exploremusic

Here’s the Deal with Iron Maiden

Here’s what I’ve discovered today.

I like what Bruce Dickinson of Iron Maiden had to say about a free download from the band.  He slams the poor quality of MP3s.  I quote:

“The problem is that when you listen to it on tiny little headphones propelled by a battery on a device made by Steve Jobs and Google, it sounds like [crap].  But the song itself doesn’t sound like [crap] when you listen to it in the studio or when you by the CD.  It sounds f-ing awesome.” 

He’s not wrong.  In fact, I think he’s 100% correct.  

Here’s the Deal with Drake

More angry people:  Playboy Enterprises—yes, them—is suing Canadian wunderkind rapper Drake for plagiarism.  It all has to do with what they say is an unauthorized sample of a 1975 song called “Fallin’ In Love,” a horrible Top 40 pop song by a long forgotten band called Hamilton, Joe Frank and Reynolds.  Playboy owns the rights to the song—and they say they “[have] suffered, and will continue to suffer irreparable injury” due to the fact that said sample is in Drake’s slowjam called “Best I Ever Had.”

Check out this site that compares both tracks side by side.  You be the judge.  

Here’s the Deal with Marky Ramone

More lawsuits!  Marky Ramone—the guy who survived as the Ramones drummer longer than any other guy—says he’s not being paid all the Ramones royalties he’s owed.  He wants the 175 grand out of which he’s been shafted—plus another $1 million, just to punish them.

Here’s the Deal with The Shaggs

Finally, there’s this—and I apologize profusely if any of this insults any artistic sensibilities.  But sometimes the news isn’t pretty.

If you had to name the worst album of all time—the very worst rock recordings committed to tape—a solid nomination would be for Philosophy of the World by The Shaggs.  This was an all-female group—Helen, Dot and Better Wiggin, three sisters from New Hampshire—who were bankrolled by their father in hopes of them becoming rock stars.  It didn’t work.

It didn’t work because his daughters were unbelievably bad.  They had no musical talent whatsoever—which is exactly why that since they released their debut record in 1969, they’ve become these strange cult heroes.

After being deleted for years, Philosophy of the World was reissued on CD and has been in print ever since.  Now, there will be a Shaggs musical—for the second time—produced by a theatre company in New York.  It’ll make its debut sometime next year. God help us.

ExploreMusic Playlist: The songs featured on the radio show today were:

“Shoot It Out” by 10 Years
“My Pal Foot Foot” by The Shaggs
“Daydream” by Beach Fossils
“Here We Are Juggernaut” by Coheed And Cambria

Don’t forget to check out today’s Tuesday Guide for the latest CD and DVD releases.