Classic Hits

The deluxe reissue of The Beatles‘ classic 1966 album Revolver was released Friday, October 28, in multiple configurations.

Revolver originally was released in August 1966 and spent multiple weeks at #1 in both the U.S. and the U.K. The album captured the Fab Four moving into the psychedelic era with an adventurous and experimental collection of tunes that explored various musical genres.

Producer Giles Martin, who oversaw the reissue and helped create a new mix of the album, explains to ABC Audio, “[The Beatles] ripped up the rulebook with Revolver … They had [songs like] ‘Eleanor Rigby,’ ‘Tomorrow Never Knows,’ ‘And Your Bird Can Sing,’ ‘Taxman.’ It’s like Revolver is an album of about seven different bands, but all good ones.”

Besides the new mix, the deluxe package also includes the original mono mix of the album; 31 tracks of session outtakes and demos; a four-song EP featuring the non-album tracks “Paperback Writer” and “Rain”; and a 100-page hardbound book.

Giles says some of the interesting bonus tracks include alternate versions of “Got to Get You into My Life” and “Rain,” and an early demo of “Yellow Submarine” featuring John Lennon on vocals.

One alternate version of “Got to Get You into My Life” features fuzz guitar and lacks the song’s trademark horns. A “Rain” outtake features the song at the speed it was actually recorded — the version that was originally released was slowed down.

There are also multiple tracks that show how “Yellow Submarine” developed from a melancholy tune sung by Lennon to the upbeat sing-along featuring Ringo Starr on lead vocals.

“[I]t’s development to how it is now is really surprising, and it’s worth listening to,” says Giles.

For full details including complete track lists of the various versions of the reissue, visit TheBeatles.com.

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The Who‘s Roger Daltrey and contemporary British rocker Yungblud interview each other for the latest installment of Rolling Stone‘s “Musicians on Musicians” series.

During the conversation, Daltrey, 78, tells Yungblud he thought the 25-year-old singer’s latest album was “uplifting” and praises the way he uses “the crowd-singing sound” in his mixing.

Roger goes on to complain that a lot of popular music in recent years has lacked strong vocals and harmonies, then discusses why he loves The Beach Boys.

“When you listen to the songs of the Beach Boys and the harmonies and all that stuff, it truly lifts your spirits,” Daltrey notes. “We really need it these days. Too many solo voices singing mediocre lyrics.”

The rockers also share negative opinions about the reality singing competition The Voice.

Daltrey says he was asked to be a judge on show — presumably the U.K. version — but he declined.

“I’m not gonna judge anyone’s singing,” Daltrey insists. “You’re only gonna squash their spirit, whatever you say.”

Yungblud, meanwhile, reveals that before his career took off, he was approached by a label that wanted to have him compete on The Voice.

“I was like, ‘No f***ing way,'” he recalls.

“I remember them saying, ‘We’ll put you on The Voice, and if you win it, we’ll sign you. But you can’t sing about politics,'” he continues. “I was starting to write about sexuality, fashion, gender … And I just said no.”

Elsewhere in the interview, Daltrey and Yungblud talk about The Who’s influence on fashion during the 1960s, the way social media affects today’s artists and their mutual love of Oasis.

“I wish [Oasis] would just get back together,” Daltrey says.

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Thursday, October 27, marks the 50th anniversary of the release of Stevie Wonder‘s classic 15th studio album, Talking Book.

The 10-track collection peaked at #3 on the Billboard Pop Albums chart, making it Wonder’s highest-charting album up to that time. The album features two of Stevie’s most enduring songs, “You Are the Sunshine of My Life” and “Superstition,” which both reached #1 on the Billboard Hot 100.

Talking Book marked a continuation of Wonder’s experimentation with synthesizers in collaboration with electronic music pioneers Malcolm Cecil and Robert Margouleff that he began on his previous album, 1972’s Music of My Mind.

Among the noteworthy guest artists who contributed to the album were guitarist Jeff Beck and Ray Parker Jr., singer Deniece Williams and sax player David Sanborn.

Wonder took home three Grammy Awards for Talking Book at the 1974 Grammys ceremony — Best Male Pop Vocal Performance for “You Are the Sunshine of My Life,” and Best Male R&B Vocal Performance and Best R&B Song for “Superstition.” Cecil and Margouleff, meanwhile, won the Best Engineered Album, Non-Classical, prize for their work on the record.

Talking Book was ranked #59 on Rolling Stone‘s 2020 list of “The 500 Greatest Albums of All Time.”

Here’s the album’s full track list:

Side One
“You Are the Sunshine of My Life”
“Maybe Your Baby”
“You and I (We Can Conquer the World)”
“Tuesday Heartbreak”
“You’ve Got It Bad Girl”

Side Two
“Superstition”
“Big Brother”
“Blame It on the Sun”
“Lookin’ for Another Pure Love”
“I Believe (When I Fall In Love It Will Be Forever)”

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Former Guns N’ Roses drummer Matt Sorum has debuted a music video for “Judgement Day,” the first single from his all-star band King of Chaos‘ forthcoming debut album, which is due out late 2023.

The “Judgement Day” video, which premiered at GuitarWorld.com and also can be viewed on the AFM Records label’s YouTube channel, features guest appearances by ZZ Top frontman Billy Gibbons and Sorum’s wife, fashion designer/choreographer Ace Harper.

Sorum explains about the clip, “Drawing inspiration from the 1971 film Vanishing Point morphed with imagery inspired by Natural Born Killers, Director Brian Cox … and I conceptualized a man running from his demons on a wild ride to find redemption guided by The Reverend Willy G [portrayed by Gibbons], an Angel … on a motorcycle [portrayed by Harper] and his inner child. A Wayward Wanderer searching for the light.”

“Judgement Day” was co-written and performed by Sorum and his ex-Velvet Revolver bandmates Slash, Duff McKagan and David Kushner, and features Matt on drums and lead vocals. Sorum also played with Slash and McKagan in GN’R.

The single will be released via digital formats on Friday, October 28 and can be presaved now.

As previously reported, the first Kings of Chaos album, which is expected in either the fall or winter of next year, will feature original songs and “guest collaborations with some of rock’s biggest names — including some of today’s most talented and iconic female artists.”

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Elvis Costello will take part in a four-day music and vacation event that will offer his fans the chance to explore the island nation and see special performances by the Rock & Roll Hall of Famer.

The event, dubbed Elvis in Iceland, is scheduled for May 25 to May 29 and will be based in Reykjavik, Iceland. It will include a private performance by Elvis and his longtime keyboardist Steve Nieve, plus prime seats to a May 28 show at the city’s Harpa Concert Hall featuring Costello and his old friend and collaborator Nick Lowe.

The excursion also offers accommodations at a four-star hotel, Q&A sessions with Costello and Lowe, photo ops with Elvis, Nick and Steve, a limited-edition poster signed by the three musicians and concerts by local music acts.

In addition, those who register for the destination event will be treated to meals at fine restaurants and will get a fly-over tour of Reykjavik, a spa visit to the Sky Lagoon, a Golden Circle tour of the Icelandic countryside and more.

Registration for the extravaganza is open exclusively at ElvisInIceland.com, with a 10% discount available through December 25; use the promo code “ICELAND.”

In a message posted about the event on YouTube, Elvis says, “For many years I’ve been thinking to myself, ‘When am I going to get to come back to Reykjavik? When am I going to come back to Iceland?’ Well, it seems that May 2023, marks the time when I will return! I will be there with Steve Nieve, a huge stack of songs, and many stories to tell you on my Elvis in Iceland trip.”

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Prince‘s fifth studio album, the double-LP 1999, was released 40 years ago — on October 27, 1982.

1999 found Prince exploring R&B, funk, rock and pop, and its success propelled the mutlitalented artist to major stardom, and paved the way for 1984’s chart-topping Purple Rain.

The album initially peaked at #9 on the Billboard 200, and featured Prince’s first two top-10 hits on the Billboard Hot 100, “Little Red Corvette” and “Delirious,” which reached #6 and #8, respectively. The album’s apocalypse-themed title track, meanwhile, made it to #12 on the Hot 100, and has become one of his most recognizable and enduring tunes.

The success of “1999” and “Little Red Corvette” was bolstered by popular music videos that went into heavy rotation on MTV, making Prince among the first Black artists to have clips in heavy rotation on the network.

The track “International Lover” was nominated for a Grammy in the Best Male R&B Vocal Performance category, Prince’s first Grammy nod.

1999 was Prince’s first album to feature his backing band The Revolution, although he played the majority of the instruments on the record.

After Prince’s death in 2016, his 1999 album returned to the charts, and peaked at #7 on the Billboard 200. The album has been certified four-times Platinum by the RIAA for sales of more than 4 million copies in the U.S.

In 2020, Rolling Stone ranked 1999 at #130 on its list of “The 500 Greatest Albums of All Time.” The magazine notes, “The second half of 1999 is just exceptional sex-obsessed dance music; the first half is the best fusion of rock and funk achieved to that date, and it lays out the blueprint for Prince’s next decade.”

Here’s the full track list of 1999:

Side One
“1999”
“Little Red Corvette”
“Delirious”

Side Two
“Let’s Pretend We’re Married”
“D.M.S.R.”

Side Three
“Automatic”
“Something in the Water (Does Not Compute)”
“Free”

Side Four
“Lady Cab Driver”
“All the Critics Love U in New York”
“International Lover”

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Green Day and The Black Crowes are among the artists set to perform at the 2023 edition of the baseball-themed Innings Festival, taking place February 25-26 in Tempe, Arizona.

Green Day will headline the first day of the festival; The Black Crowes are also on the bill that day. Pearl Jam frontman Eddie Vedder has been tapped to headline day two of the fest.

The lineup also includes Weezer, The Offspring, the late Michael Jackson‘s daughter Paris, Marcus Mumford, The Pretty Reckless and The Head and the Heart.

The Innings Festival coincides with the beginning of Major League Baseball’s spring training. In keeping with the baseball theme, the festival will feature appearances by a number of MLB greats, including Randy Johnson, Jake Peavy and Dontrelle Willis.

Tickets go on sale this Thursday, October 27, at 10 a.m. PT. For the full lineup and all ticket info, visit InningsFestival.com/arizona.

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Legendary guitarists Robby Krieger of The Doors and Rush‘s Alex Lifeson teamed up to perform at a charity event held Monday at the club Bogie’s in Westlake Village, California.

As reported by Blabbermouth.net and seen in a fan-shot video posted on the Heavy Metal Hill YouTube channel, Krieger and Lifeson played a version of the Santana classic “Evil Ways” with longtime Santana singer Andy Vargas on vocals. Keyboardist Ed Roth, who frequently collaborates with Krieger, also took part in the jam.

The performance was part of the 2022 Medlock-Krieger Golf, Art Show & Guitars event, the latest installment of a multifaceted annual charity fundraiser co-founded by Krieger and his friend Scotty Medlock. This year’s event honored Medlock, who died of cancer last November at the age of 53.

Clips of two other performances from the show were posted on the Heavy Metal Hill YouTube channel, featuring founding Chicago drummer Danny Seraphine and his current group, California Transit Authority, joined by onetime Journey singer Jeff Scott Soto for versions of Chicago’s “25 or 6 to 4” and “Saturday on the Park.”

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The Jimi Hendrix Experience‘s performance of “Purple Haze” from the forthcoming archival live album Jimi Hendrix Experience Los Angeles Forum: April 26, 1969 has been released as an advance digital track.

In addition, a companion video, featuring a montage of photos of Hendrix and his band taken at the concert, has premiered on Hendrix’s official YouTube channel.

As previously reported, the album, which can be preordered now, will be released November 18 and will be available on CD, as a two-LP vinyl and via digital formats.

The concert, which has never been released in its entirety before, features the group’s original lineup of Hendrix, bassist Noel Redding and drummer Mitch Mitchell performing a set that includes classics like “Foxey Lady,” as well as deeper cuts such as “Red House,” “Spanish Castle Magic” and “I Don’t Live Today.”

The show also features Hendrix doing his take on the “Star Spangled Banner” — several months before his historic performance of the national anthem at Woodstock — and an epic 17-minute medley combining “Voodoo Child (Slight Return)” with Cream‘s “Sunshine of Your Love.”

One of the main support acts at the Forum concert was Chicago Transit Authority, which would soon shorten its name to Chicago. A new video featuring founding Chicago members Robert Lamm, James Pankow and Lee Loughnane sharing recollections about getting to tour with and open for the Jimi Hendrix Experience has debuted on Hendrix’s YouTube channel.

In the clip, Pankow says of Hendrix and his band’s live performances, “Nobody had the ferocity and the daring that Jimi and his trio had … I’m not so sure that the audience necessarily understood the musicality, but they felt the power. It was overwhelming. It was undeniable.”

Here’s the album’s full track list:

“Intro”
“Tax Free”
“Foxey Lady”
“Red House”
“Spanish Castle Magic”
“Star Spangled Banner”
“Purple Haze”
“I Don’t Live Today”
“Voodoo Child (Slight Return)”
“Sunshine of Your Love”
“Voodoo Child (Slight Return)”

(Chicago video contains uncensored profanity)

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E Street Band guitarist Steven Van Zandt has launched new lines of holistic products, Little Steven’s Underground Apothecary and Wicked Cool Wellness, that include boutique teas and coffees, scented soy candles and uniquely flavored lollipops featuring organic ingredients.

The lines, which Van Zandt launched in partnership with the Wakaya Perfection wellness enterprise, are available now at WickedCoolWellness.com.

The various products utilize a range of Wakaya Perfection’s single-sourced ingredients, including Australian Manuka Honey, Organic Pink Fijian Ginger, Fijian Kava, Fijian and Nicaraguan Turmeric and Peruvian Maca.

In celebration of the launch, a special video introducing the products has premiered on Little Steven’s official YouTube channel. The clip features appearances by Van Zandt; his wife, Maureen; his fellow Sopranos cast members Vinnie Pastore and Sammy Semenza; singer Jessie Wagner; and Little Steven and The Disciples of Soul backing vocalists Tania Jones and Sara Devine.

“I have always demanded the very best from myself and of everyone around me,” says Van Zandt, “and my new wellness brand Little Steven’s Underground Apothecary is no different. These products are the best I can find in the world. So enjoy, be well, and stay focused on the only part of our destinies we totally control — what we choose to put in our bodies.”

Ten percent of the profits from Little Steven’s Underground Apothecary products will be donated to TeachRock.org, an initiative launched by the Van Zandt-founded Rock and Roll Forever Foundation that offers a free arts-integration curriculum to grade school and high school students.

Plans for more Little Steven’s Underground Apothecary products, including brownies and ice cream, will be announced soon.

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