A day after his rumored demised was denied, Jerry Lee Lewis, one of rock's last living pioneers, passed away today at 87. Known as 'The Killer' for his wildly energetic concerts and equally no-holds-barred off stage personality, Lewis defied the odds by outliving just about all of his milder mannered musical contemporaries. His on stage antics proved inspirational to younger musicians eager to be as or more fun to watch as they were to hear play live.

 

News that the Rolling Stones have been working on a new album has been circulating for a while. Ronnie Wood recently revealed to The Sun the unexpected detail that the band's first album of new original material since 2005 will feature the drumbeats of Charlie Watts on some of the songs. Steve Jordan, the drummer brought on to take over for Watts after the original founding drummer passed away in August of 2021, plays on the majority of songs on the album in the works for a 2023 release. Most of the work on the album to date has been done in New York City, but sessions to finish it up will take place in Los Angeles, according to Wood.

One of the earliest rock concerts the LA Forum hosted featured the Jimi Hendrix Experience on April 26, 1969. This November 18th, that concert set gets released on 2LP vinyl, CD and on digital platforms. Recorded in front of an energized, sold out audience, Hendrix, drummer Mitch Mitchell, bassist Noel Redding were in their live performance prime for what would be the only LA concert the trio did that year. This release is the first of that concert in its entirety.

 

 

While most of his contemporaries seldom if ever record and release out new albums, Van Morrison continues to crank them out at a prolific pace. His next album will reach back to one of his earliest influences, skiffle music. Moving On Skiffle gets released March 10, 2023.

R.I.P. Robert Gordon. The punk/rockabilly musician passed away yesterday at 75. Gordon set out to become a musician at the age of nine the moment he saw Elvis Presley on TV. Early on in his career, Gordon established a following in the band Tuff Darts, a group that was booked regularly at CBGB, the punk rock club in lower Manhattan. His big break came after hooking up with Link Wray and catching the attention of Bruce Springsteen who gave Gordon his song Fire to include on his 1978 album, Fresh Fish Special.

Neil Young will release a 50th anniversary expanded edition of his 1972 album Harvest on December 2. In addition to multiple alternate or live takes of songs on the original album, both CD and vinyl sets will include DVDs of a BBC performance and a documentary titled Harvest Time. Here are the bonus songs on the 50th anniversary edition.

Words (Between the Lines of Age)

Out on the Weekend (Live)

Old Man (Intro) (Live)

Old Man (Live)

Journey Through the Past (Live)

Heart of Gold (Live)

Don’t Let It Bring You Down (Live)

A Man Needs a Maid (Live)

Love in Mind (Intro) (Live)

Love in Mind (Live)

Dance Dance Dance (Live)

Bad Fog of Loneliness (Outtake)

Journey Through the Past (Outtake)

Dance Dance Dance (Outtake)

Hard core Yes fans take note. Rhino Records has packaged 7 classic Yes concerts from the fall of 1972 into a 21 LP set pressed on colored vinyl. Just 1,972 of the sets are being offered in the December 2 release, but preorders of PROGENY: SEVEN SHOWS FROM SEVENTY-TWO 21LP can be submitted through the Rhino website.

Graham Nash's former band mate Neil Young has released dozens of albums of archived recordings in recent years. Now, Nash is doing some mining of his own. The Hollies, CSN and Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young veteran recently revealed plans to release an album featuring himself and David Crosby. Nash shared some details about the release during an interview with the San Diego Times-Tribune, saying it will include the pair singing the Stephen Stills’ 1970 solo song Love the One You’re With, on Jackson Browne’s Doctor My Eyes and on James Taylor’s Mexico. It also features them doing  You’ve Got a Friend with Carole King at the Universal Amphitheatre in LA in 1993. The title of the album hasn't been finalized, but Nash is leaning toward calling it Harmony, something there hasn't been much of between Nash and Crosby in quite some time. We hope it helps re-establish more of it between the two.

 

Sammy Hagar, Warren Haynes and Gary Rossington are among the musicians that have signed on to do songs on an upcoming Lynyrd Skynyrd tribute album being coordinated by drummer Artimus Pyle. Hagar Will be featured singing Simple Man and Rossington provided a sensational slide guitar performance on Free Bird, according to Pyle. Gary's decision to participate was a bit of a surprise as he was aligned with other former members and families of late members of the group that were opposed to Pyle's film documenting the plane crash that claimed the lives of Ronnie Van Zant and Steve and Cassie Gaines on October 20, 1977.

In January of 1971, the Allman Brothers Band played an unlikely date in a venue that had been an early home for the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra. The set performed that night in the 3,700 seat Syria Mosque of Pittsburgh that has been in circulation in bootleg form for some time will get an official release on October 28.

1. Statesboro Blues

 2.Trouble No More

3. Don’t Keep Me Wonderin’

4. In Memory of Elizabeth Reed

5. Midnight Rider

6. You Don’t Love Me

7. Whipping Post

 

Bruce Springsteen's November 11 release Only the Strong Survive finds The Boss and band in the soul gold mine for an album packing 15 songs, most of them relatively deep tracks from an overall popularity standpoint. 

1. Only the Strong Survive

2. Soul Days (featuring Sam Moore)

3. Nightshift

4. Do I Love You (Indeed I Do)

5. The Sun Ain’t Gonna Shine Anymore

6. Turn Back the Hands of Time

7. When She Was My Girl

8. Hey, Western Union Man

9. I Wish It Would Rain

10. Don’t Play That Song

11. Any Other Way

12. I Forgot to Be Your Lover (featuring Sam Moore)

13. 7 Rooms of Gloom

14. What Becomes of the Brokenhearted

15. Someday We’ll Be Together