MUSIC BITS ‘N’ BEATS
By your host Takis Haggiandreou

Week of 01/08/2010 -08/08/2010

This week’s Top 5 UK/US

UK

(1) We no speak Americano (Yolanda Be Cool/D Cup)
(2) Love the way you lie (Eminem/Rihanna)
(3) Airplanes (B.o.B./Haley Williams)
(4) California gurls (Katy Perry/Snoop Dogg)
(5) Pack up (Eliza Doolittle)

US

(1) Love the way you lie (Eminem/Rihanna)
(2) California gurls (Katy Perry/Snoop Dogg)
(3) Dynamite (Taio Cruz)
(4) Airplanes (B.o.B./Haley Williams)
(5) Billionaire (Travis McCoy/Bruno Mars)

(2) One Year ago….. Top 5 UK/US.

UK

(1) I gotta feeling (Black Eyed Peas)
(2) Beat again (JLS)
(3) Supernova (Mr Hudson/Kanye West)
(4) I know you want me (Pitbull)
(5) Evacuate the dancefloor (Cascada)

US

(1) I gotta feeling (Black Eyed Peas)
(2) Best I ever had (Drake)
(3) Boom boom pow (Black Eyed Peas)
(4) Knock you down (Keri Hilson)
(5) Fire burning (Sean Kingston)

5 Years ago……..Top 5 UK/US

UK

(1) You’re beautiful (James Blunt)
(2) Bad day (Daniel Powter)
(3) Ass like that (Eminem)
(4) Ghetto gospel (2Pac)
(5) We belong together (Mariah Carey)

US

(1) We belong together (Mariah Carey)
(2) Pon de replay (Rihanna)
(3) Hollaback girl (Gwen Stefani)
(4) Don’t cha (PussyCat Dolls/Busta Rhymes)
(5) Don’t phunk with my heart (Black Eyed Peas)

© This and that

…..Mick Jagger is teaming up with legendary director Martin Scorsese to make an epic rock n' roll TV show which will span 40 years of the music industry.
The Rolling Stones frontman, who previously collaborated with Scorsese on the band's 2008 documentary film Shine A Light, is working with the moviemaker on a new project called History of Music, a TV series which will follow two friends over two decades.
The programme, which is based on an original idea by Jagger, will be a period piece and will show the music business evolving from the early days of R&B to contemporary hip-hop.
Scorsese will reportedly direct the show, with Jagger onboard as an executive producer, according to Deadline.com….

…Iron Maiden frontman Bruce Dickinson has blasted rock bands who charge extortionate prices for concert tickets - insisting they only have themselves to blame for half-empty arenas.
The Number of the Beast hitmakers refuse to hike the face value of seats at their shows, despite pressure from record industry bosses to recoup lost cash from album sales through increased tour revenues.
He blames the practice for falling ticket sales for live gigs - and is adamant bands should keep prices low to encourage more fans to attend their concerts.
Dickinson tells Sky News, "It's a massive commitment to come to see a band. They deserve not just a great show but they deserve a reasonable ticket price. Other people have inflated ticket prices to obscene levels and it's just not right. It's a rock 'n' roll show, it's not a cash cow."…
…Club anthem specialists Yolanda Be Cool vs D Cup claim their first Official Singles Chart number one with We Speak No Americano climbing from last week’s number two to this week’s top spot, the track entered the charts two weeks ago at number five.
Yolanda Be Cool (Sylvester Martinez and Johnson Peterson) and D Cup (producer Duncan MacLennan) are based in Australia but have made their presence felt on dance floors, club charts and radio across Europe since 2009. Until now, they have never had a record enter the Official UK Charts….

(D) CD Spotlight

“Scream” by Ozzy Osbourne.

After surveying his life to this point in a best-selling autobiography ("I Am Ozzy"), Ozzy Osbourne incorporates some fresh blood-to good advantage-into his first new album in three years. On "Scream," longtime guitarist Zakk Wylde is gone, replaced by Firewind's Gus G., while Tommy Clufetos (Rob Zombie, Alice Cooper, Ted Nugent) takes over on drums. The changes have certainly goosed Osbourne to create a heavy-hitting, 11-track set on which he sounds fully engaged and focused, from the opening declaration of "I'm a rock star" to the closing appreciation of his fans' dedication, "I Love You All." Most impressively, Osbourne's new band displays a tempo-shifting aptitude similar to vintage Black Sabbath-particularly on longer songs like "Let It Die," "Diggin' Me Down" and "I Want It More"-and is just as adept delivering gentler and more melodic pieces ("Life Won't Wait," "Time"). The single "Let Me Hear You Scream" gallops with neck-snapping ferocity, while sludgy grooves put some muscle behind "Soul Sucker" and "Fearless."

(D) CD Spotlight

“Praise and blame” by Tom Jones.

What's new, pussycat? How about a devotional album from Tom Jones so unexpected that the Welsh pop icon's disarmed label chief was uttering God's name in varying degrees of vain when he heard about it. But Jones has always been surprising us throughout his four-decade-plus career. And on "Praise & Blame," that gusty Northern soul voice sounds as righteous and true as it does when he's operating in the more carnal regions of his catalog. Producer Ethan Johns gives the 11-song set a rustic "Raising Sand" sound, mixing gospel, rockabilly, folk and blues with guest appearances by Booker T. Jones, Augie Meyers, Benmont Tench, Gillian Welch, Dave Rawlings and others. Jones skewers sin and seeks salvation on Bob Dylan's "What Good Am I?," Susan Werner's "Did Trouble Me," Sister Rosetta Tharpe's "Strange Things," John Lee Hooker’s "Burning Hell" and four originals he composed with Johns. "The door's wide open, waitin' for your soul . . . you just walk on in," he sings in Pop Staples' "You Don't Knock." But Jones, of course, swaggers through.

(D) CD Spotlight

"/\/\ /\ Y /\" by M.I.A.

Anticipation is feverishly high for M.I.A.'s third album, and why shouldn't it be? Aside from finally breaching the U.S. pop charts with "Paper Planes," Maya Arulpragasm has founded her career on a seamless pattern of musical innovation. If 2007's "Kala" rearranged the jungle beats of 2005 debut "Arular" into a sweaty stomp, "/\/\ /\ Y /\" blasts M.I.A. into outer space and lets her explore otherworldly electronic arrangements. "Teqkilla" is a 7-minute raver full of violent blips and vocal snippets, while "Born Free" commits to straight-faced rock and a screw-you attitude. There are flashes of brilliance throughout, notably the bouncy single "XXXO" and the Diplo-assisted pop track "Tell Me Why," but most of the album's production is so abrasively busy that it pummels M.I.A.'s vocals into the background. "All I ever wanted was my story to be told," M.I.A.'s echoing voice confesses on "Story To Be Told". Although "/\/\ /\ Y /\" is an undeniable testament to M.I.A.'s inventiveness, the album is so jam-packed with beats that any statement that she is making gets lost in translation.

(D) CD Spotlight

“Korn III—Remember who you are” by Korn.

A subtitle like "Remember Who You Are" implies a blast back to the past. That may be just what Korn intended by bringing back Ross Robinson, who produced the heavy rockers' first two albums. But "Korn III" (a reference to this lineup as the third incarnation of the band) moves forward more than it retrenches, referencing some stylistic trademarks while introducing some fresh dynamic sensibilities. It's the likely result of adding touring drummer Ray Luzier as a permanent member as well as stripping away the experimental excursions of 2007's untitled album in favor of a punchier and more direct approach this time out. Frontman Jonathan Davis, who started "Korn III" as a concept album before shifting gears, is still a ball of rage--"This is the time for truth and pain" he declares on the track "Holding All These Lies." And the rest of Korn pushes that fury on such densely textured fusillades as "The Past," "Let the Guilt Go," "Are You Ready to Live?" and opener "Oildale (Leave Me Alone)."

(D) CD Spotlight

“Disintegration: Deluxe Edition” by The Cure.

The release of the Cure's 1989 album, "Disintegration," sparked a dual watershed moment in pop culture. The brooding, sprawling masterpiece was a commercial and critical tipping point for the English band, garnering praise and platinum sales alike. More broadly, such singles as "Love Song" and "Pictures of You" helped usher in mainstream acceptance of the alternative and goth movements. The three-disc "Disintegration: Deluxe Edition" presents a (virtually undetectable) remastered copy of the album, a disc of demos and rarities. It also includes "Entreat Plus," a "completed" version of "Entreat," the 1989 live recording of the Cure at London's Wembley Arena that constained all but four tracks from "Disintegration." The band's musical unity is evident in the demos; the majority are essentially replicas of the final product. The nuances that Robert Smith and David M. Allen lent the final production--warm tones, balanced tempos, cascading guitars--saved the album's comforting gloom from becoming innocuous. "Entreat Plus" finds the act again carefully preserving each album detail live, the raw sound of the cheering crowd curiously stripped. But Cure fans were never ones to visibly appear too ecstatic anyway

(D) CD Spotlight

“Stone Temple Pilots” by Stone Temple Pilots

The Stone Temple Pilots’ new self-titled album--its sixth studio release and first since "Shangri-La Dee Da" in 2001--perfectly showcases the veteran rock act's bold musicianship and songwriting know-how. The 12-song set displays a marked maturity and strong sense of direction following the four-piece's re-formation after an approximately five-year hiatus. The songs "Take a Load Off" and "Hazy Daze" smack with hard-rock lickery, while "Cinnamon" shimmers with carefree '90s optimism. And there's a notably Beatles-influenced Britpop quality to tunes like "Hickory Dichotomy" and "Dare If You Dare." Bringing everything from Seattle grunge sounds on the opening track/first single "Between the Lines" to homesick acoustic balladry on "Maver," the sundry set still boasts a strong sense of unity. Displaying impressive vocal polish from outspoken frontman Scott Weiland; blazing guitar solos over tight, crunch-laden instrumentation; and grungy takes on Lennon/McCartney melodicism, STP asserts its place among seminal hard-rock chameleons.

(D) CD Spotlight

“Sea of cowards” by The Dead Weather.

Less than a year after debuting the Dead Weather with last summer's "Horehound," Jack White is back with a second set from the Nashville-based psych-blues supergroup, which also features members of the Kills, the Raconteurs and Queens of the Stone Age. "Horehound" proved that the Raconteurs' rock-radio success hadn't straightened out White's avant-metal kinks. But if you thought that one satisfied his freaky streak, think again. "Sea of Cowards" is even wilder, with grungier guitars ("I'm Mad," "No Horse"), greasier synths ("The Difference Between Us," "Gasoline") and funkier neo-John Bonham beats from White himself ("Jawbreaker," "Old Mary"). Singer Alison Mosshart presides over the sonic swamp with her signature scary-sexy yowl, even lending a punk-gospel throb to "Hustle and Cuss" and opener "Blue Blood Blues." "All the white girls trip when I sing at Sunday service," White sings in the latter. Dude, can you really blame them?

(D) CD Spotlight

“The Oracle” by Godsmack.

A pause has certainly refreshed the members of Godsmack, who've been on a recording hiatus since 2006's sonically adventurous "IV." But the New England headbangers have returned with a sinewy, muscular set that harks back to their 1998 debut. Despite its back-cover pronouncement that "the old me is dead and gone," "The Oracle" boasts a pleasantly vintage sound that opens with the punchy rhythm and grooving riffs of the song "Cryin' Like a Bitch" and works through the taut arrangements of tracks like "War and Peace," "Good Day to Die" and the gallopping "Forever Shamed." And with a title like "Love*Sex*Hate*Pain," it's evident that frontman Sully Erna remains all about the angst. Those seeking a change-up can check out "Devil's Swing," three-and-a-half minutes of metallic funk with a harmonica break, while the album-closing title track is an epic instrumental with a cinematic soundscape. While "The Oracle" is certainly familiar, it still sounds fresh enough and well worth the wait for fans who prefer their Godsmack served up straight.

(D) CD Spotlight

“B.o.B presents: The Adventures of Bobby Ray” by B.o.B

Weaving together hip-hop, rock influences and futuristic sounds, Atlanta newcomer B.o.B addresses beautiful girls, ambition and all things sci-fi on his vibrant guest-heavy debut album, "B.o.B Presents: The Adventures of Bobby Ray." The opening track, "Don't Let Me Fall," showcases the rapper's smoothed-voice singing talent and vulnerability ("They say what goes up must come down/But don't let me fall") over a booming guitar, while "Magic" (featuring Weezer frontman Rivers Cuomo) takes a more pop-driven direction. In contrast, on the aggressive "Bet I" (featuring T.I. and Playboy Tre), B.o.B exhibits rawer vocals with a Southern flavor, and standout "Airplanes, Part II" (featuring Paramore's Hayley Williams and Eminem) touches on the rapper's hopes and drive for success. But the set's most dynamic song is "5th Dimension," which finds Ricco Barrino belting in Motown fashion. On the track, B.o.B channels his inner Lil Wayne circa "Phone Home": "They try to hold me down/But man it's me they can't contain," he raps

(D) CD Spotlight

“Fever” by Bullet for My Valentine.

Success doesn't seem to soothe the savage beast that rages within Bullet for My Valentine frontman Matt Tuck. Although his group has made its mark on the metalcore underground, Tuck spends most of the Welsh quartet's new album spewing venomous tirades at a variety of villains who have done him wrong. But he does it in a polished fashion that makes "Fever" the band's most commercial outing yet. From the ballady, made-for-airplay track "A Place Where You Belong" to hooky speed rockers like "The Last Fight" and "Pleasure and Pain," the set comfortably straddles the Mayhem/Warped festival divide. And the song "Alone" offers six minutes of epic ebb-and-flow orchestration, while a few Cookie Monster growls still pop up in "Breaking Out, Breaking Down," "Begging for Mercy" and the defiant "Dignity." But it's clear on "Fever" that Bullet for My Valentine is hot to step closer to the metal mainstream.

(D) CD Spotlight

“Infinite Arms” by Band of Horses.

Band of Horses has crafted the perfect major-label debut. After releasing its gloriously reverb-heavy 2006 debut, "Everything All the Time," and avoiding the sophomore slump with 2007's "Cease to Begin," the Seattle rock outfit parted ways with Sub Pop and signed with Columbia Records this spring. Fittingly, the group's latest release, "Infinite Arms," seems to exist on a larger scale than its predecessors and softens the band's rougher edges. The song "Neighbor" is driven by gentle bass progressions and hymn-like vocal harmonies before becoming a Southern jam, while the stomping rhythm and mammoth chorus of first single "Compliments" make it the most flat-out enjoyable track the band has ever recorded. Frontman Ben Bridwell's airy vocals and cozy lyrics have stayed consistent, but the impressive production work by the band and Phil Ek places the gorgeous melodies front and center without sacrificing Band of Horses' rustic power.

(D) CD Spotlight

“Congratulations” by MGMT.

About 30 seconds into MGMT's second album, "Congratulations," singer Andrew Vanwyngarden asks, "How will I know if it's working?" Indeed, leading up to the set's release, the duo announced that the follow-up to its synth-pop-heavy 2007 debut, "Oracular Spectacular," would be a wild departure. The new nine-song album blends psychedelia with elements of post-punk, surf rock and even folk. The track "Someone's Missing" begins sparsely with soft guitars and sitar-like effects that echo the falsetto vocals before swelling into an easygoing funk jam. Cuts like "Song for Dan Treacy" and "Brian Eno" are surf-tinged and vaguely danceable, while the approximately 12-minute-long "Siberian Breaks" channels English cult group Television Personalities and features dreamy vocal arrangements reminiscent of Simon & Garfunkeland the Mamas & the Papas. Despite its retro influences, MGMT isn't out of touch: "Lady Dada's Nightmare" is an eerie, instrumental nod to a certain pop star. So to answer Vanwyngarden's question: Yes, it's working.

(D) CD Spotlight

“Sting in the Tail” by The Scorpions.

The real sting of the Scorpions' latest album, "Sting in the Tail," is that it will be the German rock band's last one, according to the group. If that's the case, it will close a 40-plus-year career that put the quintet's homeland on the hard rock map. Those who dug into Scorpions albums from the '80s like "Animal Magnetism," "Blackout" and "Love at First Sting" will enjoy nostalgic twinges throughout these 12 new tracks, beginning with "Raised on Rock," a latter-day "Rock You Like a Hurricane" that lyrically references its predecessor. The title track and "No Limit" offer galloping riff rock, while "Rock Zone" touches on psychedelic blues. The power ballads are here as well, including a torchy "The Good Die Young," with Finnish singer Tarja Turunen. But while "The Best Is Yet to Come" sounds like an optimistic note on which to close the album, it's false hope--at least until the inevitable reunion.

(D) CD Spotlight

"Plastic Beach” by The Gorillaz.

Gorillaz may have originated as a way for Damon Albarn to sidestep the limelight, but on the cartoon group's third album, " Plastic Beach ," he very much takes center stage. Self-producing for the first time, Albarn also sings more than on previous Gorillaz releases, despite an embarrassment of riches on the collaboration front. And, indeed, while contributions from the likes of Snoop Dogg and Lou Reed initially catch the eye, it's Albarn's musical vision that holds the project together. While Snoop's laconic swagger through the G-funk of "Welcome to the World of the Plastic Beach " is a world away from the Goldfrapp-esque stomp of Mark E Smith "Glitter Freeze" or the Arabian-tinged "White Flag" (featuring U.K. grime stars Kano and Bashy), what emerges is a truly coherent, if highly eclectic, album. More than happy to engage the pop mainstream (once heard, the irresistible, day-glo chorus of "Superfast Jellyfish" is never forgotten), yet experimental enough to satisfy the hipsters, these cartoon characters just made the first 3-D album of the new decade.

(D) CD Spotlight

“Valleys of Neptune” by Jimi Hendrix.

An album of previously unreleased Jimi Hendrix studio recordings is released in March, kicking off a brand new exploration of the legendary guitar virtuoso's life and works in the lead-up to the 40th anniversary of his death in 1970. "Valleys of Neptune," a 12-song collection that includes the final studio sessions of the original Jimi Hendrix Experience lineup and Hendrix's first recordings with bassist Billy Cox, is set for release on Mar. 9 on Sony's Legacy Recordings. The album marks the launch of the 2010 Jimi Hendrix Catalog Project, a partnership between the label and Experience Hendrix LLC, the company charged with overseeing the guitarist's music and image.

Taken mostly from several 1969 sessions, "Valleys of Neptune" was originally recorded and newly mixed by Eddie Kramer, the Electric Ladyland studio engineer who worked closely with Hendrix. Kramer used both cutting-edge digital and analog equipment to restore the master tapes to the original, pristine quality.

The title track, much craved by Hendrix devotees, delivers on the promise of the musician's legendary trove of unreleased material: a fully realized song written and recorded by Hendrix at his creative peak in 1970 that had remained unrecovered for nearly four decades. The song will be released as a single globally on Feb. 2.

Other highlights of the album include the only JHE studio recording of "Hear My Train A Comin'," a Hendrix blues original that he often performed live; a searing instrumental take on Cream's "Sunshine of Your Love;" the extended stage arrangements of JHE classics "Fire" and "Red House," recorded in preparation for the band's 1969 Royal Albert Hall concert recordings; and "Mr. Bad Luck," one of the only original tunes the then-unknown guitarist performed in tiny Greenwich Village nightclubs in 1966.

"It is important that everyone understand that this is not the 'lost' album," explains John McDermott, Experience Hendrix archivist, who wrote extensive liner notes for the release. "It is the documentation of an important point in his career when the original JHE was making a follow up to 'Electric Ladyland' in 1969. Once Jimi started working with Billy Cox, he started making his creative transition and left this material on the shelf."

Hendrix died on September 18, 1970 at the age of 27, having released only four albums and a few singles in his lifetime.

(D) CD Spotlight

“Black Light” by Groove Armada.

British electronic duo Groove Armada is best-known in the mainstream for teaming with Fatboy Slim on the 1999 booty-shakin' Big Beat hit "I See You Baby." But with the release of its seventh full-length album, "Black Light," Groove Armada has a new claim to fame. The quietly brilliant set translates the dance-rock explosion through the lenses of two guys who have lived the dance scene from the beginning. The result is well-read pop music that hints at everything from David Bowie to ESG to Serge Gainsbourg. There could even be a hipster hit--the song "Paper Romance" ambles into a shout-sing chorus that MGMT fans won't be able to resist. Wrapped within this revelation is Saint Saviour, a co-writer on the album who also lends vocals to select songs in a style that switches from Robyn to Roisin Murphy to Stevie Nicks.

(D) CD Spotlight

“Heligoland” by Massive Attack.

Throughout the '90s, "trip-hop" was the best anyone could do to describe Massive Attack and the head-nodding family of talents it inspired, like Portishead and Tricky. But following the recent paths of those acts, Massive Attack's first effort in seven years pushes farther beyond its comfort zone. New album "Heligoland" pulls in guitars, pianos and more singers than MCs, often settling into a sound that's purposefully lo-fi. But the production duo of Robert Del Naja (3D) and Grand Marshall (Daddy G) hasn't lost its cinematic scope. The track "Paradise Circus" (featuring '90s ingenue Hope Sandoval builds from hand claps and keyboards into a swell of sampled strings, while the shuffling drum pads on "Pray for Rain" (with TV on the Radio's Tunde Adebimpe) provide the tense background for a down-the-rabbit-hole bridge with club-trance keys. It still warms the blood to hear those trip-hop synths roll on the slow-burning "Flat of the Blade" (with some acid loops thrown in for good measure), but Massive Attack's arsenal has expanded and the resulting onslaught is nothing short of brilliant.

(D) CD Spotlight

“Soldier of love” by Sade.

Suave production? Check. Heart-piercing lyrics? Check. Sensual, husky-voiced singer? Check. Those are just some of the things Sade fans can expect from the group's new album, "Soldier of Love." The release is Sade's first new material in 10 years, but the act hasn't lost a beat. Over marching band drums and smeared electric guitar riffs on the title track, lead singer Sade Adu croons, "I've lost the use of my heart, but I'm still alive." And with the help of choppy violins and simple drums on the song "The Moon and the Sky," she declares her devotion to a former lover, singing, "You could let me love anyone, but I only wanted you." The heartfelt track "Morning Bird" is packed with strings, piano strokes and tambourine clatter, while "Babyfather" finds Adu commending a man's fatherly instincts. "Be That Easy" is reminiscent of a country love song, with guitars and whistles, and standout track "In Another Time" features saxophone and a stunning violin arrangement, proving that good music stands the test of time.

Takis Haggiandreou
P.O.BOX 22111, NICOSIA, CYPRUS
TEL. 7000-1962, FAX. 22750417,
E-mail: progressive@cytanet.com.cy