Saturday, May 15, 2021

Saturday Slumgullion


The 50th Anniversary edition of Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young
’s Déjà Vu album was released yesterday. It’s a treasure chest for the group’s fans, with 28 previously unreleased tracks, including demos of “Teach Your Children” by Graham Nash and David Crosby; “4 + 20” by Stephen Stills; “Almost Cut My Hair” by Crosby;  “Birds” by Neil Young and Nash; and “Our House” by Joni Mitchell and Nash. It also comes with a book filled with rare photos. I went the pre-order route a while back, so I’m hoping to get my copy in the mail soon, along with the Déjà Vu t-shirt and coffee mug I also purchased from the CSNY50 online store.

Congratulation to The Go-Go’s, Tina Turner, Foo Fighters, Carole King, Jay-Z, and Todd Rundgren on being chosen as The Rock and Roll Hall Of Fame’s 2021 inductees. I’m happy to say four of my choices—The Go-Go’s, Tina Turner, Carole King, and Todd Rundgren—made the cut. (Kate Bush was my other pick.) In addition to the acts chosen for the Performers Category; LL Cool J, Billy Preston, and Randy Rhodes were given the Musical Excellence Award;  Kraftwerk, Charley Patton, and Gil Scott-Heron were given the Early Influence Award; and Clarence Avant was given the Ahmet Ertegun Award.


Congratulations to Bruce Springsteen on being named as the 2021 Woody Guthrie Prize recipient. There was an exclusive virtual event on May 13 for Woody Guthrie Center members.


The online music publication Rock Cellar recently posted a video of Crowded House performing “Playing With Fire.” It’s not a cover of the Rolling Stones song, but a new original that will be among the 12 tracks on the band’s Dreamers Are Waiting album coming out on June 6. It will be the first new album from Crowded House in over ten years.


Cheap Trick, Gin Blossoms, and Jeff Tweedy are the headline acts for the Long Play Music Fest taking place July 1 – 4 at Rivets Stadium in Loves Park, IL. Catfight and Off Broadway are also among the acts scheduled to appear. General Admission and VIP tickets are  now available. Cheap Trick will no doubt be showcasing songs from its impressive new album In Another World.


Richard Roeper, film critic for the Chicago Sun-Times, had an interesting interview with Chance The Rapper in yesterday’s edition. The two discussed Magnificent Coloring World, the brand new film Chance is sharing with Chicago audiences at the AMC River East 21 this weekend before it becomes available to the rest of the country. Chance was particularly interested in explaining the difference he sees between “a filmed concert and a concert film.”


Paul Myers and S.W. Lauden hosted a virtual book party on Facebook this past Tuesday to celebrate the release of Go Further - More Literary Appreciations Of Power Pop. Like their 2019 book Go All The Way, it’s a collection of essays from respected journalists (along with a few fans and musicians) reflecting on iconic bands of the power pop genre. This time out, they give us profiles on XTC, Shoes, The Records, Squeeze, Material Issue, The Replacements, and others. The very entertaining Facebook event included interviews and live performances.


Judy Collins; Willie Nelson and Family; Gladys Knight; Andrew Bird; Train; John Hiatt; Indigo Girls and Ani DiFranco; King Crimson and The Zappa Band; and Ziggy Marley will be among the acts performing live concerts at Ravinia this summer.


The Narcotix are a Brooklyn-based duo whose new album Mommy Issues features art folk music with West African influences. It’s due out in July, but the exotic tune “John/Joseph” can be heard now as a preview.


The Posies have a live gig coming up on July 18 at the Woodland Park Zoo in Seattle. It’s part  of a series curated by FM radio station KEXP, and will be the band’s first concert in almost two years.


When I saw a post on The BeeGees 1967 Instagram page about the band’s “Whisper Whisper” being featured in the upcoming Disney move Cruella, it added to my mistaken belief that the film is set in London circa 1967. It does take place in London, but during the 1970s punk era. My confusion also came from reading author Maureen Johnson’s latest novel, Hello, Cruel Heart—from Disney Press—which takes place amid the excitement of The Beatles releasing their Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band LP. Both the flick and book are origin stories of Cruella De Vil from the 1961 movie 101 Dalmatians. So far, Johnson’s book is pure fun, and if the book follows the same pattern albeit in a different decade, I’ll be eager to see it.


The Monkees Farewell Tour will make a stop at the Rosemont Theatre in Rosemont, IL on November 5. Tickets are now on sale. In related news, Michael Nesmith’s Video Ranch official online store has his new CD Different Drum: The Lost RCA Victor Recordings on sale, along with t-shirts. buttons, and stickers. Micky Dolenz Sings Nesmith, the first solo effort from Dolenz in nine years, comes out next Friday.

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