Classic Rock 93.9

Heart’s Ann Wilson is sharing new music with fans.

The Rock & Roil Hall of Famer just released the new track “This Is Now,” the first taste of her upcoming album, Another Door. It features the band Tripsitter, made up of Tony Lucido on bass, Ryan Wariner on guitars, Sean T. Lane on drums, and Paul Moak on guitars and keyboards.

The album, dropping September 29, features all original songs with lyrics by Wilson, the first time she’s been sole lyricist on an album. “This is an exciting time in my creative life,” Ann shares, “so much new and fresh to remind me of why I love my calling!”

And fans will get to see Ann Wilson and Tripsitter performing some of those songs when the PBS special Ann Wilson & Tripsitter: Live in Concert debuts November 24. The show, taped last July in Nashville, has them playing tracks from Another Door, as well as Heart classics like “Barracuda” and “Crazy On You.”

Another Door is available for preorder now.

Ann Wilson and Tripsitter are currently on tour and are set to hit Dallas on September 24. A complete list of dates can be found at annwilson.com.

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Thin Lizzy is celebrating the 50th anniversary of their classic album Vagabonds of the Western World with a brand new box set.

Dropping November 17, Vagabonds of the Western World (Deluxe Re-issue) is being released as a three-CD/Blu-ray set with a Dolby Atmos mix. There will also be a four-LP edition, with both featuring rarities, radio sessions, live recordings, outtakes and unreleased music, including the just-released single edit version of the classic track “The Rocker.”

In addition, Vagabonds of the Western World will be released as a two-LP limited-edition purple vinyl. There will also be a special 7-inch single of their classic tune “Whiskey in the Jar,” sold only on their website. All formats are available for preorder now. 

Released September 21, 1973, Vagabonds of the Western World is considered Thin Lizzy’s breakthrough album. It was their third and final record; their iconic cover of “Whiskey in the Jar” was recorded during the sessions and released as a single, becoming their first top 10 hit. It was actually left off the final cut, but eventually released as bonus track on a 1991 Vagabonds reissue.

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Pretenders’ brand new album, Relentless, is out now, and they’ve just shared another single from the record,  “Losing My Sense Of Taste,” which was inspired by the pandemic.

“That song was more a take on the whole lockdown experience,” Chrissie Hynde shares. “It is called ‘Losing My Sense Of Taste,’ though, as a matter of fact, I never lost mine during the Covid period.” 

She adds, “But it did kick off the idea for the song – losing my sense of taste, my sense of smell, and sometimes the whole culture just seems tired. Not now of course, because there’s a new Pretenders album out.” 

Relentless is Pretenders’ first studio album in three years. “Losing My Sense of Taste” is the fourth single they’ve dropped from the album following “A Love,” “Let The Sun Come In” and “I Think About You Daily.” 

Pretenders currently have a handful of tour dates left for 2023. They play BBC Radio 2 in the Park in Leicester, England, on Sunday, September 17, and return to the U.S. with a set at the Ohana Festival in Dana Point, California, on October 1. A complete list of dates can be found at thepretenders.com.

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Queen is once again highlighting their connection to their fans in episode 33 of their weekly YouTube series, Queen The Greatest Live.

In this week’s episode, the band looks at one of their iconic stadium rock anthems “Radio Ga-Ga,” showing the fans’ contribution to their live performance. 

The clip features the band performing the Roger Taylor-penned track at their first Eastern European concert in Hungary’s Népstadion stadium while on the 1986 Magic Tour. It shows 80,000 fans clapping in the air in perfect unison during the chorus, something that happened every time the band performed the song.  

Released in January 1984, “Radio Ga Ga” appeared on Queen’s album The Works and peaked at #16 on the Billboard Hot 100 singles chart. The song became a staple at Queen’s live shows, including at Live Aid in 1985, where all the fans in a packed Wembley Stadium clapped along.

Next week on Queen The Greatest Live: “Freddie Mercury.”

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Neil Young is reissuing the live album Time Fades Away in celebration of its upcoming 50th anniversary. 

Time Fades Away 50 will be released November 3 on limited edition clear vinyl. It will feature not only the original nine songs on the album but a bonus track, “The Last Trip To Tulsa,” which Young previously included on his Archives Vol. 2 box set.

Released October 1973, Time Fades Away came out after Young’s successful Harvest album and featured previously unreleased songs. It was recorded during the Harvest tour, with backing band Stray Gators, and also featured David Crosby and Graham Nash on harmony vocals and acoustic guitar. 

Time Fades Away was previously reissued in 2014 as part of Young’s Record Store Day Official Release Series Discs 5-8 Vinyl Box Set. It wasn’t released on CD until 2017. 

Time Fades Away 50 is available for preorder now at the Greedy Hand Store at Neil Young Archives. All purchases come with a high-res download of the album.

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Richie Sambora is once again getting Bon Jovi fans’ hopes up, suggesting in a new interview that his return to the band may happen.

Sambora recently appeared on the Shred With Shifty podcast, hosted by Foo Fighters guitarist Chris Shiflett, and he asked him whether a reunion with his old bandmates was going to happen, to which Sambora replied, “We’re talking about it.”

Shiflett then asked Sambora to clarify what that meant, wondering whether Sambora was saying he and Jon Bon Jovi are actually talking. Sambora replied, “Yeah, it’s that” and added, “There’s a demand out there for it, you know — especially outside of the USA.”

Sambora didn’t offer any further details, but if it does happen, it will be the first time he has played with Bon Jovi since 2013 when he left the group prior to a show in Calgary, Canada.

Back in February, he hinted that a reunion with Bon Jovi could be happening, telling Absolute Radio, “We’re talking about it. I don’t think there’s any reason not to at this point.”

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Guns N’ Roses are spending some more time on the road. The rockers just added four new North American dates to their current tour.

The new shows include one Canadian date, October 19 in Edmonton, as well as three U.S. shows: October 22 in Nampa, Idaho; October 24 in Salt Lake City, Utah, and October 27 in Denver, Colorado.

A Nightrain fan club presale begins Monday, September 18, at 10 a.m. local time, with the general onsale happening Wednesday, September 20, at 10 a.m. local time.

Next up, Guns N’ Roses brings their tour to Hollywood, Florida, on Friday, September 15. The tour is set to wrap November 5 with a headlining set at the Heaven & Hell Festival in Mexico City. A complete list of tour dates can be found at gunsnroses.com.

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Eric Clapton is taking on a Willie Nelson classic in honor of the country legend’s 90th birthday, which was in April.

Clapton has teamed with country/bluegrass artist Bradley Walker for a cover of Willie’s “Always On My Mind,” dubbing it “a birthday homage to Willie.”

The track’s accompanying video is also Willie-focused, featuring photos and video of Nelson from throughout his career. It opens with a card that reads, “Dear Willie, Here’s to 90 years and many more … love Eric and Bradley.”

You can listen to “You Were Always On My Mind” via digital outlets and watch the accompanying video on YouTube.

There’s a good chance fans will soon get to hear Clapton playing his new tune live. He’s set to headline his Crossroads Guitar Festival, which features Walker on the bill, on September 23 and 24 in Los Angeles.

Other artists performing at the festival include ZZ Top, Santana, Stephen Stills, Gary Clark Jr., John Mayer Trio, Sheryl Crow, Robert Randolph, Roger McGuinn, Buddy Guy and more. More information on the festival, including the complete lineup, can be found at crossroadsguitarfestival.com.

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Metallica has released a live version of “Too Far Gone?”, a track off their latest album, 72 Seasons.

The performance was recorded during Metallica’s August 6 concert at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey, which marked the song’s live debut. You can listen to it now via digital outlets.

Footage from the MetLife “Too Far Gone?” performance was also included in the song’s new video, which premiered Thursday, September 14.

Metallica played MetLife as part of their ongoing M72 world tour in support of 72 Seasons. The outing continues with the much-anticipated Power Trip festival, taking place October 6-8 in Indio, California. The lineup also includes AC/DC, Guns N’ Roses, Iron Maiden, Tool and Judas Priest.

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On This Day, September 15, 1979…

On its second week on the chart, Led Zeppelin‘s In Through the Out Door landed at #1 on the Billboard Album chart, their sixth U.S. chart topper. The album spent seven weeks at #1.

The band’s eighth album, In Through the Out Door featured such future Zeppelin classics as “All of My Love” and “Fool in the Rain.” 

It wound up being the band’s final album of new material. They broke up in December, 1980, three months after the death of their drummer, John Bonham.

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