Music-Linx

Rock guitarist Gary Moore dies in Spain

2011-02-06T18:39:00.001Z

The renowned rock guitarist Gary Moore has died

Gary Moore, 58, was, originally from Belfast, and was a former member of the legendary Irish group Thin Lizzy.

Moore played with Thin Lizzy for several periods and had a string of top 40 hits in the 1970s and 1980s

The most enduring track ever recorded with Thin Lizzy was “Still In Love With You". Even today, that remains a favorite.

Adam Parsons, who manages Thin Lizzy, told the BBC that Gary Moore had died in the early hours of Sunday morning.

Former Thin Lizzy guitarist Gary Moore has been found dead in his luxury hotel room in the Costa del Sol in the early hours of this morning.

A postmortem is due to be carried out later in nearby Malaga.

Gary Moore was originally drafted into Thin Lizzy by its singer Phil Lynott. He later gained acclaim for his solo work and was a former member of the Irish group Skid Row.

Black Rose - Gary Moore Thin Lizzy Phil Lynott tribute in 2005

BB King / Gary Moore - The Thrill is Gone

Gary Moore - Parisienne Walkways live

RIP Gary Moore

Jeff Beck & Rod Stewart set for album reunion

2011-02-04T10:55:00.000Z

Rod Stewart and Jeff Beck are working on new album plans, marking the first time the duo has recorded new material together since the guitar great broke up the Jeff Beck Band on the eve of the Woodstock festival in 1969.

Stewart was hired as Beck's frontman in 1967. After the band split two years later, the Maggie May singer joined The Faces before embarking on a successful solo career.

In recent years, the two old friends have been plotting a possible Jeff Beck Band reunion with Stewart's Faces sidekick Ronnie Wood.

And now it looks as if a new Beck/Stewart album is on the cards.

Stewart tells RollingStone.com, "Jeff and I had a lunch together just before Christmas. He's going up to record some tracks with his band in February in San Francisco and (then he'll) send them over to me, so we're making progress."

Stewart's longtime manager Arnold Stiefel insists fans should be very excited about the prospect of the two great Brits working together: "They have some really clever things planned."

Stewart famously turned down the chance to reunite with Wood and The Faces last year. Instead the 70s supergroup has asked former Simply Red star Mick Hucknall to front them.

Rod Stewart & Jeff Beck

'Stones have no firm plans to tour'

2011-02-03T13:25:00.000Z

A representative for the Rolling Stones insists the band has "no firm plans to tour" in the near future, after a legal battle erupted over a potential 50th anniversary trek later this year.

Concert producer Michael Cohl, who has worked on many of the band's tours, was sued by bosses at promoters Live Nation in November over allegations he breached his contract at the time he left his job at the company in 2008.

He then launched a counter-suit, claiming the firm's bosses have been attempting to "interfere" and "destroy" his bid to secure the promotional rights for a tour by the legendary band later this year.

The lawsuit has led to speculation the Stones will kick off a string of concerts in late 2011 in time to mark the band's 50th anniversary the following year.

But the group's publicist has now released a statement insisting no dates have been booked, saying, "The Stones confirmed today they have no firm plans to tour at this time."

Meanwhile, the rep has also distanced bandmembers, including frontman Sir Mick Jagger, from the legal spat, adding, "Following the end of the 2007 A Bigger Bang world tour The Rolling Stones became free from any contractual arrangements or agreements with Michael Cohl. He is neither their representative nor their tour promoter."

Kings Of Leon, Pink and Bon Jovi join Australian flood campaign

2011-01-24T13:50:00.000Z

Stars including Kings Of Leon, Pink, Bob Dylan and Bon Jovi have joined the campaign to raise money for victims of the Australian floods by donating tracks to a new charity album.

The state of Queensland has been left devastated after heavy rains caused major flooding in the region earlier this month, with more than 25 people feared dead and thousands forced to flee their homes.

A campaign has been launched to fund the massive clean-up operation, and a number of high-profile stars have lent their support to a money-raising CD called Flood Relief - Artists For The Flood Appeal.

The record features 59 previously unreleased tracks, also from Australian artists including Powderfinger, Midnight Oil and Crowded House. Every artist has offered their music for free, according to the AAP.

Keith Richards in new Pirates of the Caribbean

2010-10-29T11:28:00.001+01:00

Keith Richards will return in the fourth 'Pirates of the Caribbean' adventure, despite rumours that Disney were set to axe him because of his controversial memoirs.
Rumours surfaced recently that the family friendly studio were to axe Richards from the franchise following his drug and sex fuelled tales.
However, Disney officials have called the reports "unfounded and not true".
It paves the way for a return to the franchise for the Rolling Stones legend, who will once again play the father of Johnny Depp's swashbuckling Captain Sparrow.

On the band's Facebook page, a statement read, "Fear not Pirates fans, we are happy to confirm that Keith Richards will be returning as Captain Teague in Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides, setting sail May 2011!"

Keith Richards In Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End.

Alice Cooper - Theatre Of Death-Live At Hammersmith 2009 (DVD W/Bonus CD)

2010-09-30T20:42:00.004+01:00

The godfather of shock-rock Alice Cooper completed his 2009 Theatre of Death World Tour by filming the final show at London's legendary Hammersmith Apollo. The concert features many of Cooper's massive hits including 'School's Out,' 'I'm Eighteen' and 'Poison,' 'Alice Cooper's Theatre Of Death' is a very different show than anyone has ever seen before. Always expect the unexpected from the unpredictable Alice Cooper... Fans of the ultimate Rock 'n' Roll showman won't be disappointed as Alice is subjected to guillotines, gallows and more on his way to being 'killed' four times!

DVD track-listing (91 mins):
1. School's Out
2. Department Of Youth
3. I'm Eighteen
4. Wicked Young Man
5. Ballad Of Dwight Fry
6. Go To Hell
7. Guilty
8. Welcome To My Nightmare
9. Cold Ethyl
10. Poison
11.The Awakening
12. From The Inside
13. Nurse Rosetta.
14. Is It My Body
15. Be My Lover
16. Only Women Bleed - I Never Cry 17. Black Widow
18. Vengeance Is Mine
19. Devil's Food
20. Dirty Diamonds
21. Billion Dollar Babies
22. Killer
23. I Love The Dead
24. No More Mr. Nice Guy
25. Under My Wheels
26. School's Out

CD track-listing:
1. School's Out
2. Department Of Youth
3. I'm Eighteen
4. Wicked Young Man
5. Ballad Of Dwight Fry
6. Go To Hell
7. Guilty
8. Welcome To My Nightmare
9. Cold Ethyl
10. Poison
11.The Awakening
12. From The Inside
13. Nurse Rosetta.
14. Is It My Body
15. Be My Lover
16. Only Women Bleed - I Never Cry 17. Black Widow
18. Vengeance Is Mine
19. Devil's Food
20. Dirty Diamonds
21. Billion Dollar Babies
22. Killer
23. I Love The Dead
24. No More Mr. Nice Guy
25. Under My Wheels
26. School's Out
Price: $19.98

Click here to buy from Amazon

Watch Alice Cooper explain how he revamped his gory stafe show to keep his fans guessing on the Theatre of Death tour

Guitar Chord Legend

2010-09-30T15:34:00.000+01:00

The ultimate chord book replacement software. Lets you find, save, play and print thousands of guitar chords. Throw away your chord books forever!

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Crash Course Beginners Guitar Lessons

2010-09-30T02:49:00.001+01:00

Learn To Play The Guitar In The Shortest Time Possible. Join For Free And Playing Within 2 Minutes. Our Beginners Guitar Crash Course Consists Of 30 Short, Easy To Digest Hd Video Lessons.
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Rock Band Nintendo Wii Hat - Black Name Logo Flex Fit Cap

2010-09-29T18:48:00.002+01:00

Perhaps only the fantasy duo of King Kong and Bambi could be a more bizarre pairing than Robert Plant and Alison Krauss. Yet on Raising Sand, their haunting and brilliant collaboration, the Led Zeppelin screamer and Nashville's most hypnotic song whisperer seem made for each other. This, however, is not the howling Plant of "Whole Lotta Love," but a far more precise and softer singer than even the one who emerged with Dreamland (2002). No matter that Plant seems so subdued as to be on downers, for that's one of the keys to this most improbable meeting of musical galaxies--almost all of it seems slowed down, out of time, otherworldly, and at times downright David Lynch-ian, the product of an altered consciousness. Yet probably the main reason it all works so well is the choice of producer T Bone Burnette, the third star of the album, who culled mostly lesser-known material from some of the great writers of blues, country, folk, gospel, and R&B, including Tom Waits, Townes Van Zandt, Milt Campbell, the Everly Brothers, Sam Phillips, and A.D. and Rosa Lee Watson. At times, Burnette's spare and deliberate soundscape--incisively crafted by guitarists Marc Ribot and Norman Blake, bassist Dennis Crouch, drummer Jay Bellerose, and multi-instrumentalist Mike Seeger, among others--is nearly as dreamy and subterranean as Daniel Lanois's work with Emmylou Harris (Wrecking Ball). Occasionally, Burnette opts for a fairly straightforward production while still reworking the original song (Plant's own "Please Read the Letter," Mel Tillis's "Stick with Me, Baby"). But much of the new flesh on these old bones is oddly unsettling, if not nightmarish. On the opening track of "Rich Woman," the soft-as-clouds vocals strike an optimistic mood, while the instrumental backing--loose snare, ominous bass line, and insinuating electric guitar lines--create a spooky, sinister undertow. Plant and Krauss trade out the solo and harmony vocals, and while they both venture into new waters here (Krauss as a mainstream blues mama, Plant as a gospel singer and honkytonker), she steals the show in Sam Phillips' new "Sister Rosetta Goes Before Us," where a dramatic violin and tremulous banjo strike a foreboding gypsy tone. When Krauss begins this strange, seductive song in a voice so ethereal that angels will take note, you may stop breathing. That, among other reasons, makes Raising Sand an album to die for. --Alanna Nash
Price:

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Play Better Guitar - Jam with a Drummer! Free Sample

2010-09-29T08:00:00.000+01:00

QuickBeat. The Next Best Thing to Playing with a Real Drummer. Learn to Groove. Download Today. Cheaper than one music instruction lesson. 100% Satisfaction Guarantee. Free Sample.

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Play The Guitar In 60 Minutes

2010-09-28T21:40:00.000+01:00

Quickest start for any beginner to actually Play the guitar. Not a course on music theory or complicated stuff. Just gets you playing almost immediately!

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Elton's mum to auction off treasures

2010-09-28T14:24:00.000+01:00

Elton John's mum is having a clear-out, and is planning to auction off a vast cache of ultra-rare memorabilia from her son's pop career.

Sheila Farebrother has downsized to a smaller house on the south coast and is putting over 100 gold and platinum discs (including two for his hit 'Candle In The Wind'), various tour jackets, Versace stage suits and rare VIP passes under the hammer.

Andrew Elliston-Elhinn, of auctioneers Gorringes, said: "His mother used to have a large games room with shelf upon shelf to store all the things he had given her but since moving she doesn't have the room any more.

"Some are autographed but, as his mum said, 'Why would he sign it for me? I'm his mum.'"

"I'd go to his concerts in the early days and my main concern was that he wouldn't forget any of his lyrics," said Sheila.

"It wasn't until Madison Square Garden in 1974 when John Lennon sang with Elton I realised he had become a superstar." [The Mirror]

eMedia Guitar Master

2010-09-28T09:36:00.000+01:00

Guitar Master will teach you to play for real with over 100 audio- and video-enhanced rock guitar lessons. You can start from ground zero, and our revolutionary teaching style will have you playing songs, chords and riffs within minutes. Soon you'll be playing hit songs found in Guitar Hero and Rock Band, including "Paranoid" by Black Sabbath and "You Really Got Me" as by Van Halen.

Over 100 guitar lessons included. Click to enlarge.

Over 50 videos demonstrate techniques. Click to enlarge.

eMedia's exclusive Animated Fretboard shows you exactly where to put your fingers on the neck! Click to enlarge.

Instructor Charles McCrone, a graduate of the cutting-edge Guitar Institute of Technology with over 25 years of playing and teaching experience, takes you through all the techniques needed to play rock, punk and metal. These include movable power chords, barre chords, effects pedals, yanks, hammer-ons, pull-offs, palm muting, distorted riffs, the blues scale, using feedback, the whammy bar and more! All these techniques are applied to playing hit songs, with an animated fretboard guiding you through fingerings as the music plays.

Built-in Tools Included

Chord Dictionary

Digital Recorder

Digital Metronome

Automatic Tuner

Hit songs include:

"Paranoid" by Black Sabbath
"You Really Got Me" as by Van Halen
"Lake of Fire" by Nirvana
"Tired of Waiting for You" as by Green Day
"All Day and All of the Night" by the Kinks
"Don't Fear the Reaper" by Blue Öyster Cult
"Tomorrow" by Silverchair
"All Right Now" by Free
and many more!

Also includes songs in the style of Blink 182, Rage Against the Machine, AC/DC and many more!

Enjoy hours of live recorded multi-track audio.
Watch the techniques demonstrated in over 50 full-motion videos.
Spoken tips and advice from the instructor are just a click away.
Song looping lets you highlight and repeat any section of music you wish to practice.
Slow the music down with variable-speed MIDI tracks.
Music tracking highlights notes or chords as they are played.

Built-in Power Tools:

Automatic Tuner
Tune your guitar quickly and easily! Play into your computer microphone and tune up interactively. Reference tuning notes are also included.

Chord Dictionary
Includes fingering charts and recorded sound playback for over 250 chords. Helps you learn songs with new chords.

Animated Fretboard
Displays fingering positions as the music plays. Also shows fingering for any chord or note you double-click. Features right-handed, left-handed and mirror views.

Digital Metronome
Set your own tempo and keep a steady beat with audio and/or visual feedback.

Digital Recorder
Save your recordings and play them back to share with friends or compare to the instructor's version.

Guitar Master gives you everything you need to play for real!

Price: $39.95

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Woodstock [VHS]

2010-09-28T01:42:00.000+01:00

The three-day Woodstock music festival in 1969 was the pivotal event of the 1960s peace movement, and this landmark concert film is the definitive record of that milestone of rock & roll history. It's more than a chronicle of the hippie movement, however; this is a film of genuine historical and social importance, capturing the spirit of America in transition, when the Vietnam War was at its peak and antiwar protest was fully expressed through the liberating music of the time. With a brilliant crew at his disposal (including a young editor named Martin Scorsese), director Michael Wadleigh worked with over 300 hours of footage to create his original 225-minute director's cut, which was cut by 40 minutes for the film's release in 1970. Eight previously edited segments were restored in 1994, and the original director's cut of Woodstock is now the version most commonly available on videotape and DVD. The film deservedly won the Academy Award for Best Documentary, and it's still a stunning achievement. Abundant footage taken among the massive crowd ("half a million strong") expresses the human heart of the event, from skinny-dipping hippies to accidental overdoses, to unpredictable weather, midconcert childbirth, and the thoughtful (or just plain rambling) reflections of the festive participants. Then, of course, there is the music--a nonstop parade of rock & roll from the greatest performers of the period, including Crosby, Stills, and Nash, Canned Heat, The Who, Richie Havens, Joan Baez, Ten Years After, Sly & The Family Stone, Santana, and many more. Watching this ambitious film, as the saying goes, is the next best thing to being there--it's a time-travel journey to that once-in-a-lifetime event. --Jeff Shannon

Product Description
1969 was a year unlike any other. Man first set foot on the moon. The New York Mets won the World Series against all odds. And for three days in the rural town of Bethel, New York, half a million people experienced the single most defining moment of their generation; a concert unprecedented in scope and influence, a coming together of people from all walks of life with a single common goal: Peace and music. They called it Woodstock. One year later, a landmark Oscar®-winning documentary captured the essence of the music, the electricity of the performances, and the experience of those who lived it. Newly remastered, the film features legendary performances by 17 best selling artists. Bonus content includes: • NEW retrospective The Museum at Bethel Woods: The Story of the Sixties & Woodstock.

Stills from Woodstock: 3 Days of Peace & Music Director's Cut

Price: $29.98

Click here to buy from Amazon

Rock Guitar Power

2010-09-27T14:54:00.003+01:00

Learn To Rock On Guitar With Rock Guitar Power - The only guitar course that teaches specifically how to play Rock music

Check it out!

Clapton

2010-09-25T20:42:00.002+01:00

Co-produced by guitarist and long-time collaborator Doyle Bramhall II, ‘Clapton’ features an all star cast of musical collaborations started with the legendary JJ Cale, drummer Jim Keltner, bassist Willie Weeks, and keyboardist Walt Richmond - and the sessions later added guests including Steve Winwood, Wynton Marsalis, Sheryl Crow, Allen Toussaint, and Derek Trucks. Clapton created a collection that touches on everything from century-old traditional brass bands to little-known country blues to brand-new originals. The result is both relaxed and revelatory, and unlike anything the guitarist has done in his legendary career.

‘This album wasn't what it was intended to be at all,’ says Eric Clapton. ‘It's actually better than it was meant to be because, in a way, I just let it happen. It's an eclectic collection of songs that weren't really on the map - and I like it so much because if it's a surprise to the fans, that's only because it's a surprise to me, as well.’
Price: $18.98

Click here to buy from Amazon

>>

Slash Expands Debut Album

2010-09-10T23:31:00.000+01:00

Slash has revealed an expanded version of his debut album, which was released earlier this year.

The new deluxe version of the album is a 2CD/DVD set that includes the 14 track original album, a 13 track bonus CD featuring a mixture of unreleased tracks from the recording sessions, early demos and a few live tracks plus a DVD that features a track by track guide to the album with Slash, some live footage and a making of documentary.

The idea behind the deluxe edition is apparently to give fans an insight into the start to finish process behind making the album, from conceptual demos to live footage from the album release party.

The new version of the album is released on 28 September but only due for release in the US, but you should be able to get your hands on it via import.

Here's the bonus CD and DVD tracklist:

CD2

1. Sahara (feat. Koshi Inaba)

2. Paradise City (feat. Fergie & Cypress Hill)

3. Mother Maria (feat. Beth Hart)

4. Baby Can't Drive (feat. Alice Cooper & Nicole Scherzinger)

5. Sahara (feat. Koshi Inaba)

6. Beautiful Dangerous (feat. Fergie)

7. Demo #4

8. Demo #16

9. Back From Cali (feat. Myles Kennedy)

10. Fall To Pieces (feat. Myles Kennedy)

11. Sweet Child O' Mine (feat. Myles Kennedy)

12. Watch This (feat. Myles Kennedy)

13. Nightrain (feat. Myles Kennedy)

DVD

1. Making Of The Album Documentary

2. Back From Cali (feat. Myles Kennedy)

3. By The Sword (feat. Andrew Stockdale)

4. By The Sword- Behind the Scenes

5. Starlight (feat. Myles Kennedy)

6. Mean Bone (feat. Myles Kennedy)

7. Track By Track Interview with Slash

Slash - "By The Sword" (feat Andrew Stockdale)

Guns in Brazil drama

2010-03-16T08:26:00.000Z

Guns N' Roses were forced to cancel a show in Brazil on Sunday after freak wind damaged the venue.

The rock veterans were due to appear at the Apoteose Stadium in Rio De Janeiro, as part of their ongoing tour of South America.

The decision followed heavy rains and winds, which caused serious structural problems to the stage.

Axl Rose posted a message online confirming the drama and revealing plans to reschedule the concert.

"Fortunately (there) are no fatalities but there are injuries from both our camp and Rio crews the extent of which is not known at present," he said on Twitter.

The news follows the band's decision to pull another gig in the early hours of Friday in Sao Paulo, prompting furious scenes amongst fans.

"The audience got angry and started to mount the stage, and fight and destroy everything. It was wild," explained a source.

"There were fights everywhere, on the dance floor, in the bathrooms, outside the club. Crazy. I guess the free drinks didn't help," they said of the private show.

GUNS N' ROSES - WELCOME TO THE JUNGLE (LIVE IN BRAZIL 1991)

Pink Floyd Win EMI Court Battle

2010-03-11T16:30:00.000Z

Pink Floyd have won their court case against EMI, who are now likely to be forced to pay a big fine relating to back-dated royalties.

In a ruling today a judge at the High Court in London ruled that EMI were wrong to sell individual tracks from the band’s back catalogue on online stores such as iTunes. The band had signed a contract in 1998 that meant that EMI could not release songs independent of their album.

EMI contested that the contract only related to physical releases but the High Court today agreed with the band who said that the contract signed prior to the download boom covered online sales.

EMI have been told to pay £40,000 to the band with a further fine to be decided by the judge at a later date. The label is also now no longer allowed to sell individual Floyd tracks without the band’s permission.

BBC

Pink Floyd await EMI dispute ruling

2010-03-11T15:03:00.000Z

AP

A High Court judge is due to rule in a dispute between rock band Pink Floyd and record label EMI.

The band, whose Dark Side Of The Moon is one of the best-selling albums in music history, is challenging the legality of EMI's decision to make individual tracks from their albums available online.

The case also concerns how online royalties are to be calculated.

Robert Howe QC, appearing for the group, said earlier this week an agreement negotiated in the 1990s contained a clause that prohibited single track downloads without express consent.

It banned what was referred to as "unbundling" - the selling of record tracks, either physically or online - "other than in their original configuration".

EMI argued that the prohibition "applies only to the physical product and doesn't apply online".

Mr Howe told Sir Andrew Morritt, Chancellor of the High Court, the band was well known for producing "seamless" pieces of music on albums and "wanted to retain artistic control".

The legal dispute is focused on an agreement reached several years before the download market was launched in the UK by Apple through the iTunes Music Store in 2004.

Mr Howe said both parties had been faced at the time the agreement was drawn up with a whole new world of potential exploitation of music "and quite simply they didn't know how that would work out".

He said it would have been "a very odd result" if members of Pink Floyd were able to control exactly how their music was sold as a physical product but there was "a free-for-all with no limitation on online distribution".

Keith Talks New Material / Tour Possibility

2010-03-08T14:15:00.002Z

Keith Richards has revealed that it’s possible that the Stones may head into the studio later this year to record new material.

Speaking to Rolling Stone Magazine Richards revealed that the band were yet to formalise any plans but he thinks that they still have a future in the studio.

“There’s no definite plans, but I can’t see any of them [the rest of the band] stopping,” he says. “I wouldn’t be surprised if we did some recording later this year.”

But the guitarist admits he’s uncertain whether any sort of tour would follow. “I don’t know how the rest of them feel about roadwork at the moment,” he tells Rolling Stone. “Maybe we’ll search for a different way for the Stones to go back on the road. Maybe not the football stadiums anymore. Maybe something different. You can’t go around there in lemon-yellow tights forever.”

He also revealed that recent reports that he had sobered up were wide of the mark.

“Listen, the rumours of my sobriety are greatly exaggerated,” he says. “And we’ll leave it at that.”

The Rolling Stones re-issue their classic Exile On Main Street on 17 May.

BRITs Snub Boyle

2010-01-19T15:55:00.004Z

By Dave Rumour in Snap, Crackle and Pop

The nominees for the 2010 BRITs have been announced and the UK press today overfloweth with talk of the female pop rockets who look set to dominate proceedings. "Brits A Girl Thing" screams The Sun, after Lily Allen, Florence and The Machine, Pixie Lott and Lady GaGa were shortlisted for three prizes apiece. However, the big story here has to be the complete absence of a certain Susan Boyle.

How can this be? Without question, the big story of 2009 in music was the emergence of the Scottish warbler, who walked onstage an unknown at "Britain's Got Talent" one day and wandered off minutes later the biggest talking point in international entertainment. Her debut album, "I Dreamed A Dream", was amongst the year's biggest and has only just been shifted from the American chart summit after a six-week run.

What exactly is the problem with the BRITs judging panel? Elsewhere in the nominations, it's difficult to fault too many decisions, with Robbie Williams an absolute cert to bring next month's bash to a spectacular climax. However, the drab beyond compare list of acts competing for the 30th anniversary album prize - Phil Collins, Sade, Dire Straits, Dido, Travis, no Radiohead, Blur, Stone Roses and the wrong Oasis album - is further evidence of how out of touch these people are.

Even Ged Doherty, BRIT Awards Chairman and head of Boyle's record label, Sony, who have seen eight million copies of her debut sold around the world in just two months, called the snub "a crime". "I can't explain it. Every year there is something the academy gets wrong and this year they got that wrong", he admitted. Some suggest the panel's anti-Boyle stance is a backlash against Simon Cowell and that nods for Cheryl Cole and Leona Lewis are little more than tokenism. Or is it that, quite simply, Susan Boyle just isn't cool enough?

Susan Boyle breaks CD order record

2009-11-22T19:12:00.002Z

Susan Boyle was unknown a year ago - but now her upcoming album has become the largest global CD pre-order in the history of Amazon.
SuBo's album , the song I Dreamed A Dreamfrom Les Miserables which catapulted her to stardom when she first performed it on Britain's Got Talent, has smashed all previous records by the online retailer.

The debut album, which is out on Monday November 23, beat both Norah Jones' 2007 album Not Too Late and Take That's Never Forget compilation from last year.

Julian Monaghan, head of music at Amazon said: "Just eight months ago, no one was aware of the talents of Susan Boyle. Now, she has generated more Amazon pre-order CD sales globally than any other artist.

"That is an incredible achievement and is testament to the fact that she has captured the hearts of people all over Britain, America and the rest of the world."

Susan, 48, finished as runner-up to dance troupe Diversity in the Britain's Got Talent final but will be back on reality TV this weekend when she performs on the X Factor's Sunday night results show.

The Press Association

Susan Boyle's debut album

2009-10-08T15:45:00.007+01:00

SuBo Unveils Her “Dream”

Posted Thu 8 Oct 2009 11:37AM BST by Dave Rumour in Snap, Crackle and Pop

The pop charts, for so long slumbering like a dozing old Susan Boylehound, are about to get a considerable wake-up call. From the moment that news first broke of Susan Boyle's debut album, Amazon in both the UK and US have been quaking at the demand and "I Dreamed A Dream" is reported to be sitting atop both pre-order charts. It's difficult to put into words the impact the "Britain's Got Talent" runner-up has had on the world. Needless to say, Diversity must be questioning who actually won the competition.

Today, the tracklisting emerged for SuBo's solo bow and it's an interesting and broad selection, with covers of Madonna, The Monkees and former M People warbler Heather Small, amongst many others. In a statement, West Lothian's finest said: "It was my greatest ambition to release an album and I have finally achieved it. This amazing journey has helped me find my own identity and fulfil my wish. There is happiness out there for everyone who dares to dream."

The full running order of "I Dreamed A Dream" is as follows:

"Wild Horses" (Rolling Stones)
"I Dreamed A Dream" (Alain Boublil)
"Cry Me A River" (Arthur Hamilton)
"How Great Thou Art" (Christian Hymn)
"You'll See" (Madonna)
"Daydream Believer" (The Monkees)
"Up To The Mountain" (Patty Griffin)
"Amazing Grace" (Christian Hymn)
"Who I Was Born To Be"
"Proud" (Heather Small)
"The End of The World" (Skeeter Davis)
"Silent Night" (Father Josef Mohr)

It has not been disclosed who wrote "Who I Was Born To Be", the only original recording here. However, Snap, Crackle and Pop would suggest it probably wasn't Xenomania. Elsewhere, "Wild Horses" has already leaked online, to some acclaim, and there is sure to be excitement at how Susan tackles The Monkees. Of course, "Cry Me A River" is not a reworking of Justin Timberlake's pop tear-jerker, rather a new take on the Ella Fitzgerald classic Boyle covered for a charity CD back in 1999. Quite how she escaped record company clutches for a decade after this must still be keeping Simon Cowell up at night...

Who's Dr Mike Skinner?

2009-08-07T13:35:00.003+01:00

Mike Skinner is to appear in a future episode of "Dr Who", he has claimed.

The Streets leader revealed news of the role in a posting on Twitter but very quickly deleted it.

"You wouldn't believe the week I've had. I can't talk about it but let's just say I got a part in 'Doctor Who'", he wrote.

Although the news was removed, speculation has already spread online and Skinner is yet to comment further.

The next season of "Dr Who" is due to air in 2010.