The band will be joined by Grammy nominees Foster The People and Maroon 5 for the performance.

The appearance kicks off the Beach Boys’ 50th anniversary celebrations, which will include a new album later this year and a 50-date international tour that begins in April.

Other acts due to perform at the Grammy Awards ceremony include Bruce Springsteen, Paul McCartney, Glen Campbell, Foo Fighters, David Guetta, Katy Perry, Coldplay, and Rihanna.

Related items:
Grammy nominations round-up

Jake Clemons is a songwriter, saxophonist and guitarist who released an EP titled “It’s On” last year.

As a member of the Miami Horns, Eddie Manion supported Springsteen on the Tunnel of Love tour in 1988 and more recently as part of Springsteen’s Seeger Sessions Band.

Trombonist Clark Gayton and trumpeter Curt Ramm will also return to the E Street Band’s brass and woodwind section, along with trumpeter Barry Danelian who played with Springsteen at the Carousel House show in Asbury Park in December 2010.

The US leg of the “Wrecking Ball” tour kicks off in Atlanta, Georgia on March 18 and concludes in Newark, New Jersey on May 2. The band will then take the show to Europe, beginning in Seville, Spain on May 13.

Ahead of the tour, Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band will perform live on this year’s Grammy Awards, to be broadcast on CBS Sunday, Feb. 12, 8 ET/PT.

Bruce Springsteen tickets prize draw

Here’s your chance to win two tickets for the Friday 22 June gig at the Etihad Stadium, Manchester. Click here for your free entry to the Bruce Springsteen tickets prize draw

The prize draw is open to UK readers aged 18 and over.

You can pre-order Springsteen’s new album “Wrecking Ball” now at:

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Bruce Springsteen – Wrecking Ball (CD)	Buy Now	Buy Now	Buy Now

Highlights for February include:

• Paul McCartney’s “Kisses on the Bottom” in standard and deluxe editions (Feb 7)
• deluxe editions of the last five Queen albums (Feb 7)
• a number of classic Bob Dylan albums on limited edition vinyl (Feb 7)
• the Van Halen reunion album, “A Different Kind of Truth” (Feb 7)
• the 3-CD set “Santana Anthology 68-69″ (Feb 14) and “Santana – Live at Montreux” on DVD and Blu-ray (Feb 21)
• Pink Floyd’s “The Wall” in Experience, Immersion and Vinyl editions – Feb 28.

Balin was born in Cincinnati, Ohio on January 30, 1942. He formed Jefferson Airplane in 1965 and recorded five albums before leaving the band in 1970. Among these were the classic “Surrealistic Pillow,” which hit number three on the Billboard album chart and spawned the singles “White Rabbit” and “Somebody to Love.” Another standout song from the period was the title track of the band’s 1969 album “Volunteers,” which was co-written by Balin and Kantner, and featured Balin and Grace Slick on lead vocals.

“Volunteers” – Jefferson Airplane

In 1974, Balin joined the band’s follow-up outfit, Jefferson Starship, and began what would be a productive period for the singer-songwriter, penning and singing lead on memorable tracks such as “Caroline” and “Miracles.” The latter appeared on the chart topping album “Red Octopus” and reached number three on the Billboard Hot 100 when released on single.

“Miracles” – Jefferson Starship

The Top Five albums, “Spitfire” and “Earth,” followed, with Balin contributing lead vocals to both hit singles (“Count On Me” and “Runaway”) from the latter album.

Balin left Jefferson Starship to explore other projects in 1978, including the solo albums “Balin” (1981) and “Lucky” (1983). The former included the Top Ten single “Hearts.”

“Hearts” – Marty Balin

Balin worked with Jefferson Airplane members Paul Kantner and Jack Casady on a one-off album titled “KBC Band” band in 1986, before the three joined forces with Grace Slick and Jorma Kaukonen on a Jefferson Airplane reunion album and tour in 1989. He would later join Kantner on another incarnation of Jefferson Starship, producing the albums “Windows of Heaven” and “Across the Sea of Suns” (2001).

Although maintaining his involvement in the various Jefferson Airship/Jefferson Starship projects over the years, Balin has also continued to produce solo work, including the albums “Better Generation” (1991), “Mary Balin” (2003), “Nashville Sessions” (2008), “Nothin’ 2 Lose” (2009), “Time For Every Season” (2009), “Blue Highway” (2010) and “The Witcher” (2011).

Balin has also pursued his passion for painting in recent years, often using legendary music artists as subjects, including Jimi Hendrix, Robert Plant, Elton John and Jerry Garcia.

Happy 70th Birthday Marty Balin.

See also:
Song of the Week #81: “Jefferson Airplane – Volunteers”

“Garden Party” is Rick Nelson’s account of his appearance at a Rock ‘n’ Roll revival concert, which took place at Madison Square Garden, New York City, on October 15, 1971. Other stars on the bill included Bo Diddley, Chuck Berry and Bobby Rydell.

Nelson had been one of the most successful teen idols of the early years of rock ‘n’ roll, before moving on to record pioneering, but less commercially successful country rock music in the mid-’60s. Accompanying the new music was a new image that had little in common with the rockabilly persona that the nostalgia-driven Madison Square Garden audience might have expected. Nelson turned up with shoulder length hair, a purple velvet shirt and bell-bottoms – a situation that he would describe as follows in “Garden Party”:

After sitting through new material by Nelson and his Stone Canyon Band, including a cover of The Rolling Stones’ “Country Honk” (a country version of “Honky Tonk Women”), the Madison Square Garden crowd began to boo and a disappointed and hurt Nelson cut his set short. At least, that was Nelson’s interpretation of the event. It has also been suggested that Nelson wrongly assumed that boos directed at disturbances in the crowd were meant for him. Whatever the truth, it prompted Nelson to write a fine country rock track that would be his first Top Ten hit since 1963.

Although “Garden Party” was inspired by a disheartening experience, it doesn’t take the form of a frustrated rant. Instead, Nelson came to accept the crowd reaction and view it as a learning experience, as highlighted by the chorus:

This point is reinforced by the one of the song’s most memorable lines:

Nelson tells us that two former-Beatles were in attendance for the Madison Square Garden show, namely John Lennon and George Harrison. They are identified by the lyrics “Yoko brought her Walrus” and “Mr. Hughes hid in Dylan’s shoes, wearing his disguise,” respectively. The Walrus reference of course relates to the Lennon-penned Beatles track “I Am The Walrus.” The “Mr Hughes” reference is less obvious and is often wrongly thought to apply to Howard Hughes. In fact, Hughes was a name that Harrison used in order to remain anonymous when travelling, and the “Dylan’s shoes” lyric was probably a reference to a Dylan covers album that Harrison was planning.

Further evidence of Nelson’s lyrical inventiveness comes with the line “I said hello to Mary Lou, she belongs to me” because “she belongs to me” highlights not only his enduring association with the monster hit “Hello, Mary Lou,” but also his 1969 cover of the Dylan song “She Belongs To Me.”

Nelson breathed life into these fine lyrics with a strong country rock melody sang in typically laidback fashion, ably backed by his Stone Canyon Band.

Rick Nelson – “Garden Party”

Authorship

“Garden Party” was written by Rick Nelson.

Recording date

“Garden Party” was recorded in the spring of 1972.

Musicians

The following musicians played on “Garden Party”:

• Rick Nelson – guitar, lead vocals
• Allen Kemp – lead guitar, background vocals
• Tom Brumley – steel guitar
• Stephen A. Love – bass, background vocals
• Patrick Shanahan – drums.

Kemp and Shanahan had played together for years, as both had been members of The Poor, along with Randy Meisner, who played bass with the Stone Canyon Band until he was replaced by his former Goldrush bandmate Stephen A. Love in 1971. Meisner would join the Linda Ronstadt band, which would morph into The Eagles after parting with Ronstadt.

Tom Brumley had played with Buck Owens for years before joining Nelson’s band in 1969. He regards the “Garden Party” album as one of the highlights of his career.

Chart performance

“Garden Party” peaked at number six on the Billboard Hot 100 on October 29, 1972.

Cover

John Fogerty – “Garden Party”

Former Creedence Clearwater Revival frontman, John Fogerty, covered “Garden Party” for his 2009 album “The Blue Ridge Rangers Rides Again.” The Eagles’ Don Henley and Timothy B. Schmit joined vocal duties with Fogerty on the track.

This is an enjoyable cover, but holds no surprises as the original arrangement is followed closely.

There will be a new Song of the Week on February 6.

Rick Nelson’s “Garden Party” is available on the album “Garden Party” and on a number of compilations, including “Ricky Nelson’s Greatest Hits.”

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Garden Party (CD)	Buy Now	Buy Now	Buy Now
Ricky Nelson Greatest Hits (CD)	Buy Now	Buy Now	Buy Now

“L.A. Woman” was released in April 1971 and was the Doors’ final album with frontman Jim Morrison, who died three months later.

“She Smells So Nice” was discovered by the original “L.A. Woman” studio engineer, Bruce Botnick, while he was reviewing sessions tapes for the 40th anniversary edition.

The Doors L.A. Woman 40th Anniversary – Tracklist

CD 1

• The Changeling
• Love Her Madly
• Been Down So Long
• Cars Hiss By My Window
• L.A. Woman
• L’America
• Hyacinth House
• Crawling King Snake
• The WASP
• Riders On The Storm.

CD 2

• The Changeling (Alternate Version)
• Love Her Madly (Alternate Version)
• Cars Hiss By My Window (Alternate Version)
• L.A. Woman (Alternate Version)
• The WASP
• Been Down So Long (Alternate Version)
• Riders On The Storm (Alternate Version)
• She Smells So Nice
• Rock Me.

“Mr. Mojo Risin’ – The Story of L.A. Woman”

Coinciding with the “L.A. Woman – 40th Anniversary” is the release of “Mr. Mojo Risin’ – The Story of L.A. Woman” on DVD and Blu-ray. The documentary tells the story of the making of the Doors sixth album through interviews with Bruce Botnick; the band’s surviving members, Ray Manzarek, Robbie Krieger and John Densmore; and their former manager, Bill Siddons.

“Mr. Mojo Risin’ – The Story of L.A. Woman” – Trailer

“The Doors – L.A. Woman 40th Anniversary” and “Mr. Mojo Risin’ – The Story of L.A. Woman” are available now from:

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The Doors – L.A. Woman 40th Anniversary (2 CDs)	Buy Now	Buy Now	Buy Now	Buy Now
Mr. Mojo Risin’ – The Story of L.A. Woman (DVD)	Buy Now	Buy Now	Buy Now	Buy Now
Mr. Mojo Risin’ – The Story of L.A. Woman (Blu-ray)	Buy Now	Buy Now	Buy Now	Buy Now

Scroll down for a chance to win two tickets to see Bruce at the Etihad Stadium, Manchester on June 22.

The tour will promote Springsteen’s latest album, “Wrecking Ball,” which is released on March 6. The single, “We Take Care of Our Own” was released last week.

Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band US tour dates

• March 18 – Philips Arena, Atlanta, GA
• March 19 – Greensboro Coliseum, Greensboro, NC
• March 23 – Tampa Bay Times Forum, Tampa, FL
• March 26 – TD Garden, Boston, MA
• March 28 – Wells Fargo Center, Philadelphia, PA
• March 29 – Wells Fargo Center, Philadelphia, PA
• April 1 – Verizon Center, Washington, DC
• April 3 – Izod Center, East Rutherford, NJ
• April 4 – Izod Center, East Rutherford, NJ
• April 6 – Madison Square Garden, New York, NY
• April 9 – Madison Square Garden, New York, NY
• April 12 – The Palace of Auburn Hills, Detroit, MI
• April 13 – First Niagara Center, Buffalo, NY
• April 16 – Times Union Center Albany, NY
• April 17 – Quicken Loans Arena, Cleveland, OH
• April 24 – HP Pavilion, San Jose, CA
• April 26 – Los Angeles Memorial Sports Arena, Los Angeles, CA
• April 29 – New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival, New Orleans, LA
• May 2 – Prudential Center, Newark, NJ.

Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band European tour dates

• May 13 – Estadio Olimpico , Seville, Spain
• May 17 – ,Estadio Olimpico Lluis Barcelona, Spain
• May 18 – Estadio Olimpico Lluis, Barcelona, Spain
• May 25 – Commerzbank Arena, Frankfurt, Germany
• May 27 – RheinEnergieStadion, Cologne, Germany
• May 28 – Pinkpop, Landgraaf, Netherlands
• May 30 – Berlin, Germany, Olympia Stadion
• June 2 – Estadio Anoeta, San Sebastian, Spain
• June 3 – Rock in Lisbon, Lisbon, Portugal
• June 7 – Stadio Meaza, Milan, Italy
• June 10 – Stadio Francesco, Florence, Italy
• June 11 – Stadio Trieste, Trieste, Italy
• June 17 – Estadio Santago Bernabu, Madrid, Spain
• June 19 – Park & Suites Arena, Montpellier, France
• June 21 – Stadium of Light, Sunderland
• June 22 – Etihad Stadium, Manchester
• June 24 – Isle of Wight Festival, Isle of Wight
• July 4 – Bercy, Paris, France
• July 5 – Bercy, Paris, France
• July 7 – Roskilde Festival, Roskilde, Denmark
• July 9 – Stadium Letzigrund, Zurich, Switzerland
• July 11 – Synot Tip Arena, Prague, Czech Republic
• July 12 – Ernst Happel Stadium, Vienna, Austria
• July 14 – Hard Rock Calling, London, UK
• July 17 – RDS, Dublin, Ireland
• July 18 – RDS, Dublin, Ireland
• July 21 – Valle Hoven, Oslo, Norway
• July 23 – Koengen, Bergen, Norway
• July 24 – Koengen, Bergen, Norway
• July 27 – Ullevi, Gothenberg, Sweden
• July 28 – Ullevi, Gothenberg, Sweden
• July 31 – Olympic Stadium, Helsinki, Finland.

Bruce Springsteen tickets prize draw

Here’s your chance to win two tickets for the Friday 22 June gig at the Etihad Stadium, Manchester. Click here for your free entry to the Bruce Springsteen tickets prize draw

The prize draw is open to UK readers aged 18 and over.

You can buy the new single and pre-order the album at:

Title
Bruce Springsteen – We Take Care Of Our Own	Buy Now	Buy Now
Bruce Springsteen – Wrecking Ball	Buy Now	Buy Now

The new album was produced by Ron Aniello, who previously worked with Jars of Clay, Candlebox and Patti Scialfa (Springsteen’s wife).

A source close to Bruce has told the Hollywood reporter that “Wrecking Ball” is Bruce’s angriest album yet. As such, it’s no surprise when the title of “We Take Care Of Our Own” turns out to be an example of scathing sarcasm, rather than chest thumping pride. With lyrics such as “The road of good intentions has gone dry as a bone” and “Where’s the promise, from sea to shining sea,” it’s evident that the message is that we should take care of our own, but are failing. This is a device that Springsteen has used before of course, most notably on “Born In the USA,” which seems drenched in patriotic fervour until you actually pay attention to the lyrics that surround the anthemic chorus.

Bruce Springsteen – “We Take Care Of Our Own”

Springsteen’s manager, Jon Landau, told Rolling Stone that “Wrecking Ball” is a “big-picture piece of work. It’s a rock record that combines elements of both Bruce’s classic sound and his Seeger Sessions experience, with new textures and styles.” He added “It was an experimental effort with a new producer. Bruce and Ron used a wide variety of players to create something that both rocks and is very fresh.”

Those “wide variety of players” include Bruce’s E Street Band members, as well as Tom Morello and Pearl Jam drummer Matt Chamberlain. Missing of course was Clarence Clemons on sax, who passed away last June.

The “We Take Care Of Our Own” single (download only) and “Wrecking Ball” album can be bought now from Amazon in the US and iTunes in the UK. The release date for “Wrecking Ball” is March 6 in the US and March 5 in the UK.

The tracklist for “Wrecking Ball” is as follows:

1. We Take Care Of Our Own
2. Easy Money
3. Shackled And Drawn
4. Jack Of All Trades
5. Death To My Hometown
6. This Depression
7. Wrecking Ball
8. You’ve Got It
9. Rocky Ground
10. Land Of Hope and Dreams
11. We Are Alive
12. Swallowed Up (Bonus Track)
13. American Land (Bonus Track).

Ordering information:

Title
Bruce Springsteen – We Take Care Of Our Own	Buy Now	Buy Now
Bruce Springsteen – Wrecking Ball	Buy Now	Buy Now

“Paul Simon – Under African Skies” shows Simon travel back to South Africa for a reunion concert with the original “Graceland” musicians. It also features interviews with anti-apartheid activists of the time, and music legends such as Paul McCartney and Quincy Jones.

The screening of “Paul Simon – Under African Skies” begins a year long celebration to mark the 25th anniversary of “Graceland.” In May, you can expect the release of a deluxe collector’s box set and a special two-disc set, each featuring the original album with bonus tracks and the director’s cut of “Under African Skies.”

The former Creedence Clearwater Revival frontman wrote the theme tune for the show and he will also appear in the first episode playing a stripped down version of his signature song “Fortunate Son.” You’ll be able to download that rendition of “Fortunate Son” at JohnFogerty.com for a week after the show airs.

John Fogerty on the set of The Finder – Fox © 2012

Fogerty told Billboard:

“The Finder” is a spin-off of the popular show “Bones.”

Fogerty is currently recording a new album that will feature various guest artists, including the Foo Fighters, Brad Paisley and Miranda Lambert. He is also going on tour this year, including March dates in Australia and New Zealand, and possibly North American dates later in the year.