Classic Hits

Columbia Records is celebrating Bob Dylan‘s 60th anniversary as a recording artist for the label by releasing a new music video for his classic 1965 song “Subterranean Homesick Blues.”  The video’s inspired by the tune’s original promo film, which featured Dylan flipping through handwritten cue cards with select lyrics from the song.

The new visual, dubbed “Subterranean Homesick Blues 2022,” offers a dynamic video collage of segments inspired by the original lyrical cue cards, each designed by a different artist, musician or filmmaker. Among the celebs who contributed to the clip are Bruce Springsteen, Patti Smith, Primal Scream‘s Bobby Gillespie, and filmmakers Jim Jarmusch and Wim Wenders.

You can watch the “Subterranean Homesick Blues 2022” video at the newly launched Dylan60.com microsite, which features details about each cue card that appears in the clip, as well as the original flick. The “Subterranean Homesick Blues” promo film first appeared at the beginning of director D.A. Pennebaker‘s 1967 documentary Don’t Look Back, which focused on Dylan’s 1965 U.K. tour. It included a cameo by legendary Beat poet Allen Ginsberg.

You also will have a chance to watch the new video with a special Augmented Reality lens filter that can be accessed on Instagram and Snapchat, and that allows viewers use a virtual pair of Dylan’s Ray-Ban sunglasses to watch a select 10-second segment of the “Subterranean Homesick Blues 2022” clip.

In other news, the Bob Dylan Center, which will serve as the home of over 100,000 pieces of Dylan-related memorabilia, is scheduled to open his Tuesday, May 10, in Tulsa, Oklahoma. A series of special events celebrating the grand opening are taking place in Tulsa in the coming days, including concerts by Patti Smith and Elvis Costello at Cain’s Ballroom tonight and on May 7, respectively.

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The 1995 Eric Clapton documentary Nothing but the Blues, which was broadcast just once, on PBS, will get its official release on multiple formats and configurations, along with a companion soundtrack album, on June 24.

The film features Clapton showcasing and discussing his lifelong passion for the blues, and includes performances from two concerts that he played in November 1994, at San Francisco’s famed Fillmore during his tour in support of his 1994 blues covers album, From the Cradle.

Nothing but the Blues, which can be pre-ordered now, will be available as a Super Deluxe limited-edition box set, and as a standalone DVD or Blu-ray, while the soundtrack will be issued on CD, digitally and as a two-LP vinyl set. The vinyl collection will be released on July 29.

The movie was executive-produced by Martin Scorsese, who also conducted an in-depth interview with Clapton for the film, in which the guitar legend talks about his love for blues music and the artists who influenced him.

The film has been upgraded to 4K video, while the audio has been newly remastered.

The box set features a Blu-ray of the documentary, the soundtrack on CD and as a two-LP set, and a bonus CD featuring four extra tracks — “Driftin’,” County Jail Blues,” “Kid Man Blues,” and “It’s Too Bad.” The collection also with an exclusive hardcover book, and includes a lithograph, a poster, a set of Clapton guitar strings, guitar picks, and a bandana.

If you pre-order Nothing but the Blues, you’ll instantly receive a download of an unreleased Clapton performance of Freddie King’s “Have You Ever Loved a Woman.” You also can watch a video of the performance at Clapton’s YouTube channel.

Here’s the DVD and Blu-ray track list:

“Blues All Day Long”
“Standin’ Round Crying”
“Forty-Four”
“It Hurts Me Too”
“Early in the Morning”
“Five Long Years”
“Crossroads”
“Malted Milk Blues”
“Motherless Child”
“How Long Blues”
“Reconsider Baby”
“Sinner’s Prayer”
“Every Day I Have the Blues”
“Crosscut Saw”
“Someday After a While”
“Have You Ever Loved a Woman”
“I’m Tore Down”
“Groaning the Blues”
“T’Ain’t Nobody’s Bizness”
“Driftin” (Bonus Track)

And here’s the soundtrack’s track list:

“Blues All Day Long”
“Standing ‘Round Crying”
“Forty-Four”
“It Hurts Me Too”
“Early in the Morning”
“Five Long Years”
“Crossroads”
“Malted Milk”
“Motherless Child”
“How Long”
“Reconsider Baby”
“Sinners Prayer”
“Every Day I Have the Blues”
“Someday After a While (You’ll Be Sorry)”
“Have You Ever Loved a Woman”
“I’m Tore Down”
“Groaning Blues”
“County Jail Blues”*

* = exclusive to two-LP vinyl version.

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The Rolling Stones have debuted two previously unheard live performances that will appear on the upcoming archival concert album Live at the El Mocambo, which will be released next Friday, May 13.

Renditions of The Stones’ 1972 hit “Tumbling Dice” and their funky 1976 gem “Hot Stuff” are available now as digital downloads and via streaming services, and you also can check out visualizer videos for the tunes at the band’s official YouTube channel.

As previously reported, Live at the El Mocambo features performances from two shows that the British rock legends played at the 300-capacity Toronto club on March 4 and 5, 1977.

The album, which will be available as a two-CD set, a four-LP collection on either black or neon vinyl, and digitally, features The Stones’ full March 5 concert plus three bonus performances from the previous night.

The concerts were booked as secret shows, where attendees were winners of a ticket giveaway, and The Stones were billed under the moniker The Cockroaches.

The Stones’ set list included a variety of covers, hits and deep cuts. One of the tunes the band played, “Worried About You,” would be released on 1981’s Tattoo You.

Only four songs from the El Mocambo concerts have been officially released previously, appearing on 1977’s Love You Live album alongside many tracks that were captured during The Stones’ 1975 and ’76 tours.

Prior to the release of the “Tumbling Dice” and “Hot Stuff” performances, The Stones premiered two other tracks from the live album — “It’s Only Rock ‘n’ Roll” and “Rip This Joint.”

Live at the El Mocambo can be pre-ordered now.

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Paul McCartney recently launched his Got Back tour of the U.S., and in the latest installment of his “You Gave Me the Answer” Q&A feature, he fields questions about the challenge of choosing songs for his live sets.

So far, McCartney’s shows have included one song from his latest studio album, 2020’s McCartney III — “Women and Wives” — but one fan asks Sir Paul if he’ll consider playing another track from that record, “Find My Way.”

“[T]here’s always the eternal dilemma of what do you take out, knowing the audiences really want to hear the hits so you’ve got to balance it very carefully,” McCartney responds. “You’re taking out something they know very well and putting in something they don’t necessarily know, and I’m always dreading that’s the signal for them to go get a beer.”

The 79-year-old rock legend then admits, “I’d like to do a whole show of new songs but that’s for…the deep fans. Most of the people who come and see me, who have paid good money, have brought their mums and dads, who have traveled a distance…I’m not so sure they wanna hear the deep cuts.”

McCartney maintains that general audiences wants to hear “Beatles stuff mainly, Wings stuff, and maybe some of the new stuff.”

As for whether it was tricky preparing “Women and Wives,” which he recorded completely solo, to play live with his full band, Paul notes that it was “pretty simple because it’s a very simple song.”

He explains that “[i]n rehearsal we just listen to the record, and we’re all such reasonable musicians that we kinda go ‘Okay, I know what I’ll do.'”

McCartney’s next concert takes place Friday, May 6, in Oakland, California. Check out his full schedule at PaulMcCartney.com.

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If you missed The Goo Goo Dolls‘ virtual spectacular, now’s your chance to own a physical copy.

The event, dubbed Grounded with The Goo Goo Dolls, took place during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, when venues were shuttered to live events. So, the Grammy nominees got crafty and connected with fans via a virtual spectacular.

The “Iris” hitmakers performed their greatest hits using an Augmented Reality FanTracks Stage, which critics hailed for its use of groundbreaking technology — an LED Stage Set powered by the Unreal Engine, which major video game makers use. While Goo Goo Dolls weren’t the first band to do a virtual concert, they pioneered the first-ever virtual XR live concert.

The concert was livestreamed across the globe and allowed fans to virtually interact with the group via a live band chat feature.

Now, you can own your own copy of this performance with a 2-disc set, with the “Name” singers making available a 4K Blu-ray and Audio CD as well as a stand-alone DVD version of their concert.  In addition, those wanting just an audio version are in luck — they will also separately release the digital soundtrack on all platforms.

Grounded with the Goo Goo Dolls can be pre-ordered now and will be released on May 20.

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A new Thin Lizzy-themed audio/video collection pairing the 2020 documentary Phil Lynott: Songs for While I’m Away with the archival concert film and album Thin Lizzy: The Boys Are Back in Town Live at the Sydney Opera House October 1978 will be released on June 24.

The release, which will be available either as a two-DVD/CD set or a Blu-ray/DVD/CD set, can be pre-ordered now.

Songs for While I’m Away presents a candid look at the life and music of late Thin Lizzy lead singer and bassist Phil Lynott. It tells the story of how a Black boy raised during the 1950s by a working-class family in Dublin went on to become one Ireland’s biggest rock stars, before he died in 1986 of drug-related health issues at the age of 36.

The movie features archival footage of and conversations with Lynott, as well as recent interviews with Thin Lizzy members and/or alums Scott Gorham, Eric Bell, Darren Wharton and Midge Ure, and with other notable music artists like U2‘s Adam Clayton, Metallica‘s James Hetfield, Huey Lewis and Suzi Quatro.

The film also includes conversations with Phil’s wife, Caroline Taraskevics, and his daughters Sarah and Catherine Lynott.

Thin Lizzy: The Boys Are Back in Town Live at the Sydney Opera House October 1978, which originally was released in 1988, captures a short-lived lineup of the band featuring Lynott, guitarists Gorham and Gary Moore, and drummer Mark Nauseef performing many of the group’s classic songs at the famed Australian venue.  The footage has been restored for the new DVD release, while a companion CD of the show also is included in the package.

Here’s the The Boys Are Back in Town Live at the Sydney Opera House‘s CD track list:

“Jailbreak”
“Bad Reputation”
“Warriors”
“Don’t Believe a Word”
“Waiting for an Alibi”
“Still In Love with You”
“Johnny the Fox Meets Jimmy the Weed”
“Cowboy Song”
“The Boys Are Back in Town”
“Suicide”
“Are You Ready”
“Baby Drives Me Crazy”
“Me and the Boys “

And here’s the track list for concert DVD:

“Jailbreak”
“Bad Reputation”
“Waiting for an Alibi”
“Cowboy Song”
“The Boys Are Back in Town”
“Are You Ready”
“Me and the Boys “
“Baby Drives Me Crazy”

Lost Sydney Performances
“Warriors”
“Don’t Believe a Word”
“Still In Love with You”
“Johnny the Fox Meets Jimmy the Weed”
“Suicide”

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Queen‘s triple compilation The Platinum Collection, which gathers together all three volumes of the band’s official Greatest Hits albums, will be released on vinyl for the first time on June 17.

The six-LP collection will feature Greatest Hits, Greatest Hits II and Greatest Hits III as half-speed-mastered two-disc sets, with each LP pressed on a different-colored 180-gram vinyl disc and housed in an individually designed sleeve. The package will offer new artwork and will include an exclusive 24-page photo book.

First released in the U.S. in 2002 as a three-CD set, The Platinum Collection has been certified five-times Platinum by the RIAA.

Here’s a look at the individual compilations included in the retrospective:

— Greatest Hits got its initial release in 1981, and features classic Queen songs spanning from 1974 to 1980. The album has been RIAA-certified nine-times Platinum in the U.S. and is the best-selling album ever in the U.K.

— Greatest Hits II was first released in 1991 and has sold 19 million copies worldwide. It arrived shorty before the death of Queen singer Freddie Mercury and boasts highlights of the band’s catalog from 1981 to 1991.

— Greatest Hits III was originally released in 1999, and features songs from Queen’s Made in Heaven album issued after Mercury death, solo tunes by Freddie and guitarist Brian May, rarities, the group’s collaborations with other artists, and more.

You can pre-order the vinyl version of The Platinum Collection now.

In related news, a companion book titled Queen — The Platinum Collection: Complete Scores Collector’s Edition, a hardcover volume featuring full-band transcriptions for almost 50 classic songs by the British rock legends, is available for pre-order now at HalLeonard.com.

Here’s the full track list of The Platinum Collection vinyl edition:

Greatest Hits

LP 1 — Side A
“Bohemian Rhapsody”
“Another One Bites the Dust”
“Killer Queen”
“Fat Bottomed Girls”

LP 1 — Side B
“Bicycle Race”
“You’re My Best Friend”
“Don’t Stop Me Now”
“Save Me”

LP 2 — Side A
“Crazy Little Thing Called Love”
“Somebody to Love”
“Now I’m Here”
“Good Old Fashioned Lover Boy”

LP 2 — Side B
“Play the Game”
“Flash”
“Seven Seas Of Rhye”
“We Will Rock You”
“We Are the Champions”

Greatest Hits II

LP 3 — Side A
“A Kind of Magic”
“Under Pressure” — Queen + David Bowie
“Radio Ga Ga”
“I Want It All”
“I Want to Break Free”

LP 3 — Side B
“Innuendo”
“It’s a Hard Life”
“Breakthru”
“Who Wants to Live Forever”

LP 4 — Side A
“Headlong”
“The Miracle”
“I’m Going Slightly Mad”
“The Invisible Man”

LP 4 — Side B
“Hammer to Fall”
“Friends Will Be Friends”
“The Show Must Go On”
“One Vision”

Greatest Hits III

LP 5 — Side A
Queen + Elton John — “The Show Must Go On” (Live, Theatre National de Chaillot, Paris, 1997)
Queen + David Bowie -– “Under Pressure” (Rah Mix)
Freddie Mercury + Montserrat Caballé -– “Barcelona” (Single Version)
Queen — “Too Much Love Will Kill You”

LP 5 — Side B
George Michael + Queen -– “Somebody to Love” (Live, The Freddie Mercury Tribute Concert For AIDS Awareness, Wembley, April 1992)
Queen -– “You Don’t Fool Me”
Queen -– “Heaven For Everyone”
Queen -– “Las Palabras De Amor” (The Words Of Love)

LP 6 — Side A
Brian May -– “Driven by You”
Freddie Mercury -– “Living On My Own”
Queen –- “Let Me Live”
Freddie Mercury -– “The Great Pretender”
Queen -– “Princes Of The Universe”

LP 6 — Side B
Queen + Wyclef Jean -– “Another One Bites the Dust” (Remix)
Queen — “No One but You (Only the Good Die Young)”
Queen — “These Are the Days of Our Lives”
Queen — “Thank God It’s Christmas”

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While she was raised Catholic, Madonna has run into trouble with the church several times in her career. Now, it appears that she wants absolution.

On Wednesday, the Queen of Pop tweeted at Pope Francis — yes, he has a Twitter account — “Hello @Pontifex Francis —I’m a good Catholic. I Swear! I mean I don’t Swear! It’s been a few decades since my last confession. Would it be possible to meet up one day to discuss some important matters ?”

She added, “I’ve been ex communicated 3 times. It doesn’t seem fair. Sincerely Madonna.”

It’s not clear if Madonna has truly been excommunicated, but she’s certainly drawn condemnation from the Vatican and the previous Pope over the years for her videos and live performances.  For example, her video for “Like a Prayer,” in which she kisses a Black saint, dances in front of burning crosses and displays stigmata, was condemned by the Vatican, and Pope John Paul II encouraged people to boycott Madonna when she toured Italy.

In 1990, she responded to calls from Italian Catholic organizations to ban her concerts in Rome and Turin by saying, “If you are sure that I am a sinner, then let he who has not sinned cast the first stone.”

And in 2006, during her Confessions tour, religious leaders accused Madonna of blasphemy and condemned her because she performed the song “Live to Tell” while hanging on a cross and wearing a crown of thorns.

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On Wednesday, Live Nation launched its 2022 Concert Week promotion, which offers $25 tickets to shows by more than 200 artists taking place across North American throughout the summer.

In total, over 3,700 concerts will be discounted as part of the promotion, which runs through Tuesday, May 10. Among the many participating tours is REO Speedwagon, Styx and Loverboy‘s Live & UnZoomed package trek, which kicks off May 31 in Grand Rapids, Michigan.

Founding REO Speedwagon keyboardist Neal Doughty says he and his band mates are excited to be returning to full-scale touring following two years where the number of shows they played was reduced because of the COVID-19 pandemic.

“We’re thrilled that live music is back, of course, because that’s our entire life,” he tells ABC Audio. “But we just want to really let people know that, hey, come out of your house, it’s safe now. Live music is back and Live Nation is gonna kick-start the whole thing.”

Doughty notes that REO and Styx have toured many times together many times over the years, and the two bands really complement each other.

“[I]t just really works well,” Neal maintains. “Like our manager says, ‘One plus one equals three when it’s Styx and REO.’ And then, of course, you put somebody like Loverboy on the show, and who would not go to a show like that? I don’t know.”

Doughty also points out that his band and Styx both deliver a balanced show that offers up “the right mix between the love songs and the hard-rock songs.”

The Live & UnZoomed tour is mapped out through a September 18 concert in Bangor, Maine.

For full details about the Concert Week promotion, including a list of participating artists and venues, visit LiveNation.com/ConcertWeek.

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Doors guitarist Robby Krieger and original Chicago drummer Danny Seraphine will perform at the Asian Hall of Fame’s Celebrate Asia Festival, taking place July 30 at the Alex Theatre in Glendale, California.

The red-carpet event is a benefit for Asian Hall of Fame‘s newly launched Brain Injury Endowment, which supports trauma survivors, victims of hate crime and brain injury research.

Seraphine will be playing a headlining set with his band California Transit Authority, or CTA, which also features former Chicago bassist/singer Jeff Coffey and veteran keyboardist Ed Roth, who also frequently collaborates with Krieger.

Both Seraphine and Krieger are Asian Hall of Fame Ambassadors, awarded annually to noteworthy non-Asian people who support the Hall of Fame’s mission of celebrating Asian excellence, cross-cultural collaboration, and multiracial fairness to with a goal of overcoming anti-Asian violence.

The event begins with a VIP reception starting at 4 p.m. PT that will include an artisan showcase, traditional performers, and food from Japan, Korea, the Philippines, Taiwan and Thailand. The reception also will include a memorabilia auction featuring collectibles from Chicago, The Eagles, U2 and more.

The concert will run from 7:15 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. PT. Early bird tickets to the Celebrate Asia Festival can be purchased at AsianHallofFame.org.

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