Pulse Music

Rihanna has dropped her first single in six years.

The track, "Lift Me Up," is the first of two songs to be released from Marvel's Black Panther: Wakanda Forever.

Variety reports that the song is a tribute to the life and legacy of the franchise's late star, Chadwick Boseman. It was written by Nigerian singer-songwriter Tems, Rihanna, film composer Ludwig Göransson, and director Ryan Coogler.

Coogler told HipHopDX, "When she recorded ‘Lift Me Up,' which was incredibly moving for me, she said ‘I was trying to do this man and his family justice. I was trying to make something worthy of what he gave to us.' So I take no credit in that."

"Lift Me Up" hits streaming platforms on Friday (October 28th). The track is Rihanna's first release as a solo artist since her multi-platinum 2016 album, Anti. Even as a featured artist, RiRi's last appearance was on PartyNextDoor's "Believe It" in 2020.

Out today (October 28th) is the Beatles' Revolver, released in several special editions. In addition to a slew of previously unheard takes from the original album sessions, Revolver's 14 tracks have been newly mixed by producer Giles Martin and engineer Sam Okell in stereo and Dolby Atmos, and the album's original mono mix is sourced from its 1966 mono master tape. The set is available in four-LP and two-CD sets.

According to the official announcement:

All the new Revolver releases feature the album's new stereo mix, sourced directly from the original four-track master tapes. The audio is brought forth in stunning clarity with the help of cutting edge de-mixing technology developed by the award-winning sound team led by Emile de la Rey at Peter Jackson's WingNut Films Productions Ltd.

The physical and digital Super Deluxe collections also feature the album's original mono mix, 28 early takes from the sessions and three home demos, and a four-track EP with new stereo mixes and remastered original mono mixes for "Paperback Writer" and "Rain." The album's new Dolby Atmos mix will be released digitally.

The press release also described one of the box set's crown jewels -- a John Lennon "work tape" of him composing the Ringo Starr standout track -- "Yellow Submarine":

Parts 1 and 2 of the Special Edition's songwriting work tape for "Yellow Submarine" reveal the song's evolution from a rather sad verse sung by John over acoustic guitar – "In the town where I was born / No one cared, no one cared…" – to its adaptation by John and Paul to suit the jollier subject matter of the chorus.

Only weeks after Revolver was released, Paul McCartney, while on the Beatles' final tour, spoke about the album's groundbreaking finale -- "Tomorrow Never Knows": "John came up with the lyrics to it and he'd just been reading The Tibetan Book Of The Dead -- and he was dead impressed by it, y'know (laughs)? And he decided that he'd write this song. And we only had one verse, and I think we stretched it to, sort of, two verses and we couldn't think of any more words, 'cause we'd, sort of, said it all -- what we wanted to say. So we had to work out how to, sort of, do it and how to make it different. So, I decided to do some of those loops that I'd been doing on my own tape recorder -- and they're just tape loops and I'd been makin' 'em. So, I just took along a bag full of six tape loops to the session and we just tried 'em and mixed 'em in and brought them in those places. And so, I suppose it was, sort of, vaguely my idea -- that bit of it."

George Harrison explained that the climate in which the Beatles were living during the 1960's was truly like no other: "I think that period felt special because there was a great surge of energy and consciousness. Because there was so much attention given not just to the Beatles, but to everything that was taking place -- all the changes that were happening with fashion and with filmmakers and poets and painters and that whole thing. It was like a mini-renaissance."

Revolver marked the beginning of the Beatles' work with the late-engineer Geoff Emerick behind the boards with George Martin, replacing the band's longtime engineer Norman Smith, who was promoted to becoming Pink Floyd's producer. Emerick immediately began reshaping the Beatles' studio sound and remained the way they were recorded at Abbey Road -- especially Ringo Starr's drums: "Norman would mic it, I don't know, about a foot away, and I was mic-ing it about three inches away towards the end. And Norman's overhead mic was, what, four, five foot up and I came in close with that. Most of those original -- on Revolver we started, I mean it was just one overhead, snare mic, and hi-hat and bass drum. And then I started experimenting with mic-ing the toms, y'know, closely."

John Lennon was quick to give to give credit to producer George Martin and his tireless effort to help realize and expand their musical visions: "We did a lot of learning together. He had a very great musical knowledge and background, so he could translate for us and suggest a lot of things; which he did. And he'd come up with amazing technical things, like slowing down the piano, playing it slow and putting it on. . . . and things like that. Where who'd be saying: ‘Well can we, we wanna go ‘ooh' and ‘eee-eee' and he'd say (imitates Martin), ‘Look chaps, I thought of this this afternoon. Last evening I was talking to . . . .' - whoever he was talking to - ‘. . . and I came up with this.' Y'know, and we'd say, ‘Oh, great!' But he'd also come up with things like, ‘Well, have you heard an oboe?' -- ‘'Oh, which one's that?' -- ‘It's this one.'"

Not too long ago, Ringo said that it's his drum fills that set him apart from all the other rock drummers of his generation: "Well, I can never do it twice. I really can't. Y'know, every fill I do, that's it. Y'know, we used to get crazy trying to double track the fills -- it's just impossible. 'Cause, y'know, that's the magic of being a drummer is the fills. Y'know, you can all play the rhythm. I can play rock n' roll, or a shuffle, or a waltz, y'know, a tango -- whatever. But the fills are what make it yours."

Revolver marked the one and only time that George Harrison received three songwriting credits on a single Beatles album, contributing such classics as "Taxman," "Love You To," and "I Want To Tell You." We asked his then-wife Pattie Boyd if she saw a change in Harrison as he became more self-aware as a songwriter: "This is exactly what George does. I didn't take note because this was part of his personality. This is what he does, y'know, always plays guitar."

Paul McCartney told us he feels that the younger generation of Beatles fans are now able to look at the group through fresh eyes -- unlike longtime followers who have very strong and long lasting opinions about the musical roles they played: "You get an image. People don't wanna spend that long on you, so they kind of take a look at you and go, 'Yeah, OK, he's the 'ballad' one; John, yeah, he's the hard knock who does the rough stuff; and then George -- he's mystical; Ringo, oh, he's funny and he drums.' Y'know, and so, that, like, that's about the attention span of most people. Unless you get the deep fans, who actually start to know."

Brian Johnson revealed that he still wasn't sure he had snagged the frontman role in AC/DC -- even after recording 1980's Back In Black album.

We caught up with Johnson, who just published his memoir, The Lives Of Brian, and he shed light on where he and the band stood after recording at Nassau's Compass Point Studios in the Bahamas: "It was just so businesslike. It was, like, 'You can go home now, we're done with you -- 'Ah, okay (laughs).' Y'know, it was a case of, 'Well, let's just see.' I think everybody wanted to see what the album was like, y'know? 'Cause there was still time to pull out and get someone else in. I'm not sayin' that's what they were thinkin' -- but I'm just saying that could've been the prevailing feelings, y'know? It was a strange time, 'cause there I was -- I was back in Newcastle. People go, 'Well -- what happened?' I didn't even have a copy (of the album)! I mean, it wasn't even mixed then"

Peter Frampton says that his upcoming studio set is the album that should've followed his 1976 mega-platinum behemoth, Frampton Comes Alive!

Frampton, who's currently rehearsing for his farewell European trek, has long felt that despite 1977's I'm In You hitting Number Two, spawning his biggest hit single with the album's title track and staying in the Billboard Top 10 for 11 weeks -- he blew his chance to at a fresh artistic statement.

We asked Frampton about how his new sessions have been going: "It's the album that should've followed Frampton Comes Alive! (Laughs) I've waited this many years -- and guess what: I don't know when I'm going to finish it. There's no rush. I'm about six songs recorded in -- I'm taking my time. Every track has to be something that gives me goosebumps. There's not going to be a filler (track) on it. I've got some great material."

Frampton has been forced to slowly quit the road upon discovering he's suffering from a degenerative muscle disease called Inclusion-Body Myositus (IBM), that slowly weakens the body's muscles. Despite the hurdles facing him, he's prepared to hitting stage with everything he's got: "I want to do the best possible show I can do. I had said before, I don't wanna be the guy that goes out there and the audience go, 'Well, I know it's his finale tour. He's not as good as he used to be, but. . .' I don't wanna be that guy. I wanna be able to go out there and fool 'em that I'm (laughs) still as good as I was."

Rod Stewart is looking to shake things up. The 77-year-old rocker told The Daily Record: "Next year will be the end of my rock n' roll touring. I want to do something different. It feels like an end of an era. All things must come to an end. I'm not retiring and I still love singing, I just want to do something new. I might do a few folk clubs playing guitar. Just be different."

Stewart who has recently reunited with surviving Faces bandmates Ron Wood and Kenney Jones for an upcoming project, explained, "I don't want to do the big tours anymore, especially in America. It takes me away from my kids for so long. It used to be okay because it was fun and games. It is still fun and games but I miss my kids so much."

He went on to say, "I'm not retiring -- I just want to move on. I've made a brilliant swing album with Jools Holland and love the success of the American Songbook series I've done. I'm yearning to do more of that kind of music. These last shows will be quite the party and after that I won't be performing songs like 'Maggie May' or 'Hot Legs'. I don't want to be singing 'Hot Legs' when I'm 80."

A while back, Rod Stewart explained to us that he's never once considered giving up singing for a living: "You never outgrow hits, I mean, it's always a big thrill to ya. I'm a committed musician. I love it. I love makin' music, I really love gettin' up and singin' for people. I see the smiling faces and you go home and you think you've sent them all home happy."

Rod Stewart kicks off a 12-date UK arena tour on November 16th in Nottingham, England at Motorpoint Arena.

It was 35 years ago Sunday (October 30th) that George Michael released Faith -- his signature, blockbuster solo debut apart from Wham! Faith peaked at Number One on the UK charts and the Billboard 200. It spent 12 weeks at Number One and a total of 51 non-consecutive weeks inside the Top 10. Faith also holds the distinction of being the first album by a white solo artist to top the Billboard Top Black Albums chart.

Due his charismatic and cutting edge videos, which all received saturation MTV airplay, Faith featured no less than four chart-topping singles: "Faith," "Father Figure," "One More Try," and "Monkey." The album's lead single, the controversial "I Want Your Sex," was released on June 1st, 1987 and topped out at Number Two. The album's sixth and final single, the album-closing "Kissing A Fool" peaked at Number Five.

In 1989, Faith took home the coveted Grammy Award for Album Of The Year. To date, Faith has sold over 20 million copies worldwide.

While Down Under back in 1986, Elton John sang the praises of George Michael to legendary journalist Molly Meldrum: "I mean, I first really got hooked into Wham! was 'Wake Me Up Before You Go Go," which for me, was the best, like, Motown record -- everyone tries to make a Motown sound. . . The bass playing on that, that's what hooked me. And George's song idea -- he's only 21, he's been writing songs for two years and he writes 'Careless Whisper.' Bernie (Taupin) and I, our songs after two years were absolutely 'horrible!")

Although still firmly in the closet during the release of Faith, due to the controversy of "I Want Your Sex" -- which broke numerous boundaries upon hitting the airwaves in '87 -- George Michael's sexuality suddenly became a part of his public life. During chat with Australia's 60 Minutes, he was still not ready to share his personal life with the public: "Am I gay? That's a pretty direct first question! I've never said no, I've never said yes. No, I'm not, but the main thing that I like to express is that I don't think it's anybody's business. In other words, what I'm saying, is, I don't think it benefits anybody listening to my music to know whether I was in bed with a dog or a man or woman last night. It doesn't make any difference."

Finneas was recently involved in an electric bike accident that broke his collarbone and fractured his right elbow.

The Grammy winner wrote on Instagram Thursday (October 27th) "Last Friday, I had the pleasure of crashing my electric bike, flying over the handlebars and absolutely demolishing my collarbone as well as sustaining a radial head fracture to my right elbow. The severity of the displacement of my collarbone meant I required surgery which I am now on the other side of and I'm feeling great!"

He added that "with hard work" he will recover in time to join his sister, Billie Eilish, for her upcoming tour dates in Los Angeles on December 13th, 15th and 16th.

It was 51 years ago Sunday (October 30th, 1971) that the Who released its classic compilation, Meaty Beaty Big And Bouncy. The album, which was released only six weeks after the band's Who's Next blockbuster, was the band's first American singles compilation, with a sprinkling of already legendary album tracks peppered throughout. Like the Rolling Stones' own '71 collection, Hot Rocks (1964-1971), Meaty Beaty Big And Bouncy became the go-to comp for the Who's pre-FM era.

For years, Meaty Beaty Big And Bouncy was the primary source for such standards as "I Can't Explain," "Substitute," "Anyway, Anyhow, Anywhere," "A Legal Matter," "Boris The Spider," "Pictures Of Lily," "Magic Bus," and the then-recent "The Seeker." The album peaked at Number 11 on the Billboard 200 albums chart and climbed as high as Number Nine in Britain.

The tracklisting to The Who's Meaty Beaty Big And Bouncy is: "I Can't Explain,"" The Kids Are Alright," "Happy Jack," "I Can See for Miles," "Pictures Of Lily," "My Generation," "The Seeker," "Anyway, Anyhow, Anywhere," "Pinball Wizard," "A Legal Matter," "Boris The Spider," "Magic Bus," "Substitute," and "I'm A Boy."

Amazingly, over 55 years on, Pete Townshend is still having "My Generation's" key lines -- "Hope I die before I get old" -- read back to him by journalists in hope of a "true" explanation: "The song was more about, y'know, refusing to grow old, rather than, y'know, 'I don't wanna grow old' -- it was about refusing to grow old inside. That's what I'm so proud of: having the physique of a 16-year-old boy!"

Pete Townshend wrote "Magic Bus" in 1965, demoed it in 1966, and recorded it with the Who in 1968. He remains confused as to how it gained legendary status within the band's repertoire: "'Magic Bus'' wasn't really about anything. It was one of those songs that I made in my studio at home when I was just enjoying myself, and got a Bo Diddley riff going, banged a few claves together and tried to think of something to sing and made it up at the spur of the moment. And it became one of those songs -- because it was a real sing-along -- (it) became an absolute live Who classic. I've lost count of the times I've stood there about to launch into, y'know, a serious love ballad, when somebody shouted out 'Play ‘Magic Bus!!!'"

Kanye West claims that he lost $2 billion in one day.

On Thursday (October 27th), Ye wrote in an Instagram post directed to Endeavor CEO Ari Emanuel, "I lost 2 billion dollars in one day and I'm still alive. This is love speech. I still love you. God still loves you. The money is not who I am. The people is who I am."

The post comes one day after the Yeezy founder was escorted from Sketchers' Los Angeles corporate office after he "arrived unannounced and without invitation."

Additionally, sources close to the rapper's Donda Academy tell TMZ that the school may shut down for good because so many staffers have quit due to West's antisemetic comments.

JUSTIN BIEBER AND SHAWN MENDES ATTEND CHURCH TOGETHER: Justin Bieber and Shawn Mendes were spotted attending church together Wednesday (October 26th) night. According to TMZ, both singers, who are taking breaks from touring to deal with their mental health, were spotted at Churchome in Beverly Hills. It is unclear if they sang for the congregation as Bieber has in the past.

HARRY STYLES DEBUTS DROPS VIDEO FOR 'MUSIC FOR A SUSHI RESTAURANT': Harry Styles has premiered the official video for "Music For A Sushi Restaurant," the third official single from Harry's critically-acclaimed and Platinum-certified album Harry's House. The visual was directed by Aube Perrie and shot last month in Brooklyn, NY.

It was 58 years ago today (October 28th, 1964), that The T.A.M.I. Show (Teenage Awards Music International Show) began its two-day film shoot. The landmark film was the first theatrically released rock n' roll concert movie.

The concerts combined the biggest British and American acts on one stage. The show was hosted by Jan & Dean, who also performed but mainly appeared as comic relief while introducing each act. The concert was filmed on October 28th and 29th, 1964, at the Santa Monica Civic Auditorium in Los Angeles, in front of 3,000 screaming fans, and featured such legends as Chuck Berry, the Supremes, James Brown, the Rolling Stones, Marvin Gaye, the Beach Boys, and Smokey Robinson & The Miracles.

Each act was featured in a three-or-four song set. Highlights included Smokey Robinson & The Miracles performing "You Really Got A Hold On Me," the Supremes singing their back-to-back Number One hits "Baby Love" and "Where Did Our Love Go," and the Beach Boys performing "Dance, Dance, Dance" and "Surfin' U.S.A." against a wail of "Beatlemania"-like screams.

Beach Boys author, historian and documentary producer Jon Stebbins, who wrote the definitive biographies on Dennis Wilson -- The Real Beach Boy -- and David Marks -- The Lost Beach Boy, explains that Mike Love's importance to the Beach Boys' live shows should never be underestimated: "Mike's confidence standing onstage as a frontman is one of the really crucial things that he brought to the table, that without him, they woulda been screwed, man! They just did not have a personality in the band that could do what he did. And he did it well right from the start, and he got better and better and better at it. Until the point where then it became uncool to be that way. And it's sort of like he couldn't turn it off. Y'know, he was what he was."

Other highlights included Chuck Berry performing "Sweet Little Sixteen," Marvin Gaye singing his early Motown singles "Hitch Hike" and "Pride And Joy," and Lesley Gore turning in note-perfect renditions of her hits "You Don't Own Me," "Judy's Turn To Cry," and "It's My Party."

Also performing on the show were British Invasion hitmakers Gerry & The Pacemakers and Billy J. Kramer & The Dakotas. James Brown's singing and dancing during his performances of "Please, Please, Please" and "Night Train" brought the teen crowd to the brink of pandemonium.

The Rolling Stones had the unenviable task of having to follow Brown, yet closed the concert with electrifying performances of their hits "Time Is On My Side" and "It's All Over Now."

Mick Jagger remembered the band's fans during their early British Invasion days when they had barely broken America: "It was terribly innocent. And some of them look like they're nine-years-old, don't they? And they were! They were the -- what did we used to call them? There was a name for them -- 'Tinys.' Oh this is a show. . . 'What's sort of audience is it?' 'Tinys.' (Laughs) They were like nine to 11, 12, 13 -- and they just made this high pitched noise."

Teenage Music International was a foundation devoted to providing music scholarships for teens. The film of The T.A.M.I. Show was originally meant to be shown only at the awards ceremony for the T.A.M.I. recipients. However, the T.A.M.I. foundation folded right after the film was edited, and the concert went on to be released theatrically in the spring of 1965.

In 2010, after years of red tape and legal hassles, The T.A.M.I. Show finally saw an official DVD release -- featuring the complete movie with digitally restored pictured and newly remastered sound.

In 2016, The T.A.M.I. Show was reissued on DVD and Blu-ray along with its 1966 follow-up, The Big T.N.T. Show, in one package for the first time.

Happy Birthday to Motown songwriter Eddie Holland, who turns 83 on Sunday (October 30th)!!! Holland, his younger brother Brian Holland, and Lamont Dozier -- better known as "Holland-Dozier-Holland" -- are responsible for writing and producing such Motown classics as Marvin Gaye's "How Sweet It Is"; the Four Tops' "Baby I Need Your Loving," "Standing In The Shadows Of Love," "Bernadette," "It's The Same Old Song," "I Can't Help Myself," and "Reach Out (I'll Be There)"; Martha & the Vandellas' "Nowhere To Run," "Heatwave" and "Jimmy Mack"; and the Supremes' Number One hits "Where Did Our Love Go," "Baby Love," "Stop! In The Name Of Love," "Come See About Me," "Back In My Arms Again," "I Hear A Symphony," "You Can't Hurry Love," "You Keep Me Hangin' On," "Love Is Here And Now You're Gone," and "The Happening."

After leaving Motown in 1967, the team continued on with such hits as "Give Me Just A Little More Time" for Chairmen Of The Board, among others.

Sadly, the great Lamont Dozier died this past August 9th of undisclosed causes.

The Holland-Dozier-Holland team wrote many hits for the Four Tops. Holland said that "Baby I Need Your Loving" was a surprise hit for the group: "'Baby I Need Your Loving' was a song that sort of fell on the outside. It was just lying around a couple years. And the Four Tops came by, Mickey Stevenson, an A&R director, yes, he said, 'We got anything for the Four Tops?' And we said, 'Yeah, we got this one song, I mean, may be pretty good.' I didn't look at it as anything exceptional. It was nice, it was a nice tune, it was a hit, but I didn't look at it as anything earthshaking. And we did that and it became great. Matter of fact BMI has it as our best-selling record."

Eddie Holland remembers that writing the lyrics to Holland-Dozier-Holland's Motown classics was a solitary experience: "With those melodies that Lamont and Brian was coming out with, I mean, man! Norman Whitfield used to tease me. They'd say, 'When he's in Detroit on Lumpkin Street living up there over his grandmother in those attic rooms, and he never comes out, and all they do is open a little door and shove a little food and water in there for him' (laughter) -- because I, I would hibernate."

Holland credits Motown founder Berry Gordy Jr. for empowering his staff producers and allowing them the room to find the perfect combination between their songs and the label's talent: "First of all, you could get a crack at anybody there. That's the way that the company was set up. Whoever was there, if they was signed to that label, I don't care who you are -- you could get a crack at them. And the way . . . This is the beauty of the company, which I think led to the success of the organization, is that they weren't allowed to refuse anything. Their job was, 'Hey, you're here to sing, that's the producer signed to this company -- you sing when he tells you to sing.' Any other problems, you had a problem with him."

Another Holland-Dozier-Holland hit for The Four Tops was the song "Bernadette." Holland says he clearly remembers how the song was written: "Brian was at the piano once. This was in a basement, I can visualize it just like it was yesterday. Lamont hadn't walked in quite yet. And Brian was playing this melody. He started singing 'Bernadette.' I said to myself 'Bernadette? I hope he's not serious.' I didn't say anything. And so he played more of the melody and Lamont came in and he sort of liked what Brian was doing. But, I tell you, that was a tough one. I really, truly did not want to write something about a Bernadette."

Holland-Dozier-Holland composed the score for the recent musical version of The First Wives Club, which was written and directed by Rupert Holmes of "Escape (The Pina Colada)" song fame. The play wrapped its run in 2015 at the Oriental in Chicago, with the producers eying an upcoming Broadway run.

Happy Birthday to Temptations co-founder Otis Williams, who turns 81 on Sunday (October 30th)!!! Williams -- who was present at the birth of Motown alongside founder Berry Gordy Jr., Smokey Robinson, and a host of others -- is the sole surviving original member of the Temptations still performing with the group. Williams has outlived all of the other members of the Temps' classic lineup: Paul Williams, David Ruffin, Eddie Kendricks, and Melvin Franklin. 2022 saw the release of the Temps' latest studio set, Temptations 60.

Otis Williams recalled after years of struggling with no success, how the Temps found out about scoring their first hit in 1964: "We recorded 'The Way You Do The Things You Do' and went to upstate Michigan and was up there for a number of weeks and came back, and Berry (Gordy) had been trying to find us. They told us 'You guys finally got a hit.' Somebody got the Billboard and the Cashbox and showed us we were in the charts, and David Ruffin and myself sat down and we cried because we had tried so many years of getting there. And we were off and running."

Williams recalled that during the Temps' golden era at Motown, Berry Gordy actually nixed Williams' efforts to write songs for the group while Smokey Robinson was their producer: "One day when Berry got out of his car walking to his office, I had asked him, 'Hey, well I write. When I'm home, can I go into the studio?' And he said, 'No, you just let Smokey write and you be the artist.'"

Williams told us that, in the early days, Gordy stayed hands-on with all the label's artists, but by the mid-'60s he knew better than to fool with the winning team of the Temps and Norman Whitfield -- who wrote and produced most of the group's late '60s hits -- including "Cloud Nine": "Berry just said, 'Hey, these guys are having hit after hit, I'm not messing with them, whatever they want to come up with and release. . .' -- that was it. So Berry, in essence, just stepped aside, 'cause Norman had so many hits on us that he didn't question the success we were having."

Williams shares a birthday with Eddie Holland, Jr. of the songwriting team of Holland-Dozier-Holland. Holland and producer-songwriter Norman Whitfield penned the Temptations' hits "(I Know) I'm Losing You" and "Ain't Too Proud To Beg," but Williams said Motown head Berry Gordy did not want the group to perform songs by the Holland-Dozier-Holland team. Williams said that to this day, he's still a big fan of their work: "I'm still a Holland-Dozier-Holland fan because those guys, those brothers were ahead of their time as far as putting the chords that they were using, the melodies. And when you listen to that 'Reach Out'. . . very strange movement in the chord structure and the melody and that's why those songs are so popular today, they were really were ahead of their time."

Otis Williams admitted to us that he's wondered at times why he's the last original member left in the Temptations: "When Melvin passed, I said to myself, ‘Otis, there is a reason why you're still around.' Because it's not like I haven't been sick and it wasn't like I was not there with the rest of us when we broke out having fun like everybody else, you know, but I'm still here. So there's a reason and I guess God said, ‘No, there's work that still must be done,' and I'm here. It's hard to explain, but I continue to carry the banner on with God's good graces."

He told us that although he has deep affection for most of the group members who have been part of the Temps, he'll always be bonded most strongly with the Temps' original members -- David Ruffin, Eddie Kendricks, Paul Williams, and Melvin Franklin: "It's just a wonderful connection. They live on through the spirit of what we try to do, and (were) just a great bunch of guys. So I'm just happy with the association -- even though history has shown that as great as we were, we still had our ups and downs to the point of us parting. But I love them just the same."

The Temptations perform tonight (October 28th) in Nijmegen, The Netherlands at Concertgebouw de Vereeniging.

Mötley Crüe has announced its co-founding guitarist Mick Mars has retired from touring. Variety broke the news that the 71-year-old guitarist will no longer tour -- but will remain a part of the band.

The band's official statement reads:

Mick Mars, co-founder and lead guitarist of the heavy metal band Mötley Crüe for the past 41 years, has announced today that due to his ongoing painful struggle with Ankylosing Spondylitis (A.S.), he will no longer be able to tour with the band.

Mick will continue as a member of the band, but can no longer handle the rigors of the road. A.S. is an extremely painful and crippling degenerative disease, which affects the spine.

There has been no word as to who will tour with the band next year for the Crüe's extensive European double bill with Def Leppard. Some recent reports had hinted that guitarist John 5 would be standing in for Mars but nothing has been officially announced.

Friday's (October 28th) the big day when fans will finally get their hands on the Beatles' "Super Deluxe" Revolver box set collection. In addition to a clutch of outtakes and alternate versions of the album's classic songs, remix producer Giles Martin was able to go back and mine the master takes for elements that were either buried or unheard in the original primitive 1966 stereo mix.

Giles Martin discussed his premixing process to the Word In Your Ear podcast: "'For No One' -- the softer songs actually come out really well. You can hear Ringo's kick drum and the finger snaps on 'Here, There And Everywhere,' which I never really noticed before. Then you go back, listen to the original record and they're there. It's good for things like 'She Said (She Said)' because the drums aren't over to one side so much with the rest of the band. They can be more central, so therefore, it's more rocking. Y'know, you have Ringo come in on both speakers opposed to one speaker. . . You've also got to remember with Revolver, stereo wasn't a thing. Radio was in mono, most people's systems at home were mono, and so there was no need to think about this."

Ariana Grande has a whole new look that she's displaying to the world and she chose social media as her way to show it off to the public.

The singer debuted her new hair, which was a blonde ponytail, in an Instagram post.

She captioned the post, "New earrings."

Ariana has had several hair colors over the years, including her signature brunette and dark blonde looks.

It was 50 years ago today (October 27th, 1972) that Stevie Wonder released his watershed album, Talking Book. The album topped out at Number Three on the Billboard 200 and hit Number One on the magazine's R&B Albums chart.

Talking Book featured two massive Number One hits -- "You Are The Sunshine Of My Life" and "Superstition" -- along with "I Believe (When I Fall in Love It Will Be Forever)" which was covered by both Peter Frampton the next year and Art Garfunkel in 1975, respectively.

The album helped define Steve Wonder as a Grammy favorite, with "You Are the Sunshine of My Life" winning Best Male Pop Vocal Performance and "Superstition" snagging the prizes for both Best Male R&B Vocal Performance and Best R&B Song.

Around the time of Talking Book's release in the fall of '72, Stevie Wonder appeared on England's The Old Grey Whistle Test and tried to explain what he and his music were about: "A lot of people say, 'Stevie Wonder, he's black, he's a soul artist.' I consider myself, number one as being myself; y'know, accept me for being me. And having soul is having the ability to express what you feel, to express whatever you feel inside. To bring it out to the public."

Jeff Beck, who contributed to the Talking Book sessions, recalls being absolutely starstruck when he and Wonder first joined forces in the studio: "I just was like a blithering idiot. I didn't really know what to play. . . and he was more of a comedian than anything. He liked the way I spoke. But every time he put his hands on the keys, this magic came out. And then when it was my turn to play, it was a bit embarrassing. I didn't know what the hell to do. He said, 'I'm gonna go out of the room, and you play a solo.' And he disappeared. And I played the solo on 'Looking For Another Pure Love.' When he said, 'Do it, Jeff,' that was it, you couldn't get near me for a week after."

Motown founder Berry Gordy Jr. told us he thinks Stevie Wonder's personality, on top of his musical genius, made him stand apart from his peers: "He's got a heart and he's transcended his own music, and his own music is so great. It's so wonderful. It's phenomenal and he's the most imitated artist -- all the new singers, they have a little Stevie in them. And above all that, he is one of the greatest human beings and he will sacrifice his life to fight bigotry, racism, and he deals with human values and there's just so much wrapped up in one human being."

Despite there being rumors that Adele has collaborated with Nicki Minaj, Adele is setting the record straight that this hasn't actually happened.

In a video clip that has been making its rounds on social media, a fan asked Adele if there was any truth to her working with Nicki Minaj following the British singer perfectly mimicking Nicki during an episode of Carpool Karaoke.

Adele replied, saying, "That's never even nearly happened. I don't know how people think that… I've always loved Nicki Minaj. She's a real vibe."

Selena Gomez wasn't able to perform at The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon last night (October 26th) due to her testing positive for COVID-19.

She made the announcement that same day via her Instagram Story, writing, "I'm not going to be on Fallon tonight. I ended up getting covid but am resting and feeling ok. A friendly reminder that covid is still out there."

Gomez added, "Get updated on your boosters. I was actually scheduled to get mine this week. Love you all."

The video for Taylor Swift's song "Anti-Hero" has been edited following backlash the visual received about a scene where Taylor stands on a scale and it reads "fat."

According to Variety, that particular scene from the video seems to have disappeared after Taylor was accused of portraying body image issues.

One fan responded to the video and said, "Taylor Swift's music video, where she looks down at the scale where it says 'fat,' is a sh*tty way to describe her body image struggles. Fat people don't need to have it reiterated yet again that it's everyone's worst nightmare to look like us."

Taylor, however, hasn't addressed the change made to the video.

AC/DC frontman Brian Johnson maintains that none of the lyrics to the band's 1980 Back In Black album were written by his predecessor, late co-founder, Bon Scott. Rolling Stone reported for years there's been a persistent rumor that Scott actually wrote the album's lyrics, which were supposedly found in notebooks left behind -- but instead credited to Johnson.

In his new memoir, The Lives Of Brian, Brian Johnson tries to finally set the record straight: "The conspiracy theories are legion -- usually started by people who think they know what happened but weren't there. It was me at the end of the pen, writing every night and every morning, with only the title to work with. That's what happened. That's the truth and I really hope that settles it."

A highlight of AC/DC's 2003 Rock Hall acceptance speech was when Brian Johnson quoted the band's 1977 song "Let There Be Rock," written by late-cofounder Bon Scott: "'In the beginning, back in 1955, man, didn't know about the rock n' roll show and all that jive. The white man had the schmaltz, the black man had the blues, but no one knew what they was gonna do, but Tchaikovsky had the news -- he said, 'Let there be rock.'' Bon Scott wrote that, and it's a real privilege to accept these awards tonight."

With only two days away (October 28th) from the release of the Beatles' "Super Deluxe" version of Revolver, the teaser tracks are all the rock world can talk about.

Perhaps Revolver's original fan -- longtime friend of the "Fab Four" -- David Crosby remains one of the album's most ardent supporters. He spoke to Mojo about how the Beatles set the bar so high for all modern music that it blew the minds of all their creative peers.

Crosby said, "I don't recall where and exactly when I first heard Revolver; I just know what it did to me. Rubber Soul was what you thought the Beatles were, but Revolver -- somebody has smoked a joint and dropped acid. Their consciousness was completely different and it's a joy for that."

He explained how the album showcased the band's tremendous growth only eight months after the release of Rubber Soul: "They had a more sophisticated worldview, more understanding of human emotion, their story telling had gotten better, and their musical experimentation has gone sky high. They were growing so fast you could hardly keep up."

Crosby went on to say that the album -- and the artistic choices taken on it -- only inspired him to reach higher and further with his own music: "Revolver completely convinced name I was going in the right direction, playing music at the most adventurous level I could imagine."

Just after Revolver was released, while John Lennon was on location filming How I Won The War, he was pressed about the exotic sounds on the Beatles' latest records -- including brass, strings, backwards tapes, and in the case of George Harrison -- Indian instrumentation: "The sitar just happened to come in useful for a couple of tracks, but it's really nothing to do with it. That's George's own scene. Y'know, George will obviously write more numbers where the sitar's involved if he feels like it."

While working on Revolver, Paul McCartney spoke to the BBC and shed light on his and John Lennon's songwriting partnership: "We think nearly alike -- but pretty differently at the same time. We can write a song -- say, like 'Day Tripper' where we've got to write one -- and at the same time be the same writing it. Y'know, we can write thinking the same thing about it -- but if we each wrote it individually, it'd be a completely different song."

Adidas announced that they were severing ties with Ye yesterday (October 25th), saying in a statement, "Adidas does not tolerate antisemitism and any other sort of hate speech. Ye's recent comments and actions have been unacceptable, hateful and dangerous, and they violate the company's values of diversity and inclusion, mutual respect and fairness."

It is being reported that the company will take a $246 million hit to its net income this year.

Meanwhile, Ye has reportedly lost his billionaire status after Adidas terminated their partnership. According to Forbes, Ye is now worth somewhere in the ballpark of $400 million. The Adidas deal accounted for $1.5 billion of Ye's net worth.

GAP TO REMOVE ALL YEEZY PRODUCTS FROM STORES

In related news, GAP also announced that they severed ties with Ye over comments he made about Jewish people. The statement said, "In September, Gap announced ending its Yeezy Gap partnership. Our former partner's recent remarks and behavior further underscore why. We are taking immediate steps to remove Yeezy Gap product from our stores and we have shut down Yeezygap.com."