Van Halen News

From this morning's RAMP Newsletter...

"The Van Halen pot is bubbling up to a boil this morning as speculation abounds the band has made plans to put out a new album next year with fresh material sung by original front man David Lee Roth! The situation began solidifying earlier this month when The Recording Academy announced that "a special live announcement from a truly iconic group regarding their historic band reunion" will be a part of The Grammy Nominations Concert Live! on Nov. 30 and that this reunion will happen on stage at the 54th annual Grammys on Feb. 12, 2012 -- then followed it up with a big clue on Twitter asking "Does this hint make u wanna 'Jump' & 'Dance the Night Away'?" broadly referencing two classic DLR-era VH tracks. Geez, could they have made it any more obvious? While rumors are circulating about where the band has touched down, we're hearing word that Van Halen's next album will be released by Interscope and that an official press conference confirming this news could happen as soon as today. If this new scenario is true, it'll be the band's full-length studio album of completely new material since 1998's Van Halen III, which featured short-lived lead singer Gary Cherone of Extreme, and Van Halen's first DLR-fronted album since the release of the iconic 1984."

Looking forward to it.

Weezer Obit

From this morning's RAMP newsletter...

"Fans of Weezer are mourning the loss of former bassist Mikey Welsh, who passed away in a Chicago hotel room on Saturday. He was only 40. In a weird twist, Welsh seemed to have a premonition that this would happen, having tweeted a couple of weeks ago that he dreamed he died while on this trip to Chicago to see his former bandmates play at the RIOTfest. He was a part of Weezer from 1998-2001 and was featured on The Green Album, but also contributed material to a Juilana Hatfield record. Welsh retired from music after leaving Weezer and turned his attention to painting, moving to Burlington, VT."

Sylvia Robinson

The New York Times obit calls her the "mother of hip hop", but I had no idea she played a prominent role in the beginning of that genre.

I just knew her as "Sylvia" from the "Mickey & Silvia" team in the 60s, and "Sylvia" from the 1973 song "Pillow Talk".

She passed away yesterday at the age of 75.

Pink Floyd

From this morning's RAMP Newsletter...

"That rumbling of footsteps is the horde of Pink Floyd fans running to their computers and wherever they buy music this morning, as a new box set featuring remastered versions of all 14 of the band's studio albums has been released today -- in both physical CD form and MP3. Dark Side of the Moon has also been given similar treatment, with the new edition including bonus unreleased and live material, giving Wizard of Oz fans plans for this weekend. To celebrate the massive rerelease, another huge Floyd event was recreated, as the infamous giant flying pig was proudly flown over London's Battersea Power Station yesterday, just like on the cover of the band's album Animals, which was shot 35 years ago this December."

Looks like it's time to update the collection again.

The Rolling Stones

I met Rob Barnett, the current CEO of MyDamnChannel, when he was running CBS radio about six or seven years ago. He was one of the people that interviewed me for the job of executive producer for the David Lee Roth show (a story in itself). I didn't realize it at the time, but Rob had a great Rolling Stones story from his early days in radio. The RAMP newsletter told that story on the 30th anniversary...

"It was Sept. 14, 1981 when Barnett, a baby MD at WAAF (then based in beautiful Worcester, MA) at the time, pulled off what he describes as "the most psychotic rock and roll radio promotion of all time" -- he engineered a secret, free Rolling Stones concert for 300 listeners at a local nightclub, a feat that would be impossible today thanks to cell phones and social media. The enormity of The Rolling Stones playing a local club at that time is like the modern-day equivalent of convincing U2 to play a local VFW hall... without being able to tell anybody! Thanks to a loose-lipped employee at Longview Farm, a nearby recording complex, Barnett discovered that the Stones were camped out there rehearsing for a tour to support their then-just-released album Tattoo You. Employing a potent mix of overconfidence and B.S., Barnett wrangled an interview with Mick Jagger, during which he suggested that the Stones should do a secret, live, free gig for his station within the intimate confines of a Worcester nightclub, the nautically named Sir Morgan's Cove. Completing the subterfuge, the Stones were billed as "The Cockroaches." The rest, as they say, is rock and roll history. Per the band's instructions, no audio or video of the event exists."

That would have been pretty damn cool. About ten or fifteen years ago I had the chance to attend something similar. The Stones performed a few "secret" club dates at the Double Door (a small club in Chicago). Unfortunately, I was working on a morning show in those days, and the idea of seeing anyone at 11:30 at night knowing my alarm would go off at 2:30 in the morning was completely unthinkable. Believe it or not, I said no to the ticket.

McCartney Honored

From this morning's RAMP newsletter...

"Paul McCartney will be honored as MusiCares' 2012 Person of the Year. At a special gala dinner held during Grammy week on Feb. 10, 2012, McCartney will be recognized for not only helping to shape the world of music as we know it, but also his decades of charity work and philanthropy. "Paul McCartney exemplifies the phrase 'artist/philanthropist,' and his extraordinary career is certainly a testament to the multifaceted power of his creative genius," said Recording Academy President/CEO Neil Portnow. "The unique talent, dedication and spontaneity he brings to his projects and live performances are unsurpassed, but are equaled by the impressive generosity and commitment he consistently devotes to a range of important charitable causes." In another notch in McCartney's philanthropy belt, proceeds from the dinner will be funneled back into MusiCares, which makes sure that musicians and people associated with the industry have access to medical, personal and financial help in times of need. More info is available at www.grammy.org/musicares."

Amy Winehouse's Last Recording

Believe it or not, it was a duet with Tony Bennett and it's coming out tomorrow. Here's the scoop from the RAMP Newsletter...

"Tomorrow, Sept. 14, marks what would have been Amy Winehouse's 28th birthday. To commemorate that occasion and to pay tribute to an amazing talent who lives on via her musical legacy, RPM and Columbia Records are releasing the single and the video for "Body and Soul," Amy's duet with the legendary Tony Bennett, one of 17 tracks that appears on his forthcoming Duets II album. "Body and Soul" was recorded on March 23 at the historic Abbey Road Studios in London and holds the distinction of being Winehouse's final recording before her untimely death on July 23."

Aerosmith

Here's some big news for Aerosmith fans. From this morning's RAMP newsletter...

"For the first time ever, Columbia is releasing digital copies of the band's albums from 1973-1987 that will be available for download starting the day after Labor Day, with classic stuff able to be purchased in full-album or single-track form, along with a few extras, including live tracks, session material and B-sides. In addition to their self-titled debut, fans will be able to grab copies of Get Your Wings, Toys in the Attic, Rocks, Draw the Line, Live! Bootleg, Night in the Ruts, Aerosmith's Greatest Hits, Rock in a Hard Place, Classics Live and Classics Live II."

I have a few holes to fill in my Aerosmith collection. Looking forward to next week.

Leiber and Ashford

Two giants of the recording industry died this week; Mike Leiber (of Leiber & Stoller songwriting/producing fame) and Nicholas Ashford (of Ashford and Simpson fame).

Leiber was quite simply one of the greatest songwriters of the rock and roll era, responsible for some of the all-time classics, including this one by Ben E. King...



Ashford was also a great, great songwriter. This one is probably my favorite Ashford-Simpson compostion...



May they both rest in peace.