Springsteen at Hyde Park on Sky Arts

Sky Arts is screening a two-hour package of highlights from Hard Rock Calling 2012.

It includes footage of Bruce Springsteen (including the double duet with Paul McCartney), Paul Simon, Soundgarden, John Fogerty, Alison Krauss and others.

If you missed it first time it's on again at 00:44 BST on Sunday August 26.

Set your Sky+ or similar device. It's also on Sky Anytime until September.

Elbow win Olympic gold as sales soar after the closing ceremony

Elbow are the Olympic Games gold medal winners as figures just released reveal their album sales shot up by more than a THOUSAND per cent after their appearance at the big closing ceremony.

Retailer HMV has looked at sales on CD and download of the artists who either performed on the night or whose music was showcased during the event, then compared demand with the previous Monday.

Elbow’s Seldom Seen Kid was up a whopping 1,150 per cent while Build a Rocket Boys was up by 794 per cent in just 24 hours following the performance of One Day Like This and Open Arms.

The other big rise, in second spot, was for John Lennon’s Imagine album (1,100 per cent) and for the Spice Girls Greatest Hits (626 per cent).

Emeli Sandé, who performed on three occasions and also appeared in the opening ceremony two weeks earlier, received another sales boost, with her album Our Version of Events (476 per cent) enjoying the fifth-biggest rise.

HMV’s Gennaro Castaldo comments: “The closing ceremony was a celebration of British music, and with a huge broadcast audience in the UK and worldwide it’s no surprise that the featured artists are seeing a big lift in sales of their recordings.

“Elbow’s anthemic songs were almost tailor-made for the occasion, whilst it was also wonderful to be reminded of the power of John Lennon’s music.”

Here’s the sales increase medal table ...

1.   Elbow / Seldom Seen Kid  (1150 per cent)
2.   John Lennon / Imagine  (1100 per cent)
3.   Elbow / Build a Rocket Boys  (794 per cent)
4.   Spice Girls / Greatest Hits  (626 per cent)
5.   Emeli Sandé / Our Version of Events  (476 per cent)
6.   Kate Bush / The Whole Story  (416 per cent)
7.   George Michael / Faith  (320 per cent)
8.   Take That / Beautiful World  (300 per cent)
9.   The Who / Then and Now  (293 per cent)
10.  Queen / Platinum Collection  (286 per cent)
11. Taio Cruz / Departure  (252 per cent)
12. One Direction / Up All Night  (238 per cent)
13.  Muse / Hullabaloo  (228 per cent)
14.  Jessie J / Who You Are  (207 per cent)
15.  Ed Sheeran / +  (205 per cent)
16.  Pet Shop Boys / Ultimate  (202 per cent)
17.  David Bowie / Platinum: Best Of  (188 per cent)
18.  Oasis / What’s the Story (Morning Glory)  (186 per cent)
19.  Annie Lennox / Collection  (185 per cent)
20.  Tinie Tempah / Disc-Overy  (165 per cent)

(source HMV)

London 2012 Olympics closing ceremony setlist - Freddie Mercury steals the show

It was the biggest British rock and pop line-up since Live Aid and, eventually, it delivered.

And, in typical fashion, Freddie Mercury stole the show again - from beyond the grave, caught live in crowd-teasing form on video.

The Banana Boat Song singalong he used to include in Queen’s epic concerts brought the biggest cheers of the night.

The only artist who threatened to upstage him was also dead ... John Lennon.

You could have heard a pin drop as film of him singing Imagine was beamed onto the big screens.

My other winners:

Take That (brave of Gary Barlow to step out so soon after the death of his baby);

The omnipresent Emeli Sande (great voice, great image, great personality);

Ray Davies (shaky but emotional);

Elbow (raised the gig to another level when it flagged after repeat plays);

Eric Idle (threatened to steal the show with union jack-knickered nuns on roller skates);

The Who (picked up their guitars and played, just like yesterday).

My losers:

George Michael (a parody of his former self, shamelessly plugging his new single);

Liam Gallagher (where was Noel when we needed a real high-flying performance?);

Muse (usually dynamite live but oddly off their game);

Annie Lennox (bonkers - take a listen to Dave Stewart’s new album, love)

Spelbound (the BGT stars seemed pointless, and the lighting made it hard to see what was going on anyway)

Boris Johnson & David Cameron (did you see all that dad dancing?)

Here’s the full setlist ...

EMELI SANDÉ : Read All About It
URBAN VOICES COLLECTIVE : Because
JULIAN LLOYD WEBBER : Salut D’Amour
URBAN VOICES COLLECTIVE : National Anthem
MADNESS : Our House
MASSED BAND OF THE HOUSEHOLD DIVISION : Parklife
PET SHOP BOYS : West End Girls
ONE DIRECTION : What Makes You Beautiful
DAVID ARNOLD : Parade Of The Athletes
ELBOW : Open Arms
ELBOW : One Day Like This
EMELI SANDÉ : Read All About It (reprise)
SPELBOUND : A Day In The Life
RAY DAVIES : Waterloo Sunset
KATE BUSH : Running Up That Hill (Deal With God Remix 2012)
DHOL FOUNDATION : Here Comes The Sun
JOHN LENNON : Imagine
QUEEN : Bohemian Rhapsody
GEORGE MICHAEL : Freedom '90
GEORGE MICHAEL : White Light
KAISER CHIEFS : Pinball Wizard
DAVID BOWIE :  Medley (Space Oddity / Changes / Ziggy Stardust / Jean Genie / Rebel Rebel / Diamond Dogs / Young Americans / Let’s Dance)
DAVID BOWIE : Fashion
ANNIE LENNOX : Little Bird
ED SHEERAN, NICK MASON, RICHARD JONES, MICHAEL RUTHERFORD : Wish You Were Here
RUSSELL BRAND : Pure Imagination
RUSSELL BRAND : I Am The Walrus
FATBOY SLIM : Right Here, Right Now
FATBOY SLIM : The Rockafeller Skank
JESSIE J : Price Tag
TINIE TEMPAH : Written In The Stars
TAIO CRUZ : Dynamite
JESSIE J, TINIE TEMPAH & TAIO CRUZ : You Should Be Dancing
SPICE GIRLS : Wannabe
SPICE GIRLS : Spice Up Your Life
BEADY EYE : Wonderwall
ELO : Mr Blue Sky
ERIC IDLE : Always Look On The Bright Side Of Life
MUSE : Survival
FREDDIE MERCURY : Banana Boat Song
QUEEN & JESSIE J : We Will Rock You
LONDON WELSH MALE VOICE CHOIR & LONDON WELSH RUGBY CLUB CHOIR : Olympic Anthem
MARISA MONTE / SEU JORGE / ALESSANDRA AMBROSIO : Rio De Janeiro Showcase
TAKE THAT : Rule The World
DAVID ARNOLD : Spirit Of The Flame
THE WHO : Baba O’Riley
THE WHO: See Me, Feel Me
THE WHO : Listening To You
THE WHO : My Generation
EMELI SANDÉ : Imagine (closing the BBC TV coverage)

Jeff Lynne remakes the ELO classics

ELO mastermind Jeff Lynne is making a comeback with not just one but TWO albums in the same week.

He’ll release solo album Long Wave and ELO hits collection Mr Blue Sky on October 8.

The first is a set of covers, remembering the songs he grew up with in Birmingham.

It includes the likes of She, Bewitched, Bothered and Bewildered, Smile and Love Is A Many Splendored Thing, all dressed up in his trademark polished pop production.

“What I love doing is overdubbing and making new sounds out of things that are sometimes quite ordinary on their own,” says Jeff, with trademark modesty.

“When you put them together, they make something new or something that sounds new. Just discovering things like that musically is a pleasure.”

Of rather more interest is Mr Blue Sky, on which Lynne has completely re-recorded the songs made famous by the Birmingham supergroup he led with drummer Bev Bevan.

According to his management, Lynne has “revisited and re-recorded, at his home studio in Los Angeles, the greatest hits of Electric Light Orchestra, actually improving on some of the most classic and beloved recordings ever.”

“There was a big reason I wanted to re-record these ELO songs,” says Lynne. “When I listen to the old versions they don’t sound the way I thought they did when I first wrote and recorded them.

“I wanted to use the experience I’ve gained producing records ever since and have a completely new try at them.

“I’m not saying the old versions aren’t good; I like them very much. We were doing our best, but experience and technology also play a big a big part, and these new ones sound much more solid and tight.”
 
The album includes a never-before-heard bonus track, The Point Of No Return, and a “very special version” of 10538 Overture that’s a nod to ELO’s 40th anniversary.
 
The setlist runs: Mr. Blue Sky, Evil Woman, Strange Magic, Don’t Bring Me Down, Turn To Stone, Showdown, Telephone Line, Livin’ Thing, Do Ya, Can’t Get It Out Of My Head, 10538 Overture and The Point Of No Return.

I’ll be interested to hear what they now sound like. Revisiting back catalogue isn’t always a good thing, even when you wrote some of the best-loved pop songs of a generation.