Classic Rock News

Saturday marks the 60th anniversary of The Beach Boys’ iconic album Pet Sounds, and ahead of the milestone, the album has ben certified double Platinum by the RIAA.

Not only that, the album’s hit singles received new certifications: “Wouldn’t It Be Nice” has now been certified four-times Platinum, while “God Only Knows” is now two-times Platinum and “Sloop John B” has gone Platinum.

Beach Boys founding members Mike Love and Al Jardine, as well as Bruce Johnston and the families of the late Brian Wilson, Dennis Wilson and Carl Wilson, were on hand for a special ceremony at Capitol Records in Hollywood, California, on Monday, where they received plaques celebrating the new certifications. Capitol Records is also flying a Pet Sounds flag on its tower to mark the anniversary.

Another way the anniversary is being celebrated is with the just-released The Pet Sounds Sessions Highlights, featuring material from the 1997 four-CD box set The Pet Sounds Sessions. The set contains 25 alternate takes, a cappella versions and tracking sessions, all of which are making their vinyl debut.

Released May 16, 1966, Pet Sounds is often considered one of the best albums of all time. Recorded a year after Brian Wilson quit touring and suffered a breakdown in 1964, the album peaked at #10 on the Billboard Albums chart. In 2004 it was chosen by the Library of Congress for inclusion in the National Recording Registry.

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Bruce Springsteen and Talking Heads frontman David Byrne are among the famous names confirmed to appear on the final week of The Late Show with Stephen Colbert.

Byrne will appear on the show Tuesday, where he’s booked for what’s described as a “special performance” with Colbert. Springsteen is set to perform Wednesday night, which is the same night Colbert will take The Colbert Questionert, with the help of special guests.

Jon Stewart and Steven Spielberg are also booked for Tuesday’s show, while Monday’s is described as “The Worst of The Late Show with Stephen Colbert,” although it’s not a clip show.

Colbert will sign off The Late Show on Thursday, and so far no guests for the finale have been revealed.

CBS announced in July 2025 that it was canceling The Late Show, noting the decision to end the late-night talker was a financial one. David Letterman launched The Late Show in 1993, and Colbert took over when Letterman left in 2015.

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Paul McCartney, Elton John and members of Queen, Oasis and The Rolling Stones are among the rockers landing on the annual Sunday Times Rich List, which is put out by the U.K.’s paper of record, The Times, and ranks the richest people in the United Kingdom.

McCartney is the rocker ranking highest on the list this year, landing at #152 with wife Nancy Shevell. They’re down from #151 last year; the couple is said to be worth over $1.4 billion.

Elton John lands at #277, up from #283 last year, with earnings of almost $640 million, while The Rolling Stones’ Mick Jagger and Keith Richards are at #284, up from #295, with earnings close to $600 million.

Making the list for the first time this year are Oasis brothers Noel Gallagher and Liam Gallagher, who rank at #325. Thanks to their 2025 reunion tour, they’re said to be worth almost $500 million.

Finally, Queen’s Brian May and Roger Taylor land at #334. Thanks to the 2025 sale of their back catalog, the pair are worth close to $480 million.

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Los Angeles luxury brand Chrome Hearts has dropped its lawsuit against Neil Young over the name of his latest band, The Chrome Hearts.

The brand, which has been in business since 1988 selling Chrome Hearts-branded clothing items, filed its lawsuit in California federal court back in September, accusing the rocker of trademark infringement.

In the suit, the brand claimed Young and the band’s “continued use of the confusingly similar name in commerce violates Chrome Hearts’ valuable intellectual property rights,” contending that the rockers had “intentionally and knowingly capitalized off of confusion between” the brand and the band.

The suit claimed the company reached out to Young and the band in July about its trademark rights, asking them to stop using the Chrome Hearts name, but they continued to not only perform under the name, but sell merchandise with the name on it.

The brand had wanted the court to force Young to stop using the name and grant ir damages, but on Thursday it filed a notice of dismissal of the case. No details as to why it chose to dismiss the case have been given.

Young began touring with The Chrome Hearts — organist Spooner Oldham, guitarist Micah Nelson, bassist Corey McCormick and drummer Anthony LoGerfo — in 2024. They released their first album together, Talking to the Trees, in June 2025 and are expected to release their second album, Second Song, this year.

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Paul McCartney appears in the new promos for this weekend’s Saturday Night Live, ahead of his stint as the show’s musical guest.

In the opening clip, this weekend’s host Will Ferrell and SNL star Marcello Hernandez introduce themselves as “who cares,” while McCartney gives his name. Ferrell then notes, “I’ll be hosting the season finale of SNL but you don’t care, you’ll tune in for Paul McCartney.”

McCartney chimes in with, “that’s not true,” with Ferrell replying, “it is true,” before McCartney concedes, “it is true.”

There’s also one promo video where McCartney admits he’s a “huge fan” of Hernandez’s mom, and another where the pair ask Sir Paul what it’s like being a knight.

“It’s an honor. I’m so lucky that so many people have enjoyed my music over the years,” he says, before adding, “and one time I killed a dragon,” which excites Ferrell and Hernandez

The final promo has Ferrell and Hernandez trying to guess what McCartney is going to perform on SNL, and they both choose “Despacito (Remix)” featuring Justin Bieber, with McCartney replying, “Damn, how did you know?”

In addition to Saturday Night Live, McCartney is set to appear on the BBC Radio 2 podcast Tracks Of My Years with Vernon Kay on May 25, where he’ll discuss his favorite records. In a preview posted to Instagram, McCartney talks about meeting Elvis and playing with The Rolling Stones, and even sings a bit of The Human League’s “Don’t You Want Me.” The clip ends with McCartney about to explain why John Lennon’s “Imagine” made his list, before cutting off.

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The Smashing Pumpkins have announced a mysterious livestreaming event.

The stream is set to air Sunday at 5 p.m. PT via the Pumpkins’ YouTube channel. It was announced by the Live Nation Instagram alongside a flyer reading, “In Memoriam Zero 1995-2026.”

“Here lies emptiness,” the flyer continues. “A private requiem with The Smashing Pumpkins.”

“Zero,” of course, is the name of a song off The Smashing Pumpkins’ hit 1995 album, Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness. It also came to represent a sort of persona adopted at the time by frontman Billy Corgan, who would often wear a shirt with the word “Zero,” as seen in the video for “Bullet with Butterfly Wings.”

We’ll presumably learn more on Sunday.

Meanwhile, the Pumpkins are preparing to headline the upcoming Lollapalooza and Darker Waves festival, and Corgan will be bringing his A Night of Mellon Collie and Infinite Sadness tour to the U.K. and Europe in September.

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After filming their new music video in Mexico City, the members of U2 — Bono, The Edge, Adam Clayton and Larry Mullen, Jr. — stuck around to attend the 2026 Street Child World Cup Finals Tournament in Texcoco, Mexico.

Mullen even handled the coin toss for the game.

The tournament is put on by Street Child United, an organization that uses the power of sports to give street-connected young people a voice. It saw 30 teams from around the globe compete.

“We’re here in Mexico City and as usual loving every minute of it,” says The Edge. “As supporters of Street Child United, we wanted to come along today to support this great cause, see some football and soak up the atmosphere. There’s no better town to host such a brilliant event.”

Earlier in the week, U2 took over a street in Mexico City, near Plaza Santo Domingo, to shoot a music video for “Street of Dreams.” The upcoming single from their yet-to-be announced studio album is expected out later this year.

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On This Day, May 15, 1982 …

British rock super group Asia – made up of King Crimson’s John Wetton, YES’ Steve Howe and Geoff Downes, and Emerson, Lake & Palmer’s Carl Palmer – went to #1 their self-titled debut album.

The album, which spent nine weeks atop the Billboard 200 Albums chart, featured the lead-off single “Heat of the Moment,” which peaked at #4 on the Billboard Hot 100 and went to #1 on the Mainstream Rock chart. Another single, “Only Time Will Tell,” peaked at #17 on the Hot 100.

Asia would go on to be the #1 album in the U.S. for 1982, and was certified four-times Platinum by the RIAA.

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The new exhibit Paul McCartney and Wings opens at Cleveland’s Rock & Roll Hall of Fame on Friday. It’s the first major museum exhibit to explore McCartney’s post-Beatles band, which featured him, his wife Linda McCartney and a rotating lineup. Rock & Roll Hall of Fame President Greg Harris tells ABC Audio the exhibit sheds light on this integral part of McCartney’s post-Beatles artistry.

“It’s a chance for people to reexamine their impact and their legacy,” Harris says of the band, which scored multiple hit singles and albums before breaking up in 1981.

“The songs are incredible, but we also talk about that approach that they took, that DIY approach, and Linda’s integral role with the band,” Harris says of the exhibit.

That “DIY approach” refers to the fact that when Wings first formed, they embarked on a low-key tour of U.K. universities, showing up unannounced in a van and offering to perform for next to nothing.

The exhibit includes “the largest assemblage of Paul McCartney materials ever,” says Harris, including instruments, clothing, artwork and lyrics. “It’s all gonna be an immersive experience with lots of video, lots of photos, lots of images and of course sound,” he adds.

While McCartney is a two-time Rock Hall nominee, as a solo artist and as a member of The Beatles, Wings has yet to appear on the ballot. Might this exhibit be a precursor to a future nomination? “They’re certainly eligible,” Harris says. “And their impact, of course, and influence as told in this exhibition is super powerful.”

As for whether Sir Paul intends to drop by, Harris says, “We’re optimistic that we’ll get him to visit it sometime this spring, and we can share it with him and celebrate it with him.” 

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Elton John and his husband, David Furnish, are among the celebrities recognized on the Time 100 Philanthropy list, which the magazine says highlights the “world’s most influential givers, leaders, advocates, and thinkers.”

The mag notes that those who made the list are “representing the most compelling stories in philanthropy today, in a field that moves more than $1 trillion globally each year.”

Elton and David are recognized for their Elton John AIDS Foundation, which was founded in 1992, and is dedicated to eradicating HIV/AIDS by 2030. Since its founding, the organization has raised more than $650 million to help AIDS-related causes.

“We’re honoured to be named on the 2026 #TIME100Philanthropy list, alongside the most influential people shaping the future of giving,” reads a post on the pair’s individual Instagram accounts. “Philanthropy, at its heart, is solidarity. It’s funding the boldest, bravest ideas before anyone else will. It’s standing with the people the world has tried to push aside and refusing to accept that any life is worth less than another.”

“And that’s exactly what we are committed to doing through @ejaf’s mission: to end the AIDS epidemic and ensure that no one is left behind,” they add. “So thank you, @time. And more than anything, thank you to every person who has stood with us along the way. The fight to end AIDS is far from over. Neither are we.”

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