Classic Rock 93.9

Some new information has been uncovered in the search for Paul McCartney’s missing bass. 

The Lost Bass Project launched its global search to find McCartney’s original Höfner bass guitar in early September, and it’s already made some progress. The two-time Rock & Roll Hall of Famer purchased the bass in Hamburg, Germany, in 1961, but eight years later it disappeared, reportedly after being put away following the filming of 1969’s Get Back.

According to The Telegraph, over 600 emails came in within 40 hours of the search news hitting the press. One of them provided some previously unknown insight into the last whereabouts of the instrument, which has been described as “the most important bass in history.”

Ian Horne, a sound engineer with McCartney’s band Wings, revealed in an email that the last time the bass was seen was not in 1969, but on October 10, 1972.

At the time, McCartney was rehearsing for a Wings tour and recording his album Red Rose Speedway. Horne says the bass was stolen from a truck that was shuttling instruments from recording studios and rehearsal spaces in London. At the time of the theft, the truck had been parked in the Ladbroke Grove area of Notting Hill, West London.  

“I knew it was Paul’s original Höfner bass that had been stolen, and I knew what it meant to him,” Horne says, noting they went door to door in the neighborhood looking for any information, but with no luck.

He says McCartney “told us not to worry, and we kept our jobs.” He added, “I worked for him for six years after the bass went missing. But I’ve carried the guilt all my life.”

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The National Independent Venue Association has responded to the launch of Live Nation’s On the Road Again program, issuing a statement criticizing the ticketing giant’s campaign as an “initiative to squeeze out independent venues.”

On the Road Again declared that certain Live Nation venues of a certain size, including New York City’s Irving Plaza and The Wiltern in Los Angeles, would not charge merch fees and would provide artists with a $1,500 gas and travel stipend for each show played.

The campaign, per Live Nation’s press release, is expected to last “through the end of the year.”

In its statement, NIVA calls On the Road Again a “temporary measure” that “may appear to help artists in the short run but actually can squeeze out independent venues which provide the lifeblood of many artists on thin margins.”

“It appears to be a calculated attempt to use a publicly-traded conglomerate’s immeasurable resources to divert artists from independent venues and further consolidate control over the live entertainment sector,” NIVA’s statement reads. “Such tactics threaten the vitality of small and medium-sized venues under 3,000 capacity, many of which still struggle to keep their doors open.”

NIVA adds that independent venues “continually facing rising costs, increased deceptive ticketing practices in the resale market, and ongoing challenges following the global pandemic.”

“Our stages are critical to the live entertainment ecosystem and local economies, and they must survive,” NIVA concludes. “The economics of touring must drastically improve for artists and independent venues. There has to be a better way. NIVA will continue to support artists and empower independent venues as we collectively find it.”

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A new animated short film based on the classic tale of Peter & The Wolf is set to debut October 19 on Max.

The film features illustrations by U2’s Bono as well as music and narration by composer Gavin Friday. It is based on a 2003 project by the pair, which they did for the Irish Hospice Foundation.

The film turns Sergei Prokofiev’s classic symphony into a contemporary tale that follows 12-year-old Peter, who is grieving the loss of a parent. Word of a wolf on the loose sends him on a quest, where he’s aided by creatures of the forest and contends with hunters trying to capture the wolf for a prize.

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Bruce Springsteen needs a little more time to recover from his peptic ulcers. The Rock & Roll Hall of Famer just announced that he’s postponing the remainder of his 2023 tour with the E Street Band until 2024.

“Bruce Springsteen has continued to recover steadily from peptic ulcer disease over the past few weeks and will continue treatment through the rest of the year on doctor’s advice,” read a post on social media. “With this in mind, and out of an abundance of caution, all remaining 2023 tour dates for Bruce Springsteen and The E Street Band will be postponed until 2024.” 

Fans can expect an announcement regarding all rescheduled dates next week, with the post noting the shows will all be at the same venues as originally planned.

Tickets purchased for the original shows will be valid for the rescheduled dates. Anyone unable to attend the new shows will have 30 days to request refunds once the new dates are announced.

“Thanks to all my friends and fans for your good wishes, encouragement, and support,” The Boss shared. “I’m on the mend and can’t wait to see you all next year.”

After postponing shows in September, Springsteen was supposed to resume touring November 2 in Vancouver, Canada; the trek wraps with a two-night stand in San Francisco, December 10 and 12.

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Back in February, The Kinks announced the beginning of their 60-year celebration with the March release of the compilation album The Journey – Part 1. Well, now that journey continues.

The Rock & Roll Hall of Famers are set to release The Journey – Part 2 on November 17, featuring songs handpicked by Ray Davies, Dave Davies and Mick Avory. Those songs include “Lola,” “Sunny Afternoon” and “20th Century Man” as well as some B-sides and album tracks.

There will also be six new Ray Davies mixes, which include three previously unreleased live performances from a 1975 concert at the New Victoria Theatre in London. One of those performances, “Everybody’s A Star (Starmaker) (Live 1975, 2023 Mix),” is out now via digital outlets and YouTube. 

“I thought I knew everything about my songs until I was given the opportunity to put this record together,” Ray shares. “The new sequencing has enabled us to show the ‘big picture’ and give a more insightful back story about how our music evolved. I learned a lot about myself in putting this together.”

Dave adds, “Another chance to listen to some of my favorite Kinks releases over the years. A perfect example of our diverse and creative musical legacy.” 

The Journey – Part 2 is being released as a two-CD or two-LP set, which come with a booklet of band photos and track-by-track notes from the Davies brothers and Avory. There will also be digital and HD digital versions of the compilation.

The Journey – Part 2 is available for preorder now.

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On This Day, September 27, 2016… 

Bruce Springsteen published his autobiography, Born to Run, named after his iconic 1975 album. He began writing it the day after he headlined the Super Bowl halftime show in 2009. 

The book recounted The Boss’ childhood in Freehold, New Jersey, his early days as a musician in Asbury Park, the rise of the E Street Band and more.

Born to Run was released to critical acclaim. The audio book, which Springsteen narrates, received a Grammy nomination for Best Spoken Word Album, and also earned him the 2018 Audie Award for Autobiography/Memoir.

The Boss later took the stories recounted in the book and turned them into a Broadway show, Springsteen on Broadway, which opened in October, 2018. The show’s initial run wrapped in December of that year, with another second limited run launching in June, 2021 following the pandemic. Springsteen on Broadway earned the rocker a special Tony Award.

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The Police are the latest artists to join TikTok. 

The Rock & Roll Hall of Famers just launched their account with a video featuring archival pictures and footage set to some of their biggest hits, including “Every Breath You Take,” “Don’t Stand So Close To Me,” “Roxanne,” “Every Little Thing She Does is Magic” and “Synchronicity II.” They also posted a clip from drummer Stewart Copeland welcoming fans to their page.

The band plans to use the account to share original content and never-before-seen archival footage, giving fans a look into the process that went into making some of their biggest hits.

“It is great to continue the legacy of The Police and what better place than TikTok in the time we exist in,” guitarist Andy Summers shares. “We live in – let’s face it, difficult times, but imagine our parents and grandparents then bent over those little radio speakers to hear about the world… As aficionados and fans, we must continue to have faith and believe in the art of music, and we hope our music can bring a positive message to people everywhere.”

The Police’s “Every Breath You Take” is already a big hit on TikTok with over 165,000 creations. Now, fans will have even more music to play with. The band just created an official guest playlist on the app featuring some of their biggest hits for creators to use in their videos.

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The Rolling Stones are teaming up with Major League Baseball for a very special promotion in connection with the band’s upcoming release, Hackney Diamonds.

The band is releasing limited-edition white vinyl versions of the new album, featuring pocket jackets with custom art tailored to each of the 30 MLB baseball teams. Each features the band’s signature lips logo in team colors, with the tongue adorned with stitches like a baseball.

Hackney Diamonds X MLB is available for preorder now on therollingstone.com and will be released on October 20, the same day The Stones’ album comes out.

The Rolling Stones have certainly felt at home at Major League Baseball parks over the years, with several of their tours playing baseball stadiums. Half of the shows on the 1989 Steel Wheels Tour were played at MLB parks, while 1997’s Bridges of Babylon tour hit Los Angeles’ Dodger Stadium and 2005’s A Bigger Bang tour played Boston’s Fenway Park.

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Dolly Parton’s upcoming album, Rockstar, is filled with plenty of A-list special guests, but there’s at least one artist Dolly wanted for the album but wasn’t able to get.

In an interview with USA Today, Dolly reveals she had hoped to get Tina Turner on the album and tried to reach out, unaware of Turner’s health issues.

“I love Tina Turner. In fact, I did not know she was ill – or as ill as she was – and I wanted her to sing on my rock ‘n’ roll album,” she says. “Chris Lord-Alge, who mixed the album, knew her. He was going over there to do some business anyway where she lives, so he was going to take that to her. And he told me, ‘You know, she’s not in good health. I don’t think this is going to happen.'”

Turner passed away in May; Dolly says she was sad Tina couldn’t be on the record, noting she picked the “perfect song” for them to do together.

“I didn’t even put it on the album. It was a song I wrote called ‘Stay Out Of My Bedroom,'” Dolly said, referring to a tune she recorded with Sylvester Stallone for the 1984 movie Rhinestone. “Maybe I’ll do it some other time with somebody else.”

Dolly Parton’s Rockstar, featuring special guests Paul McCartney, Ringo Starr, Stevie Nicks, Sting and more, drops November 17. It is available for preorder now.

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Warren Haynes is bringing back his annual Christmas Jam. The Gov’t Mule frontman announced that his annual charity concert will take place Friday, December 9, at the ExploreAsheville.com Arena in Asheville, North Carolina. 

Information on the full lineup and when tickets go on sale is “coming soon,” but last year’s lineup featured such artists as Phil Lesh & Friends, Tyler Childers, Gov’t Mule and Brothers Osborne.

Proceeds from the concert will benefit Asheville’s Habitat for Humanity and Beloved Asheville. In the more than 20 years of Christmas Jam, Haynes has raised more than $2.8 million, enough to build over 50 homes through Habitat for Humanity.

More info on Christmas Jam can be found at xmasjam.com.

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