Classic Hits

Just prior to her death, Aretha Franklin cast her handprints in concrete in 2017. Three years later, they’ve finally found a permanent home.

The Detroit native’s hand prints were unveiled Sunday, according to the Detroit Free Press, to celebrate a new exhibit from the Detroit Historical Museum honoring the late legend.  Originally, the castings were meant to be installed in the city’s then-newly announced Aretha Franklin Way. Plans for the installation were changed when Franklin passed away in 2018.

The temporary exhibit, titled “Respect,” showcases several artifacts belonging to the Queen of Soul, as well as props and costumes from her new biopic of the same name that opens in theaters later this month. The display will be available for viewing until the end of August at the museum’s Motor City Music Exhibition space.

In addition to the new exhibit, a private screening of Respect, starring Jennifer Hudson as Franklin, was also held Sunday for the singer’s inner circle.  

Hudson, who was Aretha’s hand-picked selection to play her in the film, was also in the city for the festivities.  She was joined by the movie’s director, Liesl Tommy, at the Charles H. Wright Museum of African American History for a Q&A session regarding the biopic.  The event was invitation only.

Respect, which follows Aretha’s life story from being a singer in her father’s choir in church to becoming a worldwide music legend, debuts in theaters August 13.

Aretha died August 16, 2018 following a battle with pancreatic cancer.  She was 76.

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First announced in 2019, a new Led Zeppelin documentary — the first in 50 years to feature the band’s participation — has been completed, and now has a title: Becoming Led Zeppelin.

As Variety reports, the director, Bernard McMahon, had what’s described as “unprecedented” access to the band for the project.  “Becoming Led Zeppelin is a film that no one thought could be made,” Variety quotes MacMahon as saying. “The band’s meteoric rise to stardom was swift and virtually undocumented. Through an intense search across the globe and years of restoration of the visual and audio archive found, this story is finally able to be told.”

Jimmy Page, Robert Plant and John Paul Jones all sat for new interviews for the doc, and archival interviews with late drummer John Bonham, who died in 1980, are also included.  Never-before-seen pictures and film, plus state-of-the-art audio transfers of Zeppelin’s music, round out the project.

McMahon also directed American Epic, a documentary series focusing on American roots music and its impact on the world.  According to Variety, when Becoming Led Zeppelin was first announced, Page said that he knew McMahon would be “qualified’ to tell their story based on his “remarkable achievement” with American Epic.

So far, the documentary does not have a release date.

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A new Beatles tribute album featuring an eclectic variety of well-known artists, including Heart‘s Ann Wilson, Mr. Mister‘s Richard Page and late Asia frontman John Wetton performing classic songs by the Fab Four will be released this Friday, August 6.

Legends Play The Beatles is a 12-track collection that’s available on CD and as a limited-edition LP pressed on either blue or yellow vinyl.

The album, which can be pre-ordered now, features Wilson’s rendition of “Across the Universe,” Page teaming up with longtime Deep Purple guitarist Steve Morse for a cover of “Here Comes the Sun,” and Wetton performing “Penny Lane.”

Other artists contributing tunes to the record include Air Supply, ’80s synth-pop artist Howard Jones, folk legend Judy Collins, late Cream bassist Jack Bruce, late pop singer/songwriter Andrew Gold, Southern rockers Molly Hatchet and ex-Deep Purple bassist/singer Glenn Hughes.

Here’s the full track list of Legends Play The Beatles:

“Here Comes the Sun” — Richard Page & Steve Morse
“Across the Universe” — Ann Wilson
“Penny Lane” — John Wetton
“Back in the USSR” — Molly Hatchet
“Norwegian Wood” — Andrew Gold
“The Long and Winding Road” — Air Supply
“Tomorrow Never Knows” — Electric Moon
“Rain” — Sugar Candy Mountain
“Eleanor Rigby” — Jack Bruce
“And I Love Her” — Howard Jones
“Yesterday” — Judy Collins
“Let It Be” — Glenn Hughes

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Following the unexpected death of bassist Dusty Hill earlier last week, ZZ Top returned to the stage on Friday in Tuscaloosa, Alabama.

Billboard reports that the Rock & Roll Hall of Famers honored their late band mate before getting into the thick of their performance.

Frontman Billy Gibbons introduced Elwood Francis — who has served as the band’s guitar tech for the past two decades — as Hill’s temporary replacement. Francis had previously filled in for the late bassist prior to his death.

“We’re gonna have a good time in here tonight,” promised Gibbons. “Got a new guy up here, as you know. Dusty gave me the directive. My friend, your pal, Elwood Francis is gonna hold it down behind me.”

Mid-performance, Gibbons addressed the crowd again on behalf of Hill, shouting at the revelers, “How about that Elwood? Tearing up that bottom there for Dusty.”

Gibbons previously confirmed that Hill wanted the band to continue without him, according to tweets shared by rock radio personality Eddie Trunk.

“As Dusty said upon his departure, ‘Let the show go on!’ and…with respect, we’ll do well to get beyond this and honor his wishes,” a reported text from Gibbons said.

The 71-year-old singer/guitarist added, “Dusty emphatically grabbed my arm and said, ‘Give Elwood the bottom end and take it to the Top.’ He meant it, amigo. He really did.”

Last Wednesday, ZZ Top announced that Hill “passed away in his sleep at home in Houston” at age 72. No cause of death has yet been publicly revealed.

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On Thursday night at Chicago’s Aragon Ballroom, Journey played their first concert since late 2019, and the first since longtime bassist Ross Valory and drummer Steve Smith were fired early last year.

The performance was part of a series of Lollapalooza “aftershow” events that select artists also performing at the Chicago festival this weekend are playing at various venues in the Windy City. The Aragon show was a warmup for Journey’s Lollaplooza headlining set Saturday.

In addition to guitarist Neal Schon, keyboardist Jonathan Cain and singer Arnel Pineda, Journey’s lineup includes drummers Narada Michael Walden and Deen Castronovo, keyboardist/backing vocalist Jason Derlatka and bassist Randy Jackson, although Marco Mendoza is filling in for Jackson at the Chicago shows while Randy recovers from back surgery.

According RollingStone.com, the Aragon Ballroom show was an extra-long, two-set extravaganza that included classic hits like “Open Arms,” “Faithfully” and “Separate Ways,” along with deep cuts like “Suzanne,” “Just the Same Way” and “Feeling That Way.” You can check out fan-recorded video of the band performing the 1978 gem “Wheel in the Sky” on YouTube.

Walden, Jackson and Derlatka joined the band last year, while it was announced earlier this week that Castronovo, who previously played who Journey from 1998 to 2015, was once again a member of the group.

Meanwhile, Schon tells ABC Audio that he’s excited that popular rapper-singer Post Malone will be headlining Lollaplooza alongside Journey on Saturday.

“I think he’s a very good guitar player…and I heard he’s a fan of mine as well,” says Neal. “And he plays many different styles.”

Schon adds, “Maybe he’ll get done before we do, ’cause I think we’re playing a longer show, and I’d like to invite him to our show to come…and sit in.”

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Limited-edition vinyl LPs from Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young, Cat Stevens, The Rolling Stones and The Allman Brothers Band were among the top-selling albums for the second 2021 installment of the Record Store Day campaign, which took place on July 17.

According to Billboard, CSNY’s Déjà Vu Alternates, which features alternate versions of the songs from the group’s classic 1970 album, Déjà Vu, was the second-best-selling album released on July 17.

At #6 was Cat Stevens’ Harold & Maude: The Songs from the Original Movie soundtrack album, one ahead of The Rolling Stones’ yellow-vinyl reissue of their classic 1971 two-LP compilation, Hot Rocks.

The Allman Brothers Band’s live album The Final Note was #8 on the tally.

The top-selling RSD album was Foo Fighters‘ Hail Satin, released under the name the Dee Gees. The project sold 12,000 vinyl LPs, plus another 3,000 downloads when it was made available digitally on July 19.

The 10-song album includes covers of four number-one Bee Gees hits and a cover of “Shadow Dancing,” by the Bee Gees’ younger brother, Andy Gibb.

Billboard reports that according to MRC Data, RSD resulted in 1.14 million U.S. vinyl album sales overall.

As for the top-selling singles, a vinyl disc featuring two remixed tracks from Bob Dylan‘s 1983 album, Infidels — “Jokerman” and “I and I” — was #3 on the list, while a single by Tom Petty guitarist Mike Campbell‘s current group The Dirty Knobs, featuring a cover of JJ Cale‘s “Humdinger” and the non-LP B-side “Feelin’ High,” was #10.

The top-selling RSD single release was Pearl Jam‘s “Alive,” which was issued on both 12-inch vinyl and cassette, along with the rare B-sides.

Here are the top-selling RSD 2021 July 17 drop albums at independent record stores, according to MRC Data:

1. Dee Gees/Foo Fighters, Hail Satin
2. Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young, Deja Vu: Alternates
3. Beastie Boys, Aglio e Olio
4. Amy Winehouse, Remixes
5. Miles Davis, Champions: Rare Miles from the Complete Jack Johnson Sessions
6. Cat Stevens, Harold & Maude: The Songs from the Original Movie (Soundtrack)
7. The Rolling Stones, Hot Rocks 1964-1971
8. Allman Brothers Band, The Final Note: Painters Mill Music Fair, Owings Mills, MD 10-17-71
9. John Prine, Live: At the Other End, Dec. 1975
10. The Ramones, Triple J Live at the Wireless: Capital Theatre, Sydney, Australia, July 8, 1980

And here are the top-selling singles:

1. Pearl Jam, “Alive”
2. Fleet Foxes featuring Resistance Revival Chorus, “Can I Believe You”/”Wading in Waist-High Water”
3. St. Vincent, “Piggy “/”Sad but True “
4. Bob Dylan, “Jokerman”/”I and I ” (Remixes)
5. Karen O & Willie Nelson, “Under Pressure “
6. Dio, “God Hates Heavy Metal “
7. Denzel Curry & Robert Glasper, “So Incredible”/”This Changes Everything” (Live from Leimert Park)
8. “Weird Al” Yankovic, “Beat on the Brat”
9. Jxdn, “Angels & Demons”/”Drivers License”
10. The Dirty Knobs, “Humdinger”/”Feelin’ High”

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Earlier this year, Joan Jett & the Blackhearts launched a partnership with the nugs.net live-music platform making available previously unreleased concert recordings and video performances spanning the band’s 40-plus-year career.

Three new archival concerts recently were made available in both audio and video formats: a 2013 performance at the Pacific Amphitheatre in Costa Mesa, California; a 2015 show at the Toyota Center in Houston; and a 2016 event at the Jones Beach Theater in Wantagh, New York.

These three shows join previously released concerts from 1983 in Houston; 2015 in Columbus, Ohio; and 2018 in Clisson, France.

The audio versions of the shows are available for download in MP3 and two high-res formats.

Meanwhile, Joan Jett & the Blackhearts begin their 2021 tour itinerary with a show this Sunday, August 1, in San Francisco at the Stern Grove Festival. Check out the band’s full schedule at JoanJett.com.

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A new track that Paul McCartney recorded in collaboration with famed DJ/producer Mark Ronson and synth-pop veteran Gary Numan has been released as part of the soundtrack album for a new Ronson-hosted Apple+ series that premiered today.

Watch the Sound with Mark Ronson is a six-part series that follows Ronson as he “uncovers the untold stories behind music creation and the lengths producers and creators are willing to go to find the perfect sound.” To do that, he interviews artists including McCartney, Numan, Foo Fighters‘ Dave Grohl, Beastie Boys members Adam “Ad-Rock” Horovitz and “Mike D” Diamond, and more.

Each episode ends with Ronson debuting a new piece of original music created with the guest artist using various groundbreaking techniques and technology.

McCartney and Numan are featured in an episode focusing on the synthesizer, and the tune they created with Ronson is called “I Know Time (Is Calling).”

The six-track soundtrack is available now as a digital download and via streaming services.

Here’s the full track list of Watch the Sound (Original Soundtrack):

Autotune: “Show Me” — Mark Ronson
Sampling: “Why Would I Stop” — DJ Premier featuring Wale
Reverb: “One Life” — Mark Ronson featuring Diana Gordon & Jónsi
Synth: “I Know Time (Is Calling)” — Mark Ronson featuring Paul McCartney & Gary Numan
Drum Machine: “You’ll Go Crazy” — Mark Ronson featuring King Princess
Distortion: “Do You Do You Know” — Mark Ronson featuring Santigold & Kathleen Hanna

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A previously unreleased alternate version of George Harrison‘s classic song “Isn’t It a Pity” that will appear on the upcoming deluxe reissue of the late Beatles legend’s landmark 1970 solo album, All Things Must Pass, is now available as an advance digital track.

Two versions of “Isn’t It a Pity” are featured on the original album, while the expanded reissue offers three additional renditions — a demo recording and two alternate takes.

The newly released “Take 27” version features a slower and simpler arrangement than the best-known version of of “Isn’t It a Pity,” which was issued as a double-sided single with “My Sweet Lord.”

An animated music video for “Isn’t It a Pity (Take 27)” has debuted at Harrison’s YouTube channel in conjunction with the track’s release. The melancholy clip brings surreal and evocative painted images to life, including a windmill, grandfather clocks, hot air balloons, and a man rowing a boat followed by an old sailing ship, all inside of a bottle.

As previously reported, the expanded 50th anniversary edition of All Things Must Pass will be released August 6 in multiple formats and configurations, including a Super Deluxe eight-LP or five-CD/Blu-ray-audio set.

The Super Deluxe reissue features a new mix of the original 23-track album, as well as 30 demos and various outtakes, alternate takes and studio jams. Forty-two of the tracks are previously unreleased.

The collection comes with a 60-page scrapbook curated by Harrison’s widow, Olivia, that features rare images and memorabilia, handwritten lyrics, diary entries and more. A replica of the original album poster also is included.

Released in November 1970, All Things Must Pass spent seven weeks at #1 on the Billboard 200.

Visit GeorgeHarrison.com for full details about the reissue.

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Just as Journey starts playing live again for the first time since the COVID-19 pandemic began in 2020, the band has announced that Deen Castronovo, who was the group’s drummer from 1998 to 2015, has rejoined its lineup as a second drummer alongside Narada Michael Walden.

On Wednesday, Journey guitarist Neal Schon and Castronovo hinted at Deen’s return in a series of Twitter posts promoting the band’s Chicago concerts this week, on Thursday at the Aragon Ballroom and Saturday at the Lollapalooza festival.

Schon’s post featured the Twitter tags of the Aragon Ballroom and most of Journey’s current members, plus Marco Mendoza — who will be filling in on bass for Randy Jackson this week — and Deen.

Also, Castronovo tweeted on Wednesday a message that reads, “It’s ON!! STOKED to be playing with my brothers in Journey this weekend!! Let’s DO THIS!,” along with the hashtags #deencastronovo, #teamdeeno, #lollapalooza, #aragonballroom, #journeyband and #journeyfamily. The post also featured photos apparently taken at the group’s rehearsals for the concerts.

Then, on Thursday, Schon chatted with fans via a Facebook thread and was asked if Castronovo was back as an official member of Journey, to which he replied, “Yes.” He also noted that both Deen and Narada will be playing drums, adding, “JOURNEY AS YOU’VE NEVER HEARD US BEFORE!!!!”

Castronovo was fired from Journey in 2015 after he was arrested on domestic violence charges involving his then-girlfriend, to whom he’s now married.

In 2019, Castronovo took part in Schon’s short-lived Journey Through Time project, which celebrated Journey’s early music and also featured founding Journey singer/keyboardist Gregg Rolie and, interestingly, Mendoza.

Walden, Jackson and keyboardist/backing singer Jason Derlatka all joined Journey in 2020 after drummer Steve Smith and bassist Ross Valory were fired from the band.

Ok… Double trouble Chicago @NaradaMWalden @DeenTheDrummer Narada Michael Walden and the return of Deen Castronovo on Drums @AragonBallroom @lollapalooza pic.twitter.com/RRHYNi6CuQ

— NEAL SCHON MUSIC (@NealSchonMusic) July 27, 2021

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