• The Hold Steady's 'Almost Killed Me' Turns 11: Five Best Songs From the Group's Debut

    Members of The Hold Steady celebrated their 10th anniversary last year with the release of a sixth album, 'Teeth Dreams.' It was clear the band had veered a bit from the sound and angst that graced its superb debut 'Almost Killed Me,' which turned 11 today, March 16. The group would go on to record the concept effort 'Separation Sunday' in 2005 and the fan-favorite album 'Boys and Girls in America' in 2006. None contained the explosiveness the first had.

  • 5 Musicians with Real Animal Attack Experience (Sorry Taylor Swift): Johnny Cash, His Ostrich and More Examples

    Taylor Swift had some fun with fans after having some "fun" with her famous cat Meredith, posting a photo on Twitter of a long slash left by the feline on her reportedly well-insured legs. "GREAT WORK MEREDITH," she wrote, caps lock for emphasis. "I WAS JUST TRYING TO LOVE YOU AND NOW YOU OWE ME 40 MILLION DOLLARS." She apparently got too close for her pet's comfort at the moment (a frequent experience for those of us with non-declawed, purring companions). Swift was joking of course, but several musicians have had less amusing encounters with animals.

  • 5 Great Tracks from Phil Lesh on The Grateful Dead Bassist: 'Box of Rain,' 'New Potato Caboose' and More

    The biggest concert of the year, by this reporter's reckoning, has to be the "Fare Thee Well" concert series announced by the Grateful Dead to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the band's legendary shows at Soldier Field in Chicago. Although it will be the band's first official in decades (not counting The Dead gigs), none of the original members have been far from music, including bassist Phil Lesh, who has toured with Phil Lesh & Friends and the Other Ones. Music Times wants to celebrate Lesh's contributions to the Grateful Dead to honor his 75th birthday.

  • 7 Highest Priced Records on eBay Right Now: The Beatles, Bruce Springsteen, Lightnin' Hopkins and More

    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, Bruce Springsteen and more.

  • Al Jarreau Turns 75: Music Times Chooses 5 Starting Points for Getting to Know The Jazz Great ('Moonlighting' and More)

    Jazz vocalist Al Jarreau celebrates his 75th birthday today, not letting age get to him as he performs at events such as the forthcoming International Jazz Day celebration being staged by UNESCO in Paris. Jarreau is one of those greats who has stood the test of time yet doesn't get nearly enough attention because he rose to prominence just after the genre started to lose its popularity. Herbie Hancock released Head Hunters, the second best-selling jazz album of all time, in 1973, while Jarreau didn't release his first solo LP until 1975 with We Got By (despite having been working in music since the early '60s). It's never too late to get familiar however. Music Times assembled five points of reference to start with.

  • Billboard Hot 100 vs. Official Charts Company by Decade: Madonna, 50 Cent, Celine Dion and 40 Years of No. 1s

    Few people realize just how different the music across the pond is from that we listen to in America, that the Hot 100 doesn't exist in the UK and that it's equivalent to our singles chart doesn't just feature a whole bunch of American artists with even more One Direction and Ellie Goulding tracks. Music Times is looking back at the last five decades of music, and at the no. 1 hits on May 9 every ten years on the spot, going back to 1975. The ultimate contest, of course, is which country has better taste. Featuring tracks from Madonna, 50 Cent, Celine Dion and more.

  • 5 Musicians Who Survived Plane Crashes a la Harrison Ford: Travis Barker, Bono, Paul McCartney and More

    Harrison Ford's dramatic crash-landing of a vintage WWII single-engine aircraft onto a Los Angeles golf course was certainly the most shocking piece of news yesterday. Maybe just as shocking (and definitely relieving) was that the Indiana Jones/Star Wars/Blade Runner icon escaped with only minor injuries. As we all know, too many celebrities, especially musicians—Buddy Holly, John Devner, Stevie Ray Vaughn, Aaliyah and more—have perished in aviation accidents . Fortunately, a fair amount of musicians have also managed to escape from potential disaster when trips go awry. Here are five musicians who managed to escape potentially fatal accidents in the air.

  • 7 Highest Priced Records on eBay Right Now: The Beatles, Pink Floyd and Mighty Sparrow Bring in Big Bucks, but Not Jack White Money

    Jack White made headlines 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 album was sold at a formal auction but you don't have to go that far for expensive vinyl: eBay has plenty of mind-boggling LPs up for sale. One example was the man who paid $37,100 for a copy of Tommy Johnson's "Alcohol and Jake Blues" during 2013. As Music Times hit publish, here are the seven records with bids of more than $1,000 on eBay at the moment, ranked from least to most expensive.

  • 5 Celebrity Couples Releasing Albums in Same Year: Ariana Grande vs. Big Sean, Jay Z vs. Beyonce and More

    This week marks a high point for the "power couple" status of Big Sean and Ariana Grande: The former's new album Dark Sky Paradise topped the Billboard 200, selling nearly 140,000 copies in the process. That gives him his first no. 1 album, which matches him with his girlfriend, who topped albums charts with My Everything last year. Grande may have outsold her beau but that doesn't necessarily mean she "wears the pants" in the relationship (it's tough to imagine her ever wearing pants, based on her typical stage apparel). Music Times looked back over the last few years and found couples who had both released new albums within a year of each other, researched who sold more and which album was ultimately better, in deciding who ran the house that year.
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