Classic Hits

Richard Marx recently released his memoir, Stories To Tell, and he says putting it out was far more nerve-wracking than any album he’d ever released.  Richard tells ABC Audio that he felt so much “anticipation and tension” about it that he was grateful he and his wife were overseas when it came out. 

“It was better than just sitting at home and and telling myself, ‘Don’t click on reviews!'” he laughs. “But the reaction has been so heartwarming. And when I look through social media and people are posting pictures of them reading my book or with their feet up next to my book, it’s been amazing.”

He laughs, “Even some people who maybe have voiced, ‘You know, I never really was that into his music,’ [are saying] ‘Man, I loved this book and I laughed out loud!'”…yeah, it’s really nice to be hearing that stuff.”

But why did Richard think people wouldn’t like the book in the first place?

“One of my concerns was people who were hoping for a real tell-all, sort of tawdry, detailed [book about] my exploits with women in bed…, like, that was never going to happen,” he explains. “And I thought, ‘Are people going to be disappointed?'”

“And it’s been the complete opposite,” he admits. “If anything, I’ve been complimented for that!”

In fact, the only complaints Richard’s gotten seem to be from his three adult sons, who yelled at him for not sharing one particular story with them.

“For whatever reason, I guess I never told them about this horrendous situation I was in in Taiwan in the early days of my career, where we were basically held captive by these Chinese mafia guys,” he laughs. “And my sons were all like, “How could you have not told us this?!?”

 

 

 

 

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The Scorpions have given fans a taste of one of the new songs that’s expected to appear on the band’s upcoming studio album. A video clip of the veteran German rockers rehearsing a tune, apparently called “Seventh Son,” has been posted on the official social media sites of the group and of drummer Mikkey Dee.

Commenting about the song, Dee writes in an Instagram post, “Scorpions — rehearsing new songs for [upcoming] Tour. Pretty damn heavy.”

There’s been no official announcement about when the album will be released or what its title is, although frontman Klaus Meine revealed in a video message posted on May 29 that The Scorpions “were in the mixing process,” adding, “We can’t wait to get the album out for you guys to hear it.”

Then, on June 7, Meine and guitarists Rudolf Schenker and Matthias Jabs appeared in another video clip from The Scorpions’ Peppermint Park studio in Hanover, Germany, and played a snippet of one of the new tracks.

The Scorpions’ most recent studio album, Return to Forever, was released in 2015. According to The-Scorpions.com, the band’s next scheduled shows will be part of a nine-date Las Vegas residency next year at The Zappos Theater at Planet Hollywood that runs from March 26 through April 16.

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Earlier this year, Milwaukee’s all-genre Summerfest announced its return in September of 2021, featuring a lineup of over 100 performers, including such well-known veteran acts as ZZ Top, Styx, REO Speedwagon, Joan Jett and the Blackhearts, Guns N’ Roses, Night Ranger, Modern English and John Waite.

Now, the festival has announced new COVID-19 safety protocols in place for attendees. Those coming to the concerts will need to show proof of either COVID-19 vaccination or a current negative COVID-19 test in order to enter the festival grounds and American Family Insurance Amphitheater.

More information is available at the festival’s website. Additionally, those not fully vaccinated can find information on local testing availability before they head to the event.

The new protocol comes on the heels of an announcement from Live Nation, which recently decided that it will allow the touring artists it works with to require proof of vaccination or a negative test from event attendees.

Summerfest 2021 is scheduled to take place September 2-4, 9-11 and 16-18.

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Paul McCartney‘s new Hulu docuseries McCartney 3, 2, 1 is the latest installment of what’s shaping up to be a huge year for Beatles and Beatles-adjacent material.  That includes the pending release of Peter Jackson‘s Get Back, to the just-released 50th anniversary edition of George Harrison‘s All Things Must Pass, to McCartney’s own album, McCartney III Reimagined.  But McCartney thinks there will always be a demand for Beatles material, because there’s always going to be someone out there who’s yet to discover them.

“There’s so much stuff out there. But I think that’s one of the reasons The Beatles keep going — because you keep discovering another little thing,” Paul tells Rolling Stone in a new interview featuring him and his 3,2,1 co-star Rick Rubin. “I always think everyone’s heard all the stories. As you get older, you think, “Am I just repeating all my stories?”

Paul Continues, “But I rationalize, well, there’s only one answer to the question, ‘How did you meet John [Lennon]?’ I can’t make another meeting up. I can maybe try and explain how we met in a slightly different way. But I’ll still talk to someone and they say, ‘What? You dreamed [the melody of] “Yesterday”?’ And so I’ll tell the story again, but it’s like, ‘You sure you haven’t heard this?’ But not everyone has.”

And, as Paul points out, “As we go on and the young people come onboard, there’s a lot of stuff they haven’t heard.”

You can hear Paul tell a lot of those stories in McCartney 3, 2, 1. Rubin believes the the docuseries is a hit because “it doesn’t come across as product.” Or, as Paul notes, “People feel like they’re watching us talk. Which is exactly what’s happening.”

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Romantics lead guitarist Mike Skill recently released a new version of his band’s classic 1980 tune “What I Like About You.” It’s available now via streaming services and will be included on Skill’s debut solo album Skill…Mike Skill, due out on September 10.

Skill tells ABC Audio that he thinks his new version “kicks a**.”

Mike co-wrote “What I Like About You” with founding Romantics drummer Jimmy Marinos, who sang lead on the original track.  But since frontman Wally Palmar handled lead vocal duties on most of The Romantics’ tunes, Skill says his solo project gives him the chance to make it “known that I’m able to get out there and sing songs as well.”

The updated rendition of “What I Like About You” features Skill on both lead and backing vocals, guitars and bass, with current Romantics member Brad Elvis on drums.

Mike reveals that he began recording the new version so the The Romantics could offer it for use in movies, TV shows and commercials, but that plan fell through.  Then, when the COVID pandemic last year quashed plans for the band to celebrate their 40th anniversary, Skill found himself with extra time on his hands.

He began gathering songs for his first solo album, and decided to include his new version of “What I Like About You” in the project, and release it as a single to mark its 41st anniversary.

To record his updated version, Skill says, “I brought out the old Hiwatts, the same amps I used on the original song. The Rickenbacker [guitars]…I wanted to make sure it had that really crisp, raw energy — a real…thump to it. And it came out that way. [It] turned out really good.”

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Today would have been Whitney Houston’s 58th birthday, and a new special focusing on the late icon’s life and career will air on ABC Wednesday night.

The special, Superstar: Whitney Houston, features new interviews with those who knew her well — including Brandy, Chaka Khan, Babyface and BeBe Winans — as well as archival interviews of Bobby Brown and Houston; among them, her infamous 2002’s sit-down with Diane Sawyer. It will detail her many accomplishments, as well as her struggles with fame and her tragic death in 2012.

In the trailer, Whitney can be heard in a voiceover saying, “I can tell you that I am not self-destructive. I am not a person who wants to die. I’m a person who has life, who wants to live. I’m not the strongest every day but I’m not the weakest, either. And I won’t break.”

Superstar: Whitney Houston airs Wednesday night at 10 p.m. ET on ABC, and can be viewed the next day on demand and on Hulu. It’s the first installment of a series examining the “mavericks who shaped American culture.” Other episodes will feature Robin Williams and Kobe Bryant.

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The Eagles have added a new date to their current touring schedule, but there are different parameters for attending this particular concert.

All attendees of the November 5 show at Seattle’s Climate Pledge Arena will need to provide proof of vaccination in order to attend. Children under the age of 12 will be allowed to attend if they provide proof of a negative PCR COVID-19 test within 48 hours of the show. 

More details about this requirement are available at ClimatePledgeArena.com.  The website notes, “This is a decision taken by the band supported by the Climate Pledge Arena team to ensure they, along with fans and staff, feel safe.”  As of now, no other concerts scheduled for the arena will require fans to be vaccinated.

Tickets go on sale this Friday, August 13 at 10 a.m. local time via Ticketmaster. VIP Packages will be available starting Thursday, August 12 at 10 a.m. PDT.

The Eagles concert is part of the Rock and Roll Hall of Famers’ upcoming tour, which kicks off August 22 with two shows at New York’s Madison Square Garden.  It will feature the band performing its classic album Hotel California in full, accompanied by an orchestra and a choir, followed by a set of the band’s greatest hits.  Right now, the November 5 date is the final one on the tour.

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Ronnie Wood and his Ronnie Wood Band have released two additional tracks from his upcoming live album Mr. Luck — A Tribute to Jimmy Reed: Live at the Royal Albert Hall.

One track, “Shame, Shame, Shame,” a Reed song from 1963, is one the Rolling Stones used to play live during their early days.  Wood’s live version features ex-Rolling Stones guitarist Mick Taylor, as well as Paul Weller, former frontman of The Jam and Style Council, on vocals.  The other track, “Roll and Rhumba,” is an instrumental.

The live album, originally recorded in November of 2013, is due out September 17. In addition to Weller and Taylor, it also features Bobby Womack and Simply Red frontman Mick Hucknall.

“Jimmy Reed was one of the premier influences on the Rolling Stones and all the bands that love American blues from that era until the present day,” says Wood in a statement. “It is my honor to have the opportunity to celebrate his life and legacy with this tribute.”

The 18-track Mr. Luck — A Tribute to Jimmy Reed: Live at the Royal Albert Hall will be available digitally, on CD, on vinyl, and on limited-edition dual-tone smoky blue vinyl.

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A new Go-Go’s tribute album featuring cover tunes by a wide variety of artists is slated to be released as a two-LP set in the coming weeks.

If You Gotta Go-Go, Go-Go Now is a 24-track collection that includes contributions from The Romantics‘ Mike Skill, Stray Cats drummer Slim Jim Phantom, Blondie drummer Clem Burke and, from The Go-Go’s themselves, bassist Kathy Valentine.

Skill is featured on a rendition of “Tonite” — a song from the Go-Go’s 1981 debut album, Beauty and the Beat — along with veteran Detroit rocker Nikki Corvette and current A Flock of Seagulls drummer Kevin Rankin.

Phantom has teamed up with his girlfriend, Eagles of Death Metal touring bassist Jennie Vee, for a version of “Beatnik Beach,” from The Go-Go’s’ second album, 1982’s Vacation.

Burke and Valentine both play on veteran alt-rockers The Coolies‘ version of the Go-Go’s rarity “King of Confusion.”

Other artists featured on the tribute include Josie Cotton, Holly and the Italians, E.G. Daily and Paul Collins Beat.

Here’s the full list of songs on If You Gotta Go-Go, Go-Go Now, according to the project’s official Facebook page:

Josie Cotton — “Fading Fast”
Fastbacks — “Vacation”
Pale Lips — “Get Up and Go”
The Romantics’ Mike Skill & Nikki Corvette — “Tonite”
The Short Fuses — “How Much More”
The Chubbies — “Good Girl”
Juniper — “Turn to You”
The 5678’s — “Surfing and Spying”
Hayley and the Crushers — “Lust To Love”
Holly and the Italians — “Can’t Stop the World”
Miss Marr — “Worlds Away”
The Yum Yums (featuring Caroline) — “Unforgiven”
The Suite Sixteen — “Speeding”
Natalie Sweet — “He’s So Strange”
The Coolies with special guests (Clem Burke & Kathy Valentine) — “King of Confusion”
Paul Collins Beat with Marci Marks of The MnM’s — “Our Lips Are Sealed “
Jenny Vee with Slim Jim Phantom — “Beatnik Beach”
Transatlanic Bunnies — “Whole World Lost Its Head”
The Heels — “Skidmarks on My Heart”
E.G. Daily — “We Got the Beat”
Tina & the Boom Booms — “You Can’t Walk in Your Sleep (If You Can’t Sleep)”
The Tweezers — “We Don’t Get Along”
The Nutley Brass — “Head over Heels”
The Baby Shakes — “This Town”

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Mick Jagger and Annie Lennox are two of the many stars who’ll take part in We for India, a three-hour virtual benefit show that’ll be broadcast on Facebook on India’s Independence Day, August 15.

The event is designed to encourage donors worldwide to give $3.5 million for post-COVID relief work in India, as well as preventative measures against the future spread of the pandemic.  All donations will go to GiveIndia, the country’s largest charity donation platform, to provide humanitarian aid and support the country’s medical infrastructure.

It’s not clear whether Jagger will simply be seen in a video message or if he’ll perform. Lennox will perform, alongside her daughter, Lola Lennox.  Others appearing include pop superstar Ed Sheeran, Nile Rodgers of CHIC, podcast host Jay Shetty and Oscar-winning composer A.R. Rahman, who created the music for Slumdog Millionaire. A host of Bollywood stars are also involved.

You can watch We for India Sunday, August 15 at 10 a.m. EDT via Facebook.com/Facebookappindia and Facebook.com/RelianceEnt.   The link to donate is live now.

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