Music News & Notes

Julian Casablancas Releasing Box Set For Solo Album, Talks New Strokes Record

Strokes frontman Julian Casablancas' solo debut, Phrazes For The Young, is out Nov. 3 on RCA, but if you wait a few more weeks and shell out around $90, you can get yourself the album plus a nice, shiny box set on Dec. 18.

The set comes in a special antique-ish box with the album on CD and 180-gram vinyl, a 48-page autographed book, a DVD that includes solo acoustic performances, another CD that's got demos and B-sides on it, a poster and a Cult Records pin.

The eight-track album was produced by Jason Lader (Maroon 5) and Mike Mogis (Bright Eyes, Lightspeed Champion) and was recorded in New York City, Los Angeles and Nebraska. You can hear first single "11th Dimension" and "River Of Brakelights" on Casablancas' MySpace page. http://www.myspace.com/juliancasablancas

=====================

Rare Beatles Record Found

Record dealer John Tefteller may have stumbled across one of the rarest Beatles albums in existence. He was contacted by the widow of a Capitol Records executive about taking a look at the man's record collection. Amongst a lot of easy listening and jazz was a copy of Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band but there were none of the Beatles' faces on the cover. They had been replaced with pictures of the record company's executives and given out to people at the label. To make it even better, the album was still sealed.

It is estimated that only about one hundred of the albums were made and, according to Beatles expert Stan Panenka, only three or four are actually known to exist with the last turning up about ten years ago. The rarity makes it next to impossible to establish a value for the album.

=====================

Strokes Album Update

The Strokes are writing and rehearsing material for their fourth album at their New York City rehearsal space.

According to an email update from the band, singer Julian Casablancas, guitarists Albert Hammond, Jr. and Nick Valensi, bassist Nikolai Fraiture and drummer Fabrizio Moretti haven't booked any studio time, but will figure that out sometime "in the not-too-distant future." The band have been working on songs for the album since February.

"i wish i could tell you that this DEFINITELY meant we can expect an album release date before the end of 2009, but it's just too soon to speculate on that for sure yet," said the email message. "one way or another.... suffice to say, the work has begun!"

Casablancas recently told Rolling Stone's Smoking Section blog that The Strokes are hard at work and have penned three songs so far.

"I would say it's going great. We have a lot of work to do, though. Some of the new stuff has a '70s vibe, like Thin Lizzy or Elvis Costello. But then some of it is bizarrre music from the future that we're trying to tone down to sound catchy. So we're trapped between the future and the '70s."

The Strokes haven't released an album since 2006's First Impressions Of Earth. They've been busy with various other projects since.

Fraiture released a solo album as Nickel Eye in January. Little Joy, Moretti's side project, put out a self-titled album last year. Hammond released his Yours To Keep solo debut in 2007 and its Como Te Llama? follow-up last year.

Casablancas recently contributed vocals to "Boombox," a track on The Lonely Island's Incredibad debut.

=====================

The Rakes Announce News Of Break Up, Cancel Tour

The Rakes have announced they are to split with immediate effect. The band who formed in 2002, came together as a foursome of childhood friends and kindred sprits and went on to release three critically acclaimed albums; the first "Capture/Release" in 2005, followed by "Ten New Messages" in 2007 and "Klang" (2009). Both the October UK tour and American dates are cancelled and full refunds will be given to ticket holders.

=====================

Morrissey Collapses On Stage In Swindon - Singer was rushed to hospital...

Morrissey has been taken to hospital after collapsing on stage during a gig in Swindon last night. The singer had just finished his opening song, a rendition of former band The Smiths’ ‘This Charming Man’, when he was taken ill.

The 50-year-old singer was carried from the stage by two of his bandmates, according to the Daily Telegraph. Morrissey was taken to Swindon's Great Western Hospital, where his condition was described as “stable”.