Classic Hits

Today marks the 40th anniversary of the release of Beauty and the Beat, the debut album by The Go-Go’s.

The album spent six weeks at #1 on the Billboard 200, making The Go-Go’s the only all-female band whose members played their own instruments to ever top that chart.

Beauty and the Beat featured two of the group’s biggest hits, “Our Lips Are Sealed,” which peaked at #20 on the Billboard Hot 100, and “We Got the Beat,” considered the band’s signature tune, which reached #2.

Go-Go’s keyboardist/guitarist Charlotte Caffey, who wrote or co-wrote eight of the album’s 11 tracks, including “We Got the Beat,” tells ABC Audio that she’s extremely proud of Beauty and the Beat‘s success.

“The fact that it really stayed [at #1] for six weeks…Wow, come on,” she gushes. “I mean, from where we started, we were girls. No one wanted to hear from girls, did they? — I guess they did — But yeah, that was a whole overwhelming moment.”

The album was co-produced by Richard Gottehrer, who also produced Blondie‘s first two records and co-wrote such classic ’60s pop hits as “Hang On Sloopy,” “I Want Candy” and “My Boyfriend’s Back.”

Caffey says working with Gottehrer “was like being in a master class,” and credits his pop sensibilities for helping to make the album sound great.

Charlotte recalls that Gottehrer “wanted us to do slower tempos than what we were playing live, so we could really understand the lyrics and let the melodies…come through.”

Caffey says the band members initially were angry that the recordings didn’t capture the group’s live sound, but she notes that when she heard “how those songs sparkled on the radio, then I understood.”

Here’s the Beauty and the Beat track list:

“Our Lips Are Sealed”
“How Much More”
“Tonite”
“Lust to Love”
“This Town”
“We Got the Beat”
“Fading Fast”
“Automatic”
“You Can’t Walk in Your Sleep (If You Can’t Sleep)”
“Skidmarks on My Heart”
“Can’t Stop the World”

Copyright © 2021, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

Yes will release its 22nd studio album, The Quest, on October 1.

The 11-track collection, which was produced by the legendary prog-rock group’s longtime guitarist, Steve Howe, will be available as a two-CD set featuring eight songs on the main disc and three additional tunes on the second CD.

The Quest 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.

The Quest, a follow-up to 2014’s Heaven & Earth, is Yes’ first studio effort since the 2015 death of founding bassist Chris Squire, who appeared on all of the band’s previous albums and who was succeeded by Billy Sherwood.  The Quest also is the second Yes studio album to feature current frontman Jon Davison, who joined the group in 2012.

“It is simply an honor for me to have the opportunity to bring together the band members in the development of a well-refined set of songs that capture the band’s true potential,” Howe says of the new record.

He also shares, “Much of the music was written in late 2019 with the rest in 2020. We commissioned several orchestrations to augment and enhance the overall sound of these fresh new recordings, hoping that our emphasis on melody, coupled with some expansive instrumental solo breaks, keeps up the momentum for our listeners.”

The Quest will be available for pre-order starting on July 23. The album’s cover art was designed by longtime Yes collaborator Roger Dean.

Here’s the album’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”

Copyright © 2021, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

Copyright © 2021, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

Happy Birthday to Ringo Starr, who marks his 81st trip around the sun today.

As has become tradition, the legendary Beatles drummer is asking fans across the world to celebrate his big day by pausing at noon local time, wherever they are, and saying his catchphrase “peace and love,” or by sharing the #peaceandlove hashtag on social media.

Unfortunately, Ringo has decided not to have a public celebration this year because of the COVID-19 pandemic, although virtual parties have been scheduled in many cities around the world. Visit Starr’s Facebook page for more details.

As previously reported, Ringo posted a video message on his YouTube channel in which he encouraged people to take part in the “peace and love” festivities today.

“[Y]ou can post it, you can say it, you can even think it, but it’d be cool if you go ‘peace and love’ at noon on my birthday,” Starr declared. “So let’s spread peace and love around the world on my birthday. Come on, everybody!”

In other news, Peter Frampton has posted a couple of messages on his social media pages revealing that Starr has been working on a new EP to which the guitar whiz apparently is lending his talents.

In a Twitter message, Frampton posted a photo of him with Starr and songwriter/producer Linda Perry at Ringo’s home studio, along with a note that reads, “So great to be able to fly and see friends again. Lovely afternoon listening to Ringo’s great upcoming EP.”

Peter also posted a couple of photos on his Instagram page that show him playing guitar at Starr’s studio while goofing around with Ringo.

The new release apparently will be a follow-up to Starr’s Zoom In EP, which came out May.

So great to be able to fly and see friends again. Lovely afternoon listening to Ringo’s great upcoming ep. Bonus: Linda Perry came by. Always great to see #barbarabach too. Much love guys ❤️ pic.twitter.com/HOnAigPbgV

— Peter Frampton (@peterframpton) July 3, 2021

Copyright © 2021, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

The Beatles and Us, an award-winning short documentary about the relationship that the city of Liverpool, England, had and continues to have with its most famous native sons, The Beatles, is now available as a digital download and via streaming platforms.

The film offers a profile of Liverpool and looks at how its history, traditions and culture helped shaped the members of The Beatles. The movie also examines the band’s influence on the city, its music scene, tourism industry and more.

The Beatles and Us features interviews with various Liverpool residents reflecting on the Fab Four’s impact on the northern U.K. port city and recalling their experiences meeting or seeing the group’s members.

“I suppose I’m biased, given my family are from Liverpool, but I do think it’s a special city,” says the film’s director, Chris Purcell. “Quite different to anywhere else in the U.K., it’s a quirky, off-kilter kind of place that has its own singular character. Coming from a town like that gave The Beatles, who were already magically blessed with the right combination of talents, just the edge they needed to conquer all before them.”

The flick won the Best International Documentary prize at the Venice Shorts film festival, and was selected as a finalist at the New York International Film Awards.

Visit Beacons.page/LiverpoolWest to check out options to rent and view the film.

Copyright © 2021, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

Like so many musicians, Men at Work frontman Colin Hay had his 2020 touring plans sidelined because of the COVID-19 pandemic, but the singer/songwriter has now unveiled a new series of U.S. solo concerts scheduled for late summer.

The trek is plotted out from an August 4 show in Hyannis, Massachusetts, through a September 11 performance at the Beachlife Festival in Redondo Beach, California.

Hay will be promoting a brand-new studio album on the tour, a 10-track collection of covers titled I Just Don’t Know What to Do with Myself that’s due out on August 6.

Colin was inspired to make the album during the COVID lockdown, after he recorded a version of the Gerry and the Pacemakers hit “Don’t Let the Sun Catch You Crying” following the death of that group’s lead singer, Gerry Marsden, in January 2021.

Hay’s frequent collaborator and producer Chad Fischer suggested Colin record more cover tunes, and Hay decided to make a full album of tunes he loved when he was younger.

I Just Don’t Know What to Do with Myself also features the title track, which was penned by Burt Bacharach and Hal David and was a big U.K. hit for Dusty Springfield in 1964, as well as songs by The Beatles, The Kinks, Faces, Blind Faith, Glen Campbell and Jimmy Cliff.

The album can be pre-ordered now, and is available on CD, vinyl and in various digital formats.

“I recorded an album of songs written by other people that have meant a lot to me ever since I was a young fellow,” Hay notes. “I can’t wait to play them for you on this upcoming jaunt across the land.”

Here’s the full I Just Don’t Know What to Do with Myself track list:

“I Just Don’t Know What to Do with Myself” (Dusty Springfield)
“Waterloo Sunset” (The Kinks)
“Wichita Lineman” (Glen Campbell)
“Norwegian Wood (This Bird Has Flown)” (The Beatles)
“Don’t Let the Sun Catch You Crying” (Gerry and the Pacemakers)
“Ooh La La” (Faces)
“Driving with the Brakes On” (Del Amitri)
“Across the Universe” (The Beatles)
“Can’t Find My Way Home” (Blind Faith)
“Many Rivers to Cross” (Jimmy Cliff)

Copyright © 2021, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

Bruce Springsteen has won a lot awards during his long career, but an Olympic medal certainly isn’t among them. However, one of his children will have the chance to go for Olympic gold, silver or bronze in Tokyo this summer — The Boss’ daughter, Jessica, has been named to the U.S. Equestrian jumping team.

TeamUSA.org reports that Jessica, who is 29, is ranked 27th in the the world and will make her Olympic debut in Tokyo. She will be riding a a 12-year-old Belgian Warmblood stallion named Don Juan van de Donkhoeve.

Jessica, who lives in Los Angeles, began riding when she was just four years old. She’s finished in first place at several major competitions over the last few years.

The Tokyo Olympics, which were postponed from 2020 because of the COVID-19 pandemic, are scheduled to run from July 23 through August 8.

See you in Tokyo #USAJumping 🇺🇸 #TeamUSA pic.twitter.com/A5TB1xJSjI

— US Equestrian (@USequestrian) July 5, 2021

Copyright © 2021, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

Today, July 6, marks the 50th anniversary of the release of third Allman Brothers Band album, At Fillmore East, widely considered one of the greatest-ever live albums.

The double-album marked a commercial breakthrough for the Southern jam band, peaking at #13 on Billboard‘s Top Pop Albums chart, and eventually becoming the group’s first platinum-certified release.

The album was recorded during a March 11-13 stand at promoter Bill Graham‘s famous New York City venue. At Fillmore East captured the band firing on all cylinders, showcasing the two-guitar interplay of Duane Allman and Dickey Betts, and frontman Gregg Allman‘s soulful vocals and soaring Hammond organ.

Among At Fillmore East‘s performances are renditions of blues gems such as Blind Willie McTell‘s “Stateboro Blues” and T-Bone Walker‘s “Stormy Monday,” as well as three originals — “Hot ‘Lanta,” “In Memory of Elizabeth Reed” and “Whipping Post.”

The album featured several extended jams that allowed the Allmans to fully explore their eclectic mix of blues, jazz, soul and psychedelic rock, including an almost-13-minute rendition of the Betts-penned instrumental “In Memory of Elizabeth Reed” and an epic 22-plus-minute version of Gregg Allman’s “Whipping Post.”

In the 2012 Allmans biography One Way Out, producer Tom Dowd said of the At Fillmore East performances, “Here was a rock ‘n’ roll band playing blues in the jazz vernacular. And they tore the place up.”

Sadly, At Fillmore East was the last album Allman Brothers Band released before Duane Allman’s death at age 27 on October 29, 1971, in a motorcycle crash.

In 2015, Rolling Stone ranked At Fillmore East second on its “50 Greatest Live Albums of All Time” list. It also was added to the Library of Congress’ National Recording Registry in 2004.

Here’s the album’s full track list:

Side One
“Statesboro Blues”
“Done Somebody Wrong”
“Stormy Monday”

Side Two
“You Don’t Love Me”

Side Three
“Hot ‘Lanta”
“In Memory of Elizabeth Reed”

Side Four
“Whipping Post”

Copyright © 2021, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

After attending three exhibitions of his artwork in Florida in May, Def Leppard drummer Rick Allen will be on hand for two similar events this weekend: Saturday, July 10, in New Jersey’s Atlantic City and Sunday, July 11, in the Philadelphia suburb of King of Prussia, Pennsylvania.

The Florida exhibits were among the first public events Allen participated in since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, and he tells ABC Audio that it’s been “really fun to get back out there and do something in person.”

He adds, “[T]here’s nothing like…meeting up with new people…and see[ing] what their take on my artwork is.”

Allen says the new exhibition, dubbed “Wings of Hope,” features seven or eight new pieces, including some additions to his “Legends Series” of portraits saluting late musicians who have influenced or inspired him.

“[O]ne of them [is] Johnny Cash…He’s the original bad boy,” Rick notes. “[A]nd another one [is] Kurt Cobain, who basically turned the music industry on its head with that brand of…raw [music].”

Allen also created new portraits of Eddie Van Halen for the series.

“[T]he sad news of [Eddie’s death]…really kind of floored me,” Rick says. “I didn’t know him that well, but I’d met him a few times through friends. And that was such a huge shock.”

For fans interested in how Allen’s art events work, he explains, “When I first get to the gallery…I’ll say hello to everybody,” while noting that he generally spends a lot of the time in a private room being “introduced to people that have bought pieces.”

He adds, however, “I always make time for everybody.”

Paintings and high-res prints of his pieces will be on sale at the events.

For more details, visit WentworthGallery.com.

Copyright © 2021, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

John Lennon, Elvis Presley and Jimi Hendrix are among the music stars who are being turned into Funko Pop! figures.

The toy company has announced a slew of new, music-themed editions of its ever-popular big-headed collectables as part of its Popapalooza event.

Multiple Lennon figures were revealed in a post on Funko Pop!’s official Twitter feed, including one depicting the late Beatles legend wearing a khaki army jacket, and another showing him as he looked in a famous 1974 photo taken of him flashing a peace sign in front of the Statue of Liberty. However, the post notes that the designs currently are “subject to licensor approval.”

The Elvis figure shows the late King of Rock ‘n’ Roll wearing a bejeweled white jumpsuit and is packaged in a box that features a replica of Presley’s 1975 Pure Gold compilation.

The Hendrix toy shows the guitar great in the outfit he wore for his Live in Maui performance. The figure’s design also is “subject to licensor approval.”

Other Popalooza announcements include new figures of Green Day, Pearl Jam and Ozzy Osbourne.

The new Funko Pop! toys are expected to be released in the coming weeks and months.

Popapalooza 2021: Pop! Rocks- John Lennon. Pre-order today! #Popapalooza #FunkoPopapalooza #Funko #FunkoPop@EntEarth: https://t.co/piKYmqrtgL
Distritomax: https://t.co/YeMzeB8DjE pic.twitter.com/sCZiCKPFWN

— Funko (@OriginalFunko) June 30, 2021

Copyright © 2021, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.