Classic Rock 93.9

Wednesday, October 5, marks the 60th anniversary of the release of The Beatles‘ first U.K. single, “Love Me Do.”

According to BeatlesBible.com, the Fab Four had first recorded the song with original drummer Pete Best on June 6, 1962, at London’s EMI Studios — later Abbey Road Studios. Then, after Ringo Starr had replaced Best, the band took a second crack at the song at EMI on September 4 of that year.

Producer George Martin wasn’t happy with the quality of Ringo’s drumming on that version, so The Beatles reconvened once more time at EMI, on September 11, 1962, with session drummer Andy White sitting in and Starr on tambourine.

Initial copies of the “Love Me Do” single actually featured the version with Ringo, although the one with White was included on The Beatles’ debut U.K. album, Please Please Me, and The Beatles’ Hits EP, which were released in 1963 in March and September, respectively.

The “Love Me Do” single peaked at #17 on the U.K. chart. The version with White on drums also appeared on the Fab Four’s debut U.S. album, Introducing The Beatles, which was released in January 1964. Issued as a U.S. single in April ’64, it spent one week at #1 on the Billboard Hot 100 in May of that year.

As previously reported, The Beatles Story in Liverpool, U.K., is marking the 60th anniversary on Wednesday by inviting fans to bring their Beatles or Beatles-era memorabilia to the popular Fab Four-themed attraction, where experts from a specialist Beatles auction house will appraise the items for free.

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Influential San Francisco psychedelic band Jefferson Airplane will be honored with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame next week.

The star ceremony will take place October 13 at 11:30 a.m. PT and will be streamed live at WalkofFame.com.

The three surviving members of the band’s Surrealistic Pillow lineup — singer Grace Slick, guitarist Jorma Kaukonen and bassist Jack Casady — will be on hand to accept the honor. Doors drummer John Densmore and Grateful Dead drummer Mickey Hart will be guest speakers at the event.

The plaque, which will be the 2,737th star dedicated on the Walk of Fame, will be located at 6752 Hollywood Blvd.

“This ceremony will bring many great memories to those with a love for music of the ’60s and ’70s,” says Walk of Fame producer Ana Martinez. “We are proud to add this iconic psychedelic rock band to the Hollywood Walk of Fame.”

Formed in 1965, Jefferson Airplane had its biggest success with its second album, 1967’s Surrealistic Pillow, which featured the classic Slick-sung hits “White Rabbit” and “Somebody to Love.” The band was at the center of the counterculture movement through the late 1960s and early ’70s, and famously played at historic festivals Monterey Pop, Woodstock and Altamont.

After the band broke up, Slick played with Airplane co-founders Marty Balin and Paul Kantner in the spinoff group Jefferson Starship. Kaukonen and Casady, meanwhile, formed the psychedelic folk-blues outfit Hot Tuna; they continue to tour and record with that band.

The Airplane reformed in 1989 for a reunion tour and album.

In 1996, Jefferson Airplane was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame.

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A two-night benefit concert series celebrating the 40th anniversary of R.E.M.‘s 1982 debut EP, Chronic Town, will take place in Athens and Atlanta, Georgia, this December.

The lineup for both shows includes Black Crowes co-founders Rich and Chris Robinson, Hootie and the Blowfish‘s Darius Rucker, Patti Smith guitarist Lenny Kaye, longtime Black Crowes bassist Sven Pipien, The Dream Syndicate‘s Steve Wynn and ex-Screaming Trees drummer Barrett Martin.

Rich, Barrett and Sven will serve as the concerts’ house band.

Saturday Night Live alum/musician Fred Armisen, actor John Cameron Mitchell, Drivin N Cryin and Let’s Active‘s Mitch Easter, who produced Chronic Town, are also on the bill. David Cross will host the events.

In addition, The Indigo Girls will be playing at the Athens show.

The concerts will feature performances of Chronic Town‘s five songs, as well as other fan favorites.

The Athens concert will be held December 14 at the 40 Watt Club. Tickets go on sale to the general public Tuesday, October 11, at 10 a.m. ET. Tickets for the Atlanta show, which will take place at the Coca-Cola Roxy theater on December 15, go on sale to the general public Friday, October 7, at 10 a.m. ET, while a fan presale will begin October 6 at 10 a.m. ET.

“Growing up in Atlanta in the 1980s, R.E.M. was the preeminent band of that era,” says Rich. “Their music was a huge influence not only on the Atlanta music scene but also on my brother and me. I’m so happy to be able to put together this celebration for a band that meant so much to us and music, and Chronic Town is what started it all.”

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Julian Lennon has been named the official 2022 ambassador for the 12th annual edition of World College Radio Day, which takes place Friday, October 7.

The celebration, which is organized by the not-for-profit College Radio Foundation, seeks to unite college radio stations in more than 50 countries to raise awareness about the work college stations do and value they bring to broadcasting.

“College radio is a good way to learn about what’s going on in the world, whether it’s locally or worldwide,” says Lennon in a statement. “College radio is not like the usual mainstream stuff, and I find that far more intriguing.”

This year’s World College Radio Day theme is “Voices for Peace.” Reflecting on the topic, Julian, who is the late John Lennon‘s older son, says, “I feel I’ve been pretty successful in promoting peace and trying to motivate people through so many mediums, but we’ve got to keep moving, we’ve got to keep changing, we’ve got to do better.”

An exclusive interview with Julian, conducted by students from World College Radio Day’s U.S. board, will be simulcast October 7 on over 700 participating college stations. Many of the stations also plan to play a recording of Julian’s recent cover of his father’s classic peace anthem “Imagine,” which he did in support of Ukraine in the wake of Russia’s invasion.

Lennon plans to release a 7-inch vinyl single featuring “Imagine” on or around November 18.

Last month, Julian released a new studio album titled Jude, his first new collection of original songs since 2011’s Everything Changes.

Previous World College Radio Day ambassadors have included Joan Jett, Poison‘s Bret Michaels, “Weird Al” Yankovic, The Black Keys and Wyclef Jean.

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Artists including Pearl Jam, R.E.M., David Byrne of Talking Heads, Devo and The Grateful Dead‘s Bob Weir are contributing unreleased recordings to an upcoming benefit compilation titled Good Music to Ensure Safe Abortion Access to All.

The album will be released this Friday, October 7, exclusively on Bandcamp and will only be available for 24 hours. Proceeds will be donated to The Brigid Alliance, Abortion Care Network and Noise for Now.

The compilation will include a track featuring Byrne collaborating with Devo, while Weir’s contribution was recorded with his side group Wolf Bros. Pearl Jam’s track will be a live version of the Ten track “Porch,” while R.E.M. is offering up a live rendition of “Walk Unafraid,” a song from the band’s 1998 album Up.

Other participating artists include Cat Power, Death Cab for Cutie, Fleet Foxes, Tegan and Sara, Grouplove, Silversun Pickups and Sleater-Kinney. Ex-Sonic Youth member Kim Gordon designed the compilation’s cover.

For more info, visit GoodMusicComp.Bandcamp.com.

In other Pearl Jam news, guitarist Mike McCready will be performing the national anthem ahead of the Seattle Mariners’ double-header against the Detroit Tigers, beginning Tuesday at 3 p.m. PT. The Mariners, Pearl Jam’s hometown baseball team, recently clinched a trip to the playoffs for the first time in over 20 years.

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David Crosby has unveiled plans to release a new concert album and video that captures a 2018 performance with his group The Lighthouse Band at the historic Capitol Theatre in Port Chester, New York.

The aptly titled David Crosby & The Lighthouse Band Live at the Capitol Theatre is due out on November 25 and will be available as a CD/DVD set and via digital formats. The show was recorded on December 8, 2018 during Crosby’s tour in support of Here If I Listen, a collaborative album featuring fellow Light House Band members — singer/guitarist Becca Stevens, singer/keyboardist Michelle Willis and Snarky Puppy guitarist/bassist Michael League.

David previously recorded a solo album, 2016’s Lighthouse, with Stevens, Willis and League, and prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, had been touring on and off with with them regularly.

The show features 16 songs, including live renditions of five tunes from Here If I Listen and Lighthouse, as well as versions of Crosby, Stills & Nash‘s “Guinnevere,” Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young‘s “Déjà Vu” and Joni Mitchell‘s “Woodstock,” which was famously covered by CSNY.

Live at the Capitol Theatre also features a few other songs from Crosby’s back catalog.

Crosby and The Lighthouse Band’s live version of “1974,” a song from Here If I Listen, has been made available as an advance digital track, and a video of the performance has debuted at David’s official YouTube channel. The tune was based on an old demo that Crosby had recorded in 1974.

You can preorder Live at the Capitol Theatre now.

Here’s the complete track list:

“The Us Below”
“Things We Do for Love”
“1974”
“Vagrants of Venice”
“Regina”
“Laughing”
“What Are Their Names”
“By the Light of Common Day”
“Glory”
“The City”
“Look in Their Eyes”
“Guinnevere”
“Janet”
“Carry Me”
“Déjà Vu”
“Woodstock”

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You may not be able to rock like Ozzy Osbourne, but at least you can attempt to look like him.

The Prince of Darkness has announced his own makeup line in partnership with the brand Rock and Roll Beauty. The collection includes various eye shadows with names including “crazy train,” “no more tears” and “paranoid,” as well as lipsticks, other cosmetics and even a “gothic mirror.”

The line will be available exclusively in Ulta Beauty stores and via Ulta.com.

Rock and Roll Beauty has also launched collections inspired by Def Leppard and Jimi Hendrix.

Ozzy, meanwhile, just released his new solo album, Patient Number 9, last month.

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Historic collectibles associated with The Beatles, David Bowie, George Harrison and many other stars will be part of an entertainment memorabilia auction hosted by Propstore taking place November 3-6 in London.

The music-related portion of the sale is scheduled for November 4, and bidding will be accepted in person at the BAFTA 195 Piccadilly venue, as well as online and via the phone.

Among the sale’s many highlights are a pair of Altec 605A studio monitors from London’s famous Abbey Road Studios that were used by The Beatles and many other artists. They’re estimated to bring in between 60,000 and 100,000 pounds, or between about $69,000 and $116,000.

Also up for bid is a spacesuit costume that David Bowie wore in his 1980 “Ashes to Ashes” video, which is expected to fetch up to 80,000 pounds, or about $93,000.

The auction also includes an instrument called a banjolele — a hybrid of a banjo and a ukulele — that was formerly owned by Harrison, which is estimated to sell for between up to 60,000 pounds, or about $69,000.

The potentially priciest music-related item being auctioned by Propstore is a Custom Silver Sparkle Gibson Les Paul Florentine guitar that belonged to Oasis‘ Noel Gallagher, which is estimated to fetch as much as 500,000 pounds, or $578,000.

Other collectibles going on the block include a Nirvana concert set list handwritten by Dave Grohl, a striped blazer worn by Paul McCartney, a leather jacket that Guns N’ Roses guitarist Slash wore in the “Paradise City” video, and a booklet autographed by all four Beatles members.

You can check out the full list of items being auctioned at PropstoreAuction.com.

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Wednesday marks the 60th anniversary of the release of The Beatles’ debut single, “Love Me Do.” But the Beatles-themed Liverpool attraction The Beatles Story has just posted newly discovered photos of the band playing at Liverpool’s The Cavern Club more than a year before that single came out.

The two photographs were taken in July 1961, when George Harrison, Paul McCartney and John Lennon were 18, 19 and 20, respectively. Their drummer at the time was Pete Best, who was also 19.

Beatles historian Mark Lewisohn says the photos show the band right after they’d returned from performing for 90 days in Hamburg, Germany. He notes that they all look very thin, likely due to an insane schedule that saw them spend 500 hours onstage over those three months. They’re also wearing leather trousers and cotton shirts, a combo Lewisohn says never showed up in previous photos.

Four months after the photo was taken, Brian Epstein saw the Beatles for the first time at The Cavern Club and soon after offered to manage them.

In honor of the single’s 60th birthday, fans are invited to bring their Beatles or Beatles-era memorabilia to The Beatles Story attraction Wednesday, where it’ll be appraised for free, Antiques Roadshow-style, by a specialist Beatles auction house.

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Since streaming seems to have made DVDs and Blu-rays all but extinct, former Yes keyboard whiz Rick Wakeman has come up with a unique way to share his visual history with his fans.

Wakeman has launched Wakeman Web TV, a one-stop shop for onstage and TV appearances. From episodes of Gastank, the early ’80s British TV show he hosted, to his appearances on various British and European programs, to live concerts and performances, this online portal has it all.

And in a unique twist, you don’t have to pay a subscription fee to access the material: It’s set up as a Pay-Per-View model, where you can just pay for the things you want to see. Live performances are around 10 bucks to stream for a week, or $20 to download anytime.

Wakeman says in a statement that he wants to “give fans old and new the best way to view and listen to the music,” and feels that Wakeman Web TV is “a very sensible alternative to those platforms that already exist.”

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