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  • Win A Copy Of The New James (Not Jim) Morrison CD!!

    With all the attention being paid to the female Brit soul artists like Duffy, Estelle, Adele and Amy Winehouse, we’ve forgotten that the folks across the pond have a rich history of male blue-eyed soul singers. From Boy George and George Michael to Paul Young and Tony Hadley of Spandau Ballet, there’s a long list of English guys who’ve got tons of soul.

    Add James Morrison to that list. He’s huge in his homeland, but barely made a ripple with his debut album “Undiscovered”. He’s aiming to correct that with his sophomore effort, “Songs for You, Truths for Me”. With self-penned songs and only one guest appearance (courtesy of Nelly Furtado), Morrison is aiming for critical as well as commercial success. And he’s tons better than James Blunt.

    Anyhow, we’ve got a copy of “Songs for You…” to give away so you can check Mr. Morrison out for yourself. All you have to do is answer this relatively simple question:

    Earlier this year, James appeared as a guest artist on the latest album by another successful singer-songwriter who shares his initials, J.M. Who is that singer? Send responses to musicpublisher@consumerhelpweb.com by Sunday 10/27 and a winner will be chosen at random. Of course, MHW and CHW employees and their immediate families are not eligible.

  • Single Life (Short Version): G’N R & Eminem

    Two of the most anticipated singles of the past couple of years have hit radio waves over the past few days. What’s the verdict?

    Guns ‘n Roses Chinese Democracy:

    A day that many of us thought would never come is fast approaching: “Chinese Democracy” hits stores on November 23rd, after a fifteen-year wait between Guns ‘n Roses albums. Although G’N R are stiffing retail by making this album available at only Best Buy stores, there’s no doubt that fans will beg, borrow and steal if they can to get their hands on this release.

    The first single is the title track, and…it’s not bad!! Axl is in full snarl mode, the guitar (played by whom, I dunno) is G’NR-like, and my only qualm is that the song has no chorus. Even the band’s most aggressive stuff (like “You Could Be Mine”) had a singable quality to it, and this song is fairly deficient when it comes to pure ear candy. Nevertheless, the fans will eat it up, and Axl can rest easy and make us wait another fifteen years to put out an album.

    …and am I on crack or does the beginning of the song remind you a little bit of “I Believe in a Thing Called Love” by The Darkness?

    Chinese Democracy – Guns N Roses

    (more…)

  • FORTY-FIVE REVOLUTIONS PER MINUTE #8: Love Me Tongue

    SHANE MACGOWAN & THE POPES  “Nancy Whiskey” b/w “That Woman’s Got Me Drinking” (ZTT/Warner Bros. 7-17782 white label promo, 1995)

    I recall chuckling out loud when I’d heard that The Pogues had “fired” their captivating frontman, Shane MacGowan, for…well you can guess what for.  It wasn’t so much the circumstances that cracked me up as it was the fact that the remaining Pogues had stated they would continue without him.   That just made no sense to me;  The Pogues were, in my opinion, THEE ultimate Irish folk group, and MacGowan THEE classic drunken poet and centerpiece, bar none.  Joe Strummer filled in for some live shows, which I imagine was fun, but ultimately the band tried to go on with a giant gaping hole where Shane was.  It wasn’t bound to last.

    MacGowan, on the other hand, trundled onward like a cockroach, carrying drink and dope addictions and a skull rotting his head to pieces from the mouth out.  Before long he had a new backup band, The Popes, and an album, titled The Snake, to promote.  Warner Bros. obviously handed out hundreds of these white-label promo singles in an attempt to drum up some interest in the album, and possibly to get some airplay and snag a slot or 2 on a jukebox here or there.  The disc came with no artwork, of course, just a white paper sleeve.  But it did feature this little jukebox slot-card, which drums up a mental image of a couple at a malt shop, holding hands and saying, “Oh honey, it’s ‘Nancy Whiskey,’ our song!”

    Of course, I imagine some of the old Irish codgers down at the local pub or diner might recognize the A-side, a traditional drinking song, arranged by MacGowan.  Not far from standard Pogues fare, the track offers up nothing new, but methinks this was a purposeful attempt at reactivating the old Pogues audience.  It doesn’t fail, but it’s the B-side that’s the real scorcher here.

    “That Woman’s Got Me Drinking” (notice the running theme here?) covers the flip with 3:24 of pure liquor-soaked thrash.  While The Popes bash away at the standard three-chord E-D-A progression that is the bastion of so much classic garage rock (think “G-L-O-R-I-A!”), Shane gives us his take on the economical aftermath of The Teapot Dome Scandal.  It’s punk as fuck.  Thrill to the video, directed by and starring your friend and mine, Mr. Johnny Depp.

    SHANE MACGOWAN & THE POPES \”That Woman\’s Got Me Drinking\” on YouTube

    MacGowan and The Pogues eventually reconciled, and are touring and performing together again.  Sometimes.

    NEXT WEEK: It’s round on the ends and high in the middle, and it rolls like a snowplow through the Motor City.