Lennon's john.

Using the introductory phrase "Speaking of..." see if we can't build a chain of tangentially related rock thoughts.

I'll start this exercise with the following: "Speaking of the Bealtes, did you see that a toilet used by John Lennon was auctioned off for nearly $15,000?"

The first person who posts to this "speaking of..." should build, tangentially, off John Lennon, rock 'n roll toilets, auctions, or any other tangentially related subject - just not the original subject that we assume had been spoken of, "The Beatles."

Got that? The following person posting would then build off the previous "speaking of..."

As I was saying, Speaking of the Bealtes, did you see that a toilet used by John Lennon was auctioned off for nearly $15,000?

The fallout over the dissolution of the Paul McCartney-Hamish Stuart partnership has reached settlement. In a tersely worded statement by Mr. McCartney's attorneys, the former Wings legend has agreed to pay Mr. Stuart an "undisclosed amount of cash and grant visitation rights" for the Hofner bass that the two used to trade on stage between songs during Mr. McCartney's Flowers in the Dirt tour. The McCartney camp had no comment on Mr. Stuart's 2007 accusations.

Hamish Stuart (second from left), in better times.

"I'm just thankful this long nightmare is over," said Mr. Stuart, when reached at his home studio, "and I wish Paul nothing but the best."

Dave Navarro, the judge of our recent Tom Petty Cook-Off Contest, is a good guy - really - who regrets those moments when he's less of his usual good-guy self. From his Facebook page:

Once in a while, a Jane's Addiction fan will approach me when I am hungry or tired on just in a bad mood. The interaction can feel a little tense, simply cause of how I feel, nothing to do with them. However, they take it personally and I can actually see the disappointment in their eyes as they realize this guy in a band they like is kind of a dick!

Recently, Townsmen were invited to reflect on the following:

Will somebody please explain how and why washed-up rapper Wyclef Jean manages to show up at gigs like this? I have been flummoxed by his red carpet magnetism for years now. I just don't get it.

And I have to say that I hadn't given Wyclef Jean much thought up until then. Or after.

Until today, when this headline leapt at me from the pages of the Guardian:

Wyclef Jean confirms he will run for Haiti president

Wyclef Jean, the Haitian-born rap star who became one of the world's most popular hip-hop artists, has told the Guardian that he will run for president of Haiti in the country's November elections.

Somebody much wiser than me observed that greatest hits albums are like political careers: each tends to end in failure.

But clearly the guy has pull. Or thinks he does. Have any former - or practicing - musicians ever had a successful career in politics?

It turns out that in the mid-'80s a true stereo version of "Satisfaction" appeared on Japanese and German editions of Hot Rocks 1964-67, which are long out of print.

The acoustic guitar is even MORE prominent on this version than on the remastered mono version. And it turns out that there's piano underneath the guitars too, played by Jack Nitzsche.

I know Mr. Mod is going to love this, but what about the rest of you?

This news courtesy of Townsman cherguevara:

XTC Skylarking Better Than You've Ever Heard It Date:

In the course of world renowned mastering engineer John Dents [sic] work on preparing the new double vinyl set of XTC's Skylarking for release, an interesting and wonderful thing has been discovered. John has informed us that that somewhere in the chain from Todd Rundgrens [sic] Utopia sound studio and Londons Master room studio, way back in 1986, a fault has occurred that means all of the versions of Skylarking you've ever heard, on CD or vinyl, have sounded...how shall we put this?... wrong. Read complete story here.

I usually cringe when I read about any significantly "restored-to-the-creators'-intent" reissue, but I'm a longtime XTC fan who's always found Skylarking to sound a bit thin and cold. I always blamed it on a combination of Rundgren's tight ass constricting Partridge's increasingly tight ass, with an assist to Todd's boy and former Tubes drummer, Prairie Prince. I'm curious whether any amount of added warmth and low tones will spark up some of the codified songwriting that has set in by that late date in the band's career.

[NOTE: cher may have a different take on this and, most likely, can assess the veracity of the supposed technical glitch.]

UPDATE: cherguevara has called...

Read more

...but little Nipper understands.

...to dogs! (Click for story.)

Thanks to Townsman Al for passing along this important development!

Townsman andyr and his wife have reported the following series of Rock Crimes. Sensitive viewers are cautioned before proceeding to the video evidence, which was captured by the iPhone of an anonymous audience member. The authorities are currently interviewing witnesses. Please feel free to provide your own testimony in the Comments section for this post. Thank you, andyr family, for your bravery and good citizenship in reporting these crimes.

Watch video evidence of Rock Crimes of flash mob proportions...after the jump!

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Supergrass announced their breakup today. As a memorial, please enjoy the above video, which never fails to cheer me up. I really enjoyed their stuff. Early on, they sounded like the Buzzcocks. Later on, they sounded like T.Rex and Bowie.

To be honest, though, their most recent album, Diamond Hoo Ha (2008), was easily my least favorite. Maybe this is mean, but I'm kinda relieved they're breaking up, because I couldn't really see myself buying any more of their albums. To put it a nicer way, they're getting out just in time. Any other artists you feel that way about, glad they're splitting because you can feel their inspiration waning?

MusicRadar.com reports that Led Zeppelin's earliest known live recordings have surfaced.

Follow the link for the whole article and some YouTube audio. It's a terrible recording, but still of interest.

Led Zeppelin, in 1968, back when they were still being called "The New Yardbirds" by some...

Led Zeppelin's earliest known live recordings have surfaced on YouTube for the first time. The three audio clips, recorded during the band's maiden voyage to America, are taken from their fifth US show, which took place at Gonzaga University in Spokane, Washington on 30 December, 1968.

They were opening for groups like Iron Butterfly, Vanilla Fudge and Country Joe And The Fish at the time, and Led Zeppelin, their eponymous debut album, was still weeks away from release when they embarked on a rather ambitious 34-show run that took them from Denver, Colorado to North Miami Beach, Florida.

US rock fans were familiar, to some degree, with Jimmy Page from his work with John Mayall And The Bluesbreakers and The Yardbirds, but it's interesting - and downright quaint even - to hear Robert Plant announce the name of the brand-new band to the barely receptive audience. Read more...