The Great 80s

Since 1986, only two bands have claimed the honor as the top-grossing act twice in three years: the Rolling Stones (1998 and 1999) and the Grateful Dead (1991 and 1993).

But this year, another act can claim that title: Bon Jovi.

For the second time in three years, Bon Jovi ranks as the highest-grossing touring act. The band’s achievement, this year and previously in 2008, demonstrates that, remarkably, the group is hitting its touring peak 26 years after releasing its debut album.

Read More…

Marc Malkin is reporting that Tom Cruise is in talks to join the movie adaptation of Rock of Ages.  Not only will he act, but he will also do his own singing!  

Rock of Ages is a Broadway musical about the famous LA Sunset Strip in 1987.  The musical’s website describes it as ‘an arena-rock love story told through the mind-blowing, face-melting hits of Journey, Night Ranger, Styx, Reo Speedwagon, Pat Benatar, Twisted Sister, Poison, Asia, Whitesnake and many more‘. 

If nothing else, this should provide an awesome soundtrack.

To record his latest album, “No Better Than This” (Rounder), John Mellencamp hatched a plan with producer T Bone Burnett. They would set up a mono tape recorder and a single microphone and knock out a bunch of new songs with a small band.

It was old-fashioned recording in the extreme, with an added twist: The “recording studios” were the First African Baptist Church in Savannah, Ga., a sanctuary for runaway slaves before emancipation; Sun Studios in Memphis, one of the birthplaces of rock ‘n’ roll; and the Gunter Hotel in San Antonio, where blues legend Robert Johnson recorded.

It all might sound like a gimmick, but the music’s rambunctious charm and playful spirit argue otherwise. It adds up to one of Mellencamp’s best albums, in a career that has seen the former John Cougar move from a Springsteen-lite phase (“I Need a Lover”), find his niche as a small-town storyteller (“Jack & Diane”), become the unofficial voice of Farm Aid (“Rain on the Scarecrow”) and reinvent himself as a folk-oriented singer-songwriter. In 2006, he dropped his long-standing opposition to licensing his songs for use in TV commercials; his song “Our Country” appeared in a car ad and then anchored his final album for a major label, “Freedom’s Road.” But now he’s an independent artist, and he says his days of listening to record company executives’ advice about how best to sell and market his music are over. In a recent interview, Mellencamp discussed his life as a “recovering” rock star.

Read More…

With their feel-good party anthems, the Black Eyed Peas have never had a problem bridging the generation gap. And on their upcoming album, The Beginning, the group infuses their modern sound with classic ’80s songs.

In the latest issue of SPIN, frontman will.i.am says that the album, due out on November 30, was recorded in hotel rooms around the world during BEP’s last world tour.

“Our last record was just, ‘Yo! We’re making crazy beats — party, party, party!’ ” will.i.am told the magazine. “This one is more inspired by electro and dance music — it’s the only thing alive at the moment. There are some songs where we’re going all the way, but we mix it up. Some songs are 120 BPM and others are like 320.”

The bandmates revealed that they’re big fans of ’80s music and pop culture and wanted to connect past and present on this LP.

Read More…