News, Views and Music Issue 4 (Intro)

September 15:

♫ The website is within a gnat’s crotchet of being uploaded now. Yay!!!  Of course, you’ll know that already if you’re reading these words because presumably the site will be finished by then but, well, never mind, we’re mildly excited all the same… Anyway enough of this babbling, onwards to events in the world of AAA groups this week…

♫ The one musician you can always rely on to liven up an otherwise dull news week is Paul McCartney. And boy is he having an interesting week this week. Following on from his landmark gig in Russia, a country that only lifted their ban on Beatles and ex-Beatles’ music and rock concerts in general a few years ago, Macca has agreed to play a concert for the people of Israel. Alas, politics has yet again got in the way of good music and a Palestinian group are threatening to have Macca shot if he agrees to play there (just imagine the outcry in the country that would cause—Palestine wouldn’t have a hope of quelling the riots that event would bring about…) Hey, guys, music’s a worldwide language that’s meant to unite people not divide them—save your problems for when politicians come calling instead (let’s hope Bush pays a visit very soon. Not that he knows where Israel is of course - Israel doesn’t own enough oil). Let It Be, don’t Live and Let Die. On a happier note, Macca is appearing on the new series of ’later with Jools Holland’ this week, the first time we’ve seen him on our screens for ages, comparatively speaking (Macca’s rightly been on our screens a lot these last few years, given that we haven’t got many other AAA performers left touring regularly these days). On a sadder note, we’ll probably have to put up with another godawful duet between the host and Macca again this year (with all the decades of practice Jools has had learning his trade on our TV screens alone, why hasn’t he learnt to play the piano properly yet after all these years?!)

♫ Last minute news/ Pink Floyd: David Gilmour’s celebratory tour farewell in Gdansk, Poland, was always due to be broadcast on BBC4 next Friday (26th September) as a ’trailer’ for Gilmour’s DVD set of the concert currently out. However, this concert now takes on a quite different light in view of the sad death of fellow Floyd and Gilmour band member Rick Wright who unfortunately died on Monday. This ‘farewell’ concert from 2006 is now a ‘farewell’ in quite a different sort of a way, as it was the last concert Rick ever played, as a member of Dave’s band. See the (rather lengthy) entry below for a full tribute to the sorely missed musician.