Classic Rock News

Star Wars films director J.J. Abrams and his Bad Robot Productions company are joining forces with Netflix to develop a scripted series about U2, according to The Hollywood Reporter.

The as-yet-untitled show will be written by Anthony McCarten, whose credits include the screenplays of a string of successful biographical films, including the Queen biopic Bohemian Rhapsody, plus Darkest Hour, The Theory of Everything and The Two Popes. He received Oscar nominations for Best Adapted Screenplay for the latter two.

According to The Hollywood Reporter, U2 is expected to sanction the new series and to be involved in the production, which reportedly is in the early stages of development.

Most details about the show are currently being kept secret.

U2, of course, are probably the most famous rock band ever to emerge from Ireland. The group formed in Dublin in 1976, when all four members — singer Bono, guitarist The Edge, drummer Larry Mullin Jr. and bassist Adam Clayton — were all in high school. The group was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2005, and continue to be among the most popular touring acts in the world.

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Limited-edition black vinyl versions of The Who‘s first two U.K. albums, 1965’s My Generation and 1966’s A Quick One, will be released on May 6 to launch a new series of half-speed-mastered vinyl editions of the British rock legends’ albums.

Both albums were mastered at London’s Abbey Road Studios by longtime Who engineer Jon Astley and cut for vinyl by acclaimed engineer by Miles Showell. The discs will be packaged in sleeves replicating the albums’ original designs, along and with certificates of authenticity.

My Generation originally was released in December 1965 and reached #5 on the British charts, while its title track peaked at #2 on the U.K. singles tally. The album also featured such gems as “A Legal Matter” and “The Kids Are Alright,” which also were released a singles in the U.K.

A Quick One was released in December 1966 and reached #4 on the U.K. albums chart. Although it yielded no hit singles, the record included the min rock opera “A Quick One, While He’s Away,” a precursor to the band’s longer concept projects, as well as such memorable tunes as “Boris the Spider” and “So Sad About Us.”

In the U.S., both albums were released with different titles — The Who Sings My Generation and Happy Jack — and slightly different track lists. In 2008, The Who Sings My Generation was selected for inclusion in the U.S. Library of Congress’ National Recording Registry as “culturally significant.”

You can pre-order the half-speed-mastered My Generation and A Quick One LPs now.

Here’s My Generation‘s full track list:

Side 1
“Out in the Street”
“I Don’t Mind”
“The Good’s Gone”
“La-La-La-Lies”
“Much Too Much”
“My Generation”

Side 2
“The Kids Are Alright”
“Please, Please, Please”
“It’s Not True”
“I’m a Man”
“A Legal Matter”
“The Ox”

Here’s A Quick One‘s full track list:

Side 1
“Run Run Run”
“Boris the Spider”
“I Need You”
“Whiskey Man”
“Heatwave”
“Cobwebs and Strange”

Side 2
“Don’t Look Away”
“See My Way”
“So Sad About Us”
“A Quick One, While He’s Away”

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The 30th anniversary edition of Rolling Stones guitarist Keith Richards‘ second solo album, 1992’s Main Offender, was released today.

The reissue is available in multiple formats and configurations, including a limited-edition super-deluxe box set featuring remastered CD and vinyl versions of the album, as well as a bonus live album on CD and two LPs.

A follow-up to Richards’ 1988 solo debut, Talk Is Cheap, Main Offender was released in October 1992. The album features 10 songs that Keith co-wrote with acclaimed drummer and producer Steve Jordan, who became The Stones’ touring drummer in 2021. Guitarist Waddy Wachtel, bassist/keyboardist Charley Drayton and backing singer Sara Dash — who died in 2021 — also received songwriting credits on select tunes.

Jordan, Wachtel, Drayton and Dash, along with keyboardist Ivan Neville, all were members of Richards’ side group The X-Pensive Winos. Last week, Keith reunited with most of the group to perform at the 2022 Love Rocks NYC! benefit concert at New York’s Beacon Theatre.

Main Offender peaked at #99 on the Billboard 200, while the songs “Wicked as It Seems” and “Eileen” reached #3 and #17, respectively, on Billboard‘s Mainstream Rock Tracks tally.

The live album featured in the box set, titled Winos Live in London ’92, captures a previously unreleased performance by Keith and his band that includes renditions of select songs from both Talk Is Cheap and Main Offender, as well as of The Stones’ “Gimme Shelter,” “Before They Make Me Run” and “Happy.”

The super deluxe collection also features an LP version of Main Offender pressed on smoke-colored vinyl; an 88-page, leather-bound book offering rare photos and Keith’s handwritten lyrics; and collectibles including a guitar pick, a bumper sticker and posters.

Here’s the Main Offender track list:

“999”
“Wicked as It Seems”
“Eileen”
“Words of Wonder”
“Yap Yap”
“Bodytalks”
“Hate It When You Leave”
“Runnin’ Too Deep”
“Will but You Won’t”
“Demon”

And here’s the Winos Live in London ’92 track list:

“Take It So Hard”
“999”
“Wicked as It Seems”
“How I Wish”
“Gimme Shelter”
“Hate It When You Leave”
“Before They Make Me Run”
“Eileen”
“Will But You Won’t”
“Bodytalks”
“Happy”
“Whip It Up”

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Fifty years ago today, March 18, 1972, Neil Young scored his only #1 hit on the Billboard Hot 100 when “Heart of Gold” ascended to the top spot on the chart.

“Heart of Gold” was the lead single from Young’s fourth studio album, Harvest, which earlier that month became Neil’s first — and only — solo effort to reach #1 on the Billboard 200.

Young recorded the song in Nashville in February 1971 during the same sessions that yielded Harvest‘s second single, “Old Man,” which went on to peak at #31 on the Hot 100.

“Heart of Gold” featured backing vocals by James Taylor and Linda Ronstadt, who, along with Young, were in Nashville at the time to appear on an episode of Johnny Cash‘s variety show. Besides his lead vocals, Neil played harmonica and guitar on the track. The other contributing musicians were three members of Young’s backing group The Stray Gators — Ben Keith on pedal steel guitar, Tim Drummond on bass and Kenny Buttrey on drums — as well as renowned session guitarist Teddy Irwin.

Taylor and Ronstadt also lent their vocal talents to “Old Man,” while James played banjo guitar on the track as well.

Reflecting on the popularity of “Heart of Gold,” Neil wrote in the liner notes of his 1977 Decades compilation, “This song put me in the middle of the road. Traveling there soon became a bore so I headed for the ditch. A rougher ride but I saw more interesting people there.”

Harvest went on to become the best-selling album in the U.S. for 1972, and is Young’s his best-selling solo album ever. It has been certified four-times platinum for sales of over four million copies in the States.

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David Crosby and Michael McDonald are among the artists who have contributed their talents to the second album by Canadian singer/songwriter and keyboardist Michelle Willis, Just One Voice, which will be released on April 8.

Willis, who is based in Brooklyn, New York, is perhaps best known for her work with Crosby’s Lighthouse Band and Skytrails Band, the two backing groups that the folk-rock legend has been touring and recording with in recent years.

Michelle says she was inspired to record Just One Voice after playing the title track for David while they were on the road together and he told her, “No one else sounds like this. This is you. You have to make this record.”

Not long after that, Willis was able to secure a grant from the Canada Council for the Arts, which helped her get the project rolling.

McDonald is featured on a song called “How Come.” Another contributor to the album is Becca Stevens, who also is a member of Crosby’s Lighthouse Band.

In 2018, Crosby, Willis, Stevens and Snarky Puppy frontman Michael League — a fellow Lighthouse Band member — released the collaborative album Here If You Listen.

Meanwhile, Michelle recently posted on YouTube a 2019 live performance featuring her duetting with David on “Trigger,” a song that appears on Just One Voice.

The album can be pre-ordered now on CD and via digital formats.

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Singer/songwriter Aimee Mann recently revealed that she was removed from her previously announced slot as an opening act on Steely Dan‘s upcoming U.S. tour.  Now the band’s frontman, Donald Fagen, has apologized to Mann, while also explaining why she was dropped from the bill.

In a statement provided to Variety, Fagen noted, “I was misinformed as to how firm the commitment was to any particular opening act. And, although I have the greatest respect for Aimee as a writer and performer, I thought it might not be the best matchup in terms of musical style.”

He added, “But I can’t pass the buck. I’ll take the blame for the screwup. I apologize for any distress this has caused Aimee and her fans.”

Mann announced that she’d been bumped from Steely Dan’s tour in a comic strip she posted on her Instagram, writing, “No one is entirely sure why, but it seems they thought their audience wouldn’t like a female singer-songwriter?…As it happens, Steely Dan is the one band that I 100% love, with no reservations, so it really sucks.”

In his statement, Fagen addressed Mann’s comment about her being a female artist, insisting “the idea that I would make any decision based on the gender of a performer is ridiculous. That’s something that would never even occur to me.”

He also pointed out that female acts including Rickie Lee Jones and the late Phoebe Snow had previously opened for Steely Dan.

Mann tells Variety, “I totally disagree about the style thing…I know so many people who are fans of mine and fans of theirs,” adding, “Anyway, I still love them.”

Aimee had been scheduled to support the band from June 21 to July 3. The full trek currently runs from May 20 through August 13.

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Founding Pink Floyd singer/bassist Roger Waters has added three new shows to his upcoming This Is Not a Drill tour of North America, bringing the total number of dates on the trek to 40.

The tour, which originally was supposed to kick off in July 2020 before being postponed because of the COVID-19 pandemic, kicks off on July 6 in Pittsburgh runs through an October 8 show in Dallas.

The newly added concerts are scheduled for August 10 in Columbus, Ohio; October 3 in Glendale, Arizona; and October 6, in Austin, Texas.

Tickets for the new shows go on sale to the general public on Friday, March 25, at 10 a.m. local time. Pre-sale tickets to the concerts will be available starting on Wednesday, March 23, at 10 a.m. local time. To buy tickets and for additional information, visit RogerWaters.com.

As previously reported, the This Is Not a Drill concerts will be staged “in the round,” a first for Waters.

In a statement, Roger explains that his performances will offer “a stunning indictment of the corporate dystopia in which we all struggle to survive, and a call to action to LOVE, PROTECT and SHARE our precious and precarious planet home.

He adds, “The show includes a dozen great songs from PINK FLOYD’S GOLDEN ERA along side several new ones, words and music, same writer, same heart, same soul, same man.”

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Pearl Jam has been recording new music with producer Andrew Watt, and, so far, the results have been “killer.”

That’s according to guitarist Stone Gossard, who tells SPIN that the grunge icons have “recorded a little bit” with Watt.

“We’ve got some things going already, and they’re killer,” Gossard says. “We’re psyched. Andrew is a total character. Really, like immediately, we were writing quickly. Spontaneously. Bring in a riff. Let’s knock it out.”

The guitarist adds, “[Drummer] Matt Cameron is playing his a** off. We didn’t bring any gear down. We were just doing some recording in Andrew’s basement in Beverly Hills, basically. So far, so good.”

Watt was primarily known for producing pop music, having worked with artists including Post Malone and Justin Bieber before linking up with Ozzy Osbourne for the metal legend’s 2020 solo album, Ordinary Man. He then produced PJ frontman Eddie Vedder‘s solo effort Earthling, and played in his live backing band.

“He’s known for some of his pop hits, which I personally love, but he really is a great musician and he knows the band well enough to know when we’re hitting something,” Gossard says of Watt. “His perspective has been great. I hope we continue with that process. It’s been fruitful, everything that we’ve done so far. We’ll see how long it takes to finish it off.”

Earlier this week, Pearl Jam confirmed the details of their North American tour, which will finally kick off in May after a two-year delay due to the COVID-19 pandemic. They’ll be supporting their latest album, Gigaton, which dropped in 2020.

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Dolly Parton is still in the running to join the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, despite the fact that she asked the organization earlier this week to remove her from consideration.

The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Foundation issued a statement Thursday acknowledging Dolly’s request, but saying they’ll move forward with her as a nominee.

“From its inception, Rock and Roll has had deep roots in Rhythm & Blues and Country music. It is not defined by any one genre, rather a sound that moves youth culture,” the statement reads, in part. “Dolly Parton’s music impacted a generation of young fans and influenced countless artists that followed.”

The note concludes, “We are in awe of Dolly’s brilliant talent and pioneering spirit and are proud to have nominated her for induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.”

In Dolly’s message, which she posted on her social media sites on Monday, she wrote, “Even though I am extremely flattered and grateful to be nominated for the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, I don’t feel that I have earned that right. I really do not want votes to be split because of me, so I must respectfully bow out.”

Along with Parton, 16 other nominees have been named for possible inclusion in the Class of 2022 to join the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Incidentally, Dolly currently sits in fourth place in the Rock Hall’s online fan vote for favorite nominee, which only accounts for a small percentage of the overall official inductee vote.

The 2022 inductees will be announced in May.

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A full, updated lineup has been announced for the 2022 MusiCares Person of the Year gala, which, as previously reported, will honor Joni Mitchell and take place April 1 at the MGM Grand Conference Center in Las Vegas.

Among the many artists confirmed to perform in celebration of the legendary Canadian singer/songwriter are Crosby, Stills & Nash‘s Stephen Stills and Graham Nash.

Nash, who was Mitchell’s boyfriend back in the day, will be performing remotely.

Other artists on the bill include , as well as Beck, Brandi Carlile, Cyndi Lauper, Chaka Khan, Sara Bareilles, St. Vincent, Mickey Guyton, Pentatonix, Jon Batiste, Leon Bridges, Angélique Kidjo, Billy Porter, Black Pumas and jazz legend Herbie Hancock, who won the 2008 Album of the Year Grammy for River: The Joni Letters, a collection of Mitchell covers.

Carlile and Batiste also will serve as the evening’s artistic directors. James Taylor and Maggie Rogers, who were among a previously announced list of performers, are no longer part of the lineup.

In addition to the concert, the gala will include a silent auction, reception and dinner. Mitchell, 78, who was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 1997, is being honored for her impact on the music industry and for being a huge inspiration to generations of artists.

The gala benefits MusiCares, the charitable arm of the Recording Industry, which supports the health and welfare of the music community.  Tickets are available now.

The event originally was to have taken place January 29 in Los Angeles, but was postponed when the 2022 Grammy Awards ceremony also was postponed. The Grammys are now scheduled for April 3.

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