June 2, 2009
Paul McCartney, Ringo Starr, Olivia Harrison and Yoko Ono gathered at a press conference in Los Angeles yesterday, held in conjunction with the annual E3 videogame conference, to announce details of The Beatles Rock Band video game. They disclosed 10 of the 45 songs that will be included in the game when it comes out on September 9 (9/9/09, get it?) and they are: "I Saw Her Standing There," "I Want To Hold Your Hand," "I Feel Fine," "Taxman," "Day Tripper," "Back In The USSR," "I Am The Walrus," "Octopus's Garden," "Here Comes The Sun" and "Get Back."
Additionally, the former Beatles said the entire Abbey Road album will be available for purchase and download, as will other tracks from the Fab Four's catalog, after the game is released. "All You Need Is Love" will be released exclusively for Xbox 360 users as a downloadable song, and the proceeds of the single will be donated to Doctors Without Borders.
"The game is good, the graphics are good, and we look great," joked Ringo Starr at the press conference, though he was not exaggerating. A trailer for the game can be viewed here at TheBeatlesRockBand.com, and the virtual depictions of the band members are pretty dead on. The trailer shows them playing at different venues from throughout their career, such as the Cavern Club in Liverpool, Shea Stadium, Abbey Road studio and the Ed Sullivan Theater. It also takes players through different phases of the band's career, from the early days to the later psychedelic era.
The Beatles Rock Band will be the first music game to offer three-part vocal harmonies rather than just one singer, challenging players to recreate The Beatles' vocal blend. There will also be custom-built models of the instruments that The Beatles played, such as McCartney's famous bass. The website also notes that "the game is packed with fab extras. Master the songs to hear rare audio and view unseen photos from the archives!"
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Ozzy Speaks On Black Sabbath Lawsuit |  | June 1, 2009
Last week the news broke that Ozzy Osbourne filed a lawsuit with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office against Black Sabbath bandmate Tony Iommi, claiming that the guitarist illegally claimed sole ownership of the band's name. The New York Post reported that Osbourne is suing Iommi for a 50 percent interest in the Black Sabbath trademark, along with a portion of Iommi's profits from the use of the name. Now, Ozzy has released a statement explaining his legal action. He says that it's only fair for the Black Sabbath trademark to be shared equally between himself, Iommi, Geezer Butler and Bill Ward since they were the definitive lineup of the group. He points out that now that the band members are in their sixties, if anything should happen to them, then the rights to the Black Sabbath trademark should stay within their four families.
"It is with great regret that I had to resort to legal action against my long term partner, Tony Iommi, but after three years of trying to resolve this issue amicably, I feel I have no other recourse," reads a statement from Ozzy. "As of the mid-1990s, after constant and numerous changes in band members, the brand of 'Black Sabbath' was literally in the toilet and Tony Iommi (touring under the name Black Sabbath) was reduced to performing in clubs. Since 1997 when Geezer, Bill and myself rejoined the band, Black Sabbath has returned to its former glory as we headlined sold-out arenas and amphitheatres playing to upwards of 50,000 people at each show around the world. We worked collectively to restore credibility and bring dignity back to the name 'Black Sabbath' which lead to the band being inducted into the U.K. and U.S. Rock & Roll Hall of Fames in 2005 and 2006, respectively. Throughout the last 12 years, it was my management representatives who oversaw the marketing and quality control of the 'Black Sabbath' brand through Ozzfest, touring, merchandising and album reissues. The name 'Black Sabbath' now has a worldwide prestige and merchandising value that it would not have had by continuing on the road it was on prior to the 1997 reunion tour."
Ozzy then addressed Iommi personally by saying, "Tony, I am so sorry it's had to get to this point by me having to take this action against you. I don't have the right to speak for Geezer and Bill, but I feel that morally and ethically the trademark should be owned by the four of us equally. I hope that by me taking this first step that it will ultimately end up that way. We've all worked too hard and long in our careers to allow you to sell merchandise that features all our faces, old Black Sabbath album covers and band logos, and then you tell us that you own the copyright. We're all in our sixties now. The Black Sabbath legacy should live on long after we have all gone. Please do the right thing."
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