Classic Hits

Paul McCartney‘s new Hulu docuseries McCartney 3, 2, 1 is the latest installment of what’s shaping up to be a huge year for Beatles and Beatles-adjacent material.  That includes the pending release of Peter Jackson‘s Get Back, to the just-released 50th anniversary edition of George Harrison‘s All Things Must Pass, to McCartney’s own album, McCartney III Reimagined.  But McCartney thinks there will always be a demand for Beatles material, because there’s always going to be someone out there who’s yet to discover them.

“There’s so much stuff out there. But I think that’s one of the reasons The Beatles keep going — because you keep discovering another little thing,” Paul tells Rolling Stone in a new interview featuring him and his 3,2,1 co-star Rick Rubin. “I always think everyone’s heard all the stories. As you get older, you think, “Am I just repeating all my stories?”

Paul Continues, “But I rationalize, well, there’s only one answer to the question, ‘How did you meet John [Lennon]?’ I can’t make another meeting up. I can maybe try and explain how we met in a slightly different way. But I’ll still talk to someone and they say, ‘What? You dreamed [the melody of] “Yesterday”?’ And so I’ll tell the story again, but it’s like, ‘You sure you haven’t heard this?’ But not everyone has.”

And, as Paul points out, “As we go on and the young people come onboard, there’s a lot of stuff they haven’t heard.”

You can hear Paul tell a lot of those stories in McCartney 3, 2, 1. Rubin believes the the docuseries is a hit because “it doesn’t come across as product.” Or, as Paul notes, “People feel like they’re watching us talk. Which is exactly what’s happening.”

Copyright © 2021, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

Romantics lead guitarist Mike Skill recently released a new version of his band’s classic 1980 tune “What I Like About You.” It’s available now via streaming services and will be included on Skill’s debut solo album Skill…Mike Skill, due out on September 10.

Skill tells ABC Audio that he thinks his new version “kicks a**.”

Mike co-wrote “What I Like About You” with founding Romantics drummer Jimmy Marinos, who sang lead on the original track.  But since frontman Wally Palmar handled lead vocal duties on most of The Romantics’ tunes, Skill says his solo project gives him the chance to make it “known that I’m able to get out there and sing songs as well.”

The updated rendition of “What I Like About You” features Skill on both lead and backing vocals, guitars and bass, with current Romantics member Brad Elvis on drums.

Mike reveals that he began recording the new version so the The Romantics could offer it for use in movies, TV shows and commercials, but that plan fell through.  Then, when the COVID pandemic last year quashed plans for the band to celebrate their 40th anniversary, Skill found himself with extra time on his hands.

He began gathering songs for his first solo album, and decided to include his new version of “What I Like About You” in the project, and release it as a single to mark its 41st anniversary.

To record his updated version, Skill says, “I brought out the old Hiwatts, the same amps I used on the original song. The Rickenbacker [guitars]…I wanted to make sure it had that really crisp, raw energy — a real…thump to it. And it came out that way. [It] turned out really good.”

Copyright © 2021, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

Today would have been Whitney Houston’s 58th birthday, and a new special focusing on the late icon’s life and career will air on ABC Wednesday night.

The special, Superstar: Whitney Houston, features new interviews with those who knew her well — including Brandy, Chaka Khan, Babyface and BeBe Winans — as well as archival interviews of Bobby Brown and Houston; among them, her infamous 2002’s sit-down with Diane Sawyer. It will detail her many accomplishments, as well as her struggles with fame and her tragic death in 2012.

In the trailer, Whitney can be heard in a voiceover saying, “I can tell you that I am not self-destructive. I am not a person who wants to die. I’m a person who has life, who wants to live. I’m not the strongest every day but I’m not the weakest, either. And I won’t break.”

Superstar: Whitney Houston airs Wednesday night at 10 p.m. ET on ABC, and can be viewed the next day on demand and on Hulu. It’s the first installment of a series examining the “mavericks who shaped American culture.” Other episodes will feature Robin Williams and Kobe Bryant.

Copyright © 2021, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

The Eagles have added a new date to their current touring schedule, but there are different parameters for attending this particular concert.

All attendees of the November 5 show at Seattle’s Climate Pledge Arena will need to provide proof of vaccination in order to attend. Children under the age of 12 will be allowed to attend if they provide proof of a negative PCR COVID-19 test within 48 hours of the show. 

More details about this requirement are available at ClimatePledgeArena.com.  The website notes, “This is a decision taken by the band supported by the Climate Pledge Arena team to ensure they, along with fans and staff, feel safe.”  As of now, no other concerts scheduled for the arena will require fans to be vaccinated.

Tickets go on sale this Friday, August 13 at 10 a.m. local time via Ticketmaster. VIP Packages will be available starting Thursday, August 12 at 10 a.m. PDT.

The Eagles concert is part of the Rock and Roll Hall of Famers’ upcoming tour, which kicks off August 22 with two shows at New York’s Madison Square Garden.  It will feature the band performing its classic album Hotel California in full, accompanied by an orchestra and a choir, followed by a set of the band’s greatest hits.  Right now, the November 5 date is the final one on the tour.

Copyright © 2021, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

Ronnie Wood and his Ronnie Wood Band have released two additional tracks from his upcoming live album Mr. Luck — A Tribute to Jimmy Reed: Live at the Royal Albert Hall.

One track, “Shame, Shame, Shame,” a Reed song from 1963, is one the Rolling Stones used to play live during their early days.  Wood’s live version features ex-Rolling Stones guitarist Mick Taylor, as well as Paul Weller, former frontman of The Jam and Style Council, on vocals.  The other track, “Roll and Rhumba,” is an instrumental.

The live album, originally recorded in November of 2013, is due out September 17. In addition to Weller and Taylor, it also features Bobby Womack and Simply Red frontman Mick Hucknall.

“Jimmy Reed was one of the premier influences on the Rolling Stones and all the bands that love American blues from that era until the present day,” says Wood in a statement. “It is my honor to have the opportunity to celebrate his life and legacy with this tribute.”

The 18-track Mr. Luck — A Tribute to Jimmy Reed: Live at the Royal Albert Hall will be available digitally, on CD, on vinyl, and on limited-edition dual-tone smoky blue vinyl.

Copyright © 2021, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

A new Go-Go’s tribute album featuring cover tunes by a wide variety of artists is slated to be released as a two-LP set in the coming weeks.

If You Gotta Go-Go, Go-Go Now is a 24-track collection that includes contributions from The Romantics‘ Mike Skill, Stray Cats drummer Slim Jim Phantom, Blondie drummer Clem Burke and, from The Go-Go’s themselves, bassist Kathy Valentine.

Skill is featured on a rendition of “Tonite” — a song from the Go-Go’s 1981 debut album, Beauty and the Beat — along with veteran Detroit rocker Nikki Corvette and current A Flock of Seagulls drummer Kevin Rankin.

Phantom has teamed up with his girlfriend, Eagles of Death Metal touring bassist Jennie Vee, for a version of “Beatnik Beach,” from The Go-Go’s’ second album, 1982’s Vacation.

Burke and Valentine both play on veteran alt-rockers The Coolies‘ version of the Go-Go’s rarity “King of Confusion.”

Other artists featured on the tribute include Josie Cotton, Holly and the Italians, E.G. Daily and Paul Collins Beat.

Here’s the full list of songs on If You Gotta Go-Go, Go-Go Now, according to the project’s official Facebook page:

Josie Cotton — “Fading Fast”
Fastbacks — “Vacation”
Pale Lips — “Get Up and Go”
The Romantics’ Mike Skill & Nikki Corvette — “Tonite”
The Short Fuses — “How Much More”
The Chubbies — “Good Girl”
Juniper — “Turn to You”
The 5678’s — “Surfing and Spying”
Hayley and the Crushers — “Lust To Love”
Holly and the Italians — “Can’t Stop the World”
Miss Marr — “Worlds Away”
The Yum Yums (featuring Caroline) — “Unforgiven”
The Suite Sixteen — “Speeding”
Natalie Sweet — “He’s So Strange”
The Coolies with special guests (Clem Burke & Kathy Valentine) — “King of Confusion”
Paul Collins Beat with Marci Marks of The MnM’s — “Our Lips Are Sealed “
Jenny Vee with Slim Jim Phantom — “Beatnik Beach”
Transatlanic Bunnies — “Whole World Lost Its Head”
The Heels — “Skidmarks on My Heart”
E.G. Daily — “We Got the Beat”
Tina & the Boom Booms — “You Can’t Walk in Your Sleep (If You Can’t Sleep)”
The Tweezers — “We Don’t Get Along”
The Nutley Brass — “Head over Heels”
The Baby Shakes — “This Town”

Copyright © 2021, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

Mick Jagger and Annie Lennox are two of the many stars who’ll take part in We for India, a three-hour virtual benefit show that’ll be broadcast on Facebook on India’s Independence Day, August 15.

The event is designed to encourage donors worldwide to give $3.5 million for post-COVID relief work in India, as well as preventative measures against the future spread of the pandemic.  All donations will go to GiveIndia, the country’s largest charity donation platform, to provide humanitarian aid and support the country’s medical infrastructure.

It’s not clear whether Jagger will simply be seen in a video message or if he’ll perform. Lennox will perform, alongside her daughter, Lola Lennox.  Others appearing include pop superstar Ed Sheeran, Nile Rodgers of CHIC, podcast host Jay Shetty and Oscar-winning composer A.R. Rahman, who created the music for Slumdog Millionaire. A host of Bollywood stars are also involved.

You can watch We for India Sunday, August 15 at 10 a.m. EDT via Facebook.com/Facebookappindia and Facebook.com/RelianceEnt.   The link to donate is live now.

Copyright © 2021, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

The New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival, which was to have taken place this October, has been canceled due to a resurgence of COVID-19 in the area.

A statement on the festival’s website says, “As a result of the current exponential growth of new COVID cases in New Orleans and the region and the ongoing public health emergency, we must sadly announce that the 2021 edition of the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival presented by Shell, scheduled to take place October 8–17, 2021, will not occur as planned.”

The event has now been rescheduled to April 29-May 8, 2022.  Ticket holders will be notified this week about refund and ticket rollover details.  All tickets for October 13 will be refunded automatically.

Among the acts who were set to play at the iconic event: Stevie Nicks, Dead & Company, The Beach Boys, Elvis Costello, Jimmy Buffett, The Isley Brothers, Nile Rodgers & CHIC, Boz Scaggs, Randy Newman, Rickie Lee Jones, and The Rolling Stones, who were set to play October 13 as part of their fall tour.

The Stones were originally scheduled to perform at the event  in 2019, but had to cancel due to Mick Jagger’s emergency heart surgery.

Copyright © 2021, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

Eric Clapton recently made headlines for blaming “the propaganda” for what he described as his “disastrous health experience” after getting the COVID-19 vaccine, for supporting Van Morrison‘s anti-lockdown stance, and then for subsequently declaring that he won’t perform at any concert that requires the audience to be vaccinated.  Well, count fellow British guitar hero Brian May as someone who thinks Clapton’s wrong.

Speaking to the U.K. paper The Independent, the Queen guitarist was asked to comment on musicians like Clapton and their vaccination comments.  “I love Eric Clapton, he’s my hero, but he has very different views from me in many ways,” May responds. “He’s a person who thinks it’s O.K. to shoot animals for fun, so we have our disagreements, but I would never stop respecting the man.”

As for people against the vaccine, May declares, “Anti-vax people, I’m sorry, I think they’re fruitcakes. There’s plenty of evidence to show that vaccination helps. On the whole they’ve been very safe. There’s always going to be some side effect in any drug you take, but to go around saying vaccines are a plot to kill you, I’m sorry, that goes in the fruitcake jar for me.”

May, who has a PhD in astrophysics, was also asked whether he’d like to buy a ticket to join billionaires like Jeff Bezos or Elon Musk on one of their space missions.  May responds, “When it comes to one very rich guy putting himself into space — actually not into space, only about 60 miles high — I ask myself, ‘What is it really for?’”

He adds, “I saw this cartoon where somebody said, ‘We’ve got two billionaires competing to see who can get into space first. Wouldn’t it be nice if they competed on how quickly they could solve world hunger instead?’”

Copyright © 2021, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

Fleetwood Mac‘s Christine McVie and Lindsey Buckingham are now reunited.  Well, at least their catalogs are.

According to Variety, McVie, who just turned 78, has just sold her 115-song catalog to Hipgnosis, a music company that’s made headlines in the past few years for spending billions to acquire pop and rock copyrights.  It includes the hits she’s written for Fleetwood Mac — a list that includes “Don’t Stop,” “Over My Head,” “Say You Love Me” and “You Make Loving Fun” — as well as the songs she wrote with her pre-Mac group, Chicken Shack, plus her solo material.

In January, ex-Fleetwood Mac guitarist Lindsey Buckingham sold his publishing rights to Hipgnosis.  Stevie Nicks, meanwhile, sold a chunk of her catalog last year to a company called Primary Wave, while drummer Mick Fleetwood made a similar deal with BMG.

As Music Week points out, thanks to Hipgnosis’ deals with McVie and Buckingham, it now owns the rights to eight of the 11 songs on Rumours, seven of the 11 songs on the band’s 1975 self-titled album, 11 of the 16 songs on Greatest Hits, and 15 of 20 songs on Tusk.

In a statement, Merck Mercuriadis, the head of Hipgnosis said, “It’s wonderful for us to welcome Christine to the Hipgnosis Family and particularly wonderful to reunite her once again at Hipgnosis with Lindsey Buckingham.”

McVie added, “I am so excited to belong to the Hipgnosis family, and thrilled that you all regard my songs worthy of merit. I’d like to thank you all for your faith in me, and I’ll do all I can to continue this new relationship and help in any way I can!”

Copyright © 2021, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.