Well, Ed’s diary has been discovered again by the press. There is an interesting article at Sonicnet which quotes a spokesman from Radiohead, Lewis Jamison, saying that the new album will not be released until the summer of 2000. You can read the article in it’s entirety here. There’s also another article based on Ed’s journal at Jam! Music and another at SpinOnline.
The song “Rabbit In Your Headlights” that Thom recorded with DJ Shadow for the UNKLE album, has been nominated for Best Breakthrough Video at the 1999 MTV Video Music Awards. The awards show will be held on September 9, 1999, in New York City. Thom is #16 in the top 100 stars of the century according to the August issue of Q.
Here is the top video sales as they appear in the August 7, 1999 issue of Billboard magazine:
1. “Austin Powers – International Man of Mystery,” New Line Home Video
2. “Blade,” New Line Home Video
3. “Rush Hour,” New Line Home Video
4. “Aliens,” Fox Video
5. “A Clockwork Orange,” Warner Home Video
6. “The Truman Show,” Universal Studios
7. “Tae-Bo Workout,” Ventura Distribution
8. “The King and I,” Warner Home Video
9. “Backstreet Boys: Homecoming – Live in Orlando,” Jive/Zomba Video
10. “Radiohead: Meeting People is Easy,” Radiohead, Capitol Video
As reported earlier on this site, there was a rumor floating around that R.E.M.’s Michael Stipe might be contributing to the new Radiohead album. This has been put to rest by a recent chat transcription with Mr. Stipe found on the VH1 site. Here is the relevant bit:
foxmulder_47 asks: Any truth to the rumors that you may appear on the next Radiohead album?
michael_stipe_live: I saw Jonny and Thom in Manchester the other night- they didn’t mention anything.
This is from the Panic Button site:
Eureka! Once again we have some news on the fourth album! After a very early morning phone-call from Brian Message, who looks after Radiohead at Courtyard Management, we have the following information for you: the band are currently in the studio where they are rehearsing for the next six weeks the news songs which will make it on the album. Afterwards, in September, they will break away for a couple of weeks holiday. It all starts to get really exciting at the end of September when they start recording. The album is supposed to be in the shops around May/June 2000. According to Radiohead’s management, this fourth album is aimed at being even better than OK Computer, if such a thing is possible at all.
There is a video of the Amnesty International Concert that was held in Paris last December that has recently been released. The video is of good quality but only contains 3 of the 10 songs Radiohead performed. You may purchase the video at Cdnow. For those of you that would like to see the whole performance, there is a video out now put out by Griftworks. It is really a great video with a Radioheadesque vibe to it. I suggest you check it out. You can may contact Griftworks by e-mailing them here.
That’s it!
According to an EMI spokesperson the new Radiohead album will have a totally new sound. Over 40 new songs are finished. Now it’s a matter of choosing the songs that will go onto the album and then finishing the production of them. Jonny has bought himself a new toy to play with in the studio: a sequencer. With this he’ll be able to produce even more odd noises than his guitar and organ would let him. Our sources at EMI also informed us that the soundtrack to the BBC series “Eureka Street” probably will not be released on the EMI label. That said, they will pay attention to the soundtrack as it adds to the credibility of the band.
From Dotmusic:
Oasis and Radiohead to headline Glastonbury next year?
During a conversation with dotmusic at this year’s Glastonbury festival, founder Michael Eavis hinted that Glastonbury 2000 could see an Oasis and Radiohead double-bill. Eavis told us, “the two best bands in the world at the moment are not playing this weekend÷which are Oasis and Radiohead.” We asked him if he had looked into booking them for next year and he replied: “Speaks for itself doesn’t it?”
dotmusic contacted Creation Records for confirmation of an Oasis booking but were informed that the band have not yet finished recording their new album and that their live commitments could not yet be confirmed. Likewise we were informed by a Radiohead spokeswoman that the band are, “in the middle of recording the new album and I’ve no idea when it will be finished Ò you don’t rush these guys, there’s no point.”
Radiohead’s Thom Yorke was spotted at the festival, casually wandering amongst the crowds Ò obviously more interested in the acts than many of the VIPs who preferred to watch Keith Allen perform karaoke back stage. With both bands currently working on material likely to be released early next year, timing would be near perfect and we think Michael Eavis will get his dream line-up.
The band had a pretty miserable experience at the 1997 Glastonbury Festival when half of the equipment quit working and all the blinding lights shining towards them. Maybe Radiohead will give it another chance
The band are still in the process of recording their fourth album in a stately home in Gloucestershire and there have been rumors circulating around the internet about the possibility of a collaboration of some sort on the new album. Dotmusic is reporting that R.E.M.’s frontman Michael Stipe may be “collaborating on tracks for the forthcoming Radiohead album.” A press representative for Radiohead pointed out to dotmusic that, “since they have had their own studio, they collaborate with whoever they want and they’re great friends with Michael Stipe so it wouldn’t surprise me.” Stipe told an interviewer last February that a collaboration might happen. Here’s an excerpt from the interview:
“Yeah, I mean Thom is an amazing singer,” added Stipe. “We know a lot of amazing singers and musicians and any good opportunity to work with them would be welcome. I’m not saying it will happen, I’m saying, speaking for three of us, we would love to work with Thom or any of the guys from Radiohead.”
To read the dotmusic article, click here.
That’s not the only collaboration rumor floating around. There seems to be a bizarre connection between the recording of the band’s new song “How to Disappear Completely and Never Be Found” and the Montreal band Godspeed You Black Emperor, a unknown independent 10 piece band which has been described as “a 3 way cross of Radiohead, Ennio Morricone, and a drug-induced spiritual wonder.” They apparently make extremely long and other-wordly transcendental soundscapes that are so bizarre that major labels won’t touch them. Members of Godspeed were spotted last December at the Amnesty International gig in Paris when Radiohead were on stage. They have also been spotted recently in Gloucestershire where Radiohead have been recording. You might say, “so what?” Well, they also attended Radiohead’s gig in New York where “How to Disappear…” was played, and Thom said “this is for Nigel (Radiohead’s producer) to hear,” and winked as he said it.
Thom has spoken once about Godspeed…in an interview after the Amnesty gig he said, “they are the most emotionally pummeling outsiders of the music industry today.” A representative from their small record label, Constellation Records, told Green Plastic, “we can assure you that there is no truth to those rumours.” Nevertheless, this is an interesting story. “How to Disappear Completely and Never Be Found” has reportedly lengthened to over 10 minutes and is sure to be a masterpiece with or without any collaboration.
For those of you in the U.S., make sure to watch 120 Minutes tonight (Sunday) on MTV for the special on Radiohead. The whole show will be devoted to the band and they will be showing the condensed version of “Meeting People is Easy” along with other goods. The show will air at midnight/ 11pm Central.