Rolling Stone - Original Story

“Acoustic Version — Take 2” with just George Harrison on guitar and Paul McCartney on harmonium taken from upcoming, revelatory White Album box set

The Beatles ’ White Album has been blowing minds since 1968 — but this weirdest of Beatle masterpieces is about to get weirder. The new Super Deluxe Edition, which arrives on November 9th, tells the epic story of the album that nearly tore them apart — including a previously unheard version of the classic “While My Guitar Gently Weeps” premiering at Rolling Stone . It’s an early acoustic take, as George Harrison tinkers with the ballad that would turn into one of his most powerful statements. Like so many moments on the new box set, it’s the Beatles in full-blast experimental mode — a revelatory listen that makes you hear new mysteries in music you thought you already knew inside out.

“While My Guitar Gently Weeps” (Acoustic Version, Take 2) was recorded on July 25th, 1968, with just George on guitar and Paul on harmonium. It’s a dark and meditative draft of a still-evolving song, as Paul follows along, learning the chords. George tells the Abbey Road crew, “Maybe you’d have to give him his own mike.” (A previous run-through from the same day was on Anthology 3 , but this take was just discovered during the research for this project.) George sings original lines he ended up discarding: “I look from the wings at the play you are staging / As I’m sitting here doing nothing but aging.”

“While My Guitar Gently Weeps” (Acoustic Version, Take 2)

The Beatles - While My Guitar Gently Weeps (Acoustic Version / Take 2 / Audio)

The Beatles didn’t go back to “While My Guitar Gently Weeps” until three weeks after this acoustic draft. In the meantime, they toiled over George’s “Not Guilty” — a song that went through 102 takes and still got axed, which sums up the torment of the five-month sessions. (“Not Guilty” didn’t see the light of day until over a decade later, when an understandably traumatized George finally put it on a 1979 solo record.) “While My Guitar Gently Weeps” wasn’t finished until September, when he brought in a special guest on lead guitar — his best friend Eric Clapton. The box has a jam with the full band (and Clapton) rocking out, until George blows it by reaching for a soulful Smokey Robinson-style high note he can’t hit. “It’s okay,” he laughs. “I tried to do a Smokey, and I just aren’t Smokey.”

“Eric played that and I thought it was really good,” George once recalled. “Then we listened to it back and he said, ‘Ah, there’s a problem, though; it’s not Beatley enough.’ So we put it through the ADT to wobble it up a bit.” The White Album sessions were notoriously chaotic, with tempers running wild at Abbey Road. But George knew everyone would behave themselves around Clapton — a classic George power move. As Giles Martin puts it, “It was his way of telling the others, ‘The best guitarist on the planet likes my songs. I’m here .’” The trick worked — in George’s words, “The other guys were as good as gold because he was there.”

It’s a typical highlight from the expanded White Album. (Still officially titled The Beatles , though nobody has ever called it that.) The Deluxe Edition has new mixes in stereo and 5.1 surround from Giles Martin and Sam Okell, plus one of the Beatles’ most legendary grails: the 27-song Esher demos, which they taped in May 1968. The Super Deluxe Edition adds 50 new tracks from the sessions, most unheard (or even rumored) until now.

“While My Guitar Gently Weeps” (Acoustic Version, Take 2) will be released for streaming and download with digital album pre-order Friday at midnight EDT.

In This Article: George Harrison , The Beatles

Musician alleges breach of fiduciary duty and breach of oral contract, among other charges, after firing earlier this year

Lindsey Buckingham has filed a lawsuit against Fleetwood Mac  for breach of fiduciary duty, breach of oral contract and intentional interference with prospective economic advantage, among other charges, according to legal documents obtained by Rolling Stone. The group parted ways with Buckingham in January and replaced him with Heartbreakers guitarist Mike Campbell and Neil Finn of Crowded House. The lawsuit, filed Tuesday in Los Angeles Superior Court, states that he asked the group to postpone their tour three months so he could play shows with his solo band. He says plans were in place for the Rumours -era lineup to play 60 shows across North America when he was let go without warning.

See full story here:

Rolling Stone Music News - Lindsey Buckingham Sues Fleetwood Mac Over Dismissal From Band

“We haven’t even gotten a chance to hang out, just us three, yet … We’re going through healing,” says Ben Shepherd of band’s future

A massive crowd gathered on a misty Sunday to honor the late grunge pioneer Chris Cornell . The Seattle Museum of Pop Culture unveiled a life-size bronze statue of the late Soundgarden singer, which was commissioned by his widow, Vicky Cornell. She was there with their children Lily, Toni and Christopher, as well as Cornell’s former bandmates Kim Thayil, Matt Cameron and Ben Shepherd.

“It’s a reflection of his light, a light that shone through his music and touched millions,” Cornell said during the ceremony. “A light that he used to illuminate our lives, and a light that will continue to inspire those in the future. This statue represents that light — a beautiful, powerful, incomparable presence in a hometown worthy of someone as special as Chris.”

Thayil, Cameron, and Shepherd told Rolling Stone that it was “a lot to take in” seeing Soundgarden fans turn out nearly a year and a half after Cornell was found dead  in a Detroit hotel room on May 18, 2017, hours after a Soundgarden concert.

“There were so many moments [with Chris] that impacted my development as a musician and later on, just as friends,” Cameron said. “I remember so much of when I first joined the band in ‘86. The band was still formulating a sound, but it didn’t take long to get to the sound that it eventually would become and to stay that path. As a guy who’s played in bands forever and ever, it’s really hard to get that so early on in the life of a band, so that’s still significant to me.”

Shepherd, who joined the band in 1990 following Jason Everman’s exit, added, “One thing about Chris, speaking specifically about him, [was] he had the spirit of ‘go for it’ all the time. Just go for it. Push, find out where we can go. And all three of those guys for me when I joined — I was thrown in the fire — they were already rollin’. And they’re all so adventurous and so strong that they made it a totally natural thing to just see where we can go. … It was all about moving forward. What’s next. Onward. Let’s go find out.”

Cornell’s lack of ego, they added, helped the group to stay together through numerous tours, which wasn’t always the case for their peers. (“You guys were one of the first bands out of this town that actually toured and then came back and stayed a band and then kept doing it,” Shepherd said to Cameron. “Soundgarden was focused from day one. You could just tell that they were stable and ready to go.”)

“I think Chris was always encouraging us to bring in material and contribute creatively,” Cameron said. “He didn’t have the type of fragile ego that required feeding it at all times. He wanted to be fed as an artist, not as a star.”

Two of the three band members — Cameron and Thayil — reunited in June for Denmark’s Northside Festival as part of a supergroup called MC50, joining the likes of original MC5 guitarist Wayne Kramer, Zen Guerrilla’s Marcus Durant, Fugazi’s Brendan Canty and King’s X’s Dug Pinnick to pay tribute to the Detroit-based rock group, but plans for future reunions will have to wait as they continue to process Chris’s death.

“We’re just still taking our time and giving ourselves space to process everything,” Cameron said. “We would certainly love to try to continue to do something, figure out something to do together.”

“On a personal level,” Shepherd said, “We haven’t even gotten a chance to hang out, just us three, yet. … We’re going through natural healing, then thinking about the natural next step.”

Stevie Nicks now has a chance to enter the Hall of Fame as a second time since she appears on the 2019 ballot

Fleetwood Mac -- "Say You Love Me"

Stevie Nicks is on the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame ballot for the first time as a solo artist. If she makes it in, she’ll join a select class of double inductees that includes John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison, John Lennon, Neil Young, David Crosby, Stephen Stills, Graham Nash, Jeff Beck, Johnny Carter, Peter Gabriel, Michael Jackson, Curtis Mayfield, Clyde McPhatter, Jimmy Page, Lou Reed, Paul Simon, Rod Stewart, Sammy Strain and Ronnie Wood. Eric Clapton is the lone triple inductee since he got in as a solo artist, a member of Cream and a member of the Yardbirds.

Nicks first entered the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1998 as a member of Fleetwood Mac . “I just want you to know that we all do appreciate this,” she said that night. “This is an incredible honor and we are all just as nervous as we were 25 years ago.” The group then played “Landslide,” “Big Love” and “Say You Love Me” in a segment that you can watch right here. Just months earlier they’d wrapped up their highly successful Dance reunion tour. Nobody knew it at the time, but the Hall of Fame was one of the last times that Christine McVie would play with Fleetwood Mac until she rejoined the group in 2014.

Fleetwood Mac co-founder Peter Green made a rare appearance with his old band when they were inducted. He didn’t perform with them that night since it wouldn’t really make sense for him to play along with songs written years after he left, but by complete coincidence Santana were inducted that same evening. They turned the Fleetwood Mac classic “Black Magic Woman” into a massive worldwide hit, and Green finally got to play it with them.

It remains to be seen whether or not Stevie will enter the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as a solo artist next year. She faces pretty stiff competition from Radiohead, the Cure, Janet Jackson, Kraftwerk and many others. But if she gets in along with those four, we’re going to get one hell of an all-star jam at the end.

On March 9, Experience Hendrix and Legacy Recordings proudly release Both Sides of the Sky, a dynamic new Jimi Hendrix album featuring 13 studio recordings made between 1968 and 1970—10 of which have never before been released. The album will be released on multiple formats including CD, digital, and as a 180 gram audiophile vinyl 2LP.

Both Sides of the Sky is the third volume in a trilogy of albums intended to present the best and most significant unissued studio recordings remaining in the music legend’s archive. This third release is anticipated to complete the spectacular recording event in epic fashion. “Since Experience Hendrix began its restoration of the Jimi Hendrix music catalog in 1997, our goal has been to present these important recordings to Jimi’s fans in the best possible quality. We are excited about achieving that. We’ve also been intent on generating album releases which present this amazing music in its proper context,” explains John McDermott, one of the album’s co-producers, together with Janie Hendrix and Eddie Kramer.

Pre-Order the New Album 'Both Sides of the Sky'

TRACK LIST:
1. Mannish Boy* – The first ever studio session by the group Hendrix would christen as his Band Of Gypsys. Hendrix, Cox & Miles shared a love for the blues as this driving, uptempo reworking of “Mannish Boy” by Muddy Waters makes clear.
2. Lover Man* – Just two weeks before their triumphant New Year’s concerts at the Fillmore East in NYC [yielding both 1970’s Band Of Gypsys and 2016’s sequel Machine Gun], Hendrix gathered with Cox and Miles to cut this dynamic rendition of what had become a favorite concert staple.
3. Hear My Train A Comin’* – this version hails from April 1969 and features the original Jimi Hendrix Experience (Hendrix, Redding, Mitchell) in their penultimate recording session. They recorded the song live in the studio and tore into it with savage fury.
4. Stepping Stone* – A totally unique take on this Hendrix favorite, with Jimi showcasing both blues and country styled licks atop a relentless, galloping beat.
5. $20 Fine* -Stephen Stills joined Jimi, Mitch Mitchell and Buddy Miles Express keyboardist Duane Hitchings at this September 1969 session. With Stephen handling lead vocals and organ, Jimi added multiple guitar parts to this rollicking Stills original.
6. Power Of Soul – This 1970 studio session came three weeks after the Band Of Gypsys concerts at the Fillmore East. While a live version remains one of the highpoints of Band Of Gypsys, Jimi never released a studio version during his lifetime. For this album, we present the mix that Hendrix and Kramer prepared of the complete song at Electric Lady on August 22, 1970.
7. Jungle* – The influence of Curtis Mayfield can be heard here as Jimi expands on the “Villanova Junction Blues” theme he made famous by its inclusion in the 1970 Woodstock documentary.
8. Things I Used To Do – Jimi is joined for this rendition of Guitar Slim’s blues classic by Johnny Winter. Jimi’s trademark guitar work and Winter’s deft slide playing weaves in and around the foundation set by bassist Billy Cox and Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young drummer Dallas Taylor.
9. Georgia Blues – Jimi reunited with some old friends from his pre-Experience days. Lonnie Youngblood, with whom Hendrix played in R&B groups like Curtis Knight & The Squires, voiced this superb twelve bar blues neatly underpinned by Hendrix’s sublime rhythm and lead guitar work.
10. Sweet Angel* – With Axis: Bold As Love only just released, Jimi immediately turned his focus to recording what would become Electric Ladyland. This gorgeous, instrumental reading of “Angel,”, features Jimi on guitar, bass and vibraphone joined by Mitch Mitchell.
11. Woodstock* – Stephen Stills came to this session fresh from having visited Joni Mitchell, who had a new song that Stills was excited to try and record. Long before CSNY’s version, Stephen, Jimi and Buddy Miles recorded this amazing rendition.
12. Send My Love To Linda* – A superb new Hendrix original composition recorded with Cox and Miles in the aftermath of their successful Band Of Gypsys performances at the Fillmore East.
13. Cherokee Mist* – Together with drummer Mitch Mitchell, Jimi created this moody, evocative original complete with his playing of a sitar to complement his traditional electric guitar.

Pre-Order the New Album 'Both Sides of the Sky'

*previously unreleased

On March 9, Experience Hendrix and Legacy Recordings proudly release Both Sides of the Sky, a dynamic new Jimi Hendrix album featuring 13 studio recordings made between 1968 and 1970—10 of which have never before been released. The album will be released on multiple formats including CD, digital, and as a 180 gram audiophile vinyl 2LP.

Both Sides of the Sky is the third volume in a trilogy of albums intended to present the best and most significant unissued studio recordings remaining in the music legend’s archive. This third release is anticipated to complete the spectacular recording event in epic fashion. “Since Experience Hendrix began its restoration of the Jimi Hendrix music catalog in 1997, our goal has been to present these important recordings to Jimi’s fans in the best possible quality. We are excited about achieving that. We’ve also been intent on generating album releases which present this amazing music in its proper context,” explains John McDermott, one of the album’s co-producers, together with Janie Hendrix and Eddie Kramer.

Pre-Order the New Album 'Both Sides of the Sky'

TRACK LIST:
1. Mannish Boy* – The first ever studio session by the group Hendrix would christen as his Band Of Gypsys. Hendrix, Cox & Miles shared a love for the blues as this driving, uptempo reworking of “Mannish Boy” by Muddy Waters makes clear.
2. Lover Man* – Just two weeks before their triumphant New Year’s concerts at the Fillmore East in NYC [yielding both 1970’s Band Of Gypsys and 2016’s sequel Machine Gun], Hendrix gathered with Cox and Miles to cut this dynamic rendition of what had become a favorite concert staple.
3. Hear My Train A Comin’* – this version hails from April 1969 and features the original Jimi Hendrix Experience (Hendrix, Redding, Mitchell) in their penultimate recording session. They recorded the song live in the studio and tore into it with savage fury.
4. Stepping Stone* – A totally unique take on this Hendrix favorite, with Jimi showcasing both blues and country styled licks atop a relentless, galloping beat.
5. $20 Fine* -Stephen Stills joined Jimi, Mitch Mitchell and Buddy Miles Express keyboardist Duane Hitchings at this September 1969 session. With Stephen handling lead vocals and organ, Jimi added multiple guitar parts to this rollicking Stills original.
6. Power Of Soul – This 1970 studio session came three weeks after the Band Of Gypsys concerts at the Fillmore East. While a live version remains one of the highpoints of Band Of Gypsys, Jimi never released a studio version during his lifetime. For this album, we present the mix that Hendrix and Kramer prepared of the complete song at Electric Lady on August 22, 1970.
7. Jungle* – The influence of Curtis Mayfield can be heard here as Jimi expands on the “Villanova Junction Blues” theme he made famous by its inclusion in the 1970 Woodstock documentary.
8. Things I Used To Do – Jimi is joined for this rendition of Guitar Slim’s blues classic by Johnny Winter. Jimi’s trademark guitar work and Winter’s deft slide playing weaves in and around the foundation set by bassist Billy Cox and Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young drummer Dallas Taylor.
9. Georgia Blues – Jimi reunited with some old friends from his pre-Experience days. Lonnie Youngblood, with whom Hendrix played in R&B groups like Curtis Knight & The Squires, voiced this superb twelve bar blues neatly underpinned by Hendrix’s sublime rhythm and lead guitar work.
10. Sweet Angel* – With Axis: Bold As Love only just released, Jimi immediately turned his focus to recording what would become Electric Ladyland. This gorgeous, instrumental reading of “Angel,”, features Jimi on guitar, bass and vibraphone joined by Mitch Mitchell.
11. Woodstock* – Stephen Stills came to this session fresh from having visited Joni Mitchell, who had a new song that Stills was excited to try and record. Long before CSNY’s version, Stephen, Jimi and Buddy Miles recorded this amazing rendition.
12. Send My Love To Linda* – A superb new Hendrix original composition recorded with Cox and Miles in the aftermath of their successful Band Of Gypsys performances at the Fillmore East.
13. Cherokee Mist* – Together with drummer Mitch Mitchell, Jimi created this moody, evocative original complete with his playing of a sitar to complement his traditional electric guitar.

Pre-Order the New Album 'Both Sides of the Sky'

*previously unreleased

On March 9, Experience Hendrix and Legacy Recordings proudly release Both Sides of the Sky, a dynamic new Jimi Hendrix album featuring 13 studio recordings made between 1968 and 1970—10 of which have never before been released. The album will be released on multiple formats including CD, digital, and as a 180 gram audiophile vinyl 2LP.

Both Sides of the Sky is the third volume in a trilogy of albums intended to present the best and most significant unissued studio recordings remaining in the music legend’s archive. This third release is anticipated to complete the spectacular recording event in epic fashion. “Since Experience Hendrix began its restoration of the Jimi Hendrix music catalog in 1997, our goal has been to present these important recordings to Jimi’s fans in the best possible quality. We are excited about achieving that. We’ve also been intent on generating album releases which present this amazing music in its proper context,” explains John McDermott, one of the album’s co-producers, together with Janie Hendrix and Eddie Kramer.

Pre-Order the New Album 'Both Sides of the Sky'

TRACK LIST:
1. Mannish Boy* – The first ever studio session by the group Hendrix would christen as his Band Of Gypsys. Hendrix, Cox & Miles shared a love for the blues as this driving, uptempo reworking of “Mannish Boy” by Muddy Waters makes clear.
2. Lover Man* – Just two weeks before their triumphant New Year’s concerts at the Fillmore East in NYC [yielding both 1970’s Band Of Gypsys and 2016’s sequel Machine Gun], Hendrix gathered with Cox and Miles to cut this dynamic rendition of what had become a favorite concert staple.
3. Hear My Train A Comin’* – this version hails from April 1969 and features the original Jimi Hendrix Experience (Hendrix, Redding, Mitchell) in their penultimate recording session. They recorded the song live in the studio and tore into it with savage fury.
4. Stepping Stone* – A totally unique take on this Hendrix favorite, with Jimi showcasing both blues and country styled licks atop a relentless, galloping beat.
5. $20 Fine* -Stephen Stills joined Jimi, Mitch Mitchell and Buddy Miles Express keyboardist Duane Hitchings at this September 1969 session. With Stephen handling lead vocals and organ, Jimi added multiple guitar parts to this rollicking Stills original.
6. Power Of Soul – This 1970 studio session came three weeks after the Band Of Gypsys concerts at the Fillmore East. While a live version remains one of the highpoints of Band Of Gypsys, Jimi never released a studio version during his lifetime. For this album, we present the mix that Hendrix and Kramer prepared of the complete song at Electric Lady on August 22, 1970.
7. Jungle* – The influence of Curtis Mayfield can be heard here as Jimi expands on the “Villanova Junction Blues” theme he made famous by its inclusion in the 1970 Woodstock documentary.
8. Things I Used To Do – Jimi is joined for this rendition of Guitar Slim’s blues classic by Johnny Winter. Jimi’s trademark guitar work and Winter’s deft slide playing weaves in and around the foundation set by bassist Billy Cox and Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young drummer Dallas Taylor.
9. Georgia Blues – Jimi reunited with some old friends from his pre-Experience days. Lonnie Youngblood, with whom Hendrix played in R&B groups like Curtis Knight & The Squires, voiced this superb twelve bar blues neatly underpinned by Hendrix’s sublime rhythm and lead guitar work.
10. Sweet Angel* – With Axis: Bold As Love only just released, Jimi immediately turned his focus to recording what would become Electric Ladyland. This gorgeous, instrumental reading of “Angel,”, features Jimi on guitar, bass and vibraphone joined by Mitch Mitchell.
11. Woodstock* – Stephen Stills came to this session fresh from having visited Joni Mitchell, who had a new song that Stills was excited to try and record. Long before CSNY’s version, Stephen, Jimi and Buddy Miles recorded this amazing rendition.
12. Send My Love To Linda* – A superb new Hendrix original composition recorded with Cox and Miles in the aftermath of their successful Band Of Gypsys performances at the Fillmore East.
13. Cherokee Mist* – Together with drummer Mitch Mitchell, Jimi created this moody, evocative original complete with his playing of a sitar to complement his traditional electric guitar.

Pre-Order the New Album 'Both Sides of the Sky'

*previously unreleased

August 23rd, 1970.

A fan surreptitiously tapes a Velvet Underground set on an ordinary cassette recorder. It turns out to be Reed’s last night with the band and is later released as ‘Velvet Underground, Live at Max’s Kansas City.’