Share Royalties from Enuff Z’Nuff Hits “Fly High Michelle” and “Baby Loves You”

This is one of the coolest things I've ever seen. Just in time for the holiday season, you can purchase a royalty earning share in one of Enuff Z'Nuff's most famous songs. Thanks to SongVest, you can purchase a share of either "Baby Loves You" or "Fly High Michelle." There are all sorts of ways fans can collect music memorabilia, but I think this is one of the most valuable. I've been to the SongVest website before, but never saw any songs/bands that really caught my fancy. I'm watching the site - when the right song/band combo comes up, I'll be bidding. Here's the official press release.

Madison, WI – November 2, 2009 – SongVest, the company that reinvented music memorabilia by auctioning song rights directly to fans, has announced their next auction will feature MTV hits “Fly High Michelle” And “Baby Loves You” from 80’s power pop band Enuff Z’Nuff. The auction will take place November 21-28 exclusively at http://www.songvest.com.

To help commemorate the band’s 25^th anniversary, Enuff Z’Nuff founders Chip Z’Nuff and Donnie Vie are rewarding fans with a piece of their shares to singles from their first two critically acclaimed albums. "Fly High Michelle," a touching rock ballad that topped the MTV Video chart, and "Baby Loves You," an in-your-face pop gem that combined metal and melody, will be available for bid. In addition to a portion of the song’s royalties, the winners will also receive a personalized and signed one-of-a-kind platinum album award.

The auction will begin at 3PM EST on Saturday, November 21 and end at 3PM EST on Saturday, November 28. Fans can register now at  http://www.songvest.com to learn more about royalty history and how the songs were written. 

Since 2007, SongVest has offered music fans, collectors, and investors the unique opportunity to share royalties with the writers of their favorite music. Past auctions have included the rights to songs recorded by Aerosmith, Bon Jovi, Carrie Underwood, Ringo Starr, Ozzy Osbourne, Natalie Cole, and The Monkees.

'This Is It' - The Bring Back Glam! Movie Review

Michael Jackson’s ‘This Is It’ is a testament to the King of Pop’s enduring legacy as a genius and stage performer. The movie - part concert film, part documentary - takes viewers through the final phases of Jackson’s massive ‘This Is It’ comeback tour.

During the massive media coverage following Jackson’s untimely death earlier this year, many reporters incessantly questioned Jackson’s ability to return to the stage. Would he still be able to move like the ‘Thriller’ days? Could he still hit the high notes? Did he have the stamina? Thanks to ‘This Is It,’ fans and critics alike now know the answer to all three questions is an easy “yes.”

Perhaps Jackson’s supreme appearance in ‘This Is It’ is what makes the film so bittersweet. The music is undeniable. Songs like “Billie Jean,” “Thriller” and “I Just Can’t Stop Loving You” are memorable points in Jackson’s career as well as the ‘This Is It’ soundtrack. During the film, Jackson coaxes and coaches his backup dancers and band. Director Kenny Ortega is there to get the best from Jackson, and he succeeds. Over and over, Jackson demands perfection – he knows what he wants, even if he can’t always perfectly articulate his artistic visions. Of course, viewers are observing a man at work, excelling in a craft he’s perfected for more than four decades.

Even non-Jackson fanatics will both enjoy and learn from ‘This Is It.’ Clearly, planning a massive concert production is a supreme undertaking on a normal day. As with anything Jackson related, nothing is normal and ‘This Is It’ provides a glimpse at what obviously would have been one of the most spectacular – and expensive – tours of all time. Ortega folds in video clips that were originally filmed for the O2 Arena jumbotron: a new 3-D scene for “Thriller,” an old-Hollywood vignette for “Smooth Criminal” in which Jackson wields a Tommy gun and on and on. For “Earth Song,” a bull dozer was supposed to roll onto the stage. Such effects are out of reach for most artists, but for Jackson, anything was possible – and available. It’s that massive production and sense of fantasy that helps sell ‘This Is It.’

Already through its first weekend run, ‘This Is It’ has set film records, becoming the world’s highest grossing concert film in history.  Veteran Oscar watchers predict ‘This Is It’ will be nominated for best picture. If this prediction comes true, ‘This Is It’ would become the first documentary in history to be nominated for the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences’ top prize.

‘This Is It’ runs in theaters for one more week.  A DVD release is planned for January.

Love/Hate Heartbreak

Halestorm is a great band. The band's self-titled major label debut is pretty mind-blowing when you consider all the luscious guitar solos. Yes, a modern band with guitar solos! Lead singer Lzzy Hale has an awesome rock voice - perhaps one of the best on the scene right now.

Halestorm is not only raw enough to be Metal, but also commercial enough to enjoy some mainstream success. The band is getting fairly popular thanks to a push by Atlantic Records. Look for the band to do more festival appearances in 2010.

Check out their new video for "Love/Hate Heartbreak."

Happy Halloween! Elvira is Calling

Remember Elvira? You know, the Mistress of the Dark? Played by Cassandra Peterson, I also sort of associated the Elvira character as being pretty Metal. I have no idea if this is a fair assessment or not, but she sure is a good topic for this Halloween Saturday. The following are some pretty cool Elvira clips. Have a great Halloween!

Why Every Band Needs Their Own 'November Rain'

I listen to music when I work. I’ve done this for as long as I can remember, from high school, through college then at my “real jobs.”

My most recent real job is ending soon – at the end of next month and I couldn’t be happier. Finally, after years and years of trudging through work that meant nothing to me, I’m turning the tables and doing what I want with my life. Yes, I’m about to become a full-time writer. It’s what I should have been doing all along, but an expensive wedding, buying a home, needing a car and paying for school all sort of got in the way. No more. In 27 days, I’ll be a 100% full time writer, working on my own schedule, writing about music as much as I want. I’ll also be penning a book, which sort of leads me back off this circuitous path and to today’s topic at hand.

While working on corporate webcast slideware, I popped on some classic Guns n’ Roses and pretended I was somewhere else. As I clicked through the Illusion records, a thought crossed my mind: “Does every band strive for a ‘November Rain’ song, and will I basically be doing the same thing during my writing career?” I think the answer is an unequivocal "yes."

I’m sure a lot of you can name every GnR song ever recorded. The thing is, you and me, we’re different. We’re the metal music elite – we can talk with much educated authority about any 80s band you throw at us. It’s like a quirky parlor game. Trot us out to your friends! Step right up, try to stump us, one and all! Of course, for the masses, a lot of people only know “Sweet Child O’ Mine” and “November Rain.” The latter being the more grand and complicated of the GnR canon. Of course, every band wants (needs?) a “November Rain.” Every band wants (needs?) something great in their catalog.

As you well know, “November Rain” is one of GnR’s oldest songs. Axl Rose worked on the thing for years and years, trying to get it just right. It was only after success came knocking that the band had enough money to make Axl’s vision a reality. But isn’t that the point? Guns really struggled. They were honestly broke and tried to get signed. They worked hard at getting gigs and writing songs and Axl knew he had something – he just had to invest the time to eventually create “November Rain.”

Bands these days want a “November Rain” song without actually working for it. Some are just as happy to hire an outside writer to create their grand opus. Others try to create a signature song that may well be even better than “November Rain” but no one will ever hear it because 1) the band is dropped from their label within six months or 2) the song never receives radio or video play. You can’t really create “November Rain” through having a song featured on Guitar Hero. Magic just doesn’t work that way.

So, I’m waiting for the next “November Rain” while eagerly trying to plot out my own little writing masterpiece. Thing is, I get what Axl and company did: they worked toward their goal and it took time. I guess I’m lucky to have the time. I hope the next great rock band has the time, too. 

Halloween is Coming...Top 5 Alice Cooper Videos

Halloween is my favorite holiday. If I wasn't broke, I'd be spending money on an awesome costume and party. Since I'm being "fiscally responsible," I'm cutting out meaningless spending, thus no new costume. I may dress-up to pass out treats - it all depends on how warm it is on Saturday night. If you're planning on dressing up, do tell me your costume in the comments section. I always love when people think of really creative ideas.

There's no better time than Halloween to discuss Alice Cooper. Of course this means another top 5 video countdown. So, here they are: my choices for Alice's best clips, live or otherwise.

"Along Came a Spider"

"I Love the Dead"

"No More Mr. Nice Guy"

"Poison (Live)"

"Welcome to My Nightmare"

So, what do you think of the list? I would have used the real "Poison" video but Sony has it blocked so I went with the pretty awesome live clip. Do you have changes or suggestions? Let me know.

Thanks to One Picture - Glam Back?

I'm grateful for even getting an update posted today. My host is having a slew of problems and every time I tried to post, I was met with a massive page error. So, this isn't the original article I had planned, but still one of my favorite subjects nonetheless.

Entertainment Weekly says "glam is back" thanks to Adam Lambert. If you're not a loyal Glambert, let me catch you up. Mr. Lambert revealed the cover of For Your Entertainment a few hours ago. I get that the whole thing is an homage to David Bowie, but I don't really care for the cover. Not that it matters. The only thing that matters is the music - and no one knows what the album sounds like yet. Apparently the first single will be released Monday, and then maybe we'll know.

So, I'll ask the original question again: is Glam back, thanks to this album cover? Tell me "yes" or "no" in the comments section.