Playlists

What Berklee is listening to

Spinal Tap on stage from a crowd perspective, with fans holding up miniature stonehenges and a giant flaming skull behind the band

Over 40 years after This Is Spinal Tap, the legendary fake rockers return in Spinal Tap II: The End Continues. 

Image courtesy of Bleecker Street / Kyle Kaplan

The Best Fictional Bands (and the Artists Who Make Them Great)

With Spinal Tap II: The End Continues hitting theaters and songs from KPop Demon Hunters ruling the charts, we take a look at how fake bands make real music.

The Beatles performing on the stage of the 'Ed Sullivan Show' in 1964

Public domain image by Bernard Gotfryd

That Great Gretsch Sound: The Iconic Gear that Made Music History

From the Beatles on Ed Sullivan to jazz drumming evolution, Gretsch has been there. Listen to some of the moments where the company has shaped music history, and read about how their legacy continues under Fred W. and Dinah Gretsch. 

Close-up headshot of David Lynch against a blank background

Image courtesy of Alessandro, via Flickr, Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs (CC BY-NC-ND 2.0)

David Lynch’s Music Was as Unsettlingly Brilliant as His Films

The late auteur’s film legacy was cemented in productions like Twin Peaks and Blue Velvet, but his vast musical catalog and collaborations deserve attention too.

A young Michael McDonald sitting on stage at a piano with his band in the background

Michael McDonald, one of yacht rock's icons. 

Image by Soul Train/Getty/Courtesy HBO

What Is Yacht Rock? Plus 20 Songs for Smooth Sailing on Rocky Waters

Read about how the soft-rock genre has weathered the test of time, and listen to a playlist of some of the best yacht rock songs, from Christopher Cross and Toto to Steely Dan and Thundercat.

Quincy Jones standing amidst a seated crowd at Berklee commencement in 1983

Quincy Jones at the 1983 Berklee commencement ceremony, where he was awarded an honorary doctorate.

Image courtesy of the Berklee Archives

Remembering the Rare and Extraordinary Life of Quincy Jones

With the passing of the legendary musician, composer, arranger, producer, and all-around media mogul, Berklee remembers one of its earliest and most prominent alums with a tribute and a retrospective playlist.