It was Sir Elton John‘s first time playing in Chicago’s Soldier Field, but it would be his last time playing in Chicago or Illinois after scores of performances in the city and state. He’s on the “Farewell Yellow Brick Road” tour, which he has stated is his final one. As he told the packed stadium, he’s now seventy-six years old and wants to spend the rest of his time with his husband and sons.
So, he and his top-notch band, some of whom, like drummer Nigel Olsson, have been with him since his first record, played their hearts out and had a great time. The audience did, too, dancing and singing in the heavy humidity to “Tiny Dancer” and “Rocket Man.”
“Rocket Man”
He and the band (which, by the way, included Olsson behind a drum kit and two other percussionists) went nuts on “Levon,” which boomed through the entire stadium. “Candle in the Wind” was also a big hit with the crowd.
“Candle in the Wind”
They tore through “The Bitch Is Back,” “I’m Still Standing,” “Crocodile Rock,” and ended the main set with “Saturday Night’s All Right for Fighting” – any of which could’ve been a finale.
The encore started with his newest number one single, “Cold Heart,” and he followed it with his first number one hit – “Your Song,” which I must admit brought me to some brief tears. He ended, of course, with “Goodbye Yellow Brick Road” to a standing ovation to the huge, sweaty crowd.
This was the middle of his North American tour before a short summer break. Don’t miss him if he comes near you. You won’t get another chance.
“One of the reasons we wanted to do this tour was to highlight this incredible band,” “Weird Al” Yankovic said at one point during the packed show at Elkhart, Indiana’s Lerner Theatre. The show consisted of all original material and style parodies from Yankovic’s huge catalogue. None of his parody hits were played until the encore, and even then in a medley.
Instead, he and his band (of over forty years) played a lot of lesser-known songs that had everyone rocking and / or laughing. Speaking of laughing, veteran stand-up comic Emo Philips opened the show with his odd and often dark humor in which he skewered everything from religion to dating. He had a joke about a banana that he set up within the first ten minutes of his set and then didn’t pay off until near the end – much to the delight of everyone.
Yankovic and his band soon showed everyone how well they can rock by playing hard tracks like “Young, Dumb & Ugly,” “My Own Eyes,” and the dark, twisted “Larry.” The theme to his film, UHF, was a bit hit with the crowd, and the lounge version of “Dare to Be Stupid” (their famous Devo style parody) was stunning. “He’s even parodying himself,” said a guy next to me about it after the show.
It was a great example of how he and his band can play multiple genres with high skill (and switch back and forth between them) with apparent ease. The Doors style parody, “Craigslist,” showed how well they can play psychedelic rock. The closer of the main set was “Albuquerque,” a wild track that has to be seen and heard to be believed. How Yankovic remembers all those multi-layered lyrics is beyond me.
After a fake encore, in which they went barely offstage and pretended to check their phones and tune a guitar while in full sight of everyone, they came “back on” to do a sharp cover of The Isley Brothers‘ “Nobody but Me” and then the parody medley that went from “Amish Paradise” to “Yoda” and included everything from calypso to acapella Afrobeat chanting. I missed a lot of the humorous lyrics because I was too stunned try their musicianship to notice them.
It was a fun show, and one you should catch if it’s anywhere close to you. Don’t go for the hits, go for the experience.
Photo by Thomas Dinger: from left – Klaus Dinger, Michael Rother
NEU!, the legendary Krautrock duo of Michael Rother and the late Klaus Dinger, celebrate the 50th anniversary of their self-titled debut album with the NEU! 50! box set, out September 23rd via Grönland. NEU! 50! includes albums NEU! NEU! 2! and NEU! 75 plus the brand new NEU! Tribute Album, a NEU! stencil and booklet. The Tribute Album features reworkings by The National, Idles, Man Man, Mogwai, Alexis Taylor, and more. Today, Grönland presents two new tracks off the tribute album – “Weissensee (Fink Version)” and “Zum Herz,” a new, NEU!-inspired song by Guerilla Toss.
NEU!’s version of “Weissensee” evokes a majestic river, cascading, waves crashing. Fink honors the beautiful, lapping waterscape of the track. “I have walked around Weissensee many times – a little urban lake in a pretty rundown part of Berlin - particularly beautiful when it’s frozen over. I had to try this one. Stepping up to NEU! and the anniversary of their debut was an honor, a challenge and a joy.” Listen to “Weissensee (Fink Version)” Guerilla Toss’s “Zum Herz” is a salute from a band whose members were not yet born in NEU!’s heyday. “Zum Herz” draws heavily from the NEU! aesthetic, with an emphasis on the repetitive beat and multi-layer guitar production. The band explains: “NEU! is one of the most important bands of the 20th century, and a personal favorite of GT’s. Their influence on psych, rock, punk, and electronic music is enormous. The lineage of so many great bands can be traced back to NEU!. We are thrilled to be part of this compilation. I like to think that the U.S. / U.K created Rock music, but the Germans made it forever weird. Thanks, NEU!“ Listen to “Zum Herz” by Guerilla Toss NEU! are a product of Düsseldorf, Germany, home to Kraftwerk’s Klingklang studios, as well as galleries, graphic designers and advertising agencies. Rother and Dinger drew on all of this and their impeccable musical training to create the overall concept of NEU!. They intended to create a previously unheard new music, aping the processes of commodification while remaining resolutely hostile to the commerciality of the music industry. Like other experimental bands of the late 60s and early 70s gathered under the Krautrock banner, NEU! were driven by a mixture of political and artistic imperatives to reject the clichés and conventions of orthodox, blues-based Anglo-American rock and create a music that was, formally, West German in origin.
NEU! are one of the great, belated success stories of rock music. Their influence continues to be internationally widespread. Since paving their own road ahead, they’ve created a model of forward propulsion away from conventional rock clichés. The NEU! Tribute album shows how much there is for subsequent generations to unpack in NEU!, how much is buried, implied in their sound. Watch “Hallogallo (Stephen Morris and Gabe Gurnsey Remix)” Visualizer
NEU! Tribute Album Tracklist: 1. Im Glück (The National Remix) 2. Weissensee (Fink Version) 3. Super (Mogwai Remix) 4. 4+1=5 – Alexis Taylor 5. Hallogallo (Stephen Morris and Gabe Gurnsey Remix) 6. Lieber Honig (Yann Tiersen Remix) 7. Super (Man Man Remix) 8. Negativland (Idles Negative Space Rework) 9. Zum Herz – Guerilla Toss 10. After Eight (They Hate Change Cover)
Today, John Cale presents “Night Crawling,” his first new music since 2020 when he released the single, “Lazy Day,” and collaborated with Kelly Lee Owens on “Corner of My Sky.” “Night Crawling” is a taste of much more to come from Cale, and precedes his fall UK tour, which includes his first performances since pre-pandemic (more to come on the touring front in 2023, as well). Cale wrote “Night Crawling” with a nod to ’70s NYC pre-disco, recalling times when he and David Bowie would traverse the city at night. Throughout the track, Cale layers his inimitable vocals with a skipping beat and hovering bass. As it expands, it becomes nearly danceable with jockeying percussion and whirs of synth. Cale played nearly every instrument on the track, aside from additional drums by Deantoni Parks and backing vocals by Dustin Boyer, and it was mixed by Seven Davis, Jr.. The accompanying video, animated by Mickey Miles, visualizes the song’s vibrant sounds with colorful, retro animation.
Cale further explains: “It’s been a helluva past 2 years and I’m glad to finally share a glimpse of what’s coming ahead. There was this period around mid-late ’70s when David and I would run into each other in NY. There was plenty of talk about getting some work done but of course we’d end up running the streets, sometimes until we couldn’t keep a thought in our heads, let alone actually get a song together! One night we managed to meet up for a benefit concert where I taught him a viola part so we could perform together. When I wrote ‘Night Crawling,’ it was a reflective moment of particular times. That kind of NYC that held art in its grip, strong enough to keep it safe and dangerous enough to keep it interesting. I always figured we’d have another go at the two of us recording together, this time without the interference of being perpetually off our heads! The thing about creating music is the ability to divine a thought or feeling even when reality says it’s a logical impossibility.”
John Cale Tour Dates Sun. Oct. 23 – Edinburgh, UK @ The Queen’s Hall Mon. Oct. 24 – York, UK @ Barbican Fri. Oct. 28 – Cardiff, WLS @ Llais Festival * Mon. Oct. 31 – Whitley Bay, UK @ Playhouse Whitley Bay Thu. Nov. 3 – Birmingham, UK @ Birmingham Town Hall Mon. Nov. 7 – Bexhill on Sea, UK @ De La Warr Pavilion Wed. Nov. 9 – London, UK @ The London Palladium Thu. Nov. 10 – Cambridge, UK @ Cambridge Corn Exchange Fri. Nov. 11 – Liverpool, UK @ Liverpool Philharmonic Hall
* = John Cale + special guests, 80th Birthday Celebration
Keep your mind open.
[Crawl over to the subscription box while you’re here.]
WATCH A NEW VIDEO FOR A PREVIOUSLY UNRELEASED, DEMO VERSION OF ‘IRON FIST’ PLUS PREORDERS & EXCLUSIVE MERCH BUNDLES HERE –
https://motorhead.lnk.to/IronFist40thPR
The time-honoured phrase “Follow that!” rang with deafening resonance when Motörhead were faced with having to follow a rock milestone (Ace Of Spades), a number one album (No Sleep Till Hammersmith) and their bomber – the most spectacular stage prop rock had ever seen. As last shout from the three amigos line-up of Lemmy, Fast EddieClarke and Phil ‘Philthy Animal’ Taylor, Iron Fist was rudely dismissed by some ignorant loud mouth hap’orths as being ‘less’, and has always suffered slightly from that initial idiotic disdain. We’re here to finally correct that nonsense, as Iron Fist reveals itself as a vital snapshot of the band at a crucial period when they found themselves caught in the tornado ignited by success and, in true Motörhead style, careered into their next phase at such velocity it transcended logic or reason to become this trio’s final kamikaze joyride. Forty years later, Iron Fist sounds like prime Motörhead with the gloves and seat-belts off. For sheer velocity, it could be fastest, most out-of-control of them all. If you know, you know, and if you don’t enjoy the gloriously wreckless education that is Iron Fist!
To celebrate the 40th anniversary of this seminal cannon in the Motörhead armoury, it is being presented in new deluxe editions. There will be hardback book-packs in two CD and triple LP formats, featuring a hammer fist blow, remaster of the original album, previously unreleased demo bonus tracks and a full concert, originally broadcast on Radio Clyde from 18th March 1982. Plus the story of the album and many previously unseen photos. There’s also a limited edition, blue and black swirl of the original standalone album.
See below for full details of the Iron Fist releases and be sure to visitwww.iMotorhead.comfor news and updates!
LP AND CD TRACKLISTING
Original Iron Fist album
Iron Fist
Heart of Stone
I’m the Doctor
Go to Hell
Loser
Sex and Outrage
America
Shut It Down
Speedfreak
(Don’t Need) Religion
Bang to Rights
Jackson’s Studio Demos October 1981
Remember Me, I’m Gone
The Doctor
Young & Crazy
Loser
Iron Fist
Go To Hell
CD & Digital Bonus Tracks
Lemmy Goes to the Pub
Some Old Song, I’m Gone
(Don’t Let ‘Em) Grind Ya Down (Alternate Version)
Shut It Down
Sponge Cake (Instrumental)
Ripsaw Teardown (Instrumental)
Peter Gunn (Instrumental)
Live at Glasgow Apollo 18/3/82
(Previously unreleased)
Iron First
Heart of Stone
Shoot You In The Back
The Hammer
Loser
Jailbait
America
White Line
(Don’t Need) Religion
Go to Hell
Capricorn
(Don’t Let ‘Em) Grind Ya Down
(We Are The) Road Crew
Ace of Spades
Bite The Bullet
The Chase Is Better Than the Catch
Overkill
Bomber
Motörhead
Keep your mind open.
[Race over to the subscription box before you go.]
Light in the Attic Records, in cooperation with LaurieAnderson, are thrilled to share Lou Reed’s May 1965 demo of “Heroin,” from Words & Music, May 1965, the inaugural title in their forthcoming Lou Reed Archive Series, out August26th. Released in tandem with the late artist’s 80th birthday celebrations, Words & Music, May 1965 offers an extraordinary, unvarnished, and plainly poignant insight into one of America’s true poet-songwriters. Capturing Reed in his formative years, this previously unreleased collection of songs—penned by a young Lou Reed, recorded to tape with the help of future bandmate John Cale, and mailed to himself as a “poor man’s copyright”—remained sealed in its original envelope and unopened for nearly 50 years. Its contents embody some of the most vital, groundbreaking contributions to American popular music committed to tape in the 20th century. Like the previously shared demo of “I’m Waiting For The Man,” this version of “Heroin” is the earliest known recording of The Velvet Underground’s beloved track, and offers another stunning peak into Reed’s creative process.
Words & Music, May 1965 will be available on August 26th in a variety of formats, including LP, cassette, 8-track, digital, and CD. The centerpiece of the inaugural Lou Reed Archive Series release is the Deluxe 45-RPM Double LP Edition of Words & Music, May 1965. Limited to 7,500 copies worldwide, this collection was designed by multi-GRAMMY®-winning artistMasaki Koike and features a stylized, die-cut gatefold jacket manufactured by Stoughton Printing Co. Housed inside are two 45-RPM 12-inch LPs, pressed on HQ-audiophile-quality 180-gram vinyl at Record Technology Inc. (RTI) featuring the only vinyl release of “I’m Waiting for the Man – May 1965 Alternate Version.” A bonus 7-inch, housed in its own unique die-cut picture sleeve and manufactured at Third Man Record Pressing includes the only vinyl release of six previously-unreleased bonus tracks providing a never-before-seen glimpse into Reed’s formative years, including early demos, a cover ofBob Dylan’s “Don’t Think Twice, It’s All Right,” and a doo-wop serenade recorded in 1958 when the legendary singer-songwriter was just sixteen years old. An accompanying saddle-stitched, die-cut 28-page book features lyrics, archival photos, and liner notes. Also included is an archival reproduction of a rarely-seen letter, written by Reed to his college professor and poet, Delmore Schwartz, circa 1964. The set includes a CD containing the complete audio from the package, housed in a die-cut jacket.
The 11-track digital release of Words & Music, May 1965 will be available across all platforms, alongside the physical formats, on August 26th. A six-song digital EP, Gee Whiz, 1958-1964, drops on October 7th, offering the above-mentioned bonus content.
To help celebrate the release, Light in the Attic will also invite listeners to intimately experience Words & Music through a podcast hosted by TV on the Radio’s Tunde Adebimpe. In partnership with LittleEverywhere and Ruinous Media, this special program will feature exclusive audio, archival materials, and interviews with many of the album’s participants. Available on all podcast platforms on August 26th.
For those seeking an even deeper dive into Reed’s legacy, The New York Public Library for the Performing Arts (which houses Reed’s recently-unearthed recordings) will be hosting a special exhibit this spring, curated by Don Fleming and Jason Stern. Opening June 9, Lou Reed: Caught Between the Twisted Stars will chronicle the life’s work of the songwriter, musician, performer, photographer, poet, and accomplished tai chi practitioner—as through the voices, images, and music of Reed and his collaborators. For more information, visit nypl.org.
Throughout 2022 and beyond, Light in the Attic will continue to honor the music and influence of Reed through the Lou Reed Archive Series.Visit LightInTheAttic.net or LouReedArchive.com to learn more, and stay tuned for forthcoming releases.
Thanks to all who tuned in for my deep dive of Kraftwerk. It was a fun show. Here’s the set list from July 17, 2022.
Kraftwerk – The Robots
Organisation – Silver Forest
NEU! – Isi
Kraftwerk – First Techno (live)
Kraftwerk – Köln II (live)
Kraftwerk – Elektrischesroulette
MC5 – Kick Out the Jams (live)
Kraftwerk – Autobahn (single version)
Kraftwerk – Radioactivity
Kraftwerk – Trans Europa Express (original German language version)
Kraftwerk – Les Mannequins (original French language version)
Joy Division – Dead Souls
Kraftwerk – The Model
Kraftwerk – Computer Love
Kraftwerk – Pocket Calculator (live)
LCD Soundsystem – Disco Infiltrator (single version)
Kraftwerk – Electric Café
Kraftwerk – The Telephone Call
Siouxsie and the Banshees – Hall of Mirrors
Orchestral Maneuvers in the Dark – Neon Lights
Kraftwerk – Elektro Kardiogramm
The next deep dive will be either July 24th or July 30th (depending on some travel plans I have for the weekend of the 24th) and will cover the music of Tom Jones.
Today, Chicago label International Anthem presents “That’s The Way of the World,” the latest track off Step on Step, the forthcoming double LP collection of home recordings by the late and under-sung legend Charles Stepney, out September 9th. This recording of “That’s The Way of the World” encapsulates an iconic piece of music history: the eventual studio version of the song, co-written by Stepney and Earth, Wind & Fire’s Maurice and Verdine White, and arranged by Stepney for the EWF album and film of the same name, would become one of the biggest recordings ever released by the band. Deemed one of the 500 Greatest Songs of All Time by Rolling Stone, this original 4-track demo version of “That’s The Way of the World” offers an unprecedented look into Stepney’s creative process, and helps us understand what EWF lead singer Philip Bailey meant when he said in 2001: “The success of Earth Wind & Fire, and all our great songs that we made in that era, would not, could not, and wouldn’t have been made without Charles Stepney. He was very much an equal part, or more, than all of us put together.”
The digital cover art for today’s “That’s The Way of The World” is an old family photo of Stepney’s youngest daughter Chanté (who was just a toddler when her father passed away in 1976), in a high chair at their family home on the Southside of Chicago. About the photo, Chanté says: “People often ask if I’m sad that I don’t remember him, and while I wish I could recall more, my family has done an amazing job with giving me a full understanding of who he was as a man, father, musician, etc… I’m told wonderful stories of how he would prepare my breakfast and put me in the high chair to eat. A couple years ago, Shirley Wahls told me that the lyrics to “That’s the Way of the World” were partially inspired by my birth… Everyone thought it was pretty cool that Charles and Rubie were having a BABY at their age!”
The forthcoming Step on Step, Charles Stepney’s de-facto debut album that releases almost 50 years since his passing, features 23 tracks, most of which are original compositions by Stepney that were never again recorded by him or any other artist. It also features prototypical, seedling-style demos of Stepney compositions for Earth, Wind & Fire, including today’s “That’s The Way of The World,” “Imagination,”and “On Your Face,” as well as the original version of “Black Gold,”which would eventually be recorded by Rotary Connection (as “I Am The Black Gold of The Sun,”with lyrics by RichardRudolph).
The album’s announcement and lead singles “Step on Step,” “Daddy’s Diddies,” and “Look B4U Leap” has brought on excitement from many longtime fans of Stepney’s work, including most recently Tyler The Creator, who played “Daddy’s Diddies” on a recent NTS Radio show while bantering: “Charles Stepney…Genius!”
All of the otherwise unrecorded, previously unnamed original compositions contained on Step on Step were given their titles by Stepney’s daughters Eibur, Charlene, and Chanté Stepney, whose voices are also heard throughout the album, telling stories and sharing memories about their father.
In celebration of Step on Step, The Stepney Sisters and International Anthem are hosting a series of events across Chicago this summer. Dubbed the “Summer of Stepney,” these events will extend through September and include performances by a new large ensemble – RotaryConnection 222 – under the musical direction of International Anthem recording artist JuniusPaul. Rotary Connection 222 was created by Paul in collaboration with the Stepney Sisters, and in its current state features MakayaMcCraven (drums), JacksonShepard (guitar), AlexisLombre (keys), MeaganMcNeal (vocals), and Stepney’s granddaughter BrandiceManuel (vocals), with new arrangements written by De’Sean Jones and JeffParker.
Summer of Stepney highlights will include a series of documentary webisodes created by filmmaker BrianAshby (Scrappers, The Area, Hairy Who & the Chicago Imagists), in-stores, live streams, interviews, and an August 18th show called Charles Stepney: Out of the Shadows on Chicago’s grandest public performance stage, the Jay Pritzker Pavilion at Millennium Park.
The next Summer of Stepney event is a day party at iconic Chicago record store Dusty Groove on Saturday July 23rd, featuring DJ sets by Wax Poetics writer Ronnie Reese, and more.
For more information about Charles Stepney, Rotary Connection 222, Summer of Stepney events, and the Charles Stepney: Out of the Shadows performance at Millennium Park, visit www.summerofstepney.com.
