Rolling Stone June 1, 2017

RS FILMS ‘ALIEN’ PREVIEW Alien: Covenant’s Katherine Waterston talks about joining the ranks of the franchise’s ass-kicking heroines – from working with Michael Fassbender and Ridley Scott to the vision behind the series reboot. BEATLES ‘SGT. PEPPER’ TRACK GUIDE Take a deep dive into the Beatles’ magnum opus, with features that explore the writing and recording of – and the inspiration behind – every single track. TV ‘TWIN PEAKS’ HAS RETURNED It’s finally here: Twin Peaks is back, and we’ve got recaps, an A-to-Z list, the Tao of Agent Cooper and a Q&A with the show’s legendary creator, David Lynch. DOC INSIDE ‘LONG STRANGE TRIP’ Key takeaways from the epic Martin Scorsese-produced film that covers everything from Jerry Garcia’s heroin addiction to the Dead’s famed “wall of sound” PA system. ‘MUSIC NOW’ PODCAST In December 1970, ROLLING STONE founder and editor Jann Wenner…

Styles Goes Solo GREAT READ ON HARRY Styles [“Harry Styles’ New Direction,” RS 1286]. Just looking at him, I see Mick Jagger all over again. He seems focused on being his own man and taking charge of his own destiny. Very wise to do this and yet be so young. I wish him all the best in his musical endeavors. David Virgin, Belmont, CA IT BROUGHT BACK SUCH “old-school Rolling Stone rock journalism” to read the one and only Cameron Crowe’s piece on Harry Styles. No rock journalist writes, captures the essence and goes behind the public image of a “rock star” like Crowe does. Rich Unger, Sarasota, FL IT’S HARD TO IMAGINE ANYone could be less relevant to rock & roll, let alone much less interesting, than Harry Styles. Credit where credit is due,…

1. LCD Soundsystem “Call the Police” The beloved New York dance-punkers are back with their first new music since reuniting, and it’s both predictably awesome and kind of a surprise: LCD’s first protest anthem. Over majestic krautrock guitars, James Murphy sings about waking up to a world on the brink. Deep down, he’d probably rather be out partying, but now he’s got scarier stuff to keep him up all night. 2. Grizzly Bear “Three Rings” When it comes to tripping out in every direction, nobody beats the Griz. Their first song in five years is a swirling psychedelic jam about a relationship coming apart. They make that weird situation feel like a fever dream. 3. Lil Yachty “Bring It Back” The mumbly rap star slathers vocoder heartache all over a gloppy Eighties groove. It’s like a drunk text…

The former Jam frontman, who has a new solo LP, A Kind Revolution, picked songs produced by Mayfield or released on his label Curtom. Curtis Mayfield “The Makings of You” Curtis was a prophet and a poet. With this song, he was weaving together the black-pride movement with a humanitarian message. He was an ambassador of peace. Patti Jo “Make Me Believe in You” This has a real driving beat to it, just a great dance record with very dramatic strings and minimal backing. Leroy Hutson “Cool Out” I first heard this instrumental track in the early 1990s at a club. It’s got this spacey, futuristic sound, but it’s still soulful. Baby Huey “Hard Times” Baby Huey had just one album on Curtom and then died very young. The beautiful vocal here is like Chicago blues with soul. The Five Stairsteps “We Must Be…

Bruno Mars July 15th-November 11thTICKETS $75-$200 “I’M DRIPPING FROM the first song till the end,” says Mars, backstage in Birmingham, England, discussing his furiously physical 24K Magic world tour. To match the throwback vibe of his latest album, Mars is forgoing high-tech production in favor of old-school showmanship. That means lots of dancing, his eight-piece band often changing arrangements on the fly, and no distractions: “I got no time to put together gimmicks and robots and all that stuff – I want to go out and sing.” U2 June 12th-August 1stTICKETS $32-$280 When U2 first toured for The Joshua Tree in 1987, the band was struggling with its new fame and how to mount a stadium show. “I, for one, didn’t enjoy it,” says bassist Adam Clayton. “This summer is almost an opportunity to take…

I administration, Steve Van Zandt started writing a doo-wop song called “The City Weeps Tonight.” The goal was total authenticity, something that “could have been by the Students or the Jive Five,” and he was getting pretty close, until he got stuck on the final verse. As Van Zandt threw himself into the improbable arc of the next 36 years of his life – leaving the E Street Band to launch an activism-fueled solo career; helping to establish a pivotal cultural boycott of South Africa with “Sun City”; then falling into a post-Eighties showbiz limbo that consisted mostly of walking his dog, only to find himself, all at once, starring on The Sopranos, touring the world again with Bruce Springsteen, and becoming the world’s leading and only garage-rock evangelist –…