Classic Rock News

Back in December, the U.K.’s Royal Mint honored Paul McCartney with his own coin. Well, now his bandmate John Lennon is getting one, too.

The Royal Mint is set to celebrate the legendary musician’s legacy with a new commemorative coin, being released to coincide with the year Lennon would have turned 85.

Designed by expert coin designer Henry Gray, the coin features a portrait of Lennon taken on the roof of his New York City penthouse. It is based on an image from music photographer Bob Gruen. The portrait is in the middle of the coin, with Lennon’s name on the left and the word “Imagine,” in reference to his iconic single and album, on the right.

“Arguably one of the greatest singers and songwriters of all time, Lennon’s achievements as an artist, activist and advocate for peace continues to live on and will now be forever remembered on a coin,” Rebecca Morgan, director of commemorative coin at The Royal Mint, said. “Still admired by millions of people and generations worldwide, we hope this coin and its design will be treasured for many years to come.”

The Lennon coin will go on sale Monday at 9 a.m. GMT via The Royal Mint website.

The coin is part of The Royal Mint’s Music Legends coin series. Other artists commemorated with coins include Queen and David Bowie.

Copyright © 2025, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

An official feature documentary on Iron Maiden is in the works.

The film, produced by Universal Pictures Content Group, is set to premiere in cinemas worldwide in the fall in celebration of the metal icons’ 50th anniversary. It is described as “an emotive journey through Iron Maiden’s 50 year history told from the perspective of both the band and some of their most devoted followers,” including Metallica‘s Lars Ulrich, KISS‘ Gene Simmons and actor Javier Bardem.

“We’re proud Universal Pictures Content Group has chosen to share the unique story of Iron Maiden with the world,” says band manager Rod Smallwood. “We have given them unrestricted access to the band, our fans and musical peers.”

Smallwood adds, “We trust that they will excite not only music fans but also anyone who loves a story of an underdog beating the odds to become and remain one of Britain’s biggest musical exports since our first record released 45 years ago.”

The currently untitled doc will also include the final interview with original Maiden vocalist Paul Di’Anno, who passed away in 2024.

Copyright © 2025, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

Carlos Santana has shared another track from his upcoming album, Sentient.

The latest release is a tribute to the late Michael Jackson, with a live instrumental version of  “Stranger in Moscow,” a track from the King of Pop’s 1995 album HIStory: Past, Present and Future, Book 1.

Santana originally recorded the track in 2007 with producer and drummer Narada Michael Walden’s band.

“Narada knew that I loved the song, so he arranged it with his band,” Santana shares. “I showed up and we played it with no rehearsal.”

He adds, “I’m basically singing it with my guitar. I’m visualizing Michael Jackson and what he would do – I got pretty close. I think when Michael listened to it, wherever he is, he smiled and said, ‘Yeah, that’s it.’”

“Stranger in Moscow” is available now via digital outlets.

Sentient, dropping March 28, features 11 tracks, including three previously unreleased songs. The album features collaborations with Smokey Robinson, Miles Davis, Italian pianist Paolo Rustichelli, Darryl “DMC” McDaniels and Cindy Blackman Santana.

Sentient is available for preorder now.

Copyright © 2025, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

Get ready to hear Ozzy Osbourne declare that he is Iron Man in high fidelity.

A new vinyl reissue of Black Sabbath‘s seminal album Paranoid has been released, featuring Rhino Hi-Fi audio and packaging. You can order the limited-edition LP now via Rhino.com.

The original Paranoid, Sabbath’s sophomore album, was released in 1970. It’s credited with helping to pioneer heavy metal with now-classic songs like “Iron Man,” “War Pigs” and the title track.

You can rock Paranoid in Rhino Hi-Fi while looking forward to Sabbath’s massive reunion/farewell concert, taking place July 5 in their hometown of Birmingham, England.

Meanwhile, Rhino has also released a Hi-Fi version of Alice Cooper‘s 1971 album Love It to Death, which features the song “I’m Eighteen.” 

Copyright © 2025, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

Some classic recordings by The Rolling Stones have just gotten an audio upgrade.

ABKCO Music & Records just released six full-length albums and two EPs from the Rock & Roll Hall of Famers in Dolby Atmos audio for the very first time.

Full albums getting the audio upgrade include the U.K. edition of 1964’s The Rolling Stones, plus 1964’s England’s Newest Hit Makers and 12 X 5, 1965’s The Rolling Stones No. 2 and The Rolling Stones, Now!, and 1969’s Let It Bleed. Also getting a Dolby Atmos release are the 1964 EPs The Rolling Stones and Five by Five.

Stones fans can find the newly upgraded Dolby Atmos editions of these releases streaming on Apple Music, TIDAL and Amazon Music.

And this is just the beginning of the Dolby Atmos upgrades. ABKCO has plans to release even more titles in this format, including 1968’s Beggars Banquet, both the U.S. and U.K. versions of 1965’s Out of Our Heads, and 1966’s Big Hits (High Tide and Green Grass).

Copyright © 2025, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

On This Day, March 14, 1991…

R.E.M., billed under the pseudonym, Bingo Hand Job, headlined the first of two secret acoustic shows in London as part of a promo tour for their seventh studio album, Out of Time.

The band’s 18-song set list included performances of several songs from the album, including “Losing My Religion,” which became a top 5 hit, plus “Radio Song,” “Low” and “Belong.” The also performed “World Leader Pretend” and “You Are Everything” from Green, “Fall on Me” from Life’s Rich Pageant and more.

An album featuring performances from the two shows was released on vinyl for Record Store Day in 2019.

Out of Time peaked at #1 in both the U.S. and the U.K., and went on to sell more than 18 million copies worldwide.

Copyright © 2025, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

One of Bob Dylan’s earliest recordings just sold at auction, bringing in almost $40,000.

The demo, circa 1961, was recorded live at New York’s Gaslight Café and was produced by Dylan’s first manager, Terri Thal. It was sold through the Boston-based RR Auction for $39,325, almost twice the original estimate of $20,000.

The tape features six tracks: Dylan originals “Man on the Street,” “He Was a Friend of Mine,” “Talkin’ Bear Mountain Picnic Massacre Blues” and “Song to Woody,” plus two covers.

The recording was part of a larger Dylan-themed auction that brought in over $1.1 million.

Other items snapped up the auction include a Hohner Marine Band harmonica that was played during Dylan’s infamous 1966 world tour, in which he was called “Judas” for playing electric guitar; it sold for $19,456. Handwritten and signed lyrics to “All Along the Watchtower” sold for $61,599, a stage-worn “Nudie” suit that Dylan purchased for his Rolling Thunder Revue collaborator Bob Neuwirth sold for $54,206, and a Dylan original mixed media painting, titled “Cassandra,” was snapped up for $79,539.

Copyright © 2025, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

Little Feat is dropping a new album in May.

The group will release Strike Up the Band on May 9, featuring the new single “Too High To Cut My Hair,” written by Fred Tackett.

“‘Too High To Cut My Hair’ is based on a true story where (Fred) and his wife Patricia were in a hotel room in New Orleans,” Little Feat’s Bill Payne shares. “Fred had asked for a trim, but decided that she was too high to cut his hair. And then he thought, ‘oh my god, what a title!’”

He adds, “People love the humor in our records, a cherished entree to those when they find it. So I’m happy this song displays that humor, and in full.”

The band brings that same sense of humor to the video for the song, which stars Lilly Winwood, daughter of Rock & Roll Hall of Famer Steve Winwood, as a drunk hairdresser who fails at giving each member of the band a haircut.

“Too High To Cut My Hair” is available now.

Strike Up the Band is the follow-up to Little Feat’s 2024 album, Sam’s Place, which was their first new album in 12 years.

Little Feat will support the album with the new Strike Up The Band tour, which kicks off May 5 in Rutland, Vermont. A complete list of Little Feat dates can be found at LittleFeat.net.

Copyright © 2025, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers guitarist Mike Campbell is set to release his new memoir, Heartbreaker, on March 18. In a new Guitar Player interview he opens up about his relationship with Petty and discusses the rocker’s 2017 death.

Petty died of an accidental drug overdose; he had been self-medicating to deal with pain he was suffering from hip problems. Campbell says he never confronted Petty about his drug use because that wasn’t the type of relationship they had.

“With Tom, it was like ‘Your private life is yours, and mine is mine,’” Campbell shares. “I can see what you’re doing, but out of respect for you, I’ll trust you’ll do the right thing. If you need me, call me.”

He says he doesn’t think confronting Petty would have done anything anyway, explaining, “[T]he thing with Tom was, you could say that and he would just look at you like, ‘But I’m Tom Petty. I’m going to do whatever I f****** want. Get out of my face.’”

Campbell says he doesn’t torture himself over what he could have possibly done to save Petty, noting, “My conscious is clear because Tom knew that I knew, and Tom knew that I wasn’t forcing him and getting in his face about it.”

“We had this invisible understanding, and I didn’t have to confront him for him to know how I felt about it,” he says. “So I have no second thoughts about it. I don’t beat myself up like that.”

Campbell’s Heartbreakers bandmate Howie Epstein died of a drug overdose in 2003, a year after he was kicked out of the band for substance issues. Campbell says of his late bandmates, “I miss them … but I did all I could.”

Copyright © 2025, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

Neither Elton John nor Brandi Carlile appear in the video for their latest collaborative single, “Swing for the Fences,” from their forthcoming joint album, Who Believes in Angels? Instead, the video casts two young male actors to create what a press release calls “a dynamic and emotional exploration of sensuality and liberation.”

The clip starts off with a young man alone in a carpeted room, turning on the song, which Brandi describes as “an anthem for young gay kids out there,” and dancing frantically in front of a mirror. He looks out the window and sees another young man across the street, who waves to him.

Eventually, the guy outside rings the doorbell; the other guy lets him in and then they do a sensual dance together before ending up in bed, sharing a kiss.

Director Xavier Dolan says the video shows “a young person claiming his power and pride through music and dance, especially at a time where some people, some very powerful people, are trying to weaken and rescind that power, and tame that pride.”

Elton says in a statement that after he and Brandi recorded “Swing for the Fences,” “we all just felt this massive sense of joy and euphoria … it just sounded great.”

Who Believes in Angels? is out April 4.

Copyright © 2025, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.