weekly music news

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Ex-UGLY KID JOE Singer Teams Up With Former FAITH NO MORE Members - Aug. 25, 2003

Vocalist Whitfield Crane (UGLY KID JOE, LIFE OF AGONY, MEDICATION) has started a new group with former FAITH NO MORE members Billy Gould (bass) and John Hudson (guitar). The as-yet-unnamed San Francisco-based project, which is also said to include Craig McFarland from the acclaimed Bay Area band M.I.R.V., are currently seeking a drummer and are writing material for their debut album, tentatively due in 2004. No further information is available at this time.

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IRON MAIDEN Drummer Comments On Collaboration With VANILLA ICE - Aug. 25, 2003

IRON MAIDEN drummer Nicko McBrain recently spoke to the Dutch web site Metalfan.nl about his collaboration with ex-ANTHRAX guitarist Dan Spitz and rapper-turned-nu-metaller Vanilla Ice on a project dubbed SEVEN X SEVENTY. "At first, I didn't think it would work out [with Vanilla Ice singing], because I didn't know how he would fit in. Danny called me when I was in the studio and told me Vanilla asked him if he could try [to lay down some vocals over the music]. So we went into the studio to see how it would work out. That was the beginning of this year. When I got home after the recording session of [IRON MAIDEN's 'Dance Of Death'], I heard the results and was amazed how good it [sounded]. After that we wrote some more songs, and recorded them, and we are very pleased with them. I really am looking forward to [working some more on the project] next year, but right now I'm MAIDEN's drummer. But after the [IRON MAIDEN] tour is finished, I will work with Spitz on my side project. [And] no, it's not a solo project, but a side project which I work on when MAIDEN is not doing anything."

Currently unsigned, SEVEN X SEVENTY are also said to feature in their ranks Spitz's brother Dave (ex-BLACK SABBATH, LITA FORD, GREAT WHITE) on bass. Former MEGADETH bassist Dave Ellefson, who was previously approached to participate in the project, has since issued a statement denying his involvement in the group.

A SEVEN X SEVENTY track titled "Off The Chain" can be downloaded in MP3 format at this link.

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METALLICA To Be Featured On VH1's 'All Access' - Aug. 26, 2003

METALLICA will be the subject of an upcoming "All Access" episode on VH1. Scheduled to air on Tuesday, September 2 at 10:00 p.m., the show "takes viewers on the road with one of the biggest rock bands on their mega summer tour. And it truly is all access. Wherever they go, whatever they do, VH1's cameras are right there — bringing fans both new and old a unique, intimate and memorable rock and roll experience."

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RAGE AGAINST THE MACHINE To Release Posthumous Live CD/DVD - Aug. 26, 2003

RAGE AGAINST THE MACHINE will release a posthumous live CD/DVD, titled "Live at the Olympic Auditorium", on November 18 through Epic Records.

The 16-track album, which was originally slated for release in November 2000, was recorded September 12-13, 2000, during what became the group's final concerts with singer Zack de la Rocha, who quit the band a month later.

Since the band's split, de la Rocha has been working on his solo debut with numerous collaborators, although no release date has been set. The remaining members of RAGE (guitarist Tom Morello, bassist Tim Commerford and drummer Brad Wilk) joined forces with SOUNDGARDEN frontman Chris Cornell to form AUDIOSLAVE.

The track list for the upcoming DVD is not yet finalized. A limited amount of CD/DVD combo packs will also be available.

The complete track listing for the "Live at the Olympic Auditorium" CD, according to MTV.com:

01. Kick Out the Jams
02. Bulls on Parade
03. Bombtrack
04. Calm Like a Bomb
05. Bullet in the Head
06. Microphone Fiend
07. Sleep Now in the Fire
08. War Within a Breath
09. I'm Housin'
10. Killing in the Name
11. Born of a Broken Man
12. No Shelter
13. Know Your Enemy
14. Beautiful World
15. Freedom
16. How I Could Just Kill a Man

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Legendary California rock act the Eagles will be celebrated with a two-disc retrospective, "Eagles -- The Very Best Of," due Oct. 21 from Warner Strategic Marketing. The 33-track set will include a newly recorded single, "Hole in the World," which is No. 71 in its fifth week on the Billboard Hot 100.

The collection will draw songs from the group's three-decade career, with well-known cuts such as "Hotel California," "The Best of My Love," "Lyin' Eyes" and "Heartache Tonight" as well as a live version of "Seven Bridges Road."

Also included is "Please Come Home for Christmas," which was previously only available as a commercial single. Limited editions of "The Very Best Of" will also include a bonus DVD with a video clip for "Hole in the World" and behind-the-scenes footage of the group's latest tour.

The set will be the first two-disc collection of the band's work, complementing such releases as "Their Greatest Hits (1971-1975)" (Asylum), which, having been certified by the Recording Industry Association of America for U.S. shipments of 28 million copies, is one of the biggest-selling albums of all time.

The Eagles are working on their first new studio album since 1979's "The Long Run."

Here is the track listing for "Eagles -- The Very Best Of":

Disc One:
"Take It Easy"
"Witchy Woman"
"Peaceful Easy Feeling"
"Desperado"
"Tequila Sunrise"
"Doolin-Dalton"
"Already Gone"
"The Best of My Love"
"James Dean"
"Ol' '55"
"Midnight Flyer"
"On the Border"
"Lyin' Eyes"
"One of These Nights"
"Take It to the Limit"
"After the Thrill Is Gone"
"Hotel California""

Disc Two:
"Life in the Fast Lane"
"Wasted Time"
"Victim of Love"
"The Last Resort"
"New Kid in Town"
"Please Come Home for Christmas"
"Heartache Tonight"
"The Sad Cafe"
"I Can't Tell You Why"
"The Long Run"
"In the City"
"Those Shoes"
"Seven Bridges Road (Live)"
"Love Will Keep Us Alive"
"Get Over It"
"Hole in the World"


-- Troy Carpenter, N.Y.

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'Underworld' Soundtrack Samples Posted Online - Aug. 27, 2003

Several tracks from the forthcoming "Underworld" soundtrack have been posted online in streaming Real Audio. Check them out:

01. THE DAMNING WELL – "Awakening" (Real Audio)
02. PUSCIFER - "Rev 20:20" (Real Audio)
03. FINCH - "Worms of the Earth" (Real Audio)

THE DAMNING WELL is a supergroup of sorts that includes Wes Borland (ex-LIMP BIZKIT, EAT THE DAY), Danny Lohner (NINE INCH NAILS), Josh Freese (A PERFECT CIRCLE) and Richard Patrick (FILTER), while PUSCIFER is a collaboration between TOOL/A PERFECT CIRCLE frontman Maynard James Keenan and Lohner.

The "Underworld" soundtrack is due on September 2 through Lakeshore Records. The film, a vampires-meet-werewolves flick starring Kate Beckinsale, will receive a theatrical release on September 19.

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BRIDES OF DESTRUCTION Debut To Surface In February - Aug. 27, 2003

BRIDES OF DESTRUCTION, the new band featuring MÖTLEY CRÜE bassist Nikki Sixx, L.A. GUNS guitarist Tracii Guns, vocalist London LeGrand, and drummer Scot Coogan (ex-PAUL GILBERT, ONI LOGAN/ROWAN ROBERTSON, SINÉAD O'CONNOR), are in the process of mixing their debut album with producer Steve Thompson (KORN, METALLICA, GUNS N' ROSES) for a tentative February 2004 release. "The record is halfway done being mixed [and it] FUCKING SOUNDS INSANE," Guns wrote in a recent online posting. "Steve Thompson gets the big bucks and now I definitely know why."

The as-yet-untitled CD, which will feature contributions from previous members John Corabi (ex-MÖTLEY CRÜE, UNION) and Kris Kohls (ADEMA), will contain album-quality demos recorded during the pre-production sessions for what was supposed to be the group's "proper" full-length debut. The band have already secured a Japanese deal with Universal and are said to be finalizing an agreement with an as-yet-undisclosed label for the European and American territories.

Although Sixx had previously indicated that the group is unlikely to tour in support of the forthcoming album, Guns claims that, "depending on MÖTLEY CRÜE's schedule, the BRIDES will surely do some live dates after the release of the CD (including Nikki, myself, London, Coogie and possibly Gilby [Clarke, ex-GUNS N' ROSES] playing guitar as well). Sounds good to me."

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BLACK SABBATH: Nine-Disc Box Set To Be Released In The Fall - Aug. 28, 2003

According to Joe Siegler at the unofficial BLACK SABBATH web site www.black-sabbath.com, the long rumored nine-disc BLACK SABBATH box set looks like it's being released this fall. After speaking with one of my contacts yesterday," Joe writes, "he informed me that a box set containing new remasters of the Ozzy-era BLACK SABBATH albums ('Black Sabbath', 'Paranoid', 'Master of Reality', 'Volume 4', 'Sabbath Bloody Sabbath', 'Sabotage', 'Technical Ecstasy', & 'Never Say Die') are to be released on October 28th. There will be a 9th disc — a DVD to go along with it.

"Now, when I asked about content on the discs (meaning extras and the like), he did not know. Although my gut feeling is that he did know, and didn't want to say. That seems more likely when I say that I've been told that the cover art and the DVD content has not been finalized. With a tentative date of Oct 28th looming, the fact that the package has not fully been decided upon tells me that the date of Oct 28th will probably be missed. But we shall see. I did ask about the track 'Blow on a Jug''s appearance on 'Sabotage'. We both agree that it's not likely it will be on this set, because of the fact that it didn't appear on the original Warner Brothers versions of the album, and that's the source for these remasters (it's the same remastering work that was done for last year's 'Symptom of the Universe' 2-CD set. The 1996 Castle remaster does have 'Blow on a Jug', but since it's remaster source is the same, it could explain why 'BOAJ' is not on the Warner original. My contact did state that he doesn't know for sure, but it doesn't seem likely, given the master source. He also wasn't sure about the inclusion of both 'Wicked World' & 'Evil Woman' on the first album, but given the inclusion of 'Evil Woman' on the 'Symptom' set last year, I think it probably will be there.

"Also, he tells me the tentative name of the set is 'Black Box'. Some might remember one of the rumored names of SABBATH's 1995 'Forbidden' album was 'Music from the Black Box'. But that's of no real consequence, just something silly I remembered when writing this."

In other news, BLACK SABBATH drummer Bill Ward will, once again, be the "in studio" co-host with Mike Stark for "Rock 50" (web site), heard exclusively on WPMD Radio (web site), Cerritos College from 11:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. Pacific Time.

Bill returns after an emotional July show that was dedicated to the memory of BLACK SABBATH's road manager — Bobby Thomson. Don't miss another very special program from this heavy metal original.

WPMD on the Internet and WPMD-AM 1700 originates from the campus of Cerritos College, Norwalk, California, home of the best college radio curriculum in Southern California. WPMD features an eclectic programming mix of news, talk, sports and music, presented by students, Cerritos College community members and radio professionals.

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A PERFECT CIRCLE's KEENAN Sings ZEEPELIN, Duets With CHRIS CORNELL: Audio Available - Aug. 29, 2003

A live recording of TOOL/A PERFECT CIRCLE frontman Maynard James Keenan singing a cover of LED ZEPPELIN's "Kashmir" while backed up by members of JANE'S ADDICTION at the final stop (August 24) of this year's Lollapalooza festival in Portland, Oregon has been posted online in MP3 format at this location. Also available for download is a duet between AUDIOSLAVE/ex-SOUNDGARDEN singer Chris Cornell and Keenan on a version of Nick Lowe's "(What's So Funny 'bout) Peace, Love, and Understanding". Check it out: Version#1 (Portland, August 24), Version#2 (Seattle, August 23).