Classic Hits

Today would have been Aretha Franklin‘s 80th birthday, so let’s show the late Queen of Soul some major respect.

Widely considered one of the all-time greatest vocalists, Franklin started singing gospel music as a child in the Detroit church where her father was minister. In 1960, at age 18, she signed to Columbia Records and experienced some R&B chart success. Her career really took off after signing to Atlantic Records in 1967.

For Atlantic, Franklin recorded the now-classics “Respect,” “Chain of Fools,” “(You Make Me Feel Like) A Natural Woman” and many more.

Franklin was also part of the civil rights movement of the ’60s. She sang at events with Martin Luther King Jr., and “Respect” became a civil rights anthem. When King was assassinated in 1968, Franklin performed at his funeral.

Aretha’s hits continued through the ’70s. After leaving Atlantic Records, she signed to Clive Davis‘ label, Arista, in 1980. With Arista, she racked up hits like “Who’s Zoomin’ Who” and “Freeway of Love.” In 1987, she became the first female performer inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

Around this time, Aretha also recorded duets with various artists, including Eurythmics and George Michael. She and Michael scored a #1 hit with “I Knew You Were Waiting for Me.”

In 1994, Franklin was saluted at the Kennedy Center Honors and received a Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award. Her other honors included the National Medal of the Arts and the Presidential Medal of Freedom.

Sadly, Aretha died of pancreatic cancer in August 2018. She was 76.

Last August, the well-received Aretha biopic Respect was released. It starred Jennifer Hudson, whom Franklin had chosen to portray her.

Also last year, Rolling Stone published its updated “500 Greatest Songs of All Time” list. At #1? Aretha’s “Respect.”

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Deep Purple‘s classic sixth studio album, Machine Head, was released 50 years ago today. The record features some of the British rockers’ most enduring tunes, including “Highway Star,” “Space Truckin'” and, of course, the band’s signature song, “Smoke on the Water.”

Driven by the popularity of “Smoke on the Water,” Machine Head became Deep Purple’s highest-charting and best-selling album in the U.S., peaking at #7 on the Billboard 200 and selling over two million copies.

“Smoke on the Water” reached #4 on the Billboard Hot 100, the band’s best-charting U.S. single along with 1968’s “Hush.”

Deep Purple recorded Machine Head in late 1971 in Montreux, Switzerland, on Lake Geneva. While the band was there, the infamous incident occurred that inspired “Smoke on the Water.” Frank Zappa was playing a concert at the Montreux Casino, and during the show, someone in the audience fired a flare gun into the venue’s bamboo ceiling, causing a fire that burned down the building.

After the band had recorded a track featuring guitarist Ritchie Blackmore‘s famous riff, singer Ian Gillan and bassist Roger Glover came up with the lyrics telling the story of the fire.

In 2016, Guitar Player magazine ranked the “Smoke on the Water” riff as the second greatest guitar riff of all time. Blackmore tells ABC Audio that with songs by The Kinks and The Rolling Stones in mind, he intentionally wrote the riff simply figuring it would have wider appeal.

“[M]y whole idea was to pull myself back and think, ‘I want to play something the postman can whistle when he’s…delivering letters,'” he explains.

Ritchie adds, “I think [that’s] why a lot of guitarists go to music shops and play it, because it’s very simple to play.”

Here’s the full Machine Head track list:

“Highway Star”
“Maybe I’m a Leo”
“Pictures of Home”
“Never Before”
“Smoke on the Water”
“Lazy”
“Space Truckin'”

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Rick Astley‘s 1987 debut album, Whenever You Need Somebody, celebrates its 35th anniversary this year, and to mark the milestone, and remastered and expanded version of the hugely successful record will be released on May 6.

The expanded Whenever You Need Somebody, which will be available as a two-CD set and via digital formats, will feature a remastered version of the original album, as well as a variety of bonus tracks, including B-sides, remixes, instrumental versions and Astley’s own reimagined renditions of some of the tunes.

The physical package also includes a booklet featuring previously unseen archival photos, new liner notes, and recollections from Astley and two of the album’s main songwriters, Mike Stock and Pete Waterman.

Released in November 1987, Whenever You Need Somebody featured Rick’s two biggest hits — the chart-topping smashes “Never Gonna Give You Up” and “Together Forever” — as well as the #10 single “It Would Take a Strong Strong Man.”  The album reached #10 on the Billboard 200 and #1 in the U.K., and has gone on two be RIAA-certified double Platinum for sales of over two million in the U.S.

“Whenever I sing these songs or even hear them on the radio, it brings back so many great memories,” says Astley. “It makes me appreciate how lucky I was to have met all the people I worked with around making that first record. ‘Never Gonna Give You Up’ established me in America and let me travel the world — which, for a 21-year-old from Newton-le-Willows [U.K.], was mind-blowing.”

You can pre-order the Whenever You Need Somebody reissue now, and you can check out a restored 4K version of the “Together Forever” music video at Rick’s YouTube channel.

Here’s the track list for the two-CD reissue:

CD 1
“Never Gonna Give You Up” — 2022 Remaster
“Whenever You Need Somebody” — 2022 Remaster
“Together Forever” — 2022 Remaster
“It Would Take a Strong Strong Man” — 2022 Remaster
“The Love Has Gone” — 2022 Remaster
“Don’t Say Goodbye” — 2022 Remaster
“Slipping Away” — 2022 Remaster
“No More Looking for Love” — 2022 Remaster
“You Move Me” — 2022 Remaster
“When I Fall In Love” — 2022 Remaster
“My Arms Keep Missing You”
“I’ll Never Set You Free” — 7″ Mix
“Just Good Friends”
“Never Gonna Give You Up” (Pianoforte)
“Together Forever” (Reimagined)
“Whenever You Need Somebody” (Reimagined)
“When I Fall In Love” (Reimagined)

CD 2
“Never Gonna Give You Up” (Phil Harding 12″ Mix)
“Together Forever” (Lover’s Leap Remix)
“My Arms Keep Missing You” (The “Where’s The Harry” Remix)
“Whenever You Need Somebody” (XK 150 Mix)
“My Arms Keep Missing You” (Bruno’s Remix)
“Never Gonna Give You Up” (Cake Mix)
“Whenever You Need Somebody” (Lonely Hearts Mix)
“My Arms Keep Missing You” (No L Mix)
“Never Gonna Give You Up” (Escape From Newton Mix)
“Together Forever” (House Of Love Mix)
“Whenever You Need Somebody” (Rick Sets It Off Mix)
“Never Gonna Give You Up” (Instrumental)
“It Would Take a Strong Strong Man” (Instrumental)
“Whenever You Need Somebody” (Instrumental)

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The Eagles will bring their long run of dates on the U.S. leg of their Hotel California 2022 Tour to a close with a newly announced concert at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas on May 28.

Tickets for the show go on sale to the general public on Friday, April 1, at 10 a.m. PT via AXS.com. A variety of presales opportunites also will be available, starting next Thursday, March 31, at 10 a.m. PT. A limited number of VIP packages also will be sold. Visit Eagles.com for more details about the tour and tickets.

The Eagles kicked off the latest leg of their trek last month, and the band has 17 more shows on their U.S. itinerary, including the Las Vegas gig. The Rock and Roll Hall of Famers launched their Hotel California Tour in 2019 with three sold-out concerts at the MGM Grand Garden Arena.

As previously announced, the Hotel California trek features the current Eagles lineup performing the band’s classic 1976 album of the same name in its entirety, as well as other classics, accompanied by an orchestra and a choir. Singer/guitarist Deacon Frey, who joined the Eagles’ touring lineup in 2017 after the 2016 death of his father, founding member Glenn Frey, has been sitting out the 2022 trek because of an undisclosed illness.

Meanwhile, the Eagles won’t be taking it easy after wrapping the U.S. tour leg. They also have five shows in Europe scheduled for June.

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Red Hot Chili Peppers announced last night on their social media sites that a new song from their forthcoming studio album Unlimited Love called “Not the One” would be released this Friday, but the track now has dropped a day early.

“Not the One” is the third advance track to be released from Unlimited Love, following lead single “Black Summer” and “Poster Child.” It’s available now via steaming services and as a digital download.

The introspective ballad features frontman Anthony Kiedis singing in the chorus, “Give me the love and I’ll tell you when I want to come/ Give me the love and I’ll tell you when I want to run/ Blues strides are calling me/ I can’t stop falling/ Give me the love and I’ll tell you when I want to run.”

Unlimited Love will be released on April 1. The Chili Peppers recently unveiled the album’s full track list, featuring 17 songs.

The Peppers will launch a worldwide tour in support of Unlimited Love in early June. A U.S. leg kicks off on July 23 in Denver.

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Sixteen-time Grammy winner Paul Simon is the latest artist whose music will be celebrated at a Grammy tribute concert that will air on CBS later this year.

The concert, called Homeward Bound: A GRAMMY Salute to the Songs of Paul Simon, takes place April 6 at the Hollywood Pantages Theater in Los Angeles, and will feature Simon’s songs performed by artists from the worlds of rock, pop, country, reggae and more, underscoring the many musical genres he’s explored during his 50-year-plus solo career.

Dave Matthews, country stars Little Big Town and Brad Paisley, vocal group Take 6, New Orleans legends Irma Thomas and Trombone Shorty, singer/songwriter Brandi Carlile, Americana artist Rhiannon Giddens, reggae superstar Shaggy and world music star Angélique Kidjo will all be performing Simon tunes, with additional performers and guests to be announced later.  Paul himself will also make a special appearance.

Tickets for the tribute concert go on sale Saturday at 10 a.m. PT via Ticketmaster.

The concert is the latest installment of the ongoing “Grammy Salute” series of star-studded concerts that have focused on the music of Elton John, The Beatles, The Bee Gees, Prince, Whitney Houston and others.

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“Prince: The Immersive Experience” will debut on June 9 – two days after the late musician’s birthday – at the Shops at North Bridge on the Magnificent Mile in Chicago.

The interactive experience, presented by Superfly and in partnership with The Prince Estate, will take visitors on a journey through Prince’s life, offering 10 multidimensional spaces to witness the singer’s creative evolution and original sound. 

“It is an absolute honor to partner with The Prince Estate to create an experience that celebrates Prince’s legendary music and the inspirational way that he lived his life,” Superfly Co-founder Kerry Black said in a statement. “I know I will forever be changed by working on this project and hope fans will bring a little Prince inspiration home with them, too.”

One of the spaces will allow fans to “step inside the Purple Rain album cove,r” where they can mix a hit directly out of Prince’s coveted Paisley Park Studio A and boogie down to an audiovisual dance party with an accompanying lighting design. The exhibit will also feature photography, historic instruments and wardrobe pieces and much more. 

Though Superfly is known for creating entertainment-based experiences like “The Friends Experience” and “The Office Experience,” Black says the latest project is “next level,” according to Rolling Stone.

Tickets for “Prince: The Immersive Experience” go on sale Thursday, March 31, exclusively at PrinceTheExperience.com.

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The On the Blue Cruise, the seagoing music festival hosted by Moody Blues singer/guitarist Justin Hayward will return next year for its first voyage since the COVID-19 pandemic began.

The 2023 edition of the event will set sail January 28 in Miami and will Harvest Caye, Belize, and Costa Maya, Mexico, before wrapping up on February 2.

In addition to Hayward, the cruise’s initial lineup also includes The Zombies, Dave Mason, Alan Parsons, Starship Featuring Mickey Thomas, Little River Band, The Lovin’ Spoonful, Orleans, Firefall, The Babys, Renaissance, Pat Travers Band and more.

Hayward’s shows will feature the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductee playing Moody Blues classic and deep cuts, as well as songs from his solo career. He also will take part in an intimate Q&A event.

Besides the various performances, which will be presented on multiple stages, the cruise will feature a variety of curated activities, including photo opportunities with some of the performers, themed nights, a dance party, a “Painting with Rock Stars” event, and much more.

Attractions and amenities on the cruise ship include pools, hot tubs, a casino, a fitness center and a disco/night club.

The general public will be able to book cabins on the cruise starting today at 2 p.m. ET, with prices beginning at $1,299 per person. Visit OntheBlueCruise.com for full details.

Next year’s On the Blue Cruise will be the first since 2019.

Meanwhile, Hayward recently joined the lineup of the 2022 Cruise to the Edge, which will take place May 2-May 7. Immediately following that cruise, Justin will launch a U.S. solo tour that’s scheduled to run from a May 10 show in Birmingham, Alabama, through a June 3 concert in Denver. He’s also lined up a U.K. trek in September.

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Prolific hit songwriter Desmond Child will headline a special songwriting-themed edition of Rock ‘n’ Roll Fantasy Camp scheduled to take place April 7-10 in Nashville.

Child, who has co-written such classic songs as Bon Jovi‘s “You Give Love a Bad Name” and “Livin’ on a Prayer,” Aerosmith‘s “Dude Looks Like a Lady,” KISS‘ “I Was Made for Lovin’ You” and Ricky Martin‘s “Livin’ la Vida Loca,” will be joined by — as he describes them — “spectacular featured guests,” including Steve Cropper, Emmylou Harris, John Hiatt, Marti Frederiksen and Desmond’s “all-time hero,” Felix Cavaliere from The Rascals.

Attendees will be expected to bring their own original songs to the camp, and Child will share his expertise on how to hone their compositions. In addition, he will give campers assignments to write various types of tunes, and campers also will collaborate with each other on songs.

Of course, the guest mentors also will be on hand to impart their songwriting knowledge.

“I’m gonna be attending every single one of those [sessions] if they don’t have me busy doing mine,” Child tells ABC Audio, “because there’s something to learn from everybody.”

Regarding his own participation in the camp, Child says, “I have all of this knowledge inside that I’m dying to share…with young people [who]…even if they don’t make it their career…have that kind of appreciation of…how a song is made and how it’s constructed and what makes a song successful.”

In addition to the various aspects of songwriting, the camp will focus on such topics as recording demos, navigating through the music business and much more.

Desmond says that for him, though, “the main thing is to be inspired by art, by creating.”

Visit RockCamp.com for full details about “Desmond Child & Friends” camp.

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Former Genesis guitarist Steve Hackett kicks off a 36-date North American tour leg with a two-show engagement this Saturday and Sunday, March 26-27, in Oakville, Ontario, Canada.

The trek, dubbed “Genesis Revisited: Seconds Out + More Tour,” is plotted out through a May 19 concert in Seattle. As the trek’s name implies, Hackett and his solo band will be performing Genesis’ 1977 live double album Seconds Out in its entirety at each show. Steve tells ABC Audio that the concerts also will feature some material from his new solo album, 2021’s Surrender of Silence, “and some old favorites as well.”

Hackett notes that Seconds Out is an album “much loved by fans,” and says about the performance, “[W]e’re doing full-length things. We’re doing all the introductions, all the ins and outs to try and give people the works.”

As for his band’s preparation for the trek, Steve says, “They’re sounding spectacular. They sound wonderful. And it’s not easy music. I won’t pretend that it is. You have to be on your mettle the whole time.”

Nine of the U.S. concerts that Hackett is playing on the tour actually are rescheduled dates from shows that were postponed in 2020 and 2021. Those concerts also will include a full performance of Genesis’ 1973 studio album Selling England by the Pound, as well as Seconds Out.

In other news, a two-CD/three-LP version of Hackett’s his 2019 concert album Genesis Revisited Band & Orchestra: Live at the Royal Festival Hall will be released on May 6.

The collection, which previously was issued as a two-CD/DVD/Blu-ray set, documents an October 2018 show in London that featured Hackett and his touring band accompanied by the 41-piece Heart of England Orchestra.

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