Videos

25 years ago today (5/15/01), Tool released their third studio album, Lateralus. Expansive, cerebral, and relentlessly ambitious, the nearly 79-minute record pushed progressive metal into new territory with intricate musicianship, shifting time signatures, and sprawling compositions like “Schism,” “Parabola,” and the title track. Despite its challenging, unconventional structure, Lateralus became…

35 years ago today (5/14/91), Primus released their major label debut — and eventual “cult breakthrough” Sailing the Seas of Cheese. The wildly inventive album introduced a larger audience to the band’s bizarre blend of funk, metal, psychedelia, and absurdist humor, powered by Les Claypool’s instantly recognizable bass slapping and…

Ten years ago today, Chance the Rapper released Coloring Book, the groundbreaking mixtape that made him the first independent artist to win three Grammy Awards. Initially released exclusively through Apple Music on May 13, 2016, before arriving on other platforms the next day, Coloring Book helped redefine the possibilities of…

25 years ago today (5/11/01), The Black Crowes, Oasis, and Spacehog launched the Brotherly Love Tour in Las Vegas — a triple bill built around three famously combustible sets of brothers: Chris and Rich Robinson, Noel and Liam Gallagher, and Royston and Antony Langdon. The tour’s tongue-in-cheek title played off…

25 years ago today (5/8/01), David Byrne released one of his most adventurous and eclectic solo albums, Look Into the Eyeball, his sixth studio LP. Backed by 49 musicians across 12 genre-hopping tracks, Byrne effortlessly moves from the infectious pop of “Like Humans Do” to the Spanish-language duet “Desconocido Soy”…

After wrapping up a tour with Guns N’ Roses, Axl Rose stepped in as the guest frontman for AC/DC, making his debut with the band at a show in Lisbon. Rose filled the role after Brian Johnson was advised by doctors to stop touring or risk permanent hearing damage. He…

30 years ago today (5/6/96). The Cure released their tenth studio album, Wild Mood Swings. The album arrived after the massive success of Disintegration and Wish, and at a time when alternative rock had shifted toward commercial alt-rock and Britpop. Rather than chasing trends, Robert Smith and company delivered a…

45 years ago today (5/5/81), Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers released their fourth studio album, Hard Promises. A punchy, vibrant record, it’s perhaps best known for featuring Stevie Nicks on backing vocals for “Insider” and “You Can Still Change Your Mind.” The album’s biggest hit, “The Waiting,” climbed to No.…

Hard to believe a member of Mötley Crüe has hit 75, but then again, Mick Mars had already gone through the trenches when he joined Crüe and was a decade plus older than Tommy Lee, Vince Neil, and Nicki Sixx. —his playing is all grit, tone, and feel. While the…

Sixty years ago today, James Brown made his first appearance on The Ed Sullivan Show. Unlike many solo acts, he brought his full band, giving viewers a clear sense of his live setup, including the familiar cape routine where he drops to his knees before being helped back up. Whether…