Posted by Administrator on July 13th, 2014
A new reality series featuring members of Michael Jackson's extended family is set to debut on the cable channel Reelz on November 18. The six-episode show will focus on Alejandra Jackson, the ex-wife of Michael's brother Jermaine Jackson, and her five children. After Michael's death five years ago, they left the Jackson family home in suburban Encino, Calif., a move that a preview clip from the show suggests wasn't their idea. Alejandra Jackson had two children with Randy Jackson -- Genevieve and Randy Jr. -- and then married Randy's brother Jermaine, having sons Jaafar and Jermajesty. Alejandra has raised Donte since he was 2 after he was adopted by Katherine and Joe Jackson. "It's a long story," Alejandra said about her love life. - AP, 7/9/14.
A 50th anniversary Beatles special called The Beatles: The Night That Changed America which was broadcast on CBS in February has scored six Emmy Awards nominations. The special, produced by CBS and AEG Ehrlich Ventures, is up for Outstanding Variety Special and in the categories of direction (Gregg Gelfand), music direction (Don Was), writing (Ken Ehrlich, David Wild), lighting design and sound mixing. In other Beatles-related news, Oscar-winning composer Ken Thorne, who earned a Grammy nomination for writing the incidental score to the 1965 Beatles film Help!, died on July 8 at age 90. Mr. Thorne also won an Oscar for scoring the 1966 musical A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum and went on to receive an Emmy nomination for the 1995 CBS TV movie A Season Of Hope. Mr. Thorne, who was born in England and lived in West Hills, Calif., began playing piano at age five and was a professional musician by 15. His other credits include Superman II, Superman III and The Monkees' comedy Head. - Billboard, 7/10/14.
Charlie Haden, one of the most influential bass players of his generation, died on July 13 after a prolonged illness, according to his family and his record label, ECM. He was 76. Haden made essential recordings with Ornette Coleman's iconic free jazz quartet, trumpeter Don Cherry and drummer Billy Higgins, including albums The Shape of Jazz To Come and Change Of The Century. His solos on tunes like "Lonely Woman" and "Ramblin'" are still remembered, and he also played on the influential Coleman LP, This Is Our Music. In 1997, Haden released a Grammy-winning duet album with Pat Metheny, Beyond The Missouri Sky, and he released over twenty albums as a band leader and appeared on approximately 150 other recordings. - Billboard...... Teenie Hodges, a Memphis, Tennessee musician best known for his work as rhythm and lead guitarist and songwriter on many of Al Green's popular soul hits of the '70s, has died at age 68. Two of his compositions "Take Me to the River" and "Love and Happiness," both co-written with Green, have been covered by numerous other international artists, including Talking Heads, Al Jarreau, Amazing Rhythm Aces, Canned Heat, Foghat, Levon Helm, Tom Jones, and others. He also co-wrote several other popular hits with songwriters like Isaac Hayes, Willie Mitchell, and Green, including "I Take What I Want," "Oh Me, Oh My," "Here I Am (Come and Take Me)" and "Full of Fire." In March 2014, Hodges was taken to a Dallas hospital for pneumonia, following an appearance at Austin's South by Southwest music festival. He died there on June 22, 2014, from complications of emphysema. - Wikipedia.com...... John Seigenthaler, a veteran journalist and publisher who was also known as a strong defender of the First Amendment and civil rights, died on July 11 at his home in Nashville, Tenn. He was 86. In his wide-ranging career, Mr. Seigenthaler also served on Robert Kennedy's presidential campaign, founded the First Amendment Center at Vanderbilt University in Nashville, edited and then published The Nashville Tennessean newspaper, and helped shaped the pioneering national newspaper USA Today. After he retired from The Tennessean in 1991, Mr. Seigenthaler founded the First Amendment Center at Vanderbilt, which aims to "create national discussion, dialogue and debate about First Amendment issues." He was also the father of broadcast journalist John Seigenthaler Jr., who survives him along with his wife, the former Dolores Watson, a professional singer. - AP
On July 3, the director of the beleaguered Gregg Allman biopic Midnight Rider, along with two of the film's producers, were indicted by a Georgia grand jury on involuntary manslaughter charges following a fatal train crash on the film's set in that state in February, which led to the death of camera assistant Sarah Jones. Producer Jody Savin and executive producer Jay Sedrish are charged with involuntary manslaughter and criminal trespass and could face 10 years in prison, according to a statement from the Brunswick Judicial Circuit District Attorney's office. Filming on Midnight Rider, which was being made by Uunclaimed Freight Productions, was suspended in the aftermath of the train tragedy, and actor William Hurt -- who was due to play Allman -- pulled out of the production. Seven other crew members were also injured in the incident, which is reported to have taken place while filming a dream sequence that involved a bed being placed on the railway tracks. - Billboard, 7/4/14.
In the July 3 episode of the popular game show Jeopardy! an entire category was devoted to Bruce Springsteen. The Springsteen-related themes included "Born in the U.S.A.," "Glory Days," "Cover Me," "The Ghost of Tom Joad," and "The 'E' Street Band," and one category dealt exclusively with the singer himself. While Springsteen has no live shows scheduled for the immediate future, on July 9 he will release Hunter of Invisible Game, a short film he co-directed with longtime collaborator Thom Zinny. He recently paused his vacation in Portugal to appear with the Rolling Stones for a rendition of "Tumbling Dice." - Rolling Stone, 7/4/14.
Blondie have announced two UK shows this summer, at the Bristol O2 Academy on Aug. 19 and the Leicester O2 Academy on Aug. 20. The gigs will follow the release of the recent two-disc Blondie 4(0) Ever which is made up of a greatest hits album alongside the band's new LP Ghosts Of Download. It was their first release since 2011's Panic Of Girls. Blondie recently played UK dates in London and Sheffield at the end of June, and also co-headlined the legendary Glastonbury Festival. In February, the band was honoured at the NME Awards with Austin, Tex. They were named Godlike Genius at this year's event, which took place on Feb. 26, where they performed a career-spanning set. - New Musical Express, 7/5/14.
When KISS took the stage at the final night of their farewell tour in Dec. 2023 at New York City's famed Madison Square Garden, they ended by revealing digitized avatars of themselves. Now the band announced on Apr. 4 that they've sold the band's publishing, recording royalties and trademarks -- including both the band's logo and its iconic makeup design -- to the Swedish company Pophouse that also backed ABBA's successful avatar-featuring Voyage show in London. The deal will result in a Pophouse-produced KISS virtual show, using some of the same technology as Voyage. "We have a lot of plans for KISS," Pophouse CEO Per Sundin says. Although Sundin says the company bought out the rights owned by frontmen Gene Simmons and Paul Stanley, the two musicians will work with the company to develop the show, which is expected to open in 2027 in a U.S. city that will be announced at a later date. But don't expect it to look anything like ABBA Voyage, Sundin says. "We want to keep to the legacy. We want to extend it and amplify it for new generations," he says, adding that fans can also expect a KISS biopic and a documentary. Pophouse would not comment on the terms of the deal, which are presumably more complicated than a straightforward purchase of publishing rights, but it is estimated to be worth over $300 million. "We went to see the ABBA show and it blew our socks off," Gene Simmons said as he reacted to the Pophouse deal. "And the technology since then has improved by leaps and bounds. We've seen sketches of what it will look like and we looked like the X-Men," he added. Since KISS concerts were always heavy on spectacle, Simmons adds that a virtual show seems ideal for the band. "Everything is theater. We wanted bombast theater," he added. At this point, KISS may be better known for its concerts than its songs. But the deal includes those, plus recording royalties. Pophouse also has a good relationship with UMG, which owns the band's recordings, since Sundin was previously managing director of Universal Music Sweden and president of Universal Music Nordics. The band's trademarks belonged to Simmons and Stanley, including the makeup designs for their characters: The Demon (Simmons), the Starchild (Stanley), the Spaceman (originally Ace Frehley, more recently Tommy Thayer) and the Catman (originally Peter Criss, more recently Eric Singer). - Billboard/AP, 4/4/24...... The brother of late The Ramones co-founder Joey Ramone is fighting back against a lawsuit filed by late Ramones member Johnny Ramone's widow over a planned Netflix movie about the pioneering punk band, calling the case "baseless and flimsy" and filing his own countersuit against her. Johnny's wife, Linda Cummings-Ramone, sued Joey's brother Mitchel Hyman (better known as Mickey Leigh) in January over allegations that he had "covertly" developed an "unauthorized" biopic, believed to be Netflix's announced movie starring Pete Davidson as Joey. In the lawsuit, Cummings-Ramone said that any "authoritative story of the Ramones" would require her sign-off. But in a sharply worded response filed in March, Leigh's attorneys argued that Cummings-Ramone had, in fact, already greenlit such a movie many years ago -- and that her "baseless" lawsuit was simply one more step in a yearslong plan to "install herself as the Queen of the Ramones." "Ms. Cummings-Ramone's main purpose is to embarrass, harass, and destroy the integrity of Mr. Hyman, create an utterly false narrative about him, rewrite her role in the history of the Ramones, and win a popularity contest in which, in her mind, she takes over & the legacy of a band of which she never was a member and had nothing to do with creatively," Leigh's lawyers wrote in the Mar. 15 filing. Joey (real name: Jeffrey Ross Hyman) and Johnny (real name: John William Cummings) were not actually brothers, and they had a notoriously chilly relationship during their decades as bandmates. In the years since the two died, that feud has seemingly continued between Leigh and Cummings-Ramone. As the executors of Joey's and Johnny's respective estates, Leigh and Cummings-Ramone each own half of Ramones Productions, the holding company that controls the band's music and other assets. But that partnership has not gone smoothly, featuring multiple lawsuits and arbitrations over the past decade. The latest legal scuffle was triggered in part by the plans for a movie version of I Slept With Joey Ramone, Leigh's 2009 memoir, which Netflix announced in Apr. 2021. - Billboard, 4/3/24...... The two most prominent of Michael Jackson's alleged child molestation victims have requested access to nude photos of Jackson that were taken by the police back in 1993, around the same time Jackson was accused by a 13-year-old boy of sexual abuse. In March, Wade Robson, now 41, and James Safechuck, now 46, issued a subpoena requesting access to "photographs of Michael Jackson's genitalia and naked body taken by police" in an attempt to unseal the records. But lawyers for Jackson's estate are fighting back, arguing that the "highly sensitive" and "private" documents had been "sealed by a court-entered protective order from the Santa Barbara Superior Court." The team went on to call the plaintiffs' request "an egregious violation" and "simply beyond the pale." "The photographs Plaintiffs seek were not taken willingly by Mr. Jackson; they were the result of a court-ordered search based on a false statement in what became a discredited criminal investigation," the attorneys wrote. "To allow Plaintiffs to exploit that series of circumstances to their benefit by obtaining those photographs now adds a second defilement to the first," In 2013 and 2014 respectively, Robson and Safechuck accused the King of Pop of sexually abusing them as children. Both men are now suing the deceased singer's companies, arguing they are liable for allowing the alleged abuse to take place. - Music-News.com, 4/4/24...... 
Cher was honored with the iHeartRadio Icon Award during the 2024 iHeartRadio Music Awards held at the Dolby Theatre on Apr. 1, 2024 in Los Angeles. When the Grammy-winning singer and Oscar-winning actor took the stage, she had some words for the haters. "There are people who say, 'Doesn't that b-tch have more than one pair of pants?'," she said, laughing, while sporting a pair of Chrome Hearts pants. "I've had these pants for 40 years. I thought we should come here and accept this award together." Speaking to her longevity, Cher said she felt "lucky to have people that have stayed with me all these years," while acknowledging that "most of you weren't born" when her career began as part of Sonny & Cher in the 1960s. "I don't usually talk about it, but I have been down and out so many times you could not believe it," Cher admitted. "Dropped by record companies, couldn't get a job they said, 'Oh, she's so over.' But I never gave up my dream." Cher also had some advice for everyone in attendance and watching at home, too. "Have a dream and don't give it up no matter what happens. If you have a dream and stick with it, you will have a wonderful life and it will probably come true." Prior to accepting the Icon Award, Cher hit the stage to perform her No. 1 hit "Believe," joined by vocal powerhouse (and fellow Oscar and Grammy winner) Jennifer Hudson. Cher's Icon Award was introduced by another living legend: Meryl Streep, who has been friends with Cher since they starred in the 1983 drama Silkwood together. Streep noted that Cher is the only woman who has notched a No. 1 Billboard song in every one of the last seven decades. She also shared a story about listening to "I Got You Babe" back when she was just a teen in the mid '60s. "[Cher was] 17. I thought she was old -- she could have been a senior! Now we're both seniors," she added drily. - Billboard, 4/1/24...... Prince's Grammy-winning 28th studio album Musicology received rave reviews from fans and critics alike when it was released 20 years ago, and with its revolutionary direct-to-fan marketing strategy, effectively changed music promotion forever. On Apr. 5, to commemorate the anniversary, NPG Records and Paisley Park Enterprises, in partnership with Sony Music Entertainment, released "United States Of Division," a rare 2004 Prince recording that was initially offered as a virtual B-side download for "Cinnamon Girl" exclusively from Prince's NPG Music Club and eventually as a non-LP bonus track for the UK CD single of "Cinnamon Girl," but has not been distributed via streaming services until now. "United States Of Division" is a powerful protest song that sees Prince boldly confronting the social and political issues that continue to plague the nation to this day. Over a percussive backbeat and slinking bassline colored by synths and horn stabs, Prince laments the state of a fractured nation: "How far from heaven must we go? / Before the winds of change will blow and show / This world how it's supposed to be / Land of peace and harmony." Released on Apr. 20, 2004, in the midst of the US war in Iraq, "United States Of Division" serves as a potent reminder of Prince's often underappreciated passion for social commentary. Musicology was praised by Rolling Stone for "its sinuous grooves and effortless swing" and earned Prince two Grammy awards in addition to being certified double platinum by the RIAA in 2005. The album came at the peak of Prince's early 2000s resurgence, practically coinciding with his induction into the Rock & Roll Hall Of Fame where he performed his now iconic guitar solo on an all-star rendition of The Beatles classic, "While My Guitar Gently Weeps." His Musicology tour that year was also his highest-grossing US tour of his career and one of the most successful US tours of the year, with the artist performing for over 1.4 million fans. - Music-News.com, 4/5/24...... ABBA has reportedly struck a "multi-million-dollar" deal to take their acclaimed 'Voyage' hologram show to Las Vegas. Band members Benny Andersson, Agnetha Fältskog, Anni-Frid Lyngstad and Bjorn Ulvaeus have reportedly been in talks with Resorts World to bring the ABBA-tars to Vegas following its huge success in London over the last couple of years. "ABBA has been secretly in talks for a while about getting a deal in Vegas," a source told the Daily Star paper. "The music of Abba is well liked in the US and the unique selling point of avatars makes it more than an ABBA show as the spectacular is something that could well wow audiences." In 2023, it was reported that a Voyage world tour was in the works for the virtual concert experience, but no plans have been confirmed in regard to the timeframe or locations where it could happen. - NME, 4/2/24...... Bruce Springsteeen paused his Mar. 31 concert with the E Street Band at San Francisco's Chase Center to sign a young student's absentee note to cut class to attend his show. Springsteen's attention was brought to a young fan in the front row, who was carrying a handwritten sign that read "Skipping school, sign my note?". The note would allow the kid to skip school on Apr. 1 after attending the concert. Springsteen obliged the young fan and signed the now, however it is currently unclear if the absentee note signed by The Boss was accepted by their school. Elsewhere during the show, the New Jersey rocker kicked off the concert with "Light Of Day," marking its first time being performed on his ongoing tour, as well as the first time he had performed the song with the E Street Band since 2016. - NME, 4/2/24...... 
Former King Crimson principal Robert Fripp went nude on Apr. 1 to announce that he had joined the adult content site OnlyFans -- but it turned out to be an April Fool's Day joke. On that day Fripp took to 
John Sinclair, the counterculture poet and political activist who was also the former manager of the Detroit rock band MC5 and helped launch the career of Iggy Pop, died on Apr. 2 at Detroit Receiving Hospital following congestive heart failure. He was 82. Mr. Sinclair was an influential activist who was best known for his fight toward legalizing marijuana in the US and for his role in MC5. Born on Oct. 2, 1941 in the Flint, Mich. suburb of Davison, Mr. Sinclair was also a champion of civil rights and co-founder of the radical anti-racist group the White Panther Party. He also helped launch the seminal punk rock band Iggy Pop and the Stooges, and managed the MC5 through 1969, helping the group score its contract with Elektra Records. Mr. Sinclair was famously arrested for allegedly giving two cannabis joints to police officers in the late 1960s and sentenced to 10 years in prison. He served 29 months but was released a few days after John Lennon, Stevie Wonder, Bob Seger and others performed in front of 15,000 attendees at the University of Michigan's Crisler Arena. Lennon also wrote a song named after Mr. Sinclair that appeared on his 1972 solo album, Sometime In New York City. Mr. Sinclair also faced charges of conspiracy to destroy government property in 1972, which went all the way to the U.S. Supreme Court and resulted in a landmark decision that prohibited the government's use of electronic surveillance without a warrant. After those cases, Mr. Sinclair spent time living in Amsterdam -- where he established the John Sinclair Foundation to promote arts and media -- and New Orleans, where he continued writing and performing. He formed bands, including several iterations of his Blues Scholars, and recorded a litany of albums, including the highly regarded Guitar Army in 2007. He also hosted performances at the Detroit Jazz Center in the city's downtown and launched the Radio Free Amsterdam channel online. Over the years, Mr. Sinclair also promoted concerts and festivals and helped to establish the Detroit Artists Workshop and Detroit Jazz Center. He taught blues history at Wayne State University and wrote liner notes for albums by such artists as The Isley Brothers and Harold Melvin & The Blue Notes. His death comes just two months after MC5 guitarist and co-founder Wayne Kramer died at the age of 75 after battling pancreatic cancer. "He was a truly interesting man, one of a kind. Thanks and praises," Iggy Pop posted on 
In a new interview with Billboard, former Foreigner vocalist Lou Gramm says he'd "given up" on his famous classic rock band being inducted into the 
Comedian Jerry Seinfeld paid tribute to his fellow Long Islander pal Billy Joel during Joel's 100th show at Madison Square Garden. "I am from Long Island, like Billy is from Long Island," Seinfeld told the crows. "He captured how we all feel living in this particular part of the world. Long Island. New York. He's like the companion that we've gone through our whole lives with. His music is our best friend for our whole life." Seinfeld continued: "100 sellouts in a row. Congratulations, Billy," Seinfeld said while presenting a banner to commemorate the milestone. "Most lifetime performances by any artist. You can die now," he joked. "And I want to thank you for buying my house," Joel told Seinfeld as he left the stage. "That was a nice thing to do." Seinfeld currently lives in his former house, having purchased Joel's house almost 25 years ago. Joel has been performing at the venue for a residency once a month for the last decade, with each of his 100 shows being a sell-out. His first MSG concert took place on Dec. 14, 1978, and every Billy Joel concert there has been a sell-out since. Fan-shot footage of Seinfeld's Piano Man tribute has been shared on 
A cache of never-before-heard Marvin Gaye music that has potentially lain hidden in Belgium for over 40 years has been found, according to a report by the BBC. Gaye moved to the coastal city of Ostend in 1981 after taking the business card of a Belgian concert promoter in a nightclub while he was living in London. At the time, he was a heavy cocaine user, but his move to Belgium helped him to beat his addiction. It was also during this time that he recorded one of his biggest hits, "Sexual Healing." For a time, Gaye lived at the home of a Belgian musician, Charles Dumolin, and it is Dumolin's family who are claiming ownership of the material. "They belong to [the family] because they were left in Belgium 42 years ago," said Belgian lawyer Alex Trappeniers. "Marvin gave it to them and said, 'Do whatever you want with it' and he never came back. That's important." Trappeniers continued: "Each time a new instrumental started when Marvin started singing, I gave it a number. At the end when I had listened to all the 30 tapes I had 66 demos of new songs. A few of them are complete and a few of them are as good as 'Sexual Healing', because it was made in the same time." Meanwhile, Gaye's heirs in the US might theoretically have the rights to the music but would be unable to access it without owning the tapes. Trappeniers said he thought a compromise was due. "I think we both benefit, the family of Marvin and the collection in the hands of [Dumolin's heirs]. If we put our hands together and find the right people in the world, the Mark Ronsons or the Bruno Mars. I'm not here to make suggestions but to say 'OK, let's listen to this and let's make the next album'," he said. "Morally," he says, "I'd like to work with the family but this is the nightmare for them that someone comes from a country where there's a lot of money and we make an agreement and this collection leaves this country." The family of Dumolin, who died in 2019, undoubtedly own the collection, particularly in light of a Belgian law that stipulates that any property becomes yours after 30 years, regardless of how it is acquired. This, however, doesn't apply to intellectual property, meaning Trappeniers and his partners could end up as the owners of the physical tapes on which the music was recorded, without the right to publish the songs. Also among the rediscovered Gaye items is a valuable collection of his stage costumes and notebooks. - NME, 3/31/24...... If you've ever wanted to see Mick Jagger himself dancing to Maroon 5's 2011 hit "Moves Like Jagger," now's your big chance. On Mar. 27, the Rolling Stones frontman took to 
In other Springsteen-related news, actor Jeremy Allen White is reportedly in talks to portray Springsteen in an upcoming biopic. White, best known for his roles in The Iron Claw, Shameless and more, took the 2024 award season by storm with his intense but vulnerable role as Carmen "Carmy" Berzatto in the FX comedy-drama series The Bear. The Brooklyn-born White, 33, won a number of best actor awards for his role on The Bear, including two Critics' Choice Awards, two Golden Globe Awards, two SAG Awards, an Emmy Award and more. The upcoming film is set to focus on the making of The Boss' 1982 stripped-down album Nebraska, and will be based on the 2023 Warren Zanes deep-dive novel of the same name. Springsteen has previously said that Nebraska, his sixth studio album, is his most definitive work. "If I had to pick out one album and say, 'This is going to represent you 50 years from now' I'd pick Nebraska," he told CBS Sunday Morning in 2023. Nebraska peaked at No. 3 on the Billboard 200 albums chart dated Oct. 30, 1982. So far no further details on a timeline or production details about the Springsteen biopic have been announced. - Billboard/The Hollywood Reporter, 3/28/24...... Speaking to the UK's The Times newspaper, Roger Daltrey reflected on recently turning 80, saying that "he has to be realistic" and that he is "on the way out." "I have to be realistic," he wrote in a "backstage diary" feature for the paper. "I'm on my way out. The average life expectancy is 83 and with a bit of luck I'll make that, but we need someone else to drive things." Daltrey was referring to recently wrapping up his last year the active curator of the Teenage Cancer Trust series of charity shows. "I'm not leaving TCT -- I've been a patron since I first met the charity's founders, Dr. Adrian and Myrna Whiteson, more than 30 years ago -- and that will continue, but I'll be working in the back room, talking to the government, rattling cages." The Who frontman also opened up about feeling nerves ahead of his recent shows: "We haven't done anything for seven months and this winter's been brutal. I've been in hibernation. For the whole of January, I lost my voice completely." His remarks come after the singer recently announced a new "semi-acoustic" 9-date solo tour of North America, launching in Vienna, Va. on June 12. Meanwhile, Who guitarist Pete Townshend has teased the prospect of a worldwide The Who "final tour" before they "crawl off and die." In an interview with The New York Times, the 78-year-old musician said he was open to making new music, five years after The Who's last album of new music and 31 years after his last solo album. "I do and I think I will," Townshend said when asked if he wants to make new music. "It feels to me like there's one thing the Who can do, and that's a final tour where we play every territory in the world and then crawl off to die," he noted. Townshend admitted he has mainly been "touring for the money" in recent years, and while he's been writing a lot in his spare time, he hasn't felt a desire to release any of the material. He added: "I don't get much of a buzz from performing with the Who. If I'm really honest, I've been touring for the money. My idea of an ordinary lifestyle is pretty elevated. I've been immensely creative and productive throughout that period, but I haven't felt the need to put it out. And if I can make it personal, I don't care whether you like it or not. When White City came out [in 1985] and the sales were so slow, I thought, 'Screw this'. Nobody wanted me as I was -- they wanted the old Pete." - New Musical Express/Music-News.com, 3/31/24...... A new documentary examining the life and career of "King Tut" comedian Steve Martin is currently streaming on the Apple TV+ platform. STEVE dives into the extraordinary story o Martin, told from two distinct points of view that trace his rise in standup and examines the golden years of his career. - Canoe.com, 3/24/24...... 
ABBA will be releasing a 50th-anniversary deluxe reissue of their iconic 1974 album Waterloo on Apr. 5 to mark 50 years after the now-legendary Swedish band had their international breakthrough in the Eurovision Song Contest on Apr. 6, 1974 at The Dome in Brighton, UK. The reissue comes on the Polar Music International label and arrives as a half-speed mastered 45 RPM 2-LP vinyl, along with a limited edition box set of the three vinyl singles originally released in 1974. The three singles are also available as separate picture disks. There is also a unique 10-inch vinyl disc featuring "Waterloo" in four different languages, as well as a new line of retro-'70s apparel. As well as the now-iconic title track, the tracklist of their second album also includes songs such as "Honey, Honey," "Dance (While The Music Still Goes On)," and "Hasta Maana" -- a ballad that very nearly became ABBA's Eurovision entry choice instead of the title track. As well as the vinyl reissue, fans are also being given the chance to dance along to ABBA's hits on the roof of London's O2 to celebrate the milestone. Taking place for one night only on Apr. 4, fans can climb the landmark venue, then swap their climbing shoes for dancing shoes as an ABBA silent disco will be held against the backdrop of London's skyline. For more information and tickets you can visit the 
Columbia/Legacy announced on Aug. 26 that a six-disc set of Bob Dylan's legendary Basement Tapes he recorded with the Band in 1967 will be the next edition of his Bootleg Series. Dropping on Nov. 4, 
As the tenth annual Johnny Ramone tribute took place at the Hollywood Forever Cemetery on Aug. 24, the respective estates of the deceased members of the seminal punk band the Ramones say that going forward, all Ramones tributes will be about the group as a whole. "That was probably the last Johnny Ramone tribute youre gonna see," says Ramones estate co-manager Jeff Jampol. "We're gonna do something moving forward, but its gonna be Ramones. We're all gonna focus on the Ramones, and its that whole thing of, United we stand, divided we fall. The legacy is the Ramones, the music is the Ramones, it was the four of them -- it was Johnny, Joey, Dee Dee and Tommy, and everybody is cooperating and moving in one direction together as a team." For years, Johnny's widow Linda Ramone has controlled Johnny's half of the bands estate, while Joey's brother Mickey oversaw the lead singers half. After a long behind the scenes disputes, all sides say they are finally on the same page. Jampol, who also handles estates for the Doors, Janis Joplin and Otis Redding, among others, says he has big plans for the Ramones moving forward. "The 40th anniversary of the Ramones is coming up in 2016, that's when the first album came out. So we have a lot of projects leading up to that. We're looking at a documentary on the Ramones, we just secured a ton of footage, much of which has never been seen before," he says. The documentary is just one of several projects in the works, Jampol says. Among the others are a theatrical play, a book and a film, which already has Oscar-winning director Martin Scorsese attached. The Ramones will also be reappearing in several other ways, including remastered music, fashion and music placement. - Billboard, 8/27/14.
Pioneering rock 'n' roller Chuck Berry was honored with Sweden's prestigious Polar Music Prize during a ceremony on Aug. 26 in Stockholm, but the 88-year-old Berry was unable to attend the gala due to health issues. "He's been struggling with his health for a while," noted Marie Ledin, managing director of the Polar Music Prize, in the lead up to this year's event. Rolling Stones guitarist Keith Richards, in a recorded message played at the gala, said the 
Listeners of the BBC's Radio 2 have named Led Zeppelin's "Whole Lotta Love" as the "Greatest Guitar Riff of All Time," after a contest was announced in July. "Whole Lotta Love" was selected from list of 100 songs compiled by a panel of music experts. Other top guitar riffs in the top ten included songs by Guns N' Roses ("Sweet Child O' Mine"), AC/DC ("Back in Black"), Deep Purple ("Smoke on the Water"), Derek and the Dominoes ("Layla"), The Smiths ("How Soon Is Now?"), Status Quo ("Down Down"), Dire Straits ("Money For Nothing"), The Kinks ("You Really Got Me"), and Pink Floyd ("Money"). After hearing the news that "Whole Lotta Love" had been voted the top riff song, Led Zeppelin's Jimmy Page said that he was "knocked out by this, because I didn't expect that to happen." "There's been so many wonderful riffs along the way. I wanted a riff that really moved, that people would really get, and would bring a smile to their faces, but when I played it with the band, it really went into overdrive. There was this intent to have this riff and the movement of it, so it was menacing as well as quite sort of caressing," he said. - New Musical Express, 8/26/14.
Neil Young has filed a petition for a dissolution of marriage from his wife Pegi Young, to whom he has been married for 36 years. The petition was filed by Young, who often collaborated and toured with Pegi and duetted with her during a 1990s Academy Awards show, on July 29 in San Mateo, Calif., with a hearing set for Dec. 12. The couple first met when Neil visited a diner near his California home, where Pegi was working as a waitress. Pegi is the inspiration for some of Young's most enduring love songs, including "Such a Woman," "Unknown Legend" and "Once an Angel." She began serving as his background singer in the 1990s, sharing the stage with him at the 1994 Academy Awards and numerous tours over the past 20 years. In 1986, the couple co-founded the Bridge School to provide educational opportunities for students with severe physical impairments, with their son Ben in mind, who suffers from cerebral palsy. Pegi, who released a self-titled debut album in 2007 and frequently tours on her own, was scheduled to perform with Neil at Farm Aid in Raleigh, N.C., on Sept. 13, though Pegi's name was recently removed from the line-up. - Rolling Stone...... Cliff Richard issued a statement on Aug. 24 saying allegations that he assaulted a boy at a religious rally in Sheffield, northern England, in the 1980s is "completely false." The British pop star said that he was questioned by South Yorkshire Police by appointment, who have not arrested or charged him so far. British authorities do not name suspects unless they are formally charged, and merely say that "a 73-year-old man was interviewed under caution at a police station on Aug. 23." "Under caution" means the interview was recorded and could be used in future prosecutions. Earlier in August, police searched Richard's house near London after receiving what they called "an allegation of a sexual nature at a religious event at the Bramall Lane stadium in Sheffield in 1985." Richard was recently scheduled to be presented with the keys to the Portuguese city of Albufeira -- his adopted home -- but following recent events he chose not to accept the honor. - AP...... Rolling Stones guitarist Ronnie Wood took part in the popular "ice bucket challenge" to raise awareness of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) on Aug. 26. Wood had a bucket of ice water thrown over his head before nominating his son, Tyrone, his former Faces bandmate Rod Stewart, and actor Woody Harrelson, to also take the challenge. - NME...... 
Acclaimed British actor and director Richard Attenborough died on Aug. 24 at age 90 after having been in poor health for some time, according to his son. Mr. Attenborough won an Academy Award for best director with Gandhi in 1982, only one of many highlights of a distinguished 60-year career as actor and director. With his abundant snow-white hair and beard, he appeared in a many major Hollywood films, directed a series of movies and was known for his extensive work as a goodwill ambassador for UNICEF and other humanitarian causes. As a director, Mr. Attenborough made several successful movies, from Oh What a Lovely War in 1969 to Chaplin and Shadowlands in the 1990s. But his greatest success was Gandhi, a film that was 20 years in the planning and won eight Oscars, including best picture. He also played the failed theme park developer in Jurassic Park and Kriss Kringle in a remake of Miracle on 34th Street. He was knighted in 1976, and 17 years later received a life peerage, becoming Baron Attenborough of Richmond upon Thames. Mr. Attenborough had been in frail health since a fall at his house in 2008, and spent his last years in a nursing home with his wife. - CNN
December 8 marked the 39th year since John Lennon was shot and killed outside his New York apartment at age 40, and his widow Yoko Ono posted an emotional tribute to her late husband on Twitter that day. "Dear Friends. Every day, 100 Americans are shot and killed with guns. We are turning this beautiful country into a War Zone. Together, let's bring back America, the green land of peace," she wrote. Ono also shared a statistic that revealed over 1,400,000 people have been killed by guns in America since Lennon's death. "The death of a loved one is a hollowing experience. After 39 years, Sean, Julian and I still miss him. Imagine all the people living life in peace," she added. Yoko's outdoor art installation, the Imagine Peace Tower in Reykjav'k, Iceland, is lit up each year in memory of John from the date of his birthday until the anniversary of his death. Live footage of the tower can be viewed on 
Rod Stewart has earned his first Billboard Classical Albums chart No. 1 with his new album 
Def Leppard, Motley Crue, Poison and Joan Jett have announced a massive co-headlining stadium tour in 2020 simply titled "The Stadium Tour." Visiting some of America's largest venues, the Stadium Tour gets underway July 7 at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami and then hit cities including Houston, San Francisco, Atlanta, Pittsburgh, Detroit, Boston, Chicago and more. The 22-date trek will close out on Sept. 5 at the brand new SoFi Stadium in Los Angeles. During a press conference at SiriusXM Studios' garage in Hollywood on Dec. 4 featuring members of Def Leppard, Motley Crue and Poison, Def Leppard frontman Joe Elliott said, "There's a lot of people who still think the '80s is a mockable decade, and we're about to prove that it's not. It's last man standing to a point maybe, but we have survived. Whether we've gone away and come back or we've been constant, it's the music that's been the thread that keeps bringing everybody back again." - Billboard, 12/4/19...... Two members of The Ramones have apparently reached a truce in their ongoing trademark dispute. Joey Ramone (born Jeffrey Hyman) and Johnny Ramone (born Johnny Cummings) died in 2001 and 2004, respectively -- both from cancer. After a year of arbitration, Joey Ramone's brother, Mitchel Hyman, and Johnny Ramone's widow, Linda Cummings-Ramone, have come to an agreement over the use of the name Ramone. A final arbitration agreement was filed on Dec. 2 in New York, resulting in Hyman and Cummings-Ramone each owning 50% interests in Ramone Productions Inc. (RPI), the company which markets license and produces memorabilia and music-related products bearing the group's name and likeness. Cummings-Ramone is also the company's co-president and director. The dispute started when Hyman brought claims against Linda Cummings after she legally changed her name to Ramone in 2014. Hyman claimed that Cummings' use of the Ramone name was "improper and unauthorised." He also wanted to stop her from referring to her Los Angeles house as "Ramones Ranch." - Billboard, 12/6/19...... Questlove, the drummer of the band The Roots, is set to make his directorial debut with a feature documentary titled Black Woodstock, detailing 1969's Harlem Cultural Festival. The outdoor festival, held in Harlem's Mount Morris Park, was headlined by the likes of Stevie Wonder, Nina Simone and The Staple Singers for a musical celebration of African-American culture and unity. However despite attracting a crowd of 300,000 attendees, the festival -- held in the same year as Woodstock -- failed to receive any mainstream media coverage. It's said that Black Woodstock will use 40 hours of never-seen-before footage, while producers promise music and performance footage to "knock audiences out of their seats." "I am truly excited to help bring the passion, the story and the music of the Harlem Cultural Festival to audiences around the world," Questlove said in a statement. "The performances are extraordinary. I was stunned when I saw the lost footage for the first time. It's incredible to look at 50 years of history that's never been told, and I'm eager and humbled to tell that story," he added. - NME, 12/5/19...... 
In a recently surfaced interview with local San Antonio, Tex. news station KSAT, Willie Nelson revealed that in an effort to take better care of himself, he no longer smokes cigarettes or marijuana. "I have abused my lungs quite a bit in the past, so breathing is a little more difficult these days and I have to be careful," the 86-year-old said. "I started smoking cedar bark, went from that to cigarettes to whatever. And that almost killed me," he added But a rep for Nelson told the AP later that Willie hasn't given up cannabis, and pointed out "there are different ways" to consume pot. "That said," she said "Willie does what he wants, when he wants, when it comes to smoking." One thing though Nelson won't be giving up anytime soon is touring. "I love the bus," he told KSAT. "This is my home." When asked how he feels about rumors that his health problems might suggest he is "near death," Nelson, in response, said "I don't give a f---, I'm here, I'm glad to be here." - AP/Jezebel.com, 12/4/19...... Carroll Spinney, the legendary puppeteer who gave the Sesame Street characters Big Bird and Oscar the Grouch their warmth for nearly 50 years, died on Dec. 8 at his home in Connecticut at age 85, according to the Sesame Workshop. Mr. Spinney voiced and operated the two major Muppets characters from their inception in 1969 when he was 36, and performed them almost exclusively into his 80s on the PBS kids' television show that later moved to HBO. "Before I came to 'Sesame Street,' I didn't feel like what I was doing was very important," Mr. Spinney said when he announced his retirement in 2018. "Big Bird helped me find my purpose." Through his two characters, Mr. Spinney gained huge fame that brought international tours, books, record albums, movie roles, and visits to the White House. The Sesame Workshop said in a statement that Mr. Spinney lived for some time with dystonia, which causes involuntary muscle contractions. "Carroll was an artistic genius whose kind and loving view of the world helped shape and define Sesame Street from its earliest days in 1969 through five decades, and his legacy here at Sesame Workshop and in the cultural firmament will be unending," the Workshop said in a statement. - AP, 12/8/19.
On Dec. 3 Lynyrd Skynyrd announced U.S. dates for the third year of their farewell tour with special guests Travis Tritt and the Eli Young Band. New dates for the legendary Southern rockers' "Last of the Street Survivors Farewell Tour" will launch on Mar. 7 at Martin Luther King Jr. Arena in Savannah, Ga. The tour will continue through California, Nevada, Mississippi, Louisiana, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Tennessee, Kentucky and more. On July 31, the newly announced dates will close out at The Amphitheater at White River State Park in Indianapolis, Ind. "We've said we want to play every venue and market we've ever visited around the world one last time and even some places we haven't, so we get to see all of Skynyrd Nation," said the band's lead singer, Johnny Van Zant, in a press release. "We are getting close!" International dates will be announced soon. - Billboard, 12/3/19...... In other Southern rock news, Allman Brothers Band keyboardist Chuck Leavell will lead a Dec. 3 Macon City, Georgia Auditorium concert celebrating the re-opening of the home of the group's former record label, Capricorn Records. ABB drummer "Jamoe" Johanson, Cowboy guitarist Tommy Talton, bluesman Taj Mahal and Widespread Panic's John Bell will be performing, as well as newer artists like Marcus King, Brent Cobb and Dickey Betts' son Duane Betts. The ABB released its debut album in November 1969, the first album issued on Capricorn Records. The Macon, Ga. based imprint would become synonymous with Southern rock, thanks to iconic hits by the Allmans, Marshall Tucker Band, Wet Willie and others. On Dec. 3, the legendary studio is celebrating its 50th anniversary with a grand re-opening as "Mercer Music at Capricorn." - Billboard, 12/3/19...... German electronic rock pioneers Kraftwerk have been confirmed as the latest headliner for the UK's All Points East 2020 festival, joining a line-up that includes the likes of Iggy Pop, Johnny Marr, Anna Calvi and Kim Gordon. Kraftwerk will perform their "Kraftwerk in 3D" show at London's Victoria Park on May 29, in what is set to be their only UK show of 2019. In October, Kraftwerk were announced among the latest nominees for the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame induction. - New Musical Express, 12/3/19...... As Elton John's massive "Farewell Yellow Brick Road Tour" kicked off in Australia in late November, the Rocket Man blasted off with a four-letter tirade at security personnel at HBF Park in Western Australia on Dec. 1, objecting to the treatment of a female fan who was being ejected. "Hey, you two security guards with the girls, F--- off. Bring her back here immediately," he said, as the audience cheered him along. "Come on you c---s. Morons, you both are, morons. You don't treat girls like that. Leave her alone you turds." His colorful outburst happened at the second of two Perth concerts on his farewell tour, and was caught on film by onlookers and posted on 
Beatles fans are being invited to listen to Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band at a new immersive event that aims to give the impression that the Fab Four are performing live. The pioneering experience, which is set to take place at Liverpool's Dr. Martin Luther King Building between Dec. 19 - Jan. 9, will present fans with a remixed version of the legendary 1967 album by George Martin's son, Giles Martin. The record will be played in Dolby Atmos with speakers being placed around the fans in a bid to transport them to Abbey Road Studios, where the album was recorded. "People will become fully immersed in a soundscape, which is unlike any other," Martin told the Liverpool Echo. "For me, it's like imagining falling through the vinyl of a record and and into this world where you're surrounded by the Beatles. It's like sitting in Abbey Road's Studio 2 and having the Beatles play for you," he added. In other Beatles-related news, singer Rihanna has shared a funny clip of her chance reunion with Paul McCartney during a flight from New York after Thanksgiving. The pair, who collaborated on Kanye West's song "FourFiveSeconds" in 2015, bumped into one another in the first class section of the plane, which was heading to London. A video that Rihanna shared on her Instagram stories reel (since reposted by the 
Family members of late "American Top 40" radio personality Casey Kasem have settled dueling lawsuits alleging that Casem was badly mistreated before his death in 2014. The two sides filed a joint request on Dec. 2 in Los Angeles Superior Court to dismiss a wrongful death lawsuit by three of Kasem's children and his brother against Kasem's widow that claimed her neglect and physical abuse led to his death, as well as a countersuit making similar claims against the plaintiffs that was filed by his widow and another daughter. The terms of the agreement were not revealed. Kerri Kasem, one of the daughters who filed the initial lawsuit, released a statement saying she was "distraught and heartbroken over her family and lawyers' decision to force her into a settlement." The first lawsuit was filed four years ago by Casey Kasem's children from a previous marriage, Kerri, Julie and Michael Kasem, and his brother Mouner Kasem. It was a lingering chapter in a series of heated and often public fights between his children and his second wife, former actress Jean Kasem, that began even before his death at age 82. The wrongful death lawsuit accused Jean Kasem, who was married to Casey Kasem for 34 years, of elder abuse and of inflicting emotional distress on his children by restricting their access to him before his death. Jean Kasem denied all of the allegations. She counter-sued and alleged that Casey Kasem's children were motivated by their desire to get his money after he cut them off financially in 2012, and that they had brought emotional distress to her and her father, claims they denied. Police and prosecutors in California and Washington investigated his treatment and death and found no evidence of criminal wrongdoing. Best known as the voice of radio's "American Top 40" for decades and for his sign-off catchphrase, "Keep your feet on the ground, and keep reaching for the stars," Kasem was also a constant on television as a host of shows and specials and as the voice of animated characters that included Shaggy in the Scooby-Doo TV cartoons. - AP, 12/2/19...... Actress Shelley Morrison, best known for her roles on The Flying Nun and Will & Grace, died on Nov. 30 of heart failure at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles. She was 83. Ms. Morrison played Sister Sixto alongside Sally Field on The Flying Nun, but was probably best known for her role as Rosario Salazar on Will & Grace from 1999 to 2006. She was the maid to Megan Mullally's character, Karen and the two often bantered back and forth. Mullally tweeted that her heart was heavy after learning about her co-star's passing. Ms. Morrison, who held many stage and screen roles throughout her 50-year career, more recently voiced Mrs. Portillo on the children's cartoon Handy Manny. - CBSNews.com, 12/2/19.