The Bob Dylan movie A Complete Unknown hits theaters on Thursday, and the final trailer for the film just dropped.
While the clip features scenes from the movie, as well as audio of Timothée Chalamet singing the Dylan classic “Like A Rolling Stone,” the main focus of the trailer is all the positive reviews the film has been getting.
Words like “Electric,” “Masterful,” “Hypnotic,” “Brilliant” and more flash across the screen at the beginning of the trailer, followed by quotes from several publications calling it one of the best films of the year.
It also lists all the nominations the film’s already received, including Best Actor Golden Globe and Critics Choice nods for Chalamet, Best Supporting Actor nods for Ed Norton and Best Picture.
A Complete Unknown follows a 19-year-old Dylan as he arrives in New York from Minnesota and tracks his rise as a folk singer during the ’60s to the top of the charts, ending with his electric rock ‘n’ roll performance at the Newport Folk Festival in 1965.
Glam rockers Poison landed their first and only #1 song with the power ballad “Every Rose Has Its Thorn.”
The song, from the band’s sophomore album, Open Up and Say … Ah!, spent three weeks on top of the Billboard Hot 100 and was #3 on the Billboard year-end charts that year.
The band’s frontman, Bret Michaels, shared in an interview for VH1’s Behind the Music that the song was inspired by a cheating girlfriend. He said he wrote it after he called her while at the laundromat and heard a male voice in the background.
The Black Crowes are nominated for a Grammy for their latest album Happiness Bastards, and they certainly feel honored by the recognition.
The album, the group’s first collection of new material in 15 years, is nominated for Best Rock Album, and will compete with The Rolling Stones’ Hackney Diamonds, Green Day’s Saviors, Pearl Jam’s Dark Matter, JackWhite’s No Name, Fontaines D.C.’s Romance and Idles’ Tangk.
“To be nominated with the Rolling Stones? I mean, that’s pretty cool,” Rich Robinson tells Forbes.
“For me, to be recognized in the industry that we have somehow kept at bay for 35 years? That feels good,” Chris Robinson adds. “And to be included with the Stones and Pearl Jam and Jack White and Green Day? And the younger bands! IDLES is such a f****** strong group. To be included with all of those bands makes me feel really good.”
He adds, “And, yeah – it’s something that I’m not used to.”
The Grammys will take place Feb. 2 in LA, and will air live on CBS and will stream live on Paramount+.
It’s always sad when our favorite musicians pass away, and we had to say goodbye to several artists in 2024 who made a huge impact on music.
Grateful Dead fans were shocked when it was announced that bassist Phil Lesh died on Oct. 25 at age 84. Lesh, who co-founded the iconic jam band with Jerry Garcia, Bobby Weir, Ron “Pigpen” McKernan and Bill Kreutzmann in the San Francisco Bay Area in 1965, cowrote several of the band’s iconic tunes, including “Truckin'” and “Box of Rain.”
Another great loss to the music world happened on April 18 when Allman Brothers Band founding member Dickey Betts died at the age of 80.
Betts, who cofounded the group in 1969 along with brothers Duane and Gregg Allman, Berry Oakley, Butch Trucks and Jaimoe Johanson, wrote and sang lead on songs like “Ramblin’ Man,” their only top-10 hit, and “Blue Sky.” He also composed their well-known instrumentals, including “Jessica” and “In Memory of Elizabeth Reed.”
Here’s a list of the many other music figures who died in 2024, in chronological order:
Jan. 9: Former Scorpions drummer James Kottak, also a member of the German hard rock band Kingdom Come, 61
Feb. 2: MC5 guitarist Wayne Kramer, who was posthumously inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame this year, 75
April 24: Mike Pinder, keyboardist, vocalist and founding member of The Moody Blues, 82
April 30: Guitar great Duane Eddy, who had 15 top-40 singles throughout the late ’50s and early ’60s, 86
May 1: ELO keyboardist Richard Tandy, who appeared on all of ELO’s records since 1973’s ELO 2, 76
May 7: Music producer Steve Albini, who produced Nirvana’s In Utero, 61
May 9: Dennis Thompson, drummer for MC5, who, like his bandmate Wayne Kramer, was posthumously inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame this year, 75
May 12: Saxophonist David Sanborn, who performed and recorded with a whole host of musicians, including David Bowie, James Taylor and Eric Clapton, 78
May 24: Iron Butterfly founder and lead vocalist Doug Ingle, who co-wrote their signature song, “In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida,” 78
July 22: John Mayall, British blues and rock musician and mentor to Eric Clapton,who was posthumously inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame this year, 90
Aug. 7: Jack Russell, frontman for the band Great White, 63
Aug. 13: Greg Kihn, best known for hits like “Jeopardy” and “The Breakup Song,” 75
Sept. 17: JD Souther, solo artist and co-writer of many hits for the Eagles, like “Best of My Love,” “New Kid in Town,” “Heartache Tonight” and “Victim of Love,” 78
Sept. 28: Kris Kristofferson, singer, songwriter and actor, best known for such songs as “Me and Bobby McGee,” “Sunday Mornin’ Comin’ Down” and “Help Me Make It Through the Night,” 88
Oct. 6: Johnny Neel, a member of the Allman Brothers Band and the Dickey Betts Band, 70
Oct. 21: Former Iron Maiden vocalist Paul Di’Anno, who sang on the metal band’s first two albums, 66
Nov. 13: Shel Talmy, the producer who oversaw seminal early recordings by The Who and The Kinks, 87
Nov. 14: Peter Sinfield, King Crimson songwriter and lyricist, 80
The Rolling Stones‘ Keith Richards is one of the many artists who have recorded a cover of Chuck Berry’s classic holiday song “Run Rudolph Run,” and now he’s sharing why he chose the tune.
“I mean to me it’s the hippest Christmas song that there is,” Keith shared on social media. “I mean once again Chuck Berry, beautiful lyrics, a beautiful, joyful feeling about it, and it tells a story short and snappy. What a great track. The sound of it is amazing.”
“Actually it was just done out of sheer fun,” he added.
The Stones’ Ronnie Wood and the late Ian Stewart appear on Keith’s cover, which was released in the late ’70s.
Berry’s original “Run Rudolph Run” was released in 1958, and peaked at #10 on the Billboard Hot 100 in 2019.
Looks like we may be getting some new music from Paul McCartney next year.
The legendary Beatle, who recently wrapped the 2024 leg of his Got Back tour, answered some questions from fans on his website, and revealed he’s planning to get back in the studio.
When asked if he has any resolutions for 2025, McCartney shared, “Here’s one: finish an album!”
“I’ve been working on a lot of songs, and have had to put it to the side because of the tour,” he explained. “So, I’m hoping to get back into that and finish up a lot of these songs. So, how’s about that? ‘My New Year’s resolution is to finish a new album!’”
McCartney released his last album of new material, McCartney III, in 2020.
But for now, McCartney says his main plan to enjoy some down time.
Asked about his plans for the holiday season, McCartney shared that he’s looking forward to “a well-deserved rest.”
“It’s Christmas, so it’s family time for me. We’ve got the decorations up already actually,” he said. “And I’m one of those guys that loves to overdo decorations, so I need a minute to sit back, relax and enjoy them. So, that’s what I’ve got to look forward to…”
Phil Collins landed at #1 on the Billboard Hot 100 with “Another Day in Paradise,” from his #1 album …But Seriously.
The song, which spent four weeks on top of the chart, highlighted the problem of homelessness, and the video featured Collins singing, cut with images of the homeless, refugees and children living in poverty.
The track, Collins’ seventh and final solo #1 single, was nominated for four Grammy Awards and picked up the trophy for Record of the Year.
David Crosby sang backup on the tune and performed the song with Collins at the 1991 Grammy Awards. That performance was included on the 1994 album Grammy’s Greatest Moments Volume I.
You’ve heard of an elderly woman behind the counter in a small town, but what about a 60-year-old man behind the microphone in a hugely successful rock band?
Eddie Vedder hits the big 6-0 on Monday. The Pearl Jam frontman was born Edward Louis Severson III on Dec. 23, 1964, in Evanston, Illinois.
While living in San Diego in the ’80s, Vedder recorded a demo for Seattle musicians Stone Gossard, Jeff Ament and Mike McCready, who were forming a band called Mookie Blaylock after the NBA player of the same name. The trio was also in a group called Temple of the Dog alongside Soundgarden‘s Chris Cornell and Matt Cameron.
Vedder was hired as Mookie Blaylock’s vocalist, and he also sang on Temple of the Dog’s debut album, contributing co-lead vocals to the song “Hunger Strike” alongside Cornell. Meanwhile, Mookie Blaylock changed their name to Pearl Jam and started recording their debut album, Ten, named after the player’s jersey number.
Alongside Nirvana‘s Nevermind, Ten helped make “grunge” a household term with songs including “Even Flow” and “Alive,” that latter of which was inspired by Vedder learning that his dad was not his biological father.
Pearl Jam followed Ten with the albums Vs. and Vitalogy while also making headlines for boycotting Ticketmaster, which would last until 1998. Subsequent albums would take more experimental turns, but PJ’s devoted fanbase stayed with them as they built their status into one of rock’s biggest and most enduring bands.
All told, Pearl Jam’s sold over 85 million albums worldwide and was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 2017. Vedder’s also put out a trio of solo records, the most recent of which being 2022’s Earthling.
It was a monumental year for The Beatles, as they celebrated the 60th anniversary of the first time they arrived in the U.S.
In February 1964 The Beatles — Paul McCartney, John Lennon, George Harrison and Ringo Starr — made their first visit to the U.S. to play The Ed Sullivan Show, which was seen by a then-record 73 million viewers, a moment that launched Beatlemania in America.
The moment in history was highlighted in 2024 with the documentary Beatles ’64, directed by David Tedeschi and produced by Martin Scorsese, which debuted on Disney+ in November. It featured never-before-seen footage of the legendary group and their fans during the height of Beatlemania.
The anniversary was one of many Beatles-related highlights of 2024. Among the others:
Sam Mendes announced he’ll be directing four movies about The Beatles, each one told from the point of view of a different band member. So far no casting has officially been announced, but Ringo let it slip that Saltburn’s Barry Keoghan would be playing him.
McCartney’s original backing track for “Blackbird” was used for Beyoncé‘s interpretation of the song, retitled “Blackbiird,” which appeared on her album Cowboy Carter. He called it a “killer version” of the song.
Ringo dropped the EP Crooked Boy, produced by Linda Perry,and announced he’ll release the country album Look Up, co-written and produced by T Bone Burnett, on Jan. 10.
The Beatles’ 1970 documentary Let It Be debuted on Disney+ in May, marking the first time it had been available in over 50 years. The film was restored from the original 16mm negative by Peter Jackson’s Park Road Post Production.
Lennon’s 1973 solo album, Mind Games, was reissued, including an Ultimate Collection that featured unreleased outtakes, stripped down mixes, instrumentals, demos, rehearsals and even what was described as “studio chatter.” It earned a Grammy nomination for Best Boxed or Limited Edition Package.
Paul McCartney and Wings’often bootlegged album One Hand Clapping got an official release in June, 50 years after it was recorded. The album was recorded at Abbey Road Studios in August 1974 as a video documentary and possible live album, although it didn’t officially come out until now.
Harrison’s first sitar, used during the recording sessions for the song “Norwegian Wood,” sold at auction for $66,993, while one of Lennon’s 12-string guitars, used to record several Beatles classics, sold for $2.9 million, making it the most expensive Beatles guitar ever to sell at auction. Harrison’s Resonet Futurama, a Czechoslovakian-made electric guitar, sold for $1.27 million, a world record for a Harrison guitar sold at auction.
The 50th anniversary of Harrison’s solo album Living in the Material World was celebrated with a series of new reissues, including a super deluxe edition featuring 12 previously unreleased recordings.
Two new Lennon documentaries debuted: One to One: John & Yoko, which focused on Lennon and wife Yoko Ono’s 1972 One to One concerts in New York City, and Daytime Revolution, about the time in February 1972 when John and Yoko co-hosted The Mike Douglas Show for a week.
In October, McCartney launched a new leg of his Got Back tour in Montevideo, Uruguay, and added the band’s 2023 song “Now and Then,” which was billed as the final Beatles single, to the set list.
“Now and Then” went on to receive a Grammy nomination for Record of the Year.
The massive vinyl box set The Beatles: 1964 U.S. Albums In Mono was released featuring seven albums the band released in the U.S. from January 1964 and March 1965. It marked the first time these albums have been available on vinyl since 1995.
And to close out the year, there was a Beatles reunion at McCartney’s final night at the O2 in London on Dec. 19, with Ringo coming out to join his former bandmate on two songs, “Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band (Reprise)” and “Helter Skelter.”
Kayla Bartkowski/The Boston Globe via Getty Images
Jeff Lynne’s ELO is set to say their final farewell to the road in London when they headline BST Hyde Park on July 13, and Lynne tells Mojo magazine, “It will certainly be an emotional show for me.”
“It has been great getting to tour the world and to this day at every show I am always surprised and delighted by the crowds and the energy they bring,” he adds. “I will miss it.”
Lynne announced in March that ELO would be heading out on their final tour. Dubbed The Over and Out Tour, the U.S. dates kicked off in August and wrapped in October.
As for what fans can expect from the final show, Lynne shares, “We will of course be playing all the songs the fans want to hear,” adding, “As for surprises, these are the final shows so who knows what can happen!”
And just because Lynne won’t be touring as ELO anymore, it doesn’t mean it’s the last we’ve heard of him.
“I am happy with what I’ve done, and the crowd reactions to the shows and the music have been amazing,” he says. “This is not a farewell to music. I am excited to return to the studio full-time, which is what I love!”
