Classic Rock 93.9

Judas Priest frontman Rob Halford recently revealed to ABC Audio that former guitarist KK Downing will be performing with the group when the band is inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame on November 5.

In a new interview with the Detroit Metro Times, founding Priest bassist Ian Hill discusses whether he thinks the reunion could lead to Downing, who has had a contentious relationship with his former bandmates since quitting the group in 2011, rejoining the metal legends.

“I think time is not on our side for that, you know? Never say never, put it like that,” Hill says. “[Downing is] gonna be there at the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame anyway. He’s gonna get up and play some songs with us there. It might kickstart something, I don’t know. On the other hand, he might pull us all apart.”

Judas Priest will be inducted into the Rock Hall in conjunction with receiving the Music Excellence Award, rather than being included in the regular Performer category, something that Halford has admitted annoyed him.

Hill says he thinks the rest of Judas Priest are “on the same page” with their singer.

“[W]e’ve been in the game now for 50 years, and I think heavy metal is … a little bit overlooked because it’s not in your face every day,” he notes. “Obviously pop music and rap music, country music, it’s like every day you get in your car, you drive to work and you’re getting the same 40 songs thrown in your face all the time. Heavy metal, on the other hand, you have to go look for it.”

Meanwhile, Judas Priest continues the fall U.S. leg of their 50 Heavy Metal Years tour on Wednesday night in Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania.

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Iggy Pop has signed with producer Andrew Watt‘s Gold Tooth Records as part of its newly announced partnership with Atlantic Records.

The Godfather of Punk will make his official debut on the joint label with the new single “Frenzy.” The track, which is set to premiere on October 28 and is available to pre-save now, is the first preview of an upcoming new Iggy Pop record, his first since 2019’s Free.

“I’m the guy with no shirt who rocks,” Pop says. “Andrew and Gold Tooth get that, and we made a record together the old-fashioned way. The players are guys I’ve known since they were kids and the music will beat the s*** out of you.”

Watt adds that Iggy is a “f***ing icon” and a “true original.”

“I still can’t believe he let me make a record with him,” Watt says. “I am honored. It doesn’t get cooler. This album was created to be played as loud as your stereo will go…turn it up and hold on.”

Watt produced Ozzy Osbourne‘s last two albums, 2020’s Ordinary Man and this year’s Patient Number 9, as well as Eddie Vedder‘s new solo effort, Earthling. He also played in the Pearl Jam frontman’s live solo band.

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Months after introducing KISS Cold Gin as part of their “Drink It Up by KISS” line of alcoholic spirits, KISS has launched their latest liquor offering — KISS Cold Gin Navy Strength.

The new gin arrives just in time for the start of the 11th annual The KISS Kruise, which gets underway this Monday, October 24.

KISS Cold Gin Navy Strength is 57% alcohol, 17% stronger than the original KISS Cold Gin. The term “navy strength” dates back to the 18th century, when the British Navy used to store the liquor carried on its ships next to gunpowder. Making the gin at least 57% alcohol would ensure that if it spilled on the gunpowder, the explosive would still be usable.

KISS Cold Gin Navy Strength features a base that includes juniper, lemon peel and a variety of fine spices.

The liquor comes in a bottle with a label that celebrates KISS’ history. It features illustrations of the band’s four members positioned on either side of the Brooklyn Bridge, as well as other New York City landmarks, and the KISS logo in front of a vinyl disc.

KISS Cold Gin Navy Strength is the fifth liquor from the Drink It Up brand to be released in the U.S. following KISS Cold Gin and last year’s launch of the of KISS Rum Kollection, which includes KISS Black Diamond Premium Dark Rum, KISS Detroit Rock Premium Dark Rum and the limited-edition Monstrum Ultra Premium Dark Rum.

Visit DrinkItUpbyKISS.com and CraftShack.com to order bottles of the liquor and to get more information.

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We already knew the 2022 Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony is scheduled to take place November 5 in Los Angeles, but now the air date for the HBO special focusing on the event has been revealed.

The 37th annual Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony will premiere Saturday, November 19, at 8 p.m. ET on the cable network and will also be available to stream on HBO Max.

The event will be held at Microsoft Theater in LA at 7 p.m. PT on November 5.

This year’s inductees in the Performer category are Pat Benatar & Neil Giraldo, Duran Duran, Eurythmics, Dolly Parton, Eminem, Carly Simon and Lionel Richie. The other honorees include Judas Priest and Jimmy Jam & Terry Lewis, in conjunction with receiving the Musical Excellence Award; Harry Belafonte and Elizabeth Cotten for Early Influence; and Allen Grubman, Jimmy Iovine and Sylvia Robinson as recipients of the Ahmet Ertegun Award.

Red carpet coverage will be streamed live on the Rock Hall’s YouTube channel.

Meanwhile, an exhibit celebrating the 2022 inductees will open at the Rock Hall on November 2. Among the pieces of memorabilia on display are a coat Benatar wore in her “Invincible” video, Simon’s handwritten draft of the lyrics to “You’re So Vain,” a Fender Jazz bass that Judas Priest’s Ian Hill played on tour with the band from 1974 to 1984, an outfit Eminem wore during the Super Bowl LVI halftime Show and a Gibson Blueshawk guitar Parton played on her Backwoods Barbie tour.

For more information, visit RockHall.com.

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Robert Gordon, the deep-voiced singer who helped launch the rockabilly revival during the late 1970s, died Tuesday, Variety reports. He was 75.

Gordon’s record label, Cleopatra Records, confirmed his passing to Variety and posted a Facebook message offering “our deepest condolences to his family and friends.” “We liked working with Robert and will miss his powerful baritone vocal as well as his focused dedication to his music,” the label added.

No cause of death was mentioned, but a GoFundMe page recently launched by Gordon’s family revealed he was battling acute myeloid leukemia.

Born in Bethesda, Maryland, Gordon recorded with a group called The Confidentials as a teenager. After relocating to New York City in 1970, he joined the early punk band Tuff Darts and sang on a few of their early singles.

Gordon launched his solo career in 1977 after teaming up with veteran producer/songwriter Richard Gottehrer, who suggested he collaborate with pioneering rock ‘n’ roll guitarist Link Wray. Gordon recorded two albums with Wray — 1977’s Robert Gordon with Link Wray and 1978’s Fresh Fish Special.

Both albums showcased Robert’s booming, Elvis Presley-inspired vocals and mainly featured covers of vintage rock ‘n’ roll tunes. Fresh Fish Special included Presley’s longtime backing vocal group The Jordanaires and an early cover of Bruce Springsteen‘s “Fire” that featured Springsteen on keyboards.

Gordon went on to work with such other acclaimed guitarists as Chris Spedding and Danny Gatton. His 1981 album, Are You Gonna Be the One, reached #76 on the Billboard 200 and featured a popular cover of Marshall Crenshaw‘s “Someday, Someway.”

Robert continued to record sporadically and tour regularly throughout his life. A new Gordon album, Hellafied, a collaboration with Spedding, is due out on November 24. It includes a variety of previously unreleased archival songs.

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Thirty-five years after it release, the Fleetwood Mac song “Everywhere” is enjoying renewed Billboard chart success following its inclusion in a recent commercial for Chevrolet’s electric vehicle line.

The tune, which was written and sung by Christine McVie, has spent three weeks at #1 on Billboard‘s Rock Digital Song Sales tally and has just entered the Hot Rock & Alternative Songs chart at #25.

In addition, “Everywhere” jumped from #7 to #3 on the all-genre Digital Song Sales tally.

According to data by Luminate, the track racked up 2.3 million streams and 5,000 downloads between October 7 and October 13, respective increases of 16% and 12% over the previous week.

“Everywhere” appeared on Fleetwood Mac’s 1987 album, Tango in the Night, which was the last studio effort recorded by the group’s full classic lineup of Stevie Nicks, Lindsey Buckingham, Mick Fleetwood, John McVie and Christine McVie. The song was also the band’s last single to break into the top 20 of the Billboard Hot 100, peaking at #14, while the album reached #7 on the Billboard 200.

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Next year marks the 50th anniversary of Pink Floyd‘s landmark 1973 album, The Dark Side of the Moon, and according to Aubrey “Po” Powell, who helped create many of the band’s album covers, big plans are in the works to celebrate the milestone.

Along with the late Storm Thorgerson, Powell co-founded the English graphic-design firm Hipgnosis, which began collaborating with Pink Floyd on the band’s second album, 1968’s A Saucerful of Secrets. Most recently, Po created the updated cover of the 2022 reissue of the band’s 1977 record, Animals, and he tells ABC Audio he’s now working on a new project marking The Dark Side of the Moon‘s 50th anniversary.

While Powell doesn’t share specific details about the project, he explains, “We’re planning to do a lot of things, is all I can say. And, you know, if it all comes off, great. But, you know, who knows?”

He adds, “[A]t the moment, it’s looking very positive to a great year of celebration of Dark Side of the Moon next year. It is.”

Powell also comments about the iconic album cover, which he and Thorgerson designed, “[It] still seems to stand the test of time, which is wonderful. And I’m very proud of that.”

Released on March 1, 1973, The Dark Side of the Moon was Pink Floyd’s eighth studio album and its first to top the Billboard 200. The album has gone one to be certified 15-times Platinum by the RIAA for sales of over 15 million copies in the U.S.

The album featured the band’s first top-40 hit in the U.S., “Money,” which peaked at #15 on the Billboard Hot 100. It also included such enduring songs as “Breathe (In the Air),” “Time,” “Us and Them,” “Brain Damage” and “Eclipse.”

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Horrified by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, Rod Stewart is taking action. After bringing supplies to Ukraine, the singer is now personally helping a displaced Ukrainian family get back on its feet.

The legendary singer has rented out a home in Berkshire, England, for the family of seven and will be taking care of their bills for at least a year. He spoke to Daily Mirror about what inspired his good deed, which he says is his job as a knight.

Stewart was knighted in 2016 because of his philanthropic and musical efforts.

“I usually keep all my charitable efforts nice and quiet and just do it. But I thought, ‘I am a knight, I have been given this knighthood because of the things I’ve achieved in my life and the charity work I’ve done over the years,'” he explained. 

Stewart added he couldn’t sit back as he watched reports of Ukraine being torn apart by the war. He said, “Words couldn’t describe what we were watching. The bombing of innocent children, the bombing of hospitals and ­playgrounds. Like everyone else, we were completely beside ourselves. I don’t wish that one anyone. This is evil, pure evil.”

The singer adds he was born after World War II and spoke of how the memories impacted his family. “That’s how devastating it was to me. I didn’t think we would see the likes of land war with tanks again,” he added.

He and wife Penny Lancaster are assisting couple Rostyslav and Olena, as well as their five children. Their youngest child is 2 and their eldest is 17.

Stewart says the family fled Ukraine when Russia began its invasion in February. They met when he drove 16 refugees to Berlin after bringing supplies to Ukraine.

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Former Wings drummer Denny Seiwell and current Yes bassist Billy Sherwood are among the artists who have contributed to Shadows in a Jar, the sixth album by veteran guitarist and songwriter Earl Kayoss‘ Life on Mars project.

Shadows in a Jar will be released November 18 and can be preordered now at CherryRed.co.uk, as well as multiple other online retailers.

Kayoss’ main Life on Mars collaborator is Fernando Perdomo, a veteran producer and guitarist whose credits include the star-studded 2021 album Ram On, a tribute to Paul and Linda McCartney‘s 1971 Ram record, and 2021’s Energy Overload, a collaboration with Vanilla Fudge drummer Carmine Appice. Seiwell also played on Ram On, as well as on the original Ram album.

You can check out a video for the Shadows in a Jar track “After All,” which features Sherwood on vocals, bass and drums, on Kayoss’ official YouTube channel.

Here’s the full track list of Shadows in a Jar:

“Ego”
“The Key”
“Stray Dog”
“After All”
“Technology”
“Rabbits”
“And Besides…”
“She’s Already Gone”
“Rock People”
“Nancy’s Finger”
“Only One”
“Hurricane Jane”
“Shadows in a Jar”*

* = bonus track.

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Bryan Adams has premiered a new music video for his recent song “Kick A**,” which appears on the veteran Canadian rocker’s latest studio album, 2022’s So Happy It Hurts.

The catchy song begins with a spoken-word monologue delivered in the form of a Biblical-style sermon by legendary Monty Python’s Flying Circus member John Cleese, sporting a fake white beard and dressed in a white toga. The clip also features Adams and his backing band dressed in white and playing white instruments inside a white cubicle.

“I understand from Bryan that he thought it was wonderful to work with me. I wish I could say the same,” Cleese quips. “The smell of lentils was overwhelming.”

Added Adams, “John was amazing on set, I’ve never worked with someone so woke.”

The video was directed by Adams, who co-wrote the song with producer Robert John “Mutt” Lange. The clip arrives in advance of the October 28 release of a super deluxe, expanded version of So Happy It Hurts, a two-CD set that includes a bonus disc featuring 12 of the tracks that appeared on Adams’ 2022 Classic and Classic Pt. II digital albums.

The Classic albums, which were released in March and July, respectively, boast newly recorded versions of many of Bryan’s best-known tunes.

Meanwhile, a two-LP, 14-track vinyl edition of the Classic recordings is due out on January 18, and will be available on standard black vinyl and limited-edition orange vinyl. Both versions will feature a laser etching of Adams’ silhouette on the fourth side.

You can preorder the two-CD version of So Happy It Hurts and the Classic two-LP sets now.

Adams currently is on tour in Canada. His next show takes place Tuesday, October 18, in Peterborough, Ontario.

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