Classic Rock 93.9

On This Day, April 9, 1984…

R.E.M. released their second studio album, Reckoning, which like their 1983 debut, Murmur, was produced by Mitch Easter and Don Dixon.

The album, which was first released in the U.K. and then the U.S., was recorded at Reflection Sound in Charlotte, North Carolina, with the producers attempting to capture the energy and sound of the band’s live performances.

Reckoning was a hit with critics and peaked at #27 in the U.S., although it topped college radio airplay charts.

Its first single, “So. Central Rain (I’m Sorry),” peaked at #86 on the Billboard Hot 100, while its second single, “(Don’t Go Back to) Rockville,” did not chart. Both went on to become R.E.M. fan favorites.

The album has been certified Gold by the RIAA.

In February, the members of R.E.M. – Michael Stipe, Mike Mills, Peter Buck and Bill Berry – reunited on stage at Michael Shannon and Jason Narducy’s Athens, Georgia, concert celebrating the band’s third studio album Fables of the Reconstruction. They performed the Reckoning track “Pretty Persuasion.”

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Metallica has announced the return of their takeover events for the upcoming U.S. leg of the band’s ongoing M72 world tour.

Takeover events consist of Metallica-themed happenings that pop up around each stop on the tour. The newly announced takeover events include guitarist Kirk Hammett speaking on his new book, The Collection, pop-up shops, performances by tribute bands and Blackened Whiskey events.

As previously reported, Metallica will also be hosting blood drives alongside the American Red Cross and screening an early cut of their Metallica Saved My Life fan-focused film throughout the tour.

Metallica’s tour begins April 19 in Syracuse, New York. For the full list of dates and all takeover events, visit Metallica.com.

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Recordings by Elton John, Chicago and Steve Miller Band have been chosen by the Library of Congress for preservation in the National Recording Registry.

In total 25 recordings have been chosen this year “based on their cultural, historical or aesthetic importance in the nation’s recorded sound heritage.”

Albums picked include Elton’s Goodbye Yellow Brick Road, which features hits like the title track, “Bennie and the Jets” and “Candle in the Wind”; Chicago’s debut Chicago Transit Authority, with songs like “Does Anybody Really Know What Time It Is?” and “Questions 67 and 68″; and Steve Miller Band’s Fly Like an Eagle, with hits like the title track, “Take the Money and Run” and “Rock’n Me.”

Also being chosen is the Microsoft Windows Reboot Chime, which was composed by Rock & Roll Hall of Famer Brian Eno in 1995.

“These are the sounds of America – our wide-ranging history and culture. The National Recording Registry is our evolving nation’s playlist,” Librarian of Congress Carla Hayden said. “The Library of Congress is proud and honored to select these audio treasures worthy of preservation, including iconic music across a variety of genres, field recordings, sports history and even the sounds of our daily lives with technology.”

The public can nominate recordings to be considered; this year, the Library of Congress received 2,600 nominations, with Chicago Transit Authority being the top nominee. With the new additions, the National Recording Registry titles are now at 675, part of a recorded sound collection of close to 4 million items.

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Talking Heads frontman David Byrne is bringing back his Amazing Humans Doing Amazing Things variety show for a second year.

The one-night-only event will be held May 29 at New York’s Town Hall. It will be a benefit for Byrne’s solutions-based nonprofit magazine Reasons to be Cheerful, a project of his nonprofit, Arbutus.

Byrne will emcee the evening, which will feature a lineup that includes comedian and actor Ramy Youssef, musician Reggie Watts, gospel soul group Annie and the Caldwells, magician Steve Cuiffo, burlesque performer Julie Atlas Muz and Balkan musicians Zlatne Uste Balkan Brass Band, with more artists to be announced.

“Reasons to be Cheerful is all about finding signs of hope, even when it feels like it’s in short supply,” Byrne shares. “That’s what this show is all about: a joyful communal experience to buoy us in a tumultuous time.”

Tickets for the variety show are on sale now.

Byrne held the first Amazing Humans Doing Amazing Things variety show in October 2024, which celebrated the fifth anniversary of Reasons to be Cheerful.

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Billy Corgan plans to keep making artistic statements even beyond the grave.

In an interview with The Guardian, the Smashing Pumpkins frontman was asked what song he’d pick to be played at his funeral. His response? “I’d probably pick one of my own just to make some sort of posthumous, bitter point.”

Said point, Corgan says, would be “You should have paid more attention to me when I was here.”

“‘To Sheila’ from the Adore album by Smashing Pumpkins would be a good one, if you’re sitting there, mourning my loss,” Corgan says.

If you’d like to pay more attention to Corgan now, you can listen to his podcast, The Magnificent Others. He’s also launching a solo tour under the name Billy Corgan and the Machines of God in June.

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Fender has announced a new set of guitars paying tribute to legendary Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers guitarist Mike Campbell.

The company is introducing two new Campbell-inspired guitars as part of their “Stories Collection” family: the Stories Collection Mike Campbell Red Dog Telecaster and the Fender Custom Shop Limited Edition Masterbuilt Mike Campbell 1972 “Red Dog” Telecaster. Both guitars are reproductions of Campbell’s heavily modified Telecaster.

“Telecasters are the heart and soul of rock and roll music and this one is a beautiful instrument,” says Campbell. “I could tell The Red Dog was special as soon as I picked it up. It felt like it was in the right place at just the right time.”

“It’s our mission to honor the legacy and sonic character that Mike Campbell has infused into every note played on his beloved ‘Red Dog’ Telecaster,” Justin Norvell, executive vice president of Fender Products, shares. “Every scratch, modification, and battle scar tells a story, and with these meticulously crafted recreations, we’re giving players everywhere the chance to channel that same timeless energy and write their own musical history.”

More info can be found at Fender.com.

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Director Sam Mendes has shared some of his thoughts about why he’s decided to make four films about The Beatles.

Mendes penned an article for The Times about his BBC2 World War II documentary, What They Found, and shared how his approach to that project is similar to his motivations behind The Beatles films.

“As a filmmaker, one is always looking to find new ways to look at the past. To turn historical events so they catch the light in new and different ways,” he shares. “My film 1917 was an attempt to do this. The Beatles films we are making now also fall into this category. And here again I felt the same portal to the past had been opened.”

Mendes’ Beatles project, The Beatles – A Four-Film Cinematic Event, is set to be released in April 2028. The films, each focused on a different member of the band, will star Harris Dickinson as John Lennon, Paul Mescal as Paul McCartney, Barry Keoghan as Ringo Starr and Joseph Quinn as George Harrison.

The Sony films will mark the first time Apple Corps Ltd. and The Beatles have granted a studio the rights to the life stories of band members and their legendary catalog of music.

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A tour van used by the Melvins and decorated with original artwork by Kurt Cobain is going on display to the public for the first time.

In connection with Record Store Day, the van will be parked outside two Seattle record stores on Saturday: Easy Street Records from 7 a.m. to 10 a.m. local time and Silver Platters from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m. local time.

Sections of the van will then be cut off to be auctioned in the upcoming Music Icons sale hosted by Julien’s Auctions, taking place May 30-31. The area including Cobain’s artwork will be included in the auction.

“Seattle is the birthplace of so many defining moments in rock history,” says Julien’s CEO and President Darren Julien. “We’re thrilled to partner with Record Store Day and these beloved local record stores to give fans a front-row seat to this one-of-a-kind piece of music memorabilia before it goes to auction.”

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Aerosmith announced their retirement from touring back in August due to frontman Steven Tyler’s vocal issues, but one of their producers isn’t writing them off just yet.

In an interview with the New York Post, Jack Douglas, who produced several of the band’s albums, including Toys in the Attic, says he hopes to see the band return one day.

“I don’t know, I hear rumors,” he says. “But I’m sure that they would love to, you know?”

Douglas says that despite the retirement, guitarist Joe Perry “is gonna keep rocking.” He notes that bassist Tom Hamilton’s already got a new band, Close Enemies, sharing, “I mean, these guys want to keep playing.”

Of course, an Aerosmith return would all depend on Tyler getting his voice back.

“There is no Aerosmith without Steven,” Douglas says. “So if Steven can sing, believe me, he’ll want to be out there.”

Meanwhile, Aerosmith marked the 50th anniversary of Toys in the Attic on social media, sharing a video featuring performance clips of various songs from the album, including the title track, “Walk This Way” and “Sweet Emotion.”

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Jackson Browne is coming to New York in August.

The Rock & Roll Hall of Famer just announced a four-night residency at Manhattan’s Beacon Theatre, scheduled for Aug. 12, Aug. 13, Aug. 15 and Aug. 16.

A presale on Browne’s website begins Wednesday at 10 a.m. ET, with tickets going on sale to the general public Friday 10 a.m. ET.

Browne has also been announced as one of the headliners for the fourth edition of Jason Isbell’s ShoalsFest, taking place Oct. 11 and Oct. 12 at McFarland Park in Muscle Shoals, Alabama.

Browne will headline on Oct. 11, which will also feature a solo Isbell performance. The Oct. 12 show will be headlined by Isbell and his band The 400 Unit.

Other artists on the lineup include Waxahatchee, MJ Lenderman, Dan Penn and Spooner Oldham.

Tickets for the festival go on sale Friday at 10 a.m. local time. More info can be found at shoalsfest.net.

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