Classic Rock News

On This Day, Dec. 16, 1989…

Billy Joel hit #1 on the Billboard 200 chart with his 11th studio album, Storm Front.

The album featured Joel’s third #1 single, “We Didn’t Start the Fire,” along with the top-10 single “I Go To Extremes” and the top-40 ballad “And So It Goes.”

The album also boasted several songs that became fan favorites, including “The Downeaster ‘Alexa’,” and “Shameless,” the latter of which was later covered by country star Garth Brooks.

Storm Front earned Joel five Grammy nominations, including song of the year and record of the year for “We Didn’t Start the Fire.”

Billy went on to have one more #1 album, River of Dreams, which was released in 1993 and is widely regarded as his final rock album.

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Items from The Beatles, Ringo Starr, Bob Dylan and more are part of a new Marvels of Modern Music auction being put on by RR Auctions.

Among the highlights of the auction is an extremely rare EMI mono acetate pressing of The Beatles’ track “Please Please Me,” which was cut at Abbey Road Studios. There’s also an acetate of an unreleased version of “She’s a Woman,” which, according to the description, “offers a rare window into The Beatles’ studio experimentation at the height of Beatlemania.”

Other items in the auction include Ringo’s 1964 Gold record for A Hard Day’s Night; a vintage pressing of The Beatles’ Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band, signed by Ringo, Paul McCartney and George Harrison; a Bob Dylan mixed media painting, Side Tracks; and a signed 1968 document by the Jimi Hendrix Experience.

More info on the auction, which closes on Thursday, can be found at rrauction.com.

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Styx has announced a string of tour dates with special guest Cheap Trick.

The two bands will team up for five shows, starting May 16 in Little Rock, Arkansas, and wrapping May 24 in Lincoln, Nebraska.

Tickets for all shows go on sale Friday at 10 a.m. local time.

Styx already has a busy 2026 ahead of them. Their next show is Jan. 7 in Tucson, Arizona. They are also set to return to Las Vegas for a five-show residency starting Jan. 23 at The Venetian Theatre inside The Venetian Resort Las Vegas, where they’ll play their 1978 album, Pieces of Eight, in its entirety, along with other classic hits.

Then this summer they’ll hit the road with Chicago on The Windy Cities Tour – All The Hits … Your Kind of Tour, which starts July 13 in West Palm Beach, Florida.

A complete list of dates can be found at StyxWorld.com.

As for Cheap Trick, they’ll launch their All Washed Up Tour Jan. 24 in Madison, Wisconsin. For a list of shows, go to CheapTrick.com.

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The Peter Gabriel track “I Have the Touch” is featured on the soundtrack of the new Timothée Chalamet
movie Marty Supreme, about a table tennis prodigy. In a post on Instagram, Gabriel says he’s delighted the song is being used in the film, particularly because he’s a fan of the sport.

“The song is rarely asked out for a dance and I have always loved table tennis,” he writes. “Now there seems to be a real buzz about the film. Although I have it in my Academy pack we are waiting to see it on the big screen in the Christmas holiday.”

Talking about his affinity for table tennis, he notes, “On tour we always have a table backstage for any of the crew or band to jump on.”

Gabriel ended the post by thanking the film’s director, Josh Safdie, and urging fans to “check it out.”

“I Have the Touch” is a track from Gabriel’s fourth solo album, Security.

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David Bowie’s longtime pianist Mike Garson is set to celebrate his music with a trio of special shows, where he’ll be joined by an A-list lineup of rockers.

Bowie’s Piano Man: A Decade in the Stars will take place at the Sun Rose West Hollywood in Los Angeles Jan. 8-10. It will not only celebrate Bowie’s birthday, but also mark the 10th anniversary of his death.

Garson, who was Bowie’s longest-serving band member, will be joined by a lineup that includes Smashing Pumpkins frontman Billy Corgan, Red Hot Chili Peppers drummer Chad Smith, The Struts’ lead singer Luke Spiller and Bowie touring bassist Carmine Rojas.

“David Bowie was one of the closest people in my life,” says Garson. “Nothing brings me more joy than honoring 10 years since his passing and his birthday by collaborating with this all-star lineup to carry his legacy forward.”

Information on tickets can be found at thesunrosehotel.com.

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George Harrison’s classic tune “Give Me Love (Give Me Peace on Earth)” is getting an official video.

Harrison’s official Instagram page gave fans a preview of the animated clip, which has been directed by Stranger Things star Finn Wolfhard. 

The video is being released on Tuesday at 9 a.m. PT.

“Give Me Love (Give Me Peace on Earth)” was the opening track and lead single off Harrison’s 1973 album, Living in the Material World, which went to #1. The song topped the chart as well, becoming Harrison’s second #1 after “My Sweet Lord.” The tune actually knocked his former Beatles bandmate Paul McCartney and Wings’ “My Love” out of the top spot.

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While some people have been criticizing KISS for accepting the Kennedy Center Honors from President Donald Trump, Twisted Sister frontman Dee Snider has their back.

“There are a lot of people sh** talking @kiss for accepting their Kennedy Center Honor Medals from the current president,” he wrote on X. “You either think they are worthy or not (I think they are). An artist can’t wait for a president of their liking to be in office to receive it.”

He then pointed to the fact that the band’s founding guitarist, Ace Frehley, died before they received the honor.

“Most of the recipients are not young, Poor Ace Frehley – who was very excited to receive the award – died before the day came,” he noted. “You accept the honor when it is offered.”

Snider then congratulated Frehley and his bandmates, Gene Simmons, Paul Stanley and Peter Criss, adding, “You are worthy!”

KISS’ Kennedy Center Honors tribute featured performances by Garth Brooks, Marcus King and Cheap Trick. The ceremony will air Dec. 23 on CBS.

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Paul McCartney and Elton John have paid tribute to director Rob Reiner following the news that Reiner and his wife, Michele Singer, were found dead in their Los Angeles home on Sunday.

Both musicians had cameos in Reiner’s last film, Spinal Tap II: The End Continues, which came out in September.

“What a tragedy the death of Rob Reiner and his wife, Michele, is,” McCartney wrote on Instagram next to a photo with Rob. “It is so shocking in many ways but for me especially so, because over the last year I had been working with him. He directed me in ‘Spinal Tap II: The End Continues’. He was such an upbeat, lovable man.”

McCartney added, “Life can be so unfair and this tragedy proves it. His father, Carl Reiner, was a great humourist before him and Rob followed in his dad’s footsteps doing a terrific job making many great films. I will always have fond memories of Rob and the idea that he and his wife will no longer be in the world with us is heartbreaking.”

Elton shared a message about Rob and his wife on his Instagram Story, writing that he was in “disbelief” over the news of their deaths.

“They were two of the most beautiful people I’d ever met and they deserved better,” he added. “My thoughts are with them and their loved ones.”

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On This Day, Dec. 15, 1967…

The Who released their third album, The Who Sell Out, a concept album created to sound like a broadcast from one of the popular pirate radio stations in the United Kingdom in the mid-1960s.

In addition to songs, it featured jingles, PSAs and commercials that the band wrote and recorded for real products like Heinz Baked Beans, Medac acne cream and Odorono deodorant.

The album included The Who’s highest-charting U.S. single, “I Can See for Miles,” which peaked at #9, as well as music that was later reused for their 1969 album, Tommy.

The Who Sell Out went to #13 in the U.K. and made it to the top 50 in the U.S. It is often included on lists of the greatest albums of all time.

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Billy Joel is going to be the subject of a new symposium at the Long Island Music and Entertainment Hall of Fame in Stony Brook, New York.

According to the description, the June conference will be “devoted to the music, lyrics, themes, and cultural impact of Billy Joel.” It will feature scholars, critics, musicians and more, offering “critical analysis of Joel’s artistry, life, and legacy.”

“Joel’s body of work offers a unique lens through which to explore popular music, regional identity, and American culture,” the description continues.

And the public is getting a chance to shape the conference, with the LIMEHoF requesting submissions on a variety of subjects, including Joel’s lyrics and narratives, his music and style, and his cultural impact.

Submissions are due by Jan. 15, and those chosen will be put together by theme for 90-minute panels.

More info on the symposium can be found at limusichalloffame.org.

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