MUSIC CITATIONS, VOL. 1
Violations are committed all the time in the music industry.
Not the kind that involve the police, lawyers, out-of-court settlements or even time behind bars. These are common offenses -- namely extremely bad career decisions -- that often are forgivable, but usually not forgettable.
* THE OFFENDER: ROD STEWART
CITED FOR: Releasing too many all-covers albums in a row. First came his four Great American Songbook albums, which arguably was three too many. Now he's back with the pedestrian and pointless Still the Same . . . Great Rock Classics of Our Time.
RECORD WILL BE WIPED CLEAN IF: He locks himself in a room with former Faces bandmate Ron Wood and emerges a few days later with enough original material for a long overdue acoustic-based Stewart disc.
* THE OFFENDERS: RAY MANZAREK, ROBBY KRIEGER and JOHN DENSMORE
CITED FOR: Performing with Chester Bennington. On Nov. 8 in California, surviving Doors members Manzarek and Krieger jammed with Linkin Park "singer" Bennington as part of the kickoff to the Doors' 40th anniversary celebration. That same day, at a related event, the talent-deprived Bennington read some of Jim Morrison's poetry while Doors drummer Densmore played percussion.
RECORD WILL BE WIPED CLEAN IF: They steer clear of Bennington and others like him at future anniversary events. Legends should use better judgment and not slum when marking a milestone. If he were alive, Morrison would not approve.
* THE OFFENDERS: THE RECORDING ACADEMY, CBS and YAHOO.
CITED FOR: Making a mockery of the Grammy Awards ceremony. The aforementioned organizations have joined forces to hold a contest in which an unsigned artist will perform with Justin Timberlake at the Grammys on Feb. 11. American Idol is a big enough forum for unknowns to shortcut their way to fame. One needs to earn his or her way into the Grammy community.
RECORD WILL BE WIPED CLEAN IF: The contest is dropped immediately -- and if they want to score bonus points, they can take the lightweight Timberlake off the list of Grammy show performers, too.
*****
SHORE AUTHOR TO SIGN HIS BOOK
Tim English recalls hearing "Breaking Us in Two," a hit for Joe Jackson in the early 1980s, and noticing similarities to "Day After Day," a smash for Badfinger in 1972.
"Since then, I've always noted cases of apparent musical theft," says English, 45, of Ocean Township. "I've always been intrigued by the subject and I found that other music fans were, too."
English's interest in similar-sounding songs led him to write his first book, Sounds Like Teen Spirit: Stolen Melodies, Ripped-off Riffs, and the Secret History of Rock and Roll (iUniverse), which was released earlier this year.
He'll be signing copies from 1 to 3 p.m. Dec. 23 at the Waldenbooks store in the Ocean County Mall, 1205 Hooper Ave. in Toms River. For more information on this event, call (732) 240-5808.
Violations are committed all the time in the music industry.
Not the kind that involve the police, lawyers, out-of-court settlements or even time behind bars. These are common offenses -- namely extremely bad career decisions -- that often are forgivable, but usually not forgettable.
* THE OFFENDER: ROD STEWART
CITED FOR: Releasing too many all-covers albums in a row. First came his four Great American Songbook albums, which arguably was three too many. Now he's back with the pedestrian and pointless Still the Same . . . Great Rock Classics of Our Time.
RECORD WILL BE WIPED CLEAN IF: He locks himself in a room with former Faces bandmate Ron Wood and emerges a few days later with enough original material for a long overdue acoustic-based Stewart disc.
* THE OFFENDERS: RAY MANZAREK, ROBBY KRIEGER and JOHN DENSMORE
CITED FOR: Performing with Chester Bennington. On Nov. 8 in California, surviving Doors members Manzarek and Krieger jammed with Linkin Park "singer" Bennington as part of the kickoff to the Doors' 40th anniversary celebration. That same day, at a related event, the talent-deprived Bennington read some of Jim Morrison's poetry while Doors drummer Densmore played percussion.
RECORD WILL BE WIPED CLEAN IF: They steer clear of Bennington and others like him at future anniversary events. Legends should use better judgment and not slum when marking a milestone. If he were alive, Morrison would not approve.
* THE OFFENDERS: THE RECORDING ACADEMY, CBS and YAHOO.
CITED FOR: Making a mockery of the Grammy Awards ceremony. The aforementioned organizations have joined forces to hold a contest in which an unsigned artist will perform with Justin Timberlake at the Grammys on Feb. 11. American Idol is a big enough forum for unknowns to shortcut their way to fame. One needs to earn his or her way into the Grammy community.
RECORD WILL BE WIPED CLEAN IF: The contest is dropped immediately -- and if they want to score bonus points, they can take the lightweight Timberlake off the list of Grammy show performers, too.
*****
SHORE AUTHOR TO SIGN HIS BOOK
Tim English recalls hearing "Breaking Us in Two," a hit for Joe Jackson in the early 1980s, and noticing similarities to "Day After Day," a smash for Badfinger in 1972.
"Since then, I've always noted cases of apparent musical theft," says English, 45, of Ocean Township. "I've always been intrigued by the subject and I found that other music fans were, too."
English's interest in similar-sounding songs led him to write his first book, Sounds Like Teen Spirit: Stolen Melodies, Ripped-off Riffs, and the Secret History of Rock and Roll (iUniverse), which was released earlier this year.
He'll be signing copies from 1 to 3 p.m. Dec. 23 at the Waldenbooks store in the Ocean County Mall, 1205 Hooper Ave. in Toms River. For more information on this event, call (732) 240-5808.
posted by Chris M. Junior at 1:19 PM
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