Classic Rock 93.9

Former Genesis guitarist Steve Hackett is giving fans some new music next year. 

On February 16, the rocker will release the new studio album The Circus and the Nightwhale, described as an autobiographical concept album revolving around a character named Travla. 

“I love this album. It says the things I’ve been wanting to say for a very long time,” he shares. “It’s a lovely journey that starts dirty, scratchy and smoky and becomes heavenly and divine. How can you resist it?”

The Circus and the Nightwhale is Hackett’s first album of new material since the instrumental album Under A Mediterranean Sky, released back in 2021. It will be available for preorder starting December 1.

Here is the track list for The Circus and the Nightwhale: 

“People Of The Smoke”
“These Passing Clouds”
“Taking You Down”
“Found And Lost”
“Enter The Ring”
“Get Me Out!”
“Ghost Moon and Living Love”
“Circo Inferno”
“Breakout”
“All At Sea”
“Into The Nightwhale”
“Wherever You Are”
“White Dove”

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PBS has shared a preview of Foo Fighters‘ upcoming episode on its long-running music performance TV series, Austin City Limits.

The clip, streaming now on YouTube, captures a show-closing rendition of “Everlong” performed solo by Dave Grohl.

“I don’t like to say goodbye, so I usually just say goodnight,” Grohl says in introducing the song.

The full Foo Fighters Austin City Limits episode will premiere Saturday, November 18, on PBS. It will also be available to stream following the broadcast via the PBS app and PBS.org.

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The late Robbie Robertson was honored for his work on Martin Scorsese’s Killers of the Flower Moon at the 2023 Hollywood Music in Media Awards on Wednesday, November 15, in Los Angeles.

Robertson, who passed away in August at the age of 80, won in the Score — Feature Film category, where he was up against such films as Chevalier, Nyad, Oppenheimer, Rustin, Saltburn and The Killer.

Killers of the Flower Moon is the 11th collaboration between Robertson and Scorsese. They previously worked on such films as Gangs of New York, The Wolf of Wall Street, Raging Bull, Casino and more. Scorsese also directed the iconic concert film The Last Waltz, featuring the final concert of Robertson’s group, The Band.

Also recognized at the Hollywood Music in Media Awards was the documentary Immediate Family, which won Music Documentary –  Special Program. The film tells the story of 1970s session musicians Danny Kortchmar, Leland Sklar, Russ Kunkel and Waddy Wachtel. It will open in theaters for special one-night screenings on December 12, and will be available everywhere on December 15.

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Iron Maiden has announced another collaboration for their Legacy of the Beast mobile game.

The latest level added to Legacy of the Beast is called “Road Rats Forever,” which is inspired by the music and lyrics of Alice Cooper, specifically his latest album, Road.

Not only that, you can unlock the “No More Mr. Nice Guy” rocker as a playable character if you log in to Legacy of the Beast any seven days between now and December 15.

Legacy of the Beast has previously featured levels inspired by Avenged Sevenfold, Motörhead, Ghost, Five Finger Death Punch, Anthrax and Disturbed.

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On This Day, November 16, 1968…

Jimi Hendrix Experience landed their first and only #1 album with the double LP Electric Ladyland.

The record, which was their third and final studio album, included a cover of Bob Dylan’s “All Along the Watchtower,” which went on to become an iconic track for Hendrix. It was the album’s bestselling single, reaching #20 in the U.S. and #3 in the U.K.

Electric Ladyland, which spent two weeks on top of the charts, also featured such songs as “Voodoo Child (Slight Return),” “Gypsy Eyes” and “Crosstown Traffic.”

It is often featured on greatest albums lists, including Rolling Stone’s 500 Greatest Albums of All Time, where in 2020 it was ranked 53.

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Blondie co-founder and guitarist Chris Stein is ready to share his story. The rocker is set to drop his memoir, Under a Rock, next year.

“I’ve been working on this memoir for two years and it’ll show up allegedly in 2024,” he writes on Instagram. “I mean, I like it… I wrote the whole f****** thing myself. It’s got a lot of weird a** stuff that actually happened even if it might seem made up.” 

“I’m quite looking forward to people interacting with it,” he adds.

Under A Rock will feature a foreword by Blondie frontwoman Debbie Harry. Described as Stein’s “nothing-spared autobiography,” it is “about the founding of the band, ascending to the heights of pop success, and the hazards of fortune.” 

Under A Rock will be released June 11. It is available for preorder now.

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Rush’s Geddy Lee can see the band’s music being turned into a film one day. 

Speaking to Vulture, Lee, who just released his memoir My Effin Life, was asked what song he thought could be adapted to a screenplay. He couldn’t quite narrow it down to one.

He says the 1976 album 2112 seems to be the easiest to turn into a movie, noting it’s “obvious as a sci-fi story of ‘the individual against the collective.’”

“I think the setting of it would lend itself to visual interpretation. Whether that’s been done too much, I don’t know,” he says. “You’ve got generations of Star Wars films. It’s not new territory, but there’s something in that story that would translate into the genre.”

He says there have been ideas for 2112 films over the years “but nothing has ever really made us want to go down that road.”

But Geddy thinks 2012’s Clockwork Angels would make a better film or series.

“It’s based on a classic story of a naïve and innocent person going out into the world, and running away to try to find the place to make his dreams come true,” he shares. “That really would lend itself to a fantasy story, but not necessarily a sci-fi fantasy story.” 

“When you look at what’s been done with shows like The Last of Us or Game of Thrones, you can take cinema anywhere now. Yet the story at the heart of Clockwork Angels is a full circle of life,” he adds.

Geddy says his late bandmate Neil Peart also wanted to see a Clockwork Angels adaptation. “It was a big deal for him, and he had done some work in the hopes he could make something like that happen,” he says. “Maybe one day.”

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Molly Hatchet has released a new song called “Firing Line,” marking the first original tune from the Southern rockers in 13 years.

“Throughout history, humanity has fought to stand up for what is right and defend the wrongfully accused,” says guitarist Bobby Ingram. “‘Firing Line’ depicts standing up for yourself on that fine line between the truth and being falsely accused by the system, and by doing so, standing up for yourself to protect your integrity and fight for what is right.”

You can listen to “Firing Line” now via digital outlets and watch its accompanying lyric video streaming now on YouTube.

Molly Hatchet will launch a U.S. tour in January.

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Former Van Halen frontman Sammy Hagar says he’s open to performing with the band’s original lead singer, David Lee Roth.

Hagar just announced dates for The Best of All Worlds Tour, where he’ll joined by Van Halen bassist Michael Anthony, drummer Jason Bonham and guitarist Joe Satriani. The plan is to perform songs from the Van Halen catalog, even ones Hagar didn’t sing. And it turns out he’s more than happy to have a little help with them.

While speaking to Howard Stern, Hagar offered an open invitation for both Roth and Van Halen drummer Alex Van Halen to join them.

“If Alex Van Halen wants to jump out, if David Lee Roth wants to come out and join us, come on motherf*****, you are welcome,” he said. “This is about Van Halen.”

As for whether he really thinks Alex would make an appearance, Hagar said, “I would hope so.” But he noted, “I reach out to Al about once a month for five years now, and he doesn’t get back to me.” 

Hagar does plan to perform music from his entire career, including songs from his bands The Circle and Chickenfoot, but the focus will be on Van Halen, with promises to go deep into the band’s catalog.

“It’s time — nobody else is gonna do it,” he says. “This is really a celebration of all that, and we are the only ones who can do it.” 

The Best of All Worlds Tour, featuring special guest Loverboy, kicks off July 13 in West Palm Beach, Florida. Tickets go on sale Friday, November 17, at 10 a.m. A complete list of dates can be found at redrocker.com.

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Looks like The Beatles are on track for another #1.

The legendary rockers recently reissued their two greatest hits compilations, 1962-1966 (The Red Album) and 1967-1970 (The Blue Album), and early numbers suggest one of them will debut on top of the U.K. Official Albums chart.

If things stay on track, the remastered 1967-1970 will take the #1 position, one better than its original peak of #2 in May 1973. The release, which features the “final” Beatles song, “Now and Then,” would be the group’s 16th U.K. #1.

And that won’t be the band’s only charting album this week. The reissue of 1962-1966 is on track to debut at #2, with a box set that contains both expected to hit #9.

The new chart milestone comes after “Now and Then” debuted at #1 on the U.K. Official Singles chart, setting a new record for the longest gap between number ones. Their last #1 happened 54 years ago with 1969’s “The Ballad of John & Yoko.”

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