That’s just music

University of Surrey (UK) had granted the honourable doctorate degree to the legendary Led Zeppelin’s guitar player Jimmy Page, says NME.

This title was given to him for his contribution in music. A solemn ceremony dedicated to this event took place on June 20 in Guildford Catherdral.

In 2005 Page had received the Order of the British Empire for his charity activities in helping Brazilian orphans. At the same time he became an honourable citizen of Rio De Janeiro.

Moby had asked his fans to make their own video for his new song “Ooh Yeah”. Later he is planning to choose the best one and give it the official status. An author of that chosen video is going to receive ten thousand dollars.  A song “Ooh Yeah” is the first track on Moby’s recent release “Last Night”. As The Rolling Stone says, amateur directors should act immediately because the deadline for applications is set for July 14.

Smashing Pumpkins’ leader Billy Corgan had developed his own guitar model specifically designed for Fender. Practically, Corgan’s guitar represents another version of the legendary Fender Stratocaster, and includes unsignificant differences from the original type, says Aversion.

This guitar is made for “the modern powerful sounds”, incorporating three DiMarzio sound receivers (two of them were made for this guitar only), and special bridge which lets strings go through itself, not on top of it like everywhere else.  This guitar should look exclusively black or white.

The original Fender Stratocaster was first designed back in 1954. An instrument “saw” almost every rock musician in the history of music since mid-1950’s, and still remains to be very popular.

On September 1 The Chemical Brothers shall release the double album “Brotherhood” with their best hits, says NME.

The first disk will contain the most famous fourteen songs from the previous releases including “Block Rockin’ Beats,” “Out of Control,” “Star Guitar,” “Let Forever Be,” “Setting Sun,” and “Galvanize”, and their joint work with The Flaming Lips called “The Golden Path”. Besides that, this album shall incorporate a new song – “Keep My Composure”, which was done together with musicians from the band Spank Rock.

The second disk contains nine tracks, which were recorded under the name Electronic Battle Weapons designed to be performed exclusively by the club DJ’s. This part of the album will be opened by a song called “Midnight Madness”, and it should become available on the Internet starting with September 4.

The Chemical Brothers were founded in 1992 under the name The Dust Brothers by Tom Rowlands and Ed Simons. This original band’s title had to be changed because there was another one under the same name.

The British band The Verve is going to release the new album called “Four” right before the end of this summer - the first CD since their reunion, says Billboard. Possible release date is August 18.

The Verve’s new song - “Love is Noise” (from the following release) was already heard at BBC Radio One on June 23. Right now it’s available on their official website.

The news about this band’s reunion after eight years of staying apart was first announced one year ago. The Verve was founded in 1989 lasting until 1999 (with some interruptions in the mid-90’s).

They’ve made three full studio albums in these ten years, and it’s widely considered that their last one, “Urban Hymns” is the best. It managed to reach the top on British music charts in 1997. After their breaking the band’s frontman Richard Ashcroft had recorded three solo projects.

This summer they’re planning to arrange a few performances in the UK.

American band Mercury Rev had announced that they will release two new albums at the same time, notes Billboard.

On September 29 the world should see the album called “Snowflake Midnight” produced by B2/Cooperative label, and it may incorporate nine new tracks. At the same day there will be another album available for free on the band’s official website – “Strange Attractor” containing eleven tracks. The second album is going to be free to those who are constant subscribers of http://www.mercuryrev.com/.

During the following autumn the band is planning to make a tour around the UK, and also perform in New York at the “All Tomorrow’s Parties” music festival coordinated by My Bloody Valentine.

Mercury Rev which’s music is usually considered to be a dream-pop were founded back in the mid-1980’s in Buffalo, NY. By the current moment they’ve released six studio albums – the last one called “The Secret Migration” was produced in 2005.

American musician Gregg Gillis better known as DJ Girl Talk began to spread his music through the Internet using Radiohead’s example, says Rolling Stone.

His new album “Feed the Animals” Gillis has posted on the Illegal Art’s website proposing any desired price for the album. Given tracks are available in the MP3 format with a bit rate of 320 kpbs. If users are ready to pay five dollars then they can purchase the FLAC format, ten bucks or more and the real CD is going to appear in your mail box. Also, that’s possible to download it for free, but anyone who will do it must answer one question on why you’re hesitating to pay.

By the end of last year Radiohead was spreading it’s new album “In Rainbows”, (which costed from zero to 99,99 pounds) using the same pattern.  “Feed the Animals” is a fourth album made by Gregg Gillis. Primarily he is working with the mash-up style, composing tracks out of other melodies and sounds.

Nine tracks from the Guns N’ Roses’ “Chinese Democracy” album had been stolen. On June 18 they’ve appeared on the Antiquiet.com website. Six of these tracks were previously seen in demo versions, but their current appearence is way better in quality.

Almost right away these tracks were deleted from the mentioned above website, and it’s authors are saying that they had to remove them over the huge turmoil surrounding it. However, all nine songs had enough time to go into the Internet’s wilderness, and it’s secrecy is no more existing.

Nine tracks contain already known songs, and those are IRS, Better, Chinese Democracy, Madagascar, The Blues, There Was A Time, and three more without names.

Musicians have begun their work with “Chinese Democracy” back in 1994, but it’s release was postponed for numerous times. In March 2008 Dr Pepper had announced that if this album is going to be released before the end of this year they shall grant a free drink to every American.

In April it became known that Geffen Records had already received “Chinese Democracy” from Guns N’ Roses and soon it should be heard all around the world.

One of the oldest computer made music record was recently demonstrated in dedication to the 60th anniversary of Baby Machine, a predecessor of modern computers.

The record was made by BBC in autumn of 1951 using the Manchester University built Ferranti Mark I which played Baa Baa Black Sheep and a short version of In the Mood. Before it was believed that the earliest record was produced by IBM machine, based in Bell Labs, USA.

Ferranti Mark I was not the primary computer to produce and record music sounds. Few months prior to the mentioned above record there existed another one that was compiled on SCIRAC, the first Australian digital computer. This record (Colonel Bogie) was not preserved.

Ferranti Mark I is considered to be the foremost commercially available computer. This model was originally created in February of 1951.

Popular British magazine Mojo had presented it’s own 2008 music awards. The Mojo Awards ceremony took place in London on June 16.

A song of the year went to a singer Duffy with her heartbraking “Mercy” (from the album “Rockferry”). In the ‘debut of the year’ nomination Duffy was replaced by The Last Shadow Puppets – the Arctic Monkey’s leader Alex Turner’s side project.

The album of the year went to Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds –  “Dig, Lazarus, Dig!!!”, which could overcome Radiohead, Arctic Monkeys, Duffy and Robert Plant. Also, the best compilation now belongs to a “Juno” soundtrack.

Led Zeppelin took special fame for the coolest concert were they’ve performed in December 2007 (O2 Arena, London). The best songwriter is Neil Diamond.

Surprise, surprise – Sex Pistols who managed to reunite last year have received the biggest “Icon Award”!