• David Bowie's 6 Epic Duets with Freddie Mercury, Mick Jagger and More

    Thirty years ago today, the world was in rapture over Live Aid and the dozens of musicians who were finding ways to help the cause. Two of those musicians were David Bowie and Mick Jagger, who paired up for the iconic song (and video) for "Dancing In The Street," with the proceeds from sales going to Bob Geldof's Live Aid. The song, a cover of the classic hit from Martha and The Vandellas, was as raucous as any, but ultimately became better known for the comical video of its stars literally dancing in the streets. Bowie was among the most iconic performers in music's most iconic generation...and he's shared the stage with more iconic performers than just about anyone. Here are five other original songs that Bowie wrote and performed with legendary acts.

  • The Eagles' 5 No. 1 Hits May Surprise You (Hint: 'Already Gone' Ain't One)

    Today marks the 40th anniversary of The Eagles' "One of These Nights" getting to no. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100. Getting to the top of the pop charts is one of the most difficult accomplishments in music, even for a major act (and even more difficult than topping the Billboard 200 albums chart). The Eagles has managed to do it five times across the band's lengthy career, and that's nothing to yawn at. Music Times decided to check out what five songs managed to peak on the chart...and were fairly surprised at what we found. If you were expecting "Take It Easy," "Peaceful Easy Feeling," "Already Gone" or other lasting hits from Their Greatest Hits...be prepared to be surprised.

  • 5 Great Chris Squire Bass Songs in Memory of The Legendary Yes-Man

    Today is a sad one for fans of classic rock, progressive rock, and the bass guitar in general: Chris Squire was one of the most deft and appreciated players of four string to emerge from the first generation of prog rock bands, and played in every one of Yes's concerts for more than 45 years. He'll miss his first show with the band on August 7 when Yes opens a tour with Toto: Unfortunately, Squire succumbed to leukemia this weekend, shortly after he had announced his first hiatus from group. Yes has long shuffled members but Squire would end up being the one constant, and now the group will have to look deep at itself before it continues touring post-2015. For just a brief overview of Squire's best bass parts, check out the five tracks below from bios massive discography.

  • Jhonni Blaze Talks Fetty Wap 'Ride or Die' Hit After Firing Rich Dollaz [EXCLUSIVE Q&A]

    Love and Hip Hop: New York reality star, Jhonni Blaze is on fire and making a name for herself in the music industry with her latest single, "Ride or Die" with Fetty Wap. The hit song has over 300,000 hits on her Soundcloud account and the reality star turned singer opens up about her passion for music, leaving Rich Dollaz's "Dollaz Unlimited Management," focusing on telling her life story through her music and what her relationship status with Bobby V is in an exclusive interview with MusicTimes.

  • EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW: Songwriter Lera Lynn Talks 'True Detective' Season 2 Music & More!

    After an amazingly popular first season of HBO's True Detective, season two has had a lot to live up to, with a new story and new stars taking on different characters. One big change came when the songwriter for the series, Oscar winner T. Bone Burnett brought in the relatively unknown singer-songwriter Lera Lynn for the season two soundtrack music. We all figured it would be a great match because fans of the crime series know that writer and creator Nic Pizzolatto is a very meticulous showrunner, but when we heard Lynn's voice on the song "The Only Thing Worth Fighting For" in the teaser trailer for the 2015 episodes, we were blown away. Thanks to Lera's haunting voice, we were sold on the new season.

  • Rudimental Talk 'We The Generation,' Major Toms [EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW]

    UK electronic outfit Rudimental have been responsible for some of the most soulful dance tracks of the past few years. Music Times had a chance to catch up with the band a short while ago before a listening party and we chatted with Rudimental about the album, the challanges they faced making it, Major Toms and much more.

  • James Taylor, Tony Bennett and Tom Petty: Longest Streaks Before A No. 1 Album

    James Taylor is a legend. The dude's been around for nearly 50 years. He's seen fire and he's seen rain. But there was one thing that the songwriter never saw during his lengthy career in music: A no. 1 record. That finally changed this week when 'Before This World,' his first album of original material in more than 13 years, peaked at the top of the Billboard 200. That got us at Music Times wondering...what performer took the longest to get their first no. 1 album? We ranked the Top 5, from "least" years to most..including Tom Petty, Tony Bennett and more.

  • Casting David Bowie in Musical Adaptations: Labyrinth, The Last Temptation and More

    David Bowie has been working on a musical adaptation of the 1976 film The Man Who Fell to Earth for some time now, and today fans were greeted with the news that the title character Lazarus would be portrayed by Michael C. Hall of Dexter fame when the off-Broadway theater production begins its run later this year. Unfortunately, alas, Bowie himself won't play a role in the actual stage portion of the production, although he will work with Tony-winning writer Enda Walsh (Once) to write original songs and arrangements for the performance. Hall is a solid choice for the role of an alien who comes to Earth, seeking water for his famished planet, only to be turned to the temptations of drugs and sex. If you've watched him in Dexter, you know how much emotion he can bring to a character that struggles with expressing emotions. Hall has a decent block of Broadway work as well however, including stints in Hedwig and The Angry Inch, Chicago and Cabaret. It got us thinking…if we were to create musical versions of other Bowie films, who would we put in the Thin White Duke's shoes? Merry Christmas, Mr. Lawrence (1983) Certainly one of Bowie's more challenging and underrated roles in film, the performer's turn as Major Jack "Strafer" Celliers during Nagisa Oshima's Merry Christmas, Mr. Lawrence demands an actor that can sincerely portray the sexually ambiguous nature of Bowie's character, along with all of the other traumatic occurrences that take place during a film set in a Japanese prisoner-of-war camp during World War II. Celliers serves as a foil, perhaps even a romantic one, to the character of Captain Yonoi (played by Ryuichi Sakamoto), but there is no hope to be had. One man is executed before the war is over and the other is executed after the war has concluded. We recommend Andrew Garfield for a potentially breakout role…he was Tony-nominated for his role in Death of A Salesman during 2012…does he have the voice to make a musical out of Merry Christmas? Labyrinth (1986) If any of the films suggested in this list have the potential to hit Broadway, Labyrinth is probably at the top. Although a commercial failure upon release, children of that generation and later have formed a cult audience around what is probably Bowie's best-known film appearance. Also consider the fantasy realm in which the film takes place and the current pro-puppet attitude on Broadway (Avenue Q, Warhorse) and this Henson Studios is just begging for a rebirth. Bowie of course plays Jareth, the goblin king, and we're going to play the Neil Patrick Harris card here. Sure, it seems like a obvious notion, casting NPH in a prominent role in a musical, but think about it: for all of wacky musical numbers he's done on awards shows, rarely have we gotten to see him play anyone…weird (outside of Dr. Horrible). Just imagine him with Jareth's blonde coif and the rest of the glimmering outfit will just fall into place. The Last Temptation of Christ (1988) If you think Martin Scorsese's The Last Temptation of Christ is too touchy for Broadway…you obviously haven't been on Broadway recently. Religion is as fair game as anything, from The Book of Mormon to Jesus Christ Superstar. The latter is actually a rather watered-down version of Christ, one of the most controversial films of the '80s. Bowie, alas, did not play Jesus, but he did play a rather hard-up Pontius Pilate (give Scorsese credit…while many directors try to make Pilate out to be a sympathetic character, Bowie wants blood). It's not a headlining role, to be sure, but it's a necessary one that Bowie performs with his usual pleasant intensity. We're going for a more strapping Pilate, played by an actor who has excelled at keeping his cool while dropping the axe for years on Mad Men: Jon Hamm. Basquiat (1996) The focus of the film Basquiat should of course be upon the work of real-life artist Jean-Michel Basquiat (and the excellent performance of Jeffrey Wright in the role) but inevitably attention heads back to one of the most possessing cultural figures of the 20th Century, the artist's friend and sponson Andy Warhol. The pop art figure dominated the cultural landscape of New York City simply by knowing how to present himself, and anyone planning on featuring Warhol in a stage of film project needs to present him in a similar way, regardless of how little the plot focuses on him. If you want a replication-level performance, it's tough to do much better than Daniel Day-Lewis. The guy takes method acting to the extreme, and the results are usually good. And yes, he's sung a bit…although Nine was one of his least popular works. The Prestige (2007) This production—a battle between two turn-of-the-century magicians—hardly revolves around Bowie's character at all, yet the musician plays one of the most curious characters in both science history and regular history: Nikola Tesla. We want to throw out Joseph Gordon-Levitt's name to play the genius and theoretical physicist…and maybe not just for the sake of a Prestige musical but a whole project dedicated to Tesla himself. It got us thinking...if we were to create musical versions of other Bowie films, who would we put in the Thin White Duke's shoes?

  • Interview: Scoring Foo Fighters' 'Sonic Highways' Documentary with Bryan Lee Brown

    Though it may have seemed like the rollout of new music from Foo Fighters may have been the soundtrack to the band's HBO documentary Sonic Highways, the actual musical map of the show came from its score work. The low, ambient tones, the dobro, just the right amount of drama and intrigue marked Dave Grohl and co.'s personal and musical journey across the U.S.

  • Rudimental On Collaborating With Steely Dan, George Clinton [INTERVIEW]

    Normally one looks towards the United States for some of the world's most soulful acts, but recently the music industry has turned its gaze across the pond towards the UK for some of the best new talented breed of acts combining soul with various elements of pop, house and hip-hop. One of those artists leading the way is UK electronic band Rudimental. We recently had the chance to catch up with the group for an interview to discuss their album and who they decided to collaborate with on the project.

  • 'Orange is the New Black' Music Composer Gwendolyn Sanford Talks Season 3 Netflix Episodes, Characters' Stories & More [Exclusive Q&A]

    Orange is the New Black is easily one of the biggest show's on Netflix and this year's third season has already taken over the summer of 2015. Executive producer Jenji Kohan certainly knows how to bring audiences engaging television, having previously worked on the Showtime series Weeds, so we're not surprised that she brought along her longtime musical collaborators for the streaming show. Songwriter Gwendolyn Sanford teams with her husband Brandon Jay and collaborator Scott Doherty to create the music for the genre-crossing series, exploring our favorite characters' backstories and more with each passing episode. Sanford recently sat down with Music Times to discuss season three and much more!
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