Classic Rock 93.9

Bob Dylan is set to publish a new book dedicated to his art.

Point Blank (Quick Studies), to be released Nov. 18, is made up of about 100 works of art that the “Like a Rolling Stone” singer created between 2021 and 2022, many of which have never been seen before. It is the first major publication of Dylan’s artwork in over a decade.

According to a press release, these works include drawings of “roller-skating lovers, a suit of armor, a suspension bridge, a karaoke singer, a roll of Scotch tape” and more, with the book mostly made up of portraits, still lifes and landscapes.

“This book showcases Bob Dylan’s mastery of telling stories, creating moods and provoking feelings,” Simon & Schuster Vice President and publisher Sean Manning says. “The images are deeply evocative, at once innocent and world-weary, joyous and forlorn, humorous and sensual, enigmatic and familiar.”

He adds, “Dylan’s ability to find beauty and mystery in the seemingly mundane is one of his great gifts—and the gift he’s continually given to the public over the years, including now with Point Blank.”

Point Blank (Quick Studies) is available for preorder now.

And that’s not the only Dylan book news. A new audio version of his 2004 memoir, Chronicles: Volume 1, is also coming on Nov. 18. While an abridged version of the book has been available since 2004, the new recording is unabridged and will be narrated by actor Sean Penn.

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The new Billy Joel documentary has an airdate.

Part one of the two-part doc Billy Joel: And So It Goes will debut July 18 on HBO, with part two debuting July 25. Both will be available to stream at the same time on HBO Max.

The film, directed by Susan Lacy and Jessica Levin, is centered around an exclusive interview with Joel, giving insight into “the key moments that forged his character and the events and muses that inspired his music for more than six decades.”

The doc also features never-before-seen performances, home movies and personal photographs, along with interviews with those who played an important part in his life and career.

Among those interviewed for the film are ex-wife and former manager Elizabeth Weber, ex-wives Christie Brinkley and Katie Lee, current wife Alexis Roderick Joel and daughter Alexa Ray Joel, as well as his band and artists like Bruce Springsteen, John Mellencamp, Paul McCartney and Sting.

Part one of Billy Joel: And So It Goes had its world premiere at the Tribeca Festival in New York in early June. Joel did not attend the premiere amid the revelation that he’s been diagnosed with normal pressure hydrocephalus. The condition refers to a buildup of cerebrospinal fluid that causes issues with hearing, vision and balance.

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Following news of the death of Mick Ralphs, guitarist and co-founder of Mott the Hoople and Bad Company, Def Leppard paid musical tribute to the rock legend at their concert in Rogers, Arkansas, Monday night.

The band posted video of their tribute on Instagram, with frontman Joe Elliott telling the crowd, “Today’s a strange day for us. … The world is a worse place today because a hero of ours when we were growing up, a guy called Mick Ralphs, passed away today.”

“Mick Ralphs was a guitarist in Mott the Hoople, later to be the guitarist in Bad Company,” he continued. He noted that Ralphs had been in bad health for a while, letting the audience know he wanted to perform a tribute to him. He added, “You might know this one.”

Elliott then performed a portion of the Bad Company track “Seagull” on acoustic guitar, ending it by saying, “Mick Ralphs, rest in peace. What a guy. What a lovely bloke.”

Elliott is a well known Mott the Hoople fan and even formed a cover band, Down ‘n’ Outz, that covered Mott the Hoople’s music and music of any artists associated with the band.

Earlier in the day, Elliott posted his own tribute to Ralphs, writing, “I just heard the news … totally heartbroken … Mick has been a constant companion through my musical journey & he was one of the kindest souls I ever met. The world is a poorer place today.”

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Simple Minds are celebrating the 40th anniversary of their album Once Upon A Time with a new anniversary reissue.

Dropping Oct. 17, the five-CD box set is a cut-down version of the super deluxe edition released in 2016. The 40th anniversary edition will include the original album, as well as bonus discs featuring new and extended mixes, B-sides, single edits and rare tracks. It also includes a two-CD concert, Live in the City of Light, recorded in Paris in 1986.

Among the bonus tracks are the original and extended mix of their hit “Don’t You (Forget About Me),” which originally appeared on the soundtrack to The Breakfast Club.

The set also includes a 36-page book with rare photos and interviews with Simple Minds founding members Jim Kerr and Charlie Burchill.

Released in October 1985, Once Upon A Time featured such songs as “Sanctify Yourself,” “All the Things She Said,” and “Alive and Kicking. It was released not long after they hit #1 with “Don’t You (Forget About Me),” and the album went on to become the band’s most successful album to date, peaking at #10 in the U.S.

In addition to the CD set, the album is being released on ruby red vinyl, which will feature the addition of “Don’t You (Forget About Me)” for the first time. 

Once Upon A Time (40th Anniversary Edition) is available for preorder now.

Simple Minds recently wrapped their North American Alive & Kicking tour. They will kick off a U.K. tour in Glasgow, Scotland, on Friday, where they will play Once Upon A Time in its entirety. A complete list of dates can be found at SimpleMinds.com.

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On This Day, June 24, 1995…

After Pearl Jam frontman Eddie Vedder got sick with a stomach flu, rocker Neil Young stepped in to headline the Seattle band’s concert at the Polo Fields at Golden Gate Park in San Francisco, California.

Vedder performed about seven songs before he told the crowd he was sick, introducing Young, who then performed with the rest of the band.

Young treated the crowd to such classic tunes as “The Needle and the Damage Done,” “Hey Hey, My My (Into The Black,)” “Down By the River,” “Cortez the Killer” and more, wrapping the show with his iconic hit “Rockin’ in the Free World.”

The concert happened a few days before Young and Pearl Jam released the collaborative album Mirror Ball, which peaked at #5 on the Billboard 200 Albums chart.  That December, Pearl Jam released the EP Merkin Ball featuring two songs recorded with Young, that were left off of Mirror Ball.

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Sammy Hagar will once again be celebrating his birthday in Cabo San Lucas, Mexico.

The rocker announced on Instagram that his annual birthday bash will take place at his Cabo Wabo Cantina in Mexico — and he’s not stopping at one celebration. In fact, the birthday bash will take place over four nights: Oct. 7, 9, 11 and 13.

While details have yet to be announced, Hagar, who’ll turn 78 on Oct. 13, shared in a video that the “usual suspects will be there.” One of those usual suspects will likely be his friend and bandmate, former Van Halen bassist Michael Anthony, who commented on the post, “Hey Sambo, thanks for the heads up!!”

Ticket information has yet to be announced, although the post notes that info will be coming in early July on Sammy’s website, RedRocker.com.

In 2024 Sammy also celebrated his birthday over four nights, but did it in two different cities. He headlined two shows at the Palms Casino in Las Vegas and also performed two nights at the Cabo Wabo Cantina. All of those shows featured Anthony, guitarist Vic Johnson and drummer Kenny Aronoff.

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The U.K. department store chain Selfridges has unveiled a Black Sabbath mural at its Birmingham location ahead of the legendary band’s upcoming Back to the Beginning concert. 

The piece is 6 meters long, which is almost 20 feet, and will be on display for eight days. 

You can also check out the Back to the Beginning fan experience at Selfridges Birmingham, which includes exclusive merch and a Lego Ozzy Osbourne.

Back to the Beginning takes place July 5 in Birmingham, Sabbath’s hometown. It will feature the reunion and farewell of the band’s original lineup: Ozzy, Tony Iommi, Geezer Butler and Bill Ward. Ozzy will also perform solo in what will mark his final concert ever.

Others on the stacked bill include Metallica, Guns N’ Roses, Slayer, Tool, Pantera, Gojira, Halestorm, Alice in Chains, Lamb of God, Anthrax and Mastodon.

Those who don’t have tickets to the sold-out concert can watch it streaming online.

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E Street Band guitarist Stevie Van Zandt is going to miss some shows on Bruce Springsteen‘s current Land of Hope and Dreams tour after undergoing surgery for appendicitis in Spain.

“Got a sharp pain in my stomach, thought it was food poisoning, turned out to be appendicitis,” the 74-year-old rocker shared on X. “Got lucky with an exceptional hospital in San Sebastian. Operation was a complete success and I’m hoping to get back on stage for at least one of the shows in Milan.”

He added, “Thank you all for all the good vibes. See you soon.”

Springsteen and The E Street Band’s next show is happening Tuesday in San Sebastian, Spain, which will be followed by a show in Gelsenkirchen, Germany, on Friday. Those Milan shows Van Zandt is hoping to make are happening June 30 and July 3. A complete list of dates can be found at BruceSpringsteen.net.

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Bad Company and Mott the Hoople guitarist Mick Ralphs has passed away at the age of 81.

“Our Mick has passed, my heart just hit the ground. He has left us with exceptional songs and memories,” Bad Company’s Paul Rodgers shared in a statement. “He was my friend, my songwriting partner, an amazing and versatile guitarist who had the greatest sense of humor.”

Bad Company drummer Simon Kirke added, “He was a dear friend, a wonderful songwriter, and an exceptional guitarist. We will miss him deeply.”

Ralphs was a founding member of the band Mott the Hoople, with the band releasing their self-titled debut album in 1969. After leaving the group in 1973, he formed Bad Company with Rodgers and Kirke, both former members of Free, and former King Crimson bassist/vocalist Boz Burrell.

Bad Company released their self-titled debut in 1974, which was a huge success thanks to such classic songs as “Can’t Get Enough of Your Love,” the title track, “Movin’ On” and “Rock Steady.” It went on to be certified five-times Platinum by the RIAA. Other Bad Company hits include “Feel Like Makin’ Love,” “Shooting Star” and “Rock ‘n’ Roll Fantasy.”

Although a cause of death was not given, Ralphs suffered a stroke in 2016, which left him confined to his bed until his death. The stroke happened just days after his final performance with Bad Company, in October 2016 at London’s O2 Arena.

His death comes just a couple months after Bad Company was chosen for induction into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame. When the news was announced, Ralphs said he was “elated” by the decision; Kirke expressed gratitude that his bandmate was here to see it happen.

“To be honest, every year we were not nominated it was another blow, not necessarily for me but we wanted Mick to be able to see this,” Kirke said. “So that’s been rectified, and we’ll give him a shout from the podium in November.”

The Rock & Roll Hall of Fame induction will take place Nov. 8 at the Peacock Theater in Los Angeles.

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While there’s no doubt that Bruce Springsteen is famous, he is very happy that he’s not enjoying the type of fame he had in the ’80s, when he released the hugely successful album Born in the U.S.A.

“Well, I was 35. I had previous experience [of fame] at 25, so I was capable of handling the moment,” he tells the U.K.’s The Times. “Ninety percent I enjoyed the ride, 10 percent of it was stressful, and my take on it now is that it was a cool thing to be at the height of the cultural conversation in the pop world for a while. I just didn’t have any particular interest in staying there. That’s a fool’s game.”

Springsteen says he was “lucky” to have stars like The Beatles, Bob Dylan and Elvis as examples of what to do or not do when it comes to success.

“From there I learnt how important it was not to lose focus on who I am or the work I’m doing,” he says. “It’s more important than the money, although it’s great to get paid well. It’s more important than the fame, although that can be fun too, and a nuisance on occasion.”

He tells The Times, “I simply wanted to write great songs, play great shows and have a conversation with a great audience. It is what I’ve dedicated my life to doing.”

Springsteen will release the new box set Tracks II: The Lost Albums on Friday. His European tour with The E Street Band hits San Sebastian, Spain, on Tuesday. A complete list of dates can be found at BruceSpringsteen.net.

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