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Unlike anything that had gone before, the Banshees hitched haunting music to mysterious, apocalyptic lyrics – and all but invented goth. Dave Simpson picks 10 of their finest tracks
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Before the official release of Bob Dylan’s The Basement Tapes: The Bootleg Series Vol 11, here’s a track-by-track breakdown of the original recordings that inspired the series, a piece first published on 9 December 1967 in Record Mirror, and now provided by Rock’s Backpages
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Actor’s rendition of Blackalicious on Jimmy Fallon is the latest in a long list of well-known names attempting to rap - from Gwyneth Paltrow, to Natalie Portman and... Conservative Party Chairman Grant Shapps
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Data from the Official Charts Company show artists such as Anna Calvi, Polar Bear and Young Fathers have shifted only small amounts following Mercury nod, reports Sean Michaels
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A film detailing an Australian music professor’s theory that Bach’s second wife Anna Magdalena composed one of his most famous works is causing a classical stir. Renowned cellist Steven Isserlis debunks the claim
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Actor says Mi Mandela is part of a series of ‘character albums’, with potential Luther and Stringer Bell records on the way
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Edinburgh hip-hop group’s debut album, Dead, beats 11 other nominees, including Damon Albarn, to take coveted prize
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Edinburgh hip hop trio Young Fathers have won the Mercury music prize 2014 - follow all the action from the night, plus reaction to the prize here
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Review Damian Rice: My Favourite Faded Fantasy review – reclusive songwriter returns in icier mood
3 / 5 starsDamien Rice’s first album in eight years finds him swapping warmth and fragility for something more biting, writes Harriet Gibsone -
British singer says the pontiff’s attempt to change Catholic church is ‘formidable’ as he hosts annual Aids benefit concert
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From fiery passages to moments of sublime quietness, the Russian pianist displayed the full range of his mercurial talent, writes Erica Jeal
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Halloween-appropriate programming of the Ghost sonata was the centrepiece of a beguiling set of Beethoven piano trio chamber music, writes Martin Kettle
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Review Finzi: Requiem da Camera, Vaughan Williams: An Oxford Elegy, etc CD review – hymns to the fallen
4 / 5 starsGerald Finzi’s previously unrecorded Requiem da Camera is the highlight of this collection of first world war-themed compositions, writes Andrew Clements -
Now based in Los Angeles, TVOTR have a hookier sound, blending punk, electronica and just a dash of sentimentality, says Kate Hutchinson
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Edinburgh hip-hop group’s debut album, Dead, beats 11 other nominees, including Damon Albarn, to take coveted prize
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Actor says Mi Mandela is part of a series of ‘character albums’, with potential Luther and Stringer Bell records on the way
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EDM overlord returns with his ‘most personal album’ ever, entitled Listen and featuring a host of eclectic artists
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New releases by Pink Floyd, Queen and AC/DC as labels seek music fans who still prefer buying albums to streaming tracks
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Rapper decided against joining Britney and Celine Dion as a Vegas big draw, reports Sean Michaels. Meanwhile, a demo version of Yeezus’s New Slaves appears online
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Following guitarist Malcolm Young’s diagnosis, frontman Johnson reportedly rang up the Sporting Memories Network, based in the village of Topcliffe, to offer his encouragement
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Dead is an anomalous album, but a bewitching and alluring one – just the sort of music these awards should be honouring
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Data from the Official Charts Company show artists such as Anna Calvi, Polar Bear and Young Fathers have shifted only small amounts following Mercury nod, reports Sean Michaels
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US singer’s hit ties with Clean Bandit’s Rather Be as most enduring single of the year, while Ben Howard’s I Forgot Where We Were has debuted at No 1 in the album charts
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‘Where are the artists writing with any real sense of angst?’ asks singer, in interview for Mail on Sunday’s Event magazine
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Tributes for Scottish vocalist who formed seminal 1960s band with Eric Clapton, and helped turn rock into serious art form
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Fans speculate about whether the end of Beady Eye could signal an upcoming revival of Oasis by the Gallagher brothers
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The singer, bassist and songwriter of the original supergroup had suffered liver disease
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Wood tweets pictures from Adelaide’s Cleland Wildlife Park before first show in rescheduled 14 On Fire tour
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The previous nominees trail a host of jazz-world accolades, but have marshalled influences including hip-hop and electronica for their latest tilt at the award
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Damian Rice: My Favourite Faded Fantasy review – reclusive songwriter returns in icier mood
3 / 5 starsDamien Rice’s first album in eight years finds him swapping warmth and fragility for something more biting, writes Harriet Gibsone -
From fiery passages to moments of sublime quietness, the Russian pianist displayed the full range of his mercurial talent, writes Erica Jeal
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Halloween-appropriate programming of the Ghost sonata was the centrepiece of a beguiling set of Beethoven piano trio chamber music, writes Martin Kettle
-
Finzi: Requiem da Camera, Vaughan Williams: An Oxford Elegy, etc CD review – hymns to the fallen
4 / 5 starsGerald Finzi’s previously unrecorded Requiem da Camera is the highlight of this collection of first world war-themed compositions, writes Andrew Clements -
Now based in Los Angeles, TVOTR have a hookier sound, blending punk, electronica and just a dash of sentimentality, says Kate Hutchinson
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Shades of Fela Kuti in Masekela’s ageless funk and fury, and in Soma’s African-inspired protest songs, says Robin Denselow
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A new compilation charts how bands such as the Skyhooks, Sports and Daddy Cool were the cultural wing of the radical shifts that swept Australia in the 1970s
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Disney kid gone bad, then good again, nailed her collection of pop hits, keeping the gears spinning in her high-powered marketing machine
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The folk trio have moved away from the British whimsy that marked their 2012 debut – to exhilarating effect, writes Betty Clarke
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Crow is energised and focused, commanding the spotlight but also able to melt into the background, writes Graeme Virtue
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An intimate recording from the Academy of Ancient Music brings out the detail in Bach’s rhythms, writes Stephen Pritchard
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The final leg of the New York music showcase saw insouciant punks, emo revivalists and noise rockers among the bands
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Various venues, Brecon
Rachel Podger’s ensemble were well attuned to the cumulative powers of JS Bach, while Mahan Esfahani brought humanity on and off the stage, writes Rian Evans -
The Nashville country stars switched styles as often as they switched instruments for a rollicking, rock-tinged show, writes Robin Denselow
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Live Later... with Jools Holland: Robert Plant, Counting Crows, tUnE-yArDs, Years & Years - liveblog
Episode 7 of BBC2’s flagship music show starring Robert Plant, Counting Crows, tUnE-yArDs, and the man with the cockney plan, Jools Holland -
Every year the shortlist is a target for fresh sniping and outrage, but the spotlighted artists won’t be worrying too much about that, writes Kitty Empire
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As a new book and box set are released, Sean O’Hagan argues that Joni Mitchell’s very best albums contain a depth of songwriting that remains unsurpassed
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How did two dreamy, painfully shy brothers from suburban Scotland create one of the most remarkable albums of the 80s? Dorian Lynskey meets indie pop’s unlikely rabble rousers
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Are Roy Keane’s Sunderland the only side to have had a soft spot for Dancing Queen? David Preece, Lincoln’s goalie, asks his fellow pros for their dressing room soundtrack
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Unlike anything that had gone before, the Banshees hitched haunting music to mysterious, apocalyptic lyrics – and all but invented goth. Dave Simpson picks 10 of their finest tracks
-
Before the official release of Bob Dylan’s The Basement Tapes: The Bootleg Series Vol 11, here’s a track-by-track breakdown of the original recordings that inspired the series, a piece first published on 9 December 1967 in Record Mirror, and now provided by Rock’s Backpages
-
A film detailing an Australian music professor’s theory that Bach’s second wife Anna Magdalena composed one of his most famous works is causing a classical stir. Renowned cellist Steven Isserlis debunks the claim
-
Bloc Party’s frontman and his teacher sister have always been close. They talk about playing school, Nigerian nicknames and feeling proud of each other
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From early to epic, Rossini’s irrepressible operas are currently everywhere, writes Fiona Maddocks
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The jazz lover who sang jingles and toured with Wyclef Jean is ready to break out on her own, says Michael Cragg
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Ed Vulliamy, who was born on the street where Jimi Hendrix died, reports on the rock legend’s time in the capital in the 60s – the focus of a new biopic – and talks to some of those who knew him well
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A$AP Mob | Royal Blood | Foxygen | Lady Godiva’s Operation | Gregory Porter | My Friend Dylan Thomas
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Singer, songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Kiesza reveals her love for a Brazilian martial art said to have been invented by African slaves
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Robbie Williams has uploaded a video of himself singing Let it Go from the Disney film Frozen as his wife goes through labour
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Alexis Petridis recommends Soused, the new collaborative album by Scott Walker and Sunn O)))
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The Brit award-winning, platinum-selling artist tells Tim Jonze about his Orthodox Jewish faith and his passion for cooking
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Alexis Petridis recommends Tough Love, the new album by Jessie Ware, which he describes as classy and sophisticated
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Sting joins the cast on stage at the opening night on Broadway of his musical The Last Ship
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Kacey Underwood of guitar-pop band Big Deal shows us around his home in Dalston, east London, before performing their song Sakura in the garden
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Exclusive footage of U2 at work on Songs of Innocence in Electric Lady Studio, New York
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As they release a deluxe edition of their debut album, Alexis Petridis reflects on the alchemy that took Underworld overground.
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Monchan Monna, drummer of Japanese acid-punk band Bo Ningen, shares his love of calligraphy – and demonstrates the drum style upon which he's built a career
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The world's largest playable guitar goes on display at the Liberty Science Center in New Jersey
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Alexis Petridis recommends The Breaks, an album written by one of the great lost figures of 90s alt-rock, Martin Carr - the main songwriter of the Boo Radleys
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Alexis Petridis recommends producer Aphex Twin's latest album, Syro
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Soul singer Kwabs gives us a tour of his home in Camberwell, south-east London, and performs a version of his single Walk live in his living room
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Edinburgh hip hop trio Young Fathers have won the Mercury music prize 2014 - follow all the action from the night, plus reaction to the prize here
-
British singer says the pontiff’s attempt to change Catholic church is ‘formidable’ as he hosts annual Aids benefit concert
-
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Shades of Fela Kuti in Masekela’s ageless funk and fury, and in Soma’s African-inspired protest songs, says Robin Denselow
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The R&B singer leads the way in a field that also includes Damon Albarn, Young Fathers and Kate Tempest
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A new compilation charts how bands such as the Skyhooks, Sports and Daddy Cool were the cultural wing of the radical shifts that swept Australia in the 1970s
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In the first of a new weekly playlist from Guardian Australia, teen rapper Tkay Maidza brings the party, FourPlay makes movie music and Bluejuice go out with a whoopee-cushion bang
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Edinburgh hip-hop group’s debut album, Dead, beats 11 other nominees, including Damon Albarn, to take coveted prize
-
Dead is an anomalous album, but a bewitching and alluring one – just the sort of music these awards should be honouring
-
Review Damian Rice: My Favourite Faded Fantasy review – reclusive songwriter returns in icier mood
3 / 5 starsDamien Rice’s first album in eight years finds him swapping warmth and fragility for something more biting, writes Harriet Gibsone -
Unlike anything that had gone before, the Banshees hitched haunting music to mysterious, apocalyptic lyrics – and all but invented goth. Dave Simpson picks 10 of their finest tracks
-
Data from the Official Charts Company show artists such as Anna Calvi, Polar Bear and Young Fathers have shifted only small amounts following Mercury nod, reports Sean Michaels
-
From fiery passages to moments of sublime quietness, the Russian pianist displayed the full range of his mercurial talent, writes Erica Jeal
-
Halloween-appropriate programming of the Ghost sonata was the centrepiece of a beguiling set of Beethoven piano trio chamber music, writes Martin Kettle
-
Review Finzi: Requiem da Camera, Vaughan Williams: An Oxford Elegy, etc CD review – hymns to the fallen
4 / 5 starsGerald Finzi’s previously unrecorded Requiem da Camera is the highlight of this collection of first world war-themed compositions, writes Andrew Clements -
Actor’s rendition of Blackalicious on Jimmy Fallon is the latest in a long list of well-known names attempting to rap - from Gwyneth Paltrow, to Natalie Portman and... Conservative Party Chairman Grant Shapps
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From surreal animations to Thom Yorke's jittering choreography, how well do you know Radiohead's videos?
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As Opera North open a new production of L'Incoronazione di Poppea – whose best-known final aria was most probably not even written by Monteverdi – we ask if you know the real guiding hands behind these other well-known bits of classical music?
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Can you identify the normally masked musician from their photograph?
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Can you match the pop artist to their stance on feminism?
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Michael Hogan asks how much you know about the talent behind hit singles
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Aphex Twin could teach most musicians a thing or two about creating a striking publicity image. So can you tell which artists below have undergone a freaky Aphex-style transformation?
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With Xerxes back at English National Opera, find out if you're up to speed on Handel's many, many operas
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Bowie's releasing a single and huge compilation album in November, but how many of his classic videos do you recognise?
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In an era of digital downloads, B-sides are pretty much dead. Can you match these vintage flipsides to their A-sides?
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Can you tell which artists these Guardian and Observer album reviews are describing?
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There are artists other than Liam Gallagher who have been known to hurl an insult or two. Who is behind each of these rock insults?
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Liam Gallagher is as well known for his ability to insult other musicians as he is for his singing. Which 10 bands or artists is he talking about in the quotes below?
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Poll: Albums sales are in steep decline, with listeners favouring playlists that cherrypick hits. Is the long player format now irrelevant?
Young Fathers: misfits deserving of their Mercury prize win