Hey welcome to DMusical Notes... otherwise known as Yo Quiro Notas Musika D.

I picked up the Reel Big Fish CD today, gotta say I love their stuff. It's like happy angry music. Quite a change from the usual dreary and mopey angry music...

That and they love to sing about alcohol. Can't beat that. I've got little to say. I've been very busy today and I've got things to do so lets get some newstastic articles out to ya.

Who's bassists died?
Credit Yahoo News

John Entwistle, the bass player for veteran British rock band The Who, died in Las Vegas on Thursday at age 57, just one day before the group was set to begin a North American tour in the city, officials said.

Entwistle, a bearded, taciturn type affectionately known as "Ox" or "Thunderfingers," died at the Hard Rock Hotel and Casino, said Clark County Coroner Ron Flud. An investigation was under way into the cause of death, he added.

The Who, known for such raw percussive hits as "My Generation," "Pinball Wizard" and "Won't Get Fooled Again," were scheduled to begin their three-month tour in a small club at the hotel.

With Entwistle's death, The Who are down to just two original members -- singer Roger Daltrey and guitarist-songwriter Pete Townshend. Original drummer Keith Moon died of an accidental pill overdose in 1978.

In addition to his lightning finger work on the bass, Entwistle helped out on backing vocals, supplying an alto-tenor on "A Quick One While He's Away" and "Summertime Blues." His unique playing style mixed bass melodies with a more rhythmic role, producing a trebly sound that essentially became the band's lead instrument.

On stage he rarely moved from his spot, allowing his colorful bandmates to vie for the spotlight.

His songwriting contributions were mostly limited to a few album tracks and B-sides. The first song he wrote for the Who, 1966's creepy-crawly gem "Boris the Spider," was resurrected on their 1989 reunion tour. Other songs he wrote for the Who included "My Wife" and "Whiskey Man."

Entwistle released a half-dozen eclectic solo albums that revealed his wry sense of humor, and he also dabbled in art. He had spent the last dozen years writing a novel, though he noted in a recent interview that "at the current rate of writing they're gonna have to engrave the end on my tombstone."

Born John Alec Entwistle in the London suburb of Chiswick on Oct. 9, 1944, he studied piano, trumpet and French horn as a youngster before moving on to a homemade bass. The formal music education proved helpful later on as he performed and arranged all the brass parts on the Who's records.

ROOTS OF THE WHO

At the age of 14, he formed a traditional jazz band at his grammar school, the Confederates, and invited schoolmate Townshend to join the short-lived combo. He then joined the Detours, a band formed by an older boy at their school, Roger Daltrey. At Entwistle's suggestion, Daltrey brought in Townshend, and the early Who started to take shape.

After leaving school, Entwistle worked as a tax clerk by day and played with the band by night. The group changed its name to The Who in 1964, and Moon joined later that year, replacing drummer Doug Sandom, who did not play aggressively enough for the other members of the band.

Influenced by the likes of bluesman Jimmy Reed, rocker Eddie Cochran and soul giants James Brown and Jackie Wilson, The Who made an immediate impression on the London "Mod" scene with its seemingly undisciplined garage rock, which it dubbed "Maximum R&B."

The band trashed its equipment at the end of each show, and it was years before it made enough money to pay off its bills for new instruments.

After briefly flirting with a new name, the High Numbers, The Who released its first single in early 1965, "I Can't Explain." It followed up with "Anyway Anyhow Anywhere" and its signature anthem, "My Generation," famed for Townshend's nihilistic lyric "Hope I die before I get old."

GOING SOLO

With Townshend and Daltrey often at loggerheads with each other, and Moon busy pioneering the lifestyle of a destructive rock star, Entwistle became the first member to release a solo album, 1971's "Smash Your Head Against the Wall."

"I never really wanted The Who to do more of my songs because I thought at the time they would mess them up," Entwistle once said.

He released a succession ( news - external web site) of follow-up albums, and launched a money-losing tour of Britain and the United States with his own band, the Ox, in the mid-1970s.

The Who, meanwhile, became one of the biggest bands in the world, even earning a mention in the 1976 Guinness Book of Records for playing the loudest concert -- 120 decibels, the same intensity as a jet engine.

Albums such as the 1969 rock opera "Tommy," "Who's Next" (1971) and "Quadrophenia" (1973) cemented its position as the third band in the great triumvirate of British rock, just below the Beatles and the Rolling Stones.

After Moon's death in 1978, shortly following the release of "Who Are You," the band recruited former Faces drummer Kenney Jones. But the group had lost its momentum and released its last studio album in 1982, "It's Hard," accompanied by a farewell tour. It regrouped in 1989 and toured sporadically.

Daltrey told Reuters earlier this year that he was confident that the band could keep playing indefinitely because "nothing is forever."

Entwistle was married twice and has one son from his first marriage, Christopher.

That's sad news. Those legends are dropping dead quite quickly aren't they? I was never a Who fan but I respect their contribution to the music society. Condolances to his family.

Dre to remix Stones song in Goldmember
Credit Mtv News

Austin Powers' latest time-travel adventure through the '60s to the '70s will include a groovy soundtrack of funk, disco and even a bit of g-funk.

That's right, the architect of the g-funk sound, Dr. Dre, appears on the soundtrack, remixing the Rolling Stones' "Miss You," a #1 single in 1978.

Also on the album, due July 16, are new singles from Destiny's Child singer Beyoncé Knowles, who stars in the movie, as well as Britney Spears, who has a cameo. And amid covers of '60s and '70s classics, there's a few appearances by Powers himself, Mike Myers (Click for photos from the movie).

Knowles' "Work It Out," produced by the Neptunes, is the first single from both the soundtrack and her own Dangerously in Love, due in October. The video, directed by Matthew Ralston (Madonna, David Bowie), will feature familiar faces from the '70s, according to a Warner Bros. spokesperson.

Spears' "Boys," also produced by the Neptunes and remixed by and featuring vocals by Pharrell Williams, will be the second single (see "Beyonce, Britney Serve Up First Singles From 'Goldmember' ").

Knowles also appears on the record as her character, Foxxy Cleopatra, on "Hey Goldmember," an homage to Shirley Bassey's 1965 James Bond song, "Goldfinger." Knowles' sister, Solange, and newcomer Devin guest on the track, which samples K.C. and the Sunshine Band's 1976 disco hit "(Shake, Shake, Shake) Shake Your Booty."

Myers sings on two tracks — a remix of "Hard Knock Life" as Dr. Evil and on "Daddy Wasn't There" as Austin Powers with his band Ming Tea, which features Matthew Sweet and former Bangles singer Susanna Hoffs.

Hoffs appears solo covering Burt Bacharach and Hal David's "Alfie," while R&B singer Angie Stone covers King Floyd's 1970 tune "Groove Me"; Paul Oakenfold remakes Walter Murphy's 1976 disco hit, "A Fifth of Beethoven"; and Soul Hooligan with Jamaica's Diana King take a stab at Electric Light Orchestra's "Evil Woman."

Smash Mouth recorded "Ain't No Mystery" with Tower of Power specifically for "Austin Powers in Goldmember," leaving Earth, Wind and Fire's "Shining Star" as the only song on the soundtrack previously released.

While the original Powers flick didn't pack an enormous musical punch, the soundtrack to 1999's "The Spy Who Shagged Me" was a huge success, featuring Madonna's "Beautiful Stranger" and Lenny Kravitz's "American Woman."

I can't wait to see that flick the movie trailer was absolutely halarious. Funnier than Mr. Deeds that's opening tomorrow. That looks ok... is it me or has Adam Sandler comedy just gotten stale in the last few years? Wynona the Shop Lifter looks awfully hot in that flick though. She's come a long way since Beetlejuice. But that's off subject. The Dre song sounds interesting, I'm a big fan of remixes. I want to hear Oakenfold's 1975 which is on the soundtrack as well.

No More mp3s... at the workplace
Credit CNet News

Stash those headphones and trash that file-swapping software: Companies are cracking down on employees who use streaming media and swap MP3s at work.

Companies increasingly are blocking access to Internet music and video at firewalls and are issuing sweeping initiatives that ban workplace media usage. The trend is a result of two developments: media usage hogging enormous amounts of corporate bandwidth and threats of legal liability as the entertainment industry aggressively pursues copyright scofflaws.

The Recording Industry Association of America is beginning to train its legal guns on companies it thinks are aiding copyright theft by allowing workers to trade free music and movies at work.

In April, the RIAA announced a settlement with an Arizona company that allegedly let employees trade MP3 files over an internal network. Integrated Information Systems (IIS) agreed to settle the case for $1 million. And more companies will be facing similar charges, according to RIAA President Cary Sherman.

"We'd very much like corporations to think about their obligations to respect the intellectual property rights of our artists and labels," he said. "Some of these corporations, we are told, have their own little networks--that is very clearly illegal."

Typically, the RIAA receives tips about alleged illegal file swapping through its anonymous tip line. It then threatens legal action and asks companies to stop. So far, the tactics may be working.

The IIS incident, along with the RIAA's punishment of file-swapping networks such as Napster and Kazaa, has prompted companies to examine their own usage policies to make sure they're not running afoul of copyright law.

"I think that got people's attention," Ross Blanchard, director of marketing at online song database Gracenote, said of the IIS settlement.

There's a lot more about this here.

That sucks but you know what employees should be working and not listening to mp3s anyway. Right OJ Frawg? Heh. I think a workplace shouldn't allow access anyway. It's almost like having your employees playing Doom or some other game while they are supposed to work.

J.Lo won't wear Spandex
Credit Mtv News

Jennifer Lopez may be stepping into the superhero world with "Shrink," but don't expect to see her in tights or Wonder Woman Underoos.

"She's not going to get dressed up in spandex," said "Shrink" creator Rob Liefeld. "She gets to look great in her designer clothes [and] at the same time be the center of a universe where everything around her is extraordinary."

"Shrink" has been picked up by J. Lo's production company, Nuyorican. The film version of the online comic strip will star the pop diva as a psychiatrist who counsels costumed heroes and villains alike. Nuyorican is developing "Shrink" alongside a handful of other properties.

"I have 'Carmen,' " Lopez said recently, "and I also have a project called the Hector Lavoe project, which is about a salsa singer. It's about New York and that kind of whole salsa era" (see "J. Lo Making Modern Version Of 'Carmen' ").

Though "Shrink" is likely to steer clear of salsa dancing, Liefeld believes it will definitely stand out amid the slew of more serious comic-inspired movies flooding theaters.

"The genre was getting more accepted with the 'X-Men' movie, [and] 'Spider-Man' blew everything up," the veteran comic creator said (see " 'Spider-Man' Fastest Film To Reach $200 Million"). "Somebody needs to be there to take the piss out of them; that's what we're going to do."

A somewhat controversial figure in the comic world, Liefeld is perhaps the best candidate to parody the art form that made him semi-famous. Liefeld first rose to prominence illustrating "X-Men"-related titles for Marvel, and his style — emphasizing big guns and bigger muscles over background detail — divided fans.

A decade ago, Liefeld broke away from Marvel and, together with a small band of disgruntled creators who felt comic artists and writers should own the rights to the characters they create, formed the successful Image Comics.

The opinionated firebrand left Image in 1997, briefly returning to Marvel before being fired. Liefeld then formed Awesome Entertainment and released a comic called "Fighting American" that was so similar to Marvel's "Captain America" that he was sued.

There are also similarities between Liefeld's "Shrink" series and another well-known media property — something he readily admits.

"I was watching 'The Sopranos' and just laughing, the whole idea that a mobster goes to see a psychotherapist," Liefeld said. "I had been kicking around a more serious idea. Many of the [heroes] I publish with my own company have dual identities. That's something that would land you on the couch real fast. I thought, 'What if the greatest good and the greatest evil both went and saw the same shrink?' It really just came from there."

Liefield comes up with some pretty bizarre stuff. Not all of it is always good but sometimes he hits a gem. I think this story though not very original sounds interesting. You all should check out the comic sometime. Well I should too. The premise sounds good though. Oh yeah and J.Lo is hot.

Microsoft Media Player sucks
Credit CNet News

Microsoft is warning people that a series of flaws in its Windows Media Player could allow a malicious hacker to hijack people's computer systems and perform a variety of actions.

The flaws, found in some anti-piracy and storage features of the software, affect Media Player for Windows XP and Media Player versions 6.4 and 7.1, according to a security bulletin on Microsoft's Web site.

The company rates the problems as "critical"--Microsoft's most severe rating--and urges people to "immediately" download a patch, which was released Wednesday. The company said the patch would also fix previous problems with the software.

In the most severe exploit of a flaw, a hacker could take over a computer system and perform any task the computer's owner is allowed to do, such as opening files or accessing certain parts of a network.

The flaw that's rated "critical" mishandles Windows Media Player's requests for media files containing "digital rights management" software, potentially allowing attackers access to Internet Explorer's cache, the place where temporary IE files are stored. The other flaws result from how the media player software responds to storage devices and the way it stores play lists.

To fall victim to an attack of the most severe kind, a person would have to obtain a media file--through e-mail or by downloading it, for example. An attacker would then have to introduce an executable file into the person's browser cache and run it to gain access to the computer.

"It's not a straightforward, push-one-button-and-bad-things-happen type of thing. But there's a possibility a hacker could run code, and that's why we're rating it as critical," said Christopher Budd, a Microsoft security program manager.

Security holes have been a constant problem in Microsoft products, leading Chairman Bill Gates in January to promise to make security the company's top priority.

Not a fan of it. It's too screen hogging. I don't like the look of the WMP. I usually use 3rd party players on all my formats.

Can you tell I'm rushing? I can... it's cause I've got early work tomorrow and I need sleep. Insomnia will drive me mad and I may say things I don't want to say if I don't get some sleep. Here's Other News for ya.

Poor Bret Hart
Credit 411Wrestling

Bret Hart suffered a mild stroke from the bicycle accident he was involved in this past Monday. Hart is currently at a Calgary hospital and in stable condition.

Hart was riding his bike at a high speed when he hit a pot hole, flew over the handle bars, and landed on the back of his head and neck. Tests revealed that Hart suffered a stroke on the right side of his brain.

Interestingly enough, one of the main reasons Hart retired from the ring was that doctors told him that, following his concussions, another hard blow to the head could cause a stroke.

Sadly, Hart has lost much control over the left side of his body but is making good progress. No permanent damage has been done from a mental standpoint. Doctors are optimistic that he will be able to regain control over the left side of his body after going through the arduous program to relearn how to move the left side. This will require a long hospital stay.

That guy has not had the best of luck the last 7 or so years. First he gets booted out of the WWF in a controversial match then his career ends when Bill Goldberg kicks him in the face. Somewhere in the midst of this his wife left him and his brother Owen was tragically killed in a wrestling stunt accident, his mother also died recently as well. Can't help but feel sorry for the former Hitman.

Well I'm done... time to a go-go night night.
Joe

1st post!!!

maybe that's why i couldn't access dmusic from my co-op last month? starting to crack down on employees visiting media sites? i dunno..

oh yea, 1st (real) post!!!

As someone who saw Who in concert in their heyday it really hits home. Even for the groups that acheive major fame the success lasts only a brief period of time, many die young and are often screwed in their contracts and royalties. It took five years after John Denver's death for his estate to get an accurate accounting of his sales. Low and behold they found another 19 Million album and CD sales. I still love turning people on to Boston (still one of the top selling albums) that have never heard them before, and they are always surprised to learn the music is 25 years old....

how did you guys get here so fast!!

lol

Yet another major Microsoft security hole. Does it ever end?

I want to see the people that always try to stand up for Microsoft talk their way out of this one!

heh, love the title's title.


Goodbye, Ox man. Rock is dead, they say. ..Long live rock. (Was due to see them at the Garden, 8/4)

Rest in peace, Mister Entwistle. Never a big Who fan, but the depth of their contribution and impact on the music world (read: not industry) will be felt forever.

Just as soon as I can locate the album from the Goldmember soundtrack, I intend on sharing it blatantly on both Kazaalite and WinMX (even bleh Britney). I want to share this one EPICALLY. Shut down MY streaming radio will you, you bastards??

hehehe, let's all go PIRATE britney spears and backstreet boys

nobody has to listen to em, just pirate em alot

I like britney spears she speaks to me in her songs.

Well she tells me to hit her one more time so I just want to slap her around a little bit.

Her videos are stomachable if you mute her I have found

heh, without the music it's not much more than soft pr0n.

Heh the same goes for those Eva SaveAlot commercials, is it me or does she always just look horny in those commercials?