Prince's estate claims legal victory

PRINCE:  Estate claims legal victory

The Prince estate says it has prevailed in its fight with a producer who'd claimed he has unreleased material recorded between 2006 and 2008.

TMZ reports that producer George Boxill never responded to a lawsuit filed against him -- he had until last Tuesday to do so. So a judge has handed the estate a summary judgment. Now, claiming they control the rights to the sessions, they want a court to issue an injunction barring Boxill from releasing them.

The estate blocked Boxill's efforts to release an EP of rarities, Deliverance, last spring.

MORE BIG 95 MUSIC NEWS HEADLINES:  Tuesday, January 30th

ELTON JOHN:  This time he means it--he's going to retire

Elton John's announcement last week that he is retiring from touring wasn't the first time he made such a claim.  Elton talked about his previous retirement announcement:

"Nineteen seventy something at Wembley with Stevie Wonder on stage. I'd worked so hard up to that point I just think I was burned out and I was tired and emotional and overwrought and over there and that was a spur of the moment thing. This hasn't been a spur of the moment thing. This has been two-and-a-half years in the planning because we have to book the venues. We have to get the songs picked. We have to get stuff done for the songs. We have to build a stage set. You know, we have to choose what countries we're gonna be in when and it's like an army maneuver."

That first announcement, which was in 1977, lasted just 15 months.

Of course, Elton is not the first artist to announce a farewell tour. But unlike The Who, Barbra Streisand, Cher, KISS and the Scorpions, who all did the same thing but are still going, Elton says his mind is made up.:  "I don't want to be one of those people. If I do, shoot me."

QUINCY JONES:  No fan of Taylor Swift

Katy Perry ought to be thrilled to learn that legendary music producer Quincy Jones is on her side in the “Bad Blood” feud with Taylor Swift.

Quincy despises Taylor. In an interview with GQ magazine, he accuses her of being lazy in the recording studio. (quote) “The only place you find ‘success’ before ‘work’ is the dictionary, and that’s alphabetical.”

The Grammys have given Quincy 29 awards. The most significant were 35 years ago for Album and Record of the Year for Michael Jackson’s Thriller and "Beat It."

When asked about Taylor Swift’s songwriting, which some have called the best of the decade, Quincy told GQ, (quote) “Whatever crumbles your cookie. We need more songs, man. [Freaking] songs, not hooks.”

CHICAGO:  Set to perform classic album in its entirety

Chicago will follow the lead of such acts as Steely Dan, Bruce Springsteen, Roger Waters, Yes, The Moody Blues and Cheap Trick by performing one of their albums in its entirety.

The album of choice is their self-titled second album, the two-LP set referred to as Chicago 2. It contains such legendary songs as “25 or 6 to 4,” “Make Me Smile” and “Colour My World.”

They'll go through it in the first half of each show, then play a hit-filled second half, making it what they jokingly call the "world’s longest encore.” This concert will be the band’s longest show ever.

Chicago's 2018 touring schedule starts February 7th with a nine-date residency at the Venetian hotel in Las Vegas.

Pat Benatar and Neil Giraldo will soon become grandparents: their daughter Haley and her husband Matt are expecting their first child.

The Nelson catalog is now available for streaming and digital download. The sons of ‘50s rock pioneer Ricky Nelson, Matthew and Gunnar, began their recording career with 1990's After the Rain, which spun off the number-one hit "(Can't Live Without Your) Love and Affection." The title track also went Top 10.

John Morris, who collaborated with Mel Brooks on the music for 11 films, starting with the original The Producers, died last Thursday at 91. According to The New York Times, Brooks called the composer “my emotional right arm.” Morris’s other scoring credits include Gene Wilder’s The World’s Greatest Lover, The In-Laws, which paired Alan Arkin and Peter Falk, and TV’s Coach.

Fender has produced a 30th anniversary Eric Clapton “Blackie” Stratocaster guitar. In 1987, Clapton retired the original instrument and asked Fender to build a replacement to his specifications. Fender unveiled the Eric Clapton Signature Stratocaster in 1988, making it the first guitar in the company's Artist Series. The original "Blackie" sold for $959,500 at auction in 2004 to fund his Crossroads rehab center on Antigua.

Keith Richards has commented on The Rolling Stones’ Best Traditional Blues Album Grammy for Blue & Lonesome. He says, “Fantastic! It’s about time!” This is only the band’s third Grammy -- the Stones won two in 1995 for the Voodoo Lounge album.

David Crosby went to see Springsteen on Broadway Saturday and calls Bruce “better than I thought … brave and honest and excellent ... all the people who loved him in stadium shows need to see him this way ... it’s spectacularly good.”

Commenting on the Grammy Awards, Elton John says it was “such a thrill to perform [“Tiny Dancer”] with Miley Cyrus. Great to share the stage with a real singer and artist. She was terrific in every way and looked so gorgeous. I love you, dear Miley. Such a beautiful woman and beautiful soul.”

Buzz Clifford, whose novelty hit, "Baby Sittin' Boogie" reached number-six in 1961, died Friday of complications from the flu. He was 75.

Depeche Mode have put its name to a line of 55 Hublot watches to mark the 55 singles released by the band to date. Sale proceeds will go to Charity: Water.

The funeral for Zombies bassist Jim Rodford will be on February 12th at St. Albans Cathedral in his hometown of Hertfordshire -- about 30 miles outside London. There will be a private ceremony and then a service open to fans. Rodford died earlier this month at 76 after falling down a flight of stairs.


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