Black Sabbath Set Release Date for '13' Album

Bill Ward, Ozzy Osbourne, Geezer Butler, Tony Iommi of Black Sabbath and producer Rick Rubin.

Black Sabbath's first album with Ozzy Osbourne in 35 years finally has a release date: '13' is slated to come out on June 11th, according to the latest official update for the band. The news was accompanied by a behind-the-scenes video of Sabbath recording in Los Angeles' Shangri-La Studio with producer Rick Rubin.

Black Sabbath's Dark, Twisted Resurrection

"I've been a fan of Black Sabbath my whole life, and getting to come in to work everyday and hearing Black Sabbath play, it stimulates something in me just like when I was 14 years old," Rubin says in the clip. "They just want what's best, and we're all sort of working together to find whatever works best for them."

"He looks like a bit of a guru, but he knows what he's looking for and when he's satisfied with what he's got," Osbourne says of Rubin.

Recorded last fall, 13 finds Osbourne, guitarist Tony Iommi, bassist Geezer Butler and guest drummer Brad Wilk (of Rage Against the Machine) resurrecting the ultra-heavy sound of early Sabbath records; tracks like "End of the Beginning" and "Age of Reason" stretch out to as long as eight minutes. "I don't know what's going on in the music world," Osbourne recently told Rolling Stone. "My wife mentions bands to me and I don't know what the fuck she's talking about. We just do what we always did."

To read the new issue of Rolling Stone online, plus the entire RS archive: Click Here

Amazon MP3 Download Center

Read more »

Black Sabbath Set Release Date for '13' Album

Bill Ward, Ozzy Osbourne, Geezer Butler, Tony Iommi of Black Sabbath and producer Rick Rubin.

Black Sabbath's first album with Ozzy Osbourne in 35 years finally has a release date: '13' is slated to come out on June 11th, according to the latest official update for the band. The news was accompanied by a behind-the-scenes video of Sabbath recording in Los Angeles' Shangri-La Studio with producer Rick Rubin.

Black Sabbath's Dark, Twisted Resurrection

"I've been a fan of Black Sabbath my whole life, and getting to come in to work everyday and hearing Black Sabbath play, it stimulates something in me just like when I was 14 years old," Rubin says in the clip. "They just want what's best, and we're all sort of working together to find whatever works best for them."

"He looks like a bit of a guru, but he knows what he's looking for and when he's satisfied with what he's got," Osbourne says of Rubin.

Recorded last fall, 13 finds Osbourne, guitarist Tony Iommi, bassist Geezer Butler and guest drummer Brad Wilk (of Rage Against the Machine) resurrecting the ultra-heavy sound of early Sabbath records; tracks like "End of the Beginning" and "Age of Reason" stretch out to as long as eight minutes. "I don't know what's going on in the music world," Osbourne recently told Rolling Stone. "My wife mentions bands to me and I don't know what the fuck she's talking about. We just do what we always did."

To read the new issue of Rolling Stone online, plus the entire RS archive: Click Here

Amazon Music and MP3 Center

Read more »

Iggy Pop and the Stooges Ready New Album for April Release

Scott Thurston, Steve Mackay, James Williamson, Iggy Pop, Scott Asheton and Mike Watt of The Stooges.

Iggy Pop and the Stooges are ready with a new record, Ready to Die, which will mark the first time Pop has worked with guitarist James Williamson and drummer Scott Asheton on a full album since their 1973 classic Raw Power. As he's done since the Stooges' 2003 reunion, Mike Watt will fill in for the late Ron Asheton on bass. It'll be Iggy and the Stooges' first album since 2007's The Weirdness, which was the last to feature Ron Asheton. Ready to Die is due April 30th on Fat Possum Records.

100 Greatest Singers: Iggy Pop

Pop kept busy last year with a self-released album of French pop classics, and guested on Ke$ha's latest release, Warrior. His 1970s collaboration with David Bowie in West Berlin is the subject of the forthcoming biopic Lust for Life.

To read the new issue of Rolling Stone online, plus the entire RS archive: Click Here

Amazon MP3 Download Center

Read more »

Iggy Pop and the Stooges Ready New Album for April Release

Scott Thurston, Steve Mackay, James Williamson, Iggy Pop, Scott Asheton and Mike Watt of The Stooges.

Iggy Pop and the Stooges are ready with a new record, Ready to Die, which will mark the first time Pop has worked with guitarist James Williamson and drummer Scott Asheton on a full album since their 1973 classic Raw Power. As he's done since the Stooges' 2003 reunion, Mike Watt will fill in for the late Ron Asheton on bass. It'll be Iggy and the Stooges' first album since 2007's The Weirdness, which was the last to feature Ron Asheton. Ready to Die is due April 30th on Fat Possum Records.

100 Greatest Singers: Iggy Pop

Pop kept busy last year with a self-released album of French pop classics, and guested on Ke$ha's latest release, Warrior. His 1970s collaboration with David Bowie in West Berlin is the subject of the forthcoming biopic Lust for Life.

To read the new issue of Rolling Stone online, plus the entire RS archive: Click Here

Amazon Music and MP3 Center

Read more »

My Bloody Valentine Release Long-Awaited New Album

Album artwork for My Bloody Valentine's upcoming album.

After a long and agonizing wait, My Bloody Valentine have finally released their third album, marking the band's first new record in 22 years. Titled mvb, the album follows distantly on the heels of 1991's critically acclaimed Loveless.

Frontman Kevin Shields began spreading solid news of the new material last spring, and he told NME in November that the new album would be released on his website by the end of the year. Things looked promising when the band announced through their Facebook page on Christmas Eve that the new album was complete. After failing to meet the intended end-of-the-year deadline, My Bloody Valentine ratcheted up the suspense even further on Saturday afternoon with an announcement on Facebook.

"We are preparing to go live with the new album/website this evening," they wrote. "We will make an announcement as soon as it's up." By the time the final announcement came, enough interest was piqued to crash the new site. 

500 Greatest Albums of All Time: My Bloody Valentine, 'Loveless'

The nine-track album is now available in three formats: as a download only, as a CD with download, or on vinyl with CD and download. The physical copies will be sent out within three weeks of purchase. The band has also announced a series of tour dates in Korea, Japan, Taiwan, Australia, the UK and Spain.

To read the new issue of Rolling Stone online, plus the entire RS archive: Click Here

Amazon Music and MP3 Center

Read more »

My Bloody Valentine Release Long-Awaited New Album

Album artwork for My Bloody Valentine's upcoming album.

After a long and agonizing wait, My Bloody Valentine have finally released their third album, marking the band's first new record in 22 years. Titled mvb, the album follows distantly on the heels of 1991's critically acclaimed Loveless.

Frontman Kevin Shields began spreading solid news of the new material last spring, and he told NME in November that the new album would be released on his website by the end of the year. Things looked promising when the band announced through their Facebook page on Christmas Eve that the new album was complete. After failing to meet the intended end-of-the-year deadline, My Bloody Valentine ratcheted up the suspense even further on Saturday afternoon with an announcement on Facebook.

"We are preparing to go live with the new album/website this evening," they wrote. "We will make an announcement as soon as it's up." By the time the final announcement came, enough interest was piqued to crash the new site. 

500 Greatest Albums of All Time: My Bloody Valentine, 'Loveless'

The nine-track album is now available in three formats: as a download only, as a CD with download, or on vinyl with CD and download. The physical copies will be sent out within three weeks of purchase. The band has also announced a series of tour dates in Korea, Japan, Taiwan, Australia, the UK and Spain.

To read the new issue of Rolling Stone online, plus the entire RS archive: Click Here

Amazon MP3 Download Center

Read more »

Drake Will Release New Single to Coincide With Grammys

Drake performs during the Made In America Festival in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

Though Drake's is nominated for three Grammys, including Best Rap Album for Take Care, the rapper is going to extra lengths to make the night of the awards show his own by releasing a new single. According to Billboard, the Canadian singer and rapper is releasing "Started From the Bottom" on February 10th, the same night as the Grammys. The song will offer the first hint of what to expect on Drake's forthcoming third album. The rapper linked up with Director X last month in Toronto to shoot what is presumed to be a video for the new single.

Seven Hot Hip-Hop Crews

Drake is also up for Best Rap Song and Best Rap Performance for "The Motto" and "HYFR," respectively. He had a busy 2012, memorably brawling with Chris Brown at a New York night club last summer, but he also found time to work on a new posthumous Aaliyah project and graduate from high school.

To read the new issue of Rolling Stone online, plus the entire RS archive: Click Here

Amazon MP3 Download Center

Read more »

Drake Will Release New Single to Coincide With Grammys

Drake performs during the Made In America Festival in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

Though Drake's is nominated for three Grammys, including Best Rap Album for Take Care, the rapper is going to extra lengths to make the night of the awards show his own by releasing a new single. According to Billboard, the Canadian singer and rapper is releasing "Started From the Bottom" on February 10th, the same night as the Grammys. The song will offer the first hint of what to expect on Drake's forthcoming third album. The rapper linked up with Director X last month in Toronto to shoot what is presumed to be a video for the new single.

Seven Hot Hip-Hop Crews

Drake is also up for Best Rap Song and Best Rap Performance for "The Motto" and "HYFR," respectively. He had a busy 2012, memorably brawling with Chris Brown at a New York night club last summer, but he also found time to work on a new posthumous Aaliyah project and graduate from high school.

To read the new issue of Rolling Stone online, plus the entire RS archive: Click Here

Amazon Music and MP3 Center

Read more »

Backup Singer Documentary 'Twenty Feet From Stardom' Set for Summer Release

Director of 'Twenty Feet From Stardom,' Morgan Neville.

Several years ago, former A&M Records head Gil Friesen was stoned at a Leonard Cohen concert when he became fixated on Cohen's backup singers. ??The result of Friesen's musings is Twenty Feet From Stardom, a documentary that explores the culture of such supporting singers. Friesen once quipped to its director, Morgan Neville, that the movie was "the most expensive joint I ever smoked," and the final product premiered last week at the Sundance Film Festival.

"This is a story about people whose fingerprints are all over the music we know but we have no idea who they are," Neville, a self-described "hardcore music geek," tells Rolling Stone. His other credits include Troubadours, Respect Yourself: The Stax Records Story and Johnny Cash's America. He is currently at work on a film about the rivalry between Gore Vidal and William F. Buckley. 

Gil Friesen, Influential Music Mogul, Dead at 75

Friesen, who passed away from cancer in December, saw the final film before his death and knew it would premiere at Sundance. It was purchased last week by the Weinstein Company's label Radius-TWC and, according to Neville, is set for a summer release. 

"You could have talked about Nashville, you could have talked about girl groups. . . To me, the interesting story was the rise of these black voices from the church into the studios and onto vinyl," says the director. "What was Lou Reed singing about [in "A Walk on the Wild Side"]? This is what he was singing about."

The film includes interviews with artists who are notable for their use of backup singers, including Mick Jagger, Bruce Springsteen, Stevie Wonder and Sting. Many well-known supporting vocalists are also interviewed, including Darlene Love, Merry Clayton, Lisa Fischer, Tata Vega, Judith Hill, Claudia Lennear, Gloria Jones and Dr. Mable John.

These performers – who Neville says "can often sing circles around lead singers" – have produced a soulful, harmonic blend for decades, one derived from the Motown, rock and R&B of the 1960s, 1970s and 1980s. ??"There was really kind of a heyday in the late 1960s and 1970s," Neville explains. "The Brits were coming and they were pale white guys and they thought, 'Hey, if I am really into R&B and soul, why don't I just invite black singers to come onstage with me?'"

In Twenty Feet, Neville also explores the psychology of standing in the shadows of super-stardom and the lack of individual identity – which, depending on the singer, can feel like bliss or purgatory. He also looks at how relatively recent changes in the recording business – including lead singers recording their own backing tracks – caused the backup singer scene to dry up. 

"I asked them, 'When do you think it changed?' And one singer said, 'In 1993,'" Neville says. "Hip-hop, grunge in the 1990s – all those things were going on as well as changes in taste, business and technology." What hasn't changed is the talent of these artists – and soon, their story will be told.

To read the new issue of Rolling Stone online, plus the entire RS archive: Click Here

Amazon MP3 Download Center

Read more »

Backup Singer Documentary 'Twenty Feet From Stardom' Set for Summer Release

Director of 'Twenty Feet From Stardom,' Morgan Neville.

Several years ago, former A&M Records head Gil Friesen was stoned at a Leonard Cohen concert when he became fixated on Cohen's backup singers. ??The result of Friesen's musings is Twenty Feet From Stardom, a documentary that explores the culture of such supporting singers. Friesen once quipped to its director, Morgan Neville, that the movie was "the most expensive joint I ever smoked," and the final product premiered last week at the Sundance Film Festival.

"This is a story about people whose fingerprints are all over the music we know but we have no idea who they are," Neville, a self-described "hardcore music geek," tells Rolling Stone. His other credits include Troubadours, Respect Yourself: The Stax Records Story and Johnny Cash's America. He is currently at work on a film about the rivalry between Gore Vidal and William F. Buckley. 

Gil Friesen, Influential Music Mogul, Dead at 75

Friesen, who passed away from cancer in December, saw the final film before his death and knew it would premiere at Sundance. It was purchased last week by the Weinstein Company's label Radius-TWC and, according to Neville, is set for a summer release. 

"You could have talked about Nashville, you could have talked about girl groups. . . To me, the interesting story was the rise of these black voices from the church into the studios and onto vinyl," says the director. "What was Lou Reed singing about [in "A Walk on the Wild Side"]? This is what he was singing about."

The film includes interviews with artists who are notable for their use of backup singers, including Mick Jagger, Bruce Springsteen, Stevie Wonder and Sting. Many well-known supporting vocalists are also interviewed, including Darlene Love, Merry Clayton, Lisa Fischer, Tata Vega, Judith Hill, Claudia Lennear, Gloria Jones and Dr. Mable John.

These performers – who Neville says "can often sing circles around lead singers" – have produced a soulful, harmonic blend for decades, one derived from the Motown, rock and R&B of the 1960s, 1970s and 1980s. ??"There was really kind of a heyday in the late 1960s and 1970s," Neville explains. "The Brits were coming and they were pale white guys and they thought, 'Hey, if I am really into R&B and soul, why don't I just invite black singers to come onstage with me?'"

In Twenty Feet, Neville also explores the psychology of standing in the shadows of super-stardom and the lack of individual identity – which, depending on the singer, can feel like bliss or purgatory. He also looks at how relatively recent changes in the recording business – including lead singers recording their own backing tracks – caused the backup singer scene to dry up. 

"I asked them, 'When do you think it changed?' And one singer said, 'In 1993,'" Neville says. "Hip-hop, grunge in the 1990s – all those things were going on as well as changes in taste, business and technology." What hasn't changed is the talent of these artists – and soon, their story will be told.

To read the new issue of Rolling Stone online, plus the entire RS archive: Click Here

Amazon Music and MP3 Center

Read more »

Neil Young and Crazy Horse Reveal Album Release Date, Tracklist

Amazon MP3 Download Center

Read more »

The Beatles' 'Magical Mystery Tour' Gets DVD, Blu-Ray Release

Paul McCartney, George Harrison, Ringo Starr and John Lennon in a scene from the film 'Magical Mystery Tour'Keystone-France/Gamma-Keystone via Getty Images

The Beatles are releasing a restored version of their classic 1967 film, Magical Mystery Tour. The film, written and directed by the band, has been long out of print, but will be released on DVD and Blu-Ray. There's also a combined deluxe box set featuring both versions, along with a 60-page book and a reproduction of the mono double seven-inch vinyl EP containing the film's six Beatles songs: "Magical Mystery Tour," "The Fool On The Hill," "I Am The Walrus," "Flying," "Blue Jay Way" and "Your Mother Should Know." The EP was originally issued in the U.K. in 1967 to accompany the movie.

Magical Mystery Tour will be available October 8th. Select movie theaters will screen the film starting September 27th. Listings will be available on the Beatles' website.

To read the new issue of Rolling Stone online, plus the entire RS archive: Click Here

Amazon Music and MP3 Center

Read more »

The Beatles' 'Magical Mystery Tour' Gets DVD, Blu-Ray Release

Paul McCartney, George Harrison, Ringo Starr and John Lennon in a scene from the film 'Magical Mystery Tour'Keystone-France/Gamma-Keystone via Getty Images

The Beatles are releasing a restored version of their classic 1967 film, Magical Mystery Tour. The film, written and directed by the band, has been long out of print, but will be released on DVD and Blu-Ray. There's also a combined deluxe box set featuring both versions, along with a 60-page book and a reproduction of the mono double seven-inch vinyl EP containing the film's six Beatles songs: "Magical Mystery Tour," "The Fool On The Hill," "I Am The Walrus," "Flying," "Blue Jay Way" and "Your Mother Should Know." The EP was originally issued in the U.K. in 1967 to accompany the movie.

Magical Mystery Tour will be available October 8th. Select movie theaters will screen the film starting September 27th. Listings will be available on the Beatles' website.

To read the new issue of Rolling Stone online, plus the entire RS archive: Click Here

Amazon MP3 Download Center

Read more »

Madonna Calls for Pussy Riot's Release at Moscow Show

Mikhail Metzel/AFP/GettyImages

Madonna paused during a concert last night in Moscow to urge Russian authorities to free three members of the band Pussy Riot, who are on trial for staging a "punk prayer" against Vladimir Putin in a Russian Orthodox cathedral in March, Reuters reports. 

The pop star's expressions of solidarity also included wearing a balaclava similar to the ones worn by Pussy Riot members Nadezhda Tolokonnikova, Maria Alyokhina and Yekaterina Samutsevich during protests; and revealing the band's name written on her back after stripping down to a black bra.

"I know there are many side to every story, and I mean no disrespect to the church or the government, but I think that these three girls – Masha, Katya, Nadya – I think that they have done something courageous," Madonna told the crowd.

"I pray for their freedom," she added. 

As a verdict nears in what some observers have called a politically motivated show trial, Tolokonnikova told the court earlier this week that their performance in Moscow's Christ the Savior Cathedral was a political statement that was never intended to offend religious sensibilities. "We sang 'Black habit, gold shoulder straps' about the fusion of KGB and the church," she said. "Our goal was political protest in artistic form. There was no hate, not a drop."

Madonna joins artists including Patti Smith, Sting and the Red Hot Chili Peppers in calling for the release of Pussy Riot, whose members could face seven years in prison on charges of "hooliganism motivated by religious hatred." Putin, Russia's president, has said he hopes the women "are not judged too severely," and a prosecutor this week asked for three-years sentences.

"I know that everyone in this auditorium, if you are here as my fan, feels they have the right to be free," Madonna said during her set.

U.S. and Russian authorities had warned of the threat of violence against performers and spectators at the pop icon's two Moscow performances this week, Billboard reports. The U.S. Consulate General issued a warning that read: "While we expect that enhanced security measures will be put in place at both concerts, U.S. citizens are reminded to remain vigilant regarding their personal security, and to be aware of their surroundings at all times, especially in crowded areas."

To read the new issue of Rolling Stone online, plus the entire RS archive: Click Here

Amazon MP3 Download Center

Read more »

Women Guitarist Christopher Reimer's Solo Material Gets Posthumous Release

Christopher Reimer of Women performs at The Harley in Sheffield, England.

Friends of Christopher Reimer, the guitarist for the Canadian post-punk band Women who died in his sleep February 21st, have made available The Chad Tape, a collection of music Reimer was working on before his death, Pitchfork reports.

The Chad Tape comprises tracks Reimer had completed for a solo project of ambient music, which fellow Calgary musician Chad Van Gaalen had offered to release.

Although the project remains incomplete, Reimer's friends assembled the songs and are planning a posthumous cassette release, complete with artwork and writing from Reimer himself. While there will be a limited number of cassettes released, the music is also available to stream and purchase digitally on Bandcamp. 

Proceeds from The Chad Tape will go to the Chris Reimer Legacy Fund, which helps provide children with scholarships in music and dance education.

To read the new issue of Rolling Stone online, plus the entire RS archive: Click Here

Amazon Music and MP3 Center

Read more »

David Byrne and St. Vincent Will Release 'Love This Giant' in September

Amazon Music and MP3 Center

Read more »

Snoop Dogg Will Release Songbook Printed on Rolling Papers

Snoop Dogg performs at SXSW in Austin, Texas.

Snoop Dogg plans to release Rolling Words: A Smokable Songbook, which will be printed entirely on hemp seed paper, Gawker reports. Naturally, non-toxic ink is used to print Snoop's "classic" lyrics and signature phrases. The book's spine is held together with a match-striking surface. Oh, and the pages are perforated.

Rolling Words is intended to promote Snoop's Kingsize Slim rolling papers. Fuse.tv reports that Coachella attendees will be among the first to try the papers from copies distributed at the festival. "What's My Name," "Drop It Like It's Hot" and "Gin and Juice" are among the song lyrics offered in the book.

To read the new issue of Rolling Stone online, plus the entire RS archive: Click Here

Amazon Music and MP3 Center

Read more »

Kraftwerk Release Limited-Edition Box Set at MoMA

Kraftwerk will release a new limited-edition of The Catalogue, a box set featuring all eight of their albums, through the Museum of Modern Art on April 7th. The new version of the set will come packaged in a box with new artwork and be released in a numbered edition of just 2,000 copies. The CDs in the set will include the same remastered versions of the albums included in the version of the box set released by Astralwerks in 2009. The new box set will only be sold at MoMA's website, the gift shop at the museum in Manhattan and the MoMA PS1 gift shop in Long Island City, Queens.

The limited-edition box set version of The Catalogue was made to commemorate "Kraftwerk - Retrospective 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8", a series of concerts at the museum in which the influential electronic group will perform each of their albums over eight nights. The live events will include 3D projections, artwork and some improvised performances. The retrospective will begin on April 10th with a performance focusing on the group's 1974 debut, Autobahn.

You can watch a trailer for the box set below, and find out how to enter to win a chance to witness one of Kraftwerk's sold-out retrospective concerts at MoMA here.

To read the new issue of Rolling Stone online, plus the entire RS archive: Click Here

Amazon Music and MP3 Center

Read more »

Kraftwerk Release Limited-Edition Box Set at MoMA

Kraftwerk will release a new limited-edition of The Catalogue, a box set featuring all eight of their albums, through the Museum of Modern Art on April 7th. The new version of the set will come packaged in a box with new artwork and be released in a numbered edition of just 2,000 copies. The CDs in the set will include the same remastered versions of the albums included in the version of the box set released by Astralwerks in 2009. The new box set will only be sold at MoMA's website, the gift shop at the museum in Manhattan and the MoMA PS1 gift shop in Long Island City, Queens.

The limited-edition box set version of The Catalogue was made to commemorate "Kraftwerk - Retrospective 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8", a series of concerts at the museum in which the influential electronic group will perform each of their albums over eight nights. The live events will include 3D projections, artwork and some improvised performances. The retrospective will begin on April 10th with a performance focusing on the group's 1974 debut, Autobahn.

You can watch a trailer for the box set below, and find out how to enter to win a chance to witness one of Kraftwerk's sold-out retrospective concerts at MoMA here.

To read the new issue of Rolling Stone online, plus the entire RS archive: Click Here

Amazon MP3 Download Center

Read more »

Snoop Dogg Will Release Songbook Printed on Rolling Papers

Snoop Dogg performs at SXSW in Austin, Texas.

Snoop Dogg plans to release Rolling Words: A Smokable Songbook, which will be printed entirely on hemp seed paper, Gawker reports. Naturally, non-toxic ink is used to print Snoop's "classic" lyrics and signature phrases. The book's spine is held together with a match-striking surface. Oh, and the pages are perforated.

Rolling Words is intended to promote Snoop's Kingsize Slim rolling papers. Fuse.tv reports that Coachella attendees will be among the first to try the papers from copies distributed at the festival. "What's My Name," "Drop It Like It's Hot" and "Gin and Juice" are among the song lyrics offered in the book.

To read the new issue of Rolling Stone online, plus the entire RS archive: Click Here

Amazon MP3 Download Center

Read more »