With an assist from the braintrust/vault over at Disney, classic 1968 animated Beatles feature Yellow Submarine is in the process of being—for lack of a better word—remade. Robert Zemeckis, director of the Back to the Future trilogy as well as that unsually funny Tom Hanks movie about the guy with many aphorisms and chocolates historically-charged life experiences, is currently brokering a deal to acquire rights to the film’s original soundtrack. What’s more, Zemeckis is reportedly intent on using the revolutionary “performance-capture” 3-D digital production formula that’s erm, enlivened recent films of his, The Polar Express and Beowulf. Right now seems like a good time to provide a good refresher on the storyline, but maybe a bit of impressionism works best here instead: if you’re in your twenties, chances are seeing that movie as a kid made you fee like you were on acid before you knew what acid was. (via RS via Variety)

It’s old news that Michael Jackson owned half of the copyrights to a large portion of Beatles songs, and that Sony/ATV Music Publishing owned the rest. But apparently, according to the US Copyright Act of 1976, songwriters are able to regain control of publishing rights on pre-1978 compositions after 56 years. This is all music to Paul McCartney’s ears. Pun intended, dudes! Behind said Act, McCartney will be able to regain control over Beatles compositions from 1962 in 2018 and songs from 1970 in 2026. So at the tender age of 76, just nine years from now, Paul McCartney (who already is worth about $737 million) will be raking in the dough.

My Morning Jacket’s Jim James will be releasing an EP of George Harrison covers called Tribute To on ATO Records August 4th. The songs listed below, three solo from All Things Must Pass and two Harrison-penned Beatles songs, were recorded shortly after the late great songwriter passed in 2001. Yames/James’ versions will apparently be low-key, acoustic and, we’re sure, good for sparking some incense and reciting mantras.
Tribute To Tracklist:
1.) Long Long Long
2.) Behind That Locked Door
3.) Love You To
4.) My Sweet Lord
5.) Ballad of Sir Frankie Crisp (Let It Roll)
6.) All Things Must Pass

Paul McCartney and Ringo Starr joined Yoko Ono and Olivia Harrison at the E3 Business & Media Summit in New York today to premiere The Beatles: Rock Band, the next installment of the popular video game and one that’s billed to provide a “revolutionary tour of The Beatles’ music, career, and legacy.”

45 of the Beatles songs will be available to “play” when the game hits stores on September 9, the very same day that the legendary band’s entire catalog will also be made available for the first time digitally on iTunes. Atop the list of exclusive features that make us think this might be a good time to start gaming again: three part harmonies.

Watch the trailer here.

Dedicated to those songs that I can’t stop playing, humming, or thinking about; the 4+ minutes you fall head-over-heels in love with. Past instances have included Matthew Sweet’s “Girlfriend,” Led Zeppelin’s “C’mon Everybody,” and M.I.A.’s “Paper Planes.”

The active ownership of and listening to demo cuts acts as a barometer for fanship. You might love a band or an album, but do you love a band or album so much that you need to hear alternate versions of the songs you’ve already memorized? Since the CD revolution, the tagging on of previously-unreleased material to old albums only attracts the super fan. I like Elvis Costello, but I can honestly say I only have the demo tapes attached to the Special Edition of This Year’s Model because it came that way. On the other hand, it turns out that I love the Ramones more than I realized, and I knew that I really loved them. The demos attached to their re-issued material are not just bonus features to me; they’ve become essential tracks. I’m tempted to call Ramones demos “cheating” since most of their material (save for the less-produced cuts from End of the Century) plays like demos to begin with. They weren’t big on thinking. They were more about catching lightning in a bomb and exploding.

“Smash You” is one of those quintessential discoveries among the Ramones’ previously unreleased treasures. It sounds exactly like every other Ramones song (like they all do) and it rocks as hard as every other Ramones song (like they all do). From the count at the top to the effortless way they coax a sing-along out of the listener, the song’s true power is in its relentlessness. Like their greatest songs before it, “Smash You” feels like a full-speed horse race that never lets up. The only switch up comes at the perfect 3/4 moment where, nearing the final turn, we stay in one key, get everyone to sing the same thing twice, remount, and repeat.

I’m not gonna solve all the Ramones’ problems, in music or otherwise. But I can’t help lamenting the fact that “Smash You” — representing such a higher-than-normal high for one of the greatest bands to walk the Earth — is underrepresented. This happens to many bands of course, but it seems to be a habit for the Ramones. Despite glories in sound, songs like “S.L.U.G.” never found a proper home. “Babysitter” isn’t technically part of the album “Leave Home” and “Please Don’t Leave” never stayed around and now “Smash You”. The deck is stacked against these guys.

I’m thankful that I was the right kind of lazy — the cheap kind — when I purchased Too Tough To Die — on iTunes instead of buying the CD used. It’s a constant war, my battle with laziness; sometimes I avoid the pricey end of stuff and win, sometimes I indulge and lose. It was a difference of ONE dollar between a used original-version CD and this extended edition. The coolest part about “Smash You” in the context of the album is that it serves like a second album closer. I can only assume they didn’t include the song in the original release because Ritchie had a hand in writing it, and they were all kind of dumb and jealous and mean that way.

Not that it would have made much difference in the world. It still would have been one more song in a long list of ignored-by-the-planet songs from a prolific, unapologetically awesome band. And, yes, that’s been lamented a million times before (and, yes, I’ve even called myself out like this before about another band)… but this time it seems particularly apropos. The Beatles are the most popular band ever, so it’s less difficult to find a cut song from one of their less popular albums. Listening to a song so perfect — so obviously excellent — inspires me to write columns complaining about why people don’t profess their undying devotion to this perfect, obviously excellent music. What blows me away now is that with 20/20 hindsight on our side, the Ramones don’t have any radio play on classic rock stations. They wrote pop songs. They wrote songs you could sing to. They wrote songs that rock. It’s all right here in “Smash You”.

Like “Smash You”’s exclusion from the album, it’s gotta be about money. With Ritchie writing the song, and the band’s notoriously tight purse strings, the powers that be must have excluded the song to hog a little cash. The only other possible reason for depriving the world of this song could be that “Too Tough” was already full of great songs anyway. But you still had “Animal Boy” and “Halfway to Sanity” with Ritchie, and they certainly aren’t as wall-to-wall great as “Too Tough”. I mean, I love “Go Li’l Camaro Go”, but I’m not an idiot.

Then again, perhaps society is to blame. Again. “Too Tough To Die” was the group’s eighth studio album, and fifth “greatest” album. Prior to 1985, they had pumped out substantially fantastic music that was largely ignored by the mainstream world, and that has to do something to the band’s selection process. Perhaps by the time this song came around, their assessment of what’s “good” was way out of whack. At some point they must have thought, “If ‘I Wanna Be Sedated’ can’t get airplay, what chance does this song have?’”

And maybe it’s the burden of being uncompromising pioneer morons that holds the truth. The song technically deals with lurid subject matter: a guy is so pissed at his pill-popping girl that he wants to smash her. But it also seems pretty harmless. He doesn’t want to cut her up and throw her in the trunk. He wants to “smash” her. The vocabulary seems childlike, tied more to the Incredible Hulk than an actual abusive relationship. There’s sadness and humor walking hand in hand in this song, especially in the line “you’re the best girl that I’ve ever had.” It comes after 3 previous verses of steam-from-the-ears fury, and portrays more relatable truth that anyone cares to admit. This guy is settling, even if it means fist fights on the street and dealing with her mood swings.

As a kind of tribute, I’m attaching a video of a demo for this song with Ritchie singing. The guy managed the impossible, being an outsider who wrote a song more Ramones than the Ramones were playing, and he deserves more credit for it. The studio cut has a bit more Ramones magic, but as you can hear in this early cut, the components were there.

Matt Ward isn’t exactly the most talkative individual, so when we arrived at the Phoenix Concert Theatre in Toronto to interview him last week, we weren’t expecting garrulous anecdotes or divulging commentary. Sure, his accomplished career vindicates him from having to be a good interview or even offer some random blogger insight into his creative process. But like all writers, I thought I’d have a chance to dig a bit deeper. Not that I expected to be the Frost to his Nixon, but our Five Questions for M. Ward segment was, well, a flop. Matt Ward isn’t going to open up — not today.

To his credit, M. Ward’s latest album Hold Time certainly speaks for itself in terms of thematic content and musicianship. “Never Had Nobody Like You” is a bona fide love anthem. “Hold Time” is an existential contemplation. “One Hundred Million” ponders time’s effect on the heart and love (or perhaps vice-versa). Either way, Hold Time is a logical continuation of the ideas he explored on 2006’s breakthrough Post-War. M. Ward’s approach is direct and accessible, leaving little room for ambiguity, and this is one of his greatest strengths.

So maybe the problem isn’t as much Matt Ward’s reticence, but rather the clarity of his work. If all’s explained in his music (or all that he wants explained), well then there’s not much left to ask. His voice is gruff. He sings about his wife sometimes. He sings about life other times. He refuses to record digitally. He likes Obama. He doesn’t over-think. His writing process hasn’t changed. His music is a product of natural occurrences rather than concentrated happenings. I guess that’s all she wrote. But if still interested; Five Questions for M. Ward:

[Ed Note: Photography rules were strict. Photography was strictly banned for those without a pass, and those with one were only allowed to take pictures at the side of the stage during the first three songs. His opening three songs (“Chinese Translation”, “Requiem”, “Rave On”) went by in about 10 minutes so time was tight. We were also told M. Ward had private security incognito that would penalize us if we disobeyed the no flash rule.]

If Post War was the aftermath of a particular event, in what era or position did you envision Hold Time occupying?
I wanted it to be as era-less as possible – I wanted to create some healthy confusion where the listener isn’t sure when it was recorded or written.

When did your confidence as a song-writer come into fruition? Could you have released a song like “Never Had Nobody Like You” before then?
I think my confidence ebbs and flows like everyone else’s – its pretty impossible me for me to chart, measure or comment on.

I get the impression you don’t like doing interviews (which is completely fair), is this apart of the job you’d rather do without?
I don’t mind talking to people about music — it’s definitely part of my job…

Does politics affect your song writing?
Yes and no — it depends on where I am with the song.

Discuss an album of an artist that has most influenced you as an artist.
At the moment I’m listening to the Louvin Brothers — and I cant think of anything that hasn’t been said about them that needs to be said. It’s been a great discovery — I found them by first discovering the Beatles in high school and learning that their harmonies were borrowed from the Everly’s and later learned that the Everly’s borrowed from the Louvins.

Because this is the type of vital information without which our lives could not continue, a British music licensing board announced Monday that Procul Harem’s “A Whiter Shade Of Pale” is the most-played song in public places in Britain over the last 75 years.

The full list features the top 75 songs played in the last 75 years, and the variety (and repetition) of artists is simultaneously encouraging and utterly disturbing. Queen’s rock opus “Bohemian Rhapsody” came in second, Elvis landed in the top 10 and The Beatles had three songs land somewhere in the countdown. That number ties them with Robbie Williams for most mentions on the chart, and while several artists had two songs appear, the most notable names getting two nods were John Travolta and Olivia Newton-John. Yes, you read right.

Gary Brooker, lead singer of Procul Harem, said landing at the top of this chart was “a great and unsought honor.”

“It isn’t something I could have remotely imagined when I wrote the song and then made that legendary recording with Procol Harum all those years ago,” he said. “Every musician and singer hopes to reach out and communicate to the audience, so it means a great deal that the record has such an indefinable popularity and lasting appeal.”

Top Ten Songs Most Played in Public Places In Britain Since 1934
1. Procol Harum “A Whiter Shade Of Pale” 1967
2. Queen “Bohemian Rhapsody” 1975
3. Everly Brothers “All I Have To Do Is Dream” 1958
4. Wet Wet Wet “Love Is All Around” 1994
5. Bryan Adams ”(Everything I Do) I Do It For You” 1991
6. Robbie Williams “Angels” 1997
7. Elvis Presley “All Shook Up” 1957
8. ABBA “Dancing Queen” 1976
9. Perry Como “Magic Moments” 1958
10. Bing Crosby “White Christmas” 1942

There for a blessed moment we had bands that didn’t seem to care about image:  Black Flag, Husker Du, The Descendents, Beat Happening, Nirvana.  Yes, they all had an image but it didn’t seem as contrived as say, Vampire Weekend, The Shins or any number of “indie” bands playing the festival circuit this summer.
 
That is why it was so refreshing when I received a CD from the Wichita, Kansas-based band Black Gasoline.  No, they weren’t extremely original but the influences that ring through on their album, She Gave Us Magic, all mix well to create a 1970s heavy music lover’s equivalent of a giant hash brownie. This is indeed stoner rock. And what is wrong with that?
 
The band’s love of classic rock is entirely in your face.  They create a sound that is as thick as sludge and meddles into a sound that is reminiscent of Van Halen, The Who, and recent champions of the sound, Queens of The Stone Age.  Taking their name from a 1940s barely refined type of homemade fuel, the band (Bryan Seely on vocals, Paul DeCeglie on guitar, Larry Donaldson on keyboards, Kendall Newby on drums and Scott Mackey on bass) seem ready to make their namesake proud; using driving guitars, pounding drums and bowel loosing bass lines as accelerants, they’ll set the Midwest on fire.

I “spoke” with the band via MySpace.
 
When did Black gasoline come together?
 It’s been about four years now.
 
What music has had the biggest impact on you as a group? She Gave Us Magic sounds very rooted in 1970s rock to me…
I think we have stylistically gravitated to the feel of 70s hard rock, but I don’t think you could call that a genre or even say that that would make us any easier to explain if you did. I do think it would be correct in that during the 70s you saw bands like Deep Purple or Black Sabbath make increasingly diverse, ambitious and dynamic albums, so I hope that’s what you mean. But as we’ve continued developing and finding our artistic voice, we’ve moved towards a genre that really didn’t exist, in that most of your 70s era bands only made one or two heavy psych albums, a piece which was usually peppered with a lot of R&B and blues, whereas we’ve been attempting to make a career out of that era’s accidents instead of the easy “heavy metal” outs.

As far as what’s been getting our goat lately, and I hate to answer this for everyone else, but the last few years worth of Swedish hard rock like The Hellacopters, Graveyard, Baby Woodrose, Dungen, and Witchcraft are absolutely awesome. Black Mountain, Black Rebel Motorcycle Club, High on Fire, The Flaming Lips, Midlake, and Dead Meadow are some American bands we’ve been into. Not surprisingly, a lot of oldies are in rotation: The Pretty Things, Grand Funk Railroad, Hawkwind, Blue Oyster Cult, Cheap Trick, E.L.O, Manfred Mann’s Earth Band, The Who, Queen, The Byrds, The Beatles. In the Ipod era, it’s almost more difficult to convey the logic of musical influence because after a point, and this is more likely for a musician, it gets almost more scholastic than it should be on the surface, because it is, after all, just pop music.
 
Is She Gave Us Magic your first full-length record?
 Yes it is, but we are more than half-way into a new record that will either make us or break us. I’m always appreciative of any interest in us, but it’s hard not to have more interest in the future than the past. So keep an eye on us; we’re hoping for summer or fall.
 
Is the process of songwriting a group effort or does one member take the reins more often?
I think one of our greatest strengths is our creative process. By the time a riff or a melody is filtered through the band as a whole, the original idea is, in many cases, unrecognizable. Without the collective input of all five of us, it just wouldn’t be the same.
 
Is there much of a rock scene around Wichita?
It ebbs and flows. I don’t want to be unfair to a core group of people that really do work hard to ensure that there’s always some sort of scene, but sometimes it’s music, sometimes it’s more like really loud fashioned. Like most American cities there’s a faction that is birthed from corporate radio and guitar stores which will always be shit, but there’s an underground that has no set sound but has been very interesting, for instance Wichita spawned Manilla Road, Split Lip Rayfield, so wrap your head around that!
 

What do you think of the current trend of bands becoming famous and getting signed to deals strictly from internet buzz?
It’s great if you don’t mind being famous and working a day job.
 
Do you think that it takes away from a band if they don’t have to tour the country and build their own fan base?
They certainly won’t be that cohesive. Making an ambitious record is not that hard in this day and age. Having taste is another matter, but neither will matter if you can’t pull it off live. You might have to play after us, and we won’t make it easy for you.
 
I saw your band play a club in Lawrence, Kansas, a few years ago and your energy was explosive. How do you stoke that fire every night?
Blood, sweat, practice, need for attention, energy drinks… Mostly practice, and all that energy that a good crowd reflects back to you.
 
With “indie rock” being the big thing as of this moment, do you think heavier bands like Black Gasoline suffer?
Do you mean any worse than it already has? Personally I think it’s great for a band like us; it makes us even more different. If we’re back to back with a really trendy indie band, we look like Viking plunderers when the reality is that, compared to modern metal bands, we’re not really that heavy, just louder. With music the way it is now we’re a mystery, and, personally, I think it works in our favor. Styles change, a few years ago it was that rap rock thing. How smart does that Limp Bizkit guy look now?
 
How is the tour in support of Magic going?
We’re still promoting it and selling it, but at this point, we’re really revving up to the next record.
 
What’s been the biggest crowd you’ve play for to date?
Probably The Riverfest in Wichita with fellow local luminaries Split Lip Rayfield. I think that was two or three thousand people.
 
What is your inspiration for songs like say, “Lady Iron Wing” and “The Boy That Destroyed The World”?
 
“Lady Iron Wing” starts off sounding like it’s another “dangerous chick” song, like Motley Crue’s “Looks that Kill or Deep Purple’s “Lady Double Dealer”,etc. but as the song moves along the listener hopefully” discovers that “The Lady” is actually a world war II bomber and as for “boy” your guess is as good as mine.
 
Do you think a band having an “image” is important at all?
That’s an interesting question in that we’re aware that our image is an absolute lack of image, which has its own hipster appeal. It’s interesting in that we are aware BG has this burnout image, but it’s not something that we think about because we would rather shop at thrift stores and have bad ass equipment then waste too much time really dwelling on it. If there’s any method to our image, it’s that so long as nothing dates you, your on the right track.

Beatles fans, hold on to your pants — you were already looking forward to 09.09.09 for the release of The Beatles’ Rock Band game, but now the day promises to be even more epic with the release of the entire Fab Four catalog, digitally remastered for the very first time.

The announcement came today from Apple Corps Ltd. and EMI Music that all 12 Beatles albums will come with replicated original UK album art, “including expanded booklets containing original and newly written liner notes and rare photos. For a limited period, each CD will also be embedded with a brief documentary film about the album.”

From the press release:

The albums have been re-mastered by a dedicated team of engineers at EMI’s Abbey Road Studios in London over a four year period utilising state of the art recording technology alongside vintage studio equipment, carefully maintaining the authenticity and integrity of the original analogue recordings. The result of this painstaking process is the highest fidelity the catalogue has seen since its original release.

The collection comprises all 12 Beatles albums in stereo, with track listings and artwork as originally released in the UK, and ‘Magical Mystery Tour,’ which became part of The Beatles’ core catalogue when the CDs were first released in 1987. In addition, the collections ‘Past Masters Vol. I and II’ are now combined as one title, for a total of 14 titles over 16 discs. This will mark the first time that the first four Beatles albums will be available in stereo in their entirety on compact disc. These 14 albums, along with a DVD collection of the documentaries, will also be available for purchase together in a stereo boxed set.

Though there’s no concrete information yet on digital distribution of the tracks, there will be a second box set called “The Beatles In Mono” featuring all the band’s recordings that were mixed for a mono release, including the original 1965 stereo mixes of Help! and Rubber Soul, which have never before been released on CD.

The Stereo Albums (available individually and collected in a stereo boxed set)
* = CD includes QuickTime mini-doc about the album
Please Please Me* (CD debut in stereo)
With The Beatles* (CD debut in stereo)
A Hard Day’s Night* (CD debut in stereo)
Beatles For Sale* (CD debut in stereo)
Help!*
Rubber Soul*
Revolver*
Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band*
Magical Mystery Tour*
The Beatles*
Yellow Submarine* (also includes original US liner notes)
Abbey Road*
Let It Be*
Past Masters (contains new liner notes written by Kevin Howlett)

The Beatles in Mono (boxed set only)
+ = mono mix CD debut
Please Please Me
With The Beatles
A Hard Day’s Night
Beatles For Sale
Help! (CD also includes original 1965 stereo mix)+
Rubber Soul (CD also include original 1965 stereo mix)+
Revolver+
Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band+
Magical Mystery Tour+
The Beatles+
Mono Masters

Dedicated to those songs that I can’t stop playing, humming, or thinking about; the 4+ minutes you fall head-over-heels in love with. Past instances have included New Order’s “Age of Consent,” Sleater-Kinney’s “Rollercoaster,” and Fiona Apple’s “Shadowboxer.”

Here is an interesting question concerning your perception of the world and history: Do you consider The Jackson 5 to be part of Michael Jackson’s career? That is to say when you think of Michael Jackson’s greatest hits, do you put “ABC” in the mix along with “Beat It” and “Rock With You”? I suppose it would be like “Imagine” being labeled a Beatles‘ song, but I feel the question is apt because it gives credit to the Jackson 5 that I feel has been sorely lacking. Not only that, it puts the entire Michael Jackson puzzle into a new weird light, and as I play “I Want You Back” over and over again, I have to remind myself that the kid singing not only grew into the biggest star in the world, but then went crazy and may or may not still have a face.

I was in a bar a short while ago, as I often am. We’d come to the end of our night and we grabbed our stuff as that famous opening piano trill for “I Want You Back” came on over the jukebox. An immediate and instinctual bounce rose from within me and I smiled the whole way to the door. But that’s not anything noteworthy; what is noteworthy was the fact that every table and booth in the bar had at least one person having the same reaction to the song. It was one of those perfect moments when harmony finds my life and I become aware I am in the midst of a universally accepted and loved song. I can name only a few songs that fit this description, very few of which are out and out pop songs and even fewer come close to the level of audio smiling as “I Want You Back” (still fewer can get a Los Feliz hipster bar sincerely bouncing).

This goes to prove that you should never underestimate the power of music — it can bring down governments and make you forget about pedophilia allegations.

“I Want You Back” feels like the feelings of delight, joy and happiness manifested into sound, making it the pop song pinnacle. Dance-ability, catchy chorus, slick-yet-natural production, just different enough to be fresh, but just repetitive enough to be inviting. It’s even a perfect pop song length — three minutes of beauty.

It’s a simple song that seems full of “This is the best part” parts, but that simplicity is deceptive. One might focus on the classic Motown background strings, or even those closing “Ow!” shouts from Michael during the fade out. But today, the best “This is the best part” is the bass line. According to Allmusic, the song was written to follow Motown standards, but then got tailored to fit by label president Berry Gordy, who had just discovered the Jacksons. Think of how perfectly everything aligns in this song: on one hand you have fresh, young, hungry talent ready to perform an energetic song, and on the other you have the peak craftsmen of one of our country’s sturdiest music machines. This means the song was written by Motown hit-making royalty and performed by some of the greatest studio musicians of the 1960s. This means Wilton Felder.

I don’t know a thing about bass (I know it’s a “dad guitar,” and Sting plays one and sings, which is supposedly uncommon, but that’s about it), but I know what I hate. And I don’t hate this. Just like the qualities of great pop music, the bass line of “I Want You Back” is innovative enough to serve the song, without being so innovative that it gives you — in the words of Amadeus — too many notes. In remembering the song before giving it extensive study, I thought the bass basically carried the melody. In reality, the bass line is as irreplaceable as sound waves. After delivering that unforgettable intro in sync with the guitar and strings, it breaks off (as do all the instruments) on the second pass to reach for what some consider heaven. During the first verse, the bass gives a mild version of the intro that you think (and I seem to have misremembered) will carry through to the chorus.

This is not the case, and any attempt to articulate a four-string miracle such as this would only build my word count. In simple terms, Felder gets mildly funky, grabbing everyone’s feet and tapping their toes for them. We get the clearest, cleanest example of such incredible booty shaking in the breakdown at the two-minute mark. Things get a little quiet for a moment before the bass reminds us that our true calling in the world (of this song) is to dance. We need only oblige.

“I Want You Back” may not be an important song, but it remains an unequivocally great one, dolling out pop brilliance with ease and cool. Too much so: Every part of this song seems so natural and easy that a case could be made against it for our subsequent years of suffering in pop land. For every “I Want You Back” there were probably a million “But I’m Forgiving”. Through the weird brainwashing I have subjected myself to, I’ve almost forgotten who I was listening to. Heard in historical context, I suppose I can understand how Michael became the star of the group, but to say he rises above “I Want You Back” would be a grievous lie. Make no mistake: he was as lucky to be there as we are to have it recorded.

Inevitable Video Note: That opening paragraph notwithstanding, apparently people do think of the 80s-superstar version of Michael Jackson in the same light as the little-Jackson-5 version of Michael.

Guitar Hero enthusiasts, today is your lucky day. Just as we told you last week, the Beatles will have their own Rock Band game coming out in September. Now we bring you even more finger-shredding news, as the release date of the new “Guitar Hero: Metallica” game has been announced.

Be prepared to finger tap your hearts out on March 29, when the new Guitar Hero game will be available for Nintendo Wii, Playstation 2, and XBox 360. Not only will you be able to play your favorite Metallica guitar licks, but you’ll also be able to sing and drum along with the 28-hand-picked songs featured on the game.

The game includes classics like “Battery”, “Whiplash”, and “Dyers Eve” that will leave you riding the lightning (no pun intended) to Metallica wanna-be star status. Of course there will be newer Metallica material featured on the game as well, but thankfully only one song from St. Anger is featured on the game to avoid any major letdowns to your axe-wielding needs.

This is not Metallica’s first go with Guitar Hero (obviously you can’t have a game called Guitar Hero without featuring the godfather’s of American metal). Last year, upon the release date of their newest album Death Magnetic, Metallica also released the CD in a downloadable “Guitar Hero 3″ form. And according to Pitchfork, along with the new release “Guitar Hero: Metallica”, the band will also be releasing a digital box set featuring their entire discography on March 31, as well as being inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

Many musicians try different sounds, vibes and configurations before hitting on one that seems to ring true. Josh Thomas had been through a couple of different bands prior to landing on the post-shoe gaze freak-out that is Kansas City’s High Diving Ponies.

There was Bodisartha, the Nirvana/Mudhoney alterna-grunge band that released two albums. Then came The Spidermums, a band the released a few EPs and got a mention in Pitchfork for their cover of The Amps’ “Bragging Party” that appeared on a compilation with Deerhunter. “Pitchfork is always looking for a reason to write about Deerhunter so I guess that’s how I wound up on there.”

But with High Diving Ponies, Josh says he wants to go in a entirely different direction. That’s one of the reasons his previous band is no more. “Bodisartha was too heavily associated with the Nirvana and the music I was making wasn’t fitting into that mold anymore. I just wanted to do something different.” Hence, High Diving Ponies.

The band pieced together with members of KC bluescore band The Factory Workers (Justin Brooks on drums and Al Amador on bass) along with friends Steve Williams on cello and Kyle Pugh on guitar. Although Thomas said he had the songs written before putting together the band, High Diving Ponies is not a one-man band. “We’ve come up with a lot just fucking around at practice. These guys bring out things I would have never thought of. The next record will be a totally collaborative effort.”

Thomas sights My Bloody Valentine, The Flaming Lips, Vivian Girls, Boo and Boo Too and The Beatles as music favorites that lead to the creation of HDP and a sound he affectionately calls “danger pop.” It is a swirling dream of effects, acoustic/electric guitars and vocals that sound like they were recorded in a room a thousand years wide. Traditional song craft, melody and structure stand hand in hand with anarchy and chaos. The three songs on the band’s MySpace page (“Muppets”, “Meatheads” and “I Smell Like Smoke”) are a step in the right, unsettling direction.

An album is in the works but Josh is taking his time with the release. “Hopefully it will be out this summer,” he said. “We’re almost done recording it but I want to sit on it a month and then go back and listen to it and make sure we still think it sounds right. There’s no rush to release it.” When it is released it will be on Circle View/Chomp Womp. And he will go the old school route: it will be DIY cds with spray painted covers — and if they can get the plates done cheap enough, Josh says he’d like to do vinyl, a limited run of about 300.

Though he considers him part of the “Chomp Womp Family”, a collective made up of Kansas City/ Lawrence, Kansas bands Baby Birds Don’t Drink Milk (previously featured in Notes From Middle America), Rooftop Vigilantes and many others, he stops short at calling himself part of the KC music community. “It’s not really a good scene,” he said. “There are no good radio stations, no good zines but there are some good venues. Maybe it is a good scene. I don’t know, I’m not part of it. I’m doing my own thing.”

If doing his own thing consists of surrounding himself with great musicians making strange, dreamy, at times violent and always thought-provoking music, it’s ok if he’s not part of a conventional scene. He knows what he wants to do, he’s good at it and that’s scene enough.

High Diving Ponies – “Muppets”

Fab Four fans, brace yourselves. Soon you will be able pretend to be John, Paul, George or Ringo not only from the safety of your own home, but with shocking graphics-induced realism, courtesy of the upcoming Rock Band: The Beatles game. The video game officially received a due date today, the unavoidably cute 09-09-09.

Plans for the game were announced late last year by Apple Corps Ltd. (the Beatles’ licensing company), MTV Games and Harmonix. We don’t yet know what songs will be included in the game, but Apple Corps CEO Jeff Jones said that the breadth of material would be career-spanning, stretching from Please Please Me to Abbey Road.

What we do know is that there’s a web site with nothing on it but that dramatic release date, 09.09.09, and a sort of poorly animated recording studio. Plus some corporate logos, obviously.

The game was designed and conceived with input from Paul McCartney, Ringo Starr, Yoko Ono and Olivia Harrison. Rock Band-ites who buy the game will also have the chance to buy “a limited number of new hardware offerings modeled after instruments used by John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr throughout their career.” Because your current fake plastic guitar and fake plastic drums, it seems, will not be as good as these extra-super-special fake plastic guitars and drums.

Many musicians try different sounds, vibes and configurations before hitting on one that seems to ring true. Josh Thomas had been through a couple of different bands prior to landing on the post-shoe gaze freak-out that is Kansas City’s High Diving Ponies.

There was Bodisartha, the Nirvana/Mudhoney alterna-grunge band that released two albums. Then came The Spidermums, a band the released a few EPs and got a mention in Pitchfork for their cover of The Amps’ “Bragging Party” that appeared on a compilation with Deerhunter. “Pitchfork is always looking for a reason to write about Deerhunter so I guess that’s how I wound up on there.”

But with High Diving Ponies, Josh says he wants to go in a entirely different direction. That’s one of the reasons his previous band is no more. “Bodisartha was too heavily associated with the Nirvana and the music I was making wasn’t fitting into that mold anymore. I just wanted to do something different.” Hence, High Diving Ponies.

The band pieced together with members of KC bluescore band The Factory Workers (Justin Brooks on drums and Al Amador on bass) along with friends Steve Williams on cello and Kyle Pugh on guitar. Although Thomas said he had the songs written before putting together the band, High Diving Ponies is not a one-man band. “We’ve come up with a lot just fucking around at practice. These guys bring out things I would have never thought of. The next record will be a totally collaborative effort.”

Thomas sights My Bloody Valentine, The Flaming Lips, Vivian Girls, Boo and Boo Too and The Beatles as music favorites that lead to the creation of HDP and a sound he affectionately calls “danger pop.” It is a swirling dream of effects, acoustic/electric guitars and vocals that sound like they were recorded in a room a thousand years wide. Traditional song craft, melody and structure stand hand in hand with anarchy and chaos. The three songs on the band’s MySpace page (“Muppets”, “Meatheads” and “I Smell Like Smoke”) are a step in the right, unsettling direction.

An album is in the works but Josh is taking his time with the release. “Hopefully it will be out this summer,” he said. “We’re almost done recording it but I want to sit on it a month and then go back and listen to it and make sure we still think it sounds right. There’s no rush to release it.” When it is released it will be on Circle View/Chomp Womp. And he will go the old school route: it will be DIY cds with spray painted covers — and if they can get the plates done cheap enough, Josh says he’d like to do vinyl, a limited run of about 300.

Though he considers him part of the “Chomp Womp Family”, a collective made up of Kansas City/ Lawrence, Kansas bands Baby Birds Don’t Drink Milk (previously featured in Notes From Middle America), Rooftop Vigilantes and many others, he stops short at calling himself part of the KC music community. “It’s not really a good scene,” he said. “There are no good radio stations, no good zines but there are some good venues. Maybe it is a good scene. I don’t know, I’m not part of it. I’m doing my own thing.”

If doing his own thing consists of surrounding himself with great musicians making strange, dreamy, at times violent and always thought-provoking music, it’s ok if he’s not part of a conventional scene. He knows what he wants to do, he’s good at it and that’s scene enough.

High Diving Ponies – “Muppets”

“Take your knickers off and let’s go” Beatles fans, because an unreleased version of “Revolution 1” has apparently worked its way onto YouTube for all to hear; and it’s quite the ear full at that. The version is “Take 20″ of the legendary Beatles’ song, which is found on the acclaimed and influential self-titled album (better known as The White Album).

Unlike “Revolution 1″, “Take 20″ is over ten minutes in length, and seems to be the missing link between “Revolution 1″ and “Revolution 9″. The song starts with the same “Revolution 1″ lyrics and composition, but rather than fading out around the 4 minute mark, the song begins to become more experimental — adding in new loops and developmental sounds that would be more likely to be heard on “Revolution 9″.

The intriguing vocal effects and exploratory arrangements carry on for a good five minutes throughout the song as George Harrison’s “shooby-doo-wop” vocals remain as the backbone of the lengthy version of the song. It’s a head trip to say the least, but we think the unreleased version of the song could definitely work as a mind-bending tool for all those Beatles fans out there who are relentlessly in search of the holy grail of Beatles recordings.

Though the song has been released onto the internet, it has not been officially confirmed as an authentic Beatles recording. We’d be highly disappointed if this was the case, but no information has surfaced containing how the material found its way onto YouTube. We’re really hoping this isn’t just some obsessive fan’s funny ploy, and that the bizarre banter at the end of the track really is some interesting exchange between Yoko and John.

Assumedly, The Beatles – “Revolution 1 (Take 20)”