The Doors released their self-titled debut album, which they recorded at Sunset Sound Recorders in Hollywood, California.
The album, which peaked at #2 on the Billboard 200 Album chart, featured future Doors classics “Break On Through (To the Other Side),” “Light My Fire” and the ominous “The End.”
The record wound up being the band’s best-selling album and has been certified four-times Platinum by the RIAA.
Both the album and “Light My Fire” were inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame and chosen by the Library of Congress for preservation in the National Recording Registry.
Elvis Presley is the latest artist set to return to the stage thanks to artificial intelligence.
A company called Layered Reality, which describes itself as “the U.K.’s leading immersive specialist,” has announced a new show, Elvis Evolution, which is expected to debut in Central London in November and possibly go global after that.
The show will feature a life-size digital Elvis performing the King of Rock ‘n’ Roll’s most famous songs.
“Elvis fans can look forward to a memory-making experience like no other,” reads the website. “Through AI and groundbreaking tech you’ll be able to witness iconic Elvis performances as if you were really there, and celebrate defining moments in Elvis Presley’s extraordinary life and career.”
So far, an exact venue for the show hasn’t been revealed, but it is expected to include an Elvis-themed restaurant and bar, which will host an after-party featuring live music, DJs and performances.
Ticket information hasn’t been announced yet, but fans can join the waitlist for more information at elvis.layeredrealtiy.com.
Elvis, who would have turned 89 on Monday, January 8, passed away August 16, 1977, at the age of 42.
A recent report claimed that Dead & Company were in talks to play a residency at the Las Vegas Sphere, but a new poll suggests they aren’t the artists most folks want to see headline the state-of-the-art venue.
Considering there have been lots of rumors as to who may play the venue next, a new survey by casino.org asked 3,000 Americans who they’d most like to see. Well, it turns out Dead & Company doesn’t top the list. In fact, they’re the artists most would least like to see at the venue, with Lady Gaga being America’s top pick.
Other bands coming in ahead of Dead & Company include Paul McCartney at four, Eagles at five, Bon Jovi at six and KISS at eight.
For now, U2 is still at the venue until March 2, with U2: UV Achtung Baby Live at Sphere. Phish will follow from April 18-21.
So far, there’s been no official announcement that the rumored Dead & Company residency is going to happen. The band, made up of Grateful Dead’s Bob Weir and Mickey Hart, along with John Mayer, Oteil Burbridge and Jeff Chimenti, went on their final tour in 2023, but Mayer recently gave fans some hope that the group is not completely over.
During a New Year’s Eve appearance on CNN, Andy Cohen asked Mayer about the future of Dead & Company, and he replied, “I’m not at liberty to say just yet. But, have hope is what I’ll say. Have hope … just like you should for all things in 2024.”
Survey questions, methodology and results have not been verified or endorsed by ABC News or The Walt Disney Company.
Paul McCartney wrapped his 2023 Got Back tour in Brazil last month, and he’s sharing highlights from the trek with fans.
The two-time Rock & Roll Hall of Famer debuted a video recapping the five-city tour, which kicked off with a club show in Brasília on November 28 and wrapped December 16 in Rio De Janeiro. The dates were McCartney’s first time back in Brazil since 2019.
“Brazil has been fantastic. It’s a beautiful nation,” he shares in the clip. “When you go on stage with an audience like that the feedback you get, it’s like meeting a dear friend in the street who you haven’t seen for a long time. But it’s that 40,000 times over.”
The video recap features footage of McCartney performing in each city, clips of him warming up backstage and more. There’s footage of crying and screaming fans in the audience as well as crowds waiting for him to arrive, including one fan who revealed that she learned English listening to McCartney’s music.
“When people ask me, why do you still do it, it’s cause of the crowds,” McCartney says in the clip. “Brazil, the people, they love to dance, they love to sing. For us it’s been brilliant just coming and performing for all of those crowds.”
McCartney’s Brazil shows were the final dates of his 2023 Got Back tour. So far, he has no shows planned for 2024.
Graham Nash took to social media to wish his bandmate Stephen Stills a happy 79th birthday on Wednesday, January 3.
“Happy Birthday to one of the most genuinely cool and kind people I’ve been lucky enough to call my friend,” Nash wrote on Instagram next to a picture of him, Stills and the late David Crosby. “Hope it’s a great one, Stephen! Much love my friend.”
Meanwhile, Stills’ Instagram account marked his birthday with a montage of photos set to The Beatles “Birthday.” The post was captioned with a quote from Stills about aging.
“Getting older is like a long rock and roll song,” he writes. “Some parts are epic solos, and others are just the drummer trying to find the beat.”
Back in May, Queen‘s Brian May posted a photo with his good friend Black Sabbath’s Tony Iommi, sharing that they were filming a documentary on guitar riffs. Now, fans in the U.S. are finally getting to see what went down.
The two rockers teamed for the three-part Sky News series, Greatest Guitar Riffs, which aired in the U.K. back in November. Guitar World has just debuted a clip of them chatting and performing together.
Asked how he came up with his Sabbath riffs, Iommi explains, “I don’t know. I think it’s within.”
“Normally, we jam around and play something, and Ozzy (Osbourne) will go, what the f**** that,” he continues, adding, “It just feels right.”
They then discuss Black Sabbath’s “Paranoid,” which Iommi says happened because they didn’t have enough tunes for their album, and their producer told them they needed another song.
“The others had gone out to have something to eat. I came up with this riff, so when they got back I played them this idea of ‘Paranoid’,” he explains. “It’s basic. It’s not technical by any means. What I’ve always done is, not try and play anything that’s flash. I play things that I think is right for the song.”
Iommi and May then jam on the song’s classic riff, although May seemed hesitant to play.
“I’m going to commit sacrilege by joining in!” May jokes, before adding, “It is a good riff. It will go far.”
Stephen Stills, best known for his work with Buffalo Springfield, Crosby, Stills & Nash and Manassas, was born in Dallas, Texas.
Stills has written such tunes as “For What It’s Worth,” “Sit Down, I Think I Love You” and “Bluebird” for Buffalo Springfield, and “Carry On,” and “Suite: Judy Blue Eyes” for CSN.
“Love the One You’re With,” from his 1970 self-titled solo debut, was Stills’ biggest solo hit, peaking at #14 on the Billboard charts. The tune features his CSN bandmates, David Crosby and Graham Nash, and Rita Coolidge on background vocals.
Stills has been inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame twice, as a member of Crosby, Stills & Nash and Buffalo Springfield. Both inductions happened in 1996 and he is the only artist to be inducted into the Hall of Fame twice in the same night.
Foreigner kicked off their farewell tour back in July, but it doesn’t appear to be ending anytime soon.
The band currently has dates on the books for 2024, including a Las Vegas residency that kicks off in March and a tour with Styx that launches in June. And during an interview with Bass Musician magazine, bassist Jeff Pilson suggested that there may be even more shows planned for 2025.
“There may be something going on in ’25, we just haven’t heard yet,” he shared. “But what I will tell you is at the end of ’24 will be the end of our doing long tours. That’s really what we mean by this farewell tour … no more nine months of the year on the road.”
As for why the band is ready to hang it up, he says the traveling is too much, plus they want to spend time with their families.
“We’re not that young. So, there is all that,” he says. “And basically, we wanna have a life, it would be nice to have more of a life.”
Foreigner’s 2024 dates kick off January 19 in Scottsdale, Arizona, and they’ll be back in Las Vegas for their Feels Like The Last Time residency, starting March 22. Their Renegades & Juke Box Heroes tour with Styx kicks off June 11. A complete list of dates can be found at foreigneronline.com.
Elvis Presley is back in the top 20 for the first time in over 45 years.
The King of Rock & Roll’s holiday classic “Blue Christmas” lands at #18 on the BillboardHot 100 this week, his 49th top 20 single, and the first time he’s appeared in the top 20 since 1977, when “Way Down” peaked at #18.
Elvis released his version of “Blue Christmas” in 1957 as part of Elvis’ Christmas Album. The song, written by Billy Hayes and Jay W. Johnson, was originally recorded by Doye O’Dell in 1948 and has since been covered by a whole host of artists. In addition to Elvis, two other versions have hit the Hot 100, The Browns‘ 1960 recording and country star Kane Brown‘s 2022 version.
Meanwhile, thanks to the Christmas holiday, Brenda Lee’s classic “Rockin’ Around the Christmas Tree” returns to #1 on the Hot 100 this week, the song’s third nonconsecutive week on top.
After KISS wrapped their End of the Road tour, Gene Simmons gave fans a chance to spend some time with him at Electric Lady Studios in New York. Now he’s sharing some behind-the-scenes footage of the experience.
The unique event happened December 4, 5 and 6, following the band’s final performance at Madison Square Garden on December 2. Those who took part paid $6,000 for the privilege, which included being able to record a song with Simmons and hear him share stories of his career.
In a video posted to YouTube, Simmons talks about how the studio, which was built by Jimi Hendrix, has a very personal connection to KISS.
“This was the first recording studio Paul [Stanley] and I ever recorded in. We did background vocals for other artists. And then KISS. Yes, our little band,” he shares. “This was the very first recording studio, Electric Lady, where we recorded our very first demo that had songs like ‘Deuce’ and ‘Black Diamond’ and so on.”
He talks of wanting fans to get to experience the studio where artists like Led Zeppelin, The Rolling Stones and more recorded, noting, “I wanted the fans to be able to stand there and actually record in the very same rooms that these superstars were in.” He added, “What an amazing experience. I hope to do it again.”
The clip then shows Simmons posing for photos with fans and directing them as they record their take on the KISS classic “Rock and Roll All Nite.”
As for doing it again, it sounds like there are already plans in the works. Simmons ends the video by teasing the same experiences coming to “a local recording studio where you live.”
