Classic Hits – Page 709

The Beatles, David Bowie & more included on playlist for King Charles’ coronation

February 7, 2023 by WDNY Radio

King Charles III’s coronation is happening May 6, and now the government is offering up some suggestions for songs to play at street parties celebrating the occasion.

The United Kingdom’s Department for Culture, Media and Sport has released a coronation playlist of 27 songs, including tracks from The Beatles, David Bowie, Queen and Kate Bush. According to a spokesperson, the playlist had been chosen to “celebrate British and Commonwealth artists ahead of the upcoming Coronation.”

Songs making the playlist include The Beatles’ “Come Together,” Bush’s “Running Up That Hill,” Bowie’s “Last Dance,” Madness’ “Our House,” Queen’s “We Are The Champions,” Tom Jones’ “Green Green Grass of Home,” ELO’s “Mr. Blue Sky,” Jeff Beck and Rod Stewart’s “People Get Ready” and The Who’s “Love Reign O’er Me.” The complete list can be found at Spotify.com.

Barbra Streisand releasing memoir in November

February 7, 2023 by WDNY Radio

We’re about to learn a whole lot more about Barbra Streisand. The 80-year-old icon is set to release her memoir, My Name is Barbra, on November 7.

According to the book’s publisher, Babs “tells her own story about her life and extraordinary career,” including growing up in Brooklyn, her early struggles, her breakout performance in Funny Girl and more. “The book is, like Barbra herself, frank, funny, opinionated, and charming,” the publisher says.

My Name is Barbra will delve into her achievements as a singer, actor, director, producer, songwriter, philanthropist and more, and will touch on her friendships with big names like Marlon Brando and Madeline Albright, as well as her relationship with husband James Brolin.

Wife of Pink Floyd’s David Gilmour calls out Roger Waters

February 7, 2023 by WDNY Radio

Pink Floyd’s David Gilmour and Roger Waters have been on the outs for years, and based on a recent tweet by Gilmour’s wife, we won’t be seeing a reunion happening anytime soon. Polly Samson, who’s responsible for writing several post-Waters Floyd songs, took to social media to respond to a recent interview Waters gave in which he criticized Pink Floyd for releasing a Ukrainian protest song.

In an interview with the German newspaper Berliner Zeitung, Waters discusses his take on Ukraine, Israel and Russian President Vladimir Putin. He called it “really, really sad” that his former bandmates recorded the song “Hey Hey Rise Up” with Ukrainian musician Andrij Chlywnjuk, calling it “lacking in humanity.”

That article prompted Samson to respond, “Sadly @rogerwaters you are antisemitic to your rotten core. Also a Putin apologist and a lying, thieving, hypocritical, tax-avoiding, lip-synching, misogynistic, sick-with-envy, megalomaniac. Enough of your nonsense.” Gilmour then re-tweeted the post, “writing Every word demonstrably true.”

Waters later responded to the tweet, writing, “Roger Waters is aware of the incendiary and wildly inaccurate comments made about him on Twitter by Polly Samson which he refutes entirely. He is currently taking advice as to his position.”

On This Day – February 7, 1976: Paul Simon lands first solo number one with “50 Ways to Leave Your Lover”

February 7, 2023 by WDNY Radio

On This Day – February 7, 1976

Paul Simon’s “50 Ways to Leave Your Lover” hit number one on the U.S. singles chart, his first and only number one as a solo artist. It spent three weeks at the top of the chart and also topped the Adult Contemporary charts for two weeks.

The tune was his second single from Simon’s fourth studio album, Still Crazy After All These Years, and featured background vocals by Patti Austin, Valerie Simpson and Phoebe Snow.

“50 Ways to Leave Your Lover” went on to be certified gold by the RIAA for sales of over one million copies.

Cast announced for big-screen adaptation of Bob Dylan musical ‘Girl From the North Country’

February 7, 2023 by WDNY Radio

Girl From the North Country, the Broadway musical featuring songs from Bob Dylan’s catalog, is coming to the big screen.

Variety reports that Woody Harrelson, Olivia Coleman and Chloe Bailey have been cast in the movie adaptation of the musical, which follows a group of Midwestern travelers during the Depression who cross paths at a guest house.

Conor McPherson, who wrote the stage show, is set to write and direct the film with Dylan’s blessing. “To be associated with Conor is one of the highlights of my professional life,” Dylan said in a statement. “It goes without saying the man is a genius for putting this thing together and I’m thrilled to be a part of the experience. My songs couldn’t be in better hands.”

After an original run in London, Girl From the North Country opened off Broadway in 2018, then moved to Broadway in March 2020 before being shut down due to the COVID-19 pandemic. It reopened in October 2021 and closed for good in June of that year.

The Rolling Stones drop “Doom and Gloom” video from ‘GRRR Live!’

February 6, 2023 by WDNY Radio

The Rolling Stones are out with another peek at their upcoming release, GRRR Live!, which drops Friday.

The rockers just released a video for “Doom and Gloom,” which was the first single released from the band’s 2012 album, GRRR!, a compilation celebrating their 50th anniversary. At the time it was the first song the band recorded together in almost seven years.

The video is a performance clip from their December 15, 2012, concert at Newark’s Prudential Center, which was part of their 50 & Counting tour, celebrating the anniversary.

GRRR Live! is the first audio release of the concert, which featured guest appearances by Bruce Springsteen, Lady Gaga, John Mayer, Gary Clark Jr., Mick Taylor and The Black Keys. It’s being released in a variety of formats, including a two-CD set, a three-LP set (classic black, limited red and a white indie exclusive), digital, a DVD and two-CD combo set, and a Blu-ray and two-CD combo set.

Rod Stewart leaves touching note at Jeff Beck’s funeral

February 6, 2023 by WDNY Radio

A funeral for the late guitarist Jeff Beck was held Friday in London with several A-list stars in attendance, including Rod Stewart, Johnny Depp and Jimmy Page.

Metro UK reports Stewart paid his respects to Beck with a bouquet of white roses in the shape of a heart, alongside a handwritten note in which he called Beck a “guitar genius.” “It was a privilege to perform alongside a proper guitar genius,” the note read. “Rest In Peace. See ya later Jeff, Sir Rod Stewart.”

The service took place at St Mary’s Church in Beddington, Sutton. Other famous faces who paid their respects to Beck include Tom Jones, Eric Clapton, Pink Floyd’s David Gilmour and Sir Bob Geldof.

David Bowie producer shoots down Harry Styles comparisons

February 6, 2023 by WDNY Radio

There are some who have compared Harry Styles to the late icon David Bowie, but someone who knows Bowie pretty well doesn’t agree at all.

Consequence reports that music producer Tony Visconti, who worked with Bowie for years and produced his final album, 2016’s Blackstar, shot down any such comparisons between Bowie and Styles in a Facebook post about Sunday night’s Grammy Awards.

“What’s the difference between the Grammys and Las Vegas? Nothing!” he wrote in the post, which has since been taken down. He later commented, “Someone just told me that Harry Styles is the new Bowie? From what I saw tonight he’s not worthy of shining his shoes.”

Whether he’s the new Bowie or not, Styles did have a pretty great Grammy night, winning Album of the Year and Best Pop Vocal Album for Harry’s House.

Matthew McConaughey voices Elvis Presley the spy in new animated series ‘Agent Elvis’

February 6, 2023 by WDNY Radio

Elvis Presley will be doing more than just shaking his hips in a new Netflix adult animated series.

Agent Elvis, co-produced by Priscilla Presley, will feature Oscar-winner Matthew McConaughey voicing The King, who “trades his jumpsuit for a jetpack” after he’s recruited into “a secret government spy program to battle the dark forces that threaten the country he loves — all while holding down his day job.” The teaser for the show sees Elvis landing on the moon, fighting off bad buys and more.

The 10-episode series, which McConaughey is also producing, is the brainchild of Archer veteran Mike Arnold. It’s set to premiere sometime next month.

(Trailer contains uncensored profanity.)

Sheryl Crow believes Grammy mishap would have made Christine McVie giggle

February 6, 2023 by WDNY Radio

Sheryl Crow was part of the beautiful and emotional tribute to the late Fleetwood Mac star Christine McVie at Sunday’s Grammys, but apparently the performance didn’t go off without a hitch. Crow reveals on Instagram there were problems with her piano during the performance, which also featured Bonnie Raitt and Fleetwood Mac’s Mick Fleetwood.

“Beautiful Christine! Last night during our tribute, something really strange happened. I sat down to play with @bonnieraittofficial and @mickfleetwoodofficial and the piano was not working right,” Crow shares. “I still cannot wrap my brain around it because I’ve never had it happen but the clock started for Mick and the first chord I played, only a couple of notes at a time would play. At one point, the piano in our ears was in a different key than what I was playing!”

Sheryl says folks behind the scenes quickly noticed the problem so what the audience heard sounded “completely normal,” but it still left her disappointed.

But soon Sheryl had a new outlook on the mishap. She notes, “Mick and I decided after the performance that perhaps Christine might be up there sipping champagne and giggling, having been a keyboard player herself.”

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