http://www.92citifm.ca

Singer-songwriter and ’70s star Phoebe Snow has died. Known for her 1974 hit “Poetry Man” as well as collaborations with Paul Simon and Linda Ronstadt, the bluesy-voiced singer passed away from complications following a 2010 brain hemorrhage, according to Entertainment Weekly. She was 58.

Although Snow’s self-titled debut album was a big success in the mid-’70s, her career was challenged by the care needed for her daughter, Valerie. She was born in 1975 with a severe brain injury.

“Occasionally I put an album out, but I didn’t like to tour, and [the albums] didn’t get a lot of label support,” she told the San Francisco Chronicle in 2008. “But you know what? It didn’t really matter because I got to stay home more with Valerie, and that time was precious.”

Snow also was known for her work on TV jingles, including singing the theme to A Different World and the “Celebrate the moments of your life” song for General Foods International Coffees.

“She had the best voice I ever heard,” former tourmate Jackson Browne once said.

Upon hearing the sad news, Arlen Roth shared his memories of Snow.

“I was Phoebe’s guitarist and musical director in 1979,” he told Gibson.com. “Phoebe was just the quintessential professional and she was a sensitive, caring and a wonderful person. Musically, she was incredible. She was the only artist I ever played with where my guitar and the singer’s voice blended seamlessly. She was just an amazing artist and a wonderful person to work with. This is a terrible loss.”

Ex-GN’R bassist Duff McKagan is prepping his own biography and told Billboard: “Mine’s not really a Guns N’Roses book, where I think Slash’s really was… and I haven’t read [Steven Adler’s]. I’m not saying one’s better than the other. This is just my story. It’s really my demise into addiction and stuff, and then my way out and my journey into things. My Guns N’Roses story is my Guns N’Roses story. My Velvet Revolver story is my Velvet Revolver story. It’s my rock story, from my distinct viewpoint.”

Duff added, “It was pretty gut-wrenching to write some of this stuff, just because I hadn’t faced any of it until I had to write. I didn’t [expletive] around, but I didn’t throw anybody under the bus, either. There’s some things you just don’t break confidences on, even if you’re warring with someone.”

McKagan is currently working his band Loaded, an outfit he has been in longer than any other band. His book is due to be published in October.

As far as musical identities go, the ’90s are kind of all over the place. The ’50s, ’60s, ’70s and ’80s are a breeze to stereotype – but the slacker decade doesn’t make it so easy. When you think of “’90s music,” what comes to mind? It was an era of grunge and gangsta rap, Britpop and boy bands, alt-rock revolution, mainstream metal and something called Chumbawamba. Meanwhile, pumpkins were smashed, machines were raged against and everything smelled a little like Teen Spirit.

Gibson.com recently called upon its editors, writers and – most importantly – you, the readers, to weigh in on the greatest albums of that decade. When the dust settled, we were left with the Top 50 Albums of the ’90s. After revealing #50-41 and #40-31, we’re announcing another 10 today. Check back every day this week, as we unveil 10 more classics from the decade with the Top 10 coming on Friday.

30. Endtroducing….., DJ Shadow (1996)

Endtroducing..… didn’t just elevate hip-hop’s status as an art from; it opened up the genre to whole new dimensions. Utilizing a sample-based tool box, DJ Shadow (a.k.a. Josh Davis) crafted a sonic montage that blended jazz, rock, funk and a host of “found sound” snippets into a seamless cut-and-paste tapestry. Imaginative beyond measure, Endtroducing..… enthralls so completely, you almost forget there’s a human force behind it. – Russell Hall

29. 69 Love Songs, The Magnetic Fields (1999)

Released as a limited edition three-disc box set, 69 Love Songs confirmed The Magnetic Fields’ Stephin Merritt’s place as the Brian Wilson (or Cole Porter) of indie pop. Rife with quirky melodies that reside somewhere between classic Tin Pan Alley and slow-cranked jack-in-the-box music, the songs constitute a brilliant sonic mural that paints romance in all its myriad guises. Merritt’s Brit-flavored baritone lends gravity to it all. – Russell Hall

28. Fear of a Black Planet, Public Enemy (1990)

Heavy mettle: that summarizes PE’s sample-spitting and wildly lyrical third album. Producers the Bomb Squad hit hip-hop heights with this crazy collage, drawing guitar riffs/licks/vocals from Prince, The Meters, Uriah Heep, Michael Jackson and Richard Pryor (and scores more) into a dense sonic stew. Chuck D decries any perceived enemy of Public Enemy throughout: “Welcome to the Terrordome,” “Fight the Power,” “Burn Hollywood Burn” and “Brothers Gonna Work it Out” still sound like an aural riot 20 years on. – Michael Leonard

27. The Downward Spiral, Nine Inch Nails (1994)

NIN’s Wish EP hinted at a more metallic, industrial, dark and dirty direction compared to the danceable darkness of Pretty Hate Machine. That foreshadowing was fulfilled on The Downward Spiral, an at times disorienting, at times genuinely creepy concept album that follows the journey of a protagonist through the throes of hedonism, nihilism, addiction, self-harm and attempted suicide. NIN mastermind Trent Reznor and producer Flood combined electronica and more conventional instrumentation and some genuine guitar weirdness courtesy of Adrian Belew to come up with the alchemical Downward Spiral formula. – Peter Hodgson

26. Weezer, Weezer (1994)

In 1994, when the breezy first chords of “Say It Ain’t So” rang out on radio stations, Weezer’s debut album seemed destined to become iconic. Weezer (known, too, as “The Blue Album”) also included hit songs “Undone – The Sweater Song” and “Buddy Holly.” The newbie band, out of Los Angeles, got help from some major players; they were produced by Cars frontman Ric Ocasek and their music videos were directed by Spike Jonze. – Ellen Barnes

25. The Soft Bulletin, The Flaming Lips (1999)

Between becoming “one-hit wonders” and organizing boom box experiments, The Flaming Lips released some of the most interesting and creative music of the ’90s. The Oklahoma alt-rockers’ crowning achievement was 1999’s The Soft Bulletin – a quasi Pet Sounds with lush orchestration, firecracker percussion and cartoony melodies. Floating above the neo-psychedelia are Wayne Coyne’s ruminations on science, sickness and human existence, which implant a substantial center in this candy-coated album. – Bryan Wawzenek

24. Shake Your Money Maker, The Black Crowes (1990)

The Black Crowes’ debut sounds as fresh today as it did 20 years ago. A smartly tailored mix of southern gospel, Stax-tinged soul and blues-based rock and roll, Shake Your Money Maker saw the Atlanta-based band brandishing their influences proudly while forging a style all their own. Nods to Faces, the Stones and even Nick Drake are scattered throughout, but few bands have so thoroughly assimilated their musical heritage. – Russell Hall

23. (What’s the Story) Morning Glory?, Oasis (1995)

The biggest-selling album in the U.K. during the ’90s (and the third-best in U.K. history), Oasis’ sophomore effort marked the crest of the Britpop wave. Layers of guitars and undeniable hooks propelled such massive hits as “Wonderwall,” “Don’t Look Back in Anger,” “Some Might Say” and the anthemic “Champagne Supernova.” Even the album tracks, highlighted by “Hello,” “Morning Glory” and “Cast No Shadow,” are top notch. The “cool” answer to “Best British Album of the ’90s” is OK Computer or Definitely Maybe, but this might be the correct answer. – Michael Wright

22. Exile in Guyville, Liz Phair (1993)

One of the most exciting and dramatic albums of the early ’90s came from a spiky, sexy, ball-busting singer-songwriter named Liz Phair. Phair, a clever media performer, hailed it as a feminist response to the Stones’ classic Exile on Main St., something contemporary critics took way too literally. Point was, Guyville was a female response to the kind of machismo Jagger and Richards had represented for so long. Phair was rough, raunchy, sexual and brazen in a way that few rock chicks had dared. She also wrote more honestly and openly about the reality of romance than anyone before, or maybe since. Not for the faint-hearted or prurient, this record is rock and roll feminism at its most fierce, poignant and powerful. – Andrew Vaughan

21. Dookie, Green Day (1994)

Though Dookie was Green Day’s third album, released in February of 1994, it was the California punk rockers’ major label debut and their first with producer Rob Cavallo at the helm. It scored Green Day a Grammy for Best Alternative Music Album and remains the band’s best-selling album to date, with the help of hits “Longview,” “Welcome to Paradise,” “Basket Case,” “When I Come Around” and “She.” – Ellen Barnes

Votes for the Top 50 Albums of the ’90s were included from Michael Wright, Bryan Wawzenek, Andrew Vaughan, Sean Patrick Dooley, Cesar Acevedo, Paul Burch, Ellen Barnes, Ted Drozdowski, Russell Hall, Peter Hodgson, Anne Erickson, Michael Leonard, Paolo Bassotti and the Gibson.com Readers Poll.

One can forgive Sir George Martin for not doing too much press these days. The former Beatles producer and Rock and Roll Hall of Famer, who turned 85 earlier this year, has not produced an album since 2006’s Beatles mash-up, Love, for Cirque du Soleil. Beyond that, he’s answered every conceivable question about his former colleagues one could ask. But with a new documentary set to air on the BBC, Martin sat down with The Independent to talk about his career, and yes, in particular, those magical days with the Fab Four.

“I wasn’t music at all. It was comedy,” Martin said of the quality that first drew him to the group at their first audition in 1962. But very quickly, he came to see that there was an astonishing musical genius under those haircuts.

“I think we recorded well over 200 titles and, of those, probably 60% were great songs,” he said admiringly. “I mean not just a pass-by thing, but really great. And I would have given my teeth to have written even one of them.”

Still, genius or not, Martin says he can’t look at them with the same adoring eyes as the public.

“You see, I can’t be rational about this, because The Beatles aren’t The Beatles to me as they are to someone on the street,” he said. “You ask them what they think of The Beatles and they say, ‘Oh, they are fantastic.’ The Beatles are four people I knew very well, and two of them are still living. So it’s not this big icon that everybody talks about. I still find it difficult to believe that they are probably the finest rock band we’ve ever had, or the most famous, or whatever. But I can’t look at them like that.”

When reminded of his own legendary status, Martin shrugged it off: “Yeah, but I’m not an icon like they are. They are the biggest thing ever. No. I don’t want to be any more famous than I am. Would you like to be Paul McCartney? I wouldn’t. That’s the last thing I would like.”

Although last weekend’s Big Four show in Indio, California, marked the first time the metal legends played together on U.S. soil, it doesn’t look like it will be the only time. Metallica drummer Lars Ulrich said the bands, which also include Slayer, Megadeth and Anthrax, have their eyes on a few more American dates.

“We are looking to book something on the East Coast because of the success of this – it should hopefully come together in a week or two,” Ulrich told RollingStone.com. “Maybe we’ll do somewhere in the Midwest and South, too.”

Although it looks like the Big Four are trying to cover all regions of the U.S., Ulrich said that metal fans shouldn’t expect a full-blown American tour.

“Still, I don’t think it will turn into a 40-date arena tour; that would make it less special. I like the fact that there’s an element of chaos to the whole thing. It shouldn’t be sterile, streamlined and perfect: it needs an edgy underbelly to remain authentic.”

In the meantime, the Big Four will be playing a run of shows in Europe in July and Metallica have announced plans to record their new album with Rick Rubin.

Brian May is convinced that actor Sacha Baron Cohen is “perfect” for the role of Freddie Mercury in the much-anticipated Mercury biopic. Nonetheless, in a lengthy interview with London’s Daily Record, the Queen guitarist said he and the surviving members of the band have mixed feelings about the film.

“It is a project which is taking up a lot of time even though it is in the preparatory stages,” May said. “It is a bit early to say how we will feel about it. Obviously, we go into it with a great amount of enthusiasm but also a certain amount of caution, because Freddie’s legacy is very precious and we have a great responsibility not to mess it up. It is more about Freddie than it is about us, and that is deliberately so.”

May went on to say it’s only recently that the band put their full support behind the project. “We have resisted making this film for a long time,” he said, “and it is only now we feel we have the right people that we have given it the OK. If it hadn’t been for Sacha pushing and pushing, we wouldn’t be at this point. We didn’t choose him. He chose us. He is passionate about playing Freddie. For years, he’s been saying he is going to do it.”

Shooting for the film is scheduled to begin later this year.

Roger Daltrey is set to embark on a U.K. solo tour this summer in which he will perform The Who’s legendary rock opera, Tommy. Accompanied by Pete Townshend’s younger brother, Simon Townshend, Daltrey will take Tommy on the road beginning July 3. Pete Townshend has expressed enthusiastic support for the venture.

“Great to see Roger performing Tommy with his band in 2011,” Pete said. “Roger is touring his unique concert version … using his faithful presentation of the original work as the backbone for a set of wider material. It is wonderful to hear the way Roger and his new band re-interpret the old Who songs. I will be there in spirit, and Roger has my complete and most loving support.”

U2 drummer Larry Mullen Jr will make his acting debut in “Man on the Train” an Irish-Canadian co-production based on a 2002 French crime film.  According to the BBC, the percussionist will co-star with Donald Sutherland and plays a mysterious man who comes to a small town to rob a bank.

Director Cameron Crowe recently spoke to Rolling Stone magazine and has confirmed that his forthcoming documentary on PEARL JAM will be released in the fall!  The inspiration for making the film came from the WHO documentary “THE KIDS ARE ALRIGHT”…essentially a chronological showcase of concert footage.  Pearl Jam has given Crowe nearly 20 hours of rare footage.

The Big Four just played their first-ever U.S. show this last weekend at the Empire Polo Club in Indio, California. According to Metallica bassist Robert Trujillo, metal titans Megadeth, Slayer, Anthrax and his own band (since 2003) have carried over the camaraderie that made the European Big Four tour such a success.

“There is something about seeing these four bands on one stage that is just magical,” Trujillo told Inland Weekly. “From the shows we all did last summer, I noticed everyone steps up and brings their ‘A’ game; from the musicians, there is just something about all the bands together, where you just feel it… it’s the spirit of heavy metal. We want to show that we can provide the goods and bring that heavy metal energy.”

Trujillo credits at least part of the tour’s success to the goodwill shared by the four bands.

“We had this huge dinner before the [European shows], and each night we’d just hang out like in the old school days; and for some, it was a reunion. But everyone was so cool, we were all like family, we got a feeling for the spirit of the show and music. It was definitely one of the highlights of my career.”