Classic Rock 93.9

A previously unreleased alternate version of George Harrison‘s classic song “Isn’t It a Pity” that will appear on the upcoming deluxe reissue of the late Beatles legend’s landmark 1970 solo album, All Things Must Pass, is now available as an advance digital track.

Two versions of “Isn’t It a Pity” are featured on the original album, while the expanded reissue offers three additional renditions — a demo recording and two alternate takes.

The newly released “Take 27” version features a slower and simpler arrangement than the best-known version of of “Isn’t It a Pity,” which was issued as a double-sided single with “My Sweet Lord.”

An animated music video for “Isn’t It a Pity (Take 27)” has debuted at Harrison’s YouTube channel in conjunction with the track’s release. The melancholy clip brings surreal and evocative painted images to life, including a windmill, grandfather clocks, hot air balloons, and a man rowing a boat followed by an old sailing ship, all inside of a bottle.

As previously reported, the expanded 50th anniversary edition of All Things Must Pass will be released August 6 in multiple formats and configurations, including a Super Deluxe eight-LP or five-CD/Blu-ray-audio set.

The Super Deluxe reissue features a new mix of the original 23-track album, as well as 30 demos and various outtakes, alternate takes and studio jams. Forty-two of the tracks are previously unreleased.

The collection comes with a 60-page scrapbook curated by Harrison’s widow, Olivia, that features rare images and memorabilia, handwritten lyrics, diary entries and more. A replica of the original album poster also is included.

Released in November 1970, All Things Must Pass spent seven weeks at #1 on the Billboard 200.

Visit GeorgeHarrison.com for full details about the reissue.

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July 17 was the second drop of Record Store Day 2021, and Foo Fighters and Pearl Jam came out on top.

Billboard reports that according to MRC Data, the event resulted in 1.14 million U.S. vinyl album sales overall, and the top-selling RSD release was Foo Fighters’ Hail Satin, released under the name The Dee Gees. The project sold 12,000 vinyl LPs, plus another 3,000 downloads when it was made available digitally on July 19.

The 10-song album features covers of four number-one Bee Gees hits, a cover of “Shadow Dancing” by the Bee Gees’ little brother, Andy Gibb, and live versions of songs from the Foos’ latest, Medicine at Midnight.

The top-selling RSD single release was Pearl Jam’s “Alive,” which was issued on both 12-inch vinyl and cassette, along with the rare B-sides “Wash,” “Dirty Frank” and a cover of The Beatles’ “I’ve Got a Feeling.”

Here are the top-selling RSD 2021 July 17 drop albums at independent record stores, according to MRC Data:

1. Dee Gees/Foo Fighters, Hail Satin
2. Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young, Deja Vu: Alternates
3. Beastie Boys, Aglio e Olio
4. Amy Winehouse, Remixes
5. Miles Davis, Champions: Rare Miles From the Complete Jack Johnson Sessions
6. Cat Stevens, Harold & Maude: The Songs From the Original Movie (Soundtrack)
7. The Rolling Stones, Hot Rocks 1964-1971
8. Allman Brothers Band, The Final Note: Painters Mill Music Fair, Owings Mills, MD 10-17-71
9. John Prine, Live: At the Other End, Dec. 1975
10. The Ramones, Triple J Live at the Wireless: Capital Theatre, Sydney, Australia, July 8, 1980

And here are the top-selling singles:

1. Pearl Jam, “Alive”
2. Fleet Foxes featuring Resistance Revival Chorus, “Can I Believe You ” / “Wading in Waist-High Water”
3. St. Vincent, “Piggy ” / “Sad But True “
4. Bob Dylan, “Jokerman” / “I and I ” (Remixes)
5. Karen O & Willie Nelson, “Under Pressure “
6. Dio, “God Hates Heavy Metal “
7. Denzel Curry & Robert Glasper, “So Incredible ” / “This Changes Everything ” (Live from Leimert Park)
8. ‘Weird Al’ Yankovic, “Beat on the Brat “
9. Jxdn, “Angels & Demons ” / “Drivers License”
10. The Dirty Knobs, “Humdinger “/ “Feelin’ High “

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Just as Journey starts playing live again for the first time since the COVID-19 pandemic began in 2020, the band has announced that Deen Castronovo, who was the group’s drummer from 1998 to 2015, has rejoined its lineup as a second drummer alongside Narada Michael Walden.

On Wednesday, Journey guitarist Neal Schon and Castronovo hinted at Deen’s return in a series of Twitter posts promoting the band’s Chicago concerts this week, on Thursday at the Aragon Ballroom and Saturday at the Lollapalooza festival.

Schon’s post featured the Twitter tags of the Aragon Ballroom and most of Journey’s current members, plus Marco Mendoza — who will be filling in on bass for Randy Jackson this week — and Deen.

Also, Castronovo tweeted on Wednesday a message that reads, “It’s ON!! STOKED to be playing with my brothers in Journey this weekend!! Let’s DO THIS!,” along with the hashtags #deencastronovo, #teamdeeno, #lollapalooza, #aragonballroom, #journeyband and #journeyfamily. The post also featured photos apparently taken at the group’s rehearsals for the concerts.

Then, on Thursday, Schon chatted with fans via a Facebook thread and was asked if Castronovo was back as an official member of Journey, to which he replied, “Yes.” He also noted that both Deen and Narada will be playing drums, adding, “JOURNEY AS YOU’VE NEVER HEARD US BEFORE!!!!”

Castronovo was fired from Journey in 2015 after he was arrested on domestic violence charges involving his then-girlfriend, to whom he’s now married.

In 2019, Castronovo took part in Schon’s short-lived Journey Through Time project, which celebrated Journey’s early music and also featured founding Journey singer/keyboardist Gregg Rolie and, interestingly, Mendoza.

Walden, Jackson and keyboardist/backing singer Jason Derlatka all joined Journey in 2020 after drummer Steve Smith and bassist Ross Valory were fired from the band.

Ok… Double trouble Chicago @NaradaMWalden @DeenTheDrummer Narada Michael Walden and the return of Deen Castronovo on Drums @AragonBallroom @lollapalooza pic.twitter.com/RRHYNi6CuQ

— NEAL SCHON MUSIC (@NealSchonMusic) July 27, 2021

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Get ready to hear Metallica as you’ve never heard them before.

Last fall, it was revealed that the metal legends had recorded an orchestral version of their song “Nothing Else Matters” for the upcoming Disney movie Jungle Cruise. Now, with the pandemic-delayed film set to finally be released this Friday, we’ve gotten our first preview of what Disney Metallica sounds like.

Brief snippets of the track can be heard in a new Jungle Cruise teaser, which Metallica tweeted Thursday. According to the band, you’ll hear “Nothing Else Matters” not once, but twice in the film.

“It was an honor to work with renowned, legendary [composer] James Newton Howard as we reimagined the song by performing his arrangement and creating a rendition we like to think is fit for an excursion through the Amazon,” Metallica says.

You’ll be able to hear the recording in full when the Jungle Cruise soundtrack drops tomorrow alongside the film, which will screen in theaters and on Disney+ via Premier Access.

Disney is the parent company of ABC News.

Planning to watch @JungleCruise in theaters or on Disney+ Premier Access tomorrow? Keep an ear out for a totally new and different version of “Nothing Else Matters,” appearing twice in the film! Check out this sneak peek. #JungleCruise pic.twitter.com/APbKEk7d1h

— Metallica (@Metallica) July 29, 2021

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When your shoes clash with your wine…ugh, so embarrassing, right?  Well, Jon Bon Jovi is here to save you from that fashion faux pas.

As Wine Spectator reports, Hampton Water rosé, the acclaimed wine created by the New Jersey rocker and his son, Jesse Bongiovi, is teaming with the Italian sportswear brand Superga to create Hampton Water-branded shoes.  According to Jesse, he first encountered the Superga team at a wine event; they “hit it off,” he says, and that led to the idea for the footwear.

The limited-edition “Superga x Hampton Water 2750 Cotu Classic 2021” is a canvas sneaker with a hand-painted Hampton Water logo.  It also has the words “Hampton Water” stitched across the heels and comes with two colors of dip-dyed shoelaces — one in “rosé pink,” of course, and the other in “Mediterranean blue.” 

Two hundred pairs are now available for pre-order, via Superga’s website for $99.  The official release date is August 30, which means you won’t be able to spend Summer 2021 sipping Hampton Water in your Hampton Water sneakers.  But there’s always 2022, and maybe Bon Jovi will be back on the road by then.

Previously, Hampton Water teamed with the high-end candy brand Sugarfina to sell a line of branded rosé-flavored gummies.

 

 

 

 

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Following Wednesday’s sad news of the death of longtime ZZ Top bassist Dusty Hill, the band’s frontman, Billy Gibbons, has revealed that the Rock & Roll Hall of Famers plan to continue.

Yesterday, rock radio personality Eddie Trunk took to his Twitter feed to share a text message Gibbons sent him that reads, “As Dusty said upon his departure, ‘Let the show go on!’ and…with respect, we’ll do well to get beyond this and honor his wishes.”

The 71-year-old singer/guitarist added, “Dusty emphatically grabbed my arm and said, ‘Give Elwood the bottom end and take it to the Top.’ He meant it, amigo. He really did.”

The “Elwood” Billy mentions is Elwood Francis, ZZ Top’s longtime guitar tech, who’d been filling in for Hill on bass at recent concerts by the band.

Before Hill’s death, ZZ Top announced on their Facebook page that Dusty had to exit the band’s tour and return home to Texas “to address a hip issue,” and that Francis was stepping in “with his slide guitar, bass guitar, and harmonica playing in full swing.”

ZZ Top canceled their show on Wednesday, July 28, in Simpsonville, South Carolina, but the band is still slated to play its next scheduled gig this Friday, July 30 in Tuscaloosa, Alabama.

On Wednesday, ZZ Top announced that Hill had “passed away in his sleep at home in Houston.” He was 72. No cause of death has yet been publicly revealed.

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Metallica guitarist Kirk Hammett has announced a partnership with Gibson.

“It’s a really great and exciting time for me to be joining forces with Gibson,” Hammett says in a statement. “I look forward to achieving great things together in the future.”

To celebrate the partnership announcement, Hammett took part in a 20-minute interview with Gibson Brand President Cesar Gueikian, which is streaming now on YouTube.

Hammett is a longtime player of Gibson guitars — his signature axe is arguably his ’59 Les Paul Standard, nicknamed “Greeny.”

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The upcoming archival Joni Mitchell compilation Archives Vol. 2: The Reprise Years (1968-1971) includes a full unreleased live performance Mitchell gave in March 1968 at Le Hibou Coffee House in Ottawa, Canada, that — amazingly — was recorded by Jimi Hendrix.

Now, Mitchell’s rendition of her early song “The Dawntreader” from the concert has debuted as an advance track from the compilation, which is due out October 29.

Hendrix had been performing at another Ottawa venue at the same time that Mitchell was playing a residency at the coffee house and he decided to catch her show there on March 19, 1968, and record it on a reel-to-reel tape machine he owned.  The guitar legend documented his plan in a diary entry that reads, “talked with Joni Mitchell on the phone. I think I’ll record her tonight with my excellent tape recorder.”

After Joni’s two-set show, Jimi wrote about her, describing her as a “fantastic girl with heaven words.”

In a new interview featured in the Archives Vol. 2 liner notes, Mitchell recalls giving Hendrix permission to record the concert.  “He beautifully recorded this tape,” Joni remembers. “Of course I played part of the show to him. He was right below me.”

Unfortunately, Hendrix’s tape was stolen a few days later, but the recording recently was rediscovered in a private collection that was donated to the Library and Archives Canada. The recording was then given to Mitchell, and it now will be released on Archives Vol. 2.

The five-CD collection features numerous previously unreleased live, studio and demo recordings from Joni’s early career, leading up to the release of 1971’s Blue.

The studio version of “The Dawntreader” appeared on Mitchell’s 1968 debut album, Song to a Seagull.

Visit JoniMitchell.com for full details about Archives Vol. 2.

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Metallica has been working on new music, and Kirk Hammett is hoping it will do more than just get people headbanging.

Speaking with Classic Rock magazine, the guitarist shares that he wants the metal legends’ next album to “cut through the division” people have been feeling.

“Metallica has always been about bringing people together through music,” Hammett says. “I think the sentiment now is that people need music more than ever to bring everyone together and collectively celebrate that we’ve got to this point.”

He adds, “There’s a lot of division in the world. Hopefully this Metallica album will cut through the division and bring people together in ways that are more beneficial for everyone overall.”

Hammett also reveals that the new material feels “very appropriate for the times.”

“Music should bring everyone together, it should be a celebration,” he says. “That’s what music is about. It’s not about selling albums or getting Grammys, it’s about putting out good music and helping the situation with that music.”

Metallica’s most recent album is 2016’s Hardwired…to Self-Destruct.

Meanwhile, Metallica is prepping a deluxe reissue of 1991’s The Black Album in honor of its 30th anniversary. That will be released on September 10, along with the 53-track Metallica Blacklist tribute compilation.

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Dry your eyes: Ozzy Osbourne‘s No More Tears is being reissued.

An expanded digital edition of the Prince of Darkness’ 1991 solo album will arrive on September 17 in honor of its 30th anniversary. Along with the original album, the reissue includes various live tracks and demos.

A new vinyl version of No More Tears will also be released on September 17.

No More Tears, Ozzy’s sixth solo record, notably featured four songs co-written by Motörhead frontman Lemmy Kilmister, including the hit “Mama, I’m Coming Home,” and the Grammy-winning “I Don’t Want to Change the World.” The RIAA quadruple-Platinum certified record is one of Osbourne’s top-two selling solo efforts, alongside his 1980 debut, Blizzard of Ozz.

“It was one of my favorite albums to make,” Ozzy now says of No More Tears.

“It was really, really well done,” he continues. “Every song was worked on for a long time and we spent extra time trying to get things right. But there was also lots of goofing around and we had a good time making it.”

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