Classic Hits

The new official Led Zeppelin documentary Becoming Led Zeppelin got its premiere at Italy’s Venice International Film Festival over the weekend and, according to Variety, guitarist Jimmy Page was on hand to take part in a press conference celebrating the film’s debut.

During the event, held Saturday, Page noted that before agreeing to participate in this film, he and his surviving band mates had turned down many previous requests to do what he described as “miserable” documentaries about Led Zeppelin.

“[T]hey’d want to be concentrating on anything but the music, and consequently I would recoil immediately from that sort of thing,” Page explained.

Jimmy noted that Becoming Led Zeppelin was “everything about the music and what would make the music tick. And it’s complete versions of song, not just a little sample and then talking heads. This is something in a totally different genre.”

As previously reported, Becoming Led Zeppelin features new interviews with Page, Robert Plant and John Paul Jones, as well as archival interviews with the group’s late drummer, John Bonham.

The film, which was directed by Bernard McMahon, follows the individual paths of Led Zeppelin’s members through their various groups and musical endeavors en route to becoming part of one of the biggest and most influential rock bands in the world. The documentary ends in 1970, at the height of Led Zeppelin’s meteoric rise.

Page said that the movie focuses on the early period of Led Zeppelin’s career, during which the band released its first two albums in the same year, 1970, and toured the U.K. and the U.S.

“The momentum was absolutely…I was going a million miles an hour,” Jimmy noted. That’s what they’ve managed to capture.”

According to Variety, all 12 scheduled festival screenings of Becoming Led Zeppelin were sold out.

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Take me down to BottleRock Napa Valley, where the rock stops promptly at 10 p.m.

Guns N’ Roses learned that the hard way during their headlining performance at the California festival over the Labor Day Weekend. Halfway through their rendition of “Paradise City,” which featured a surprise appearance by Dave Grohl on guitar and backing vocals, the power on stage was cut because the set had passed BottleRock’s strict 10 p.m. curfew.

Being that Grohl once finished a Foo Fighters show after falling off the stage and breaking his leg, he wasn’t about to let a lack of electricity end the party. So for the last three minutes of the song, GrohlN’R jammed “Paradise City” in the dark, with only the sound of drums and un-amplified vocals reaching beyond the stage.

You can watch fan-shot footage of the performance now via YouTube.

According to The Mercury News, artists including Neil Young, The Cure and Foo Fighters have been cut off at past BottleRocks after hitting the curfew.

Foo Fighters also headlined BottleRock this year. Additionally, Grohl and producer/songwriter Greg Kurstin performed a set a covers from their The Hanukkah Sessions series.

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Last month, Rolling Stones guitarist Ronnie Wood revealed to The Times of London that he and his old Faces band mates Rod Stewart and Kenney Jones had been collaborating on new music together, and now Jones reportedly has shared some new details about the project.

Contact Music reports that in a new exclusive interview with BANG Showbiz, Kenney revealed, “We’ve done about 14 songs, it’s a mixture of stuff we never released which is worthy of releasing and there’s some new stuff which is really wonderful. Rod is writing the lyrics and he’s really keen on it.”

Jones, who is The Faces’ founding drummer, also says the band is planning to play a number of major concerts, including shows at London’s O2 arena, New York City’s Madison Square Garden and “some other big venues in America.”

He adds, “Nothing elaborate on stage, just bring back The Faces live.”

Kenney also reportedly tells BANG Showbiz that he and Wood have been looking through the Faces archives for unreleased recordings that they hope to put out.

“Ronnie has found around 90 pieces of music and I’ve found around 50 pieces of music,” Jones notes, “some are whole tracks, some are not, some are just bits.”

Jones, Wood and Stewart are the last surviving original members of The Faces. Bassist Ronnie Lane died in 1997 and keyboardist Ian McLagan passed away in 2014.

Jones, Wood and Stewart last performed together as The Faces in February 2020 during the finale of the Brit Awards, the U.K. equivalent of the Grammys.

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Pretenders frontwoman Chrissie Hynde celebrates her 70th birthday today.

Born in Akron, Ohio, Hynde moved to London in 1973 and eventually immersed herself in the city’s punk scene.

She formed The Pretenders in 1978 with drummer Martin Chambers, guitarist James Honeyman-Scott and bassist Pete Farndon. The band’s first single, a 1979 cover of The Kinks‘ “Stop Your Sobbing,” reached #34 on the U.K. charts.

The Pretenders’ 1979 self-titled debut album reached #9 on the Billboard 200. It featured the band’s first stateside hit, “Brass in Pocket,” which peaked at #14 on the Billboard Hot 100. The Pretenders also featured several other enduring songs, including “Precious,” “Kid” and “Mystery Achievement.”

The band’s 1981 sophomore album, The Pretenders II, reached #10 on the Billboard 200 and included the popular tunes “Talk of the Town” and “Message of Love.”

Tragedy struck the band in June 1982 when Honeyman-Scott, 25, died of a drug overdose, two days after Farndon was fired because of his own drug problems. In April 1983, Farndon drowned in his bathtub after overdosing on heroin. He was 30.

Hynde and Chambers soon re-formed The Pretenders, and the band scored its biggest hit in 1982 with “Back on the Chain Gang,” which reached #5 on the Hot 100. Other hits followed, including “Middle of the Road,” “Show Me,” “Don’t Get Me Wrong” and “I’ll Stand by You.”

Hynde also scored a big hit when she teamed up with U.K. reggae band UB40 for a 1985 cover of Sonny & Cher’s classic duet “I Got You Babe.”

Outside of music, Chrissie has had children with two other famous singers. Her daughter Natalie, whose father is Kinks frontman Ray Davies, was born in 1983. From 1984 to 1990, Hynde was married to Simple Minds single Jim Kerr, and the couple’s daughter, Yasmin, was born in ’85.

Chrissie was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame with The Pretenders in 2005.

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Kool & the Gang reached a milestone with the release of their 25th studio album, Perfect Union, two weeks ago. However, it was difficult to celebrate following the recent passing of two of the founding members.

Saxophonist Dennis “Dee Tee” Thomas died on August 7, one year after Ronald Bell, brother of band leader Robert “Kool” Bell, died in 2020.

“Our last show with Dennis Thomas was in Los Angeles on 4th of July weekend,” Kool tells People about their performance at the Hollywood Bowl. “We didn’t know that he would pass two or three weeks later. It was the greatest show. We blended very well with the live orchestra and it was great. We didn’t know that he would be leaving us after that.”

Perfect Union is the Grammy Award-winning band’s first album in eight years, and was conceived by Ronald Bell.

“[He] put together most of this album before he passed,” Kool continues. “The album represents the perfect union the band makes together and the theme of what not only our country, but the world is trying to achieve right now. “

After more than 50 years, Kool & the Gang is ready to document their impressive longevity with a project inspired by their 1974 party classic.

“We’re working on a documentary, a movie as well,” Kool reveals. “My working title is Hollywood Swinging: The Kool and the Gang Story.”

Despite so much recent tragedy, including the passing of his wife, Sakinah, in 2018, Bell is grateful for what has been a very special life.

“A lot of different things over the years were testing periods for me, learning periods of my life,” the 70-year-old bassist comments. “This experience has been a blessing, to be able to travel around the world and see so many different things.”

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Late Queen frontman Freddie Mercury was born 75 years ago this Sunday, September 5.

Mercury, who died from AIDS in November 1991 at age 45, is widely regarded as one of the all-time great rock singers. His powerful vocals, flamboyant persona and dynamic performing style helped Queen become one of the most popular and successful bands on the planet.

Mercury was born Farrokh Bulsara on the African island of Zanzibar in 1946, and his family lived there until 1964, when they moved to the U.K. In 1970, Mercury teamed up with guitarist Brian May and drummer Roger Taylor in a band called Smile, and after the addition of bassist John Deacon, the group changed its name to Queen.

Queen blended a variety of genres including rock ‘n’ roll, hard rock, prog-rock, classical, pop, funk and rockabilly for a unique sound that captivated a wide variety of music fans. Mercury was responsible for writing many of the band’s biggest hits, including  “Killer Queen,” “Somebody to Love,” “We Are the Champions,” “Bicycle Race,” “Don’t Stop Me Now,” “Crazy Little Thing Called Love,” “Play the Game” and, of course, the enduring rock anthem “Bohemian Rhapsody.”

Freddie also co-wrote Queen’s classic 1981 collaboration with David Bowie, “Under Pressure.” Mercury’s performance with Queen at London’s Wembley Stadium at the 1985 Live Aid festival is widely considered one of the highlights of that historic event.

Mercury also released a pair of solo albums during the 1980s, one of which, 1988’s Barcelona, was a duets project with Spanish opera singer Montserrat Caballé.

Mercury and Queen’s other members were inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 2001 and the Songwriters Hall of Fame in 2003.

In commemoration of Freddie’s 75th birthday, three special T-shirts are on sale now at Queen’s online store.

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Fans will have to wait a bit longer for Diana Ross‘ first album of new, original songs in 20 years. Originally scheduled to come out September 10, the album, titled Thank You, will now arrive November 5.

However, a new track from the record, called “If the World Just Danced,” has just been released. As its title suggests, it’s an upbeat song that’s made for dance floors, and seems ripe for remixes.

The song was co-written by Diana with six other people, including Amy Wadge, who’s written many songs with Ed Sheeran, including “Thinking Out Loud.”

As previously reported, Thank You was recorded in Miss Ross’ home studio during the pandemic shutdown, and features producers and songwriters who’ve created hits for Taylor Swift, Kanye West, Usher, Justin Bieber, Sam Smith, Ariana Grande, Beyoncé and Rihanna.

“This collection of songs is my gift to you with appreciation and love. I am eternally grateful that I had the opportunity to record this glorious music at this time,” the diva said in a statement.

Diana’s last album of new, original songs, as opposed to covers, was 1999’s Every Day Is a New Day.

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Elton John‘s Farewell Yellow Brick Road tour is back on and, as of now, it’ll officially end in Australia in 2023.  But the Rocket Man has just announced a new date, which will mark his final show ever in London, England, the city where he first got his start as a musician and songwriter.

Elton will headline next year’s BST Hyde Park, the annual series of summer concerts that take place in London’s Hyde Park.  The show will take place June 24, 2022.  Tickets go on sale Friday, September 10, but if you pre-order Elton’s new album, The Lockdown Sessions, via his official store, you’ll get guaranteed access to a pre-sale ticket.

“This will be my final tour date in London, and I can’t wait to perform in one of my favorite cities in the world,” Elton wrote on Instagram.

Elton’s Farewell tour will resume May 27, 2022, in Europe before heading to North America on July 15, 2022.  His final shows in the U.S. will be at Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles on November 19 and 20, 2022.

 

 

 

 

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Alice Cooper has been chosen as one of the grand marshals for this year’s Fiesta Bowl Parade, which takes place on Saturday, December 18, in the shock rocker’s hometown of Phoenix, Arizona.

Cooper will be joined as grand marshal by the nine founders of the NCAA’s Fiesta Bowl football game, which is celebrating its 50th anniversary this year.

Fiesta Bowl executive director Mike Nealy tells the Arizona Republic that Alice is the first rock legend ever chosen for the honor.  Grand marshals picked for the event traditionally are individuals or groups whose actions and activities the Fiesta Bowl organization’s commitment to promoting economic growth, aiding charities and delivering innovative experiences.

Cooper, of course, is famous for his hard-rocking music and theatrical concerts, but he’s also the founder of Alice Cooper’s Solid Rock, a faith-based organization that provides a supportive creative sanctuary for Phoenix-area teenagers.

“It will be an honor to serve as Grand Marshal for this year’s Desert Financial Fiesta Bowl Parade…Riding on a float doesn’t sound like a hard job and I can’t wait to do so in my hometown,” says Cooper. “I appreciate the generosity of Fiesta Bowl Charities in helping Phoenix-area teenagers. It’s great when I see other organizations supporting similar organizations like our Solid Rock Teen Center to get the job done for members of our community.”

The Fiesta Bowl Parade marches through downtown Phoenix and features floats, giant balloons, marching bands, antique cars, local celebrities and more. Admission is free to the public, although tickets for premium and reserved seats are on sale now for $30 at FiestaBowl.org/parade.

The parade will be broadcast live on Arizona’s Family 3TV channel, and also will be viewable online and via the AZFamily app.

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The late Rick James‘ daughter, Ty, says she wanted to show the world that there was more to her famous father than just his outspoken personality, partying and drug use in the new documentary film B*tchin: The Sound and Fury of Rick James.

“The main thing that I would want people to take away is that we’re all human and we were born with imperfections,” Ty tells ABC Audio. “We all have flaws. We all make mistakes. And the most important thing is to get up and keep going and learn from your mistakes and try not to make them again.”

In the new doc, which features rare footage of the Grammy Award winning funk legend, fans will get to see James doing what he does best: songwriting, producing and putting on an amazing performance. Ty says she hopes the doc will show “how much of a genius” her dad was before he passed away at the age of 56.

“He paved the way for a lot…of artists to this day,” she says. “One of the most highly sampled musicians in the game still.”

Ty says showing that side of her father is exactly what director Sasha Jenkins did in the new doc. She notes that Jenkins stayed away from sugar coating her father’s life, while making sure to “give the fans the the truth first and foremost.”

“And that’s with the good, the bad, the ugly,” Ty explains. “And hopefully people get the lesson…’cause to me, it’s all about the lesson in life. And if you can take his story and take something positive from it and learn from it, we hit a home run.”

B*tchin: The Sound and Fury of Rick James premieres tonight at 9 p.m. ET on Showtime

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