Classic Rock News

Julian Lennon has revealed the title of his forthcoming seventh studio album, Jude, which will be his first collection of new songs since 2011’s Everything Changes.

Julian, the older son of the late John Lennon, will release two advance tracks from Jude on April 8 — “Every Little Moment” and “Freedom.” The songs, which you can pre-save now, will be available on all streaming platforms.

The album’s title is a nod to the famous Beatles song “Hey Jude,” which Paul McCartney wrote to try to comfort five-year-old Julian following his parents’ separation. McCartney originally wrote the tune as “Hey Jules,” but changed the name because he preferred the way it sounded in the song.

“Many of these songs have been in the works for several years, so it almost feels like a coming-of-age album,” Julian explains of the new project. “With great respect for the overwhelming significance of the song written for me, the title Jude conveys the very real journey of my life that these tracks represent.”

Lennon co-produced Jude with his longtime guitarist Justin Clayton. The album will be released as part of Julian’s recently announced label deal with BMG.

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While Foo Fighters drummer Taylor Hawkins is expected to get a tribute this Sunday night at the Grammy Awards, his hometown of Laguna Beach, California, remembered him in a more low-key way on Thursday.

The Orange County Register reports that fans gathered at a local beach at the town for a drum circle in honor of Hawkins, who died March 25 in Bogota, Columbia, at age 50. In addition to playing music around a bonfire, attendees also wrote messages on a memorial.

The paper reports that when he wasn’t on tour, Hawkins would spend time around Laguna Beach, where he grew up and later bought a home, and was also seen surfing at the town’s Thalia Street Beach.

James Pribham, a high school pal of Hawkins who reconnected with him in recent years, tells the paper, “He was just the most genuine, positive, respectful person you could imagine.” Just a few months ago, Pribham says, Hawkins was the first to call him with condolences when his father passed away.

Pribham says Hawkins was “beloved by many” and “resonated with everybody,” because he never considered himself a rock star. He’ll be remembered, Pribham adds, as “[a] great man who was loving and kind who just happened to be one of the most talented and popular rock stars in the world.”

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KISS will release a new archival live album capturing the rock legends’ performance at the 1996 Monsters of Rock Festival at the U.K.’s Donington Park as the third installment of thew band’s Off the Soundboard series of official concert bootlegs.

The new album, titled KISS — Off the Soundboard: Live at Donington 1996, is due out on June 10 and features a 17-song headlining set that KISS played at the festival on August 17, 1996.

The concert was part of the band’s Alive/Worldwide reunion tour that showcased the group’s original lineup of Paul Stanley, Gene Simmons, Ace Frehley and Peter Criss. The set was packed with KISS classics, including “King of the Night Time World,” “Calling Dr. Love,” “Shout It Out Loud,” “Strutter,” “Love Gun,” “Detroit Rock City” and “Rock and Roll All Nite.”

Off the Soundboard: Live at Donington will be available on digital formats, as a two-CD set, and as a three-LP collection pressed on standard black vinyl or limited-edition 180-gram red vinyl. You can pre-order the album now exclusively at KISS’ official online store. Special bundles also are available featuring the colored-vinyl set along with a t-shirt, trading cards, guitar picks and a button.

The first two KISS — Off the Soundboard releases featured a March 2001 concert at the Tokyo Dome in Japan, and a July 2004 show in Virginia Beach, Virginia.

Here’s the Off the Soundboard: Live at Donington CD track list:

CD 1
“Deuce”
“King of the Night Time World”
“Do You Love Me?”
“Calling Dr. Love”
“Cold Gin”
“Let Me Go, Rock ‘n’ Roll”
“Shout It Out Loud”
“Watchin’ You”
“Firehouse”
“Shock Me”

CD 2
“Strutter”
“God of Thunder”
“Love Gun”
“100,000 Years”
“Black Diamond”
“Detroit Rock City”
“Rock and Roll All Nite”

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“Strange Game,” Mick Jagger‘s theme song to the new Apple TV+ series Slow Horses, was released today as a digital single, coinciding with the premiere of the show’s first two episodes.

The track, which features a mysterious, jazzy vibe, was co-written by Jagger and composer Daniel Pemberton, who also composed the score to the show. A lyric video for the tune, which incorporates scenes from Slow Horses, has debuted at Mick’s official YouTube channel.

“I really enjoyed creating the theme track for Slow Horses with Daniel Pemberton,” Jagger says in a statement. “I’ve read a lot of the books [author Mike Heron‘s Slough House series] and was familiar with some of the more dark and unsavoury characters and knew the direction I wanted to take it…hope you enjoy it!”

As previously reported, Slow Horses stars Gary Oldman as the head of a branch of the U.K. counter-intelligence agency MI5, who oversees a group of failed agents hoping to redeem themselves.

Jagger wrote lyrics for “Strange Game,” which include specific references to the show.

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Ordinary Man, the star-studded 2020 album Ozzy Osbourne made with producer Andrew Watt, was a huge success — so they’ve made another one, which features even more stars than the last.

Red Hot Chili Peppers drummer Chad Smith broke the news on rocker and wrestler Chris Jericho‘s Talk Is Jericho podcast. Smith played on Ordinary Man, as did Guns N’ Roses bassist Duff McKagan, and they’re both back for the new album, as is Watt.

In addition, Smith boasts that the album, which is currently being mastered, features “the English royalty of guitar players” as guests, including Black Sabbath‘s Tony Iommi, plus Eric Clapton and Jeff Beck.  According to Smith, this will mark the first time Iommi and Ozzy have collaborated outside of Black Sabbath.  They even tried to get Jimmy Page, Smith says, but, he explained, “I don’t think Page plays anymore too much.”

But there are even more guests on the album to make up for Page’s absence, according to Smith: Pearl Jam‘s Mike McCready is part of the project, as are Josh Homme of Queens of the Stone Age, Black Label Society frontman and Ozzy touring guitarist Zakk Wylde and Metallica bassist Robert Trujillo.

No word on when we can expect the album.

(Ozzy album talk is 35:04 into the podcast. Contains uncensored profanity.)

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U2 frontman Bono was honored by the Fulbright Association on Thursday in Washington, D.C., with its 2021 J. William Fulbright Prize for International Understanding, acknowledging the singer’s his dedication to fighting global poverty and health crises, and supporting economic development in the world’s poorest regions.

In conjunction with the prize, Bono received an award of $50,000 to donate to the charities of his choice, which he bestowed on the ONE and (RED) organizations he co-founded.

During his acceptance speech, Bono talked about his passion for rock music, which is all about freedom and liberation, drawing parallels to the ideals of the U.S. and to Ukraine’s current fight for freedom against its Russian invaders.

Reflecting on growing up in Ireland during a time of great conflict there, Bono noted, “We looked to America. We saw a country with its own long-running arguments, its own injustices. We knew this promised land wasn’t always keeping to that promise. We knew America wasn’t living up to all its ideals, but the fact is America had ideals.”

He continued, “We knew that because you wrote them down, you cited them, you held yourself to account on them. They shaped the struggle for civil rights and women’s rights and gay rights. I don’t know how, but I seemed to know that America wasn’t just a country. I felt it was an idea.”

In honoring Bono with the Fulbright Prize, Justice Cynthia A. Baldwin, Fulbright Association Board Chair, said, “The purpose of the Fulbright Prize is to recognize those who promote peace through greater understanding among peoples, cultures, and nations, and there’s no doubt that Bono embodies the best of leadership in times of unrelenting global crises and challenges.”

You can watch a video of the presentation at the Fulbright Association’s YouTube channel.

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Red Hot Chili Peppers‘ new album Unlimited Love is here, and so is the cinematic video for their new single “These Are the Ways.”

In the clip, singer Anthony Kiedis plays a man who’s shoplifting food to feed his pregnant wife. When a cop spots him, he runs out the door, jumps in his car and leads the cops on a chase.  After ditching the car, he escapes on foot.

The rest of the clip shows the cops chasing Kiedis through a variety of houses, motel rooms and apartments, past the residents who are engaged in everyday activities like vacuuming, having dinner, having sex and having a party.  Meanwhile, the band is shown playing the song in a motel room.

At the end, Anthony manages to slow the cops down with an overturned laundry cart, and seemingly escapes to shoplift another day. “These are the ways when you come from America,” he sings.

Unlimited Love features guitarist John Frusciante back on board and, for the first time in years, production by Rick Rubin, who was behind the board for Blood Sugar Sex Magik, One Hot Minute, Californication and many other albums.

Speaking of the Chili Peppers’ continued relevance, Kiedis tells the Los Angeles Times, “It’s nice not to feel like the world has passed you by. I love it when my son’s friends put on their playlists and we’re on there with Kid Cudi or someone.”

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Todd Rundgren‘s joint U.S. tour with Hall & Oates lead singer Daryl Hall begins tonight in Chicago.

Rundgren will open for Hall on the 14-date cross-country trek, which winds down May 22 in Austin, Texas.

Todd, who was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame this past October, says his tour with Daryl probably will be “the high point of the year” for him.

“First of all, I get…an hour-long set of my own material to do with a great band…I’ll be with Daryl’s house band,” Rundgren notes. “And [we’re] playing like the most prestigious venues. You know, we’re only doing eight shows in the first leg, but it’s Carnegie Hall [in New York] and Auditorium Theatre in Chicago and the Ryman in Nashville. You know all these classic venues.”

Todd says he also appreciates that Hall has at least one day off between each concert on the trek, which he notes is “just the easiest possible way to get through a tour.”

Meanwhile, Rundgren reveals that he’ll be joining Hall at the end of the shows for “a little encore sing-off thing.”

“[T]hat should be a lot of fun…because Daryl and I kind of challenge each other in little ways,” Todd maintains. “And it gets us both kind of at the edges of our capacities, you know, just trying to keep up with each other.”

Tickets for the tour are available at LiveNation.com.

The trek’s kickoff coincides with the release of Daryl’s first-ever solo compilation, BeforeAfter. The 30-track collection features selections from Daryl’s solo albums, as well as eight performances from his TV/web series Live from Daryl’s House, including a duet with Rundgren on Todd’s 1978 hit “Can We Still Be Friends.”

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Foo Fighters are up for three awards this Sunday night at the Grammys, but should they win, reportedly, they won’t be in the house to accept them.

The band was originally scheduled to perform on the telecast, but Rolling Stone has learned that they will no longer appear, following the March 25 death of drummer Taylor Hawkins.  Foo Fighters have also canceled all their upcoming tour dates.

At Sunday’s ceremony, which airs on CBS, Dave Grohl and company are up for Best Rock Performance for “Making a Fire,” Best Rock Song for “Waiting on a War” and Best Rock Album for Medicine at Midnight.

A CBS official told Variety this week that Hawkins memory will be “honored in some way” at the Grammys, adding, “We want to figure out what is the right thing to do that is respectful to everyone involved. We’re patient. We’ll be planning right up until the very end.”

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Grateful Dead spin-off group Dead & Company has announced plans for a new U.S. summer tour that currently features 20 dates, running from a June 11 concert at Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles through a two-night stand July 15-16 at Citi Field in New York City.

The trek features several other two-show engagements — on June 13-14 in Mountain View, California; June 17-18 in Boulder, Colorado; and June 24-25 at Chicago’s Wrigley Field.

Tickets will go on sale to the general public on Friday, April 8, at 10 a.m. local time via DeadandCompany.com. Tickets will be made available through Ticketmaster’s Verified Fan program, which you can register for now through Sunday, April 3, at 12 p.m. PT. A Verified Fan pre-sale will begin on Tuesday, April 5, at 10 a.m. local time and run through Thursday, April 7, at 10 p.m. local time.

In addition, Dead & Company is offering various enhanced experience and travel packages, which go on sale April 5 at 10 a.m. local time. Visit CIDEntertainment.com for more details.

Also on the new trek, the band will continue its sustainability partnership with the nonprofit organization REVERB, and has committed to a comprehensive carbon offset program while also encouraging fans to take action to help the environment via the organization’s Music Climate Revolution campaign.

The summer trek will mark Dead & Company’s seventh tour since the band formed in 2015. The group’s lineup features Grateful Dead members Bob Weir, Bill Kreutzmann and Mickey Hart, as well as singer/guitarist John Mayer, ex-Allman Brothers Band bassist Oteil Burbridge, and RatDog keyboardist Jeff Chimenti.

In January, Dead & Company were forced to cancel their planned annual Playing in the Sand destination festival in Mexico because of spiking COVID-19 cases, including Mayer.

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