Darkness lead singer Hawkins quits band

NEW YORK (Billboard) - Singer Justin Hawkins has left British glam-revival band the Darkness to continue his drug rehabilitation and work on a solo album, telling the Sun newspaper Wednesday that "it's time for me to move on."

He added: "It would be damaging to my recovery to stay on. I'm not blaming the band for my problem -- I am an addict."

The remaining band members wrote on the Darkness message board (http://www.thedarknessrock.com): "We ... are still in total shock and can't say at this stage what the future holds. You will hear from us, once we know what we want to do."

The group burst onto the worldwide stage with its 2004 debut, "Permission To Land," which has sold 698,000 copies in the United States, according to Nielsen SoundScan. But last year's "One Way Ticket to Hell ... And Back" fizzled here, selling 91,000 copies to date.

In August, Hawkins entered rehab; at the time, the band insisted it would hit the studio as soon as he was well, and it denied rumours that it had been dropped by Atlantic Records.

Reuters/Billboard

Justin Hawkins- A Tribute to his time with The Darkness

A "new" album of Beatles music

A new Beatles Album is not something I thought I would see
but having the backing of Ringo and Paul also Yoko
and Olivia Harrison with producer George Martin
cutting the album I cannot wait to hear it




LONDON (Reuters) - A "new" album of Beatles music mixed by their legendary producer George Martin and described as a new "way of reliving the whole Beatles musical lifespan", will be released in November.

EMI Music and Apple Corps Ltd said on Tuesday that Martin and his son Giles began work on the album, called "Love", after getting permission from Paul McCartney, Ringo Starr, and Yoko Ono Lennon and Olivia Harrison representing
John Lennon and George Harrison.

The music has already been used as the soundtrack to the theatrical Cirque du Soleil show called "Love".

"This music was designed for the Love show in Las Vegas but in doing so we've created a new Beatles album," George Martin said in a statement.
"The Beatles always looked for other ways of expressing themselves and this is another step forward for them.

"What people will be hearing on the album is a new experience, a way of re-living the whole Beatles musical lifespan in a very condensed period."

The Martins worked from the original master tapes from the Abbey Road studios to produce a medley of Beatles music by remixing favourite songs, such as Harrison's "Within You Without You" being played to the drum-track of "Tomorrow Never Knows."

EMI Music, part of EMI Group Plc, and Apple Corps Ltd., the company that administers The Beatles' interests, said the album would be released world-wide in November. Additional information such as the track listing will be released later.

Beatles 'Love' TV advert



The Beatles LOVE



Beatles Tribute