Stories related to: music

Roll down the windows and crank up the stereo. Using a “Summerability” scale that measures things like airplay, iTunes sales, and potential similarity to Rhianna’s 2007 hit "Umbrella," New York magazine picks the Top Five Songs of the Summer. "American Boy" by Estelle featuring Kanye West: Hummable, uncritical of US foreign policy, everything a summer anthem needs.   More »

This week Beck will release Modern Guilt , his last record under a 14-year-old studio contract—an event that prompted the New York Times to ask him what's next. No idea, Beck said. “I haven’t bothered to plan anything. I don’t know where the record business is going to be in six months. Or three months.” More »

Soaring gas prices are turning down the volume on ticket sales for this year’s summer tours, Rolling Stone reports. Major festivals like Bonnaroo and Coachella didn’t sell out—a rare occurrence—while top acts like George Michael, Maroon 5, and Stevie Wonder are facing difficulty finding fans. That has pushed some to offer major deals like four lawn seats for $100. More »

Whacked out singer Amy Winehouse appeared to lunge for an audience member in the pit yesterday in her first British gig in 7 months, reports the Daily Telegraph. She also blasted headliner Jay-Z, saying he’s “got some front to come here with tunes you don’t even remember," mumbled between songs and said her husband would be “out of jail” soon. In other words, pretty much par for the Winehouse course. More »

In the wake of another scandal—singing racist ditties on video—Amy Winehouse invites Claire Hoffman of Rolling Stone into her trashed home in London to witness the train wreck firsthand. Over tea and beer, a groggy Winehouse talks drugs, her next album, and her jailed husband, flitting outside now and then to toy with the paparazzi. More »

Ever wonder what Barack's bumpin' when he's not stumpin'? In a sit-down with Rolling Stone's Jann Wenner, Obama reveals the artists on his iPod, including supporters like Bruce Springsteen, Bob Dylan, and Jay-Z. Dylan's "Maggie's Farm" drowns out the rhetoric on the campaign trail, but Stevie Wonder gets props as the candidate's "one musical hero." More »

Tim McGraw took matters into his own hands when a rowdy fan got violent in the front row, TMZ reports. When McGraw saw the beefy man strike a woman during a concert in Washington state Tuesday night, he called for security while in mid-song, then reached down from the stage, and grabbed the guy. More »

With Led Zeppelin's first iTunes-sold album boosting the classic Stairway to Heaven back into various charts, Portfolio sounded out entertainment execs on what the tune might really be worth if the "notoriously protective" band would loosen the shackles. The final math: $572 million. A look at the breakdown: More »

Celine Dion's rendition of AC/DC's Y ou Shook Me All Night Long has been voted the worst cover ever, according to Total Guitar magazine. The UK mag called the duet Dion performed with Anastacia in Las Vegas 6 years ago an "offense" against music. "The No. 1 worst cover song—Celine Dion covering AC/DC—is sacrilege," said magazine editor Stephen Lawson. More »

"Adored by about a million fans and misunderstood by nearly everyone else," Leonard Cohen is set for his first tour in 15 years. So what better time to load up on "nine Cohen songs no self-respecting iPod should be without," writes Tim de Lisle in More Intelligent Life: Suzanne : "Cohen announces himself with an educated folk song" in 1967. Bird on the Wire : "A magical tune about the human condition." More »

As old vinyl gets hipper, Matthew Shepatin of Esquire charts the five most expensive albums in today's market: That’ll Be the Day/In Spite of All the Danger, The Quarrymen (1958): Features John, Paul, George, and some guys who aren't Ringo. Could sell for $200,000, if Paul would sell. Double Fantasy , John Lennon (1980): The one that Lennon signed for assassin Mark Chapman is worth $150,000. More »

Joy Division, writes Nik Mercer for Anthem , “is one of those bands that gains significance exponentially as the years pass.” As testament to their place in pop music consciousness, recent years have seen three films on the band: 24 Hour Party People , focusing on their label and scene; Control , a Cobain-izing biopic of Ian Curtis; and now simply Joy Division:  A Documentary . More »

Move over "American Idol:" Janet Jackson is headed for reality TV, reports Variety . The pop icon plans to mentor aspiring singers and dancers as she prepares for her world tour—participation in which could be the grand prize. Drawing contestants from YMCAs and church groups, the show’s producer hopes a non-traditional casting approach will uncover the next Justin Timberlake...or Janet. More »

He's a howling rock god; she's a fiddlin' bluegrass queen. It sounds like an odd pairing, but Robert Plant and Alison Krauss weave haunting harmonies on tour, reports Rolling Stone . The duo admits they struggled to find the right groove while performing Led Zep covers and R&B classics from their 2007 platinum collaboration, Raising Sand . More »

Brace yourselves: Disney is prepping a summer media blitz for the squeaky-clean, tween-rockin' Jonas Brothers that'll put Hannah Montana to shame. The former Christian rock band made up of three real-life siblings is starring in two movies, releasing an album, and touring Europe and the US—before getting their own spy-themed comedy-adventure show titled “J.O.N.A.S.” More »

Pearl Jam stormed Bonnaroo's massive stage last night for a 3-hour live show that mixed B-sides and Bob Dylan covers with a heapin' helping of politics, reports Rolling Stone . The performance in front of tens of thousands was rare for grunge's supergroup, reports the AP, which has largely avoided such scenes since 9 were trampled to death at a 2000 show. But lead singer Eddie Vedder was far from shy. More »

David Cook almost didn't audition for American Idol —he was there to offer moral support to his younger brother. But goading from his family kicked off a whirlwind journey that took him from fledgling Midwest rocker to Billboard star. Cook tells Rolling Stone about his modest beginnings—and his early skepticism about the Idol pop machine. More »

French first lady Carla Bruni would like you to know she's "a child despite my 40 years and 30 lovers"—at least according to one of the more standout lines on her third album, due for release in July. As If Nothing had Happened is her first collection of songs since tying the knot with President Nicolas Sarkozy, and "showcases her fragile yet intense voice and unique melodic style," writes a critic for Le Figaro . More »

Rapper Sean Combs—also variously known as Puffy, Puff Daddy, P. Diddy, and Diddy—appears to be going retro and reverting back to Puff Daddy, which he hasn’t used since 2001, E! Online reports. His rep says there’s no change in the works, but Combs suggested otherwise on his MySpace page and on a new single. More »

A UK media watchdog has fined MTV Europe $484,500 for having a potty mouth, Variety reports. The network repeatedly uses “highly offensive language and material” in its videos and shows, often before 9pm, the family-viewing cutoff point. An MTV rep said the firm “takes this sanction and fine very seriously” and was working to clean up its language. More »