Spotify’s “New Releases” list lately has felt like a bit of a flashback. Between releases by Kali Uchis, Fetty Wap, and Drake, a lot of the new music looks . . . kinda old.
In the last couple months, we’ve seen new music from the Rolling Stones, Peter Gabriel and Madonna. Even the Beatles, despite having two dead members, put out a new song called “Now and Then.”
So, let’s salute the older people in our lives whose personal soundtrack consists of music from these artists by checking in on what the old heads are up to these days.
“Sweet Sounds of Heaven” – The Rolling Stones
The Rolling Stones are a very important part of the rock genre, setting a standard for rock music. Formed in 1962, their self-titled first album came out in April 1964. With 28 studio albums to their credit, they have marked history as one of the rock bands that got the rock movement in the 60s-70s started. Their latest album, “Hackney Diamonds,” was released on Oct. 20. With this album, they tried to bring back some of the old Rolling Stones sounds and vibes, and I think they did pretty well. My favorite song off the album has got to be “Sweet Sounds of Heaven.” I love the way Mick Jagger sings; it’s a nice, smooth song. They add a lot of instruments to the song; there’s a little piano and a little guitar, but it’s mostly the drums that make the biggest impact on me. Lady Gaga, who’s featured on the song, sounds amazing. This song does nothing but make you feel free.
“Afterglow of Ragnarok” – Bruce Dickinson
Bruce Dickinson is best known as the howling lead singer for British heavy metal band Iron Maiden, but he takes some time to put out solo material as well. While his last studio album was 2005’s “Tyranny of Souls,” recently he has been releasing live and deep cut albums to remind the world that he is more than just the frontman for Eddie. He even recorded a new song, “Afterglow of Ragnarok.” It’s a big heavy metal epic that sets the stage for a new album next year called “The Mandrake Project,” which is going to be more than just an album. Dickinson also plans to publish a companion graphic novel series along with the album.
“This Is Home” – Peter Gabriel
Peter Gabriel first rose to fame when he sang for the band Genesis but later left to go solo. He garnered popularity with his first album in 1977 called “Peter Gabriel 1: Car,” and became an unlikely 80s pop star with the release of “So,” in 1986, which featured megahits “Sledgehammer,” “Red Rain,” and “In Your Eyes.” His latest release, “This Is Home” is part of an album he has been releasing track-by-track throughout 2023 called “i|o.” Each song has been put out as both a “Light-Side” and “Dark-Side” mix, which seems to fit with the binary that is the album’s title. “This is Home” starts off with a very nice rhythm, and Gabriel’s voice still feels warm and powerful. He explains the song a bit on his website: “I did an unusual thing for me in that I tried doing this low voice/high voice thing, so you get this almost conversational voice at the beginning and the second part is a higher, more emotional voice. I thought that it would be both intimate and emotive to put the two side by side.”
“Perhaps” – Guns N’ Roses
Guns N’ Roses really added a lot to rock to the mainstream, the carelessness that they carried everyone knew. Their first album came out in 1987 and was named “Appetite of Destruction,” and they released a single this year called “Perhaps.” It starts off with a very catchy piano riff, the guitar is perfect because Slash is amazing, and the piano is perfect, and Axl the lead singer’s voice is still holding up well despite his age and what he’s put his voice through, and he can still get his voice pretty high.
“Dead Don’t Dance” – Alice Cooper
Alice Cooper released his first album in 1969. “Pretties for You” wasn’t much of a success, but when he released the single “I’m Eighteen” in 1971 on his album “Love It To Death,” Cooper and his band hit the big time. Their combination of theater shock-rock antics mixed with a real fondness for bluesy riff-n-roll made them a mainstay of 70s rock radio, and of course classic rock radio and Spotify playlists. Cooper has remained active, if not necessarily vital, ever since, but his latest single “Dead Don’t Dance” is a strong rock song. The soloing is a welcome addition to a musical landscape where the guitar isn’t prominently featured any more, and Cooper’s voice still songs great. It’s gruff and raspy and makes him sound even more like he’s emerging from the grave.
“Sorry (with Madonna) – Madonna
Madonna released her first album in 1983 called “Madonna,” but she really blew up when her second one was released just one year later called “Like a Virgin,” and she has since released 13 more albums, with her last one being a Solo remix album called “Sorry (remix).” It is a series of remixes of the song “Sorry” from her album “Confessions on a Dance Floor.” My favorite is Madonna’s personal remix. It has a more traditional techno dance beat, but is somewhat catchy. I still prefer her second album, though.
“Now and Then” – The Beatles
On November 4th, 2023, the Beatles released their last song ever called “Now and Then.” Personally, I love it so much. The story behind it adds so much. To hear the legendary John Lennon’s voice in a new Beatles song is something no one would believe possible again, but through A.I. technology, the living Beatles were able to take John’s voice from one of Lennon’s late 70s demos and isolate it from other sounds on the single track recording. Even though the song is aided by A.I, it still sounds good. George Harrison’s guitar samples, which were recorded in the 90s when the Beatles made a first pass at completing the song, really adds to the songs power. For me, the best part it when John sings, “now and then I miss you.” The idea seems self-explanatory, but when it is John Lennon singing it, that makes all the difference. Check out the music video for the part when Paul and Ringo are singing with young John and George standing next to them. This just makes you feel something you can’t really explain.
