Classic Rock 93.9

On Saturday, Sting celebrates his 70th birthday. The man born Gordon Sumner is truly one of rock’s renaissance men, and not just because he literally recorded an entire album of Renaissance-era lute songs in 2006.

Over the years, Sting’s artistry has expanded from fronting the now-legendary new wave band The Police into a thriving solo career, acting on the stage and screen, composing for movies and the theater, collaborating with dozens of artists across multiple musical genres, and working tirelessly for various charitable causes.

Music
With The Police, Sting released five albums, four of which made the list of Rolling Stone‘s 500 Greatest Albums of All Time. The Police officially disbanded in 1986 but reunited in 2007 for a hugely successful one-off tour.  The Police have sold more than 75 million records, won six Grammys and were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2003.

Sting launched his solo career in 1985 with The Dream of the Blue Turtles and was immediately successful. He’s continued releasing solo albums at a steady pace, including best-sellers Ten Summoner’s Tales, …Nothing Like the Sun and The Soul Cages.  His 15th solo album, The Bridge, is due in November. As a solo artist, he’s won more than 10 Grammys. 

Movies & TV
Sting’s acting career started in 1979, when he appeared in not one but two movies, the most famous of which is Quadrophenia, based on The Who‘s 1973 concept album.  Since then, he’s acted in films like Dune, Plenty, The Bride, The Adventures of Baron Munchausen and Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels, and appeared as himself in Zoolander 2 among others.

His TV resume includes Hulu’s Only Murders in the Building, Saturday Night Live, The Simpsons, Ally McBeal, The Larry Sanders Show and more.

Sting’s also found great success in writing music for films.  He’s been nominated four times for the Best Original Song Oscar, and also either wrote or recorded songs for The Thomas Crown Affair, Leaving Las Vegas, The Three Musketeers and Lethal Weapon 3, among many others.

Theater
Sting made his Broadway debut as Macheath, aka Mack the Knife, in a 1989 production of The Threepenny Opera.  His original musical, The Last Ship, debuted on Broadway in 2014 and received two Tony nods. In the final weeks before it closed in 2015, Sting also starred in the show.

Philanthropy
It’s difficult to find a major musical charity event that Sting hasn’t appeared at in the past 30 years, from Amnesty International-sponsored tours to Live Aid to the 9/11 fundraiser A Tribute to Heroes.  However, he’s most associated with the Rainforest Foundation Fund, which he and his wife, Trudie Styler, founded in 1989. It’s since funded projects that have protected 28 million acres of rainforest around the globe.

Sting has also held regular benefit concerts at New York’s Carnegie Hall to support the Rainforest Foundation Fund, with star-studded lineups that have included the likes of James Taylor, Billy Joel, Bruce Springsteen, Elton John and Lady Gaga.

Copyright © 2021, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

In advance of the upcoming 45th anniversary reissue of KISS‘ classic 1976 album, Destroyer, the rock legends have made available a new acoustic mix of their hit ballad, “Beth” — one of the previously unreleased tracks that will be featured on the deluxe collection.

The new mix, which can be purchased digitally or streamed now, features a fully restored version of an original acoustic guitar track mixed with original piano, vocal and synthesizer tracks to create a fresh sonic take on the memorable tune.

“Beth,” which was sung and co-written by KISS drummer Peter Criss, was the band’s highest-charting single on the Billboard Hot 100, peaking at #7.

As previously reported, the Destroyer reissue will be released on November 19 in multiple configurations.

Among the various versions of the reissue is a Super Deluxe box set featuring four CDs, a Blu-ray audio disc, an assortment of collectible items, and a 68-page hardcover book.

The first CD features a remastered version of the original album. Disc two boasts demos from the Destroyer era, and the third CD includes various previously unreleased outtakes, alternate versions and mixes, single edits and more. Disc four features a previously unreleased concert that KISS played in Paris in May 1976.

The Blu-ray offers Dolby Atmos and 5.1 surround mixes of Destroyer, plus two bonus tracks, including the new acoustic mix of “Beth.”

Released in March 1976, Destroyer peaked at #11 on the Billboard 200 and became KISS’ most-successful studio album, selling over two million copies. In addition to “Beth,’ the album included the top-40 hit “Shout It Out Loud” and other enduring songs including “Detroit Rock City,” “King of the Night Time World” and “God of Thunder.”

The Destroyer reissue can be pre-ordered now.

Copyright © 2021, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

The Rolling Stones played the second concert on their 2021 U.S. tour in Charlotte, North Carolina on Thursday, which included the official live debut of the band’s just-released cover of the 1970 Chi-Lites song, “Troubles A’ Comin.”

As previously reported, the soulful tune is one of nine unreleased tracks that will appear on the bonus disc of the band’s deluxe 40th anniversary Tattoo You reissue, which is due out on October 22. The Stones made the song available as an advance digital track yesterday morning.

The band first played “Troubles A’ Comin” live at a private tour warmup gig at Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, Massachusetts, on September 22, but Thursday’s concert marked the first time the rock legends performed it for a full audience.

The Charlotte show also featured a few other tunes that The Stones didn’t play at the September 26 tour kickoff in St. Louis, including “Let’s Spend the Night Together,” “Before They Make Me Run” and “Let It Bleed.” The latter song was chosen in the online fan vote the band held in the days leading up to the concert.

You can check out a photo of the hand-drawn set list guitarist Ronnie Wood created for the Charlotte concert on The Stones’ social media sites.

The group’s next concert takes place this Monday at Heinz Field in Pittsburgh.

The Rolling Stones have partnered the stadium’s management and Giant Eagle Pharmacy to offer a free COVID-19 vaccine clinic for concert attendees before the show. A photo ID and medical insurance card are required to receive the vaccination. The Pfizer and Moderna vaccines will be available. Visit HeinzField.com for more information.

Last night’s setlist in Charlotte saw an addition of Troubles A Comin’ from the upcoming release of Tattoo You 40th anniversary edition and fans voted for the 1969 classic Let It Bleed to be played!
Order your setlist print from: https://t.co/NjUfPEvGAL pic.twitter.com/G6sVJcrstz

— The Rolling Stones (@RollingStones) October 1, 2021

Thank you Charlotte! Hope you had a great night, it was good to be back! 👅 pic.twitter.com/DrIavbgVpm

— The Rolling Stones (@RollingStones) October 1, 2021

Copyright © 2021, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

Foo Fighters have announced a benefit concert at Seattle’s new Climate Pledge Arena, taking place October 19.

The show, which will feature an opening set from Death Cab for Cutie, will raise money for two Pacific Northwest charity organizations: Northwest Immigrant Rights Project, and Real Rent Duwamish. Tickets are on sale now.

The Climate Pledge Arena, which will also be the home of the new Seattle Kraken NHL expansion team, is described as the “first net zero carbon certified arena in the world operating on 100% renewable energy.”

The Foos show will precede the venue’s grand opening concert on October 22, headlined by Coldplay.

Copyright © 2021, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

The Doobie Brothers on Friday released their first new studio album featuring all-new songs in over a decade.

Liberté features 12 original tunes by the group’s core members — Tom Johnston, Pat Simmons and John McFee — produced and co-written with John Shanks, who’s previously collaborated with Bon Jovi, Stevie Nicks and many others.

The album is The Doobie Brothers’ 15th full-length studio effort and their first album of new songs since 2010’s World Gone Crazy. It’s available now on CD and digital formats.

Coinciding with Liberté‘s arrival, the band has debuted a lyric video for one of the new songs, “Shine Your Light,” on their YouTube channel.

In addition, to celebrate the albums release, The Doobie Brothers will perform and be interviewed as part of a special that will be streamed on YouTube.com starting at 7 p.m. ET.

The Doobie Brothers gave fans an early preview of Liberté in August, when they issued a self-titled digital EP featuring four songs from the album — “Oh Mexico,” “Cannonball,” “Don’t Ya Mess with Me” and “Better Days.”

Also in August, the Rock & Roll Hall of Famers finally launched their 50th anniversary tour, which was postponed from 2020 because of the COVID-19 pandemic. The trek, which sees former singer/keyboardist Michael McDonald rejoining the group, continues tonight in Spokane, Washington. The 2021 portion of the outing wraps up with an October 29 concert in Allentown, Pennsylvania, while a second leg is scheduled to begin on June 2, 2022, in West Palm Beach, Florida.

Visit TheDoobieBrothers.com for a full list of confirmed dates.

Here’s the track list of Liberté:

“Oh Mexico”
“Better Days”
“Don’t Ya Mess with Me”
“Cannonball”
“Wherever We Go”
“The American Dream”
“Shine Your Light”
“We Are More Than Love”
“Easy”
“Just Can’t Do This Alone”
“Good Thang”
“Amen Old Friend”

Copyright © 2021, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

This Saturday, October 2, marks the 40th anniversary of the release of The Police‘s fourth studio album, Ghost in the Machine.

Released on frontman Sting‘s 30th birthday, the album became the new-wave band’s third consecutive chart-topping studio effort in the U.K. and continued the group’s ascending U.S. popularity, peaking at #2 on the Billboard 200.

Ghost in the Machine featured two top-20 singles in the U.S., “Every Little Thing She Does Is Magic” and “Spirits in the Material,” which reached #3 and #11, respectively. In the U.K., “Every Little Thing” topped the singles chart and “Spirits” peaked at #12, while another single, “Invisible Sun,” reached #2.

Other memorable tunes on the album include “Demolition Man,” “Too Much Information,” “One World (Not Three)” and “Secret Journey.”

While Caribbean sounds, especially reggae, had always been part of The Police’s music, Ghost in the Machine was the band’s first album to mainly be recorded there — specifically at Beatles producer George Martin‘s AIR Studios on the island of Montserrat.

Reflecting on The Police’s success at the time and making the album on Montserrat, guitarist Andy Summers tells ABC Audio, “It was an amazing period, no question about it,” adding, “[T]his is the sort of rock star dream. You know, ‘Hey, we’re on an island in the Caribbean. We are the s*** now.'”

Summers says one his favorite songs on the album was “Spirits in the Material World.”

“I like to play that one ’cause it’s got a great rhythm,” he notes.

The Police soon returned to Montserrat to record their fifth and final album, the chart-topping Synchronicity. In 1989, however, AIR Studios closed after being damaged by a hurricane.

Ghost in the Machine, meanwhile, went on to sell over 3 million copies in the U.S.

Here’s the full track list:

“Spirits in the Material World”
“Every Little Thing She Does Is Magic”
“Invisible Sun”
“Hungry for You (J’aurais toujours faim de toi)”
“Demolition Man”
“Too Much Information”
“Rehumanize Yourself”
“One World (Not Three)”
“Omegaman”
“Secret Journey”
“Darkness”

Copyright © 2021, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

With The Rolling Stones back on tour and the band preparing to release a deluxe Tattoo You reissue next month, Mick Jagger chatted with Apple Music‘s Zane Lowe about numerous topics, including the group moving forward following drummer Charlie Watts‘ recent death.

In the interview, Jagger reveals that before Watts’ passing, he’d recorded parts for new songs that likely will appear on The Stones’ next album, noting that some of the recordings were done while they were working on the reissue’s bonus tracks.

“I did some stuff with him in the studio very recently, while we were doing [these] Tattoo You things,” Mick reports. “We did some…work on Tattoo You. Charlie did some work on…just a few fills and stuff like that. And then when we started messing around with some other things…It seems like only yesterday that I was in the studio with Charlie, joshing around. It’s just so weird and then very sad.”

Reflecting on recording new Stones material in the future, Jagger laments, “[W]ithout Charlie being there, it’s going to be very difficult.”

Having said that, Mick maintains that he and his band mates all want to keep going.

“[T]he thing about the Rolling Stones, I think, throughout their career has been their resilience in the face of adversity,” Jagger noted. “We’ve had adversity, and this was probably one of the most difficult ones. And so we booked the tour [that was] supposed to be played last year. We couldn’t do it for obvious reasons, because of the pandemic. And I just thought, and I think everyone in the band thought that we should just carry on.”

He added, “I’m glad we’re doing it. I know Charlie wanted us to do it. I think the audience wants to do it.”

Copyright © 2021, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

Elton John‘s upcoming album The Lockdown Sessions features the song “Finish Line,” a collaboration with the equally legendary Stevie Wonder that was released today as an advance track. In a preview clip from the upcoming episode of his Apple Music show Elton John’s Rocket Hour, Elton calls the tune “one of the greatest records I’ve ever made.”

Elton talks about putting the track together songwriter and producer Andrew Watt, noting, “Stevie came along and played piano, I played electric piano, and then he did harmonica on it, and then we were trying to get another vocalist on it.”

Elton recalls, “[Stevie] wouldn’t do it because I think he thought he’d done enough.” But Watt then added a gospel choir on the song — the same choir Kanye West has been using — and Elton says, “I think when Stevie heard that, he decided to do the vocal.”

“I think for me, it’s one of the greatest records I’ve ever made, because it’s Stevie Wonder!” Elton raves, praising Watt for making “Stevie sound like a 17-year-old again.”

“I’m so proud of this record because I love [Stevie] so much,” Elton rhapsodizes. “He’s always been so kind to me and so sweet to me, you know, the talent is beyond ridiculous. And it was just lovely to spend time with him and just see this wonderful human being smiling and happy and playing on a record of mine.”

You can hear the whole episode of Elton John’s Rocket Hour on Apple Music 1 on Saturday at noon ET.

Elton’s The Lockdown Sessions is coming out October 22.

Copyright © 2021, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

As promised, a newly created video for Billy Joel‘s beloved 1977 song from The Stranger, “Scenes from an Italian Restaurant,” has premiered on Billy’s YouTube channel. 

The animated clip brings to life the two main characters of the song, Brenda and Eddie, who meet at an Italian restaurant after years apart to reminisce about their lives.  The clip pretty much illustrates the lyrics exactly, as the former couple catch each other up on what they’re doing now, think about their days together as the king and queen of the prom, and recall their ill-fated marriage and subsequent divorce.

The fun part of the video, however, is spotting all the Billy Joel Easter eggs.  For example, the story unfolds comic book-style via the pages of a menu on the table of the restaurant, which is called Cacciatore’s — the name of a character in another Stranger song, “Movin’ Out.” The menu’s cover is decorated with a mask and a pair of boxing gloves, both motifs of The Stranger‘s artwork, which recur throughout the video. 

In another comic-strip panel, there are scenes of people outside a bar called “Zanzibar,” the name of a 1978 song by Billy.  When we see Brenda and Eddie’s “apartment with deep-pile carpets,” the walls are decorated with framed covers of Billy’s 1970s-era albums.

Also sprinkled in are scenes of Billy and his band performing live in various eras, and one shot shows a wall of posters advertising a gig at the “Coliseum” — a reference to Billy’s hometown venue, the now-defunct Nassau Coliseum.  As the song ends and the menu closes, it morphs into the cover of The Stranger.

The Stranger is included in the nine-LP box set Billy Joel — The Vinyl Collection, Vol. 1, due out on November 5.

Copyright © 2021, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

The Fisher-Price company has introduced a new set of collectible Rolling Stones figurines as part of its “Little People” series of kids’ toys.

The collection, which is priced at $19.99, features miniature versions of the band’s four main longtime members — singer Mick Jagger, guitarists Keith Richards and Ronnie Wood, and late drummer Charlie Watts. Each figure stands over 2.5 inches tall.

The toys come packaged in a gift box resembling a concert stage and featuring The Rolling Stones’ iconic “tongue and lips” logo.

The set currently is available as an Amazon.com exclusive.

Other music stars who have been previously been immortalized as miniature toys as part of the “Little People” series include The Beatles, KISS, Elvis Presley and Run-DMC.

Copyright © 2021, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.