Music Minded: May 2022

Friday, May 27, 2022

Gunnar and Matthew Nelson of Nelson have a retrospective on the way in July

Multi-platinum-selling act Nelson is unveiling their most comprehensive compilation ever on July 8 on CD and digital platforms through Universal Music Enterprises (UMe). Greatest Hits (And Near Misses) not only includes their smash “(Can't Live Without Your) Love and Affection” and other hits from their two Geffen Records releases, but also notable tracks from the Nelson twins’ well-received subsequent albums.

Pre-order and hear the first track, “Too Many Dreams,” which had previously only been officially available in Japan as a 1991 single and as an After The Rain (Japanese Edition) bonus track and is getting its digital debut.

Brothers Gunnar and Matthew Nelson found phenomenal success with their 1990 DGC debut After The Rain, which has been certified double platinum by the RIAA after selling more than 2 million copies and remained on the Billbord 200 Album Chart for over 60 weeks. The twin brothers’ harmony-heavy melodic rock (Billboard described, “a catchy hybrid of power-pop and hard rock”) spawned four singles that cracked the top 30 on Billboard’s Hot 100: “After The Rain,” (charted in the top three and also hit number one in Radio &Records), “More Than Ever,” “Only Time Will Tell,” and the chart-topping “(Can't Live Without Your) Love and Affection.”

“I know that saying ‘having a Greatest Hits record is a dream come true’ sounds trite, but in this case it’s totally accurate,” says Gunnar. “I’m just another songwriter/artist who’s dream to have a Greatest Hits record one day began in earnest at the age of 6. I truly love music, and I never rest until my work is the very best that it can be. Out of respect for my fellow music lovers and my musical mentors, I’ve always put everything I have into the songs that I hope will turn into the soundtrack of peoples’ lives. I am SO proud of this Greatest Hits record, and all of the blood, sweat, and tears that it took through the decades to bring it to you now. It is the very best of the best that I have to give you.”

When “(Can't Live Without Your) Love and Affection” topped the singles chart, it marked the first time that one family scored a #1 hit across three generations. Gunnar and Matthew’s father, Rock & Roll Hall of Famer Rick Nelson, reached #1 twice with “Poor Little Fool” and “Traveling Man,” and their grandfather, Ozzie Nelson, had a #1 hit in 1935 with “And Then Some.”

Their breakout debut propelled the Nelsons from playing clubs to headlining arenas, performing over 100 shows per year while touring the world. The twins, with their signature long-blonde hair and photogenic good looks, became an iconic image of the early 90s. By the time Nelson’s second record, Because They Can, arrived in 1995, music trends had shifted, but the album still hit #30 on the Radio & Records Pop chart.

Greatest Hits (And Near Misses) revisits Nelson’s popular radio hits from their Geffen era, while also spotlighting songs from their well-receivedlater releases. This compilation contains After The Rain’s four classic Nelson hits, including “Only Time Will Tell,” as well as “I Can Hardly Wait.” Featured from the underappreciated Because They Can album is a trio of tracks: “(You Got Me) All Shook Up,” “Won't Walk Away,” and “Cross My Broken Heart.” Notable too is the rarity, “Too Many Dreams,” which has officially only been available in Japan as a 1991 single, and an After The Rain bonus track (and is getting its digital debut).

“This is the very first time in history that we have been able to deliver a comprehensive career-spanning collection of NELSON’s most shining moments,” says Gunnar “Now that our own Stone Canyon Records label has officially joined forces with Universal, we can finally pull out all the stops. Start to finish, this is an album that we’re truly proud of… and the very first thing any music fan should pick up if they ever wondered what NELSON is all about.”

Included are eight additional tracks, exclusively licensed from the Nelsons and their Stone Canyon Records label. Lightning Strikes Twice, which is often viewed as After The Rain’s true sequel (and even considered by some a stronger album), is represented by “Take Me There,” “You’re All I Need Tonight” and “Call Me.” “Rockstar” hails from Peace Out (lauded by one critic as being “quintessential Nelson from start to finish”) while “A Girl Like That” comes from Life.

Greatest Hits (and Near Misses) also includes the newly recorded acoustic version of “Keep One Heart,” a studio track that appeared on their Perfect Storm live album and as a bonus tune on After The Rain’s Japanese version. “Two Heads Are Better Than One” is a song movie fans will recognize from Bill & Ted’s Excellent Adventure. This original unreleased version features Gunnar’s vocals as heard in the film (while the version on the soundtrack album featured another vocalist). The track is credited to Power Tool, a name the Nelson brothers used for this pre-After The Rain recording.

Gunnar and Matthew have also included “What About Me?” from their Brother Harmony album (that they released as The Nelsons). This twangy ballad reveals their musical connection to their late father, who helped pioneer the country-rock sound. The brothers further acknowledged their father’s legacy in a highly praised tribute concert that they have performed over the years.

Track Listing:

1. After The Rain - From After The Rain

2. (Can't Live Without Your) Love And Affection - From After The Rain
3. Call Me - From Lightning Strikes Twice
4. You’re All I Need Tonight - From Lightning Strikes Twice
5. More Than Ever - From After The Rain
6. Only Time Will Tell - From After The Rain
7. Too Many Dreams - Bonus track from After The Rain (Japanese special edition)
8. Cross My Broken Heart - From Because They Can
9. Won’t Walk Away - From Because They Can
10. A Girl Like That - From Life
11. (You Got Me) All Shook Up - From Because They Can
12. What About Me? - From Silence Is Broken
13. Keep One Heart (Acoustic Version) (New Recording)
14. I Can Hardly Wait - From After The Rain
15. Two Heads Are Better Than One (Previously Unreleased Original Version)
16. Rockstar - From Peace Out
17. Take Me There – From Lightning Strikes Twice

Neil Young archive news

Neil Young announces the release of his 2001 studio album, Toast. Recorded at Toast Studios in San Francisco around the turn of the millennium, it features Young’s musical collaborators Crazy Horse.

The release is available for pre-order and out July 8, on CD, and double vinyl at The Greedy Hand Store at Neil Young Archives (NYA) and music retailers everywhere and digitally at the Xstream Store at NYA and most DSP’s. Purchasers of Vinyl and CD at The Greedy Hand Store will receive the hi-res digital download from the Xstream Store at NYA. Click HERE to pre-order/pre-save. Click HERE to stream “Standing In The Light of Love,” and HERE to view/share the video.

For the past two decades, Toast has been whispered about in collectors’ circles in hushed tones, as Young has dropped pieces of information about it here and there, especially as it contains three never-before-released songs.

Last year, in his virtual daily newspaper, The Times Contrarian, Young wrote about the album in-depth. “The music of Toast is about a relationship,” he said. “There is a time in many relationships that go bad, a time long before the breakup, where it dawns on one of the people, maybe both, that it's over. This was that time.”

NYA is a fittingly sprawling repository for Young; few artists—perhaps none—have explored such a vast spectrum of sounds and styles over more than half a century, Toast is just one more testament to the treasure trove of vital music Young has in his vault.

Track listing:

1. Quit

2. Standing In The Light of Love
3. Goin’ Home
4. Timberline
5. Gateway of Love
6. How Ya Doin’?
7. Boom Boom Boom

Alan Parsons enlists Tommy Shaw, David Pack, James Durbin and Joe Bonamassa for July album

Frontiers Music will release the upcoming new studio album, From the New World, by Alan Parsons on July 15. Get a preview of the new album with the first single and music video, 'Uroboros' which features vocalist/guitarist Tommy Shaw of Styx. Watch the video HERE: https://youtu.be/nPb58H55A7Q

The Grammy Award winning artist/producer/engineer released his previous studio album The Secret in 2019. From The New World continues with the sound Parsons has become known for during his 50+ year career by fusing progressive, symphonic, and classic rock elements together throughout the new album. Guest appearances include Joe Bonamassa, and vocalists Tommy Shaw of Styx, David Pack formerly of Ambrosia, and American Idol alumni James Durbin.

Pre-order/save "From The New World" on CD, CD/DVD, Color Vinyl, Collector's Box Set, & Digital formats HERE: https://orcd.co/parsons

*CD/DVD includes CD + DVD Audio (5.1 Audio Mix of new album)

*LPs available as Limited Edition Crystal color vinyl and Limited Edition Yellow color vinyl

*Collector's Box Set includes CD+DVD (housed in a digipak), Live in Madrid Digifile, T-shirt (size L), LP (180g, gatefold, Blue Transparent), poster, & numbered lithograph

Alan Parsons began his career at the age of 19 as an assistant engineer at the legendary Abbey Road studios in London working with the Beatles on their albums Let It Be and Abbey Road. Those who recently saw Peter Jackson's Get Back series got to view vintage footage of Parsons working alongside the Fab Four. Parsons would soon go on to bring his innovative style of engineering to albums by Paul McCartney, the Hollies, and Pink Floyd on their 1973 masterpiece The Dark Side of the Moon.

Parsons would quickly move into the role of producer, winning countless gold and platinum awards with such names as Pilot, Cockney Rebel, Ambrosia and Al Stewart. Simultaneously he formed the world-renowned Alan Parsons Project with songwriting partner/vocalist Eric Woolfson, producing a myriad of hits including “Eye in the Sky,” “Don't Answer Me,” “Time” and “Games People Play.” The Parsons/Woolfson duo never toured, but rather concentrated all their efforts in the studio. After ten studio albums with The Project, Parsons began recording albums under his own name and started to play live for the first time to the delight of his millions of fans around the world.

In 2019, as well as winning a Grammy for the 35th Anniversary edition of Eye In the Sky, Parsons released his fifth solo album, The Secret. It was an album revolving around the theme of magic, which is a passion of Parsons. The Secret was his first studio recording in 15 years, and it culminated in a series of worldwide tours.

Two concerts were filmed in 2019 and released in 2021/2022. Produced by IM3 Global Entertainment, The NeverEnding Show: Live in the Netherlands and One Note Symphony: Live in Tel Aviv were both released within the last several months by Frontiers Records to international acclaim, the latter concert featuring the Alan Parsons Live Project accompanied by an 80-piece symphony orchestra. Still available at AlanParsons.com and HERE: https://orcd.co/parsonstelaviv (Tel Aviv) and HERE: https://orcd.co/parsonslive (Netherlands).

Parsons was recently honored with the prestigious OBE (Order Of The British Empire) award from the Queen of England for his contributions to the arts.

Track list:

1. Fare Thee Well
2. The Secret
3. Uroboros (featuring Tommy Shaw of STYX)
4. Don't Fade Now
5. Give 'Em My Love (featuring James Durbin, Joe Bonamassa)
6. Obstacles
7. I Won't Be Led Astray (featuring David Pack, Joe Bonamassa)
8. You Are The Light
9. Halo
10. Goin' Home
11. Be My Baby

Album lineup:

Lead Vocals - Alan Parsons, Tommy Shaw, David Pack, James Durbin, P.J. Olsson, Todd Cooper, Dan Tracey, Mark Mikel, Tabitha Fair

Backing Vocals - Alan Parsons, Tommy Shaw, P.J. Olsson, Todd Cooper, Dan Tracey, Doug Powell, Mark Mikel, Chris Shutters, Scott Hunt

Guitars - Alan Parsons, Jeff Kollman, Dan Tracey, Doug Powell, Jeff Marshall, James Durbin, Tim Pierce

Bass - Guy Erez

Drums - Danny Thompson
Keyboards - Tom Brooks, Doug Powell, Matt McCarrin, Kim Bullard
Sax - Todd Cooper
Cello on “I Won’t Be Led Astray” - Mika Larson
Guitar Solos on “Give ‘Em My Love” and “I Won’t Be Led Astray” - Joe Bonamassa

The Beach Boys news: 'Sounds of Summer' gets expanded reissue in June

To kick off the The Beach Boys' yearlong 60th anniversary celebration, Capitol Records and UMe will release a newly remastered and expanded edition of the career-spanning greatest hits collection, Sounds Of Summer: The Very Best Of The Beach Boys, on June 17.

Originally released in 2003, the album went top 20 in the US and stayed on the chart for 104 weeks. Now certified 4x platinum for sales of nearly four and a half million albums, the collection has been updated in both number of songs and audio quality, expanding the original 30-track best of with 50 more of the band’s most beloved songs for a total of 80 tracks that span their earliest hits to deeper fan-favorite cuts and from their 1962 debut album, Surfin’ Safari through to 1989’s Still Cruisin’.

Assembled by Mark Linett and Alan Boyd, the team behind 2013's GRAMMY® Award-winning SMiLE Sessions and last year’s acclaimed boxed set, Feel Flows – The Sunflower and Surf's Up Sessions 1969-1971, Sounds Of Summer features nearly every US Top 40 hit of The Beach Boys’ career. The fifty additional tracks showcase a broad mix of songs from across their catalog.

The collection has 26 new mixes including two first-time stereo mixes, plus 22 new-and-improved stereo mixes, which in some cases feature the latest in digital stereo extraction technology, allowing for the team to separate the original mono backing tracks for the first time.

The expanded edition of Sounds Of Summer will be available in a variety of formats, including digitally, a 3CD softpack, and as a Super Deluxe Edition 6LP vinyl boxed set on 180-gram black vinyl in two options – a standard set or a numbered, limited edition version featuring a rainbow foil slipcase and four collectible lithographs.

Both versions will feature color printed sleeves that replicate the original “Capitol Catalog” sleeves that highlight the entire Beach Boys discography, and all formats will include a booklet with new liner notes and updated photos. The original 30-track version will also be available in its newly remastered and upgraded form on single CD or double gatefold LP on standard weight vinyl or as a higher-end limited edition numbered version pressed on 180-gram vinyl with a tip-on jacket and a lithograph.

Besides the new music releases from Capitol/UMe, The Beach Boys are participating in a feature length documentary currently in the works, a tribute special, prestigious exhibitions and events, unique brand partnerships, and much more to celebrate their 60th anniversary.

Track listing:

Disc 1

1. California Girls (1965)
2. I Get Around (1964)
3. Surfin’ Safari (1962)
4. Surfin’ U.S.A. (1963)
5. Fun, Fun, Fun (1964)
6. Surfer Girl (1963)
7. Don’t Worry Baby (1964)
8. Little Deuce Coupe (1963)
9. Shut Down (1963)
10. Help Me, Rhonda (1965)
11. Be True To Your School (Single Version) (1963)
12. When I Grow Up (To Be A Man) (1964)
13. In My Room (1963)
14. God Only Knows (1966)
15. Sloop John B (1966)
16. Wouldn’t It Be Nice (1966)
17. Getcha Back (1985)
18. Come Go With Me (1978)
19. Rock and Roll Music (1976)
20. Dance, Dance, Dance (1964)
21. Barbara Ann (1965)
22. Do You Wanna Dance? (1965)
23. Heroes And Villains (1967)
24. Good Timin’ (1979)
25. Kokomo (1988)
26. Do It Again (1968)
27. Wild Honey (1967)
28. Darlin’ (1967)
29. I Can Hear Music (1969)
30. Good Vibrations (1966)

Disc 2

1. All Summer Long (1964)
2. Good To My Baby (1965)
3. This Whole World (1970)
4. All I Wanna Do (1970)
5. Disney Girls (1971)
6. Kiss Me Baby (1965)
7. Let The Wind Blow (1967)
8. Forever (1970)
9. Sail On Sailor (1973)
10. Long Promised Road (1971)
11. Cotton Fields (1970)
12. Pom Pom Play Girl (1964)
13. Wind Chimes (Smile) (1966/1993)
14. I Went To Sleep (1968)
15. Farmer’s Daughter (1963)
16. Let Us Go On This Way (1977)
17. You Need A Mess Of Help To Stand Alone (1972)
18. The Night Was So Young (1977)
19. Marcella (1972)
20. You’re So Good To Me (1965)
21. Aren’t You Glad (1967)
22. Baby Blue (1979)
23. It’s About Time (1970)
24. Roll Plymouth Rock (1966/1993)
25. Surf’s Up (1971)

Disc 3

1. Add Some Music To Your Day (1970)
2. It’s Ok (1976)
3. Goin’ On (1980)
4. San Miguel (1969)
5. The Warmth Of The Sun (1964)
6. Everyone’s In Love With You (1976)
7. All This Is That (1972)
8. California Saga (1973)
9. Feel Flows (1971)
10. Wendy (1964)
11. Girl Don’t Tell Me (1965)
12. Let Him Run Wild (1965)
13. All I Want To Do (1968)
14. Susie Cincinnati (1970)
15. Vegetables (1967)
16. Time To Get Alone (1969)
17. Where I Belong (1985)
18. I Just Wasn’t Made For These Times (1966)
19. Little Bird (1968)
20. Til I Die (1971)
21. (Wouldn’t It Be Nice To) Live Again (1971)
22. Friends (1968)
23. Devoted To You (1965)
24. Can’t Wait Too Long (1968)
25. California Feelin’ (1978)

Coming soon: Expanded reissue of 1970 Frank Sinatra concept album 'Watertown'

The legacy of Frank Sinatra includes a studio album no one anticipated: Watertown. Recorded in 1969 and released in 1970, the concept of Watertown unfolds as a personal tragedy about a working man with children whose wife suddenly leaves him.

On June 3, Frank Sinatra Enterprises and UMe present Watertown, newly mixed and remastered from the original Reprise session tapes. The original album sequence will be available on vinyl, while the CD and digital editions will feature eight bonus tracks, including alternate takes from the recording sessions, two radio ads and “Lady Day,” which was not part of the Watertown concept. Charles Pignone produced the updated edition from the new mixes created by longtime Sinatra engineer Larry Walsh – the team behind recent FSE/UMe releases Sings for Only the Lonely and Nice ‘N’ Easy.

Watertown will also feature, in addition to a recreation of the original packaging, new liner notes, a track-by-track breakdown from songwriter and album producer Bob Gaudio, quotes from Sinatra, plus essays by Frankie Valli, co-writer Jake Holmes, among others who were involved in the original project.

All three formats – Watertown [LP] and Watertown: Deluxe Edition [CD + Digital] – are available for preorder here https://sinatra.lnk.to/WatertownPR. Siriusly Sinatra (SiriusXM Ch. 71) aired an exclusive Watertown special.

Upon Watertown’s release, fans and critics alike simply weren’t prepared for such a radical stylistic departure from Sinatra. Gaudio’s essay explains that Sinatra, with a level of empathy only he could achieve, was “reaching down into a man’s soul and feeling his pain and still finding hope.”

Track Lists:

FRANK SINATRA — WATERTOWN: EXPANDED EDITION [CD/DIGITAL]

1. Watertown
2. Goodbye (She Quietly Says)
3. For A While
4. Michael & Peter
5. I Would Be In Love (anyway)
6. Elizabeth
7. What A Funny Girl (You Used To Be)
8. What’s Now Is Now
9. She Says
10. The Train
11. Lady Day*
12. Lady Day (11/7/69)*
13. Watertown (Session Take)*
14. Goodbye (Session Take)*
15. The Train (Session Take)*
16. Lady Day (11/7/69) (Session Take)*
17. 1970 Reprise Radio Promo #1*
18. 1970 Reprise Radio Promo #2*
*Bonus Tracks

For more information about Frank Sinatra, visit sinatra.com.

'Neurotic Outsiders,' supergroup album feat. Duran Duran, Sex Pistols, Guns 'N Roses members, to get expanded reissue next week

When former Sex Pistol STEVE JONES joined a pick up band for a benefit concert for a cancer-stricken friend at LA's notorious Viper Room back in the mid '90s, he probably had no clue that the lineup he'd choose would result in a full blown record deal with Madonna's Maverick Records for $1 million.

What started out as a random mishmash of his musician friends - JOHN TAYLOR (Duran Duran) and DUFF McKAGAN and MATT SORUM (Guns 'N Roses) - and a Monday night residency at the infamous club turned into NEUROTIC OUTSIDERS. The self-titled debut was originally released in 1996. Long out of print, Neurotic Outsiders is being re-released as an Expanded Edition, containing all the tracks from the album plus their rare Japanese–only EP. It will be released on June 3 via Boston-based Supermegabot Records.

“We all were in these high-profile, high maintenance bands with very little actual playing. With Neurotic Outsiders, things felt completely loose,” says Taylor of the ragtag nature of the band. Originally starting out as cover band that hosted a wide array of surprise guests including Simon LeBon, Billy idol, Izzy Stradlin, Chrissie Hynde, Ian Astbury, Sporty Spice Mel C, Iggy Pop, Brian Setzer, and Slash, the band’s own internal chemistry between its four members was so apparent that soon Neurotic Outsiders was born.

As more and more of Jones' post-Sex Pistols originals started making their way into their sets, the band began embracing the new material. Most of the originals were unheard material leftover from Jones’ Sex Pistols/Professionals days. “He [Jones] gave me the tape of his songs and it became my favorite tape,” recalls McKagan. “It sounded like 1979 English punk rock with an American feel. It was rockin’. It was heavy. Jonesy wrote the coolest pop."

Talking Heads’ Jerry Harrison served as producer. "Union" was a rumination on the demise of the Sex Pistols (who ironically reformed just as the song was completed). “Story Of My Life” retells Jones’ own addict’s lament while Taylor’s “Better Way” is “a testament to our sober lives and it was not the song I would have envisioned writing with the co-author of ‘Pretty Vacant’.”

“Angelina” is a tribute to the inescapable 80’s/90’s pink-haired billboard queen of LA. Included here are covers Duran Duran’s “Planet Earth” (from the Japan-only EP) and a rendition of The Clash’s “Janie Jones.”

Just as the band was starting to gather steam, each of the band members were - one by one - pulled away when their previously inactive bands started reforming again, leaving prospects of a continuation of Neurotic Outsiders swept away in the Viper Room's evening detritus. Had they stuck together, it might have re-energized Jones to continue making music. But as it stands, this currently stands as his final album (he is, by admission, "quite lazy").

“I am proud of that album,” says Jones. “This is one album I really do like. I like the songwriting. I like the production and I like the way it’s played. We had a fun time making that record and I think it could’ve done well if we’d all been around to give it a proper push.”

EPITAPH:

Since 1996, the band reformed in 1999 for three shows at the (now defunct) Viper Room, but they’ve all stayed busy.

The album’s lyrics foreshadowed many of the themes addressed in Steve Jones’ acclaimed 2018 autobiography, Lonely Boy, now adapted by director Danny Boyle (Trainspotting, Slumdog Millionaire) as the 2022 Hulu miniseries “Pistol.”

Matt Sorum’s long-delayed autobiography, Double Talkin’ Jive has been released by Rare Bird Books this week, covering his career from playing in Tori Amos’ Y Kant Tori Read project, through the Cult, GnR, Velvet Revolver and beyond.

Duff McKagan made numerous albums, both solo and in other bands, and has written two books, before reuniting with the reformed Guns N Roses who’ve been touring since 2016.

John Taylor recorded six solo albums, wrote his autobiography, and has been touring and recording with Duran Duran since the original band reunited in 2000.

All four members of Neurotic Outsiders are in the Rock N Roll Hall Of Fame, as is the album’s producer Jerry Harrison. John Taylor’s induction with Duran Duran will take place this November.

This Expanded Edition of Neurotic Outsiders includes the original remastered album adding four B-sides from a rare Japan-only EP.

Track listing:

Nasty Ho

Always Wrong
Angelina
Good News
Better Way
Feelings Are Good
Revolution
Jerk
Union
Janie Jones
Story Of My Life
Six Feet Under
Seattle Head
Spanish Ballroom
Planet Earth
Jerk (Clean Version)

Out now: New studio and live albums from Liam Gallagher

Liam Gallagher’s first two solo studio albums – As You Were and Why Me? Why Not – were UK #1s. The new album C’mon You Know adds to his catalog and is out now, along with the live album Down By The River Thames.

Initially inspired by regular collaborator Andrew Wyatt’s musicality, Liam said in an interview with The Sunday Times, “It’s a bit peculiar in places, which is good: 80 per cent madness and 20 per cent classic. If you’re going to start doing stuff like that on your third album, it helps if there’s a bit of COVID about. Because if it doesn’t take off, and people go, ‘I’m not sure about this, it’s a bit weird,’ we can blame it on the virus and go back to the classic stuff.”

That 80/20 split is demonstrated by the songs that have previewed the album. “Everything’s Electric” (his highest charting UK solo single to date) is the result of Liam challenging Greg Kurstin and Dave Grohl to write a song that melds the thunderous dynamics of Beastie Boys’ “Sabotage” with the spiralling tension of The Rolling Stones’ “Gimme Shelter.” The title track has features saxophone from Ezra Koenig.

Down By The River Thames is taken from a show originally streamed on December 5, 2020.

Both albums are available on CD or standard vinyl and as part of bundles.

Liam will play a selection of huge outdoor shows this summer, including a two-night return to Knebworth Park – the scene of Oasis’ most legendary moment – where he sold all 160,000 tickets almost immediately. Please see his website for a full list of shows and accompanying ticket details.

'C'Mon' track listing:

1. More Power
2. Diamond In The Dark
3. Don’t Go Halfway
4. C’mon You Know
5. Too Good For Giving Up
6. It Was Not Meant To Be
7. Everything’s Electric
8. World’s In Need
9. Moscow Rules
10. I’m Free
11. Better Days
12. Oh Sweet Children

Bonus tracks:
13. The Joker
14. Wave
15. Bless You

The London Suede present 'Autofiction' in September

This is exciting news. I have interviewed the band in the past. Read the press release below...

The London Suede return with Autofiction, its ninth studio album, due for release on September 16 via BMG and available to pre-order HERE. New single “She Still Leads Me On” is available to listen to now, HERE.

As The London Suede began work on the songs that would become Autofiction, they decided to go back to basics. In a move that recalled their most formative days, Brett Anderson, Mat Osman, Simon Gilbert, Richard Oakes and Neil Codling went to a rehearsal studio in Kings Cross.

Speaking about Autofiction, Brett Anderson said:

"Autofiction is our punk record. No whistles and bells. Just the five of us in a room with all the glitches and fuck-ups revealed; the band themselves exposed in all their primal mess."

Autofiction was recorded live at Konk studios in North London with long-time The London Suede collaborator, Ed Buller. Ed first worked with the band producing their debut single ‘The Drowners’, which sees its 30th anniversary this month.

If 30 years ago “The Drowners” was a rattling anthem for the blurred sexuality and vivacity of unusual youth, then Autofiction’s grappling with concerns of a different point in life sound no less vital. “Autofiction has a natural freshness, it's where we want to be,” says Brett Anderson. And where Suede want to be is, in a way, the same place as they were when they began 30 years ago – a group of people living off the raw sensation of creating music together in a room. “When we were rehearsing and writing this record it was this sheer, physical rush. That thing where you're hanging on for dear life,” says bass player Mat Osman.

“She Still Leads Me On” was written by Brett to his late mother. Reflecting on the process of writing acclaimed works of memoir Coal Black Mornings and Afternoons With The Blinds Drawn helped Brett get a newfound perspective on himself as a performer and singer in the public eye, much of which has fed into the lyricism of Autofiction.

The recent past has seen 2018’s UK Top 5 charting album The Blue Hour and two acclaimed documentaries (Mike Christie’s The Insatiable Ones for Sky Arts and BBC Four’s Rock Family Trees).

Track listing:

She Still Leads Me On

Personality Disorder
15 Again
The Only Way I Can Love You
That Boy on the Stage
Drive Myself Home
Black Ice
Shadow Self
It’s Always the Quiet Ones
What am I Without You?
Turn off Your Brain and Yell

She and Him tackle Beach Boys covers on 'Melt Away'

Ahead of the release of Zooey Deschanel (She) & M. Ward (Him)’s Melt Away: A Tribute to Brian Wilson via Fantasy Records on July 22, the duo has premiered a rendition of “Darlin’,” the hit single from The Beach Boys’ 1967 album Wild Honey.

Listen to She & Him’s “Darlin’” HERE

Watch the Video for She & Him’s “Darlin’” HERE

Pre-Order Melt Away: A Tribute To Brian Wilson HERE

She & Him have enjoyed a friendship, and mutual appreciation with Wilson over the years and they were previously a guest vocalist on his 2015 album, No Pier Pressure.

“In the spring of 2020, we started a list of our favorite Brian songs — a very long list,” the duo explains. “We chose songs without any regard to their chart performance. The obscure ones hit us just as hard as the more popular songs — and all are ripe for re-imagining, re-interpreting, and re-inventing. Brian writes songs of beauty and loneliness and vulnerability better than anyone — and by sequencing them next to popular songs of confidence and love and fun, it creates a more complete picture of life on earth.”

Brian Wilson comments on ‘Melt Away’:

“Zooey and Matt did such mind-blowing versions of our songs. The harmonies are beautiful and right on. I love this record!”

The album’s first single, “Darlin’,” comes replete with a QVC-inspired video directed by Lara Jean Gallagher. A perfect intro to the album, the “Darlin’” clip finds the pair trading lead vocals while doing their best to sell nail polish to the masses.

Melt Away is Deschanel and Ward’s follow-up to 2016’s holiday album Christmas Party, and it marks their second record of non-holiday covers since 2014’s Classics, which topped Billboard’s U.S. Folk Albums chart on release. The pair have been together more than 15 years while Deschanel’s maintains an acting career and Ward continues his own solo career as a producer and singer-songwriter.

Tickets for She & Him’s upcoming tour are available at sheandhim.com.

TRACK LIST:

1. Darlin’

2. Wouldn’t It Be Nice
3. Til I Die
4. Deirdre
5. Melt Away
6. Good To My Baby
7. Don’t Talk (Put Your Head On My Shoulder)
8. Don’t Worry Baby
9. This Whole World
10. Kiss Me, Baby
11. Do It Again ft. Brian Wilson
12. Heads You Win, Tails I Lose
13. Please Let Me Wonder
14. Meant For You

TOUR DATES:

6/13 Denver, CO @ Paramount Theatre
6/14 Salt Lake City, UT @ Red Butte Garden Amphitheatre
6/16 Forest Grove, OR @ Grand Lodge Hotel and Property
6/17 Woodinville, WA @ Chateau Ste. Michelle Winery
6/18 Vancouver, BC @ Vogue Theatre
6/20 Jacksonville, OR @ Britt Festival Pavilion
6/22 Paso Robles, CA @ Vina Robles Amphitheatre
6/23 Saratoga, CA @ The Mountain Winery
6/24 San Diego, CA @ Humphrey’s
6/25 Los Angeles, CA @ The Ford
9/9 Vienna, VA @ Wolf Trap
9/16 Grand Rapids, MI @ Frederik Meijer Gardens

Wednesday, May 25, 2022

Duncan Sheik returns with 'Claptrap' in July

Singer /songwriter Duncan Sheik has shared his new single “Maybe” from the forthcoming AntiFragile Music album Claptrap due out on July 29. Stream the track “Maybe,” here.

Describing the creation of Claptrap, Sheik brings up his exploration of the theory of “non-dualism,” “It’s probably no secret to anyone who knows me or my musical output that I have been practicing Nichiren Buddhism since I was nineteen…Nichiren Daishonin, the founder of this form of Buddhism, would, in his writings, often refer to the dichotomies of “mind and body” or “An enlightened being and a common mortal” with the phrase “two but not two.” In other words, those oppositions were two in their apparent manifestation but one in essence - hence, “non-dual.”

As it happened, these two processes of musical experimentation and the study of non-duality started to come together as actual songs with lyrics.” Sheik continues, “It’s possibly a better amalgam of electronic and organic elements, and certainly there are some more adventurous harmonic ideas, but it’s still pop music with some arty pretensions.”

Duncan explains here how he came though the darkness, buoyed by his spirituality, and created this love song to reassure listeners - it's going to be ok in the end.

Stream ‘Maybe’ via YouTube here

Duncan posits that he’s likely not alone in feeling that there was, perhaps, a kind of upside in how the pandemic changed our daily life during that first year. He reflects on the years leading up to 2020, “I probably took on too many things and it ended up putting me in a not great emotional, psychological place. I was pretty overwhelmed in 2017,‘ 18,‘19 working on these theater projects, and the idea of making a record was really distant. So the pandemic, as tragic as it was on so many levels, it was really a blessing for me, because it gave me the space to work. And that became this record.

He continues “...I was at my studio in Garrison, NY, which I had just spent a week reorganizing and reconfiguring, and it hit me that I was free; free to pretty much do whatever the heck I wanted all day, and this was followed by some real, actual gratitude...a recognition that maybe the universal consciousness we are all part of is, as Rupert Spira says without irony, love.”

Duncan Sheik launched his career as a singer/songwriter of adult pop songs on his 1996 self-titled debut album which featured his chart-topping hit “Barely Breathing.” That song racked up 55 consecutive weeks on the Billboard Hot 100 and earned him a Grammy nomination for Best Male Pop Vocal Performance.

In the years since, Sheik has been celebrated for his work in musical theater, including the groundbreaking success of Spring Awakening, which won eight Tony Awards and a Grammy and is also the subject of the just released HBO Documentary - ‘Spring Awakening: Those You’ve Known.’ Sheik has released eight full-length solo albums which have been praised by both critics and his discerning fans. Plans are underway to perform songs from his new album Claptrap as well as his catalog on tour this summer.

Track list:

Scorpios
Apparently
Experience
Good to Know
Maybe
Out from Underneath
You’ll Never Be Alone
Chimera II
Smoke and Mirrors
Isn’t It So
There’s No Telling
Unaware

Larkin Poe delved into 'Blood Harmony' in November

The duo of Georgia-bred, Nashville-based multi-instrumentalist sisters Rebecca and Megan Lovell – is back with new single, “Bad Spell,” available now at all DSPs and streaming services. An official music video is on YouTube. “Bad Spell” marks the first single from Larkin Poe’s sixth studio album, Blood Harmony, due via their own Tricki-Woo Records on November 11. Pre-orders are available now.

“Ever since I heard ‘I Put a Spell on You’ by Screamin’ Jay Hawkins for the first time I’ve wanted to write a female response to it,” says Rebecca Lovell. “I’d had the title ‘Bad Spell’ in my journal for years, and it was so fun to create a song where the riffs and guitar tones have that singular purpose of nastiness and swagger.”

WATCH "BAD SPELL" OFFICIAL MUSIC VIDEO

LISTEN TO “BAD SPELL”

PRE-ORDER BLOOD HARMONY

In a departure from the self-contained approach of past albums like 2020’s Self Made Man – Larkin Poe co-produced the new album alongside Texas-bred musician Tyler Bryant (also Rebecca’s husband). With Megan handling harmony vocals, lap steel, and resonator guitar and Rebecca on guitar and keys, Larkin Poe also enlisted members of their longtime live band, including drummer Kevin McGowan and bassist Tarka Layman. It was mainly recorded at Rebecca and Tyler’s home studio.

“When steering by your own stars, you never quite know where you’re going to wind up,” says Larkin Poe. “Our true north is unique to us, and in following our true north without compromise, we have been out freewheeling this world on the ride of our lives. And it still feels like just the beginning. Blood Harmony is a creative step we are proud to have taken together as sisters. We grew these songs in a sweet part of our hearts and we hope they bring beauty.”

WORLD TOUR 2022

MAY

26 – Prague, Czech Republic – Lucerna Music Bar
27 – München, Germany – Muffathalle
28 – Cologne, Germany – Live Music Hall
30 – Aarhus, Denmark – Fonden Voxhall
31 – København, Denmark – Vega

JUNE
1 – Göteborg, Sweden – Restaurang Trädgårn
3 – Oslo, Norway – Rockefeller Music Hall
4 – Stockholm, Sweden – Berns
6 – Hamburg, Germany – Markthalle
7 – Groningen, Netherlands – De Oosterpoort
8 – Amsterdam, Netherlands – Paradiso
9 – Luxembourg City, Luxembourg – Den Atelier
10 – Sierre, Switzerland – Sierre Blues Festival *
25 – Winter Park, CO – Blues From The Top 2022 *

JULY
1 – Belfort, France – Les Eurockéennes *
2 – Arras, France – Main Square Festival *
6 – Jarnac, France – Cognac Blues Passions *
9 – Les Estivales de l'Alzette - Villerupt, France
10 – Weert, Netherlands – Bospop Festival 2022 *
13 – Stuttgart, Germany – Jazzopen 2022
14 – Zürich, Switzerland – Samsung Hall †
15 – Frankfurt Am Main, Germany – Jahrhunderthalle †
16 – Ostrava, Czech Republic – Colours of Ostrava *
18 – Castello di San Giusto - Trieste, Italy
20 – Open Air Blues Festival - Brezoi, Romania
22 – Southwold, United Kingdom – Latitude Festival *
29 – Cuyahoga Falls, OH – Blossom Music Center #
30 – Cincinnati, OH – Riverbend Music Center #
31 – Burgettstown, PA – The Pavilion at Star Lake #

AUGUST
20 – Hamilton, OH – Whimmydiddle *
25-28 – Las Vegas, NV – Big Blues Bender *
8/30-9/5 – Playa Mujeres, Mexico – Etheridge Island *

SEPTEMBER
4 – George, WA – The Gorge ^
9 – Alpharetta, GA – Ameris Bank Amphitheatre #
10 – Charlotte, NC – PNC Music Pavilion #
11 – Virginia Beach, VA – Veterans United Home Loans Amphitheater #
13 – Bridgeport, CT – Hartford HealthCare Amphitheater #
14 – Fredericton, New Brunswick, Canada – Harvest Music Festival *
16 – Mansfield, MA – Xfinity Center #
17 – Columbia, MD – Merriweather Post Pavilion #
18 – Saratoga Springs, NY – SPAC #
23 – Camden, NJ – Waterfront Music Pavilion #

OCTOBER
7-9 – Columbia, MO – Roots N Blues Festival *

APRIL 2023
9 – Sydney, Australia – Metro Theatre
10 – Melbourne, Australia – The Croxton Bandroom

* Festival Appearance
† w/Jack White
# Outlaw Music Festival Tour
^ w/Dave Matthews Band and Black Pumas

Track list:

Deep Stays Down
Bad Spell
Georgia Off My Mind
Strike Gold
Southern Comfort
Bolt Cutters & The Family Name
Blood Harmony
Kick The Blues
Might As Well Be Me
Summertime Sunset
Lips As Cold As Diamond

Friday, May 20, 2022

Concert review: Cruel World Festival (Day 1), Pasadena, Calif.

photo by Cohen Rees/courtesy Cruel World

Debbie Harry of Blondie was absolutely thrilled to be onstage during the sold-out Cruel World Festival on May 14.

“You have no idea how good it feels to be here,” enthused the new wave icon, as the band did an edgier take on its 1980 reggae hit “The Tide is High.”

Held at Brookside Golf Club in Pasadena next to the Rose Bowl, the inaugural event (which repeated on May 15) finally took place after being postponed and undergoing a venue change due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

More than two dozen acts performed on three stages during the 11-hour concert. Top-lined by Morrissey, Bauhaus, Blondie and Devo, Cruel World boasted a strong retro alternative rock lineup.

The sweltering heat prompted tons of people to use parasols (something I have never seen in 35 years of concertgoing). Devo t-shirts were most prevalent. Numerous black clad goths in leather, chains and other metal accoutrements reveled in seeing Bauhaus, The Damned, Cold Cave, Christian Death, and others. Interestingly, two former Sex Pistols played Cruel World, albeit separately: John Lydon with Public Image Limited and Glen Matlock with Blondie.

Looking resplendent in a tuxedo, Morrissey emerged singing a line from Tom Jones’ “What’s New Pussycat?” before leading into a punchy “We Hate it When Our Friends Become Successful.” A silhouetted person making a trigger-pulling gesture was displayed on the backdrop. The British vocalist was in fine form throughout his 65-minute set. Alain Whyte - back in the touring band after a long absence – did especially memorable guitar work on the tension-filled “Irish Blood, English Heart,” “Ouija Board, Ouija Board” and a rockabilly-tinged “The Loop.”

Other standouts included the gorgeous “Alma Matters” and his first two solo hits “Everyday is Like Sunday” and “Suedehead,” where fans still in attendance sang along loudly. As has been common at Morrissey shows for years, he treated fans to a couple Smiths tunes: an enthralling “Never Had No One Ever,” “Sweet and Tender Hooligan” and “Half a Person”

Morrissey often uses photos of actors, actresses and musicians from the 1950s-70s during his concerts. Among the cavalcade this time was David Johansen and the New York Dolls (unfortunately passed over again for the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame this year).

Bauhaus (pictured above) is still masterful at creating the right atmosphere. The pioneering goth rock group was completely riveting – right from the moment Peter Murphy’s face was shown in tight black and white focus on the big screens amid opener “Double Dare.” The British quartet’s abrasive musical churn made it even more menacing.

Keeping the intensity level high, Daniel Ash effortlessly peeled off shards of guitar and Kevin Haskins relentlessly pounded militant beats during “In the Flat Field.” Murphy’s frequent messiah poses provided the perfect dramatic effect. After more gritty wailing on “God in an Alcove,” the singer slowly lowered a small crown atop his head. “She’s in Parties,” got a rousing response, especially when Murphy played melodica and Ash added swirling sounds. It was a set highlight, along with signature song “Bela Lugosi’s Dead” (nine minutes of pure gloom) and the selections where Ash’s acoustic guitar playing (“Silent Hedges; the flamenco hints in “The Passion of Lovers”) took the mood in a different direction.

Following a short satirical clip and career montage, Devo arrived onstage to the hyper descending synth lines of “Don’t Shoot (I’m a Man),” from underrated 2010 album Something for Everybody (I got to interview Gerald Casale for it; see elsewhere on this blog). Casale jogged in place at the keyboards as he did backing vocals. Front man Mark Mothersbaugh and the guys didn’t lack in the energy department. They were firing on all cylinders musically and visually (it was hard to take your eyes off the animation and archival footage).

Sporting trademark energy domes, the musicians really drove the crowd into a frenzy during a strong “Girl U Want” and “Whip It.” A PSA about Earth allowed time to change into yellow hazmat suits for popular covers of “Satisfaction (I Can’t Get No)” and “Secret Agent Man” (sung by guitarist Bob Mothersbaugh). Even if you’ve already seen Mark rip parts of his bandmates’ suits off and the synchronized moves on “Uncontrollable Urge,” it never gets old.

Toward the end of the set, Casale prefaced the mechanical “Jocko Homo” by asking the audience if they finally believed the theory of devolution that Devo espoused in the 1970s was real with the machinations of Putin, the Supreme Court, plus various “tyrants and scumbags” around the world. “So much for freedom of choice,” he scoffed. Then Devo put on monkey masks and kneepads for the dizzying-to-frantic “Smart Patrol/Mr. DNA.”

photo by George A. Paul

Clad in an oversized sky blue and pink plaid suit, John Lydon of Public Image Limit was hard to miss; his caterwauling, difficult to ignore. The screens magnified the singer’s wide range of facial expressions. Beginning with the careening “Public Image,” the band’s abrasive set included a fierce “This is Not a Love Song,” where Lydon’s harsh enunciation verged on the German language. Always the provocateur, when his lyric sheets almost fell off a stand, he quipped, “The wind is blowing, look out Orange County,” in relation to the Laguna Niguel wildfire. The careening “Death Disco” and “Rise” were other highlights. Before exiting, Lydon just had to get a dig into society at large and said, “I’ll show you what woke is. I’m awake and alive. How about that?”

Blondie, anchored by ace drummer Clem Burke, whose manic playing style is a marvel to witness, was a bit rough around the edges due to Debbie Harry's clipped phrasing. Guitarists Tommy Kessler and Andee Blacksugar put a heavier-than-usual rock sheen on new wave classics like “Atomic,” “Call Me,” “Rapture” and “Dreaming.” When the band started “Long Time,” Harry’s fine collaboration with Blood Orange from 2017’s Pollinator, some people seated on the grass immediately stood. Either they recognized the dance club hit – or its similarity to “Heart of Glass” (which came later).

Violent Femmes sure had fun onstage. Lead singer Gordon Gano was all smiles while singing the jaunty, sax-driven rave up “I Held Her in My Arms” and even the disturbing pleas of “Gimme the Car.” He explained the shorter version was missing its freakout section due to time constraints. Bassist Brian Ritchie handled lead vocals on punkish “Dance MF Dance” and xylophone for “Gone Daddy Gone.” Kevin Hearn from Barenaked Ladies guested on accordion for two songs, but a relentlessly poor sound mix left him barely discernable.

Also battling muffled sound on the same stage was legendary punk rock band The Damned. Still, animated keyboardist Monty Oxymoron managed to cut through the mire. Leader Dave Vanian, wearing his usual black gloves and singing with a valve microphone, paced the stage. Troy Van Leeuwen from Queens of the Stone Age subbed for Captain Sensible (unable to travel to America due to visa issues) and held his own on guitar, particularly on the haunting “Street of Dreams” and the band’s popular covers of “Alone (Again Or)” and “Eloise.” Vanian described the latter as going “from the sublime to the ridiculous.”

The Church's dreamy soundscapes provided the perfect soundtrack for mid-afternoon lazing around on the grass. Chiming guitar-driven alt-rock radio hits like “Metropolis” and “Reptile” sounded sublime as ever and went down well. Then leader Steve Kilbey humorously introduced an understated version of biggest hit “Under the Milky Way” by explaining people probably would recognize it from television, movies or when “you fill up at the petrol pump.”

Psychedelic Furs got a rapturous response during “Love My Way” and “The Ghost in You.” The extended version of “Heartbreak Beat” featured a cool tandem solo duel between saxophonist Mars Williams and guitarist Rich Good. Later, leader Richard Butler sang the always relevant “President Gas” (key lyric: “It’s sick/The price of medicine”) with raspy vigor.

photo by George A. Paul

Dave Wakeling and his seven-piece English Beat (pictured left) immediately brought the party atmosphere with their ska and pop tunes.

Current toaster Antonee First Class pointed out that everything played would be live and really amped up the crowd.

Wakeling got backing vocal support from the entire band, proving quite beneficial on “Mirror in the Bathroom,” “Save it for Later” and General Public’s “Tenderness.”

After the set was over, he gave a nice salutation in reference to the pandemic: “I’m glad we survived. If you lost any family or friends, our hearts go out to you.”

Missing Persons, including bassist Prescott Niles from The Knack, drew a fairly large afternoon crowd that dutifully sang along to alt-rock radio hits like “Words,” “Walking in L.A.” and “Destination Unknown.” Singer Dale Bozzio constantly professed her love to fans, but the music didn’t make much of an impact.

Davey Havok of Blaqk Audio, backed by AFI bandmate Jade Puget on keyboards proved that less is more. The vocalist’s dramatic gestures and attempts to get closer to fans prompted loud squeals of delight from a gaggle of females close to the stage. The vibrant synth pop and EDM-minded set was highlighted by “First to Love,” “Blue Cherry” and a passionately delivered “Cities of Night.”

A version of my review originally appeared at rockcellarmagazine.com.

Friday, May 13, 2022

Prog rock news: Classic Rick Wakeman box set available now

"The Myths and Legends of Rick Wakeman, a 4CD box set featuring vintage concert recordings is out now via Purple Pyramid/Cleopatra Records. Focusing on the artist’s mid-‘70s work, the collection finds the sometimes Yes keyboardist performing tracks from his albums "The Myths and Legends of King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table, The Six Wives of Henry VII, Journey to the Centre of the Earth and more.

It is packaged in a clamshell box with individual wallets for each show plus a 16-page booklet with liner notes and vintage photos. “It’s really lovely to see some of the music I’m most proud of, released in a new way and presented so well… I’m still wondering though if I am more of a myth than a legend," says Rick Wakeman.

Rick Wakeman is best known for playing with Yes across five tenures between 1971 and 2004 and for his solo albums released over the past five decades. Wakeman has released over 90 solo albums spanning a range of musical styles. He has made many television and radio appearances throughout the years and has written three books; an autobiography and two memoirs. In 2017, Wakeman was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as a member of Yes.

Track list:

DISC 1: Live In North America 1974

1. Journey to the Centre of the Earth, Pt. 1

2. Journey to the Centre of the Earth, Pt. 2
3. Anne Boleyn
4. Concerto for American Commercial TV

DISC 2: Live at Winterland Ballroom 1975

1. The Journey to the Center of the Earth, Pt. 1
2. Catherine Howard
3. Sir Lancelot & the Black Knight
4. Anne Boleyn
5. The Forest
6. Arthur & Guinevere
7. Merlin the Magician
8. Catherine Parr

DISC 3: Live at Hammersmith Odeon 1976

1. Music Reincarnate, Pt. 3: The Spaceman
2. Catherine Howard
3. Sir Lancelot & the Black Knight
4. Arthur
5. Music Reincarnate, Pt. 4: The Realisation
6. The Forest
7. Catherine Parr
8. The Prisoner
9. Merlin the Magician

DISC 4: The Maltings 1976

1. Recollection
2. Music Reincarnate, Pt. 4: The Realisation
3. Sir Lancelot and the Black Knight
4. Music Reincarnate, Pt. 3: The Spaceman
5. Catherine Parr
6. The Prisoner
7. Merlin the Magician

To purchase: https://cleorecs.com/store/shop/rick-wakeman-the-myths-and-legends-of-rick-wakeman-4-cd/

Rick Wakeman's official website: https://www.rwcc.com/

Friday, May 6, 2022

Out now: Vinyl reissues of Eddie Vedder’s 'Ukulele Songs'

UMe/Republic Records has reissued both Deluxe Edition and Standard Edition LP versions of Eddie Vedder’s acclaimed second solo album, May 2011’s Ukulele Songs, the first time this record has been pressed on vinyl since its initial LP release a decade ago.

The Deluxe Edition LP features the original 16-track Ukulele Songs album on high-grade 180-gram black vinyl in expanded packaging that includes a 16-page booklet and a special lithograph. The Standard Edition LP has also been pressed on 180-gram black vinyl.

Ukulele Songs comprises a fine mixture of original material penned by Vedder that he initially performed live, alongside vintage classics and standards. A recast, uke-driven version of “Can’t Keep,” which originally appeared as the opening track on Pearl Jam’s hard-charging November 2002 album Riot Act, opens the proceedings, while newer-bred original songs like the resigned lament of “Sleeping By Myself,” the charming love orbit of “Satellite,” the hopeful brightness of “Light Today,” and the instrumental interlude “Waving Palms” all set the table for the 35-minute album.

Guest vocalists appear on a pair of key Ukulele tracks, both of them fine covers of notable standards. First is Glen Hansard (The Frames, Once) on “Sleepless Nights,” which was written by Felice and Boudreaux Bryant and remade by The Everly Brothers in 1960, in addition to later being covered by the likes of Emmylou Harris, Patty Loveless, and Elvis Costello.

Second, Cat Power appears on “Tonight You Belong To Me,” a jazz standard written in 1926 by lyricist Billy Rose and composer Lee David. This track has also been subsequently covered by the likes of Frankie Laine, Patience and Prudence, and Dottie West. Versions of “You Belong To Me” were also recently featured in the acclaimed 2019 film drama Blackbird and in an episode of the 2020 HBO horror-drama series Lovecraft Country.

The LP’s other noteworthy covers include takes on Billy Rose and Edward Eliscu’s “More Than You Know,” Michael Edwards and Bud Green’s “Once In A While,” and the album-closing reading of Fabian Andre, Wilbur Schwandt, and Gus Kahn’s “Dream A Little Dream.”

Produced by Eddie Vedder and Adam Kasper (Foo Fighters, Soundgarden), Ukulele Songs peaked at No. 4 on the U.S. Billboard 200, hit No. 2 on the U.S. Top Rock Albums on Billboard, and achieved Gold status in Canada.

Listen to Eddie Vedder’s Ukulele Songs here.

[Deluxe Edition LP & Standard LP]

Side A
1. Can’t Keep
2. Sleeping By Myself
3. Without You
4. More Than You Know
5. Goodbye
6. Broken Heart
7. Satellite

Side B
1. Longing To Belong
2. Hey Fahkah
3. You’re True
4. Light Today
5. Sleepless Nights
6. Once In A While
7. Waving Palms
8. Tonight You Belong To Me
9. Dream A Little Dream

Out now: 'My Echo, My Shadow, My Covers and Me,' the new album by AWOLNATION

Alt-rock act AWOLNATION has released the covers and collaborations album My Echo, My Shadow, My Covers and Me, via Better Noise Music. It includes team ups with Beck, Jewel, Portugal. The Man, Taylor Hanson of Hanson, Brandon Boyd of Incubus, and more. Each track features at least one musical artist with whom AWOLNATION’s founder Aaron Bruno has a personal connection. See full track listing below. The aim of the project is to illustrate the healing power of music and to celebrate the collaborative spirit of the artistic community. My Echo, My Shadow, My Covers and Me is now available to stream and download across platforms HERE.

AWOLNATION also announced dates for the headlining “Falling Forward” U.S. tour with special guests Badflower. Tickets are on sale at https://www.awolnationmusic.com. A full list of upcoming shows can be found below.

Aaron Bruno said the following of wanting to create this project in reaction to the mixed emotions that came with 2020’s lockdown, in conversations with with TV/radio personality and music journalist Allison Hagendorf: “I know a lot of artists and everybody deals with fear differently, and my way of dealing with it was to never stop moving. And so that's why I just started making a covers album instead of feeling too defeated by everything getting shut down. I thought, ‘Well at least if I stay busy and stay active, I'll feel productive.’ It also allowed me to be prepared to make original music as well because the last thing I wanted to do is release Angel Miners, which is the fourth AWOL record and then just make the fifth one right away. It didn't feel appropriate. I didn't feel emotionally capable because I just said everything I wanted to say on that album, so this was a great palate cleanser for me.” Fans can find more of their conversation on AWOLNATION’s social media platforms and YouTube.

The band also premiered an official music video for one of the tracks, a cover of ABBA’s “Take A Chance On Me,” featuring Grammy-winning singer-songwriter Jewel. Animated by award-winning film writer, director and editor Eliot Charof, the whimsical video is playing now HERE.

Jewel said of the collaboration, “ABBA is legendary! Their songs are hook machines, and recutting this song with Bruno was so fun. Aaron did all the heavy lifting, so all I had to do was sing.”

The first official offering from the project, a reimagining of Scorpion’s “Wind of Change,” featuring Portugal. The Man and Brandon Boyd of Incubus, has earned millions of streams since its release in January. John Gourley, frontman of Portugal. The Man said of the collaboration, This song marks a very significant point in my childhood. My dad pulled me to the TV in 1989 to watch the fall of the Berlin Wall. It was the first time I truly became aware of the world around me. We wrote a song about that experience called ‘1989’ Like many others, ‘Wind Of Change’ sticks to that memory for me.”

Boyd added, “This track has been drifting around in my headspace since I first heard it as a kid in the 1990s. It never occurred to me that it would be a great song to cover until Aaron suggested it for his project. The deal was doubly sweetened when he told me John from Portugal. The Man would be joining us as well. I’m thrilled to be part of it!”

In their exclusive reveal of the album’s title and release date, Billboard spoke with Bruno about his core mission for this collection of songs and collaborations: to illustrate the healing benefits music brings and the power of connection within the artist community. Bruno explores mental health through a personal conversation with fellow musician Elohim in collaboration with The Jed Foundation (JED), a leading mental health nonprofit. The conversation, to be held this month, is part of Bruno’s ongoing commitment to raising awareness for mental health through the album’s release. Bruno is also making a generous donation to JED’s mental health awareness efforts.

Since then, the band has released two additional tracks from the project. “Beds are Burning (Featuring Tim McIlrath of Rise Against)” - a 1987 Midnight Oil hit. McIlrath said of the collaboration, “When I met Aaron years ago at one of our shows at the Coliseum in L.A., he disclosed his past time spent in hardcore bands, and we bonded over that. I’ve always been a fan of his, both as a person and his music, so it was an easy decision to guest on his version of Midnight Oil’s ‘Beds Are Burning.’ It didn’t hurt that I also love the song and all it stands for. I’m really impressed with the ways in which he made it his own because it’s not an easy song to reimagine.”

Originally recorded by Midnight Oil, drummer Rob Hirst gave their stamp of approval, stating, “A tough new light on our old song! The whistle near the end is a deft touch...congrats AWOLNATION and Tim on doing a brilliant job!"

And then last month saw the release of the Madonna cover "Material Girl" along with Taylor Hanson of pop music group Hanson. Taylor Hanson added, “My first introduction to the project was simply the idea of working on an unexpected cover song, and a project that would have many different collaborators as a part of it, and that had my interest. The song ‘Material Girl’ was surprising on several levels, because it’s a song I would never expect either AWOLNATION or HANSON to cover. I loved the challenge of covering the song and staying true to the composition, while giving an authentic interpretation that I was proud of. I think the combination of the track Aaron built and the vocal arrangement I was able to contribute is a dynamic combination."

To follow the covers project, AWOLNATION is currently working on a new album with original music, after most recently celebrating the 10th anniversary celebration of the group’s platinum debut album Megalithic Symphony, which spawned the rare DIAMOND-certified “Sail”, and releasing their 2020 album ANGEL MINERS & THE LIGHTNING RIDERS. Featuring the hit single “The Best” and collaborations with Rivers Cuomo of Weezer and Alex Ebert of Edward Sharpe & the Magnetic Zeros, ANGEL MINERS was the band’s first album after signing to Better Noise Music.