elton john
The 50 Best Live Albums of the 1970s
The concert industry exploded in the 1970s, and the live album, a stopgap project once reserved for only the biggest artists, became a compulsory ritual and a pivotal moment for many artists. Live albums captured legendarily loud bands like The Who and The Ramones in their natural element. Once obscure regional acts like Bob Seger, KISS and Cheap Trick exploded into the mainstream with live albums. The Band, The Stooges, and Velvet Underground put their final gigs on vinyl. Jimi Hendrix, Neil Young (as his ongoing archive series shows), and Jackson Browne recorded entire sets of new songs onstage. The Grateful Dead released several official live albums (and continue to do so) that only made fans want to bootleg shows on their own more. With the 50th anniversary of a landmark live album, Th...
Kurt Cobain Self-Portrait Caricature Sold for $281,250 at Music Icons Auction
A caricature drawing of Kurt Cobain, done by the icon himself, brought in $281,250 at Julien’s Auctions Music Icons sale. The sale price was 28 times the original estimate. The drawing, done in black felt pen on TNT Music Centre in Singapore stationery, depicts Cobain playing the guitar and is signed “Kurdt Kobain Rock Star.” Handwritten on the right, the singer/songwriter penned, “I don’t know how to play and I don’t give a hoot!” The auction pulled in nearly $5 million over the three-day sale, thanks to including instruments, memorabilia, wardrobe and personal property owned and used by Eddie Van Halen, Alex Van Halen, The Beatles, Elvis Presley, Elton John, Cher, Lady Gaga, Tom Petty, Tupac Shakur, and others. CREDIT: Courtesy of Julien’s Auctions Other Nirvana items f...
Eddie Van Halen, Lady Gaga, Kurt Cobain, Prince and Bob Dylan Memorabilia Up For Auction
A guitar played by Eddie Van Halen, his brother Alex’s drumkit, and memorabilia from Kurt Cobain, The Beatles, Bob Dylan, Jimi Hendrix, Cher, Lady Gaga, Madonna and more are up for grabs at the Music Icons auction by Julien’s Auctions, held June 11-13 2021. In total, more than 1,000 items will be auctioned off, with items from Prince, Elton John, Little Richard, Whitney Houston and more joining the sale’s lineup. “This kit from the 1980 Van Halen Invasion World Tour spent 5 years on display at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in Cleveland,” said Alex Van Halen in a statement. “It’s the only one like it in the world and I’m happy that 100% of the selling price will be going to charity via the Frangioni Foundation and Mr. Holland’s Opus.” The drum has a conservative estimate o...
Watch Rina Sawayama, Elton John Duet on LGBTQ+ Anthem
“Chosen Family,” Rina Sawayama’s soaring ballad dedicated to LGBTQ+ individuals who lost family and friends after coming out, has just gotten a piano-driven makeover courtesy of Sir Elton John. A new lyric video shows Sawayama with flowing, mermaid hair and peony silk gloves, singing beside John in a glistening black blazer. The new version scales down some of the production of the original. The British singers trade verses over John’s delicate piano playing, before duetting on the triumphant, gale-force chorus: “We don’t need to be related to relate/ We don’t need to share genes or a surname,” John and Sawayama sing, poignantly. “You are, you are, my chosen family.” “It was such a joy and honor to rework ‘Chosen Family’ with the legendary Elton John,” Sawayama said in a statement. “I...
Elton John Says He Recorded ‘Something With Metallica’ During Lockdown
It looks like there’s a Metallica and Elton John collaboration in the works. During the most recent episode of his Apple Music 1 show Rocket Hour, John told guest SG Lewis that he recorded “something” with the rock legends. “I’ve just done something with Metallica, he divulged. “During this lockdown period, I’ve been working with Gorillaz and people like that. I haven’t been doing any Elton stuff, but I’ve been doing great stuff with other people.” The Gorillaz project Sir Elton is referring to is “Pink Phantom” — a track off Song Machine: Season One – Strange Timez that also features 6LACK. Earlier this year, Miley Cyrus detailed her upcoming Metallica cover album and revealed that she enlisted John to play piano on “Nothing Else Matters.” Could his recent recordi...
Elton John “Desperately” Wants to Collaborate With SG Lewis
Legendary “Rocket Man” artist Elton John wants to take SG Lewis to the moon. John recently chatted with the renowned electronic and disco music producer for an upcoming episode of his Rocket Hour show on Apple Music 1, which will air this Saturday, March 27th. Ahead of the broadcast, Apple Music shared some advance quotes from the discussion with EDM.com, one of which revealed John’s desire to collaborate with Lewis. John, who has long been enamored with electronic music, said he “desperately” wants to join forces with SG Lewis after hearing his “brilliant” debut album, times. “I would desperately like to do something with you as far as writing or doing something,” John said to Lewis, who replied with a dumbfounded &...
The 50 Best Albums of 1971
It’s become a cliché, even for post-Baby Boomers, to look back wistfully on the early ’70s as some kind of untouchable golden age for popular music. But when you survey all the era’s best albums in list form, it’s hard not to trust that instinct. I mean…holy shit. In 1971, the psychedelic era hadn’t completely wilted; prog was nearing its popularity apex; Motown was still a revolutionizing soul music; the folk-rock movement was in full flight. The possibilities were limitless. You know it’s a banner year when 50 albums don’t begin to scratch the surface — when both John Lennon and Paul McCartney release definitive LPs and neither make the top 10. Was 1971 the greatest album year ever? We’ll save that debate for another time (or maybe another list). For now, we present 50 stone-cold cl...
Miley Cyrus Says She Enlisted Elton John, Chad Smith and More for Metallica Covers LP
While Metallica preps their 11th studio album, Miley Cyrus is collaborating with A-listers for a cover album in homage to the metal behemoths. “I did a Metallica cover of ‘Nothing Else Matters’ featuring Elton John on piano. I’ve got Yo-Yo Ma, Chad Smith; so many all-stars. I’m so excited about this collaboration. I’m really stoked. I love when ingredients don’t quite fit,” she told UK radio program Capital Breakfast with Roman Kemp. It was produced by Andrew Watt, who we spoke with recently. Cyrus previously hinted about a Metallica covers record, following her live version of the band’s ‘Nothing Else Matters’ during her performance at Glastonbury in 2019. She also cited Metallica as an inspiration behind her latest album, Plastic Hearts. That album also featured cool collabs: B...
SPIN’s 2020 Holiday Gift Guide
COVID-19 brought the concert industry to a screeching halt in 2020. But all that disposable income music fans generally spend on concert tickets and tour merch has been redirected to the retail front: supporting artists and labels by shopping online during quarantine. And this holiday season brings an overwhelming amount of worthy box sets, books, vinyl and cultural ephemera. After many hours rummaging, scrolling, clicking and sampling, we’ve rounded up this holiday gift guide — consider it the sonic equivalent to a PS5 or Great Green Egg grill for the rabid music fan in your life. The Secret DJ – Book Two (Velocity Press) One-time pop star and acclaimed Mixmag columnist the Secret DJ continues to chronicle the last 30-plus years of dance music’s evolution as a superst...
Live Music Industry Faces Projected $30 Billion Loss
As fans lament the loss of live music during the nearly year-long pandemic, many who work in the live music business are struggling to survive. In a report published on Friday, music industry magazine Pollstar says that the live music business lost a projected $30 billion worldwide in 2020 It’s the first time in history where losses far outweigh gains. Pollstar’s Boxoffice database would have hit a record-setting $12.2 billion in 2020, but instead incurred $9.7 billion in box office losses. The full story is in Pollstar’s 2020 Year-End Special Issue. A release notes that “the projected $30+ billion figure includes unreported events, ancillary revenues, including sponsorships, ticketing, concessions, merch, transportation, restaurants, hotels, and other economic activi...
Teyana Taylor Enlists Elton John for ‘Lose Each Other’ Video
Teyana Taylor’s dream came true when superstar Elton John agreed to play the grand piano in the “Lose Each Other” video, a single from The Album, her No. 1 Billboard R&B/Hip-Hop record. “When Teyana Taylor released her debut album, I became a huge fan,” John said in a statement. “She was a guest on my Rocket Hour and I fell in love with her original spirit. Aside from her brilliant music, Teyana is one of the most visually dazzling artists working in music today. So I jumped at the chance to be in her latest video ‘Lose Each Other.’” The Album is Taylor’s third studio record and was released on June 19 through GOOD Music and Def Jam Recordings. It is her second No. 1. Taylor, who also directed the video, recalls her amazement at hearing from John: “As we were working through ...
Elton John Shares ‘Here’s To the Next Time’ From Elton: Jewel Box
Elton John has just released two songs from his upcoming Elton: Jewel Box — one from his Rarities set and “Billy and the Kids” off the B-Sides. “Here’s to the Next Time” was recorded in DJM Studios in 1967 when he was still known as Reg Dwight. It was the B-side to John’s debut single, “I’ve Been Loving You.” [embedded content] He also shared “Billy and the Kids,” which is part of the B-Side record in Jewel Box. Recorded in 1986, it was released as a B-side, despite fans thinking that it should have been part of his 1986 album, Leather Jackets. Elton: Jewel Box will release on Nov. 13 via UMC/EMI. John previously released “Regimental Sgt. Zippo” as well as a collaboration with Gorillaz and 6lack, “The Pink Phantom.” And while concerts are still on the back burner this year, John annou...
