Velvet Underground & Nico turns 45 today

“The first Velvet Underground album only sold 10,000 copies, but everyone who bought one formed a band.” This quote has been attributed to both Brian Eno and Peter Buck (of REM) — no one is completely certain who said it first, but that’s not the point. The fact remains that…

U2’s The Joshua Tree turns 25

It’s difficult to imagine, but U2 used to be cool. Not just cool, but one of the most innovative, inspiring and mysterious bands of its generation. The group challenged the sounds, look and emotional resonance of rock music, forever redirecting the cultural stream for good or ill. Today, while many…

Michael Jackson songs stolen by hackers

Remember last year when the hacker group Lulz Security nabbed credit card data and other personal information from Sony PlayStation Network? Around the same time, two British hackers lifted unreleased songs by Michael Jackson from the Sony Music Entertainment computer system. The two hackers are so far found to be…

Madonna’s “Girl Gone Wild” isn’t all that wild

What do you do if the lead single from your new album campaign drops like dead weight down the charts? If you’re Madonna, you release another single and hope that the club kids don’t notice that you’re treading on old territory. Madge’s lead single from her hotly-anticipated twelfth album, M.D.N.A.,…