Who needs bathrooms? ([email protected])
Sun, 13 Sep 1998 12:30:03 -0600
I dunno what the U2 song is, but it definately sounds like a good
collection to have...
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Check out the 1999 U2 Calendar at
http://www.123posters.com
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There's a short article in the Oct. 1 issue of RS on page 17.
The accompanying article reads:
"Hip-hop gospeman Kirk Franklin called upon a slew of talented
folks, including Mary J. Blige, R. Kelly, and Bono, to sing on his
single "Lean on Me," which will benefit Southern churches
destroyed in a rash of hate crimes. "When churches burn, it takes
more than prayer to replace them," Franklin says. It's a problem
that gets left on the back burner, so I wanted people who'd take the
message further." Kirk flew to Ireland to record with Bono,
but he didn't stay long. "I flew back the same day," he says. "It was
my baby girl's first birthday the next day-that was just as important."
And Bono? "He was wonderful. Meet him and you'll understand
why the dude's an icon."
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(Prarit's note: Bono dedicated several POPMart concerts to
Jeff Buckley's memory.)
>From Rocktropolis:
Duncan Sheik Explains His Jeff Buckley Tribute
"Jeff's record was definitely one of my favorite records of
the decade," says singer/ songwriter Duncan Sheik about
the late Jeff Buckley's critically-acclaimed Grace.
Grace was the last album released before the young singer's
untimely drowning death in 1997. Sheik was so moved by
Buckley's work that he penned a song in tribute to him -- "A
Body Goes Down" -- on his sophomore album, Humming, due
Oct. 6 on Atlantic.
"I just wanted to pay tribute to him and talk about the situation,
what it means for someone to pass on," says Sheik. "What he
did right before he died was great work." The song's lyrics go like
this: "Once in awhile/ A man comes along/ Even his failures
were favourite songs/ Oh to have made something so
unsurpassed/ As certain things fall away/ So certain things last/ A
body goes down/ In the Mississippi waters/ Weighted by a beauty/
Afraid of its light/ Notify your holy men/ Console your sons and
daughters/ And tell me one more time/ What is just/ What is right/
Chances are good/ We spread blasphemous lies/ Safe to say
nobody knew what was inside/ Of course there is grace/
And those halos of pain/ Maybe he sang what he came here to
sing."
When asked about the line "Maybe he sang what he came here
to sing," Sheik responds, "I don't know. With certain people,
yeah, maybe they do get to a point where they used up their
creative energy and can't find a way to get it going again. That's
sad to me, and I hope it never happens."
-- Carrie Borzillo
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>From CNN:
EU Seen Clearing Seagram's Purchase of PolyGram
Reuters 10-SEP-98
BRUSSELS, Sept 10 (Reuters)- The European Union antitrust authority is
seen clearing later this month the purchase of Polygram NV by Seagram
Co. Ltd, catapulting the Canadian firm to number one in the EU's music
market.
The European Commission is only considering the deal's impact in the
music industry since Seagram is currently selling Polygram's film
subsidiary-- a deal expected to require a separate filing once a buyer
has
been found.
Lawyers familiar with EU competition law thought that although the $10.4
billion purchase from Philips Electronics NV would create the world's
argest music company the addition of market shares in the 15-nation bloc
was not significant.
Polygram, which produces international artists like Elton John and U2,
is
already Europe's biggest music company. Seagram is also present in the
ector with Universal Music, but it does not have a strong presence in
the
Union.
Early clearance in the United States, where the combined
Polygram-Universal market share is at least as strong as in Europe, also
contributed to the upbeat comments.
"If you look at the music industry my guess is that there will be no
particular
competition problems," said John Enser of law firm Olswang & Cie.
nother lawyer expected the Commission to be worried about the deal's
impact in France where the combined share would be close to 40
percent-- the level which usually sets alarm bells ringing in EU
regulators'
rooms.
But Universal would contribute only about two percent to their combined
strength, he noted.
Other large market shares were recorded in Britain, with between 25 and
30 percent, and in the Netherlands with 25 percent.
Last year's vivid example of the merger between Boeing and McDonnell
Douglas showed that the Commission could attach strings to its clearance
even when the addition in market shares is minimal.
But in the Seagram/Polygram case the lawyers expected the EU executive
to consider competition from powerful rivals Sony Corp.'s Sony Music,
Bertelsmann's BMG, Time Warner Inc.'s Warner Music Group and EMI.
The deal was filed for EU clearance on August 18 and the Commission
has until September 21 to approve it without conditions or start an
in-depth
probe which could last another four months.
It may extend its preliminary probe by two weeks if it has identified
any
areas of concern that Seagram is willing to address speedily.
Seagram told Reuters it was "optimistic" it would get EU regulatory
approval, but declined to comment on the on-going talks as did the
Commission.
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(Prarit's note: Note the quotes from Mark Gryzmala!)
Condensed from Addicted to Noise:
U2 Hits Collection Spans Post-Punk To Americana
First of three 'best of' albums from Irish rockers will include a
recently completed B-side track.
Senior Writer Gil Kaufman reports:
The first of three upcoming "best of" collections from Irish
superstars U2 will chart the band's career from its beginnings in
earnest post-punk to its late '80s dabbling in Americana, including
a previously completed track from the Joshua Tree era.
U2 The Best of 1980-1990 is set to be released Nov. 3 and will
cover the group's rise from their 1980 debut, Boy, through the 1989
R&B-influenced Rattle and Hum. The album will also include a
recently completed tune which had previously been released in its
raw form as the B-side of a single.
News of the "best of," the first of three such collections covering
U2's critically acclaimed 10-album, two-decade career, shocked
some longtime fans.
"I have been into U2 since Achtung Baby [1991] and have learned
much about the band and what they stand for," wrote 22-year-old
Mark Grzymala of Illinois, the webmaster of "Mark Grzymala's U2
Page." "A greatest-hits album was one of those things I would
never expect from them, based on the interviews and their
comments."
The previously unfinished B-side "Sweetest Thing" will serve as
a single from the collection. The song, originally intended for
inclusion on 1987's 15-million-selling American folk/gospel-
influenced The Joshua Tree, was left unfinished and later
appeared as the flipside to the hit single "Where the Streets
Have No Name."
According to Island Records, the band recently returned to the
studio with the producer of The Joshua Tree, Steve Lilywhite, to
complete the track.
Beginning with its 1980 debut, Boy, and continuing through its
commercial peak, 1987's multi-platinum The Joshua Tree, the
group perfected its brand of strident, often political rock. The Irish
superstars' signature sound is exemplified by the interplay
between Bono's brooding vocals and the Edge's hard-hitting guitar
riffs.
"As a diehard fan, I figured I could avoid the purchase [of the hits
collection]," Grzymala said, "but now they are enticing us with
a new version of 'Sweetest Thing' and a limited-edition B-side
companion disc. Now I have to buy a copy."
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Condensed from NME:
(Prarit's note: The entire article can be found at,
http://www.nme.com/scripts/frameserver.cgi?http://www.nme.com/newsdesk/19980810132332news.html
)
U2's three upcoming 'best-ofs' will be launched
on with the November 2 release of 'U2: The Best of
1980-1990'.
'Sweetest Thing', originally intended for inclusion on
the band's 15-million selling 1987 album 'The Joshua
Tree', was a b-side to 'Where The Streets Have No
Name'. The song was re-recorded this year under the
guidance of producer Steve Lillywhite.
No details on the band's b-sides best of, the second
of the three compilations promised, have been
released. The triple release was the subject of a pricy
bidding war between record labels after U2 declared
the packages would be available to the highest bidder.
Polygram sealed the deal with a bid of US$50 million.
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(Prarit's note: The entire article can be found at,
http://www.irish-times.com/irish%2Dtimes/paper/1998/0910/fin13.html )
Condensed from The Irish Times:
King of rock 'n' roll deals has regal air
U2 manager Mr Paul McGuinness clinched a $50
million (�34.7 million) deal for the band on
Wednesday in one of the most lucrative agreements
in the history of the music industry. Polygram, its
record company, will release three Best of U2
albums on its Island Records subsidiary. The first
album, including recordings from 1980 to 1990,
goes on sale on November 2nd.
But Mr McGuinness, the so-called fifth member of
U2, will not discuss the detail despite being credited
with brokering the deal. Other rock superstars, such
as Madonna and Janet Jackson, have clinched $50
million-plus contracts but they were for new
material, rather than back catalogue. Colleagues
say the deal is as much a testament to Mr
McGuinness's ability to spot an opportunity and
play hard ball as it is the band's talent.
The move is also good for Mr McGuinness
personally. Over the past year there have been
rumours of acrimony between the band and its
manager. But lead singer Bono and his wife Ali are
understood to have sided with Mr McGuinness and
he is still said to be close to Bono and The Edge.
There are also said to be substantial strains
between him and the band's accountant, Mr Ossie
Kilkenny.
But all Mr McGuinness will say is that relations
between him and the band are excellent. "We have
been together for over 20 years now and I expect it
will continue," he says.
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>From CNN:
U2 the Best of 1980-1990: Island Releases U2's First
Retrospective Album New Single
PRNewswire
09-SEP-98
NEW YORK, Sept. 9 /PRNewswire/-- The first decade of U2's
extraordinary history is celebrated with the worldwide release by
Island Records of "U2 The Best of 1980-1990" on Tuesday, November
3.
For the first week, the 14-track album will only be available as a
limited edition double-CD pack, with a bonus CD featuring 15 of U2's
B-sides from the Eighties. This limited edition will retail at a special
low price. The regular edition of "U2 The Best of 1980-1990"-- without
the B-sides bonus CD -- is in stores on Tuesday, November 10.
As a prelude to the album, Island will also release a new U2 single
called "Sweetest Thing" to radio on Tuesday, September 29. "Sweetest
Thing" was originally intended to be on The Joshua Tree album, but was
not finished in time. An incomplete version subsequently appeared as a
B-Side to "Where the Streets Have No Name." The band recently
returned to the studio with producer Steve Lillywhite and finished the
track.
The full track listing of U2 "The Best of 1980-1990" is: -- Pride (In
the
Name of Love) -- New Year's Day -- With or Without You -- I Still
Haven't
Found What I'm Looking For -- Sunday Bloody Sunday -- Bad -- Where
the Streets Have No Name -- I Will Follow -- The Unforgettable Fire --
Desire -- Angel of Harlem -- When Love Comes to Town -- Sweetest
Thing -- All I Want is You Say Island Records Chairman Davitt
Sigerson and President John Barbis, "We couldn't be happier to be
spearheading the American release of this great collection of music.
What better way to celebrate Island's association with this
extraordinary
band than to release a powerful new single along with this compelling
body of work."
"U2 The Best of 1980-1990" is the opening volume in a series
chronicling the history of the band. No dates, however, have been
set for subsequent releases.
/CONTACT: John Vlautin of Island Records, 212-603-3933/ CO:
Island Records ST: New York IN: ENT REA SU: PDT
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>From Allstar:
U2 TRACK LISTING ANNOUNCED FOR BEST OF 1980-1990
The track listing and name of the new single from U2's first of three
greatest hits packages (allstar, Sept. 8), U2: The Best of 1980-1990,
have been revealed.
The album hits stores on Nov. 3 as a limited- edition double-CD,
including a disc of 15 U2 B-sides from the '80s. The Best of 1980-
1990 lands in stores without the bonus CD on Nov. 10.
"Sweetest Thing," which also appears on the album, will be
released as a single to radio on Sept. 29. The song was originally
written for The Joshua Tree, but was not finished in time for the
album (the incomplete version later appeared as a B-side for
"Where the Streets Have No Name"). The band finished the song
for this album with producer Steve Lillywhite (U2, Dave
Matthews Band).
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