On September 23, the shock rocker will visit the Rock City Music Company in the Detroit suburb of Livonia, Michigan, where he’ll sign copies of the album for fans.
This will mark the first time Cooper has participated in this type of event in or near Detroit since 1999.
Detroit Stories, which was released in February, is Cooper’s homage to the hard-edged rock music of his childhood hometown. The album features contributions from various guest musicians, including the three other surviving members of the original Alice Cooper group, plus ex-Grand Funk Railroad frontman Mark Farner, MC5 guitarist Wayne Kramer, and Mitch Ryder and the Detroit Wheels drummer Johnny “Bee” Badanjek.
“I’m excited to do an album signing in Detroit again, especially for the Detroit Stories album, and for all the Detroit fans,” says Alice. “Detroit still feels like home in so many ways. And Rock City Music is the right place to do it.”
The event begins at 4 p.m. local time. Tickets are priced at $25 and include either a vinyl LP or a CD/DVD copy of Detroit Stories. Cooper will only sign copies of the new album, and will autograph up to two per person. No photos with Alice, including selfies, will be permitted.
Masks will be required for entry into the event. People who are experiencing a temperature above 100.4 degrees or have any other COVID-19 symptoms are asked to stay home.
Two days after the signing event, Cooper will return to the Detroit area for a concert in Clarkston, Michigan, part of Alice’s upcoming U.S. tour that kicks off September 17 in Atlantic City, New Jersey.
Here’s a deeper look at the reissue’s Super Deluxe editions, which will be available as a five-CD/Blu-ray set, a four-LP/EP vinyl collection and in digital formats.
The expanded reissue boasts a new mix of the original album; previously unreleased recordings from the sessions, including alternate takes, rehearsals, jams, studio chatter and a performance from the band’s historic rooftop concert; and a recreation of the unreleased 14-track Get Back LP compiled in May 1969 by engineer Glyn Johns.
The CD and vinyl Super Deluxe reissue will come with a book featuring a foreword by Paul McCartney; commentary, notes and essays by respected Beatles historian Kevin Howlett and journalist John Harris; previously unpublished photos; and rare images of handwritten lyrics, session notes, sketches and more.
Let It Be was released in the U.K. on May 8, 1970 — a month after The Beatles announced their breakup — and 10 days later in the U.S.
The album spent four weeks at #1 on the Billboard 200 in June and July of 1970, and yielded the chart-topping hit “The Long and Winding Road.” It also featured alternate versions of two other songs that reached #1 prior to the album’s release — the title track and “Get Back.”
As previously reported, the new three-part documentary The Beatles: Get Back created by director Peter Jackson from unseen footage shot during the Let It Be sessions will premiere on Disney+ on November 25, 26 and 27.
A companion The Beatles: Get Back book will be published on October 12.
Here’s the track list for the CD version of the Let It Be Super Deluxe reissues:
CD 1: Let It Be (new stereo mix of original album)
“Two of Us”
“Dig a Pony”
“Across the Universe”
“I Me Mine”
“Dig It”
“Let It Be”
“Maggie Mae”
“I’ve Got a Feeling”
“One After 909”
“The Long and Winding Road”
“For You Blue”
“Get Back”
CD 2: Get Back — Apple Sessions
“Morning Camera” (Speech – Mono)/”Two of Us” (Take 4)
“Maggie Mae”/”Fancy My Chances with You” (Mono)
“Can You Dig It?”
“I Don’t Know Why I’m Moaning” (Speech – Mono)
“For You Blue” (Take 4)
“Let It Be”/”Please Please Me”/”Let It Be” (Take 10)
“I’ve Got a Feeling” (Take 10)
“Dig a Pony” (Take 14)
“Get Back” (Take 19)
“Like Making an Album?” (Speech)
“One After 909” (Take 3)
“Don’t Let Me Down” (First rooftop performance)
“The Long and Winding Road” (Take 19)
“Wake Up Little Susie”/”I Me Mine” (Take 11)
CD 3: Get Back — Rehearsals and Apple Jams
“On the Day Shift Now” (Speech – Mono)/”All Things Must Pass” (Rehearsals – Mono)
“Concentrate on the Sound” (Mono)
“Gimme Some Truth” (Rehearsal – Mono)
“I Me Mine” (Rehearsal – Mono)
“She Came In Through the Bathroom Window” (Rehearsal)
“Polythene Pam” (Rehearsal – Mono)
“Octopus’s Garden” (Rehearsal – Mono)
“Oh! Darling” (Jam)
“Get Back” (Take 8)
“The Walk” (Jam)
“Without a Song” (Jam) — Billy Preston with John and Ringo
“Something” (Rehearsal – Mono)
“Let It Be” (Take 28)
CD 4: Get Back LP — 1969 Glyn Johns Mix
“One After 909”
“I’m Ready” (aka “Rocker”)/Save the Last Dance for Me”/”Don’t Let Me Down”
“Don’t Let Me Down”
“Dig a Pony”
“I’ve Got a Feeling”
“Get Back”
“For You Blue”
“Teddy Boy”
“Two of Us”
“Maggie Mae”
“Dig It”
“Let It Be”
“The Long and Winding Road”
“Get Back (Reprise)”
CD 5: Let It Be EP
“Across the Universe” (unreleased Glyn Johns 1970 mix)
“I Me Mine” (unreleased Glyn Johns 1970 mix)
“Don’t Let Me Down” (new mix of original single version)
“Let It Be” (new mix of original single version)
Blu-ray: Let It Be Special Edition audio mixes
–Dolby Atmos
–96kHz/24-bit DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1
–96kHz/24-bit High Res Stereo (2019 Stereo Mix)
Metallica has announced a $50,000 donation toward Haitian earthquake relief through the band’s All Within My Hands charity foundation.
The funds will be used by to help those impacted by the 7.2 magnitude quake, which hit Haiti on August 14. More than 2,200 people have died and over 12,200 have been injured, according to Haiti’s Civil Protection Agency. Additionally, over 50,000 homes have been destroyed.
All Within My Hands has previously donated money to causes including COVID-19 relief and recovery efforts for disasters including the West Coast wildfires, and this year’s Texas winter storm.
Meanwhile, Metallica has released two more previews of the upcoming Metallica Blacklist compilation, a 53-artist tribute to the group’s iconic 1991 self-titled record, aka The Black Album. The newly released covers include Japanese-British musician Rina Sawayama‘s version of “Enter Sandman,” and British rock band IDLES‘ rendition of “The God that Failed.”
The Metallica Blacklist will be released September 10. Proceeds will benefit a charity of each contributing artist’s choosing, as well as All Within My Hands.
As previously reported, the five-CD collection features previously unreleased live, studio and demo recordings from Joni Mitchell‘s early career leading up to Blue‘s release.
Archives Vol. 2 features home recordings from 1967 and 1968; tracks recorded during the making of Mitchell’s first four studio albums — 1968’s Song to a Seagull, 1969’s Clouds, 1970’s Ladies of the Canyon and ’71’s Blue — performances and an interview from Joni’s August 1969 appearance on The Dick Cavett Show; and several full-length concerts.
The concerts include a March 1968 show at the Le Hibou Coffee House in Ottawa, Canada, that was recorded by guitar legend Jimi Hendrix, a February 1969 performance at New York City’s historic Carnegie Hall, and an October 1970 concert at London’s Paris Theatre, during which Joni was joined by James Taylor for part of the show.
Joni Mitchell Archives Vol. 2 also is available as a limited-edition 10-LP vinyl set.
In addition, a standalone three-LP vinyl edition of Mitchell’s 1969 Carnegie Hall performance also will be released on November 12. A limited-edition white-vinyl version of Live at Carnegie Hall, February 1, 1969 can be purchased exclusively at JoniMitchell.com.
The three-LP set offers audio of the entire concert over five sides, while the sixth and final side features an etching of the American eagle design that appeared on the skirt Mitchell wore at the show.
Joni’s performance of “Chelsea Morning” that kicked off the concert has been released as a digital track in advance of the live album and the Archives Vol. 2 box set.
Here’s the Live at Carnegie Hall track list:
First Set
Side One
“Chelsea Morning”
A Valentine for Joni
“Cactus Tree”
“Night in the City”
“I Had a King”
Side Two
“Blue Boy”
My American Skirt
“The Fiddle and the Drum”
Spoony’s Wonderful Adventure
“That Song About the Midway”
“Both Sides Now”
Second Set
Side Three
“Marcie”
“Nathan La Franeer”
Intro to “The Gallery”
“The Gallery”
“Hunter”
“Morning Morgantown”
Side Four
Intro to “Get Together”
“Get Together”
Intro to “The Circle Game/Little Green”
“The Circle Game/Little Green”
Encore
Side Five
“Michael from Mountains”
Intro to “Urge for Going”
“Urge for Going”
Side Six
Etching of American eagle design from the skirt Mitchell wore at Carnegie Hall show
Anthrax is celebrating 40 years of thrashing with a stiff drink.
The New York City metallers have announced Anthrax XL, a signature whiskey marking the band’s 40th anniversary. Created in collaboration with Hillrock Estate Distillery, Anthrax XL boasts a 115 proof cask strength, and is limited to 400 hand-numbered, limited edition bottles costing $155, each of which is signed by every band member.
“On the nose, there is an explosion of caramel, toffee, and butterscotch with hints of dried cherries and fresh herbs,” guitarist Scott Ian says of Anthrax XL. “The palette has a rich texture of bright red fruits, baking spices, and toasted almonds. I’m drooling just reading that back. Get yourself a bottle, you deserve it!”
Also available are special “Golden Ticket” bottles, which comes with two tickets and a meet-and-greet during Anthrax’s upcoming 2022 headlining U.S. tour, the exact details of which have yet to be announced. Only 40 of those will be sold, and are priced at $350.
Anthrax was founded July 18, 1981 — 40 years ago last month. The band marked the milestone with a streaming concert, as well as a video series going through each of their albums.
A vinyl box set celebrating the 50th anniversary of Billy Joel‘s career and focusing mainly on his 1970s albums is due out on November 5, the same day Joel will play his first rescheduled residency show at New York’s Madison Square Garden since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Billy Joel — The Vinyl Collection, Vol. 1 is a nine-LP package featuring the singer/songwriter’s first six studio efforts — 1971’s Cold Spring Harbor, 1973’s RIAA four-times-Platinum Piano Man, 1974’s Streetlife Serenade, 1976’s Turnstiles, 1977’s RIAA Diamond-certified The Stranger and 1978’s seven-times-Platinum 52nd Street — plus his first live album, 1981’s Songs in the Attic, and a previously unreleased two-disc concert album titled Live at The Great American Music Hall – 1975.
The box set, which you can pre-order now, also will feature a booklet that boasts archival photos, Joel’s comments about his early music, tributes from various well-known musicians and celebrities, and an essay by music journalist Anthony DeCurtis.
Live at The Great American Music Hall, which will be available exclusively as part of The Vinyl Collection, Vol. 1, was recorded in June 1975 in San Francisco. The concert features versions of such popular Joel tunes as “You’re My Home,” “New York State of Mind,” “The Entertainer” and “The Ballad of Billy the Kid,” as well as Billy’s imitations of Joe Cocker, Elton John and Leon Russell.
Among the many classic songs features on the box set are “She’s Got a Way,” “Piano Man,” “Captain Jack,” “The Entertainer,” “New York State of Mind,” “Say Goodbye to Hollywood,” “Just the Way You Are,” “Movin’ Out (Anthony’ Song),” “She’s Always a Woman,” “Only the Good Die Young,” “Scenes from an Italian Restaurant,” My Life,” “Big Shot,” and “Honesty.”
The Beatles‘ final studio album, Let It Be, will be reissued on October 15 in multiple configurations in advance of the highly anticipated The Beatles: Get Back documentary that focuses on the making of the record.
All versions of the reissue will feature a new mix of the 1970 album by Giles Martin — son of late Beatles producer George Martin — and engineer Sam Okell.
The Super Deluxe editions of the reissue boast a total of 57 tracks, including 27 previously unreleased recordings from the sessions, a four-track Let It Be EP and an unreleased 14-track album titled Get Back featuring stereo mixes of songs compiled in May of 1969 by engineer Glyn Johns.
In advance of the Let It Be reissue, three tracks have been made available from the deluxe versions — a 2021 stereo mix of the title track, a recording of The Beatles’ rooftop performance of “Don’t Let Me Down” and the Get Back LP mix of “For You Blue.”
ZZ Top‘s Billy Gibbons contributed the lead track to the album May the Circle Remain Unbroken: A Tribute to Roky Erickson, which was released as a limited-edition colored-vinyl LP on July 17th as part of the 2021 Record Store Day event and now also can be purchased on CD.
The album features a variety of mostly contemporary artists saluting late Texas psychedelic rock pioneer Roky Erickson, who died in 2019 at age 71. Gibbons recorded a version of “(I’ve Got) Levitation,” a 1967 single by Erickson’s early band The 13th Floor Elevators, who was a big influence on Billy’s own music.
“[The 13th Floor Elevators] inspired me to start a group following in their footsteps called The Moving Sidewalks,” Gibbons tells ABC Audio, referring to his pre-ZZ Top band. “Elevators go up, sidewalks move forward, so it was a match made in heaven. We had a great admiration for everything that Roky did. And to this day, they remain great inspirations.”
The 13th Floor Elevators were best known for their debut single, “You’re Gonna Miss Me,” a minor 1966 chart hit that has become a garage-rock classic.
Acclaimed alt-country artist Lucinda Williams recorded a version of the song for May the Circle Remain Unbroken. Other artists featured on the tribute include Wilco‘s Jeff Tweedy, ex-Screaming Trees frontman Mark Lanegan, Gary Clark Jr. and the duo of Alison Mosshart of The Kills and longtime Bob Dylan touring guitarist Charlie Sexton.
In addition to 13th Floor Elevators covers, the album features renditions songs from Erickson’s long solo career.
Reflecting on Roky’s passing, Gibbons says, “[H]e’s gone but not forgotten. We’ll have many more days of enjoying Roky Erickson and his great sounds.”
May the Circle Remain Unbroken is available at LightintheAttic.net. Here’s the track list:
“(I’ve Got) Levitation” — Billy Gibbons
“Starry Eyes” — Mosshart Sexton
“For You (I’d Do Anything) ” — Jeff Tweedy
“Clear Night for Love” — Lynn Castle & Mark Lanegan
“Don’t Fall Down” — The Black Angels
“Be and Bring Me Home” — Neko Case
“Red Temple Prayer (Two-Headed Dog)” — Margo Price
“Roller Coaster” — Gary Clark Jr. & Eve Monsees
“Night of the Vampire” — Ty Segall
“You’re Gonna Miss Me” — Lucinda Williams
“If You Have Ghosts” — Chelsea Wolfe
“May the Circle Remain Unbroken” — Brogan Bentley
The Grateful Dead and the Rhino label have partnered with Amazon Prime’s music-themed streaming The Coda Collection to launch a series of archival concert films.
Three professionally filmed Grateful Dead performances from the latter part of the band’s career have been confirmed as part of the series. The first, which is available now, documents a July 2, 1989, stadium show in Foxborough, Massachusetts.
The concert, which is available via streaming for the first time, featured Dead classics like “Playing in the Band,” “Friend of the Devil,” “Truckin'” and “Sugar Magnolia,” a medley combining Traffic‘s “Dear Mr. Fantasy” and The Beatles‘ “Hey Jude,” and covers of Bob Dylan‘s “Queen Jane Approximately” and “Quinn the Eskimo.”
Upcoming Dead concert films will include a Live in Washington, D.C. 7/12/89 and Live at Giants Stadium 6/17/91, which will premiere on September 8 and September 29, respectively.
The latter show, held at the now-demolished East Rutherford, New Jersey, football stadium, saw Bruce Hornsby joining the band as guest keyboardist and included a rare performance of “Dark Star Jam.”
Future installments of the series will feature performances from various other eras of The Grateful Dead. Fans can explore more information about the shows at the free CodaCollection.co website.
The Coda Collection is available to Amazon Prime members for $4.99 a month. A seven-day free trial also is offered.
Joni Mitchell will be honored as the 2022 MusiCares Person of the Year at the charity’s 31st annual Person of the Year benefit gala, which will take place at the Los Angeles Convention Center on January 29, two nights before the 64th Annual Grammy Awards.
“I’m honored to be chosen as Person of the Year by this great charity,” the 77-year-old Canadian singer/songwriter, an eight-time Grammy winner, says in a statement. “I look forward to being part of this gala that will help MusiCares continue their inspired work in providing a support system for those in need.”
The event traditionally features a tribute concert where many artists from across a various musical genres perform the songs of the honoree. The gala also features a dinner and a silent auction offering VIP experiences, celebrity memorabilia and more.
“We are so excited to bring together an amazing lineup of artists to celebrate the musical legacy of Joni Mitchell,” says MusiCares executive director Laura Segura. “She is being honored not only for her iconic music and lyrics, but for her trailblazing spirit and the inspiration she’s brought to so many artists.”
The Person of the Year gala benefits the MusiCares Foundation, which provides medical, financial and personal assistance to in-need members of the music community.
Last year’s gala was replaced by the virtual Music on a Mission event because of the COVID-19 pandemic. The presentation featured highlights from past Person of the Year galas.
