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Most recently published stories in Beat.
America’s Favorite Pastime: Dissecting“American Pie”
I met a girl who sang the blues And I asked her for some happy news But she just smiled and turned away There are very few people who aren’t at least casually acquainted with American Pie, Don McLean’s mega-hit that topped the Billboard chart on January 15, 1972, for a four-week stay. It was the Gone with the Wind of Pop songs, clocking in at an epic 8 minutes and 38 seconds, so some radio stations only played the first half of the song upon its initial release.
Kathy Copeland PaddenPublished 3 years ago in BeatDocumentary Review: 'Woodstock 99 Peace, Love, and Rage'
Reliving the terrible memory I have of Woodstock 99 in the new HBO/Bill Simmons documentary, Woodstock Love, Peace, and Rage, made my skin crawl. It’s a memory I had apparently repressed all of these years. I wasn’t at Woodstock 99 but I recall laughing at the hubristic spectacle as it devolved beyond the simplistic metaphor of Lord of the Flies and into a genuine modern tragedy. I took dark comic pleasure, schadenfreude, while enjoying the spectacular failure of Woodstock 99 and remembering that now upsets me.
Sean PatrickPublished 3 years ago in BeatReview of McCartney 3, 2, 1
The first thing I want to tell you about McCartney 3, 2, 1 -- Rick Rubin's incandescent black-and-white three-hour six-episode interview with McCartney on Hulu -- is that in addition to being mind blowing and musically joyful, it made me very sad.
Paul LevinsonPublished 3 years ago in BeatWe Don't Need New Music
We don’t need anything new, there is enough music to keep us going for the rest of our life on streaming services like Spotify and the like. Many years ago , lots of shops sold records but some would only stock the Top 30, and this led to the premise that if the top thirty never changed there would never be any new music.
Mike Singleton - MikeydredPublished 3 years ago in BeatThe BEST 10 Big Time Rush songs
Oh, oh, oh-oh, ooh. Do you remember them? It all started on November of the year 2009. The TV show sitcom "Big Time Rush" aired for the first time. So after a traditional casting to choose the boys who would lead the program, the later internationally recognized band was formed. On the series, the characters names were: Kendall Knight by Kendall Schmidt, the leader; Logan Mitchell by Logan Henderson, the brain; Carlos García by Carlos Pena, the funny one; and James Diamond, by James Maslow, the pretty boy.
Rosy ArreolaPublished 3 years ago in BeatAlbum Review: Paradox by Portuguese Punk Band Atentado
Band: Atentado Album: Paradox Release Date: September 11, 2011 Introduction In an era where trends pay allegiance to the paradigm of heightened complexity, we should praise all those who choose the path of raw simplicity, without metaphysical ramblings but rebellious and defiant through the turbulent wakes of the intervention music style.
199Sex- 1996 & Femme Fatalle Rappers
Lil’ Kim was 22-years-old on November 12, 1996, when she uttered those lines, the first lyrics on her debut album, Hard Core. Just one week later, 18-year-old Foxy Brown released her own debut, Ill Na Na, and together the two Brooklyn College Academy alumni set the course for female emcees for the next two decades, changing the way women in Hip Hop present themselves to the world — and how they are received by it.
Review of Summer of Soul
My wife and I just saw Summer of Soul on Hulu. We loved it. It's a musical documentary, directed by Questlove, about a festival in Harlem in July 1969, in what is now Marcus Garvey Park. Around the same time as Woodstock and human beings first walked on the Moon. The concerts were superbly recorded -- both sight and sound -- at the time. The line-up included included Stevie Wonder, Sly and the Family Stone, Nina Simone, Gladys Knight and the Pips, the Fifth Dimension, the Staples, Mahalia Jackson, the Chambers Brothers, David Ruffin (he had just left the Temptations), and more. The mystery is why hasn't this been seen until now?
Paul LevinsonPublished 3 years ago in BeatThe B-Side
The Phenomenon Known As The B-Side. A B-side? Many younger readers might have heard the term but quickly dismissed it. But chances are they’ve never seen one in the flesh.
Tomorrowland Music Festival
Since its humble beginning in 2005, the Belgian festival has risen sharply, as the venue has become a series of objects and sounds that evoke a sense of great architecture, great work, and a sense of belonging. Spread over two weekends, more than a million visitors visited the 2019 program.
Aayush AlphonzPublished 3 years ago in BeatThe Story of Jonja
Jonja was born in a mountain near the desert. His father was the engineer of an “avant garde“ hotel construction on top of the Valley. His mother suffered from a postpartum depression, which made the old man plunge in his work. Although they were both loving people her madness forced their faithful friend “Shaman” to assume the kid's parental duties.
Javier Garcia AbascalPublished 3 years ago in BeatBefore Joyful Pianos
I. There were four people. Eric, Isabelle, Money and Joe Sunrise. All of them had grown up. Eric was a Seacoast Guy like a fishing boat. Isabelle was familiar with the beautiful city. Money had a way with knowing zones. Money could remember the details. He knew what to say about what he remembered. As for Joe Sunrise, he was bright as a sailing day.
Sam WalkerPublished 3 years ago in Beat