Classic Rock News

KISS bassist/singer Gene Simmons recently tested positive for the COVID-19 virus, forcing his band to postpone four concerts on its End of the Road farewell tour.

Simmons, who’s currently quarantining because of the illness, has taken to Twitter to share with fans that he’s “really fine,” and he says it’s thanks to being vaccinated.

Meanwhile, former Saturday Night Live star Joe Piscopo retweeted Simmons’ post about how he was feeling, along with a note that reads, “Vaccinated and still caught Covid,” which prompted a rebuke from the 72-year-old Rock & Roll Hall of Famer.

“Joe, vaccine protects you about 95%. However, you can still get Delta Covid variant. I did…But the effects are minimal, if you’ve been vaccinated twice,” Simmons wrote. “Without vaccine = hospital, pain and maybe death. Do your research. You’ll come off much brighter.”

Simmons tested COVID-19 positive several days after his KISS band mate Paul Stanley announced that he had caught the virus, which resulted in the group postponing three earlier shows. The tour currently is scheduled to resume with a September 9 concert in Irvine, California.

Stanley recently tweeted that his COVID symptoms were mild, but that the virus still “kicked my a**.”

Stanley’s latest Twitter update, posted Wednesday, reads, “REST!! Doctor’s orders so we can hit the road running on Sept. 9th. Staying clear of people for a few more days. Do I think my ‘freedom’ ever includes jeopardizing other people’s health?…No, I don’t.”

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David Crosby‘s debut 1971 solo album, If I Could Only Remember My Name, will be reissued in expanded form on October 15 in honor of its 50th anniversary.

The reissue will be available as a two-CD set featuring a newly remastered version of the album, plus a bonus disc offering demos, alternate takes and previously unreleased songs.

Crosby recorded If I Could Only Remember My Name with an impressive list of guest artists, including Graham Nash, Neil Young and Joni Mitchell; Grateful Dead members Jerry Garcia, Phil Lesh, Bill Kreutzmann and Mickey Hart; Jefferson Airplane‘s Grace Slick, Paul Kantner, Jorma Kaukonen, Jack Casady and David Freiberg; and Santana‘s Gregg Rolie and Michael Shrieve.

The haunting, atmospheric collection of songs came together as Crosby was grieving the death of his girlfriend, Christine Hinton, who was killed in a 1969 car crash. Crosby recalls that Garcia played an integral role in inspiring him to work on the material.

“There’d be that grin, and then that look in the eyes, and this fascination with the music,” Crosby remembers. “Easy, not forced, graceful, fun, ever-present. It was a kindness, I’m pretty sure. Jerry never said that, never even implied it. Just, ‘Hey, I heard you were doing something. What are you doing? Let’s do something.'”

If I Could Only Remember My Name was released in February 1971 and peaked at #12 on the Billboard 200.

One of the unreleased bonus demos, “Riff 1,” has been made available as an advance digital track.  Another bonus tune is an alternate version of “Cowboy Movie,” featuring a guitar solo by Young rather than by Garcia.

Digital and streaming versions of the deluxe reissue also will be available, as will a 180-gram vinyl LP featuring the remastered original album. You can pre-order the reissue now.

Here’s the If I Could Only Remember My Name deluxe reissue’s track list:

Disc One: Original Album

“Music Is Love”
“Cowboy Movie”
“Tamalpais High (At About 3)”
“Laughing”
“What Are Their Names”
“Traction in the Rain”
“Song with No Words (Tree with No Leaves)”
“Orleans”
“I’d Swear There Was Somebody Here”

Bonus Track
“Kids and Dogs”

Disc Two: Bonus Tracks

Demos
“Riff 1” (Demo)*
“Tamalpais High (At About 3)” (Demo)*
“Kids and Dogs” (Demo)*
“The Wall Song” (Demo)*
“Games” (Demo)*
“Laughing” (Demo)*
“Song with No Words (Tree with No Leaves)” (Demo)
“Where Will I Be” (Demo)*

Sessions
“Cowboy Movie” (Alternate Version)*
“Bach Mode” (Pre-“Critical Mass”)*
“Coast Road”*
“Dancer”*
“Fugue”*

* = previously unreleased.

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Pink Floyd will release a remixed and updated standalone version of their 1987 studio album A Momentary Lapse of Reason in multiple high-res formats in October.

The new mix was created by Pink Floyd guitarist David Gilmour and studio engineer Andy Jackson in 2019 for the band’s expansive The Later Years box set. The tracks were updated with previously unused keyboard performances by the late Rick Wright and new drum tracks from Nick Mason.

The album, which you can pre-order now, will be released on CD, as a CD/DVD or CD/Blu-ray set, as a two-LP half-speed-mastered package, and via digital formats with stereo and 5.1 mixes. The record also will made available for the first time in the immersive Sony 360 Reality Audio format, as well as in Dolby Audio and UHD.

The physical versions of A Momentary Lapse of Reason will arrive on October 29, while the digital versions are due out October 19.

Discussing the new mix, Gilmour explains, “Some years after we had recorded the album, we came to the conclusion that we should update it to make it more timeless, featuring more of the traditional instruments that we liked and that we were more used to playing…We also looked for and found some previously unused keyboard parts of Rick’s which helped us to come up with a new vibe, a new feeling for the album.”

The DVD and Blu-ray feature such bonus content as music videos, a short making-of documentary, audio of three 1987 live performances and more.

Pink Floyd has released a special version of the “Learning to Fly” video, featuring the 2019 mix of the song. If you watch the clip on YouTube while wearing headphones, it’ll simulate the 360 Reality Audio experience.

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Yes has offered up a second preview track from its forthcoming studio album, The Quest, which is due out on October 1.

The tune, “Dare to Know,” is a multiple-part tune featuring classical and prog-rock elements, and sections showcasing orchestral flourishes.

“‘Dare to Know’ presents a guitar theme played within many different arrangements, with different chord structures and altered textures,” says Yes guitarist Steve Howe. “The ‘idea’ mentioned in the first verse gets described later as an awakening to the subtle goings on within our bodies and mind, all geared to nature’s scheme of things, all fluctuating and rearranging according to the principles of life, as we know it.”

An accompanying mixed-media music video for the song has premiered at Yes’ official YouTube channel. The clip features kaleidoscopic animation segments, scenes that present an eagle’s-eye view of various natural landscapes, photos of all of Yes’ members, song lyrics with lettering apparently created by the band’s longtime cover artist Roger Dean.

“Dare to Know” follows the release of The Quest‘s lead track, “The Ice Bridge,” which also was accompanied by a partially animated music video.

The Quest, which was produced by Howe, can be pre-ordered now. The 11-track collection will be available as a two-CD set featuring eight songs on the main disc and three additional tunes on the second CD.

The album also will be issued in additional formats and configurations, including a limited-edition box set boasting two CDs, two vinyl LPs and a Blu-ray disc.

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Graham Nash has had a passion for photography since he was a child, and now the 79-year-old folk-rock legend has curated a collection of photos he’s taken throughout his long life for a new book that will be released on November 16.

A Life in Focus: The Photography of Graham Nash will include photos of his family, friends and musical associates, self-portraits and images of artwork he’s created, as well as commentary he’s written to accompany the pics.

“I’m four months from being 80 years old,” Nash tells Rolling Stone. “I just wanted a collection of my images that turned me on. I’m basically the same as everybody else — if it turns me on, it will probably turn you on, too.”

A Life in Focus features images spanning from photos he snapped of his mother when he was growing up in the U.K. to pics of himself that he took recently at a doctor’s office. The book also includes pics of such famous friends, collaborators and musical contemporaries as Bob Dylan, George Harrison, Mama Cass Elliot, Leon Russell, Bonnie Raitt, his ex-girlfriend Joni Mitchell and his former band mates David Crosby, Stephen Stills and Neil Young.

Regarding his approach to taking photos, Graham tells Rolling Stone, “I want to be invisible. I don’t want people to know that I’m taking their image. I always want to look like James Dean and Tony Curtis, someone cool…[I]n most of these shots, these people never knew I was there.”

The book features a preface written by famous filmmaker and music journalist Cameron Crowe, and a foreword penned by Nash’s friend, veteran rock photographer Joel Bernstein.

A Life in Focus can be pre-ordered now.

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Former Fleetwood Mac singer-guitarist Lindsey Buckingham has just released a third advance track from his forthcoming self-titled solo album, which is due out on September 17.

“Scream,” which is available now via digital formats, is a stripped-down yet upbeat tune that kicks off the album.

“Many of the songs on this album are about the work and discipline it takes in maintaining a long-term relationship,” Buckingham explains in a press statement. “Some of them are more about the discipline and some of them are more about the perks. ‘Scream’ is about the perks. It felt very celebratory and it was also very, very simple and short. To the point.”

He adds, “It made its case and got the hell out. It just seemed like a good place to start the album, somehow. It’s very upbeat and very optimistic and very positive. It’s a celebration of an aspect of life.”

As previously reported, the upcoming album is Buckingham’s first solo studio effort since 2011’s Seeds We Sow and his seventh overall.

The 10-song collection, which Buckingham wrote, produced and recorded at his home studio in Los Angeles, will be available on CD, as a vinyl LP, and on digital and streaming platforms.

Lindsey previously released songs from the album called “I Don’t Mind” and “On the Wrong Side.”

The release of “Scream” coincides with the launch of Buckingham’s new U.S. tour, kicking off tonight in Milwaukee. This marks the first time that Lindsey will be playing in-person concerts since he underwent emergency heart surgery in February 2019.

Visit LindseyBuckingham.com to check out his full tour schedule.

In other news, Buckingham contributed acoustic guitar to a song called “Darling” from pop star Halsey‘s recently released album, If I Can’t Have Love, I Want Power.

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John Lennon‘s widow, Yoko Ono, and their son, Sean, are inviting fans to join them on September 9 for a “Global Party” event celebrating the 50th anniversary of the release of Lennon’s enduring peace anthem “Imagine” and his album of the same name.

As part of the celebration, John and Yoko’s experimental 1971 film Imagine will be screened that day at 2:30 p.m. ET at select theaters or online for free. Fans also will be able to check out the movie, which was restored and re-released in 2018, on Amazon Prime’s music-themed streaming service The Coda Collection. A free seven-day trial is available for non-subscribers.

Also, U.K. radio presenter Tim Burgess will host a special edition of his popular Tim’s Twitter Listening Party at the same time as the Imagine screenings. A variety of notable people associated with Lennon and the album are confirmed to take part in the event, including Yoko, Sean, bassist Klaus Voormann and drummer Alan White.

Subscribers of the AXS TV channel in the U.S. also will be available to watch the movie. The Imagine film can be rented or purchased via Apple TV, iTunes or Amazon Prime, or on Blu-Ray and DVD.

Prior to the September 9 celebrations, AXS TV will be airing an Imagine-related programming block on September 6 starting at 8 p.m. ET. The channel will screen the 1988 documentary Imagine: John Lennon, followed by the Imagine film.

Various well-known musicians also will appear on AXS TV to discuss how John and Yoko have impacted their lives, and the influence the “Imagine” song and album.

Also, a limited-edition, two-LP white-vinyl set featuring the 2018 “Ultimate Mix” of Imagine plus select outtakes will be released on September 10. Here’s the track list:

LP 1: Imagine — Ultimate Mixes

Side A
“Imagine”
“Crippled Inside”
“Jealous Guy”
“It’s So Hard”
“I Don’t Wanna Be a Soldier Mama I Don’t Wanna Die

Side B
“Gimme Some Truth”
“Oh My Love”
“How Do You Sleep?”
“How?”
“Oh Yoko!”

LP 2: Imagine Outtakes

Side C
“Imagine” (Original demo recorded at Ascot Studios)
“Imagine” (Take 1)
“Crippled Inside” (Take 3)
“Crippled Inside” (Take 6 alternate guitar solo)
“Jealous Guy” (Take 9)
“It’s So Hard” (Take 6)

Side D
“I Don’t Wanna Be a Soldier Mama I Don’t Wanna Die” (Take 25)
“Gimme Some Truth” (Take 4)
“Oh My Love” (Take 6)
“How Do You Sleep?” (Takes 1 & 2)
“Oh Yoko!” (From Bed Peace footage – Sheraton Hotel, Bahamas 1969)

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It’s a big week for the children of rock stars.

Myles and Layne Ulrich, the sons of Metallica drummer Lars Ulrich, have launched a band called Taipei Houston. From their Instagram page, the duo is a bass-and-drum two piece akin to Royal Blood.

Taipei Houston is set to perform next Thursday, September 9 in Long Beach, California.

Meanwhile, Rage Against the Machine guitarist Tom Morello and his son, Roman, took part in a “sweet improvisational jam” with viral child music sensation Nandi Bushell.

According to an Instagram post from Bushell, she and the Morello duo also wrote an “epic song together,” which will be released “soon.”

Bushell met up with Tom and Roman during her trip to the U.S. from her home in England, which also included performing “Everlong” live in Los Angeles with her drum battle opponent Dave Grohl and Foo Fighters.

 

 

 

 

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After teasing it on social media on Tuesday, Elton John has now confirmed plans to release a star-studded compilation called The Lockdown Sessions.

Due out on October 22, the album collects the many collaborations that Elton worked on after he was forced to put his Farewell tour on pause due to COVID-19. Among these are new songs that he recorded with Stevie Nicks and Pearl Jam‘s Eddie Vedder.

“The last thing I expected to do during lockdown was make an album. But, as the pandemic went on, one-off projects kept cropping up,” Elton explains. “Some of the recording sessions had to be done remotely, via Zoom, which I’d obviously never done before. Some of the sessions were recorded under very stringent safety regulations: working with another artist, but separated by glass screens.”

He adds, “But all the tracks I worked on were really interesting and diverse, stuff that was completely different to anything I’m known for, stuff that took me out of my comfort zone into completely new territory.”

The Lockdown Sessions features Elton collaborating with more than 20 artists over 16 tracks, 10 of which are previously unreleased. The unreleased tracks include his collaborations with Nicks and Vedder, as well as with Stevie Wonder, late Glen Campbell, Nicki Minaj, Lil Nas X and Charlie Puth.

Also included is his new single with Dua Lipa, “Cold Heart (PNAU Remix),” and the all-star version of Metallica‘s “Nothing Else Matters” that he recorded with Miley Cyrus, Metallica’s Robert Trujillo, Red Hot Chili Peppers drummer Chad Smith, guitarist/producer Andrew Watt, and famed cellist Yo-Yo Ma.

In an Instagram message, Elton adds that he’s also working on a regular album with songwriting partner Bernie Taupin, which will be his next release.

Here’s The Lockdown Sessions track list:

Elton John & Dua Lipa — “Cold Heart (PNAU Remix)”
Elton John, Young Thug & Nicki Minaj — “Always Love You”
Surfaces feat. Elton John — “Learn to Fly”
Elton John & Charlie Puth — “After All”
Rina Sawayama & Elton John — “Chosen Family”
Gorillaz feat. Elton John & 6LACK — “The Pink Phantom”
Elton John & Years & Years — “It’s a sin” (global reach mix)
Miley Cyrus feat. WATT, Elton John, Yo-Yo Ma, Robert Trujillo & Chad Smith — “Nothing Else Matters”
Elton John & SG Lewis — “Orbit”
Elton John & Brandi Carlile — “Simple Things”
Jimmie Allen & Elton John — “Beauty in the Bones”
Lil Nas X feat. Elton John — “One Of Me”
Elton John & Eddie Vedder — “E-Ticket”
Elton John & Stevie Wonder — “Finish Line”
Elton John & Stevie Nicks — “Stolen Car”
Glen Campbell & Elton John — “I’m Not Gonna Miss You”

 

 

 

 

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The Doobie Brothers kicked off their long-delayed 50th anniversary tour on August 22, but the band unfortunately has had to postpone a series of shows because “a member of the touring personnel has tested positive for COVID-19.”

The Rock & Roll Hall of Famers announced that they were postponing for upcoming concerts “[o]ut of an abundance of caution — shows that had been scheduled for September 2 in Clarkson, Michigan; September 4 in Burgettstown, Pennsylvania; September 5 in Toledo, Ohio; and September 8 in Cincinnati.

The tour features a reunion with former Doobie Brothers singer/keyboardist Michael McDonald, but it appears that McDonald may be the reason for the postponements. According to Minneapolis newspaper the Star Tribune, McDonald sat out the band’s most recent show, a performance Tuesday at the Minnesota State Fair, because had come down with COVID-19.

The paper reports that during the concert, Doobie Brothers member Patrick Simmons explained to the crowd that Michael was “recuperating and isolating,” adding, “We hope to have him back in a week or so.”

Simmons also noted that McDonald “had his vaccine…But the show must go on.”

According to The Doobie Brothers’ announcement, the tour is expected to get underway again on September 9 in in Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio. Fans who have purchased tickets to the postponed concerts are being encouraged to hold on to them, as they will honored when the dates are rescheduled.

Prior to the Minnesota State Fair show, founding Doobies frontman Tom Johnston told the Star Tribune a COVID compliance officer is traveling with the group on the tour, and that all band members and crew personnel have been vaccinated.

The Doobie Brothers’ postponements come after KISS had to postpone a series of concerts because both Paul Stanley and Gene Simmons tested positive for COVID-19.

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