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It takes the Village

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Music Column

Miles Raymer

The RIAA's most wanted

Did the feds shut down Megaupload at big content's bidding—to keep the site from launching an iTunes competitor?

Bleader: Music

Music / Performing Arts Tonight: CSO, Muti, and Mason Bates

Posted by Deanna Isaacs on Tue, Feb 7, 2012 at 4:01 PM

Todd Rosenberg

Tonight's the last chance (this season, in Orchestra Hall) to hear Riccardo Muti and the Chicago Symphony Orchestra take on resident-composer and sometime-DJ Mason Bates's brand-new, electro-infused symphony, Alternative Energy, which includes sounds from Fermilab and junked auto parts, and was the hot item at CSO concerts last week. Word at midafternoon was that seats are available; $20 senior and $15 student rush tickets go on sale at the box office at 5 PM, the concert's at 7:30. Also on the program: Honegger and Franck.

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Crickets / Music Q&A with Craig Finn

Posted by Miles Raymer on Tue, Feb 7, 2012 at 3:43 PM

Mark Seliger

Through eight years and five albums the Hold Steady have earned themselves a reputation as the go-to act for big, broad rock anthems and life affirmation via power chords. Recently front man Craig Finn used some downtime between Hold Steady endeavors to record a solo album, Clear Hearts, Full Eyes (Vagrant), that's considerably more subdued and introspective than anything he's done with either the Hold Steady or his previous band, Lifter Puller. Finn's first solo tour comes to the Empty Bottle tonight. Last Thursday, the day after the first show of the tour, he and I talked on the phone. Hit the jump to see our conversation.

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Soul Week / Music The five worst covers of "The Tracks of My Tears"

Posted by Tal Rosenberg on Tue, Feb 7, 2012 at 2:32 PM

Crimfants/Wikimedia Commons

In order to research this post (about my five favorite versions of Smokey Robinson & the Miracles’ “The Tracks of My Tears”) I had to make sure that my favorite covers were in fact the best ones. Which means I had to cross-check them against every available, YouTube-existing version of the song. Which means I repeatedly contemplated suicide.

In the process of being horrified by a song I previously thought to be infallible, I realized something important about the Motown sound: Everyone loves it. That means every no-talent bucket of contagious hate has to produce a rendition of a classic Motown song. As a result, the prisoners at Guantanamo Bay have an inexorable soundtrack for their stay.

Here are the five worst covers of “The Tracks of My Tears.” Proceed with caution.

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