Classic Rock News

Guns N’ Roses fans are finally getting new music. After weeks of rumors, the rockers just dropped “Perhaps,” their first new song since 2021’s “Hard Skool” and “Absurd.”

And they really mean new. Unlike the 2021 tracks, which were reworkings of old demos, Axl Rose, Slash and Duff McKagan wrote and recorded “Perhaps” this year.

You can listen to “Perhaps” now via digital outlets and watch its accompanying video streaming now on YouTube.

The song is also being released as a limited-edition seven-inch vinyl, which features another new track, “The General.” It will be released October 27 and is available for preorder now.

The new release comes as Guns N’ Roses is in the midst of the North American leg of their world tour. It hits Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, on Friday, August 18. A complete list of dates can be found at gunsnroses.com.

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On This Day, August 18, 1962…

Ringo Starr played his first live gig with The Beatles at the Horticultural Society dance in Birkenhead, England.

Ringo had been invited to join the band just four days earlier, on August 14, by John Lennon, with manager Brian Epstein firing the band’s drummer, Pete Best, two days later.  

Starr went on to remain with The Beatles until their breakup in 1970. He was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame as a member of the band in 1988, and as a solo artist in 2015.

Ringo will launch the fall leg of his latest tour with his All-Star Band in September.

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Fans are finally getting to hear Dolly Parton’s reunion of The Beatles. The singer just dropped her cover of The Beatles classic “Let It Be” featuring Paul McCartney and Ringo Starr, along with special guests Peter Frampton and Mick Fleetwood.  

“Well, does it get any better than singing ‘Let It Be’ with Paul McCartney who wrote the song? Not only that, he played piano!” Dolly shares. “Well, it did get even better when Ringo Starr joined in on drums, Peter Frampton on guitar and Mick Fleetwood playing percussion. I mean, seriously, how much better does it get? Thanks guys!” 

“Let It Be” is one of many rock classics Dolly covers on her upcoming album Rockstar, which she decided to record after being inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 2022. Other artists on the album include Steven Tyler, Steve Perry, Sting, Stevie Nicks, Richie Sambora, Elton John, John Fogerty, Joan Jett & The Blackhearts and more.

Rockstar will be released November 17. It is available for preorder now.

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On August 18, 1986, Bon Jovi released their third studio album, Slippery When Wet, which went on to be a massive hit.

The album featured their signature tune, “Livin’ On A Prayer,” as well as “You Give Love A Bad Name.” Both were written by Jon Bon Jovi and Richie Sambora with songwriter Desmond Child, who had no idea their partnership would wind up being so successful.

“I just showed up for the job, and when I got there, I saw these two guys. They look like they were out of the court of Louis the 15th, these big mullet bouffants,” Child tells ABC Audio. “And, you know, they had this energy.” 

He says the first song they wrote together was “You Give Love A Bad Name,” and he instantly knew there was something special there. “I could feel an energy,” he says. “We had a chemistry, the three of us together.” 

Slippery When Wet went on to hit #1 on the Billboard 200 album chart and spent eight weeks in the top spot. It was certified 12-times Platinum by the RIAA and is the New Jersey rockers’ bestselling album to date.

And you can read more tales of Child’s work with Bon Jovi, KISS and other artists when his new memoir, Livin’ On A Prayer: Big Songs Big Life, comes out September 19.

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Steve Hackett is set to release the new live audio/visual album Foxtrot at Fifty + Hackett Highlights: Live in Brighton on September 15, and now he’s sharing another preview of the project. 

The album was recorded in Brighton, England, on Hackett’s 2022 tour, in which he and his band performed Genesis’ classic album Foxtrot in its entirety to celebrate the record’s 50th anniversary. Hackett also played songs from his solo material, and ahead of the album’s release he’s sharing a performance of “A Tower Struck Down” from his 1975 album, Voyage of the Acolyte.

Foxtrot at Fifty + Hackett Highlights: Live in Brighton is available for preorder now as a limited two-CD/Blu-ray set and a limited two-CD/two-DVD set, both featuring behind-the-scenes interviews. There’s also a limited deluxe four-LP vinyl edition.  

Hackett is set to hit North America with his Foxtrot at Fifty + Hackett Highlights tour this fall, with U.S. dates kicking off October 6 in Ithaca, New York. A complete list of dates can be found at hackettsongs.com.

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Lenny Kravitz could potentially be competing for an Oscar next year. The rocker is contributing the new song “Road To Freedom” to the upcoming film Rustin, about gay activist Bayard Rustin.

The tune will feature musician Trombone Shorty, thanks to a request by director George C. Wolfe to include trombones in the song.

“Ever since Branford Marsalis introduced me to a recording of the holy trombone choir from the United House of Prayer, I’ve been mesmerized,” Wolfe says. “So when the brilliant, impassioned Lenny Kravitz agreed to write a song for Rustin, I begged him to include a chorus of trombones. … Lenny took my request to the next level and brought on board the legendary Trombone Shorty.”

He adds, “‘Road To Freedom’ captures both 1963 and 2023; a bold celebration, as Lenny’s voice sermonizes and soars.”

Rustin was an African American civil and gay rights leader, who helped organize the March on Washington. He passed away in 1987. In 2013 he was posthumously awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom by President Barack Obama.

Kravitz’s tune is expected to be released later this year. Rustin, which stars Colman Domingo in the title role and features Chris Rock, Jeffrey Wright, CCH Pounder, will open in select theaters November 3 and hits Netflix on November 17.

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A new documentary about the legendary Carlos Santana is set to hit theaters next month. Carlos, directed by Emmy Award-winning filmmaker Rudy Valdez, is getting a three-day premiere event from Sony Pictures Classic and Trafalgar Releasing.

Carlos: The Santana Journey Global Premiere will debut in theaters on Saturday, September 23; Sunday, September 24, and Wednesday, September 27. In addition to the doc, the event will feature exclusive introductory content from both Santana and Valdez. The film will then get a wider theatrical release on September 29.

Carlos tells the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame guitarist’s story using archival footage, home videos, concert footage and more, along with interviews from his family and folks in the music industry like executive Clive Davis, Carlos’ “Smooth” collaborator Rob Thomas and others.

Tickets for Carlos: The Santana Journey Global Premiere go on sale Thursday, August 24, at carlosglobalpremiere.com.

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Artists such as Sting, Andy Summers and Peter Frampton are paying tribute to legendary music executive Jerry Moss, who died Wednesday, August 16, at the age of 88. Moss’ wife, Tina, told the Associated Press he passed away of natural causes at his home in Bel Air, California.

Moss cofounded A&M Records with Herb Alpert, the label responsible for releasing such classic albums as Frampton’s Frampton Comes Alive!, The Police’s Synchronicity, Carole King’s Tapestry and more. He and Alpert were inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 2006.

On Instagram, Sting called Moss “A gentleman, a mentor, a friend, and utterly irreplaceable,” noting his death is “a devastating loss.” Guitarist Summers described Moss as “a kind, clever, and thoughtful man who was fun to be around and be involved with,” adding, “It never felt like business but rather a fruitful and creative partnership. He will be missed.” 

Frampton also paid tribute to Moss on social media, writing, “I am so sorry to hear Jerry Moss has left us. Jerry was a true gentleman and if it weren’t for him, so many lives might have turned out very differently,” adding,  “He loved great music and went out of his way to make a place where artists could find themselves and create with his lovely encouragement and patience.”

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It’s been over 30 years since Talking Heads split up on bad terms, and frontman David Byrne is feeling bad about what went down.

“As a younger person, I was not as pleasant to be around. When I was working on some Talking Heads shows, I was more of a little tyrant,” he tells People in a new interview. “And then I learned to relax, and I also learned that collaborating with people, both sides get more if there’s a good relationship instead of me telling everybody what to do.” 

He adds, “I think [the end] wasn’t handled well. It was kind of ugly.”

Talking Heads released their last album, Naked, in 1988, and in 1992, drummer Chris Frantz revealed in a Los Angeles Times interview that Byrne basically left the band and they were over. 

“I have regrets on how that was handled,” Byrne says. “I don’t think I did it in the best way, but I think it was kind of inevitable that would happen anyway.” He now describes his relationship with his former bandmates as “cordial,” adding, “We’re sort of in touch, but we don’t hang out together.” 

Talking Heads did reunite in 2002 to perform at their Rock & Roll Hall of Fame induction ceremony, and they are set to unite again September 11 at the Toronto Film Festival. All four members — Byne, Frantz, Tina Weymouth and Jerry Harrison — will take part in a Q&A to mark the 40th anniversary of their iconic concert film, Stop Making Sense.

The film is also being rereleased in theaters September 22; a new trailer for it has just dropped. 

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Joni Mitchell has announced the latest addition to her Archives series.  

Joni Mitchell Archives, Vol. 3: The Asylum Years (1972-1975), dropping October 6, will feature never-before-heard demos, performances and early and alternative versions of songs from three of her albums: 1972’s For The Roses, 1974’s Court And Spark, and 1975’s The Hissing Of Summer Lawns.

The set includes an early cut of “Cold Blue Steel and Sweet Fire” from sessions with Graham Nash and David Crosby, as well as Joni’s entire 1972 concert at Carnegie Hall, performances in Montreal in 1973 and Los Angeles in 1974 and a whole lot more. There’s also an early demo of the Court and Spark classic “Help Me,” which is available now.

Volume 3 will be released in a variety of formats, including a five-CD/digital version and a shorter four-LP version. Both physical versions include a book with archival photos along with a conversation between Joni and director and friend Cameron Crowe.

Joni Mitchell Archives, Vol. 3: The Asylum Years (1972-1975) is available for preorder now.

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