U2’s next album, No Line on the Horizon, will be released internationally in early March. But not terribly surprisingly the album is already being circulated (not legally) on BitTorrent. And this has motivated the band to give fans free access to a streamed version on MySpace. To listen, just click here, scroll down to the music player, and toggle the “Feature Playlist” to No Line on the Horizon. You should be able to access the album in its entirety.
Dylan and Baez Sing Blowin’ in the Wind
Somewhere back in the 1970s, Bob Dylan and Joan Baez teamed up again to sing Blowin’ in the Wind. Quite the duet, which we’ve added to our YouTube Favorites. As mentioned a few weeks back, Dylan recently agreed to lend this classic song to a TV commercial for an ethical banking and retail group in the UK. You can now see this rare commercialization of a Dylan song over at the Guardian. Thanks Stephen for flagging that.
Sounds of Opera 1907
In 1907, executives from the Gramophone Company headed to the basement of the Paris Opera and sealed up some wax recordings of famous opera singers. Now, a century later, these recordings have been opened, dusted off, and (yes) even commercialized. Later this month, EMI will release the recordings under the title, “Treasures From the Paris Opera Vaults.” If you click on this NYTimes article and scroll down a little to the Multimedia section, you can sample these century old recordings. The Times collection features outtakes from Verdi’s Aida, Otello and Rigoletto. Find them here.
John Lennon and The Rolling Stones Sing Buddy Holly
This week marks the 50th anniversary of “the day the music died.” That’s Don McLean’s way of talking about the 1959 airplane crash that cut short the budding lives and careers of Buddy Holly, Ritchie Valens, and J. P. “The Big Bopper” Richardson. In ’59, Buddy Holly’s musical career was just getting started, but his influence was already being felt far and wide. Case in point, The Beatles, The Rolling Stones, and The Beach Boys all covered Holly songs during their early careers. Here you can watch the Stones sing Not Fade Away in 1964. And, above, you can watch rare footage of John Lennon moving from a Lead Belly tune (“Rock Island Line”) to a little Buddy Holly medley that includes “Maybe Baby” and “Peggy Sue.” (The Beatles’ take on “Words of Love” can be listened to here as well.) Enjoy.
Bob Dylan at The Super Bowl
As you’ll recall, we mentioned a few days ago that Bob Dylan allowed “Blowin’ in the Wind” to be used in a British commercial. Never before had Dylan allowed that to happen, at least in Britain. For one of our readers, there was a small silver lining. The company using the classic song (the Co-operative Group) has some clear virtues. “The Co-op is ethical; The Co-op supports FairTrade; The Co-op is still a co-operative; They sure ain’t Victoria’s Secret.”
Fast forward a few days, and we strangely find Dylan doing a Super Bowl ad for Pepsi — not the worst company in the world, but also not the best. Above, Dylan and Will.i.am (Black Eye Peas) sing a song that they wrote specifically for the Super Bowl ad, and you might eventually find it being sold on iTunes. I can hardly wait.
Beethoven Symphony No. 5, Arturo Toscanini, 1952
Here’s a nice vintage clip that comes out of a YouTube Channel called The Great Performers, which we’ve added to our page: Best YouTube Collections. The video features Arturo Toscanini conducting Beethoven’s 5th at Carnegie Hall in 1952. You can find the second movement here.
For more classical music see:
Free Beethoven and Mozart Recordings via Podcast
Beethoven’s Symphony No. 9 — Karajan or Muppet Style
The Ten Best Classical Music Recordings of 2008
Bob Dylan Goes a Little Commercial
Stephen in the UK highlighted a piece in Guardian that will interest Bob Dylan fans. It begins:
Bob Dylan has given rare permission for his music to be used in a TV commercial.
Protest song Blowin’ in the Wind will be used to reinforce a message of change in a TV campaign for ethical banking and retail firm the Co-operative Group.
The song, a 1960s anthem for those disaffected with the establishment, is thought to be the first track Dylan has allowed to appear in a UK TV ad.
Blowin’ in the Wind is being used to underpin a multimillion-pound relaunch of the Co-operative Group’s image.
The TV campaign, which breaks next month, aims to showcase the company’s diverse interests from food, funerals and travel to pharmacies and financial services.
In response to all of this, Stephen adds: “The Co-op is ethical; The Co-op supports FairTrade; The Co-op is still a co-operative; They sure ain’t Victoria’s Secret.” Thanks Stephen.
Related Bob Dylan Content:
When Bob Dylan Went Electric: Newport, 1965
Bob Dylan & Johnny Cash Together in 1969: Free MP3s
Bob Dylan — Like A Rolling Stone 1966
Amazon Serves Up Free Music
An excellent find by Kottke: “Amazon has hundreds of free mp3s available for download, including tracks by Brian Eno & David Byrne, Ani Difranco, and Reverend Horton Heat.”
Update: A reader informs us that this is US only. My apologies to any readers outside the US.
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