Billy Joel is releasing a 50th anniversary box set of his 1976 album Turnstiles on December 11. The collection includes four CDs and a Blu-ray, with 54 of the 67 audio tracks being previously unreleased. Four tracks come from the rare, abandoned Dee Murray and Nigel Olsson sessions. The Blu-ray features Billy Joel Tonight, a live concert filmed at Connecticut College in 1976, newly transferred and mixed in HD, alongside a Dolby Atmos mix of the original album. A 40-page booklet with unseen photographs and liner notes by David Fricke and Archive Director John Jackson is also included. Preorders are available now, with a limit of four units per customer. Story URL
Mike Heller, formerly of Fear Factory and currently with Raven, received an unexpected call to fill in for Anthrax drummer Charlie Benante at a massive stadium show. Benante was unable to perform at the Alamodome in San Antonio, where Anthrax was opening for Iron Maiden. Megadeth drummer Dirk Verbeuren contacted Heller that afternoon, giving him just hours to prepare. Heller quickly charted the songs and met briefly with the band before taking the stage. “I went on stage in front of 56,000 people or whatever, and did my best,” Heller wrote on Facebook. One more tour date remains — Mexico City on October 2nd. It’s unclear if Benante will return for that show. Story URL