Classic Hits

Duran Duran fans are about to get some new music. The band announced on social media they’ll release the song “New Moon (Dark Phase)” on Sept 13.

While they didn’t share much else about the release, it appears to be some sort of new mix of their Seven and The Ragged Tiger single “New Moon on Monday,” as the title of the original song is in the new song’s digital pre-save link.

The artwork for the single seems similar to the art for their last album, the Halloween themed Danse Macabre, suggesting it may be a spookier version of the original tune.

Duran Duran is continuing their embrace of Halloween with their upcoming U.S. tour, which kicks off Oct. 21 in Allentown, Pennsylvania, and includes The Danse Macabre Halloween Party, happening Oct. 31 at Madison Square Garden in New York. A complete list of dates can be found at duranduran.com.

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Grammy-winning Brazilian musician Sergio Mendes, who helped popularize bossa nova in the U.S. with his band Brasil ’66, has died, ABC Audio has confirmed. He was 83.

According to a family statement, Mendes died Sept. 5 in LA, surrounded by his wife and musical partner, Gracinha, and his children. For the last few months, Mendes had suffered health challenges due to the effects of long-term COVID-19, the family added. His last performances were in November 2023.

Mendes was a pianist, composer and arranger who brought Brazilian music to America, combining bossa nova, samba, jazz and pop, first as part of Antônio Carlos Jobim’s band and then with Brasil ’66. His big breakthrough came in 1968 when he and Brasil ’66 performed “The Look of Love” on the Oscars telecast. His version of the song, featuring vocals by Janis Hansen, was a top 10 hit.

One of Mendes’ biggest U.S. pop hits was his smash 1983 version of “Never Gonna Let You Go,” featuring singers Joe Pizzulo and Leeza Miller. It hit #4 on the Billboard Hot 100 and topped the Billboard Adult Contemporary chart for four weeks.

Among Mendes’ other U.S. pop hits were covers of Little Anthony & the Imperials‘ “Goin’ Out of My Head,” Beatles songs like “The Fool on the Hill,” Simon & Garfunkel‘s “Scarborough Fair,” Buffalo Springfield‘s “For What It’s Worth,” and Roberta Flack and Donny Hathaway‘s “Where Is the Love.”

In 2011, Mendes helped compose the soundtrack of the animated film Rio and was nominated for an Oscar for one of the movie’s songs, “Real in Rio.” His last studio album was 2002’s In the Key of Joy.

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Ringo Starr is getting ready to kick off another tour with his All Starr Band, and he just gave fans a peek behind the scenes at rehearsals for the trek.

In a new video, Ringo shared clips of him and his band at work rehearsing the song “Matchbox.” He also revealed that there’s something very special about the drum kit he’ll be playing on the tour, noting it’s the same model he played when The Beatles were on The Ed Sullivan Show. 

“I had the small kit because I wanted to be seen,” he explained. “But then I had the great idea and said why don’t you give me a rostrum, and they built the rostrum and I’m up there having a great time.”

For this leg of the All Starr Band tour, Ringo will be joined by Toto’s Steve Lukather, Men At Work’s Colin Hay, Warren Ham, Hamish Stuart, Gregg Bissonette and Buck Johnson.

The tour kicks off Saturday in San Diego and wraps Sept. 25 in New York City. A complete list of dates can be found at ringostarr.com.

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Bob Dylan is sharing another live track set to appear on his upcoming box set, The 1974 Live Recordings, which is made up of live recordings Dylan made with The Band.

The Rock & Roll Hall of Famer just released a performance of “Just Like Tom Thumb’s Blues,” a previously unheard live performance recorded Jan. 30, 1974, at New York’s Madison Square Garden. It follows the previously released recording of “Forever Young,” from a Seattle show on Feb. 9, 1974.

Both performances are part of the 431 live tracks featured on the box set, which is made up of 27 CDs. Among those live recordings are 417 that have never been released before. The set also includes 133 newly mixed recordings, plus all the surviving soundboard recordings.

The 1974 Live Recordings, dropping Sept. 20, celebrates the 50th anniversary of Dylan’s historic tour with The Band, which was Dylan’s return to touring after an eight-year break. The tour, which kicked off Jan. 4, 1974, in Chicago, saw the two acts playing arenas for the first time.

It is available for preorder now.

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Joni Mitchell is giving fans another preview of her upcoming box set, Archives, Vol. 4: The Asylum Years (1976-1980), due out Oct. 4.

The legendary singer just released a demo of “Traveling (Hejira),” which was recorded in March 1976 at A&M Studios in Hollywood, California.

Archives, Vol. 4: The Asylum Years (1976-1980) features early recordings and alternate takes from Joni’s albums Hejira, Don Juan’s Reckless Daughter and Mingus, plus the 1980 live album Shadows and Light. It also includes live recordings from Mitchell’s time on Bob Dylan‘s Rolling Thunder Revue, which ran from 1975 to 1976 and also included Joan Baez and Roger McGuinn, among others.

It will be released digitally and as a six-CD set, plus there’s a four-LP set, Joni Mitchell Archives – Volume 4 Highlights: The Asylum Years (1976-1980), featuring Joni’s personal favorites from the CD set. All options come with a book with never-before-seen photos and liner notes that include a discussion between Mitchell and filmmaker Cameron Crowe about this five-year period of her career.

All formats are available for preorder now.

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Elton John is giving fans a sneak peek at his upcoming documentary, Elton John: Never Too Late, which will look back on the legendary performer’s 50-year career as he prepares for his final North American show at Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles. 

The Rock & Roll Hall of Famer has shared some exclusive photos from the doc with People, including shots of him and his band after the Dodger Stadium show in November 2022, and one of him FaceTiming with his 13-year-old son Zachary. 

There’s also a photo of him onstage with John Lennon at Madison Square Garden in 1974, and another of them backstage together. Lennon was a surprise guest at that concert, and it wound up being his last live concert performance ever.

Other photos include one of Elton lying on a couch backstage at MSG in 1974; a performance shot from the ’70s, where he’s banging on the piano with his boot; a shot of him in the studio while recording “Hold Me Closer,” his 2022 collab with Britney Spears; and one of him on his private plane, The Starship, during his 1974 tour.

Elton John: Never Too Late is set to premiere Friday at the Toronto Film Festival. It will stream on Disney+ starting Dec. 13.

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On This Day, Sept. 6, 1968 …

George Harrison asked Eric Clapton to contribute a guitar solo to his new Beatles song, “While My Guitar Gently Weeps.”

Clapton initially declined Harrison’s request, saying “nobody ever plays on Beatles records,” but Harrison eventually convinced him to participate, and Clapton recorded the solo that night.

The song appeared on the band’s album The Beatles, also known as The White Album, which was released in November 1968. The track was one of Harrison’s songs on the album. It went on to be an iconic track for him and has often made it on lists of the greatest guitar songs of all time.

Harrison eventually paid Clapton back for his contribution by cowriting and playing guitar on Cream’s “Badge.”

Harrison and Clapton performed “While My Guitar Gently Weeps” live together several times. In November 2002 Clapton performed the tune at the Concert for George at London’s Royal Albert Hall backed by a band that included Beatles Paul McCartney and Ringo Starr. The concert took place on the one-year anniversary of Harrison’s death.

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The history of two legendary music venues will be explored in books set for release in October.

This Ain’t No Disco: The Story of CBGB, about the famed New York punk club CBGB that launched the careers of bands like the Ramones, Blondie and Talking Heads, will be reissued with bonus material on Oct. 15.

The book from author Roman Kozak with photos by Ebet Roberts was originally released in 1988 and has long been out of print. It’s described as “a detailed warts-and-all history, with memories, stories and gossip from dozens of insiders who worked, played or just hung out at CBGB.”

The new edition features an added forward by Talking Heads drummer Chris Frantz, plus new photographs and added pieces about the club’s 2006 closing.

Also coming out on Oct. 15 is Marquee: The Story of the World’s Greatest Music Venue by Robert Sellers and Nick Pendleton. The book, which was previously released in the U.K. but will now be available in North America, delves into the history of London’s Marquee, opened by Nick’s father, Harold Pendleton.

The Marquee originally opened as a jazz club in 1958 but later transitioned to rock, with bands like Jethro Tull, Yes and Genesis playing the venue in the early days of their careers. The Rolling Stones played their first-ever show there in July 1962, with artists like the Police, the Jam, Adam and the Ants, Iron Maiden and Def Leppard also playing there.

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The Rolling Stones are out to improve the way you hear their music on the go.

The band has teamed with Speaqua Sound for a limited-edition portable and waterproof speaker collection. The line is made up of three of Speaqua’s models, each decorated with The Stones’ iconic lips and tongue logo.

“This collection is where the rebellious spirit of rock and roll meets Speaqua’s cutting-edge, adventure-ready design,” reads the description. “Celebrating The Rolling Stones’ unparalleled influence on global music, the collaboration embodies Speaqua’s mission to bring more music to more places.”

The three models are The Cruiser H2.0, which is a small to-go speaker that comes with a bottle opener, and the Barnacle Pro 2.0 and Barnacle Vibe 3.0, which feature a mounting station and store up to 2,000 songs.

They are available to order now at speaqua.com.

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The B-52s have been added to the lineup for the upcoming concert celebrating former President Jimmy Carter’s 100th birthday.

Put on by The Carter Center, Jimmy Carter 100: A Celebration in Song will be held at Atlanta’s Fox Theatre on Sept. 17. The B-52s were formed in Athens, Georgia, while Carter hails from Plains, Georgia.

Other new additions to the lineup include Duane Betts, Carlene Carter, Angélique Kidjo, BeBe Winans, India Arie and Lalah Hathaway.

They join previously announced performers like Rolling Stone touring keyboardist Chuck Leavell, Eric Church, Maren Morris, The War and Treaty, Drive-By Truckers, GROUPLOVE and The Atlanta Symphony Orchestra Chamber Chorus.

Proceeds from the event will benefit The Carter Center, which works to promote peace and improve health around the world. 

Tickets for the concert are on sale now. For more info, visit CarterCenter.org.

Jimmy Carter will turn 100 on Oct. 1. He is the longest-living U.S. president.

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