Foreigner is ready to kick off their farewell to the road. To mark the occasion, the band has released a brand new companion album.
Farewell – The Very Best Of Foreigner features 11 of the band’s biggest hits, including such classics as “Cold As Ice,” “Hot Blooded,” “Double Vision,” “Waiting For A Girl Like You,” “I Want To Know What Love Is” and more.
Farewell – The Very Best Of Foreigner, produced by Mick Jones with Jeff Pilson, is being released as a limited edition gold vinyl with only 5,000 numbered copies available. They’ll be sold at tour stops and independent retailers.
Foreigner’s Historic Farewell Tour kicks off Thursday, July 7, in Alpharetta, Georgia, with dates confirmed through November. A complete list of shows can be found at foreigneronline.com.
Paul McCartney’s comprehensive book about his music is finally getting a paperback.
The Lyrics: 1956 to the Present will get a one-volume, paperback release on November 7. The new edition will include McCartney’s musings on seven songs left out of the original release: “Bluebird,” “Day Tripper,” “English Tea,” “Every Night,” “Hello, Goodbye,” “Magical Mystery Tour” and “Step Inside Love.”
First released in 2021, The Lyrics went to #1 on the New York Times bestseller list and earned the Book of the Year honor from Barnes & Noble. It has McCartney chronicling his musical history and the inspirations behind his songs, with tracks arranged alphabetically instead of chronologically. It also includes never-before-seen material from McCartney’s personal archive, including photographs, drafts and more.
“The one thing I’ve always managed to do, whether at home or on the road, is to write new songs. I know that some people, when they get to a certain age, like to go to a diary to recall day-to-day events from the past, but I have no such notebooks,” McCartney said at the time of The Lyrics’ release. “What I do have are my songs, hundreds of them, which I’ve learned serve much the same purpose. And these songs span my entire life”
Tracy Chapman’s debut single, “Fast Car,” has become an unlikely hit on the country charts thanks to Luke Combs‘ cover of the tune, and Chapman can’t quite believe it.
“I never expected to find myself on the country charts, but I’m honored to be there,” Chapman tells Billboard. “I’m happy for Luke and his success and grateful that new fans have found and embraced ‘Fast Car.’”
Luke’s version of the song has also become a big pop hit. Chapman’s version, released 35 years ago in 1988, peaked at #6 on the Billboard Hot 100. Combs’ version has surpassed that, reaching #2. It is also #1 on Billboard’s Country Airplay chart, which according to Rolling Stone, makes Chapman the first Black woman to have a sole songwriting credit on a country #1.
“Fast Car” earned Chapman three Grammy nominations, including Record and Song of the Year, as well as Best Female Pop Vocal Performance, which she won. It appears on her self-titled debut, which was nominated for Album of the Year and won Best Contemporary Folk Album. She also won the coveted Best New Artist trophy.
Music and movie fans are getting their first look at the upcoming Bob Marley biopic, Bob Marley: One Love.
Paramount has just released the trailer for the film, which stars British actor Kingsley Ben-Adir, who landed the role as Marley after a global talent search. It also stars Captain Marvel actress Lashana Lynch as Marley’s wife, Rita.
The trailer features clips of Marley performing and living his life in Jamaica with his family, and even includes footage of the assassination attempt on his life. It also features the Marley quote, “One love, one heart, one destiny.”
Bob Marley: One Love is set to hit theaters January 12, 2024.
At a Pink Floyd show in Montreal, Roger Waters got so upset at fans who were being noisy and setting off firecrackers, he spit on one of them.
That night, he told producer Bob Ezrin he wished he could build a wall between himself and the audience, which went on to inspire Pink Floyd’s next album, The Wall.
Released on November 30, 1979, The Wall topped the U.S. charts for 15 weeks, went on to sell over 30 million copies and was certified 23-times Platinum.
The Eagles are saying a Long Goodbye to their fans.
The band’s upcoming Long Goodbye tour will be their final one, they announced July 6. Thirteen initial shows have been announced, kicking off September 7 in New York’s Madison Square Garden. Steely Dan — who namechecked The Eagles in their song “Everything You Did,” as it happens — will open those shows.
“The Eagles have had a miraculous 52-year odyssey, performing for people all over the globe; keeping the music alive in the face of tragic losses, upheavals and setbacks of many kinds,” the band says in a lengthy statement. They add, “We know how fortunate we are, and we are truly grateful. Our long run has lasted far longer than any of us ever dreamed. But, everything has its time, and the time has come for us to close the circle.”
The statement continues, “We want to give all our fans a chance to see us on this final round. So, scheduling information will be released as dates are set. The difficulties of booking venues for multiple nights may require us to return to certain cities, depending on demand. But, we hope to see as many of you as we can, before we finish up.”
It concludes, “Most importantly, we thank you from the bottom of our hearts for embracing this band and its music. At the end of the day, you are the reason we have been able to carry on for over five decades. This is our swan song, but the music goes on and on.”
A presale starts July 12; the general on-sale begins Friday, July 14 at 10 a.m. local time. The tour is expected to continue into 2025, as the band plans to play as many shows in each city as the audience demands.
Bob Dylan fans have been anxiously awaiting director James Mangold’s upcoming Dylan flick, A Complete Unknown, starring Timothée Chalamet. But Mangold wants fans to know they won’t be seeing Dylan’s complete life story on the big screen.
“By the way, it’s not really a Bob Dylan biopic,” Mangold said on the Happy Sad Confused podcast. “The reason Bob has been so supportive of us making it is [that] it’s about — as in all cases, I think, the best true-life movies are never cradle to grave, but they’re about a very specific moment in someone’s life.”
Mangold explained that A Complete Unknown focuses on the early ’60s in New York, when a 17-year-old Dylan comes to the Big Apple and meets artists like Woody Guthrie, Pete Seeger and Joan Baez, and “within a year” lands a record deal and becomes a star.
And Dylan has been more than just supportive; he actually gave Mangold notes on the script.
“I’ve spent several wonderfully charming days in his company, just one-on-one, talking to him,” Mangold says. “I have a script that’s personally annotated by him and treasured by me.”
The film, which so far doesn’t have a release date, also stars Benedict Cumberbatch, Elle Fanning, Monica Barbaro and Nick Offerman.
Journey co-founder and original rhythm guitarist George Tickner has passed away, according to a Facebook post by his former bandmate Neal Schon.
Schon shared a series of posts about Tickner’s death at the age of 76, captioning it, “Dear George ‘Of a Lifetime’ is still one of my favorite songs ever. RIP brother God Speed.” He added in a post on Twitter, “RIP George you now fly with the Angels.”
Tickner appeared on Journey’s 1975 self-titled debut. He wrote three songs on the album, including the one Schon mentioned in his post, “Of a Lifetime.” He also has a writing credit on two songs on the band’s follow-up, 1976’s Look Into The Future, but he had left the group to attend Stanford’s medical school by the time it was released. He was credited with writing one song on the band’s third album, 1977’s Next.
Journey, of course, went on to superstardom, selling 48 million albums in the U.S. They were inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 2017.
Although Tickner hadn’t been with the band for years, he was on hand in 2005 when Journey received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.
Jethro Tull is celebrating the 40th anniversary of their 14th studio album, Broadsword and The Beast,with a new reissue.
Broadsword and The Beast 40th Anniversary Edition, available September 1, will feature a host of goodies for Jethro Tull fans, including demos, live recordings, sessions from 1981 and more, along with new mixes from Steven Wilson.
It will be released in a variety of formats, including a five-CD, three-DVD Monster Edition, which features a live concert recorded in Germany in 1982. There will also be a four-LP vinyl edition.
Jethro Tull is currently on a tour of Europe and will hit the U.S. this summer, starting with a show in Highland Park, Illinois, on August 18. A complete list of dates can be found at jethrotull.com.
Dead & Company brought their Final Tour to Folsom Field in Boulder, Colorado, and wrapped their three-night stand on Monday, July 3, with a very special guest: Dave Matthews.
Matthews came out towards the end of the second set, joining the band on acoustic guitar for their cover of BobDylan’s “All Along The Watchtower.” He then stuck around to join in on The Crickets’ “Not Fade Away” and returned for two encores: Dylan’s “Knockin’ On Heaven’s Door” and The Band’s “The Weight.”
That wasn’t the only surprise during the band’s time in Boulder. During the July 2 show, drummer Mickey Hart provided vocals for the third verse of the classic “Fire on the Mountain.”
Dead & Company’s Final Tour is winding down. They are at the Gorge Amphitheatre in George, Washington on July 7-8, and will wrap the tour with a three-night stand at Oracle Park in San Francisco, July 14-16.
