Off to a gig tonight where the idea is that 10 bands perform for 10 minutes and each band has to cover a song by an artist chosen by the promotor - tonight's artist is Bruce Springsteen - I can't wait!

So far they've featured Green Day (hmmmm) and Weezer (better) but this one should be ace.

Click below for the lovely poster:

http://www.facebook.com/mttsband#/photo.php?pid=3972951&id=10679666442

I know people have been fairly vocal on this topic in the past and with the news below that our local enormodome is under pressure from the council to ban drinking at gigs I thought I'd write a piece on the issue for the local rag.

http://www.liverpoolecho.co.uk/liverpool-news/local-news/2009/10/15/coun...

Be great to get some regular gig goers opinions on this.

Strange that they used a Leornard Cohen gig as the example - even stranger when you see the other councillor's response!

Sad news from Liverpool today with the loss of Jake Brockman - keyboardist with Echo and the Bunnymen.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/8234908.stm

It's unbelievably tragic that the band should lose two members to similar motorcylce crashes.

http://www.nme.com/news/nme/46374

Good choice I say.

One of the stranger stories to emerge from Liverpool's musical industry yesterday....

http://www.liverpoolcultureblog.co.uk/2009/04/tommy-scott-is-not-dead-ak...

According to reports in the Mirror today the Stone Roses have agreed to reform:

http://www.mirror.co.uk/celebs/news/2009/03/17/stone-roses-to-reform-mad...

I can honestly say they're the band who changed my life. I still think their debut is the greatest album ever and whenever I hear them I'm taken back to some wonderful teenage nirvana. I suspect many of you feel differently not least those who maintain "they were crap live" or that Ian Brown "can't sing".

So what do you think?

I know I'm preaching to the converted here but when is someone going to put us out of our misery ad kill this man:

http://www.nme.com/news/the-kinks/40103

What an utter waste of space he is.

The Billboard Top 100 is celebrating its 50th birthday and have published all manner of celebratory lists including their all time top 100 'performing' songs. As far as I can tell it's based on a complicated points system which conveys how many weeks each single stayed in the charts. I know the US chart is very different to our own but could anyone of predicted this top ten?

http://www.billboard.com/bbcom/specials/hot100/charts/top100-titles-10.s...

Sad news just reached me here at Beatles Story HQ. He worked on some amazing records.

Norman Smith aka Hurricane Smith (born 22 February 1923; died 3 March 2008) was a musician and record producer. He was the engineer on all of the recordings by the Beatles up until 1965 when EMI promoted him from engineer to producer. The last Beatles album he recorded was Rubber Soul, and Smith engineered the sound for approximately 180 Beatles songs in total.

A native of the North London area of Edmonton, Smith was working with the Beatles on 17 June 1965 when he was offered 15,000 pounds by the band's music publishing company, Dick James Music, to buy outright a song he had written.

In early 1967, he began working with a new group, Pink Floyd, producing their first three studio albums The Piper at the Gates of Dawn, A Saucerful of Secrets, and Ummagumma. During the sessions for the song, "Remember a Day", drummer Nick Mason became agitated that he could not come up with the right drum part for the song. Smith, however, knew what he wanted with the drums, so he played the part himself.

In 1968, Smith produced one of the first rock concept albums, The Pretty Things' S.F. Sorrow.

In 1971, Smith, using his recording artist pseudonym of "Hurricane Smith," had a UK hit with "Don't Let It Die". In 1972, he enjoyed a transatlantic hit with "Oh Babe What Would You Say?", which became a U.S. # 1 Cashbox hit. This recording was a demo of a song that he had written for a different artist to record. When he played it for fellow record producer Mickie Most, Most was impressed enough to tell him to release it as it was. Also included on Smith's self-titled debut album was a third hit single, a cover of Gilbert O'Sullivan's "Who Was It?"

Some minor hits followed, like "My Mother Was Her Name" (1972), "Beautiful Day, Beautiful Night" (1973) and "To Make You My Baby" (1974). However, his subsequent attempts at producing successful recordings proved elusive.

In 2004, Smith released a new CD, From Me To You (SFMCD030), including new recordings of his biggest self-penned hits, "Don't Let It Die" and "Oh Babe, What Would You Say?", and includes messages in the liner notes from Sir Paul McCartney and members of Pink Floyd.

Norman Smith has written a book, his memoirs, entitled John Lennon Called Me Normal. It debuted on 16 March 2007 as a limited edition at The Fest for Beatles Fans in Secaucus, New Jersey. There, Smith appeared and sang "Oh Babe". An expanded market edition of the book is due for release in the summer of 2007. The book contains never-before-published pictures, newly revealed historical facts about the Beatles and Pink Floyd at Abbey Road Studios, as well as details of Smith's life as an RAF Glider Pilot.

http://www.gigwise.com/news/40710/dolly-partons-huge-breasts-cause-tour-...

Any other amusing reasons for cancelling tours / shows?

Linked below is the text from an article I've just been sent about how to use the Beatles as a model for good business practice. It made me laugh and then when I thought about it I got quite depressed. There's something very David Brent about it and reminds of that clip of someone using One by U2 in a similar way:

Link: Beatles' success offers lessons for businesses.