The Rock & Roll Hall of Famers’ recently released best-of compilation, To the Limit: The Essential Collection, has landed in the top 10 on several charts.
The band moved 7,000 copies of the album and 6,500 in physical sales to land at #9 on the Top Album Sales chart. It also lands at #6 on the Top Rock Albums chart and at #8 on both the Top Rock & Alternative Albums chart and Top Current Album Sales chart.
On the overall Billboard 200 Album chart, To The Limit: The Essential Collection debuted at #30, which makes it the group’s 12thtop 40 album.
Of those 12 albums, six went to #1; 1975’s One Of These Nights, 1976’s Hotel California and Their Greatest Hits 1971-1975, 1979’s The Long Run, 1994’s Hell Freezes Over, 2007’s Long Road Out Of Eden.
Another track from the upcoming Tom Petty tribute album, Petty Country: A Country Music Celebration of Tom Petty, has just been released.
The latest is Chris Stapleton’s take on “I Should Have Known It,” a song from Petty’s 2010 album Mojo. This is the third track from Petty Country that’s been released, following DierksBentley’s take on “American Girl” and Dolly Parton’s cover of “Southern Accents.”
You can listen to “I Should Have Known It” now via digital outlets.
Petty Country: A Country Music Celebration of Tom Petty will be released June 21, featuring 20 Petty covers. Other artists on the album include Luke Combs, Brothers Osborne, Willie Nelson, Lady A and Thomas Rhett.
The album also features guest appearances by Petty’s Heartbreakers bandmates Mike Campbell and Benmont Tench. Campbell appears on “Ways to Be Wicked,” sung by Margo Price, while Tench appears on “Don’t Come Around Here No More,” covered by Rhiannon Giddens and Silkroad Ensemble.
Journey’s classic track “Anyway You Want It” plays a central role in a new promo clip for the upcoming Ryan Gosling/Emily Blunt film The Fall Guy.
In a new video, titled Marketing The Fall Guy: Carpool, Gosling is instructed by his director to pick up some stunt guys “for a like Carpool karaoke” thing, but he is not at all happy when he finds out they aren’t singing in it.
“No singing? Not even like Journey?” asks Ryan, who doesn’t actually listen and cranks up “Anyway You Want It.”
While picking up three stunt guys — Logan Holladay, Ben Jenkin and Troy Brown — they have some fun singing to the tune. They also show off their impressive stuntman skills.
The clip ends with the director telling them they have to do it again because they don’t have the rights to the song, but it sounds like Journey isn’t at all upset about it. They reshared the video on social media, writing, “Too Cool ! Anyway you want It.”
Meanwhile, another classic rock tune will be featured on the soundtrack to The Fall Guy — but with an update. KISS’ “I Was Made For Lovin’ You” has been covered by Yungblud for the film.
The Fall Guy hits theaters May 3, with the soundtrack being released the same day. So far, there’s no word on what other songs will be featured on the album.
The late Jimmy Buffett’s life and legacy is being celebrated with a new Margaritaville Bobblehead, officially licensed by the National Bobblehead Hall of Fame and Museum.
The bobblehead features the iconic Margaritaville Parrot playing guitar, dressed in a Hawaiian T-shirt and wearing a backward baseball.
The limited edition bobblehead is available for preorder now through the National Bobblehead Hall of Fame store. Money raised from the sale will go to Buffett’s Singing For Change Foundation, which “seeks to honor Jimmy’s spirit of giving, helping others, and having fun along the way.”
“We’re excited to create this Margaritaville Bobblehead as a tribute to Jimmy Buffett’s hit song with a portion of proceeds supporting the incredible Singing for Change organization,” said Phil Sklar, co-Founder & CEO of National Bobblehead Hall of Fame and Museum.
Buffett passed away September 1 at the age of 76 after a four-year battle with Merkel cell skin cancer, a rare and aggressive form of skin cancer.
Billy Idol will continue the 40th anniversary celebration of his sophomore album, Rebel Yell,with a performance at one of New York’s most iconic landmarks.
Idol and his longtime guitarist and collaborator Steve Stevens will be on hand as New York’s Empire State Building helps celebrate the anniversary with a special lighting ceremony on Tuesday, April 30. The pair is also going to perform a live acoustic set for a select group of fans.
The Rebel Yell 40th anniversary deluxe edition is out now, featuring an album of previously unreleased songs and demos. One of those previously unreleased songs, “Best Way Out of Here,” from the album’s original recording sessions, is now available on digital outlets.
Released November 1983, Rebel Yell went to #6 on the Billboard 200 Album chart, thanks to hit songs “Eyes Without A Face,” which peaked at #4 on the Hot 100 chart, the title track and “Flesh For Fantasy.” Videos for all three tracks got regular play on MTV.
Music fans are getting their first taste of the upcoming Paul McCartney & Wings release, One Hand Clapping, with the just-released performance of the 1974 single “Junior’s Farm.”
One Hand Clapping was recorded at Abbey Road Studios in August 1974 as a video documentary and possible live album, but it never officially came out. Over the years, parts of it have come out on bootlegs, while some of the material has turned up on official McCartney releases.
Now, One Hand Clapping is getting its first official release on June 14, featuring additional songs that were recorded off-camera.
The album includes live in-studio recordings of such Wings hits as “Live and Let Die,” “Band on the Run,” “Jet” and “My Love,” as well as Paul’s solo song “Maybe I’m Amazed” and reworked versions of Beatles classics like “Let It Be,” “Lady Madonna” and “The Long and Winding Road.”
One Hand Clapping will be released digitally and as a two-LP and two-CD set. There will also be an online exclusive two-LP + 7-inch package that comes with a vinyl single of previously unreleased solo performances recorded in the backyard of Abbey Road Studios.
Mötley Crüe has unleashed the “Dogs of War” with their first new song in five years.
The track, which is available now via digital outlets, also marks the “Kickstart My Heart” outfit’s first release since new guitarist John 5 joined the band following the retirement of Mick Mars.
“It’s always great getting back in the studio with the guys in the band,” bassist Nikki Sixx says. “We know you’re gonna like this one.”
You can watch the accompanying “Dogs of War” video, which features animated, anthropomorphic doberman dogs and pigs in suits, streaming now on YouTube.
The last time Mötley Crüe put out new music was for the soundtrack to their 2019 biopic, The Dirt, which included the Machine Gun Kelly collaboration, “The Dirt (Est. 1981).”
Mars, meanwhile, announced his retirement from touring in 2022, which led to an ongoing legal action regarding his financial stake in Mötley Crüe. He put out his debut solo album, The Other Side of Mars, in February.
The concert documentary The Last Waltz, about The Band’s farewell concert, opened in theaters.
The movie, directed by Martin Scorsese, focused on The Band’s Thanksgiving Day show on November 25, 1976, at the Winterland Ballroom in San Francisco; it was billed as their “farewell concert appearance.”
The show featured guest appearances by a whole host of musicians, including Bob Dylan, Ringo Starr, Eric Clapton, Dr. John, Ronnie Wood, Muddy Waters, Neil Diamond, Van Morrison and Neil Young.
Considered one of the greatest concert documentaries of all time, the film was selected by the Library of Congress for preservation in the National Film Registry in 2019.
The 45th anniversary of the movie was celebrated in 2023 with the release of a three-LP audiophile pressing of the soundtrack and a one-night screening of the film in movie theaters.
The Smashing Pumpkins have welcomed new guitarist Kiki Wong to the band.
Billy Corgan and company chose Wong after going through a reported 10,000 submissions for the position, which they’d opened up in January to anyone interested in applying.
“Reviewing the work of these incredible musicians was a herculean, albeit worthy effort,” Corgan says. “First off, I really want to thank everyone who submitted materials for consideration. It wasn’t an easy decision with how much great guitar playing we were lucky enough to hear and see over the past few months.”
“I was a fan of Kiki’s before she submitted her name to be considered — and it’s great that someone of her acumen will be part of our touring family,” he continues. “I can’t wait to hit the road with Kiki as part of our mad circus.”
Wong, who’s played with artists including Taylor Swift, Usher and Bret Michaels, adds, “It’s been an absolute wild ride, but I am beyond honored and humbled to be chosen to perform alongside some of rock’s greatest and most influential musicians of all time.”
“I never thought little ole 15-year-old me playing metal guitar in my bedroom would amount to this moment,” she says. “It goes to show hard work and perseverance truly pays off if you’re willing to push through the tough stuff, so never lose hope out there. I am so grateful for this opportunity and can’t wait to share the stage with The legendary Smashing Pumpkins!”
Wong, who joins the Pumpkins following the 2023 departure of longtime guitarist Jeff Schroeder, will make her live debut with the band on their European tour, which launches in June. They’ll launch a U.S. tour in July, including dates with Green Day.
Richie Sambora is out with new music. The former Bon Jovi guitarist just released the brand new single, “I Pray,” and that’s just a taste of what’s to come.
Sambora is planning to release three more tracks to digital platforms throughout the month of May. “I Pray” will be followed by “Livin’ Alone,” coming May 3, “Songs That Wrote My Life,” out May 10, and “Believe (In Miracles),” coming May 17.
“I’m at that point in my life where I am truly happy and a big part of that joy comes from writing songs and making music,” Sambora shares. “There’s a tremendous freedom with these songs because I don’t have to think about charting #1 or what’s happening on the radio, but I still put the same craftsmanship, care and love into it as I did with Slippery When Wet or New Jersey and I hope they bring a similar happiness to those that choose to listen and push play on streaming services.”
The song release comes as Richie is featured in the brand new docuseries Thank You, Goodnight: The Bon Jovi Story, which is streaming now on Hulu. The four-part series follows the 40-year career of his Rock & Roll Hall of Fame band Bon Jovi.
