Favorite Seventies Artists In The News

Posted by Administrator on Nov. 7th, 2015

As reported earlier, Phil Collins told Rolling Stone magazine earlier in November that he is "no longer officially retired" and is currently working on a new solo album which he also plans to tour behind, but apparently not everyone is thrilled with the news. An irreverent petition on the change.org website titled "Phil Collins must be stopped" has garnered over 2,400 signatures in hopes of stopping the former Genesis drummer/singer from imposing any more music on the world. "There is far too much suffering in the world as it is," reads the petition. "This must be stopped." In his Rolling Stone interview, Collins said he wanted to show his children "what their dad does." Collins, who announced his short-lived retirement in 2011, added: "My kids are now 10 and 14 and they want to see what their dad does. They were in nappies when I was last on the road. They love my music and I'd like to take them out so they can enjoy it." - New Musical Express, 11/6/15...... Elvis Presley has broken the record of 11 for the most U.K. No. 1 singles by a Male Solo Artist for the week ending Nov. 6 with his latest chart-topper in England, "If I Can Dream." Presley's new LP If I Can Dream: Elvis Presley with Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, which features his vocals accompanied by the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, sold 79,000 units in the U.K. in its first week of release and extends Presley's span of No. 1 titles in the U.K. to 59, with his British release Rock 'n' Roll first topping the country's survey in November 1956. Madonna has also racked up 12 No. 1 albums in the U.K., and the Beatles have the most No. 1 LPs as a group with 15. If I Can Dream drops in the U.S. on Nov. 13. - Billboard, 11/6/15...... It was revealed in the New York Times on Nov. 6 that Nile Rodgers' seminal disco band Chic will be playing the Coachella festival next spring. "Coachella called him and booked Chic to perform at the festival for the first time next spring, right around the time he is due to hit 64. How 'awesome' is that?," according to the article, which also said Rodgers is helping to score a new one-man stage production starring actor Hugh Jackman. The 2016 Coachella festival will take place April 15-17 and April 22-24. Meanwhile, Rodgers is prepping the release of a new Chic album called It's About Time, though no release date has been announced. Chic was also recently nominated for induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, for a record tenth time. - Billboard, 11/6/15...... Ozzy Osbourne is planning to apologize for an infamous 1982 incident in which he urinated on a tall monument adjacent to the Alamo in Texas during a visit to the San Antonio landmark. Osbourne was banned from the city "for life" for the incident, though he has returned since. Now, Osbourne says he'll make a public apology during a new reality series for the History Channel, which will see him traveling to historical sites with his son, Jack Osbourne. Ten years after the Alamo incident, a concert promoter who was present explained that Ozzy was "super drunk and he had a bladder problem" and that "I don't think anyone would have even noticed what he was doing except that he was doing a photo shoot with the English music magazine Melody Maker and he was dressed in pink tights and ballerina shoes. He wandered over to the side of the statue and there he went." Ozzy and Jack are also set to visit such sites as Stonehenge and Mount Rushmore for their new series, which has yet to have a firm release date. - Billboard, 11/6/15...... 2016 Republican presidential hopeful Dr. Ben Carson is the latest candidate to attract the attention of Cher in her notorious string of stream-of-conscious-style musings on Twitter. On Nov. 5, the diva pointed to the fact that many people suspect Dr. Carson is running for the most powerful office in the world only to promote his new book. "Saw Clip of Ben Carson on book signing Tour.He signs book,He & buyer look up,He Fakes Smile 4photo,How much does fake smile cost CHA-CHING," Cher posted. The same day, Cher also riduculed Dr. Carson's controversial statement that the Eyptian pyramids were build by Joseph (of "The Amazing Technicolor Dream Coat" fame), and that they were used to store grain, as opposed to burial sites. "WHY DOES BEN CARSON BELIEVE PYRAMIDS WERE BUILT BY "JOSEPH"(of Bible,& Amazing Tech.Dream Coat)2 STORE"GRAIN"INSTEAD OF PHARAOH'S MUMMIES?"?," she posted. Cher has previously took other GOP presidential frontrunners, Donald Trump and Jeb Bush, to task on Twitter. "Re JEBS NEW SLOGAN "JEB CAN FIX IT" IT'S BETTER SUITED 4 THE SIGN YOUD SEE ON A 9 YR OLD BOYS,LEMONADE STAND.LET IT GO JEB,YOURE NOT JOYOUS," she posted about Bush on Nov. 2. - Billboard, 11/6/15...... In related news, a Twitter feud between Bette Midler and Justin Bieber is heating up after nude photo of Bieber was leaked in October. "The biggest dick in this situation is the dad who abandoned his son," Midler tweeted about Bieber, who then responded: "This Britt Meddler... I don't even know who that is, honestly. I wanted to immediately say Who is this lady?', but then I'm just fuelling this negativity..." Midler then responded to Bieber: "Britt Meddler! I don't know who that is either! But damn that bitch!" - New Musical Express, 11/7/15...... Bruce Springsteen has released a video from his upcoming The Ties That Bind: The River Collection box set that has the Boss and his E Street Band performing "Ramrod" during a legendary performance in Tempe, Ariz., in 1980 during his The River tour. In the video, Springsteen playfully adjusts a microphone chord before launching into the joyous song, calling out to "Big Man" Clarence Clemons for a fun romp on the stage. The Ties That Bind is a 2 hour and 40 minute concert film features 24 songs on two DVDs, along with a CD of 1979/80 studio outtakes; rare tour rehearsal footage of what was then new songs; and a brand new documentary The Ties That Bind about The River. Prior to the release of the box set on Dec. 4, The Ties That Bind documentary will have two preview screenings, at New York City's SVA Theatre on Nov. 14, and Monmouth University's Pollak Theatre in West Long Branch, N.J., on Nov. 17. Springsteen is also set to appear at The Theater Madison Square Garden at the Stand Up for Heroes Veterans Fundraiser on Nov. 10, and at the Shrine Auditorium in Los Angeles to play the "Shining A Light: A Concert for Progress on Race in America" event on Nov. 18. - Billboard, 11/5/15...... A sample of Isaac Hayes 1971 cut "Ike's Rap 2" on "Here," the current breakout single by rising pop singer Alessia Cara, has reawakened interest in Hayes' back catalog. The catalog of Hayes, who died of a stroke in 2008, stretches back to the mid-1960s and includes not just solo recordings like the No. 1 "Theme From Shaft" from 1971 but also songs he co-wrote for acts like Sam & Dave ("Soul Man" hit No. 2 in 1967) and Carla Thomas. And soon, many more will be available as Isaac Hayes Enterprises, which was founded by Hayes' family in the spring and is spearheaded by his 40-year-oldson Isaac Hayes III readies more than 200 unreleased recordings uncovered since soul icon's death. For now, Hayes III plans to release one full Hayes album along with -instrumental and collaborative compilations in the next year while he explores synch and soundtrack opportunities. - Billboard, 11/5/15...... The Rolling Stones announced on Nov. 5 that they'll be touring Latin America for the first time in a decade with a 12-date "America Latina Olé Tour" that's set to get underway on Feb. 3. The tour will make stops in Buenos Aires (2/7), Montevideo (2/16), Rio De Janeiro (2/20), São Paulo (2/24, 2/27), Porto Alegre (3/2), Lima (3/6), and Bogotã (3/10) before wrapping March 14 in Mexico City. The veteran rockers recently wrapped their Zip Code Tour of North America, an unqualified blockbuster and one of the biggest tours of 2015, grossing $109,714,026 at the box office. Tickets for America Latina Olé will go on sale beginning Nov. 9, with info at rollingstones.com. - Billboard, 11/5/15...... Sting was among the featured performers at a benefit concert dedicated to Transcendental Meditation on Nov. 4. The concert at New York's Carnegie Hall was presented by the David Lynch Foundation and was also headlined by Katy Perry It raised money to offer meditation services for 10,000 at-risk New Yorkers. - AP, 11/5/15...... A lock of John Lennon's hair and a Valium pill bottle that once belonged to Elvis Presley are among the items set to be auctioned on the online auction site Julien's Live. The lock of Lennon's hair comes with a card signed by the late Beatle himself that reads: "Love from 'Bald' John Lennon xxx". Bidding for that item starts at $10,000. The other Elvis items include a guitar pick, a prescription for muscle relaxant drugs, and his life insurance policy. - New Musical Express, 11/3/15...... In other Lennon-related news, his widow Yoko Ono and The Flaming Lips are teaming up to release a vinyl version of Ono and Lennon's hit "Happy Christmas (War Is Over)" on Dec. 11 in time for the Christmas season. The single will come with a b-side of "Atlas Eets Christmas," and be released via Chimera Music. Ono and The Flaming Lips also hooked up back in 2011, recording the two tracks and playing them at a New Year's gig in Oklahoma, alongside Neon Indian. - NME, 11/6/15...... The Eagles are postponing their participation in the upcoming Kennedy Center Honors until 2016 due to health problems experienced by Glenn Frey, who is unable to attend the ceremony on Dec. 6. The Kennedy Center announced on Nov. 4 that the Eagles' honor would be postponed by a year, because Frey "has had a recurrence of previous intestinal issues, which will require major surgery and a lengthy recovery period." Frey will be attending next year's ceremony however, along with fellow Eagles Don Henley, Timothy Schmidt and Joe Walsh. Other honorees for this year's Kennedy Center event, which will be taped and broadcast on CBS on Dec. 29, include Carole King, filmmaker George Lucas, actresses Rita Moreno and Cicely Tyson, and conductor Seiji Ozawa. - Billboard, 11/4/15...... Kenny Rogers released his sixth Christmas album, Once Again It's Christmas, on Sept. 25, and Rogers says he thought he could do something different on this yuletide LP. "The label came to me and said, 'We're due another Christmas record,' and I thought after 17 years, I agreed," Rogers said. "I thought I could do something special and different, so I started putting this album together." The new album features contributions from such artists as Jennifer Nettles, Home Free and Alison Krauss. "I've always had this theory that when it comes to duets, you don't commit to partners; you commit to songs. You then find a partner who will sing that song best," Rogers says. Rogers will be performing many of the songs from the set on his annual Christmas tour of North America -- which starts Nov. 11 in Niagara Falls, Ontario. The 26-city trek will be the 35th and final holiday tour for veteran country singer, who announced in September that he would be retiring from live performing in 2016. - Billboard, 11/2/15...... British pop star Cliff Richard has been interviewed by U.K. authorities for a second time over a claim that he was involved with a sex crime with a young boy in the 1980s. The interview followed a police search of the 75-year-old singer's Berkshire home. A number of items were removed from the property. The "Devil Woman" singer has denied any wrongdoing, which according to the BBC relates to an assault claim at a religious event at the Bramall Lane stadium in Sheffield in 1985. Richard so far has not been arrested or charged, and his spokesperson described the latest meeting as voluntary. "Other than restating that the allegations are completely false and that he will continue to co-operate fully with the police, it would not be appropriate for Sir Cliff to say anything further at this time," the spokesman said. - New Musical Express, 11/6/15.

In an interview with the London Sunday Times magazine published on Nov. 1, Keith Richards said he wants the Rolling Stones to begin work on a new studio album in April 2016. "These guys aren't getting any younger, but at the same time, they're getting better. I'd love to shove them in the studio in April, hot off the road," said Richards, who also expressed surprise that his legendary band is still touring and recording. "I never thought I'd get this far," he said. - NME, 11/1/15...... Elvis Presley's former wife Priscilla Presley says she's "not quite convinced" by the idea of creating a hologram for her legendary late King of Rock and Roll hubby. "Our partners are exploring different options," she said of plans to make and tour holograms of Elvis and such other deceased music stars as Michael Jackson, Whitney Houston and Tupac. "I don't think it's full-range usage or a few images. There are ideas, his image in a couple of things I haven't seen anything to look at, there's a lot of talking at the moment. I'm not quite convinced by it," she said. But Priscilla adds she would react strongly against attempts to abuse Elvis' legacy. "It's a precious legacy, and we have to protect it. We have a team that sees what's out there and the name, likeness and image cannot be abused," she said. - NME, 10/30/15...... As Queen's signature song "Boheman Rhapsody" turns 40 on the final day of October, guitarist Brian May spoke to BBC News on Oct. 29 about the song's creation, meaning and legacy. "We all realized it was something wonderful and we should give it our heart and soul... The heavy bit was a great opportunity for us to be at full pelt as a rock band," May said of the song, which was taken from Queen's fourth album A Night at the Opera and topped the U.K. singles chart up on its release. May continued: "But that big, heavy riff came from Freddie [Mercury], not me. That was something he played with his left hand in octaves on the piano. So I had that as a guide -- and that's very hard to do, because Freddie's piano playing was exceptional, although he didn't think so." May added that Mercury "enjoyed the fact there were so many interpretations of the lyrics... It's an outlandish song... I think it's beyond analysis," and while he has his own ideas and feelings about it, he says that he "hates talking about it, and I generally refuse." However, May insists that he's "not sick" of the ubiquitous classic rock track, which was famously featured in the 1992 Mike Myers movie Wayne's World, and that he will "still listen to it in the car." "I still enjoy hearing it. If it comes on the radio, I'll turn it up and listen. But no air guitar. I'm too old for air guitar now," he said. - New Musical Express, 10/29/15...... ELO mastermind Jeff Lynne has revealed the latest track from the forthcoming Jeff Lynne's ELO album Alone in the Universe, which is due on Nov. 13. "One Step at a Time" is the third track to be streamed for fans, after "When the Night Comes" in October, and "When I Was a Boy" in September. Fans who preorder Alone in the Universe will receive "When I Was a Boy" instantly. - NME, 10/29/15...... Billy Joel was on hand on Oct. 31 at Citi Field in Game 3 of the World Series to help his fellow New York Mets fans sing along to his signature tune "Piano Man," which has become an unofficial Mets anthem in recent years. During home games, Mets fans have sang along to "Piano Man" during the 8th inning of games, and native New Yorker Joel couldn't help but join in as the crowd sang the song once again during Game 3 against the Kansas City Royals, which the Mets succeeded in winning 9-3. However, the Royals clinched the best-of-seven-games series 4-1 on Nov. 1 at the same ball park with a 7-2 victory in the fifth game, winning their first MLB championship in 30 years. "Billy Joel's music is part of the soundtrack of every New Yorker's life," the Mets' senior vice president of marketing and communications David Newman told Newsday recently. "He's an iconic New Yorker. We wanted him to be part of our playlist during the games." Joel, sporting a Mets cap, was accompanied during Game 3 by his longtime booking agent, Dennis Arfa, and actor/comedian Kevin James beside him. Earlier in the evening, he kicked off the game with a beautiful rendition of the National Anthem. - NME/Billboard, 10/31/15...... In related news, musician David Peel is rebutting claims that John Lennon, who co-produced Peel's 1972 album The Pope Smokes Dope with wife Yoko Ono, chanted "Let's Go Mets" at the end of one of the tracks on that album, "The Ballad of New York City." The rumor started when Tom Frangione, who hosts the Beatles radio show Things We Said Today, made the claim during a recent broadcast, but Peel says that "Lennon never said that." "He never played on any of my songs. It was me and my hippie friends. Everybody who did the chanting was from the Bronx," Peel says, adding that Lennon was in the control room and "He didn't want to upstage me... He did what I wanted to do." Lennon and Ono signed Peel to a one-record deal on Apple after meeting him in 1971, making him one of a handful of non-Beatle acts to record on Apple (Mary Hopkin, James Taylor, Badfinger and Elephant's Memory are among the others). Peel also participated in the 1972 One-to-One concert at Madison Square during which he performed on stage with Lennon and Ono. - Billboard, 10/29/15...... In other Lennon-related news, an iconic mohair suit once worn by him during the Beatles' early-'60s heyday was set to be auctioned on Oct. 30, having previously been lost for 40 years. The beige, collarless mohair suits were worn by the Beatles and were made by London tailor Dougie Millings. Lennon's suit was originally donated by manager Brian Epstein, along with the three other members' jackets, to London's Madame Tussauds for the first wax works of the band. However, it was misplaced and only found in 2006 at a warehouse owned by the company. The suit, sold by the Fame Bureau auction house, has an estimated value of £150,000. - New Musical Express, 10/29/15...... Elsewhere on the Fab Four front, the Beatles' Apple Corp. will be rolling out a deluxe limited edition of their 2000 No. 1 hits collection 1 on Nov. 13 that's set to include some 50 restored and never-commercially-released films and videos. To kick off the the release of set, dubbed 1+, the band has released the new version of its video for Sgt. Peppers Lonely Heart Club Band's "A Day In The Life," which features trippy footage of John Lennon, Paul McCartney, Ringo Starr and George Harrison alongside rock star pals Mick Jagger and Keith Richards. Footage from the band's early 1967 recording sessions are sprinkled throughout the clip, which was restored frame-by-frame in 4K resolution. "These videos and films are spectacular reminders of the era we lived in. They also rock!" McCartney recently told an online music site. 1+ also features exclusive audio commentary from surviving Beatles McCartney and Starr as well as a 124-page illustrated hardcover book. - Billboard, 10/29/15...... Tom Jones says he's going to take a DNA test to establish his racial background, because he believes that his race has always been questioned due to his skin tone and curly hair. "A lot of people still think I'm black," the "She's a Lady" singer said in an interview with the UK's The Big Issue. "When I first came to America, people who had heard me sing on the radio would be surprised that I was white when they saw me. Because of my hair, a lot of black people still tell me that I'm just passing as white." The Welsh crooner has also said that his mother Freda was confused about her ethnicity, saying that doctors had "asked if she had any black blood and she said she didn't know." "I'm going to get my DNA tested. I want to find out," he added. - NME, 11/2/15...... Ozzy Osbourne was joined by special guests Slash of Guns N' Roses, Tom Morello of Rage Against the Machine, and his own Black Sabbath bassist Geezer Butler as he headlined New Orleans' Voodoo Fest on Halloween night. Osbourne was joined by the trio throughout the night, including on crowd favorite "Iron Man," as he performed a solo set that also included such numbers as "I Don't Know," "Mr. Crowley," and "Bark at the Moon." Ozzy, performing at the rainy concert, sprayed the crowd with a fire hose throughout the night, dumped a bucket of water on his head twice and repeatedly asked the audience if they were having fun. "I can't f---ing hear you," he kept saying, smiling when the crowd responded with cheers of "Ozzy, Ozzy." This was the 66-year-old rocker's first solo performance in several years. - Billboard, 11/2/15...... Meanwhile, Osbourne and Black Sabbath have confirmed to Rolling Stone magazine that there will not be another Black Sabbath album to follow up their 2013 set 13, and that their upcoming The End tour will be, in fact, the end. "In December, I'll be f------' 68, and I think it's time to call it the end of the day," Ozzy said. "I'm not saying I won't get on stage with Geezer or Tony [Iommi] or any of them some time, but officially we're going to be done. I don't want it to dwindle and dwindle and play just for the sake of making another f------ sack full of cash. So it's time, and then I'll go back to doing my own thing," he added. Sabbath's international tour will stretch through most of 2016, with the final date listed as Sept. 21 in Phoenix. - Billboard, 10/29/15......Amazon.com has been celebrating its newly redesigned vinyl store since Oct. 23 with a 13-day free giveaway of vinyl LP's that include such titles as the Grateful Dead's The Best of the Grateful Dead and the Rolling Stones' Sticky Fingers. Visitors can enter their name, email and phone number for a chance to win the record of the day with winners chosen at random. - Billboard, 10/30/15...... Original Grateful Dead members Bob Weir, Bill Kreutzmann and Mickey Hart debuted their new Dead & Company tour with singer/songwriter/guitarist John Mayer in tow on Oct. 29 at the Times Union Center in Albany, N.Y. The response to Mayer was overwhelmingly positive, with thousands of Deadheads watching live streams online and posting such comments as "Are you listening to this?!? He's killin' it!," and "Can you imagine? They're only going to gel more!" One critic remarked plainly: "I was wrong, I take it back." As for the rest of the group, Weir led a romp through beloved GD classic "Tennessee Jed," and "Feel Like A Stranger" found the entire band in great form, with Weir and Mayer trading verses during "He's Gone" gave the anthem a novel feel. The 18-song set culminated with an encore of the GD's sole Top 40 hit, "Touch of Grey." - Billboard, 10/30/15...... Barbra Streisand and Robert Redford, the stars of the 1973 box office smash The Way We Were, will reunite on Dec. 9 as Redford presents Streisand with the 2015 Sherry Lansing Leadership Award at The Hollywood Reporter's 2015 Women in Entertainment breakfast at Milk Studios in Los Angeles. Redford honoring Streisand will serve as a reunion for the two stars, and the Sherry Lansing Leadership Award recognizes women who serve as pioneers in the world of entertainment. Previous honorees include Meryl Streep, Diane Keaton, Jodie Foster and Oprah Winfrey. - The Hollywood Reporter, 11/2/15...... Soul music great Charles Wright, known for his 1971 classic "Express Yourself," has released Up From Where We've Come, his first in a series of autobiographies. The book is an up-close and intimate telling of his family's profound struggles as sharecroppers near Clarksdale, Miss., through the 1940s, and a riveting insider's glimpse into the realities of the times. - Miles High Productions, 10/31/15...... Phil Collins has told Rolling Stone that his is "no longer retired" and that he will begin work on a new album, My Life in 15 Songs, in November, which will be the followup to his 2002 LP Testify. "The horse is out of the stable and I'm raring to go," said Collins, 64. While the '80s solo star and former Genesis drummer/frontman says no details have been set in stone, he also plans to launch a comeback tour behind the next album, depending on how soon he can complete the reissues of his solo albums. "I got very involved in these reissues," he says. "We even re-shot all the covers, which was my idea. I'm easily flattered. If people rediscover the old stuff and show interest, it would be silly not to make more music." Collins added that the door is always open for a Genesis reunion: "I love the guys. I would just prefer to do this first. For now, let's see where this goes." He is also expected to release an autobiography in October 2016. - Billboard, 10/28/15...... Actor Al Molinaro, best known as the second owner of Arnold's Drive-In in the 1970s retro-themed sitcom Happy Days, died on Oct. 30 at Verdugo Hills Hospital in Glendale, Calif. He was 96. Mr. Molinaro also portrayed Murray the cop on ABC's The Odd Couple after being hired by producer Garry Marshall to appear in the TV version of Neil Simon' play about feuding roommates. As Murray, Mr. Molinaro played a simpleminded policeman who at times seemed as much a threat to his friends as he did to any crooks. After that series ended in 1975, Mr. Molinaro's next long-running role was that of Al Delvecchio in Happy Days, the 1974-1984 nostalgic sitcom about 1950s life that starred Ron Howard and Henry Winkler. Mr. Molinaro joined the cast in 1976, replacing Pat Morita as the owner of Arnold's Drive-In, and remained until 1982. Mr. Molinaro's other TV credits included Get Smart, Green Acres, That Girl and Bewitched. He had been retired from acting since the 1990s, and died of complications of gallstone problems, according to his son Michael Molinaro. - AP, 10/31/15.