Classic Hits

On his recent collaborative album The Lockdown Sessions, Elton John teamed up with a lot of famous artists, perhaps none more legendary than his old friend Stevie Wonder, with whom he recorded the song “Finish Line.” Now, an emotional and heartwarming music video for the tune has premiered on Elton’s official YouTube channel.

The clip, which was directed by Zack Sekuler, features a montage of vintage home movies, other footage and photos depicting or capturing pivotal moments in people’s lives, including couples with their babies, weddings, family gatherings, retirement parties and more.

The video also includes recent footage of scenes from the pandemic, including nurses and other front-line workers, and people going about their everyday lives while wearing masks. In addition, the clip boasts film clips and photos of Elton and Stevie together at various events throughout their lives, including concert performances, as well as in the music video for “That’s What Friends Are For,” their 1985 chart-topping hit that also featured Dionne Warwick and Gladys Knight.

On his official website, Elton explains that after almost 50 years of friendship, “Finish Line” marked his first-ever vocal duet with Stevie, who also played harmonica and acoustic piano on the track.

“It sounds simply incredible. Stevie sounds like he’s 19 again,” Elton says. “It was a special experience making this record with Stevie.”

Released in October 2021, The Lockdown Sessions peaked at #10 on the Billboard 200 and topped the U.K. albums chart.

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A Billy Joel biopic has just been green-lit, but, unfortunately, it seems that none of the Piano Man’s legendary hits will be included in the project.

Variety reports that the movie, called Piano Man, will focus on Billy’s early years, starting with when he was discovered at age 16 by his first manager, Irwin Mazur. The film will follow Billy as he performs in various bands in the ’60s, through to 1972, when a live recording of his song “Captain Jack” went viral on East Coast radio and led to him to sign a deal with Columbia Records.

However, a rep for Billy says that because the Rock & Roll Hall of Famer isn’t involved in the project, no rights to his music, life story, name or likeness will be granted.

So how will the movie be made? Variety reports that the studio has acquired the life rights of Mazur, who managed Billy from 1965 to 1972. Mazur will be an executive producer and Variety quotes him as saying the film will depict “the real-life events I witnessed first-hand.”

Adam Ripp, whose dad Artie Ripp signed Billy to his first solo recording deal and produced his debut album, Cold Spring Harbor, will also executive-produce the movie, in addition to writing and directing it.

In a statement, Adam says, “Billy Joel has been a part of my life since my father signed him to his record label when I was 4 years old…it’s been a dream of mine as a filmmaker to explore and celebrate the untold story of how Billy Joel became the Piano Man.”

In 2019, Billy told Billboard that if a biopic is ever made of his life, “I just hope they don’t get a short, fat, ugly guy to play me.”

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Bruce Springsteen returned to his hometown of Freehold, New Jersey, on Tuesday to unveil plans for a new exhibition space in partnership with the Bruce Springsteen Archives and Center for American Music at Monmouth University.

The exhibition, located at the Freehold Fire Department building on Main Street, is expected to open in 2024 and will include artifacts and photographs, as well as film, concert footage and interviews from the Jersey rock legend’s life and career, according to Variety.

“Everything I learned of deep importance, I learned in this town,” said Springsteen, adding, “I had all the usual joy and heartbreak of growing up in a small town like this, and the minute the opportunity arose, I got the hell out.”

Springsteen called the firehouse “the coolest building in town,” adding that “it feels bizarre, I sat three blocks from here, came up with a few songs about things that I liked and the idea that 50 years later anybody was going to be interested in it at all, I mean what are the odds, folks? They are very small.”

Bruce, who currently lives just 15 minutes away in Colts Neck, concluded by saying, “I come to town very, very often. I’ll be sitting in Federicis or I’ll just drive through on my own — I still do all the time. So, I’m watching you. It’s been wonderful having this town as the center of my art and my life. I look forward to doing that until they put me in a box.”

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The story of a legal battle that John Lennon fought with a notorious mob-connected music mogul during the 1970s is the subject of a new book that will be published on May 1.

Lennon, the Mobster & the Lawyer: The Untold Story was written by Jay Bergen, a lawyer who represented the former Beatles star in a lawsuit against Roulette Records owner Morris Levy, who’d released an unauthorized album of bootleg recordings from the sessions for John’s 1975 covers project Rock ‘n’ Roll.

While Lennon was still working on Rock ‘n’ Roll, Levy released a collection of raw versions of the tracks under the title Roots. In response, Capitol Records quickly released Rock ‘n’ Roll, and Levy responded by suing John for breach of contract, claiming that Lennon had verbally promised to promote Roots on TV. John then countersued Morris.

The book features Bergen’s recollections of his experience representing Lennon in the lawsuits, as well as John’s own words taken from the trial transcripts of his testimony. Lennon’s testimony included details about his recording process, and the making of the Rock ‘n’ Roll album; and explanations of why he decided to record an album of vintage rock tunes, and why he felt the release of Roots could damage his musical legacy.

The book features a foreword penned by famed rock photographer Bob Gruen, who snapped some of the most iconic images of Lennon during his years living in New York City.

Gruen writes in his intro, “Lennon, the Mobster & the Lawyer: The Untold Story reveals the John Lennon I knew as he describes his artistic process and shows his keen sense of humor. Jay tells many stories of his interactions with John and what he was like as a person.”

You can pre-order the book now at LennontheMobsterandtheLawyer.com.

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Heart frontwoman Ann Wilson has released a second advance single from her forthcoming solo album, Fierce Bliss — a hard-rocking cover of the 1987 Eurythmics hit “Missionary Man.”

Wilson’s version is available now via digital formats. The track features guest guitar from Kenny Wayne Shepherd and additional vocals from a gospel choir, The Rev. Nathan Young Singers.

As previously reported, Fierce Bliss, which you can pre-order now, will be released on April 29. The 11-track collection was recorded at various sessions in Nashville, Seattle, Connecticut and Muscle Shoals, Alabama. The album features mostly new originals co-written by Wilson, while also including covers of Queen‘s “Love of My Life,” Robin Trower‘s “Bridge of Sighs” and the aforementioned “Missionary Man.”

“Love of My Life” features guest vocals by country star and current Eagles touring member Vince Gill.

Wilson recorded two tracks — “Gladiator” and “Angel’s Blues” — with Gov’t Mule, the group led by former Allman Brothers Band singer/guitarist Warren Haynes, who also co-wrote the tunes with Ann. Accompanying her on most tracks is a group of session musicians who now serve as her solo touring band, The Amazing Dawgs.

The first track issued from the record was an original tune titled “Greed.”

Wilson will kick off a series of tour dates with The Amazing Dawgs in support of Fierce Bliss with a May 4 concert in San Francisco.

Meanwhile, the Rock & Roll Hall of Famer has launched a “flyaway sweepstakes” offering a fan and a guest the chance to win a trip to Napa, California, to attend Ann’s May 5 concert at the Uptown Theater. The winner and guest also will receive round-trip airfare to the event and a two-night stay at a local hotel.

Visit AnnWilson.com to enter.

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As a record executive, Clive Davis was responsible for signing and/or nurturing the careers of some of music’s biggest stars, from Bruce Springsteen and Rod Stewart to Aretha Franklin and Whitney Houston. Now, he’s going to show off some great performances from those stars in a new docuseries premiering March 23 on Paramount+.

Clive Davis: Most Iconic Performances is a four-episode series that had its origin in the pre-Grammy virtual events Davis staged in 2021, when his famous Grammy party was canceled because of the COVID-19 pandemic. The series includes full archival concert performances along with personalized introductions from Davis, and exclusive interviews with many of the featured artists. The fourth episode will include extended versions of those interviews.

Viewers will see concerts from Springsteen, Stewart, Aretha, Queen, Paul Simon, Tina Turner, Joni Mitchell, Prince, The Bee Gees, Ray Charles and many more, as well as interviews with Bruce, Rod, Paul, Barry Gibb, Mitchell, Queen’s Brian May and Roger Taylor, Carole King and others.

“These interviews stand out among my proudest achievements,” Davis says in a statement. “They’ve received phenomenal response, presenting these all-time artists in a light never seen before. The performances are truly iconic indeed, jaw-dropping in every way.”

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Here’s some news that likely will interest AC/DC fans in the U.S. who like to rock out while sipping a brewski or two: A new beer inspired by the legendary Australian band is now being shipped to 33 states.

AC/DC For Those About to Rock Ale was created by high-end collectible company KnuckleBonz in collaboration with the Bay Shore, New York-based Great South Bay Brewing company.

The new brew is a cold-fermented Australian lager made with native Aussie hops and cane sugar, with an alcohol by volume content of 5.9%. The ale, which is the latest offering in KnuckleBonz’s Limited Edition Beverage Series, is described as having “a clean citrusy hop profile, a subtle malty sweetness, and a bright straw color.”

The beer’s name, of course, is a reference to AC/DC’s 1981 album, For Those About to Rock (We Salute You), and the can’s design features a cannon like the one that appears on the record’s cover. 

For Those About to Rock Ale can be ordered online via KnuckleBonz’s distribution partner Half Time Beverage.

Last year, KnuckleBonz teamed with the CaliCraft Brewing Company to introduce two other AC/DC-inspired beers: AC/DC PWR UP Juicy IPA and AC/DC TNT Double IPA.

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KISS, Alice Cooper and Red Hot Chili Peppers are among the many hard-rock acts that will perform at the 2022 Louder than Life festival, taking place September 22-25 in Louisville, Kentucky.

KISS and the Chili Peppers will headline the fest on September 24 and 25, respectively, while Cooper also will be hitting the stage on the 24th. Nine Inch Nails and Slipknot will serve as the headliners on September 22 and 23.

The festival’s bill also includes Alice in Chains, AIC guitarist/singer Jerry Cantrell solo, Rob Zombie, Incubus, Wolfgang Van Halen‘s band Mammoth WVH, Evanescence, Ministry, Tenacious D, Halestorm, Shinedown, Chevelle, Papa Roach, Sevendust, Helmet, Bad Religion, and Alice Cooper touring guitarist Nita Strauss, among many more.

For the full lineup and all ticket info, visit LouderthanLifeFestival.com.

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Rush guitarist Alex Lifeson‘s new band Envy of None has debuted a music video for “Look Inside,” the recently released second advance track from the group’s forthcoming self-titled debut album.

The slow-tempo, melodic tune, which is available via streaming services now, showcases Envy of None singer Maiah Wynne‘s ethereal, dreamy vocals, and is accompanied by ominous, atmospheric instrumentation.

You can watch the “Look Inside” video now at the Kscope label’s official YouTube channel. Much of the clip shows Wynne singing into the camera while sitting on a couch and a large leather chair, while other scenes capture her peering into a mirror, dropping medicinal capsules onto the ground, and swallowing one of the pills.

Discussing the meaning of “Look Inside,” Maiah explains, “Sometimes you have to shine a light on all the ugliest pieces of yourself in order to truly change, and you have to keep slaying that dragon over and over again. It is a continuous, slow and painful process.”

She adds about the music, “The guitars and bass really drive the grittiness and heaviness I felt when I wrote those lyrics. It feels like an all-encompassing sludge, and that is what I absolutely love about this song.”

As previously reported, the Envy of None album is an 11-track collection that will be released on April 8, though  it can be pre-ordered now. In addition to Lifeson and Wynne, the band features bassist Andy Curran of the veteran Canadian rock group Coney Hatch, and guitarist/keyboardist Alfio Annibalini.

The first track Envy of None debuted from the album is titled “Liar.” You can watch a lyric video for that song on YouTube.

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The five concerts that were just postponed on the recently launched “It Was Fifty Years Ago Today: A Tribute to The Beatles” tour because someone associated with the participating musicians tested positive for COVID-19, have now all been rescheduled.

According to posts on the Facebook pages of Todd Rundgren and ex-Wings member Denny Laine, two of the artists taking part in the trek, the new dates are June 16 in Derry, New Hampshire; June 17 in Medford, Massachusetts; June 18 in Westbury, New York; June 20 in Red Bank, New Jersey; and June 21 in Annapolis, Maryland.

As previously reported, the trek features Rundgren, Laine, Christopher Cross, Badfinger‘s Joey Molland and former Chicago singer/bassist Jason Scheff performing songs from The Beatles’ Rubber Soul and Revolver albums, as well as select well-known tunes from their own careers.

The message on Laine’s Facebook page notes that tickets purchased for the shows original dates will be honored for the rescheduled concerts. Those seeking a refund should contact their original point of purchase.

The message also reported, “Everyone is well and looking forward to heading back on the road.” The next stop on the current tour will be St. George’s Theater in Staten Island, New York, this Friday, March 11.

Meanwhile, Cross, who survived a serious case of COVID-19 early in the pandemic, has posted his own note regarding the situation on his Facebook page.

“This is a good time to remind ourselves that we are not out of the woods with COVID, especially omicron,” writes Christopher. “Please get vaccinated and boosted, and wear your mask in public gatherings. We need to protect not only ourselves but those around us.”

He adds, “We are all fine. Everyone is vaccinated which has protected us from severe illness.”

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