Rock News: Music's high and low notes

NIRVANA ALBUM IN THE WORKS

Nirvana's final recording may see the light of day later this year after being kept in the dark by legal battles between Kurt Cobain's widow, Courtney Love, and the two surviving band members, bassist Kurt Novoselic and drummer Dave Grohl.

"You Know You're Right," recorded a few months before Cobain committed suicide April 5, 1994, is part of a proposed greatest hits package being prepared by Universal for release later this year. Love has been fighting for control of Nirvana's material with Novoselic and Grohl in recent years, maintaining her late husband's estate is entitled to control any Nirvana material because Cobain was the band's main songwriter.

Novoselic and Grohl maintain the band had been run as a partnership during its existence and all material they recorded together is covered under that agreement. The arguments prevented the release last fall of a Nirvana box set designed to coincide with the 10th anniversary of the band's huge hit album, "Nevermind," but an agreement for a greatest hits package, including "You Know You're Right," appears to be in the works.

LOU REED ALBUMS SET FOR REISSUE

Lou Reed's glam-rock masterpiece "Transformer" will be released as a 30th anniversary special edition package and the live concert disc "Take No Prisoners" will see its CD debut in the United States this fall as part of BMG's Heritage series. The Velvet Underground leader enjoyed a commercial breakthrough with the solo album "Transformer" and it's hit single "Walk On the Wild Side" in 1972. The album was produced by glam-rock inventors David Bowie and Mick Ronson.

The new edition will feature full remastering, rare photos and extensive liner notes. "Transformer" also will feature previously unreleased bonus material, including acoustic demo versions of "Hangin' Round" and "Perfect Day."

"Take No Prisoners," a 1978 performance recorded at New York's Bottom Line, is a legendary show in which Reed lashed out viciously at the music industry during his set.

SOFT CELL RETURNS

Neo-Electro groundbreakers Soft Cell are set to release their first album in 18 years, "Cruelty Without Beauty," on Oct 8. "We see this album as the rebirth of Soft Cell," explained singer Marc Almond. "We felt like we had an unfinished story that we needed to tell."

"The time was right, the chemistry was still strong and we each had new things to bring to the album," added synth player Dave Ball. "The album has a freshness to it -- we have a more sophisticated sound while still holding on to our roots. We like to call our music decadent pop. There is also a definite feel of soul and funkiness to what we do."

DAVID LEE ROTH TOO HOT FOR VERMONT

David Lee Roth is not likely to be invited back to play in Essex Junction, Vt., any time soon after promoters were fined $5,000 by village officials because Roth violated Essex Junction's noice ordinance. The former Van Halen lead singer's sound crew ignored the pleas of fair operatives at the Champlain Valley Exposition to turn down the volume. The Providence Journal reported Tom Oddy, director of special events for the fair, repeatedly demanded the sound be turned down. "I've never seen that attitude, ever, with a show," Oddy told the Journal.

CHICAGO TO TAKE REQUESTS LIVE

Chicago will perform on A&E's "Live By Request" this Thursday. The longtime hitmakers will take requests during the concert, which will be telecast from Sony's Automatic Studios in New York. Fans can e-mail requests before the show at livebyrequest.com, and during the show a request line phone number will be shown onscreen as the band plays. The concert takes place against the backdrop of Rhino's extensive reissue project of Chicago albums, including the 35th anniversary greatest hits package, "Only the Beginning." When the greatest hits album debuted at No. 38 on the Billboard Top 200 it made Chicago the first American rock band to have a Top 40 album in five different decades.