Favorite Seventies Artists In The News

Posted by Administrator on May 27th, 2014

The Eagles have announced they'll take their "History of the Eagles" world tour to Australia and New Zealand in February of 2015 for a string of eight arena dates, open-air shows and winery concerts. Starting at the Perth Arena on Feb. 18, the band will play a total of eight venues, including the iconic Hanging Rock in Macedon on Feb. 28 and the Hope Estate winery in the Hunter Valley on March 7. The trek wraps-up March 14 at Mt. Smart Stadium in Auckland, N.Z., the band's first visit to the country in 20 years. The retrospective "History Of the Eagles" world tour kicked off on July 6, 2013 in Louisville, Kentucky. Along the way, the legendary American group re-opened L.A.'s Forum with a 28-song set. The band, currently comprised of Don Henley, Glenn Frey, Joe Walsh and Timothy B. Schmit, last played in Australia in 2010, and in New Zealand back in 1995. Meanwhile, Queen is also preparing to travel down under in late summer for shows in Australia's four biggest cities. With singer Adam Lambert handling the vocals of late Queen frontman Freddie Mercury, the tour will mark Queen's first tour of Australia since 1985 and, according to promoter Paul Dainty, "may be the last chance Australian fans have to see one of the greatest rock bands in history." The Queen + Adam Lambert Australian Tour will kick off in Perth Aug. 22, then travel to Sydney on Aug. 26 and Melbourne on Aug. 29, before wrapping at the Brisbane Entertainment Centre on Sept. 1. Queen will tour the US later this year. In still more tour news, Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers announced on May 20 they will be hitting the road late this summer in support of their new studio album Hypnotic Eye. Petty and Co's. 28-date North American tour will hit arenas and stadiums through early October, including stops at San Francisco's Outside Lands Music and Arts Festival and the band's first ever concert at Boston's Fenway Park. Opening for the band will be special guest Steve Winwood. Hypnotic Eye is due July 29 via Reprise Records. - Billboard, 5/22/14.

A spokeswoman for Paul McCartney said on May 22 that the former Beatle is expected to make a full recovery after being treated in a Tokyo hospital for a viral infection. On that same day, the 71-year-old McCartney canceled more concerts due to take place in Japan and South Korea in late May, after previously having postponed two shows in Tokyo. His treatment has been touted as "successful" and no other specifics of his ailment were given by the hospital, however a Japanese newspaper cited diarrhea and vomiting among his ailments and noted that the musician was admitted "on the safe side." "[Paul] will make a complete recovery and has been ordered to take a few days rest," according to a statement issued by his spokeswoman Perri Cohen. "Paul has been extremely moved by all the messages and well wishes he has received from fans all over the world," she added. McCartney, who rarely cancels concerts, traveled to Japan after wrapping a South American tour and issued a statement to fans saying that he hated to disappoint his fans in Japan and Korea. McCartney is expected to resume his "Out There" tour on June 14 in Lubbock, Tex., the first of 19 scheduled US dates. The tour ends Aug. 13 at San Francisco's Candlestick Park. - Reuters/Billboard, 5/22/14.

Pink Floyd is celebrating the 20th anniversary of its 1994 chart-topping album The Division Bell with a deluxe commemorative box set due July 1 that will include a new double-LP vinyl gatefold edition of the album, remastered from the original analog tapes, along with full-length tracks of every song (the LP's tracks were originally edited to fit on a single LP). Five other discs are included: a red 7-inch vinyl replica of the single "Take It Back," a clear 7-inch vinyl replica of "High Hopes," a 12-inch blue vinyl replica of "High Hopes" a with reverse laser etched design, the 2011 Discovery remaster of The Division Bell and a Blu-ray disc including The Division Bell album in HD Audio, a previously unreleased 5.1 surround sound audio mix of the album by Andy Jackson, and a new music video for the Grammy-winning track "Marooned." The Division Bell, which dropped on March 28, 1994, remains Pink Floyd's last studio album to date. It debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard 200, in addition to topping the charts in the United Kingdom, Australia and numerous other countries. - Billboard, 5/20/14.

Carlos Santana says he is planning a concert aimed at encouraging and motivating the development of young black and Latino men in the wake of Trayvon Martin's death and Donald Sterling's racist comments. He wants to hold the event next year in Florida and is working with singer and longtime civil rights activist Harry Belafonte. "I'm a person who with passion believes that we can change the world, we can transform hate and fear forever with the right songs and the right timing," said Santana, whose latest LP, Corazon, recently debuted at No. 9 on the Billboard Hot 200 albums chart. Santana, who kicked off a co-headlining summer tour with Rod Stewart behind Corazon in Albany, N.Y., on May 23, also said he'd like to sponsor an event at California's San Quentin state prison featuring such sports stars as (NBA Hall of Famer) Dr. J (Julius Erving) and (former NBA player and mayor of Sacramento) Kevin Johnson which would be broadcasted to all other prisons and call it "You Cannot Break My Spirit." - AP, 5/23/14.

A 17-year-old Michael Jackson impersonator has been invited by the Jackson estate to attend a performance of Cirque du Soleil's Jackson tribute show in Las Vegas after they were so impressed by the fan's uncanny similarity to the late King of Pop. The teen, Brett Nichols, recently made headlines when a video of him dancing to Jackson's hit Billie Jean at his high school talent show in Turlock, Calif., went viral. After it was posted on YouTube.com, views went from around 7,000 to 170,000 in just one day, and as of Thursday, it had garnered over six million hits. Nichols, who said he's spent 10 years perfecting his moves, told a local TV station that Jackson's legacy has helped boost the video to viral status. "I guess people still miss him, it's been five years (since his death). The younger generation appreciates the work, and not only does someone care, but someone cared to put in the time," he said. Nichols was also given two MJ albums by the Jackson estate along with an invitation for the teen and his family to attend Cirque du Soleil's performance of "Michael Jackson ONE," the stage show based on Jackson's hit songs. - WENN.com, 5/23/14.

On May 21, the parents of the 27-year-old woman who was killed during the filming of the planned Gregg Allman biopic Midnight Rider sued Allman and the movie's producers, a railroad company and others they accused of being responsible for the tragedy. The lawsuit, filed in Chatham County State Court, targets a total of 10 individuals associated with Midnight Rider including eight corporations including CSX Transportation, which owns the railroad tracks where the crash occurred, and Rayonier Performance Fibers, a subsidiary of forest-products manufacturer Rayonier that owns the land surrounding the crash site. Filmmakers "selected an unreasonably dangerous site for the filming location; failed to secure approval for filming from CSX; concealed their lack of approval from CSX from the cast and crew ... and otherwise failed to take measures to protect the safety of the Midnight Rider cast and crew," the lawsuit charges. It was filed on behalf of Jones' parents, Richard and Elizabeth Jones of Columbia, South Carolina. Sarah Jones, a 27-year-old camera assistant, was killed when a freight train slammed into a film crew in southeast Georgia. In an interview with AP on Apr. 10, her parents said the film's producers needlessly put workers at risk the day their daughter was killed, and that they had hired attorneys to help them hold someone accountable. "They did so many wrong things on so many levels, it's just unbelievable," Richard Jones said. "This should not have happened. It's senseless." Allman's attorney said during the same hearing that the singer was distressed by the crash and his reputation had been harmed by his association with the project. Producers suspended work on the movie indefinitely the week following the accident. Actor William Hurt, who was to star as Allman and was at the scene of the crash, later issued a statement saying he informed producers he would no longer work on the film. Meanwhile in related news, two former members of Heart are suing the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame for using their likenesses in promoting the 2013 induction ceremony even though they were not inducted. Bassist Mark Andes and drummer Dennis Carmassi, who were members of Heart from 1982-1993, say their likenesses and the songs they performed were used to promote Heart's induction into the Cleveland-based hall and museum, and "that when fans and fellow musicians offered them congratulations for their success, they were humiliated to explain that they were inexplicably not chosen for induction." - AP/Billboard, 5/22/14.

Aerosmith guitarist Joe Perry recently told Rolling Stone magazine that Aerosmith may never release another album. "Our contract to Sony is fulfilled and we're free agents right now. We're trying to figure out what that means. I don't even know if making new albums makes sense anymore. Maybe we'll just release an EP every six months. I don't know what the future looks like," Perry said. Perry added he was disappointed with the tepid reception to Aerosmith's last album, 2012's Music From Another Dimension!, debuted at No. 5 on the charts before disappearing without a trace. It was the band's first collection of original songs in over a decade, and none of its four singles even scraped the Billboard Hot 100. "I'm obviously disappointed it didn't work out the way it was supposed to," says Perry. "But on the other hand, once a record is out, it's out forever. Maybe in two years someone might hear a song off it and go, 'What was that song? It should have been on the radio.' And it might hit a wave again." Meanwhile, Perry is planning to release a long-awaited autobiography about his music career. Rocks: My Life in and Out of Aerosmith is due Oct. 7. "It took about a year longer than I thought it would," says Perry, who co-wrote the book with David Ritz. "But it's finally done. We're just finishing up taking the pictures and going through all the little details that go with it." Perry's book follows Aerosmith drummer Joey Kramer's 2009 memoir Hit Hard: A Story of Hitting Rock Bottom at the Top and Steven Tyler's 2011 effort Does the Noise in My Head Bother You? - Rolling Stone, 5/23/14.

Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young have announced they're finally ready to release a box set of live recordings from their 1974 reunion tour, after years of rumors, premature announcements and even disagreements over its title. CSNY 1974 hits shelves on July 8 in a variety of formats, including a 3 CD/DVD set, a Pure Audio Blu-Ray (192kHz/24-bit) and a 16-track single CD. There will also be a limited edition set of 1,000 copies featuring a coffee table-sized book and six 180-gram 12" vinyl records. "This is the most difficult project I've ever done in my recording life," says Graham Nash, who co-produced the project with Joel Bernstein. "That's largely because of other people's agendas and trying to please four people at the same time. It only took us a year to actually do the physical work, but it took three or four years to get that work together." Nash says one issue they faced was Neil Young's intense focus on audio quality. "Neil Young, God bless his cotton socks, has always wanted the audio to get as close to the recording experience as possible," says Nash. CSNY's 1974 reunion trek was one of the most ambitious tours attempted up until that point. They played 30 shows at American arenas and stadiums as well as one gig at Wembley Stadium in London, with the group playing upwards of 40 songs over a four-hour period during some shows. "It was a very challenging tour," says Nash. "We tried to keep our spirits up and keep ourselves focused as a band, but with all the chaos going on and the distractions and the drugs, I'm amazed we got away with what we did, quite frankly." A pre-order of CSNY 1974 is available on the band's website. - Rolling Stone, 5/22/14.

David Bowie has reportedly given his blessing to a proposed The Man Who Sold the World concert featuring his old backing band the Spiders From Mars featuring longtime Bowie producer Tony Visconti and veteran musician Mick "Woody" Woodmansey. The group will perform the 1970 album in its entirety and by joined by an ensemble of ten musicians including Spandau Ballet saxophone player Steve Norman and Heaven 17's Glenn Gregory. The event will take place at London's The Garage on Sept. 17. Visconti said the album is key in Bowie's career: "The Man Who Sold The World became the blueprint for the rest of David's career. Virtually everything he's done since, you can trace back to something on that album." Mick Woodmansey added the LP was the first he and late Bowie guitarist Mick Ronson played on. "It was his first step into rock'n'roll. It got critical acclaim, but we never toured it, and in the live shows the album tracks never got touched on. So the idea of being able to go out and finally play some of those great tracks live was just so exciting," Woodmansey said. - New Musical Express, 5/23/14.

Prince Rupert Lowenstein, the former manager of the Rolling Stones as well as a long-term financial advisor to the band, passed away on May 20 after a battle with a long illness. He was 80. Full name Prince Rupert Ludwig Ferdinand zu Loewenstein-Wertheim-Freudenberg, Prince Lowenstein was dubbed "The Human Calculator" and described as "rock's greatest money man" who is credited with turning around the Stones' financial fortunes from the late 1960s. During almost four decades of handling the Stones' affairs he helped frontman Mick Jagger alone amass an estimated fortune of £200 million. His advice in the early 1970s prompted the band to abandon their UK residence for the south of France, helping them save millions while becoming Britains first musical tax exiles. He ended his business relationship with the band four decades later, in 2007, and Jagge was reportedly unhappy with the revelations later published in Prince Loewenstein's memoir. He was born in Majorca in 1933 to Prince Leopold of the royal house of Wittelsbach, but was educated in England and studied History at Magdalen College in Oxford before going on to work in the city. In related news, influential cinematographer Gordon Willis, whose photography for Francis Ford Coppola's The Godfather series and Woody Allen's Annie Hall and Manhattan helped define the look of 1970s cinema, died of cancer Sunday in Falmouth, Mass. He was 82. Mr. Willis was known as the "Prince of Darkness" for his artful use of shadows, and served as cinematographer or director of photography on seminal 1970s films including Alan J. Pakula's Klute, The Parallax View and "All the President's Men and James Bridges' The Paper Chase. - New Musical Express/Variety, 5/21/14.

A hologram resembling Michael Jackson performing the previously unreleased track "Slave to the Rhythm" was among the highlights at the Billboard Music Awards at the MGM Grand Garden Arena on May 18, 2014 in Las Vegas. Beginning with a synchronized SWAT team dancing until a curtain dropped and Jackson was seen sitting in a Dangerous-like throne, the spectacle featured the hologram singing the upbeat dance number, which appears on the late pop star's recently released Xscape. Jackson began work on "Slave to the Rhythm" when he was recording his 1991 album Dangerous. The version that the hologram (reportedly the result of nearly half a year of planning, choreography and filming) performed was "contemporized," according to Xscape executive producer L.A. Reid, by four producers, including Timbaland, Babyface and Reid, for the record. The album, which contains tracks that Reid culled from the Jackson family vaults, comprises material recorded between Thriller and his final album, Invincible, and also contains a bonus disc with "non-contemporized" song versions. Xscape is battling the new Black Keys album, Turn Blue, for the top spot on the Billboard Hot 200 album chart, and in the U.K., Xscape debuted at No. 1, making it Jackson's tenth chart-toppng LP in the territory. - Billboard/New Musical Express, 5/18/14.

Legendary '60s/'70s singer Franki Valli has been tapped to help celebrate July 4 on the National Mall in Washington, D.C. in 2014 by headlining the annual "Capitol Fourth" show, which draw hundreds of thousands of people to the National Mall each year. Valli said he's honored to be performing in the nation's capital for Independence Day because "it's an important day for any American." The trademark falsetto of Valli, who turned 80 on May 3, propelled the success of The Four Seasons in the early 1960s, and also topped the charts as a solo artist in 1975 with "My Eyes Adored You." The singer still tours regularly and recently told the AP that he has no plans to retire from show business anytime soon. "I'm proud of the fact that (The Four Seasons) started out from where we did. We had as many hits as we did. We became a Broadway play and then a movie," he said. The movie, a Clint Eastwood-directed film adaptation of the musical about their lives, "Jersey Boys," is set for release June 20. Valli has also dabbled in acting, with a recurring role on the HBO series The Sopranos, and he makes a cameo in the upcoming Rob Reiner-directed film, And So It Goes, starring Michael Douglas and Diane Keaton. The "Capitol Fourth" show will be broadcast nationwide on PBS on Independence Day. - AP, 5/19/14.

Paul McCartney has cancelled two Tokyo concerts, as well as a makeup performance for one that was also nixed, as the legendary musician battles a virus. Sir Paul posted on his official "Out There Japan Tour 2014" site on May 18 that his doctors wouldn't allow him to perform the Tokyo shows after his condition "did not improve overnight." "I was really hoping that I'd be feeling better today. I'm so disappointed and sorry to be letting my fans down," he said. McCartney, 71, became ill on May 16, and canceled his concert at the National Stadium in Tokyo at the last minute the following evening. But he had promised to be well enough to perform Sunday and do an additional concert Monday. Organizers said McCartney's scheduled performance was still on for May 21 at Nippon Budokan hall in Tokyo, the same venue where the Beatles took the stage during their visit to Japan in 1966. His tour continues to Yanmar Stadium Nagai in Osaka on May 24, then to Seoul, before hitting several U.S. venues, including Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles. Meanwhile, Macca has teamed up with a robot called "Newman" who is on parol in a museum full of humans for his new video for his song "Appreciate." "I woke up one morning with an image in my head of me standing with a large robot. I thought it might be something that could be used for the cover of my album New but instead the idea turned out to be for my music video for 'Appreciate'," he said. - AP/New Musical Express, 5/18/14.

The Steve Miller Band is marking the 40th year of its classic The Joker album with a release of The Joker Live, a new album featuring exclusive and unreleased tracks. "When several friends and colleagues reminded me that it was the 40th birthday of The Joker album, I smiled -- and started playing the whole album s songs live again -- and at the end of the last tour realized we had a great new record that we wanted to share with our fans. We hope you like it as much as we did playing and recording it," Miller said of the 1973 LP. The original album featured SMB's chart-topping title track single, which has been covered by many other artists and licensed in the media. Johnny Depp recently quoted lyrics from it in the movie Dark Shadows. The Joker Live coincides with the SMB's sold-out co-headlining 2014 tour with Journey, which kicked off on May 16 in Chula Vista, Calif., at the Sleep Train Amphitheater. The tour will hit 41 cities across North America including Los Angeles, Atlanta, Chicago, Toronto and Detroit. Speaking of Journey, guitarist Neal Schon has tamped down rumours that original vocalist Steve Perry might be joining his former band on tour this summer after Perry made some positive remarks about the current Journey incarnation to reporters at a music industry event. "I think when Steve mentioned that, when somebody put him on the spot and asked him, we had been (communicating) with email, just saying, 'Hello, I hope you're well,' all that," Schon told Billboard. "But there was never anything about playing live. He opened the door and shut the door. It wasn't anybody but him that created all that media for a second, and so we do want to reassure the fans that no, [current lead singer] Arnel [Pineda] has not gone anywhere. He's still right here with us." Schon added that Journey is also planning on entering the studio after the summer tour ends on Aug. 1 in Las Vegas, hopefully yielding the group's first studio album since 2011's Eclipse. - The Hollywood Reporter/Billboard, 5/16/14.

A lawyer representing deceased Spirit guitarist Randy California is claiming Led Zeppelin stole the intro for their 1971 single "Stairway to Heaven" from Spirit's 1968 song "Taurus." Attorney Francis Alexander Molofiy wants to prevent the upcoming release of a Led Zeppelin IV reissue, saying he wants to "make sure that Randy California is given a writing credit on 'Stairway to Heaven'...It's been a long time coming." Led Zeppelin and Spirit, who had a hit with "I Got a Line on You," played four gigs together in 1968 and 1969, during which Spirit allegedly performed "Taurus." In an interview with Listener magazine published in 1997, the year of his death, California said he felt "Stairway to Heaven" was a "rip-off." "The guys made millions of bucks on it and never said 'Thank you,' never said, 'Can we pay you some money for it?'" he said. "It's kind of a sore point with me. Maybe someday their conscience will make them do something about it." Spirit and California's family reportedly have waited until now to challenge the song's authorship because they did not have the means to pay attorneys. At the end of California's life, he would play sitar at an Indian restaurant in exchange for food. Reissues of Led Zeppelin, Led Zeppelin II and Led Zeppelin III are due in stores on June 3. Meanwhile, an Atlanta jamband calling themselves The Howling Tongues who have been compared to Led Zeppelin released their self-titled debut album on Apr. 25. It's a 10-song opus produced by former Tom Petty drummer Stan Lynch and Billy Chapin (Sister Hazel, Edwin McCain). "If you dig the Black Keys, Fleetwood Mac, Led Zeppelin and the Who you will no doubt appreciate what these guys are doing," raves the New Hellfire Club. - Rolling Stone/Bloomberg BusinessWeek/1888 Media, 5/19/14.

The Beach Boys have announced a summer 2014 tour to mark the 50th anniversary of their 1964 single "Fun Fun Fun." Kicking off on May 25 in Louisville, Kentucky, the tour will also perform at several European festivals, including two shows at Hampton Court on June 24 and 25, before returning to North America for much of the rest of the year. There are more European dates scheduled for later in 2014, including a series of four shows at British racetracks. "Year after year, it's been a great source of inspiration to see the happiness our music has brought to multiple generations of Beach Boys fans in so many parts of the world," singer Mike Love said in a statement. "This summer I'm particularly excited for the Jones Beach [N.Y.} show, which is such a terrific, iconic venue. It will be very special to share the stage with some old friends and bandmates, Al Jardine and David Marks." The tour also marks the introduction of singer and guitarist Jeffrey Foskett, who has worked regularly with the group since 1981, as a permanent member of the Beach Boys touring band. He'll replace Mike Love's son Christian, who left the group to pursue a solo career. Love, who owns the rights the band's name following a series of legal battles, released a statement in 2012 which said: "The post-50th anniversary configuration will not include Brian Wilson, Al Jardine and David Marks. The 50th Reunion Tour was designed to be a set tour with a beginning and an end to mark a special 50-year milestone for the band." Wilson, Jardine and Marks performed with Love and the rest of the band at London's Royal Albert Hall. Jardine and Marks will make special guest appearances on the forthcoming tour. The Beach Boys are expected to announce further shows for later this year. - New Musical Express, 5/15/14.

Bee Gees legend Barry Gibb kicked off a summer US tour on May 15 at the Boston Garden, taking a break midway through the show to sing Bruce Springsteen's 1984 Born in the U.S.A. track "I'm on Fire." Gibb was returning a favor to the Boss, who played the Bee Gees' "Stayin' Alive" on his recent tour of Australia. "My inspiration, Bruce Springsteen, sang 'Stayin' Alive,'" he said, referring to Springsteen's cover of the song in Australia in February. "I sort of want to return that compliment. Not easy to do, but I'll give it a shot." The rest of Gibb's 33-song set was focused heavily on Bee Gees hits like "Tragedy," "I Started A Joke" and "Jive Talkin'." He also played a handful of tunes he wrote for other people, like "Islands In The Stream" and "Grease." Gibb's tour is his first since the death of his brother Robin Gibb in 2012. Maurice Gibb, the third member of the Bee Gees, passed away in 2003. Gibb only booked six dates for his 2014 American tour, which wraps June 4 at the Hollywood Bowl. Springsteen also played "Stayin' Alive" again on May 15 at a show in Albany, N.Y. - Rolling Stone, 5/16/14.

Rolling Stones frontman Mick Jagger officially became a great-grandfather in mid-May when his 21-year-old granddaughter Assisi Jackson gave birth to a baby girl. The new baby's grandmother is 42-year-old Jade Jagger, the rock star's daughter with ex-wife Bianca Jagger. Jagger has a total of seven children (with four women) and four grandchildren. The Rolling Stones are scheduled to pick resume their 2014 tour, which was postponed after the suicide of Jagger's girlfriend, L'Wren Scott, in March, on May 26 in Oslo, Norway. - Rolling Stone, 5/19/14.

Jerry Vale, a beloved American crooner known for his high-tenor voice and romantic songs in the 1950s and early 1960s, died on May 17 at his home in Palm Desert, Calif. He was 83. Born Genaro Louis Vitaliano, Mr. Vale started performing in New York supper clubs as a teenager and went on to record more than 50 albums. His rendition of "Volare," ''Innamorata" and "Al Di La" became classic Italian-American songs. His biggest hit was "You Don't Know Me," and his recording of "The Star-Spangled Banner" in the 1960s was played at sporting events for years. Mr. Vale, who remained a popular club act after his albums failed to make the charts in the 1970s, also appeared as himself in the movies Goodfellas, Casino and the TV series The Sopranos. He was a friend of fellow Italian-American crooner Frank Sinatra, and he was an honorary pallbearer at Sinatra's funeral on May 20, 1998. - AP, 5/18/14.