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Rock News: Music's high and low notes

By JOHN SWENSON, United Press International
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, Aug. 2 (UPI) -- TOBY KEITH TOPS BILLBOARD CHART

Toby Keith's "Unleashed" (Dream Works) debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard Top 200 with sales of 338,000 albums, according to Nielsen SoundScan. Five albums in the top 10 spots on the chart were debuts.

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The compilation album, "Now 10," by Epic checked in at No. 2. "500 Degreez" by Lil Wayne was No. 6, "Mario" checked in at No. 9 and "Full Circle" by Boyz II Men was No. 10.

"The Lonely Position of Neutral" by TRUST Company debuted at No. 11. Nelly's "Nellyville" continued its strong run, hanging in at No. 3, but "Busted Stuff" by the Dave Mathews Band dropped to the four slot after debuting at No. 1 last week.

Eminem's "The Eminem Show" fell to the fifth spot. Keith should enjoy his stay at the top while he can, because the super-hyped Bruce Springsteen album "The Rising" is sure to debut at No. 1 when its opening week numbers are tallied.

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BLACK SABBATH BACK AGAIN

Black Sabbath will issue the only live album recorded by the classic lineup, "Past Lives," on Sanctuary records. The two-compact disc album, set for an Aug. 20 release, features the "original" Sabbath -- vocalist Ozzy Osbourne, guitarist Tony Iommi, bass guitarist Geezer Butler and drummer Bill Ward.

The British quartet never issued a live album in America during its peak years with the original lineup. The first disc was released in England in 1980 as "Live at Last," but the band was unhappy with the sound quality and did not authorize it. The new version has been remastered to the band's satisfaction and a second disc of previously unissued tracks is included.

Disc one includes "Tomorrow's Dream," "Sweet Leaf," "Killing Yourself to Live," "Cornucopia," "Snowblind," "Children of the Grave," "War Pigs," "Wicked World" and "Paranoid." Disc two features "Hand of Doom," "Hole in the Sky," "Symptom of the Universe," "Megalomania," "Iron Man," "Black Sabbath," "N.I.B.," "Behind the Wall of Sleep" and "Fairies Wear Boots."


CAJUN KIDS ON THE RISE

The newest stars of Cajun music are Feufollet, an outstanding band of Louisiana teenagers raised on the traditional music of the Acadian culture who mix those ancestral sounds with an electric beat. The band, all aged 16 to 18, was nominated for a fistful of CSMA awards, the Cajun Grammy.

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"Belle Louisiane," their second album, was nominated for Album of the Year, and the title track, written by Cajun legend Zachary Richard, Song of the Year. The group itself was nominated for Band of the Year and two of its singers for Vocalist of the Year.

"I met Feufollet several years ago," Richard says, "and remember thinking at the time that, via their commitment and enthusiasm, the culture would survive for at least another generation."


SUMMER OF LOVE 35

The lineup for "Summer of Love... 35 Years Later," slated for Labor Day weekend, has been finalized. Headliners are the Dark Star Orchestra, a Grateful Dead tribute band that recreates an entire Grateful Dead show at each performance.

Other bands scheduled for the weekend event at Marvin's Mountaintop in Masontown, W.Va., include The Wailers, Steve Kimock Band, Victor Wooten, The Derek Trucks Band, Ray's Music Exchange, The Alison Brown Quartet, Kelly Bell Band, Catfish Hodge Band, Psychedelic Breakfast, Jacob Fred Jazz Odyssey, Gordon Stone Band, ulu, Dr. Didg, Moon Boot Lover, The Bomb Squad, Jabali Afrika, The Bridge and Keith & Joan Pitzer.


CEDELL DAVIS ON A FAST HORSE

Blues great Cedell Davis celebrated the release of his latest album, "When Lightnin' Struck The Pine" this week at New York's Knitting Factory. The album is his debut for Fast Horse Recordings, a label founded by percussionist and composer Barrett Martin and Grammy Award winning percussionist Joe Cripps of Brave Combo. R.E.M./Tuatara Band member Peter Buck also is involved in the company as a producer and A&R advisor.

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