Classic Hits

Brenda Lee is celebrating the 65th anniversary of her classic holiday tune “Rockin’ Around the Christmas Tree” by releasing the first-ever official music video for the song. 

“This song has been so special to me – I never thought it would be my signature song, but I love that it is because it brings so much joy,” Lee shares. “I remember the day I recorded this wonderful Johnny Marks song, and here we are 65 years later and I’m only here because of you.” 

She adds, “I won’t ever meet all of you, but I know you are there and have been since I was a little girl – so Thank You and I wish everyone a Merry Christmas!”

Originally released in 1958, “Rockin’ Around the Christmas Tree” has gone on to sell over 25 million copies around the world. It peaked as high as #2 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart during the 2019 holiday season.

The video release coincides with a new holiday EP from Lee, A Rockin’ Christmas with Brenda Lee, which features a reimagined version of her classic, along with other holiday favorites, like “Santa Claus Is Coming to Town” and “Jingle Bell Rock.”

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Jimmy Buffett’s final album, Equal Strain on All Parts, is out now. Speaking to Billboard, the album’s co-producer Mac McAnally says even though Buffett was sick, he never let on that it could possibly be his final release.

“I wasn’t necessarily thinking in terms of this being the last thing he had to say, but I think, in retrospect, he probably was,” says McAnally, who produced the record with fellow Coral Reefer Band member Michael Utley. “But he never let on. He never surrendered to what was actually happening.” 

McAnally says Buffett was deliberate about the order in which the songs appear on the album, noting it begins with “University of Bourbon Street,” about his career start in New Orleans, and ends with a cover of Bob Dylan’s “Mozambique,” a place Buffett had wanted to visit.

“When he heard the whole album in sequence, he was so proud of this one in a way that I’ve never seen him be,” McAnally shares. “And that may be because he knew it was the last one and he got it right.”

Equal Strain on All Parts may not be the last music we hear from Buffett. While McAnally says it will be “the final complete project,” there are other songs that could see the light of day, including a cover of Joni Mitchell’s “Amelia,” which McAnally describes as “gorgeous.”

Buffett passed away on September 1. McAnally says few people he worked with knew he was sick. “He didn’t want anybody feeling sorry for him. He just wanted to be this big ray of positivity that he always was,” says McAnally. “When I went and said goodbye to him the night before he died, he was still smiling just wider than his face.”

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It is now easier than ever for The Who fans to enjoy late bassist John Entwistle‘s solo material. Deluxe editions of the rocker’s six solo albums have just been released to digital services for the first time.

The albums now available include 1971’s Smash Your Head Against the Wall, the first solo album from any member of The Who; 1972’s Whistle Rymes, which featured guitar contributions from Peter Frampton; 1973’s Rigor Mortis Sets In; 1975’s Mad Dog, the debut album by his band John Entwistle’s Ox, and 1981’s Too Late the Hero.

It also includes The Rock, the self-titled debut of Entwistle’s new band, which featured The Who drummer Zak Starkey and Prism’s Henry Small. It was supposed to come out in 1986 but released in 1996 as an Entwistle solo album. 

The deluxe editions of each album come with bonus tracks, including demos, outtakes and early versions of songs.

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Queen is giving fans a look at another classic performance in this week’s episode of their YouTube series, Queen the Greatest Live. 

The band shares footage of their performance of the Sheer Heart Attack track “Stone Cold Crazy” at the Rainbow Theatre in London in November 1974. It was the first time the band headlined the famed 3,000-seat venue and the first time their live performance was professionally filmed.

“When I see the footage of us from those shows now, I see so much confidence and adrenaline,” guitarist Brian May said in a 2014 interview with Mojo. “And I think, ‘My God, we were such impatient boys.’” 

This was the second time Queen played the Rainbow Theatre, having previously opened for Mott the Hoople; the show’s deemed the moment they proved they had what it takes to be headliners. 

Next week on Queen The Greatest Live: “Encores.”

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On This Day, November 3, 1992…

Bon Jovi released their fifth studio album, Keep the Faith, which peaked at #5 on the Billboard 200 albums chart and went on to be certified double Platinum by the RIAA.

The album produced two hit singles: the title track, which landed in the top 40, and “Bed of Roses,” which peaked at #10. It also featured the fan favorite, “I’ll Sleep When I’m Dead.”

Keep the Faith was the last Bon Jovi album to feature all five original members of the band. Bass guitarist Alec John Such was let go from the group in 1994. Such passed away in 2022 at the age of 70.

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Barely 24 hours after debuting their new single, “Now and Then,” The Beatles are back with the track’s video.

The clip, directed by Peter Jackson, features archival footage of John Lennon and the band, clips of Paul McCartney, Ringo Starr and George Harrison in the recording studio in the ’90s, and current footage of Paul and Ringo.

There are even clips that blend the archival and current footage to make it feel like the whole band is playing together and with younger versions of themselves. 

According to Jackson, the video features “a collection of unseen outtakes in the vault, where the Beatles are relaxed, funny and rather candid.” He adds, “We wove humour into some footage shot in 2023. The result is pretty nutty and provided the video with much needed balance between the sad and the funny.”

Finally, he notes, “I realised we needed the imagination of every viewer to create their own personal moment of farewell to The Beatles.”

“Now and Then” uses vocals Lennon recorded on a demo in the late ’70s. Jackson developed new technology to isolate Lennon’s instruments and vocals, and Paul and Ringo completed the song in 2022, using guitar parts Harrison recorded in the ’90s during the sessions for their Anthology series.

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Many R.E.M. fans still mourn the day in 2011 when the band announced their breakup, but those holding out hope they may one day reunite will likely be disappointed. 

In a new interview with Rolling Stone to promote the 25th anniversary reissue of their 11th studio album, Up, bassist Mike Mills insists he and his bandmates, Michael Stipe, Peter Buck and Bill Berry, will not be getting back together.

“There is not,” he replied, when asked if there was a chance of a reunion tour. “We’ve all got our own things that we’re doing, and I think we’re all really happy with the way things are.”

And Mills said seeing another huge band onstage made him realize he didn’t really miss going out on a big tour.

“I went to see U2 a few years ago, and they were so good. I was sitting there thinking, ‘Man, I could be up there doing that. That would be so much fun,’” he explained. “I said, ‘They’ll be doing it tomorrow night, and the night after that, and the week after that, and the week after that, and the month after that.’ I said, ‘You know what? It’s actually OK.’”

As for the breakup, Mills said they all knew it was the right time to go their separate ways.  

“The music industry had radically changed. Our relationship to it had changed. Our record contract was up. Our record company was very different,” he said. “We said, ‘Let’s do something that nobody’s done and shake hands and walk away as friends, and go do other things while we’re still young enough to do them.'” 

The 25th anniversary reissue of Up will be released November 10. It is available for preorder now.

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Cher is going to perform in front of members of the royal family. The singer is set to take part in this year’s Royal Variety Performance, which is happening Thursday, November 30, at London’s Royal Albert Hall.

According to the London Evening Standard, Cher is expected to perform a tune from her new holiday album, Christmas, with members of the royal family watching in the audience.

Other performers at the event include Rick Astley, Ted Lasso’s Hannah Waddingham, Spice Girls‘ Mel C, McFly, Zara Larsson and Paloma Faith. There will also be a medley of performances from the London casts of The Lion King, Frozen, Aladdin, Hercules and Beauty & The Beast, in celebration of Disney’s 100th anniversary.

The Royal Variety Performance will air on ITV in December.

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Barbra Streisand’s highly anticipated memoir, My Name is Barbra, comes out Tuesday, November 7, and she’s giving fans their first preview of its accompanying audiobook.

The singer just released a clip of her talking about the press’ fixation with her nose when she was first starting out, noting some of the reviews called her “an amiable ant eater,” “a sour persimmon,” “a furious hamster,” “a myopic gazelle” and “a seasick ferret.” She discusses how reviews changed when she opened in Funny Girl, now being described as “an ancient oracle,” “Nefertiti” and a “Babylonian queen.” 

“I wish I could say none of this affected me but it did,” she says of the criticism of her looks. “Even after all these years I’m still kinda hurt by the insults and can’t quite believe the praise.”

And Streisand is giving fans a good reason to listen to, rather than just read, her memoir. In addition to Streisand’s narration, the audiobook will feature bonus content, with the superstar adding more background to the stories in the book.

The audiobook, which runs over 48 hours and features an introduction from Stephen Colbert, also features over 40 musical excerpts from her movies, albums and productions, including “The Way We Were,” “Woman in Love” and “Evergreen,” plus songs from her films Yentl, Funny Girl and more.

My Name is Barbra is available for preorder now.

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The Rock & Roll Hall of Fame has opened a new exhibit honoring the 2023 inductees in its Cleveland museum.

The display includes a variety of artifacts related to Rage Against the Machine, Kate Bush, Sheryl Crow, Missy Elliott, George Michael, Willie Nelson, The Spinners and Musical Excellence honoree Bernie Taupin.

It will remain open over the next year and will close ahead of the 2024 induction ceremony.

The 2023 induction ceremony takes place Friday, November 3, in Brooklyn, New York, and will stream live on Disney+.

Disney is the parent company of ABC News.

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