AC/DC Is No. 1? Must Be a Recession

Playful 60s love/music comedy is more party than plot

(NEWSER) - Critics agree that the soundtrack of Pirate Radio can't be beat, and the top-notch cast is a joy. So when it comes to the shaky plot and pacing, some can turn a blind eye:

• "There’s no denying the comic energy of the cast," Peter Travers writes in Rolling Stone. "Couple that with blasts of Brit rock from the Beatles and the Stones to Dusty Springfield and David Bowie, and the ship is unsinkable."

Hundreds of pages of new evidence dug up by journalist

(NEWSER) - It’s been 40 years since Brian Jones’ body was discovered in a swimming pool—but police are reviewing the death of the Rolling Stones' co-founder in the wake of “new evidence” that he was murdered, the Daily Mail reports. An investigative journalist provided police some 600 pages of documents on the musician’s death; they may open a new probe if they find sufficient evidence in the case. More»

Aussie power rock group gets back to roots with album you can only get at Wal-Mart

(NEWSER) - After an 8-year hiatus, AC/DC is back—in black, one might say, as their album Black Ice is poised to go on sale exclusively at Wal-Mart stores Oct. 20, Rolling Stone reports. In 2 months of studio work, the Aussie rock icons churned out 15 new songs (including four with the word “rock” in the title) and plan a massive world tour beginning in October. More»

Now at Christie's; may fetch $11K

(NEWSER) - Looks like the stars were aligned for Ringo. A 1960 letter written by Paul McCartney sought a drummer for the Beatles two years before Starr joined the Fab Four. The note was discovered folded into a book at a Liverpool yard sale, the AP reports. It was a response to an ad placed by a drummer looking for a band. In the missive, McCartney offered the drummer—whose identity remains unknown—an audition. More»

Female rockers don't get much action on tour, they say

(NEWSER) - Male rock stars are notorious for their groupie magnetism—but the same just isn’t true for female rockers, Salon finds. “Ladies in bands don’t get ANY action,” Neko Case tweeted last weekend, prompting a flurry of agreement from fellow women in rock. (Case made clear later she was not complaining, just stating a fact of the business.) “I have gotten laid exactly one time on tour, and it was an ex,” added a member of Crooked Fingers. So why the disparity? More»