A Rick Springfield time capsule

My copy of the “Springfield” CD came in the mail yesterday. I read the liner notes right away, but since I wasn’t sure where our CD player is, I ended up listening to it in my car today. Fortunately today’s the one day a week I drive to the office so I got to listen to the whole thing more than once.

First impression on first listen:

1. It rocks! It really showcases RS’s incredible guitar playing.
   
2. On first listen, my favorites are “Beethoven Street” and “Eleanor Rigby.” (It’s bizarre to think that this was recorded only eight years after the original Beatles’ “Eleanor Rigby” was released.) “Streakin’ Across the U.S.A.” cracked me up – I thought it was a fun song and if I had to choose one that I could imagine hearing on a 70s hit radio station today if the album was actually released in 1974, it’s “American Girls.”
   
3. It was great to have such extensive liner notes. I don’t want to spoil it for anyone so I won’t give any details, but it included some photos from that time (caveman outfit, anyone?) and details about each song.
   
4. Songs that didn’t age well: “Trash” (‘Trash, I’ve been thinking a lot about you, trash” “I don’t care if you’re built like a car” “And it really is a plain shame, but you’re trash, yeah, I know.”) and “Electra” (“Electra, Electra, I thought that I was your number one, Electra, Electra, Watcha gonna do with that machine gun?” followed by the drums sounding like a machine gun.) Actually my first response was feeling very disturbed by that, but I realize that reaction was more to the recent shootings and remembered that it was written 50 years ago by a 25-year-old guy and realized that it probably seemed really clever at the time. (The song sounded cooler in the live version, but hearing a machine gun at a live concert would not be cool these days.)
   
5. It was fun to hear the live versions of the songs – the band sounded great and it was also cool to hear RS’s Australian accent when he spoke between songs (since that was before the acting classes where he learned to speak without his accent).
   
6. The whole CD feels like a time capsule – hearing RS songs I’ve never heard before, seeing pics I’ve never seen before and hearing stories behind the songs and learning details about that time in his life. Even the whole idea of it – songs never being released because the record label decided not to release it – is an example of how it used to be. Now artists can release their own songs whenever they want to and don’t need to depend on a record label to release music. Heck, even I have two of my songs on Spotify (though, with about 100,000 songs being uploaded on Spotify each day, it’s difficult to get your songs noticed.)

Here’s a paragraph about the album from RS’s autobiography “Late, Late at Night”:

My record dies an orphan, landing with a bruised thud on the Hollywood sidewalk after a year and a half of loving care from me. If I didn’t know it already, I learn it now: this game is not for wusses. The album, tentatively titled Springfield – Rocks Off! (yikes) is put in a warehouse somewhere, along with the crated Ark of the Covenant, never to be seen or heard again.”

Rick Springfield, “Late, Late at Night”

Never to be seen or heard again, that is, until 2023.

In other news…

RS announced the “I Want My 80s Tour,” which is Aug. 4-Sept. 17 and will include Tommy Tutone and select dates with The Hooters and Paul Young. There’s no stop in Arizona this time around so it looks like I’ll be missing this one.

Totally random piece of information: On the Rick Springfield and Us fan-based website, I just noticed that today in Rick Springfield history, RS appeared on Arizona Midday and signed his novel “Magnificent Vibration” at a Tempe bookstore in 2014. Unfortunately I didn’t see either at that time so didn’t know about the book signing beforehand so I didn’t go. However, there was an interview with RS about his book on PBS the following month, which I did see which reignited my RS crush after losing touch of his career for over 15 years and inspired this blog nearly nine years ago.

(In the Arizona Midday video, there’s a “General Hospital” clip of Noah Drake and Bobbie Spencer, aka RS and Jacklyn Zeman. I was so sad to hear that she died this week. She seemed like such a nice person. Condolences to all her loved ones.)

Also, in a video clip from a recent concert that was posted on Facebook, we learned that the new album he’s been working on will be called “Automatic” and will have 20 new songs!!!!! Whoo-hoo, can’t wait for this NEW new album to come out!

Freed from the vault: A new Rick Springfield album recorded in 1974 will finally be released

Back in 1974, Rick Springfield was signed with Columbia Records and recorded an album. And now, nearly 50 years later, it’s about to be released.

Why the delay?

According to Iconclassic Records:

Rick Springfield seemed to be on a fast track to stardom by 1974. He had it all: a batch of well-crafted commercially viable songs, a great voice, muscular musicianship and striking good looks. After scoring with 1972’s “Speak to the Sky” single, he assembled his first solo band and hit the road in pursuit of his dreams. “It was a hedonistic couple of months of rock and roll and partying and no parents,” remembers Springfield. “Songs came out of all that fire and sexual angst of being 25 and being on your own.”

But when Rick delivered his completed Springfield album to Columbia Records, the label balked. Its hard rock sound and suggestive lyrics flew in the face of the pink and perky bubblegum sound they expected. In early ’75, the Springfield album was officially shelved.

For almost 50 years, Springfield has sat in the vaults…until now. Remastered from the original tapes and expanded with unheard live performances of its material, Springfield finally takes its rightful place in Rick’s catalog.

Here’s what the expanded edition remastered CD with bonus tracks, which is due to be released on May 12, 2023, includes:

• Previously unreleased vintage Rick Springfield studio album!
• Plus rare single sides for first time on CD worldwide
• Unheard bonus live versions of 8 of the album tracks, introduced by the legendary Wolfman Jack
• 16 of 21 tracks previously unissued
• 20-page full color booklet includes unseen photos and memorabilia
• 5,000-word liner notes essay by Ken Sharp includes new commentary from Rick Springfield plus the contributing musicians and his then-manager, and full track by track discussion
• Digitally remastered from the original master tapes by Vic Anesini

Here’s the track listing:

TRACK LISTING

• Original Springfield Album
• 1. Trash *
• 2. Call The Fire Brigade *
• 3. Eleanor Rigby
• 4. Child Within
• 5. Beethoven Street *
• 6. Sukaya *
• 7. Sweet Teezer *
• 8. Pearly And Me *
• 9. American Girls
• 10. Elektra *

BONUS TRACKS

• Bonus Single – First Time on CD
• 11. Streakin’ Across The U.S.A.
• 12. Music To Streak By
• 
  Live at Northwest Speedway, Post Falls, Idaho, 1974
• 13. Wolfman Jack Introduction *
• 14. Music To Streak By *
• 15. Trash *
• 16. Call The Fire Brigade *
• 17. Sukaya *
• 18. Eleanor Rigby *
• 19. American Girls *
• 20. Elektra *
• 21. Beethoven Street *
• 
  * Previously Unreleased

LINEUP

• Rick Springfield – Guitar, Piano, Vocals
• Peter Leinheiser aka Peter Lyon – Guitar, Background Vocals
• Gabriel Katona – Keyboards, Saxophone, Background Vocals
• Les Smith – Bass, Background Vocals
• Eddie Rodriguez – Drums, Background Vocals

SPECIAL GUESTS

• Jimmie Haskell – String arrangements

The CD is currently on pre-order here.

I also just want to send a shout out to those at rickspringfield.us, a fan site for being an incredible resource for all things in Rick Springfield fandom. I just noticed that they have created a page with all the SiriusXM 80s on 8 “Working Class DJ” shows. So fun!

They even have lyrics to some of the songs coming out on this “Springfield” CD. I assume RS was disappointed that it wasn’t released then and I wonder if he ever imagined that it would finally be released nearly 50 years later and that he’d have so many decades-long fans eagerly awaiting it (and of course he would have never imagined that it would be released on CD because they didn’t exist yet).

A new TV pilot: ‘It’s a Lot’

A new pilot episode of a show starring Rick Springfield is currently in the screening process!

The pilot of “It’s a Lot!” is a sitcom written by standup comedian Dan Rosenberg, who plays a used car salesman who is the son of a famous rock star who is bankrupt after six divorces (played by RS, of course), according to an an article in The Times.

According to the article, the idea for the show came to Rosenberg after attending a RS concert in Los Angeles in the early 2000s. He met RS backstage in 2012 after purchasing a guitar for a meet and greet and got a chance to share his pilot idea with him. RS encouraged him to keep trying but he almost gave up before a chance meeting with Barry Katz, a comedy-manager who liked the idea and agreed to help with the pilot. Soon after, Rosenberg got another backstage pass to hand RS “a hard copy of the pilot and a thumb drive of the next nine rough draft episodes” and RS agreed to film the pilot episode.

Isn’t that a cool story about never giving up?

According to the article, the next step after the screening process is trying to get the show picked up by a streaming service. I personally think there’d be lots of people who would be interested in watching!

For more information about the show, visit danrosenberg.com/itsalot

Remembering a fellow RS fan

About six years ago, a fellow RS fan put together a fitness competition, where fans could “compete” against each other through fitness competitions. During one of these 2017 fitness challenges, she set up two-person teams and the team who got the most steps in over a two-week period won a prize.

I was paired up with Jenni and we ended up winning the challenge (and the prize) – 379,921 steps in 14 days. During those two weeks, we exchanged encouraging FB messages and she was always so kind. At the end of the challenge, I received a prize package that included an item from the coordinator’s personal collection – a signed “Speak to the Sky” 45 record (thank you, Tracey!!). An example of Jenni’s kindness is that Tracey only had one copy of this 45 and Jenni had told her to send it to me because she already won a prize package and already had a lot of signed items.

Another time, a couple of years earlier, I had mentioned in this blog how I heard that RS had played a new song at a Stripped Down concert and I mentioned how badly I had wanted to hear it. Jenni happened to be at that concert and had a video of him playing that song and she sent me the video (and her permission to share it), which is another example of her kindness, especially since we didn’t know each other at all at the time. (See the post here, although the link to the video is no longer active.)

We haven’t corresponded much, but we’ve been Facebook fans since then and occasionally liked each other’s posts. She had been experiencing some serious health issues and sadly, I found out that she died earlier this week. She was an administor in one of the RS FB fan groups and had lots of friends in the group. Rowdy Ron is holding a raffle on a special tribute radio show on Feb. 5, which will include raffle items for those who donate for the memorial GoFundMe for Jenni (Milton Hall), to assist her family with expenses.

Sending strength and comfort to all of Jenni’s family and friends at this sad time. Rest in peace, Jenni. Thank you for all your kindness.

The final Rick Springfield + friends get-away scheduled for Oct. 5-9

The announcement has been made. Tickets have been purchased. Fun is to be had.

(For lots of RS fans anyway, not necessarily me, unfortunately…)

Last week, the RS team announced that the “Final Rick Springfield + Friends Getaway” has been planned for Oct. 5-9 at the Hard Rock Hotel & Casino.

The all-inclusive event will feature musical guests John Waite and Mr. Kite & the Hendersons (a Beatles tribute band that includes RS), special friends Doug Davidson and Eric Martsolf and host Mark Goodman.

The event includes live performances, meet & greets, Q&A, drinks with RS and additional evets. Sounds incredible!

This “final” trip was originally scheduled at this resort for November 2019 but a few months before that several American tourists became ill or died while visiting the Caribbean country so the RS team decided to move it to Hard Rock Cancun, Mexico in May 2020 instead. And well, you can guess what happened to that 2020 plan.

Hopefully everyone who was expecting to attend the trip in 2019 will be able to head to Punta Cana this October, along with everyone else who wishes to go. The timing isn’t great for me as we have a big family event planned the following week, so I’ll have to rely on social media posts to experience the trip.

I’m not loving the “final” part of the trip name. It sounds so final. Like they’ll never be another opportunity to hang out with RS at a resort again. I totally understand, it’s a lot of work to put on something like this and pretty exhausting for all involved. But still, “final” sounds so final.

Random thought: On rickspringfield.com, the ad for the trip says “One Last Kiss!” but it’s not on the trip website, rickspringfieldgetaway.com/. I wonder if “One Last Kiss” is a song off the album he’s working on? If I can’t look forward to the fan trip, I can at least look forward to some new songs, right?!

Working Class DJ celebrates 100th show with tribute to Matty Spindel

This past weekend’s Working Class DJ show was a tribute to Matty Spindel, who was Rick Springfield’s sound master and friend. During the show, RS played songs by some of Matty’s favorite artists and said he may do another one that features songs that Matty worked on. (For example, he won a Grammy for Album of the Year for his work on Supernatural in 1999.)

RS mentioned that it was also the 100th Working Class DJ show, which I can’t independently verify but its second anniversary is coming up on Jan. 22 so that sounds about right. (This also means that it’s nearly the second anniversary of me getting the SiriusXM app, hmmm, coincidence?) Since the shows appear on the SiriusXM app for only a couple of weeks, I haven’t seen a full list and I’m sure I’ve missed a few, but it’s always nice to have that weekly dose of RS available.

He’s been able to fulfill his childhood dream of becoming a DJ (which he mentioned in his first show) and fans get to hear from him once a week. Win/win.

Anyway, it was a heartfelt tribute to Matty and I think he would have appreciated it.

2022 Recap

A quick note to wish everyone a Happy New Year!

When I think of 2022 in terms of this blog, only two things come to mind – the “Working Class Dog” tour and the loss of Matty
Spindel.

The “Working Class Dog” summer tour with Men at Work and John Waite celebrated the 40th anniversary of the album and there was also a new box set and two live streams. There were also several weekly doses of the “Working Class DJ” show on Sirius XM.

In Australia, there was a musical performance based on “Late, Late at Night,” RS’s autobiography, which was also pretty cool. Hopefully there will be an opportunity to see that at some point.

The loss of Matty Spindel came as a shock, as everything seemed to happen so quickly. We saw him in the living room concert (filmed in 2021 but released in 2022) and then there was a Facebook post in October announcing his death. He was such an important part of RS’s life that it’s still difficult to comprehend that he’s gone.

I’ve been thinking about this a lot these past couple of weeks as my uncle died from pancreatic cancer earlier this month. There have been so many reminders that while we welcome 2023, we have no idea how it will go or if we’ll be around to bid it farewell a year from now. I just want to sit here with those I love and am trying to focus on all those beams of light and goodness that exist out there.

In a past interview, RS mentioned that he expects his new album to be released sometime in March so that’s something to look forward to in the New Year (and hey, there’s also the fan trip that was recently teased!)

Clink! Here’s to a wonderful 2023 for you all. (That was a little toast with Beach Bar Rum Redhead Macadamia Nut.)

A post of gratitude

By the end of last week, I felt depleted. I won’t go into details, but I was wiped out. I’m guessing most people around my age can relate – concern about older relatives, worries about children, a busy week of work, inflation and parent-teacher conferences. On Friday evening, I found myself just lying on the couch staring at the ceiling with no will to do anything else.

Then I mindlessly started scrolling through Facebook looking for some inspiration and noticed some random posts about Rick Springfield. Asthma? A pilot? What did I miss?!

After a brief investigation, I realized that I’d missed the Talk Shop Live chat promoting the “Working Class Dog Deluxe Box Set – with Autograph.” Since I already bought the 40th anniversary CD/DVD and the tour book, and because it was such a busy week, the chat wasn’t on my radar.

Luckily the replay was available because watching it totally turned my evening around. Not even one minute in, I was already laughing. And then he mentioned that there are 20 SONGS that he’s been working on for his new album (though he’s not sure if they’ll all make it onto the album.) He didn’t say much about the songs, only that they’re “very different.” Hmmm… I wonder what that could mean? He estimated that it would come out in March or April 2023 and also shared that they are planning the final fan trip! (The previous last fan trip was cancelled due to COVID.)

He also answered lots of fan questions and shared his memories about recording “Working Class Dog,” talked about his jukebox and his Grammy (which he stores inside his jukebox), shared some life philosophy as it relates to owning objects, his earliest childhood memory, Las Vegas, his collections (including the “Star Wars” collection he no longer has), the symphony shows, and the songs that didn’t make it on the WCD album. He also sang “Happy birthday” to someone on the chat because that always seems to happen during a RS Q&A of any sort.

He also paid tribute to Matty Spindel a few times (he mentioned that he wrote one of the songs on the new album about him – and that Matty did most of the engineering on this album before he died). In passing, he mentioned that he’s in a movie called “Gonzo Girl” and a pilot of something. (It was a very brief mention, no details.)

Lest we forget the reason for the live chat, here’s what’s in this box set: Colored Vinyl LP, the CD/DVD of he and his band performing the WCD songs (in order) in his living room , a rarity CD (which includes the demos and songs that didn’t make the album), guitar pics, replicate laminate, a tour book and a signed postcard. Learn more and watch the chat here.

There was lots of great stuff during this chat – including an attempt at playing his song “Motel Eyes.” After watching the live chat, which was about an hour, I felt so much better.

It being Thanksgiving week and all, I just wanted to express my gratitude to RS for raising my spirits and for sharing himself like this with his fans. Not only has he continually put out great music all these years and performs incredible concerts, he provides that connection to the past and reignites a sense of exuberance that doesn’t often appear in day-to-day life.

I’m also grateful that in exploring my fascination with him through this blog, I also reconnected to my love of songwriting and that’s led me in a whole different direction than when I started this blog eight years ago. (In the chat, RS knocks Spotify, which I totally understand because it really sucks for musicians who make a living from their craft, but for someone like me whose songs generally go unheard by others, I was really excited to release two songs on Spotify this year. Since 100,000 songs are uploaded every day to Spotify and other digital service providers, it’s still likely that they will go unheard, but at least they’re out in the world now so someone may hear them.)

As of today, the replay of the chat is still available (as is the “Working Class Dog Deluxe Box Set”) so if you could use a dose of RS in your day today, you may want to check it out.

Have a wonderful Thanksgiving!

Las Vegas residency, action figures, tribute shows and a new album

Recent RS news includes a Las Vegas residency (starting with two shows, which doesn’t really sound like a residency, but according to the Las Vegas Review-Journal, RS may be exploring the idea to have a Las Vegas residency, similar to what Sammy Hagar (his Beach Bar Rum partner) did in 2021 and 2022. “This is a thing where I want to test it out, see how it goes, see if I can stay in one place for a while,” he said in the article, “Rick Springfield brings another ‘residency’ to Las Vegas.”

These shows are March 25-26, 2023 at The Strat:

With top hits spanning across multiple decades, Rick Springfield delivers an unforgettable, electrifying performance and his loyal fans and fans of rock and roll will travel far and wide to see him perform live,” said Adam Steck of SPI Entertainment. “Both shows will focus on Rick’s anthemic hits and deep cuts, and we can’t wait for him to rock The STRAT!

There’s also a mention of his new (18-song!!!) album scheduled to come out next year with one new song title, “Come, Said the Girl.”  Whoo-hoo, can’t wait to hear more about that. I imagine it’s a bittersweet process, with the recent loss of Matty. RS is dedicating a few of the Working Class DJ shows to Matty’s memory and said on a recent show that he’s putting together a show with some of the records that Matty worked on.

The article also mentioned EFX, the show where RS had his last Vegas residency in 2000-2002. I’m disappointed that I missed that period of RS fandom as I would have liked to see that show. In my dream last night, after reading the article, I went to a RS concert but instead of the normal rock concert, it was a full theatrical performance with costumes and songs I didn’t recognize, so maybe my brain was trying to re-create the experience for me. Thanks for the attempt, brain.

RS’s keyboardist Tim Gross and his wife Melissa Neiderman started a YouTube show “PS Good News,” and recently posted their second episode which included a fan gift of action figures of RS and all the band members some inside scoop on the recent tour.

A Tribute to Jerry Lee Lewis

At a recent concert, Rick Springfield paid tribute to musical legend Jerry Lee Lewis, who died on Oct. 28, by performing “Great Balls of Fire.”

I’m honor of the great Jerry Lee Lewis who I met at a bar in the ‘80s and he asked me to buy him a drink so I did… a double shot. 🤘🤘 #JerryLeeLewis pic.twitter.com/0xNv7L6J7R

— Rick Springfield (@rickspringfield) October 30, 2022

Here’s a flashback from a 2016 fan trip, where he sang the song, with Tim Gross on keyboard and sharks swimming in the background:

I saw Jerry Lee Lewis perform live in June 1999, at the same venue I saw RS perform about three months later that year, in September 1999, so they’ve shared the same stage in the past. (Actually, probably many stages, since they’ve probably toured many of the same cities through the years.) This was also the venue where RS performed during his most recent concert in Arizona this past August, at the Celebrity Theatre in Phoenix.

I don’t remember much about the Jerry Lee Lewis concert (it was back before I had a cell phone and I don’t have any pics or videos from that concert), but that it was cool to hear him performing “Great Balls of Fire” live. I remember expecting him to start jumping around and playing the piano with his feet (as he did in performances in his younger days), but he appeared to be pretty frail, although he was only 64 at the time. (My perception of age has certainly been skewed seeing RS perform these past few years, as his energy on stage at age 73 is amazing.)

My only other knowledge of Jerry Lee Lewis comes from “The Million Dollar Quartet” and Dennis Quaid’s role in “Great Balls of Fire,” so I don’t really have much more to add here except appreciation for his musical contributions to the world.

Speaking of works of art based on musician’s lives, the “Late, Late at Night” musical based on Rick Springfield’s autobiography, is still going strong and is scheduled to be performed in Sydney, RS’s birthplace, on Nov. 11. (The playwright Kieran Carroll was recently interviewed on the Radio Carrum podcast.)