2004

Canadian rock trio Rush’s next release will feature covers of classics popularized by the Who, Cream, Buffalo Springfield and the Yardbirds. Due June 29 via Atlantic, the eight-track “Feedback” marks the first time the group has ever recorded material by other artists.

The album kicks off with a new take on Blue Cheer’s cover of Eddie Cochran’s “Summertime Blues.” The track list is rounded out by the Yardbirds’ “Heart Full of Soul” and “Shapes of Things,” the Who’s “The Seeker,” Buffalo Springfield’s “For What It’s Worth” and “Mr. Soul,” Love’s “Seven and Seven Is” and Robert Johnson’s “Crossroads,” famously covered by Cream.
Bassist] Geddy [Lee], [guitarist] Alex [Lifeson] and I were channeling back to 1966 and 1967, when we were 13- and 14-year-old beginners,” drummer Neil Peart writes in the album’s liner notes. “We thought it would be a fitting symbol to commemorate our 30 years together if we returned to our roots and paid tribute to those we had learned from and were inspired by. We thought we might record some of the songs we used to listen to, the ones we painstakingly learned the chords, notes and drum parts for, and even played in our earliest bands.”

As previously reported, Rush’s 30th anniversary tour begins May 26 in Nashville and will wrap its North American portion with an Aug. 22 show in the group’s Toronto home town. A European swing kicks off Sept. 8 in London.

Source billboard.com.

Toots Hibbert, Beres Hammond, Sizzla and Israel Vibration’s Apple Gabriel are among the reggae heavyweights contributing to “Is It Rolling, Bob?,” a reggae tribute to Bob Dylan. The 15-track set is due Aug. 10 via Sanctuary/RAS Records and includes a rare reggae mix by Sly & Robbie of Dylan’s “I and I,” the original version of which can be found on his 1983 album “Infidels.”

“As a major fan of both Bob Dylan and Bob Marley, I believe this record really addresses the commonality between their audiences,” RAS Records founder/album producer Gary Himelfarb says. “Dylan was a voice of the oppressed in the 1960s just as Bob Marley was a voice of the oppressed in 1970s.”

The set is highlighted by Hibbert’s version of “Maggie’s Farm,” Luciano’s “Knockin’ on Heaven’s Door” (which frequently substitutes “zion” for “heaven”), Gabriel’s upbeat take on “The Times They Are A-Changin’,” Hammond’s “Just Like a Woman” and Gregory Isaacs’ “Mr. Tambourine Man.”

“Is It Rolling” features a backing band of musicians who played on sessions by Marley and the Wailers and Peter Tosh, including harmonica player Lee Jaffe and guitarist Earl “Chinna” Smith.

Dylan’s vast body of work has previously been the subject of tribute albums by a string quartet and gospel artists, among many others.

Here is the track list for “Is It Rolling, Bob?”:

“Intro”
“The Times They Are A-Changin’,” Apple Gabriel
“Maggie’s Farm,” Toots Hibbert
“Just Like a Woman,” Beres Hammond
“Lay, Lady, Lay,” the Mighty Diamonds
“Gotta Serve Somebody,” Nasio with Drummie Zeb & the Razor Posse (featuring Incline)
“Knockin’ on Heaven’s Door,” Luciano
“The Lonesome Death of Hattie Carroll,” Michael Rose
“Subterranean Homesick Blues,” Sizzla
“Mr. Tambourine Man,” Gregory Isaacs
“Don’t Think Twice, It’s All Right,” JC Lodge
“One Too Many Mornings,” Abijah
“Blowin’ in the Wind,” Don Carlos
“A Hard Rain’s A-Gonna Fall,” Billy Mystic
“I and I (Reggae Mix)”

Source billboard.com.

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To Tulsa And Back is J.J. Cale

Although they are not planning to tour this year, Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers will instead be working on various projects, including a live album, a second “Greatest Hits” package and a new studio release. Due next year via Warner Bros., that set will be the follow-up to 2002’s “The Last DJ,” which debuted at No. 9 on The Billboard 200.

In an interview on the band’s official Web site, Petty says he and touring sound engineer Robert Scovill are working on narrowing the live
material to a double-disc release. “We did a live record in ’84 (“Pack Up the Plantation: Live!”) and I never thought it was the great live album that this band should put out,” Petty said. “So that’s kind of another project we have going, to get this live album recorded and out at some point. If it went really quick, maybe it would be out this year.”

Petty is also planning to release “Greatest Hits, Part II,” possibly augmented with new songs, in the months ahead. The group previously issued “Greatest Hits” in 1993 and “Anthology: Through the Years” in 2000.

As well, Petty has completed eight of 10 radio programs for a series titled “Tom Petty’s Buried Treasures” for the XM satellite radio channel. “It’s going to be hour-long shows of music put together by whoever,” Petty said. “It’s mostly old music with an eye to turn people onto stuff, especially younger people who might not have heard this stuff.”

In hopes of making available even more material to his fans, Petty also is planning to create a members-only area on the Web site. “There are so many hundreds and hundreds of bootlegs,” he said. “I would kind of like to make them authorized. Not all of my fans will want bootlegs, but for those who do, I want to have that musical outlet on the Web site.”

Source billboard.com.

Sony’s entry in the handheld gaming space might be a bit delayed in the U.S., but when it arrives, it’s going to have a tremendous amount of publisher support. Nearly 100 game publishers are making games for the PSP (or PlayStation Portable), which will be released in the U.S. early next year. (Sony plans to ship the device in Japan this holiday season.)

Sony’s PSP will have a tremendous amount of support in the U.S.
The first batch of games will have some familiar titles, including Metal Gear, SpiderMan 2 and Tiger Woods Golf. Electronic Arts, the gaming industry’s leading publisher, vowed to have four titles ready for the PSP at launch.

The PSP, which has roughly the same graphical quality as the PS2, is being targeted at an older audience than other handheld gaming machines, with Sony particularly eyeing 18-34 year old males.

“We know they buy more games with more disposable income,” said Kaz Hirai, president and CEO of Sony Computer Entertainment of America.

The PSP will feature a 4.3-inch screen with a 16:9 widescreen ratio, come with built-in stereo speakers. It will support 802.11b wireless connections and have input ports for US 2.0 devices and Sony’s proprietary memory stick storage device.

Battery life will vary, depending on how the PS is used, Hirai said. Gamers should be able to play for roughly 10 hours before recharging the device’s lithium-ion battery. People using the PSP as a music player will be able to listen for approximately eight hours. And when it’s used as a portable movie player, the battery will last 2.5 hours.

Source CNN.com.

Jamming in the VIP section doesn’t put you above the law. At least that’s what Andy Dick discovered when he was busted for lighting up a joint at the Coachella music festival in Indio, California, last week, according to reports.

Dick was partying in an exclusive area near the stage on May 2, when he was spotted by a security guard lighting up. He was searched and the guard uncovered a small marijuana stash in a baggie.

Dick was handed over to the Indio Police Department, who cited him for misdemeanor pot possession of less than an ounce, removed his VIP wristband and kicked him off the concert grounds.

The funnyman was one of 29 people busted on the closing night of the two-day Coachella festival. Dick is scheduled to appear in Riverside County Superior Court on June 16.

Source Eonline.com.

The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum plans to open a satellite museum early next year in downtown Phoenix.

The “on tour” museum will be housed in a two-level building near America West Arena and will remain for at least five years, becoming permanent if it’s well received.

Featuring traveling displays, rare items connected to artists and interactive educational exhibits, it could draw more than 100,000 visitors a year, organizers said Monday.

“It becomes one more little anchor to come downtown,” said Dale Jensen, a businessman from Paradise Valley who has been on the Cleveland-based Hall of Fame’s board for more than a year.

Source Launch.com.