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bmusic
Newsletter No.193
 October 24th - October 30th 2005

From Undercover.com.au comes this somewhat unfortunate news for the Australian industry in my opinion. Not that FMR had done much signing on raw, new Australian talent in it's latter years. But I digress, to the story:
October 20 2005

Iconic Australian record label Festival Mushroom Records is being sold to Warner Music.

Festival Records was founded in Australia in 1952 and became part of News Ltd in 1961.

The company took over Mushroom Records in the late 90s after acquiring a 50% share of Mushroom in the early 90s. Mushroom's roster included Paul Kelly, Split Enz, Skyhooks, Kylie Minogue, Jimmy Barnes and Hunters and Collectors.

In commenting on the acquisition, Ed St. John, President and CEO, Warner Music Australasia said "we are absolutely delighted to acquire this iconic Australian music company. FMR and its foundation labels have been the home for Australian music since the dawn of our industry. Joined with Warner's own roster of local acts - which stretches from Thirsty Merc and Evermore through to The Whitlams and Cold Chisel - and with the creative drive of Michael Parisi, this company will have a leading domestic music division. The growth and continued success of Warner Music Australia is going to be built around the development of a truly outstanding domestic music roster."

The announcement comes just weeks after FMR Managing Director Michael Parisi resigned to take up the position of Warner Music President of A& R. "This is a unique situation, to say the least. Having run FMR as Managing Director, and having just accepted an offer to move over to Warner Music to become President of A&R, I now have the opportunity to effectively keep both jobs. I can continue to work with the many wonderful acts I signed to FMR whilst also working with Warners' roster of artists. I'm really looking forward to working with Ed and his team to integrate the two companies and join our artist rosters."

The deal is expected to be finalized before the end of 2005 pending approval by the ACCC. An announcement about the artist roster and staffing levels is yet to be made. Well, another one bites the dust. Globally we're down to the Big Four in labels, I predict that within a couple of years that will become the Big Three. Who knows where to from here. We need another SubPop or Shock of the early days, or some other indy to shake things up a bit but I fear the din created by the Big Four these days will drown out anything that could possibly be thrown at it. One positive that could come from this though is that maybe music will become the most important thing again for all of the 99.9999% of artists not signed to major labels and the business side will come back and take care of itself for those for whom it was meant to be. I mean, if artists figure they'll never get signed maybe their mindset will be different and they'll remember just why it is they started doing what they're doing and some great, revolutionary music may be created. Less concentration on delivering a commercial product by more artists has to be conducive to the development of a new punk/grunge/metal/jazz/whatever, a whole new genre that the younger listener I think desperately needs to be able to connect with what music's about. An education through something they can call their own that can teach them that music isn't about free downloads (read: theft) on Kazaa and SMS'd ringtones.

Alex dropped us a line during the week and suggested fans of world/blues guitar might be interested to know Harry Manx will be touring Australia in March next year. You gotta see the bizarre axe this guy wields! It's an Indian made instrument known as a Mohan Veena and features sympathetic strings and such, primarily built for Indian Classical music. Basically he use it as a kind of "Indian slide guitar".
More information on Harry, his instruments, his music, and tour dates can be found at www.harrymanx.com.

I've spent some time this week poking around the best resource for 60s and 70s music in Australia just seeing if there's anything new or anything I've missed there and thought I'd share a couple of articles that I consider without equal that are highlights from the site. I've mentioned the site before, MilesAgo.com but if you haven't checked it out or you've subscribed since the last time I mentioned it, allow me to recommend a couple of pages to start with to get you iin the mood for more of what this site has to offer.
I consider these three artist features amongst the best and informative articles of their type I've ever come across, if you have even a passing interest in either of these artists I'm sure you'd enjoy the reads. There are likely a few details in there you may not be aware of, some remarkable facts that aren't widely known or discussed. The names that intertwine these articles also make you realise just how much of a breeding ground Australia had in the music scene during the late 60s and 70s and how it was allowed to mature. Festival Records, as mentioned at the top of this issue, gets a mention too, makes you realise just what we've lost in Australia in terms of record company support over the last couple of decades. Anyway, enough from me, to the articles:
Stevie Wright
Tamam Shud
Max Merritt & The Meteors
Thanks to Duncan, Paul, and our mate Neil for providing such a wonderful resource for Australian music history from the 60s and 70s.

We have another re-run Where Are They Now? this week with updates. We thought it was timely that we re-ran this feature for two reasons. Firstly, because a certain metalhead colleague of mine here at bmusic secretly collects memorabilia for this artist and I haven't been into him about it for a while. Secondly, and more importantly, this artist has a new single out Monday, the first for 12 years! We think this story is a great read so we hope you enjoy it for the second time if you're a long-term subscriber, or the first if you've subscribed in the eighteen months since we last ran this feature.
Regulars including Feature Article, The Week Ahead in Music History, Featured Artist and more are all inside Issue 193 of the bmusic Newsletter.
Links in the Table of contents below will launch your browser, so you'll need to be online to view the newsletter. If you are unable to receive html format e-mails then copy and paste the following link into your browser's address bar to view the newsletter:
http://www.bmusic.com.au/links/whatsnew/newsletters/archives/newsno193.html

Thanks to everyone for reading, we'll see you next week!

TABLE OF CONTENTS (You will need to be on-line to use the Table of Contents to jump through sections)
  • Where Are They Now? - Kate Bush (Updated)
  • This week's Music Quote
  • Featured Product - ESP October 2005 Eye Candy
  • Vintage and Items of Interest Available
  • This week's Specials
  • This week's Feature Article - The Song That Changed The World
  • This week's Feature Artist - Japunga
  • Musicians Wanted
  • Gear Wanted
  • Band Links
  • The Week Ahead In Music History
               Events
               Births
               Deaths
  • Give us your suggestions
  • Don't want the bmusic Newsletter?
  • Privacy Statement
  • See you next week

    • WHERE ARE THEY NOW? - KATE BUSH (UPDATED)
    Kate Bush - The Early years On July 30th, 1958 Kate Bush was born Catherine Bush in South London, England. At age six Kate and her family visited Australia and New Zealand. (This means absolutely nothing but there's a nice Australian connection). In 1969 she commenced senior school in England and took up the violin. Though she didn't enjoy the violin Kate began to set her own poetry to chord structures she learnt how to construct through her music tuition. The next instrument she tackled was the piano, beginning in 1970 when she took it up to accompany her brother's violin playing. By 1971 embryonic versions of songs like "The Man With the Child in His Eyes" and "Saxophone Song" began to emerge from Kate's experimentation with her poetry and chords.

    In 1972 a family friend, Ricky Hopper, with some "connections" shopped some of Kate's demos to record companies. She had more than thirty songs on these recordings but they failed to spark any interest. In fact, some companies described the material as "morbid", "boring" and "uncommercial". Ricky Hopper, however, had one important connection. Pink Floyd's David Gilmour had attended Cambridge University with Hopper. David had been searching for some new talent to work with and when he heard Kate's work he was suitably impressed. By 1973, at age 15, Kate Bush went into David Gilmour's home studio to record more demos. The backing band was comprised of Gilmour himself on guitar, and Peter Perrier and Pat Martin of Unicorn on drums and bass, respectively. The songs recorded included "Passing Through Air" (later to surface on the b-side of the 1980 single Army Dreamers) and a song now known as "Maybe".

    These new demos were shopped to record companies, again with no result. Kate returned to concentrate on her school studies believing her career in music was all but over. David Gilmour, however, has different ideas. Kate was close to graduating senior school in 1975 when Gilmour urged her to record another demo. He put up the money to finance professional sessions for a three-song demo that he intended to shop more aggressively. In June of that year Gilmour took Kate Bush into London's Air Studios to record "Saxophone Song" (also known then as "Berlin"), "The Man With the Child in His Eyes", and again "Maybe", a song that really never surfaced again and actually had no real title, but fans refer to it as "Maybe".

    In July, 1975 Kate returned to study for her final "A Level" exams. Meanwhile Pink Floyd were at Abbey Road Studios recording "Wish You Were Here". Whilst there Gilmour played the three-track demo to Bob Mercer, then General Manager of EMI's pop division. Mercer was impressed and a deal was discussed.

    The four-year deal took twelve months to negotiate and finalise. Kate began working on shaping her unique voice and extending her repertoire of original material. EMI were happy to let Kate develop and polish her act for some time. During the first year Kate recorded two more demos for EMI.

    In March of 1977 Bush penned "Wuthering Heights" and soon after she commenced work on her first album for EMI. By November of 1977 the album was completed and the single "Wuthering Heights" had found it's way on to several London radio stations even though the track and album had not been released.

    In January of 1978 the single "Wuthering Heights" was released and it found it's way quickly on to all commercial radio stations throughout Britain. By February the album "Kick Inside" had also been released. A month later "Wuthering Heights" had hit Number One on the British Pop charts. By July, 1978 the debut single had been Number 1 in the Netherlands, Belgium, New Zealand, and Australia; and "top-ten" in Germany, France, Brazil, Argentina, South Africa, Denmark, Sweden and Finland.

    By October, 1978 Kate's second album "Lionheart" had been recorded and mixed and in readiness for it's release she travelled to Australia for a promotional tour. In Australia she co-hosted the Tenth annual TV Week King of Pop Awards with teen pop sensation Leif Garrett before a live audience of 1,000 in a circus tent, and a television audience of two million on the Nine Network. The next day she performed live on the Countdown, debuting the dance routine she'd choreographed for Lionheart's lead single "Hammer Horror".

    In support of her first two releases Kate embarks on numerous tours throughout Europe and does non-stop promotional work across the world. She collected several awards, predominantly British press and television awards and was lauded across Europe as a phenomenonal live performer.

    In June, 1980 the first single from the forthcoming album, "Never for Ever", was released. The single, "Babooshka", became her most successful single release since "Wuthering Heights". The album released followed in September of 1980. Debuting at Number 1 it made Kate Bush the first British solo female artist ever to reach the Number 1 position on the British album charts. Late in the year "Babooshka" scored hits across the world. More awards and accolades followed.

    Work on her fourth album had, by now, commenced and the project took almost two years to complete. The lead single, also the title track "The Dreaming", was released in July of 1982. The song, however, received little airtime as it was seen as too complex by the radio programmers. The album, released in September, suffered a similar fate. Fans, on the other hand, saw this album as Kate's defining moment and support at her promotional appearances and shows continued. The album peaked at Number 3 on the British Pop charts. American critics were taken by the album's creativity and it cracked the Billboard Top 200, the first of Bush's album's to do so. College radio stations put Kate Bush material on heavy rotation and EMI's American division began a marketing campaign of her back catalogue. Her second album "Lionheart" also then cracked the Billboard Top 200. At this stage Bush had still to tour the United States performing.

    In June, 1985 her fifth album, "Hounds of Love", was completed. It featured the single "Running Up That Hill" which scored massive airplay and critical acclaim when released in August. "Running Up That Hill" peaked at Number 3 on the British Pop charts and was her biggest single success since "Wuthering Heights", far exceeding "Babooshka" in sales. It also entered the Top Ten in most countries in Europe and in Australia and Canada. The album was released in September entering the British album charts at Number 1. It entered the U.S. Billboard album chart at Number 74, peaking at Number 30 two months later.

    Promotional appearances and guest act spots continued for Kate as well as her appearance on Peter Gabriel's fifth solo album. She contributed by dueting with Gabriel on "Don't Give Up" which was released in October of 1986. Work on her sixth studio album commenced and it wasn't until May of 1989 that the work was completed. "The Sensual World", the first single from Bush's sixth album, was released in September of 1989 with the album of the same name being released a month later. The album and single performed poorly in Britain as Bush cut back on her promotional activity. Meanwhile, college radio in the U.S. had put the release into heavy rotation. But the new U.S. record company, Columbia, offered the album little more than minimal promotion and sales in that territory were also poor, despite the buzz in alternative media. Back home in Britain the second and third single releases from the newest album faired no better than their predecessors.     		Kate Bush - Mid Career

    Two separate tours were touted during the next couple of years, neither of which came about. To this point Bush had only had one official tour, 1979's "The Tour Of Life". Bush's mother, died in February of 1992, while Kate was working on her seventh studio album.

    In November of 1993 her seventh album, "Red Shoes", was released and the album and singles, particularly "Rubberband Girl", met with good chart performances. The U.S. market still had a place for Kate Bush and the single "Rubberband Girl" was her best performing release there since 1985's "Running Up That Hill". Bush had also been busy making and releasing a film entitled "The Line, The Cross and The Curve". She promoted this and her music across Europe.

    In 1994 Kate supplied a variety of soundtracks for TV commercials for the U.S. launch of the Fruitopia range of drinks by Coca-Cola! Until late 1996 Kate Bush is barely heard from. In October, 1996 she contributed guest vocals to a Prince song on his "Emancipation" album. The Artist Formerly Know As had done similarly for Bush's "Why Should I Love You" from 1993's "Red Shoes" album.

    Throughout 1997 Bush remained in relative seclusion and her absence from the musical landscape prompted British tabloids to circulate many rumours about her what she'd been up to. Most widespread of these was that she had gone insane and had changed her name to Catherine Earnshaw. Bush addressed the total inaccuracy of these rumours to one of the many newsgroups set up in her honour. She also mentioned in her letter to the newsgroup that she had enjoyed her break and had started to write again, but nothing to "get excited about".

    In 2000 Bush was working towards the release of her eighth studio album when she had to again endure tabloid rumours. This time surrounding her young son and the secretive life she had him lead. Bush released the following press release:

    "A number of inaccurate comments have been made about me in recent articles which I am taking further. I just want everyone to know I am very happy and proud to have such a beautiful son, Bertie - he is absolutely gorgeous. Far from being secretive, I am just trying to be a good protective mother and give him as normal a childhood as possible whilst preserving his privacy - surely everyone can understand that. I am having great fun being a Mum as well as working on a new album"
    "I hope you will understand how invaluable it has been to me to have a very fulfilling and normal start to motherhood and I felt unable to tell you about Bertie previously for reasons already explained. He is the most beautiful thing I have ever seen. He is my joy and I'm very happy and very busy being a Mum. I am finding time to write for the new album and very pleased so far."
    "Thanks again for your lovely letters and kind wishes. I hope you will be happy for me."

    Kate Bush Throughout 2002 Bush granted more interviews and gave her first full interview since 1994 to Britain's "Q" magazine mid-year. In the interview she discussed the progress of her eighth album and motherhood. Her son, referred to in the previous paragraph, was fathered by Danny McIntosh, the guitarist responsible for most of the guitars on the "Red Shoes" album. The last word from Kate has been in her 2002 letter to her fanclub below:

    "It's been a while since I was last in touch with you all. Thank you for your cards & letters of congratulations on the Q award I received recently. It was a great honour to receive the award and I found the audience's response quite overwhelming. Things have been really hectic and I so appreciate all your feedback and encouragement. Sometimes the progress of the album is painfully slow but I find I get so busy being a Mum - however, I think the work is going well. I get so little time in the studio that my approach is very different, I'll be really interested to see what you all think when it's finished. Bertie is very excited about Christmas this year. I hope you all have a fantastic Christmas and a very Happy New Year. Lots of love,
    Kate xx"

    February, 2003 saw Kate Bush on the cover of UK music magazine Mojo. The issue features a nine page retrospective by Phil Sutcliffe entitled "Season Of The Witch". The Mojo website outlines the article as follows: "Eccentric, elusive, English. It's almost 25 years since Wuthering Heights made Kate Bush a star, and a decade since she quietly slipped from view". The article also claims that Kate recently turned down a "life-time" Brit award "because the organisers insisted she had to perform or she couldn't have it". Kate didn't give an interview to Mojo. Her business manager told them that she "wouldn't be talking until the album was out." When Mojo asked when that might be, the reply was "how long is a piece of string?"

    Kate Bush's legend lives on through the music of many contemporary female solo artists. Bjork, Tori Amos, Toni Halliday from the band Curve, Sarah McLachlan, and many others cite Kate Bush as a key influence to their songwriting, singing, and their career in general. Let's see if she can come back and inspire another generation.

    Thanks go to the enormous resource of gaffa.org for help with our research on Kate Bush.

    UPDATE - 27th MARCH 2004
     Kate continues to work on her eighth studio album. Word has leaked of one track, a Celtic arrangement titled "Bertie" (Kate's son's name). The track features parts from world renowned musicians, recordist Emma Murphy and violinist Susanne Pell. Other known contributors to the album include Mick Karn, Stuart Elliott and jazz percussionist Peter Irskine. Bush's ex, Del Palmer, is also thought to be engineering the project. Kate is recording in her own recently upgraded studio and is said to have been working on the project for more than three years. There are also some unconfirmed reports that the album may be ready for release in September 2004.

    An interesting tidbit is that Kate is not going to permit the Ukulele Orchestra of Great Britain to cover her classic track "Wuthering Heights".
    Apparently the Uke-sters have an excellent arrangement recorded and are just waiting for the OK from Kate. Arranger, classical guitar great Richard Durrant, says of the piece and their negotiations with Kate Bush, "She's incredibly sensitive about that particular number because she wrote it when she was very young and she's very protective of it."

    In other rumours, UK publication The Sunday Times suggest Kate may be made a dame, being added to the honours list sometime this year. She would join the likes of Sir Elton John and Sir Paul McCartney as a pop musician on the list.

    UPDATE - 22nd OCTOBER 2005
     Well, most of our mail from eighteen months ago was spot on. It's taken that long but Kate has been working on a new album, finally completed and to be released in November. It's lead-in is the single "King Of The Mountain" to be released Monday, October 24th. There is also a track on the forthcoming album named after her son, as reported early last year.
    Limited information is available from Kate's site HERE, with more information expected to be added following the release of the single and album.

    Drop us an e-mail if you'd like us to track down some of stars of the past for you and feature them in Where Are They Now? or if you have anything to add or correct from one of our features.

    BACK TO CONTENTS

    THIS WEEK'S MUSIC QUOTE

     "Whenever society gets too stifling and the rules get too complex, there's some sort of musical explosion".
    - Slash (Guns 'n' Roses)

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    FEATURED PRODUCT - ESP OCTOBER 2005 EYE CANDY

    ESP October 2005 Eye Candy
    As is tradition here at bmusic we bring you some eye candy of some of the most exotic of recently landed ESPs here at the store. Of the many ESPs to arrive during October two of them we've been waiting most of the year for, the incredible 30th Anniversary Eclipse Custom and KH-2 30th Anniversary Custom featured. There are plenty of others and the best or most interesting of the new arrivals are also featured in this week's featured product section.     BACK TO CONTENTS

    VINTAGE AND ITEMS OF INTEREST AVAILABLE AT bmusic

    Ampeg VH 140C Guitar Amplifier - POA
    Good condition. Stereo chorus, twin channel guitar amp. e-mail for more info.

    Crate Stereo Quad Box - POA
    Good condition. 200 watts, 10" speakers, on wheels. e-mail for more info.

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    SPECIALS AT bmusic

     ESP GUITARS AND BASSES ON SALE ALL DAY EVERY DAY!
    We aren't the ones to "match" prices - we set 'em! Compare our LIST prices with any in Australia, good ol' bmusic.com.au is the cheapest hands down. You see, we don't need to price match when we are the thing other stores are trying to match. There's a lot to be said for taking the lead instead of following.

    SCHECTER GUITARS AND BASSES ON SALE ALL DAY EVERY DAY!
    Just like with our industry leading ESP prices and reputation, with our new Schecter dedicated site we are stepping up the profile and dropping the prices to never before seen levels with Schecter. We are also landing some of the only Schecter models of their type in Australia, and some of the very few anywhere in the world throughout 2005.

    Specials this week include:
    FRAMUS DRAGON GUITAR HEAD - $3595 save $500 off RRP
     FRAMUS COBRA GUITAR HEAD - $3795 save $600 off RRP
     HUGHES & KETTNER ZENTERA HEAD - $4595 save $1100 off RRP
     HUGHES & KETTNER ALEX LIFESON TRIAMP - $4759 save $836 off RRP
     HUGHES & KETTNER TRIAMP MK II - $4275 save $1020 off RRP
     HUGHES & KETTNER TRILOGY HEAD - $2495 save $504 off RRP
     HUGHES & KETTNER PURETONE HEAD - $2795 save $700 off RRP
     HUGHES & KETTNER WARP-T HALF STACK - $3259 save $740 off RRP
     HUGHES & KETTNER MATRIX 100 HEAD - $725 save $170 off RRP
     HUGHES & KETTNER MATRIX 100 COMBO - $999 save $200 off RRP
     OVATION BALLADEER S771 - $1869 save $330 off RRP
     JIM DUNLOP ZAKK WYLDE WAH - $269 save $50 off RRP
     DIGITECH® GNX-4 GUITAR WORKSTATION - $1189 save $210 off RRP
     DIGITECH® GNX-3 GUITAR WORKSTATION - $799 save $400 off RRP
     HUGHES & KETTNER BASSFORCE 100 - $869 save $180 off RRP
     WARWICK TAKE 12 80 WATT BASS COMBO - $789 save $210 off RRP
     ROCKTRON GAINIAC 2 PREAMP - $339 save $60 off RRP
     ROCKTRON XPRESSION GUITAR EFFECTS - $679 save $120 off RRP
     ROCKTRON BLUE THUNDER BASS EFFECTS - $759 save $140 off RRP
     ROCKTRON PROPHESY PREAMP - $2359 save $540 off RRP
     ROCKTRON VOODU VALVE PREAMP - $1359 save $240 off RRP
     ROCKTRON HUSH SUPER C - $339 save $60 off RRP
     ROCKTRON VELOCITY 100 POWER AMP - $479 save $70 off RRP
     All prices include GST

    Check out our Specials page for more info on these specials.

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    THIS WEEK'S FEATURE ARTICLE - THE SONG THAT CHANGED THE WORLD

    'The Song That Changed The World' by Kenny Kerner is a 'short but sweet' look at that old chestnut "Art Vs. Commerce". Whether you agree with Kenny's point-of-view or not, this article gives the reader plenty of food for thought.

    Click HERE to read 'The Song That Changed The World'.

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    FEATURED ARTIST - JAPUNGA

    Forming in late 2001 Japunga emerged from the underground heavy rock\metal scene with a 5 track E.P entitled “Beginnings”. With support from Local and National radio the band toured throughout the year to form a small but dedicated fan base.

    Following Beginnings was the full-length album “Light At Days End” which saw the band pick up a licensing deal through their Independent label Modern Music (with Collision Records). The band went on to play and support some of the biggest shows and names in heavy music throughout 2003-2004.

    After 2 years performing live around the country the band is now about to release the forth coming album entitled “Souls Conflicting” through Modern Music and distributed through SonyBMG in November 2005.

    Japunga have used a wide variety of music styles to create their own style of music. Their sound is a mix of rock with contempary metal, melodic songs with convicting lyrics and strong melodies.

    The songs are written from real life experiences by vocalist Jef Carter and performed with high energy and emotion needed to bring the songs to life. These songs have been heard on major and local radio stations all over the country

    To learn more about Japunga and listen to their stuff visit their excellent web site HERE.

    Each week's Feature Artist is selected from the Band Links page, so get on and list your favourite group at the Band Link page and they could be the Feature Artist at bmusic.com.au.

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    MUSICIANS WANTED

    Our 'Musicians Wanted' pages are getting more and more listings every week with musicians from across the country (and the globe) looking for singers and instrumentalists of all types.
    Get on over to Musicians Wanted to see all the new listings. Check back regularly as new listings are received almost every day.

    There are two simple sections at the FREE Musicians Wanted pages. 'Musicians Wanted by Bands' and 'Bands Wanted by Musicians'. If you fit one of these categories click HERE to see if there is a candidate to fit the bill. If not, then send us your new listing and we'll have it up inside a day. Just be sure to let us know if you fill the vacancy so we can remove it from the page.

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    GEAR WANTED

  • Akai Headrush Pedal
    Kaeleen is looking for the above mentioned pedal, so let us know if you can help.

  • Ibanez Series 10 Pedals:
    Pretty short and to the point request from a bloke without the ability to type capitals on his keyboard it would appear :)
    "i'm looking for ibanez series 10 pedals most of all the ph10 bi mode phaser"
    Let us know if you can help. Who was it looking for this, we have located one and I've lost your contact details!


  • Guitar promo catalogues:
    A good friend of ours here at bmusic is after any old catalogues from days gone by. At the moment he's particularly keen to get a hold of any Washburn catalogues from the late '70's. Those that feature the Washburn Wing Series of basses and guitars would be of particular interest.

  • Second-hand saxes, clarinets and flutes. We are looking for good quality, good condition, saxophones, clarinets and flutes to help out those parents who are a little dubious about their child's level of commitment to their chosen instrument and, subsequently, don't want to spend a bomb on what might turn out to be a fad. If you or your kids have taken up the horn but chucked it in, don't take it to Cashies. Brands like Yamaha, Yanigasawa, Selmer, Buescher etc. are always welcome at bmusic.


  • Marshall JCM800's. That's right, we STILL want 'em. JCM800 2203 and 2204 models.


    • If there's something you've been trying to get your hands on, let us know and we will list it here for you. You never know.

    If you spot something in the U.S. or Canada you're keen on let us know. We have contacts in those territories who, for a small fee, can act on your behalf in any transactions and make sure you get your stuff safe and sound.

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    BAND LINKS

    Click HERE to visit the Band Links page and be sure to check back regularly to see new listings.
    If you're in a band or are a supporter of any local bands in your area, why not create a link for them on our FREE Band Links page. Each week's Featured Artist is selected from our Band Links pages. List your band and you could be the next bmusic Featured Artist.

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    THE WEEK AHEAD IN MUSIC

  • Events

    • In 1971, "The Allman Brothers Band Live at the Fillmore East" earnt gold sales status in the US for the Allman Brothers just four days before band leader Duane Allman was killed in a motorcycle accident.

    In 1988, John Fogerty had a case brought against him in the U.S. courst by Fantasy Records. The record company claimed John had plagiarised himself, using his song "Run Through The Jungle" that Fantasy had rights to, when writing "The Old Man Down The Road".

    In 1993, Duran Duran cancelled the rest of their tour when lead singer Simon LeBon tore a vocal chord.

    In 1960, Ben E. King, former Drifters lead singer, recorded his first solo sides, "Spanish Harlem" and "Stand by Me," at Atlantic Records.

    In 1961, a customer asked Liverpool record store boy Brian Epstein for a copy of "My Bonnie" by a local group. Epstein's curiosity was aroused and he sought the recording. He found it, and ultimately became manager for the local group, which happened to be The Beatles.

    In 1961, the Crystals' "Oh, Yeah, Maybe Baby" was the first record to be released by Phil Spector's 'Philles' label. Spector's label went on to become, arguably, the most influential record label in the Sixties.

    In 1965, the Beatles were awarded the MBE (Member of the Britah Empire) medal.

    In 1967, Brian Jones plead guilty in a London Magistrate's court to the possession of cannabis and not guilty of possessing cocaine and methedrine. Jones was remanded to Wormwood Scrub Prison until sentencing the following day where he received a sentence of nine months in jail. He was released on bail pending an appeal that was ultimately successful.

    In 1970, Doors lead singer Jim Morrison was sentenced to six months in jail and fined US$500 for exposing himself in Miami.

    In 1972, the United States Council for World Affairs announced that it was adopting the Who song, "Join Together" as its official theme.

    In 1977, Meatloaf released his smash album "Bat Out of Hell'".

    In 1981, Queen and David Bowie recorded "Under Pressure" in Montreaux, Switzerland.

    In 1982, Paul Weller announced the breakup of his band, The Jam.

    In 1983, Pink Floyd's "Dark Side Of The Moon" became the longest listed album in the history of the US Billboard music charts when its run reached 491 consecutive weeks.

    In 1992, Pearl Jam set a first week sales record in the U.S. by selling 950,000 copies of the "Vs." album, the follow-up to their debut "Ten". That sales record has since been broken, in 1998 by Garth Brooks and again in 1999 by the Backstreet Boys.

    In 1993, Catholic churches in San Juan, Puerto Rico opened their doors for the night and urged residents to tie black ribbons on trees to protest Madonna's first concert there.

    In 1995, former Miami Sound Machine singer, Gloria Estefan performed for Pope John Paul II as part of the celebration of his 50th anniversary in the priesthood.

    In 1997, R.E.M. drummer Bill Berry announced his retirement from the band

    In 2002, Sir Paul McCartney has cancelled his scheduled Melbourne show in a move that angered promoters, the Victorian government, and fans alike. Sir Paul gave his excuse as "it's not an appropriate time for a rock show". This, he says, was due to the terrorist bombings in Bali and he has cancelled out of a sign of respect to the victims and their families. Fans who purchased tickets from ticketmaster7.com were mighty agro when they looked at their bank statements searching for their 'full refund'. A full refund, it seems, doesn't include the booking fee.
    The majority of fans were dubious about the reasons given for the cancellation and popular consensus was that poor ticket sales and an imminent loss for the Victorian Government were to blame. McCartney's fee for one show was said to be $6 million, and ticket sales were to reap $12 million.

    In 2002, drummer Bobby Hewitt quit his band Orgy and joined fledgling outfit Snake River Conspiracy.

    In 2002, in it's second season the U.S. 'American Idol' show enlisted R & B star Angie Martinez as a member of the judging panel. However, in only it's second week of filming Martinez quit the show. "Being asked to join 'American Idol' as their newest panelist was an honor," Martinez said in a statement. "However, after judging the first few auditions, I've decided to leave the show because it became too uncomfortable for me to tell someone else to give up on their dream, especially when I realized that many of them have supported my career."
    "Some girl burst into tears when Angie rejected her at the auditions, and Angie quit," Martinez's manager explained. "She just couldn't crush the contestants' dreams."

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  • Births In 1936, former Rolling Stones bassist Bill Wyman.

    In 1944, Yes vocalist Jon Anderson.

    In 1936, singer Charles Daniels was born.

    In 1939, Jefferson Airplane singer, Grace Slick.

    In 1944, Denny Laine, vocalist and guitarist for the Moody Blues and Wings, was born.

    In 1946, legendary guitarist and vocalist of Fleetwood Mac fame, Peter Green.

    In 1947, Eagles bass player, Timothy B. Schmidt.

    In 1947, Poco guitarist and vocalist, Jim Messina.

    In 1949, E Street Band bassist Garry Tallent was born.

    In 1958, Duran Duran singer Simon LeBon.

    In 1967, Stone Temple Pilots lead singer, and the only man that has ever kept them from wider appreciation, Scott Weiland.

    In 1967, Gavin Rossdale, Bush singer/guitarist and husband of No Doubt vocalist Gwen Stefani.

    In 1992, John Fogerty's wife Julie gave birth to their son Tyler.

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  • Deaths In 1991, concert promoter Bill Graham was killed in a helicopter crash.

    In 1971, at the age of 24, in the first of a number of tragedies for the Allman Brothers Band, leader Duane Allman was killed in a motorcycle accident, just outside the group's hometown of Macon, Georgia.

    In 1999, Hoyt Axton, son of "Heartbreak Hotel" co-author Mae Axton, died of a heart attack Hoy was a singer/ songrwriter and actor who had written for Elvis Presley, Ringo Starr, Joan Baez, Waylon Jennings, John Denver, Linda Ronstadt, Steppenwolf , Three Dog Night and others. He was born in 1938.

    In 2000, Steve Allen (Stephen Valentine Patrick William Allen) died as a result of injuries to his heart suffered in a car crash a day earlier. Allen wrote, "This Could Be The Start Of Something Big" and "Impossible". He was the founding father of late- night talk show in the US with his TV shows showcasing many musical artists including Bob Dylan, The Smothers Brothers, Elvis Presley and even a young Frank Zappa playing a bike as a musical instrument. Steve Allen composed more than 5,000 songs in his lifetime.

    In 2002, 37-year old Jam Master Jay, one third of the hip hop pioneering trio Run DMC, was shot fatally shot once in the head in a New York recording studio. There were many conflicting reports regarding the incident, many of which pointed to a link between Jay's friend Jason Mizzell (shot in the leg at the same time) and fellow rapper 50 Cent. Reports said that 50 Cent, a former protege of Jam Master Jay, was under police protection and had received threats around the time,leading to the cancellation of New York City shows the same week Jay was murdered. Police denied the claims that there was a connection or that they were providing police protection to 50 Cent. He was, however, questioned in relation to the incident.

    In 2002, producer/engineer Tom Dowd died as a result of a respiratory disease at the age of 77. Dowd worked with The Allman Brothers, Ray Charles, Derek And The Dominos ("Layla") Aretha Franklin ("Respect"), Otis Redding, Neil Young, Charles Mingus, James Brown, Eric Clapton, John Coltrane ("Giant Steps"), Rod Stewart, Wilson Pickett, Cream, Lynyrd Skynyrd and many others. He is credited with introducing the first eight track recorder into a major studio and was also a physicist who worked on the Manhattan Project.

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