Allbutforgottenoldies.net Music News Digest: Week Of September 29, 2019

October 6, 2019 by Amy Gold

During the week of September 29, 2019, The Beatles made U.K. chart history when the band's "Abbey Road" made a return to the top spot on the Official Albums Chart after 49 years and 252 days, setting a new Guinness World Record as the album with the longest time period between no. 1 rankings on that chart. The band actually broke its own record set in 2017 by "Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band" which made its return to the top spot after 49 years and 125 days.

Also that week, it was announced that Aerosmith will be named the 2020 MusiCares Person of the Year, making the famed Boston rockers the second band to date to receive this honor. An all-star tribute in concert will take place January 24, 2020 at the Los Angeles Convention Center during the 30th Anniversary MusiCares benefit gala where various artists will perform songs by Aerosmith.

Rod Stewart announced an extension of his Las Vegas residency at The Colosseum at Caesars Palace into 2020. His next scheduled shows will take place March 6, 7, 11, 13, 14, 18, 20, and 21, September 18, 19, 22, 24, 25, and 30, and October 2 and 3. The rock legend recently gave a surprise serenade to a British couple at their Las Vegas wedding with "Have I Told You Lately" and invited the entire wedding party to his residency show.

"Songs for Groovy Children: The Fillmore East Concerts," a new Jimi Hendrix box set that gathers together four concerts he gave at the famous New York City venue on New Year's Eve 1969 and New Year's Day 1970, will be coming out November 22, 2019 on CD and digitally, with a vinyl release in December. Also due out on that day is a remastered vinyl version of Bob Seger's chart-topping 1980 album, "Against The Wind," in commemoration of its upcoming 40th anniversary. Coming out on November 29 is "Fleetwood Mac 1975-1987," a limited-edition colored vinyl box set that includes the band's 1975 eponymous album, "Rumours" (1977), "Tusk" (1979), "Mirage" (1982), and "Tango" (1987).

An animated TV special from 1971 based on a Harry Nilsson album will be coming out February 11, 2020 on Blu-ray and HD Digital. Narrated by Ringo Starr, "The Point!: Ultimate Edition" features "Me and My Arrow," "Poli High" and other classic Nilsson songs.

Also that week, National Geographic announced that Aretha Franklin will be the subject of the next installment of its Genius anthology series. "Genius: Aretha" will begin filming this November for a spring 2020 premiere on National Geographic channels worldwide. Tony and Grammy award winner Cynthia Erivo will star as the late Queen of Soul.

"The Gift: The Journey Of Johnny Cash," a new documentary about the late country star featuring interviews with family members, friends, and musical collaborators, will make its YouTube premiere on November 11, 2019. This film, which made its world premiere at the SXSW Film Festival and recently screened at the Telluride Film Festival, will also be shown October 7 at the 50th Annual Nashville Film Festival.

Finally, Roger Daltrey of The Who discussed the reasons for Pete Townshend's onstage guitar smashing ritual in a recent episode of the AXS TV series, "A Life On The Road." As Daltrey explained, it was mainly for sonic effect, resulting in a surreal kind of in-tune but out-of-tune, in-rhythm but out-of-rhythm sound. And no one ever wrote up about the noise it made.

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