Classic Hits

The Beach Boys‘ iconic 1966 album, Pet Sounds, has just been released with a new mix in Dolby Atmos, so fans can now enjoy an immersive experience while listening to the record. Giles Martin, son of late Beatles producer George Martin, is responsible for the new mix, and he certainly has great respect for the original.

“I think that’s what made this album exceptional is the fact that it sounded otherworldly because it used a combination of instruments that had never been heard before. Anywhere!” Martin tells ABC Audio.

It’s commonly noted that in making Pet Sounds, Brian Wilson was inspired by The Beatles’ Rubber Soul; The Beatles then took inspiration from Pet Sounds for Sgt Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band. Martin believes it’s because there was a bit of “competitiveness” that went on between the bands, allowing both to break the rules. 

He explains, “[The Beatles] were like, ‘Oh, you know, if the Beach Boys can do that, we’re The Beatles, we can certainly do that!” He said Wilson felt the same way about his band.

For Martin, one of his main goals for the Dolby Atmos mix is to get younger music fans to listen to the classic album. He believes The Beach Boys “aren’t listened to enough” and the record “has now been lost on a generation.” 

Martin hopes at the very least the new mix will start a “conversation” about the album, whether people like what he’s done with it or not, which will lead to new generations discovering it.

He shares, “The Beach Boys is one of those bands that … it sounds overbearing for me to say they need to be discovered, but they certainly need attention. And so if I can do that, then great.” (AUDIO IS ABC 1-ON-1)

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Led Zeppelin fans now have a chance to get their hands on a guitar that was once owned by none other than Jimmy Page.

ATB Guitars is selling the 1969 Gibson Firebird III, which was purchased by Page from Mike Ladd’s Guitar City in Memphis. The listing claims Page lost it to drummer John Bonham in a game of spoof; in 1978 Bonham gave it to his business partner, who kept it for 45 years and is now selling it.

It’s unknown whether Page used the guitar for any recordings. ATB does note that it has been refinished in black, and while they don’t see that any repairs have been made to it, the paint job “could be hiding something.”

As for the price tag, ATB is currently asking for over $78,000 for the axe.

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Grammy-winning songwriter Cynthia Weil has passed away at the age of 82.

According to The Associated Press, Dr. Jenn Mann, the daughter of Weil and her husband and songwriting partner, Barry Mann, confirmed the news, sharing that Weil was “surrounded by family” when she passed away Thursday at her home in Beverly Hills. No cause of death was revealed.

Weil and Mann are best known for writing such classic songs as “You’ve Lost that Lovin’ Feelin’,” made famous by The Righteous Brothers; “We Gotta Get Out Of This Place,” a hit for The Animals; Dolly Parton’s “Here You Come Again”; and “On Broadway.” 

The pair earned a Golden Globe and Academy Award nomination for their An American Tail song “Somewhere Out There,” a collaboration with James Horner. The tune, sung by Linda Ronstadt and James Ingram, went on to win Grammys for Song of the Year and Best Song Written for a Movie or Television.

Weil and Mann were inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 2010 as recipients of the Ahmet Ertegun Award. In 1987, the couple was inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame, and in 2011 the organization awarded them the Johnny Mercer Award, the organization’s highest honor.

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David Lee Roth has once again shared a new take on a classic Van Halen track. The latest song he’s decided to tackle is “Atomic Punk,” which originally appeared on the band’s 1978 self-titled debut album. 

This is the seventh time Roth has shared a solo version of a Van Halen song. He previously released “Unchained,” “You Really Got Me,” “Dance The Night Away,” “Panama,” “Ain’t Talkin’ ‘Bout Love” and “Everybody Wants Some!!”

All the tunes were recorded at Henson Studios in Los Angeles.

And speaking of Van Halen, the band’s second frontman, Sammy Hagar, recently shared a live recording of their OU812 hit “When It’s Love,” recorded in Oakland in 1985.

“‘When It’s Love’ was the first song we wrote and recorded for OU812,” Sammy shares. “It was the first single and it was a top-five hit. certainly one of my favorite love songs of all time, I can’t tell you how many fans have said they played it at their wedding.”

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June 2 would have been Charlie Watts’ 82nd birthday, and to mark the occasion the estate of the late Rolling Stones drummer is bringing him to social media, launching official Facebook and Instagram accounts.

“Charlie was too modest to embrace social media in his lifetime, so today we invite his fans to celebrate his huge musical contribution to the world of rock ’n’ roll, blues and jazz, and the wonderful man known and loved to the millions of fans around the world,” reads a post shared on the new accounts. “Please follow these accounts, and share your memories of the one and only Charlie Watts, who we miss every day and remember with much love.” 

The post was accompanied by a video clip of Watts performing “Ain’t Nobody Minding Your Store,” recorded live in 1978 at Swindon Arts Centre in Swindon, England. 

Members of The Stones also took to social media to remember Charlie.  

Ronnie Wood posted a series of photos with Watts, sharing, “Remembering dear @thisischarliewatts on his birthday Thinking of you my friend,” while Keith Richards also posted some photos, writing, “For my much missed friend, Charlie Watts! Happy Birthday! Love, Keith.” And Mick Jagger shared his own photo, writing, “Happy birthday dearest Charlie. Love Mick.”

Charlie passed away August 24, 2021, at the age of 80.

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June 2 marks the 45th anniversary of Bruce Springsteen’s fourth studio album, Darkness on the Edge of Town, and The Boss is giving fans a new way to appreciate it.

To celebrate the milestone, Springsteen has released a new 20-song playlist from the 1978 Darkness tour, featuring performances that were previously unavailable to streaming platforms. The playlist includes every song from the classic album, plus other bonus material. 

In addition, fans can celebrate the occasion by watching the 2010 Thom Zimny-directed documentary The Promise, which chronicles the making of the album, with a new trailer for the doc out now.

Released June 2, 1978, Darkness on the Edge of Town features several songs that went on to be Springsteen classics, including the title track, “Badlands,” “The Promised Land,” “Prove It All Night” and “Racing in the Streets.” The album peaked at #5 on the album chart and has been certified three-times Platinum by the RIAA.

Darkness has gone on to appear on several best-of lists, including Rolling Stone‘s 500 Greatest Albums of All Times, landing at 91 in 2020.

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On This Day, June 2, 1941…

Drummer Charlie Watts was born in London, England.

After getting his start playing blues and jazz, Watts joined The Rolling Stones in 1963, and remained with the group for 58 years until his death.

Watts, Mick Jagger and Keith Richards are the only three members of the band who appear on every Stones album. He was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame with the band in 1989.

Watts played his final show with the Stones on August 30, 2019. It was announced in August, 2021 that he was going to sit out of the Stones’ No Filter tour due to heart surgery. He passed away on August 24, 2021 at the age of 80.

Watts’ catalog of jazz recordings, covering a span of close to 20 years, is being celebrated with a new box set, Anthology, dropping June 30.

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The Beach Boys‘ 1966 album, Pet Sounds, is often considered one of the best albums of all times, and now fans have a new way to experience it. For the first time ever, Pet Sounds has been released with a new mix in Dolby Atmos, courtesy of music producer Giles Martin, son of Beatles producer George Martin.

Giles, who’s responsible for recent Dolby Atmos mixes of Beatles anniversary releases, was personally asked by The Beach Boys to remix Pet Sounds; by doing so he’s retained the album’s classic feel, while giving fans an immersive music experience.

“Pet Sounds by The Beach Boys is a game changing, iconic album that changed the face of popular music,” Giles shares. “It’s a fascinating record because it’s really the workings of a genius, Brian Wilson, that sort of had boundless enthusiasm for ideas and textures.”

He adds, “Moving Pet Sounds to Dolby Atmos means those worlds can be fully immersive, you can be surrounded by them, you can hear instruments that you never heard before, that are on the record, but they are now in a space where you can identify them.”

Finally he notes, “For me to be asked by The Beach Boys to work on this album was a huge honor. I was surprised and excited to get a chance to work on one of the most iconic albums of all time.” 

You can listen to it now via digital outlets. 

Released in May 1966, Pet Sounds features such classic Beach Boys songs as “Wouldn’t It Be Nice,” “God Only Knows,” “Sloop John B” and more. The album was certified Platinum by the RIAA and in 2004 was chosen by the Library of Congress for inclusion in the National Recording Registry.

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While the Grateful Dead’s Mickey Hart is known for his music, when he’s not onstage he loves making art. His latest collection, the Art of Mickey Hart, is going to be on display in June at two Wentworth Gallery locations, with Mickey set to make appearances at both of them. 

Mickey tells ABC Audio that his first interest in art was “quite accidental,” explaining that years ago while out shopping for a birthday gift for his young daughter he picked up an art kit and decided to bring it home.  

“She didn’t think much of it, but eventually I grabbed it and started using it,” he shares. “It was so sensuous; it was so attractive and it was so full of life that I just couldn’t put it down.”

Mickey says art is like “a mediation for him,” adding that it’s a “visual component” to his “sonic-driven world.”

“Life is full of beautiful colors,” he says. “These things just start to appear to me and they come out on, on the canvas or the wood or plastic” or whatever other medium he may be using.

Mickey says he feels great making his art, noting, “It’s uplifting, you know, it’s life giving.” He adds, “It’s all of those things that art does.” 

Mickey is set to appear at the Wentworth Gallery at Tysons Galleria in McLean, Virginia, on Sunday, June 4, at 2 p.m., followed by an appearance at the Wentworth Gallery at Short Hills Mall in New Jersey on June 23 at 6:30 p.m. More info on Mickey’s appearances can be found at wentworthgallery.com.

Of course, he’s also currently on tour with Dead & Company. They play Bristow, Virginia, on June 3. A complete list of dates can be found at deadandcompany.com.

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U2 is scheduled to open the new Las Vegas venue The MSG Sphere in September with their new residency, U2: UV Achtung Baby Live At Sphere, and it appears Bono took it upon himself to check out the new digs.

The Las Vegas Review-Journal reports the band’s frontman was spotted visiting the venue last Saturday, while the band’s sound man of 45 years, Joe O’Herlihy, was spotted there Friday.

The outlet reports that Bono was there as they tested out the sound of the venue, with Madonna’s “Vogue” heard blasting through the sound system.

U2: UV Achtung Baby Live At Sphere at The Venetian is set to kick off September 29 and run through December 16. A complete list of dates can be found at U2.com.

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