Barack Rocks Stevie, Dylan on iPod

White House album collection contains landmarks from Zeppelin, Stones, Beatles

(NEWSER) - President Obama’s new digs not only grant him access to chefs and a bowling alley, but an LP stash that includes Led Zeppelin IV and the Ramones’ Rocket to Russia, Rolling Stone reports. Banished to the basement during the Reagan years, the White House vinyl vault contains Obama favorites including Bruce Springsteen’s Born to Run and Bob Dylan’s Blood on the Tracks. More»

Bob Dylan's Christmas album is just the latest in a long line

(NEWSER) - Bob Dylan’s decision to record a Christmas album is certainly ill-advised—“fans may have stuck by him throughout the musically self-destructive late '60s, the God-bothering late '70s, and the Grateful Dead-collaborating-Madonna-imitating mid '80s, but surely even Bob's fans have a limit,” writes John Matthew Hall for the Independent. But Dylan’s not alone; Hall offers up the worst disasters in rock and roll careers, from John Lennon to Michael Jackson: More»

Sing will also join many other performers for inauguration's Neighborhood Ball

(NEWSER) - Beyoncé will sing for the Obamas' first dance on inauguration night, the AP reports. The inaugural committee is tight-lipped about the specifics—"It is our hope that we can keep the song secret until the moment,” a rep said—but it's a good bet the singer/actress will be closer to the "At Last" section of her repertoire than to "Single Ladies" or "Bootylicious." More»

Poll of musicians, industry insiders choose Franklin as most worthy of R-E-S-P-E-C-T

(NEWSER) - Aretha Franklin isn't just the Queen of Soul, she's the greatest singer of all time, according to a new Rolling Stone poll of critics, musicians, and industry leaders. Her heavenly voice is "a gift from God," says Mary J. Blige. "Aretha has everything—the power, the technique," Bilge adds. "When it comes to expressing yourself through song, there is no one who can touch her." More»

Lennon, Marley, Berry rock on

(NEWSER) - "Towering natural abilities" and "exceptional creative powers" infuse the most memorable music of generations, forged by Blender's top 50 pop-music geniuses. The top 10:

1. Bob Dylan: Each of his brave self-reinventions is "an authentic American original."
2. John Lennon: "His drive pushed the Beatles from a covers band to the world’s best-loved and most influential pop act."
3. Chuck Berry: His guitar riffs are still the "bedrock" of rock and roll five decades on.
4. Bob Marley: "No one did more to define and popularize a musical genre."
5. Mick Jagger and Keith Richards: Duo created "decade of classics."