The Velvet Underground pictures from Rolling Stone

New Music Report: Cornershop

Rolling Stone contributing editor Christian Hoard’s “Christian Rock” new music pick this week is Cornershop’s Judy Sucks a Lemon for Breakfast. The band — one of the great alt-rock bands of the ’90s — is led by Anglo-Indian frontman Tjinder Singh and mixes drones, Velvet Underground-style guitars, sitar, bits of electronica and dub. The new disc leans more toward classic rock, which here serves as an inspiration and a loose theme (there are Rolling Stones riffs, soul divas and lyrics about the B

Published: 2010-03-31 Provider: Rolling Stone Keywords: New Music Report, Podcasts, Videos

Watch Found Footage of Suicide, The Ramones at Max’s Kansas City

Along with CBGB, Max’s Kansas City was one of the most famed venues of New York City’s 1970s punk era. The nightclub on Park Avenue South featured performances by the Velvet Underground, the Ramones and Iggy Pop and served as a home away from home for Andy Warhol and his circle of artists and musicians. First opened in 1965, Max’s was also the site of Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band and Aerosmith’s first New York City shows, and after closing in ‘74 and reopening in 1975 as Max’s II, the

Published: 2010-03-04 Provider: Rolling Stone Keywords: Rock News, Videos

John Cale Shoots Down Velvet Underground Reunion

Photo: Michael Ochs Archive/Getty Pavement, Faith No More, Public Image Ltd., the Specials and Soundgarden are just a handful of artists returning to the stage after a long hiatus, but John Cale insists the Velvet Underground haven’t caught reunion fever — or at least, he hasn’t. Cale told BBC 6 Music that despite offers to play some major music festivals, he has no interest in reforming the iconic New York group with his former bandmates. “It’s not something that I can see happening on the basi

Published: 2010-03-01 Provider: Rolling Stone Keywords: Reunions, Rock News

Lou Reed Does Not Care About Dow Jones

Journalists with the task of interviewing Lou Reed learned a valuable lesson today: Don’t ask Reed about financial matters. The former Velvet Underground singer was discussing his new Sirius radio show New York Shuffle with New York magazine when the journalist asked Reed, perhaps jokingly, about his stock options at the satellite radio station. Reed then launched into an expletive-laden tirade (highlight: “I’m here telling you the truth about music and you want to know if I have stock in the fucking radio?”) against the writer, Andrew M. Goldstein, before abruptly ending the interview. [Photo: Getty]

Published: 2008-06-06 Provider: Rolling Stone Keywords: Rock News

Weekend Rock List: Color Songs

This weekend’s rock list pays homage to one of music’s most celebrated subjects: Roy G. Biv. Let us know which song with a color in its title you prefer, and on Monday we’ll tally the votes to a form a rainbow we’ll call “‘Rock List: Readers’ Best Color Songs.” Before you go consorting the Crayola box, here are our preliminary picks: Prince – “Purple Rain” Weezer – “Pink Triangle” The Velvet Underground – “White Light, White Heat” The Kinks – “The Village Green Preservation Society” New Order – “Blue Monday”

Published: 2008-02-29 Provider: Rolling Stone Keywords: Rock Lists

Readers’ Rock List: Self-Titled Albums

Photo: Michael Ochs Archive/Getty Last week, to celebrate all those eponymous LPs out there, we asked the Rock Daily readers to tell us their favorite Self-Titled Album. We counted the votes and, to nobody’s surprise, The Beatles, or the White Album as it’s lovingly referred to, stormed to the top spot, passing a pair of punk albums along the way. To see where Led Zeppelin, Van Halen and the blue Weezer landed, check out the full list below: 1. The Beatles 2. The Clash 3. The Ramones 4. Weezer 5. Led Zeppelin 6. The Doors 7. The Velvet Underground 8. Black Sabbath 9. Van Halen 10. Metallica 11. Rage Against the Machine 12. The Band 13. Sublime 14. The B-52’s 15. Franz Ferdinand

Published: 2009-03-09 Provider: Rolling Stone Keywords: Rock Lists

Fricke’s Picks: Classic Oz Rock

Issued in 1986 — at the twin zeniths of the first psychedelic revival and Australia’s post-punk underground — and just reissued in a deluxe two-CD set, Free Dirt (Aztec Music), by the Sydney band Died Pretty, is a classic debut album on both counts. “Just Skin,” “Next to Nothing” and “Through Another Door” are built on late-Sixties templates — the frantic-Bach dynamics of the Doors; the scouring drone of the Velvet Underground; singer Ron Peno’s high, clear belting, like an operatic Iggy Pop — reinvigorated with a jagged modernism and brash, beckoning hooks. Free Dirt was the Died Pretty’s first full-length release after three singles and an EP, and this set wisely brings them all together, including the 10-minute “Mirror Blues,” an obvious homage to the Velvets’ throb epic “Sister Ray” and one of the few equal to the task.

Published: 2009-02-26 Provider: Rolling Stone Keywords: Rock News, Fricke's Picks

Readers’ Rock List: Final Albums

Last week, saddened by the sudden breakup of Be Your Own Pet, we asked our readers to tell us their favorite final albums. After counting the votes, the Beatles‘ Abbey Road — released before but recorded after Let It Be — was the runaway winner, edging swan song albums by Hendrix, Nirvana and many more. And while Velvet Underground’s Loaded and the Doors‘ L.A. Woman both made the top 10, we had to disqualify them as neither is technically a last album (Both Squeeze and Full Circle sadly count.) For the list of your favorite 15, check below: 1. The Beatles - Abbey Road 2. Jimi Hendrix Experience - Electric Ladyland 3. Nirvana - In Utero 4. Sublime - Sublime 5. Nick Drake - Pink Moon 6. Joy Division - Closer 7. Soundgarden - Down on the Upside 8. The Police - Synchronicity 9. Uncle Tupelo - Anodyne 10. Pantera - Reinventing the Steel 11. Tupac Shakur - The Don Killuminati: The 7 Day Theory 12. Bob Marley and the Wailers - Uprising 13. The Smiths - Strangeways Here We Come 14. Jeff Buckley - Grace 15. Simon & Garfunkel - Bridge Over Troubled Water

Published: 2008-08-04 Provider: Rolling Stone Keywords: Rock Lists

Fricke’s Picks: The Garden of Forking Paths

String Theories The Garden of Forking Paths (Important) is a record of converging passions: an overview of the post-John Fahey improvising-folk renaissance through newly commissioned solo pieces for stringed instruments — acoustic guitar, lute, cello and Japanese koto. “The Broken Hourglass,” by the British guitarist James Blackshaw, the album’s curator, shows why he is a rising star himself. His twelve-string arpeggios tumble through cavelike echo with railroad-train force and balletlike finesse. Cellist Helena Espvall’s “Home of Shadows and Whirlwinds” skids from atonal groans to hovering modal runs like John Cale’s viola minus the rest of the Velvet Underground. In “The Mirror of Eternal Light,” the Dutch lutist Jozef van Wissem catches his own reflection in tender, minimalist picking and gold-spray overdubs. Koto player Chieko Mori’s opening and closing pieces are also duets — Mori playing with her virtual twin. But the effect is pure, private prayer.

Published: 2008-03-13 Provider: Rolling Stone Keywords: Rock News, Fricke's Picks

Justin Timberlake, Lou Reed, Billy Joel and More Recruited for Rock Hall Inductions

Justin Timberlake, Lou Reed, Billy Joel and John Fogerty are among the artists that have been recruited to induct this year’s class at the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame ceremony on March 10th in New York. Timberlake, who is shooting the baseball film The Open Road in Louisiana, will fly to NYC to usher Madonna into the Hall, another in a long line of collaborations (he appears on the Material Girl’s “Four Minutes to Save the World,” the first single from her new album Hard Candy). In other Hall of Fame news, the Velvet Underground’s Lou Reed will induct Canadian singer/songwriter Leonard Cohen, while Billy Joel will welcome John Mellencamp into the Hall. Additionally, Tom Hanks will introduce the Dave Clark Five, Fogerty will induct the Ventures, Ben Harper will welcome blues great Little Walter and Jerry Butler will induct the songwriting team and Philadelphia soul pioneers Kenny Gamble and Leon Huff. Related Stories: Mellencamp Asks McCain to Stop Using Tunes Madonna Emerges as Big Super Bowl Winner Madonna Named Cash Queen of Music After $72 Million Year [Photo: Getty]

Published: 2008-02-27 Provider: Rolling Stone Keywords: Rock News

The Fifteen Greatest Box Sets

This weekend, Rock Daily celebrated the box set — that glossy ultimate mixtape that brightens up any coffee table but can lighten your wallet by the ton. We pooled your nominations with ours and came up with a list of the fifteen best worth your buck: 1. Star Time, James Brown 2. Genius & Soul: The 50th Anniversary Collection, Ray Charles 3. Anthology of American Folk Music, Various Artists 4. Nuggets: Original Artyfacts from the First Psychedelic Era, 1965-1968, Various Artists 5. Tougher Than Tough: The Story Of Jamaican Music, Various Artists 6. The Bootleg Series, Vols. 1-3 : Rare And Unreleased, 1961-1991, Bob Dylan 7. One Kiss Can Lead to Another: Girl Group Sounds Lost and Found, Various Artists 8. The Essential Johnny Cash 1955-1983, Johnny Cash 9. Arkology, Lee “Scratch” Perry 10. No Thanks! The ’70s Punk Rebellion, Various Artists 11. Crossroads, Eric Clapton 12. Back to Mono, Phil Spector 13. Peel Slowly and See, Velvet Underground 14. Live/1975-85, Bruce Springsteen & the E Street Band 15. The Funk Box, Various Artists Photo: Furlong/Getty

Published: 2007-08-14 Provider: Rolling Stone Keywords: Rock Lists

Readers’ Rock List: Solo Albums

Last week, inspired by Thom Yorke and Atoms for Peace’s performance of The Eraser in New York, we asked for a rundown of your favorite solo albums by artists known for their work in bands. After nearly 100 votes, many from Pearl Jam fans, Eddie Vedder’s Into the Wild soundtrack beat out Yorke and solo LPs from members of the Beatles, the Strokes and the Velvet Underground. We can think of some pretty major ones left off the list — Iggy Pop’s The Idiot stands out as one glaring oversight — so be

Published: 2010-04-12 Provider: Rolling Stone Keywords: Rock Lists

Velvet Underground Tell Tales About Warhol, Nico at NY Library

Photo: Michael Ochs Archive/Getty As the Velvet Underground’s “Heroin” blared through the loudspeakers at the New York Public Library on 42nd Street last night, a spotlight focused on a lone turntable and the band’s Lou Reed, Maureen “Moe” Tucker and Doug Yule took seats alongside Rolling Stone’s David Fricke. The special occasion: a rare discussion of everything from the Velvets’ first paying gig at Summit High School in New Jersey ($80 for the night) to their success with Andy Warhol. “Warhol

Published: 2009-12-09 Provider: Rolling Stone Keywords: Rock News

Matthew Sweet and Susanna Hoffs: Live at Rolling Stone

When power-power guru Matthew Sweet teamed up with the Bangles’ Susanna Hoffs for a covers record in 2006, the pair tackled songs from the Sixties and Seventies — like the Velvet Underground’s “Sunday Morning” and Bob Dylan’s “It’s All Over Now, Baby Blue.” The two returned this summer with a sequel, Under the Covers, Vol. 2, which boasts bright, bouncy takes on the Grateful Dead’s “Sugar Magnolia” and Mott the Hoople’s “All the Young Dudes.” The pair popped by the RS studios recently to show o

Published: 2009-10-02 Provider: Rolling Stone Keywords: Live at Rolling Stone, Podcasts, Videos

Weekend Rock List: 1969 Albums

This weekend marks the 40th anniversary of Woodstock, which means this year albums like the Beatles’ Abbey Road, David Bowie’s Space Oddity and countless more classics are turning 40, too. Tell us your favorites (Wikipedia has a decent list) and we’ll tally the results into the ultimate ‘69 playlist on Monday. Check out our favorites below: • The Beatles - Abbey Road • The Velvet Underground - The Velvet Underground • The Rolling Stones - Let It Bleed • Bob Dylan - Nashville Skyline • The Band -

Published: 2009-08-14 Provider: Rolling Stone Keywords: Rock News

Weekend Rock List: What Classic Album Should Phish Cover This Halloween?

Photo: Flanigan/WireImage Today, Rock Daily reported that perennial jam crew Phish are going to play their first Halloween concert in 11 years—an event that means the band covers a legendary album in its entirety. In previous years they’ve done the Beatles’ White Album, the Who’s Quadrophenia, Talking Heads’ Remain In Light and Velvet Underground’s Loaded, and they’re always a secret until Halloween night. So will we get a trick or a treat? Our comment section is already speculating: Will they p

Published: 2009-07-24 Provider: Rolling Stone Keywords: Rock News