R.E.M. has announced it is working with Irish producer Jacknife Lee on its next album, which is expected out later this year, according to billboard.com. Lee is best known for his work on U2's How To Dismantle An Atomic Bomb, for which he shared a Grammy award, and Snow Patrol's Final Straw. The album is the follow-up to 2004's Around The Sun, which was a sales disappointment for the band.

The band's three most recent albums, all released after the departure of drummer Bill Berry, were produced by Pat McCarthy. McCarthy, also from Ireland, has worked with U2, Counting Crows, Madonna, and others.

The band will be inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame tonight (March 12th), by Pearl Jam frontman Eddie Vedder. The induction ceremony, at the Waldorf-Astoria Hotel in New York City, will air live on VH1 Classic.

Source IceBergRadio

Bruce Simon from IceBergRadio reports that Squeeze will re-form for a series of shows this fall. Leaders Glenn Tilbrook and Chris Difford have booked a U.K. run that begins November 27th in Southampton and ends December 8th in Liverpool. The dates are in support of a Squeeze catalog reissue program that will take place this year. There's no word yet on who else is in the band, and whether they plan to do North American shows as well.

The only Squeeze album on the schedule as of now is greatest-hits set under the banner Millennium Collection - 20th Century Masters, and it's due May 1st.

Tilbrook has regularly toured North America in recent years, doing shows with his band the Fluffers as well as solo acoustic dates. Difford wrapped up his first U.S. dates in over a decade last night (Sunday, March 11th) in Milwaukee.

Source IceBergRadio

Michael Jackson's financial problems will finally cause him to lose his control of the Beatles' song copyrights. Roger Friedman of foxnews.com reported in his online column that, "I can report today that Jackson will lose his hold on the Beatles catalog and Sony/ATV Music Publishing on May 31st, 2008."

He added that Jackson has recently been making moves to sell off his share of the catalogue as part of what industry insiders are calling a "liquidation sale." The value of the Sony/ATV catalogue is estimated to be between $1.1 and $1.6 billion.

Sony/ATV Music Publishing owns the copyright to all of the songs written by John Lennon and Paul McCartney between 1963 and 1970. It also holds the copyright to some early George Harrison compositions.

Lennon and McCartney, who were minority owners of their publishing companies Northern Songs and Maclen Music after the company went public to avoid taxes, sold their shares in the company during a complicated hostile takeover in 1969. They continued to collect artists'royalties on their songs, but the company ATV Music held actual ownership of the songs, and kept most of the money the songs earned.

In 1985, Michael Jackson outbid McCartney and others to buy a controlling interest in ATV Music for a reported $64 million. He has since merged ATV Music with Sony Music's publishing company, to finance ongoing debt.

Source IceBergRadio

Tickets go on sale this week for the European premier of Lou Reed's classic Berlin album.

Reed will be performing the controversial 1973 album in its entirety at two UK concerts at London's Hammersmith Apollo on Saturday June 30 and Sunday July 1.

He will be performing with a 30-piece ensemble, including his regular touring band, a string and horn section and a children's choir.

Tickets for the hammersmith shows ar priced at £45, £55 and £60 and are available online at www.livenation.cvo.uk or www.ticketmaster.co.uk

Ticket hotline: 0870 400 0688

For the full story of Lou and Berlin, see the exclusive interview in this month's Uncut.

Source Uncut

A new single collaboration between former Orbital main man Paul Hartnoll and The Cure's Robert Smith is to be released on May 7.

The track "Please" featuring Smith's vocals will be limited to 1000 7"pressings and released through the Kids label.

This - and other 7" vinyl news can be found on a brand new dedicated website, Index7, which aims to provide comprehensive news on where to source new release singles.

Despite the overwhelming popularity of modern technology taking over music, a surprise surging interest in 7" singles is occuring - the format now accounts for 15% of all singles sales.

Index7 founder Nick Levine set up the information database to help collectors. He says: “I started Index7 out of frustration more than anything. I’ve always collected 7” singles but was getting very irritated at the lack of information available to people like me who wanted to buy them."

Levine adds that the site is not a mail order site, saying “We tell people where they can go to buy the records and list all the key independent shops that stock 7” releases but our job is not, at this stage, to be an online shop. We are primarily a news and information resource and we want to concentrate on that part of our business before considering introducing any commercial sales facilities.”

Over 30 record labels have already signed up including Art Goes Pop, City Rockers, Loog, Louder Than Bombs and Trangressive.

Source Uncut

Hugely successful singer/songwriter George Michael has announced a full European tour to take place this Summer.

His first UK date will be on June 9, at the brand new Wembley Stadium, making him the first artist who will appear there.

The first band to appear there will be rock trio Muse the following week.

Rumours were abounding that Michael's Wembley date was to have been a one-off Wham reunion with former bandmate Andrew Ridgely, but with the announcement of this full solo tour, rumours alas are all they are.

George Michael has played at Wembley several times in his career including the Wham farewell concert in 1986 and at the Freddie Mercury tribute concert in 1992.

Alex Horne, MD of Wembley Stadium, commented on Michael's return to Wembley, saying: “It's fantastic news that George Michael is to play Wembley Stadium’s opening concert. He's no stranger to this great stage having performed at the old stadium both with Wham! at Live Aid and also as a solo artist, so this is a fitting first gig in the new stadium."

The Summer tour announcement follows an incredibly successful professional year for the singer. Last September, he performed a highly acclaimed European sell-out tour, "25 Live"- his first in 15 years – on the back of his number one album, ‘Twenty Five’.

Tickets for all the new UK dates will go on sale at 10am tomorrow (March 8), from all the usual ticket outlets.

You can see George Michael at these UK venues in June:

Wembley Stadium, London (June 9)
Carrow Road, Norwich (12)
City Of Manchester Stadium, Manchester (15)
Home Park, Plymouth (19)

The full European tour dates are as follows:

NRGI Park (Athletic Stadium), Aarhus, Denmark (May 18)
Nepstadion, Budapest, Hungary (23)
Inter Football Stadium, Bratislava, Slovakia (25)
LTU Arena, Dusseldorf (28)
Strahov Football Stadium, Prague, Czech Republic (June 2)
RDS Arena, Dublin, Ireland (6)
Stade de France, Paris, France (22)
Werchter Open Air Park Belgium (23)
Amsterdam Arena, Amsterdam, Holland (26)
Stockholm Stadium, Sweden (29)
Olympic Stadium, Helsinki, Finland (July 1)
Stadio Euganeo, Padova, Italy (17)
Stadio, Lucca, Italy (19)
Stadio Olimpico, Rome, Italy (21)

Source Uncut