Get Fired Up...

The lyric video for Madonna's next single has just been released. This is apperantly the radio edit of the song, not a remix as had been expected. The actual video will debut sometime next month.





The physical release of the current single, Give Me All Your Luvin, will finally be released (waaaaay too late) in the UK on March 19th (2nd in Germany).



No release date or format info has been given yet for the new single...

Next Up?...

Hip-O Select have been doing a wonderful job releasing incredible expanded re-issues of old Motown albums, especially by Diana Ross/The Supremes. They have just released a wonderful, 2CD edition of Diana's 1976 album - but us fans are already wondering what will be coming next.

The next Supremes release will be an expanded edtion of the 1965 live album At The Copa. The original release (which charted at #11 in the US) did not include the whole set, so expect this release to make up for that. The original release had a lot of studio overdubs, so it is quite likely that both the released version and the unreleased actual live recording may come out on this release...



On the Diana Ross solo front, it is believed that an expanded version of her 1977 album Baby It's Me will be the next release. This album is a big fan favourite and very hard to find on CD (it took me ages to get a copy). I know there are a lot of people out there waiting for this...

No release dates or any other info yet, but At The Copa should be released this summer at the latest and Baby It's Me sometime after that. Stay tuned...

Who Wants To F-U-N-K?...

As any popfan should know by now,  pop princess Kylie Minogue is celebrating her 25th year in the business. And that means we are to be treated to all sorts of Kylie goodies this year. For starters, on the 25th of very month she is uploading new exclusive performances of her songs. She started off last month with a beautiful version of "Finer Feelings", and this month it was "On A Night Like This".





She has stated that along with a lot of K25 stuff, she is also working on her next studio album which will come out next year. For now though, I recommend we step back in time and boogie to a new fanmade megamix that includes lots of her hits and some other gems:



Download the mix here:

http://www.mediafire.com/?2zycaiau2yo2rbo



Huge thanks to the wonderful Marky over at Shine On And On - the best blog out there for all your Kylie needs!

Tracks...

A batch of recent tracks that I like at the moment, including some of the very few tracks from this years Melodifestivalen that arent completely horrible.















And finally: considering the video for the new single from Max Barskih, I´m pretty sure that the national broadcaster in Ukraine are a bit relieved that he came second place in the Eurovision finals this month. Somehow I cant imagine this would go down too well with the EBU - but imagine how this could have looked on stage in Baku...

I tend to like the entries from Ukraine (how can anyone forget Svetlana Loboda)? So hopefully it wont be long before we get another way over the top act from them in Eurovision. In the meantime, do watch the video for "Dance".

Back To The Big Screen?...

Actor/director Tyler Perry is desperate to work with Diana Ross on her big screen comeback, and has penned a movie especially for the Motown legend.

Ross made a successful transition from singing to acting in 1972, when she played Billie Holiday in Lady Sings The Blues, a film which garnered the star a Best Actress Academy Award nomination.
The former Supremes icon has not acted since 1999, when she appeared in the TV movie Double Platinum alongside singer Brandy - but Perry hopes to change that.

He has written a leading role for the superstar in another music-focused film - and insists he will not shoot the project until Ross agrees to come onboard.

When asked who his perfect co-star would be, he tells Hollyscoop.com, "Diana Ross. I have the perfect role for her. And I haven't shot that movie yet because I'm waiting for her to say yes.
"It's a jazz movie set in the 1940s, and (Ross) would play a jazz singer who runs a juke joint (music venue), and I just wish she would do it."

We Haven't Seen The Last Of Her!...

Cher is going on tour!!!

The singer has revealed that she is "shaking" looking at the set changes for her upcoming jaunt, which she confirmed will start in Kansas this September.

"OH MY GOD!!!! JUST SAW THE SETS 4 THE SHOW!!! I CANT SHOW U CAUSE YOUD NEVER 4GIVE ME! THERES SO MUCH MAGIC I AM BREATHLESS!

She added: "No s--t im shaking ! The whole set/Look changes 4 every song! I mean COMPLETELY CHANGES! Tour starts in sept! First dates Kansas."

There are no officially announced venues or dates yet, but it is expected that the tour will be in support of her forthcoming new albumm which she has been working on over the last 12 months. When asked if the album was ready, Cher replied: "God no,but it will b out this year, maybe to coincide with (X Our Fingers) Tour?"
She had previously mentioned that she wanted to include her songs from Burlesque in the show.

SOTD...

This song from 1986 by Spandau Ballet has always been very special to me. It peaked at #6 in the UK singles chart and became the last big hit for the group.

BTM #7...

BTM #6...

BTM #5...

BTM #4...

BTM #3...

BTM #2...

BTM #1...

I will be adding some more Behind The Music episodes today. Sadly I am unable to share the episodes featuring Madonna, Boy George, Tina Turner and Bette Midler because of YouTube problems. And if anyone knows where I can find the Donna Summer episode, I would be very grateful!

SOTD...

The lovely Jon posted a tribute on his blog yesterday to Falco, who would have turned 55 yesterday (he died in a car accident in 1998). Worldwide he was best known for his massive hits "Rock Me Amadeus" and "Der Kommisar". While I love these tracks, my favourite Falco song has always been this one.



"Jeanny" was very controversial when it was released just before christmas in 1985.

The song is about a relationship between a man and a girl named Jeanny. Severl critics said that the song glorifies rape and violence. An outcry in German language markets caused the song to be banned by some radio broadcasters or played with a preceding warning by others.

Several feminist associations also called for a boycott of the song. Some TV and radio stations in West Germany agreed and didn't play the song "for ethical reasons". In East Germany the song could not be played on radio - it was even banned from the nightclubs!

Typically, the scandal only helped to increase the sales of the single, which went # 1 in Germany and many other countries in Europe.

The lyrics don't actually contain any direct reference to the act of rape or abduction. It is left to the listener's imagination. Of course the controversial video only added gasoline to to flames.
Falco argued that it is about the musings of a stalker.

The song became the first part of a trilogy, with the songs "Coming Home (Jeanny Part 2, One Year Later)" and "The Spirit Never Dies (Jeanny Final") also becoming big hits.

Here is the (excellent and quite weird video):





And here is a cover/tribute version released last year on the 25th Anniversary edition of the album the single came from - by Hurts!

Listening...

Morten Harket, until recently the lead singer of Aha, will release a new solo album in April which includes a new song by Pet Shop Boys. The album is called Out Of My Hands and the new song by Pet Shop Boys is entitled "Listening".

Harket approached Pet Shop Boys in September last year and was offered the recently written ballad which Neil and Chris thought would suit his voice.

The album tracklist:

1. Scared of Heights
2. Keep the Sun Away
3. Lightning
4. I'm the One
5. Quiet
6. Burn Money Burn
7. When I Reached the Moon
8. Listening
9. Just Believe it
10. Out of my Hands



The first single is called "Lightning" and will be released on March 9th in Norway only.






The second single from the album will "Scared Of Heights" and will be released internationally on March 23rd. A music video will be released soon.



And more on the Pet Shop Boys: he producer for the forthcoming PSB album has been announced.

Andrew Dawson, the multi-platinum-selling, multiple Grammy Award-winning producer, audio engineer, and mixer extraordinaire, has forged close professional relationships with some of the music industry’s biggest hip-hop and pop stars and helped to produce some of this generation’s most massive genre-bending hits. And this year, he will produce the new Pet Shop Boys album.

Dawson has worked with an impressive group of A-list, chart-topping recording artists in his own studio (Dawson’s SoundEQ in Hollywood, CA) and in major studios around the globe including, but not limited to, R&B/pop superstars John Legend, Ne-Yo andBeyonce, rap/hip-hop superstars Common, Lil Wayne, Jay-Z, and T.I. pop/rock superstars Michelle Branch, Third Eye Blind, Kimbra, and Fun., and most recently P.O.S., The Morning Benders, and Pet Shop Boys.

Considering the people he has worked with previously, this seems an odd choice. But I am sure that the boys know what they are doing. I have loved every single one of their previous albums, so I'm sure this one will be good. No release date has been announced, but the album is supposed to come out later this year.

Bat Again...

Bat For Lashes has confirmed that her 3rd album will be released this year. It will be the follow up to the amzing 2009 album Two Suns. The singer has described the new album as even more "dark, lush and glamorous" then her previous work. Cant wait then! Here is the first single from Two Suns, the fantastic "Daniel":



And an excellent from track for her first album:

About To Go Wild...

The video for the next Madonna single will be shot this week. "Girls Gone Wild" will be directed by the amazing fashion photographers Mert & Marcus, who shot her MDNA album cover as well as photoshoots for Interview and Pop.

Here is fun article on THE SuperBowl performance to end them all! The queens set will never, ever be topped!

SOTD...

"Born To Run" was released in 1975 and became the breakthrough single for Bruce Springsteen. Since then The Boss has sold more then 120 million albums, won 20 Grammy Awards, two Golden Globes and an Academy Award. He is still going strong at 62, releasing a new album next month and about to go on a massive world tour.

There are a lot of tracks I love from him and "Born To Run" is one of them. This live version from 1988 is absolutely amazing:

Fill Us...

Erasure will release 'Fill Us With Fire' as the third single from their 'Tomorrow's World' album on March 12th as an eight-track CD and digital download. 'Fill Us With Fire' will be released internationally as the third single from 'Tomorrow's World' with the exception of Germany who will be releasing 'A Whole Lotta Love Run Riot' as their single via download only.

TRACKLISTING


* The German download single will use the album version of 'A Whole Lotta Love Run Riot' instead of the single mix of 'Fill Us With Fire'.



Their last single, "Be With You" is currently on it's way up the US club chart, reaching a new peak at #7 this week.





There will also be two new Erasure releases next month - although not exactly an essential ones if you already own their catalog...

Erasure - Essential (CD Album)

CD Tracklisting

1. Who Needs Love (Like That)
2. It Doesn't Have To Be
3. The Circus
4. You Surround Me
5. Am I Right?
6. Sometimes
7. When Will I See You Again
8. Video Killed The Radio Star
9. Victim Of Love
10. Ship Of Fools
11. Star
12. Everybody's Got To Learn Sometime
13. Make Me Smile (Come Up And See Me)
14. Chorus
15. Always
16. I Love Saturday

Format: CD Album
Release Date: 19/03/2012
Barcode: 5099964401928

Erasure - Classic Albums - The Circus / The Innocents (2 x CD album)
On 19th March 2012 the EMI Gold Classic Albums range brings an Erasure 2xCD set - The Circus / The Innocents. Featuring all songs from the 2 albums, the package comes as a bargain price of £5.95!
Available for pre-order now, for the release date of Monday, 19th March 2012.
CD One: The Circus

1. It Doesn’t Have To Be
2. Hideaway
3. Don't Dance
4. If I Could
5. Sexuality
6. Victim Of Love
7. Leave Me To Bleed
8. Sometimes
9. The Circus
10. Spiralling
11. In The Hall Of The Mountain King
12. Sometimes (12" Mix)
13. It Doesn't Have To Be (Boop Oopa Doo Mix)

CD Two: The Innocents (Remastered)

1. A Little Respect
2. Ship Of Fools
3. Phantom Bride
4. Chains Of Love
5. Hallowed Ground
6. Sixty-Five Thousand
7. Heart Of Stone
8. Yahoo!
9. Imagination
10. Witch In The Ditch
11. Weight Of The World
12. When I Needed You (Melancholic Mix)
13. River Deep, Mountain High (Private Dance Mix)

Title: Erasure - Classic Albums - The Circus / The Innocents
Release Date: 19th March 2012
Packaging: 2 CD Set
Barcode: 5099955909327
Cat No: G5590932

Fill Us With Fire (Single Mix)* / Shot To The Heart (previously unavailable on CD) / Fill Us With Fire (Gareth Jones Extended 'Fired Up' Remix) / A Whole Lotta Love Run Riot – (Wayne G & Andy Allder Atlantis Anthem) / Fill Us With Fire – (JRMX Remix) / A Whole Lotta Love Run Riot – (XOQ Remix) / Fill Us With Fire – (Liam Keegan Remix) / Be With You – (Yiannis Unruly Remix)

To Cheer Us Up...

Today I felt the urge to post something truly tacky! So, witness and enjoy these two performances from the Dutch 80s TV show Pin Up Club!





(Please rest assured that despite the name of the second "group", it has nothing to do with yours truly)

38...

In only it's second week on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 chart, Madonna's Give Me All Your Lovin' bolts from No. 13 to No. 10, becoming Her Majesty's record 38th U.S. Top Ten single.

Madonna breaks her own record of 37 Top Tens; Elvis Presley is in second place with 36 Top Ten hits, the Beatles in third place with 34. The latest Madonna single sold a stellar 165,000 digital downloads in the past week.
 
As a nice bonus, The "Glee" rendition of Madonna's 1987 classic La Isla Bonita enters the Billboard Hot 100 at No. 99, underscoring the love for this track a quarter century after its initial release.

You can download the latest Madonna radio interwiew on the Bert show here

I Love Me Some Her...

Toni Braxton is relasing a new album this year. It will be the follow up to the fantastic Pulse album from 2010, which finally made me a big Toni fan. The new album will be produced by her longtime working partner L.A. Reid and should be released in May.

An uptempo track from the album will be released as a single next month. The song is called "I Heart You" and Toni is currently working on a video for the track. Can't wait!

Tracks...

Time of for some of the recent tracks that I love. And we start with the comeback of the one true queen of pop!

Yes, Madonna is back. And after her head turning, breathtaking, record braking and just allaround FABULOUS performance at the SuperBowl, the whole world knows it!

The first song from her forthcoming album MDNA is IMO certanly not one of her best. But it is still quite good, and works well as a "general public" single. I am personally (along with many of her longtime fans)hoping for some more solid music on the album - but in the meantime, I am of course giving the queen all my love! (The video is FAB)



From the queen of pop, we move to The Boss! People always seem surprised when they find out that I am a Bruce Springsteen fan, but the truth is that I have been a fan of his for as long as I can remember. He is back with an excellent new single, he is releasing a new album and about to go on yet another massive tour.



Another singer I really like is Leonard Cohen. He is now 77 years old, but just released a massive new album. "Old Ideas" charted at #1 in countries such as Belgium, Norway, Poland, Hungary, Netherlands and Finland, at #2 in the UK, Australia and Sweden and at #3 in the US. Here is beautiful track from the album:



Yet another legend - Amanda Lear has just released an album that both fans and critics are calling "her best album in more then 30 years". While I still havent gotten my hands on a copy, judging from this song I am pretty sure I agree! This is the first music video the diva appears in since "I Just Wanna Dance" back in 2002. And she looks fabulous!



I rarely like it when people cover Madonna songs - let alone when they cover my very favourite one! "La Isla Bonita" has been covered many many times before, and never really to my liking. And while I cant say I love the version Ricky Martin has done for Glee, it is still a lot better then I would have expected - the song suits his voice pretty well. Still - Madonna owns this song! (And Glee is still on the air??)



And finally: a fabulous new single and video from Gloria Estefan, taken from her album Miss Little Havana. The track has already topped both the Latin and the Club charts in the US. The video pays an homage to one of my favorite films of all time too - have a look:

Congratulations!...

Diana Ross received her well deserved Lifetime Achivement Grammy Award on Saturday. She looked beautiful and gave a short speech which included a very welcomed tidbit!



Amazingly, this is the first time she has EVER won a Grammy, although she has received a lot of nominations through the years. It is about bloody time then!



News about the death of Whitney Houston broke out just after the ceremony. A very visibly emotional Diana showed up at the Pre-Grammy Gala in the evening and spoke about her reaction.






















On Grammy night, Diana presented the award for Album Of The Year. The winner was Adele, whose reactions were like a drag parody! (Oh, and I wonder: does Rihanna actually think she looks good?)