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FRIDAY 22ND OCTOBER

So, I said in last week's Beef Of The Week that the Terra Firma v Citigroup court case had the potential to be entertaining, and it has been. More so than I could ever imagine. Chocolate biscuits have been discussed. Terra Firma and its boss, Guy Hands, bought major record label EMI for £4 billion back in 2007, funding much of the purchase with a £3 billion loan from banking firm Citigroup, who also advised on the deal. The investment, as you might have heard, has not been as huge a success as Hands had hoped. While the record company is actually doing quite well on paper, it's still saddled with a massive loan it's struggling to pay off.

Last year, Hands decided to launch a lawsuit against Citigroup, claiming that his former bestest buddy there, David Wormsley, had given him some bad advice before he chose to bid for EMI, possibly due to a conflict of interest whereby the bank was working for both Terra Firma and EMI on the same deal at the same time. Wormsley, claims Hands, told him in three telephone conversations over two days that another equity firm was about to make a bid for EMI, and that he should therefore move fast and bid high if he wanted to be in with a chance. Had he not got that advice, Hands adds, who would have made a lower bid, or maybe no bid at all. Citigroup says that's bollocks. Despite talks to reach a pre-trial settlement going on seemingly up to the last minute, the case went to court on Monday. So far it's been staff from Terra Firma giving evidence, mainly Hands, who was quick to point out that he has four children and dyslexia. The best bit so far has been Citigroup's lawyer Ted Wells's cross-examination of Hands, and in particular his questioning regards the Terra Firma man's claims that, other than the three telephone calls from Wormsley he says he received the weekend before he made his bid for EMI, which he could recall vividly, he remembered very little about the events of those two crucial days. Pushed to recall anything else from that weekend, Hands replied that he had asked for chocolate biscuits at one point. Wells: "The only thing you can remember is the conversation with David Wormsley and chocolate biscuits?" Hands: "That is correct... in detail". Wells: "But when it comes to a meeting about putting up £4 billion, you don't recall anything?" Hands: "Going through 160 pages of a report is not memorable". This is something I need to bear in mind. Luckily, I've cut this week's CMU Weekly back from its original 160 pages to a more concise seven. So plenty of time available for a biscuit afterwards. Cheers. Andy Malt Editor, CMU

		STUART CABLE DIED AFTER CHOKING ON VOMIT Former Stereophonics drummer Stuart Cable died after choking on his own vomit in June, a coroner in the musician and presenter's home town of Aberdare in South Wales has confirmed. Cable had been drinking heavily on the night he died and fell asleep on the floor in his living room before vomiting. Coroner Peter Maddox, recording a verdict of accidental death, said there were large amounts of food debris found in Cable's respiratory system after he died, the result of vomiting triggered by acute alcohol poisoning.

		ARI UP DIES Ari Up, frontwoman with seminal punk band The Slits, has died aged 48. Up's death was confirmed earlier this week by another punk legend, John Lydon, who is married to Forster's mother. A short message on Lydon's website reads: "John and Nora have asked us to let everyone know that Nora's daughter Arianna (aka Ari-Up) died today (20 Oct) after a serious illness. She will be sadly missed. Rest in peace".

		GOOD NIGHT FOR TINIE TEMPAH AT MOBOS So, it was the MOBO Awards in Liverpool this week, with JLS and Tinie Tempah dominating, picking up two awards each, the former for Best UK Act and Best Album, the latter for Best Video and Best Newcomer. The awards' co-host Alesha Dixon made a relatively good point when she said: "I think that the urban music scene is in a really strong place. The artists that are here are dominating the charts at the moment and it feels like a real celebration of what has been an incredible year for urban music".

		LADY GAGA MOST PLAYED ARTIST ON BRITISH RADIO Lady Gaga was the most played artist on UK radio in the last twelve months, beating even Take That. Who'd have thought it possible? That more songs were played on British radio stations by Lady Gaga than any other artist was confirmed by stat counters Nielsen, who told reporters: "Lady Gaga has had phenomenal success during 2010, ratcheting up an enormous number of radio plays in the last year". The most aired Gaga track was 'Bad Romance'.

		KANYE COVER 'BANNED' The cover artwork for Kanye West's new album, 'My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy', which is due for release next month, has been 'banned' in the US, according to the rapper. It seems the banning was done by his label, because of fears that supermarket giant Walmart would refuse to stock it (though the retailer says it was never consulted on the artwork). It's also possible it was just banned because it's rubbish.

		DID OLYMPIC TOILET DEMANDS CAUSE GLASTONBURY CANCELLATION? It was widely reported last weekend that Glastonbury bosses have decided to skip 2012 because of fears that the Olympics will push up the price of portaloos. Glasto, of course, takes a year off every five years or so. Some expected 2011 to be a fallow year, but then Michael Eavis and co announced 2012 would be the next year off instead, leading to much speculation the London Olympics were behind the decision.

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Anorak London
A lot of work goes into getting your favourite artists out in to the world. Just being good at playing guitar isn't enough to make the public notice you. We've already given over some of these playlists to record label people, journalists and live event organisers, but what about the people whose job it is to get artists put in magazines and on TV and radio?

These people in PR and marketing are some of the most invisible to the public in the music industry - their job sort of calls for it. But we thought we'd take a look at one of the companies whose aim in life is to make sure you know about what a whole host of new and established artists are doing: Anorak London.

The London-based PR and marketing company, founded in 2003, has departments in national press, national radio, online and TV promotion. Amongst the acts they're currently working with are Foals, Bombay Bicycle Club, Kano, Metronomy, Mumford & Sons, The Drums, James Blake, Aeroplane, Underworld, Aggro Santos, Crystal Fighters, Mount Kimbie, Kassidy, Everything Everything, Hot City, Pariah, Trophy Wife, plus many more.

We asked ten of their sixteen staff to each pick one of their favourite tracks, by an artist they don't work with, for this week's Powers Of Ten playlist. They're an eclectic bunch, it seems.

ANORAK LONDON'S TEN
01	Letta Mbulu	What Is Wrong With Groovin
	Laura Martin (Director): Someone played me this song about three weeks ago and I've not been able to stop listening to it since. Mbulu is a south African jazz singer born and raised in Soweto. The song is totally infectious; she has one of the biggest voices of the last 50 years. She sang on Quincy Jones's The Colour Purple and featured on Michael Jackson's 'Liberian Girl'. A very special woman.
02	Nina Simone	Suzanne
	Dan Miller (Head Of Press And Digital PR): The song I always turn to if I'm feeling cataclysmically sad, or euphorically happy. It works just fine for both. X-Factor wannabes should be locked in a room and played this cover version on repeat forever.
03	Babe Ruth	The Mexican
	Tasha Anderson (Senior Digital PR): Stemming from a recording session in Abbey Road back in 1972, I expect Alan Shacklock would never have realised that this would end up one of the most popular tracks to remix and sample in the hip hop and dance world. Jenny Haan's vocals puts the punk rock crown on the overall laid back beat, and it's now my rock and roll soundtrack to wild road trips, dancefloor decks at 2am and dreaming of exotic holidays. I would have given my right arm to see them perform this live.
04	Team Ghost	High Hopes
	Sinead Mills (Senior Press Officer): Team Ghost are one of the best bands I've seen live all year, really sad I missed them at The Roundhouse last week. Their new EP, 'Celebrate What You Can't See', is sinister, dark and hugely engaging. Can't wait for the album next year.
05	Grass Widow	Fried Egg
	Aoife Kitt (Press Officer): I only heard of this all girl Cali three-piece recently; I managed to miss all their UK shows last month due to my sister been a bridezilla. Wedding is done, so I look forward to their return. In the mean time, I can't stop listening to the album, 'Past Time'.
06	Best Coast	Goodbye
	Sarah Richardson (Senior Digital PR & Marketing): If I could be in a band, I would be in Best Coast. I'd write lyrics like, "I lost my job, I miss my mom, I wish my cat could talk / Every time you leave this house, everything falls apart". 'Crazy For You' is one of the best albums I've heard this year, and if I close my eyes whilst I listen to it, I can almost pretend it's the summer again.
07	Darkstar	North
	Lucius Yeo (Creative Digital Manager and Digital PR): Art-house dubstep (if that's even a genre!) is making a big splash this year with the likes of James Blake, Mount Kimbie and Pariah making waves everywhere. New Hyperdub signings, Darkstar, are no different. Amazing stuff.
08	Lou Reed	Vicious
	Josh Nicoll (Head Of TV): 'Transformer' was one of the first albums I ever listened to, as my mum put a copy of it in my stocking at Christmas when I was little (I have a very cool mum). 'Vicious' is the brilliant punchy rock n roll opening to what is one of the best albums ever written, when the track comes on it brings back fond memories of the first time I properly loved listening to music and a very happy childhood. Thanks Mum.
09	Girls	Lust For Life
	James Burgess (Radio Plugger): I was actually a bit late onto this song, and when I heard a certain deep accented, nasal DJ give it a spin without mentioning what the track was or who it was by, I frantically asked around all my friends to find out who it was. I lost out, it's difficult to hum a song over email. Eventually I heard it on a dancefloor and I've never turned back. It's been a highlight to my year, and finds the perfect balance between lo-fi fuzziness and glossy pop track. To be honest though, the x-rated "can't stop staring at all the penis" video for this song is enough to include this track on its own.
10	Hole	Violet
	Julian Zuniga (Digital PR): I believe Courtney Love is the original riot girl, who hasn't mellowed with age - living the stereotype of a rock star way into her 40s. 'Violet' is definitely my favourite Hole song which she always dedicates to Billy Corgan at live shows; it displays the true angst and anger behind the amazing frontwoman that is Courtney Love. Seeing Hole at Brixton academy was definitely one of the highlights of my year.

Elton John on pop: "The only way to sustain a career is to pay your dues in small clubs. I was in a band at seventeen, became a songwriter with Bernie Taupin and wasn't successful until we'd had six years of hard graft and disappointment, as well as great times. Songwriters today are pretty awful, which is why everything sounds the same. Contemporary pop isn't very inspiring"

Rapper Shyne follows Nas in writing to express his dismay at the running of the Def Jam label: "Antonio 'LA' Reid, quite frankly, doesn't give a curse word about hip hop, he doesn't get it. He fails to comprehend the holy institution that is Def Jam. How else do you make the colossal mistake of not keeping arguably the most influential rapper/rocker [former Def Jam artist and president Jay-Z] around?"

MTV apologises to The Black Keys for writing 'Black Eyed Peas' on their VMA trophy for Best Breakthrough Video by mistake: "MTV sincerely regrets the clerical error that resulted in The Black Keys receiving the wrong VMA awards. We are happy to report new trophies reflecting The Black Keys' win are currently in development and they should receive them shortly"

Matt Willis reveals that he's working on new music with former Busted bandmate James Bourne: "It's the two guys who wrote Busted songs. So, it's going to be a little bit like Busted. But we're both 27 now. We're not seventeen writing about school teachers and the year 3000. Though we're not writing about really grown-up stuff either. We should be making an album within the next six months"

Kasabian's Tom Meighan reveals he recently received a voicemail from Alan Partridge, aka Steve Coogan: "He was having a right go at us, saying we were setting a bad example to kids for naming the band after [Manson family member] Linda Kasabian. It was hysterical. I've kept it, though I'm slightly worried how he got my number - and that I'm going to feature on some wind-up show"

Mark E Smith on Mumford & Sons: "We were playing a festival in Dublin the other week. There was this other group warming up in the next sort of chalet, and they were terrible. I said, 'Shut them cunts up', and they were still warming up, so I threw a bottle at them. My band said, 'That's the Sons of Mumford or something, they're number five in the charts!' I just thought they were a load of retarded Irish folk singers"

		Gruff Rhys. Super Furry Animals frontman Gruff Rhys has announced that he will release a new solo album, his third, in February next year. To mark the occasion, he's giving away a free download of a track from the album, 'Shark Ridden Waters', and revealed that he will be touring the British Isles next month. You can download 'Shark Ridden Waters' for free now and the track will also be released on twelve-inch on 8 Nov - gruffrhys.com

		Frontiers. The band themselves pitch their sound as being somewhere between Interpol and The Cure, which is probably reasonable, though when we caught them live recently we were thinking more along the lines of Muse and The Arctic Monkeys. Convinced, as we were, that we were watching Britain's next big rock band. But if I told you that, you'd probably think I was overdoing the hyperbole. So I won't - myspace.com/frontiersofficial

		Youthless. Although the duo hark from New York and London respectively, they're now based in Portugal, where they've already made a bit of a name for themselves. It seems the Portugese go for a blend of garage-rock and disco that knows its way around a cowbell. And I see no reason why they shouldn't. Their debut single, 'Golden Age', which was released this week - soundcloud.com/onebirdrecords/sets/obr-001

		Chad Valley. The solo project of Jonquil frontman Hugo Manuel, Chad Valley's slick, soulful 80s pop tunes having been, er, washed out and buried under a wave of effects, compressing and distorting the finished recordings. It's an increasingly common technique, yes, but gives these songs such a dreamy quality it's hard to imagine them being presented any other way - myspace.com/hugomanuel

		Smatka. It would be hard not to at least mention Smatka's resemblance to Siouxsie Sioux when writing about her. See? I just did. Her songs swung wildly between different styles, leaving Team CMU's two representatives, who arrived to see her at different times at last week's In The City festival, describing her as making "goth Bond themes" or being "Paloma Faith fronting an indie band" - myspace.com/smatka

		Justin Bieber. Not got time to read this season's must read memoir, Justin Bieber's Pulitzer Prize winning autobiography 'First Step 2 Forever: My Story'? Worried you're missing out on the most important rags-to-riches tale of the century? Never fear, Bieber's fellow countryman, 88 year old Canadian actor Gordin Pinscent, has picked out some of the best bits to share with you - youtu.be/Nhh2288zNVE

#40: Red Hot Chili Peppers v Diana Vickers
There's been talk this week of the Red Hot Chili Peppers suing Diana Vickers. And not just because her voice is so offensive. It seems a few people, including the band and their 'people', think that her new single, 'My Wicked Heart' sounds more than a little like RHCP's 1992 hit, 'Under The Bridge'.

No legal papers have been drawn up yet, though. So, as long as Vickers keeps her mouth shut and her head down, she might just get away with it. What she definitely shouldn't do is admit to having ripped off the song in an interview, or anything like that.

Oh dear.

Clearly unaware that 'subconscious infringement' is recognised by copyright law (that's how The Stranglers got Elastica), Vickers told Digital Spy, when asked about the similarity between her song and the RHCP track: "Yeah, that happened without even knowing. We wrote the song in an hour. We had the song and it didn't have the 'my wicked heart' bit in it and then we put the vocal in and we were like, 'Why does it sound so familiar?' Then we realised it was because we were listening to 'Under The Bridge' the day before".

Then, really making sure that this had gone past a simple subconscious accident, she added: "We were saying, 'Should we change it? Should we not? What should we do? Sod it, no, we're just gonna keep it, it works'".

Still, this doesn't need to go to court. It's such an expensive, time consuming activity. Red Hot Chili Peppers are currently working on their tenth album; I suggest they just use the chorus from Vickers' debut single 'Once' in one of their new tracks. Then it's just a straight swap and no one needs to be upset. Except perhaps all music fans in the world ever - but a new RHCP album was always going to be hard on them anyway.

Andy Malt Editor	Chris Cooke Business Editor & Co-Publisher	Caro Moses Co-Publisher

Eddy Temple-Morris Columnist	Paul Vig Club Tipper	George Osbourne Cuttings Manager

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