Shazamers' Blog

Everyone’s favourite band, Radiohead, continue on their full disclosure to fans quests by releasing two demos that were recorded in the mid-1980s, when the band were called On A Friday.

The demos – which surfaced via YouTube user Klootme – are the earliest known demo tapes, recorded in 1986. “The remixes on the end are reportedly bizarre sort of dub versions where the vocals pretty much cut in and out at random. It was apparently recorded at the music room of Abingdon School,” according to Poptart, What’s Our Mission?.

Klootme explained the history behind the demo tapes: “My husband was at school with the band and partied with them (before Jonny joined them!). Phil was at Uni with us both in Liverpool. The demo was given to my husband at 17 in school. We used to go and see them play in Oxford and were friends with them. They were fairly inactive from 1987 -1990 as a band. But when everyone had finished Uni they got back together and tried to make a go of it. They went to the States…we went backpacking to India for 6 months. Six months later we returned from India…saw Colin with a binbag full of laundry at the launderette….. ‘so much for the States’ we laughed… I remember seeing them in Oxford where me and my husband made up an audience of 6!”.

Radiohead have also recently posted three new remixes of tracks from their album ‘The King of Limbs’, which you can listen to on the NME’s site.

Bassist Colin Greenwood posted a message with the remixes: “Hello! Here are the three remixes by Anstam, Nathan Fake and Jamie xx that sadly didn’t make it in time for the vinyl release – we wanted to get them out because we’re big fans and wanted you to hear them too.”

Helia News radiohead

As we reach the Christmas charts, the album reissues are coming thick and fast. One such piece of work is The Rolling Stones’ ‘Some Girls’ – originally released in 1978, the album hit the number one spot in America and Canada, making number two in the UK. Since its release, the album has over six million copies, and continues to be one of the Stones’ most noted albums for its change in direction towards a more disco influenced sound.

When the album was released, the Stones had already graduated to a second generation of rock. Bands like The Clash and the Sex Pistols had created a new musical rebellion through punk, and suddenly, the Stones were looking like out-dated dinosaurs.

“It’s not like we wanted to make a career out of disco; it just happened to be that beat, and Mick came up with this beautiful idea. If you’re ever gonna do disco, you got to do it now. It was like a one-off,” Richards said to the Washington Post.

Jagger brushed off the notions that the band were consciously trying to make a breakaway album. “I never thought for one minute that people would criticise you for doing something with a dance beat,” Jagger said. “So the idea of it being ‘Bob Dylan going electric’ never occurred to me.”

The album was born from where the band were at during that time, both creatively and also physically. “The inspiration for the record was really based in New York and the ways of the town,” Jagger told Rolling Stone. “I think that gave it an extra spur and hardness. And then, of course, there was the punk thing that had started in 1976. Punk and disco were going on at the same time, so it was quite an interesting period. New York and London, too. Paris—there was punk there. Lots of dance music. Paris and New York had all this Latin dance music, which was really quite wonderful. Much more interesting than the stuff that came afterward.”

Stones fans have another year to look forward to from their favourite band in 2012, they’ve announced plans for a 50^th Anniversary celebratory jam. The Stones haven’t played live since 2007, so it’s likely to be a pretty big deal…

Helia News Rolling Stones

As November draws to a close, the race for Christmas number one is on, again. And though bookie Ladbrokes put their Chrimbo favourite as X-Factor star Amelia Lily, Nirvana’s best known single ‘Smells Like Teen Spirit’ comes in at a close second for the Christmas number one spot (odds are 4/1, in case you’re interested in a flutter). The Christmas number one spot in the UK has been dominated by X-Factor related releases for the past decade – with the marked exception of 2009, when a Facebook campaign saw Rage Against the Machine hit the top spot. Nirvana are now the targets of a similar Facebook campaign – with music lovers being encouraged to buy the single to rail against the dominance of X Factor in the charts.

2011 was the 20^th anniversary of Nirvana’s seminal album, ‘Nevermind’. But as well as being in the news through celebration of one of the top rock albums of the past 20 years, Nirvana were also in the headlines recently, through various comments being exchanged by late singer Kurt Cobain’s wife, Courtney Love, and his ex band-mate, Dave Grohl.

Performing with band Hole at the SWU festival in Sao Paulo, Brazil, Love took the opportunity to flash the crowd and start insulting a member of the audience who had held up a picture of Kurt Cobain. She then started ranting about Dave Grohl and his band, Foo Fighters. Watch Courtney’s lash out here. Courtney then explained her rant, as reported in Loudwire. Though Grohl has deigned to retaliate (understandably), his Nirvana bandmate Krist Novoselic seemingly stepped up to defend his buddy on Twitter, tweeting “Q: Why do Foo Fighters pack arenas? A: Because they ROCK!!!!!!!” and “David Eric Grohl = Talent + Focus + Hard Work #Ilove you.”

More poignantly, Novoselic recently spoke to Billboard about the enduring appeal of the Nirvana album, Nevermind:

“Twenty years is a long time and a lot has gone on. But Nirvana for me personally has been prominent the whole way,” he said. “It’s been so enduring. First you’re 16, then you’re 18, then you’re 21 and then you’re 40, then 63, or whatever retirement age is. So there are these milestones. But regardless, the music lives on. People are listening to the music, talking about it and thinking about it. It’s really neat. I never thought it would be so enduring.”

Helia Tag Of The Day Nirvana



Adele’s sophomore album ‘21’ has been an unprecedented digital success. Earlier this year in the US it became the biggest selling digital album in American chart history. So far this year, it has sold over 12 million copies, worldwide. And now, ‘21’ has become the first album to sell more than a million copies on the European iTunes store. In late October, Adele cancelled all her remaining 2011 concert dates and all promotional activity due to a vocal cord haemorrhage. This was just weeks after she cancelled dates in the UK following a chest infection.

A statement posted on her website stated: “It is with deep regret that Adele has been forced to cancel her remaining live dates and promotional appearances in 2011. She is to undergo surgery to alleviate the current issues with her throat and a full recovery is expected. As a result, doctors have ordered her to rest her voice and completely recuperate before looking to schedule any work commitments.”

Despite the setback, the surgery was a success, as Adele told fans in an entry on her blog: “I’m doing really well, on the mend, super happy, relaxed and very positive with it all. The operation was a success and I’m just chilling out now until I get the all clear from my doctors. Thank you to everyone who voted for the awards I’ve won recently as well. Hugely appreciated. I best get back to practicing my mime show now.”

Though many fans might have missed her on stage this year, Adele is making up for that with a CD/DVD release of her performance at the Royal Albert Hall, out on November 28. Watch the trailer above.

Helia News Adele

When they started making headlines, some speculated that Odd Future would probably start playing down their antics fairly soon. Not so. The New Zealand travelling festival Big Day Out has kicked Odd Future off the bill after facing criticism from members of the public over OF’s lyrics.

“By allowing Odd Future to play at BDO, you are proving that you have little concern for the lives and welfare of LGBT people, that you are willing to endanger their lives, and seek to encourage stigmatisation against them,” stated a Wellington resident to the New Zealand Herald. “I find this disappointing in an organisation that could do so much to enhance the self esteem of youth, reduce stigma, and discourage violence.”

City councillors stepped in after widespread public flapping about the group’s inclusion on the festival bill and eventually festival organisers removed OF from the lineup. Local fans – disappointed to be missing a performance by the group – were appeased when Big Day Out released a statement, entitled “OMFG DON’T PANIC. We are currently in discussions with Odd Future and will be announcing their own solo show for Auckland in the coming weeks.” For more information on the show, keep an eye on the Big Day Out website.

Out of New Zealand and back in the Northern hemisphere, back in late October Odd Future’s Left Brain allegedly assaulted photographer Amy Harris in the photo pit of a show in New Orleans. Harris has just posted a statement on her website, saying that she has pressed charges and still received no apology from the OF camp:

It’s not all bad though. Aside from the festival furore and the potential law suit, there’s also good news. Odd Future side project The Internet has been in the works for a while now. Put together by the backbone of the group – Syd The Kyd (their DJ) and Matt Martian (producer), it promises to be up there in terms of OF releases. The album ‘Purple Naked Ladies’ is released online on December 20 (there is a physical release with bonus tracks and new art on January 17) through Odd Future Records.

Helia News Odd Future

Back in the early 1990s when grunge was exploding in Seattle, young filmmaker Cameron Crowe was in the right place at the right time and pitched the right project to Warner Brothers. The end result was Singles – a movie about love, friendship, and music, set against the background of the grunge scene. Unlike many films made about musical movements, the soundtrack had its finger on the pulse of the scene as the film came out – showcasing bands like Alice in Chains, Soundgarden, Mudhoney and the Smashing Pumpkins.

The film launched the careers of Bridget Fonda, Kyra Sedgewick, not to mention (a very hairy) Matt Dillon, who plays Cliff – the lead singer of grunge band ‘Mother Love Bone’. If you look closely, you can see his backing band in the film are real musicians. At the time the movie started shooting, they were a band called Mookie Blaylock. halfway through shooting, they changed their name – to Pearl Jam.

The band had only formed a matter of months before, and attracted lead vocalist Eddie Vedder up to Seattle from California. They contributed two songs to the soundtrack of the film – Breath, and State of Love and Trust. An early version of the latter appeared on the 2009 reissue of the band’s debut album Ten, but apart from that it existed solely as a live track.

As an example of the best of the early 90s guitar underground, there aren’t many songs out there to top State of Love and Trust. Eddie Vedder has called it a song about being faithful, Cameron Crowe says it’s a song that is ferocious – and about battling with your instincts in love. One thing is for sure, it’s a hell of a tune.

Helia Tag Of The Day pearl jam

Although it’s been six years since their latest recorded offering (Bleed Like Me), Garbage never fully disbanded. Having been stuck on a label “who did not give one flying f**k about us” according to frontwoman Shirley Manson, the band managed to break free and have been back in the studio making a new album.

Butch Vig – the mastermind behind the band – says that the new album came as a result of getting together as a band with no expectations upon them. “We got together with no agenda other than to just jam a little bit, f**k around and see what we came up with and it was inspiring. With nobody putting any pressure on us, the songwriting started to happen really quickly.”

After spending weeks back in the studio, years-worth of pent-up music came out in some bizarre ways, according to a statement released by the band. “Bleary cell phone memos became real songs, conversations turned into lyrics, and new computer gizmos inspired wicked tangents.

“Ghosts came in, had their say. Everyone brought ideas, and everyone fought their corner. At the end of the day it all gets shoved through the four-way brain filter that is Garbage and it ends up sounding like nobody else. Red feathers and black tar.”

If their past form is anything to go by, the new album sounds like it might blow everyone away. Visit the band’s Facebook page to keep updated on the progress of the album…

Helia News Garbage

If there’s one band from the baggy / Britpop era that surely no-one thought would reform, it’s Manchester’s Stone Roses. The group – who originally formed in 1983 – pioneered the baggy sound that came to be the backbone of British indie throughout the 1990’s with their debut eponymous album, which was released in 1989. The album contained gems that have continued to play on rotation on indie discos around the world since then: ‘I Wanna Be Adored’, ‘She Bangs the Drums’, ‘Waterfall’, ‘Made of Stone’ and ‘I Am The Resurrection’.

Despite their rapid rise to success, in the wake of their first album, the band was beset with bad luck: chiefly a four year legal battle against their label, Silvertone. They eventually managed to shake Silvertone and signed to Geffen, but the legal woes meant an extra year delay before they released their sophomore album, the epically titled ‘Second Coming’. Despite the album being a right stonker, it failed to meet the excessive music industry hype, and in 1995 drummer Reni left the band. In 1996, John Squire followed suite – and as he was songwriter for the band, many imagined this would be the end of the Roses. After a disastrous performance at the Reading Festival in 1996, the remaining Roses decided enough was enough, and split – all vociferous that the divorce would be for good.

But some 20-odd years after the band first formed, and somehow, everything has been forgotten and forgiven. The Stone Roses have reformed, and have a worldwide tour and album in the works. Some cynical journalists were on the receiving end of a tongue-lashing from singer Ian Brown at the press conference held by the band last week, but Brown had the last word, in typical poetic style: “Love is deeper than the hurt,” he said. “Love conquers all.”

Amen brothers. Enjoy this – ‘Love Spreads’ – the lead single from ‘Second Coming’.

Helia Tag Of The Day Stone Roses

Throughout this year, music fans been teased with snippets of news about the Lou Reed/Metallica collaboration album. Affectionately dubbed the ‘Loutallica’ project, the release date for album ‘Lulu’ is now creeping closer, and a trailer for the album has been released.

Metallica are one of metal’s enduring successes. Originally formed in the suburbs of Los Angeles in the early 1980s, the band were heavily influenced by British band Motörhead, and sought to replicate the soul of the band. Metallica soon dominated the metal scene, with lyrical content that went fully political, feeding into fans’ desire for music that had brain as well as brawn. Metallica have sold millions of records, and the band have survived road accidents, faulty pyrotechnics, members with substance abuse problems, legal run-ins with their label, legal action against file sharing websites, and various members leaving at different times. They are one of the true monsters of metal.

By contrast, Lou Reed was one of the founders of punk rock. As the singer/songwriter of the 1960s band The Velvet Underground, Reed left the band in 1970 and moved into a rich and varied solo career. He toyed with his image and sound, moving from exploring the darker side of humanity (singing about angels, lost souls and heroin) to a fully-fledged glam rock persona (helped along by Andy Warhol, who helped Reed dye his hair blonde and stick on that black nail varnish he became known for). He’s flitted between music genres like people change socks, from punk rock to pop opera.

So what then, to make of Loutallica? Metal purists have been unsure since the project was announced, but now – finally – there’s only a matter of days to wait until ‘Lulu’ hits the stores. The album is based on the work of Frank Wedekind, a German playwright who wrote about a dancer called Lulu, a mistreated girl who lives a tough life. Expect plenty of the dark side (violence, abuse, murder, etc) when ‘Lulu’ is released on October 31 (UK/rest of world) and November 1 (US).

Helia News Lou Reed, Metallica

The Who‘s seminal album, ‘Quadrophenia’, is set to be re-released on 14 November 2011 by Universal, who are repackaging the album in some new swanky formats, which include super deluxe six-disc boxed set.

Liam Gallagher’s clothing label Pretty Green have collaborated with The Who to celebrate the re-release, by issuing a limited edition parka inspired by Jimmy’s classic piece, as worn on the cover of the album. “As I’m a massive fan of The Who, and with ‘Quadrophenia’ being one of my favourite albums of all time, it’s an honour to be associated,” said Liam.

‘Quadrophenia’ was The Who’s sixth studio album, which was released in 1973 and was the band’s second rock opera after Tommy. The story of the album is set between London Brighton in the mid-60s, and it was made into a film in 1979, featuring Phil Daniels as Jimmy, plus a cast that included Sting, Leslie Ash and Ray Winstone.

To coincide with the release of the Pretty Green parka, their flagship store on Carnaby Street in London will be showing a special exhibition of items from the making of the film. These include notes, diaries, photos and lyrics from the making of Quadrophenia in a special. The band are also looking for fans to contribute their own memorabilia to the exhibition, asking for any items for the period.

“We’re on the hunt for Quadrophenia-related merchandising to see if we can get a great exhibition together in London for you all. Can you help?” they ask. “We’d like to know what kind of stuff you have from the ‘Quad’ era – photos, posters, gig tickets, reviews, rare pressings, t-shirts etc.  And what’s your most prized Who possession? Would you be willing to show it off? Let us know what you’ve got by getting in touch with us via email at infoumc@umusic.com“

Helia News The Who