New book, ‘Bob Dylan: Mixing Up The Medicine,’ explores the singer’s vast archive

May 11, 2023 by Classic Rock 93.9

Here’s something every Bob Dylan fan will want to get their hands on.

Callaway Arts & Entertainment just announced a new comprehensive book, Bob Dylan: Mixing Up The Medicine, described as “a richly illustrated book that is the first panoramic look at” the Bob Dylan Archive, which is currently housed in Tulsa, Oklahoma.

The 608-page book features close to 1,000 images, many of which have never been seen by the public. There’s also Dylan draft lyrics, writings, drawings and more, along with essays from writers and artists who were asked to pick an item from the archive that inspires them and write about it.

“This is the long-awaited book that Dylan fans have been dreaming of since the 1960s, and it introduces the full scope of this artist’s monumental creativity and achievements to a new generation,” Nicholas Callaway shares. “This is a book for the ages.”

The book is being done in cooperation with the Bob Dylan Archive, with Mark Davidson, its curator and director, who wrote and edited the book with archivist Parker Fishel, noting it “is unlike any book on Bob Dylan ever produced.”

Bob Dylan: Mixing Up The Medicine will be released October 24.

Steve Perry on working with Dolly Parton: it “was truly a thrill”

May 11, 2023 by Classic Rock 93.9

Steve Perry is one of the many artists set to appear on Dolly Parton’s upcoming rock record, Rockstar, collaborating with the icon on the Journey classic “Open Arms.”

In a post on Facebook, Perry expressed how “thrilled” he is about the excitement surrounding the record, noting, “I have been a Dolly Parton fan for years and years and to sing one of my songs with her was truly a thrill.”

He adds, “When I first got the track I could not believe how strong and amazing her voice was. I did my very best to keep up with that girl, but boy she’s got fire! And to quote her on my telephone she said ‘I think we harmonize well together, don’t you?’ And I said ‘Absolutely my dear. Absolutely.'”

Dolly’s Rockstar will be released November 17. In addition to Perry, it features a whole host of rock stars, including Paul McCartney and Ringo Starr, Steven Tyler, Elton John and Stevie Nicks. It is available for preorder now.

‘Ted Lasso’ brings Bob Marley & the Wailers’ “Three Little Birds” back to the charts

May 11, 2023 by Classic Rock 93.9

A Bob Marley classic has returned to the top of the charts, and it’s all because of the hit Apple TV+ series Ted Lasso.

Billboard reports that the Marley and The Wailers classic “Three Little Birds” is number one on the Top TV Songs chart, after appearing in sixth episode of Lasso‘s current third season.

The episode focused on AFC Richmond and company’s free night in Amsterdam and ends with Rebecca, played by Hannah Waddingham, launching into the song, sparking a team singalong. The inclusion of the song resulted in 9.6 million on-demand U.S. streams, as well as 4,000 new downloads last month.

And that’s not the only song Ted Lasso has helped return to the chart. The Peter, Paul & Mary song “Don’t Think Twice, It’s All Right” lands on the same chart at 10, thanks to its appearance in the fourth episode.

Rod Stewart may build another house to provide home for more Ukrainian refugees

May 11, 2023 by Classic Rock 93.9

Last year, Rod Stewart made headlines when he rented a house near his home in England in order to put a roof over the heads of a Ukrainian family of refugees. Now he’s thinking of taking in a second family.

After the war in Ukraine started, Rod and his nephews organized a convoy of trucks to bring much-needed supplies to the border and to bring back a number of refugees. He was then put in contact with a different group of refugees — a family of seven who’d escaped the war and had made it to the U.K. He rented them a house, and has pledged to pay their rent and bills for a year. On top of that, he found jobs for two other refugees on his estate.

Now, Rod tells the Las Vegas Review Journal that he’s considering building another house just so he can take in a second family. “I’m just waiting for the Ukrainian offensive to stop this guy,” Rod says, referring to Vladimir Putin. “We can’t let him win. It’s 1939, all over again.”

During his Las Vegas shows at the Colosseum at Caesars Palace, Rod wears a blue and yellow suit, the colors of the Ukrainian flag, and dedicates his hit “Rhythm of My Heart” to the people of Ukraine.

Rod recently played his 182nd show in Las Vegas, which he says is more than he’s done in any other city. However, for now he’s refraining from kicking his signature soccer balls into the audience — not only because people fight over them, but occasionally people get injured by them.

“I’ve got one or two lawsuits,” he admits.

Grateful Dead shares peek at this year’s Meet-Up At The Movies concert

May 11, 2023 by Classic Rock 93.9

Grateful Dead fans are getting their first peek at the band’s upcoming 11th annual Meet-Up At The Movies screening.

This year’s screening highlights the band’s June 22, 1991, concert at Chicago’s Soldier Field, the first time they ever played the venue. A just-released clip of the concert shows them performing the In The Dark track “Hell in a Bucket.”

The concert features the Dead’s Jerry Garcia, Bob Weir, Phil Lesh, Bill Kreutzmann and Mickey Hart, along with Bruce Hornsby and Vince Welnick on keyboards, taking the place of Brent Mydland, who had passed away a year earlier. It features performances of such songs as “Shakedown Street,” “Playing In The Band” and “Terrapin Station.”

This year’s Meet-Up At The Movies will screen in select theaters worldwide on June 22 and 24. Tickets are on sale now.

For whom the chef cooks: Lars Ulrich says “crazy, cool restaurants” inspired Metallica’s “snake pit” section

May 11, 2023 by Classic Rock 93.9

Since the Black Album days, Metallica concerts have featured a “snake pit” section — a limited capacity, enclosed area right near the stage reserved for the luckiest of fans. As drummer Lars Ulrich tells Apple Music’s Zane Lowe, Metallica wanted the “snake pit” to feel like an exclusive experience at a great restaurant.

“One of our managers back in New York in the late ’80s/early ’90s [had] the idea that when you would go to a restaurant, that the best seat in the restaurant was actually not in the house, but the best seat was in the kitchen,” Ulrich explains in a clip posted by RollingStone.com. “So in crazy, cool restaurants, if you could somehow get into the kitchen and eat in the kitchen, you were in there where all the action was.”

The interview took place as Ulrich walked Lowe through the empty stadium in Amsterdam where Metallica kicked off their M72 world tour in April.

“This is the most pristine large-scale concert production I’ve ever seen,” Lowe remarks. “This makes U2 look sloppy.”

The M72 tour, which supports Metallica’s new 72 Seasons album, comes to the U.S. in August.

‘Joni Mitchell At Newport’ coming in July

May 11, 2023 by Classic Rock 93.9

Last summer Joni Mitchell surprised the crowd at the Newport Folk Festival with her first live performance in 20 years — and now fans who didn’t catch the show will finally hear what went down.

The new live album At Newport, produced by Brandi Carlile, the artist responsible for getting Mitchell back on the stage, is being released July 28. It features songs from the onstage “Joni Jam,” with guest appearances by Carlile and her bandmates Phil and Tim Hanseroth, Wynonna Judd, Marcus Mumford, Celisse, Lucius’ Jess Wolfe and Holly Laessig, Dawes’ Taylor Goldsmith and more.

The album, with liner notes by Oscar-winning director Cameron Crowe, features performances of such Joni classics as “Big Yellow Taxi,” “A Case of You,” “Both Sides Now” and more.

At Newport will be released in a variety of formats, including digitally, on CD and two-LP black vinyl, and in Dolby Atmos. There will also be a two-LP clear vinyl set sold at independent record stores and Barnes & Noble.

And Mitchell’s return to performing isn’t over. She’s set to headline a “Joni Jam” on June 10 at the Gorge Amphitheatre in Quincy, Washington, with Carlile as special guest. The show is the legendary singer’s first ticketed performance in 20 years, and it sold out almost immediately.

At Newport is available for preorder now. Here’s the track list:

Introduction by Brandi Carlile
“Big Yellow Taxi”
“A Case Of You”
“Amelia”
“Both Sides Now”
“Just Like This Train”
“Summertime”
“Carey”
“Help Me” – Celisse
“Come In From The Cold”
“Shine”
“The Circle Game”

Pete Townshend’s solo albums ‘Rough Mix’ and ‘Empty Glass’ being reissued on half speed mastered vinyl

May 11, 2023 by Classic Rock 93.9

Pete Townshend‘s solo catalog is the latest to get the reissue treatment on half speed mastered vinyl.

The first two releases in the series are Rough Mix, Pete’s 1977 collaboration with late Small Faces bass player Ronnie Lane, and his 1980 solo album Empty Glass. Both will be available June 23 but can be preordered now.

Both albums have been mastered on limited edition black vinyl by noted producer and engineer Jon Astley, who’s also Pete’s former brother-in-law. The half speed mastering technique produces superior quality vinyl LPs. The albums have also been repackaged in their original sleeves; Empty Glass also comes with a 12-by-24-inch poster.

Rough Mix, whose best known track is “My Baby Gives It Away,” was recorded during The Who‘s hiatus after their 1976 tour. It features contributions from The Who’s John Entwistle, as well as Eric Clapton, who co-wrote the track “Annie,” and The Rolling Stones‘ Charlie Watts.

In addition to compositions by Townshend and Lane, the album features a cover of country star Don Williams‘ 1976 #1 hit “Til All the Rivers Run Dry.”

Empty Glass features one of Townshend’s biggest solo hits, “Let My Love Open the Door,” as well as the classic rock staple “Rough Boys.” Its songs were inspired by what Townshend was going through at the time, including substance abuse, problems in his marriage and his sadness over the 1978 death of Who drummer Keith Moon.

On This Day, May 11, 1981: Bob Marley dies at age 36

May 11, 2023 by Classic Rock 93.9

On This Day, May 11, 1981 …

Reggae legend Bob Marley died from cancer at a hospital in Miami, Florida, at the age of 36.

In July 1977, Marley was diagnosed with a type of malignant melanoma under a toenail. By the fall of 1980, the cancer had spread to his brain, lungs and liver, and he played his final concert in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, on September 23, 1980.

After the cancer spread throughout his body, he went to Germany to undergo an alternative cancer treatment, but during his flight home his health got worse and he was taken to the hospital in Miami, where he passed away.

He was laid to rest with a state funeral in Jamaica on May 21, 1981.

Marley is best known for his 1984 album Legend, which is the bestselling reggae album of all time. It features a live version of the Marley classic “No Woman No Cry,” along with other classics like “I Shot the Sheriff,” “One Love,” “Is This Love,” “Get Up Stand Up” and more.

Marley was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 1994.

The Pretenders prove they are ‘Relentless’ with new album

May 11, 2023 by Classic Rock 93.9

The Pretenders are back with their first new album in three years. The rockers are set to drop the new studio album Relentless on September 1 and have shared the first single from the record, “Let The Sun Come In.”

In discussing the album’s title, frontwoman Chrissie Hynde shares, “I enjoy seeing the various meanings and origins of a word. And I liked the definition: ‘showing no abatement of intensity.’ So when it came to an album title, it seemed fitting. You know … to keep doing it.”

She adds, “I think anyone in a band is constantly questioning if they should keep going. It starts as a youthful pursuit and eventually, it makes you wonder, why am I doing this? It’s the life of the artist. You never retire. You become relentless.”

Relentless is the follow-up to 2020’s Hate for Sale, and is the second consecutive album where Hynde and Pretenders guitarist James Walbourne collaborated on all the songwriting. The album’s closing track, “I Think About You Daily,” features Radiohead guitarist Jonny Greenwood, who provided the string arrangements for the tune.

“I met Jonny a couple of times and we’re obviously big fans of him because he’s done some incredible music over the years,” Hynde says, noting she was “thrilled and very surprised” when he said he wanted to do something together.

Relentless is available for preorder now.

Here is the track list for Relentless:
“Losing My Sense Of Taste”
“A Love”
“Domestic Silence”
“The Copa”
“Promise Of Love”
“Merry Widow”
“Let The Sun Come In”
“Look Away”
“Your House Is On Fire”
“Just Let It Go”
“Vainglorious”
“I Think About You Daily”

Next up, The Pretenders kick off a U.K. tour on Friday, May 12, in Brighton, England. They are set to open for Guns N’ Roses on their European tour starting in July. A complete list of dates can be found at thepretenders.com.

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