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.
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 
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 
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 
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 
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 
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 
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 
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, 
Elvis Costello and The Attractions will release a 
American reggae-pop musician and actor Johnny Nash, best known for his 1972 No. 1 reggae-influenced hit 
According to his official website, Mr. Nash helped the late Marley sign a recording contract, and was also notably the first non-Jamaican to record reggae music in Kingston, Jamaica. Mr. Nash also sang the theme song for the Canadian-American animated series The Mighty Hercules, which ran from 1963-66. Upon the release of "I Can See Clearly Now" -- largely called a comeback song at the time -- the infectious hit sat at Number One for four weeks in the Billboard Hot 100 singles chart, and became a hit in Canada, the U.K. and South Africa. The song made a return to the Billboard charts in 1993, when it was recorded by Jamaican singer Jimmy Cliff for the soundtrack for the film Cool Runnings, about the Jamaican Olympic bobsled team. Mr. Nash's last studio album, Here Again, was released in 1986. More recently, Mr. Nash had begun working on the transfer of old analogue tapes of his music from the 1970s and 1980s into a new digital format. As well as his son, Mr. Nash is survived by his wife, Carli. - Reuters/New Musical Express, 10/7/20.
Guitar legend and Van Halen leader Eddie Van Halen, whose hard-rocking band emerged from L.A.'s Sunset Strip music scene in the early Seventies to reign as one of the top rock acts for over four decades, died on Oct. 6 after a battle with throat cancer at St. Johns Hospital in Santa Monica, Calif., with his current wife, Janie, by his side. He was 65. "I can't believe I'm having to write this, but my father, Edward Lodewijk Van Halen, has lost his long and arduous battle with cancer this morning," Eddie and his former wife Valerie Bertinelli's son Wolfgang Van Halen posted on Twitter. "He was the best father I could ever ask for. Every moment I've shared with him on and off stage was a gift," Wolfgang added. Eddie's death comes just months after Wolfgang offered hope that his dad may one day tour again with the band, and before original VH vocalist David Lee Roth claimed earlier in 2020 that Eddie "was not doing very well." The health of the hospitalized Van Halen, who had been battling cancer over the past decade and had been in and out of the hospital over the past year, reportedly went quickly downhill in the final 72 hours after doctors discovered that his throat cancer had spread to his brain and other organs. In previous interviews, Eddie had said he believed he developed throat cancer from frequent holding a metal guitar pick in his mouth more than 20 years ago, however he was also a heavy smoker. Born in Amsterdam, Netherlands on Jan. 26, 1955, Eddie studied classical piano after moving to the Los Angeles suburb of Pasadena with his family in the 1960s. After switching to guitar, he and his older brother, Alex Van Halen, who took up the drums, formed bands that would eventually become Van Halen in 1972, with lead singer Roth and bassist Michael Anthony. 
Featuring Eddie's explosive riffs and solos, VH quickly became a staple of Sunset Strip clubs such as Gazzari's and the Whisky a Go Go before releasing their 
A perpetual winner of guitar polls -- he was voted the No. 1 guitarist of all time by readers of Guitar World magazine in 2012 -- Eddie and Van Halen were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2007, though Eddie did not attend the ceremony. VH also won a Grammy Award for "Best Hard Rock Performance with Vocal" in 1992. The group has sold more than 80 million albums worldwide -- the last of which, A Different Kind of Truth, came out in 2012, with Tokyo Dome Live in Concert following three years later. Eddie was married twice -- to actress Valerie Bertinelli from 1981 to 2007, and married current wife Jane Liszewski in 2008. Eddie's fellow superstar musicians and fans were quick to salute his memory on social media, including Sammy Hagar, who shared a photo of himself and the late guitarist on Instagram and added the caption: "Heartbroken and speechless. My love to the family." Others paying tribute include Gene Simmons, Paul Stanley, Lenny Kravitz, Nikki Sixx, Brian Wilson, Joe Elliott, Tony Iommi, Geezer Butler, Yusuf/Cat Stevens, Billy Idol, Kenny Chesney and Pete Townshend. Valerie Bertinelli, who was married to Eddie from 1981 to 2007, has yet to directly comment on the guitar great's death, but she did repost Wolfgang's tribute to his father, which confirmed his passing, on her social media pages, and added a string of broken heart emojis. Memorial arrangements for Van Halen are pending. - Reuters/Billboard/New Musical Express, 10/6/20.