Pearl Jam has never been afraid to be a political band, and that continues with the grunge group’s newly announced Halloween T-shirt.
The shirt’s design features the Supreme Court Building surrounded by a creepy forest with the Grim Reaper standing in the front door. The lawn in front of the building has been replaced by a graveyard filled with tombs marked with the titles of recent controversial Supreme Court decisions, including Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization, which was the case in which Roe v. Wade was overturned.
“This year has been SUPREMELY scary!” Pearl Jam declares, adding #RIPYourRights.
You can preorder your own Pearl Jam Halloween shirt now via Shop.PearlJam.com.
The reissue of Pink Floyd‘s classic 1977 concept album Animals, featuring a 5.1 Surround Sound mix created in 2018, gets released in multiple formats this Friday, September 16.
Along with the updated mix, the reissue boasts a reimagined and updated version of Animals‘ memorable cover art, which featured a photo of London’s massive Battersea Power Station with a giant inflatable pig tied to its chimneys.
Both covers were created by Aubrey “Po” Powell, co-founder of Hipgnosis, the graphic-design firm that has worked on most of the band’s albums.
The new cover features an ominous-looking recent photo of the building, which is covered in scaffolding, taken at night from a different angle than the original pic, with the pig added digitally.
Powell tells ABC Audio that he had to act fast to get a good current photo of the building because the site is in the middle of a “massive regeneration project” that’s obscuring the view of the station.
Powell says the new photo reflects Animals‘ cynical look at humanity, which was partly inspired by George Orwell‘s dystopian novel Animal Farm.
“I think the reflection of the image is very much related to the album, this Orwellian, dark, bleak, futuristic image,” he notes. “It’s almost sci-fi … Roger [Waters is] over the moon about it, and I think one of the reasons is because [it echoes] the period of time that we live in.”
Powell adds that Pink Floyd’s other members also think the new cover was great.
In addition, Powell says the cover reflects the edgier, more in-your-face new Animals mix, which, he maintains, “sounds so different and so good.”
The Animals reissue will be available Friday on CD, vinyl LP, Blu-ray and SACD. A deluxe multiple-disc package will follow on October 7.
The box set will feature two CDs featuring a remixed and remastered version of the original album, as well as demos, outtakes and rough mixes of tracks. The package will also include a booklet featuring rare photos and new liner notes penned by music journalist and author Anthony DeCurtis.
Mellencamp has made available the new mix of his hit “Small Town,” as well as a “Writer’s Demo” version and an acoustic version of the song, as advance digital tracks.
Scarecrow was Mellencamp’s eighth studio album; it was released in August 1985 and peaked at #2 on the Billboard 200. The album features five top-40 hits on the Billboard Hot 100 — “R.O.C.K. in the U.S.A. (A Salute to ’60s Rock),” “Lonely Ol’ Night,” “Small Town,” “Rain on the Scarecrow” and “Rumbleseat,” which reached #2, #6, #6, #21 and #28, respectively. Scarecrow has gone on to sell over 5 million copies in the U.S.
Meanwhile, Mellencamp recently reported that’s he finished recording what will be his 26th album. He shared the lyrics to a new song titled “The Eyes of Portland,” which focuses on the homelessness he witnessed in the Oregon city.
Here’s the track list of the deluxe Scarecrow reissue:
CD 1
“Rain on the Scarecrow”
“Grandma’s Theme”
“Small Town”
“Minutes to Memories”
“Lonely Ol’ Night”
“The Face of the Nation”
“Justice and Independence ’85”
“Between a Laugh and a Tear”
“Rumbleseat”
“You’ve Got to Stand for Somethin'”
“R.O.C.K. in the U.S.A. (A Salute to 60’s Rock)”
“The Kind of Fella I Am”
“Small Town” (Acoustic Version)
CD 2
“Under the Boardwalk”
“Lonely Ol’ Night” (Rough Mix)
“Between a Laugh and a Tear” (Writer’s Demo)
“Carolina Shag”
“Cold Sweat”
“Rumbleseat” (Writer’s Demo)
“Smart Guys”
“R.O.C.K. in the U.S.A. (A Salute to 60’s Rock)” (Rough Mix)
“Minutes to Memories” (Rough Mix)
“Shama Lama Ding Dong”
“Small Town” (Writer’s Demo)
Ozzy Osbourne is giving you a peek behind the Patient Number 9 curtain.
The Black Sabbath frontman has announced a three-part documentary series detailing the making of his brand-new solo album. The first episode, titled “When Ozzy Calls,” will premiere this Friday, September 16 at 11 a.m. ET via Ozzy’s YouTube channel.
A teaser for the premiere suggests that it will focus on the many guest artists that play on Patient Number 9, including Eric Clapton, Jeff Beck, Black Sabbath‘s Tony Iommi, Pearl Jam‘s Mike McCready, Black Label Society‘s Zakk Wylde, Duff McKagan of Guns N’ Roses, Chad Smith of Red Hot Chili Peppers, Metallica‘s Robert Trujillo and late Foo Fighters drummer Taylor Hawkins.
Patient Number 9, Ozzy’s 13th solo effort and first since 2020’s Ordinary Man, was released last Friday. Ozzy celebrated the album’s arrival by playing halftime at the NFL’s season opening game last Thursday. Ozzy premiered the set in full this week after the broadcast only aired seconds of the performance.
Record Store Day has announced the list of exclusive vinyl releases that will be available during the 2022 edition of its annual Black Friday event, taking place at independent record stores on November 25.
Among the discs that will be available are releases from Jimi Hendrix, Ringo Starr, Fleetwood Mac, Red Hot Chili Peppers and Dave Grohl‘s Dream Widow project.
Hendrix’s offering is Burning Desire, a two-LP colored-vinyl collection of rare tracks the guitar great recorded in 1969 and 1970 that was previously released on CD.
Starr has multiple Record Store Day releases on tap for Black Friday, including reissues of his respective 1977 and 1983 solo albums, Ringo the 4th and Old Wave, and Live at the Greek Theater 2019, a two-LP set capturing a Los Angeles performance by the former Beatles drummer’s All Starr Band.
Fleetwood Mac is issuing The Alternate Collection, a box set available on CD or colored vinyl featuring rare alternate tracks by the band spanning from 1975 to 1987.
The Chili Peppers will release a two-LP, silver-vinyl version of their upcoming Return of the Dream Canteen, featuring alternate cover artwork and an exclusive poster.
The self-titled debut album from Dream Widow, aka Grohl’s fake metal band from Foo Fighters‘ Studio 666 horror-comedy movie, will make its vinyl debut.
Other artists issuing 2022 Black Friday releases include Ace Frehley, David Bowie, The Doors, Eric Burdon & War, The Grateful Dead, Hot Tuna, Iggy Pop, Jefferson Airplane, The Kinks‘ Dave Davies, Mötley Crüe, Motörhead, Ted Nugent, Keith Richards, Todd Rundgren, Joe Strummer, Stevie Ray Vaughan and Brian Wilson.
For the full list of releases and participating stores, visit RecordStoreDay.com.
Julian Lennon released Jude, his first new studio album in 11 years, this past Friday. Now, the singer/songwriter is taking part in a special streaming event to promote the record, which is set to kick off September 14 at 3 p.m. ET on the LOOPED platform.
During the interactive event titled “Jude: Behind the Album,” Julian — who is John Lennon‘s older son — will be interviewed and will share stories and details about each track on the record.
Fans can view and participate in the Q&A by visiting LoopedLive.com. Tickets for the event are free, but only a limited number are available. The session will also feature giveaways and opportunities to purchase limited-edition merchandise.
Jude is an 11-track collection that Julian says includes songs that “have been in the works for several years, so it almost feels like a coming-of-age album.”
The record’s title is a nod to the famous Beatles song “Hey Jude,” which Paul McCartney wrote to try to comfort five-year-old Julian following his parents’ separation.
Julian co-produced Jude with his longtime guitarist Justin Clayton. The album includes the track “Gaia,” which features guest vocals by Paul Buchanan of The Blue Nile and French singer Elissa Lauper.
During a new Billboard interview, Rolling Stone founder Jann Wenner apparently let slip that a new Bruce Springsteen album will be released soon.
Wenner, whose new memoir Like a Rolling Stone was published Tuesday, was asked by Billboard how he felt about pop and hip hop becoming the dominant music genres, and he admitted that he still prefers rock ‘n’ roll.
“Give me the [Rolling] Stones,” the publisher declared. “There’s a new Bruce [Springsteen] record coming out this fall, which is stunning. I’m listening to that.”
Back in May 2021, Springsteen revealed while accepting the Woody Guthrie Prize that he had a new, California-inspired album “coming out soon,”but little word about the project has been heard about since.
Meanwhile, Springsteen interviewed Wenner about his book on Tuesday night at an event in New York City that also was streamed live online.
According to the Asbury Park Press, during the Q&A, the Boss jokingly griped about how Rolling Stone didn’t put him on the cover after the success of his 1975 album Born to Run.
“I’m not picking a bone here or anything. But … I always felt they were a little skittish about putting me on the cover when that record came out,” Springsteen commented. “I was on the cover of Time and Newsweek!”
Wenner responded by noting, “He was the establishment pick at that time. I mean, nobody ever got on the cover of those two magazines at once. There was a huge controversy in New York media between Time and Newsweek.”
Wenner also reflected on some of the famous rock artists who were easy to interview, mentioning Springsteen, The Who‘s Pete Townshend and U2‘s Bono.
“All you have to do is ask one question,” Jann said.
Earlier this month, David Lee Roth debuted a new solo version of Van Halen‘s classic 1984 hit “Panama” recorded live in the studio and now he’s premiered an updated rendition of another well-known tune by his old band from the same session.
You can check out Roth’s live in-studio version of “Ain’t Talkin’ ’bout Love,” a song that appeared on Van Halen’s self-titled 1978 debut album, at Diamond Dave’s official YouTube channel.
Accompanying the clip is an archival photo of shirtless Roth chained to a fence.
Like his new version of “Panama,” Roth recorded “Ain’t Talkin’ ’bout Love” in May of this year at Henson Recording Studios in Los Angeles with the current members of his solo backing band — guitarist Al Estrada, bassist Ryan Wheeler and drummer Francis Valentino.
According to the reliable Van Halen News Desk fan site, Roth recorded 14 songs on May 3 during a two-hour session at the studio.
In other Van Halen-related news, a ceremony marking the opening of a new performance stage named after the band in Eddie and Alex Van Halen‘s hometown of Pasadena, California, which was supposed to take place this past Saturday, September 10, was postponed to this Saturday, September 17, because of bad weather, Pasadena Now reports.
A ribbon-cutting ceremony will be held at 9 a.m. PT on Saturday that will celebrate the opening of the stage and the park where its located, Playhouse Village Park. A two-hour community celebration will follow.
The Van Halen family moved to Pasadena from the Netherlands in 1962, and the siblings formed their famous namesake band in the city in 1972. Eddie died in October 2020 from complications of cancer at age 65.
A new edition of the touring celebration of The Band‘s historic, all-star 1976 farewell concert, “The Last Waltz,” will take place this November.
The Last Waltz Tour 2022, which features a star-studded lineup headed by ex-Allman Brothers Band member Warren Haynes and acclaimed producer/bassist Don Was, will kick off with a November 3-4 stand in Port Chester, New York, and is plotted out through a November 20 show in St. Petersburg, Florida.
Tickets for the trek, which features a total of 13 confirmed dates, go on sale Friday, September 16, at 10 a.m. ET.
Other musicians taking part in the tour include The Neville Brothers‘ Cyril Neville, country artist Jamey Johnson, The Radiators‘ Dave Malone, longtime Muddy Waters guitarist Bob Margolin, Dirty Dozen Brass Band drummer Terence Higgins and avant-jazz keyboardist John Medeski. The shows also feature a horn section that will be playing original arrangements created for The Band by late New Orleans legend Allen Toussaint. The trek is sanctioned by founding Band guitarist Robbie Robertson.
“We are counting down the days till we get to see this lineup, performing these songs, in the greatest music celebration of our lives,” says The Last Waltz Tour creator and producer Keith Wortman. “Seeing the audiences sing along to every word at every show as one family is what all of us music fans live for.”
The original Last Waltz concert was held November 25, 1976, at San Francisco’s Winterland venue. Documented for a movie directed by Martin Scorsese, it featured The Band performing with guest artists including Bob Dylan, Van Morrison, Eric Clapton, Neil Young, Joni Mitchell, Muddy Waters, Neil Diamond, Ronnie Wood, Ringo Starr and Dr. John.
Mark David Chapman in 2014; NYS Department of Corrections and Community Supervision
Mark David Chapman, the man who shot music legend John Lennon to death in December 1980, has been denied parole for the 12th time, according to the New York State Department of Corrections
and Community Supervision.
Chapman, 67, was turned down by the Board of Parole following an interview August 31. He will now have to wait 18 months, until February 2024, before his request for parole will be reviewed again.
Chapman is currently incarcerated at Green Haven Correctional Facility in Beekman, New York. He was transferred to the prison earlier this year after spending many years at the Wende Correctional Facility outside of Buffalo, New York.
Chapman received a sentence of 20 years to life in August 1981, after he pleaded guilty to shooting the former Beatles star outside of Lennon’s apartment in Manhattan on December 8, 1980.
