Who needs bathrooms? ([email protected])
Sat, 14 Nov 1998 15:16:58 -0600
During "New Year's Day", if you start listening at about 0:45 to pick
up on the beat of the drums, you'll hear a somewhat audible "skip"
in the beat at about 0:58 - 0:59 of the song. I've listened to the
original, as well as the single version -- the skip doesn't appear to
be there -- it appears to be some sort of artifact of the remastering.
I know alot of you weren't reading when POP came out -- listen
to "Last Night On Earth" at 2:15 - 2:16 and you'll hear a clear skip
in the background drum track...
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The 3" Japanese CD single of Sweetest Thing -- B side is With or
Without You -- is now available as an Import.
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Condensed from Addicted To Noise:
(Prarit's note: The article is actually about the upcoming Springsteen
Box-Set/Collection)
Hard-Core Fans Line Up For Springsteen's Tracks
Despite the devotion of supporters such as Kaplus, Tower-staffer
Jim Bornzin said he was disappointed at the turnout at the Chicago
store. By comparison, he said 150 people showed up at midnight
the week before to buy a limited- edition, two-disc version of U2's
Best Of 1980-1990. He blamed the comparatively small Springsteen
crowd on what he termed Columbia Records' lack of promotion for
Tracks.
"The U2 album had lots of ads -- everybody wants this collection,"
Bornzin said. "Tracks is a better album, but there hasn't been a
lot of publicity. It's unfortunate, because Bruce Springsteen is such
a great American rock 'n' roll artist."
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>From The Irish Times:
Making Waves
Well, the Army has certainly come over all Jesuitical, eh?
What are you talking about? Its new recruitment
poster with the "give me the boy until he is seven
and I'll give you the man" theme. No, no, no. It's
nothing to do with the Army. You must be deaf. It's
the cover of U2's just released album - The Best of
1980 to 1990. You can't turn on the radio at the
moment without hearing one of the �ber group's
belting anthems.
Who's the boy?
Probably the first waif-boy model, a young Dublin
lad called Peter Rowan who was catapulted into the
public eye at the tender age of five when he made it
onto the cover of their first single. He was an
adorable, doe-eyed eight-year-old in 1980 when he
donned that army helmet for the War album. That
must have been a lively casting session? Where
this sort of thing is concerned, it's a case of who
you know. And anyway, the U2ers are a close-knit
crowd so it wasn't a question of getting a
miscellaneous gaggle of Macaulay Culkin types to
try on a tin hat. Peter is the photogenic younger
brother of Bono's old northside mate Guggi.
Guggi Rowan?
No, just Guggi. He's an artist now, but back then he
was a Virgin Prune and let's face it, it's hard to have
street cred when your name is Derek, so he
became Guggi. Dereks everywhere will doubtless
understand. You can see his work adorning several
walls in the Clarence Hotel in Dublin.
See what I mean about close-knit?
So how did the original Boy fare after his 15
minutes? Well, hardly 15 minutes, if his picture is
being used again nearly two decades later. But
young Peter's brush with rock music didn't
encourage him to take to his parents' garage and
form a band. The now grown-up Peter is a busy and
highly respected commercial photographer working
in Dublin. He's married and plays golf in his spare
time. What he never plays is the very tempting "I
was the boy on the War album" card. In fact, he's
extremely reluctant to talk about it all. Still though,
the new album is on its way to becoming the biggest
selling Irish album of all time, so surely Peter will be
coining it? Doubt it. Legend has it he was paid for
the photo session all those years ago with Mars
bars. That's rock 'n' roll for you.
Bernice Harrison
-------------
>From Addicted to Noise:
Rushdie Confirms Hiding Out At Bono's
British author Salman Rushdie says he spent only a few days at the Ireland
home of the U2 singer while hiding from Islamic fundamentalists.
Correspondent Giulia Melucci reports:
NEW YORK -- Author Salman Rushdie, far from spending five years at the
Ireland
home of U2 singer Bono while hiding from Islamic fundamentalists -- as a
recent report indicated -- told SonicNet recently that in fact he had spent
no
more than a few days at Bono's home.
"I spent three or four days with him over the years. They exaggerated,"
Rushdie said.
That claim, which Rushdie made to SonicNet Music News at a party here early
Sunday morning, appears to put to rest any notion that the writer took
regular
refuge at Bono's home while he was hiding from Islamic fundamentalists who
put
a multimillion-dollar bounty on his head.
"I spent three or four days with him over the years. They exaggerated." --
Salman Rushdie, "Satanic Verses" author
Last month, the Irish newspaper the Sunday Independent reported that,
starting
in 1993, longtime human-rights activist Bono extended his hospitality to
the
British author five years after the late Iranian leader Ayatollah Ruhollah
Khomeini issued a "fatwa," or religious edict, to kill Rushdie for alleged
blasphemy against Islam in his 1988 book, "The Satanic Verses."
Later, the paper retracted the story, stating that its previous assertion
that
the controversial author's visits were "frequent" was an "embellishment."
"He did stay for the weekend on maybe two occasions," U2 guitarist the Edge
said in a recent interview with England's New Musical Express. "But it
wasn't
like he was living with Bono for months on end, which was sort-of what the
story claimed."
"We're a bit pissed off about it," the Edge (born David Evans), told NME,
"because it implies that Salman was staying for long periods of time in
Bono's
house, which wasn't the case."
Even if he weren't a regular guest at Bono's home, Rushdie has been
reported
as being a friend of the singer -- and U2 have been described as being
great
admirers of Rushdie and his work.
In fact, rock music and work have, of late, converged for Rushdie.
Currently,
he is working on a novel set in the world of rock, based on his experiences
hanging out with U2 during their multimedia, 1993 "Zoo TV" tour, during
which
he joined the band onstage at London's Wembley Stadium. The novel
tentatively
is titled "The Ground Beneath Her Feet."
Rushdie has been aware enough of the current rock scene to arrive at some
distinct personal preferences. When asked at the Sunday party about the
Brit-
pop scene, Rushdie said he prefers Blur to Oasis. He also revealed thoughts
about Jarvis Cocker, frontman and songwriter for the literate pop-group
Pulp.
"I met him," Rushdie said. He then flicked his hand beside his ear -- a
gesture indicating that he didn't think much of him. "I like 'Common
People'
(RealAudio excerpt)," he said, making an exception for the song that put
that
long-struggling band on the map.
Of Bono, Rushdie said, "He doesn't read a lot," but pointed out that the
singer possessed a keen, natural intelligence.
When asked whether Bono is a good cook, the writer reconfirmed the
limitations
of his interaction with the singer. "I didn't have a chance to find out,"
Rushdie said.
Since the death threat against Rushdie was ordered, the author has spent
nearly a decade under the protection of British police. In recent months,
the
Iranian government announced that it did not seek or endorse Rushdie's
killing, but two groups -- an Iranian student association and the 15
Khordad
Foundation -- renewed calls for the fatwa to be carried out, with the
latter
group even raising the $2.5 million bounty originally offered for Rushdie's
head to $2.8 million.
-------------
>From The AP Wire:
"The Nu Nation Project" (Gospo Centric) -- Kirk Franklin
Kirk Franklin, one of contemporary gospel music's most successful and
controversial performers, borrows even more heavily from the secular
music world on his fourth album, "The Nu Nation Project," featuring his
longtime choir, The Family.
Franklin is aware of the criticism he has attracted for fusing funk,
hip-hop and rhythm 'n' blues-style grooves with his religious message:
The album begins with Franklin "on trial" for his musical sins.
Actually, if anything, Franklin should be taken to task for the disc's
misguided first song, "Revolution." His attempt to rock-rap gospel, or
whatever he was attempting, doesn't work.
He gets back on track with the next song, a "Lean on Me"/"We Are the
World"-like ode that offers generalities about looking above for help in
times of trouble. Proceeds from the song will go to help rebuild burned
churches. While the track, featuring Bono, R. Kelly and Mary J. Blige
among others, isn't exactly riveting, it is sweet and simple enough to
enjoy.
The strongest songs, though, are the ones that tap the roots of
traditional gospel, such as "Something About the Name Jesus," "He Loves
Me" and "You Are." These singles demonstrate Franklin's true strength as
a top-rate songwriter who knows how to blend singers and melodies to
create stirring, inspirational tunes.
Still, Franklin does well by mixing contemporary beats with the gospel
message. On "Praise Joint (remix)" when the choir shouts, "Get your
praise on!" -- altering the phrase, "Get your groove on," Franklin
manages to make you want to dance while keeping in mind what the message
is all about.
By Nekesa Mumbi Moody, Associated Press Writer.
-------------
>From The LA Times:
Seagram Plans Major Revamp
PolyGram, Universal to see cuts, closures and consolidations.
By CHUCK PHILLIPS, Times Staff Writer
Seagram Plans Major Revamp
Seagram's Reorganization
n the most massive restructuring in the history of the music industry,
Seagram Co. has developed plans to slash $300 million in costs annually
from
the PolyGram and Universal music groups by integrating dozens of business
operations in 44 markets around the world. The unprecedented move will
result
in the shuttering of well-known labels, the closing of plants and
warehouses
as well as the loss of thousands of jobs.
The combination of the PolyGram and Universal music groups into the largest
music company in the world will involve a massive reorganization.
See the graphic for more details.
Some of the nation's best known record labels--including Motown,
Geffen, A&M and Mercury--are expected to undergo significant downsizing as
Seagram attempts to transform itself into the largest and leanest music
conglomerate in the world.
Seagram plans to consolidate its U.S. music division into four large
groups and install an aggressive new management team made up of some of the
industry's youngest and most successfulentrepreneurs, including Interscope
Records' Jimmy Iovine and Def Jam Records' Lyor Cohen, sources say.
Internationally, the combined company is expected to rely heavily on
the
strengths of PolyGram, which has been the industry leader for a decade. The
U.S. organization is expected to become a hybrid of both the PolyGram and
Universal music groups.
The reorganization--which will follow the December completion of
Seagram's $10.4-billion purchase of PolyGram --is expected to begin in
January
and will take at least until next summer to implement.
Rival music industry executives predict that the combined entity--to
be
called Universal Music Group--will emerge as a formidable competitor,
accounting for at least 25% of all music sold around the world. Analysts
suggest that the massive restructuring will provide Universal with
unparalleled economies of scale guaranteed to boost operating margins and
position the conglomerate for strong revenue growth during the next three
years.
"After Universal completes the consolidation, it should be able to
outperform anybody in its peer group," said Michael B. Nathanson, an
analyst
with Sanford C. Bernstein & Co. "Because of its size, it will definitely
have
the most attractive cost structure of any of its competitors. Guys like
Sony
or [Time] Warner can't possibly cut costs that deep. Universal will benefit
by
keeping PolyGram's highly profitable international operation intact and
emerge
with a leaner, more efficient U.S. operation that should give them the
highest
margins in the business."
The reorganization is certain to cause management discord and morale
problems in the months ahead as Seagram attempts to merge the different
cultures and operations of the two companies. Several competing record
chiefs
said they hope to use that window to raid the company for executives and
artists.
The merger radically alters the architecture of the business itself
by
shrinking the number of global competitors from six to five: Universal,
Sony,
Bertelsmann, Time Warner and EMI. It is unclear how many jobs will be
eliminated in the restructuring, but sources estimate that nearly 20% of
the
15,500 workers employed by PolyGram and Universal could be let go. It's not
yet clear where the layoffs will occur, but both A&M and Geffen, which are
based in Los Angeles, are sure to be affected.
The timing of the reorganization is significant in part because it
comes
as rising talent costs, consolidation of retailers and economic turmoil in
Asia and other world markets have combined to erode music profits. With
global
demand for music flat and new forms of piracy on the rise, some analysts
say
it will be difficult for Seagram to sustain long-term growth. Seagram has
said
it is counting on exploiting changes spurred by the Internet and digital
technologies to bolster sales in the future.
The restructuring plan follows months of intense integration meetings
between top brass at Seagram, Universal and PolyGram. A blueprint for the
U.S.
consolidation was drafted by Universal executives Doug Morris, Zach
Horowitz
and Bruce Hack and submitted two weeks ago to Seagram chief Edgar Bronfman
Jr.
A Universal Music spokesman said Monday that no final decisions have
been made, but he declined to comment further.
Details about the consolidation plan and management structure are not
expected to be announced until late December, but sources say the U.S.
division will be divided into four large companies--two on the East Coast
and
two on the West Coast. Morris, an industry veteran with a track record for
discovering and grooming successful managers, has already lined up an
ambitious executive team to run the proposed units, although no contracts
have
been signed.
In Los Angeles, Interscope Group and MCA Group will dominate the
landscape.
Universal plans to purchase the remaining half of Interscope, home to
such diverse acts as Nine Inch Nails, No Doubt, Kirk Franklin and the
Wallflowers. Universal, which bought a half-stake in the successful
Westwood
label three years ago for $200 million, has already paid Interscope co-
founders Iovine and Ted Field about $85 million and will write a
$40-million
check for the balance before the end of the year.
Universal will downsize the struggling Geffen and A&M labels and fold
them under the umbrella of an expanded Interscope Music Group, which will
be
run by Iovine, 45, and Field, 46, and the company's 46-year-old president,
Tom
Whalley. Geffen and A&M, home to such acts as Beck and Sheryl Crow, will
maintain their own talent scouts and marketing divisions and continue to
release music under their own logos but will operate with reduced staffs
and
artist rosters. It is unclear whether Geffen Chairman Ed Rosenblatt and A&M
Chairman Al Cafaro will have any role in the new structure.
MCA Records Group will survive the restructuring unscathed and
continue
to be run by Jay Boberg, a 40-year-old entrepreneur who came to Universal
after selling a label he ran that discovered such acts as R.E.M. MCA
Nashville, the top country music label in the business, will continue to be
run by Bruce Hinton and Tony Brown.
In New York, upstart Universal Records will emerge as a powerhouse
with
Def Jam and a downsized Motown folded into its new infrastructure. The
company
will continue to be run by Chairman Mel Lewinter with assistance from Jean
Riggins, the 43-year-old president of black music. Kedar Massenburg, the
35-year-old former manager who discovered soul singers D'Angelo and Erykah
Badu, will be brought in to run Motown following the exit of George
Jackson.
It is unclear what role Motown executive Clarence Avant might play after
the
restructuring.
Def Jam's Cohen, 39, is likely to take on a key role at Universal if
Seagram can work out a deal to purchase the remainder of Def Jam, the hot
PolyGram label that has dominated the pop charts this year with hits by
such
acts as Jay-Z and DMX. Cohen and Def Jam founder Russell Simmons, 40, are
said
to be asking more than $70 million for the 40% of the labelthat Seagram
does
not already own, but it is unclear whether Seagram will pay that much. It
is
also unclear what role Simmons might fill at the organization if the sale
goes
through.
Island, home to U2 and Dru Hill, will be combined with Mercury, home
to
Kiss and Bon Jovi, to form Seagram's other major outpost on the East Coast.
Staff and artist rosters will be cut at both labels, and PolyGram
distribution
chief Jim Caparro, 46, will take over as chairman, with John Reid, the
37-year-old chairman of PolyGram Canada, brought in as president.
Island executives Hiriam Hicks, 35, and Johnny Barbis are expected to
take on new roles at the combined company, but Island President Davitt
Sigerson and Mercury chief Danny Goldberg are likely to leave. Luke Lewis
will
continue to run Mercury's highly profitable Nashville division, which will
remain operating as a stand-alone label--although back-office functions for
the company will be combined with MCA's Nashville operation.
Under the plan, each of the four U.S. units would be pared to about
100
recording acts and 175 employees and expected to generate an estimated
volume
of at least $200 million per year in album sales. Each company will
maintain
its own marketing and promotion staff, but payments to independent
promoters
and industry tip sheets will be slashed. The Interscope/Geffen/A&M unit
will
end up being a somewhat larger structure and be expected to generate more
than
$300 million.
The combined entity's distribution system will be run by Universal's
Henry Droz and Jim Urie with the assistance of several top PolyGram
distribution executives. In the United States, the corporation will
integrate
sales forces and utilize a blend of manufacturing plants and warehouses
from
both organizations. About half of all U.S. plant warehouses currently
operated
by PolyGram and Universal will be shut down or sold during the next year.
Outside of the U.S., Seagram will fold its Universal sales force into
PolyGram's sales force and turn over all manufacturing and distribution
duties
to the PolyGram team in April when its current deal with BMG expires.
Universal previously had no manufacturing or distribution system outside
the
U.S.
Universal currently does less than 20% of its business outside the
U.S.,
while nearly 80% of PolyGram's revenue has been generated outside the
United
States by local artists in their respective markets.
Universal has decided to shutter most of its own systems outside the
U.S. and adopt PolyGram's music publishing, auto-processing, financial and
royalty systems as the backbone of its operation around the world.
Universal
will appoint PolyGram executives Jonathan Similansky and Jonathan Manley to
head the company's human resources and information technology divisions.
"There is no question that management is making a very strong effort
to
integrate the Universal operations with those of PolyGram," said
Christopher
Dixon, media analyst for PaineWebber. To stabilize the combined entity's
presence around the world, Universal international chief Jorgen Larsen has
already secured the services of most of PolyGram's key global executives,
including Norman Cheng in Asia, Kei Ishizaka in Japan, Wolf Gramatke and
Tim
Renner in Germany, Pascal Negre in France, John Kennedy in Britain, Manolo
Diaz in Latin America and Theo Roos in the Netherlands.
Universal also plans to create a centralized catalog division to sell
the thousands of titles in the PolyGram and Universal vaults. Revenue
generated by this sector, headed by Bruce Resnikoff, will be directed to
the
labels from which each catalog item is culled.
Rudi Gassner, chief executive of BMG Entertainment International,
predicted that Seagram's new Universal Music Group will alter the balance
of
power in the global record business.
"Once Seagram overcomes the integration problems inherent in every
takeover, the new company will emerge as a formidable competitor," Gassner
said.
-- Prarit....[email protected] U2 news: http://www.members.home.net/u2-news/u2.html
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