Classic Rock News

The life of The Band‘s Richard Manuel will be celebrated in a new biography due May 28.

Called Richard Manuel: His Life and Music, from the Hawks and Bob Dylan to The Band, the book by Stephen Lewis includes new interviews with Manuel’s musical colleagues, including Eric Clapton and Van Morrison, as well as friends and family, plus commentary on Manuel’s songs and performances.

Born in Stratford, Ontario, Manuel was one of The Band’s three main vocalists, as well as its pianist. He also contributed drums, organ and other instruments to the group’s records. In addition, he wrote or co-wrote a number of The Band’s songs. He died by suicide in 1986.

The book details Manuel’s early beginnings as a musician in Canada and his time in The Hawks — the group that became The Band. Also covered is The Hawks’ stint as Bob Dylan‘s backup band; their later musical collaborations with Dylan — including the Manuel/Dylan co-write “Tears of Rage“; and The Band’s own subsequent success.

The book, announced on The Band’s official Instagram page on April 3, which would have been Manuel’s 82nd birthday, is available for preorder now.

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Elton John‘s new album, Who Believes in Angels?, is a collaborative project with his pal Brandi Carlile, because he says the last thing he wanted to do was make a solo album.

Speaking to Apple Music 1’s Zane Lowe, Elton says that when his farewell tour was over and he decided to start recording, “I knew that I didn’t want to make the same album again.” He notes, “I wanted the album to move forward, because I’m always trying to look forward. If I had just made another Elton John record, I would’ve killed myself.”

Elton says that’s why he “needed” Brandi for the project, which is due out Friday. “I needed her talent, her energy, her humor, and her brilliant lyrics,” he tells Zane. “I’ve got two of the greatest lyric writers in the world, Bernie Taupin and Brandi Carlile. The lyrics in front of me, if you can’t write great songs for those … that’s my great talent, to be able to interpret those beautiful lyrics quickly. When we got going, it was like, whoosh, like an express train.”

Elton reveals, “I needed her to push me. I needed Bernie to push me. … I was scared. I was very scared. I wanted to make this album, and I knew what I wanted it to sound like, but that’s all very well. You’ve got to actually do it. I had a lot of fear, which is great. But I took it out on other people, which is not so great.”

You’ll be able to see Elton taking it out on other people in Who Believes In Angels? Stories From the Edge of Creation, a short film that documents making the record. It’ll stream on Elton’s YouTube channel starting Saturday, which is also the day Elton and Brandi will appear on Saturday Night Live.  

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Neil Young is giving fans a preview of his upcoming tour documentary, Coastal, which was directed by his wife, Daryl Hannah.

The rocker just shared a short clip from the film, featuring a performance of “When I Hold You in My Arms.” It’s a track that originally appeared on Young’s 2002 album Are You Passionate? and was then later reimagined for his 2023 acoustic album, Before and After.

Coastal follows Young on his 2023 Coastal tour, which marked his return to the stage following the COVID-19 pandemic. It hits theaters for one night only on April 17. Tickets are on sale now.

To coincide with the movie’s theatrical release, Coastal: The Soundtrack will be released on April 18, featuring 11 songs that were recorded in several cities. Young recently released a track from the album, a live performance of the song “Throw Your Hatred Down.” It originally appeared on the 1995 album Mirror Ball, which Young recorded with Pearl Jam.

Coastal: The Soundtrack is available for preorder now.

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Metallica’s classic tune “Master of Puppets” is the latest track to join Spotify’s Billions Club.

The rockers shared on social media that they are “psyched” by the song’s latest milestone and thanked their fans for the support, adding, “Send it on its way to two billion, and listen to every member of the Billions Club.”

“Master of Puppets” is the title track of Metallica’s third studio album, which was released in 1986. The song was a top-40 hit for the band. In 2015 it became the first heavy metal song to be selected by the Library of Congress for preservation in the National Recording Registry.

More recently, the song had a pivotal role in the fourth season finale of Netflix’s Stranger Things, which sparked a renewed interest in the tune and a resurgence on the Spotify charts.

“Master of Puppets” is now the third Metallica track to join Spotify’s Billions Club, after “Enter Sandman” and “Nothing Else Matters.”

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Little Feat is giving fans another preview of their upcoming album, Strike Up the Band, which will be released on May 9.

The latest is the track “Midnight Flight,” which Little Feat’s Scott Sharrard says he wrote shortly after joining the band in 2020.

“Looking back on it, I feel like this song blends the sonic palate [sic] of Freddie King’s albums with Leon Russell and the sound we all love so much, which we heard on Little Feat’s ‘comeback’ album, Let It Roll,” Sharrard says. “It’s got that boogie feel that gets people up.”

“Midnight Flight” is available now via digital outlets.

In addition to the song, Little Feat just announced a three-night festival in upstate New York. Feat Fest 2025 will be held Aug. 30 to Sept. 1 at the Bearsville Theatre in Woodstock and will be recorded for a possible live album.

Tickets for Feat Fest go on sale Friday.

Next up, Little Feat will hit the road for a new tour that kicks off May 5 in Rutland, Vermont. A complete list of dates can be found at LittleFeat.net.
 

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Richie Sambora is opening up about his participation in last year’s Bon Jovi docuseries on Hulu, Thank You Good Night: The Bon Jovi Story, and it doesn’t sound like he had the best experience.

During an appearance on Smashing Pumpkins frontman Billy Corgan’s The Magnificent Others podcast, Richie said he was asked to sit down for an interview that lasted 30 minutes to an hour, noting the questions he was asked were “unintelligent” and “did not demand any depth of answer.”

He also shared that of the things he did say, “none of it really got in the documentary.”

As for what he had hoped the docuseries would show, Sambora says, “So it’s the band’s 40th anniversary, we did some unbelievable things — mention those things, show … what that feeling was like.”

Sambora also discussed his love life during the interview, revealing that he’s been in a “wonderful relationship” for over two years, although he did not identify his partner.

“To fall in love at 63, with the wisdom … and she’s also smart. And she’s also healthy and beautiful and 60,” Sambora shares. “It’s a different way, it invigorates you very much. It’s a different way to fall in love.”

Sambora was married to actress Heather Locklear from 1994 to 2007. They share a daughter, Ava.

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It’s official – Bruce Springsteen is releasing his long awaited follow-up to 1998’s box set Tracks.

The Boss just announced that Tracks II: The Lost Albums, featuring seven previously unheard Springsteen records, will be released June 27. The set will feature 83 songs, all of which were originally recorded between 1983 and 2018. Of those songs, 82 have never been released before and 74 have never been heard before.

“I often read about myself in the ’90s as having some sort of ‘lost’ period or something. Not really, really I was working the whole time,” Springsteen said in a video announcing the project. “During the pandemic, what I did for that period of time, I finished everything I had in my vault. So this is Tracks II. The Lost Albums are records that were full records, some of them even to the point of being mixed, and not released.”

And Springsteen is giving fans their first preview of the set with the release of “Rain in the River,” from the lost album Perfect World. It is available now via digital outlets. He also plans to release new singles and content each week at lostalbums.net.

Tracks II: The Lost Albums will be released digitally, and as limited-edition 9-LP and 7-CD sets. The physical copies come with packaging for each previously unreleased record, along with a 100-page hardcover book with rare archival photos, liner notes, a personal introduction from Springsteen and more.

In addition, Springsteen will release Lost and Found: Selections from The Lost Albums, featuring 20 songs from the collection, as a single CD and 2-LP set.

Tracks II: The Lost Albums is available for preorder now.

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Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band guitarist Nils Lofgren is giving fans a chance to own some of his personal equipment. The Rock & Roll Hall of Famer is now selling signed guitars, amps, foot peddles and other items on Reverb.

Lofgren revealed on Instagram that the Official Nils Lofgren Reverb Shop now has 50 new items available. He’s used all the gear on tour and in the studio, not only with the E Street Band, but also when backing Neil Young in Crazy Horse and in his solo work.

“Over the last decades, in the studios and on stage, these are great pieces that have served me well,” he shared.

More info can be found at reverb.com.

Lofgren is getting ready to break out his equipment once again. Bruce and the E Street Band are set to kick off a U.K. and European tour on May 14 in Manchester, England. A complete list of dates can be found at BruceSpringsteen.com.

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The Doors drummer John Densmore has paid tribute to actor Val Kilmer, who passed away Tuesday at the age of 65.

Kilmer starred as The Doors frontman Jim Morrison in Oliver Stone’s film The Doors, and Densmore shared a photo of himself with the actor on social media.

“The gifted actor, Val Kilmer, who miraculously played Jim (Morrison) in The Doors movie, has broke on thru to the other side,” he wrote, quoting the band’s famous song “Break on Through (To the Other Side).” “RIP.”

Released in 1991, The Doors grossed $34 million in the U.S. In addition to Kilmer, it starred Meg Ryan as Morrison’s girlfriend Pamela Courson, Kevin Dillon as Densmore, Kyle MacLachlan as keyboardist Ray Manzarek and Frank Whaley as guitarist Robby Krieger.

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The Rolling Stones’ Ronnie Wood doesn’t seem too keen on modern music.

Wood and The Who‘s Roger Daltrey recently attended a launch event in London for a new book about Buddy Holly. During a Q&A Wood shared his thoughts on music today, The Standard reports.

“We were throwing s*** at the wall and some of it stuck,” he said of The Stones’ music. “There’s something about the technology I feel personally, we’re losing the essence of the heartbeat.”

He added, “Maybe it’s because I’m older, but there’s not much new music.”

Words Of Love: Buddy Holly was conceived in 2017 by Daltrey and features cover art from Wood. It shares Holly’s life and legacy through never-before-seen photos and personal items, along with stories by his widow, María Elena Holly, and contributions from artists like Eric Clapton, Robert Plant, Keith Richards, Bruce Springsteen, Sting, Pete Townshend, Van Morrison and Queen‘s Brian May.

The book is being released April 8, with proceeds going to Teenage Cancer Trust and Teen Cancer America, the cancer charities co-founded by Daltrey and Townshend.

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