Favorite Seventies Artists In The News

Posted by Administrator on February 8th, 2015

Van Halen announced on Feb. 7 that they will release their first concert album with original vocalist David Lee Roth. The 25-track Tokyo Dome Live in Concert was recorded on June 21, 2013, in Japan and will drop as a 2-CD set, a 4-LP set on 180-gram vinyl, and digitally. Highlights include such hits as their Roy Orbison cover "(Oh) Pretty Woman," "Hot for Teacher," and the finale, "Jump," along with such rarities as "Ice Cream Man" and "Hear About It Later." In 1993, the band released their first live set, Right Here, Right Now with replacement singer Sammy Hagar. VH also announced they will release newly remastered editions of their 1978 eponymous debut album and 1984's 1984 on the same day as the live album. Re-releases of the Roth-era records Diver Down, Women and Children First, Van Halen II and Fair Warning will drop at a later date. The San Francisco-based band has sold over 80 million albums since forming in 1972. - Billboard, 2/7/15...... John Lennon's son Sean Lennon is being sued by the parents of actress Marisa Tomei who claim the roots from a tree in the yard of his Manhattan brownstone are destroying their Greenwich Village home on West 13th Street. Gary and Addie Tomei say they contacted Lennon a year ago about removing the 60-foot-high ailanthus tree, which they say has warped their foundation and compromised basement walls, but he is "always traveling" and never responded. Now the Tomeis have filed a $10 million lawsuit against the musician. Lennon purchased his home six years ago for $9.5 million. He has focused on remodeling the ritzy residence since then and has yet to respond to this lawsuit, though his lawyer says he was shocked when he learned just how much the Tomeis are looking for in damages. The ailanthus is an invasive tree species that was introduced to the United States through China and grows new roots constantly as it tries to steal from the supply of other plants. - The Daily Mail UK, 2/4/15...... After a two-week trial, a British jury on Feb. 5 convicted former glam rock singer Gary Glitter of a string of sex crimes against three young girls in the 1970s. Glitter, 70, was found guilty of one count of attempted rape, four counts of indecent assault, and one count of sexual intercourse with a girl under the age of 13. Det. Chief Insp. Michael Orchard said that Glitter, whose real name is Paul Gadd, "has shown himself to be a habitual sexual predator who took advantage of the star status afforded to him by targeting young girls who trusted him and were in awe of his fame" and that Glitter's lack of remorse and defense that the victims were lying makes his crimes all the more indefensible." Glitter reportedly blew kisses to a public gallery full of reporters as he was remanded in custody to await sentencing on Feb. 27. The maximum sentence in Britain for unlawful sex with a minor is life imprisonment. Best known for Rock & Roll (Part 2)," a hit in both the U.S. and Britain, Glitter fell into disgrace after being convicted and imprisoned on child abuse charges in Vietnam. - AP, 2/5/15...... In related news, folk singer Roy Harper, a hugely influential musician during the '70s who Provided lead vocals on Pink Floyd's 1975 track "Have a Cigar," while Led Zeppelin named their 1970 track "Hats Off to (Roy) Harper" in his honor, was acquitted of two sex offenses in Worcester on Feb. 5. The jury deliberated for over 13 hours over two indecent assault charges one of assaulting a 16-year-old girl in 1980 as well as an 11-year-old in the mid-1970s. It failed to come to a majority verdict on two more accounts of indecent assault as well as two of indecency with a child, and one of sex with a child. Harper released his debut album, Sophisticated Beggar, in 1966, and released his 22nd album, Man and Myth, in September 2014. - New Musical Express, 2/6/15...... Journey guitarist Neal Schon filed a federal lawsuit against the city of San Francisco on Feb. 6, alleging the city overcharged him to use the Palace of Fine Arts for his lavish Dec. 2013 wedding to former reality TV star Michaele Salahi of Real Housewives of D.C. Schon's suit claims San Francisco officials overcharged him for use of the venue and an adjacent building after learning the wedding would be broadcast as a pay-per-view television show. Schon, who says he initially agreed to pay $58,000 to use the facilities and that city officials unfairly hiked the cost of the permit less than a week before the wedding, is seeking unspecified damages. City officials have yet to respond to the lawsuit. - AP, 2/6/15...... Bob Dylan delivered a bold and lenthy 40-minute speech at the annual MusiCares gala at the Los Angeles Convention center on Feb. 6, where he was honored as MusiCares Person of the Year. After being introduced by former president Jimmy Carter, who praised the musician for his words that "are more precise... and permanent than anything said by a president of the United States," Dylan admitted that "right from the start, my songs were divisive," and named several artists who supported him early in his career, including songwriter Doc Pomus, Sun Records label owner Sam Phillips, and country stars Buck Owens and Kris Kristofferson. He also expressed appreciation for former Columbia Records president John Hammond, who signed him to the label, and those artists who have covered his songs, including Peter, Paul & Mary, the Turtles, the Byrds, Sonny and Cher, Jimi Hendrix, Johnny Cash and Joan Baez. Such artists as Beck, Jackson Browne, John Mellencamp, Tom Jones, Jack White, Bonnie Raitt, Bruce Springsteen, Neil Young and Sheryl Crow performed some of Dylan's most famous songs, and the audience included Lady Gaga, Tony Bennett, Jeff Bridges, Ric Ocasek, Mickie Hart and John Densmore. The event raised a record-breaking $7 million for the MusiCares charity that assists musicians in need. Dylan released his latest album, the Frank Sinatra covers LP Shadows in the Night, on Feb. 3. - Billboard, 2/7/15...... In related news, former Arista Records president Clive Davis was among those honored at the 46th NAACP Image Awards in Los Angeles on Feb. 6. Davis, who nurtured the careers of artists including Whitney Houston, Aretha Franklin and Alicia Keys, received the Vanguard Award, which recognizes work that increases understanding of racial and social issues. Davis said he was proud to be honored for his efforts to help black artists reach their full potential. - Billboard, 2/7/15...... Guitarist Brian May of Queen is apparently considering running as an independent member of the British Parliament in the general election. His agent, Phil Symes, says the 67-year-old musician is "frustrated at a system that he sees as failing the electorate," and that he could run under his Common Decency project banner -- which aims "to re-establish common decency in our lives, work and Parliament." May has previously said CD aims to "get rid of the current government" and the MPs who were in Parliament for reasons other than "representing our interests." May, who has also been active in campaigning for animal rights including protesting the country's annual badger cull and the Tories' attempts to bring back fox hunting, is currently touring Europe with Queen. - New Musical Express, 2/4/15...... Heartland prog-rockers Kansas premiered their new documentary Miracles Out of Nowhere on Feb. 2 at the Santa Barbara International Film Festival. The film traces Kansas's rise from a local band in Topeka to an unlikely deal with the late Don Kirshner's record company and international stardom with enduring hits such as "Carry On Wayward Son" and "Dust in the Wind. The Charley Randazzo-directed documentary deals with the first six years and five albums in the group's history, and Kansas will release an accompanying Miracles Out of Nowhere DVD/CD on Mar. 24. - Billboard, 2/5/15...... During a listening playback for the remastered companion disc to the upcoming Led Zeppelin reissue Physical Graffiti, Jimmy Page hinted that he will return to live performing, saying he's "getting match fit" to perform again and that he's currently "warming up on the touchlines." "How it starts off is that you have to play guitar and get match fit, so currently I'm sort of in the process of doing that but I'm also in process of doing this [reissue series] too," Page said. "[Live shows] would more or less be closer to the end of the year rather than next month. But you know, I'm definitely warming up on the touchlines, let's put it that way," he added. The guitarist's latest comment follow reports in Sept. 2014 that Page expressed a desire to start a new group to play career-spanning tracks from his former band. Page also stated that he's not holding anything back" when clearing the vaults for the current reissue series, adding that he "still has a few surprises to come." The Physical Graffiti re-release, out Feb. 24, follows similar reissues in 2014 of the band's first three albums, as well as Led Zeppelin IV and Houses Of The Holy. - NME, 2/3/15...... The US premiere of Love & Mercy, the biography of Brian Wilson as founder of the Beach Boys and during his dark years under the care of Eugene Landy; a film on former Doors and Ramones manager Danny Fields; and a rarely seen film focused on Leon Russell's Oklahoma years in the early 1970s are among the selections this year at the South by Southwest Film Conference and Festival. The 2015 SXSW Festival is set for March 13-21 in Austin, Tex. - Billboard, 2/3/15...... In a recent interview with the California radio show Frame, Neil Young said their was no legitimate reason for music lovers to buy vinyl in 2015, and that vinyl is "nothing but a fashion statement" because "all new products on vinyl are actually CD masters." "A lot of people that buy vinyl today don't realise that they're listening to CD masters on vinyl and that's because the record companies have figured out that people want vinyl," said Young, who launched his own Pono digital music player earlier in the year. "And they're only making CD masters in digital, so all the new products that come out on vinyl are actually CDs on vinyl, which is really nothing but a fashion statement." In the US, the vinyl format saw a 49 per cent increase in 2014, with almost 8 million sales. In the UK, vinyl sales passed the one million mark in 2014 for the first time since 1997. Young's Pono offers high-quality audio and is capable of storing up to 2,000 high resolution songs. "(Pono) doesn't create an analog sound; it creates the best digital sound. It's capable of creating the best sounds that people can create in the digital realm in the recording studios," Young said. - NME, 2/3/15...... After former AC/DC drummer Chris Slade was spotted with the band during preparations for their upcoming appearance on the Grammy Awards, their are rumours that Slade may be rejoining the band, at least temporarily. Slade is rumoured to be standing in for estranged drummer Phil Rudd, who is at home in New Zealand awaiting trial on on charges of threatening to kill and possession of methamphetamine and cannabis, for the band's performance at the annual awards ceremony on Feb. 8. Slade was also photographed alongside the rest of the band at a charity signing event on Feb. 6 in Los Angeles. Slade was a member of AC/DC between 1989-1994 and played on the album The Razor's Edge. He was replaced by returning drummer Phil Rudd. In January, AC/DC said they have yet to "resolve" whether Rudd is still a member of AC/DC, and suggested Rudd would not performing on the 2015 tour. On Feb. 5, Rudd's appearance in court in New Zealand to face his charges was delayed until April due to a change in lawyers. He was due to appear in the Tauranga District Court on Feb. 10. - NME, 2/7/15...... "Orphan," the first single from Toto's upcoming album Toto XIV, is available to view now on YouTube. Toto XIV will hit stores in North America on Mar. 24, and a day earlier in the UK. The album will be released on CD, with a Deluxe Edition available featuring a "Making Of" documentary on DVD, as well as a 2-LP vinyl set. - Noble PR, 2/6/15...... A UK paper is reporting that a local Santa Barbara, Calif., businessman has bid $40 million for Michael Jackson's Neverland Ranch with the intent to transform it into a place where young victims of sexual abuse can seek help. "His goal is for the place to be used to help children in a serene setting recover from the trauma of sex abuse," a source said. The California property is up for sale by the hedge fund that currently owns it, and proposals for using the 2,700 acre property are also said to include a shrine to the late pop star, who died in 2009, and a state park. Jackson was previously accused of child sexual abuse charges but was acquitted in 2005. He lived in the sprawling property in Santa Barbara County, Calif., from 1988 until his death. In 2014, fresh allegations of child abuse were made against Jackson, five years after his death. - NME, 2/3/15...... The children and wife of late actor and comedian Robin Williams have gone to court in a fight over his estate. In papers filed in December in San Francisco Superior Court, Williams' wife, Susan, says some of the late actor's personal items were taken without her permission and asks the court to exclude the contents of the Tiburon home that she shared with Williams from the jewelry, memorabilia and other items Williams said the children should have. The children, Zachary, Zelda and Cody, counter that Susan Williams is "adding insult to a terrible injury" by trying to change the trust agreement and rob them of the late actor's clothing and other personal items. Williams died at his Tiburon home in August. The coroner ruled his death a suicide that resulted from asphyxia caused by hanging. - AP, 2/2/15...... R&B singer/songwriter Don Covay, who wrote songs popularized by Aretha Franklin ("Chain of Fools"), the Rolling Stones ("Mercy Mercy") and Little Richard, died in his sleep on the morning of Jan. 31 after a two-decade long battle with debilitating illness resulting from a massive stroke in 1992. His age was widely reported as 76 at his death, however, Eurweb.com cites Covay's publicist saying he was 78. Through the 1960s, Covay worked as a musician and songwriter, including a job with the famed Brill Building in New York that included credits on hits such as Solomon Burke's "I'm Hanging Up My Heart for You," Gladys Knight & the Pips' "Letter Full of Tears" and Wilson Pickett's first single on Atlantic "I'm Gonna Cry." In 2000, Covay released his final album, Adlib, which featured contributions by Paul Rodgers, Wilson Pickett and Paul Shaffer, among others. - Billboard, 2/3/15.

Paul McCartney and his recent collaborator Kayne West will be among the musical stars helping NBC's Saturday Night Live celebrate its 40th anniversary during a three-hour special set for Feb. 15. Other music acts, including Paul Simon, Justin Timberlake and Taylor Swift, will join past and present SNL "Not Ready for Prime-Time Players" and show hosts including Bill Murray, Dan Aykroyd, Steve Martin, Tom Hanks, Alec Baldwin, Eddie Murray and Christopher Walken on the program, which begins at 8:00 p.m. EST. McCartney and West's most recent collaboration, a Rhianna single called "FourFiveSeconds" from Rhianna's upcoming studio album, has entered the Billboard Hot 11 at No. 54 following its release on Jan. 24. - Billboard, 2/2/15...... In other Beatles-related news, a recently uncovered collection of rare and intimate images of the Fab Four and the Rolling Stones taken by the bands' former tour manager Bon Bonis, has been made available to purchase via eBay. Bonis, the groups' tour manager from 1964-1966, is making the photos available to purchase over the next two years in limited edition prints beginning at $175. Once an edition sells out, it will never be reprinted. They include what are said to be the only close up photos of the Beatles taken during their 1965 stadium performance in Minnesota, and a never-before-seen Stones recording session at Chess Records Studio in Chicago. - New Musial Express, 2/2/15...... Founding Black Sabbath bassist Geezer Butler was arrested after a drunken altercation at a bar in Death Valley National Park in California on Jan. 27. The British-born Butler, 65, was charged with misdemeanor assault, public intoxication and vandalism after, according to witnesses, a fight flared up which resulted in an individual "being struck," and a window broken. Butler was released after "detox and citation," according to a statement issued by local police. On Jan. 29, Butler tweeted that the brawl was an "unfortunate altercation" and thanked his fans for their support following the arrest. "Thx for your messages & support following the unfortunate altercation that occurred," he posted. Black Sabbath, which was formed by Butler, singer Ozzy Osbourne, guitarist Tony Iommi and drummer Bill Ward in 1968, released its latest album 13 in 2013 and have said they intend to reunite for one more album, which is expected to be their last ever record. The current line up includes Osbourne, Iommi, and Butler. - Billboard, 1/29/15...... In other heavy metal news, Alice Cooper offered to theatrically chop off the heads of hard rockers Motley Crue during the final show of Motley Crue's 18-month farewell tour at the Staples Center in Los Angeles on New Year's Eve 2015. "They finish up in the United States on New Year's, and that's their last gig," the 66-year-old Cooper said during an interview with an Australian classic rock station. "I told them, 'Why don't you let me kill you onstage? That finishes everything.' Four guillotines, floomp! Done!," added Cooper, who has been known to include guillotines in his live shows. - New Musial Express, 1/31/15...... Country star Tim McGraw will perform a tribute to Grammy winner and Oscar-nominee Glen Campbell during the 87th Oscars awards show on Feb. 22. McGraw will sing Campbell's "I'm Not Gonna Miss You," which is featured in the Campbell documentary I'll Be Me, a film about the pop/country superstar as he struggles with Alzheimer's. Since his diagnosis, Campbell has been the subject of a CMAs tribute by Keith Urban, Brad Paisley and Vince Gill and the Grammys, where Blake Shelton and The Band Perry performed his songs. "I'm Not Gonna Miss You" is nominated in the Best Original Song category, where it will compete against songs from The Lego Movie, Selma, Beyond the Lights and Begin Again. - Billboard, 1/29/15...... Beach Boys mastermind Brian Wilson will release his 11th solo album, No Pier Pressure, in April. The LP will be Wilson's first studio album of original material since 2008, and feature appearances by She & Him (Zooey Deschanel and M. Ward), Kacey Musgraves, fun.'s Nate Ruess and Capital Cities' Sebu Simonian. The 13-track set will also boast contributions from many of Wilson's Beach Boys pals, including Al Jardine and David Marks, along with work by session players Jim Keltner, Don Was, Dean Parks and Kenny Aronoff. Wilson's latest projects include a George Gershwin covers album, a Disney covers album, and a remaster of the long-bootlegged tapes of the Beach Boys' unreleased masterpiece SMiLE. - Billboard, 1/29/15...... '70s songstress Melissa Manchester will release her first new album in a decade, You Gotta Love the Life, on Feb. 10. Al Jarreau, Dionne Warwick and Keb' Mo' are among the contributors to new LP, while Stevie Wonder contributes some of his famous harmonica work on the album's first single, "Your Love Is Where I Live." The "Midnight Blue" singer will be hitting the road on Feb. 15 for a quick eight-date tour behind the new set, and more shows are also in the works. - Billboard, 1/30/15...... Speaking of Stevie Wonder, the Motown icon will be the subject of an all-star Grammy tribute during Grammy week on Feb. 10 in Los Angeles. "Stevie Wonder: Songs in the Key of Life - An All-Star Grammy Salute" will feature Wonder salutes by such artists as The Band Perry, Usher and Chris Martin during the concert, which will be held at the Nokia Theatre L.A. LIVE. It will take place two days after the 57th annual Grammy Awards, and the show will air as a two-hour special on CBS on Feb. 16. - AP, 1/30/15...... Chic have announced they will release their first album in 23 years this June via a new record deal with Warner Bros. The first single from the album, the follow-up to 1992's Chic-Ism, will arrive on Mar. 20. Chic were founded in the mid-seventies by guitarist Nile Rodgers and bassist Bernard Edwards, who passed away in 1996, and the act shot to the top of the charts in 1979 with "La Freak." - Spin/NME, 2/2/15...... Rod McKuen, a Grammy-winning poet and songwriter sometimes known as the "King of Kitsch," died on Jan. 29 at rehabilitation center in Beverly Hills, Calif., where he had been treated for pneumonia. He was 81. The husky-voiced Mr. McKuen, whose music, verse and spoken-word recordings in the 1960s and '70s won him an Oscar nomination and made him one of the best-selling poets in history, was an astonishingly successful and prolific force in popular culture, turning out hundreds of songs and poems and records, including the Academy Award-nominated song "Jean" for the 1969 film The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie. Mr. McKuen's best-known songs, some written with the Belgian composer Jacques Brel, include "Birthday Boy," ''A Man Alone," ''If You Go Away" and "Seasons in the Sun," a chart-topper in 1974 for Terry Jacks. He was nominated for an Oscar for "Jean" and for "A Boy Named Charlie Brown," the title track for the beloved Peanuts movie. Mr. McKuen honed his hushed, throaty style after an early life as a rock singer which cracked his natural tenor, and his material was covered by such artists as Frank Sinatra, Dolly Parton, Madonna and Chet Baker. Mr. McKuen had been ill for several weeks and was unable to digest food, according to a family member. - AP, 1/29/15.