On This Day..
1971 – On his twenty-first birthday Stevie Wonder received all his childhood earnings. Despite having earned $30 million so far, he received only $1 million.
1996 – Oasis became the fastest selling group in UK history after all 330,000 tickets for their summer shows sold out in just nine hours, the tickets for shows at Knebworth and Loch Lomand were priced at £22.50.
2007 – Brian May was under 24-hour security watch after a deranged man announced he was setting off to murder him – then disappeared. Police were hunting for a schizophrenic who left a letter behind at his home blaming the Queen guitarist for his illness. In it the man – said May was an “impostor” and that HE was the real rock star. He signed the letter “Brian May.”
2011 – Like A Rolling Stone was voted as Bob Dylan’s best-ever song by Rolling Stone Magazine, who had asked the opinions of a panel of writers, academics and musicians to compile a poll to mark Dylan’s 70th birthday on 24th May. Like A Rolling Stone, was described by U2’s Bono as ‘a black eye of a pop song’, while Mick Jagger praised the simplicity of Desolation Row. Keith Richards argued that the original 1963 solo version of Girl From The North Country, ranked 30th, was superior to Dylan’s 1969 duet of the same song with Johnny Cash.
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Brand New Music
Radiohead | A Moon Shaped Pool
Three decades deep into Radiohead’s discography the group remains largely undefeated in their long line of great LP’s. Of course, debates rage about the validity of King of Limbs or Hail To The Theif, but really that’s what makes this group so incredible and ultimately too big to break up at this point. With a Moon Shaped Pool Radiohead again brings forth a very personal and epic album that is devastatingly beautiful and is a reflection of everything that Thom Yorke and company pours into their music. This LP is quintessential Radiohead from start to finish – a triumphant return and of a great and epic band.
Modern Baseball | Holy Ghost
This LP, split right now the middle (first six being written by Jake Ewald and the final five written by Brendan Lukens) is an extremely potent and raw release. Contrasting the title track “Holy Ghost”, a stripped down and low energy affair, the rest of the record almost feels overwhelmed by the amount of emotion and often chaotic nature of the songs and the songwriting. All of Holy Ghost was recorded a mere days after Ewald was released from a treatment facility for substance abuse and depression – and holy hell is that ever evident in this powerful piece of work.
Yak | Alas Salvation
Borderline psychotic, Yak injects it’s insanely over-driven sound right into your head. Brused, beaten, everything in the red, this newcomer takes no prisoners. Layered underenith Stooges-style 70’s punk and a devil-may-care attitude of 60’s-era garage rock these London natives may have just reinvigorated the oft-forgotten scene of rocking for the hell of it.
