Rock news: Music's high and low notes

BLACK SABBATH REISSUE SKEDDED

A two-disc Black Sabbath retrospective is set for release Oct. 15 by Warner Bros. Records/Rhino Entertainment.

Produced by Sharon Osbourne, "Symptom of the Universe: The Original Black Sabbath (1970-1978)" gathers and remasters 29 classic songs clocking in at more than 150 minutes created by the first -- and most successful -- incarnation of the Birmingham, England-bred band: vocalist John "Ozzy" Osbourne, guitarist Tony Iommi, bassist Terry "Geezer" Butler,

and drummer Bill Ward.

"Symptom of the Universe" spans eight Black Sabbath studio albums -- from their self-titled debut of 1970 to their final studio long-player to feature Osbourne's vocals, 1978's "Never Say Die!"

Featuring a detailed history by Mick Wall, author of "Paranoid: Black Days With Sabbath & Other Horror Stories", the album includes "Black Sabbath," "Paranoid," "Iron Man," "War Pigs," "Sweet Leaf," "Snowblind," and "Hole In The Sky."

Also included are such noteworthy album tracks as "Sabbra Cadabra" and "Into the Void," as well as their rare cover of "Evil Woman," which was only included on the British album version of 1970's Black Sabbath.

CHESNEY POISONED

Brett Michaels of Poison recently joined Kenny Chesney on stage in Syracuse, N.Y. Growing up in the '80s, Chesney was a fan of Poison but he still was surprised to see the heavy metal icon show up backstage at one of his shows.

"There's the guy from all those videos," Chesney said, "from back when I was about the age of a lot of my fans ... You just kinda remember how you felt and what that means. It's heavy."

Michaels joined Chesney onstage to play Poison's "Every Rose Has Its Thorns."

"I told Brett how much that song did for me when I was a teenager, and he laughed," Chesney said. "It was so cool, to look over there and see him. You know, another one of those 'Is this really happening to me?' moments."

LOVE TO STAR IN SCOTTISH PLAY

Courtney Love will star as Lady Macbeth in an adaptation of the Shakespeare play that actors fear to mention by name. Director Luc Besson tabbed Love for the role of one of the most evil women in the dramatic history in the film, titled "Miss June." Love received good notices for her featured role in the 1996 film "The People vs. Larry Flynt."

NATIVE AMERICAN AWARDS SET

The fifth annual Native American Awards, nicknamed the Nammys, will take place Sept. 7 at the Marcus Amphitheater in Milwaukee. Performers include Felipe Rose, the Indian from the Village People, Gary Small with Graham Lear of Santana, Micki Free of Shalamar, Jana, four-time nominee Martha Redbone, Primeaux and Mike and Bill Miller.

Redbone and Paul LaRoche are each nominated for four awards. Free, Jim Boyd, Keith Secola -- with John Densmore of the Doors -- and Gary Small are all nominated for three awards.

This year's Native Heart category features an impressive list of mainstream artists, including Neil Young, Bruce Cockburn, and the late Joey Ramone. The music of this year's nominees includes a tribal dance remix of Led Zeppelin's "Stairway to Heaven" and a pow wow version of "Who Let the Dogs Out."

COUNTING CROWS HEAD VOODOO FEST

Counting Crows and Macy Gray will headline this year's Voodoo Fest in New Orleans. The annual Halloween weekend rock festival is slated for Saturday, Nov. 2, which also is Mexico's Day of the Dead celebration. Set against the moss-draped Spanish oaks and eerie swamps of Voodoo Island, the Voodoo Festival includes 30 other artists soon to be announced. Over the last three years, Voodoo has had such international stars as Eminem, Stone Temple Pilots, Tool, Snoop Dogg, The Black Crowes, Bush, Live, John Mayer and Ben Harper.