Classic Hits

Smokey Robinson is ready to release some new music. People reports the 82-year-old Motown legend will drop GASMS, his first studio album in more than nine years, on April 28.

The new collection features songs written and produced by Smokey; he’s already dropped the first single, “If We Don’t Have Each Other,” to streaming services. 

“I chose this song as the first single of my new album because it’s different musically and has a slide dance feeling to it … which is different from what I’ve ever done before,” he shares. “It also has a current rhythm of today that I love, and I hope everyone else does too.”

GASMS is the first Smokey album since 2014’s Smokey & Friends, featuring new versions of his classic tunes with the help of stars like Elton John, Mary J. Blige, Steven Tyler and James Taylor.

The new album comes as Smokey is getting ready to receive a pretty huge honor by the Recording Academy. He and Berry Gordy are set to be honored as the 2023 MusiCares Persons of the Year on February 3, where they will be celebrated by such artists as Michael McDonald, Lionel Richie, Sheryl Crow, Dionne Warwick and The Temptations.

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KISS is delving into their archives to treat their fans to another classic live performance. The rockers announced the fifth installment in their Off The Soundboard live bootleg series, which will focus on a classic concert from 1984.

KISS – Off The Soundboard: Poughkeepsie, New York, 1984 is set to drop April 7, featuring a November 28, 1984, concert recorded live at Mid-Hudson Arena during the band’s Animalize World Tour. 

The lineup for the Poughkeepsie show included Paul Stanley, Gene Simmons, Eric Carr and Mark St. John, who performed an 18-song set that included songs like “Creatures Of The Night,” “I Love It Loud” and “Lick It Up,” along such classic tunes as “Detroit Rock City,” “Love Gun” and “Rock And Roll All Nite.” 

The bootleg will be available digitally, as well as on two-LP standard black vinyl, CD and a limited edition two-LP set on 180g custard yellow vinyl. The set is available for preorder now at the official KISS online store.

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Queen is out with the latest installment of their yearlong YouTube series Queen The Greatest Live, which, like episode one, focuses on the band’s rehearsals.

Queen The Greatest Live – Episode 2: “Rehearsals – Part 2” delves into the work that led to the band’s iconic 1985 set at Live Aid at Wembley Stadium in London. The episode cuts between rehearsal and live footage of such songs as “Bohemian Rhapsody,” “Radio Ga Ga” and more.

Queen’s 17-minute Live Aid set is considered by many to be one of the greatest live performances in history. Other songs performed during the historic concert include “Hammer to Fall,” “Crazy Little Thing Called Love,” “We Will Rock You” and “We Are The Champions.” 

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When Duran Duran was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame last year, their original guitarist, Andy Taylor, wasn’t able to attend, revealing he was battling prostate cancer. But it sounds like his attendance was always a bit up in the air.

“To be honest, I wasn’t 100 percent certain that Andy was going to go anyway,” bassist John Taylor tells the Yorkshire Post. “It was very touch and go. He said he was going to go but we were like, ‘We’ll believe that when we see it.’” 

John explains, “Two weeks before it was due to happen I got back in touch with him by text and we had some really fun back and forths, and I was really excited to play with him again.” He continued, “It was literally two days before that we found out that he wasn’t going to be coming (to Los Angeles) and maybe a day or two before that I found out that he was sick.”

John says what Andy is going through is awful, adding, “We had an incredible time together, he’s a powerhouse, he’s dynamite.” 

In the end John says he was glad Andy decided to skip the Hall of Fame induction, offering, “When you have a diagnosis like that you’ve got to choose your battles. I think the most important thing for him right now is that he’s reasonably comfortable and he can enjoy what time is left to him.”

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Def Leppard frontman Joe Elliott appears on a new version of Ghost‘s “Spillways,” a track from the Swedish rockers’ 2022 album, Impera.

While some may be shocked by the pairing, it turns out Elliott is a big fan of the band, telling Planet Rock he was introduced to the group by Def Leppard guitarist Phil Collen. And after he found out that Ghost frontman Tobias Forge was a Def Leppard fan, “we both put two and two together and realized it kind of made five!”

“I’ve been saying out loud for a long time now how much I love the Impera album, and how much I really love the song ‘Spillways’ so when Tobias got in touch and asked me if I wanted to have a crack at it, I said ‘yeah I can do that!’” Elliott shares. “It was all quite organic. It (‘Spillways’) wasn’t broken, it didn’t need fixing, I just sang it as it is, and I think we sound pretty good together.”

Ghost announced the collaboration with an episode of their ongoing YouTube series, which finds Elliott in a Dublin pub about to perform his karaoke take on “Spillways” when he’s suddenly overcome by a demonic force. 

“The video was shot in my local [pub], it was co-directed by Tobias and that was a lot of fun too,” Elliott says. “It was good to actually meet in person and trade stories, ideas and a few scoops!”

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Rick Wakeman has booked some U.S. shows for this spring. The Yes keyboardist just announced dates for his latest tour, An Evening with Rick Wakeman: His Music and Stories. 

The trek promises that Wakeman will be performing songs spanning his more than 50-year career, including tracks from Yes and his solo work. He’s also planning to perform songs from his days as a session player working with artists like David Bowie, as well as various covers.

“It’s always so enjoyable playing in America,” Wakeman shares. “At every show, I see old friends and hopefully, make new ones.”

The tour is set to kick off March 15 in Phoenixville, Pennsylvania, with dates confirmed through April 9 in Derry, New Hampshire; more are expected to be announced. Tickets for most shows go on sale February 3 at rwcc.com.

The tour announcement follows the news of Wakeman’s upcoming concept album, A Gallery of the Imagination, which will be released February 24.

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The death of David Crosby last week has sparked renewed interest in his work, including his first-ever live album, David Crosby & The Lighthouse Band Live at the Capitol Theatre, which was released in December.

The vinyl release has now sold out, with BMG announcing that it is working on a repressing to make more available. 

The album, recorded in December 2018 at the Port Chester, New York, theater, reached number three on the iTunes Singer/Songwriter Chart and made it to 51 on the overall Albums chart. 

In discussing the show that’s featured on the album, Crosby told Relix in what turned out to be one of his final interviews, “We were feeling very confident. The tour had been a success, this was the last show and we’d sold it out.” He added, “Everything had been building toward what ended up being one of those magical nights.”

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An award-winning documentary about the legendary rock band The Doors is set to get its network television premiere next week. When You’re Strange, narrated by actor Johnny Depp, will debut on AXS TV February 1 at 9 p.m. ET.

The film, originally released in 2009, delves into the history and impact of the hugely successful rock quartet made up of singer Jim Morrison, drummer John Densmore, guitarist Robby Krieger and keyboardist Ray Manzarek.

When You’re Strange, which was nominated for an Emmy and won a Grammy for Best Long Form Video, features historic and previously unseen footage of the band, including clips of rehearsals, and TV and concert performances. It also includes restored and remastered material from Morrison’s 1969 short film HWY: An American Pastoral.

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A new book about Asia co-founder, singer and bassist John Wetton is in the works. John Wetton: An Extraordinary Life is being put together by his family and management, with input from over 70 people who were close to or worked with him.

The book will follow Wetton, who died in 2017, from the early days of his life through his work with bands like Family, King Crimson, Uriah Heep and Asia. It will feature contributions from Wetton’s fellow musicians, like Steve Howe, Rick Wakeman, Robert Fripp and Carl Palmer, with his Asia bandmate Geoff Downes writing the book’s preface. 

Downes shares, “[Wetton] had a love for fast cars, fine food, coffee, the Rams (that’s Derby County for non-football followers), films, books, crosswords, current affairs, sport, languages, classical music – anything that would stimulate his mind that he could use to great effect in his music and lyrics.”

In addition to stories about Wetton’s friendships, problems and triumphs, the book will be filled with personal photos of him at home and at work.

So far John Wetton: An Extraordinary Life does not have a release date, but the book is now available for preorder at Johnwettonbook.com.

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Neil Diamond turned 82 on Tuesday and got quite the birthday surprise, courtesy of the cast of the Broadway musical A Beautiful Noise – The Neil Diamond Musical.

Tony Award nominee Will Swenson called the iconic singer via FaceTime, then led the cast and audience in a rousing rendition of “Happy Birthday” in Diamond’s honor, complete with streamers and birthday cake.

Neil thanked the crowd, adding, “I wish I was there with you.”

The cast then led the audience in a rendition of the classic “Sweet Caroline,” with Neil still on the phone watching. 

A Beautiful Noise – The Neil Diamond Musical is currently playing at the Broadhurst Theater. It features a variety of Diamond’s biggest hits, including “Cracklin’ Rose,” “I’m a Believer,” “Song Sung Blue” and “Sweet Caroline.” The Broadway cast recording is available now.

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