Classic Rock News

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)”

Copyright © 2021, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

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.

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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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Santana released its latest studio album, the star-studded Blessings and Miracles, in October, and now the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame band led by guitar legend Carlos Santana has announced dates for a spring 2022 North American tour in support of the record.

The Blessings and Miracles Tour gets underway on March 25 in Kennewick, Washington, and currently is mapped out through an April 16 concert in Mount Pleasant, Michigan.

The shows will feature Santana performing hits and other memorable tunes from throughout the group’s 50-plus-year career, as well as selections from Blessings and Miracles.

Tickets for some shows go on sale to the general public this Friday, December 10, at 10 a.m. local time, while pre-sale tickets to select concerts will be available starting on Tuesday, December 7, at 10 a.m. local time. Visit Santana.com for more information.

News of the new 2022 tour dates comes just a few days after Carlos canceled his planned December concerts in Las Vegas because he had to undergo what was described as an “unscheduled heart procedure.” “I’m gonna be taking time out for a little bit to make sure that I replenish and I rest….so that when I play for you, I will play the way I’m used to and give you 150%,” Carlos said in a video statement. “I wouldn’t show up unless I can do that.”

As previously reported, Blessings and Miracles features collaborations with Steve Winwood, Matchbox Twenty‘s Rob Thomas, Diane Warren, G-Eazy, Living Colour‘s Corey Glover, Metallica‘s Kirk Hammett and late jazz great Chick Corea.

Besides the Blessings and Miracles tour, Santana’s 2022 schedule also includes Las Vegas residency performances in January, February and May, and a North American co-headlining tour with Earth, Wind & Fire running from June to August.

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Sting and acclaimed soul/gospel singer Merry Clayton are among the artists who perform at a pair of concerts celebrating legendary music executive Jerry Moss on February 11 and 12 at The Music Center’s Dorothy Chandler Pavilion in Los Angeles.

The shows, dubbed Live at The Music Center: Concerts Celebrating Jerry Moss, Co-Founder of A&M Records, will feature performances by various music artists from the label’s roster.

Besides Sting and Clayton — the latter of whom famously sang backing vocals on The Rolling Stones‘ “Gimme Shelter” and Lynyrd Skynyrd‘s “Sweet Home Alabama” — the events will include musical tributes from Moss’ A&M co-founder Herb Alpert, as well as from Burt Bacharach, Sérgio Mendes and others. In addition, actor Tim Curry and other celebs will be on hand to pay homage to Moss.

The concerts will showcase some of the most famous songs produced by A&M Records artists, and also will feature stories and video presentations celebrating “the spirit and legacy of” the label under Moss’ and Alpert’s guidance.

Tickets for the concerts can be purchased now at MusicCenter.org/Moss. Money raised by the events will go toward The Music Center’s initiatives to provide free and affordable arts experiences to people in the Los Angeles area.

“I met Mr. M in 1978 on my first trip to Los Angeles and was proud to induct him and Mr. A[lpert] into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2006. He is one of the finest gentlemen I have ever met,” says Sting. “He was sensitive to our needs, respected the creative process and understood the freedom artists must have to let the art speak for itself.”

Adds Alpert, “My success as a recording artist is greatly due to my dear friend and A&M partner Jerry Moss.”

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So, how close did Elton John come to being accidentally killed by Ed Sheeran when filming their “Merry Christmas” music video? According to the behind-the-scenes footage, pretty darn close.

Sir Elton took to Instagram on Monday to share the harrowing moment when Sheeran kicks at a bunch of presents and sends a Christmas bell sailing through the air. Thankfully, Elton is looking down at the time because he’s too busy playing the piano — so the shiny gold bell narrowly misses his head.

The moment is even slowed down to show just how close it came, with the bell whizzing past the singer’s left ear and temple.

As Elton looks up after that heavy prop clatters across his grand piano, Ed steps into frame while sheepishly rubbing the back of his neck.

“Better luck next time, @teddysphotos,” Elton captioned the video and threw in the crying laughing emoji.

Sheeran previously revealed that he nearly took out the 74-year-old pop-rock legend when speaking to Apple Music’s Zane Lowe about the “Merry Christmas” music video.

“I kick a present, but the present had a big metal bell on top of it…the bell flew past his head and would’ve cracked him in the head,” Ed admitted, saying that it almost “killed him.”

Better luck next time, @edsheeran 😂#MerryChristmas pic.twitter.com/jMBZwf6thh

— Elton John (@eltonofficial) December 6, 2021

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A new surfing-themed music video for the recent remix of Paul McCartney‘s 2020 song “Slidin'” by Radiohead‘s Ed O’Brien has debuted at McCartney’s official YouTube channel.

The clip was directed by filmmaker Jack McCoy and is dedicated to the ocean charity Surfrider Foundation Australia and the organization’s work spreading awareness about the importance of protecting the coastlines from pollution and other environmental disruptions.

The video features thrilling slow-motion footage of acclaimed free surfer Craig Anderson and other surfers riding giant waves.

McCartney, who previously has collaborated with McCoy on other videos with ocean-conservation themes, contacted Jack about making a clip for “Slidin’,” a song from his 2020 solo album McCartney III that he felt lent itself to be accompanied by surfing and ocean scenes.

“As soon as I heard the song I said to myself ‘Craig Anderson’,” McCoy explained. “I called on some of Craig’s friends to provide me with some amazing footage and made what became the official video for the track.”

He added, “With Paul’s blessing, Craig and I chose to dedicate the video to Surfrider Foundation to help beat the drum with their ongoing fight for our coastline, in particular the current fight to STOP PEP11, a proposal to drill for oil and gas off [Australia’s New South Wales] coastline.”

McCoy ended up making another “Slidin'” video using O’Brien’s remix for the song, which Ed created for the recent McCartney III Imagined compilation.

O’Brien noted that creating the McCartney remix “was a lot of fun,” recalling, “The winter was dark and a second lockdown was imminent, but working on this track with [producer] Paul Epworth was a moment of light.”

McCoy also is working on a new video project with McCartney in support of Surfrider Foundation Australia that features nine world-class free surfers.

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Alice Cooper recently announced a brief series of North American dates scheduled for January and February of 2022, and now the shock rocker has lined up a longer tour of the U.S. and Canada that will take place in the spring of next year.

The new trek, which features 26 shows, kicks off March 18 in Mashantucket, Connecticut, and is plotted out through an April 23 concert in Paso Robles, California.

Buckcherry will open all of Cooper’s shows from a March 19 gig in Hanover, Maryland, through an April 20 performance in Seattle, while founding KISS guitarist Ace Frehley will serve as the support act at the final two concerts of the tour — April 22 in Reno, Nevada, and the Paso Robles show.

Tickets for Cooper’s spring outing go on sale to the general public this Friday, December 10 at 10 a.m. local time, while a VIP pre-sale begins on Tuesday, December 7, at 10 a.m.

Alice’s previously announced winter 2022 trek features 10 dates, running from a January 27 concert in Windsor, Ontario, Canada, through a February 8 show in Orlando, Florida. After that, Cooper will headline the Monsters of Rock Cruise, which sets sail from Miami on February 9 and visits the Haitian island of CocoCay and Labadee in the Bahamas before returning to port on February 14.

Check out Cooper’s full tour schedule at AliceCooper.com.

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David Lee Roth apparently won’t be jumping into retirement quite as early as he initially planned.

Back in October, the 67-year-old founding Van Halen frontman shocked fans when he announced that he’d retire after the five-show Las Vegas residency at the House of Blues that he’d recently scheduled for New Year’s Eve and early January 2022, but he’s now extended the engagement for four more performances.

The new concerts, which were added because of “popular demand,” are scheduled for January 14, 15, 21 and 22. Tickets for the shows go on sale to the general public on Friday, December 10, at 10 a.m. PT, while a Ticketmaster pre-sale begins on Tuesday, December 7, at 10 a.m. PT, and a Roth fan pre-sale starts on Wednesday.

The previously announced concerts for the “David Lee Roth Rocks Vegas” residency are scheduled for New Year’s Eve, New Year’s Day, and January 5, 7 and 8.

Roth discussed his decision to add dates to the residency in a video message released on Monday that’s been transcribed by Blabbermouth.net.

“I had no idea how many of you wanted to pay to see me go,” the singer said with a laugh. “So I’m putting more tickets on sale, instead of doing the wrong thing and p***ing more people off.”

He added, “Just when I get out, they drag me back in…Look, I’m vulnerable. I feel sensitive. If I sound that way to you, I’m in the middle of my first retirement. And I’m gonna extend my world goodbye tour of Las Vegas at the House Of Blues for two more weekends — like any good f***ing barbecue. Just like you would, if you could.”

pic.twitter.com/2sLwn81nH0

— David Lee Roth (@DavidLeeRoth) December 6, 2021

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The deluxe 50th anniversary reissue of The Doors‘ classic 1971 album L.A. Woman was released Friday.

The three-CD/one-LP collection features a newly remastered version of the album on one CD, and two CDs of unreleased studio outtakes, as well as a new stereo mix of the original album pressed on 180-gram vinyl.

Doors guitarist Robby Krieger tells ABC Audio that the deluxe reissue is “a good package,” noting that the unreleased material includes “some cool stuff…that you’ve never heard before.”

He says one standout tracks is an alternate version of “Riders on the Storm” that’s “almost better than the [original] one, but not quite.”

Some of the outtakes are cover tunes that The Doors recorded on one specific day that they devoted to blues material, because, according to Krieger, frontman Jim Morrison “was totally into the blues at that point.”

Robby recalls, “He kept saying, ‘Hey, when are we gonna do some blues? Come on. Blues, blues, blues.’ And then we said, ‘OK, Tuesday will be Blues Day.’ So, oh, he was so happy.”

Krieger remembers, however, that the notoriously unpredictable Morrison didn’t show up to the Tuesday session, “so Wednesday became Blues Day.”

The previously unreleased blues covers featured on the L.A. Woman box set include renditions of Junior Parker‘s “Mystery Train” and Big Joe Williams‘ “Baby Please Don’t Go.”

The unreleased bonus tracks also include multiple consecutive takes of four L.A. Woman songs — “The Changeling,” “Love Her Madly,” “Riders on the Storm” and the title track.

Doors drummer John Densmore tells ABC Audio that he thinks the L.A. Woman box set is the most interesting of the band’s deluxe reissues, noting that there’s “more little…behind-the-scenes things that make it really special.”

Here’s the track list of L.A. Woman reissue’s CDs:

Disc One: Original Stereo Mix Remastered
“The Changeling”
“Love Her Madly”
“Been Down So Long”
“Cars Hiss by My Window”
“L.A. Woman”
“L’America”
“Hyacinth House”
“Crawling King Snake”
“The WASP (Texas Radio and the Big Beat)”
“Riders on the Storm”

Bonus Tracks
“Hyacinth House” (Demo)
“Riders on the Storm” (Sunset Sound Version – Original Demo)*

Disc Two: L.A. Woman Sessions, Part 1
“The Changeling”*
“Love Her Madly”*
“Riders on the Storm”*
“L.A. Woman” (Part 1)*

Disc Three: L.A. Woman Sessions, Part 2
“L.A. Woman” (Part 2)*
“She Smells So Nice”*
“Rock Me Baby”*
“Mr. Mojo Risin'”*
“Baby Please Don’t Go”*
“L.A. Woman” (Part 3)*
“Been Down So Long”*
“Get Out of My Life Woman”*
“Crawling King Snake”*
“The Bastard Son of Jimmy & Mama Reed (Cars Hiss by My Window)”*
“Been Down So Long”*
“Mystery Train”*
“The WASP (Texas Radio and the Big Beat)”*

* = previously unreleased.

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