Judas Priest‘s Rob Halford has teamed up with German metal icon Doro for a joint cover of the Bonnie Tyler song “Total Eclipse of the Heart.”
The collaboration is an appropriately dramatic rendition of the ’80s classic, with Halford and Doro trading “turn arounds” and “need you tonights.” The pair also stars together in an accompanying video, streaming now on YouTube.
The cover is included on Doro’s new album Conqueress — Forever Strong and Proud, which is out now. The record also features Doro’s take on Priest’s “Living After Midnight,” with guest vocals by Halford.
Priest, meanwhile, is readying a new album called Invincible Shield, due out March 8.
Queen is sharing another classic performance in this week’s episode of their weekly YouTube series, Queen The Greatest Live.
The latest episode focuses on a July 1986 performance of “A Kind of Magic,” which Roger Taylor wrote for the film Highlander. The performance took place at London’s Wembley Stadium and shows how frontman Freddie Mercury brought the song to life onstage.
“Originally, ‘A Kind Of Magic’ was used at the end of the movie, over the closing credits,” Roger once shared. “It was a grander concept with a much more broken-up tempo. Freddie really believed in this song and we reworked it as a single.”
“A Kind of Magic” was the third single off Queen’s 1986 album of the same name. It peaked at #3 on the U.K. charts and at #42 in the U.S.
“It became very popular onstage,” Roger says of the song, “and when we did it on the 1986 Magic Tour, which was our last ever tour, it used to go down incredibly well.”
Next week on Queen The Greatest Live: “Stone Cold Crazy.”
Iron Maiden is bringing their The Future Past tour to the U.S. in 2024.
The newly announced stateside leg launches October 4 in San Diego and wraps up November 17 in San Antonio, Texas. Along the way, Maiden will headline the 2024 Aftershock Festival, taking place October 10-13 in Sacramento, California.
Tickets go on sale Friday, November 3, at 10 a.m. local time.
The Future Past World Tour first launched in Europe in May. Its set list is mostly focused on Maiden’s latest album, 2021’s Senjutsu, and their 1986 effort, Somewhere in Time.
“We’re really excited to be continuing The Future Past tour next year,” says bassist Steve Harris. “We know from the reaction of our fans at Power Trip and the shows we played in Canada recently that they really enjoyed hearing new songs from both Senjutsu and Somewhere in Time, and we’ve really enjoyed playing them.”
“It’s going to be a great experience for us to visit many other cities and bring this new show to those fans who’ve waited patiently to see it,” he continues. “See you all in 2024!”
For the full list of dates and all ticket info, visit IronMaiden.com.
Rocker Lou Reed passed away from liver disease at the age of 71.
Reed was the guitarist, singer, and principal songwriter for The Velvet Underground, which released five albums. Although they never achieved huge commercial success, their influence has been felt throughout underground, alternative, punk rock and new wave music.
Reed went on to have a successful solo career, releasing 20 solo records, including 1972’s Transformer, which included his most successful single, “Walk on the Wild Side.”
Reed is a two-time member of the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame. He was inducted in 1996 as a member of Velvet Underground and again in 2014 as a solo artist.
Foo Fighters star in a new promo for Saturday Night Live ahead of their performance on the show on October 28.
In the clip, streaming now on YouTube, cast member Marcello Hernandez suggests that the “Everlong” rockers should change their name to Boo Fighters in honor of Halloween. After suggesting that he’s angry with the notion, Dave Grohl then says, “You know what man? That’s the best idea I’ve ever heard!”
The upcoming episode will be hosted by comedian Nate Bargatze. It’ll mark the ninth time Foo Fighters will be the show’s musical guest — 10th if you count their special guest performance alongside Mick Jagger in 2012.
In honor of the 50th anniversary of their rock opera Quadrophenia, The Who has released the iconic album on streaming services in Dolby Atmos, and they note it sounds “truly amazing.”
In addition, the band will release a half-speed vinyl masters cut of Quadrophenia on 180-gram black vinyl on February 2. The double LP will come in its original gatefold sleeve with a 44-page booklet and a certificate of authenticity.
Released in 1973, Quadrophenia was The Who’s second full rock opera following 1969’s Tommy. It featured such classic songs as “The Real Me,” “Love Reign O’er Me” and “5:15.”
Also on February 2, the Rock & Roll Hall of Famers will release a half-speed masters cut vinyl of 1975’s The Who By Numbers. It, too, will come in its original gatefold sleeve with a certificate of authenticity.
The Who by Numbers was the band’s seventh studio album and featured the song “Squeeze Box,” which was a top 20 hit in both the U.S. and the U.K.
A 60-year-old interview with The Beatles is featured in new podcast hosted by Sherlock star Martin Freeman.
Eras: The Beatles tells the story of the legendary band through archival interviews and includes a recently rediscovered interview the band gave on February 5, 1964, as they landed at London Airport, now Heathrow, following a gig in France.
The interview was given to the former BBC program Radio Newsreel and was recently discovered by BBC archivist Elliot Gibson while he was digitizing physical reels of audio.
“Initially, I assumed it was a copy of an interview that was widely known, so when I checked and discovered it was unique and hadn’t been heard since its broadcast – almost 60 years ago – I was amazed,” he shares, according to The London Evening Standard. “It’s extremely rare to unearth material this valuable in the archive.”
He notes, “What makes it truly great is that it shows The Beatles on top form – playful and quick-witted – and captures them just before their first visit to America, which would turn out to be a pivotal moment in their career.”
The first five episodes of Eras: The Beatles are available now on BBC Sounds, with the final episode set to premiere November 2, the same day The Beatles’ final song, “Now and Then,” will be released.
The episode will feature a new interview with Paul McCartney and Ringo Starr talking about the making of the song, along with audio from John Lennon’s son Sean Ono Lennon, George Harrison’s widow Olivia Harrison and Get Back director Peter Jackson,who used technology to isolate Lennon’s vocals from a 1970s demo for the song.
The Zombies have canceled the remaining dates of their North American tour.
On Tuesday, October 24, the band announced on Instagram that a member of the group had been hospitalized, prompting the cancelation of shows in Alexandra, Virginia, and Beverly, Massachusetts. In a new post on Thursday, October 26, they revealed that while the unnamed band member had been released from the hospital, they made the decision not to continue the tour.
“Although he’s been released from the hospital and is recovering, we must prioritize his health over the tour. Out of respect for our bandmate’s privacy, we are not disclosing further details,” they write. “Despite facing some significant challenges on this tour, these have been some of the most enjoyable shows of our career together, and we’re forever grateful to our fans.”
In addition to the Virginia and Massachusetts shows, canceled dates include an October 27 concert in New York City and an October 29 gig in Glenside, Pennsylvania. Refunds will be given to all ticket holders.
It’s no secret that members of The Police have had their differences over the years. In a new interview, drummer Stewart Copeland opens up about just how bad things got during the recording of their final album, Synchronicity.
Copeland’s new book, Police Diaries, is out now, and he tells the New York Post the dysfunction in the band was so bad during the recording of their #1 album it felt like “hell on earth,” particularly when it came to working with Sting.
“It was a very uncomfortable place — and we drove each other crazy,” he says. “We now understand where all that tension came from. And in fact, given that understanding, I’m very grateful that we got as many as five albums out of Stingo, because by then … he had a very clear idea of how the arrangements should go.”
Copeland explains that when the band started out it was a collaborative effort. However, he says, “It became more and more compromise for him — and it got tougher and tougher for him to make those compromises.”
“The times when I came the closest to homicide, the times when it became absolutely critical that I choke the life out of this man, were when he would come over to me and tell me something about the hi-hat,” he says.
Copeland says that in the end, he and Sting simply had major differences when it came to making music.
“Sting was looking for a beautiful place, and to create something serene and moving and, dare I say, intellectual,” he explains. “For me, it’s about burning down the house — it’s a party.”
A new three-part docuseries is set to take a deep dive into the murder of The Beatles legend John Lennon.
John Lennon: Murder Without a Trial, narrated by actor Kiefer Sutherland, will air on Apple TV +, promising the “most thoroughly researched examination” of Lennon’s 1980 murder.
According to a press release, the series will feature “exclusive eyewitness interviews and previously unseen crime scene photos, shedding new light on the life and murder of music and cultural icon John Lennon and the investigation and conviction of Mark David Chapman, his confessed killer.”
The series includes interviews with eyewitnesses to the murder, Lennon’s friends, detectives and prosecutors, and Chapman’s defense lawyers and psychiatrists.
So far, an airdate for the docuseries has not been announced.
Lennon was shot by Chapman outside his New York apartment, The Dakota, on December 8, 1980. Chapman pled guilty to second degree murder and was sentenced to 20-years-to-life in prison. He became eligible for parole in 2000 but still remains in jail.
