• 5 Bad Vocalist Solo Debuts, from David Lee Roth to Nearly All of The Beatles

    On this date 30 years ago, Freddie Mercury of Queen released his first solo album, Mr. Bad Guy...and it failed drastically, at least from a commercial standpoint. It seems odd now—when a solo album from Brandon Flowers or other vocalists attached to a big-name band can release an album by themselves and land in the Top 10 of the Billboard 200 without breaking a sweat—that one of the liveliest frontmen in rock history couldn't get into the Top 150 of the album sales charts with his first solo release. That said (and despite the cheesy image of Mercury in shades on the album cover), Mr. Bad Guy ain't a bad record. That can't be said about the solo debuts of these other famous vocalists, from The Beatles' members to David Lee Roth.
  • 5 Live Albums Recorded to No Audience: Pink Floyd, Bjork and More Feel for Baltimore Orioles

    The unfortunate riots in Baltimore have led to a bizarre situation at Camden Yards in Baltimore, where the hometown Orioles have been playing the Chicago White Sox in an empty stadium due to the situation outside. It's clearly had an impact on some of the players...White Sox starter Jeff Samardzija was rocked for six runs in the first inning today, perhaps nervous because the whole world wasn't watching him. It made us baseball fans at Music Times if similar things have ever happened in the music world? Not quite, but we did find a number of "live" albums that were recorded with no actual audience in attendance. Check out a few examples, from Pink Floyd to Björk.
  • DJ AM Documentary Director Kevin Kerslake Gives Advise to Aspiring Directors [EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW]

    Music video director and documentarian Kevin Kerslake is a fascinating man to talk to. His breadth of knowledge across the industry and fiercely independent mindset, despite working with some of the biggest rock acts of the 1990s, has positioned him into being one of the more respected names in music film. He premiered his new documentary about the tragic life of DJ AM titled "As I AM" two weekends ago during the Tribeca Film Festival and we had the chance to sit down with him for an interview. In our first segment we discussed the film, the life of DJ AM and what is to come for the documentary, including some "mesmerizing" bonus features.
  • Buzzcocks Steve Diggle Talks About the 'Magic' of Making Punk Rock Music for Nearly 4 Decades

    Longtime fans of the punk rock scene are no doubt already familiar with Buzzcocks and their catalog of music which spans 39 amazing years. The band's crazy punk rock energy still helps to draw fans, young and old alike, to their live shows and it doesn't sound like they have any intention of slowing down in the near future. Pete Shelley, Steve Diggle, Chris Remington and Danny Farrant recently released their ninth studio album, The Way. It has already delivered up two singles and the boys have been criss-crossing the Atlantic Ocean in support of their new record.
  • Rihanna, Taylor Swift, Drake and More: 7 Stars Attend Prom with Very Lucky High Schoolers

    Justin Bieber and his crew made a stir over the weekend when they appeared at a high school prom in California to surprise the students in attendance. The result was a student body gone mad, resulting in one of the more memorable proms of all time without the pop star actually delivering a single song, reportedly. At least one attendee can tell her future (and possibly current) boyfriend about how she danced with Bieber at prom. Some musical acts have gone far beyond just crashing a prom however, actually attending a dance as someone's date. Rihanna, Taylor Swift, Drake: All have made appearances at high school way after attending high school.
  • The Beatles, The Rolling Stones and Amy Winehouse: Documentaries Disapproved by Band and Family

    Amy: The Girl Behind The Name is one of the most anticipated documentaries of the year thus far, set to shed light on the light and mindset of Amy Winehouse, one of the millennium's brightest rising stars before dying of alcohol poisoning during 2011. One party has decided that it doesn't support the content of the film on the eve of its release at the Cannes Film Festival: her family. Father Mitch Winehouse alleges that the film places an undue amount of blame for her lifestyle upon the family, based on interviews with her then-boyfriend Blake Fielder-Civil (who himself was notorious for supplying her habits). Lawsuits for slander may be pending. In the meantime, check out five other music documentaries that the starring performers—such as The Rolling Stones, The Beatles and Eric Clapton—don't want you to see.
  • 75 Years of Al Pacino: The 'Scarface' Actor and Music, from Madonna to Hip-Hop Culture

    A big celebrity birthday today as Al Pacino turns 75 on April 26. Obviously the actor is known for many iconic roles in his Hollywood career—from Michael Corleone in The Godfather franchise, to iconic drug hustler Tony Montana in Scarface, to Satan in The Devil's Advocate—and sometimes he's even played a good guy. One thing that Pacino is less renowned for is his role in music—he's not the kind of guy that starts a band when he's not starring in a blockbuster. Nonetheless, Music Times managed to round up five examples of the actor coming in contact with our subject of choice.
  • 8 Oasis No. 1 UK Hits: 'Don't Look Back In Anger,' 'The Hindu Times,' 'Lyla' and More

    Oasis, the most essentially-British band of the last 30 years (by both their own reckoning and ours), finally topped the charts in the Gallagher brothers' beloved UK 20 years ago today, with the single "Some Might Say," the first song off of the band's beloved album (What's The Story) Morning Glory? The band ended up topping the UK singles charts seven more times throughout its career (and only getting as high as no. 8 on the U.S. charts). Here are those no. 1 singles...be prepared for a few surprises (in terms of what didn't make it, if anything).
  • 'Nashville' Stars Lennon & Maisy 'In The Waves' Contest: Sister Duo Pens First Children's Picture Book Inspired By Song Of Same Name

    Five years ago, sibling duo Lennon (now 15 years old) and Maisy Stella (now 11 years old) posted a cover of Ingrid Michaelson's "You and I" to YouTube, and it quickly went viral. They've since adapted their two-part harmony for covers of The Beatles, Charli XCX, Robyn, and more. Three years ago, they took their talents from the computer screen to the silver screen for roles on ABC's hit musical drama Nashville, playing the daughters of the series lead character. As their careers continue to expand and they prep for the release of their debut album under the Lennon & Maisy moniker, the sisters have ventured into a new medium: literature. After penning the new song "In the Waves," they were inspired to author their first children's picture book of the same name.
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