• The Beatles Christmas Records: Ranking The Yearly Mess from John, Paul, George and Ringo 1963-1969

    Pearl Jam wasn't the first band to send out yearly Christmas exclusives to its fan club. The Beatles had jumped on that train nearly 30 years earlier. The difference of course is that Pearl Jam's fans could expect some new musical recordings, covers if nothing else, while the biggest band in history took the yearly task of crafting a Christmas album about as seriously as Stephen Colbert takes investigative reporting. The results tended to be a mess...occasionally a curious mess, but a mess nonetheless. Music Times has waded through the seven Beatles Christmas flexi-discs and made a modest attempt at ranking them.

  • Highest Paid Musicians 2014: Dr. Dre Tops The List (Duh) but Beyoncé, One Direction and Justin Bieber Make Bank as Well

    Hip-hop might be the genre that puts the most emphasis on dollars earned but we'd be kidding ourselves if big acts from every scene had their eyes on their wallets. And so do we as fans...just Google an act and see "net worth" doesn't come up as a popular search term. Forbes released its annual list of the Top 30 highest earning musicians from the previous year and you probably guessed who took the top spot: Dr. Dre.

  • John Lennon: Remembering the Singer with 10 Inspiring Quotes [PHOTOS]

    John Lennon had established himself as a superb solo artist by the time 1980 rolled around. The Beatles disbanded a full decade earlier, and Lennon had found a way to captivate listeners without his writing partner Paul McCartney. He released five LPs in the '70s, including his debut, "John Lennon/The Plastic Ono Band" and his masterpiece "Imagine." There was a five-year hole in his recording career from 1975-80, but in November 1980 Lennon came back with "Double Fantasy." It was the former Beatle's final album. Lennon was shot by Mark David Chapman 34 years ago today, Dec. 8. It is a loss that still perplexes fans and admirers to this day. Even the singer's killer has awakened from his delusional haze, telling the parole board in July, "I am sorry for being such an idiot and choosing the wrong way for glory." This year's anniversary is not a milestone. It is not a nice, rounded-off number like 30 or 35, both of which are far less important than 25 and 50. But while Lennon's death left a void in popular music, it also robbed the world of a truly beautiful mind that never hesitated to comment on the state of the world. He did not just say, "War is bad," he opted for the positive and tried to spark a movement from that: "Give peace a chance." So, yes, 34 means little. But it is difficult to look at 2014 and not think about what kind of wisdom Lennon could offer if he were still with us. What would he tell us about unrest stemming from the Michael Brown and Eric Garner cases that we are missing? What insights could he offer on gay marriage rights? And do not forget the NFL. There is no shortage of moral problems and quandaries in today's social media society. Would Lennon even bother with Twitter? We will never know the specific answers to those questions. Thankfully, Lennon spoke his mind often during his 40-year stay on Earth, and those snippets of wisdom remain a guiding light for fans of peace, creativity and love.

  • Bob Geldof and Band Aid 30: Media Can't Help but Wonder Where Paul McCartney's At

    You won't hear any complaints regarding a lack of talent on Band Aid 30, the new charity all-star band assembled by Bob Geldof to record "Do They Know It's Christmas" to raise funds for combatting Ebola in Africa: One Direction, Chris Martin of Coldplay, Ellie Goulding, Ed Sheeran...plenty have shown up and plenty have downloaded the single accordingly. One question still gets posed frequently to the Band Aid honcho however: Where's Paul McCartney? The former Beatle and still massive solo performer took part in the original recording during 1984 and came back for the 20th anniversary during 2004 (albeit skipping the smaller Band Aid II during 1989).

  • Macca Reflects on John Lennon's Death, Calls Mark David Chapman 'Jerk of Jerks' [WATCH]

    Tomorrow, Dec. 8, will mark the 34th anniversary of John Lennon's death. The Beatle and iconic pacifist was shot by Mark David Chapman in New York City. Bandmate Paul McCartney recently reflected on Lennon's death on "The Jonathan Ross Show," saying that he and the "Imagine" singer were on good terms prior to the shooting. He also called Chapman the "jerk of jerks" in the interview. "There was acrimony in The Beatles. But when he got killed we were friends. We used to call each other up and swap bread recipes," McCartney said, "The Mirror" reported. "I was at home when he died. I got a phone call. It was so horrific. I could not take it in that he was gone. It was a very big shock. I was so sad that I was not going to see him again," he said. The cordial McCartney held back on Chapman, though, offering an insult fit for television. "And the guy who did it was the jerk of jerks. He was not politically motivated," he added.

  • Pete Wentz Talks New Fall Out Boy Album, Mixing Pop and Rock

    Pete Wentz and Fall Out Boy had a moderately successful comeback in 2013 with Save Rock and Roll and the single "My Songs Know What You Did In The Dark (Light 'Em Up)" after a five-year hiatus, and the bassist says they're "80 percent of the way done" with a sixth album, American Beauty/American Psycho.

  • Kanye West To Tour North America In 2015, According To Rihanna's Charity Auction

    Although Kanye West hasn’t officially announced any plans regarding the release of his eagerly anticipated new album, it was revealed today that the superstar rapper will be embarking on a North American tour in 2015 in support of the album. According to Spin, the announcement was made rather inconspicuously through the website of Rihanna’s charity auction, which includes a prize titled “Kanye West Tour Experience” and states that Yeezy will be touring North America in 2015.

  • The Pop Group Announce First New Album In 35 Years 'Citizen Zombie,' Share Title Track [LISTEN]

    Post-punk legends The Pop Group reunited back in 2010 after nearly 30 years apart, but today the highly influential band announced their first post-reunion album Citizen Zombie and premiered its title track over at Noisey, which you can check out below. Citizen Zombie will be The Pop Group's first studio album since their 1980 sophomore effort For How Much Longer Do We Tolerate Mass Murder?

  • 8 Album Covers That the Artists Hate

    Writing and recording an album can be a long and arduous process, which is why most musicians leave it up to their record label to design a suitable album cover, though as these eight albums prove, this can often lead to regrettable designs that the musician ends up hating.

  • Billy Joel Growls 'Maybe I'm Amazed' for 'The Art of McCartney' [LISTEN]

    Billy Joel brings some New York swagger to the classic Paul McCartney jam "Maybe I'm Amazed" in the latest shared audio from "The Art of McCartney." The Piano Man picked a winner for the tribute album of tunes the former Beatle wrote. Joel adds a little growl to the rendition with his aged voice, but the track still maintains its subtle gentleness. When he starts out, Joel sounds like his 1977 self on "Scenes from an Italian Restaurant," but it does not take long for the singer to turn it up a notch. Listen to the cover below. Joel also took on "Live and Let Die" for the album, out Nov. 18, bringing the same ferocity to the tune, "Rolling Stone" reported.

  • Recruiting for the New "Do They Know It's Christmas?": One Direction, Ed Sheeran, Adele and More

    Bob Geldof stirred up some interest in the music community on Monday when rumors began spreading that he was making calls in an attempt to recruit participants for a 30th anniversary edition of Band Aid, the charitable super group that came together to record the classic "Do They Know It's Christmas?," which raised huge amounts for those struggling from famine in Ethiopia. The new rendition will benefit the fight against Ebola.
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