Classic Rock 93.9

Grateful Dead’s Dave’s Picks bootleg series is hitting volume 50 next year and they’ve picked a special concert for the momentous occasion.

Dave’s Picks Vol. 50 will feature a special show from the band’s 1977 spring tour. The concert, recorded May 3, 1977, at the Palladium in New York City,was the second-to-last show in a five-night stand.

The recording features performances of “Not Fade Away,” “Uncle John’s Band,” “Eyes of the World” and more. There’s also a bonus disc for subscribers featuring performances from the second set of the May 4 show, including “Playing in The Band,” “Terrapin Station” and what’s described as “one of the best versions of ‘Comes A Time’ the Dead ever played.”

Deadheads have until early January to sign up for a 2024 subscription, which includes four Dave’s Picks through the year.

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As fans of The Rolling Stones continue to enjoy their latest release, Hackney Diamonds, they’ll soon be able to enjoy some of The Stones’ classic tracks in a whole new way.

A new limited-edition collection, The Rolling Stones Singles 1966-1971, will be released February 2, featuring reproductions of 18 7-inch vinyl singles and EPs.

Among the songs featured in the set are “Paint It Black,” “Let’s Spend the Night Together,” “She’s a Rainbow,” “Jumpin’ Jack Flash,” “Honkey Tonk Women” and “Brown Sugar.” It also includes the 7-inch EP of “Sympathy for the Devil,” which comes with remixes of the song by Fatboy Slim and Neptune.

Each single includes period-correct picture sleeve art. The set also includes a 23-page book with rare photos and liner notes by Stones expert Nigel Williamson, as well as photo cards and a poster. All songs were remastered by Grammy Award-winning engineer Bob Ludwig.

This is the second volume of replica singles released by The Stones. The Rolling Stones Singles 1963-1966 was released in 2022. 

The Rolling Stones Singles 1966-1971 is available for preorder now.

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On This Day, December 14, 1986…

Elton John headlined a concert at the Sydney Entertainment Center in Sydney, Australia, which was released as the live album Live in Australia with the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra.

The concert was the final night of John’s Tour De Force of Australia and New Zealand. It featured two sets, one with his 14-piece band and a second with the 88-piece Melbourne Symphony Orchestra.

Known for his flamboyant costumes, John dressed as Mozart for the orchestra set.

The album, which featured performances of “Your Song,” “Madman Across the Water,” “Don’t Let the Sun Go Down on Me,” “Candle in the Wind” and more, was released June 13, 1987.

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Fans of The Beatles only have a couple more weeks to make it to Cleveland to check out the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame’s The Beatles: Get Back to Let It Be exhibit. 

The exhibit was created as a compliment to Peter Jackson’s Emmy Award-winning docuseries Get Back. After a nearly two-year run it’s set to close on January 10.

As part of The Beatles celebration, the Rock Hall has been hosting “Beatles Friday” events — the last one is scheduled for December 29 from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. It includes a screening of The Beatles Rooftop Concert, which was their last live performance, and “From The Vault,” featuring memorable clips of Paul McCartney, Ringo Starr and George Harrison from the Rock Hall’s induction stage. 

There’s also a Beatles trivia game show, with prizes awarded to winners; a Beatles set performed by the Rock Hall’s house band, The Mechanics; and fan meetups.

The Beatles: Get Back to Let It Be features a host of Beatles memorabilia, including John Lennon‘s eyeglasses, Harrison’s handwritten lyrics for “I Me Mine” and McCartney’s handwritten lyrics to “I Got A Feeling.” There are also three screening rooms with video footage from the three locations featured in the series: Twickenham, Apple Studios and the Apple Corps rooftop.

More info can be found at rockhall.com.

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The Rolling Stones are giving fans a sneak peek at the upcoming music video for “Mess It Up,” the latest single from their Hackney Diamonds album.

The Rock & Roll Hall of Famers just dropped a trailer for the clip, which will be released on Tuesday, December 19. It features actor Nicholas Hoult, best known for his work in About a Boy, X-Men: First Class and the Hulu series The Great. He’s also just been cast as Lex Luthor in James Gunn’s upcoming Superman: Legacy.

“Mess It Up” is one of the two tracks on Hackney Diamonds that features the late Charlie Watts on drums.

Meanwhile, The Rolling Stones are set to release the live edition of Hackney Diamonds digitally on Friday, December 15. It features the seven tracks the band performed at their surprise album release party at the New York club Racket back in October.

A double CD edition will be released on January 19 and is available for preorder now.

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Patti Smith has been released from an Italian hospital, where she was taken after suddenly falling ill on Tuesday, December 12. She was supposed to headline a show in Bologna that night, but it was canceled.

The Italian outlet TGcom24 reports the 76-year-old Rock & Roll Hall of Famer was released from Maggiore Hospital after a day of observation, but has been advised to rest. Because of that, she’s been forced to cancel her remaining commitments in Italy, including a concert Thursday, December 14, in Venice. The shows in Bologna and Venice were the final two dates of Patti’s eight-show tour of Italy.

She was also supposed to attend a book signing in Milan on Friday, December 15, but that too has been canceled. 

Patti has three U.S. dates coming up: December 26 in Chicago, and December 29 and 30 in Brooklyn, New York.

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U2 has shared a new take on their latest single, “Atomic City.” The band just released a remix of the tune from producer Mike WiLL Made-It, who is best known for his work with artists like Miley Cyrus, Rihanna and Beyoncé.

U2 dropped “Atomic City” back in September just before they launched their Las Vegas residency, U2: UV Live at Sphere. The video was shot on Vegas’ Fremont Street, the same location where they shot the video for “I Still Haven’t Found What I’m Looking For” back in 1987. The clip includes drummer Larry Mullen Jr., who has been sitting out of the residency as he recovers from surgery.

In other U2 news, the band is releasing a new coffee table book, U2: UV Sphere, described as “the definitive visual record of what happens in Vegas … when U2 are playing Sphere.” It is available for preorder now and will ship in January. 

U2’s next Sphere show is happening Wednesday, December 13. A complete list of dates can be found at U2.com.

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Guitarist Ace Frehley isn’t feeling his former band KISS’ plans for the future now that they’ve retired from touring. 

At the end of their final show at New York’s Madison Square Garden earlier this month, KISS introduced fans to their avatars, suggesting an ABBA-like show is in the future.

Frehley has some thoughts on the subject.

During an interview with Germany’s Rock Antenne, Frehley said he was happy the final tour is over “because I’m not gonna be compared to them anymore.” 

“But I don’t get this avatar thing that they’re gonna do,” he added. “I mean, I saw some of it on a video on YouTube last night. It kind of looked like it was geared towards children. And it’s not rock ‘n’ roll.” 

As for what he considers rock ‘n’ roll, Frehley shares, “I get up on stage without backing tracks, plug my amp into it, plug my guitar into a Marshall and go. That’s it. It’s always been that way and always will be.”

As for the final KISS show, Frehley says he didn’t watch it, although he did see a video from their show in Indianapolis, noting, “I’m not impressed.”

Frehley is gearing up to wow fans with his own music. He’ll release his new solo album, 10,000 Volts, on February 23 and has already dropped the title track. The album, his first solo record since 2020’s Origins Vol. 2, is available for preorder now.

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Ed Sheeran and Elton John aren’t just friends — they’re also huge soccer fans, with Ed supporting Ipswich Town and Elton supporting Watford, the football club he used to own. When those teams played each other recently, Ed and Elton had a field trip to watch the match — and documented it all on social media.

“Went with @eltonjohn to watch our boyhood teams play each other, to celebrate 2 years of ‘Merry Christmas,'” wrote Ed, referring to the pals’ joint single that came out in 2022. He added, “Merry Christmas you wonderful people.”

In the clip, Ed and Elton exchange gifts, with Ed giving Elton an Ipswich Town Christmas sweater and Elton giving Ed a Watford one. “Thanks for the jumper, @teddysphotos! Hope you wear yours with pride!” Elton added in the comments. “Jumper” is British for sweater, in case you’re not familiar.

The video shows them sitting in the stands, being goofy while singing Elton’s classic “Your Song.” The two proceed to watch the game, with each singer cheering as their respective teams score. Ed’s Ipswich triumphed, 2 to 1.

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Robbie Robertson and Lenny Kravitz are among the nominees for the 2024 Critics Choice Awards. 

Robertson, who passed away in August, earned a nod in the Best Score category for his work on Martin Scorsese’s Killers of the Flower Moon. He’ll compete with scores from Barbie, Poor Things, Society of the Snow, Oppenheimer and Spider-Man: Across the Spiderverse. 

Kravitz earned a nod in the Best Song category for “Rustin,” from the movie of the same name. The tune will compete against “Wish,” from the animated movie Wish, and three songs from Barbie: Billie Eilish’s “What Was I Made For”; “I’m Just Ken,” which features Slash and Wolfgang Van Halen on guitar; and Dua Lipa‘s “Dance the Night.” 

The 2024 Critics Choice Awards, hosted by Chelsea Handler, will air January 14 on The CW.

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