Classic Hits

A new documentary about Michael Jackson’s Thriller is set to debut on Showtime in December and we’re getting our first look at it. A trailer for the doc, Thriller 40, has just been released, featuring snippets of interviews by such artists as Usher, Mary J. Blige, will.i.am, Mark Ronson and “Thriller” video director John Landis.

“It’s the ultimate blueprint to modern pop music,” Black Eyed Peas’ will.i.am notes in the clip. “If Thriller came out today, it would still be the greatest album ever made.”

The documentary premieres December 2 at 8 p.m. on Showtime and Paramount+. In addition to the interviews, it will give fans a behind-the-scenes look at the making of the iconic album using never-before-seen footage.

Thriller, released November 30, 1982, was Jackson’s sixth solo album and his first #1, spending 37 nonconsecutive weeks on top of the chart. It went on to be certified 34-times Platinum and is the bestselling album of all time, thanks to seven top 10 singles: “The Girl Is Mine,” “Billie Jean,” “Beat It,” “Wanna Be Startin’ Somethin’,” “Human Nature,” “P.Y.T. (Pretty Young Thing)” and “Thriller.”

The album won eight Grammys, and was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame and selected by the Library of Congress for inclusion in the National Recording Registry.

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Sting is bringing his My Songs tour to England and Ireland next year. 

The rocker just announced five new shows for 2024, kicking off June 14 in Cheshire, England. He then hits two cities in Ireland – Cork on June 18 and Belfast on June 19 – with both shows featuring special guest Blondie.

The tour then returns to England for a concert in Suffolk on June 22, before wrapping June 23 in Nottinghamshire.

A presale for tickets begins Monday, October 30, at 9 a.m., followed by a general onsale on Friday, November 3, at 9 a.m.

Sting’s My Songs tour has him playing material from his entire catalog, both solo and The Police material. His next show is happening November 23 in Oberhausen, Germany. A complete list of dates can be found at sting.com.

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Barry Manilow is going to help folks get into the holiday spirit this year. 

Variety reports the legendary singer is set to headline a new holiday special for NBC, Barry Manilow’s A Very Barry Christmas, which will air December 11 at 10 p.m. ET.

“I love doing our Christmas show!” Manilow says. “We get to sing my pop hits and my favorite Christmas songs. It’s a feel-good hour full of music.” 

The special, which will also stream on Peacock starting December 12, was recorded at the Westgate Las Vegas Resort & Casino, the same venue where Manilow performs his Vegas residency, Manilow: Las Vegas – The Hits Come Home! 

In addition to holiday classics, the special will include performances of some of Manlow’s biggest hits, like “Copacabana,” “Mandy” and “I Write the Songs.”

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The Rolling Stones have a new #1. The band’s latest release, Hackney Diamonds, debuted on top of the U.K. Official Album chart, making it their 14th U.K. number one.

The Stones moved 72,000 units of Hackney Diamonds, their first album of new material in 18 years,  putting them behind Lewis Capaldi and Ed Sheeran for the third-biggest sales week of the year.

With their 14 chart-toppers, The Stones tie Robbie Williams for the second-most #1 albums in the U.K., just behind The Beatles, who have 16. When you take out greatest hits compilations and collections, The Stones tie The Beatles, Bruce Springsteen and Williams for the most #1 studio albums, with 11.

And The Stones aren’t just topping the charts in the U.K.: Hackney Diamonds is also #1 on Australia’s ARIA chart, making it their eighth #1 down under.

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Barenaked Ladies are celebrating the 25th anniversary of their #1 hit “One Week” with a brand new, AI-generated music video. 

The clip features a live performance of the song recorded at Red Rocks Amphitheatre in Morrison, Colorado, on June 10, 2015. It takes fans on a journey from the debut of the song to now and beyond, and features pop up facts about the track and what was happening in the world when it was released. 

Among the “One Week” tidbits: The song has been heard over five billion times, which translates to over 14 billion minutes; the song has 590 words; it was written in three and a half minutes, and it was featured on the soundtracks to both American Pie and 10 Things I Hate About You.

Released on September 15, 1998, “One Week” spent, ironically, one week on top of the Billboard Hot 100 singles chart. 

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Peter Frampton is set to perform at an upcoming concert put on by the Artist For Action To Prevent Gun Violence coalition.

The benefit concert, taking place December 7 at NYU Skirball in Manhattan, celebrates the launch of the documentary A Father’s Promise, which is about how musician Mark Barden co-founded Sandy Hook Promise after losing his son Daniel in the 2012 Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting, and how he rediscovered his passion for music.

Described as a “one-of-a-kind docu-concert,” the event, which is being filmed, will raise money for Sandy Hook Promise.

Other artists on the bill include Sheryl Crow, who produced A Father’s Promise, former New York Yankee Bernie Williams, Barden and Jimmy Vivino of The Promise Band, Rozzi, The Dumes, The Alternate Routes, Jen Chapin and Aztec Two-Step 2.0.

Tickets are on sale now.

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An animated film based on Paul McCartney’s children’s novel is moving forward. According to Variety, a director and creative crew have been hired for the book’s feature adaptation.

High in the Clouds, which McCartney wrote in 2005, follows a teenage squirrel named Wirral’s quest to overthrow an owl named Gretsch who banned music in their city of Gretschville in an attempt to be the town’s only singer. Wirral then teams up with some underground musicians hiding out in Harmonia, a secret place high in the clouds.

Toby Genkel, who directed the 2022 film The Amazing Maurice, is on board to helm the project, with Michael Giacchino, who did the music for Coco, writing the score and Paddington 2’s Jon Croker writing the script.

McCartney will also contribute to the flick, voicing a character in the film; two other music stars are in talks to join him on the project.

Production on High in the Clouds is expected to begin in early 2024; the release is planned for early 2026.

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Cher has sold millions of records, but she likely isn’t listening to any of her own music because she is “not a Cher fan.”

“I just never liked my voice that much. If I had my choice, I probably would have another one, but I didn’t get my choice. I got my mother’s voice,” she says in an interview with Paper magazine. “It doesn’t sound like a man, it doesn’t sound like a woman. I’m somewhere more in-between.”

Cher says she sings in a “strange style,” explaining, “I do what you do when you can’t hold a note: I don’t pronounce my Rs. I guess some consonants are hard to sing, so I just gotta leave them open.”

Finally, she notes, “I mean, people seem to like it and I’m happy as a clam, but I wouldn’t have picked it.”

While she may not like listening to her own voice, Cher sure hopes fans like to, particularly this Christmas. Her first holiday album, Christmas, is out now.

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On This Day, October 27, 2013…

Rocker Lou Reed passed away from liver disease at the age of 71.

Reed was the guitarist, singer, and principal songwriter for The Velvet Underground, which released five albums. Although they never achieved huge commercial success, their influence has been felt throughout underground, alternative, punk rock and new wave music. 

Reed went on to have a successful solo career, releasing 20 solo records, including 1972’s Transformer, which included his most successful single, “Walk on the Wild Side.”

Reed is a two-time member of the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame. He was inducted in 1996 as a member of Velvet Underground and again in 2014 as a solo artist.

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In honor of the 50th anniversary of their rock opera Quadrophenia, The Who has released the iconic album on streaming services in Dolby Atmos, and they note it sounds “truly amazing.”  

In addition, the band will release a half-speed vinyl masters cut of Quadrophenia on 180-gram black vinyl on February 2. The double LP will come in its original gatefold sleeve with a 44-page booklet and a certificate of authenticity.

Released in 1973, Quadrophenia was The Who’s second full rock opera following 1969’s Tommy. It featured such classic songs as “The Real Me,” “Love Reign O’er Me” and “5:15.”

Also on February 2, the Rock & Roll Hall of Famers will release a half-speed masters cut vinyl of 1975’s The Who By Numbers. It, too, will come in its original gatefold sleeve with a certificate of authenticity. 

The Who by Numbers was the band’s seventh studio album and featured the song “Squeeze Box,” which was a top 20 hit in both the U.S. and the U.K. 

Both Quadrophenia and The Who By Numbers are available for preorder now.

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