With the arrival of the Beach Boys’ Smile Sessions on Capitol Records today, rock’s most famous unfinished album is finally on shelves in close-to-complete condition. It’s an occasion that many feared would never come, due to the decidedly Bad Vibrations evoked in the mind of Brian Wilson every time he heard those tunes. more ›

It's the voice of John Lennon you'll hear opening and closing this goofy 1974 promo for Goodnight Vienna, Ringo Starr's fourth solo album, which was recorded here in Los Angeles. more ›

No matter how many years you've lived in Los Angeles, it's hard not to look down at the shoe-scuffed but sparkling star-studded sidewalks of Hollywood to see which celebrity you're walking all over. This coming weekend the Hollywood Walk of Fame's world-famous paving stones hit a major milestone--their 50th anniversary--and everyone is invited to celebrate. more ›

Californians like to sing songs about California. Actually, so do non-Californians, just ask the Ramones. Even they know Rockaway Beach is a dump. Call it civic pride or just common sense, a song about the sun shining and the top rolled down is never a bad thing in this town: you can look out the window and sing along about three hundred and fifty days out of the year. more ›

An update on the Capitol Records Building in Hollywood where the construction of a condo's underground parking lot that will come within six yards of the studio's underground recording studio. more ›

After arguing that a proposed condo and office tower's construction would interfere, as well as ambient noise once its parking garage is completed, with the quality of sound in their underground recording studio, Los Angeles City Council allowed the development to go through today. more ›

Capitol Records was hoping the plan for a 16-story condo building next door to their iconic Hollywood & Vine tower would not go through. They're worried that construction of an underground 242-space parking lot and vibrations from traffic will cause damage. It "will interfere with and potentially ruin the operation of the unique echo chambers and sound studios at the Capitol Records tower next door," the record company said in a statement. more ›

Capitol Records wanted to leave it's iconic Hollywood building and turn it to condos back in 2006. But then the city said "no, you're so special to us, stay and prosper and keep the cultural economic engine of Los Angeles going." So Capitol agreed, but now this: "Capitol Records believes that the planned construction of a 16-story building and 240 car underground garage at 6230 Yucca Street (old KFWB radio building), will interfere with and potentially ruin the operation of the unique echo chambers and sound studios at the Capitol Records." The company believes that, based on studies, the sound quality will be compromised during and after construction due to vibrations caused by traffic. Tomorrow, supportors of keeping Capitol's sound room sound will head to the city's Planning and Land Use Management Committee (pdf) to voice their opinion on the matter. A Capitol represented told LAist they are committed to staying in the building either way, but would like to "work things out with the city." more ›

Dear MCA, I would like to marry you and have 1000 of your Buddhist-rapper babies. While this may come across trite or ill conceived I assure you I am neither a crazy person nor a stalker fan. Of course I think you make great music, but what I’m saying is that I have not been harboring these feeling for two decades hoping that one day I’d have a chance to spring them on you.... more ›

Interpol Our Love to Admire Capitol Records released: July 10, 2007 On Our Love to Admire, their major label debut on Capitol, Interpol still sound like Joy Division and they are not apologizing for it regardless of how often they are knocked for it. And really, they shouldn’t. The band has long transcended the comparisons and established its own identifiable sound, full of machine-like guitars, ominous piano lines and ennui-infused vocals. Interpol is as... more ›

Believe it or not, but glampop rockers Poison have been on Capitol for 21 years now. And if that doesn't make you feel old, next year, "Every Rose Has Its Thorn" will be 20. more ›

Bret and the boys from Harrisburg are back. Consider yourself publicly and servicedly announced. more ›

A number of architecturally historic buildings reside along Wilshire Boulevard, many of which don't serve their original purposes anymore, having been converted into restaurants, boutiques, or office supply stores. One such example is the newly remodeled Metro Customer Center on Wilshire. more ›

LAist was fortunate enough to see Lily Allen, the Brit-pop sensation, play the Troubadour last month, and she was light and youthful and made a great wisecrack against her record label, Capitol Records. For all of these reasons and more, we heart her. So if you're online, go to kcrw.com right now and listen to her live set on Nic Hartcourt's Morning Becomes Eclectic. more ›

Mon 5/15 – The Bronx / Wires on Fire / Sabertooth Tiger @ Spaceland (Free) – Mondays are still free at Spaceland. This week you can see three loud, punk-inspired bands. The Bronx portray Black Flag in the new movie about Germs’ singer, Darby Crash. You can watch the trailer for that movie HERE. The Bronx and Wires on Fire will soon be on tour with Priestess and Riverboat Gamblers (they better have their game tight, because both of those bands are really good live). Sabertooth Tiger has a new album coming out next month on GSL. more ›

Capitol Records doesn't want to move back into its iconic building: instead, it hopes to go condo. Not so fast! LA has been throwing money at the company to get it to stay in Hollywood and the LA Times reports that critics are displeased. Curbed LA doubts city leaders will let the lucrative sale go through. We'll never know if there are enough condo buyers who recognize that the building is meant to evoke a needle on a stack of records. (records?) more ›

When it opened in 1949 as the General Petroluem headquarters, the building at 612 South Flower in downtown was the tallest in Los Angeles. Architect Welton Becket, who did the round Capitol Records building, the Cineramadome and other icons of mid-century design, probably never thought it would be turned into apartments. But that's just what happened in 2003, as The Pegasus, taking the name from the oil company's logo. more ›

Jade Chang, 29, is the West Coast Editor of Metropolis, an architecture and design magazine that’s based in New York City. Her job is to search for stories in LA and throughout the West Coast. One of her most recent features takes a fascinating look at the set-shop of Warner Bros. studios; right now she is currently at work on what she calls "a secret project" and she is always on the lookout for new and interesting ideas to explore. more ›

For you LA denizens too busy clawing your way up the “Y” of the Hollywood sign, impaling your souls on the spire of the Capitol Records building, or tending bar at the Saddle Ranch, weeping during smoke breaks, your political apathy is understandable. The LA Weekly (LAW) understands too. On the heels of their bound and bountiful “Best of LA” issue, the LAW keeps on kicking out the jams with their action packed “Holy Shit You Better Vote for John Kerry You Apathetic Dolts!” issue. And God bless those hard working, ink-stained saints. more ›