Classic Rock 93.9

The Jimi Hendrix Experience‘s performance of “Purple Haze” from the forthcoming archival live album Jimi Hendrix Experience Los Angeles Forum: April 26, 1969 has been released as an advance digital track.

In addition, a companion video, featuring a montage of photos of Hendrix and his band taken at the concert, has premiered on Hendrix’s official YouTube channel.

As previously reported, the album, which can be preordered now, will be released November 18 and will be available on CD, as a two-LP vinyl and via digital formats.

The concert, which has never been released in its entirety before, features the group’s original lineup of Hendrix, bassist Noel Redding and drummer Mitch Mitchell performing a set that includes classics like “Foxey Lady,” as well as deeper cuts such as “Red House,” “Spanish Castle Magic” and “I Don’t Live Today.”

The show also features Hendrix doing his take on the “Star Spangled Banner” — several months before his historic performance of the national anthem at Woodstock — and an epic 17-minute medley combining “Voodoo Child (Slight Return)” with Cream‘s “Sunshine of Your Love.”

One of the main support acts at the Forum concert was Chicago Transit Authority, which would soon shorten its name to Chicago. A new video featuring founding Chicago members Robert Lamm, James Pankow and Lee Loughnane sharing recollections about getting to tour with and open for the Jimi Hendrix Experience has debuted on Hendrix’s YouTube channel.

In the clip, Pankow says of Hendrix and his band’s live performances, “Nobody had the ferocity and the daring that Jimi and his trio had … I’m not so sure that the audience necessarily understood the musicality, but they felt the power. It was overwhelming. It was undeniable.”

Here’s the album’s full track list:

“Intro”
“Tax Free”
“Foxey Lady”
“Red House”
“Spanish Castle Magic”
“Star Spangled Banner”
“Purple Haze”
“I Don’t Live Today”
“Voodoo Child (Slight Return)”
“Sunshine of Your Love”
“Voodoo Child (Slight Return)”

(Chicago video contains uncensored profanity)

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E Street Band guitarist Steven Van Zandt has launched new lines of holistic products, Little Steven’s Underground Apothecary and Wicked Cool Wellness, that include boutique teas and coffees, scented soy candles and uniquely flavored lollipops featuring organic ingredients.

The lines, which Van Zandt launched in partnership with the Wakaya Perfection wellness enterprise, are available now at WickedCoolWellness.com.

The various products utilize a range of Wakaya Perfection’s single-sourced ingredients, including Australian Manuka Honey, Organic Pink Fijian Ginger, Fijian Kava, Fijian and Nicaraguan Turmeric and Peruvian Maca.

In celebration of the launch, a special video introducing the products has premiered on Little Steven’s official YouTube channel. The clip features appearances by Van Zandt; his wife, Maureen; his fellow Sopranos cast members Vinnie Pastore and Sammy Semenza; singer Jessie Wagner; and Little Steven and The Disciples of Soul backing vocalists Tania Jones and Sara Devine.

“I have always demanded the very best from myself and of everyone around me,” says Van Zandt, “and my new wellness brand Little Steven’s Underground Apothecary is no different. These products are the best I can find in the world. So enjoy, be well, and stay focused on the only part of our destinies we totally control — what we choose to put in our bodies.”

Ten percent of the profits from Little Steven’s Underground Apothecary products will be donated to TeachRock.org, an initiative launched by the Van Zandt-founded Rock and Roll Forever Foundation that offers a free arts-integration curriculum to grade school and high school students.

Plans for more Little Steven’s Underground Apothecary products, including brownies and ice cream, will be announced soon.

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Joe Walsh‘s recently reunited pre-Eagles band the James Gang will participate in their first in-store signing event in over 50 years on Tuesday, November 8, at Used Kids Records in Columbus, Ohio.

During their appearance, Walsh, drummer Jim Fox and bassist Dale Peters will take part in an interview and then sign autographs at the store, which is located just a few blocks from Joe’s childhood home

To gain entry, those attending the event will be asked to buy an exclusive t-shirt or hat, and all proceeds will go directly to Walsh’s VetsAid charity, which raises and funds for various veterans-related organizations. Attendees also can bring one piece of James Gang or Walsh memorabilia to be signed in addition to the item they purchase.

Since the in-store event is taking place on Election Day, attendees wearing an “I Voted” sticker will receive a coupon giving them $5 off on purchases of $25 or more at Used Kids Records.

“Like many a music geek, I have spent a fair amount of my life in independent record stores and I owe a lot of my musical education to their existence,” says Walsh. “Thanks to Used Kids Records for hosting us and for hopefully blowing the mind of a little Joe Walsh who may be growing up just down the street like I did.”

As previously reported, the James Gang, joined by special guest Dave Grohl of Foo Fighters, will headline the 2022 edition of Walsh’s annual VetsAid charity concert, taking place November 13 at Nationwide Arena in Columbus. The lineup also includes Nine Inch Nails, The Breeders and The Black Keys.

The concert also will be livestreamed globally at via the Veeps platform, and passes are available for purchase now at VetsAid.Veeps.com.

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Anna Gabriel, Peter Gabriel‘s oldest daughter, recently released a unique photo book titled Eye-D that features close-up images of the eyes of dozens of famous music artists and other celebrities, including her father.

At a recent New York City event celebrating the book’s release, Anna and Peter both chatted with ABC Audio about the project.

Anna explained that the initial photos appearing in the book were shot for her father’s 2010 covers album Scratch My Back and its 2013 companion And I’ll Scratch Yours, which features other artists’ versions of Peter’s songs.

“[W]e wanted to shoot all the artists that he’d covered or they covered him. And we thought of an interesting way to do it would be … to use their identification, and we sort of shot their eyes and their thumbs,” Anna said. “So I did have many artists … artists on the album, and … as I was going, thought, ‘I’ll continue on with this … and maybe just do the eyes,” ’cause that for me was more interesting than the thumbs.”

Not surprisingly, Anna’s dad was among the first artists whose eyes she shot, and Peter explained that she actually rejected the first photo she took of him.

“She told me to do it again and get it right,” Peter quipped to ABC Audio.

Anna added, “I felt that the first one was actually too dark. It felt like it was … the wrong impression of him for me … So I did it again with a much nicer one, I think.”

Asked what some of his favorite photos in the book are, Peter mentioned ones of Mick Fleetwood and Debbie Harry. As for how he feels about his daughter’s work, he said, “I’m a very proud dad.”

Visit EyeDPhotographs.com for more info about the book.

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Van Morrison celebrates his lifelong love of the folk-influenced skiffle genre on his forthcoming studio album, Moving On Skiffle, which will be released March 10.

The 23-track collection will be available as a two-CD set, as a two-LP vinyl package, on cassette and via digital formats.

Skiffle, a form of folk music showcasing simple acoustic instruments, was popularized in the United Kingdom in the 1950s, particularly after the success of Lonnie Donegan‘s hit 1954 version of Lead Belly‘s “Rock Island Line.”

“I was still in school when I performed with a skiffle band — a couple of guitars, washboard, tea-chest bass,” Van recalls. “I was already familiar with Lead Belly’s recordings, so when I heard Lonnie Donegan’s version of ‘Rock Island Line’ I intuitively understood what he was creating, I knew that it was what I wanted to do. It was like an explosion. This record retranslates songs from that era.”

Moving On Skiffle features various covers of folk, blues, country, jazz and gospel songs, including Hank Williams‘ “I’m So Lonesome I Could Cry” and “Cold Cold Heart,” and traditional tunes like “Gypsy Davy” and “Green Rocky Road.”

The album also features a version of the old blues song “Mama Don’t Allow,” which Morrison has reworked and retitled “Gov Don’t Allow,” a nod to his fight against what he characterizes as government’s recent interference in people’s daily lives.

Morrison has released his version of “Streamline Train” — a song written in the 1930s by Mississippi bluesman Red Nelson that became a 1957 hit for The Vipers Skiffle Group — as the lead single from the album.

Van will celebrate the album’s release with a series of shows in London and Belfast in March and April, respectively.

Here’s Moving On Skiffle‘s full track list:

“Freight Train”
“Careless Love”
“Sail Away Ladies”
“Streamline Train”
“Take This Hammer”
“No Other Baby”
“Gypsy Davy”
“This Loving Light of Mine”
“In the Evening When the Sun Goes Down”
“Yonder Comes a Sucker”
“Travellin’ Blues”
“Gov Don’t Allow”
“Come On In”
“Streamlined Cannonball”
“Greenback Dollar”
“Oh Lonesome Me”
“I Wish Was an Apple on a Tree”
“I’m So Lonesome I Could Cry”
“I’m Movin’ On”
“Cold Cold Heart”
“Worried Man Blues”
“Cotton Fields”
“Green Rocky Road”

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Lita Ford and Stray Cats drummer Slim Jim Phantom are among the many rockers planning to take part in the 2022 Bowl for Ronnie charity bowling tournament, held in honor of late metal legend Ronnie James Dio.

Other musicians planning to participate in the event include Rage Against the Machine guitarist Tom Morello, Ozzy Osbourne bassist Rob “Blasko” Nicholson, ex-Dio drummer Simon Wright, Tracii Guns, Testament‘s Chuck Billy, ex-Fuel singer Brett Scallions and former Judas Priest vocalist Tim “Ripper” Owens.

The 2022 Bowl for Ronnie takes place November 17 at Pinz Bowling Center in Studio City, California. For more info, visit the Bowl for Ronnie Eventbrite page.

Bowl for Ronnie, which has been on hiatus since 2019 due to the COVID-19 pandemic, raises money for cancer research through the Ronnie James Dio Stand Up and Shout Cancer Fund. Dio died of stomach cancer in 2010 at age 67.

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Brian Johnson‘s new memoir The Lives of Brian was released Tuesday. In a new Rolling Stone interview, the AC/DC frontman chats about the book while also revealing his feelings about recording and touring with the band again.

Regarding the possibility of making a new AC/DC album and hitting the road once again with the band, Johnson says, “I would love to. It’s as simple as that. I think everybody would. There’s a groundswell of people just asking. But I hate talking about the future, because, f***, we were ready two years ago, and the pandemic came, and it screwed everything up. So I’m terrified to say what could happen and what couldn’t.”

He adds, “And I hate talking for a band. If a couple of other boys [from the band] was with us, I could probably have an answer, but I cannot take the responsibility.”

In The Lives of Brian, Johnson tells his life story, which includes joining AC/DC in 1980 and recording one of the best-selling album’s of all time, Back in Black. He also discusses the hearing issues that forced him to temporarily retire from the band in 2016.

While Johnson co-wrote all of Back in Black‘s songs, in the book, he addresses long-circulating rumors alleging that some lyrics credited to him were actually penned by Brian’s predecessor in the band, the late Bon Scott.

Explaining why he decided to write about the issue, Brian tells Rolling Stone, “[E]very now and again, a fan would come up and say, ‘This guy’s saying this.’ And factually, it wasn’t true … I thought it was awful I had to explain meself and that’s why in the book, I went, once and for all, I want to put this baby to bed.”

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Elton John‘s final U.S. show at Dodger Stadium on November 20 will be livestreamed on Disney+ and will include some surprises.

The artwork for the show has been unveiled and it reveals that the concert is billed as “featuring special guests.” Since the show is taking place in LA, and Elton is friendly with pretty much every celebrity you can think of, there’s no end to the possible guests who might show up. In the last few years alone, Elton’s collaborated with everyone from Ozzy Osbourne and Miley Cyrus, to Dua Lipa and Britney Spears, to Nicki Minaj, Stevie Nicks and Stevie Wonder.

The Dodger Stadium show will be a special full-circle moment for Elton, who famously played two concerts there in October 1975 to 55,000 people a night. They were the first concerts played in that venue since The Beatles in 1966.

The three-hour livestream gets underway with Countdown to Elton Live from Dodger Stadium, starting at 10:30 p.m. ET, while the concert begins at 11 p.m. ET. In a statement, Elton says of the show, “To feel the energy from the best fans, not only in Dodger Stadium again, but this time around the world from those watching live at home, will be truly extra special for me.”

“I’m thrilled to celebrate this momentous evening globally,” he adds. “I hope everyone feels the power and joy of performing on a stage as iconic as Dodger’s. Just like I did almost 50 years ago.”

Disney is the parent company of ABC News.

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The next stop on Ozzy Osbourne‘s “Crazy Train” is … the Metaverse.

The Prince of Darkness’ long-running namesake festival, Ozzfest, will be staged virtually during the upcoming Metaverse Music Festival, put on by the “virtual social world” Decentraland. 

Ozzy will be giving a virtual performance and other artists will be announced.

The Metaverse Music Festival will take place November 10-13. For more info, visit TheMetaverseFestival.io.

Ozzy released his latest solo album, Patient Number 9, in September. His most recent in-person performance was last month at the NFL’s 2022 season-opening game.

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As Bono prepares to release his new memoir, Surrender: 40 Songs, One Story, the U2 frontman has revealed his famous band has two new albums in the works.

In an interview with The New York Times, Bono reported that U2 has amassed “about 20” new songs and notes the band “almost finished this album called Songs of Ascent, which we’re not putting out. We’re going to put out a rock ‘n’ roll album.”

The singer also played the interviewer a pair of tracks from Songs of Ascent, titled “The Bard’s Last Breath” and “Smile.”

He described the latter tune as “a very cool, Beatle-y thing,” adding, “It’s a ridiculous pop sort of Rubber Soul, isn’t it?”

Bono said U2 will eventually release Songs of Ascent, but first up will be a “noisy, uncompromising, unreasonable guitar album.”

He further explained, “In among that unreasonableness, it is likely that I will put the part of me, the anger that hasn’t been managed, to good use. While I am, with this book, trying to make peace with myself and my maker, I have no intentions of making peace with the world. That’s not on the agenda.”

Later in the interview, the singer maintained that U2 rediscovered its knack for songwriting with 2014’s Songs of Innocence and 2017’s Songs of Experience.

He added, “Now we need to put the firepower of rock ‘n’ roll back. I don’t know who is going to make our [expletive]-off rock ‘n’ roll album. You almost want an AC/DC, you want [hit-making producer] Mutt Lange. The approach. The discipline. The songwriting discipline. That’s what we want.”

Surrender: 40 Songs, One Story will be released on November 1.

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