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Rolling Stones members performed at intimate London tribute to late drummer Charlie Watts

December 8, 2021 by Classic Rock 93.9

The Rolling Stones‘ Mick Jagger, Keith Richards and Ronnie Wood, along with members of the band’s touring lineup, took part in an intimate tribute show to late drummer Charlie Watts at famed London jazz club Ronnie Scott’s on Monday, NME reports.

The show was emceed by former Squeeze keyboardist and TV host Jools Holland, who also led the show’s house band, which featured the surviving members of Watts’ side group, The ABC&D of Boogie Woogie — upright bassist Dave Green, and piano players Ben Waters and Axel Zwingenberger.

Jagger, Richards and Wood all hit the stage during a jam session at the end of the concert that featured performances of the R&B standards “Shame Shame Shame” and “Down the Road Apiece.”

Former Rolling Stones bassist Bill Wyman was in attendance at the event, as were members of Charlie’s family.

Current Stones touring sax player Tim Ries and backing vocalist Bernard Fowler also performed, as did Lisa Fischer, who was a backing singer for the group’ for 26 years. Ries played an original tribute song called “Blues for Charlie,” while Fischer sang the blues standard “Trouble in Mind” and then was joined by Fowler for a rendition of the gospel tune “Up Above My Head.”

Watts died on August 24 at the age of 80. Prior to his passing, Charlie had chosen respected session drummer Steve Jordan to fill in for him on The Rolling Stones’ 2021 U.S. tour. The band dedicated the trek to Watts and played a video montage honoring him at the start of each show. The outing wrapped up with a November 23 concert in Hollywood, Florida.

Next year marks The Rolling Stones’ 60th anniversary, but it’s not known yet if the band plans to continue touring.

The Zombies’ Colin Blunstone says he hopes expanded reissue of debut solo album “will be illuminating” to fans

December 8, 2021 by Classic Rock 93.9

An expanded version Zombies frontman Colin Blunstone‘s 1971 debut solo album, One Year, was released last month in honor.

The 50th anniversary reissue, which is available on CD, as a two-LP vinyl set, digitally and via streaming, features a newly mastered version of the original 10-track album, plus a 14-song collection of bonus recordings dubbed That Same Year.

Blunstone recorded One Year after The Zombies’ breakup, with his former band mates Rod Argent and Chris White co-producing the album and contributing three songs they co-wrote to the project.

“[I]t was a little bit like a Zombies reunion, really,” Colin tells ABC Audio, while noting that the members of Rod’s then-new band Argent were brought in to play on some of the initial tracks. As the sessions proceeded, a young classical British composer named Chris Gunning was tapped to create string arrangements for most of the songs.

While One Year had little success in the U.S., the album yielded a top-20 U.K. hit with Blunstone’s cover of the Denny Laine-penned “Say You Don’t Mind,” which Colin says was “a great song.”

The 14 bonus tracks have an interesting back story. Blunstone says White’s sons, while looking through their father’s archives recently, discovered some reel-to-reel tapes with demos Colin had written and recorded around the time of the One Year sessions but had completely forgotten about.

Studio versions of three of the demos appear on One Year, while Colin recorded another for his second solo album, 1972’s Ennismore, but most of tunes had never been released in any form.

“Hopefully, it will be illuminating to people to just see what I was doing in the way of songwriting at that time,” Blunstone says of the demos.

Here’s the One Year track list:

“She Loves The Way They Love Her”
“Misty Roses”
“Smokey Day”
“Caroline Goodbye”
“Though You Are Far Away”
“Mary Won’t You Warm My Bed”
“Her Song”
“I Can’t Live Without You”
“Let Me Come Closer to You”
“Say You Don’t Mind”

And here’s the That Same Year track list:

“Are You Ready”
“I’ve Always Had You”
“Sing Your Own Song”
“Caroline Goodbye”
“I’d Like to Get to Know You Better”
“Though You Are Far Away”
“Too Much Too Soon Last Night”
“I Wonder If You Know What You’ve Begun”
“I Won’t Let You Down”
“You Gave Me a Reason”
“I’m Coming Home”
“I Really Do Love You”
“Let Me Come Closer”
“You Really Were a Surprise”

Foo Fighters officially release “Run Rudolph Run” cover

December 7, 2021 by Classic Rock 93.9

Foo Fighters‘ cover of “Run Rudolph Run” is now available for everyone to enjoy.

Dave Grohl and company first put their spin on the Chuck Berry seasonal classic last December during a performance on Amazon Music’s Holiday Plays virtual concert series. A year later, the track has officially been released on all digital and streaming platforms.

The Foos kicked off the holiday season last week with the second season of Grohl and producer Greg Kurstin‘s Hanukkah Sessions series, featuring covers of eight Jewish artists for each night of the holiday. Among the artists Grohl and Kurstin tackled this year include Lisa Loeb, the Ramones, Barry Manilow, Van Halen, Amy Winehouse, The Clash and KISS.

New, 50th anniversary edition of Cat Stevens’ ‘Harold and Maude’ soundtrack due in February

December 7, 2021 by Classic Rock 93.9

A new edition of Cat Stevens‘ soundtrack to the 1971 cult classic Harold and Maude, in conjunction with the film’s 50th anniversary, will be released on February 11, 2022, on CD, digitally and as a 180-gram vinyl LP.

Harold and Maude tells the story of a suicide-obsessed teenager who learns to embrace life while falling in love with an eccentric, free-spirited 79-year-old woman. The darkly comedic film was directed by Hal Ashby, and starred Bud Cort as Harold and Ruth Gordon as Maude.

The movie’s soundtrack featured seven previously released songs by Stevens that first appeared on his then-recent studio albums Mona Bone Jakon and Tea for the Tillerman, and two new tunes Cat wrote specifically for the flick — “Don’t Be Shy” and “If You Want To Sing Out, Sing Out.”

A soundtrack album was not released in conjunction with the film because Stevens, who is now known as Yusuf Islam, says he was worried at the time that it would be perceived as a greatest hits collection, and he felt that it was too early in his career to issue one.

The original version of the Harold and Maude soundtrack album was released in limited quantities in 2007 on Cameron Crowe‘s independent label, Vinyl Films, but that soon went out of print.

The new version features the nine Stevens songs that appeared in the film, coupled for the first time with dialogue segments from the movie.

The audio for the soundtrack has been remastered at London’s famed Abbey Road Studios. The album will boast enhanced packaging that includes liner notes, song lyrics, movie dialogue transcriptions and photos from the film.

You can pre-order the Harold and Maude soundtrack now.

Here’s the album’s full track list:

Side 1
“Don’t Be Shy”
“Dialogue 1 (I Go to Funerals)”
“On the Road to Find Out”
“I Wish, I Wish”
“Tchaikovsky’s Concerto No.1 in B”
“Dialogue 2 (How Many Suicides)”
“Marching Band”/”Dialogue 3 (Harold Meets Maude)”
“Miles from Nowhere”
“Tea for the Tillerman”

Side 2
“I Think I See the Light”
“Dialogue 4 (Sunflower)”
“Where Do the Children Play?”
“If You Want to Sing Out, Sing Out” (Ruth Gordon and Bud Cort vocal)
“Strauss’ Blue Danube”
“Dialogue 5 (Somersaults)”
“If You Want to Sing Out, Sing Out”
“Dialogue 6 (Harold Loves Maude)”
“Trouble”
“If You Want to Sing Out, Sing Out” (ending)

John Paul Jones, Derek Trucks join Peace Through Music streaming concert lineup

December 7, 2021 by Classic Rock 93.9

Led Zeppelin bassist John Paul Jones, ex-Allman Brothers Band guitarist Derek Trucks and Trucks’ wife and Tedeschi Trucks Band mate Susan Tedeschi are among the latest musicians to join the lineup for Peace Through Music: A Global Event for the Environment, a virtual concert event scheduled to premiere December 15 at 9 p.m. ET at the Playing for Change YouTube channel.

The streaming event, produced by the Playing for Change organization and the United Nations Population Fund, will focus on raising funds and awareness for environmental issues.

More than 200 artists from over 35 countries will take part in the presentation, along with world leaders and influencers. Documentaries also will be shown displaying the beauty of the planet and looking at its vulnerability to pollution and other environmental hazards.

Previously announced performers include Slash, Yusuf/Cat Stevens, The Grateful Dead‘s Mickey Hart, No Doubt bassist Tony Kanal, Taj Mahal, Rosanne Cash, Jack Johnson, Jane’s Addiction drummer Stephen Perkins, Ben Harper, Sara Bareilles, The Lumineers and Keb’ Mo’. Additionally, The Band‘s Robbie Robertson will be making a “special appearance” during the stream.

Peace Through Music previously raised $1 million for social justice charities with its 2020 stream, which featured artists including Ringo Starr, Gary Clark Jr., and Carlos and Cindy Blackman Santana.

Watch members of Foo Fighters, Red Hot Chili Peppers & more play together for school fundraiser

December 7, 2021 by Classic Rock 93.9

A charity fundraiser turned into a veritable Lollpalooza in Malibu, California, over the weekend.

Rockers including Taylor Hawkins of Foo Fighters, Chad Smith of Red Hot Chili Peppers, Tool‘s Danny Carey, and Queens of the Stone Age‘s Josh Homme and Troy Van Leeuwen all jammed together during the event, which raised money for the Malibu Elementary School arts program.

The all-star band also included Jane’s Addiction bassist Chris Chaney, and Ozzy Osbourne producer Andrew Watt on guitar. You can check out footage from the concert via an attendee’s Insta gram.

While you probably didn’t get the attend the show, you can still listen to Hawkins and Chaney play together in the group NHC with the bassist’s Jane’s band mate, Dave Navarro. Chaney is also part of Pearl Jam frontman Eddie Vedder‘s solo band The Earthlings, alongside Smith and Watt.

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Instruments signed by Paul McCartney, Keith Richards, Tom Petty added to MusiCares charity auction

December 7, 2021 by Classic Rock 93.9

Instruments signed by Paul McCartney, Keith Richards and the late Tom Petty are among the interesting items that have been added to a recently announced memorabilia auction benefiting the MusiCares charity scheduled to take place January 30, one day before the 64th annual Grammy Awards ceremony.

The former Beatles icon has donated a signed Hofner violin bass guitar to the auction, which is estimated to fetch from $4,000 to $6,000.

The Rolling Stones legend has contributed an autographed ebony Gibson ES-335 electric guitar to the auction, while an NFT featuring a digital video of Richards signing the instruments also is included. The lot is estimated to bring in between $6,000 and $8,000.

A Gibson ES-355 Bigsby electric/acoustic guitar that Petty signed at the 2017 gala honoring him as MusiCares Person of the Year also is up for bid, along with a copy of the Ultra Deluxe version of Tom’s Wildflowers & All the Rest box set. The lot also is expected to sell for between $6,000 and $8,000.

Also added to the auction is U2 singer Bono‘s handwritten lyrics to his band’s new tune “Your Song Saved My Life,” which will be featured in the upcoming animated film Sing 2 that features Bono voicing one of the characters. The document is expected to sell for between $4,000 and $6,000.

In addition, a signed proof print of an oil painting of Jimi Hendrix by legendary singer/songwriter and 2022 MusiCares Person of the Year Joni Mitchell will be up for bid, valued at $2,000 to $4,000.

MusiCares provides medical, financial and personal assistance to in-need members of the music community. The sale, which is being hosted by Julien’s Auctions, will take place online and in Beverly Hills, California.

Paul McCartney’s first album with Wings, ‘Wild Life,’ released 50 years ago today; vinyl reissue due in February

December 7, 2021 by Classic Rock 93.9

Today, December 7, marks the 50th anniversary of the release of Wild Life, Paul McCartney‘s first album with his backing band Wings, To mark the milestone, the record will be reissued on February 4, 2022, as a limited-edition, half-speed-mastered vinyl LP.

Wild Life was Sir Paul’s third post-Beatles album, following his 1970 solo debut, McCartney, and RAM, which was released in May 1971 and was co-credited to him and his wife, Linda.

Wild Life was recorded in just eight days at Abbey Road Studios in London, and more than half its songs were captured in just one take. No singles were released from the album, which peaked at #10 on the Billboard 200 and went on to sell over 500,000 copies in the U.S.

Joining McCartney in the original Wings lineup were Linda on keyboards and backing vocals; former Moody Blues frontman Denny Laine on guitar, bass, keyboards and backing vocals; and Denny Seiwell on drums and percussion. Seiwell also had played on RAM.

Wild Life kicks off with the quirky, upbeat rocker “Mumbo,” while other noteworthy tracks include a reggae-flavored cover of Mickey & Sylvia‘s 1956 hit “Love Is Strange,” and the melancholy ballad “Dear Friend,” which is believed to be McCartney’s attempt to reconcile with John Lennon after the conflicts the former Beatles band mates had been having around that time.

The Wild Life vinyl reissue can be pre-ordered now at McCartney’s online store.

Here’s the album’s full track list:

Side One
“Mumbo”
“Bip Bop”
“Love Is Strange”
“Wild Life”

Side Two
“Some People Never Know”
“I Am Your Singer”
“Bip Bop (Link)”
“Tomorrow”
“Dear Friend”
“Mumbo (Link)”

The Doors’ John Densmore celebrating release of paperback version of ‘The Seekers’ with virtual Q&A tonight

December 7, 2021 by Classic Rock 93.9

Doors drummer John Densmore recently published a paperback version of his 2020 book The Seekers: Meetings with Remarkable Musicians (and Other Artists), and to promote the new release, Densmore will take part in a Zoom Q&A event tonight at 7 p.m. ET that will be streamed live via Dice.fm.

During the event, which is presented by Rough Trade NYC, the 77-year-old Rock & Roll Hall of Famer will chat with Jonathan Cohen, author of the 2011 New York Times best-seller Pearl Jam 20, an authorized biography of the Seattle grunge legends. Densmore also will answer questions submitted by audience members.

Tickets for the Q&A can be purchased at Dice.fm for $29.88, and the price includes a copy of The Seekers along with a bookplate signed by Densmore.

The Seekers features John’s reflections and stories about various creative people he has encountered over the years, including music legends like his late Doors band mates Jim Morrison and Ray Manzarek, Janis Joplin, Van Morrison, Bob Marley, Lou Reed, Patti Smith and others. The book also includes John’s musings about his own creative journey.

In other news, Densmore discusses his book in detail in a new episode of Emmy-winning TV host Barry Kibrick‘s Between the Lines podcast, which you can check out at BuzzSprout.com.

Ringo Starr to perform live with Joe Walsh on Walsh’s virtual 2021 VetsAid benefit show

December 7, 2021 by Classic Rock 93.9

Ringo Starr has been confirmed as a guest performer on the recently announced fifth annual edition of his brother-in-law Joe Walsh‘s VetsAid charity concert, which will be held virtually on December 18.

This year’s fundraiser, dubbed VetsAid 2021: The Basement Show, will be streamed live from Walsh’s basement studio starting at 8 p.m. ET via the Veeps.com platform. Tickets for the event, and special VIP merch bundles, are available now at VetsAid.Veeps.com. All proceeds will benefit veterans services charities.

As previously reported, the event will feature Walsh performing live with Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers keyboardist Benmont Tench and three legendary session musicians — guitarist Waddy Wachtel, bassist Lee Sklar and drummer Russ Kunkel — as well as surprise guests. Joe is expected to premiere some brand-new music during the performance.

In addition, unaired footage from the four previous VetsAid events will be shown as part of this year’s presentation, as will recently shot footage of a visit that Walsh paid to the US VETS facility in Long Beach, California. During his excursion to the facility, Joe treated veterans in attendance to a performance of his solo hit “Life’s Been Good” and a storytelling session.

The VetsAid show also will feature a tour of the Eagles guitarist’s studio and some of his personal guitar collection, as well as a Q&A session moderated by Joe’s wife, Marjorie, and stepson Christian Quilici, during which Walsh will answer fan-submitted questions.

“[W]hile we couldn’t be together in Columbus [Ohio] as originally planned, I thought I’d do something special and invite everybody over to my house instead!” Joe says about the virtual benefit. “So c’mon and join us for some great music and a glimpse of how I live, work, play and make music with my friends!”

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