Classic Hits

Former Yes frontman Jon Anderson recently announced plans for a brief U.S. summer tour that will feature accompaniment from the students of the Paul Green Rock Academy, and now the singer and the young musicians have teamed up virtually for a video performance of his old band’s 1971 song “Heart of the Sunrise.”

The clip, which you can watch at the Paul Green Rock Academy’s official YouTube channel, features Anderson and over 20 young musicians and singers all performing their parts of the epic, multiple-section prog-rock tune separately.

“Heart of the Sunrise,” which was co-written by Anderson with founding Yes bassist Chris Squire and drummer Bill Bruford, was the last track on the band’s classic 1971 album Fragile.

As previously reported, Anderson’s tour with the Paul Green Rock Academy currently features 11 dates, and is plotted out from a July 30 concert in Patchogue, New York, through an August 28 show in Woonsocket, Rhode Island.

The concerts will feature Yes classics and deep cuts, songs from Anderson’s solo catalog, mash-ups and more, with lush arrangements including choral vocals, horns and other musical elements.

Anderson says of performing with the young musicians, “It’s a celebration of music, youth, and the fun of life, and the enjoyment of everything that makes the world go round, which is MUSIC!”

Check out the full list of shows at PaulGreenRock.com.

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David Crosby‘s latest solo album, For Free, was released today, and to celebrate the record’s arrival, the folk-rock legend took part in a new video interview this week with the Grammy Museum’s Scott Goldman that’s been posted on GrammyMuseum.org.

For Free includes a song called “Rodriguez for a Night,” which features lyrical contributions from Donald Fagen, lead singer of Crosby’s favorite band, Steely Dan.

In the interview, Crosby explained that the collaboration came about after Crosby made a couple of well-received guest appearances with Steely Dan at concerts that the group played in New York, during which they performed the Crosby, Stills & Nash classic “Wooden Ships.”

David said that shortly after those shows, Fagen emailed the lyrics for what became “Rodriguez for a Night,” for which Crosby’s son and frequent collaborator James Raymond wrote the music.

“I don’t know if I heard Donald do that with anybody else, but I’m honored that he did it with us,” David said.

Speaking of Raymond, Crosby praised his son for writing the best song on For Free, the album closer “I Won’t Stay for Long.”

“With this record, he’s matured as a writer…to the point where he’s as good as I am, if not better,” David gushed about James, who also produced For Free.

The album also features collaborations with Michael McDonald and Grammy-winning Americana artist Sarah Jarosz. McDonald co-wrote and sings on the record’s lead song, “River Rise,” while Jarosz lends her talents to the Joni Mitchell-penned title track.

Meanwhile, Crosby, who turns 80 in August, revealed during the interview that he unfortunately may not tour again, explaining that he has arthritis in both hands and fears that “in a year or two I won’t be able to play guitar.”

Here’s the full For Free track list:

“River Rise” (featuring Michael McDonald)
“I Think”
“The Other Side of Midnight”
“Rodriguez for a Night”
“Secret Dancer”
“Ships in the Night”
“For Free” (featuring Sarah Jarosz)
“Boxes”
“Shot at Me”
“I Won’t Stay for Long”

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Yes has given fans the first taste of their forthcoming studio album, The Quest.  The prog-rock legends have released the lead track, “The Ice Bridge,” via digital formats, along with a companion lyric video.

The video is a mixed-media clip featuring footage of natural and animated landscapes interspersed with images of artist Roger Dean‘s otherworldly paintings.

“The Ice Bridge” is an epic tune co-written by lead singer Jon Davison and keyboardist Geoff Downes, with enigmatic lyrics focusing on the dangers of climate change. The song features three sections, titled “Eyes East,” “Race Against Time” and “Interaction,” accompanied by an orchestra.

“I’m extremely proud to be a part of this music and believe the video graphics are outstanding,” says Yes drummer Alan White. “A collaboration of many talents coming together to produce ‘The Ice Bridge.’ I hope our fans/audiences will appreciate the creativity put forward.”

Adds Downes, “Jon’s vocals are fantastic. He’s really come into his own as a YES vocalist. This time he’s started to get the writing side together and working with the other musicians has been developmental for him.”

The Quest, which was produced by longtime Yes guitarist Steve Howe, will be released on October 1 and can be pre-ordered now.  The 11-track collection is available as a two-CD set featuring eight songs on the main disc and three additional tunes on the second CD.  The album also will be issued in additional formats and configurations, including a limited-edition box set boasting two CDs, two vinyl LPs and a Blu-ray disc.

Here’s The Quest‘s full track list:

CD 1
“The Ice Bridge”
“Dare to Know”
“Minus the Man”
“Leave Well Alone”
“The Western Edge”
“Future Memories”
“Music to My Ears”
“A Living Island”

CD 2
“Sister Sleeping Soul”
“Mystery Tour”
“Damaged World”

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Tickets for the 36th annual Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony, scheduled for October 30 in Cleveland at Rocket Mortgage Field House, will go on sale to the general public next Friday, July 30, at 10 a.m. ET at RocketMortgageFieldHouse.com.

Six artists will be inducted in the Performer category at thus year’s event: The Go-Go’s, Carole King, Tina Turner, Todd Rundgren, Foo Fighters and JAY-Z.

In addition, three musicians will be inducted in conjunction with receiving the Musical Excellence Award: R&B artist and Beatles and Rolling Stones session keyboardist Billy Preston; rapper LL Cool J; and Ozzy Osbourne guitarist Randy Rhoads. Also, electronic pioneers Kraftwerk, blues legend Charley Patton and soul musician and poet Gil Scott-Heron will be welcomed into the Rock Hall as Early Influence Award honorees, while music executive Clarence Avant will be inducted as a Ahmet Ertegun Award recipient.

The Rock Hall Induction Ceremony will air at a later on HBO, and also will be streamed on HBO Max.

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Jackson Browne‘s latest studio album, Downhill from Everywhere, was released today.

The lauded singer/songwriter chatted about the project during a new interview with Apple Music’s Zane Lowe, including the meaning behind the name of the album and its title track.

Browne explained that the tune is about the pollution of the ocean.

“I realized that downhill has that sort of resonance about…’is it all downhill from here?’…but it actually specifically refers to the fact that the ocean is downhill from all of humanity,” he noted. “I mean, there’s a storm drain out in front of my studio, there’s a little stenciled sign on it saying, ‘This drain leads to the ocean.’ So be careful what you put in there.”

Browne also discussed the song “A Little Soon to Say,” which he revealed was inspired by playing a Vermont festival hosted by singer/songwriter Grace Potter, whom he greatly admires.

“It’s really about being at a gathering of people,” he said, “and this audience was so amazing to look out upon because there were young and old, and there were some weather-beaten faces and some young, positive, really open-hearted people.”

He added, “I had the lines before I left there that night. I told [Potter], ‘I got this song started’ as I said goodnight that night to her and her husband and her baby, and I said, ‘I came looking for Grace…I came for inspiration.'”

As previously reported, Downhill from Everywhere finds the Rock & Roll Hall of Famer addressing such themes as the plight of illegal immigrants, prejudice against same-sex relationships, racial justice and mortality.

Browne launches a joint U.S. tour with James Taylor on July 29 in Chicago, and he also has some headlining dates scheduled. Visit JacksonBrowne.com for his full itinerary.

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Former Fleetwood Mac singer-guitarist Lindsey Buckingham has just released a second advance track from his forthcoming self-titled solo album, which is due out on September 17.

“On the Wrong Side,” which is available now via digital formats, is an upbeat-sounding pop-rock tune that according to a statement is about the ups and downs Buckingham experienced while touring with Fleetwood Mac.

Lindsey draws a comparison between “On the Wrong Side” and his classic Fleetwood Mac hit “Go Your Own Way,” noting that the 1977 tune was “not a happy song, subject-matter wise, but it was an ebullient song musically. This was sort of the same idea.”

As previously reported, the upcoming album is Buckingham’s first solo studio effort since 2011’s Seeds We Sow and his seventh overall.

The 10-song collection, which Buckingham wrote, produced and recorded at his home studio in Los Angeles, can be pre-ordered now and will be available on CD, as a vinyl LP, and on digital and streaming platforms.

Lindsey previously released a song called “I Don’t Mind” as the first advance track from the album.

Meanwhile, Buckingham will launch a 30-city U.S. solo tour with a September 1 show in Milwaukee, marking the first time that Lindsey will be playing in-person concerts since he underwent emergency heart surgery in February 2019.

Check out Buckingham’s full tour schedule at LindseyBuckingham.com.

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Back in August of 2008, Glen Campbell took the stage at the famed West Hollywood, California, venue the Troubadour, the stage known for career-transforming performances from rockers, country stars, comedians and more since its opening in the late 1950s.

Campbell’s 14-song set at that show featured many of the crossover star’s enduring hits, including “Galveston,” “Wichita Lineman,” “Gentle on My Mind” and “Rhinestone Cowboy.”

Now, more than a decade after that concert took place, fans can revisit the late singer’s performance with a new live album called Glen Campbell: Live from the Troubadour. The collection arrives this Friday, July 23.

An Arkansas native who toed the line between country and pop stardom while also enjoying a storied acting career, Glen died in 2017 at the age of 81 from complications of Alzheimer’s disease. He announced in 2011 that he’d been diagnosed with the disease. That same year, he was the subject of a documentary titled Glen Campbell: I’ll Be Me, which chronicled his last years on the road as he grappled with how his illness affected his abilities as a performer.

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The animated series Madagascar: A Little Wild returns for a fourth season on Peacock and Hulu, and this time, Alanis Morissette is along for the ride.

In the new season, Alex the Lion, Marty the Zebra, Melman the Giraffe and Gloria the Hippo are joined by Alanis as the voice of Starlene, a talented hermit crab who has stage fright.  The series follows the main characters of the 2006 movie Madagascar as kids, living in their rescue habitat at the Central Park Zoo in New York City.

The action-packed trailer seems to suggest that the animals escape from the zoo and start running around New York City, though it’s unclear why. Starlene shows up briefly, as she asks the gang, “Are you always this happy?”

The new season starts August 6 and runs for six episodes.

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Live music is back, and concert promoter Live Nation is celebrating by offering $20 tickets to its shows this summer.

The promotion, dubbed Return to Live, will let you see artists including Daryl Hall & John Oates, The Doobie Brothers, Chicago and many others at various outdoor Live Nation venues across the U.S. for just twenty bucks — taxes and fees included.

Other veteran artists participating in the promotion include Alanis Morissette, The Black Crowes, Alice Cooper, Dead & Company, KISS, Lynyrd Skynyrd and Pet Shop Boys.

The Return to Live tickets go on sale beginning next Wednesday, July 28, at noon ET. For the full list of participating artists and venues, visit LiveNation.com.

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Paul McCartney and Beck have released a music video for their collaborative song, “Find My Way.”

The clip was co-produced by the company Hyperreal Digital, which, according to a press release, “specializes in the creation of hyper-realistic digital avatars.” The result showcases a “de-aged” version of the Beatles legend — akin to the effects used in the Martin Scorsese movie The Irishman — as he walks and dances through a trippy hotel hallway.

“The technology to de-age talent and have them perform in creative environments like this is now fully-realized, even with one of the most recognized faces in the world,” says Hyperreal CEO Remington Scott.

You can watch the “Find My Way” video streaming now on McCartney’s official YouTube channel. The clip also features cameos by the real, 79-year-old Macca and Beck.

“Find My Way” is one of many collaborations included on McCartney III Imagined, a compilation featuring updated versions of songs off Sir Paul’s 2020 solo effort, McCartney III. The collection also includes covers or remixes by St. Vincent, Queens of the Stone Age‘s Josh Homme, Blur‘s Damon Albarn and Phoebe Bridgers, among others.

McCartney III Imagined was released digitally in April. Vinyl, CD and cassette versions of the album, which include a bonus track featuring actor and DJ Idris Elba, are due out this Friday, July 23.

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