it out; it’s on iTunes, or you can sample it via RealAudio here.

Artists, Deep Cuts, Songs

Master P threatens Bow Wow, who doesn’t give a shit

April 24, 2006 / Captain Capm

Oh that naughty Master P. The man’s apparently been trying to start a feud between his son, Lil’ Romeo and Bow Wow. According to the story, P has told Wow to stop dissing other stars or face the consequences. Mm-hmm. To which Mr. Wow replied, “I can’t understand all this, but I guess that’s how it is when you ain’t getting no attention. You can hear me on the radio all day, every day. (Lil’ Romeo) can’t sell no records, and your daddy is on Dancing With The Stars.”

God I love teenmusic.com. It’s such a haven for the hottest current news out there, in nice bite-size nuggets for dudes like me to offer back to you in nicer sarcastic-sized chunks.

Artists, News, Rap

Extreme says, “Screw ‘Bands Reunited’! We’ll get back together when WE say!”

April 24, 2006 / Will Harris

And they say, “June 30th and July 2nd.” (Well, actually, that’s what guitarist Nuno Bettencourt’s site says.

So why did they decide to reunite now…? Couldn’t say. And no-one’s offered any specific explanation. But the best bet is that it’s for the cash. Still, it’d be nice to see a new Extreme album show up…even if only a handful of people would care nowadays. “Pornograffitti” was and is one of the best albums of the ’90s…

…even if it gets less respect than Rodney Dangerfield, thanks to “More than Words.” (Everyone knows that “Hole Hearted” was the better song, anyway.) The band could knock out some harmonies that’d make your head spin. It’ll be interesting to hear if they can still pull them off live…

Artists, News, Rock

This week’s Next Big Thing from the UK: Bell X1

April 23, 2006 / Will Harris

As with so many UK bands, Bell X1 – who hail from Ireland – haven’t managed to properly release an album here in the States yet…but they did, at least, score inclusion on the 4th volume of The O.C. Mix, which came out in mid-2005. (Their song, if it rings any bells, is “Eve, the Apple of My Eye.”) It’s a shame no-one’s latched on to their disc, Flock, for domestic release; you’d think the buzz of its premiering atop the Irish album charts would be enough to raise eyebrows over here…

…but, then, that’s what you’d get for thinking. Also, it could have something to do with the fact that, when the band came to the States to play the release party for the “O.C.” disc, they met members of the cast…and had absolutely no idea who they were. Oops. There’s a nice faux pas for you.

Fortunately, you can at least check out their previous album, Music in Mouth, via iTunes, where you can download it for a pittance – the current defintion of “a pittance,” by the way, is $9.99 – and find out what other songs surround the aforementioned “Eve.”

Check out their MySpace page here, where you can hear four of their songs, or investigate their official site here.

Alternative, Artists, Rock

Turn me on, dead man…

April 22, 2006 / Will Harris

…but, first, fork over $9.95.

That’s how much it’s gonna cost you to watch the pay-per-view special where a seance is held and the spirit of John Lennon speaks from beyond the grave.

Predicted first revelation: Paul not actually dead.

Producer Paul Sharratt, who heads Starcast Productions – the company producing the show – and who calls himself a skeptic, said hearing the voice has made him a believer. Reportedly, he then added, “You know, like the Beatles song?” When informed it was actually a Monkees song that he was referencing, he said, nervously, “No, I’m pretty sure it’s a Beatles song,” then yelled, “Look, over there, it’s the ghost of George Harrison!” But when we turned to look, we saw nothing…and when we turned back, Sharratt had run off.

Artists, News, Pop