Classic Rock 93.9

As the United States of America gears up to celebrate its birthday, so does the debut Foo Fighters album.

The self-titled record was released on July 4, 1995 — 30 years ago Friday.

Coming off the death of Kurt Cobain and the dissolution of Nirvana in 1994, drummer Dave Grohl entered the studio and started working on possible solo material. While he was recording, Tom Petty recruited Grohl to play drums with The Heartbreakers during their performance on Saturday Night Live, and even offered him the full-time gig. However, Grohl, who was still mourning Cobain and the end of Nirvana, decided instead to focus on his own project.

That project became the album Foo Fighters, which Grohl recorded entirely on his own, save for a guitar solo by Greg Dulli of The Afghan Whigs. Once Foo Fighters was finished, Grohl recruited a full band, consisting of Nirvana touring guitarist Pat Smear, and bassist Nate Mendel and drummer William Goldsmith of Sunny Day Real Estate.

With the singles “This Is a Call,” “I’ll Stick Around” and “Big Me,” Foo Fighters proved Grohl was equally adept at being a frontman as he was manning the kit. That anyone at one point thought otherwise now seems absurd, as Foo Fighters and Grohl especially have continued to be the face of modern rock three decades later.

Smear and Mendel remain in the Foos alongside Grohl, while Goldsmith was replaced by drummer Taylor Hawkins. Guitarist Chris Shiflett joined in 1999, and keyboardist Rami Jaffee started touring with the group in 2005. That lineup remained the same until Hawkins died in 2022 and was replaced by Josh Freese, who was fired from the Foos in May.

Foo Fighters marked their debut’s anniversary Wednesday with a new single called “Today’s Song.”

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Ringo Starr is profiled in a new article in the New York Times, and his Beatles bandmate Paul McCartney discusses the importance of their more than six decades of friendship. 

With their bandmates John Lennon and George Harrison gone, McCartney says they understand “nothing lasts forever.”

“So we grasp onto what we have now because we realize that it’s very special. It’s something hardly anyone else has,” he says. “In fact, in our case, it’s something no one else has. There’s only me and Ringo, and we’re the only people who can share those memories.”

In the article, McCartney recalls his December reunion with Ringo onstage at McCartney’s show at the O2 Arena in London, where they played “Helter Skelter” together. McCartney shares that while the song was “an out-and-out rocker” he got “a little bit emotional” during the performance.

McCartney also had nothing but praise for Ringo’s abilities, telling the paper, “Even though I’ve played with other drummers, he’s the best. Ringo has got a certain feel that is very difficult for other drummers to capture.”

He adds, “He’s Ringo. And nobody else is.”

But one area where Ringo wasn’t so confident, at least in the beginning, was in his writing songs. 

“It’s hard to come to the front when you’ve got John and Paul,” he says. “I’d say, ‘I’ve got this song.’ And halfway through they’d all be laying on the floor laughing, because I wasn’t writing new songs. I was writing new words to old songs.”

McCartney adds, “We’d say, ‘Yeah, that’s a great one. That’s a great Bob Dylan song.'”

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John Mellencamp is giving a shoutout to Olivia Rodrigo after the pop star was photographed wearing a Mellencamp T-shirt at the Glastonbury Festival over the weekend.

The 73-year-old Rock & Roll Hall of Famer reshared a photo of the 22-year-old Rodrigo in a vintage tee from his The Lonesome Jubilee era, simply writing, “‘Thank You’ @oliviarodrigo.”

The post also featured a clip of the Mellencamp song “Thank You,” which appeared on his 2019 box set On The Rural Route 7609.

Rodrigo wasn’t even alive when Mellencamp released The Lonesome Jubilee in 1987. It was the rocker’s ninth studio album and featured three hit singles, “Paper and Fire,” “Check it Out” and “Cherry Bomb.” The album peaked at #6 on the Billboard 200.

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After headlining 65 North American tour dates in 2024, former King Crimson members Adrian Belew and Tony Levin, guitar great Steve Vai and Tool drummer Danny Carey are set to release a live album of their Beat tour.

The tour, which also hit Mexico and South America in 2025, had the four artists celebrating the ’80s-era music of King Crimson, reinterpreting three of the band’s albums – 1981’s Discipline, 1982’s Beat and 1984’s Three of a Perfect Pair – which were also the first three to feature Belew and Levin.

The live album captures the Beat performance at the United Theater on Broadway in Los Angeles. You can watch video of the performance of the song “Neal and Jack and Me” streaming on YouTube.

Beat Live will be released Sept. 26 as a three-LP set, a two-CD/Blu-ray set, and a limited collector’s edition that adds a bonus CD and 36-page art book to the two-CD/Blu-ray edition.

The next live Beat concert will be a record release show, Sept. 1 at Tokyo’s famed Budokan venue.

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Mötley Crüe’s Nikki Sixx marked his 24th year of sobriety on Wednesday, sharing a post on social media in which he reflected on how sobriety has “completely transformed” his life.

“Sobriety isn’t just about eliminating substances; it’s about the ability to be honest with yourself and those around you,” he wrote. “Over the past 24 years of sobriety, I’ve experienced profound joy, but not without significant challenges. Through this journey, I’ve learned how to navigate adversity with grace and how to be truly selfless.”

He added, “We’re not here solely for ourselves; we’re here to serve those who are still struggling.”

Sixx writes that when people are unable to be honest with themselves “more often than not, they fail and end up hurting those around them. Honesty can be frightening, but it’s also liberating.”

He then recalled a lesson he learned from a sponsor after a fellow addict had died.

“He said, ‘Some people have to die to teach the rest of us how to live.’ That broke my heart—and reminded me just how important this journey really is,” he shared. “A friend recently gave me a copy of Marcus Aurelius’s Meditations. One quote that struck me deeply was: ‘Practice what seems impossible.’ I like that. I accept that challenge.”

Mötley Crüe recently released a new take on their classic track “Home Sweet Home” featuring Dolly Parton. It will appear on their upcoming compilation album, From the Beginning, dropping Sept. 12.

On the same day they’ll kick off a new Las Vegas residency at the Dolby Live theater, with dates confirmed through Oct. 3. A complete schedule can be found at MotleyCrue.com.

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Queen’s performance at Live Aid in 1985 is often considered one of rock ‘n’ roll’s greatest live performances, but it turns out they could have missed out on the gig had Brian May not talked frontman Freddie Mercury into it.

In a new interview with the U.K.’s Radio Times, May shares that they were hesitant to sign on since at the time they weren’t on tour. He notes, “It seemed like a crazy idea, this talk of having 50 bands on the same bill.”

He says while Roger Taylor was on board, he, Mercury and John Deacon weren’t so sure, but May quickly changed his mind after tickets went on sale.

“I said to Freddie: ‘If we wake up on the day after this Live Aid show and we haven’t been there, we’re going to be pretty sad,” May says. “He said: ‘Oh, f*** it, we’ll do it.'”

But the band didn’t take the stage without first getting advice from Live Aid founder Bob Geldof.

According to May and Taylor, Geldof told them, “Don’t get clever. Just play the hits – you have 17 minutes.”

Queen wound up wowing fans with a set filled with hits, as well as an infamous “Ay-Oh” call and response with the audience. Taylor says he knew they did a good job during “Radio Ga Ga,” noting, “It did seem that the whole stadium was in unison.”

He adds, “But then I looked up during ‘We Are the Champions,’ and the crowd looked like a whole field of wheat swaying.”

Queen is set to mark the 40th anniversary of Live Aid on July 13: they’ll show their set on their YouTube channel for 24 hours starting at 6:41 p.m. BST, the same time Queen took the stage at Wembley Stadium.

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Ozzy Osbourne and Billy Idol guitarist Billy Morrison have released a stripped-down mix of their collaborative song “Gods of Rock N Roll.”

The track originally dates back to 2015, and was rerecorded by Ozzy and Morrison 10 years later alongside a choir and 61-piece orchestra, plus fellow Idol guitarist Steve Stevens. This new stripped mix features just Ozzy’s vocals alongside the orchestra.

“It is an absolutely unique and emotional mix and I can’t wait for you all to hear it,” Morrison says.

The updated recording is accompanied by a lyric video, which is streaming now on YouTube.

You can hear the full version of “Gods of Rock N Roll” on the deluxe version of Morrison’s latest solo album, The Morrison Project. The record also includes another Ozzy collaboration called “Crack Cocaine.”

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Foreigner is revisiting their multi-Platinum album 4 with a new super deluxe edition.

Foreigner 4 Deluxe, dropping Sept. 12, is a five-disc CD/Blu-Ray package that includes newly remastered stereo and Atmos remixes of the album. There’s also a whole host of extras, including five previously unreleased songs, early and alternative versions of tracks, instrumentals, and live performances recorded on tour between 1981 and 1982.

Foreigner founder Mick Jones shares that recording 4 “took the better part of two years,” noting the band and producer Mutt Lange felt it “was something that just had to be right.” He adds, “This package, and particularly the stunning Atmos mixes present a spectacular culmination of one of the most exciting periods of my life.”

The deluxe edition will also be released digitally, while the remastered and remixed album will get a vinyl release. All versions are available for preorder now.

Released in 1981, as the album’s title suggests, 4 was Foreigner’s fourth studio album. The title also refers to the band now being a foursome following the departure of Ian McDonald and Al Greenwood.

The album spent four weeks at #1, thanks to top-five hits “Waiting for a Girl Like You” and “Urgent,” as well as the classic tune “Jukebox Hero.” The album has gone on to sell over 10 million copies worldwide and has been certified six-times Platinum in the U.S.

To celebrate the release, Foreigner has announced dates for the Foreigner 4 Deluxe Tour, which will feature original lead singer Lou Gramm joining the band for some songs. The tour kicks off with two nights, Dec. 3 and Dec. 4, in Port Chester, New York, and runs through Dec. 13 in Williamsport, Pennsylvania.

A complete list of dates can be found at ForeignerOnline.com.

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Judas Priest has shared a cover of Black Sabbath‘s “War Pigs” ahead of Saturday’s massive Back to the Beginning concert, which will feature the reunion and farewell of the original Sabbath lineup.

Beyond being a Sabbath classic, “War Pigs” is especially meaningful for Rob Halford and company, who have long used it as intro music for Priest concerts.

“We are honored to show our love for Ozzy [Osbourne] and Black Sabbath with our homage of ‘War Pigs’ – a song we play at every show around the world that fans sing along to –  reinforcing their love as well for the legendary Prince of Darkness,” Priest says.

You can listen to Priest’s take on “War Pigs,” which passes the eight-minute mark, streaming now on YouTube.

Back to the Beginning, which takes place in Sabbath’s hometown of Birmingham, England, will bring together Ozzy, Tony Iommi, Geezer Butler and Bill Ward for the first time in 20 years for one final show. It will also mark Ozzy’s final live performance ever.

Along with Sabbath and Ozzy, the Back to the Beginning bill includes Guns N’ Roses, Metallica, Slayer, Tool, Pantera, Gojira, Halestorm and Alice in Chains, among many others. Halford was also invited to take part, but couldn’t make it due to scheduling conflicts.

“I was absolutely gutted,” Halford told Metal Hammer.

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Foo Fighters have premiered a new single called “Today’s Song.”

The track marks the first original material from Dave Grohl and company since their 2023 album, But Here We Are.

“Over the years, we’ve had moments of unbridled joy, and moments of devastating heartbreak,” Grohl says. “Moments of beautiful victory, and moments of painful defeat. We have mended broken bones and broken hearts. But we have followed this road together, with each other, for each other, no matter what. Because in life, you just can’t go it alone.”

Grohl then goes on to mention past Foos members including guitarist Franz Stahl and drummers William Goldsmith and Josh Freese, the latter of whom was just fired from the band in May, as well as the late Taylor Hawkins.

“It should go without saying that without the boundless energy of William Goldsmith, the seasoned wisdom of Franz Stahl, and the thunderous wizardry of Josh Freese, this story would be incomplete, so we extend our heartfelt gratitude for the time, music, and memories that we shared with each of them over the years,” Grohl says. “Thank you, gentlemen.”

“And… Taylor. Your name is spoken every day, sometimes with tears, sometimes with a smile, but you are still in everything we do, everywhere we go, forever,” he continues. “The enormity of your beautiful soul is only rivaled by the infinite longing we feel in your absence. We all miss you beyond words. Foo Fighters will forever include Taylor Hawkins in every note that we play, until we do finally reach our destination.”

“Today’s Song” is out now via digital platforms.

As for who will be the new Foo Fighters drummer, that has yet to be announced. The band will return to the road for a tour of Asia in October.

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