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Tuesday, September 04, 2007

Tuesday Rock Roundup

This will be quite a fall in the classic rock world. Eric Clapton will release his long-awaited autobiography next month as well as a career retrospective C-D. Three reunion tours will hit North America -- Genesis, Van Halen and The Police (this is their second leg). Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band will release a new album followed by a tour. Bob Dylan will hit the road with Elvis Costello, and John Mellencamp, who told us this summer he would be touring with Costello, will mount his own tour starting in the Midwest. Mark Knopfler (Kill to Get Crimson), John Fogerty (Revival) and the Eagles (The Long Road Out of Eden, their first studio effort in 28 years) will have new albums in the coming weeks. And in November, Paul McCartney will release a D-V-D retrospective of his solo career.

Once again reports of a Led Zeppelin reunion -- with Jason Bonham on drums -- have surfaced. A number of British newspapers have been running ads by ticket agencies promising a show this fall at the O-2 Arena in London, followed by a tour next year. The agents have said an announcement is imminent. One of the band's managers tells us, "There is no official gig yet," and provided a statement from U-K promoter Harvey Goldsmith, who says, "There are no packages or tickets for some the events advertised at all, nor do some of the events even exist. We are concerned that the public will be fleeced. The bottom line is that unless official adverts have appeared for concerts, tickets are not on sale." Zeppelin broke up in 1980 following the death of drummer John Bonham. Since then they have played as Zeppelin three times -- Live Aid in 1985; at Atlantic Records' 40th anniversary concert in 1988; and at their induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1995. The only definite thing regarding Led Zeppelin that we can report is the release of another best-of collection, Mothership, and the re-release of The Song Remains the Same, both set for November.

Will The Police follow up their reunion tour with some new material? Drummer Stewart Copeland tells us, "I would never dream of asking Sting to write more songs. He's written us plenty of songs." But, he adds, "anything could happen." The Police recorded five studio albums -- the last was 1983's Synchronicity.

Keith Richards is reportedly upset that Ronnie Wood will beat him to bookstores with his autobiography. Woody tells The Bookseller magazine, "We've just agreed to keep it at arm's length from each other." Richards just signed a seven-point-three-million-dollar deal for his autobiography, which will be published in 2010. Woody's book, Ronnie, is due out this October 12th. So, in other words, Keef is mad about a book coming out next month before his, which isn't going to be ready for another 2 or 3 years. Nice.

R-E-M are making progress on a new studio album, which they've been recording in Dublin, Ireland at the same time they're preparing to release R-E-M Live. Bassist Mike Mills figures that "the bulk of the work is done" on the album, which should come out 2008. He describes the album as "more of a live-in-the-studio record" than their past couple of albums. He says the fact that the band "were playing so well on [their] last few tours," accounts for the change in approach. R-E-M will release their first live album, R-E-M Live, on October 16th.

Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band will debut material from their new album Magic on N-B-C's Today show in New York on September 28th. The last time Springsteen worked with the E Street Band -- on 2002's The Rising -- Today broadcast an entire show from Asbury Park, New Jersey, where the E Streeters were rehearsing for their tour. Magic hits stores on October 2nd.

NEW RELEASES

Ted Nugent -
Love Grenade on CD

New DVDs:
Delta Farce DVD The Blue Collar Navy Comedy flick; Georgia Rule DVD w/Jane Fonda, Lindsay Lohan, and Felicity Huffman; The Wind That Shakes the Barley DVD which is a Cannes award-winner about the IRA; 30 Rock - Season One DVD; Robot Chicken - Season Two - Uncensored DVD; Prison Break - Season Two DVD; The Office - Season Three DVD; Nip/Tuck - The Complete Fourth Season DVD; It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia - Seasons One and Two DVD; Desperate Housewives - Season Three DVD; and Craig's personal favorite: The Black Donnellys - The Complete Series DVD.