Classic Rock 93.9

Don McLean is hitting the road to celebrate the 50th anniversary of some of his biggest hits.

The artist has been on the road since 2022 celebrating the anniversary of his iconic tune “American Pie,” and now he’s announced some new dates, which will also celebrate the 50th anniversary of “Vincent,” often referred to as “Starry Starry Night.”

McLean’s new tour dates kick off August 24 in Oakland, California, with shows confirmed through December 2 and 3 in Honolulu, Hawaii. A complete list of dates and ticket information can be found at DonMcLean.com.

The second single off the American Pie album, “Vincent” was inspired by the life of painter Vincent Van Gough and his 1889 painting “The Starry Night.” The song was a hit in the U.K., landing at #1 on the singles chart. In the U.S. it peaked at #12.

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Despite an over 50-year career, Jethro Tull has received no love from the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame. But frontman Ian Anderson doesn’t seem at all bothered by that.

“I think it’s quite wrong for us to be in the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame when so many great American acts are being ignored and will be for all time because I suppose they haven’t sold enough records or aren’t that popular to impress the founding fathers of the Rock Hall,” he tells USA Today.

Although many international bands have been inducted into the Hall of Fame, like The Rolling Stones and The Beatles, Anderson sees the Hall of Fame as “celebrating American music in an American institution.” He adds, “I don’t really feel Tull really qualifies in that sense.” 

Anderson says he can “confidently predict” that his band won’t even get a nomination for the RRHOF, noting, “I have it on fairly good authority that the folks who make these decisions are not Tull fans and decided a long time ago that we would not be part of it.” 

And that’s OK with Anderson because he doesn’t want to have to attend an induction.

“It’s best that they don’t ask me; then I don’t have that difficulty of sounding like a real old sourpuss and say I’m going to be washing my hair that day. Which really isn’t a plausible excuse any longer,” the bald Anderson says, although he insists he has “great respect for all of those artists who are part of it.”

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Neil Young’s classic album Harvest Moon is getting a very special vinyl release. The record will be released September 22 as a three-sided, double album on clear colored vinyl, with the fourth side featuring a special etching.

Released November 2, 1992, Harvest Moon is considered one of Young’s most iconic albums, with the title track being a fan favorite. Other songs on the album include “From Hank To Hendrix,” “Natural Beauty,” “Unknown Legend” and more. 

The record, with guest appearances by Linda Ronstadt, James Taylor and Nicolette Larson, went on to be certified double-times Platinum in the U.S. and won Canada’s Juno Award for Album of the Year in 1994.

Harvest Moon is available for preorder now at the Greedy Hand Store at Neil Young Archives.

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Grateful Dead has released two hours of never-before-heard music. The band just shared the third edition of The Angel’s Share series, this time featuring previously unreleased session tapes from their album Wake of the Flood, which is celebrating its 50th anniversary.

The new recordings feature outtakes and alternative versions of songs from the record as well as in-studio conversations about the album’s creation. Some of the songs featured include “Eyes of the World,” “Mississippi Half-Step Uptown Toodeloo,” “Let Me Sing Your Blues Away,” and Bobby Weir’s “Weather Report Suite.” 

You can listen to Wake The Flood: The Angel’s Share now via digital outlets. Previous Angel’s Share releases coincided with reissues of Workingman’s Dead and American Beauty.

And there’s even more in store for fans. On October 15, exactly 50 years after Wake of the Flood was released, over six hours of never-before-heard material from the album’s recording sessions will stream as a YouTube Live exclusive event.

There’s also the Wake of the Flood (50th Anniversary Deluxe Edition) dropping September 29, which will include the original album as well as previously unreleased demos of “Eyes Of the World” and “Here Comes Sunshine.” It will also come with a bonus disc featuring a live recording of a November 1, 1973, concert at Northwestern University’s McGaw Memorial Hall. It is available for preorder now.

Dropped in 1973, Wake of the Flood was the first album released on the band’s own record label, Grateful Dead Records. Featuring new members Keith and Donna Godchaux, it was also the first album released following the death of founding member Ron “Pigpen” McKernan and the temporary departure of drummer Mickey Hart.

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Steve Miller is sharing another taste of his upcoming box set celebrating the 50th anniversary of his classic album The Joker. 

The Rock & Roll Hall of Famer is giving fans some insight into the album’s opening track, “Sugar Babe,” with the release of Sugar Babe Suite, a collection of three songs that demonstrate how the tune evolved during the making of the album. The trio includes an early version recorded in a hotel in 1972, a live performance from December 1973 and the album cut.

“Sugar Babe turned into a powerful electric riff in the studio, but in this first recording it’s just a small seed of an idea,” Miller shares. “Eventually it got defined on the stage and in the studio and that’s what you hear.”

You can listen to “Sugar Babe Suite” now via digital outlets.

Miller’s box set, J50: The Evolution of The Joker, will be released September 15. It will feature not only the original album, but 27 previously unreleased recordings, some of which were taken from Miller’s personal songwriting tapes, along with studio outtakes and more. There will also be six audio commentary tracks, with Miller taking fans through the “evolution” of the album. 

J50: The Evolution of The Joker will be released digitally and as a two-CD or three-LP set with a seven-inch single. All formats are available for preorder now.

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On This Day, August 18, 1962…

Ringo Starr played his first live gig with The Beatles at the Horticultural Society dance in Birkenhead, England.

Ringo had been invited to join the band just four days earlier, on August 14, by John Lennon, with manager Brian Epstein firing the band’s drummer, Pete Best, two days later.  

Starr went on to remain with The Beatles until their breakup in 1970. He was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame as a member of the band in 1988, and as a solo artist in 2015.

Ringo will launch the fall leg of his latest tour with his All-Star Band in September.

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Guns N’ Roses fans are finally getting new music. After weeks of rumors, the rockers just dropped “Perhaps,” their first new song since 2021’s “Hard Skool” and “Absurd.”

And they really mean new. Unlike the 2021 tracks, which were reworkings of old demos, Axl Rose, Slash and Duff McKagan wrote and recorded “Perhaps” this year.

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

The song is also being released as a limited-edition seven-inch vinyl, which features another new track, “The General.” It will be released October 27 and is available for preorder now.

The new release comes as Guns N’ Roses is in the midst of the North American leg of their world tour. It hits Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, on Friday, August 18. A complete list of dates can be found at gunsnroses.com.

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Fans are finally getting to hear Dolly Parton’s reunion of The Beatles. The singer just dropped her cover of The Beatles classic “Let It Be” featuring Paul McCartney and Ringo Starr, along with special guests Peter Frampton and Mick Fleetwood.  

“Well, does it get any better than singing ‘Let It Be’ with Paul McCartney who wrote the song? Not only that, he played piano!” Dolly shares. “Well, it did get even better when Ringo Starr joined in on drums, Peter Frampton on guitar and Mick Fleetwood playing percussion. I mean, seriously, how much better does it get? Thanks guys!” 

“Let It Be” is one of many rock classics Dolly covers on her upcoming album Rockstar, which she decided to record after being inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 2022. Other artists on the album include Steven Tyler, Steve Perry, Sting, Stevie Nicks, Richie Sambora, Elton John, John Fogerty, Joan Jett & The Blackhearts and more.

Rockstar will be released November 17. It is available for preorder now.

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On August 18, 1986, Bon Jovi released their third studio album, Slippery When Wet, which went on to be a massive hit.

The album featured their signature tune, “Livin’ On A Prayer,” as well as “You Give Love A Bad Name.” Both were written by Jon Bon Jovi and Richie Sambora with songwriter Desmond Child, who had no idea their partnership would wind up being so successful.

“I just showed up for the job, and when I got there, I saw these two guys. They look like they were out of the court of Louis the 15th, these big mullet bouffants,” Child tells ABC Audio. “And, you know, they had this energy.” 

He says the first song they wrote together was “You Give Love A Bad Name,” and he instantly knew there was something special there. “I could feel an energy,” he says. “We had a chemistry, the three of us together.” 

Slippery When Wet went on to hit #1 on the Billboard 200 album chart and spent eight weeks in the top spot. It was certified 12-times Platinum by the RIAA and is the New Jersey rockers’ bestselling album to date.

And you can read more tales of Child’s work with Bon Jovi, KISS and other artists when his new memoir, Livin’ On A Prayer: Big Songs Big Life, comes out September 19.

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Steve Hackett is set to release the new live audio/visual album Foxtrot at Fifty + Hackett Highlights: Live in Brighton on September 15, and now he’s sharing another preview of the project. 

The album was recorded in Brighton, England, on Hackett’s 2022 tour, in which he and his band performed Genesis’ classic album Foxtrot in its entirety to celebrate the record’s 50th anniversary. Hackett also played songs from his solo material, and ahead of the album’s release he’s sharing a performance of “A Tower Struck Down” from his 1975 album, Voyage of the Acolyte.

Foxtrot at Fifty + Hackett Highlights: Live in Brighton is available for preorder now as a limited two-CD/Blu-ray set and a limited two-CD/two-DVD set, both featuring behind-the-scenes interviews. There’s also a limited deluxe four-LP vinyl edition.  

Hackett is set to hit North America with his Foxtrot at Fifty + Hackett Highlights tour this fall, with U.S. dates kicking off October 6 in Ithaca, New York. A complete list of dates can be found at hackettsongs.com.

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