It’s 2026: Why is ‘Rumours’ still one of America’s bestselling albums?

January 16, 2026 by Classic Rock 93.9

Luminate, whose data powers the Billboard charts, has revealed 2025’s top-10 bestselling vinyl albums, with Fleetwood Mac‘s 1977 album Rumours landing at #6. The project also placed at #16 on the Billboard 200 for the week of Jan. 17. In his new book Don’t Stop, Alan Light explores why Rumours resonates with new generations of fans.

“I think if you had sat down the music establishment on Dec. 31, 1979, and said, ‘Here are the five biggest records of the decade…50 years from now, which of these is gonna stand up the strongest and are young people gonna be listening to?,’ not one person would have said Rumors,” he told ABC Audio.

A key reason, Light argues, is that Rumours has inspired several pop cultural moments, from a Glee episode and the TikTok video of the guy lip-syncing to “Dreams” to the plots of Daisy Jones & the Six and the play Stereophonic.

Another reason is Fleetwood Mac’s lineup of three singers/songwriters: Stevie Nicks, Christine McVie and Lindsey Buckingham. “For kids who didn’t grow up listening to albums as albums, having one guy singing at you for 45 minutes is maybe a lot for their patience,” he says.

Light notes that the “constantly shifting” perspectives, voices and sounds on Rumours make it sound less like an album and more like a playlist, a format young people are used to. The dominance of women on the project also align with today’s pop music, which he says is largely “defined by female artists.”

That resonance helps explain why young fans want to physically own the album.

“There is something about the mystique, the aura, the feeling [of Rumours] that makes these young listeners … want to have it near them,” Light says. “Several of [them] said, ‘I don’t have a turntable, but I want to make sure that when I get one, the first thing that I play on it will be Rumours.'”

Iconic Van Morrison albums launch new Acoustic Sounds anniversary series

January 16, 2026 by Classic Rock 93.9

Two of Van Morrison’s iconic albums, 1968’s Astral Weeks and 1970’s Moondance, are the first releases of the new Acoustic Sounds 40th Anniversary Series, part of a partnership between Analogue Productions and Rhino Records.

Every album released in the series will be cut from the original analog tapes, or the best available source, to offer exceptional quality and sound. They will all be pressed on 180-gram black vinyl, with some also offered on super audio CD.

Following the January release of the Van Morrison albums, the series picks up again in March, with two albums released each month. The complete series will be made up of 40 titles, with future releases from artists like Genesis, Foghat, Little Feat, America, the Ramones and more.

Astral Weeks and Moondance are both available for preorder now. There is also the option to subscribe to the whole series; the first 400 customers will receive numbered LPs, with each month’s release marked with the same number.

Paul McCartney pays tribute to Bob Weir: ‘A great musician who inspired many people of many generations’

January 15, 2026 by Classic Rock 93.9

Paul McCartney is the latest artist to pay tribute to the late Grateful Dead guitarist Bob Weir, whose death at age 78 was announced on Saturday.

“Bob Weir was a great musician who inspired many people of many generations,” McCartney writes on Instagram. “I last saw Bob when we went to the Sphere in Las Vegas to watch Dead and Co. He was very welcoming and during the interval in the show he invited us into his trailer, and it was a special moment to meet his family and friends.”

McCartney writes about Weir showing him how he was set up to record music in the back of his bus while on tour, and how that almost led to a collaboration.

“I offered to play the bass on one of the tracks he played me but unfortunately that never came to pass,” McCartney notes.

“His humour, friendship and musicianship inspired me and will inspire many people into the future,” he continues. “Our family’s thoughts go out to Bob’s family at this time of loss, and I know they will remain as strong as he would wish them to be.”

McCartney signed the tribute, “God bless you Bob. See you down the road. Love Paul.”

New book highlights Beatles producer George Martin’s famous scores

January 15, 2026 by Classic Rock 93.9

A new book about legendary Beatles producer George Martin‘s work is being released in celebration of what would have been his 100th birthday.

George Martin: The Scores is described as “the first-ever definitive collection of the legendary producer’s original music manuscripts.”

The three-volume book will be released in April. It contains a forward by Paul McCartney, as well as full-sized reproductions of Martin’s handwritten scores, including those for songs like “Yesterday,” “Strawberry Fields Forever,” “Here Comes the Sun” and “Live and Let Die.” The book also contains commentary, and new orchestral recordings from Abbey Road Studios, which “allows the reader to experience Martin’s arrangements on their own.”

“It’s a book of art, if you like, because his scores are very beautiful,” Martin’s son Giles Martin tells Rolling Stone. “There’s a fluidity to it. There’s a vibrancy to looking at that music on a page.”

The project was in development before Martin’s death in 2016 at age 90. He would have turned 100 on Jan. 3.

George Martin: The Scores is being released in three different formats — standard edition, deluxe edition and signature edition — with varying bonus material. Among the extras is documentary footage from the orchestral recording sessions in the deluxe and signature editions, with the latter also including a signature page signed by George at the beginning of the project.

All three are available for preorder now.

Mia McKenna-Bruce says Sam Mendes’ Beatles films are ‘absolutely next level’

January 15, 2026 by Classic Rock 93.9

Actress Mia McKenna-Bruce is set to play Ringo Starr’s late wife Maureen Starkey in Sam Mendes’ The Beatles — A Four-Film Cinematic Event, and she certainly sounds excited by the project.

She tells Variety that her experience on the project so far has been “absolutely next level,” noting that a read through with the cast was “really emotional, because the scripts are so beautiful.”

The films star Paul Mescal as Paul McCartney, Harris Dickinson as John Lennon, Joseph Quinn as George Harrison and Barry Keoghan as Ringo. McKenna-Bruce says the first time she saw them in their roles she didn’t recognize them, noting, “it was phenomenal.”

“They’ve done it beautifully in getting it bang on for the Beatles, but still holding on to the essences of the boys themselves as well. They’re all genius,” she continues. “And the boys have gone tenfold into playing these roles and know them inside out and back to front — they will question everything in the scripts to make sure it tells the right story. And Sam knows everything there is to know about the Beatles.”

As for what she’s learned about her character, McKenna-Bruce says Maureen was “loved by all the Beatles boys.”

“If she went into a room or party, she’d be the person that would go over to whoever was sat on their own — she wanted to make everyone felt included and was just a really good human,” she says. She adds that Maureen preferred to stay at home and “stayed out of the Beatlemania.”

And while McKenna-Bruce isn’t allowed to say much more about the films, due out in April 2028, she wishes she could.

“I just cannot wait for people to see this, because I really need to scream about it,” she says.

See Rod Stewart lead a pub sing-along in Scotland

January 15, 2026 by Classic Rock 93.9

Rod Stewart will sing anywhere — even in a Scottish pub on a weeknight.

The Glasgow Times reports that Rod was in the Scottish city of Falkirk on Wednesday to watch his favorite soccer team, Celtic, play. In video shared on the Instagram Story of his Wolfie’s whisky brand, Rod can be seen doing karaoke to the song “Have You Ever Seen the Rain” by Creedence Clearwater Revival, accompanied by his son Alastair Stewart and others.

According to the paper, as he left the pub Rod hugged one of the customers and said, “Cheers everybody, God bless.”

Rod released his version of “Have You Ever Seen the Rain” as the first single from his 2006 album, Still the Same… Great Rock Classics of Our Time, which debuted at #1 on the Billboard 200 chart.

‘Springsteen: Deliver Me From Nowhere’ sets Hulu debut

January 15, 2026 by Classic Rock 93.9

The Bruce Springsteen biopic Springsteen: Deliver Me From Nowhere is set for its streaming debut.

The film, starring The Bear’s Jeremy Allen White as The Boss and Jeremy Strong as his manager, Jon Landau, will debut on Hulu and Hulu on Disney+ Jan. 23. It also stars Stephen Graham, Paul Walter Hauser and Gaby Hoffmann.

Directed by Scott Cooper, the movie follows Springsteen’s efforts to make his 1982 solo album, Nebraska. The album featured 10 acoustic songs Springsteen originally recorded as demos on a four-track recorder. He’d planned to rerecord them with the E Street Band but instead released them as a solo acoustic record.

As previously announced, Springsteen: Deliver Me From Nowhere will also be released on 4K Blu-ray on Jan. 20, with the release including the four-act documentary Making Springsteen: Deliver Me From Nowhere.

The documentary’s four parts cover the process of adapting Warren Zanes’ 2023 book, Deliver Me from Nowhere: The Making of Bruce Springsteen’s Nebraska, for the big screen; a look at the album Nebraska; a deep dive into actor White’s process of becoming Springsteen for the film; and what it took to capture Springsteen’s New Jersey during the era of the movie.

Disney is the parent company of ABC News and Hulu.

On This Day, Jan. 15, 2024: Elton John won an Emmy for ‘Farewell From Dodger Stadium’

January 15, 2026 by Classic Rock 93.9

On This Day, Jan. 15, 2024…

Elton John won the Emmy for outstanding variety special live for Elton John Live: Farewell From Dodger Stadium, the live Disney+ special documenting his final North American concert.

Elton was unable to attend the Los Angeles ceremony because he was recovering from knee surgery.

The win made Elton an EGOT, as he had already two Oscars, a Tony and six Grammys, including a Lifetime Achievement Grammy.

With the win, the “Rocket Man” singer became the 19th person ever to achieve a competitive EGOT. Six additional people have won an EGOT with noncompetitive or honorary awards.

Dave Grohl celebrates birthday with ’Kimmel’ performance & benefit concert

January 15, 2026 by Classic Rock 93.9

Dave Grohl certainly had an eventful birthday.

The Foo Fighters frontman turned 57 on Wednesday and celebrated with a performance on ABC’s Jimmy Kimmel Live!, joining Ed Sheeran to perform the song “Drive.”

Grohl plays drums on the track, which was recorded for the Brad Pitt movie F1. The Kimmel performance also featured John Mayer and Foos keyboardist Rami Jaffee, both of whom play on the studio version of the song.

Foo Fighters also played a benefit concert at the Kia Forum in Los Angeles on Wednesday. In addition to marking Grohl’s birthday, the show raised money for the organizations Hope the Mission and Los Angeles Mission.

During the set, Grohl mentioned that the Foos’ last appearance at the Forum was their 2022 tribute concert for late drummer Taylor Hawkins, who died earlier that year. He then dedicated a solo electric rendition of the song “Under You” to Hawkins.

Foo Fighters will play a show in Tasmania on Jan. 24, followed by a pair of U.S. festivals in May. They’ll then head to Europe in June before launching a U.S. stadium tour in August.

Peter Frampton announces limited-edition Vinylphyle pressing of ‘Frampton Comes Alive!’

January 15, 2026 by Classic Rock 93.9

Peter Frampton recently celebrated the 50th anniversary of his iconic album Frampton Comes Alive! To mark the occasion, he’s announced a special vinyl reissue.

The album will be released as a limited-edition Vinylphyle double pressing, sourced from the original 1975 production master by Doug Sax. The release includes a four-panel insert featuring a new interview with Frampton.

“I can’t believe it’s now been 50 years since Frampton Comes Alive! was released, but that record still feels like a living, breathing moment in my life,” says Frampton. “When we decided to do this Vinylphyle edition, it was important to me that it be done the right way. I personally asked that the audio be sourced from the original 1975 Doug Sax production master because I wanted it to sound exactly as we heard it back then.”

He adds, “This album was born onstage, and hearing it presented this way on vinyl feels like bringing that energy back to life for longtime fans and new listeners alike.”

Frampton Comes Alive! (Vinylphyle) will be released Jan. 22 and is now available for preorder now.

Frampton Comes Alive! helped launch Frampton to stardom, becoming one of the bestselling live albums of all time, with close to 20 million copies sold worldwide. It features live performances of iconic Frampton tunes like “Show Me the Way,” “Baby, I Love Your Way” and “Do You Feel Like We Do,” all of which became top-15 hits.

The album went on to become Frampton’s only #1 record, spending 10 nonconsecutive weeks at the top of the charts. In 2020, it was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame.

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