The Week in Light & Sound
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Purple Rain was reportedly part of the president's playlist in Mississippi last week. It comes after Trump's team reportedly included the star's hit song in a campaign rally playlist in the lead up to the November midterm elections. Others who have spoken against their music being played at Republican rallies include the Rolling Stones, Adele, Queen, George Harrison, Aerosmith, R.E.M. and Neil Young.
Luciano Pavarotti's family also criticised the use of the singer's rendition of the Puccini aria Nessun Dorma at the now US leader's 2016 election rallies. Rolling Stones frontman Mick Jagger previously said there was nothing he could do under US law to stop Mr Trump playing his music.
Wake-up Call - Andrew Lloyd Webber is urging the industry to work together on a strategy to protect music in education, labelling recent research highlighting its demise as a “wake-up call” for the sector. According to research from the University of Sussex, the decline of music in secondary schools has “reached crisis point”. The study, which surveyed 500 secondary schools, claims that an increasing number of schools have cut their music offering or entirely removed the subject from the curriculum in years seven to nine.
Almost a fifth of schools failed to offer GCSE music, while between 2016 and 2018 there was a 10% decline in the number of students starting a GCSE music course.
Lloyd Webber told The Stage: “This research is an extremely troubling and an urgent wake-up call. The important thing is to find a solution. We need to come together across our different organisations to set an ambitious music strategy for every child in the UK. My foundation, through the Music in Secondary Schools Trust, is committed to playing a key role to ensure that current and future generations will benefit from the empowering force of a music education.”
Images of Amy - There has been mixed reaction to the news that a hologram of Amy Winehouse will tour the world next year. The hologram, which will use her original voice recordings, will be projected onto a stage in front of a live band, say its creators.
Speaking at the Dorchester Hotel in London at the Amy Winehouse Foundation's annual gala, Amy’s father Mitch said the family "felt ready to bring Amy's incredible talent back to the spotlight". He added: "We experienced first-hand how these hologram shows celebrate great artists. This is a wonderful way to bring focus back to her musical legacy, as well as raising funds for the Amy Winehouse Foundation. It's time to remind everyone that Amy was one of the great musicians and performers."
Celebrity Narcissism - Michael Buble has announced plans to quit show business and turn his back on "celebrity narcissism" following his son's battle with cancer. The singer said he no longer had a desire for fame and would be stepping away from the limelight after releasing what may be his final album. Buble's emotional "last interview" comes after he put his career on hold after his son Noah was diagnosed with liver cancer two years ago. The five-year-old, one of three children with his Argentinian model wife Luisana Lopilato, is now in remission.
The Canadian performer told the Daily Mail's Weekend Magazine: "My whole being's changed. My perception of life. I don't know if I can even get through this conversation without crying.” Buble, who has sold 75m records and won four Grammys, said his son's diagnosis helped him see how he had become fixated on his own success.
Long Players - On the first ever National Album Day, The Beatles ground-breaking Sgt Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band was, unsurprisingly, was crowned the UK's favourite studio album of all time. Based on sales, the top 10 features a broad mix, with Oasis, Pink Floyd, Adele, Dire Straits and Michael Jackson all making an appearance.
(Jim Evans)
16 October 2018
