Classic Hits

The recently reported remixed and re-edited version of the concert film capturing The Rolling Stones‘ historic 2006 show at Rio de Janeiro’s Copacabana Beach got its release today.

The Rolling Stones — A Bigger Bang: Live on Copacabana Beach is available as a DVD/two-CD set, an SD Blu-ray/two-CD package, a deluxe two-DVD/two-CD collection, a three-LP colored-vinyl set, and digitally.

The Copacabana Beach concert took place on February 18, 2006, in front of 1.5 million people, making it one of the biggest free shows ever. The event was part of The Stones’ tour in support of their 2005 studio album, A Bigger Bang.

The Rio performance featured select songs from A Bigger Bang and a cover of the R&B gem “The Night Time Is the Right Time,” along with a collection of Stones classics.

The updated concert video features four songs that didn’t appear on the original 2007 DVD The Biggest Bang, which included the Copacabana Beach concert: “Tumbling Dice,” “Oh No, Not You Again,” “This Place Is Empty” and “Sympathy for the Devil.”

The deluxe two-DVD/two-CD set includes footage from a 2005 Salt Lake City concert on the second DVD.

Coinciding with the release of A Bigger Bang: Live, a video of The Stones performing “Midnight Rambler” at the Copacabana Beach concert was posted today on the band’s official YouTube channel.

Here’s the track list for the Rio concert:

“Jumpin’ Jack Flash”
“It’s Only Rock ‘n’ Roll (But I Like It)”
“You Got Me Rocking”
“Tumbling Dice”
“Oh No, Not You Again”
“Wild Horses”
“Rain Fall Down”
“Midnight Rambler”
“Night Time Is the Right Time”
“This Place Is Empty”
“Happy”
“Miss You”
“Rough Justice”
“Get Off My Cloud”
“Honky Tonk Women”
“Sympathy for the Devil”
“Start Me Up”
“Brown Sugar”
“You Can’t Always Get What You Want”
“(I Can’t Get No) Satisfaction”

And here’s the track list for the Salt Lake City show (deluxe versions only):

“Start Me Up”
“You Got Me Rocking”
“She’s So Cold”
“Tumbling Dice”
“Rain Fall Down”
“It’s Only Rock ‘n’ Roll (But I Like It)”
“Wild Horses”
“All Down the Line”
“Night Time Is the Right Time”
“Slipping Away”
“Infamy”
“Miss You”
“Rough Justice”
“Get Off of My Cloud”
“Honky Tonk Women”
“Sympathy for the Devil”
“Brown Sugar”
“Jumpin’ Jack Flash”
“You Can’t Always Get What You Want”
“(I Can’t Get No) Satisfaction”

Copyright © 2021, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

A new documentary focusing on the poetry, prose and artistry of late Doors frontman Jim Morrison is being developed as part of a partnership between JAM Inc. — the managers of Morrison’s estate — and the Gunpowder & Sky production company.

The film will incorporate the singer’s recently unearthed personal diaries, as well as rare home-movie footage. News of the documentary comes on the heels of the recent publication of The Collected Works of Jim Morrison: Poetry, Journals, Transcripts and Lyrics. The book that features most of Morrison’s previously published work, as well as a bounty of unpublished writing, including the aforementioned diaries.

“Jim was a poet and a writer and a filmmaker long before he ever thought about music,” JAM Inc. CEO Jeff Jampol tells Billboard. “All these decades everybody talked about Jim Morrison the rock star, which he certainly was. But we really felt it was time to even the playing field and talk about these other aspects of Jim, which were either not as known or celebrated or discussed.”

Jampol also notes that the producers are searching for a director “who understands the import and the depth and the gravity” of Morrison.

“You need a director who is empathetic to the human and the artist and the art, [who] understands the history and context,” Jampol maintains.  He adds that he’s hoping the as-yet-untitled film will be ready for release by late 2022 or early 2023.

July 3 marked the 50th anniversary of Morrison’s death at age 27 in Paris.

Copyright © 2021, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

Def Leppard‘s second album, High ‘n’ Dry, was released 40 years ago this Sunday, July 11.

The album helped establish the band in the U.S. in advance of its massive 1983 breakthrough, Pyromania, peaking at #38 on the Billboard 200.

The best-known song from High ‘n’ Dry is “Bringin’ On the Heartbreak,” which garnered the band a lot of attention in the States when a performance video for the tune went into heavy rotation on MTV.

The album also featured the song “Let It Go,” which reached #34 on Billboard‘s Mainstream Rock Tracks chart.

Both “Bringin’ On the Heartbreak” and “Let It Go” were co-written by frontman Joe Elliott and guitarists Steve Clark and Pete Willis. Willis, who struggled with alcoholism, was fired from the group in 1982 and replaced by Phil Collen.

“‘Bringin’ On the Heartbreak’…when that came out on MTV, I think that kind of blew the doors off the place,” Def Leppard drummer Rick Allen tells ABC Audio. “If anything, that record really set up Pyromania perfect. And then…once Pyromania came out, you know, with MTV and everything that was going on at that time, I think that was a big reason for our success. But…I think that was probably one of the most important songs off of [High ‘n’ Dry].”

Allen adds that he also was a fan of the rocking “Let It Go,” which he says was “the closest we’ve ever got to sounding like AC/DC.”

A remix of “Bringin’ On the Heartbreak,” with new guitar parts by Collen replacing Willis’ original licks, was released in 1984, and made it to #61 on the Billboard Hot 100.

High ‘n’ Dry went on to sell over 2 million copies in the U.S.

Here’s the full High ‘n’ Dry track list:

“Let It Go”
“Another Hit and Run”
“High ‘n’ Dry (Saturday Night)”
“Bringin’ On the Heartbreak”
“Switch 625”
“You Got Me Runnin'”
“Lady Strange”
“On Through the Night”
“Mirror, Mirror (Look into My Eyes)”
“No No No”

Copyright © 2021, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

Queen fans can now take a crack at becoming a champion at a new interactive trivia game that focuses on the band’s music and history.

The Queen Trivia Challenge was created by Amazon in partnership with the Rock & Roll Hall of Famers as the latest interactive skill experience for the Alexa voice-activated search program.

While taking the challenge, fans will be able to discover some some surprising facts and insights into the legendary U.K. group.  The game features more than 400 questions, and includes audio clips of some of Queen’s biggest hits, as well as footage from documentaries and concerts. The video footage will be viewable on Alexa-enabled devices with screens.

To access the Queen Trivia Challenge on your device, visit Amazon.com.

Copyright © 2021, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

The Go-Go’s released their classic debut album, Beauty and the Beat, 40 years ago today, and in conjunction with that milestone anniversary, the famed all-female band has announced plans to issue a special limited-edition pink-vinyl version of the record on September 10.

The reissue features new cover art: a previously unseen image from the same photo shoot that produced Beauty and the Beat‘s original cover, showing the group wearing bath towels and face cream.

Each copy of the Beauty and the Beat vinyl reissue will be numbered, and the LP is available exclusively at the group’s official store, at uDiscoverMusic.com and at The SoundofVinyl.com. You can pre-order the album now.

Released on July 8, 1981, Beauty and the Beat spent six consecutive weeks at #1 on the Billboard 200 in March and April of the following year. To date, it’s the only Billboard 200 number-one album by an all-female band who wrote their own songs and played their own instruments.

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,” which reached #2.

Earlier this year, The Go-Go’s were chosen for induction into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, and the band will be welcomed into the hallowed institution at an October 30 ceremony in Cleveland.

The group also recently lined up a five-date series of late-2021 and early-2022 concerts, running from a December 28 show in San Francisco through January 3 in San Diego.  Those dates also include a December 31-January 1 stand in Las Vegas.

To follow up with the 40th Anniversary of BATB… we’re launching an Exclusive LP! Pre-order yours now!! https://t.co/EzKgfKg91D pic.twitter.com/D2OuJaV2XT

— The Go-Go’s (@officialgogos) July 8, 2021

Copyright © 2021, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

After playing a handful of shows in Florida last month, Heart singer Ann Wilson has now lined up a brief U.S. trek dubbed The Howl Tour, which currently features eight East Coast concerts taking place in August.

The outing kicks off with an August 14 performance in Alexandria, Virginia, and winds down with an August 23-24 engagement in New York City at the City Winery.

Ann will be joined by her solo backing band, which now has been dubbed The Amazing Dawgs.

One of the events Wilson is scheduled to play is a star-studded benefit show called the Never Forget Concert that will be held August 21 in Wantagh, New York. The show is being presented by the Tunnel to Towers Foundation, pays homage to firefighter Stephen Siller, who died while trying to save others during the 9/11 terrorist attacks, and also honors military members and first responders who continue to serve the U.S.

In addition to Wilson, the concert’s lineup also features John Fogerty, Journey, the Steve Miller Band, Jesse Colin Young, Wyclef Jean and others.

In other Wilson news, Ann recently released a digital EP titled Sawheat 8 that gathers together four tracks she issued individually over the last year — “Tender Heart,” “The Hammer,” “Black Wing” and her rendition of country-rocker Steve Earle‘s “The Revolution Starts Now” — as well as a cover of Alice in Chains‘ “Rooster,” which previously was only available as the B-side of a limited-edition vinyl single.

Here are all of Wilson’s upcoming solo shows, according to AnnWilson.com:

8/14 — Alexandria, VA, Birchmere
8/15 — Annapolis, MD, Maryland Hall
8/17 — Albany, NY, Hart Theatre at The Egg
8/18 — Hampton Beach, NH, Hampton Beach Casino Ballroom
8/20 — Atlantic City, NJ, Sound Waves at Hard Rock Hotel
8/21 — Wantagh, NY, Northwell Health at Jones Beach Theater – Tunnel to Towers Foundation’s Never Forget Concert
8/23 — New York, NY, The City Winery
8/24 — New York, NY, The City Winery

Copyright © 2021, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

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.

Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers guitarist Mike Campbell has revealed that The Dirty Knobs, the current band he fronts, will be back with their second album next year, when the group also is scheduled to return to touring.

In a recent message on his Twitter page, Campbell announced, “The Dirty Knobs are coming to your town next year with some special guests and a brand new album…Our second!”

The band’s debut album, Wreckless Abandon, was released in November 2020, and the group initially had a run of headlining dates in small venues, as well as a stint opening for country star Chris Stapleton, lined up for this year, but both were pushed back until 2022.

According to TheDirtyKnobs.com, the headlining concerts are scheduled from a March 9 show in Tampa, Florida, through an April 30-May 1 stand in Austin, Texas. The group then will lend support to Stapleton starting with June 2 performance in Nampa, Idaho, and mapped out through a July 23 event at Chicago’s Wrigley Field.

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.