Metallica are inviting fans to cover all the songs on their 1996 album Load for a chance to win album merch and a grand prize of the Load Super Deluxe box set. The contest runs now through December, and the first song to be covered is "2 X 4." Head to the band's Google form for all the details.
PAUL McCARTNEY: Wings Set to Take Flight Again
Paul McCartney has another anthology collection on the way. Simply titled Wings, it's described as the "ultimate anthology" of his post-Beatles band. It contains 32 tracks spread over two CDs or three LPs with all the usual suspects - “Band on the Run, “Live and Let Die,” “Jet,” "My Love," “Let 'Em In” and 27 others. There is also a three-LP limited-edition color vinyl collection, as well as one CD and LP versions, and Blu-ray, marking the first time Wings songs are available on a physical format in Dolby Atmos. And all physical formats come with a booklet including an introduction from McCartney. Set for release on November 7th, you can watch the trailer for it on YouTube.
THE CARS: Good Times Roll, Again?
A new book about The Cars has revealed that the three living members -- Greg Hawkes, Elliot Easton and David Robinson -- have been working on unreleased demos from the late Ric Ocasek the past few years. Author Bill Janovitz writes in The Cars: Let the Stories Be Told
that back in 2020 the band's manager, Jeff Kramer, and Ocasek's "right-hand man" David "Heg" Heglmeier sent Hawkes eighteen or so songs that Ric had recorded to see if the keyboardist could do something with them. (Ocasek died in 2019.)
After some initial work by Hawkes, Heglmeier sent over more songs. One track, "I Just Can't Stay," was sung by their late bassist Ben Orr and pre-dates The Cars. (Orr died in 2000.)
Hawkes called it "the most 'Free as a Bird'," a reference to the John Lennon demo that the three surviving Beatles finished. Hawkes told Janovitz that he wanted to get Easton and Robinson involved in the project and that "it took a while to even get David to do it," and that Easton didn't start adding guitar parts until the summer of 2024. As for when these recordings might come out, Janovitz writes, "David, Elliot, and Greg -- and the estates of Ric and Ben -- have remained a business partnership for nearly 50 years. They were all optimistic that disagreements about Cars business would not get in the way of giving their fans unheard Cars music." The Cars: Let the Stories Be Told will be published on September 30th.
JOE PERRY: He Made It
Aerosmith guitarist Joe Perry celebrates a milestone birthday today (Wednesday) as he turns 75. He was born Joseph Anthony Pereira on September 10th, 1950, in Lawrence, Mass. Not only is this birthday a milestone, but perhaps a miracle as he has:
·Overcome drug addiction
·Hit rock bottom not only with his addictions, but also with Aerosmith, which he quit for five years
·Navigated being in a band with Steven Tyler
·Dealt with a handful of health issues
·Survived a 2010 motorcycle crash
On the positive side, he's a member of both the Rock & Roll and Songwriters Hall of Fame; recorded eight albums; created a line of hot sauces; has a successful second marriage and three sons; has done some acting; is a gun collector; and he keeps busy with The Joe Perry Project, which will be on the road again next week, and The Hollywood Vampires, the band with Alice Cooper and Johnny Depp.
Nikki Sixx: Being A Rock Star Is "Overrated"
Motley Crue bassist Nikki Sixx says "being a rock star is over-rated." In a social media post, Sixx says he's looking forward to the band's ten-show residency at Dolby Live at Park MGM in Las Vegas, which kicks off this Friday.But he says being on the road is "old" and that he wants to spend more time with family, particularly his children and grandchildren. Sixx says he's working on a number of projects and they "all involve music." Sixx added that "Being a creative is where it's at. The future is exciting and the past was a blast."
JIMI HENDRIX: More From the Well That Never Runs Dry
Jimi Hendrix recorded only three albums, yet he seems to have recorded more material than artists from that time who are still recording. Case in point is the new expanded edition of his second album, 1967's Axis: Bold as Love. Titled Bold as Love, it contains the album in both mono and stereo, and 40 bonus tracks consisting of alternate versions of songs, unreleased studio takes, demos, live tracks and TV performances. And "shockingly," 28 of them have never been released, including a demo of “Stone Free/Up From the Skies,” which is out now on YouTube.
Jimi's half-sister Janie Hendrix, CEO of Experience Hendrix, says, “Jimi was fearless in his artistic expression. Each song, each lyrical composition was and is an invitation for those listening to be free to feel, His music was an unapologetic statement of how he perceived the world and all the emotions it evoked. Bold as Love is the creative embodiment of those feelings. [This] set masterfully reintroduces the beauty of Jimi’s musical depth, highlighting a significant segment of not just his career, but his life.” Bold as Love will be released on November 7th as a five-LP+ Blu-ray or four-CD+Blu-ray set.
DONALD FAGEN: Does it Again
Donald Fagen made a rare public appearance Saturday, nearly a year after the death of his wife -- singer-songwriter and promoter Libby Titus on October 13th, 2024. He sat in on keyboards at The Helm Family Midnight Ramble at the late Levon Helm's home studio /
performance space in Woodstock, New York, turning in an organ solo on "The Weight" by The Band, which Helm was a member of. Prior to marrying Fagen in 1993, Libby Titus was romantically involved with Levon, and they had a daughter, Amy Helm, who followed in her parents' footsteps and is now a singer-songwriter. Libby remained with Helm through much of the 1970s. Amy was also part of Saturday's show.
NINE INCH NAILS: The Sound of the Magic Kingdom
When Nine Inch Nails released "Closer" over three decades ago it would be hard to comprehand Trent Reznor's work being featured at Walt Disney World ride, but here we are.
Disney announced that selections from the Tron: Ares soundtrack will be played at at the Tron Lightcycle Run roller coaster starting on September 15th. The coaster will also feature a "brand-new overlay’ to match the vibes of the film" and the "pulsating industrial sounds of Nine Inch Nails will drive the ride’s energy, pushing your experience between the Grid and reality into a fully immersive, futuristic symphony of light, speed, and sound." The new coaster soundtrack will run for a "limited time," most likely until Tron: Ares hits theaters on October 10th. The soundtrack will be out on September 19th.
Brewer & Shipley's Tom Shipley Dies
Tom Shipley of the 1970s duo Brewer and Shipley is dead. According to the New York Times, Shipley's son confirmed that he died at the age of 84 in a Columbia, Missouri hospital on August 24th. A cause of death was not disclosed. The duo is best known for their 1971 top ten hit "One Toke Over the Line," a light-hearted song about over-indulging in marijuana. Mike Brewer, the other half of the duo, said in a 2016 interview they wrote the song one night to "amuse" themselves, but ended up playing it as an encore during a Carnegie Hall show after they "ran out of songs." Brewer died last December at the age of 80.
IN OTHER NEWS
A 1957 Gretsch Chet Atkins 6120 electric guitar that Jimmy Page bought in Nashville in 1972 for just under $300 sold for just over $135,000 at auction yesterday (Tuesday). The guitar was originally part of a sweepstakes between the British magazine NME (New Musical Express) and Led Zeppelin over 50 years ago in which readers had to match six guitars with their superstar owners.
Robert Plant and Saving Grace, and David Byrne will headline the Big Ears festival, March 26th through the 29th in Knoxville, Tennessee.
The Doors are releasing a Blu-ray box set of their six studio albums with Jim Morrison in celebration of their 60th anniversary. Featuring Dolby Atmos, 5.1 surround and high-resolution stereo mixes of each album, The Doors – Immersed 1967-1971 contains 1967’s The Doors and Strange Days, 1968’s Waiting for the Sun, 1969’s The Soft Parade, 1970’s Morrison Hotel, and 1971’s L.A. Woman. It will be out October 24th, a week after Greatest Hits is released on October 17th as part of the Rhino Reserves premium vinyl series.
The video for Van Halen’s "Not Enough" off their last album with Sammy Hagar, 1995’s Balance, has been remastered in HD for the recently released expanded edition of Balance. You can watch it on YouTube.
Jack White went to see Nine Inch Nails Saturday in Nashville, and he and Trent Reznor took a photo together after the show. White wrote, " I was enthralled to attend the NIN show in Nashville with family and friends, not only for the intense and beautiful music but the best lighting that I've ever seen in a show. Very inspiring. Folks should look closely for the ["Copy of A"] projection work when you attend. Respect to Reznor."
Tesla guitarist Frank Hannon has shared one more track from his album, Reflections, due out on Friday. Check out a live take on "Plank Spankin'" on YouTube.
David Byrne's promo tour for his new album, Who Is the Sky?, took him to Criterion and its series of "Closet" videos, where artists discuss some of their favorite films in the company's catalog. Watch it now on YouTube.
The Zombies’ singer Colin Blunstone and original bassist Chris White will celebrate the mono reissue of their second album, Odessey and Oracle, on September 26th by doing an acoustic performance and Q&A session on the 25th at the EartH Theatre in London, and a listening party and Q&A at Pioneer Club in the band’s hometown of St. Albans, England on October 1st.
Cheap Trick guitarist Rick Nielsen will sign bottles of his ROCK'N Vodka thai Sunday at Total Wine and More in Port St. Lucie, Florida between 1pm and 4pm. He says, “Stop by and get a bottle signed if you want me to tell you more about our new album All Washed Up. I'll sign other things for you, too.”