Though Katy Perry’s “California Gurls” is knocked out of the top spot of the Hot 100 this week, it maintains a comfortable lead atop Billboard’s Summer Songs 2010 tally.

U2's massive 360° Tour has helped propel the band to Number One on Forbes' annual report on top-earning musicians. Bono and Co. scored the top spot on the list by netting $130 million in the past 12 months. They're followed by AC/DC — who just wrapped their 108-city Black Ice …

U2's massive 360° Tour has helped propel the band to Number One on Forbes' annual report on top-earning musicians. Bono and Co. scored the top spot on the list by netting $130 million in the past 12 months. They're followed by AC/DC — who just wrapped their 108-city Black Ice …

Women claimed three of the top five spots in Forbes’ magazine’s 2010 Celebrity power list, with singer Lady Gaga making her first entry and Oprah Winfrey retaking her No.1 position.    

(Scott Gries/MTV)

Grammy-winning French band Phoenix, known for its transcendent lyrics and scholarly themes set to brilliantly lush orchestrations, brought its inimitable brand of aloof-yet-intimate alt-pop to MTV for an exclusive “Unplugged” performance. Set against a strikingly stark, cinematic white backdrop in a New York City studio (the edge of Hell’s Kitchen, to be exact), Phoenix performed an inimitably grand, gripping set to a devoutly rapt audience.

You can watch all of Phoenix’s “MTV Unplugged” performance this Monday, June 21. And don’t miss a video sneak peek of Phoenix’s “Unplugged” performance this Friday, June 18.

Until then, check out Phoenix’s set list and photos from its “MTV Unplugged” taping, and watch its incredible “1901″ video.

Phoenix “MTV Unplugged” Set List
“Lisztomania”
“1901″
“Long Distance Call”
“Rome”
“Playground Love”
“Armistice”

(Credit: Frank and Derol’s MySpace)

For a band, picking out which songs to play for a live show is no easy task. Luckily, for indie-pop upstarts Frank And Derol — singer/keyboardist Cody Caraco and singer/guitarist Brandi Cyrus – they’ve got a couple experienced musicians to help out.

After all, what good is being related to Trace, Miley and Billy Ray Cyrus if you can’t get insider tips on crafting the perfect set list?

Check out the video below for a closer look at how Frank and Derol determine what goes into their set list.

Susan Boyle’s international fame is all the more shocking when you consider she’s attained it, more or less, through the power of her own voice (and, of course, winning “Britain’s Got Talent”).

Many musicians need a bit of a helping hand to get their careers off the ground, but Boyle got there through a lot of determination, talent and luck.

But, no Scottish woman is an island, so we thought we’d suggest some possible duet partners for the singer, going forward.

+ Snoop Dogg
Snoop is apparently already planning a Susan Boyle duet, telling The Sun, “We’re going to get our minds together and figure out what we’re going to sing about. I’m down with that. There isn’t much I can’t do.”

+ Lady Gaga
Susan Boyle is an avowed fan of Gaga’s music and style, claiming, “I think Lady Gaga is a wonderful artist and completely original.” The feeling is mutual for Gaga, who said of Susan Boyle, “I think she’s amazing, she is so unique and I love that.”

+ Justin Bieber
Not trying to be funny, but this would be awesome just for the visual juxtaposition of the diminutive Biebs and the not-diminutive Boyle. (OK, I am trying to be funny.)

+ Celine Dion
Okay, I’m definitely not being funny here. Celine and Susan Boyle share a pop-opera (popera?) sensibility that would probably go over like gangbusters with fans.

+ Black Eyed Peas
While she is massively popular around the world, Susan Boyle could stand to be a bit hipper. So why not a “Boom Boom Pow” one-off with with Fergie and the boys?

+ Who do YOU think Susan Boyle should collaborate with?

Last week, inspired by Thom Yorke and Atoms for Peace’s performance of The Eraser in New York, we asked for a rundown of your favorite solo albums by artists known for their work in bands. After nearly 100 votes, many from Pearl Jam fans, Eddie Vedder’s Into the Wild soundtrack beat out Yorke and solo LPs from members of the Beatles, the Strokes and the Velvet Underground. We can think of some pretty major ones left off the list — Iggy Pop’s The Idiot stands out as one glaring oversight — so be sure to let us know which of your faves didn’t make the Readers’ List below:

1. Eddie Vedder – Into The Wild
2. George Harrison – All Things Must Pass
3. Lou Reed – Transformer
4. Paul Simon – Graceland
5. John Lennon – John Lennon/Plastic Ono Band
6. Julian Casablancas – Phrazes for the Young
7. Thom Yorke – The Eraser
8. Lauryn Hill – The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill
9. Pete Townshend – Empty Glass
10. Chris Cornell – Euphoria Morning
11. Keith Richards – Talk Is Cheap
12. Ian Hunter – You’re Never Alone With A Schizophrenic
13. Jerry Cantrell – Boggy Depot
14. John Cale – Paris 1919
15. Albert Hammond Jr. – Yours To Keep

After catching Thom Yorke’s Atoms of Peace concert in New York earlier this week, we began to wonder where the Radiohead singer’s 2006 album The Eraser ranks in the canon of great solo albums. Now, we’re bringing this question to you: Tell us your pick for the best solo album by an artist more well known for working with a famous band than alone. We’ll reveal the results Monday ̬ here are some of our favorites:

• George Harrison – All Things Must Pass
• John Cale – Paris 1919
• Dennis Wilson – Pacific Ocean Blue
• Thom Yorke – The Eraser
• GZA – Liquid Swords

Photo: Dickson/RedFerns

The big popcorn movie hitting theaters this weekend is the bombastic remake of Clash of the Titans, which Rolling Stone’s Peter Travers gave a scathing one-star review. Instead of spending $12 seeing Clash, we recommend taking those two hours and sitting down listening to Sandinista! by a much superior Clash, the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame punk icons. In order to keep the Clash’s good name from being sullied by this film, in this weekend’s Rock List we’re requesting your favorite Clash tracks. On Monday, we’ll reveal the winners in a Rolling Stone-approved playlist. Until then, here’s five that we always have on repeat:

• “(White Man) In Hammersmith Palais”
• “Spanish Bombs”
• “Straight to Hell”
• “One More Time”
• “Bankrobber”

Photo: Michael Ochs Archive/Getty

This week brought a ton of Jimi Hendrix excitement: news arrived that the Greatest Guitarist of All Time — who just so happens to be on the cover of Rolling Stone — will be coming soon to Rock Band, and Motörhead’s Lemmy Kilmister sat down to recall his days working as Jimi’s roadie. So let’s break out the Hendrix canon this weekend: name your favorite Jimi tracks and we’ll tally up the votes Monday. The Jimi Hendrix Experience, Band of Gypsys and all those posthumous releases — including the new Valleys of Neptune comp — are all fair game. Here’s five of our favorites as inspiration:

• “Voodoo Child (Slight Return)”
• “Little Wing”
• “1983… (A Merman I Should Turn To Be)”
• “Machine Gun”
• “Manic Depression”

One week after performing songs from her long-awaited new disc at SXSW, Courtney Love has revealed the full details for Hole’s new album Nobody’s Daughter. According to news on the Hole Rock site, the band’s first LP in 10 years will see the light of day on April 27th via Mercury Records. That evening, Hole will grace the Late Show With David Letterman stage — let’s hope Love sits down on Dave’s couch for an interview, too — before jumping coasts for a April 29th appearance on Jimmy Kimmel Live. Hole will also perform a pair of sold out shows in both Los Angeles in New York in late April.

Exclusive photos of Courtney Love in the studio recording Nobody’s Daughter.

Two of the songs on Nobody’s Daughter, second single “Samantha” and “How Dirty Girls Get Clean,” were co-written by Billy Corgan, who has said he opposes the tracks’ release. “It would be a real big problem, because I haven’t given my permission,” Corgan told Rolling Stone about the songs he and Love worked on back in 2005 before their falling out. “I have no interest in supporting her in any way, shape or form. You can’t throw enough things down the abyss with a person like that.” Love has since apologized to Corgan on her Facebook page, as well as in “Let Love Rule: Hole’s Chaotic Comeback” in the new issue of RS.

Nobody’s Daughter also includes the hit “Skinny Little Bitch,” which became the most-added modern rock track on radio playlists the week it debuted. You can listen to the song on Hole’s MySpace page or purchase it at digital music services. Nobody’s Daughter is up for preorder starting today at the Hole Rock page, and Love is offering up autographed vinyl, deluxe packages and more formats. The iTunes preorder of Nobody’s Daughter, which comes with bonus tracks, will begin April 6th.

Hole fans might recognize Nobody’s Daughter’s cover — a cropped image of Élisabeth-Louise Vigée-Le Brun’s famous painting “Marie Antoinette à la Rose” — as the artwork previously featured in the book for Hole’s 1997 compilation My Body, the Hand Grenade.

Nobody’s Daughter
1. “Nobody’s Daughter”
2. “Skinny Little Bitch”
3. “Honey”
4. “Pacific Coast Highway”
5. “Samantha”
6. “Someone Else’s Bed”
7. “For Once in Your Life”
8. “Letter to God”
9. “Loser Dust”
10. “How Dirty Girls Get Clean”
11. “Never Go Hungry”

Related Stories:

• Hole Cover the Rolling Stones, And Courtney Love Isn’t Satisfied at SXSW
• Courtney Love and Hole Debut “Nobody’s Daughter” in London
• Courtney Love’s Hole Finds Label for April’s “Nobody’s Daughter”

Last week, inspired by the new film The Runaways (go behind the film here!), we asked our readers to tell us their favorite music biopics. After eliminating the mockumentaries (This Is Spinal Tap), the documentaries (Anvil! The Story of Anvil) and the just plain fictional (Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story), director Todd Haynes’ creative retelling of Bob Dylan’s career, I’m Not There, ended up on top, beating out Ray, Walk the Line and Sid & Nancy:

1. I’m Not There
2. Ray
3. The Doors
4. Walk The Line
5. Control
6. La Bamba
7. Sid and Nancy
8. The Buddy Holly Story
9. What’s Love Got To Do With It?
10. Great Balls Of Fire

This weekend, The Runaways biopic starring Kristen Stewart and Dakota Fanning as Joan Jett and Cherie Currie hits movie theaters — Rolling Stone brought you a peek inside the year’s most anticipated rock film, now tell us your favorite rock biopics (and no, Purple Rain doesn’t count). We’ll tally up the votes on Monday; check out five of our favorites for inspiration:

• Sid and Nancy
• 24 Hour Party People
• The Doors
• Walk the Line.
• Ray

Photo: Michael Ochs Archive/Getty

Last week, while daydreaming about the sleep we’d be losing thanks to the swap to Daylight Savings Time, we asked you for your favorite tunes about sleep. When we tallied up the votes, the Beatles scored the most reader picks with “I’m Only Sleeping,” beating out tracks by Metallica, Aerosmith and yes, the Cranberries:

1. The Beatles – “I’m Only Sleeping”
2. Nirvana – “Where Did You Sleep Last Night?”
3. Beastie Boys- “No Sleep ‘Til Brooklyn”
4. Rage Against The Machine – “Sleep Now In The Fire”
5. Metallica – “Enter Sandman”
6. The Beatles – “I’m So Tired”
7. Aerosmith – “Dream On”
8. R.E.M. – “The Sidewinder Sleeps Tonight”
9. Radiohead – “Go To Sleep”
10. The Tokens – “The Lion Sleeps Tonight”
11. Pearl Jam – “Let Me Sleep”
12. R.E.M – “Daysleeper”
13. Santo and Johnny – “Sleepwalking”
14. The Cranberries – “Dreams”
15. The Smiths – “Girlfriend in a Coma”

Photo: Michael Ochs Archive/Getty

The worst day of the year is upon us: Daylight Savings. This Sunday we’ll lose an hour and feel like crap all week thanks to our sleep deficit. But instead of dwelling on those lost 60 minutes (we hardly knew ya!), we’re going to focus our energy on coming up with the best songs about sleep. And we need your help! What are your favorite drowsy ditties? Your insomnia sing-alongs? Your overtired odes? Check out some of our favorites below and add your suggestions in the comments:

• The Beatles – “I’m So Tired”
• The Wu-Tang Clan – “I Can’t Go to Sleep”
• The Romantics – “Talking in Your Sleep”
• John Lennon – “How Do You Sleep”
• The Postal Service – “The District Sleeps Alone Tonight”

Photo: Jennings/WireImage
On Friday, Rock Daily was pondering Lil Wayne’s impending trip to prison — and T.I.’s last days of incarceration — and asked our readers to muse on the concept of “Freedom” for our Weekend Rock List. The results are in, and they are pretty literal: seven of the Top 10 tracks include the word “Free,” though Bob Marley’s inspiring “Redemption Song” and Aretha Franklin’s “Think” also made the cut. Check out the list and our gallery of rock-star mug shots:

1. Neil Young – “Rockin’ In The Free World”
2. Lynyrd Skynyrd – “Free Bird”
3. Tom Petty – “Free Fallin’”
4. Rush – “Freewill”
5. Queen – “I Want To Break Free”
6. R.E.M. – “Radio Free Europe”
7. Rage Against The Machine – “Freedom”
8. Bob Marley – “Redemption Song”
9. Bob Dylan – “I Shall Be Released”
10. Aretha Franklin – “Think”

Barring any more root canal surgeries or courthouse fires, this weekend will be Lil Wayne’s last as a free man before he’s officially sentenced to a year in jail on Monday. The day Weezy goes behind bars, T.I. will unveil his first post-penitentiary single, a celebration of his own freedom called “I’m Back.” As a tribute to the soon-to-be-incarcerated and the recently released, this weekend’s Rock List is dedicated to Freedom Songs. Tell us your favorites and on Monday we’ll tally the votes. Until then, here’s a handful of our picks and a gallery of rock-star mug shots:

• The Who – “I’m Free”
• George Michael – “Freedom! ‘90″
• Ween – “Freedom of ‘76″
• The Beatles – “Free as a Bird”
• Devo – “Freedom of Choice”

Newcleus-Jam On It

DIAZ | MySpace Video

Newcleus’ Robert “Chilly B” Crafton — who features in the electro classic “Jam On It,” above — passed away this Tuesday, February 23rd following a stroke, Newcleus’ MySpace page solemnly writes (via Pitchfork). He was 47. As “Jam On It” is one of our favorite jams, this week’s Rock List looks back at Newcleus and other icons of ’80s hip-hop. All styles, genres and subgenres are fair game, as long as they were recorded between 1980 and 1989. Leave your picks in the comments, and on Monday we’ll tally the votes. Until then, here’s a small sampling of our faves below:

• Slick Rick – “Children’s Story”
• Boogie Down Production – “The Bridge Is Over”
• Run-DMC – “My Adidas”
• Newcleus – “Jam On It”
• The Beastie Boys – “Paul Revere”

Katy Perry slightly dropped out of the spotlight to go to India, get engaged to Russell Brand and then hit the GRAMMYS wearing little more than a rhinestoned body stocking, but the “Hot N Cold” singer is slowly starting to make her presence felt again. She pops up on the March cover of Nylon, looking awesome in a pink Jeremy Scott raincoat and mini skirt. Inside the mag, she talks about gearing up to work on her new LP and where she finds herself in the pop landscape. (You can check out excerpts from the interview here, at The Prophet Blog).

Perry also talks extensively about working with new collaborators, which got us thinking—as we tend to do in these here parts—who would we like to see Katy work with on her new platter…

+ Tim Armstrong
Tim Armstrong worked punk wonders with Pink on her album Try This. For Perry, wouldn’t it be great to see Tim bring our her tuneful snarl and inner Rancid fan? Granted, Katy’s not the punkest chick we’ve ever seen, but that doesn’t mean she’s not dying to start a melodic circle pit on LP2.

+ Rivers Cuomo
A collaboration between Katy and Rivers Cuomo was talked about last fall and we’ve got our fingers crossed that something came of it. In fact, Katy Perry would’ve been a good choice to front Weezer while he was recovering from the band’s bus accident last year. Weezer’s stadium-ready hooks combined with her sass and melody? Sounds like the perfect combination to us!

+ Nicki Minaj
Katy’s first dalliance with R&B was her collaboration with Timbaland on his Shock Value II track, “If We Ever Meet Again.” For her sophomore album, we’d like to see her hook up with someone who shares her spunky sensibility and sense of humor. You know exactly who we mean: The Harajuku Barbie herself, Nicki Minaj, whose twisted, multiple-personality rhymes would sound dope on the bridge of a Perry jam.

+ West Ham United Football Club Fans
Katy already has a certain affinity for her fiance’s favorite soccer club, West Ham United, seeing that she rocked lingerie with their colors and crest on them while hosting the MTV Europe Music Awards. Well, why not take it one step further? British soccer fans love to sing and what better way to win over Hammers supporters than by inviting some of them to do a cover of The Irons’ anthem “Forever Blowing Bubbles“?

+ Benny Blanco & Dr. Luke
In Nylon, Perry talks about wanting to expand her sound and to evolve as a songwriter but, hey, if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it. In this case, we’re referring to the production and songwriting talents of pop hit-makers Benny Blanco and Dr. Luke, who worked on Perry’s hits “I Kissed A Girl” and “Hot N Cold.” Luckily, it appears the two are already on board. Hallelujah!