LISTEN TO RONNIE SPECTOR COVER AMY WINEHOUSE

The tragic death of UK soul sensation Amy Winehouse is a major loss to the music world regardless of where you stand in the context of her troubled life. But whatever brought her life spiraling out of control and into the ether in the weeks leading up to her passing last weekend, if you need to be reminded of what a major star we lost, please check out this stunning cover of "Back To Black" from legendary girl group icon Ronnie Spector on the Rolling Stone website, a stunning testament to the 27-year-old Londoner's impact on pop culture that defied generational boundaries.

Of all the eulogies that poured in this past week in reference to her death, I think it was Tony Bennett, who recorded a duet with Amy this past March on a tune called "Body and Soul" that will most likely go down as her untimely studio swan song, who said it best when he told Us Weekly how she was "an extraordinary musician with a rare intuition as a vocalist and I am truly devastated that her exceptional talent has come to such an early end. She was a lovely and intelligent person and when we recorded together she gave a soulful and extraordinary performance."

Rest in peace, Amy.

Ronnie Spector doing "Back to Black" at BB Kings, NYC, December 2010:

eddie vedder - live and solo...

this dvd was recorded before the release of his ukele songs album so a lot of the material is from pearl jam albums as well as the into the wild soundtrack and a few covers. it is nice to see that eddie has matured and changed with times. it was pearl jam continue to be a relevant musical force. live and solo eddie sounds strong yet weary. it was recorded in 2008 so i think at that time we were all tired of the bush years.. war and a strangled economy.. weary though he may have been, he still manages to let the humor shine through. in the end, eddie has aged gracefully.

DRAG CITY TO RELEASE ALBUM FROM LOST NYC NO-WAVE OUTFIT SOCIAL CLIMBERS

James Chance and the Contortions. DNA. Teenage Jesus and the Jerks. Glenn Branca. MX-80. ESG. Suicide. All great bands of the No-Wave movement of New York City during the first four years that the esteemed Ed Koch held the mayoral office.

But who was the alternative to all of those acts? The answer: The Social Climbers, a trio consisting of Jean Seton Shaw (bass, vocals), A. Leroy (farfisa organ, korg machine) and Mark Bingham (guitar, vocals) whose unique style of hockey rink dub-funk-punk ruled the periphery of the periphery alongside the likes of such other forgotten figures of the era as Jean-Michel Basquiat's Gray and MX-80 Sound.

But on September 20th, the Social Climbers will finally get their long overdue day in the modern sun when Drag City reissues their sole LP, originally issued on Hoboken Records and consisting of the sum of a trio of shitty 7-inch flexi-discs privately pressed by the band themselves plus two bonus tracks exclusive to this particular edition.

This album is the core definition of DIYwith a sound that helped put bands like Tortoise and Stereolab on the map, and if you have any kind of taste you should go right to the Drag City website and preorder this mug straightaway.

Tracklist:

1. Domestic 2:47

2. Chicken 80 3:59

3. Western World 5:04

4. Chris & Debbie 6:59

5. Palm Springs 4:05

6. That's Why 2:44

7. Ernie K 3:09

8. Hello Texas 2:57

9. Taipei 5:01

10. Tickhead (live) (CD-only) 2:09

11. The Day The Earth Stood Still (CD-only) 3:44

"Chicken 80"


"Palm Springs"

NEW FLYING LOTUS MIXTAPE!

Check out the new mixtape from Coltrane progeny Flying Lotus over at his Brainfeeder site. You will not regret it. Two-odd hours of pure soul satisfaction to heal us in these troubled times.

Stream that shit here: