Wednesday, June 24, 2015

Hear Led Zeppelin's Bassy 'Hots on for Nowhere' Reference Mix

Hear Led Zeppelin's Bassy 'Hots on for Nowhere' Reference Mix:

Led Zeppelin recorded their seventh studio album, 1976's Presence, over the course of 18 days in Munich. While they were making it, they made reference mixes of some of the songs, five of which will appear on the upcoming companion disc to deluxe editions of the record. The group has just released a raw-sounding version of the LP's boogieing guitar extravaganza "Hots on for Nowhere," which features more of John Paul Jones' bass and none of Robert Plant's "Hey babe!" improvs at the end. Jimmy Page's wildly impressive guitar work also sounds a little crisper.

The deluxe edition of Presence – due out July 31st, along with souped-up versions of 1979's In Through the Out Door and 1982's Coda, rounding out the band's reissue campaign – will also contain reference mixes of "For Your Life," "Royal Orleans" and "Achilles Last Stand," the last of which had the working title "Two Ones Are Won." It also includes a reference mix for a previously unreleased and curiously titled instrumental, "10 Ribs & All/Carrot Pod Pod (Pod)."

As with the previous reissues in the campaign, Page has personally remastered each of the discs and dug through the band's archives for companion audio to deluxe editions. Each of the three albums will also be available in a variety of formats, ranging from digital and single-disc CDs and vinyl to a lavish super-deluxe edition, which contains CD, vinyl and digital deluxe editions, as well as a hardbound book and a print of the featured LP's cover.

Coda is notable among the reissues because it contains two discs of companion audio, which cover recordings the group made between 1968 and 1974. Rolling Stone premiered the song rare track "Sugar Mama" from these discs, which is available to stream here.

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Roger Waters Enlists Tom Morello, Billy Corgan for Benefit Concert

Roger Waters Enlists Tom Morello, Billy Corgan for Benefit Concert:

Roger Waters will host this year's Music Heals benefit concert at Washington D.C.'s DAR-Constitution Hall on October 16th. The event, an annual one-night-only concert to raise money for the charity MusiCorps, will also feature special guests Billy Corgan, Sheryl Crow and Tom Morello. Tickets for the benefit concert go on sale June 26th at 10 a.m. EST at Live Nation.

MusiCorps is a non-profit organization that supports injured soldiers and their families. The charity also teaches wounded service members how to play instruments to help aid their rehabilitation process. Some of these musicians form the MusiCorps' Wounded Warrior Band, which Waters has helped mentor over the years. The former Pink Floyd musician has also performed with the veterans at the Walter Reed Hospital in Washington D.C.

"The work I have done over the last few years with these men and women has been some of the most rewarding work I have ever done," Waters said in a statement. In December 2012, Waters and the Wounded Warriors Band covered Levon Helm's "Wide River to Cross" at the Stand Up for Heroes benefit concert in New York. The following year at the event, Waters and the veteran band performed a rendition of Leonard Cohen's "Hallelujah."

In addition to the Music Heals performance, the former Pink Floyd bassist was also recruited to headline this year's Newport Folk Festival, marking Waters' first-ever appearance at the long-running, iconic fest. Waters has already promised that he'll craft a "very special" set list curated especially for his Newport Folk Festival gig on July 24th.

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Kacey Musgraves Embraces Throwback Country on 2015 Tour

Kacey Musgraves Embraces Throwback Country on 2015 Tour:

On the (sparkly cowboy boot) heels of today's release of her long-awaited Pageant Material LP, Kacey Musgraves has announced the upcoming dates for her upcoming tour, the Kacey Musgraves Country & Western Rhinestone Revue. Kicking off in Atlanta on August 27th, the trek will visit six countries and include such legendary venues as Nashville's Ryman Auditorium, Cain's Ballroom in Tulsa, Oklahoma, New York's Apollo Theater and the Royal Albert Hall in London, before wrapping up in Amsterdam on November 22nd.

Musgraves, who proved to be one of the highlights of the recent Telluride Bluegrass Festival, delivered many of the tracks from her Grammy-winning Same Trailer Different Park LP and supplemented her set with a wide range of covers, from the cowboy classic, "Don't Fence Me In" to tunes by Bob Marley and Nancy Sinatra. Earlier this month, she graced the eclectic Bonnaroo stage, lamenting the fact that country radio had pulled her single, "Biscuits" "off the fucking radio." "I don't know what that means," she told the crowd, adding, "I guess they don't like biscuits." The Texas native's show is certainly a fitting representation of her upcoming tour's moniker, with her gingham dress and light-up cowboy shoes, the band's matching western wear and neon cacti adorning the stage.

The singer's western inspiration stretches all the way back to her early teens, by which time Musgraves had released two locally recorded LPs featuring songs such as "Life of an Old Cowhand" and "Whatever Happened to the Yodelin' Cowgirls?" "I look back now and I'm like, 'Oh, my God, that's so cheesy," she says. "I sound like a chipmunk.' "

Information on pre-sale tickets and VIP packages is available at kaceymusgraves.com. Tickets for the Kacey Musgraves Country & Western Rhinestone Revue go on sale to the general public on Friday, June 26th.

The Kacey Musgraves Country & Western Rhinestone Revue Dates:

August 27th – Atlanta

September 11th – Los Angeles

September 18th – St. Louis

September 23rd – Nashville

October 1st – Detroit

October 3rd – Philadelphia

October 9th – New Orleans

October 11th – Tulsa, Oklahoma

October 15th – Charlottesville, Virginia

October 16th – Washington, D.C.

October 23rd – New Haven, Connecticut

October 24th – New York

November 9th – Gateshead, England

November 10th – Birmingham, England

November 12th – Dublin, Ireland

November 15th – Glasgow, Scotland

November 16th – Manchester, England

November 18th – London, England

November 20th – Hamburg, Germany

November 22nd – Amsterdam, The Netherlands   

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Hear Lauryn Hill, Usher Interpret Nina Simone Classics

Hear Lauryn Hill, Usher Interpret Nina Simone Classics:

Three more tracks from the upcoming Nina Simone tribute album, Nina Revisited, find Lauryn Hill, Usher and Jazmine Sullivan putting unique spins on the jazz legend's songs. Hill, who co-produced the compilation, transforms Simone's vocal showstopper "Black Is the Color of My True Love's Hair" from a pensive piano ballad into a lush tapestry of electronics, guitar and orchestra over which she channels the original's heartache. Usher takes Simone's upbeat, bouncy jazz standard "My Baby Just Cares for Me" and turns it into a modern-sounding, poppy R&B tune, though his soaring vocals harken back to Simone's era. And Sullivan puts a harder-edged take on Simone's reggae-inflected song "Baltimore."

Nina Revisited: A Tribute to Nina Simone is due out July 10th, and, in addition to the newly released covers, features Simone songs by Mary J. Blige, Common, Alice Smith and Simone's daughter, Lisa, among others. In addition to co-producing the comp, Hill contributed six tunes. Previously, she released her powerful, sultry take on "Feeling Good," which is streaming here.

Lauryn Hill - "Black Is the Color of My True Love's Hair"

"Because I fed on this music, both hers and lovers like her, like my basic food, I believed I always had a right to have a voice," Hill said in a statement about her involvement in the release. "Her example is clearly a form of sustenance to a generation needing to find theirs. What a gift."

The album comes shortly after the premiere of a new Liz Garbus–directed Netflix documentary, What Happened, Miss Simone?, which is set to premiere on June 26th. The film premiered earlier this month, along with a concert by Hill, at New York City's historic Apollo Theater, where she sang "Black Is the Color of My True Love's Hair," for what Rolling Stone described as an "explosive" set. The film features archival footage and rare recordings, and recounts the singer's life primarily through her own words.

Usher - "My Baby Just Cares for Me"

Jazmine Sullivan - "Baltimore"

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Courtney Love: 'I'm the Last Chick on Alternative Radio'

Courtney Love: 'I'm the Last Chick on Alternative Radio':

Courtney Love slammed the lack of women on alternative rock radio, bemoaned the difficulties many rock bands face now and told Girls star Jemima Kirke in an interview for Humanity magazine: "I'm the last chick on alternative radio that they’ll play, and it’s really kind of stupid."

While speaking about her new single, "Miss Narcissist" and the upcoming "Died Blonde," Love admitted the tracks weren't likely to make a dent on the Billboard charts, but would probably see some rotation on alternative radio. But, Love noted, those stations, like Los Angeles' famed KROQ, rarely play other female acts other than the occasional track by "No Doubt [or] Paramore."

"It's so hard for rock and roll right now — it's so hard," Love added. "I have someone really close to me who is in a rock band and they're excellent — they're the best rock band I've heard in years — and they signed an old-school deal with Interscope. But it's really a struggle and it's a struggle just to be middle class. I'm not talking big houses and art collections. I'm talking about just getting by."

Elsewhere in the wide-ranging chat, Love spoke about making friends with Miley Cyrus over Twitter and taking her to director Brett Ratner's house — "It's like a salon," Love said. "You never know who you're going to meet" — after drinks at the Chateau Marmont. Despite their burgeoning relationship, Love said she and Cyrus weren't working on any music: "I don’t know that that would be a good match, but she’s really put together and smart. I liked her a lot."

While Love also spoke about her recent tour with Lana Del Rey, the majority of her conversation with Kirke focused on her fledging acting career. While she's acted throughout her career — including recent turns on Empire, Sons of Anarchy, and the pop opera Kansas City Choir Boy — Love said she's now devoting the majority of her time and attention to honing her craft and landing good roles on stage and screen.

"In rock and roll, it's really about being as vulnerable as possible and giving them what they want," Love said. "But onstage it’s about pausing, about internal life, it's about internal triggers — that’s one of the reasons I'm really challenged to do a play."

Love mentioned one play in particular about aging rockers that she hoped to land, and said she believed she will return to Empire next season as well. Love is also set to star opposite James Franco in The Long Home, an adaptation of William Gay's Southern gothic novel of the same name, which Franco is also directing.

Read the entire interview in Humanity magazine.

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Google Play Music Launches Free, Ad-Supported Streaming Service

Google Play Music Launches Free, Ad-Supported Streaming Service:

Google Play Music has launched a free, ad-supported version of its streaming service that allows users to browse a massive library of 30 million songs and listen to curated playlists for many occasions. The service is currently available online and as an app for iOS and Android devices.

The playlists were compiled by "a team of music experts," which includes employees of Songza, the latter of which is a streaming and recommendation service Google acquired in 2014. Users can filter through these pre-made stations by genre, mood, decade or activity, with the latter category further broken into genre-based stations. For instance, when "Entering Beast Mode," users can choose between doing so while listening to "Gritty Hardcore Rap," "Hell-Raising Indie Rock" or "Turnt Up Anthems."

Google has been offering an ad-free subscription version of Google Play Music for some time, allowing listeners to take their music offline and use background features for music videos on YouTube. Regardless of subscription status, anyone can upload, store and play up to 50,000 songs from their own collection for free using Google Play.

In a blog post announcing the new version of Google Play Music, the internet giant heralded the free, ad-supported service for "giving you a new way to find just the right music — and giving artists another way to earn revenue" (Google's policies and rates regarding royalties are available here). It's a particularly noteworthy distinction that comes days after Taylor Swift blasted Apple Music in an open letter for not compensating artists during the free three month trials it will offer new users. Apple quickly reversed its decision, clearing a major hurdle that has kept independent labels like XL and Matador from signing a licensing agreement.

Swift has become an outspoken proponent for compensating artists for streaming music in recent year. She penned an op-ed for The Wall Street Journal last year, writing, "It's my opinion that music should not be free, and my prediction is that individual artists and their labels will someday decide what an album's price point is." Upon the release of 1989, Swift pulled her entire catalog from Spotify for similar reasons. In her letter to Apple she said she would be withholding her latest LP from their new service as well. Despite the company's change of heart, it's unclear whether 1989 will be available on Apple Music when it launches June 30th. Google Play Music features a Taylor Swift playlist that includes the singer's music.

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David Bowie to Release Massive Box Set 'Five Years 1969-1973'

David Bowie to Release Massive Box Set 'Five Years 1969-1973':

David Bowie has announced the first in a series of box sets to showcase his lengthy, diverse career. Five Years 1969-1973 will come out on September 25th via Parlophone and will be available on CD, vinyl and digitally.

Five Years will be a comprehensive look at the singer's early years and transition from folk artist to glam-rock legend. The set will include remastered versions of six studio albums: 1969's David Bowie AKA Space Oddity, 1970's The Man Who Sold the World, 1971's Hunky Dory, 1972's The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders From Mars, 1973's Aladdin Sane and the same year's Pin Ups. Two live albums — 2008's Live Santa Monica '72 and 1983's Ziggy Stardust: The Motion Picture Soundtrack — will also be included. Each of the albums, with the exceptions of Ziggy and Aladdin Sane, have been newly remastered for 2015.

The set is topped off with a 2003 mix of The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust done by the album's original producer, Ken Scott, as well as an exclusive two-disc compilation of non-album singles and B sides titled Re:Call 1. Highlights of Re:Call include the unreleased single edit for "All the Madmen" and the original version of "Holy Holy," the latter of which has been unavailable since 1971.

A book filled with technical notes by producers Scott and Tony Visconti, press reviews and a foreword by the Kinks' Ray Davies will also be available with the CD and vinyl sets of Five Years.

The box set follows the 2014 release of Bowie's first-ever career-spanning compilation, titled Nothing Has Changed. Hits and previously unreleased tracks from across his career were included on the album, which was sequenced in reverse chronological order.

Re:Call 1 Track List:

CD1:
1. "Space Oddity" (original UK mono single edit)
2. "Wild Eyed Boy From Freecloud" (original UK mono single version)
3. "Ragazzo Solo, Ragazza Sola"
4. "The Prettiest Star" (original mono single version)
5. "Conversation Piece"
6. "Memory of a Free Festival (Part 1)"
7. "Memory of a Free Festival (Part 2)"
8. "All the Madmen" (mono single edit)
9. "Janine"
10. "Holy Holy" (original mono single version)
11. "Moonage Daydream" (The Arnold Corns single version)
12. "Hang on to Yourself" (The Arnold Corns single version)

CD 2:
1. "Changes" (mono single version)
2. "Andy Warhol" (mono single version)
3. "Starman" (original single mix)
4. "John, I'm Only Dancing" (original single version)
5. "The Jean Genie" (original single mix)
6. "Drive-In Saturday" (German single edit)
7. "Round and Round"
8. "John, I'm Only Dancing" (sax version)
9. "Time" (U.S. single edit)
10. "Amsterdam"
11. "Holy Holy" (Spiders version)
12. "Velvet Goldmine"

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Carrie Underwood to Return for 'Sunday Night Football' Theme

Carrie Underwood to Return for 'Sunday Night Football' Theme:

Carrie Underwood has once again resumed her role as the face — and voice — of the NFL's Sunday Night Football, filming a brand-new version of the theme song "Waiting All Day for Sunday Night" for the 2015 season with some of the league's top players. In a series of tweets, both Sunday Night Football and Underwood confirmed the news, sharing a sneak peek of the country superstar on the set.

Underwood has been appearing in the opening sequence of the NFL's primetime Sunday games since 2013, when she took over for Faith Hill. "Waiting All Day for Sunday Night," a rocker set to the tune and melody of new Rock and Roll Hall of Fame member Joan Jett's "I Hate Myself for Loving You," was originally sung by pop star Pink.

This year, Underwood gets to show off her remarkable post-baby body, wearing a shimmering silver miniskirt, sky-high heels and a megawatt smile. She's joined by some of the NFL's top players, including Odell Beckham Jr. of the New York Giants, Antonio Brown of the Pittsburgh Steelers, Dez Bryant of the Dallas Cowboys, Kam Chancellor of the Seattle Seahawks, Andrew Luck of the Indianapolis Colts, Clay Matthews of the Green Bay Packers, DeMarco Murray of the Philadelphia Eagles and Patrick Peterson of the Arizona Cardinals.

Fans can get their first look at Underwood's new opening sequence when the Pittsburgh Steelers take on the defending world champion New England Patriots Sept. 10th at 8:30 p.m. ET on NBC.

Underwood recently performed at CMA Music Festival and, a few days later, joined Brad Paisley onstage during his opening-act set for the Rolling Stones. Her latest single, "Little Toy Guns," is currently Number Three on Billboard's Country Airplay chart.

Great to have @carrieunderwood back for another season of #SNF pic.twitter.com/Mibk09hfOq
— SundayNight Football (@SNFonNBC) June 23, 2015




The one & only @carrieunderwood takes the stage for our new open! #SNF pic.twitter.com/zSNdfaaCPd
— SundayNight Football (@SNFonNBC) June 23, 2015




Had so much fun shooting this yesterday!!! https://t.co/bwYL5V55HB
— Carrie Underwood (@carrieunderwood) June 23, 2015


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See Ray Wylie Hubbard Ride 'Stone Blind Horses' on 'Conan'

See Ray Wylie Hubbard Ride 'Stone Blind Horses' on 'Conan':

Texas troubadour Ray Wylie Hubbard has spent decades dishing up helpings of hot, greasy country fare, and last night the songwriter brought his brand of cult country to the masses with a performance on Conan.

Hubbard sang "Stone Blind Horses," the final track from his new album The Ruffian's Misfortune, with help from a three-piece band. Backed by accordion, mandolin and light percussion, he sang the song like a long-in-the-tooth rambler contemplating his inevitable future. "My only hope," goes the first verse, "is somewhere in that heaven, someone is saying a prayer for me."

With his John Lennon glasses and purple scarf, Hubbard looked more like a British bard than a Texas rogue. That didn't stop late-night TV host Conan O'Brien from running to the stage after the song's end and asking to be part of Hubbard's road band. "I would like to join, actually!" O'Brien said, adding, "You wouldn't have to pay me."

Hubbard released his album The Ruffian's Misfortune in April. "The blackbird in the first song says, 'The gods can't save us from ourselves,' and the high slurred whistle of the redwing blackbird in the last song sounds likes he's singing, 'That I might die,'" he described the LP to Rolling Stone Country earlier this year. "Between them are some other songs bout other things."

Hubbard and company are flying back to the East Coast today, with a run of shows throughout the South — including an appearance at Willie Nelson's annual Fourth of July picnic — keeping him busy throughout the summer.

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Hear Glen Campbell's Daughter Ashley Sing Poignant 'Remembering'

Hear Glen Campbell's Daughter Ashley Sing Poignant 'Remembering':

Ashley Campbell, the daughter of pop-country icon Glen Campbell, will release her debut single to radio and iTunes on Monday, June 29th. The poignant "Remembering," which she co-wrote, will be released on Dot Records, the revitalized imprint that's part of the Big Machine Label Group.

A longtime member of her famous father's touring band, which also included her brothers Shannon and Cal, the multi-instrumentalist accompanied her dad both on and offstage during the entertainer's Goodbye Tour after he was diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease in 2011.

"I wrote it with my good friend, Kai Welch," Campbell tells Rolling Stone Country of the heartbreakingly honest tune. "I came up with the idea and the melody when I was living with my mom and dad in Malibu a couple of years ago. I wanted to write something that expressed to my dad how much I wanted him to feel safe. . . that he didn't have to worry; I'll take care of him when he can't take care of himself. When you're little, your parents take care of you and make the world not such a scary place. As you get older, those relationships change and kind of swap places. The kids are the ones taking care of the parents and making sure the world's not a scary place for them."

The new single is a slightly more uptempo version of the song that was first introduced in Glen Campbell… I'll Be Me, the Oscar-nominated documentary about the Country Music Hall of Fame member's pioneering career and his personal battle with Alzheimer's.

The release of "Remembering" follows the television debut of I'll Be Me via CNN Films, in partnership with Eli Lilly and Co.. The film will be presented with limited commercial interruptions this Sunday, June 28th, at at 9:00 p.m. ET on CNN.

Ashley is currently in the studio recording more new music with Grammy-winning producer Julian Raymond, the co-writer (with Glen Campbell) of the Academy Award-nominated (and Grammy-winning) "I'm Not Gonna Miss You," the superstar performer's final recording, which was featured in Glen Campbell…I'll Be Me.

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Keith Urban Records New Music With Chic's Nile Rodgers

Keith Urban Records New Music With Chic's Nile Rodgers:

After teaming up with rap producers and pop veterans on 2013's Fuse, Keith Urban is adding another unlikely collaborator to his résumé: Chic's Nile Rodgers. In a recent interview, the funk guitarist, producer and songwriter of hits like Sister Sledge's "We Are Family" and Daft Punk's Grammy-winning "Get Lucky" revealed that he and the country star have cut a pair of songs.

The two first crossed paths this February, during a pre-Grammy party hosted by Jimmy Iovine. After geeking out over each other's six-string skills — "[Urban]'s scary; I didn't know he played guitar like that!" Rodgers recently told Yahoo! Music — the pair agreed to work together. Rough versions of two songs are already finished, with club beats and pop production underscoring Urban's usual country base. According to Rodgers, the new music stretches Urban's boundaries, much in the way that David Bowie's Let's Dance — which Rodgers produced during the final months of 1982 — pushed the Thin White Duke to explore dance music.

"[Urban's] fans may have some kind of problem at first," Rodgers admitted to Yahoo! Music. "But my biggest records have always been like that. A lot of people, the only record they ever bought by David Bowie was Let's Dance. . . His fanbase got angry: 'This sucks! This is not Ziggy Stardust! That's not Scary Monsters!' But it was huge because it spoke to a broader audience. I think a record like this will speak to a broader audience [for Urban], and the country people will come around."

Last month, Urban appeared on Jason Derulo's "Broke," playing banjo on a song that's heavily rooted in contemporary R&B. He threw fans another curveball with his own single "John Cougar, John Deere, John 3:16," whose steady climb up the charts has been boosted by a summer tour that includes an upcoming appearance at Milwaukee's Summerfest. Although he has yet to confirm the Rodgers collaborations as potential tracks for his Fuse follow-up, all signs point toward an artist who, after decades of country albums, is ready to embrace a little bit of everything.

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Apple Music Reaches Deal With Beggars Group, Indie Labels

Apple Music Reaches Deal With Beggars Group, Indie Labels:

Beggars Group and other prominent independent record labels have worked past their Apple Music impasse and announced that they have signed licensing agreements with Apple after the streaming service revealed it would compensate artists during a three-month free trial. "Over the last few days we have had increasingly fruitful discussions with Apple," Beggars Group's Martin Mills said in a statement. "We are now delighted to say that we are happy to endorse the deal with Apple Music as it now stands, and look forward to being a big part of a very exciting future."

With Apple Music's relaunch now less than a week away, it was imperative for Apple to come to terms with the indies before the service arrived on June 30th. Taylor Swift served as an unexpected catalyst in reopening negotiations after the singer penned an open letter to Apple asking that the company compensate artists for the music that is streamed during users' introductory trial. Soon after Swift posted her letter, Apple's senior vice president Eddy Cue announced that Apple had changed its stance and would "strive to make sure artists are paid for their work" during the three-month free trial.

"We are naturally very concerned, especially for artists releasing new albums in the next three months, that all streaming on the new service will be unremunerated until the end of September," Beggars Group initially said on June 17th. In addition to Beggars Group – which operates 4AD, Matador and XL Recordings, the latter releasing Adele's smash 21 – indie labels like Tommy Boy and Secretly Group as well as the digital rights organization Merlin Network have also agreed to terms with Apple Music, the Worldwide Independent Network (WIN) announced in a statement.

"I am pleased to say that Apple has made a decision to pay for all usage of Apple Music under the free trials on a per-play basis, as well as to modify a number of other terms that members had been communicating directly with Apple about," WIN’s chief executive Alison Wenham said in a statement. "With these changes, we are happy to support and endorse the deal."

"This is really simple — if artists believe we're not paying, because we're not paying for it directly, and there was an indirect way we negotiated, and that doesn't work, then we wanted to fix it," Cue told Rolling Stone. "We wanted for it to be the right thing for the artists."

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On the Charts: James Taylor Scores First Number One

On the Charts: James Taylor Scores First Number One:

Forty-seven years after his debut album, James Taylor has finally scored his first Number One record on the Billboard 200. The singer's latest, Before This World, sold 97,000 copies in its debut week, giving the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductee his first ever chart-topping album. In addition to being Taylor's first collection of new music in 13 years, the surprise Number One was also aided by a vigorous promotional campaign by SiriusXM, who dedicated a channel to the singer and hosted a Town Hall with Taylor prior to Before This World's arrival.

Taylor had previously flirted with the Top Ten with nearly a dozen of his LPs, most notably 1970's Sweet Baby James (Number Three) and, more recently, 2002's October Road and 2008's Covers (both reached Number Four). However, Before This World hitting the top spot marks the second-longest wait between a Billboard 200 debut and a chart-topping album, Billboard reports. Only Tony Bennett, who waited 54 years – from 1957's Tony to the Number One album Duets II in 2011 – experienced a longer Number One holdout than Taylor. (Billboard doesn't acknowledge Taylor's 1968 self-titled debut in the equation since it never charted.)

According to Billboard, with his newly minted Number One, Taylor also exits an exclusive, but unfortunate, club of artists who have over 10 Top Ten albums yet never netted a Number One. The "Never Number One" crew includes Sting, the Who and Rush, who waited nearly as long for a Rolling Stone cover as Taylor waited for a chart-topping LP.

It was a Taylor-Taylor one-two punch on the charts as, despite briefly declaring war against Apple, Taylor Swift's 1989 once again finished the week at Number Two on the strength of her "Bad Blood" single and reluctance to stream her smash album. Former American Idol runner-up Adam Lambert's The Original High debuted at Number Three while Ed Sheeran's X was bumped back into the Top Five at Number Four. Hilary Duff's Breathe In. Breathe Out., the pop singer's first album in eight years, entered at Number Five with 39,000 total albums sold.

Last week's Number One, Muse's Drones, dropped out of the Top Ten.

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Early Television, Richard Hell Songs to Feature on New Box Set

Early Television, Richard Hell Songs to Feature on New Box Set:

A new box set will collect the entire "known" output of early punk label Ork Records put out in the mid-Seventies, including songs by Television, ex-Television guitarist Richard Hell, Big Star and Box Tops frontman Alex Chilton, Dead Boys guitarist Cheetah Chrome and critic and former Rolling Stone contributor Lester Bangs, among others. The two-CD and four-LP set, Ork Records: New York, New York comes on the heels of the vinyl-only Ork: Box, which came out in a limited edition on Record Store Day.

The release, which will come out on October 30th via Numero Group, also comes with a 120-page book containing photos and stories about the label, which Television's manager, Terry Ork, founded in order to put out their debut seven-inch, "Little Johnny Jewel."

The imprint put out new music from punk and rock & roll bands between 1975 and 1979. Both the vinyl and CD editions of Ork Records: New York, New York will also be available in a version that includes a bonus 45 containing two previously unreleased tracks by the Feelies, "A Boy Next Door" backed with a cover of Burt Bacharach's "My Little Red Book." That edition will be limited to a pressing of 2,000.

The previously released Ork: Box contained 16 seven-inches including "Little Johnny Jewel," Television guitarist Richard Lloyd's "Get Off My Cloud," Chilton's "Singer Not the Song" and Chrome's "Still Wanna Die." The new box set contains 49 songs total, including the ones from the previous box set. A trailer for the new box set is viewable here.

Ork Records: New York, New York Track List:

1. Television - "Little Johnny Jewel"
2. Feelies - "Fa Ce La"
3. Richard Hell - "(I Belong to the) Blank Generation"
4. The Revelons - "The Way (You Tough My Hand)"
5. Erasers - "I Won't Give Up"
6. Alex Chilton - "All of the Time"
7. Chris Stamey and the dBs - "(I Thought) You Wanted to Know"
8. Prix - "Zero"
9. Marbles - "Red Lights"
10. Alex Chilton - "Take Me Home & Make Me Like It"
11. Prix - "Girl"
12. The Idols - "Girl That I Love"
13. Mick Farren and the New Wave - "Lost Johnny"
14. Cheetah Chrome - "Still Wanna Die"
15. The Idols - "You"
16. The Student Teachers - "Christmas Weather"
17. Erasers - "It Was So Funny (The Song That They Sung)"
18. Richard Hell - "(I Could Live With You) (In) Another World"
19. Chris Stamey - "The Summer Sun"
20. Alex Chilton - "Free Again"
21. Richard Lloyd - "(I Thought) You Wanted to Know"
22. The Student Teachers - "Channel 13"
23. Chris Stamey - "Where the Fun Is"
24. Prix - "Everytime I Close My Eyes"
25. Feelies - "Forces at Work"
26. Marbles - "Fire and Smoke"
27. The Revelons - "97 Tears"
28. Cheetah Chrome - "Take Me Home"
29. Richard Hell - "You Gotta Lose"
30. Chris Stamey and the dBs - "If and When"
31. Mick Farren and the New Wave - "Play With Fire"
32. Richard Lloyd - "Get Off My Cloud"
33. Alex Chilton - "The Singer Not the Song"
34. Richard Lloyd - "Connection"
35. Alex Chilton - "Summertime Blues"
36. Mick Farren and the New Wave - "To Know Him Is to Love Him"
37. Link Cromwell - "Crazy Like a Fox"
38. Link Cromwell - "Shock Me"
39. Kenneth Higney - "I Wanna Be the King"
40. Lester Bangs - "Let It Blurt"
41. Alex Chilton - "Bangkok"
42. Peter Holsapple - "Big Black Truck"
43. Prix - "She Might Look My Way"
44. Alex Chilton - "Can't Seem to Make You Mine"
45. Prix "Love You All Day Long"
46. Alex Chilton - "Shakin' The World"
47. Prix - "Love You Tonight"
48. Lester Bangs - "Live"
49. Kenneth Higney - "Funky Kinky"

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Posted by Nelio Inacio at 4:35 PM
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Fetty Wap Goes Hard on New Song 'Boomin''

Fetty Wap Goes Hard on New Song 'Boomin'':

Fetty Wap's sleeper hit "Trap Queen" has become the top contender for this year's Song of the Summer, but it sounds like the New Jersey rapper is wasting no time in churning out a new hit for himself with his latest track, "Boomin.'"

Harder than the island-y feel of "Trap Queen" and "My Way," "Boomin'" sounds closer to the Chicago drill scene. The track has Wap straying from the sing-rapping that has made his unexpected hit so unique.

Though "Trap Queen" was released in early 2014, it took until last fall for the song to start receiving more widespread attention. In February, Kanye West brought him out onstage to perform the single at the first annual Roc City Classic show in NYC. The next month, Wap gave a notable performance at South by Southwest and made his subsequent television debut at the MTV Movie Awards when he joined Fall Out Boy onstage in April.

West and Fall Out Boy aren't the only famous fans of the emerging rapper; Rihanna was an early supporter of him while Drake and Azealia Banks have hopped on remixes of "My Way" and "Trap Queen," respectively. Earlier this month, Ed Sheeran produced an earnest, acoustic version of "Trap Queen" with the Roots for The Tonight Show With Jimmy Fallon's YouTube.

Though Wap's SoundCloud output has been prolific, he has yet to release his debut EP or album. He is currently signed to 300 Entertainment alongside Migos and Young Thug.

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Posted by Nelio Inacio at 4:35 PM
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Steve Wariner Records With Thrash-Metal Pioneers Megadeth

Steve Wariner Records With Thrash-Metal Pioneers Megadeth:

One of country music's most versatile musicians is living up to his reputation: Steve Wariner recently joined heavy-metal titans Megadeth in the studio to play steel guitar on the group's upcoming album.

In a recent interview with the Tennessean, Wariner, a blistering guitarist who has scored Number One hits with songs like "All Roads Lead to You" and "Small Town Girl," said he and Megadeth frontman Dave Mustaine first crossed paths in the recording studio.

Related: 50 Rock Albums Every Country Fan Should Own

"Imagine Megadeth with steel guitar. That's what I did, and Dave Mustaine is the nicest guy in the world. Isn't that crazy? It's out of my world," Wariner told the Tennessean. "I'm a traditional country guy. But the stuff I played on is awesome."

Mustaine has even attended one of Wariner's shows. But it's not the first time that the former guitarist for Metallica, who went on to establish Megadeth as one of the Big Four of thrash-metal, has worked in the country music community. The band's 1997 album Cryptic Writings and 1999's Risk were both recorded in Nashville, with producer Dann Huff (Faith Hill, Keith Urban) co-producing. Megadeth was also one of the invited artists to perform at the tribute concert to George Jones in 2013, playing an unconventional "Wild Irish Rose" — the band is included in the massive group photo from that evening that covers an entire wall in the new George Jones Museum in downtown Nashville.

Wariner, who released the album It Ain't All Bad in 2013, is set to play City Winery Nashville tonight. And while a surprise thrash-country set from Megadeth is unlikely, it's feasible that Mustaine could drop by. He recently told Rolling Stone that he and his family relocated to Nashville for a fourth time, joining an army of rockers, from Mötley Crüe's Mick Mars to Cinderella's Tom Keifer, who now call Music City home.

"The people are wonderful here. There's certain things I miss about California. . . and certain people I don't," Mustaine says. "But it's funny. I was driving to the studio the other day and I was kind of speeding and I see this sheriff. And I'm like, 'Oh god, I'm busted.' So I do a quick pull-in to the place where I'm going to eat breakfast, I sit down at a table and I start looking out the window. I see the sheriff make a U-turn and pass the restaurant real slow, and then he pulls into the parking lot. He walks in, comes right up to me and I'm thinking, OK, I'm nailed. I start to reach for my wallet. But then he goes, 'I just want to tell you I'm a big fan. We all knew you were moving here and we're so excited to have you here. Welcome.' I was like, 'Get the fuck out!'"

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Posted by Nelio Inacio at 4:34 PM
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