Classic Hits

As previously reported, Rod Stewart‘s new album Swing Fever will be out February 23. Now, you can hear the album’s first single, “Almost Like Being In Love,” which was originally written by Lerner & Loewe for the 1947 musical Brigadoon.

Among the other swingin’ classics on the record are “Ain’t Misbehavin’,” “Lullaby of Broadway” and “Pennies from Heaven.” As previously reported, the album is a collaboration between Rod and big band leader, TV host and former Squeeze keyboardist Jools Holland. It was recorded with Holland’s Rhythm and Blues Orchestra at his London studio.

“I’d already started making a swing album, but it didn’t turn out how I wanted it,” Rod explains in a statement. “It was more Frank Sinatra than it was Louis Prima, let’s say. So I cancelled that, and then I realized the guy I should go to is Jools. Also, our fanatical model railway enthusiasm bonded us together. So, we started recording.”

“It’s the easiest album I’ve ever made in my life,” he adds to Music Week. You can preorder it now.

“Rod said at the beginning, ‘I don’t want any ballads, I want it all swinging,'” Jools tells Music Week. “And my hope for the album – what will really make me happy – is if I see people dancing to it. Also, as Rod says, it’s good for old people, it’s good for young people, you could put it on anywhere.”

As for the possibility of taking the album on the road, Rod notes, “We’d love to. I adore [Jools], I adore the band and I’ve made room for it. I’ve put a lot of the rock & roll stuff aside. We have to just sit down and talk and work out a plan.”

Here’s the Swing Fever track list:

“Lullaby Of Broadway”
“Oh Marie”
“Sentimental Journey”
“Pennies From Heaven”
“Night Train”
“Love Is The Sweetest Thing”
“Them There Eyes”
“Good Rockin’ Tonight”
“Ain’t Misbehavin’”
“Frankie And Johnny”
“Walkin’ My Baby Back Home”
“Almost Like Being In Love”
“Tennessee Waltz”

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On This Day, December 5, 1973…

Paul McCartney & Wings released their third album, Band on the Run, which became a huge hit and to this day remains McCartney’s most successful non-Beatles album.

The album produced two hits, the title track and “Jet,” and went to #1 in the U.S. and the U.K.

The cover depicted McCartney, his wife Linda, and guitarist Denny Laine posing with actors James Coburn and Christopher Lee, British boxer John Conteh, U.K. broadcasters Michael Parkinson and Clement Freud, and English entertainer Kenny Lynch, all dressed as escaped convicts.

To celebrate the anniversary, McCartney just announced a special 50th anniversary edition, featuring an album of nine songs without any orchestral overdubs, dropping February 2. It is available for preorder now.

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Geddy Lee is sharing new music with his fans.

The Rush rocker has just released The Lost Demos, featuring the tracks “Gone” and “I Am…You Are,” which were recorded during the sessions for My Favorite Headache, his 2000 solo debut.

“I’m excited to see these two ‘lost demos’ released,” Geddy shares. “I loved the songs when they were written and in some ways they feel as fresh and perhaps more relevant all these years later.”

You can listen to the pair of songs now via streaming services.

Both of these songs have been played during Lee’s current book tour for his memoir, My Effin’ Life. During the opening night show in New York, he revealed they would be included as part of the memoir’s audiobook.

The release coincides with the Tuesday, December 5, premiere of Lee’s new Paramount + docuseries, Are Bass Players Human Too?, which features appearances by such famous bassists as Nirvana‘s Krist Novoselic, Metallica‘s Robert Trujillo, Primus‘ Les Claypool and Hole‘s Melissa Auf der Maur. 

Lee wraps the U.S. leg of his My Effin’ Life book tour on Thursday, December 7, in Toronto. He then heads overseas for some U.K. dates, which kick off Sunday, December 10, in Wolverhampton, England. A complete list of dates can be found at rush.com.

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If you’ve been dying to get your children to appreciate The Beatles, now’s your chance. The legendary band’s music has been added to the audio platform Yoto, which is aimed at children.

Three new Yoto cards of music from The Beatles and Paul McCartney are now available. Two of them feature music from The Beatles’ 1962-1966 (The Red Album) and 1967-1970 (The Blue Album), including “Love Me Do,” “Can’t Buy Me Love” and “I Want To Hold Your Hand” from Red and “Penny Lane,” “All You Need Is Love,” “Hey Jude” and “Let It Be” from Blue.

The third, titled Paul McCartney: Say Hello to Paul McCartney, features a McCartney curated collection, including the themes to Paul’s children’s books, Hey Grandude and Hey Nandude.

All three cards are available now for $14.99 each.

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Two-time Rock & Roll Hall of Famer Graham Nash is featured in a new video for the nonprofit Pass It On, which uses uplifting videos to inspire people to act with kindness, respect and generosity.

The latest video from the group features Nash’s tune “A Better Life” from his May release, Now.

“In a way, ‘Better Life’ is kind of an extension of my song ‘Teach Your Children,’” Nash says in the video, referring to the song made famous by his band, Crosby, Stills & Nash. “Even though they may be only 25% of our population, children are 100% of our future and we have to realize that. We have to take care of our kids.” 

He adds, “Life is full of actions, you can think and you can talk all you want, do something. And even at 81 you can still rock. … Let’s make this world a better place.”

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Duran Duran is set to headline the annual Cruel World Festival, happening May 11 in Pasadena, California.

The festival features a lineup heavy on acts from or influenced by the ’80s alternative and new wave scene. Other artists on the bill include Blondie, Simple Minds, Soft Cell, Adam Ant, Gary Numan performing his 1979 album The Pleasure Principle, The Alarm and The Motels, along with Interpol, Placebo, Ministry and Jesus and Mary Chain.

Registration is now open, with ticket passes going on sale Friday, December 8, at 12 p.m. PT. The full lineup and all ticket info can be found at CruelWorldFest.com.

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James Taylor is heading Down Under this spring.

The Rock & Roll Hall of Famer just announced dates for a new tour of Australia and New Zealand. It will be Taylor’s first return to the area since 2017.

The nine-date trek kicks off April 12 in Perth, hitting Melbourne, Adelaide, Sydney and more, before heading to New Zealand for two shows — April 30 in Auckland and May 1 in Wellington.

Tickets for all shows go on sale Wednesday, December 6. A complete list of dates can be found at jamestaylor.com.

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After singing his way through the Great American Songbook, Rod Stewart is now turning his iconic voice to a slightly more upbeat genre.

In an interview with the U.K. paper The Irish Sun, Rod says the album is called Swing Fever and is due out February 23. The first single, “Almost Like Being in Love,” is out this week. As the name suggests, the album is swing music, a type of jazz that came to prominence in the late 1920s and early 1930s, as pioneered by artists like Louis Prima.

As previously reported, Rod has teamed up on the project with Jools Holland, the former keyboard player for Squeeze. Holland is well known in England for hosting the influential music show Later…with Jools Holland, and being a bandleader of a large ensemble that plays swing, big band, jump blues and R&B. Rod recorded the album in London, with Holland’s band playing live on each track.

“The record is going to be a difficult sell because it’s not everyone’s cup of tea, but once you listen, you get hooked,” Rod tells The Sun. “There isn’t one track on it where you won’t want to get up and dance.”

“The music is lively,” adds Holland. “It’s a ­celebration of joy.”

According to Holland, he and Rod initially met at a party and bonded over their mutual love of model trains. Rod notes, “When we text each other, we talk about the model railroads then the music. It should be the other way around.”

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Music legend Brenda Lee will turn 79 on December 11, and she’ll have a lot to celebrate: Her classic holiday song “Rockin’ Around the Christmas Tree” has just topped the Billboard Hot 100 for the very first time — 65 years after its release.

“Rockin’ Around the Christmas Tree” is now only the third holiday song in history to top the Billboard Hot 100, joining Mariah Carey‘s “All I Want for Christmas Is You” and “The Chipmunk Song” by The Chipmunks with David Seville. Written by Johnny Marks, “Rockin’ Around the Christmas Tree” was released in 1958, but it only hit the chart in 1960, peaking at #14 that year. Last year and in 2019, it’s climbed as high as #2. 

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Rush’s Geddy Lee and Alex Lifeson have given fans a smidgeon of hope that they may one day come together to play the band’s music again.

During an appearance on CBS Sunday Morning, both were asked whether they could go on following the death of drummer Neal Peart — and they didn’t rule it out. 

“It’s difficult to figure out what that chapter is without him,” Lifeson shared. Lee added that he and Lifeson have discussed hiring a drummer to go out on tour with them, noting, “It’s not impossible, but at this point, I can’t guarantee it.”

But it sounds like Lifeson is a bit more hopeful that it may happen one day, sharing, “It’s just not in our DNA to stop.” 

Lee, meanwhile, is still out on his book tour promoting his recently released memoir, My Effin’ Life. It hits Detroit, Michigan, on December 4 and wraps December 7 in Toronto.

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