Joe Kavanagh's Music News

Unquestionably, the biggest story in the world of music last week was the discovery of a recording in a Paris archive that is almost two decades older than what was previously thought to be the world's oldest recording. Thanks to modern technology scientists were able to unlock the secret of a phonautograph made by Frenchman, Edouard-Leon Scott de Martinville, made in 1860, which revealed a ten second clip of an unknown lady singing French standard, Au Claire de la Lune. The recording predates Thomas Edison's recording of Mary Had A Little Lamb by 17 years, making it the oldest known recording on record...

Madonna has thrown her two cents in on who she believes should be the next mayor of London. Speaking to the Q magazine last week, the Material Girl was asked if she would be voting for current mayor of London, Ken Livingstone, when she replied: "No. The traffic in London is worse than ever now. All Red Ken wants is roadworks going on everywhere. Don't use The Tube; can't use the roads? No. I'll just have to walk I guess." Well, she knows where the airport is. Madge also gave her opinion on how she thinks Londoners' taxes should be spent, offering: "I would make it so that young musicians, aspiring musicians wouldn't have to pay the congestion charge or pay taxes." Oh yeah, like she'd never use such a state of affairs as a tax loophole...

Bob Geldof might have once been a fearsome frontman that owned the stage in his heyday with the Boomtown Rats, but it appears that the apple can actually fall far from the tree, if his daughter's singing debut last week is anything to go by. Sometime social commentator and full time ligger, Peaches Geldof, was slated to sing back up vocals for UK indie act, Rodnik, at a gig by the band in London's Covent Gardens last week but ,her 'people' attempted to get every photographer out of the room before Peaches took to the stage (generally not a good sign). After a rather heated moment, the precocious young Geldof made her dreadful debut, which included forgetting the words, dropping the mic and looking like a spare tool. Note to Peaches: fame does not equal talent so please stop searching for any talent that you think you have and forcing the rest of us to endure it. You don't have a gift, only a rich, influential parent. Come back to us when you have something meaningful to contribute... And take Paris Hilton with you...

Speaking of people with no talent, Bryan McFadden, was talking to the media in the UK last week, lamenting some of his behavior while he was a member of Irish act Westlife McFadden claimed: "I was very arrogant. I had to have first-class flights for me and my team that I didn't need, but I wanted to take advantage for the things they'd done in the past. I even had a hairdresser on a retainer of £100,000 ($200,000) a year. It was ridiculous." McFadden left Westlife in 2004 to pursue a solo career and I'm guessing that those halcyon days seem like a thousand years ago now. I bet Bryan McFadden couldn't even pay to keep himself in candy bar wrappers on retainer, if he had to fund it directly from sails of his solo records. Karma is a beautiful thing...

The Rolling Stones are finally allowed to perform at Blackpool, England, after a ban lasting almost 50 years, was finally lifted last week. The famed holiday resort banned the Stones after 50 people were hospitalized followingf one of their gigs in 1964, but council leader, Peter Callow, announced last week: "The ban has now been lifted and the group are welcome to play here again." I'm sure they're chomping at the bit...

While we are on the subject of doddery rockers, does anyone else out there think that some bands should just call it a day instead of limping around like some ersatz Karaoke copy of their former selves? Duran Duran were playing in Aukland, New Zealand last week when singer, Simon Le Bon, completely forgot the lyrics to their hit, Hungry Like The Wolf. In fact, the band was so awful that guitarist, John Taylor, stormed off stage in disgust. Things are pretty bad when you walk out of your own gig and if anyone needed any further evidence that Duran Duran are an utterly spent musical force, I point you towards last year's album, Red Carpet Massacre. Massacre indeed...

Celine Dion was forced to postpone most of her upcoming Australian dates at the beginning of her world tour because of a throat infection and sinus problems and given the size of Celine's smelling tool, I'm sure that a bad sinus could be almost fatal under certain circumstances. I'll be damned, that voodoo doll did work...

Quirky act, the Guillemots, have none other than Gandalph starring in their next video, after actor Ian McKellen announced last week that he is a big fan and claims that he would love to make a cameo appearance in the band's next video release. Speaking to the media last week McKellen claimed: "A young relative of mine, who's a fan of the Guillemots, took me along to a concert of theirs in London and I really took to them, I really liked the music. I heard about this video for the new song, which I really like and I happen to have nothing better to do, and it's quite near home, so I dropped in, and here I am." ...

Glastonbury organizers were quick to jump to the defense of Jay Z after ticket sales for this year's Glasonbury Festival were down on last year's numbers. Event organizer, Emily Eavis, defended the choice of the New York rapper as a headline act, claiming that the poor sales were more likely due to the weather, saying: "I'm sure it's because of the weather. People only remember the last festival, so if it was really muddy... I don't blame them, to be honest. Everybody needs a rest." Maybe it's just me and I know that the elements are more than capable of ruining the most well laid plans on this side of the pond but isn't it a bit early to be blaming the weather three months before the event itself? ...

Radiohead are already back in the studio to begin work on a follow-up to their current smash hit album, In Rainbows...

The UK media is reporting that Heather Mills has hired an accounting firm to go through Paul McCartney's books because she feels that she did not receive a fair settlement in her divorce from the former Beatle. Despite receiving $33 million in a London divorce court last month, Mills feels that she should have been awarded a higher amount and claims that the couple's daughter, Beatrice, will be unable to survive on the $140,000 per year that she is due as a result of the settlement. Call me old fashioned but how can a four-year-old possibly need more than that for candy, clothes and toys? If Heather is so put out by the amount why doesn't she share some of her own ill-gotten spoils with her flesh and blood? Better yet, why doesn't she do us all a favor and hop off into the sunset? ... And take Paris Hilton with her. Perhaps you can sense a pattern here.