Classic Hits

Legendary soul singer Al Green is back with a new song, dropping a cover of the R.E.M. classic “Everybody Hurts.”

“While we were in the studio recording ‘Everybody Hurts,’ I could really feel the heaviness of the song and I wanted to inject a little touch of hope and light into it,” the 78-year-old Green shares. “There’s always a presence of light that can break through those times of darkness.”

And the cover has already gotten the attention of R.E.M. 

“Speaking on behalf of the entire band—we could not be more honored, more flattered, more humbled,” frontman Michael Stipe shares. “This is an epic moment for us.”

Green’s cover of “Everybody Hurts” is available now via digital outlets.

The tune is the first song released by Green since sharing a cover of Lou Reed’s “Perfect Day” back in 2023.

“Everybody Hurts” appeared on R.E.M.’s eighth studio album, Automatic For The People, and was a top-40 hit for the band. 

Copyright © 2024, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

On This Day, Nov. 19, 1988 …

Bon Jovi topped the Billboard Hot 100 chart with “Bad Medicine,” the lead single from their fourth album, New Jersey.

The song, written by Jon Bon Jovi, Richie Sambora and Desmond Child, was the band’s third #1 single following the Slippery When Wet tracks “You Give Love A Bad Name” and “Living On A Prayer,” which were also written by the trio. 

“Bad Medicine” spent two weeks at #1 in the U.S. and also landed in the top 10 in Australia, Canada, Finland, Ireland, the Netherlands and New Zealand.

Copyright © 2024, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

While the upcoming Bob Dylan flick A Complete Unknown is not a straight biopic, director James Mangold says Dylan did have input in the film, although he wasn’t exactly fact-checking the project.

Mangold tells Rolling Stone that he met with the rock icon several times before filming began, noting, “I felt like Bob just wanted to know what I was up to. ‘Who is this guy? Is he a s*******? Does he get it?’ I think the normal questions anyone asks when they’re throwing themselves in league with someone.”

When it comes to the feedback he gave on the script, star Timothée Chalamet tells the mag, “Bob would have these one-off lines that were so fantastic. Jim has an annotated Bob script lying around somewhere. I’ll beg him to get my hands on it. He’ll never give it to me.”

But apparently Dylan was a bit mischievous when it came to what he wanted in the film, with Ed Norton, who plays Pete Seeger, sharing that Mangold revealed Dylan made him put what’s described as “one totally inaccurate moment” in the film, although Mangold didn’t say what it was.

According to Rolling Stone, Norton said Mangold was a bit worried about including it, concerned about how the public would feel, to which Dylan reportedly said, “What do you care what other people think?”

Copyright © 2024, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

The Rolling Stones have shared a new preview of their upcoming live release, Welcome to Shepherd’s Bush, dropping Dec. 6.

Welcome to Shepherd’s Bush is a recording of the band’s June 8, 1999, London club show, and they just shared a video of their performance of the Voodoo Lounge track “You Got Me Rocking.”

The Shepherd’s Bush concert was a “secret gig” The Stones headlined just a few days before they played two sold-out shows at Wembley Arena. Only 1,800 fans witnessed the concert in person, among them celebrities like The Who‘s Pete Townshend, Lenny Kravitz, Led Zeppelin‘s Jimmy Page and Robert Plant.

Welcome to Shepherd’s Bush is being released in 4K Ultra High Definition with a Dolby Atmos audio option, making it the only Stones live concert film to be available in that format. It will also be released as a Blu-ray + two-CD set; a limited-edition two-CD package; a two-LP black vinyl package; and a two-LP set in 180-gram white vinyl.

The Stones will also be celebrating the release with a world premiere Nov. 21 at Vue Leicester Square in London.

Welcome to Shepherd’s Bush is available for preorder now.

Copyright © 2024, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

Madonna is sharing the struggles she’s been having getting her long-in-the-works biopic made. 

In a post on Instagram, the singer revealed that she’s been in Los Angeles talking to producers and agents about the film, and they’ve been trying to convince her to downsize the project, which she says she’s been working on for four years.

Madonna writes that all the input has made her realize “everything in my life is going to be challenged.”

“No easy rides for me. I guess I should be grateful,” she writes. “It forces me to think outside the box. I did not have a normal life. I cannot make this in the normal way.”

“Spending time with my creative friends was just the fuel I needed to keep going!” she adds. “We all agreed that we need to be even more fearless!!! We cannot shrink and make ourselves smaller.” 

“If you want something badly enough in life— the whole universe will conspire to hel [sic] you get it,” she says.
 

Madonna then suggested one movie may not be enough to tell her story, asking fans, “Should I make the story of my life into a series or a feature Film. Think before you answer !!”

Copyright © 2024, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

Former J. Geils Band frontman Peter Wolf is the latest musician revealing his story on the page.

The rocker, best known for such songs as “Freeze Frame” and “Centerfold,” has written his first-ever memoir, Waiting on the Moon: Artists, Poets, Drifters Grifters and Goddesses, which will be released March 11.

According to a press release, in the book Wolf will share “a treasure trove of vignettes, musings and recollections of his fascinating life during his six decades long career,” with each chapter reading “as its own short story.” 

In addition to his early life, career and time with the J. Geils Band, the book also promises to delve into his marriage to actress Faye Dunaway in the ’70s.

Waiting on the Moon is described as “an enchanting and revealing glimpse through lyrical snapshots of artists, writers, actors, and musicians as they work—the creative forces that drive them to achievement; the demons they battle; and the patterns of their human relationships.”

Copyright © 2024, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

Paul McCartney wrapped the latest leg of his Got Back tour on Sunday with a performance at the Corona Capitol Festival in Mexico City, and he brought out a couple of special guests to end the evening.

Fan-shot footage posted to YouTube shows McCartney performing The Beatles track “The End” with the help of rockers Jack White and St. Vincent on guitar. Both White and St. Vincent were on the Corona Capitol bill, as well.

St. Vincent, who appeared on the remix album of McCartney’s 2021 solo release, McCartney III, also joined The Beatle earlier in the set for the classic “Get Back.”

As for the rest of the set, according to setlist.fm, as he’s done most of the tour, McCartney performed a mix of solo, Beatles and Wings classics, once again including the most recent Beatles tune, “Now and Then,” along with “Maybe I’m Amazed,” “Love Me Do,” “Blackbird,” “Jet,” “Band on the Run” and “Hey Jude.”

McCartney kicked off this latest leg of the tour in Uruguay in October. He launches a European leg on Dec. 4 in Paris, wrapping with a show Dec. 19 in London. A complete list of dates can be found at paulmccartney.com.

Copyright © 2024, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

Rod Stewart will be hitting the road in 2025.

The two-time Rock & Roll Hall of Famer will launch his One Last Time Tour with special guest Cheap Trick on March 7 in Austin, Texas, and wrap up Aug. 15 in St. Louis, Missouri. Rod and Cheap Trick last toured together in 2022.

A fan club presale starts Nov. 19 at 10 a.m. via RodStewart.com. Citi cardmembers can get tickets starting Nov. 19 at 10 a.m. via citientertainment.com. Tickets go on sale to the general public Nov. 22 at 10 a.m.

In addition to the tour, Rod will return to the Colosseum at Caesars Palace for his residency show, Rod Stewart: The Encore Shows, which will run on and off between March 12 and June 8.

Despite the tour’s name, this isn’t being described as Rod’s final tour.

Copyright © 2024, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

As he recently teased, Sammy Hagar is doing more The Best of All Worlds shows, and this time he’s heading  to Las Vegas.

The rocker just announced dates for The Best of All Worlds Tour – The Residency at Dolby Live at Park MGM. The Vegas residency consists of nine shows, running from April 30 to May 17.

Joining Sammy will once again be Michael Anthony and Joe Satriani, with Kenny Aaronoff handling drums in place of Jason Bonham. In fact, Bonham recently confirmed he wouldn’t be back, after he announced his own shows and a fan asked him if he’d be back with Sammy. He replied in the comments, “Sammy has decided to carry on with Kenny so Sadly no.”

“I’m so looking forward to this residency and being able to stay in one place so we can get the sound and production completely dialed in,” said Sammy. “It also allows the band to experiment with the setlist every night – that’s why it’s going to be exclusive to Las Vegas.”

He adds, “I plan on digging deeper into the Van Halen catalog, and my solo career, Montrose and Chickenfoot, as well. The fans are in for a lot of surprises.” 

Various presales kick off Tuesday, with tickets going on sale to the general public Friday at 10 a.m. PT. A complete list of dates can be found at redrocker.com.

Copyright © 2024, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

On This Day, Nov. 18, 1991 …

U2 released their seventh studio album, Achtung Baby, which debuted at #1 on the Billboard 200 Album chart, making it the band’s third #1 album.

Produced by Daniel Lanois and Brian Eno, the band began recording the album in Germany, although the sessions were marred by tension within the band. The record was eventually finished in Dublin.

The album took influences from alternative rock, electronic dance and industrial music, and featured such hits as “One,” “The Fly” and “Mysterious Ways.”

Achtung Baby was a huge success for U2, selling over 18 million copies worldwide. It also earned them a Grammy for Best Rock Performance by a Duo or Group.

U2 celebrated Achtung Baby’s 30th anniversary, albeit a bit late, by playing the album in its entirety during their U2: UV Achtung Baby residency at the Las Vegas Sphere, which kicked off in September 2023.
 

Copyright © 2024, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.