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Showing posts with label Yoko Ono. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Yoko Ono. Show all posts

Wednesday, August 18, 2010

Pink Floyd albums removed from iTunes after record contract expires

By Slash Lane

From: http://www.appleinsider.com/

Numerous albums from legendary rock band Pink Floyd have disappeared from Apple's iTunes store, along with other digital storefronts, following the expiration of a contract between the band and its record label.

Pink Floyd's contract with EMI covering albums post "Dark Side of the Moon" expired on June 30. Since then, some of the band's most popular albums, including "Wish You Were Here," "The Wall," and "Animals," were removed from the iTunes Music Store, as well as Amazon.com and other digital music sellers.

However, the albums -- and some individual tracks -- can still be purchased through the "Oh By the Way" studio album boxset available on iTunes, and released in 2008 by EMI. The set includes both discs of "The Wall," which can be purchased separately from the box set, but "Wish You Were Here" can only be bought as part of the $139.99 total collection.

According to Gibson Lifestyle, Pink Floyd has won a lawsuit against EMI in March, allowing it to block the sale of individual songs on services like iTunes. A High Court in the U.K. determined that the band could "preserve the artistic integrity" of whole albums by not breaking them up into individual song sales.

Pink Floyd


Pink Floyd and EMI are no longer under contract for later albums, but earlier titles like "Dark Side of the Moon" remain under the label's control. In addition, while EMI can no longer press CDs for titles like "Wish You Were Here," the company can sell its remaining stock of physical albums.

EMI also owns the catalog for The Beatles, and it has been said the issue over single song downloads has been what has kept their tracks from being sold iTunes thus far. Yoko Ono, widow of John Lennon, said earlier this month that fans should not expect the band's catalog to become available on iTunes anytime soon. "Don't hold your breath," she said.

Monday, March 15, 2010

New photos of Beatles' John Lennon appear after 40 years

Candid pictures of John Lennon which have never been seen in public have been found after being kept hidden in a photographer's drawer for more than 40 years.

John Lennon and Yoko Ono who is talking to 16-year-old Gail Renard: New photos of Beatles' John Lennon appear after 40 years
John Lennon and Yoko Ono who is talking to 16-year-old Gail Renard Photo: CATERS

The extraordinary photos of the musician and Yoko Ono, taken during their famous Bed-in for Peace in Montreal in 1969, snapped by Life photographer Gerry Deiter.

He was the only photojournalist allowed to witness and document the bed-in for the full eight days and managed to capture pictures of the couple totally off-guard.

But his story about them, due to run in Life magazine, was ditched at the last minute for an article on the Vietnam war.

Since the photographer's death in 2005, the unpublished photos were hidden away until this week, when they go on exhibition for the first time in Coventry Cathedral, West Mids, on Saturday.

Lennon and Yoko flew to Montreal on May 26 where they stayed in Room 1738 and 1742 at the Queen Elizabeth Hotel, writing and recording the song Give Peace a Chance from their bedroom.

Nick Chevasse, the Cathedral's tourist director, said the photos had only recently been unearthed.

He said "Gerry Deiter was the only photojournalist there the entire eight days, with complete access.

"He was on assignment for Life magazine, but his story was bumped in favour for one about Vietnam.

"The photos were never published, they never ran, so Deiter hid them away.

"This is why many of the images are not familiar, even to Lennon fans - they have never been seen before by anybody.

"He captured the celebrity visitors, the action and intimate, behind the scenes moments between John and Yoko."

The candid pictures show the couple writing and recording their song to peace during their week long stay.

Lennon, holding his iconic guitar, looks relaxed as he pens what would become the first solo single released while the Beatles were officially still together.

In one photograph, while John strums his guitar, Yoko chats to 16-year-old Gail Reynard.

The youngster had scaled the hotel's fire escape and pleaded with the couple to let her stay.

And as one of the few to be present for the entire event, Gail was given the original handwritten lyrics for Lennon's peace song.

Gail, now a TV comedy writer, sold the piece of rock history at auction for £400,000 in 2008.

She said the photos brought back great memories from the iconic protest.

She said: "When I first saw the images from the exhibition, I was carried straight back to that amazing time.

"They started to unlock details that I thought I had forgotten."

When the song was released it quickly became the anthem of the anti-war movement, and was sung by half a million demonstrators in Washington, D.C. at the Vietnam Moratorium Day, on 15 October 1969.

It was narrowly pipped to the UK number one spot by The Rolling Stones' "Honky Tonk Women".

Friday, June 26, 2009

Jackson Leaving Beatles Songs to McCartney in Will

Michael Jackson reportedly plans to end his longstanding feud with Paul McCartney by leaving him the Beatles' back catalog in his will. Jacko and Macca have been estranged since a falling out back in 1985, after Jackson beat out McCartney and Yoko Ono -- widow of John Lennon -- in a bidding war for the rights to 200 of Fab Four's legendary songs.

Sir Paul, 66, has long felt betrayed by Jackson, now 50, on principle. In 2006 McCartney said, "You know what doesn't feel very good, is going on tour and paying to sing all my songs. Every time I sing 'Hey Jude,' I've got to pay someone."

Previously, the pair collaborated on Jackson's 1982 'Thriller' extract 'The Girl is Mine,' and McCartney's 1983 single 'Say, Say, Say' from 'Pipes of Peace.'

U.K. newspaper the Daily Mirror quotes a Jackson insider as saying, "Michael told his lawyers he was sad he no longer talks to Sir Paul and said he wanted to make things right."

Just last month, Jackson denied rumors that he was suffering from a deadly lung condition after unauthorized biographer Ian Halperin claimed Jackson was battling emphysema, genetic illness Alpha-1 antitrypsin deficiency (A1AD) and was also losing the vision in his left eye.

Bettmann / CORBIS
8 photos
Flip through pictures of Michael Jackson and his famous friends, then see his dramatic facial transformation through the years.
http://www.spinner.com/2009/01/06/jackson-leaving-beatles-songs-to-mccartney-in-will/