Ive just realised how bad modern rap is compared to the 90's rappers like Mobb Deep and a Tribe called Quest.

[youtube]Wws7mnMewPw[/youtube]

Style over substance nowadays. Sums up the music industry pretty aptly these days.

Having said that, there are the few occasional rappers who aren't that bad. Been listening to a fair bit of rap recently. Mostly eminem, 360, Jay-Z, Lupe Fiasco, Hilltop Hoods and drapht.

Anyone else listen to the Here, Hear. Experiment from La Dispute? I'm not normally a fan of spoken word, but this stuff is brilliant.

THE REBIRTH OF GEORGE HARRISON


George Harrison is remembered by the Martin family for his kindness and generosity

Sunday May 27,2012
By Terry Staunton

GILES MARTIN was born the same week in 1969 that The Beatles released Abbey Road, the only album to feature a hit single with George Harrison on lead vocals: Something.

Yet despite being the son of the group’s legendary producer Sir George Martin, it would be another 10 years before he came face to face with the man the press dubbed The Quiet One; although side by side would be a more accurate description of their first meeting.

“My parents took me to a Simon and Garfunkel concert at Wembley Stadium and I went to the toilet during the interval,” says Giles, now 42. “This guy standing at the next urinal started talking to me. He said something like ‘Y’all right?’, I was really embarrassed and tried not to look at him. Then he said, ‘See you later’ and left.

“When I got back to Mum and Dad he was standing with them and, yes, it was George Harrison. Dad said, ‘George have you met my son Giles?’, to which he replied ‘Met him? I’ve just had a wee next to him’.”

Sir George chose to keep his children away from celebrities and the spotlight so they grew up blissfully unaware of his famous work colleagues. Writing about the group in 1977, he revealed his young daughter Lucy once asked him, “Were they as great as The Bay City Rollers?”.

I always liked George the most when I was a kid
Giles Martin

Ultimately Giles followed his father into music production and his most recent task has brought him back into contact with Harrison’s music, overseeing the release of Early Takes Volume 1, a collection of the late Beatle’s home demo recordings.

“I always liked George the most when I was a kid. My first real awareness of The Beatles was watching the film of their 1965 concert at Shea Stadium when I was about seven. I remember being struck by George especially, possibly because I liked the look of his guitar but also he just came across as a really nice bloke.”

Paul McCartney continued working with Martin senior after the Fab Four’s demise and was a regular visitor at the family home.Giles saw less of Harrison but has powerful memories of the man’s kindness and generosity.

“There was a time in the Nineties when Dad was very sick.He was confined to bed and things were fairly touch and go for a while. George was wonderful, simply wonderful; he came over to visit and brought dad a Ganesh elephant symbol, telling him it would keep him safe and well.

“He was such a comfort to the whole family during a difficult time. He was a very keen gardener, the grounds of his home were just beautiful, still are, and he helped Mum a lot with our garden.

“He would drive over to see us with as many plants as he could fit on to the passenger seat of a McLaren F1!

“He meant a great deal to my dad; to all of us. Working as closely as I have done on these home recordings I do feel a little guilty that I didn’t spend more time with him. It sometimes felt like I never really knew him.

“In some ways that’s a good thing because it allows me a little bit of distance to assess the tapes with a more level head.

“I’m not entirely oblivious to the history but I’m far enough removed, by age if nothing else, not to be overwhelmed by emotions. If we’d been very close friends, this job would have been a nightmare.”

The bulk of Early Takes is embryonic versions of songs such as My Sweet Lord and All Things Must Pass that would emerge fully formed on Harrison’s first solo albums of the early Seventies. Later volumes will delve further into the archives.

Does Giles ever think George’s music has been underrated by history? “I would hope we’ve moved on from thinking of any one of The Beatles as a junior partner. As Paul has often said, they were four corners of a square which wouldn’t have existed without all four of them. George didn’t write as many songs as Paul or John, but that doesn’t mean he didn’t give as much to the group.”

In many ways, Giles suggests, the end of The Beatles was the making of Harrison as a respected musician in his own right.

“George did well in separating himself from The Beatles later in life. He was a bit younger than the others and I don’t think he really wanted to write songs in the early days, but he flourished after the band split up.

“He wasn’t discouraged from writing for them, as some versions of events would have you believe. John and Paul may have ignored him sometimes in the latter stages when they were recording the Let It Be album, but that was mainly because they were trying to salvage their own dysfunctional working marriage.

“George was a complicated man but he did all the important things well. My dad always describes him as being like someone making a fine rug or embroidery. He could sit for hours concentrating on very intricate threads, whereas John and Paul were more prone to bash things out.

“I think he liked to create a more meticulous atmosphere in the studio and that comes across in these home demos. They give you a real sense of his craft and of what a beautiful, gentle soul he was.”


George Harrison’s Early Takes Volume 1 is out now

http://www.express.co.uk/entertainment/view/322803

Robert Pattinson to star in new The Band biopic

By Live4ever
Posted on 25 May 2012 at 5:38am

Robert Pattinson is to star in a new movie about The Band, the Hollywood actor has revealed.

“I’m going to do a movie about The Band, the one that played with Dylan: a beautiful script about the nature of songwriting,” Pattinson told les inRockuptibles.

The Band were established by Rick Danko, Levon Helm, Garth Hudson, Richard Manuel and Robbie Robertson, and first came to public prominence as the backing band for Bob Dylan on a number of studio recordings and live duties, including Dylan’s legendary 1966 world tour.

In 1968 they released their own debut album, the all-time classic ‘Music From Big Pink‘, and followed that with their equally sublime self-titled record just over a year later.

They have been the subject of silver screen attention previously, when their 1976 ‘farewell’ concert was documented by Martin Scorsese. The Last Waltz, which captures the group being joined by a plethora of special guests during the show, is now recognised as one of the great concert recordings.



Read more: http://www.live4ever.uk.com/2012/05/robert-pattinson-to-star-in-new-the-band-biopic/#ixzz1w9lxVKso

Rock band Iron Maiden's album The Number Of The Beast topped HMV poll to find greatest release in reign of The Queen

From: Press Association May 28, 2012 8:30PM

A CHART-topping release by heavy rockers Iron Maiden has been named the greatest album of the past 60 years.

The group's third LP The Number Of The Beast topped a month-long Jubilee poll to find the greatest releases during the Queen's reign.

The ever-popular Beatles claimed more than a fifth of the votes in the survey by retailer HMV with four titles in the top ten.

The Fab Four's highest entry was the group's biggest seller, Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club, at number three.

Adele's 21 is the only album which is still in the current official UK chart top ten to make it into the upper reaches of the list.

Pink Floyd's The Dark Side of the Moon - chosen by British Prime Minister David Cameron when he cast a vote - was ranked fifth.

Iron Maiden's loyal fanbase was clearly mobilised in the voting as the band's winning album took more than nine per cent of all the votes.

The Number Of The Beast has sold more than 14 million copies worldwide and features hits such as Run To The Hills.

It also marked the debut of singer Bruce Dickinson, who was delighted by the band's poll success: "We're astonished and delighted to hear The Number of the Beast has been named number one in HMV's Diamond Jubilee survey for the greatest British album.

"Some of the most influential and classic albums from the past 60 years were in the running so it's a testament to our incredibly loyal and ever-supportive fans who voted for us.''

Electronic band Depeche Mode were runners-up in the list with Violator.

The 1990s proved to be the most popular decade for music, with 18 albums from the period making the top 60, while the 1970s provided 15.

HMV spokesman Gennaro Castaldo said: "The Queen has presided over the richest period of cultural achievement in our nation's history, so it's only right that her Diamond Jubilee, which also encapsulates 60 years of the official charts, should be a period when we reflect on the greatest British albums and films of the past six decades.''

1. Iron Maiden - The Number of the Beast
2. Depeche Mode - Violator
3. The Beatles - Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band
4. The Beatles - Abbey Road
5. Pink Floyd - The Dark Side of the Moon
6. The Beatles - Revolver
7. Queen - A Night at the Opera
8. Oasis - (What's the Story) Morning Glory?
9. Adele - 21
10. The Beatles - White Album
11. Led Zeppelin - IV
12. The Beatles - Rubber Soul
13. The Clash - London Calling
14. David Bowie - The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars
15. The Smiths - The Queen is Dead
16. Black Sabbath - Black Sabbath
17. Radiohead - OK Computer
18. Pink Floyd - Wish You Were Here
19. Elton John - Goodbye Yellow Brick Road
20. Oasis - Definitely Maybe


http://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/entertainment/music/rock-band-iron-maidens-album-the-number-of-the-beast-topped-hmv-poll-to-find-greatest-release-in-reign-of-the-queen/story-e6frexl9-1226369921199

Sky blocks access to The Pirate Bay file-sharing site
Sky Broadband has begun blocking access to file-sharing site The Pirate Bay.

It follows Virgin Media and Everything Everywhere which have already taken similar action.

The High Court had demanded the move after complaints by the British Phonographic Industry (BPI) that TPB facilitated copyright infringement by providing magnetic links to movies, music and other media.

O2 and Talktalk said they were still working to implement the ban.

A sixth operator, BT, has been given extra time to make the necessary arrangements. It is expected to act within the next fortnight.
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