Terence Trent D'Arby will be "lending his vocal chords" to INXS for their upcoming show at the opening of Sydney Stadium in Australia on June 12, according to guitarist Tim Farris. The performance is the first of two blips on the pop radar for D'Arby, as he's also putting the finishing touches on his first album in four years. "No one can ever take Michael Hutchence's place," D'Arby said in a letter to fans on the Web site of his new label, Glen Ballard's Java Records. "Although I am flattered by the rumors of my taking his place in INXS, they have no substance beyond that. Should they continue onwards I wish them the very best of musical magic and success." As for D'Arby's long-awaited fifth album, a Java source says The Solar Return of Terence Trent D'Arby: Confessions of a Powernoise Schizophonic is in the mixing stage. The source could not confirm a street date, but D'Arby's statement suggested a possible September release . . .

If you're not going to Europe or Australia this summer, you can forget about catching Garbage. According to Shirley Manson, as soon as the group wraps up its Australian tour on Oct. 16, bandmembers are heading back to the studio to work on a soundtrack project. While the usually loquacious bandmembers were mum on who the opus was for, they did say that they have been talking to some high profile directors -- including David Lynch, who invited them to his house for dinner when they were in Los Angeles. Manson did allow that she may have a role in an upcoming film -- but again stopped far short of spilling the beans. In other news, Garbage will be playing a show to mark the opening of the Scottish parliament on July 1. The band will play a huge outdoor festival at the historic Princes Street Gardens in Manson's native Edinburgh. Promoters Regular Music said, "The concept of the concert is to show the contrast between old traditional Scotland and young Scotland" . . .

Foreigner will be bearing gifts -- well, not the free kind -- when they join forces with fellow venerable arena rockers Journey for a summer tour. The group recently holed up in a Long Island home studio to re-record five classic tracks -- "Juke Box Hero," "Double Vision," "Waiting For a Girl Like You," "Dirty White Boy" and "Fool For You Anyway" -- in unplugged style for a limited-edition CD only available on tour beginning early July and through the group's official Web site (www.foreigneronline.com). The five thousand numbered limited edition Rough Diamonds #1 compact discs will feature autographs by frontman Lou Gramm and guitarist Mick Jones. The band is also in the process of recording a new studio album, expected early next year . . .

In the latest round of corporate scrambling to come up with a piracy-proof means of digital distribution of music over the Web, label giants Universal Music and BMG Entertainment have announced an alliance with AT&T and Japan's Matsushita Electric Industrial. The news comes less than a month after Universal announced a similar affiliation with California-based Intertrust Technologies. Multiple deals between record labels and technology companies are becoming more and more commonplace as the music industry struggles to find a way to adapt to -- and profit from -- the MP3 revolution . . .

When he named his company No Limit, we should have been forewarned that Master P was prepared to put his money where his mouth is. Make that where his foot is. You got it right -- the rap entrepreneur, sports agent, movie producer and actor is now a shoe salesman, too. In a joint venture with industry giant Converse, the former Percy Miller has launched his own line of basketball sneakers. And to show the world that he means business, despite announcing his retirement from rap with the release of last year's MP: Da Last Don, the NBA wannabe recorded a limited-edition CD with five new songs to be given away with the purchase of a pair of his shoes, which go for $100 and are available exclusively at Footlockers nationwide . . .

By the time Yoko Ono finishes with her press campaign to launch the release of John Lennon's book Real Love: Drawings For Sean this Father's Day, the late Beatle's name may be as ubiquitous with toddlers as Barney's is. Ono has lined up a slew of print, television and Internet interviews to promote not only the book -- which collects drawings Lennon made for and with his young son -- but also the 'Real Love' line of children's apparel that features the same artwork. Manufactured by the Carter Company, the cute little jammies are already showing up in department stores and in catalogs. But it doesn't stop there. Ono has also licensed a collectible doll from Madame Alexander, infant shoes from Goldbug, gift wrap from C.R. Gibson, stuffed animals from Prestige and infant bed linens by Riegel. It's like 1965 all over again . . .

In other Lennon news, John's Menlove Avenue boyhood home in Liverpool has been singled out to receive an English Heritage Association Blue Plaque. The blue discs, which mark the homes of poets, politicians and historical figures, are scattered throughout London, but Lennon's plaque (along with fourteen other famous Merseyside natives) is to be one of the first unveiled outside of the British capitol. A spokesperson for the organization told the British Press Association that Liverpool was chosen "because of the significant contribution made by its sons and daughters in all walks of life." . . .

Mods rejoice. Paul Weller and his former band, the Jam are popping up everywhere. First up for Weller is a charity gig for Kosovo Aid on May 30 at the Kentish Town Forum in London. Also featured on the bill are former head-Kink and Weller idol Ray Davies, Chris Difford from Squeeze and Kelly and Richard Jones from Stereophonics. Later this year, Weller will see the cult of Jam receive some of its long overdue accolades with the release of Fire and Skill, a tribute album on Polydor Records. Featuring the Beastie Boys, Oasis and others, the album is expected to include around fifteen different Jam covers. Polydor also plans to further canonize the band with a remastered reissue series of the original albums . . .

Hard core Metallica fans with cash to spare and/or in the market for a new pad should hurry over to 3140 Carlson Blvd., in El Cerrito, Calif. (a mere 13 miles east of San Francisco) and make a bid on the house where their heroes lived while recording Ride the Lightning and Master of Puppets. The unremarkable white frame house just went on the market, and the asking price is a whopping $250,000. Although it was never owned by any members of the band, it still bears their stamp. According to Joel Selvin's Musical History Tour of San Francisco, the garage door is still marked by smears of spray paint, denoting the spot where Metallica's equipment cases were piled up before and after their gigs. Hard to believe no one's snatched it up yet, isn't it? . . .

Although there have been rumors of a Rolling Stones European-only album culled from the outtakes of No Security, with a few new nuggets thrown in, plans were recently scrapped "because the Stones never got around to recording any new songs," according to a spokesperson for the band. In its place, the group will be releasing the single "Memory Motel," from the original live CD, on May 31 to promote their European Summer Tour, which kicks off on May 29 in Stuttgart. In addition, the Stones will play four stadium shows in the U.K. -- including Edinburgh's Murrayfield Stadium on June 4, Sheffield's Don Valley Stadium on June 6 and two shows at London's Wembley Stadium on June 11 - 12. These shows were rescheduled from last year, when the world's most notorious tax exiles were prevented from coming home in order to avoid a mighty levy enforced by the Inland Tax Service (the band takes residence in other countries to avoid hefty tariffs imposed on the Queen's citizens). As a reward for beleaguered fans who had to wait a whole year to see their heroes, the Stones are reportedly playing a secret club gig in each of these cities -- but so far, only a June 8 club date in London has been confirmed . . .

In other Stones news, Ron Wood, flew home to Dublin from Amsterdam last Saturday to collect an award that had absolutely nothing to do with his guitar playing. The Irish Thoroughbred Breeders Association presented the musician with the award for Best Small Breeder in 1998. Woody owns a stable of horses, including Joleah (named after his wife Jo and daughter Leah) and Flip the Switch, both of whom also pulled in first at stakes races. Upon accepting the prize, the jockey-sized guitarist told the crowd it was "his proudest moment." Wait until Mick and Keith get a load of that . . .

Aretha Franklin and Elton John are the latest Rock & Roll Hall of Famers to join hip-hop diva Mary J. Blige on her forthcoming album Mary, due out August 24. Last week, Franklin joined Blige in a New York studio to share vocal duties on a yet-untitled song, while the Rocket Man recently provided a live sample of the "Bennie & the Jets" piano hook for a new Blige song called "Deep Inside." Other artists that contribute to Mary include Stevie Wonder, Jay Z, K-Ci and Lauryn Hill, who produced the expected first single, "All I Can Say" . . .

The artist formerly known as Robbie Van Winkle had to cut a Salt Lake City show short when the audience grew a little too randy. The Salt Lake Tribune reported that Vanilla Ice may have incited fans to misbehave, but the revamped rapper was quick to defend himself in a statement: "Fights were breaking out everywhere. Some kid jumped on the stage and just went crazy throwing punches. It was so out of control, we had to stop the show." Despite the Tribune placing the blame on Ice's own bad self, no report or charges were filed with regards to the melee. "In the end, I think the most accurate account is that some members of the audience jumped on stage and attacked Mr. Van Winkle," said Salt Lake City Detective Craig Gleason. "Apparently he may have cracked an audience member on the head with a microphone or a microphone stand, but that is unclear" . . .

Amid a plethora of concert-based Kosovo aid, poster-child for the sensitive Nineties guy Duncan Sheik is taking a different route in helping the ravaged Balkan state. Rather than playing Robin Hood with an album and/or benefit, Sheik is literally taking his music to the war-torn nation. Assisted by WarChild USA, Sheik traveled to Albania this week, where he plans to hand out guitars and drums to displaced refugees. Hopes are that the instruments will find their way into the hands of some musicians among the refugees, some of whom might join Sheik for a performance. "I'm honored that WarChild has asked me to help them with their efforts in bringing relief to the crisis in Kosovo," Sheik said in a statement. "I feel it's very important that we understand what's happening in the region and, through the healing power of music, do whatever we can to stop the suffering of children.". . .

In a less-alternative humanitarian effort, the WarChild Foundation and Luciano Pavarotti will host a "Pavarotti and Friends" benefit on June 1st in Modena, Italy. Initially scheduled to benefit only the children of Guatemala, Pavarotti has taken a page from the book of Michael Jackson and extended the scope of the all-star performance to also include the children of Kosovo. Speaking of Jackson, the Prince of Pop, along with Mariah Carey, Ricky Martin, Gloria Estefan, Joe Cocker, B.B. King, Lionel Ritchie and Boyzone are among the artists penciled in to perform at the benefit. Spike Lee will serve as the artistic director. In addition to proceeds collected from the performance, a live album and film will be produced from the event, as well as a limited edition medal from the Bank of Italy to mark the occasion. . .

The Offspring weren't making any friends with the World Music Theater, Q101 or the Red Hot Chili Peppers Saturday night in Tinley Park, Ill. During the band's set at Q101's Jamboree radio festival, frontman Dexter Holland explained the group decided not to put any Offspring T-shirts on sale at the amphitheater because the World wanted too big a cut of profits. Second, and slightly more egregious, Holland encouraged the estimated 30,000 fans to fire garbage on stage during the band's coda "Self-Esteem." And they did while the band played on -- until ten minutes after they exited stage left. The barrage of aerodynamic cups of beer and water bottles delayed the Chili Peppers' show-closing set for an extra twenty minutes, eventually shaving a neat ten minutes off the venerable funk act's expected hour-long show. Chili Peppers frontman Anthony Kiedis, now sporting shorn white-blonde locks, apologized for the delay, explaining they were late because "the singer from Offspring was backstage sucking [pro wrestler] Randy Savage's dick." . . .

Looks like Freddie Mercury will get the last lick on the reforming Queen. While his bandmates regroup without him, Mercury was granted a dose of symbolic immortality today (May 24) when the British Royal Mail announced he would appear on a new set of postage stamps next month. Each month, the Royal Mail releases a four-stamp set in their Millennium Series, which is designed to chronicle "the achievements of the last thousand years of British History." Mercury, a closet philatelist himself, will grace a 19p stamp. He joins Little Tramp Charlie Chaplin, football (theirs, not ours) hero Bobby Moore and a Dalek (for those who chose sunshine over television in the Seventies, a Dalek is one of Dr. Who's robotic nemeses) in the June series of Royal Mail Millennial stamps . . .

Don't ask us why, but the upcoming Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young reunion tour has been besieged with enough rumors to bring the whole mill crashing down. This past weekend, radio stations from Toronto to San Francisco were reporting that tour dates were definitely off, "The band are quarrelling," stated KFOG, San Francisco's Adult Rock station. "And they've not only canceled the dates, but they've pulled the album." When we reached David Crosby's spokesperson, Michael Jenson, he told us that no such thing was happening. "First of all, I've heard the album, and it's fantastic," said Jensen, "And secondly, as far as I know, the tour is on. It's been pushed back a little, but it's still on." A representative from Reprise Records echoed the sentiments, explaining that Heartland is still scheduled for an August 17 release. The tour was originally set to begin on July 31 at the First Union Center in Philadelphia, and run through October 31, but it now appears that it won't begin until mid-September. David Crosby posted the following message about the rescheduled dates on his Web site over the weekend, cautioning fans not to blame Neil Young. "[A]s far as I know from Neil, Stephen, and Graham the tour is still very much on . . . it was delayed due to health issues with one of our kids and they come first . . . when I can explain more about that I will . . . as soon as we know what's up with the tour timing we will tell you here I promise . . . I have a CD of five mixed songs with me and they are going to knock your socks off . . . no point in slagging Neil . . . he is making great music and this is definitely not his fault . . . I am going to go mooch off Nash in Kauai for a couple of weeks and love to you all . . .Croz" . . .

What's with all these newly discovered Beatles' tunes? British director Joe Massot has uncovered a never-before heard George Harrison track, "In the First Place," while compiling a new audio track for his 1968 cult film, Wonderwall. The track was produced by Harrison, using backup band Remo Four. The song will be included on Massot's director's cut of the film -- which will be premiered June 25 at the American Cinematheque's Mods & Rockers Festival at Hollywood's Egyptian Theater -- and is also available for sale online at www.wonderwallfilm.com.

ANDREW DANSBY, BLAIR R. FISCHER and JAAN UHELSZKI
(May 27, 1999)