Photo: Raedle/Getty

On the stereo: “Brave Faces,” Midnight Oil

So John McCain, as this part-time blogger predicted, hijacked the story of Obama’s historic speech in grand fashion, with the announcement of Sarah Palin as his running mate. There’s no straightforward, conventional way to explain his choice, but it seems very simple:

Sarah Palin is Kryptonite. That’s all there is to it.

There’s just no other way to bring down the Man of Steel. McCain’s choice sends a clear signal that he’s neither interested in fighting fire with fire, nor in fighting fire with water. Just as Obama possesses a brilliant logical mind, Palin’s coronation is beyond logic. (more…)

Photo: Moore/Getty

• We covered all angles of the Democratic National Convention — with the help of guest blogger Chris Walla of Death Cab for Cutie — from the performances by Sheryl Crow and Stevie Wonder to Tom Morello and Crosby & Nash to Rage Against the Machine and Kanye West. Plus, John Legend debuted a new song, Opeth won MySpace’s voter registration contest and our own National Affairs site live-blogged Obama’s entire acceptance speech.
• Kevin Cogill, that blogger who leaked the nine Chinese Democracy-bound tracks, had a rough week as he was arrested two months later for suspicion of violating copyright laws. If convicted, he faces five years in jail, the eternal wrath of Axl Rose and no Dr. Pepper. Still, the judge in the case doesn’t see what all the fuss about. At least Cogill has the long Labor Day weekend to look forward to.

(more…)

Iraq was a young, artificially created nation — carved from the defeated Ottoman Empire by Britain and France after World War I — when the Gramophone Company, the British label that eventually became EMI, recorded the 22 beautiful, haunting 78s collected on Give Me Love: Songs of the Brokenhearted — Baghdad 1925-1929 (Honest Jon’s). The country was, even then, under occupation (by Britain) and riven by sectarian violence, and these stark, impassioned performances by local singers and instrumental virtuosos reflect the daily, unpredictable dramas of love and survival: the elegant piercing wail of Siddiqa El Mullaya; the majestic sorrow of Kementchedji Alecco’s Kurdish-violin improvisation; the frenzied-Coltrane ecstasy of the zourna (a kind of wild oboe) coursing through “Ya Yumma Weya Baba” by Mulla Abdussaheb. There is a precious unity here, too. Jewish musicians back Arab singers; rural dance music is played with city-market verve; spiritual reflection is sung with carnal force; songs of romance are rendered like hymns. For a few moments, on these ancient records, Baghdad sounds like paradise — one still within reach.

Photo: Getty

As you already know, Michael Jackson turns 50 years old today. To celebrate Jacko hitting the half-century mark, this week’s Rock List is dedicated to the King of Pop’s music. Whether it’s a cut from the Jackson Five years, something off Thriller or a tune from the days when MJ was hanging out with Michael Jordan and Macaulay Culkin, tell us your favorite Michael Jackson song and on Tuesday, we’ll reveal the winners for Rock List: The King of Pop. Before you pop in your worn VHS copy of Moonwalker, check our picks:

“Wanna Be Startin’ Something”
“I’ll Be There”
“Don’t Stop ‘Til You Get Enough”
“Smooth Criminal”
“In the Closet”

Photo: Forster/Getty

The Olympics came to a close this past week, capped off by an energetic performance of
Led Zeppelin’s “Whole Lotta Love” care of
Jimmy Page and
Leona Lewis. The duo’s song was part of the ceremony that passed the Olympic torch to London, who will host the summer games in 2012. The end of the Olympics allowed for another circus to kick off — the Democratic National Convention, which featured appearances from Stevie Wonder and Fergie, among others. Click below for these images, as well as the rest of the week’s news in full color photo form.

• Random Notes: Leona Lewis, Jimmy Page, Michael Jackson and the Week in Rock

Photograph courtesy of Getty Images/Michael Ochs Archive

Michael Jackson turns 50 years old today. Jackson has spent most of those years under heavy scrutiny in one of the more intense public spotlights in music history. Click below for an in-depth gallery of Jackson images, including little or never seen early shots of Michael and his siblings care of the Getty-owned Michael Ochs archive. Plus check out classic Rolling Stone features on the King of Pop.

• Michael Jackson at 50: A Look Back at the King of Pop’s Four-Decade Career

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The premiere of
AC/DC’s new single “Rock and Roll Train” caused quite a stir on Rock Daily, leading to a big debate about whether Australia’s favorite sons sounded fresh and vibrant or if they were just going back to the well. But reader Felipe has the last word on all things AC/DC: “AC/DC is like
The Ramones. You don’t expect them to play folk, you want them to play old AC/DC style rock and roll, and this song is a good example of that.”

Related Stories: (more…)

Photo: Getty

If it felt familiar when
Brooks & Dunn’s “Only In America” played after Barack Obama’s acceptance speech last night, there was good reason: President George W. Bush used the same song four years ago when he was rallying against Democratic candidate John Kerry. Brooks & Dunn were big supporters of Bush, even playing W’s inauguration party back in 2001. So how does Kix Brooks feel about Obama’s use of the track? He wasn’t angry at Obama for using the song, a la Jackson Browne with John McCain. (more…)

This week’s video feature on the Travers Take is the Rolling Stone film critic’s video version of the fall movie preview. Click below for his thoughts on such fourth quarter blockbusters as Twilight, Burn After Reading, Quantum of Solace and The Day the Earth Stood Still.

• Peter Travers Fall Movie Preview Video

For anybody who thinks the ’90s were nothing but dudes dressed in flannel and songs about heroin, take a look at the low quality clip above. It’s from Rupaul’s talk show, and it features a just-breaking-in-America
Backstreet Boys, who have no idea what to make of Ru. The big highlight comes at the end when Rupaul wraps the show up and invites
Alice Cooper back out for the sendoff, marking the only time he’s ever shared a stage with Howie Dorough.

Photo: Getty

When a recording of
Bruce Springsteen’s “Born In the U.S.A.” blared through the speakers at Invesco Field at Mile High after Sen. Barack Obama’s acceptance speech Thursday night, it was official. Springsteen, rumored all week to close the final night, would not show. Thus did ex-
Doobie Brother Michael McDonald have the last musical word a few hours earlier. Actually, the pre-Obama music was kind of a letdown:
John Legend and
Will.i.am brought YouTube to life with “Yes We Can,” complete with a huge live choir and Obama speaking on a video screen overhead. But all that activity on stage as delegates and spectators were filing in was confusing and the performance fell flat.
Sheryl Crow did three songs with her band, opening with (altered for the occasion) “A Change Will Do Us Good.”
Stevie Wonder did two, beginning with an unreleased obscurity, the hymnlike “Fear Can’t Put Dreams to Sleep,” then emphasizing “good-BYE” in his Motown chestnut “Signed, Sealed, and Delivered,” which might have been dedicated to John McCain and the Republicans. (more…)

Photo: Getty

In his hearing this week, a judge questioned the necessity of arresting
Guns N’ Roses leaker Kevin Cogill, calling it unnecessary. The man who posted nine songs from the previously unheard sessions for the forever-in-production Chinese Democracy was shown some leniency by the court as the presiding judge felt the proposed $50,000 bail was excessive and noted that a court summons would have been sufficient. Instead, as Cogill’s girlfriend Shana told Rolling Stone, “They put him in handcuffs. They let me get him a shirt, and shoes without any laces before they took him away.” (more…)

Last night, on the 45th anniversary of Martin Luther King Jr.’s “I Have a Dream” speech, Barack Obama closed the Democratic National Convention with a stirring speech that laid out his plan for the rest of the campaign. Click below for Tim Dickinson’s live blog of last night’s closing ceremony in Denver, as well as the rest of the coverage from the convention including
Death Cab for Cutie’s Chris Walla’s blog and coverage of the surrounding concerts and parties.

• RollingStone.com’s National Affairs Blog: The Barack Obama Speech, The Convention and Beyond

• Death Cab at the DNC (more…)

Photo: Dimmock

In the past decade,
Randy Newman has become known less for his excellently cantankerous work from the Seventies and more for his scores for Pixar movies. But with his new album Harps and Angels, the old Newman is back, led by last year’s biting single “A Few Words in Defense of Our Country.” Click below for more on Newman, including the essential album guide, from his self-titled debut to his film scores and his version of Faust.

• Bad Moon Rising: Randy Newman Battles Republicans, Death and a Goddamn Alligator

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Photo: Getty

Jay-Z vs.
Oasis, OJayZis [Mixtape/Mashup]
Ah, internet, the great unifier: ambitious DJ brings together two warring factions on a mixtape that somehow justifies its ridiculous premise with savvy arranging.

Amanda Palmer, “I Will Follow You Into the Dark” [Death Cab For Cutie Cover]
Palmer’s tremendous, trembling voice makes one thing clear: she has been to the darkness before, and it’s not pulling teeth to get her to go back.

Wiley, “Summertime” [Crookers Remix]
Summertime? Better late than never. Ambitious remixers somehow make the chilly Wiley’s music sound bright and summery, big hits of synth and a throbbing backbeat. (more…)