Latest Stories

Most recently published stories in Beat.

The Worst Song to Ever be Created
Sometimes, bad music happens to good bands. Elvis Presley infamously sang "Confidence" as part of a children's movie he filmed in the late 60s. Chuck Berry's song, "My Ding-A-Ling," was his only solo hit - and also happened to be a several minute long joke about his ding-a-ling. Even Paul Simon had a gaffe or two under his belt.
By Skunk Uzeki9 years ago in Beat
Music and Concert Documentaries on Netflix
Too few people watch documentaries, which means that many music and concert documentaries on Netflix go unwatched. It's a damn shame, too, because there are a multitude of great ones no one sees. With so many movies and shows on the streaming service, it's hard to figure out what to watch. So often, quality shows are drowned in a quantity of crap. And documentaries can be made and uploaded to the service on the cheap.
By Anthony Gramuglia9 years ago in Beat
Review of Rob Sheffield's Dreaming The Beatles: 5 of X
Rob Sheffield's short chapter in his Dreaming the Beatles (actually, they're all short, which is good) is about "It Won't Be Long," and is about as fine a piece of music journalism, or rock 'n' roll analysis, or whatever you want to call it, as you can find. It's a holographic sample of why the book as a whole is so enjoyable and important.
By Paul Levinson9 years ago in Beat
Best Indie Rock Bands
We're pretty sure that VH1 has done at least one list ranking the best indie rock bands of all time. Indie rock has been around for longer than hipsters have been in Brooklyn, and the fact is that many of the biggest movements in music were sparked by good indie rock bands and their unique sounds.
By Skunk Uzeki9 years ago in Beat
10 Inspiringly Creative Music Videos. Top Story - June 2017.
It goes without saying that music is one of the biggest and continuously growing industries in the world and with more music available than ever before and it’s not just musicians that are in on the art form. Graphic artists make the cover art and band logos that define the way musicians are conveyed, cinematographers and animators have their time to shine too with music videos and the more memorable the better.
By Mary Mayo9 years ago in Beat
Listen To The Music!
Ever since pre-historic cavemen first banged two rocks together in an eurythmic beat that entertained the ear, music has been an integral part of every culture in the world. Whether it be drums covered with animal skins or a flute carved from a hollow reed, mankind has sought out ways to make sounds that not only served as a means of communication but conveyed emotion and identity.
By Marlene Affeld9 years ago in Beat
It Really Was 50 Years Ago Today!
The Beatles manager Brian Epstein had just come out of a drug-induced collapse in May 1967, in the Priory Hospital in Roehampton in West London, when he heard the group he had propelled to international stardom’s latest album. A stereo had been set up by his bedside and acetate provided; he closed his eyes, lay back and listened to the magic that filled the room.
By Bob Robertson9 years ago in Beat
Review of Rob Sheffield's Dreaming The Beatles: 4 of X
I don't want to get too far into Rob Sheffield's addictive book without posting another review, so I thought I'd check in here after finishing a chapter on George, which comes after discussions of Ringo (which I talk about in my last review) and Paul and John, which are of course a part of every chapter.
By Paul Levinson9 years ago in Beat
New Modern Blues Artists You Should Be Listening To
So we're heading in a new direction - gone are the bubble gum factory of the processed beats with no feeling, music recycling and four chord madness. The rise of hipster left wing veganism has yes, gentrified areas of London which maybe should have been left untouched by independent slow roasted coffee shops and rising house prices but it has pushed people back into the glory of real music. It's cool now to like good music and be individual which means (hooray!) we have people going out and searching for music. With streaming services like Spotify making this easier for the masses, it's the people who are going out of their way that are finding the truly rare and supremely talented musicians who are out their grinding for dollars and pounds with a shit amp on the street.
By THE BEAR9 years ago in Beat
What Is Vaporwave?
New trends in music pop up every single year, and one of the trends that had begun to emerge in the late 2000s was vaporwave. Unlike many other trends, vaporwave is still going strong today.
By Ossiana Tepfenhart9 years ago in Beat
There's Every Kind of Beautiful
There's Every Kind of Beautiful is a song of celebration, the essence of which is to advocate personal individuality, as well as diversity. The song acknowledges that each person is unique and beautiful in their own way. The fundamental idea is that each individual should embrace their individuality and seek to become the best version of themselves as opposed to striving to be an imitation of somebody else.
By Geraldine Taylor9 years ago in Beat
Review of Rob Sheffield's Dreaming the Beatles: 3 of X
In the next chapter of Rob Sheffield's Dreaming the Beatles -- I just realized that the chapters are not numbered, which means that each chapter is a piece of a hologram, a snapshot of the whole, like a verse in many a song -- we get a deconstruction of "Dear Prudence," which Sheffield holds to be one of The Beatles' best, and I agree (though they have so many bests the term hasn't the usual meaning for me).
By Paul Levinson9 years ago in Beat