All photos by Sophie Bouquillon. You can contact her through Instagram or Twitter
Photo Gallery: The Used with Pierce The Veil and DEATHBYROMY at Toronto’s RBC Echo Beach
All photos by Mini’s Memories. You can contact her through Instagram or Twitter
Never-Seen-Before Backstage Footage During Live Aid In 1985
Live Aid, the greatest concert of all time took place on July 13, 1985. This rare footage shows absolutely fascinating, never-seen-before insights into the backstage preparations and activities before, during and after the show. It features many of the world’s most renowned music artists rubbing shoulders and uniquely captures the excitement of the day.
Live Aid was organised by Bob Geldof and Midge Ure to raise funds for the Ethiopian famine disaster. Broadcast across the world via one of the largest satellite link-ups of all time, the concerts were seen by around 40% of the global population.
Footage Inside A Tower Records In 1995
This Tower Records in Rockville, Maryland is a place I’d hang out for a day or so.
Kate Bush’s ‘Running Up That Hill’ On The Electro-Dulcimer
ItDJthefirst’s self-playing electromechanical dulcimer performs a cool rendition of the Kate Bush track Running up That Hill (A Deal with God).
Photo Gallery: Dierks Bentley with Jordan Davis and Molly Tuttle at Toronto’s Budweiser Stage
All photos by Mini’s Memories. You can contact her through Instagram or Twitter
Paul McCartney’s “Live And Let Die” Released In Dolby Atmos For 50th Anniversary
50 years after its release, Live and Let Die is as relevant and powerful as it was in 1973. In the climax to his already legendary Glastonbury headline performance last summer, Paul signaled his set was drawing to a close, accompanied with dramatic pyrotechnics and towering walls of flame as he rocked Worthy Farm with Live and Let Die – chosen by many as one of the show’s literally dozens of standout moments – and underlining the song’s enduring impact on several generations.
Live and Let Die exploded onto the early 1970s scene, instantly becoming a defining moment in the soundtrack of the decade. The song is packed with characteristics of Paul McCartney’s adventurous songwriting that have come to define pop culture over the last 60 years: The soulful intro, the bombastic chorus, the hard rock riffage, the dynamic instrumentation, the reggae, the orchestra… and somehow it all fits perfectly into 3 minutes and 12 seconds.
Unlike many of his compositions, Live and Let Die was a commission: Paul was approached in 1972 to see if he might want to write a song for the upcoming James Bond film of the same name. Having held a secret ambition to write a Bond song, initially Paul was unsure that his song was in fact ‘Bondian’ enough and was worried how it might hold up to songs like Goldfinger and From Russia With Love. The song, which became an international smash hit single upon release, now regularly tops the “Best Bond Theme” polls each time a new Bond film comes along. The first Bond song to earn an Academy Award nomination for Best Original Song, Live and Let Die also went on to win a Grammy Award in 1974.
Live and Let Die also carries the distinction of being Paul’s first post-Beatles track produced in full by George Martin. George was doing the music for the film and worked with Paul on the orchestral arrangements which Paul described as a “perfectly stated balance of grandiose, without being over the top.”
To celebrate its 50th anniversary, Live and Let Die has been mixed in Dolby Atmos by Giles Martin (George’s son) and Steve Orchard. This special mix provides an immersive experience for the listener. Fans will hear the track in a completely new way – putting them right in the heart of the action and acting as a reminder as to why Live and Let Die has become a timeless and universally beloved classic.
Brian May + Friends: Star Fleet Project Special 40th Anniversary Edition To Be Released July 14, 2023
When Queen took a break for the first part of 1983, Brian May put his time to good use. Waking up one morning in Los Angeles, he decided to phone a few friends and invite them to collaborate on some tracks in California’s famous Record Plant studios. The resulting collaboration was a great success, and Brian would later mould the recordings into a unique mini-album, Brian May + Friends: Star Fleet Project.
This third release in the “Brian May Gold Series” offers an extensively revisited and expanded box set edition of these now legendary sessions. The set is a complete document of the two days, April 21 and 22, 1983 that May spent in the Record Plant, Los Angeles accompanied by top rock music luminaries Edward Van Halen (guitar), Alan Gratzer (drums), Phil Chen (bass) and Fred Mandel (keyboards). The box set includes a spectacular 23-track CD filled with previously unreleased material.
Containing 2 CDs, 1 vinyl LP, and a vinyl single, as well as other collectors items, Brian May + Friends: Star Fleet Sessions will be launched as a Deluxe Edition box set, worldwide on July 14th.
A separate exclusive 7” double A side single, also available on CD comes same day, July 14th, featuring newly mixed single versions of “Star Fleet” and “Let Me Out”. A special red vinyl version will be available exclusively through the official Queen Online store and is available to pre-order HERE.
The July 14 box set release is ushered in with a special stand alone digital single, “Star Fleet (Edited Single Version)” which becomes available to coincide with today’s, June 1, box set announcement. The single digital track is available immediately for digital download and streaming.
As May writes in his introductory sleeve notes in the box set: “We are going to give you everything. Every take of every song. The things that went wrong, the laughing, the finding new things to do. But it won’t be just a remaster – we’ve rescued everything from the original multitracks, every detail magnificently remixed, and more! You’ll hear every take from the historic 1983 sessions plus fragments of conversations, out-takes and musical experimentation.”
The original 3-track mini album, released October 31,1983, featured a full-length take of “Star Fleet”, May’s hard rock re-imagining of the signature tune from the Japanese-made kids science fiction series of the same name. The programme was compulsive regular viewing for Brian and his 4-year-old son Jimmy on Saturday morning TV, inspiring Brian’s attachment to its title song, written by English musician Paul Bliss. The album also featured “Let Me Out”, including extensive opportunities for May and Van Halen to solo, and “Blues Breaker” a 13-minute piece of completely spontaneous improvisation from all members of this ‘supergroup’ of musicians.
May says: “If Paul hadn’t written a very catchy song as the theme tune for that kid’s TV science fiction drama series, things would have been different. The signature tune began to stick in my head, and I could hear my own arrangement of the tune developing in my mind. But how to record it?”
“So, one morning, I woke up in Los Angeles, on a break from activities with Queen, and made some phone calls. I’ve told the story of what happened next in the material you will find in this box. The outcome was something I will forever treasure.”
“We did a little preparation, on the phone and at home with tiny Rockman amps and earphones. Then we went in. The tapes rolled. My LA neighbour Alan Gratzer beat the Hell out of his kit with the fattest, heaviest drum sticks I had ever seen. Phil Chen, a friend I had met when he played with Rod Stewart, brought his unusual style of funk-orientated rock playing to the party, along with his sunny Caribbean energy and humour. And Fred Mandel, one of the classiest keyboard players I have ever met, tickled both the ivories and some very technical synth patches to bring the spacey riffs to life. Ed (I can still never call him “Eddie Van Halen” because he more than once told me he found it annoying!) played the guitar as if it were a piano … tapping and snapping, and sliding and skipping around the fingerboard like an electric sprite – always with a cheeky smile. If anything he did was difficult for him, he never showed it. A total original. Pure joy. What an everlasting privilege to play with him.”
A superlative show of back-to-basics passion and purpose, Star Fleet brims with the freedom of an off-the-cuff break from the day jobs for all involved.
The record emerged on October 20th 1983 as a set of blistering guitar work, rock’n’roll spontaneity and vibrant melody, infused with a palpable chemistry and respect between the players. Spawning a single in the title-track, the mini-album reached No 1 in the British ‘Kerrang’ rock charts.
Now, of course, the record stands in part as a celebration of those we’ve lost: a chance to reconvene with great, much-missed talents. As Brian puts it, “It’s been very exciting to open up the vault to find these tapes where, in the blink of an eye, I’m trading licks with my friends, including the fantastic Ed Van Halen. It’s highly emotional, especially since Ed is sadly no longer around. We have since also lost Phil – so the rest of us cherish these fleeting moments together.”
The troupe also worked on an earlier May song, the bluesy “Let Me Out”, while the set closes with the titanic “Blues Breaker”, almost 13 minutes of scorching guitar interplay between Brian and Edward: not so much duelling as sharing ideas and passions. As Brian explains, “It was inspired by John Mayall’s Blues Breakers, the album with Eric Clapton reading The Beano on the front cover. Edward said, ‘This is great for me, I haven’t played like this in years. This is where I come from! I didn’t come up doing tapping and all the fireworks. I grew up doing blues, wanting to be like Eric Clapton and do something melodic.”
If that sense of liberation rings out, so does a spirit of shared adventure. “There was a lot of ebullience, a lot of exploration, discovery and astonishment,” says Brian. “And some truly magical moments when everything gelled together – a fusion of energies!”
Across two CDs, a 12” vinyl LP, a 7” vinyl single, the ‘Star Fleet Sessions’ box set houses the proof. Presented in 180g transparent red vinyl, the original LP issue has been treated to a full new mix, executed by Queen sound engineers Justin Shirley-Smith and Kris Fredriksson under Brian’s direction at his Surrey studio from the original multitrack tapes and, says Brian, “cut at half-speed for maximum fidelity”. The single features two tracks. The A-side is an edited version of “Star Fleet”, with brand-new intro guitar harmonies from Brian. The B-side mirrors the original B-side “Son of Star Fleet” which Brian explains “was a way of including the rest of the original long version of the recording on a 7” record; effectively the whole recording is split between the two sides.
CD1 Star Fleet Project + Beyond features the single version of the title track alongside full-length album versions of “Let Me Out” and “Blues Breaker”. Also included is an interview with Cynthia Fox conducted on Los Angeles radio station KMET in October 1983, on the day of the single release, and a Rockline interview with Bob Coburn. A live version of “Let Me Out” from the Palace Theatre in LA follows, segueing into “We Will Rock You” and a reworking of the same song’s adored fast rendition. The line-up of May, powerhouse drummer Cozy Powell, bassist Neil Murray, guitarist Jamie Moses, keyboardist Spike Edney and backing singers Cathy Porter & Shelley Preston finds The Brian May Band on fire. Finally, CD1 closes with the full LP version of “Star Fleet”, “just as the day it happened,” says Brian, “as if we were in the room.”
CD2 Star Fleet – The Complete Sessions features 23 tracks that go deeper into that room. The disc boasts a newly-created mix from the entire original analogue session tapes, featuring songs in the process of evolution (some with guide vocals) plus discussion, banter, laughs and, says Brian, “some ‘mistakes’, if there are such things”. Amps blow, mics break, strings snap – the results take you as close as it is possible to get to the Record Plant in April 1983.
And Van Halen fans, take note: the “Star Fleet” takes feature eight Edward guitar solos, “never quite treading the same path twice,” says Brian. “Ed was a wonderful soul. Listening to him and me, I feel completely outclassed by him in the studio. But in a very pleasant way – what a joy for me to be around a guy who could do all that. Such a privilege.
“So, you’ll hear us in the studio trading licks,” adds May. “We’ve cleaned up the mix and now EVH’s sound is larger than life. You’ll hear the development of his solo, which I always thought was one of the greatest things he did… a real immortal classic of Ed Van Halen pieces.”
A badge and a booklet featuring extensive liner notes complete the box set. A poster will be exclusive to box set orders placed via QueenOnline.com, where 180g black vinyl, cassette and picture-disc vinyl albums will also be available.
Complete with a digital recreation of the original 1983 source material’s artwork, Star Fleet Sessions doesn’t just gleam anew. Across 136 minutes of audio, the box set takes you behind the curtain, highlighting the electricity that made the project such a special chapter in Brian’s life and career.
“It’s all here. ALL of it ! Every note we played on those two unforgettable, exhilarating days is right here, on show for the first time. Hearing these sessions, especially through the new restoration and mixes we’ve now produced, still sends shivers up my spine,” he says. A time capsule of an unrepeatable moment, this much-anticipated, lovingly curated box set proves why.
BRIAN MAY + FRIENDS: STAR FLEET PROJECT 40th Anniversary Edition TRACKLISTINGS
Star Fleet Sessions Box Set | Format: 2CD + LP (Red Vinyl) + 7” (Black Vinyl)
CD1: Star Fleet Project + Beyond
Star Fleet (Edited Single Version / 2023 Mix)
Let Me Out (2023 Mix)
Blues Breaker (2023 Mix)
Cynthia Fox Release Day Interview 1983
Bob Coburn Rockline Interview 1984
Let Me Out (Live at The Palace Theater, LA / 1993)
We Will Rock You (Live at The Palace Theater, LA / 1993)
We Will Rock You – Fast (Live at The Palace Theater, LA / 1993)
Star Fleet (Complete Version / 2023 Mix)
CD2: Star Fleet The Complete Sessions
Star Fleet (Take 1)
Star Fleet (Take 2)
Star Fleet (Take 3)
Star Fleet (Take 4)
Star Fleet (Take 5)
Solo Jam
Star Fleet (Take 7)
Star Fleet (Take 8)
Star Fleet (Take 10)
Star Fleet (Take 11)
Star Fleet (Alternative Overdub EVH Solo)
Jam
Let Me Out (Rehearsal 1)
Let Me Out (Rehearsal 2)
Boogie Woogie Jam
Let Me Out (Take 1)
Jazz Police
Let Me Out (Take 3)
Let Me Out (Take 4)
Jam (Let’s Do The Show Right Here)
Let Me Out (Take 6)
Funky Jam
Let Me Out (Take 7 False Start)
LP: Star Fleet Project (180g Red Vinyl)
Star Fleet (2023 Mix)
Let Me Out (2023 Mix)
Blues Breaker (2023 Mix)
7” Single Star Fleet
Star Fleet (Edited Single Version / 2023 Mix)
Son Of Star Fleet (2023 Mix) – Exclusive to the box set 7”
Star Fleet Project + Beyond
Format: 1CD
Star Fleet (Edited Single Version / 2023 Mix)
Let Me Out (2023 Mix)
Blues Breaker (2023 Mix)
Cynthia Fox Release Day Interview 1983
Bob Coburn Rockline Interview 1984
Let Me Out (Live at The Palace Theater, LA / 1993)
We Will Rock You (Live at The Palace Theater, LA / 1993)
We Will Rock You – Fast (Live at The Palace Theater, LA / 1993)
Star Fleet (Complete Version / 2023 Mix)
Star Fleet Project
Format: 1LP 180g black vinyl / 1LP picture disc / Cassette
Star Fleet (2023 Mix)
Let Me Out (2023 Mix)
Blues Breaker (2023 Mix)
Star Fleet / Let Me Out – Double A Side Single
Format: 7” Vinyl (Red Vinyl) / CD Single
Star Fleet (Edited Single Version / 2023 Mix)
Let Me Out (Single Edit / 2023 Mix) – Only available physically on this 7” Vinyl & CD single.
Tom Jackson, Elisapie, Ferron, Fawn Wood, and Drezus Added to National Music Centre’s Speak Up! Exhibition
In honour of National Indigenous Peoples Day, the National Music Centre (NMC) will open Studio Bell with free admission courtesy of Stantec on June 21, giving the public an opportunity to explore its updated Speak Up! exhibition and a range of activities that honour Indigenous culture and music.
The evolving Speak Up! exhibition, which is supported by TD Bank Group, will now highlight JUNO and Gemini Award-nominated musician-actor Tom Jackson, whose long-running The Huron Carole Benefit Concert Series has been raising money for food banks and social service agencies nationwide for 35 years; Inuk artist and activist Elisapie, known for bringing awareness to the culture, language, and realities of the Northern Arctic Inuit through her music; acclaimed Métis folk singer-songwriter and poet Ferron, who is recognized as one of the most influential writers and performers that rose out of the women’s music movement; Cree and Salish musician Fawn Wood, the recipient of the first JUNO Award for Traditional Indigenous Artist or Group of the Year in 2022; and rapper and youth mentor Drezus, founding member of the influential Indigenous hip-hop group Team Rezofficial.
“We learned to sing and dance before we could walk and talk,” said Tom Jackson, C.C., LL.D. “Music makes us happy. Happy is healthy, and healthy is happy. Such an honour to be with fellow artists who have found their voice. The light shines through.”
A virtual version of the exhibition will be accessible for free at studiobell.ca/speak-up, so music fans can learn more about the latest additions and the past 20 artists included in the exhibition over the years, from Willie Dunn and Tanya Tagaq to Buffy Sainte-Marie and Jeremy Dutcher.
In addition to the updated exhibition, NMC is partnering with Aboriginal Awareness Week Calgary for a full day of activities on June 21 that showcase local Indigenous song, music, and dance. The lineup includes champion hoop dancer Quentin Pipestem, powwow singers and drum group Eya-Hey Nakoda, and singer-songwriter Cynthia Hamar. Check studiobell.ca/whats-on for the day’s schedule at Studio Bell.
For many nations, music is believed to be sacred, primarily for its purpose; songs are gifts for celebration, to honour, to ultimately connect to spirit. In spite of failed colonial attempts (i.e. residential schools) to silence Indigenous voices, traditional music is thriving today. Contemporary artists have also adopted many musical styles to speak up against injustices, dispossession, and have used music as a form of resistance.
Since 2019, the Speak Up! exhibition has showcased an annual selection of Indigenous groundbreakers from across Canada who have left their mark on culture through music. Featuring storytelling, audio, and artifacts, visitors to Speak Up! can learn how Indigenous artists are fostering dialogue and understanding to radically shift the Canadian paradigm of who First Nation, Métis, and Inuit people are.
“We’re always thrilled to reach out to the community with the goal of honouring and recognizing groundbreaking artists on an annual basis. All their contributions are deeply connected to cultural histories, stories, and pathways to change and inspire,” said David McLeod (member of the Pine Creek First Nation), Curator of Speak Up! and NMC Board Member and Chair of NMC’s National Indigenous Programming Advisory Committee. “We know visitors to Studio Bell will be able to connect with the Indigenous experience; there are seeds of reconciliation in understanding the social impact of artists from our communities. Our committee members who select the artists are always challenged by the wealth of artists that need to be recognized; I’m thankful that visitors get to ultimately enjoy the work that’s been done.”
The Speak Up! exhibition is supported by TD who, in 2022, increased its support of NMC’s Indigenous programming through the OHSOTO’KINO initiative, so named after a Blackfoot phrase that means “to recognize a voice of.” OHSOTO’KINO is led by NMC’s Indigenous Programming Advisory Committee, who act as a guiding voice for exhibitions and programs at Studio Bell. The initiative focuses on multiple elements: creation of new music in NMC’s recording studios, artist development through a music incubator program, exhibitions via the annually updated Speak Up! gallery, and digital content on NMC’s Amplify platform at amplify.nmc.ca.
David Bowie’s “Ziggy Stardust And The Spiders From Mars: The Motion Picture” Returning to Theatres
3rd July, 1973 – David Bowie retired Ziggy Stardust, his most famous alter-ego, in front of 5000 stunned fans at London’s Hammersmith Odeon. Now, the fully restored film and soundtrack will be released for the first time for the 50th anniversary of the show. Renowned filmmaker D.A. Pennebaker (Monterey Pop, Bob Dylan – Don’t Look Back, Depeche Mode – 101) captured the momentous event by filming Bowie and The Spiders From Mars backstage and onstage. The digital restoration of the new version of the film has been overseen by his son, Frazer Pennebaker with remastered audio.
Although filmed 50 years ago, the film was not widely seen for over a decade. However, the film and its soundtrack have been newly remastered with the medley of ‘The Jean Genie/Love Me Do’ medley and ‘Round And Round’ featuring the late legendary Jeff Beck reinstated – the latter track making its very first appearance anywhere. Both performances were newly mixed by long-time Bowie collaborator Tony Visconti.
The show featured Bowie’s famous speech just before the final encore, ‘Rock ‘n’ Roll Suicide’, where he revealed that he was retiring the Ziggy Stardust persona. The shocking announcement came as a surprise to all in attendance – including members of his band and was the first proclamation of its kind in rock and roll.
Fifty years later, Ziggy will finally go global with a digitally restored version of Ziggy Stardust And The Spiders From Mars: The Motion Picture showing at over 1000 cinemas worldwide.
3rd July, 2023 – The Eventim Apollo Hammersmith (formerly the Odeon) will host the global premiere of the newly restored version of the film fifty years to the day. As part of this event, long-time Bowie pianist, Mike Garson, will open the show as he did 50 years ago to the day, with solo piano arrangements of some of Bowie’s best known tracks.
Mike Garson “The Hammersmith gig itself was phenomenal. What people don’t know about that gig is that I opened the show on solo piano. David asked me to be his opening act. So, for just fifteen minutes I took some of his hits, “Changes”, “Life On Mars?” and “Ziggy” and made a medley for the gig. I came out to do the spot and I was scared to death. So was Bowie. He told me backstage that he was more frightened for me that night than for him!
Following his performance Mike will also join a panel at the Eventim Apollo hosted by
by award-winning editor, Mercury Music Prize judge and Echo Velvet’s Creative Director Phil Alexander. They will discuss the original show’s legacy and Ziggy’s pan-generational resonance.
The panel’s conversation will be beamed to cinemas around Europe on that same night followed by the film. Further screenings of the film will take place around the world throughout July, reaching more than 1000 cinemas
Global cinema tickets available now, for details on your participating local cinemas visit www.davidbowie.com
Tickets are on sale for the Eventim Apollo Hammersmith now from https://www.eventimapollo.com & www.davidbowie.com
DAVID BOWIE: ZIGGY STARDUST AND THE SPIDERS FROM MARS: THE MOTION PICTURE 50th ANNIVERSARY
Blu-Ray
Opening Credits/Introduction
Hang On To Yourself
Ziggy Stardust
Watch That Man
Wild Eyed Boy From Freecloud
All The Young Dudes
Oh! You Pretty Things
Moonage Daydream
Changes
Space Oddity
My Death
Cracked Actor
Time
The Width Of A Circle
Let’s Spend the Night Together
Suffragette City
White Light/White Heat
Medley: The Jean Genie / Love Me Do / The Jean Genie (feat. Jeff Beck)
Round And Round (feat. Jeff Beck)
Farewell Speech
Rock ‘n’ Roll Suicide
End Credits
Audio: DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 – 48kHz/24bit, PCM Stereo – 48kHz/24bit, Aspect Ratio – 4:3. All Regions. Exempt from classification.
5.1 Surround sound music mix by Tony Visconti, assisted by Rich Tozzoli/Gizmo Enterprises. Stereo mix by Tony Visconti.
‘The Jean Genie/Love Me Do’ medley and ‘Round And Round’ stereo: mixed and engineered by Tony Visconti, 5.1: mixed by Tony Visconti, engineered by Jannek Zechner
CD
Disc 1
Introduction Part 1
Hang On To Yourself
Ziggy Stardust
Watch That Man
Wild Eyed Boy From Freecloud
All The Young Dudes
Oh! You Pretty Things
Moonage Daydream
Changes
Space Oddity
My Death
Disc 2
Cracked Actor
Time
The Width Of A Circle
Let’s Spend the Night Together
Suffragette City
White Light/White Heat
Medley: The Jean Genie / Love Me Do / The Jean Genie (feat. Jeff Beck)
Round And Round (feat. Jeff Beck)
Farewell Speech
Rock ‘n’ Roll Suicide
Vinyl
Side 1
Introduction
Hang On To Yourself
Ziggy Stardust
Watch That Man
Wild Eyed Boy From Freecloud
All The Young Dudes
Oh! You Pretty Things
Moonage Daydream
Side 2
Changes
Space Oddity
My Death
Cracked Actor
Time
Side 3
The Width Of A Circle
Let’s Spend The Night Together
Suffragette City
Side 4
White Light/White Heat
Medley: The Jean Genie / Love Me Do / The Jean Genie (feat. Jeff Beck)
Round And Round (feat. Jeff Beck)
Farewell Speech
Rock ‘n’ Roll Suicide
Digital (standard 44.1kHz/16bit resolution and 96kHz/24bit resolution)
Hang On To Yourself
Ziggy Stardust
Watch That Man
Wild Eyed Boy From Freecloud
All The Young Dudes
Oh! You Pretty Things
Moonage Daydream
Changes
Space Oddity
My Death
Cracked Actor
Time
The Width Of A Circle
Let’s Spend the Night Together
Suffragette City
White Light/White Heat
Medley: The Jean Genie / Love Me Do / The Jean Genie (feat. Jeff Beck)
Round And Round (feat. Jeff Beck)
Farewell Speech
Rock ‘n’ Roll Suicide