Classic Rock 93.9

A new bonus track from the recently released John Lennon box set Mind Games – The Ultimate Collection has been released. It gives fans some insight into the tune “I’m The Greatest,” which was recorded in 1973 and was the first reunion of Lennon, Ringo Starr and George Harrison since the breakup of The Beatles. 

“I’m The Greatest (Ultimate Mix)” is now streaming for the very first time and features John’s guide vocals from the original recording session.

The tune, written by Lennon, appeared on Ringo’s self-titled 1973 solo album. It also featured longtime Beatles’ associates Klaus Voorman on bass and Billy Preston on organ.

The song is one of two digital bonus tracks on the digital-only Mind Games (The Ultimate Mixes) release. The other is the tune “Rock ‘N’ Roll People.” Both are also hidden tracks on the Mind Games – The Ultimate Collection box set, with even more to come, as new hidden tracks will be released digitally every two weeks up until Oct. 9, which would have been Lennon’s 84th birthday.

And if that’s not enough, stripped back arrangements of songs will be released digitally as part of Mind Games (The Elemental Mixes). The first of those is the unreleased track “You Are Here (Out-take, Take 4),” which is out now.

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Black Sabbath’s Tony Iommi is set to reissue two of his solo albums this fall, both featuring Deep Purple bassist Glenn Hughes.

The albums, The 1996 DEP Sessions and Fused, will be released Oct. 4 on vinyl for the very first time. They will also be released on CD and digitally, with the Fused digital release containing three bonus tracks, “Slip Away,” “Let it Down Easy” and “The Innocence.” 

As part of the announcement, Iommi has shared a new lyric video for “Gone,” which was the opening track on 1996 The DEP Sessions. He’s also released “Savior of the Real,” from Fused, to digital services.

Both albums are available for preorder now.

Released in September 2004, The 1996 DEP Sessions featured songs originally recorded in 1996, which became a fan bootleg recording known as Eighth Star. In 2005 Iommi released Fused, which was his second solo album.

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U2 is back with another installment in their digital series U2 to Love and Only Love – Deep Dives and B-Sides, a series of 12 newly remastered collections, released throughout the year, made up of songs that until now were only available on vinyl, CD or cassette.

The latest playlist, the ninth in the series, is centered around “Stuck in a Moment You Can’t Get Out Of,” from the band’s 2000 album, All That You Can’t Leave Behind. 

The new playlist features two remastered versions of the song, one of which is acoustic, as well as a remastered version of “Big Girls Are Best,” a song from the All You Can’t Leave Behind era. There are also remastered live versions of “Beautiful Day” and “New York” from the TV show Farmclub.com, and live versions of “All I Want is You” and “Even Better Than The Real Thing” from a concert in Paris.

U2 also shared a video of a live performance of “Stuck in a Moment You Can’t Get Out Of” from their U2360 tour stop at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, California.

The playlist is now streaming on most digital outlets.

U2 launched U2 to Love and Only Love – Deep Dives and B-Sides in April and has so far released collections dedicated to “Discothèque,” “Staring at the Sun,” “Last Night on Earth,” “If God Will Send His Angels,” “Please,” “Mofo,” “Sweetest Thing” and “Beautiful Day.”

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Pete Townshend has dropped a new video of a classic live performance.

The Who rocker has shared a video of his performance of “After the Fire,” which was shot in 1985 at the Brixton Academy in London. The concert highlighted in the video features Pink Floyd’s Dave Gilmour on guitar.

“After the Fire,” which was written by Pete, was actually a hit for Who frontman Roger Daltrey, who recorded it for his solo album Under a Raging Moon.

The video comes just one week after Townshend released Pete Townshend Live > In Concert 1985-2001, a 14-CD box set featuring newly remastered versions of his live solo recordings, seven of which have been long out of print. 

The set includes Deep End Live at Brixton Academy in London, plus shows recorded at the Brooklyn Academy of Music in 1993, San Francisco’s The Filmore in 1996, London’s Shepherds Bush Empire in 1998 and the La Jolla Playhouse in La Jolla, California, in 2001. There’s also a recording of two nights at London’s Sadler’s Wells Theatre, the only time Pete ever attempted a full Life House show.

Pete Townshend Live > In Concert 1985-2001 is out now.

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Bryan Adams has dropped the new single “Rock and Roll Hell,” which is actually one of two songs he co-wrote with Jim Vallance and Gene Simmons for KISS. The other is “War Machine,” and Adams is set to release both on 7-inch vinyl on Aug. 30.

Both tracks appeared on KISS’ 1982 album, Creatures of the Night. Adams says at the time he was a “22-year-old struggling songwriter,” noting he was “thrilled” at the opportunity to write for KISS.

“‘Rock and Roll Hell’ was actually Jim’s song that had been released a few years earlier with Bachman Turner Overdrive, and I suggested, that we re-write it for KISS,” he says. “It’s incredible to think these themes are unfortunately still playing out for real in the world today, but I’m very grateful to the KISS guys for giving me the chance back then.” 

To coincide with the release of “Rock and Roll Hell,” Adams has dropped a new video for the tune, which was shot on the roof of London’s famed Royal Albert Hall, where Adams wrapped a three-night residency back in May.

“Rock and Roll Hell” and “War Machine” are being released as a limited-edition double A-side 7-inch single. The single is available for preorder now at bryanadams.com.

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The Alarm is set to release their new album, Music Television, in August.

The record features covers of songs made famous in MTV’s heyday, and was supposed to be available on vinyl and CD during the band’s Live Today Love Tomorrow tour. The tour was supposed to launch in May, but was postponed after Alarm frontman Mike Peters’ cancer returned.  

Now the album will be released digitally on Aug. 23, along with an additional recording of “Transition,” a song that originally appeared on The Alarm’s 2023 album, Forwards.

Peters was initially diagnosed with chronic lymphocytic leukemia in 2005 and relapsed in 2022. Right before the tour, his cancer returned and he was diagnosed with a rare condition known as Richter’s syndrome. He’s currently hoping to find a donor for a stem cell transplant. He says he added “Transition” to the album “as a signal of my intent to survive the transplant and get back to real life sometime in 2025.”

“I have optimistic options ahead of me, and, like all the songs on Music Television that have survived the years since they were first written, so will I,” he adds.

In addition to “Transitions,” Music Television features The Alarm’s reinterpretations of such classic MTV staples as The Buggles’ “Video Killed The Radio Star,” which was the first song played on the network; Dire Straits’ “Money For Nothing,” the first song played on MTV Europe; David Bowie’s “The Man Who Sold The World”; Phil Collins’ “In The Air Tonight”; Modern English’s “I Melt With You”; and Michael Jackson’s “Beat It.”

Here is the track list forMusic Television:

“Money For Nothing” (Dire Straits)
“Video Killed The Radio Star” (The Buggles)
“Live Today Love Tomorrow” (The Blow Monkeys)
“Imagination” (Belouis Some)
“Beat It” (Michael Jackson)
“Don’t Change” (INXS)
“In The Air Tonight” (Phil Collins)
“I Melt With You” (Modern English)
“Screaming For Emmalene” (Gene Loves Jezebel)
“The Man Who Sold The World” (David Bowie)
“MTV Theme”
“Transition” (The Alarm)

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Devo has been added to Pearl Jam frontman Eddie Vedder‘s Ohana Festival, which will take place Sept. 27-29 in Dana Point, California.

The “Whip It” rockers will perform on the festival’s opening night, replacing Garbage, who had to cancel after frontwoman Shirley Manson suffered an injury that requires surgery. 

“When a problem comes along, you must whip it…,” read the social media announcement, which also included a photo of Pearl Jam dressed like Devo. “Excited to welcome @clubdevo to @theohanafes lineup on Friday, 9/27!” 

Pearl Jam is set to headline two nights of Ohana, Sept. 27 and Sept. 29, with Sting headlining Sept. 28. Sting was a replacement for Neil Young and Crazy Horse, who canceled their entire tour due to health issues in the band.

Other artists playing Ohana include Alanis Morissette, Crowded House, The Breeders, Jenny Lewis and Glen Hansard.

More info can be found at ohanafest.com.

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John Mayer isn’t going to let a little thing like a finger injury stop him from taking the stage with Dead & Company at their Dead Forever residency at the Sphere in Las Vegas.

The guitarist revealed on Instagram that he recently injured his left index finger in a truck door, noting, “[T]he first thing that went through my mind was ‘I really need that finger in a week.’”

“I need all my fingers, but the left index is the team captain of my fretting hand. It will heal just fine, but will be out of commission for a while,” he added, along with a picture of his bandaged digit.

But Mayer wasn’t about to miss a show to recover. 

“In the meantime, I have spent every day practicing guitar using the other three fingers and I think I have it sounding pretty good!” he writes. “I’ve always felt like every part of me belongs to these shows, and it’s my responsibility to return to the stage each night without screwing up the equipment, and I’m sorry for the misadventure here.” 

Finally, he shares, “The power of the music and the love for these shows will prevail! See ya tonight.”

Dead & Company kicks off their second-to-last weekend of their Dead Forever residency on Thursday. Their final show is scheduled for Aug. 10. A complete list of dates can be found at deadandcompany.com.

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Grateful Dead founder Jerry Garcia would have turned 82 on Thursday, and to mark the occasion the Sausalito Center for the Arts in California is launching a new exhibit, The Art of Jerry Garcia.

The exhibit, which runs through Sept. 1, features 30 museum quality digital prints donated by The Jerry Garcia Foundation. Fans who can’t make in person will be able to check out the Garcia exhibit virtually via the Neverworld Grid metaverse.

The Art of Jerry Garcia will launch on Thursday with an opening concert by the Keystone Revisited Band, led by bassist Tony Saunders, son of the late keyboardist Merl Saunders, who was a frequent Garcia collaborator. 

In addition to the Garcia artwork, those attending the exhibit will be treated to a private never-before-seen collection of Grateful Dead memorabilia, including autographed album covers and posters. There will also be behind-the-scenes rock ‘n’ roll photos from photographer Carol Scott, featuring photos that have remained unseen for 40 years.

More info can be found at sausalitocenterforthearts.org. 

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