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November 1998

(click on subject to read the article)

Happy to be here ONLINE
Sinead O'Connor covers Abba for Omagh.
some low key event
You've got mail track-listing
Chiquitita (promo) released
New song with Zucchero
New live duet found
You've got Mail got released
Sinead phones Irish TV
Across The Bridge Of Hope Released


November 4th 1998

(handed by Mars-L)

Happy to be here ONLINE

If you wanna see Sinead with the black wig, performing live with Dave Stewart on the song "Happy to be here", it's online now.
Goto www.davestewart.com  to see and read more about it.

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November 5th 1998

(handed by Bruno Autin)

Sinead O'Connor covers Abba for Omagh.

U2, Sinead and Van Morrison turn out for bombing victim tribute album

Nothing can repair the damage caused from the most devastating bombing in Northern Ireland's recent history, but affected citizens can find some solace in efforts to alleviate the pain. To date, more than $1.5 million has been raised for the Omagh bombing victims; the leaders of Ireland's peace discussions -- John Hume and David Trimble -- were recently named as this year's Nobel Peace Prize recipients; and, now, the biggest names in Irish music -- U2, Sinead O'Connor, Boyzone, Van Morrison and Ash among them -- have come together to contribute songs to an Omagh tribute album. Set for a November 30 release in the U.K. and Ireland, Across the Bridge of Hope features a plethora of artists who have donated their songs and time to this memorial for the victims of the Aug. 15 bombing. Some previously released songs on the collection include U2's "Please," Boyzone's "Words," Ash's "I'm Gonna Fall," the Corrs' "What Can I Do?" and the Divine Comedy's "Sunrise." In addition, new age artist Enya contributed a new version on "Silent Night," and Van Morrison recorded a special acoustic version of "The Healing Game," which features the Chieftains' Paddy Moloney.

O'Connor contributes the album's first single -- an adaptation of Abba's lighthearted "Chiquitita." "She took what was a pop piece and brought it down-tempo to the place where you realize what a fantastic song it is," says Ross Graham, the album's coordinator.

Graham said that numerous English and American artists wanted to take part in the project, however, the Northern Irish businessman decided to showcase only Irish artists for integrity's sake. "The songs [from English musicians] didn't seem to be close enough emotionally to the context of the record," Graham says. "[American artist] James Taylor sent in a song called 'From Belfast to Boston' that was written about Northern Ireland and the Irish question: How can we resolve the conflict and animosity between the two communities?"

Taylor's song was initially considered for the compilation, but the organizers decided it belongs on a special U.S. version of Across the Bridge of Hope, tentatively set for a St. Patrick's Day (March 17, 1999) release. Nanci Griffith also discussed donating a song to the U.S. collection, Graham says.

The album is further augmented by two poems read by actor Liam Neeson. Seamus Heaney, Ireland's Nobel Laureate in Poetry, handpicked the first,"The Cure at Troy." The second poem, from which the album borrows its name, was penned by twelve-year-old Sean McLaughlin shortly before he was killed by in the bombing. It reads: "Orange and green it does not matter/United now, don't shatter our dream/Scatter the seeds of peace over our land/So we can travel, hand in hand/Across the bridge of hope."

All proceeds from the album will benefit the Omagh Memorial Trust, which was created to assist the families of the bomb's victims as well as any future memorials and related charities.

ARI BENDERSKY
(November 2, 1998)

Adition; The cd will be released with a video for Sinead's Chiquitita.

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November 10th 1998

(handed by Matthias Radestock)

some low key event

I've  just heard this on the local news.
Sinead is going to be present this afternoon at the opening of a centre in Hackney, London, that deals with cases of domestic violence. Apparently she is going to give a little speech.

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November 11th 1998

(handed by YKC)

You've got mail track-listing

here's the track-listing for you've got mail:

You've Got Mail: catalog #83153

1) Harry Nilsson -- The Puppy Song
2) The Cranberries -- Dreams
3) Bobby Darin -- Splish Splash
4) Louis Armstrong -- The Dummy Song
5) Harry Nilsson -- Remember
6) Roy Orbison -- Dream
7) Bobby Day -- Rockin' Robin
8) Randy Newman -- Lonely at the Top
9) Stevie Wonder -- Signed, Sealed, Delivered
10) Sinead O'Connor -- I Guess The Lord Must Be in New York City
11) Harry Nilsson -- Over the Rainbow
12) Carole King -- Anyone at All
13) Billy Williams -- Sit Down and Write Myself a Letter
14) The "You've Got Mail" Suite/Written & Conducted by George Fenton
15) Jimmy Durante -- You've Made Me Love You

ps. yup, sinead sounds very cheerful, as she croons, "i said goodbye to  all my sorrows/ and by tomorrow, i'll be on my way/i guess the lord must  be in new york city." going by the lyrics, it doesn't surprise me that  she'd pick the song. the breezy, '70s-style arrangement is similar to  'everybody's talkin''(nilsson's theme for midnight cowboy), with lots of  strings and jaunty guitar (& did i hear a banjo in there somewhere?!),  but sinead updates it by introducing a very funky, trippy drumbeat  throughout the song. best of all, you'll love the way she goes,   "aaahhhh," at the end of the song.

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November 15th 1998

(handed by Eduard Verheijen)

Chiquitita (promo) released

The promo cd single from Chiquitita got released recently. It's a 1 track promo (running time 4.22) and has a picture sleeve from sinead.
The picture is a sort of black/white/blue color.  Is has sinead head (shaven, not bald, but short hear) till her shoulders. She's wearing a coat with high color.

The song itself is very different to the version she sang at the Bob Elton show. On that one it was only guitar, this one has drums, piano, Spanish guitar, bass guitar and strings. The cd is again produced and mixed by john Reynolds and the cd is released on the music for UNICEF c/o warner chappel label.

The song probably won't be released as a cd-single only as this promo to advert the "Across the bridge of hope" album, in aid of the omagh fund. But it's a nice one to have because of her picture on the cover, which won't be the case on the album.

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November 17th 1998

(handed by Christian Petrulio)

New song with Zucchero


From BILLBOARD (editted by me);  A duet with Sinead O'Connor and live U.K. and U.S. dates next year are among the tools Polydor is using to reintroduce Zucchero "Sugar" Fornaciari to Anglo audiences. This months Zucchero will be releasing a new album entitled "Bluesugar"

However, in the U.K., Polydor U.K. will concentrate first on releasing a customized version of "The Best Of Zucchero" in March 1999, tying in with
several live U.K. dates. A new recording of Zucchero's 1997 Continental hit, a version of Giuseppe Verdi's operatic aria "Va Pensiero," will be
released in the U.K. in February as a duet with O'Connor.


George McManus, marketing executive at Polydor U.K., says he is confident that Zucchero can score a hat trick on the U.K. charts on the back of the
U.K. tour, the O'Connor duet, and his strong vocal style. The U.K. best-of package will include a revised version of the Paul Young
and Pavarotti duets.

"We are also confident that [national public-service AC network] Radio 2 will pick up on the duet with Sinead O'Connor," says McManus, explaining that changes at Radio 2 in the past few months--making it a more contemporary AC outlet--have created a major new promotional tool for adult-oriented artists, along with the established independent local radio circuit.

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November 18th 1998

(handed by Mars-L)

New live duet found

It was probably already know by some of you, but on the concert of 23-sept-98 at the Royal Albert Hall in London (Lillith Fair festifal) Sinead joins Sarah McLaghlan for the song "Angel". Sinead isn't doing backing vocal, nope it's a real DUET !!!!! During the same festival Sinead joined the All-artists-of-the-day-choir to close the festival with Bob Marleys "Redemption Song".

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November 20th 1998

(handed by YKC)

You've got Mail got released

The "you've got mail" soundtrk is out! it's on warner sunset/atlantic,   catalogue no. 83153-2. sinead's contribution, 'i guess the lord must be in new york city', is indeed a version of the nilsson track from the  midnight cowboy soundtrk (as a recent billboard article reported).
here's the details:

Sinead O'Connor - i guess the lord must be in new york city
drums: john reynolds
bass: justin adams
keys: mark taylor
string arranger: caroline dale
engineer: tim oliver
produced by john reynolds

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November 26th 1998

(handed by Sarah)

Sinead phones Irish TV

During the Late Late Show with Gay Byrne on Friday night (nov. 20th) for a special show regarding the bomb in Omagh. The audience was entirely made up of survivors of the blast and people who'd lost family members in it. U2 were the opening and closing act, the Corrs, Paul Brady, Brian Kennedy, Bob Geldof also played. There were heartbreaking stories. During the show (which is broadcast live every Friday night on RTE in Ireland and on Tara for cable viewers in the UK) Sinead rang up and Gay Byrne passed on her message to the audience and viewers. He said that Sinead O'Connor has just phoned to tell us that she is very sorry indeed that she couldn't make it to be here with us tonight but she is very busy over in London, but she said to tell you all that she thinks you are all incredible people and very brave and she sends her love and a big hug to each of you here in the audience tonight.

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November 30th 1998

(handed by Sarah)

Across The Bridge Of Hope Released

Today the Across The Bridge Of Hope cd got released. This is from a piece about the Omagh album on a BBC Radio 1 site:

Sinead O'Connor, who has contributed her version of Abba’s ‘Chiquitita’ to the album, says it was important for artists to support the album: "Omagh was SO horrific and SO against what people wanted, especially after the referendum where people made it very clear that they didn’t want violence. It was so unrepresentative of peoples’ feelings and so outrageous that I feel strongly that it’s the last of any of those type of events that will ever happen".

O'Connor also said she was hopeful the bombing would be Northern Ireland's final tragedy. "It is possible people have taken power back into their own hands and the terrorists are now the terrified," she said.

London design group Plan B has created the cover and publicity campaign for Across The Bridge of Hope, an album made to benefit the Omagh Fund. All
musicians, including Sinead O'Connor and The Divine Comedy, and designers gave their time to the project for free. Money will go to victims of the 1998 terrorist bombing.

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