Oasis documentary news

Following the unveiling of the official trailer for the documentary “Oasis Knebworth 1996,” in theaters worldwide from September 23 via Trafalgar Releasing, Oasis revealed unseen footage of their performance of the hit single “Live Forever” from the record breaking shows (WATCH HERE). The audio is also released, available to stream and download HERE, taken from the forthcoming live album released November 19 via Big Brother Recordings.

Directed by Grammy Award-winner Jake Scott, “Oasis Knebworth 1996” celebrates the story of the special relationship between Oasis and their fans that made the largest concert of the ‘90’s possible. It is told entirely in the moment through the eyes of the fans who were there, built around extensive and never before seen archive concert and backstage footage from the event, with additional interviews with the band and concert organizers. Watch the official trailer here. Tickets are now on sale here.

The live album, also titled Oasis Knebworth 1996, will be released on formats including 2CD and triple LP on heavyweight vinyl with the digital version of the album featuring HD audio. The DVD will be available as a triple-disc set including the cinematic documentary plus both nights of the live concert in full, edited by Dick Carruthers with audio mixed by Will Shapland in Dolby 5.1 surround sound, with the Blu-ray in single-disc format.

Limited edition formats include the 2CD with DVD of the cinematic documentary, plus a Super Deluxe Box Set including the triple LP, 2CD and triple DVD plus replicas of the original gig memorabilia, available exclusively from the band’s online store. All formats are available for pre-order here.

Pink Floyd updates ‘A Momentary Lapse Of Reason'

Sony Music will release Pink Floyd’s ‘A Momentary Lapse Of Reason - Remixed & Updated’ on October 29. Pre order link HERE.

Remixed and updated from the original 1987 master tapes for ‘The Later Years’ by Andy Jackson with David Gilmour, assisted by Damon Iddins, the album will be available on Vinyl, CD, DVD, Blu-ray and digitally with Stereo and 5.1 mixes. 

In addition, for the first time, the album will be presented in 360 Reality Audio, a new immersive music experience that closely mimics the omni-directional soundscape of live musical performance for the listener using Sony’s object-based 360 Spatial Sound technologies. ‘A Momentary Lapse Of Reason’ will also be released in Dolby Audio and UHD in addition to 360 Reality Audio, all of which will continue with other Pink Floyd releases.

The release of ‘The Later Years’ project in 2019 gave an opportunity for a fresh overview of the ‘A Momentary Lapse Of Reason’ album, originally released in 1987. By returning to some of Richard Wright's original keyboard takes, and by re-recording new drum tracks with Nick Mason, producers David Gilmour and Bob Ezrin have restored a better creative balance between the three Pink Floyd members.

David Gilmour

“Some years after we had recorded the album, we came to the conclusion that we should update it to make it more timeless, featuring more of the traditional instruments that we liked and that we were more used to playing. This was something we thought it would benefit from. We also looked for and found some previously unused keyboard parts of Rick’s which helped us to come up with a new vibe, a new feeling for the album”.

David reflects on originally recording the album: “Bob Ezrin had worked on ‘The Wall’ with us back in ’79 and on some solo albums with me. I learnt a lot from Bob and he’s a valuable person to have on board. We started working on pieces of music that I had been writing and, come Christmas, we knew it was going well. One day, I felt this ‘thing’ coming on me that became Sorrow. I wrote five verses one evening. They just flowed out from nowhere in one of those great serendipitous moments that you recognize later as having been very valuable…. I knew that we were on a good roll and that this thing was going to work.”

Nick Mason

“Initially it seemed a bit odd to start re-assembling a record after 35 odd years, but the public’s appetite for alternate views of the same work has undoubtedly increased immeasurably over time.

Inevitably the opportunity to revisit earlier work from a period where digital technology was the brave new world became increasingly interesting.

There’s little doubt of the advantages in being able to find new elements within the music, or more often uncovering elements that became overwhelmed with all that new science…I think there is an element of taking the album back in time and taking the opportunity to create a slightly more open sound - utilising some of the things we had learned from playing so much of the album live over two massive tours.

I enjoyed re-recording drum tracks with unlimited studio time. Momentary Lapse had been recorded under considerable stress and time constraints, and indeed some of the final mixing was done at the same time as rehearsals for the forthcoming tour.

It was also nice to have an opportunity to enhance some of Rick’s work. Again, that positive tidal wave of technology just might have provided too many digital opportunities to overwhelm the band feel. Hopefully that’s one of the benefits of this remix!”

The remixed and updated ‘A Momentary Lapse Of Reason’ album also features a new album cover using an alternative beds photo by Robert Dowling from the original album cover shoot directed by the late Storm Thorgerson. Echoing the iconic original sleeve the 2021 album artwork is designed and art directed by Aubrey Powell/Hipgnosis and Peter Curzon/StormStudios.

Aubrey Powell explained, “I was looking to update the iconic five hundred beds picture my partner in Hipgnosis, Storm Thorgerson, had designed. On looking through the archives I discovered a version where the sea was encroaching on the set, just before Storm shut down the shot worried he would lose all the beds. I also wanted to make something more of the microlight. There were no shots of the plane in close up, so I hunted one down that was similar but white, and had Peter Curzon retouch the fuselage with the right colouring - red - then strip the microlight into the picture in an upfront position. David Gilmour and Nick Mason gave their approval and, voila, a fresh approach to an original favourite”.

The album will be available as single CD, CD +DVD set, CD + Blu-Ray set, 2x 180gm LP set, the latter cut at half-speed at 45rpm for enhanced sound quality, with pre-orders from 2 September. A special version of the video Learning To Fly will be available simultaneously with Sony 360RA immersive audio: if you watch the video on YouTube with headphones you experience simulated 360RA sound.

‘A Momentary Lapse Of Reason’ 360 Reality Audio, Dolby Audio and UHD versions will be available via multiple Digital Service Providers on 19 October. All physical formats will be available on October 29, 2021.

About 360 Reality Audio

360 Reality Audio is a new immersive music experience that uses Sony's object-based 360 Spatial Sound technologies. Individual sounds such as vocals, chorus, piano, guitar, bass and even sounds of the live audience can be placed in a 360 spherical sound field, giving artists and creators a new way to express their creativity. Listeners can be immersed in a field of sound exactly as intended by artists and creators. Music content created in this new format for 360 Reality Audio can be enjoyed through compatible music streaming services.

FORMAT LISTS

‘A Momentary Lapse Of Reason-Remixed & Updated’:
David Gilmour: Guitars, Vocals, Keyboards & Sequencers
Nick Mason: Electric & Acoustic Drums & Sound Effects
Richard Wright: Piano, Vocals, Kurzweil, Hammond Organ

CD
Signs Of Life 4'23
Learning To Fly 4'53
The Dogs Of War 6'13
One Slip 5'11
On The Turning Away 5'40
Yet Another Movie 6'14
Round And Around 1'13
A New Machine Part 1 1'46
Terminal Frost 6'16
A New Machine Part 2 0'45
Sorrow 8'47

Produced by Bob Ezrin & David Gilmour
Remixed by Andy Jackson with David Gilmour

Bonus Material:

DVD / Blu-ray

Audio-Visual:

Music Videos

Learning To Fly 4.28
Album Cover Photo Shoot 1987 8.46
Learning To Fly (alternate version) 4.31

Concert screen films (1987)

Signs Of Life 4.20
Learning To Fly 1.54
The Dogs Of War 1.51

Documentary:

David Gilmour & Storm Thorgerson - Interview 1.48
Re: A Momentary Lapse Of Reason Album Cover Photo Shoot

Audio only:

The Dogs Of War (live, Atlanta 1987) 7.10
On The Turning Away (live, Atlanta 1987) 6.52
Run Like Hell (live, Atlanta 1987) 7.20

A Momentary Lapse Of Reason - Remixed & Updated – DVD audio resolution

Stereo PCM 48/16
5.1 Dolby Digital 48/16
5.1 dts 48k/16

Surround Sound Audio Blu-Ray:
A Momentary Lapse Of Reason – Remixed & Updated – Blu-ray audio resolution
Stereo PCM 96/24
5.1 dts Master Audio 96/24
5.PCM 96/24 51.05

The long awaited return of ABBA

The big news arrived this morning with a splashy international launch that featured parties in Stockholm, London, New York City and elsewhere. Watching Bjorn and Benny discuss ABBA's return during the YouTube unveiling special today brought to mind the time I interviewed Bjorn for the touring production of "Mamma Mia." I think the pair of new songs that were unveiled are just as  majestic ("I Still Have Faith in You") and danceable ("Don't Shut Me Down") as some of the group's biggest hits.

Read more from the press release below...

ABBA says:

It’s been a while since we made music together. Almost 40 years, actually. We took a break in the spring of 1982 and now we’ve decided it’s time to end it. They say it’s foolhardy to wait more than 40 years between albums, so we’ve recorded a follow-up to “The Visitors”. To tell the truth, the main inspiration to record again comes from our involvement in creating the strangest and most spectacular concert you could ever dream of. We’re going to be able to sit back in an audience and watch our digital selves perform our songs on a stage in a custom-built arena in London next spring. Weird and wonderful! To all of you who patiently have followed us in some way or another these past decades: Thank you for waiting -it’s time for a new journey to begin.

Benny Anderson:

“We simply call it “Voyage” and we’re truly sailing in uncharted waters. With the help of our younger selves, we travel into the future. It’s not easy to explain but then it hasn’t been done before.” “It’s hard to say what’s been the most joyful thing for me with this project. If it’s the involvement in creating the concert together with everyone or being back in the studio together again after 40 years. I think hearing Frida and Agnetha singing again is hard to beat. When you come to the arena you will have the four of us together with an absolutely glorious 10-piece band. And even if not in the flesh, we will be right there, thanks to the work of the creative team and ILM.”

Anni-Frid Lyngstad:

“Those first sessions back in 2018 were such fun and when Benny called and asked if I’d consider singing some more I jumped at it! And what songs!! My respect and love go out to these exceptionally talented, truly genius songwriters! Such joy it was to work with the group again. I am so happy with what we have made, and I dearly hope our fans feel the same.”

Agnetha Fältskog:

“When we got back together in the studio I had no idea what to expect...But Benny’s recording studio is such a friendly and safe environment, and before I knew it I was really enjoying myself! I can hardly believe that finally, the moment has come to share this with the world!”

Björn Kristian Ulvaeus:

“They’re such amazing singers those two, I was completely floored by the way they delivered those songs. They’re true musicians; totally unimpressed by pop star glamour but still having a great time being creative in a recording studio. The “Voyage” project has injected new life into us in more ways than one.”“So, again, thanks for waiting! We hope to see you in the “ABBA Arena” and yes - see - because we have infused a good deal of our souls into those avatars. It’s not an exaggeration to say that we’re back.”

ABBA, one of the most successful pop groups of all time, have announced that, for the first time in 40 years they are back, with a revolutionary new concert that will see Agnetha, Björn, Benny and Anni-Frid performing digitally with a live 10-piece band, in a purpose-built arena in London from May 27th 2022, and a brand new studio album.

The digital versions of ABBA have been created following weeks and months of motion-capture and performance techniques with the four band members and an 850-strong team from Industrial Light & Magic, the company founded by George Lucas, in what is the company’s first foray into music.

Now, 40 years since their last studio album The Visitors, ABBA have not only recorded two new songs, ‘I Still Have Faith In You’ and ‘Don’t Shut Me Down’, that will both feature in the concert, but they have recorded and produced an entire new album. Recorded together at Benny’s studio Riksmixningsverket in Stockholm, Voyage will be released worldwide on November 5th on Capitol Records.

ABBA Voyage will open May 27th 2022 at the ABBA Arena, a state-of-the-art 3,000 capacity arena located at Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park in London. Pre-registration for tickets opens at 6pm tonight on abbavoyage.com with tickets on general sale from Tuesday September 7th, see below for more details.

Svana Gisla, Producer, and Ludvig Andersson, Producer:

“The magic of ABBA and the herculean efforts of this whole magnificent team reaches a long awaited milestone today. To be able to finally share this endeavour with the world is a proud moment for us and we can't wait to welcome you to our arena in East London, a place where we are so happy to be.”

Baillie Walsh, Director:

"I watched ABBA win the Eurovision song contest in 1974, and never did I imagine that 47 years later I would be with them on this extraordinary voyage. Life is weird and wonderful sometimes."

Wayne McGregor, Choreographer: “Imagine: growing up in the North of England in the 70’s and learning to ballroom, Latin and disco dance to the incredible songs of ABBA. I was 8 and I was totally transported. Fast forward to 2020, being in Sweden and dancing with ABBA - in real life! I was about to be 50 and I was totally transported again. That is the magic of ABBA. We have shared many creative and joyful adventures with a bold collaborative team to make the impossible possible for ABBA Voyage: technological wizardry, state of the art immersion and entertainment innovation. And still at its searing heart we simply have new songs, new moves, classic songs, classic moves: ABBA is DANCE and always will be. See you on the dancefloor”.

Sir Lucian Grainge, Chairman & CEO, Universal Music Group:

“From the very beginning of my career, and having had the privilege to work with them directly for many years since, it's been a tremendous joy to be surrounded by ABBA and their music. Their boundless creativity and timeless melodies makes us want to partner with them on everything they do because we know it will be simply great.”

The music video for ‘I Still Have Faith In You’ has been directed by Shynola.

Tickets for ABBA Voyage are available from 10am Sunday September 5th for fans who have pre-ordered the album from the official ABBA store, and from 10am MondaySeptember 6th for those who have pre-registered. General on sale commences 10am Tuesday September 7th. Head to abbavoyage.com. ABBA’s studio album Voyage will be released November 5th on Capitol Records.

Expanded 50th anniversary edition of L.A. Woman by The Doors on the way

The Doors found their mojo (and Mr. Mojo Risin’) in November 1970 as they recorded L.A. Woman over six days at the Workshop, the band’s rehearsal space on Santa Monica Boulevard. A success both critically and commercially, the album was certified double-platinum and contains the Top 20 hit “Love Her Madly,” popular “Riders On The Storm,” and the title track.

To commemorate the album’s 50-year anniversary, Rhino releases a 3-CD/1-LP set that will be available on December 3. L.A. WOMAN: 50TH ANNIVERSARY DELUXE EDITION includes the original album newly remastered by The Doors’ longtime engineer and mixer Bruce Botnick, two bonus discs of unreleased studio outtakes, and the stereo mix of the original album on 180-gram virgin vinyl. The music will also be available from digital and streaming services the same day, as will a new Dolby Atmos mix of the original album by Botnick.

The previously unheard original demo of “Riders On The Storm” from the early recording sessions for the album at Sunset Sound studios is available digitally. The demo was recently discovered on an unmarked tape reel in the band’s vault after being assumed lost for decades. The recording was done with producer Paul A. Rothchild, who famously referred to the demo as “cocktail music.” This led to Rothchild departing the project, with the band opting to co-produce the album with Botnick.

For this new collection, the original album has been expanded with more than two hours of unreleased recordings taken from the sessions for L.A. Woman, allowing the listener to experience the progression of each song as it developed in the studio. An early demo for “Hyacinth House” recorded at Robby Krieger’s home studio in 1969 is also included.

The outtakes feature Jim Morrison, John Densmore, Robby Krieger, and Ray Manzarek working in the studio with two additional musicians. The first was rhythm guitarist Marc Benno, who worked with Leon Russell in The Asylum Choir. The other was bassist Jerry Scheff, who was a member of Elvis Presley’s TCB band.

In the studio, Botnick says in a press release that the band took a more organic approach to recording instead of starting and stopping repeatedly to achieve technical perfection. “The previously unreleased reels here – serial takes of ‘The Changeling,’ ‘Love Her Madly,’ ‘Riders On The Storm,’ and ‘L.A. Woman’ – depict a band obsessed with groove while executing turns and flourishes with the precision of a well-drilled soul combo…The idea was to go from song to song, to let it flow.”

Among the outtakes of album tracks, you can also hear the band doing classic blues songs that Morrison once described as “original blues.” There are takes of Junior Parker’s “Mystery Train,” John Lee Hooker’s “Crawling King Snake,” Big Joe Williams’ “Baby Please Don’t Go,” and “Get Out Of My Life Woman,” Lee Dorsey’s funky 1966 classic, written by his producer Allen Toussaint.

The collection’s liner notes were written by veteran rock journalist David Fricke. This album would be the last with Morrison, who died in Paris a few months after its release.

L.A. WOMAN: 50TH ANNIVERSARY DELUXE EDITION

CD Track Listing

Disc One: Original Stereo Mix Remastered

1. “The Changeling”
2. “Love Her Madly”
3. “Been Down So Long”
4. “Cars Hiss By My Window”
5. “L.A. Woman”
6. “L’America”
7. “Hyacinth House”
8. “Crawling King Snake”
9. “The WASP (Texas Radio And The Big Beat)”
10. “Riders On The Storm”
Bonus Tracks
11. “Hyacinth House” – Demo
12. “Riders On The Storm” – Sunset Sound Version - Original Demo*

Disc Two: L.A. Woman Sessions, Part 1
1. “The Changeling” *
2. “Love Her Madly” *
3. “Riders On The Storm” *
4. “L.A. Woman” (Part 1) *

Disc Three: L.A. Woman Sessions, Part 2
1. “L.A. Woman” (Part 2) *
2. “She Smells So Nice” *
3. “Rock Me Baby” *
4. “Mr. Mojo Risin’” *
5. “Baby Please Don’t Go” *
6. “L.A. Woman” (Part 3) *
7. “Been Down So Long” *
8. “Get Out Of My Life Woman” *
9. “Crawling King Snake” *
10. “The Bastard Son Of Jimmy & Mama Reed (Cars Hiss By My Window)” *
11. “Been Down So Long” *
12. “Mystery Train” *
13. “The WASP (Texas Radio And The Big Beat)” *

Sting news

Sting's new album The Bridge is due Nov. 19 via A&M/Interscope/Cherrytree Records and is available for pre-order here (full track listing included below). The first single, “If It's Love" is out now.

Lead track “If It’s Love” is available now on all digital platforms. The tune takes a different approach to a straight-forward love song, Sting likens contemplating his romantic feelings to calling the doctor about his symptoms.

"I’m certainly not the first songwriter to equate falling in or out of love with an incurable sickness, nor will I be the last,” says Sting in a press release. “’If It’s Love’ is my addition to that canon where the tropes of metaphorical symptoms, diagnosis, and downright incapacity are all familiar enough to make each of us smile ruefully."

The Bridge was written in a year of global pandemic and finds Sting ruminating on personal loss, separation, disruption, lockdown, and extraordinary social and political turmoil.

Exploring a multitude of concepts and themes, a “bridge” represents the enduring and ever-evolving link between ideas, cultures, continents, and even the banks of a river. It’s also a route into the past, and so it was that Sting found himself considering the music and the places that have formed his own foundations, and that indeed are embedded in his very DNA.

He explains, “These songs are between one place and another, between one state of mind and another, between life and death, between relationships. Between pandemics, and between eras – politically, socially and psychologically, all of us are stuck in the middle of something. We need a bridge.”

Representing various stages and styles from throughout his career and drawing inspiration from genres including rock n’ roll, jazz, classical music and folk, the album also finds Sting collaborating with his long-time guitarist and “right and left-hand,” Dominic Miller.

Written and recorded over the last year in lockdown, musician contributors include Miller, Josh Freese (drums), Branford Marsalis (saxophone), Manu Katché (drums), Martin Kierszenbaum (keyboards), Fred Renaudin (synthesizer) and backing vocalists Melissa Musique, Gene Noble, Jo Lawry and Laila Biali, The Bridge grapples with the murky origins of the folk ballads in Cecil Sharp’s ‘Collection of English Folk Songs’, to J. Robert Oppenheimer, from the Roman history of Northumbria to Saint Thomas.

All songs on The Bridge are produced by Sting and Martin Kierszenbaum, except “Loving You” produced by Sting, Maya Jane Coles and Martin Kierszenbaum. 

The Bridge will be released in multiple formats, including standard and deluxe CD and vinyl, Japanese Exclusive standard and deluxe albums, all digital streaming and download platforms, as well as a music cassette. The deluxe CD and vinyl will include bonus tracks “Waters of Tyne,” “Captain Bateman’s Basement,” and “(Sittin’ on) The Dock of the Bay.”

Both Japanese exclusives will be on SHM-CD including the additional bonus track “I Guess the Lord Must Be in New York City,” while the deluxe version will also include a DVD with an interview and track by track discussion with Sting, as well as music videos for “If It’s Love” and “Rushing Water.”

Later this month, Sting will return to the live arena with a performance in Sicily on September 27 followed by concerts at the historic Odeon of Herodes Atticus in Athens on September 30 and October 1.

Soon after, he will launch My Songs: The Las Vegas Residency beginning October 29 at the The Colosseum at Caesars Palace featuring a compendium of his most beloved songs with dynamic, visual references to some of his most iconic videos and inspirations.

Track Listing:

1. Rushing Water
2. If It’s Love
3. The Book of Numbers
4. Loving You
5. Harmony Road
6. For Her Love
7. The Hills on the Border
8. Captain Bateman
9. The Bells of St. Thomas
10. The Bridge
11. Waters of Tyne (Deluxe bonus track)
12. Captain Bateman’s Basement (Deluxe bonus track)
13. (Sittin’ on) The Dock of the Bay (Deluxe bonus track)

*(Japanese exclusive bonus track)
14. I Guess the Lord Must Be in New York City

Elton John in collaboration mode on 'The Lockdown Sessions'

Elton John's upcoming release, ‘The Lockdown Sessions,’ is an album of collaborations recorded remotely over the last 18 months. It will be released on October 22 via Interscope Records.

Pre-order here: https://EltonJohn.lnk.to/TheLockdownSessionsPR

In March 2020 Elton was forced to pause his record breaking Farewell Yellow Brick Road tour due to the unfolding COVID pandemic. As the world began to shut down, different projects presented themselves with artists Elton had enjoyed getting to know through his Apple Music show Rocket Hour. This was the beginning of ‘The Lockdown Sessions’.

Everything kicks off with current single ‘Cold Heart (PNAU Remix)’ feat. Dua Lipa. There are 16 tracks - 10 new and unreleased. Grammy Award winning producer Andrew Watt on five of the tracks.

Said Elton, in a press release, “The last thing I expected to do during lockdown was make an album. But, as the pandemic went on, one‐off projects kept cropping up. Some of the recording sessions had to be done remotely, via Zoom, which I’d obviously never done before. Some of the sessions were recorded under very stringent safety regulations: working with another artist, but separated by glass screens. But all the tracks I worked on were really interesting and diverse, stuff that was completely different to anything I’m known for, stuff that took me out of my comfort zone into completely new territory. And I realised there was something weirdly familiar about working like this. At the start of my career, in the late 60s, I worked as a session musician. Working with different artists during lockdown reminded me of that. I’d come full circle: I was a session musician again. And it was still a blast.”

Track list:

Elton John & Dua Lipa – Cold Heart (PNAU Remix)
Elton John, Young Thug & Nicki Minaj – Always Love You
Surfaces feat. Elton John – Learn To Fly
Elton John & Charlie Puth – After All
Rina Sawayama & Elton John – Chosen Family
Gorillaz feat. Elton John & 6LACK – The Pink Phantom
Elton John & Years & Years – It's a sin (global reach mix)
Miley Cyrus feat. WATT, Elton John, Yo-Yo Ma, Robert Trujillo & Chad Smith – Nothing Else Matters
Elton John & SG Lewis – Orbit
Elton John & Brandi Carlile – Simple Things
Jimmie Allen & Elton John – Beauty In The Bones
Lil Nas X feat. Elton John – One Of Me
Elton John & Eddie Vedder – E-Ticket
Elton John & Stevie Wonder – Finish Line
Elton John & Stevie Nicks – Stolen Car
Glen Campbell & Elton John – I’m Not Gonna Miss You

Sam Outlaw returns with new music in November

Los Angeles-bred “SoCal Country” singer Sam Outlaw will release ‘Popular Mechanics’ on November 12. Solely writing seven of the album’s 11 tracks, Outlaw fuses the sounds of his favorite artists of the ‘80s - Kenny Loggins, Cyndi Lauper, Tom Petty - with stories influenced by the great innovators of the 20th century and the engineers that make up his own family tree.

Outlaw’s country-leaning albums 'Angeleno' (2015) and 'Tenderheart' (2017) garnered appearances on CBS Saturday Morning, NPR, The New Yorker, Wall Street Journal and more. 

In early 2018, he shelved some new material he recorded in Southern California. Following his cross-country move to Music City that same year, Outlaw found unexpected inspiration during a visit from his father, a mechanical engineer, and it prompted him to shift his focus to the technological side of music creation. The epiphany came when he connected industrial machines with the role technology plays in recorded music. Growing up on the hits of the ‘80s, an incredible time of transformation in music history, he remembers everything came into focus for the album once he envisioned the title, ‘Popular Mechanics'

“I’ve always loved ‘80s music so I started learning about the engineers and music producers from that era, like Trevor Horn, Mutt Lange, Neil Dorfsman,” says Outlaw. “It was a time when the producer and the recording engineer were as critical to the creative process as the artists. Those producers pushed the technology to achieve their creative vision because their inspiration was not so much the music of the past, but the possibilities of the future.”

Curating this project with vinyl in mind, the first six songs (Side A) have fretless bass, synthesizers, drum machines and stacked vocals. “Polyamorous” was inspired by the true story love triangle that created Wonder Woman in the 1940s. Side B features some flourishing strings and layered guitars.

“Up until now, the music I’ve made really only shows one side of myself, but I put my whole heart on the line with 'Popular Mechanics,'" Outlaw explains. "I hope listeners will approach this album with open minds because creative expression is, after all, the shared celebration of the creative spirit that lives inside every one of us."

Outlaw has opened for the likes of Kacey Musgraves, Dwight Yoakam and more, and prior to the release of ‘Popular Mechanics,’ he’ll perform three back-to-back shows at his own neighborhood bar in East Nashville, The Underdog, on October 7, 8, and 9. Tickets are on-sale now at samoutlaw.com/tour.

‘Popular Mechanics’ Track List:

1. Here On a Mission (Sam Outlaw)

2. Popular Mechanics (Sam Outlaw, Cheyenne Medders)
3. Half a World Away (Sam Outlaw)
4. For The Rest of Our Lives (Sam Outlaw, Steven Fiore)
5. Sun Ain’t Set (Sam Outlaw)
6. Polyamorous (Sam Outlaw)
7. Stay The Night (Sam Outlaw)
8. Bad Enough (Sam Outlaw)
9. Language of Love (Sam Outlaw)
10. Daydreaming (Sam Outlaw, Cheyenne Medders)
11. When You Feel It (Sam Outlaw, Sean Van Vleet)