Classic Hits

Billy Joel has debuted two songs from his previously unreleased concert album Live at The Great American Music Hall – 1975, which will be available as part of his upcoming box set Billy Joel – The Vinyl Collection, Vol. 1, due out November 5.

The performances, renditions of “New York State of Mind,” and “Everybody Loves You Now,” have been released as a two-track bundle available now via digital formats.

As previously reported, The Vinyl Collection, Vol. 1 is a nine-LP set featuring the famed singer/songwriter’s first six studio efforts — 1971’s Cold Spring Harbor, 1973’s Piano Man, 1974’s Streetlife Serenade, 1976’s Turnstiles, 1977’s The Stranger and 1978’s 52nd Street — plus his first live album, 1981’s Songs in the Attic, and the aforementioned Live at The Great American Music Hall. The latter album, which will appear as a two-LP set, was recorded in June 1975 in San Francisco.

Joel’s studio versions of “New York State of Mind” and “Everybody Loves You Now” appeared, respectively, on Turnstiles and Cold Spring Harbor, and the San Francisco performance of the former tune came months before Billy recorded the song.

“We rehearsed the song and played it at the show one of the first times it was ever performed live,” Joel’s Turnstiles-era live sound producer Brian Ruggles told Rolling Stone. “Billy liked the arrangement, so they recorded it that way on the album.”

Ruggles also recalled that the concert was taped using a recording truck owned by Creedence Clearwater Revival drummer Doug Clifford that was parked outside the Great American Music Hall.

“It was old school recording, but we were able to put together a pretty good recording for this special release,” Ruggles noted.

You can pre-order the box set now.

Copyright © 2021, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

This weekend in Cleveland, it’s the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony.  And each year, there’s always a story about an artist who doesn’t want to go because they either don’t like Rock Hall, or they’re feuding with their former band mates.  Back in 2017, Steve Perry was one of those artists who wasn’t going to show up for his induction as a member of Journey…but now, looking back, he’s really glad he did.

“Yeah, it turned out to be one of the most fun things I’ve ever done,” Perry told ABC Audio. In his case, he said he was concerned because “it had been so many years and the band’s moved on.”  In addition, he didn’t want to make Journey’s current lead singer, Arnel Pineda, feel uncomfortable.

“I love Arnel and I thought, y’know, out of respect for him and just where they’d gone, I thought I would just leave it alone,” he says. “Then I had a friend of mine telling me, ‘Look, you deserve to be there — you should be there too.'”

“One thing led to another, and I went,” he recalls. “And backstage, it became clear to me what I was doing there, and what I needed to say. I sketched some stuff on a paper, and when I got out there, I pulled the paper out and said, ‘I got some things to say!'”

He laughs, “They gave us all about five to six minutes…and I thought, ‘That’s not going to cut it for me!’ So I went ahead and took the moment, and thanked everybody.”

The first person Perry thanked was ex-Journey manager Herbie Herbert, who was responsible for him joining the band.  Herbert passed away Monday at age 73.

Perry’s first Christmas album, The Season, is out November 5.

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After years of stardom, Paul McCartney says he finds giving out autographs “a bit strange,” and he won’t be doing them for fans anymore.

According to Louder Sound, in an interview with Reader’s Digest, the former Beatles legend explained, “It always struck me as a bit strange. ‘Here, can I write your name down on the back of this till receipt please?’ Why? We both know who I am.”

McCartney, 79, feels similarly about taking photos with fans, adding, “What you’ve usually got is a ropey photo with a poor backdrop and me looking a bit miserable.”

So what would he like instead? “Let’s chat, let’s exchange stories,” he shared. 

Now, that doesn’t mean McCartney is opposed to greeting fans, he would just simply prefer to focus on actually connecting with them though conversation instead.

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Doors guitarist Robby Krieger has been quite busy since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic. Not only did the 75-year-old Rock & Roll Hall of Famer finish and recently publish a new memoir, Set the Night on Fire, he tells ABC Audio that he’s also completed two album projects.

“Since the pandemic, that’s all I’ve been doing is recording,” Robby reports. “I’ve got two records ready to come out, both instrumental.”

The first is a reggae-flavored covers album titled Rocks Meets Dub that he says will include renditions of The Bee Gees‘ “Stayin’ Alive” and songs by Bob Dylan and The Beatles.

Krieger says he played a lot of slide guitar on the album, which he recorded with bassist Phil Chen, who for many years was a member of the bands that Robby co-led with late Doors keyboardist Ray Manzarek.

“[Phil’s] been down with mesothelioma lately, so we wanted to do something that would make him happy,” Krieger explains. “And it just turned out really good.”

Keyboardist Ed Roth, who’s collaborated with Krieger frequently in recent years, also contributed to the album.

As for the other album, Krieger recorded that with his side project The New Experience, and is planning to release it after Rocks Meets Dub.

That group features Roth, as well as longtime Aretha Franklin bassist Kevin “Brandino” Brandon and drummer Franklin Vanderbilt, who also plays with Lenny Kravitz.

“[W]e don’t have a name for [that album] yet, but these guys are just amazing players,” Robby notes, adding that “it’s jazz, but it’s R&B as well.”

Krieger’s most recent album was another instrumental project, The Ritual Begins at Sundown, which was released in August 2020.

Meanwhile, Robby has three U.S. concerts scheduled this weekend in the Northeast with his Robby Krieger Band.

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ABBA‘s comeback album Voyage comes out next week, but even though the group is involved with the staging of its upcoming virtual concert experience in London, don’t expect any more new music from them.

That’s the word from the group’s main men, Bjorn Ulvaeus and Benny Andersson.  Speaking to the British paper The Guardian, they explain that they wrote two songs that didn’t make it onto the Voyage album, but they didn’t finish them, and so they won’t be released. “This is it,” Benny says. “It’s got to be, you know.”

Referring to the group’s breakup nearly 40 years ago, Benny adds, “I didn’t actually say that ‘this is it’ in 1982. I never said myself that ABBA was never going to happen again. But I can tell you now: this is it.” Bjorn agrees, saying, “Yeah.”

Of course, that doesn’t mean no more ABBA, period. The virtual show will play in London starting next spring and The Guardian notes that the lease on the purpose-built theater is for four-and-a-half years. In addition, the paper reports that there are “vague plans to build other theaters in other cities” so people outside the U.K. can see it more easily.

The four members of ABBA — Bjorn, Benny, Anni-Frid Lyngstad and Agnetha Fältskog — spent hours being motion-captured to create the show, which will feature de-aged digital “avatars” performing their hits, backed by a live 10-piece band and other effects. Asked if it’s weird to see themselves digitally de-aged, Bjorn says no.

“You have to realize that we are confronted by our younger selves all the time on television, in pictures and all of that….It’s completely natural,” he says. “Everyone should have their own avatar.”

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Elvis Costello will greet 2022 with a new studio album that he recorded with his longtime backing group The Imposters called The Boy Named If.

The 13-track collection, which will be released on January 14, is described in a press statement as an album “of urgent, immediate songs with bright melodies, guitar solos that sting and a quick step to the rhythm.”

Costello explains about the project, “The full title of this record is The Boy Named If (And Other Children’s Stories). ‘IF’ is a nickname for your imaginary friend; your secret self, the one who knows everything you deny, the one you blame for the shattered crockery and the hearts you break, even your own.”

The Boy Named If will be available on vinyl, CD, cassette and digital formats. There also will be “an 88-page hardback storybook edition,” each copy of which will be signed and numbered by Elvis.

The storybook edition features 13 illustrated short stories that have the same titles as the album’s songs and relate to the corresponding tunes in some way. The stories feature the lyrics of the songs, and the illustrations were created by artist Eamon Singer.

In advance of The Boy Named If, one of the tracks, “Magnificent Hurt,” has been released as a digital single.

Costello has been quite busy since the start of the pandemic. He released his last studio album, Hey Clockface, in October of 2020, followed in March 2021 by La Face de Pendule à Coucou, an EP featuring French-language versions of six songs from Hey Clockface sung by Iggy Pop, actress Isabelle Adjani and others.

In September, Elvis released Spanish Model, a Spanish-language version of his 1978 album This Year’s Model showcasing various guest singers.

Here’s The Boy Named If‘s full track list:

“Farewell, OK”
“The Boy Named If”
“Penelope Halfpenny”
“The Difference”
“What If I Can’t Give You Anything but Love?”
“Paint the Red Rose Blue”
“Mistook Me for a Friend”
“My Most Beautiful Mistake” (guest vocal by Nicole Atkins)
“Magnificent Hurt”
“The Man You Love to Hate”
“The Death of Magic Thinking”
“Trick Out the Truth”
“Mr. Crescent”

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Historic collectibles from various music legends, including Eric Clapton, Led Zeppelin‘s Robert Plant and Bob Dylan, will be up for bid during a memorabilia sale hosted by Julien’s Auctions on November 19 and 20 at the Hard Rock Café in New York City.

Among the priciest items going on the block is a 1968 Martin D-45 acoustic guitar once owned by Clapton, who played the instrument at the live debut of his group Derek and the Dominos at London’s Lyceum Theatre in June 1970. The guitar, which Clapton gifted to singer/guitarist Dave Edmunds in 1976, is estimated to sell for between $300,000 and $500,000.

Meanwhile, a sheet of lyrics for the classic Led Zeppelin song “Kashmir” handwritten by Plant on stationery letterhead from Chicago’s Whitehall Hotel is estimated to fetch between $200,000 and $300,000. The lyrics feature some differences from the studio version of the tune, which appeared on 1975’s Physical Graffiti album.

Another interesting item being auctioned is an abstract oil painting of a nude woman created by Dylan during the 1960s and gifted to his late manager, Albert Grossman, which is expected to bring in between $100,000 and $200,000.

Also up for bid is a cream-colored Fender Stratocaster Vintage ’57 reissue electric guitar that Pink Floyd‘s David Gilmour owned and played on stage with the band during the 1980s and ’90s. It’s estimated to sell for between $80,000 and $100,000.

Other items being sold as part of Julien’s Auctions’ “Icons & Idols: Rock ‘n’ Roll” event include memorabilia and artifacts from The Beatles, Guns N’ Roses, Eddie Van Halen, U2, Elvis Presley, Whitney Houston, Kurt Cobain, Michael Jackson, Madonna, Trent Reznor, Keith Richards and Quiet Riot.

Visit JuliensAuctions.com for more info.

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Herbie Herbert, the veteran music-industry figure who managed Journey from the band’s 1973 inception until 1993, died of natural causes Monday, October 25, at his home in Orinda, California, Variety reports. He was 73.

Early in his career, Herbert worked for famed concert promoter Bill Graham as a roadie for Santana, which is how he met co-founding Journey members Neal Schon and Gregg Rolie.

During the late 1960s, Herbert managed Frumious Bandsnatch, a psychedelic group that featured future Journey members Ross Valory and George Tickner.

Herbert helped put together Journey in 1973 and guided the band for the next two decades. According to Variety, he was involved in all aspects of their career, including overseeing recordings, the design of their logo and album covers, concerts and more.

In a 2017 interview with ABC Audio, ex-Journey frontman Steve Perry credited Herbert for bringing him into the band.

“Herbie…really is a legend,” Perry said, “and I’m actually in the band because he heard my demo tape and believed in me and told the band, ‘You gotta listen to this tape, I think this is the guy that should be the singer.'”

Interestingly, a reported personality conflict with Perry led to Herbert exiting Journey. He also managed the Steve Miller Band and co-managed acts like Roxette, Europe, Mr. Big and Enuff Z’Nuff.

In a lengthy tribute to Herbert, Schon wrote on his Facebook page, “I’ll cherish all the incredible times and trials and tribulations we experienced together. Herbie was an incredible hands on Manager and fought like a mother f***** for all of us every step of the way.”

Variety reports that a documentary about Herbert’s life is in production, and plans for a memorial celebration will be announced soon.

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Anyone can start a podcast that talks about an artist, but what about an entire podcast series about a single song?  We Didn’t Start the Fire: The History Podcast is solely devoted to Billy Joel‘s 1989 number-one hit, and a few days ago, the Piano Man himself appeared on it to discuss the song, its legacy and, surprisingly, how much people dislike it.

“The only thing I’ve heard about that song from people is, ‘I hate that song!'” Billy told podcast hosts Katie Puckrik and Tom Fordyce. “Some people hate that song. It’s one of the most hated things I ever wrote! And I don’t get the hate.”

“I mean, I hate the music, because it’s not good,” Billy admitted. “But I think the lyrics are fairly clever, I think I did a pretty good job with the words, but some people just hate that thing.”

As for why the music isn’t good, Billy explained, “I wrote the words first, which is why the music is so horrible in that song. I usually write the music first and then I write the lyrics, but in that song, the melody…it’s like a mosquito buzzing around your head! It’s more annoying than musical.”

Each episode of the podcast is a deep dive into one of the historical figures or event named in the song, from Eisenhower and The King and I, to Liberace and Joseph Stalin.  Billy discusses what inspired the song, why he chose to mention certain people, and answers trivia questions about those people.

By the way, despite its “horrible” music, “We Didn’t Start the Fire” is one of only three Billboard Hot 100 number-one hits Billy has had in his career, next to “It’s Still Rock ‘n Roll to Me” and “Tell Her About It.”

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This week marks the 40th anniversary of the release of The J.Geils Band‘s chart-topping album, Freeze-Frame.

Released on October 26, 1981, Freeze-Frame saw the veteran blues/R&B-influenced rock band finally enjoy major commercial success after years of critical acclaim and moderate popularity.

The album spent four weeks at #1 on the Billboard 200 in February of 1982, while the song “Centerfold” became the group’s only single to top the Billboard Hot 100, enjoying a six-week run at the pinnacle of the chart around the same time.

Freeze-Frame also yielded a #4 Hot 100 hit with its title track, while a third single, the ballad “Angel in Blue,” peaked at #40.

The popularity of “Centerfold” and “Freeze-Frame” were bolstered by music videos for the tunes that went into heavy rotation on MTV.

Keyboardist Seth Justman wrote or co-wrote all of Freeze-Frame‘s nine tracks, and he produced and arranged the record. Four of the songs were co-penned by frontman Peter Wolf, among them “Freeze-Frame.”

Freeze-Frame, which was The J. Geils Band’s 10th studio effort, went on to sell more than one million copies in the U.S., making it the group’s only album to be certified Platinum by the RIAA.

Wolf left The J. Geils Band in 1983 because of disagreements over the group’s musical direction, and began solo career. The band released just one more studio album, 1984’s You’re Gettin’ Even While I’m Gettin’ Odd, which featured Justman taking over lead vocals. The band broke up in ’85.

Over the years, J. Geils Band members have participated in various full or partial reunions, most recently in 2015. Band leader and guitarist John “J.” Geils died in 2017 at age 71.

Here’s the full Freeze-Frame track list:

“Freeze-Frame”
“Rage in the Cage”
“Centerfold”
“Do You Remember When”
“Insane, Insane Again”
“Flamethrower”
“River Blindness”
“Angel in Blue”
“P*** on the Wall”

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