Pet Shop Boys Releasing "Leaving" With Three Different Singles

The Pet Shop Boys are releasing Leaving as the second single from their album Elysium, following up Winner which came out back around the time of the Olympics. The digital single, in three different configurations, will be released on October 16 via Astralwerks Records.

Among the various b-sides and extra tracks, the Balkan-flavoured Hell was originally planned to be included on Elysium but Neil and Chris didn't feel it fit the mood of the album. In His Imagination was written and recorded this summer and features Joel Gibb of The Hidden Cameras on backing vocals. Both tracks were produced by Pet Shop Boys and mixed by Bob Kraushaar. Baby is Pet Shop Boys’ demo from 2003 of a song which was later recorded by the Swedish pop group Alcazar; a segment of it was recently included in their The Most Incredible Thing ballet.

The young Italian DJ/artist Dusty Kid has provided a long, brooding club re-working of Leaving. Elysium co-producer Andrew Dawson has made two very different remixes, the reflective HappySad and the clubby HappyHour. Finally Pet Shop Boys have produced three new remixes as well as making available their original demo of Leaving from 2010.

Digital Bundle 1 - Leaving

• Leaving
• Hell
• In His Imagination
• Baby (2003 demo)

• Leaving (Lost her love remix) - Remixed by Dusty Kid
• Leaving (Believe in PSB remix) - Remixed by Pet Shop Boys
• Leaving (demo)

• Leaving (PSB Side-by-side remix) - Remixed by Pet Shop Boys
• Leaving (HappySad remix) - Remixed by Andrew Dawson
• Leaving (PSB Freedom remix) - Remixed by Pet Shop Boys

Here is the official video for the track:

Source VVN

Neil Young has hinted that he may reunite Buffalo Springfield.

The singer believes he has unfinished business with the mid-'60s band he formed with Stephen Stills, and may reform the group for a new record. They previously reunited for a brief tour in 2011.

Speaking to The Guardian, Young said:

"Two of the guys are no longer with us, so it's difficult, but we're yet to do something that …you never know."

He continued: "It just seemed like it never reached its potential. There was always something wrong, always somebody missing, always some kind of conflict, always a problem. It stopped us from being as great as we could be, and we didn't know how to deal with it and so we really didn't quite succeed."

Young says it was the deportation of bassist Bruce Palmer from the USA to Canada that prevented Buffalo Springfield from achieving lasting success.

"We lost our players, we didn't lose our minds. We lost our bass player," said Young. "We lost what made us great, and when we got the chance to record with the band in the first place we didn't have anyone good to take us into the studio and make the best of what we were."

Last month, Foo Fighters frontman Dave Grohl and Dan Auerbach of The Black Keys joined Neil Young on stage at a free concert in Central Park, New York. As Young's set reached a climax, Grohl and Auerbach joined Young & Crazy Horse for an extended version of the Canadian singer's 'Rockin' In The Free World' – watch a video of the performance below.

Meanwhile, the singer is set to take on iTunes with a new high-resolution music service designed to combat the compressed audio offered by MP3s. Launching next year, Young's service Pono will offer a music download service, portable music players, and digital-to-analogue conversion technology. The aim is to present songs as they first sounded when they were recorded.

Source uncut

Art Garfunkel has cancelled the balance of his tour dates this year, six this month, two in November and one in December, due to ongoing problems with his voice. He had previously cancelled seven of his last eight shows.

Garfunkel has been having the problem, called vocal paresis, for the last two years and has been forced to call off other appearances. The announcement cancelling the shows read:

Legendary singer and Rock & Roll Hall of Fame member Art Garfunkel has been forced to postpone the remaining 10 concerts he had scheduled for 2012. Since doctors discovered a weakened vocal cord in 2010, the singer has been working on mending his voice and is intent on making a full recovery.

Garfunkel regrets the disappointment to fans who bought tickets as well as the venues and promoters who worked to make these shows a success. “I had such hopes of being finally ready to perform. How painful to try and not be quite yet there,” says Garfunkel. Manager John Scher says, “Art wants to perform, more than anything. He’s going to come back stronger than ever.”

Source VVN

On Thursday, 29th November 2012, the legendary funk band Kool & The Gang will perform their only UK show this year at London's newest venue, Electric Brixton (Town Hall Parade, London SW2 1RJ).

Kool and the Gang have sold over 70 million albums since the release of their self-titled debut album in 1969. Their impressive list of hits include Celebration, Ladies Night, Cherish, Jungle Boogie, Fresh, Get Down On It, Summer Madness and Open Sesame.

Kool & the Gang have earned countless mainstream awards and their bulletproof funk and jazz has made them one of the most sampled bands of all time. Their music has also featured prominently in many hugely successful movies, including amongst others; Saturday Night Fever, Pulp Fiction and Men in Black.

The band's Glastonbury 2011 performance was acclaimed as one of the festival's highlights and introduced the band to a new generation of fans.

Supporting the funk legends will be McKoy and DJ James Anthony (Solo Radio).

Source music-news

Kathi McDonald, best known for her 1980 hit with Long John Baldry ‘You’ve Lost That Lovin’ Feeling’, has passed away at the age of 64.

Kathi’s career dated back to the late 60s when she sang on a session for Ike & Tina Turner. Through the 70s she sang on The Rolling Stones ‘Exile On Main Street’, Joe Cocker’s ‘Mad Dogs & Englishmen’, Leon Russell’s ‘Shelter People’ and with Big Brother & The Holding Company.

In 1979 she recorded ‘You’ve Lost That Lovin’ Feeling’ with Long John Baldry for his ‘Baldry’s Out’ album. The song was a Top10 hit in Australia.

Kathi recorded her debut solo album ‘Insane Asylum’ in 1974 but didn’t record a solo album again until 1994.

A statement from her record label Marin Records reads:

Dear Friends, It is with great sadness that I inform you of the passing of Kathi McDonald. A legendary RocknRoll and Blues singer and a beloved friend of many. As I release further information here and on facebook I do so, entrusted to fulfill Kathi’s wishes and welcome your Love, support and grace to help provide Kathi’s desires of a proper funeral and the celebration of her life. I believe a memorial in both her native Seattle and her second home in the Bay Area are needed to comfort each other and reflect on this great singer and wonderful human being. She has shared her life with my family and welcomed me into hers and her friends have kindly done the same. For those able or willing donations can be made to the Kathi McDonald Life.

Source noise11

British Session Guitarist Big Jim Sullivan Dies at 71

Big Jim Sullivan, one of the most prolific studio guitar players in British music history, passed away on Tuesday in his West Sussex home at the age of 71.

Sullivan reportedly played on over 1,000 hits, including 55 number one records from Petula Clark's Downtown to David Bowie's Space Oddity. 

Sullivan took up the guitar in 1955 when he was 14 years old. By the age of 16, he was playing professionally and in 1959, became the guitarist for Marty Wilde's group the Wildcats. 

At the dawn of the 60's, Sullivan started doing studio work becoming one of Britain's most in demand musicians. His long list of accomplishments include recording the first record using the wah-wah effect along with the first to use a fuzzbox. The list of musicians for which he played reads like a Who's Who of 60's popular music. During the decade, he was also the regular guitarist on both Top of the Pops and Ready, Steady, Go. 

In the early-70's, Sullivan became guitarist for Tom Jones' band, appearing with him in Las Vegas and on his network TV show. It was on that show that he did one of the earliest demonstrations of the talkbox effect for guitars. 

Sullivan also recorded as a solo artist and, in the mid-70's, as part of the group Tiger. In 1978, he began nine years as part of the James Last Orchestra and, when not working with them, toured with Olivia Newton-John. 

The following is just a small sample of records on which Sullivan played:

Source VVN