Like many of you, I too noticed this on the Massive Attack fan page. Apparently, they’re not happy about the fact that Pete Tong and the Heritage Orchestra have been covering “Unfinished Symphony”. Hmm…

To be perfectly honest, I’m deeply suspicious of the authenticity and the sentiment behind this message, and that isn’t a claim that I make lightly.

Massive Attack are no doubt well aware of the fact that you do NOT need permission to do a cover of a record. You do need to clear it with the copyright holder and publishing company if you’re sampling a record, but not if you’re doing a cover – which is what Pete Tong and his orchestra are doing.

So what has inspired this post? Could it possibly be the fact that, in August 2011, Tong was granted a restraining order against Shara Nelson? She had claimed to be his wife and also said she’d had a child with him. She was banned from contacting Tong or his family and sentenced to 80 hours of community service.

And who is Shara Nelson? Only the singer on “Unfinished Symphony”…