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The Beatles: Rock Band Limited Edition Premium Bundle, out on September 9th, will include a replica of Paul McCartney‘s Hofner bass and Ringo Starr‘s Ludwig drums, complete with a pearl finish and Beatles kick drum head. It will also include a microphone, mic stand and “additional special content.” It will retail for 250-dollars.

“…you wanted the best, you got the best…the hottest band in the world…KISSSSSS”!!

Winnipeg may soon again hear those words for the first time since they played here after the flood of ’97!  Since posting an on-line poll for KISS fans to request the band to play their city, Winnipeg apparently has the greatest number of KISS fans wishing to see a concert!  What’s ironic is the band’s hometown of New York is seemingly indifferent, finishing a distant tenth place on the voting list.

They’ve already committed to a five-city tour,  starting in Sarnia, Ontario July 10.  In total there are eight (8) Canadian cities on the group’s most wanted list, followed by two Ontario towns, Oshawa and Kingston. Two U-S cities are in the Top 10 — Dallas at number-six and their hometown of New York at 10.

Pete Townshend is working on a stage production of The Who‘s 1973 album, Quadrophenia. In an interview with the U-K’s Times Online, Townshend says, “I have been involved until recently only as the original creator… I am now involved in the production of the show, the casting, the way the band works and will do some work during rehearsals… ‘Austin Powers’ has done a lot of damage to the image of swinging London, parodying what had already been parodied by lazy American newsreels over the years. So in a sense my mission is to bring back some of the grayness, the bleakness of those years, and demonstrate to the cast that what happened simply had to happen, otherwise we would all have gone nuts. It wasn’t an optional outing of boys playing on scooters — it was a vital rebellion.” Quadrophenia will open in Plymouth, England on May 9th and will tour the U-K until October.

The Floyd has apparently filed suit against EMI Music for what they claim are unpaid royalties.  To my recollection, this would include everything recorded up to and including “Dark Side of the Moon” before the band’s contract expired.  Considering this album still sells upwards of 10 000 copies a week in the U.S. alone, one has to assume the residuals owing must be staggering by most standards.  Pink Floyd claims their percentages were miscalculated on their back catalog and are insisting on immediate restitution.

Chickenfoot — Sammy Hagar, Michael Anthony, Joe Satriani and Chad Smith — have announced a run of North American dates before doing the festival circuit in Europe starting in June. They’ll do a two-week tour starting May 14th in Seattle and then head east, winding up in Philadelphia on May 29th. They release their self-titled debut on June 9th, exclusively at Best Buy. –Sal Cirrincione

The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Annex in New York will unveil a new exhibit in honor of one of the city’s most famous residents — the late John Lennon. “The New York City Years” will open next month (exact date yet to be announced) and will feature never-before-seen items that uniquely commemorate Lennon’s life in the Big Apple. Lennon’s widow Yoko Ono says, “John would have been so pleased that the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Annex in New York is honoring his life and work. It was a city we called home for many years and I so hope it will be a true gift to New York City’s residents and visitors that have been such supportive fans.”

The exhibit will include a selection of rare artifacts, films and photos as well as exclusive New York-centric additions provided by Yoko. Lennon moved to New York in 1971 and was murdered outside his Upper West Side home in 1980. He was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1994.

A portion of the cost of each ticket to the exhibition will be donated to Spirit Foundations, a charitable foundation set up by John and Yoko to further their philanthropic initiatives.

Aerosmith have announced their summer tour with Z-Z Top. It starts June 10th in St. Louis, with Z-Z joining on June 16th in Mansfield, Massachusetts. The tour is sponsored by Guitar Hero: Aerosmith and tickets in select markets go on sale Friday. For additional details, go to LiveNation-dot-com.

Aerosmith’s Joe Perry says, “I have always been a huge fan of Z-Z Top. I toured with them with the Joe Perry Project, and those shows were unforgettable. With Z-Z Top on this bill, it will definitely kick us into overdrive.”

Aerosmith and Z-Z Top are two of a handful of bands that still feature their original line-ups. –Sal Cirrincione

In his second trial, Phil Spector has been found guilty of second-degree murder in the death of actress Lana Clarkson. In a verdict announced yesterday, following nine days of deliberations, a Los Angeles Superior Court jury ruled the producer was responsible for Clarkson’s death. Clarkson was shot dead at Spector’s Alhambra, California mansion on February 3rd, 2003, just hours after they’d met at a Sunset Strip club. Prosecutors, as they had in his first trial, painted Spector as a man with a violent temper and a history of brandishing weapons — especially when he consumed alcohol. His defense team argued that Clarkson was depressed over her unsuccessful film career and had grounds for suicide.

Spector was originally tried for the crime in 2007, but that trial ended in a hung jury, forcing the retrial.

The legendary record producer faces a sentence of between 15 years and life. Spector was also convicted of a separate weapons charge. After being free on bail for six years, he was immediately taken into custody. Sentencing was set for May 29th.

The late Spencer Dryden would have been 67 today.  Spencer was the oldest member of the Airplane, who was also the subject of the Airplane classic “Lather”