Allbutforgottenoldies.net Music News Digest: Week Of November 27, 2016

December 5, 2016 by Amy Gold

During the week of November 27, 2016, the Recording Academy announced the newest additions to its GRAMMY Hall Of Fame that include old familiar favorites by The Beach Boys, David Bowie, Deep Purple, Dion, The Everly Brothers, Lesley Gore, Arlo Guthrie, The Jackson 5, Elvis Presley, Lalo Schifrin, Sly & The Family Stone, Sonny & Cher, and Rod Stewart.

Also that week, Rolling Stone announced its list of the 50 Best Albums of 2016, with David Bowie's "Blackstar" and The Rolling Stones' "Blue & Lonesome" taking the #2 and #7 spots, respectively.

Frankie Valli & The Four Seasons have several U.S. concerts lined up starting in December and running through early 2017. Eric Clapton announced four upcoming shows in the U.S. which begin next March. Next April, Neil Diamond will launch his 50th anniversary tour covering much of the U.S. and Canada. KISS announced its upcoming European tour which begins next May. Van Morrison and The Zombies are among the featured performers at the upcoming Primavera Sound Festival which kicks off next May. Rod Stewart will be among the headliners for the upcoming 2017 Isle Of Wight Festival to take place next June. James Taylor announced a new series of concerts to take place at various ballparks around the U.S. starting next July.

Cat Stevens (Yusuf) recently released a vinyl single featuring new renditions of two early songs, "I Love My Dog" and "Matthew And Son." A deluxe edition of Cream's 1966 debut album, "Fresh Cream," will be coming out next January in commemoration of its 50th anniversary. Also due out that month is a new remixed version of "Chicago II" on CD, with a vinyl edition due out later in 2017.

Also that week, it was announced that on December 17, 2016, AXS TV will air "Guitar Gods," a marathon of concert films and documentaries featuring such guitar greats as Eric Clapton and Joe Walsh.

Finally, Earth, Wind & Fire and Nile Rodgers of Chic were honored at this year's EBONY Power 100 Gala with a Lifetime Achievement Award and the Icon Award, respectively.

(For more information about the above-listed news items, please see below for a list of sources with links and article summaries.)


Frankie Valli performs "Merry Christmas, Baby" from his recently-released holiday album, "'Tis The Seasons."


November 28, 2016: Cat Stevens (Yusuf) Releases New Vinyl Single Of Two Early Songs

Cat Stevens, who now goes by the name of Yusuf, recently released a vinyl single featuring new renditions of two of his earliest songs, "I Love My Dog" and "Matthew And Son," which were originally released as singles in 1966 and 1967, respectively. Both songs also appeared on his 1967 debut album, "Matthew And Son."

Source: Yusuf, Formerly Cat Stevens, Releases Vinyl Single Featuring New Versions of Two of His Early Tunes

November 28, 2016: Eric Clapton Announces 2017 U.S. Concerts

Eric Clapton announced four upcoming shows in the U.S. which begin on March 19 and 20, 2017 at New York City’s Madison Square Garden. These shows will be followed by another series of two performances at The Forum in Inglewood, CA, to take place March 25 and 26.

Source: Eric Clapton Announces Four 2017 North American Dates

November 28, 2016: 2017 GRAMMY Hall Of Fame Honors Songs By Elvis Presley, Beach Boys, & More

The Recording Academy announced the newest additions to its GRAMMY Hall Of Fame. Among its list of 25 inductees for 2017 are these oldies classics:

ABC - The Jackson 5
Changes - David Bowie
The City Of New Orleans - Arlo Guthrie
I Get Around - The Beach Boys
I Got You Babe - Sonny & Cher
Jailhouse Rock - Elvis Presley
Maggie May - Rod Stewart
Mission - Impossible - Lalo Schifrin
Smoke On The Water - Deep Purple
Thank You (Falettinme Be Mice Elf Agin) - Sly & The Family Stone
Wake Up Little Susie - The Everly Brothers
The Wanderer - Dion
You Don’t Own Me - Lesley Gore

Source: GRAMMY.org

November 28, 2016: David Bowie, Rolling Stones In Top 10 Of 2016 Rolling Stone 50 Best Albums List

Rolling Stone recently announced its list of the 50 Best Albums of 2016, with David Bowie's "Blackstar" and The Rolling Stones' "Blue & Lonesome" taking the #2 and #7 spots, respectively. Other oldies bands and artists that made this list include Paul Simon with "Stranger To Stranger" (#12), Elton John with "Wonderful Crazy Night" (#39), and The Monkees with "Good Times!" (#44).

Source: David Bowie, Rolling Stones, Leonard Cohen Land in Top 10 of "Rolling Stone" Magazine's "50 Best Albums of 2016" List

November 29, 2016: Rod Stewart To Headline 2017 Isle Of Wight Festival

Rod Stewart will be among the headliners for the upcoming Isle Of Wight Festival to take place June 8-11, 2017. The 1970 Isle of Wight Festival was the largest musical event of its time, with an attendance even greater than that of Woodstock. This world-famous music fest was revived in 2002 and has since then been held each year at Seaclose Park, Newport on the Isle of Wight.

Source: Rod Stewart To Headline Isle Of Wight Festival 2017

November 30, 2016: KISS To Launch European Tour In 2017

KISS announced some details of its upcoming 2017 tour of Europe and the U.K. This 15-date trek begins May 1, 2017 in Moscow, followed by concerts in a number of major cities that include Helsinki, Stockholm, Oslo, Munich, Vienna, Frankfurt, Glasgow and Birmingham. The band's final show will take place on May 31 in London.

Source: KISS Announce 2017 U.K. And European Arena Tour

November 30, 2016: Neil Diamond To Launch 50th Anniversary World Tour

In celebration of his 50 years in music, Neil Diamond will launch a tour next year covering much of the U.S. and Canada. This 39-date trek begins on April 7, 2017 in Fresno, CA and ends on August 12 in Inglewood, CA, with additional stops in California, as well as in Arizona, Colorado, Connecticut, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maryland, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, and Washington State, plus British Columbia and Ontario, Canada. Afterwards, Diamond will begin touring Europe.

Source: Neil Diamond to Launch 50th Anniversary World Tour

November 30, 2016: 'Chicago II' To Be Reissued

A new remixed version of "Chicago II" made from the original multi-track tapes will be coming out January 27, 2017 on CD, with a vinyl edition due out later that year. This classic album, which peaked at #4 on the Billboard 200 in 1970, includes the hits, "25 Or 6 To 4," "Make Me Smile," and "Colour My World."

Source: Chicago Releasing Remixed Version of Its Classic Sophomore Album, "Chicago II," in January

December 1, 2016: Van Morrison, The Zombies To Perform At 2017 Primavera Sound Festival

Van Morrison will be among those to headline the upcoming Primavera Sound Festival which takes place May 31-June 4, 2017 in Barcelona, Spain. Other featured acts will include The Zombies who will perform "Odessey And Oracle" in its entirety. For more info and tickets, visit PrimaveraSound.com.

Source: Van Morrison, The Zombies Among Artists Playing Spain's 2017 Primavera Sound Festival

December 1, 2016: Frankie Valli Lines Up Concert Dates, Releases New Holiday Video

Frankie Valli & The Four Seasons currently have several concerts lined up in the U.S. beginning December 9, 2016 in Phoenix, AZ and ending April 8, 2017 in Washington, D.C., with stops in Durant, OK, Hollywood, FL, and Las Vegas, NV. In addition, Valli released a new video of his cover of "Merry Christmas, Baby" (see above) which is included in his recently-released holiday album, "'Tis the Seasons."

Source: Watch Frankie Valli's Festive New "Merry Christmas, Baby" Lyrics Video Online Now

December 2, 2016: Cream Debut Album To Be Reissued

A new 4-disc deluxe edition of Cream's 1966 debut album, "Fresh Cream," will be coming out on January 27, 2017 in commemoration of its 50th anniversary. Titled "The Fresh Cream: Deluxe Edition," this nearly-100-track package will include 3 CDs of mono and stereo mixes of the original LP plus singles, EPs, alternate takes, outtakes and BBC sessions recorded at around the time of the album's original release. Also included will be a fourth disc of Blu-ray audio versions plus bonus tracks.

Source: Cream's Debut Album To Be Reissued In Four-Disc Deluxe Edition

December 2, 2016: AXS TV To Air 'Guitar Gods' Marathon

On December 17, 2016, AXS TV will air "Guitar Gods," a marathon running throughout most of that day of concert films and documentaries featuring various guitar greats. This series will start off with an episode of "Guitar Center Sessions" featuring Joe Walsh, followed by the 2016 documentary, "The Allman Brothers Band: After The Crash." This will be followed by several more concert films before the series finally wraps up with the TV premiere of "Eric Clapton Live In San Diego," a new concert film documenting a March 2007 show by the guitar legend at the city's iPayOne Center.

Source: AXS TV to Air "Guitar Gods" Marathon Featuring Premiere of 2007 Eric Clapton Concert Film

December 2, 2016: James Taylor Announces 2017 Ballpark Concerts

James Taylor announced a new series of concerts for next summer to take place at various ballparks around the U.S. This trek kicks off on July 14, 2017 in Washington, D.C. at Nationals Park, followed by shows at Wrigley Field in Chicago, IL (July 17), AT&T Park in San Francisco, CA (July 29), and Fenway Park in Boston, MA (August 11). For more info on these and other upcoming concerts, visit JamesTaylor.com.

Source: Out to the Ballpark: James Taylor Lines Up 2017 Concerts at Four Baseball Stadiums

December 2, 2016: Earth, Wind & Fire And Nile Rodgers Honored By Ebony Magazine

Earth, Wind & Fire and Nile Rodgers of Chic were among the honorees at this year's EBONY Power 100 Gala which took place December 1, 2016 in Los Angeles. Earth, Wind & Fire were presented with an EBONY Lifetime Achievement Award, and Rodgers received the Icon Award.

Source: Earth, Wind & Fire and Nile Rodgers Accept Top Honors at EBONY