Classic Hits

Limited-edition vinyl discs from Elton John, The Rolling Stones, Madonna and The Who are among the exclusive releases that’ll be available at independent record stores for the 2022 installment of Record Store Day.

Elton’s Record Store Day offering is The Complete Thom Bell Sessions, a six-song EP pressed on purple vinyl that’s an expanded version of an EP he released in 1977.

The Rolling Stones’ release is a 50th anniversary reissue of their classic 1972 two-LP compilation More Hot Rocks, pressed on glow-in-the-dark vinyl.

Madonna is issuing a five-track red-vinyl maxi EP celebrating the 35th anniversary of the soundtrack to her 1987 film Who’s That Girl, including a “Super Club Mix” of the title track.

The Who is releasing an expanded 40th anniversary reissue of their 1982 album It’s Hard. The two-LP collection features bonus tracks, and one orange and one yellow disc.

This year’s Record Store Day features over 320 titles in all, including releases from Allman Brothers Band, America, Asia, Rick Astley, Blondie, David Bowie, Mariah Carey, Belinda Carlisle, Ray Charles, Chicago, The Cure, Def Leppard, Devo, Thomas Dolby, The Doors, Sheena Easton, The Everly Brothers, Frankie Goes to Hollywood, Peter Gabriel, Billy Gibbons, The Jackson 5, Joan Jett, The Kinks, The Knack, Nick Lowe, Madness, Joni Mitchell, Stevie Nicks, Night Ranger, Prince, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Keith Richards, Santana, Simple Minds, Ringo Starr, Donna Summer, The Sweet, Pete Townshend, U2 and Barry White.

Record Store Day 2022 takes place April 23. Additionally, organizers are setting aside June 18 as a “safety net” drop date for planned releases that can’t make it to stores by April 23 due to issues including manufacturing or shipping delays.

For the full list of releases and participating stores, visit RecordStoreDay.com.

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Rolling Stones guitarist Keith Richards will headline the sixth annual edition of the star-studded Love Rocks NYC! benefit concert, which will take place March 10 at the Beacon Theatre in New York City.

The show will feature Richards reuniting with his solo band The X-Pensive Winos. The lineup also includes Melissa Etheridge, Mavis Staples, ex-Allman Brothers Band singer/guitarist Warren Haynes, Hozier and many more.

The Love Rocks NYC! concert raises money for the God’s Love We Deliver charity, which provides nutritious meals to seriously ill people in the New York City area.

The show will be co-hosted by comedian Mario Cantone and actors Gina Gershon, Kiefer Sutherland, Steve Schirripa and Michelle Buteau.

The event’s house band will be led by longtime CBS Orchestra bassist Will Lee, and will include one-time Bob Dylan and Levon Helm touring guitarist Larry Campbell, Eric Clapton touring drummer Steve Gadd and Fleetwood Mac touring keyboardist Ricky Peterson.

You can sign up for more information about the concert at LoveRocksNYC.com and GLWD.org. The website also is offering a free encore stream of the 2021 Love Rocks NYC! show, which included performances from Jon Bon Jovi, ZZ Top‘s Billy Gibbons, Haynes and many others. Those who watch the event are encouraged to donate money to God’s Love We Deliver.

Richards performance with The X-Pensive Winos at the benefit show takes place just eight days before the release of the 30th anniversary reissue of Keith’s 1992 solo album, Main Offender, which he mainly recorded with the members of the band.

The X-Pensive Winos feature acclaimed drummer/producer Steve Jordan — who became The Rolling Stones’ touring drummer in 2021 — guitarist Waddy Wachtel, bassist/keyboardist Charley Drayton and keyboardist Ivan Neville.

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Veteran Scottish hard-rockers Nazareth will release their 25th album, Surviving the Law, on April 15.

The 14-track collection can be pre-ordered now, and will be available on CD, vinyl, cassette and digital formats.

Nazareth has released the album’s lead track, “Strange Days,” as an advance digital single.  A music video for the tune has premiered at the Frontiers Music label’s official YouTube channel.

The band’s current lineup features original bassist Pete Agnew; guitarist Jimmy Murrison, who joined Nazareth in 1994; drummer Lee Agnew, Pete’s son, whose been a member of the group since 1999; and lead singer Carl Sentence, who replaced founding frontman Dan McCafferty in 2015 after McCafferty was forced to retire for health reasons.

Surviving the Law is the second studio album the current Nazareth lineup has recorded, following 2018’s Tattooed on My Brain. The new project features songwriting contributions from all four band members.

Nazareth is best-known in the U.S. for their top 10 cover of the Everly Brothers hit “Love Hurts,” and the classic rock staple “Hair of the Dog,” which both appeared on the band’s 1975 album, Hair of the Dog.

Here’s the full track list of Surviving the Law:

“Strange Days”
“You Gotta Pass It Around”
“Runaway”
“Better Leave It Out”
“Mind Bomb”
“Sweet Kiss”
“Falling In Love”
“Waiting for the World to End”
“Let the Whisky Flow”
“Sinner”
“Ciggies and Booze”
“Psycho Skies”
“Love Breaks”
“You Made Me”

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It doesn’t make a difference if you make it or not, but Bon Jovi is asking local bands to audition to open for them on their upcoming tour.

Bands who are interested in auditioning should submit a video to BonJovi.com of themselves performing original music.  One band will be chosen for each concert date.

Bon Jovi’s tour kicks off April 1 in Omaha, NE and is currently scheduled to wrap up April 30 in Nashville. Tickets are on sale now.  The trek comes in support of the most recent Bon Jovi album, 2020, which was released in October of 2020 after being delayed due to the pandemic.

For the past two years, the band has been creating online performance content. However, Jon Bon Jovi says in a statement, “We have all missed touring and we know that nothing can replace the energy of a live show for the fans or the band.”

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KISS has announced plans for the 11th annual installment of The KISS Kruise, which will take place October 29 to November 3 this fall. According to a message on the seagoing rock festival’s official website, this year’s cruise will be the last time that the band “will perform on the high seas.”

The five-day nautical extravaganza will be the first KISS Kruise to set sail from and visit sites on the West Coast, embarking from Los Angeles and stopping at Cabo San Lucas and Ensenada, Mexico, before returning to port.

You can sign up today at TheKISSKruise.com to have access to a pre-sale for the cruise. The KISS Kruise XI “Experience” will feature an unmasked concert by the band on deck, a full “masked” electric show in the ship’s Stardust Theater, an engraved commemorative gift, two activities with KISS, two activities with individual members of the group, an expo offering rare memorabilia, concerts by various other artists, autograph sessions with members of the cruise’s support acts, and more.

The lineup of acts joining KISS on the cruise is expected to be announced soon.

KISS frontman Paul Stanley appears in a video promoting this year’s KISS Kruise that been posted on the group’s YouTube channel.

“[W]e’re gonna have great bands. We’re gonna have a great time,” Stanley says in the clip, then teases, “Everybody says, ‘When is it gonna be the last one?’ Well, this is KISS Kruise XI, and you don’t want to miss it for a whole lot of reasons. I want you there. You deserve to be there. Be there!”

Meanwhile, KISS’ End of the Road farewell tour is scheduled to relaunch with a South American leg starting April 20 in Santiago, Chile. The trek likely will continue into 2023.

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Duran Duran will head to Los Angeles in the late summer for a special engagement at the famous Hollywood Bowl on September 9, 10 and 11.

The three-show stand, dubbed “Duran Duran: FUTURE PAST WEEKEND,” will celebrate the British band’s 40th anniversary and their latest studio album, 2021’s Future Past.

The concerts will feature various special guests joining Duran Duran, and a set list that will include songs from Future Past along with hits from throughout the group’s long career.

Tickets to the Hollywood Bowl gigs will go on sale to the general public on May 3 at 10 a.m. PT at HollywoodBowl.com. Pre-sale tickets will be available to members of Duran Duran’s VIP fan community starting Tuesday, April 26, at 10 a.m. PT. For more information, visit the pre-sale page at DuranDuranMusic.com as the pre-sale date approaches.

Duran Duran currently has shows lined up in a variety European countries in the spring and summer.

As previously reported, Future Past, which was released last October, includes guest appearances by Blur guitarist Graham Coxon, Swedish pop singer Tove Lo, German-born U.K. rapper Ivorian Doll, Japanese punk group CHAI and longtime David Bowie keyboardist Mike Garson.

Meanwhile, Duran Duran recently received its first-ever nomination for the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, and currently is leading the online fan poll hosted by the Rock Hall. As of Tuesday afternoon, the band was over 700 votes ahead of rapper Eminem, who’s in second place. You can vote for your favorite nominee or just check out the standings by visiting vote.rockhall.com.

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Elvis Costello and his longtime backing band The Imposters have unveiled plans for a 20-date North American summer tour in support of their recently released studio album, The Boy Named If.

So far, 15 shows have been confirmed for the trek, which has been dubbed “The Boy Named If & Other Favourites,” spanning from an August 6 concert in Huber Heights, Ohio, through a September 3 performance in Las Vegas.

Opening most of the shows will be Elvis’ old pal and collaborator Nick Lowe, who will be performing with the wrestling-mask-wearing surf-rock band Los Straightjackets. This will mark the first time since 1989 that Costello and Lowe have toured together. Singer/songwriter Nicole Atkins, who lends guest vocals to The Boy Named If track “My Most Beautiful Mistake,” will be the support act at the Huber Heights concert and an August 9 show in Buffalo, New York.

Lowe’s association with Costello dates back to the 1970s, and Nick produced Elvis’ first four studios albums and co-produced two others. Elvis also famously covered “(What’s So Funny ‘Bout) Peace, Love, and Understanding,” which Nick wrote in 1974 for his early band, Brinsley Schwarz.

Playing with The Imposters on the upcoming trek will be guitarist Charley Sexton, a longtime member of Bob Dylan‘s touring band. Sexton also joined Costello and The Imposters on their 22-date “Hello Again” tour in 2021.

Tickets for the upcoming concerts is year’s outing go on sale to the general public starting this Friday, February 18. Pre-sale tickets for many of the shows also will be available. Visit ElvisCostello.com for more information. More dates will be announced soon.

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Lionel Richie has opened up about a scary moment in his life when he thought he had lost his singing voice.

Speaking to People, the “Hello” hitmaker recalled when he was struck by a mysterious throat illness during the height of his career and how he had to undergo multiple surgeries to treat it.  “You don’t want anybody fooling around down there. This is your identity,” he said of having doctors operate on his throat four separate times. “I never really thought that it would end.”

Lionel battled his throat condition amid his divorce from ex-wife Brenda Harvey and while grappling with the loss of his father, Lionel Brockman Richie Sr., who passed in 1990.  Lionel said during that time, he came “About as close as you ever would’ve come to a nervous breakdown.”

The 72-year-old Grammy winner recalled a chance meeting with a fan that put it all in perspective, saying an elderly Black man walked up to him while he was in Jamaica and told him, “You must survive because you are our beacon of hope…If you make it, we know we can make it. If you accomplish, we know we can accomplish.”  Lionel said he “was crying” as the man told him that.

Richie has since discovered it was diet-induced acid reflux that was causing his issues, and has made a full recovery.

Lionel shared the lesson his father taught him about maintaining a positive outlook on life, which is, “Aptitude plus attitude determines altitude.”

“If you happen to have both, sky’s the limit, but if you’re only blessed with one, have the right attitude because people will love to have you around,” Lionel shared.

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Stevie Nicks is among the artists who will headline the inaugural Sound on Sound festival, taking place September 24-25 at Seaside Park in Bridgeport, Connecticut.

The other headliners for the event are Dave Matthews and The Lumineers. Matthews will be performing as a duo with his frequent collaborator, Tim Reynolds.

The bill, which features more than 20 acts in all, also includes Ziggy Marley, Spin Doctors, Gary Clark Jr., Brandi Carlile, Jenny Lewis and The National.

Sound on Sound is being put on by Founders Entertainment, the same company behind New York City’s annual Governors Ball Music Festival. For the full lineup and ticket info, visit SoundonSoundCT.com.

Nicks also is confirmed to perform at three other U.S. festivals this year — on May 7 at the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival; on June 19 at Bonnaroo in Manchester, Tennessee; and in early September at the JAS Aspen Snowmass event in Snowmass, Colorado.

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Billy Joel‘s mother Rosalind Nyman Joel would have been 100 years old today, and a restaurant where she and Billy used to eat when he was a kid is marking the occasion in a unique way.

DiMaggio’s Pizza of New York is a pizzeria across the street from where Billy was raised in Hicksville, New York, and when Billy was a kid, he and his mom would stop there to grab food after she took him for his music lessons.  At noon today, the restaurant will dedicate the “Roz Pie” in honor of Rosalind, who was born February 15, 1922.  The inspiration for Billy’s song “Rosalinda’s Eyes,” Rosalind passed away in 2014 at the age of 92.

DiMaggio’s will also host a singalong with civic and community leaders on Hicksville’s Village Green, which Billy immortalized in the lyrics of his song “Scenes from an Italian Restaurant.”

There’s no word on whether Billy himself will stop by, but there’s a good chance he’ll be in the area: His next concert date isn’t until February 26 in Las Vegas.

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