Elvis Costello launched his music career with the U.K. release of his debut album, My Aim Is True.
The album, produced by Nick Lowe, featured Costello backed by the San Francisco country rock band Clover, although contractual issues resulted in their name being left off the album.
Although the album did not contain any chart-topping singles, at least two tracks went on to be Costello classics, “Alison” and “(These Angels Want To Wear) My Red Shoes.”
After the release, Costello was nominated for a Best New Artist Grammy, although he lost to the R&B group A Taste of Honey.
Costello is currently on tour with Daryl Hall. Their tour hits Gilford, New Hampshire, on Monday.
The Rolling Stones wrapped their Hackney Diamonds tour in Ridgedale, Missouri, Sunday night, treating fans to another set filled with classic tunes.
“That’s a wrap on the Stones Tour ‘24! A huge thank you to everyone that has come to see a show!” the band shared on Instagram. “And special thanks to all the outstanding musicians that join the Stones onstage, plus every crew member that works so hard to make this happen.”
Frontman Mick Jaggershared his own message, writing, “Thanks so much to everyone that has come to see us on this tour, we had an absolute blast! See you soon!”
Ronnie Woodposted, “Thank you Ridgedale and thank you North America!!! I loved wrapping up the tour last night in Missouri – the whole of the Hackney Diamonds tour has been incredible – thank you to everyone who came to see us!! Cannot wait to see you all again!!”
According to setlist.fm, as they have been doing all tour, The Stones opened with “Start Me Up,” with the rest of the set filled with fan favorites like “You Can’t Always Get What You Want,” “Paint It Black,” “Sympathy for Devil,” “Gimme Shelter” and “(I Can’t Get No) Satisfaction.” “Let It Bleed” was the fan-voted song for the night.
The set also included three songs from their latest album, Hackney Diamonds: “Angry,” “Mess It Up” and “Sweet Sounds of Heaven.” Keith Richards took lead on three tunes, “You Got the Silver,” “Little T&A” and “Before They Make You Run.”
The Rolling Stones kicked off their Hackney Diamonds tour April 28 in Houston, with the trek hitting the U.S. and Canada. So far they haven’t announced any additional shows in any other countries.
While most people buy an album for the music, some are drawn in by an album’s cover, and there are certainly some covers that have stood out more than the rest.
Rolling Stone has decided it’s time to highlight those standouts with its list of the 100 best album covers of all time, with plenty of classics making the grade.
While Joy Division’s 1979 album, Unknown Pleasures, tops the list, The Beatles are just behind them at #2 with Abbey Road. The mag calls the cover “the ultimate Beatles portrait: a sunny day in London, a crosswalk, the world’s four most confident young men walking in line.”
Abbey Road is one of three Beatles covers to make the list, with Sgt. Peppers’ Lonely Hearts Club Band at #14 and The White Album at #23.
Other iconic covers making the top 10 include Pink Floyd’s The Dark Side of the Moon at #4, Patti Smith’s Horses at #6, The Clash’s London Calling at #8, Cyndi Lauper’s She’s So Unusual at #9 and Nirvana’s Nevermind at #10.
Also on the list are The Velvet Underground & Nico, Carole King’s Tapestry, The Who’s Who’s Next, Fleetwood Mac’s Rumours and The Rolling Stones’ Sticky Fingers.
So, if these are some of the best, what are the worst? Rolling Stone has some opinions on that, too. Landing on top of the 50 Worst Album Covers of All Time list is Limp Bizkit’s Chocolate Starfish and the Hot Dog Flavored Water, with Roger Daltrey’s Ride a Rock Horse, with a picture of Daltrey as a centaur, in at #2.
Other bad covers include Crosby, Stills & Nash’s Live It Up, Three Dog Night’s Hard Labor, Van Halen’s Balance, Bon Jovi’s Slippery When Wet and Billy Joel’s River of Dreams, with The Beatles also recognized for Revolver at #37.
There’s no doubt by the looks of him that Lenny Kravitz is a healthy guy, and he wants to keep his fans healthy as well.
One way he hopes to do that is with a new collaboration with Pressed Juicery, which is now offering a special-edition Blue Electric Light Lemonade. It celebrates Lenny’s most recent album, Blue Electric Light, and tour.
“Wellness is a vibe,” Lenny shares on Instagram. “This vibrant lemonade captures the essence and energy of Blue Electric Light while promoting inner health.” He adds, “Grab yours at select Pressed Juicery locations in NYC, LA, OC, Las Vegas and Austin to experience it for yourself.”
Lenny released Blue Electric Light in May. He’s currently on tour in Europe, with his next show happening in Ostrava, Czech Republic, on Sunday. He brings his show to the U.S. for a five-night stand at Dolby Live in Las Vegas starting Oct. 18. A complete list of dates can be found at lennykravitz.com.
Scott Dudelson/Getty Images for Red Light Management and Live Nation
Krist Novoselic is once again revisiting Nirvana‘s music.
The bassist took the stage with the cover band FooVana during a show in Washington Thursday. As you might’ve guessed, FooVana plays the songs of both Nirvana and Foo Fighters, who, of course, share a member in Dave Grohl.
You can check out photos of the show, which featured Novoselic playing a number of Nirvana tunes, via the FooVana Instagram.
As previously reported, Novoselic performed Nirvana’s debut single, a cover of the Shocking Blue song “Love Buzz,” during a show in June alongside his Bona Fide Band project.
Both shows supported Novoselic’s political party, the Cascade Party of Washington.
Bob Dylan recently announced a U.K./European leg to his Rough and Rowdy Ways tour and Blur frontman Damon Albarn has some issues with it.
Seems Dylan requires all concert attendees to lock up their phones in a Yondr pouch that can only be opened when they leave the building — and Albarn doesn’t think it’s right.
“If you start banning things where does it end? I think you’ve just got to turn up and do your thing,” Albarn told BBC Breakfast. “People won’t want to be on their phone if you’re engaging with them correctly.”
Music fans recording and taking pictures on their phones is pretty commonplace at live shows these days and Dylan isn’t the only artist who has required fans to be phone free. The White Stripes‘ Jack White and comedian Dave Chappelle have also used Yondr pouches at their live shows.
The European/U.K. Rough and Rowdy Ways tour kicks off with a three-night stand in Prague Oct. 4-6 and wraps with a three-night stand at London’s iconic Royal Albert Hall Nov. 12-14. Tickets are on sale now.
Blondie has announced the cancelation of their upcoming tour dates, although they did not offer up a reason why.
“We are saddened to announce the cancellation of several upcoming Blondie concert dates during August and September,” the band shares on Instagram. “This was a hard decision to make, and we understand how disappointing this news is for everyone. We will keep you further informed as soon as possible.”
They add, “Your support means the world to us, and we are grateful for your understanding,” noting that fans will be issued refunds for their tickets.
Blondie only had a handful of shows on the books for the rest of the year, including August concerts in Carnation, Washington, and Troutdale, Oregon, as well as a spot at the Evolution Festival in St. Louis on Sept. 28.
Ticket holders are being told to contact their point of purchase for refund information.
Guess we can now call him Billionaire Boss. Forbes is reporting that Bruce Springsteen is now officially a billionaire.
According to the mag, the 74-year-old Springsteen’s net worth is estimated to be around $1.1 billion, with Forbes noting that a good portion of that money is coming from ticket sales: Springsteen’s 2023 world tour with the E Street Band brought in about $380 million in revenue from 1.6 million tickets sold.
Some of that money can also be attributed to his 2021 catalog sale to Sony, which was reportedly worth between $500 million and $550 million.
And there’s certainly more to come for Springsteen. His current tour has dates booked until mid-2025, with new U.S. dates launching in August. Plus, Deliver Me From Nowhere, a movie about the making of his album Nebraska, is currently in the works, with Jeremy Allen White starring as The Boss.
Speaking of that tour, Springsteen and the E Street Band are set to play Bergen, Norway, on Sunday. A complete list of dates can be found at brucespringsteen.net.
U2 has released the next installment in their digital series, U2 to Love and Only Love – Deep Dives and B-Sides. The latest, “Beautiful Day,” is named after the Grammy-winning lead single from their 10th studio album, All That You Can’t Leave Behind.
U2 to Love and Only Love – Deep Dives and B-Sides will consist of 12 newly remastered collections, released throughout the year, which are made up of songs that until now were only available on vinyl, CD or cassette.
“Beautiful Day” is the eighth installment in the series and features nine songs, including a remastered edition of the track and three remixes. There’s also remastered versions of “Always,” which was the “Beautiful Day” B-side, and an early version of the song, as well as “Summer Rain,” a B-side from U2: The Best Of 1990-2000 & B-Sides.
Plus there are three live tracks from a concert in Mexico City: “Discothèque,” “If You Wear That Velvet Dress” and “Last Night on Earth.”
The playlist is now streaming on most digital outlets.
And to coincide with the release, U2 is selling a limited-edition 2024 reissue of a “Beautiful Day” T-shirt. It is available for preorder now, with shirts shipping in August.
U2 launched U2 to Love and Only Love – Deep Dives and B-Sides in April and so far released collections dedicated to “Discothèque,” “Staring at the Sun,” “Last Night on Earth,” “If God Will Send His Angels,” “Please,” “Mofo” and “Sweetest Thing.”
Paul McCartney & Wings released the live album One Hand Clapping in June, and now McCartney is sharing some more music recorded during the live sessions for the album.
The two-time Rock & Roll Hall of Famer just shared a six-song EP, One Hand Clapping – The Backyard, featuring acoustic versions of the unreleased track “Blackpool,” The Beatles‘ “Blackbird,” covers of Buddy Holly‘s “I’m Gonna Love You Too” and “Peggy Sue,” and more. The Backyard was previously only available as part of a One Hand Clapping online exclusive two-LP and 7-inch vinyl set.
A post on McCartney’s Instagram page says, “Step into the garden at @abbeyroadstudios in summer 1974 with ‘The Backyard’ Paul’s acoustic performance recorded during a break in the ‘One Hand Clapping’ sessions.”
The Backyard is now streaming via digital outlets. A video for McCartney’s performance of “Blackpool” is now on YouTube.
One Hand Clapping was recorded at Abbey Road studios in August 1974 as a video documentary and possible live album, although it never officially came out. Parts of it did come out on bootlegs over the years, but the June release was its first official release.
It includes live recordings of such Wings hits as “Live and Let Die,” “Band on the Run,” “Jet” and “My Love,” as well as Paul’s solo song “Maybe I’m Amazed” and reworked versions of Beatles songs like “Let It Be,” “Lady Madonna” and “The Long and Winding Road.”
