Led Zeppelin guitarist Jimmy Page performed the classic “Whole Lotta Love” with Leona Lewis at the
closing ceremonies of the Beijing Olympic Games. Too bad his guitar was buried deep down in the mix
during most of the song. However, we did get to hear his famous solo break in the middle, and Leona Lewis did a good lead vocal, despite the overblown special effects. How cool is that to see the reclusive Jimmy Page during this worldwide spectacle, as Beijing hands off the flame to London for the upcoming Olympic Games in 2012.

NBC Video: http://www.nbcolympics.com/video

YouTube Video: David Beckham, Leona Lewis and Jimmy Page talk about London 2012 and their involvement in the 2008 Olympic handover ceremony.

Sixty-five year old music legend Isaac Hayes died Sunday. Of course, I remember Isaac Hayes for his baritone vocals and funky rhythms on his classic hit soundtrack for “Shaft.” He really set the theme for generations of funk and soul musicians with that groundbreaking album. ‘Black Moses’ was also released in 1971, which contained the hit song “Never Can Say Goodbye.”

One thing I didn’t know is that Hayes wrote or co-wrote soul classics like “Hold On I’m Comin’” for Sam and Dave. Hayes was also a backing musician and keyboard player for Otis Redding, after signing on as a session player with Stax Records in Memphis. He and David Porter wrote alot of the Stax hits. Hayes was also a self-taught musician on piano, organ and saxophone.

Read more about Isaac Hayes at:
news.bbc.co.uk

www.isaachayes.com

Read more about Stax Records at news.bbc.co.uk

Classic Studio T, a music label that works out of Shepperton Film Studios in the UK, has a cool YouTube page featuring some really great DVD packages.

‘Limited Edition Director’s Cut’ DVD of the Yes 35th Anniversary World Tour. Behind-the-scenes footage and previously unreleased live performances at the N.I.A, Birmingham and The Glastonbury Festival that didn’t make it into the original DVD of ‘Yes - The Director’s Cut.’

Steve Howe ‘Remedy Live’ DVD, a feature length “Live” concert filmed during his 2004 European Tour. Howe is one of the most amazing guitarists of our time. Video performance of “The Clap” from The Yes Album.

Bill Wyman’s Rhythm Kings ‘Let The Good Times Roll’ DVD features two live performances, in the studio and on the road during their European tour in 2004. The band performs jazz and rock ‘n’ roll classics from some of the greatest artists of all time including Little Richard, Nat King Cole, Nina Simmone, and Lonnie Donnegan. Performances from Bill Wyman, Albert Lee and Georgie Fame, among others. Video features the Ray Charles classic “I Got A Woman.”

Nazareth ‘Live From Classic T Stage’ DVD shows this Scottish rock band performing and recording a greatest hits session. Double documentaries also capture the classic rock band on the road.

www.youtube.com/user/ClassicStudioT

Rick Springfield’s new album ‘Venus In Overdrive’ really rocks hard. It’s his first collection of original songs in four years. The first single off the album is “What’s Victoria’s Secret?” which is also the first performance video. The song has that “Jessie’s Girl” vibe with all the typical hooks and double-tracked vocals of a hit single. One of the CD’s four bonus tracks include a surprise remake of The Who’s “My Generation.”

Sixty second samples of the new CD are playing on Rick Springfield’s website, but watch the volume!
www.rickspringfield.com

“Saint Sahara” and “Oblivious” pays tribute to Sahara Aldridge, who recently passed away. She was one of Springfield’s biggest fans.

iTunes is offering the exclusive bonus track of “Pretty Little Mess,” while the Best Buy CD versions offer two additional tracks; “My Generation” and an acoustic version of “Jessie’s Girl.”

Every CD has limited edition bonus content:
Exclusive content via a special website URL listed in the CD booklet
30-minute video track-by-track song analysis by Rick Springfield
Two performance music videos of “What’s Victoria’s Secret?” and “Venus In Overdrive”
Contest for autographed guitar and worn stage-clothes
Download of the studio version of “Who Killed Rock-N-Roll?”
Copies of hand-written lyrics

August Tour dates:
8/1 Peachtree City, GA
8/2 Peachtree City, GA
8/3 Crown Point, IN
8/9 Des Moines, IA
8/14 Tulsa, OK
8/15 St. Charles, IL
8/16 St. Charles, IL
8/22 Mitchell, SD

The Friends Cruise is almost sold out on the Carnival Cruise Ship Destiny. The voyage is a special package of concerts from Rick Springfield and special guest John Waite, departing Miami to Key West and Cozumel.

Read more atwww.rickspringfield.com.

It’s funny how long it takes to discover something really unique. The Rosary Tapes for example. Created in the early nineties on cassette tapes and later remastered onto CD, The Rosary Tapes are a collection of Roman Catholic prayers and meditations for the rosary, which are set to contemporary music. Alot of study, research and prayer went into the recording process, according to reports.

Michigan-based music consultants Bill Gildenstern and composer John Giaier have collaborated on thousands of advertising jingles in their 30 year history of working together. They were the guys who did the famous Ford jingle “Have You Driven A Ford Lately?” Gildenstern convinced Giaier on the project in 1992, and created the Rosary Tapes to help recite the prayers while driving.

They have released the fourth CD in the set, the Mysteries of Light, and had more than one million free downloads of the Joyful Mysteries since 2001. More than 40,000 sets of the Rosary Tapes have been sold. The four-CD set costs $39.95 online and can be ordered from rosarytapes.com.

“It’s not a Catholic prayer, it’s a Christian prayer,” Gildenstern said. “We all have our traditions, but the bottom line is we’re Christians. I see the rosary not as something to, in any way, replace our Sunday worship together, but rather as a way to bring prayer into other areas of our lives where we may typically not pray, such as while driving or exercising.”

Online: www.rosarytapes.com

Press: ap.google.com/article

associatedcontent.com