Rocker Lou Reed passed away from liver disease at the age of 71.
Reed was the guitarist, singer, and principal songwriter for The Velvet Underground, which released five albums. Although they never achieved huge commercial success, their influence has been felt throughout underground, alternative, punk rock and new wave music.
Reed went on to have a successful solo career, releasing 20 solo records, including 1972’s Transformer, which included his most successful single, “Walk on the Wild Side.”
Reed is a two-time member of the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame. He was inducted in 1996 as a member of Velvet Underground and again in 2014 as a solo artist.
Foo Fighters star in a new promo for Saturday Night Live ahead of their performance on the show on October 28.
In the clip, streaming now on YouTube, cast member Marcello Hernandez suggests that the “Everlong” rockers should change their name to Boo Fighters in honor of Halloween. After suggesting that he’s angry with the notion, Dave Grohl then says, “You know what man? That’s the best idea I’ve ever heard!”
The upcoming episode will be hosted by comedian Nate Bargatze. It’ll mark the ninth time Foo Fighters will be the show’s musical guest — 10th if you count their special guest performance alongside Mick Jagger in 2012.
In honor of the 50th anniversary of their rock opera Quadrophenia, The Who has released the iconic album on streaming services in Dolby Atmos, and they note it sounds “truly amazing.”
In addition, the band will release a half-speed vinyl masters cut of Quadrophenia on 180-gram black vinyl on February 2. The double LP will come in its original gatefold sleeve with a 44-page booklet and a certificate of authenticity.
Released in 1973, Quadrophenia was The Who’s second full rock opera following 1969’s Tommy. It featured such classic songs as “The Real Me,” “Love Reign O’er Me” and “5:15.”
Also on February 2, the Rock & Roll Hall of Famers will release a half-speed masters cut vinyl of 1975’s The Who By Numbers. It, too, will come in its original gatefold sleeve with a certificate of authenticity.
The Who by Numbers was the band’s seventh studio album and featured the song “Squeeze Box,” which was a top 20 hit in both the U.S. and the U.K.
A 60-year-old interview with The Beatles is featured in new podcast hosted by Sherlock star Martin Freeman.
Eras: The Beatles tells the story of the legendary band through archival interviews and includes a recently rediscovered interview the band gave on February 5, 1964, as they landed at London Airport, now Heathrow, following a gig in France.
The interview was given to the former BBC program Radio Newsreel and was recently discovered by BBC archivist Elliot Gibson while he was digitizing physical reels of audio.
“Initially, I assumed it was a copy of an interview that was widely known, so when I checked and discovered it was unique and hadn’t been heard since its broadcast – almost 60 years ago – I was amazed,” he shares, according to The London Evening Standard. “It’s extremely rare to unearth material this valuable in the archive.”
He notes, “What makes it truly great is that it shows The Beatles on top form – playful and quick-witted – and captures them just before their first visit to America, which would turn out to be a pivotal moment in their career.”
The first five episodes of Eras: The Beatles are available now on BBC Sounds, with the final episode set to premiere November 2, the same day The Beatles’ final song, “Now and Then,” will be released.
The episode will feature a new interview with Paul McCartney and Ringo Starr talking about the making of the song, along with audio from John Lennon’s son Sean Ono Lennon, George Harrison’s widow Olivia Harrison and Get Back director Peter Jackson,who used technology to isolate Lennon’s vocals from a 1970s demo for the song.
The Zombies have canceled the remaining dates of their North American tour.
On Tuesday, October 24, the band announced on Instagram that a member of the group had been hospitalized, prompting the cancelation of shows in Alexandra, Virginia, and Beverly, Massachusetts. In a new post on Thursday, October 26, they revealed that while the unnamed band member had been released from the hospital, they made the decision not to continue the tour.
“Although he’s been released from the hospital and is recovering, we must prioritize his health over the tour. Out of respect for our bandmate’s privacy, we are not disclosing further details,” they write. “Despite facing some significant challenges on this tour, these have been some of the most enjoyable shows of our career together, and we’re forever grateful to our fans.”
In addition to the Virginia and Massachusetts shows, canceled dates include an October 27 concert in New York City and an October 29 gig in Glenside, Pennsylvania. Refunds will be given to all ticket holders.
It’s no secret that members of The Police have had their differences over the years. In a new interview, drummer Stewart Copeland opens up about just how bad things got during the recording of their final album, Synchronicity.
Copeland’s new book, Police Diaries, is out now, and he tells the New York Post the dysfunction in the band was so bad during the recording of their #1 album it felt like “hell on earth,” particularly when it came to working with Sting.
“It was a very uncomfortable place — and we drove each other crazy,” he says. “We now understand where all that tension came from. And in fact, given that understanding, I’m very grateful that we got as many as five albums out of Stingo, because by then … he had a very clear idea of how the arrangements should go.”
Copeland explains that when the band started out it was a collaborative effort. However, he says, “It became more and more compromise for him — and it got tougher and tougher for him to make those compromises.”
“The times when I came the closest to homicide, the times when it became absolutely critical that I choke the life out of this man, were when he would come over to me and tell me something about the hi-hat,” he says.
Copeland says that in the end, he and Sting simply had major differences when it came to making music.
“Sting was looking for a beautiful place, and to create something serene and moving and, dare I say, intellectual,” he explains. “For me, it’s about burning down the house — it’s a party.”
A new three-part docuseries is set to take a deep dive into the murder of The Beatles legend John Lennon.
John Lennon: Murder Without a Trial, narrated by actor Kiefer Sutherland, will air on Apple TV +, promising the “most thoroughly researched examination” of Lennon’s 1980 murder.
According to a press release, the series will feature “exclusive eyewitness interviews and previously unseen crime scene photos, shedding new light on the life and murder of music and cultural icon John Lennon and the investigation and conviction of Mark David Chapman, his confessed killer.”
The series includes interviews with eyewitnesses to the murder, Lennon’s friends, detectives and prosecutors, and Chapman’s defense lawyers and psychiatrists.
So far, an airdate for the docuseries has not been announced.
Lennon was shot by Chapman outside his New York apartment, The Dakota, on December 8, 1980. Chapman pled guilty to second degree murder and was sentenced to 20-years-to-life in prison. He became eligible for parole in 2000 but still remains in jail.
Flea lives up to his band’s name in the latest episode of Hot Ones.
On Thursday, October 16, the Red Hot Chili Peppers bassist appeared on the popular YouTube show, in which host Sean Evans interviews celebrities as they eat chicken wings covered in progressively hotter sauces.
During the episode, Flea talked about his memories of past Red Hot Chili Peppers rehearsal spaces, injuries he’s suffered while performing and his passion for basketball and music education, all while acquitting himself well as the spice level of the sauces kept increasing.
The heat does overcome Flea at a couple points, though, leading to tears, a runny nose and a whole host of indescribable noises.
Other musicians who’ve guested on Hot Ones include Dave Grohl, who called his appearance a “bucket list” experience.
A new mini documentary is giving fans a look at Jimi Hendrix’s rise to fame in the U.S.
From The Monkees To The Hollywood Bowlfeatures previously unseen footage recounting the Jimi Hendrix Experience’s stint as openers for The Monkees in July 1967, a performance that was not embraced by The Monkees’ young fans.
Jimi Hendrix Experience eventually left the tour. By that August, they were opening for TheMamas and the Papas at the Hollywood Bowl, which helped them break big in America. Those gigs happened right before the release of the band’s debut album, Are You Experienced.
From The Monkees To The Hollywood Bowl features interviews with Monkee Micky Dolenz and Hendrix manager Chas Chandler as well as former Experience band members Noel Redding and Mitch Mitchell.
The short film comes as the new live album, Jimi Hendrix Experience: Hollywood Bowl August 18, 1967, is set to drop November 10. The concert, one of the band’s opening gigs for The Mamas and the Papas, features performances of classics like “Purple Haze,” “The Wind Cries Mary” and “Foxey Lady,” along with covers of The Beatles‘ “Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band,” Bob Dylan‘s “Like a Rolling Stone” and more.
The Rolling Stones have shared the official video for their Hackney Diamonds track “Sweet Sounds of Heaven.”
The live clip gives fans a peek at the band’s surprise record release show at the intimate venue Racket in New York on Thursday, October 19, with Lady Gaga joining them for the performance.
Gaga comes out onstage about two minutes into the song, wearing a pink and black sequined jumpsuit, belting out her contribution to the tune.
Hackney Diamonds, the band’s first album in 18 years, is out now. In addition to Gaga, the album version of “Sweet Sounds of Heaven” features Stevie Wonder on keyboards.
