Twisted Sister’s Stay Hungry is being reissued, the latest example of getting every piece of pop music every made back out there before the recorded-music industry goes tits-up, and the press release about the new version touts the fact that “We’re Not Gonna Take It” was a member of the Filthy Fifteen. That was a list of songs put together in 1985 by the Parents’ Music Resource Council, the group of moms who were pretty much the driving force behind the now-ubiquitous “Parental Advisory: Explicit Lyrics” stickers on albums deemed too hot for young ears; they put together a playlist of songs that in their mind glorified sex, drugs, and violence in such a way that one had to conclude that The Pop Music Was Killing Our Kids. Given that “We’re Not Gonna Take It” seems positively benign right now, I decided to remind myself of the list’s other contents. The artists whose songs were cited fall into two categories for the most part: Heavy metal bands and people who worked with Prince, including the man himself. All 15–complete with some filthy-in-85, safe-for-work now clips–after the jump! More »
The Guardian today reports on the possible end of the double album, as highlighted by Robert Smith’s unwillingness to take a paycut to release a second disc along with this month’s 4:13 Dream. The question that came to mind: Should anyone care?
Many people find it hard to tell the great from the godawful when it comes to 21st-century mainstream rock. To help figure out which is which, here’s “Corporate Rock Still Sells,” where Al “GovernmentNames” Shipley examines what’s good, bad, and ugly in the world of rock and roll. This time around, he takes a look at a couple of old reliables who have re-entered the rock charts.
Most people figured that Coldplay would have the top-selling album on next week’s charts, but would Viva La Vida reach Lil Wayne’s cool million in first-week sales? More »
Every week, we round up the all-important, all-summarizing last sentences of the biggest new-music reviews. This time around, we look at the writeups for Judas Priest’s double album Nostradamus, which hits stores today.
The six and a half minute long title track of Judas Priest’s upcoming double disc. “Nostradamus! Nostradamus! He has seized the day! He is here to stay! Nostradamus! Dedication! Nostradamus!” You are not ready. More »
Are you ready for some concept metal?! Judas Priest will unleash Nostradamus, a double-frikkin-CD concept piece concerning the life of the 16th-century prophet in June. The project has been in the cards for ages, with Halford on record as hoping it would be released in January 2007. “His life is well-documented, so for us it was all about taking the significant episodes he went through, and then with the right emotion, create music and lyrics that would convey them.” I worry that Iron Maiden is going to sue them for steez infringement, but I think it’s great that they’re finding a way to make their new album seem like an event without using words like “cross-promotion.” Could be another Music From “The Elder”!
