Classic Rock 93.9

The Rolling Stones have been recognized with a 2024 BRIT Award nomination.

The legendary rockers, who last year released Hackney Diamonds, their first album of new material since 2005, have been nominated in the Alternative/Rock Act category, where they’ll compete against Blur, Bring Me the Horizon, Young Fathers and Yussef Dayes. 

The nomination is the fourth for The Stones and their first since 2013.

Foo Fighters have also been recognized with a nomination in the International Group category, where Billie Eilish, Ed Sheeran, Paramore and more also received nods.

Winners in the genre categories will be selected via a public vote being held on Instagram from Thursday, February 1, at 12 p.m. until Thursday, February 15, at 6 p.m. 

The BRIT Awards 2024 will take place Sunday, March 2, at The O2 arena in London.

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The estate of late Stone Temple Pilots and Velvet Revolver frontman Scott Weiland has announced a partnership with the music publishing company Primary Wave.

The agreement includes publishing copyrights and recording royalties for Weiland’s songs with STP and Velvet Revolver as well as his solo material. Additionally, Primary Wave will be “working closely on new marketing, branding, digital, and synch opportunities, as well as film and television projects.”

“There are few rock artists that had the impact that Scott Weiland did on music,” says Primary Wave Music CEO and founder Larry Mestel. “We are honored to partner with Scott’s family on such a legendary catalog of music and career. Scott’s influence on music is unparalleled and he remains one of the most influential musicians in rock music. We are extremely grateful the estate has chosen to partner with us to continue to grow his incredible legacy.”

Weiland died in 2015 at age 48. A reissue of Weiland’s 2011 holiday album, The Most Wonderful Time of the Year, was released in 2022, marking what a press release called the “first posthumous music to be released from the Weiland vault.”

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Bon Jovi is kicking off the celebration of their 40th anniversary. 

The band’s self-titled debut album was released 40 years ago this month, and to mark the occasion, the New Jersey rockers have just released Bon Jovi: Deluxe Edition to digital outlets.

The deluxe edition features nine never-before-heard bonus tracks, including different versions of the album’s hit “Runaway” and live tracks from a 1985 concert in Tokyo.

“We can’t believe it’s been 40 years since we released Bon Jovi – the record that changed our lives forever,” they share on Instagram, announcing the kick off of what they’re calling #BonJovi40!

In addition to the digital release, the band is releasing 5,000 limited-edition anniversary copies of Bon Jovi on ruby red vinyl, which will ship on March 22. There’s also a limited-edition anniversary Bon Jovi cassette, which will ship on April 5.

And it sounds like there will be a lot more to the celebration.

“We can’t wait to share more with you!” they write. “Thank you to everyone who’s been a part of our journey so far. Get ready for 2024, the year of #BonJovi40!” 

Released January 21, 1984, Bon Jovi featured nine tracks, including the hit “Runaway,” which Jon Bon Jovi originally recorded for a demo. The demo version wound up getting airplay on a local New York radio station, which led to Jon getting signed by Mercury Records and the eventual formation of Bon Jovi.

The album wound up peaking at #43 on the Billboard 200 chart and was later certified double Platinum by the RIAA.

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On This Day, January 24, 2017… 

Allman Brothers Band drummer Butch Trucks died by suicide in West Palm Beach, Florida. He was 69.

Born Claude Hudson Trucks, Butch joined the Allman Brothers Band in 1969 and played with them throughout their career. He was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame with the band in 1995. 

His nephew, guitarist Derek Trucks joined the ABB in 1999 and went on to form the Tedeschi Trucks Band. Derek’s brother, Duane Trucks, is the drummer for Widespread Panic.

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John Densmore is the reason we don’t hear music from The Doors in commercials, and he says his decision to fight against it was inspired by an incident with the group’s late frontman, Jim Morrison. 

“It all started in 1968 when Buick offered us $75,000 — huge money at the time — to sell its new model,” the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame drummer tells The Spectator, noting he, guitarist Robby Krieger and keyboardist Ray Manzarek all agreed to the deal without Morrison.  

“He came back and went nuts. Or, being Jim, what he actually said was that if they aired the ad he would smash up a Buick on live TV with a sledgehammer,” he says. “A bulb went off over my head at that moment.”

Densmore is so serious about not licensing The Doors’ music that he took his former bandmates to court over it; things got testy in court, which hurt their relationship. “Among other things, they asked me if I was a communist, and whether I supported Al-Qaeda,” he says.

Densmore wound up winning the legal battle, and says his relationship with Krieger and Manzarek did eventually improve.

While Manzarek passed away in 2013, Densmore says they “made peace right before the end, for which I’m eternally grateful.” As for his relationship with Krieger, Densmore says they’re friendly and hints at a possible project in the future.

“We might even do something together, but I can assure you it won’t be called The Doors,” he says.

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Looks like Sammy Hagar will be holding on to his 2015 Ferrari LaFerrari for a little while longer. 

Sammy was supposed to auction off the vehicle at the Barrett-Jackson 2024 Scottsdale Auction at WestWorld in Scottsdale, Arizona, which runs through January 28, but the sale has been postponed. 

USA Today reports that during a full inspection it was discovered that the car needs a new battery; a replacement can’t come in time for the planned auction. Instead the car will be auctioned off at Barrett-Jackson’s auction on October 12.

“As disappointed as I am about a last-minute mechanical problem, I am so happy I didn’t sell the car to someone and have it happen to them. If you know what I mean,” Sammy wrote on Instagram. “Good news is I get to drive the car a little more between now & Oct 12 when it goes back on the block!” 

Instead of being on the auction block, the car will be on display for those attending the auction.

Hagar and Jackson are reportedly hoping the car sells for somewhere close to $5 million. It originally retailed for about $1.4 million.

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The Zombies continue to add U.S. dates to their schedule.

The Rock & Roll Hall of Famers just added four new shows to the latest leg of their Different Game tour – March 29 in Charlottesville, Virginia, March 31 in Durham, North Carolina, April 2 in Charleston, South Carolina, and April 3 in Atlanta, Georgia.

The Zombies’ North American tour is due to kick off March 26 in Annapolis, Maryland, and wrap April 12 in Clearwater, Florida. As part of the tour they will set sail on the On The Blue Cruise from April 5 to April 10, departing from Miami.

Tickets for the new shows go on sale Friday, January 26, at 12 p.m. ET. 

The Zombies previously toured the U.S. in 2023, but were forced to cut the tour short in October after founding member Rod Argent was hospitalized after suffering migraines, fatigue and exhaustion.

Following the U.S. dates, the band will launch a U.K. tour on May 21 in Poole, England. A complete list of tour dates can be found at thezombiesmusic.com.

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Metallica‘s Kirk Hammett has recreated another one of his beloved guitars in collaboration with Gibson.

The latest instrument is based on Hammett’s 1989 Gibson Les Paul Custom, which he notes was the “first Les Paul I ever played live on stage and on tour.”

“I got it when we were on the …And Justice for All tour, specifically for ‘Fade to Black’ because I really wanted that big, fat, creamy Les Paul sound for the intro,” Hammett shares. “I loved how fast the neck was and after my tech modified a bunch of the hardware, making it ‘none more black,’ it ended up being a great live metal guitar.”

“It’s a very dependable and reliable guitar, and I’ve used it for decades,” he adds. “I hope you all will enjoy it as much as I did!”

The Kirk Hammett 1989 Les Paul Custom goes for $8,999. It’s available now via Gibson.com.

Hammett previously teamed up with Gibson for recreations of his famed 1959 Les Paul Standard aka “Greeny” and his 1979 Gibson Flying V.

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Martin Scorsese’s Killers of the Flower Moon received 10 Oscar nominations on Tuesday, January 23, including an Original Score nod for the late Robbie Robertson, which is a bit bittersweet for the director.

In a statement, Scorsese describes the academy’s recognition of the film and his collaborators as “deeply gratifying,” noting, “It was a remarkable experience to make this picture, to work together with the Osage community to tell the story of a genuine American tragedy, hidden in the shadows of official culture for far too long.”

Regarding the Original Score nod, Scorsese adds, “I only wish that Robbie Robertson had lived to see his work recognized. … our many years of friendship and Robbie’s growing consciousness of his own Native heritage played a crucial role in my desire to get this film onscreen.” 

Robertson’s mother was Cayuga and Mohawk, and he was raised in Toronto on the Six Nations of the Grand River reserve. The posthumous nomination makes him the first indigenous person ever to be nominated in the Original Score category.  

Prior to Killers of the Flower Moon, Scorsese and Robertson worked together on 14 projects, including the Scorsese-directed concert documentary The Last Waltz, featuring Robbie’s group The Band.

Robertson passed away August 9 at the age of 80.

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Alice Cooper’s sixth studio album, Billion Dollar Babies, celebrated its 50th anniversary in 1973, and now, the milestone is being marked with a new deluxe reissue. 

A newly remastered version of the album is part of the upcoming Billion Dollar Babies: “Trillion Dollar” Deluxe Edition, dropping March 8. The three-LP or two-CD box set also come with a host of bonus material, including studio outtakes, single mixes and a recording of an April 1973 concert in Texas.

Both versions also come with liner notes featuring an oral history of the album by Cooper and his bandmates Dennis Dunaway, Michael Bruce and Neal Smith. Mimicking the album’s original release, the vinyl features a textured snakeskin wallet design gatefold cover and includes a bonus $1 billion bill inside. 

Released in March 1973, Billion Dollar Babies hit #1 on the Billboard album chart and was Cooper’s only #1. It featured such hit songs as “No More Mr. Nice Guy” and “Elected,” both of which were top 40 hits for Cooper. 

Billion Dollar Babies: “Trillion Dollar” Deluxe Edition is available for preorder now.

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