12.20.2006

DIVA, Indeed


DIVA: The Singles Collection, Sarah Brightman’s seventh Angel/EMI album, arrives in stores October 3rd, 2006, twenty years since her stage and recording debut in the original British production of Andrew Lloyd Webber’s Phantom of the Opera, the most successful and longest running musical production in history, where she created the role of Christine.

DIVA: The Singles Collection is the most comprehensive release of Ms. Brightman’s career, charting her musical accomplishments through 14 stellar tracks ranging from Phantom of the Opera (1986) to her worldwide smash hit “Time to Say Goodbye” (duet with Andrea Bocelli) to her critically acclaimed 2003 recording Harem which gave rise to a world tour where 700,000 people saw Ms. Brightman perform live. DIVA: The Singles Collection picks up where her million-plus selling 2001 release Classics left off and is the ideal introduction to the soprano’s justly celebrated Broadway, Classical, Crossover and Pop performances.

DIVA: The Video Collection will be released simultaneously with DIVA: The Singles Collection and features music videos from the start of Sarah Brightman's performance career - with the Thames TV dance troupe Hot Gossip and collaborations with Andrew Lloyd Webber - to her innovative classical-crossover recordings. DIVA: The Video Collection is woven together with Ms. Brightman's personal narratives recalling each video and the DVD has an internet component which enables fans to insert the disc into their computer and receive exclusive access to Brightman's fansite, where they will be able to download bonus materials including exclusive music, digital greetings and much more.

12.19.2006

Making History


After winning five Tonys earlier this year-including honors for Best Play - The History Boys is set to conquer the big screen this November with Fox Searchlight's film adaptation of the Broadway phenomenon. Rhino Records brings together the film's biggest musical moments with a soundtrack that features classic alternative rock cuts from the '80s, cast recordings, and more. The History Boys Original Soundtrack will be available November 21 at all retail outlets and at http://www.rhino.com/ .
Featuring 14 songs, the film's soundtrack helps evoke the story's setting in 1980s England with songs such as The Smiths' "This Charming Man," New Order's "Blue Monday," The Clash's "Mustapha Dance," The Cure's "A Forest," and more. The album also includes the cast's unforgettable send-up of "Bye Bye Blackbird" along with performances of "L'Accordeoniste" and "Bewitched" by cast members Samuel Barnett and Richard Sission. In addition, the soundtrack contains a cover of "Bewitched" that Rufus Wainwright recorded exclusively for the film.

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Must Be A Newmy


Mark Newman plays a mean slide guitar, sings his heart out and writes the kind of songs that resonate with universal longing. His Must Be A Pony debut (Danal Music), released today, features 13 originals by Newman and some of his friends (including Sam The Sham) plus a vaguely disquieting yet profoundly effective cover version of Barry and Robin Gibb’s 1967 hit “New York Mining Disaster 1941.”

With a shifting cast of musicians—including Steve Holley (ex-Wings) on percussion and Anton Fig (David Letterman Band) on drums—Newman creates musical environments that surround his poetic lyrics in tasty soundscape vistas that accentuate but never intimidate his message, mainly that no matter how cynical the adult in one gets, the answer lies in attempting to rediscover the unbridled optimism of childhood.

Newman’s the ultimate stringmaster (he picks guitar, lap steel mandolin and dobro) and his sense of soul is innate (so much so that R’n’B legend Sam Moore has him in his band).


12.18.2006

With Love from The Beatles to You


Apple Corps Ltd/Capitol Records are to release the Beatles LOVE album in stereo and 5.1 November 21st. This will be the first Beatles album available in 5.1 The stereo CD will contain 78 minutes of music. The DVD surround sound version on DVD disc album will be a slightly extended version with 81 minutes of music. After being asked by the remaining Beatles, Ringo and Paul, along with Yoko Ono Lennon and Olivia Harrison, to make experimental mixes from their master tapes for a collaboration with Cirque du Soleil, Sir George Martin, The Beatles legendary producer, and his son Giles Martin have been working with the entire archive of Beatles recordings to create LOVE. The result is an unprecedented approach to the music. Using the master tapes at Abbey Road Studios, Sir George and Giles have created a unique soundscape. The release of this album, which is also featured in the Cirque du Soleil/Apple Corps collaborative production of the same name at The Mirage in Las Vegas, has been much anticipated. “This album puts the Beatles back together again, because suddenly there’s John and George with me and Ringo,” said Paul McCartney. “It’s kind of magical.” “George and Giles did such a great job combining these tracks. It’s really powerful for me and I even heard things I’d forgotten we’d recorded.” commented Ringo Starr.“The album has the feeling of love and that’s why the title is Beatles LOVE,“ added Yoko Ono Lennon, "They have let everything that is beautiful and daring come out.” “The music is stunning. I think the most amazing thing about it is that you can pull it apart and find that all the elements carry with it the essence of the entire song,” said Olivia Harrison. Andrew Slater, President & CEO Capitol Records said, "The Beatles and George Martin invented everything we love about modern recorded rock music. It is only fitting that they now shake things up and create the new blueprint for rediscovering and falling in love again with the soundtracks to our lives." The 5.1 disc is a DVD-Audio/DVD-Video hybrid. The audio is presented in high-resolution 96/24 5.1 surround on the DVD-Audio part of the disc. The DVD-Video part carries 5.1 surround in DTS and Dolby Digital as well as a PCM stereo mix. This DVD album is designed to be played on DVD video equipment but will carry no video component.
Strawberry Fields 4EVA

12.15.2006

A New Cure


In 2005 a nascent Cure trio of lead singer/guitarist Robert Smith, bassist Simon Gallup and drummer Jason Cooper celebrated the return of former Cure guitarist Porl Thompson with a series of nine eclectic headlining festival shows across Europe. Video cameras were given out to fans, crew and band members to capture these performances, and along with professional cameras the footage was mixed together to create Festival 2005, a 30 song DVD that will be released on Suretone/Geffen Records on December 5th. Festival 2005 was edited by Daren Butler and mixed by Keith Uddin, in collaboration with Robert Smith.

Festival 2005 includes live performances of: “Open,” “Fascination Street,” “alt.end,” “The Blood,” “A Night Like This,” “The End of The World,” “If Only Tonight We Could Sleep,” “The Kiss,” “Shake Dog Shake,” “Us Or Them,” “Never Enough,” “The Figurehead,” “A Strange Day,” “Push,” “Just Like Heaven,” “In Between Days,” “From The Edge of the Deep Green Sea,” “The Drowning Man,” “Signal To Noise”, “The Baby Screams,” “One Hundred Years,” “Shiver and Shake,” “End encores,” “At Night,” “M,” “Play For Today,” “A Forest,” “Plainsong,” “Disintegration” and “Faith.”

12.12.2006

"Released" Released


"I think this album has two personalities," Lisa Palleschi says of her debut, Released. "Half the songs are really pretty ballads, love songs, and the other half are more in-your-face, rock songs."
Lisa Palleschi fatefully cut a demo in 2003 in a small Long Island studio owned by Richie Cannata, a collaborator with Billy Joel. Through the help of Steven C. Beer of Greenberg Traurig, LLP, she began traveling to New York, L.A. and Nashville to co-write and hone both her voice and her songs with the likes of such co-producers/co-writers as Jeff Franzel (Taylor Dayne, Clay Aiken, Shawn Colvin), Adrian Gurvitz (Sheryl Crow, Meredith Brooks, Steve Perry), Frank Filipetti (James Taylor, Carly Simon, The Color Purple) and Tom Kimmel (Joe Cocker, Linda Ronstadt, Art Garfunkel).
The 12 songs on the disc range from the post-break-up tune "New Beginning" ("It's about taking risks and not being afraid to fall on your ass!") to "Lightyears Away," which reminds us to live in the moment: "It's about not worrying about little stupid petty stuff, tomorrow those things will seem light years away." If she reaffirms in "Already Gone" that karma is a boomerang, in "Once Upon A Time," she "was thinking about all the people in the world who never followed through on what they really wanted to do in life."

12.07.2006

Tori Amos Embraces the Digital Realm


At the time of her debut in 1992, Tori Amos' captivating storytelling and quirky yet sublime mix of piano, pop, rock, and classical music were as conspicuous as her flaming-red ringlets among the dark-haired pop divas who ruled the charts. Since then, Amos' uncompromising studio albums and cathartic concerts have earned her recognition as one of the most influential artists of the past two decades while inspiring a legion of devoted fans. Rhino Records brings together Amos' classics, rarities, remixes, and previously unreleased music for A Piano: The Collection.
On December 5, "Walk To Dublin" from A Piano: The Collection will be available for download exclusively through Yahoo! Also on December 5, "Take Me With You" from A Piano: The Collection will be available exclusively through MTV Urge. Then, on December 19, all 86 songs from the entire A Piano: The Collection will be available for purchase on all digital service providers, including iTunes!
Don't forget to check out The Tori Store for all your holiday gift giving needs. There are new Tori greeting cards in stock, plus nothing says Happy Holidays like one of the recently reissued Recovering Christian shirts now back in stock. Check out http://www.thetoristore.com.
Text TORI to 74466*
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Spark*Requires compatible handset and service through participating carriers. Standard text messaging rates apply. See your contract for details. Available content subject to change at any time. (c) 2006 rhino.

A Celtic Celebration


Irish legend has it that St. Nicholas, Santa Claus, is buried in County Kilkenny, Ireland, in the ruined Church of St. Nicholas. Why not celebrate Christmas this year, then, with a little Irish flavor? Celtic Woman makes it easy to get in the spirit with their magnificent new CD A Christmas Celebration, 15 soaring tracks of Christmas cheer. Traditional holiday favorites on the disc include “White Christmas”, “Carol of The Bells”, “Let It Snow”, “Little Drummer Boy”, and “Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas”. And, at select stores for a limited time, the angel-voiced singers will arrive with a real angel: the deluxe edition of the CD comes with a beautiful golden angel Christmas ornament.

Celtic Woman has enthralled US audiences with their record-breaking self-titled debut album, a platinum concert DVD, a PBS special, and four highly successful U.S. tours. Fans will see more of them this winter as their second PBS Special “Celtic Woman: A New Journey Live at Slane Castle” airs nationwide in December, while a new studio CD and live DVD are set to follow in January.

12.06.2006

Learnin' My Aee Bee Gees


The Studio Albums 1967-1968 is the definitive collection of the five-piece Bee Gees lineup that rocketed to fame in the late 1960s: singing siblings Barry, Robin, and Maurice Gibb, and Australian instrumentalists Vince Melouney and Colin Petersen. The quintet's albums Bee Gees 1st, Horizontal, and Idea have been brilliantly revitalized, with remastered CDs of stereo and mono mixes of each title paired with second discs of rare and unreleased recordings from the period - the first time The Bee Gees have opened their vaults for extensive archival exploration. The Studio Albums 1967-1968 will be available at physical and digital retail outlets and at
www.rhino.com for a suggested list price of $74.98.
Get The Bee Gees on your Phone! Text BeeGees to 74466 For official Bee Gees mobile content. *
* Requires compatible handset and service through participating carriers. Standard text messaging rates apply. See your contract for details. Available content subject to change at any time. (c) 2006 rhino.