This week sees Neil Young releasing his latest album with Crazy Horse, Americana.  Young is coming to Scotiabank Place with Crazy Horse on November 24th.  Their opening act will be Patti Smith, who also has a new album out today called Banga.  

     Eagles guitarist Joe Walsh returns with Analog Man, and ZZ Top release their 4-song EP Texicali, a little taste of what’s to come with the full length album they will be releasing later this year.  Yet another ZZ Top song is streaming online now, you can check out “Chartreuse” by clicking this link to the Rolling Stone website.

     Also of note is the film soundtrack for Rock of Ages, which features 80s rock standards performed by the cast of the movie – Tom Cruise, Julianne Hough, Mary J. Blige, Russell Brand, Catherine Zeta-Jones, Malin Ackerman and Diego Boneta.  The CD includes ‘Paradise City’, ‘Pour Some Sugar on Me’, ‘Every Rose Has It’s Thorn’, ‘Hit Me With Your Best Shot’, ‘Rock You Like A Hurricane’, and ‘Don’t Stop Believing’.

     The full rundown:

CD:

Neil Young & Crazy Horse – Americana
Joe Walsh – Analog Man
ZZ Top – Texicali
Rock of Ages Movie Soundtrack
Patti Smith – Banga
The Beach Boys – That’s Why God Made The Radio
The Beatles – Yellow Submarine Songtrack
Heart – Strange Euphoria (5-CD box set)
Paul Simon – Graceland (25th Anniversary Edition CD w/ bonus tracks)
Various Artists – Make It Your Sound, Make It Your Scene: Vanguard Records & The 1960s Musical Revolution
Various Artists – No More Tears: A Millenium Tribute to Ozzy Osbourne

Vinyl:

David Bowie – The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust (remastered)

DVD:

Yellow Submarine

     Neil Young has done a new album with Crazy Horse called Americana.  It has been nine years since they collaborated on Greendale.  The new record will be released next week, June 5th – it’s a collection of American folk classics like ‘Gallows Pole’, ‘Oh Susanna’, ‘This Land Is Your Land’ and ‘Clementine’.  You can listen to the whole album, streaming online, at the Rolling Stone website here.

Bruce Springsteen will release his new album “Wrecking Ball” on March 6  and kick off a world tour March 18. He’s just been named as a performer at the Grammy Awards on Sunday night.

Brian Johnson of AC/DC tells us that the band is ready to work on a new album but had to put things on hold due to the illness of “one of the boys” . He didn’t say what the illness was or which band member was affected but “one of the boys” has led many to believe that one of the Young brothers has been ill. Johnson says things are improving and the band will be back on track shortly.

Neil Young confirms that he’s working with Crazy Horse again and there’s an album ready to go and one in the works. They will also be performing next week at the Paul McCartney “Musicares Person of the Year” tribute.

Today (Feb 3) is “Motley Crue Day” in Sin City!  The band begins a run of shows at the Hard Rock Hotel and Casino tonight so L.A. Mayor Carolyn Goodman decided to mark the ” first hard rock residency” in Vegas, by honouring the band.

Ringo Starr’s new album is due to be released the same day as fellow former Beatles Paul McCartney’s issues his latest “Kisses On the Bottom” . “Ringo 2012″  arrives on Tuesday February 7.

Aerosmith‘s Joe Perry made a progress report on the new Aerosmith LP earlier this week – and let some juicy news slip too. The album is almost finished so we should have a release date soon. Perry also announced that the band intends to hit the road in June.  He tells us we should hear an announcement later this month or early March.

CD:

Superheavy – Superheavy (this is the Mick Jagger-fronted supergroup)
Pearl Jam – Pearl Jam 20 Original Soundtrack
Grateful Dead – Europe ’72 Volume 2

DVD:

Neil Young – A Tapestry

CD:

Yes – Close To The Edge (reissue)
Yes – Fragile (reissue)

Vinyl:

Levon Helm – Ramble At The Ryman

DVD:

Bob Dylan – Revealed
Neil Young – Here We Are In The Years
Rick Wakeman – Made In Cuba
Thin Lizzy – Live In Concert 1983

CD:

Black Country Communion – Black Country Communion 2
Iggy Pop and David Bowie – Iggy & Ziggy: Sister Midnight Live At The Agora (reissue)
Neil Young – A Treasure
Paul McCartney – McCartney (remastered with bonus tracks)
Paul McCartney – McCartney II (remastered with bonus tracks)
Various Artists – Music From Spider-man: Turn Off The Dark (w/ Bono and the Edge)
Various Artists – Rockabye Baby!  Lullaby Renditions of Def Leppard

Vinyl:

Bob Marley – Soul Rebel (reissue)
Elvis Costello – The Delivery Man (reissue)
Keith Richards – Vintage Vinos (reissue)
Neil Young – Harvest (reissue)

DVD:

Bob Dylan – Gotta Do My Time
Bruce Springsteen – Between Lull & The Storm
Foo Fighters – Back And Forth
Yes – Union

Blu-Ray:

Heavy Metal (the 1981 animated classic)

CD:

David Bowie vs. KCRW – Golden Years
David Bowie – Little Wonder + Remixes (EP)
Iron Maiden – From Here To Eternity: Best Of 1990 – 2010
Marvin Gaye – What’s Going On 40th Anniversary (2 CD & LP box set)
Neil Young – A Treasure
New York Dolls – Dancing Backward In High Heels
Paul Simon – Paul Simon (remastered with bonus tracks)
Paul Simon – Paul Simon In Concert: Live Rhymin’ (remastered with bonus tracks)
Paul Simon – Still Crazy After All These Years (reissue)
Paul Simon – There Goes Rhymin’ Simon (remastered with bonus tracks)
Roger Waters – Roger Waters Collection (8-disc box set)
Various Artists – Come Together: Black America Sings Lennon & McCartney

Vinyl:

Grateful Dead – Blues For Allah (remastered)
Grateful Dead – Shakedown Street (remastered)
Neil Young – After The Goldrush (reissue)
Neil Young – Everybody Knows This Is Nowhere (reissue)

DVD:

AC/DC: Let There Be Rock

Neil Young’s  hitting the road again. Tickets go on sale Friday, April 15  for a pair of  shows at Toronto’s Massey Hall on May 10 and 11. According to the press release , Neil will play  songs from Le Noise, as well as classic tracks “in both electric and acoustic settings.”

and then…

Buffalo Springfield will embark on a short tour this summer. The trip runs from June 1-11 and doesn’t include any Canadian dates but it’s their first in 43 years . Neil Young, Stephen Stills and Richie Furay will be joined by Rick Rosas in place of the late Bruce Palmer, while CSN drummer Joe Vitale will take the place of the late Dewey Martin.

In February, the Grammys honoured Neil as  the “MusiCares Person of the Year”. Chances are good that you weren’t invited to the soiree, but you’ll soon be able to enjoy the experience on DVD. The tribute concert includes performances by Dave Matthews, John Fogerty, Norah Jones, Shawn Colvin, Jason Mraz, Elvis Costello, Elton John, John Mellencamp and Crosby, Stills and Nash. It’s due out on May 31.

     Neil Young already knew he would be presented with the Allan Waters Humanitarian Award at the Juno awards last night.  Then he picked up two major awards for good measure - Artist of the Year and Adult Alternative Album of the Year.  In addition, Daniel Lanois won Producer of the Year in part for producing Young’s album Le Noise.

     The other big winner at the Junos was Arcade Fire, who picked up awards for Album of the Year, Group of the Year, Songwriter of the Year, and Alternative Album of the Year.  This Juno success comes on the heels of enormous success for Arcade Fire at this year’s Grammy Awards.

     Other winners included Rush for “Best Music DVD of the Year”, Kevin Churko for Recording Engineer of the Year (he worked on Ozzy Osbourne’s Scream), and Justin Bieber received the Fan Choice Award.  For the full list of nominees and winners from this year’s Juno Awards, click here.

     The class of 2011 for the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame has already been announced, as Tom Waits, Leon Russell, Dr. John, Neil Diamond, Darlene Love and Jac Holzman will be inducted along with Alice Cooper who finally gets his due.  Now the presenters have been announced, and are as follows:

     Neil Young will be there, inducting Tom Waits.  John Densmore of the Doors will be on hand to induct Jac Holzman, the Electra Records founder who signed the Doors and launched their career.  Elton John will bring on his friend (and collaborator) Leon Russell.  Paul Simon will handle the task for Neil Diamond, Bette Midler will do Darlene Love, and John Legend will induct Dr. John.

     Alice Cooper will be inducted into the Hall of Fame by one of the artists he influenced most with his his pioneering shock-rock style, Rob Zombie.  The ceremony will take place at the Waldorf-Astoria hotel in New York City on March 14th.

  Alice Cooper, Rob Zombie and Slash do “School’s Out”

  Elton John and Leon Russell “If It Wasn’t For Bad”

  Jac Holzman on the Elektra Records box set