May I have your attention, please? May I have your attention, please? Will the real Slim Shady please stand up? “The Real Slim Shady” was Eminem’s first song to reach number one in the United Kingdom and it also peaked at number four on the Billboard Hot 100, giving him his biggest hit up to that point. The song was the 14th best selling of 2000 in the United Kingdom. It won multiple awards, including MTV Video Music Awards for Best Video and Best Male Video, as well as a Grammy Award for Best Rap Solo Performance. In October 2011, NME placed it at number 80 on its list “150 Best Tracks of the Past 15 Years”. It was listed at number 396 on NME’s 500 greatest songs of all time.
DJ Earworm Mashup – United State of Pop 2017 (How We Do It)
DJ Earworm is back with the ultimate year-end music mashup.
Using Amazon Prime (Or Any Other Delivery Service) For A Good Deed
Rob Bliss wanted to demonstrate how easy and convenient it can be to bring a person in need, what they need, and to encourage that behavior.
Rockin’ Out On A $1 Guitar
Rob Scallon not only knows how to rock out, but he knows the value of a dollar.
King Krule: NPR Music Tiny Desk Concert
“She smoked me whole and blows out Os. The sink had sunk, it overflows. The door is shut, my eyes are closed. I hear her moan, or what I suppose.”
Archy Marshall aka King Krule visits NPR Music in support of his latest album, The Ooz.
Little Steven and the Disciples of Soul Say Happy Holidays With Very Special New Single
Little Steven and the Disciples of Soul are celebrating the season with a very special holiday single. “Merry Christmas (I Don’t Want To Fight Tonight),” is out today, Friday, December 15th, at all digital music retailers and streaming services here.
“Merry Christmas (I Don’t Want To Fight Tonight)” sees Little Steven and the Disciples of Soul bringing their one-of-a-kind sound to The Ramones’ Yuletide classic, written by Joey Ramone and first found on the B-side to the 1987 single, “I Wanna Live.” The new rendition – arranged and produced by Stevie Van Zandt – was recorded by Little Steven and the Disciples of Soul two weeks ago during soundcheck in Utrecht, Netherlands in the midst of their extraordinary “Soulfire Tour 2017,” capturing all the spirit and energy of the 15-piece rock ‘n’ soul revue at the very peak of their formidable onstage power.
“This is our tribute to the Ramones, keeping their music alive,” Van Zandt told Rolling Stone. “I needed a third verse so I channeled Joey and wrote what I feel is the third verse he would have written. His brother Mickey heard the record and gave me his blessing.”
Little Steven and the Disciples of Soul – who recently rocked NPR’s World Music Café with an exclusive interview and three-song live set – will wrap up the “Soulfire Tour 2017” with a pair of holiday homecoming concerts, set for Brooklyn, NY’s Brooklyn Bowl (December 20th) and Red Bank, NJ’s Count Basie Theatre (December 23rd). For ticket availability and exclusive VIP packages, please visit littlesteven.com.
The “Soulfire Tour 2017” of course marked the acclaimed release of Little Steven’s sensational new solo album, SOULFIRE, available now via Wicked Cool/Big Machine/UMe. The album is available as CD, digital download, and 180-gram black vinyl, the latter presented as a double LP housed in a gatefold sleeve with the music on Sides 1-3 and a unique etching of Little Steven on Side 4.
SOULFIRE is Stevie Van Zandt’s first solo album in close to two decades and without question his purest and most uniquely personal artistic statement thus far. The album sees the Rock & Roll Hall of Famer revisiting songs that span the length of his career as artist, performer, producer, arranger, and songwriter, focusing directly on the hugely influential “soul horns-meet-rock ‘n’ roll guitars” approach he first pioneered on Southside Johnny and the Asbury Jukes’ classic first three albums.
SOULFIRE has quickly drawn rapturous applause from fans and critics alike, with Rolling Stone declaring, “Rock’s ultimate sideman reclaims the Jersey Shore sound he helped invent.” “Cynicism, irony and cultivated hip detachment have taken their toll on rock ‘n’ roll,” raved USA Today. “With SOULFIRE, Van Zandt aims to blow all that out and lead listeners back to its more passionate essence.” “It’s hard to imagine a more joyous and revelatory contemporary blue-eyed soul recording,” enthused American Songwriter. “The appropriately titled SOULFIRE is a tough, tight and clearly inspired project as well as a most welcome return from the musical shadows for Steven Van Zandt.” SOULFIRE “hearkens back to Van Zandt’s classic first solo album of gritty, greasy, horn-accented ’60s-style rock and soul,” noted Billboard, while Paste proclaimed, “Rockier than Motown or the Sound of Philadelphia, this a joyous invitation to live and love.”
SOULFIRE was arranged and produced by Van Zandt at his own Renegade Studios in New York City, co-produced and recorded by GRAMMY® Award-winner Geoff Sanoff (Fountains of Wayne, Stephen Colbert) and co-produced and music directed by guitarist Marc Ribler. The album was mixed and mastered by Van Zandt’s career-long collaborators and friends Bob Clearmountain (Rolling Stones, David Bowie, The Who, Bryan Adams), and Bob Ludwig (Led Zeppelin, Nirvana, The Band, Sly and the Family Stone).
Little Steven Van Zandt is of course known around the world for his utterly personal songwriting and an ambitious adventurousness that has fueled much of his creative output these past two decades. In addition to his ongoing role as a touring and recording member of The E Street Band, he has also expanded his artistic parameters to include landmark work as an actor on The Sopranos and Lilyhammer as well as host, historian, and rock ‘n’ roll advocate on Sirius XM’s one-and-only “Little Steven’s Underground Garage” (not to mention creator of Sirius XM’s long-running “Outlaw Country” format). Van Zandt has also expanded his musical boundaries to include composing the score for all three seasons of Lilyhammer and additional work as producer and songwriter, lending his distinctive craft to records from an array of international garage rockers.
Little Steven and The Disciples of Soul made their long-awaited live return last October at London’s BluesFest 2016. Van Zandt and the band also crossed the Atlantic this fall for a hugely successful European leg of the “Soulfire Tour 2017,” with multiple stops in England, Scotland, Germany, The Netherlands and Spain, highlighted by Paul McCartney sitting in to perform “I Saw Her Standing There” in London, and then the band performing a lunchtime show at Liverpool’s Cavern Club.
Howard Stern to Dedicate His SiriusXM Channel to His Best Celebrity Interviews of 2017
Howard Stern and SiriusXM announced today that his exclusive SiriusXM channel, Howard 100, will turn “all interviews, all the time,” celebrating his best conversations of the year. Howard 100: The Interviews will kick off at midnight on December 18th and run through New Year’s Day.
Known for his best-in-career insightful, provocative, and deeply engaging interviews, The New York Times has called Stern “one of the most deft and engrossing celebrity interviewers in the business and a sought-after stop for stars selling a movie or setting the record straight.”
Throughout 2017, Stern spoke at length with some of the biggest musicians, actors, comedians, and newsmakers of the year, getting them to share stories they wouldn’t tell to anyone else. Now, for the first time, Stern’s channel will be dedicated purely to these interviews, including Miley Cyrus, Kevin Hart, Scarlett Johansson, David Letterman, Adam Levine, Robert Plant, Adam Sandler, Jerry Seinfeld, Sarah Silverman, Jon Stewart, and more, as well as news figures ranging from Rachel Maddow to Robert O’Neill, the Navy Seal credited with killing Osama Bin Laden.
Howard Stern’s second SiriusXM channel, Howard 101, will also be dedicated to the show’s greatest highlights from the year. Howard 101: Everything Else will feature his top comedic moments with his colorful staff, unusual “Wack Pack” superfans, prank phone calls, characters, impersonations and stunts, as Stern continues to break new ground in comedy and satire.
Kevin Hart’s Laugh Out Loud To Launch new Comedy Channel With SiriusXM
Laugh Out Loud, the comedy brand and multi-platform network created by Kevin Hart and Lionsgate, and SiriusXM today announced an agreement to launch a new fulltime comedy channel with Hart, one of the top comedians working today. The channel extends the Laugh Out Loud brand to radio for the first time, reaching SiriusXM’s more than 32 million subscribers.
The new channel, which launches early next year, will feature a weekly show hosted by Hart. Considered one of the world’s top comedians, Hart will also handpick a selection of diverse comedic voices to create, produce and star on the channel’s wide range of comedy programming.
“I am very excited to create a channel on SiriusXM that will be home to new frontiers in comedy,” said Hart. “After launching our Laugh Out Loud video network, which is off to a fast start, our goal is to make the world laugh by reaching people wherever they are. SiriusXM is the perfect partner to introduce a whole new audience to our Laugh Out Loud brand. The world will soon discover that – believe it or not – I’m even funnier on radio.”
“Kevin Hart is an unparalleled entertainer. SiriusXM is excited to have Kevin create a new channel that showcases his many talents and features other comedy voices chosen by Kevin. Our subscribers will love it,” said Scott Greenstein, President and Chief Content Officer, SiriusXM. “We are also very proud Kevin has chosen SiriusXM as his audio home and look forward to seeing what he has in store for this channel. Stay tuned.”
The Beach Boys Release Sunshine Tomorrow 2: The Studio Sessions And 109-Song Live Album
Today, The Beach Boys release two new digital audio collections worldwide via Capitol/UMe, revealing much more of the legendary band’s pivotal 1967 creative work in the studio and onstage. Following the acclaimed 2CD and digital 1967 – Sunshine Tomorrow collection released in June, 1967 – Sunshine Tomorrow 2: The Studio Sessions presents 29 studio session recordings and Live Sunshine – 1967 features 109 live recordings, most of which are previously unreleased.
1967 – Sunshine Tomorrow, 1967 – Sunshine Tomorrow 2: The Studio Sessions, and Live Sunshine – 1967 dive deep into a fascinating and frenetic chapter in The Beach Boys’ long, groundbreaking creative arc, exploring the band’s dynamic year through their recordings. The Beach Boys have personally overseen the creative process for the three collections, which are produced by Mark Linnet and Alan Boyd. Pitchfork reviewer Jesse Jarnow praised 1967 – Sunshine Tomorrowas “remarkable,” saying, “These recordings make it possible to hear The Beach Boys simultaneously as the moody pop geniuses of Pet Sounds and the fresh-faced surf-rockin’ teens from Hawthorne, California.”
1967 – Sunshine Tomorrow features Linett and Boyd’s new, first-ever stereo mix of The Beach Boys’ 1967 Wild Honeyalbum and all three collections throw open the legendary band’s vault to debut sought-after rarities, 50 years after they were put to tape. Previously unreleased highlights across the titles include The Beach Boys’ shelved “live” album, Lei’d in Hawaii, studio recordings from the Wild Honey and Smiley Smile album sessions, and standout concert recordings spanning 1967 to 1970. Wild Honey‘s 2017 stereo mix is also available in a 180-gram vinyl 50th Anniversary Edition.
The Beach Boys’ final studio session for the shelved SMiLE album took place on May 18, 1967, with Smiley Smile album sessions booked at Brian Wilson’s new home studio from June 3 through the end of July. The band’s 12th and 13th studio albums were released exactly three months apart to cap the year’s studio efforts: Smiley Smile on September 18followed by Wild Honey on December 18.
For the Smiley Smile sessions, “I wanted to have a home environment trip where we could record at my house,” recalls Brian Wilson in the liner notes for 1967 – Sunshine Tomorrow. “I wanted to try something different, something new. I produced Smiley Smile, but Mike inspired me. He said ‘Brian, let’s make a really good, easygoing album’. We had an engineer convert my den into a studio. We had my piano detuned to make it ring more.”
“Just prior to that, Brian had built up this production peak and then just completely reversed field, and (for Smiley Smile) did something so light and airy, and y’ know, easy,” explains Mike Love. “That was an underground album, I figure, for us. It was completely out of the mainstream of what was going on at that time, which was all hard rock, psychedelic music, and here we come with a song called ‘Wind Chimes.’ It just didn’t have anything to do with what was going on – and that was the idea.”
“Times were changing,” adds Al Jardine. “We were happy to put our musical skills to work. We didn’t have to look at the clock; there was virtually 24-hour availability to experiment.”
On August 25 and 26, 1967, The Beach Boys (absent Bruce Johnston, but with Brian Wilson on organ for his first concert appearances with the band in more than two years) recorded two concerts and rehearsals in Honolulu for a prospective live album to be titled Lei’d In Hawaii, applying a new Smiley Smile-inspired aesthetic to the performances. Just over two weeks later, the band (with both Brian and Bruce participating) began re-recording the live set in-studio at Brian’s house and at Wally Heider Recording in Hollywood, after the Honolulu concert tapes were deemed unusable. Although completed and mixed, the final planned audio element of a canned concert audience was not added and the Lei’d In Hawaii project was canceled. Those live, in-studio performances morphed into sessions for the Wild Honey album, primarily comprised of original Brian Wilson/Mike Love compositions.
Two days after wrapping the Wild Honey sessions on November 15th, 1967, Mike Love, Carl and Dennis Wilson, Al Jardine, and Bruce Johnston returned to the road for The Beach Boys’ Thanksgiving Tour, premiering several songs from the forthcoming album at their concerts.
The Beach Boys continue to hold Billboard / Nielsen SoundScan’s record as America’s top-selling band for albums and singles, and they are also the American group with the most Billboard Top 40 chart hits (36). “Good Vibrations” was inducted into the GRAMMY Hall of Fame® in 1994. ‘Sounds Of Summer: The Very Best Of The Beach Boys’ has achieved triple-Platinum sales status and ‘The SMiLE Sessions,’ released to worldwide critical acclaim in 2011, was heralded as the year’s Best Reissue by Rolling Stone and earned a GRAMMY Award® for Best Historical Album.
Inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1988 and recipients of The Recording Academy’s Lifetime Achievement Award, The Beach Boys are a beloved American institution that remains iconic around the world.
The Beach Boys: 1967 – Sunshine Tomorrow 2: The Studio Sessions [digital]
All tracks previously unreleased
- Heroes And Villains – A Cappella
- Vegetables – Track And Background Vocals
- She’s Going Bald – Track And Background Vocals
- Little Pad – A Cappella
- With Me Tonight – Session Highlight
- Wind Chimes – Track And Background Vocals
- Gettin’ Hungry – Track And Background Vocals
- Whistle In – Track And Background Vocals
- Aren’t You Glad – Stereo Single Mix
- I Was Made To Love Her – Track And Background Vocals
- Country Air – Track And Background Vocals
- Darlin’ – Track And Background Vocals
- I’d Love Just Once To See You – Track And Background Vocals
- Here Comes The Night – A Cappella
- Let The Wind Blow – A Cappella
- How She Boogalooed It – Track And Stereo Last Verse
- Lonely Days – Session Highlight And Track
- Time To Get Alone – Backing Track
- Cool Cool Water – Alternate Mix
- Can’t Wait Too Long – Alternative Mix With Tag
- Tune L – Session – Unreleased
- Good News – Outtake
- Surfin’ – “Lei’d In Hawaii” / Studio Backing Track
- Heroes And Villains – “Lei’d In Hawaii” / Studio Version
- With A Little Help From My Friends – Session Highlight And Track With Background Vocals
- Barbara Ann – “Lei’d In Hawaii” / Studio Backing Track
- California Girls – “Lei’d In Hawaii” / Studio Stereo Mix
- God Only Knows – “Lei’d In Hawaii” / Studio Stereo Mix
- Surfer Girl – “Lei’d In Hawaii” / Studio Stereo Mix – Alternate Take
The Beach Boys: Live Sunshine – 1967 [digital]
* = track previously released on 1967 – Sunshine Tomorrow / all other tracks previously unreleased
- Heroes And Villains – Rehearsal / Live In Hawaii / 8/25/67
- God Only Knows – Rehearsal / Live In Hawaii / 8/25/67
- Good Vibrations – Rehearsal / Live In Hawaii / 8/25/67
- The Letter – Rehearsal / Live In Hawaii / 8/25/67
- You’re So Good To Me – Rehearsal / Live In Hawaii / 8/25/67
- Hawaii – Rehearsal / Live In Hawaii / 8/25/67
- All Day All Night – Rehearsal / Live In Hawaii / 8/25/67
- California Girls – Rehearsal Take 1 / Live In Hawaii / 8/25/67
- Surfin’ – Rehearsal / Live In Hawaii / 8/25/67
- Sloop John B – Rehearsal / Live In Hawaii / 8/25/67
- Wouldn’t It Be Nice – Rehearsal / Live In Hawaii / 8/25/67
- California Girls – Rehearsal Take 2 / Live In Hawaii / 8/25/67
- The Letter – Rehearsal / Live In Hawaii / 8/25/67
- Hawaii – Live In Hawaii / 8/25/67
- You’re So Good To Me – Live In Hawaii / 8/25/67
- Surfer Girl – Live In Hawaii / 8/25/67
- Surfin’ – Live In Hawaii / 8/25/67
- Gettin’ Hungry – Live In Hawaii / 8/25/67
- Sloop John B – Live In Hawaii / 8/25/67
- California Girls – Live In Hawaii / 8/25/67
- Wouldn’t It Be Nice – Live In Hawaii / 8/25/67
- Heroes And Villains – Live In Hawaii / 8/25/67
- God Only Knows – Live In Hawaii / 8/25/67
- Good Vibrations – Live In Hawaii / 8/25/67
- Barbara Ann – Live In Hawaii / 8/25/67
- The Letter – Rehearsal / Live In Hawaii / 8/26/67
- Hawaii – Rehearsal / Live In Hawaii / 8/26/67 [new edit & mix]
- You’re So Good To Me – Rehearsal / Live In Hawaii / 8/26/67
- God Only Knows – Rehearsal / Live In Hawaii / 8/26/67
- Help Me Rhonda – Rehearsal / Live In Hawaii / 8/26/67
- California Girls – Rehearsal / Live In Hawaii / 8/26/67
- Good Vibrations – Rehearsal / Live In Hawaii / 8/26/67
- Heroes And Villains – Rehearsal / Live In Hawaii / 8/26/67 [new edit & mix]
- Their Hearts Were Full Of Spring – Rehearsal / Live In Hawaii / 8/26/67
- The Lord’s Prayer – Rehearsal / Live In Hawaii / 8/26/67
- Hawthorne Boulevard – Instrumental / Live in Honolulu / 1967 *
- Hawaii – Live In Hawaii / 8/26/67
- You’re So Good To Me – Live In Hawaii / 8/26/67
- Help Me Rhonda – Live In Hawaii / 8/26/67
- California Girls – Live In Hawaii / 8/26/67
- Wouldn’t It Be Nice – Live In Hawaii / 8/26/67
- Gettin’ Hungry – Live In Hawaii / 8/26/67 [new edit & mix]
- Surfer Girl – Live In Hawaii / 8/26/67
- Surfin’ – Live In Hawaii / 8/26/67 [new edit & mix]
- Sloop John B – Live In Hawaii / 8/26/67
- The Letter – Live In Hawaii / 8/26/67 [new edit & mix]
- God Only Knows – Live In Hawaii / 8/26/67
- Good Vibrations – Live In Hawaii / 8/26/67
- Heroes And Villains – Live In Hawaii / 8/26/67
- Barbara Ann – Live In Hawaii / 8/26/67
- Barbara Ann – Live In Detroit / 11/17/67
- Darlin’ – Live In Detroit / 11/17/67
- Country Air – Live In Detroit / 11/17/67 *
- I Get Around – Live In Detroit / 11/17/67
- How She Boogalooed It – Live In Detroit / 11/17/67 *
- Wouldn’t It Be Nice – Live In Detroit / 11/17/67
- God Only Knows – Live In Detroit / 11/17/67
- California Girls – Live In Detroit / 11/17/67
- Wild Honey – Live In Detroit / 11/17/67 *
- Graduation Day – Live In Detroit / 11/17/67
- Good Vibrations – Live In Detroit / 11/17/67
- Johnny B. Goode – Live In Detroit / 11/17/67
- Barbara Ann – Live In Washington, D.C. / 11/19/67
- Darlin’ – Live In Washington, D.C. / 11/19/67
- I Get Around – Live In Washington, D.C. / 11/19/67
- Surfer Girl – Live In Washington, D.C. / 11/19/67
- Wouldn’t It Be Nice – Live In Washington, D.C. / 11/19/67
- God Only Knows – Live In Washington, D.C. / 11/19/67
- California Girls – Live In Washington, D.C. / 11/19/67 *
- Wild Honey – Live In Washington, D.C. / 11/19/67
- Good Vibrations – Live In Washington, D.C. / 11/19/67
- Graduation Day – Live In Washington, D.C. / 11/19/67 *
- Johnny B. Goode – Live In Washington, D.C. / 11/19/67
- Help Me Rhonda – Live In White Plains, NY / 11/21/67
- Barbara Ann – Live In White Plains, NY / 11/21/67
- Darlin’ – Live In White Plains, NY / 11/21/67
- Surfer Girl – Live In White Plains, NY / 11/21/67
- Wouldn’t It Be Nice – Live In White Plains, NY / 11/21/67
- God Only Knows – Live In White Plains, NY / 11/21/67
- California Girls – Live In White Plains, NY / 11/21/67
- Wild Honey – Live In White Plains, NY / 11/21/67
- Graduation Day – Live In White Plains, NY / 11/21/67
- Good Vibrations – Live In White Plains, NY / 11/21/67
- Help Me Rhonda – Live In Pittsburgh / 11/22/67
- Barbara Ann – Live In Pittsburgh / 11/22/67
- I Get Around – Live In Pittsburgh / 11/22/67
- Darlin’ – Live In Pittsburgh / 11/22/67 *
- Surfer Girl – Live In Pittsburgh / 11/22/67
- Wouldn’t It Be Nice – Live In Pittsburgh / 11/22/67
- God Only Knows – Live In Pittsburgh / 11/22/67
- California Girls – Live In Pittsburgh / 11/22/67
- Wild Honey – Live In Pittsburgh / 11/22/67
- Good Vibrations – Live In Pittsburgh / 11/22/67
- Johnny B. Goode – Live In Pittsburgh / 11/22/67
- Graduation Day – Live In Pittsburgh / 11/22/67
- Sloop John B – Live In Pittsburgh / 11/22/67
- Help Me Rhonda – Live In Boston / 11/23/67
- Barbara Ann – Live In Boston / 11/23/67
- Darlin’ – Live In Boston / 11/23/67
- Surfer Girl – Live In Boston / 11/23/67
- Wouldn’t It Be Nice – Live In Boston / 11/23/67
- God Only Knows – Live In Boston / 11/23/67
- California Girls – Live In Boston / 11/23/67
- Wild Honey – Live In Boston / 11/23/67
- Good Vibrations – Live In Boston / 11/23/67
- I Get Around – Live In Boston / 11/23/67 *
- Sloop John B – Live In Boston / 11/23/67
- Graduation Day – Live In Boston / 11/23/67
- Johnny B. Goode – Live In Boston / 11/23/67