Friday, May 24, 2019

Sights and Sounds: The Stray Cats, Pavarotti, Biffy Clyro, Paul McCartney

Here is a roundup of some of the week's biggest news going into the holiday weekend...
The Stray Cats release '40,' the band's first new album in 26 years today via Surfdog Records


Brian Setzer, Lee Rocker and Slim Jim Phanton return to celebrate their 40TH Anniversary this year with new album and concert tour

The Stray Cats will release 40--their first new album in 26 years--today, Friday, May 24 on the heels of three singles they've recently issued from the album: "Cat Fight (Over A Dog Like Me)," "Rock It Off" and "Cry Danger," the latter of which was premiered this past Friday at Guitar World. 

Brian Setzer (guitar, vocals), Lee Rocker (bass, vocals) and Slim Jim Phantom (drums, vocals)--original founding members of the iconic and acclaimed American rock and roll trio--are celebrating their 40th anniversary in 2019 with 40 and a tour that's hitting the U.S. and Europe (*see tour dates below). The album is being released by Surfdog Records and distributed by BMG (CD, vinyl, digital), with an exclusive indie-store edition of the album--colored vinyl, with a double-sided 24x12 poster--arriving on May 24. "Cat Fight (Over A Dog Like Me)," "Rock It Off" and"Cry Danger" are available now as instant grat tracks with a pre-order of the album.

The all revved up and red-hot STRAY CATS recorded 40 at Blackbird Studios in Nashville in late 2018 following their first North American shows in 10 years, with four concerts including sold-out headlining shows in Las Vegas and the Pacific Amphitheatre in Costa Mesa, CA before wildly enthusiastic audiences. Still buzzing from the thrill of playing together again and the crowd response, they went into the studio with producer Peter Collins (Rush, Bon Jovi, The Brian Setzer Orchestra) and engineer Vance Powell (Jack White, Chris Stapleton, Arctic Monkeys). There are a dozen original songs that comprise the album. Read the first press release about the album here, which includes quotes from the band and the track listing. Watch the band and album producer Peter Collins in the studio discussing the making of the album here.
Early critical acclaim for 40 is rolling in:
 
"The album brims with bracing, stripped-down rockers like 'Cat Fight (Over a Dog Like Me),' 'Mean Pickin' Mama' and 'Devil Train,' and every track boasts a widescreen riff and virtuoso guitar solo. But the band also serves up some new sounds with the riff rocker 'Cry Danger' (co-written with Mike Campbell) and the punk-like 'I'll Be Looking Out for You.'"
--Joe Bosso, Guitar Player, May 2019
 
"Four decades later, Stray Cats are ready to 'Rock It Off' with the same three basic ingredients they've always used: Setzer's twangy Gretsch guitar, drummer Slim Jim Phantom's elemental thumping and Lee Rocker's expertly slapped upright bass...On the standout 'Cry Danger,' the Cats venture out of their '50s comfort zone and move boldly into '60s garage-rock territory. The track features an intro guitar riff that'll make any Beatles fan instantly think of 'Day Tripper.'"
--Kenneth Partridge, Billboard, 4/25/19

The STRAY CATS begin their select U.S. dates presented by SiriusXM on August 3on the heels of June and July overseas shows. Tickets for the shows are on sale now.

 
The Stray Cats from L-R: Lee Rocker, Brian Setzer, Slim Jim Phantom
By Russ Harrington

DAYDATECITY/STATEVENUE 
Friday6/21Vitoria, SpainAzkena Rock Festival 
Sunday6/23Birmingham, United KingdomBirmingham O2 Academy
Tuesday6/25Manchester, United KingdomManchester O2 Apollo 
Wednesday6/26London, United KingdomLondon Eventim Apollo
Thursday6/27London, United KingdomLondon Eventim Apollo
Saturday6/29Tilloloy, FranceRetro C Trop
Monday7/1Amsterdam, NetherlandsAFAS Live
Wednesday7/3Berlin, GermanyColumbiahalle
Thursday7/4Cologne, GermanyPalladium
Saturday7/6Tours, FranceAmerican Tours Festival
Sunday7/7Belfort, FranceLes Eurockeennes
Tuesday7/9Stuttgart, GermanyKillesberg
Thursday7/11Munich, GermanyZenith
Saturday7/13Aix-Les-Bains, FranceMusilac Festival
Thursday7/18Pori, FinlandPori Jazz Festival
Saturday7/20Falun, SwedenSummer Jamboree-Falun
Saturday8/3Atlantic City, NJOcean Resort Casino-Ovation Hall
Tuesday8/6New York, NYPier 17 at South Street Seaport
Tuesday8/13Vienna, VA Wolf Trap
Wednesday8/14Huber Heights, OH Rose Music Center
Thursday8/15Grand Rapids, MIMeijer Garden
Sunday8/18Welch, MN Treasure Island Casino
Monday8/26Salt Lake City, UTRed Butte Garden
Wednesday8/28Los Angeles, CAGreek Theatre
Saturday8/31San Diego, CAHumphrey's
Sunday9/1San Diego, CAHumphrey's

About The STRAY CATS:
The Stray Cats, the band that put Rockabilly music back on the record charts in the early '80s, scored several big hits on both sides of the Atlantic thanks to a striking visual 1950's style brought "up to date" with exaggerated pompadours and colorful tattoos and as well as genuine musical chops that evoked the best players of rockabilly's original heyday. Formed by guitarist/vocalist Brian Setzer, upright bass player Lee Rocker and drummer Slim Jim Phantom in the Long Island town of Massapequa, NY, in 1979, the trio shared a love for Rockabilly music. After banging around New York for a few months, in the summer of 1980, and seeing a pompadoured kid on the cover of UK magazine NME, they hopped a plane to London where a rockabilly revival movement was just beginning to emerge. Their massive hits and videos include "Runaway Boys," "Rock This Town," "Stray Cat Strut," "(She's) Sexy + 17," and "I Won't Stand in Your Way."


For more information on The STRAY CATS, visit:


Decca Records to release original soundtrack to Ron Howard-directed documentary 'Pavarotti' and companion 3-CD set 'Pavarotti: The Greatest Hits' on June 7

 BOTH INCLUDE PREVIOUSLY UNRELEASED MUSIC

On June 7, in conjunction with the theatrical release of the highly anticipated Ron Howard-directed documentary “Pavarotti,” Decca Records will release the original soundtrack, Pavarotti: Music From The Motion Picture, as well as a new 3-CD best of collection titled Pavarotti: The Greatest Hits from Decca/UMe. Pre-order Pavarotti: Music From The Motion Picture HERE and Pavarotti: The Greatest Hits HERE.
The complementary releases both feature previously unreleased music and superstar duets with the likes of Bono, Elton John, James Brown, Lou Reed, and more.
Pavarotti: Music from the Motion Picture draws from Pavarotti’s rich recorded catalog and follows the arc of the film. It features selections from operas such as “Turandot,” “La bohème,” “Aida,” “Tosca” and more as well as Italian songs and collaborations with friends such as Plácido Domingo, José Carreras (“‘O sole mio,” “Nessun dorma”), U2, Brian Eno, Passengers (“Miss Sarajevo”), and others. Touchingly, the complete recording of Puccini’s “Donna non vidi mai,”which Pavarotti dedicated to Princess Diana, is included. In addition to a special unreleased song with Andrea Bocelli, the soundtrack also features Pavarotti’s duet of “Ave Maria” with Bono, available for the first time commercially. The song, recorded live during the 2003 “Pavarotti & Friends for SOS Iraq” benefit concert in Modena, Italy, is available now for streaming and as an instant grat download with digital pre-order.

A CBS Films Polygram Entertainment Brian Grazer presentation, PAVAROTTI is an Imagine Entertainment
and White Horse Pictures production.

Pavarotti’s incredible repertoire can be explored in further depth with the new three-disc/digital best of collection, Pavarotti: The Greatest Hits, which serves as a companion to the soundtrack and film. The anthology features 67 of the world-renowned tenor’s most well-known recordings and collaborations and includes the best of his “Opera Arias,” “Italian Songs & Sacred Arias” and “Great Duets.” Fittingly opening with his iconic performance of “Nessun dorma,” the “Opera Arias” disc spans the opera legend’s entire career and includes beloved performances from “La bohéme,” “Rigoletto,” “Pagliacci,” “Tosca,” “Carmen” and “Madama Butterfly.” More than 20 of Pavarotti’s most powerful works including “O Sole Mio,” “Caruso,” “Volare,” “O Holy Night,” “Mama” and “Funiculì, funiculà” are collected together on “Italian Songs & Sacred Arias.”
The set is rounded out with a series of “Great Duets” that showcases The People’s Tenor performing captivating duets with a who’s who of musical superstars, including Andrea Bocelli, Céline Dion, Elton John, Eric Clapton, Mariah Carey, Stevie Wonder and more. Exclusive to the album are five previously unreleased duets with some of the biggest names in music: Barry White, James Brown, Lou Reed, Queen’s Brian May and Roger Taylor, and Sting. Having recently been unearthed and remastered, these tracks, recorded live at the “Pavarotti & Friends” concerts, the series of star-studded benefit performances hosted by Pavarotti in his home town of Modena, Italy between 1992 and 2003, provide a poignant reminder of Pavarotti’s compassion, humanity and enduring relationships with so many comparable stars from the world of popular entertainment. Never before, or since, has an operatic superstar made such an impact. That was the special genius of Pavarotti.

ABOUT PAVAROTTI – THE FILM:
From the filmmaking team behind the highly-acclaimed documentary The Beatles: Eight Days A Week - The Touring Years,PAVAROTTI is a riveting film that lifts the curtain on the icon who brought opera to the people. Academy Award winner Ron Howard puts audiences front row center for an exploration of The Voice...The Man...The Legend. Luciano Pavarotti gave his life to the music and a voice to the world.  The global cinematic event from Imagine Entertainment, White Horse Pictures, Universal Music Group’s Polygram Entertainment, and CBS Films, features history-making performances and intimate interviews, including never-before-seen footage and cutting-edge Dolby Atmos technology.

ABOUT DECCA 90:
This year sees one of the most iconic record labels in the world, Decca Records, turn 90 years old. Since its formation on February 28, 1929, Decca has burgeoned from a prosperous British company to a fully-fledged international powerhouse, quickly earning the title as ‘The Supreme Record Company’ – a statement that resonates stronger than ever today.

Decca has been the home to countless legendary musicians from Luciano Pavarotti to David Bowie, Dame Vera Lynn to Bing Crosby, Tom Jones to Billie Holiday, The Rolling Stones to Mantovani and is now providing the platform for a new generation of ambitious artists at the forefront of their scenes – names such as Andrea Bocelli, Sheku Kanneh-Mason and Gregory Porter, who continue to represent the label’s cultural legacy.


Biffy Clyro share brand new track and video for "Balance, Not Symmetry" taken from the band's 'Balance, Not Symmetry' Original Motion Picture Soundtrack



Biffy Clyro share a brand-new track and video in the shape of "Balance, Not Symmetry," the title track from the film of the same name, which Biffy frontman Simon Neil collaborated. The bands vocalist, guitarist and chief songwriter has co-written the film with director Jamie Adams. To accompany the film, Biffy Clyro wrote a full album of original material which is also available now.

Regarding the collaboration, Simon Neil explains "On meeting Jamie, we realized early on that we'd both had to deal with grief at a relatively young age and so it was interesting to talk about how we'd both dealt with it and the effect it had on us - and this is the main crux of the film, delving into the lonely world of grief and loss and coming out the other side."
The 17-song Balance, Not Symmetry explodes into life with the title track, which tightly packages Biffy's angular rhythms with the kind of sky-bound hook that they've established as a hallmark of their sound. The track is accompanied by an official video. Also directed by Adams, it intercuts the band's visceral live performance with footage from the film. Click here to view and share "Balance, Not Symmetry."

While the collection often explores Biffy's gift for arena-filling anthems on the likes of "All Singing and All Dancing," "Tunnel and Trees" and "Touch," the album as a whole leans towards introspection and experimentation. The foreboding yet elegiac "Gates Of Heaven" is quite unlike anything that the band have recorded before, "Colour Wheel" switches to a more ethereal ambience and "Touch" echoes the emotional power of previous Biffy classics such as "Many Of Horror" (from 2010's Only Revolutions) and "Re-arrange" (from 2016's Ellipsis).

The album also includes three mood-setting instrumentals ("Pink," "Navy Blue" and "Yellow") plus a studio recording of "Different Kind of Love," which originally featured on last year's MTV Unpluggedalbum. It was co-produced by Adam Noble and Biffy Clyro, and recorded at AIR Studios, Monnow Valley Studio and ICP Studios.
Balance, Not Symmetry will be available to download and stream tomorrow, with the vinyl following July 26.

Filmed in Scotland during Autumn, the Balance, Not Symmetry film follows American student Caitlin (Laura Harrier) after her father's funeral, leaving her grieving mother (Kate Dickie) behind to return to her third-year studies at the Glasgow School of Art. There she juggles her grief and end-of-year presentation with meeting a new guy, Rory (Scott Miller), and a rupture in her relationship with her housemate and BFF Hannah (Bria Vinaite). Can she again find balance in her turbulent life?

The film will be released in the U.K. on July 26 and stars Laura Harrier (BlackKkKsman), Bria Vinaite (The Florida project), Lily Newmark (Pin Cushion), Freya Mavor (The Sense Of An Ending), Tasmin Egerton (The Brothers Grimsby), Kate Dickie (Game of Thrones), Shauna Macdonald (The Descent) and newcomer Scott Miller.

Balance, Not Symmetry soundtrack track listing:
1. Balance, Not Symmetry
2. All Singing and All Dancing
3. Different Kind of Love
4. Sunrise
5. Pink
6. Colour Wheel
7. Gates of Heaven
8. Fever Dream
9. Navy Blue
10. Tunnels and Trees
11. Plead
12. The Naturals
13. Yellow
14. Touch
15. Jasabiab
16. Following Master
17. Adored


Paul McCartney decades-spanning "Live" album milestone reissues

AMOEBA GIG
PAUL IS LIVE
CHOBA B CCCP
WINGS OVER AMERICA

to be released July 12, 2019 via MPL/CAPITOL/UMe

Paul McCartney's legendary performance at
Amoeba Records in Los Angeles is among the
special reissues coming July 12, 2019.
Following last night’s kick-off of this year's North American leg of his record-breaking FRESHEN UP Tour, PAUL McCARTNEY adds to his Summer of LIVE: Paul has confirmed updated releases of four albums capturing performances spanning from his 1975-1976 return to U.S. arenas with Wings to his intimate 2007 set at Amoeba records in Los Angeles. The albums — Amoeba Gig, Paul Is Live, Choba B CCCP, Wings Over America — will be released July 12, 2019 via MPL/Capitol/UMe digitally, on CD and on both black and limited-edition color vinyl.


Amoeba Gig is the first full length commercial release of Paul’s surprise free concert at Hollywood’s Amoeba Music on June 27, 2007. To date only four songs have seen wide release as the Amoeba’s Secret EP, two of which were nominated for Grammy Awards in 2008: "That Was Me" for Best Male Pop Vocal Performance and "I Saw Her Standing There" for Best Solo Rock Vocal Performance. A few years later in November 2012, an extended 12-song excerpt of the Amoeba show titled Live in Los Angeles – The Extended Set was made available free to PaulMcCartney.com premium members for a limited period. And come July 12, 2019, a full 21-song recording documenting possibly the most intimate L.A. show Paul has ever played will be made available to the public for the first time. The millions of people not among the luckier than lucky few hundred rubbing elbows with the likes of Ringo Starr and Woody Harrelson during that once in a lifetime in-store set will be able to experience those performances of Beatles classics “The Long And Winding Road,” “I’ll Follow The Sun” and “I’ve Got A Feeling,” Flaming Pie’s “Calico Skies,” plus Carl Perkins’ “Matchbox,” Jan Garber’s “Baby Face” and an emotional rendition of “Here Today.” Additionally, the LP will include an exclusive soundcheck recording of “Coming Up."

Amoeba Gig has been newly remixed by Paul’s engineer Steve Orchard and will be available in configurations including CD, 2 x 180g black vinyl, and limited-edition color vinyl (LP1 - clear, LP2 - hazy amber transparent).


Recorded during the U.S. and Australian swings of the tour in support of 1993’s Off The Ground, Paul Is Live is Paul's fifth live album. Originally released that same year, the album is famous for the multiple meanings and clues embedded in its title and cover art, all of which play on the “Paul Is Dead” conspiracy/hoax. In addition to a wealth of Wings and Beatles classics, covers of Roy Brown’s “GoodRockin’ Tonight” and Leiber and Stoller’s “Kansas City” and more, Paul Is Live also offers a peek behind the curtain: Three songs improvised on the spot and exclusive to the album, all recorded during rehearsals in various locations over the course of the tour.

Paul Is Live has been newly remastered at Abbey Road Studios and will be available in configurations including CD, 2 x 180g black vinyl, and limited-edition color vinyl (LP1 - opaque baby blue, LP2 - plush peach white opaque).


The live-in-studio Choba B CCCP (Russian for “Back In The USSR”) was released in the Soviet Union in 1988, making Paul the first Western artist to issue an album exclusively for that market. In a conscious decision to get back to his roots, Paul spontaneously spent two days covering his favorite hits from the 1950s. The sessions produced 22 songs in total (and one of the outtakes being a version of The Beatles' "I Saw Her Standing There”). Choba B CCCP was a deeply personal album and a way to acknowledge fans who had supported him and The Beatles since the start. “When I was very young I asked my dad if people wanted peace,” Paul explained at the time. “He said to me, ‘Yes, people everywhere want peace – it’s usually politicians that cause trouble.’ It always seemed to me that the way The Beatles’ music was admired in the USSR tended to prove his point, that people the world over have a great deal in common. In releasing this record exclusively in the Soviet Union, I extend the hand of peace and friendship to the people of Russia.” Choba B CCCP was released in the rest of the world following the 1991 collapse of the Soviet Union.

Choba B CCCP has been newly remastered at Abbey Road Studios and will be reissued as the original 11-track Russian release. It will be available in configurations including CD, 180g black vinyl, and limited- edition opaque yellow vinyl.


Rare #1-charting triple live album, Wings Over America is a document of one the most sophisticated and dazzling rock shows of the 1970s or any decade. Paul and the band would eventually perform to more than 600,000 people at 31 shows in the US and Canada, ending with three historic nights at The Forum in Los Angeles. It’s no exaggeration to say that the excitement that greeted Paul McCartney & Wings (Linda McCartney, Joe English, Denny Laine and Jimmy McCulloch) in the spring of 1976 as they embarked on what would become their one and only North American tour was overwhelming. Having released four consecutive chart topping albums — Red Rose Speedway, Band on the Run, Venus and Mars and At The Speed Of Sound – not to mention 1973’s Academy Award-winning James Bond theme “Live and Let Die” – Wings' career was in full flight… and as Paul’s first U.S. tour since The Beatles, the sheer joy of both the band and its fans were off the charts throughout the 90 hours of recordings distilled into this triple album. Wings Over America was last reissued in 2013 as part of the Paul McCartney Archive Collection series winning the Grammy Award for Boxed or Special Limited-Edition Package.

Wings Over America will be available in configurations including double CD, 3 x 180g triple vinyl, and limited-edition color vinyl (LP1 - transparent red, LP2 - transparent green, LP3 - transparent blue) both come with original souvenir poster.


TRACK LISTINGS:

Amoeba Gig (CD)
1. Drive My Car
2. Only Mama Knows
3. Dance Tonight
4. C Moon
5. The Long And Winding Road
6. I’ll Follow The Sun
7. Calico Skies
8. That Was Me
9. Blackbird
10. Here Today
11. Back In The USSR
12. Nod Your Head
13. House Of Wax
14. I’ve Got A Feeling
15. Matchbox
16. Get Back
17. Baby Face
18. Hey Jude
19. Let It Be
20. Lady Madonna
21. I Saw Her Standing There

Amoeba Gig (LP)
Side A:
1. Drive My Car
2. Only Mama Knows
3. Dance Tonight
4. C Moon
5. The Long And Winding Road
6. I’ll Follow The Sun

Side B:
1. Calico Skies
2. That Was Me
3. Blackbird
4. Here Today
5. Back In The USSR
6. Nod Your Head

Side C:
1. House Of Wax
2. I’ve Got A Feeling
3. Matchbox
4. Get Back

Side D:
1. Baby Face
2. Hey Jude
3. Let It Be
4. Lady Madonna
5. I Saw Her Standing There
6. Coming Up [Soundcheck]


1. Drive My Car
2. Let Me Roll It
3. Looking For Changes
4. Peace In The Neighbourhood
5. All My Loving
6. Robbie's Bit (Thanks Chet)
7. Good Rockin' Tonight
8. We Can Work It Out
9. Hope Of Deliverance
10. Michelle
11. Biker Like An Icon
12. Here, There And Everywhere
13. My Love
14. Magical Mystery Tour
15. C'mon People
16. Lady Madonna
17. Paperback Writer
18. Penny Lane
19. Live And Let Die
20. Kansas City
21. Welcome To Soundcheck (link)
22. Hotel In Benidorm (soundcheck)
23. I Wanna Be Your Man (soundcheck)
24. A Fine Day (soundcheck)

Side 1:
1. Drive My Car
2. Let Me Roll It
3. Looking For Changes
4. Peace In The Neighbourhood
5. All My Loving
6. Robbie's Bit (Thanks Chet)

Side 2:
7. Good Rockin' Tonight
8. We Can Work It Out
9. Hope Of Deliverance
10. Michelle
11. Biker Like An Icon
12. Here, There And Everywhere
13. My Love

Side 3:
1. Magical Mystery Tour
2. C'mon People
3. Lady Madonna
4. Paperback Writer
5. Penny Lane
6. Live And Let Die

Side 4:
7. Kansas City
8. Welcome To Soundcheck (link)
9. Hotel In Benidorm (soundcheck)
10. I Wanna Be Your Man (soundcheck)
11. A Fine Day (soundcheck)


CHOBA B CCCP (CD):
1. Kansas City
2. Twenty Flight Rock
3. Lawdy, Miss Clawdy
4. Bring It On Home To Me
5. Lucille
6. Don't Get Around Much Anymore
7. That's All Right (Mama)
8. Ain't That A Shame
9. Crackin' Up
10. Just Because
11. Midnight Special

Side 1:
1. Kansas City
2. Twenty Flight Rock
3. Lawdy, Miss Clawdy
4. Bring It On Home To Me
5. Lucille
6. Don't Get Around Much Anymore

Side 2:
7. That's All Right (Mama)
8. Ain't That A Shame
9. Crackin' Up
10. Just Because
11. Midnight Special


CD1:
1. Venus And Mars / Rock Show / Jet   
2. Let Me Roll It              
3. Spirits Of Ancient Egypt         
4. Medicine Jar              
5. Maybe I'm Amazed 
6. Call Me Back Again 
7. Lady Madonna          
8. The Long And Winding Road                
9. Live And Let Die       
10. Picasso's Last Words             
11. Richard Cory               
12. Bluebird      
13. I've Just Seen A Face               
14. Blackbird    
15. Yesterday   

CD2:
1. You Gave Me The Answer    
2. Magneto And Titanium Man                
3. Go Now        
4. My Love       
5. Listen To What The Man Said             
6. Let 'Em In    
7. Time To Hide              
8. Silly Love Songs        
9. Beware My Love      
10. Letting Go  
11. Band On The Run     
12. Hi, Hi, Hi      
13. Soily

Side 1:
1. Venus And Mars / Rock Show / Jet   
2. Let Me Roll It              
3. Spirits Of Ancient Egypt
4. Medicine Jar

Side 2:
1. Maybe I'm Amazed 
2. Call Me Back Again 
3. Lady Madonna          
4. The Long And Winding Road                
5. Live And Let Die       

Side 3:
1. Picasso's Last Words             
2. Richard Cory               
3. Bluebird      
4. I've Just Seen A Face               
5. Blackbird    
6. Yesterday   

Side 4:
1. You Gave Me The Answer    
2. Magneto And Titanium Man                
3. Go Now        
4. My Love       
5. Listen To What The Man Said

Side 5:
1. Let 'Em In    
2. Time To Hide              
3. Silly Love Songs        
4. Beware My Love

Side 6:
1. Letting Go  
2. Band On The Run     
3. Hi, Hi, Hi      
4. Soily
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