Mick Jones, Paul Simonon Play Clash Songs Together

Last night (December 8), Mick Jones partnered with former Clash bandmate Paul Simonon to perform Clash material together for the first time since 1982. As reported by NME.com, the show, staged at the Scala in London, saw the duo perform 12 Clash songs in total.
Musician guests who joined in included singer-songwriter Pete Wylie, Richard Archer of the band Hard-Fi, and members of The Farm. The set included several Clash classics, including “London Calling,” “Train in Vain,” “Guns of Brixton” and “Should I Stay or Should I Go.” Jones wrapped up the show with a rendition of The Farm’s “All Together Now,” which he dedicated to the memory of John Lennon.
The event was part of a series of concerts staged throughout England to support the Hillsborough Justice Campaign. The organization was formed in the wake of the 1989 Hillsborough football tragedy, in which 96 people lost their lives.

The Gibson Classic Interview: Lynyrd Skynyrd’s Ed King

Gibson.com is pleased to present “The Gibson Classic Interview,” where we open our archives and share with you interviews we’ve done over the years with some of the world’s biggest artists. This week, we revisit Jaan Uhelszki’s 2007 interview with Lynyrd Skynyrd legend Ed King.

Yes, that really was Ed King of Lynyrd Skynyrd sauntering through Gibson's Custom Shop Summer Jam a few weeks ago. When not shaking hands, or answering questions about who "Free Bird" was about, or if it is true that he wrote "Sweet Home Alabama" in his sleep, this member of Skynyrd's formidable three-prong guitar army was stationed at a wall of beautiful Custom Shop Les Pauls. At the Jam, King found a chambered 1958 VOS Les Paul, which he swears measures up to his original 1959 Les Paul Standard. In fact, since he brought the new guitar home, his ’59 has hardly been out of the case.

In this candid interview with Gibson.com, King holds very little back, talking frankly about the his stormy relationship with Skynyrd lead singer and majordomo Ronnie Van Zant, who once said King "wasn't a pimple on Allen Collin's ass," to how he's always hated the band’s name, to the violence and mean-spiritedness that led up to what was the second most infamous plane crash in rock history—something that he avoided by a fortuitous combination of luck and providence. King also doesn't pull any punches about the guitars he has played and hated, the Gibsons he champions, and why. This is a story of a man who has seen it all, remembers most of it, and the guitars that he has loved and lost.

Rihanna - Talk That Talk Brief But Engaging Musical Statement

Rihanna - Talk That Talk

Courtesy Def Jam

Clocking in at just over 37 minutes of music spread over essentially 10 1/2 tracks in the standard edition, Rihanna's sixth studio album is brief. That gives it a bit of an air of being rushed into the marketplace, but the songs that are here do feel finished, and, for the most part, are worth hearing. This album feels like Rihanna has sailed past the personal trauma that informed the Rated R period and is emerging out the other side as an artist that sounds like no one else. With a six year string of major hits, she is well established as one of the cornerstones of today's mainstream pop.

The Best New Christmas Songs of 2011

These are the must have Christmas songs for 2011. Top 40 pop artists deliver recordings of both new songs and holiday classics.

Lady Gaga's "Marry the Night" Joins the List Of Her 10 Best Videos

Lady Gaga's new music video for "Marry the Night" is being celebrated as another visual success. It details an autobiographical episode in her life that she says she has never told before. The more than 13 minute long clip joins nine other visually brilliant interpretations of Lady Gaga's music in her all time top 10 best. With "Marry the Night" attempting to become her 12th consecutive top 10 single, Lady Gaga has firmly established herself as one of today's leading pop artists. Check out her outstanding music video work in the list of 10 Best Lady Gaga Music Videos.

Glee's "We Are Young" Creates a Breakthrough For Indie Pop Band fun

Due to a very popular performance last night on Glee, it looks like we might be looking at the next major breakthrough by an indie pop band. When last night's episode closed with a reunion of members of the New Directions glee club, the cast delivered a version of the song "We Are Young" by indie pop band fun. The original version of "We Are Young" was released last September and featured here as the top new pop song of the week. Now Glee has landed at the top of the iTunes digital sales chart for the second time this fall with their performance of "We Are Young." The popularity of the song has also pulled the original from fun on to the chart at #22 currently. That is likely to be enough to generate fun's first appearance on the Billboard Hot 100. Whether or not it will be picked up by pop radio remains to be seen, but this is a song that deserves to be heard. Check out fun's version and the Glee version below. A necessary warning is some may find the fun video disturbing.

Red Hot Chili Peppers, Guns N' Roses, and Beastie Boys To Be Inducted Into Rock and Roll Hall Of Fame in 2012

Cleveland's Rock and Roll Hall of Fame has made its announcements of inductees for 2012. Among the performers are rock bands Red Hot Chili Peppers and Guns N' Roses along with rap pioneers the Beastie Boys. None of those are big surprises. Red Hot Chili Peppers broke ground with their fusion of rock and funk. They have been one of the world's most popular rock bands for the last 20 years. Guns N' Roses have released only six studio albums, but their Appetite For Destruction album and the Use Your Illusion collections are truly legendary. The group has sold 45 million albums in the US alone and have six top 10 pop singles to their credit. The Beastie Boys blended rock with rap and other sonic experimentation to become one of the most consistently innovative rap acts of all time. Four of their studio albums have hit #1 on the album chart.
Among the other inductees pop is well represented. Singer-songwriter Laura Nyro will be inducted. She has a legacy of writing such hit singles as Barbra Streisand's "Stoney End," the Fifth Dimension's "Stoned Soul Picnic," and Blood, Sweat and Tears' "And When I Die." Her own recordings were critically acclaimed and five consecutive albums broke into the upper half of the Billboard album chart. British singer-songwriter Donovan will also be inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall Of Fame. He was a top pop artist of the late 60s best remembered for his top five smash hits "Sunshine Superman," "Mellow Yellow," and "Hurdy Gurdy Man."

Adam Lambert and Queen Talking About a Concert Tour

Has the legendary rock band Queen finally found the man to fill the shoes of their late lead vocalist Freddie Mercury both in vocal power and stage presence? Back in early November Queen performed at the MTV Europe Awards with former American Idol contestant Adam Lambert on lead vocals. Now Billboard is reporting there are serious talks between the singer and the band. Queen drummer Roger Taylor told the magazine that talks are underway with Adam Lambert while the touring personnel for a Queen Extravaganza tribute outfit are being finalized.
Meanwhile Adam Lambert is at work on his second post-Idol solo album. It will be titled Trespassing and is expected to be released in early 2012. The first single will be titled "Better Than I Know Myself." Adam Lambert reached the top 10 with his single "Whataya Want From Me." "If I Had You" followed it into the pop top 40. The album For Your Entertainment was a top 3 smash.