Classic Hits

Deep Purple has shared another preview of the upcoming 20th anniversary reissue of their 18th studio album, Rapture of the Deep.

The band has released a newly remixed and remastered version of the track “Clearly Quite Absurd,” along with a B-side, “MTV (2005 Studio Jam),” which is a previously unheard instrumental take from a rehearsal session.

Both songs are available now via digital outlets.

“‘Clearly Quite Absurd’ is a very unusual Deep Purple song, which I like. We’ve always liked being unusual,” Deep Purple’s Roger Glover shares. “We don’t follow traditions, really. We are just who we are at a specific time.”

Rapture of the Deep 20th Anniversary Remix, dropping Aug. 29, will feature a remixed version of the original album along with bonus material made up of never-before-heard instrumental takes and studio rehearsal recordings.

It will be available on CD, as a three-LP black vinyl and as a limited-edition three-LP transparent sky blue vinyl, available for preorder now.

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America’s fifth studio album, Hearts, is being celebrated with a new reissue.

An expanded edition of the album, their second with producer Sir George Martin, will be released Aug. 8 and feature six bonus tracks, five of which are previously unreleased alternate takes. The sixth is a Spanish version of their #1 hit, “Sister Golden Hair” (“Con Tu Pelo Tan Dorado”), which is getting its first-ever release on CD.

Released in March 1975, Hearts was a top-five hit for America, peaking at #4 on the Billboard Album chart. In addition to “Sister Golden Hair,” it spawned two other hits, “Daisy Jane” and “Woman Tonight.” The cover of the album was designed by future Saturday Night Live comedian Phil Hartman, before he went on to pursue an acting career.

The expanded edition of Hearts is available for preorder now.

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On This Day, June 30, 2007…

R.E.M. kicked off a five night residency in Dublin, Ireland, which was billed as a “working rehearsal” for their 14th studio album Accelerate.

The shows took place at the Olympia Theatre, and featured live debuts of songs off that album, many of which were still considered a work in progress.

Throughout the five nights they also played several songs they hadn’t performed live in decades.

In 2009, R.E.M. released a live album Live at The Olympia, featuring performances from the five nights of shows. The two-CD release featured 39 songs, and included an accompanying DVD with a documentary, This Is Now a Show, about the residency.

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The Beach Boys will be spending July Fourth in Washington, D.C.

Mike Love and the band are booked to play A Capitol Fourth, the annual PBS special celebrating Independence Day.

The celebration will air July 4 at 8 p.m. ET and will feature a telecast of the fireworks live from the West Lawn of the U.S. Capitol.

The program will be hosted by Alfonso Ribeiro and will also feature performances by The Temptations, Trombone Shorty, country stars Josh Turner and LOCASH, Yolanda Adams and others. There will also be a special tribute in honor of the 250th anniversary of the Army, Navy and Marine Corps, as well as tributes for World War II heroes and first responders.

And speaking of The Beach Boys, following the news of Brian Wilson’s death on June 11 at age 82, music fans have been revisiting the band’s catalog.

Billboard reports that for the first time in over a decade, The Beach Boys have returned to the top 40 on the Billboard 200 Albums chart. Their 2003 compilation, Sounds of Summer: The Very Best of The Beach Boys, climbed to #14.

The last time The Beach Boys were in the top 40 was with their 29th studio album, That’s Why God Made Radio, which was released in 2012 and got as high as #3. It was the last album to feature Wilson.

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Paul Simon has been forced to cancel his June 28 and 29 shows at Philadelphia’s Academy of Music due to back problems.

“Paul has been struggling with chronic and intense back pain,” read the announcement on social media. “Today it became unmanageable and demands immediate attention.”

The post notes that both shows will not be rescheduled immediately.  However, it adds, “We are hopeful after this minor surgical procedure which has been scheduled in the next few days, Paul will be able to complete the tour as well as look into returning to make up these dates.”

Full refunds will be given to those with tickets to the two Philly shows.

Simon is currently on his A Quiet Celebration tour, which is his first full tour since 2018 and his first tour since releasing his 2023 album Seven Psalms. His next show is scheduled for July 7 in Long Beach, California. A complete list of dates can be found at PaulSimon.com.

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Peter Gabriel has surprised fans with a new live album.

The Rock & Roll Hall of Famer just released In the Big Room to digital services. The album is a recording of an intimate fan club show that took place in November 2003 in the Big Room at his Real World Studios in the U.K.

“I’d not really taken advantage of the Big Room as a performance space myself and when, in 2003, the opportunity came up, we grabbed it and offered the small number of seats to members of the Full Moon club,” Gabriel shares. “It was not part of a big tour so we weren’t as polished and rehearsed as we might have been while on tour, but it made for a more awake and edgy performance, as we were fully concentrating on what we were doing.”

Unlike his usual live shows, Gabriel notes that the performance didn’t include an “elaborate visual show,” instead “the whole focus was about making it sound good.”

The 14-track album features songs Gabriel performed during two tours: the 2002-03 Growing Up Live tour and 2004’s Still Growing Up Live tour. The album features performances of songs like “In Your Eyes,” “Shock the Monkey,” “Digging in the Dirt” and “More Than This.”

Here is the track list for In the Big Room:
“Burn You Up, Burn You Down”
“More Than This ”
“Games Without Frontiers”
“Downside Up”
“Mercy Street”
“Darkness”
“Digging In The Dirt”
“The Tower That Ate People”
“San Jacinto”
“Shock The Monkey”
“Signal To Noise”
“Secret World”
“Father, Son”
“In Your Eyes”

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While making the press rounds ahead of his performance at the U.K.’s Glastonbury Festival on Sunday, Rod Stewart openly admitted to ripping off one of his most famous songs — but he seems to think it’s OK because he didn’t profit from the theft.

While talking to The Times of London, Rod’s #1 hit “Da Ya Think I’m Sexy?” comes up. The paper notes that the chorus of the song is “remarkably similar” to the chorus of a song called “Taj Mahal,” by Brazilian singer Jorge Ben. In fact, Jorge sued Rod over it, and the case was settled amicably.

Rod claimed in his 2012 autobiography it was “unconscious plagiarism” because he was at Brazil’s Rio Carnival in 1978 and must have heard it then. But now he’s dropped the whole “unconscious” part of the story altogether.

Speaking to The Times, Rod comes right out and admits, “Oh yeah, I nicked it.” But, he added, “Never earned a penny out of it. All the royalties went to UNICEF.” 

It’s worth noting, though, that Rod only began donating the royalties from the song, which was released in 1978, in 1979, after Ben sued him.

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Talking Heads have shared another track from the upcoming super-deluxe edition of their sophomore album, More Songs About Buildings and Food.

The latest is a live recording of their cover of Al Green‘s “Take Me to the River,” from the band’s Aug. 10, 1978, concert at Entermedia Theatre in New York, part of the bonus live album featured in the set. The song is now available via digital outlets.

Dropping July 25, More Songs About Buildings and Food (Super Deluxe Edition) is being released as part of the band’s continued celebration of their 50th anniversary. The three-CD/Blu-ray set will include the remastered album, as well as 11 rarities, four of which are previously unreleased versions of album tracks, and the Entermedia Theatre concert.

The Blu-ray includes Dolby ATMOS and 5.1 surround sound mixes of the album, and footage from the Entermedia concert and a concert recorded at Sproul Plaza at the University of California, Berkeley.

The set will also be released as a four-LP vinyl edition, featuring the original album, rarities and the live New York concert. There will also be a second version, available on the band’s website, featuring the bonus reissues of four international 7-inch singles, as well as a two-LP black vinyl version and a red vinyl pressing.

More Songs About Buildings and Food (Super Deluxe Edition) is available for preorder now.

Released in July 1978, More Songs About Buildings and Food was a top-40 hit for Talking Heads, peaking at #29 in the U.S. Their cover of “Take Me to the River” was the band’s first big hit, also peaking at #29 on the singles chart.

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Singer/songwriter Stephen Bishop is ready to close out his recording career.

The artist, best known for such songs as “On and On” and “It Might Be You,” is set to release his 20th and final studio album, THIMK, on Aug. 15. He’s joined by a slew of A-list special guests, including Eric Clapton, Sting, Michael McDonald, Kenny Loggins, Art Garfunkel, Graham Nash, Christopher Cross, and America’s Gerry Beckley and Dewey Bunnell.

“After five decades of recording music and performing, I figured it was time to close this chapter of my music career,” Bishop shares. “THIMK — my 20th and final album — is a celebration of friendship, legacy, and all the people who’ve been part of this long, wonderful ride.”

He adds, “I’ve developed a bit of arthritis in my hands over the past few years, so I wanted to give this last album everything I had while I still could. I’m proud of it — and grateful for the chance to spend my life doing what I love.”

As a preview of the album, Bishop has released the song “Now That I’ve Hit the Big Time,” a tribute to his mother, featuring vocals by Sting and guitar from Clapton. It is available now via digital outlets.

THIMK will be released digitally, and on CD and custom colored vinyl. Physical copies will come with two bonus songs not available on streaming platforms. The album is available for preorder now.

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John Fogerty has shared another taste of his upcoming album, Legacy: the Creedence Clearwater Revival years, dropping Aug. 22.

The album features newly recorded versions of classic CCR tunes. The latest releases are his new takes on “Born on the Bayou” and “Lodi,” which are both available via digital outlets.

“When it came time to sing ‘Lodi,’ I noticed that my voice seemed to have a little extra character in it from the guy who sang this same song 50+ years ago,” Fogerty shares. “I realized that I had to do my darndest to get my mind into the same place that it was when I did the original vocal.”

The song has Fogerty singing about a musician yearning to break free from his small town.

He adds, “I had to reflect and think about the words of the song, think about the times, make myself go back into that spiritual plane of existence and face that.”

The album, produced by Fogerty and his son Shane Fogerty, comes two years after Fogerty fully regained the rights to his CCR catalog. The rocker is backed on the album by both of his sons, Shane and Tyler Fogerty.

Legacy: the Creedence Clearwater Revival years is available for preorder now.

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