Classic Rock 93.9

Elvis Costello & The Imposters just earned a Best Rock Album Grammy nomination for The Boy Named If, and now, fans are about to be treated to a new version of the record.

Costello just announced he’s dropping the companion album, The Boy Named If (Alive at Memphis Magnetic), on November 25. The record features live-in-the-studio takes on the album’s songs, recorded during tour rehearsals at Memphis Magnetic Recording in October 2021 and May 2022. 

The album also includes a version of the Costello classic “Every Day I Write The book,” along with covers of The Rolling Stones’ “Out of Time”; Nick Lowe’s “Truth Drug”; The Byrds’ “So You Want Be A Rock and Roll Star”; The Beatles’ “Here There and Everywhere”; and Paul McCartney and Wings’ “Let Me Roll It.” Plus, there is a remix of Costello’s “Magnificent Hurt” by the Japanese duo chelmico, which has just been released.

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Roger Waters has released a new version of a Pink Floyd classic. The track, “Comfortably Numb 2022,” was recorded during the rocker’s This Is Not A Drill North American tour and is now available on streaming services. 

“During Lockdown I made a demo of a new version of ‘Comfortably Numb‘ as an opener for our new show This  Is Not A Drill,” Roger shares. “I pitched it a whole step down, in A Minor, to make it darker and arranged it with no solos, except over the outro chord sequence, where there is a heartrendingly beautiful female vocal solo from Shanay Johnson, one of our new singers.” 

The original “Comfortably Numb” was released in 1980 and appeared on Pink Floyd’s classic album The Wall.

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Donald Trump isn’t the only politician upsetting musicians by using their music without permission. The latest politician being called out is Arizona Republican gubernatorial candidate Kari Lake.

The estate of the late Tom Petty is upset that Lake included the rocker’s 1989 track “I Won’t Back Down” in a recently dropped video, which features images of her posing with Trump, hunting with a rifle, and even destroying TVs that air CNN. 

“The Tom Petty estate and our partners were shocked to find out that Tom’s song ‘I Won’t Back Down’ was stolen and used without permission or a license to promote Kari Lake’s failed campaign. This is illegal,” reads a tweet by the estate, referring to the fact that Lake lost to her Democratic opponent Katie Hobbs, although she refuses to concede. The Petty estate adds, “We are exploring all of our legal options to stop this unauthorized use and to prohibit future misappropriations of Tom’s beloved anthem. “

Finally, they thanked fans “who brought this to our attention and who help us protect his legacy every day.”

The Petty response comes just days after Isaac Hayes’ estate called out Trump for using the Sam and Dave song “Hold On I’m Coming,” which Hayes wrote with David Porter, at the event announcing the former president’s 2024 election bid.

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Elton John Live: Farewell from Dodger Stadium streams live on Disney+ Sunday night. It’s the final show Elton will play in North America as part of his Farewell Yellow Brick Road tour. Because it’s live, you’ll have to stay up till 11 p.m. to watch it on the East Coast, but it’s going to be worth it.

“I think the reason why you should watch it is because there’s very rarely a moment that we know will be a historic moment in music,” executive producer Ben Winston tells ABC Audio. He notes, “One of the greatest artists of all time is saying, ‘This is me saying farewell to you … a country … that has been so good to me, that I’ve toured for years and years and years … at the most iconic venue that you could play.”

Winston says you should also tune in for Elton’s special guests Dua Lipa, Kiki Dee and Brandi Carlile, as well as the preshow, featuring farewell wishes from a range of celebrities, from President Joe Biden to Billie Eilish. 

Speaking with ABC’s Robin Roberts about doing this final show at the same place he played two career-making shows back in 1975, Elton noted, “Dodger Stadium, at that point, was the pinnacle of my career. I was the biggest I could possibly be.”

“I’ve played there since with Eric Clapton,” he adds. “But to be there again on my own … I couldn’t have asked for a more wonderful ending.”

“I can’t do any better than I’ve done. I’m going out on the biggest high. This is the biggest tour we’ve ever done,” he adds. “What more can I want? I’ve had enough applause. I’ve said it before: I just want the applause of my children, saying, ‘You’ve been a good dad.'”

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Stewart Copeland‘s post-Police band Animal Logic, which the drummer formed with acclaimed jazz bassist Stanley Clarke and singer/songwriter Deborah Holland, has just released two new songs, the group’s first new tunes in over 30 years.

“Can I Tell You” and “Ordinary” are available via major digital music providers and at Animal Logic’s Bandcamp page.

Animal Logic formed in 1987 and released a pair of studio albums, 1989’s self-titled effort and 1991’s Animal Logic II, before the members moved on to focus on various other projects.

Copeland tells ABC Audio the new songs don’t signify a full-fledged Animal Logic reunion, noting that the tracks are just part of an ongoing casual remote collaboration between him, Clarke and Holland.

“The concept of reuniting the band is kind of maybe a little dramatic, because, really, we just like working with each other,” Stewart maintains. “Deborah Holland writes incredible songs, and Stanley and I are always inspired … We send [a] track around and we do something cool, and we’re all very happy about it.”

One of the songs, “Ordinary” is an upbeat pop tune that features Holland offering a rundown of various serious modern issues.

“That’s what we love about Deborah … she’s a thinker,” Stewart says. “She thinks about things and has a very interesting perspective on things … She lives a real life and has her poetic take on it, which I find inspiring.”

Meanwhile, Copeland notes that Animal Logic won’t be going out of the way to promote the songs.

“There’s no major record company involved or anything like that,” he says. “This really is art for art’s sake. You know, it’s just because we think it’s cool, and hope you think it’s cool, too. But we’re not gonna ram it down your throat.” 

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Thin Lizzy is celebrating one of their classic live albums with a new reissue. Next year marks the 45th anniversary of the double-Platinum Live and Dangerous, and to mark the occasion the band is set to release what they are calling a “definitive” eight-CD super deluxe version of the record.

The original live album was recorded at shows in London and Toronto in 1977 on the band’s Johnny the Fox and Bad Reputation tours. The new set, dropping January 20, will include a remastered version of the original, as well as six shows recorded for the album — in London, Toronto and Philadelphia — all newly remixed from the original multitracks.

Live and Dangerous was Thin Lizzy’s first live album. There was some debate as to how much of the album was recorded live when it was released. Regardless, the album was a huge hit, peaking at number two in the United Kingdom.

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(Note Content) In Bob Dylan’s recent book The Philosophy of Modern Song he shares some big praise for Elvis Costello and The Attractions, while insulting other artists in the process. 

In an essay about Costello’s “Pump It Up,” Dylan writes, “Elvis Costello And The Attractions were a better band than any of their contemporaries. Light years better.” At least one of those contemporaries wasn’t too happy about that. 

Earlier this month Talking Heads’ Chris Frantz had some strong opinions about Dylan’s comments, writing on Facebook, “With all due respect to the Attractions and to drummer Pete Thomas in particular, I’d like to say to Bob something he once said to a buddy of mine. ‘Suck a d***.”

Well, now, in a new interview with Rolling Stone, Frantz is expanding on his thoughts, telling the mag, “When I read that, I just thought, ‘Jesus, Bob. I understand you dig Elvis Costello, but did you have to put it that way?’”

“I’m not trying to pit the Heads against any of the bands of that era,” Frantz notes. “There were so many good bands then, and I spent many nights at CBGB and saw a lot of superior performances,” adding, “But I would say to Bob, ‘How are you making such a sweeping generalization?’ I think it’s a very good book—despite that one chapter.”

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Megadeth has released a cover of Judas Priest‘s “Delivering the Goods.”

Dave Mustaine and company recorded their version of the 1978 track in honor of Priest’s recent induction into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame. You can listen to it now exclusively via Amazon Music.

Priest was inducted into the Rock Hall earlier this month with the Musical Excellence Award. In his acceptance speech, frontman Rob Halford spoke about the power of the heavy metal community.

“It doesn’t matter what your sexual identity is, what you look like, the color of your skin, the faith that you believe in or don’t believe in, everybody’s welcome,” he said.

The 2022 Rock Hall Induction Ceremony will air this Saturday, November 19, on HBO.

Megadeth, meanwhile, just received a Grammy nomination in the Best Metal Performance category for “We’ll Be Back,” a track off their new album, The Sick, the Dying…and the Dead!

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Robert Plant and Alison Krauss are set to star in the latest edition of CMT Crossroads, which is celebrating its 20th anniversary.

The 90-minute special, CMT Crossroads: Robert Plant & Alison Krauss, will debut November 29 at 9 p.m. ET and have the two artists performing tracks from their albums Raising Sand and Raise The Roof, including “High And Lonesome,” “Can’t Let Go” and “Gone Gone Gone.” They will also team for some Led Zeppelin tracks, including “Rock and Roll” and “When The Levee Breaks.”

This isn’t the first time Plant and Krauss have appeared on CMT Crossroads. They first teamed for an episode back in 2008 after releasing Raising Sand.

The announcement comes just days after the pair earned three Grammy nominations: Best Americana Album for Raising Sand, Best American Roots Song for “High and Lonesome” and Best Country Duo/Group Performance for “Going Where The Lonely Go.”

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Queen’s new The Miracle Super Deluxe Collector’s Edition box set drops Friday. In addition to two new songs, “Face It Alone” and “Too Much Love Will Kill You,” it features something really special for fans. The set includes audio from the band’s 1988 studio sessions for the album, giving listeners some insight into the band’s dynamic during recording. 

“Listening to our dialogues on ‘The Miracle,’ it feels as if I am in the middle of our sessions – finding joy, finding frustration,” Queen guitarist Brian May tells Variety. “That was the intention: to invite people into our studio environment at that point in time.”

“Face it Alone” was stitched together from fragments of recordings; May says he got “emotional” the first time he heard the late Freddie Mercury on the track. “All I could hear was Freddie’s incredible vocal cords, working so splendidly and passionately….,” he shares. “Yeah, I was pretty emotion-ed up. It was, as if, he was there, and you realize, again, what an incredible talent that was. Such an amazing human being with an extraordinary instrument.”

And in news that’s bound to excite Queen fans, May hints that there’s a possibility more songs can be released based on old recordings. “It’s possible. We don’t really know until we go back in there,” he explains. “I wouldn’t have predicted that we would have had as much unreleased material around “The Miracle,” as it turned out. I’m guessing we’ll find many more hidden treasures, yeah.”

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