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I suppose it’s not as revolutionary as first thought, but the Wu-Tang covering or sampling or whatevering a Beatles song might just get me interested in listening.

While the song, which a Wu spokesperson told MTV News is called “The Heart Gently Weeps,” does technically feature a “sample” of George Harrison’s “While My Guitar Gently Weeps” (which first appeared on the Beatles’ 1968 self-titled LP, commonly referred to as The White Album), it’s not quite so cut-and-dry.

It’s a composition sample and not a master sample that you’ll hear on the track, meaning that the Wu did receive permission to use Harrison’s song, but not in its original, as-heard-on The White Album form. Rather, it’s been “interpolated” — literally, changed by adding some new material — with new lyrics from Wu rappers Ghostface and Raekwon. Harrison’s son, Dhani, plays guitar on the song.

I mean how awesome would it be to eventually see Ghostface Killah on stage at an MTV awards show with Paul McCartney? Paul would have to claim the 37th chamber.

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Looks like Wal-Mart has jumped the shark. Surprise surprise. According to the NYT - they’ve squeezed all they can out of the American consumers and foreign consumers don’t want what they’re selling. I’m guessing the leaking lead paint from the toy section won’t help the situation going forward.

Using a combination of low prices and relentless expansion, Wal-Mart Stores Inc. emerged from rural Arkansas in the 1970s to reshape the world’s largest economy. Its co-founder, Sam Walton, taught Americans to demand ever-lower prices and instructed businesses on running a lean company. His company helped boost America’s overall productivity, lowered the inflation rate, and strengthened the buying power for millions of people. Over time, it also accelerated the drive to manufacture products in Asia, drove countless small shops out of business, and sped the decline of Main Street. Those changes are permanent.

Today, though, Wal-Mart’s influence over the retail universe is slipping. In fact, the industry’s titan is scrambling to keep up with swifter rivals that are redefining the business all around it. It can still disrupt prices, as it did last year by cutting some generic prescriptions to $4. But success is no longer guaranteed.

Rival retailers lured Americans away from Wal-Mart’s low-price promise by offering greater convenience, more selection, higher quality, or better service. Amid the country’s growing affluence, Wal-Mart has struggled to overhaul its down-market, politically incorrect image while other discounters pitched themselves as more upscale and more palatable alternatives. The Internet has changed shoppers’ preferences and eroded the commanding influence Wal-Mart had over its suppliers.

As a result, American shoppers are increasingly looking for qualities that Wal-Mart has trouble providing. “For the first time in a long time, quality has a chance to gain on price,” says Lee Peterson, a vice president at Dublin, Ohio-based brand consulting firm WD Partners Inc.

Now, the big-name brands that fueled Wal-Mart’s climb to the top are forging exclusive distribution deals with other retailers, or working to reduce their reliance on its stores. PepsiCo Inc., which favored mass-market campaigns a decade ago, recently skipped Wal-Mart when launching a new energy drink in favor of Whole Foods Market Inc. Consumer-products giant Procter & Gamble Co. gets 15% of its revenue from Wal-Mart, down three percentage points from 2003.

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On the Tony Bruno Radio Show:

Dear Tony,

I just heard that Hillary Clinton had a 33 point lead. I didn’t know she was playing Notre Dame!

Sincerely, Bob Davie

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