The blessings don’t stop??? Weezer’s new Africa video starring ‘Weird Al’ Yankovic is out now.
A Brief History of Electric Guitar Distortion
Distortion and overdrive are forms of audio signal processing used to alter the sound of amplified electric musical instruments, usually by increasing their gain, producing a “fuzzy”, “growling”, or “gritty” tone. Distortion is most commonly used with the electric guitar, but may also be used with other electric instruments such as bass guitar, electric piano, and Hammond organ. Guitarists playing electric blues originally obtained an overdriven sound by turning up their vacuum tube-powered guitar amplifiers to high volumes, which caused the signal to distort. While overdriven tube amps are still used to obtain overdrive in the 2010s, especially in genres like blues and rockabilly, a number of other ways to produce distortion have been developed since the 1960s, such as distortion effect pedals. The growling tone of distorted electric guitar is a key part of many genres, including blues and many rock music genres, notably hard rock, punk rock, hardcore punk, acid rock, and heavy metal music. So let’s go back to the beginning.
Joni Mitchell’s performance at the 1970 Isle of Wight Festival is now available
Joni Mitchell’s performance at the 1970 Isle of Wight Festival is now available on Blu-ray and Digital Video, Both Sides Now: Live At The Isle of Wight Festival. You can get it here.
In 1970, the Isle of Wight Festival was one of the largest musical events of its time. Bigger than Woodstock, and controversial from the get-go, with hundreds of thousands of people descending on the island. Many of those without tickets set up camp on a hill overlooking the festival site, opposing the consumerism of the event and intent on “taking the music back” by any means necessary. It was a celebration of hippy counter culture gone awry, and in Joni’s words “they fed me to the beast”.
Joni Mitchell took to the stage to deliver an outstanding performance against all odds. At times, it was a battle against the audience, as they tore down barriers and shouted obscenities. Her set was interrupted multiple times, including one man invading the stage to try address the crowd. She later commented, “It seemed like an appropriate time to flee…”, but still the seemingly fragile folk-rock singer stood her ground. Instead she returned to her piano, sitting on a fold-up wooden chair, and made an impassioned plea for respect from the audience, continuing her set with “My Old Man,” she won over the crowd and the atmosphere softened.
Directed by Academy Award winning filmmaker Murray Lerner, Both Sides Now: Live At The Isle of Wight Festival features new interviews with Joni, discussing her recollections of the event intercut with festival footage, both onstage and behind the scenes, offering a fascinating insight into a now legendary concert from the artists point of view and putting the events of the day into context. Alternatively, fans can enjoy the uninterrupted live concert footage featuring classic songs such as “Woodstock,” “Both Sides Now,” and ”Big Yellow Taxi.”
Nile Rodgers opens up to Strombo about turning down Miles Davis and more
“To me, records are the same as films. Every time I make a record, I’m actually making a holistic story about the way I see the world whether it is a the world as I see it now or as a period of time.”
Nile Rodgers opens up to Strombo about turning down Miles Davis, working with the Black Panther Party, the story behind Bowie’s “Let’s Dance,” the last conversations that he shared with Prince, his time panhandling, his parents’ heroin addiction, his fandom of John Coltrane, his work on Emeli Sande’s new record, what Madonna was best at, how Hendrix was their pack leader and so much more. You can listen to the fill audio here and the audio on YouTube is below.
Colin James Announces 24-Date Cross Canada Tour For 2019
With his 19th album, Miles to Go out as of last week, Colin James is getting back to the blues. And he’s also getting back to the road, announcing a 24-date, 23-city Canadian tour. See below for the complete schedule.
Miles to Go, Colin James’ ambitious sequel to the critically acclaimed Blue Highways, continues James’ story with a collection of carefully curated songs handpicked from some of the greatest blues artists.
In the months leading up to the recording, as James was reflecting on songs for the album he decided to reacquaint himself with a beautiful red Gibson ES-335. It was just like the guitar he played as a teenager but regretfully had to sell for rent money.
While James reconnected with this guitar, Miles to Go seemed to just flow onto the studio floor.
This album blends songs old and new, some of them completely reimagined and some almost perfect homages. But all are unified by a theme of undying love for the blues and the highest respect for the creators that led the way.
Known as one of Canada’s best blues musicians, it wasn’t until 2016’s Blue Highways that James found himself on a blues chart: the album spent 10 weeks at No. 1 on the Roots Music Report’s Blues Chart. It also landed him one of his biggest hits: “Riding in the Moonlight”. A Willie Dixon song that James once covered when busking in the streets and subways of Toronto and Montreal that landed on a Spotify playlist garnering millions of streams.
When James set out to make Blue Highways, an album of blues covers recorded with his touring band, he always intended it to be the first of two installments. Now we have Miles to Go, in which James records nine new covers of his favourite artists (Howlin’ Wolf, Muddy Waters, Blind Willie Johnson, Blind Lemon Jefferson, Little Willie John, Robert Johnson, etc.) and adds two originals, “I Will Remain” and “40 Light Years.” “Blues has always been a pass-it-forward kind of thing,” says James. “It’s also surprisingly hard to write. You have to be careful how modern you get in your phrasing. Certain writers can write a song that sounds like it was done 40 years ago, but it’s deceptively hard.”
To be a blues musician is to always have a dialogue with the past. As with much blues music, it’s the performances on the original versions rather than the actual song that drew James to them. That said, what could he possibly bring to them in 2018? “You bring what you can,” he says. “If I feel like I’ve brought enough, then I put it out. I knocked a bunch of songs off this record when I realized that I can’t bring anything to them that isn’t there already. All my life I’ve tried to bring vitality to older songs. Hopefully my dedication to it is what floats it over the mark. That’s a subjective thing; some people will always prefer the original. However, there’s always a group of people coming up to see me after a show who might say, “Oh, I never would have heard ‘One More Mile’ by James Cotton—nothing in my life would have pointed me there.”
So much of Colin James’s career has pointed him to this moment: joyfully tangled up in the blues, which, as he notes, “is the only genre where you can maintain a young profile at the age of 53.”
Colin James “Miles To Go 2019 Tour”
March 17 – Victoria, BC – Royal Theatre
March 18 – Nanaimo, BC – Port Theatre
March 19 – Nanaimo, BC – Port Theatre
March 21 – Vancouver, BC – Orpheum Theatre
March 22 – Kamloops, BC – Sandman Arena
March 23 – Prince George, BC – CN Centre
March 25 – Kelowna, BC – Community Theatre
March 27 – Calgary, AB – Southern Jubilee
March 28 – Edmonton, AB – Northern Jubilee
March 29 – Regina, SK – Casino Regina
March 30 – Winnipeg, MB – Burton Cummings Theatre
April 2 – Thunder Bay, ON – Thunder Bay Community Auditorium
April 4 – North Bay, ON – Capital Theatre
April 5 – Hamilton, ON – FirstOntario Concert Hall
April 6 – Toronto, ON – Sony Centre For The Performing Arts
April 8 – London, ON – RBC Theatre at Budweiser Gardens
April 9 – Peterborough, ON – Showplace Performance Centre
April 10 – Kingston, ON – Grand Theatre
April 12 – Quebec City, QC – Palais Montcalm
April 14 – Fredericton, NB – The Playhouse
April 15 – Saint John, NB – Imperial Theatre
April 16 – Moncton, NB – Capitol Theatre
April 18 – Charlottetown, PEI – Confederation Centre of the Arts
April 19 – Halifax, NS – Rebecca Cohn Auditorium
Adrock & Mike D Announce Six Nights of Readings, Conversation, Q&A Tour
In celebration of the October 30 release of Beastie Boys Book (Spiegel & Grau), Adam “Adrock” Horovitz and Michael “Mike D” Diamond will embark on the six-night four-city Beastie Boys Book: Live & Direct event tour.
Each night of Beastie Boys Book: Live & Direct will feature readings, conversations between Mike D, Adrock and a special guest moderator, Q&A sessions–all with a live score provided by Mix Master Mike and a brand new Beastie Boys exhibit, curated by Beastie Boys & Beyond the Streets in partnership with adidas Skateboarding. Sonos will provide the sound experience at each exhibit, playing a mixtape curated by Adrock and Mike D.
As if that’s not enough, every ticket for Beastie Boys Book: Live & Direct comes with a physical copy of Beastie Boys Book—to be redeemed upon entrance to the event.
The full itinerary is as follows:
10/29 – New York – Town Hall – Tickets*
10/30 – Brooklyn – Kings Theatre – Tickets
11/3 – Los Angeles – Montalban Theatre – Tickets
11/4 – Los Angeles – Montalban Theatre – Tickets
11/5 – San Francisco – City Arts & Lectures at Nourse Theater – Tickets
11/30 – London – EartH – Tickets
Tickets are on sale to the public beginning Friday, September 28 at 10am local.
* Town Hall tickets are on sale 12 noon local time.
Written by Adrock and Mike D, with contributions from Amy Poehler, Colson Whitehead, Spike Jonze, Wes Anderson, Luc Sante, and more, Beastie Boys Book is a panoramic experience that tells the story of Beastie Boys for the first time in the band members’ own words. Adam “Adrock” Horovitz and Michael “Mike D” Diamond offer revealing and very funny accounts of their transition from teenage punks to budding rappers; their early collaboration with Russell Simmons and Rick Rubin; the debut album that became the first hip hop record ever to hit #1, Licensed to Ill—and the album’s messy fallout as the band broke with Def Jam; their move to Los Angeles and rebirth with the genre-defying masterpiece Paul’s Boutique; their evolution as musicians and social activists over the course of the classic albums Check Your Head, Ill Communication, and Hello Nasty and the Tibetan Freedom Concert benefits conceived by the late Adam “MCA” Yauch and more.
With a style as distinctive and eclectic as a Beastie Boys album, Beastie Boys Book is so much more than a musicians’ memoir. Alongside Horovitz and Diamond’s personal recollections are an overwhelming assortment of rare photos and original illustrations, a cookbook by chef Roy Choi, a graphic novel, a map of Beastie Boys’ New York, mixtape playlists, and many more surprises.
Announcing Spotlight on Poland and Eastern Europe at CMW 2020
The 2020 ‘Spotlight on Poland’ marks the first-ever official music mission from Poland to CMW, and the first-ever official music mission from Canada to Poland.
As part of their outreach to Poland, CMW has organized an outbound mission from Canada to participate at the POLAND 2018 MUSIC EXPORT CONFERENCE in Warsaw, Poland (October 11-12, 2018) presented by The Ministry of Culture and National Heritage for the Republic of Poland.
The two-day conference is under the umbrella of Poland’s event, ‘Creativity Days’.
The mission participants will present panels on the Canadian Music Industry, to delve into the various support systems and how key industry organizations work together with government.
The Poland market is very interested in best practices and building their domestic industry and increase their ability to develop music exports.
More details on the process and the conference programming will follow. Check out the 2017 event for more information here.
Celine Dion will end her current residency at Caesars Palace, Las Vegas in June, 2019
Celine Dion has announced that her current residency at Caesars Palace, Las Vegas will end on June 8, 2019.
“I definitely have mixed emotions about this final run. Las Vegas has become my home and performing at the Colosseum at Caesars Palace has been a big part of my life for the past two decades. It’s been an amazing experience and I’m so grateful to all the fans who have come to see us throughout the years. Every show we do at the Colosseum throughout this fall, and right up until the final one, will feel very special.”
An exclusive Team Celine pre-sale for the final shows (February 26 to June 8) will start on Tuesday, September 25 at 10 a.m. PT, before the public on-sale date of Friday, September 28 at 10 a.m. PT.
Bob Dylan – More Blood, More Tracks – The Bootleg Series Vol. 14 to Be Released November 2
Columbia Records and Legacy Recordings, the catalog division of Sony Music Entertainment, will release Bob Dylan – More Blood, More Tracks – The Bootleg Series Vol. 14 on Friday, November 2.
The latest chapter in Columbia/Legacy’s highly acclaimed Bob Dylan Bootleg Series makes available the pivotal studio recordings made by Bob Dylan during six extraordinary sessions in 1974–four in New York (September 16, 17, 18, 19) and two in Minneapolis (December 27, 30)–that resulted in the artist’s 1975 masterpiece, Blood On The Tracks. One of the top-selling albums of Dylan’s career, Blood On The Tracks redefined the boundaries and structures of modern pop songwriting (a genre Dylan had virtually invented a decade prior), reached #1 on the Billboard 200, achieved RIAA 2x Platinum status and was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame in 2015.
Blood On The Tracks was originally recorded during four days in New York City in September, 1974. Soon thereafter, the album was mastered and review copies began to circulate. A few months later, Dylan felt the album needed a different approach and rerecorded five of the tracks at Minneapolis Sound 80 Studios beginning in late December of that year. While a few of the outtakes from the original New York sessions have been highly prized by bootleggers and collectors, most of these recordings have never been available in any format.
The single disc / 2LP configuration of More Blood, More Tracks assembles 10 of the most emotionally resonant alternate takes of each of the 10 songs appearing the original Blood On The Tracks plus a previously unreleased version of “Up to Me.”
The 6CD full-length deluxe version of Bob Dylan – More Blood, More Tracks – The Bootleg Series Vol. 14 includes the complete New York sessions in chronological order including outtakes, false starts and studio banter. The album’s producers have worked from best sources available, in most cases utilizing the original multi-track session tapes.
The only recordings remaining from the Minneapolis Sound 80 sessions are the multi-track masters of the five performances included on the finished Blood On The Tracks album. Each of these has been remixed and remastered for the deluxe edition of More Blood, More Tracks.
In his liner notes for More Blood, More Tracks, Jeff Slate observes that, “Dylan cut each of these amazing performances – some of the best he ever committed to tape – one after the other, live in the studio, without headphones, and without the types of overdubs that most performers rely on to make their records sound finished. Instead, on these tracks, we find Dylan – just a singer with a guitar and a harmonica and a batch of great songs – delivering performances that thrill you when they’re supposed to and break your heart when they need to…. The performances are also in the purest state we’ve ever experienced them. During the production of Blood On The Tracks, Dylan asked [producer Phil] Ramone to speed up many of the masters by 2-3%, a common practice in the 1960s and ’70s, especially for records sent to AM radio. It was thought that doing so would give the songs a little extra bounce to better engage listeners. Most of the songs from the New York sessions that previously circulated, officially and unofficially, are the sped-up versions that Dylan requested. On More Blood, More Tracks, for the first time, we’re hearing the songs exactly as Dylan recorded them.”
Bob Dylan – More Blood, More Tracks – The Bootleg Series Vol. 14 will be available in a single disc (or 2LP) configuration showcasing 11 essential tracks from the New York A&R Studio sessions.
Two previous volumes in Columbia/Legacy’s Bob Dylan Bootleg Series have taken home the Best Historical Album Grammy Award for its respective eligibility year: Bob Dylan – The Cutting Edge 1965-1966, The Bootleg Series Vol. 12 in 2017 and Bob Dylan – The Basement Tapes Complete, The Bootleg Series Vol. 11 in 2016.
The deluxe box set is a limited edition. After it sells out, no additional copies will be made. This set includes a hardcover photo book featuring liner notes by rock historian Jeff Slate and a complete reproduction of one of Dylan’s legendary handwritten 57 page notebooks, where you can follow the lyrical development of the songs that would eventually comprise Blood On The Tracks.
BOB DYLAN – MORE BLOOD, MORE TRACKS
THE BOOTLEG SERIES VOL. 14
1 CD / 2LP
Tangled Up in Blue (9/19/74, Take 3, Remake 3)
Simple Twist of Fate (9/16/74, Take 1)
Shelter from the Storm (9/17/74, Take 2)
You’re a Big Girl Now (9/16/74, Take 2)
Buckets of Rain (9/18/74, Take 2, Remake)
If You See Her, Say Hello (9/16/74, Take 1)
Lily, Rosemary and the Jack of Hearts (9/16/74, Take 2)
Meet Me in the Morning (9/19/74, Take 1, Remake)
Idiot Wind (9/19/74, Take 4, Remake)
You’re Gonna Make Me Lonesome When You Go (9/17/74, Take 1, Remake)
Up to Me (9/19/74, Take 2, Remake)
BOB DYLAN – MORE BLOOD, MORE TRACKS – THE BOOTLEG SERIES VOL. 14
6 CD Deluxe Edition
DISC 1
A & R Studios
New York
September 16, 1974
If You See Her, Say Hello (Take 1) – solo
If You See Her, Say Hello (Take 2) – solo – previously released on The Bootleg Series, Vols. 1-3: Rare and Unreleased, 1961-1991
You’re a Big Girl Now (Take 1) – solo
You’re a Big Girl Now (Take 2) – solo
Simple Twist of Fate (Take 1) – solo
Simple Twist of Fate (Take 2) – solo
You’re a Big Girl Now (Take 3) – solo
Up to Me (Rehearsal) – solo
Up to Me (Take 1) – solo
Lily, Rosemary and the Jack of Hearts (Take 1) – solo
Lily, Rosemary and the Jack of Hearts (Take 2) – solo – included on Blood On The Tracks test pressing
DISC 2
Simple Twist of Fate (Take 1A) – with band
Simple Twist of Fate (Take 2A) – with band
Simple Twist of Fate (Take 3A) – with band
Call Letter Blues (Take 1) – with band
Meet Me in the Morning (Take 1) – with band – edited version included on Blood On The Tracks test pressing and previously released on Blood On The Tracks
Call Letter Blues (Take 2) – with band – previously released on The Bootleg Series, Vols. 1-3: Rare and Unreleased, 1961-1991
Idiot Wind (Take 1) – with bass
Idiot Wind (Take 1, Remake) – with bass
Idiot Wind (Take 3 with insert) – with bass
Idiot Wind (Take 5) – with bass
Idiot Wind (Take 6) – with bass
You’re Gonna Make Me Lonesome When You Go (Rehearsal and Take 1) – with band
You’re Gonna Make Me Lonesome When You Go (Take 2) – with band
You’re Gonna Make Me Lonesome When You Go (Take 3) – with band
You’re Gonna Make Me Lonesome When You Go (Take 4) – with bass
You’re Gonna Make Me Lonesome When You Go (Take 5) – with band
You’re Gonna Make Me Lonesome When You Go (Take 6) – with band
You’re Gonna Make Me Lonesome When You Go (Take 6, Remake) – with band
You’re Gonna Make Me Lonesome When You Go (Take 7) – with band
You’re Gonna Make Me Lonesome When You Go (Take 8) – with band
DISC 3
Tangled Up in Blue (Take 1) – with bass
You’re a Big Girl Now (Take 1, Remake) – with bass and organ
You’re a Big Girl Now (Take 2, Remake) – with bass, organ, and steel guitar –included on Blood On The Tracks test pressing and previously released on Biograph
Tangled Up in Blue (Rehearsal) – with bass and organ
Tangled Up in Blue (Take 2, Remake) – with bass and organ
Spanish Is the Loving Tongue (Take 1) – with bass and piano
Call Letter Blues (Rehearsal) – with bass and piano
You’re Gonna Make Me Lonesome When You Go (Take 1, Remake) – with bass and piano
Shelter from the Storm (Take 1) – with bass and piano – previously released on the Jerry McGuire original soundtrack
Buckets of Rain (Take 1) – with bass
Tangled Up in Blue (Take 3, Remake) – with bass
Buckets of Rain (Take 2) – with bass
Shelter from the Storm (Take 2) – with bass
Shelter from the Storm (Take 3) – with bass
Shelter from the Storm (Take 4) – with bass – previously released on Blood On The Tracks
DISC 4
You’re Gonna Make Me Lonesome When You Go (Take 1, Remake 2) – with bass
You’re Gonna Make Me Lonesome When You Go (Take 2, Remake 2) – with bass – previously released on Blood On The Tracks
Buckets of Rain (Take 1, Remake) – solo
Buckets of Rain (Take 2, Remake) – solo
Buckets of Rain (Take 3, Remake) – solo
Buckets of Rain (Take 4, Remake) – solo
Up to Me (Take 1, Remake) – with bass
Up to Me (Take 2, Remake) – with bass
Buckets of Rain (Take 1, Remake 2) – with bass
Buckets of Rain (Take 2, Remake 2) – with bass
Buckets of Rain (Take 3, Remake 2) – with bass
Buckets of Rain (Take 4, Remake 2) – with bass – previously released on Blood On The Tracks
If You See Her, Say Hello (Take 1, Remake) – with bass – previously included on Blood On The Tracks test pressing
Up to Me (Take 1, Remake 2) – with bass
Up to Me (Take 2, Remake 2) – with bass
Up to Me (Take 3, Remake 2) – with bass
Buckets of Rain (Rehearsal) – with bass
Meet Me in the Morning (Take 1, Remake) – with bass – previously released on the “Duquesne Whistle” 7″ single
Meet Me in the Morning (Take 2, Remake) – with bass
Buckets of Rain (Take 5, Remake 2) – with bass
DISC 5
Tangled Up in Blue (Rehearsal and Take 1, Remake 2) – with bass
Tangled Up in Blue (Take 2, Remake 2) – with bass
Tangled Up in Blue (Take 3, Remake 2) – with bass – included on Blood On The Tracks test pressing and previously released on The Bootleg Series, Vols. 1-3: Rare and Unreleased, 1961-1991
Simple Twist of Fate (Take 2, Remake) – with bass
Simple Twist of Fate (Take 3, Remake) – with bass – previously released on Blood On The Tracks
Up to Me (Rehearsal and Take 1, Remake 3) – with bass
Up to Me (Take 2, Remake 3) – with bass – previously released on Biograph
Idiot Wind (Rehearsal and Takes 1-3, Remake) – with bass
Idiot Wind (Take 4, Remake) – with bass
Idiot Wind (Take 4, Remake) – with organ overdub – included on Blood On The Tracks test pressing and previously released on The Bootleg Series, Vols. 1-3: Rare and Unreleased, 1961-1991
You’re a Big Girl Now (Take 1, Remake 2) – with bass
Meet Me in the Morning (Take 1, Remake 2) – with bas
Meet Me in the Morning (Takes 2-3, Remake 2) – with bass
DISC 6
You’re a Big Girl Now (Takes 3-6, Remake 2) – with bass
Tangled Up in Blue (Rehearsal and Takes 1-2, Remake 3) – with bass
Tangled Up in Blue (Take 3, Remake 3) – with bass
Idiot Wind – with band – previously released on Blood On The Tracks
You’re a Big Girl Now – with band – previously released on Blood On The Tracks
Tangled Up in Blue – with band – previously released on Blood On The Tracks
Lily, Rosemary and the Jack of Hearts – with band – previously released on Blood On The Tracks
If You See Her, Say Hello – with band – previously released on Blood On The Tracks
Andrea Bocelli Enlists Dua Lipa, Ed Sheeran, and Josh Groban For His New Album ‘Si’
Andrea Bocelli has teamed up with some of the hottest musical stars on the planet for his forthcoming album ‘Si’ – reuniting with his friend Ed Sheeran after their chart-topping ‘Perfect Symphony’ on a brand new song called ‘Amo Soltanto Te’ (written by Ed with lyrics by Tiziano Ferro) and joining with pop sensation Dua Lipa on the single ‘If Only’. Crossover superstar Josh Groban and classical soprano Aida Garifullina also duet with Bocelli on the record, which is released on Sugar/Decca on 26th October. It is his first album of new material in 14 years – 16 brand new songs which celebrate love, family, faith and hope.
At the centre of the new record is a spine-tingling duet between father-and-son, as 20 year-old Matteo Bocelli steps into the limelight to duet with Andrea on ‘Fall On Me’ – a beautifully poignant song which reflects the bond between parent and child. It will appear in the end credits of the hotly-anticipated new Disney film, The Nutcracker and The Four Realms, starring Keira Knightley, Mackenzie Foy, Helen Mirren and Morgan Freeman, to be released on November 2nd. The single, which will be available in 7 different languages, will be released on Friday 21st September, along with a stunning new music video which reveals never-before-seen photos of Andrea and Matteo from their family photo album.
Andrea explains how his voice compares with Matteo’s: “Technically they are very different, but there is one thing that makes them most similar: the attitude. That characteristic way of expressing yourself through your voice. This makes Matteo and I very similar. But that is something that you cannot learn, that cannot be taught. That is something you are born with.”
Andrea Bocelli, who turns 60 this Saturday (22nd September), has brought together family and friends for his new album. It was recorded at his home in Italy and produced by the legendary Bob Ezrin (Pink Floyd, Lou Reed, Alice Cooper, Deep Purple, Thirty Seconds To Mars, etc) and includes a song produced by Mauro Malavasi and another one by Andrea’s oldest friend, Pierpaolo Guerrini. As well as a duet with Matteo, Andrea’s other son, Amos Bocelli, performs piano on the acoustic version of the track ‘Sono Qui’ (I Am Here) and Ali di Libertà. There is also a song called ‘Vivo’, which is an emotional homage to his wife Veronica. ‘If Only’ (his duet with Dua Lipa) was co-written by Francesco Sartori and the late Lucio Quarantotto – who helped pen one of Bocelli’s biggest hits, ‘Con Te Partirò’ (Time To Say Goodbye), which was released over 20 years ago and has become of the classical best-selling singles of all time.
Andrea Bocelli says of the album: “I wanted to go back to my memories of being a young man, playing at a piano bar. Obviously since then, I’ve produced lots of albums, sung lots of covers, performed many other things. But at a certain point I said to myself: ‘Maybe the time has come to put my effort into finding new songs.’ Like starting all over again, as it were, in my career.”
Bocelli’s humble manner belies his international status as one of the world’s biggest classical stars – he’s sung for Popes, Presidents and royalty, performed in all the greatest concert halls and opera houses around the world, and sold 85 million records. He has performed at major international events including the Olympic Games and the World Cup, as well as his own sell-out arena shows. He has a Golden Globe, 7 Classical BRITs and 7 World Music Awards under his belt, plus a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.
Drawing millions in with his popular crossover appeal, Bocelli has collaborated with a host of A-list pop stars including Céline Dion, Tony Bennett, Ed Sheeran, Ariana Grande, Jennifer Lopez, Nicole Scherzinger, and many more. He also wowed UK football fans with a performance for Claudio Ranieri’s Premier League-winning Leicester City at the King Power Stadium in 2016. Bocelli continues to tour the world with major shows in the US, Germany, Italy, Spain, Brazil, Canada, Ireland and the UK where fans will have the opportunity to hear his new music. More information on his tour dates here.
Sì is an album about heart and soul, positivity and family, melody and magic. And for that reason, Bocelli chose the strong, simple title. “In this historical period we are going through right now, we too often say no. But yes is the word you say when you have your first kiss, when you agree with somebody, when want to make someone feel good. Sì is the word you say every time things will end well. For a thousand and one reasons, sì is the expression of a positive, powerful, human word and feeling and emotion.”
And so, in his 60th birthday year, Andrea Bocelli is proud to return to where it all began. His uplifting new album Sì gives us a window into the world of this extraordinary singer and global icon.
Si – Tracklisting:
1. Ali di Libertà
2. Amo Soltanto Te – feat. Ed Sheeran
3. Un’Anima
4. If Only – feat. Dua Lipa
5. Gloria The Gift Of Life
6. Fall On Me – feat. Matteo Bocelli
7. We Will Meet Once Again – feat. Josh Groban
8. I Am Here
9. Vertigo – with Raphael Gualazzi at the piano
10. Vivo
11. Dormi Dormi
12. Ave Maria Pietas – feat. Aida Garifullina
13. Meditation
14. Miele Impuro
15. Sono Qui (acoustic version)
16. Ali di libertà (acoustic version)