Nothing’s better than pulling that pinball plunger back, letting that steel ball fly, and slapping those flippers while 8-bit sound bites from your favorite songs blare the background. Well, maybe the only thing that could be better is if it’s one of your own hit songs coming through the speakers. 

Julien’s Auctions is excited to offer two pinball machines, based on classic action-adventure films Back to the Future and Lethal Weapon 3, from the estate of ZZ Top bassist, Dusty Hill. Both of these machines feature songs by ZZ Top - “Sharp Dressed Man” on the Lethal Weapon 3 machine, and “Doubleback” on the Back to the Future machine. ZZ Top wrote “Doubleback” specifically for the film Back to the Future Part III and even appear in the movie in a cameo as a band playing at the Clock Tower Dedication Festival in Hill Valley in 1885.  

Michael J. Fox did not grant his likeness for the Back to the Future pinball machine, so the illustrations of Marty McFly are actually based on Brad Faris, son of artwork designer Paul Faris. Other music included in this machine are “The Power of Love” and “Back in Time” by Huey Lewis and The News from the first film, and the orchestral theme from the series by composer Alan Silvestri.

The Lethal Weapon 3 machine was the first pinball machine to feature a dollar bill acceptor. It was also the machine used as the mod for the custom machines that Data East built for famed television producer Aaron Spelling and basketball superstar Michael Jordan. The Lethal Weapon 3 machine also featured music by the film’s composers Michael Kamen, Eric Clapton, and David Sanborn, including the original song they wrote for the film “It’s Probably Me.” 

These incredible pieces are now available to bid on at julienslive.com! 

After his rise to fame following his performance with guitarist Steve Cropper at the Monterey Pop Festival in August of 1967, Otis Redding was overwhelmed by the throngs of adoring fans who were waiting for him back at his hotel. Concert organizer Bill Graham saved the day by allowing Redding to stay on his houseboat at Waldo Point Harbor in Sausalito until the chaos subsided. It was there the classic song, “(Sittin’ On) The Dock of the Bay” was born.

In November, Redding brought early verses of the song to Memphis where he met up again with Cropper, who was working as a producer for Stax Studios. After two demo sessions, they were able to find the right groove and completed the first solid take on December 7, 1967. Redding had some concerns he wanted to address about that version though and was hoping for a final recording session to perfect the song, but that chance would never come. On December 10, Redding, along with six others from his new band, died in a plane crash in Madison, Wisconsin.

Cropper honored Redding by adding the sounds of seagulls, whistling, and waves crashing on the shore. The song was later released under the Volt label at Stax Studios in 1968 and became the first posthumous #1 single in the US.

On the block in our upcoming “Lyrics For A Cause: Benefiting Music Health Alliance Auction” is a sheet of lyrics for the beloved track, “Sittin’ On The Dock Of The Bay” hand-written and with an original watercolor illustration by Steve Cropper. Make sure you register for your chance to bid today!

At first glance, there doesn’t seem to be many similarities between Norma Desmond, the delusional faded film actress played unforgettably by Gloria Swanson in the 1950 classic Sunset Boulevard, and Barbra Streisand, the entertainer who very believably sang “I’m the Greatest Star.” However, think of Desmond famously shouting that she hated the word “comeback” to describe her plan to resume her career. “It's a return, a return to the millions of people who have never forgiven me for deserting the screen,” she demanded. Change the word “screen” to “concert stage” and the statement could easily apply to Streisand, circa 1993.

Although she’d performed a few concerts, mostly at political fundraisers, Streisand had largely abandoned live performances, due to her notorious stage fright (read her just-published memoir My Name Is Barbra to learn about what caused this dilemma). She hadn’t performed for a general paying audience since the early 1970s. For numerous reasons (including the venue owner offering to give $3.5 million to Barbra’s favorite charity), Streisand agreed to return to the concert stage and chose the newly opened MGM Grand in Las Vegas as the appropriate venue.

Ever the fashion icon, Streisand wore a dazzling stage costume – a black velvet gown over a cream-colored silk underlay – designed by her pal Donna Karan. Julien’s Auctions is excited to offer fans an opportunity to own not only this gorgeous dress, but also the tea table she used on stage and the very stool she sat on to sip tea.

In a fitting nod to Desmond’s remark, Streisand opened the show with her rendition of “As If We Never Said Goodbye,” a showstopper from the stage musical adaptation of Sunset Boulevard. She’d eventually take this concert on the road, and it would gross an estimated $50 million – proving her fans really did want her back!

Anyone familiar with the rock band ZZ Top will know their 1983 smash-hit album Eliminator, and the iconic custom red 1933 Ford coupe, by the same name. The original vehicle was customized in Paramount, California, and was finished in 1983, at the same time as the album.

The red coupe makes appearances in their world-famous music videos for songs such as “Gimme All Your Lovin’,” “Sharp Dressed Man,” “Legs,” and more. Other albums also featured stylized versions of the Ford coupe including Afterburner (1985) and Rancho Texicano: The Very Best of ZZ Top (2004).

Julien’s Auctions is excited to offer a number of items themed to the Eliminator car and album, including Dusty Hill’s “Wayne Charvel” Eliminator Hot Rod bass guitar, featured in a 1985 Rolling Stone magazine and displayed at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Museum in Cleveland, Ohio; Dusty Hill’s Gold Record Award for Eliminator; and Dusty Hill’s Eliminator shirts among other incredible offerings.

Don’t miss your chance to own these one-of-a-kind pieces being offered December 7th through December 9th live and online at julienslive.com.