Classic Hits

Bruce Springsteen and Billy Joel are two of the biggest rockers to come out of the tristate area, and now, a new book will explore the differences and similarities of their careers, and how being so close to New York influenced them.

Bridge and Tunnel Boys: Bruce Springsteen, Billy Joel, and the Metropolitan Sound of the American Century by Jim Cullen promises an in-depth look at the two Rock & Roll Hall of Famers, who both launched their careers in the ’70s.

“While their critical receptions have been very different, surprising parallels emerge when we look at the arcs of their careers and the musical influences that have inspired them,” reads the description of the book, noting it looks at how both New Jersey native Springsteen and Long Islander Joel “forged a distinctive sound that derived from his unique position on the periphery of the Big Apple.” 

The description adds, “By placing these two New York–area icons in a new context,Bridge and Tunnel Boys allows us to hear their most beloved songs with new appreciation.” 

Bridge and Tunnel Boys will be released by Rutgers University Press on October 13.

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On This Day, August 21, 1965…

The Rolling Stones landed their first #1 album in the United States with Out Of Our Heads, which went on to hold the top spot for three weeks.

The band’s fourth album released in the States, Out Of Our Heads featured the future Stones classic “(I Can’t Get No) Satisfaction,” which became their first #1 single in the U.S. It also featured the Top 10 single, “The Last Time.” 

Out of Our Heads was certified Platinum by the RIAA. In addition to topping the U.S. chart, the album peaked at #2 in the U.K. and Australia. 

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Def Leppard is sharing another behind-the-scenes look at their world tour, and this time it comes with a big celebration. 

Episode 12 of their video tour diary finds them kicking off the recent North American leg of their Stadium tour with Mötley Crüe. The first show took place in early August in Syracuse, New York, on the same day the band was celebrating the 44th anniversary of them signing their first record contract.

“The record deal was signed in (drummer) Rick Allen’s parents’ kitchen because he was 15, he wasn’t old enough to sign one himself,” frontman Joe Elliott shares.

“One thing I’m sure most people know these days is how supportive our parents were of this band and of all of us,” Allen adds. “I mean, we were beside ourselves getting our first record deal. I mean, it’s unheard of. Not too many people get to do that, so thank you, parents, and thank you all for sticking with us and being so loyal.”

The clip also features footage of their shows in Syracuse and Columbus, Ohio, and follows the band as they go to a cryotherapy treatment center in Columbus, where they undergo various treatments, including full body cryo, infrared therapy and leg compression therapy.

Def Leppard and Mötley Crüe just wrapped the North American leg of their tour on August 18 in El Paso, Texas. The tour picks up again November 3 in Yokahama, Japan. A complete list of dates can be found at defleppard.com.

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Don McLean is hitting the road to celebrate the 50th anniversary of some of his biggest hits.

The artist has been on the road since 2022 celebrating the anniversary of his iconic tune “American Pie,” and now he’s announced some new dates, which will also celebrate the 50th anniversary of “Vincent,” often referred to as “Starry Starry Night.”

McLean’s new tour dates kick off August 24 in Oakland, California, with shows confirmed through December 2 and 3 in Honolulu, Hawaii. A complete list of dates and ticket information can be found at DonMcLean.com.

The second single off the American Pie album, “Vincent” was inspired by the life of painter Vincent Van Gough and his 1889 painting “The Starry Night.” The song was a hit in the U.K., landing at #1 on the singles chart. In the U.S. it peaked at #12.

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Despite an over 50-year career, Jethro Tull has received no love from the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame. But frontman Ian Anderson doesn’t seem at all bothered by that.

“I think it’s quite wrong for us to be in the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame when so many great American acts are being ignored and will be for all time because I suppose they haven’t sold enough records or aren’t that popular to impress the founding fathers of the Rock Hall,” he tells USA Today.

Although many international bands have been inducted into the Hall of Fame, like The Rolling Stones and The Beatles, Anderson sees the Hall of Fame as “celebrating American music in an American institution.” He adds, “I don’t really feel Tull really qualifies in that sense.” 

Anderson says he can “confidently predict” that his band won’t even get a nomination for the RRHOF, noting, “I have it on fairly good authority that the folks who make these decisions are not Tull fans and decided a long time ago that we would not be part of it.” 

And that’s OK with Anderson because he doesn’t want to have to attend an induction.

“It’s best that they don’t ask me; then I don’t have that difficulty of sounding like a real old sourpuss and say I’m going to be washing my hair that day. Which really isn’t a plausible excuse any longer,” the bald Anderson says, although he insists he has “great respect for all of those artists who are part of it.”

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Neil Young’s classic album Harvest Moon is getting a very special vinyl release. The record will be released September 22 as a three-sided, double album on clear colored vinyl, with the fourth side featuring a special etching.

Released November 2, 1992, Harvest Moon is considered one of Young’s most iconic albums, with the title track being a fan favorite. Other songs on the album include “From Hank To Hendrix,” “Natural Beauty,” “Unknown Legend” and more. 

The record, with guest appearances by Linda Ronstadt, James Taylor and Nicolette Larson, went on to be certified double-times Platinum in the U.S. and won Canada’s Juno Award for Album of the Year in 1994.

Harvest Moon is available for preorder now at the Greedy Hand Store at Neil Young Archives.

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Grateful Dead has released two hours of never-before-heard music. The band just shared the third edition of The Angel’s Share series, this time featuring previously unreleased session tapes from their album Wake of the Flood, which is celebrating its 50th anniversary.

The new recordings feature outtakes and alternative versions of songs from the record as well as in-studio conversations about the album’s creation. Some of the songs featured include “Eyes of the World,” “Mississippi Half-Step Uptown Toodeloo,” “Let Me Sing Your Blues Away,” and Bobby Weir’s “Weather Report Suite.” 

You can listen to Wake The Flood: The Angel’s Share now via digital outlets. Previous Angel’s Share releases coincided with reissues of Workingman’s Dead and American Beauty.

And there’s even more in store for fans. On October 15, exactly 50 years after Wake of the Flood was released, over six hours of never-before-heard material from the album’s recording sessions will stream as a YouTube Live exclusive event.

There’s also the Wake of the Flood (50th Anniversary Deluxe Edition) dropping September 29, which will include the original album as well as previously unreleased demos of “Eyes Of the World” and “Here Comes Sunshine.” It will also come with a bonus disc featuring a live recording of a November 1, 1973, concert at Northwestern University’s McGaw Memorial Hall. It is available for preorder now.

Dropped in 1973, Wake of the Flood was the first album released on the band’s own record label, Grateful Dead Records. Featuring new members Keith and Donna Godchaux, it was also the first album released following the death of founding member Ron “Pigpen” McKernan and the temporary departure of drummer Mickey Hart.

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Steve Miller is sharing another taste of his upcoming box set celebrating the 50th anniversary of his classic album The Joker. 

The Rock & Roll Hall of Famer is giving fans some insight into the album’s opening track, “Sugar Babe,” with the release of Sugar Babe Suite, a collection of three songs that demonstrate how the tune evolved during the making of the album. The trio includes an early version recorded in a hotel in 1972, a live performance from December 1973 and the album cut.

“Sugar Babe turned into a powerful electric riff in the studio, but in this first recording it’s just a small seed of an idea,” Miller shares. “Eventually it got defined on the stage and in the studio and that’s what you hear.”

You can listen to “Sugar Babe Suite” now via digital outlets.

Miller’s box set, J50: The Evolution of The Joker, will be released September 15. It will feature not only the original album, but 27 previously unreleased recordings, some of which were taken from Miller’s personal songwriting tapes, along with studio outtakes and more. There will also be six audio commentary tracks, with Miller taking fans through the “evolution” of the album. 

J50: The Evolution of The Joker will be released digitally and as a two-CD or three-LP set with a seven-inch single. All formats are available for preorder now.

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Cher just sold her catalog and launched her own brand of gelato, but she’s busy with multiple other projects, including animal activism.

Speaking to The Hollywood Reporter, Cher explains that she and her charity’s initiative Free the Wild are working right now to get an elephant at the LA Zoo transferred to a sanctuary because he’s “in deep physical and emotional pain.” Rescuing animals from zoos is a passion project for Cher, who in 2020 rescued an elephant in Pakistan. Before the Russian invasion of Ukraine, she rescued six lions, a panther and a tiger.

Cher is also working on her first holiday album, which she tells The Hollywood Reporter is “not your mother’s Christmas album.” She explains, “It’s a Cher Christmas album, whatever that brings along with the name. It’s definitely my idea of a Christmas album. I had to do what I felt. There’s no ‘Silent Night.’”

As for her long-in-the-works biopic, Cher says, “We are kind of starting again. It just wasn’t working out, and we needed to adjust some of the things.” However, the project will have to wait for the strikes to be over.

Another long-in-the-works project is Cher’s memoir, which she first announced in 2017. 

She laughs, “Well, we’re almost finished because [my publisher] goes, ‘Cher, how long are you going to work on this?’… we’re so close.”

The politically-aware singer also shares that she’s very concerned about the state of the country.

“It’s scary. If you have gay friends, if you have a trans child, you almost have to divide your mind a little bit so that you’re not fighting every battle at one time,” she says.

“I don’t know what’s going on in America right now,” she adds. “It’s not what I dreamt of.”

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August 19 marks the 40th anniversary of the release of Howard Jones’ debut single, “New Song,” and even he can’t quite believe it’s been that long. 

“I guess, you know, some people say, ‘Well, where does all the time go?’ But I mean, I just filled those four decades full exciting things,” Jones tells ABC Audio. “So I feel really good that I’m still here fighting my corner, you know, after forty years”

Jones says when the song was first released, all he really thought about was getting to play “proper gigs” and being “on the telly” and “on the radio with my music.”

He absolutely remembers the first time he heard “New Song” on the radio, noting it was on BBC Radio One, on a program where guests shared their thoughts on whether a tune would be a hit. That week’s guest was Gary Numan, best known for the single “Cars.”

“He said, ‘Oh, I think I think this is going to be a huge hit,’’’ Howard shares. “And I was just absolutely over the moon. I’ll always be grateful to him because that was a wonderful boost for me.” 

Fans of Howard Jones can hear him play “New Song” and all his other hits on the road right now. He’s currently on the Letting It Go Show with Boy George & Culture Club. The tour hits Phoenix, Arizona, on Friday, August 18. A complete list of dates can be found at howardjones.com.

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