Happy new year, everybody. Bit of a tentative start to 2013, though the new issue with Gram Parsons on the cover has just arrived in UK shops. A plug, too, for the next Uncut Ultimate Music Guide, dedicated to The Beatles, which I think is out January 17.
Bobby Womack has released an official statement after revealing this week that he is suffering from Alzheimer’s.
The 68-year-old, who released his first single in 1954, previously admitted he is suffering from the brain disorder and that he struggles to recall the names of his songs and those of his collaborators.
He said: “The doctor says there are signs of Alzheimer’s. It’s not bad yet but will get worse. How can I not remember songs I wrote? It’s frustrating. I don't feel together yet. Negative things come in my mind and it's hard for me to remember sometimes."
Brett Morgen, who directed The Rolling Stones film Crossfire Hurricane, has given an outline of the Kurt Cobain film he's been working on for the past five years.
Speaking to NME, Morgen said that just as the tone of Crossfire Hurricane had been dictated by its subject, the as-yet-untitled film about the Nirvana frontman would too be an embodiment of his character.
Former Kraftwerk percussionist Karl Bartos features in the new issue of Uncut (February 2013, Take 189), out now, discussing the upcoming Kraftwerk retrospective shows in London, and his own new solo album, Off The Record. As a companion piece, here’s Ralf Hütter taking us through the high points of Kraftwerk’s discography in a fascinating ‘album by album’ from Uncut's October 2009 issue (Take 149).
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Jack White's Blunderbuss was the biggest-selling vinyl album of 2012.
Released between Columbia Records and White's own Third Man Records, his debut solo album sold 33,000. The figure was enough for Blunderbuss to knock The Beatles's Abbey Road from the top spot, which had been the biggest-selling vinyl record for the past three years running.
In British pop history the feature film often marks the fatal moment of imperial overreach of a particular scene or band. From Magical Mystery Tour to The Great Rock And Roll Swindle or Absolute Beginners, be they grand follies, works of cynical exploitation or pretentious fiascos, they almost always mark the end of something.
Dave Grohl will debut a new supergroup, named Sound City Players, at this year's Sundance Film Festival, reports Rolling Stone.
The show, due to take place on January 18, will see Grohl take to the stage with guests and musicians featured in his documentary on the now-closed Sound City recording studios in Van Nuys, California, which will premiere at the annual film festival in Park City, Utah.
Artists appearing in the documentary include Fleetwood Mac's Stevie Nicks, Nine Inch Nails' Trent Reznor and Josh Homme from Queens of the Stone Age.
Neil Young, Patti Smith and Alabama Shakes will perform at a tribute to Bruce Springsteen in Los Angeles next month.
The MusiCares show will take in LA on February 8, two days before this year's Grammy Awards and will also feature performances from Mumford And Sons, Elton John, Sting, Tim McGraw and Faith Hill, John Legend and Tom Morello. Jackson Browne, Natalie Maines of the Dixie Chicks, Kenny Chesney and Juanes will also perform at the show. The gig is being hosted by The Daily Show comedian Jon Stewart.
