@LinerNotes

In early 2012, I wrote about a tumblr which featured the stirring, artistic re-imaginings of album covers after members of the band had passed on to join the Great Gig in the Sky. The album cover which struck the loudest chord with me was the Ramones' 1976 debut, with only Tommy Ramone remaining against that iconic New York City brick wall. On July 11th of this year, we lost Tommy Ramone. The second thing I thought of upon hearing the news was; would the duo behind LIVE! (I See Dead People) come out of retirement to complete the piece. They did.

Check out this photo gallery from Deep Purple's fantastic performance at The Pacific Amphitheater, Costa Mesa, CA!

This is 11 kinds of awesome. Wouldn't you agree? - Art by Marco Cabrera Happy Batman Day! What!? You didn't know today is Batman Day!? Could this be another of The Joker's dastardly deeds? Could The Riddler be behind this?? Did the Batmobile lose a wheel?!? Keep reading to find out!

This article was originally published at G4TV.com on July 17th, 2004. Yep, exactly ten years ago today! In the last edition of Rick’s Picks , we looked at the soundtrack for 007: Everything or Nothing . So it seems appropriate in this edition we look at the third game in a series that owes some of its origins to the spy movie genre while basically inventing it in the game world.

Sit back, turn it up and bask in the genius that is "Weird Al" Yankovic. Of course for selfish reasons, myself and a few thousand Redditors wish he would have recorded this parody of "Royals" by Lorde, but this is why he is Weird Al and we are just his humble fans. Tweet Follow @LinerNotes    

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As the fourth season of Game of Thrones draws to a close, it seems an appropriate time to explore and listen to some of the stand out cover versions of music from the HBO series. As the notion of accidentally seeing spoilers about the TV series (from those who have not delved into George R.R. Martin's novels) is a very sensitive subject, I feel it important to make you this oath: I swear by the Old Gods and the New, there will be no spoilers in this article (unless you haven't watched the show through at least Season 3).

Actor Rik Mayall, perhaps best known as the character "Rick" from the BBC sitcom, The Young Ones , passed away suddenly today, at the age of 56.

Okay, I need you to pay close attention to this one. Yes, this is an article and interview about a vinyl record. It is about one which is a Record Store Day Exclusive release. But this is no ordinary slice of licorice pizza, served up by a group of very good bearded musicians. No, no my friends. This is vinyl that you don't just play. This is vinyl you play .

Rex Manning Day Button by  @Isle_Of_Her . I want one! The official day to celebrate Rex Manning Day (April 8th) has come and gone. By now you've packed away your purple shirts, eaten your cupcakes and listened to "Say No More (Mon Amour)" more times than you can count. And while it is true that any incredibly awesome day you have can and should be considered your own personal Rex Manning Day, I was curious in hearing how some of you celebrated the official day.

Today is Rex Manning Day. The second most important annual music-themed holiday after Record Store Day.* When I started the Rex Manning Day countdown clock three years ago, I did it not only for my love of the movie Empire Records , but also for the potential of bringing the film’s fandom together via Social Media and to spread the word that today, much like May the 4th (Be With You), National (Insert Food Here) Day** and Talk Like a Pirate Day, is a very legitimate and fun holiday to celebrate.

Do you remember when you heard the news about Kurt Cobain? Those of us who were fans of Nirvana on April 8th, 1994 likely have Flashbulb Memories of where we were and what we were doing when the news of his suicide reached us. I remember it vividly, as it was a day that really put me on the course of writing professionally about music. It was also a strange moment as I had briefly met Kurt and the band just a few months prior.

We didn't know it at the time, but 20 years ago today, music fans lost a beloved artist, one who was never able to fully share with us the depths of his potential talents. Kurt Cobain died from a self-inflicted gunshot on approximately April 5th, 1994, according to the coroner’s report, but we wouldn't learn the tragic news for three more days, when an electrician who came to Cobain’s house to install security lighting discovered his body. In his last, tragic act, Kurt Cobain, the accidental revolutionary and unintentional voice of a generation, sowed the seeds of his transformation from rock star into legend.

This is what happens when you get inspired to write something silly around midnight. (ahem) Sweet wonderful brew, You wake me happy with the things you do, Oh, one doppio, This frothing follows me wherever I go. I never did believe in espresso, But I've a gift card it's time to try. I never did believe in the ways of decaf, But I'm ordering a mocha chai. Don't, don't skimp on foam, It would taste different and I know you won't, You, you make caffeine fun, My barista I tell you you're the only one. Oooh...You make caffeine fun. (Repeat till cup needs a refill) With sincerest apologies and all due respect to the lovely Christine McVie. Photo via Reddit.

Dave Brockie, better known to music and horror fandoms as Oderus Urungus of GWAR, passed away last night at the age of 50. According to Billboard , "foul play is not suspected and officials are waiting for the Medical Examiner's office to determine cause of death."

The best kind of new-song earworms are ones which grab you on the first listen and stick with you so much that the song demands repeat listens. This is definitely what happened this week when a copy of The Pack A.D.'s new album, Do Not Engage made its way in front of me, and track 6, "The Water", flooded my ears.

Korn Beef? Daft Pork? Bell Beef Divoe!? Well great. Who else is hungry now? Yes, this is a real menu board from Cafe Flore , voted San Francisco's "Best Cafe" by readers of three publications. They have my vote for most clever and rocking menu. BLT tacos named after Daft Punk? Yes please! I can't quite figure out what the pun is for Soup de Jour at the bottom. If you can make it out or know what the "jour" pun is, post it in the comments or let Mark Smotroff (the author of said picture) or myself know via Twitter! Tweet Follow @LinerNotes    

This axiom holds true no matter what industry it applies to, but especially for the kind which deal with that most important of individuals: the retail consumer. In this instance, a good friend and fellow music writer, Mark Smotroff , relates a tale of an unfortunate exchange he had at a brick and mortar record store recently. It is at once both surprising and not so surprising, given the state of the music industry.

In the vast, post-2K wasteland landscape of Remix Culture, where video-enabled DIY'ers craft cover versions of popular songs ranging in quality from surprisingly inspired to utterly dubious, it is exceedingly rare to come across an artist who is doing an original take on, anything . The guys who comprise The Title Trackers, however, are a breed apart.

Earworm [ i(ə)r wərm] noun A catchy song or tune that runs continually through a person's mind. Alexz Johnson [al-iks jon-s uh n] proper name Canadian singer-songwriter and actress whose song "Give Me Fire" has been a very welcome earworm for several weeks.

I once had an entertaining Twitter exchange with a friend about how good songs from Disney's animated films would sound in heavy metal arrangements. Here is a great example. Like a Fletcher preparing arrows for the ancient Chinese army, YouTube user Jonathan Young has pounded out a very metal version of "I'll Make a Man Out of You" from the film Mulan .

Bruce Springsteen covering Lorde's subversive smash hit, "Royals" (replete with harp blowing and lyrical changes to make it his own) is just about as awesome as you can imagine. Forget The Boss. You can call him King Bee. Tweet Follow @LinerNotes    

Drop whatever you are doing (unless you are driving or operating heavy machinery) and listen to Pharrell's new song, "Gust of Wind". The robots of Daft Punk have done Pharrell a solid by reciprocating their talents for this track. Definitely a nice way to thank him for his part in making "Get Lucky" a smash hit. We need more of this kind of sound in the world. 70's string section? Check. Vocoder voices? Check. A mid-tempo groove that is dripping in hit potential? Double check. This track alone may have just convinced me to get Pharrell's sophmore set,       G I R L , when it drops on March 3rd. (Originally h/t Sascha Dikiciyan , via Beatport. Photo linked from Beatport ) Tweet Follow @LinerNotes    

Finally! A Which Character Are You? social media survey/post/thingee that matters! The annual celebration of Rex Manning Day is fast approaching, which is undoubtedly why BuzzFeed's  Summer Anne Burton posted this query today. It was rather surprising (okay, maybe not that surprising) which character the survey revealed I am.

The Great Gig in the Sky just got a new member of it's guitar chorus, as we have unexpectedly had to say goodbye to DEVO guitarist, Bob Casale, who passed away from heart failure yesterday.

This. This right here.

We find ourselves at the corner of Necessity is the Mother of Invention Street and Imitation is the Sincerest Form of Flattery Boulevard today. Illinois pop punks Fall Out Boy are stepping up to help game-starved Internetizens, by releasing Fall Out Bird. Yes. Really.

Twenty years ago today, Green Day released their breakout album, Dookie . It was the first of a one-two punch (followed by Offspring's Smash a couple months later) which brought Punk Rock its first mainstream popularity. The album has inarguably become a classic; an era-defining set of songs which sound undated in the 20-teens and hold up under scrutiny by a completely new generation of listeners. Another thing which often begets a classic, is unconscious prescience in lyrics which, when applied to the current era, seem oddly and utterly perfect.

As a journalist who has had to deal with tomfoolery behind the talent during live shots I've produced, I would not normally commend such behavior. However, Random Air Guitar Guy is awesome. Two Horns, way up. \m/ \m/ Props to JP Shub for originally sharing this.

Tonight, a group of us said goodbye to our dear friend, John Andrew Walsh, who passed away at the very start of the new year. John was not only the nicest, warmest and funniest person you would ever want to meet, but he also had a vast and eclectic taste in music to rival even some of the most ardent followers of arcane examples of recorded sound. He was also a big inspiration to many people. In fact, this blog exists because of the encouragement John gave me to start it.

I didn't take up running as a New Year's resolution, I've actually been doing it for a while now. Of course the weather the past several weeks has been uncooperative, so today was the first day in several weeks that I've been able to get out for a "daily 5K" as I've dubbed them. My running partner is named DJ Shuffle, and I was definitely more motivated than they were.