• LaBelle's 'Lady Marmalade': 40 Years of Covers, from All Saints to Leona Lewis to Christina Aguilera, Pink and Lil Kim

    LaBelle and its one smash hit, "Lady Marmalade," went to no. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 40 years ago, the last time that the group would reach that peak, and indeed, de facto frontwoman Patti LaBelle would only hit the spot once more, with "On My Own." The single gathered acclaim and notoriety (and continues to do so to this day), because of its racy French catcall: "Voulez-vous coucher aver moi (ce soir)?" or "Do you want to sleep with me (tonight)?" The track would only hold the no. 1 position for one week, but left enough of a lasting impact to land at no. 479 on Rolling Stone's list of the greatest songs of all time, and a score of covers, in its wake.

  • 'High Minded' and Low Bass: Tim Storms, Saint-Saëns and Enya Get Lower Than Hip-Hop and Dubstep Ever Could

    Bass gets a bad rap in music, usually seen as a destroyer of stereos or a noise complaint to the police waiting to happen. Two clever engineering students at George Mason University used the power of sub-bass to their advantage however, channeling its waves into an experimental rendition of fire extinguisher, using the low audio waves to put out fires. They weren't the first to incorporate sub-bass in a "high-minded" way. Hector Berlioz, Camille Saint-Saens and Enya are among our examples.

  • 7 Highest Priced Records on eBay Right Now: The Beatles, Elvis Presley and...Minor Threat?

    Jack White made headlines last week when he announced that he was the bidder who spent $300,000 for the acetate of Elvis Presley's original single, a 7" pressing from Sun Records featuring "My Happiness" and "That's When Your Heartaches Begin," and that his label Third Man Records would be releasing copies of the recording for Record Store Day 2015. That inspired us to check out what the highest-priced albums on eBay were at the moment, and readers ate it up, so we've decided to try it again, looking at every LP priced at more than $1,000 on the online auction site at the moment, which included hot numbers from The Beatles, Elvis Presley, Minor Threat and more.

  • Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Bracket Challenge Round 2: Vote Who Moves On...Nine Inch Nails, Green Day, N.W.A. and More

    Heavy hitters such as Nine Inch Nails, Green Day and N.W.A. have all moved on to the second round of Music Times' annual Rock and Roll Hall of Fame tournament. By combining the obsessive bracketology of March Madness with the annual naming of nominees to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, we allow you, the fans, to vote for nominees competitively, and therefore choose just one winner. Last year's champ was Peter Gabriel, who overtook KISS in the championship. Vote below and check back next week for the Final Four. Let's see who's left after the first round this year.

  • Stevie Wonder and 5 Other Artists Banned in Apartheid South Africa: The Beatles, Pink Floyd and More

    Stevie Wonder was a political lighting rod during 1985, and most of it was tied to politics in another nation: The pianist was arrested during a South African Apartheid protest outside of Congress and later would dedicate his Best Original Song Oscar (which he won for "I Just Called to Say I Love You" from The Woman in Red) to Nelson Mandela, who remained imprisoned at Pollsmoor Prison. That action led the South African government to ban all of Wonder's music across the board. He wasn't the first musician to deal with censorship from the paranoid Apartheid government however. Here are five other acts, including Pink Floyd and The Beatles, that got banned.

  • 'The Fast and The Furious': Ranking The 7 Soundtracks...Featuring Ludacris, Pitbull, Iggy Azalea and Plenty More

    Last week featured the release of the soundtrack for 'Furious 7,' the final installment in the 'Fast and Furious' film franchise. Your correspondent admits that he wasn't a huge fan of the first edition when it debuted during 2001. He's since warmed up to the series as the films have started to feature more and more absurd stunts, and more and more Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson. The final film, which premieres in theaters next week, looks to be a proper, adrenaline-fueled final chapter and a fitting tribute to Paul Walker. One thing that hasn't necessarily gotten better as the films have progressed: The soundtrack albums. Music Times ranks the seven film companion albums from worst rides to best.

  • Zayn Malik's 6 Best One Direction Musical Moments: From 'X Factor' to Insane Solos

    The world of tween fandom and pop music is in mourning today (March 23), after One Direction member Zayn Malik announced that he has officially quit the band to "be a normal 22-year-old who is able to relax and have some private time." As a founding member of 1D since the group's inception on The X Factor UK, Zayn has had some integral moments in the band, from high flying solos to smooth, R&B flavored verses. So, while we digest the news of this split, let's look at some of Malik's most memorable One Direction moments:

  • 5 Surprising Hip-Hop Ghostwriters: Will Smith, Dr. Dre and Jim Jones Had Curious Helpers with These Hits

    The hot news in hip-hop today is the rumor that Compton rapper Skeme may have ghostwritten songs for Iggy Azalea, including "Fancy," the no. 4 song of 2014. This news probably surprises no one, despite denials from the performer herself and mentor T.I. that anyone else had a hand in crafting her hits. And if anyone is that shocked or appalled by the news...perhaps they should check out the history of hip-hop. You'll be surprised at how many songs are actually written by the least likely of performers. Here are just a few examples.

  • Justin Timberlake, Bobby Brown, Zayn Malik and More: 5 Boy Bands After The First Member Left

    Zayn Malik has announced that he's leaving One Direction, a declaration that Directioners have been fearing for weeks, following in the rumors of his infidelity and general dissatisfaction. We're not suggesting that the group is officially done, but the history of boy bands suggests that when one member decides to leave the fold, that's a good indication the honeymoon, and often the group itself, is over. Here are five cases of major members leaving a boy group and what happened afterward. Featuring One Direction, NSYNC, Backstreet Boys and more.

  • 7 Musicians and Shoulder Injuries: Mariah Carey, Steven Tyler, Pink and More, Onstage and Offstage Incidents

    Between the announcement that Killer Mike has suffered a torn rotator cuff during the onstage attack upon Run The Jewels at South by Southwest to the Black Keys canceling another wave of tour dates so that Patrick Carney could recover from a dislocated shoulder he received from a giant wave in the Caribbean during January. In other words: It's been a bad week for musical shoulders. Music Times looked back at a collection of injuries to that region of the arm that other music figures have suffered on recent memory.

  • 5 Cases of Ted Cruz in Music: 'The Shining,' Miley Cyrus and Criticism in The Country Genre

    Ted Cruz became the first of many Republican believed to be in pursuit of the White House during 2016, as he formally announced his name as a runner for the GOP nomination for the presidency. Scott Walker, Jeb Bush, Chris Christie and several more right-leaning individuals will probably follow his lead soon enough. Let's focus on Cruz however. Admittedly, there's not much for a music site to say; he doesn't exactly play bass like former presidential candidate Mike Huckabee. However, Music Times was able to hunt down five instances where Ted Cruz became a musical figure.
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