Classic Rock News

The Beatles and Us, an award-winning short documentary about the relationship that the city of Liverpool, England, had and continues to have with its most famous native sons, The Beatles, is now available as a digital download and via streaming platforms.

The film offers a profile of Liverpool and looks at how its history, traditions and culture helped shaped the members of The Beatles. The movie also examines the band’s influence on the city, its music scene, tourism industry and more.

The Beatles and Us features interviews with various Liverpool residents reflecting on the Fab Four’s impact on the northern U.K. port city and recalling their experiences meeting or seeing the group’s members.

“I suppose I’m biased, given my family are from Liverpool, but I do think it’s a special city,” says the film’s director, Chris Purcell. “Quite different to anywhere else in the U.K., it’s a quirky, off-kilter kind of place that has its own singular character. Coming from a town like that gave The Beatles, who were already magically blessed with the right combination of talents, just the edge they needed to conquer all before them.”

The flick won the Best International Documentary prize at the Venice Shorts film festival, and was selected as a finalist at the New York International Film Awards.

Visit Beacons.page/LiverpoolWest to check out options to rent and view the film.

Copyright © 2021, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

Like so many musicians, Men at Work frontman Colin Hay had his 2020 touring plans sidelined because of the COVID-19 pandemic, but the singer/songwriter has now unveiled a new series of U.S. solo concerts scheduled for late summer.

The trek is plotted out from an August 4 show in Hyannis, Massachusetts, through a September 11 performance at the Beachlife Festival in Redondo Beach, California.

Hay will be promoting a brand-new studio album on the tour, a 10-track collection of covers titled I Just Don’t Know What to Do with Myself that’s due out on August 6.

Colin was inspired to make the album during the COVID lockdown, after he recorded a version of the Gerry and the Pacemakers hit “Don’t Let the Sun Catch You Crying” following the death of that group’s lead singer, Gerry Marsden, in January 2021.

Hay’s frequent collaborator and producer Chad Fischer suggested Colin record more cover tunes, and Hay decided to make a full album of tunes he loved when he was younger.

I Just Don’t Know What to Do with Myself also features the title track, which was penned by Burt Bacharach and Hal David and was a big U.K. hit for Dusty Springfield in 1964, as well as songs by The Beatles, The Kinks, Faces, Blind Faith, Glen Campbell and Jimmy Cliff.

The album can be pre-ordered now, and is available on CD, vinyl and in various digital formats.

“I recorded an album of songs written by other people that have meant a lot to me ever since I was a young fellow,” Hay notes. “I can’t wait to play them for you on this upcoming jaunt across the land.”

Here’s the full I Just Don’t Know What to Do with Myself track list:

“I Just Don’t Know What to Do with Myself” (Dusty Springfield)
“Waterloo Sunset” (The Kinks)
“Wichita Lineman” (Glen Campbell)
“Norwegian Wood (This Bird Has Flown)” (The Beatles)
“Don’t Let the Sun Catch You Crying” (Gerry and the Pacemakers)
“Ooh La La” (Faces)
“Driving with the Brakes On” (Del Amitri)
“Across the Universe” (The Beatles)
“Can’t Find My Way Home” (Blind Faith)
“Many Rivers to Cross” (Jimmy Cliff)

Copyright © 2021, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

After being postponed this year because of the COVID-19 pandemic, the star-studded ’70s Rock & Romance Cruise is set to return in February 2022. The seagoing music festival is almost sold out, but a few new artists recently were added to the lineup.

The new additions are former Chicago singer/bassist Jason Scheff, ex-Boston guitarist Barry Goodreau‘s current band Barry Goudreau’s Engine Room, and the Little River Band.

These acts join a bill that already included Foreigner, The Guess Who, War, 10cc, Jim Messina, and Badfinger featuring Joey Molland.

The nostalgic nautical extravaganza is scheduled to set sail from Miami on February 19 and will stop on St. Maarten on February 22 and St. Thomas on February 23 before returning to port on the 26th.

Famed producer and Peter & Gordon singer Peter Asher will serve as the cruise’s host, while other performers on the bill include The Family Stone, Air Supply and Melissa Manchester.

In addition to the many performances, the ’70s Rock & Romance Cruise will feature Q&A sessions and panel discussions with some of the artists, plus themed parties, wine tastings, trivia contests, game shows, karaoke, pool parties and more. Married couples also will have the opportunity to renew their wedding vows.

For more details about the cruise, including cabin availability, visit RockandRomanceCruise.com or call 844-466-7625.

Copyright © 2021, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

Bruce Springsteen has won a lot awards during his long career, but an Olympic medal certainly isn’t among them. However, one of his children will have the chance to go for Olympic gold, silver or bronze in Tokyo this summer — The Boss’ daughter, Jessica, has been named to the U.S. Equestrian jumping team.

TeamUSA.org reports that Jessica, who is 29, is ranked 27th in the the world and will make her Olympic debut in Tokyo. She will be riding a a 12-year-old Belgian Warmblood stallion named Don Juan van de Donkhoeve.

Jessica, who lives in Los Angeles, began riding when she was just four years old. She’s finished in first place at several major competitions over the last few years.

The Tokyo Olympics, which were postponed from 2020 because of the COVID-19 pandemic, are scheduled to run from July 23 through August 8.

See you in Tokyo #USAJumping #TeamUSA pic.twitter.com/A5TB1xJSjI

— US Equestrian (@USequestrian) July 5, 2021

Copyright © 2021, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

Today, July 6, marks the 50th anniversary of the release of third Allman Brothers Band album, At Fillmore East, widely considered one of the greatest-ever live albums.

The double-album marked a commercial breakthrough for the Southern jam band, peaking at #13 on Billboard‘s Top Pop Albums chart, and eventually becoming the group’s first platinum-certified release.

The album was recorded during a March 11-13 stand at promoter Bill Graham‘s famous New York City venue. At Fillmore East captured the band firing on all cylinders, showcasing the two-guitar interplay of Duane Allman and Dickey Betts, and frontman Gregg Allman‘s soulful vocals and soaring Hammond organ.

Among At Fillmore East‘s performances are renditions of blues gems such as Blind Willie McTell‘s “Stateboro Blues” and T-Bone Walker‘s “Stormy Monday,” as well as three originals — “Hot ‘Lanta,” “In Memory of Elizabeth Reed” and “Whipping Post.”

The album featured several extended jams that allowed the Allmans to fully explore their eclectic mix of blues, jazz, soul and psychedelic rock, including an almost-13-minute rendition of the Betts-penned instrumental “In Memory of Elizabeth Reed” and an epic 22-plus-minute version of Gregg Allman’s “Whipping Post.”

In the 2012 Allmans biography One Way Out, producer Tom Dowd said of the At Fillmore East performances, “Here was a rock ‘n’ roll band playing blues in the jazz vernacular. And they tore the place up.”

Sadly, At Fillmore East was the last album Allman Brothers Band released before Duane Allman’s death at age 27 on October 29, 1971, in a motorcycle crash.

In 2015, Rolling Stone ranked At Fillmore East second on its “50 Greatest Live Albums of All Time” list. It also was added to the Library of Congress’ National Recording Registry in 2004.

Here’s the album’s full track list:

Side One
“Statesboro Blues”
“Done Somebody Wrong”
“Stormy Monday”

Side Two
“You Don’t Love Me”

Side Three
“Hot ‘Lanta”
“In Memory of Elizabeth Reed”

Side Four
“Whipping Post”

Copyright © 2021, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

After attending three exhibitions of his artwork in Florida in May, Def Leppard drummer Rick Allen will be on hand for two similar events this weekend: Saturday, July 10, in New Jersey’s Atlantic City and Sunday, July 11, in the Philadelphia suburb of King of Prussia, Pennsylvania.

The Florida exhibits were among the first public events Allen participated in since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, and he tells ABC Audio that it’s been “really fun to get back out there and do something in person.”

He adds, “[T]here’s nothing like…meeting up with new people…and see[ing] what their take on my artwork is.”

Allen says the new exhibition, dubbed “Wings of Hope,” features seven or eight new pieces, including some additions to his “Legends Series” of portraits saluting late musicians who have influenced or inspired him.

“[O]ne of them [is] Johnny Cash…He’s the original bad boy,” Rick notes. “[A]nd another one [is] Kurt Cobain, who basically turned the music industry on its head with that brand of…raw [music].”

Allen also created new portraits of Eddie Van Halen for the series.

“[T]he sad news of [Eddie’s death]…really kind of floored me,” Rick says. “I didn’t know him that well, but I’d met him a few times through friends. And that was such a huge shock.”

For fans interested in how Allen’s art events work, he explains, “When I first get to the gallery…I’ll say hello to everybody,” while noting that he generally spends a lot of the time in a private room being “introduced to people that have bought pieces.”

He adds, however, “I always make time for everybody.”

Paintings and high-res prints of his pieces will be on sale at the events.

For more details, visit WentworthGallery.com.

Copyright © 2021, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

John Lennon, Ozzy Osbourne, Pearl Jam and Jimi Hendrix are among the music stars who are being turned into Funko Pop! figures.

The toy company has announced a slew of new, music-themed editions of its ever-popular big-headed collectables as part of its Popapalooza event.

Multiple Lennon figures were revealed in a post on Funko’s official Twitter feed, including one depicting the late Beatles legend wearing a khaki army jacket, and another showing him as he looked in a famous 1974 photo taken of him flashing a peace sign in front of the Statue of Liberty. However, the post notes that the designs currently are “subject to licensor approval.”

The Ozzy figure is inspired by the cover of Osbourne’s 1981 solo album Diary of a Madman and is packaged in a box that features a replica of the album.

The Pearl Jam Funkos feature figures of all five band members packaged together and are designed after Eddie Vedder and company’s early stage look.

The Hendrix toy shows the guitar great in the outfit he wore for his Live in Maui performance. The figure’s design also is “subject to licensor approval.”

Other Popalooza announcements include new figures of Green Day and Elvis Presley.

The new Funko Pop! toys are expected to be released in the coming weeks and months.

Popapalooza 2021: Pop! Rocks- John Lennon. Pre-order today! #Popapalooza #FunkoPopapalooza #Funko #FunkoPop@EntEarth: https://t.co/piKYmqrtgL
Distritomax: https://t.co/YeMzeB8DjE pic.twitter.com/sCZiCKPFWN

— Funko (@OriginalFunko) June 30, 2021

Copyright © 2021, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

The latest episode of Queen‘s weekly YouTube video series Queen The Greatest premiered today, and the feature focuses on the successful songs that bassist John Deacon has written or co-written for the band.

The installment begins by noting that although Deacon didn’t write as many songs as his three band mates, some of his compositions were among Queen’s biggest hits.

The narrator first points out that it was John’s bass part that helped drive the band’s classic 1981 collaboration with David Bowie, “Under Pressure.”

The episode then looks at one of the first tunes John contributed to the group, “You’re My Best Friend,” which appeared on Queen’s 1975 album A Night at the Opera. The song reached #16 on the Billboard Hot 100 and #9 on the U.K. singles chart.

Next up is “Spread Your Wings,” from 1977’s News of the World. Cited as a “fan favorite” by the narrator, the song also broke into the top 40 of the U.K. singles chart.

The third song profiled is none other than “Another One Bites the Dust,” which sold over seven million copies worldwide, making it Queen’s best-selling single. The funky tune, from the band’s number-one album The Game, spent three weeks at #1 on the Billboard Hot 100 in 1980.

The fourth Deacon-penned track that the episode looks at is “I Want to Break Free,” from 1984’s The Works. The single, whose memorable music video featured the band members in drag, just missed the top 40 in the U.S., but reached number three in the U.K.

The final song showcased in the episode is 1986’s “Friends Will Be Friends,” which John co-wrote with Freddie Mercury.  It hit #14 in the U.K.

Copyright © 2021, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

Ex-Genesis guitarist Steve Hackett has released the first single from his forthcoming studio album, Surrender of Silence, which is due out on September 10.

The track, “Wingbeats,” combines African rhythms and musical elements with melodic pop and prog-rock influences. The song is available now as a digital download and via streaming services, while a companion music video has premiered on YouTube.

Hackett shares vocals on “Wingbeats” with his sister-in-law, Amanda Lehmann, as well as with Pink Floyd session and touring singer Durga McBroom and her sister, Lorelei.

The video includes footage of indigenous African people, wildlife, and beautiful scenic landscapes from the continent.

As previously reported, Surrender of Silence is an 11-track collection offering an eclectic mix of World Music genres, including Russian classical music as well as sounds of the Far East, Africa and more.  The album is scheduled to arrive less than eight months after Hackett’s previous studio effort, the classical-inspired acoustic instrumental project Under a Mediterranean Sky, which was released in January.

Surrender of Silence can be pre-ordered now, and will be available in various formats and configurations. Visit HackettSongs.com for more details.

Copyright © 2021, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

Just in time for the Fourth of July, Jesse Colin Young, former frontman of the folk-rock band The Youngbloods, has released a video of himself performing a stripped-down acoustic version of the classic patriotic anthem “America the Beautiful.”

The clip, which you can watch now at Young’s official YouTube channel, features the artist singing in front of the backdrop of beautiful natural landscapes from various locations around the U.S.

“Coming out of the pandemic we are able to see this country, our America, with fresh eyes,” says the 79-year-old singer/songwriter in a statement. “I have always loved this song, and wanted to share my version with you so we could revel together in the beauty of this place we call home.”

Last November, Young released his 22nd solo album, Highway Troubadour. The 11-track collection features new solo acoustic versions of songs from throughout Jesse’s 50-year-plus career, including renditions of the Youngbloods tunes “Darkness, Darkness” and “Sugar Babe,” plus the recent song “Cast a Stone” from his 2019 solo album, Dreamers.

Highway Troubadour was inspired by Young’s online video series “One Song at a Time,” which he launched during the COVID-19 lockdown. It features him playing various songs from his back catalog while accompanying himself on acoustic guitar.

Copyright © 2021, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.