Andy Taylor’s no longer neglecting himself with first solo album in 30 years

Andy Taylor’s no longer neglecting himself with first solo album in 30 years
Andy Taylor’s no longer neglecting himself with first solo album in 30 years
BMG

Former Duran Duran guitarist Andy Taylor is ready to drop his new solo album, Man’s A Wolf To Man, on Friday. The album’s his first solo record in over 30 years — and even he’s not 100% sure why it took so long.

“I think when I was younger, maybe doing solo records was a little bit of a filler and the escape route, and I wasn’t fully prepared for it,” he tells ABC Audio. He noted the added bonus of the long wait is he didn’t worry about folks comparing it to previous records, sharing, “I haven’t really got a last one to compare it to, which is a great place to be.”

In making the album, Taylor decided to fill it with songs inspired by different types of music, comparing it to having different options at a restaurant. “I set the table for myself, I didn’t set it for everybody else,” he says. In the past, he says, “I’d been setting it for everyone else all my life, but I’d neglected myself.”

And Taylor isn’t afraid to speak his mind with his songs, with the album’s title track being inspired by the divisive political climate in the U.S.

“Basically, I don’t know if you’ve noticed, but we’ve now divided ourselves into two packs of wolves,” he says. “I’m so unimpressed and disturbed by what’s happened that that song came about.”

While making the album, Taylor was diagnosed with prostate cancer, and he’s currently undergoing lifesaving targeted therapy. While he says he’s “not 100%,” he is staying positive. “Here I am … I’m well enough to do this. Well enough to enjoy it. Well enough to release the record,” he shares. 

Man’s A Wolf To Man is available for preorder now.

Copyright © 2023, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

Bonnie Raitt and Pat Benatar to appear on season 49 of ‘Austin City Limits’

Bonnie Raitt and Pat Benatar to appear on season 49 of ‘Austin City Limits’
Bonnie Raitt and Pat Benatar to appear on season 49 of ‘Austin City Limits’
Amy Sussman/FilmMagic

Bonnie Raitt and Pat Benatar and Neil Giraldo are among the artists booked to perform on the upcoming 49th season of Austin City Limits.

Benatar and Giraldo are set to tape their ACL debut on September 24. Raitt is booked for October 15, with Nashville-based singer/songwriter Sunny War joining her as special guest.

This will be Raitt’s first ACL performance in over a decade. She made her ACL debut in 1984 and last appeared on the program in 2012, although she did perform on the 2014 40th anniversary special. She was also inducted into the ACL Hall of Fame in 2016. 

Other artists booked for season 49 include Foo FightersAlanis Morissette and Brittney Spencer.

Austin City Limits airs on PBS. Episodes will also be available to stream via PBS.org.

Copyright © 2023, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

NBC to celebrate ‘Christmas at Graceland’

NBC to celebrate ‘Christmas at Graceland’
NBC to celebrate ‘Christmas at Graceland’
Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images

Elvis Presley’s iconic Memphis mansion Graceland will be the setting for a new NBC holiday special, Christmas at Graceland, airing November 29 and streaming on Peacock. 

It will be the first live musical holiday special televised from Elvis’ former home, and while performers have not yet been announced, the network promises a lineup of “music’s biggest stars celebrating the King of Rock ‘n’ Roll, his music and his favorite time of year.” 

“My family and I are elated to open the doors to Graceland in this first-of-its-kind special,” said Elvis’ granddaughter and show executive producer, Riley Keough. “With intimate musical performances drawing inspiration from my grandfather Elvis’ cherished Christmases in Memphis, viewers will be invited to experience firsthand the magic that is Christmas at Graceland.”

Christmas at Graceland will air Wednesday, November 29, at 10 p.m. ET. 

Copyright © 2023, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

How Lady Gaga ended up on The Rolling Stones’ new album

How Lady Gaga ended up on The Rolling Stones’ new album
How Lady Gaga ended up on The Rolling Stones’ new album
Kevin Mazur/WireImage

Lady Gaga is one of the many guest stars on The Rolling Stones‘ new album, Hackney Diamonds, but apparently her participation in the project was pretty much an accident.

Stones frontman Mick Jagger told The Associated Press at the band’s album launch event in London Wednesday that Gaga just happened to be recording in the studio next door to them and popped in to say hello. That led to her contributing to the song “Sweet Sounds of Heaven.”

“She walked in next to me and we started singing together,” Jagger said. “She sang it live and then we went in and tidied it up a bit.”

Rolling Stones guitarist Ronnie Wood told Sky News, “She was sitting on the floor in the studio and Mick said, ‘Don’t just sit there and hum! Get up, let’s record this!'” He added, “She’s lovely, very talented and lovely.”

As previously reported, in 2012 Gaga joined the Stones onstage for a performance of their classic “Gimme Shelter,” which is documented on the Stones’ 2023 concert album, Grrr Live!

The first single from Hackney Diamonds, “Angry,” is out now with a video starring Euphoria actress Sydney SweeneyHackney Diamonds is out October 20.

Copyright © 2023, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

Mick Fleetwood & Stewart Copeland set for #MauiStrong live stream

Mick Fleetwood & Stewart Copeland set for #MauiStrong live stream
Mick Fleetwood & Stewart Copeland set for #MauiStrong live stream
Steven Ferdman/Getty Images

Fleetwood Mac’s Mick Fleetwood and The Police’s Stewart Copeland are among the artists coming together to help raise money for the victims of the Maui wildfires. Both artists are set to take part in #MauiStrong, a live stream event happening Friday, September 8, on YouTube. 

Mick is set to perform alongside Gretchen Rhodes “and friends,” while Copeland will lead a “Drums for Maui” segment, backed by some local musicians from the island. The live stream will be a mix of art, music and storytelling and will also feature LL Cool JSarah McLachlanZiggy MarleyLukas NelsonNathaniel Rateliff and others .

Funds raised will benefit the Hawaii Community Foundation’s Maui Strong Fund as well as the Recording Academy charity MusicCares. A future soundtrack from the event will also benefit the two organizations.

#MauiStrong will premiere at 8 p.m. ET on Marley’s YouTube channel. Those interested in donating will be able to do so by clicking a button right on the watch page. 

Copyright © 2023, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

David Bowie’s covers album ‘Pin Ups’ getting 50th anniversary vinyl release

David Bowie’s covers album ‘Pin Ups’ getting 50th anniversary vinyl release
David Bowie’s covers album ‘Pin Ups’ getting 50th anniversary vinyl release
Parlophone

This fall marks 50 years since David Bowie released his covers compilation, Pin Ups. The anniversary is being celebrated with a vinyl reissue of the album.

Recorded in France and released October 19, 1973, Pin Ups featured Bowie covering tracks from such artists as The YardbirdsThe KinksPink FloydThe WhoPretty ThingsThe Easybeats and more, all artists who influenced Bowie. The album went to #1 in the U.K. and featured an iconic cover image of Bowie with model Twiggy, a photo that was originally supposed to be used for the cover of Vogue.

The 50th anniversary vinyl will be released on October 20 as a limited edition half-speed mastered LP from restored masters of the original tapes. It is available for preorder now. 

Here is the track list for Pin Ups:

“Rosalyn”
“Here Comes The Night”
“I Wish You Would”
“See Emily Play”
“Everything’s Alright”
“I Can’t Explain”
“Friday On My Mind”
“Sorrow”
“Don’t Bring Me Down”
“Shapes Of Things”
“Anyway, Anyhow, Anywhere”
“Where Have All The Good Times Gone”

Copyright © 2023, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

Joni Mitchell releases never-before-heard track “Like Veils Said Lorraine”

Joni Mitchell releases never-before-heard track “Like Veils Said Lorraine”
Joni Mitchell releases never-before-heard track “Like Veils Said Lorraine”
Rhino

Joni Mitchell has just treated fans to a never-before-heard song, “Like Veils Said Lorraine,” which will appear on her upcoming box set, Joni Mitchell Archives, Vol. 3: The Asylum Years (1972-1975).

The song, which was recorded in late 1971/early 1972 at A&M Studios in Hollywood, California, is one of several previously unreleased demos featured on the set, which will be released October 6.

In addition to the demos, Joni Mitchell Archives, Vol. 3: The Asylum Years (1972-1975) will also feature performances and early and alternative versions of songs from three of her albums: 1972’s For The Roses, 1974’s Court And Spark and 1975’s The Hissing Of Summer Lawns.

It will be released in a variety of formats, including a five-CD/digital version and a shorter four-LP version, and is available for preorder now.

Copyright © 2023, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

New box set revisits Bob Dylan’s first Japanese concerts

New box set revisits Bob Dylan’s first Japanese concerts
New box set revisits Bob Dylan’s first Japanese concerts
Columbia Records/Legacy Recordings

Bob Dylan played his first shows in Japan 45 years ago, and now, those iconic concerts are being celebrated in a new box set. 

Bob Dylan – The Complete Budokan 1978, dropping Friday, November 17, will feature two full shows recorded at Tokyo’s Nippon Budokan hall on February 28 and March 1, 1978, all remastered from the original analog tapes. It includes 36 previously unreleased performances, one of which, “The Man in Me,” has just been released, giving fans a preview of the set.

The Complete Budokan 1978 will be released digitally and as four-CD set. There will also be an eight-LP set, available in Japan only, and a two-LP set, Bob Dylan – Another Budokan 1978, with 16 selected tracks. 

The Japan shows were part of the Bob Dylan World Tour 1978, his first international tour since 1966. Dylan played 114 shows on that tour, hitting Asia, Oceania, North America and Europe.

Bob Dylan – The Complete Budokan 1978 is available for preorder now.

Copyright © 2023, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

Jimmy Buffett’s daughter pays tribute to her dad: he “was the joy he sang about”

Jimmy Buffett’s daughter pays tribute to her dad: he “was the joy he sang about”
Jimmy Buffett’s daughter pays tribute to her dad: he “was the joy he sang about”
Tim Mosenfelder/WireImage

Jimmy Buffett’s daughter Sarah Buffett, who goes by the name Delaney, is remembering her late father, who passed away September 1 after a four-year battle with with Merkel cell skin cancer.

Delaney shared a tribute on Instagram, writing, “I knew my dad my whole life but in his final days, I saw who he was: a man who spirit could not be broken,” adding that even though he was in pain, “he smiled everyday. He was kind when he had every excuse not to be. He told us not to be sad or scared, but to keep the party going.”

As for that party, Delaney says Jimmy “loved his weed and his wine, but the truth is, most of the time, he was high on life, and that is what he wanted for everyone: to enjoy the fantastic trip that life can be.”

“My dad was the joy he sang about. He was the hardest working person I’ve ever seen,” she explained, noting that while fans have thanked her for sharing her father with them, “I know he would have wanted me to thank his fans for sharing their lives with him.”

“We are his family but the stage was his home, and you, his band, and everyone on the road gave him the strength to keep going back,” she writes. “I’ll pass something along my mom said to me, ‘Whenever you feel sad or lost, look for the messages in the music. There are plenty.'”

She concluded with a message to her dad, writing, “You turned nothing into something and gave me everything. I will never be able to repay you or my mom for my beautiful life. I will love you forever, and I will always keep the party going (responsibly, of course).”

Copyright © 2023, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

Bruce Springsteen postpones September shows to treat ulcer disease

Bruce Springsteen postpones September shows to treat ulcer disease
Bruce Springsteen postpones September shows to treat ulcer disease
Manny Carabel/Getty Images

Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band have announced they have postponed all of their September performances as Springsteen is being treated for symptoms of peptic ulcer disease.

According to a message shared Wednesday on Springsteen’s website and his official Instagram account, the postponement of the September shows is “the decision of his medical advisors.”

“Over here on E Street we’re heartbroken to have to postpone these shows,” read a comment from Springsteen included in the statement.

His comment continued, “First, apologies to our fabulous Philly fans who we missed a few weeks ago. We’ll be back to pick these shows up and then some. Thank you for your understanding and support. We’ve been having a blast at our U.S. shows and we’re looking forward to more great times. We’ll be back soon.”

The band previously suspended shows in August due to the “Born in the USA” singer suffering an undisclosed illness.

According to the National Library of Medicine, peptic ulcer disease “is characterized by discontinuation in the inner lining of the gastrointestinal (GI) tract.” Acid from the stomach can cause sores or other permanent damage in the esophagus, stomach or small intestine.The postponements will start with Thursday’s show which had been scheduled for the JMA Wireless Dome in Syracuse, New York, according to the statement.

Copyright © 2023, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.