[HOT]
Reason to ‘Smile’
The biggest legendarily unreleased album of all time will finally hit store shelves and digital retailers, an outlet that would have seemed like sci-fi fantasy when it was being made 44 years ago. After releasing what is arguably the greatest album in Pop and Rock history, Pet Sounds, The Beach Boys began working on the trippy, orchestral could-be masterpiece Smile, which was scrapped due to inter-band squabbles and mastermind Brian Wilson’s shaky mental state. Despite Wilson’s claims that he burned the master tapes, the full album (pieces of which have surfaced on official and bootlegged releases) will reportedly be available in several expanded formats by the end of this year. Despite the project never actually being “completed,” the album will come out as is (thankfully, no more “re-recording,” like Wilson did with the full album in 2004), with additions like outtakes and “studio banter,” which might be as entertaining as the actual music given the state of the band at the time.
[WARM]
Hall of Justice
Though there are still oodles of artists being unfairly ignored by the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, there’s little to complain about with this year’s batch of inductees. The March 14 induction ceremonies gave Alice Cooper, Neil Diamond, Dr. John, Darlene Love, Tom Waits and Leon Russell their rightful place in the Hall. Waits, unsurprisingly, had the best lines of the night. Commenting on the weight of the trophy, Waits dead-panned, “I just want to know if there’s a keychain version of this so I can take it with me, just in case I hear someone say, ‘Pete, take the cuffs off. He’s a Hall of Famer.’ ” And Paul Simon managed a funny jab at Diamond when, while wondering aloud why it took so long for the singer/songwriter to be inducted (he was eligible 20 years ago), he said, “I’ll give you my theory. Six words: ‘You Don’t Bring Me Flowers Anymore.’ ” (A ballsy statement from the man responsible for the “You Can Call Me Al” song and video.) An edited version of the ceremony airs Sunday on Fuse at 9 p.m.
[COLD]
Stressing Over Jobs’ Creation
If his bad ’80s Hair Metal ’do, failed acting career and lame attempts at a Country music crossover haven’t made Jon Bon Jovi the laughing stock of the music world, then a recent 10-word quote by the singer should do the trick. In a Sunday New York Times Magazine article, Bon Jovi showed the kind of naiveté usually reserved for drunk 16-year-old Punk Rock drummers when he uttered the words, “Steve Jobs is personally responsible for killing the music business.” The quote instantly spread around the Internet like a viral video of a cat repeatedly running headfirst into a glass patio door. The millionaire singer was at least self-aware enough to know he’d come off like an “old man” with his misguided accusation. Bon Jovi forgot to attack Henry Ford, who dismantled the horse-and-buggy industry, robbing generations of the joys of riding in the open air and spending three days traveling 100 miles.
