Charlie Watts to quit Rolling Stones

A source within the Stones inner-circle says, ‘Charlie Watts has quit the band. He will never tour with the band again’. The news does not come as a surprise. It was common knowledge that Keith Richards had to talk Charlie into contributing to the A Bigger Bang tour but this time it seems there is no calling Charlie back to active duty. ‘The Stones are looking to Keith’s Expensive Winos drummer Charley Drayton to fill the void in all future Stones’ callings,’ our source says. With Mick Jagger planning more Stones activity next year, the departure of Charlie will be a huge blow to the band. Charlie was the backbone of the band. The 68-year old drummer simply doesn’t want to do it anymore. Charlie joined the Rolling Stones in January, 1963. He didn’t expect it would last. In fact, he kept his day job for several months until the band started to feel like a career. Charlie’s decision to quit the band comes a three years short of the Stones 50th anniversary. The Stones A Bigger Bang tour ran from August 2005 to August 2007. It was the highest tour of all-time.

Paolo Nutini to headline Eden Sessions

Paolo Nutini is announced as the fifth headliner at this summer’s Eden Sessions. The soulful singer-songwriter will play the Eden stage on Tuesday July 13, joining Jack Johnson (June 26 – sold out), Mika (June 27), Doves and Mumford & Sons (July 2 – sold out) and Calvin Harris and Audio Bullys (July 3) on a blockbuster bill. Paolo launched his career with 2006 quadruple-platinum debut These Streets, including the top-ten single Last Request. He followed it up with last year’s second long-player Sunny Side Up. That album went straight to number one in the UK album charts and returned to the top on two separate occasions. Hailing from Paisley in Scotland, Paolo has been singing and working in the music industry since leaving school at 16, including stints as a roadie and studio engineer. As a result, he has shown an understanding of live performance that belies his age and Atlantic Records recognised his potential early on and signed him just after his 18th birthday in 2005. Paolo was nominated in two categories in this year’s BRITs – British Male Solo Artist and British Album for Sunny Side Up – and has rubbed shoulders will rock royalty, supporting Led Zeppelin at their O2 comeback show and sharing a stage with the Rolling Stones at the Isle of Wight Festival in 2007. Tjarko Wieringa, Eden Sessions Creative Director, said: “We’re proud to announce Paolo’s appearance at this year’s Eden Sessions – another fantastic coup! His laid-back brand of motown-tinged folk rock will be a perfect match for Eden’s beautiful surroundings. “With five announcements behind us, this year’s Sessions are promising to be our best yet. We have some of best, most high-profile artists in the world already on the bill and there will be more exciting announcements to come.” The Sessions are famed not only for bringing top acts to Cornwall but also for their festival feel, with extra bands and entertainers playing around the site in the run-up to the main event. Massage and alternative therapies will also be showcased around Eden on the day of each Session. The 2010 Sessions will be the ninth season of summer gigs at the Eden Project. Performers in previous years include Oasis, Kasabian, Florence and the Machine, Vampire Weekend, Paul Weller, Hot Chip, Muse, Editors, Snow Patrol, Basement Jaxx, Amy Winehouse, Moby, PJ Harvey and The Verve.

UB40 ‘LABOUR OF LOVE IV’

ub40

UB40 ‘LABOUR OF LOVE IV’ On 8th February UB40 will release ‘Labour Of Love IV’, their first Labour of Love album since 1998’s ‘Labour of Love III’. Someone once claimed UB40 are to reggae what the Beatles and Rolling Stones were to American rhythm and blues and as they release the latest installment of their best-selling Labour Of Love series, the truth of this statement is undeniable. Literally millions of people from across the globe have developed a love for Jamaican music after hearing UB40, and the band’s commitment to their early influences is as strong as ever.

The Labour of Love series began in 1983, with a number one album and number one single (‘Red, Red Wine)’. This was followed in 1989 by LOL II, which spawned a no.4 single (‘Kingston Town’) and two US Billboard Top 10s. Another Top 10 album, LOL III, and single (‘Come Back, Darling’) was released in 1998. ‘Labour Of Love IV’ continues what has become a passion for the band; to share their love of reggae classics, some well-known, some not so, with the public-at-large. Recorded at the band’s Reflex Studios in Birmingham in the Spring 2009, the album comprises 14 tracks. Covers such as Delroy Wilson (‘Close To Me’), John Holt songs (‘I Don’t Want To See You Cry’ and ‘Man Next Door’) and Rocksteady vocal groups the Melodians (‘Get Along Without You Now’) and The Paragons (‘Holiday’) bestow this new album with such an infectious sense of joy, it’s hard to believe it’s the fourth in the series and not the first. UB40, just like other dedicated reggae fans, fervently want such artists – including Theo Beckford (‘Easy Snappin’’), Errol Dunkley (‘You’re Gonna Need Me’), Ken Parker (‘True True True’) and Hopeton Lewis (‘Boom Shacka Lacka’), who also contribute songs to Labour Of Love IV – to receive more recognition, and there’s now every chance of that happening with these mesmerising new versions. American soul stars Smokey Robinson (‘Tracks Of My Tears’), Sam Cooke (‘Bring It On Home To Me’) and Johnny Nash need no introduction here, except these songs were hugely popular within Caribbean communities, and had a lasting impact upon UB40 themselves. Johnny Nash was the first overseas’ act to cover a Bob Marley song and his ‘Cream Puff’ is a little-known gem from the very early seventies, when the Texan singer was being billed as “the King Of Reggae” in England. Robin Campbell saw him perform back then and says the band have wanted to cover Cream Puff for years. Labour Of Love IV is the first to feature another talented Campbell brother, Duncan, on lead vocals. Duncan would have been one of UB40’s vocalists right from the start had he not turned them down to pursue adventures around the world. Usually, when a world-famous band changes their lead singer, the transition isn’t exactly seamless. Duncan was a natural choice however – not only because he’s family but also because he sings with such feeling, like a man who’s come to claim his rightful legacy. Robin, Astro, Norman and Earl also sing lead vocals on various tracks on the album, and such versatility – twinned with UB40’s remarkable consistency – make it another wonderful addition to the series.

Tracklisting:
1. Don’t Want To See You Cry
2. Get Along Without You Now
3. Bring It On Home To Me
4. Cream Puff
5. Easy Snappin’
6. Holiday
7. Close To Me
8. Man Next Door
9. Tracks Of My Tears
10. True, True, True
11. Boom Shacka Lacka
12. You’re Gonna Need Me
13. A Love I Can Feel
14. Baby Why

‘Get Along Without You Now’ – release date 25th January
2010 Tour Dates:
31st May – Bank’s Stadium, Walsall FC, UK
9th June – Planet.tt Bank Austria Halle, Gasometer, Austria
18th June – Colosseum, Endschede, Holland
19th June – Indian Summer Festival, Broek op Langedijk, Holland
26th June – Broadlands, Romsey, Hampshire
Further dates to be added shortly.