Yusuf a.k.a. Yusuf Islam a.k.a Cat Stevens is reportedly giving serious thought to suing Coldplay over “Viva la Vida,” the title track off its latest album, due to alleged melodic similarities with Stevens’s 1973 song “Foreigner Suite.”

The folk bard-turned-Muslim philanthropist, who has won a series of distinctions in the past decade, including the World Social Award and the Man of Peace Award, now appears to be making a bid for the Most Litigious Ex-Hippie Award. You may recall the episode in 2003 when he harshed the Flaming Lips‘ mellow by suing them over their hit single “Fight Test,” which played a little like a robot-themed reprise of Stevens’s 1970 tune “Father and Son.” Settling out of court, the Lips agreed to pay Yusuf royalties.

Read More “Yusuf Islam: Viva la Frivolous Lawsuit” »

According to the BBC, Coldplay has denied in a federal court that “Viva La Vida” was inspired by or originated from Joe Satriani’s “If I Could Fly” off the 2004 album Is There Love In Space? (For the last time, Joe, no: astronauts can’t love.) Satriani makes a decent living off the instrumental rock circuit and the G3 concert series,  and, incidentally, hasn’t written an original melody since he penned the Top Gun theme song. (How bitter he must have been when listeners misattributed the brilliant “Cliffs of Dover” to him instead of maestro Eric Johnson!) So why did he go after Coldplay last December?

Read More “Satch v. Coldplay: The (Video) Breakdown” »

I’m pretty much happy to ignore this year’s Grammys completely: Kokayi didn’t win, Stevie Wonder suffered the indignity of sharing a stage with the Jonas Brothers, and I won’t even get started on the bizarre Chris Brown/Rihanna incident that took place the night before the ceremony.

But there’s one moment of Sunday’s telecast that I just can’t get out of my head.

While accepting one of the skrillion Grammys that Coldplay nabbed, Chris Martin said, “We’re not, of course, the heaviest of rock bands, you may have noticed. We’re kind of the limestone of rock bands. Not as hard, but still charming.”

Gotta love the Brits and their self-deprecating “humour,” but c’mon-limestone isn’t exactly granite or anything, but isn’t it used in the construction of buildings? If Martin is going to try to be all cute and self-effacing, he should go all out: if he wants to compare his band to a soft rock, he should really reference the softest rock known to man.

But what rock would that be?

Because my science schoolin’ ended in the 10th grade, I turned to the Reston-based U.S. Geological Survey, our country’s foremost authority on minerals and rocks, and asked for help.

Read More “Science Supports Coldplay/Limestone Comparison” »

With the new year comes not-so-new traditions: purging your closet of heinous holiday sweaters, resolving to dissolve your waistline and, if you’re Rolling Stone , looking to Top 40 lists and tired-and-true troubadours to compile your list of the 50 “Best” Albums of the Year.

Read More “Rolling Stone reaches new lows with ‘Top 50 Albums’” »

Below: this year’s top-sellers at Melody Records. Glad to see Gnarls on there; chagrined to see Coldplay; not surprised to see either; curious whether any other stores were able to move the Hancock album like this.

1. Madonna, Hard Candy
2. Coldplay, Viva la Vida
3. Erykah Badu, New Amerykah Part One
4. Vampire Weekend, Vampire Weekend
5. Portishead, Third
6. Jennifer Hudson, Jennifer Hudson
7. Amy Winehouse, Back to Black
8. R.E.M., Accelerate
9. Fleet Foxes, Fleet Foxes
10. Gnarls Barkley, The Odd Couple
11. Sigur Ros, Med sud i eyrum vid spilum endalaust
12. The Raconteurs, Consolers of the Lonely
13. TV on the Radio: Dear Science
14. Herbie Hancock, River: The Joni Letters
15. Duffy, Rockferry