Fred Berry, the actor who played the jolly, red beret- and suspenders-wearing Rerun on the 1970s sitcom “What’s Happening!” and later became an ordained minister passed away in 2003. So remember him this way, when his TV show What’s Happening did a crossover episode with the diner-based Alice that featured, of course, breakdancing.
Iggy Pop Announces New Album “Free”
Iggy Pop has confirmed the title and release date of his new album: Free, the first new Iggy Pop album since 2016’s Post Pop Depression, will be released September 6 on Loma Vista.
While it follows the highest charting album of Iggy’s career, Free has virtually nothing in common sonically with its predecessor—or with any other Iggy Pop album.
On the process that led Iggy and principal players Leron Thomas and Noveller to create this uniquely somber and contemplative entry in the Iggy Pop canon, Iggy says:
“This is an album in which other artists speak for me, but I lend my voice…
By the end of the tours following Post Pop Depression, I felt sure that I had rid myself of the problem of chronic insecurity that had dogged my life and career for too long. But I also felt drained. And I felt like I wanted to put on shades, turn my back, and walk away. I wanted to be free. I know that’s an illusion, and that freedom is only something you feel, but I have lived my life thus far in the belief that that feeling is all that is worth pursuing; all that you need – not happiness or love necessarily, but the feeling of being free. So this album just kind of happened to me, and I let it happen.”
Full tracklisting for Free:
1. Free
2. Loves Missing
3. Sonali
4. James Bond
5. Dirty Sanchez
6. Glow In The Dark
7. Page
8. We Are The People
9. Do Not Go Gentle Into That Good Night
10. The Dawn
That Time Neil Young and Devo Performed “Hey Hey, My My”
Here’s some great remastered footage from Neil Young’s 1982 film ‘Human Highway’ featuring a rarely seen performance of ‘Hey Hey, My My’ with Devo.
National Treasures and Country Music Legends Ian Tyson and Sylvia Tyson to Receive Individual Inductions to the Canadian Songwriters Hall of Fame
July 1959 was a pivotal month for the history of folk and country music. It was when Ian Tyson met Sylvia Fricker for the first time, which began a musical journey, both as a dynamic duo and with distinguished solo careers, that would help put Canadian country music on the map globally. In honour of the start of this historic musical collaboration, Stony Plain Records will be releasing Ian & Sylvia The Lost Tapes on September 6th; the day after their much-anticipated inductions as individual songwriters to the Canadian Songwriters Hall of Fame, which will be presented on September 5th at Studio Bell, home of the National Music Centre, during Country Music Week in Calgary, AB.
“Ian & Sylvia were pioneers of the singer-songwriter movement – a genre firmly established today because of their leadership,” said Vanessa Thomas, Executive Director of the Canadian Songwriters Hall of Fame. “As a performing duo they were superb, and it was apparent through their second album that they wanted to announce their strong individual songwriting skills as well, which continued to drive their authenticity throughout their music careers spanning more than six decades.”
During the ‘60s and ‘70s, as the folk-singing duo Ian & Sylvia, they were among North America’s leading singer-songwriters, achieving commercial and critical success and recording 13 studio albums. The duo performed their hit songs for U.S. President Lyndon Johnson’s 1964 re-election campaign, at the Hollywood Bowl, Carnegie Hall and Town Hall in NYC; as well as appearances on television’s “Hullabaloo,” the Johnny Cash Show, Steve Allen Show, Mike Douglas Show, and the BBC.
Their folk standards “Four Strong Winds” – deemed by the CBC to be the “most essential” piece of Canadian music – and “You Were on My Mind” were inducted into the Canadian Songwriters Hall of Fame in 2003 and 2007 respectively. Ian penned “Four Strong Winds” after an evening with Bob Dylan, and Sylvia is credited with “You Were on My Mind,” making her one of the few female folk artists to write a major song in that genre at the time, which was remade in 1965 by American folk-rock quintet, We Five, to become a worldwide #1 hit single. Both songs, solidified their individual status as hit-making songwriters.
While Ian & Sylvia’s catalog is filled to the brim with stellar music, the release of Ian & Sylvia The Lost Tapes is culled from newly-discovered concert tapes from the early ‘70s, and never-before-heard versions of country and pop classics, cementing their reputations as performers who pushed the boundaries of folk, blues, country, rhythm and blues, and rock ‘n roll. Much of their best-known repertoire is superbly represented here including “Four Strong Winds,” “Summer Wages,” “Crazy Arms,” “Four Rode By,” “Little Beggar Man,” “When First Unto This Country,” and “Darcy Farrow” reminding fans of what they were able to do best – blend influences from folk and country on the way to be widely considered two of the eras greatest songwriters and musicians.
“The pivotal role of Ian & Sylvia in music history may be their refusal to be trapped in the patterns of their past as one of the leading acts of the ’60s folk era,” notes Canadian music industry journalist Larry LeBlanc, “and along with the Byrds, Gram Parsons, Bob Dylan, Linda Ronstadt, Waylon Jennings, and Willie Nelson, laying the foundation of Americana music that evolved as a recognized source of popular culture.”
Ian, who loves the cowboy way of life living on his ranch in Longview, Alberta, performs his own Western influenced repertoire; Sylvia continues to have a fascinating, and still-thriving solo career while performing, writing, and recording with Quartette with Caitlin Hanford, Cindy Church, and Gwen Swick.
For this richly rewarding retrospective complete with liner notes written by Larry LeBlanc, Sylvia and producer Danny Greenspoon picked unreleased performances that Sylvia had discovered while assembling memorabilia for the National Music Centre in Calgary.
On September 5th with the country music industry gathered in Calgary for Country Music Week, Ian Tyson and Sylvia Tyson will receive their individual distinctions in the Canadian Songwriters Hall of Fame at Studio Bell. The release of Ian & Sylvia The Lost Tapes will be released on September 6th, and available for pre-order here.
The Lost Tapes Track Listing
Disc One – Classics
1. Keep On The Sunny Side (Ada Blenkhorn / J. Howard Entwisle)
2. Darcy Farrow (Steve Gillette / Tom Campbell)
3. Will The Circle Be Unbroken (Ada R. Habershon / Charles H. Gabriel)
4. When First Unto This Country (Traditional, adapted and arranged by Ian & Sylvia)
5. Come All You Fair and Tender Ladies (Traditional, adapted and arranged by Ian & Sylvia)
6. Four Rode By (Ian Tyson)
7. Nancy Whiskey (Trad.)
8. Four Strong Winds (Ian Tyson)
9. Little Beggarman (Traditional, adapted and arranged by Ian & Sylvia)
10. The French Song (Pease / Vincent)
11. Summer Wages (Ian Tyson)
12. Crazy Arms (Ralph Mooney)
13. I’ll Fly Away (Albert E. Brumley)
Disc Two – Previously Unreleased
1. After The Fire Is Gone (L.E. White)
2. Heartaches By The Number (Harlan Howard)
3. Sweet Dreams (Don Gibson)
4. Come On In My Kitchen (Robert Johnson)
5. Jimmie’s Texas Blues (Jimmie Rodgers)
6. How Long (Rick Nelson)
7. The Last Thing On My Mind (Tom Paxton)
8. That’s The Way Love Goes (Lefty Frizzell / Sanger D. Shafer)
9. Crying Time (Buck Owens)
10. Starting All Over Again (Melvin McArthur Hardin / Hubert Timothy McPherson)
11. Together Again (Buck Owens)
12. Silver Threads and Golden Needles (Jack Rhodes/Dick Reynolds)
13. The Goodnight Loving Trail (Utah Phillips)
won several Juno Awards, Canadian Country Music Association Awards, Maple Blues Awards and Western Canada Music Awards.
Jane’s Addiction’s “Mountain Song” – The Brass Edition
Maya Azucena and Brass Against absolutely kills in this cover of Jane’s Addiction’s 1988 track Mountain Song.
Jake Shimabukuro covers “Eleanor Rigby” from his new album ‘The Greatest Day’
Ukulele master Jake Shimabukuro and Jerry Douglas on the lap steel guitar turn in an stunning performance of The Beatles classic Eleanor Rigby.
LEGO Builders Assemble a Life-Sized Apollo 11 Astronaut Model
Watch a timelapse video of LEGO Master Builders assembling a 6’3” astronaut model to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the Apollo 11 Moon landing. The model took almost 300 hours and 30,000 LEGO blocks.
Bell Media Announce’ David Foster: Off The Record’ Feature Documentary
Bell Media Studios and Melbar Entertainment Group have joined forces on a new feature documentary, DAVID FOSTER: OFF THE RECORD, it was announced today. The film about the 16-time Grammy Award-winning producer and composer is directed by Barry Avrich (The Last Mogul, Prosecuting Evil) and executive produced by Randy Lennox, Barry Avrich, Jeffery Latimer, and Marc Johnston. The project, currently in post-production, will enjoy a theatrical run before premiering on CTV and Crave. Broadcast details for CTV and Crave will be announced at a later date, as well as US and international release dates.
Blending rare archival footage, interviews, and unprecedented access to Foster himself, DAVID FOSTER: OFF THE RECORD is an up close and personal look at the extraordinary career of a producer, composer, and entertainer who has helped sell more than a half billion records working with some of the most successful artists of all time. Powerful and sometimes humorous, the film follows Foster’s relentless ambition, hunger, and rise to the top, as he becomes an iconic producer and songwriter, working with the likes of Chicago and Celine Dion at the beginning of his career, and later with Barbra Streisand, Michael Bublé, and Andrea Bocelli, just to name a few. Viewers also receive an inside look at the next chapter in his career – a first for Foster – Broadway, and a look into his personal life, which has occasionally become front-page news.
The film features interviews with friends, family, and fellow musicians, including: Barbra Streisand, Lionel Richie, Michael Bublé, Celine Dion, Quincy Jones, Clive Davis, Josh Groban, Katharine McPhee, Kristin Chenoweth, Peter Cetera, Chicago, daughters Erin and Sara Foster, Diane Warren, Carole Bayer Sager, and more.
“I have spent a near half century devoted to making music and discovering talent all over the world so now it becomes a very daunting, emotional, and cathartic experience giving in to the process of having a film made about your life,” said David Foster. “I am both excited and nervous but most of all I hope that this film may serve as a guide to inspire young artists, songwriters, musicians and producers to relentlessly pursue their dreams and creative talents.”
Born in Victoria, BC, Foster began studying piano at age four. As the story goes, his mother was dusting the family piano, hit one of the keys, and was shocked when he correctly called out, “That’s an E!”, thus discovering he had perfect pitch. Starting as a studio musician, arranger, and recording artist with the band Skylark, Foster worked his way up the ranks to become one of the most successful songwriters and record producers in history. He’s behind 50 Top 20 hits; has 16 Grammy Awards; and another 47 nominations to his name, including three Academy Award nominations. He has also earned a reputation as a talent scout, playing a key role in the discovery and launch of Celine Dion, Josh Groban, and Michael Bublé. In 2002, David was inducted into Canada’s Walk of Fame and has also been inducted into The Canadian Music Hall of Fame, The Canadian Songwriters Hall of Fame, and the Songwriters Hall of Fame in the U.S. In 2013, he received his star on The Hollywood Walk of Fame. He also established the David Foster Foundation in 1985 with a mission to provide financial support to Canadian families with children in need of live-saving organ transplants, along with promoting organ donor awareness.
The Archies’ Sugar Sugar is 50 years old!
Let’s talk about 1969 – 50 years ago – for a moment – The Beatles’ last public performance, on the roof of Apple Records, First Concorde test flight is conducted In France, Boeing 747 jumbo jet makes its debut, Pontiac Firebird Trans Am the epitome of the American muscle car is introduced, Woodstock attracts more than 500,00 and a singer-songwriter named Andy Kim co-writes The Archies’ “Sugar, Sugar,” a song that debuts on the Billboard Hot 100 in July, 1969, a full 2 months after released as radio doesn’t want to play a cartoon band.
In September, it hits #1 on the way to becoming Billboard’s Record of the Year and the biggest-selling single of the year. Wilson Pickett, Tom Jones, Ike & Tina Turner, Bob Marley, The Germs, Mary Lou Lord, and even Homer Simpson goes on to cover the song.
Born in Montreal, Andy Kim was inspired by the Beatles, Hank Williams, Frank Sinatra, Elvis, Buddy Holly, and Bob Dylan. He found fame in New York City at just 16 years old when he wrote How’d We Ever Get This Way?, the first of nine Billboard Top 40 hits, including #1 songs Rock Me Gently and Sugar, Sugar, one of Billboard’s “Greatest Songs of All Time.” A true Canadian son, Andy has been awarded the country’s top industry honosr three times, the JUNO Award for outstanding achievements in the record industry, as well as the Indie Award for Favorite Solo Artist and a star on Canada’s Walk Of Fame. Andy is a member of Songwriters Hall of Fame and was inducted into Billboard’s Hit Parade Hall of Fame. Over his epic career, Andy has sold over 30 million records, and The Archies’ “Sugar, Sugar, has been streamed over 300 million times on Spotify and YouTube.
His latest album, It’s Decided, produced by Broken Social Scene’s Kevin Drew, was released on Arts & Crafts to critical acclaim. In May, 2016, Andy was inducted into the Canadian Music Industry Hall Of Fame. Andy Kim’s music can be heard almost 50 years later in hit series such as Showcase’s Ray Donovan, The CW’s Riverdale and Netflix’s Mindhunters and Sarah Jessica Parker’s new series Divorce.
Gregg Allman’s Debut Solo Album ‘Laid Back’ To Be Remastered And Released As Expanded Two-Disc Deluxe Edition And Reissued On 180-Gram Vinyl
A few months after the Allman Brothers Band released their revered fourth studio album Brothers And Sisters, legendary frontman, vocalist, pianist Gregg Allman stepped out on his own with his masterful debut solo album Laid Back. Co-produced by Allman along with Johnny Sandlin, the collection of songs was a creative outlet where he was able to assume full control and explore his varying influences, including rhythm and blues and soul music. Exemplified by the album title’s relaxed approach, the songs were a departure from his band’s guitar-heavy sound in favor of gospel-tinged organs, slower tempos and a choir, all of which beautifully buoyed Allman’s soulful, and at times, mournful vocals. On several songs he sounds like a man reflecting on the last few tumultuous years which included the deaths of his bandmates, brother Duane Allman and Berry Oakley, hard touring and incredible success. Of the album, NPR wrote, “It’s amazing stuff, deep and intense yet nowhere near the decibel levels of his work with the band. Allman is amazing when he’s belting his heart out about being tied to the whipping post. But he’s equally compelling — maybe even more so — in a quieter space, when he’s less fired up.” Upon release in October 1973, Laid Back received positive reviews and peaked at number 13 on Billboard’s Top LPs & Tape chart while “Midnight Rider” became a top 20 hit across North America. To support the album, Allman embarked on an unprecedented tour accompanied by a 24-piece orchestra comprising members of the New York Philharmonic, which was captured for posterity on 1974’s The Gregg Allman Tour live album.
To honor this creatively fertile period in the late musician’s life, Mercury/UMe are reissuing Laid Back in a variety of formats, including a remastered and expanded Deluxe Edition on 2CDs and digital, 180-gram black vinyl and a 180-gram limited purple and white marbled color vinyl edition. Allman’s iconic live album The Gregg Allman Tour will also be released on 2LP vinyl for the first time since 1987. In addition to a 180-gram black vinyl pressing there will also be a limited color pressing on 180-gram grey and white marble vinyl. All releases will be available August 30 and are available for preorder now. The digital preorder of Laid Back includes an instant grat download of the unreleased demo of the Jackson Browne classic “These Days,” which is also available to stream now.
The new Deluxe Edition of Laid Back expands the original album, which features tunes like “Please Call Home,” covers of “These Days” and “Will The Circle Be Unbroken,” and a different take on the Allman Brothers’ “Midnight Rider,” to 34 tracks and includes 26 bonus tracks of previously unreleased or rare songs or new mixes. Early mixes of all eight songs are featured alongside the remastered album on disc one while disc two includes demos, outtakes, alternates and a breathtaking solo acoustic live performance of “Melissa” from the Capitol Theatre on April 13, 1974. The 2CD Deluxe Edition of Laid Back includes beautiful new packaging with unreleased photos and extensive liner notes by noted Allman Brothers Band historian John Lynskey. Tracks have been newly remastered from the original Laid Back analog album masters, as well as from analog and digital archival masters. Laid Back digital configurations will include HD 192kHz 24-bit and 96kHz 24-bit, Mastered for iTunes and standard streaming/download; while the Laid Back Deluxe Edition digital configurations include standard streaming/download and Mastered for iTunes.
Out of print on vinyl for over 30 years, The Gregg Allman Tour double LP, available on both 180-gram black vinyl and 180-gram grey and white marble vinyl, has been remastered from the original stereo analog tapes. This vinyl reissue mimics the original double LP with sides one and four pressed on disc one, and sides two and three pressed on disc two which optimizes playback for multi-disc turntables. Recorded over three nights at Carnegie Hall in New York on April 10 & 11, 1974 and at the Capitol Theatre in New Jersey on April 13, 1974, Allman along with members of the band Cowboy (Scott Boyer, Randall Bramblett, David Brown, Chuck Leavell, Bill Stewart, Tommy Talton), and a 24-piece orchestra performed songs from his debut solo album Laid Back alongside several laid-back reworkings of Allman Brothers Band songs like “Stand Back” and “Dreams.” The album also features spirited covers of “Turn On Your Love Light,” “Are You Lonely For Me Baby” and the Elvis Presley hit “I Feel So Bad,” as well as two tracks by Cowboy who take the reins with their songs “Time Will Take Us” and “Where Can You Go?,” the latter featuring Allman on keys. The record is also notable for its inclusion of “Oncoming Traffic,” a song that Allman said he was especially proud of and that wasn’t featured on any studio releases. Digital configurations will include HD 192kHz 24-bit and 96kHz 24-bit, Mastered for iTunes and standard streaming/download.
Laid Back and The Gregg Allman Tour showcase a remarkable time in Allman’s career when he set off on his own to explore a different side of his artistry where he was fully at the helm. Taken together these albums allow for an opportunity for fans to immerse themselves in the making of his solo album and the celebratory tour that followed.
LAID BACK DELUXE EDITION TRACK LIST
CD1
LAID BACK remastered
1. Midnight Rider
2. Queen Of Hearts
3. Please Call Home
4. Don’t Mess Up A Good Thing
5. These Days
6. Multi-Colored Lady
7. All My Friends
8. Will The Circle Be Unbroken
LAID BACK early mixes
1. Midnight Rider (Early Mix)*
2. Queen Of Hearts (Early Mix)
3. Please Call Home (Early Mix)*
4. Don’t Mess Up A Good Thing (Early Mix)*
5. These Days (Early Mix)*
6. Multi-Colored Lady (Early Mix)
7. All My Friends (Early Mix)*
8. Will The Circle Be Unbroken (Early Mix)*
CD2
LAID BACK demos, outtakes & alternates
1. Never Knew How Much (Demo)**
2. All My Friends (Demo)
3. Please Call Home (Demo)*
4. Queen Of Hearts (Demo)*
5. God Rest His Soul (Solo Guitar & Vocal Demo)
6. Rollin’ Stone (Catfish Blues) (Solo Guitar & Vocal Demo)**
7. Will The Circle Be Unbroken (Solo Guitar & Vocal Demo)
8. Multi-Colored Lady (Solo Guitar & Vocal Demo)
9. These Days (Solo Guitar, Piano & Vocal Demo)*
10. Shadow Dream Song (Solo Guitar & Vocal Demo)
11. Wasted Words**
12. These Days (Alternate Version with Pedal Steel Guitar)
13. Multi-Colored Lady (Rough Mix)*
14. These Days (Rough Mix)*
15. God Rest His Soul (Rehearsal)
16. Midnight Rider (Rehearsal)*
17. Song For Adam / Shadow Dream Song (Solo Guitar & Vocal Demo)
18. Melissa (Live at the Capitol Theatre)*
* Previously unreleased
** Previously unreleased mix
LAID BACK VINYL TRACK LIST
Side 1
1. Midnight Rider
2. Queen Of Hearts
3. Please Call Home
4. Don’t Mess Up A Good Thing
Side 2
1. These Days
2. Multi-Colored Lady
3. All My Friends
4. Will The Circle Be Unbroken
THE GREGG ALLMAN TOUR VINYL TRACK LIST
DISC 1
Side 1
1. Don’t Mess Up A Good Thing
2. Queen Of Hearts
3. Feel So Bad
Side 4
1. Turn On Your Love Light
2. Oncoming Traffic
3. Will The Circle Be Unbroken
DISC 2
Side 2
1. Stand Back
2. Time Will Take Us*
3. Where Can You Go?*
Side 3
1. Double Cross
2. Dreams
3. Are You Lonely For Me Baby
* Performed by Cowboy