Chris Rea is gearing up to embark on his 14-date tour of the UK in March / April this year.

The tour will kick off on the 16^th March 2012, when Chris will be taking over Belfast’s Ulster Hall. Dates as follows:

16.03.12            Belfast, Ulster Hall

20.03.12            Bournemouth, BIC

21.03.12            Oxford, New Theatre

22.03.12            Brighton, Brighton Centre

24.03.12            Harrogate, International Centre

25.03.12            Manchester, Manchester Apollo

26.03.12            Sheffield, City Hall

28.03.12            Edinburgh, Usher Hall

29.03.12            Glasgow, Clyde Hall

31.03.12            Newcastle, Newcastle Arena

01.04.12            Birmingham, NIA

02.04.12            Nottingham, RCH

04.04.12            Plymouth, Plymouth Pavillions

05.04.12            London, Hammersmith Apollo

The Music Club Deluxe label have recently released a new ‘Best Of’ album of Chris Rea’s hits; a double CD collection titled ‘The Journey 1978-2009’, including such enduring Rea’s smash hits as The Road To Hell, Let’s Dance, On the Beach, Fool (If You Think Its Over) and Auberge, as well as choice album tracks and rarities such as Saudade, his soulful tribute to the late Formula One racer Ayrton Senna.

Click here for tour ticket details

On Saturday 11^th May Dionne Warwick will be joining Jonathan Ross on his famous sofa to chat about her career and also her involvement in The Hunger Project. 

The Hunger Project is a global, non-profit, strategic organisation committed to the sustainable end of world hunger and on Monday 28^th May, Dionne Warwick will be joined by an international star cast and will perform a spectacular celebration of her music and more with a full orchestra in order to raise money for the charity.

The aim of the concert is to raise significant awareness of the very first World Hunger Day and the inspiring work of the Hunger Project to bring an end to hunger and poverty. It is also hoped that significant funds will be raised to enable the project to continue to work in 13 countries across Africa, South Asia and Latin America.

Also appearing on the Jonathan Ross show will be Denzel Washington, Keira Knightly and Tom Hardy.

Demon control two Dionne Warwick albums – ‘All The Love In The World: The Dionne Warwick Collection’ and ‘Sings Bacharach & David’.  We also control the ‘Sweet Memories’ album by Elaine Paige.

Click here for more information about World Hunger Day and the Gala Concert.

To celebrate the launch of the 'World Routes: On The Road' compilation, catch two extraordinary live performances by Gochaq Askarov & Hari Vrndavn Sivanesan, and also a conversation between presenter Lucy Duran and producer James Parkin.

The event takes place TONIGHT (Friday 3^rd February), at 17:30 – 20:00, at the Front Room at Queen Elizabeth Hall, Southbank, London.

World Routes is the BBC's flagship world-music show listened to by hundreds of thousands of radio listeners in the UK on BBC Radio 3, and millions across the globe via the World Service.  'On the road' is a 30 track compilation of previously unreleased material recorded on location by the programme over the last ten years, featuring some of the most thrilling artists from across the world.

Gochaq Askarov is Azerbaijan's finest exponent of the classical art form the mugham vocal style. The drama and virtuosity of Gochaq's voice, combined with his simplicity and modesty as a performer make him, without doubt, one of the finest voices in the world today. Gochaq's inclusion in this event has been made possible by The European Azerbaijan Society

A young veena player from the UK who was the recipient of the BBC Radio 3 World Routes Academy scholarship in 2011, Hari Vrndavn Sivanesan has toured with sitar maestro Ravi Shankar and was chosen by him to perform on the Chants of India album produced by Ravi and George Harrison.

Lucy Duran and James Parkin will talk about some of the highlights of their travels over the last decade as well as signing copies of the album which will be on sale.

'World Routes' is OUT NOW!

English heavy metal and hard rock band UFO are planning on embarking on a 16-date UK tour.

Dates are as follows:

15th March        The Junction, Cambridge

16th March        HMV Picture House, Edinburgh

17th March        02 Academy, Newcastle

18th March        02 Academy, Leeds

20th March        Academy, Dublin

21st March        Spring & Airbrake, Belfast

23rd March        The Stables, Milton Keynes

24th March        The Wharf, Tavistock

25th March        02 Academy, Bristol

27th March        Rock City, Nottingham

28th March        Waterfront, Norwich

30th March        HMV Ritz, Manchester

31st March        Wulfrun Hall, Wolverhampton

1st April            The Brook, Southampton

3rd April            Concorde 2, Brighton

4th April            Forum, London

The band will be playing many of their greatest hits, many of which can be found on the latest Music Club Deluxe UFO release “Too Hot To Handle: The Very Best Of UFO”.

President Barack Obama paid homage to Al Green on Thursday night at the historic Apollo Theatre in Harlem during a fundraiser event.

Obama broke out into song during his speech, with the opening line of the hit “Let’s Stay Together” by Rev. Al Green.

 “I…I’m…soooo in love with you,” Mr. Obama sang.

In a message to the watching crowds of “Let’s Stay Together”, the response was one of huge cheers and roaring applause.  Obama continued with his admiration of the singer:

"Don't worry Rev, I cannot sing like you, but I just wanted to show my appreciation,” the president said.

The fundraiser was Obama’s fourth campaign event of the night in New York City. It was filled with music performances, including one by soul singer Green earlier in the night.

“Let’s Stay Together” can be found on the Al Green Greatest Hits collection available on the Edsel label.

Daniel O’Donnell fans will be pleased to hear that the second part of his ‘Live From Nashville’ DVD will be available from 5^th March 2012.

Filmed at The Ryman Auditorium, Nashville, the one-time home of the Grand Ole Opry, the DVD is the second part to his 3 hour sell-out show and which features his special guests, long-term singing partner Mary Duff and Country legend, Charley Pride.

Uplifting, jaunty and full of country favourites, ‘Live From Nashville-Part 2’, is a spectacular musical event featuring favourites chosen by Daniel. Songs such as ‘Your Cheatin’ Heart’, ‘He’ll Have To Go’ and ‘Crystal Chandeliers’, sit alongside the country ‘Green Grass To Bluegrass Medley’ and old favourites such as ‘Stand By Me’ and ‘I Just Want To Dance With You’.

Also included in this package is a 23-track ‘Live From Nashville’ concert highlights CD, which features songs from across the entire concert.

Full details and tracklistings will be available shortly.

Now Christmas is out of the way, we’re now looking forward to the next big event on the calendar – Valentine’s Day (14^th February)!

Make sure you get your orders in for our fantastic range of love albums.  They would make a perfect gift for your partner, or could be played to create a perfect ambience for a romantic dinner or night in.

The six titles include three from the hugely popular 100 Hits range – ‘80’s Love’, ‘Rock’n’Roll Love Songs’ and ‘Love Karaoke’.  The remaining three, ‘Love Hits’, ‘Rock’n’Roll Love Songs The Collection’ and ‘Love Songs The Collection’ make for an excellent range of albums to cover a variety of tastes.

Artists featured among these albums include Jason Donovan, The Everley Brothers and Luther Vandross.

John Oates, one half of the Hall & Oates duo, will be performing a one-off gig at The Fleece in Bristol on Tuesday 24^th April.

Since the formation of the ‘Hall & Oates’ partnership in the early 70's, the duo have gone on to record 21 albums which have sold over 80 million units making them the most successful duo in rock history.  They have achieved 10 number one records, over 20 top 40 hits and have toured the world for decades.

John has also recorded three solo albums, the most recent entitled “Mississippi Mile”, in Nashville featuring an amazing collection of some of the world's top musicians.

Tickets for the gig are available now and can be purchased here.

An Exclusive Limited Edition DVD Book Set of Suede’s legendary comeback concert at the Royal Albert Hall on 24^th March 2010 is now available to pre-order from the Suede Official Store only.  

This Strictly Limited Edition Set contains

·         A DVD of the entire concert, featuring twenty-one songs

·         Stereo and 5.1 audio mixes

·         An exclusive DVD of backstage footage produced and edited by Simon Gilbert, a film of Brett Anderson’s visit to the Teenage Cancer Trust’s Oasis Centre in Cambridge, and a Paul Khera photo gallery

·         Two CDs of the audio of the entire concert

·         A 48 page booklet, featuring specially-written individual notes by all five band members, and Paul Khera’s amazing photos

What the press said about this concert:

"Suede have never sounded this brutal, so determined; the best British punk, rock ‘n’ roll, sex-pop-glam band of the past 20 years. Many of the diehards present proclaimed this to be the best Suede gig they've ever seen." - NME

"Hugely influential... they sound better than they did at their commercial peak" – The Guardian

"Astonishing return to the spotlight" – Independent on Sunday

"Sensational" – The Times

"Suede had lost none of its energy 17 years on... a timeless slice of euphoric indie rock" – Evening Standard

£40.00 + P&P, only from www.suede.co.uk

This item will ship on 24^th March 2012, the second anniversary of the concert.

Midem, the world’s largest music industry trade fair, is fast approaching and the Demon guys are getting ready to jet off to Cannes!  Starting on Saturday 28^th January and running through until Tuesday 31st, Demon Music Group will be hosting a stall, number R07.04, at the event.

This year the main Midem event will be accompanied by a festival, which will take place in a specially-constructed 3,500 capacity venue set up on the Croisette with acts including the Ting Tings, 2 Many DJs, OrelSan and 21-year-old Belgian singer Selah Sue.  French rock band Shaka Ponk, French folk duo Brigitte, Parisian indie rock band Stuck In The Sound and Lille’s Skip The Use will also be performing at the event.

The festival will be open to Midem attendees and the general public – the first time that Midem has opened up to the general public in this way.

Demon are pleased to announce that we have signed the world rights (excluding Japan and the USA) to the Sugar/ Bob Mould catalogue.

The catalogue includes the iconic album ‘Copper Blue’ which sold over 300,000 copies, and was a 1992 album of the year.  ‘Copper Blue’ and the other albums in the catalogue, ‘Beaster’ (which reached #3) and ‘File Under Easy Listening’ (#7) all charted Top Ten.   Demon will also control a live album from Sugar and two of Bob`s solo material.  Bob Mould’s first band, Husker Du, was a huge influence on bands such as Nirvana and the Pixies.

Demon will re-issue these albums in the same types of format as our successful re-issues of both Suede and Jesus and Mary Chain with extra tracks and lush packaging, we will also have exclusive licensing and digital rights.

Bob Mould will also be touring the ‘Copper Blue’ album during 2012 to sold out shows.

Doris Day has released her first album in 17 years this month.  The new album, “My Heart”, includes 13 never-before-heard renditions of songs including ‘Daydream’ and ‘Stewball’ and was produced by her son Terry Melcher, the producer of the Beach Boys and the Byrds who died in 2004 at 62.

Sales of the record will support the Doris Day Animal Foundation.

An interview with the star can be found here.

Doris Day fans can get all of her classic tracks on the 5 CD “100 Hits Legends – Doris Day” album.

Click here to view 100 Hits Legends – Doris Day

Fans of The Soldiers will be pleased to hear that they will be touring throughout January and February next year.  The dates are as follows:

Sun 8th Jan 2012            Potters Leisure Resort, Great Yarmouth 

Thu 12th Jan 2012          St David's Hall, Cardiff 

Fri 13th Jan 2012           Wyllyotts Theatre, Potters Bar 

Sat 14th Jan 2012           The Camberley Theatre, Camberley 

Sun 15th Jan 2012          The Capitol Theatre, Horsham 

Wed 18th Jan 2012         Newcastle City Hall, Newcastle upon Tyne 

Thu 19th Jan 2012          Rothes Halls, Glenrothes 

Fri 20th Jan 2012           Horsecross (Perth Theatre & Concert Hall), Perth 

Sat 21st Jan 2012           Motherwell Civic Centre (Concert Hall & Theatre), Motherwell 

Sun 22nd Jan 2012         Aberdeen Music Hall, Aberdeen 

Tue 24th Jan 2012          Cheltenham Town Hall, Cheltenham 

Wed 25th Jan 2012         Hall For Cornwall (HFC), Truro 

Thu 26th Jan 2012          Theatre Severn, Shrewsbury 

Fri 27th Jan 2012           Buxton Opera House, Buxton 

Sat 28th Jan 2012           Stevenage Arts & Leisure Centre, Stevenage 

Sun 29th Jan 2012          Billingham Forum Theatre, Billingham 

Mon 30th Jan 2012         Theatre Royal, Norwich 

Thu 2nd Feb 2012          Central Theatre, Chatham 

Fri 3rd Feb 2012            Towngate Theatre & Conference Centre, Basildon 

Sat 4th Feb 2012            Embassy Theatre, Skegness 

Sun 5th Feb 2012           Venue Cymru, Llandudno 

Click here to visit The Soldiers website

It’s been a great year for the Edsel label, with an array of awards and nominations under their belt for the 2011 reissues.

MOJO magazine voted Suede’s “Dog Man Star” at #6 and Jesus And Mary Chain’s “Psychocandy” at #8 in their ‘Reissue Of The Year’ category. 

NME also rated Suede’s “Dog Man Star” and placed the album at #8 and Jesus And Mary Chain’s “Psychocandy” at #9 ‘Reissue Of The Year’.

Uncut put Jesus And Mary Chain’s “Darklands” at #5 and Suede’s “Suede” at #30 in the category of ‘Reissues, Compilations And Box Sets’.

Art Rocker nominated John Foxx & Harold Budd’s “Nighthawks + Translucence + Drift Music” as the ‘Reissue Of The Year’ but was beaten by another Edsel title, Jesus And Mary Chain’s “Psychocandy”.

Finally, Rolling Stone magazine voted Suede’s “Suede” at #9 in the “10 Best Reissues Of The Year”.

Click here for all the Suede reissues

Click here for all the Jesus And Mary Chain reissues

The final on Saturday night favorite, the X Factor has contributed to a surge in popularity of vintage girl band En Vogue and also Jackie Wilson.

The winners, Little Mix, chose to sing En Vogue’s “Don’t Let Go” for a second time during the series, explaining their decision to do so because it would mean a lot to their fans.

The original song “Don’t Let Go” can be found on the recent Music Club Deluxe release ‘Don't Let Go: The Very Best Of En Vogue’.  The single has benefited from the show, climbing to number 27 from last week's 89.

Also on the same night, runner-up Marcus Collins reprised his performance of Jackie Wilson’s “Higher And Higher”.  Marcus believed that it was his best performance of the series, a thought that was echoed by judge Tulisa: “That definitely was your best song of the series and it was better this time! I predict a very bright future for you.”

The original Jackie Wilson track can be found on the Music Club Deluxe album Best Of The Original Soul Brother.

Click here to view ‘Best Of The Original Soul Brother’ album details

Harmless is proud to announce the release of the third set of 10 albums in the Backbeats series to add to the existing 20 titles on catalogue:

Backbeats - Soul A La Mode – 1970’s Modern Soul

Backbeats - What’s The Word? – Socially Conscious Soul Music

Backbeats - Smooth Grooves – Sophisticated 80’s Philly Soul

Backbeats - Phillybusters – Underground Philly Dance Floor Gems

Backbeats – Bustin’ Out – Ghetto Grooves from Dusty Cellars

Backbeats -2 Steps To Soul Heaven – More 70’s & 80’s Steppers

Backbeats - They Call It Crossover – More Mid-Tempo Soul

Backbeats - Mod Life Crisis – 60’s Mod Anthems

Backbeats - Lost In Time –More Northern Soul Treasures

Backbeats - The Pain Goes Deep – More Deep Soul Gems

Backbeats continues to widen the net of Backbeats collaborators, so joining the core team of Ian Dewhirst, Dean Rudland and Sean Hampsey, we’re delighted to welcome two more veterans of the Soul Music scene – Ralph Tee and Kev Roberts. Ralph Tee runs Expansion Records and continues to be an all-round authority on Soul music, whilst Kev Roberts adds to his rich history in the Soul Music business by currently being the hardest working promoter on the Northern Soul scene. A big Backbeats welcome to both of these experts!

The Backbeats series specialises in releasing material which is either impossible or hard to find elsewhere and for which there is substantial core demand. The third series continues to scour the vaults from such iconic labels as G.S.F., Sound Stage 7, Hi, Paula, Curtom, Brunswick, Chi-Sound, Dynamite, Sound Plus, Metromedia, Sansu, Instant, Philadelphia International, Douglas, Invictus, Strata East, Hot Wax, House Of The Fox, Toddlin’ Town, T.S.O.P., Soul Power, Ronn, Jet Stream, Gemigo, Cream, Alaska, Mayfield, SSS International, Seventy 7, Canyon, Dakar, Deesu, Share, Philly Groove, Soulville, Nola, Pameline, Vee-Jay, Tollie, One-Derful!, Thomas, Audio Arts, Jewel, Mar-V-Lus, Constellation, Blue Cat and numerous others - all music which may not otherwise be heard or commercially available these days.  

Two Demon titles have featured in MOJO magazine’s ‘The Best of 2011’ lists in the Reissue of the Year category.

At number 6 is the recent Suede ‘Dog Man Star’ release and at number 8, ‘Psychocandy’ by The Jesus And Mary Chain, both on the Edsel label.

The first place spot went to Mickey Newbury’s ‘An American Trilogy’, followed by The Beach Boy’s ‘The Smile Sessions’,  The Who’s ‘Quadrophenia’ and ‘Sweet Inspiration: The Songs of Dan Penn & Spooner Oldham’.

The Demon reissues beat other huge albums, such as Primal Scream’s ‘Screamadelica’ and Nirvana’s ‘Nevermind’ in the list which is great news for both the Edsel label and Demon.

Click here to view Suede – Dog Man Star album details

American singer-songwriter, Don McLean, has announced the details of his UK and European tour in October 2012.  The tour also celebrates the 40^th Anniversary of the “American Pie” European tour.

Confirmed dates are as follows:

UK

Fri 19^th Oct        Bristol Colston Hall

Sat 20^th Oct        Manchester Bridgewater Hall

Sun 21^st Oct       Gateshead The Sage

Tues 23^rd Oct     Glasgow Royal Concert Hall

Thurs 25^th Oct    London Royal Albert Hall

Sat 27^th Oct        Birmingham Symphony Hall

Sun 28^th Oct       Liverpool Philharmonic Hall

Wed 31^st Oct      Basingstoke Anvil

Europe

Tues 6^th Nov      Amsterdam Carre

Thurs 8th Nov    Düsseldorf Tonhalle

Following the UK tour Don travels to mainland Europe for additional concerts and more dates are expected to be added.

Don McLean fans can purchase some great albums in preparation for the tour on the Demon website, with titles including ‘Live Greatest Hits And For The Memories’ and ‘Prime Time And Chain Lightning And Believers’ as well as some other digital download albums also available.

Click here to view Don McLean tour details

The En Vogue track “Don’t Let Go” has re-entered the charts after being covered by the last remaining group on the X Factor, Little Mix.

The girls performed the track on the 7^th live show of the series, as part of ‘Movie Week’.  The single was a 1996 Grammy-nominated track from the Set It Off soundtrack, appearing on the band’s third album ‘EV3’.  It also features as the first track on the Music Club Deluxe’s ‘Don't Let Go: The Very Best Of’ album.

Click here to view the Don't Let Go: The Very Best Of album details

A brand new compilation of Frank Sinatra’s greatest hits, entitled ‘Sinatra – Best of the Best’, has been released by EMI.

Frank’s greatest recordings for Capitol Records and his own Reprise Records have been gathered into one collection and are now available in single-disc and deluxe 2CD packages, with track notes written by Frank Sinatra, Jr.

Many of Sinatra’s tracks can also be found on a range of Frank Sinatra albums available in the Demon Catalogue, with releases including ‘100 Hits Legends: Frank Sinatra’, a fantastic 5CD, 100 track set, ‘The Early Years’, ‘The Essential Collection’,  and, perfect for the festive season, ‘The Christmas Collection’.

Click here to view the Best of the Best album

The nominees for the 26th annual fRoots Critics Poll Albums Of The Year have been announced and a Nascente title is a contender!

 fRoots world music magazine has polled experts in the UK and internationally every year since 1986 to decide the Album Of The Year in folk, roots & world music.  This is the most extensively researched and prestigious annual poll of its kind, with over 300 writers, broadcasters and activists worldwide invited to vote.   It's "The best researched guide to the key world roots albums of the year" (BBC Radio 3).

At 11PM on Friday 2^nd December this year’s winners will be revealed exclusively in a special edition of BBC 3’s World On 3, hosted by Mary Ann Kennedy.  Full winner’s details will also be available on the fRoots website and in a dedicated Amazon.co.uk section from 3rd December, and in the Jan/Feb 2012 double issue of fRoots published in mid-December.

Nominees for the Re-issue Or Compilation Of 2011:

Home Service: Live 1986 (Fledg’ling)

Kate & Anna McGarrigle: Tell My Sister (Nonesuch)

Hedy West: Ballads And Songs From The Appalachians (Fellside)

Various: Bambara Mystic Soul: The Raw Sound Of Burkina Faso 1974-1979 (Analog Africa)

Various: 80s World Music Classics: When The World Was Young (Nascente)

All the winners to date can be found here. 

Click here to visit the fRoots website

Click here to view 80s World Music Classics: When The World Was Young album details

Fans of popular children’s TV entertainer Justin Fletcher headed to Belfast on Saturday to watch the star switch-on the city’s Christmas lights.

A 20,000 strong crowd turned up to the event at City Hall for the annual event, 10,000 people more than expected.  A Belfast City Council spokesman said:

“This was the biggest crowd we have had at the event since President Clinton performed the switch-on.”

“It was almost three times the number who attended last year, and more than attended the Snow Patrol concert as part of the MTV EMA awards two weeks earlier.”

Justin Fletcher performed his new single “Hands Up” to the crowd, which was taken from his forthcoming album “Hands Up…The Album”, due for release in March 2012.

Click here to view Hands Up…The Single details

Today, Monday 21^st November, is set to be the busiest online shopping day of the year with people rushing to buy their Christmas presents to ensure they receive them in time for the big day!

It is anticipated that millions of British and worldwide consumers will take to the internet searching for Christmas gifts, with UK sales expected to reach around£424 million throughout the day and an average spending of about £300,000 per minute, it’s not dubbed ‘Mega Monday’ for nothing!

This year marks a change in trend as it is usually the Monday closest to December, after the last monthly pay packet, that the shoppers hit the internet.   But, according to research by shopping comparison website Kelkoo, people are stocking up early to avoid the issues called by severe weather conditions last year, preventing the delivery of post and presents.

Also, with the increasing number of Smart phones making it easier to access the internet and online retailers, it is expected that online sales will rise this year.  A spokesperson from Kelkoo said:

“In particular, we were interested to see that this year, shopping on mobile phones is set to increase significantly, opening up more opportunities for retailers to sell any place, any time.”

Online retailers are being urged to prepare their stock supplies ready for a surge in demand for items, especially if they are offering particularly attractive offers and prices. 

It is believed 33.7 per cent of online spending will be on gifts, 24.5 per cent on Christmas travel, 20.6 per cent on decorations and 6.7 per cent on food and drink and people revealed convenience, reduced stress and cheaper prices as reasons for buying gifts on the internet.

All of the Demon products shown on the website are available for purchase at online retailers including Amazon, HMV and Play.

Fans of The Blockheads will be pleased to hear that the band will be performing at Ronnie Scott’s this week on the eve of their 35th anniversary for a 3 night residency, from Monday 21^st until Thursday 24^th November.

The line-up of the band due to perform at Ronnie Scott’s features:

Gilad Atzmon - Saxophones

Mick Gallagher – Organ, Piano and Synths

Derek Hussey – Vocals and Ambience Co-ordination

Chaz Jankel – Guitars and Keyboards

John Roberts - Drums

John Turnbull - Guitars

Norman Watt-Roy – Bass

The release of an album of new material in 2009, and also “Sex & Drugs & Rock & Roll” (the recent biopic of their erstwhile front man and lyricist Ian Dury) resulted in a resurgence in the bands popularity.  Many of the classics from the illustrious back catalogue, as well as some new material , will be played at the gigs and can also be found, available for purchase, on the Demon website.

Click here to view the Ronnie Scotts website

The recent reissue of The Jesus And Mary Chain’s ‘Psychocandy: Special Edition’ has been nominated as a contender for the ‘Reissue Of The Year’ category by Artrocker magazine.

The first ever Artrocker Awards will take place on the 2 December 2011 at XOYO venue in Shoreditch, London and will be hosted by Radio 1's Jen Long.

Other nominees include:

Can ‘Tago Mago: 40th Anniversary Edition’
The Fall ‘The Nation’s Saving Grace: Omnibus Edition’
John Foxx & Harold Budd featuring Ruben Garcia ‘Nighthawks’
Nirvana ‘Nevermind: 20th Anniversary Edition’

Although the awards show is VIP only, XOYO will be opening its doors to the public between 8pm and 3am for the Artrocker Awards Live Show, with Gruff Rhys, The Jim Jones Revue and more performing live, plus DJ sets by Gary Numan, Tim Burgess, Is Tropical, Tribes and Heavenly Jukebox.

Marc Sallis, Editor of Artrocker said:

“A lot of awards these days are made to fill up time on TV and fill pages in glossy magazines spreads, Artrocker aims to make its first-ever awards about the music, the bands and giving the public a great gig with a line-up that will recall the heady days of The Brats and inject some much needed drunken fun and rock'n'roll back into the industry. The inaugural Artrocker Awards are cutting back the ever-expanding gloss and going for the true spirit of music; there will be no fireworks, stage tricks and countless re-takes, it's quite simple Rock'n'Roll in its simplest and rawest form."

Click here to visit the Artrocker website

The Soldiers will be performing their official Poppy Appeal single “I’ve Gotta Get A Message To You” live on the pitch at half-time during the England vs Spain match at Wembley Stadium on Saturday 12^th November.

Click here to view the I’ve Gotta Get A Message To You single

One of the most successful acts of the acid jazz scene, The Brand New Heavies, are returning to the stage to play two pre-Christmas party nights celebrating 20 years of bringing wholesome soul grooves to the world.

The Brand New Heavies are best known for their hits including ‘Never Stop’ and  ‘Dream Come True’ and also for their reinterpretations of tracks such as ‘Midnight At The Oasis’, Carole King’s ‘You’ve Got A Friend’ and the Stevie Wonder classic ‘I Don’t Know Why (I Love You)’.

The Heavies will be playing these intimate gigs at Under The Bridge in Fulham on the 13^th and 14^th December 2011; a great Christmas present for their fans!

For the two special nights at Under The Bridge, the sassy and gifted singer Honey Larochelle will be the latest phenomenon to front the funk.

The release of a brand new Music Club Deluxe album, The Brand New Heavies ‘The Best of 20 Years’, is perfectly timed to prepare The Heavies fans for these gigs.  Featuring all the classics, this album was approved and sequenced by the band and gives the fullest picture yet of a British music institution whose unique mix of jazz, funk and soul has lit up the dance scene for well over two decades, and continues to do so.

Suede front man, Brett Anderson, appeared on BBC show “Later With Jools Holland” last week.

Brett joined Jools in the studio along with Florence and the Machine, Pete Townshend, My Morning Jacket, Bombino and Al Spx.

Brett performed “Brittle Heart” and “Crash About To Happen” from his new album, ‘Black Rainbows’.

With Justin Fletcher’s new single “Hands Up” due for release on the 20^th November, it is thought that the UK’s most popular children’s performer may be in with a chance of nabbing the Christmas No.1 top spot!

The single, from Justin’s forth-coming album ‘Hands Up…The Album’, due for release on the 26^th March 2012, has already had great feedback from everyone who has heard it and is accompanied on the album by other kid’s classics including “The Hokey Cokey”, “Music Man” and “The Teddy Bear’s Picnic”.

The video for “Hands Up” is also available to watch on YouTube now:

Click here for Hands Up The Single details

Fans of the fantastic 100 Hits series will be pleased to know that we are releasing a new batch of 8 titles on Monday 21^st November and a further 2 titles on 5^th December.

The titles include ‘100 Hits Classic 60s’, ‘100 Hits Super 70s’, ‘100 Hits 80s Classics’, ‘100 Hits The New Romantics’, ‘100 Hits Ladies Nights’, ‘100 Hits Driving Rock’, ‘100 Hits Punk And New Wave’ and ‘100 Hits New Years Party’, followed by ‘100 Hits 90s Anthems’ and ‘100 Hits Dance Classics’ on 5^th December.

These new titles span a range of genres and feature artists such as The Beach Boys, Duran Duran, Lily Allen, Supergrass, Blondie and Leo Sayer.

Welsh rock and roll singer, Shakin’ “Shaky” Stevens is about to embark on a huge 26-date tour throughout November and December.

Kicking off in the Assembly Halls, Tunbridge Wells, on Wednesday 9^th November, and coming to a close at the Theatre Royal in Brighton on Sunday 11^th December, the tour spans the whole of the UK.

09/11/2011        Assembly Halls, Tunbridge Wells

10/11/2011        Corn Exchange, Kings Lynn

11/11/2011        Oasis Leisure Centre, Swindon

12/11/2011        G Live, Guildford

13/11/2011        IndigO2 at the O2, London

15/11/2011        The Hawth, Crawley

17/11/2011        The Assembly, Leamington Spa

18/11/2011        Fairfield Halls, Croydon

19/11/2011        Swan Theatre, High Wycombe

21/11/2011        Congress Theatre, Eastbourne

22/11/2011        Hall for Cornwall, Truro

23/11/2011        The Anvil, Basingstoke

25/11/2011        Civic Hall, Wolverhampton

26/11/2011        New Theatre, Hull

27/11/2011        The Forum, Malvern

28/11/2011        Southport Theatre, Southport

29/11/2011        O2 ABC, Glasgow

02/12/2011        St George’s Hall, Bradford

03/12/2011        Charter Hall, Colchester

04/12/2011        Colosseum, Watford

05/12/2011        Winter Gardens, Margate

06/12/2011        O2 Academy, Sheffield

08/12/2011        Grand Theatre, Swansea

09/12/2011        Meres Leisure Centre, Grantham

10/12/2011        Gordon Craig Theatre, Stevenage

11/12/2011        Theatre Royal, Brighton

Shakin’ Stevens fans can now enjoy a collection of his top tracks, including 24 UK Top 20’s, 7 Top 5’s and 4 Number 1’s, in a comprehensive 2CD set available from the Music Club Deluxe label, complete with artwork, compilation and sleevenotes by Shakin’ Steven’s himself.  

Click here to visit the Shakin’ Stevens website for more tour information

The Soldiers have scored their third consecutive chart album, with ‘Message To You’, which entered the Artist Albums Chart at #11.

‘Message To You’ is the fifth highest New Entry in this week’s chart, behind Coldplay, Michael Buble’s Christmas album, Kelly Clarkson and Tom Waits.

The Soldiers will be promoting this new album with special appearances, including the ‘Silence In The Square’ performance, where they will be performing live at Trafalgar Square to an audience of 8-12000 people on the 11^th November. 

The Soldiers and Robin will also be performing the Poppy Appeal single, “I’ve Gotta Get A Message To You” on the ‘Songs Of Praise Remembrance Sunday’ programme, to be aired on the 13^th November.

With Halloween just days away, party preparations are clearly well on the way and the 100 Hits Halloween album is flying up the charts, currently sitting quite comfortably at #9 in the Midweek Compilation Chart!

 
This 4CD collection features original chart hits, including Ray Parker Jr’s Ghostbusters, I Put A Spell On You from Screamin’ Jay Hawkins, Alice Cooper’s Feed My Frankenstein, Hunting For Witches by Bloc Party and more, plus a 20 track movie theme disc featuring tracks from classic horror films.  The boxset also contains a fifth disc - a Karaoke DVD, featuring 20 sing-along versions of Halloween classics, including Thriller, Somebody’s Watching Me, Monster Mash and The Time Warp.  The perfect package for any ghostly gathering!
 
Happy Halloween!

Daniel O’Donnell, one of the most popular artists of a generation, has achieved yet another Top 10 album with his newest release ‘The Ultimate Collection’.

The album entered the charts at #7 and is the third highest New Entry in this week’s chart, which sees former Oasis co-founder Noel Gallagher and current X Factor Winner Matt Cardle at #1 and #2 respectively.  Daniel also overtook Katy Perry at the weekend, who benefited from appearing on last Sunday’s X-Factor.

Daniel has an incredible track record and this new album has given him his third chart album in 11 months and his second Top 10 album of 2011.

Click here to view ‘The Ultimate Collection’ album details

Children’s favourite Justin Fletcher, of Something Special and Gigglebiz fame, is back with a brand new album.

The album features 20 classic children’s songs along with a few brand new songs – covering everything from “The Teddy Bear’s Picnic” and “The laughing Policeman” to the great new single “Hands Up”.

Justin Fletcher has been involved in many of the biggest children’s TV shows over recent years, including Tweenies, Timmy Time, Fun Song Factory and Shaun The Sheep.  Justin has also starred in many incredibly popular shows, including Something Special, Tikkabilla, Higgledy House, Gigglebiz and the newest show Justin’s House.

Justin was awarded an MBE in 2008 for his services to children's broadcasting and also won a BAFTA in 2010 for his performance in Gigglebiz on the BBC’s CBeebies channel.

The album will be released on 26th March 2012, and the digital single "Hands Up" will be out in 4th December 2011.

Click here to view ‘Hands Up…The Album’ album details

On Friday 21^st October at 21:10 Janis Ian, Neil Finn and Ryan Adams will be performing on the final concert of the current series of the Songwriters’ Circle.

Neil Finn guides the proceedings with songs from different stages of his career - Crowded House favourites Distant Sun and Don't Dream It's Over are mixed with Split Enz's She Will Have Her Way and Golden Child, a new song written with his wife Sharon about their children growing up and leaving home.

Janis Ian has been a song writer from the tender age of 12 and is still very much at the top of her game.  Janis’ introspective, socially-engaged and intelligent lyrics are complemented by beautiful melodies and delightful guitar playing by Janis herself.  Her performance features classic tracks such as the jazzy Bright Lights and Promises to her evergreen classic At Seventeen.

Ryan Adams delivers a series of exquisitely mournful songs, from his debut solo album Heartbreaker's Oh My Sweet Carolina to Invisible Riverside from his album Ashes and Fire.

Janis Ian fans should check out Edsel’s huge range of albums currently available (also as digital downloads), including the news release ‘Best Of Janis Ian - The Autobiography Collection’. 

Click here to visit the BBC 4 Songwriter’s Circle website

Click here to view ‘Best Of Janis Ian - The Autobiography Collection’ album details

The Christmas single to be released by the X Factor contestants has been revealed!  The final 16 will release a cover of Rose Royce’s “Wishing On A Star”, with proceeds to be donated to ACT & Children’s Hospices UK.

X Factor boss Simon Cowell said: “I’ve seen the amazing work they do for kids and their families who need help and support.

“I am thrilled that the X Factor charity single this year will benefit this charity.”

The single, featuring all of this year’s finalists, will be released on the 19th November and the contestants are said to be very excited of the prospect of releasing their first ever single.

Finalist Frankie Cocozza said it was a “brilliant thing to be doing for a brilliant charity”.

Charity spokeswoman Barbara Gelb said: “The money raised from this single gives us the opportunity to improve the lives of these children and families.

“Every single bought, either online or through the High Street, will make such a difference.”

It is thought that “Wishing On A Star” will be performed by finalists on the show.

Fans of the original artist, Rose Royce, can get hold of copies of their reissued albums ‘Golden Touch & Jump Street’ and ‘Strikes Again & Rainbow Connection’ on the Edsel label.

Click here for ‘Golden Touch & Jump Street’ album details

As The Soldiers and Robin Gibb are the artists who are releasing this year’s Official Poppy Appeal single, many of the guy’s performances will focus around the Remembrance Sunday. 

For the ‘Silence In The Square’ performance, Robin and The Soldiers will be performing live at Trafalgar Square to an audience of 8-12000 people on the 11^th November.  The performance will be aired on The Royal British Legion’s Facebook page.

The Soldiers and Robin will also be performing the Poppy Appeal single, “I’ve Gotta Get A Message To You” on the ‘Songs Of Praise Remembrance Sunday’ programme, to be aired on the 13^th November.

Further TV appearances can be seen below:

18/10  BBC BREAKFAST (BBC)                                  Interview and performances

24/10  SUNRISE WITH EAMONN HOLMES (Sky)          Interview

24/10  THE ALAN TITCHMARSH SHOW (ITV1)          Live interview and performances

25/10  QVC (Sky)                                                      Live interview and performances

11/11  LORRAINE (ITV)                                             Live interview and performances

11/11  SILENCE IN THE SQUARE (Online)                    Performance

13/11  STRICTLY COME DANCING (BBC1)                    Performance

13/11  SONGS OF PRAISE                                          Interview and performances

REMEMBRANCE SUNDAY

More details about special TV / radio appearances will be available on the Demon website and Facebook pages as they are confirmed.

Chris de Burgh fans may want to make a note of the following TV appearances: 

17/10  QVC (Sky/Freeview)                                      Live interview with performances

17/10  THE ALAN TITCHMARSH SHOW (ITV1)          Interview and performances

20/10  BBC BREAKFAST (BBC1)                                Live interview

21/10  STRICTLY, IT TAKES TWO (BBC2)                  Live panellist and interview

25/12  SONGS OF PRAISE (BBC1)                             Performances

The ‘Songs Of Praise’ show will see Chris performing “On A Christmas Night” from his new album ‘Footsteps 2’.  He will also be performing “A Spaceman Came Travelling”.

Further details about special TV / radio appearances will be available on the Demon website and Facebook pages as they are confirmed.

Daniel O’Donnell fans may want to make a note of the following TV/Radio appearances:

13/10  QVC (Sky/Freeview)                                      Interview with performances

18/10  LOOSE WOMEN (ITV1)                                   Live interview and performances

18/10  REVELATION TV (Sky/Freeview)                 Live interview and performances

24/12  NORTH ONE TV (C5)                                       Interview

TBC      VINTAGE TV                                                    Mike Read hour-long interview

20/10  Five Live (BBC Radio) - Richard Bacon         Interview                                             

Further details about special TV / radio appearances will be available on the Demon website and Facebook pages as they are confirmed.

“Beginner's Guide To Bellydance: Oriental and Tribal Fusion” has been compiled by Ava Fleming and Samantha Emanuel; two of the bellydance scene's brightest and most glamorous stars.

Ava is a former "Belly Dancer Of The Universe" winner, and currently teaches Raqs Sharqi (the classical Egyptian style of belly dance) at Arizona State University.  She selected the music for CD1 and is a highly sought after teacher who appeals to both Cabaret and Tribal Fusion dancers because of her wide ranging musical tastes and ability to incorporate various styles into her performances.

Sam has selected the music for CD’s 2 and 3 - the Improvisational Tribal Style and Tribal Fusion CDs.  She is a UK-based former Bellydance Superstar (a globetrotting troupe formed by ex-Police and Sting manager Miles Copeland), who's considered an authority in these styles. She is highly sought after both as a teacher and performer.

This compilation has been done in collaboration with regular Nascente compiler and bellydance DJ Phil Meadley, who compiled the first Beginner’s Guide To Bellydance.  Phil has DJ’ed at all of the UK’s biggest belly dance events, as well as DJ’ing global fusion and other club beats at various festivals and venues over the past ten years.

The Jesus And Mary Chain’ Jim Reid will be a guest of Mark Radcliffe and Stuart Maconie on their BBC 6 Music show on Friday 7^th October at 2.30pm.

Jim will be talking about the recent studio album reissue, as well as the band’s career and will be available to listen online here.

All six studio albums have recently been released on the Edsel label - ‘Psychocandy’ and ‘Darklands’ were released on 19^th September, followed by ‘Automatic’ and ‘Honey’s Dead ‘on 26^th September and rounded off with ‘Stoned And Dethroned’ and ‘Munki’ most recently on 3^rd October.

The albums have been receiving rave reviews – an example from the Subba Cultcha can be found here.  They are also running a competition to win the full set of albums.

Todd Rundgren was in the BBC London Radio studio with Danny Baker on Tuesday 4^th October.

Prior to Todd’s arrival Danny had compiled a 22 track CD-R of songs of Todd Rundgren’s recordings and also his productions, including songs by XTC and The Band.  Todd then called out track numbers at random, Danny played the track and the two discussed each one after play.

The show lasted for an hour and can be seen again here.

This coincides with the reissue of Todd’s studio albums this week – ‘Runt & The Ballad Of Todd Rundgren’, ‘Something/ Anything’, ‘A Wizard, A True Star & Todd’ and ‘Initiation & Faithful’. 

The recently announced ‘The Cars’ reissues have now been put on hold until further notice.

As soon as more details are received we will update the website and Facebook page but there is no further information at present.

BBC Radio Scotland’s Tom Morton will be speaking to Janis Ian about her writing and recording career from the 1960's to the present on Sunday 9^th October at 10:30AM.

The 30 minute show, from the ‘Musical Legends’ programme, will also show Janis giving an insight into her extraordinary life.

As a singer her song 'Society's child', written when she was only 14, dealt with the issue of interracial relationships was banned by some radio stations as being subversive.

Janis's best known and most successful song 'At Seventeen', dealing with teenage angst, won her two Grammy's and led to appearances on some of the top rated TV shows at the time.

Janis Ian has also written songs for some of the best known artists in the business, including Glen Campbell, Nanci Griffith, Bette Middler, Dusty Springfield and Nina Simone.

Edsel have released numerous Janis Ian albums, most recently ‘Best Of Janis Ian - The Autobiography Collection’; a collection of thirty-one tracks, including several rarities, such as her first demo which she recorded as a 13 year old, a lo-fi version of ‘Hair of Spun Gold’, ‘Jesse’, which was a Top 30 hit for Roberta Flack, along with Sesame Street’s ‘Ginny the Flying Girl’.

Also included in the package is a twelve-track DVD filmed during her peak period in 1979 in Japan and Australia.

For everyone who wanted to enter the competition advertised on the Demon newsletter – the competition closes at midday TODAY!

Here’s a reminder of the Terms and Conditions:

1.            ELIGIBILITY:

1.1          This prize draw is open to any person resident in the UK, who is 18 years of age or older at the time of entry.

1.2          Employees of Demon Music Group, its group companies, affiliates, subsidiaries and advertising or promotion agencies, members of these employees’ household or family or anyone else connected with this promotion are not eligible to enter this prize draw.

2.            TO ENTER:

2.1          Entrants are required to submit their name via email to win@demonmusicgroup.co.uk stating “DMG December Prize Draw” as the subject title.

2.2          No purchase is necessary to enter the prize draw.

2.3          Entry constitutes full and unconditional acceptance of these Terms and Conditions.

2.4          Demon Music Group reserves the right to disqualify anyone in breach of these Terms and Conditions.

3.            TIMING:

3.1       The promotion will close on the 20^th of the month.   Entries received after the closing date will not be considered for that month’s prize.

3.2       Demon Music Group accepts no responsibility for any entries that are incomplete, illegible, corrupted or fail to reach Demon Music Group by the relevant closing date for any reason.

3.3       Entries via agents or third parties are invalid.

3.4       Only one entry is permitted per person.

4.            USE OF DATA:

4.1          Personal data which you provide when you enter this promotion will be used to administer this promotion only, unless otherwise stated in the entry details.

4.2          Subject to obtaining your consent data may be used in future Demon Music Group marketing activity in accordance with Demon Music Group’s privacy policy.

5.            SELECTION OF WINNERS:

5.1        All correctly completed entries will be entered into a prize draw which will take place on the 20th of the month.

5.2          The first entry drawn at random will be the winner.

5.3          The winner will be informed no later than 7 days after the closing date of the prize draw via the email address provided on the entry. Delivery details will then be requested from the winner.

5.4          If Demon Music Group do not hear from the winner within 14 days of sending notification, Demon Music Group reserves the right to offer the unclaimed prize to a substitute winner selected at random and in accordance with these rules.

5.5          Demon Music Group’s decision as to the winner is final and no correspondence relating to the prize draw shall be entered into.

6.            PRIZE:

6.1          The prize will be as specified in the December Demon Music Group newsletter.

6.2       There is no cash alternative and the prize is not transferable.

6.2          Prizes are subject to availability. In the event of unforeseen circumstances, Demon Music Group reserves the right (a) to substitute alternative prizes of equivalent or greater value and (b) in exceptional circumstances to amend or foreclose the promotion without notice. The entrant agrees that no liability shall attach itself to Demon Music Group as a result thereof.

7.            WINNERS LIST:

7.1        The winner consents to their surname being made publicly available if necessary and may be contacted for further promotional activity.

7.2        To obtain details of the winner please email stating “Winner Name Request” and the name of the prize draw in the subject heading.

8.            OTHER:

8.1        No correspondence will be entered into regarding either this promotion or these Terms and Conditions.

8.2        Demon Music Group reserves the right to amend, modify, cancel or withdraw this promotion at any time without notice.

8.3        These Terms and Conditions are governed in accordance with the laws of England and Wales.

8.4          The promoter of the Prize Draw is Demon Music Group Limited of 33 Foley Street, London, W1W 7TL.

8.5       All Demon Music Group promotions comply with the BBC Code of Conduct for competitions which can be found at www.bbc.co.uk/competitioncode.

The Official Poppy Appeal Single for 2011 is the poignant ‘I’ve Gotta Get a Message to You’, performed by The Soldiers with Bee Gees legend Robin Gibb, it was announced today.

To be released on 23^rd October 2011, The Soldiers’ royalties will go to The Royal British Legion’s annual fundraising drive which will be launched nationally on October 27^th. It is the first time serving soldiers have released the Official Single for the Poppy Appeal, which will focus this year on the Legion’s assistance in the recovery of injured Armed Forces personnel.

The track has been produced by the renowned Nick Patrick (Katherine Jenkins, Russell Watson) and Jeff Chegwin. Robin Gibb wrote the song with his brothers Barry and Maurice and it was originally recorded by the Bee Gees in 1968, becoming their second number one single on the UK singles chart.

Robin Gibb said:

“Although not written all those years back about soldiers, it can represent the human emotions of servicemen – or in this case, a single soldier. It’s about being trapped in a corner far from home, brave but scared and thinking of loved ones. These men deserve our respect and we need to remind ourselves that they – including of course Ryan, Gary and Richie – are prepared to lay down their lives for our freedoms.”

Russell Thompson, Director of Fundraising for The Royal British Legion, said:

“I’ve Gotta Get a Message to You is part of the soundtrack to our lives, and it’s incredibly moving to hear it performed by serving soldiers thinking of those on operations in Afghanistan. We’re proud to be associated with The Soldiers and to have this song as the official tune of the Poppy Appeal in our 90^th anniversary year.”

The Soldiers – Sergeant Major Gary Chilton, Staff Sergeant Richie Maddocks and Lance Corporal Ryan Idzi – were aware of Robin Gibb’s charitable work for the Armed Forces and big fans of The Bee Gees when they approached Robin and asked if he would be up for a duet with them – they were over the moon when he agreed.

The song is taken from The Soldiers second album, “Message To You”, due for release on 24^th October.  The album features fifteen new songs, all of which were carefully selected for their poignancy and meaning to the armed Forces and their Families and include some absolute classics such as ‘Right Here Waiting’, ‘Desperado’, ‘Pipes Of Peace’ and ends with a rousing version of the anthemic evergreen ‘You’ll Never Walk Alone’.

Click here to view the Poppy Appeal website

Long-running BBC1 series ‘Songs Of Praise’ is 50 years old this year.

The show has been commended by the Queen and she has offered her congratulations on the programme’s longevity, stating that it was a "remarkable achievement" and called it "a traditional and much-loved part of our Sundays".

The special 50^th birthday edition of Songs Of Praise, hosted by Aled Jones, is being recorded at London's Alexandra Palace and is due to feature LeAnn Rimes, tenor Andrea Bocelli and Katherine Jenkins.

The Queen has written her message to recognise the milestone in a printed programme given to the audience for the concert, which will be broadcast on October 2 at 5.30pm.

In it she says: "I congratulate all those involved in bringing Songs of Praise into our homes over the past 50 years during which it has delivered hope, comfort and joy to many millions of viewers and become a traditional and much-loved part of our Sundays.

"In a changing world, the programme's enduring appeal has been its mixture of inspirational music and uplifting human stories, which bring together congregations from far and wide to share timeless hymns and the experiences of fellow Christians whose faith is at the centre of their lives."

The programme will feature hymns such as “Guide Me O Thou Great Redeemer”, “Angel-Voices Ever Singing” and “Jerusalem”.

The Queen's message concludes: "For Songs of Praise to celebrate 50 years without a break is a remarkable achievement and reflects the central role which Christian faith and worship continue to play in the life of communities and the nation.

"I very much hope that this evening's concert will be a great occasion and wish the programme well in the years to come."

American pop singer Tony Bennett’s new album, ‘Duets II’ has entered the charts at #5.

Featuring guest appearances from artists including Andrea Bocelli, Michael Bublé, Mariah Carey, Sheryl Crow, Aretha Franklin, Lady Gaga and the late Amy Winehouse, the album sold almost 20000 copies in the first week of its release. 

 “Duets II” includes an album containing 17 great tracks and a video of a first look at the k.d lang duet.  The album is also available for digital download.

For a collection of Tony Bennett’s greatest hits, ‘Tony Bennett – The Essential Collection’ is currently available and contains classics hits including “Give Me The Simple Life”, “Stranger In Paradise” and “It Had To Be You”.

BBC 6 Music presenters Mark Radcliffe and Stuart Maconie will be joined in the studio by Ex-Ultravox singer and electronic pioneer John Foxx next week.

The artists will be joining the duo at 1PM on the 3^rd October to talk about his UK tour with John Foxx And The Maths, during which he'll be performing material from new album Interplay as well as classic songs from early Ultravox and his solo career.

Jason Donovan has been revealed as one of the contestants on the BBC’s Strictly Come Dancing.

The married father of three has also admitted to having a crush on his dance partner, Kristina Rihanoff, but is quick to add that his wife Angela does not mind.

He said: 'I'm secure enough in my relationship to flirt with Kristina as a professional but not take it any further. My wife is used to seeing me on stage with other women.'

Jason will be competing against footballer Robbie Savage, former Neighbours actress Holly Valance, singer Lulu and McFly drummer Harry Judd on the primetime BBC1 show.

Two of Jason Donovan’s most popular albums are currently available on the Edsel label – ‘Ten Good Reasons’, featuring the Number One hit duet with Kylie Minogue ‘Especially For You’, ‘Too Many Broken Hearts’ and ‘Nothing Can Divide Us’ – and ‘Between The Lines’, including ‘When You Come Back To Me’, ‘Hang On To Your Love’ and ‘Another Night’.

Click here to view ‘Ten Good Reasons’ album details

Singer / songwriter / musician / columnist and author Janis Ian is preparing to embark on a 28 date tour of the UK, The Netherland and Belgium.

The tour begins on the 28^th September in Belgium and travels across The Netherlands throughout October before coming to Scotland on 27^th October:

27 Oct               Carnegie Hall, Dunfermline, Scotland

28 Oct               Strathpeffer Pavilion, Strathpeffer

30 Oct               Queens Hall Edinburgh Edinburgh

31 Oct               Sage Gateshead Gateshead

1 Nov                ARC Stockton Arts Centre, Stockton on Tees

3 Nov                The Lowry Salford Quays

4 Nov                The Haymarket Hampshire

5 Nov                Cadogan Hall London

9 Nov                Huntingdon Hall, Worcester

13 Nov              Town Hall Birmingham Birmingham

14 Nov              Varieties Music Hall Leeds

To coincide with this tour Edsel are releasing a ‘Best Of’ album containing thirty-one of Janis Ian’s most popular tracks, including her signature song ‘At Seventeen’, which was originally released in 1975, ‘Fly Too High’ and rarities such as her first demo which she recorded as a 13 year old.  It also includes a lo-fi version of ‘Hair of Spun Gold’, ‘Jesse’, which was a Top 30 hit for Roberta Flack, along with Sesame Street’s ‘Ginny the Flying Girl’.

Also included in this package is a twelve-track DVD filmed during her peak period in 1979 in Japan and Australia.

Middlesborough-born singer-songwriter Chris Rea has enjoyed a massively successful musical career for over thirty years now and is planning a European tour for 2012.

The tour will kick off in Hamburg on the 3^rd February 2012 and will come to the UK on the 18^th March 2012, when Chris will be taking over Dublin’s Grand Canal Theatre.  UK dates as follows:

18.03.12            Dublin, Ireland Grand Canal Theatre

20.03.12            Bournemouth, BIC

21.03.12            Oxford, New Theatre

22.03.12            Brighton, Brighton Centre

24.03.12            Harrogate, International Centre

25.03.12            Manchester, Manchester Apollo

26.03.12            Sheffield, City Hall

28.03.12            Edinburgh, Usher Hall

29.03.12            Glasgow, Clyde Hall

31.03.12            Newcastle, Newcastle Arena

01.04.12            Birmingham, NIA

02.04.12            Nottingham, RCH

04.04.12            Plymouth, Plymouth Pavillions

05.04.12            London, Hammersmith Apollo

Chris has just released a new studio album out now – ‘Santa Spirito Blues’ – a special edition 3 CD and 2 DVD boxset.

Music Club Deluxe are also releasing a new ‘Best Of’ album; a double CD collection titled ‘The Journey 1978-2009’, including such enduring Rea’s smash hits as The Road To Hell, Let’s Dance, On the Beach, Fool (If You Think Its Over) and Auberge, as well as choice album tracks and rarities such as Saudade, his soulful tribute to the late Formula One racer Ayrton Senna.

Hungarian folk group Muzsikás and singer Márta Sebestyén are two of the most important names in European folk music and are back on the scene with a new album.

Established in 1973, the group recorded Máramaros - The Lost Jewish Music of Transylvania, bring back previously unknown music that had been lost in the Holocaust. The group has recorded many other albums and, since 1978, has toured regularly around the world.

Three of the band’s songs are famously used in the Studio Ghibli anime film "Only Yesterday"; "Teremtés" ("Genesis"), "Hajnali Nóta" ("Morning Song"), and "Fuvom Azénekem" ("I Sing My Song”). The name of the group is mentioned by the main protagonists, while the songs play in the background, in a prolonged dialog about the benefits of a natural environment and rural life.

Muzsikás and Márta Sebestyén are now back with the first ‘Best Of’ album of their work ever to be released.   Compiled by Joe Boyd, ‘Fly Bird, Fly – The Very Best Of’ is a 2CD set featuring highlights from the band’s forty-year career including tracks from Hannibal Records, recorded live and two previously unreleased.

This collection features the best of their work with Márta Sebestyén with whom they collaborated since their beginnings – Márta rose to worldwide fame after she was featured in the film The English Patient (it is her voice that Ralph Fiennes plays to Kirstin Scott Thomas on the gramophone).

Muzsikás and Márta Sebestyén became a leading force in the traditional music scene during the early ‘70s fast becoming Hungary’s most popular traditional music group.  By the 80s with a string of records released on Joe Boyd’s Hannibal label they performed in concert halls all over the world from London’s Royal Albert Hall, Paris’s Théatre de la Ville, the Santa Cecila Academy in Rome and New York’s Carnegie Hall.

The album is due for release in early November.

‘World Routes’ is the BBC’s flagship world music show listened to by around 100,000 radio listeners in the UK on BBC Radio 3, and millions across the globe via the World Service.

World music label Nascente and BBC Radio 3 have collaborated to produce ‘On The Road’; a 2CD set of previously unreleased material recorded by the programme on location over the last 10 years.  The album featured some of the biggest names in world music including Grammy Award winner Toumani Diabate, Tito Paris and Ilham Al Madfai.

‘On The Road’ was co-produced by World Routes presenter Lucy Duran – a Grammy-award winning record producer responsible for “Segu Blue” (2007) and “I Speak Fula” (2009) by the acclaimed award-winning Malian ngoni virtuoso, Bassekou Kouyate – and is presented as a deluxe 2CD digipack with 44 page booklet featuring notes & photographs from Lucy Duran and the production team.

World Routes is on a mission to travel to the most far-flung corners of the planet to document and preserve endangered musical traditions. To date, the programme has visited some 53 countries, including 15 in Africa, 15 in Asia, and 9 in the Americas. Artists from countries as diverse as Mali, India, Iraq, Georgia, China, Madagascar and Cape Verde all have tracks featured on the CD set.

Click here to listen to the ‘World Routes’ programme on BBC Radio 3

For all the rugby fans out there firmly in the grip of the game since it’s kick off at the start of the month, Crimson have released an album of rugby anthems perfect for stirring up some fighting spirit!

The CD features 18 rousing rugby anthems, with tracks from all of the key nations, and also includes a DVD containing an hour long exploration of the ‘Legends Of World Rugby’ – featuring footage of the greatest players the game has ever seen.

After winning both their matches so far, England are playing Romania on Sunday so there’s just enough time to go out and get the album in preparation of (hopefully) another win!

Staying strong towards the top of the charts is ‘My Heart’; Doris Day’s first new album in almost two decades!

The album is a compilation of previously unreleased recordings produced by Terry Melcher, Day’s son, prior to his death in 2004.  Featuring tracks such as ‘You Are So Beautiful (To Me)’ and ‘My Buddy’, from the 1951 film ‘I’ll See You In My Dreams’ – a song that is dedicated to her son.

"I was asked to choose the songs I preferred for the album, these are the tunes that reflect my love of animals, my love for my son.  They're the dearest things to My Heart." 

While Doris Day has not performed in over 25 years, she is very excited about this new release - "I'm so thrilled My Heart is generating a stir," Day said. "It's a delightful thing to give this to my fans after so many years." 

Fans can also enjoy a larger collection of her most loved hits on a variety of Demon albums, including ‘100 Hits Legends; Doris Day’, ‘Doris Day: The Essential Collection’’ and ‘It’s Magic’.

Click here to view all Doris day album details.

Soul Diva Aretha Franklin is in the final stages of plans to make a movie about her life, based upon her bestselling 1999 autobiography Aretha: From These Roots.

't will be a chronological depiction of my advent from Detroit to New York as a young, aspiring singer... It's going to be pretty straight-up. People who have followed my career from A to Z, they already know some of the things, but there will be other things that are not known," she recently told Billboard.com.

The project, which has been in the pipeline for several years, has been no secret, with the star previously revealing draft scripts and now it seems that the final details are being collated before filming starts:

'We're hammering out the last details,' Aretha revealed this week.

Aretha is currently searching for a star to play her in the film after Oscar-winning actress Halle Berry reportedly turned down the part due to concerns about her singing voice.  However, Aretha is still keen for the actress to take the part, stating:

'Halle Berry,' she said. 'think Halle Berry's gonna get it.'

Aretha also spoke of her desire for Denzel Washington and Terrence Howard to appear in the film; with Denzel playing her father C.L. Franklin - who was a Baptist minister and civil rights leader - and she believes Terrence would be perfect for the role of Smokey Robinson..

When Aretha is not dedicating her time to the movie she is also busy with her singing career, with a duet with Tony Bennett at the Metropolitan Opera House planned for later this month.

Aretha Franklin fans can get a great collection of her hits on two great Demon albums: 100 Hits Legends - Aretha Franklin and Unforgettable: Tribute To Dinah Washington/Runnin' Out Of...

Click here to view all Aretha Franklin albums currently available

African American disco and R&B 70’s band Chic are performing two dates in London and Manchester on Thursday 10^th (London HMV Forum) and Saturday 12^th (The Warehouse Project, Manchester) of November.

Founded by Nile Rogers, Chic are one of the most successful bands of the disco era.  They produced a truly unmistakeable sound that has inspired and influenced many recording artists and producers over the last 30 years. They were also the catalyst to rap’s first real crossover hit in The Sugarhill Gang’s Rapper’s Delight’ via their heavily sampled hit ‘Good Times’.

Those preparing to attend one of the gigs can expect to hear some of their greatest hits, including Le Freak, Good Times, Everybody Dance, Dance, Dance, Dance (Yowsah, Yowsah, Yowsah), I Want Your Love, My Feet Keep Dancing and My Forbidden Lover.

Many of Chic’s biggest hits can also be found on a new ‘Best Of’ release by Music Club Deluxe, titled ‘Magnifique!’.  This new album contains 37 huge tracks, including all of those mentioned above.

Click here for ticket information.

The 1989 album ‘Apples’, the soundtrack to Ian Dury’s short-lived stage show of the same name, is to be reissued by Edsel next month.

The album contains twelve of the twenty tracks from the show and, until now, has only ever been available on CD in Japan.  The songs were co-written with Mickey Gallagher of the Blockheads, although ’Apples’ and ‘England’s Glory’ actually date back to Dury’s Kilburn and The High Roads days, and the players on the album include Paul Weller’s drummer Steve White, Blockhead Davey Payne on sax and Wreckless Eric and famed musical actress Frances Ruffelle (mother of singer Eliza Doolittle) on vocals.

The album cover is adorned with a painting by Peter Blake, ‘Apples’ and the internal booklet illustrated with ephemera and a note by Alan Robinson.

Click here for ‘Apples’ album details

British 90’s act Morcheeba is back on the music scene, after a three year break, with a new album called ‘Blood Like Lemonade’.  This is the first album featuring lead singer Skye Edwards since ‘Charango’ in 2002.

Band founder Paul Godfrey says: ’This is the record we should have made after Big Calm but we had to travel treacherous terrains to get back to our natural habitat.’ Lead vocalist Skye adds: ‘Friends have been asking, “What does the new Morcheeba record sound like?” My answer? “It sounds like Morcheeba” Of course!’

In celebration of this, Music Club Deluxe are also releasing a “Best Of” album titled, ‘The Best of 1995 – 2003’, featuring hits including Part Of The Process, Fragments Of Freedom, Charango, Big Calm and Rome Wasn’t Built In A Day.  The album is due for release on 3rd October.

The band is also performing a one-off gig at KOKO in Camden on Friday 21^st October – ticket details can be found here.

Confectionary giant Cadbury have licensed Demon-controlled track, Steve Miller Band’s ‘Abracadabra’ for their new TV, radio and online advertisements.

Click here to view the advert on YouTube.

The iconic glasses of milk are shown spilling their contents across the screen to the sound of Steve Miller Band as the milk and chocolate swirls “round and round” to combines together to create one of the nations’ best loved sweets.

Cadbury’s have been known for their exciting and engaging TV adverts, including the drumming gorilla from 2007 and the dancing clothes of earlier this year.

The track from the advert can be found on the ‘Abracadabra’ album.

Electronic progressive rock band ‘Yes’ will be performing for one night only at the Hammersmith Apollo, London, on Thursday 17^th November.

The current line-up features Benoît David, Steve Howe, Oliver Wakeman, Chris Squire and Alan White but originally featured Jon Anderson, Peter Banks, Tony Kaye, Chris Squire, Bill Bruford. Other members have included Rick Wakeman (on-and-off), Patrick Moraz, Trevor Horn and more.

Key ‘Yes’ albums include "Time and a Word", "Close To The Edge", "Relayer" and "90125", the latter of which provided them with a rare single hit, "Owner Of A Lonely Heart" (co-written with Trevor Horn).

Ticket information for the gig is available here.

Music Club Deluxe have recently released a ‘best of’ album entitled ‘Wonderous Stories - The Best Of Yes’, featuring a panoramic sweep from their early days in the late 1960s, through such classics as the rapturous ‘And You And I’ and on into the late seventies and early eighties, when the band scored global hit singles with classics such as ‘Wonderous Stories’ ‘Going For The One’ and ‘Owner Of A Lonely Heart’. This collection also shows the band at their most innovative and inventive best, with epics such as ‘Siberian Khatru’ and ‘Close To The Edge’ featured in their entirety.

Daniel O’Donnell has been celebrating 30 years in the ‘business’ in 2011 and with another Top 10 album under his belt earlier this year, he still remains one of the most consistent and popular recording artists of a generation.  Daniel is one of a select few recording artists who can lay claim to having sold more than 3.5 MILLION albums in the UK this millennium.

Having now amassed fifteen Top 30 albums – eleven of them Top 10 – since January 2000, a feat not achieved by ANY other recording Artist in the UK Album Chart, Daniel is now planning to release his first ‘best of’ since 1998 in a 40-track 2CD collection entitled ‘The Ultimate Collection’.

The songs on the album were personally selected by Daniel and feature five of his Top 40 hits, many fan favourites from his enormous back-catalogue, as well as ten brand new songs, two of which were recorded live in Nashville in 2011 and a brand new version of his favourite song, ‘My Donegal Shore’.

Daniel’s continuing run of charting albums has meant that he is the only artist to have charted at least one album every year since 1988 and as such breaks his own record of achievements.

Click here to view ‘The Ultimate Collection’ album details

Veteran crooner Johnny Mathis is due to release a new 23-track album with Sony, entitled ‘The Ultimate Collection’ on 10^th October, featuring classic hits such as ‘Misty’, ‘The Twelfth Of Never’ and ‘I’m Stone In Love With You’.  Also included is a pair of previously unreleased cuts – ‘Something To Sing About’ and ‘I Love My Lady’; both produced by the CHIC team, from an album that was never released. 

The release of the album coincides with a three show mini tour in October:

12^th October       O2 Arena, London

14^th October       LG Arena, Birmingham

16^th October       Manchester Evening News Arena

For the Johnny Mathis fans desperate for a piece of the pop star before the new album release, the Music Club Deluxe and The Red Box labels have something to bridge the gap. 

‘Misty: The Best Of’ boasts 36 classic studio recordings including 4 UK top 20 and 18 US Billboard top 30 hit singles plus key album tracks and the No.1 ‘When A Child Is Born’ (perfect for Christmas!) and ‘The Collection’ - Johnny Mathis’ (also available for digital download) contains 18 classic tracks perfect for any Johnny fanatic.

After months of rumors of having a music service in the pipeline, Reuters has reported that Facebook is to announce partnerships with existing music services such as Spotify, MOG, Rhapsody, Slacker and Rdio at the F8 conference on 22 September 2011.

There is already a partnership with Spotify in existence; allowing users to share songs and playlists with friends.

This is just another string to add to Zuckerberg’s bow and another step for Facebook towards world domination! 

Speaking at the announcement of Skype video chat in July Zuckerberg said Facebook plans to work with “companies that are best in class in their industry, producing apps on a social infrastucture” (nma.co.uk 6 July 2011).

American pop singer Tony Bennett is due to release a new album of duets, called ‘Duets II’, featuring guest appearances from artists including Andrea Bocelli, Michael Bublé, Mariah Carey, Sheryl Crow, Aretha Franklin, Lady Gaga and the late Amy Winehouse. 

Tony was a close friend of the recently deceased Amy Winehouse and paid tribute to the singer at the 2011 MTV Video Music Awards, adding that he wished he had given Amy some advice before she died:

"What I wanted to do, I wanted to stop her, I wanted to tell her that many years ago I was naughty also with some drugs." But, Bennett revealed, a quote from a friend stuck with him for life.

"Woody Allen's manager at the time [Jack Rollins] said he knew Lenny Bruce," Bennett explained, recalling a conversation about the boundary-breaking comedian and satirist who died young of a drug overdose. "[Rollins] said one sentence that changed my life: He said, 'He sinned against his talent.' I wanted to tell her that and I had to leave because we were touring all over the world making this album, and I never got a chance to do it”.

The proceeds of the Bennett / Winehouse collaboration will be donated to the foundation set up by Winehouse's father that will help people fight addiction.

“Duets II” will be released on 20^th September and includes an album containing 17 great tracks and a video of a first look at the k.d lang duet.  The album is also available for digital download.

For a collection of Tony Bennett’s greatest hits, ‘Tony Bennett – The Essential Collection’ is currently available and contains classics hits including “Give Me The Simple Life”, “Stranger In Paradise” and “It Had To Be You”.

BBC Radio 6 DJ Dave Pearce returned to his soul-boy roots on Sunday as he celebrated Philadelphia International Records 40^th Anniversary with a 2 hour set dedicated to the record label.

Founded by writing and production duo Kenneth Gamble and Leon Huff in 1971, the label became known for its trademark soulful disco sound, producing hits for The Three Degrees, McFadden & Whitehead and Teddy Pendergrass. Its catalogue became a staple of the British rare groove scene during the early 1980s and it also played an important role in the creation of house music, with DJs like Larry Levan and Frankie Knuckles spinning their tunes in the legendary Paradise Garage.

Dave was joined by journalist Ralph Tee, compiler of 'The Philadelphia International Box Set' as they journeyed through four decades worth of incredible tracks, featuring artists such as The O'Jays, MFSB, Lou Rawls, Dexter Wansel and Archie Bell & The Dells. 

Click here to listen to the full programme.

Harmless are due to release three Philadelphia International themed albums over the coming months; starting off with ‘Philly International – Re-Edits & Remixes’ at the end of October, the long awaited ‘Philadelphia International 40^th Anniversary Box-Set’ in early November and followed up by ‘Philadelphia International Classics – The Tom Moulton Remixes’ early next year.

Click here to view albUms by Philadelphia International All-Stars

Kanye West has recently teamed up with Jay-Z to release a new album, “Watch The Throne”, which features a track entitled “Otis”; a track showing the two high-profile rappers trading verses over a soulful track and samples Otis Redding's classic "Try a Little Tenderness".

"Watch the Throne" was released earlier this month and includes a variety of guest appearances from other artists including Odd Future Wolf Gang Kill Them All's member Frank Ocean, Kanye's protege Mr. Hudson, R&B/funk artist Curtis Mayfield and Jay-Z’s wife Beyonce Knowles, who has just announced her pregnancy.

The original track “Try A Little Tenderness” by Otis Redding can be found on the new Music Club Deluxe release “Soul Legend: The Best Of Otis Redding”, available now.

The first batch of the long-awaited Jesus And Mary Chain reissues are only a few weeks away from being released and are already receiving rave reviews.  ‘Psychocandy’ and ‘Darklands’ come first , on 19^th September, followed by ‘Automatic’ and ‘Honey’s Dead ‘on 26^th September and rounded off with ‘Stoned And Dethroned’ and ‘Munki’ on 3^rd October.

Right now, on the band's Facebook page, you can preview all of the reissues in three dimensions, by way of 3DiCD, an interactive system that allows you stream audio snippets and flip through virtual reconstructions of each re-issue's liner notes.

After the release of a ‘Best Of’ album, the recent studio album reissues and the reforming of the band to play at the Albert Hall, O2 Arena and the Brixton Academy gigs, it may come as no surprise that Suede are going to make a new album.

Front-man Brett Anderson is just preparing for the release of his solo album, Black Rainbows, on September 26, but once that is out of the way he plans to focus on getting the band back in the studio.

Speaking to Xfm, Anderson says "after I've promoted this solo album I'm intent to be writing a new Suede album.  I think it's all about keeping yourself interested as a musician, once it gets to this stage in your career it's very much about doing things that keep you excited and making a new Suede record will be exciting and then making another solo record after this will be exciting. It's just about trying to keep yourself interested the whole time."

'Brittle Heart' - Brett Anderson:

Just a quick reminder that on Saturday 27^th August 2011 the HMV Forum will be packed to the brim full of fans wanting to see three fantastic acts – Sister Sledge, Rose Royce and Jaki Graham, all Demon-controlled artists.

Sister Sledge are back in the UK, with full band, for the first time since 2009 and they will be performing classic tracks such as: ‘We Are Family’, ‘He’s The Greatest Dancer’ and their massive 1985 UK number 1 ‘Frankie’.

Rose Royce feat Gwen Dickey will be performing classics such as ‘Wishing On A Star’, ‘Car Wash’ and ‘Love Don’t Live Her Anymore’.

Jaki Graham will be performing classic tracks including ‘Could It Be I’m Falling In Love’, ‘Set Me Free’ and ‘I Want To Thank You’.

Ticket prices range from £25 - £75 and are available from the following outlets: Ticketmaster, TicketLine, See Tickets.

Click here to view We Are Family: The Essential Sister Sledge album details

Click here to view all Rose Royce albums available

Click here to view Absolute Essentials - The Very Best of Jaki Graham album details

Having been nominated for a Classic Brit Award in 2011, Demon artist Aled Jones is back with a brand new album, ‘Forever’.

Featuring hits such as  ‘Bridge Over Troubled Water’, ‘The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face’, Hushabye Mountain and ‘I Will’, as well as more contemporary repertoire such as ‘Footprints’, ‘That’ll Do’ and the title track ‘Forever’, which Aled co-wrote with Marcella Detroit, this new album is a must-have for any true Aled fan.

The album also features an array of songs by accomplished writers Randy Newman, Lennon & McCartney, Gilbert Becaud and Paul Simon and the track ‘Forever’ also features a duet with Beth Nielson Chapman on the song ‘A Living Prayer’.

The album is due for released at the end of September.

Click here for ‘Forever’ album details

A new compilation album by American singer/songwriter, John Denver, who sadly was killed in a plane crash in 1997, has been released by Sony to replace ‘A Song’s Best Friend: The Very Best of John Denver’, which has sold almost 124000 copies since its release in 2004.

This new album, ‘The Ultimate Collection’, includes 15 of Denver’s US hits among its 19 tracks, including all four number ones, with highlights including  ‘Rocky Mountain High’, ‘Calypso’ and ‘Fly Away’.  Also included is John’s own version of ‘Leaving On A Jet Plane’, an early composition that prospered when covered by Peter, Paul and Mary.

Of course, the Music Club Deluxe label also has titles by this admired artist, including ‘Annie's Song - A Collection Of His Finest Recordings’ and ‘The Collection’.  Both albums contain a wealth of hits and also include classic versions of all Denver’s biggest hits, including ‘Take Me Home Country Roads’, ‘Sunshine On My Shoulders’, ‘Eagle & The Hawk’ and ‘Annie’s Song’.

American music magazine Billboard has celebrated the 50th anniversary of its Adult Contemporary Chart and named Demon artists Chicago the #6 and Dionne Warwick the #11 AC act of all-time.

Since its inception on 17^th July 1961, Billboard magazine has generated a weekly song chart of the Adult Contemporary top artists, based on actual performance.  The songs are ranked based on an inverse point system, with weeks at No. 1 earning the greatest value and weeks at lower rankings on the chart earning less.

The Billboard’s Top 20 Biggest Adult Contemporary Artists Ever is as follows:

1.     Elton John                                             

2.     Neil Diamond                                                    

3.     Barbara Streisand

4.     Barry Manilow

5.     Kenny Rogers

6.    Chicago

7.     Billy Joel

8.     Carpenters

9.     Lionel Richie

10.  Anne Murray

11.  Dionne Warwick

12.  Phil Collins

13.  Elvis Presley

14.  Gloria Estefan

15.  Whitney Houston

16.  Olivia Newton-John

17.  Herp Alpert

18.  Michael Bolton

19.  Celine Dion

20.  Andy Williams

The full Top 50 list can be viewed on the Billboard website.

The Music Club Deluxe label is also releasing Chicago – The Ultimate Collection and Dionne Warwick – The Essential Collection later this month.

Click here to view Chicago – The Ultimate Collection album details.

Click here to view Dionne Warwick – The Essential Collection album details.

The Doobie Brothers’ John McFee made a special appearance at the Comic Con 2011 event, appearing at the Captain America Military Salute at the LMT Music Lodge in San Diego.

“Overwhelmed” by the occasion and opportunity to be involved, John made a brief speech on behalf of the Doobie Brothers and acknowledged the band’s long term and ongoing commitment to supporting the men and women of the U.S. military.  He then provided the event finale with a performance of a composition of his specially written for the occasion entitled “Age of Innocence”.

John said “I was grateful for the opportunity to be part of this event, and to have a chance to mention the role that our late drummer, Keith Knudsen, played in getting the Doobies back together all those years ago for a truly worthy cause. Keith was inspired by Shad Meshad’s (founder of the National Veterans Foundation) work, and from my perspective our efforts with benefit concerts, charity auctions, and appearances to help our service people really amount to the least we can do.”

The Edsel label is due to reissue all the classic Doobie Brothers albums, including Doobie Bros & Toulouse Street, The Captain And Me & What Were Once Vices, Stampede & Takin’ It To The Streets, and Livin’ On The Fault Line & Minute By Minute.

‘Is This The Way To Amarillo’ singer Tony Christie will be performing a handful of UK dates later this year.

Tour dates are as follows:

Date                                        Venue

Sunday 23^rd October                   The Forum, Hertfordshire

Sunday 30^th October                   02 Academy, Sheffield

Sunday 6^th November                 02 Academy, Bournemouth

Sunday 20^th November               02 Academy, Oxford

Click here to book tickets.

Tony Christie – The Essential Collection is currently available to buy on The Red Box label, and is also available for download via Demon Digital.

The soundtrack to BBC3 comedy series Angry Boys has reached the top spot in the iTunes Soundtrack Chart, smashing in at #1!

Starring Chris Lilley in a number of hilarious guises, Angry Boys tells a tale of teenage life in Australia via several unforgettable, often offensive and politically incorrect characters who somehow still manage to convey their warmth and humanity and the soundtrack has certainly hit a cord with its fans, propelling it to the top of the Soundtrack Chart.  The album is also doing well in the main chart, at a respectable #40.

In addition to this, individual tracks are also doing very well – ‘Squashed N***a’ is currently the #1 Soundtrack Song and #151 in the Main iTunes Song Chart and ‘Slap My Elbow’ is charting at #3 and #75 in the Soundtrack and main iTunes charts.

The Angry Boys Digital-Only album features 18 songs and 19 bonus Music Videos and the chart positions reflect its popularity.

Legends.

Record labels and the music industry are in high spirits and feeling hopeful that the end of music piracy may be in sight as Motion Picture Association has won its High Court battle to force BT to block access to pirate website Newzbin 2.

In what is hoped to be a key turning point in the fight against piracy, Justice Arnold has ruled that the site will no longer be able to use BT’s internet service for further copyright infringement.

He said, “It follows that BT has actual knowledge of other persons using its service to infringe copyright: it knows that the users and operators of Newbin2 infringe copyright on a large scale…it knows that the users of Newzbin2 include BT subscribers, and it knows those users use its service to receive infringing copies of copyright works made available to them by Newzbin2.”

BT have argued that they have no responsibility to act against what their “pipes” are used for, that it was a passive recipient of infringing activity and that it had no actual knowledge of infringement and shouldn’t be required to act beyond taking steps to prevent a particular infringement by a particular use. The judge disagreed.

Newzbin 2 is currently used by its 700,000 members to download illegal copies of films and TV shows, as well as other content from games, publisher and music and so the move has been welcomed from the whole creative sector.

To further their plans of global domination, Facebook have now developed a platform aimed at small business and offers advice and tips on how to create pages, ads, plug-ins and apps, called Facebook For Business.

This new initiative is just the latest instalment in a series of websites and pages launched in order to help companies to understand the benefits of the world’s largest social networking site, and runs alongside pre-existing Facebook pages covering a range of categories, including music, media and marketing.

A spokesperson from Facebook describes their aim:  “Facebook allows small businesses to create rich social experiences, build lasting relationships and amplify the most powerful type of marketing - word of mouth. We created Facebook.com/business to make it even easier for people to reach these objectives and grow.”

Earlier this year the social network launched an online resource showcasing creative campaigns that have been successful using Facebook for brand activity, named Facebook Studio.

It is thought that this avenue of business has been developed to compete with the new Google+ social network, which is also planning on launching a full Google+ business site later this year.

Colombian salsa star, Joe Arroyo, has died at the age of 55, after being treated in hospital for heart, lung and kidney problems.

Arroyo, whose most famous hit was La Rebelion, began singing in brothels in the Caribbean city of Cartagena at the age of eight and went on to sing with a number of Colombia's most famous salsa groups.  He also drew on a rich heritage of other Afro-Colombian rhythms during his career, and composed over 100 songs.

Rising to fame in the 1970’s as part of the band ‘Fruko y Sus Tesos’, later forming his own band ‘La Verdad’, Arroyo, born Alvaro Jose Arroyo Gonzalez, had a colourful life, including problems with drugs, all of which provided material for his music.

His wife said Arroyo died "peacefully" in Barranquilla, another Colombian city on the Caribbean coast and the country’s president, Juan Manual Santos, described his death as