Classic Rock News

Sam Mendes’ upcoming Beatles project recently filmed a very iconic moment in Beatles history.

Video posted to social media shows the cast — Paul Mescal as Paul McCartney, Harris Dickinson as John Lennon, Joseph Quinn as George Harrison and Barry Keoghan as Ringo Starr — walking through the crosswalk by the legendary Abbey Road Studios in London. A photo of that infamous walk, of course, would go on to become the cover of the band’s 1969 album Abbey Road.

The Beatles — A Four-Film Cinematic Event is expected to open in April 2028. It will consist of four films, each told from the perspective of one of the band members. The cast also includes Saoirse Ronan as Linda McCartney, Mia McKenna-Bruce as Ringo’s wife Maureen Starkey, Anna Sawai as Yoko Ono and Aimee Lou Wood as Harrison’s wife Pattie Boyd.

The Sony films will mark the first time Apple Corps Ltd. and The Beatles have granted a studio the rights to the life stories of band members and their legendary catalog of music.

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Ozzfest will officially be making its return in the hometown of its late namesake, Ozzy Osbourne.

The famed heavy metal festival, which has been dormant for nearly eight years, is confirmed to take place at Villa Park in Birmingham, England, in 2027.

A post to the Ozzfest Instagram teases “more info on everything coming soon!” 

Following Ozzy’s death in July 2025, his widow, Sharon Osbourne, started teasing the return of Ozzfest, which was last held in 2018. During a March episode of the Osbournes Podcast, Sharon said that she hoped for the festival to be held in Birmingham in 2027, followed by a return to the U.S.

Ozzy performed at Villa Park during 2025’s massive Back to the Beginning concert, which marked his final live performance before his death just over two weeks later.

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Ritchie Blackmore is reflecting on his recent reunion with Deep Purple.

Blackmore joined the band onstage at Jones Beach Theater in Wantagh, New York, on Aug. 12 for a performance of “Smoke on the Water,” his first performance with the band in over 30 years.

“It was very moving because I went on very quickly and had to play immediately,” Blackmore told Guitar Player. “I couldn’t warm up, but I wasn’t there to be playing correct notes. I was there to see old friends [who] I hadn’t seen in 40 years and were all getting older.”

He added, “I think we realized it could be the last time we see each other, maybe.”

Blackmore co-founded Deep Purple in 1968, then left the group in 1975 to form his band Rainbow. He was part of Deep Purple’s 1984 reunion and last played with them in 1993.

And while the reunion was an emotional one for Blackmore, he does say it wasn’t quite perfect.

“It was tricky; I didn’t play anything too technical, as I felt I should stick to the rudiments of being simple. I still lost my place at one point, but it’s not why I was there,” he said. “I was there to heal any wounds — but there weren’t any wounds. Everyone was like, we were in the army, all along the Western front and we were all getting together again. Very emotional moment.”

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Bruce Springsteen has paid tribute to legendary rock critic, journalist and author Dave Marsh, who passed away Friday at the age of 76.

“Here on E Street, the irreplaceable loss of Dave Marsh has us heartbroken,” Springsteen wrote on Instagram. “My great friend Dave, with his straight out of Detroit attitude, was a true Rock ‘n’ Roll lifer. He was soulful, intelligent, heartfelt, opinionated, bruising and often fantastically argumentative.”

Marsh, who throughout his career wrote numerous books on music and musicians, was the author of the 1979 Springsteen biography Born to Run, as well as other books on The Boss. Springsteen noted in his tribute that Marsh “always had my back.”

“He deeply believed in what I was trying to accomplish and his lifetime of support meant the world to me,” Springsteen added. “More than anything else, I admired Dave as a man of conscience and commitment. He lived and stuck by his values come hell or high water.”

Springsteen concluded the post, writing, “Wherever he is, I hope he’s receiving some of the grace, happiness and reward he’s brought into my life. God bless you Dave.”

E Street Band member Nils Lofgren also paid tribute to Marsh, as did his bandmate Stevie Van Zandt, who wrote, “He was fearless, relentless, arrogant, everything you’d want in a RocknRoll troublemaker,” adding, “And by the way, a tremendous writer.”

In addition to Born to Run, Marsh wrote The Who biography Before I Get Old: The Story of the Who, which was published in 1983; 1980’s The Book of Rock Lists; and 1989’s The Heart of Rock & Soul: The 1001 Greatest Singles Ever Made.

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Foghat is set to release a new live album this fall.

Live & Loud Across the U.S.A., dropping Oct. 30, will be the band’s first-ever live album featuring their current lineup — founding member and drummer Roger Earl, lead guitarist Bryan Bassett, lead vocalist/guitarist Scott Holt and bassist Rodney O’Quinn.

The set features songs recorded during the band’s 2024 and 2025 tours of the U.S. It will be available as a two-CD set, or as a triple vinyl release, which will include two gold vinyl LPs, with a bonus red vinyl LP featuring a reissue of Shaken & Stirred, a 2018 album that was released under the band name Earl & the Agitators. The release will mark the first time the latter has ever been available on vinyl.

As a preview of the set, Foghat has released a live performance of “My Babe.” It is available now via digital outlets.

“People often ask me if we’re ever going to slow down. The answer is… not yet!” says Earl. “The performances on this album were recorded in cities across the United States during the past two years. We didn’t set out to make a live record—we simply wanted to capture Foghat doing what we’ve always loved to do: playing live.”

He adds, “Most of these songs have never been released as official live recordings before, and I think they show where the band is today.”

Live & Loud Across the U.S.A. is available for preorder now.

Foghat is currently on a tour of the U.S. They play Lincoln Park, Michigan, on Aug. 28. A complete list of dates can be found at Foghat.com.

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Phil Collins is offering up another preview of the upcoming expanded reissue of his debut album, Face Value.

The latest is an outtake of the track “Tomorrow Never Knows,” described as Collins’ “experimental cover” of The Beatles song, which appeared on their 1966 album Revolver. 

Face Value (Full Value), dropping Sept. 18, is a four-LP set that features a remastered version of the original album. It also comes with three LPs of bonus material, made up of rare and unreleased live recordings, demos and outtakes. It also includes a brand-new interview with Collins in the liner notes. Face Value will also be released on Blu-ray, featuring upgraded audio.

Face Value (Full Value) is available for preorder now.

Originally released in February 1981, Face Value was recorded while Collins’ band Genesis was on a break. It became an instant hit for the rocker, topping the chart in the U.K. and peaking at #3 in the U.S.

The album’s leadoff single, “In the Air Tonight,” peaked at #19 on the Billboard Hot 100 singles chart. It went on to be one of Collins’ signature songs, thanks in part to its iconic drum track.

The new release comes as Collins is set to be inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame as a solo artist in November. He was previously inducted as a member of Genesis in 2010.

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Red Hot Chili Peppers have announced a vinyl reissue of the band’s 2006 album, Stadium Arcadium, in honor of its 20th anniversary.

The four-LP set is due out Oct. 2. It’ll be available in canary yellow and apple red vinyl at all retailers, brown smoke and orange smoke vinyl in independent record stores, and blue marble and ruby red marble exclusively through the RHCP webstore.

The original Stadium Arcadium marked the ninth Chili Peppers studio effort and spawned the hit singles “Dani California,” “Snow (Hey Oh)” and “Tell Me Baby.” It also marked their last album before guitarist John Frusciante’s departure from the group in 2009.

Frusciante later returned to RHCP in 2019, and they put out two new albums in 2022: Unlimited Love and Return of the Dream Canteen.

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David Bowie fans are getting another preview of the upcoming album filled with early recordings the rocker made with ‘60s producer Shel Talmy.

“Today (Demo),” the second track released from The Shel Talmy Recordings following “I Want Your Love,” is a previously unreleased demo recorded in 1965.

“Today (Demo)” is now available via digital outlets.

Talmy, best known for working with The Who and The Kinks, signed the then-Davie Jones and his band at the time, the Manish Boys, in December 1964. By the time they began recording, however, Bowie had formed a new band, Davie Jones & The Lower Third. Most of the recordings featured on the album were made with the latter band or are solo demos.

The Shel Talmy Recordings, dropping Sept. 18, includes 21 tracks. The CD and digital versions feature 10 previously unreleased recordings, while the vinyl features six. Guests on the album include a pre-Led Zeppelin Jimmy Page and future Rock & Roll Hall of Fame pianist Nicky Hopkins.

The Shel Talmy Recordings is available for preorder now. A limited-edition red vinyl version is available at DavidBowie.com.

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The Stray Cats are set to hit late night for the first time in 35 years.

The band, featuring original members Brian Setzer, Lee Rocker and Slim Jim Phantom, are set to appear on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon on Tuesday.

According to the announcement, the band is set to perform one of their “iconic hits.” The appearance will mark Stray Cats’ first late night television appearance since performing on The Late Show with David Letterman back in 1990.

After canceling their 2025 tour due to frontman Setzer’s health, The Stray Cats returned to road in July. Their next show is happening Friday in Westbury, New York.

The tour is their first since Setzer’s February 2025 announcement that he’d been diagnosed with an autoimmune disease that had left him unable to play guitar.

They will also be on the road in November and December, with dates starting on Nov. 9 in Grand Prairie, Texas. A complete list of shows can be found at StrayCats.com.

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Olivia Harrison, widow of Beatles legend George Harrison, is set to take part in a book tour in connection with the release of the upcoming photo book The Third Eye: Early Photographs.

The book, which will be released Oct. 6, is described as “the first ever collection of George Harrison’s personal photos taken between 1963 and 1970.”

The book tour includes two stops. The first, in New York, will be a conversation between Olivia and director Martin Scorsese, happening Oct. 6 at the Brooklyn Academy of Music’s Howard Gilman Opera House. Then she’ll hit Los Angeles on Oct. 11 for a chat with director Cameron Crowe at Live Talks Los Angeles’ Robert Frost Auditorium.

“These promise to be unforgettable evenings honoring George’s creative legacy,” reads the announcement posted on Instagram.

Tickets for both are on sale now, with U.K. stops to be announced at a later date.

The Third Eye: Early Photographs will feature over 200 color and black-and-white images capturing the rise of The Beatles. The images, curated by Olivia, were taken from George’s personal photos and 8mm film stills. The book will also include essays by Olivia, as well as authors Colm Tóibín and George Saunders, and the photos will feature commentary, including never-before-seen quotes from George.

It is available for preorder now.

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