Mevio Music

For you fanatical fans of plastic instrument gaming, there is another in the LONG line of Guitar Hero games coming soon. This is of course another band branded entry in the series featuring the one and only Van Halen. Check out the trailer above.

Of course I should say only partly featuring Van Halen, as it omits a very large portion of the band’s history, that being the part with Sammy Hagar. Now I know that a lot of people won’t see that as a big deal since most people are fans of the classic David Lee Roth years of the band. Personally, while I do enjoy a lot of the songs of that period, I am more a fan of the Sammy Hagar years (yeah I know, sue me). That being said, I think it is a shame that Eddie and Alex can’t get past their own egos and make a Van Halen game that encompasses the band’s entire history. And of course, to add insult to injury, not only do they omit Hager, but they also cut out Michael Anthony from the game as well, just because he has sided with Hagar, and because they play together in Chickenfoot.

A lot of people are going to buy this game, because people just do. I for one won’t be among them. Mostly because I can’t see getting another Guitar Hero game right now (although I will probably get Guitar Hero 5, but that is a more full fledged game), but mostly I am not going to get this because in isn’t an accurate portrayal of this legendary band.

In an announcment on their website today, Beastie Boy Adam Yauch let it be know that he had been diagnosed with a form of cancer. According to the video, 2 months ago he discovered a lump on the side of his throat. He went to the doctor, who then sent him to a specialist. They discovered that it was a very treatable form of cancer. As such, they will be cancelling some upcoming shows they had planned. They will also be pushing back the release of their new album – “Hot Sauce Committee Part 1.”

He stated that he will undergo surgery soon, followed by a small round of radiation. Also according to Yauch, the cancer was localized in the one area, and they did not find any trace in any other part of his body.

To check out the video, you can go to the Beastie Boys website.

Recently Activision confirmed 22 more tracks for the upcoming Guitar Hero 5.

The list is as follows:

• Attack! Attack! UK – “You And Me”
• Band Of Horses – “Cigarettes, Wedding Bands”
• Beastie Boys – “Gratitude”
• Beck – “Gamma Ray”
• Billy Squier – “Lonely Is The Night”
• Blur – “Song 2″
• Bon Jovi – “You Give Love A Bad Name”
• The Bronx – “Six Days A Week”
• Children Of Bodom – “Done With Everything, Die For Nothing”
• Coldplay – “In My Place”
• Darker My Love – “Blue Day”
• Darkest Hour – “Demon(s)”
• David Bowie – “Fame”
• Deep Purple – “Woman From Tokyo (’99 Remix)”
• The Duke Spirit – “Send A Little Love Token”
• Elliott Smith – “L.A.”
• Elton John – “Saturday Night’s Alright (For Fighting)”
• Face To Face – “Disconnected”
• Garbage – “Only Happy When It Rains”
• Iggy Pop – “Lust For Life (Live)”
• Jeff Beck – “Scatterbrain (Live)”
• John Mellencamp – “Hurts So Good”
• Kaiser Chiefs – “Never Miss A Beat”
• Kings Of Leon – “Sex On Fire”
• Kiss – “Shout It Out Loud”
• Love and Rockets – “Mirror People”
• My Morning Jacket – “One Big Holiday”
• Nirvana – “Lithium (Live)”
• The Police – “So Lonely”
• Queens Of The Stone Age – “Make It Wit Chu”
• Rammstein – “Du Hast”
• The Rolling Stones – “Sympathy For The Devil”
• Rose Hill Drive – “Sneak Out”
• Santana – “No One To Depend On (Live)”
• Sonic Youth – “Incinerate”
• Screaming Trees – “Nearly Lost You”
• Sublime – “What I Got”
• The Sword – “Maiden, Mother & Crone”
• Thin Lizzy – “Jailbreak”
• Thrice – “Deadbolt”
• Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers – “American Girl”
• Tom Petty – “Runnin’ Down A Dream”
• Vampire Weekend – “A-Punk”
• The White Stripes – “Blue Orchid”
• Wolfmother – “Back Round”

The 50th anniversary of the start of The Bee Gees will be celebrated this November with the release of two retrospectives to be released by the surviving members.

First up is a 4-disc collection called “Mythology.” There will be a disc for each brother, Barry, Robin, and Maurice, as well as one for their brother Andy. Each disc has songs selected by each brother, with Maruice’s wife and three children choosing the tracks for his disc, and Andy’s daughter Petra selecting the tracks for his disc.

The other release is a more modest 2-disc collection called “The Ultimate Bee Gees: The 50th Anniversary Collection,” which will feature a  more concise collection of their hits, ending with a live medley of songs that they wrote for other artists over the years. Some of those include: Islands In The Stream, Heartbreaker, and the theme from “Grease.”

Both discs will be release on November 3rd.

Tracklist (may be subject to change):

“Mythology”

Disc One (Barry): Spirits (Having Flown), You Win Again, Jive Talkin’, To Love Somebody, Tragedy, Too Much Heaven, First Of May, More Than A Woman, Love So Right, Night Fever, Words, Don’t Forget To Remember, If I Can’t Have You, Alone, Heartbreaker, How Deep Is Your Love, Love You Inside And Out, Stayin’ Alive, Barker Of The UFO, Swan Song, Spicks & Specks

Disc Two (Robin): I Am The World, New York Mining Disaster, I Can’t See Nobody, Holiday, Massachusetts, Sir Geoffrey Saved The World, And The Sun Will Shine, The Singer Sang His Song, I’ve Gotta Get A Message To You,  I Started A Joke, Odessa, Saved By The Bell (solo), My World, Run To Me, Love Me, Juliet (solo), The Longest Night, Fallen Angel, Rings Around The Moon, Embrace, Islands In The Stream

Disc Three (Maurice): Man In The Middle,  Closer Than Close, Dimensions, House Of Shame, Suddenly, Railroad (solo), Overnight, It’s Just The Way, Lay It On Me, Trafalgar, Omega Man, Walking On Air, Country Woman, Angel Of Mercy, Above And Beyond, Hold Her In Your Hand (solo), You Know It’s For You, Wildflower, On Time, The Bridge

Disc Four (Andy): Shadow Dancing, I Just Want To Be Your Everything, (Love Is) Thicker Than Water, An Everlasting Love, Desire, (Our Love) Don’t Throw It All Away, Flowing Rivers, Words And Music, I Can’t Help It (with Olivia Newton-John), Time Is Time, Me (Without You), After Dark, Warm Ride, Too Many Looks In Your Eyes, Man On Fire, Arrow Through The Heart, Starlight, Dance To The Light Of The Morning, In The End

“The Ultimate Bee Gees: The 50th Anniversary Collection”

Disc One (A Night Out): You Should Be Dancing, Stayin’ Alive, Jive Talkin’, Night Fever, Nights On Broadway, More Than A Woman, Tragedy, Love You Inside & Out, You Win Again, Boogie Child, One, Secret Love, Alone, This Is Where I Came In, Spirits Having Flown, Fanny (Be Tender With My Love), Still Waters (Run Deep), If I Can’t Have You, Spicks & Specks

Disc Two (A Night In): How Deep Is Your Love, Emotion, Too Much Heaven,    New York Mining Disaster 1941, To Love Somebody, Holiday, Massachusetts,  Words, World, For Whom The Bell Tolls, First Of May, I Started A Joke, Love So Right, Lonely Days, How Can You Mend A Broken Heart, Run To Me, I’ve Gotta Get A Message To You, The Singer Sang His Song, Don’t Forget To Remember,     Medley: Islands In The Stream, Heartbreaker, Guilty, Immortality, Grease

James Montgomery of MTV News posted his annual mid-year best of the albums that have been released so far this year. He has a pretty good list with a top ten and some honorable mentions.

A couple of the choices in his top ten include:

• Lily Allen, It’s Not Me, It’s You
• Wilco, Wilco (The Album)
• Kelly Clarkson, All I Ever Wanted

Some of his honorable mentions include:

Blogger Kevin Cogill, who pleaded guilty to leaking part of Guns ‘n Roses’ “Chinese Democracy”, was sentenced to one year’s probation. Also he is sentenced to two months of house arrest, having his computers subjected to government scrutiny, and he will have to record a PSA for the RIAA.

Cogill said that the nine songs he posted from “Chinese Democracy” was meant to help promote the band, not hurt it. Prosecutors had wanted Cogill to serve jail time, but U.S. Magistrate Judge Paul Abrams determined that Cogill had learned his lesson.

Tonight I had the privilege of being invited to a listening party for the upcoming Alice In Chains record, Black Gives Way To Blue. ( Thanks to Chelsea from High Voltage Magazine)

PreOrder Alice In Chains – Black Gives Way To Blue

It was an industry only event at the Montalban Theater in Hollywood. There was an open bar and food catered by In N Out Burger. I got to the theater, grabbed a free Bass Beer, a burger and sat down next to my friend Chealsea. About 15 minutes later, some guy from Virgin Records came up on stage and said how Alice in Chains was the reason he got into the music business and how he felt so privileged to be a part of this “amazing” record. Then he said “Enjoy the Record” and walked off stage.

On comes the music. The boys in Alice in Chains snuck in from the back and stood by the soundboard and rocked out to the first song as it was playing. The audience looked like a bunch of zombies, staring at the stage with blank stares on their faces.
I don’t know what the name of the song was but it was a riff that sounded like it was tuned down to C that repeated over and over and over and over and over and over for what seemed like 5 minutes. It sounded like an album intro that should have been about 30 seconds. It went nowhere fast. After the song ended, the audience of music industry douchebags applauded politely. I looked back at the band and they had big smiles on their faces that looked like they were thinking “Yes! they loved the first tune!”

2nd song comes on. It sounded really heavy but really boring. It had a classic Alice in Chains sound except there was no chorus. At this point I’m thinking that the record label guy is either deaf or stupid or blowing smoke up the band’s ass or all three.

3rd song comes on. It sounded exactly like the 2nd song. I looked back at the band by the soundboard and they were banging their heads and playing air guitar. Their girlfriends were standing next to them trying to act like they liked the music. The song faded out and I said out loud, “They probably couldn’t think of another part so they faded it out” The guy in front of me turned around and said he was thinking the same thing. At this point several people got up and left.

4th song comes on. It started off with a nice acoustic melodic guitar. I’m thinking that if this is the single and has a catchy chorus, it could put the band back on the map. 2 minutes later, I’m still waiting for the chorus. Too bad. It had potential.

5 song comes on. I don’t remember how it sounded. I think it was very similar to the first 3. Chelsea got up to leave and I followed.

So 4 1/2 songs into the record, I give it a 0 out of 4 1/2.

Maybe the rest of the album got great but some how, I doubt it.