Classic Hits

An archival performance video and album capturing a live in-studio session by Bob Marley and the Wailers, recorded and filmed in October 1973 at the Capitol Records Tower in Los Angeles, will be released in multiple formats on September 3.

Bob Marley and The Wailers: The Capitol Session ’73 can be pre-ordered now, and will be available as a DVD/CD package, a standalone CD, a two-LP colored-vinyl set and digitally.

Famed producer Denny Cordell set up a four-camera shoot filming the band playing 12 songs, with most of the material coming from the group’s two most recent albums — 1973’s Burnin’ and 1972’s Catch a Fire. Among the classic tunes Marley and The Wailers performed were “Stir It Up,” “Get Up Stand Up” and “Kinky Reggae.”

The footage from the session was considered lost for many years, but over the last two decades the film was fully unearthed at various storage units, and now has been restored and remastered.

At the time of the October ’73 session, Marley and his group had started to establish themselves in the U.S. They had been touring as Sly and the Family Stone‘s opening act, but had been fired from the trek and so decided to make their way to LA, where the session took place.

In advance of The Capitol Session ’73‘s release, a video of Marley and the Wailers performing “Stir It Up” has debuted on Marley’s official YouTube channel and the audio has been made available via streaming services.

The two-LP set will be available on green marble vinyl and, exclusively from TheSoundofVinyl.us, on Rasta swirl vinyl — that is, red, yellow and green.

Here’s the release’s full track list:

“You Can’t Blame the Youth”
“Slave Driver”
“Burnin’ and Lootin'”
“Rastaman Chant”
“Duppy Conqueror”
“Midnight Raver”
“Put It On”
“Stop that Train”
“Kinky Reggae”
“Stir It Up”
“No More Trouble”
“Get Up Stand Up”

DVD bonus tracks:
“Duppy Conqueror”
“Rastaman Chant”

Copyright © 2021, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

Elvis Costello has enlisted some of the biggest artists from the Latin music world to create a Spanish-language reimagining his 1978 sophomore studio effort, This Year’s Model.

The new album, titled Spanish Model, will be released on September 10, and features all of the songs from This Year’s Model plus select other tunes from that record’s sessions, with the various Latin artists singing the songs’ lyrics in Spanish over the original music played by Costello and his band The Attractions.

Costello collaborated on the project with Latin Grammy Producer of the Year winner Sebastian Krys, who remixed the This Year’s Model tracks from the original master recordings.

“Part of the fun of this project is its unexpected nature,” Elvis says. “Although, I think people in my audience that have been paying attention are pretty much used to surprises by now.”

Colombian rock star Juanes‘ rendition of the Costello classic “Pump It Up” has been released as an advance digital single from Spanish Model, and a companion music video has debuted at Costello’s official YouTube channel.

“‘Pump It Up’ is such an iconic and signature song from Elvis’ amazing repertoire, that it was a real honor to have the chance to sing with the original 1978 recording and be a part of that propulsive energy,” says Juanes.

Other artists who have contributed to the album include Luis Fonsi, Sebastián Yatra and Cami.

Spanish Model will be available on CD, digitally and as a 180-gram vinyl LP. A newly remastered version of This Year’s Model also will be issued on September 10. In addition, a limited-edition two-LP set pairing the remastered original album with Spanish Model will be available exclusively via ElvisCostello.com, uDiscoverMusic.com and the Sound of Vinyl website.

Here’s the Spanish Model track list:

“No Action” — Nina Diaz
“(Yo No Quiero Ir a) Chelsea” (“[I Don’t Want to Go to] Chelsea”) — Raquel Sofía y Fuego
“Yo Te Vi” (“The Beat”) — Draco Rosa
“Pump It Up” — Juanes
“Detonantes” (“Little Triggers”) — La Marisoul
“Tu Eres Para Mi” (“You Belong to Me”) — Luis Fonsi
“Hand in Hand” — Francisca Valenzuela y Luis Humberto Navejas
“La Chica de Hoy” (“This Year’s Girl”) — Cami
“Mentira” (“Lip Service”) — Pablo López
“Viviendo en el Paraiso” (“Living in Paradise”) — Jesse & Joy
“Lipstick Vogue” — Morat
“La Turba” (“Night Rally”) — Jorge Drexler
“Llorar” (“Big Tears”) — Sebastián Yatra
“Radio Radio” — Fito Páez
“Crawling to the U.S.A.” — Gian Marco y Nicole Zignago
“Se Esta Perdiendo la Inocencia” (“Running Out of Angels”) — Vega

Copyright © 2021, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

Jethro Tull has unveiled plans to release a new studio album titled The Zealot Gene in early 2022. It’s part of a new label deal the veteran U.K. prog-rockers signed with InsideOut Music and Sony Music.

The project will apparently be the first studio effort that frontman Ian Anderson will release under the Jethro Tull name since 2003’s The Jethro Tull Christmas Album.

Anderson says about his new record deal, “After 54 years in the world of music recording, it is with great pleasure that I now sign Jethro Tull to a record company which reminds me, in many ways, of [our former record label] Chrysalis.”

“Here are real music guys with a passion for the best and most creative in rock music,” he adds. “We look forward to a long and fruitful relationship and more releases to come.”

InsideOut Music executive Thomas Waber notes, “Adding Jethro Tull to the roster is an incredible honor for us. The band are true innovators of the genre and we are looking forward to working with them on their new album.”

The current Jethro Tull lineup also features bassist David Goodier, keyboardist and accordionist John O’Hara, drummer Scott Hammond and guitarist Joe Parrish. Goodier and O’Hara joined the band in 2007, Hammond in 2017 and Parrish in 2020.

Copyright © 2021, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

It’s Christmas in July! And to celebrate Mariah Carey is releasing a limited edition crate filled with holiday goodies. 

The legendary voice behind the Christmas classic “All I Want for Christmas Is You” announced the news on Thursday, sharing an animated clip of Santa Claus taking her call while in a tropical-looking location.

“Hey Santa, it’s Mariah,” she says in the clip. “I miss you so much and I cannot wait for you to see what I’ve been working on. A sneak peek is out now and there’s even bigger news coming later.”

“Alright, love you,” Mariah concludes. “Merry Christmas in July!”

In the caption, the songstress directs to fans to a website where it’s revealed that she’s selling a limited edition crate “full of Mariah Christmas collectibles! From ornaments and gifting essentials like baker’s twine and exclusive gift labels to holiday baking treats like an exclusive cookie plate.” 

The crates, which sell for $49.99 plus shipping, are on sale now, however, the website states that they won’t be shipped out until November. 

Visit LootCrate.com/mariah-carey to learn more.

 

 

 

 

View this post on Instagram

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

A post shared by Mariah Carey (@mariahcarey)

Copyright © 2021, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

This Saturday, July 17, marks the 40th anniversary of the release of Journey‘s seventh studio album, Escape, which is the band’s only album ever to top the Billboard 200.

Escape is packed with memorable tunes, including four top-20 hits — “Don’t Stop Believin’,” “Open Arms,” “Who’s Crying Now” and “Still They Ride” — and the classic-rock-radio staple “Stone in Love.”

Escape has just been certified Diamond for amassing 10 million sales or album equivalent units in the U.S. It becomes Journey’s second album to achieve the milestone, following the group’s 1988 Greatest Hits compilation.

Speaking with ABC Audio, founding guitarist Neal Schon gushes, “To have a greatest-hits Diamond is incredible, but to have one of your [studio] albums become a Diamond, it’s like beyond incredible to all of us.”

Reflecting on what made Escape a special album, Schon notes, “I felt definitely it was the most diversified record musically we had ever made, with many different types of music on it.”

The album was Journey’s first to feature keyboardist Jonathan Cain, who replaced founding member Gregg Rolie. Cain immediately made his presence felt, co-writing all 10 of Escape‘s tracks.

Schon, who co-wrote eight of Escape‘s tunes, notes, “[Jonathan] bought something that the band needed to move on and move forward, and better the songwriting in a different creative way.”

Of course, “Don’t Stop Believin'” has become Journey’s best-known song, although it only peaked at #8 on the Billboard Hot 100, while “Open Arms” and “Who’s Crying Now” reached #2 and #4, respectively.

Schon recalls that when “Don’t Stop Believin'” was finished, he “said to everybody in the studio, ‘I think this song has something special. I think this song is going to be one of our biggest songs ever.'”

Here’s Escape‘s full track list:

“Don’t Stop Believin'”
“Stone in Love”
“Who’s Crying Now”
“Keep On Runnin'”
“Still They Ride”
“Escape”
“Lay It Down”
“Dead or Alive”
“Mother, Father”
“Open Arms”

Copyright © 2021, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

Hulu’s new six-part documentary series McCartney 3,2,1, which features Paul McCartney examining his musical journey with acclaimed music producer Rick Rubin, premieres Friday, July 16.

Today.com debuted a preview segment from the series featuring the Beatles legend explaining to Rubin how he came up with the name “Sgt. Pepper” used in the title of the Fab Four’s groundbreaking 1967 album Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band.

“I was on a plane with our roadie, and we were eating, and he said, ‘Could you pass the salt and pepper?’ And I thought he said ‘Sgt. Pepper,'” McCartney recalls in the clip. “So we had a laugh about that, but then the more I thought about it, [I thought,] ‘Sgt. Pepper? That’s kind of a cool character.'”

Meanwhile, another clip from the series that was posted on Hulu’s official YouTube channel shows McCartney and Rubin listening to the basic tracks from the 1966 Beatles tune “And Your Bird Can Sing,” and shows the producer animatedly gushing about how the band members were “cooking” on the track.

As previously reported, McCartney 3,2,1 features in-depth and intimate conversations between Sir Paul and Rubin about the music icon’s music, from the first songs he wrote as a teenager through his work with The Beatles, his 1970s group Wings, and his solo career.

In conjunction with discussing the writing and recording of his songs, McCartney also will talk about his influences, the personal relationships that helped inspire the tunes, and more.

All six episodes of McCartney 3,2,1 will be available for viewing on July 16. The series was directed by Zachary Heinzerling, who also directed the Academy Award-nominated 2013 documentary Cutie and the Boxer.

Copyright © 2021, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

Madonna‘s concert documentary, Madame X, has an official release date. It will have its Paramount+ debut on Friday, October 8.

The film was shot in Lisbon, Portugal during the Queen of Pop’s sold-out tour, which ran from September of 2019 to March of 2020. It captures songs off her 2019 album, Madame X, as well as previous hits and fan favorites.

“Sharing my vision with global audiences has been profoundly meaningful to me,” Madonna says in a statement. “The opportunity to bring its message and the incandescent artistry of all involved to an even wider audience comes at a time when music is so deeply needed to remind us of the sacred bond of our shared humanity.”

Madonna’s Madame X trek was unlike any of her previous tours.  Instead of her usual stadium show, she created a much more intimate performance for theaters, and played multiple nights in major cities in the United States, England, France and Portugal.

Several shows on the tour were canceled due to a recurring knee injury Madonna suffered, and the entire trek was subsequently cut short due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Copyright © 2021, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

Journey‘s classic seventh studio album, 1981’s Escape, has just been certified Diamond by the Recording Industry Association of America for sales and equivalent units of 10 million copies in the U.S.

Escape, which celebrates its 40th anniversary this Saturday, July 17, is the band’s only album to top the Billboard 200. It yielded some of Journey’s most enduring hits, including the anthem “Don’t Stop Believin’,” plus “Open Arms” and “Who’s Crying Now,” as well as the classic-rock-radio staple “Stone in Love.”

Impressively, “Don’t Stop Believin'” has amassed more than a billion streams on Spotify alone.

“This is such a truly gratifying achievement for all the work we did together,” declares guitarist Neal Schon. “Congratulations to all.”

Adds keyboardist Jonathan Cain, “On behalf of all that helped to make our album Escape a Diamond award achievement, we say thank you. To our fans, to our bandmates who took part in recording this album, to our label, to all in radio and finally to the distributors who believed in this music; we are deeply humbled and honored to accept this prestigious award.”

Escape becomes Journey’s second RIAA Diamond-certified album, following the band’s 1988 Greatest Hits compilation, which has sold over 15 million copies or album equivalent units.

Journey recently released a brand-new song, “The Way We Used to Be,” the group’s first new music since 2011, and its first with its three recently added members — bassist Randy Jackson, drummer Narada Michael Walden and keyboardist Jason Derlatka. Jackson previously was a member of Journey during the mid-1980s.

Meanwhile, the band has several concerts on its 2021 itinerary, including a July 31 performance at the Lollapalooza festival in Chicago and a July 29 Lollapalooza “Aftershow” event at Chicago’s Aragon Ballroom.

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

Copyright © 2021, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

If you feel the need to Power Up with alcohol, AC/DC‘s got you covered.

The band has teamed with the high-end collectible company KnuckleBonz and the CaliCraft Brewing Company to introduce two new beers: AC/DC PWR UP Juicy IPA and AC/DC TNT Double IPA.  They’ll be coming to select retail outlets in mid-September, but you can pre-order them now; depending on where you live, direct-to-consumer shipping starts July 26.

The 6.6% ABV PWR UP Juicy IPA is inspired by AC/DC’s most recent album, and features “massive flavors of bright passionfruit, ripe peaches, and juicy mandarin.”  The TNT Double IPA is 8.2% ABV, and is described as “big and bold,” with flavors of “fresh cut grapefruit, sweet mango, and fresh pine.”

If you happen to be in California, there is a series of release events for the beers on July 23, 24 and 25 at the CaliCraft Brewing Company at 2700 Mitchell Dr. in Walnut Creek, CA.

CaliCraft says that AC/DC had final approval over all the details of the beer, including the designs on the cans, and these two brews are the first in what will be a series of AC/DC-branded beers.

 

 

 

 

View this post on Instagram

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

A post shared by KnuckleBonz (@knucklebonz)

Copyright © 2021, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

Jeff LaBar, lead guitarist for the hair-metal band Cinderella, has died. He was 58.

His son, Sebastian, confirmed his father’s death on Instagram and shared a slew of family photos in the emotional tribute.

“So i just got the call… @jefflabar , my father, my hero, my idol, passed away today,” he wrote Wednesday. “I’m currently at a loss for words. I love you pop!”

Sebastian added, “If you could, please share pictures or video of all the fun times we all had with my dad. It would be greatly appreciated.”

Gaile LaBar-Bernhardt, LaBar’s ex wife, said in a separate statement to TMZ that LaBar was found deceased in his Nashville home.  A cause of death has not been revealed.

According to LaBar-Bernhardt, she went to check on her ex-husband after no one heard from him in a few days.

LaBar’s Cinderella band mates — frontman Tom Keifer, bassist Eric Brittingham and drummer Fred Coury — issued joint statement paying homage to him.

“Heavy hearts cannot begin to describe the feeling of losing our brother Jeff,” the musicians say. “The bond between us over decades of creating music and touring the world is something that we as a band uniquely shared. Those memories with Jeff will be forever alive in our hearts. It’s unimaginable that one of our band brothers has left us. We’re sending his wife Debinique, his son Sebastian, family, and friends our deepest condolences.”

LaBar had served as Cinderella’s guitarist since 1985, replacing Michael Schermick, and assisted with their hits “Don’t Know What You Got (Till It’s Gone),” “Somebody Save Me,” “Nobody’s Fool” and many others.

LaBar also toured with fellow rockers such as Bon Jovi, Poison, Quiet Riot and Skid Row.  He also served as guitarist for Naked Beggars.

Copyright © 2021, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.