Classic Hits

In early July, Neil Young announced that he’d just finished a new album with his frequent backing band Crazy Horse, and now, full details of the project have been revealed.

The album, which he co-produced with Rick Rubin, is a 10-track collection titled World Record that’s scheduled to be released on November 18.

According to a press statement about the album, “World Record contains a wealth of wisdom, and the kind of poignant observations one can only be collected over an eventful life. The iconoclastic songwriter reminisces with gratitude about the gifts the Earth has given him and sets his sights on an uncertain future with hope that we can right this big, blue and green ship. He does so in a vital and unyielding fashion.”

World Record was recorded live at Rubin’s Shangri-La studio in Malibu, California.

The album’s first song, “Love Earth,” is available now as an advance digital track. Among the other tunes on the record is the epic, 15-minute “Chevrolet,” which features Neil expressing his passion for cars while musing on the need to look ahead to a future without fossil fuel.

World Record can be preordered now and will be available on vinyl, CD and cassette as well as via various digital formats.

The vinyl version will be a two-LP set featuring music on three sides plus an etching on side four. A limited-edition vinyl edition of the album pressed on clear vinyl will be sold at Young’s online store, The Greedy Hand Store and at independent retailers.

World Record is a follow-up to Barn, which Young and Crazy Horse recorded in June of last year; the album released in December.

Here’s the full Word Record track list:

“Love Earth”
“Overhead”
“I Walk with You (earth ringtone)”
“This Old Planet (changing days)”
“The World (is in trouble now)”
“Break the Chain”
“The Long Day Before”
“Walkin’ on the Road (to the future)”
“The Wonder Won’t Wait”
“Chevrolet”
“This Old Planet (reprise)”

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John Mellencamp has announced plans for an extensive North American trek dubbed the Live and In Person 2023 tour, which is scheduled to get underway this February.

The outing, which features 76 dates, is slated to run from a February 5-6 engagement in Bloomington, Indiana through a June 23-24 stand in South Bend, Indiana. The tour will also make multiple night stops in a variety of other major cities, including New York City, Chicago, Vancouver, Nashville, Minneapolis, San Francisco, Las Vegas, Milwaukee, Cincinnati, Pittsburgh, Cleveland and more.

Tickets for the shows will go on sale to the general public starting Friday, October 7 at 10 a.m. local time. Citi card members will be able to purchase presale tickets for all U.S. shows starting this Tuesday, October 4 at 10 a.m. local time via the Citi Entertainment program; visit CitiEntertainment.com for more details.

Those who register for Mellencamp’s mailing list at Mellencamp.com will be able to access a presale that begins Wednesday, October 5 at 10 a.m. local time. A presale for Turner Classic Movies newsletter subscribers will start Thursday, October 6 at 10 a.m. local time.

Limited VIP packages offering premium seats and a collection of Mellencamp merch will go on sale this Tuesday.

The singer/songwriter revealed his tour plans Thursday at the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in Cleveland during an event that celebrated the opening of a permanent exhibit dubbed “Legends of Rock: John Mellencamp.”

Mellencamp, who’s a 2008 Rock Hall inductee, gave a special performance and took part in a Q&A during the event.

As previously reported, the “Legends of Rock: John Mellencamp” exhibit features such memorabilia as the 1976 Fender Telecaster guitar he played onstage extensively starting in 1981, a guitar that David Bowie gifted him and a new original oil painting.

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R.E.M. bassist Mike Mills is among several noteworthy musicians slated to participate in an upcoming U.S. tour celebrating the 50th anniversary of #1 Record, the debut album by the short-lived but influential power-pop band Big Star.

The “Don’t Lie to Me!” trek takes place November 30 in Athens, Georgia; December 3 in Memphis, Tennessee; December 4 in Jersey City, New Jersey; December 6 in Ardmore, Pennsylvania; December 7 in Washington, D.C.; and December 9 in Carrboro, North Carolina.

Mills will be part of a collective of musicians led by Big Star’s only surviving original member, drummer Jody Stephens. Others taking part include Posies singer/guitarist Jon Auer, who played with a later incarnation of Big Star; Wilco‘s Pat Sansone; and Chris Stamey of The dB’s.

Prior to the tour, a special charity concert featuring a full performance of #1 Record will be held on November 5 at the Alex Theatre in Glendale, California.

Stephens, Mills, Auer, Sansone and Stamey will perform at the Glendale event, along with The Bangles‘ Susanna Hoffs, indie rockers The Lemon Twigs, ex-Black Crowes guitarist Audley Freed and more.

The benefit show, presented by Stephens in partnership with the Wild Honey Foundation, will raise money for The Autism Collective. Tickets are available now at Ticketmaster.com.

Released in April 1972, #1 Record achieved little initial commercial notice, but went on to be embraced by a variety of artists, including R.E.M., The Bangles, The Replacements, Matthew Sweet, Teenage Fanclub and Elliott Smith. Most of the album’s songs were co-written by the group’s two leaders — singer/guitarists Alex Chilton and Chris Bell. Chilton had previously been the lead singer of The Box Tops.

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Following reports that a deal was in the works, the Wall Street Journal now reports that Phil Collins, Tony Banks and Mike Rutherford — the most commercially successful lineup of Rock and Roll Hall of Famers Genesis — have sold their catalog for a huge payday.

Concord Music Group is the buyer, and sources told the Journal that the deal is worth “upwards of $300 million.” In addition to the publishing copyrights, master recordings and “a mix of recorded music-income streams” of the three artists’ Genesis songs, the deal also includes their solo material.

That means Concord is buying the rights to Phil’s hugely successful solo albums, plus the ’80s hits Rutherford made with his side project Mike + the Mechanics, like “The Living Years,” “All I Need Is a Miracle” and “Silent Running.” The Journal notes that the catalogs of former members of Genesis, like Peter Gabriel, weren’t included in the deal.

Concord’s purchase isn’t surprising, since the company has been administering both Phil’s and Genesis’ publishing since 2017.

Genesis is the latest veteran rock act to cash in on the selling-your-catalog craze. Others who’ve sold their publishing and recorded music rights for millions in the last few years include Bob Dylan, Bruce Springsteen, Neil Young and Stevie Nicks.

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The B-52s are ready to roam around the U.S. one last time, and the influential new wave band is set to officially kick off their farewell tour tonight, September 29, with a show at Foxwoods Casino in Mashantucket, Connecticut.

The trek features a total of 19 shows and runs through a three-night stand, November 11-13, at the Fox Theatre in Atlanta. The outing will include multiple-night engagements in Chicago, New York City, Las Vegas and San Francisco.

KC & the Sunshine Band will serve as The B-52s’ support act for the first eight concerts and the last five shows on the tour. The Tubes will be the opener at the San Francisco gigs, taking place October 28-30.

You can check out some video clips of The B-52s rehearsing for the trek on the group’s Facebook page. Visit TheB52s.com for the full list of tour dates.

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A new book that takes an in-depth look at Paul McCartney‘s life and musical endeavors following The Beatles‘ breakup will be published this winter.

The McCartney Legacy: Volume 1 — 1969–73 is a 720-page tome co-written by Allan Kozinn and Adrian Sinclair that will be released December 13. The book utilizes recently unearthed documents and exclusive interviews with various producers, studio engineers and musicians, as well as archival interviews with McCartney, to examine the early years of his solo career.

Described as “the most exhaustive account of Paul McCartney’s life beyond the Beatles ever committed to paper,” the book also delves into his internal conflicts, his perfectionism and his struggle for acceptance in the wake of the Fab Four’s split.

Among the highlights included in the book are newly discovered details about such McCartney solo hits as  “Another Day,” “Uncle Albert/Admiral Halsey,” “Live and Let Die” and “Band on the Run”; information about Paul’s decision to sue his Beatles bandmates with regard to their business dealings, and the effect that had on his friendship with John Lennon; a look at the internal workings of McCartney’s solo group Wings; and Pink Floyd‘s surprising influence on Paul’s music.

The book also features stories about songs that McCartney wrote for other artists around this time, including “Gotta Sing, Gotta Dance” for model Twiggy, “Six O’Clock” for Ringo Starr and “Mine for Me” for Rod Stewart.

You can preorder The McCartney Legacy: Volume 1 now at HarperCollins.com.

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2022 still has a few more months to go, but Billy Joel’s already making plans for 2023.

The Piano Man has announced that he’s headlining London’s annual British Summer Time Hyde Park festival on Friday, July 7. The gig is billed as his “only European appearance of 2023.” He’ll be joining his pal Bruce Springsteen and his E Street Band at the festival: They’re performing July 6 and July 8.

The rest of the this year’s festival lineup — which has in the past featured the likes of Adele, Elton John, The Eagles, Celine Dion, Lionel Richie, Barbra Streisand, Michael Bublé and Bruno Mars as headliners — will be announced at a later date.

Tickets go on sale October 6  at 10 a.m. London time via www.bst-hydepark.com.

Meanwhile, Billy’s concert film Live At Yankee Stadium — which documents his June 1990 show, the first rock concert ever held at the iconic venue — will be shown in theaters on October 5 and 9. You can get tickets at BillyJoel.film.

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It turns out that those enigmatic posts that appeared on Bruce Springsteen‘s social media pages earlier this week were teasing a big album announcement. The Boss has revealed that he will be releasing a new collection of 15 soul covers titled Only The Strong Survive on November 11.

The studio album will include gems from the catalogs of the Motown and Stax labels as well as by the legendary Philadelphia-based songwriting and production duo of Kenny Gamble and Leon Huff.

Sam Moore of Sam & Dave fame is a featured guest vocalist on two tracks — renditions of Dobie Gray‘s “Soul Days” and William Bell‘s “I Forgot to Be Your Love.”

Only the Strong Survive, which was produced by Ron Aniello, also features contributions from the E Street Horns, strings, and backing vocals by a group of singers that includes E Street Band touring member Soozie Tyrell.

“I wanted to make an album where I just sang. And what better music to work with than the great American songbook of the Sixties and Seventies?” Bruce says in a statement. “I’ve taken my inspiration from Levi Stubbs, David Ruffin, Jimmy Ruffin, the Iceman Jerry Butler, Diana Ross, Dobie Gray, and Scott Walker, among many others. I’ve tried to do justice to them all — and to the fabulous writers of this glorious music.”

The Boss has released a version of “Do I Love You (Indeed I Do),” a 1965 rarity by Frank Wilson, as an advance digital track. A companion music video, which was directed by frequent Springsteen collaborator Thom Zimny, has debuted on Bruce’s official YouTube channel.

Springsteen also has posted a YouTube video of him sharing details about the making of the project.

Only the Strong Survive can be preordered now. Here’s the album’s full track list:

“Only the Strong Survive”
“Soul Days” — featuring Sam Moore
“Nightshift”
“Do I Love You (Indeed I Do)”
“The Sun Ain’t Gonna Shine Anymore”
“Turn Back the Hands of Time”
“When She Was My Girl”
“Hey, Western Union Man”
“I Wish It Would Rain”
“Don’t Play That Song”
“Any Other Way”
“I Forgot to Be Your Lover” — featuring Sam Moore
“7 Rooms of Gloom”
“What Becomes of the Brokenhearted”
“Someday We’ll Be Together”

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Most 76-year-old women wouldn’t feel “Strong Enough” to walk around in public in a spandex catsuit — but Cher’s not your average 76-year-old.

The entertainment icon walked in the finale of the Balmain fashion show Wednesday night during Paris Fashion Week, taking the stage arm-in-arm with designer Olivier Rousteing as her song “Strong Enough” blared from the sound system. She wore a marbled spandex bodysuit with a plunging neck, and platform wedges.

“JUST HAD BEST TIME, ON STAGE…FELT GREAT,” Cher tweeted afterwards. “SHOW WAS PROBABLY BEST FASHION SHOW ‘EVER.’ MODELS WERE BEAUTY FROM ANOTHER UNIVERSE. CLOTHES 2 DIE 4…OLIVIER 2 DIE 4.” 

She added, “STAGE WAS CALLING ME cher…..oh cher….come Home….I HEAR YOU.”

It’s not surprising that Cher felt comfortable on that stage: As Billboard notes, the Balmain show took place in a massive stadium, with more than 10,000 tickets made available to fans in exchange for a charity donation.

(Cher’s entrance comes at 39:58 into the video below)

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Today, September 29, marks the 25th anniversary of the release of The Rolling Stones‘ 23rd U.S. studio album, Bridges to Babylon, which peaked at #3 on the Billboard 200.

While the 13-track collection yielded no U.S. pop hits, three singles from the record broke into the top 20 of Billboard‘s Mainstream Rock chart — “Anybody Seen My Baby?,” “Saint of Me” and “Flip the Switch,” which reached #3, #13 and #14, respectively.

While The Stones were recording “Anybody Seen My Baby?,” guitarist Keith Richards‘ daughter Angela pointed out to him that the melody of the chorus was similar to that of Canadian singer k.d. lang‘s 1992 hit “Constant Craving,” so lang and her co-writer Ben Mink were given songwriting credits on the Stones tune alongside Richards and Mick Jagger.

The music video for “Anybody Seen My Baby?” features Angelina Jolie.

Bridges to Babylon was recorded at Ocean Way Recording studio in Los Angeles, and in addition to The Stones’ core members — Jagger, Richards, guitarist Ronnie Wood and drummer Charlie Watts — a variety of guest musicians and singers contributed to the sessions.

Among them were longtime Stones touring member Darryl Jones, Me’Shell Ndegeocello, Living Colour‘s Doug Wimbish and album co-producer Don Was on bass; guitarist Waddy Wachtel; keyboardists Billy Preston and Benmont Tench; jazz sax great Wayne Shorter; rapper Biz Markie; ex-Beach Boy Blondie Chaplin on multiple instruments and backing vocals; and famed session drummer Jim Keltner on percussion.

To support Bridges to Babylon, The Rolling Stones mounted a major tour that featured 108 dates and ran from September 1997 to September 1998.

The album has been certified Platinum for sales of over 1 million copies in the U.S.

Here’s the full track list of Bridges to Babylon:

“Flip the Switch”
“Anybody Seen My Baby?”
“Low Down”
“Already Over Me”
“Gunface”
“You Don’t Have to Mean It”
“Out of Control”
“Saint of Me”
“Might as Well Get Juiced”
“Always Suffering”
“Too Tight”
“Thief in the Night”
“How Can I Stop”

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