Michael Bolton Corrects Eva Cassidy's Faulty Recording of "Fields Of Gold"

[Southpaw]

Michael Bolton looks like Bruce Willis in a Dee Snyder wig.

[Matryeshka]

With any luck, we'll get an entire Disson special with Michael B. performing it all live.

Backed up by the DWTS band. Bethenny Frankel is going to skate a special exhibition to Over the Rainbow.

[Jenny]

Maybe he'll cover "Unforgetable" and edit out Nat King Cole, so he can duet with Natalie?

I actually thought it was tacky of Natalie to do it in the first place, and felt she was riding on daddy's coat tails.

I just threw up in my mouth a bit. Beyond gross to "duet" with a dead person who has no say in the matter, and shame on Cassidy's estate for allowing it.

I'm amazed Sting allowed it

[FigureSpins]

I wanted to add Phyllis Diller's cover of Satisfaction, but it wasn't on iTunes.

I just listened to that; I love Phyllis Diller, but that was lame.

[Garden Kitty]

With any luck, we'll get an entire Disson special with Michael B. performing it all live.

We've already had one Michael Bolton Disson special, but this certainly deserves another (I hate to ruin a good thread by pointing out that Michael seemed very sweet and respectful to all the skaters and genuinely impressed with their skill).

[VIETgrlTerifa]

We've already had one Michael Bolton Disson special, but this certainly deserves another (I hate to ruin a good thread by pointing out that Michael seemed very sweet and respectful to all the skaters and genuinely impressed with their skill).

God...pro skating is so lame.

[Rob]

Are you serious? Somehow I just can't picture Pat Boone tackling the Judas Priest or Black Sabbath catalogs.

no i am not--

http://www.amazon.com/Metal-Mood-Mor.../dp/B000005KOE


http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/In_a_Me...e_Mr._Nice_Guy

You can pull some of the songs up on youtube. I have the CD. It is so bad its good.

[barbk]

no i am not--

http://www.amazon.com/Metal-Mood-Mor.../dp/B000005KOE


http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/In_a_Me...e_Mr._Nice_Guy

You can pull some of the songs up on youtube. I have the CD. It is so bad its good.

Do check out the amazon link and take a look at the album cover with his scary eyes.

[paskatefan]

This thread is hilarious!

Not a Michael Bolton fan here at all. The only song that is semi tolerable for me is his version of Go the Distance from Disney's Hercules. I like the song, and love how Paul Wylie, Ilia Kulik (IIRC) and Jeff Buttle (a different version?) skated to it.

[DarrellH]

Right now...I have a horrible image of Bolton. He's wearing Silver Lamé, and skating around the rick, while singing "I am the Starlight!!!"

[heckles]

I'm amazed Sting allowed it

I'm sure he's enjoying the royalties.

[Jackie Sparrow]

I'm amazed Sting allowed it

How does it actually work? Who decides whether a song can be covered or not? The artists? If so, it really is beyond me why a Michael Bolton is allowed to cover these songs when it is so obvious it is in no way an improvement and he adds absolutely nothing new and creative to the song!

[Jenny]

How does it actually work? Who decides whether a song can be covered or not? The artists? If so, it really is beyond me why a Michael Bolton is allowed to cover these songs when it is so obvious it is in no way an improvement and he adds absolutely nothing new and creative to the song!

AFAIK, whoever owns the rights has to give permission and be compensated for any other recordings of the song, or any time it's used in a soundtrack, singing competition show, even a skating performance that is televised. I'm assuming that Sting is a good enough businessman that he retains rights to his songs, so that means he or his designate gave permission.

Now, once that permission is given, I don't think they have further control, ie once the artist has permission to record/perform it, they can do what they like with it.

Can any of the AI fans enlighten us here?

[manleywoman]

How does it actually work? Who decides whether a song can be covered or not? The artists? If so, it really is beyond me why a Michael Bolton is allowed to cover these songs when it is so obvious it is in no way an improvement and he adds absolutely nothing new and creative to the song!

pure and simple.

Eric Carmen only had one hit song "All By Myself." But it's been covered a ridiculous amount of times, most successfully by Celine Dion. Carmen makes a small fortune each time it;s covered. He lives nicely on that one hit.

So yes, Sting is not hurting at all.

I seem to recall that when Eva Cassidy recorded that song, she was so small-time and the album was printed in such a small number (originally) that she never asked Sting's permission. Then they had to ask it as her legacy got more popular, Sting was reluctant at first because he has special attachments to that song in particular and couldn't imagine anyone covering it better than he did. Then he heard her version and changed his mind.

IN this case with Bolton, I bet he just looked at the dollar signs.

[Jackie Sparrow]

I understand Carmen's case. But Sting and U2 don't need the money and I don't see any good reason why they would let Bolton use it. If I were them I'd be happy to give permission to upcoming, creative new artists cause I'd be interested in what they would do with it. But Bolton? WHY?

[Civic]

Do check out the amazon link and take a look at the album cover with his scary eyes.

Oh my! I wonder what Rob Halford, Ian Gillam, Ozzy Osborne and Robert Plant think of this album? All that work establishing their hard rock cred and then along comes Mr. Squeaky Clean who sanitizes their signature songs.

[Jenny]

I understand Carmen's case. But Sting and U2 don't need the money and I don't see any good reason why they would let Bolton use it. If I were them I'd be happy to give permission to upcoming, creative new artists cause I'd be interested in what they would do with it. But Bolton? WHY?

That's what I wondered, especially if as manleywoman describes, the song is a particular favourite and he hesitated even to give it for such a gorgeous version as Eva's. He's big on collaborations too - real ones, involving real musicians actually working together - so I'm surprised he'd agree to this form of fakery.

It would be interesting to know the decision process on this one.

[DarrellH]

Perhaps Bolton and William Hung can duet on "She Bangs"?

[manleywoman]

I understand Carmen's case. But Sting and U2 don't need the money . . .

They don't need the money, and yet they (and many other bands) constantly do this to make even more money than they need. Who knows why they are motivated to do it.

One of my favorite stories of rich bastard bands is the Rolling Stones vs. The Verve over "Bittersweet Symphony:"

Although the song's lyrics were written by Verve vocalist Richard Ashcroft, it has been credited to Keith Richards and Mick Jagger after charges by the original copyright owners that the song was plagiarized from the Andrew Oldham Orchestra recording of The Rolling Stones' 1965 song "The Last Time."

Originally, The Verve had negotiated a licence to use a sample from the Oldham recording, but it was successfully argued that the Verve had used "too much" of the sample. Despite having original lyrics, the music of "Bitter Sweet Symphony" is partially based on the Oldham track, which led to a lawsuit with ABKCO Records, Allen Klein's company that owns the rights to the Rolling Stones material of the 1960s. The matter was eventually settled, with copyright of the song reverting to ABKCO and songwriting credits to Jagger and Richards.

"We were told it was going to be a 50/50 split, and then they saw how well the record was doing," says band member Simon Jones. "They rung up and said, 'We want 100 percent or take it out of the shops, you don't have much choice.'"

After losing the composer credits to the song, Richard Ashcroft commented, "This is the best song Jagger and Richards have written in 20 years" noting it was their biggest hit since "Brown Sugar".[6]

I think Jagger and Richards are 100% asswipes for that one. They certainly didn't need the $$$, everyone knows they didn't write the lyrics, and yet they get the credit and the cash.

[Jenny]

I think Jagger and Richards are 100% asswipes for that one. They certainly didn't need the $$$, everyone knows they didn't write the lyrics, and yet they get the credit and the cash.

I disagree. I think the Stones have done well specifically because they (well, Mick) are good businessmen, and I think they have a right to their own material. They went through the period in the 1960s when many artists and songwriters unwittingly gave away rights to their own material, and would know many talented people who were not able to profit from their own work - I think it's smart that they remain very protective of theirs now.

There's another anecdote about them in reverse - after they recorded and released "Has Anybody Seen My Baby?" they realized they had lifted the music from kd lang's "Constant Craving." They then added kd and her songwriting partner Ben Mink to the song's credits.