Classic Hits

Very sad news to report regarding Carly Simon‘s family. The singer/songwriter’s two older sisters, Lucy and Joanna, both died this week, a source close to Carly confirmed to Deadline.

Lucy died Thursday of breast cancer at the age of 82, while Joanna passed away Wednesday of thyroid cancer at age 84.

Lucy and Carly formed the folk duo The Simon Sisters during the early 1960s and recorded three albums during that decade. Perhaps their best known song was an adaptation of the children’s poem “Winkin’, Blinkin’ and Nod,” which reached #73 on the Billboard Hot 100.

Lucy released a couple of solo albums during the 1970s; in the early ’80s, she and her husband, David Levine, produced two Grammy-winning children’s albums — 1980’s In Harmony: A Sesame Street Record and 1981’s In Harmony 2.

Lucy’s biggest musical success was serving as composer for the 1991 Broadway musical The Secret Garden, which scored a Tony Award nomination for Best Original Score.

She also wrote and produced music for the 1993 HBO film The Positively True Adventures of the Alleged Texas Cheerleader-Murdering Mom.

In addition, Lucy composed music for a stage adaptation of Doctor Zhivago, which had a short Broadway run in 2015.

Joanna Simon had a long career as an opera singer, performing and recording with many orchestras over the years, including the New York Philharmonic, the Vienna Philharmonic and the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra.

From 1986 to 1992, she served as the arts correspondent for the PBS program The MacNeil-Lehrer News Hour and won an Emmy Award for her reporting in 1991.

After the 2004 death of her husband, writer Gerald Walker, she was legendary news anchor Walter Cronkite‘s companion from 2005 until his death in 2009.

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Queen has debuted a newly created music video for “Face It Alone,” the recently released archival track featuring the late Freddie Mercury that was recorded during the sessions for the band’s 1989 studio album The Miracle.

The clip, which you can watch now on YouTube, features footage and photos of Queen’s members from around the time of the making and release of The Miracle, as well as statuettes of the band; a recreation of Mountain Studios in Montreux, Switzerland, where the album was recorded; and animated segments.

The video was directed by Simon Lupton, who says of the clip, “The intention was to create, despite how the lyrics might be interpreted, an upbeat video that celebrated the fact that the period during which this song was recorded was one of the most prolific and cohesive in the band’s history.”

Lupton adds, “The meaning of the song has been interpreted that when something catastrophic occurs in your life, your instinct is to surround yourself with what is dearest and most important to you.”

“Face It Alone” serves as the lead single from an upcoming expanded reissue of The Miracle, dubbed The Miracle Collector’s Edition, which will be released on November 18. The recording was rediscovered during the process of putting the collection together.

The Miracle Collector’s Edition features five CDs, one vinyl LP, a Blu-ray disc, a DVD and a 76-page hardback book.

“Face It Alone” is one of six previously unreleased songs on the collection, along with “Dog with a Bone,” “I Guess We’re Falling Out,” “You Know You Belong to Me,” “When Love Breaks Up” and “Water.”

You can preorder the The Miracle Collector’s Edition now.

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Saturday marks the 20th anniversary of the release of an unlikely hit album: It Had to Be You: The Great American Songbook by Rod Stewart.

The raspy-voiced rocker surprised everyone by recording an entire album of standards including “That Can’t Take That Away From Me,” “The Way You Look Tonight” and “The Nearness of You.” Fans liked what they heard: The album reached number four on the Billboard album chart, becoming his first release to hit the top five since 1978.

In fact, the album was such a hit that it spawned no less than four Songbook sequels, all of which reached the top five. The third installment, 2004’s Stardust, was Rod’s first number one album since 1978’s Blondes Have More Fun, and it even won him his first, and to date only, Grammy.

After volume four of Songbook, Rod released yet another album made up of covers, except this one was rock: 2006’s Still the Same: Great Rock Classics of Our Time. That was followed by Soulbook, another covers album which featured him singing R&B and Motown hits, his final Great American Songbook album, 2010’s Fly Me to the Moon and a 2012 holiday album, Merry Christmas Baby.

Finally, in 2013, Rod, who’d always thought of himself as a songwriter first, released an album of original material: Time. He explained that he’d done all those covers albums because he’d been suffering from writer’s block, but reliving his life story for his 2012 autobiography led him to rediscover his love of songwriting.

Since then, Rod’s released no less than three additional albums of original material, the most recent being 2021’s The Tears of Hercules.

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Joni Mitchell will return to the stage for her first headlining concert in over two decades as part of Brandi Carlile‘s Echoes through the Canyon concerts next year at Washington’s Gorge Amphitheatre on Friday, June 9, and Saturday, June 10.

Friday’s show will feature a headlining set from Carlile and her band, while Mitchell will host one of her “Joni Jams” on Saturday, with Carlile opening. Friday night’s opening act, and the full list of performers for the “Joni Jam,” have yet to be announced.

“No one’s been able to buy a ticket to see Joni Mitchell play in 20 years, so this is enormous,” Carlile said during an appearance on The Daily Show with Trevor Noah on Wednesday. “And she’s so excited because it’s close to Canada and some of her Canadian fans…I can’t believe it’s happening, but it’s happening and she’s going to crush it.”

Mitchell, who has rarely performed in public since suffering a brain aneurysm in 2015, joined Brandi and an all-star cast of musicians and singers — including Wynonna Judd, Marcus Mumford of Mumford and Sons, Dawes‘ Taylor Goldsmith, Lucius, Allison Russell and Shooter Jennings — at this year’s Newport Folk Festival in July.

Carlile helped organize the informal “Joni Jams” with a rotating crew of music A-listers at Mitchell’s home in Los Angeles.

Tickets for this year’s Echoes through the Canyon shows on sale to the public at 10 a.m. on October 28, with presales for Citi card holders available from 10 a.m. on October 25 to 10 p.m. on October 27. Carlile’s Bramily fan club members will have earlier access to presales. Details are available at BrandiCarlile.com/tour.

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The Beatles have just debuted a couple of the previously unheard rarities that will appear as bonus tracks on the forthcoming deluxe reissue of their landmark 1966 album, Revolver.

One track is an acoustic demo of John Lennon singing part of an early version of “Yellow Submarine.” In the 30-second segment, which is subtitled “(Songwriting Work Tape/Part 1),” Lennon softly strums and picks an acoustic guitar while singing, somewhat sadly, “In the place where I was born/ No one cared, no one cared/ And the name that I was born/ No one cared, no one cared/ And the town where was born/ No one cared, no one cared.”

The final version of “Yellow Submarine” features Ringo Starr on lead vocals. It was long believed that Paul McCartney was the tune’s main writer, but the demo suggests that Lennon played a bigger role in its composition.

The second track is an early alternate version of “Got to Get You into My Life,” identified as “(Second Version / Unnumbered Mix).” The rendition is a bit more raw-sounding than the well-known studio version and lacks the song’s signature brass parts while showcasing some fuzzed-out guitar riffs.

Meanwhile, a new animated music video featuring the updated mix of “Taxman” from the Revolver reissue also recently debuted on YouTube.

As previously reported, the deluxe reissue of Revolver will be released on October 28 in multiple configurations.

Among the versions of the reissue is a special edition that features new stereo and Dolby Atmos mixes of Revolver, the original mono mix of the album, 31 tracks of session outtakes, a four-song EP that includes the non-album tracks “Paperback Writer” and “Rain,” and a 100-page hardbound book.

You can preorder the Revolver reissues now.

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Veteran Scottish rockers Simple Minds have just released their 18th studio album, Direction of the Heart.

Frontman Jim Kerr tells ABC Audio that he’s proud of producing an album of Direction of the Heart‘s quality this late in the band’s career.

“I mean, 18 albums in 45 years, and still to be wanting to be in there,” Kerr enthuses, “Still to be wanting to surprise ourselves. Still to be wanting to live up to a name we have made for ourselves. I think there’s a real commitment to it, and I think there’s some great tunes.”

Kerr says that while the band began working on tracks for the album before the COVID-19 pandemic, most of the record was written by him and his Simple Minds co-founder Charlie Burchill in the middle of the health crisis in Sicily, Italy, where Kerr has a home.

The singer says the pandemic afforded him and Burchill time to let their creativity flourish.

As Kerr explains, “[W]ith no distractions, because there was nothing else, not even the football matches were going on … we set to work, I think, with the kind of commitment that we’ve never had since those young early days [of the band].”

Kerr notes that Simple Minds’ goal for the project, as described in a press release announcing the record, was “to make a feel-good record in the worst of times.”

Musically, Kerr says the band sought to combine elements of classic Simple Minds songs with modern sounds.

“[W]e started off as an art-rock band, and there’s definitely a pop element and stuff, and I think that’s still the sweet spot for us,” he maintains. “If we can conjure up the old days, but somehow … make it feel in the moment … that’s the challenge, really.”

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Twenty years ago this Saturday, Santana followed up their massively successful 1999 comeback album Supernatural with another chart-topping and collaboration-filled record: Shaman.

Released on October 22, 2002, Shaman debuted at #1 on the Billboard 200. The album featured one major Billboard Hot 100 hit, “The Game of Love,” featuring pop singer/songwriter Michelle Branch, which peaked at #5.

The song, which was co-written by New Radicals frontman Gregg Alexander and hit-making songwriter Rick Nowels, went on to win a Grammy for Best Pop Collaboration with Vocals.

Like Supernatural, Shaman paired guitar legend Carlos Santana with various performers from different genres, including pop/R&B singers Seal and Macy Gray, Chad Kroeger of the rock band Nickelback, nu-metal group P.O.D., pop singer Dido, multicultural rock outfit Ozomatli, roots rocker Citizen Cope, hip-hop artist Melky Jean and opera legend Plácido Domingo.

Kroeger appears on a song titled “Why Don’t You & I” that he wrote. Since Nickelback’s label didn’t want the track to be released as a single, Santana rerecorded the tune with vocals by Alex Band of the group The Calling and issued that version, which ended up reaching #8 on the Hot 100.

Matchbox Twenty‘s Rob Thomas, who co-wrote and sang the Supernatural smash “Smooth,” also lent his songwriting talents to two tracks on Shaman.

Original Santana drummer Michael Shrieve co-wrote and played on a track titled “Aye Aye Aye.”

Shaman has been certified two-times Platinum by the RIAA for sales of 2 million copies in the U.S.

Here’s the full track list of Shaman:

“Adouma”
“Nothing at All” — featuring Musiq (Rob Thomas, Cori Rooney)
“The Game of Love” — featuring Michelle Branch (Gregg Alexander, Rick Nowels)
“You Are My Kind” — featuring Seal (Rob Thomas)
“Amoré (Sexo)” — featuring Macy Gray
“Foo Foo” — featuring Tabou Combo
“Victory Is Won”
“Since Supernatural” — featuring Melky Jean & Governor
“America” — featuring P.O.D.
“Sideways” — featuring Citizen Cope
“Why Don’t You & I” — featuring Chad Kroeger
“Feels Like Fire” — featuring Dido
“Aye Aye Aye”
“Hoy Es Adiós” — featuring Alejandro Lerner
“One of These Days” — featuring Ozomatli
“Novus” — featuring Plácido Domingo

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Sammy Hagar reflects on his life and music career in “Father Time,” and the Red Rocker has just released a music video for the poignant tune. The song is from his latest studio album with his band The Circle, Crazy Times.

Hagar, who celebrated his 75th birthday last week, says he wrote “Father Time” just after he turned 70 while at his former home in Maui, Hawaii, that overlooked the ocean.

“When I first wrote ‘Father Time,’ I kept it from everyone because it was so personal that I’d get too choked up to actually sing it,” he admits. “The words ‘Father Time’s over there looking over my shoulder’ just kept going through my head, so I picked up my guitar and the rest of the song just came spilling out.”

Hagar adds, “I cried my eyes out after I wrote and played it back. It’s probably the most personal song that I’ve ever written and now, after just turning 75, I’m finally ready to release it.”

The video, which you can watch on Hagar’s official YouTube channel, features footage of Sammy and The Circle performing the song, along with a montage of photos and film clips of Hagar throughout his life.

The “Father Time” clip will be the final video released from Crazy Times. The album was released on CD and via digital formats on September 30, while standard black-vinyl and limited-edition red-vinyl LP versions will follow on October 28.

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The Beach Boys have announced plans for the second installment of The Beach Boys Good Vibrations Cruise, a star-studded nautical festival that will take place next year from March 3 to March 8.

The cruise will set sail from Miami and will stop at Harvest Caye, Belize and Costa Maya, Mexico before returning to port.

The musical extravaganza will feature two unique concerts by The Beach Boys, a special sail-away set by The Isley Brothers and open-sea performances by The Temptations, The Righteous Brothers, Sugar Ray frontman Mark McGrath and popular Beatles tribute act RAIN.

Besides the many performances, the cruise will feature such events, attractions and activities as a photo with The Beach Boys, the chance to interact with the various artists, themed nights, on-shore excursions in Harvest Caye and Costa Maya and much more.

Tickets for the cruise go on sale on Friday, October 8 at 2 p.m. ET. Visit TheBeachBoysCruise.com for all the details.

Reservations are available now, with early-bird prices currently in effect.

The cruise is presented by Club Kokomo Spirits, a new canned-cocktail brand that Beach Boys frontman Mike Love recently co-founded.

In other news, The Beach Boys have scheduled a special 2022 holiday tour called Tis the Season that will feature the band performing with a symphony. The trek runs from a November 26 show in Mashantucket, Connecticut through a December 18 concert in Chicago. Visit TheBeachBoys.com for the group’s full list of shows.

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Graham Nash, Jackson Browne and Linda Ronstadt are featured in a new documentary about obscure 1970s singer/songwriter Judee Sill that will get its world premiere on November 13 in New York City as part of the 2022 DOC NYC festival.

Lost Angel: The Genius of Judee Sill takes an intimate look at life of the Los Angeles-based artist, who was discovered by music mogul David Geffen and released two albums during the early ’70s before withdrawing from the music business and dying of a drug overdose at age 35 in 1979.

The movie also examines Judee’s troubled early life, during which she battled addiction, took part in armed robberies and spent time in prison.

The film features interviews with Nash, Browne, Ronstadt and Geffen, as well as with acclaimed songwriter JD Souther and singer Shawn Colvin, and also includes appearances by various younger artists who discovered Sill’s music after her death.

Nash produced Sill’s first single, “Jesus Was a Cross Maker,” and played organ on the track. The song later was covered by Cass Elliot, The Hollies, Warren Zevon and Ronstadt, among others.

The premiere screening of Lost Angel will take place at SVA Theatre at 8 p.m. ET, and will be followed by a Q&A session featuring directors Andy Brown and Brian Lindstrom, Colvin and producer Peter Kenney.

Tickets to the screening can be purchased at DOCNYC.net. The film also will be available to view via streaming from November 14 at midnight ET through November 27 at 11:59 p.m. ET.

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