Classic Hits

Journey has been preparing a new studio album, and now comes word that the forthcoming release will be supersized.

Narada Michael Walden, who replaced longtime Journey member Steve Smith as the band’s new drummer last year, and also is producing the new record, posted a message Friday on his Facebook page revealing that he was in the studio with Neal Schon “wrapping up the exciting new Journey double album.” He added, “Stay tuned.”

On the same day, Schon posted a video on his Facebook page showing him laying down a guitar track, along with the message, “We had some fun today as I replayed all Guitar’s [sic] on this 1st track we cut over a year ago when we began the new Journey album. It’s a [wrap]!”

Journey gave fans the first taste from the upcoming album in June with the release of their latest single, “The Way We Used to Be.”

In addition to Walden, the new album marks the return of bassist Randy Jackson, who previously played with Journey in the mid-1980s, and of drummer Deen Castronovo, who was a member of the group from 1998 to 2015.

While no release date has been announced for the album, Schon told ABC Audio in July that he expected it to come out either at the end of this year or in early 2022.

Meanwhile, Journey is preparing to kick off a six-show Las Vegas residency at The Theater at Virgin Hotels Las Vegas in December. The dates are scheduled for December 1, 2, 7, 8, 10 and 11. The band also will be playing a special symphonic concert on December 18 in Vegas at The Colosseum at Caesars Palace.

Copyright © 2021, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

During a recent interview on a Dutch radio station, U.K. pop star Ed Sheeran randomly announced that he and Elton John were planning to release a joint Christmas single this year. But Elton wasn’t very amused, since the news was supposed to be kept on the down low — and besides, the record isn’t even complete.

Speaking to the British music publication NME, Elton laughs, “Yeah, he let the cat out of the bag didn’t he? I was sworn to secrecy and then big mouth f***ing Sheeran goes to the Netherlands!”  Elton adds, “It’s supposed to come out — we haven’t finished it yet, so there’s still work to be done.”

Elton added, “I can’t say any more than that because it’s in his hands.”

If the record does come out, it’ll likely be Elton’s second big hit of 2021, following the U.K. number-one chart success of his Dua Lipa collaboration, “Cold Heart,” from his new album The Lockdown Sessions.

“Everything’s been a bonus with this record. Whether it sells one copy or a million copies, it doesn’t matter to me,” Elton says of the album. “I had so much fun and I learnt so much from doing it.”

Elton plans to resume his Farewell Yellow Brick Road tour next year, and he confirms that yes, this really is it.

“At the moment, I finish supposedly in 2023, in the summer, by which time I’ll be 76,” Elton tells NME. “And that’s it, baby. I can’t wait to do it and have a great time, and I can’t wait to finish and say, ‘No more — I’ve had enough.'”

Elton confirms that he’ll continue to make records but as far as live shows, he admits, “I’ve had enough applause. I wanna be with my family. I wanna be with my boys.”

Copyright © 2021, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

Bruce Springsteen will pay a visit this evening to The Late Show with Stephen Colbert, where the Boss will be interviewed and will deliver a solo performance.

Springsteen has at least two upcoming releases that he can promote on the show. On Tuesday, October 26, Renegades: Born in the USA, the book Bruce co-authored with former president Barack Obama, will be published; and in November, The Legendary 1979 No Nukes Concerts, a film and album documenting Springsteen’s performances with the E Street Band at the historic MUSE benefit concerts at New York’s Madison Square Garden, will be released in various formats.

This will mark the third time that Springsteen has been a guest on The Late Show, having previously appeared on the program on October 2020 and September 2016.

The Late Show with Stephen Colbert airs at 11:35 p.m. ET/PT on CBS.

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Eric Clapton has premiered a new preview clip from his upcoming performance video The Lady in the Balcony: Lockdown Sessions that captures him playing an acoustic version of the 1968 Fleetwood Mac classic, “Black Magic Woman.”

As previously reported, The Lady in the Balcony, which will be released on November 12 on video and audio formats, features an intimate performance by Clapton and members of his touring band in February 2021 year at the Cowdray House country mansion in West Sussex, U.K.

The show was recorded without an audience, with exception of Eric’s wife, Melia, who watched the performance from a balcony — hence the release’s title.

For his version of “Black Magic Woman,” Clapton is featured on acoustic 12-string guitar, joined by Chris Stainton on keyboards, Nathan East on standup bass and Steve Gadd on drums.

As he begins the tune, Eric declares, “This one’s for Peter,” referring to founding Fleetwood Mac singer/guitarist Peter Green, who wrote the song and who passed away in July 2020 at age 73. Of course, Santana recorded the most famous version of “Black Magic Woman,” scoring a 1970 hit with the song.

The show also featured Eric performing some of his best-known original songs, several blues classics and another Green-penned Fleetwood Mac tune, “Man of the World.”

The Lady in the Balcony, which you can pre-order now, will be available as a DVD/CD or Blu-ray/CD set, a 4K UHD/Blu-ray package, a two-LP colored-vinyl set, as digital video and audio versions, and as a Deluxe Edition featuring the DVD, Blu-ray and CD housed in a 40-page hardback photo book. In addition, a standalone CD version will be sold exclusively at Target.

Here’s the full The Lady in the Balcony track list:

“Nobody Knows You When You’re Down and Out”
“Golden Ring”
“Black Magic Woman”
“Man of the World”
“Kerry”
“After Midnight”
“Bell Bottom Blues”
“Key to the Highway”
“River of Tears”
“Rock Me Baby”
“Believe in Life”
“Going Down Slow”
“Layla”
“Tears in Heaven”
“Long Distance Call”
“Bad Boy”
“Got My Mojo Working”

Copyright © 2021, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

John Fogerty will headline three special benefit concerts in Florida next month, that will raise money for The Charity Pro’s, a Fort Myers, Florida-based non-profit established to support and advocate for children’s social causes.

The shows, scheduled November 20 in Tampa, November 21 in Estero, and November 23 in Orlando, will raise funds for the organization’s “Charity Pro’s for Heroes” initiative, which will help provide educational scholarships to children of first responders and healthcare workers who died from complications of the COVID-19 virus.

Proceeds from the events also will go toward granting children of fallen heroes a “Megan’s Wish,” that is, a special experience that will enrich their lives with love, hope and strength.

Joining Fogerty at the concerts will be three special support acts — country star Lauren Alaina on November 20, Foreigner on the 21st and Cheap Trick on the 23rd. Recent American Idol finalist Casey Bishop, an Estero native, will perform at all three shows.

Immediate family members of first responders and healthcare workers who passed away from COVID-19 are invited to attend the concerts for free. Those interested in reserving seats can email meg@thecharitypros.org.

First responders and healthcare workers will be able to purchase discount tickets for the events through the end of the day today by using the promo code HERO. Visit TheCharityPros.org for more information.

“Every day, we learn of the incredible stories of the children and families of our Heroes nationwide who are dealing with the effects of losing a parent or loved one,” says The Charity Pro’s founder Megan Maloney. “Bringing these families together to honor their loved ones, their Heroes and ours, is the very least we can do.”

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Jay Black, former lead singer of the 1960s pop-rock group Jay and the Americans, died Friday at age 82, his family revealed to Rolling Stone.

According to the statement, Black passed away from complications from pneumonia, and he also battled dementia in recent years.

Born in Brooklyn, New York, Black, whose given name was David Blatt, joined Jay and the Americans after original lead singer Jay Trainor left the group in 1962, not long after the band had scored a #5 hit on the Billboard Hot 100 with “She Cried.”

Led by Black’s soaring voice, the band scored many more top-40 hits throughout the 1960s, its biggest coming in 1964 with “Come a Little Bit Closer,” which peaked at #3. Jay and the Americans also hit the top 10 in 1965 with “Cara Mia” and in 1969 with “This Magic Moment,” which reached #4 and #6, respectively.

Among the group’s other hits were “Let’s Lock the Door (And Throw Away the Key),” “Some Enchanted Evening,” “Sunday and Me” and “Walkin’ in the Rain,” which all cracked the top 20.

The band split up in 1973, and afterward, Black continued to tour as a solo artist, playing his final show in 2017.

Jay and the Americans reformed in 2006 with a new lead singer named “Jay.” The band paid homage to Black in a message posted on their Facebook page on Saturday.

“Today, we mourn the passing of David Blatt a/k/a Jay Black and we acknowledge the great successes we had with him both as a partner and as a lead singer,” the note reads. “We shared both wonderful and very contentious times, and much like an ex-wife, we are so proud of the beautiful children we created. We’ll always remember The Voice.”

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Neil Young & Crazy Horse recently debuted a new song called “Song of the Seasons” as an advance track from the band’s upcoming album Barn, and now a video for the tune has premiered at NeilYoungArchives.com and Young’s YouTube channel.

The clip features stop-motion footage of a beautiful mountain landscape and lake apparently recorded by a stationary video camera.

According to a message Young posted on his website, the video was shot by his wife, actress Daryl Hannah, and shows “the landscape and life where our record was made.”

As previously reported, Barn is a 10-track collection that will be released on December 10. It was recorded “this summer under a full moon, in a restored off-grid 19th century barn high up in the Rockies.” Barn will be available on CD, vinyl, cassette and digital formats, and as a deluxe box set.

The box set includes a CD and a vinyl LP, as well as a Blu-ray disc that features a film directed by Hannah offering a look at the making of Barn. The Blu-ray will also be released separately.

In his new message, Young explains, “All the songs in our Barn film are the originals. Crazy Horse is seen playing each (almost) song. All performances are of our original recordings used on the album. Since we play ‘live’ in the Barn, you are seeing exactly what happened that day as we made Barn the album.”

He adds, “Not a lot of records are recorded live anymore, so it should be interesting and fun for you. These are not contrived little snips. They document what happened.”

You can pre-order Barn now.

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The Rolling Stones‘ expanded 40th anniversary version of their chart-topping 1981 album Tattoo You got its release today.

The reissue, which is available in multiple formats and configurations, features nine previously unreleased tracks from that period.

All versions of the Tattoo You reissue feature a newly remastered version of the original 11-track album, which includes such hits and gems as “Start Me Up,” “Waiting on a Friend,” “Hang Fire,” “Little T&A” and “Neighbours.”

The Super Deluxe edition is available as either a four-CD or five-LP vinyl set. It includes the nine unreleased tracks gathered on one CD or two-LP under the title Lost & Found, plus a two-disc live collection dubbed Still Life: Wembley Stadium 1982, featuring a 26-song performance by The Stones at the famed London venue.

Lost & Found features covers of the 1970 Chi-Lites tune “Troubles a’ Comin,” the 1963 Jimmy Reed song “Shame, Shame, Shame,” and Dobie Gray‘s soulful hit 1973 ballad “Drift Away,” as well as a reggae-flavored rendition of “Start Me Up.” The tracks have been enhanced with newly added vocals and guitars.

Still Life: Wembley Stadium 1982 was recorded in June of that year during the Tattoo You tour, and features performances of various Stones classics, select covers like Eddie Cochran‘s “Twenty Flight Rock” and The Big Bopper‘s “Chantilly Lace,” and several songs from Tattoo You.

The box sets also come with a 124-page book featuring hundreds of 200 rare photos, interviews and more.

In conjunction with the Tattoo You reissue’s arrival, a new video trailer for the collection has premiered at The Stones’ YouTube channel.

Meanwhile, The Stones continues their 2021 U.S. tour with a concert this Sunday in Minneapolis.

Here’s the track list of the reissue’s four-CD version:

CD 1: Tattoo You (2021 Remaster)
“Start Me Up”
“Hang Fire”
“Slave”
“Little T&A”
“Black Limousine”
“Neighbours”
“Worried About You”
“Tops”
“Heaven”
“No Use in Crying”
“Waiting on a Friend”

CD 2: Lost & Found: Rarities
“Living in the Heart of Love”
“Fiji Jim”
“Troubles a’ Comin”
“Shame Shame Shame”
“Drift Away”
“It’s a Lie”
“Come to the Ball”
“Fast Talking Slow Walking”
“Start Me Up” (Early Version)

CD 3: Still Life (Wembley Stadium Concert 1982)
“Under My Thumb”
“When the Whip Comes Down”
“Let’s Spend the Night Together”
“Shattered”
“Neighbours”
“Black Limousine”
“Just My Imagination (Running Away with Me)”
“Twenty Flight Rock”
“Going to a Go Go”
“Chantilly Lace”
“Let Me Go”
“Time Is on My Side”
“Beast of Burden”
“Let It Bleed”

CD 4: Still Life (Wembley Stadium Concert 1982)
“You Can’t Always Get What You Want”
Band Introductions
“Little T&A”
“Tumbling Dice”
“She’s So Cold”
“Hang Fire”
“Miss You”
“Honky Tonk Women”
“Brown Sugar”
“Start Me Up”
“Jumpin’ Jack Flash”
“(I Can’t Get No) Satisfaction”

Copyright © 2021, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

The new documentary Tom Petty, Somewhere You Feel Free: The Making of Wildflowers will get its worldwide release on November 11 as a free streaming event shown in 4K resolution on Tom Petty‘s official YouTube channel as part of the YouTube Originals series.

As previously reported, the movie focuses on the creatively fruitful period from 1993 to 1995, during which Petty made his acclaimed 1994 solo studio effort, Wildflowers, and recorded many other songs that weren’t initially released on the album. The film features previously unseen 16-millimeter footage shot during the making of Wildflowers, archival commentary from Tom, and new interviews with producer Rick Rubin and Heartbreakers guitarist Mike Campbell — who both co-produced the album with Tom — as well as with Heartbreakers keyboardist Benmont Tench.

A new trailer for the documentary has debuted at Petty’s YouTube channel. The two-minute promo features footage of Petty in the studio and on a tour bus and onstage, vintage photos, and clips of Tench and Campbell discussing Wildflowers. You also hear Tom talking about the project and reflecting on his approach to making the record.

Somewhere You Feel Free premiered in March as part of the virtual South by Southwest Film Festival, and the documentary got its theatrical release as a global screening event on Wednesday, October 20 — coinciding with what would’ve been Petty’s 71st birthday.

The film was directed by Mary Wharton, whose credits also include last year’s Jimmy Carter: Rock & Roll President.

Petty initially had planned for Wildflowers to be a double album, but was convinced by his record label to release it as a single disc. The many extra tracks he recorded during the sessions, along with a bevy of outtakes, finally were released last year on the Wildflowers & All the Rest box set.

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Expanded and remastered versions of The Band‘s fourth album, Cahoots, will be released on December 10, in commemoration of its recent 50th anniversary.

Released in September 1971, Cahoots peaked at #21 on the Billboard 200 and featured such notable tunes as “Life Is a Carnival,” the Canadian-American roots-rock group’s rendition of Bob Dylan‘s “When I Paint My Masterpiece,” and the Van Morrison collaboration “4% Pantomime.”

Among the versions of the 50th anniversary Cahoots reissue is a Super Deluxe box set featuring two CDs, a 180-gram vinyl LP, a Blu-ray disc, a 7-inch vinyl single, a photo booklet and more.

The updated version of the album was mixed by lauded engineer Bob Clearmountain, and overseen by Band guitarist/main songwriter Robbie Robertson.

Robertson explains, “I told Bob, ‘There are no rules. So, every mix we do, I want to start from scratch. I don’t even want to listen to the original. I want to listen to the way we hear it now and be fearless and experimental with it.”

The expanded reissue also features alternate versions of six of the album’s songs, two outtakes from the sessions, and 11 performances from a May 1971 concert at the Olympia Theatre in Paris.

The LP features the remastered original album, while the Blu-ray includes three mixes of Cahoots and some of the bonus tracks — a Dolby Atmos, a 5.1 surround sound and the new stereo mix. The seven-inch single features “Life Is a Carnival” backed with “The Moon Struck One.”

The new mix of “Life Is a Carnival” has been made available as an advance digital track.

The Cahoots reissue, which you can pre-order now, is also coming out as a two-CD set, digitally, and on vinyl.

Here’s the track list of the reissue’s CDs:

CD 1:
“Life Is a Carnival”
“When I Paint My Masterpiece”
“Last of the Blacksmiths”
“Where Do We Go from Here?”
“4% Pantomime”
“Shoot Out in Chinatown”
“The Moon Struck One”
“Thinkin’ Out Loud”
“Smoke Signal”
“Volcano”
“The River Hymn”

Bonus Tracks
“Endless Highway” (Early Studio Take, 2021 Mix)
“When I Paint My Masterpiece” (Alternate Take, 2021 Mix)
“4% Pantomime” (Takes 1 & 2)
“Don’t Do It” (Outtake — Studio Version, 2021 Mix)
“Bessie Smith” (Outtake)

CD 2:*

Live at The Olympia Theatre, Paris, May 1971 (Bootleg, Partial Concert)
“The W.S. Walcott Medicine Show”
“We Can Talk”
“Loving You Is Sweeter Than Ever”
“The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down”
“Across the Great Divide”
“The Unfaithful Servant”
“Don’t Do It”
“The Genetic Method”
“Chest Fever”
“Rag Mama Rag”
“Slippin’ and Slidin'”

Bonus Tracks
“Life Is a Carnival” (Instrumental)
“Volcano” (Instrumental)
“Thinkin’ Out Loud” (Stripped Down Mix)

* = tracks are previously unreleased.

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