PHILADELPHIA - Two Roxette songs have earned a place on iTunes new listing of hot songs, dubbed “iTunes Essentials.”

  The iTunes Essentials listing picks 75 songs from each calendar, dividing them into three different categories: The Basics, Next Step and Deep Cuts. The Basics are representative of the biggest hits of the year, the Next Step category are listings of songs that you might not have heard before and Deep Cuts are sort of lost gems – hit songs that you somehow missed.

  Roxette’s “Joyride” earned a place as the #1 Deep Cuts track from 1991, while “The Look” placed #5 in 1989’s Next Step field.

  Somehow, “It Must Have Been Love,” the #2 track of 1990 according to Billboard, missed out in the listing of songs from that year.

  Of course, Roxette fans almost certainly have these “essential” tracks in their libraries, but if you’d don’t, they can be downloaded from the iTunes service.

  The top download track there from Roxette is “Listen to Your Heart.”

ST. PETERSBURG - Gala Records, who hold all the rights to release EMI music in Russia, reports that Roxette releases will come out in this country on October 16th.

  They will release:

• A COLLECTION OF ROXETTE HITS! THEIR 20 GREATEST SONGS!
• THE ROXBOX - ROXETTE 86-06 (4CD + 1DVD) NTSC VERSION OF BONUS DVD)
• THE ROXBOX - ROXETTE 86-06 (4CD + 1DVD) PAL VERSION OF BONUS DVD)
• A COLLECTION OF ROXETTE HITS! THEIR 20 GREATEST SONGS! - (1CD + 1 NTSC DVD) - deluxe
• A COLLECTION OF ROXETTE HITS! THEIR 20 GREATEST SONGS! - (1CD + 1 PAL DVD) - deluxe

  No singles are mentioned yet.



EDITOR’S NOTE: Our thanks to TDR Reporter XRezs, who filed this report:



BUDAPEST – Finally, the cover of the RoxBox has been revealed. The design, as you see displayed here, features the same photo used for the Hits CD. The image first appeared publicly on EMI Music Finland’s website.

• Gala Records (Mostly in Russian, but song/album titles in English)

MOSSMAN, AUSTRALIA - There are a lot of fans of Per and Marie “down under,” and some of them named their netball team after their favorite music group. Thus, in a rather bizarre coincidence (given the recent hit cover song), there might actually be a “Roxette vs. (Dancing) DJs” matchup next Tuesday in the semi-final round of the Douglas Netball Association competition. The Gazette reports that the teams are putting in a huge effort for a great finish to the season.

  The DJs and Young Guns previously recorded a tie and will replay their game on Monday night. Then next Tuesday, the semi-final will be played with Roxette competing against the winner of the Monday night game.

  Should the DJs win, they’ll surely be dancing, but our bet is on Roxette.
  Dancing DJs, an electronic music group from the UK, had a big hit with their rendition of “Fading Like A Flower” last year.

VIENNA - Updated information about Roxette’s new “One Wish” single has appeared on EMI Austria’s website.

  With a release scheduled on the 29th of this month, the CD (with catalog number 3761192) has this tracklist:

1. One Wish


2. The Rox Medley


3. It Must Have Been Love (Christmas For The Broken Hearted)


4. Turn To Me

• EMI Austria

ADELAIDE - It looks like the good news just keeps on coming. EMI Australia has confirmed releases of the album(s) and The RoxBox. Australia won’t get the new single, “One Wish,” though.

  While the “deluxe” CD (including a DVD) and the box will be imported, the regular CD will be made in Australia. All releases are scheduled for mid-October, EMI Australia reports to TDR.

TORONTO - Canada will be getting the normal and deluxe versions of the Greatest Hits album on October 17th, according to the New Releases section of EMI Music Canada’s website.

• EMI Music Canada

LONDON - “One Wish,” the new Roxette single is set to be released in the United Kingdom on September 25th according to a report appearing on the BBC website.

• BBC’s “New Releases”

STOCKHOLM - Here is a message from Per regarding the RoxBox controversy.

Dear Daily Roxers, hope all is well in the real world!

I’ve noticed, reading on my own and thru various mails, that some of you are unhappy, furious, hurt, suicidal and even displaying a very unpleasant attitude regarding the upcoming Roxette releases.
Roxette has been around for 20 years, this particular year we have decided to release 1 compilation album with our biggest hits + 1 box set which should give a more complete picture of the band and our ambitions. All for a wide audience of old + new fans and people who perhaps didn’t even know they were fans…

We have recorded 2 new tracks which we feel are up to the same standard as our best material. As well as these new ones the box will include 14 tracks that most folks living on this planet aren’t that familiar with. And they’re pretty good too. Yea, that’s about it. No, I forgot the extended version of MTV Unplugged recordings which will also be included in this mighty box.

It has never been our intention to have a box-release leaning heavily towards demos, remixes, song sketches or live material. Like I mentioned before the idea with this particular item is to present the big picture of what Roxette is all about. We don’t want that flow of quality productions to be interrupted by 7-minute remixes or lukewarm demos. Quality over exclusivity has always been our choice.

By the way, talking about demos: Most artists (that I know of anyway) don’t release demos at all. Just so you know, the demo is made by the writer or the artist to try out the song, to find out for oneself what it’s all about. It’s not necessarily meant to be heard by the public. It’s work in progress. Some of you seem to think that these, often primitive, recordings or rough sketches are made for your ears. They are not. They are made for ours. You can’t take for granted that the demoversion of every Roxette-song you like has to be released. That won’t happen.

So…I really can’t understand the dissatisfaction among some of you. If you don’t like it, don’t listen to it and certainly don’t buy it! Marie and I have to be the prime judges of our own music, our own lyrics and our own productions. That won’t change. It’s a beautiful day out there. Enjoy it.

P.
Sept. 2, 2006

Roxette will be one of the three headline acts of BRAVO magazine’s 50-year gala this fall. Together with other acts like Nena (99 Luftballons) and Die fantastischen Vier, Roxette will perform live in Germany for the first time in five years!

  The show will be a time machine through five decades of pop culture. The “50 Jahre BRAVO” gala will take place at Color Line Arena in Hamburg on October 21st at 19:00 CET and… it’s possible to buy tickets.

  The show will be broadcast during prime time on channel “Pro Sieben” at 21:15 the same day.

EDITOR’S NOTE: The PR machine may have taken awhile to get its gears cranking, but the story that Roxette is back together again – and will be performing live on this show – has gone international. The Brazilian newspaper O Globo carries a story today, at least in their online edition (see link below). Roxette remains a well-known name in Brazil, due in large part to Roxette songs having been used for the soundtracks of television novellas (soap operas). – LEO

• Bravo 50 (In German)
• Presseportal (In German)
• O Globo (In Portuguese)

STOCKHOLM - Aftonbladet reports about the recording of the new video for “One Wish” today.


  Marie explains that she is longing to release this song. “We’ve gotten tons of mail from fans who have asked when the new songs will be released and how they sound,” she says.


  Marie also speaks of her friendship with Per. “Our friendship is getting better and better every year that passes by. It’s been such incredible fun to work with this gang again. Roxette is so big and intense.”


  Regarding “One Wish,” Marie says that it’s a classical Gessle-song, “easy to hum and at the same time with a damned nice beat. You can’t get the melody out of your head.”


  Per explains he thought it would feel strange to do something with Roxette again, “but when Marie and I met, we went straight back to our old groove. Marie made some coffee, and I played hockey,” said Per with a smile.


  The video was shot in Filmhuset’s basement at Gärdet, Stockholm. “Since the song is released [in conjuction with] our 20th anniversary, the new video will contain much from our older videos,” explains Per. “Some parts of the video will be animated,” reveals Jonas Åkerlund.


  Per also comments about another US #1: “We don’t feel we have to sell one million records this time around. It’s just cool to do this again.”


  Roxette will be on a promotion tour this fall, including the shows “Bingolotto” and the “Världens barn” (Children of the World) gala in Sweden.


  Norwegian newspaper VG also reported about Roxette today. When they enquire if there will be a new Roxette album, Marie explains they haven’t decided yet. “We take one thing at a time. Right now I draw a lot, and I’m planning a new exhibition, but it’s not impossible,” she says.


Tcooh contributed to this article

• Aftonbladet’s article (In Swedish, with photos)