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Real Estate's shimmering pop-rock seems to echo out of the past with melancholy beauty. Watch the band perform its third album, Atlas, in its entirety at New York's SubCulture.

Home Before Dark, the 46th album from singer-songwriter Neil Diamond, is No. 1 on the pop charts. It's the first time Diamond has claimed that spot in a career that's spanned nearly five decades. He talked to Terry Gross in 2005.

Singer Sam Phillips began her music career as a Christian singer. She took her faith with her and began to make pop music that are modern torch songs, songs of love and pain. The music on her latest CD, A Boot and A Shoe, is stark, with production from T Bone Burnett. NPR's Melissa Block talks with Phillips about the characters and many angles the writer uses to compose music that is more impressionistic than storytelling.

Singer, songwriter, guitarist and actor, WILLIE NELSON. He's recently released two new albums. With "Spirit," NELSON is the first country musician to record with Island Records. NELSON wrote the 12 new songs and they demonstrate influences of country, gospel, and pop. He recorded "How Great Thou Art" (Fine Arts Records) with his sister, Bobbie Nelson. That CD is a collection of gospel standards, like "Swing Low Sweet Chariot" and "Just A Closer Walk With Thee." (THIS INTERVIEW CONTINUES INTO THE SECOND HALF OF THE SHOW

It's been 30 years since he created the gender-bending Ziggy Stardust, and produced the now classic album, The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars. Over the years Bowie has produced albums for Lou Reed and Iggy Pop, and collaborated with Brian Eno. Bowie also starred in the films The Man Who Fell to Earth, Merry Christmas, Mr. Lawrence and Basquiat. This interview first aired September 4, 2002. [The audio for this segment is unavailable due to Internet rights issues.]

Singer Jill Sobule has been charming critics with her smart and witty pop music for more than a decade. For the artwork of her latest CD, Underdog Victorious, she incorporated her love of crossword puzzles. Sobule talks with NPR's Puzzlemaster Will Shortz and NPR's Liane Hansen.

Years ago, Joe Sample's group the Crusaders joined singer Randy Crawford to record the hit single "Street Life." Now, they're back together — and they say that they've aged like fine wine. Their new CD is Feeling Good. The duet album — Crawford sings and Sample plays his own compositions — is a mix of soul, jazz, gospel and pop.

Armatrading's career spans nearly 35 years, but she's rarely stayed in the same genre for long. The singer has released 18 albums spanning folk, pop, rock, jazz and beyond, often within a single disc. Her new Into the Blues finds her delving into the blues.

In the 1950s Dickie Goodman took bits of pop songs, cut them up like a collage with voices telling wacky stories of flying saucers and gave birth to a new form of novelty records. Goodman continued making these records until the late 1980s and they became small time capsules of culture. Jon Goodman has an appreciation of the "King of Novelty." (6:15) Jon Goodman's book is called The King of Novelty. Jon Goodman's CD of novelty tunes is called 25 All-time Novelty Hits and includes some of Dickie Goodman's work. See http://www.varesesarabande.com.

The Corcoran Gallery in Washington DC is currently running the first major retrospective of Rivers' work. It's on display through August 19, 2002 and covers five decades of output. He's been called the father of Pop Art, and is considered one of the most important artists in the figurative tradition. Rivers was part of a loosely knit association of poets and painters who were young, poor and ambitious in New York in the 1950's. Rivers also was a jazz saxophonist, he appeared on camera and stage, did heavy drugs, and had an unashamed interest in sexuality that went from unconventional entanglements with both sexes to conventional participation in marriage and family life. This interview first aired June 12, 2001.