Favorite Seventies Artists In The News

Posted by Administrator on November 2nd, 2020

Sean Connery, the Scottish-born actor who rocketed to fame as James Bond and became one of the franchise's most popular and enduring international stars, died in his sleep while in the Bahamas on Oct. 31. He was 90 years old. Born of Irish ancestry in the slums of Edinburgh on Aug. 25, 1930, Thomas Sean Connery was robbed of an education by poverty, and and by his teens he'd left school and was working as an unskilled laborer. At 17, he was drafted into the Royal Navy, but he was discharged three years later due to a serious case of ulcers. He returned to Edinburgh and worked a variety of jobs, including as a lifeguard. He took up bodybuilding and placed third in the 1950 Mr. Universe competition. After moving to London, Mr. Connery learned of an opening in the chorus of "South Pacific." He took a crash dancing and singing course and, surprisingly, landed the role, in which he stayed for 18 months. He was "hooked," he said, but spent several years paying his dues in small repertory companies in and around London before anyone else became hooked on him .In his early career, his physique was his main asset as he modeled and picked up acting jobs where he could. In 1956, he landed the role of a battered prizefighter in the BBC production of Requiem for a Heavyweight. Mr. Connery was a bodybuilder, model, and milkman before he found fame as an actor, making his movie debut in 1954's Lilacs in the Spring. He went on to appear in a series of British TV roles and films until his big break in the Disney musical Darby O' Gill & the Little People in 1959. Good notices brought him to the attention of the entertainment community, and his first film was No Road Back, a B crime movie in 1956. He seemed doomed to play the hunk to ageing leading ladies, as he did opposite Lana Turner in Another Time, Another Place, or roles that stressed his looks such as Tarzan's Great Adventure in 1959. In 1962, Mr. Connery made his debut in the first Bond film, Dr. No. His stature grew with the ever more popular Bond sequels From Russia With Love, Goldfinger and Thunderball, which arrived over the next four years. Bond gave Mr. Connery a license to earn; he was paid only $30,000 for Dr. No but $400,000 for Alfred Hitchcock's Marnie and was soon getting $750,000 a film. His initial efforts to break out of the Bond mold, however, proved fruitless. Films like A Fine Madness, Shalako and The Molly Maguires were well-intentioned attempts that did nothing to shake Mr. Connery as Bond from the public consciousness. After 1967's You Only Live Twice, he left the Bond franchise, but he was coaxed back for 1971's Diamonds Are Forever. He looked old for the role, and the series seemed tired, so with that, he left Bond behind -- though money would tempt him back once last time in 1983 for Never Say Never Again. He took a major misstep with sci-fi film Zardoz, and his career seemed to be foundering, but he bounced back in 1974 with a supporting role in Murder on the Orient Express and the following year with The Wind and the Lion and The Man Who Would Be King, two bold adventures featuring a mature, salt-and-pepper-bearded Mr. Connery. In 1987, his turn as a tough Irish cop in Depression-era Chicago in Brian De Palma's The Untouchables brought him a Best Supporting actor Oscar. Pairing Mr. Connery and Harrison Ford as father and son in the third Indiana Jones film was an inspired move, and the film grossed almost half a billion dollars worldwide. Meanwhile, The Hunt for Red October, in which Mr. Connery played a defecting Soviet sub captain, was also a major hit in 1990. By the 1990s, he was so popular that his uncredited cameo as King Richard in Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves became one of the film's highlights. An audience favorite for more than 40 years and one of the screen's most reliable and distinctive leading men, Mr. Connery was knighted by Queen Elizabeth II in 2000 and was recently voted the best James Bond actor in an August 2020 Radio Times poll in the U.K. More than 14,000 voted and Connery claimed 56% of the vote. Global tributes poured in for Mr. Connery following news of his death, including current 007 Daniel Craig, who posted: "Sir Sean Connery will be remembered as Bond and so much more. He defined an era and a style. The wit and charm he portrayed on screen could be measured in mega watts; he helped create the modern blockbuster. He will continue to influence actors and film-makers alike for years to come. My thoughts are with his family and loved ones. Wherever he is, I hope there is a golf course." Mr. Connery, who was married to actress Diane Cilento from 1962-73, is survived by his second wife, painter Micheline Roquebrune, whom he married in 1975; his son by Cilento, actor Jason Connery; and a grandson from Jason's marriage to actress Mia Sara. - Variety.com, 10/31/20.

The Addams Family of rock music goes ghostbusting in the new two-hour Travel Channel documentary The Osbournes: Night of Terror, which sends Jack and Kelly Osbourne off to explore paranormal activity at an allegedly haunted spot in Los Angeles while parents Ozzy and Sharon Osbourne monitor the investigation remotely. "None of us realized how insane and freaky this was going to be," says Jack, who has had the most experience working with the weird as cohost of Portals to Hell, "but [everyone] certainly held their own." Night of Terror premieres on the Travel Channel on Oct. 30 at 9:00 p.m. EDT, 8:00 Central. - TV Guide, 10/26/20...... In related news, Alice Cooper announced his new Halloween-themed party game called "HorrorBox" on YouTube on Oct. 27. HorrorBox sees players mix and match question and answer cards, scoring points for funny combinations. The base game comes with 420 cards but several expansion packs have already been released, including a "Slasher Pack," "Monsters Pack," "Aliens Pack" and "R-Rated Pack." "Minions, you know me. I've never played games with you, until now. This is a horror-themed card game with questions, answers and dares," Alice said in the launch video, while a press release warns that "player discretion is advised" and "all wimps easily scared, beware." - New Musical Express, 10/28/20...... Eddie Van Halen's hometown of Pasadena, Calif., has announced plans to memorialize the late guitar legend, but the City Council hasn't yet decided what form the tribute would take. On Oct. 26, the council directed officials to come up with ideas and report back on how to best remember Van Halen, who died of cancer Oct. 6 at age 65. According to a local paper, one idea could be renaming a street or alley near one of Van Halen's 1970s rehearsal spaces, while building a statue, installing a plaque or rechristening a city building also could be considered. Meanwhile, a memorial has grown outside Eddie and brother Alex Van Halen's boyhood home northeast of Los Angeles, where some fans are lobbying to make the house designated as a historic landmark. The Van Halen family moved to Pasadena after emigrating to the U.S. from the Netherlands in 1962. Eddie and Alex formed Van Halen about a decade later with singer David Lee Roth and bassist Michael Anthony, who all grew up in the Pasadena area. - AP,...... In other Van Halen-related news, Eddie's son Wolfgang Van Halen is pushing back on rumours that he's replacing his father as the guitarist in a new incarnation of Van Halen, calling the speculation "a shitty lie." Wolfgang took to social media on Oct. 26 to refute claims being made in a Wolfgang Van Halen Fan Page on Facebook, which were shared to Twitter by user @MetalSludge. The Facebook post claimed that "there is a good strong possibility" that Wolfgang would be swapping his current role as Van Halen's bassist for his late father's position of lead guitarist, with "Van Hagar" era vocalist Sammy Hagar handling vocals and former VH bassist Michael Anthony handling duties on bass. Drummer Alex Van Halen would continue his position as drummer in the imagined lineup. The post claimed that the information came from "the VH camp", with Eddie Van Halen allegedly telling "his son and his brother, I give you my blessing." But Wolfgang says the rumour just isn't true. "This is just a shitty lie attempting to capitalize on these awful times," he tweeted in response to @MetalSludge sharing the post. "Please stop with this. Anyone peddling this shit is not only hurting the fans, but hurting me and my family." - NME, 10/26/20...... In related news, KISS bassist Gene Simmons said that he was "scared to death" one time after getting a lift with Eddie after a Metallica gig in Long Beach in the 1980s. Talking with Dennis Miller on his Options podcast, Simmons said Eddie offered him a ride in his Jeep... "this old jalopy thing with no doors" as seen in the M*A*S*H TV series. "And Edward's smoking away like a chimney and driving what I thought was a hundred miles an hour up the 405 [freeway]," Simmons recalled. "And I'm holding on for dear life and trying to pretend that I'm a guy without fear and all that. [I was] scared to death. And I said, 'Eddie, Eddie, slow down.' And a cigarette was hanging out of his mouth, and he said, 'Why?' I didn't quite know what to answer," he added. Meanwhile, Ozzy Osbourne revealed on his Sirius XM radio show Ozzy's Boneyard that Eddie once asked him to join Van Halen. Although Osbourne didn't specify an exact year when Eddie extended the invite, he did say it was "way after Sammy [Hagar]" was in the line-up. The guitarist left the band in 1996. Ozzy added that he thought Eddie might have been "a bit drunk" when he made the phone call. "We've all done one of them calls at four o'clock in the morning... I've got a great idea!," he said. - NME, 10/26/20...... On Oct. 23, Elton John unveiled a new Barbie doll modelled on the rock superstar. Part of a collaboration with Mattel, the doll, costing $50 (£38), will be available in Walmart in the US, and can be ordered through the Walmart website. Speaking to Rolling Stone about the new doll, John said: "Barbie is an icon in her own right, so having her pay tribute to my work and personal style is a real honour. I hope that she inspires fans everywhere to fearlessly pursue their own dreams and limitless potential." - NME, 10/23/20...... On Oct. 20 Jimmy Page released his new book The Anthology, which documents hundreds of items from the Led Zeppelin guitarist's personal collection of instruments, outfits and memorabilia from throughout his career. In a trailer for The Anthology, which has been posted on YouTube, the musician explains: "The reason for doing this book and behind the detail of everything is just basically because I did have the material to be able to do it, I actually had the idea to be able to do it and that's what I wanted to do. I wanted to make the book really fascinating so people could just really get right into what is being shown. With the guitars, I really wanted to get close up and personal with them, with the angles that were taken." In The Anthology, Page guides the reader through hundreds of rare items, many of which are previously unseen, and others of mythic status, such as his Gibson double-neck guitar, dragon-emblazoned suit, white embroidered poppy suit, and the outfit worn in the concert film The Song Remains The Same. The Anthology also features hand-written diaries, rare vinyl pressings, previously unpublished photographs and more. - NME, 10/23/20...... In an interview on CBS Sunday Morning on Oct. 25, Stevie Nicks said she couldn't be happier about the newfound popularity of Fleetwood Mac's 1977 classic "Dreams" after the song was featured in a viral TikTok video. "This TikTok thing has kind of blown my mind," Nicks said. "I'm happy about it because it seems to have made so many people happy." "Dreams" has surged thanks to the viral TikTok video featuring the track, in which Idaho native Nathan Apodaca rides his longboard while drinking a large bottle of Ocean Spray Cran-Raspberry juice. Nicks and Fleetwood Mac drummer Mick Fleetwood has since created their own tributes to Apodaca's viral hit. Nicks is currently promoting her new song "Show Them the Way," a call for action ahead of the November presidential election. The track features Dave Grohl on drums and Dave Stewart on guitar. Nicks said she's also excited about her new concert film, 24 Karat Gold, which recently hit select theaters, drive-ins and exhibition spaces. The film features a set of fan favorites from Nicks' solo career and as a member of Fleetwood Mac. "It's as close to a really big rock 'n' roll concert in a big venue as you're gonna get," she said. The companion album of the concert will arrive Oct. 30. Her full CBS Sunday Morning can be viewed on YouTube. - Billboard, 10/25/20...... Alternative rock musicians Trent Reznor and Billy Corgan are among those who will mark what would have been David Bowie's 74th birthday on Jan. 8 with a special tribute livestream. "A Bowie Celebration: Just For One Day!" has been organized by long-time Bowie pianist Mike Garson, and is set to see Bowie's collaborators from across his career cover and interpret his songs. Garson said of the event: "What we're planning is an amazing show with the most talented musicians from every period of David's career, as well as phenomenal artists from many different genres. Also set to star in the livestream are Bowie's producer Tony Visconti and his final touring band, along with such stars as Gary Oldman, Macy Gray and Perry Farrell. - NME, 10/27/20...... AC/DC have shared the official video for "Shot in the Dark," the first single from their new album Power Up, on YouTube. The clip features the band performing live and was shot by longtime AC/DC video director David Mallet. Describing "Shot In The Dark," AC/DC guitarist Angus Young said: "It's a strong single from a powerful rock album. You'll be able to hear it and know straight away that it's AC/DC. That's what we've always strived for." Power Up will drop on Nov. 13. It sees frontman Brian Johnson returning to the group after Axl Rose's stint as singer, with drummer Phil Rudd and bassist Cliff Williams also returning to the fold. Williams has warned fans he won't be with the band for long, because he isn't healthy enough for a gruelling world tour. "For my health (I'll do a few shows)," Williams recently said on the band's "Let Their Be Talk" podcast. "I definitely have some physical issues... it's tough. I'm very grateful for everything. It's been fantastic. But I just don't wanna do that (tour) anymore." Williams said he'll only be around for a few gigs after recording the new album with his bandmates. He recently revealed that a bout with vertigo contributed to his decision to leave the band in 2016. - NME/WENN/Canoe.com, 10/26/20...... A recently reunited Genesis have begun rehearsals in London for their massive 2021 UK reunion tour. Phil Collins, Mike Rutherford and Tony Banks will head out on "The Last Domino? Tour" in April 2021, with dates having been pushed back due to the coronavirus pandemic. The trio, playing together for the first time since 2017, are set to be joined on the tour by Collins' son Nic Collins on drums, and guitarist/bassist Daryl Stuermer. Genesis recently announced the 19-date UK tour will kick off on Apr. 1 in Glasgow and wrap over three nights at London's O2 arena on Apr. 27, 29 and 30. Meanwhile, Phil Collins has issued a second cease and desist letter to Pres. Donald Trump's re-election campaign over the use of his hit "In the Air Tonight" at Trump rallies. Trump's campaign apparently ignored a previous legal letter over the use of the song, and again blasted the 1981 hit over the speakers at a gathering in Des Moines, Iowa on Oct. 14. At the time, Collins' representatives noted that Trump's aides had already been warned against violating the musician's copyright, and now his lawyers at Mitchell Silberberg & Knupp LLP are demanding an assurance it won't happen again, because Collins, 69, says he doesn't support Trump at all. Collins' lawyers state in the letter than their client takes particular offense that the song "was apparently intended as a satirical reference to COVID-19." "That reference was made at a time when Iowa was suffering from an acceleration of COVID-19 infection. Mr. Collins does not condone the apparent trivialization of COVID-19," the missive states. In other Phil Collins news, the singer may have to wait up to three years to have his ex-wife Orianne Cevey evicted from his mansion because of a backlog of trials due to COVID-19. Collins recently sought an injunction to have Cevey and her husband kicked out of his palatial waterfront home in Miami Beach, Fla., but suffered a major setback when Cevey made a counterclaim for $20 million. A county judge decided the explosive case should be heard in circuit court because of the huge sums at stake. It puts Collins' filling at the back of a long line of pending cases with court closures and pandemic restrictions expected to delay trials by a year or longer. Collins -- worth an estimated $300 million -- will now have to choose between paying his ex-wife off for the second time or facing off in court. - NME/WENN/DailyMail.co.uk, 10/27/20...... Music publishers Primary Wave announced on Oct. 23 that they've struck a 10-year strategic partnership with The Four Seasons. The marketing and administration deal is with the band's lead singer Frankie Valli and keyboardist Bob Gaudio, the two surviving members of the band's founding four; which also included bassist Nick Massi, who died of cancer in 2000, and guitarist Tommy DeVito, who died in Sept. 2020 from the coronavirus. Under the agreement, Primary Wave will work Valli and Gaudio to market the band's name and likeness, manage all daily digital marketing activities and administer their iconic catalog, which includes hits like "Sherry," "Big Girls Don't Cry," "December 1963 (O What A Night)", "Workin' My Way Back To You" and "Can't Take Me Eyes Off Of You," the oft-covered track that made Valli a solo superstar. The deal also gives Primary Wave an option to acquire a partnership interest in the band's works. The Four Seasons were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1990, and their story is chronicled in Tony-winning Broadway musical favorite "Jersey Boys," which opened in 2005 and was later made into a feature film. - Billboard, 10/23/20...... Speaking to the UK paper The Guardian, Joni Mitchell says she's "still struggling to walk" following her 2015 brain aneurysm in a rare new interview. "I haven't been writing recently. I haven't been playing my guitar or the piano or anything," said Mitchell. Instead, she's "just concentrating on getting my health back... You know what? I came back from polio, so here I am again, and struggling back." Mitchell was hospitalised in Los Angeles in March 2015, after being found unconscious at her home. Later that year she was said to be "making good progress." Mitchell also described to the paper that the five years since her aneurysm as "inching my way along," adding: "I'm showing slow improvement but moving forward." "Once again I couldn't walk. I had to learn how again. I couldn't talk," she added. "Polio didn't grab me like that, but the aneurysm took away a lot more, really. Took away my speech and my ability to walk. And, you know, I got my speech back quickly, but the walking I'm still struggling with. But I mean, I'm a fighter. I've got Irish blood! So you know, I knew, 'Here I go again, another battle.'" Mitchell is set to release a new archival album, Joni Mitchell Archives Vol. 1: The Early Years (1963 -- 1967), on Oct. 30. - NME, 10/27/20...... In an interview on the UK talk show Good Morning Britain, Queen guitarist Brian May said he feels "grateful to be alive" after a number of health issues including a heart attack and exploding stomach. "I had a wonderful, wonderful surgeon, and I'm so grateful to be alive. I had three stents in me, which are working just fine, and I feel good," May said. In May 2020, Brian revealed 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. In September, he also revealed that the drugs he was on to aid his recovery had caused "a stomach explosion that nearly killed me." Calling the stomach explosion "shocking," he added: "That was the point where I nearly lost my life, not the heart attack, strangely enough. You have to be so careful with the medication that they give you, because it's great for the stents, it's great for the heart, but it's not very good for the rest of your body and you can really go down. It's a tightrope." In other Queen-related news, the art-rockers' classic "Bohemian Rhapsody" has been voted "the best song of all time" in a poll completed by 2,000 Brits to mark the launch of the new Sony Walkman player. The 1975 hit was named as the nation's favourite song by 43%, followed closely behind in second place by Queen's 1978 hit "Don't Stop Me Now" (37%). Behind those two songs were the Beatles' "Hey Jude" (31%), John Lennon's "Imagine" (30%), Bon Jovi's "Livin' on a Prayer" (28%), and Simon & Garfunkel's "The Sound of Silence" (27%). - NME/Music-News.com, 10/28/20...... In a new interview with Rolling Stone, Rolling Stones guitarist Keith Richards hit out at the use of synths in rock music, calling them "cheap and corny." "There's great musicians and some great singers and stuff. Unfortunately, to me, in music, it's been synthesised to death. Once you start synthesising things, you're not getting the real thing," said Richards, who complained that "there is no new rock 'n' roll. It's pointless." He added: "I don't want to go into a long discourse on what's wrong with synthesisers and music these days, except to say they're cheap and corny." Keith also backed the recent Black Lives Matter protests and said "it's about bloody time" and that "black music is the reason I'm here." The Stones are now believed to be back in the studio recording their next album. - NME, 10/28/20...... Blondie frontwoman Debbie Harry is labelling Van Morrison "insane" for his stance on the COVID-19 crisis. While Harry says she thinks Morrison, who has recently slammed safety measures designed to stop the spread of the virus at concerts and other venues, is a "creative genius," but also noted he is "completely mad." "I mean, he has a history of very strange behaviour so it doesn't really surprise me. And after all, everyone's entitled to their own opinion," Harry recently told New Musical Express. "As far as conspiracy goes... huh! If this is a conspiracy, then the biggest f---ing genius in the world has created it! I mean, that is insane. Totally insane!," Harry exclaimed. She then went on to attack Pres. Donald Trump, insisting: "When it comes to our president, white supremacists respect him not necessarily for himself but because he's achieved the presidency. There's a lot of kudos that hangs on the word 'president'... A lot of people fall for him, but this is not a good guy." - Music-News.com, 10/25/20...... Paul McCartney recently told the BBC that his new album McCartney III is "just me having fun during lockdown." The rock icon explained that most of the LP is "new stuff" that he worked on during lockdown, but some of the tracks had been set aside because they "just didn't cut it" in their original form. "I thought 'OK, wait a minute, what about that one?'," he pondered. "So I'd get it out and think, 'Ugh, oh dear.' And you'd try to figure out what was wrong with it, or why you didn't like it," he went on. Sir Paul said his creative process sometimes involved rebuilding a track entirely. "In some cases the vocal or the words just didn't cut it, so you'd strip it all down and go 'OK, let's just make it completely different'," he recalled. McCartney III, slated for release on Dec. 11, comes 50 years after the debut of his self-titled first solo venture, and 40 years after the follow-up. Meanwhile, Macca says that director Peter Jackson's upcoming Beatles documentary Get Back is an authentic portrait of the band's final years together. "I love it," he said of the new film from the Lord of the Rings director which captures the making of the band's final album, 1970's Let It Be. Get Back is set to challenge the popular narrative that the group constantly clashed during their later years. "Even though we had arguments, like any family -- we loved each other, you know, and it shows in the film," McCartney said. "It's a very warm feeling, And it's amazing just being backstage with these people, making this music that turned out to be good." - Music-News.com/NME, 10/27/20...... '70s musicians Diana Ross, Gloria Gaynor and Lionel Richie will be among the headliners for the 2021 UK Lytham Festival, which will take place at Lytham Green on the Lancashire Coast from June 30 - July 4, 2021. The five-day event, which celebrated its 10th anniversary in 2019, was cancelled in 2020 following the COVID-19 pandemic. Tickets are on sale now and day tickets will go on sale on Oct. 30. - NME, 10/26/20...... Olivia Newton-John recently told the UK paper The Guardian that she sees cancer as a "gift" rather than a disease she has to fight. Newton-John, 72, was first diagnosed with breast cancer in 1992 and has twice received the news the disease has metastasised to other organs in her body, most recently in 2017. However, the Grease star, who has used plant-based remedies including medicinal cannabis alongside traditional treatments like surgery, chemo, and radiotherapy, to keep her cancer at bay, views her illness as an experience that his improved her as a person. "I don't know what I would be without it now. I see it as my life's journey. It gave me purpose and intention and taught me a lot about compassion. It has been a gift. I don't wish it on anyone else. But for me, it's been important in my life," she explained. The "Physical" singer also says she resists talking about fighting her cancer, as she's averse to combative metaphors. "I don't think of myself as sick with cancer. I choose not to see it as a fight either because I don't like war. I don't like fighting wherever it is -- whether it's outside or an actual war inside my body," she elaborated. Olivia added she doesn't want to know if doctors believe the cancer is terminal: "I don't believe them anyway. I mean, no one can tell you that." - Music-News.com, 10/27/20...... In a new interview with the Irish Times, Don McLean branded his ex-wife of 30 years Patrisha McLean "the worst person I ever know" despite pleading guilty to domestic violence against his spouse. The 75-year-old "American Pie" singer, who is now based in Palm Desert, Calif., said it took him four years to get over his relationship with Patrisha, who he was married to for 29 years and shares two children with. McLean that the love letters she sent every month for 30 years "immediately turned to salt" when their relationship crumbled, following the accusations of domestic violence made against him. Having divorced in 2016, McLean said he hasn't met anyone who compares to Patrisha, and added: "I can truly say that my ex-wife is the worst person I ever knew." He added it's only now that their 2016 split is sinking in, despite the fact he moved on with Playboy model Paris Dylan, 25, months after his divorce finalized. Since the breakdown of their marriage, Patrisha has spoken about her relationship with Don in a travelling exhibit called "Finding Our Voices," and has established a domestic violence non-profit organization of the same name. She filed for divorce two months after Don was arrested for domestic violence on the grounds of "adultery, cruel and abusive treatment, and irreconcilable differences." She filed for a protection order after her husband's arrest, but withdrew the request only days later. In a statement supporting her request for the restraining order, she alleged that her husband had "terrorized" her "for four hours" on the night before he was arrested. His relationship with Paris Dylan quickly flourished when she was hired to manage his social media accounts in 2016. He revealed that he doesn't read any media coverage about him regardless if it's good or bad, describing it as "all a bunch of bull---." McLean said he plans to auction most of his possessions before he dies -- including song lyrics, weapons and guitars -- because he doesn't want to leave them for someone else to "figure out what to do" with them. McLean is set to mark the anniversary of his hit song with new documentary The Day the Music Died, and a Broadway show has also been planned for 2022, alongside a children's book. He describes "American Pie" as "a fusion of folk, rock 'n' roll and old-fashioned popular music," and refuses to elaborate on the mysteries of the 1972 song. "I've never said that to anybody in 50 years," he said. - DailyMail.co.uk, 10/27/20...... Lawyers representing both parties in Rod Stewart's 2019 New Year's Eve assault case have told the court that the case is unlikely to go to trial. The incident took place at the on New Year's Eve in Dec. 2019, with Stewart charged with simple battery after allegedly punching security guard Jesse Dixon in the chest. Stewart's son Sean faces the same charge for his involvement in the confrontation at the Breaker's Hotel in Palm Beach, Fla. Both have pleaded not guilty. Dixon brought a civil suit against them in January, however a pre-trial hearing has only just taken place via Zoom, having been postponed due to the coronavirus pandemic. Neither Stewart or his son were present. Stewart's lawyer Guy Fronstin, who is representing both defendants, told Judge August Bonavita at the hearing that he has been in touch with prosecutors and the case is likely to be resolved before it reaches the trial stage. "We have been in communication with the state. We are asking for one more rollover for pre-trial," he said. "All indications are this is going to resolve without a trial but there's still some work to be done on it." A second pre-trial hearing is now scheduled for Dec. 4. - NME, 10/23/20...... Country singer/songwriter Jerry Jeff Walker, best known for penning the 1971 hit "Mr. Bojangles" for The Nitty Gritty Dirt Band, has died following a battle with cancer. He was 78. Growing up and beginning his music career in New York in the 1960s, Walker moved to Austin, Tex. the following decade and is considered to be a pivotal figure in the development of the now-world-famous music scene in the city. In addition to The Nitty Gritty Dirt Band, his 1968 composition "Mr. Bojangles" has been covered by some of the biggest artists on earth, including Bob Dylan, Dolly Parton, Neil Diamond, Nina Simone, King Curtis, Sammy Davis Jr. and more. Walker was diagnosed with throat cancer in 2017 and released his final album, About Time, the following year. A host of musicians have taken to social media to pay tribute to Walker following news of his death including Jason Isbell, who wrote: "One day I'd like to be an old man who dances onstage like John Prine and Jerry Jeff Walker." Prine, another country legend, died in April from coronavirus complications. American showrunner Brian Koppelman added: "I know that 90% of the people reading this never heard of Guy Clark or Jerry Jeff Walker. Go listen to JJW's version of LA Freeway to get why they matter so much to the other 10%. Then dive deep into their cataloged. Rip JJW." Walker is survived by his wife Susan Streit and their two children. - NME, 10/24/20.

Favorite Seventies Artists In The News

Posted by Administrator on October 23rd, 2020

Lindsey Buckingham may no longer be a member of Fleetwood Mac, but he has followed current Mac members Mick Fleetwood and Stevie Nicks with his own video of "Dreams" after a video by a TikTok user soundtracked with the song went viral in late September. "Made this with my girls this weekend," Buckingham posted to Twitter on Oct. 21 alongside a video of himself taking part in the challenge. In the clip, the camera focuses on a close-up of his hand holding a small bottle of Ocean Spray cranberry juice cocktail before panning out to reveal him riding a horse as the band's iconic 1977 hit plays in the background. The video by skateboarder Nathan Apodaca sparked a remarkable chart resurgence of "Dreams" in October, with the song experiencing its largest streaming week ever. "Dreams"' parent album Rumours has even climbed to No. 7 on the Billboard Hot 200 album chart, some 42 years after it hit No. 1 on the chart in late 1977 and early 1978. - Billboard, 10/22/20...... Bruce Springsteen made his latest album Letter To You available for streaming on Spotify.com on Oct. 23. With 12 tracks and a healthy, almost one-hour running time, Letter To You is Springsteen's 20th studio album and his first reunion with the E Street Band since their 2016 "The River" tour. The LP, the follow-up to his 2019 release Western Stars, features nine songs written recently by The Boss, plus new versions of previously-unreleased compositions from the 1970s, "Janey Needs a Shooter," "If I Was the Priest," and "Song for Orphans," a video for the latter which has been shared on YouTube. Letter to You was co-produced by Springsteen and Ron Aniello at Springteen's home studio in New Jersey, and features the previously-released songs "Ghosts" and the LP's title track. The album is accompanied by a Thom Zimny-directed documentary, titled Bruce Springsteen's Letter To You, an exclusive through Apple TV+. - Billboard, 10/23/20...... Ozzy Osbourne announced newly rescheduled UK and European dates of his "No More Tours 2" jaunt on Instagram on Oct. 22. The gigs in question, which were originally announced back in Sept. 2018, have already been postponed a number of times due to Osbourne's ill health and, more recently, the coronavirus pandemic. Ozzy now says the UK and European legs will kick off in early 2022, beginning with a Jan. 22 date in Berlin and hitting several other cities in Germany, the Czech Republic, Switzerland, Hungary, Spain, Italy, Finland and the UK through Mar. 14, 2022. "I really want to thank my fans for their loyalty and for waiting for me. Believe me, I can't wait to see you all again," Osbourne said in a statement. "Please stay safe in these uncertain times. God Bless you All! Love Ozzy." Judas Priest will open for Ozzy on all dates, except in Budapest, Hungary. - New Musical Express, 10/22/20...... On Oct. 21 a lawsuit filed against one of Michael Jackson's companies by one of the men who accused the King of Pop of sexual abuse was dismissed by a California judge. James Safechuck, now 42, who featured in the 2019 Jackson documentary Leaving Neverland, sought damages from MJJ Productions and MJJ Ventures, who he accused of "facilitating" the singer's alleged sexual abuse of children. Safechuck filed his suit against the two companies in 2014, claiming that both companies "were created to, and did, facilitate Jackson's sexual abuse of children." In his ruling, Judge Mark Young said that Jackson controlled the companies and their employees, meaning that they were not able to control the star's alleged actions. Safechuck, who along with Wade Robinson says he was molested as a child in the early 1990s by Jackson, reportedly plans to appeal the decision. Dan Reed, who directed the 2019 documentary, is said to be filming a sequel to Leaving Neverland which will focus on the fallout from the first film and the intense backlash it attracted from some of Jackson's biggest fans. He has reportedly faced legal challenges over the sequel from both MJJ productions and MJJ Ventures. - NME, 10/22/20...... Elton John, who is featured in a new promo video by rising R&B singer Teyana Taylor for her song "Lose Each Other," says he's fond of the "classy" video and called for less "racy" and more "empowering" music videos. In an Instagram chat with Teyana, Sir Elton said: "What you did in the video was so beautiful and empowering. Normal videos have people shaking their booties and this was a piece of art. You weren't shaking anything. It means a lot. There really aren't many classy videos out there. They are what they are. This one is the Rolls-Royce of videos." John, 73, also said he isn't a fan of songs made on the computer. ""There's plenty of people that do but a lot of them don't get played on the radio because they're too sophisticated and we get songs made by a computer all the time and I'm not interested in that," he said. - Music-News, 10/22/20...... Paul McCartney announced on Oct. 21 that he will release the third album in his 50-year-spanning "McCartney" series, McCartney III, on Dec. 11. In a statement, Sir Paul said he hadn't intended to release a new album in 2020, but during the "isolation of 'Rockdown', he soon found himself fleshing out some existing musical sketches and creating even more new ones." The COVID-19 quarantine resulted in what Macca described as a "stripped back, self-produced and, quite literally, solo work marking the opening of a new decade." Paul says he recorded McCartney III earlier in 2020 at his home in Sussex, England, and like it's predecessors McCartney (1970) and McCartney II (1980), it's built from mostly live takes of himself on vocals, guitar and piano, with overdubbed bass and drumming. The session found him revisiting an unreleased track from the 1990s, "When Winter Comes," which was transformed into album opener "Long Tailed Winter Bird." In addition to CD and digital releases, McCartney III will be issued on vinyl, limited edition (3,000) hand-numbered red vinyl manufactured by Third Man Pressing, as well as standard 180g and a "333" Edition available only at the Third Man Records online store in a limited run of 333 copies on yellow-with-black-dots vinyl created using 33 recycled vinyl copies of McCartney and McCartney II; a 4,000-run, hand-numbered white vinyl version will be available at U.S. indie record stores. Paul has shared a preview video of the new album on Instagram. - Billboard, 10/21/20...... In other Beatles-related news, a letter written by the Fab Four's manager Brian Epstein following the sacking of the band's drummer Pete Best is going up for sale at auction. A letter written by Epstein to the "secret Beatle" Joe Flannery, who served as the Beatles' booking manager between 1962 and 1963, has been put up for sale by the latter's family following his death in 2019. Written and sent on Sept. 8, 1962, Epstein wrote to Flannery: "I read from the Mersey Beat Pete Best has now joined THE ALL STARS and I though [sic] I'd let you know that I have sent today, to him a certificate of release from his obligations under contract to myself. I would like to add, incidentally, our sincere wishes for Pete's and the group's continued success." The letter had been kept by Flannery's family in the years since but is now being sold via Omega Auctions. The sale will be conducted on Oct. 27, and it is estimated that the lot will reach between £650 and £1000. Pete Best was originally signed with the three long-standing members of The Fab Four -- John Lennon, Paul McCartney and George Harrison -- but he was let go by Epstein and replaced by Ringo Starr in Aug. 1962. - NME, 10/19/20...... Director Todd Haynes, known for such theatrical dramas as Far From Heaven (2003) and the music documentaries Velvet Goldmine (1998) and I'm Not There (2007), will helm a new documentary about the acclaimed late '60s/early '70s band The Velvet Underground. Directed and co-produced by Haynes, The Velvet Underground will premiere on Apple TV+ and, according to a press release, contain conversations with "key players" who were around Lou Reed and co. at the time, while offering up "a treasure trove of never-before-seen performances and a rich collection of recordings, Warhol films, and other experimental art." Haynes, who first revealed the project in 2017, told Variety at the time that the VU documentary would be "an intensely visual experience." - NME, 10/21/20...... Julien's Auctions announced on Oct. 19 that two guitars belonging to the late Eddie Van Halen -- including his legendary 2004 EVH Charvel Art Series instrument with the red, white and black stripes on the body and headstock -- will be going on the auction block in early December as part of its two-day "Icons & Idols Trilogy: Rock 'N' Roll" live auction event in Beverly Hills and online. The auction will also spotlight another custom-designed electric guitar built by Van Halen with his guitar tech Matt Bruck at the guitarist's 5150 home studio, according to a release announcing the event. The auction, which takes place on Dec. 4 and 5, will also feature artifacts and memorabilia owned and used by Kurt Cobain, Elvis Presley, Michael Jackson, Madonna, Lady Gaga, David Bowie, Aerosmith and more. - Billboard, 10/19/20...... Grammy-winning pop singer/songwriter Christopher Cross is seeing huge gains with his song sales after being featured on the CBS morning show CBS Sunday Morning in a segment entitled "Christopher Cross on Surviving COVID." Cross, who was diagnosed with the novel Coronavirus in April, said he had just as he began to feel like he had recovered from COVID when he learned that he had also contracted Guillain-Barre syndrome, likely brought on by his COVID sickness. "It was the worst 10 days of my life," Cross said in the segment. "I couldn't walk, could barely move." Cross, who says he's now recovering from the illness albeit with some lingering after-effects, is enjoying a combined 6,000 downloads of his catalog of songs on Oct. 18-19 in the U.S. after the appearance, according to Nielsen Music/MRC Data. That's up 979% compared to their sales of just over 500 on Oct. 16-17. Cross' best selling songs for the period include his No. 1 hit "Sailing," (2,000; up 823%), his No. 2 single "Ride Like the Wind" (1,000; up 757%), the No. 1 "Arthur's Theme (Best That You Can Do)" (1,000; up 1,309%), the No. 15 hit "Never Be the Same" (a little under 1,000; up 1,386%) and the No. 9 hit "Think of Laura" (nearly 500 sold; up 3,238%). After his illness forced him to scrap a planned 2020 tour, Cross said that he does expect to return to the stage following his recovery. "I don't know whether I'll walk out with my cane and I'll sit down on a stool," he explained. "But I've gotta tell you -- and it's hard to, you know, keep it together here -- but, you know my fans, I know them. And they love me. I really feel in my heart, at least, that the fans are gonna be with me." - Billboard, 10/21/20...... On Oct. 19 Neil Young announced more details about his long-awaited Archives Volume II: 1972-1976 box set. Young says the set will feature 131 tracks, including 12 that have never been released before, and also contain 49 previously unheard versions of classics from the rock icon's archives, as well as a 252-page hardbound book. The sequel to 2009's massive The Archives Volume 1: 1963-1972, Archives Volume II: 1972-1976 will cover the years when Young released some of his most beloved albums, including Time Fades Away, On the Beach, Tonight's the Night, Zuma, Long May You Run and the recently issued "lost" 1975 album Homegrown. A deluxe 10-CD edition (only 3,000 available) of the set includes hundreds of previously unseen photos, a tape database, a full-length archives poster, detailed descriptions of the songs and a fold-out timeline of Young's activity during that period. Young also released a teaser video for the album on YouTube as well as a 1972 recording of "Come Along and Say You Will", recorded with his side band The Stray Gators. - Billboard, 10/19/20...... To help promote their new album Power Up, AC/DC have launched a new online program which allows users to display their initials in the style of the band's iconic lightning bolt logo. Users of the generator, which can be found at you/acdc.com, are asked to enter their name. Their initials are then displayed as neon signs in the band's famous font either side of a lightning bolt, matching the cover of Power Up. The classic logo was first used on AC/DC's 1977 album Let There Be Rock and has appeared on every one of the band's albums since, apart from the following year's Powerage. - NME, 10/19/20...... In other heavy metal news, Led Zeppelin's Jimmy Page recently revealed to Classic Rock magazine that Zeppelin originally planned a whole tour after reuniting for a one-off show in 2007, but they never came to fruition. After lauding late LZ drummer John Bonham's son Jason Bonham as a "damn good drummer" [who] "should be sitting in that seat" and not just because he was John's son, Page said: "It had been said that there was going to be a tour. There weren't any dates put in, but obviously we had honed ourselves to the point where we were ready." But after the dates failed to materialize, Page says he has put the idea of a reunion firmly to bed. "But then there has not been any discussion about any tour ever since -- nor will there be. So there you go. It's just one of those weird, odd things in the world of Led Zeppelin, really, another part of the Led Zeppelin phenomenon," he said. - NME, 10/19/20...... Former Beach Boys Brian Wilson and Al Jardine are denying involvement in a presidential fundraiser for Pres. Donald Trump on Oct. 18 in Orange County, Calif., that was headlined by a band fronted by BB Mike Love, Mike Love's Beach Boys. According to the Los Angeles Times, the fundraiser was attended by various Republican supporters in the area and headlined by Love with his touring band. But Wilson and Jardine say they had "absolutely nothing to do with the Trump benefit today in Newport Beach, zero.... We didn't even know about it and were very surprised to read about it in the Los Angeles Times." Mike Love won the rights to continue performing under the group's moniker in 1998, after a series of lawsuits. Wilson and Jardine have toured together under Wilson's name, often performing Beach Boys material. This isn't the first time the duo have opposed Love -- earlier in 2020 the pair joined a Change.org petition supporting a boycott of a Beach Boys concert at the Safari Club International Convention, where Donald Trump Jr. was the keynote speaker. Wilson openly denounced the event, saying, "this organization supports trophy hunting, which Both Al [Jardine] and I are emphatically opposed to." Love defended the decision to play the show at the time by responding, "We look forward to a night of great music in Reno and, as always, support freedom of thought and expression as a fundamental tenet of our rights as Americans." - NME, 10/19/20...... Blondie frontwoman Debbie Harry is praising pop sensation Miley Cyrus for making Blondie's huge 1978 hit "Heart of Glass" "uniquely hers." Cyrus delivered a raw live rendition of the 1978 hit during a performance at the virtual iHeartRadio Festival 2020 in September, which was then uploaded to Spotify. "We think Miley Cyrus nailed it. Check it out:," Harry posted to Twitter on Oct. 21 with a link to the video. Harry also complemented Cyrus' "Heart of Glass" in a recent interview with New Musical Express: "I thought she did a great job and I liked the way the performance looked and she's a force to be reckoned with. I'm really proud of the fact she did our song and made it uniquely hers." Meanwhile, Blondie have announced a run of UK arena shows with alternative band Garbage opening. The band's "Against The Odds" tour is due to begin in Liverpool on Nov. 6, then visit Birmingham, Manchester, Hull, Nottingham, Brighton, Cardiff, London and Glasgow before wrapping in Leeds on Nov. 21. Blondie will release their 12th studio album to coincide with the tour in 2021. "The tour is called Against All Odds because really it is -- we're trying to stay optimistic that it will happen," Blondie drummer Clem Burke recently told the UK's The Sun paper. - NME, 10/21/20...... A clip from the new Harry Chapin documentary Harry Chapin: When in Doubt, Do Something has been shared on Springboardplatform.com. The documentary is the inspiring story of the Grammy Award-winning singer/songwriter/activist who sold over 16 million albums and spent his fame and fortune trying to end world hunger before his tragic passing. Featuring such stars as Bruce Springsteen, Billy Joel, Pete Seeger, Bob Geldof, Kenny Rogers, Graham Nash and Pat Benatar, the documentary opened in theaters and virtual cinemas on Oct.16, World Food Day. A portion of the proceeds goes to both WhyHunger and The Harry Chapin Foundation. - ComingSoon.net, 10/14/20...... It has been revealed that a new TV series based on the hit 1977 movie Smokey and the Bandit is in early development. The road action comedy will be a modern take on the Southern-set classic, according to writer/director Gordon Green. "Growing up in the south, Smokey and the Bandit was an iconic franchise for me. The legacy of these characters is a playground of swagger and sass that I'm excited to dig into," Green, who was born in Little Rock, Ak., and raised in Texas, said in a statement. In addition to penning the script, Green is set to step behind the camera and direct the potential pilot, which currently has no network attached to the series. Released in 1977, the Burt Reynolds and Sally Field-starring film became a major hit for Universal Studios, grossing over $300 million on its $4.3 million budget, becoming the second-largest domestic grossing film of the year behind Star Wars and spawned a franchise that included two feature-length sequels and made-for-TV spinoff films. - ComingSoon.net, 10/22/20...... Former King Crimson bassist and singer Gordon Haskell died on Oct. 15 following a year-long battle with lung cancer. He was 74. Though Haskell never performed live with the long-running prog rock band, his short tenure included playing on the band's third studio album, 1970's Lizard, as well as on the song "Cadence and Cascade" from their second album, that same year's In the Wake of Poseidon. The multi-talented musician was recruited to join Crimson by his former grammar school classmate and band founder/guitarist Robert Fripp; the two formerly played together in a band called The League of Gentlemen. Haskell went on to join the psychedelic British bands The Quotations, Rupert's People, Cupid's Inspiration and The Fleur de Lys, the latter best known for their Jimmy Page-produced 1965 cover of Norman Petty's "Moondreams." He also released a couple of solo singles, "Boat Trip" and "Oh-La-Di-Doo-Da-Day," and the album, Sail on My Boat, in 1969. Haskell released 13 solo albums between 1969-2020, with his most recent effort, The Cat Who's Got the Cream, dropping in January of 2020. - Billboard, 10/19/20...... Legendary "British Invasion" musician Spencer Davis of The Spencer Davis Group, which had hits with "Gimme Some Lovin'," "I'm a Man" and "Keep on Running," died in hospital on Oct. 19 while being treated for pneumonia, his agent Bob Birk confirmed. He was 81. Born on July 17, 1939, in Swansea, Wales, Mr. Davis formed The Spencer Davis Group in Birmingham in 1963 with Steve Winwood (organ/vocals), Muff Winwood (bass) and Pete York (drums). The band, who originally went by the name The Rhythm & Blues Quartet, became renowned for such hits as "Keep On Running" (a cover of a song written by Jackie Edwards), "Gimme Some Lovin" and "I'm A Man." The band was part of the "British Invasion" of the 1960s in the US, and toured with the likes of The Who and The Rolling Stones. The Winwood brothers left the group in 1967 -- Steve to form Traffic; Muff to become a successful record executive -- and they disbanded in July 1969 (although they briefly reformed from 1973-74) with Mr. Davis moving to the US the following year to pursue a solo career. Mr. Davis also worked as an executive at Island Records in the 1970s, with his official website stating that the Welsh musician helped "further the profiles of artists like Robert Palmer and Bob Marley" through his work at Island. Mr. Davis was a prolific touring musician, and he played under The Spencer Davis Group banner without the Winwoods during the 90s, 2000s and 2010s. The band last played together in 2017, with two touring line-ups -- one for Europe and one for the US -- in operation and Mr. Davis still at the helm. Tributes to Davis have been pouring in after news of his passing, with Steve Winwood remembering his former bandmate as "definitely a man with a vision, and one of the pioneers of the 'British Invasion' of America in the '60s. I never went to the US with Spencer, but he later embraced America and America embraced him. I feel that he was influential in setting me on the road to becoming a professional musician, and I thank him for that." - NME, 10/20/20...... James Redford, the filmmaker son of Hollywood legend Robert Redford, passed away at his home in Marin County, Calif., on Oct. 16 after losing his battle with liver cancer. He was 58. James Redford was revered for his documentaries, including The Big Picture: Rethinking Dyslexia and 2020's Playing for Keeps, which explored the health benefits of play time for children and adults. "He lived a beautiful, impactful life & was loved by many," his widow, Kyle, wrote on social media. "He will be deeply missed." - WENN/Canoe.com, 10/19/20.

On Oct. 17 Elvis Costello shared a chilling new song from his upcoming studio album Hey Clockface. "Newspaper Pane," accompanied by an animated lyric video that has been shared on YouTube, tells the story of a woman cooped up in a room where the windows are covered with old newspapers, which she put up to allow herself to immerse herself in the details of an unattainable life. Hey Clockface, due Oct. 30, was recorded by the iconic New Wave musician after he was separated from his regular collaborators by the coronavirus pandemic earlier in 2020. Meanwhile, a new box set collection of Costello's classic 1979 set Armed Forces is being reissued on Nov. 6. - New Musical Express, 10/17/20...... "Leave Virginia Alone," a new Tom Petty single culled from his newly released Wildflowers and All the Rest box set, has debuted at No. 23 on Billboard's Adult Alternative Songs chart for the week ending Oct. 23. "Leave Virginia Alone" also has the distinction of being covered by Rod Stewart in 1995 for his A Spanner in the Works LP and rose to No. 10 on Billboard's Adult Contemporary airplay chart and No. 34 on the Pop Songs chart that July. At the time, Stewart explained that the song "was for Tom Petty's album, and he took it off because it was too close lyrically to something that was a hit beforehand, and his manager couldn't persuade him to put it on the album. So his manager, who's a friend of my manager, said, 'Would Rod listen to the song?'" Stewart, who confessed that he "wasn't really a Tom Petty fan" but he thought Petter was "a good performer though," also revealed that "Leave Virginia Alone" "absolutely went by me" the first time he heard it. "It took me two or three good listens. I had to be persuaded to do it, in other words. But now I'm glad we did," Stewart noted. Petty's version of "Leave Virginia Alone," which he solely wrote and didn't make the final Wildflowers album, can be streamed on YouTube. 1994's Wildflowers was the second solo album from Petty, who died at age 66 in 2017. - Billboard, 10/16/20...... Speaking of Tom Petty, Stevie Nicks recently told Forbes magazine that listening to the late Rock and Roll Hall of Fame member has helped her through the grief of losing her rocker pal. "He spent a lot of time on [Petty's Sirius XM] radio station to the point where the rest of the Heartbreakers were like, 'So you missed your calling. You just really wanted to be a disc jockey'," mused Nicks, who enjoyed a longstanding personal and professional relationship with Petty, and the pair duetted at London's Hyde Park just months before his Oct. 2017. "He did so much work on it they've been able to totally keep the Tom Petty radio station alive and I'm so happy about that because to me I hear him and it's like I'm talking to him while he's talking to us... I forget that he's gone because of that station," she added. Nicks also lamented the loss of several other of her rocker friends in the past few years, including Prince, Glenn Frey and Eddie Van Halen. "In the last couple of years of [my dad's] life, at one point he said to me, 'All my friends are dead'," she remembered. "The people that live to be really old, like hopefully me, there will be a time where a lot of people will be gone. And I certainly never expected for Prince and Tom Petty to be gone in 2020." - Music-News.com, 10/17/20...... A new action figure of late Motörhead frontman Lemmy Kilmister has been unveiled for the 40th anniversary of Motörhead's classic Ace of Spades album. The 3.753 "Lemmy ReAction figurine" is designed by Super7, who announced the news on Instagram on Oct. 17. "To commemorate the 40th Anniversary of the Ace Of Spades album, Super7 is proud to present the man, the myth, the legend," reads the caption. Led by designer Brian Flynn, the San Francisco-based company have previously released Iron Maiden and Misfits paraphernalia, as well as covering Star Wars, Alien and Planet Of The Apes. The 40th anniversary Ace Of Spades reissue box set drops on Oct. 30 with 42 previously unreleased tracks. - NME, 10/17/20...... The Kinks are celebrating the 50th anniversary of their classic 1970 album Lola Versus Powerman and The Moneygoround, Part One with a special set of reissues, including a limited edition deluxe 10 slipcased book pack (containing a 60-page book, 3 CDs, 2 7" singles and four color prints), digital exclusives, and a 2xCD hardback book. Commonly abbreviated to either Lola Versus Powerman or Lola, the band's eighth studio album was released in Nov. 1970 and included such songs as "Lola" and "Apeman." Speaking about the album, Kinks frontman Ray Davies said: "The album is a celebration of artistic freedom (including my own) and the right for anyone to be gender free if one wishes. The secret is to be a good and trusting person and friend. A brand new Davies-helmed remix/medley of the Kinks track "Any Time" titled "The Follower/Any Time 20202" was released on Oct. 14 and can be streamed on YouTube. - NME, 10/15/20...... Fleetwood Mac's 1977 No. 1 single "Dreams" has re-entered the Billboard Hot 100 pop chart for the week of Oct. 17 sparked by a viral TikTok video featuring the song. Landing at No. 21, it's the first time the song has landed on the Hot 100 since its original run No. 1. "Dreams" garnered 13.4 million streams (up 54%) and 22,000 downloads sold (up 197%) in the tracking week ending Oct. 8, according to Nielsen Music/MRC Data. In the TikTok clip, Idahoan Nathan Apodaca rides his longboard while drinking a large bottle of Ocean Spray Cran-Raspberry juice, backed by "Dreams." The video became so popular that the band's own Mick Fleetwood recreated the clip. Ocean Spray even gifted Apodaca a red pickup truck (filled with bottles of Ocean Spray juice). "Dreams" originally debuted on the Hot 100 dated Apr. 16, 1977, and spent a week at No. 1 (June 18). Fleetwood Mac last appeared in the Hot 100's Top 40 on May 19, 1990, with "Save Me." Stevie Nicks has also just posted her own "Dreams" response to Apodaca's TikTok clip on Twitter, tagging Apodaca's TikTok account alongside the caption "Afternoon vibe. Lace 'em up!". - Billboard/NME, 10/13/20...... AC/DC's lead single "Shot in the Dark" from the band's upcoming album Power Up has debuted at No. 5 on Billboard Best Mainstream Rock Songs chart for the week of Oct. 17. "Shot in the Dark" is the most popular Mainstream Rock Songs song in over 12 years, since Disturbed's "Inside the Fire" also ignited at No. 5 on the ranking dated Apr.12, 2008. In other AC/DC news, a former bassist for the group who briefly played with the Aussie headbangers in 1975 has died. Paul Matters joined AC/DC after the release of 1975's High Voltage, replacing original bassist Larry Van Kriedt. Matters was fired only weeks later, reportedly by then AC/DC lead singer Bon Scott, with Mark Evans taking his place in the band. Matters' passing was announced on Facebook by friend Rod Wescombe, who said he had led a "reclusive life" after his dismissal from the band. - Billboard/NME, 10/15/20...... Van Halen songs are dominating Billboard's Hot Hard Rock Songs chart in mid-October following the death of founding guitarist Eddie Van Halen on Oct. 6 after his lengthy battle with throat cancer. In the tracking week running Oct. 2-8, Van Halen's discography earned 49.3 million U.S. on-demand streams, a jump of 463%, according to Nielsen Music/MRC Data. Additionally, the band's album sales spiked 1,442% to 27,000 in sales, while its digital song sales rose 2,522% to 88,000. Multiple classic albums and songs by the band have also reached the Oct. 17-dated charts. Leading the way, "Jump" becomes the first catalog song in the streaming/airplay/sales-based Hot Hard Rock Songs chart's four-month history to reach No. 1, debuting atop the list, ahead of five other Van Halen songs. - Billboard, 10/14/20...... Bob Dylan's Grey Water Park Productions is teaming up with George Clooney for a movie adaptation of John Grisham's baseball-themed novel Calico Joe. The story is set in the world of Major League Baseball and tells a tale about fathers and sons, and forgiveness and redemption. The film is being directed by Clooney's Smokehouse Pictures partner Grant Heslov, who with Clooney said in a joint statment that "John has written a beautiful story and the chance to collaborate with Bob to bring it to the screen is just fantastic." Bob Dylan added: "George and Grant see in this book what I see in it -- a powerful story that will resonate with young and old alike. People in all walks of life will be able relate to it." - Music-News.com, 10/16/20...... In a new interview with the UK paper The Guardian, Peter Frampton revealed that The Who's Pete Townsend once asked him to join The Who as his replacement. Frampton says that during a creative and financial low point in his career, Townshend contacted him to say he was leaving the band and wanted the "Baby, I Love Your Way" singer to fill in on guitar and vocals for him. "It was the most bizarre thing I ever heard... Three men couldn't fill his shoes!," Frampton recalled. Frampton says he declined the offer initially, but says he called back a few days later due to his own financial struggles -- only to discover that Townshend appeared to have no recollection of the conversation. Frampton, 70, also spoke about firing his manager Dee Anthony, who died in 2009, with Frampton claiming that he was shielded from financial issues. "I was kept away from those things," he said. "I was kept high. If I needed weed, he made sure I had weed. If I needed cocaine, he made sure I had cocaine. He didn't want me thinking about what was going on," Frampton added. "It was criminal. I could have put him in jail." - NME, 10/17/20....... Elton John has shared another song from his upcoming career retrospective box set Jewel Box, due Nov. 13 from UMC/EMI. "Here's to the Next Time," which has been shared on YouTube, was recorded at London's DJM Studio in late 1967 when John was still known as Reg Dwight, with the complete version appearing in 1968 as the B-side to John's first single, "I've Been Loving You." "Here's to the Next Time" follows two other rare Elton songs, "Regimental Sgt. Zippo" and "Sing Me Sad Song," which will also feature on Jewel Box. The 50th anniversary box set is split into four parts -- "Deep Cuts," "Rarities," "B-sides," "And This Is Me" -- and will be released in 4xLP, 8xCD, 3xLP and 2xLP formats. - NME, 10/17/20...... In other Elton John news, the Rocket Man has just settled a £3million court dispute with his ex-wife, Renate Blauel. The settlement comes after Blauel sought compensation from John over the summer after he mentioned her in several sections in his autobiography Me, allegedly breaking the terms of an agreement the couple made when they divorced 32 years ago. In papers filed in his defense at the time, the Elton's legal team denied breaching the agreement, arguing the details in the book were public knowledge and that the contract "applies only to private and confidential matters." Now, according to Sky News, a rep for Blauel says "the couple are happy to announce that they have resolved this case, in a way that acknowledges Renate's need for privacy." "For her part, Renate acknowledges that Elton has acted in a dignified and respectful way towards her in the last 30 years and has been always happy to help her," according to the rep. John has also reacted to his his fallout with Rod Stewart in a new chapter of Me, which has been recently published. In 2018, Rod criticized Elton's decision to head out on his extensive "Goodbye Yellow Brick Road" farewell tour, branding it "money-grabbing." John now writes that Stewart had a "f---ing cheek" lecturing him about "rock and roll." He wrote: "I certainly didn't feel like I needed a lecture on the feral spirit of rock and roll from someone who'd spent most of the last decade crooning his way through the Great American Songbook and Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas." - NME, 10/14/20...... Phil Collins has issued a ceast and desist order to the Pres. Donald Trump re-election campaign over the use of Collins' iconic 1981 single "In The Air Tonight" at a Trump campaign event in Des Moines, Iowa on Oct. 14. Collins' reps confirmed in a statement to the Consequence of Sound website that have issued the order, following the likes of the Rolling Stones, Neil Young, Linkin Park, the estate of Tom Petty and more in objecting to their music being used at Trump events. "Yes we are well aware of the Trump campaign's use of this song and we have already issued a 'cease and desist' letter via our lawyers who continue to monitor the situation," a rep for Collins said. Meanwhile, John Fogerty says he's issuing his own cease and desist order to the Trump campaign over use of the 1969 Creedence Clearwater Revival hit "Fortunate Son" at Trump rallies. Posting on Twitter on Oct. 16, Fogerty said: "He is using my words and my voice to portray a message that I do not endorse." Sharing the statement along with a photograph of himself in uniform, Fogerty explained that "Fortunate Son"' came about "because, as a veteran, I was disgusted that some people were allowed to be excluded from serving our country because they had access to political and financial privilege... I also wrote about wealthy people not paying their fair share of taxes. Mr. Trump is a prime example of both of these issues. "The fact that Mr. Trump also fans the flames of hatred, racism, and fear while rewriting ancient history, is even more reason to be troubled by his use of my song," he added. - NME, 10/17/20...... In related news, Bruce Springsteen told Australia's Daily Telegraph newspaper on Oct. 15 that he's considering moving down under should Pres. Trump win a second term in the Nov. 3 election. "If Trump is re-elected -- which he will not be; I'm predicting right now he's gonna lose -- if by some happenstance he should be, I'll see you on the next plane [to Australia]," Springsteen told the paper. The New Jersey rocker has a long history of speaking out against Trump, having previously labelled him "a threat to our democracy" and criticizing his handling of the coronavirus pandemic, telling him to "put on a f---ing mask." Meanwhile, the first full trailer of Springsteen's new documentary, Bruce Springsteen's Letter To You, has been shared on YouTube. The Apple Original Films documentary is set to arrive on Apple TV+ on Oct. 23, coinciding with the release of Springsteen's new album with the E Street Band, also called Letter To You. Written by Springsteen and directed by his frequent collaborator Thom Zimny (Western Stars, The Gift: The Journey Of Johnny Cash, Springsteen On Broadway), the film is described as "a tribute to the E Street Band, to rock music itself and to the role it has played in Springsteen's life." - NME, 10/17/20...... On Oct. 13, Stevie Wonder shared two new songs, "Where Is Our Love Song" and "Can't Put It in The Hands Of Fate" on YouTube, and announced he was leaving Motown Records after nearly 60 years to start his own label, So What The Fuss Music to be distributed by Republic Records. "I had a great conversation with Monte Lipman, the (Republic) president, and I spoke with India.Arie, who had signed with Republic," said Wonder, who had been on the Motown roster for his entire career, first signing with them as an 11-year-old prodigy in 1961. "Even though I have left Motown, I never leave Motown. That's Detroit," Wonder said. "So I'm sure that we can figure out how we can do some things at Motown. Maybe I'll do my 'Gospel Inspired by Lula' with Motown. We'll work it out," he added, referring to a gospel project named after his late mother he announced in 2013. Of the two new tracks, he said of "Where Is Our Love Song": "It is a song that really I started working on when I was 18, not even knowing what the song was going to be about, but I had the melody. Then this year came all the confusion and all the hate and all the east versus west, left versus right... I'm watching all this and say, 'Hold up, how can you be talking about God and there be hate in your spirit?'." Of the latter track, 'Can't Put It In The Hands Of Fate', Wonder added: "I was thinking about where we are in the world. And I was thinking about how this is most crucial time. Not just Black people or people of color but young people everywhere are going, 'This is not acceptable.' Change is right now. We can't put it in the hands of fate. Ain't nobody got time to wait." - NME, 10/13/20...... Former Talking Heads frontman David Byrne has told the UK paper The Guardian that he hasn't read his former bandmate Chris Frantz new memoir Remain in Love. "Noooo," Byrne said when asked about the book, before adding: "I knew that if I read it I would get asked about it. So I've avoided it." In the memoir, Frantz documented the band's final meeting and said Byrne was so exasperated that the other members kept their cool when he announced their split, that he yelled: "You should be calling me an asshole." Byrne has dampened speculation about a Talking Heads reunion on many occasions -- in 2017, he said that the prospect of getting the band back together would "probably be [taking] quite a number of steps backwards." Meanwhile, it has been announced that Byrne's acclaimed "American Utopia" live show is set to return to Broadway in New York City in Sept. 2021. Byrne's stage show/rock spectacle is a live adaptation of the artist's 2018 solo album American Utopia, which one critic called "the best musical experience on the planet." A Spike Lee-directed HBO film release of American Utopia premiered on the premium cable channel in October after opening the Toronto Film Festival on Sept. 10. - NME, 10/15/20...... Alice Cooper has shared a new video for his 1972 single "Elected" on YouTube. Cooper has also revamped his official website in time for Halloween, with slogans including: "I can do nothing as well as they can do nothing" and "I have absolutely no idea what to do." Alice is also offering up a host of new presidential merchandise including T-shirts, stickers, and pins that show the shock-rocker holding his own severed head, emblazoned with phrases such as, "A Sickman for a Sick Nation / Wild Party Forever." Cooper previously confirmed he has partnered with AirBnB for a new event where he will read scary stories to fans ahead of this year's Halloween. Spooky Story Time with Alice Cooper will take place on Oct. 21 at 4:00 pm PT (12:00 am BST). Cooper says that 100% of proceeds from the event, which costs around £80 per person, will go to childrens' charity North Star Reach. - NME, 10/15/20...... Actress Rhonda Fleming, whose long career embraced filmdom's Golden Age and the early days of television, died on Oct. 14 in Santa Monica, Calif. at age 97. No cause was given, but her death was confirmed by her secretary. Ms. Fleming was known as the "Queen of Technicolor" for her stunning red hair and green eyes, which lit up appearances in such films as Out of the Past and Spellbound. Overall, she appeared in more than 40 films, working with directors Alfed Hitchcock, Jacques Tourneur and Robert Siodmak, among other film greats. Her best-known films included the 1948 musical fantasy A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court with Bing Crosby, the 1957 Western Gunfight at the O.K. Corral, and the noir Slightly Scarlet, alongside John Payne. The Hollywood-born actress was also the costar to some of Hollywood's biggest names, including four films with Ronald Reagan before he entered politics. She also worked with Glenn Ford, Kirk Douglas, Burt Lancaster, Bob Hope, and Rock Hudson, among others. In television, Ms. Fleming guest-starred in Wagon Train, Police Woman, The Love Boat, was in a special of McMillan & Wife. Later in life, Ms. Fleming became a philanthropist, supporting Providence Saint John's Health Center in Santa Monica, Calif., where she established the Rhonda Fleming Carlson Inspiration Garden in 2014. Ms. Fleming is survived by her son, Kent Lane, two granddaughters, and five great-grandchildren. - Deadline.com, 10/16/20.

Favorite Seventies Artists In The News

Posted by Administrator on October 13th, 2020

Bruce Springsteen will be among the artists appearing in a 2020 Rock and Roll Hall of Fame special, which premieres on Nov. 7 on HBO and HBO Max. The 2020 RRHOF ceremony was originally set to go ahead in May, though it was pushed back to November due to the coronavirus pandemic. In addition, as a way to make sure the event could go ahead, the ceremony will be pre-recorded and air the same date as the induction. Depeche Mode, The Doobie Brothers, Whitney Houston, Nine Inch Nails, The Notorious B.I.G. and T. Rex will be inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall Of Fame. Other artists set to feature at the event are Miley Cyrus, St. Vincent, Dave Grohl, Sean "Diddy" Combs, Ringo Starr, Jennifer Hudson, Alicia Keys, Gwen Stefani and more. - NME, 10/9/20...... Alice Cooper has partnered with home rental website Airbnb for a new event where he will read scary stories to fans ahead of Halloween 2020. Spooky Story Time with Alice Cooper will take place on Oct. 21 at 4:00 pm PT (12:00 am BST). Speaking of the new event on Twitter, Cooper says he will "take my penchant for terror to the scariest place I know -- the internet." Inviting fans to "join me for a kid-friendly spooky story hour," Cooper added that "100% of proceeds from the event, which costs around £80 per person, will go to childrens' charity North Star Reach." Cooper added that the event will be "suitable for children ages 6+ with an appetite for fright." - NME, 10/10/20...... Fleetwood Mac drummer Mick Fleetwood participated in a Zoom interview with TikTok user Nathan Apodaca (@420doggface208) on Oct. 8 to thank him for making the Fleetwood Mac song "Dreams" a viral hit. "One, we owe you," Fleetwood told Apodaca, whose serene video of himself lip-syncing to the 1977 hit while while riding a skateboard and drinking straight from a bottle of cranberry juice has been viewed on TikTok over 34 million times. "It's such a great story, and it's so needed," Fleetwood continued. "In days that are really challenging... it makes people smile, and I'm so happy to be part of it. Congratulations on a wild, wild skateboard journey that has led us to talking today," Fleetwood concluded, before adding, "I hope Stevie [Nicks]'s watching. She's going to be overjoyed." Fleetwood also revealed how his own recreation of Apodaca's viral video came together, saying, "I was just led right into it. People around me were going like, 'Dad, you've got to do this, it's so cool.' So we did it, and now here we are, talking." In other Fleetwood Mac news, Stevie Nicks has shared her new single, "Show Them the Way," on YouTube. Nicks recently told the Associated Press that the song was inspired by a dream she had in 2008 where she played at a political benefit attended by Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., John Lennon, John Lewis, John F. Kennedy and Bobby Kennedy. "Everything was timeless, even me/ I wasn't old, I wasn't young, I was just part of their dream/ A shadow walked with me down the hall, it was Martin Luther King," Nicks sings on the track, which features Dave Grohl on drums. A music video of "Show Them the Way" directed by Oscar-winning director Cameron Crowe will be released soon. Nicks will release a live album and concert film, 24 Karat Gold - Songs from the Vault, on vinyl, CD and to stream from Oct. 30 through BMG. The film will be screened in select cinemas for two nights only, on Oct. 21 and Oct. 25. - Billboard/New Musical Express, 10/9/20...... Gimme Some Truth: The Ultimate Mixes, a new John Lennon hits collection produced in collaboration with Lennon's widow Yoko Ono and John and Yoko's son Sean Lennon, could surpass Scottish group Travis's new LP 10 Songs to become the top selling album in the UK, according to the Official U.K. Singles and Albums Charts survey. On Oct. 12, Gimme Some Truth had risen to No. 3 on the midweek chart, just 364 combined sales behind the Travis album. Lennon has three No. 1's as a solo artist on the chart, and a whopping 16 with the Beatles, more than any act in Official Chart history. Gimme Some Truth: The Ultimate Mixes was executive produced by Yoko and produced by Sean, and contains 36 of Lennon's best-loved songs from his solo career. Sean Lennon recently told interviewer George Stroumboulopoulos on his Apple Music Hits show "STROMBO" that his dad returning his MBE to Queen Elizabeth II in 1966 was "maybe more punk than anything the punks did." "It was a big deal to return the Member of the British Empire thingamajig that he was given. To the Queen, that was very irreverent," Sean said. All four Beatles were given the honour in 1965, but Lennon returned his award a year later in protest against the Vietnam War and Britain's involvement in the conflict in Biafra. - Billboard/NME, 10/12/20...... Meanwhile, country-pop music icon Willie Nelson and the band Promise of the Real lead by his sons Lukas and Micah Nelson, have paid tribute Lennon on what would have been his 80th birthday on Oct. 9 with a cover of Lennon's 1981 posthumous hit "Watching the Wheels." In the video tribute, which has been shared on YouTube, Lukas and Micah can be seen trading off lines in the first verse, while Willie takes the second: "Well they shake their heads and they look at me/ As if I've lost my mind/ I tell them there's no hurry/ I'm just sitting here doing time." - NME, 10/10/20...... In other Lennon news, John Lennon 1980: The Last Days in the Life author Kenneth Womack says that if Lennon was still alive "he'd be giving Pres. Donald Trump hell." "I think in a lot of ways he would have been like David Bowie, very moved by the internet," Womack told the U.K. paper The Mirror. "He would be an influencer in that way... he'd be right there on Twitter giving Trump hell." Elsewhere on the Fab Four front, Liverpool's Cavern Club where the Beatles famously gigged before rising to international fame in the early 1960s, is among the venues which have received a lifeline from the U.K. government to survive the financial impact of coronavirus. The Cavern has been given £525,000 to fund the recording of performances from local musicians. They will be streamed online to provide employment opportunities for technical staff and artists from across Merseyside. - NME, 10/12/20...... Eddie Van Halen's brother and bandmate Alex Van Halen paid tribute to his younger brother Eddie, who died on Oct. 6 following a lengthy battle with cancer, with a touching message posted on Twitter on Oct. 8. "Hey Ed. Love you. See you on the other side. Your brother, Al," Alex posted, and accompanied the message with a cute black and white photo of the pair as young boys. Following Eddie's death, at the age of 65, Alex, 67, is the only member who has been with the band throughout its existence, and played on all 12 studio albums. Meanwhile, former VH frontman Sammy Hagar and former VH bassist Mike Anthony recorded a video tribute to Eddie during a recent public rehearsal of their band Sammy Hagar and the Circle on Catalina Island, Calif. During the show, Hagar invited the audience to take a moment of silence to remember Eddie, after which they launched into the anthemic "Right Now," a single from the 1991 album For Unlawful Carnal Knowledge. "I'll tell you, a Van Halen song never felt so hard to sing and play in my life," Hagar says in the clip, which has been shared on YouTube. "After the unfortunate thing that happened yesterday with Eddie Van Halen, for Mike and I, it was just like getting hit by a freaking Mack truck," Hagar shared. "Kind of took the wind out of the sails." The video is captioned by a comment from the two former VH rockers: "We love you Eddie. The music will live forever." - Billboard, 10/9/20...... In related news, David Crosby is explaining a comment he made about Eddie Van Halen after the guitar god's death. On Oct. 10, a fan tweeted to Crosby asking his opinion of Eddie, to which Crosby replied with a one-word answer: "Meh & . ." Crosby's curt post drew backlash from Tracii Guns of the U.S. rock band L.A. Guns who called the remark "very disrespectful" and Dee Snider of Twisted Sister who said he "always hated [Crosby] AND his mustache." But Crosby doubled down on his comments when fans began to voice their ire. "Sorry & just meant he does not move me much," Crosby wrote in another tweet. On Oct. 12, Crosby added that "[Jimi] Hendrix changed the world of guitar. Nobody else really & look I get it ..many of you loved Van Halen & .and the one time I met he was nice & .and he was talented & meh to me means I don't care that much & .and I don't & doesn't mean he wasn't good, he was but not for me." - NME, 10/12/20...... Ozzy Osbourne's wife Sharon Osbourne has confirmed that Ozzy's twice-postponed tour has been rebooked for 2022. Osbourne's 'No More Tours II' tour was first announced in Nov. 2017, and a number of dates throughout 2018 were completed. However, a run of U.K. dates have been delayed twice. The first postponement was due to Ozzy's ill health, and second due to the coronavirus pandemic. Ozzy and Sharon appeared on Planet Rock Radio on Oct. 11 and were asked about the difficulties of booking venues for shows after the pandemic has subsided. "Everybody's booking their tours again for like 2022, and to find availabilities right now, it's crazy," Sharon said. "Agents and facilities are going nuts, trying to get everybody back. It will be exciting. I think it will be a very exciting time when bands do go back and it'll be joyous." She then confirmed: "Ozzy's tour has been rebooked. The British tour, he'll be back in '22. You know, we just carry on as normal. We've been doing loads of TV shows here and you've got to just keep going until Ozzy can go back live." - NME, 10/12/20...... Elton John unveiled a previously unreleased song, "Regimental Sgt. Zippo," on YouTube on Oct. 12. John recorded the psychedelic track back in 1968, with lyrics from his longtime songwriting partner Bernie Taupin. Posting on Twitter, Elton said the song was originally intended "to be the title track of his unreleased debut album in 1969" and "can be found on my upcoming 'Jewel Box'!" Jewel Box, due Nov. 13 from UMC/EMI, will feature 60 unreleased tracks, including rarities and B-sides. "To delve back through every period of my career in such detail for 'Jewel Box' has been an absolute pleasure," Elton said in September as he announced the release. "Hearing these long lost tracks again, I find it hard to comprehend just how prolific Bernie [Taupin] and I were during the early days." - NME, 10/12/20...... Former The Sex Pistols frontman John Lydon (a.k.a. Johnny Rotten) has told the U.K.'s The Observer paper that he plans on voting for Pres. Donald Trump in the upcoming presidential election because he feels Trump's Democratic challenger, former Vice-President Joe Biden, is "incapable" of leading America. Lydon, who previously backed Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton, said he supports Trump because of the economy. "I'd be daft as a brush not to," Lydon said. "He's the only sensible choice now that Biden is up -- he's incapable of being the man at the helm." According to the article, Lydon started supporting the US president after Trump was accused of racism. "I've been accused of the very same thing, so I'm offended for anybody who's called that," he explained. In 2008, Lydon and his entourage were involved in a backstage altercation with Kele Okereke, after the Bloc Party frontman asked Lydon at Spain's Summercase festival if he would ever consider reforming Public Image Ltd. It was alleged that Lydon responded with a racist tirade including the statement, "Your problem is your black attitude," followed by what Okereke called an "unprovoked racist attack" that resulted in him suffering severe facial bruising, cuts to his face and body and a split lip. He later referred to Lydon as "the devil in my eyes." - NME, 10/11/20...... Queen + Adam Lambert recently landed their first U.K. No. 1 album together after their new live collection Live Around the World was released on Oct. 2. Live Around the World secured the top spot on the Official Albums Chart with the most CD and download sales for the first week of October following a late challenge from K-pop girl group, Blackpink. Live Around The World is Queen's 10th No. 1 album in the U.K., and first for almost 25 years since Made in Heaven in Nov. 1995, the group's final studio album featuring the last recorded vocals from Freddie Mercury. It also marks nearly 45 years since the band's very first No. 1 album A Night at the Opera in Dec. 1975. "Thank you folks for making us Number 1 after all these years. So Queen + Adam Lambert's very first release is Number 1... amazing. God bless you all," Queen guitarist Brian May said in a video shared on YouTube. - Music-News.com, 10/9/20...... A new remix of David Bowie's 1970 song "The Man Who Sold the World" has been shared on Spotify.com by longtime Bowie producer Tony Visconti. Visconti's "2020 remix" is lifted from the forthcoming Man Who Sold the World 50th anniversary reissue Metrobolist (the album's original title) which drops on Nov. 6. Visconti has remixed the entire album, which will also be released as a limited edition, numbered gold and white vinyl LP, for the new project. - NME, 10/9/10...... Motörhead have announced they're launching a new podcast to mark the 40th anniversary of their 1980 LP, Ace of Spades. "The Motörcast" lands on streaming platforms in mid-October, detailing the "warts and all stories of life on the road, behind the scenes, in the studio and more importantly, down the pub," according to a preview posted on Spotify.com. Subsequent instalments of "The Motörcast" will arrive every two weeks. Motörhead's forthcoming Ace Of Spades reissue, meanwhile, hits stores on Oct. 30 and will boast a previously unheard show from the "Ace Up Your Sleeve" tour, the story of the album, previously unseen photos and 42 unreleased tracks. - NME, 10/8/20...... Major League Baseball Hall of Fame inductee Whitey Ford, who finished his career with a record of 236-106, setting the franchise mark for most-ever wins by a New York Yankee, died on Oct. 9 at the age of 91, the team has announced. During his tenure as a Yankee, Mr. Ford helped lead New York to 11 American League pennants and six World Series titles. His 10 World Series victories still stand as a Major League Baseball record, and his .690 career winning percentage is the highest among pitchers with at least 300 career decisions. Mr. Ford earned his "Chairman of the Board" nickname in part for his role as a reliable ace for one of the most successful teams of its time. A left-handed hurler who pitched from 1950 through 1967, Mr. Ford captured the 1961 Cy Young Award, and was a 10-time All-Star and 1974 MLB Hall of Fame inductee. "Whitey loved the Hall of Fame, Cooperstown and the legacy that he and his teammates built during the game's golden era," said National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum Jane Forbes Clark in a statement. "We extend our deepest condolences to his family and we will celebrate his life in Cooperstown forever." - CNN.com, 10/9/20...... Tom Kennedy, best known for hosting such TV game shows as You Don't Say! and Name That Tune, died on Oct. 7 in Oxnard, Calif. He was 93. Born in Louisville, Ky., on Feb. 26, 1927, Mr. Kennedy began hosting game shows as they rose to popularity in the '50s. He went on to host various game shows for nearly three decades, with his biggest successes being You Don't Say!" on NBC from 1963 to 1969, Split Second from 1972 to 1975, Name That Tune from 1974 to 1981 and Password Plus from 1980 to 1982. His other hosting credits include The Big Game, Dr. I.Q., It's Your Bet, Break the Bank, 50 Grand Slam, To Say the Least, Whew! and Body Language (1984-86). Mr. Kennedy also hosted a nighttime, syndicated edition of The Price Is Right from 1985 to 1986, and briefly had his own talk show, The Real Tom Kennedy Show. Mr. Kennedy retired in 1989. In 2005, Mr. Kennedy and his brother, Narz, both received the Game Show Congress' Bill Cullen award for lifetime achievement. He is survived by his three children and a daughter-in-law. - Variety.com, 10/8/20.

AC/DC released their comeback single "Shot In The Dark" on Oct. 7 after teasing new material for the past few weeks. Previewed last week in the form of a short video clip, the track is taken from the recently reunited band's upcoming new album POWER UP, which will be released on Nov. 13. Describing "Shot In The Dark," guitarist Angus Young said, "It's a strong single from a powerful rock album. You'll be able to hear it and know straight away that it's AC/DC. That's what we've always strived for." On AC/DC's return, Young added: "We got together in 2018 and we worked on a lot of ideas that Malcolm [Young] and me had done through the years." Power Up welcomes the return of British singer Brian Johnson, who stepped aside in 2016 on doctor's orders due to hearing-loss issues, and sees drummer Phil Rudd reunite with the group after a stint in rehab. The band has shared their "Shot In The Dark" single for streaming on YouTube. - NME, 10/7/20...... Reaction continues to the untimely death of iconic rock guitarist Eddie Van Halen on Oct. 6 at age 65. Van Halen's widow, Janie Liszewski, shared an emotional tribute to her late husband on Instagram on Oct. 7, writing "My husband, my love, my Peep, my heat and soul have been shattered into a million pieces... Our journey together has not always been an easy one but in the end and always we have a connection and love that will always be.... I will see you again soon in a place with no pain or sorrow. Please watch over Kody and I. We love you and miss you so very much." Eddie's brother Alex Van Halen, who cofounded with Eddie the band that bears their names, posted a brief but heartfelt tribute to his younger brother on the morning of Oct. 8. "Hey Ed. Love you. See you on the other side. Your brother, Al," reads the simple post, accompanied by a touching black and white photo of the pair as young boys. On Howard Stern's SiriusXM radio show on Oct. 7, Stern read a statement from former Van Halen vocalist Sammy Hagar who said that he and Eddie had quietly reconciled earlier in 2020, just months before the legendary guitarist's death. "I would love you to share that Eddie and I had been texting and it's been a love fest since we started communicating earlier this year," Hagar said in the statement. "We both agreed not to tell anyone because of all the rumors it would stir up about a reunion, et cetera, and we both knew that wasn't going to happen. He also didn't want anyone to know about his health. He stopped responding to me a month ago and I figured it wasn't good. I reached out to him one more time last week and, when he didn't respond, I figured it was a matter of time. But it came way too soon." Howard Stern's Eddie Van Halen tribute can be viewed on YouTube. Meanwhile, the sales of the Van Halen band's albums and songs have spiked by 6,198% after Eddie's death. Van Halen's collected albums and songs sold 40,000 copies on Oct. 6 -- up 6,198% compared to just under 1,000 sold on Oct. 5, according to Nielsen Music/MRC Data. The act's album catalog sold 9,000 copies on Oct. 6 (up by 5,835% compared to a negligible sum on Oct. 5). The act's top-selling album on Oct. 6 was its self-titled 1978 debut, with 2,000 sold. Van Halen's top 10 biggest-selling songs on Oct. 6 were: "Jump" (3,000) (the band's only No. 1 of its 16 Top 40 hits), "Panama" (2,000), "Eruption" (2,000), "Runnin' With the Devil" (2,000), "You Really Got Me" (2,000), "Dance the Night Away" (1,000), "Why Can't This Be Love" (1,000), "Hot for Teacher" (1,000), "Ain't Talkin' 'Bout Love" (1,000) and "Jamie's Cryin'" (1,000). - New Musical Express/Variety.com/Billboard, 9/8/20...... Beatles legend Paul McCartney and actor Alec Baldwin have announced they'll be taking over SiriusXM radio's The Beatles Channel on Oct. 9 to celebrate the life of John Lennon, who would've turned 80 that day. Macca and Balwin's exclusive programming will begin airing at 11:00 a.m. EDT and run throughout the weekend and next week, featuring Sir Paul reflecting on his bandmate and friend in conversation with Baldwin and John's son Sean Ono Lennon guest deejaying with his favorite songs by his dad (both from his solo discography and with the Beatles) while remembering his favorite childhood memories. Snippets of McCartney and Baldwin's conversation have been shared on YouTube. Other musical guests include Peter Asher, host of The Beatles Channel's show Peter Asher: From Me to You who will explore the connection between Lennon and iconic author Lewis Carroll, and Laura Cantrell, the host of the George Harrison-dedicated show Dark Horse Radio, who will explore the relationship between Harrison and Lennon. Lennon's 80th birthday special will air Friday at 11 a.m. ET, 4 p.m. ET and 9 p.m. ET on channel 18 on SiriusXM radio and on the SiriusXM app. The program will re-run multiple times throughout the weekend and next week and be available On Demand from the SiriusXM app. Meanwhile, a new pop-up TV channel is being launched in the U.K. to mark what would have been Lennon's 80th birthday. Sky, Virgin and Freeview will broadcast LENNON80 on Oct. 9 in honour of John, which will include a mix of old footage and new content. Among the programmes airing on the channel will be the famous documentary Bed Peace, which follows Lennon and Yoko Ono's famous "Bed-In for Peace" protest in 1969, as well as appearances on Parkinson in 1971 and The Dick Cavett Show in 1971 and 1972. LENNON80 will be available until Oct. 15. - Billboard/New Musical Express, 10/7/20...... In other Lennon-related news, the estate of late 1980s pop superstar George Michael have loaned John's "Imagine" piano to the Strawberry Field exhibition in Liverpool so it can go on public display. John's Steinway piano, which he wrote and recorded his 1971 song "Imagine" on, was bought by Michael at auction for £1.45 million back Oct. 2000. Michael later toured the piano around the world "as a symbol of peace" and used it during the recording of his song "Patience." Speaking to reporters at the time of the auction purchase, Michael said that "it's not the type of thing that should be in storage somewhere or being protected, it should be seen by people." In a statement, the Michael estate said, "We know that the piano will be a source of hope and inspiration to all who come to see it... not only during these difficult times but for many years to come, in the same way that it inspired George [after] he bought it some 20 years ago." All funds raised by paying visitors to the exhibition will be used to help The Salvation Army change the lives of young people with learning difficulties. Meanwhile, leading Beatles scholar Kenneth Womack who has just released his new book John Lennon 1980: The Last Days in the Life says he believes he has discovered the baseball film that inspired John's beautiful song "Grow Old With Me." The song was released a month before the legendary artist was shot dead in December 1980, and it was known to have been influenced by a film about baseball that Lennon saw during a visit to Bermuda earlier that year. In an interview with The Observer, Womack said he had watched dozens of films before realising that the key inspiration was A Love Affair: The Eleanor And Lou Gehrig Story, a 1978 movie about a baseball player who died after battling a rare nervous system disorder. "I wanted to know what film had inspired him to compose such a beautiful song," Womack explained. "For John, the use of such 'found objects' in life and art was essential to his composition practices." After watching dozens in search of the mysterious film in question, I began to study TV guides from that period. John was a regular subscriber." Upon realising A Love Affair had been screened at the time Lennon was staying in Bermuda, Womack made the connection, concluding: "The mystery, quite suddenly, was solved." - NME, 10/7/20...... Led Zeppelin have defeated the copyright challenge against their 1971 song "Stairway to Heaven" for the third time after the US Supreme Court declined to hear the case on Oct. 6. The decision of the US Supreme Court upholds a March 2020 ruling by the 9th US Circuit Court of Appeals in San Francisco. This is the last option for legal appeal in its current form in the US Courts system. Michael Skidmore, a trustee for the estate of Spirit guitarist Randy California, first filed a lawsuit against the legendary British rock band in 2014, claiming "Stairway To Heaven" had violated the copyright of Spirit's 1968 track "Taurus." However, a judge ruled in favor of Led Zeppelin in July 2016. A new trial was later ordered by the US appeals court in Sept. 2018. Skidmore relaunched his legal campaign in August via a new petition on Law360, claiming "Our circuit is the most hostile to copyright owners of all the circuits." In other Zeppelin news, the band announced a special, limited edition Japanese version vinyl reissue of their 1970 single "Immigrant Song" to mark the 50th anniversary of the release of their album Led Zeppelin III. The single will also include the non-album track "Hey, Hey, What Can I Do" and will be presented in a sleeve that replicates the original artwork. The reissue is limited to just 19,700 copies. Set for release on Jan. 15, 2021, the single can be pre-ordered now. - NME, 10/6/20...... Appearing on Chris Evans' "How to Wow" podcast, Rod Stewart said he fears that "we've spoiled the Earth" and that "it's too late to turn back now." While discussing the coronavirus pandemic with Evans, Stewart said that he thinks "the good Lord is intent on wiping us all out, because we've spoiled the Earth." "We've spoiled it. I think it's too late to turn back now. I think global warming is going to spoil the Earth. We're literally... I believe we're too late." Rod also criticized U.S. Pres. Donald Trump -- calling him "that prick in the White House" -- for withdrawing the US from the Paris Agreement in 2017, branding the decision as "terrible." Elsewhere in the interview, Stewart spoke about his ongoing feud with Elton John by claiming that the latter had turned down his offer to end their row. "We don't talk to each other anymore. Big falling out," Stewart explained. "Last time I emailed him I said, 'I've got this football pitch, would you like the boys to come up?' You know, 'cause they both love football." His invite included Elton's two sons -- Zachary and Elijah -- who he shares with husband David Furnish, but he alleges John didn't reply to his email. The two singers fell out in 2019 after Stewart criticized John's decision to head out on an extensive farewell world tour, as well as poking fun at his Rocketman biopic by saying that it wasn't "very flattering." - NME, 10/7/20...... Bruce Springsteen has announced he will premiere his new documentary, Bruce Springsteen's Letter To You, on Oct. 23 on Apple TV+. The Apple Original Films documentary will coincide with the release of Springsteen's new album with The E Street Band, Letter to You. According to a press release, "fans around the world will get a behind-the-scenes look at the iconic artist's creative process." The documentary captures the New Jersey rocker recording Letter To You live with the full E Street Band, and includes final take performances of 10 originals from the new record. A teaser trailer for Letter To You has been shared on YouTube. - NME, 10/5/20...... Van Morrison announced a string of new UK dates on Oct. 5. The Irish crooner, who has recently attracted criticism for his opinions on the coronavirus crisis, has already held gigs at Camden's Electric Ballroom in September. With four shows at London's Palladium venue already scheduled for mid-November, Morrison will now play two more gigs at London's PowerHaus (formerly known as Dingwalls) on Nov. 7 and 8. 150 tickets are set to be sold for each date, with strict social distancing rules in place. - NME, 10/5/20...... In a new interview with the Canadian radio station K-97, KISS singer/bassist Gene Simmons said he wants people to stop complaining about being in lockdown during the ongoing coronavirus pandemic .Simmons said he doesn't think it's that hard to just stay at home, especially in comparison to a time that saw his mother live through World War II. "Right now, the pandemic is not fun," Simmons said. "It is devastating for families who've lost loved ones. A million people are dead around the world -- two hundred thousand dead in America, and many, many fewer -- thank God -- in Canada, because you're more sane and more, sort of, non-political about it. But as you can tell, in America, there are areas where certain segments of the population see health and wearing a mask, or not wearing a mask, as political, and that's a shame. It just makes sense." He continued: "In either case, the perspective is my mother lived through World War II. My mother was a victim of the concentration camps of Nazi Germany when she was 14 years old. My mother survived. The rest of our family were wiped out, and you don't wanna get into that." Elsewhere in the interview, Simmons criticized those choosing not to wear a mask during the pandemic. "Wear a goddamn mask. It's not about you; it's about the rest of us," he said. - NME, 10/3/20...... Elvis Costello and The Attractions will release a new box set of their classic 1979 album Armed Forces on Nov. 6. The release will include demos, B-sides and seven notebooks with new linear notes from Costello. It also includes handwritten lyrics, rare photos and nine pieces of vinyl. The demos and B-sides collection included in the collection is called "Sketches for Emotional Fascism." The band has shared a new video about the collection on YouTube. - NME, 10/3/20...... Mick Jagger has been named the fifth most dangerous celebrity to search for online. According to cyber-security firm McAfee, the Rolling Stones frontman joins the likes of actor Idris Elba and comic Ricky Gervais as the most likely names to send you down an online rabbit hole that could put you at risk of malware and viruses. TV host Graham Norton came top in this year's poll, closely followed by Gervais and actor Tom Hardy. Jagger took the fifth spot, with the rest of the list featuring the likes of Elba, Ruth Jones, Margot Robbie, Kate Moss, Bella Hadid and Mary Berry. "It's no/ surprise that/ we've seen one of the UK's most-loved national treasures topping the list, with hackers exploiting his popularity," said Raj Samani of McAffee. "Consumers are searching the web for free online entertainment now more than ever." - NME, 10/6/20...... In other Rolling Stones-related news, guitarist Ronnie Wood has told the "Tea with Twiggy" podcast that he's ditched drugs and booze in favor of coffee and knitting. To keep himself occupied between tours, Wood said he keeps up his long-term hobby of painting and he's also taken up knitting as it reminds him of his mum, who passed away back in 2005. "I do knit. I used to hold the spool of wool for my mum. She taught me the plain stitch and I still do it today. I knit endless scarves now," he said. Although he's embraced clean living, the music legend does allow himself one stimulant -- regular cups of coffee. "I'm an espresso man but that is an old leftover habit from rehab. I couldn't do anything else so coffee was the thing. I hope I am a living, walking example of coffee being good for you because I drink enough of the stuff," he added. - WENN/Canoe.com, 10/6/20...... Legendary reggae producer Bunny Lee has died at the age of 79, it has been confirmed. The producer, whose real name was Edward O'Sullivan Lee, played an integral role in the introduction of the genre to the UK in the 1970s after securing a licensing deal with Trojan Records. Announcing Lee's passing, Jamaican broadcaster Clinton Lindsay said that the producer had been "battling kidney problems" for several months. His exact cause of death has yet to be confirmed. He also played an instrumental role in producing early dub music, working with close friend King Tubby in the early 1970s. Paying tribute, journalist Nadine White wrote: "Bunny 'Striker' Lee has died. He was one of the most influential producers in the history of reggae music. The original Don 'Gorgon'. This is such sad news! The world owes this man a great deal." - NME, 10/7/20.