Music & Entertainment Blog

While seemingly not as remarkable or unbelieveable as other rock album releases this year, Slash's new album, World on Fire, is a testament to his perseverance throughout his life and his status as a rock god. Released in September, it was received to wide acclaim, and it shows how even though his projects in the past have fallen apart, his desire to create music carries him though life.

On October 27th, a remastering of Led Zeppelin IV and Houses of the Holy, two of the most popular, chart-topping rock 'n' roll albums ever created, will be released along with companion albums of never before released rough tracks and other related music. "The material on the companion discs presents a portal to the time of the recording of Led Zeppelin,” says Jimmy Page, lead guitarist and producer of this project. “It is a selection of work in progress with rough mixes, backing tracks, alternate versions, and new material recorded at the time.” Led Zeppelin has been a classic, hugely popular band since its inception, and with all of the latest technological advances, why wouldn't Jimmy Page want to improve on something that was already so great? The first three albums (Led Zeppelin I, II, and III) were released in June, and the rest of the albums will be released later, but it is not everyday that a feat like this happens. The fact that Jimmy Page himself is acting as the main force behind the project makes it all the more incredible.

With Pink Floyd’s first studio album in 20 years set to drop in November, it’s good to look back at the band’s importance in rock and roll history. Richard Wright was a key player in creating most of the band’s releases, even writing and singing lead vocals for some of the tracks. His death in 2008 led everyone to believe that Pink Floyd’s 1994 album, The Division Bell, would be their last, but The Endless River will feature some of Wright’s recordings from as far back as 1969.

Woohoo! The Who have released their first new track in eight years! 'Be Lucky' is a classic Who rocker, which references AC/DC and Daft Punk and oozes a positive, go-getting mentality wholly appropriate to its placement on upcoming two-cd compilation The Who Hits 50. Not many bands make it to 50 years – sticking together and continuing to flourish in the music industry, which is why their 50th anniversary tour this winter is so incredible! This is their last long tour – which is not to say that they'll stop performing all together; it's just that they've gotten older, as everyone does, so they can't handle the stress and enormous amount of effort that it takes to set out on a long tour. Roger Daltrey has been a part of this ground-breaking band since the very beginning - he is even credited with being the group's founding member!

Jimi Hendrix (1942–70) remains the most innovative and influential rock guitarist in the world. He changed the way the guitar was played, transforming its possibilities and its image. Other guitarists had toyed with feedback and distortion but Hendrix turned these and other effects into a controlled, personalized sound that generations of guitarists since have emulated and embellished.

Glastonbury 2014 was a success. It has an excellent reputation for consistently delivering a great event despite its significant (and growing) size. Though, if any year was going to be the undoing of the popular festival, 2014 was in with a shout. Last minute bookings seem to be somewhat inevitable, but the announcements of acts like Dolly Parton and Metallica certainly raised a few eyebrows. Rumours of desperation circulated the event's build-up, and though we may never know how truly pressed the event's organisers were to secure some big acts for the main stages, their choices, ultimately, seem to have been inspired. Yesterday we looked at Dolly Parton's performance: a favourite for many attendees who were initially unsure of what to expect, but who were ultimately thrilled with Parton's sheer warbling weirdness. However, today we're going to look at Metallica - the real champions of Glastonbury 2014.

From a flying pig above Battersea Power Station to stunning light shows in concert, Pink Floyd have always aimed to impress visually. Passionate about their visual craft as well as their musical reputation, their career has encompassed varying artistic accomplishments from the poignant to the downright bizarre.