AEROSMITH & YUNGBLUD: One More Time Is Now

Aerosmith and Yungblud's collaborative five-song EP, One More Time, was released on Friday.

With four of the five songs only featuring Steven Tyler and Joe Perry, it's technically not Aerosmith. But, since it's billed that way, it makes it their first new music since their last album, 2012's Music From Another Dimension!, and Perry says they "didn't plan any of it."

It started with Yunglblud's manager reaching out to Perry to see if he wanted to work on Yungblud's album. One thing led to another and then Steven Tyler got involved. Perry explained "You couldn't sit back and plan something like this. Next thing you know it's on the radio. It reminded me of when Elvis [Presley] cut that record ['That's All Right'] during the day and then they put it on the radio that night and the next day it got played everywhere. That's how it felt to me, you know, because we were just guys that love the same kind of music -- like 50 years apart generation wise -- and next thing we know it's spreading. So we'll see."

And Tyler says, “The decision to meet Yungblud and make this music with him was like plugging into pure electricity! ... Here’s this kid that lives his life out loud…grew up on our records and the British invasion... and now we’re in the studio together creating something that bridges generations... When we sang and played together for the first time there was an immediate unspoken vibration throughout the studio… it reminded me of the wheels of the car vibrating my seat as the boys and I drove into Boston 50 years ago for the very first time. It had that same deep intimate pressure of necessity, to make it… something fresh and new…and make it last forever. That’s the rock n roll way baby!..."

Yungblud adds, "Aerosmith have been such a staple of rock and roll and showmanship for me, so I’ve been ready for this my whole life. As soon as we entered the studio, the chemistry exploded and the songs just poured out of us. It’s the kind of collaboration that young me wouldn’t even dream of, so to sit here holding a vinyl in my hand that says Aerosmith and Yungblud on it is truly blowing my mind."

The first single was "My Only Angel," and the remaining four songs are "Wild Woman," "Problems," "A Thousand Days" and the "2025 Remix" of Aerosmith's 1976 song, "Back in the Saddle." That's the only song to feature Aerosmith members Brad Whitford, Tom Hamilton

and Joey Kramer as it uses the original backing track. Matt Sorum, formerly of Gun N' Roses

and Velvet Revolver, plays drums on two songs, and Yungblud does the same on two others. The EP's artwork is a combination of their logos — Aerosmith's wings and YungBlud's skull.

WHITESNAKE: One More Farewell

David Coverdale has followed up his retirement announcement with what he says is the final Whitesnake video. It's for the ballad “Forevermore" that shows a gray-haired Coverdale backed by while photo of him and his wife Cindy fade in and out on the right side of the screen. “Forevermore” is the title track to Whitesnake’s 2011 album, which was reissued in September. David Coverdale is 74.

U2, BEATLES & STONES: Big Bucks at Auction

Items from the personal collections of U2 bassist Adam Clayton and Metallica guitarist Kirk Hammett sold for big bucks at last week's Julien's Auctions two-day "Played, Worn & Torn" sale in Nashville, as did items from or associated with Keith Richards, The Beatles, Bob Dylan, Ace Frehley and Slash. Among the top sellers were:

Adam Clayton's stage played 2016 Warwick Masterbuilt Signature Streamer bass - $64,000. Five of his other basses also went for $51,200 each.
Kirk Hammett stage played signed Gibson CEO Build #4 SG Custom electric guitar - $76,800 (19x the estimate)
Keith Richards played and signed 1960 Gibson Les Paul Standard, Sunburst - $192,000
The Beatles sealed Yesterday and Today butcher cover (First State, Mono) with 1966 Capitol Records reviewer memo - $89,600
Bob Dylan 2008 signed "Driver" Drawn Blank Series painting - $32,000
Ace Frehley KISS Psycho Circus and Farewell Tour shooter/rocket launcher Gibson Les Paul Custom - $64,000
Slash’s Gibson Gives Ukraine Relief stage played and signed 2022 Gibson Slash Les Paul - $38,400

To see what else sold, go to JuliensAuctions.com.

Ace Frehley's "Smoker" Guitar From Final Kiss Tour Heads To Auction

Late Kiss Guitarist Ace Frehley's "smoker" guitar from his final tour with the band is up for auction. The musician's custom Gibson Les Paul is now being auctioned off by Gotta Have Rock And Roll's official website. The auction went live last week and will run until December 5th. The person with the winning bid will take home the authenticated guitar as well as photographs of Frehley with the custom instrument. Frehley passed away on October 16th at 74-years-old.

FOO FIGHTERS: Lucky 13

Foo Fighters are sitting atop Billboard’s Rock & Alternative Airplay for the second time this year with their latest release, “Asking for a Friend.” It got there one the strength of 5.7-million audience impressions in the week ending November 20th, an increase of six-percent. With their latest ascension, Foo Fighters now have the most songs to the top chart since the ranking began in 2009 with 13. Green Day and Linkin Park are next with eight followed by Cage the Elephant and Twenty One Pilots with six, The Black Keys and Imagine Dragons with five, Red Hot Chili Peppers with four, and Weezer with three.

EATLES: It's 1995 and '96 All Over Again

In 1995 and '96, The Beatles made headlines with the release of Anthology — a three-volume set of unreleased songs and outtakes presented in roughly chronological order. In celebration of its 30th anniversary, it's been expanded to include a fourth volume and was released on Friday. Now titled Anthology Collection, the fourth disc adds 13 previously unreleased demos, session recordings and other rarities including never-heard versions of “In My Life,” “Nowhere Man,” “If I Fell,” “I’ve Just Seen a Face” and an unreleased rehearsal for the BBC broadcast of “All You Need Is Love” (full track list below). It also includes new mixes of the two John Lennon

demos that Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr finished for Anthology 1 and 2 — “Free as a Bird” and “Real Love” — featuring Lennon's vocals being de-mixed.

With the fourth volume, this set now contains 191 tracks spread over eight CDs, 12 LPs and digitally. Both box sets include the original sleeve notes, and Anthology 4 includes track notes and an introduction compiled from 1996 interviews recorded with the late Derek Taylor, The Beatles’ close friend, adviser and publicist. The Beatles Store’s exclusive editions for both box sets add four 12-inch band photo art cards in a numbered envelope.

The first three volumes have been remastered by Giles Martin, son of original Beatles producer George Martin, and he also chose the songs that make up Anthology 4. The fourth volume is also available on its own as Anthology 4 on either two CDs or three LPs.

When released in November 1995, Anthology was supported by a three-part documentary that aired on ABC over Thanksgiving weekend. It was expanded to eight episodes when released on VHS, LaserDisc and DVD, and a massive coffee-table book followed in 2000. Both the documentary and book featured John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr telling their own story, warts and all. The documentary adds a ninth episode that includes unseen behind-the-scenes footage of Paul, George and Ringo coming together between 1994 and 1995 to work on Anthology and reflecting on their shared life as The Beatles. It will start streaming on Disney+ this Wednesday with parts one, two and three, followed by parts four through six on Thursday 27th (Thanksgiving), and seven through nine on Friday. You can watch the trailer on YouTube. There is no physical release date.

The first episode will be screened at the Paley Museum in New York on December 2nd at 6:30pm ET followed by a Q&A with a panel of so-called "Beatles experts" that includes drummer Max Weinberg from Bruce Springsteen's E Street Band and Joe Scarborough from MSNBC's Morning Joe. And finally, The Beatles Anthology book "The 25th Anniversary Edition" was published as a softcover edition on October 14th, but wasn't updated.

JOHN LENNON: Two for 45

This December 8th marks the 45th anniversary of John Lennon's assassination outside his New York City apartment, and what better time for two more filmmakers to cash in with two documentaries on the slain Beatle. On the 8th comes the U.S. premiere of Borrowed Time: Lennon’s Last Decade by British filmmaker Alan G. Parker at the AMC Lincoln Square, which is just down the street from Lennon's apartment. The film will be followed by a Q&A with Parker.

Although the theatrical screening is sold out, it will also be released that day on DVD, Blu-ray and digital platforms including Fandango and Prime Video, followed by additional streaming platforms on January 13th.

The second film, still untitled, ties directly into that fateful day 45 years ago. It's from director Steven Soderbergh who says it will focus on Lennon’s final interview on December 8th, 1980 in his apartment in The Dakota on December 8th, 1980 in which he and Yoko

discussed his new album, Double Fantasy. Soderbergh says, “I’m excited about it. I’m not looking to re-invent the form. I’m just hoping to create a film that gets as many people as possible to hear what John and Yoko had to say on that afternoon before he was killed...

“They were both so free in their discussions. As someone who has been interviewed many times I was surprised at how open and excited they were to talk. You would think they had never been interviewed before. “So I want that to come across to the audience. Everything that they said 45 years ago is not just relevant today. It’s even more relevant in terms or relationships, politics, how we treat each other. How systems work on the individual and above all on the importance of love in our daily life and our world.” No word on when it will be released.

ERIC CLAPTON: Part Two of His Journey

Eric Clapton released a deluxe edition of his Journeyman, his 11th album, on Friday.

Released in November 1989, it now contains four bonus tracks, which he was reminded of while poking around YouTube and finding that fans had uploaded outtakes and bonus cuts from the album sessions. After going through his vaults, the songs have been remixed and remastered. They are "Higher Power," "Border Song," "That Kind of Woman" and "Forever," which is out now along with a video on YouTube. He says, “Journeyman... It’s what I want to be known as; I like to think I’m a craftsman. I think I’m always working on mastering my craft."

Clapton was joined on the album by George Harrison, Phil Collins, Chaka Khan, Daryl Hall,

Robert Cray, David Sanborn and others.

Shortly after releasing the album, he talked about his goal for it. "It just seemed to be a question of playing it by ear, which is something I haven't allowed myself to do before. You know, with August album and even Behind the Sun we tailored it probably a lot more from the early onset of the thing. And this one was just, 'Well, what do we need now? And what do we after we got that? And then, how does this feel to have, you know, so many songs like this and go this way?' And so it was more a question of doing it by feelings and gut instinct, you know. So, I think the album is more an expression of the way I am, or at least the way I was when I made it." This deluxe edition of Journeyman is available on CD, vinyl and digitally.

STEVIE NICKS: Puts Best Shoulder Forward

Stevie Nicks told fans during her show last week at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York that she wasn't sure she'd make it back onstage after fracturing her shoulder over the summer. She said, “For a long time it was really over. And I just want you to know that because of you, I said to myself, ‘Well, I’m not gonna deal with this well, so I’m gonna have to just get well.' Because I can’t do this. I can’t be away from my people." She also went on to say that the recovery wasn't easy. "It doesn’t matter because the more it hurts, the more you know it’s getting better. And so, I am bringing the best shoulder I can to you tonight.”

Stevie is down to the final five shows starting tonight (Monday) in Boston, followed by Cincinnati on Sunday; Columbia, South Carolina on December 3rd; Tampa on the 7th; and the finale on the 10th in Hollywood, Florida.

SMASHING PUMPKINS: A Mellon Collie Night of Opera

The opera version of Smashing Pumpkins' Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness had its debut with performances Friday and Saturday night at the Civic Opera House in Chicago. And while Billy Corgan was listed as a star attraction at A Night of Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness staged by the Lyric Opera, he only sang on four of the night's 19 songs -- "Thirty-Three," "1979," "To Forgive" and a second version of "Tonight Tonight" that closed both evenings. (The original 1995 album has 28 songs.) The rest of the songs were sung by actual opera vocalists -- Sydney Mancasola (soprano), Zoie Reams (mezzo-soprano), Dominick Valdés Chenes (tenor), and Edward Parks (baritone). Corgan posted on his Instagram account, "I can't tell you how great these singers are besides me and in the choir. I am truly blessed to sing with them." The Mellon Collie opera has five performances left -- Tuesday through next Sunday, with a day off for Thanksgiving.

DON HENLEY: Dismissed

A New York judge has dismissed a wrongful prosecution lawsuit brought against Don Henley

and Eagles manager Irving Azoff by a rare books dealer. who was previously accused of trying to sell stolen copies of handwritten Eagles lyrics to songs on the Hotel California album.

Glenn Horowitz -- a rare-books dealer who was previously accused of trying to sell stolen copies of handwritten Eagles lyrics to songs on the Hotel California album -- filed suit against Henley and Azoff. He claimed Henley knew the lyrics weren't stolen and intentionally hid this knowledge from authorities. Charges against him were dropped last year after prosecutors stated that their “confidence in the merits of this case [was] not enough” to continue the trial.

New York State Supreme Court judge Kathleen Waterman-Marshall stated, "There’s no finding that that information was withheld by Mr. Henley or any of the defendants for an improper purpose.” In the meantime, Henley's lawsuit seeking the return of his notebooks of lyrics is still pending. They've remained in the custody of the Manhattan DA’s office since the conclusion of the criminal trial, pending a decision over their rightful owner.

ROBERT PLANT: Journey From the Desk to the Library

If you want to see Robert Plant perform and talk about music from the comforts of your home, this was the weekend for that. First up Plant and Saving Grace stopped by NPR to take part in their "Tiny Desk" concert series, turning in a five-song set that included Led Zeppelin’s “Gallows Pole.” You can watch it on YouTube. Then his interview and performance for CBS Saturday Morning Saturday Sessions debuted. That's also on YouTube.

In other Plant news, he recently stopped by Nonesuch Records, which released his self-titled album with Saving Grace, to take part on its "Nonesuch Selects" video series, in which artists select some of their favorite albums from the music library. You can also find that on YouTube.

REO SPEEDWAGON: Keep On Keeping On 45 Years Later

This past Friday, November 21st, marked the 45th anniversary of the release of REO Speedwagon's ninth and most successful album, 1980's, Hi Infidelity. With Epic Records having been patient with the lack of major success from their first eight albums, Kevin Cronin says the pressure was on to deliver a hit. But he adds, "What happened with that record was just phenomenal." And as for when he knew it was going to be a success, he wasted no time in saying it was while preparing for an arena show in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. "Our hotel shared the same parking lot - I could see the arena from my hotel room. And, about two o'clock in the afternoon the line started forming and by five o'clock the line went all the way around the building. It turned out about 12,000 people showed up. They'd only printed 4,000 tickets so they had to go out and get rolls of carnival tickets. And they took down the curtain [that divided the arena], packed everybody in and that night we all kind of looked at each other and went, 'Something's going on here,' You know. And that's when we heard that 'Keep on Loving You' had caught fire on that local radio station in Baton Rouge and people wanted to see the band that had recorded that song."

Hi Infidelity spent 15 weeks at number-one, and produced six charting singles, including the band's first number-one, "Keep on Loving You," "Take It on the Run," and "Don't Let Him Go."

In 2017, the Recording Industry Association of America certified it Diamond for sales and streams of 10-million.

RICK WAKEMAN: Underwent Brain Surgery

Back in July, former Yes keyboardist Rick Wakeman postponed his U.S. tour in order to undergo surgery. The surgery was then postponed to this month, which he recently underwent. He says, "I was diagnosed with the neurological disorder 'normal pressure hydrocephalus' and following hospitalized operational tests in September, I had the necessary corrective 'shunt' brain surgery ... which I am pleased to say was very successful and I am now recuperating at home being cared for by my lovely wife and our wonderful furry healing animals! "I have to take things easy for a while but have been told by my surgeon that I will be perfectly fine to travel to America for the tour with my son Oliver in March and will be fine for all future engagements after that..."I am also pleased to say that it doesn't seem to have affected my piano playing in any way as I still seem to be very capable of hitting the odd wrong note here and there when I lose my concentration!! Once again, I'd like to thank everybody who wished me well over the last few months for a speedy recovery as it really did mean a lot to me." Wakeman is 76.

And in Yes news, Yes Symphonic Live, which was released in 2002 on DVD and Blu-ray, will be re-released as a two-CD + Blu-ray set, and a four-LP set on 180-gram vinyl and mastered at half-speed on January 23rd. Backed by the European Festival Orchestra, it was their last tour with original singer Jon Anderson. With this announcement comes their performance of “Long Distance Run Around,” which you can watch on YouTube.

RITCHIE BLACKMORE: Stone Cold Vertigo

It was a severe case of vertigo and a loud wedding party that caused Blackmore's Night to postpone the final four shows of their six-date Northeast tour. Ritchie Blackmore released a statement saying, "I have a long history of lumbar and neck herniated discs. Consequently, I would have back injections before a tour to help me over the pain. Recently, I have acquired debilitating migraines. They come and go very quickly. When I see the visual disturbance of these ocular migraines, I know they are coming. "When we did the long drive from Pennsylvania to Newton, New Jersey we were booked into a hotel that had a wedding party going all night in the corridors. There was no heat in the room and the sheets were still damp, which I assume culminated in me having a severe migraine attack. I couldn't stop vomiting. The room wouldn't stop spinning and I was extremely dizzy to the point of not being able to stand. An ambulance was called and I was taken to hospital where they gave me CAT scans and other tests. They were very gracious. The doctors came to the conclusion that my official diagnosis was severe vertigo. The results of this went on for days on end. I am now following up how serious these migraines are with various doctors. "When one tours, you have a lot of people who have to be healthy. Unfortunately, I was the one who got hit this time. "Hope

to see you all one day again when I'm healthy. "All the best, Ritchie, a guitarist".

In August, Blackmore's wife and bandmate Candice Night said he was dealing with a number of health ailments, including heart issues and gout. Blackmore is 80.

Reggae Legend Jimmy Cliff Dies

Reggae music icon Jimmy Cliff has died at age 81. Cliff is best known in the U.S. for his song “I Can See Clearly Now.” His wife, Latifa Chambers posted the news on social media. It was also signed by his children, Lilty and Aken. “It is with profound sadness that I share my husband, Jimmy Cliff, has crossed over due to a seizure followed by pneumonia.” Besides having hits with songs like “Wonderful World, Beautiful People” and “You Can Get it If You Really Want” he also starred in the Jamaican film “The Harder They Come.”

IN OTHER NEWS

In celebration of the 60th anniversary of The Rolling Stones’ “(I Can’t Get No) Satisfaction,” ABKCO Records released on Friday a limited-edition four-inch version of the single. It’s part of the Tiny Vinyl series sold exclusively at Target. The record is housed in an equally tiny sleeve featuring a recreation of the original seven-inch picture sleeve artwork. And true to the 1965 U.S. version, the B-side is “The Under Assistant West Coast Promotion Man.” In other Stones news, with the recent deluxe reissue of their Black and Blue album came the release of another previously unreleased song titled “I Love Ladies,” which you can check out on YouTube.

An overzealous fan accidentally yanked out four dreadlocks from the back of Lenny Kravitz’s head during his show Friday in Brisbane, Australia. In a video posted after the show, he said, “You know how hard you’ve got to pull to rip those out of my head? Damn, baby.” It occurred while he walked through the audience playing “Let Love Rule.” But, the incident won’t deter him, as he adds, “I’m not going to stop coming out there for ‘Let Love Rule’ because that’s our moment together.” Up next is Melbourne on Tuesday.

Neil Young and The Chrome Hearts will tour Europe and the UK again next summer. It starts on June 19th in Manchester, England with special guest Elvis Costello & The Imposters on select dates. He announced 13 dates through July 16th in Udine, Italy.

Bon Jovi keyboardist David Bryan was inducted into the New Jersey Hall of Fame along with The Isley Brothers and Jonas Brothers on Friday at The Rink at The Arena at the American Dream mall in East Rutherford, New Jersey, home of the Hall of Fame. Jon Bon Jovi was inducted in 2009.

Mark Knopfler has partnered with London’s Portobello Road Distillery to create Local Heroes No. 3 gin. The decorative label takes inspiration from Knopfler's passion for guitars, and inside every bottle is an image of his iconic 1937 14-fret National Style “O” Resonator. And, in a nod to the signature headband he used to wear on stage, each bottle is adorned with its own miniature red version. For more details go to PortobelloRoadDistillery.com.

Michael Stipe joined Patti Smith for the last three songs of her set Saturday night at the Beacon Theatre in New York City -- "Ghost Dance," "People Have the Power" and a cover of The Who's "My Generation."

Prayers go out to Great White co-founder and guitarist Mark Kendall who has been diagnosed with Stage 4 kidney cancer. He says, “Just to give you an update the tumor has shrunk from 13 centimeters to eight, so I’m going in the right direction with my first scan. There isn’t a cure for cancer but what I have is manageable. I have the best doctors in the world and one of them invented Immunotherapy which is the treatment I’m on. I only had to do three radiation treatments which is a good thing! To be clear, I don’t need any financial help but I’ll take prayers & encouragement! I’m gonna fight this thing and be okay. People in my support group were diagnosed with my exact issue up to 20 years ago, so that is encouraging!”

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