Classic Hits

Santana‘s latest studio album, Blessings and Miracles, gets its release today.

The 15-track collection follows a similar template to the band’s massively successful 1999 album, Supernatural, with guitar legend Carlos Santana and his group collaborating with guest artists from various musical genres.

At a recent New York City press event, Carlos reflected on collaborating with such a diverse array of musicians.

“We don’t leave anybody out,” he noted. “This is why Supernatural worked, and this is why Blessings and Miracles, I’m getting a lot of feedback [about] how [many] people identify with it. I don’t know the word genre. I don’t know what that means. I only play from the heart, for the heart.”

Like Supernatural, Blessings and Miracles finds Santana teaming up with Matchbox Twenty frontman Rob Thomas — this time on song called “Move” that, like its predecessor “Smooth,” blends melodic pop and rock with a Latin groove.

“This song…makes me realize energy is very welcome in our hearts, because it makes you feel like you’re 17 years old, with a lot of thirst for adventure,” Carlos said.

Another standout track on Blessings and Miracles is a cover of the Procol Harum classic “A Whiter Shade of Pale” featuring Steve Winwood.

Carlos revealed that he asked Winwood to record the cover with him a few years ago when they were both playing a concert at London’s Hyde Park.

“I said, ‘Hey, man, I want to do ‘Whiter Shade of Pale’ with you. You play Hammond organ and singing it,'” Carlos recalled, “‘but I want to do it ‘Spanish Harlem’ style…you know, put some real sex in it.'”

Carlos said the track was one of his favorites on the album, “because [Winwood’s] voice is so iconic.”

Here’s Blessings and Miracles full track list:

“Ghost of Future Pull”/”New Light”
“Santana Celebration”
“Rumbalero” (featuring Salvador Santana & Asdru Sierra)
“Joy” (Carlos Santana & Chris Stapleton)
“Move” (Carlos Santana, Rob Thomas, Zac Barnett & American Authors)
“A Whiter Shade of Pale” (featuring Steve Winwood)
“Break” (featuring Ally Brooke)
“She’s Fire” (Diane Warren, G-Eazy & Carlos Santana)
“Peace Power” (featuring Corey Glover)
“America for Sale” (featuring Kirk Hammett & Mark Osegueda)
“Breathing Underwater” (featuring Stella Santana, Avi Snow, MVCA)
“Mother Yes”
“Song for Cindy”
“Angel Choir” (featuring Gayle Moran Corea)/”All Together” (featuring Chick Corea)
“Ghost of Future Pull II”

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Former Yes keyboardist Rick Wakeman has just launched a new club for his fans called the Caped Crusader Collector Club that will offer members the chance to receive and purchase a variety of rare recordings and memorabilia.

Those who sign up for the CCCC, as Wakeman calls the club, will receive a membership pack that includes an individually numbered membership card; a welcome letter signed by Rick; a sticker; four 8″ by 10″ photos; and an exclusive yearbook boasting rare photos, articles and memorabilia from the Rock & Roll Hall of Famer’s archive.

Members also will receive the first of a series of exclusive CCCC CD releases, this one featuring a previously unreleased soundtrack Wakeman recorded for the 1984 sci-fi film She.

Each year, club members will receive four exclusive CDs featuring rare studio recordings and live performances from Wakeman’s archives.

CCCC members also will get a 10% discount off all purchases made from the Wakeman Music Emporium online store, and will receive invitations to special events, access to exclusive merchandise and more.

Fans who join the club this month will receive a 15-month membership for the price of a one-year membership.

“As a musician, I think it is important that serious fans get to hear music that would otherwise be left in drawers and on shelves and in some cases, discarded,” Wakeman says in a statement. “With the formation of the CCCC, I feel that this is an innovative way for core fans to get to hear music which I have discovered in various of my archives.”

In other news, Wakeman just launched the U.S. leg of his Even Grumpier Old Rock Star Tour on Wednesday, but he also announced some changes to his itinerary and the postponement of several dates. Check out updated details at RWCC.com.

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Prince‘s RIAA Platinum-selling fourth studio album, Controversy, was released 40 years ago today, and to commemorate the milestone, a previously unheard solo demo version of one of the record’s tracks, “Do Me, Baby,” has be issued as a digital single.

The “Do Me, Baby” demo is available now as a digital download and via streaming services, while two limited-edition physical versions of the track — on cassette and purple-colored seven-inch vinyl — are scheduled to be released in January 2022.

Prince is credited with co-writing “Do Me, Baby” with his early bassist, Andre Cymone, and recorded the demo in 1979 at two Los Angeles-area studios. A rough mix of the track on cassette was recently discovered in Prince’s vault, and the recording was newly mixed by the artist’s longtime engineer, Chris James, for the single’s release.

Prince eventually recorded a new version of “Do Me, Baby” in June 1981 for the Controversy album.

Controversy peaked at #21 on the Billboard 200, and featured two top-10 hits on the R&B singles chart — the title track and “Let’s Work,” which reached #3 and #9, respectively.

Meanwhile, a new podcast focusing on the 40th anniversary of Controversy, hosted by Estelle, is streaming now at Apple Music.

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Neil Young has announced plans to release a new studio album titled Barn with his frequent backing band Crazy Horse, due out on December 10.

Young revealed the news in a post on NeilYoungArchives.com, while making available one of the album’s tracks, “Song of the Seasons,” exclusively to paid subscribers to the website.

According to information posted on the site, Barn was recorded “high in the Rockies” at Le Mobile Remote Recording Studio, with Crazy Horse’s current lineup — the founding rhythm section of bassist Billy Talbot and drummer Ralph Molina, and multi-instrumentalist Nils Lofgren, who rejoined the band in 2018 after previously playing with the group during the early 1970s.

Neil says “Song of the Seasons” is the oldest song on Barn, and was “written about this time last year.” According to the website, the track was recorded in June of this year.

Barn is a follow-up to Young and Crazy Horse’s 2019 album, Colorado.

In other news, Young recently announced that he’s preparing an expansive audio and video collection titled Harvest Time that will feature various outtakes and film footage recorded during the time he was making his classic 1972 album, Harvest. He notes that Harvest Time, which will include “[a]lmost two hours of Harvest rarities,” will arrive in 2022.

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Cyndi Lauper‘s album True Colors — featuring the hit title track, plus “Change of Heart” and more — came out 35 years ago today, on October 14, 1986.  To celebrate, she’s releasing an expanded digital edition of the album tonight at midnight, Rolling Stone reports.

The expanded edition features two bonus songs: a remix of the number-one title track, and its B-side, “Heading for the Moon,” which has never been available on streaming services until now.  There’s also a “True Colors” Instagram filter.

In her Rolling Stone interview, Cyndi reveals that the song “True Colors” was written for Canadian country-pop singer Anne Murray, who turned it down.  Initially, Cyndi wasn’t sure it was right for her, but tells Rolling Stone, “When I heard our demo, I realized it had intimacy, and intimacy was the the most important thing.”

Explaining that she recorded it after a friend died of AIDS, Cyndi notes that “True Colors” was “for me, and his partner who was left behind, and his friends who loved him, to comfort us.”  Now, of course, it’s become an LGBTQ anthem.

Cyndi also reveals that some of her favorite contemporary artists are Olivia Rodrigo, Billie Eilish and Taylor Swift. “She’s always been a wonderful writer, but [that last COVID record] was poetry,” Cyndi says of Taylor.

“The only thing I don’t like about new music — when I listen to what the top new music is, there’s a lot of men, not a lot of women,” Cyndi points out. “But [there are] so many great musicians out there now. It’s a good time to be listening. I’m always listening, always learning.”

 

 

 

 

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The Rock & Roll Hall of Fame’s class of 2021 will be welcomed into the hallowed institution at a ceremony held on October 30 in Cleveland.  To celebrate the new inductees, a special exhibit will open at the Rock Hall museum in the city on Sunday, October 24.

The display will feature items from all of this year’s inductees, which include Foo Fighters, Todd Rundgren, The Go-Go’s, Tina Turner, Carole King and JAY-Z in the main Performers category; Early Influence honorees Kraftwerk, Charley Patton and Gil Scott-Heron; and, in recognition of Musical Excellence, Randy Rhoads, Billy Preston and LL Cool J.

The exhibit’s opening will take place on the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame’s Celebration Day event, which offers free admission to the museum for Ohio residents.

Among the exhibit’s many highlights will be costumes and/or instruments contributed by all five members of The Go-Go’s.

A red lace dress that Turner wore in the music video for her hit “Private Dancer” also will be part of the exhibit, as will an Acrosonic piano and bench used by King.

Rundgren has contributed an embroidered purple suit that he wore in concert in 1978, and while he was recording his live album Back to the Bars.

The late Preston will be represented by a Casio Voice Arranger VA-10 keyboard he used to play.

In addition, the exhibit will feature a video presentations and playlists for the various honorees.

For more details about the exhibition, visit RockHall.com.

The 2021 Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony will be held at the Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse in Cleveland. An HBO special focusing on the event will premiere at a later date.

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We’re not sure just how many Tuesday afternoons he’s enjoyed or how many nights in white satin he’s spent during his life, but Moody Blues singer/guitarist Justin Hayward celebrates his 75th birthday today.

Born in Swindon, England, Hayward played in a number of groups as a teenager before joining The Moody Blues in 1966 after the band’s original frontman, Denny Laine, exited following release of their 1965 debut album.

With a knack for writing melodic and emotional ballads and rock tunes, Hayward soon made a major impact on the band, contributing the classic songs “Nights in White Satin” and “Tuesday Afternoon” to The Moody Blues’ groundbreaking second album, 1967’s Days of Future Passed, a concept record that married the group’s songs with symphonic interludes by the London Festival Orchestra.

While all of the band members contributed songs to The Moody Blues’ albums, most of their hits were written and sung by Hayward.

Among the many memorable tunes Hayward has penned for the band are “Question,” “The Story in Your Eyes,” “The Voice,” “Your Wildest Dreams” and “I Know You’re Out There Somewhere.”

When the band went on hiatus for several years during the 1970s, Hayward teamed up with Moodies singer/bassist John Lodge to release the 1975 collaborative album Blue Jays, which peaked at #16 on the Billboard 200. He then launched a moderately successful solo career that coincided with his work with The Moody Blues.

Hayward was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame as a member of The Moody Blues in 2018. The band continued to tour until late 2018; Hayward has focused on his solo career since then. His latest solo release is a two song EP that came out in 2020. He wraps up a U.S. solo tour on Friday in Clearwater, Florida.

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Bruce Springsteen and wife Patti Scialfa have lent their talents to a new song by Dion, “Angel in the Alleyways,” which has been released as an advance track from the doo-wop and rock ‘n’ roll legend’s star-studded upcoming studio album, Stomping Ground.

The blues- and gospel-influenced tune, which is available for streaming now, features Scialfa delivering backing vocals and Springsteen playing harmonica and guitar.

Meanwhile, a music video for “Angel in the Alleyways” has debuted on Dion’s official YouTube channel. The clip features footage of Bruce and Patti in their home studio, and of Dion by himself singing and playing acoustic guitar at an 11th century Spanish monastery that was rebuilt in Miami in the 1950s, and also performing with a full backing band.

In the album’s liner notes, Dion writes of the song, “I gave Patti a simple, raw demo of ‘Angel in the Alleyways,’ with just my guitar and vocal. What you’ll hear now is what Patti made of it. There are five verses, and she treated each of them in a unique way. This is her gift. The lady’s imagination is unlimited. Her husband contributed the right tones on guitar and harmonica. They are my dream team. They truly make me feel loved.”

Springsteen and Scialfa also are featured on “Hymn To Him,” a song on Dion’s previous album, 2020’s Blues with Friends.

As previously reported, Stomping Ground will be released November 5 and, in addition to Springsteen and Scialfa, the album includes guest appearances by Eric Clapton, Mark Knopfler, Peter Frampton, ZZ Top‘s Billy Gibbons, Boz Scaggs, Rickie Lee Jones and more. In addition, The Who‘s Pete Townshend penned liner notes for the record.

You can pre-order Stomping Ground now. Here’s the full track list:

“Take It Back” — with Joe Bonamassa
“Hey Diddle Diddle ” — with G.E. Smith
“Dancing Girl ” — with Mark Knopfler
“If You Wanna Rock ‘n’ Roll ” — with Eric Clapton
“There Was a Time ” — with Peter Frampton
“Cryin’ Shame ” — with Sonny Landreth
“The Night Is Young ” — with Joe Menza and Wayne Hood
“That’s What The Doctor Said ” — with Steve Conn
“My Stomping Ground ” — with Billy Gibbons
“Angel in the Alleyways ” — with Patti Scialfa and Bruce Springsteen
“I’ve Got to Get to You ” — with Boz Scaggs, Joe Menza and Mike Menza
“Red House ” — with Keb’ Mo’
“I Got My Eyes on You Baby ” — with Marcia Ball and Jimmy Vivino
“I’ve Been Watching ” — with Rickie Lee Jones and Wayne Hood

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Another day, another chart record for Sir Elton John.

Earlier this week, he officially registered 50 years of top 40 hits on the Billboard Hot 100, and now he’s set a similar record for longevity back home in the U.K.  Specifically, he’s now the only act in the history of the U.K. singles chart to score a top-10 hit in six different decades, thanks to his Dua Lipa collabo, “Cold Heart.”

“Cold Heart” is Elton’s 33rd top 10 on the chart.  His first one came in 1971, with “Your Song.” Overall, he scored 10 top 10s in the ’70s, seven in the ’80s, eight in the ’90s, seven in the 2000s, one in the 2010s, and one in this decade.

Overall, Elton’s notched seven number-one singles but that number could increase to eight, because “Cold Heart” is poised to take over the top spot this week, dethroning Ed Sheeran‘s “Shivers.”

In other Elton news, the U.K. tabloid The Sun reports that he’s going to have to miss a reception honoring his late friend, Princess Diana. The October 19 event will celebrate the unveiling of a statue of the late princess, and Elton was invited by Diana’s son, Prince William. However, The Sun has confirmed he’s sent his regrets because he’s recovering from a hip operation.

A source told The Sun, “Elton underwent hip replacement surgery at the start of the month. It went well and he is on the mend but is taking things slow.“

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Red Hot Chili Peppers might have some new music to play on their 2022 worldwide tour.

As drummer Chad Smith tells Rolling Stone, the band’s next record, their first with guitarist John Frusciante back in the fold since 2006’s Stadium Arcadium, is “almost done.” The album also reunites the Peppers with longtime producer Rick Rubin, who was absent from 2016’s The Getaway after working on every RHCP album from 1991’s Blood Sugar Sex Magik through 2011’s I’m with You.

Smith explains that work started on the new album amid the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, during which they isolated themselves together and started writing.

“We could just plow through and write, and that’s what we did,” Smith shares. “It was kind of a blessing, because we want to come out with new music and play some new songs. It’s gonna be great when we finally go out next year and have a record to play, and a bunch of other stuff, obviously.”

As for what we can expect from the album, Smith teases, “It sounds like Red Hot Chili Peppers, but it’s different and new.”

He adds, “We really like it and we’re proud of it and it has to start there. If other people like it, great. If people compare it to this or [say] it doesn’t sound like that, we have no control over that. But yeah, we’re all really happy with the record.”

Red Hot Chili Peppers’ 2022 tour begins with a European run in June. It’ll launch in the U.S. in July.

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