Thursday, February 9 2012
VIP Records, key to birth of West Coast rap, struggles to stay relevant
LONG BEACH, Calif. — In its heyday, World Famous VIP Records in Long Beach had a full-time disc jockey playing music for customers, and clerks…
Crickets, Comets, Flames, 3 other bands will enter Rock Hall of Fame
LOS ANGELES — Let’s hear it for the band. The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame has decided to induct six bands whose high-profile leaders…
Wednesday, February 8 2012
Latin rocker ventures into new territory with his first acoustic recording
MIAMI — For years the Colombian rock star Juanes has played for adoring crowds of thousands, even hundreds of thousands. But in front of just…
Grammys 2012: Funny how the comedy category has changed
LOS ANGELES — The comedy category at the Grammys is a funny thing… In the unwired, pre-cable era, comedy recordings on vinyl were a core…
A new kind of rocker for Paul McCartney
Those of a certain age might remember the “Is Paul Dead?” rumor that swirled around the Beatles at the peak of their career. Fans played…
Tuesday, February 7 2012
Van Halen gets with the times
VAN HALEN “A Different Kind of Truth” (Interscope) 2 1/2 stars ——— On “A Different Kind of Truth,” the first studio album from Van Halen…
Roberta Flack’s first album in 13 years covers Beatles classics
WASHINGTON — John, Paul, George, Ringo — and Roberta? No, Roberta Flack was never a member of the Beatles, but in her new CD, “Let…
Grammys 2012: Adele is poised for Grammy coronation
No artist owned 2011 quite like Adele, and she’s poised to sweep the major awards at the Grammys next weekend (8 p.m. EST Feb. 12…
Monday, February 6 2012
‘American Idol’ vs. ‘The Voice’: Who wins the battle rounds?
Well, it had to happen sometime. Now in its 11th season, the prime-time juggernaut known as “American Idol” has become a little less juggernaut-y. Early…
M.I.A.’s halftime gesture said to be ‘a case of adrenaline’
LOS ANGELES — In early 1989 Madonna was the center of controversy over the religious imagery in the video for her “Like A Prayer.” Twenty-two…
