Classic Hits

Wednesday, October 5, marks the 60th anniversary of the release of The Beatles‘ first U.K. single, “Love Me Do.”

According to BeatlesBible.com, the Fab Four had first recorded the song with original drummer Pete Best on June 6, 1962, at London’s EMI Studios — later Abbey Road Studios. Then, after Ringo Starr had replaced Best, the band took a second crack at the song at EMI on September 4 of that year.

Producer George Martin wasn’t happy with the quality of Ringo’s drumming on that version, so The Beatles reconvened once more time at EMI, on September 11, 1962, with session drummer Andy White sitting in and Starr on tambourine.

Initial copies of the “Love Me Do” single actually featured the version with Ringo, although the one with White was included on The Beatles’ debut U.K. album, Please Please Me, and The Beatles’ Hits EP, which were released in 1963 in March and September, respectively.

The “Love Me Do” single peaked at #17 on the U.K. chart. The version with White on drums also appeared on the Fab Four’s debut U.S. album, Introducing The Beatles, which was released in January 1964. Issued as a U.S. single in April ’64, it spent one week at #1 on the Billboard Hot 100 in May of that year.

As previously reported, The Beatles Story in Liverpool, U.K., is marking the 60th anniversary on Wednesday by inviting fans to bring their Beatles or Beatles-era memorabilia to the popular Fab Four-themed attraction, where experts from a specialist Beatles auction house will appraise the items for free.

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Influential San Francisco psychedelic band Jefferson Airplane will be honored with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame next week.

The star ceremony will take place October 13 at 11:30 a.m. PT and will be streamed live at WalkofFame.com.

The three surviving members of the band’s Surrealistic Pillow lineup — singer Grace Slick, guitarist Jorma Kaukonen and bassist Jack Casady — will be on hand to accept the honor. Doors drummer John Densmore and Grateful Dead drummer Mickey Hart will be guest speakers at the event.

The plaque, which will be the 2,737th star dedicated on the Walk of Fame, will be located at 6752 Hollywood Blvd.

“This ceremony will bring many great memories to those with a love for music of the ’60s and ’70s,” says Walk of Fame producer Ana Martinez. “We are proud to add this iconic psychedelic rock band to the Hollywood Walk of Fame.”

Formed in 1965, Jefferson Airplane had its biggest success with its second album, 1967’s Surrealistic Pillow, which featured the classic Slick-sung hits “White Rabbit” and “Somebody to Love.” The band was at the center of the counterculture movement through the late 1960s and early ’70s, and famously played at historic festivals Monterey Pop, Woodstock and Altamont.

After the band broke up, Slick played with Airplane co-founders Marty Balin and Paul Kantner in the spinoff group Jefferson Starship. Kaukonen and Casady, meanwhile, formed the psychedelic folk-blues outfit Hot Tuna; they continue to tour and record with that band.

The Airplane reformed in 1989 for a reunion tour and album.

In 1996, Jefferson Airplane was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame.

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A two-night benefit concert series celebrating the 40th anniversary of R.E.M.‘s 1982 debut EP, Chronic Town, will take place in Athens and Atlanta, Georgia, this December.

The lineup for both shows includes Black Crowes co-founders Rich and Chris Robinson, Hootie and the Blowfish‘s Darius Rucker, Patti Smith guitarist Lenny Kaye, longtime Black Crowes bassist Sven Pipien, The Dream Syndicate‘s Steve Wynn and ex-Screaming Trees drummer Barrett Martin.

Rich, Barrett and Sven will serve as the concerts’ house band.

Saturday Night Live alum/musician Fred Armisen, actor John Cameron Mitchell, Drivin N Cryin and Let’s Active‘s Mitch Easter, who produced Chronic Town, are also on the bill. David Cross will host the events.

In addition, The Indigo Girls will be playing at the Athens show.

The concerts will feature performances of Chronic Town‘s five songs, as well as other fan favorites.

The Athens concert will be held December 14 at the 40 Watt Club. Tickets go on sale to the general public Tuesday, October 11, at 10 a.m. ET. Tickets for the Atlanta show, which will take place at the Coca-Cola Roxy theater on December 15, go on sale to the general public Friday, October 7, at 10 a.m. ET, while a fan presale will begin October 6 at 10 a.m. ET.

“Growing up in Atlanta in the 1980s, R.E.M. was the preeminent band of that era,” says Rich. “Their music was a huge influence not only on the Atlanta music scene but also on my brother and me. I’m so happy to be able to put together this celebration for a band that meant so much to us and music, and Chronic Town is what started it all.”

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Julian Lennon has been named the official 2022 ambassador for the 12th annual edition of World College Radio Day, which takes place Friday, October 7.

The celebration, which is organized by the not-for-profit College Radio Foundation, seeks to unite college radio stations in more than 50 countries to raise awareness about the work college stations do and value they bring to broadcasting.

“College radio is a good way to learn about what’s going on in the world, whether it’s locally or worldwide,” says Lennon in a statement. “College radio is not like the usual mainstream stuff, and I find that far more intriguing.”

This year’s World College Radio Day theme is “Voices for Peace.” Reflecting on the topic, Julian, who is the late John Lennon‘s older son, says, “I feel I’ve been pretty successful in promoting peace and trying to motivate people through so many mediums, but we’ve got to keep moving, we’ve got to keep changing, we’ve got to do better.”

An exclusive interview with Julian, conducted by students from World College Radio Day’s U.S. board, will be simulcast October 7 on over 700 participating college stations. Many of the stations also plan to play a recording of Julian’s recent cover of his father’s classic peace anthem “Imagine,” which he did in support of Ukraine in the wake of Russia’s invasion.

Lennon plans to release a 7-inch vinyl single featuring “Imagine” on or around November 18.

Last month, Julian released a new studio album titled Jude, his first new collection of original songs since 2011’s Everything Changes.

Previous World College Radio Day ambassadors have included Joan Jett, Poison‘s Bret Michaels, “Weird Al” Yankovic, The Black Keys and Wyclef Jean.

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Artists including R.E.M., David Byrne of Talking Heads, Devo and The Grateful Dead‘s Bob Weir are contributing unreleased recordings to an upcoming benefit compilation titled Good Music to Ensure Safe Abortion Access to All.

The album will be released this Friday, October 7, exclusively on Bandcamp and will only be available for 24 hours. Proceeds will be donated to The Brigid Alliance, Abortion Care Network and Noise for Now.

The compilation will include a track featuring Byrne collaborating with Devo, while Weir’s contribution was recorded with his side group Wolf Bros. R.E.M.’s track will be a live version of “Walk Unafraid,” a song from the band’s 1998 album Up.

Other participating artists include Pearl Jam, Cat Power, Death Cab for Cutie, Fleet Foxes, Tegan and Sara, Grouplove, Silversun Pickups and Sleater-Kinney.

For more info, visit GoodMusicComp.Bandcamp.com.

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R&B legend Bobby Brown and his wife, Alicia Etheredge–Brown, have announced the return of the Celebration of Serenity Gala and golf tournament in support of the fight against domestic violence during October’s Domestic Violence Awareness Month. 

After a two-year hiatus, the celebration returns to shed light on staggering domestic violence statistics and to honor leaders who use their professional and personal work to advocate for social change. 

“Pre-pandemic statistics show that nearly 20 people per minute are physically abused by an intimate partner,” Bobby Brown said in a statement. “That’s more than 10 million women and men a year. These numbers have heightened more behind closed in the midst of the pandemic.”

He added, “Our foundation is committed to doing our part through the BKSH to give a voice to the voiceless.”

Emmy-winning journalist and talk show host Tamron Hall will be honored with the Courage of Voice award for her humanitarian work with creating The Tamron Renate Fund for women, children and families who experience abuse. Singer-songwriter Angela Winbush will receive the Thrivers Award, which honors those who persevere and achieve their goals despite life-altering circumstances. 

The event will be hosted by actress Tisha Campbell with entertainment provided by DJ Cassidy.

The Bobbi Kristina Serenity House is a nonprofit organization founded in 2015 with a goal to provide crisis intervention, emergency shelter, access to resources and advocacy for social change. BKSH was formed by Brown, whose daughter Bobbi Kristina was a victim of domestic violence. 

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We will finally learn the complete story of Michael Jackson‘s groundbreaking album, Thriller, in a forthcoming documentary.

Billboard reports the doc is helmed by Sony Music Entertainment and will further celebrate the album’s 40th anniversary. Music historian Nelson George has been tapped to direct the film, which has already started production.

“The release of Thriller redefined Michael Jackson, taking him from teen star to adult superstar, who composed memorable songs, sang beautifully and reached the highest level of on-stage performance,” said George in a statement. He continued, “The album, and the short films they inspired, created a new template for marrying music and image. It’s been a privilege to explore this extraordinary album and revisit its magic.”

The upcoming tell-all will look into the album’s origins and the effect it had on the music industry, including its influence on the music video format. The documentary will bring to light some never-before-seen interviews and other video content to further demonstrate how Thriller transformed Michael’s legacy.

Sony is teaming with Optimum Productions for the work. A release date is forthcoming.

This isn’t the only celebration Sony Music has in store for Thriller. On November 18, the company will release Michael Jackson Thriller 40, a double CD set with a bonus record filled with rare audio recordings and demos that Jackson worked on during the 1982 album’s sessions.

Sony Music will also host pop-up events and other Michael Jackson-centered celebrations across the globe.

Thriller was released on November 30, 1982 and is hailed one of the best-selling albums of all time. The album, which won the Grammy for Album of the Year in 1984, is RIAA-certified triple Diamond in the U.S.

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David Crosby has unveiled plans to release a new concert album and video that captures a 2018 performance with his group The Lighthouse Band at the historic Capitol Theatre in Port Chester, New York.

The aptly titled David Crosby & The Lighthouse Band Live at the Capitol Theatre is due out on November 25 and will be available as a CD/DVD set and via digital formats. The show was recorded on December 8, 2018 during Crosby’s tour in support of Here If I Listen, a collaborative album featuring fellow Light House Band members — singer/guitarist Becca Stevens, singer/keyboardist Michelle Willis and Snarky Puppy guitarist/bassist Michael League.

David previously recorded a solo album, 2016’s Lighthouse, with Stevens, Willis and League, and prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, had been touring on and off with with them regularly.

The show features 16 songs, including live renditions of five tunes from Here If I Listen and Lighthouse, as well as versions of Crosby, Stills & Nash‘s “Guinnevere,” Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young‘s “Déjà Vu” and Joni Mitchell‘s “Woodstock,” which was famously covered by CSNY.

Live at the Capitol Theatre also features a few other songs from Crosby’s back catalog.

Crosby and The Lighthouse Band’s live version of “1974,” a song from Here If I Listen, has been made available as an advance digital track, and a video of the performance has debuted at David’s official YouTube channel. The tune was based on an old demo that Crosby had recorded in 1974.

You can preorder Live at the Capitol Theatre now.

Here’s the complete track list:

“The Us Below”
“Things We Do for Love”
“1974”
“Vagrants of Venice”
“Regina”
“Laughing”
“What Are Their Names”
“By the Light of Common Day”
“Glory”
“The City”
“Look in Their Eyes”
“Guinnevere”
“Janet”
“Carry Me”
“Déjà Vu”
“Woodstock”

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Depeche Mode has announced their first new album and tour since the passing of member Andy “Fletch” Fletcher in May.

The record, the follow-up to 2017’s Spirit, is titled Memento Mori and will arrive spring 2023. The worldwide tour will launch with a U.S. leg running from March 23 in Sacramento, California, to April 14 in New York City, followed by a trip to Europe through May, June, July and August.

“We started work on this project early in the pandemic, and its themes were directly inspired by that time,” says Depeche Mode’s Martin Gore. “After Fletch’s passing, we decided to continue as we’re sure this is what he would have wanted, and that has really given the project an extra level of meaning.”

“Fletch would have loved this album,” adds frontman Dave Gahan. “We’re really looking forward to sharing it with you soon, and we can’t wait to present it to you live at the shows next year.”

For the full list of dates and all ticket info, visit DepecheMode.com.

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Historic collectibles associated with The Beatles, David Bowie, Elvis Presley and many other stars will be part of an entertainment memorabilia auction hosted by Propstore taking place November 3-6 in London.

The music-related portion of the sale is scheduled for November 4, and bidding will be accepted in person at the BAFTA 195 Piccadilly venue, as well as online and via the phone.

Among the sale’s many highlights are a pair of Altec 605A studio monitors from London’s famous Abbey Road Studios that were used by The Beatles and many other artists. They’re estimated to bring in up to 100,000 pounds, or about $116,000.

Also up for bid is a spacesuit costume that Bowie wore in his 1980 “Ashes to Ashes” video, which is expected to fetch as much as 80,000 pounds, or about $93,000.

The auction also a gun license application signed by Elvis, which is estimated to sell for up to 60,000 pounds, or about $69,000.

The potentially priciest music-related item being auctioned by Propstore is a Custom Silver Sparkle Gibson Les Paul Florentine guitar that belonged to Oasis‘ Noel Gallagher, which is estimated to fetch from 300,000 to 500,000 pounds, or about $347,000 to $578,000.

Other collectibles going on the block include a “Queen of the Night” outfit worn by Whitney Houston in the 1996 film The Bodyguard, a studded leather bracer that belonged to Michael Jackson, a striped blazer worn by Paul McCartney, a leather jacket that Guns N’ Roses guitarist Slash wore in the “Paradise City” video and a booklet autographed by all four Beatles members.

You can check out the full list of items being auctioned atPropstoreAuction.com.

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