Swiss court rules on ownership of watch Yoko Ono gifted to John Lennon before his death

November 15, 2024 by Classic Rock 93.9

A court in Switzerland has ruled that a watch Yoko Ono gave John Lennon shortly before his 1980 death does in fact belong to Ono, and not a watch collector who claimed he legitimately purchased the item.

According to Bloomberg, the Patek Philippe watch in question was stolen by Ono’s chauffeur, and the collector purchased it in Germany in 2014. The collector argued the watch was his because of the purchase, but the Swiss Federal Court just ruled the sale wasn’t legitimate because the chauffeur wasn’t the watch’s actual owner.

According to the ruling, “[T]here was no evidence to show that Yoko Ono intended to donate to the driver something as special as the watch, engraved with an inscription, that she had given to John Lennon two months before his death.”

Rolling Stone reports the watch included the inscription “(Just Like)/Starting Over/Love Yoko/ 10·9·1980/N.Y.C.,” a reference to the song “(Just Like) Starting Over,” from Lennon’s album Double Fantasy, which he was released just a month before his death.

Ono has been battling the collector over the watch for quite some time. According to lawyers, the watch could be worth $4.5 million, but the fact that it was owned by Lennon means it could be worth even more.

Previously unheard George Harrison song from ‘Living in the Material World’ reissue out now

November 15, 2024 by Classic Rock 93.9

The new 50th anniversary reissue of George Harrison’s solo album Living in the Material World is out now, and to coincide with the release, the legendary rocker’s estate has shared another previously unheard recording.

The latest is an all-star recording of “Sunshine Life For Me (Sail Away Raymond),” featuring Harrison’s Beatles bandmate Ringo Starr, along with Robbie Robertson, Levon Helm, Garth Hudson and Rick Danko from The Band.

“Sunshine Life For Me (Sail Away Raymond)” is available now via digital outlets.

A 7-inch of the song is included in the limited-edition super deluxe edition of the reissue, which also includes two LPs and two CDs, featuring the newly remixed album, plus a separate disc with previously unreleased session outtakes with early editions of each song on the album. There’s also a Blu-ray featuring the album in Dolby Atmos.

In addition to the super deluxe edition, the reissue was released in two-LP and two-CD deluxe editions that include the session outtakes. It was also released as a single CD and LP, with limited-edition color vinyl variants available at various retailers, including a purple color vinyl from the Harrison online store.

Released in May 1973, Living in the Material World, Harrison’s second solo album of original material, was his second solo album to hit #1.

On This Day, Nov. 15, 1980: Blondie’s ‘The Tide Is High’ hit #1 in the UK

November 15, 2024 by Classic Rock 93.9

On This Day, Nov. 15, 1980 …

Blondie landed their fifth U.K. #1 single with “The Tide Is High,” from their fifth studio album, Autoamerican. It would be another18 years before Blondie topped the U.K. chart again, landing at #1 in 1999 with the track “Maria.”

“The Tide Is High” was a cover of a 1967 song originally performed by the Jamaican group The Paragons, with the tune’s songwriter, John Holt, singing lead on the track.

Blondie’s version of “The Tide Is High” also went on to hit #1 in the U.S., becoming their third #1 single. It also topped the charts in Canada and New Zealand.

And Blondie is still making music. Their last studio album, Pollinator, was released in 2017 and in October, Blondie’s Chris Stein revealed on Instagram that a new album is coming next year.

Ringo Starr shares his gratitude with new ‘Look Up’ song ‘Thankful’

November 15, 2024 by Classic Rock 93.9

Ringo Starr is sharing another preview of his upcoming country album, Look Up.

The Rock & Roll Hall of Famer just released the new song “Thankful,” featuring Alison Krauss, a tune Starr co-wrote with his producer/engineer Bruce Sugar. It is available now via digital outlets.

“I love this track … I feel we put an LA country sound to it,” Ringo shares. “For the lyrics, I always like to focus on the positive, and for this song in particular, about what we can be thankful for.”

He adds, “I hope it brings you some joy and peace and love.”

This is the second single Ringo has shared from Look Up, following “Time On My Hands.”

Look Up, produced by T Bone Burnett, will be released Jan. 10 and is available for preorder now. Ringo plans to celebrate the release with two shows at Nashville’s Ryman Auditorium, billed as Ringo Starr & Friends. The shows are happening Jan. 14 and Jan. 15.

Hear “Never Too Late,” Elton John’s new duet with Brandi Carlile from his documentary

November 15, 2024 by Classic Rock 93.9

Elton John and his pal Brandi Carlile teamed up for a new song for his new documentary, and it has finally arrived.

The song, “Never Too Late,” was written for Elton John: Never Too Late, which captures Elton looking back on his life and career as he prepares for his final North American concert at Dodger Stadium. The doc gets a limited theatrical release today, Nov. 15, before hitting Disney+ on Dec. 13.

The song’s video shows archival footage, scenes from the documentary of Elton, his sons and his husband David Furnish, and footage of Elton and Brandi working on the song in the studio.

Brandi was inspired to write the song after Elton and David screened an unfinished version of the documentary for her in the summer of 2023. In a statement, she says, “It was really amazing to see historic footage of Elton and the trajectory of his life. But as fantastic and as beautiful as everything was … his life was also pretty lonely and difficult at times.”

She adds that seeing Elton find “serenity and peace” later in his life made her think about how “it is never too late – too late to find the love of your life, or to start a family, or to change your mind about anything.”

In a statement, Elton says he was “thrilled” when Brandi suggested they co-write a new song for the film. He adds, “She just perfectly captured the essence of the documentary and why I stopped touring to spend more time with my family.”

He adds, “She can channel my voice in a way only Bernie [Taupin] has managed to do before. I know Bernie helped guide Brandi on that. The standard of her musicianship, her songwriting, her passion for what she does are sensational.”

The song is credited to Elton, Bernie, Brandi and producer Andrew Watt.

New Beatles collectibles include silver yellow submarine and 1964 concert tickets

November 15, 2024 by Classic Rock 93.9

The Beatles have just revealed some new collectibles that fans are going to want to get their hands on.

The first is a new limited-edition solid silver submarine to celebrating the band’s iconic 1968 film Yellow Submarine. Only 4,000 will be available, made of almost 1 ounce of pure silver. More Yellow Submarine collectibles are expected in 2025, including a set celebrating the members of the band.

The silver Yellow Submarine collectible will be available for preorder starting in mid-December.

But that’s not all: As part of the continuing celebration of the 60th anniversary of The Beatles coming to America, a new collection of commemorative concert tickets is being released.

The set is made up of 25 tickets, one for each venue they played during their first tour of the U.S. and Canada in 1964. Each ticket is made from an ounce of pure silver and contains the date, venue and price of each show. The tickets also feature some unique details for each gig.

Only 1,964 copies of each ticket will be made available, with the first dropping on Feb. 7, which happens to be the day The Beatles landed in America. Subsequent tickets will be released throughout 2025.

Shel Talmy, producer of The Who & The Kinks, dead at 87

November 14, 2024 by Classic Rock 93.9

Shel Talmy, the producer who oversaw seminal early recordings by The Who and The Kinks, has died. According to his rep, Talmy died in his sleep on Nov. 13 due to complications from a stroke. He was 87.

Born in Chicago, Talmy moved to the U.K. in 1962 and landed a job at Decca Records. After setting up his own company, he signed The Kinks in 1964 and produced all their records from that point through 1967, including “You Really Got Me,” “Tired of Waiting for You,” “Sunny Afternoon” and “Waterloo Sunset.”

Talmy signed The Who to his production company after hearing the song “I Can’t Explain” and got the band a record contract. He produced “I Can’t Explain,” “My Generation” and “Anyway, Anyhow, Anywhere,” as well as The Who’s first album, also called My Generation.

After of The Who’s manager Kit Lambert fired Talmy, he sued for breach of contract and won, though never worked with The Who again. The ongoing legal dispute held up a rerelease of My Generation until 2002.

Talmy also signed David Bowie to his first song publishing contract and produced hits for Chad & Jeremy, Manfred Mann and The Easybeats. He also worked with The Small Faces and The Damned and continued to work in production and A&R until his death.

Courtney Love clarifies Hole’s ‘Violet’ is ‘not just about Billy Corgan’

November 14, 2024 by Classic Rock 93.9

Courtney Love wants to make one thing clear about the Hole song “Violet”: it’s “not just about Billy Corgan.”

Love dated the Smashing Pumpkins frontman in the early ’90s before she went on to marry Kurt Cobain. During a 1995 performance of “Violet” on the British show Later… with Jools Holland, Love introduced the song as being about a “jerk, I hexed him now he’s losing his hair,” seemingly in reference to Corgan.

Speaking now to NME about “Violet,” Love shares, “It’s not just about Billy Corgan, as many might assume.”

“It’s about sitting on the fire escape of his flat, sipping cheap wine and taking a Vicodin (oh, to be young!) while the Chicago sun sets, leaving behind a bejewelled amethyst sky,” she continues.

And yes, Love does indeed remember what she said about “Violet” back in 1995.

“Sometimes I just channel whatever comes,” Love says. “I realize my comment on Jools Holland was a bit mean – I was just being b****y beefy. But someone has to uphold the standards of good faith beef!”

Love is raffling off handwritten lyrics of “Violet” in support of Ellis Park, a wildlife sanctuary in Indonesia founded by Warren Ellis of Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds.

“Ultimately, nothing matters more than animals, including humans,” Love says.

The raffle is open now through Dec. 15.

New Tom Petty video for ‘Never Be You’ dropping Friday

November 14, 2024 by Classic Rock 93.9

A new Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers video is set for release on Friday.

The clip will be for the song “Never Be You,” a track that was originally recorded by Rosanne Cash, with Petty’s version appearing on the recently released Long After Dark (Deluxe Edition) reissue.

The video was directed and animated by Jeff Scher. A preview gives a glimpse of the making of the animated clip, featuring drawings of Petty, who passed away in 2016.

Long After Dark (Deluxe Edition) was released in October and featured the remastered original album, plus 12 bonus tracks, including “Never Be You” and “Ways to Be Wicked,” as well as tracks taken from sessions for French TV.

Originally released in 1982, Long After Dark featured the singles “You Got Lucky,” “Change of Heart” and “Straight Into Darkness,” and was the first to feature new Heartbreaker Howie Epstein on bass.

Watch the new video for Bruce Springsteen’s contribution to Jesse Malin tribute album, ‘Silver Patron Saints’

November 14, 2024 by Classic Rock 93.9

A new video has just been released for Bruce Springsteen’s collaboration with Jesse Malin on “She Don’t Love Me Now,” which appears on the Malin tribute album, Silver Patron Saints.

The video takes place at the New York bar Heaven Can Wait and centers on a man drinking away his sorrows. He’s soon moved by the music and begins dancing to the tune.

Springsteen doesn’t appear in the clip, although Malin makes a quick cameo as a patron offering a nod to the dancing man.

Springsteen’s take on “She Don’t Love Me Now” features Jesse’s band backing The Boss, along with E Street Band saxophonist Jake Clemons. The tune originally appeared on Malin’s 2015 album, New York Before The War.

Released in September, Silver Patron Saints benefits Malin’s Sweet Relief artist fund. The rocker had a spinal stroke in 2023 that left him paralyzed from the waist down. Other artists on the album include Elvis Costello, Green Day‘s Billie Joe Armstrong, Rage Against the Machine‘s Tom Morello, Bleachers and the late MC5 guitarist Wayne Kramer.

A benefit concert for Malin is set to take place Dec. 1 at the Beacon Theatre in New York, featuring Costello, Lucinda Williams, Jakob Dylan, members of Counting Crows, Rickie Lee Jones and others, with Malin teasing, “More surprises to come.”

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