Rock Notes: New U2 documentary

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September 12, 2011, 8:23 am

Yesterday’s 9/11 tributes included some of New York’s biggest stars…Paul Simon was on hand at the new memorial with this stirring tribute of “Sounds of Silence.” James Taylor also played at the reading of the victims names. And later networks rebroadcast the musical tribute to New York city.

New U2 Documentary and U2 Tribute Album
Jack White, Depeche Mode, Patti Smith and Damian Rice are among the artists on a forthcoming tribute album honoring the 20th anniversary of U2’s, Achtung Baby. Bono announced the cover album at the unveiling of the U2 documentary “From the Sky Down” at the Toronto International Film Festival. Check it out here—this looks awesome.

The album was commissioned by the British music magazine Q. "Jack White does ‘Love Is Blindness,' Depeche Mode do ‘So Cruel,' Patti Smith did ‘Until the End of the World,' Damien Rice does ‘One.’ It just goes on. And it’s strange, because when I hear the album, when U2 do it, all I hear is what’s wrong with it. But when I heard all these artists doing it, I thought, ‘It’s really good.'"

Pearl Jam's 20th Anniversary
In celebration of the 20th anniversary of their debut album Ten, grunge icons Pearl Jam have recently exhibited quite the generous streak. First was the announcement of Pearl Jam Twenty, an upcoming film about the band directed by Cameron Crowe. Then there was the beyond-epic show at Alpine Valley in East Troy, Wis., over Labor Day weekend, But PJ20 mania isn’t over yet: Last night Pearl Jam appeared on Late Night with Jimmy Fallon and busted out a brand new track, “Olé,” a concise, barn-burning rocker with a couple of unorthodox breakdowns. The song is stylistically nothing new for the Pearl Jam camp, but it packs a punch and crackles with energy.

In a bizarre twist, Jimmy Fallon performed a song during the same episode he wrote about the BP oil spill, “Balls in Your Mouth,” ostensibly playing an acoustic guitar unaccompanied. Suddenly, he was joined by Eddie Vedder, as well as every member of The Roots, who closed out the song on an exuberant note.