Classic Hits

The 40th anniversary of Thompson Twins’ breakthrough album Into the Gap is being celebrated with a new remastered reissue.

Into The Gap 40th Anniversary Edition, remixed at Abbey Road Studios, will be released in a variety of formats, including a 39-track, three-CD deluxe edition that includes 30 bonus tracks, 12 of which have never been released before.

The set features the remastered album, plus B-sides, cassette remixes and edits, with one CD made up of extended tracks and 12-inch versions of songs. The set comes with new sleeve notes with contributions from all three band members – Tom Bailey, Joe Leeway and Alannah Currie.

The album will also be released on limited-edition red vinyl and there will be a digital deluxe version, as well as a Dolby Atmos Blu-ray edition. 

Released in February 1984, Into The Gap was the fourth studio album from Thompson Twins and was a breakout hit for them. It featured some of their biggest tracks, including the top five hit “Hold Me Now,” as well as “Doctor Doctor” and “You Take Me Up.” The album went to #1 in the U.K., hit #10 in the U.S. and was certified Platinum by the RIAA. 

Into The Gap 40th Anniversary Edition will be released Nov. 8 and is available for preorder now.

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Eric Clapton has shared a video for “One Woman,” the first single off his upcoming album, Meanwhile.

The video, directed by Dessie Jackson, features a book filled with drawings brought to life through animation.

Meanwhile, Clapton’s first album with new material since 2016’s I Still Do, is made up of six new songs and eight previously released tunes. It features guest appearances by the late Jeff Beck, Van Morrison, Bradley Walker, Judith Hill, Daniel Santiago and Simon Climie.

It will be released digitally on Oct. 4, and on CD and vinyl Jan. 24. It is available for preorder now.

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On This Day, Sept. 25, 2017 …

Tom Petty and The Heartbreakers headlined The Hollywood Bowl in Los Angeles for what would turn out to be their final concert ever, as Petty would die less than two weeks later.

During the show, Petty and the band treated fans to such classic tunes as “I Won’t Back Down,” “Free Fallin’,” “Breakdown” and “Learning to Fly,” wrapping the night with “You Wreck Me” and “American Girl.”

Petty was found unconscious at his home on Oct. 2 and died at UCLA Medical Center, although there were initially premature reports of his passing. The coroner report revealed that drugs played a role in his death.

Petty’s musical legacy still lives on, and it will be remembered with a new deluxe edition of his 1982 album, Long After Dark. It will be released Oct. 18.

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The 2024 Rock & Roll Hall of Fame induction ceremony is happening in October, and the Hall just announced the presenters and performers who’ll help celebrate this year’s inductees.

Artists confirmed for the celebration include James Taylor, Roger Daltrey, Sammy Hagar and Slash, along with Busta Rhymes, Chuck D, Dr. Dre, Demi Lovato, Dua Lipa, Ella Mai, Keith Urban, Jelly Roll, Kenny Chesney, Lucky Daye, Mac McAnally, Method Man, Julia Roberts and The Roots.

In addition, several of this year’s inductees will perform at the event, including Foreigner, Peter Frampton, Dave Matthews Band, Kool & The Gang, Dionne Warwick and Mary J. Blige.

This year’s other inductees include Ozzy Osbourne and A Tribe Called Quest, with Alexis Korner, John Mayall and Big Mama Thornton getting inducted in the Musical Influence category and Jimmy Buffett, MC5 and Norman Whitfield being inducted in the Musical Excellence category.

The 2024 induction ceremony, taking place at the Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse in Cleveland, will stream live on Disney+ Oct. 19 at 7 p.m. ET and will be available to rewatch following the ceremony. On Jan. 1, ABC will air the special 2024 Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony, featuring performance highlights. It’ll be available the next day on Hulu and Disney+.

Disney is the parent company of ABC Audio.

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Fans of The Beatles will soon be able to show off their love of the band with their fashion choices.

On Nov. 14, alice + olivia by Stacey Bendet will launch a new capsule collection with the legendary band, featuring artwork from the band’s career. 

The fashion brand previously teamed with The Beatles in 2018. This new limited-edition collection, alice + olivia x The Beatles, features 17 pieces, including dresses, tops, cardigans, and vegan leather and varsity jackets, ranging in price from $250 to $1,995. Some of the offerings are updates from the 2018 collection. 

Items in the latest collection include a sequin skirt embellished with the lyric “All You Need Is Love,” and a sequin dress with “Come Together” on it. There’s a white and black cardigan dress, also with “All You Need is Love,” and a vegan leather jacket filled with Beatles-related patches.

The collection, created in celebration of the 60th anniversary of The Beatles coming to America, will be available in a variety of stores, including alice + olivia, Neiman Marcus, Saks Fifth Avenue, Nordstrom and Bloomingdale’s.

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Journey drummer Deen Castronovo is sharing his support for the band’s frontman, Arnel Pineda, after Pineda received online criticism for his performance at the recent Rock in Rio festival.

The backlash prompted Pineda to launch a poll asking fans whether he should leave the band, noting he would if enough people wanted him to.

Castronovo has now come to Pineda’s defense, sharing on Facebook, “Arnel has RISEN to the challenge of Journey’s catalog, NIGHT after NIGHT, YEAR after tiring YEAR! He gives to YOU ALL and Journey, the best that he can give you.”

Noting that “the voice is a BIOLOGICAL INSTRUMENT” that can be affected by a variety of things, Castronovo asks, “what’s the point of hammering a human being over something they have no control over??”

“I know very few who can pull off what Arnel does without ego and with passion and grace,” he adds, warning, “BACK OFF TROLLS! You are MESSING with MY FAMILY NOW and I am A RABID PROTECTOR OF MY OWN!!!”

Castronovo is the second member of Journey to stand up for Pineda. Guitarist and founding member Neal Schon previously called the criticism “absolute garbage fabricated bulls***,” telling Arnel, “You’ve kicked a**!”

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Green Day’s Billie Joe Armstrong appears in the new campaign for Marshall’s new Monitor III A.N.C. headphones.

Armstrong is seen in the clip wearing the headphones while walking down the street, oblivious to the strange things happening around him, including a falling street lamp, a dog driving a car and money flying out of an ATM.

“The world, well, it’s sort of chaos,” he says in a voice-over. “It’s easy to get lost in the midst of all that. But things have a way of falling into place.”

It ends with him playing his guitar surrounded by fans, before adding, “But hey – what do I know?”

Marshall’s Monitor III A.N.C. headphones feature 70 hours of playtime with active noise cancellation, or 100 hours without, and come with Soundstage spatial audio technology for a more immersive listening experience. 

“If you know anything about me then you know that for me, the music never turns off,” Armstrong shares. “Marshall is and has always been one of my loudest co-pilots along the way – from the stage to now, the street.”

More info on the headphones can be found at Marshall.com.

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Elton John‘s new book, Farewell Yellow Brick Road: Memories of My Life on Tour, is out now. It includes Elton’s detailed reminiscences of his touring career, both from the past and from his final trek, which wrapped up last year.

The book includes a forward by Elton’s husband and manager, David Furnish, and an introduction by Elton in which he gives a bit of background on his five decades of touring, as well as his decision to stop. 

“Imagine this book as a montage of moments from my distant and recent past, like a convergence of flashing memories,” he writes. “It will give you a glimpse of what it was like to say goodbye to the road and hello to whatever is next.”

That’s followed by a section in which Elton talks about conceptualizing the tour, from the sets and costumes to the set list. Each subsequent chapter in the book is titled after a different city or country that Elton visited during the tour, which, due to COVID-19, spanned from 2018 to July 2023. From the U.S. to the U.K. to Australia and back, Elton recalls what it was like playing in each place, both in the past — if applicable — and during the Farewell tour.

There are also Concert Flashback chapters, where he recalls specific and memorable shows, such as Live Aid in 1985, where he shares his memories of hanging out with his friend Freddie Mercury backstage. There’s also a chapter on what he did when COVID-19 put the tour on hold for months.

Throughout, there are plenty of photos documenting Elton onstage and off, plus set lists, photos of Elton with his celebrity pals and their quotes about the tour, wardrobe and memorabilia photos and more.

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Ringo Starr and his All Starr Band have canceled the final two shows on their fall tour due to illness.

“Ringo has come down with a cold and after consulting a doctor he was advised to cancel these two remaining shows and get rest,” reads a statement released by the rocker’s rep. “As always, Ringo and the All Starrs send peace and love to their fans and hope to see them soon.”

Canceled concerts are Tuesday’s show at the TD Pavilion at The Mann in Philadelphia and Wednesday’s at Radio City Music Hall in New York. Ticketholders will receive automatic refunds.

Ringo and his All Starr Band kicked off the fall leg of their tour on Sept. 7 in San Diego. They have no other shows on the schedule for 2024.

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Actor Michael Shannon and musician Jason Narducy are getting ready to tackle another R.E.M. album on tour.

The pair previously went on the road in celebration of the 40th anniversary of R.E.M’s debut album, Murmur, and now they’ve announced a new tour celebrating the 40th anniversary of the band’s 1985 album, Fables of the Reconstruction.

The tour kicks off Feb. 14 in Pioneertown, California, with stops in Los Angeles, Seattle, Boston, New York and more before wrapping March 14 in Chicago.

Most notably, the tour includes two shows, Feb. 27 and Feb. 28, in R.E.M.’s home city of Athens, Georgia. During Shannon and Narducy’s Murmur tour, all four members of R.E.M. — Michael Stipe, Mike Mills, Bill Berry and Peter Buck — made a surprise appearance at the Athens show, although Stipe did not perform.

“This music is beyond comprehension and I cherish every chance I get to deliver it, even second generation. R.E.M. means the world to me,” Shannon shares. “And this band led by Jason is stone cold ridiculous. Even if I never walked onstage, you would get a hell of a show.”

Narducy adds that the band plans to open the show with Fables of the Reconstruction in its entirety, then they’ll “dig deep” into the R.E.M. catalog. He notes, “We love celebrating the music of this great band.”

Tickets for all shows go on sale Friday.

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