Déjà Vu, Crosby, Stills & Nash’s first album with Neil Young, topped the Billboard album chart.
The album featured such classic songs as “Woodstock,” “Teach Your Children,” “Carry On,” and “Our House.”
The album went on to be certified seven-times Platinum by the RIAA and is the best-selling album to date by each of the group’s four members, Young, David Crosby, Stephen Stills and Graham Nash.
In 2023, it was selected for preservation in the Library of Congress’ National Recording Registry.
Legendary singer/songwriter Gordon Lightfoot passed away on May 1, but his music continues to live on. And now fans will be able to enjoy that music with a new live album.
Linus Entertainment is set to posthumously release Lightfoot’s final album, At Royal Albert Hall, on July 14. The double album was recorded live at the famed London venue on May 24, 2016, and features “every song performed in the order they were played, right down to the encore.”
The album includes performances of such hits as “If You Could Read My Mind” and “Sundown,” as well as tunes that have never before appeared on a live album like “Now and Then,” “All the Lovely Ladies,” “Beautiful,” “Waiting for You,” “The Watchman’s Gone” and more.
According to the press release, in his final weeks Lightfoot “insisted that this live album be released as soon as possible,” noting that he approved the cover and made it known that “no changes were to be made to the recording.”
At Royal Albert Hall is available for preorder now. Here’s the track list for the album:
Disc One
“The Watchman’s Gone”
“Sea of Tranquility”
“Now and Then”
“All the Lovely Ladies”
“Drifters”
“A Painter Passing Through”
“Christian Island”
“Rainy Day People”
“Shadows”
“Beautiful”
“Carefree Highway”
“Did She Mention My Name”
“Ribbon of Darkness”
“Sundown
Disc Two
“Sweet Guinevere”
“The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald”
“Never Too Close”
“Don Quixote”
“Minstrel of the Dawn”
“I’d Rather Press On”
“Let It Ride”
“If You Could Read My Mind”
“Restless”
“Baby Step Back”
“Early Morning Rain”
“Waiting for You”
Gene Simmons is reminiscing about the late guitar great Eddie Van Halen for a new piece published inClassic Rock magazine.
The KISS bassist and co-founder talks about the first time he saw Van Halen play in a Hollywood club in 1976 and says despite what some have said, he didn’t discover the band. “No, I didn’t. I did no such thing,” he says, “I just happened to be there and witness their greatness at what was still a very early stage.”
“I saw them that night and was left incredulous. I stood at the front of the stage and couldn’t believe my eyes and ears,” he adds. “What really intrigued me about Van Halen was that they came out of nowhere … to this day I’ve no clue where Van Halen came from.”
Simmons calls Eddie, who passed away in 2020, “such a kind and beautiful soul.” He said he’s particularly upset that young people don’t know, and may never know, how truly great Eddie was.
“As much as his death was upsetting, it also made me a little furious that so many of our so-called ‘younger generation’ remain unaware of his talents,” he says. “For f***’s sake, parents should be slapping mobile phones out of their kids’ hands and telling them to check out this guy.”
He adds, “Our millennials need to know about the most important musician since Jimi Hendrix. There will never be another like him.”
The Village People are not happy that Donald Trump’s Mar-a-Lago resort hired a lookalike group to play the venue.
Billboard reports that after video surfaced on Twitter of what appeared to be the band playing an event at the estate, Trump was sent a cease-and-desist letter by lead singer Victor Willis‘ wife, Karen Willis, who manages the band.
The letter, which was sent to Trump’s lawyer Joseph Tacopina, argues that the tribute band violates the disco group’s federal trademark, noting the clip “has and continues to cause public confusion as to why Village People would even engage in such a performance. We did not.” Karen adds, “Though my husband has tolerated your client’s use of his Village People music, we cannot allow such use by him to cause public confusion as to endorsement.”
Willis insists that the confusion makes it look like the band is endorsing Trump and that the band has threatened to sue to keep him from using “not only of the Village People trademarked image and trade dress, but of the music as well.”
This isn’t the first time the Village People took issue with Trump’s use of their music. In June 2020 Victor, upset over Trump using police to clear protesters in Lafayette Square, used social media to ask the president not to use their songs at his events.
Lately, Billy Joel, his wife, Alexis, and their two young daughters have been spending more time in Florida, so he’s movin’ out of his New York waterfront estate.
The Wall Street Journal reports that the 26-acre estate in “a town known as Oyster Bay, Long Island” — as he famously sang about in his song “The Ballad of Billy the Kid” — is on the market for $49 million. Billy paid $22.5 million for the first 14 acres and home back in 2002, but he’s since bought up adjoining plots of land to restore the estate to its original size.
The property, which sits on a small island called Centre Island, is known as Middlesea and features a 20,000-square-foot mansion, a beach house, two outdoor pools, a helipad, a bowling alley, a wine cellar, a floating dock and an indoor pool that Billy covered up so he could use it as a music room.
In 2015, Billy purchased an estate in Lantana, Florida, for $22 million, the Journal reports. But The New York Post reports that it, too, is for sale, for just under $70 million. The Post speculates that he’s looking for another property.
But Billy isn’t giving up all his ties to Long Island: He still has a home in ritzy Sag Harbor in the Hamptons.
Rolling Stones fans may want to make a stop at Los Angeles’ Rockaway Records. The store has just acquired a new collection of Stones memorabilia, featuring over 10,000 items.
The collection, purchased from the estate of skateboarder Brad “Squeak” Blanck, a known figure in the Rolling Stones community, consists of an extensive collection of vinyl, with rare LPs and 45s, vintage T-shirts, concert posters and more.
Some of the items up for grabs include a copy of the rare “Beast of Burden” 45 with picture sleeve and an Andy Warhol-designed promotional display from 1977. One item no longer available is a rare set of 1978 U.K. promo posters for “Some Girls,” which has already been purchased by The Black Crowes frontman Chris Robinson.
“We have bought many amazing collections over the past 45 years, but this is definitely the most exciting one in a long time!” Rockaway Records’ Wayne Johnson shares.
More information on the collection can be found at rockaway.com.
We’re about to learn a whole lot more about The Mamas & the Papas. The legendary ’60s group is the subject of a new biography, All The Leaves Are Brown: How the Mamas & the Papas Came Together and Broke Apart, dropping June 1.
Written by Scott G. Shea, the book delves into how the group — John Phillips, Denny Doherty, MichellePhillips and Mama Cass Elliot — became “the standard-bearers for California counterculture.”
The book tells the band’s story through new interviews with former bandmates, as well as session musicians, family members and more. That includes an interview with Jill Gibson, who briefly replaced Michelle after she was fired by husband John for having an affair with The Byrds’ Gene Clark.
All The Leaves Are Brown: How the Mamas & the Papas Came Together and Broke Apart is available for preorder now.
This isn’t the first book to tell the story of the group, known for such hits songs as “California Dreaming,” “Monday Monday” and more. Members John and Michelle have both written books about their time in the band.
Queen is offering fans a chance to get their hands on something pretty unique. The band is selling what they are calling a “Taylored” Spinner Cymbal Ring, made of sterling silver and featuring an outer spinning band constructed from one of drummer Roger Taylor’s personal cymbals.
Each ring is individually numbered and features the “Jolly Roger” logo on the inside. It is also engraved with “hearing secret harmonies” in Taylor’s handwriting, comes with a certificate of authenticity signed by Taylor and a photo of the drummer taken by his daughter.
The ring will be available for preorder starting May 30, with the item shipping by July 28.
The Pointer Sisters‘music is the latest to be sold off.
Billboard reports BMG has made a deal to acquire the rights to the original masters of albums the R&B group made from 1978 to 1988. That’s nine albums in total and includes rights to hits like “I’m So Excited,” “Jump (For My Love),” “Automatic” and more.
William Briggs II, the family’s attorney, released a statement on behalf of Anita Pointer’s estate, noting she “would have been pleased” that the group’s legacy will “live on long past her.” Anita passed away in December and her sister June died in 2006, with Ruth Pointer the last surviving original member of the group.
Thomas Scherer, BMG president of repertoire & marketing New York and Los Angeles, says they are “so excited” to be able to work with the Pointer Sisters’ catalog, noting there are plans to explore things like book deals, possibly a documentary and even an exhibition of the sisters’ performance outfits.
BMG has already acquired the publishing rights of several artists, including Fleetwood Mac’s Mick Fleetwood, Tina Turner and Peter Frampton.
Stevie Nicks is extending her time on the road. The two-time Rock & Roll Hall of Famer has added a second leg to her solo tour.
“Thank you to everyone who’s come out to see us so far, I’ve been having such a great time on the road,” Nicks shares on Instagram. “We are so happy to announce that we are adding 13 more shows to my 2023 tour! I hope I see you out there.”
The new dates kick off August 8 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, and include shows in Houston, Austin, Pittsburgh, San Diego and Los Angeles. The last new date is set for December 5 in Palm Desert, California, although the tour wraps December 15 in San Francisco, California.
Tickets for the new shows go on sale Friday, May 19, at 10 a.m. local time.
Nicks’ next concert is happening Tuesday, May 16, in Knoxville, Tennessee. She’s also set to play Nashville with Billy Joel on Friday, May 19. A complete list of dates can be found at stevienicksofficial.com.
