Favorite Seventies Artists In The News

Posted by Administrator on May 16th, 2024

Neil Young & Crazy Horse's "Love Earth Tour" hit the open-air Forest Hills Stadium in Queens, NY, on May 14. "What's your favorite planet?" Young shouted several times during the show, prompting the fan callback, "Earth!" Young's statement that the band rehearsed for 23 days leading up to the tour clearly paid off as he and Crazy Horse -- with co-founding members Ralph Molina and Billy Talbot still in the lineup -- stretched out incediary versions of "Cortez the Killer" and "Powderfinger," chugging through the blunt thump of "Cinnamon Girl" and feeding off each other during the oil industry takedown "Vampire Blues." It was almost shocking to witness Young, who survived a brain aneurysm in 2005 and turns 79 in 2024, sounding every bit as ferocious and dexterous on the guitar as he did on recordings from the '70s. Even the rainy weather didn't put a damper on the evening, and the encores gave audiences a crackling "Sedan Delivery" and a cathartic "Rockin' in the Free World." Young and Crazy Horse launched their spring tour of North America on Apr. 24 in San Diego, and they'll be visiting Toronto on May 22 before wrapping in Chicago on May 23. They released their latest music collaboration, Barn, in 2021. - Billboard, 5/15/24...... Meanwhile, Neil Young's erstwhile Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young bandmate Graham Nash made a surprise appearance at a Crosby, Stills & Nash tribute concert on May 13 at New York's Carnegie Hall. Various artists including Todd Rundgren, Steve Earle, Yola, Iron & Wine, Real Estate, and more were enlisted to perform at the event, and each broke out renditions of CSN's most iconic tracks in the name of charity. David Crosby died in Jan. 2023, and neither of the surviving members of the trio, Stephen Stills and Nash, were set to perform on the night. However, the latter surprised fans by coming onto the stage at the end of the night and performing two of his tracks -- a moving rendition of "Our House" (the beloved song he wrote while living with folk icon and former romantic partner Joni Mitchell) and participating in a final sing-along encore of the 1970 Stills' favorite, "Love The One You're With." Graham's comments upon entering the stage included "My only sadness is that I wish [David] Crosby was here." Other highlights of the night included Todd Rundgren putting his own spin on the track "Almost Cut My Hair," and Yola delivering a moving performance of "Wooden Ships." The concert was held as the 19th edition of Michael Dorf's annual Music Of charity show, which has raised over $2 million for music education and previously honored iconic names in rock such as Bob Dylan, The Rolling Stones, Bruce Springsteen, Van Morrison, Prince and Paul McCartney. On Oct. 1, Nash is set to return to Carnegie Hall as one of the dates on his upcoming US headline tour. - New Musical Express, 5/15/24...... Cher is promising to have some choice words for the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame when she's inducted into the Cleveland-based hall and museum on Oct. 19 alongside the likes of Peter Frampton, Foreigner, Ozzy Osbourne and Mary J. Blige. While walking the red carpet recently at the Paley Center in L.A. for the premiere of the documentary Bob Mackie: Naked Illusion -- about the fashion designer who has made so many of her glitter-dripping costumes over the years -- Cher said she was grateful for her pending induction. She thanked longtime friend and one-time paramour former music executive David Geffen and RRHOF Foundation chairman John Sykes for the honor and, in her inimitable way, warned that she will not go quietly into that very good night. "I'm going to have some words to say," Cher promised. "I'm going to accept it as me." Cher's first No. 1 hit was 1965's "I Got You Babe" with late partner Sonny Bono and she had been eligible for induction into the Hall of Fame since 1991. The "Believe Me" singer, 77, also has the incredible record of scoring No. 1 US hits over seven decades. - Billboard, 5/15/24...... On May 13 David Gilmour announced a series of shows at an historic Rome landmark as well as a handful of shows in the US. The guitar virtuoso and former Pink Floyd guitarist will perform at Rome's historic chariot-racing stadium Circus Maximus (Circo Massimo) during a six-night run taking place from Sept. 27 through Oct. 3. It will mark his return to the legendary venue and in Italy since his Rattle That Lock Tour in 2016. After performing six shows at London's Royal Albert Hall on Oct. 9, 10, 11, 12, 14 and 15, Gilmour also announced four shows taking place in North America. He'll perform at L.A.'s Hollywood Bowl on Oct. 29 and 30 and New York City's Madison Square Garden on Nov. 4 and 5. Gilmour is touring behind his forthcoming Luck and Strange LP, his first solo album in nine years. - NME, 5/13/24...... The Hulu and Disney+ streaming channels announced on May 14 that a new Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band documentary that gives fans an up-close look at their touring process is coming to both platforms this October. The documentary will feature both archival footage of the longtime collaborators as well as behind-the-scenes video of the band's ongoing 2023-24 world tour. It will also include confessional interviews with the 74-year-old "Dancing in the Dark" singer, while members of the band will give first-hand accounts of performing onstage with the living legend and "keeping the magic of The E Street Band as potent as ever," according to a release. 20-time Grammy winner Springsteen is also involved in an upcoming biopic about his life and career from 20th Century Studios and Disney, in which The Bear's Jeremy Allen White will star as the New Jersey rocker. The announcement comes shortly after Springsteen and The E Street Band wrapped the U.S. leg of their 2024 world tour in April, and are now in the midst of playing a string of venues in Europe this spring and summer, after which they'll return to North America for more dates from August through late November. Playing in Ireland on May 12, The Boss and company paid tribute to the late Shane MacGowan with a rousing cover of the Pogues' classic "A Rainy Night in Soho" while performing in Ireland, fan-shot footage of which has been shared on YouTube. Springsteen wrote of MacGowan in late 2023 following the latter's death: "Shane was one of my all-time favorite writers," he wrote. "The passion and deep intensity of his music and lyrics is unmatched by all but the very best in the rock and roll canon." Meanwhile, a vinyl 40th anniversary release of Springsteen's classic 1984 album Born In The U.S.A. is due in June. His seventh studio album saw him embracing synthesisers and a more pop-influenced direction and went on to sell over 30 million copies. It includes the huge hit singles "Dancing In The Dark," "Glory Days," "I'm On Fire" and the title track. The re-release will be out on June 4, the exact anniversary of its original release, with translucent red vinyl and expanded packaging with an exclusive booklet containing archival material from the era, newly-penned liner notes from Springsteen archivist Erik Flannigan and a four-colour lithograph. - Billboard/NME, 5/14/24...... In other Springsteen-related news, fans of the Boss labeled Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump a "moron" after Trump taunted Springsteen about the relative sizes of their crowds during a May 11 New Jersey rally. During the rally, the 77-year-old former president was swamped with approximately 80,000 Maga supporters, according to his own campaign officials claim. Alongside a flurry of expletives and praising fictional flesh-eating serial killer Hannibal Lecter before pivoting to talk about illegal migration, Trump also took a jibe at Jersey's favorite musical son: Bruce Springsteen. "I love these Saturday evenings," Trump said. "Is there anything better than a Trump rally? If some of these wackos came along, you know, these liberal singers, they'd actually vote for me," he gloated to the crowd. You know, like Bruce Springsteen. We have a much bigger crowd than Bruce Springsteen. Right?," Trump added. "Trump really said his Wildwood rally had a bigger crowd than Bruce Springsteen?," one fan posted on X. "Someone tell this moron that The Boss sold out MetLife for 3 nights at 82,500 a night." Another NJ Bruce fan wrote: "If this was a real crowd of my fellow New Jerseyans, and not a bunch of brainwashed posers, there is no chance they would have allowed this Bruce slander to stand." - Yahoo News, 5/13/24...... In a new interview with journalist Dan Rather on his AXS TV show, Ringo Starr revealed that The Beatles wouldn't have made as many records had it not been for his "workaholic" bandmate Paul McCartney. Ringo opened up about how the band didn't get along and how without Macca, they wouldn't have made nearly as many records as they did. "No no, we didn't get along. We were four guys, we had rouse," Ringo explaned. "It never got in the way of the music no matter how bad the row was. Once the count in, we all gave our best. And that was a little later too which I think it was a natural thing, you know," he added. "Suddenly, we've got lives and I've got children and you know, the effort that we put in cause we worked really hard was starting to pale a little and we always thank Paul to this day," Starr continued. "Because of Paul, who was the workaholic of our band, we made a lot more records than John and I would've made. We liked to sit around a little more and then Paul would call 'Alright lads', and we'd go in." Despite the tensions in the band, Ringo said he appreciated the fact that he had three other close companions in his band, unlike Elvis Presley. "You know it's interesting because the time we met Elvis, I really thought 'How sad that he's on his own'. He had all those people around but he was on his own. I had three great mates." - NME, 5/14/24...... On May 14 Earth, Wind & Fire reached a settlement with a tribute act that used the R&B group's name without permission, avoiding a looming trial over how much the unauthorized group would have to pay in damages. The settlement came two months after a judge ruled that the tribute group had infringed Earth, Wind & Fire's trademark rights by calling themselves "Earth, Wind & Fire Legacy Reunion" -- a name the judge called "deceptive and misleading." Following that ruling, a trial had been scheduled for later this month over how much "Legacy Reunion" would be required to pay in damages. But in a recent joint filing, attorneys for both sides said those proceedings would no longer be necessary. "The parties are in the process of preparing documents that reflect their agreement on the damages issues and that should fully dispose of the damages issues that remained unresolved in this action," the lawyers wrote. The terms of the agreement, including how much Legacy Reunion will pay to Earth Wind & Fire, were not disclosed in court filings, and neither side has yet commented. EWF has continued to tour since founder Maurice White died in 2016, led by longtime members Philip Bailey, Ralph Johnson and White's brother, Verdine White. The band operates under a license from an entity called Earth Wind & Fire IP, a holding company controlled by Maurice White's sons that formally owns the rights to the name. Tribute acts -- groups that exclusively cover the music of a particular band -- are legally allowed to operate, and they often adopt names that allude to the original. But they must make clear that they are only a tribute band, and they can get into legal hot water if they make it appear that they are affiliated with or endorsed by the original. - Billboard, 5/14/24...... In a Q+A event at Abbey Road Studios in London on May 13, Mike Love and Bruce Johnston of The Beach Boys discussed their new Disney+ documentary, the support they had from The Beatles, and the health of founding BB Brian Wilson. Love and Johnston reminisced freely about the band's early '60s origins as a family concern attempting to emulate the vocal blend of The Everly Brothers and The Four Freshmen. "The first time I ever remembered Brian singing was sitting on grandma Wilson's left singing 'Danny Boy'," Love said. "And I'm telling his voice was angelic at that time, when he was maybe eight or nine-years-old." The pair also paid tribute to the Beatles, as friendly competition and inspiration. Love recalled attending the Maharishi's retreat in India with the band and having Paul McCartney play him an early version of the Beach Boys-inspired "Back In The USSR" over breakfast there, while Johnston told of coming to the UK with a tape of [1966's] Pet Sounds and finding McCartney and John Lennon their biggest champions at a time when their US record label didn't know how to sell it. "They loved it and later on I found out that Paul was so influenced musically and vibe-wise by "Wouldn't It Be Nice" that he wrote "Here, There And Everywhere" for the [1966's] Revolver album. Our best promo guys in the whole world were Lennon and McCartney. Without them, Pet Sounds could have failed." The pair also revealed that 81-year-old Brian Wilson -- who has recently been placed under conservatorship for what his doctors call a "major neurocognitive disorder" -- was still able to perform with the band for the film. "Brian remembered things that I had forgotten from high school at times," said Love. "His long-term memory is right there. He does need the help medically -- but I think as long as he's alive he'll play that piano." The band are promoting their Disney+ documentary, The Beach Boys which hits the streaming platform on May 24. - NME, 5/14/24...... In a new interview with the BBC promoting his new photography exhibit Fragile Beauty: Photographs from the Sir Elton John and David Furnish Collection, Elton John explained he hates being photographed despite being a photography fanatic. Despite collecting thousands of photos, Elton said that "I would never put myself up on the wall (at home), no thank you. It's extraordinary that I collect photographs because I don't like being photographed. I find it really painful." He continued: "A lot of them I haven't seen hung properly or hung at all. And so walking through, it's been hung so beautifully and the different sections and wall colours. I couldn't be happier." Photography fans can expect to see a wide range of imagery in Elton's exhibit including significant moments from history including the civil rights movement, AIDS crisis, 9/11 and the Jan. 6 United States Capitol attack. John said that seeing his collection on the walls of London's V&A museum took his breath away. "A lot of them I haven't seen hung properly or hung at all. And so walking through, it's been hung so beautifully and the different sections and wall colours. I couldn't be happier." Fragile Beauty, which has more than 300 images captured by 140 photographs, will run at the V&A from May 18 through Jan. 5, 2025. - Music-News.com, 5/15/24...... Brian Eno, as well as members of Fontaines D.C., R.E.M, Bastille and more have read out letters from Palestinians suffering in Gaza as part of a "Voices For Gaza" initiative. The clips have been shared on the Instagram page for Voices For Gaza, and sees famous faces from across the entertainment industry read letters from those in Palestine aloud, recalling the graphic details of the current Hamas-Israel War. It aims to help raise funds for the charity Medical Aid for Palestinians and bring awareness to the ongoing crisis happening in the country. The conflict so far has led to the deaths of over 34,600 Palestinians, and the attacks by Hamas on Oct. 7 last year killed over 1,200 people. The full letter can be viewed on Instagram. As well as the push from Voices For Gaza, the support for Palestinians has been gaining momentum across the US and the UK. As well as their various protests, there have also been calls for their universities to sever ties with firms that supply arms to Israel and withdraw links to universities in Israel. - NME, 5/14/24...... AC/DC have shared a photo of their new line-up on Instagram ahead of their first tour in eight years. The current incarnation of the legendary Aussie headbangers features classic members Angus Young (lead guitar and vocals), Brian Johnson (lead vocals), Stevie Young (rhythm guitarist), Matt Laug (drums) and Chris Chaney (bass). Stevie Young is the nephew of Angus and has been playing with the band for several years, initially filling in for Malcolm Young when he was diagnosed with dementia. After he passed away in 2017, Stevie remained with the band. Laug, meanwhile, made his debut with AC/DC at Power Trip festival in Indio, California in Oct. 2023 after classic drummer Phil Rudd revealed he would not be performing at what was the band's first live show in seven years. Chaney is best known for his time playing in Jane's Addiction and recently replaced Cliff Williams after he retired from touring. Johnson is returning to the fold after leaving the band in 2016 due to hearing issues, which saw him replaced by Axl Rose. AC/DC's "Power Up" tour -- in support of their 2020 album of the same name -- will kick off in the Veltins Arena in Gelsenkirchen, Germany on May 17, followed by dates in Spain, Austria, Switzerland and more. The run also includes two dates at London's Wembley Stadium on July 3 and 7, before they continue on to more mainland Europe dates. The tour will wrap up at Dublin's Croke Park+ on Aug. 17. - NME, 5/11/24...... Jason Carter, the grandson of former president Jimmy Carter, said on May 14 that his beloved grandfather is at the "very end" of his life -- though he insisted that Pres. Carter is "still there" mentally. It was the first update on the health of the 39th president -- who served from Jan. 1977 through Jan. 1981 -- since he appeared in public at his wife Rosalynn Carter's funeral last November. "There's a part of this faith journey that is so important to him, and there's a part of that faith journey that you only can live at the very end. And I think he has been there in that space," Jason Carter said during the Rosalynn Carter Symposium on Mental Health Policy in Atlanta. - TheDailyBeast.com, 5/14/24...... John Barbata, the drummer for such iconic bands as The Turtles, Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young, Jefferson Airplane and Jefferson Starship, has died at age 79. "Known for his exceptional talent, John left his mark on the music," the Facebook account for Jefferson Airplane -- which Barbata joined in 1972 -- shared on May 13. "During a hiatus for CSN&Y, David Crosby introduced John to the Airplane, who hired John instantly," the post continued. "You can hear John's drumming skills on the band's final studio album, LONG JOHN SILVER, as well as the live album THIRTY SECONDS OVER WINTERLAND." After pioneering psych-rock band Jefferson Airplane regrouped in the mid-1970s to create Jefferson Starship, Barbata was the new group's founding drummer. "We are saddened to hear of the passing of the great John Barbata," reads a Facebook post on the Starship page. "Our thoughts go out to his family, friends and fans. Rock in peace, Johnny!" Prior to his time with the Jefferson outlets, Barbata served as percussionist for The Turtles, lending his skills to recordings of hits such as the No. 1 1967 smash "Happy Together" as well as "Elenore" and "She'd Rather Be With Me." After the group disbanded in 1970, the New Jersey native was tapped by Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young for live performances and session work on the members' solo projects before he transferred over to the Airplane. Following his retirement, Barbata released a memoir: Johny Barbata -- The Legendary Life of a Rock Star Drummer. "There are lots of great stories about all the the bands and people I have had the pleasure to be involved with during my incredible career," reads a description of the book on Amazon. "I've done a lot of albums and 28 singles, and my wife said, 'You know you're a part of rock 'n' roll history. You really gotta write a book,'" he told the Desert Sun newspaper in 2014. "I'm always talking to people about how [the '60s and '70s] was the best time, era for music." - Billboard, 5/13/24...... Renowned jazz saxophonist David Sanborn, who is credited on songs for Stevie Wonder, David Bowie and many more famous musicians, died on May 12. He was 78 years old. A message posted to Sanborn's X page confirmed the news, noting that the musician had been battling prostate cancer for the past few years. "Mr. Sanborn had been dealing with prostate cancer since 2018, but had been able to maintain his normal schedule of concerts until just recently. Indeed he already had concerts scheduled into 2025," the message reads. "David Sanborn was a seminal figure in contemporary pop and jazz music. It has been said that he 'put the saxophone back into Rock 'n Roll," it added. Throughout his career, Sanborn played alongside some of rock's most iconic figures, both in the studio and onstage. Most notably, he toured with Wonder and played on his 1972 album, Talking Book. He also performed on Bowie's classic, "Young Americans," and toured with the late star. Throughout his illustrious career, he also recorded with musicians including B.B. King, Paul Simon, Cat Stevens, Bruce Springsteen, Elton John, Chaka Khan, Ron Carter, George Benson, Kenny Loggins, The Eagles, Aretha Franklin, Billy Joel, Roger Water, Eric Clapton, Mick Jagger and more. As an artist, Sanborn put 17 albums on the Billboard Hot 200, including Double Vision, a 1986 collab with jazz legend Bob James that remained on the chart for 64 weeks, and five other albums that each logged more than six months on the chart. He reached the top 10 on Top Jazz Albums with a dozen albums, including four that climbed as high as No. 2. Sanborn won six Grammy Awards in a wide range of genres, including Best Jazz Fusion Performance and Best R&B Instrumental Performance. Outside of recording music, Sanborn hosted a syndicated radio program, The Jazz Show, as well as a podcast called As We Speak. He also worked on a YouTube series called Sanborn Sessions with his nephew and brother-in-law. - Billboard, 5/13/24.

In a new interview with the UK's Daily Star paper, Keith Richards claims he hasn't listened to rock bands for decades and much prefers his beloved blues. "No. I never listened to rock bands," Richards said. "I grew up, I played Chuck Berry and Muddy Waters. I sold it back to America. That's what we did, and then we started to add our own things to it but I'm not really interested in what followed us." The co-founding Rolling Stones guitarist also said he can't get no satisfaction from rap music, which he says is for "tone-deaf people." He previously told the New York Daily News: "What rap did that was impressive was to show there are so many tone-deaf people out there. All they need is a drum beat and somebody yelling over it and they're happy. There's an enormous market for people who can't tell one note from another." - Music-News.com, 5/8/24...... On May 9 an L.A. Superior Court Judge found that Beach Boys co-founder Brian Wilson should be in a court conservatorship to manage the 81-year-old's personal and medical decisions because of what his doctor calls a "major neurocognitive disorder." Judge Gus T. May approved the petition filed by Wilson's family and inner circle after the death in January of his wife, Melinda Ledbetter Wilson, who handled most of his tasks and affairs. "I find from clear and convincing evidence that a conservatorship of the person is necessary," May said at the brief hearing. The judge said that evidence shows that Wilson consents to the arrangement and lacks the capacity to make health care decisions. A doctor's declaration filed with the petition in February said Wilson has a "major neurocognitive disorder," is taking medication for dementia, and "is unable to properly provide for his own personal needs for physical health, food, clothing, or shelter." A court-appointed attorney to represent Wilson's interests, Robert Cipriano, said he visited Wilson at his "impeccably well maintained residence in Beverly Hills," where he lives with two daughters and a long-term live-in caregiver. Cipriano's report said he visited Wilson at his "impeccably well maintained residence in Beverly Hills," where he lives with two daughters and a long-term live-in caregiver. Wilson can move around with help from a walker and the caregiver, Cipriano said, and he has a good sense of who he is, where he is, and when it is, but could not name his children beyond the two that live with him. He said Wilson was "mostly difficult to understand and gave very short responses to questions and comments." Cipriano said he approved of the conservatorship, mostly because of Wilson's general consent. The deeply revered and acclaimed California musician has struggled with mental health and substance abuse issues that upended his career in the 1960s. He was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 1988 along with his bandmates, including his brothers Carl and Dennis Wilson and his cousin Mike Love. - AP, 5/10/24...... Late country music artist Cindy Walker, best known for penning the famous cross-genre classic "You Don't Know Me" which was covered by Ray Charles and countless others, was inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame (SHOF) in a special event on Apr. 19 at historic Columbia Studio A in Nashville. The ceremony took place during a SHOF Master Session with Liz Rose, a 2023 SHOF inductee. Rose spoke fondly of her close relationship with Ms. Walker and presented the award to Walker's niece Molly Walker. Rose's daughter Caitlin Rose performed "You Don't Know Me," which Walker co-wrote with Eddy Arnold, who had the initial hit with the song in 1956. Ms. Walker, who died in 2006 at age 87, was in the first class of inductees into the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame in 1970. In 1997, she became the first female songwriter to be inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame and in 2009, received the Poet's Award from the Academy of Country Music. Ray Charles recorded "You Don't Know Me" on his landmark 1962 album Modern Sounds in Country and Western Music, which topped the Billboard 200 for 14 weeks. Charles' version of the song reached No. 2 on the Billboard Hot 100. Ms. Walker's many other country hits for other artists included "Sugar Moon" (Bob Wills, 1947), "Take Me in Your Arms and Hold Me" (Eddy Arnold, 1950), "Cherokee Maiden" (Merle Haggard, 1976) and Mickey Gilley's 1981 cover of "You Don't Know Me." She even had a hit record as an artist in 1944. "When My Blue Moon Turns to Gold Again" reached No. 5 on an early version of Billboard's Hot Country Songs chart in 1944, and was later covered by Elvis Presley. - Billboard, 5/9/24...... Paul McCartney unveiled a photographic exhibit of his personal photos as the Fab Four shot to international fame in 1963-64 to an American audience on May 3 at the Brooklyn Museum in New York City. Paul McCartney Photographs 1963-64: Eyes of the Storm were put on display at the National Portrait Gallery in London in 2023 and have now made their way to the US. The exhibit takes outsiders into the Liverpool native's surreal reality when he was just 21 years old, on the precipice of becoming one of four of the biggest music stars history has ever seen. The immersive exhibit also features video footage and archival materials and traces the Beatles' ascent from touring at small concert halls in England to dodging hordes of rabid fans and paparazzi in the States. "His vibrant photographs from The Beatles' first visit capture the energy of the city, the excitement of the American fans, and the frenzy of the band's status as celebrities," says the Brooklyn Museum's Catherine Futter. "Through McCartney's lens, we feel the intensity of being at the center of such extraordinary events." The exhibit will be on display at the Brooklyn Museum through Aug. 18. - Billboard, 5/6/24...... The Disney+ streaming channel premiered a new, restored version of The Beatles' 1970 film Let It Be on May 8. The film's title track uses rarely-seen alternate camera angles of the Fab Four and Billy Preston as they were recording the song, and the video has been shared on YouTube. According to the video's description, it was "filmed on the day after the January 30 rooftop concert" in 1969. The film, directed by Michael Lindsay-Hogg, is now streaming on Disney+, marking the first time the documentary has been available in over 50 years. Let It Be was first released in cinemas 54 years ago and has been difficult to obtain since primarily because the original master tapes were stolen from the Beatles' Apple Corps shortly after the film was made. Jonathan Clyde, producer of the film and director of production at Apple Corps, recently told former BBC Radio 1 DJ Edith Bowman that "you're hearing so much more, there's more dialogue, there's more snippets of music and the picture restoration is extraordinary." Clyde also revealed that the Beatles' iconic rooftop gig at Apple Corps at Savile Row almost never got off the ground. "They'd set up the day before the gig, all the crew were ready, all the equipment was there and the band were like, 'Yeah not today' and Michael Lindsay-Hogg was pulling his hair out because he as the director had to find some climax to this, this period of filming," said Clyde. "He felt some responsibility." The official trailer for Let It Be can also be viewed on YouTube. - New Musical Express, 5/10/24...... Speaking to Variety about his new EP Crooked Boy, Ringo Starr said he asked his producer Linda Perry to write more upbeat songs for the EP. "Even on 'February Sky,' it was all about the dark sky everywhere in February, so that's an emotion in there," Ringo said. "But I told her, 'There's gotta be a crack -- a break in the sky -- and the sun is coming out.' Because all my songs have that. They can be 'I'm down, I'm this, I'm that But things are getting better, things are going up.' They always have a positive upside." Also, Ringo revealed he also requested more rock songs: "I did. (At first) she wrote 'Crooked Boy,' and it was all about the story of my life -- you know, I was ill, I was better, I found my own way. She sent me a couple of them, and then I called her and I said, 'Linda, write me a rock song!' And she says, 'What's that?' I said, 'I'll leave it there. Just write me a rock song.' And she did, of course, and it's called 'Gonna Need Need Someone'. And it did rock, and she put the band together, and then we did a video with the song playing and we are popping in and out." Ringo and his All Starr Band will play a 6-show residency at the Venetian Theatre in Las Vegas from May 23 through June 9, then Hildago, Tex. (6/9), La Vista, Neb. (9/13), Medford, Mass. (9/19) and Uncasville, Conn. (9/21) before wrapping at Philadelphia's The Mann on Sept. 25. - Music-News.com, 5/11/24...... Kicking off their UK and European tour on May 5 in Cardiff's Principality Stadium, Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band played their first show in Wales since 2013 at the start of a three-month string of dates that will take him up to two climactic shows at London's Wembley Stadium on 25 and 27 July. The Boss's three-hour, 29-song setlist opened with a deep cut in the form of "So Young And In Love," an outtake from the 1974 recording sessions for Born To Run that finally saw a release as part of the 1998 box set Tracks. It was the song's first performance since 2013. "It's great to be in Cardiff, it's good to be in Wales," Springsteen said to introduce the show. "The E Street Band is here tonight to bring you the joyous power of rock 'n' roll. We're gonna need some help, we're gonna need a lot of help, we're gonna need a shit load of help!" As is now customary at Springsteen shows, diehard fans held up signs with song requests, and on this occasion, the E Street Band complied with performances of "Better Days" and "If I Was the Priest." Springsteen introduced the latter by saying: "Here's a song I wrote 50 years ago. It was what I was busy doing while you weren't here." Encores of the three-hour, 29-song setlist included "Tenth Avenue Freeze-Out," "Twist and Shout," and "I'll See You In My Dreams." Fan-shot footage of the concert and the full setlist can be viewed on X. - NME, 5/6/24...... Talking Heads drummer Chris Frantz teased a possible reunion of the band in a May 7 Instagram post of a photo of a theater with the band headlining it, and captioned the picture: "We shall return." The 72-year-old Frantz, who played in the iconic New Wave band alongside David Byrne, Jerry Harrison and Tina Weymouth, saw the break up in Dec. 1991 after frontman Byrne left the band. Frantz explained he only found out that Byrne was leaving the band after reading the story in a newspaper, previously telling the Los Angeles Times: "As far as we're concerned, the band never really broke up. David just decided to leave." During an interview with People, he said: "I think [the end] wasn't handled well. It was kind of ugly. I have regrets on how that was handled. I don't think I did it in the best way, but I think it was kind of inevitable that would happen anyway." Byrne, 71, conceded he acted like a "little tyrant" during his time in the group. "As a younger person, I was not as pleasant to be around. When I was working on some Talking Heads shows, I was more of a little tyrant," he noted. "And then I learned to relax, and I also learned that collaborating with people, both sides get more if there's a good relationship instead of me telling everybody what to do." - Music-News.com, 5/7/24...... Dennis Thompson, the high energy drummer for influential Detroit band MC5, died on May 9 at MediLodge of Taylor in Michigan, where he had been recovering following a heart attack in April. He was 75. Thompson was the last surviving member of the band, who are set to be inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame this fall in the musical excellence category. Thompson was preceded in death by singer Rob Tyner, guitarist Fred "Sonic" Smith, bassist Michael Davis and guitarist Wayne Kramer, the last of which died in February of this year. Thompson joined the MC5 in 1965. While the band had little commercial success initially and its core lineup did not last beyond the early 1970s, its legacy has endured, both for its sound and for its fusing of music to political action. The band released three studio albums, 1969's Kick Out the Jams, 1970's Back in the USA and 1971's High Time. - Billboard, 5/9/24...... Actress-dancer Susan Buckner, best known for her turn as the bubbly and often-teased Rydell High cheerleader Patty Simcox in the 1978 blockbuster musical Grease, died on May 9 in Miami of as yet undisclosed causes. She was 72. Buckner also portrayed Hollywood bad girl Jean Harlow alongside Tommy Lee Jones in the 1977 CBS telefilm The Amazing Howard Hughes and was one of the dancers/synchronized swimmers known as the Kroffettes on The Brady Bunch Hour (the 1976-77 ABC variety show created by Sid and Marty Krofft). She also starred opposite Sharon Stone in Wes Craven's Deadly Blessing (1981). In Grease, Buckner's Patty convinces Olivia Newton-John's Sandy Olsson, a new student, to try out for the cheerleading squad. She often is the butt of jokes from the Pink Ladies and T-Birds and called the "bad seed of Rydell High" by Stockard Channing's Betty Rizzo. Born in Seattle on Jan. 28, 1952, Buckner won the Miss Washington pageant in 1971 and competed for the Miss America crown, then appeared as a Golddiggers dancer and sketch performer on NBC's The Dean Martin Show in 1973. That led to becoming part of an all-girl group called Fantasy and half of a musical duo known as Buckner & Pratt. She also appeared on episodes of Police Woman, Switch, Starsky and Hutch, The Hardy Boys/Nancy Drew Mysteries, B.J and the Bear and The Love Boat and had roles in the films The First Nudie Musical (1976) and Police Academy 6: City Under Siege (1989). Buckner left Hollywood to raise her family and went on to direct kids theater and teach dance. She is survived by her two children and four grandchildren, and her longtime partner, Al. - The Hollywood Reporter, 5/7/24...... Legendary grunge rock engineer/producer Steve Albini, who also worked with such '70s acts as Cheap Trick and The Stooges, died of a heart attack on the evening on May 7. He was 61. In addition to recording Nirvana's final full studio album, 1993's In Utero, he also worked on the beloved 1988 album Surfer Rosa by one of late Nirvana singer Kurt Cobain's favorite bands, the Pixies. Constantly toggling between albums by A-list major label acts (PJ Harvey and Bush) and beloved indie bands from his native Chicago (Urge Overkill, The Jesus Lizard, Tar), Albini was also a prolific musician in his own right with a series of hardcore and noise bands, including Big Black, Rapeman and Shellac. Though he disdained the term "producer," preferring "engineer" instead, the Pasadina, Calif.-born Albini said in a 2018 interview that worked on more than 2,000 albums. Albini positioned himself as a staunch outsider in the mainstream music industry, which he considered exploitative, refusing to accept the traditional producer royalties for any of the albums he recorded at his Chicago studio. Often working on dozens of albums per year, Albini -- also an award-winning poker player -- kept up his torrid pace until his death, re-teaming with frequent collaborator folk singer Nina Nastasia in 2022, as well as working on albums by Black Midi, Spare Snare, Liturgy and Code Orange over the past two years. Shellac were poised to release their first album in a decade, To All Trains, later in May, and had booked a series of shows in England in June, followed by a run of U.S. dates in Chicago, New York and Los Angeles in July. - Billboard, 5/8/24.