ROBIN GIBB IS BATTLING CANCER

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Bee Gees star Robin Gibb has reportedly been diagnosed with liver cancer.

The 61-year-old singer has been seen looking increasingly frail in public over the last few weeks.He was thought to be suffering from stomach problems, but earlier this week was rushed to hospital after his health deteriorated. He spent five hours there on Tuesday and is now back at home with his family. His 91-year-old mother and musician brother Barry have both flown to the UK from America to be with him.'Robin is not good and there is a lot of concern for him. You can use your wealth to call in the best experts but sometimes no amount of fame, prestige and money can change things when it comes to cancer,' a friend of the star told British newspaper The Sunday Mirror.

'But Robin is a strong character, he is a fighter and has been encouraged by all the online messages from his fans. Dwina [his wife] is doing everything ¬possible and hasn't left his side.'There will be difficult times ahead but Robin will never give up and his loving family will make sure he has everything he needs. There is a frustration because Robin has always looked after himself. He doesn't drink, eats well and exercises daily.'

Dwina has apparently been studying alternative medications, and has also arranged for Robin to be treated by a London clinic. He will also go to hospital appointments and see a separate doctor.The two have been married for 26 years and have a son together called Robin-John.Robin's mother Barbara is staying with him and Dwina at their home in Oxfordshire, while Barry and his wife Linda are at their own house in Buckinghamshire.The family have suffered several heartbreaks over the years. Robin and Barry's brother Andy died aged 30 in 1988, while Robin's twin Maurice passed away in 2003.

'It is incredibly sad for Barbara. First she lost her son Andy, then Maurice and now she has to cope with seeing Robin like this,' another insider told the publication.It is a lot for a mother, particular of her age, to deal with. Barry has also been there for his brother and a lot of friends have been rallying round.'

In October, Robin was hospitalised after experiencing stomach pains. He then pulled out of several performances.

His family have not commented on the report.

EC-1000 Electric

EC-1000 Electric

Simon & Garfunkel’s 1965 recording of ‘The Sound of Silence’ is a timeless masterpiece, an iconic song that floats beyond the constraints of time and space to become a composition holding a gravitas that far outweighs its origins.

Its origins are certainly not insignificant — it was written by Paul Simon after the assassination of John F. Kennedy, certainly one of the major turning points in our country’s social development from innocent teenager to wizened adult.

It was also a ubiquitous piece of our country’s cultural fabric; ‘The Sound of Silence’ is one of the 20 most performed tunes of the 20th century. The entire century.

Paul Simon’s solo version recorded at New York’s Webster Hall in June 2011, on the other hand, doesn’t quite carry that same weight. It’s not that the song itself has lost significance, it’s just that to hear Simon sing it — sans Garfunkel, no less — for probably the 5,000th time in his dignified career, just seems unnecessary.

We’re sure that to the people in attendance it was a beautifully stirring few minutes — just to be lucky enough to catch Paul Simon in such an intimate venue at this point must be an exhilarating experience, and considering the recording made it on his new ‘Songwriter’ compilation, it’s likely one of his better performances in recent years.

‘Songwriter,’ after all, is a two-disc set curated by Simon himself and spanning his entire career, from his early work with Simon & Garfunkel through to his most recent release, 2011′s ‘So Beautiful or So What.’

But it doesn’t hold a candle to the original ‘Sound of Silence’ nor would we expect it to. And while this new recording does nothing to tarnish Simon’s legacy, it does serves as a reminder that some songs are best left to be experienced how remember them — in their original form.

Frank Zappa’s Carnegie Hall shows to be released on cd

Frank Zappa’s Carnegie Hall shows to be released on cd

Paul Simon Talks 'So Beautiful' Album, 'Graceland' Reunion Tour | Billboard.com

Paul Simon Talks 'So Beautiful' Album, 'Graceland' Reunion Tour | Billboard.com

Yoko Ono to Introduce Steve Jobs Tribute at MTV's O Music Awards | Billboard.com

Yoko Ono to Introduce Steve Jobs Tribute at MTV's O Music Awards | Billboard.com

An interview with Carol Kaye, the Queen of Bass

The Queen of Bass, Carol Kaye

Fred Ferrara of the Brooklyn Bridge Passes

R.I.P. Fred Ferrara, formerly of the Del-Satins, who backed Dion Dimucci on such hits as "Donna, the Prima Donna", and "Ruby Baby" , then moving on to the Brooklyn Bridge with Johnny Maestro,..has passed.

On This Day in Music History 1958:

1958: Buddy Holly recorded his last studio session. Holly and the Crickets recorded “True Love Ways,” “Moondreams,” “It Doesn’t Matter Anymore,” and “Raining in my Heart.”

On this Day October 20, 1977Ronnie Van Zant, Steve Gaines and Cassie Gaines of Lynyrd Skynyrd were all killed along with manager Dean Kilpatrick when their rented plane ran out of fuel and crashed into a densely wooded thicket in the middle of a swamp in Gillsburg, Missouri. The crash seriously injured the rest of the band and crew who were due to play at Louisiana University that evening.

This Day in Music

This Day in Music

Paul Leka, who co-wrote the ubiquitous chant of a hit single, “Na Na Na Hey Hey Hey Goodbye,” passed away on October 12th according to web reports. Leka also wrote “Green Tambourine,” one of the seminal singles of the late 1960s, for his group, The Lemon Pipers.
“Na Na Na” was a hit for Steam, Leka’s group at the time. But it was a chorus that was supposed to be a throwaway B side which he’d written years earlier with another member of the group. They added it to a song written in the studio and it went on to become a massive hit. It’s now a regular chant at sports events.
Leka, from Bridgeport, Connecticut, also produced several hits including Harry Chapin‘s “Cat’s in the Cradle” and “Theme from Summer of ’42″ by Peter Nero. He also produced the first two REO Speedwagon albums from his Bridgeport studio. Leka also produced records by Gloria Gaynor, 
Angela Clemmons, and Lesley Gore.

 

Oldies Music -- News

Oldies Music -- News

Paul McCartney marries American heiress in London

Paul McCartney marries American heiress in London

Phil Spector Presents The Philles Album Collection [Box set]

REM break up after 31 years

It's The End Of The World As We Know It...Everybody Hurts... The song titles seem sadly apropos with the news that REM have decided to split after 31 years together.
On the band's website today (21 September) came the message: "To our Fans and Friends: As R.E.M., and as lifelong friends and co-conspirators, we have decided to call it a day as a band. We walk away with a great sense of gratitude, of finality, and of astonishment at all we have accomplished. To anyone who ever felt touched by our music, our deepest thanks for listening."
Originally comprised of vocalist Michael Stipe, guitarist Peter Buck, bassist Mike Mills and drummer Bill Berry (who left the group in 1997), REM broke out of Athens Georgia and released the landmark albums Murmur, Reckoning, Document, Out Of Time and Automatic For The People.
After Bill Berry's departure (following an onstage brain aneurysm), the group continued as a three piece. Their most recent album was this year's Collapse Into Now. In 2007, REM was inducted into the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame.