Classic Hits

A 60-year-old interview with The Beatles is featured in new podcast hosted by Sherlock star Martin Freeman.

Eras: The Beatles tells the story of the legendary band through archival interviews and includes a recently rediscovered interview the band gave on February 5, 1964, as they landed at London Airport, now Heathrow, following a gig in France. 

The interview was given to the former BBC program Radio Newsreel and was recently discovered by BBC archivist Elliot Gibson while he was digitizing physical reels of audio.

“Initially, I assumed it was a copy of an interview that was widely known, so when I checked and discovered it was unique and hadn’t been heard since its broadcast – almost 60 years ago – I was amazed,” he shares, according to The London Evening Standard. “It’s extremely rare to unearth material this valuable in the archive.”

He notes, “What makes it truly great is that it shows The Beatles on top form – playful and quick-witted – and captures them just before their first visit to America, which would turn out to be a pivotal moment in their career.”

The first five episodes of Eras: The Beatles are available now on BBC Sounds, with the final episode set to premiere November 2, the same day The Beatles’ final song, “Now and Then,” will be released.

The episode will feature a new interview with Paul McCartney and Ringo Starr talking about the making of the song, along with audio from John Lennon’s son Sean Ono Lennon, George Harrison’s widow Olivia Harrison and Get Back director Peter Jackson, who used technology to isolate Lennon’s vocals from a 1970s demo for the song.

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The Zombies have canceled the remaining dates of their North American tour.

On Tuesday, October 24, the band announced on Instagram that a member of the group had been hospitalized, prompting the cancelation of shows in Alexandra, Virginia, and Beverly, Massachusetts. In a new post on Thursday, October 26, they revealed that while the unnamed band member had been released from the hospital, they made the decision not to continue the tour. 

“Although he’s been released from the hospital and is recovering, we must prioritize his health over the tour. Out of respect for our bandmate’s privacy, we are not disclosing further details,” they write. “Despite facing some significant challenges on this tour, these have been some of the most enjoyable shows of our career together, and we’re forever grateful to our fans.” 

In addition to the Virginia and Massachusetts shows, canceled dates include an October 27 concert in New York City and an October 29 gig in Glenside, Pennsylvania. Refunds will be given to all ticket holders.

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It’s no secret that members of The Police have had their differences over the years. In a new interview, drummer Stewart Copeland opens up about just how bad things got during the recording of their final album, Synchronicity.

Copeland’s new book, Police Diaries, is out now, and he tells the New York Post the dysfunction in the band was so bad during the recording of their #1 album it felt like “hell on earth,” particularly when it came to working with Sting.

“It was a very uncomfortable place — and we drove each other crazy,” he says. “We now understand where all that tension came from. And in fact, given that understanding, I’m very grateful that we got as many as five albums out of Stingo, because by then … he had a very clear idea of how the arrangements should go.”

Copeland explains that when the band started out it was a collaborative effort. However, he says, “It became more and more compromise for him — and it got tougher and tougher for him to make those compromises.” 

“The times when I came the closest to homicide, the times when it became absolutely critical that I choke the life out of this man, were when he would come over to me and tell me something about the hi-hat,” he says.

Copeland says that in the end, he and Sting simply had major differences when it came to making music.

“Sting was looking for a beautiful place, and to create something serene and moving and, dare I say, intellectual,” he explains. “For me, it’s about burning down the house — it’s a party.”

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A new mini documentary is giving fans a look at Jimi Hendrix’s rise to fame in the U.S. 

From The Monkees To The Hollywood Bowl features previously unseen footage recounting the Jimi Hendrix Experience’s stint as openers for The Monkees in July 1967, a performance that was not embraced by The Monkees’ young fans.

Jimi Hendrix Experience eventually left the tour. By that August, they were opening for The Mamas and the Papas at the Hollywood Bowl, which helped them break big in America. Those gigs happened right before the release of the band’s debut album, Are You Experienced.

From The Monkees To The Hollywood Bowl features interviews with Monkee Micky Dolenz and Hendrix manager Chas Chandler as well as former Experience band members Noel Redding and Mitch Mitchell.

The short film comes as the new live album, Jimi Hendrix Experience: Hollywood Bowl August 18, 1967, is set to drop November 10. The concert, one of the band’s opening gigs for The Mamas and the Papas, features performances of classics like “Purple Haze,” “The Wind Cries Mary” and “Foxey Lady,” along with covers of The Beatles‘ “Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band,” Bob Dylan‘s “Like a Rolling Stone” and more.

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Pink Floyd is revisiting their fifth studio album, 1970’s Atom Heart Mother, with a special edition reissue.

Originally released in Japan in 2021, the reissue will include the album on CD and a Blu-ray featuring live footage of “Atom Heart Mother (Suite)” performed at Japan’s Hakone Aphrodite festival in August 1971.

The performance, which was part of The Early Years box set, is the only existing footage of Pink Floyd’s performance at the festival. Fifty years later, the original footage was found in a fan’s garage and has now been restored and remastered. The Blu-ray also includes a behind-the-scenes documentary with footage from the band’s Japanese adventures leading to the festival.

Additionally, the reissue comes with a photo book containing never-before-seen pics as well as reproductions of a poster, ticket and more from the 1971 concert.

The Hakone Aphrodite festival, which took place August 6 and 7, 1971, was Floyd’s first concert in Japan. It featured several international artists, with Floyd as the headliner.  

Atom Heart Mother – Special Edition is set to drop December 8. It is available for preorder now.

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On This Day, October 26, 1965… 

The Beatles received quite an honor at Buckingham Palace when Queen Elizabeth II gave the group —  Paul McCartney, John Lennon, George Harrison and Ringo Starr — medals recognizing them as members of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire. 

In 1969, Lennon returned his MBE in protest over “Britain’s involvement in the Nigeria-Biafra thing,” “our support of America in Vietnam” and the fact that his single “Cold Turkey” was “slipping down the charts.”

In later years, two members of The Beatles went on to be knighted by the queen for their service to music: McCartney in 1997 and Starr in 2018.

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On October 26, 1973, The Who released what would become one of their most iconic albums: Quadrophenia.

The only Who album to be written entirely by guitarist Pete Townshend, it was the band’s second full-length rock opera, following 1969’s Tommy.

The story, set in Brighton, England, in 1965, follows a young working-class mod named Jimmy on a journey of self-discovery. The album’s title was inspired by Jimmy’s four-way “split personality,” with each member of the band representing a different facet of that personality.

Featuring the future Who classics “The Real Me,” “Love Reign O’er Me” and “5:15,” Quadrophenia was a critical and commercial success, peaking at #2 in both the U.S. and the U.K., and going on to be certified Platinum by the RIAA. In 2011, Townshend said he considers it to be the last truly great album The Who made.

Like Tommy, Quadrophenia inspired a film, but unlike Tommy, it was a drama, not a musical. Released in 1979 to critical acclaim and commercial success, it starred Phil Daniels as Jimmy, with The Police’s Sting as Ace Face.

In 1996, The Who performed Quadrophenia at a benefit show at London’s Hyde Park. Daniels served as the narrator, and guest stars included David Gilmour of Pink Floyd, Gary Glitter and Stephen Fry. It marked Ringo Starr‘s son Zak Starkey‘s debut as the band’s drummer. A U.S. version of the tour featuring Billy Idol included a six-night stand at New York’s Madison Square Garden.

In 2010 The Who performed Quadrophenia at London’s Royal Albert Hall to benefit the Teenage Cancer Trust, with guests including Pearl Jam’s Eddie Vedder. In 2012, the band toured Quadrophenia again, this time without guest stars; in 2017, Townshend toured with an orchestral version called Classic Quadrophenia.

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Duran Duran is getting fans in the mood for Halloween with their new album, Danse Macabre, which was inspired by a show the band played in Las Vegas on Halloween 2022.

Bassist John Taylor tells ABC Audio that ahead of the concert they decided to record some cover songs that were appropriate for the spooky holiday, which they then played during the gig.

“We then realized we’ve got seven or so great recordings of these songs and we’re all really kind of excited by them,” he said, noting it was keyboardist Nick Rhodes’ suggestion they put them out as an album.

In addition to cover tunes, like The Rolling Stones‘ “Paint it Black” and Talking Heads‘ “Psycho Killer,” Danse Macabre features three new songs and reworkings of old Duran Duran tracks. The whole thing came together rather quickly for the band.

“We kind of magic-ed this album,” Taylor says. “I think partially because we had a theme that when we actually went to write new songs, you know, we knew they had to evoke a certain feeling.”

Two of those new songs add a little Duran Duran nostalgia to Danse Macabre, with the title track featuring former guitarist Warren Cuccurullo, and “Dark Moonlight” featuring longtime collaborator Nile Rodgers and original Duran Duran guitarist Andy Taylor, who is currently battling stage 4 prostate cancer.

And having all those familiar faces on the album is something John believes original Duran Duran fans are bound to love.

“In way there’s quite a lot for fans on this album,” he says. “Anybody that’s followed the journey of the band, you know, is going to find it an interesting listen.” 

Duran Duran’s Danse Macabre comes out October 27. It is available for preorder now.

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The asset management company HarbourView Equity Partners has made deals with the estate of the late Christine McVie, and Pat Benatar and husband Neil Giraldo for the rights to their music.

Benatar and Giraldo made a deal that sees HarbourView acquiring a share of their recorded music and publishing for songs like “We Belong,” “Love is a Battlefield,” “Promises In The Dark,” “Heartbreaker” and more.

“We are overjoyed to welcome into our repertoire the iconic catalog of Pat and Neil. The works are cross generational, inspirational and a perfect complement to our portfolio,” HarbourView shares in a statement. “We are grateful to be stewards of this canon of work and look forward to partnering with Pat and Neil.”

The McVie deal includes the late singer/songwriter’s share of Fleetwood Mac record royalties. She wrote such popular Fleetwood Mac tunes as “Don’t Stop,” “Little Lies,” “Say You Love Me,” “You Make Loving Fun,” “Don’t Stop” and “Songbird.”

“Christine’s remarkable talents played an integral role in shaping Fleetwood Mac’s sound,” HarbourView’s Sheresse Clarke Soares says. “Christine is a decorated and iconic legend in the history of Rock ‘n’ Roll. She is a global treasure. We hold her works with pride.”

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Grateful Dead fans are getting a chance to look back at the year that was with the just-released 2023 Grateful Dead Almanac. 

Started 31 years ago as a paper mailing to fans, the Almanac is now online, recounting all that went on in the Dead world in 2023, including the final tour of Dead & Company and what band members Bob Weir, Bill Kreutzmann, Mickey Hart and Phil Lesh were up to. It also looks back at this year’s Jerry Garcia archival releases, the Here Comes Sunshine and Wake the Flood box sets, and more.

It also gives fans a preview of what is to come, including info on the upcoming Dave’s Picks Volume 49 and a tease about Volume 50. There’s also info on new merch and a whole lot more.

To read all about Grateful Dead’s year, check out the Almanac at dead.net.

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