Before we get around to talking about the stupid band New Order’s dumb 1982 EP “1981-Factus 8-1982,” please allow me to say that one of the things I force myself to do as a responsible music critic is what I call Prejudice Testing. This entails my listening to the music of a contemptible band or musical artist I’ve loathed for decades without going to the unnecessary effort of actually listening to them.

The completely lame English band New Order is such a band. My reasons for not listening to New Order were two-fold. One, they were, as we all know, just Joy Division without Ian Curtis, and seeing as how Ian Curtis is the only reason I liked Joy Division, why bother listening to the riff-raff behind him?

They were bound to suck, and in my mind, the best thing they could have done after Curtis’ death was give up music and take desk jobs at a travel agency. Two, it was my understanding that New Order specialized in a smarty-pants species of synthesizer-heavy dance music, which has never been my idea of a good time. And they didn’t sound like much fun, which is the only reason I listen to synthesizer-heavy dance music in the first place. Be brainless or go home, that’s always been my philosophy.

In most cases, my Prejudice Testing confirms my long-held and completely ignorant distaste. Nick Cave really is the pompous windbag and Lazarus-voiced poet manque of modern rock; the music of Oingo Boingo is as dumb as its name; and The The are indeed boring boring. And I could go on.

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VIA PRESS RELEASE | On January 22, 2016, Savages released its riveting sophomore album Adore Life, the band’s final release to date. Today, the London quartet celebrate the album’s first decade by sharing two unreleased songs from the era—a piano-lead cover of Black Sabbath’s iconic “Paranoid” and the haunting original “Prayer.” Stream both tracks now.

From Savages: Celebrating 10 years of Adore Life, we’re sharing with you two unreleased songs that never made it onto the albums. We left them exactly as they were—no retakes, no remixing. What you’ll hear is precisely how they were first recorded. To us, they feel like snapshots of a moment in time, and while we’ve never been ones to dwell too much on nostalgia we felt these songs offered a fresh perspective on the band, or at the very least—a gentle reminder of its magic. Enjoy the music and video. It is our gift to you. Happy Birthday to Adore Life. What a record. What a time.
—Ayse, Fay, Gemma & Jehnny

“When Savages delivered the Adore Life artwork, they really captured the feeling of the music contained within,” recalls Matador founder Chris Lombardi. “A giant fist of a record. It’s visceral and taut much like their incendiary live shows. This record reminds that Savages were the REAL DEAL.”

The band’s performance of “Paranoid” was captured on film by Grammy-nominated director Giorgio Testi and premieres today as well. “Paranoid” was recorded by Johnny Hostile and Matt Farrar, produced and mixed by Johnny Hostile. “Prayer” was recorded at RAK studios in London by Richard Woodcraft, produced and mixed by Johnny Hostile.

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VIA PRESS RELEASE | The global theatrical rights to the forthcoming feature-length documentary film Billy Idol Should Be Dead, directed by three-time Grammy-winner Jonas Åkerlund and produced by Live Nation Studios, have been acquired by Evan Saxon Productions (ESP).

The film traces the life and career of punk pioneer turned rock ‘n’ roll icon Billy Idol. Through never-before-seen archival and personal interviews with Idol, his family, peers and collaborators, the documentary digs deep into his emergence as a prototypical punk rocker, his meteoric rise as a global superstar in the MTV era, and the myriad of challenges Idol had to overcome to not just survive, but to remain one of the most beloved figures in rock ‘n’ roll, almost fifty years into his career.

The film made its festival debut at the Tribeca Film Festival last summer, followed by an award qualifying run. The film will have its wide theatrical release in early 2026. Additional info will be shared shortly.

“Billy Idol is a larger-than-life artist who changed the face of pop culture and music history during his 50-year career,” notes Evan Saxon. “From Generation X to now, he’s still selling out arenas around the globe. We are honored to work with Another Planet’s Laurence Freedman and Live Nation to bring the powerful and heartfelt documentary Billy Idol Should Be Dead to his fans on the biggest cinema screens worldwide.”

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Celebrating Robin Zander on his 73rd birthday. —Ed.

‘twas just recently that Real Gone Music released Cheap Trick’s Live at The Whisky 1977 in a 4CD 2,000 copy edition which sold out at the source. However, its rapid-fire scarcity doesn’t mean the release is no longer worthy of appraisal. To the contrary, this generous documentation of four nights in the early days of a canonical band explicates their sustained popularity across a spectrum of fandom that includes classic rock aficionados, power-pop diehards, and even punks with a passion for hooks. Parties interested in obtaining a copy of Live at The Whisky 1977 need to peruse store inventories while perhaps lobbying for a repress, hopefully this time on vinyl.

By the time I’d been fully exposed to Rockford, IL’s Cheap Trick in the early 1980s, they were fully established arena rock stars. Indeed, they had a bona fide frontman with charisma and sex appeal in Robin Zander, as bassist Tom Petersson was no slouch in the good looks department. Adding depth to the lineup, guitarist and primary songwriter Rick Nielsen and drummer Bun E. Carlos were a pair of colorful characters.

Carlos (real name Brad Carlson), with his business suits (complete with loosened neck ties and unbuttoned vests) and smoldering cigarettes dangling from below his moustache, teetered on eccentricity, looking more like a public accountant under duress in the waning moments of a hotel bar’s happy hour than the on-the-money sticksman for one of ’70s power-pop’s defining and most successful bands.

This stature was earned through catchy, smart songwriting and sharp execution. By the early ’80s, Cheap Trick had settled comfortably into rock’s mainstream, getting there through the somewhat unexpected smash sales figures of the live in Japan LP Cheap Trick at Budokan (initially a US import) and the steadily rising chart placements of studio albums two (In Color, ’77), three (Heaven Tonight, ’78) and four (Dream Police, ’79), plus their associated hit singles.

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VIA PRESS RELEASE | In the mid-1970s, the unexpected success of two back-to-back Top 10 greatest hits albums pushed The Beach Boys toward their early surf-and-cars past, fueling hits-laden nostalgia tours at sold-out stadiums and arenas across the US.

Amidst this era, America’s Band, led by Brian Wilson’s return to songwriting and producing, quietly made some of the rawest, unexpected, and most emotionally exposed studio recordings of their career at their recording haven, Brother Studio in Santa Monica, Calif. Across a period defined by intense touring, shifting internal dynamics, and the highly publicized “Brian’s Back!” campaign, all five principal members—Brian Wilson, Dennis Wilson, Carl Wilson, Mike Love, and Al Jardine—contributed to a body of work far more complex than the era’s public narrative suggested.

Following the revelatory ’70s-era box sets Feel Flows—centered on the albums Sunflower and Surf’s Up—and Sail On Sailor, which explored the Carl and the Passions—“So Tough” and Holland sessions, We Gotta Groove: The Brother Studio Years turns to the next chapter of the band’s evolution.

The expansive new collection, due February 13 via Capitol/UMe, gathers this pivotal period, recorded between 1976-77 at Brother Studio into one place for the first time, anchoring itself around a newly remastered edition of The Beach Boys Love You (1977) and the album sessions, the first-ever official release of the long-shelved Adult/Child sessions, and a wealth of outtakes and alternates from the transitional 15 Big Ones (1976) sessions. These recordings powered the era’s “Brian’s Back!” campaign—launched to rebalance the band’s commercial fortunes—which presented Brian as returning to full creative command even as his participation in the studio remained uneven and, at times, fragile.

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Waking up one morning and realizing you like Journey is one of the worst things that can happen to a person. I should know—it happened to me. One day, I hated Journey like I’d hated Journey for literally over four decades. So how was it I found myself clutching a copy of the band’s 1978 LP Infinity to my bosom and saying, “I love you, Journey, don’t ever leave me, please somebody kill me”?

It was horrible. Journey represented everything I despised—late-Seventies/early eighties MOR commercial rock I couldn’t even laugh at, the way I could, say, their San Francisco compatriots, Starship. They weren’t the punch line to a joke—they were simply one of those bands whose songs you can’t turn off fast enough when they come on the car radio. And yet here I was, heart in my throat every time I heard “Wheel in the Sky.”

The whole turn of events was a cosmic jest at my expense, and who could be responsible but God himself? If so, this was some Old Testament-level shit. God took everything from Job, but at least he spared the poor fuck the indignity of becoming a Journey fan.

Then I found myself wondering if the cause wasn’t closer to home—literally. Shortly before I woke up a Journey fan, I’d purchased a Journey tour poster as a purely ironic gesture and hung it on my wall. It was for a gig at the Offenbach Stadthalle during their Departure to Europe World Tour ‘80.

It was one confusing name for a tour, but that’s not the point. What I was forced to ask myself was, had that poster cast some kind of sinister voodoo spell on me? Literally infected me with a Journey virus? Had I inexplicably purchased a CURSED JOURNEY POSTER?

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VIA PRESS RELEASE | Icelandic rock band KALEO announce the 10-year anniversary deluxe edition of their debut album, A/B due out June 10 via Rhino Records. The double vinyl release will spotlight some of the band’s iconic live performances plus a few rare studio recordings. To celebrate, the band will embark on an extensive North American Way Down We Go Tour this summer with very special guests DAWES, Darren Kiely, and 4x GRAMMY®-nominee, singer-songwriter Elle King at the iconic Red Rocks Amphitheatre.

“This year’s tour will be even more special considering we’re commemorating ten years since the release of A/B,” said KALEO frontman JJ Julius Son. “We are truly honored that the music still means so much to so many people and we’re planning an entirely new show we think our fans are going to love.” The debut album spawned hits like “All The Pretty Girls,” “No Good,” and the global sensation “Way Down We Go,” which landed at number one on Billboard’s Alternative Rock chart which has nearly 4 billion streams and has been featured in over 3 million TikToks worldwide.

In addition, the band will incorporate hits from their two follow-up albums, Surface Sounds and 2025’s critically acclaimed MIXED EMOTIONS, into the setlist. On their 2025 effort, Forbes wrote, “Like so many of the great ’70s rock albums, it is powerful, diverse, rooted in the great American sounds like blues and country, that are blended with a rock attitude and base sound.”

The band’s summer tour will begin June 27 at The Novo in Los Angeles and will make its way up the West Coast, through the Rocky Mountains then into the Midwest and Canada before finishing on the East Coast in August. Notable stops include Colorado’s iconic Red Rocks, NYC’s Pier 17, and Nashville’s Pinnacle.

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VIA PRESS RELEASE | This year marks the centennial of John Coltrane, whose groundbreaking artistry as a saxophonist, composer, and band leader made him one of the most influential musical figures of the 20th century.

To honor his immeasurable impact, Craft Recordings looks back at Coltrane’s earliest days as a leader with a curated collection of originals and standards. Produced with the full support of the John Coltrane Estate, The Best of John Coltrane draws from the saxophonist’s 1957–1958 sessions—a period of rapid artistic evolution as he established his sound. These defining recordings—including “Traneing In,” “Theme for Ernie,” and “Trinkle, Tinkle” (with Thelonious Monk)—helped cement Coltrane’s legacy as an innovative force in jazz music.

A perfect introduction for new listeners and a prized acquisition for aficionados, The Best of John Coltrane arrives March 13th exclusively on vinyl. In addition to a classic black pressing, the album can also be found in two limited-edition variants: a Baby Blue LP (only at Books-a-Million) and a Violet LP (Barnes & Noble).

A giant in the modern musical landscape, John Coltrane (1926–1967) transformed the sound of jazz as a saxophonist, leader, and composer. The pioneering artist established himself in the mid-50s, playing as a sideman for the likes of Sonny Rollins, Thelonious Monk, and, most prominently, Miles Davis.

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Remembering Sam Cooke, born on this day in 1931. —Ed.

Sam Cooke is one of the prime architects of 20th century music. Concise accolades frequently falter into overstatement, but in this instance the praise is offered sans hyperbole. The easiest way to test this claim is through ABKCO’s Portrait of a Legend 1951-1964; initially released on compact disc in 2003, it immediately vaulted to the forefront of Cooke compilations, and that it’s been available on double vinyl in a gatefold sleeve retaining Peter Guralnick’s splendid liner notes is cause for celebration.

With due respect to Solomon Burke, Wilson Pickett, Marvin Gaye, Al Green, Sam & Dave, and other worthy belters, the indispensible Soul Gang of Four, Male Division is constituted by Ray Charles, James Brown, Otis Redding, and Sam Cooke. It’s a quartet as firm as Gibraltar, but if a member of this group occasionally receives a nagging quibble, it’s the man born January 22, 1931 as Samuel Cook.

Right now some might even be openly questioning Cooke’s importance as an essential builder of modern music, mainly because much of his discography lacks both the immediate brilliance of invention and sheer virtuosity found in Charles’ best material and the grit and fervor that still partially defines the reputations of Brown and Redding.

All four have been described as soul’s rightful ruler, but Cooke’s the only one who doesn’t also possess an instantly recognizable sobriquet. The Genius of Soul, The Hardest Working Man in Show Business, The Godfather of Soul, Mr. Dynamite, The Big O, and Mr. Pitiful are nicknames of specificity; anybody with a basic knowledge of the genre will know exactly to whom they refer. Mention The King of Soul in a crowded bar after a few rounds of drinks and the debate on who most deserves that title could stretch beyond last call.

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VIA PRESS RELEASE | Time Traveler Recordings—the new archival label founded by record producer and Jazz Detective Zev Feldman—returns with the second run of releases in the Muse Master Edition Series. Launched in October 2025 with classic titles from Roy Brooks, Kenny Barron, and Carlos Garnett, the landmark series presents reissues from the historic Muse Records catalog.

January 30, 2026 will see the release of Love Dance, the 1976 masterpiece by legendary trumpeter Woody Shaw; and Double Exposure, an intriguing and long sought-after 1978 outing that finds master drummer/multi-instrumentalist Joe Chambers in varying duo combinations with organist Larry Young. Subsequent major releases will follow quarterly, with several more titles by Shaw as well as undersung classics from artists such as João Donato, Clifford Jordan, and more.

As with all of its releases, Time Traveler will provide Muse collectors and aficionados with what Feldman calls, “The Rolls Royce, ultra-deluxe vinyl experience.” The exclusive vinyl sets will be available only as a limited release, issued on 180-gram LPs (pressed at Germany’s Optimal Media), analog mastered directly from the original tapes by the acclaimed engineer Matthew Lutthans at The Mastering Lab in Salina, Kansas. They will be issued in high-gloss tip-on jackets furnished by respected printer, Stoughton Press, with new liner essays by Bob Blumenthal for Love Dance and Bill Milkowski for Double Exposure. The packaging will mirror a facsimile of the original productions with additional upgrades.

“Love Dance and Double Exposure are timeless recordings which have been cherished by jazz fans since they were initially released,” says Feldman. “Both are deserving of an upgrade in terms of the whole package—the vinyl, the jacket, the liner notes, the mastering.”

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Formed in 1981 in London, Talk Talk’s decade of existence flouts the norms for pop and rock acts. They began as a new wave band, sharing a producer with tour partners Duran Duran, only to lay the groundwork for what came to be known as post-rock. On February 6, Rhino Records is releasing a half-speed remaster of Talk Talk’s fourth and penultimate album, Spirit of Eden. The first of the band’s two consensus masterpieces, the record sounds as fresh in 2026 as the day it first hit stores.

If Talk Talk had cut their first two albums and then broken up, they’d still be highly regarded. Those albums are The Party’s Over, from 1981, and It’s My Life, from 1983, both unabashedly new wave in their stylistic thrust. Where numerous new wave acts had obvious ties to the punk scene, Talk Talk sauntered down the synth-pop side of the street, and in a manner comparable to their cohorts in titular repetition, Duran Duran.

But Talk Talk did have punk roots, specifically through vocalist and primary songwriter Mark Hollis, who was in The Reaction, and that band’s sole single, “I Can’t Resist” b/w “I Am a Case,” issued by Island in 1978. The Reaction had one more song, “Talk Talk Talk Talk,” which landed on Streets, the first release by Beggars Banquet compiling, amongst others, The Lurkers, The Art Attacks, The Doll, Slaughter & the Dogs, The Nosebleeds, John Cooper Clarke, The Members, and those filthy fuckers The Pork Dukes.

“Talk Talk Talk Talk” became “Talk Talk,” the opening track from The Party’s Over. It was Talk Talk’s second single and first minor chart hit. Along with Hollis, the band was completed by fretless bassist Paul Webb, synthesist-keyboardist Simon Brennan, and drummer Lee Harris. Contrary to assumptions, Talk Talk weren’t giant hitmakers, but they did build on the popularity of The Party’s Over with It’s My Life as Brennan was out, replaced by Tim Friese-Greene, who remained producer and instrumentalist until the band’s end.

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