Elton John has scored his 21st top-10 album on the Billboard 200 with his latest studio effort, The Lockdown Sessions, which debuted at #10 on the chart after earning 29,000 equivalent album units during its first week out. Seventeen thousand of that sum were for album sales.
The Lockdown Sessions boasts collaborations Elton recorded virtually during the COVID-19 pandemic with a wide variety of artists. The album includes the U.K. pop-rock legend’s latest top-40 hit on the Billboard Hot 100, “Cold Heart (Pnau Remix),” a duet with British pop star Dua Lipa that mashes up four of Elton’s earlier songs. The single reached #21 on the Hot 100 last week.
The album also features collaborating with Stevie Nicks, Stevie Wonder, Pearl Jam‘s Eddie Vedder, Miley Cyrus, Nicki Minaj and many others.
Elton scored his first top-10 album back in January of 1971 with his self-titled 1970 record, which reached #4 on the tally. His most recent album to break into the top 10 was 2016’s Wonderful Crazy Night, which peaked at #8.
Meanwhile, over the past few days, Elton’s social media pages have featured severaliconicphotos of the performer without his signature glasses. Well, now we know why: He’s launching his own line of eyewear.
A video on Elton’s Instagram announces the news, with the caption, “I’m just not myself without my glasses. Which is why I’m very excited to finally announce my eyewear collaboration with @walmart and @samsclub. Designed by me to celebrate you!”
The video shows a wide range of specs in many shapes, sizes and colors, though none as quite elaborate as some of the ones Elton wore in the ’70s. As Elton notes, the proceeds will support his Elton John AIDS Foundation.
It’s Billy Joel‘s golden anniversary as an artist: 50 years ago, on November 1, 1971, his first album, Cold Spring Harbor, was released. Here are some things you may not know about the record that first introduced us to Billy’s talents:
–The album was named after a hamlet on the north shore of Long Island, New York, near where Billy grew up. The cover photo shows him standing on Harbor Road in Cold Spring Harbor.
—In 2011, Billy said he made Cold Spring Harbor because he wanted other artists to hear his songs and record them; he was advised the best way to do that was to make an album of them and then go on the road.
–One of the songs on the album, “Tomorrow Is Today,” was inspired by the depression Billy had gone through the year before, which culminated in him attempting suicide by drinking furniture polish, followed by a hospital stay to recover.
–Due to a technical error, the Cold Spring Harbor master tapes were transferred to vinyl at the wrong speed, making Billy sound, he said, “like a chipmunk.” It was finally remastered in 1983, but Billy still thinks he sounds like a chipmunk.
–Cold Spring Harbor flopped, but when Billy included a few of its songs on his 1981 live album Songs in the Attic, one of them, “She’s Got a Way,” became a top-40 hit — 10 years after he first recorded it.
–In 2011, when Billy’s catalog was reissued as a box set, he said ofCold Spring Harbor, “You don’t have to pay a lot of attention to this one. It’s the embryonic Billy Joel, I suppose.”
Here’s the full track list of Cold Spring Harbor:
“She’s Got a Way”
“You Can Make Me Free”
“Everybody Loves You Now”
“Why Judy Why”
“Falling of the Rain”
“Turn Around”
“You Look So Good to Me”
“Tomorrow Is Today”
“Nocturne”
“Got to Begin Again”
The rocker was scheduled to perform with his solo band at a Runaway Tours event at the Loews South Beach in Miami over the weekend when the diagnosis came back, forcing him to cancel the show.
Fans got the unfortunate news by Jon’s brother, Matt Bongiovi, just before the show on Saturday. He reportedly told the audience that Jon felt great but would not be performing and was going “to bed,” according to WSVN.
Bon Jovi’s rep confirmed the positive test and told Asbury Park Press that he’s “fully vaccinated and feeling fine.”
Saturday’s show was the second of three nights planned for the Runaway Tours Halloween weekend getaway, scheduled for Friday through Sunday.
Even though fans didn’t get to see Jon, the rest of the band, who tested negative, played the set as scheduled.
As previously reported, Jon is scheduled to receive the Intrepid Lifetime Achievement Award at the Salute to Freedom Gala, which takes place November 10 in New York City aboard the U.S.S. Intrepid. No word on whether or not he’ll make it.
KISS will no longer be turning Sin City into Rock City in late 2021 and early 2022. The band’s upcoming Las Vegas residency at Zappos Theater at Planet Hollywood Resort & Casino has been canceled, according to the Las Vegas Review-Journal and Ticketmaster.com.
No reason has been given for the cancellation, but Ticketmaster reports that people who purchased tickets for the shows will automatically receive a refund.
The Vegas concerts had been scheduled for December 29, New Year’s Eve and New Year’s Day, as well as on January 19, 21, 22, 26, 28 and 29, and February 2, 4 and 5.
News of the cancellation comes a couple of days after Rolling Stone published a story that called into question how stringent the COVID-19 safety protocols for KISS’ End of the Road farewell tour were in the wake of the October 17 death of the band’s longtime guitar tech, Francis Stueber, who passed away two days after being put in quarantine because of the virus.
The article interviewed three members of the road crew — who wished to remain anonymous — who alleged that the tour “didn’t take strict enough safety measures,” and suggested that this may have led to Stueber’s death.
Meanwhile, KISS currently are taking part in the 10th edition of their KISS Kruise. As seen in fan-shot video from the cruise, former KISS guitarist Bruce Kulick joined his old band Friday to perform a pair of songs — “Heaven’s on Fire” and “Tears Are Falling” — during an outdoor performance.
KISS Kruise X runs through Wednesday, November 3. KISS also confirmed plans for a KISS Kruise XI, which will set sail from Los Angeles on October 29, 2022, and will visit Enseneda, Mexico, and Cabo San Lucas, Mexico, before returning to port on November 3.
Kevin Mazur/Getty Images for The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame
After skipping a full-on ceremony in 2020 due to the pandemic, The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Induction Gala returned in full force to Cleveland, OH on Saturday night, ushering in Foo Fighters, Carole King, Go-Gos, Tina Turner, Todd Rundgren, JAY-Z and more.
—Paul McCartney inducted Foo Fighters, and compared Dave Grohl‘s post-Nirvana career to his own time in Wings, noting, “We had a great time with our groups, but eventually tragedy happened and my group broke up. Same happened with Dave. His group broke up under tragic circumstances. So the question is, what do you do now?”
“In my case, I said, ‘Well, I’ll make an album where I play all the instruments myself.’ So I did that,” Macca continued. “Dave’s group broke up…what’s he do? He makes an album where he plays all the instruments himself. Do you think this guy’s stalking me?”
The Foos performed “Everlong,” “Best of You” and “My Hero” before taking the podium. Grohl’s acceptance speech was short, he explained, “because the last 25 years has been me, just like, ‘Blah, blah, blah … rock & roll … blah, blah, blah.’” He thanked his band and crew family, and his actual family, ending with “We did it!” In his speech, drummer Taylor Hawkins campaigned for the eventual induction of Soundgarden and George Michael.
The night concluded with McCartney and Foo Fighters jamming on “Get Back.”
—Drew Barrymore inducted the Go-Go’s, and recreated the cover of their album Beauty and the Beat by wrapping herself in a bath towel and applying face cream. “Beauty and the Beat blew the doors of my life off,” she told the crowd, adding, “They made me believe in things that weren’t possible.”
Accepting their honor, bass player Kathy Valentine said now that the Go-Go’s had been inducted, they’d be “advocating for the inclusion of more women,” adding, “Here is the thing: There would not be less of us if more of us were visible.” The band then rocked the crowd with “Vacation,” “Our Lips Are Sealed” and “We Got the Beat.”
—Angela Bassett, star of the Tina Turner biopic What’s Love Got to Do With It, inducted Turner for the second time — she had already been inducted in 1991 as one half of Ike & Tina Turner. As Bassett noted, “What brings us here tonight is Tina’s journey to independence. For Tina, hope triumphed over hate…ambition eclipsed adversity.”
Turner herself didn’t attend; she sent a pre-recorded thank you. Instead, country star Mickey Guyton took the stage in Tina’s iconic ’80s uniform of denim jacket and black leather dress to sing “What’s Love Got to Do With It.” Then, country star Keith Urban and Oscar-winning R&B star H.E.R. sang “It’s Only Love.” Urban stepped in last-minute for Bryan Adams, Tina’s original duet partner on the song, who’d tested positive for COVID.
Christina Aguilerabrought it all home with a stunning rendition of the Ike & Tina Turner classic, “River Deep, Mountain High.”
—Todd Rundgren, who’s said for many years that if inducted, he wouldn’t attend, pointedly booked a concert the night of the ceremony. He was virtually inducted by Patti Smith, who’s known Todd since their twenties. A tribute video included commentary from The Bangles‘ Susannah Hoffs and Daryl Hall.
—Taylor Swift opened the ceremony by performing King’s “Will You Love Me Tomorrow,” a number-one hit for The Shirelles before King herself recorded it for her iconic album Tapestry. “I cannot remember a time when I didn’t know Carole King’s music,” Taylor told the crowd during her induction speech, adding that her parents raised her to believe King was “the greatest songwriter of all time.”
King, who’d already been inducted as a songwriter in 1990, acknowledged that even though she’s been told “that today’s female singers and songwriters stand on my shoulders,” we shouldn’t forget that “they also stand on the shoulders of the first woman to be inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame. May she rest in power, Miss Aretha Franklin!”
Jennifer Hudson then took the stage to perform “(You Make Me Feel Like) A Natural Woman,” followed by King herself leading the crowd in a singalong of “You’ve Got a Friend.”
–Other honorees included JAY-Z, inducted by Dave Chappelle, and Musical Excellence Award recipients Randy Rhoads, inducted by Tom Morello; Kraftwerk, inducted by Pharrell Williams; Billy Preston, inducted virtually by Ringo Starr; Gil Scott-Heron, inducted by Common; LL Cool J, inducted by Dr. Dre; and bluesman Charley Patton, inducted by Gary Clark Jr.
The Rolling Stones have teamed up with the Boston Dynamics robotics company on a unique remake of the band’s “Start Me Up” music video, which features robots recreating the band members’ moves from the original clip, released 40 years ago this month.
The video, which you can watch at Boston Dynamics’ YouTube channel, features the original video side-by-side with the robotic re-creation. The new clip features the company’s dinosaur-like “Spot” robots displaying moves like Mick Jagger, as well as like Keith Richards, Ronnie Wood and Charlie Watts.
The new clip has been rechristened “Spot Me Up.”
“Start Me Up” appeared on The Rolling Stones’ 1981 album Tattoo You. The song and album peaked at #2, respectively, on the Billboard Hot 100 and Billboard 200 charts. An expanded, 40th anniversary Tattoo You reissue was released earlier this month.
Meanwhile, The Stones continue their 2021 No Filter Tour of U.S. with a concert tonight in Tampa, Florida.
Goo Goo Dolls are getting into the holiday spirit with the deluxe edition of It’s Christmas All Over.
Following the release of their debut Christmas album in 2020, the legendary rock band is expanding on the effort with a deluxe edition that includes a pair of new tracks: the original “One Last Song About Christmas” and a cover of Dean Martin‘s “I’ve Got My Love to Keep Me Warm” featuring opera-turned-alt-rock singer Kudisan Kai.
“Raise a glass/ And cheers to the season/ We don’t need a reason/ To love one another again,” the group sings over a melancholy melody in “One Last Song About Christmas,” co-produced by frontman John Rzeznik.
The new tracks join holiday classics including “Let It Snow! Let It Snow! Let It Snow!,” “Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas” and “Christmas Don’t Be Late.”
The It’s Christmas All Over deluxe edition will be released on November 5.
Journey keyboardist and songwriter Jonathan Cain has just released a new EP titled Oh Lord Lead Us, the latest in a series of Christian music projects he’s put out in recent years.
The six-track collection includes the title track, which was issued as a single in July, and a tune called “Blue Thunder” that was inspired by Cain watching a storm roll by while at his home in Florida.
“It just hit me that there was a powerful conversation that God was having with the whole neighborhood,” Cain explains to American Songwriter. “The lightning hits and the thunder comes right after it; and the way it rolls, it feels like the sound waves roll, really, across the land. You can feel the earth kind of shake.”
The EP also features “Something Greater,” a song named after and inspired by a book by his wife, pastor Paula White-Cain.
Cain is planning to release a new full-length solo album soon.
Meanwhile, Jonathan’s song “Oh Lord Lead Us” will serve as the theme song for a new series Rockin on Heaven’s Door that will debut in December on the Pure Flix faith-based network. Cain also will appear on the debut episode of the series, which will feature various musicians discussing their spiritual beliefs.
Cain also is planning a songwriting event and a Christmas concert, with details to be announced soon.
As previously reported, Journey will be performing a series of Las Vegas concerts in December, including a six-show residency at The Theater at Virgin Hotels, a special symphonic performance on December 18 in Vegas at The Colosseum at Caesars Palace.
Here’s the EP’s full track list:
“Oh Lord Lead Us”
“Pray to the Father”
“Worship Our Way”
“Beautiful Thunder”
“Something Greater”
“No One but You Jesus”
When a lot of people didn’t know where their next paycheck was coming from, Billy Joel made sure his band did.
During a recent interview, Joel revealed that he made sure the money kept flowing for his band members during the COVID-19 pandemic, even though live shows were shut down.
“I did pay them full salary for a year,” Joel told Howard Stern on Stern’s satellite radio show. “I have a great band, I’m so happy to have them on stage.”
The “Piano Man” went on to explain that he wanted to express his appreciation for the team that stuck by him through all these years, even when he had some financial issues of his own.
“I don’t do as many gigs as I used to do…back in the day when I had some money issues, I wasn’t able to take care of the band the same way I am now. I wasn’t able to compensate them…and I wanted to take care of the band,” said Joel.
Joel is set to kick off an 11-stop tour on November 5, starting in New York City’s Madison Square Garden.
2021 just keeps on getting better for Elton John. After scoring his first number-one single in his native U.K. in nearly 20 years with “Cold Heart” two weeks ago, his latest album, The Lockdown Sessions, has debuted at number one on the Official U.K. Albums Chart.
The Lockdown Sessions, which features Sir Elton singing with everyone from Stevie Wonder, Stevie Nicks and Charlie Puth to Miley Cyrus, Eddie Vedder and Lil Nas X, is Elton’s first chart-topper in Great Britain since 2012.
On Instagram, a delighted Elton writes, “This album is all about the capacity for music to bring people together to form new friendships and connections. And right now I couldn’t feel more connected to my amazing fans in the U.K. who made this happen.”
He continues, “When I started collaborating with some of my favorite artists at the start of the pandemic, I couldn’t have dreamt in my wildest dreams it would lead to a number one album. I am so proud of what we have created and thrilled that it has connected with our fans to such a degree. It shows the spirit of collaboration and togetherness that can still happen in the most trying circumstances.”
Elton’s songwriting partner Bernie Taupin didn’t co-write any of the tunes on The Lockdown Sessions — with the exception of “Cold Heart” — but he still jumped into Elton’s comments section to write, “Yea buddy congratulations.”
Elton’s last #1 U.K. album was 2012’s Good Morning to the Night, which featured dozens of his old hits remixed and spliced together by Australian dance duo Pnau, the same team who similarly put together “Cold Heart.”
