Rolling Stone March 23, 2017

MUSIC ‘SGT. PEPPER’ COVER AT 50 We dig into the secrets behind the most famous LP design of all time, including which icons were left out of the collage and how much the album art eventually cost the Beatles. VIDEO MAKING OF ‘MASS EFFECT’ Glixel goes behind the scenes with the makers of one of the most anticipated games of 2017: BioWare’s stunning sci-fi adventure franchise that allows you to explore alien worlds. PREMIERE The ‘WALL’ OPERA GOES UP Pink Floyd’s concept album has been adapted into a new opera – Another Brick in the Wall, by composer Julien Bilodeau – that’s debuting in Montreal. Read our full review. TECH CULTURE ELA DARLING TELLS ALL Meet the tech-savvy entrepreneur and activist – who also happens to be a porn star – as she discusses how virtual reality is taking hold of…

Paris Speaks Out beautiful young lady [“Paris Jackson’s Family Secrets,” RS 1280] who clearly has some issues, but she’s seemingly overcoming them. Let her believe that Michael is her biological dad. Gary Schuran, Middleburg, FL tough for Paris Jackson and her siblings to live a normal life, especially when they constantly live in the shadow of their legendary father. Her cover story was a great look into how she has adapted to life in the spotlight. Jeff Swanson, Everett, WA one of our nation’s greatest artists and kindest men. Here’s hoping she and her brothers will continue to follow their father’s example of decency and resilience against hate. They are poised to help make the world a better place, which is truly their dad’s legacy. Toni Bowers, Philadelphia Paris Jackson over George Michael? You have covered most…

1. Lana Del Rey “Love” As if we weren’t already hyped enough for her next album, Del Rey drops her most towering goth-girl-group benediction ever. “Don’t worry, baby,” she moans through waves of echo, quoting the Beach Boys. But her California is a dream world all its own. 2. Calvin Harris feat. Frank Ocean and Migos “Slide” Um, guys, it’s March. Why are you giving us a summer-breeze disco jam that’s perfect for blowing trees on the beach? This is sweet, spacey magic. 3. Lorde “Green Light” Lorde’s back! Our first taste of her new album, Melodrama, is this surprisingly upbeat club track – which rolls like a night out that could go in any direction. 4. Les Amazones d’Afrique feat. Angélique Kidjo “Dombolo” This supergroup of West African divas throws an off-the-hook dance party over talking-drum elation. The result is…

The Foo Fighters drummer just released his debut solo effort, KOTA, on which he plays nearly every instrument. The Hollies “The Air That I Breathe” Radiohead were sued because “Creep” sounds a lot like this song. I just discovered the Hollies last year. This was their last hurrah. The Police “Synchronicity II” The lyrics tell the story of how simple everyday life drives you bonkers. The best music that Sting ever made was with Stewart Copeland on drums. Jane’s Addiction “Pigs in Zen” When this came out, the pop on the radio was just for making out with your girlfriend. Jane’s Addiction made hard rock interesting again. Queen “We Will Rock You” I’ve heard Brian May makes $5 million a year from this song. They play that motherfucker at every football, baseball, basketball game. Jeff Buckley “So Real” That was my “getting some business” song…

Iof George W. Bush’s presidency, Roger Waters wrote a poem of hope. “It was me musing on the idea that possibly, if Obama won, things would get better,” he says. Nine years later, with the presidency held by a man Waters calls a “true sociopath,” a “nincompoop” and an “unending source of absurdity,” the former Pink Floyd singer-songwriter has repurposed his old poem’s title, “Is This the Life We Really Want?” for a new concept album, due May 19th – his first solo rock LP since 1992’s Amused to Death. The decision to finally make another “rock & roll record,” as he calls it, came from collaborating with longtime Radiohead producer Nigel Godrich, who first worked with Waters on his recent Roger Waters: The Wall movie (and has also produced Beck,…

Cthe drummer responsible for some of James Brown’s greatest grooves, died in February at 73 in Madison, Wisconsin. Stubblefield grew up in Chattanooga, Tennessee. Inspired by the train sounds he heard growing up, he created a style heavy on “ghost notes” – rapid-fire snare brushes between beats – helping Brown enter long-form funk territory. Those rhythms (recorded between 1965 and 1970) powered the hip-hop revolution, sampled on hits by N.W.A, Public Enemy and more; Stubblefield’s break on 1970’s “Funky Drummer” was sampled hundreds of times. After leaving Brown in 1971, he continued performing, keeping a regular nightclub gig in Madison. Here’s a guide to four of his best beats. Original Song: “Funky Drummer,” 1970. The beat Stubblefield lays down on this seven-minute single became an essential building block of hip-hop when…