Musicares to honor Aretha Franklin, Elton to attend

Music Luminaries Gather To Honor Aretha Franklin As 2008 Musicares Person Of The Year

GRAMMY-winning recording artist Aretha Franklin will be honored as the 2008 MusiCares Person of the Year at a special event celebrating her extraordinary musical achievements and her philanthropic commitments to children's and healthcare organizations and various churches and food banks in the Detroit metropolitan area.

Track Listings for Deluxe Editions Due Feb 18

Here are the track listings for the Elton John-Deluxe Edition and Tumbleweed Connection Deluxe Editions that online CD retailers are listing;

Tumbleweed Connection

Disc 1
1 Ballad Of A Well Known Gun
2 Come Down In Time
3 Country Comfort
4 Son Of Your Father
5 My Father's Gun
6 Where To Now St. Peter
7 Love Song
8 Amoreena
9 Talking Old Soldiers
10 Burn Down The Mission

Disc 2
1 There Goes A Well Known Gun previously unreleased
2 Come Down In Time piano demo/previously unreleased
3 Country Comfort piano demo/previously unreleased
4 Son Of Your Father previously unreleased
5 Talking Old Soldiers piano demo/previously unreleased
6 Into The Old Man's Shoes piano demo/previously unreleased
7 Sisters Of The Cross piano demo/previously unreleased
8 Madman Across The Water original version
9 Into The Old Man's Shoes
10 My Father's Gun BBC session
11 Ballad Of A Well Known Gun BBC session
12 Burn Down The Mission BBC session
13 Amoreena BBC session
(Mercury distributed by Universal Music)


Elton John

Disc 1
1 Your Song
2 I Need You To Turn To
3 Take Me To The Pilot
4 No Shoe Strings On Louise
5 First Episode At Hienton
6 Sixty Years On
7 Border Song
8 Greatest Discovery
9 Cage
10 King Must Die
11 Your Song demo version
12 I Need You To Turn To piano demo
13 Take Me To The Pilot piano demo
14 No Shoe Strings On Louise piano demo
15 Sixty Years On piano demo
16 Greatest Discovery piano demo
17 Cage demo
18 King Must Die piano demo

Disc 2
1 Rock 'n' Roll Madonna piano demo
2 Thank You Mama piano demo
3 All The Way Down To El Paso piano demo
4 I'm Going Home piano demo
5 Grey Seal piano demo
6 Rock 'n' Roll Madonna incomplete band demo
7 Bad Side Of The Moon
8 Grey Seal
9 Rock 'n' Roll Madonna
10 Border Song BBC session
11 Your Song BBC session
12 Take Me To The Pilot BBC session
2CD
(Mercury distributed by Universal Music)

New Elton John Deluxe Editions coming February 18

There are two new Deluxe Editions scheduled for release on February 18. The new 2-CD editions of Elton John-Deluxe Edition and "Tumbleweed Connection" have been packed with piano demos and live performances that are sure to excite Elton fans yearning for some new Elton product. And with no news of any new music on the horizon these two releases are sure to quench die-hard fans thirst.

At this point these are only scheduled to be released in the UK but I am sure that there will be a US release as well.

Merry Christmas !

Elton in Australia 11-28

Elton 07: lots of hits, great hair

Acer Arena, November 28

AS LAST weekend showed, you could reach your use-by date with the public after 60. Elton John turned 60 this year but he's hardly slowed down. His one-man show last night was a little under three hours long in a sold-out room of some 15,000 people.

Clearly generational change is less urgent when after two decades of rubbish you are seven years into a career resurgence based on writing the kind of songs which remind people why they loved you 30 to 35 years ago.

The breadth of Elton's appeal was evident all around. Behind me were four 50-somethings and a 30-something daughter and her teenage son. Along the road, dressed in black and with heavy kohl around the eyes was a couple looking like they arrived a week early for My Chemical Romance.

But everyone of them knew the words to the opening number, Your Song and recognised its aptness at a concert John dedicated to an old friend who died at the weekend, Ken East. It's been a week of goodbyes after all.

Not that John, in black tails festooned with flowers, a french blue shirt and diamond encrusted crucifix looking like it had been borrowed from the Crown jewels, not to mention the best head of hair he's ever had, looked in a hurry to say goodbye. There's no musical Maxine on this horizon, only Mona Lisas and mad hatters.

Ya think?

Now what are you going to do to fix this?

Music boss: we were wrong to go to war with consumers

1:50PM, Wednesday 14th November 2007

The boss of Warner Music has made a rare public confession that the music industry has to take some of the blame for the rise of p2p file sharing.

Speaking at the GSMA Mobile Asia Congress in Macau, Edgar Bronfman told mobile operators that they must not make the same mistake that the music industry made.

"We used to fool ourselves,' he said. "We used to think our content was perfect just exactly as it was. We expected our business would remain blissfully unaffected even as the world of interactivity, constant connection and file sharing was exploding. And of course we were wrong. How were we wrong? By standing still or moving at a glacial pace, we inadvertently went to war with consumers by denying them what they wanted and could otherwise find and as a result of course, consumers won."

Mobile operators risk the same, he said. Fewer than 10% of mobile owners buy music on their handset, the vast majority of which is ringtones.

"The sad truth is that most of what consumers are being offered today on the mobile platform is boring, banal and basic," he said. "People want a more interesting form of mobile music content. They want it to be easy to buy with a single click - yes, a single click, not a dozen. And they want access to it, quickly and easily, wherever they are. 24/7. Any player in the mobile value chain who thinks they can provide less than a great experience for consumers and remain competitive is fooling themselves."

Bronfman suggested that mobile companies have much to learn from Apple, despite being critical of and iTunes in the past.

"For years now, Warner Music has been offering a choice to consumers at Apple's iTunes store the option to purchase something more than just single tracks, which constitute the mainstay of that store's sales," he explained. "By packaging a full album into a bundle of music with ringtones, videos and other combinations and variation we found products that consumers demonstrably valued and were willing to purchase at premium prices. And guess what? We've sold tons of them. And with Apple's co-operation to make discovering, accessing and purchasing these products even more seamless and intuitive, we'll be offering many, many more of these products going forward."

And the iPhone and iPod touch shows that approach can be made to work on mobile platforms, he said,

"You need to look no further than Apple's iPhone to see how fast brilliantly written software presented on a beautifully designed device with a spectacular user interface will throw all the accepted notions about pricing, billing platforms and brand loyalty right out the window. And let me remind you, the genesis of the iPhone is the iPod and iTunes - a music device and music service that consumers love."

Bronfman appears to be experiencing an epiphany when it comes to digital music. From threatening to withdraw from iTunes and suggesting that to drop DRM would be "without logic or merit", he is now heaping praising on Apple and recently opened a DRM-free section on Warner's own Classics and Jazz music store.
Simon Aughton

Other Music News: Eagles land at #1

The Eagles first album in 28 years "The Long Road Out Of Eden" has landed at #1 after Walmart agreed to report their sales numbers and Billboard changed their chart policy. The album moved 711,000 units easily besting Britney Spears new album "Blackout" which moved 290,000 units.

Revised Chart Policy Lands Eagles At No. 1

November 06, 2007, 8:30 PM ET
Mitchell Peters, L.A.

The Eagles' first new studio album in 28 years, "Long Road Out of Eden," takes a short route to No. 1 on The Billboard 200 after Billboard revised a significant chart policy today (Nov. 7).

In consultation with Nielsen SoundScan, Billboard will now allow exclusive album titles that are only available through one retailer to appear on The Billboard 200 and other charts, effective with this week's charts. Prior to this, proprietary titles were not eligible to appear on most Billboard charts.

Early SoundScan numbers have the Eagles taking the top perch on The Billboard 200 with 711,000 copies sold, with most sales moved by Wal-Mart and Sam's Club stores. For now, the only other U.S. outlets carrying "Eden" are walmart.com, where both physical copies and downloads are sold, and the Eagles' own Web site.

"Eden" became available at the mass-market chain Oct. 30. Aside from two compilations, this is the Eagles' first album since the mostly live "Hell Freezes Over," which led The Billboard 200 for two weeks in 1994.

Britney Spears' new Jive album, "Blackout," which would have been No. 1 had the Eagles' data not been reported, will open at No. 2 with first-week sales of 290,000 copies.

"We know that some retailers will be uncomfortable with this policy, but it was inevitable that Billboard's charts would ultimately widen the parameters to reflect changes that are unfolding in music distribution," says Geoff Mayfield, Billboard's director of charts. "We would have preferred to make this decision earlier, but only became aware within the last 24 hours that Wal-Mart would be willing to share the data for this title with Nielsen SoundScan."

The revised policy initially impacts The Billboard 200 and Top Country Albums, where "Eden" will also bow at No. 1. Criteria for the remainder of Billboard's albums charts will be formulated later this week. A handful of other titles will debut this week on The Billboard 200 as a consequence of the policy revision.

Previously, titles that were not generally available at retail were not eligible to appear on The Billboard 200, but were entitled to chart on Billboard's Top Comprehensive Albums, which includes catalog titles and proprietary albums from retailers willing to report those sales.

The comprehensive chart will continue to appear on Billboard.biz, to show how catalog titles compete with the overall market. However, once parameters for the remainder of the album charts are determined, Top Comprehensive Music Videos will be discontinued, as exclusive titles will then be eligible for the Nielsen SoundScan-fed Top Music Videos.

Elton to perform at first "Movies Rock" concert

Beyonce, Elton, Fergie Set For 'Movies Rock'

October 24, 2007, 11:15 AM ET
Jonathan Cohen, N.Y.

A star-studded music roster is on board for the first Movies Rock concert, to be taped Dec. 2 at Los Angeles' Kodak Theatre for broadcast five days later on CBS. Performers such as Beyonce, Carrie Underwood, Elton John, Fergie, Mary J. Blige and Jennifer Hudson will perform notable songs from classic films at the event.

Beyonce will sing "Somewhere Over the Rainbow" from "The Wizard of Oz," while Underwood will tackle the title number from "The Sound of Music." Other pairings on tap include Hudson on "Goldfinger," Fergie on "Live and Let Die," Blige and John Legend on "As Time Goes By" and John on music from animated films.

Proceeds from the event, which mirrors the annual Fashion Rocks event in New York, will benefit the Entertainment Industry Foundation.

As with Fashion Rocks, a supplemental magazine dubbed "Movies Rock" will be included with 14 Conde Nast titles, beginning Nov. 1.

KC Setlist

Set list from KC show;

Funeral for a Friend/Love Lies Bleeding
The Bitch is Back
Madman Across the Water
Tiny Dancer
Levon
Believe
Take Me to the Pilot
Goodbye Yellow Brick Road
Daniel
Rocket Man
Honky Cat
Someone Saved My Life Tonight
I Guess That’s Why They Call It the Blues
Burn Down the Mission
The Bridge
Sorry Seems to Be the Hardest Word
Candle in the Wind
Bennie and the Jets
Philadelphia Freedom
Sad Songs Say So Much
I’m Still Standing
Crocodile Rock
Saturday Night’s Alright (For Fighting)

Encore:
Don’t Let the Sun Go Down On Me
Your Song

Laminated backstage pass missing from Amazon exclusive Elton 60

Some posters over at The Crazy Water Community are reporting that the Amazon exclusive Elton 60 box set is missing the laminated backstage pass which is part of what was suppose to make it exclusive, including mine.

I have emailed eltonjohn.com and am awaiting a response. I will post any useful info I get back.

Elton are you listening?

Madonna joins Radiohead and The Eagles as the latest artist to dump their record label. She is rumored to be signing a deal with promoter Live Nation for her next three albums, exclusive promotion of her concerts and merchandise. Artists are continuing to move away from the dinosaur record labels who stifle growth and who refuse to take advantage of the new media.

Elton?

Madonna Nears Deal to Leave Record Label

By JEFF LEEDS
Published: October 11, 2007

LOS ANGELES, Oct. 10 — Madonna is about to become the latest music superstar to defy the music industry’s traditional structure by exiting her longtime record label, Warner Brothers Records, for a lucrative deal that relies heavily on her longevity as a live-concert attraction.

Madonna is nearing an agreement with Live Nation, the concert promoter, that would pay her more than $100 million in exchange for three albums and the exclusive rights to promote her concerts and to market her merchandise in a wide-ranging partnership, according to people briefed on the talks.

The deal, which includes cash and stock, would pay her about half the total upfront, said these people, who requested anonymity because the agreement had not been completed.

The deal, which was first reported yesterday on The Wall Street Journal’s Web site, is the latest example of how tough times for record labels and concert promoters have set off a free-for-all over the rights to the various revenue streams created when a musician becomes a star. Instead of sharing in only one piece of the income — say, CD sales — companies are angling to share in all of an artist’s business lines, like publishing, merchandise sales and endorsement fees.

It also comes as the major record companies are reeling from the loss of historically reliable brand-name acts. Word of Madonna’s likely exit from Warner Brothers, a unit of the publicly held Warner Music Group, came the same day that one of rock’s biggest free agent acts, the acclaimed British band Radiohead, started delivering digital copies of its new album directly to fans, in a big break with industry convention. Another influential free agent band, the Eagles, is selling its new album directly to Wal-Mart Stores.

Madonna’s move particularly underscores the determination of Live Nation to encompass a wider swath of the music business. The publicly held company, based in Beverly Hills, Calif., made an earlier foray into so-called all-rights or 360 deals with artists when it made a small investment to share in the earnings of Korn, the hard-rock act.

But it is making a much bigger leap — and taking a bigger risk — with Madonna, who turns 50 next year, and who, the company expects, will continue her live-concert success for years to come. Madonna’s “Confessions” tour last year ranked as the highest-grossing tour ever by a female artist, according to Billboard magazine. The tour generated roughly $195 million from 60 shows and drew more than 1.2 million fans.

Her last album, “Confessions on a Dance Floor,” sold an estimated 1.6 million copies in the United States.

It is not clear how many copies Live Nation expects her future albums to sell, but it may be some time before the company has a chance to release Madonna’s music. Madonna owes one more studio album to Warner under her contract there; that album is expected to be released next year.

Warner also owns the rights to Madonna’s catalog of earlier recordings. Under the deal with Live Nation, according to people briefed on the arrangement, ownership of her new recordings would eventually revert to her.

Representatives for Live Nation and Warner Music declined to comment. Madonna’s manager, Guy Oseary, could not be reached for comment.

Amazon Exclusive: "Elton 60: Live At Madison Square Garden" Collectors Edition

Amazon has the 2 DVD/1 CD box set exclusively.

To pre-order the Elton 60 Collectors Edition click the image below or in the side bar.

Elton John: Someone Like Me @ Amazon $9.98

Elton slams US over AIDS

Elton John Slams George Bush Over AIDS

Elton John has attacked the U.S. Government's AIDS effort, dubbing it a waste of time and money. The campaigning rocker - and head of the Elton John Aids Foundation - is astounded George W. Bush's regime has concentrated all its efforts promoting abstinence, rather than developing treatments.

Speaking at his Aids gala in New York on Wednesday, John says, "They've made a grave error in giving millions to abstinence programs. They don't work. They were told in the beginning that it wouldn't work. It's a tragic waste of money. Please don't listen to those idiots. God almighty."

The Rocket Man also took the opportunity to hit out at South African President Thabo Mbeki, who claims garlic, beetroots, lemon and olive oil are more effective in fighting Aids than antiretroviral medicines.

He tells the New York Daily News, "There are some weird people in the world - what can I say? I would just tell them, 'Don't let the AIDS crisis get lost.'"

God forbid people suggest one way to protect yourself from exposure to AIDS is to refrain from sexual activity!
And what about the US commitment to fighting AIDS;

2008 AIDS Relief Budget Request Tops Original Commitment

United States remains global leader in fight against AIDS, official says

By Cheryl Pellerin
USINFO Staff Writer

Washington – President Bush has asked the U.S. Congress to approve $5.4 billion for his President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) for fiscal year 2008 (2008-2009), the last year of the five-year effort to fight HIV/AIDS around the world.

If that funding is approved, the PEPFAR program – the largest commitment by a single nation to an international health initiative – would be on track to exceed the original $15 billion pledge and bring to $18.3 billion the amount of money the United States has invested in the fight against AIDS.

“By working with host nations to build quality health care networks and increase capacity,” U.S. global AIDS coordinator Ambassador Mark Dybul testified March 1 before the House Committee on Appropriations subcommittee on State and Foreign Operations, “we are laying the foundation for nations and communities to sustain their efforts against HIV/AIDS and other diseases long after the initial five years of the Emergency Plan.”

The HIV/AIDS pandemic has killed at least 20 million of the more than 60 million people it has infected so far, leaving 14 million orphans worldwide. On the continent of Africa, nearly 30 million people have the AIDS virus – including 3 million children under age 15, according to the White House.

Bush announced the PEPFAR program in 2003 to support treatment for 2 million HIV-infected people, help prevent 7 million new infections and help care for 10 million people infected or affected by HIV/AIDS by 2008 in 15 focus countries – Botswana, Côte d'Ivoire, Ethiopia, Guyana, Haiti, Kenya, Mozambique, Namibia, Nigeria, Rwanda, South Africa, Tanzania, Uganda, Vietnam and Zambia. (See related fact sheet.)

It seems no matter what the US does its never good enough for some group or individual;

US to spend extra $30bn to fight HIV/Aids, pledges Bush

· Washington becomes campaign's biggest backer
· Critics praise president's commitment to fight

Ewen MacAskill in Washington
Thursday May 31, 2007
The Guardian

The following correction was printed in the Guardian's Corrections and clarifications column, Friday June 1 2007

Terri Bartlett of Population Action International was quoted in the article below as hoping the move offered an opportunity to make the programme "more effective by correcting policies based on evidence, not ideology". This could be misinterpreted. What she said was " ... correcting policies on the basis of evidence, not ideology". This has been corrected.

Article continues
George Bush announced yesterday that the US plans to spend $30bn (£15bn) over five years in Africa and elsewhere to combat HIV/Aids.

This would make the US by far the biggest single donor to the campaign against HIV/Aids and is in addition to the $15bn Washington has been spending since 2003. Parts of Mr Bush's policy are opposed by international health organisations, academics, women's groups, European governments and even the administration's financial watchdog. In line with domestic Christian right orthodoxy, a significant proportion of the funds are channelled to religious groups advocating abstinence until marriage and refusing to distribute condoms, an approach regarded as counter-productive and costing lives.

Elton John at Diana service

Elton John was in attendance at the service for Princess Diana today. And of course the media continues to push the idea that Elton could possibly perform "Candle In The Wind 1997" when he has repeatedly said he will never perform that version of the song again.

Sir Elton John was invited, but he won't reprise his reworking of Candle in the Wind, which he performed at the funeral.

It's just incredible how they continue to push the idea of Elton performing CITW97. It's not gonna happen, ever!

Elton 60 DVD news

DVD Celebrates Elton's 60th B-Day Show

Nice sailing clothes

Don't like the sun? Suit yourself, Sir Elton | Showbiz | This is London

"Elton 60: Live at Madison Square Garden" due September 24/25

Elton John's 60th birthday concert at Madison Square Garden is coming to DVD on September 24(UK)/25(US). Called "Elton 60: Live at Madison Square Garden" the DVD will be issued in two configurations, a 2-DVD set featuring the entire concert, all 33 songs, and also rare tracks;

The DVD set will also be loaded with special extra features, including a healthy helping of "Live, Rare and Unseen" concert tracks, such as a 1970 version of "Border Song" from Swiss television, BBC renditions of "Tiny Dancer" and "Levon" from 1971, and a mini-set of selected "New York Stories" performances culled from Elton's seemingly endless catalogue of live performances in Gotham and album tracks that mention the Big Apple.

There will also be a collectors box set that will include a CD of rare live performances over the years, a 72 page booklet, a poster and more.

Elton this weekend at the "Concert for Diana"

Princess Diana rules over NBC's weekend schedule
Lauer broadcasts live from London; concert on Sunday

Matt Lauer isn't exactly in the inner circle at Buckingham Palace.

"I'm not a royal-watcher," Lauer said. "I'm probably the least royal-watcher of any of my friends."

But he might seem like one over the next few days.
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This morning, he'll do his portion of "Today" from London. On Sunday, NBC reruns his interview with princes William and Harry, then has him hosting the hosting the American telecast of the "Concert for Diana."

The latter will be quick and condensed. The actual concert is likely to run more than six hours in London's Wembley Stadium, Lauer said; NBC plans to carry only an hour.

The concert is on what would have been the 46th birthday of Princess Diana, the late mother of William and Harry.

At first, it was described as a collection of her favorite performers. Elton John and Duran Duran top the bill.

Still, the princes also chose people from their generation. "They really wanted it to be a healthy mix," Lauer said.

At the time of Diana's death (almost a decade ago), Kanye West was 20, Nelly Furtado was 18, Natasha Bedingfield was 15, Lily Allen was 12 and Joss Stone was 10. All are expected to perform Sunday, plus Diddy, Tom Jones, Rod Stewart, Bryan Ferry, Pharrell and more.

The princes are only scheduled to introduce Furtado, Lauer said. He's betting that the introduction will be included in NBC's abridged version.

Critics have argued that when NBC paid $2.5 million for the concert rights, it was also buying the interview. Lauer disputes that. "What it got was the concert," he said. "Then there were a lot of discussions."

He dealt with Palace officials. "It was a little like an audition. ... I sent some tapes of high-profile interviews."

The result was a 36-minute interview, he said, and he used virtually all of it in the "Dateline" hour and on "Today." For all of the details, however, he said the princes were pleasant.

"I thought they'd be stiff- upper-lip, cautious, guarded. But they kidded each other and kidded me. ... I just liked the guys."

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Evan Almighty

According to Yahoo Movies, "Just Like Noah's Ark" is featured in the new movie Evan Almighty

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