Rock
Jeff Beck’s 10 Best Songs: With Yardbirds, Solo & Beyond
You’re likely to find Jeff Beck‘s face on any Mount Rushmore of guitarists — and maybe of musicians, period. His musical praises are being sung worldwide since his shocking death Wednesday (Jan. 11) from bacterial meningitis at age 78. And rest assured that everything being said about the seven-time Grammy winner and two-time Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductee is true. And maybe even understated. While his skills are unquestionably worth celebrating, those discussions sometimes obscure the fact that Beck’s greatest gift was in service to the songs he played. Whether with the Yardbirds or the various incarnations of his own band, or with a wide variety of collaborators, Beck elevated his songs with purposeful and deliberate choices — of notes, riffs, phrasings — that raised them to the pro...
Red Stewart Remembers Jeff Beck: He ‘Was On Another Planet’
Rod Stewart is remembering Jeff Beck as “the greatest,” an otherworldly axeman with whom he formed one of rock music’s hallowed partnerships more than 50 years ago. Explore See latest videos, charts and news See latest videos, charts and news Beck, who passed away Tuesday (Jan. 10) after contracting bacterial meningitis, at the age of 78, was a guitarist “on another planet,” Stewart recounts in a social post. Posting a picture of the pair together, he writes that Beck “took me and Ronnie Wood to the USA in the late 60s in his band the Jeff Beck Group and we haven’t looked back since. He was one of the few guitarists that when playing live would actually listen to me sing and respond. Jeff, you were the greatest, my man. Thank you for everything. RIP”. Beck tapped Stewart in 1967 to join hi...
Jeff Beck, Guitar Virtuoso Who Shaped Rock ‘n’ Roll, Dead at 78
Jeff Beck has died at the age of 78. According to a statement from his family, Beck contracted bacterial meningitis and passed away on Tuesday, January 10th. Universally considered one of the greatest guitar players of his time, Beck pushed the boundaries of blues, jazz, and rock music, while also popularizing the use of techniques such as audio feedback and distortion. A guitarist’s guitarist, Beck inspired a generation of musicians; Pink Floyd’s David Gilmour, Genesis’ Steve Hackett, The Smiths’ Johnny Marr, and Pearl Jam’s Mike McCready are among the numerous guitarists who’ve cited Beck as an influence. For his efforts, Beck was twice inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, first as a member of The Yardbirds and later as a solo artist. He was also a recipient of eight Grammy...
U2 Reimagine 40 of Their Songs on New Album Songs of Surrender
On St. Patrick’s Day, U2 will unveil their new album Songs of Surrender. Taking a page from Taylor Swift, the forthcoming collection sees the band reimagine 40 songs from their back catalog. U2’s The Edge previewed the project in a handwritten note sent to fans. “The fact is that most of our work was written and recorded when we were a bunch of very young men. Those songs mean something quite different to us now,” The Edge wrote. “Some have grown with us. Some we have outgrown. But we have not lost sight of what propelled us to write those songs in the first place. The essence of those songs is still in us, but how to reconnect with that essence when we have moved on, and grown so much? “Music allows you to time travel and so we started to imagine what it would be like to bring these songs...
Foo Fighters, Tool, Avenged Sevenfold, KISS to Headline 2023 Sonic Temple Festival
The 2023 Sonic Temple Art & Music Festival will feature headlining sets from the Foo Fighters, Tool, Godsmack, Avenged Sevenfold, Queens of the Stone Age, KISS, Rob Zombie and the Deftones. The event at Historic Crew Stadium in Columbus, Ohio will take place on Memorial Day weekend (May 25-28) after a three-year hiatus due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Also slated to perform at the hard rock extravaganza are: Falling In Reverse, Chevelle, Puscifer, Beartooth, I Prevail, Jawbreaker, Sublime with Rome, Bullet For My Valentine, The Pretty Reckless, Pennywise, Trivium, Black Veil Brides and more. The event marks the third festival date featuring the Foo Fighters to be announced this week, marking the band’s first major performances since the tragic death last March of drummer Taylor Hawkins wh...
Foo Fighters Returning to Headline Boston Calling 2023
Foo Fighters will make their live comeback with a headlining performance at this year’s Boston Calling Music Festival. Dave Grohl, Nate Mendel, Pat Smear, Chris Shiflett, and Rami Jaffee will kick off Boston Calling’s 2023 weekend on Friday, May 26th. It marks the band’s first confirmed live performance of 2023 and their first time on stage together since hosting a pair of tribute shows for late drummer Taylor Hawkins in September 2022. Along with Foo Fighters, Boston Calling’s 2023 lineup boasts headliners Paramore and The Lumineers, plus other notable acts like Queens of the Stone Age, Yeah Yeah Yeahs, Alanis Morissette, The National, The Flaming Lips, King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard, Bleachers, Maren Morris, The Walkmen, The Linda Lindas, 070 Shake, Genesis Owusu, and Joy Oladokun, a...
Ben Gibbard on the Death Cab for Cutie/The Postal Service Tour, 2000s Indie, and More
Listen via Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Google Podcasts | Amazon Podcasts | Stitcher | Pocket Casts | Radio Public | RSS Ben Gibbard catches up with Kyle Meredith interview o talk about Asphalt Meadows, the 10th album from Death Cab for Cutie, as well as the upcoming 20th anniversary tour around Transatlanticism and The Postal Service’s Give Up. (Get tickets here!) Advertisement Related Video The frontman talks about making the new record in an assembly line fashion, the anxiety attacks that play throughout the lyrics, and taking stock of his past. Gibbard also talks about channeling Slint on one of the tracks and working with Noah Cyrus on her latest album. Turning to the hotly anticipated joint headlining tour ...
David Bowie in 10 Songs
This article was originally published in 2016, days prior to David Bowie’s death. It has since been updated in celebration of what would have been his 76th birthday on January 8th, 2023. Ever felt overwhelmed by an artist’s extensive back catalog? Been meaning to check out a band, but you just don’t know where to begin? In 10 Songs is here to help, offering a crash course and entry point into the daunting discographies of iconic artists of all genres. This is your first step toward fandom. Take it. David Bowie is transformation incarnate. He’s been a starman, an alligator, thin white duke, goblin king, a lad insane, a piece of teenage wildlife, a broken man, and most recently a Blackstar. He can’t be held down, held back, and seldom pigeonholed. If he’s never struck a chord with you, then ...
Every Arctic Monkeys Album Ranked From Worst to Best
This article originally ran in 2018 and has been updated. Welcome to Dissected, where we disassemble a band’s catalog, a director’s filmography, or some other critical pop-culture collection in the abstract. It’s exact science by way of a few beers. This time, we sort through the best and worst of Sheffield’s finest. Arctic Monkeys have enjoyed a two-decade reign as tastemakers and frontrunners of modern rock and roll. Their energetic guitars, indefatigable drums, and moody bass lines are what first caught our attention, but it was frontman Alex Turner’s writing that made us fall in love with them. Turner’s balance of poetic and picturesque meets blunt and brusque lyrics was a highlight from the first time we heard them as rowdy, North England teenagers. Thanks to the then-burgeoning world...
Everything We Know About Miley Cyrus’ New Album Endless Summer Vacation (So Far)
After ringing in the new year alongside her godmother Dolly Parton — and reminding anyone who might have forgotten just how incredible of a performer she is — Miley Cyrus has confirmed new music is on the way. Cyrus’s forthcoming record will be her ninth studio album, following 2020’s rock-tinged Plastic Hearts. With festival appearances over the past few years, she has continued to prove how versatile she is as a vocalist, solidifying herself as a modern cover queen and often going full rock star onstage. While we don’t yet have too much of a preview on the vibe of the upcoming album, listeners won’t have to wait too long; Cyrus recently teased a snippet of the album’s first single, “Flowers,” to her social media, offering a dreamy and sun-drenched preview of what we might hear. Advertise...
Dolly Parton, Belinda Carlisle, Cyndi Lauper, Gloria Estefan, Debbie Harry Team For ‘Gonna Be You’ Single
A superstar A-team of iconic singers have teamed up for the upcoming single “Gonna Be You.” The Diane Warren-written song featuring Dolly Parton, Go-Gos singer Belinda Carlisle, Cyndi Lauper, Gloria Estefan and Blondie’s Debbie Harry will be released on Jan 20 in advance of the upcoming Paramount Pictures road trip comedy 80 For Brady. Explore See latest videos, charts and news See latest videos, charts and news “When I wrote ‘Gonna Be You’ for 80 FOR BRADY, I wanted to write a song that celebrated these women’s deep friendship,” said Warren in a statement. “Since 80 was in the title I got a crazy idea, why not get some of the most iconic singers from the 80s, who are still amazing and always will be, to all sing it?!!!! Everyone I approached said yes and was just as excited as m...
R.E.M.’s 20 Best Songs
This article was originally published in 2017, but we’re dusting it off for Michael Stipe’s birthday on January 4th. If you’re at all like me, you probably associate certain bands with specific moods. In other words, you turn to these bands when they fit your state of mind, match how your day went, or just seem to sound how you feel. R.E.M. has never been one of those bands for me, though. No matter my mood, mindset, or emotion, there’s an R.E.M. album or sound that suits me. “I have lived a full life,” Michael Stipe once sang, and I think that’s how we felt about the band when they parted ways in 2011. To look back at their catalog then or now is to see a band that have lived a full life — and life to the fullest — leaving few stones of the band experience unflipped or unskipped. Advertis...
