Classic Rock 93.9

Bad Company/Free frontman Paul Rodgers is making his musical return. The singer is set to release the new album Midnight Rose on September 22 and has given fans the first taste with the just-released single “Living It Up.”

Midnight Rose is described as “a celebration of a storied career and a feel-good, hopeful look towards the future,” with Rodgers sharing on his Instagram that “it’s a very personal album and I’m very happy to share it.”

Midnight Rose is Rodgers’ first solo release in almost 25 years. It is available for preorder now.

Here’s the track list for Midnight Rose:

“Coming Home”
“Photo Shooter”
“Midnight Rose”
“Living It Up”
“Dance In The Sun”
“Take Love”
“Highway Robber”
“Melting”

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On This Day, June 23, 1973 … 

George Harrison’s third studio solo album, Living in the Material World, landed at #1 on the Billboard 200 album chart, where it spent five weeks. The album actually knocked Paul McCartney and Wings‘ Red Rose Speedway out of the top spot. 

Living in the Material World was Harrison’s second #1 album, following 1970’s All Things Must Pass, and the first release since his successful live charity album, The Concert For Bangladesh, which went to #2.

The album, which featured the hit song “Give Me Love (Give Me Peace On Earth),” was certified Gold by the RIAA two days after its release.

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Queen is back with episode 22 of their weekly YouTube series, Queen The Greatest Live, and this week they’re once again looking at the process of adapting songs for the stage. The new episode focuses on their classic tour closer, “We Will Rock You,” and how it has evolved over the years.

The clip features an archival performance of the News of the World track at Budapest’s Népstadion on July 27, 1986, which comes close to the studio version, with another clip from a 1977 Houston, Texas, concert showing a completely different and sped up version of the song.  

The video also features a performance from Queen’s 1982 concert at Milton Keynes Bowl in England, as well as a performance at the Montreal Forum in November 1981, where “We Will Rock You” actually opened the show.

Next week – “Another One Bites The Dust.”

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The Black Crowes’ Rich Robinson recently talked to Guitar World about the legendary guitarists who helped influence his sound, including Keith Richards, Ronnie Wood, Jimi Hendrix and Stephen Stills. Not surprisingly, Led Zeppelin’s Jimmy Page also makes the list, and Robinson doesn’t understand why anyone would have anything bad to say about him. 

“Anyone who calls him sloppy or whatever, f*** that,” Robinson says. “He’s a God of guitar, which should be obvious.”

He adds, “Jimmy meant as much to me as anyone, and maybe even more because I got to play with him on tour with the Crowes,” referring to their concerts together in 1999 and 2000. “I mean … to sit there and play with Jimmy Page was an experience I’ll take with me forever.” 

Robinson goes on to praise Page’s “compositional approach, acoustic playing, and rhythm playing,” noting they “were all on a plane he only existed in.”

Finally, he shares, “What can I say? He’s f****** unbelievable. Jimmy is straight-up amazing.”

Next up, The Black Crowes are set to join Aerosmith on their Peace Out! tour, which kicks off September 2 in Philadelphia. A complete list of dates can be found at theblackcrowes.com.

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Brian May has shared another video giving insight into his 1983 side band Star Fleet Project, this time introducing folks to his bandmates, Eddie Van Halen, Alan Gratzer, Phil Chen and Fred Mandel.

In the clip, May calls Van Halen “a phenomenon,” sharing that they met through Black Sabbath’s Tony Iommi and that he saw him play for the first time when Van Halen opened for Sabbath.

May says his first reaction to seeing Eddie play guitar was, “Wow, what is this, what is this guy, what is he doing. I can’t even begin to figure out how his fingers are moving,” adding, “It was a bit like seeing Jimi Hendrix for the first time.”

May says they got to meet up after and he felt there was an “instant bonding” there, with Eddie telling May he had been “massively influenced” by Queen.

As for the rest of the group, May recalls bassist Chen as “full of sunshine, full of life,” and says Gratzer “hits the drums pretty much harder than anyone I’ve ever known.” He describes Mendel as “a character,” adding that he’s also “a virtuoso keyboard player.”

May will celebrate the 40th anniversary of the Star Fleet Project with the release of a new box set, Brian May + Friends: Star Fleet Project, on July 14. It is available for preorder now.

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Longtime Motörhead guitarist Phil Campbell has announced a new album with his Bastard Sons band.

The upcoming record is titled Kings of the Asylum and arrives September 1. You can listen to the first single, “Schizophrenia,” now via digital outlets.

Campbell founded the Bastard Sons following Motörhead frontman Lemmy Kilmister‘s death in 2015. As the band name suggests, the lineup includes Campbell’s three children: Todd, Tyla and Dane. For Kings of the Asylum, the Campbells have recruited a new vocalist, Joel Peters.

Motörhead, of course, has been inactive since Lemmy’s passing, though a number of archival pieces have been released over the years, such as the Live at Montreux Jazz Festival ’07 live album that dropped Friday, June 16.

Here’s the Kings of the Asylum track list:

“Walking in Circles”
“Too Much Is Never Enough”
“Hammer and Dance”
“Strike the Match”
“Schizophrenia”
“Kings of the Asylum”
“The Hunt”
“Show No Mercy”
“No Guts! No Glory!”
“Ghosts”
“Maniac”
“Monster” (CD bonus track)

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Elton John previously hinted that he was going to have “guest artists” join him during his headlining set at the U.K.’s Glastonbury Festival on Sunday, June 25, and now his husband and manager David Furnish has spilled a little more info about that. 

In an interview with Sky News, Furnish revealed that Elton will be joined by “four collaborators of his choosing,” although he wouldn’t name names. “Sorry. I am sworn to secrecy.”

Reiterating earlier comments from the singer, Furnish says the show, which will be Elton’s final U.K. date, will feature “a different set list” from his Farewell Yellow Brick Road tour, noting Elton’s made “a lot of changes.”

As for life once the tour is over, Furnish joked, “I don’t think he’ll be sitting on the sofa with a remote control. He’s going to go back into the studio in October and start his next album. Which will be great. He’s not done a studio album in a long time.”

And speaking of Glastonbury, to get fans excited for the show, Elton posted a cute video to Instagram of the festival in Lego form, complete with a Lego Elton sitting behind the piano and performing.

Glastonbury runs from June 23 to June 25. A complete lineup and schedule can be found at glastonburyfestivals.co.uk. Elton’s final Farewell Yellow Brick Road show is set for July 8 in Stockholm, Sweden. A complete list of dates can be found at EltonJohn.com.

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Paul Simon has made another catalog deal. The two-time Rock & Roll Hall of Famer has sold the royalty rights to his Simon & Garfunkel music to BMG. The deal also includes neighboring rights income, which refers to the performance and broadcast of recordings.

The deal includes albums like Sounds of Silence, Parsley Sage, Rosemary & Thyme, Bridge Over Troubled Waters and more, with such songs as “The Boxer” and “Mrs. Robinson.”

“In any list of the true greats, Paul Simon stands as one of the pillars of popular music history,” BMG’s Thomas Scherer said. “We will play our part to ensure his music continues to be honored and respected.” 

Although terms of the deal were not revealed, a source tells Rolling Stone it was worth eight figures. The deal is only for Simon & Garfunkel music, though; Simon sold his solo publishing catalog to Sony Music Publishing in 2021.

Simon is in good company at BMG, which has already acquired the rights and/or royalties for the music of artists like Mick Fleetwood, Peter Frampton, Tina Turner and ZZ Top.

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Ringo Starr, Toto and guitarist Joe Bonamassa are just a few of the artists signed on to perform for a special show to help raise funds for The Ed Asner Family Center, which provides programs to support special needs children and their families.

The concert is happening September 9 at The Orpheum Theatre in Los Angeles, with a lineup that also includes Stone Temple Pilots, Men at Work’s Colin Hay and Hoobastank, all of whom will be backed by an all-star band for their three-song set.

Toto’s Steve Lukather says the organization is one that’s been very important to his family. “I am honored to be a part of this event as the cause is very close to my heart,” he says. “The Center has done unbelievable, incredible things for my son Bodhi. May it be a source of support for families forever.”

Tickets for the concert go on sale Friday, June 23, at 10 a.m. local time.

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Metallica has announced a 72 Seasons-themed edition of the band’s Blackened Whiskey.

The latest batch of the metal legends’ signature spirit comes in a bottle inspired by the cover artwork of the new 72 Seasons album. Additionally, songs from 72 Seasons were played during the “Black Noise” distilling process, which uses the sound waves of Metallica’s music to help “shape the flavor” of the whiskey.

The 72 Seasons edition of Blackened Whiskey is 90 proof — that’s 45% alcohol by volume — and comes in a 750 mL bottle. For more info, visit BlackenedWhiskey.com.

Metallica released 72 Seasons, their 11th album, in April. Their M72 world tour supporting the record just wrapped its first European leg and will kick off in the U.S. in August.

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