Album review: 'Danse Macabre' - Duran Duran

The inspiration for Duran Duran’s enticing 16^th studio album Danse Macabre was a special Halloween 2022 concert the British band did in Las Vegas. With a setlist comprised of some darker-hued songs from its catalog as well as appropriate holiday covers, the musicians had more fun than they expected and decided to make an album with the same theme.

Recorded while on a break from tour and finished in six weeks – faster than any full-length release since the 1980 eponymous debut - the new album boasts the return of co-founding guitarist Andy Taylor after nearly 20 years. He performs on several tracks, while another long-serving former guitarist, Warren Cuccurullo, also appears on two tunes.

Regular collaborator Nile Rodgers supplies guitar on funky and infectious original “Black Moonlight” - which easily would have fit on 2021’s Future Past, and a suitable take on French disco producer Marc Cerrone’s 1978 hit “Supernature.” Victoria De Angelis of Maneskin adds bass to a danceable groove-based cover of Talking Heads’ “Psycho Killer.”

Updated arrangements are given to classic Duran tracks: “Night Boat” is more ominous; “Lonely in Your Nightmare” is now a mashup with Rick James’ “Super Freak” that the group has been doing in concert; fan favorite single B-side “Secret Oktober” has a relaxed tempo as Rhodes adds orchestration and music box sounds; deep cut “Love Voodoo” (from 1993’s successful comeback Duran Duran AKA “Wedding Album”) is more sumptuous now.  

An Arabic double harmonic scale is used to intriguing effect during Billie Eilish’s “Bury a Friend.” Duran’s versions of The Specials’ “Ghost Town” and Siouxsie and the Banshees’ “Spellbound” are straightforward but still contain the group’s signature sound. The Rolling Stones’ “Paint it Black” is quite different from the original, with a tweaked melody that singer Simon Le Bon has said was modelled after Patti Smith. Duran finishes the physical releases' track listing on a luxurious note with the gorgeous original ballad “Confessions in the Afterlife.”   

U2 concert review - Night 3, The Sphere, Las Vegas

U2

The Sphere, Las Vegas

Oct. 5, 2023

With each concert tour over the past three decades, U2 has managed to one-up the competition by utilizing some new audiovisual technology in a unique way. U2: UV Achtung Baby is no exception.

Last month, the spectacular production celebrating one of the veteran Irish rock band’s best and more successful studio albums helped launch Sphere Las Vegas. Located adjacent to The Venetian Resort, Sphere is the world’s biggest globular structure (516 feet wide; 366 feet tall). Built for immersive concert and film experiences at an estimated cost of $2.3 billion, it contains a huge wraparound screen with 16K resolution and 270 million video pixels - the largest anywhere. The venue can hold up to 20,000 people with combined seating and standing room configurations.

Social media posts described concertgoers at the first three gigs who apparently bought tickets just to experience Sphere and didn’t know much, if anything, about U2. After witnessing the band’s Las Vegas performances, they will surely be won over by the powerful music as well as the awesome sights.

Inside Sphere, the atrium has an eye-catching, translucent midnight blue and lavender interior. Planetary images align one wall and multiple metal ringed mobiles hang in curved patterns from the ceiling. There was plenty of leg room between the rows in the lower 100 section, firm cushion seats and cup holders placed in front. Kudos to the venue for being unusually customer service friendly: several U2 fans wrote online about being able to exchange obstructed view seats for better ones.

The turntable stage was designed by longtime U2 studio producer, musician, and visual collaborator Brian Eno, alongside Willie Williams (another U2 creative team fixture since the ‘80s), Es Devlin and Stufish. Eno devised a lighting algorithm that created a rotating color palate for the stage hue. Devlin’s Nevada Ark sculpture collage spotlights 26 of the Silver State’s endangered species. A video sequence by Marco Brambilla features a mind-boggling array of AI-generated Elvis Presleys, real and imagined (Austin Butler’s film portrayal of The King among them). Other visual art participants include John Gerrard, Industrial Light & Magic, and Treatment Studio in London.

U2 just released its spirited new single “Atomic City” and its music video shot on Fremont Street in Downtown Las Vegas. Sphere concerts are the first in the band’s 45-year history without founding drummer Larry Mullen Jr., who bowed out due to back surgery. Bram van den Berg, of the Dutch rock band Krezip is his temporary replacement.

On Oct. 5, DJ Pauli PSM (Harry Styles’ musical director/percussionist) did an hour-long warmup spotlight during the Zoo TV Tour for Achtung Baby in 1992-93. A “Lemon” remix and Eno’s “Choral Intro” served as U2’s Sphere walkup music. Bono immediately put on his fly shades and got down to business as the group kicked off an exhilarating 2 hour, 22-song performance with “Zoo Station.” Their images were projected on panels; Bono spun around and hung on a microphone stand as he sang. 

The audio mix was pristine, as expected, with more than 1,000 Sphere speakers. Although Bono, guitarist/singer The Edge and bassist Adam Clayton hadn’t toured since 2019, they sounded great.

Quick, random rotating words and phrases, such as “Everything You Know is Wrong,” flashed on the wall during “The Fly,” a throwback from Zoo TV. A dizzying array of “The Matrix”-styled numbers and letters then appeared to rain down the screen. Edge added a fresh squalling guitar sound at the end. An optical illusion made it appear as if the ceiling was collapsing. “Even Better Than the Real Thing,” paired with Brambilla’s circular and floating downward cascade of Elvis at various career junctures, was a wonder to behold.

“What is this strange orb, a cathedral in a city where love and lust fight it out,” asked Bono, adding “We’ve got an Elvis cathedral here. Let’s get married.”

“Mysterious Ways” was funky as ever and Clayton’s bass work stood out; the ballad “One” found the crowd singing along loudly. Bono used a revised lyric from 2023’s reimagined Songs of Surrender collection and continued the practice later on a few other songs. He had no trouble nailing the high falsetto ending, a minor concern, after having lamented the dry desert air’s effect on his throat around the residency launch. Still, Bono did engage in a few “let the audience take over singing” gestures.

More Elvis Presley references arrived with a snippet of “Love Me Tender” (bits of “Suspicious Minds” and “Viva Las Vegas” also crop up later). Van den Berg acquitted himself well in the timekeeper’s seat, particularly on the thunderous “Until the End of the World” (where Bono added some Edith Piaf) and a more pop inflected “Who’s Gonna Ride Your Wild Horses.” The languid “Tryin’ to Throw Your Arms Around the World” saw Bono pull on a rope attached to an animated balloon and then invite a French female fan onstage to sit in a rope swing. “We’re renewing our vows with the band and the U2 crowd,” said the singer. “Our vow is we wouldn’t be boring bastards.”

No chance there.

A stripped down, four song segment focused on 1988’s Rattle and Hum film soundtrack album downplayed the visual effects. The romantic “All I Want is You” contained a “Walk on the Wild Side” snippet and was dedicated to Eddie Vedder in the house (too bad the Pearl Jam frontman couldn’t have hopped onstage for a guest spot). A fiery “Desire” finished with Bono’s wailing harmonica work. Some of Bono’s lyrical tangents were familiar and expected; others, obviously a surprise even to Edge and Clayton. Both occasionally looked bemused at their frontman. One can only imagine how van den Berg felt. 

The tender Bob Dylan co-write “Love Rescue Me” was dedicated to doctors and nurses that worked tirelessly during the COVID-19 pandemic. Edge deftly moved from electric piano to guitar when U2 transitioned into Achtung Baby Set 2 on a streamlined “So Cruel.” He really proved his mettle with supple backing vocals for the haunting “Ultraviolet (Light My Way” and a stunning crystalline guitar solo to cap off “Love is Blindness.” 

U2 raised the excitement level several notches during the encore with high adrenaline-fueled renditions of “Elevation,” “Atomic City” (a realistic Las Vegas strip scene courtesy Industrial Light & Magic was projected on the wall), “Vertigo” and a dramatic “Where the Streets Have No Name” (dressed up with an exact replica of the Mojave Desert landscape). Edge had to quickly change guitars mid-song, but it didn’t detract from the sound. The band looked as if it was actually performing in the ocean on “With or Without You.” Finally, Devlin’s fascinating animal collage sculpture changed colors in tandem with the life-affirming lyrics of concert closer “Beautiful Day.”

All told, Sphere was definitely worth the hype and U2 the perfect band to inaugurate it.

A side note: U2 fans attending future shows would be wise to arrive a few hours early to enjoy the free Zoo Station Fan Portal at the Venetian Resort. It has rare and iconic U2 images by longtime band photographer Anton Corbijn grouped by year, a pop-up merch shop, concert films (for an additional fee) and several photo opportunities, including a Trabant.

My review originally appeared at rockcellarmagazine.com.

Photos of Sept. 30 performance by Rich Fury, courtesy Full Coverage Communications. 

Crossroads Guitar Festival 2023 - Los Angeles Day 2 concert review

Crossroads Guitar Festival – Day 2

Crypto.com Arena

Los Angeles, Calif.

Sept. 24, 2023

The Crossroads Guitar Festival arrived in Los Angeles for the first time on Sept. 23-24. Held at crypto.com Arena (formerly Staples Center), all proceeds benefitted the Crossroads Centre in Antigua. Eric Clapton co-founded the drug and alcohol treatment facility 25 years ago.

More than three dozen acts performed inside the arena and outside at the Guitar Center Village stage on Saturday and Sunday. The artists spanned a variety of genres, including R&B, rock, blues, jazz, bluegrass, and more. 

Concert attendees could browse instruments and products from Fender, Gibson, Martin, Ibanez, Yamaha, and others at The Village. Guitar Center’s Legends Collection Tent displayed famous guitars owned by Clapton and Stevie Ray Vaughan.

Many artists on the Crossroads Guitar Festival bill had some past connection – they either toured, recorded, or appeared together at some point or during a previous Crossroads Festival. That often gave the sets an added sense of camaraderie, which rarely happens at these events.

Actor Bill Murray served as emcee and his deadpan comments were frequently hilarious. Saturday’s lineup featured ZZ Top, John Mayer Trio, Roger McGuinn, Jakob Dylan, Stephen Stills, Gary Clark Jr., The War on Drugs, Sheryl Crow, Jimmie Vaughan, Taj Mahal, Joe Bonamassa, Eric Gales, Samantha Fish, Kingfish, Albert Lee, Judith Hill, Del McCoury, Jerry Douglas and Sonny Landreth in various configurations.

Here’s a rundown of Sunday’s festivities:

After a brief video about the Crossroads Centre, Eric Clapton started his engaging 70-minute set with a tribute to Robbie Robertson, who was initially slated for the Crossroads Festival lineup when it was first announced. Clapton’s top-notch touring group did a rendition of The Band’s rollicking “The Shape I’m In” that boasted a full-bodied sound, while “It Makes No Difference” had some terrific harmonies from Katie Kissoon and Sharon White. Clapton made the sinewy blues guitar licks during “Hoochie Coochie Man” and other songs look effortless, as always. His popular cover of “I Shot the Sheriff” really stirred up the crowd.

A brief acoustic segment in the set brought to mind Clapton’s successful “MTV Unplugged” appearance and album from 1992 since both included “Nobody Knows You When You’re Down and Out” (Chris Stainton was sharp at crypto.com Arena on barrelhouse piano; Nathan East played upright bass), a laid-back version of “Layla” (the LA audience clapped along and roared with approval) and the still touching “Tears in Heaven.”

Stephen Stills guested on his own jubilant ‘70s hit “Love the One You’re With” and sang with clarity. Meanwhile, Stevie Wonder made an appearance on set closer “Crossroads” that apparently even surprised Clapton.

Gary Clark Jr. was in excellent form and paid close attention to fans who loudly professed their affection. The soulful blues rocker delivered some compelling, passionate vocals on opener “The Healing” and “Our Love,” while the poignant personal lyrics to “Pearl Cadillac” (dedicated to Clark’s mother) and “When My Train Pulls In” were highlights.

Los Lobos sounded tight during its solid set, including the lean rocker “Don’t Worry Baby,” a swinging “The Neighborhood” and Richie Valens hit “La Bamba,” which prompted a bunch of audience members to dance and sing. The East L.A. band also brought guitarist Jimmie Vaughan out for a blues cover of Howlin’ Wolf’s “300 Pounds of Joy”; Cesar Rojas and David Hidalgo took turns trading extended solos with the Texan.

“I feel so grateful to be here,” said H.E.R. “I used to watch this event while growing up with my dad.” The acclaimed R&B singer/guitarist (real name: Gabriella Wilson) had four backing vocalists in tow, giving the music a supple harmonic flow throughout. H.E.R.’s father Kenny added electric guitar (and some vocals) during “Hold On” (from 2021 full-length debut Back of My Mind) while John Mayer provided scorching guitar bits. Serious piano ballad “The Journey” displayed Wilson’s dramatic vocal prowess. She also showed off her admirable rock chops amid an exciting cover of Lenny Kravitz’s “Are You Gonna Go My Way?”

A handful of acts played a couple songs at the side of the main stage, including Citizen Cope (who brought out Robert Randolph) and did two of his intense, best known alt-folk tracks from 2004 on acoustic guitar: “Son’s Gonna Rise” and “Sideways.”

Murray reminded the crowd that Sheryl Crow is among the newest inductees into the 2023 Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in November. “This is my favorite event,” she said, about Crossroads. “I love how Eric [presents] young [musicians]. It gives me hope for the future.” Crow’s strong five-song set started with “If It Makes You Happy.” She told an anecdote about not being convinced that the film “Cars” would be a hit, before performing “Real Gone,” her soundtrack contribution for it. Working both sides of the stage, she wailed on harmonica. Crow relayed another story about talking to Lionel Richie about the hazard of doing too many new songs in concert but proceeded to do just that with “Cross Creek Road,” a promising, piano-
led midtempo tune about her move to Nashville. John Mayer played guitar during the haunting “My Favorite Mistake.” Afterward, Crow joked, “I don’t think I wanna play that anymore without John Mayer.” They closed with “Everyday is a Winding Road.” Crow was in fine voice throughout, despite having a cold the night before.

Talk about having energy to spare. Marcus King was a revelation at Crossroads. Bolstered by a three-man horn section, the South Carolina singer/guitarist jump started his set with the ferocious blues/rock of “It’s Too Late,” off his Dan Auerbach-helmed 2022 solo album Young Blood. King immediately got some audience participation going and brought his wife Briley out for a ragged duet of Fleetwood Mac’s “Landslide” – all Southern twang vocals. “We waited all year for this!” exclaimed King, about the festival. Sheryl Crow and her axe man Audley Freed guested on an exuberant version of Delaney & Bonnie’s 1972 Clapton co-write “Comin’ Home.” Here, the brass sound really came in handy and Crow was obviously having a blast.

Eric Gales admitted to being nervous about performing “quite a deep song” such as “The Storm” on the side stage with only an acoustic guitar but it was still impressive. He added a snippet of Blue Oyster Cult’s “Don’t Fear the Reaper” at the end. 

Keb’ Mo’ delivered a fun standout set at Crossroads. The bluesman opened with the infectious “The Worse is Yet to Come,” did some scatting at the end of “Perpetual Blues Machine” and “Government Cheese” featured some whimsical exaggerated backing vocals by his musicians. Mo called Taj Mahal an inspiration. Then the bluesman emerged, pulled up a chair and ukelele to join Mo. You couldn’t help but muster a smile during the sprightly traditional tune “Wild About My Lovin’” and the pair’s loping cover of Sleepy John Estes’ “Diving Duck Blues” as Mo played slide on resonator guitar.

Kurt Rosenwinkel, a contemporary jazz guitarist/multi-instrumentalist from Philadelphia, really elevated his group’s sublime set by bringing Marcus King and Clapton onstage to play guitar on separate songs.

Brazilian jazz guitar duo Pedro Martins & Daniel Santiago who put out the 2017 duo album Simbiose, provided some pleasant, unobtrusive instrumentals. R&B singer Judith Hill joined them on a mesmerizing “How Could We Know” - the breezy new collaboration by Santiago, Clapton, Hill, and longtime Clapton songwriter Simon Climie. The audience absolutely loved it. 

Ben Haggard and his six-piece band did a brief, serviceable set of country tunes, including a couple by his legendary father Merle (“Ramblin’ Fever,” “I Think I’ll Just Stay Here and Drink”). The 30-year-old singer/guitarist vocals bore an appealing, slight resemblance to Eric Church and he played a Telecaster at Crossroads that Pa inscribed shortly before passing away in 2016. 

Robert Randolph kicked off Crossroads Day 2 in fiery fashion with a stomping “Seven Generations.” At one point, the New Jersey pedal steel guitarist shouted, “Can I get a witness?” (a nod to his gospel roots) and did a sizzling cover of Jimi Hendrix Experience’s “Red House.” He invited blues guitarist Joe Bonamassa onstage for Jeff Beck’s “Freeway Jam” and the two traded solos. It prompted the first standing ovation of the event. Then Randolph invited Eric Gales up to join everyone on another searing Hendrix number, “Foxy Lady.”

Earlier in the day at the outdoor Guitar Center Village Stage, legendary bassist Nathan East played with keyboardist son Noah and Clapton tour drummer Sonny Emory. Their R&B and smooth jazz renditions of classics “Let’s Stay Together” and “Yesterday” went down nicely. “As a community, we’re here to make life a little better…and draw attention to this lovely cause,” said the always-smiling Nathan, before singing “Can’t Find My Way Back Home” in falsetto and bookending it with some scatting. They closed with a sleek take on “Change the World,” which Nathan made with Clapton for the Phenomenon soundtrack.

New York dobro/steel guitar player Cindy Cashdollar (known for her work with Ryan Adams & The Cardinals, Asleep at the Wheel, and others) did a gorgeous instrumental version of traditional tune “Sey Seychelles” from her 2020 album Waltz for Abilene. She was joined by revered Mississippi blues slide guitarist Sonny Landreth, who sang and played some amazing bottleneck on “Jukebox Mama,” off his successful 2003 release The Road We’re On, as well as the Elmore James-popularized blues tune “It Hurts Me Too.” 

Santana closed things down Sunday with a late set that ended at close to 1 a.m. with Clapton and John McLaughlin as guests. Molly Tuttle & Sierra Hull and Gustavo Santaolalla also performed on the side of the main stage Sunday.

On Nov. 13, Heritage Auctions will hold the Crossroads 25 th Anniversary Auction of signed guitars and memorabilia to raise funds for the charity. For more information, go to ha.com/7352.

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

UK band Yard Act's second album slated for March

This band was among my highlights of Coachella '22 (see review elsewhere on this blog). Can't wait to hear the new material...

Leeds, England quartet Yard Act announce their new album, Where’s My Utopia?, out March 1st on Republic Records, and present its lead single/video, “Dream Job.” 

Co-produced by Yard Act and Remi Kabaka Jr., Where’s My Utopia? follows the band’s debut, 2022’s The Overload, and this year’s much-lauded single “The Trench Coat Museum.” 

Additionally, Yard Act unveil a 2024 tour of North America, Europe and the UK (including a hometown headline show at the 5,750 capacity Millennium Square Leeds). A full list of tour dates is below, including the November US run. West Coast Summer 2024 dates go on sale Oct. 27th at 10am local time and all other shows are on sale now.

Yard Act – frontman and vocalist James Smith, bassist Ryan Needham, guitarist Sam Shjipstone, and drummer Jay Russell — has landed at Number Two on the UK charts, made UK (Later … with Jools Holland) and US (The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon) television debuts, been shortlisted for the Mercury Prize, and Elton John joined the band to guest on a reworking of The Overload album closer, “100% Endurance.” They’ve spent the past two years traversing the globe, playing festivals from Tokyo to Texas, and selling out tour after tour along the way.

While the band’s trajectory continued to shoot upwards, and the brotherly bond between the four band members strengthened, Smith and his wife welcomed their first child. This dueling sense of responsibility and ambition, guilt, love, drive and everything in between forms the narrative backbone of Yard Act’s second album, Where’s My Utopia?

Lead single, “Dream Job,” “feels like an apt introduction to the themes explored on Where's My Utopia? — though not all encompassing,” comments Smith. “In part, I was scrutinizing and mocking myself for being a moaning ungrateful little brat, whilst also trying to address how the music industry is this rather uncontrollable beast that hurtles forward unthinkingly and every single person involved in it plays their part. Myself included, obviously. As with pretty much everything else going through my head last year, trying to find the right time to articulate the complexity of emotions I was feeling and the severity to which I was feeling them couldn't be found - or accommodated, so instead I tried to capture it in a pop song that lasts less than three minutes once the fog had cleared a bit. It’s good and bad. I'm still glad that everything that happened to me happened.”

The song is wryly upbeat, and lands like The Blockheads doing “Club Tropicana” — a not entirely believable thumbs up from the trenches. The “Dream Job” video was directed by James Slater, marking the band and director’s 7th collaboration (“with many more to come”).

Watch Yard Act’s “Dream Job” Video

Written in snapshots of time in the midst of touring, Where’s My Utopia? has new sonic touches - strings, choirs, and voice-acting clips courtesy of comedian pals Nish Kumar, Rose Matafeo, and more. It was a communal four-way effort built on chemistry, familiarity and the trust to challenge and push each other creatively. “The main reason that ‘post-punk’ was the vehicle for Album One was because it was really affordable to do, but we always liked so much other music and this time we've had the confidence to embrace it,” James explains. Across the record, influences range from Fela Kuti to Ennio Moricone. 

It’s a celebratory palette upon which Smith allowed himself to reach lyrically deeper into himself than ever. Gone, largely, are the outward-facing character studies of yore, replaced with a set of songs that stare fully into the headlights of life, wrangling with the frontman’s own fears and foibles to create a sort of Promethean narrative - but with jokes. “You can commit to the idea that we’re just animals who eat and fuck and then we die, and that’s fine,” he suggests. “But for me, creativity always seems to be the best way of articulating the absolute minefield of what human existence is.”

Pre-order Where’s My Utopia?

World Tour Dates:

Thu. Nov. 2 - Reykjavik, IS @ Iceland Airwaves
Sat. Nov. 4 - Brooklyn, NY @ Warsaw
Sun. Nov. 5 - Philadelphia, PA @ Underground Arts
Mon. Nov. 6 - Baltimore, MD @ Ottobar
Tue. Nov. 7 - Durham, NC @ Motorco Music Hall
Thu. Nov. 9 - Nashville, TN @ The Basement East
Fri. Nov. 10 - Atlanta, GA @ The Earl
Sat. Nov. 11 - New Orleans, LA @ Toulouse Theatre
Tue. Nov. 14 - Austin, TX @ Mohawk
Wed. Nov. 15 - Dallas, TX @ Deep Ellum Art Company
Fri. Nov. 17 - Mexico City, MX @ Corona Capital Festival
Sat. Dec. 2 - Bangkok, TH @ Maho Rasop Festival
Sun. Dec. 3 - Hong Kong, HK @ Clockenflap Festival
Tue. Dec. 5 - Osaka, JP @ Shangri-la
Thu. Dec. 7 - Tokyo, JP @ Club Quattro
Wed. Mar. 13 - Norwich, UK @ The Nick Rayns LCR (UEA)
Thu. Mar. 14 - Nottingham, UK @ Rock City
Fri. Mar. 15 - Glasgow, UK @ O2 Academy
Sat. Mar. 16 - Manchester, UK @ O2 Apollo
Sun. Mar. 17 - Newcastle, UK @ Northumbria University
Tue. Mar. 19 - Belfast, UK @ Mandela Hall
Wed. Mar. 20 - Dublin, IE @ Vicar Street
Fri. Mar. 22 - Liverpool, UK @ Invisible Wind Factory
Sat. Mar. 23 - Bristol, UK @ O2 Academy
Mon. Mar. 25 - Brighton, UK @ The Dome
Wed. Mar. 27 - London, UK @ Eventim Apollo
Thu. Apr. 4 - Nantes, FR @ Stereolux
Fri. Apr. 5 - Paris, FR @ Cabaret Sauvage
Sat. Apr. 6 - Bordeaux, FR @ Rock School Barbey
Mon. Apr. 8 - Lisbon, PT @ LAV
Tue. Apr. 9 - Madrid, ES @ Mon
Thu. Apr. 11 - Barcelona, ES @ La 2
Fri. Apr. 12 - Lyon, FR @ Le Transbordeur
Sat. Apr. 13 - Bologna, IT @ Locomotiv Club
Sun. Apr. 14 - Milan, IT @ Santeria Toscana 31
Tue. Apr. 16 - Zurich, CH @ Mascotte
Wed. Apr. 17 - Munich, DE @ Muffathalle
Thu. Apr. 18 - Berlin, DE @ Festsaal Kreuzberg
Sat. Apr. 20 - Stockholm, SE @ Slaktkyrkan
Wed. Apr. 24 - Hamburg, DE @ Uebel & Gefährlich
Thu. Apr. 25 - Amsterdam, NL @ Paradiso Main Hall
Fri. Apr. 26 - Nijmegen, NL @ Doornroosje
Sat. Apr. 27 - Cologne, DE @ Kantine
Sun. Apr. 28 - Brussels, BE @ Les Nuits Botanique
Thu. May 30 - Solana Beach, CA @ Belly Up Tavern
Fri. May 31 - Los Angeles, CA @ The Regent Theater
Sat. Jun. 1 - Pioneertown, CA @ Pappy and Harriet’s
Mon. Jun. 3 - Santa Cruz, CA @ The Catalyst Atrium
Tue. Jun. 4 - San Francisco, CA @ The Independent
Thu. Jun. 6 - Portland, OR @ Mississippi Studios
Fri. Jun. 7 - Vancouver, BC @ Rickshaw Theatre
Sat. Jun. 8 - Seattle, WA @ The Crocodile
Sat. Aug. 3 - Leeds, UK @ Millenium Square

Track list:

1. An Illusion
2. We Make Hits
3. Down By The Stream
4. The Undertow
5. Dream Job
6. Fizzy Fish
7. Petroleum
8. When The Laughter Stops (ft. Katy J Pearson)
9. Grifter’s Grief
10. Blackpool Illuminations
11. A Vineyard for the North

The Beatles news: 'Now and Then' - 'new' song; Red and Blue compilations to be reissued with new stereo mixes

2023 brings “Now And Then,” the 'new' and last Beatles song – written and sung by John Lennon, developed and worked on by Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr, and now finally finished by Paul and Ringo over four decades later.

“Now And Then” will be released worldwide at 2pm GMT / 10am EDT / 7am PDT on Thursday, November 2 by Apple Corps Ltd./Capitol/UMe. The double A-side single pairs the last Beatles song with the first: the band’s 1962 debut UK single, “Love Me Do.” Both songs are mixed in stereo and Dolby Atmos and the release features original cover art by renowned artist Ed Ruscha.

The new music video for “Now And Then” will debut on Friday, November 3. More details including global premiere plans will be announced.

A 12-minute “Now And Then – The Last Beatles Song” documentary film, written and directed by Oliver Murray, will debut on November 1. The film’s global online premiere will be hosted on The Beatles’ YouTube channel at 7:30pm GMT / 3:30pm EDT / 12:30pm PDT. This film tells the story behind the last Beatles song, with exclusive footage and commentary from Paul, Ringo, George, Sean Ono Lennon and Peter Jackson. The trailer is available to watch now.

Watch the “Now And Then” short film trailer on The Beatles’ YouTube channel HERE.

Preorder/pre-save “Now And Then”/“Love Me Do” double A-side single HERE.stereo mixes:digital; streaming; 7-inch + 12-inch black vinyl; 7-inch colored vinyl (light blue, clear)
limited edition Beatles Store-exclusives: cassette; 7-inch blue & white marbled vinyl
Dolby Atmos mixes: digital; streaming

On November 10, The Beatles’ 1962-1966 (‘The Red Album’) and 1967-1970 (‘The Blue Album’) collections will be released in 2023 Edition packages by Apple Corps Ltd./Capitol/UMe. 

Since their first incarnations appeared 50 years ago, these albums have introduced successive generations to The Beatles’ music. Now, both collections’ tracklists have been expanded, with all the songs mixed in stereo and Dolby Atmos.

New 4CD and 180-gram 6LP vinyl collections pair ‘Red’ and ‘Blue’ in slipcased sets. The UK single version of “Love Me Do” now kicks off 1962-1966 (2023 Edition) and “Now And Then” is featured on 1967-1970 (2023 Edition) to complete the career-spanning collections.

Preorder/pre-save 1962-1966 and 1967-1970 (2023 Editions) HERE.stereo mixes:both collections: digital; streaming; 2CD; 180g 3LP black vinyl both collections: limited edition Beatles Store-exclusives: 3LP colored vinyl (red for ‘Red’/blue for ‘Blue’); 4CD slipcased set; 180g 6LP black vinyl slipcased set; 6LP red + blue vinyl slipcased set
Dolby Atmos mixes: digital; streaming.

The story of “Now And Then” begins in the late 1970s, when John recorded a demo with vocals and piano at his home in New York’s Dakota Building. In 1994, his wife, Yoko Ono Lennon, gave the recording to Paul, George and Ringo, along with John’s demos for “Free As A Bird” and “Real Love,” which were both completed as new Beatles songs and respectively released as singles in 1995 and 1996, as part of The Beatles Anthology project. At the same time, Paul, George and Ringo also recorded new parts and completed a rough mix for “Now And Then” with producer Jeff Lynne. At that point, technological limitations prevented John’s vocals and piano from being separated to achieve the clear, unclouded mix needed to finish the song. “Now And Then” was shelved, with a hope that one day it would be revisited.

Cut to 2021, and the release of “The Beatles: Get Back” docuseries, directed by Peter Jackson, which astonished viewers with its award-winning film and audio restoration. Using WingNut Films’ MAL audio technology, Jackson’s team had de-mixed the film’s mono soundtrack, managing to isolate instruments and vocals, and all the individual voices within The Beatles’ conversations. This achievement opened the way to 2022’s new mix of Revolver, sourced directly from the four-track master tapes. This led on to a question: what could now be done with the “Now And Then” demo? Peter Jackson and his sound team, led by Emile de la Rey, applied the same technique to John’s original home recording, preserving the clarity and integrity of his original vocal performance by separating it from the piano.

In 2022, Paul and Ringo set about completing the song. Besides John’s vocal, “Now And Then” includes electric and acoustic guitar recorded in 1995 by George, Ringo’s new drum part, and bass, guitar and piano from Paul, which matches John’s original playing. Paul added a slide guitar solo inspired by George; he and Ringo also contributed backing vocals to the chorus.

In Los Angeles, Paul oversaw a Capitol Studios recording session for the song’s wistful, quintessentially Beatles string arrangement, written by Giles Martin, Paul and Ben Foster. Paul and Giles also added one last, wonderfully subtle touch: backing vocals from the original recordings of “Here, There And Everywhere,” “Eleanor Rigby” and “Because,” woven into the new song using the techniques perfected during the making of the LOVE show and album. The finished track was produced by Paul and Giles, and mixed by Spike Stent.

Paul says: “There it was, John’s voice, crystal clear. It’s quite emotional. And we all play on it, it’s a genuine Beatles recording. In 2023 to still be working on Beatles music, and about to release a new song the public haven’t heard, I think it’s an exciting thing.”

Ringo says: “It was the closest we’ll ever come to having him back in the room, so it was very emotional for all of us. It was like John was there, you know. It’s far out.”

Olivia Harrison says: “Back in 1995, after several days in the studio working on the track, George felt the technical issues with the demo were insurmountable and concluded that it was not possible to finish the track to a high enough standard. If he were here today, Dhani and I know he would have whole-heartedly joined Paul and Ringo in completing the recording of ‘Now And Then.’”

Sean Ono Lennon says: “It was incredibly touching to hear them working together after all the years that Dad had been gone. It’s the last song my dad, Paul, George and Ringo got to make together. It’s like a time capsule and all feels very meant to be.”

This last installment of The Beatles’ recorded history will be followed by new editions of the two compilation albums always seen as the definitive introduction to their work. Since their 1973 debuts, 1962-1966 (‘The Red Album’) and 1967-1970 (‘The Blue Album’) have ushered countless listeners of all ages, from all parts of the world, into lifelong Beatles fandom. Expanded for their new 2023 Edition releases, the collections together span The Beatles’ entire recorded canon with 75 standout tracks, from their first single, “Love Me Do,” to their last, “Now And Then.” The collections’ 21 newly-added tracks (twelve on ‘Red’ and nine on ‘Blue’) showcase even more of The Beatles’ very best songs.

In recent years, several 1967-1970 tracks and a few from 1962-1966 have received new stereo and Dolby Atmos mixes for The Beatles’ Special Edition album releases, including Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band (2017), The Beatles (‘White Album’) (2018), Abbey Road (2019), Let It Be (2021), and Revolver (2022), as well as new stereo mixes for The Beatles’ 1 (2015). All tracks not also featured on those releases have been newly mixed in stereo and/or Dolby Atmos by Giles Martin and Sam Okell at Abbey Road Studios, aided by WingNut Films’ audio de-mixing technology. Both collections include new essays written by journalist and author John Harris.

“Now And Then” Credits:

Produced by Paul McCartney, Giles Martin

Additional Production: Jeff Lynne

Vocals: John Lennon, Paul McCartney

Backing Vocals: John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison, Ringo Starr

Guitars: George Harrison

Guitars, Bass, Piano, Electric Harpsichord, Shaker: Paul McCartney

Drums, Tambourine, Shaker: Ringo Starr

Additional Credits:

String Arrangement: Paul McCartney, Giles Martin, Ben Foster

Mixed by Spike Stent

Engineered by Geoff Emerick, Steve Orchard, Greg McAllister, Jon Jacobs, Steve Genewick, Bruce Sugar, Keith Smith

Source Separation / MAL Courtesy of WingNut Films Productions Ltd.

Head of Machine Learning: Emile de la Rey

Project Management: Adam Sharp

Recorded at Hog Hill Studio, Capitol Studios and Roccabella West

Mastered by Miles Showell

Project Producers: Jonathan Clyde and Guy Hayden

Executive Producer: Jeff Jones

“NOW AND THEN” / “LOVE ME DO”
(double A-side single)

1962-1966 (2023 EDITION)
(2CD: stereo / Digital + Streaming: stereo & Dolby Atmos)
* = newly added track

CD1

1: Love Me Do (2023 Mix)
2: Please Please Me (2023 Mix)
3: I Saw Her Standing There (2023 Mix) *
4: Twist And Shout (2023 Mix) *
5: From Me To You (2023 Mix)
6: She Loves You (2023 Mix)
7: I Want To Hold Your Hand (2023 Mix)
8: This Boy (2023 Mix) *
9: All My Loving (2023 Mix)
10: Roll Over Beethoven (2023 Mix) *
11: You Really Got A Hold On Me (2023 Mix) *
12: Can’t Buy Me Love (2023 Mix)
13: You Can’t Do That (2023 Mix) *
14: A Hard Day’s Night (2023 Mix)
15: And I Love Her (2023 Mix)
16: Eight Days A Week (2023 Mix)
17: I Feel Fine (2023 Mix)
18: Ticket To Ride (2023 Mix)
19: Yesterday (2023 Mix)

CD2

1: Help! (2023 Mix)
2: You’ve Got To Hide Your Love Away (2023 Mix)
3: We Can Work It Out (2023 Mix)
4: Day Tripper (2023 Mix)
5: Drive My Car (2023 Mix)
6 Norwegian Wood (This Bird Has Flown) (2023 Mix)
7: Nowhere Man (2023 Mix)
8: Michelle (2023 Mix)
9: In My Life (2023 Mix)
10: If I Needed Someone (2023 Mix) *
11: Girl (2023 Mix)
12: Paperback Writer (2022 Mix)
13: Eleanor Rigby (2022 Mix)
14: Yellow Submarine (2022 Mix)
15: Taxman (2022 Mix) *
16: Got To Get You Into My Life (2022 Mix) *
17: I’m Only Sleeping (2022 Mix) *
18: Here, There And Everywhere (2022 Mix) *
19: Tomorrow Never Knows (2022 Mix) *

1967-1970 (2023 EDITION)

(2CD: stereo / Digital + Streaming: stereo & Dolby Atmos)
* = newly added track

CD1

1: Strawberry Fields Forever (2015 Stereo Mix / 2023 Dolby Atmos Mix)
2: Penny Lane (2017 Mix)
3: Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band (2017 Mix)
4: With A Little Help From My Friends (2017 Mix)
5: Lucy In The Sky With Diamonds (2017 Mix)
6: Within You Without You (2017 Mix) *
7: A Day In The Life (2017 Mix)
8: All You Need Is Love (2015 Stereo Mix / 2023 Dolby Atmos Mix)
9: I Am The Walrus (2023 Mix)
10: Hello, Goodbye (2015 Stereo Mix / 2023 Dolby Atmos Mix)
11: The Fool On The Hill (2023 Mix)
12: Magical Mystery Tour (2023 Mix)
13: Lady Madonna (2015 Stereo Mix / 2023 Dolby Atmos Mix)
14: Hey Jude (2015 Stereo Mix / 2023 Dolby Atmos Mix)
15: Revolution (2023 Mix)

CD2

1: Back In The U.S.S.R. (2018 Mix)
2: Dear Prudence (2018 Mix) *
3: While My Guitar Gently Weeps (2018 Mix)
4: Ob-La-Di, Ob-La-Da (2018 Mix)
5: Glass Onion (2018 Mix) *
6: Blackbird (2018 Mix) *
7: Hey Bulldog (2023 Mix) *
8: Get Back (2015 Stereo Mix / 2023 Dolby Atmos Mix)
9: Don’t Let Me Down (2021 Mix)
10: The Ballad Of John And Yoko (2015 Stereo Mix / 2023 Dolby Atmos Mix)
11: Old Brown Shoe (2023 Mix)
12: Here Comes The Sun (2019 Mix)
13: Come Together (2019 Mix)
14: Something (2019 Mix)
15: Octopus’s Garden (2019 Mix)
16: Oh! Darling (2019 Mix) *
17: I Want You (She’s So Heavy) (2019 Mix) *
18: Let It Be (2021 Mix)
19: Across The Universe (2021 Mix)
20: I Me Mine (2021 Mix) *
21: The Long And Winding Road (2021 Mix)
22: Now And Then *

1962-1966 + 1967-1970 (2023 EDITIONS) 4CD SLIPCASED SET
(1962-1966: CDs 1 & 2 / 1967-1970: CDs 3 & 4)
(stereo / all 75 tracks as listed above)

1962-1966 + 1967-1970 (2023 EDITIONS) 6LP VINYL SLIPCASED SET
(1962-1966: LPs 1-3 / 1967-1970: LPs 4-6)
(stereo / 1962-1966 3LP Vinyl & 1967-1970 3LP Vinyl = same track sequencing for each as listed below)

Out now: new 'Platinum' retrospective by Frank Sinatra

In celebration of the 70th anniversary of Frank Sinatra's signing to Capitol Records, Universal Music Enterprises (UMe), in conjunction with Frank Sinatra Enterprises, has released Frank Sinatra Platinum, a Sinatra Capitol-era spanning set with newly remastered audio plus rare and previously unreleased tracks.

Available on 4LP, 2CD, and digital formats, the 44-track collection features a cross-section of famous Sinatra songs and sought-after rarities. From "I've Got You Under My Skin" and "Come Fly With Me" to "Moonlight in Vermont" and "Only The Lonely," the set also includes previously unreleased tracks culled from the Capitol vaults along with alternate takes, a test track, radio spots and session takes. An exclusive deluxe 4LP edition and new signature items will be available exclusively at Sinatra.com.

From 1953-1962, Sinatra recorded more than 300 songs for Capitol Records, many included on landmark concept albums he pioneered.

Earlier this month, SiriusXM's Siriusly Sinatra started airing a Frank Sinatra Platinum radio special hosted by Tina Sinatra.

Track listing:

CD 1 // LP1 - Side A

1. Lean Baby - April 2, 1953 / Heinie Beau -(Billy May- Alfred Roy)
2. I've Got The World On A String - April 30, 1953 / Nelson Riddle - (Ted Koehler-Harold Arlen)
3. I Get A Kick Out Of You - November 6, 1953 / George Siravo - (Cole Porter)
4. Young At Heart - December 9, 1953 / Nelson Riddle - (Carolyn Leigh-Johnny Richards)
5. Just One Of Those Things - April 7, 1954 / Nelson Riddle - (Cole Porter)
6. I Get Along Without You Very Well - February 17, 1955 / Nelson Riddle (Hoagy Carmichael)

LP 1 / Side B

1. In The Wee Small Hours Of The Morning - February 17, 1955 / Nelson Riddle - (David Mann-Bob Hilliard)
2. Learning' The Blues - March 23, 1955 / Nelson Riddle - (Dolores Vicki Silvers)
3. Love And Marriage - August 15, 1955 / Nelson Riddle - (Jimmy Van Heusen-Sammy Cahn)
4. (Love Is) The Tender Trap - September 13, 1955 / Nelson Riddle - (Jimmy Van Heusen-Sammy Cahn)
5. You Make Me Feel So Young - January 9, 1956 / Nelson Riddle - (Mack Gordon-Josef Myron)
6. I've Got You Under My Skin - January 12, 1956 / Nelson Riddle - (Cole Porter)

LP 2 / Side A

1. I Couldn't Sleep A Wink Last Night - November 1, 1956 / Nelson Riddle - (Harold Adamson-Jimmy McHugh_
2. The Lady Is A Tramp - November 26, 1956 / Nelson Riddle - (Richard Rodgers-Lorenz Hart)
3. Night And Day - Novem! ber 26, 1956 / Nelson Riddle - (Cole Porter)
4. Oh! Look At Me Now - November 28, 1956 / Nelson Riddle - (Joe Bushkin-John De Vries)
5. Where Are You? - May 1, 1957 / Gordon Jenkins - (Harold Adamason-Jimmy McHugh)
6. Witchcraft - May 20, 1957 / Nelson Riddle - (Carolyn Leigh-Cy Coleman)

LP 2 / Side B

1. All The Way - August 13, 1957 / Nelson Riddle - (Jimmy Van Heusen-Sammy Cahn)
2. Moonlight In Vermont - October 3, 1957 / Billy May - )Karl Suessdorf-John Blackburn)
3. Come Fly With Me - October 8, 1957 / Billy May - (Jimmy Van Heusen-Sammy Cahn)
4. Only The Lonely - May 29, 1958 / Nelson Riddle - (Jimmy Van Heusen-Sammy Cahn)
5. Something's Gotta Give - December 9, 1958 / Billy May - (Johnny Mercer)
6. All My Tomorrows - December 29, 1958 / Nelson Riddle - (Jimmy Van Heusen-Sammy Cahn)

CD 2 // LP 3 / Side A

1. Here's That Rainy Day - March 25, 1959 / Gordon Jenkins - (Jimmy Van Heusen-Johnny Burke)
2. A Cottage For Sale - March 26, 1958 / Gordon Jenkins - (Willard Robison-Larry Conley)
3. High Hopes - May 8, 1959 - Nelson Riddle - (Jimmy Van Heusen-Sammy Cahn)
4. You Go To My Head - March 1, 1960 / Nelson Riddle - (J. Fred Coots-Haven Gillespie)
5. The Nearness Of You - March 2, 1960 / Nelson Riddle - (Hoagy Carmichael-Ned Washington)
6. Nice 'N' Easy - April 13, 1960 / Nelson Riddle - (Alan Bergman-Marilyn Keith-Lew Spence)

LP 3 / Side B

1. River, Stay 'Way From My Door - April 13, 1960 / Nelson Riddle - ( Harry M. Wood-Mort Dixon)
2. September In The Rain - August 31, 1960 - Nelson Riddle - (Harry Warren-Al Dubin)
3. Blue Moon - September 1, 1960 / Nelson Riddle - (Richard Rodgers-Lorenz Hart)
4. Day By Day - March 20, 1961 / Billy May - (Axel Stordahl-Paul Weston-Sammy Cahn)
5. When The World Was Young - September 11, 1961 / Axel Stordahl - (M. Philippe Gerard-Johnny Mercer)
6. I Gotta Right To Sing The Blues ! - March 6, 1962 / Skip Martin - (Harold Arlen-Ted Koehler)

LP 4 / Side A

1. Here Goes (session takes) - March 3, 1958 / Billy May - (Otto Cesana-Sammy Cahn)*
2. Guess I'll Hang My Tears Out To Dry (alternate take) - May 5, 1958 / Nelson Riddle - (Sammy Cahn-Jule Styne)
3. Lush Life (session takes) - May 29, 1958 / Nelson Riddle - (Billy Strayhorn)
4. One For My Baby (test track) - June 24, 1958 / Nelson Riddle - (Harold Arlen-Johnny Mercer)
5. Just In Time (alternate take) - September 30, 1958 / Billy May - (Jule Styne-Betty Comden-Adolph Green)

LP 4 / Side B

1. A Hole In The Head (radio spots) - May 14, 1959 / Nelson Riddle - (Sammy Cahn-Jimmy Van Heusen)*
2. I've Got A Crush On You (session takes) - March 3, 1960 / Nelson Riddle - (George Gershwin-Ira Gershwin)
3. Memories Of You (session takes) - September 11, 1961 / Axel Stordahl - (Eubie Blake-Andy Razaf)*

*previously unreleased

sinatra.com.

Joe Jackson goes music hall on 'What A Racket' next month

Veteran musician Joe Jackson will release concept album 'What A Racket,' revolving around the songs of early 20th-century English Music Hall artist Max Champion, via earMUSIC on Nov. 24.

Previously unveiled first single "Health & Safety" is now joined by the title track as the latest single. Watch the video HERE

Max Champion was born in 1882 in London's East End and is thought to have been related to the great Victorian entertainer Harry Champion. As an up-and-coming performer he shared the stage with big stars such as Gus Ellen and Vesta Tilley, but his career (much like the Music Hall era itself) was cut short by the First World War, and his songs faded into obscurity. That is, until 2014, when Max Champion sheet music started to surface: first in Malta, then in England, and, intriguingly, in Belgium, where Max probably met his end in the trenches. 

By 2019, enough songs had been recovered for Joe Jackson to resurrect them with a 12-piece orchestra.

The album "Mr. Joe Jackson presents: Max Champion in 'What A Racket!'" will be released as a CD Digipak and 1LP Black Vinyl, Download and Streaming.

Plans are also underway to present this project as a live show in Spring 2024. More details soon. 

Music Hall originated in 19th-century London, transitioning from pubs and street performances to grand theaters by 1900. It attracted a diverse audience, spanning from commoners to aristocrats. The songs in this genre depicted life in the Victorian and Edwardian eras, often infused with humor, satire, sentimentality, patriotism, and occasionally darker themes like jealousy and murder. Some songs were also risqué but cleverly expressed.

TRACK LISTING (CD):

1. (Overture): Why, Why, Why?
2. The Sporting Life
3. Dear Old Mum -- A London-Irish Lament
4. Monty Mundy (Is Maltese)!
5. The Shades Of Night
6. What A Racket!
7. The Bishop And The Actress
8. Think Of The Show! -- A Thespian's Lament
9. Never So Nice In The Morning
10. Health & Safety
11. Worse Things Happen At Sea

Vinyl Split: Side A: Tracks 1-5 Side B: Tracks 6-11

Album review: 'More Halloween Nuggets: Haunted Underground Classics' - Various Artists

More Halloween Nuggets: Haunted Underground Classics is a highly entertaining sequel to last year's Halloween Nuggets album on RockBeat/Liberation Hall Records. The latest various artists compilation gathers garage rock, surf rock and pop "horror novelty" singles from the late 1950s and '60s.

Everything gets off to a strong start with screams and a bubbling cauldron effect during "Witch Girl" by The Mystrys (fun fact: the Aussie band was known for wearing green velvet hoods in public). The baritone-voiced Teddy Durant helms "The Beast of Sunset Strip." He amusingly sings about "hopping in your Woody," Las Vegas, "a Watusi beat" and namechecks The Beatles punctuated by girl group background vocals.

Columbus, Ohio's The Ebb-Tides (which once backed Del Shannon and Bobby Sherman on TV variety special "The Shindig! All-Star Review") do a fine, eerie, Farfisa-fueled "Seance." Other standouts: the early Rolling Stones-esque "I'm the Wolf Man" from Round Robin - complete with ferocious growls; Rockabilly singer Chance Halladay hypnotizes his lover on "Deep Sleep"; The Connoissurs' sax-driven "Count Macabre" brings The Coasters to mind; Johnny Alderson's shuffling and funny "Zoola Zooky" that could've been on an Elvis Presley film soundtrack; Peter & The Wolves' jaunty "Mr. Frankenstein" and "The Raven" by Kenny and the Fiends.

The 18-track LP version is available in a grape/clear "ghostly" vinyl variant, while the CD edition adds four bonus tracks featuring film trailers ("Night of the Blood Beast," "The Mummy," "Frankenstein and Dracula") and sound effects ("The Werewolf").

Purchase through Amazon and Bandcamp. For more information, go to liberationhall.com.

Violent Femmes’ 1983 self-titled debut to get deluxe reissue for 40th anniversary in December

Craft Recordings will mark the 40th anniversary of Violent Femmes’ 1983 self-titled debut with a special reissue. Due out December 1 and available for pre-order now, the deluxe 2-CD and digital formats will feature newly remastered audio and over a dozen demos, B-sides, and live performances from the folk-punk trio — including alternate versions of “Blister in the Sun,” “Please Do Not Go,” “Gone Daddy Gone,” and “Add It Up.”

A special 4-disc vinyl box set will follow February 9, 2024, limited to 5,000 copies worldwide. Housed in a lift-top box with die-cut window detail, this collectible edition offers three 180-gram LPs — the original album, alongside the demos, and live material — plus, a replica 7-inch single (“Ugly”/“Gimme the Car”).

The original album and single discs are cut from the original analog tapes, while lacquers for the complete set were cut by Kevin Gray at Cohearent Audio. Both the CD and LP editions will feature a book with new liner notes by journalist and Rolling Stone senior editor David Fricke, complete with interviews with Violent Femmes members Gordon Gano, Brian Ritchie, and Victor DeLorenzo.

Reflecting on the album’s 40th anniversary, bassist Brian Ritchie shares: “I am frequently stopped on the street by people who tell me, ‘Your album changed my life,’ or some variant. I don’t have to ask, ‘Which album?’ because it is implied that they’re talking about the first one. The uncanny thing is that these people range from early teens to septuagenarians, and they all have the same testimony.” Ritchie adds, “Sometimes music is more than just a pleasing sound that entertains. It takes on greater meaning. Multiple generations have found the songs to be relevant in their life situations. Some people say they had sex for the first time listening to it (which I find appalling but whatever) and someone even said, ‘I was conceived to your music.’ Wow.”

Fans can visit digital platforms to pre-save Violent Femmes (Deluxe Edition) and stream or download the advance single, “Gone Daddy Gone / I Just Want to Make Love to You (Live).” Recorded in January 1983 at Folk City in New York, NY, this early version includes a complete verse from Willie Dixon’s 1954 song “I Just Want to Make Love to You” (originally recorded by Muddy Waters). Like all the bonus material featured on Violent Femmes (Deluxe Edition), “Gone Daddy Gone (Live)” was previously unavailable in digital format.

The CD version of the debut was released in 1987 and featured two extra songs, “Ugly” and “Gimme the Car.” Both originally appeared on a 7-inch released by London-based indie label Rough Trade in 1983.

Violent Femmes' studio catalog includes nine studio albums. They played Coachella (in a highly anticipated reunion set in 2013), and have seen their songs reimagined by major acts like Gnarls Barkley (who covered “Gone Daddy Gone” for their Platinum-certified debut album St. Elsewhere in 2006). 

Visit vfemmes.com for tour and ticket information. Click here to pre-order Violent Femmes (Deluxe Edition), or stream/download the advance single and pre-save the album.

Track list – Violent Femmes (Deluxe Edition) (2-CD edition):

Disc 1:

1. Blister In The Sun

2. Kiss Off
3. Please Do Not Go
4. Add It Up
5. Confessions
6. Prove My Love
7. Promise
8. To The Kill
9. Gone Daddy Gone / I Just Want To Make Love To You
10. Good Feeling
11. Ugly
12. Gimme The Car

Disc 2:

1. Girl Trouble (Demo)
2. Breakin’ Up (Demo)
3. Waiting For The Bus (Demo)
4. Blister In The Sun (Demo)
5. Kiss Off (Demo)
6. Please Do Not Go (Demo)
7. Add It Up (Demo)
8. Confessions (Demo)
9. Prove My Love (Demo)
10. Special (Live At Beneath-It-All Café, Milwaukee, WI - 9/12/1981)
11. Country Death Song (Live At Beneath-It-All Café, Milwaukee, WI - 9/12/1981)
12. To The Kill (Live At Beneath-It-All Café, Milwaukee, WI - 9/12/1981)
13. Never Tell (Live At Beneath-It-All Café, Milwaukee, WI - 9/12/1981)
14. Break Song (Live At The Jazz Gallery, Milwaukee, WI - 12/8/1981)
15. Her Television (Live At The Jazz Gallery, Milwaukee, WI - 12/8/1981)
16. How Do You Say Goodbye (Live At The Jazz Gallery, Milwaukee, WI - 12/8/1981)
17. Theme and Variations (Live At The Jazz Gallery, Milwaukee, WI - 12/8/1981)
18. Prove My Love (Live At Folk City, New York, NY - 1/26/1983)
19. Gone Daddy Gone / I Just Want To Make Love To You (Live At Folk City, New York, NY - 1/26/1983)
20. Promise (Live At Folk City, New York, NY - 1/26/1983)
21. In Style (Live At Folk City, New York, NY - 1/26/1983)
22. Add It Up (Live At Folk City, New York, NY - 1/26/1983)

Tour Dates:

10/27 - Arizona State Fair (Phoenix, AZ)

11/16 - The Novo (Los Angeles, CA)

11/18 - Darker Waves 2023 (Huntington Beach, CA)

Bananarama retrospective coming in March

Bananarama's ‘Glorious - The Ultimate Collection’ will be released on March 8, 2024. ‘Feel the Love’ is the first track released from it. 

Sara Dallin notes, “‘Feel the Love’ is about believing in yourself, focusing on what you want and not listening to negativity.” Keren Woodward continues, “It was a process of making something soaring and uplifting. And we’ve gone to town with the harmonies, which we love.”

Listen to ‘Feel the Love’ HERE. Watch the visualizer HERE.

‘Glorious- The Ultimate Collection’ includes early hit ‘Really Saying Something’ with Fun Boy Three, ‘80s successes (‘Cruel Summer’, ‘Venus’, ‘Love In The First Degree’, ‘Robert De Niro’s Waiting’ and many more), ‘90s charters (‘Only your Love’, ‘Preacher Man’, ‘Movin’ On’ and ‘Last Thing on My Mind’) and 2005's ‘Move In My Direction’ as well as US dance chart hit 'Look on The Floor (Hypnotic Tango)’

Touring and recording constantly, they founded their own IN SYNK label, put out 2019 album ‘In Stereo’ and performed at Glastonbury. Last year’s ‘Masquerade’ held special personal significance for the duo as Sara’s daughter Alice co-wrote a handful of the album’s tracks. Sara and Keren also covered one of Alice’s songs, ‘Favourite’, which is included here in this collection. In addition to ‘Feel the Love’, the collection includes a new version of ‘Cruel Summer (3am Mix).'

Bananarama are in the Guinness World of Records for the most internationally charted hits by an all-female group. They wrote or co-wrote almost every song in this 40-track collection.

Sara says, “We wanted this to be a unique collection, a celebration of all the twists and turns in our career. We compiled endless lists of songs, album tracks and hit singles and whittled it down to forty: our favorite tracks from the past four decades. Leafing through my early lyric books transported me back to that teenage girl writing poems and scribbles that would eventually be turned into songs. Each track ... is a piece of the jigsaw and a connection to me. Together they create the bigger picture, the story of us as artists. It has been one almighty journey.”

Keren adds, “At times we have maybe felt that we haven’t received the credit, respect, and recognition we deserve, certainly sometimes purely down to the fact we were born female. I feel the collection of songs we have amassed over the last four decades hopefully speak for themselves, so I don’t have to. Putting the music together for this project... made me realize how much we have achieved and how determined, tenacious, and hardworking we are.”

‘Glorious - The Ultimate Collection’ will be released on collector’s triple vinyl and double CD. Their Official Store exclusives include a deluxe vinyl and deluxe 3CD edition, both of which are accompanied by a book which features an introduction by broadsheet journalist Fiona Sturges, articles by Sara and Keren, and an in-depth exploration of Bananarama’s relationship with fashion and music by writer and trends expert Katie Baron. It also includes still photography of many of Bananarama's outfits and memorabilia from their personal collections.

Digital formats and the deluxe 3CD edition feature an array of bonus remixes and alternate versions of classics, deep cuts, and reworks by contemporary producers and DJs including Boys Noize, Krystal Klear, The Reflex, Initial Talk, Luke Million and more.

UK fans who pre-order the album from the Official Store will receive exclusive access to a pre-sale for Bananarama's show at the London Palladium on April 3, 2024. The pre-sale will open on October 23 at 9am and will remain live until any remaining tickets go on general sale on Wednesday October 25 at 9am.

Track list:

CD1 / vinyl sides A-C

‘Really Saying Something’

‘Cruel Summer’
‘Robert De Niro's Waiting’
‘Venus’
‘More Than Physical’
‘A Trick of the Night’
‘I Heard a Rumour’
‘Love in the First Degree’
‘Only Your Love’
‘Preacher Man’
‘I Could Be Persuaded’
‘Movin' On’ [Disco Chic]
‘Last Thing on My Mind’ [Electrified]
‘Every Shade of Blue’
‘Take Me to Your Heart’
‘Prove Your Love’
‘If’
‘Crazy’
‘Move in My Direction’
‘Look on the Floor (Hypnotic Tango)’

CD2 / vinyl sides D-F

‘Feel for You’
‘Lovebite’
‘Love Comes’
‘Love Don't Live Here’
‘Seventeen’
‘Extraordinary’
‘Baby It's Christmas’
‘Now or Never’
‘La La Love’
‘Stuff Like That’
‘Looking for Someone’
‘I'm on Fire’
‘It's Gonna Be Alright’
‘Favourite’
‘Masquerade’
‘Forever Young’
‘Running With The Night’
‘Cruel Summer’ (3am Mix)
‘Feel The Love’
‘Supernova’

CD3 Deluxe Edition / digital only

‘Robert De Niro's Waiting’ (The Reflex Revision)
‘Do Not Disturb’ (Krystal Klear New Wave Mix)
‘Venus’ (Boys Noize Rework)
‘Only Your Love’ (Initial Talk Remix)
‘Tripping on Your Love’ (Metropolis Mix)
‘Now or Never’ (Extended Version)
‘Tonight’ (Bright Light Bright Light Remix)
‘Stuff Like That’ (Extended Version)
‘Velvet Lies’ (Luke Million Remix)
‘Masquerade’ (Castle Elvira Mix)

Out now: 'Innerstanding' album by Dhani Harrison

Dhani Harrison, has just released INNERSTANDING, his first solo album in six years. It is available now digitally, with a 2LP Neon Yellow color vinyl edition arriving on Feb. 9. The album features Blur’s Graham Coxon on several tracks, including the single “New Religion”, as well as guest appearances from Liela Moss of The Duke Spirit and critically acclaimed Australian singer Mereki.

Watch the visualizer for “New Religion (feat. Graham Coxon)” HERE

“Here we are in a new world and here is the new album that has come forth from it.” Dhani Harrison on his new album, INNERSTANDING.

Harrison previously previewed the album with the single “Damn That Frequency”, which also featured Coxon on saxophone – stream HERE. In addition to his appearance on that track, Coxon also features on guitar on four other songs on INNERSTANDING. The album was produced by Harrison and co-mixed with Paul Hicks (The Beatles reissues, Joe Strummer, The Rolling Stones).

Originally stepping onto the global stage with his band thenewno2, Dhani - the son

of George and Olivia Harrison - first earned critical acclaim for his innovative sound and approach with performances at Coachella, Lollapalooza, and on multiple late night TV shows. Then came 2017’s solo effort IN///PARALLEL. 

Harrison is also known for scoring film and TV projects as well as collaborating with an array of artists including Wu-Tang Clan, UNKLE, John McLaughlin, Annie Lennox, Pearl Jam, Nitin Sawhney, Perry Farrell, Prince, Regina Spektor, and Fistful of Mercy (alongside Ben Harper & Joseph Arthur).

Since his 2013 debut as a composer on Richard La Gravenese’s Beautiful Creatures, Harrison has gone on to score the Sundance Award- winning MATANGI/MAYA/M.I.A., for which he and his scoring partner Paul Hicks received an International Documentary Association (IDA) Award nomination for “Best Music Score Award.” Additional scores include R.Z.A.’s CutThroat City, Obey Giant – The Story of Shepard Fairey, Amazon’s original series Good Girls Revolt, Showtime’s White Famous, and the much-lauded HBO docuseries, The Case Against Adnan Syed.

Track List:

1. Dangerous Lies

2. New Religion
3. Ahoy There!
4. La Sirena
5. Damn That Frequency
6. The Dancing Tree
7. The Right Side Of History
8. Ghost Garden
9. I.C.U
10. Wolves Around The City

The Black Crowes ready 'The Southern Harmony And Musical Companion' box set for December

The Black Crowes have unveiled a new mix of an unreleased recording of the Memphis soul classic song "99 Pounds." The track is one of the 14 never-before-released recordings off the forthcoming box set of the rock band's chart-topping sophomore album, The Southern Harmony And Musical Companion, set for release on December 15 via American Recordings/UMe.

Originally from the catalog of Memphis soul singer-songwriter Ann Peebles, “99 Pounds” was originally released on Peebles' 1972 album Straight from the Heart. Listen to singer Chris Robinson talk about the recording of the song HERE.

Hear Chris and Rich Robinson, alongside producer George Drakoulias discuss the making of The Southern Harmony And Musical Companion in a conversation HERE.

The Southern Harmony And Musical Companion entered the US Billboard album chart at No. 1 upon release in 1992, was named after a post-Civil War southern hymnal, and contains some of the band's biggest hits, including "Remedy," “Sting Me,” and "Thorn in My Pride” which were #1 on the Billboard Main Stream Rock Airplay chart for a combined total of 21 weeks.

Rich and Chris Robinson, alongside producer George Drakoulias, revisited the archives for the album and created a super deluxe edition featuring unreleased studio recordings, rare B-sides, a live performance from Sam Houston Coliseum in Houston, TX, on February 6, 1993, and a newly remastered album from the original 1/4″ production master. 

At the end of the Southern Harmony and Musical Companion recording sessions in early 1992, the band performed live on the famed Southern Tracks Studio floor in Atlanta, GA, on January 4, 1992. The session was captured by a film crew. These never-before-released until now, live studio recordings feature five songs, including their cover of Ry Cooder's "Boomer's Story." Also included in the super deluxe edition, Southern Harmony Live, featuring all the tracks off the album, performed live in Houston, TX, on February 6, 1993. This much-bootlegged show has now been mixed from the 24-track tapes and is available alongside the original album, which has been remastered from the 1/4″ production master.

The Southern Harmony and Musical Companion is available for pre-order now on 4LP, 3CD, 2 CD, and 1LP formats, which will be released on December 15. An exclusive, limited-edition “Remedy” Lyric T-shirt or Trucker Hat will also be available as Fan Packs bundled with the 1LP in the Black Crowes official store HERE. A super deluxe digital audio is also available to preorder. Fans who preorder the digital super deluxe will immediately receive a new mix of the Memphis soul classic song "99 Pounds."

Pre-order The Southern Harmony and Musical Companion HERE.

TRACK LIST:

(Vinyl)

LP1- The Southern Harmony & Musical Companion

Sting Me (Side A)
Remedy (Side A)
Thorn In My Pride (Side A)
Bad Luck Blue Eyes Goodbye (Side A)
Sometimes Salvation (Side A)
Hotel Illness (Side B)
Black Moon Creeping (Side B)
No Speak No Slave (Side B)
My Morning Song (Side B)
Time Will Tell (Side B)

LP2- More Companions: Unreleased, Outtakes and B-Sides

99 Pounds (Side C)
Miserable (Side C)
Rainy Day Women No 12 & 35 (Side C)
Boomer’s Story (Side C)
Darling of The Underground Press (Side C)
Sting Me (Slow) (Side D)
Bad Luck Blue Eyes, Goodbye (Side D)
Sometimes Salvation (Side D)
Black Moon Creeping (Side D)

LP3- Southern Harmony Live: February 6, 1993 (Houston, TX)

No Speak No Slave (Side A)
Sting Me (Side A)
My Morning Song (Side A)
Jam (Side B)
Thorn in My Pride (Side B)

LP4- Southern Harmony Live: February 6, 1993 (Houston, TX)

Bad Luck Blue Eyes Goodbye (Side C)
Black Moon Creeping (Side C)
Hotel Illness (Side C)
Sometimes Salvation (Side D)
Remedy (Side D)

Neil Young news

On the new album, BEFORE AND AFTER, Neil Young approached several of his original songs, chosen some favorites and performed them mostly alone for a solo acoustic spin. Each of the tunes blend and create one continuous flow, clocking in at 48-minutes. 

Produced by Lou Adler and Neil Young and mixed by Young and Niko Bolas, aka The Volume Dealers, fans can watch the visualizer HERE.

Young says, “The feeling is captured, not in pieces, but as a whole piece — designed to be listened to that way. This music presentation defies shuffling, digital organization, separation. Only for listening. That says it all."

New versions of the songs start with his earliest Buffalo Springfield appearance, "Burned," to the recent "Don't Forget Love" (from 2021’s BARN) and including the previously unreleased song “If You Got Love." 

BEFORE AND AFTER will be available in four formats: vinyl LP; clear vinyl LP (Limited Edition available only from Indie outlets and Young’s Greedy Hand online store), Blu-Ray disc featuring Atmos mix, Binaural mix and Hi-Res 96/24 stereo; as well as Compact Disc. As always, Hi-Res digital audio is available at Xstream download store through Neil Young Archives and most DSP’s.

Pre-order now via the Greedy Hand Store at the Xstream Store © at NYA. and music retailers everywhere. All Greedy Hand Store purchases come with free hi-res digital audio downloads.

Track listing:

I’m The Ocean

Homefires

Burned
On The Way Home
If You Got Love
A Dream That Can Last
Birds
My Heart
When I Hold You In My Arms
Mother Earth
Mr Soul
Comes A Time
Don’t Forget Love