Pulse Music

It was 48 years ago today (September 28th, 1974) that Andy Kim's "Rock Me Gently" hit Number One on the Billboard Hot 100. Kim was born Andrew Joachim of Lebanese descent in Montreal, Canada in 1946. He moved to New York City at the age of 16 and eventually hooked up with the legendary songwriting team of Ellie Greenwich and Jeff Barry -- the duo responsible for "Be My Baby," "Chapel Of Love," "Hanky Panky," and dozens of other '60s classics.

Kim eventually married Greenwich and formed a songwriting partnership with Barry. Together they wrote the Archie's 1969 Number One smash, "Sugar, Sugar" -- a song originally offered to the Monkees. Kim continued to record as a solo act and scored two Top 20 hits with remakes of the Greenwich & Barry-written Ronettes classics "Be My Baby," and "Baby, I Love You."

By 1974 Kim was without a recording contract and ended up financing the recording of "Rock Me Gently" himself. He only had enough money to record two songs. Rather than waste the second tune for the record's B-side, Kim tagged an instrumental version on the back.

"Rock Me Gently" was released on June 22nd, 1974 and took over three months to reach Number One -- knocking Barry White's "Can't Get Enough Of Your Love, Babe" out of the top spot. During that same time, R&B stations were playing the instrumental B-side.

The song held the top spot for one week. Kim told Billboard in 1974: "I never mentally admitted defeat in spite of 18 months between record contracts. It's true that you can be lonely at the top, but believe me, it's lonelier at the bottom."

In 2015 Kim released his latest album, called It's Decided.

Jack Harlow will serve as co-host for a special episode of NBC's The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon on Thursday, October 6th.

According to a press release, the rapper will make a pit stop at 30 Rock the day before his Come Home the Kids Miss You Tour stops at Brooklyn's Barclays Center on Friday, Oct. 7th.

As part of his hosting duties, Harlow is expected to help Fallon deliver the nightly monologue, co-interview guest Dwyane Wade, and introduce a musical performance from Quavo & Takeoff.

The co-hosting gig will mark the "First Class" performer's fourth appearance on The Tonight Show.

Red Hot Chili Peppers frontman Anthony Kiedis shed light on the band's new tribute to the late-Eddie Van Halen. The track, named "Eddie," will be featured on the band's upcoming double album, Return Of The Dream Canteen, which drops on October 14th.

Kiedis explained how the song came about, posting on Twitter, "Sometimes we don't realize how deeply affected and connected we are to artists until the day they die. Eddie Van Halen was a one of a kind. The day after his death Flea came into rehearsal with an emotional bassline."

He went on to write, "John (Frusciante), Chad (Smith) and I started playing along and pretty soon with all our hearts, a song in his honor effortlessly unfolded. It felt good to be sad and care so much about a person who had given so much to our lives."

Kiedis closed by saying, "Although the song doesn't speak to Eddie by name, it talks about his early days on the Sunset Strip and the rock n' roll tapestry that Van Halen painted on our minds. In the end, our song asks that you not remember Eddie for dying but for living his wildest dream."

Return Of The Dream Canteen once again pairs the Chili Peppers with producer Rick Rubin. Anthony Kiedis told us years ago why the band loves teaming up with Rubin whenever they can: The best way to describe Rick as a producer would be if Baron Von Munchausen were to ejaculate the Red Hot Chili Peppers onto a chess board. As the players of that board, Rick Rubin would be the perfect chess player. He's very intelligent, very emotionally in tune with hardcore soulful music. He knows how to extrapolate the best and most relaxed natural performance of a band without changing them."

Red Hot Chili Peppers will next perform on October 9th and 16th in Austin, Texas at Austin City Limits Music Festival.

The audiobook readers have been revealed for Bob Dylan's first new book in 18 years, titled, The Philosophy Of Modern Song, which will be published on November 8th. Simon & Schuster's website posted the audiobook clocks in at seven hours, with Dylan himself reading, with Uncut reporting chapters being read by such heavyweights as Jeff Bridges, Steve Buscemi, John Goodman, Oscar Isaac, Helen Mirren, Rita Moreno, Sissy Spacek, Alfre Woodard, Jeffrey Wright, and Renée Zellweger.

The Philosophy Of Modern Song features 60 essays featuring Dylan's musings on other popular musicians -- including Stephen Foster, Elvis Costello, Hank Williams, and Nina Simone. Dylan has been working on the manuscript for the past decade.

According to the book's official press release:

Bob Dylan analyzes what he calls the trap of easy rhymes, breaks down how the addition of a single syllable can diminish a song, and even explains how bluegrass relates to heavy metal. These essays are written in Dylan's unique prose. They are mysterious and mercurial, poignant and profound, and often laugh-out-loud funny.

And while they are ostensibly about music, they are really meditations and reflections on the human condition. Running throughout the book are nearly 150 carefully curated photos as well as a series of dream-like riffs that, taken together, resemble an epic poem and add to the work's transcendence.

During Martin Scorsese's 2005 Grammy Award-winning documentary, No Direction Home, Bob Dylan touched upon starting his long journey from his humble beginnings in Hibbing, Minnesota: "I had ambitions to set out and find, like, an odyssey, goin' home somewhere. (And) set out to find this home that I, I'd left a while back and couldn't remember exactly where it was -- but I was on my way there. And encountering what I encountered on the, on the way, was how I envisioned it all. I didn't really have any ambition at all."

Charlie Puth is extending his time on the road by adding shows in Europe this fall. The Grammy-nominated artist previously announced the North American leg in support of his third studio album, CHARLIE, due October 7^th. From that album, Puth will release a new song on Friday (9-30) called "Charlie Be Quiet."

Produced by Live Nation, the run of intimate shows will first kick off with eight dates across North America before making its way to the London Coliseum on November 28^th. His One Night Only tour will wrap in Berlin in the first week of December.

TL;DR:

• Charlie Puth is extending his tour to include Europe this fall.
• He'll play eight dates across North America before heading to the London Coliseum on November 28^th.

Billie Eilish is ending her sold-out global world tour with a special livestream from the O2 Arena in London.

Eilish broke the news to her fans online and called the Happier Than Ever Tour, her "favorite tour" she's ever done.

She added, "I can't wait for you to see it!"

The event will stream exclusively on Apple Music this Friday, (September 30^th) at 10:00p ET. Eilish is one of Apple's top streaming artists worldwide.

TL;DR:

• Billie Eilish is ending her sold-out global world tour with a special livestream from the O2 Arena in London.
• Exclusively on Apple Music this Friday, September 30^th.

Ahead of her appearance at tonight's (September 27th) tribute concert at L.A.'s Kia Forum, Heart's Nancy Wilson has posted the video to her new musical salute to her dear friend, the late-Taylor Hawkins.

Wilson spoke about the tune, titled "Amigo Amiga," explaining to Consequence Of Sound: "I heard myself in tears saying 'too soon too soon,' which became a refrain in the song. I spent quite a few sleepless nights trying to express it all. He was a wonderful friend and we always had funny pet names for each other like 'Amigo' and 'Amiga' as well as 'Luv' and 'Dahling.'''

Wilson went on to say, "It is such a painful loss -- but it also feels like Taylor has galvanized and re-energized rock n' roll with so many of his musician friends and fans coming together. It's a new renaissance Taylor and the Foo (Fighters) family have gifted us all."

All profits from "Amigo Amiga" will benefit the non-profit organization MusiCares.

Neil Young's infamous 1973 Time Fades Away live album has finally been released as a standalone CD. The bundle for the album includes both a newly pressed CD along with a Time Fades Away Hi Res Download Code via Young's official website (NeilYoungArchives.org). As it stands now, the album is already sold out -- but supplies are expected to seen be replenished.

The live album was primarily recorded on the road in early-1973 while Young and his then-band the Stray Gators were touring behind his massive 1972 Harvest album. The Stray Gators featured Jack Nitzsche on piano, Ben Keith on steel guitar, Tim Drummond on bass, and drummer Johnny Barbata. David Crosby and Graham Nash joined the tour and are featured both vocally and instrumentally backing Young on several tracks.

Time Fades Away was originally released on October 15th, 1973 and topped out at Number 22 on the Billboard charts. Due to Young's dissatisfaction with the album, it was never issued on CD along with the rest of his catalogue in the 1980's and '90s.

Noise11.com reported, "The album finally had a CD release as part of the Official Release Series Discs 5-8 in 2017 but it was a very limited release. However, it has been available for streaming with Young's other catalogue and was first released digitally through Pono from December 2014."

Neil Young told us that over the course of his career, he's happy to have a diverse community of musicians that he can pick and choose from to help serve his music on a project-by-project basis: "Generally, if I'm writing some real rock n' roll songs and some real basic, primitive rock n' roll songs, usually I'll go to Crazy Horse. And if I'm writing more complicated songs or things that are, are more complex or, y'know, where the rhythm patterns are different and they require a little more refinement, then I'll go somewhere else."

Olivia Rodrigo says that Alanis Morissette "Completely changed" her life. She made the comment in Toronto over the weekend as Morissette was being honored by the Canadian Songwriters Hall of Fame.

Rodrigo noted that listening to Jagged Little Pill inspired her and said that Morissette's writing was unlike anything she'd ever heard.

Rodrigo commented, "I haven't heard anything quite like it since. And that voice… fierce and tender and sometimes funny and playful. I became hooked for life."

The two met last year during a Rolling Stone cover shoot and then later performed together at a concert in Los Angeles.

Near the end of the ceremony, Morissette gave a ten-minute speech and expressed her joy and gratitude as an inductee.

TL;DR:

• Olivia Rodrigo says that Alanis Morissette "Completely changed" her life.
• Rodrigo noted that listening to Jagged Little Pill inspired her.
• Says that Morissette's writing was unlike anything she'd ever heard.
• Morissette was being honored at the Canadian Songwriters Hall of Fame.

As expected, the legendary Bonnie Raitt is hard at work on the road supporting her latest hit album, Just Like That. . . The set topped no less than six Billboard charts -- including the magazine's Folk and Top Blues lists. Raitt hits San Diego tonight (September 27th), playing the Rady Shell at Jacobs Park with special guest Mavis Staples opening the show.

With decades of studio and stage work under her belt, Bonnie Raitt explained to us that the lessons she's learned apply to the studio and concert hall alike: "A show and an album are not dissimilar. Y'know, you have a certain way of opening up things. And a certain. . . for me it's how to set the three big ballads into the record with enough recovery time after you hear them and enough build up before them. You can't put four ballads in a row and you can't put any similar grooves in a row, so after 21 records, I kinda know what works and its part of the artistry, I think."

Bonnie Raitt - with special guest Marc Cohn - tour dates (subject to change):

September 27 - San Diego, CA - The Rady Shell at Jacobs Park (Mavis Staples opening)
September 30 - Tempe, AZ - ASU Gammage
October 1 - Tucson, AZ - Tucson Music Hall
October 4 - Albuquerque, NM - Kiva Auditorium at the Albuquerque Convention Center
October 5 - El Paso, TX - Abraham Chavez Theatre
October 7 - San Antonio, TX - Majestic Theatre
October 8 - Grand Prairie, TX - Texas Trust CU Theatre
November 2 - Austin, TX - ACL Live at The Moody Theater
November 4 - Sugar Land, TX - Smart Financial Center at Sugar Land
November 5 - New Orleans, LA - Mahalia Jackson Theater
November 8 - Jackson, MS - Thalia Mara Hall
November 9 - Birmingham, AL - BJCC Concert Hall
November 11 - Savannah, GA - Johnny Mercer Theatre
November 12 St. Augustine, FL - St. Augustine Amphitheater
November15 Melbourne, FL - King Center
November 16 Ft. Lauderdale, FL - Au-Rene Theater at Broward Center for the Performing Arts
November 18 Sarasota, FL - Van Wezel Performing Arts Hall
November 19 Clearwater, FL - Ruth Eckerd Hall

Megan Thee Stallion has launched a new website filled with mental health resources. It's called Bad B*tches Have Bad Days Too.

She confirmed the news after retweeting a fan who discovered the site. She wrote: "Bounce back like bad b*tches do."

The site pulls together organizations that provide free therapy, group programs for the Black and LGBTQIA+ communities, specific hotlines, and more.

Megan Thee Stallion has spoken openly about her mental health journey in the past, including the fact that therapy helped her after the deaths of both of her parents.

TL;DR:

• Megan Thee Stallion has launched a new website filled with mental health resources.
• It's called Bad B*tches Have Bad Days Too.
• It pulls together organizations that provide free therapy, group programs for the Black and LGBTQIA+ communities, specific hotlines, and more.

Harry Styles' single "As It Was" has now been #1 on the Billboard Hot 100 Songs chart for 15 weeks. That's the longest reign by any British act, as well as the longest running solo song in Billboard Hot 100 history. And keeping with theme, Styles' film Don't Worry Darling debuted at #1 at the North American Box Office.

Taylor Swift announced another song title from her next album, Midnights and of course she did it at the stroke of midnight on Monday (Sept. 26). The unveiling of a song called "Question," happened on TikTok. Swift, once again was seen spinning an old-fashioned lottery-ball cage, seemingly leaving the song up to chance. The album is due October 21.

BLACKPINK'S Born Pink moved 102,000 equivalent album units in its first week of release in the US. The milestone makes them the first all-female group to top the Billboard Top 200 albums chart since 2008. Counting BTS and Stray Kids, three different South Korean acts have now topped U.S. Billboard charts this year.

An announcement was posted on Dead & Company's social media sites announcing that next summer's tour will be the band's last. The group was formed back in 2015, and along with Grateful Dead members Bob Weir, Mickey Hart, and Bill Kreutzmann -- the band is rounded out with guitarist John Mayer, former-Allman Brothers Band bassist Oteil Burbridge, and longtime RatDog and Dead sideman, keyboardist Jeff Chimenti.

Last April, Rolling Stone had jumped the gun in reported the band was calling it quits after 2022 -- but was quickly shot down by both Weir and Kreutzmann.

The band posted a statement across its social media platforms, which reads:

As we put the finishing touches on booking venues, and understanding that word travels fast, we wanted to be the first to let you know that Dead & Company will be hitting the road next summer for what will be our final tour.

Stay tuned for a full list of dates for what will surely be an exciting, celebratory, and heartfelt last run of shows.

With love and appreciation,
Dead & Company

Bob Weir posted his own announcement, writing:

Well it looks like that's it for this outfit; but don't worry we will all be out there in one form or another until we drop…

Bill Kreutzmann also spoke directly to fans with a heartfelt reminder:

The Grateful Dead always felt timeless from our very beginnings at the Acid Tests where "time" did some funny things so we left it behind altogether. This music will always exist, always evolve, always be the soundtrack of our ever changing lives.

But the form changes. It always has, from when we invited Mickey to join the band to the many shapes and forms it took after Jerry left us. And so it's almost time for another change.

I have loved this chapter with Dead & Company, as we got to explore The Music with some new interpreters and different antennas, but we always knew it was just a chapter. The Music never stops.

I hope you'll join us for one final Dead & Company tour next summer and after that… as always… I'm really excited about what comes next.

Thank you all for being with us on this journey. It's far from over so keep those seat belts on because we've got some wild nights ahead.

With love, Billy

Bill Kreutzmann believes that although revered by the Dead's audience, one of the primary reasons why the band is so beloved is because they were never larger than life, just happy and proud, working musicians: "We're people, we weren't gods or anything. I know we're held in incredibly high esteem -- our Deadhead fans, thank you very, very much -- but we are just people and we all learned to play an instrument and we got together at the right time. It was synchronicity at its best, I would say."

Bob Weir, who for years acted as Jerry Garcia's deputy in the Grateful Dead, talked to us about living a lifetime in the band: "This is the only life I've ever known, so it's all I've ever wanted to do, as well. It all seems real natural to me; ringing those lofty bells onstage -- I live for that. In the mid-'70s, we decided we were going to start our own record company. In retrospect, we lost a lot of money, we found ourselves carrying briefcases and stuff like that and it was (laughs) -- like I say, it was not something I would do again."

Dead & Company will next perform on January 14th through 17th, 2023 in Riviera Cancun, Mexico at Playing In The Sand.

President Biden surprised Elton John on Friday night (September 23rd) by awarding him the prestigious National Humanities Medal for his decades in helping rid the world of AIDS through his Elton John AIDS Foundation. Rolling Stone reported the "Rocket Man" was on hand at the White House to perform a mini-set on the South Lawn for an event titled A Night When Hope And History Rhyme, which was produced in connection with both with A&E Networks and The History Channel.

President Biden and the First Lady Jill Biden appeared on stage at the end of Elton's set and surprised him with the honor, which a tearful Elton accepted from Biden who placed the medal around the songwriting legend's neck.

The dedication was read as Biden officially awarded Elton the honor: "The President of the United States awards this National Humanities Medal to Sir Elton John for moving our souls with his powerful voice, one of the defining songbooks of all time. An enduring icon and advocate with absolute courage, who found purpose to challenge convention, shatter stigma and advance a simple truth: that everyone deserves to be treated with dignity and respect."

President Biden posted on social media:

On his final tour, Jill and I invited Sir Elton John to the People's House.

I proudly presented him with the National Humanities Medal for a legacy of challenging convention, shuttering stigma, and advancing the truth that all of us deserve to be treated with dignity.

Elton John went on to post:

I'm so honoured and thankful to receive the National Humanities Medal from President Joe Biden at the White House, in recognition of my contribution to music and work to end AIDS through Elton John AIDS Foundation.

Over the past 30 years we've reached over 100 million people with testing and treatment for HIV and AIDS. There is so much more to be done to reach the most vulnerable communities - thank you to everyone who has joined and supported us so far on our mission to make sure no one is left behind.

Elton John has put his money where his mouth is by personally donating millions of dollars of his own money to raise AIDS awareness. He explained a while back that AIDS touches all our lives: "Every single that I put out, all the money from those singles goes to AIDS related charities. And I've seen a lot of people who have AIDS face up to their impending death with such courage and such dignity. But I also know that gay men are not the only people who suffer from this disease. Having been around and been fortunate to have know the (Ryan) White family (and) Elizabeth Glaser, I know this disease effects everybody."

Elton John performs on September 30th in Arlington, Texas at Globe Life Field.

From the hospital, Post Malone canceled his Saturday night (9-24) concert in Boston. Through social media posts, he told fans that he woke up to a cracking sound on the right side of his body and was having "stabbing" pains. He was also having difficulty breathing.

He wrote: "I feel terrible, but I promise I'm going to make this up to you. I love you Boston, I'll see you soon. I'm so sorry."

The cancelation came a week after he took a hard fall during a show in St. Louis and had to cancel mid-concert to be taken to the hospital. The fall had bruised some of his ribs.

TL;DR:

Bruno Mars is now booked to play Las Vegas on New Year's Eve. The Grammy winner is slated to perform two shows on December 30 and 31 at the Park MGM Grand.

The ticket prices start at $575. Just last month, Mars and Anderson .Paak wrapped up their Silk Sonic residency at that same location.

TL;DR:

The Doobie Brothers' original drummer and co-founder John Hartman died on September 23rd of undisclosed causes at age 72, according to Variety. Hartman, who, initially was the band's sole drummer, was an integral part of the Doobies during their meteoric original run. Starting in 1973, he drummed alongside second drummer Michael Hossack who was then replaced by Keith Knudsen.

Knudsen died on February 8th, 2005 at age 56 from complications related to pneumonia.

Hartman split from the band in 1979 only to join forces with the Doobies again on their initial reunion albums -- 1989's Cycles and 1991's Brotherhood, after which he retired from the music business. He was inducted alongside the Doobie Brothers into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2020.

The Doobie Brothers posted an official tribute online to Hartman, which reads:

Today we are thinking of John Hartman, or Little John to us. John was a wild spirit, great drummer, and showman during his time in the Doobies. He was also a close friend for many years and an intricate part of the band personality! We send our condolences to all his loved ones at this difficult time. Rest In Peace John.

John Hartman will walls be remembered for the legacy the Doobies have left behind, having played on such classics as "Long Train Runnin'," "China Grove," "Listen To The Music," "Takin' It To The Streets," "Black Water," "Jesus Is Just Alright," "Rockin' Down The Highway," "What A Fool Believes," "Take Me In Your Arms (Rock Me A Little While)," "It Keeps You Runnin'," "Takin' It To The Street," "You Belong To Me," and "Minute By Minute, among so many others.

Not too long ago, Michael McDonald -- John Hartman's longtime bandmate -- told us he's always considered himself a Doobie Brother and still loves his former bandmates deeply: "I take a certain amount of pride that we had our share of band disputes, y'know, throwing furniture at each other backstage, and all that (like) bands do -- y'know, in the crazy days. But it was always important to remember that we were friends first and I think that's what we've walked away with. It's probably more valuable than ten-times greater success monetarily or record sales-wise. We really, y'know, got through it, intact as friends, y'know? And I think we all kind of hang on to that with a. . . put a certain amount of value on that."

Stevie Nicks has just released a surprise remake of Stephen Stills' 1966 Buffalo Springfield standard, "For What It's Worth." The Fleetwood Mac singer spoke about the standalone single in a statement, which said, "I'm so excited to release my new song. It was written by Stephen Stills in 1966. It meant something to me then, and it means something to me now. I always wanted to interpret it through the eyes of a woman -- and it seems like today, in the times that we live in, that it has a lot to say."

Stevie Nicks, who's currently out on the road, told us that the simple act of performing is the very thing that ensures a singer's future: "I plan to sing, y'know? Opera singers sing into their 80's. But I do plan to be out there singing when I am a seriously older woman, because I think my voice will still be really good. Because I'm not gonna let it go. And it really is all about. . . Y'know, the people that can't sing anymore that had great voices are the people that went away for five years and then just decide to come back. And you just can't make a comeback. Comebacks are just no good. You have to just keep singing."

GAYLE has announced that she's canceling her fall dates for personal reasons. The Avoiding College Tour was slated to kick off October 8 in Oklahoma City and feature Carlie Hanson and Poutyface as opening acts.

Without giving specific details, the 18-year-old thanked fans online for buying tickets and said she was "learning how to be an adult." Although all of her headlining dates have been scrubbed, GAYLE will continue with her festival shows.

Referring to the tour's title, she wrote that she's "definitely" still not going to college. Her next EP drops October 7^th.

TL;DR:

• GAYLE is canceling her fall dates for personal reasons.
• Without giving specific details, said she was "learning how to be an adult."
• Her next EP drops October 7^th.

• Tomorrow night's (September 27th) Taylor Hawkins tribute concert at L.A.'s Kia Forum is boasting a lineup that can stand proudly next to the Wembley Stadium show, which saluted the late-Foo Fighters drummer earlier this month.

According to Theprp.com, the full lineup to Tuesday night's show will be:

Sebastian Bach
Travis Barker (Blink-182)
Tommy Brenneck (Menahan Street Band, Budos Band)
Geezer Butler (Black Sabbath)
Matt Cameron (Soundgarden, Pearl Jam)
Danny Carey (Tool)
Chris Chaney (Jane's Addiction, Taylor Hawkins and the Coattail Riders)
Chevy Metal
Phil Collen (Def Leppard)
Stewart Copeland (The Police)
Miley Cyrus
Jon "Juano" Davison (Yes)
Elliot Easton (The Cars)
Joe Elliot (Def Leppard)
Josh Freese (The Vandals, Devo)
Violet Grohl
Omar Hakim
Justin Hawkins (The Darkness)
Shane Hawkins
Joshua Homme (Queens Of The Stone Age)
James Gang
Joan Jett
Alain Johannes
John Paul Jones (Led Zeppelin, Them Crooked Vultures)
Kesha
Mark King (Level 42)
Greg Kurstin
Geddy Lee (Rush)
Tommy Lee (Mötley Crüe)
Alex Lifeson (Rush)
Brian May (Queen)
Taylor Momsen (The Pretty Reckless)
Alanis Morissette
Krist Novoselic (Nirvana)
P!nk
Mark Ronson
Rick Savage (Def Leppard)
Nikki Sixx (Mötley Crüe)
Chad Smith (Red Hot Chili Peppers)
Luke Spiller (The Struts)
Roger Taylor (Queen)
Rufus Taylor (The Darkness/Queen)
Kim Thayil (Soundgarden)
Jon Theodore (Queens Of The Stone Age)
Lars Ulrich (Metallica)
Wolfgang Van Halen
Brad Wilk (Rage Against The Machine)
Nancy Wilson (Heart)
Pat Wilson (Weezer)
Nate Wood (Taylor Hawkins And The Coattail Riders)
Andrew Wyatt

• Following up on his recent re-recordings of "Panama" and "Ain't Talkin' 'Bout Love," David Lee Roth has issued a newly recorded live-in-studio take of Van Halen's "Dance The Night Away." Like the other re-recordings, the new track was cut as part of a 14-song session back in May at L.A.'s Henson Studios.
  • It's unclear if all the songs are all early-Van Halen retreads or whether any new material was also committed to tape.
    
    
• During a new chat with Rolling Stone, Sammy Hagar shed light on his personal politics and how he votes in each election: "I do not get involved in politics. When the right is right, I'm on that side. When the left is right, I'm on that side. The one thing I don't like is f***in' evil, greedy criminals that f***this country over and f*** the land over. We have to take care of the air we breathe and the water we drink. That's who I vote for."
• Regarding former-President Donald Trump, Hagar said: "He's an a**hole. I don't like the fact that he was down on Mexicans because I think the Mexican people are some of the greatest people on the planet. I live in Mexico. And those are God-loving, family-oriented, hard-working people. Without them, we can't do s***t in America. . . I liked that Trump wanted to clean up politics, but I'm not sure what his motives were. He's just so arrogant."
  • On the topic of President Joe Biden, Hagar stated, "I don't think he's done very well. I think we need a younger, stronger mind. Biden does know politics because he's been in there so long, and he's got a lot of people around him, but I don't like this administration. I didn't like the last one either though." (Rolling Stone)

Travis Barker has announced that his Wellness Company will include a vegan skin care line.

The Blink-182 musician will be expanding with five products infused with CBD. It includes a two-in-one face cleanser and mask, a daily moisturizer, an eye serum, a face serum, and a renewal balm.

Barker doesn't just sell vegan products, he also wears them. In a recent interview with People he said that when you see him wearing leather, it's not real, it's vegan, right down to his Doc Maren boots.

The products he sells are described on his website as "all-natural, vegan, fragrance-free, and non-comedogenic." Prices range from $85 to $130 and are available on the Barker Wellness website.

TL;DR:

• Travis Barker has announced that his Wellness Company will include a vegan skin care line.
• five products infused with CBD.
• Prices range from $85 to $130.

It was 53 years ago today (September 26th, 1969) that the Beatles' final album, Abbey Road, was released. Although the Let It Be album was released the next year featuring earlier unreleased tracks, Abbey Road was the last album the group recorded together. The album's working title had been Everest -- after a brand of cigarettes their engineer Geoff Emerick smoked -- before the group simply chose the name of the street where their recording studio was located.

Abbey Road spent 11 weeks at Number One and featured the double A-sided single "Come Together" and "Something," the highest-charting Beatles song written by George Harrison. Paul McCartney commented on the song in The Beatles Anthology saying, "'Something' was out of left field. . . It appealed to me because it has a very beautiful melody. I thought it was George's greatest track."

2019 saw the is the 50th anniversary edition of Abbey Road. Newly remixed by producer Giles Martin and mix engineer Sam Okell in stereo, high res stereo, 5.1 surround, and Dolby Atmos, accompanied by 23 session recordings and demos, most of which were previously unreleased.

Prior to its release, Ringo Starr told us how much he was looking forward to the upgrade in sound to the "Fab Four's" 1969 swan-song -- but admits, having the group's mistakes and alternate takes unearthed leaves him a bit cold: "I've loved all the re-releases 'cause of the remastering and because you can hear the drums. Usually, if anything was gonna get lost, they dial down the drums in the old days. I played the Abbey Road one -- I love it! I love the remasters. I mean, I get a bit fed up, personally, with all those, like, 'Take 9' or 'Take 3'; y'know, the odd takes that we didn't put out, but, it's part of the box set, so you're gonna have to do stuff like that now."

In October 2019, the Beatles made the Guinness Book of World Records with the Abbey Road reissue. Variety reported that the "Fab Four" returning to the Number One spot on Britain's Official Charts Company with their 50th anniversary editions of the album, marked "the longest period of time for an album to return to Number One in the UK after a record-breaking 49 years and 252 days."

Amazingly, the Beatles smashed their own record that was previously reached back in 2017 when their 1967 Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band collection returned to the top spot after 49 years and 125 days. Paul McCartney responded to the news of the new world record, saying, "It's hard to believe that Abbey Road still holds up after all these years. But then again it's a bloody cool album."

In 2009, the last CD remaster of Abbey Road debuted at Number One on Billboard's Pop Catalog chart. In January 2012 it was announced that for the third year in a row, Abbey Road remained the best-selling vinyl album. According to the Nielsen/SoundScan list, Abbey Road sold an impressive 41,000 copies in 2011 beating out then-new vinyl releases from Wilco, Black Keys, Adele, and Fleet Foxes. In 2012, Ringo Starr told Rock Cellar magazine that Abbey Road was his favorite of the band's albums, explaining, "For me, that would be the second side of Abbey Road. That one is my favorite because I just love all those bits and pieces that weren't full songs that John (Lennon) and Paul (McCartney) had been working on and pulled all together -- 'Mean Mr. Mustard,' 'Polythene Pam,' and 'She Came In Through The Bathroom Window.'"

By the time of the Abbey Road sessions, which began in earnest in mid-1969, the group had been in the slow process of breaking up since their return from India the previous year, and struggled through 1968's "White Album" -- as well as the month-long movie shoot that resulted in 1970's Let It Be album and film.

By the spring of 1969 John Lennon was drifting further away, after marrying Yoko Ono and embarking on the first of several anti-war "bed in" events.

Paul McCartney was eager that the group not end on the sour note that had become the Let It Be project, and rallied the group to produce an album on par with classics like Rubber Soul, Revolver, and Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band.

The seeds for the Abbey Road album lay in the January 1969 Let It Be album and film project -- which was still unreleased when the Abbey Road sessions commenced. George Harrison recalled during The Beatles Anthology that it was actually the group's decision to better their work on Let It Be for their official followup to 1968's "White Album": "Well, I think the deal was through Let It Be, it was like, I left, and we got back on the basis of we've gotta just finish it up and make it tidy, so I got back on that basis. Then everybody decided we ought to do one better album."

Late-Beatles producer George Martin recalled in The Beatles Anthology the events leading up to the mid-1969 sessions which kicked off Abbey Road: "At the end of Let It Be. . . Let It Be was such an unhappy record, really -- even though there are some great songs on it -- I really thought that was the end of the Beatles and I thought I would never work with them again. I thought, 'What a shame to go out like this.' So I was quite surprised when Paul rang me up and said, 'We're going to make another record, would you like to produce it?' And my immediate answer was -- 'Only if you let me produce it the way we used to.' And he said to me, 'We do want to do that.' I said, 'John included?'' He said 'Yes, honestly.' So I said, 'If you really want to do that, let's do it and get together again.' And it was a very happy record. I guess it was happy because everybody knew it was going to be the last."

Harrison admitted he wasn't sure whether the Abbey Road sessions were making the end of the Beatles: "We didn't know, or I didn't know, at the time that it was the last Beatle record that we would make, but it kind of felt a bit like we were reaching the end of the line."

McCartney remembers that the band was definitely out to prove something with Abbey Road: "I think it was, in a way, the feeling that it might be our last, so let's show 'em what we can do, let's show each other what we can do, let's have a good time doing it. We had lots and lots of bits and things. John had a bit of a song called 'Polythene Pam' and we hit upon the idea of medley-ing them all, which gave the second side of Abbey Road a kind of sort of operatic kind of structure -- which was kind of nice 'cause it got rid of these songs in good way."

One of George Harrison's closest friends, Eric Clapton, was on hand to witness the birth of one of Harrison's greatest Beatles-era classics: "It was one of those beautiful spring mornings, and I think it was April, and we were just walking through the (laughs) garden with our guitars -- and that, I don't do that! Y'know, I only ever do. . . This is what George brought to the situation. He was just a magical guy and he would show up with his guitar, get out of the car with the guitar, and come in and you'd start playing. And we walked around the garden and sat down at the bottom of the garden, looking out and the sun was shining and it was a beautiful morning and he started to sing 'Here Comes The Sun.' The opening lines, y'know?"

George Harrison looked back at writing 1969's "Something" -- the second song on Abbey Road -- and remembered that the melody automatically felt familiar to him: "I wrote that in Abbey Road (Studios) when we were making the 'White Album.' And again, when you write songs everything, in a way, sounds familiar -- and the more catchy it is, the more familiar it sounds. But writing 'Something,' I wrote the main part of that, and then I, sort of, just put it on ice for about six months, because I thought, 'That's too easy! It sounds so simple, it must be something.' 'Cause once I got into writing it, the first change (sings) -- once I made that change, everything followed. So I thought it must be something else -- but it wasn't."

It was at John Lennon's urging that George Harrison receive his first original Beatles A-side with 1969's "Something" -- which shared double A-side status with Lennon's own Abbey Road classic "Come Together." Prior to the album's release in September 1969, Lennon was full of praise for "Something": "I think we'll probably put 'Something' out as a single out there (in the U.S.) I think that's about the best track on the album, actually -- George's track. And they had it. . . Y'know how they always get our records before they're out over there, somehow, and they were playing ‘Something' so much. They had an advance thing of it. They're red hot for it over there, so we'll probably release it over there as a single. I don't know what'll happen here."

Shortly after its 1969 release, Paul McCartney picked his favorites off the Abbey Road album: "Well, I like 'Come Together' -- that's a great one, which is John's one. I like 'Something,' George writes (sic). For me, I think, it's the best he's written. And I like 'Because' on the second side. I like all the others, y'know, I think there's not a bad track on it. But my favorites are those ones; and then the long one. The whole of the end bit, I think that works good."

Although John Lennon missed the Abbey Road sessions for "Maxwell's Silver Hammer" following a car crash in Scotland, he had workshopped the song heavily during the Beatles' January 1969 Let It Be project: "Yeah, it's a typical McCartney sing-a-long, or wherever you call 'em. He did quite a lot of work on it. I was ill after the accident when they did most of that track. And I believe he really ground George and Ringo into the ground (laughs) recording it."

Paul McCartney explained that close-knit harmony vocals on a tune like "Because" came from working hardcore on three-part harmony since they were teenagers in Liverpool: "With the Beatles, we started off years ago doing harmonies, and I think just as we went on we got better and better. And for something like 'Because,' which I think was, like, the epitome of it; we worked at it. We did it a few times 'til we got it right."

Beatles author Bruce Spizer says that some of the credit for the aural quality of Abbey Road has to go to the Beatles' chief engineer and their producer: "Some of that obviously was due to the great techniques that Geoff Emerick and George Martin were putting forth on these, where, y'know, the Beatles wanted a certain sound, it was their job to somehow create it."

Beatlefan magazine executive editor Al Sussman believes that at the very least, the band realized they were at some type of crossroads, and that spurred them on to the height of their creativity: "I'm not sure that it absolutely is the best Beatles album -- but the last side of it may be the best side of music the Beatles ever put together as a band. I think they, even if it was subconsciously, realized that this was going to probably be their last album for at least some time to come -- they probably didn't realize it was going to be the last album forever, but I think they knew it was going to be the last album for some time to come. It's one of the miracles of the summer of '69, like the moon landing, like Woodstock, like the Mets."

From the opening funky groove of Lennon's "Come Together" to Harrison's classic ode to spring "Here Comes The Sun" to McCartney's mini-opera that dominated side two, the Beatles managed to put their personal and business differences aside to produce an album that rivaled, if not topped, their greatest work.

John Lennon as always was frankly honest when appraising his and the Beatles' work -- and the group's Abbey Road was no exception: "Abbey Road, for me, as always with all the albums, I like some of the tracks and I don't like others of the tracks. And it's always been the same. I've never been a knocked-out Beatle fan by any of our albums, y'know? I like some of the work we do and some of it I don't. And Abbey Road was a competent album. I don't think it was any more than that -- or any less."

Around the time of Abbey Road's original release in the fall of 1969, George Harrison name-checked some of his favorite tunes on the album: "I like 'You Never Give Me Your Money' and "Golden Slumbers' and things; y'know, Paul always writes nice melodies. He's amazing for doing that. I like Ringo's song ('Octopus's Garden'), because Ringo should do it and it's just like a country and western tune, anyway. And it's a happy tune and it's all that. And I like what he's saying, about 'rest our head on the sea bed, we could be warm below the storm.' I've heard a few people saying that it's their favorite track on the album."

Although John Lennon realized that he and the Beatles were the prime creative movers of the boomer generation -- he always went to great lengths to explain that they were only a part of the '60s cultural shift -- not the actual reason for it: "Y'know that bit about -- 'We changed everybody's hairstyles,' but something influenced us, whatever's in the air to, to do it. And pinpointing who did what first, is. . . . doesn't really work. We were part of whatever the '60s was. We were like the ones that were chosen to represent whatever was going on on the street. It was happening itself, y'know? It could've been somebody else -- but it wasn't. It was us and the (Rolling) Stones and people like that and here we all are, y'know? And we all went through it together."

On August 20th, 1969 all four Beatles attended the album's final mix and running-order session. It was the last time all four Beatles were together in a recording studio. Two days later, they met on the grounds of Lennon's Tittenhurst Park estate to pose for their final photo session.