Eric Clapton has come out in support of Van Morrison's campaign to dispute the way the British government has handled the coronavirus pandemic and the impact on the music industry. In September, Morrison played three concerts at The London Palladium to show how they can proceed safely, and he also released the first of three new anti-lockdown songs, "Born To Be Free," to be followed by "As I Walked Out" on Oct. 9 and "No More Lockdown" on Oct. 23. Now Morrison has received the support of not only his fans but the 75-year-old "Layla" hitmaker, who is concerned that unless the UK government acts quickly enough and supports the industry, "live music might never recover." "It is deeply upsetting to see how few gigs are going ahead because of the lockdown restrictions," Clapton says. "There are many of us who support Van and his endeavours to save live music, he is an inspiration! We must stand up and be counted because we need to find a way out of this mess. The alternative is not worth thinking about. Live music might never recover." Live music was banned in the UK when lockdown was introduced in March, although it has been possible for indoor live music performances to take place with socially distanced audiences since Aug. 1. - Music-News.com, 9/30/20...... 
Fleetwood Mac's 1977 chart-topper "Dreams" has nearly doubled in streams and experienced another spike in sales and streams thanks to a viral video posted in the last week of September. The TikTok video posted by user @420doggface208 and soundtracked with "Dreams," which can also be viewed on YouTube, shows a middle-aged man in a hoodie seemingly being pulled on a skateboard, as he swigs from a bottle of Ocean Spray Cran-Raspberry juice and occasionally sings along with Stevie Nicks' lead vocal. The clip's vibe of melancholy chill seemed to capture hearts across the Internet, and inspired a massive hike in "Dreams" consumption in the days following its spread. For the three-day period of Sept. 25 - Sept. 27, "Dreams" racked up 2.9 million on-demand U.S. streams and 3000 in digital download sales -- numbers up 88.7% and 374%, respectively, from their totals in the prior three-day periods, according to Nielsen Music/MRC Data. "Dreams," the band's only No. 1 US hit, previously enjoyed gains in 2018 when a meme of Alcorn State University's Golden Girls dance team grooving to "Dreams" took off on Twitter. "Dreams" has also been a regular presence on the Billboard charts in recent years and remains one of the most consumed rock songs in America on a regular basis. - Billboard, 9/30/20...... In other Fleetwood Mac-related news, Stevie Nicks has revealed she contacted her former bandmate and ex-boyfriend Lindsey Buckingham after he suffered a heart attack in 2019. Nicks, who released a new solo song on Oct. 9 called "Show Them The Way," told the Los Angeles Times she urged Buckingham to look after himself with a message in the year following Buckingham's firing from the legendary folk/blues rock group. "You better take care of yourself. You better take it easy and you better do everything they tell you and get your voice back and feel the grace that you have made it through this," she recalled. Nicks added that she "never planned for Buckingham to leave the band and was disappointed when it happened." "Any time we re-formed to do a tour or a record, I always walked in with hope in my heart. And I just was so disappointed. I felt like all the wind had gone out of my sails," she said. "Show Them The Way," meanwhile, has arrived a few weeks before Nicks' previously announced 24 Karat Gold - Songs from the Vault live album and concert film, which drops on Oct. 9. The film is set to play in select cinemas on Oct. 21 and Oct. 25, and is to be followed by a recorded version on Oct. 30. Nicks says the new single was inspired by a dream she had about late civil rights leader Dr. Martin Luther King. Meanwhile, Nicks has finally inked a deal to bring her long-awaited Rhiannon mini-series to screens, and she would like pop singer Harry Styles for a starring role. The mini-series, she says, will feature 10 unreleased songs written by her, with One Direction star Styles "definitely in the running" to star in the show. "I'm going, 'Harry, you cannot age one day. You have to stay exactly as you are. I've already sold him on it," she laughed. Nicks and Styles are close pals -- he invited the rocker and a group of her pals to his home for a playback of his second album Fine Line ahead of its release, and she later joined him onstage at The Forum in Los Angeles for his Fine Line album release show. Nicks has had hopes of making a movie about the Celtic deity Rhiannon ever since a fan sent her four novels on the folklore following the release of her 1975 classic hit, "Rhiannon." - New Musical Express/Music-News.com, 9/30/20...... 
After many weeks of teasing a comeback with "PWR UP" teasers on their social media channels, in newspaper ads and on posters, AC/DC confirmed with an announcement on Twitter on Sept. 30 that they're officially reuniting. "ARE YOU READY? #PWRUP," the band tweeted, revealing its line-up consisting of lead guitarist Angus Young, vocalist Brian Johnson, drummer Phil Rudd, bassist Cliff Williams and rhythm guitarist Stevie Young. Brian Johnson gave up touring with the veteran rock outfit back in 2016 due to hearing loss, and was replaced by Guns N' Roses' Axl Rose. Phil Rudd, meanwhile, exited the band's 2015 "Rock or Bust World Tour" after being found guilty of drug possession and threatening to kill in a New Zealand murder plot case. The band's last studio LP, Rock or Bust, was released in Nov. 2014 and peaked at No. 3 on the Billboard Hot 200. The Aussie rockers have also shared a new teaser of their comeback single, "Shot in the Dark" on Twitter. The 30-second clip is accompanied by images of each member of the band bathed in red light and is soundtracked by the new song, which contains the lyrics: "A shot in the dark / Make it feel alright." - Billboard/NME, 9/30/20...... The estate of Jimi Hendrix has released a new preview for the forthcoming Hendrix documentary Music, Money, Madness & Jimi Hendrix in Maui. The film is set to include footage of the late guitar god's outdoor concert at foot of the Haleakala volcano in Maui, including a performance of "Foxey Lady," which has been shared on YouTube. As seen in the clip, Hendrix forgets some of the words to the song, compensating with some of his signature tricks like playing with his teeth. Technical difficulties during the performance meant drummer Mitch Mitchell had to overdub his tracks in 1971 at Electric Lady Studios, the year after Hendrix death. Music, Money, Madness & Jimi Hendrix in Maui is a new insight into the making of Hendrix's semi-fictional Rainbow Bridge film and his 1970 show in Hawaii. Rainbow Bridge,, which was panned by most critics, focused on the travels of a model from New York to Hawaii. Clips from Hendrix's show at Haleakala appeared in the film, but most of the footage is previously unreleased. The film and a 3-disc soundtrack will be released on Nov. 20. - NME, 10/3/20...... Joni Mitchell has shared a second sample off her forthcoming archival album Joni Mitchell Archives Vol. 1: The Early Years (1963 -- 1967), her first original demo, "Day After Day," on YouTube. Mitchell made the demo tape on Aug. 24, 1965 for Elektra Records co-founder Jac Holzman during a session that also produced "Let It Be Me," "Like the Lonely Swallow," "The Student Song" and "What Will You Give Me." "I didn't know whether it was a good song or a bad song. It was just the first one that came out," Mitchell said in a press release. "Day After Day" follows the release of Mitchell's earliest known recording, a cover of "House of the Rising Sun" recorded in 1963 at the Saskatoon radio station CFQC AM. Joni Mitchell Archives Vol. 1: The Early Years (1963 -- 1967) will drop on Oct. 30. The compilation is comprised of recordings prior to the release of her 1968 debut album, Song to a Seagull. - NME, 10/2/20...... The British virtual cartoon band Gorillaz released the latest episode in their "Song Machine" series on Oct. 1, a collaboration with Elton John and 6lack. Ahead of releasing their Song Machine: Season One album on Oct. 23, Gorillaz have shared "The Pink Phantom" on YouTube, featuring a fetching cartoon version of Elton. John has said Gorillaz member Damon Albarn "reached out and asked me to do something and the way the song has turned out is just great. "I was in the studio in London and he was at the other end in Devon, but even remotely it was such an engaging and creative process... I've always been a Gorillaz fan anyway, so when he asked me to do a Gorillaz track, it was a no brainer. I'm so very, very happy that that's come about," he added. - NME, 10/1/20...... Streaming giant Netflix announced on Sept. 29 that they are planning a new holiday film starring Dolly Parton titled Christmas on the Square. Parton will contribute 14 original songs to the project, which will also star Christine Baranski, Jenifer Lewis, Treat Williams, Jeanine Mason and Josh Segarra. The film is set for a worldwide release on Nov. 22. The official synopsis for Christmas on the Square reads: "Regina Fuller (Baranski), a wealthy and unpleasant woman, returns to her small hometown in the wake of her father's death to evict everyone right before the holiday season. Following an encounter with an angel (Parton), a rekindling of an old romance and stories from the local community, she has a change of heart." The title song of the film has been shared on YouTube. - NME, 9/30/20...... 
A virtual reunion of the legendary heavy metal "mockumentary" band Spinal Tap will take place in October, with This Is Spinal Tap stars Harry Shearer, Michael McKean and Christopher Guest reprising their roles and director Rob Reiner also participating. Hosted by comedian Patton Oswalt, the event will act as a fundraiser for Pennysylvania Democrats ahead of November's presidential election." Every dollar raised goes directly towards ending Trumpism by winning Pennsylvania," an official invite posted on Reiner's Twitter page states. Citing one of the film's most memorable scenes, Democratic Party operative Jason Henry told The Hollywood Reporter that "Democratic enthusiasm in Pennsylvania is already 'turned up to eleven' -- we're the Keystone State and the key to winning this election. We're excited to partner with the Spinal Tap team to bring even more energy to power Democratic wins from the State House to the White House." The virtual Spinal Tap Dem fundraiser will take place on Oct. 14. - NME, 10/2/20...... Yoko Ono filed a copyright infringement suit against her late husband John Lennon's former aide Fred Seaman on Oct. 1, alleging Seaman violated a court order by sitting down for a 23-minute interview on Sept. 10 to discuss topics which are legally prohibited, like his work with John and Yoko, the Beatles star's assassination, and Seaman's 1991 book, The Last Days of John Lennon. Yoko says that during the interview Seaman discussed his intention to revise the book and reissue an extended version of it, which she says would "willfully and intentionally violate" the injunction she got against him in 2002. Ono, 87, also took issue with the fact that Seaman was "flanked by Lennon memorabilia" for the interview. In 2002, a court ordered Seaman to stop using John and Yoko's family photos to profit from his legacy and he even apologized to her in open court. Yoko is asking for at least $150,000 (£116,000) and other damages, as well as an order stopping Seaman from talking about her and her family. - Music-News.com, 10/2/20...... In other Lennon-related news, Elton John revealed to John and Yoko's son Sean Ono Lennon during Sean's new BBC Radio 2 series that his dad was "physically sick from nerves" before performing with him at a 1974 show in New York s Madison Square Garden after the Beatle lost a bet with John. "He was terrified," Elton told Sean. "I can tell you that he was physically sick before the show, absolutely physically sick." Elton, who provided backing vocals and piano on John's No. 1 1974 hit "Whatever Gets You Through The Night," convinced Lennon, who was not particularly fond of the song, to release the track and wagered that they would have to perform the number together if it topped the Billboard Hot 100. When the song did become a chart-topper in the US, the pair performed it during an Elton's Thanksgiving 1974 Madison Square Garden concert. But Elton noted that Lennon "wasn't nervous during the show [and] he just played the same brilliantly once he arrived on stage." In another episode of Sean's new radio show, Paul McCartney reflected on reconciling with his former bandmate Lennon shortly before John was shot dead in 1980. "I always say to people, one of the great things for me was that after all The Beatles rubbish and all the arguing and the business, you know, business differences really... that even after all of that, I'm so happy that I got it back together with your dad," McCartney told Sean. "It really, really would have been a heartache to me if we hadn't have reunited. It was so lovely too that we did, and it really gives me sort of strength to know that," he added. - NME, 9/30/20...... 
Queen + Adam Lambert released their first live album, Live Around the World, on Oct. 2 in CD, CD+DVD, CD+Blu-ray and vinyl formats. It is the first live offering from the legendary '70s prog-rock band to feature former American Idol contestant Lambert, who tours with the band as a replacement for flamboyant frontman Freddie Mercury, who died in 1991. Live Around The World includes their entire 22-minute set from the Fire Fight Australia charity concert in Sydney in February, where they performed Queen's original 1985 Live Aid set in full including "Bohemian Rhapsody," "We are the Champions" and the show-stopping "Radio Ga Ga." The band have played to 4 million people since Lambert came onboard. Although 2021 will mark 50 years since Queen played their first show with their classic line-up, founding guitarist Brian May says no "big noise" will be made about the anniversary. "We kind of came to the conclusion we didn't want to make a big noise about having been around for 50 years. It is more important that we are still here," said May in a recent interview. - WENN/Canoe.com, 10/1/20...... Speaking of 50th anniversaries, Black Sabbath have partnered with shoe manufacturer Dr. Martens for a new shoe collection to celebrate the golden anniversary of Sabbath's first two album. Two new pairs of shoes are being released for the first collection, with the "1460 Sabbath boot" depicting album cover designer Keith McMillan's artwork from the band's eponymous 1970 debut. Kitted out with purple popped eyelets, flat braided laces and core Docs markings, a "Henry badge" -- the flying devil/angel that's become synonymous with Black Sabbath over the years -- is also visible behind the laces. The "1461 Sabbath shoe," meanwhile, is built with the same eyelets, "Henry motif and heel loop, but pays tribute to Paranoid. The album artwork has been digitally printed on the ankle, and the three-eye shoe is finished with embossed Black Sabbath lettering on the vamp. The "Black Sabbath x Dr. Martens" collection went on sale on Oct. 1, and more info on the shoes can be found on Instagram. - NME, 9/29/20...... A new week-long YouTube festival has been announced to stream vintage performances by a host of the huge rock acts who have played shows for Teenage Cancer Trust at London's Royal Albert Hall over the years. Starting on Oct. 8, "Teenage Cancer Trust Unseen" will be broadcast nightly on YouTube and feature performances from Ed Sheeran (Oct. 8), Muse (Oct. 9), Paul McCartney (Oct. 11), Pulp (Oct. 14), Them Crooked Vultures (Oct. 16), The Who (Oct. 17), and The Cure (Oct. 18 & 31). Organised by The Who frontman Roger Daltrey, the week of concerts each March are an annual highlight in London's gig calendar. This year marks the event's 20th anniversary, with 2020's roster originally set to include performances by The Who, Paul Weller, Nile Rodgers & Chic, Noel Gallagher's High Flying Birds, Mumford And Sons, Stereophonics and Groove Armada. The shows usually raise £1m a year, but Teenage Cancer Trust faces lost funds of £5 million in 2020 due to events cancelled by coronavirus. A trailer for this year's virtual Teenage Cancer Trust program can be viewed on YouTube. Daltrey says the Rolling Stones are still on his wishlist to perform at the annual TCT event. "They're a fabulous band, but they don't do charity shows, so it is just a dream," Daltrey says. "I don't know why, it's just not their bag to do charity shows. Although Mick [Jagger] did do Live Aid, and maybe after this pandemic they'll step up," he added. - NME, 9/28/20...... 
Cliff Richard will mark his upcoming milestone 80th birthday on Oct. 14 with a new album, Music... The Air That I Breathe featuring two new songs he's recorded, "Falling For You" and "PS Please." Set for release on Oct. 30, Music... The Air That I Breathe will also feature his duets with Bonnie Tyler, The Bellamy Brothers, Sheila Walsh, The Piano Guys and Albert Hammond, as well as covers including the Beatles' "Here Comes The Sun." "Looking back, I remember thinking that I wouldn't make it to 50 and here I am at 80, and what's even better than that is I have a new album!," Sir Cliff says. "It features not just me, but friends I admire who duetted with me on some of the tracks. I loved recording it and hope you will enjoy listening to it," he adds. Richard had announced a UK tour to celebrate his 80th, dubbed "The Great 80 Tour," which was due to kick off in Gateshead on Sept. 23. However, it's been postponed due to the ongoing threat of COVID-19. Although Richard, who has been making records since the 1950s, has slowed down and reduced his touring schedule in recent times, he vows to never retire from the music industry. "The word 'retire'... I don't think that's in my vocabulary," he has said in past interviews. - Music-News.com, 9/30/20...... Benjamin Keogh, the grandson of Elvis Presley and son of Presley's daughter Lisa Marie Presley, was laid to rest in Meditation Garden at Presley's Graceland mansion on Oct. 1. "Benjamin Storm Presley Keough was laid to rest in the Meditation Garden at Graceland with his family including his grandfather, Elvis Presley, great-grandmother, Gladys Presley, great-grandfather, Vernon Presley and great-great-grandmother, Minnie Mae Presley," a statement on the Graceland website reads. Keogh died at age 27 in mid-July, and the Los Angeles County Medical Examiner's Office ruled on July 14 that his official cause of death was a shotgun wound and the manner of death was ruled suicide. A rep for Lisa Marie told The Hollywood Reporter at the time, "She is completely heartbroken, inconsolable and beyond devastated but trying to stay strong for her 11-year-old twins and her oldest daughter, Riley. She adored that boy. He was the love of her life." - Billboard, 10/2/20.
Grammy-winning singer Helen Reddy, who scored three No. 1 singles in the US during the 1970s including "Delta Dawn", "Angie Baby", and the iconic feminist anthem "I Am Woman", died in Los Angeles on Sept. 29, according to a statement on her Facebook fan page. Reddy, who suffered from Addison's disease and dementia in her later years, was 78. Born in Melbourne, Australia on Oct. 25, 1941, Reddy started her entertainment career at age four at the Tivoli Theatre in Perth, and toured much of the country with her show business parents. After leaving boarding school at age 15 to tour with a road show where she sang as well as acted, Reddy eventually landed her own Aussie TV show, Helen Reddy Sings. At age 20, Reddy married Kenneth Claude Weate, an older musician and family friend whom she says she wed to defy her parents, who wished her to follow them into show business. The couple separated not long after the birth of their daughter, Traci. In 1966, Reddy won a trip to New York City in an Australian American Bandstand contest, sponsored by Philips-Mercury Records. Although she found little success there, she met her future second husband, Jeff Wald, an agent with the William Morris agency. She married the Bronx native a year later, and in 1972 they had a son, Jordan. In 1970, Wald arranged for her to perform on NBC's The Tonight Show, and within a year she had her first hit, "I Don't Know How to Love Him" (#13, 1971) from the rock musical Jesus Christ Superstar. She followed up with a string of Top 40 singles from 1972-77, including "I Am Woman," which was released in 1971, but didn't make it to No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 until December of the next year. 
The song earned the singer her first Grammy the following year ("I would like to thank God, because She makes everything possible," she said in her short acceptance speech). Further hits include "Peaceful" (#12), "Delta Dawn" (#1), "Leave Me Alone (Ruby Red Dress)" (#3), "You and Me Against the World" (#9), "Angie Baby" (#1), and "Ain't No Way to Treat a Lady" (#8). In 1973, Reddy's popularity earned her a summer-replacement TV variety show on NBC, and for most of the rest of the decade she was a hostess on NBC's Friday night rock-variety show, The Midnight Special. Reddy also served as commissioner of parks and recreation for her adapted home state of California during that period. Her singing career on the wane, Reddy turned to acting, appearing in Airport 1975 (1974), the Disney children's film Pete's Dragon (1977), Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Heart's Club Band (1978), Disorderlies (1987), and The Perfect Host (2010). Reddy's relationship with Wald, who had developed a cocaine addiction, became increasingly volatile by the mid-'70s, and after divorcing him in the early Eighties, she married Milton Ruth, a drummer in her band, in 1983. They divorced in 1995. In 1983, she released what would become her final LP, Imagination. A biopic of Reddy's rise from single mother in New York City to hit artist -- titled I Am Woman -- premiered in August. The film stars Tilda Cobham-Hervey as Reddy and features a new song by Reddy's granddaughter, Lily Donat. "It is with deep sadness that we announce the passing of our beloved mother, Helen Reddy, on the afternoon of September 29th 2020 in Los Angeles," her children Traci and Jordan said in a statement. "She was a wonderful Mother, Grandmother and a truly formidable woman." - CNN/Rolling Stone/Wikipedia.com, 9/30/20.
Country-pop singer/songwriter Mac Davis, who penned hits for the likes of Elvis Presley and as a solo artist topped the Billboard chart in 1972 with 
His composition "I Believe In Music," which he recorded in 1972, has sold millions of copies in cover versions by over 50 artists, and that same year "Baby Don't Get Hooked On Me" became his biggest hit, followed by "Rock and Roll (I Gave You the Best Years of My Life)" (#15, 1975), "One Hell of a Woman" (#11, 1974), and "Stop and Smell the Roses" (#9, 1974). In Dec. 1974, Davis began hosting his own TV variety progam, The Mac Davis Show, but further single releases ("Burnin' Thing," "Forever Lovers," "It's Hard to Be Humble" and "Texas in My Rear View Mirror") were less successful. In 1979, Davis made his film debut in the football-themed movie North Dallas Forty, starring Nick Nolte, and later appeared in the romantic comedy Cheaper to Keep Her. Davis then performed in Las Vegas' MGM Grand Hotel in the early '80s, and in the second half of the decade put recording on hold as he became a fixture on TV talk shows, including The Tonight Show with Johnny Carson. Davis later starred in movies including Angel's Dance, The Wendell Baker Story and Deck the Halls, and several TV series -- including a stint on the sitcom Rodney between 2004 and 2006. He also starred in the titular role of American humorist Will Rogers in the Broadway production of "The Will Rogers Follies." Tributes to Davis have flooded in for the prolific songwriter and entertainer, including tweets from Kenny Chesney, Richard Marx and Dolly Parton, who Davis worked with, and remembered him as having "a giant heart." - Music-News.com/Rolling Stone, 9/30/20.
After an attorney representing The Doobie Brothers wrote a humorous letter to comedian/actor Bill Murray's golf company requesting for damages for an alleged breach of copyright for using the 1972 Doobies hit "Listen to the Music" in a TV ad for a new shirt without their permission, Murray's company William Murray Golf has responded with a glib letter of its own. The letter from the Doobies' attorney Peter T. Paterno gained attention both for its claims and the humorous style in which it was written. "The Doobie Brothers perform and recorded the song Listen to the Music, which Tom Johnston of the Doobie Brothers wrote," Paterno wrote. "It's a fine song. I know you agree because you keep using it in ads for your Zero Hucks Given golf shirts. However, given that you haven't paid to use it, maybe you should change the name to "Zero Bucks Given." Now, Murray's lawyer has responded in kind with their own glib letter. Alexander Yoffe of the Yoffe & Cooper law firm began by complimenting Paterno on "finding levity in the law at a time when the world and this country certainly could use a laugh." He continued to confirm that both those working at the law firm and at William Murray Golf were fans of the Doobie Brothers, noting that was why "we appreciate your firm's choice of 'Takin' It To The Streets', rather than to the courts, which are already overburdened "Minute By Minute" with real problems." Yoffe ended his letter by offering to send William Murray Golf shirts to the band -- a gesture he hoped would "win each of you over as new fans of the brand... At least that's "what this fool believes." - New Musical Express, 9/26/20...... Appearing on NBC's The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon on Sept. 27, Sting revealed that he's planning on releasing a new duets album, possibly in time for the Christmas season. "Over the years, I've recorded many, many duets with some amazing people -- Herbie Hancock, Eric Clapton -- so we just put them all together and said, 'You know, we should put this out'," he told Fallon in the interview, which has been posted on 
Pink Floyd announced on Sept. 27 that they'll be releasing a 
In an interview with the new edition of MOJO magazine, The Kinks frontman Ray Davies said he never wanted to release the classic Kinks song "Waterloo Sunset" as a single in May 1967 and went on to feature on their album Something Else later that year. Davies now says that he had originally wanted to keep the song private. "I got my family together -- my sister was over from Australia and there was Jackie my niece and a couple of my nephews -- and I played them the acetate of it about 20 times. I said, 'That's for us and I don't want it to come out'. It was so important to me I didn't want it to come out. Shows I'm not a very good businessman. I just wanted it to be ours," Davis told the magazine. He added that he didn't begrudge the track being released, but was "pleased that people connected to it in the right way." "And regardless of the nationality thing, it's two young lovers looking at the sunset seeing their future," Davis added. Elsewhere in the interview, the 76-year-old Sir Davies also revealed that he was almost killed by a World War II bomb when he was just two days old. "When I was two days old -- [my older sister Gwen] would have been about five or six -- she suddenly decided to pick me up and take me out of the kitchen where my cot was. And she heard a V-2 bomb come over. The V-2 landed just up the road from Fortis Green and all the glass in the kitchen, where I'd been lying, was shattered all over the room and I would have been killed. Talk about being intuitive..." Davies, who was knighted in 2017 for his services to the arts, admitted that the one good thing to come out of Hilter's attempt to destroy London was that he "unwittingly gave us kids somewhere to play" on the bomb sites. "No. It must have been one of the last V-2s because I was born in 1944. Hitler's last attempt to destroy London," he said. - NME/Music-News.com, 9/26/20...... In a new interview with the London Sunday Times, Queen guitarist Brian May opened up about his ongoing recovery from a heart attack he suffered earlier in 2020. In May, May told fans that he had been "very near death" when he was hospitalised after doctors discovered that three arteries in his heart "were congested and in danger of blocking the supply of blood to his heart." Now May says his recovery still feels like "a long climb back." "I've had complications due to the drugs I'm on, one of which was a stomach explosion that nearly killed me. The heart attack was a symbol of an arterial disease, but I don't drink, I don't smoke, I don't have high cholesterol and I was exercising through the tour, so why did it happen? At least I now have a heart that is working far better than it was." Queen had been planning to head out on a huge UK and European tour in the summer of 2020, but it has been rescheduled to 2021 due to coronavirus. - NME, 9/26/20...... In a new interview with Radio.com, Ozzy Osbourne revealed that he's started working on a new album that will be the follow-up to his Ordinary Man LP which was released in Feb. 2020. "I'm doing another record right now. I just started to work with Andrew [Watt] again. It's what gets me up in the morning, and it's what I'm here to do," Ozzy says. He continued: "It saved my life, doing that last album. [It's better than] sitting on my ass all day waiting for the f---ing pandemic to be over. And then you go, 'Oh, yeah, I am a rock and roller. I'd better do an album.' You've got all the f---ing time in the world to make the best album possible," he added. - NME, 9/26/20...... 
A new Bee Gees documentary titled How Can You Mend a Broken Heart after the Aussie hitmaking trio's 
Marvin Gaye's landmark 1971 album 
Appearing on the UK early morning talk sow Lorraine on Sept. 22, Yusuf/Cat Stevens says although he's enjoyed performing for his fans from the comfort of his home amid the coronavirus pandemic, he's looking forward to 2021 when he hopes to put on some "scaled-back" gigs to coincide with the release of his upcoming autobiography. "Lockdown changed everything. But I'm getting used to Zooming, to be honest, it's very comfortable to sit in your own kitchen or living room and put on a concert," the 72-year-old singer/songwriter legend said. "We will probably go out and do something when everything is clear and perhaps it will be scaled-down a little bit. But I've also got a few projects in the pipeline, like my autobiography. It might be a combination of 'Tillerman' and my autobiography," he added. Yusuf re-recorded his 1970 classic Tea for the Tillerman earlier in 2020 to mark its 50th anniversary, and on Sept. 21 he and his son Jesse Royal contributed to Peace One Day's Live Global Digital Experience, which is also the UN International Day of Peace. The event, produced by Jude Law and Jeremy Gilley and was broadcast live across the world. It marked Yusuf's third contribution to Peace One Day, having previously performed in 2007 and 2011. Yusuf's Tea For The Tillerman 2 is currently at the No. 3 spot on the UK's Official Albums Chart Update. - Music-News.com, 9/22/20...... Jimmy Buffett, the late B.B. King, and Mac McAnally are among the latest inductees into the Mississippi Songwriters Hall of Fame, in was announced during a virtual ceremony on Sept. 17. Pascagoula, Miss., Mayor Steve Demetropoulos congratulated the Parrothead-In-Chief, noting: "It's been said that Mississippi is the birth place of America's music. Well, Jimmy Buffett is America's music." In a recorded message, Buffett said: "It's a long way from the Pascagoula run and my early days growing up in Mississippi certainly had an impact on the way I wrote songs and what I wrote about. So, thank you Mississippi for that." The Mississippi Songwriters Hall of Fame is sponsored by the Mississippi Songwriters Alliance. - AP, 9/22/20...... On Sept. 21 Neil Young announced a massive new The Archives Vol. II: 1972-1976 box set will drop on Nov. 20. The sequel to his 8-disc 2009 The Archives Vol. 1: 1963-1972, the new 10-disc collection will include a vintage live album recorded in London and Japan with all previously unheard versions of classic songs. Arranged chronologically, it will stretch from songs tracked after the 1972 release of landmark album Harvest, stretching through an early 1976 European/Japanese tour with his longtime band Crazy Horse. According to the Neil Young Archives site, the set -- with 12 previously unreleased songs and 50 unreleased versions of songs -- will be available only on the NYA site, with pre-orders beginning on Oct. 16. The full track listing for Archives Vol. II can be viewed on the 
Hall & Oates are celebrating one billion streams of their 1980 hit "You Make My Dreams," which has become of the most one of their most recognizable songs, ubiquitous in films such as 500 Days of Summer, The Wedding Singer, Dumb & Dumberer and Despicable Me 2. "It's amazing, right?," says John Oates. "What really gets me about this is when 'You Make My Dreams' was released as a single in 1981, it wasn't a massive Number One hit -- it reached Number Five in the US. We couldn't have predicted the impact it would have. Over the years, it's taken on a life of its own. It's become this anthemic feel-good thing. A lot of it started with its use in the movie 500 Days of Summer and the dance sequence they created around that song. From there on, it took on this life of its own. It's the gift that keeps on giving. It's an amazing feel-good groove and it has a great timeless appeal." Oates adds that "Daryl [Hall] and I were set to do some recording [in 2020] and when everything broke down, we had exchanged ideas... sending each other tracks and we were starting to formulate [a record]. But when COVID broke everything down, it put the brakes on it. So I think he and I will probably do our best work when we're physically together and because we're not, we'll just put it on hold for a while and see what happens." To add to "You Make My Dreams"' massive streaming count, fans can head to 
Former Slade frontman Noddy Holder says he's been "playing guitar again" and is thinking about a big comeback. Holder, 74, told the UK's Daily Star's "Wired" column that while he has been working on new material "over the years," he wouldn't want to go back to a full time schedule. "I have a stockpile written over the years. I didn't just stop, bang, and that was the end of the story. I still have moments when I get the inspiration. But I couldn't do it night after night, year after year," he says. Holder, who quit Slade in 1992, hasn't made a solo record or hit the road since, but isn't ruling out a return to the stage. "Well, never say never -- I might do it now. If they ever let me out of the house. I'm brushing up on my guitar technique, going back to my roots." In 2019, Holder said he meets with some of his former Slade bandmates, including Don Powell and Dave Hill, occasionally, but played down the idea of ever reuniting with his old mates. "When I left the band, we weren't getting on. We did get together in the same room about 10 years ago but we were arguing again within five minutes," he says. - Music-News.com, 9/23/20...... ABBA members Bjorn Ulvaeus, Benny Andersson, Agnetha Faltskog and Frida Lyndstad have reportedly reunited at Ealing Studios in West London to resume working on their avatar show after facing technical delays and then the coronavirus pandemic halting their plans. The Swedish quartet are said to be now looking to 2022 to launch the tour as part of their 50th anniversary. "ABBA have kept everything about their reunion shrouded in mystery but this has really been a long time coming," a friend of the group told The Sun paper. "They announced the tour in 2016 and although it's been a slog to get to this point, it is now full steam ahead and the show is taking shape. Agnetha, Bjorn, Benny and Frida have all recorded bits and pieces and they have enjoyed taking a trip down memory lane with it all. They are all getting a nice cheque out of it, so it will be worthwhile, but they've got more than enough money from their music, so it's not about that. All four of them just wanted to give back to their fans, so they have done everything in their power to fly into London for the filming, despite the travel restrictions," the source added. ABBA, who parted ways in 1982, performed together for the first time in decades in 2016 at a private event, which marked the 50th anniversary of the first meeting between songwriters Bjorn and Benny. - Music-News.com, 9/22/20...... A new David Bowie photography exhibition is set to open on Oct. 17 at the Brighton Museum & Art Gallery. "Rock "n' Roll with Me Bowie/MacCormack 1973-76" features images captured by Geoff MacCormack, a childhood friend of Bowie who, in the early 19070s, was asked to join the expanding lineup of his band, the Spiders From Mars. MacCormack's exhibit will feature 60 shots he took as he travelled with Bowie around the world, including some taken on the Trans-Siberian Express. "Those holiday snaps, as I call them, are sometimes even better than the one where he looks wonderful and heroic, which in a lot of them he does. They're holiday snaps really," MacCormack told The Guardian. The exhibit is set to run through June 6. - NME, 9/20/20...... Steve Miller has unearthed his tribute to Jimi Hendrix -- a rendition of his band's "Peppa Sauce" recorded live on Sept. 18, 1970, the day the legendary guitarist died, and shared it on 
Pamela Hutchinson, a member of influential '70s R&B group The Emotions, passed away on Sept. 18 at the age of 61. "In loving memory, we are saddened to announce the passing of our sister, Pamela Rose Hutchinson, on Friday, September 18, 2020," the group confirmed on their 
Pro Football Hall of Famer Gale Sayers died on Sept. 23 at the age of 77. David Baker, president and CEO of the Pro Football Hall of Fame, issued a statement on Sayers' death: "All those who love the game of football mourn the loss of one of the greatest to ever play this game with the passing of Chicago Bears legend Gale Sayers. He was the very essence of a team player -- quiet, unassuming and always ready to compliment a teammate for a key block. Gale was an extraordinary man who overcame a great deal of adversity during his NFL career and life." Sayers spent his entire seven-year NFL career with the Chicago Bears from 1965 to 1971. He was named to the All-Pro first team in each of his first five seasons, won the NFL Rookie of the Year Award in 1965 and was a four-time Pro Bowl selection. A knee injury suffered during the 1968 season limited Sayers to just nine games. He led the NFL in rushing yards (1,032) and was named Comeback Player of the Year in 1969, but knee problems plagued him for the subsequent two years before he was forced to retire during the preseason in 1972. Sayers was portrayed by Billy Dee Williams in the acclaimed 1970 made for TV movie 
Pink Floyd drummer Nick Mason says his side project Saucerful of Secrets, in which he has spent the last few years reinventing early Floyd material on stage, gives a needed edge to late Pink Floyd founder Syd Barrett's music. "Syd had a strange way of writing, which made it sound like a 'normal' pop song, and then it would lurch into something else," says Mason of Barrett, the band's original singer whose mental health struggles led to his departure during their second album, 1968's A Saucerful of Secrets. "The best review was our first review," adds SOS guitarist Gary Kemp (formerly of Spandau Ballet). "[Critic] Neil McCormick called it 'Punk Floyd', which I loved, because there is that energy Floyd had before they became posh. When we got the band together, it wasn't like, 'Well, let's try and emulate those records.' Also, we're not trying to be a tribute band. Nick is the genuine article, so we agreed, 'Let's make this band as fresh as we possibly can.'" Earlier in 2020, Mason and SOS released 
The Beatles' Apple Corps. announced on 
On Sept. 17 Elton John announced a special 50th-anniversary boxset titled 
A bass guitar once belonging to former Rolling Stones bassist Bill Wyman sold at auction for a record-breaking $384,000 over the second weekend of September. The 1969 Fender Mustang Bass, with a competition orange finish, was used by Wyman for Stones concerts and recordings in 1969 and 1970, and was one of over 1,000 items from his archive that went under the hammer, including musical instruments, amplifiers, stage-worn ensembles, awards and personal items. The collection contained pieces from Wyman's three-decade stint in the Stones as well as from his solo career, and was sold at a Julien's Auctions event in Beverly Hills. The top-selling item was a 1968 Gibson Les Paul Standard Model Gold Top guitar and case used by late Stones co-founder Brian Jones in the band's Rock And Roll Circus concert in 1968, which sold for $704,000 -- more than three times its pre-auction estimate. Wyman, 83, who played with the band from 1962 to 1993, said he will donate some of the proceeds to a group of his favourite charities. Speaking about the sale, Wyman said: 'Collecting and archiving has been one of the great pleasures of my life and will undoubtedly be one of my legacies. It feels like the right time to share my archive with the world and I hope people will get as much joy from my collections as I have. It is easier to let these items go knowing that a portion of the proceeds from this sale will support three causes that are close to my heart." A portion of the proceeds from the auction will benefit the Prince's Trust, Macmillan Cancer Support and CCMI (Central Caribbean Marine Institute). - DailyMailUK.co, 9/15/20.
Bruce Springsteen made a surprise release of a heartbreaking rocker titled "Letter to You" on 
Joni Mitchell has announced a new series of archival releases from across her 50+ year career that will feature 29 songs that have never been released with the legendary singer/songwriter's vocal. The first edition, Joni Mitchell Archives Vol. 1: The Early Years (1963 -- 1967) will drop on Oct. 30 and feature recordings prior to the release of Joni's 1968 debut album, Song to a Seagull. It will be a five-disc set containing over six hours of unreleased material, and come with 40-page liner notes, comprised of Mitchell's conversations with former Rolling Stone journalist Cameron Crowe discussing the archives. Crowe has interviewed Mitchell throughout her career, and will purportedly continue to contribute to subsequent entries into the series. Ahead of Archives Vol. 1's release, the first known recording by Mitchell as a 19-year-old performing a cover of the Animals' hit "House of the Rising Son" has been shared on 
Former KISS guitarist Ace Frehley hailed US Pres. Donald Trump as "the strongest leader that we've got" in a new interview on Cassius Morris' radio show in support of his forthcoming new covers album, 
Ronald "Khalis" Bell, a founding member of Kool & The Gang who produced some of the group's biggest hits including "Celebration" and "Jungle Boogie," died of as yet undisclosed causes at his home in the U.S. Virgin Islands on Sept. 9. He was 68. Born on Nov. 1, 1951, Bell formed a band in 1964 initially called the Jazziacs, with his brother Robert "Kool" Bell and friends Spike Mickens, Dennis Thomas, Ricky Westfield, George Brown and Charles Smith. They settled on the name Kool & The Gang in 1969. Ronald Bell was a driving force behind the band's distinct blend of funk, soul and R&B, and was co-writer for much of their material, including the classic hits "Celebration," "Jungle Boogie," "Cherish," "Summer Madness" and "Open Sesame." In 1979, Bell and Kool & The Gang achieved international success with their disco crossover smash "Ladies Night," with the group going on to rack up seven Top 10 and 18 Top 40 singles in the UK alone. Bell is survived by his wife Tian Sinclair Bell who was at his side when he passed, 10 children, grandchildren, two brothers including Robert "Kool" Bell, and a sister. - NME, 9/10/20...... Toots and the Maytals leader Toots Hibbert has died from complications of the coronavirus at age 77, the band confirmed on Sept. 12. "It is with the heaviest of hearts to announce that Frederick Nathaniel "Toots" Hibbert passed away peacefully tonight, surrounded by his family at the University Hospital of the West Indies in Kingston, Jamaica," the band posted to Twitter. "The family and management would like to thank the medical teams and professionals for their care and diligence, and ask that you respect their privacy during their time of grief," the statement added. Hibbert grew up singing in church, and formed the Maytals in the 1960s. He was a contemporary of his Island Records labelmate Bob Marley, and would go on to appear on stage with the likes of the Red Hot Chili Peppers. Earlier in September, Hibbert was hospitalized after testing positive for the coronavirus. Tributes pouring in online following the news of his death include those from Ziggy Marley, who wrote: "He was a father figure to me his spirit is w/us his music fills us w/his energy i will never forget him," as well as Mick Jagger, Ronnie Wood, Willie Nelson, Debbie Harry, The Who and Echo & the Bunnymen. - NME, 9/12/20...... Actor Kevin Dobson who starred as Telly Savalas' eager young partner Bobby Crocker on the '70s series 
English actress Dame Diana Rigg, best known as the indomitable Mrs. Peel in the 1961 cult British spy-fi television series The Avengers, died on Sept. 10 following a short battle with cancer. She was 82. Dame Diana, who had a long career both in film and on stage, died peacefully at home with her family, her agent confirmed. Her daughter, Tipping the Velvet actress Rachael Stirling, said she died of cancer that was diagnosed in March. Born in Doncaster on July 20, 1938, Ms. Rigg trained at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art and joined the Royal Shakespeare Company at Stratford-upon-Avon in 1959, and the British beauty has been described as an actress who "swept all before her." In 1969, the Yorkshire-born actress became only the second Bond girl to marry 007 in the James Bond film On Her Majesty's Secret Service, and more recently starred as the cutthroat matriarch Lady Olenna Tyrell in HBO's Game of Thrones. In 2019, Ms. Rigg, who was made a dame in 1994 for services to drama, revealed that she "suffered a #MeToo moment" early in her career at the hands of a "powerful" film director. Speaking on the UK program Newsnight, the actress said she welcomed the rise of the #MeToo movement, following her own experience as a young actress and revealed she felt like a "lone voice" after she discovered she was being paid less than her male co-stars. Her film roles also included 2006 romantic drama The Painted Veil and Andy Serkis' 2017 romance Breathe, and she also played a role in Edgar Wright's upcoming feature Last Night In Soho, which is scheduled for release on Apr. 23, 2021. Posting on Twitter, Wright said it was "beyond a thrill to work with her on her final film." Ms. Rigg was a regular recipient of award nominations for her work both on stage and on screen. In 1994 she won the "Best Actress in a Play" Tony for "Medea," while she was Golden Globe nominated for The Hospital in 1972, won an Emmy for Rebecca in 1997, a BAFTA TV award in 1990, and received several Olivier award nominations. She was married twice, to the Israeli painter Menachem Gueffen from 1973-1976, and to theater producer Archibald Stirling 1982-1990. With the latter she had a daughter, Rachael Stirling, the two-time Olivier Award nominated actress. - DailyMailUK/Deadline.com, 9/10/20.
The Animals' lurid No. 1 1964 hit "House of the Rising Sun" might have been a curious selection for Pres. Donald Trump to play over the loudspeakers as he arrived at an airport in Wilmington, N.C., for a rally on Sept. 2, but former Animals frontman Eric Burdon says he didn't appreciate his former band's signature song being used without his permission nonetheless. "Even though nobody asked my permission, I wasn't surprised to learn that #Trump #864511320 used #Houseof theRisingSun for his rally the other day," Burdon captioned a photo of himself on Twitter wearing a black face mask with the word "vote" printed across the mouth. "A tale of sin and misery set in a brothel suits him so perfectly!," the one time Eric Burdon and War frontman explained. "Far more appropriate for this time in our history might be." Burdon also made his support for the Joe Biden/Kamala Harris ticket apparent, adding "This is my answer #vote #saveourdemocracy #bidenharris2020." Burdon follows the likes of Tom Petty's estate, Neil Young, Steven Tyler, R.E.M., Rihanna and Guns N' Roses in calling out the president for using their songs without permission. - Billboard, 9/7/20...... In a new interview with Rolling Stone, the Rolling Stones say they have no plans to retire anytime soon and are planning a huge gig to celebrate their 60th anniversary in 2022. "You might call it a habit. I mean, that's what we do," guitarist Keith Richards told the magazine. "And also there's that thing between us, like, 'Who's going to be first to get off the bus?' You have to be kicked off or drop off, right? So it's like that. I really can't imagine doing anything else... I hope we're all there, man. It's something to look forward to," he added. The Stones, who were forced to axe their most recent tour due to the Covid-19 pandemic, say they hope to return to touring in the future. "Even though we might have sold tickets, we might not be able to play to them all at once [due to social distancing measures]," frontman Mick Jagger said, adding "I don't know when we're gonna get together at the moment. We don't know when we're going to get together and record. It's got to be in safe circumstances and all that stuff." Richards says he's staying safe at his home in Connecticut during the pandemic, revealing that he even wears a mask to bed. "Oh yeah, I'm a masked man. I mean, it's what you have to do. I wear mine in bed," he said. The Stones are promoting the recent release of an 
A new live set from prog-rock icons Yes, 
To commemorate its 50th anniversary, David Bowie's third studio album The Man Who Sold the World is set to be reissued on Nov. 5 via Parlophone Records with new artwork and a new title, Metrobolist. The Man Who Sold the World was released by Bowie in 1970 and includes the title track, "All The Madmen" and "Running Gun Blues." Bowie initially wanted to release the album under the name Metrobolist as a tribute to the 1927 film of the same name by Fritz Lang. However, Mercury Records changed the name of the record at the last minute without seeking Bowie's approval first. Metrobolist has been re-mixed by Bowie's longtime producer Tony Visconti. - NME, 9/4/20...... Rob Halford of Judas Priest has revealed during a new interview with Darren Paltrowitz in his podcast Paltrocast that he's currently working on a blues album. Halford says the album will be recorded with the same team he collaborated with for his 2019 Christmas LP Celestial, including his brother Nigel Halford and the son of bassist Ian Hill. "I've been working on this blues album with my brother and my nephew and friends that I worked with together on the Celestial album," Halford says. "We had such a great time, and they're so talented. And that blues thing has never left me -- it's just part of rock and roll." Meanwhile, the metal icon will release his autobiography, 
Elton John has told the UK's The Guardian newspaper that late T. Rex frontman Marc Bolan was "a great role model" as he was developing his stage persona. "He was the perfect pop star," says Elton, who can been seen banging away at the piano in a vintage video of T. Rex performing their hit 
A pink feather boa famously worn by Jimi Hendrix during his legendary performance at the Monterey Pop Festival in California in 1967 is expected to bring up to £15,000 when it's auction during the second week of September. Following the show and his return to London, Hendrix gave the fashion accessory to photographer Karl Ferris, who says he is now selling the boa to mark the 50th anniversary of Hendrix's death on Sept. 18, 1970 at the age of 27. "Jimi called it his 'Magic Boa' because it brought him much luck and as he wore it on [the cover for his debut album] Are You Experienced and at his best ever concert, Monterey Pop," Ferris said. "As a tribute to the great man I thought it would be the right time to offer the 'Magic Boa' along with a selection of the photographs of Jimi I took back in 1967," he added. The boa will be on the auction block in the UK at Merseyside's Omega Auctions on Sept. 8 as part of their music memorabilia sale, with the full catalogue and other info available at www.omegaauctions.co.uk. In August, Hendrix's Japanese sunburst electric guitar that he used in the early 1960s sold for more than £160,000 at auction. - New Musical Express, 9/2/20...... David Byrne is apologizing for what he describes as a "major mistake in judgement" for making himself up in blackface in a 1984 promo piece for the Talking Heads' concert film Stop Making Sense. Posting to 
In a new interview with the Los Angeles Times, Devo frontman Mark Mothersbaugh has shared his experience with coronavirus, saying he nearly died from the disease. Mothersbaugh, 70, said he contracted the virus earlier this summer and spent 10 days on a ventilator in hospital in Los Angeles in June, initially believing his symptoms were from exhaustion, until his temperature registered at 103F. "A nurse came over the next morning and said, 'You should be in ICU'. 'I said, 'That's ridiculous'. She replied that she'd been a nurse for three decades: 'You need an ambulance right now'." Mark said he went from not feeling very good on a Tuesday to being in an ambulance on the way to hospital on Saturday: "It was terrifying." He also recalled suffering from vivid delusions: "I felt blood from being hit. I was handcuffed to a parking deck downtown. I had this whole elaborate story of how these kids sold me to an ambulance company that then got some sort of payment for delivering Covid patients to their ICUs. I totally believed it." Speaking of the world's response to the coronavirus, he said: "Everything's become more devolved than I would have imagined possible. For anybody that's doubting whether the coronavirus and Covid-19 is real, it's really real." It was reported in the last week of August that Mothersbaugh had been one of a number of neighbors to complain about parties held by TikTok stars at the Sway House in Hollywood as he attempts to recover from the disease. - NME, 8/31/20...... While the coronavirus pandemic has been a disastrous event for the live music industry, it's proven to be a boon to the sales of physical music. Online music marketplace Discogs says global sales on its platform in the first half of 2020 have increased dramatically during lockdown, with vinyl, CD and cassette sales seeing a surge. Discogs reports physical sales on their marketplace rose 29.69% -- 4,228,270 orders -- between January and June of 2020, compared to the same period last year. A dramatic spike in sales can be seen from April, shortly after the coronavirus pandemic forced many record stores to shut their physical shopfronts. The most substantial year-over-year improvement came via vinyl record sales, which increased 33.72% with over 5.8 million units sold. CD and cassette sales weren't far behind, demonstrating a 31.03% (1.6 million units sold) and 30.52% (over 137,000 units) increase respectively. Vinyl sales accounted for over 75% of transactions on the Discogs platform in the first half of the year. Overall, more than 7.6 million pieces of physical music were sold by independent sellers around the world throughout the first six months of the year -- an overall 33.83 per cent increase over the same period last year. - NME, 9/1/20...... As Mick Jagger and the Rolling Stones continue their press availability to promote the new 
Bette Midler heads a cast of five Americans who team up at a safe distance to star in the new HBO series Coastal Elites. The Paul Rudinick-penned, Jay Roach-directed satire is about a teacher (Midler), an activist, an actor, a nurse, and a meditation guru who are scattered across the country during our politicized pandemic. Issa Rae, Dan Levy, Kaitylin Dever, and Sarah Paulson also star as different people with different goals, all with the same hope to survive these trying, traumatic times. Coastal Elites premieres on HBO on Sept. 12 at 8:00 p.m. EDT. - Entertainment Weekly, 9/20...... In an early draft of the 1966 Beatles' classic "In My Life," John Lennon referred to the Abbey Cinema in Liverpool as one of the song's "places I'll remember all my life." "In the circle of the Abbey, I have seen some happy hours," John wrote, before deciding to scratch that line for the final version. Now that same cinema frequently visited by John and his fellow Beatle George Harrison in their youth is under threat of being rebuilt by the UK supermarket chain Lidl, which says they are "considering all options for the site, which include the potential for a new building of high quality design and that their preference was 'to erect purpose-built food stores' -- but added that they have 'preserved original structures in the past'. Fans concerned about the venue's Beatles heritage have submitted an application for the Abbey Cinema, which hasn't shown a film since 1979, to be listed to Historic England for its preservation. A petition calling for the preservation has attracted over 2500 signatures, while a "Save the Abbey" Twitter account has been set up to support the appeal as well. - New Musical Express, 8/30/20...... Director Spike Lee has shared a new version of the video for Michael Jackson's "They Don't Care About Us" on 
Former Major League Baseball pitcher Tom Seaver, a baseball legend who became a pop culture icon after helping the New York Mets win the team's first World Series in 1969, died peacefully in his sleep on Aug. 31 of complications of Lewy body dementia and COVID-19. He was 75. Known as "Tom Terrific," Seaver won 311 games and had a 2.86 earned-run average over a 20-year major league career that spanned from 1967-1986. Seaver, a 1992 inductee into the Baseball Hall of Fame, was also a three-time Cy Young Award winner and 12-time all-star player. He also played for the Cincinnati Reds, Chicago White Sox and Boston Red Sox. "I am deeply saddened by the death of Tom Seaver, one of the greatest pitchers of all-time," MLB commissioner Rob Manfred said in a statement. "Tom was a gentleman who represented the best of our National Pastime. He was synonymous with the New York Mets and their unforgettable 1969 season. After their improbable World Series Championship, Tom became a household name to baseball fans -- a responsibility he carried out with distinction throughout his life. On behalf of Major League Baseball, I extend my condolences to Tom's family, his admirers throughout our game, Mets fans, and the many people he touched." Lewy body dementia is the same life-changing disease that devasted Robin Williams before the comedian/actor committed suicide. - CNN, 9/3/20...... Ian Mitchell, a bassist for the Scottish '70s pop band the Bay City Rollers, has died of as yet undisclosed causes at age 62. The group confirmed Mitchell's passing via a statement posted on their official Facebook page: "We are deeply saddened by the news of Ian Mitchell's death. Our thoughts and prayers are with his wife Wendy, their family and friends. Rest In Peace, Ian." Mitchell replaced bassist Alan Longmuir in 1976 when he was just 17, and was the first non-Scottish member of the group. With Mitchell on bass, the group released their album Dedication and reached No. 12 in the US charts with their cover of Dusty Springfield's hit "I Only Want To Be With You." Mitchell was later replaced by Pat McGlynn, before Longmuir, who died in 2018, made his eventual return in 1978. - NME, 9/2/20.