Classic Hits

Debbie Harry: Singer, songwriter, actress and now fashion designer.

The iconic frontwoman of Blondie has teamed with the clothing brand Wildfang to launch a six-piece capsule collection. The pieces were inspired by some of Debbie’s own looks and are described as “a true representation of her personal style.” That comes through in the extensive use of metal hardware and holes in the sweatshirt cuffs that you can put your thumbs through. One of the items is a graphic tee with a vintage photo of the singer, which she personally chose.

The collection also includes a cropped button-up with grommets on the collar, a long-sleeved button-up with a removable silver chain and grommets on the collar, a slim cropped pant with grommets on the waistband, and a double-breasted blazer with a removable chain that attaches at the collar and the pocket.

Speaking to Paper magazine, Harry says, “I love metal. I guess it comes from starting out with safety pins. Safety pins really worked some magic for us back in the day. In fact, I feel naked if I’m not wearing a safety pin. I have to have one for good measure. It’s just sort of the rock and roll thing … the grommets and leather and chains and that kind of jewelry.”

She adds, “I am not a designer. What am I? I am good at combining unlikely elements, and it’s always been fun.”

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AC/DC has announced the third and final installment of their gold vinyl release series celebrating the band’s 50th anniversary.

The upcoming set is expected to ship Sept. 25. It includes 1983’s Flip of the Switch, 1985’s Fly on the Wall, 1988’s Blow Up Your Video, 2008’s Black Ice, 2012’s Live at River Plate and AC/DC’s latest album, 2020’s Power Up.

Each piece, available for preorder now, will come with a 12-by-12 album-specific print and AC/DC 50 artwork.

The gold vinyl series first launched in March, and the second collection dropped in June.

AC/DC has been spending the summer touring Europe, marking their first extended live run since 2016.

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Nothing says Southern rock like bourbon, which is probably why the Allman Brothers Band has teamed up with the Three Chord Bourbon brand to release a signature blend.

The new booze is available for preorder. According to Three Chord Bourbon’s website, it’s an attempt to honor the band’s iconic album Eat a Peach. As such, it’s a blend of straight bourbon whiskey finished with toasted peach wood. The taste is described as “smooth and sweet, with added complexity from toasted peach wood,” while the finish is “long and balanced, with notes of sweetness, spice, and caramel.”

The idea for the bourbon started in 2022, and we’re told that the blend, the label design and the idea for the peach wood were all developed with the band. In a statement, ABB’s Jaimoe said, “If you like whiskey, you will dig our collaboration with Three Chord Bourbon. It’s a celebration of our legacy. Far out man. The Road Goes on Forever.”

The bourbon will be available at select retailers later this year. Three Chord Bourbon, by the way, was founded by Neil Giraldo, the musical partner and husband of Rock & Roll Hall of Famer Pat Benatar.

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The ongoing archival series of Joni Mitchell albums continues with Archives, Vol. 4: The Asylum Years (1976-1980), due out Oct. 4.

Available as a six-CD, a four-LP or a digital version, the package includes 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.

You can hear a track from the collection — a live version of “Coyote” from her 1976 album, Hejira, recorded in Montreal in 1975 — now.

The package 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. The first three albums are experimental, jazz-influenced works featuring top jazz and jazz fusion players, including bassist Jaco Pastorius, guitarists Larry Carlton and John McLaughlin, drummer John Guerin, bassist Stanley Clarke, saxophonist Wayne Shorter and jazz icon Charles Mingus.

Among the many live tracks in the collection are songs Mitchell performed during Bob Dylan‘s Rolling Thunder Revue, a legendary tour that ran from 1975 to 1976 and also included Joan Baez and Roger McGuinn, among others. Other live cuts come from her appearances at the Bread & Roses festival in 1978, a 1979 Anti-Nuclear Rally in Washington, D.C., and Joni’s 1979 tour.

The tracks include live versions of some of Joni’s most popular songs, including “A Case of You,” “Help Me,” “Free Man In Paris,” “Big Yellow Taxi,” “Raised on Robbery” and “The Last Time I Saw Richard.”

Visit Mitchell’s official online store to see the full track listing.

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On This Day, Aug. 8, 1987 …

U2 found themselves atop the Billboard Hot 100 for the second time with “I Still Haven’t Found What I’m Looking For,” the second single off their first #1 album, The Joshua Tree. The track spent two weeks in the #1 position.

The Irish rockers had previously topped the chart with the album’s first single, “With Or Without You,” which spent three weeks at #1. 

“I Still Haven’t Found What I’m Looking For” went on to become one of the band’s most iconic tracks and was nominated for two Grammy Awards in 1988: Record of the Year and Song of the Year. It has also landed on several best-of lists, including Rolling Stone’s list of the 500 Greatest Songs of All Time.

In other U2 facts … Aug. 8 also happens to be U2 guitarist The Edge’s birthday. Born David Howell Evans, the rocker turns 63 this year.

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Bruce Springsteen was a surprise guest at Zach Bryan‘s Aug. 7 show at Philadelphia’s Lincoln Financial Field.

As captured in fan-shot video, the Boss joined Bryan for a rendition of his song “Atlantic City,” from his 1982 album Nebraska, as well as for their duet “Sandpaper,” from Bryan’s current album The Great American Bar Scene. 

The Lumineers were also special guests at the show, joining Bryan for the song “Spotless.”  Springsteen and The Lumineers returned for Bryan’s closing number, “Revival.”

This was Springsteen’s second guest appearance at a Zach Bryan concert: Back in March, Bruce joined the “Pink Skies” singer for “Sandpaper” — then unreleased — at a show in Brooklyn.

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Paul McCartney and Wings recently released the live album One Hand Clapping, 50 years after they recorded it, and now fans are going to get some insight into the making of the record with a new documentary. 

Paul McCartney and Wings – One Hand Clapping will be released in theaters beginning Sept. 26, featuring footage and interviews with the band, as well as contributions from the creative team behind the album. 

The doc will also include the previously unreleased Backyard Sessions, with footage showing McCartney performing tracks from his catalog on acoustic guitar, as well as an intro by McCartney and Polaroid photos from the recording session.

“It’s so great to look back on that period and see the little live show we did,” McCartney shares. “We made a pretty good noise actually! It was a great time for the band, we started to have success with Wings, which had been a long time coming.”

One Hand Clapping was recorded at Abbey Road Studios in August 1974 as a video documentary and possible live album, although it never officially came out until its recent June release. The album includes live recordings of such Wings hits as “Live and Let Die,” “Band on the Run,” “Jet” and “My Love,” as well as Paul’s solo song “Maybe I’m Amazed” and reworked versions of Beatles songs like “Let It Be,” “Lady Madonna” and “The Long and Winding Road.”

Tickets for the film go on sale Aug. 16.

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Traffic’s Dave Mason is ready to share his story in the upcoming memoir Only You Know and I Know, but it may not have happened if it wasn’t for his fans and his wife.

The Rock & Roll Hall of Famer tells ABC Audio he was “badgered” into writing the book, noting that for a long time fans have been telling him he should write one. 

“And frankly, if it was up to me, you know, left to my own devices, I probably would never have done it since I’m (a) pretty private person,” he shares. “And then, of course, my wife got on my back, which was, that was the end of that.” 

Mason writes about all the artists he’s worked with over the years, including his Traffic bandmates, The Rolling Stones, Paul McCartney and Eric Clapton, but he notes that the book is about more than the music.

“For the most part, I tried to write about a personal journey, a life’s story,” he says. “It just happens to have some major sort of highlights that … normally most people would never get to do.”

The book also contains essays from several of Mason’s friends and colleagues, and he says he was open to include whatever anybody wanted to write about him.

“Write whatever you want is how I left it with everybody,” he says. “If they want to say well it was great, and this was great, but he’s a real a******, I mean, it would have been fine. It would of just lent a little more salt and pepper to the narrative.” 

Only You Know and I Know will be released Sept. 10. It’s available for preorder now.

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In his 1985 solo hit “Lucky In Love,” Mick Jagger sang that he was “a bettin’ fool/ a gamblin’ man.” Well, an actual person who fits that description has now changed his name … to Mick Jagger.

According to the U.K.’s ITV, the 62-year-old man says he ruined his life gambling and has now changed his name to Mick Jagger in an effort to escape his past. The recovering gambling addict started betting on horse races at age 12 and subsequently went through hundreds of thousands of dollars. His family disowned him and he was forced to live on the streets.

“I’ve had plenty of low points when I’ve thought it would just be better to end it all,” Mick told ITV News Anglia. “I’ve had flats. I’ve had jobs. I’ve lost them through gambling. I spent more time in the betting shop than I did at work. I never paid my rent or my bills because I always gambled it away.”

The good news is that five years ago Mick connected with a local homelessness charity. He now lives at the charity’s home base and works in its garden, and he hasn’t gambled in 18 months.

“I’m a new person. Just because we suffer with addiction we’re not bad people,” he tells ITV News Anglia. 

No word on what the real Mick Jagger thinks about this — perhaps he has “Mixed Emotions.”

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Rod Stewart was set to perform at the Colosseum at Caesars Palace Wednesday, Aug. 7, in what was to have been a residency-ending performance of his show Rod Stewart: The Hits. Earlier on Wednesday, he announced that the final show wouldn’t actually be his final show after all and he would be returning to the Colosseum in 2025. But now, the point is moot — because Wednesday’s show has been canceled.

The concert, the 200th show of Rod’s current residency, is off because Rod is sick. He wrote on Instagram, “I’m desperately sorry to miss this 200th show celebration. Many people can work with strep throat but obviously not me. I’m absolutely gutted.”

“I’ve been looking forward to this concert for so long,” he continued. “My deepest regrets for any inconvenience this has caused. Thankfully we’ll now be returning in 2025 and I hope to see you all there.”

It’s not clear if the tickets for this show will be good for the new residency, The Encore Shows, which starts in March. According to a press release, this will be a somewhat different show, with new production and different songs.

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