Classic Rock 93.9

After two successful solo albums, Face Value and Hello, I Must Be Going, Genesis frontman Phil Collins saw his solo career skyrocket thanks to the release of his third solo record, No Jacket Required, which is celebrating its 40th anniversary on Saturday.

The 1985 release saw Collins embracing a more up-tempo sound, which proved to be wildly popular with fans. The album hit #1 on the Billboard 200 Album chart, where it spent seven weeks. It also went to #1 in several other countries, including the U.K., Australia, New Zealand and Canada.

No Jacket Required, which featured guest appearances by Sting and Collins’ former Genesis bandmate Peter Gabriel on background vocals, contained four top-10 hits: the #1 singles “Sussudio” and “One More Night,” as well as “Don’t Lose My Number,” which peaked at #4, and “Take Me Home,” which peaked at #7.

Collins has said the album’s title was inspired by an evening out in Chicago with Led Zeppelin’s Robert Plant, where he was denied admittance to a restaurant because it had a “jacket required” dress code. 

No Jacket Required went on to become one of the bestselling records of all time and in 2001 was certified Diamond by the RIAA for selling 12 million copies in the U.S. It also won several accolades, including three Grammys, one for album of the year.

And while fans may have loved the album, it seems Collins grew to like it less and less. In fact, in a 2016 interview with Rolling Stone he claimed it was his least favorite record, sharing, “At the time, I wasn’t being me.”

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KISS has found themselves on top of a new chart.

The band’s classic “I Was Made For Lovin’ You” is #1 on Billboard’s Top TV Songs chart for December 2024, thanks to its use in the third season of the Disney+ series What If…?

The song earned 8.6 million official on-demand U.S. streams and 1,000 downloads to earn the top spot.

“I Was Made For Lovin’ You” has also jumped to #2 on the Billboard Rock Digital Songs Sales chart for Jan. 18 thanks to its inclusion in the show.

What If…? is an animated series that’s part of the Marvel Cinematic Universe and explores alternate timelines in the multiverse.

“I Was Made for Lovin’ You” appeared on KISS’ 1979 album, Dynasty. It peaked at #11 on the Billboard Hot 100.

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Nominees for the 2025 Brit Awards were announced Thursday, with The Beatles recognized for their 2023 single “Now and Then.”

The track, which was billed as the final Beatles song, has been short-listed for song of the year, along with tunes by Coldplay, Dua Lipa, Charli XCX with Billie Eilish and others.

The nomination comes nearly 50 years after The Beatles last earned a Brit Award nomination, which happened at the inaugural awards in 1977.

And this isn’t the first big nomination The Beatles have received for “Now and Then.” The track is also nominated for record of the year at the Grammy Awards, where it’s up against songs by Beyoncé, Taylor Swift, Sabrina Carpenter, Charli XCX, Eilish, Chappell Roan and rapper Kendrick Lamar.

Released in November 2023, “Now and Then” features vocals John Lennon recorded on a demo in the late ’70s, along with new contributions from Paul McCartney and Ringo Starr, and guitar parts George Harrison recorded in the ’90s during the sessions for their Anthology series.

The BRIT Awards will be handed out in London on March 1, live from the O2 Arena.

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A collection of Jeff Beck’s guitars was sold at auction Thursday, bringing in over $10 million, which is over eight times what they were expected to sell for.

The auction took place at Christie’s in London, with bids coming in from 40 countries.

Among the guitars sold were Beck’s iconic 1954 “Oxblood” Gibson Les Paul, which brought in over $1.3 million, double its initial estimate, setting a new world record for the sale of a Gibson Les Paul. In addition, Beck’s Fender “Anoushka” guitar sold for $1.2 million and another Fender, known as “The Tele-Gib,” sold for almost $857,000.

Other guitars bringing in big bucks include Beck’s “Yardburst,” which sold for almost $500,000, and his “Tina” guitar, which sold for almost $545,000 — 36 times the presale estimate and a world record for a Jackson guitar. In addition, a pedal board used on Beck’s final tour in 2022 sold for almost $156,000, which is also a world record.

“I am so happy that Jeff’s guitars have been so popular amongst his fans and friends,” Jeff’s widow, Sandra Beck, shared. “Thank you so much for your belief in Jeff’s legacy.”

Proceeds from the four items sold during the auction, including an autographed Fender signature Stratocaster, are being donated to the Folly Wildlife Rescue in Tunbridge Wells.

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Billy Joel and Rod Stewart continue to announce co-headlining stadium shows for 2025.

The latest is a Sept. 20 date at Paycor Stadium in Cincinnati, Ohio. Tickets go on sale Jan. 31 at 10 a.m. Citi cardmembers can access tickets on Jan. 27 at 10 a.m ET.

Billy and Rod played their first shows together last year. So far, in addition to this new date, the two are also set to perform together July 18 at Yankee Stadium. Billy is also co-headlining stadium dates with Sting and Stevie Nicks this year.

Both Billy and Rod will be performing solo all year, as well. Rod also has two batches of dates at the Colosseum at Caesars Palace in March, May and June as part of his new The Encore Show residency. On top of that, he’s headlining the U.K.’s Glastonbury Festival and will perform at the FireAid benefit concert Jan. 30 in Inglewood, California.

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A trailer for the new documentary Ladies & Gentlemen … 50 Years of SNL Music has just been released, with The Rolling Stones’ Mick Jagger making an appearance in the clip.

The doc, co-directed by The Roots‘ Ahmir “Questlove” Thompson, delves into the history of the NBC late night comedy show’s musical guests, with the clip opening with musical guest introductions by Steve Martin, Madonna, Emma Stone, Timothée Chalamet, Chris Rock and more.

Jagger offers up some comments on the craziness of performing on the live show, noting, “You have to run from the music sketch, and you’re all covered in sweat, and change.” He later talks about the “huge library of performances” associated with the show.

The trailer also features interview bites from Foo Fighters’ frontman Dave Grohl, Rage Against the Machine’s Tom Morello, Jack White and more, with footage of SNL performances from artists like Devo, Paul Simon, Nirvana and others.

There’s also a clip from Elvis Costello’s infamous 1977 SNL appearance where he opted to play the unapproved song “Radio Radio” instead of the planned “Less Than Zero,” which got him banned from the show. You can hear him saying, “I’m sorry ladies and gentlemen, there’s no reason to do this song here.”

The three-hour Ladies & Gentlemen … 50 Years of SNL Music premieres Jan. 27 on NBC and will stream the next day on Peacock.

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The Pretenders’ Chrissie Hynde has been added to the upcoming Patti Smith tribute concert, People Have the Power – A Celebration of Patti Smith, happening March 26 at New York’s Carnegie Hall.

In addition to Hynde, Bangles‘ frontwoman Susanna Hoffs, Irish singer Glen Hansard, director Jim Jarmusch and New York punk rocker Jesse Malin have been added to the lineup, which already includes R.E.M.’s Michael Stipe, Ben Harper, Kim Gordon, The National’s Matt Berninger, Karen O and Sharon Van Etten.

All performers will be backed by a house band, made up of bassist/keyboardist Tony Shanahan from Smith’s band, as well as Red Hot Chili Peppers bassist Flea and Rolling Stones drummer Steve Jordan.

The night will include performances of songs from Smith’s full catalog, but will also celebrate the 50th anniversary of her classic album Horses.

People Have the Power – A Celebration of Patti Smith is the latest in a series of charity concerts put on by New York City entrepreneur Michael Dorf, with each one celebrating a different artist. This year marks the 20th anniversary of the Carnegie Hall series.

Since the series launched in 2004, the concerts have raised over $2 million for charity. Other artists who’ve received such tributes include Paul McCartney, Van Morrison, The Who, Bruce Springsteen, Prince, R.E.M and Crosby Stills & Nash.

Proceeds from the Smith concert will go toward music education for underserved youth.

Information on tickets can be found at musicof.org.

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After retiring from the road in 2024 due to Steven Tyler’s vocal issues, Aerosmith is ready to perform again.

The lineup for Tyler’s sixth annual Jam for Janie Grammy Awards Viewing Party was just announced, which includes a reunion by members of Aerosmith. 

The event, hosted by comedian Tiffany Haddish, will also feature an all-star jam with Aerosmith’s Joe Perry and Tom Hamilton, as well as Billy Idol, Joan Jett, Linda Perry, former Guns N’ Roses drummer Matt Sorum and Extreme guitarist Nuno Bettencourt.

Money raised during the event will go to Janie’s Fund, Tyler’s charity that helps girls who’ve been abused or neglected, as well as the Los Angeles Fire Department Foundation and Widows, Orphans and Disabled Firefighter’s Fund. Members of the California fire department and their families will be invited to attend the party.

“What the Los Angeles community has endured with these wildfires is unthinkable,” Tyler shares. “Music has healing powers and we hope to bring a moment of joy and levity to our first-responder firefighters and those most affected by the fires.”

He adds, “The trauma experienced by the girls we work with is also unthinkable and we will continue to shed light and support the amazing work of Janie’s Fund.”

The sixth annual Jam for Janie Grammy Awards Viewing Party will be held Feb. 2 at the Hollywood Palladium.

More info on Janie’s Fund and the Grammy Viewing party can be found at janiesfund.org.

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On This Day, Jan. 23, 1976…

David Bowie released his 10th studio album, Station to Station, which introduced a new persona, the Thin White Duke.

The follow up to 1975’s Young Americans, Station to Station, co-produced by Bowie and Harry Maslin, saw the rocker being influenced by electronic dance music as well as a genre of German experimental rock known as krautrock.

Station to Station peaked at #3 on the Billboard album chart and at the time was Bowie’s highest-charting album in the U.S.

The lead single, “Golden Years,” spent 16 weeks on the Billboard Hot 100, peaking at #10. The tune would later be used for the soundtrack to the 2001 movie A Knight’s Tale.

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The Academy Award nominations were announced Thursday, and the Bob Dylan biopic A Complete Unknown earned eight Oscar nods, including best picture.

Timothée Chalamet earned a best actor nod for his portrayal of Dylan, while Ed Norton is nominated for best supporting actor for playing Pete Seeger and Monica Barbaro earned a best supporting actress for her portrayal of Joan Baez. The film’s director, James Mangold, also earned a best director nod.

Other nominations for the film include: best adapted screenplay, best sound and best costume design.

A Complete Unknown, which is in theaters now, follows a 19-year-old Dylan as he arrives in New York from Minnesota and tracks his rise as a folk singer during the ’60s to the top of the charts, ending with his electric rock ‘n’ roll performance at the Newport Folk Festival in 1965.

Chalamet sings and performs all the music in the film, and we may get to see him do it live this weekend. He is set to be the host and musical guest for Saturday Night Live.

Conan O’Brien will host the 97th Academy Awards, airing live on ABC on Sunday, March 2, beginning at 7 p.m. ET/4 p.m. PT.

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