Aerosmith May Be Releasing Stuff From The Archives Soon
Aerosmith has teased that they are working on archival releases. “From the 1970s to 2020s, we have a lot of classic Aerosmith things coming from the archives,” the band shared on social media. Aerosmith has released a number of their classics in the past, recently releasing a 50th anniversary vinyl of “Get Your Wings” and a 35th anniversary edition of “Pump” for starters. The post from Aerosmith is just a small hint at what they’ve got in store…but with their huge back catalogue of studio albums, live albums, and more…there’s plenty for fans to look forward to.
SAMMY HAGAR: One Out Two Ain't Bad
One of the two truckloads of Sammy Hagar and celebrity chef partner Guy Fieri's Santo Tequila that were hijacked in Laredo, Texas last November has been recovered. Hagar says, "We’ll never find the second one because it supposedly has been dispersed into the system," adding that it was “well planned” and that, “There was some kind of organization, I can’t talk too much about it, but we’re finding out who it was.” The trucks were transporting 4040 cases of tequila -- 24,240 bottles -- with a value of around $1 million. They had Blanco, Reposado and a specially made extra Añejo, which took 39 months to create. Fieri compared the heist to the mafia robbing $5.875 million in money and jewels from the Lufthansa cargo terminal at Kennedy Airport in New York on December 11th, 1978. "It's like a movie -- I never in a million years thought this was coming down the pike like this, but it's real." Hagar has posted a video on Instagram of him sampling a bottle of the extra Añejo from the heist, saying, "You have to taste it to believe it." Hagar will be back on stage with a solo show at the San Antonio Stock Show & Rodeo in San Antonio, Texas on February 20th and the 21st in Thackerville, Oklahoma.
NEIL YOUNG: Vedder, Doobies, Lumineers on New Tribute
Neil Young is the subject of a new all-star tribute album due out on April 25th. Heart of Gold: The Songs of Neil Young Volume One includes performances by Eddie Vedder, The Doobie Brothers, The Lumineers, Mumford & Sons, Brandi Carlile and Sharon Van Etten. All proceeds from the album will go to The Bridge School. The first single from the album is Courtney Barnett's take on "Lotta Love," which originally appeared on 1978's Comes a Time and was a Top 10 hit when covered by Nicolette Larson. Check out a video for it on YouTube. Young has been the subject of many tribute albums over the years, with the first and most famous being 1989's The Bridge. That featured such acts as Soul Asylum, the Pixies and Dinosaur Jr.
Heart of Gold: The Songs of Neil Young Volume One track listing:
1.Brandi Carlile - “Philadelphia”
2.Fiona Apple - “Heart of Gold”
3.Mumford & Sons - “Harvest”
4.Eddie Vedder - “The Needle and The Damage Done”
5.Courtney Barnett - “Lotta Love”
6.Stephen Marley - “Old Man”
7.Sharon Van Etten - “Here We Are In The Years”
8.Lumineers - “Sugar Mountain”
9.The Doobie Brothers with Allison Russell - “Comes A Time”
10.Steve Earle - “Long May You Run”
11.Rodney Crowell - “Mr. Soul”
12.Anders Osborne - “Cowgirl in the Sand”
13.Charlie Greene - “Such A Woman”
14.Chris Pierce - “Southern Man”
BRYAN ADAMS: Still Rolling
Bryan Adams has released the title track and video to his forthcoming album, Roll With the Punches. Co-written with producer Mutt Lange, Adams says, "'Roll With the Punches' is a song about resilience and the spirit of getting back up no matter how hard you’ve been knocked down. This song is for everyone who’s ever felt defeated but chose to fight another day.
"I believe the song captures the idea of getting through things when confronted with challenges and disappointment by simply rocking out!" Adams is winding down his tour in support of his last album, 2022's So Happy it Hurts, with dates in Australia through February 15th in Melbourne. He'll start the Roll With the Punches tour on March 2nd in Thackerville, Oklahoma followed by seven shows at the Wynn in Las Vegas from March 7th through the 16th. The new album will be out later this year.
ELTON & BRANDI: They Believe in Videos
Elton John and Brandi Carlile have followed up last Wednesday's release of the title track to their album Who Believes In Angels?, with a video for it. Directed by Elton's longtime collaborator David LaChapelle, the video is a kaleidoscopic tribute to the rock & roll angels who continue to inspire successive generations. It shows Elton and Brandi performing on a giant Elton John Captain Fantastic pinball machine, playing a winged piano and guitar respectively, while Tina Turner and Little Richard impersonators shimmy amongst pink clouds and neon lights. LaChapelle says, "We made a magical world that reminds us of where we’ve been as kids - that dreams do come true - and creating together with your heroes can be a sublime experience.”
When Elton recorded the song, Brandi says he broke down. "The glasses came off; his whole body crumpled over the piano. He wept. I put my arms around him and held him... "We’re having this really profound moment where Elton has come face-to-face with his mortality without really being able to say it. “When he looks up, we’re like, ‘What’s he gonna say?’ And he goes, ‘Is it too Lion King?’” “I said, ‘No, no!’ [Producer] Andrew [Watt] burst out laughing. Elton burst out laughing. It was unbelievable. At first, it was the saddest thing I’ve ever seen, and then it got really funny, really fast.” And Elton says Bernie Taupin’s lyrics “touched a nerve because I have children now and I have a husband, and it’s not just being Elton on his own, it’s wanting to be with the people I love.” Who Believes in Angels? will be released on April 4th.
ELTON JOHN: Patience Is Still Not His Virtue
Elton John not only became very emotional when trying to record the title track to his new album with Brandi Carlile, Who Believes in Angels?, but is anger also reared its ugly head during the sessions. He tells The Guardian, “I was very grumpy, I was tired, I didn’t feel well and I was extremely nervous. And that nervousness caused quite a few sparks to fly."
Brandi says those sparks included smashing his iPad and headphones. "There were really amazing, classic Elton John outbursts. My lyrics got torn up and thrown on the ground – he goes: ‘F*** off, Brandi.’ He would yell: ‘Predictable! Cliche!’”She goes onto say that while she didn't tell him he crossed the line, she adds that "there were definitely points that I felt that...
“Elton doesn’t want to be put on a pedestal. He doesn’t like listening to stories of my childhood love for him. There was so much riding on my perception of Elton versus who Elton really is.” But the longer the sessions went on, Elton says he became more patient. “It wasn’t me being anxious about other people, it was me being anxious about me. Once we got through the first three songs, we knew we had something. And I was much more relaxed … but I was a bit of a nightmare.” Who Believes in Angels? will be released on April 4th.
Jimi Hendrix Named Best Guitarist Of All Time
Jimi Hendrix is being named the best guitarist of all time.That's according to a list compiled by The Top Tens. The website says Hendrix is "consistently ranked on lists of musicians who died too soon." The musician passed away in 1970 after a drug overdose. Other musicians who made the list include Led Zeppelin's JImmy Page, Van Halen's Eddie Van Halen, Eric Clapton, and Guns N' Roses Slash.
IN OTHER NEWS
Bruce Springsteen has resumed his once-a-month live archival release with a show from his Devils & Dust tour – Pontiac Theatre at GM Place [Vancouver], August 13th, 2005. Included in this show was “Living Proof” off his 1992 album, Lucky Town. You can find it on YouTube.
Due to overwhelming demand, the FireAid streaming partners – including Amazon Prime Video, Apple TV, iHeart, MAX, Netflix, Paramount+, Peacock, SiriusXM, TikTok, and YouTube – have extended on-demand access to the January 30th benefit concert for an entire year. And, Los Angeles Clippers owner Steve Ballmer has extended his commitment of matching every streaming donation dollar for dollar. Last month’s concert at two venues in Inglewood, California raised over $100 million.
A Complete Unknown, the Bob Dylan biopic, won Best Picture/Best Movie for Grownups
and Best Time Capsule at AARP’s Movies for Grownups Awards Saturday at the Beverly Wilshire Hotel in Beverly Hills, California. The awards will air on Great Performances on PBS, its website and app on February 23rd at 7pm ET.
Don McLean reissued three albums on Friday – Believers, Chain Lightning, and Prime Time. He says, “It’s incredible to see these albums getting new life. The songs on these records hold deep meaning for me, and I’m grateful [they’re] available to longtime fans and a whole new generation of music lovers."
Triumph's Rik Emmett was recently hospitalized for eight hours due to food poisoning. He says, “I can cross off ‘Ambulance Ride to Emergency’ from my bucket list. Who knew that food poisoning could start with vertigo so bad one imagines they are having a stroke? … Spent over eight hours in a hospital emergency department, tethered to your very own mobile IV dolly: you’ll gain all kinds of perspectives for humility and gratitude, as you witness folks having far, far worse days than yourself… This queen is resolved towards a little less drama for a bit.” Emmett will release an instrumental album, Ten Telecaster Tales, on March 1st.
Oasis will reissue their fourth album, Standing on the Shoulder of Giants, in three different vinyl variants for its 25th anniversary on February 28th. The group has also released a new lyric video for the first single from the album, "Go Let It Out." Check it out on YouTube.
Billy Idol has shared a behind-the-scenes look at the making of his It's a Nice Day to...Tour Again video with comedian Matt Rife, Joan Jett and Steve Stevens. Watch it now on YouTube.