Kid Rock has put his follow-up to Rock N Roll Jesus on ice, but he's got a pretty good reason: he's hooking up with producer Rick Rubin to finish the 18-20 tracks he's recorded for the new album.

This comes as something of a reversal of Rock's statements from last March when he said he was "on fire" in the studio and was putting touring plans on hold so he could finish the disc.

Initially, Rock was looking to issue the the new album during the last quarter of 2009. But the success of Rock N Roll Jesus and the single All Summer Long has prompted him to reconsider his timeline - and he admits that he feels that the next record is crucial to maintaining his career momentum.

Big records need bigger records

"It's hard to follow big records with another big record," Rock told Billboard. "I had most of [the next album] in the stages where I could go in and finish it up.

"Then Rick said, 'I look at these like demos, and we should go back in with the right players and re-cut everything...To really solidify into the big leagues, I think we have to do it this way.' And I was like, 'I'm open to anything.'"

Road-testing new material

And now Kid Rock is hitting the road with his band Twisted Brown Trucker, for a tour that begins in West Palm Beach, Florida on 26 June. The rap-rocker says he may test out some of his new material on tour.

"There's so many things you can learn from going out and playing your record live, things you might've done differently," Rock said. "So we're going to at least start playing them all in sound checks and screwing around with them every day.

"If nothing else, at least when we go into the studio we'll have a feel for playing these songs live."

Even if it means re-cutting songs and starting all over.

Source music-radar

Five singles by The Stone Roses are set to be reissued this summer in conjunction with the 20th anniversary reissue of their self-titled debut album.

One single a week from July 6 will be issued on seven-inch vinyl and download formats, kicking off with their 1988 song 'Elephant Stone'.

Each release will come backed with untitled, previously-unreleased recordings by the Manchester legends.

After 'Elephant Stone''s release, 'Made Of Stone' will be out on July 13, followed by 'She Bangs The Drums' (20), 'Fools Gold' (27) and 'One Love' (August 3).

A collectable box will be released alongside 'Elephant Stone' featuring space for the remaining singles plus art prints by guitarist John Squire.

Two special editions of The Stone Roses' 1989 debut album, a "collector's" and "legacy" edition, are set for release on August 10.

Earlier this year it was rumoured that The Stone Roses might reform, although guitarist John Squire has since said there is no chance he will play with the seminal band again.

Read and watch the video interview of Ian Brown at NME

Kiss are wrapping up their first new LP since 1998’s Psycho Circus, guitarist Paul Stanley revealed in a post on the band’s official Website yesterday. “We’re about four days from finishing the new Kiss album. Eleven tracks, and it IS everything I’ve told you. It IS classic. It IS all written within the band. And IT ROCKS BIG TIME!,” Stanley writes.

In news that will likely distress old school Kiss fans, Stanley also revealed that guitarist Tommy Thayer and drummer Eric Singer will both handle lead vocal duties at some points on the album. “The songs, sound and playing will knock your socks off. You will all be as proud and excited as we all are,” Stanley added. When Rock Daily spoke to bassist Gene Simmons in March, the God of Thunder described the LP as having a “classic ’70s rock & roll vibe. Meat and Potatoes.” “There’s nothing to prove to anybody,” Simmons said. “We’re not interested in musical trends or anything else. We’re too long in the tooth for that.” No release date has been announced yet.

However, when Kiss do release their new album, it will apparently be a Walmart exclusive. Simmons revealed the news to an unlikely source — actress Denise Richards — during a Sirius XM visit. The promotional blitz will include Walmart dedicating an area of their stores to the band and dubbing it “Kiss Korner,” Simmons told Richards in the video posted at Blabbermouth. Rumors of a deal along the lines of AC/DC’s massively successful exclusive with the retail giant first emerged after Simmons and Stanley attended an Arkansas Walmart shareholders meeting on June 5th.

.Source RollngStone

Elton John could be on verge of getting a street named after him.

The rocket man is from Pinner and the local council are considering honouring him with his own road.

According to Harrow Council's publication Harrow People, they are "considering plans to name a road after its most famous musical son".

The local publication also reveals that John allowed a rapper from his local area to sample him, an honour previously reserved for hip-hop's heavyweights.

Ironik, who play's the borough's Under One Sky event at Kodak Recreation Ground, Harrow View on June 28, scored a hit sampling 'Tiny Dancer'.

"We approached Elton and management after we worked on it and they loved the idea and cleared the sample, which is one of only three samples in the hip-hop scene to be cleared," he told Harrow People. "The other two were for Tupac (Shakur) and Kanye West."

Source NME

Several previously unheard songs by George Harrison are set to be released.

The late former Beatle had a large batch of unfinished tracks at the time of his death in 2001 and they will now be worked on by musician Jeff Lynne – who was a member of 80s super-group The Traveling Wilburys along with George.

A source said: 'George half-finished loads of songs and often just forgot about them. There is probably an album’s worth of material.

'Jeff and George were very close and worked together a lot in the later period of George’s life. He’s the right man to work on the material.'

Only recently, Harrison’s widow Olivia revealed she wanted to do something with her husband’s incomplete songs.

She said: 'There are lots of tracks. Some are closer to completion than others and with those I’d ask for help.'

This will not be the first time Lynne - who is best known as the frontman of the Electric Light Orchestra – has worked on new material by a Beatle.

The 61-year-old guitarist produced The Beatles’ 1995 single 'Free As A Bird’ – which featured the vocals of the late John Lennon taken from a demo he had written and recorded in 1977.

It is also believed Harrison’s son Dhani will work with Lynne on the material. The pair finished off Harrison’s final studio album 'Brainwashed’, released in 2002, after his untimely passing at the age of 58.

Source music-news

The Imagine Corporation is proud to announce the launch of the world’s most exciting music competition. One lucky music fan is set to win Brian Epstein’s original Contract that John Lennon, George Harrison, Paul McCartney and Ringo Starr signed before they gained global fame and fortune as the legendary Beatles.

This amazing piece of popular music history has only changed hands a couple of times over the decades and was acquired for The Imagine Corporation at Christie’s, the world famous Auction House. The Contract is currently insured for £500,000 but is regarded as an irreplaceable piece of musical heritage.

The competition is simple to enter and is open to anyone around the world. The rules are easy to follow and can be found at www.imagine.uk.com. All players have to do is work out what they think the Contract has been valued at by a panel of experts and therefore what it could have sold for if it had been put up for auction in April 2008 at a London Auction House. The competition is like no other and is a dream ticket for any music fan.

So whether they are the world’s biggest Beatles fan, or just want to pay off a mortgage by winning the prize, they can log on at www.imagine.uk.com to find out how all their dreams could come true by Obtaining the Unobtainable.

For more information and to enter please visit www.imagine.uk.com

Source music-news