2005

Rock outfit the North Mississippi Allstars will release its next album, “Electric Blue Watermelon,” Aug. 2 via ATO Records. The 11-track set was recorded at Memphis’ legendary Ardent Studios with producer Jim Dickinson, who also happens to be the father of group members Cody and Luther Dickinson.

“This album is about who we are [and] where we come from,” says Luther. “It’s the most solid and creative album we’ve made so far.”

Guest appearances by Robert Randolph, Lucinda Williams and the Dirty Dozen Brass Band will grace “Electric Blue Watermelon,” which includes such tracks as “Hurry Up Sunrise,” “Moonshine,” “Mean Ol’ Wind Died Down” and “Horseshoe.”

The hard touring trio will be on the road throughout the summer, including a performance Saturday (June 11) at the Bonnaroo festival in Tennessee. At many shows, the group will serve as John Hiatt’s backing band and will also perform its own set beforehand.

As previously reported, the Dickinsons perform on Hiatt’s new album, “Master of Disaster,” due June 21 via New West.

Here is the track list for “Electric Blue Watermelon”:

“Mississippi Bollweevil”
“No Mo”
“Teasin’ Brown”
“Moonshine”
“Hurry Up Sunrise”
“Ass”
“Bang Bang Lulu”
“Deep Blue Sea”
“Mean Ol’ Wind Died Down”
“Horsehoe”
“Bounce Ball”

Source billboard.om.

Look at all the Love We Found: A Tribute to Sublime is set to be released nationally on June 21, 2005. Nearly a decade since the release of the multi-platinum Sublime self-titled juggernaut, an amazing list of artists has convened to recreate many of these timeless classics. Included on this disc are previously unreleased tracks from No Doubt; Pennywise; Jack Johnson; Michael Franti & Spearhead with Gift of Gab; Mike Watt with Petra Haden and Stephen Perkins; Camper Van Beethoven; G Love; Ozomatli; Filibuster with Half Pint; Greyboy Allstars; Avail; the Ziggens; Bargain Music; Fishbone; Awol One & Abstract Rude.

This spring, archivist David Lemieux got a call from Donna Jean Godchaux-Mackay. It seems that in the late summer of 1971, just before Keith Godchaux began rehearsals with the Dead, Garcia handed him a big box of tapes and said,

Guitar legend Les Paul will celebrate his 90th birthday with his first new studio album since 1978’s “Guitar Monsters,” a collaboration with Chet Atkins. Les Paul & Friends’ “American Made, World Played” is due Aug. 30 via Capitol/EMI.

The album will boast such collaborations as “Love Sneakin’ Up on You” with Sting and Joss Stone, “Fly Like an Eagle” with Steve Miller, Eric Clapton on “Somebody Ease My Troublin’ Mind,” Jeff Beck on “Good News,” ZZ Top’s Billy F. Gibbons on “Bad Case of Lovin’ You” and Buddy Guy, Keith Richards and Rick Derringer on “Good Morning, Little Schoolgirl.”

Source billboard.com.

Spoon, Derrick Carter, DJ Muggs Mash-Up Circus, OK Go, The Dandy Warhols, The Dead-60

Among the various certifications issued by the Recording Industry Association (RIAA) in May is a truly notable achievement for Australian hard rock act AC/DC. The group’s 1980 breakthrough “Back in Black” was certified for U.S. shipments of 21 million copies, tying it for fifth place on the RIAA’s all-time best-sellers list.

The group’s first album with lead singer Brian Johnson, who replaced Bon Scott following his alcohol-related death, “Back in Black” was originally released by Atco and was reissued in 2003 by Epic along with the rest of the band’s catalog. The set was certified platinum (1 million U.S. copies shipped) just months after its August 1980 release.

“Back in Black” is now tied on the all-time list with Billy Joel’s “Greatest Hits Vol. 1 & II,” which reached 21 million in 2000. The leader of the list remains “Eagles/Their Greatest Hits” (Asylum), last certified in 2002 at 28 million. In second is Michael Jackson’s “Thriller” (Epic), which reached 27 million in an April RIAA accounting, followed by Pink Floyd’s “The Wall” (23 million/1999; Capitol) and “Led Zeppelin IV” (22 million/1999; Atlantic).

AC/DC also earned a triple-platinum certification in May for 1976’s “High Voltage.”

Others tipping new multi-platinum heights include Usher, whose latest album, “Confessions” (LaFace) has shipped nine million U.S. copies. Gwen Stefani’s solo debut “Love, Angel, Music, Baby” (Interscope) hit the double-platinum mark, as did Rascal Flatts’ “Feels Like Today” (Lyric Street) and Chicago’s “The Very Best Of: Only the Beginning” (Rhino).

Newly minted platinum titles in May were “Barrio Fino” by Daddy Yankee (VI Music), Jack Johnson’s “In Between Dreams” and “On and On” (Universal), Los Tigres Del Norte’s “Jefe de Jefes” (Fonovisa), Jason Mraz’s “Waiting for My Rocket To Come” (Elektra), Rob Thomas’ “Something To Be” (Atlantic) and Queen’s now-aptly titled “The Platinum Collection” (Hollywood).

Source billboard.com.