A musician by the name of Funkscribe somehow got his hands on the original mutlitrack masters of Stevie Wonder’s “Superstition,” so he did what any music geek with a computer and a dream would do: He imported the tracks into ProTools in hopes of figuring out just how the song came to be. And the results are pretty wow; sure, watching the clip means you’re basically staring at a dude fiddle with his computer for five-plus minutes, but listening to this game of aural Jenga–which includes eight clavinet tracks–certainly made me hear the full track (located after the jump) differently. More »
The news that Carlos Santana will perform three nights a week at the Hard Rock Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas beginning at the end of May is not actually an April Fool’s joke, despite that fact that it has the not-all-that-funny trademarks that pranks celebrating this horrible day tend to bear. I was really on the fence when the story had a quote from Carlos saying “I put in the contract that we will need 20 to 30 minutes in the middle of the set to do a back flip into the unknown,” but apparently Supernatural Santana: A Trip Through the Hits is all too real. (I’m sure vocalists Tony Lindsay and Tommy Anthony have fine voices, but can either replicate the dulcet tones of Rob Thomas? I, for one, am dubious.) Who should follow Santana to Sin City, where they can play to audiences of degenerate gamblers and drunks on vacation?
Radiohead’s Thom Yorke, perhaps inspired to play nice by the Album of the Year nomination In Rainbows received from the Grammys this year, has lent his visage—and his taste in music—to the award ceremony’s ad campaign, in which composites of nominated stars’ faces are created from the titles and lyrics of songs that influenced their musical development. Bjork’s “Unravel,” which Yorke has previously cited as one of his favorite songs ever, gets a nod, as does Madvillain’s “Meat Grinder.” There’s also a Liars shout-out! Anyway, a TV ad narrated by Yorke (it may sound like this, a bit) is rolling out as the broadcast gets closer, but for now, there’s a spot featuring Stevie Wonder’s musical development embedded after the jump.
Far be it for me to call anyone lazy (I have a couple of editors who’d like to introduce me to the concept of a met deadline), but while it’s certainly excellent that the Library of Congress is honoring Stevie Wonder with its second Gershwin Prize for Popular Song, please note that the first winner, from last year, was Paul Simon. Perhaps it’s a coincidence that Simon, in accepting his Album of the Year Grammy Award in 1976, for Still Crazy After All These Years, thanked Stevie Wonder for “not making a record this year,” but both men dominated the Grammys during the ’70s. Simon nabbed AOTY twice, in 1971 (for Simon & Garfunkel’s Bridge Over Troubled Water) and ’76, as well as being nominated in 1974 for There Goes Rhymin’ Simon. And of course Stevie won three times: 1974 (Innervisions), 1975 (Fulfillingness’ First Finale), and 1977 (Songs in the Key of Life). What, then, might this mean in terms of future Gershwin Prizes? Let’s take a look.
As clever as playing Stevie Wonder’s “Isn’t She Lovely” while Michelle Obama leaves the stage after her speech at the Democratic National Convention seems, considering the title, perhaps it would be worth actually listening to the song’s lyrics for a bit and realizing the “she” referenced the… More »
In one of the stranger promotional teasers in recent memory, CAA managing partner Rob Light disclosed a list of acts that should be touring the States next year to HITS. Among them: Wal-Mart favs AC/DC, who haven’t toured since 2003, and KISS, who might creak around arenas once again. More »
The attention the media gives to Guns N’ Roses and My Bloody Valentine may give young bands the idea that it’d actually be good for their legacy to record regularly for six years, then hold off for at least another 15 so that fan excitement can build and their myth can blossom. (Hey, if Sting and Joe Strummer had waited that long to record follow-ups to Synchronicity and Combat Rock, maybe people would have cared more about Brand New Day and Rock Art And The X-Ray Style!) So I looked at what would have happened to some of rock’s most legendary figures if they, too, had waited 15 years to release new albums once their first six years of putting out records were done–and found that extended absences rarely make later projects look much better.
A radio program director in Saginaw, Mich., wants the city fathers to rename a road “Stevie Wonder Way” in celebration of the Saginaw native. Giggly teenage stoners across the city howl in outrage at the loss of their beloved (snicker) Johnson Street. More »
Stevie Wonder’s first tour in 10 years begins Aug. 23 in San Diego and wraps up on Sept. 20 in Boston. Along the way: A concert in New York City with Aretha Franklin (nice!) and Carlos Santana (ugh). More »
Every once in a while, Idolator reaches into its vast record-collection vaults for a feature we’ve imaginatively titled The Vault. More »
