By Bryan Wawzenek

According to Graham Nash, Crosby, Stills and Nash’s new album is about one-third done. Helmed by producer extraordinaire Rick Rubin, the untitled release will feature an array of classic rock covers. During their summer tour, CSN has been giving audiences the first taste of some of their reworkings, including a version of The Rolling Stones’ “Ruby Tuesday.”

Nash and Stephen Stills have revealed other songs that will be part of the album: The Beatles’ “Norwegian Wood (This Bird Has Flown),” Bob Dylan’s “Girl From the North Country,” The Allman Brothers Band’s “Midnight Rider,” the Grateful Dead’s “Uncle John’s Band,” Jackson Browne’s “Lives in the Balance” and Tim Hardin’s “Reason to Believe.” Nash told Billboard.com that he’s not sure when the album will be finished and released.

“It’s a lot slower than it’s ever taken us to do an album, because we’ve been on the road since May, and we don’t quit until October,” Nash said. “We all want it to be right – Rick, too – so we’re taking our time to make sure it is.”

Nash said that working with Rubin has been “very interesting. It’s hard to tell CSN what to do in the studio after almost 40, 50 years, but it’s an interesting experience. We’re certainly opening to listening to him. He has good ideas, of course.”

The singer and former member of The Hollies also is working on a live album that will compile tracks from Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young’s 1974 tour. He said he’s enjoyed listening to the old tapes.

“We were really a fine band,” he said. “It’s very obvious when you play the tracks that we’re listening to each other, not stepping on each other’s toes, not overblowing. It’s really, really good.”

He said he hopes the live release will come out in 2011.

By Andrew Vaughan

Eric Clapton is one of the owners of the Ferrari 458 Italia, which have been involved in a recall because a design flaw has seen five of the $230,000 cars burst into flames. The Italian car manufacturer has been forced to recall more that 1,200 Italias.

Ferrari has been in touch with all the Italia owners and offered to fix them for free.

Meanwhile Clapton, who hates his voice, is preparing for the release of his 19th solo album,Clapton, on September 28. The album features guest appearances from Sheryl Crow, Derek Trucks, Steve Winwood, Wynton Marsalis and Allen Toussaint.

By Michael Wright

Rush have always been a band for hardcore cult fans, mostly guys, and a bit of a punching bag for critics. But that attitude has slowly changed in the last year, with the Canadian trio getting a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame and a cameo in the Paul Rudd bromance, I Love You, Man. But the biggest factor in the band’s sudden “cool” status is the award-winning documentaryRush: Beyond the Lighted Stage. Guitarist Alex Lifeson spoke to MusicRadar.com about the film’s impact.

“I think Rush have always had this reputation, particularly to non-fans, of being an ultra-serious and cerebral group when, in fact, the reverse is true. We don’t take ourselves seriously at all. Sure, we take our music seriously, but that’s altogether different. As people, we’re just three regular guys. People are always stunned at how normal we are. We don’t act like rock stars. We have very middle-class values and a good work ethic. Behaving like rock stars, that’s just not the way we’re built.”

Lifeson noted that even the band’s notoriously dude-heavy crowd makeup is slowly changing:

“I think the documentary, above anything else, made us accessible to women. Believe me, it hasn’t gone unnoticed that we’re seeing a lot more women at our shows than ever before, and that’s probably not by accident. Something is definitely bringing women in. I think the documentary affected them somehow… Perhaps a lot of women — maybe their husbands or boyfriends were lifelong fans — might never have thought of coming to see us live, but they saw the documentary and see us in a new light.”

Most of all, according to Lifeson, longevity and friendship have influenced the court of public opinion:

“This might be the biggest thing of all – there’s the fact that we’ve just been around for so long. Eventually, you kind of wear down people’s resistance, and they start to see you for what you really are. I do think the documentary helped in that area — it showed everybody how close a unit we are and that we really love and care about one another. Our bond goes way beyond the music.”

By Michael Wright

EMI unveiled the complete tracklisting and cover art for a slew of new John Lennon remasters and collections, to be released on October 4 in the U.K. and October 5 in the U.S. in anticipation of what would have been the rock legend’s 70^th birthday on October 9. Featured in the launch are eight remastered Lennon solo albums, plus severalnew titles.

Double Fantasy Stripped Down features a newly remixed version of the 1980 Grammy Album of the Year, with original producer Jack Douglas and Yoko Ono overseeing the remixes. The album will also feature original drawings by Sean Lennon.

Other classics will regain some bits that have fallen by the wayside over the course of format changes from vinyl to cassette to CD. Some Time in New York Citywill once again feature six “live jam” recordings that were featured on the original release. And Walls and Bridges will have the original artwork restored.

The 11-disc John Lennon Signature Box includes 13 previously unreleased demos and personal essays written by Yoko Ono, Sean Lennon and Julian Lennon. There will also be a four-disc set titled Gimme Some Truth and a single disc greatest hits called Power to the People: The Hits.

By Bryan Wawzenek

Although the title of Jerry Lee Lewis’ new, star-studded album is Mean Old Man, the rock legend says it doesn’t refer to him. “No, it has nothing to do with me whatsoever,” the 74-year-old told Billboard. “It’s named for the Kris Kristofferson song [that opens the set], which I flipped out over when I heard it. I thought it was a hit piece of material, so I cut it.”

In addition to Kristofferson, the album features Keith Richards, Mick Jagger, Slash, Ringo Starr, John Mayer, Ron Wood, Eric Clapton and James Burton, as previously reported on Gibson.com. The album will be released on September 7 in two editions – a 10-track, standard version and an 18-track, expanded version. The expanded Mean Old Man features songs with Shelby Lynne and Gillian Welch.

“My daddy likes singing with girls,” said Phoebe Lewis, Jerry’s daughter who also manages his career. “It’s just a collection of people who really love Jerry and wanted to be part of the album. The fact that they bring their own notoriety is just a plus. They’re like the ultimate sidemen and women.”

Some of the tracks are currently available on iTunes, including “Rockin’ My Life Away,” featuring Kid Rock and Slash.

By Bryan Wawzenek

Special thanks to ThisDayinMusic.com.

Before The Joshua Tree, War or even Boy, there was Three – U2’s debut release that consisted of (as the title suggests) three songs. Although only sold in Ireland, the EP marked an important milestone. On September 1, 1979, as a precursor to stadium-rocking concerts, multi-platinum albums and world-saving crusades, U2 wouldrelease their first songs to the public.

The story, however, begins about three years earlier, on September 25, 1976, when 14-year-old Larry Mullen Jr. posted a note on a school bulletin board saying that he was looking for people who were interested in starting a band. According to the drummer, it was to be called The Larry Mullen Band for about 10 minutes, until a boy named Paul Hewson showed up. With Bono in the band, there was little chance of little Larry being the leader.

Although guitarist Dave Evans (soon to become The Edge) and bassist Adam Clayton were in the group from the get-go, the band also included Dave’s older brother, Dik Evans, and Mullen’s friends, Ivan McCormick and Peter Martin. After a few weeks, McCormick and Martin had dropped out, and U2 were a quintet. Of course, they weren’t called U2 at the time. Initially, they took the name Feedback and then changed to The Hype in 1977.

Over the course of the next year, The Hype played songs by their punk rock heroes – The Jam, The Clash and the Sex Pistols. After Dik and the other four members began to grow apart (Dik was older and in college at the time), The Hype played a farewell show in March of 1978. For the first half of the concert, Dik played covers with the other four guys. For the second half, the remaining members only played original songs, and they announced their new name: U2.

Shortly after the concert – on St. Patrick’s Day, to be exact – the newly christened U2 won a talent contest, receiving £500, time in a recording studio and a chance to be heard by the Irish branch of CBS Records. The boys recorded their first demos in May, which would result in the Three EP (also known as U2-3), released by CBS in September, but only in U2’s home country.

Consisting of three songs, the EP’s A- and B-sides were decided by legendary Irish DJ Dave Fanning’s listeners. U2 came on his radio show every night for one week, and the listeners eventually chose “Out of Control” for the A-side (and first single) and “Stories for Boys” and “Boy/Girl” for the other side. Released on this day in 1979 with an initial run of only 1,000 copies, Three would peak at #19 on the Irish charts. The EP has since been reissued four times, but remains rare.

Fans outside of Ireland wouldn’t hear two of these songs until the release of U2’s debut LP Boy, in October 1980, after the band signed with Island Records. The album featured re-recorded versions of “Out of Control” and “Stories for Boys,” which along with “Boy/Girl” were often performed on early tours. As the band became a worldwide sensation, all three would be phased out of U2’s regular set lists, although “Out of Control” lasted the longest and even made infrequent appearances on the Elevation and Vertigo tours, sometimes played with local bands.

Today, fans can hear Three’s original recordings as bonus tracks on the 2008 special edition re-release ofBoy.

By Andrew Vaughan

Music-News.com reports some interesting comments from KISS bass player and vocalist Gene Simmons. The always-quotable rock and reality TV star explained the feeling he gets when on stage: “It’s electric church, there’s no experience like it. Popes, Presidents, Prime Ministers, even Kings, none of them get to feel like I do. Only maybe Olympian Gods would.’

On a more serious note, Simmons also explained that his lust for life is rooted in his mother’s wartime experiences. Simmons said:“My mother, at 14, was in the concentration camps of Nazi Germany. And saw her whole family incinerated in the ovens. Her philosophy has always been: every day above ground is a good day. Life is a gift, not a birthright. Don’t waste it.”

By Bryan Wawzenek

Give Eric Clapton a guitar, and old slowhand has no fear. But it’s another thing entirely when the rock legend has to sing.

“I hate my singing. I don’t like the way I sing,” Clapton recently told Mojo. “It all sounds like I’m 16 years old from Surbiton. I do my best to try and feel it. You know, when I watch Ray Charles sing, I think, ‘That’s it, that’s how it’s done.’ He remembers thousands of songs and he sings them all as if they’re the most important song he knows. He does it from the bottom of his heart, every time, every song. And that’s, that’s the inspiration. That’s my influence. But I’m imbued with so much self-doubt about my singing, that it’s very difficult for me to get to that freedom that those kinds of singers have.”

For his forthcoming album, Clapton, the blues-rocker has teamed up with Allen Toussaint, Sheryl Crow and Wynton Marsalis. For his version of Irving Berlin’s “How Deep is the Ocean” on the studio album (his first in five years), Clapton said he was inspired by frequent collaborator J.J. Cale.

“That’s almost like I’m not having to try to sing. I can sing very quietly and it’s going to be O.K.,” he said. “I learned that from J.J. See, you can have Ray Charles at one end of the spectrum, who can do all kinds of things with the voice, and go up and down in octaves and registers. And, you’ve got J.J. at the other, who creates exactly the same amount of emotional capacity in a very minimal way. And he’s still just as riveting to listen to. So there are different ways to do it.”

Clapton will be released on September 28.

By Bryan Wawzenek

A Bob Dylan song soon might be its own movie, according to Pajiba.com. Screenwriter and Martin Scorsese collaborator Jay Cocks (Gangs of New York, The Age of Innocence) is working on a script based on Dylan’s epic “Brownsville Girl.” The rock legend wrote the song with playwright/actor Sam Shepard and released it on 1986’s Knocked Out Loaded.

The song – which runs more than 11 minutes – is a mixture of a western tale and romance and includes references to Gregory Peck movies. Apparently, Dylan himself asked Cocks to write the script, which is now rumored to be attached toCrazy Heart director Scott Cooper. Brad Pitt is being asked to star as the lead, Henry Porter. Johnny Depp was previously offered the role.

If the “Brownsville Girl” movie does get made, it will join Harper Valley PTA, Alice’s Restaurantand The Gambler in the rare category of movies based on a song. It will also join Dylan’s movie-making escapades, alongside 2003’s Masked and Anonymous (which he co-wrote) and 1978’s Renaldo and Clara (which he wrote and directed).

By Michael Wright

Of the 25,000 people in attendance at The Beatles’ 1966 concert at San Francisco’s Candlestick Park, only six knew that this would be the band’s final show: John, Paul, George, Ringo, the band’s road manager, Neil Aspinall, and their assistant road manager, Mal Evans. As far as everyone else was concerned, this was just another stop for the rollercoaster that was Beatlemania.

But the mania had proved too manic for the Fab Four in the months leading up to the gig. Deafening (and non-listening) audiences, pushy promoters and local bigwigs, angry record-burners (following Lennon’s infamous “Bigger than Jesus” comment) and a near riot in the Philippines had convinced the boys — even the ever-enthusiastic showman McCartney — that enough was enough. The circus had to stop.

There were also the band’s musical ambitions to take into account. Emboldened by their ever-growing songwriting talents and energized by advances in studio recording technology, they would no longer accept the three-songs-in-a-day-squeezed-somewhere-between-tour-legs approach to recording. They wanted time to build layers upon layers of musical constructs that, themselves, would be too complex to ever reproduce on stage. Case in point is the band’s set list from the 1966 tour, which included not a single track from their most recent album,Revolver.

So, when the band took the stage in the early evening of August 29, they knew this was truly the end of a significant stage of their career. To mark the occasion, they even brought cameras onto the stage to snap pictures of the event — which must have seemed odd to the Beatle worshippers in attendance.

The group opened with a slightly sluggish version of Chuck Berry’s “Rock and Roll Music,” perhaps an indicator of the exhaustion they felt at the end of this particularly grueling tour. But things quickly picked up, as the Fabs launched straightaway into a rousing “She’s a Woman.” After a quick “thank you” and “hello” by Macca, Lennon and McCartney ceded the mic to George Harrison for a gorgeous version of “If I Needed Someone” (if The Beatles truly couldn’t hear themselves on stage, then it’s a miracle they were still able to harmonize like this).

Lennon then introduced a song “about a naughty lady called ‘Day Tripper.’” The middle rave up and solo nearly raised the metaphorical roof. The band followed with the curiously non-rousing “Baby’s in Black,” perhaps as a musical plea to get the screaming 12 year olds to quiet down for a moment. Midway through, even McCartney seemed to get tired of the plodding tune and commenced to whoop up the kids between verses.

George Harrison then introduced the feedback-enhanced “I Feel Fine” as “something recorded back in 1959.” This song, as well as the previous “Day Tripper,” showcased the band’s hot new Epiphone Casinos, a rocking upgrade to the group’s sound in ’66.

George then introduced Paul, “singing a very nice song called ‘Yesterday.’” Even the screamers dialed back their whoops and hollers to hear his plaintive solo performance…most of them, anyway. Macca then introduced Ringo, who received some of the loudest cheers of the night for the absolutely rocking “I Wanna Be Your Man.” Perhaps as an in-joke reminder of the finality of the occasion, John thanked Ringo and told him it was lovely working with him.

Next up was the vocally ambitious “Nowhere Man,” which the group came fairly close to nailing, despite the poor sound on stage. Just as ambitious was the next track, introduced by Paul — “Paperback Writer.” If the harmonies veered just a little bit off, the blazing riff and rollicking drums still kicked the song into overdrive.

The band closed by getting back to where they once belonged, with a little taste of the Cavern Club. The choice was Little Richard’s “Long Tall Sally,” introduced and absolutely blasted by Paul McCartney, singing as if it was the last song he would ever perform. And maybe it seemed that way to Paul in August of ’66. Like a veteran athlete playing his final game, Macca left it all on the field.

After a mere 33 minutes, the band hit the final chord and waved farewell to their fans forever (save for those precious minutes on the Apple rooftop three years later). Lennon mischievously strummed the opening of “In My Life”…perhaps a fitting last look at the past before embarking on the next groundbreaking phase of their career.

Special thanks to ThisDayinMusic.com.