Classic Hits

Van Morrison is giving fans another taste of his upcoming album, Moving On Skiffle. The Irish singer has just dropped the new tune “Worried Man Blues.”

The track is a cover of an old folk song, which has previously been recorded by The Carter Family, Woody Guthrie, Pete Seeger and more.

The 23-track Moving on Skiffle is due out March 10 and will be available as a two-CD set, as a two-LP vinyl package, on cassette and via digital formats. It features a variety of covers, including Hank Williams‘ “I’m So Lonesome I Could Cry” and “Cold Cold Heart,” and traditional tunes like “Gypsy Davy” and “Green Rocky Road.”

Morrison is set to promote his new album with a series of live dates, including March 13, 14 and 15 at The Stables in Milton Keynes, England, and April 6 and 7 at Whitla Hall in Belfast, Ireland.

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David Byrne is in the running for an Oscar. The Talking Heads frontman earned a Best Original Song nomination for “This Is a Life,” the song he wrote with Mitski and Ryan Lott for Best Picture nominee Everything Everywhere All at Once.

The tune does have some stiff competition, however. Other nominees in that category include the Diane Warren-penned song “Applause,” from Tell It Like a Woman, Lady Gaga’s “Hold My Hand,” from Top Gun: Maverick, Rihanna’s “Lift Me Up,” from Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, and the Golden Globe winner “Naatu Naatu” from the Indian film RRR.

Byrne was previously nominated and won a Best Original Score Oscar in 1987 for his collaboration with Ryuichi Sakamoto and Cong Su on Bernardo Bertolucci’s The Last Emperor.

The 95th annual Academy Awards, hosted by Jimmy Kimmel, airs March 12 live on ABC from the the Dolby Theatre at Ovation Hollywood.

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The Rolling Stones’ Mick Jagger and Keith Richards are set to be immortalized with statues in their hometown of Dartford, in Kent, England, with Mick telling The Telegraph he is “honored and delighted with the news.”

The statues are to be created by sculptor Amy Goodman. They will be erected near the Dartford Railway Station where the two childhood friends reunited as teenagers in 1961, started talking about music and decided to form a musical partnership. 

Goodman is currently working on the statues in her studio. Once completed, they will be unveiled at One Bell Corner on Dartford High Street. 

“Many Dartfordians have gone on to change our world, but in terms of culture and music you don’t get much more influential than The Rolling Stones,” Jeremy Kite, leader of the Dartford Borough Council, tells the paper. “Their music has changed the face of popular music and these lads from Dartford are now two of the most recognizable and loved people in the world.” 

He adds, “We want to celebrate that their roots are firmly planted right here in our town and also thank them for the impression they have made on lives.”

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Billy Idol is hitting the road this spring. The rocker, who earlier this month received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, just announced a new set of tour dates, kicking off March 30 in Scottsdale, Arizona. 

The tour will hit such cities as Denver, Atlanta, Orlando and Indianapolis before wrapping May 12 in St. Paul, Minnesota. He’s also set to perform at the Cruel World Festival in Pasadena, California, on May 20.

Tickets go on sale Friday. A complete list of tour dates and ticket information can be found at BillyIdol.net.

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The members of Yes are the latest artists to sell their catalog. The Rock & Roll Hall of Famers have made a deal with Warner Music Group’s Global Catalog Division to sell the rights to their music and income streams for recordings made during their Atlantic Records era. 

The purchase encompasses 12 studio albums, including such classics as Fragile, Close to the Edge and 90125, along with live recordings and compilations. 

“The entire Yes family came together and worked enthusiastically with Warner Music Group to secure this historic deal,” the band shares in a statement, “ensuring that these iconic recordings will continue to be curated in the optimum manner to delight their fans across more than five decades, while also finding and developing new audiences for this timeless music.”

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Kansas is celebrating their 50th anniversary on the road this year. The band just announced dates for their 50th Anniversary Tour – Another Fork in the Road, which promises to encompass the band’s entire career, giving fans two hours of hits, fan favorites and even some deep cuts. 

“Our entire career has been a winding journey,” Kansas guitarist and original member Richard Williams shares. “… there have been several forks in the road of that journey. This 50th Anniversary Tour and release will represent that journey and the forks along that road.”

Lead vocalist Ronnie Platt adds, “I’m incredibly excited about the 50th Anniversary Tour.” He noted, “I think fans will be excited not only to hear our hits and fan favorites spanning 50 years of Kansas, but also some songs that haven’t been performed live in decades.”

The tour is set to kick off June 2 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, wrapping up January 28, 2024, in Ft. Lauderdale, Florida. Most tickets go on sale Friday, January 27. A complete list of dates and ticket information can be found at kansasband.com.

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The Cruel World Festival is returning for a second year in May, and it’s secured quite a lineup. The one-day festival, going down May 20 at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, California, will feature Siouxsie, Iggy Pop, Billy Idol, Love and Rockets, Echo and the Bunnyman and more.

The festival mostly focuses on indie and alternative artists from the ’80s, with the lineup also including Adam Ant, The Human League, Gary Numan, Modern English, ABC and The Motels. 

The festival will mark the first U.S. performance of Siouxsie, of Siouxsie and the Banshees, in 15 years. It will also be Love and Rockets’ first show together since 2008.

Tickets for the festival go on sale Friday at 12 p.m. PT. More information can be found at cruelworldfest.com.

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Pink Floyd’s classic album The Dark Side of the Moon has always featured a rainbow on its cover, but the recently announced 50th anniversary box set is causing a stir from folks on social media who evidently weren’t aware of that.

In case you missed it, the new logo for the box set features the number 50 with the rainbow in the zero. After the band unveiled it on social media, some folks started blasting the rainbow inclusion as the band’s show of support for gay rights. 

“Lose the rainbow, you’re making yourself look stupid,” one person commented, while another added, “[A]re you going woke with rainbows? Is there a straight flag? I want equal representation.”

Of course the rainbow has always been there, and many Pink Floyd fans are calling out those complaining.

“Anyone mad at the most iconic album cover in the world was never a Pink Floyd fan to begin with,” one person commented on Facebook. Another noted on Twitter, “Pink Floyd fans complaining the band has gone ‘woke’ for having a rainbow on their merch must have taken the ‘we don’t need no education’ line a bit too literal.”

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Graham Nash and Bruce Hornsby are the latest musicians added to The Music of Paul McCartney, the tribute concert taking place March 15 at New York’s Carnegie Hall.

The show is the latest in the series of annual charity concerts New York City entrepreneur Michael Dorf has been organizing since 2004. Each year focuses on the music of a single well-known artist, with previous tribute concerts focusing on artists like The Who, Van Morrison, David Bowie and The Rolling Stones. 

Other artists on this year’s bill include Peter Asher, a member of the vocal duo Peter & Gordon and brother of McCartney’s former girlfriend Jane Asher, along with Lyle Lovett, Ingrid Michaelson, Glen Hansard, Allison Russell, soul singer Bettye Lavette and Lake Street Drive.

The concert will raise money for organizations that provide music education programs and opportunities for underserved youth. So far the concert series has raised over $1.5 million. Information on tickets can be found at musicof.org.

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The Doors’ Robby Krieger and the late Ray Manzarek‘s estate are the latest artists to sell their music catalog, selling their interest in the legendary band’s catalog to Primary Wave Music. There’s no word on how much the deal was worth, but it includes The Doors’ recordings, trademarks, merchandise rights and income.

“After 58 years, and the most magical of times, I’ve decided to sell my share of The Doors to Primary Wave,” Krieger shares. “This will enable me to help the many charities I’ve been involved with, and some new ones too. I know Primary Wave cares about music, art, and about helping legacies go to even bigger levels.” 

Manzarek’s widow, Dorothy, adds, “Ray and I spent a lot of time discussing the future of The Doors’ legacy, and how to handle things after he departed this plane. Our family has worked patiently to find the right partners to continue Ray’s lifelong efforts in protecting and promoting his art, and now we are happy to have finally come to an agreement with Primary Wave.”

Only the two members of The Doors have sold their interests to Primary Wave, though. The Jim Morrison estate and drummer John Densmore still hold their interests in the band’s music and publishing.

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