Sound Bytes
It's been a sad, tragic and even embarrassing week for the music industry. The unexpected death of country legend Tammy Wynette shocked fans across the country, and celebrities from Garth Brooks to Bill Clinton sent condolences to her family.
Almost as unexpectedly, Rob Pilatus from Grammy-winning, lip-synching group Milli Vanilli was found dead in his apartment in Germany earlier this week. Pilatus had been on a downward spiral since the duo was chased out of the music world. He allegedly died from a fatal mix of alcohol and drugs.
In I-really-didn't-want-to know-that-about-him news, fading pop star George Michael was busted on Wednesday for what is being described by authorities as "lewd conduct" in a public park in Beverly Hills. Michael was said to be "by himself" during the incident and faces up to six months in jail and/or a $1,000 fine.
The inevitable sinking of the Titanic soundtrack has begun. This week the hugely popular album sold 86,000 copies less than last week, and may be pushed out of the top spot by Master P's new compilation soundtrack, Got the Hookup in next week's charts. Following closely behind Titanic this week are Celine Dion's Let's Talk About Love, Savage Garden's self-titled smash, Madonna's Ray of Light and the Backstreet Boys' self-titled album.
On the Hot 100 Singles Chart this week, the top five are comprised of K-Ci and JoJo's "All My Life;" "Let's Ride" by Montell Jordan, featuring Master P and Silkk the Shocker; "Too Close" by R&B group Next; Madonna's "Frozen;" and Savage Garden's whiny "Truly Madly Deeply."
Tuesday, April 14, the soundtrack to the Spike Lee joint He Got Game will hit stores. Public Enemy, the sometimes controversial hip-hop group, recorded all tracks on the collection, which is said to be a change from the "average rap album."
Country fans should be sitting on the edge of their seats with news that Faith Hill, George Strait and Randy Travis will be dropping new albums on Tuesday, April 21. Other future offerings include compilations from the Beastie Boys, D'Angelo and Tori Amos.