Classic Rock 93.9

Theatrical rocker Arthur Brown of The Crazy World of Arthur Brown is releasing an incendiary new version of his band’s classic 1968 hit, “Fire,” that’s available now as part of a limited-edition, seven-inch colored-vinyl single.

Brown recorded the updated rendition of “Fire” with Vanilla Fudge drummer Carmine Appice, Stooges guitarist James Williamson, veteran U.K. jazz-rock keyboardist Brian Auger, and Jürgen Engler of the German industrial-metal band Die Krupps.

The single can be purchased on either red or yellow vinyl. The track also is available as a digital download and for streaming.

The B-side of the disc features a new tune titled “Zombie Yelp,” which Brown originally released last October digitally and via streaming services.

The track also features Vanilla Fudge keyboardist Mark Stein and former Hawkwind bassist Alan Davey. Brown co-wrote the monster-themed song with Davey.

Meanwhile, a companion music video for Brown’s new version of “Fire” is streaming now at Cleopatra Records’ official YouTube channel. The clip features scenes from the 2017 horror film The Black Room.

Both “Fire” and “Zombie Yelp” also will be part of a star-studded new Arthur Brown album that’s due out in 2022.

Arthur says of the forthcoming project, “It’s a great pleasure being involved in making this high quality, imaginative piece of terror and fun.”

“Fire” originally peaked at #2 on the Billboard Hot 100, and topped the U.K. and Canadian singles charts.

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Pearl Jam will finally return to the road this fall for a series of festival shows, marking the band’s first full live performances since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic. They shows also will be the grunge icons’ first concerts since they released their new album Gigaton in March 2020.

“We have a lot of work ahead of us,” bassist Jeff Ament tells Spin. “We’ve never played the Gigaton songs live yet.”

Ament then explains, “We’ll need a solid week [of six focused hours per day] with just that. Some of the technical stuff, like me playing keyboard on ‘Dance of the Clairvoyants,’ will be set so we won’t have to figure out what we have to do.”

Being sidelined by the pandemic also means that the upcoming shows will be Pearl Jam’s first since 2018.

“The rest of the catalog we haven’t played in three years,” Ament says. “There’s the physical thing where your hands just know where to go with a lot of the songs and I think the earlier tunes, like ‘Even Flow’ and ‘Corduroy,’ will be easy. But if we decide to play like a ‘Swallowed Whole,’ or ‘Infallible’ or even ‘Pendulum’ — any of those kinds of songs, we’re gonna have to work.”

PJ’s fall schedule includes sets at the Sea.Hear.Now Festival in Asbury Park, New Jersey, as well as three performances at frontman Eddie Vedder‘s Ohana Festival.

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The Doobie Brothers have unveiled plans to release a brand-new studio album called Liberté on October 1, and in advance of the record, the band has issued a self-titled digital EP featuring four of the new songs.

Liberté, which you can pre-order now on CD and digital formats, features 12 new original tunes by the group’s core members — Tom Johnston, Pat Simmons and John McFee — produced and co-written with John Shanks, who’s previously collaborated with Bon Jovi, Stevie Nicks and many others.

Liberté is The Doobie Brothers’ 15th full-length studio effort and their first album of new original tunes since 2010’s World Gone Crazy.

The EP, which features songs titled “Oh Mexico,” “Cannonball,” “Don’t Ya Mess with Me” and “Better Days,” is available now as a digital download and via streaming services.

Meanwhile, The Doobie Brothers, who were inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame last year, are finally preparing to launch their 50th anniversary tour, which was postponed from 2020 because of the COVID-19 pandemic.

As previously reported, the trek, which sees former singer/keyboardist Michael McDonald rejoining the group, kicks off August 22 in Des Moines, Iowa. The 2021 portion of the two-leg outing is mapped out through an October 29 concert in Allentown, Pennsylvania, while a second leg runs from a June 2, 2020, show in West Palm Beach, Florida, through a June 30 performance in London, Ontario, Canada.

Fans who purchased a ticket-album bundle for shows to the tour between December 2019 and November 2020 will receive a copy of the Liberté CD starting on September 17 of this year.

Here’s Liberté‘s full track list:

“Oh Mexico”*
“Better Days”*
“Don’t Ya Mess with Me”*
“Cannonball”*
“Wherever We Go”
“The American Dream”
“Shine”
“We Are More Than Love”
“Easy”
“Just Can’t Do This Alone”
“Good Thang”
“Amen Old Friend”

* = also appears on The Doobie Brothers EP.

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Forget the jungle: Guns N’ Roses are back in the studio.

The reunited rockers have released an official version of the song “Absurd,” which they previously debuted live earlier this week during a concert in Boston. While nominally a “new” song, “Absurd” is actually a reworked version of the GN’R rarity “Silkworms,” a track written during the infamously long sessions for Chinese Democracy but that was never released.

According to the song’s credits, “Absurd” was produced by Axl Rose and Chinese Democracy producer Caram Costanzo, and features drums by Bryan “Brain” Mantia, who played in Guns from 2000 to 2006. The credits also list “Absurd” as being performed and written by Guns N’ Roses — neither Slash nor Duff McKagan, who rejoined Rose in 2016 after a 20-year absence from the group, are explicitly mentioned.

“Absurd” is now available via digital outlets. It follows the 2018 release of the unearthed Appetite for Destruction B-side “Shadow of Your Love.” The band also has debuted a companion music video on its official YouTube channel featuring an animated demonic medusa-like creature with snakes for hair.

Guns’ most recent album, of course, is 2008’s Chinese Democracy, which featured Rose as the only original member.

(Video contains uncensored profanity.)

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Co-founding Guess Who members Randy Bachman and Burton Cummings were preparing to finally launch the often-postponed U.S. leg of their reunion tour in September, but unfortunately the Canadian duo has canceled the trek because of travel issues.

A message on the official Bachman Cummings Facebook page reads, “While Randy and Burton have been looking forward to reuniting for their fans throughout the United States, they extend their love and appreciation to all of the fans that were planning to come to these shows, and they cannot wait to see you all again when things are more predictable in terms of travel in and out of Canada.”

The stateside leg of the “Bachman Cummings: Together Again, Live in Concert” tour was to have featured 12 shows in the Midwest that spanned from a September 1 date in Fort Wayne, Indiana, through a September 18 performance at the Deadwood Jam 2021 in Deadwood, South Dakota.

As previously reported, the concerts would have featured Bachman and Cummings performing Guess Who songs, as well as material from Randy’s other famous band, Bachman-Turner Overdrive, and from Burton’s solo career.

Here’s the full list of Bachman Cummings’ canceled U.S. shows:

9/1 — Fort Wayne, IN, Foellinger Theatre
9/2 — Akron, OH, The Goodyear Theater
9/4 — Prior Lake, MN, Mystic Lake Casino Hotel
9/5 — Milwaukee, WI, The Riverside Theater
9/7 — Cincinnati, OH, PNC Pavilion
9/8 — Huber Heights, OH, The Rose Music Center at The Heights
9/10 — Rosemont, IL, Rosemont Theatre
9/11 — Green Bay, WI, Resch Center
9/13 — Kansas City, MO, Muriel Kauffman Theatre
9/15 — Omaha, NE, Orpheum Theater
9/16 — St. Charles, MO, The Family Arena
9/18 — Deadwood, SD, Deadwood Jam 2021

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The widow of ZZ Top bassist Dusty Hill has penned a heartfelt message about the passing of her husband, including what happened during his final moments.  The band has shared it on their official website.

Charlene “Chuck” Hill begins the note, titled “My Sweet Dusty,” by saying, “After 19 wonderful years of marriage that ended too soon, I’ve decided to step out into Dusty’s spotlight to thank all of his fans, colleagues and friends for the overwhelming outpouring of love for The Dust.”

She continues, “He was the kindest, most gentle and caring man a woman could ever Hope to find in a lifetime. Many don’t believe in fairy tale marriages but Dusty and I truly lived one! We were inseparable.”

Charlene then notes that after Dusty was forced to leave ZZ Top’s trek because of his health issues, “[t]he plan was for another round of physical therapy, with a different approach, to help his chronic bursitis. The plan was he would return to the second leg of the tour in September.”

Describing Dusty’s passing early in the morning on July 28, Charlene notes, “He woke me up and we talked and as he was sweetly chatting with me he suddenly stopped and he was gone in an instant.”

She also points out that Hill greatly loved and appreciated all of his fans.

Charlene finishes her message by paraphrasing a quote from the TV series This Is Us, which she calls her “last love letter” to her husband: “The single most extraordinary thing I have ever done in my life is fall in love with you. The single most extraordinary gift I have ever received in my life was for you to ask me to marry you…I will be with you again. Love you to infinity and back.”

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In news that we’re shocked hadn’t happened already, Metallica now has an official podcast.

The series, simply titled The Metallica Podcast, begins with an eight-episode exploration of the metal legends’ legendary 1991 self-titled record, aka The Black Album. The first episode is set to premiere later this month, presumably to coincide with The Black Album‘s upcoming 30th anniversary on August 12.

Frontman James Hetfield, drummer Lars Ulrich and guitarist Kirk Hammett will all be taking part in the podcast.

Meanwhile, Metallica has also been prepping a 30th anniversary deluxe reissue of The Black Album, as well as the 53-track Metallica Blacklist tribute compilation. Both releases are due out September 10.

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Patricia Kennealy-Morrison, a rock music journalist, author and one-time romantic partner of Doors frontman Jim Morrison, died on July 23 at the age of 75.

Kennealy-Morrison’s passing was reported on the Facebook page of Lizard Queen Press, a publishing brand she founded.

“To say we are all reeling from the news is an understatement,” the message about Kennealy-Morrison reads. “We will miss our friend very very much. She was a beautiful soul, a talented writer, and a loving and wonderful friend.” No cause of death was mentioned.

According to The New York Times, Kennealy-Morrison met Jim Morrison in 1969 when she interviewed him for Jazz & Pop magazine, for which she was editor-in-chief. She and the singer soon began a romantic relationship. In 1970, Patricia, who practiced Celtic paganism, took part in a matrimonial “hand-fasting ceremony” with Morrison that involved drops of their blood.

Their relationship remained a long-distance one until Jim’s death in 1971.

In 1979, Patricia added “Morrison” to her last name, and she served as a technical adviser on the 1991 Oliver Stone-directed biopic The Doors. She was portrayed by Kathleen Quinlan in the film, in which she also had a cameo, appearing as the priestess who performed the hand-fasting ceremony.

Kennealy-Morrison later criticized the movie, according to The New York Times, feeling it didn’t feature her prominently enough and that it trivialized the ceremony.  In 1992, she published a memoir titled Strange Days: My Life With and Without Jim Morrison, which she said was a response to The Doors movie.

Kennealy-Morrison later wrote fantasy novels and rock-music-themed mystery books.

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A star-studded concert celebrating the career and philanthropic work of ZZ Top frontman Billy Gibbons that was held in May at Nashville’s famous Grand Ole Opry House will premiere on various U.S. television stations on different dates in August and September.

Gibbons himself took part in the benefit event, which was presented by America Salutes You and raised money for several charities that aid military members, veterans and first responders.

The show’s lineup included country stars Brad Paisley, Eric Church, Ronnie Milsap and Travis Tritt, ex-Fabulous Thunderbirds guitarist Jimmie Vaughan, lauded singer/songwriter Lucinda Williams, and actor/musician Dennis Quaid.

The show featured a house band led by keyboardist Martin Guigui, who played in Gibbons’ solo backing band The BFG’s, and also included ex-Black Crowes guitarist Audley Freed, as well as trombonist Richie “La Bamba” Rosenberg and trumpet player Mike Pender of The Max Weinberg 7 and Southside Johnny & the Asbury Jukes.

Fans who want to view the concert are encouraged to donate to America Salutes You via the organization’s website.

“A sold out audience at the Grand Ole Opry House enjoyed an amazing show honoring Mr. Gibbons,” says America Salutes You executive producer Bob Okun. “Now a national TV audience can enjoy the same dynamic concert special while supporting charities assisting our veterans and first responders with their generous on-line donations.”

Gibbons recently released his third solo album, Hardware, and he’s currently on tour with ZZ Top, whose longtime bassist, Dusty Hill, sadly passed away on July 28 at age 72.

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Rolling Stones drummer Charlie Watts may have to sit out the band’s rescheduled U.S. leg of their No Filter Tour this fall.

A spokesman for Watts, 80, confirmed that it is “unlikely” the drummer will be able to join the 13-date tour. Watts, who joined the Stones in 1963, is recovering from an unspecified medical procedure.

“Charlie has had a procedure which was completely successful, but I gather his doctors this week concluded that he now needs proper rest and recuperation,” his rep said in a statement. “With rehearsals starting in a couple of weeks it’s very disappointing to say the least, but it’s also fair to say no one saw this coming.”

Watts wasn’t thrilled by the decision, but explained that this is what’s best for his health and the band.

“For once my timing has been a little off. I am working hard to get fully fit but I have today accepted on the advice of the experts that this will take a while,” he explained in a statement. “After all the fans’ suffering caused by Covid I really do not want the many RS fans who have been holding tickets for this Tour to be disappointed by another postponement or cancellation.”

Watts said his “great friend” Steve Jordan will be his No Filter Tour understudy. Jordan says that, while he’s looking forward to rehearsing with Mick Jagger, Keith Richards and Ronnie Wood — he is more excited about the possibility of Watts recovering in time to join the trek.

“No one will be happier than me to give up my seat on the drum-riser as soon as Charlie tells me he is good to go,” he said.

The No Filter Tour starts September 26 in St. Louis, Missouri.

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