“I’ve tried to make something indescribable,” Billy Corgan told MTV in 1998, previewing the retooled sound of Smashing Pumpkins‘ polarizing fourth LP, Adore. A noble mission — but also a difficult one: The album’s folky reveries and cushy electronics didn’t fit the Pumpkins mold of the previous seven years, leaving behind the proggy guitar solos, virtuoso drumming and […]
The Beatles‘ long-awaited Revolver box set will be released on Oct. 28. The super deluxe edition of the reissue (five-CD/four-LP) includes a new mix of the album by producer Giles Martin engineer Sam Okell, sourced from the album’s original four-track master tapes. The new audio was developed with the assistance of the sound team at Peter Jackson’s […]
If Document was the turning point for R.E.M., then “The One I Love” served as the hinge. Released as the lead single of their fifth LP in August 1987, the song became R.E.M.’s first Top 10 hit by the end of that year. Even in the context of the album, “The One I Love” marked […]
It was an emotional night at Wembley Stadium in London on Saturday (Sept. 3), as fans and rock stars alike came together to honor late Foo Fighters drummer Taylor Hawkins. “Ladies and gentlemen, tonight we’ve gathered here to celebrate the life, the music, and the love of our dear friend, our bandmate, our brother, Taylor […]
Guitarist Joe Satriani, ex-Alice Cooper band member Nita Strauss, Extreme’s Nuno Bettencourt and drummer Kenny Aronoff are among the rockers who’ll appear on the new album Symphony of Sinners & Saints Vol. 2. The project is the brainchild of composer Kitt Wakeley, combining the power of hard rock with the emotion of classical music. The first […]
Megadeth frontman Dave Mustaine admitted he was “blown away” by the cyber sex scandal that ultimately led to the dismissal of bassist David Ellefson from the band. In May 2021, graphic exchanges including virtual “masturbating encounters” between Ellefson and a then-allegedly underage girl were leaked online, leading many to accuse the bassist of “grooming.” He […]
Carl Palmer, the lone surviving member of progressive rock act Emerson, Lake & Palmer, has announced a U.S. tour that will “reunite” the drummer with his two late bandmates, Keith Emerson (keyboards) and Greg Lake (vocals, bass, guitars), using modern audio and video technology. The trek — dubbed Welcome Back My Friends – The Return of […]
In the back half of the ’80s, as R.E.M. was crafting their fourth and fifth albums, the band’s music was becoming more direct. The sounds were sharper and cleaner, with Michael Stipe’s voice pushed to the fore. As listeners were hearing the words more clearly, the singer was writing lyrics that were more comprehensible – […]
Few rock singers know how to recruit guitarists like Ozzy Osbourne. The Prince of Darkness was bound to have sky-high standards after spending a decade with Black Sabbath cohort Tony Iommi, whose down-tuned, doom-laden riffs and molten solos birthed an entire genre almost single-handedly. Perhaps that’s why he auditioned Thin Lizzy virtuoso Gary Moore and Dokken […]
R.E.M. loved to cover their musical heroes – in concert, on tribute albums, for b-sides. YouTube and rarities compilations are rife with them paying tribute to artists including Iggy Pop, Richard Thompson, the Velvet Underground and Television. But the band only ever selected two cover songs to appear on their 15 studio albums. One of […]