Favorite Seventies Artists In The News

Posted by Administrator on March 29th, 2014

A "lost" album by the Alan Parsons Project that was recorded 33 years ago will finally see the light of day on April 1. In 1981, Alan Parsons and his late partner Eric Woolfson were locked in tense contract negotiations with their labed Arista Records that weren't going anywhere, so they decided to quickly record an album called The Sicilian Defence to fulfill contractual obligations, which was subsequently shelved when the two parties came to terms. Named after the title of a tactical move in the game of chess, The Sicilian Defence will get its first-ever release on Apr. 1 as part of The Alan Parsons Project - The Complete Albums Collection box set. "I'm happy that it's fulfilling a need to document, historically, the entire catalog of the Alan Parsons project, but it's not our finest hour by any stretch of the imagination," Parson says of the sparse, piano-dominated 10-song instrumental set. "It was an album made under pressure. It doesn't have the polish or finesse that all the albums that were released previously had. It's really not up to the standard of the real Project albums." Parsons adds that he appreciated "the chance to revisit and improve on the previous versions of the CDs" on the new box set, which houses APP's other ten albums, including the platinum titles I Robot, The Turn of A Friendly Card and Eye in the Sky. Though Woolfson passed away in 2009, Parsons has kept the group going as both a recording and concert concern. The Alan Parsons Live Project is currently in South America and has U.S. dates booked for May in San Francisco and at Disney World's Epcot Center in Florida, with more to come according to Parsons. The group recently released a new single called "Fragile" along with a downloadable live album, and Parsons says he is "thinking about putting out a full-blown album, but for the moment we're concentrating on live stuff." - Billboard, 3/27/14.

On March 27, the "classic '70s" lineup of Fleetwood Mac announced on NBC's Today Show that this year they'll be heading out on their first tour with keyboardist/vocalist Christine McVie in 16 years. The 34-date/33-city "On With the Show" tour will start in Minneapolis on Sept. 30 and finish in Tampa on Dec. 20, visiting most major markets in the US and Canada in between. Fleetwood Mac have also said that they will be recording a brand new album with McVie, who revealed that she would be rejoining the band at the beginning of 2014. Drummer Mick Fleetwood told a Hawaiian paper that Christine McVie had been writing new songs for the group, and they would be recording together very soon. McVie, who is responsible for some of the band's biggest hits including "Say You Love Me," "Don't Stop" and "You Make Loving Fun," first joined Fleetwood Mac in 1970 after marrying the group's bassist, John McVie. She continued on with the group for the next 28 years as main songwriter, vocalist and keyboard player in the band, which also includes Lindsey Buckingham and Stevie Nicks. Fleetwood Mac last mounted a full-scale tour in 2012, and this will be Christine McVie's first time on the road with the band since 1998's "The Dance" tour. McVie recently revealed that she decided to quit the band because of a "fear of flying." "It was a real phobia," she told Rolling Stone. "I also bought a house in England and decided, to a degree, I was really tired of the road. I wasn't just burned out, but I was tired of traveling and living out of a suitcase. I'm quite a domestic person by nature and the nomad thing had got a bit stale on me, really." - Billboard, 3/27/14.

Mick Jagger attended the small and private funeral service of his girlfriend L'Wren Scott on Mar. 25 in Hollywood. Jagger was joined by his daughters and grandchildren and also spoke briefly at the funeral, as did Scott's brother, talent agent and others. Longtime Rolling Stones backup singer Bernard Fowler performed "Will the Circle Be Unbroken" in honor of the 49-year-old fashion designer, with Dave Stewart contributing guitar to the song. Scott was found dead on Mar. 17 in her New York apartment, and a medical examiner later ruled her death a suicide by hanging. The next day, it was revealed that Scott left her entire $9 million estate to her longtime boyfriend Jagger. The filing in Manhattan's Surrogate's Court said Scott's main asset was her Manhattan condo worth approximately $8 million. Other items included her jewelry, clothing, household furnishings and personal automobiles. - Billboard/AP 3/25/14.

A British TV show is claiming that it has discoverd the true cause of Elvis Presley's death in 1977, and it isn't overeating or overdosing on drugs. Channel 4's Dead Famous DNA suggests that the singer suffered from heart muscle disease after performing tests on a lock of the music legend's hair, which was acquired through a friend of Elvis' barber and the results were analyzed by Dr. Stephen Kingsmore in Kansas. Kingsmore contends that it could be the genetic disease and not Presley's unhealthy lifestyle in his later life that could be to blame for his early death. However, he states that they cannot be totally sure that the hair they were testing is from Elvis. "I'm massively confident that it's Elvis' DNA, but I can't prove it. I can't tell you 100 per cent that is Elvis' DNA. That's not possible." Meanwhile, an actor portraying Presley is featured in an odd new beer commercial for Bavaria Brewery's fruit-flavored Radler beer. In the minute-long clip, Presley, Kurt Cobain, John Lennon, Bruce Lee, Marilyn Monroe and more musicians and celebrities who died young party and relax on a remote island, drinking the lemon-esque beverage. Suddenly, a ship appears on the horizon, leading the island's natives to close up shop to avoid detection. Still, the ship's captain believes he's able to spot Elvis, whose potbelly is sticking out from behind a tree. The commercial has received nearly 70,000 views on YouTube since its release on Mar. 24. Surprisingly, much of the feedback on the video's YouTube page is positive, though many viewers point out how dissimilar to the figures they're supposed to portray many of the actors are. Bavaria Brewery is a beer company based in the Netherlands. - Billboard/New Musical Express, 3/25/14.

A collection of unfinished Bob Dylan songs from the 1960s are being reimagined by artists including Elvis Costello and members of the bands Mumford & Sons, My Morning Jacket, Dawes and Carolina Chocolate Drops. The all-star cast of musicians has convened to take two dozen Dylan tunes, purportedly written around 1967 during the singer's "Basement Tapes" period, and put them to music, with a planned album and Showtime TV special in the works. According to producer T-Bone Burnett who is helming the project, he and Costello set out to capture the magic of Dylan's original "Basement Tapes" session, which saw the folk singer and The Band record in a house in upstate New York, especially in terms of its creative process. All musicians involved were in on the process, often contributing multiple interpretations to the same lyric. While Dylan isn't involved in creating the music aside from his original songwriting contributions, he has given the project his blessing. The two dozen unfinished Dylan songs are being recorded in Los Angeles' Capitol Studios. - Billboard, 3/25/14.

New Wave icons Devo have just announced dates for a 10-city US summer tour, just a little over a month after the sudden death of their cofounding guitarist Bob Casale. The tour, which launches on June 18 in Baltimore, will focus on material the group recorded before signing to Warner Bros. in 1978. Also visiting New York City (6/19), Chicago (6/21), Denver (6/23), Seattle (6/25), Vancouver, BC (6/26), Oakland, Calif. (6/28), Los Angeles (6/29), Solana Beach, Calif. (6/30) and Austin, Tex. (7/2), the tour will mark the group's first performances without Bob Casale since he joined the group in 1974, just as many of the songs the group plans on playing on this tour were first recorded. - Rolling Stone, 3/27/14.

Forty years after the release of their debut album, Kiss have finally made the cover of Rolling Stone magazine on its Apr. 10 issue. Marking the band's upcoming induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, the cover image is a classic 1975 photo of the band's original lineup: Paul Stanley and Gene Simmons, plus Ace Frehley and Peter Criss, who were both gone from the band by the early Eighties. The cover story, by Rolling Stone senior writer Brian Hiatt, tells the sad, hilarious and triumphant story of one of the biggest rock bands ever, taking an in-depth look at the founding members' lives and careers. Stanley and Simmons also explain precisely why they won't be reuniting for a performance at the Hall of Fame induction ceremony. Stanley and Simmons offered to allow the former members to jam with Kiss' current lineup, featuring guitarist Tommy Thayer and drummer Eric Singer, but Ace and Peter found that proposition deeply insulting. "I won't be disrespected," Criss says. "How can you put me in the Hall of Fame and then tell me to go sit over there in the corner while another guy puts on my makeup and plays? That's an injustice. To the fans, too." Meanwhile, Frehley has announced he will release his first solo album in half a decade this summer. Space Invader, due on June 24, will feature "at least" nine new songs and a cover of the Steve Miller Band's "The Joker. It will be Frehley's first release under a record deal with eOne Music. - Rolling Stone, 3/27/14.

A Los Angeles judge sentenced David Cassidy to three months in rehab and five years of probation on March 24 on charges stemming from a drunken driving case in January. The '70s teen heartthrob's attorney, Steven Levine, entered an open plea on behalf of Cassidy, admitting that he was driving under the influence when he was arrested after making an illegal turn. Levine says his client has been in rehab and will remain for longer than his sentence requires. He says Cassidy is committed to his sobriety and wants to break the cycle that got him arrested for drunken driving twice in less than six months. A DUI case in New York was reduced from a felony to misdemeanor earlier in March. - AP

Southern Rock icon Charlie Daniels is releasing a tribute album to Bob Dylan, with whom he contributed session work for Dylan's 1969 album Nashville Skyline, as well as the rock bard's Self Portrait and New Morning LP's. Daniels says he's "always been a big fan" of Dylan's, and his new album, Off the Grid: Doin' it Dylan, features Dylan tunes "but we definitely did them in CDB style." Daniels says "The Times They Are A-Changin" has always been one of his favorite Dylan compositions. "I think if there was a quintessential Dylan song that personified what he has meant and what he has documented, I would say that would be it. The times really were changing." Also covered on Off the Grid is "You Gotta Serve Somebody," a song that Daniels says has always spoke to him. "I'm a Christian, and I think Dylan hit a nerve with that one. When it comes down to it, you are going to serve somebody. There's only two entities that you can serve. It might be the Devil or it might be the Lord. It puts it pretty plain." Off the Grid: Doin' it Dylan is due April 1. Meanwhile in other Southern Rock news, the Allman Brothers Band announced on Mar. 24 that they will postpone their remaining four dates at the Beacon Theatre on Mar. 25, 26 and 28 as Gregg Allman recovers from bronchitis. Allman was forced to sit out shows on the previous Friday and Saturday, and his manager says he is under a doctor's care. Allman, 66, has had health issues in the past, including a 2010 liver transplant. The band, which started its annual run at the Beacon on Mar. 7, is celebrating its 45th anniversary this year. - Billboard/AP, 3/24/14.

As his latest single "Can't Stay Alone Tonight" has entered the Billboard Adult Contemporary chart at No. 27, Elton John has extended his record run of appearances on that chart to 70, which is six higher than Barbra Streisand's 64 AC chart-toppers. "Can't Stay Alone Tonight" is the second single from John's 30th studio album The Diving Board, which has sold around 142,000 copies since its release in 2013. The Diving Board's first single, "Home Again," reached No. 14 on the AC chart in September. John first charted on the AC chart on Dec. 26, 1970, with the No. 9-peaking classic "Your Song." Along with holding the record for the most AC visits, John also boasts the most No. 1's (15, a mark he shares with the Carpenters) and Top 10's (39). Elton's new concert film, The Million Dollar Piano, opened in nearly 700 theaters on March 18. The movie spotlights his hit-packed Las Vegas residency show, which began in Sept. 2011. - Billboard, 3/24/14.

A collection of drawings and manuscripts by John Lennon will be auctioned by Sotheby's on June 4 in New York City. The items are being put up for sale by Tom Maschler, who worked with Lennon on his In His Own Write and A Spaniard in the Works books. Lennon wrote the books and created the drawings for them in the 1960s. Among the items in the auction is a manuscript from 1965 called "The Singularge Experience of Miss Anne Duffield," which is expected to sell for $40,000 to $60,000. On March 21, a letter from Lennon to Phil Spector blaming The Who drummer Keith Moon and singer-songwriter Harry Nilsson for urinating on a console at an LA recording studio went up for auction in London, with an estimated value of £6,000. The three musicians shared a studio in Los Angeles during Lennon's infamous "Lost Weekend" in the early 1970s, and Lennon was moved to complain to Spector, who was producing his latest album Rock 'N' Roll, about their behavior after Capitol Records threatened to evict them. Titled "A Matter Of Pee," the letter is written in red felt tip pen on lined paper, and was given by Lennon to session guitarist Jesse Ed Davis, who played on 1974's Walls And Bridges and 1975's Rock 'N' Roll. In related news, Paul McCartney has reportedly blocked an auction of his old clothes and a piece of paper with some lyrics written on it. A spokesperson for Omega Auctions of Liverpool says Macca's lawyers prevented a cape, suit and a scrap of paper with three lines of a song from being sold by them. The items are believed to have been given to McCartney's former housekeeper and nanny Rose Martin about 30 years ago by his late wife Linda McCartney. The family of Mrs. Martin, who died aged 92 in 2013, had hoped to raise £30,000 from the sale of the items. However, auctioneer Paul Fairweather said: "Unfortunately, the lawyers have claimed that Sir Paul would never have given any clothing away." Other items up for sale during the Mar. 20 auction included the 1907 Bechstein Concert Grand piano used to compose the title track to the 1965 film Help!, which was also used by McCartney to compose "Yesterday." The instrument sold for £57,500. Jackets worn by George Harrison and Ringo Starr in Help! went for £54,000 and £61,100. - AP/New Musical Express, 3/23/14.

Cher kicked off her 49-date North American "Dressed To Kill" tour at the US Airways Center in Phoenix, Ariz., on Mar. 22 with a selection of her classic hits and trademark outrageous costumes. Three songs into the show, the 67-year-old pop icon broke into a monologue where she confessed that some of her costumes didn't fit right, that she couldn't remember the words to two of her songs, and that she broke the nail on her middle finger. But the sold-out, multi-generational crowd still adored her every word and move, and her distinctive voice was in good form, aided by a collective of female backup singers. Cher arrived on stage atop a pedestal in a glittering goddess gown -- complete with an elaborate, feathery headdress -- while singing the feminist anthem "Woman's World" from her latest album, Closer to the Truth, keeping the audience entertained during costume changes with video clips from her films, and footage of her alongside her late, former husband Sonny Bono. The only sliver of disappointment came when Cher told them this truly was the last time she'd hit the road: "I swear to God, this is my farewell, farewell tour," she said. "I'll be my mother if I do another concert," which was met with a chorus of boos. Meanwhile on the same day another famous '70s diva, Aretha Franklin, held an exclusive and small party in New York City for her 72nd birthday, which came on Mar. 25. In attendance was Franklin's longtime musical collaborator, record exec Clive Davis, along with actor Denzel Washington,, who Franklin thanked for attending. Just hours earlier, she saw him onstage in the Broadway play, "A Raisin In the Sun." Speaking to reporters, the Queen of Soul said that she's working on new music with rapper Andre 3000 and singer-songwriter and Madonna producer Babyface. "Babyface is working on the tracks," she said. Earlier in March, Franklin performed at the White House alongside Patti LaBelle, Jill Scott and other soul singers. "What a shoutin' good time we had," she exclaimed. "The White House is still rocking right now!" - Billboard/AP, 3/23/14.

AC/DC singer Brian Johnson made a surprise appearance at Billy Joel concert at New York's Madison Square Garden on Mar. 21 for a jam of the AC/DC classic "You Shook Me All Night Long." Joel introduced Johnson about halfway through the show, saying Johnson was part of one of the best bands he'd ever seen live. The packed arena erupted when Joel and his band began playing the rock anthem with Johnson on lead vocals. The show was part of a series of concerts by the Piano Man at the Garden, who has been playing there monthly as an artist-in-residence. The show included a mix of Joel standards such as "Uptown Girl" and "Big Shot" as well as less-played songs, such as "The Ballad of Billy the Kid." Meanwhile, Joel has officially announced the launch of The Billy Joel Channel on SiriusXM featuring music and interviews from the singer's 50-year career. The channel goes live at 6 p.m. ET on Mar. 26 and will run through June 25 via satellite on channel 4, online and through the SiriusXM Internet Radio App. The Billy Joel Channel will play music from throughout the pianist's career, starting with his mid-1960s work with The Echoes to the myriad classics he recorded as a solo artist. It will also feature cuts from his upcoming live album, A Matter of Trust: The Bridge to Russia, documenting Joel's 1987 Russian tour. Fans will also get to hear Joel discuss his legendary career and historic, ongoing Madison Square Garden residency, which finds the musician playing the arena once a month for the indefinite future. - AP/Rolling Stone, 3/22/14.

Rush has announced they are planning a worldwide tour in 2015 to celebrate their 40-plus years as a band. Little is known in terms of specifics about the tour, other than its potential spring 2015 start date. That said, guitarist Alex Lifeson notes that he thinks the band is "probably going to lean towards making it a real sort of fan event, and really try to put something together that's very pleasing for the fans across the board. That's always been difficult, for us to sort of balance things." Though it formed in 1968, Rush didn't release a proper album until 1974, its self-titled effort -- 40 years ago. Drummer Neil Peart also joined the band that year. Rush wrapped up its tour behind its latest album Clockwork Angels in 2013, and opted to take 2014 off. - Rolling Stone

The Rolling Stones have been confirmed as the third headliners of Denmark's Roskilde festival, which takes place from June 29 to July 6, 2014. The Stones will be joining previously announced headliners Arctic Monkeys at the annual bash, which this year will also feature Outkast, Deerhunter, Earl Sweatshirt, Haim, Kasabian and Rob Zombie, among others. The band recently postponed a series of upcoming shows in Australia and New Zealand until October, following the suicide of Mick Jagger's partner, fashion designer L'Wren Scott. Scott's death has been officially ruled as a suicide by hanging by the New York City medical examiner's office, and Jagger said he was "struggling" to understand what had happened and that he had been "touched" by tributes and messages of support he has received. - New Musical Express, 3/24/14.

Legendary stoner duo Cheech and Chong have announced they are teaming up again with director Jay Chandrasekhar (a veteran of the Broken Lizard comedy troupe) for a new film, their first in more than two decades. "[Jay is] working on a script right now for us," Tommy Chong recently told Rolling Stone magazine. "We've had some preliminary meetings. It looks really good. It looks really funny. It will be about us going to a festival called the Burning Joint. All sorts of shenanigans happen. It's going to be a lot of fun." Though the pair have appeared together in various films over the years, this would mark the first official Cheech & Chong movie since their 1983 sequel Still Smokin'. Given Chandrasekhar's stoner-friendly resume, which includes Broken Lizard vehicles like Super Troopers and Beerfest, the director seems like an ideal match for the doper duo. Chong says he hopes the as-yet-untitled project will begin filming this summer. Cheech and Chong also announced that they have recorded a new song with veteran funk band War and will tour with the group this summer. "That L.A. Sunshine" will be featured on Evolutionary, War's first new studio album in 20 years, which is due May 13. The tour kicks off April 5 in Corpus Christi, Tex., with additional dates listed on the pair's website. - Rolling Stone, 3/24/14.

Foreigner will kick off a 2014 UK tour on Apr. 3 at the Manchester 02 Apollo. The band will also perform a special acoustic concert -- "An Evening With Foreigner: Unplugged" -- at London's O2 Shepherd's Bush Empire on April 12. With openers Europe and FM, Foreigner is also set to play Newcastle (4/4), Glasgow (4/5), Nottingham (4/7), Sheffield (4/8), Portsmouth (4/9), Bristol (4/11), London (4/13) and Wolverhampton (4/15). - Noble PR

Elvis Presley's concert in Memphis in March 1974, when he returned to the city during a U.S. tour to perform in his hometown for the first time in 13 years, is featured in a new two-CD set. Elvis Recorded Live On Stage in Memphis includes a re-mastered version of the full concert, including songs that weren't on the original July 7, 1974 release on vinyl. The 1974 album featured the song "How Great Thou Art," which would win Presley a gospel Grammy. The set also includes a recently located recording of a test run for a show in Richmond, Va. when he returned to the city during a U.S. tour to perform in his hometown for the first time in 13 years, is featured in a new two-CD set. - AP

A representative for Mick Jagger is slamming rumors that the Rolling Stones frontman split from his current girlfriend, fashion designer L'Wren Scott, before she apparently committed suicide on Mar. 17. Scott, 47, as found hanging from a scarf in her Manhattan, New York apartment, and a report in the New York Post tabloid suggested Jagger had ended the relationship before the tragedy. "The story in the New York Post [about] a split between Mick Jagger and L'Wren Scott is 100 per cent untrue. There is absolutely no basis in fact to this story. It is a horrible and inaccurate piece of gossip during this very tragic time for Mick," the rep for Jagger said in a statement. The 70-year-old Jagger, who has been dating Scott since 2001, was in Australia for a Rolling Stones' tour Down Under when she passed away. The band arrived in Perth on Mar. 16, but cancelled a show scheduled there three days later after hearing of the tragedy, also postponing the remainder of their "14 On Fire" tour of Australia and New Zealand, "I am still struggling to understand how my lover and best friend could end her life in this tragic way," Jagger said in a post on his official website, mickjagger.com. "She had great presence and her talent was much admired, not least by me." News of Scott's tragic death also shocked friends, clients and fellow designers. It was unclear if Scott had shown any signs in her work or personal life indicating she was depressed or suicidal. Although Hollywood stars such as Nicole Kidman, Amy Adams and Penelope Cruz were pictured in the designer's sleek, form-fitting creations on the red carpet, her company reportedly had mounting debts. - WENN.com, 3/18/14.

Scott Asheton, drummer for legendary punk-rock band the Stooges, died on the evening of March 15 of as yet undisclosed causes. He was 64. Asheton's death was confirmed by Stooges frontman Iggy Pop the following day via a statement on his Facebook page. "My dear friend Scott Asheton passed away last night," Pop said. "Scott was a great artist, I have never heard anyone play the drums with more meaning than Scott Asheton. He was like my brother. He and Ron have left a huge legacy to the world. The Asheton's have always been and continue to be a second family to me. My thoughts are with his sister Kathy, his wife Liz and his daughter Leanna, who was the light of his life." Asheton co-founded the Stooges in 1967 along with Pop, bassist Dave Alexander, and his brother, guitarist Ron Asheton, who died in 2009. The band released three raw, genre-defining albums -- 1969's The Stooges, 1970's Fun House and 1973's Raw Power -- before splitting in 1974. The band eventually reformed in 2003 and released a new album, The Weirdness, in 2007. Asheton remained the Stooges' drummer until 2011, when a stroke caused his temporary retirement from live duty. Asheton, along with the rest of the band, was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2010. - Billboard, 3/16/14.

Veteran comic David Brenner, one of the most frequent visitors on Johnny Carson's The Tonight Show in the 1970s and 1980s, died in his New York City home on Mar. 15 after battling cancer. He was 78. Brenner, who was raised in working-class south Philadelphia and graduated with honors from Temple University, was a former documentary filmmaker who decided to give comedy a try in 1971, and his career soared after his first appearance on The Tonight Show in January of that year. Brenner went from being nearly broke to overwhelmed by a then-hefty $10,000 in job offers the day after he was on the show, and he went on to appear on the show more than 150 times both as a guest and subsitute host. Brenner took a brief stab at upping his TV fame with the 1976 sitcom Snip, and the lanky, always sharply dressed comedian also briefly hosted his own syndicated talk show in 1987 and starred in four HBO specials. Brenner wrote five books, including the post-9/11 I Think There's a Terrorist in My Soup, published in 2003. His last HBO special, David Brenner: Back with a Vengeance, debuted live in 2000. In a statement, his family said he left a last laugh: A final request that $100 in small bills be placed in his left sock "just in case tipping is recommended where I'm going." Besides son Cole, Brenner is survived by his wife, Ruth, sons Wyatt and Slade and a grandson, Wesley, according to a statement from the family. - AP, 3/16/14

Led Zeppelin's Jimmy Page announced on March 14 that the band will reissue its first three albums as deluxe editions, including previously unreleased tracks, on June 3 as part of its self-described extensive reissue program of all nine of its studio albums. Page has remastered each of the albums, which will be released as a single CD, two-disc deluxe edition, single LP on 180-gram vinyl (with a sleeve that replicates the original Led Zeppelin III moving wheel), deluxe-edition vinyl and digital download. The group is also making a limited-edition "Super Deluxe Boxed Set" of each album available that includes all of the audio on CD and vinyl, as well as a high-definition audio download card, a hard-bound book containing rare and previously unseen photos and memorabilia and a high-quality print of the album cover, the first 30,000 of which will be numbered. The Super Deluxe edition of Led Zeppelin will also contain a replica of the band's original Atlantic press kit. "The material on the companion discs presents a portal to the time of the recording of 'Led Zeppelin,'" Page said in a statement. "It is a selection of work in progress with rough mixes, backing tracks, alternate versions and new material recorded at the time." The catalog was last remastered 20 years ago, according to Page. In addition to the Led Zeppelin albums, Page also said that he would be releasing "some of my own material from the archives," but has yet to detail those releases. Meanwhile, Page is set to be honored by the prestigious Berklee College of Music during its May 10 commencement ceremony. "It's truly an honour to be the recipient of an Honorary Doctorate at Berklee as the music of America has been a primary driving force in my early years and pivotal to my musical development," Page said. Past Berklee honorees include David Bowie, Carole King, Loretta Lynn, Willie Nelson, Steven Tyler and George Clinton. - The Hollywood Reporter/Rolling Stone

As a "40th Anniversary Super Deluxe" version of Elton John's 1973 masterpiece Goodbye Yellow Brick Road is being readied to hit stores on Mar. 25 featuring unheard demos and a live concert from 1973, John recently told Rolling Stone that writing and recording the album "was a very exciting time in my life." "It was a time that we had no fear, nothing was beyond us. It's a wonderful thing the young have when they get on a roll. We were running on momentum and adrenaline. And then if you're a talented enough artist, you find your place within the playing field. And this was our example of being at the height of our creative powers," Elton told the magazine. "We could have put out other singles like 'Harmony,' and sold even more records... but we'd already finished Caribou by the time 'Bennie and the Jets' came out as a single. We were ready to move on," he added. - Rolling Stone

The Rolling Stones played China on March 12 for the first time since their debut there in 2006, headlining the Shanghai Mercedes-Benz Arena with a setlist altered due to government censorship. The band had been set to play the country for the first time in 2003 but the gigs were cancelled due to the Sars crisis. When they did play there, in 2006, songs including "Brown Sugar," "Honky Tonk Women" and "Let's Spend The Night Together" were banned by the Chinese Ministry Of Culture. The band's Shanghai setlist included their 1971 song "Dead Flowers" and their classic "Street Fighting Man," the latter having been chosen by fans on the Stones' social media channels. Former member Mick Taylor is on tour with the band and joined them in Shanghai for songs including "Slipping Away" and "Midnight Rambler." Their "14 On Fire Tour," which kicked off with their first ever gig in the Middle East in February, will hit Singapore on Mar. 15 as they make their way through Asia, Australia and New Zealand. Meanwhile, Stones guitarist Keith Richards has announced he's writing a children's book. Richards, 70, says the book will be called Gus & Me: The Story of My Granddad and My First Guitar, and will published by Little, Brown Books for Young Readers. "Gus" is Gus Dupree, Richards' beloved musician-grandfather. In a statement issued by the publisher, Richards said the book was based on his experience with Dupree. "I have just become a grandfather for the fifth time, so I know what I'm talking about," says Richards. "The bond, the special bond, between kids and grandparents is unique and should be treasured. This is a story of one of those magical moments. May I be as great a grandfather as Gus was to me." One of Richards' daughters, Theodora Richards, will provide illustrations for the book. - New Musical Express/AP

In a recent interview with Guitar World magazine, Gene Simmons of Kiss claimed he once had to talk Eddie Van Halen out of leaving his namesake band and joining up with Kiss. "He was so unhappy about how he and [David Lee] Roth were -- or weren't -- getting along. He couldn't stand him. And drugs were rampant," Simmons said. Simmons says Van Halen took him out to lunch at a diner across the street from New York's record plant studio. "Eddie said, 'I want to join Kiss. I don't want to fight anymore with Roth. I'm sick and tired of it. But I told him, 'Eddie, there's not enough room. You need to be in a band where you can direct the music. You're not going to be happy in Kiss.' I talked him out of it. It didn't fit." Meanwhile, Simmons' bandmate Paul Stanley recently told Billboard that "95 percent of the autobiographies by any of my contemporaries would be better suited on a roll of soft paper, so at least you could use it for something." Stanley, who will soon release his own autobiography, Face the Music: A Life Exposed on April 8, went on to describe others' works as "nothing more than self-serving fantasies or delusions or love letters to themselves." Stanley also didn't limit his scorn to other bands, saying he thought Gene Simmons' book "was told from his point of view, but Gene puts himself in the epicenter of everything, and that might be because he's an only child." "After reading some of it and having been present at much of what went on in that book, it just wasn't accurate so I didn't read it," Stanley added. Kiss announced on Mar. 17 that they'll embark a co-headlining tour of North America this summer with Def Leppard this summer, beginning on June 23 in West Valley City, Utah. The 42-city jaunt will hit many major markets and wrap Aug. 31 in Woodlands, Tex. - Rolling Stone/Billboard

The world's leading chimp expert has claimed that Michael Jackson's pet monkey, Bubbles, was beaten while in the care of the pop superstar. Jane Goodall, a British primatologist, ethologist and anthropologist, made the claim following a recent public speaking appearance in Washington, D.C. According to TMZ.com, Goodall said that she did not know who was responsible for "brutalizing" the animal but that she had confronted Jackson about it prior to his death in 2009 and that it had "ticked off" the musician. Meanwhile, TMZ is also reporting that Jackson's personal physician Dr. Conrad Murray he has now found a new position following his release from prison last year. Murray has been hired as a volunteer consultant by the Trinidad Ministry of Health. The website reports Murray will be advising heart surgeons and offering up his services for free. Murray spent nearly two years in jail on an involuntary manslaughter charge stemming from the death of his most famous patient in 2009. His medical license was revoked in Texas and suspended in both California and Nevada. - NME/WENN.com

Favorite Seventies Artists In The News

Posted by Administrator on August 9th, 2020

Jimi Hendrix's Japanese sunburst electric guitar that he used in the early 1960s has sold for more than £160,000 at auction. The late guitar god used the instrument after he was discharged from the U.S. Army in 1962 and played it during his time in New York as a musician for the likes of The Isley Brothers, Wilson Pickett, Slim Harpo and Ike and Tina Turner. The guitar was estimated to be worth $50,000 (£38k) before the auction, but was bought for a winning bid of $180,000 (£138k). When auction fees were added to that price, its total became $216,000 (£165k). Hendrix left the guitar with his friend Mike Quashie when he moved to London in 1966 and Quashie provided a signed and notarised letter of provenance before he died in 2019. The guitar was said to be "in well-loved condition" but had no strings on it as auction house GWS Auctions wanted to "keep it in its original state." - NME, 8/9/20...... On Aug. 7 Roger Waters shared a video on YouTube of a socially distanced performance of two cuts from Pink Floyd's 1979 album The Wall. Waters paid tribute to the inspiration of the song "Vera," the famous British World War II singer Vera Lynn, who passed away in June. In a statement, he said: "The Vera in question is Vera Lynn. She was an English singer, songwriter, very popular during the Second World War. Her biggest hit was 'We'll Meet Again'. She was widely known as the 'Forces' Sweetheart'. Our Vera, who is very fondly remembered back in Blighty, died six weeks ago aged 103. So she had a bloody good innings, bless her." The song then transistions into a grand orchestral rendition of "Bring the Boys Back Home." During a break, Waters spoke to the camera to address Pres. Donald Trump on recent events in the US. Referencing the controversial deployment of federal officers in Portland he said: "Yeah, bring the boys back home, particularly from Portland, you big f---ing brick." In June, Waters announced he'll be releasing his Us + Them concert film on Amazon video later in 2020. - New Musical Express, 8/7/20...... Just a few days after announcing the purchase of Barry Manilow's song catalogue, Hipgnosis Songs has continued its spending spree with the the acquisition of Blondie's catalog. The company founded by Merck Mercuriadis and its investment advisor The Family said in a letter to the London Stock Exchange on Aug. 5 that it will buy 100% of Blondie principals Debbie Harry and Chris Stein's writer's share and neighboring rights (Sound Exchange) royalties in their Blondie catalogs, a total of 197 songs. "We are so happy to be working with a progressive company," say Harry and Stein in a joint statement. "We are looking forward to the future with Hipgnosis' forward thinking team." Financial terms of the deal were not disclosed. Hipgnosis Songs has previously acquired the catalogs of the likes of Bon Jovi, Chainsmokers and Mark Ronson. - Billboard, 8/5/20...... Fans of The Clash can celebrate the famous '70s punk band with two new Clash jigsaw puzzles this fall. Zee Productions will release two 500-piece puzzles depicting the album cover for the band's 1978 album Give 'Em Enough Rope and the cover of their 1979 single, "English Civil War," on Oct. 9. "Punk Legends The Clash Come To Rock Saws!," Zee Productions posted on Instagram. "All The Young Punks take note! The punk rock revolutionaries The Clash are coming to Rocksaws with a pair of awesome 500 piece puzzles," it added. They added that "both puzzles are currently on pre-order, and supplies are very limited so act fast!" - NME, 8/5/20...... On May 6 Black Sabbath announced they'll be releasing a 50th anniversary edition of their classic 1970 album Paranoid. The 5-LP/4CD edition Paranoid re-release arrives on Oct. 9 and will also feature the vinyl debut of two of the band's concerts from 1970 as well as a rare 1974 Quad Mix of the album. The 5-LP set also comes with a hardbound book, extensive new linear notes featuring interviews with all four band members as well as rare photos, a poster and a replica of the tour book sold during the tour. The Paranoid Super Deluxe 5-LP set can be pre-ordered on Black Sabbath's website. - NME, 8/6/20...... In related news, Ozzy Osbourne's eldest daughter Aimee Osbourne has spoken of her decision to not take part in her family's hit MTV reality show, The Osbournes. Speaking to New York's Q104.3 radio station, musician Aimee said: "To me, I'd grown up around having a pretty well-known dad anyway, and I always really valued my privacy within that family. For me personally, for who I am, as far as morally, and also just to give myself a chance to actually develop into a human being as opposed to just being remembered for being a teenager, it didn't really line up with what I saw my future as." Aimee went on to say that The Osbournes "definitely worked great for the rest of my family," but explained she "just knew it was never something that I would have been able to consider realistically." Aimee recently released her first new music in four years with "Shared Something With The Night," which was released under her ARO moniker. Meanwhile, Ozzy's other daughter, Kelly Osbourne, has lashed out at an insenstive troll who applauded her father's Parkinson's disease diagnosis. "Heard your father is dying that's great now we can get ridden of another a**hole (sic)," the callous user wrote anonymously on Instagram. Kelly, who has 2.1 million followers on Instagram, shot back at the poster: "Seems like you need some attention???" adding, "So here you go you disgusting mother f*****!!!!! I won't be praying for you!!!!!!" - NME/Music-News.com, 8/5/20...... Patti Smith announced on Aug. 8 that she'll perform a special show at the Murmrr Theatre in New York on Sept. 4 featuring excerpts from her 2019 book, Year of the Monkey. The punk poetess will also perform a handful of songs with longtime bandmate Tony Shanahan. The event, billed as Smith's only worldwide staged program of 2020, will also be filmed by cinematographer Matthew Schroeder, and, according to the show's description, will "be a high-end multi-camera visual and sonic experience." Tickets went on sale on Aug. 7 and cost $30. Each come with a new paperback copy of Year Of The Monkey. In July, Smith and backing band Sidewalk Collective announced they'll release a third and final album in their "Perfect Vision" trilogy. Peradam shine a light on French writer Ren Daumal, whose most famous book compares the meaning of life to an alpine ascent. - New Musical Express, 8/8/20...... In a new lengthy interview with the UK's GQ magazine, Paul McCartney dismissed the idea of following such rock icons as Aerosmith for a Las Vegas residency, and right now he isn't crazy about following the likes of Bruce Springsteen for a Broadway show either. "That's something I've been trying to avoid my whole life," McCartney said of a Vegas residency. "Definitely nothing attracts me about the idea. Vegas is where you go to die, isn't it? It's the elephant's graveyard. As for Broadway, the Sir Paul says he's "not really" sold on that idea either. "Some people would like me to do it, as they say I've got plenty of stories and plenty of songs, but one of the things that's holding me back at the moment is that Bruce has just done it, you know?," McCartney said. "It feels a bit like, "Oh, suddenly I'll do it now then!' So I think that's made me a little reluctant to follow in his footsteps or follow a trend," he added. While he's not completely against a Broadway stint, McCartney explained that he would "just prefer to play with the band to a bigger audience, or even smaller... I don't mind little clubs." Elsewhere in the interview, Macca opened up about the time he sued the Beatles in order to "save their music and company, Apple." "The only way for me to save The Beatles and Apple -- and to release Get Back by [director] Peter Jackson and which allowed us to release Anthology and all these great remasters of all the great Beatles records -- was to sue the band," he explained. "If I hadn't done that, it would have all belonged to Allen Klein. The only way I was given to get us out of that was to do what I did. "I said, 'Well, I'll sue Allen Klein' and I was told I couldn't because he wasn't party to it. 'You've got to sue the Beatles.'" Paul also commented on John Lennon's 1971 solo song "How Do You Sleep?," saying he found the lyrics criticizing him "hurtful": "But then you hear the stories from various angles and apparently people who were in the room when John was writing that, he was getting suggestions for the lyrics off Allan Klein. So, you see the atmosphere of 'Let's get Paul. Let's nail him in a song...' And those things were pretty hurtful." - NME/PageSix.com, 8/5/20...... Neil Young made it official on Aug. 4 -- he'll definitely bring a copyright lawsuit against Pres. Donald Trump after announcing in late July that he was "reconsidering" the move. Young's suit, filed on Aug. 4 in the U.S. District Court in the Southern District of New York, claims the Trump campaign has used such songs as "Rockin' in the Free World" and "Devil's Sidewalk" "as a theme song" for "a divisive, un-American campaign of ignorance and hate." "The complaint is not intended to disrespect the rights and opinions of American citizens, who are free to support the candidate of their choosing," according to the complaint, but noted Young could not "good conscience cannot allow his music to be used" in this way. His complaint states the Trump campaign had played both of these songs numerous times at rallies and political events including as recently as the Tulsa rally on June 20. "Trump did so without neither a license nor Young's permission to play those two songs at any public political event," the lawsuit notes. Young's complaint states that Trump's campaign has willfully ignored his wishes to not play those songs and has proceeded to play them despite not having the required licenses. The complaint is asking Trump's campaign be permanently stopped from publicly performing those songs, as well as any other Neil Young songs. He is also asking the Trump campaign be ordered to pay his statutory damages between $750-$150,000 for each infringement as well as reasonable attorney fees. Young has been critical of Trump since the 45th president used "Rockin' in the Free World" to announce his candidacy for president back in 2016. The Trump campaign has yet to publicly respond to the lawsuit. - Billboard, 8/4/20...... Creem: America's Only Rock 'N' Roll Magazine, a new documentary on the legendary '70s and '80s rock magazine Creem, opened on Virtual Cinema on Aug. 7 and is available for free streaming on YouTube. Founded in 1969 by Detroit headshop mogul Barry Kramer, the magazine epitomized the wild excess of rock and roll in the early 1970s and its pages were packed with the sex and debauchery of the biggest stars of the era. Creem's writers, who included Lester Bangs, Jaan Uhelszki, Nick Tosches, Charles Bukowski and future director Cameron Crowe, also participated in rock excess: Bangs once wrote a review of the J. Geills Band while they were still playing, then smashed his typewriter at the end; Uhelszki convinced KISS to let her on the stage, in full makeup, and the writer even performed on the band's seminal number "Rock and Roll All-Nite." After Barry Kramer OD'd on nitrous oxide with a dry-cleaning bag over his head in 1981, ownership of the famed rock journal was left to his then 4-year-old son, JJ Kramer. JJ says he now has plans for a Creem TV channel, a website, and maybe even a relaunch of the magazine. - WENN/Canoe.com, 8/7/20...... A 1999 David Bowie concert in Paris will be available for streaming beginning on Aug. 14. Something in the Air (Live Paris 99) was originally recorded on Oct. 14 1999 at Paris' Elyse Montmartre and features a 15-track setlist packed with 12 previously unreleased recordings and three tracks used as B-sides for singles from Bowie's "Hours" album. Before the concert, Bowie received France's highest artistic order -- the Commandeurs of the Ordre des Arts et des Lettres. Footage from the performance can be viewed on YouTube. In May, another previously unreleased 1999 live album from Bowie, LiveAndWell.com, was made available digitally. Originally available on the now-defunct BowieNet, the record never received a commercial release after it was shared on the online platform 19 years ago. - New Musical Express, 8/6/20...... The estate of Tom Petty has shared "There Goes Angela (Dream Away)," a previously unheard recording from the late rocker's 1994 Wildflower sessions, on YouTube. The new recording follows a previous release from the Wildflower sessions back in June, "You Don't Know How It Feels." The former track was discovered by his daughter, Adria Petty, after sorting through his music following his death in 2017. - NME, 8/6/20...... Bruce Springsteen is featured on a new single called "AUATC" (Ate Up All Their Cake) from Bon Iver's latest album, Season 5. The band have also released an accompanying music video for the song and shared it on YouTube. "Bon Iver acknowledges our position within and use of capitalistic practices. We recognize our privilege and commit to using our platform to challenge capitalism everywhere," the band posted on Twitter. - NME, 8/6/20...... Wayne Fontana, the lead singer of the '60s pop group The Mindbenders, passed away on Aug. 7 at Steppinghill Hospital, Stockport, U.K., after what was described as a "long illness." He was 74. Fontana and The Mindbenders scored a big hit with "The Game of Love" in 1965. The Manchester, U.K. native, whose real name was Glyn Geoffrey Ellis, formed the band in 1963 and derived his stage name from Elvis Presley's legendary original drummer, D.J. Fontana. After scoring a hit with "Game of Love," Fontana left the group that same year and tried his hand as a solo act. His only notable chart success was with the 1967 song "Pamela, Pamela," one of several songs written for him by iconic British songwriter and 10cc member Graham Gouldman, a bandmate of Mindbenders guitarist Eric Stewart. His final single, "The Last Bus Home," was released by UK Polydor in 1976, after which he mostly walked away from the music business. - Billboard, 8/7/20...... Founding Molly Hatchet guitarist Steve Holland has died at the age of 66. No cause of death was given for the guitarist born in 1954, who appeared on the Southern Rock band's first five albums, including 1979's breakthrough Flirtin' With Disaster. Holland left Molly Hatchet in 1984 and later formed a group called Gator Country, named after the second track on Hatchet's 1978 self-titled debut album. In February, the band posted an image of Holland, seated in a wheelchair and looking frail, on the Gator Country Facebook page thanking fans for their support over the years. He was said to be suffering from an "extremely low" red blood cell count and was scheduled to receive a transfusion. - Billboard, 8/3/20.

Indie music publishing company Mojo Music & Media announced on Aug. 4 it has acquired 50% of Cheap Trick guitarist Rick Nielsen's music publishing catalog which consists of more than 400 songs, which includes such hits as "I Want You To Want Me," "Surrender" and "Dream Police." Nielsen wrote or co-wrote the vast majority of the Cheap Trick catalog, and as the songwriter he retains full ownership of the writer's share. Nielsen sold half of his publishing stake in his own songs to Mojo, and half of a co-publishing deal that covered about 10 songs. "I'd almost given up on the chance of finding a publisher who actually knew all my songs and had a vision for how to keep them alive for another 1,000 years or so," Nielsen said in a statement. "Turns out, [Mojo CEO] Mark [Fried] & The Mojo's are it! I'm looking forward to all the noise we're gonna make together." - Billboard, 8/4/20...... Van Morrison announced on Aug. 4 that he's signed on to play two "socially distanced" shows with reduced limited capacity in London at Camden's Electric Ballroom on Sept. 5 and 6. Tickets for the event are on sale now with a maximum of 10 tickets for two households or "bubbles." In July, the Irish crooner was confirmed a headliner at the UK's first socially-distanced venue, The Virgin Money Unity Arena at Newcastle Racecourse, on Sept. 3. Morrison will also play several dates at the Electric Ballroom in London this fall, and be the final headliner for the 2021 Kew the Music event on July 6 next year. - New Musical Express, 8/4/20...... Bette Midler is encouraging her fans to support the costume designers who are facing indefinite unemployment during the COVID-19 pandemic. "Timelines for reopening of entertainment venues continue to shift; shutdown could last anywhere from eight to eighteen months. Members know their survival is in jeopardy; their orders have largely been cancelled or delayed indefinitely," the Divine Miss M posted on Twitter on Aug. 2, and linked to the Costume Industry Coalition (CIC) site for more information. "Collectively, the CIC Members are facing a $4.5 million shortfall between July 1 and December 31, when they calculate rent, employee health insurance, liability insurance and utilities. Visit the AGA (Artisans Guild of America) website to learn how you can get involved," she added. - Billboard, 8/3/20...... Meanwhile, Bette Midler's erstwhile piano player Barry Manilow has had his song catalogue acquired by Hipgnosis Songs Fund. "Barry Manilow is an international treasure. He's an incomparable artist, songwriter, arranger, musician and performer," Hipgnosis Songs founder Merck Mercuriadis said in a statement. Financial terms of the deal, which includes such hits as "Mandy," "Can't Smile Without You," "Copacabana (At the Copa)" and "I Write the Songs," were not disclosed. "Merck has created a new type of music company and I'm looking forward to being part of the family at The Family Music and Hipgnosis Songs," Manilow said in a statement. - Billboard, 8/3/20...... Elton John took to social media on July 30 to celebrate 30 years of being sober. John, 73, shared snaps of his Alcoholics Anonymous coin and a celebratory cake as he marked the milestone, and in the accompanying caption, he reflected on what could have happened had he not made a positive change to his life. "Reflecting on the most magical day having celebrated my 30th Sobriety Birthday," Sir Elton wrote. "So many lovely cards, flowers and chips from my sons, David, friends in the Program, staff at the office and in our homes. I'm truly a blessed man. If I hadn't finally taken the big step of asking for help 30 years ago, I'd be dead. Thank-you from the bottom of my heart to all the people who have inspired and supported me along the way," he added, besides heart, praying hands, and halo emojis. - Music-News.com, 7/30/20...... The Rolling Stones are expected to release a video for their previously unreleased song "Scarlet," a collaboration with Led Zeppelin's Jimmy Page, on Aug. 6 at 7pm BST on their official YouTube channel. Featuring Paul Mescal, the video will also contain a special introduction from Stones frontman Mick Jagger. The band tweeted that "you won't want to miss & set a reminder here: https://t.co/H2JWfmmIvV pic.twitter.com/DtgVVl3rSG." "Scarlet" will feature on the band's forthcoming expanded edition of their 1973 album Goats Head Soup, which arrives on Sept. 4 and will feature 10 previously unreleased tracks and a full Stones concert from 1973. - New Musical Express, 8/3/20...... Cable TV's A&E network has announced a premiere date for an Ozzy Osbourne episode of their venerable series Biography. Biography: The Nine Lives of Ozzy Osbourne was first announced back in January with a teaser trailer and was initially scheduled to make its premiere at the SXSW Festival in Texas in March before the festival was cancelled due to the explosion of the coronavirus pandemic. A&E now says the documentary, which chronicles the heavy metal icon's life and career, will debut on Sept. 7 in the U.S., though it is not yet known when and where it will be available for the rest of the world. A trailer for the documentary can be viewed at Vimeo.com. - New Musical Express, 8/2/20...... The BBC announced on Aug. 3 that a new Bob Marley documentary titled When Bob Marley Came to Britain is coming to the BCC2 later in August. In a press release, the BBC said the doc will "reveal how [Marley's] presence helped influence British politics, culture and identity, during a time of massive social and civil unrest in the UK -- and how his universal message of One Love and unity helped inspire a generation of Black British youth... It was in Britain that Marley established himself as an international artist, recorded some of his most successful albums and performed some of his most memorable concerts." When Bob Marley Came to Britain is narrated by Obaro Ejimiwe and include rare archive footage and interviews with several Brits who knew the reggae legend personally. - NME, 8/3/20...... Rod Stewart's wife Penny Lancaster revealed on the U.K. TV show Loose Women on Aug. 3 that Rod has been helping her cope with menopause symptoms that began during the coronavirus lockdown. Lancaster, 49, said she has found the past few months tough because of her side effects, but gushed that Rod and their two sons, Alastair, 14, and Aiden, nine, have been extremely helpful. Lancaster recounted one incident when everything went wrong while cooking dinner and "I ended up throwing the dinner across the kitchen." "I just screamed and burst into tears. The boys came and hugged me. Rod said, 'Just give mummy a minute.' So, we're lucky that we've got that open discussion," she said. The ex-model added: "What's really confusing for me, I'm trying to explain to my husband and the boys what's going on, but I don't really know myself... I don't know what's happening." In June, Stewart and Lancaster celebrated their 13th wedding anniversary with a socially distanced takeaway meal in London's Hyde Park. - Music-News.com, 8/4/20...... Michael Eavis, the founder of the U.K.'s legendary Glastonbury Festival, has said he is "uncertain if next year's festival will go ahead, but that he is "moving heaven and earth to make it happen." Speaking to ITV News, Eavis said fans might have to wait until 2022 for the return of the festival, which was due to celebrate its 50th anniversary this year with Paul McCartney, Taylor Swift and Kendrick Lamar headlining. Speaking about the difficulty of ensuring social distancing, Eavis said: "500 people is ok isn't it. But my job, 250,000 altogether is too many people I suppose isn't it really. I'm still hoping I'm going to be running next year and I'm going to be moving heaven and earth to make sure that we do. But that doesn't mean it will necessarily happen. That is just wishful thinking really." In related news, organizers of the 2021 edition of the U.K.'s Download Festival have announced KISS will top the bill for next year's event, which will occur on the weekend of June 4-6 at Donington Park, Leicestershire. KISS, Iron Maiden and System Of A Down had been scheduled to headline the metal festival in 2020 but it was cancelled due to the coronavirus pandemic. Instead of staging this year's event, a virtual Download Festival was screened with hours of footage from previous events. - New Musical Express, 8/3/20...... It has been revealed that Michael Jackson performed an "elaborate presentation" while auditioning for the first X-Men movie. The film's producers say the late pop icon tried out for the role of mutants boss Charles Xavier, and according to Lauren Shuler Donner and Ralph Winter, the King of Pop was one of three A-list hopefuls for the comic book adaptation. Mariah Carey and basketball star Shaquille O'Neal were also among those who came in to read for various roles in the 2000 blockbuster but it was Jackson's "elaborate presentation" that really impressed the film bosses. Donner says Jackson played them his 1996 short film Ghosts, in which he played a "60-something white mayor." "I said to him, 'Do you know Xavier is an older white guy?'," said Donner. "And Michael said, 'Oh yeah. You know, I can wear make-up.'" Donner revealed Jackson was "never seriously considered" for the part, which ultimately went to Sir Patrick Stewart. - Music-News.com/The Hollywood Reporter, 8/4/20...... The final live performance of Fun House by The Stooges' original lineup has been released and shared on YouTube. The performance is set to appear on a new live Stooges album called Live at Goose Lake: Aug. 8 1970 which celebrates the 50th anniversary of the Aug. 8, 1970, concert. The Stooges performed their 1970 album, Fun House, in full at the concert, and the recording features the Stooges' founding members Iggy Pop (vocals), Ron Asheton (guitar), Scott Asheton (drums) and Dave Alexander (bass). Alexander was allegedly fired after the gig for turning up too drunk to play. Live at Goose Lake will be available on CD and vinyl. Two limited-edition coloured vinyl variants, a purple and a cream-coloured press, will also be available. - NME, 8/1/20...... A Year With Swollen Appendices, a diary and essay collection first released in 1996 by Brian Eno, is being reissued in a special 25th anniversary hardcover and e-book re-issue via publisher Faber and Faber. The reissue, which will be available in the U.K. on Nov. 19 and in the U.S. on Feb. 9, 2021, will contain a new introduction by Eno alongside essays he penned on working with David Bowie, U2 and more. Faber and Faber editorial Director Alexa von Hirschberg says her company is "thrilled to be bringing Brian Eno's 1995 diary and "appendices' back into print. [It] is an intimate time capsule of the mind and working practices of a formidable thinker and creator at a pivotal point in history. It is an indispensable read." - NME, 8/1/20...... David Byrne launched a new monthly radio show, Here Comes Everybody, on Aug. 1 on the Sonos Sound System Station in the Sonos App and will made available online on Aug. 2 via Mixcloud. Subsequent episodes will air on the first day of each month. Speaking about the new show, the former Talking Heads frontman said: "I make a new playlist every month! I try not to repeat songs, but sometimes one can't help going back to something one loves. The playlists for this radio show are very often thematic -- movie scores, current releases, South Indian surprises, Turkish pop. You may not like them all, but then come back next month and there it will be & the music you have been waiting for your whole life." - NME, 8/1/20...... Dee Snider of Twisted Sister, a close friend of AC/DC, says the Aussie hard rockers have recorded their next album, but its release has been delayed due to the coronavirus pandemic. "This is gonna be a miracle of technology," Snider said of AC/DC's new LP. "What will be achieved, the reuniting of the band that we know for one more album, is gonna be uplifting and heartbreaking at the same time. Because nothing goes on forever. But this is the ultimate 'one more time'," he added in the interview with ABC Audio. Snider previously claimed that AC/DC have joined forces once more with their former members, vocalist Brian Johnson and drummer Phil Rudd, on a new record. An AC/DC reunion was first rumoured in 2018 amid claims that the band were working on a new album that would feature the work of their late rhythm guitarist Malcolm Young on "every track." - New Musical Express, 7/30/20...... A new statue honoring Prince has been installed at the funk-rocker's Paisley Park compound in Minnesota. The statue, which is a copy of the Prince's iconic "Love Symbol," stands over 3 metres high and almost 2 metres wide, and can be viewed on Instagram. Honouring Prince's famous "Purple Rain' song, the statue is purple and is positioned at the entrance to Paisley Park where fans can take photos and pay further tribute. Prince debuted the "Love Symbol' -- which combined traditional male and female symbols -- in 1992 with an album of the same name. In 1993, he famously changed his legal name to the symbol and was referred to as "The Artist Formerly Known As Prince." "With the challenges that our world is currently facing, we are happy to share a piece that showcases this expression of creativity and freedom," said Paisley Park's Executive Director, Alan Seiffert. - NME, 8/1/20...... In a new interview with Mojo magazine, Deep Purple frontman Ian Gillan revealed he makes his own furniture, including an oak table and mahogany desk. "I've built quite a bit of furniture," said Gillan. "I once made a mahogany desk for my daughter, and an oak table when I was ill with hepatitis and had three months off. I did it with planks of Japanese oak, a handsaw, sandpaper and glue." Deep Purple's latest album, Whoosh!, was released in June with studio wizard Bob Ezrin producing the band's 21st LP, his third effort for the band. On working with Ezrin for a third time, Purple guitarist Steve Morse said: "We've included everything that made the whole band smile, including Bob Ezrin. We've always enjoyed making music and having the incredible luxury of a loyal audience." - Music-News.com, 8/3/20...... Stevie Nicks shared a new entry in her "journal" on Twitter on July 29 in which she asked people to become "spiritual warriors in the coronavirus age," imploring others to "wear a mask and stay in as much as possible." Dated July 17, the journal entry references both Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young's "Our House" and the Rolling Stones' "Wild Horses" as Nicks begins by saying that she is "just happy to be awake, immersed in music." "Feeling slightly euphoric and inspired to be alive and still be able to feel young and safe here," she writes. "Right here in this moment, I feel hope. I feel happy. I feel safe.... If everyone could just wear a mask and stay in as much as possible -- you might be able to find this magical place I have found, in the early morning when everyone sleeps. And when you wake up, make it your mission to do all that you can to stop the virus before someone you know falls really ill. Because then, you will be too late. Your life will be forever changed," she added, before writing "in order for us all to get back to our former lives -- we must all change into spiritual warriors. We must make it our mission to fight the virus; otherwise there is nothing left. If we don't get ahead of this now, we will live with such guilt and regret that that it will destroy us. You can't go back. You can't push rewind. Nicks closed by saying, "I want to go back on the road. I want to sing for you again. I want to put on those high black suede platform boots and dance for you again. I want you to forget the world and sing with me. Please don't throw this world away. Please don't give up on humanity and let this virus win this war. It's up to us now -- because nobody is helping us. Nobody is coming to our rescue. No one." - NME, 7/30/20...... Neil Young has shared a new live performance of his 2006 song, "Lookin' for a Leader," with edited lyrics that criticise Donald Trump's presidency and reflect on Young's support for the Black Lives Matter movement. The full performance, which include the lyrics "Yeah, we had Barack Obama/ And we really need him now/ The man who stood behind him/ Has to take his place somehow," was uploaded to Young's website NeilYoungArchives.com. "Lookin' for a Leader" originally appeared on Young's 2006 album Living With War. - NME, 7/30/20...... Director Alan Parker, who helmed such movies as Midnight Express, Evita and Bugsy Malone, died on the morning of July 31 following a long illness. He was 76. Parker rose to prominence in the 1970s and made a splash with his first feature film, 1976 gangster musical Bugsy Malone. He went on to earn his first Oscar nomination for best director for 1978's Midnight Express, which won Oliver Stone the Best Screenplay prize. He frequently revisited his penchant for musical movies with hits such as Fame, The Commitments and Evita, starring Madonna, while he was also the man behind the camera for 1982's Pink Floyd - The Wall, based on the rock band's album of the same name. His other credits included Angela's Ashes, Shoot the Moon, Angel Heart and 2003 thriller The Life of David Gale, which became his final movie. Parker was made a Commander of the Order of the British Empire for his services to the film industry in 1995, and was knighted in 2002. - WENN/Canoe.com, 7/31/20...... Actor Wilford Brimley, who had a lengthy career on camera dating back to the 1970s with over 70 acting credits, passed away on the morning of Aug. 1 at his home in Utah. He was 85. Sources with direct knowledge of Mr. Brimley's health say he was in an ICU wing of a hospital on dialysis, and very sick for days. Mr. Brimley started out as mostly a TV actor, landing one-time roles on TV series like How the West Was Won, Kung Fu, The Oregon Trail and then eventually had a recurring part on The Waltons. He went on to star in a bunch of TV movies, including The Wild Wild West Revisited, Amber Waves, Roughnecks, Rodeo Girl and The Big Black Pill. In the 1980s, Mr. Brimely started breaking out into more traditional films, appearing in flicks like The Stone Boy, Country, High Road to China, 10 to Midnight, Tough Enough, Jackals, End of the Line and several other B-movies where he'd often play an authority figure or a grandfatherly figure with his deep, comforting Southern accent. He was perhaps most known for roles in cult classic films like Cocoon, The Natural, The Thing and Hard Target. He went on to star in countless other movies and shows, notably on Our House, in which he starred in over 40 episodes, as well one-off appearances in hit series like Walker, Texas Ranger, Seinfeld, and many others. The iconic actor was also the face of Quaker Oats cereal throughout the '80s and '90s, and -- maybe even more memorable -- his classic diabetes ads for Liberty Medical, which was often spoofed, but also beloved. Mr. Brimley was diagnosed with diabetes mellitus in 1979, and managed the disease ever since then, with the American Diabetes Association honoring him for his lifetime of advocacy in 2008. He is survived by his wife, Beverly, and his three children. - TMZ.com, 8/1/20.