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Harry, nice to see you and catch up a bit at the TS show in Bensalem last week. And Paul, great job! Especially dug the James Gang songs ... --Howard

All this Journey momentum stirred up by The Sopranos has brewed up a rumor that Steve Perry is rejoining the band ... "categorically denied" by Journey management according to melodicrock.com --Howard

Good call on the additional "B" Laura ... Beach Boys, definitely. And if I may add yet another: the incredible Bay City Rollers --Howard

For me, there's the holy trinity of B's: Beatles Badfinger 'Berries Howard

Hi Marv et al. Apparently the one man who knew how the Sopranos ended beforehand, outside of cast and crew, was Steve Perry. JOURNEY'S STEVE PERRY THINKS SOPRANOS FINALE HIT RIGHT NOTE: From People Magazine / By Bryan Alexander. While fans might wish the Sopranos could go on and on and on, at least one of the 11.9 million viewers of the show's Sunday finale felt the controversial ending hit the right note. Former Journey frontman Steve Perry co-authored the 1981 song Don't Stop Believin', which provided the soundtrack for Tony Soprano's final HBO moments. He talked to People.com about holding on to the feeling. People: When did you get the request to use the song for the finale? Steve Perry: A few weeks [ago]. I needed to know how this song was going to be used. I didn't want the song to be part of a blood-bath, if that was going to be the closing moment. In order for me to feel good about approving the song use, they had to tell me what happened. And they made me swear that I would not tell anybody. The song use actually just got approved last Thursday. Was there any even implied threat that you'd get whacked if you told anybody the ending? (Laughs.) Yeah, Tony was gonna whack me if I talked. No, I didn't get any life threats. But I had to keep it quiet. I had friends that were really upset at me. They knew I knew. Where did you end up watching the show? I watched it here in my house in Del Mar; I'm just north of San Diego. On my flat screen, yeah. Hi def, by the way. (Laughs.) Actually, I was home alone that night. The Sopranos Finale: What's the Verdict? What was it like from your couch? I loved when Tony is going through the little jukebox at the table. They stayed really tight on Tony Bennett, and I thought, "Well, there it is, Tony would play Tony Bennett." He presses the buttons and the next thing you know a Journey song starts. But the tension was insane. I'm getting worried that he's being whacked. And then they cut back, and Tony looks up and it goes black. In my opinion, he sees his daughter, but I guess we'll never know the ending. But the point of the song playing is that you just don't give up, life goes on even if you're the Sopranos. It doesn't matter what you do for a living. In the midst of his turbulent life and everything, there's always this sense of family and this sense of dreams and hopes for some kind of normalcy ... some kind of don't-give-up, don't-stop-believing feeling. I actually shouted "All right!" at the end. What's the reaction been? The phone has been ringing off the hook and my email has been on fire. One friend e-mailed me, "Congratulations. The end of the entire legacy of the Sopranos ended with your song." What bigger honor is that? Have you gotten a call from The Simpsons or anyone else with a show about to end? You know, South Park might be next. Of course, Journey's been trumpeting this use of the song all over its Web site ... interestingly, in the same week the band unceremoniously "whacked" its lead singer, Jeff Scott Soto. --Howard

Had an interesting Starbucks/Macca experience yesterday I thought I'd share. Yesterday, at the Starbucks in Center City Philly (and at others around the country), there was a "happening" to promote the release of the CD (and Paul's 65th birthday). The newspaper ad promoting the event promised copies of the CD would be given away. Soooo...I snuck out of my office at 10:30 a.m. (the event ran from 11 am to 1 pm)...to the Philly subway (not pretty, but fast)...to the vicinity (around Philly's City Hall) of the Starbucks. Got there, and walked into a full-blown media event. DJ Andre Gardner, who hosts a great show called "Breakfast with the Beatles" on classic rock station WMGK. Camera crews taping birthday greetings to Paul. Free Starbucks coffee to all in attendance. But enough of all that. I don't drink coffee. I had one mission: wanted to score me one of them free CDs! Gardner told the crowd that every 15 minutes or so, he'd pick a few contestants, throw a Paul-oriented trivia question at them, and whoever got theirs right would win a CD. One of the first questions: When Paul formed his own band, what were some of the names he considered before he decided to use Wings? A guy standing next to me was practically panting: "I know that one! It's Lumpy Trousers." Well, beats me. I never knew he considered any names besides Wings. So the person whose turn it was had no idea. Panting guy was next, and gave his answer. Know what? It was wrong, at least according to Andre, who cited "Turpentine" as one of the rejected names (I didn't catch the other) and said he'd play PM interview soon on his show to prove it. Other questions were pretty easy: Name two songs off "Ram." Name three producers, besides Paul himself, who worked on McCartney solo albums. Then, somehow, it was my turn. Geez, I didn't want to blow it. I knew I'd kick myself later if I made the effort to get there and get in line and blew my big moment. My question: "Name the country where Paul recorded most of the Band on the Run album." My nervous response: "Uh...Africa?" Duh. Nice guy he is, Andre corrected/prompted me: "No, name the COUNTRY." Now, I'd read about the recording of BOTR, and somehow the first country that came to mind as the location of the recording came out of my lips: "Uh...Nigeria?" Andre: "YOU GOT IT!" And he handed me a CD. Ahhhhh...triumph. A lunch hour not wasted. As I bolted for the door, some professor-looking chap snickered at me: "Heh...Africa." "Oh yeah?" I thought. "Screw you, buddy. I GOT ONE!" ...and headed right back to the subway. The CD? I like it. Free is always better, but some nice tunes there...there are better tracks than the ones I'd already heard online. And geez, kudos to Paul for still trying. We all know he doesn't need the bucks. He does it because it's what he does. More power to him. And I probably would've bought it anyway. But I didn't have to--thanks to Nigeria. Cheers, Howard

Tequila Sunrise IS playing in PA on June 20, Anne...and the best part is it's free! They're going to be at the Commerce Bank Ampitheatre in Bensalem PA, close to Northeast Philly and Trenton NJ. It's an outdoor stage and you bring your lawn chair or blanket. My wife and I are planning to be there. Showtime is 7:30 pm. Details at: www.cbaevents.com --Howard

John, The remnants of ELO Part II (the version of the band that toured without Jeff Lynne) still does sporadic shows as "The Orchestra." www.theorchestra.net Jeff Lynne, who now holds the rights to record and tour under the ELO name, seems to have retired from live performance and has busied himself with production (such as Tom Petty's latest solo CD) and reissues of his earlier work. H

Hello friends, Not sure if this has come up before here (and please forgive me for the repetition if it has), but if you enjoy the work of Jeff Lynne and company, check out L.E.O., a project spearheaded by singer-songwriter Bleu McCauley. He created "Alpacas Orgling," an album of original songs in the style of ELO/Jeff Lynne solo/The Wilburys with help from, among others, Hanson and former Jellyfish lead singer Andy Sturmer. http://www.myspace.com/bleuleo Enjoy, Howard

Billy Thorpe was also a member of Mick Fleetwood's side band, The Zoo...he wrote and performs on the band's 1992 CD, "Shakin' the Cage." Good album. He was a talent. http://www.amazon.com/Shakin-Cage-Zoo/dp...TF8&s=music --Howard

Point of clarification, Carmen... original Yes guitarist Peter Banks was in The Syn, not keyboardist Tony Kaye (the guy who was replaced by Rick Wakeman and later played in the "Say No More" lineup of Badfinger). The Syn was Steve Nardelli (vocals); Chris Squire (bass); Andrew Jackman (keyboards); Peter Banks (guitar); and drummer Martyn Adelman. Kaye apparently did do a bit of recording with The Syn, actually, after Squire and Banks left to join Mabel Green's Toyshop, which morphed into the original Yes lineup. The Syn put out a reunion CD, "Syndestructible," in 2005, although the only original Syn members on it were Nardelli and Squire. --Howard

The band pretty much consists of Eddie and Alex these days. The deal with Dave is tour only. No plans for new recordings. Kind of similar to the current KISS situation... Gene and Paul are the partners, all others are hired hands. There were rumors that the new lineup was going to be Eddie, Alex, Wolfie and another family member (Ed's teenaged nephew I believe?) singing... making it an all-VH-surname band. But they apparently realize that without Sammy or Dave up front, VH is a shaky proposition. Anyone remember the Gary Cherone era? It should be interesting to watch the fireworks. The word for years has been that the bros HATE DLR, can't work with him, etc. They've tried many times, apparently. I wonder how long it will take before the band implodes yet again? Howard

IMO, comparing Emmitt Rhodes to McCartney is as pointless as comparing Klaatu to The Beatles. Different thing! Sure, Rhodes sorta looked like Macca, sorta sang a little like him, but he was an original talent. His songs were straight from the heart, shot through with solid playing, singing and home-spun production. Nothing flashy. Just good, direct, touching pop music. Such a sobering experience to read about how despondent he is. And note that this story was from 2004. I wonder if anything's changed since then for him? He did collaborate with Philly musician Jim Boggia on the latter's recent CD "Safe in Sound." --Howard

Henley on Wal-Mart: "They can't be any more evil than a major record label, that's the way I look at it." I love it! And he makes a great point. What is more evil than a major record label? Just ask Raspberries, Badfinger, Emmitt Rhodes, etc. etc. etc. etc. etc. Marv, any indication if "Hole in the World" will part of the new CD? --Howard

Gord, your request to Pierre is reminiscent of the lyrics to a Crowded House song: "Can I have another... piece of chocolate cake" --Howard

I think you're right, Pierre... as I recall, the hologram version was the general release, not limited at all, so probably not very rare. And yeah, Gord, I just typed "CH" because I was too lazy to spell out "Crowded House." Howard

Word is that Neil's committed to a 12-month CH world tour: http://www.news.com.au/heraldsun/story/0,,21091418-2902,00.html That would, presumably, include the U.S. Gord, I too had that Split Enz etched record! "True Colors." Great LP! H

Lots of reunions popping up at the Coachella festival... besides Crowded House, Rage Against the Machine will be appearing for the first time in years... and also, rumor has it, a little ol' trio from England led by some Sting guy... H

I agree, Ted. Just watched the video of their "final" concert on VH1 Classic the other night...got out my CH CDs...this morning, was curious what was up with Neil Finn, etc., and this popped up. One of those weird coincidences. I think the plan was for bassist Nick Seymour to tour in Neil Finn's solo band, which has now morphed into the "House." So a tour could be a good possibility, Ted. H

http://www.billboard.com/bbcom/news/article_display.jsp?vnu_content_id=1003535555 Crowded House Hops On Reunion Bandwagon January 22, 2007, 10:15 AM ET Jonathan Cohen, N.Y. Crowded House will reform after a 10-year-plus hiatus for a tour this year, including a stop at California's Coachella Valley Music & Arts Festival in late April. The reunion, which was first reported by several Australian newspapers and confirmed by the webmaster of the Neil Finn site Frenz.com, will coincide with a new studio album. Finn had previously maintained he would never revive Crowded House following the 2005 suicide of drummer Paul Hester. "It's an instant knee-jerk reaction, 'no Paul no Crowded House' for some, and you, know that's actually okay," webmaster Peter Green wrote on the Frenz.com message board. "Simply don't see them or play the new record. But there is a good chance you might be missing out on something special. Sometimes it's worth taking a leap of faith and giving something a chance." "Neil has had a hankering to play in a band again and what better band to do this in but the one he had the most joy with," he continued. The solo album Finn previously told Billboard.com would feature Crowded House bassist Mark Seymour has morphed into a Crowded House release, although it is unknown when it will hit stores. Also unclear is who will replace Hester; auditions are said to be underway to fill the slot. Multi-instrumentalist Mark Hart, who joined Crowded House full time in 1992, will be back in the fold for the live dates. "It's a pretty emotional record, I think," Finn said of the new disc, which was produced by Ethan Johns. "It's hard for me to evaluate, 'cause I'm so close to it now. But I think it's fairly simple, which I'm really happy about. There's a lot of heart in the record, which I'm happy about, too." Crowded House formed in 1985 and is best known for hits like "Don't Dream It's Over," "Something So Strong," "World Where You Live" and "Fall At Your Feet." The group's final show, held Nov. 24, 1996, in Melbourne, was released last week as the CD/DVD set "Farewell to the World" by EMI. Last year, Finn and his brother Tim, who also contributed to Crowded House for a time, reunited with their seminal New Wave act Split Enz for a a short tour nearly 22 years after the band's split. --Howard

Love the band... I'm guessing the "Hitler" reference may be a nod to the old Bonzo Dog Doo Dah Band (featuring Neil Innes of "Rutles" fame) song (name escapes me) in which the members of a comical orchestra are introduced, including, at one point, "...and looking very relaxed on vibes, Mr. Adolph Hitler..." Then again, maybe it was just Fisher being sour grape-y. --Howard

My page, featuring songs and at least one embarassing photo: myspace.com/howardwhitman --Howard

Reportedly it's more of a Giles Martin production than a George Martin one... Giles did the "mashing," his dad helped with arrangements, etc., but is hard of hearing and pretty much retired at this point. Still, his name on the cover gives the project validity. When I first heard about this, I wasn't very interested. But the more I read about it, the more intrigued I get. Mustn't...go...to...record...store...must...resist... Howard

"Motor of Love" by Paul McCartney (from "Flowers in the Dirt") "Back in the USSR" by The Beatles "Rubber Bullets" by 10CC (load up, load up...) --Howard

In Eddie's phone interview with Howard Stern in September, he said he was pissed at Sammy and Michael for referring to themselves as "The Other Half." "The Other Half? Alex is the other half of Van Halen." In other words, VH currently consists of two guys--Eddie and Alex. Eddie felt that Sammy and Michael were more concerned with selling tequilla and hot sauce than playing music. He said they've been jamming with Wolfgang, who EVH said was a stellar bass player. In this interview, Eddie also said he'd be open to possibly working with David Lee Roth again. Given this band's track record with Roth, I'd be amazed if that actually came to fruition and lasted for any period of time. Marv, your question about other VH lead singers? Well, when David left the band, before they hired Sammy, Eddie wanted to hire (no lie): Patty Smyth. THAT would've been interesting. The singer they were working with briefly before they hired (and quickly fired) Gary Cherone? Mr. David Lee Roth. Cut two tracks for a greatest hits album, appeared with him on the MTV Awards, and then adios David, hello Gary, goodbye Gary, welcome back Sammy, goodbye Sammy, welcome back ... Dave?