Classic Rock 93.9

Rolling Stone magazine has come out with yet another list that’s bound to spark debate from music fans. The latest reveals their picks for the 100 greatest heavy metal songs of all time, with artists like Black Sabbath, Metallica and Iron Maiden making the list. 

Landing at number one is Black Sabbath’s “Black Sabbath,” which the mag describes as a “true metal original,” noting of the tune, “It’s the feeling all metal bands have been chasing ever since and it still reigns supreme.”

And that’s not the only Sabbath tune on the list. In fact, three of their tracks make the top 10, with “War Pigs” at five and “Iron Man” at seven. Plus, “Paranoid” is at 13, and “Heaven and Hell” is at 31. And Ozzy Osbourne‘s solo classic “Crazy Train” lands at six, while “Bark At The Moon” is at 56.

Just behind “Black Sabbath” at two is Metallica’s 1986 classic “Master of Puppets,” which the mag notes “brought nuance and complexity to their speed-metal assault and opened up the entire genre to new possibilities.” 

Other songs in the top 10 include: Motörhead’s “Ace of Spades” at three, Judas Priest’s “Breaking The Law” at four, Slayer’s “Raining Blood” at eight, Dio’s “Holy Diver” at nine and Iron Maiden’s “Run To The Hills” at 10.

The complete list of 100 songs can be found at rollingstone.com.

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Rod Stewart is rallying to bring an end to trophy hunting, which he called “savagely cruel and senseless.”

The Mirror reports Sir Stewart signed onto the publication’s campaign to ban the practice in the U.K. and bar hunters from bringing their kills back home. The effort was launched ahead of a critical vote on a potential law change in the country on Friday.

When supporting the outlet’s bid, Stewart said in a statement, “We are in danger of losing some of the world’s most magnificent wildlife because of the selfishness of ‘trophy’ hunters.”

“How can this so-called sport be considered a pleasure or even fair when the opposition is unarmed?” he continued, adding that it’s “time to stand up for animals.”

Stewart’s remarks were echoed by Liam Gallagher of Oasis. “Trophy hunters are spoilt little brats; haven’t they got enough toys to play with?” he said in a statement of his own. “They’re wiping out wildlife. Soon there will be nothing left for them to kill. How are we going to explain that to future generations? Let’s get it banned.”

Succession star Brian Cox also signed onto the campaign and expressed concern that “wildlife is on the brink.”

Trophy hunting is the legal practice of selectively hunting wild game animals, usually for the purpose of taking back home taxidermied parts of their kill, such as the head or carcass, for display.

Humane Society International says trophy hunters tend to be wealthier individuals who can pay exorbitant prices to kill animals like lions, leopards, elephants and rhinos.

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The Doobie Brothers are extending their 50th anniversary celebration. The band just announced a Canadian leg to their anniversary tour, which features Tom Johnston, Michael McDonald, Pat Simmons and John McFee performing together for the first time in 25 years.

“Last year we got to play Toronto and London, Ontario, and we’re excited to be able to make almost a dozen more stops in Canada in 2023,” Johnston shares.

The 10-date tour kicks off October 13 in Halifax, Nova Scotia, which is the first time the Doobies have played there in over 40 years. It wraps October 28 in Abbotsford, British Columbia.

Tickets for the Canadian shows go on sale March 17 at 10 a.m. local time. 

The Doobie Brothers bring their 50th anniversary tour back to the States starting May 2 in Kahului, Hawaii. A complete list of dates can be found at thedoobiebrothers.com.

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“Welcome to the Jungle” that is the movie production business, Slash.

The Guns N’ Roses guitarist has started a horror movie production company called BerserkerGang, reports Variety. In a statement issued to Variety, Slash says, “I’ve always been a huge horror fan, especially going back to the days when horror movies actually scared the hell out of you. I want to get into the heart of the producing business so I can try and make movies that I’d like to see.”

Prior to starting the company, Slash and his partners in the venture teamed up on a movie called The Breach, for which Slash was a composer and executive producer. That movie is scheduled to be released later this year.

According to Variety, details of BerskerGang’s first project may be announced in May at the Cannes Film Festival.

One of Slash’s partners, Rodrigo Gudiño, said in a statement, “The company slogan is ‘Films Forged in Fury,’ if that’s any indication of where we plan on venturing.”

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The Rolling Stones are being accused of ripping off another songwriter. The U.K.’s Classic Rock magazine reports that New Orleans songwriter Sergio Garcia Fernandez has filed a lawsuit in Louisiana claiming the Stones “misappropriated many of the recognizable and key protected elements” of two of his tracks for their 2020 single “Living In A Ghost Town.”

The songs in question are 2006’s “So Sorry” and 2007’s “Seed of God,” with Fernandez claiming he gave a demo CD with the songs to somebody in Mick Jagger’s family.

The suit also claims “Ghost Town,” which was the Stones’ first original song in eight years, copies the “vocal melodies, the chord progressions, the drum beat patterns, the harmonica parts, the electric bass line parts, the tempos, and other key signatures” from “So Sorry,” as well as the “harmonic and chord progression and melody” from “Seed of God.”

So far The Rolling Stones have not commented on the lawsuit.

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The 31st annual Elton John AIDS Foundation Academy Awards Viewing Party raised a whopping $9 million for the ongoing global effort to end AIDS.

Sir Elton returned to host this year’s event in Los Angeles on Sunday night after missing out on last year’s festivities due to a scheduling conflict. The event was co-hosted by his husband, David Furnish, with special guests Eric McCormack and Michaela Jaé Rodriguez, and raised the milestone amount of money for the foundation.  

Singer Rina Sawayama serenaded the star-studded crowd with performances of her songs “Minor Feelings,” “Hold The Girl” and “This Hell.” Elton also joined her onstage for a resounding duet of “Chosen Family,” a song that was featured on his compilation album The Lockdown Sessions.

Elton said in a statement, “I’m delighted to have reunited with all of my friends tonight after such a long time apart and better yet, to have raised over $9 million for the fight against AIDS. … We mustn’t forget that HIV is still causing needless suffering around the world and we must protect those most vulnerable to this disease with testing and compassionate care.”

“We can see an end to AIDS in our lifetimes, but first we must break down stigma and discrimination and provide equal access to healthcare to finally end the epidemic for everyone, everywhere,” he continued.

Furnish explained in his own statement the money raised will “help us continue HIV and AIDS prevention and care programs across the world, save millions of lives and help countless people to have a brighter future.”

Among the attendees were Brooke Shields, Donatella Versace, Heidi Klum, Smokey Robinson, country superstar Maren Morris, Bridgerton alum Regé-Jean Page and Sharon Osbourne.

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Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band’s tour continues to be affected by illness. After postponing their show Thursday in Columbus, Ohio, The Boss was forced to postpone shows at the Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, Connecticut this past Sunday and at the MVP Arena in Albany, New York on Tuesday.

“Illness” was to blame for both shows’ postponements, although just like the Columbus concert, there was no revelation as to who in the band is sick.

The concerts aren’t canceled though, with both announcements noting, “We are working on rescheduling the date so please hold on to your tickets as they will be valid for the rescheduled show.”

Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band’s next scheduled concert is supposed to happen Thursday in Philadelphia, PA.

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Peter Gabriel is set to release i/o, his first new album in over 20 years, sometime in 2023. But until then, fans will be getting a new song with each new moon, which is far from a conventional approach to releasing an album. 

“I’m an awkward sod. I like doing things differently, if I can,” he tells Uncut magazine in a new interview. “I’m 72. At this point, it doesn’t matter what other people say. I listen, still, to people who I think are wise and smart and have good taste. Generally, though, I’ll end up doing what I think will be either fun or interesting.”

So far Gabriel has released three tracks from i/o: the lead single, “Panopticom,” along with “Playing for Time” and “The Court (Dark-Side remix).” It sounds like he has plenty more to share. 

Gabriel says he has a “surplus” of material just waiting for release, explaining “there’s probably 20 or so new things.”

“So I’ll see where we get to with those,” he says. “If I have the stamina, I may just keep going.”

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David Byrne is known for innovative presentations of his music, and he didn’t disappoint Sunday night at the 95th annual Academy Awards.

Byrne performed his Best Original Song “This Is a Life,” from the movie Everything Everywhere All at Once, accompanied by Son Lux — whose member Ryan Lott co-wrote the song with Byrne — and one of the movie’s stars, Stephanie Hsu, standing in for the song’s other writer, Mitski.

Hsu sang the song in a floor-length gown which appeared to be covered with feathers, while Byrne wore a white suit.  When he moved his arms, he revealed that he was wearing “hot dog fingers” on his hands, aping one of the most memorable scenes in the film.

As Byrne and Hsu sang the song, a group of dancers performed balletic fight choreography in front of them, and large video screens displayed a number of key images from the movie: An everything bagel, googly eyes and a raccoon, among other things.  

If “This Is a Life” wins the Oscar, it’ll be Byrne’s second: In 1988, he won Best Original Score for his work on The Last Emperor with composers Ryuichi Sakamoto and Cong Su.

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Billy Joel predicted that he and Stevie Nicks would sing each other’s songs during their co-headlining stadium tour, and they did — but they sang them together.

Billboard reports that for the opening night of the tour, which took place Friday, March 10 at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, CA, they sang two duets.  The first was “Stop Draggin’ My Heart Around,” Stevie’s hit duet with the late Tom Petty; Billy joined her onstage to sing Petty’s parts.  Then, during Billy’s set, Stevie joined him to sing the ballad “And So It Goes,” from his 1989 album Storm Front.

You can watch fan-shot videos of both performances on YouTube.

Billboard notes that when Stevie paid tribute to her late Fleetwood Mac bandmate Christine McVie while performing “Landslide” during her set, she told the crowd, “I have to imagine she’s still here. It’s all I can do.” She also sang the Fleetwood Mac song “Sara” for the first time since 2008.

The next date on the tour is April 8 in Arlington, TX and will continue on and off through November.

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