Dec 29th 2009 By Nicholas Nadel

Eminem's 'Relapse -- Refill,' 'London Calling' 30th Anniversary and More in New Music

Required listening from the week in music.

"Relapse: Refill" adds five new tracks to Eminem's hit 2009 album. Did you know Em has the fourth and fifth best-selling albums of the decade? And that 'N Sync's "No Strings Attached," released in 2000, is the decade's best-selling non-reissue album? Yep, the record industry peaked 10 years ago.

Also in stores this week:
-- "London Calling: 30th Anniversary Edition" celebrates The Clash's beloved LP, which is currently spinning on pretty much every dive bar jukebox around the world.
-- Today marks the re-release of Tangerine Dream's eerie score for "Legend." Yes, the movie where Tom Cruise hangs out with unicorns and dwarves.
-- Remember Samantha Fox, of "Touch Me (I Want Your Body)" fame? Well, apparently she has enough songs to warrant a "Greatest Hits" compilation.

Tags: eminem - london calling - LondonCalling - New Music - NewMusic - Samantha Fox - SamanthaFox - the clash - TheClash

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Tuesday 29 December

By Derek C. F. Pegritz

Highest Rank

What's *really* sad is that, when 'N Sync was ubiquitous in 2000, I couldn't stand them--largely because they were so horrendously overexposed and overplayed. However, compared to metric tonnes of indistinguishable crap that passes for Top 40 popular music *today,* No Strings Attached has come to sound like a towering classic of its genre: the songs are well-produced, catchy as hell, and the voices are expertly arranged. I'd rather listen to late-'90s boy-bands instead of the featureless pabulum fed to the masses now ten years later. I swear, if I hear one more 100bpm 808-kickdrum/909-clap loop with some mushmouthed "emcee"'s autotuned yodeling pasted over it I'm going to sell my soul to black metal once and for all.

Saturday 02 January

By waynerake

Neutral

I agree 100%. Where are the Singer/songwriters who once were able to Sing? Autotune has made the hacks out there think they can sing. Anyone with a home computer and 10 minutes can crank out a Rap Tune. Give them a half hour and the same song can be Hip Hop. Andy Hildebrand really screwed up when he came up with autotune. Gone are the pure singers. Some get the recognition they deserve, but the hacks get the recognition as well, which makes the hacks seem "legit" There is no more Artist Development except on American Idol. Which actually sucks, but at least they try to develope the talent. The music industry is in the crapper, pure singer/songwriters have turned to Country Twang to find an outlet, Record companies only want product that is ready to go. Gone are the days of "here is a budget" and a producer, get your album done. Record companies only distribute product now. So if you have a beat box and autotune you can make a record, and if you have street cred you too can have a #1 hit and a rap sheet.

Saturday 02 January

By boberta

Neutral

Well said. Never thought I'd live to hear a musicical era so awful that it makes the disco days sound passable. Not talking about Rap. Talking about crap Pop: simple-minded lyrics, one-note synth, stolen(I mean "sampled") bass hooks, computerized drums and, of course, interchangeable oh-so-cute and fashionably dressed members of the star-of-the-month club. I hope they save their money because they're out of style faster than their shoes. Cheap music for the easily pleased.

Saturday 02 January

By juanmrodriguez2

Lowest Ranked

I get really tired of all the hating. The music tends to reflect the culture. With 10% unemployment nationwide, 50% of black males in MY city unemployed, and a study from a University in IL which found that in Milwaukee, WI a white man/woman with a felony is more likely to be hired than a black man/woman with NO record; all I can say is F**k You White America. What do you prefer? That these people go on welfare or that they sell you the drugs you love (weed & cocaine). If you had no money for rent/food, would you hold your hand out or let your kids get raised by the state? So what, you're going to get your panties in a bunch because rappers talk about sex and drugs? Are you dumb or just downright ignorant? How were you created? SEX What do you use to relax? DRUGS (alcohol, anti-dep,etc)The U.S. consumes about 90% of the drugs in the world and produce the same amount of pornography. Seriously, wake up mofos, if you do not like sex, drugs, and rock n roll (or rap) the United States of America is NOT FOR YOU. Become Muslim and go live under a rock

Saturday 02 January

By Hey You

Neutral

Hey juanmrodriguez2, since you seem to want to advocate the use of drugs so much in your lame defense of rap/rappers why don't you take one of your favorite pills and relax. No one is judging the culture behind the music OR saying that music should not be used as an outlet to make money and survive (in fact most would commend them on choosing something positive like music OVER selling drugs to make a living). It's the lack of talent in what 'passes' as music (as well as the negative, hateful and crime inspiring messages some so-called artists feel they need to rely on) that people are opposed to. Think about it...if some of these rappers had TRUE talent, they wouldn't have to 'sell' the bad-boy image or use technology to make them sound better. There are PLENTY of good rap songs that DON'T rely on these elements...they don't HAVE to because the artist(s) singing them have real talent.

Also, if some of these so-called artists really chose music as an outlet to be a productive member of society (vs. choosing crime to make money) it makes NO sense for them to promote crime/negativity in their music (unless they are truly narcissistic and care nothing about their community or society at large). Try to dispute it all want, but many of the rap songs promoting negativity, crime, hate etc...stem from the (greedy) thug mentality of singer writing/performing it.

As far as being 'tired of all the hating'....you must not be too tired of it because you sound pretty hateful (and ignorant) yourself!! Seems to me you have a few issues that you should consider working out with a therapist. To say that people should leave the country because they don't like rap is ridiculous....do YOU like ALL forms of music?? I doubt it. Different styles appeal to different people....not liking a certain style doesn't make people 'haters', it makes them individuals.

Saturday 02 January

By roger kavan

Neutral

Rappp sucks. Has anyone ever "enjoyed" more than 2% of this drivel? My god, what batch of cave dwellers we are to keep this garbage in the news for so long. Cmon kids, work on waking your pea brains up a tad please.

Saturday 02 January

By UPYOURS

Highest Rank

No one that matters really cares about this.

Saturday 02 January

By Victor

Neutral

this dude is another whitey trying to be black and has ZERO musical talent!! I am sure he has no idea how to string a guitar or that you really do tune drums because all he knows is "freenig style" with pushing play on a drum machine and talking WOW impressive you FK stick you suck and always will!! stop acting like an idiot and learn some musical talent loser talking in a mic on crack doesnt work fool learn a note or two or three on a instrument google instrument because I am sure you have no clue what that is

Saturday 02 January

By jason

Neutral

maybe both of you clowns should try rapping. try dropping beautiful, multifaceted metaphors a 100 mph to a beat. you know sh*t about hip-hop. no talent, HA! you're judging rap from your racist, uninformed subconscious. For every lame artist in hip-hop there is a lame artist in every other genre. but you don't see that, wonder why

Saturday 02 January

By alex

Neutral

he never claimed to know the things your are talking about, just like you don't know what he is rapping about so if you don't like it you can shut they radio off when he is on. Oh ya, he is rich from the stuff he spits are you.

Saturday 02 January

By Jeff

Neutral

Hey I love rap, but I hate what gets played on the radio by rap stations. I'd like to hear the only true working hip-hop band, the Roots, on the radio, just once. Even if it's got to be something old by them. By instantly jumping into racist rhetoric I feel we are in danger of rap/hip-hop becoming a fad of the past, like grunge, etc, due to our inability to be honest that these cats out making money today (like Kanye) suck balls compared to Pac, Big, Nas, Jay, Wu Tang Clan, Bone Thugs, Nore. I mean I'm still waiting on my man Shyne to get out of prison and set the record straight about Puffy.

Saturday 02 January

By mesaman

Neutral

JASON; (The one who lives on Elm Street)? Multifaceted, metaphors? You are joking, of course. The typical rapper uses single syllable, juvenile terms to describe their present culture with their African heritage. It's not about poetry, lyricism, form, tonality, it's about jive-a**ed rhythm and potty mouthed baby talk. Sorry, bub, no sympathy for these amusical jokers here.

Saturday 02 January

By mark turner

Highest Rank

What is it w/Autotune? That is the most annoying thing to happen to music SINCE boy-bands and like everything else in the hip-hop genre once one thing has been done EVERYBODY has to do it . Remeber when Lil Jon was on every rap song for about a year? Tell me you didn't get tired quick of hearing "Yeah!" on everything. This is some really crappy no-effort trash and it is so ubiquitous bc anybody w/ a computer and no talent can do a song.

Saturday 02 January

By Christine

Highest Rank

OK first off... Relapse was released in 2009! May 18th 2009! If you are going to write a story at least know accurate things about your story. And who thinks Nsync had a great album??? REALLY????

Saturday 02 January

By MusicLove

Neutral

Really Rap takes no talent? Then you just don't know what talent is. Being a pop star takes no talent. At least Majority of rappers... Minus like Jarule and pop Rap artist.. write their own lyrics... and if you had half of a brain and listened to rap... It tells a story.. New rappers today ... IE Soulja Boy Tell Um... has no talent.. And most of them now sound all the same... Older Rappers Like Dr. Dre.. 50 cent.. eminem... Jay Z... They all have talent.. And they all have something to say.. So shut your mouth and open your mind and you can hear it.

Saturday 02 January

By Darlene's view

Lowest Rank

Your an idiot Rap evolved from African people in general and black people born in the U.S. in particular. Its origins can be traced to West Africa where tribesmen held "men of words" in high regard. Later when slaves were brought to the New World, the captives mixed American music with the beats they remembered from Africa. Another origin of rap is a form of Jamaican folk stories called "toasts." These are narrative poems that tell stories in rhyme.
Over a hundred years later, rapping was a street art. Just as doo-wop in the 1950's, rap began in inner-city schoolyards and street corners in the 1970's. Early raps were boastful tales, and put-downs directed at other rappers. This music style was slowly growing in popularity among black teens in New York City, Washington, D.C., and Philadelphia. As early as 1974 neighborhood block parties in New York featured early forms of rapping.