Classic Hits

Bruce Springsteen and wife Patti Scialfa have lent their talents to a new song by Dion, “Angel in the Alleyways,” which has been released as an advance track from the doo-wop and rock ‘n’ roll legend’s star-studded upcoming studio album, Stomping Ground.

The blues- and gospel-influenced tune, which is available for streaming now, features Scialfa delivering backing vocals and Springsteen playing harmonica and guitar.

Meanwhile, a music video for “Angel in the Alleyways” has debuted on Dion’s official YouTube channel. The clip features footage of Bruce and Patti in their home studio, and of Dion by himself singing and playing acoustic guitar at an 11th century Spanish monastery that was rebuilt in Miami in the 1950s, and also performing with a full backing band.

In the album’s liner notes, Dion writes of the song, “I gave Patti a simple, raw demo of ‘Angel in the Alleyways,’ with just my guitar and vocal. What you’ll hear now is what Patti made of it. There are five verses, and she treated each of them in a unique way. This is her gift. The lady’s imagination is unlimited. Her husband contributed the right tones on guitar and harmonica. They are my dream team. They truly make me feel loved.”

Springsteen and Scialfa also are featured on “Hymn To Him,” a song on Dion’s previous album, 2020’s Blues with Friends.

As previously reported, Stomping Ground will be released November 5 and, in addition to Springsteen and Scialfa, the album includes guest appearances by Eric Clapton, Mark Knopfler, Peter Frampton, ZZ Top‘s Billy Gibbons, Boz Scaggs, Rickie Lee Jones and more. In addition, The Who‘s Pete Townshend penned liner notes for the record.

You can pre-order Stomping Ground now. Here’s the full track list:

“Take It Back” — with Joe Bonamassa
“Hey Diddle Diddle ” — with G.E. Smith
“Dancing Girl ” — with Mark Knopfler
“If You Wanna Rock ‘n’ Roll ” — with Eric Clapton
“There Was a Time ” — with Peter Frampton
“Cryin’ Shame ” — with Sonny Landreth
“The Night Is Young ” — with Joe Menza and Wayne Hood
“That’s What The Doctor Said ” — with Steve Conn
“My Stomping Ground ” — with Billy Gibbons
“Angel in the Alleyways ” — with Patti Scialfa and Bruce Springsteen
“I’ve Got to Get to You ” — with Boz Scaggs, Joe Menza and Mike Menza
“Red House ” — with Keb’ Mo’
“I Got My Eyes on You Baby ” — with Marcia Ball and Jimmy Vivino
“I’ve Been Watching ” — with Rickie Lee Jones and Wayne Hood

Copyright © 2021, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

Another day, another chart record for Sir Elton John.

Earlier this week, he officially registered 50 years of top 40 hits on the Billboard Hot 100, and now he’s set a similar record for longevity back home in the U.K.  Specifically, he’s now the only act in the history of the U.K. singles chart to score a top-10 hit in six different decades, thanks to his Dua Lipa collabo, “Cold Heart.”

“Cold Heart” is Elton’s 33rd top 10 on the chart.  His first one came in 1971, with “Your Song.” Overall, he scored 10 top 10s in the ’70s, seven in the ’80s, eight in the ’90s, seven in the 2000s, one in the 2010s, and one in this decade.

Overall, Elton’s notched seven number-one singles but that number could increase to eight, because “Cold Heart” is poised to take over the top spot this week, dethroning Ed Sheeran‘s “Shivers.”

In other Elton news, the U.K. tabloid The Sun reports that he’s going to have to miss a reception honoring his late friend, Princess Diana. The October 19 event will celebrate the unveiling of a statue of the late princess, and Elton was invited by Diana’s son, Prince William. However, The Sun has confirmed he’s sent his regrets because he’s recovering from a hip operation.

A source told The Sun, “Elton underwent hip replacement surgery at the start of the month. It went well and he is on the mend but is taking things slow.“

Copyright © 2021, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

Red Hot Chili Peppers might have some new music to play on their 2022 worldwide tour.

As drummer Chad Smith tells Rolling Stone, the band’s next record, their first with guitarist John Frusciante back in the fold since 2006’s Stadium Arcadium, is “almost done.” The album also reunites the Peppers with longtime producer Rick Rubin, who was absent from 2016’s The Getaway after working on every RHCP album from 1991’s Blood Sugar Sex Magik through 2011’s I’m with You.

Smith explains that work started on the new album amid the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, during which they isolated themselves together and started writing.

“We could just plow through and write, and that’s what we did,” Smith shares. “It was kind of a blessing, because we want to come out with new music and play some new songs. It’s gonna be great when we finally go out next year and have a record to play, and a bunch of other stuff, obviously.”

As for what we can expect from the album, Smith teases, “It sounds like Red Hot Chili Peppers, but it’s different and new.”

He adds, “We really like it and we’re proud of it and it has to start there. If other people like it, great. If people compare it to this or [say] it doesn’t sound like that, we have no control over that. But yeah, we’re all really happy with the record.”

Red Hot Chili Peppers’ 2022 tour begins with a European run in June. It’ll launch in the U.S. in July.

Copyright © 2021, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

“Brown Sugar” is one of The Rolling Stones‘ biggest hits and most popular songs, but the classic’s potentially racially and culturally insensitive subject matter and lyrics apparently have prompted the band to stop playing it in concert.

A recent Los Angeles Times article, which featured a new interview with Stones members Keith Richards and Mick Jagger, noted that the band had performed “Brown Sugar” 1,136 times in concert, although the song has been left off the group’s set lists for its current No Filter Tour of the U.S.

“You picked up on that, huh?” Keith Richards commented to the Los Angeles Times when asked about the tune’s omission. “I don’t know. I’m trying to figure out with the sisters quite where the beef is. Didn’t they understand this was a song about the horrors of slavery? But they’re trying to bury it.”

“Brown Sugar,” which spent two weeks at #1 on the Billboard Hot 100 in 1971, includes Jagger-penned lyrics that appear to be about a slave trader and a slave master abusing Black women.

On the subject of not currently performing the song, Jagger told the newspaper, “We’ve played ‘Brown Sugar’ every night since 1970. So sometimes you think, ‘We’ll take that one out for now and see how it goes.’ We might put it back in.”

Richards added of the matter, “At the moment I don’t want to get into conflicts with all of this s***. But I’m hoping that we’ll be able to resurrect the babe in her glory somewhere along the track.”

It’s worth noting that in 1995 Rolling Stone interview, Jagger reflected with apprehension about “Brown Sugar’s” lyrics, telling the magazine, “I never would write that song now. I would probably censor myself.”

Copyright © 2021, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

Chicago will return to The Venetian Resort Las Vegas next year for a limited run of shows.

The Rock & Roll Hall of Famers will perform six shows at the hotel’s Venetian Theatre: February 16, 18, 19, 23, 35 and 26. Tickets go on sale to the general public this Monday, October 18, at 10 a.m. PT via Ticketmaster, VenetianLasVegas.com, or by calling 866-641-7469.  It’ll be Chicago’s fifth consecutive year playing at the venue.

In fact, Chicago just wrapped a three-night stint at the Venetian Theatre last month.  The Vegas venue was also the last place that Chicago played in 2020 before they had to cancel their tour plans due to the pandemic.  The legendary group also has a variety of concerts scheduled in other U.S. cities through December 17.

The Venetian shows in September featured pretty much every song you’d want to hear from Chicago, from early material like “Make Me Smile,” “Saturday in the Park” and “Beginnings,” to mid-period hits like “Call On Me” and “If You Leave Me Now,” to the 1980s-era hits “You’re the Inspiration,” “Hard Habit to Break” and “Hard to Say I’m Sorry.”

2022 will mark Chicago’s 55th consecutive year of touring.

 

 

 

 

View this post on Instagram

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

A post shared by Chicago The Band (@chicagotheband)

Copyright © 2021, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

The estate of the late David Bowie is launching a year-long celebration dubbed Bowie 75, commemorating what would have been the influential rock legend’s 75th birthday.

The campaign will begin with the opening of two themed pop-up stores at significant locations in two cities that David called home during his life — London and New York.

The shops will open on October 25, 75 days before the 75th anniversary of Bowie’s January 8 birthday. One will be located in New York at 150 Wooster Street, near the downtown Manhattan neighborhood where David lived for many years, while the other will open in London at 14 Heddon Street, where the cover of Bowie’s classic album The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars was shot.

Both stores, which will remain open until late January 2022, will offer immersive experiences treating fans to a career-spanning look at Bowie’s music, art, fashion and more.

The Bowie 75 shops will feature audio and high-def video screening rooms presenting 360 Reality Audio listening and viewing experiences, including rare behind-the-scenes footage. They’ll also offer limited-edition releases of Bowie apparel, memorabilia, collectibles, CDs and vinyl LPs; photo galleries; art installations; and special guest appearances.

In addition, fans will be able try on versions of some of Bowie’s iconic outfits and take photos of themselves wearing them in front of specially designed sets.

For more details about the stores, visit Bowie75.com.

Copyright © 2021, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

The first official trailer for the highly anticipated three-part Beatles documentary series The Beatles: Get Back has just debuted, and it’s really “Something.”

As previously reported, the docuseries — which was created from hours of unseen footage and audio recorded in January 1969 during sessions that yielded the Fab Four’s final album, Let It Be — premieres on Disney+ over three days, November 25, 26, and 27. Disney is the parent company of ABC News.

The nearly four-minute trailer gives some historic background about the sessions while offering clips of the band members working on songs, joking around and discussing musical ideas and plans, including whether they want to perform live for the first time in almost three years.

As the promo points out, the goal of the sessions was, over the course of three weeks, to capture The Beatles making a new album and debuting those songs with an at-first-undetermined live gig.

The trailer includes scenes of the band working on future classics like “Get Back” and “Something,” and segments of a conversation about the proposed concerts. We see John Lennon saying, “I would dig to play on stage,” while George Harrison counters, “I think we should forget the whole idea of a show.”

The clip also touches on how Harrison briefly quit the band during the sessions, and ends as The Beatles prepare to give what became their last-ever live performance, the famous surprise concert on the roof of Apple headquarters on London’s Savile Row.

The docuseries, which was directed by Lord of the Rings filmmaker Peter Jackson, will include the full footage of rooftop show.

Each part of The Beatles: Get Back runs about two hours.

In addition to the trailer, the official poster art for the film event also debuted today.

Copyright © 2021, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

Paul Simon, one of the most important singer/songwriters of the rock music era, celebrates his 80th birthday today.

Simon came to fame in the mid-’60s as half of the legendary folk-rock duo Simon & Garfunkel, and then launched a successful solo career in the early 1970s that has seen him incorporate jazz, African, Brazilian and Latin music influences into his pop-rock sound.

Paul’s melodic, intelligent and poetic songs helped make Simon & Garfunkel one of the most popular and celebrated music acts of the 1960s and early ’70s. The duo topped the Billboard Hot 100 three times, with “The Sound of Silence,” “Mrs. Robinson” and “Bridge over Troubled Water.” Simon won eight Grammy Awards for his work with Art Garfunkel, including a 1970 Album of the Year prize for Bridge over Troubled Water, and Record of the Year and Song of the Year honors for the title track.

Simon enjoyed similar success as a solo artist, winning 1975 and 1986 Album of the Year Grammys, respectively, for Still Crazy After All These Years and Graceland. The latter album was not only a huge commercial success, selling more than five million copies in the U.S. alone, it’s considered a critical high-water mark for Paul, who collaborated with South African musicians to create an infectious hybrid of world music and pop.

Simon has been inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame twice, as a member of Simon & Garfunkel in 1990 and as a solo artist in 2001. Other accolades include induction into the Songwriters Hall of Fame in 1982, being named MusiCares Person of the Year in 2001, receiving a Kennedy Center Honor in 2002, being awarded the first Library of Congress Gershwin Prize for Popular Song in 2007, and receiving Sweden’s prestigious Polar Music Prize in 2012.

Paul retired from touring in 2018, although he has continued to play select concerts that raise money for various charities he supports. Simon’s most recent album was 2018’s In the Blue Light, a collection of new versions of some of his favorite tunes from his back catalog, reimagined to incorporate jazz and classical influences.

Copyright © 2021, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

A new 10-CD box set titled The Official Live Bootlegs Volume 1, featuring recordings of five concerts by Asia‘s original lineup from various years of the prog-rock supergroup’s career, will be released on November 26.

Two shows featured in the expansive collection took place during the band’s initial early-1980s heyday, while the other three concerts were recorded after the original lineup reunited during the 2000s.

The concerts were recorded in May 1982 at Kleinhans Music Hall in Buffalo, New York; in August 1983 at The Centrum in Worcester, Massachusetts; in March 2007 at the Credicard Hall in São Paulo, Brazil; in May 2008 at the International Forum in Tokyo; and in December 2010 at The Forum in London.

Asia’s classic lineup featured former King Crimson and UK singer/bassist John Wetton, longtime Yes guitarist Steve Howe, Emerson, Lake & Palmer drummer Carl Palmer and Buggles/Yes keyboardist Geoff Downes.

The original band recorded two albums, 1982’s Asia and 1983’s Alpha, before Howe exited the group. Wetton, Howe, Downes and Palmer reunited in 2006 to mark Asia’s 25th anniversary and the group went on to record three more albums together — 2008’s Phoenix, 2010’s Omega and 2012’s XXX — before Howe again left the band in 2013.

The concerts feature Asia playing its classic songs “Heat of the Moment,” “Only Time Will Tell” and “Don’t Cry,” while the post-2000 shows also include renditions of tunes by the members’ other famous groups, among them Yes’ “Roundabout,” King Crimson’s The Court of the Crimson King and The Buggles’ “Video Killed the Radio Star.”

The Official Live Bootlegs Volume 1 can be pre-ordered now. A digital album featuring 24 tracks from the box set also will be released on November 26.

Copyright © 2021, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

Dionne Warwick is the subject of a new documentary, Don’t Make Me Over, but she says she’s not interested in being part of the upcoming I Wanna Dance with Somebody biopic about her late cousin, Whitney Houston.

The latter film is being produced by Clive Davis, who signed Warwick and Houston to Arista Records, but Dionne doesn’t want to be involved in the project, explaining to the Los Angeles Times, “I want them to let Whitney rest in peace. Leave her alone. Ten years [since she died] — it’s time to let her sleep.”

Meanwhile, Warwick, who recorded for Arista during the 1990s at the same time that Aretha Franklin was on the label, says she’s not a fan of the recent Respect biopic starring Jennifer Hudson as the late Queen of Soul.

“I knew Aretha from when we were teenagers, and there was a lot missing [from the movie],” she tells the L.A. Times. Dionne feels that the film focused too much on the negative aspect of Aretha’s career. “Some filmmakers feel that they’ve got to find something cruddy and ugly in an artist’s life,” Warwick comments. “Why?”

Now 80 years old, the six-time Grammy winner began her legendary career at the age of 22 in 1962 with the title tune of her documentary, the first of many hits written for her by the legendary songwriting team of Burt Bacharach and Hal David. Don’t Make Over premiered last month at the Toronto International Film Festival and was first runner-up for the People’s Choice Award for Documentaries.

For her latest project, Dionne recorded a duet with Chance the Rapper, “Nothing’s Impossible,” which will be released for Thanksgiving and will raise money to aid the homeless.

Copyright © 2021, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.