Prince will take the stage in Toronto tomorrow for two newly announced shows. The shows are part of Prince’s “Piano and a Microphone” tour. Concert goers get a copy of Prince’s new album while leaving the venue. Tickets for the Toronto shows go on sale this morning.
Billy Joel, The Supremes, Metallica and Merle Haggard are among the latest artists to have works chosen for induction into the Library of Congress’ National Recording Registry. Songs making it in this year include Joel’s “Piano Man,” The Supremes’ “Where Did Our Love Go,” Haggard’s “Mama Tried,” and Gloria Gaynor’s “I Will Survive,” while Metallica’s “Master of Puppets,’” Santana’s “Abraxas” and George Carlin’s comedy record “Class Clown” all made it in for albums. Overall, 25 recordings are chosen each year for induction. The recordings chosen for preservation must be “culturally, historically or aesthetically significant” and at least 10 years old.
It turns out the rumors were true! Radiohead, Red Hot Chili Peppers, and LCD Soundsystem are the headliners for this year’s Lollapalooza. The rest of the lineup includes J. Cole, Lana Del Rey, Future, Ellie Goulding, Disclosure, Major Lazer, Jane’s Addiction, and HAIM. Tickets for the 25th anniversary of the Chicago festival, which will be held from July 28th to the 31st, are on sale now, but only VIP packages are left. Check out the full lineup here.
The Beach Boys’ iconic album, “Pet Sounds,” was released on May 16th, 1966, and to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the critically-acclaimed record, the band is putting out an expanded edition of the album. “Pet Sounds (50th Anniversary Edition),” due out June 10th, will be released in several different configurations, including:
A 4CD/Blu-ray Audio collectors edition presented in a hardbound book, which comes with the remastered original album in stereo and mono, plus session outtakes, alternate mixes, and previously unreleased live recordings
A 2CD and digital deluxe edition pairing the remastered album in stereo and mono with highlights from the collectors edition’s additional tracks
A remastered, 180-gram LP editions of the album in mono and stereo with faithfully replicated original artwork
But that’s not all. This year also marks the 50th anniversary of the band’s hit “Good Vibrations,” which will get a global commemorative release this fall.
Back in 2013, Australian artist Jimmy C created a David Bowie mural on the side of Morleys department store in the Brixton section of London, near where the icon was born. When Bowie died back on January 10th, the painting became a tribute to him, with thousands visiting and leaving flowers, message or gifts. Now, the local city council wants to preserve it, and maybe even rename the spot in honor of the Thin White Duke. “It is ultimately the family’s decision as to what may be appropriate,” the leader of the council explains. “We must respect that and be patient. Lambeth residents have been overwhelmed by the outpouring of affection visibly demonstrated by floral tributes, messages and people visiting the Bowie mural to pay their respects to this unique ‘Brixton boy.'” We’ll keep you posted.
ONE MORE THING! Believe it or not, we have a new Bowie song. In case you missed it, an unreleased demo of his from 1970 has surfaced. The song, “To Be Loved,” was recorded during Bowie’s first trip to the United States and hasn’t made its way to public until now. What’s more, MindBodyNetwork is offering a free download of the track here.
Dave Grohl understands the important of band practice…especially loud band practice. The Foo Fighters frontman has come to the defense of Black Leaves of Envy, a teenage rock band from Cornwall, England that was told by the local city council they had to keep the volume down to 30 to 40 decibels while practicing. To give you an idea, 40 decibels is about the sound of a library or some bird calls. The father of one of the band members called for Grohl to intervene because of his stance on how vital music is to young people. The rocker answered with a letter to the Cornwall Council. “For the sake of your local band Black Leaves Of Envy, and for the generations of young musicians that they may eventually inspire,” Grohl writes, “I ask that you reconsider the restrictions put upon the volume of their private rehearsal space.” No word on whether the note worked.
