Classic Rock 93.9

On This Day, October 6, 2020…

Van Halen guitarist Eddie Van Halen, considered one of the most influential guitarists in rock, passed away at age 65 following a long battle with cancer.

Eddie and his brother, Alex, co-founded Van Halen in the early ’70s, with Eddie on guitar and Alex on drums. Joined by frontman David Lee Roth and bassist Michael Anthony, they released their self-titled debut in 1977.

In the ’80s, they were one of the most successful rock acts in America, with their album 1984 being their most successful release, selling more than 10 million copies, thanks to four hit singles, including their first and only #1, “Jump.” 

Roth left Van Halen in 1985 and was replaced by Sammy Hagar, with whom the group went on to have five #1 albums: 1986’s 5150, 1988’s OU812, 1991’s For Unlawful Carnal Knowledge, 1995’s Balance and 1996’s compilation, Best of Volume 1.

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Fill up your water bottle and get your devil horns ready: Metalchella is here.

Metallica, Guns N’ Roses, AC/DC, Iron Maiden, Judas Priest and Tool are headlining the inaugural Power Trip festival, taking place October 6-8. It’ll be held in Indio, California, at the same site of Coachella and 2016’s Desert Trip, which featured the similarly stacked lineup of The Rolling Stones, Bob Dylan, Paul McCartney, Neil Young, Roger Waters and The Who.

“It’s a strange concept, isn’t it?” Priest bassist Ian Hill tells LA Weekly of Power Trip. “Six bands over three days, everybody gets to see the headliner. You couldn’t get six bands of this stature all on the same bill on the same day. There wouldn’t be the time, or the room for the egos probably. Who would wrap the show up?”

“It’s the first thing like this that we’ve ever done,” Hill adds. “We’ve been out with bands like KISS and AC/DC before, years ago. So we’ve been on the two-big-act bill, sort of thing. But with the festival theme, I don’t know. We’ll have to wait and see.”

Power Trip will kick off Friday with Guns N’ Roses and Iron Maiden, then AC/DC and Judas Priest on Saturday, and Metallica and Tool on Sunday. 

“I think playing on the bill, just Metallica and us, it’s absolutely going to inspire us,” Tool guitarist Adam Jones tells LA Weekly. “We’re excited to be at our best and to microwave the crowd.”

Jones adds that Tool’s “dusted off some tunes that we haven’t played in a long time” for their set.

“Songs that we think will be appropriate for the setting,” he says.

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The late Robbie Robertson is known for his legendary musical career, but this fall he’ll also be remembered for his whiskey.

One of Robertson’s last projects before his death in August was to team with WhistlePig Whiskey for a new spirit in honor of The Band’s legendary concert film and album The Last Waltz, which is celebrating its 45th anniversary this year. 

WhistlePig 12 Rye Whiskey – Robbie’s Blend, which was crafted with Robertson’s input, features a blend of flavors including ripe citrus, cedar, walnut and crushed white pepper. And as a bonus for Last Waltz fans, each bottle has been dipped in wax made with melted vinyl from The Last Waltz album.

“We’re humbled to give fans another way to celebrate The Last Waltz’s legacy this season with a new whiskey created in collaboration with Robbie himself,” says Mitch Mahar, WhistlePig distiller. “With his personal touches, Robbie’s Blend offers a bespoke whiskey that gives you a symphony of flavor in every sip.”

WhistlePig 12 Rye Whiskey – Robbie’s Blend is available to order online starting Friday, October 6, and will also be available this fall in select stores in Tennessee.

The release coincides with several planned celebrations of The Last Waltz’s 45th anniversary, including the October 6 release of a three-LP audiophile pressing of the soundtrack and a record release party taking place the same night at Analog inside the Hutton Hotel in Nashville. The film is also set to return to theaters nationwide for one night only on November 5.

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The Zombies are headed to the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame for a very special screening of their recent documentary, Hung Up On a Dream.

Original band members Rod Argent and Colin Blunstone, who were inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2019, will take part in a Hall of Fame series interview and Q&A following the screening on October 21 at 2 p.m. 

Tickets for the screening and interview are on sale now. 

The event is happening the day after The Zombies’ October 20 show at Ludlow Garage in Cincinnati, Ohio. Their next concert is happening Thursday, October 5, in San Francisco. A complete list of tour dates can be found at thezombiesmusic.com.

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A rare collaboration between Bob Dylan and Jack White will be released as part of the latest installment of White’s Third Man Records Vault subscription service.

The main part of the release will be Live in Las Vegas, a three vinyl LP set of The White Stripes’ 2003 concert in Sin City. But it will come with the added bonus of a 7-inch vinyl single featuring Dylan and White teaming up for a live performance of The White Stripes track “Ball and Biscuit.”

The collaboration happened on March 17, 2004, at the State Theatre in Detroit, Michigan. Up until now, the recording has only been available as a bootleg from audience recordings.

To get your copy of Live in Las Vegas, you’ll need to sign up for the Third Man Records Vault before midnight CT on October 31. For more info, visit ThirdManRecords.com.

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Paul McCartney is ready to kick off a new leg of his Got Back tour later this month, and he’s giving fans a chance to win a VIP experience at his final show of the year. 

The two-time Rock & Roll Hall of Famer just launched a new sweepstakes where a lucky winner and their guest will win VIP tickets to his December 16 show in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, along with soundcheck access and a meet and greet with McCartney. The package comes with roundtrip airfare, three-night hotel accommodations and a merchandise package.

Fans can enter by making a donation of $10 or more on prizeo.com, with proceeds benefiting Meet Free Monday, a nonprofit Paul launched with daughters Mary and Stella McCartney in 2009 “to create a simple and accessible way for everyone beginning the journey to greener and healthier eating.”

Paul McCartney’s Got Back tour kicks off October 18 in Adelaide, Australia. A complete list of dates can be found at paulmccartney.com.

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KISS will kick off the final leg of their End of the Road tour later this month. While they’ve always been known for their big theatrical shows, singer Paul Stanley believes they’re loved for much more than just the spectacle.

“I always say this: ‘a crappy band with a big show is a crappy band,’” he tells Gulf News. “We didn’t start as a band with everything. We started as a band making music we listened to.” He adds, “And it was never about being a part of a band with make-up and [fireworks] … Our music doesn’t need intellectualizing or philosophizing.” 

While Stanley says there are bands that can play to bigger audiences than they do right now, he doesn’t think those artists will still be bringing it 50 years down the line like they do.

“Our devoted fan base is almost like a tribe. We don’t make art that is intellectual, we make art that’s emotional,” he says, noting, “That’s why people remember their first KISS concert, their first KISS song, and they remember when KISS first came on the radio. It’s a powerful connection.”

The final leg of KISS’ End of the Road tour launches October 19 in Cleveland, Ohio. A complete list of dates can be found at kissonline.com.

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INXS is releasing remixes of some of their biggest hits on colored vinyl.

The new collection, All Juiced Up Part 2, will feature nine limited edition colored 12-inch vinyl releases, featuring remixes of INXS classics like “Need You Tonight,” “What You Need” and more.

The collection kicks off October 20 with volumes one to three; all songs were remixed at Abbey Road Studios. A blue, pink and red vinyl will be available, with each volume containing four different songs. Remixes on the first three volumes include such songs as “Listen Like Thieves,” “Bitter Tears,” “New Sensation,” “Original Sin” and more.

All volumes can be ordered separately or as a three-LP bundle. They are available for preorder now. These will be followed by two more sets of three; the next is expected to drop in February 2024, and the final set is scheduled for May 2024. 

This new collection is a follow-up to the previously released remix CD/cassette collection, All Juiced Up, which was part of the band’s 1994 Greatest Hits album.

The limited edition vinyl is the latest INXS release that’s bound to be a hit with fans. On Tuesday, October 3, they released the book Calling All Nations – A Fan History Of INXS, recounting the history of the Aussie rockers through the stories and memories of their dedicated fanbase.

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Pink Floyd’s David Gilmour seems to have revealed his feelings about allegations his former bandmate Roger Waters is antisemitic.

The rocker shared a post on X, formerly known as Twitter, featuring Campaign Against Antisemitism’s documentary The Dark Side of Roger Waters, which claims to prove Waters is antisemitic.

Waters has already blasted the documentary, calling it “a flimsy, unapologetic piece of propaganda that indiscriminately mixes things I’m alleged to have said or done at different times and in different contexts, in an effort to portray me as an antisemite, without any foundation in fact.” 

This isn’t the first time Gilmour has let his feelings about Waters be known. Back in February, Gilmour’s wife, Polly Samson, called Waters out on social media, writing, “Sadly @rogerwaters you are antisemitic to your rotten core. Also a Putin apologist and a lying, thieving, hypocritical, tax-avoiding, lip-synching, misogynistic, sick-with-envy, megalomaniac.” Gilmour then reshared the post, adding, “Every word demonstrably true.”

The latest Waters controversy comes as he’s getting ready to release The Dark Side of the Moon Redux, his reimagining of Pink Floyd’s classic album. It comes out Friday, October 6.

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On This Day, October 5, 1962…

The Beatles launched their career with the U.K. release of their debut single, “Love Me Do,” which peaked at #17 on the U.K. charts. A 1984 re-release of the track later peaked at #4. 

The song, written by John Lennon and Paul McCartney, wasn’t released in the United States until April, 1963, but became an instant hit, landing at #1, the first of The Beatles’ 20 #1 songs. 

The Beatles actually recorded the tune more than once, using different drummers. The U.K. version of the song featured Ringo Starr on drums, while the U.S. single featured Alan White.

A version featuring original Beatles drummer Pete Best was included in the group’s 1995 compilation album Anthology 1.

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