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The New Issue of Rolling Stone: Best of Rock 2008

The new issue of Rolling Stone hitting newsstands this week features our massive Best of Rock package, which calls out 175 people, places and things ruling the rock & roll universe right now — from Best Breakthrough My Morning Jacket to Best Festival Band Radiohead to Best MC Lil Wayne (with plenty of fantastic remasters, books, venues, T-shirts, gear and much more). Check out the expanded version of the feature here.

Published: 2008-04-16 Provider: Rolling Stone Keywords: Rock News

AC/DC Singer Johnson Putting “Thoughts And Anecdotes” Into New Book

Photo: Miller/FilmMagic AC/DC singer Brian Johnson has something to do during downtime on the band’s Black Ice tour: The vocalist has signed a deal with Penguin Books to pen his memoirs, a collection of “thoughts and anecdotes” he’s compiled in his years as the singer of the Australian band. Don’t expect a tawdry tale like Motley Crue’s The Dirt, however, as Johnson’s 300-page manuscript will have a different tone. “I like humor a lot,” Johnson said, “and cars have been a big part of my life. I’m lucky enough that I’m able to buy some of the exotic ones. Instead of doing drugs, I did motorcars. I’m not sure which one is more expensive.” Stories in the book will likely include Johnson’s debut ride in a Concorde jet, his first auto race and that time he drove backwards for 9 1/2 miles because his gears were busted. No title or print date has been announced yet. Related Stories: • Why “Black Ice” Beat “Chinese Democracy”: The Tale of Wal-Mart Vs. Best Buy • AC/DC Turn “Rock N Roll Train” Into World’s First Excel Video • AC/DC Return to the Road With Same Old Awesome Song and Dance

Published: 2008-12-22 Provider: Rolling Stone Keywords: Rock News

News Ticker: Metallica, Mariah Carey, Snoop Dogg, Motley Crue

Metallica is rumored to be one of the headliners for this year’s Ozzfest. Unlike in previous years, this version of Ozzfest is rumored to be two different two-day events in late July/early August. Mariah Carey has hinted that she may release a workout video. “I might be doing a workout video, which will be a big joke anyway,” says the “Touch My Body” singer. “But I can show how I did it. I still have curves, though.” Unfulfilled merely with a cartoon, Snoop Dogg will invade children’s bookshelves with a series of books titled Where’s the Cheese? The books are aimed at kids who face challenges in urban areas. Listen to Mötley Crüe’s “Saints of Los Angeles,” the debut single from the band’s first album with their original lineup since 1997.

Published: 2008-04-11 Provider: Rolling Stone Keywords: Rock News, Afternoon News Roundup

News Ticker: Paul McCartney, Fall Out Boy, Tom Petty

Paul McCartney and his soon-to-be ex-wife, Heather Mills, have failed to reach a settlement agreement in their divorce proceedings. The presiding judge will now decide one for them. Hundreds gathered in Rhode Island Sunday to commemorate the fifth anniversary of the fire that killed 100 people at the Station nightclub during a Great White show. Fall Out Boy will be the subject of two comic books due out later this year, with each containing multiple stories featuring the band. Tom Petty saw a spike in digital sales following his performance at this year’s Super Bowl. The Heartbreakers’ Greatest Hits and Anthology: Through the Years jumped 196% and 240%, respectively while “Free Fallin’” leapt to #10 on the Hot Digital Songs chart.

Published: 2008-02-19 Provider: Rolling Stone Keywords: Rock News, Morning News Roundup

Rarely Seen Led Zeppelin Images Surface in New Photo Book

Photograph by Mike Randolph courtesy of Led Zeppelin: Good Times, Bad Times (Abrams Books) In 1968, the members of what would soon be named Led Zeppelin were snapped outside a Scandinavian club by a fan. The images of Robert Plant, Jimmy Page, John Paul Jones and John Bonham are candid, slightly fuzzy and extremely rare, but now fans can check them out in the new book Good Times, Bad Times: A Visual Biography of the Ultimate Band. The hard-cover title, out earlier this month via Abrams publisher

Published: 2009-10-08 Provider: Rolling Stone Keywords: Led Zeppelin, Rock News

Radiohead’s Secret Influences, From Fleetwood Mac to Thomas Pynchon

Over the course of Mark Binelli’s interviews with Radiohead for his cover story in the current issue, the band revealed what music and books had influenced them during the recording of In Rainbows and in the past. Click here to browse some of Thom Yorke and Co.’s favorite pieces of culture, from M.I.A. and Fleetwood Mac albums to Gravity’s Rainbow and The Kite Runner. [Photo: Cochrane/PA Photos/Retna]

Published: 2008-01-25 Provider: Rolling Stone Keywords: Rock News, Radiohead's "In Rainbows", Radiohead, Rock Daily

When the author met the songwriter ...

Arts & EntertainmentSome came clutching a copy of "Adverbs. " A couple of teenagers sported jeans covered with copiously copied lyrics from albums by the Decemberists.

Published: 2007-05-26 Provider: Seattle Times

Ryan Adams and Mandy Moore Marry in Georgia

Photo: Bauer-Griffin Ryan Adams and singer-actress Mandy Moore were secretly married yesterday in Savannah, Georgia, reps for both told Us Weekly. Adams and Moore announced their engagement in February 2009 after an on-off romance that began in March 2008. Moore recently told Us she wanted a quiet wedding, saying, “Hopefully, it can happen and slip by unnoticed by everybody. I guess we have to be sort of sneaky about it, but I’ll see what I can accomplish.” When he announced his break from the Cardinals and subsequent hiatus in January 2009, Adams expressed a desire to get on with his private life, writing in a blog post, “I am excited to step away. i lost more than anyone will ever know (hearing, someone i loved, my sense of dignity, a never ending losing battle with stage fright.” The last year has also seen the prolific singer sober up, quit smoking and work on numerous books. The honeymoon will have to wait as Adams is still on the road for the last time with the Cardinals, performing tonight in Columbia, South Carolina. Adams’ tenure with the Cardinals concludes March 20th with a show at Atlanta’s Fox Theatre. Despite Adams’ assertion that he’ll take a hiatus once after the band’s final show, there have been reports that Adams is already working on a new album called Dear Impossible, his follow-up to 2008’s Cardinology. Related Stories: • Ryan Adams Announces Split From the Cardinals, Hiatus • Ryan Adams Tosses Barbs at The Killers, R.E.M. • Ryan Adams: “I Heard ‘Sister’ and Thought, ‘I Have to Get a Guitar’ “

Published: 2009-03-11 Provider: Rolling Stone Keywords: Rock News

Flaming Lips’ “Do You Realize??” Voted Official Oklahoma Rock Song

Photo: Mazur/WireImage Evidently, Oklahoma has spent the past two years working on a very important legislative matter: the nomination and confirmation of the Flaming Lips‘ “Do You Realize??” as the state’s official rock song. According to a press release from the Oklahoma Historical Society, the state’s legislature voted to affirm the track’s importance, putting Wayne Coyne and Co. in the history books for real as part of Senate Joint Resolution 24. The 2002 track from Yoshimi Battles the Pink Robots beat out some stiff competition: the 10 finalists that were “representative of the pervasive influence of Oklahoma and Oklahomans on the development of rock & roll” included “Let’s Have a Party” by Wanda Jackson (1958); “Walk Don’t Run” by The Venture (1960); “Endless Oklahoma Sky” by John Moreland and the Black Gold Band (2008); “Home Sweet Oklahoma” by Leon Russell (1971); “Move Along” by the All-American Rejects (2005); “Never Been to Spain” written by Hoyt Axton (1971); “Oklahoma” by The Call (1986); “Heartbreak Hotel” written by Mae Boren Axton (1956); and “After Midnight” by J.J. Cale (1965). An official Official Oklahoma Rock Song Advisory Panel was convened in 2007 to recognize the role the state has played in rock history and after the nominations were gathered in 2008 (2,498 were submitted for 458 different tunes) and narrowed down to 10 by the panel, the public voted on the Website oklahomarocksong.org. When the 21,061 votes were counted, the Lips were on top. In case you were wondering, voters submitted comments, too, which include “The beauty in the message of ‘Do You Realize??’ perfectly suits the beautiful state of Oklahoma.”

Published: 2009-03-03 Provider: Rolling Stone Keywords: Rock News

Breaking: The Low Anthem

Who: The Low Anthem, a trio of neo-hippie rockers who, after scoring a slot at Bonnaroo and a gig opening for Ray LaMontagne, have become one of the hottest unsigned bands on the East Coast. With A&R reps flocking to their sold out shows, frontman Ben Knox Miller says, “We can make a living now. Not a luxurious living, but a living.” Sounds Like: Backed by Miller’s Springsteen-esque rasp and multi-instrumentalists Jocie Adams and Jeff Prystowsky, the Low Anthem craft homemade, warm-hearted Americana populated by train workers and road trippers on their second album, Oh My God, Charles Darwin. Recorded on Block Island, Rhode Island, the group adds flourishes of instruments like pump organ, zither and Tibetan singing bowls. Vital Stats: • The trio met at Brown University; Miller and Prystowsky played intramural baseball together and then DJ’d the graveyard shift at a radio station before starting the Low Anthem as a duo. The band’s biggest fan was Adams, who was recruited to join after Miller learned she could play anything from trumpet to viola. • Adams is a classical music-loving nerd who once worked as a researcher at NASA (she studied photochemistry). “I guess you could say I undiscovered [the hydrocarbon] allene in Titan’s atmosphere,” Adams says. Miller jokes, “Can you imagine what it’s like getting her to rock & roll?” • “Everything we listen to is really old: Bob Dylan, Neil Young, Gustav Mahler,” Miller says of the band’s influences. “We’re not into the next big thing.” Hear It Now: Oh My God, Charles Darwin is available now in stores and digital music services. In our Breaking video above, watch Low Anthem perform their song “To the Ghosts That Write History Books.”

Published: 2009-02-25 Provider: Rolling Stone Keywords: Rock News, Breaking

Ryan Adams Announces Split From the Cardinals, Hiatus

Photo: Tim Mosenfelder for RollingStone.Com Ryan Adams and the Cardinals are going their separate ways, the prolific singer-songwriter writes in a long, long blog post. Adams proclaims that the band’s tour-ending show in Atlanta will be “my last venture with the band and i am grateful for the time we have had and maybe someday we will have more stories to tell together.” The Cardinals have served as Adams’ backing band from 2005’s Cold Roses to last year’s Cardinology. “I am however ready for quieter times as i think it is very evident i am struggling with some balance and hearing issues.” In fact, Adams blames his ear problems for “false” reports that he’s been intoxicated during concerts. “People accusing me of not being sober when i am suffering tremendous pain and nausea from my inner ear symptoms,” Adams blogs, stating all the reasons why he’s going on hiatus for a little bit. “I am excited to step away. i lost more than anyone will ever know (hearing, someone i loved, my sense of dignity, a never ending losing battle with stage fright.” Adams also promises not to blog anymore, as he needs a private life that is his own. Despite Adams’ threats of hiatus, it was reported just last month that Adams was already hard at work on the Cardinology follow-up, tentatively titled Dear Impossible. Getting Adams to stop recording seems more impossible than anything else, given his bottomless vault of unreleased material, but we’ll take him at his word. Adams is keeping himself busy as a fledgling author with two books: his 286-page Infinity Blues is due out in April and another book is in the pipeline (Adams says “i LOVE writing….yay!”) Related Stories: • Ryan Adams Tosses Barbs at The Killers, R.E.M. • Ryan Adams: “I Heard Sister and Thought, ‘I Have to Get a Guitar’” • Oasis and Ryan Adams Deliver Workmanlike Rock in Oakland

Published: 2009-01-14 Provider: Rolling Stone Keywords: Rock News

What’s Next for the Who? “We’ve Done Enough Already,” Says Daltrey

This Saturday the Who are playing a 40-minute set at the VH1 Rock Honors — where their music will be celebrated by Pearl Jam, the Flaming Lips and more bands — but plans beyond that are murky. Four Japanese dates are on the books for November, but Roger Daltrey tells Rolling Stone that nothing is confirmed beyond that. The group initially planned to hit the studio with T Bone Burnett this year to record an album of R&B obscurities from the Fifties and Sixties as a follow-up to 2006’s Endless Wire, but Pete Townshend has indefinitely postponed the project. “I must not commit to studio time or show dates, especially not to long tours, without some kind of creative programme,” Townshend wrote on his blog in April. “I don’t know whether I can write songs for the Who. I don’t know if I can come up with some idea, some story, some angle, that will make me feel good about being the writer for the Who. Most important of all, I don’t know if I write something whether I should try to force the Who to carry it.” Daltrey is also conflicted about the idea of a new Who album. “I think we’ve done enough already,” he says. “It would be great to have something new, but it doesn’t really matter.” He does still see a bright future for the band as a touring act. “No one plays our music better than us,” he says. “By the end of this year, after we’ve done this short stint and got Japan under our belts, we’ll have a re-think. I would like to do Quadrophenia again. I think that tour was way ahead of its time when we did it back in 1996. There’s so much we can do, but the road does wear you down.” On the Who’s fan forums Townshend expressed even more ambivalence about the future. “I am no longer a member of a band called the Who,” he wrote. “I am Pete Townshend. I used to be in a band called the Who. It does not exist today

Published: 2008-07-10 Provider: Rolling Stone Keywords: Rock News, The Who