Classic Rock 93.9

Just a reminder that The Rolling Stones will kick off their 2021 No Filter Tour of the U.S. this Sunday, September 26, in St. Louis at The Dome at America’s Center.

The trek marks the band’s first-ever without longtime drummer Charlie Watts, who died August 24 at age 80. Stepping in for Watts will be respected session drummer Steve Jordan, who Charlie had chosen as his fill-in before his passing.

The Rolling Stones are giving fans the opportunity to help pick one song that they’ll play at each show of the tour, by visiting Vote.RollingStones.com. The tunes that fans can choose from for the St. Louis gig are “Angie,” “Fool to Cry,” “Ruby Tuesday” or “Wild Horses.” Those who participate in the voting also can enter a competition to win a personalized video message from one of the band members.

Ahead of the tour, the Stones have posted a special video message from Mick Jagger, Keith Richards and Ronnie Wood on their social media pages. In the clip, they express their excitement about returning to the road, and encourage people who come out to the shows to get the COVID-19 vaccine, wear a mask and/or get tested for the virus.

The band’s U.S. tour leg features a total of 13 shows, and runs through a November 20 concert in Austin, Texas. Check out the group’s full schedule at RollingStones.com.

Looking forward to seeing you at a show soon, keep safe! pic.twitter.com/sDPDsCvYjg

— The Rolling Stones (@RollingStones) September 24, 2021

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Global Citizen Live, the 24-hour concert event spanning six continents and featuring performances by more than 50 artists, takes places Saturday, September 25.

Among the veteran rock artists who will be shown performing are Metallica, Elton John, Green Day and Duran Duran.

Live performances will take place in New York City; Los Angeles; London; Paris; Rio de Janeiro, Brazil; Sydney, Australia; and Lagos, Nigeria.

Elton will be performing in Paris, Green Day in LA, and Duran Duran in London. Metallica will be shown playing songs at their headlining set Friday at the Louder than Life festival in Louisville, Kentucky.

Global Citizen Live isn’t designed to raise money, but rather it’s supposed to inspire people to demand government action on issues like poverty, climate change and vaccine equity.

“We don’t want your money. This is not a telethon. We want you to take action because your voice is more powerful than your wallet,” Global Citizen co-founder Hugh Evans tells ABC Audio. “If everyone works together and we all call on the U.S. government to step up in unison, then the government will step up.”

Evans continues, “We need not just the U.S. government to step up: We need the entire G20 to step up. Because issues like climate change or global hunger or vaccine equity, these can’t be solved by any one nation.”

Commenting on the event’s star-studded lineup, Evans says, “[T]hey are utterly breathtaking artists. And I think the fact that they’re all uniting for this once-in-a-generation moment this Saturday is amazing. We just want to encourage everyone across America to tune in…and be part of this.”

You can watch on ABC News Live, Apple TV, Twitter, all the Global Citizen channels and more.

Here’s a partial list of who’ll be appearing where:

NEW YORK
Coldplay, Billie Eilish, Camila Cabello, Lizzo, Jennifer Lopez, Meek Mill, Shawn Mendes, Alessia Cara, Cyndi Lauper, Burna Boy, Jon Batiste, Lang Lang.

PARIS
Elton John, Ed Sheeran, Stormzy, Charlie Puth, Doja Cat, DJ Snake, Black Eyed Peas, Christine and the Queens, Måneskin.

LONDON, U.K.
Nile Rodgers & Chic, Duran Duran, Kylie Minogue, Rag’n’Bone Man.

LOS ANGELES
Stevie Wonder, Green Day, Adam Lambert, Chloe x Halle, Demi Lovato, H.E.R., ONEREPUBLIC, Ozuna, Migos, The Lumineers, 5 Seconds of Summer.

AROUND THE WORLD
Fugees, BTS, Lorde, Metallica, Usher, Keith Urban, Andrea Bocelli, Ricky Martin.

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Bruce Springsteen has contributed music to the soundtrack of a new documentary called The Mustangs: America’s Wild Horses that was executive-produced by his wife, Patti Scialfa, and their daughter, Jessica Springsteen, along with Hollywood legend Robert Redford.

Variety reports that the film, which focuses on the story of the wild horses still living in the Western U.S., will get its theatrical release on October 15 and then will be available via on-demand outlets starting in late November. The movie also will premiere at select film festival next month.

The Mustangs: America’s Wild Horses looks at the history of the animals, the uncertain future of the horses still living in the wild and the various efforts to save and preserve the existing population of Mustangs.

“America’s wild horses are fighting their last stand,” says Redford in a statement. “Increasing competition for our natural resources threatens our wilderness areas, our wild horses and other wildlife species. Horses are interwoven into the very fabric of what is America. What threatens them threatens us all.”

You can check out a trailer for the film on YouTube.

In addition to Bruce’s music, the soundtrack also features songs from Willie Nelson and Emmylou Harris, plus a new original tune called “Never Gonna Tame You” that was written by acclaimed songwriter Diane Warren and performed by singer-rapper Blanco Brown.

Of course, Jessica Springsteen’s passion for horses is well-known.  She’s a competitive equestrian rider who won a silver medal for the U.S. this year at the Summer Olympics in Tokyo.

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Today marks the 50th anniversary of the release of British glam-rock legends T. Rex‘s classic album Electric Warrior.

The record was the Marc Bolan-fronted group’s sixth overall and its second after the band shortened its original moniker, Tyrannosaurus Rex.

Electric Warrior spent eight nonconsecutive weeks at #1 on the U.K. albums chart in late 1971 and early ’72, while peaking at #32 on the Billboard 200. It includes the band’s signature song, “Get It On,” which topped the U.K. singles tally, while reaching #10 on the Billboard Hot 100 — becoming T. Rex’s only top-40 hit in the U.S.

The album also features “Jeepster,” a #2 U.K. hit, and such other gems as “Mambo Sun,” “Cosmic Dancer” and “Life’s a Gas.”

In the U.S., “Get It On” was retitled “Bang a Gong (Get It On)” to avoid confusion with a then-popular song by the jazz-rock band Chase.

Longtime Yes keyboardist Rick Wakeman played piano on “Get It On.” Howard Kaylan and Mark Volman of The Turtles and Frank Zappa fame contributed backing vocals to Electric Warrior, while ex-King Crimson multi-instrumentalist Ian McDonald, who later became a founding member of Foreigner, played saxophone on the record.

Electric Warrior, which was written entirely by Bolan and produced by frequent David Bowie collaborator Tony Visconti, is considered among the first glam-rock albums, if not the very first.

The record’s influence could be heard in the early-to-mid-1970s music of Bowie, Elton John, The Hollies and The Rolling Stones, and went on to inspire many artists who emerged from the punk and new wave scenes.

Here’s the full track list of Electric Warrior:

“Mambo Sun”
“Cosmic Dancer”
“Jeepster”
“Monolith”
“Lean Woman Blues”
“Get It On”
“Planet Queen”
“Girl”
“The Motivator”
“Life’s a Gas”
“Rip Off”

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Red Hot Chili Peppers are returning to the road in 2022.

In a goofy, faux newscast video, the Peppers — Anthony Kiedis, Flea, Chad Smith and returning guitarist John Frusciante — announce that they’ll launch a global stadium tour in June of next year, with the U.S. leg set to kick off in July.

Neither the exact itinerary or ticket details were revealed, but in the video, you see the names of different cites in the background, including Los Angeles, Atlanta, London, Toronto and Barcelona, Spain.

You can stay tuned for updates via RedHotChiliPeppers.com.

The tour will mark the first full live Peppers outing since Frusciante rejoined the band at the end of 2019. The band had planned dates for 2020, but, you know, COVID.

Fittingly, the tour announcement arrives on the 30th anniversary of the release of RHCP’s hit 1991 album Blood Sugar Sex Magik.

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Nirvana‘s Nevermind turns 30 today.

Released on September 24, 1991, Nevermind brought the grunge and alternative scene to the masses as it became perhaps the definitive rock album of the ’90s.

Coming off the excess and bombast of ’80s hair-metal culture, Nevermind spoke to a generation of disaffected youth with songs of self-hatred and rebellion, set to Kurt Cobain‘s yelping vocals and distorted guitar over Dave Grohl and Krist Novoselic thundering drums and bass.

Even after building an underground following with their 1989 debut, Bleach, no one could’ve predicted Nirvana’s meteoric rise with Nevermind. Things began to change with the premiere of lead single “Smells Like Teen Spirit” and its high school pep rally-meets-anarchist punk mosh pit video.

While it debuted at a modest 144 on the Billboard 200, Nevermind‘s popularity continued to build and build as more people heard “Teen Spirit” and saw the video. By January 1992, Nevermind had hit number one on the Billboard 200, dethroning the King of Pop himself, Michael Jackson.

As Nirvana’s popularity grew, they ushered in the grunge frenzy as bands including Pearl Jam, Soundgarden and Alice in Chains earned mainstream attention. The scene also inspired its own fashion, signified by flannel shirts, ripped jeans and Cobain’s thick-framed sunglasses.

Cobain himself was deemed an icon and a voice of his generation, a label with which he felt increasingly uncomfortable. His reaction to his sudden superstar status can be heard in the lyrics of Nirvana’s 1993 Nevermind follow-up, In Utero.

Sadly, that would be the last studio album Nirvana would record. Cobain, who struggled with mental-health and substance-abuse issues throughout his life, died by suicide in April 1994.

The legacy of Nirvana and Nevermind, though, has endured — the album is now certified Diamond by the RIAA.

Here’s Nevermind‘s full track list:

“Smells Like Teen Spirit”
“In Bloom”
“Come as You Are”
“Breed”
“Lithium”
“Polly”
“Territorial P***ings”
“Drain You”
“Lounge Act”
“Stay Away”
“On a Plain”
“Something in the Way”

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“Skool” is back in session for Guns N’ Roses.

The “Welcome to the Jungle” rockers have premiered a new song called “Hard Skool.” It’s the second fresh tune from GN’R in as many months, following the August release of “Absurd.”

The new track is available now as a digital download and via streaming services.

Like “Absurd,” the origins of “Hard Skool” date back to sessions for Chinese Democracy, the long-fabled GN’R album that finally became a reality in 2008, with frontman Axl Rose as the only original member still in the band.

Chinese Democracy remains the most recent Guns N’ Roses album. “Absurd” and “Hard Skool” mark the band’s first new music since Slash and Duff McKagan rejoined in 2016.

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Ringo Starr‘s new EP, Change the World, was released today on CD, cassette and digital formats.

The four-song collection arrives just six months after the former Beatles drummer’s previous release, the five-track Zoom In EP.

During a Zoom press conference this week promoting Change the World, Starr explained that he hoped the EP would bring his fans “joy.” He also noted that the record’s lead track, “Let’s Change the World,” offers an important message regarding climate change and pollution.

Reflecting on the song, which was written by Toto‘s Joseph Williams and Steve Lukather, Ringo maintained, “[H]alf the world’s on fire, half of it’s under water and [politicians are] still wondering, ‘Well, we can’t do that’…And I think we have to do a lot. So I’d like to change the world for the kids.”

The second track is a reggae tune titled “Just That Way,” which Ringo co-wrote with his longtime engineer Bruce Sugar, and features veteran reggae guitarist Tony Chin and bassist Fully Fullwood.

“I got [a] real bass player and guitar from Jamaica playing on it…which gives it more force,” Ringo said. “And for me, it’s so great, ’cause I get to play with those guys.”

Track three is the country-influenced “Coming Undone,” which was penned by hit-making songwriter/producer Linda Perry. The song features contributions from acclaimed New Orleans musician Trombone Shorty, who added a brass section that, according to Starr, completely transformed the tune.

The EP finishes with a cover of one of Ringo’s favorite early rock ‘n’ roll tunes, “Rock Around the Clock.”

The track features a guitar solo by Starr’s brother-in-law, Joe Walsh, that Ringo said not only “rocked” but was different than any solo he’s heard on other versions of the tune.

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In the very likely event you missed Metallica‘s last-minute concerts in San Francisco and Chicago this past week, you can still pretend you were there from the comfort of your own home.

The streaming site Nugs.net is offering full audio from both shows to its members. You can sign up at Nugs.net/metallica.

The San Francisco show, which took place on September 16, featured an audience of just 400 people, and marked Metallica’s first full live, in-person concert in 738 days. On September 20, the metal legends headlined the 1,100-capacity Metro in Chicago, which they hadn’t played since 1983.

Metallica’s next scheduled shows are headlining sets this Friday and Sunday at the Louder than Life festival in Louisville, Kentucky.

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Cat Stevens‘ classic 1971 studio album Teaser and the Firecat will be reissued on November 12 in multiple formats and configurations in celebration of its 50th anniversary.

Released on October 1, 1971, Teaser and the Firecat reached #2 on the Billboard 200. It featured three of the singer/songwriter’s most enduring tunes: “Morning Has Broken,” “Peace Train,” and “Moonshadow,” which peaked at #6, #7 and #30, respectively, on the Billboard Hot 100.

A super-deluxe box set version of the reissue features four CDs, a Blu-ray, two LPs and a seven-inch vinyl single. The CDs feature a newly remastered version of the original album, a variety of unreleased studio recordings, a disc collecting audio of various TV and radio performances, and a CD boasting a full-length 1971 concert in Montreux, Switzerland.

The Blu-ray features an HD-audio version of the album, a 1977 animated video for “Moonshadow” and a 2020 concert clip of “The Wind,” and video of various live TV performances. The LPs feature an alternate version of Teaser and the Firecat on one disc and a selection of live performances from Montreux and the BBC on the other.

The vinyl single features a remastered version of “Moonshadow,” backed with a previously unreleased recording of the late U.K. comedian Spike Milligan reading the narration for the aforementioned animated video.

One of the bonus tracks is a newly recorded version of “Bitterblue,” retitled “Bitterblue².”

The box set also comes packaged with a softcover replica of the original 1972 Teaser and the Firecat book, and a 108-page hardcover essay book.

In advance of the reissue, a previously unheard 1970 demo of “Moonshadow” was released Thursday as a digital track.

Visit Cat Stevens’ official store for more details about the Teaser and the Firecat reissues.

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