Maximum Performance

  • Few albums bear a more deserving title than Guitar Heaven...The Greatest Guitar Classics Of All Time, the latest set from legendary musician Carlos Santana--the man whose grimacing facial expressions while wrenching sweet notes from his own guitar may be one of the most iconic and lingering images from 1969's historic Woodstock Festival.

    The career that Santana launched since that time has been likewise legendary, filled with critical and commercial peaks that have been rarely equaled by any of his contemporaries. Whether via the aesthetic beauty of such classic early Santana albums as Abraxas, Caravanserai and Borboletta, or the commercial triumph of 1999's Supernatural, the guitarist has consistently crafted works that have resonated both with critics and the general public--a rarity--for over 40 years.

    And now comes Guitar Heaven...The Greatest Guitar Classics Of All Time, a lofty collaboration pairing Santana with some of today's most popular vocalists and featuring a wealth of

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  • With a marquee-worthy moniker like Brandon Flowers and an outsized personality to match, it was probably only a matter of time before the Killers' seemingly megalomaniacal frontman opted to go solo. And of course, he did so in the most Flowery way possible: in a million-dollar music video, "Crossfire," that resembled a CGI-addled Michael Bay action flick and starred A-list thespian Charlize Theron.

    So naturally, when the man who once infamously claimed "the Killers could be bigger than U2" played a paparazzi-swarmed solo gig at Los Angeles's Troubadour club on August 17, I expected an entirely unsubtle undertaking, a showcase of unchecked ego and OTT anthems that'd make the over-ambitious bloat-rock of Sam's Town seem positively quaint.

    Yes, full disclosure here: I headed to the Troub with intentions to mock Sir Flowers. But my plans were totally thwarted, because I didn't expect that a) Brandon's songs would be better than anything the Killers have released since Hot Fuss, b) his

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  • In the decade or so since destination festivals have become in vogue, the massive, multi-day events have essentially been split into two concurrent trends: a huge, megaband undertaking many miles from any metropolis, creating an air of can-do survivilism and how-do-you-do camping (see: Bonnaroo, Coachella), and its closely related cousin, which occurs mid-city, creating a temporary artsy oasis in the midst of skyscrapers and commerce (Lollapalooza, Austin City Limits). Leave it to San Francisco to bridge the gap, though: At the third edition of the Outside Lands festival this past weekend in Golden Gate Park, both urban and urbane seemed the words of the day, thanks to a gorgeous setting that appeared to be a clearing mid-forest, though it was actually a mere mile or so walk inland from the city's rolling hills.

    Downsizing to two days and dropping two stages ended up being a blessing for the fest--gone were gripes of midday bottlenecks and massive traffic jams, replaced by scheduling

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  • With her icy '80s synthpop sound, theatrically shrill vocals, and asymmetrically moussed flaming coif, 21-year-old androgyne Elly Jackson (aka one-half of Brit electro duo La Roux) may have been one of the most interesting new singers to come out of Britain last year, but she seemed an unlikely Stateside pop star alongside the current chart's assortment of blatantly sexy pop vamps (Beyonce, Katy, Ke$ha, et al). And with a sound as unapologetically retro and Anglo as an '80s new wave cover band (comparisons to Yaz, the Eurythmics, and Altered Images have abounded), U.S. success for Elly and her La Roux partner, Ben Langmaid, seemed especially far-fetched.

    But incredibly, a year after their self-titled debut album (one of 2009's best releases) came out, that's exactly what has happened. La Roux's breakthrough single, "Bulletproof," recently hit number 8 on the Billboard Hot 100, number 6 on the Billboard Pop Songs chart, and number 1 on the Billboard Hot Dance Club Songs chart (it

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  • When Lady Gaga cried on the first night of this year's Lollapalooza Festival, she told the tale of her infamous Lollapalooza performance from 2007 when she played as an opener and left the crowd's jaws dropped. With so many headlining bands this year slotted during the same time (Gaga vs. The Strokes, Green Day vs. Phoenix, Soundgarden vs. Arcade Fire), seeing indie bands during the day was a great way to get the most buck out of the fest. Here's a list of Yahoo! Music's top 10 emerging artists that could very well get to near-Gaga headlining fame in the future.

    1) Wild Beasts - This art-pop-rock outfit's dramatic tempo shifts and shimmering guitar lines can channel a more glam rendition of what Grizzly Bear has accomplished--maybe even some Fleet Foxes (without the sweeping, cheesy, Disney-forest vibes). But what distinguishes this English foursome is the shrillest, most androgynous falsetto from frontman Hayden Thorpe, rigorously tempered by bassist/vocalist Tom Fleming's erratic

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  • On Friday, August 6, in Turin, Italy, U2 played their first concert since frontman Bono's back injury and subsequent emergency surgery in May forced the band to cancel 16 North American summer tour dates.

    Yes, Bono was back, and it was a beautiful day, for sure.

    "The doctors are very confident," U2 manager Paul McGuinness told the press after he watched U2's full dress rehearsal of the entire show. "They certified him fit to perform. It's really a very short time for a spinal injury....Things have gone very, very well. We did a full run-through with no breaks, straight through the show, and Bono was moving very well. He's fit."

    Indeed he is. As the exclusive photos of Bono and band here show, Mr. Hewson has fully recovered and still has that unforgettable fire. Marvel at U2's Turin triumph here, and get ready for when their rescheduled North American 360 Degree Tour begins in May 2011.

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  • One of the absolute best aspects about artists who choose to go the purely "conceptual" route--that is, artists who from the very start who seem to pay no heed to fashionable trends of the day and simply pursue that which drives them--is that time never lessens their appeal.

    And Devo proves that point better than nearly any other rock 'n' roll band.

    The Akron-based group, who caused a critical uproar in the late '70s with their seemingly formal theory of "de-evolution," their pioneering music videos, and the stirring 1978 album debut Q: Are We Not Men? A: We Are Devo!, seem as contemporary today as they did when they began--and their memorable videos, perhaps most notably their 1980 MTV hit "Whip It," perhaps even more trailblazing.

    But the band, who furthered their reputation both critically and commercially with successful '80s albums such as Freedom Of Choice, New Traditionalists and Oh, No! It's Devo, eventually called it a day by 1991. Individual success would then greet band

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  • The new Twilight: Eclipse movie is out next week, and needless to say it's one of the most anticipated films of the year. It's also one of the year's top soundtracks, featuring all sorts of hipster acts: Muse, the Bravery, Florence & The Machine, the Dead Weather, the Black Keys, Sia, Beck with Bat For Lashes, UNKLE, Vampire Weekend, and more. (Get more info at http://www.eclipsesoundtrack.com).

    So to celebrate, three other cool Eclipse soundtrack artists--Cee-Lo Green, Metric, and Eastern ConferenceChampions--are performing live as part of a very special streaming event on Yahoo!Music. Hosted by Los Angeles radio station Star 98.7, the event takes place at the 98.7FM studio, with a live concert stream plus fan Q&A session.

    Watch the in-studio concert below!

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  • To celebrate the upcoming international release of her new album, Can't Be Tamed, the seemingly unstoppable Miley Cyrus performed on a one-hour ABC-TV concert special, "Miley Cyrus: Live From London," this past weekend. Shot at the famous O2 Arena in London (the venue where Led Zeppelin held their reunion gig, and where Michael Jackson's "This Is It" concerts were supposed to take place), the special featured clips from the full-length concert that will be available on the deluxe version of Miley's album, out in stores tomorrow (June 22).

    In case you missed the ABC special (and can't wait for tomorrow's album release)--or if you just want to watch it again--check out the full broadcast below. It's a party in the U.K.!

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  • Despite the fact that "MMMBop" came out 13 (yes, THIRTEEN) years ago, many people still frustratingly think of Hanson as that "kid band," those little golden boys with the long girly hair. The truth is, Hanson have steadily built a respectable career for themselves since their youthful beginnings, releasing four solid albums of impeccably crafted pop-rock since their 1997 boyhood breakthrough Middle Of Nowhere and now heading up their own label, 3CG Records. However, diehard music fans and, it should be noted, serious musicians have always appreciated and respected Hanson. The trio's praises have been sung by everyone from super-producer Butch Walker to electropop guru Har Mar Superstar to "American Idol" rebel girl Siobhan Magnus; singer Taylor Hanson was recruited last year to front the supergroup Tinted Windows with Fountains Of Wayne's Adam Schlesinger, Smashing Pumpkins' James Iha, and Cheap Trick's Bun E. Carlos; and the brothers guested on the allstar powerpop project L.E.O.

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News for You

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  • Rare Superman comic found in house insulation

    MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — It's considered the Holy Grail of comic books: Action Comics No. 1 from 1938, featuring the debut of Superman. And David Gonzales found one mixed in with old newspapers insulating a house he was renovating in a small town in Minnesota.

  • Takei says Cho good choice for latest 'Star Trek'

    SINGAPORE (AP) — Portraying USS Enterprise helmsman Hikaru Sulu in the latest "Star Trek" movie comes with big shoes to fill, but the man who played the part in the TV series and six films has given his blessing to the actor currently playing the role.

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