This week saw the release of Bat Chain Puller, the “lost” Captain Beefheart album. Although its songs have been available on various bootlegs, the album — recorded with Frank Zappa in 1976 — has never officially been released until now. In the intervening years, it’s become something of a legend — not quite on the level of Smile or the lost David Bowie album, but still, a sought-after relic of a bygone era. And while it’s finally getting an official release, there are still other similarly shelved records we’d love to hear but probably never will (we imagine them stuck in a vault somewhere, like the one the Cigarette Smoking Man tends in The X-Files). Here are a few we’d love to get our hands on.
Not so long ago, we were listening to M83′s glorious Dead Cities, Red Seas and Lost Ghosts album. The album’s not heavy on lyrics, but its widescreen soundscapes definitely reflect its evocative, dramatic title, and it got us thinking about the manifold different ways the world’s great cities have been immortalized in song — and about how different cities have inspired very different musical tributes. In view of this, we figured that it’d be an interesting idea to do a semi-regular series wherein we choose our five favorite songs about a particular city. The first stop on our whistlestop world tour? Why, right here at Flavorpill central in New York City. Hop on board after the jump.
We’re all for Tony Bennett, but pardon us if we’re a little bit more excited to hear the late Amy Winehouse’s duet with one of our favorite rappers, Nas. “Like Smoke” is the first single from Lioness: Hidden Treasures, the 12-song collection of new material, rarities, and demos that was compiled by producer Salaam Remi and Mark Ronson and is slated to come out December 5th. Nas’s lyrics, which must have been recorded quite recently, reference both Winehouse’s death (“I be out in London, Camden, hunting for the answers why the God take away the homie”) and the Occupy movement (“She wouldn’t protest with me at Wall Street”). Although the song is something of a patchwork, Nas’s rapid-fire verses sound right at home amid Winehouse’s slow, velvety, retro-soul chorus. Stream “Like Smoke” at MissInfo and let us know what you think. [via The Hairpin]
1. Nas is working on an autobiography called It Ain’t Hard to Tell that is scheduled to come out next fall. Says music journalist Touré, who is collaborating with him on the project: “I’ve been talking to Nas about writing his autobiography for 15 years. This is hip hop history. We’ll tell his life & deconstruct some songs.” [via NME]
2. The first episode of Showtime’s new CIA drama Homeland is now streaming online, weeks ahead of its October 2 premiere date. What do you make of Claire Danes’ performance?
3. While it comes as no surprise that Tyler Perry topped Forbes’ list of the highest paid men in entertainment after making a whopping $130 million last year, we were kind of shocked that the only other actor to crack the top 10 was Leonardo DiCaprio, who brought in $77 million between May 2010 and May 2011.
4. Hugh Grant is the latest star to join the ensemble cast of the forthcoming film adaption of David Mitchell‘s award-winning novel Cloud Atlas. Already on board: Tom Hanks, Halle Berry, Ben Whishaw, Susan Sarandon, and Hugo Weaving. [via THR]
5. Is the world ready for a Whitney Houston comeback? According to Rolling Stone, she’s planning to return to the big screen in Sparkle, a remake of a 1976 musical “loosely based on the story of the Supremes.” She’d be playing “the skeptical and unsupportive mother of the three main characters,” which seems like a bit of a waste to us.
Lady Gaga in drag? Meh. Kanye and Jay-Z bro-ing it up live? Not that groundbreaking. Justin Bieber’s pet snake, Johnson? Blech. Last week’s MTV Video Music Awards didn’t do much for us, but there was one redeeming moment — when we found out that Beyoncé was pregnant. Even those of us who don’t live vicariously through the tabloid-chronicled personal lives of pop stars couldn’t help but be excited for hip-hop’s first couple. Of course, they’re hardly the first pair of musicians who have spawned. Our brief history of kids with two rock-star parents, from Chaz Bono to Kelis and Nas’ son, is after the jump.
We were excited to hear that Lil Wayne recently wrapped production on an episode of MTV’s Unplugged — mostly because it marks the show’s first hip-hop performance since Jay-Z’s acoustic concert in 2001 (not because we want to hear a stripped version of “Mrs. Officer”). We hope that Wayne’s appearance will pave the way for a new generation of rappers to grace the show’s stage. This news and Lupe Fiasco’s performance on Sunday night’s MTV Movie Awards got us thinking about our favorite hip hop performances on the network. Our top ten is after the jump.
Every summer’s most exciting hip-hop tour, Rock the Bells, has announced its 2011 line-up — and this time, they’ve really outdone themselves. The big news is that, not only is Ms. Lauryn Hill a headliner, but she’ll be playing her classic 1998 album The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill. If that isn’t enough to thrill your inner ’90s hip-hop fan, how about Nas performing Illmatic, Cypress Hill doing Black Sunday (yes, the one with “Insane in the Membrane” on it), Black Star teaming up again to do their self-titled debut, GZA reprising Liquid Swords, and Raekwon and Ghostface Killah reviving — you guessed it — Only Built 4 Cuban Linx?
As unbelievably fantastic as these full-album performances sound, they’re far from the only reason to snap up Rock the Bells tickets this year. Other acts will include Erykah Badu, Curren$y, Childish Gambino, Immortal Technique, Murs, Big K.R.I.T., and many more. And there will be a whopping four stages — three main stages and one called the “36 Chambers Stage,” curated by RZA and featuring members of Wu-Tang and other like-minded acts. Here’s the rub, though: Rock the Bells will only be in four cities this year (New York, LA, Boston, and San Francisco), so if you’re not on a coast, start planning your vacation now. For the full line-up and more information about the tour, visit Rock the Bells’ website. [via Brooklyn Vegan]
The concept of artists performing a classic album from start to finish, popularized by All Tomorrow’s Parties’ Don’t Look Back events, has spread like wildfire over the last few years. There have been some genuine highlights — Sonic Youth doing Daydream Nation, The Stooges doing Funhouse before Ron Asheton died, Spiritualized doing Ladies and Gentlemen… –- but it’s largely been a rock-centric business, with hip-hop artists far outnumbered by dudes with guitars. Now, some rappers are adopting the idea the idea themselves: Snoop Dogg recently announced that he’ll be doing Doggystyle again later this year, and various others like Cypress Hill, De La Soul, and Public Enemy have done similar tours in the past. Still, there are a whole lot of classic hip-hop records we’d love to see live. Here’s a wishlist.
1. Production has been shut down on the current season of Two And A Half Men, prompting Charlie Sheen to write an open letter to TMZ about the show’s creator, Chuck Lorre. Among the highlights: “I wish him nothing but pain in his silly travels especially if they wind up in my octagon. Clearly I have defeated this earthworm with my words — imagine what I would have done with my fire breathing fists.” [via Vulture]
2. Perhaps inspired by the financial success of Avenue Q, producers have announced a new off-Broadway production of Rent that will open August 11 at New World Stages. Previews begin July 14. [via EW]
3. Mark your calendars: The Beastie Boys have finally set April 19th as the US release date for their long-delayed album Hot Sauce Committee Pt 2. The record will feature Nas and Santigold among other acts. [via NME]
4. Zachary Chesser, the man who threatened violence against South Park’s creators for depicting Mohammad, has been sentenced to 25 years in jail for “inciting violence and providing material support to terrorists.” [via Gawker]
5. Last night 30 Rock parodied Jezebel when Jenna was featured on a blog called JoanOfSnark.com. (As Liz Lemon explained, “It’s this really cool feminist website where women talk about how far we’ve come and which celebrities have the worst beach bodies.”) Watch a clip here.
New York-based, self-taught photographer Mike Schreiber’s unique vision of hip-hop celebrities, from Nas and Biz Markie to Ol’ Dirty Bastard and Jay-Z, is collected for the first time in True Hip-Hop.
Schreiber captures his subjects with a real-life grit that becomes seemingly tangible. Most jaw-dropping is the strikingly candid proof sheet presenting a vulnerable young artist then known as Maya Arulpragasam, who would use Schreiber’s photos as she rose to fame as M.I.A.
