Classic Hits

The music of The Alan Parsons Project is being revisited with a new series of releases that kicked off Friday, February 23, with I, Robot (Sessions).

Out now via digital services, I, Robot (Sessions) serves as a companion to the band’s 1977 sophomore studio album, I, Robot, and features demos, early mixes, instrumentals and more. One of those tracks is an early take on the song “Don’t Let It Snow,” which gives fans some insight into songwriter Eric Woolfson‘s creation of the song, which was covered by Rock & Roll Hall of Famer Pat Benatar on her 1976 debut album.

I, Robot (Sessions) is the first in The Alan Parsons Project Sessions series, which will be released over the course of the next year, adding bonus material like demos, edits, alternative versions, backing tracks and more to APP albums. The bonus material has been discovered amongst more than 1,000 master tapes stored for over 40 years in Woolfson’s archives.

In addition to the Sessions series, the band’s catalog will be getting a spatial audio release over the next year.

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It’s hard to picture anyone but Huey Lewis belting out “The Heart of Rock and Roll,” but a new trailer for the Broadway musical of the same name will give you an idea of what you can expect.

The Heart of Rock and Roll, inspired by the songs of Huey Lewis & the News, begins previews on March 29. In the trailer, we see main character Bobby, played by Corey Cott, singing the song both in a rehearsal space and then onstage at a bar.

Bobby and the band are eventually joined by Bobby’s boss, Cassandra, played by McKenzie Kurtz. In between, we see the cast cutting the song in a recording studio.

The Heart of Rock and Roll features other Huey Lewis hits like “Do You Believe In Love,” “If This Is It” and “Hip to Be Square.” It follows Bobby, who trades his rock dreams for a corporate job, and Cassandra, who puts her personal life on hold in favor of her career. When they get the opportunity to live their dreams, they have to decide what they really want out of life.

The show will officially open at Broadway’s James Earl Jones Theatre on April 22. Tickets are on sale now.

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A classic Loverboy concert from the ’80s is being released in high definition for the very first time.

The Canadian rockers, best known for their classic track “Working for the Weekend,” are set to release Live in ‘82 as limited-edition CD + Blu-ray and LP + DVD sets on June 7. The footage has been restored from Loverboy guitarist Paul Dean‘s personal archive of 16mm film.

“The 1980s was an amazing time, but it’s still amazing now,” Dean shares. “The fact that Loverboy are still together and playing these same songs almost every night – Who’d have thought?”

And the band is giving fans a preview of the concert with the release of a live performance of their top 40 hit “Turn Me Loose,” which is available via digital outlets and on YouTube.

Loverboy’s Live in ’82 is available for preorder now.

Loverboy is set to hit the road this summer as a special guest on Sammy Hagar’s The Best of All Worlds tour, which kicks off July 13 in West Palm Beach, Florida. A complete list of Loverboy dates can be found at loverboyband.com.

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Santana’s album Supernatural won a record-breaking nine trophies at the 42nd annual Grammy Awards, which broke the record held by Michael Jackson’s Thriller for most Grammys won by a single album in one night.

Supernatural was named Album of the Year, making Carlos Santana the first Hispanic artist to win that award. 

The album’s hit track “Smooth,” featuring Matchbox Twenty’s Rob Thomas, took home Song of the Year and Record of the Year, as well as Best Pop Collaboration with Vocals, with Santana and Thomas teaming for a performance of the song during the telecast.

Another track, “Maria Maria,” won Best Pop Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocals.
 

Released in June 1999, Supernatural had Santana collaborating with a variety of artists, including Thomas, Lauryn Hill, Eric Clapton and more. It reached #1 in 11 countries, and spent 12 weeks on top the Billboard 200 Albums chart.

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There’s no doubt Mick Jagger is in great shape, especially for 80, and now The Rolling Stones frontman is giving fans some insight into how he stays that way. 

The rocker has just shared his workout playlist for Apple Music’s Music That Moves Me series, including tunes by Prince, Marvin Gaye and Daft Punk.

“Sometimes I like to exercise in silence other times I like to be in the gym with Mozart,” Jagger shares, “but most of the time I like to exercise to music like this.” 

The Stones are represented on the list with their Hackney Diamonds track “Mess It Up,” with the Jagger solo tune “God Gave Me Everything” also part of the playlist. Mick also likes to work out to songs like “Erotic City” by Prince, “Got To Give It Up, Pt 1” by Gaye, “Don’t You Want Me” by The Human League, The 1975’s “Sex,” “There Was A Time” by James Brown & The Famous Flames and “Rockafella Skank” by Fatboy Slim.

And Jagger is going to need to step up his exercise routine because he’s got some big shows to get ready for. The Rolling Stones kick off their Hackney Diamonds tour on April 28 in Houston, Texas. A complete list of dates can be found at rollingstones.com.

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Billy Joel is set to play a venue he’s never played before. That’s because it hasn’t actually opened yet. 

The Rock & Roll Hall of Famer just announced a one-off show at the brand new Intuit Dome in Inglewood, California, on October 15.

The venue, the future home of the Los Angeles Clippers, is expected to open in August, with Billy one of the first artists to announce a concert there. 

A presale for tickets kicks off Monday, February 26, at 10 a.m., with the general sale starting Friday, March 1, at 10 a.m.

Joel, who recently released “Turn The Lights Back On,” his first new single in 17 years, returns to the stage on Saturday, February 24, for a co-headlining show with Sting in Tampa, Florida. A complete list of Billy dates can be found at billyjoel.com.

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Gibson Guitars has announced a new collaborative partnership with legendary Led Zeppelin guitarist Jimmy Page.

The news was announced during the launch of Gibson Garage London, which officially opens to the public on Saturday, February 24. It’s the guitar company’s first flagship store outside of the U.S.

“When I met with (Gibson President and CEO) Cesar (Gueikian) and he explained what the future of Gibson looked like, I knew I needed to be involved,” Page shares. “There is a spirit in the place; after seeing the people working at the factories and getting a connection with them, I knew that picking up that Les Paul Custom and the Doubleneck all those years ago was certainly the right decision.” 

Details regarding the partnership have not yet been revealed, but Gibson previewed the collab with a video trailer featuring Page posing with his doubleneck guitar.

And Page wasn’t the only superstar guitarist at the Gibson Garage London launch. Black Sabbath’s Tony Iommi and Queen’s Brian May were on hand for the celebration, with May sharing a photo with his fellow guitar greats on Instagram.

“The new Gibson Garage London will be just what we all used to dream a guitar shop should be, a place where a young player can feel welcome and mix with the finest instruments, amps, and ancillary gear-and NOT be told to keep their hands to themselves! It’s a new era in Rock – and the Twang is still the Thang,” May said. 

“It’s really great that Gibson have chosen London to create a new Gibson Garage,” Iommi adds. “It’s not your average guitar shop-it’s a place where musicians can go to get inspired.”

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Neil Diamond’s music will be leaving Broadway this summer. 

Producers just announced that A Beautiful Noise, The Neil Diamond Musical will have its final performance at New York’s Broadhurst Theatre on June 30, after 35 preview performances and 657 regular performances.

But the show will live on, with a North American tour set to kick off this fall in Providence, Rhode Island. 

“Neil’s music has brought unadulterated joy to billions of people across the world. Everyone at A Beautiful Noise is proud to say that we had a small hand in telling his inspiring life story on Broadway and sharing in that jubilation with our audiences,” producer Ken Davenport shares. “As the North American tour prepares to launch this fall, I look forward to A Beautiful Noise spreading the love to countless others.”

A Beautiful Noise opened on Broadway in December 2022 and has gone on to gross close to $63 million, with half a million people seeing it.

Tickets for the final shows are on sale at abeautifulnoisethemusical.com.

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If the first day is any indication, Elton John stands to make a bundle from the Christie’s auction of the contents of his Atlanta, Georgia, home.

The first day of the sale, February 21, brought in $8 million, according to ArtsandCollections.com. All 49 lots were sold, with the big-ticket item being a work by famed artist Banksy called Flower Thrower Triptych. That went for more than $1.9 million. Another big item was Elton’s 1990 Bentley Continental, which sold for $441,000.

A pair of Elton’s signature silver leather platform boots from 1971 sold for $94,5000, more than 19 times the estimate, while a pair of his equally signature sunglasses went for $22,680, more than 11 times the estimate.

Among the other lots were luxury wristwatches, including a Cartier watch that sold for more than $277,000, and a bunch of Versace silk shirts that went for more than $30,000.

The auction continues Thursday, February 22, and Friday, February 23, and there are two other sessions, February 27 and February 28.

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Ace Frehley has dropped a new video for “Cherry Medicine,” the latest single off his new solo album, 10,000 Volts.

“This is one of my favorite tracks on the album, and we definitely had fun making the video,” the former KISS guitarist shared on Instagram.

The clip opens with Frehley getting out of a cherry red Ferrari, and features a bevy of leather-clad women who frolic with each other, and with the rocker and his band as they are performing the track.

To coincide with the video’s release, Frehley is releasing a limited-edition “Cherry Medicine” vinyl variant. Only 750 copies of the 12-inch are available on 180g half silver/half clear vinyl, with red and blue splatter.

Frehley’s 10,000 Volts, his first solo release since 2020’s Origins Vol. 2, comes out February 23 and is available for preorder now.

Frehley has several performances on the calendar for 2024, including an appearance on the Monsters of Rock Cruise, which runs from May 2-6 out of Miami, Florida. A complete list of dates can be found at acefrehley.com.

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