5 h. ago Heaven must be like this: D’Angelo’s greatest songs – ranked!

As his debut album Brown Sugar turns 30 this week, we look back on the relatively slim but astoundingly rich catalogue of the architect of neosoulFor an artist no one could describe as prolific, D’Angelo has contributed a surprising number of exclusive songs to films. Good songs too, as evidenced by this, from the Space Jam soundtrack: a fine, funky, faintly Stevie Wonder-ish, mid-tempo example of his initial retro-yet-somehow-modern approach to soul. Continue reading...

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7 h. ago The masterplan: Alexis Petridis on his dream Oasis tour setlist

As the Gallagher brothers prepare for the decade’s most anticipated tour, our critic offers 20 useful tips for what to play – including the deep cuts they really should pickFrom the title to the chorus’s apparent declaration of fraternal loyalty – “we need each other” – Acquiesce seems the ideal opener for a reformed Oasis. But given that Noel’s always insisted it’s not about fraternal loyalty, it probably won’t be Continue reading...

Politics

12 h. ago From Champagne Supernova to The Masterplan: The 20 best Oasis songs, ranked

As the Gallagher brothers finally prepare to reunite onstage for the first time since 2009, Mark Beaumont and Roisin O’Connor take a trip through their favourites from the Oasis back catalogue

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8 d. ago ‘Liam had been drinking all night. Noel was not in a great mood’: photographers pick their best Oasis shot

Lairy, drunk, fighting, laughing five photographers who shot Oasis recall what it was like capturing them in depressing pre-fame hotels – and at their Champagne Supernova heightsI didn’t really know the Gallaghers then. I had only shot Oasis at the Q awards and live shows. In 2001, I was commissioned by a US publication for a feature about The US tour of Brotherly Love, with Oasis, the Black Crowes and Spacehog. All the bands had two brothers in them, and I had been asked to photograph the Gallaghers and the Robinsons from the Black Crowes together. Continue reading...

Culture

2 w. ago Sailing towards Glastonbury: Rod Stewart’s greatest solo songs – ranked!

As the 80-year-old gears up for Worthy Farm, we pick the best of his post-Faces career, from moving ballads to silly, sleazy pop, and cover versions that became definitiveThis is essentially a lyrical update of (I’m Not Your) Steppin’ Stone or Where Do You Go to (My Lovely)? – in summary: peeved ex complains that former girlfriend now moves in lofty circles. But Baby Jane was as good as 80s-pop Rod got: very of-its-era arrangement, great melody, big old chorus, a UK No 1. Continue reading...

Events

3 w. ago Oasis fans left baffled as they finally learn what 'Champagne Supernova' means

Oasis' hit Champagne Supernova has been a topic of discussion among fans for years, as they have tried to decipher the true meaning behind the lyrics of the Britpop anthem

Sport

3 w. ago Sly Stone was a trailblazer who changed the course of music – and an icon of both hope and pain

With the Family Stone, Sly was so audacious it was hard to believe his brilliance could ever be exhausted – making his unravelling all the more painful to watchSly Stone, pioneering funk and soul musician, dies aged 82Sly Stone’s greatest songs – ranked!Sly Stone – a life in picturesEven though he recorded three of funk’s most foundational albums – four if you include 1970’s Greatest Hits, as flawless a good time as pop ever delivered – Sly Stone’s subsequent fall from grace was perceived as a grave betrayal of his talent. That Stone’s unravelling was so conspicuous – his drug abuse apparent in every wasted chat show appearance, his infallible hit-machine waning after his Family Stone became estranged – only exacerbated the sting of this loss. But Stone’s imperial era lasted almost a decade and delivered a discography that remains the acme of funk. He changed the course of pop and reconfigured the structure and essence of dance music, multiple times. He was an icon of hope, of pain,...

Politics

3 w. ago Sly Stone was a trailblazer who changed the course of music – and an icon of both hope and pain | Stevie Chick

With the Family Stone, Sly was so audacious it was hard to believe his brilliance could ever be exhausted – making his unravelling all the more painful to watchSly Stone, pioneering funk and soul musician, dies aged 82Sly Stone’s greatest songs – ranked!Sly Stone – a life in picturesEven though he recorded three of funk’s most foundational albums – four if you include 1970’s Greatest Hits, as flawless a good time as pop ever delivered – Sly Stone’s subsequent fall from grace was perceived as a grave betrayal of his talent. That Stone’s unravelling was so conspicuous – his drug abuse apparent in every wasted chat show appearance, his infallible hit-machine waning after his Family Stone became estranged – only exacerbated the sting of this loss. But Stone’s imperial era lasted almost a decade and delivered a discography that remains the acme of funk. He changed the course of pop and reconfigured the structure and essence of dance music, multiple times. He was an icon of hope, of pain,...

Politics

3 w. ago Oasis fans believe they've learned meaning of Champagne Supernova after 30 years

Oasis fans have been trying to work out the meaning of Champagne Supernova for years - and now it seems the truth has finally been revealed. Here's all you need to know

Politics