Word on the internet this week is that a leaked version of David Bowie’s lost 2001 record Toy has slipped out into the wild and is now doing the round on file-sharing sites. Toy is one of many albums over the course of musical history that for one reason or another got delayed, shelved or otherwise waylaid. There’s often a mythology that grows up around such albums, and although the story can sometimes outweigh the actual music – after all, often albums get canned for a reason — there are some that warrant the attention they attract. Here’s our pick of 10 of music’s best lost records — or the ones that sound like they would be the best, if only we could hear them…
1. Nate Dogg, the California rapper known for his collaborations with Dr. Dre, Warren G, and Eminem, among others, died yesterday at the age of 41. He had previously survived a pair of strokes in 2007 and 2008. [via Billboard]
2. Exciting news of the day that makes us feel old: TV Land has announced that the cast of The Facts of Life will reunite next month for the first time in 20 years to accept the Pop Culture Award at the 2011 TV Land Awards. [via EW]
3. Playgirl has offered $10,000 to anyone who can get them a naked picture of CNN’s Anderson Cooper. “He’s got this charisma that a lot of our readers are attracted to, plus now he’s all muscled, [so] he’s not only smart but also hot,” explains the magazine’s editor in chief, Daniel Nardicio. “Both our male and female readers love Anderson.” [via PopEater]
4. “This memoir is her story, in her own words. Mary and Keith Hudson have been Christian Evangelists long before the world every heard of Katy Perry.” – the opening line of Katy Perry’s mother’s book proposal which the New York Postreports she is currently shopping around to New York’s literary agents hoping to land a publishing deal.
5. Drew Barrymore will direct the romantic comedy How To Be Single, a film adaptation of Liz Tuccillo’s bestselling novel which “explores the loves lives and break-ups of a group of New Yorkers over the course of ten years”; if Tuccillo’s name sounds familiar to you, it’s because she’s also the co-author of a little piece of self-help poison known as He’s Just Not That Into You. [via THR]
Donald Trump is “seriously thinking about” a run for president because he thinks the U.S. has become “the laughingstock of the world.” Also, he’d sure like to tell China, “You’re fired.” This looks promising. [CNN]
In the year since he was branded “too fat too fly,” Kevin Smith has lost 65 pounds. But that doesn’t mean he isn’t still pissed off about the incident. [Time]
Dr. Dre will join Eminem in a performance at this weekend’s Grammy Awards. Does this mean Detox really is almost ready for release? Bob Dylan will also take the stage Sunday for a collaboration with Mumford & Sons. [MTV News]
Big news, comic fans: Spider-Man is joining the Fantastic Four. Beginning March 23, he’ll replace the Human Torch, who died last month. Here’s hoping he fares better on the page than on the stage. [AP]
Emma Watson has signed on to star opposite Logan Lerman in the big-screen adaptation of The Perks of Being a Wallflower. Stephen Chbosky, the book’s author, will direct the film, and John Malkovich is the executive producer. [Digital Spy]
When we heard, earlier this week, that the long-awaited Jay-Z/Dr. Dre collaboration was called “Under Pressure,” we thought, “Could it be?” But then we listened to it. It wasn’t so great, and it certainly wasn’t a cover of David Bowie and Queen’s legendary collaboration. And that made us extra disappointed. It also got us thinking about how many songs have faked us out this way in the past. After the jump, we compile ten “same name, different song” situations to determine which one wins the right to be the definitive track with a given title. Use the comments to weigh in and add to our list.
Rolling Stone has just released an epic new issue listing its 500 greatest albums of all time. Jay-Z wrote a lovely introduction. We will likely have more to say on this soon. But for now, enjoy the magazine’s new cover for Dr. Dre’s immortal The Chronic.
Now that they’ve subjected the world to some eye-blinding cover art, put out a cheesy promotional infomercial, and preemptively apologized for the song “Flash Delirium,” all that’s left for MGMT’s newest album Congratulations is the actual music (which is now streaming here). Amidst the oblique psychedelic meandering of their latest, the guys in MGMT felt compelled to saddle a pair of songs with some extra musical baggage: “Brian Eno” and “Song for Dan Treacy.”
In honor of MGMT bestowing their blessing on these two artists, we’ve compiled a list of songs about musicians/bands (the recent death of Alex Chilton is another unfortunate reason to examine this niche). After the jump, check out our choices, accompanied by some defining lyrics and ranging from self-referential jokiness to teary-eyed homages to a seriously pissed off Jay-Z. As always, let us know which songs we’ve left off.
Most people improve at something the older that they get, but with emcees this is rarely the case. (There’s one exception to our sweeping generalization: LL Cool J’s Radio. We prefer Mama Said Knock You Out.) A number of factors might be at work here: loss of motivation, lack of material, the detested “selling out,” personal troubles (jail, death, etc.), loss of originality… and sometimes they just want to become a preacher. Whatever the reason, most rappers create their finest albums their first time in the studio. Don’t believe us? Ten albums that prove it’s true after the jump.
Back in 1994, Long Beach, California charged onto the rap scene along with a few other West Coast hot spots. While most of the major artists from the area (Pac, Dre, Snoop) stuck with the West by signing to labels like Death Row, one rapper in particular went East — Warren G. Read More »
