Plus: how Led Zeppelin were sweet-talked into making a new film
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Sleeve Notes
Picks of the week
Inside Elton John and Brandi Carlile’s explosive duets album
‘He smashed his iPad and headphones. My lyrics got torn up’  
Inside Elton John and Brandi Carlile’s explosive duets album
Retire quietly? The idea filled John with horror. Instead, he and Carlile made his best album in decades. They talk tantrums, mortality – and being tactful with Trump
The reader interview  
The Waterboys’ Mike Scott: ‘I love Prince’s version of The Whole of the Moon. And Graham Norton’s’
10 Chaotic Questions  
Sharon Van Etten: ‘Weirdest thing I have done for love? I started watching sports’
Feature  
Occult Elvis: was Presley a telepathic demigod who could heal the sick and change the weather?
Feature  
‘Into the heart of the whirlwind’: how Led Zeppelin were sweet-talked into making a new film
The Guardian picture essay  
What if you never come down? The 90s clubbers who wouldn’t let the night end
Reviews
Alexis Petridis's album of the week  
Olly Alexander: Polari – Hi-NRG throwback for the Radio 2 crowd
Olly Alexander: Polari – Hi-NRG throwback for the Radio 2 crowd
Album review  
The Weeknd: Hurry Up Tomorrow – a record that will floor you … and drive you up the wall
Jazz album of the month  
Xhosa Cole: On a Modern Genius (Vol 1) – young sax master unleashes his trunk of Monk
Album review  
Nadia Reid: Enter Now Brightness – a restorative balm of folk-tinged songwriting
Album review  
Biig Piig: 11:11 – long-awaited debut hovers on the edge of clubland
TV review  
Boyzone: No Matter What – the scenes about Stephen Gately are truly poignant
Spotlight
How Doechii became a rap icon – and bagged a Grammy
‘She really is everything!’  
How Doechii became a rap icon – and bagged a Grammy
Blending technical brilliance with emotional depth, the 26-year-old beat big names like Eminem to the best rap album award. Collaborators and fans explain her appeal
Classical
Classical album of the week  
Mahler: Symphony No7 – sheer brilliance: this is one of the finest Mahler 7’s on disc
Mahler: Symphony No7 – sheer brilliance: this is one of the finest Mahler 7’s on disc
Album review  
John Field: Complete Nocturnes – Alice Sara Ott does pioneering composer proud
John Field: Complete Nocturnes – Alice Sara Ott does pioneering composer proud
Opera review  
The Marriage of Figaro – Mozart as hotel farce is sparky but scrappy
The Marriage of Figaro – Mozart as hotel farce is sparky but scrappy
News  
Daniel Barenboim announces he has Parkinson’s disease
Daniel Barenboim announces he has Parkinson’s disease
Concert review  
BBCSO/Biss/Hrůša – radiance, juggernaut power and soulfulness
BBCSO/Biss/Hrůša – radiance, juggernaut power and soulfulness
Opera review  
The Flying Dutchman – Opera North production draws small boats into Wagner’s tale
The Flying Dutchman – Opera North production draws small boats into Wagner’s tale
Add to playlist
Honest playlist  
‘I don’t care what they play at my funeral. I’m not going to be there’: Ross Kemp’s honest playlist
‘I don’t care what they play at my funeral. I’m not going to be there’: Ross Kemp’s honest playlist
One to watch  
Honeyglaze
You may have missed
Original Black Sabbath lineup to reunite for Ozzy Osbourne’s final concert
‘The greatest heavy metal show ever’?  
Original Black Sabbath lineup to reunite for Ozzy Osbourne’s final concert
Epic lineup convenes for farewell to heavy metal icon at Birmingham’s Villa Park stadium in July, with Metallica, Slayer, Pantera and many more in support
Grammys  
From Drake’s humiliation to Doechii’s coronation: the talking points from the 2025 Grammys
Kendrick Lamar celebrated his rap beef victory in a ‘Canadian tuxedo’, Chappell Roan called out the industry and Nashville finally backed Beyoncé
Wales  
‘I didn’t think I’d be able to sing in Welsh’: artists’ pride on show for music day
National event celebrates expanding scene that aims to be more inclusive, welcoming people who may not speak Welsh fluently
Books  
Bullets and blues: Louis Armstrong’s difficult upbringing revealed after discovery of family police records
A new book reveals the jazz musician’s mother and sister were arrested several times for prostitution in New Orleans
‘There was a little bit of the devil in her’  
Damon Albarn and Rufus Wainwright remember Marianne Faithfull
The Blur frontman remembers a boisterous songwriting session, while Wainright recalls a week of partying and conversations about ‘music, sex and the craziness of life’
News  
Prince estate blocks release of Netflix documentary by Oscar-winning director Ezra Edelman
Nine-hour film will not be seen, after ‘mutual agreement’ between estate and Netflix, with estate announcing plans for its own film
Live music this week
Rock  
The Brian Jonestown Massacre – psych-rock survivors play it safe
The Brian Jonestown Massacre – psych-rock survivors play it safe
Kitty Empire's artist of the week  
Kehlani – R&B tonic is just what the doctor ordered
Nina Simone  
Mississippi Goddamn: A Celebration of Nina Simone – singers capture star’s emotional spirit
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