December 2012

FEATURES

Capturing Passion, Pursuing Perfection

Dec 1, 2012 9:00 AM, Mix, By Blair Jackson

With sales of more than 200 million albums worldwide, Celine Dion is already the most popular female singer of all time, and at just 44, she should have many more years of hits ahead of her. The French-Canadian chanteuse is still probably best known for “My Heart Will Go On,” the Grammy- and Oscar-winning smash from the top-grossing film in history, Titanic. …

LIVE

Tour Profile: Smashing Pumpkins

Dec 1, 2012 9:00 AM, Photos and Text By Candace Horgan

Never let it be said that Billy Corgan does what’s expected of him. Halfway through the “Teargarden by Kaleidyscope” project, where the Smashing Pumpkins were releasing songs one at a time over the Internet, Corgan temporarily abandoned it, instead recording the 13-track Oceania, which is part of the “Teargarden” cycle, releasing the full CD in June 2012. The album charted to Number 4 in its first week of release….

All Access: Garbage

Dec 1, 2012 9:00 AM, Photos and Text By Steve Jennings

After a seven-year absence, Garbage returned to the stage and they sounded like they’d never left, performing songs from their fifth studio album, Not Your Kind of People, which the band released on its own label, Stunvolume. Shirley Manson (lead vocals), Butch Vig (drums), Duke Erikson (guitar/bass/keyboards) Steve Marker (guitar/keyboards) and touring bassist Eric Avery played to a packed audience in San Francisco at the Warfield Theatre….

MUSIC

Classic Track: INXS, “Need You Tonight”

Dec 1, 2012 9:00 AM, Mix, By Blair Jackson

The Australian band INXS was always difficult to characterize. They arrived on the scene at the dawn of the ’80s as part of the New Wave; on their self-titled debut album, it’s easy to hear the influence of Joe Jackson, The Clash and Talking Heads in their punchy rock songs. But they also embraced and helped define early ’80s synth-pop, and as the decade progressed, R&B and funk textures became increasingly prominent in some of their songs….

Beatles Vinyl Gets A New Spin

Dec 1, 2012 9:00 AM, By Matt Hurwitz

Beatles fans got to know the group’s music from vinyl singles and LPs beginning in 1962, when EMI’s Parlophone Records released the band’s first single, “Love Me Do.” LPs based on the 1987 CD catalog masters have been out of print since the mid-1990s, but a new collection has just arrived: The Beatles Stereo Vinyl Box Set, created from Apple Corps Ltd./EMI’s acclaimed 2009 re-mastered catalog….

The Complete Bill Withers

Dec 1, 2012 9:00 AM, Mix, By Barbara Schultz

Just a month ago, in our “Classic Tracks” column, Mix looked back at the making of “Ain’t No Sunshine” by legendary soul singer/songwriter Bill Withers. Well, it turns out we weren’t the only ones who think Withers’ music deserves revisiting. In November, Columbia/Legacy released Bill Withers: The Complete Sussex and Columbia Albums.…