Classic Hits

In addition to being the lead single and title track off his upcoming solo album, Ozzy Osbourne‘s new song “Patient Number 9” has given Jeff Beck a new Billboard record.

With “Patient Number 9” debuting at #20 on the Mainstream Rock Airplay chart, Beck, who plays the guitar solo on “Patient Number 9” and is credited as a featured artist, has set the new mark for longest gap between appearances on that particular ranking.

Beck’s last entry on Mainstream Rock Airplay came in 1994 thanks to his collaboration with Seal on a cover of Jimi Hendrix‘s “Manic Depression.” All told, it took Beck 28 years and four months to return to the chart.

Prior to Beck, the record had been held by Elton John. The Rocket Man spent 27 years and five months between charting on Mainstream Rock Airplay in 1992 with the Eric Clapton team-up “Runaway Train” and in 2020 as a featured artist on “Ordinary Man,” the title track off the then-new album by, wait for it, Ozzy Osbourne.

So, the lesson here seems to be that if you want to break a Billboard chart record, hopping on an Ozzy Osbourne solo track may be your best bet.

The album Patient Number 9 will be released September 9, and can be preordered now. Along with Beck, it includes guest contributions from Clapton, Black Sabbath‘s Tony Iommi, Red Hot Chili Peppers drummer Chad Smith, Pearl Jam‘s Mike McCready, Black Label Society‘s Zakk Wylde, Duff McKagan of Guns N’ Roses, Jane’s Addiction‘s Chris Chaney, Metallica‘s Robert Trujillo and late Foo Fighters drummer Taylor Hawkins.

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The 10th anniversary edition of the Allman Brothers Band-founded Peach Music Festival got underway Thursday.

The four-day event, which runs through Sunday, July 3, is taking place at its usual location, Montage Mountain in Scranton, Pennsylvania. It will include headlining sets from The Black Crowes and Phish singer/guitarist Trey Anastasio‘s solo band.

More than 50 artists will be performing at this year’s festival, with the bill also including founding Allman Brothers Band drummer Jaimoe, Jason Bonham‘s Led Zeppelin Evening, reggae legends The Wailers and Steel Pulse, G. Love & The Juice and Duane Betts — son of original Allman Brothers singer/guitarist Dickey Betts.

Jaimoe will be playing with a collective dubbed Jaimoe & Friends, while The Wailers will perform the late Bob Marley‘s classic hits compilation Legend in its entirety. In addition, a group called Trouble No More will celebrate the 50th anniversary of The Allman Brothers’ 1972 album Eat a Peach. Trouble No More’s lead singer is Lamar Williams Jr., whose late father played bass with the Allman Brothers from 1972 to 1976.

With the festival scheduled just before July 4, the bash will conclude with a spectacular fireworks display Sunday.

Meanwhile, nugs.net will be streaming select performances from the festival on all four days, and subscribers to the service will be able to watch for free.

The June 30 livestream lineup includes the Trouble No More set; the July 1 bill will feature Steel Pulse; the July 2 lineup includes Jaimoe & Friends and Trey Anastasio Band; and the July 3 livestream will offer Duane Betts, The Wailers and G. Love & The Juice.

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The Doobie Brothers have added a special gig to the 2022 leg of their 50th anniversary tour, a September 8 performance at New York City’s famous Radio City Music Hall.

Tickets for the show will go on sale to the general public Friday, July 8, at 10 a.m. ET. American Express card members will have the chance to purchase presale tickets starting Tuesday, July 5, at 10 a.m. ET, while a limited number of VIP packages also will be available. For more info, visit Ticketmaster.com.

Founding Doobie Brothers member Pat Simmons recently chatted with ABC Audio about the band playing Radio City Music Hall, declaring, “It’s a spectacular venue and really a good place to showcase what we’ve been doing.”

The Doobie Brothers are currently in the middle of the North American summer leg of their 50th anniversary trek that’s mapped out through a July 25 show in Charlotte, North Carolina. The Rock & Roll Hall of Famers will follow that with a series of fall concerts running from a September 2 gig in Pelham, Alabama, to an October 12 performance in Nashville.

Check out the band’s full schedule at TheDoobieBrothers.com.

As previously reported, The Doobie Brothers’ lineup for the tour features core members Simmons, Tom Johnston and John McFee, along with returning Doobie Brothers singer/keyboardist Michael McDonald.

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Ricky Martin will have his day in court after an ex-manager sued him for $3 million.

Rebecca Drucker, who managed the “She Bangs” singer on two separate occasions, is claiming breach of contract. Drucker oversaw Ricky between 2014 and 2018 and again between 2020 and 2022.

The ex-manager alleges Ricky owes her $3 million in unpaid commissions, saying she is owed the dues for helping him with “recording contracts, touring and sponsorship deals, and other professional endeavors.”

The legal documents continue, “With Rebecca at his side, Martin made millions of dollars and therefore owes Rebecca substantial commissions.” The filing further alleges that Drucker’s second go at managing the two-time Grammy winner was when his “personal and professional life [was] in absolute turmoil.”

Elaborating further, the ex-manager said she helped Ricky dodge a “potentially career-ending allegation” that surfaced in 2020. She noted he “emerged unscathed and proceeded with his professional resurgence” because of her efforts.

In addition to these claims, Drucker alleges that Ricky is a horrible person to work for because he “fostered a toxic work environment wherein he constantly mistreated, manipulated, and lied to Rebecca, forcing her to resign as his manager in April 2022.”

The former manager adds she was “threatened” by the “Livin La Vida Loca” singer and claims he is “attempting to force her to sign an agreement with a nondisclosure clause to silence Rebecca about the abhorrent behavior by Martin that she has both witnessed and endured.”

“For years, she protected Martin from the consequences of his reckless indiscretions. Rebecca did so not only because she was his manager, but also because she thought that Martin was her dear friend,” the complaint reads.

Ricky, nor his team, has responded to Drucker’s suit and troubling allegations.

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Pink Floyd is reissuing its classic 1977 concept album Animals in multiple formats featuring a previously unreleased 5.1 Surround Sound mix created in 2018 by the band’s longtime studio collaborator James Guthrie.

The Animals reissue will be available individually on CD, vinyl LP, Blu-ray and SACD on September 16, and as a deluxe multiple-disc package on October 7.

The Deluxe version includes a CD, an LP, an audio Blu-ray, an audio DVD, and a 32-page book. The Blu-ray and DVD discs feature Guthrie’s 2018 remix in stereo and 5.1 Surround Sound, as well as the original 1977 stereo mix. The booklet contains rare seen behind-the-scenes images from the Animals album-cover photo shoot, along with pics of Pink Floyd playing live and band memorabilia.

The reissue boasts a reimagined and updated version of the cover, which famously featured the image of a giant inflatable pig tied by ropes to the chimneys of London’s Battersea Power Station.

Animals, Pink Floyd’s 10th studio effort, was released in January 1977 and peaked at #3 on the Billboard 200, going on to sell over 4 million copies in the U.S. The concept album, which was loosely based on George Orwell‘s dystopian novel Animal Farm, and was inspired by the socio-political climate of the U.K. during the mid-1970s.

It included three extended themed pieces titled “Pigs (Three Different Ones)”, “Dogs” and “Sheep,” that represented humanity as three different classes — subservient sheep, despotic pigs and predatory dogs.

Last June, ex-Pink Floyd singer/bassist Roger Waters posted a lengthy message explaining the Animals reissue had been delayed because of a conflict he had with former band mate David Gilmour over sleeve notes.

You can preorder the Animals reissue now.

Here’s the album’s track list:

“Pigs on the Wing (Part One)”
“Dogs”
“Pigs (Three Different Ones)”
“Sheep”
“Pigs on the Wing (Part Two)”

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Today marks the 50th anniversary of the release the Alice Cooper group’s fifth studio album, School’s Out, which featured the hit title track — widely regarded as the shock rockers’ signature song.

School’s Out reached #2 on the Billboard 200, Alice Cooper’s second-highest-charting album on the tally after 1973 chart-topping Billion Dollar Babies. The album’s popularity was propelled by the song “School’s Out,” which was the sole single issued from the record.

“School’s Out,” which peaked at #7 on the Billboard Hot 100, was the highest-charting single of the Alice Cooper group’s career, although Cooper’s 1989 solo hit “Poison” also reached that spot on the Hot 100.

The album cover features a photo of wooden school desktop with the names or initials of Alice Cooper’s five members — Cooper, bassist Dennis Dunaway, drummer Neal Smith and guitarists Michael Bruce and Glen Buxton — carved into it. The original vinyl album’s packaging also featured the LP wrapped in a pair of paper panties.

The song “School’s Out” celebrates the joy that children and teens feel when the school year ends, while also expressing youthful rebellion against oppressive authority. The tune has appeared in several films over the years, including Rock ‘n’ Roll High School, Scream and Dazed and Confused.

“School’s Out” was ranked at #293 on Rolling Stone‘s 2021 list of “The 500 Greatest Songs of All Time.”

The School’s Out album has been certified Platinum by the RIAA for sales of more than a million copies in the U.S.

Here’s the album’s full track list:

“School’s Out”
“Luney Tune”
“Gutter Cat vs. the Jets”
“Street Fight”
“Blue Turk”
“My Stars”
“Public Animal #9”
“Alma Mater”
“Grande Finale”

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An official release date has been announced for The Byrds: 1964-1967, a deluxe photo book focusing on influential rock band The Byrds‘ early years that features contributions from the group’s three surviving original members — Roger McGuinn, David Crosby and Chris Hillman.

The 400-page book, which will be published on September 30, features over 500 images taken by such acclaimed photographers as Henry Diltz, Jim Marshall, Linda McCartney and Barry Feinstein, as well as photos from Columbia Records’ archives and the personal archives of the band’s original manager.

The Byrds: 1964-1967 includes commentary from McGuinn, Crosby and Hillman, who share their recollections about the group, which pioneered folk rock, psychedelic rock and country rock.

The project marks the first time that McGuinn, Crosby and Hillman have all worked together since recording a few new songs for The Byrds’ 1990 retrospective box set.

Four versions of the book are available: a standard version, a deluxe limited edition, a super deluxe limited edition and a super deluxe limited edition that comes with a fine-art print.

Copies of the deluxe edition are signed by McGuinn and Hillman, and the super deluxe limited editions are signed by all three surviving Byrds members. The book can be preordered now at ByrdsBook.com.

“I loved being in The Byrds,” says Hillman. “And as crazy as we all were at times, when we were on our game, we soared, we flew high and mighty. I think we all shared a private belief and a strong faith that this was going to work. And it worked so well.”

Adds McGuinn, “Being in The Byrds was a detour to my dream of being a folk singer. It was a very special detour, and one I will always hold close to my heart.”

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A new jam band-theme edition of Rock ‘n’ Roll Fantasy Camp that will give attendees the once-in-a-lifetime chance to jam with founding Grateful Dead bassist Phil Lesh is scheduled to take place October 27 to October 30 in New York City.

The Relix Rock Camp event will feature four days of jamming, mentoring sessions, master classes, Q&A events and more, culminating with campers getting to play a concert in front of family and friends at New York venue The Cutting Room.

In addition to getting to jam with Lesh at a private studio, attendees will interact and play with a variety of other talented artists. They include acclaimed jazz guitarist John Scofield, slide-guitar whiz Robert Randolph, one-time Ted Nugent singer/guitarist Derek St. Holmes, Little Feat/ex-Gregg Allman Band guitarist Scott Sharrard, Little Feat drummer Tony Leone and former Hot Tuna guitarist Michael Falzarano.

A variety of packages for the Relix Rock Camp are available, including one that offers campers a full-day session at a recording studio overseen by veteran producer Jesse Lauter.

For full details about Relix Rock Camp and to book a package, visit RockCamp.com.

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Johnny Cash‘s former California home is up for sale, and it’s fit for a country king. 

The home was originally built in 1961 in Ventura County, about an hour outside of Los Angeles, where the “Ring of Fire” singer and his first wife, Vivian, lived when traveling to California. The five-bedroom, ranch-style home was built specifically to cater to Cash’s taste is now selling for just under $1.8 million. 

The Hollywood Reporter states that many of the home’s original features remain intact, including ceilings adorned with glitter, a wood-paneled studio where Cash wrote and recorded songs, an intercom system and even a turntable mounted on the wall.

Photos reveal that the property includes a pair of bedroom suites and Cash’s black commode in the bathroom, while the master bedroom offers stunning views of rolling hills. The house is also equipped with an in-ground pool.   

According to the listing, Johnny and Vivian used the house as a “serene getaway” for them and their four daughters Rosanne, Tara, Cindy and Kathy. “You can feel the spirit of ‘The Man in Black’ as you traverse the private driveway towards the iconic house,” as described in a statement.

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A new signature Cat Stevens acoustic guitar — based on the Gibson J-180 model the British singer/songwriter used to create some of his classic 1970s recordings — has been released by the Gibson Acoustic Custom Shop.

The Gibson Cat Stevens J-180 Collector’s Edition can be purchased now at select instrument dealers around the world and at Gibson.com for the list price of $7,499. Only 50 of the limited-edition guitars have been produced.

The Cat Stevens J-180 guitar features a Sitka spruce top, a star-and-moon design made of mother of pearl on the headstock, star-shaped mother of pearl fretboard inlays and an interior label signed by Stevens, who now is also is known as Yusuf.

The instrument also comes with a Certificate of Authenticity and a selection of collectible Stevens-inspired patches, pins and stickers, as well as a black hardshell case featuring a white cat design.

Stevens purchased his original J-180, a guitar model that had been created for The Everly Brothers, in 1969 at London’s famed Selmer’s Music Shop. He used the guitar extensively on his early 1970s albums Mona Bone Jakon, Tea for the Tillerman and Teaser and the Firecat. Among the memorable tunes he wrote and recorded using his J-180 are “Wild World, “Peace Train” and “Father and Son.”

“I really turned a corner when I got my hands on a black Gibson Everly Brothers J-180,” Yusuf/Stevens explains. “It was my favourite guitar, and it had a very easy action. I played it almost percussively, and that sound gave real character to my recordings. It looked amazing too! Handling the new model is like going back in time to when I first started playing.”

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