Paul McCartney inducted Ringo Starr into the Rock'n'Roll Hall Of Fame on Saturday [April 18, 2015].
In his speech, quoted by Rolling Stone, McCartney said, "We were four guys from Liverpool that set out on this journey. Eventually we got on The Ed Sullivan Show and got really famous.
"Ringo is jus...
Paul McCartney inducted Ringo Starr into the Rock’n’Roll Hall Of Fame on Saturday [April 18, 2015].
In his speech, quoted by Rolling Stone, McCartney said, “We were four guys from Liverpool that set out on this journey. Eventually we got on The Ed Sullivan Show and got really famous.
“Ringo is just something so special. When he’s playing behind you, you don’t have to look and wonder if he’s going to speed up or slow down. It’s just there. It’s a great honor for me to induce him — oh, induct him — into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.”
Later, McCartney joined Starr on stage to perform “A Little Help From My Friends“.
Starr is the final member of The Beatles to be inducted.
McCartney, John Lennon and George Harrison were inducted as solo artists in 1999, 1994 and 2004 respectively.
What is believed to be the rarest Led Zeppelin vinyl record is to be auctioned.
The item - Led Zeppelin Past, Present And Future - is an official promotional album that was never released by the band's Swan Song Records.
There are only two test pressings in existence of the record.
The album cons...
What is believed to be the rarest Led Zeppelin vinyl record is to be auctioned.
The item – Led Zeppelin Past, Present And Future – is an official promotional album that was never released by the band’s Swan Song Records.
There are only two test pressings in existence of the record.
The album consists of an interview conducted at the August 11, 1979 Knebworth Festival concert with Robert Plant and John Paul Jones.
According to the website zeppelincollectables, a cover was designed by Led Zeppelin’s record company and a catalogue number assigned (Swan Song PR-342) before production ceased. Other than a very few test pressings, records were never manufactured.
The starting bid for the album is $6,000.00 and the auction will run until Sunday April 26, 2015.
You can find more details about the auction by clicking here.
David Bowie thinks Lou Reed's 2011 collaboration with Metallica, Lulu, is his "greatest work".
The claim was made by Reed's widow Laurie Anderson during her speech at Reed's induction into the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame on Saturday, April 18.
"One of his last projects was his album with Metallica,...
David Bowie thinks Lou Reed‘s 2011 collaboration with Metallica, Lulu, is his “greatest work”.
The claim was made by Reed’s widow Laurie Anderson during her speech at Reed’s induction into the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame on Saturday, April 18.
“One of his last projects was his album with Metallica,†she said. “And this was really challenging, and I have a hard time with it. There are many struggles and so much radiance. And after Lou’s death, David Bowie made a big point of saying to me, ‘Listen, this is Lou’s greatest work. This is his masterpiece. Just wait, it will be like Berlin. It will take everyone a while to catch up.’â€
Anderson added: “I’ve been reading the lyrics and it is so fierce. It’s written by a man who understood fear and rage and venom and terror and revenge and love. And it is raging.”
Reed was inducted by Patti Smith, who said, “I made my first eye contact with Lou, dancing to the Velvet Underground when they were playing upstairs at Max’s Kansas City in the summer of 1970. And then somewhere along the line, Lou and I became friends. It was a complex friendship, sometimes antagonistic and sometimes sweet. Lou was sometimes emerge from the shadows at CBGBs. If I did something good, he would praise me. If I made a false move, he would break it down.”
She continued: “One night, when we were touring, separately, we wound up in the same hotel, and I got a call from him, and he asked me to come to his room. He sounded a little dark, so I was a little nervous. But I went up, and the door was open, and I found him in the bathtub dressed in black. So I sat on the toilet and listened to him talk. It seemed like he talked for hours, and he talked about, well, all kinds of things.”
“He spoke compassionately about the struggles of those who fall between genders. He spoke of pre-CBS fender amplifiers and political corruption. But most of all, he talked about poetry. He recited the great poets — Rupert Brooke, Hart Crane, Frank O’Hara. He spoke of the poets’ loneliness and of the poets’ dedication to the highest muses. When he fell into silence, I said, “Please, take care of yourself, so the world can have you as long as it can.” And Lou actually smiled.”
You can read the full transcript of her speech at Rolling Stone.
Neil Young debuted new songs during a small club gig last night [April 16, 2015].
The show took place at the SLO Brewing Co in San Luis Obispo, California.
You can see footage from the show above.
Neil Young
Click here to read Neil Young on the making of his greatest hits
The Neil Young fan sit...
Neil Young debuted new songs during a small club gig last night [April 16, 2015].
The show took place at the SLO Brewing Co in San Luis Obispo, California.
The Neil Young fan site, Sugar Mountain, which collates Young’s live appearances, lists Young as having performed with Lukas Nelson & The Promise Of The Real. They also have the following set list:
Country Home New Song 1 – People Want To Hear About Love?? New Song 2 – New Day For The Planet?? Down By The River New Song 3 – Too Big Too Fail?? New Song 4 – GMO – Starbucks??
—
Walk On New Song 5 – Monsanto New Song 6 – I Don’t Know You?? New Song 7 – Seeds?? Everybody Knows This Is Nowhere New Song 8 – Big Sky/Wolf Moon?? Love And Only Love New Song 9 New Song 10 Country Home
— Roll Another Number
One report on the Steve Hoffman music forums says: “Tickets were just $10.00 and nothing was revealed about the show until about an hour before show time. SLO Brewing is a small club that holds maybe 300 people. Neil did two sets mostly new material.”
In January, Uncutreported that Young was working on new material with Lukas Nelson and his brother, Mikah.
The San Luis Obispo Tribunequotes promoter Todd Newman, of Good Medicine Presents, as saying, “Lukas contacted us last week and asked to work on a secret show,. He didn’t offer many details. He simply said, ‘Let’s plan for a concert Thursday and we are going to bring something special to Good Medicine and SLO.’
â€It wasn’t until shortly before the show that we found that Neil was the special surprise.â€
You can see some photographs from the SLO Brewing Co show by clicking here.
It’s quite hard to imagine that such a thing as a Great Lost Album could still exist, at a time when everything seems available. But amazingly, there are albums by Neil Young, Van Morrison, The Who, David Bowie and even The Beatles which cannot be bought as a new CD or as a legal download.
Here, ...
It’s quite hard to imagine that such a thing as a Great Lost Album could still exist, at a time when everything seems available. But amazingly, there are albums by Neil Young, Van Morrison, The Who, David Bowie and even The Beatles which cannot be bought as a new CD or as a legal download.
Here, the Uncut team have exhaustively tracked down these extraordinary albums – all proper releases in their time, rather than fabled bootlegs of the Smile variety – that are not officially on sale right now. These records are the work of revered superstars, cult heroes and almost entirely forgotten foot soldiers of rock. Some have simply slipped off the radar; others are suppressed thanks to bizarre disputes and artistic whims. Some can be bought second-hand for a trifle, while others will set you back a small fortune.
All, we think, are worth tracking down – one way or another. Our treasure hunt ends with an in-depth look at one of rock’s most fraught masterpieces… Originally in Uncut’s May 2010 issue (Take 156), and updated for 2015!
______________________________
TIN MACHINE Tin Machine II LONDON, 1991
David Bowie had formed Tin Machine in 1988 with guitarist Reeves Gabrels and rhythm section Hunt and Tony Sales, indulging a shared love of dissonant garage-rock and to hell with the consequences. EMI duly dropped them on the eve of this second album. Yes, Hunt Sales’ vocals on “Stateside†and “Sorry†are two of the most excruciating moments in Bowie’s recorded career, but overall II was actually a better album than their debut. Gabrels’ splintered guitar work has depth and texture, with “Baby Universal†and “Goodbye Mr Ed†offered a return to Bowie’s more allusive art-rock imaginings. Its poor showing in the charts – it was his first album in 20 years to miss the UK Top 20; in the US it crawled to No 126 – has meant a lack of love on the reissue front, too.
EXPECT TO PAY: £20 for the CD. Less for the cassette…
______________________________
BILL DRUMMOND The Man (Creation, 1986)
Before he became The KLF’s money-burning dance-punk art-terror-theorist, the erstwhile visionary behind Liverpool’s Zoo label stepped out as an unabashedly Scottish singer-songwriter with this remarkable LP, created to mark his turning 33-and-a-third. Recorded in five days in a village hall in Galloway, The Man was a surprisingly great sounding LP (not so surprising when you realise his backing band is The Triffids), that found Drummond musing on life, love and rock’n’roll. Its most famous song is undoubtedly “Julian Cope Is Deadâ€, which saw him recounting his master plan to make The Teardrop Explodes bigger than The Beatles by killing the singer. Elsewhere, there was cosmic country, folk, Roxy-esque sax, Wall Of Sound pop, and a Robert Burns recital by Drummond’s preacher father. “The work of a complete nutter,†enthused Creation boss Alan McGee.
EXPECT TO PAY: Quite a lot – sellers are asking £30 to £50 online
______________________________
LOTION Nobody’s Cool (Spin Art/Big Cat, 1995)
New Yorkers Lotion were perpetually described – to their irritation, but with a degree of accuracy – as a cross between REM and Hüsker Dü. Their career encompassed a fine debut, Full Isaac (available on iTunes) and a brief cameo appearance on Buffy The Vampire Slayer. But while the bright and wry college rock of their second LP, Nobody’s Cool, didn’t quite match its predecessor, its current unavailability has resulted in a significant piece of literary ephemera being lost. Drummer Rob Youngberg’s mother was an accountant, and one of her clients, Thomas Pynchon, was implausibly coerced into providing sleevenotes. Pynchon’s essay touched on The Love Boat, The Jetsons and Bobby “Boris†Pickett’s “Monster Mashâ€. “Through-out this album,†he wrote, “beneath the formal demands of rock’n’roll as we have come to know it, between the metal anthems and moments of tonal drama, the darkest of surrealist lyrics, the most feedback-stricken, edge-of-chaos guitar passages, may also be detected the weird jiving sense of humor of a cruise combo.†Rock criticism’s loss, etc etc…
EXPECT TO PAY: Very, very little…
Last night, it was all about seeing familiar faces again. First, there was Ed Miliband on the final leaders debate trying his best not to play into Tory hands by allying himself with Nicola Sturgeon and the SNP; a tactic that may not entirely play out in his favour come election day.
It seems unlik...
Last night, it was all about seeing familiar faces again. First, there was Ed Miliband on the final leaders debate trying his best not to play into Tory hands by allying himself with Nicola Sturgeon and the SNP; a tactic that may not entirely play out in his favour come election day.
It seems unlikely, on the strength of the new trailer, that Star Wars: The Force Awakens will turn out to be as disappointing as the leader’s debate. The internet, perhaps predictably, exploded at the glimpse of Han Solo and Chewbacca, reunited on screen for the first time in over 30 years. Their appearance in this new instalment was hardly a secret, of course. Nevertheless the sight of them together on board the Millennium Falcon in the closing seconds of the trailer – coupled with Solo’s “Chewie, we’re home†line – provided a comforting familiarity necessary to salve frustrated fans with painful memories of the wretched Prequels.
Certainly, it is romantic to see The Force Awakens as an attempt by JJ Abrams – who’s assumed stewardship of the series from George Lucas – to smooth over the cracks left by the series’ creator. The Force Awakens (iffy title, admittedly) is a new chapter with new characters, sure; but also reassuringly there are old friends to catch up with.
Among other topics buzzing round cyberspace last night was, Star Wars vs The Avengers: which will take more at the box office? However playfully it might have been phrased, it’s a predictably reductive playground fight, a bit like, “My Dad’s bigger than yours.” You never quite hear the same debate raging about, say, Iranian cinema: who’s better, Parvis Kimiavi or Bahram Baizai?
Some Stormtroopers, yesterday
It never ceases to amaze me how much emotive pull Star Wars continues to exert. I remember attending an exhibitors screening of The Phantom Menace early one morning at the Empire Leicester Square. The audience totalled six: me and five middle aged men who ran the country’s biggest cinema chains. These were, it should be noted, not exactly the film’s core audience and their response to the film isn’t a matter of public record. All the same, in this basically empty, cavernous cinema there was still something incredibly powerful about the opening text crawl, the John Williams’ score and, later, the appearance of two much-loved droids from the original movies. Similarly, when Attack Of The Clones launched at the Cannes Film Festival, I can quite clearly recall the childlike delight of the world’s most distinguished film critics as a phalanx of Stormtroopers filed down the Croisette to the strains of Williams’ “Imperial Marchâ€. Such is the power of la Force.
Essentially, Star Wars fulfils the same function between an audience and an object as a favourite band or book or TV programme. There are music fans who will bury themselves in the cornflake detail of their beloved artist or band, voraciously soaking up all the miscellanea they can. Ranking albums in order of preference is, essentially, no different from ranking favourite Star Wars characters.
Anyway, apologies for the slightly perambulatory nature of the blog today. It’s hard to make a considered judgement on 2 minutes and 1 second of footage; however top loaded that is with fan bait. What is certain is that it’ll be hard to keep me out of the cinema come December 18.
The Rolling Stones are to release a rare gig from 1971 filmed at London's Marquee Club.
The show was filmed for American television and took place a month before the release of the Sticky Fingers album.
The gig marked the live debut of album tracks, “Brown Sugarâ€, “Dead Flowersâ€, “Bit...
The Rolling Stones are to release a rare gig from 1971 filmed at London’s Marquee Club.
The show was filmed for American television and took place a month before the release of the Sticky Fingers album.
The gig marked the live debut of album tracks, “Brown Sugarâ€, “Dead Flowersâ€, “Bitch†and “I Got The Bluesâ€.
The release of From The Vault: The Marquee – Live In 1971 also coincides with the forthcoming Sticky Fingers deluxe reissue and the band’s North American tour dates.
The Rolling Stones From The Vault: The Marquee – Live In 1971 is available in four formats:
DVD
Main tracklisting & bonus features
SD Blu-ray
Main tracklisting & bonus features
DVD + CD
The DVD and a single CD
DVD + LP
DVD and a single LP (main tracklisting only)
TRACKLISTING:
Live With Me
Dead Flowers
I Got The Blues
Let It Rock
Midnight Rambler
(I Can’t Get No) Satisfaction
Bitch
Brown Sugar
BONUS TRACKS:
I Got The Blues – Take 1
I Got The Blues – Take 2
Bitch – Take 1
Bitch – take 2
Brown Sugar (Top Of The Pops, 1971)
The Rolling Stones From The Vault: The Marquee – Live In 1971 is released via Eagle Rock Entertainment on 22 June 2015
The Chicago-based guitarist Ryley Walker is the subject of a new short film, which you can watch at the top of this page.
Walker, whose Primrose Green album is a former Uncut Album Of The Month, is currently on tour in the UK.
He'll be playing four shows during Record Store Day tomorrow April 18...
The Chicago-based guitarist Ryley Walker is the subject of a new short film, which you can watch at the top of this page.
Walker, whose Primrose Green album is a former Uncut Album Of The Month, is currently on tour in the UK.
He’ll be playing four shows during Record Store Day tomorrow April 18, 2015: 12:30pm – Rough Trade West instore 2:00pm – Sister Ray Instore 5:30pm – Sister Ray Ace Hotel inshore
He will also play a sold out show at the Sebright Arms in London’s Bethnal Green later that evening.
Ryley Walker, Primrose Green sleeve
Walker will also play:
04/19/15 Manchester, UK – The Castle [sold out] 04/20/15 Bristol, UK – Start The Bus 04/21/15 Cardiff, UK – Clwb lfor Bach 04/22/15 Coventry, UK – The Tin at the Coal Vaults 04/23/15 Leeds, UK – Brudenell Cards Room 04/24/15 Brighton, UK – The Hope & Ruin [sold out]
He returns to the UK to play the Shacklewell Arms on September 2, 2015.
Ozzy Osbourne has responded to a statement issued by Bill Ward earlier in the week, in which the drummer said only a personal apology from Osbourne could tempt him to rejoin Black Sabbath.
In a post on Facebook, Osbourne claims he has "no option but to respond honestly" to Ward's comments.
"Wow,...
Ozzy Osbourne has responded to a statement issued by Bill Ward earlier in the week, in which the drummer said only a personal apology from Osbourne could tempt him to rejoin Black Sabbath.
In a post on Facebook, Osbourne claims he has “no option but to respond honestly” to Ward’s comments.
“Wow, Bill. What the fuck are you on about? I cannot apologize for comments or opinions I may have made about you in the press during Sabbath’s ‘13‘ album and tour– physically, you knew you were fucked. Tony, Geezer and myself didn’t think you could have done a two hour set with a drum solo every night, so we made the decision to move on. With Tony’s condition we felt that time was not on our side.”
He adds: “Bill, stop this smokescreen about an ‘unsignable contract’ and let’s be honest. Deep down inside you knew you weren’t capable of doing the album and a 16 month tour. Unfortunately for you, our instincts were correct as you were in hospital several times during 2013. Your last hospitalization was for a shoulder surgery that you now say you’ve only just recovered from. This would have meant that our world tour would have been canceled. So how is all of this my fault? Stop playing the victim and be honest with yourself and our fans.”
Osbourne ends the post by reaching out to Ward, saying “Bill, we go back a long way, let’s stop this now before it gets out of hand. God bless you.”
Todd Rundgren discusses his two new albums, a Roots collaboration and ‘Bat Out Of Hell: The Musical’ in the new Uncut, out now.
The singer, multi-instrumentalist and producer also talks about the ToddStock festivals for fans that he organises at his homes.
“We had one in my home in Hawaii,â€...
Todd Rundgren discusses his two new albums, a Roots collaboration and ‘Bat Out Of Hell: The Musical’ in the new Uncut, out now.
The singer, multi-instrumentalist and producer also talks about the ToddStock festivals for fans that he organises at his homes.
“We had one in my home in Hawaii,†he says, “where people camped on the lawn and drank my booze. Last year, we took everyone around some breweries in California, which was fun but a bit more touristy.
“I’m not sure when the next one will be – I’m hoping that we might end up in Havana. That’d be fun.â€
Asked whether he’s been concerned about getting so close to fans – fanatic Mark Chapman claims he murdered John Lennon in fealty to Rundgren – he says: “Oh man, you can’t live your life like that. If you’re gonna make music that affects people, you inevitably have to deal with some weirdness.â€
In the wake of “The Endless Riverâ€, though, a significant arc has been completed, and a critical, previously obscured part of the Floyd story has been brought into view. As David Gilmour sings on “Louder Than Wordsâ€, the closing track of what was presented as their valedictory album; “Letâ...
In the wake of “The Endless Riverâ€, though, a significant arc has been completed, and a critical, previously obscured part of the Floyd story has been brought into view. As David Gilmour sings on “Louder Than Wordsâ€, the closing track of what was presented as their valedictory album; “Let’s go with the flow, wherever it goes/We’re more than alive…â€
The Ultimate Music Guide to Pink Floyd, then, now tells the complete story of an extraordinary band, a tale that encompasses epic power struggles, intimate confessions, preposterous experiments and, of course, madness, and which stretches back for the best part of five decades. The legend of a great, sometimes oracular British band so potent, in fact, that even their tribute bands play arenas.
There’s a persuasive idea that those tribute bands have been so successful because Pink Floyd themselves are, in a way, anonymous. Who cares about the identity of the musicians playing these awe-inspiring songs, goes the argument: just check out the light show! Uncut’s Ultimate Music Guide to Pink Floyd proves, we think, that this is nonsense. The tale of Pink Floyd is one as human, passionate and compelling as any in the rock canon.
The band’s dramas were played out in the pages of NME, Melody Maker and Uncut, and in the Ultimate Music Guide you’ll find uncut, revelatory interviews conducted with the band between 1967 and 2014. We begin with the brief psychedelic flowering of Syd Barrett, and chart the band’s years of questing until they arrive at The Dark Side Of The Moon. We dive into the intensely personal psychodramas of Roger Waters and the more becalmed stewardship of David Gilmour, and provide in-depth reviews of every Pink Floyd album. We have, of course, added extensive new material on “The Endless Riverâ€, to bring the story right up to date.
“Looking through the Pink Floyd songbook surprises me sometimes,†says Gilmour. “There are hundreds of songs, we go through lots of different styles of music, three different leaders and at least three different singers, and dozens of guests. But everything’s linked by this collective psyche. You have a sound in your head and you try to replicate it. I’m always looking for new sounds.â€
Roxy Music were not best served by the mid-‘80s shift to CDs and especially the subsequent move to mp3 files. At one end of their career, this condensation process made their earlier, more experimental recordings sound tinny and hollow; at the other end, it rendered the lush, expansive sound of th...
Roxy Music were not best served by the mid-‘80s shift to CDs and especially the subsequent move to mp3 files. At one end of their career, this condensation process made their earlier, more experimental recordings sound tinny and hollow; at the other end, it rendered the lush, expansive sound of the later Roxy thin and pasty, a sort of flock-wallpaper version of their velvet smoothness. So this set of 180gm vinyl albums is to be welcomed, even though it charts more clearly than ever the gradual artistic desiccation that came hand-in-hand with commercial success.
Sadly, the restored analogue warmth can’t really surmount Pete Sinfield’s odd production of Roxy’s debut album, which features the drums upfront and punchy, but leaves the other elements less confidently presented in the mix. But it’s a remarkable record nonetheless, with the track title “Re-make/Re-model†virtually constituting a manifesto of the group’s eclectic, postmodern approach, which featured alongside the modernist strains of tracks such as “Ladytron†hints and tints of doowop, cabaret and even country, and also drew influences from the film, fashion and art worlds. Bits of it might have seemed familiar, but en masse it sounded unlike anything else – as did Bryan Ferry’s mannered crooning, which was a hyper-real representation of the emotional ballast commonly associated with popular music, from Bing Crosby to Marvin Gaye.
Chris Thomas’s production makes the follow-up For Your Pleasure much more assured and propulsive – “Do The Strand’ leaps from the speakers with solidity and purpose, as does “Editions Of Youâ€, with its succinct solos by Andy Mackay, Brian Eno and Phil Manzanera. “For Your Pleasure†and the nine-minute “The Bogus Man†reflect the influence of Can, but it’s the blow-up-doll devotional “In Every Dream Home A Heartache†that really pushes the pop-song envelope, shifting from eerie spatiality to crazed climax, with the false fade and phased return cementing its abstruse weirdness.
Roxy Music
Following Eno’s replacement by Curved Air violinist Eddie Jobson, Stranded and Country Life offered a focusing of forces on tracks like “Street Life†and “All I Want Is Youâ€, which extended Roxy’s run of hit singles. Their eclecticism was still in operation – as witness the New Orleans second-line shuffle and gospel choir underscoring Ferry’s testifying on “Psalm†– but the notion “strange ideas mature with age†(from “The Thrill Of It Allâ€) effectively defined Roxy’s developing sound, which despite Manzanera’s terse, edgy guitar striations, was becoming more solid and stable. Ferry’s delivery of hipster slang like “Stay hip/Keep coolâ€, meanwhile, was still abundantly freighted with irony.
But it was the lumpy funk-rock of “Casanovaâ€, with Ferry’s sardonically punning line about “Now you’re nothing but second hand in glove with second rate†that hinted at what was to come on 1975’s Siren. “Love Is The Drug†irresistibly refined this chic funk style, but the album overall seems sluggish and weak. Even “Both Ends Burningâ€, the LP’s other standout, lacks impetus, and it’s no surprise that they decided to take a four-year hiatus: the band sounds wiped out, ground down, used up.
By the time they returned, punk had employed its scorched-earth flamethrower, and the fresh buds of new-wave energy were poking through the ruins. Perhaps this explains the uncertainty of Manifesto, an album split between the fizzy, brittle sound of “Trash†and the more expansive, funk-jazz style of the title-track and “Stronger Through The Yearsâ€, with its fretless bass and prog-scape noodling. Ferry may have claimed, on “Manifestoâ€, that he was “for a life around the corner, that takes you by surpriseâ€, but the use of sessioneers like Steve Ferrone, Rick Marotta and Richard Tee indicated the more mainstream territory being mapped out. “Dance Away†was divinely mousse-light, but the album’s other single “Angel Eyes†was stodgy rather than elegant, limp rather than louche.
The following year, Flesh + Blood became the album which crystallised the synthetic glamour and bogus elegance of the nascent New Romantic movement, offering a template for the likes of Duran Duran, Spandau Ballet and ABC. There was a wafer-thin charm about “Oh Yeah†and “Over Youâ€, singles almost entirely lacking in ambition; but the band were struggling for decent material, to the extent of including dilute covers of “In The Midnight Hour†and “Eight Miles Highâ€, the latter re-cast as sylph-like funk – it fits the Roxy aesthetic, but conveys none of the spaced-out alienation of The Byrds’ original.
The band’s swansong came with 1982’s Avalon, the sleekest entry in their catalogue, so vaporous that the title-track could be the soundtrack to a scent advert, while Phil Manzanera’s guitar, for so long the supplier of Roxy’s more exploratory frissons, reached on “Take A Chance With Me†a rarefied, emotive quality akin to Norwegian angstmeister Terje Rypdal. But the true signifier of the band’s fate could be found in its most crucial component, Bryan Ferry’s voice, which had lost all trace of the irony and bite of early Roxy. Trapped with the enervated swoon of a jaded lothario, he had effectively become what he once parodied.
Viv Albertine is to write a follow-up to her memoir, Clothes Clothes Clothes, Music Music Music, Boys Boys Boys, one of Uncut's Books Of The Year 2014.
According to her publisher's Faber, the new book picks up where the memoir finished and will explore Albertine's thoughts on the subjects that have...
Viv Albertine is to write a follow-up to her memoir, Clothes Clothes Clothes, Music Music Music, Boys Boys Boys, one of Uncut’s Books Of The Year 2014.
According to her publisher’s Faber, the new book picks up where the memoir finished and will explore Albertine’s thoughts on the subjects that have in many ways defined her life: art, fashion, sex, feminism, and the journey from youth into middle age.
Clothes Clothes Clothes, Music Music Music, Boys Boys Boys has now sold close to 50,000 copies in all formats.
Lee Brackstone, Creative Director of Faber Social and Albertine’s editor said: “Publication of Clothes Music Boys was another milestone in the development of the Faber Social list and its success has created a landscape for Viv that she is keen to navigate in her own inimitably fearless fashion. This book is less memoir and more window on the world as Viv sees it today. Every fan of Clothes Music Boys is in for a treat.”
Bill Ward has said he could only work with Black Sabbath again if he receives an apology from Ozzy Osbourne.
Ward did not play on Black Sabbath's 2013 studio album, 13. It was additionally claimed that the band could not come to a financial agreement with Ward.
In a long statement published on his...
Bill Ward has said he could only work with Black Sabbath again if he receives an apology from Ozzy Osbourne.
Ward did not play on Black Sabbath’s 2013 studio album, 13. It was additionally claimed that the band could not come to a financial agreement with Ward.
In a long statement published on his website, Ward – who is soon to release a new album, Accountable Beasts, with his own outfit BWB – said only a personal apology from Osbourne could tempt him back into the fold. “Righting of wrong works, and that’s what I want if I’m ever going to be his friend again,” he wrote.
He also told fans he has “been in deep regret since January 2012 that a true union was denied.”
Ward set his demands out clearly in the statement, writing: “I must admit, I have little to no expectations of this happening, but in the order of first things first, I’m looking for an honest accountability of all of Ozzy’s statements that I felt were untrue. I would want Ozzy to amend his opinions and exaggerations. I would want him to be forthcoming about his unrealistic viewpoints. And because I was chastised publicly, I would want him to amend publicly in his words, and not through an Ozzy representative, the nature of the wrongs. I would not want to continue on with him without this seemingly impassible dilemma being addressed.”
Ward also stipulated he would need “a “signable†contract” before he could consider playing with the band again.
He continued: “I’ve listened to nothing but insults and false remarks, and if as a band or as individuals they wish to continue along the same lines, then any notion of an original Black Sabbath lineup will continue to fade away.”
“Put simply, it’s up to them. I have dearly missed playing with them and as people, I have been heartbroken over the loss of who I thought we were. And now you know where I stand.”
Jay Z has claimed that the platform will be more beneficial for artists, but many have voiced their criticism of the company’s royalty structure since its initial launch.
In an interview in Vulture, Albini has raised doubts over the platform and calling it a “budget version of Pono“, Neil Young‘s high-definition music player.
“Historically, every time there’s been a new technological progression, there’s been a new convenience format [for listening to music],” Albini is quoted as saying. “So the question is, is it possible for something to be more convenient than streaming? And the answer is obviously yes. If you want your music to play at the push of a button, convenience is going to trump sound quality 100 percent of the time.”
“It’s for the same reason that if you had a screen that displayed paintings in your living room, very few serious art enthusiasts would care for such a screen despite the fact that it might show you very high-resolution images of artworks. They want to own a piece of art that is a direct connection to the person who made it. Having an HD screen in your house that would display artwork might have a market, but it’s not the same market as people who are interested in owning art.”
Albini continues that the growing number of streaming services, each with exclusive content, may mean that music fans seek alternate means of consuming music.
“The for-pay services are deluding themselves by trying to establish a permanent monetization of something that’s in flux. The internet provides access to materials and things. Creating these little streaming fiefdoms where certain streaming services have certain artists and certain streaming services have other artists is a crippled use of the internet. If the internet has demonstrated anything over the years, it’s that it has a way of breaking limitations placed on its content.”
Shellac weren’t originally available on Tidal’s main streaming competitor, Spotify, until Albini felt “snobbish” about his decision.”For listeners, [Spotify is] great. [Heavy metal band] High on Fire is excellent if you want background music for poker.”
Last year, Steve Albini called online music sharing the best thing since punk rock. “The single best thing that has happened in my lifetime in music, after punk rock, is being able to share music, globally for free. That’s an incredible development,” he said.
When Blur reformed in 2009, did we necessarily think they were going to record a new album? Evidently, these are busy men with active careers: solo albums, light operas, political campaigns, radio shows, artisanal cheese ranges for mid-price supermarkets. But although there were two warmly received ...
When Blur reformed in 2009, did we necessarily think they were going to record a new album? Evidently, these are busy men with active careers: solo albums, light operas, political campaigns, radio shows, artisanal cheese ranges for mid-price supermarkets. But although there were two warmly received singles – “Fool’s Day†and “Under The Westway†– that demonstrated they had lost none of their talents for writing leftfield pop songs, Blur seemed destined to roll themselves out only during times of collected high spirits: summer festivals, award ceremonies and international sporting events.
So what changed? During May, 2013, Blur spent five days in Hong Kong following cancelled shows in Japan and Taiwan. There, they bedded down at the city’s Avon Studios for some no-strings exploratory jams. These recordings gestated until autumn 2014, when Graham Coxon – in cahoots with the band’s early producer, Stephen Street – decided to fine-tune the material. For his part, Coxon specifically sees his work on The Magic Whip as part of a healing process begun when he rejoined the band in 2009.
The idea of Coxon completing some kind of perceived reparations by assiduously shaping and editing the Hong Kong sessions into Blur’s first new studio album in 12 years makes for a persuasive narrative. But while that may suggest The Magic Whip is a stylistically closer to either Coxon’s own solo releases or the last Blur album to conspicuously foreground his talents – 1997’s Blur – the vibes here are very much about looking forward. Admittedly, there are a couple of songs – “Lonesome Street†and “Go Out†– which explicitly revisit the ‘la la la’ chorus and twitchy guitar rhythms of 20th century Blur, along with what feel like passing nods to “Music is My Radar†or “This Is A Lowâ€.
At its best, The Magic Whip thrums with ideas and possibilities. Palpably, Hong Kong provided a fresh context for many of Albarn’s recurrent themes. Isolation and the depersonalising qualities of modern living weave through the album’s 12 songs, continuing themes explored previously in Blur songs like “Yuko And Hiro†and his own “Everyday Robotsâ€. Songs on The Magic Whip mention internet hotspots, satellite showers, industrial light and glass arcades. In one track, you are required to “log in your nameâ€. Elsewhere, he sings excitedly of his admiration for “the airspace of another city / It’s got your number and your blood typeâ€. As much as The Good, The Bad And The Queen was a melancholy love letter to London, so The Magic Whip depicts a bustling modern city where old cultures and emerging technologies exist cheek-by-jowl. As the album’s sleevenotes comment, “Essex dreams are far wayâ€. Well, quite.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nVM60a1L43c
Albarn returned to Hong Kong in December last year to help shape his lyrics for this album. On his way back to England after solo shows in Australia he revisited many locations and journeys connected to the band’s May 2013 sessions; a gweilo adrift in a city of 7 million. The album’s opener, “Lonesome Streetâ€, finds Albarn alive to the bustle of Hong Kong – “you have to go on the underground to get things done hereâ€. Musically, it feels a little like a reassuring sop to anxious fans; one of those rowdy numbers like “Stereotypesâ€, complete with whistling and some “oo-ooohâ€s. “New World Towers†recalls the dubby, spectral airs of The Good, The Bad & The Queen or Everyday Robots, while Albarn sings about “green neon… carved out of grey white skiesâ€, his wistful tone beautifully complimented by Coxon’s warm guitar playing. Like “Lonesome Streetâ€, “Go Out†– first previewed in February – retains the snotty post-punk tension of Blur’s mid-90s incarnation, driven by choppy guitars and a jerky bass line. It ends in a nicely distorted solo from Coxon. “Ice Cream Manâ€, meanwhile, arrives on loping, acoustic melodies and strange electronic burblings; it builds around a simple chord progression that hangs unobtrusively around Alex James’s basslines. Albarn, meanwhile, appears to conjure up a faintly supernatural yarn about the title character, “with a swish of his magic whip, all the people in the party frozeâ€.
Among the album’s highlights, “Thought I Was A Spaceman†signals a shift in the band’s ambitions. At over six minutes long, it arrives swathed in icy keyboard washes, a nagging xylophone melody and programmed drums across which drift Albarn’s hushed, treated vocals. About two and a half minutes in, though, the song lifts off on shimmering Mellotron lines and Dave Rowntree’s propulsive drums. Evoking images of climate change – “the desert had encroached upon the places were we lived†– it’s elegant and sweeping in stature; vaguely reminiscent of Bowie’s track “Slip Away†(from Heathen), though entirely its own beast. The rowdy “I Broadcast†finds an adrenalized Albarn “buzzing on another dayâ€. It’s followed by “My Terracotta Heartâ€, one of the album’s dazzling sad songs. Against a clanking, whirring drumbeat and gentle guitar filigrees, Albarn’s tone is regretful and nostalgic: “I’m running out of heart here / Just sitting out the constant doubt in my head / But I don’t know what it isâ€. Albarn can write songs like this in his sleep; but that doesn’t diminish their emotive pull. For its part, the impressive “There Are Too Many Of Us†is ushered in on martial-sounding strings, building on waves of keyboard and swirling Mellotron effects.
The final quarter of the album finds a happy congruence between chipper Blur (“Ghost Shipâ€, “Ong Ongâ€) and sad Damon (“Pyongyangâ€, “Mirrorballâ€). Bobbing along on crisp, summer guitars and a relaxed saxophone refrain, “Ghost Ship†curiously resembles the dubby chill-out grooves of Nightmares On Wax, with Albarn singing “I need a lantern in you to shine out bright raysâ€. There’s a gulf between its light, bouncy tone and the implausibly beautiful “Pyongyangâ€. Although its lyrics are elusive, it finds Albarn’s narrator contemplating separation, absence and the passage of time – “By the time your sun is rising there / Out here it’s turning blue†– against an elegiac backing of gently cascading guitar notes and sparkling keyboard motes. It’s a sharp contrast with the singalong “Ong Ongâ€, with its Faces stomp and beery chorus, “I wanna be with youâ€. There are even some “sha la lasâ€. Things end in dignified fashion with “Mirrorballâ€, which arrives in the same woozy atmospherics as “Miss Americaâ€. It appears to find Albarn travelling from Jordan Road on the Hong Kong metro system to the Ocean Park theme park; “before you log out, hold close to me†he murmurs. Sighing Oriental strings swish around Coxon’s plaintive guitar; the tone is intimate, ruminative. As Coxon’s final guitar note fades at the song’s close, Albarn sings one last, “Hold close to meâ€. You might wonder whether he’s addressing his formerly estranged best friend. Or, perhaps, even contemplating a new future for Blur.
The line-up for this year's Glastonbury festival has been announced.
In addition to the previously confirmed headliners, Foo Fighters and Kanye West, 75 artists have announced to play the festival in Pilton, England from June 24 - 28.
Patti Smith, Alabama Shakes, Mavis Staples, Suede and Motörhea...
The line-up for this year’s Glastonbury festival has been announced.
In addition to the previously confirmed headliners, Foo Fighters and Kanye West, 75 artists have announced to play the festival in Pilton, England from June 24 – 28.
Patti Smith, Alabama Shakes, Mavis Staples, Suede and Moțrhead will play, as well as Pharrell Williams, the Mothership Returns Рwhich will feature George Clinton, Parliament, Funkadelic and the Family Stone РFather John Misty, Sharon Van Etten, Courtney Barnett, Flying Lotus, Spiritualized, Super Furry Animals, Ryan Adams and more.
As yet, the third headline act has not been confirmed.
List of artists currently confirmed for Glastonbury 2015:
Foo Fighters Kanye West Florence and the Machine Pharrell Williams Alt-J Lionel Richie Motörhead Mary J Blige Alabama Shakes Paloma Faith Patti Smith The Chemical Brothers Rudimental Deadmau5 Jamie T Ben Howard Hot Chip The Mothership Returns – George Clinton, Parliament, Funkadelic and the Family Stone Flying Lotus FKA Twigs Caribou Roy Ayers Run the Jewels Mark Ronson Super Furry Animals Belle and Sebastian The Vaccines Ryan Adams Chronixx Future Islands George Ezra The Waterboys The Moody Blues Suede Franz Ferdinand and Sparks The Maccabees Enter Shikari Modestep Clean Bandit Jessie Ware Courtney Barnett Jon Hopkins Spiritualized Jamie xx Mavis Staples Hozier Father John Misty The Fall Todd Terje Gregory Porter Jungle Sleaford Mods Catfish and the Bottlemen Azealia Banks Young Fathers Charli XCX Kasai Allstars Sharon Van Etten Kate Tempest Goat Wolf Alice Perfume Genius Fat White Family Years and Years La Roux Death Cab for Cutie Lianne La Havas Death from Above 1979 Circa Waves Peace The Pop Group Ibeyi Ella Eyre Rae Morris
Brian Wilson has released a video for "On The Island", which appears on his current album, No Pier Pressure.
The video features Zooey Deschanel.
Previously, Wilson released a video for "The Right Time", which featured fellow Beach Boys, Al Jardine and David Marks.
Meanwhile, the first full length...
Brian Wilson has released a video for “On The Island”, which appears on his current album, No Pier Pressure.
The video features ZooeyDeschanel.
Previously, Wilson released a video for “The Right Time“, which featured fellow Beach Boys, Al Jardine and David Marks.
Meanwhile, the first full length trailer for Love And Mercy, the Wilson biopic starring Paul Dano and John Cusack, was recently released.
Jack White has announced that he is to stop performing "for a long period of time".
Following his appearance at the second Coachella Festival festival this coming weekend [April 17 - 19], White will embark on a short acoustic tour of the five American states he has yet to play, reports Rolling Ston...
Jack White has announced that he is to stop performing “for a long period of time”.
Following his appearance at the second Coachella Festival festival this coming weekend [April 17 – 19], White will embark on a short acoustic tour of the five American states he has yet to play, reports Rolling Stone.
The gigs will not be announced until 8am on the day of performance and will be the first full acoustic shows White has done.
Tickets will only cost $3 and will be sold on the door at the venue from 12 midday on a first come, first served basis.
White will then cease live performance, with a statement on his Third Manwebsite announcing: “After many years of performing in a multitude of configurations, Jack White is announcing that he will be taking a break from performing live for a long period of time.”
Meanwhile, White recently announced his next project: American Epic, a television and music project in conjunction with T Bone Burnett and Robert Redford.
Pete Townshend and Eddie Vedder will peform The Who's songs at a benefit concert in aid of Teen Cancer America.
According to a report on Rolling Stone, An Evening Celebrating The Who will take place May 14th at 8 p.m. at the Rosemont Theater.
Townshend and Vedder will be backed by The Who's curren...
Pete Townshend and Eddie Vedder will peform The Who’s songs at a benefit concert in aid of Teen Cancer America.
According to a report on Rolling Stone, An Evening Celebrating The Who will take place May 14th at 8 p.m. at the Rosemont Theater.
Townshend and Vedder will be backed by The Who’s current touring band: Simon Townshend (guitar), Zak Starkey (drums), Pino Palladino (bass), John Corey (keyboards), Loren Gold (keyboards) and Frank Simes (keyboards).
The North American leg of The Who’s 50th anniversary tour begins tomorrow [April 15] in Tampa, Florida. It breaks in May before resuming again in September.
