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Metallica will come roaring back in 2023 with a new album and a the launch of a massive world tour. The veteran metal band’s 12th studio album, 72 Seasons, is due out on April 14 via the band’s Blackened Recordings imprint.
The first full-length from the band since 2016’s Hardwired… To Self-Destruct, was produced by Greg Fidelman along with Metallica singer/guitarist James Hetfield and drummer Lars Ulrich. At more than 77 minutes, the 12-track collection can be previewed now via the thundering, breakneck first single, “Lux Æterna” (watch the video below).
“72 seasons. The first 18 years of our lives that form our true or false selves,” Hetfield said in a statement announcing the album. “The concept that we were told ‘who we are’ by our parents. A possible pigeonholing around what kind of personality we are. I think the most interesting part of this is the continued study of those core beliefs and how it affects our perception of the world today. Much of our adult experience is reenactment or reaction to these childhood experiences. Prisoners of childhood or breaking free of those bondages we carry.”
The band also announced a massive 2023-2024 Live Nation-promoted tour on Monday (Nov. 28), during which they will play two nights in every city they visit, with each No Repeat Weekend featuring two completely different setlists and support acts. The M72 world tour will feature an in-the-round stage set-up that will move the signature up-close Metallica Snake Pit section to center stage. The tour will also feature discounted tickets for fans 16 and under.
The world trek is currently slated to kick off on April 27 with a pair of shows at the Johan Cruijff Arena in Amsterdam, followed by two-night stands in Paris, Hamburg (Germany) and Gothenburg (Sweden) before hitting U.S. shores on Aug. 4 at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, N.J. for a series of North American gigs currently slated to run through a Nov. 12 show at Ford Field in Detroit. The outing will pick up again on May 24, 2024 with another European swing before returning to North America in August 2024.
Among the rotating group of opening acts slated to join them are: Architects, Mammoth WVH, Five Finger Death Punch, Ice Nine Kills, Volbeat, Pantera and Greta Van Fleet.
Watch the “Lux Æterna” video and check out the 72 Seasons track list and 2023-2024 tour dates below.
72 Seasons track list:
“72 Seasons”
“Shadows Follow”
“Screaming Suicide”
“Sleepwalk My Life Away”
“You Must Burn!”
“Lux Æterna”
“Crown of Barbed Wire”
“Chasing Light”
“If Darkness Had a Son”
“Too Far Gone?”
“Room of Mirrors”
“Inamorata”
M72 2023-2024 tour dates
April 27 – Amsterdam NL @ Johan Cruijff Arena
April 29 – Amsterdam NL @ Johan Cruijff Arena
May 17 – Paris FR @ Stade de France*
May 19 – Paris FR @ Stade de France
May 26 – Hamburg DE @ Volksparkstadion
May 28 – Hamburg DE @ Volksparkstadion
June 16 – Gothenburg SE @ Ullevi Stadium**
June 18 – Gothenburg SE @ Ullevi Stadium
August 4 – East Rutherford, NJ @ MetLife Stadium
August 6 – East Rutherford, NJ @ MetLife Stadium
August 11 – Montreal, QC @ Stade Olympique
August 13 – Montreal, QC @ Stade Olympique
August 18 – Arlington, TX @ AT&T Stadium
August 20 – Arlington, TX @ AT&T Stadium
August 25 – Inglewood, CA @ SoFi Stadium
August 27 – Inglewood, CA @ SoFi Stadium
Sept. 1 – Glendale, AZ @ State Farm Stadium
Sept. 3 – Glendale, AZ @ State Farm Stadium
Nov. 3 – St. Louis, MO @ The Dome at America’s Center
Nov. 5 – St. Louis, MO @ The Dome at America’s Center
Nov. 10 – Detroit, MI @ Ford Field
Nov. 12 – Detroit, MI @ Ford Field
May 24, 2024 – Munich DE @ Olympiastadion
May 26, 2024 – Munich DE @ Olympiastadion
June 7, 2024 – Helsinki FI @ Olympic Stadium
June 9, 2024 – Helsinki FI @ Olympic Stadium
June 14, 2024 – Copenhagen DK @ Parken Stadium
June 16, 2024 – Copenhagen DK @ Parken Stadium
July 5, 2024 – Warsaw PL @ PGE Narodowy
July 7, 2024 – Warsaw PL @ PGE Narodowy
July 12, 2024 – Madrid ES @ Estadio Cívitas Metropolitano
July 14, 2024 – Madrid ES @ Estadio Cívitas Metropolitano
August 2, 2024 – Foxborough, MA @ Gillette Stadium
August 4, 2024 – Foxborough, MA @ Gillette Stadium
August 9, 2024 – Chicago, IL @ Soldier Field
August 11, 2024 – Chicago, IL @ Soldier Field
August 16, 2024 – Minneapolis, MN @ US Bank Stadium
August 18, 2024 – Minneapolis, MN @ US Bank Stadium
August 23, 2024 – Edmonton, AB @ Commonwealth Stadium
August 25, 2024 – Edmonton, AB @ Commonwealth Stadium
August 30, 2024 – Seattle, WA @ Lumen Field
Sept. 1, 2024 – Seattle, WA @ Lumen Field
Sept. 20, 2024 – Mexico City MX @ Foro Sol***
Sept. 22, 2024 – Mexico City MX @ Foro Sol
Sept. 27, 2024 – Mexico City MX @ Foro Sol***
Sept. 29, 2024 – Mexico City MX – Foro Sol
Show 1 Support Europe: Architects & Mammoth WVH**Show 2 Support Europe: Five Finger Death Punch & Ice Nine Kills*Five Finger Death Punch/Ice Nine Kills play show 1 in Paris, Architects & Mammoth WVH play show 2 in Paris **Volbeat replaces Architects on show 1 in Gothenburg
Show 1 Support North America: Pantera & Mammoth WVH***Show 2 Support North America: Five Finger Death Punch & Ice Nine Kills***Greta Van Fleet replaces Pantera on show 1 both weekends in Mexico City
Zayn is celebrating the musical legacy of Jimi Hendrix.
On Friday (Nov. 25), the former One Direction member shared a gorgeous cover of the late guitar legend’s 1971 song “Angel,” from his posthumous album, The Cry of Love. The 29-year-old singer’s unique rendition of the track arrived ahead of what would’ve been Hendrix’s 80th birthday on Sunday (Nov. 27).
“Being asked to collaborate to celebrate @jimihendrix 80th birthday was such an unexpected and huge honour,” Zayn tweeted alongside a link to the cover. “I have so much respect and admiration for Jimi, his music and fans. ‘Angel’ is out now – hope you love the track as much as I do. Happy 80th Jimi.”
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Earlier in the week, Zayn teased a 15-second snippet of the collaboration, which features original music by Hendrix.
“We are pleased that Zayn has been inspired to use original music from Jimi Hendrix’s ‘Angel’ in his recording of the song,” the late guitarist’s estate Experience Hendrix, L.L.C. previously told Billboard. “We’re hopeful that this version of a Hendrix classic will enlighten a new generation of listeners about Jimi’s genius and further propel his continuing legacy.”
Hendrix, who is considered by many to be the greatest rock guitarist of all time, died on Sept. 18, 1970 at age 27.
After leaving 1D, Zayn bounced from his debut R&B-leaning Hot 100 No. 1 “Pillowtalk” to a sultry Fifty Shades Darker soundtrack collab with Taylor Swift (“I Don’t Wanna to Live Forever”), as well as songs with Sia, Nicki Minaj and Zhavia Ward — the latter a cover version of “A Whole New World” from the 2019 Aladdin reboot. He recently signed on to be a part of the voice cast for the animated kid flick 10 Lives.
Hear Zayn’s cover of Hendrix’ “Angel” in the video below.
Colson Baker, better known as Machine Gun Kelly, released the title track from his semi-autobiographical movie Taurus on Wednesday (Nov. 23). The flick features MGK in the lead role under his birth name. The 32-year-old plays a troubled artist on the rise searching for the spark that will inspire his next record.
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“Fighting with myself so I can’t help that I’m competitive/ This movie is my life but I still remain uncredited,” he raps on the track. “I don’t care how big I get, I still remain unedited/ I built this from the ground up, y’all just living it.”
The film, written and directed by Tim Sutton, also stars Kelly’s fiancée Megan Fox, as well as Maddie Hasson, Demetrius “Lil Meech” Flenory, Ruby Rose, Scoot McNairy, Lil Tjay and “Glass House” collaborator Naomi Wild. It is currently available in select theaters and on demand.
On Sunday, MGK won favorite rock artist at the 2022 American Music Awards, saying during his acceptance speech: “There have been some people in the rock community who have called me a tourist, but they’re wrong. I’m a rocket man,” he proclaimed.
Additionally, he received his first Grammy nomination last week, earning a best rock album nod for Mainstream Sellout, which includes the singles “Maybe” and “Emo Girl” with Willow Smith. The album was his second straight to top the Billboard 200.
Check out the “Taurus” video below.
Wilko Johnson, the longtime guitarist for British blues rockers Dr. Feelgood has died at 75. Johnson’s family confirmed the news of his passing on Wednesday morning (Nov. 23), writing, “This is the announcement we never wanted to make, & we do so with a very heavy heart: Wilko Johnson has died. He passed away at home on Monday 21st November. Thank you for respecting the family’s privacy at this very sad time. RIP Wilko Johnson.”
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Johnson (born John Wilkinson) was born in 1947 and raised on Canvey Island, a bleak industrial oil town in England’s River Thames estuary and he worked as a schoolteacher before forming the long-running group with some hometown friends who’d been performing as The Pigboy Charlie Band. After changing their name — inspired by a beloved Johnny Kidd and the Pirates cover of a Piano Red blues standard — Dr. Feelgood began playing gigs in 1971, earning early praise for Johnson’s distinctive choppy, chugging fingerpicking guitar sound and singer Lee Brilleaux’s growly vocals on such favorites as “Roxette,” “Back in the Night” and covers of blues standards “Bonie Moronie” and Willie Dixon’s “You’ll Be Mine.”
Though they bristled at the term “pub rock,” the band were known for their raucous, energetic performances, best captured on their UK No. 1 live album 1976’s Stupidity. The group — whose albums were a mix of covers and blues standards along with originals largely written by Johnson during his tenure — has released more than a dozen albums to date; Johnson only appeared on their first three studio efforts (Down By the Jetty (1975), Malpractice (1975) and Sneakin’ Suspicion (1977) and Stupidity, before splitting from the group in 1977 amid reported conflicts with singer Brilleaux.
Johnson went on to form the bands the Solid Senders, as well as the Wilko Johnson Band, before briefly joining English pub punker Ian Dury’s band, the Blockheads, in 1980. He continued to perform and record with his eponymous band through the 2000s, releasing more a dozen albums and EPs, while also occasionally taking on acting roles, including a quirky slot as mute executioner Ser Ilyn Payne on four episodes of Game of Thrones. Between his signature slashing style and thousand-yard stare on stage, Johnson is credited with influencing a generation of performers in British punk and post-punk bands (Sex Pistols, Gang of Four, The Jam, The Clash) who sometimes mimicked his bug-eyed look and quirky style on stage.
After cancelling a show last minute in Nov. 2012 due to illness, Johnson shared that he was diagnosed with late stage pancreatic cancer in Jan. 2013, opting to skip chemotherapy after doctors told him he had less than a year to live. He released what was deemed his “final” album Going Back Home with the Who’s Roger Daltrey in March 2014 and then revealed that he had been misdiagnosed and was cancer-free later that year after undergoing a lengthy surgery to remove a massive tumor in his abdomen.
Among those paying tribute were fellow British rocker Billy Bragg, who said that Johnson was a “precursor of punk. His guitar playing was angry and angular, but his presence – twitchy, confrontational, out of control – was something we’d never beheld before in UK pop. Rotten, Strummer and Weller learned a lot from his edgy demeanour. He does it right RIP.” Blondie guitarist Chris Stein also weighed in, writing, “I frequently remind people how Dr Feelgood was an influence on the early New York and CBGBs music scene. Great guitarist and performer.”
Led Zeppelin guitarist Jimmy Page also paid homage to the player whose unique style was beloved among his fellow six-stringers. “I’m sad to hear today of the passing of Wilko Johnson, the Dr Feelgood guitarist and singer/songwriter. I saw Wilko perform at Koko in Camden in May 2013 and the atmosphere was electric. This show was originally billed as his farewell tour, but, thankfully, he continued performing and thrilling crowds until recently. I really admired him and we’ll all miss him. RIP Wilko.”
Johnson continued playing shows until just weeks before his passing and at press time no cause of death had been revealed.
Read the family’s death announcement and see some tributes to Johnson an d aclassic 1975 performance below.
This is the announcement we never wanted to make, & we do so with a very heavy heart: Wilko Johnson has died. He passed away at home on Monday 21st November. Thank you for respecting the family’s privacy at this very sad time. RIP Wilko Johnson.(Image: Leif Laaksonen) pic.twitter.com/1cRqyi9b9X— Wilko Johnson (@wilkojohnson) November 23, 2022
I’m sad to hear today of the passing of Wilko Johnson, the Dr Feelgood guitarist and singer/songwriter.I saw Wilko perform at Koko in Camden in May 2013 and the atmosphere was electric. This show was originally billed as his farewell tour pic.twitter.com/M1sQIEe4mm— Jimmy Page (@JimmyPage) November 23, 2022
Wilko Johnson was a precursor of punk. His guitar playing was angry and angular, but his presence – twitchy, confrontational, out of control – was something we’d never beheld before in UK pop. Rotten, Strummer and Weller learned a lot from his edgy demeanour. He does it right RIP pic.twitter.com/ukoJ69r41h— Billy Bragg (@billybragg) November 23, 2022
Very sad to hear Wilko Johnson has died. His unique, wired playing & stage presence thrilled & inspired many guitarists, myself included. When I interviewed him a few years ago, he was bright, thoughtful & an astonishing story teller. His presence will be felt for many more years pic.twitter.com/x6ZzQWojXp— Alex Kapranos (@alkapranos) November 23, 2022
Throwback Wednesday: For obvious sad reasons, a day early this week. Following today’s awful news of the passing of the legendary RnB guitar hero Wilko Johnson, here he is with his old friend & flatmate JJ a few years ago. Fly straight Wilko, fond adieu RIP x pic.twitter.com/bKmbxNhmuM— The Stranglers (Official) (@StranglersSite) November 23, 2022
Rest in Power Mr Wilko Johnson – you fought the good fight, and had a damn good run. when they said it was over, you came back stronger. cheers mate 🍻 pic.twitter.com/3vXuT8ixtk— anton newcombe (@antonnewcombe) November 23, 2022
Metallica‘s Helping Hands benefit concert will spread the good cheer farther and wider this year with a deal to air the show on Paramount+, Pluto TV and MTV’s YouTube channel. “We’re looking forward to celebrating the achievements of All Within My Hands at this year’s Helping Hands Concert & Auction and we’re psyched to tell you that it will be streamed live, thanks to our friends at @paramountplus!” the band wrote in an Instagram post on Tuesday (Nov. 22).
The sold out Dec. 16 show at the Microsoft Theater in Los Angeles will be hosted by late night’s Jimmy Kimmel and feature an opening set from Greta Van Fleet. The event will kick off at 8:30 p.m. ET and stream live on Paramount+, with simulcasts on Pluto and YouTube. It will also feature an auction that kicks off on Dec. 5 to benefit the foundation, with 100% of the ticket and auction proceeds earmarked for those in need via a number of national and local charities.
Among the organizations that All Within My Hands has partnered with over the years are: the American Association of Community Colleges, Feeding America, Direct Relief and World Central Kitchen. This year alone the foundation has handed out $100,000 to Direct Relief and World Central Kitchen to help those hit hardest by Hurricanes Ian and Fiona in Florida and Puerto Rico in October, as well as $20,000 to the Women’s Center & Shelter of Greater Pittsburgh in August and $100,000 to World Central Kitchen’s efforts to feed Ukrainian refugees fleeing Russia’s unprovoked war on their country.
Check out the announcement below.
Bruce Springsteen reigns on Billboard’s Top Rock & Alternative Albums and Top Rock Albums charts for an eighth time, as Only the Strong Survive debuts at No. 1 on the Nov. 26-dated rankings.
The set of soul covers begins with 40,000 equivalent album units earned in the Nov. 11-17 tracking week, according to Luminate, with 37,000 of that sum via album sales.
Springsteen first led both lists, which began in 2006, with 2007’s Magic. (His hefty history on Billboard‘s charts dates to 1975.)
With eight Top Rock & Alternative Albums rulers, Springsteen matches John Mayer for the most in the chart’s history.
Most No. 1s, Top Rock & Alternative Albums:8, John Mayer8, Bruce Springsteen6, The Beatles6, Coldplay6, Grateful Dead6, Dave Matthews (solo and with Dave Matthews Band)6, Tom Petty (solo and with the Heartbreakers)
Concurrently, Strong starts at No. 8 on the all-genre Billboard 200, marking Springsteen’s 22nd top 10, dating to the No. 3-peaking Born to Run in 1975. Thanks to the No. 2-peaking Letter to You in 2020, he joined the exclusive club of artists with newly charting top 10s in each decade since the ’70s.
Two songs from Strong appear on Rock Digital Song Sales. “Nightshift” bows at No. 8 (1,000 sold) and “What Becomes of the Brokenhearted” enters at No. 16 (800). “Do I Love You (Indeed I Do)” previously made the list (Oct. 15) at No. 24.
“I had so much fun recording this music,” Springsteen mused of the new set. “I fell back in love with all these great songs and great writers and great singers, all of them still underrated in my opinion. And through the project I rediscovered the power of my own voice.”
Christmas in America is a time for family togetherness and glitzy commercialism, and New Yorkers were treated to both on Tuesday (Nov. 22) night when Elton John, his husband David Furnish and children Zachary (11) and Elijah (9) helped unveil the Saks Fifth Avenue holiday display.
A police barricade stopped traffic on (the rather busy) Fifth Avenue at 49th Street in Manhattan while a grand piano was wheeled into the middle of Fifth Avenue around 7 p.m. E.T. as onlookers – who were expecting a holiday display reveal but not a Rock and Roll Hall of Famer – marveled. After some introductory remarks from Saks CEO Marc J. Metrick, who announced that Saks was giving a $1 million donation to the Elton John AIDS Foundation’s Rocket Fund, Sir Elton took his rightful place behind the ivories.
“It means a great deal to me to have your support,” John said of the donation. “Thank you so much. I’m so thrilled to kick off the holiday season tonight and to be a part of this spectacular and iconic window unveiling and light show.” At that point, Furnish brought the boys up to join Elton for a family countdown to the big reveal.
Sir Elton – who just played the final North American show of his Farewell Yellow Brick Road Tour on Sunday (Nov. 20) – treated lucky onlookers to a one-and-done performance of his Billboard Hot 100 breakthrough single “Your Song,” a top 10 Billboard Hot 100 hit that began his imposing run on the chart back in 1970 (No hyperbole: We’re talking 29 top 10s, nine No. 1s on the Hot 100).
After reminding audiences why he remains such a treasure with his live prowess and inestimable gifts, Elton joined his family in a seated section of the crowd to watch the lights show. The window extravaganza included a fitting nod to John via a several rocket ships on pistons while seasonally shaded lights tripped the light fantastic on the building’s façade. A medley of Sir Elton’s hits accompanied the display, which found John and Furnish bobbing their heads to “Step Into Christmas” and “Cold Heart (PNAU Remix).”
As fireworks exploded above Saks Fifth Avenue, there was a moment when John reached up to scratch his head – it was almost certainly a biologically motivated move, but it seemed fitting that it occurred when his gentle ballad “Your Song” (playing in its studio version) blasted over speakers to accompany pyro above one of New York City’s most iconic and high-end department stories.
As John detailed in his marvelous memoir Me, he was fortunate enough to happen upon Bernie Taupin’s lyrics to “Your Song” as a struggling artist and was subsequently inspired to compose a melody to match the unabashed sincerity of the words. The idea – heck, the reality – that 50 years later, this gentle ballad would soundtrack an explosive holiday display that temporarily shut down one of the busiest metropolitan areas on earth is remarkably unlikely. But then again, John’s life has been unlikely.
As the fireworks faded and crowd dissipated, John can rest assured one of thing: even as he wraps up, he continues to deliver – and leaves us hungry for more treks down the yellow brick road. No matter how brief.
Of all the former One Direction members, Zayn has definitely forged the most unpredictable path. After becoming the first 1Der to leave the group, Zayn bounced from his debut R&B-leaning single “Pillowtalk” to a sultry Fifty Shades Darker soundtrack collab with Taylor Swift (“I Don’t Wanna to Live Forever”), as well as songs with Sia, Nicki Minaj and Zhavia Ward — the latter a cover version of “A Whole New World” from the 2019 Aladdin reboot.
He’s hopscotched from R&B to pop, old school hip-hop and even uptempo electropop, while recently signing on to be a part of the voice cast for the animated kid flick 10 Lives. But on Tuesday morning (Nov. 22), the singer posted what might be his most head-scratching left turn to date in the form of a cryptic 15-second video that appears to tease a collaboration with one of rock’s most iconic guitar heroes.
The video opens with Zayn’s name in a bold red font floating across the screen in shadow and shrouded in smoke followed by Jimi Hendrix‘s name in pale yellow as a spare guitar figure bubbles up in the background before the two artist’s names come into focus center screen. Zayn’s quietly urgent voice then trickles in singing the opening line (“Angel came down from heaven yesterday”) of the lesser-known Hendrix song “Angel,” which appeared on his 1971 posthumous studio album, The Cry of Love.
And then, just as things are getting interesting, the video begins to fade, with a final image of a white feather drifting down from the top of the screen to the sound of a distant audience cheering. At press time spokespeople for Malik and Hendrix — whose official account also featured the teaser — had not returned requests for clarification on what the project consists of and Zayn had not offered any further explanation on his socials.
The post teased a Friday (Nov. 25) release date for the song. Considered by many to be the greatest rock guitarist of all time, Hendrix, who died in Sept. 1970 at age 27, would have turned 80 on Sunday (Nov. 27).
Check out the tweet below.
Sixty-six years ago, Jerry Lee Lewis, who died Oct. 28 at the age of 87, shook America’s nerves and rattled its brains. The Dec. 22, 1956, issue of Billboard savored his debut single, “Crazy Arms,” as a “flavor-packed disk,” and the magazine went on to track the rise of “Whole Lot of Shakin’ Going On” and “Great Balls of Fire,” both of which scored on the country, R&B and pop charts all at once. And as Elvis Presley turned his attention to Hollywood and then to the U.S. Army, Lewis seemed poised to vie for The King’s throne until a British journalist learned that the girl accompanying him on his U.K. tour was his third wife — as well as his 13-year-old cousin.
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‘Balls’ Out
Lewis raised hair as well as hell. The Oct. 28, 1957, Billboard noted that his EP The Great Ball of Fire sported “a photo of the cat with the wild hair flying in the breeze” and predicted it would “sell fast.” That fire didn’t fizzle: The May 5, 1958, issue reported that “Shakin’ ” had remained a jukebox hit for months thanks to “current teeners who still flip over the music with the big beat.”
‘An Open Letter’
In May 1958, after word had spread that he had married his 13-year-old cousin, Lewis, 22, was forced to cancel his U.K. tour. In the June 9, 1958, Billboard, the singer bought a full-page ad to pioneer a pop culture tradition: the half-apology. “I confess that my life has been stormy. I confess further that since I have become a public figure, I sincerely wanted to be worthy of the decent admiration of all the people, young and old, that admired or liked what talent (if any) I have,” he wrote. “I can’t control the press or the sensationalism that these people will go to to get a scandal started to sell papers.” One big DJ backed him up. “Jerry’s a Southern boy,” Alan Freed said, “and Tennessee boys get married quite young.”
Sun Makes ‘Light’
A week later, Billboard reviewed Lewis’ New York club debut in less than glowing terms. “Showmanship is not simply a matter of banging a piano [and] stomping around stage,” griped the June 16, 1958, issue. The following edition (June 23, 1958) reported that Sun Records head Sam Phillips was servicing DJs a “cute” promotional disc, “The Return of Jerry Lee.” “It makes light of the whole British episode,” Phillips explained, “which is the way we think the whole thing should be treated anyway.”
The Killer Beats Death
Lewis found a second life in Nashville, scoring four country No. 1s between 1968 and 1972. His hard living caught up with him, however, and in 1981, he was put in intensive care and underwent stomach surgery in Memphis. Lewis pulled through and performed at the Grand Ole Opry on Dec. 3. Almost a quarter-century after Billboard panned his New York concert, the Dec. 25, 1981, issue called his return to action in Nashville “an occasion tinged with awe.” The verdict: “He’s nothing short of mesmerizing.”
Biopic Blues
A New York preview of the Dennis Quaid-starring biopic Great Balls of Fire! was followed by a midnight jam with punk purveyors John Doe and Mick Jones backing Lewis, according to the July 8, 1989, issue. Even as an elder statesman, though, Lewis stirred up trouble: In the June 24, 1989, Billboard, his own manager, Jerry Schilling, called him out for “negative and damaging” statements about Presley to another outlet.
Bob Dylan’s publisher is offering refunds for a $600 special edition of his new book, The Philosophy of Modern Song, acknowledging that the allegedly “hand-signed” copies were not individually inscribed.
“To those who purchased THE PHILOSOPHY OF MODERN SONG limited edition, we want to apologize,” Simon & Schuster announced in a statement posted Sunday (Nov. 20) on Instagram. “As it turns out, the 900 limited edition versions of the books do contain Bob’s original signature, but in a penned replica form. We are addressing this immediately by providing each purchaser with an immediate refund.”
Simon & Schuster’s statement came after days of complaints from customers, who through social media had compared their copies and found the autographs suspiciously alike. The books had arrived with a letter from Simon & Schuster CEO Jonathan Karp, vouching for the signature’s authenticity. But, according to Variety, when the books began arriving in fans’ mailboxes last week, they began comparing notes, and photos, and realized that the books had seemingly been signed using an “autopen,” which mimics a real signature and then reproduces it using a machine-powered pen.
On Friday, the publisher reportedly refused requests for refunds of the $599 limited-edition version, still claiming that it was hand signed, as evidenced by the letter included from S&S’s Karp. Within 48 hours, however, the fan photos caused the publisher to reverse course, leading to emails on Sunday admitted to the “mistake.”
The Philosophy of Modern Song, in which Dylan assesses compositions ranging from Hank Williams “Your Cheatin’ Heart” to Jackson Browne’s “The Pretender,” was published Nov. 1. A Dylan spokesperson declined comment Monday.