Favorite Seventies Artists In The News

Posted by Administrator on June 25th, 2020

Late singer/songwriter John Prine has scored his first No. 1 song on a Billboard chart as "I Remember Everything" debuted on the top spot on the Rock Digital Song Sales tally for the week ending June 27. After being released on June 11, "I Remember Everything" moved 4,000 downloads, according to Nielsen Music/MRC Data. Co-written by Prine and Pat McLaughlin, the song was the last recording done by Prine (in his living room) and tops Prine's prior best chart appearance, "In Spite of Ourselves" which went to No. 2 on the same chart for the week of Apr. 18. Prine died on Apr. 7 at age 73 of complications from COVID-19. - Billboard, 6/25/20...... Bob Dylan's latest album Rough and Rowdy Ways has become the legendary musician's ninth No. 1 on the UK's Official Album Chart. Dylan's 39th studio album, Rough and Rowdy Ways outsold the rest of the Top 5 UK albums combined, and is his landmark 40th UK Top 10 album in a chart history spanning 56 years. - Music-News.com, 6/22/20...... In a new post on social media on June 23, Stevie Wonder opened up about systemic racism and the failings of Pres. Donald Trump. "This past Friday many of us celebrated Juneteenth," Wonder said about America's national holiday to celebrate the emancipation of those who had been enslaved in the US. "I did. And yet, so many others didn't and haven't. As a matter of fact, there are three states that still do not recognize it: North Dakota, South Dakota, and Hawaii. How did it feel to celebrate freedom that we're still fighting for? It felt, and feels, too familiar." After noting that it took 18 years to declare Martin Luther King Jr. Day a holiday, Wonder quoted lyrics from his track "Visions' ("I'm not one who makes believe/I know that leaves are green ) to explain how change can come about. "If life can have an ending, all things can have an ending. Systemic racism can have an ending. Police brutality can have an ending," said Wonder. He also urged Americans to vote for the right candidate in the upcoming Presidential primaries if Trump is stand a chance of defeat at the ballot box come November. "I've heard the person in the highest place of this nation say there are fine people on both sides. That sounds noncommittal to me," Wonder noted. - New Musical Express, 6/24/20...... Surfaces, a rising pop duo, has unveiled a new collaboration with Elton John titled "Learn to Fly" on YouTube. In the upbeat single, recorded in quarantine and produced via Zoom, Surfaces and Elton share an optimistic message in the midst of the havoc wreaked on the world by the global pandemic. "All the broken people, put your hands up high/ If you lift them up, you might just touch the sky/ All the lonely people, put your hands up high/ If you loosen up, you might just learn to fly/ Learn to fly," Surfaces vocalists Forrest Frank and Colin Padalecki croon on the track's sunny chorus over piano by John, who also jumps in on the second verse. "Working with Elton felt like the idea of winning a Grammy," the two said in a statement. "He was so passionate and driven and we couldn't have wished for a more effortless collaboration. We hope this song will spread love in a time when the world could really use some and inspire people to open up their hearts," they added. - Billboard, 6/25/20...... Mick Jagger has paid tribute to movie producer Steve Bing on social media after Bing jumped to his death from a Century City apartment building on June 22. "It's so sad to hear of Steve Bing's passing. He was such a kind and generous friend and supported so many good and just causes. I will miss him very much," Jagger posted. The 55-year-old Bing, a producer, philanthropist and screenwriter, helped finance the Martin Scorcese-directed 2008 Rolling Stones concert film Shine a Light and was reportedly suffering from depression amid a lack of human contact during the coronavirus lockdown. Jagger's Rolling Stones bandmate, Ronnie Wood, and his wife Sally, also paid their respects to Bing on Instagram, posting a photo of the couple's twins with Bing. - Music-News.com, 6/24/20...... Former Pink Floyd member Roger Waters has recorded a socially distanced take on Pink Floyd's "Two Suns in the Sunset," the closing track from the band's 1983 album The Final Cut, and posted the clip on YouTube. Before the performance, the black-and-white-video kicked off with a message: "We're at one hundred seconds to midnight on the doomsday clock. This is the the closest the Human Race has ever been to nuclear catastrophe." Waters continued: "I had an idea to make an album of all the songs we did as encores on the 'US and Them' tour. We did 'Mother' first. Had to do it remotely because of Covid 19. 'Two Suns in The Sunset is #2. Hope you like it. I love it," Waters added in the caption. As a footnote, he added, "PS. That we allow Nuclear Weapons to exist in a world controlled by deranged sociopaths is, in itself, a deranged arrangement. We are many they are few. We could just say no, to the whole MAD (Mutually Assured Destruction) insanity. It makes zero sense and is potentially omnicidal." Meanwhile, Waters has been accused of anti-semitism due to recent comments he made about Jewish billionaire Sheldon Adelson while speaking with the Middle East Media Research Institute. During the interview, Waters called Adelson "the puppet master pulling the strings of Donald Trump, Mike Pompeo, and what's his name... the Ambassador [to Israel]. "And Sheldon Adelson is a right-wing fascist racist bigot who doesn't understand the first thing about the idea that human beings might have rights. Sheldon Adelson believes that only Jews -- only Jewish people -- are completely human. That they are attached in some way." Continuing the rant, Waters said: "He is crazy. This is a crazy, crazy, crazy guy. Unfortunately. This crazy, crazy, crazy guy is also incredibly rich and has the tiny little -- I nearly said the P-word that is used to describe the male genitals -- prick of Donald Trump in his pocket." Elsewhere in the interview, Waters claimed that Israel should be held indirectly responsible for the recent death of George Floyd at the hands of police officers in Minnesota last month, a killing that has sparked worldwide Black Lives Matter and anti-racism protests. - Billboard/New Musical Express, 6/25/20...... In a new interview with The Atlantic magazine, Bruce Springsteen said US Pres. Donald Trump is a "threat to our democracy" and painted a dire picture of what he feels could happen to the US if Pres. Trump gets re-elected in November. "I don't think anybody truly knows where we're going from here yet," Springsteen said in response to a question about whether he's feeling optimistic or pessimistic about the protests that have been going on for the past three weeks in the wake of George Floyd's killing at the hands of the Minneapolis police. "It depends on too many unknowns. We don't know where the COVID virus is going to take us. We don't know where Black Lives Matter is going to take us right now. Do we get a real practical conversation going about race and policing and ultimately about the economic inequality that's been a stain on our social contract?," he added. Asked about how he feels about the job the president is doing in the wake of the racial justice and COVID-19 outbreak, The Boss said: "I believe that our current president is a threat to our democracy. He simply makes any kind of reform that much harder. I don't know if our democracy could stand another four years of his custodianship. These are all existential threats to our democracy and our American way of life." The interview is accompanied by Springsteen's "Playlist for the Trump Era," which includes such landmark songs of protest and uplift as Billie Holiday's "Strange Fruit," Patti Smith's "People Have the Power" and his own "That's What Makes Us Great." It can be streamed on Spotify.com. - Billboard, 6/24/20...... The family of Rock and Roll Hall of Fame member Tom Petty filed a cease and desist notice to Pres. Donald Trump's campaign after one of his songs, "I Won't Back Down," was played at the President's campaign rally in Tulsa, Okla., on June 20. In a statement issued on social media shortly after the rally, Petty's estate and rights holders -- daughters Adria and Annakim, ex-wife Jane, and widow Dana, issued a joint statement saying that Trump "was in no way authorized to use this song to further a campaign that leaves too many Americans and common sense behind." The Petty family also expained that Pres. Trump's beliefs were far out of line from the late musician's. "Tom wrote this song for the underdog, for the common man and for EVERYONE," the family wrote. "We want to make it clear that we believe everyone is free to vote as they like, think as they like, but the Petty family doesn't stand for this. We believe in America and we believe in democracy. But Donald Trump is not representing the noble ideals of either. We would hate for fans that are marginalized by this administration to think we were complicit in this usage." Numerous other artists, including R.E.M., Guns N' Roses, The Rolling Stones, Steven Tyler and Rihanna, have previously called out the President for using their music without permission. - Billboard, 6/21/20...... Emily Eavis, organiser of the legendary Glastonbury festival in the UK, says she's planning to combine two festival line-ups for next year's Glastonbury and is "hoping" that Paul McCartney will return in 2021 for the festival's 50th anniversary celebration, which was postponed due to the COVID-19 outbreak. "Logistically, it's a little bit complicated, because we'd already planned quite a few acts for 2021. It was one of those unusual years where you're quite far ahead on the line-up. So we're trying to work out how much we can fit in to next year," Eavis told BBC 6 Music. The festival's edition 2020 edition was set to kick off on June 24 with McCartney among the confirmed headliners, but was cancelled as a direct result of coronavirus. - New Musical Express, 6/25/20...... Michael Jackson's daughter Paris Jackson has shared unseen footage of her father Michael, as well as debuting her own music for the first time. The new footage comes as part of a trailer for Paris's new reality series Unfiltered: Paris Jackson and Gabriel Glenn, which is set to debut via Facebook Watch on June 30. Alongside the trailer on Facebook, Jackson has debuted new music as part of The Soundflowers, a duo with her boyfriend Gabriel Glenn. "When I met Gabe, I immediately just vibed and started making music, Paris says of the collaboration. "I feel like we're the same level of damaged. Gabe understands the pain I've gone through in my life and he's helped me realise this is what I was born to do," she added. The album can be streamed via Spotify.com. - New Musical Express, 6/24/20...... Britain's Royal Mail has announced that Queen will appear on the face of 13 postage stamps featuring eight of their album covers beginning on July 9. In addition to the album covers -- 1974's Queen II and Sheer Heart Attack, 1975's A Night at the Opera, 1977's News of the World, 1980's The Game, 1981's Greatest Hits, 1984's The Works and 1991's Innuendo -- the stamps will feature four live group shots and a classic group photo. "It's hard to put into words what I feel when looking at these beautiful stamps, Queen guitarist Brian May said in a press release. "Since we four precocious boys started out on our quest 50 years ago, our lives have been devoted to making our impossible dream come true. Sometimes it's strange to wake up and realise the position in which we are now held -- we have become a national institution!" Queen drummer Roger Taylor echoed May's sentiments: "We must be really part of the furniture now! Thanks Royal Mail for stamping on us! In gratitude." The stamps are available to pre-order now through Royal Mail's website in a variety of different collections. "The Presentation Pack," which includes the entire set of 13, will cost £16. - New Musical Express, 6/23/20...... In related news, Aussie headbangers AC/DC have authorized for of their album covers -- 1976's High Voltage, 1981's For Those About to Rock, 1987's Blow Up Your Video and 1995's Ballbreaker -- for release as 500-piece jigsaw puzzles. The puzzles will be released on Sept. 4 via the company Zee Productions' "Rock Saw" series and can be ordered on the Zee Productions website. Zee Productions has previously released puzzles for such rock bands as Iron Maiden, Slayer, Judas Priest, Motörhead, Metallica and Rush. - NME, 6/22/20...... Willie Nelson and his sister, Bobbie, have announced a co-written memoir, Me and Sister Bobbie: True Tales of the Family Band, will be published on Sept. 15. Detailing the siblings' relationship and musical collaborations, the book will "weave together Willie and Bobbie's journeys as they experienced them both side-by-side and apart, with powerful, emotional never-before-told recollections from their personal lives and careers," according to a press release. Bobbie is two years Willie's senior and is an accomplished pianist. She has featured on a handful of his albums, including The Troublemaker and Shotgun Willie. Meanwhile, rapper Snoop Dogg has announced that he will release another collaboration with Willie in the near future. The duo previously collaborated on the 2009 single "My Medicine." - NME, 6/23/20...... There may never be another Johnny Carson to dominate the late night talk show field, but as CNN's new 6-part series The Story of Late Night reminds us, there will always be a place for after-hours conversation and comedy. Airing over six Sundays beginning June 28 at 9:00 EDT (barring breaking news), the series traces a trajectory that began with Steve Allen and matured with the prickly intelligence of his successor, Jack Paar. Famous feuds (Jay Leno vs. David Letterman, Leno vs. Conan O'Brien) reveal how much drama lurks withing these lucrative laugh factories. Although today's practioners walk a more precarious tightrope of humor in these politically polarized times, going to bed without them is unthinkable. - TV Guide, 6/22/20...... Director Joel Schumacher, best known for helming such hits as St. Elmo's Fire, The Lost Boys and Falling Down as well as two Batman films, died on New York City on June 22 after a year-long battle with cancer. He was 80. The costume designer-turned-director brought his fashion background to directing a run of stylish films throughout the 1980s and 1990s that were not always critically acclaimed, but continue to be well-loved by audiences for capturing the feel of the era. Mr. Schumacher was handed the reins of the Batman franchise when Tim Burton exited Warner Bros.' Caped Crusader series after two enormously successful films. The first movie by Mr. Schumacher, Batman Forever, starring Val Kilmer, Tommy Lee Jones, Jim Carrey and Nicole Kidman, grossed more than $300 million worldwide. - Variety.com, 6/23/20.

Elton John said on June 17 that he was "blown away" after watching a cover of his 1983 hit "I'm Still Standing" recorded by a group of British students in lockdown. Students at Telford Priory School in Shropshire have been creating remote videos together since March, and their cover of "I'm Still Standing" was sent to Elton by musician Ron Sexsmith. John then posted a video message on YouTube saying he "watched it three times in a row because I couldn't believe how good you sang and played it." "You did something brilliant and made a brilliant version of I'm Still Standing. I hope you all have a great career and music plays a big part in it because you have certainly got talent," he said. The Rocket Man also promised that the students would be guests at one of his future UK concerts when live music commences again. The students' teacher, Ben Millington, says he "just couldn't believe it when I received contact from Sir Elton... When I showed the students there was screaming, crying, hands over mouths. I had to mute the microphones so we could actually hear what Elton was saying!" Meanwhile, Elton recently participated in a chat with rising singer Rina Sawayama on FaceTime and said her debut album is "my favorite record of the year so far." - New Musical Express, 6/17/20...... A new version of Aretha Franklin's "Never Gonna Break My Faith" was shared on Juneteenth holiday (June 19), which celebrates the day in 1865 that all enslaved black people in the United States learned they had been freed from bondage. Sony's RCA Records, RCA Inspiration and Legacy Recordings released the song to YouTube, which features lyrics like: "You can lie to a child with a smiling face/Tell me that color ain't about a race." "The world is very different now. Change is everywhere and each of us, hopefully, is doing the best he or she can to move forward and make change as positive as possible," Clive Davis, Sony Music's chief creative officer and Franklin's close friend and collaborator, said in a statement. "Never Gonna Break My Faith" won best gospel performance at the 50th Grammy Awards in 2008, marking Franklin's 18th and final Grammy win. It was originally featured in the film Bobby, about U.S. Sen. Robert F. Kennedy's 1968 assassination, and features background vocals from The Boys Choir of Harlem. "This solo version has been sitting on my computer for years, and when I heard Clive was making a film on Aretha's life, I sent this version to him," says Grammy-winning singer Bryan Adams, who co-wrote the song. "The world hasn't heard her full performance and it really needed to be heard... I'm so glad it's being released, the world needs this right now," he added. Aretha Franklin died in 2018 at age 76. - AP, 6/19/20...... The artist-advocacy nonprofit organization Artist Rights Alliance Council has been joined by a group of 93 artists that include Bette Midler, Elvis Costello, Emmylou Harris, Sheryl Crow and T Bone Burnett. The artist-run council announced on June 18 that it will "provide perspective and advisory input" to ARA while helping to foster awareness of current issues facing content creators. The Artist Rights Alliance, founded in 2013, has been on the front lines of a host of recent issues, including passage of the Music Modernization Act and current efforts to reform the Digital Millennium Copyright Act. The organization also unveiled its "Artists' Bill of Rights" which aims to help musicians to receive fair pay from streaming services and rein in tech platforms "that unfairly profit from music." - Billboard, 6/19/20...... German electronic pop pioneers Kraftwerk have announced a series of new digital reissues of five of their studio albums - Trans Europa Express, Die Mensch-Maschine, Computerwelt, Techno Pop and The Mix -- will be made available to stream and download for the first time beginning July 3. Kraftwerk fans will also be abel to experience the Dolby Atmos/HD Surround mix of the group's 2017 audio/video documentary 3-D The Catalogue, which will be available to stream for the first time through Amazon HD and Tidal. A stereo version of the documentary's German language original form will also be made available across the globe. The new releases follow the death of group co-founder Florian Schneider, who died in May aged 73. - New Musical Express, 6/18/20...... Queen + Adam Lambert announced on June 18 that it will host a "Tour Watch Party" on its YouTube channel on June 21 starting at 3:00 p.m. EDT that combines highlight moments from previous tours, festival gigs and intimate concerts. The all-day bash features standout performances spotlighting Queen's biggest hits, such as "Love Kills" and "I Was Born To Love You" at the Rock in Rio festivals in Lisbon and Rio de Janeiro and "Fat Bottomed Girls" at a Dallas, Texas show featuring the Dallas Cowboys cheerleaders. Earlier in 2020 Queen was forced to cancel the European leg of their Rhapsody Tour, which would have ended on June 21 at London's The O2 arena. - Billboard, 6/18/20...... On June 19, Bob Dylan broke an 8-year-long drought of new material with the release of his latest album, Rough and Rowdy Ways. The 79-year-old Rock and Roll Hall of Famer's latest effort spans 10 tracks and includes the previously-shared songs "Murder Most Foul," "I Contain Multitudes" and "False Prophet." In a recent rare interview, Dylan told the New York Times that the songs came from a stream of consciousness. "Most of my recent songs are like that. The lyrics are the real thing, tangible, they're not metaphors," Dylan said. "The songs seem to know themselves and they know that I can sing them, vocally and rhythmically. They kind of write themselves and count on me to sing them," he added. Dylan also noted that he wished he had written the Rolling Stones' 1973 hit "Angie." Rough and Rowdy Ways can be streamed on Spotify.com. - Billboard, 6/19/20...... Appearing on the morning show The Talk on June 17 via Zoom, Ozzy Osbourne said that he's feeling pretty good these days as he recovers from surgery in 2019 to repair an old injury he sustained during a 2003 ATV accident, and after a year of health issues and repeatedly postponed tour dates. "I'm getting better -- it's a slow process, but I'm getting there slowly but surely," said the 71-year-old heavy metal legend, who also described what it's been like living in quarantine during the pandemic. "It's been good actually, because I've been recovering from the surgery I had last year. I've never been at home this long in my whole career," said Ozzy, who had his arm slug over wife Sharon Osbourne's shoulder during the whole interview. "I've had the chance to see my wife's side of the fence more than me being on the road. It's had its moment though, I must confess," he added in the interview, which can be viewed on Twitter.com. Ozzy had been slated to get medical treatment in Switzerland earlier this year for his Parkinson's disease, but that was postponed due to the coronavirus. For now, he's still scheduled to hit the UK and Europe on Oct. 23 in Newcastle, England, on a tour in support of his recent studio album, Ordinary Man. In other Ozzy-related news, Black Sabbath has officially put up a Black Lives Matter T-shirt with a logo in the style of the group's Master of Reality LP for sale after Rage Against the Machine's Tom Morello was seen rocking out in a shirt just like it which received a huge fan response. Black Sabbath announced on Instagram that it will be donating 100% of the proceeds of the shirt, which will be available beginning in mid-July, to Black Lives Matter. - Billboard, 6/18/20...... Julien's Auctions announced on June 18 that it is teaming with the MusicCares Foundation for an online auction benefitting the MusiCares COVID-19 Relief Fund on Sept. 9. The auction will feature one-of-a-kind items and memorabilia from the likes of Robert Plant, Bill Wyman, Barbra Streisand, Willie Nelson, Tony Iommi, Blake Shelton and Ozzy and Sharon Osbourne. "In this new world of social distancing and isolation, music and the arts has brought us together and given us hope and salvation from the despair and loss that we've all felt these last months," said Darren Julien, President/Chief Executive Officer of Julien's Auctions in a statement announcing the event, which will be held in Beverly Hills and online at www.julienslive.com. Robert Plant has teased that he's offering up a guitar for the auction that he's used to practice in his bedroom for 55 years. - Billboard, 6/18/20...... In related news, former Police frontman Sting will be among a group of musicians that also includes Michael Copley, Clea Friend, Steven Osborne and Kathryn Tickell for a special event to help people grieve for their loved ones during the COVID-19 pandemic on June 21 over Zoom and Facebook beginning at 2:00 p.m. Although the "Saying Goodbye" event had started primarily for those in the N.E. of England, it has now spread organically across the UK with the organisers no longer being able to cover it just over Zoom but extending it over Facebook live, so others around the UK can join too at www.facebook.com/paraswellbeing/live. The event will be a non-religious ceremony (but multi-faith in spirit) and music. - Music-News.com, 6/18/20...... Bruce Springsteen once again blasted U.S. Pres. Donald Trump on the June 17 edition of his SiriusXM radio show "From My Home to Yours," this time for the president's stubborn refusal to wear a mask in public during the COVID-19 pandemic. After noting that "100,000-plus Americans" have died over the last few months and its "shamed response from our leaders," The Boss said "I'm simply pissed off." "Those lives deserve better than just being inconvenient statistics for our president's re-election efforts. It's a national disgrace," he said. Springsteen then went on to address Trump directly. "I'm going to start out with sending one to the man sitting behind the Resolute Desk," he said before throwing to the first song. "With all respect, sir, show some consideration for your countrymen and your country. Put on a f--king mask." - Billboard, 6/17/20...... Premium cable channel HBO announced on June 17 that it will present a filmed version of former Talking Heads frontman David Byrne's acclaimed Broadway show "American Utopia" which will be directed by Spike Lee. "David Byrne's American Utopia is a uniquely transformative experience and a perfect example of how entertainment can bring us together during these challenging times," said HBO Programming executive vp Nina Rosenstein said in a statement. "Spike's brilliant direction adds a level of intimacy to this powerful performance, and we're so thrilled to share this groundbreaking show with our audience." The show features Byrne and 11 musical artists from around the world performing songs from the 2018 album of the same title, as well as songs from the Talking Heads and Byrne's solo catalog. "American Utopia" ran from Oct. 2019 to Feb. 2020, earning rave reviews, with The Hollywood Reporter calling it "pure bliss." The filmed American Utopia is set to premiere sometime later in 2020, with a specific date to be announced. - The Hollywood Reporter, 6/17/20...... An "angel cloud" guitar used by Prince on his Purple Rain tour fetched over £450,000 ($563,000) at a Juliens auction on June 19. The custom electric blue instrument was one of four "cloud" guitars used between 1984 and 1985 in support of the "When Doves Cry" hitmaker's seminal sixth studio album. The guitar was thought to be lost when it disappeared in the '90s until it was found in 2019. The owner was given it by Prince but was not aware of its exact history. A vintage Yamaha DX7 synthesizer used by Prince on his Purple Rain album is also being auctioned on the RR Auction website. - New Musical Express, 6/20/20...... Paul McCartney, Dave Grohl and Arcade Fire will perform as part of the Preservation Hall Jazz Band live-stream on June 20 beginning at 8 pm EST (1am BST), taking their "Midnight Preserves" festival jam sessions online in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic. The group will host a live-stream from their respective homes and are set to be joined by a number of special guests. McCartney, Grohl and Arcade Fire appeared alongside Elvis Costello, Dave Matthews, Beck, My Morning Jacket's Jim James, Nathaniel Rateliff and more. Fans can tune in on YouTube, Twitch, or Facebook. Some performances will be pre-recorded. The Preservation Hall Jazz Band was founded in 1961 as a way to promote New Orleans jazz. They often hold their own 'Midnight Preserves' sessions at the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival, which sees them joined by a host of special guests. - New Musical Express, 6/19/20...... Production on director Baz Lurhmann's Elvis Presley biopic, featuring Tom Hanks as Colonel Tom Parker, is expected to restart in Australia soon after it halted when the star and his wife Rita Wilson tested positive for COVID-19. Queensland Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk said in a press conference on June 18 she had met with Luhrmann to discuss the production's return, set to film at the Village Roadshow Studios on the Gold Coast. "We want to ensure that this can happen as soon as possible while making sure that the cast and crew can operate safely," Palaszcuk said. Her comments refer to new guidelines in Australia, which require all film and television productions to draw up their own "COVID-Safe Risk Mitigation Program." The currently untitled biopic, with Austin Butler in the lead role, will chart Presley's rise to fame and examine his relationship with Parker. According to Warner Bros, the story will be set "against the backdrop of the evolving cultural landscape and the loss of innocence in America." - NME, 6/18/20...... Fleetwood Mac announced on June 18 that it is reissuing its 1969 album Then Play On, the band's final release with co-founder and guitarist Peter Green. Then Play On was Fleetwood Mac's third studio album, and the first of the band's albums to feature Danny Kirwan, who passed away in 2018. The reissued record will be drop Sept. 18 via BMG and contain four bonus tracks, liner notes from the band's biographer Anthony Bozza, and a foreword from Mick Fleetwood. - NME, 6/18/20...... Roger Waters has released his Us + Them concert film on Amazon video, which captures the Pink Floyd co-founder's 2018 tour of the same name. Comprised of footage from the four nights Waters and his band played at Amsterdam's Ziggo Dome in June 2018, as well as footage shot on location in the U.K., the film also showcases the tour's state-of-the-art visual production and features a set list that spans Waters' entire career. You can also rent or buy the film on YouTube. - NME, 6/16/20...... A new biopic about late Motörhead frontman Lemmy Kilmister is reportedly in the works. Kilmister's early, pre-Motörhead life as a Jimi Hendrix roadie as well as his time in Hawkwind will be explored in a film called Lemmy, according to The Hollywood Reporter. The project is set to be helmed by Greg Olliver, who directed a 2010 documentary of the same name. "We've been carefully developing this biopic since 2013, making sure to stay true to Lemmy, Motörhead band members Phil Campbell and Mikkey Dee, and all the other folks that played important roles in Lemmy's life," Olliver said in a statement. Lemmy, whose real name was Ian Fraser Kilmister, passed away in Dec. 2015 at the age of 70. Meanwhile, the surviving members of Motrhead recently marked the 40th anniversary of their landmark album Ace Of Spades with a day of special celebrations. - NME, 6/16/20...... Judges at South Carolina's Supreme Court have ruled James Brown's final partner is not entitled to a share of his fortune because their marriage was not legally binding. Tomi Rae Hynie has been fighting for a cut of the Godfather of Soul's estate ever since his death on Christmas Day in 2006, even though it was his dying wish to leave nearly all of his assets to bosses at a children's education foundation to fund scholarships. Hynie, who had a son with Brown, maintained their 2001 nuptials were legal, even though she was still married to another man at the time. The South Carolina judge overseeing the estate battle previously decided she was the star's legal wife as her ex-husband had committed bigamy, therefore voiding the union and paving the way for her to lay claim to a chunk of the musician's riches, previously estimated to be around US $100 million. However, on June 17 Supreme Court justices issued a unanimous verdict, declaring Hynie has no right to the soul icon's money, because she failed to annul her previous marriage. "The ongoing litigation since Brown's passing has thwarted his expressed wish that his estate be used for educational purposes... a point we find both extraordinary and lamentable," the judges wrote in their ruling. The current value of Brown's estate is unknown, but finances are believed to have taken a huge hit as a result of the long-running legal drama. - WENN/Canoe.com, 6/18/20...... Former Sex Pistols frontman John Lydon (Johnny Rotten) is currently caring for his wife Nora Forster full-time as the 78-year-old battles Alzheimer's disease. Lydon, 64, married the German heiress in 1979, and first revealed she was suffering from dementia last year. In an intervew with Britain's Daily Mirror, Lydon said he is now caring for his wife full-time, as he feels love is the best way to care for her. "Nora has Alzheimer's... I am her full-time carer and I won't let anyone mess up with her head," the rocker explained. "For me the real person is still there. That person I love is still there every minute of every day and that is my life. It's unfortunate that she forgets things, well, don't we all?" Detailing her condition, he added: "I suppose her condition is one of like a permanent hangover for her. It gets worse and worse, bits of the brain store less and less memory and then suddenly some bits completely vanish." - WENN/Canoe.com, 6/8/20...... Actor Danny Masterson, best known for his role on That '70s Show, was charged with three counts of rape, Los Angeles County District Attorney Jackie Lacey announced on June 17. Masterson was arrested and released shortly after on a $3.3 million bail, according to the Los Angeles County Sheriff's department. He is charged with forcibly raping three women in separate incidents occurring between 2001 and 2003, a press release from the District Attorney's Office said, with his arraignment is scheduled for Sept. 18, 2020. In a statement, Masterson's attorney Tom Mesereau said: "Mr. Masterson is innocent, and we're confident that he will be exonerated when all the evidence finally comes to light and witnesses have the opportunity to testify. Obviously, Mr. Masterson and his wife are in complete shock considering that these nearly 20-year old allegations are suddenly resulting in charges being filed, but they and their family are comforted knowing that ultimately the truth will come out." All of the alleged crimes took place at Masterson's Hollywood Hills home, authorities said. Deputy District Attorney Reinhold Mueller of the Sex Crimes Division is prosecuting the case. If convicted, Masterson faces a possible sentence of up to 45 years to life in state prison. Masterson, who has been married to actress Bijou Phillips since 2011, was written out of the Netflix comedy series The Ranch in Dec. 2017 when a police investigation on the allegations against him first came to light. - CNN, 6/18/20...... British entertainment legend Dame Vera Lynn, who helped raise morale during the Second World War with such songs as "We'll Meet Again" and "The White Cliffs of Dover," has died at the age of 103, her family announced on June 18. "The family are deeply saddened to announce the passing of one of Britain's best-loved entertainers at the age of 103," they said in a statement. Dame Lynn earned the nickname "the Forces' Sweetheart" during the war for her regular visits to troops on the front line, while she also performed in countries such as India and Egypt as part of the Entertainments National Service Association. "We'll Meet Again" re-entered the UK charts in May as the song enjoyed a resurgence in popularity as part of the 75th anniversary celebrations of VE Day, while its enduring message of resilience also spoke to many people during the coronavirus lockdown. The singer, songwriter and actress also became the oldest singer to score a UK top 40 album last month when her greatest hits collection 100 re-entered the UK albums chart, beating the record she previously set back in 2017. UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson was among those to pay tribute to Lynn, saying her "charm and magical voice entranced and uplifted our country in some of our darkest hours." "Her voice will live on to lift the hearts of generations to come," he said. - New Musical Express, 6/18/20.